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10 Timeless Rules For Business Survival

Fri, 17 May 2013 06:36:27 +0000

1. Manage your costs.
Financial management skills are necessary to a business's continued operation and survival. You burn through capital without anything to show for it, you might as well have set your money on fire. A business can't survive without money -- that defeats its purpose.

First you have to have money to start a business in the first place : a bankroll, start up funds, inventory purchasing, tools and equipment, or web-hosting costs, site design, advertising, etc.
Then to keep it running (operational, labor and overhead costs) until it starts making money, and…

Diversification for Dummies

Fri, 10 May 2013 04:30:40 +0000

Who will diversification help?

Anyone trying to run a business and grow his customer base.
Anyone who is juggling responsibilities with marketing, billing, customer support and product services with not enough time to attend to all of them properly, and wants to focus on only doing a few things--key things--effectively.
People who don't want to waste their energy or their time on doing things that don't work, and especially want to make their time work for them.

What will diversification mean for you?
It means…

What Are You Building With Your Actions?

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 11:52:34 +0000

Why do you do the things you do? You have your own particular interests, goals and desires. You believe that what you're doing with what you have right now is the best option you have to get you most of what you need, and at least some of what you want.

What makes you do you do the things you do in a particular way? Your personal history, character and experiences: each of us have our own preferences, dislikes, abilities and priorities, which affect how we carry on with…

Save Your Brain: Use Routines

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 01:38:19 +0000

It's funny how hearing a little soundbite on the TV about presidential fashion can turn into an in-depth analysis on the power of routines. I mean, President Obama always wears classic suits when he attends official functions, and yet I never really noticed they were always blue or gray. Intrigued, I looked it up online:"Obama, style, blue suits."

The search lead to to a Vanity Fair article from where I take the following quote (with emphasis added):

The president does pick out his own clothes. But the president tells…

How Do You Track Your Progress?

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 14:19:21 +0000

Do you have the appropriate apps on your smartphone? Maybe you got one of those little doohickeys that track your steps, or signed up for a service that sends you reminders throughout the day. Perhaps you do it old-school, with pen, paper and a big wall-calendar, those of the month-at-a-glance types.

Whatever method you use, it's obvious then that you have a system in place to help keep you on your toes and (mostly) in charge of your days. You're a busy person, with things that need to be done and goals to meet, and you do…

How Do You Look At Your Time?

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 07:41:45 +0000

Anyone with any experience at all in project management and calendar-fu knows the importance of having short-term, mid-term, and long-term goals. That's how you get things done. By breaking things down into their smallest action units, you make the work-load lighter, especially when it's spread out over time. It also greatly simplifies your thinking process when you see your action items, time-line and priorities laid out in black and white.

But have you every really though about how you look at your time, and not just the

Throw The Dice

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 06:14:59 +0000

I've been in a rather grey funk lately. A family member had to be hospitalized earlier in the year, a big bill just came in (it was expected, actually, and we'd saved up for it, but it still bites, you know?), that damn ache in my knee came back, the politicians are still pointing fingers....I mean, all at once would have been overwhelming, but over time? Over time, things can just just grind you down. Your field of vision gets narrower, until it's all you can do on some days to put on foot in front of the…

Make Up Your Mind: The Power of Decisiveness

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 02:11:41 +0000

So-oo.... how are your New Year's resolutions going? Good, bad, so-so?
What about the important personal goals you drew up, right around the promise of twelve brand new months to fill? Did any changes stick? I mean, we're far enough into the year to make a fair assessment on any appreciable progress you've made since then.

Have you seen or felt any tangible results from working towards your goals? What have you learned about yourself in the process?
How are these commitments working with the other responsibilities you have? What adjustments did you make to…

Goals And Their Breakdowns

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 09:20:48 +0000

When it comes to making sure I stick to my goals, I tend to visit blogs on the areas I'm struggling with. The advice that really resonates with me come from people who've lived through the same issues that I'm currently facing, and were able to articulate how they found their way though. These people have been there and done that, and I get read their 'shirts' for free, so to speak.

So it was a nice coincidence that just when I was getting ready to give up on an important personal project (out of frustration…

Keeping On Track With Mindfulness

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 08:39:41 +0000

In a world with uncertain economies, shifting social changes and powerful, ubiquitous technologies, you may think that you're doing all you can to protect the tiny economy of your own small enterprise.

You see, when it comes to running your own business, the sheer number of factors beyond your control --the down market, political infighting and indecisiveness, new tech demanding immediate mastery-- demand that you bite down and focus on the essentials first before attending to the lower priorities. It's basic self-protection. Survival first.

But life is more than just survival. If you'd just…

Sustainable Progress: Keep Going By Making Small Bets

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 07:56:24 +0000

In the LifeHacker post, "How To Design A Lucky Life" member stainless_rat left an awesome comment in response to the article, reproduced in full below:

"I've lived lucky by simply trimming the odds, which conflicts with recommendations here. Small changes that give things a chance to happen. Such as having met an attractive woman on a group hike...and arranging to attend the next hike with that group instead of another: if she was there, great, if not, I still end up with a fun hike. End result? Happily married for 7 years now.

Unlike the recommendation…

Eisenhower On Planning

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 07:59:45 +0000

“In preparing for battle, I have found that planning is essential, but plans are useless.”
– Dwight D. Eisenhower, 5-star general, 34th president of the United States

Planning ahead is extremely powerful, but you’ll often find that the better you get at realizing your plans, the more you realize that much of the plans you make get discarded. So what’s the point?

The planning prepares you for whatever may come. The process of preparation lets you be prepared -- putting you in a…

Lights, Opportunity, Action!

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 07:03:37 +0000

"Making it" is a combination of luck, circumstances, choices and planning that decides where you go next. Action definitely counts as well. For good or for ill, when you commit to executing your plans, there will be consequences. And most of these things, unless you're on reality TV, happen behind the scenes.

"Stop thinkin' and start makin' moves." - Dave Chappelle

You do something, you learn something.

You do something and it hurts -- the result, at the very least, can…

The Bullet List: Here's Why You Can't Win (Not)

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 03:20:34 +0000

There's something you've been thinking about. And you already know why you can't do it anyway. For example:
- You're too old, or too young, and you're always in the wrong place at the wrong time.
- You have too much experience.
- You don't have the experience.
- You don't have the time to spare to get the experience.
- Or the money. Or the training.
- Or the money for the training. Or even money for the rent. (It could be food and housing, but not new shoes, or whatever the most urgent two out of…

Pay Attention To The Little Things

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 03:55:45 +0000

"Ignorance is bliss."

“If ignorance is bliss, there should be more happy people.”
- Victor Cousin, 18th century French Philosopher

Knowledge is power. When you know how stuff works, things you can do a lot. For example, who is the world's greatest detective: Sherlock Holmes, Batman or Adrian Monk?

The TV series, books, movies, cartoons and comics featuring these characters have set up whole fictional worlds about and around their exploits, because these guys are able to do things most people can't. And the fact that you know who these characters are and are…

On Enthusiasm, And Using Your Passion

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 03:33:39 +0000

En-theos - "...to be lit up with divine fire, to be possessed by a god."

When people discuss having enthusiasm for their jobs, sometimes tossing in the etymology of the word can cast quite a different light on the issue. I mean, being aflame or being possessed?
That would be kind of mesmerizing to watch on the big screen...until you realize that if it were in actual, real life, anyone literally in such a state wouldn't be focused on doing anything productive. Heck, they wouldn't be able…

When You Spend Time Like Money

Sun, 13 Jan 2013 07:02:10 +0000

We of homo sapiens are a visual race. We evolved to be, and hardly anyone ever really notices we talk in images and metaphors, because that's just how we were wired. Here's proof of what I mean:

When someone's in trouble he can't handle, he's in over his head. When we've moved past a particular situation, we're over it. Hot and cool mean the same thing when it comes to current…

Technostress: Rise Against The Machines

Sun, 06 Jan 2013 06:49:14 +0000

Advancements in computing have reinterpreted human limits of "just how much work you are supposed to do in a day" (productivity) and have increasingly infringed on our basic health requirement to be protected from constant overestimation brought about by connectivity.
Communication technology developments in the past 20 years have relentlessly pushed us to become more adept in navigating the world using these technologies -- which touches on our adaptability, familiarity and mastery.

Technological advances gave us speed…

What's Your 20? Making Plans for The New Year

Sat, 29 Dec 2012 04:17:07 +0000

Well, hey there! We're well into the last week before the new year starts, and we hope that you and your loved ones are doing okay, and hope you have an even better year coming in. This is just the last, short check-in for 2012 before we get to start anew in 2013. Here we go!

"What's your 20?" is CB-radio-speak for, "Where are you?" Checking in with yourself, when you ask yourself, " What's my 20?" it becomes an open ended question, and opens up other questions:

Human nature being what it is,…

How to Negotiate With Yourself

Fri, 21 Dec 2012 06:11:56 +0000

Negotiating starts when two parties, each with their own interests and goals, start talking. You and your team, looking over at the other side of the table to see the Other Guys, each side with its own agenda, trying to hammer out an agreement or reach a point of compromise. You gives, you gets, dig?

Today we're taking a different approach in that we'll talk about how we negotiate with ourselves.

It's just a part of how we're wired: there must have been many occasions where you were of two minds about a particular issue -- most probably when…

Procrastination: How To Pay Double Interest For Your Time

Sat, 15 Dec 2012 04:08:24 +0000

Procrastination is what happens when intention and ordered meaning is obscured by immediate feeling.
But you already know this, right?
On an intellectual level you understand that there is something you have to finish, and your feelings are like tiny howler monkeys, screaming in your ear and pointing you in the direction of something else. You can't pull yourself into the thing you're supposed to be doing.
You're meh on that.

These emotions of the moment take your time away from you, and stop you from getting things done that…

A Few Thoughts On Taking Time Off

Sat, 08 Dec 2012 02:51:55 +0000

“Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, you ought to set up a life you don’t need to escape from.” – Seth Godin

Over the years, I noticed a few things when it came to taking some time off:

I often have to encounter something I can't stop, change or affect in order to rest. For example, when I get sick, it's about the only time I set aside time for myself --and more often than not, I have to talk myself out of powering through it and cross off one more thing on my To Do…

Living At The End of Your Rainbow

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 05:06:31 +0000

You got there.

You managed to find your place on-line. All the hard work of setting things up, working through the bugs and the paperwork needed to register a business, the taxes, the outsourcing, the pricing....and here you are.
And hey! Your own life is going pretty sweet. It could be stand to improve in a few small areas, but for the most part, it seems things have come together for you. Congratulations!

When we speak of you finding your niche, it goes to mean one or more of the following things:

You found the place where you fit. You, with all your…

Enjoying The Road You Travel

Fri, 23 Nov 2012 06:58:27 +0000

After taking a look at the list of the top 5 regrets of the dying, I got to thinking about living and dying, and how I want to live my life. How would I feel if I looked back and saw the life I could have lived if I'd been a little braver, or a little bit more daring, and a little less uptight? I didn't want to have more regrets than memories, and see all the things I turned down because I was afraid, or careless, or simply wasn't paying attention.

I also remember reading something about how

Defining Your Territory

Sat, 17 Nov 2012 04:56:31 +0000

People have more things to deal with today that they have in the past. We also communicate faster, and that comes with a whole set of issues that have put increasing stress on our physical and mental limits.

We get pinged and messaged and alerted and beeped, cutting into our crucial concentration.
We can get updates on a minute-by-minute basis. Even if we don't need it.
We can get connected everywhere we can get a signal. Unless you plan for it, you can't be alone with your thoughts.

How do you deal with the speed of life?

You don't have to imagine, you…