The other evening a friend and I decided to go to dinner. I had been working furiously all day and had not had a decent meal so we opted for a local buffet establishment.
As we walked to the counter to pay I could tell that the gentleman in front of me was angry at something and he was taking out on the cashier and the hostess. His language to the teen cashier was completely inappropriate and she stared as a deer in headlights. He was upset because he only wanted s beverage and nothing more. The problem was, this was a buffet restaraunt. Everything they serve is a buffet, there is no menu or a la carte. If he wanted anything he had to pay the full price. Though I could somewhat see his point, he was at an eatery with the word BUFFET in the title.
He kept insisting that "nobody tells me how to spend my @#*^& money. I can turn around and walk my @#$ out the door." In the end, he handed over the money and paid for a full buffet. The entire time I was there he walked around the place insisting that "nobody told him how to spend his money." After several minutes, I commented to my friend that apparently they do or he would not be there drinking at $11.95 glass of tea!
As businessmen and women, we can sometimes feel trapped by vendors or stores or whatever that have such a high premium on the products we need. I guess that I could explain it better like this....Too many times we go to a large wholesale store to buy supplies or other items we need. We really don't need 40,000 paperclips, but to get a good deal, that is what we have to buy. I read recently about three businesses who formed a co-op when they were needing new computers. They went together and shopped and got the best deal because they were buying in bulk. What a novel idea!
I am going to put some time and effort into thinking about this and looking for a way to save money and still not end up with 2000 pencils. I challenge you to do the same and get back with me on how you feel we can be beneficial to each other.
Friday, August 27, 2010
What If I could Be Positive In My Own Outlook
I don't watch the news anymore. I read the newspaper even less. It's not that I am not interested in what is happening in the world or that I am illiterate. It's simply the barrage of negativity that flows from the teleprompter and out of the anchors mouth. I simply can n0t pick up another news paper and read about the depravity of this world. It's like Tyler Perry's character Madea telling her granddaughter to throw hot grits on the man who is beating her because, "it sticks."
What we think and ponder on affects every area of our lives: our family, our finances, our relationships, and yes, even our business. Thoughts often become deeds. There is hardly an action that we speak or a word we say that did not start as a thought. Therefore, I believe, our thoughts are to us as a rudder is to a ship. They guide and steer us in every direction we take.
I once worked with a lady who had been divorced for over twenty years. Still every day she talked about how her ex-husband had cheated on her and left her. She spent so much time being bitter that there was nothing in her life she enjoyed. She had two wonderful and attentive children and some beautiful grandchildren that she could hardly enjoy because of the bitterness and anger she had allowed to take root in her life. Soon it began to manifest in physical ailments that evetually caused her to go into an early retirement.
Friend, you and I know that is no way to live. If you look around you, you will notice that on every corner there are businesses folding and closing their doors. They leave behind unemployed men and women with families. For you and I, failure is not an option. Our business is the lifeblood to not only us, but to our community. Small business is the mainstay in any economy. We are blessed to be our own boss and to have the freedom that small or home businesses offer. Since we are the backbone of our financial society, then we must no fall by the wayside. Instead, we must thrive and grow and multiply.
We can not afford to let our rudders be moved by the story tides of negativity. So keep your head held high. Put on blinders if you must. Do whatever you have to do to perservere in your business. Think possitive. Act possitive. Live possitive. Take each step in faith. Be strong and courageous and prove the naysayers wrong. It is our time to shine!
What we think and ponder on affects every area of our lives: our family, our finances, our relationships, and yes, even our business. Thoughts often become deeds. There is hardly an action that we speak or a word we say that did not start as a thought. Therefore, I believe, our thoughts are to us as a rudder is to a ship. They guide and steer us in every direction we take.
I once worked with a lady who had been divorced for over twenty years. Still every day she talked about how her ex-husband had cheated on her and left her. She spent so much time being bitter that there was nothing in her life she enjoyed. She had two wonderful and attentive children and some beautiful grandchildren that she could hardly enjoy because of the bitterness and anger she had allowed to take root in her life. Soon it began to manifest in physical ailments that evetually caused her to go into an early retirement.
Friend, you and I know that is no way to live. If you look around you, you will notice that on every corner there are businesses folding and closing their doors. They leave behind unemployed men and women with families. For you and I, failure is not an option. Our business is the lifeblood to not only us, but to our community. Small business is the mainstay in any economy. We are blessed to be our own boss and to have the freedom that small or home businesses offer. Since we are the backbone of our financial society, then we must no fall by the wayside. Instead, we must thrive and grow and multiply.
We can not afford to let our rudders be moved by the story tides of negativity. So keep your head held high. Put on blinders if you must. Do whatever you have to do to perservere in your business. Think possitive. Act possitive. Live possitive. Take each step in faith. Be strong and courageous and prove the naysayers wrong. It is our time to shine!
Saturday, August 21, 2010
How To Be Green While Making Green
This morning I was sipping my coffee and working online when something struck me. My company is doing it's dead level best to produce GREEN products that are friendly to the environment. In fact, many corporations now are seeing the damage done to the planet by our excessive use of chemicals and products that are not biodegradable. It's a common fact, if we continue to use up the environment, someday it will have to fight back.
So, anyway........I'm sitting here in my undies and working while the dog sleeps on the sofa next to me. All of the sudden it dawns on me how working at home has caused me to be GREEN with little to no effort. By working from home I am GREEN because I:
1. Do not have to do laundry so often since I am not in an office every day. That means that I save money on clothes that I would not ordinarily have to wear. In addition, it means that I do less laundry which uses energy, water, and chemical detergents often sold in non-biodegradable plastics or paper.
2. I burn less gas in my vehicle since I am not out on the road everyday. That means less carbon monoxide in the air from my engine. It means less oil and other fluids needed to make the vehicle run properly.
3. It means that I am not generating mounds of paperwork, memo's and etc. that I would working in an office that depletes our natural woodlands.......we all know the devestation that brings to the air and the animal kingdom.
These are just a few of the things that changed when I started working from home, I wonder how many more I could think of if I really tried.
Have you considered moving your office into your home? Starting your own home based business? GREEN is just one more reason to give it some serious thought.
So, anyway........I'm sitting here in my undies and working while the dog sleeps on the sofa next to me. All of the sudden it dawns on me how working at home has caused me to be GREEN with little to no effort. By working from home I am GREEN because I:
1. Do not have to do laundry so often since I am not in an office every day. That means that I save money on clothes that I would not ordinarily have to wear. In addition, it means that I do less laundry which uses energy, water, and chemical detergents often sold in non-biodegradable plastics or paper.
2. I burn less gas in my vehicle since I am not out on the road everyday. That means less carbon monoxide in the air from my engine. It means less oil and other fluids needed to make the vehicle run properly.
3. It means that I am not generating mounds of paperwork, memo's and etc. that I would working in an office that depletes our natural woodlands.......we all know the devestation that brings to the air and the animal kingdom.
These are just a few of the things that changed when I started working from home, I wonder how many more I could think of if I really tried.
Have you considered moving your office into your home? Starting your own home based business? GREEN is just one more reason to give it some serious thought.
Friday, August 20, 2010
When It Just Does Not Seem To Be Working
So, I have been in my business going on two years now and I have hit a slump. I admit, the media keeps telling us the economy is bad and that folks have not spent what they would normally spend this summer. Taking that into account, I can honestly tell you that, for me, right now it is just not working. So then what are my alternatives?
Well, the obvious alternative is to just fold it in like so many other businesses have and call it quits. I would be fully justified having invested so much time, money, and energy into it with nothing to show at the present.
The other alternative is to keep plugging on and see what happens. Economies change, people change spending habits, and you can go from the bottom to the top in a matter of weeks or even days.
I am sure that we have all felt this way at times. Life interrupts us and throws us off our game. It's during these times that our resolve is tested and we show ourselves what we are truly made of. As I write this I look around me and see very little promise for my business. If that is what I focus on, then I will have succeded in failure and will follow the first alternative.
However, I can use some of the same reasons to quit to stand my ground and perservere. The best reasons to keep pressing forward are the facts that I have invested so much time, money and energy into this business. I believe in the product and the company that I represent. I believe in myself and my desire to achieve financial independence. Seriously, "What if I could achieve financial freedom?"
Returning to an office or a factory line or a cash register is not an option for me. I have seen the potential in what I do and so those investments were in myself, not just my business. So, I will keep plugging along. I will keep struggling for excellence, and I will win. I will get my mind focused and set for success. Join me, won't you?
Well, the obvious alternative is to just fold it in like so many other businesses have and call it quits. I would be fully justified having invested so much time, money, and energy into it with nothing to show at the present.
The other alternative is to keep plugging on and see what happens. Economies change, people change spending habits, and you can go from the bottom to the top in a matter of weeks or even days.
I am sure that we have all felt this way at times. Life interrupts us and throws us off our game. It's during these times that our resolve is tested and we show ourselves what we are truly made of. As I write this I look around me and see very little promise for my business. If that is what I focus on, then I will have succeded in failure and will follow the first alternative.
However, I can use some of the same reasons to quit to stand my ground and perservere. The best reasons to keep pressing forward are the facts that I have invested so much time, money and energy into this business. I believe in the product and the company that I represent. I believe in myself and my desire to achieve financial independence. Seriously, "What if I could achieve financial freedom?"
Returning to an office or a factory line or a cash register is not an option for me. I have seen the potential in what I do and so those investments were in myself, not just my business. So, I will keep plugging along. I will keep struggling for excellence, and I will win. I will get my mind focused and set for success. Join me, won't you?
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Maintaing Distance Between Personal and Professional
It's inevitable, the two worlds must collide. No matter how hard we try, eventually our personal and professional lives will collide, especially if you are managing your business from your home. So, how then do we keep each from being a distraction from the other?
First and foremost, plan each day to perfection. Have a game plan for what you want to accomplish that day, write it out, and list action steps that must be taken to achieve these goals. As you accomplish one, mark it off the list. Do not move onto another until you have made an attempt to complete the previous ones.
Secondly, if at all possible, have a specified time and place for work and make a serious effort not to allow any distractions. Separate yourself from any person, place, or thing that can keep you from achieving that days goals. Make it plain that, although you are your own boss, you are working and can not be interrupted during business hours. I suggest working 45 minutes and taking a 15 minute break to stretch your legs, use the restroom, replenish your coffee, or whatever and then get back to work.
Third, and perhaps my biggest personal struggle, when you sit down to work, avoid giving thought to any financial, physical, or emotional things that you may be going through. While those things may be of definate concern, they will only keep you from focusing on your impending success and derail your entire day.
Your professional and personal lives can coexist without being a distraction if you plan in advance and set aside time for both. Remember, you are in control of your time and talents. Make them both work for you.
First and foremost, plan each day to perfection. Have a game plan for what you want to accomplish that day, write it out, and list action steps that must be taken to achieve these goals. As you accomplish one, mark it off the list. Do not move onto another until you have made an attempt to complete the previous ones.
Secondly, if at all possible, have a specified time and place for work and make a serious effort not to allow any distractions. Separate yourself from any person, place, or thing that can keep you from achieving that days goals. Make it plain that, although you are your own boss, you are working and can not be interrupted during business hours. I suggest working 45 minutes and taking a 15 minute break to stretch your legs, use the restroom, replenish your coffee, or whatever and then get back to work.
Third, and perhaps my biggest personal struggle, when you sit down to work, avoid giving thought to any financial, physical, or emotional things that you may be going through. While those things may be of definate concern, they will only keep you from focusing on your impending success and derail your entire day.
Your professional and personal lives can coexist without being a distraction if you plan in advance and set aside time for both. Remember, you are in control of your time and talents. Make them both work for you.
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