Successful Blog

Pre-Holiday Season Reality Check – 5 Ways to Stay Healthy

by

by
Rosemary O’Neill

Linkedin,

Pre-Holiday Season Reality Check – 5 Ways to Stay Healthy

Your most important business asset is your own physical health, especially if you are an entrepreneur or small business owner. That asset must be cared for, if you’re trying to build a long-lasting enterprise and leave your own “dent” in the universe.

We are heading into a season in which there will be a lot of opportunities to go totally “off the charts” with perfectionism, food temptations, squeezing work in between family obligations, and parties. All of these things can lead to a worn down, tired, guilty mess of a body.

We’re friends by now, right?

Let’s agree to the following principles, and enjoy the season that’s coming. We’ll emerge into 2013 ready to take names and kick butt.

  • I will set aside time to move
    Exercise, even if it’s just an after dinner walk with your visitors. (No, sprinting down the aisle of Wal-Mart doesn’t really count.) Consider checking into some of the cool technology that’s available to track your daily exertion, like Fitbit or the Nike Fuelband.
  • I will keep my brain in shape too
    While you’re out of the office and relaxing, take some time to exercise your “brain muscle” too. Do some puzzles, or use a fun online service like Lumosity or Read-It-For-Me to stay sharp.
  • I will assess my home office
    If you’re spending more time working from home over the holidays, take a moment to assess the ergonomics of your work space. If you’re one of the many who work solely on a laptop, you need to get a detachable monitor and keyboard to achieve the proper angles and avoid back/neck strain.
  • I will not skip meals
    Just because you went to Aunt Betty’s massive Thanksgiving spread doesn’t mean you should skip lunch the next day. If you overindulge, just make sure your next few meals are smaller and more healthy. The food you eat is like fuel in your tank. You might need a few bowls of oatmeal to counteract the slab of pumpkin cheesecake.
  • I will fill up my love tank
    One of the Real Housewives of Orange County is always talking about her “love tank” being on empty. We don’t want to become a sad Real Housewife. Use precious family time to fully focus on your spouse, your children, your relationships. Put away the devices and make eye contact. Get some hugs, and give some too, to fill the tank.

What are your best strategies to stay on track during the holiday season?

Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for social strata — a top ten company to work for on the Internet . Check out the Social Strata blog. You can find Rosemary on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee

Thank you, Rosemary!

You’re irresistible!

ME “Liz” Strauss

How to Be More Productive While You Commute to Work

by

by
Paul Ellett

cooltext443809602_strategy

Some days there just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day to finish all the work you have to do. On top of tasks, both short-term and long-term, things crop up which have to be dealt with there and then, which push you back even further. Deadlines coming up which have to be reached can mean several nights staying late at the office, or spending your evening and weekend working. All of this can mean missing out on the things you would rather be doing with your family and friends.

How Can We Be More Productive On the Commute To Work?

The thing is, those of us who commute to work, whether by car or public transport, spend a long time traveling. This can be up to an hour or even more doing one of the following rather wasteful activities:

  • Listening to the same music as the day before
  • Browsing Facebook on your phone
  • when everyone you know is either still in bed, also traveling or simply not doing anything interesting
  • Stuck trying not to make awkward direct eye-contact with the person in front of you
  • Staring out of your window at the same sights you see everyday
  • Catching up on sleep which only makes you feel more tired when you arrive, or being jerked awake each time your head hits the back of your seat.

Rather than passing the time, we could be using it.

How to Be More Productive While You Commute to Work

We can do so much more with this time. We can get rid of those troublesome smaller tasks that hold us back once we arrive at work. We can also use commute time to help get ahead in other ways through research and learning. Here are some ways to make commuting time more useful and productive.

1: Plan Your Day

Though you sometimes have to wait and see what is on the agenda before you can plan your day (and even this might change as the day goes on), you can get a rough idea of what you have to do. Make a list of these things, starting with the easy things which will make you feel like you’ve accomplished something by the middle of the morning. This might also include firing off some emails so you can get quick replies when those people check their email first thing; this way you’ll be their main priority to get back to rather than your message being one of ten they receive come 9am.

2: Research Through People-Watching

If you work in advertising or marketing, keep your ears and eyes open. It seems a little redundant if you work in these areas, to be surrounded by tens to hundreds of people (from a variety of backgrounds, ages etc) each day and ignore them. This can be valuable research which can help you with projects you’re working on. By simply keeping your eyes and ears open while you travel, you can get a grasp of what people are reading/wearing/listening to. If you overhear their conversations, listen to what they say and how they convey this. This kind of rough insight can also help your approach if you work in sales, simply by giving you tips for conversation to break the ice.

3: Listen to Podcasts

Many are seeing podcasts as a revolution that will deal a further death nail into the heart of the morning commuter’s favourite, radio. Let’s face it: most radio is useless. The music playlists are often the same each day, and the conversation is hardly ground-breaking. For those still waking up who don’t anything too heavy, this is fine; but for those with long journeys who wish to make the most of this time, you should look into podcasts. There is just so much to choose from, depending on your taste. While you can subscribe to comedy or entertainment podcasts, you might find it more useful to research and download a series of motivational podcasts or those which teach something, like a new language. You’ll probably be able to find a series of podcasts relevant to your industry so you can get the latest news through another medium.

Of course, most of these are best to utilize when on public transport. If you drive to work, you can still listen to podcasts, though people-watching may distract you from driving, so be wary of this. Being productive while you travel to work won’t mean much in the grand scheme of things if you receive a driving ban (whether temporary or permanent). It’s always more important that you make it to your destination safely without harming anyone else on the road, than not at all.

Author’s Bio:
Paul has just started to travel to work via public transport, and has been trying to use this time more usefully, as this commute is quite long each day. This experience has helped him in his work with a firm of drink driving solicitors whose clients include those caught for multi-tasking while driving.

Thanks to Week 370 SOBs

by

muddy teal strip A

Successful and Outstanding Bloggers

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

Purple SOB Button Original SOB Button Red SOB Button Purple and Blue SOB Button
and the right to call themselves
Successful Blog SOBs.

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

muddy teal strip A

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

I thank all 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 to me. Thie award carries a “Liz said so” guarantee, is endorsed by Kings of the Hemispheres, Martin and Michael, and is backed by my brothers, Angelo and Pasquale.

deep purple strip

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– A-Z Directory . Click the link or visit the What IS an SOB?! page in the sidebar.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Make the Most of SEO in Adobe Muse

by

by
Anita Brady

cooltext443809602_strategy

The recent release of Adobe Muse in May 2012 has many print designers scrambling to figure out just how to take advantage of this powerful new software. Adobe has created a product that allows almost anyone (assuming you have a marginal amount of design experience) to create websites with little or zero knowledge of web development or HTML code. Although there are quite a few limitations (and some heavy industry criticism;), using the right knowledge and a little help from third-party apps, you can get the most in terms of functionality and SEO from this new software.

Make the Most of SEO in Adobe Muse

With the proper considerations and a little bit of leg-work, you can easily create a functional and interactive site with all the Search Engine Optimization necessary to rank well in searches. However this is not a set requirement for new sites, and will only happen if you take the initiative to add descriptions and tags in the right places. Here are a few tips to help you optimize your first build with Adobe Muse.

Include Extensive Metadata

In Muse (and with any web design platform), including extensive Metadata is a sure-fire way to help your site rank well on searches. Include not just a description of your site and business (which will be directly under your search results), but include details like locations, zip codes, phone numbers, and employee names to boost your site to the top of search engines on less germane topics.

Tags

Be sure to add tags to every relevant object within your new site. A tag is a keyword or term that is assigned to a specific item within a website. These keywords help describe the item and allow, specifically, images to be found again by browsing or searching. You can even add Geotags (or geographical identification metadata) to various media such as photographs and smart objects, which will allow users to find your site just because of your geographic location – cool!

Social Media Plugins

Most likely, social media will be a big part of your marketing campaign. Take the time to sign up for popular social media like Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ and then create extensive descriptions (including keywords) within each. The more back-linked content you can create on the web for your site, the better. Consider including an RSS feed signup for new content on your page, or add a Facebook widget on Muse to direct traffic across platforms and increase your search engine appeal.

Searchable, Useful, and Relevant Content and Adobe Muse

Of course, there is no substitute for building a high-quality site with high-quality content. Be sure to include persuasive, original copy on your main pages and all subpages. SEO tags and metadata tricks cannot replace the value of a legitimate, content-heavy site, and ultimately it is the search engine’s job to rank the most relevant sites at the top, regardless of how much SEO went into your design. So keep this in mind and strive to create a site that not only searches well, but also is genuinely useful and relevant to your potential customers.

Despite the inherent limitations and controversy surrounding Adobe Muse, it’s likely that this new software will be a success in the world of digital design. Muse can be a great tool for competent designers who are not ready to leap into CSS or PHP programming. Although it will never replace a database driven or serious hand-coded site made by a professional web developer, for most small, static sites, Muse has everything you need. Be sure to consider adding extensive SEO and third-party apps to help you get the most out of your new site. Good luck and have fun designing!

Author’s Bio:
Anita Brady leads the team at www.123Print.com – customizable print products for business and life situations. The website offers everything needed to make your own business cards and to design other promotional items that combine high quality and customization with an affordable price.

Invest Energy in Your Business Relationships

by

by
Rosemary O’Neill

Relationships take work

Strong relationships, both personal and business, take a consistent investment of energy over a long period of time. Anyone who is selling you “likes,” or Twitter followers, or other nonsense like that is not helping you build your business.

The Tickler File

I love to entertain. Part of the fun is making sure that each person who visits always gets their favorite things. My dad loves blueberries, but not ever baked into anything. My sister-in-law has a particular affection for those little white Russian tea cookies. But I could never hold all of that information in my brain, so I cheat a little. In my Evernote system, I have a “dossier” on each person who visits. It’s my relationship tickler file.

Invest Energy in Your Business Relationships

The most successful business owners and entrepreneurs have a strong network of relationships that they can call on when the chips are down. Liz refers to these as “the people who won’t let you fail.”

But these people don’t just appear out of nowhere. You must slowly build those ties over time, maintaining contact, learning about each other, having face-to-face conversations, and providing support to each others’ causes.

The quick hit of buying followers or making fake reviews will never cut the mustard in the long run. The random stranger who was paid to like your Facebook page won’t be there for you when you launch your new product.

Tips to Build Your Own Tickler File

  • Add notes to your contact system or CRM (e.g., “dog named Babs”)
  • Set up reminders either in Google calendar or in your CRM
  • Start noticing when people share preferences or details about their lives
  • Foster your sense of curiosity about other people, focus on them when they’re speaking, not on what you’re going to say next
  • Don’t just rely on the automated happy birthday status update; get creative and recognize people on days other

    • than their birthday

  • After you meet with someone, write down notes from the meeting for next time, so you can progress each time

How do you invest in your business relationships?

Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for social strata — a top ten company to work for on the Internet . Check out the Social Strata blog. You can find Rosemary on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee

Thank you, Rosemary!

You’re irresistible!

ME “Liz” Strauss

Setting Up Your Business for Long-Term Success

by

by
Robert Cordray

cooltext443809602_strategy

Setting Up Your Business for Long-Term Success

Start-up business owners learn two things very quickly. First, the idea that launches an entrepreneurship is invaluable. The seed of a business, or the initial idea, provides a source of motivation and initial direction.

However, the second notion often comes as an unpleasant discovery. The grand idea by itself is not enough to sustain long-term growth and success. No matter how great the business idea is, many other factors influence success and determine whether a business will flourish or fail.

The key to being successful in business is learning to make good business decisions. While success cannot be guaranteed, you can start your business with attention to a few important areas and increase your chances of achieving your goals.

Avoid the most common missteps entrepreneurs tend to make by following these suggestions:

Have a Business Plan

A business plan is an opportunity for business owners to understand their market, as it relates to their product or service, and map out their capabilities. Compiling a thorough business plan requires a bit of effort, but as it will serve as a guideline for your financial expectations and keep you on track, it is an essential part of any new business.

The business plan will also help you in the key area of setting realistic goals for when you will achieve profitability. Know how much time, effort and capital it will reasonably take to reach your goal of being profitable. Conservatively scaling your expectations to match reality will keep you on track and save you from disappointment if your hopes of becoming an overnight success are not realized.

Balance Your Capital

Having enough capital to launch your business is crucial, but you will want to avoid the mistake of taking on sizable loans at the outset. Use your business plan to ensure you have enough resources to see you through until you achieve profitability.

Understand Your Market

As a new business owner, you need to understand who your customers are. How large is your market? Who are your competitors? You will need to know what alternatives to your business are already available to consumers or if you are creating a new market. This will help you in your decisions on strategy.

Choose a Go-to Market Strategy

Having a focus on one strategy for your business will enable you to market your business effectively. Without a focus, you are likely to flounder, but attempting to pursue multiple strategies at once will also doom you to failure. Understand your business and choose one as your goal.

In general, there are three go-to market strategies that businesses use. The first is a focus on operational excellence. These businesses emphasize efficiency in their processes to lower their costs and provide consistency to a wide range of customers.

Another strategy is to develop customer intimacy by establishing strong relationships and fostering repeat business through customer care.

Third, businesses can seek an advantage through product innovation. This aspect depends upon the creation of a new and desirable product or service and founding a business where there are little to no existing competitors. This may be the most difficult of the three for a new entrepreneur to achieve.

Build an Effective Team

The path to becoming a successful entrepreneur should not be a lonely journey. Many businesses fail because the owner tried to manage too many decisions and responsibilities that could have been delegated to others. Find good support for your business such as those you can trust with general tasks while you focus on your role as an executive.

Seeking advice will be necessary, and finding a reliable source for information and direction may seem intimidating. However, there are several people who specialize in guidance and helping entrepreneurs maintain their focus. Through their services, you can rest assured that your business will profit from your well-directed efforts.

Author’s Bio:

Robert Cordray writes about business, entrepreneurship, and living better at noomii.com. He has acquired over 20 years of entrepreneurship and business consulting. You can find him on Twitter @RobertCordray