Liz, Author at Successful Blog Page

Is Your Business Stuck? I’ve Found a Way to Help

July 2, 2007 by Liz

Here’s How We Can Make It Work

In the last few months, many people have come to me because their business is stuck. I try to help when I can, but my time is growing thinner and thinner, and so am I. Still it tears at me to turn away someone who I know I could help get going just sharing what I already know.

I also suspect there are more who would come if they could, but they feel that they can’t afford to ask. In the same way, I can’t afford to help everyone who asks or I would never see my family. Well, maybe I would when they took our home, because I gave too much away.This problem has been on my mind for some time, because strategy and helping are joys and the two things I do best naturally.

You read my blog. You know I think on problems until I solve them. Today, I can say, I think I’ve got an answer to this one.

I’m Pleased to Announce

The Start-up Strategy Package

The Start Strategy Package is a personal consultation in which I get to know you and together we define and focus your business. We look at who you are, who you want to be, and the ways that you can get there. In a focused set of conversations and communications, we’ll get you started with the right direction and the energy to move forward.

You’ll have

a definition of your customer
a definition of your product or service
a name and tagline for your business
next steps to move forward

For a limited time, I’ve put together The Start-up Strategy Package that I extend to entrepreneurs who are stuck or just starting out. We’ll work to define your customer, your product or service, and your company name and tagline. The payment plan is an investment of US$250 as a first payment plus a second $150 payment due one month later or the equivalent in services. (for details let’s talk). If you’re interested email me at lizsun2 @ gmail [dot] com with the subject line The Start-up Strategy Package.

Due to the nature of this offer, I’ll only be able to help one client at a time for limited hours, but at least the helping out will be able to keep going.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Behind every successful business there is an outstanding manager. — The Perfect Virtual Manager.

PS. I have to go to the DMV now to renew my driver’s license. So don’t think I’m ignoring you.

Business and Life: The Rules of the Road

July 2, 2007 by Liz

about the rules of the road that make life flow more easily.

I’m not much for rules.

My husband says “Please don’t tell her ‘Don’t touch.’ She’s just like our son — if you do, then she’ll have to.”

But some rules make sense, like those that keep folks safe as we move in traffic. The rules of the road I’ve learned are simple to share, but often hard to remember. I’m thinking I should write some down now. . . . before I forget them again.

Before I set off, it’s good to know my destination or at least what direction I have chosen. I know I’ll constantly be making corrections, be stopping at times to make sure the plan is still a good one.

I need fuel to keep going. . . .

I need to know whether I’m good at mapping the trip, navigating, or making the journey happen. Hardly anyone is good at all of that. That’s why I need a few hearty traveling companions. The joy of sharing the experience, the people we meet, and the stories we make is the return on the investment..

It doesn’t slow me down when I stop to let someone go first. More often than not something good comes of it. I don’t get where I’m going any later.

When I drive extreme, I can’t pay attention to the details on the way there.

When I think I own the road, people act as if they agree, but they don’t. And they don’t see what I want them to see. They see me acting as if I’m important. In other words,

. . . when I think it’s about me, it’s not . . . It’s about them — what they need. Then I think it’s about them causing a problem, it’s not. . . . It’s about me –thinking I’m something special.

I don’t need a car to know the rules of the road — or the value in them. Even crossing the street, I know it’s best to look both ways first and to hold someone’s hand if I can. It makes the trip easier and adds to it.

And the road itself can take me anywhere I want to go.

What do you know about the rules of the road that you’re on? . . .

Bloggy Question 55: It's My Vacation!

July 1, 2007 by Liz

Leave the Computer!

For those who come looking for a short, thoughtful read, a blogging life discussion, or a way to gradually ease back into the week. I offer this bloggy life question. . . .

You’re about to go on a road trip with three non-blogging buddies. It’s a same sex group of friends that you’ve known since college. You’re headed up to a small hotel in wine country. The hotel has all of the amenenties — nice restaurant that seats about 20, television, wireless, gorgeous views, horseback riding, hiking, canoeing. At times you and your friends probably won’t leave the property for days.

Your friends are bringing the trappings of their hobbies. One is a musician and will be bringing a guitar and a harmonica. Another is a runner and is bringing all of that gear. You just watched your closest friend pack a sketchpad, charcoals, an easel, and a complete store of oils and canvas into the car. Just as you are about to put your laptop and accessories in next to the rest. Someone stops you.

You hear, “You can’t take that. We agreed no work on these trips.” You explain that blogging is your passion just as they have theirs. Neither your argument nor the idea seems to convince them.

How do you respond?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

MemoKit Memory Manager

July 1, 2007 by Liz

No Kidding! Immediately!!

I’m a writer, not a gamer. I don’t need much from my computer. A few partitions to make feel safe when I wander the Internet blogging. Safety from nasty creatures that want to attack and room to move between multiple windows and social networks.

In the last few weeks, my computer has let me know that I’m asking too much of it. I stripped down the processes and even so, I was having to keep a watch on my memory. It was a pain. Things were slow.

It was serendipity that I came across this little darling that I have since shared with others who have had the same experience as I did.

Great Find: MemoKit by Software Benefits Inc.
Under US$30
Permalink: http://www.memokit4all.com
Target Audience: PC users
Content: I was having a problem with my virtual memory. I shut down all extraneous background processes, stripped my start up menu, and kept my cache clear. Yet I was still having memory problems that were slowing down my productivity and my sense of humor.

Enter a well-targeted program that does one thing well, MemoKit. I loaded it up and I was sailing again. This program’s basic function is to keep track of memory, give a view into memory leaks, manage them and allow me to it manually at a moment of severe memory shortage. It’s cool too. Just look.

What does it do? This from the easy read-me manual that is under that question mark in the nav bar.

Windows Page (Swap) – Basics

A virtual memory Page File (Swap File) is used by Windows whenever it is necessary to move (swap) some of the information from the Physical Memory (RAM) and store it temporarily on the hard disk. When the stored information is necessary, it is transferred back to the RAM again, and other information takes its place in the swap file. There is a permanent information exchange between RAM and swap file, which enables the PC user to work with more programs at a time than it is allowed by RAM only.

By moving the red line cursor across the graph to where the memory drops, I can see which applications are sucking resources, close them to see whether Windows lets go, or whether the resources hang in memory. (Programs that don’t release memory require that the machine be rebooted to get that memory back, but the culprits are identified.)

A trav icon keeps track of the resources and their state of us. A calculator can be used as a pullout. Lots of nifty details are fun to delve into.

If you’re having any such issues, get this program. I’ve had it for days and it’s lovely. I delighted with it.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Everybody Things, Me Things, and Assumptions

July 1, 2007 by Liz

about everybody things.

Everybody has them — “everybody” things and “me” things. I have them, always have. They show up in spades. My “me” things — idiosyncrasies and tiny rules about what I do — in some ways define me. One can appear so strikingly that some folks make an assumption. When Liz says anything about anything she’s talking about something that applies only to her. It happens. Really.

Everybody makes assumptions about how other people think and what it means.

Funny, when folks make assumptions that I only see “me” things, it happens most often about something I know deeply. It might be how children learn to read or how people process. I know when I see a certain look, hear a certain sound of agreement — a tone that says I’m humoring you. Folks who do that can’t see me, or they would know that I hear them.

Everybody misinterprets and misunderstands. Everybody gets misinterpretted and misunderstood too.

Everybody knows when we have done our best. We know also when we’re trying to make something work because we don’t want to do it over.

Everybody just knows some things. Who knows how we know some of them? Some things we just know. We know completely, deeply them because they came in our original packaging or we’ve lived them so long they have become a part of us. The final proof sits in our hearts, our heads, and our fingers.

Whether we trust that knowing seems to be a “me” thing.

Everybody has “me” things.

I have a “me” thing that says I only buy 3-5 books at a time unless it’s a book emergency. This “me” comes from knowing how long a book will last me and how I feel about the checkout process. I won’t go through the trouble for just 1 book, but with 6 books it’s likely 2 won’t get read because my interest could change before I get to them.

Everybody has “me” things they think are everybody things.

It probably starts when we are kids. If our family eats dinner at 6pm, we think That’s the way that all families do it. As we glimplse into other lives we realize such assumptions are more like sand than concrete.

Everybody makes assumptions . . . It’s a problem. We assume.

Assumptions often turn a “me” thing into an everybody thing. When someone does our “me” thing his or her way, we figure that person is different, difficult, resistant, not so smart, unyielding, stuck, or possibily, trying to push our buttons.

Everybody seems to make occasional faulty assumptions about some “me” thing. That causes miscommunication. Then everygody has feelings. Those feelings rush to protect “me” things. The feelings are “me” things. Contrary to belief not everybody hurts over stuff like that.

If only we could know our “me” things, everybody would be better at the everybody things we do.

Of course, not everybody cares what I think. Caring is always a “me” thing — we decide that for ourselves.

What’s an everybody thing to you?

Thanks to Week 88 SOBs

June 30, 2007 by Liz

Successful and Outstanding Bloggers

Let me introduce the bloggers
who have earned this official badge of achievement,

and the right to call themselves
Successful Blog SOBs.

I invite them to take a badge home to display on their blogs.

They take the conversation to their readers,
contribute great ideas, challenge us, make us better, and make our businesses stronger.

I thank every one of our SOBs for thinking what we say is worth passing on.
Good conversation shared can only improve the blogging community.

Should anyone question this SOB button’s validity, send him or her directly to me. This award comes with a full “Liz said so” guarantee. It is endorsed by Kings of the Hemispheres, Martin and Michael, and backed by my brothers, Angelo and Pasquale.

Want to become an SOB?

If you’re an SO-Wanna-B, you can see the whole list of SOBs and learn how to be one by visiting the SOB Hall of Fame. Click the link or visit the What IS an SOB?! page in the sidebar.

–ME “Liz” Strauss