Seattle Small Business Blog

Multi-tasking is a natural aspect of business for women business owners, especially those with families.

The fact is if you are a woman business owner, you are most likely already a multi-tasker of epic proportions. You know how to combine family, childcare and business tasks as a matter of course. Whether it’s carpooling, deliveries, and business errands, or phoning clients, babysitters and arranging multiple schedules, you think in terms of multiple areas of impact most of the time.

When your business is in your home you have additional challenges and benefits which your multi-tasking abilities can make work for you. You can handle household chores and meal preparation in between appointments, phone consultations, or writing that new piece for your monthly newsletter. You routinely make decisions which involve multiple areas of your life more or less simultaneously.

Taking that next step of how to apply your natural ability to enhance your business success is not so difficult, but it does require a new focus. You have to start thinking in terms of the various areas of your business the same way you think of the various areas of your life. You have to step back and get a little wider view of things.

The best way to do this is to set aside some quiet time when you will not be disturbed and really take a look at what it is you want your business to accomplish, in what time frame. Using the backward planning approach works very well.

Once you have developed your general goals, rework them into specific targets. In other words, take the generalized goal, say of “X number of new clients by X” and develop the set targets you’ll need to accomplish to reach that goal.

A project plan (target list) and work chart can be a very helpful tool for the next process of breaking down each target into the associated tasks required to fulfill each objective. Using these two tools, you can create the work chart for each specific area, and then see how the various targets are related. For instance, a new promotional pack for your business will have various components: brochure, logo, support materials, testimonial letters, perhaps a multi media presentation. Each of these items becomes a block in the project work chart, and completing portions of any one may provide materials for the others.

Once you have accomplished this you will have a clear picture of all the tasks required for each area of your business. Now the process of checking in on the larger picture as you work each day becomes a simple matter of using these tools to keep you on track.

Target lists and project work charts are tools often used by engineers as they develop a new piece of equipment, hardware, firmware, or software. First the targets or functions of each piece are defined and then the steps to creating each working component are laid out. By following this method, the relationships between the various targets, or, in this case, components of your business plan, are visible and easily identified.

This avoids getting the cart before the horse, or working on portions of the plan that cannot be implemented without other components also being in place.

The next step is to integrate the project work charts into a daily system of self check as you naturally group your work according to like tasks which can be accomplished in clusters of multi-tasking events. In this way you can significantly increase your progress and your business will thrive.

Once you have clearly charted targets for the business you can start to apply the multi tasking skills you aridly have to what needs to be done to make the targets happen.

The next step to optimizing your multi-tasking is to ask yourself where you do your best work. What gives you the most energy and creativity? What is the most difficult for you to tackle of the things that require your attention?

A professional counselor, in the midst of changing her business from one based on individual clients to seminars and group events met the challenge of having to think in ways unfamiliar to her by relocating her new event planning activities to her kitchen! She recognized that her most relaxing and enjoyable activity was preparing fresh foods for family and friends. When she moved her event planning to the kitchen, her natural confidence and creativity in that environment enabled her to expand her event planning thinking much more easily than she could in her office.

The food and her pleasure in its preparation, as well as her sense of well being and confidence in this environment gave her the creative energy she needed to expand her thinking and create new and different events for her clients. By providing herself with the support of her naturally creative environment, in this case cooking, she added to her creative power in an area where she had less strength and experience.

Often, by breaking up more mundane tasks with those which are more creative or inspiring, it is possible to keep your energy level higher than if you were to attempt to force yourself to do the “boring” task alone.

Learning your own personal rhythm and areas of your own natural creativity and enthusiasm and thinking in ways which allow you to tap into those parts of yourself you can greatly enhance not only the results of your work, but the sense of well being you find in your work.

Finally, as a multi-tasker, there is some danger that you can become too diversified and lose the focus and clarity of knowing what is most important in your business and in your life. By implementing target lists and project work charts as a guide to daily actions and updating them as each new target is complete you have a simple and effective system for starting each new day, and for meeting all your business objectives.

The daily action of a quick review of the target list and work chart also provides the added benefit of stimulating new ideas and inspirations to continue enhancing your multi tasking skills, keeping your work fresh, interesting and exciting.

Any business will cringe at the thought of what the banks put them through to use credit cards. If you do not know what I mean, then this article is for you!

The fact is that everyone online wants to use a credit card or debit card to process their order. It is very true in our society that the credit card is a way of life, and if you do not offer that ability to accommodate them, customers will move on to another website that does allow them to use their cards. This society has become driven by instant gratification and expects to receive their products immediately, either by a download or a short shipping duration. Taking credit cards as a form of payment on the internet or offline should be thoroughly understood. Read on to see what I mean and how to protect yourself.

The fact is that any merchant taking in payments is immediately at risk for whatever amount is charged and MORE. The banks will take the charge disputed along with a “charge back” fee right from your merchant account, and you better have enough in there that has cleared to pay your own bills or you will be charged more for “overdraft charges”. Some banks are waking up to the fact that it is not always the merchant at fault and most merchants are more than honest in their dealings. There is so much credit card fraud out there and since the merchants are ALWAYS liable, you need to realize this and take action to prevent as much disaster for your business as possible.

First, if you have your own merchant account, then you have a lot of work to do when you receive a credit card order. You must verify as best you can that the card, the name on the card, the address, the cvv number verification, and the quantities are all in order. You need to verify the IP address of every order and see if it is within the location of the card holder. A person living in Toronto, Canada, probably would not be in Las Cruces, New Mexico, charging products. This is a red flag but not a deal breaker, some people DO travel. Caution needs to be taken to protect your cash flow. As a merchant you must get money safely into your account for any goods or service you provide, so that you can become a larger or more substantial independent business.

Do not just take in cards and believe that everything is going to be just fine now that you have the money in your account, because it can come out just as fast, or faster, than it went in. There is a real need for you to understand a lot more than can be mentioned in this article.

The best way to receive all the tools and services you need to protect yourself and to make your voice heard is to check this website: http://www.merchant911.org This is a group of dedicated individuals who have been working for years to try to change banking and processing company rules and regulations as relative to merchants, both large and small. If you need any more proof of their dedication, just read some of the press releases and look at the tools they have assembled for merchants to use.

Right now is the time to start to protect yourself from credit card fraud. If you have read any of the newspapers or listened to any of the news reports, then you already know you are at risk. There are reports of over 40 million cards in the hands of criminals and thieves and they will sell these cards or will use them in various illegal methods. It’s not hard to imagine that some day soon you will be approached and asked to spend your time and money to ship a product or provide a service with these fraudulent cards.

Sales psychology is an advantage whether you are in a conventional brick and mortar business or an online one. The great thing is that sales psychology is not difficult to learn. Essentially all you need to do is put yourself in the place of the prospective buyer.

One aspect of sales psychology is that people respond to specifics more than generalities. If you sell photocopy machines, saying a particular unit is a high-speed duplicating machine is not impactful. But if you say that your machine produces 10 sheets of A4-sized copies in 12 seconds with the ability to automatically collate documents into correct order, then it seems more impressive. In sales, rounding off figures dilutes its impact so state numbers without rounding off.
This aspect of stating things in specific terms also applies to targeting your prospects. People must know whether your product or service is for them or not. Hence, the term ‘Home Owners’ is not as good as ‘Gardening Enthusiasts’. And ‘Gardening Enthusiasts’ is not as specific as ‘Tropical Plant Lovers’. Get specific. Got it?

Another aspect of sales psychology is that people are interested in how they can benefit from your product or service more than what the product can do. This seems obvious but most business owners and sales people miss the mark on this one. My favorite way to make sure I’m focusing on benefits instead of features is to ask myself “What does it do?” (to uncover a feature) and then “What’s so great about that?” to uncover the benefit to them.

This is a difficult world we live in. People die everyday from disease, starvation and murder. So the question has to be asked: is this a destiny that was laid out for them beforehand, or could they have possibly changed their karma?

Some people will say yes and others no. But why?

To say your new business is heading for failure and there was nothing you could do about it would be silly, now wouldn’t it? Of course the horrid examples listed above couldn’t compare to losing your business now could it?

Well, let’s say your new business venture is the key to changing the future of your kids. Things are looking grim, you lose your job, and with the economy the way it is, another job making reasonable pay just doesn’t seem realistic at this point. If this is you or someone you know, then maybe the point is being made. Is there really a major difference between you and some pour soul who can barely feed herself? Well yes and no, because you have your problems and they have theirs. Some are bigger than others, yes, but when it concerns the individual at hand, no matter the dilemma, it can appear huge and overwhelming.

So your business is failing. It isn’t producing any profit. The prospects are untargeted and uninterested in what you have to offer. The whole thing is a step away from dying and you are preparing to throw in the towel.

Is this what you envisioned when you first started out? No. But it’s happening and you just can’t find away to turn things around. Your husband or wife is nagging for you to find a real job and your kids aren’t eating the way you would like because you just can’t afford it right now.

What can you do? What will you do? Will you just roll over and die?

Do you need a reason to keep going? How about your husband or wife and kids. Owning your own business can be the greatest investment you will ever make in your own future, as well as that of your family. You already know this, but you just don’t know how to make it work.

Then answer yourself these questions:

1)Are you willing to learn?

2)Are you capable of sticking to one plan of action, rather than dabbling from one business to the next?

3)Do you like what you are doing?

4)Are you responsible with your business spending, rather than throwing away money on useless software, gadgets and schemes that bring you no return?

5)Are you a leader, rather than a follower?

If you answered these questions in the negative, there is still hope for you. What you need to do is reevaluate everything you are doing from the top to the bottom. There is a very good chance you know exactly what you are doing wrong. Let’s start with number one.

Will you dedicate yourself to learning new techniques on a daily basis? Will you read more? Knowledge is power. You must first understand what you are doing and why in order to implement it. OK, now two.

Stop dabbling from business to business right now. Stick with what you’ve got, no matter how good that new start-up appears. Stop buying into other programs and make the program(s) that you are now using work for you. Your distractions will become limited. This is important. Get to work on what you have and make a point of marketing every single day without fail, whether it is a simple article or adding content to your blog. Get it done. Now three.

If you don’t like what you are doing, then why do it? Find something else. This is your business. It should be everything you want it to be. Now four.

Please do not buy anything on impulse. Check it out thoroughly on the Internet before purchasing. Now five.

In order to succeed in business you must become a leader and in order to do this you must conquer a particular niche. Read and learn. Grab people’s attention by becoming knowledgeable. If you don’t lead you don’t succeed. That is a fact, and today is the day to get started on your quest to become that special someone people will look up to. Start today by picking up a book, magazine or other reading material, and make it a point to learn something new about your business every day.

If you really want your business to fail, keep doing what you are doing. Then maybe the naysayers are correct; a man or woman really can’t change their fate.

Prove them wrong. Make a change and watch your future become what you want it to be. The key to it all is believing, followed closely by doing.

To many the idea of working from home is very attractive, especially if you have young children or are in any way immobile. But working at home does not suit everybody and there are some questions you need to ask yourself before you commit to work from home.

First of all there are a number of ways you could work from home. Many big companies encourage it these days, especially if you are in a job which can be performed from anywhere. Equally you could setup your own business working from home supplying services to your local area, or you could go online with your own internet business.

First consider where you will work. Is there a spare room or a room you could set aside as an office where you could set yourself up and not be disturbed, or distracted, from normal family life? If not, make sure you set aside your own workspace and that your loved ones know it is where you work.

Next think about what equipment you will need to work from home, whether you can afford it, and how and where you will set it up. It is likely you will need a computer, printer, a desk, an office chair and a reliable internet connection as a minimum. It is as important to consider Health and Safety implications as it would be in a regular office environment.

Next consider the impact on the family or those around you. Set down some ground rules so your loved ones know when you are working and therefore can’t be disturbed. Equally let them know your working hours and stick to them. Working from home has many advantages, but it can sometimes be difficult to switch off at the end of the day, so set your boundaries, including what you are prepared to do, make sure they are fair to everyone and meet everyone’s needs, and stick to them.

Finally, and most importantly, ask yourself whether you have the temperament to work effectively from home. Are you the sort of person who needs the buzz of the office, or do you prefer to get your head down and get on with it. Do you need to get out of the house in the morning, or are you happy to stay within your own four walls every day? Asking yourself these questions will determine whether you will be happy working from home. If you are at all doubtful, don’t despair, are there things you could do to make it work? For instance you may need to work harder on your social life, join a gym or a local networking group.

Asking yourself the above questions before you embark on your working at home will really help you determine whether it will suit you or not, and therefore whether it will work for you.

You’ve decided to start your own home business, perhaps because you hate your current job and loathe getting up early in the morning to travel to work every day, or maybe because you regret not being there to see all the milestones in your children’s growth. You could be approaching retirement and worrying about the lifestyle you will be forced into.

Whatever your reason, starting your own home business will give you flexibility and if done well, will bring in that extra income you are after. Even if your funds are very limited, you can still get going by starting part-time while you work your regular job. The important thing is to plan, know what you want to do and then get started. Plenty of other people have built a very profitable online business working from home and so can you!

Be aware that almost half of all small businesses fail in the first five year of operation and that your profits may not come as quickly as some advertisements would have you believe, but if you plan well, are committed to action and just keep following the steps, you will make it happen.

The following are basic steps to follow that will help you keep on the path to success with your own home business:

1. Vision

Know the big picture of where you want to go, what you want to achieve and why you want to achieve it. See it in your mind, imagine that you have already reached your goal and feel how that would feel. The more emotion you put into your vision, the more likely you are to succeed. Most entrepreneurs have had such a clear vision.

2. Planning

This is where you set your goals; make them:

(a) specific

(b) measurable

(c) achievable

(d) timely, meaning they must have a deadline

3. Options

Consider all your options then decide on one course of action that suits you best right now. Some things to consider are:

(a) What kind of work can you do from home?

(b) Suitability – What fits with your skills and your interests?

(c) Costs – Work out what you can afford to spend to get your new business established and then see what home business model fits within this budget and your interests.

(d) Business structure – You can be a sole trader, form a partnership, a company/corporation or perhaps just start out as a hobby. Some of these structures cost money to set up, but may suit your personal circumstances better. As always, understand the options, then decide what is best for you.

(e) Registrations, tax and other legalities – These will depend on local regulations and the business structure you choose, but whatever they are, you need to make yourself familiar with them.

(f) Personal and family issues – It’s always best to discuss your business plans with your family, even when they will not be involved in the business side. You may need to share resources, such as computer/internet time, perhaps desk or table space if you will not have a separate office, you will probably have family commitments, but you also need to make sure you will be able to have quality time to work on your business and not be expected to drop it for other family matters just because you are at home. It’s important that everyone in the family acknowledges that you are running a business and not just toying with it.

(g) Enjoyment – You have to like this work! You will appreciate (and studies have proven) that when people really enjoy their work, are even passionate about it, they willingly put more time in, are less likely to give up and therefore are more likely to succeed.

4. Action

Consistent ongoing action, small steps + consistency = success

(a) Do something on your business every day for 21 days. This will form a habit of doing it and make it easier for you to commit your time.

(b) Prepare a brief outline for each day of the week. This lets you start right in on the task planned when you might otherwise be tempted to spend time reading emails or web surfing. The outline can be very brief, just one line for each day is OK. Your list will depend on your business and the time you have available, but could be something like this:

i. Monday – write a draft for an article

ii. Tuesday – post to your blog, send an email follow-up to your list or submit comments on someone else’s blog or a forum

iii. Wednesday – polish your article and submit to article sites

iv. Thursday – list another product on eBay or on your website

v. Friday – research for new products, articles etc

(c) The weekly planning session is also a good time to evaluate how the previous week went. If things did not go as well as you hoped, don’t be disheartened, see how you can do it better next time.

5. Repeat this cycle over and over. You do not always have to have the same business model, but the steps will apply to any model you choose.

6. Success will come inevitably when you follow this pattern.

To make it easy to remember, these steps are labelled WHY, WHAT, HOW, NOW steps (where Now means Action or DO IT!)

The importance of planning sufficiently or effectively cannot be stressed enough. If you want your business to be successful (and you do, or else why bother to start at all?), make sure you plan well and then keep taking action based on your plans.

Stop and reassess your progress periodically, make changes where you can see a better way, but keep the momentum rolling and your home business will be a success.

Around midnight students across the country become record setting authors by finishing essays, and study groups for tests in unheard of time. This unnerving process often leads to below average results. Many people wonder why this is happening. The answer is poor time management. A few pointers on how to avoid such a scenario follow. Before you read more, be sure to give yourself a few minutes of time in case you’re cramming for something right now, you don’t want to miss something important.

Make lists early and often to become experts at time management. Lists that will be available to you for reference can be recorded anywhere. Studies prove the more one makes lists the more apt they are at logically completing tasks. Further, lists can provide people with a realistic look at their workloads. Often people will put more on their plate then they can chew. Sometimes it takes a list of all the foods on the plate for the stomach to get the picture.

The mind works the same way, often we need to see things all together on one comprehensive list to understand the magnitude of it all. If you create detailed lists you will be able to budget out the assignments thus avoiding the common scenario outlined above. When making lists be sure to include everything categorically so nothing gets missed. If you are making a list of things to do, make sure even the laundry and dishes make it onto the list so you don’t forget to budget time to do those tasks. Once the list is created, make a potential schedule to execute the duties on the list. If you have a small list it might just take a few minutes to complete, larger lists can take days, months or even years. So plan in advance.

Keep to appointments to avoid a scheduling traffic jam. The more you put off appointments the harder they can be to reschedule. If you are a busy person, like most of us, you have a lot of daily commitments. By missing appointments you create more pressure on your other appointments. Further if you miss multiple appointments you may just start doubling your schedule, this was explained to me one time as when you schedule two things for the same time frame. In terms of results, this is not a good plan. Imagine if you had coupled your dentist appointment with studying for a big exam. Not good time management at all. Most likely bad results are to follow, so be sure to keep appointments at all costs.

If you can make lists, and keep appointments your time management skills will increase greatly. When in doubt think of your time as something that can be on your side if you choose to master it, rather than just ignore it.

Modern technology makes it simple to set up an office almost anywhere. Cell phones, email, laptops and updated office situations offer unlimited opportunities to start your own business. Whether you want a full-time enterprise or a part-time income, you need the right setup to be successful. Take advantage of advanced technology to have a convenient, functional office on your own terms.

Home Offices

Renovate your garage, family room or even a large closet into your own office space. Create a corner in the house just for your work. Have a designated area for files, your computer and other business essentials. Stay organized so you know where everything is and don’t have to waste time looking for it. Scattering your work around the house makes it difficult to run a successful enterprise no matter how large or small.

Go Mobile

Sometimes occurrences at home make it impossible to focus on the business at hand. Have a laptop and cell phone ready so you can work at your favorite park, coffee shop or library. If peace and quiet are impossible to attain in one spot, take your work elsewhere for awhile. Often the change of scenery helps you regain focus so you can get back to business more effectively.

Virtual Offices

Virtual offices provide a designated business address, telephone number and fax number along with an answering service and receptionist. For a monthly fee, you can set up a virtual office in almost any major city in the world. Virtual offices also create a presence in a metropolitan area and give your business image a boost. If you need a professional space to meet with clients, most virtual offices have conference rooms available on short notice. Having a virtual office also makes it easier to work at home. You have someone else receiving packages, telephone calls, faxes and mail so you can work without interruption. A virtual office also maintains the privacy of your home address and phone number.

Managed Offices

Managed offices are run by a management company that rents out rooms and suites to various businesses. Everyone has a shared receptionist, answering service, security and common areas such as lobbies, restrooms and conference rooms. You can rent an impressive single office or suite in a local business area without a long term lease or buying office space. This gives businesses more freedom to expand, downsize and relocate.

Outsourcing

As businesses expand, they often seek virtual offices and managed offices for the access to receptionists and clerical staff. Another option for small enterprises is outsourcing. Use a freelancer to handle writing, research and public relations as you work on other aspects of your business. Hire a virtual assistant to manage appointments, telephone calls and client data. Get help to make your business more profitable and productive.

Start your own business, gain credibility and build profits by customizing your offices to suit your unique needs. Whether you want to quit your day job or supplement your current income, you can create your own perfect office anywhere and anytime.

Before you even begin to start working from home there are a number of important matters that you must consider first. This article outlines the the top 5 mistakes that you can make when working at home. Pay careful attention to these as they might make a huge difference as to whether you are successful or not.

Mistake 1. Scams.

If you want to make sure you don’t fall for a scam do your research. There are a number of good places to do this research online. Just Google ‘how to spot scams online’ or some similar term.

You have to become educated on this topic because if you fall into a scam then you are likely to be targeted again. Yep, there is a scammers network out there. Take your time and learn all you can.

Could you miss out on a good, legitimate offer? Yes, but it is far better to err on the side of caution.

Mistake 2. Analysis paralysis.

Having been cautioned on looking out for scams, don’t suffer from inertia. At some stage you just have to dive right in and do it. Try to find something that you feel really comfortable doing and then… Just Do It!

If you over analyze everything you could end up with analysis paralysis. If you find yourself stacking up more than a handful of likely offers you might be in danger of becoming so overwhelmed that you don’t take action on anything. Part of your education is to try something and find that it wasn’t what you thought it would be. This way you will be educating yourself.

Mistake 3. Not Getting Educated.

While we are on the subject of education let’s be blunt. Not getting educated is a big mistake. It will severely restrict your prospects of being successful. You could fall for a scam. You could lose a lot of money.

However, let me repeat. Part of your education is jumping in and getting your feet wet. As you become more experienced online you will notice that all of the honest ‘gurus’ have gone through this process to some extent.

Mistake 4. Not Networking.

This simply means that you join other like minded people and share your experiences. One of the best ways of doing this is to join one of the many forums online. If the scheme you are contemplating has a forum then dive right in and sign up. This is also another way of getting your education.

If your scheme or project has a forum that is a good indicator that it is legitimate.

Networking is an important part of the process. Trying to do it on your own rarely works out in your favor.

Mistake 5. Not being professional.

This is a biggie. So many people seem to think that because they are working from home they don’t need to be professional in their efforts. Wrong.

Often, if you have a day job, the presumption is that you intend to quit it at some stage. Even if that is not your intention you still need to be professional. If you only want to supplement your income you must treat your online efforts seriously. If you do this and work diligently, sooner or later you will have to quit your job to keep up with your online efforts.

These are a few important things for you to consider when contemplating working from home online. Get these right and you are well on your way to success.

Having a home business is a tremendous accomplishment and will provide you with income as well as pride in yourself. Being able to stay at home and to forgo the daily commute to an office through congested traffic, is worth a lot in terms of stress relief.

Once you have settled into a niche that makes money online, there are many ways that a person can make their environment a little more efficient and more productive.

One such method is to take a look at where and how you work. Does your office produce a real working environment and a goal oriented space? That means, you should keep a desk that has the necessary papers and tools available within easy reach so that you do not have to waste time looking for things. Recommendations are: a blotter with dates, a stapler, a filing system with trays or with folders, pens, CD discs, a phone, a scanner and printer. You can have a mailing station set up on another table if you do a lot of mailing packages, tapes, or cds. Have all the accessories you need such as mailing envelopes, tape, address labels, zip code directory, etc. available and within easy reach.

Keep your main desk clean and use space so that there is a feeling of “productivity” when you sit at your computer. Do not have schedules of the kids and other things in your life imposing on your work environment. When you are at your desk, spend the time contemplating your work and what you want to accomplish for that time because it is so very easy to wake up and find you have spent two hours reading email and checking out links.

Making a check list the night before to keep on track of your next day’s activities, is a very good method to accomplishing more than you think possible. Crossing items off your list makes you feel like you have worked hard and gives you a good sense of pride. This helps propel you into your next activity and refresh you for the coming situations. Keeping the list in priority status also keeps you on track and gets the most accomplished for the day.

Having some diversions like soft music is also a good relief for the mind. Creating a background that keeps you in a good frame of mind makes for more productive work as well.

It is also a good idea to get up and stretch once in a while.
Go to the refrigerator for a water or get an apple to eat while you contemplate the computer screen and your work. Remember, you are your own boss, so there is no one to tell you that you cannot eat at your desk! However, there is also no one to tell you that you should not spend working time playing games online, either, so you have to make yourself do what is on your schedule and your priority list to grow your business. It is just a matter of learning the appropriate methods to enable you to work in the manner that seems best and most efficient for you.

Once you are serious about your work and your workday, you will find a tremendous sense of confidence and pride and will know that your abilities are more than enough to fulfill your life’s dream and ambition.