"The Calendar is a very arbitrary thing." ~C. C. Chapman
The 3 Words for 2011
Each year, Chris Brogan, a consultant and speaker to the Fortune 100, co-author of Trust Agents and a featured monthly columnist in Entrepreneur Magazine states his three words for the coming year.
The three words idea is designed so you can have something easy to reflect upon and point you in the direction your goals are driving you - much like a lighthouse or compass. As you know, goals are SMART ( Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely) and sometimes not as memorable as we would like - that is why we write them down! The way you use the two together will remind you of the path to achieve the goal and these simple words will help you get back on path.
For instance, one of my words is "implement" and this relates to several projects of 2010 that now need finished workbooks, scheduled webinars, and marketing activities - basically, I need to get busy implementing at many levels. If I get distracted by something "shiny and new" my word "implement" will remind me of my desired outcomes for 2011 related to product development. I keep my three words visible - on my monitor and in my planner.
Now, since a calendar is an arbitrary thing, I am throwing down the challenge to you:
What are your three words that will help you achieve your desired outcomes by 11-11-11? I know, November 11th is not the end of the year, but it is such a fun, auspicious number, I'm using it as my year end date!
What are the three words to drive your 2011 goals???
Copyright 2011 Linda Fayerweather MBA EA 2011 3 words - Implement-Lead-Relax
http://www.changinglanes.biz/
419-897-0528
Consider working with a coach or a MasterMind Team to make 2011 the year of your dreams!
SEE BELOW: Two Workshops below to get your year off to a great start!
Accountability and Using Outlook to keep on track - short and free
Small Business Marketing Nuts and Bolts for 2011 - Day workshop in Northwest Ohio
How to Hire a Freelance Designer or Copywriter
Hiring a creative person is different than hiring a standard employee. Why? Because you're hiring that person's style rather than a skills list. Below is a quick list of things you should keep in mind when you're farming out your creative work:
1) Have a plan - what are you specifically looking to do? How quickly do you need it done? How much are you willing to pay? Do you want a seasoned professional or someone out of school?
2) Do your research - There are plenty of copywriters and designers out there - some in your town, some out of state/country, depending upon your budget. Know what the going rates are before you start making your inquiries and if possible get a referral from a reliable source.
3) Know the boundaries - Don't expect the freelancer to work in your office and follow your dress code, office lunch hours, etc. This person is not an employee. Today's technology allows us 24/7 access to email so save yourself some money by doing things electronically. (No face-to-face meetings for which you could be charged travel time in addition to meeting time.)
4) Check credentials - Do NOT buy creative services based on price. You'll be sorry you did. You'll rack up additional hours in "learning curves" if you're working with a newbie. Invite each prospective contractor into your office to review his or her portfolio. This way you'll "see" what they do. If you're outsourcing a brochure, make sure there are brochure materials in the portfolio. Ask the person what their role was in the creation of the piece. You'll want to work with someone who's taken the project from start-to-finish.
5) Put it in writing - Freelancers usually have their own contracts, if they don't here's a link to creating a simple contract that will ensure that you and the freelancer are on the same page before the project starts. http://advertising.about.com/library/graphics/contract.gif
Copyright 2011 Rebecca Booth
Marketing Goddess
Imagine That!
419.855.3399
http://www.marketinginabox.biz/
Small Business Marketing Nuts & Bolts
This One Day Seminar is designed to give you the tools to get your 2011 marketing plan on the fast track. You will learn how to:
• Create a Vision for your business
• Develop a Markeing Hourglass
• Use Social Media for Business
• Close more Sales
• Work your network and stay in touch with your clients and prospects.
Meet your Faculty: Patrick Giammarco, Allen Mireles, Todd Pillars, Jeff Winke, and Linda Fayerweather
Date: January 15 - 8:30AM - 2:30PM - Saturday
Location: Stautzenberger College, 1796 Indian Wood Circle, Maumee OH
Price: $97
Registion: http://ezregister.com/events/2152
Accountability with MS Outlook
Planning Needs Accountability. Making Planning successful means being accountable but how do you do that yourself. Short of paying a coach or having your spouse nag you, you can train your MS Outlook to remind you.
This short webinar will walk you through how to use Outlook to set and manage your monthly projects. You will see examples from both Outlook and Google Calendar.
When: Tuesday, January 11 - 4:30-5PM
Location: Webinar via Go To Meeting
Price: FREE
Registration: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/1165940359
Monday, January 03, 2011
Monday, December 27, 2010
Getting Ready for 2011 & Lame Ducks
Getting Ready for 2011.
Let's make the assumption that your business plan is in place ready to go! Now what to do to make sure it happens?
I use Outlook and have this set as a reoccurring appointment with myself on the last day of the each month. A reminder is triggered 2 days prior and the questions are in the body of the appointment. Pretty simple and hard to ignore.
If you would like to learn more about using Outlook to track your business tasks, join me on December 29 4PM for a 30 minute free webinar. Email for details: Monthly Check
Copyright 2010 Linda Fayerweather MBA EA
Lame Duck Congress ResultsThe Tax Bill Act is now law and is surprisingly direct and straightforward, given its $850 billion cost. Most tax bills have so many pages they can be confused with the New York City Yellow pages, but this one is just 30 pages - in fact, the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation's "Technical Explanation," is five times longer than the law itself. Let's take a quick look at some of the specific tax provisions:
Let's make the assumption that your business plan is in place ready to go! Now what to do to make sure it happens?
With a business plan, especially a one page plan that all business owners really need to have, it should NEVER be put away in a drawer with your tax return.
A good plan, is one that is reviewed, edited, changed and celebrated.
Here is a monthly checklist I use for my businesses:
1. Sales Made $_____________ month_____________ (Gross revenue)
2. Money Spent $_____________ month_____________ (Costs and Expenses)
3. Compare to plan. Are we off track or on track and WHY?
4. Any new ideas this month? Get a strategy on paper to determine profitability.
5. New contacts made? Have they been added to my lists? Do I need to connect with them?
6. What are we celebrating at the end of this month?
7. What needs to Grow; End; Start; next month?
I use Outlook and have this set as a reoccurring appointment with myself on the last day of the each month. A reminder is triggered 2 days prior and the questions are in the body of the appointment. Pretty simple and hard to ignore.
If you would like to learn more about using Outlook to track your business tasks, join me on December 29 4PM for a 30 minute free webinar. Email for details: Monthly Check
Staying on task is challenging, and with a plan, sometimes, the results can be phenomenal.
Copyright 2010 Linda Fayerweather MBA EA
419-897-0528
Consider working with a coach or a MasterMind Team to make 2011 the year of your dreams!
Lame Duck Congress Results
- Extend Tax Cuts. The core of the bill, of course, extends the Bush tax cuts for two more years. This means the top rate stays at 35% (rather than 39.6%) and the rate on capital gains and qualified corporate dividends stays capped at 15% (rather than 20%). But the new law keeps taxes down for everyone, not just the highest earners. If those Bush cuts hadn't been extended, the 10% rate would have disappeared, and tax brackets would have increased faster for everyone.
- Payroll Tax Relief. The act reduces the employee portion of Social Security and self-employment taxes by 2% for 2011 only. This replaces the $400/person "Making Work Pay" credit in effect for 2010 - and ironically means higher taxes for individuals making under $20,000 and families making under $40,000.
- Estate Tax Relief. This is actually the most controversial part of the legislation. Under current law, the estate tax was scheduled to kick back in at 55%, on estates topping $1 million. Most observers expected Congress to restore the tax at the 2009 level, with a 45% tax applying on estates over $3.5 million. But the new law is even more generous, with a tax of just 35% on estates over $5.0 million. Again, this rule applies for 2 years.
- Other Provisions. Finally, the act extends a laundry list of popular tax breaks that otherwise would have expired:
- It "patches" the Alternative Minimum Tax system for two more years, thus protecting millions of Americans from the AMT,
- It extends the Child Tax Credit and American Opportunity Tax Credit for college tuition,
- It expands the Earned Income Tax credit for low-income working families,
- It extends bonus depreciation and first-year expensing deductions for businesses, and
- It extends miscellaneous tax deductions like educator expenses, state and local sales taxes, and tax-free IRA distributions given directly to charity.
Hopefully, this short explanation of the changes to the Tax law will help you get a handle on your 2010 taxes and planning for 2011. If you are still confused or have questions, give us a call, we can help.
Tim Pinkelman, CPA
Accounting Center & Tax Services, Inc.
"Our Value is Measured by Your Success"
419.882.9255
734.847.0400 Ext.201
Monday, December 20, 2010
Did You Back Up??
"I never met a hard drive that didn't want to crash." --Linda Fayerweather
Getting Ready for the Holidays
Sometimes, practical tips are just what is needed in this busy season. I talk about Lean Office, Lean Management and two big "take-aways" of lean are:
• The customer IS why you are in business
• Waste is the ultimate profit stealer
So, two of the biggest times wasters that don't add to the customer experience are Looking for Something and Fixing Something that should have been Done Correctly the First Time.
This leads to two tasks we really need do before the New Year if we are not already and making sure we have a system in place going forward.
1. Back up our computers.
2. Create an Internet Password Journal that doesn't rely on our memories.
These two jobs can save countless hours. I actually create a clone of my hard drive so that when a crash occurs, I will be able to plug in a drive that is ready to go with all my data and programs.
Although most of my passwords are stored in a database, I also keep an old fashioned written record. I use a simple spiral journal that was actually designed for this to make sure I capture everything. I can't tell you how many times I refer to it in a week. Here is a link to one: Internet Journal.
Create a schedule so you are backing up regularly and do try to restore a file occasionally to make sure the backups are working .
Happy Holidays and time spent now will save in the future as I've never met a hard drive that didn't want to crash. . .eventually.
Copyright 2010 Linda Fayerweather MBA EA
http://www.changinglanes.biz/
419-897-0528
linda@changinglanes.biz
Consider working with a coach or a MasterMind Team to make 2011 the year of your dreams!
Put Your Plan in Action!
Who said, "If you want to eat an elephant, do it one bite at a time"? Whoever it was is a genius! I've recently discovered a piece of software that takes your marketing initiatives and delivers them into bite-sized chunks which you can do daily. The product is called Marketing Mentor ToolBox. Although it's designed for small marketing firms like mine, the product is so good that I'm recommending it to you. It works with your Calendar and keeps your marketing projects top-of-mind. What's better yet, the "to dos" should take you 5-15 minutes a day. Here is a smattering of the bite-sized pieces:
Daily: Social Media Break
Prospecting - Research/Calling/Doing
Weekly: Attend a Networking Event
Proposal Follow-Ups
Monthly: Monthly Recap
By actively working your calendar, you should be able to create a banner year for yourself. Let's toast to new year that's filled with unlimited possibilities! Enjoy!!
Copyright 2010 Rebecca Booth
Marketing Goddess
Imagine That!
419.855.3399
Celebrating 10 years of delivering results for our clients.
www.rebeccaboothmarketinggoddess.com
www.marketinginabox.biz
Monday, December 13, 2010
Getting Ready for 2011 -- Part 2
Last week we talked about SWOT analysis specifically related to your business (see webinar below) . This week, I want you to think about what you can do to make your personal life what you dream it should be.
Options:
1. Work really really hard and never make it.
2. Work really really hard and squeeze out a living.
3. Work really really hard and make lots of money but at the expense of not having a life.
4. Maximize your work so you have a life you can live.
Being an entrepreneur means many of us have or will live in all four options at some time. Being in and living number four means we need to KNOW and LIVE what our values are for ourselves and our business. Then make a vision and plan to get there . . . oh yes, then work the plan. Sometimes we only bang our head against the same wall over and over again when we could go around it OR make and implement a new plan.
Our own personal core values should be consistent with our business core values and will guide us in our business decisions. Defining our core values gives us purpose and will guide us to the correct decision. They just make life simpler.
This time of year on most any given night you can see some version of Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol on TV. As old as it is, it is a seasonal reminder that core values do percolate through our entire being and business.
What three core values will you live by in 2011 to magnify your business vision?
1.__________________________________________
2.__________________________________________
3.__________________________________________
Here are some sample business core values:
Zappos
Whole Foods Market
National Park Service
Copyright 2010 Linda Fayerweather MBA EA
http://www.changinglanes.biz/
419-897-0528
linda@changinglanes.biz
Consider working with a coach or a MasterMind Team to make 2011 the year of your dreams!
New Year's Resolutions and Networking
By TR Garland
In less than 30 days, we're all going to be faced with the same thing we're faced with every single year.
No, I'm not talking about keeping a smile on your face while spending the Holidays with your in-laws (wink-wink). I'm talking about setting your New Year's Resolutions.
Every year, one of the top resolutions is to "get in shape". The truth of the matter is that most of us already know how to "get in shape".
1. Design a nutritional plan
2. Stick to that plan
3. Design a workout schedule
4. Stick to that schedule
5. Track your actions and results daily
6. Re-calibrate if needed
The problem is that a large percentage of people don't reach their goals because:
1. They don't write out a formal nutritional plan or workout schedule
2. They don't hold themselves accountable
In other words, life gets in their way. There's something about human psychology that pushes us to not let someone else down. So...people who have invested in a personal trainer to help keep them accountable find results much more consistently than they ever could achieve had they simply attempted to get in shape ON THEIR OWN.
Well, the same holds true for Business Networking and Referral Marketing.
Many people are spending a lot of time networking by just chatting away with others and maybe grabbing their business cards. And, they expect results from this! They expect people whom they've met and handed their card out to eventually pass a referral to them.
This mindset is called being REACTIVE...and hoping for the best.
Being REACTIVE is an employee mindset or mentality that, in my opinion, gets placed into the same category as punch cards, guaranteed smoke breaks, assembly lines, benefits entitlement, and cubicles. In other words, concepts that aren't really that viable anymore in today's economic environment.
What? Don't believe me. Please look around and see which businesses are hiring and thriving. Yep. You guessed it....entrepreneurial minded businesses.
An entrepreneurial mindset is one that takes ownership and focuses on being PROACTIVE versus REACTIVE.
Just like the "getting in shape" example above, being PROACTIVE in your Business Networking and Referral Marketing efforts is a sure fire way to get results - plain and simple.
So, when you are out attending Holiday Parties this holiday season with your spouse, significant other, and friends please keep in mind to be PROACTIVE with your networking efforts. Go to each event with a purpose (in addition to having fun).
Do you want to leave these events with everybody's business cards? No, that's not what I'm talking about. Set relevant and realistic "networking goals" and ask the person you went with to hold you accountable to them.
And, of course, there is a time and place for everything. If the environment doesn't warrant you achieving your "networking goals"...then grab a cup of eggnog, a handful of homemade cookies, and be prepared to laugh and smile with the rest of the party-goers. There's always next year!
Paula Frazier
Executive Director
BNI
(540) 793-0622
paula@bniswva.com
http://www.bniswva.com/
Last week we talked about SWOT analysis specifically related to your business (see webinar below) . This week, I want you to think about what you can do to make your personal life what you dream it should be.
Options:
1. Work really really hard and never make it.
2. Work really really hard and squeeze out a living.
3. Work really really hard and make lots of money but at the expense of not having a life.
4. Maximize your work so you have a life you can live.
Being an entrepreneur means many of us have or will live in all four options at some time. Being in and living number four means we need to KNOW and LIVE what our values are for ourselves and our business. Then make a vision and plan to get there . . . oh yes, then work the plan. Sometimes we only bang our head against the same wall over and over again when we could go around it OR make and implement a new plan.
Our own personal core values should be consistent with our business core values and will guide us in our business decisions. Defining our core values gives us purpose and will guide us to the correct decision. They just make life simpler.
This time of year on most any given night you can see some version of Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol on TV. As old as it is, it is a seasonal reminder that core values do percolate through our entire being and business.
What three core values will you live by in 2011 to magnify your business vision?
1.__________________________________________
2.__________________________________________
3.__________________________________________
Here are some sample business core values:
Zappos
Whole Foods Market
National Park Service
Copyright 2010 Linda Fayerweather MBA EA
http://www.changinglanes.biz/
419-897-0528
linda@changinglanes.biz
Consider working with a coach or a MasterMind Team to make 2011 the year of your dreams!
New Year's Resolutions and Networking
By TR Garland
In less than 30 days, we're all going to be faced with the same thing we're faced with every single year.
No, I'm not talking about keeping a smile on your face while spending the Holidays with your in-laws (wink-wink). I'm talking about setting your New Year's Resolutions.
Every year, one of the top resolutions is to "get in shape". The truth of the matter is that most of us already know how to "get in shape".
1. Design a nutritional plan
2. Stick to that plan
3. Design a workout schedule
4. Stick to that schedule
5. Track your actions and results daily
6. Re-calibrate if needed
The problem is that a large percentage of people don't reach their goals because:
1. They don't write out a formal nutritional plan or workout schedule
2. They don't hold themselves accountable
In other words, life gets in their way. There's something about human psychology that pushes us to not let someone else down. So...people who have invested in a personal trainer to help keep them accountable find results much more consistently than they ever could achieve had they simply attempted to get in shape ON THEIR OWN.
Well, the same holds true for Business Networking and Referral Marketing.
Many people are spending a lot of time networking by just chatting away with others and maybe grabbing their business cards. And, they expect results from this! They expect people whom they've met and handed their card out to eventually pass a referral to them.
This mindset is called being REACTIVE...and hoping for the best.
Being REACTIVE is an employee mindset or mentality that, in my opinion, gets placed into the same category as punch cards, guaranteed smoke breaks, assembly lines, benefits entitlement, and cubicles. In other words, concepts that aren't really that viable anymore in today's economic environment.
What? Don't believe me. Please look around and see which businesses are hiring and thriving. Yep. You guessed it....entrepreneurial minded businesses.
An entrepreneurial mindset is one that takes ownership and focuses on being PROACTIVE versus REACTIVE.
Just like the "getting in shape" example above, being PROACTIVE in your Business Networking and Referral Marketing efforts is a sure fire way to get results - plain and simple.
So, when you are out attending Holiday Parties this holiday season with your spouse, significant other, and friends please keep in mind to be PROACTIVE with your networking efforts. Go to each event with a purpose (in addition to having fun).
Do you want to leave these events with everybody's business cards? No, that's not what I'm talking about. Set relevant and realistic "networking goals" and ask the person you went with to hold you accountable to them.
And, of course, there is a time and place for everything. If the environment doesn't warrant you achieving your "networking goals"...then grab a cup of eggnog, a handful of homemade cookies, and be prepared to laugh and smile with the rest of the party-goers. There's always next year!
Paula Frazier
Executive Director
BNI
(540) 793-0622
paula@bniswva.com
http://www.bniswva.com/
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