Those just finding out - yep, I did and yep, it scared the living crap out of me.

It happened: Tuesday, March 24th. About 5.30pm Australian time. Got home from the Hospital: Wednesday 25th March. About 3.30am.

Life is now (suddenly) different.

And now the Update as promised…

100% positive that it was a mini stroke (officially called a TIA). Blood tests: all clear; Brain scan: no damage; Neck scan (as the TIA affected my speech): all clear.

Seems there will be no permanent damage - although I’m not so sure just yet. (more later)

So it all comes down to … Lifestyle. Break it down further and it comes down to eating habits: revoltingly poor and exercise: rare to none.

So I have a Doctor-ordered appointment with a dietitian next week. My Mum brought me a heart rate monitor watch (thanks Mum) and I am now pounding the pavements doing small steps interval training. I haven’t got it into a routine or habit yet but I’ll get there yet …

The diet is my major weak point. And even after this scare I still haven’t completely learned: I could have fucking died!!! And yet I’m still eating crap - just much less of it.

On the mind side: I’m. So. Tired.

Small amounts of confusion strike me at odd times. Small things. Is it permanent? Who knows.

Maybe it’s just hit me. Maybe I’m depressed. What ever it is: I’m. Just. So. Tired. Always.

Mental and physical fatigue. My motivation levels have fallen into a heap. I’m feeling all fuzzy inside this head of mine.

Xanax has been a savior to some extent. Maybe my stress levels were too high for too long. Who Knows.

Okay, that’s enough … pity poor me. I’ll get over it. Just got to make the effort - do a spring clean on my life, take all the blood-thinning pills and do as the Doctors say.

And HomeOfficeVoice… ?

As I mentally get over all of this, I’ll still be pushing ahead with HomeOfficeVoice. I’ll deliver a HomeOfficeVoice Update post in the coming days. I’ve been contemplating ways of going with HomeOfficeVoice for quite a while now - ever since the 24th and slowing down these past few weeks, I have settled on a business model. All will be revealed.

Having had this little episode gives me more ammo against the rat race life I never want to get back into. Never. Ever. Ever Again!!!

For that to happen, HomeOfficeVoice HAS to be a winner. And mark my words: It Will!!!

It all comes back to the tagline to HomeOfficeVoice… It’s ALL about Lifestyle. Amen.

Thanks to all who sent their best wishes via comments, email, twitter and face-to-face. It’s been much appreciated. You can best catch me on Twitter.

* * * * *

Note: And how weird is this… exactly one month before on the 24th of Feb I post this: It’s Time to Burn Some Work at Home Fat.

Post from: Home Office Voice

From her blog…

“For those who have not yet heard, my business partner Lucille has left our little company to pursue other interests, and it will be just me, myself and WHY going forward. I’m excited, motivated, determined and scared to death — just the way I like it”.

Ahhh, what all soloist go through: excitement, motivation, determination and the fear.

If it’s in your blood, then its just gotta be …

Good luck, Dina.

Check out WHY Magazine…

Post from: Home Office Voice

We are the ADD generation, always on the lookout for something better to do: websites to visit, rss feeds to scan, twittering to be done, a cool YouTube video to watch, social networking to keep up and the list goes on.

Well, if you’re trying to succeed in your own business, then this is just a recipe for failure.

And I can tell you right now, that for me, what I just described is all a part of my past.

I’ll now cut to the chase pretty quick here (before you get bored) and let you in on a routine I tweaked that works for me; and hey, it may just work for you.

1. Write a daily To Do list of 3-5 of the most important things that will move your business forward.
2. Get yourself a timer - I use the free Cool Timer. Set it for 45 minutes.
3. Pick the first thing on your To Do List and go at it for a full 45 minutes - no stops, breaks, email checking, twittering - nothing, nada. Just focus on it, knowing you only have 45 minutes.
4. When 45 minutes is up the timer lets you know. Then just Stop!
5. Take a 15 minute break away from the computer and your business. Set your timer for 15 minutes.
6. Rinse and repeat for your other To Do tasks.

Before you know it, you are really getting things done!

My magic number is 6 lots of 45/15.

That adds up to 270 minutes (4.5 hours) of focused work time and 90 minutes (1.5 hours) of break time.

It all comes down to seeing the big picture and putting it off because it’s well … too big. Chunking it all down is really the only solution to getting big things done … and a big thing could just as easily be moving your online business a tad further along the road to success.

In just 6 hours a day, I get more done that I ever have - often times more than a weeks worth of work from my pre-45/15 days.

I’d love to hear your variations on how you manage your time effectively. Leave a comment…

Post from: Home Office Voice

I was recently approached by a promotional products company to write up a review on them right here at HomeOfficeVoice - a paid review.

I don’t do too many paid reviews, mostly because they don’t suit this site and/our my readers.

In this instance, I accepted. Why? Because quite simply I think that promotional products are a great branding technique.

Who doesn’t love getting all the little schwag that companies provide influencer’s, customers and prospects.

Promotional products are a great way to keep in touch with customers and clients. Who hasn’t had a pen with a brand plastered over it? Or a mouse pad with a logo and brand name facing up at you? A branded golf ball?

Amsterdam Printing is one such company that offer these items.

Here’s how Amsterdam describes themselves to me: “Amsterdam Printing offers a wide selection of promotional products and personalized promotional items such as logo pens and customized desk calendars. Giving promotional products is a great way to promote business or show appreciation to existing customers.”

Their website is professional and offers a decent variety of items. It’s traditional e-commerce fare for a company of its size (600 employees) and vast range of products (3,000+) and controls the ordering process well.

I selected as an example the promotional mouse pad.

You proceed to add the text you want to appear on the mouse pads as well as upload you logo. I presumed from not being able to enter my Australian postcode that it’s purely for the US market - which bugged me a little. So to get a postage price I put the only American zip code I could think off - 90210 and it came out at $23.53 - delivered within 7 to 10 days, which seems a fair price.

Checking out was a breeze, so there’s no problems there. You have to register if you’re a new customer - which some folks don’t like. It doesn’t really bother me, especially if I intend on doing more business with them in the future.

So the overall offering from Amsterdam was decent, they have a solid e-commerce website with all the features that you’d expect and their prices looked about right. Only thing is that it appears to be only an American thing. And just to set you straight, they’re based in Amsterdam, New York - not in Europe.

Depending on what business you are in and how much you have calculated a client is worth to you, you can purchase them (the mouse pad example) from as low as $2.99 (although you’d be buying 2,500 units to get that price).

Looking at buying only 150 units, I’d be up for $4.29 each. That’s $643.50 - now if you’ve got a client that say, brings you in $500-$1000 a year, spending $4.29 is a pretty decent investment.

But mouse pads are so old hat. There’s such a decent variety on offer that you could literally spend hours deciding.

Putting your brand front and center to your current and/our potential clients is an ideal way to build a stronger relationship over the long term. It’s been a marketing technique that’s been around a long while because it works.

I know when I get stuck into marketing my book in 2010 one of the ways I’ll be doing it is through promotional products.

Even in our fast-paced instant gratification online lifestyle, small gestures like this can do your business wonders.

This was a

Post from: Home Office Voice

Short, long, unscripted, polished.

Big words, short words, one word sentences, scrolling-required.

Rough as guts or eloquently stated, gonzoish or skilfully edited.

Whatever.

The art of blogging is what ever does it for you.

By being true to yourself you’ll be authentic; and authenticity is not a commodity.

* * *

Note: why am I always talking about blogging on a home business blog? Stay Tuned…

Post from: Home Office Voice

It is Tuesday afternoon and I’m taking a nap on the couch after picking up my daughter from school and then dancing class.

I’m tired and a quick power nap should do the trick.

Half an hour later I woke up with my daughter wanting me to put on a DVD. Something felt strange. At first, I thought it was the usual grogginess of having just that too much of a power nap - a few minutes and my head will clear, I said to myself.

“Can you put on the DVD?” my daughter said.

“Where’s the remote,” I replied … or so I thought.

“What?’ she said.

“Where’s the remote,” and I noticed I was slurring the end of the sentence. Hmm.

I then asked her a question and it came out all wrong - wrong as in mumbled, jumbled, complete gibberish - words that I had never intended to say.

Shit. What is happening to me. I asked another question and the same thing: the words that I wanted to say where not coming out.

Slightly panicked by now, I go to my office to see if I can read.

I can see the words sure enough but when I try to read it out aloud and then in my mind it comes out all wrong - more worryingly, was that as I tried to read the words, words that were not even in the sentence came out.

I tried again to talk to my daughter. But it was going downhill - she could only understand patches - if at that. I tried to say the Alphabet. Once again, I know what I’m saying but only gibberish comes out.

This lasted half an hour until it settled.

Fast forward five hours and I am in the Emergency department of my local hospital having a brain scan, an ECG, and just waiting and thinking.

What I had was a mini-Stroke.

Suddenly, mind, body and spirit have their say … and they say: Everything Changes.

Post from: Home Office Voice

Skype is giant. As at January 2009, it attracts 30 million new subscribers every quarter. Skype has well over 300 million users worldwide - although it is hard to get an exact number, to point I’m trying to make is that Skype is huge, has scaled quite well and is mainstream - and has been so for a few years now.

So here’s my trend for this week…

Why not set yourself up as the local expert in your town on all things Skype and small business.

In these tough economic times businesses of all sizes will be looking to cut costs and become more lean and streamlined.

Skype fits ideally into that lean culture - low costs with many features that in days gone by would have cost a mint.

You might be thinking any fool can set up Skype. You may be right, but in business it’s a different story. Not that they can’t do it, but they would much rather prefer to work on their core business - which is where you come in. And hey, maybe they don’t really know the full capabilities of Skype.

You make an appointment with the head-honcho and take him through all the benefits that Skype can have for his business. If you know that a certain business travels a bit - well there’s your main selling point: call/video conferencing. If a business is currently forking out hundreds of dollars on flights then you’ve probably taken one giant leap in getting their business.

* * * * *

Yes, getting to know all that Skype has to offer might need a learning curve buy hey, that’s what small business in your area will be paying you for: your expertize - and spend a few hours getting to know the ins-and-outs of Skype and you WILL be an expert.

Here’s something to make you think…

Do you know what Skype is capable of? Well check this out and think about how small business and how it could fit their needs…

- Skype-to-Skype calls
- Skype-to-Phone calls
- Skype-to-Mobile calls
- Video Calls
- Conference calls
   - Video Conferencing
   - Group Chat
- Instant Messaging

And then there’s more…

The beauty of this business model, is that there is a vast range of third party application that go with Skype - headsets, handsets, webcams and all other gadgets and must-haves.

This is a great way to add to your income together with your consulting and training services.

Take what I’ve written here and take it apart; do some research; ask around your local area; help out a few non-profits … when you’re doing business locally, word spreads.

Post from: Home Office Voice

There are two school of thoughts about how one might get into business.

One being to follow your passion; and the other being pretty much does-the-math-add-up-that’s,-my-only-criteria .

In other words, passion should never come into the equation when deciding on a business venture - if there’s a demanding market, then simply find a way to fill it. Fill it and move on.

I can’t do that. And I suspect many others couldn’t as well.

A life lived without passion is not living; and running a business is a great big part of your life.

Therefore, my premise is that passion is vitally important when starting (and running) a business. It’s what gets you through the early tough times. It’s passion that lets you see the big picture, the ideal outcome … the desired lifestyle.

And please don’t take me for no wannabe hippy - the numbers do count; the market has to be there and wanting something; you still have to have an hard eye at times thus, The Enjoyment Factor is only one part of the equation (but for me it’s getting larger every time).

When I look at a potential new business opportunity one of the criteria that must be met is The Enjoyment Factor.

It’s an intangible thing. A feeling. The old-fashioned gut instinct.

It can’t be measured and it can’t be rated.

It can only be felt.

Post from: Home Office Voice

It asks: ‘So, you want to be an entrepreneur’ and then goes on to list the following 10 traits.

1. Are you willing and able to bear great financial risk?
2. Are you willing to sacrifice your lifestyle for potentially many years?
3. Is your significant other on board?
4. Do you like all aspects of running a business?
5. Are you comfortable making decisions on the fly with no playbook?
6. What’s your track record of executing your ideas?
7. How persuasive and well-spoken are you?
8. Do you have a concept you’re passionate about?
9. Are you a self-starter?
10. Do you have a business partner?

Backtracking to the harsh reality of number 2 one has to wonder - am I a bona fide entrepreneur or a business owner with boundaries?

Heading over to Wikipedia to sort out the true meaning of a entrepreneur…

Entrepreneurship is often difficult and tricky, as many new ventures fail. The word entrepreneur is often synonymous with founder. Most commonly, the term entrepreneur applies to someone who creates value by offering a product or service. Entrepreneurs often have strong beliefs about a market opportunity and organize their resources effectively to accomplish an outcome that changes existing interactions.

Some observers see them as being willing to accept a high level of personal, professional or financial risk to pursue opportunity

True entrepreneurs are great risk takers. Lifestyle entrepreneurs generally are not.

They’re not in it for the growth, or gaining of venture capital backing, or looking to go public. They have set their boundaries of what they’re happy to receive as a decent revenue stream and focus on keeping it at that - so that they continue with their desired lifestyle.

For real entrepreneurs, it’s all about growth and the big idea. For lifestyle entrepreneurs, it’s all about the income to support the lifestyle.

Oh well, I think there goes the term ‘lifestyle entrepreneur’ from my vocabulary.

Post from: Home Office Voice

But lets face it: If a mainstream media outlet came a knocking wouldn’t you just fall off your chair?

And that’s exactly what Wendy Piersall almost did.

Because who doesn’t want mainstream exposure?

Mainstream equals the majority of people. In our online world, the mainstream world also means a vast amount of new people learning about you. And quite possibly the start of something big … a sort of tipping point.

Wendy Piersall founded and is the CEO of work at home portal, Sparkplugging (formerly eMoms at Home). She has been a good friend to HomeOfficeVoice and particularly to me. So it was with great excitement that after getting a tip/tweet I watched a recent segment of the hugely popular (and mainstream) NBC’s The Today Show.

Why’s that? Because Wendy was an invited guest to talk about the growing eMom revolution.

You can watch the segment on The Today Show here…

She did herself and her brand proud.

Good question. I know that Twitter is completely changing the way we all communicate online (or so it seems). But who knew it would grow so fast and become so useful so quickly.

For you see, Wendy got this Today Show gig via simply communicating - and building a relationship - over Twitter.

Wendy writes on how it all came about at Getting on the Today Show, Thanks to Twitter.

Once you have read that post notice two things: Number one: No hard sell; and number two: build a relationship. And really you can mash it all up and just say it with one word: patience.

Congrats Wendy and go Sparkplugging - we need more credible home business media online.

Post from: Home Office Voice