I have been there–Sitting at my desk in my home office with my four year old singing Row, Row, Row Your Boat and my 6 month old screaming hysterically because I won’t pick him up right then.  And then the dog starts barking because he is either hungry or needs to go for a walk.  And what about the days you have to meet clients.  Where do you go?  It’s not like bringing your next potential client into the house of screaming kids and barking dogs is feasible.  You might not even want these clients to know where you live.  These are the days that I think of Office Suites PLUS and what they could offer.

Office Suites PLUS has solutions for you!  Meeting rooms are flexible and available by the hour.  Leave the kids and the dog at home and bring you next potential client to Office Suites PLUS for a peaceful and relaxing meeting.

Most Mompreneurs are leaning to Facebook for their promotions and advertising, as well as their storefronts.  It’s free, simple and viral.  But how do they feel using their home address as their business address on such a public forum.  Personally, I won’t list my home address for a business page.  Even though I conduct business out of my house, I only invite clients to my house if I have met them in a public location first.  But does this hurt business by not listing a specific location?

Have you thought about a virtual office?  Office Suites PLUS offers professional image packages, also known as virtual offices, for business owners just like these Mompreneurs .  It’s perfect.  You can choose from many different options– from using one of our addresses for your business to having personalized telephone answering.  And for those days when your kids, dog and mail man are just too much, a guest office will be waiting for you (2 free days included with select packages)!

Have you heard about the Googleplex for Google?  They have slides to get from one room to another and even offer laundry services.  How cool and motivating.  But if you   the means to provide laundry services or office massage chairs to your employees, how do you attract the workforce’s top notch workers?

In a recent article on Inc.com, 10 Things Employees Want Most, Autonomy and Flexibility are number four and five. Giving your employees the freedom to work in a way that works for them can actually make them more productive.  Employees also appreciate having a say over when they work.  Allow your employees to work a flexible schedule or work from home or a remote location.  If the work is getting done, why be picky about when and where.

Technology has allowed business centers to provide services for this demographic.  Employees can choose an Office Suites PLUS executive office, shared office or even a virtual office.  We are providing this flexibility for these employees!

So next time you here about someone else’s party at the ball park, don’t stress!  You don’t have to worry about all the details of planning such a big event.  Just know that you can make someone equally happy by providing them a workspace for today and flexibility for tomorrow with Office Suites PLUS.

Facebook
Facebook appeals to a wide range of people.  Even my mom has a Facebook page! It’s fun and exciting.  Using Facebook for your small business is essential.  It will appear in Google and it is a public forum so you can link it from your website.  Facebook can sometimes even be more effective than a webpage.  It encourages your fans and friends to be interactive and view you as more of a person rather than a business. www.facebook.com/officesuitesplus

Twitter
I should probably get out of the Facebook comfort zone and break into the cutting edge of social media—Twitter.  Twitter is an excellent way to promote products, services and giveaways. The power of viral marketing is unbelievable and a tweet can go viral in the matter of seconds.  Twitter can also help you keep up with the latest headlines by following certain hashtags.  Check out #workspace.  www.twitter.com/ospworkspace

Linked In
Linked In is not a glorified job search board.  It goes much deeper than that.  It is an amazing business to business marketing tool.  Think of it as an enhanced business card.  LinkedIn gives you plenty of toys and tools to make your business to business marketing more effective. http://www.linkedin.com/company/office-suites-plus

Google +
You need to be using Google+ for your business. Google is working on making the clicks to the +1 button to help make these posts push your pages to the top of Google.  Build a worthwhile presence on Google+ now!  The earlier you start with Google+ the better off you are.  Think about when Facebook was starting and how many fans and friends you could get.  You built lasting relationships and attracted followers.  https://plus.google.com/b/109175004573850219582/

Social media can be slow.  According to research conducted by Marshall Sponder of WebMetricsGuru, the average social media campaign takes between three months and a year to demonstrate results. So what are you waiting for?  On your marks, get set, go!

Today I would like to talk about the Paper Tower.  The Paper Tower is a planning activity that teaches participants the importance of planning, timing and thinking on their feet.  Give each participant a single sheet of paper and ask them to construct a tall free standing structure.  Participants only get 5 minutes and no other materials.

After the five minutes are over, discuss who planned out their structure, who ran out of time and what could have been done differently.

Team building exercises can have a great effect on productivity and overall teamwork at the office.

And if you are a business, you should too! Twitter is a great way to connect your business to your customers. You can send small bits of information to them…A.K.A. Tweets. Of course, this is all in real time. Businesses can use twitter to share information about their products and services and can even gather information about industry trends and news.
On a daily basis my twitter feed floods hourly with business trends and industry news. There are times when I log in and I have over 1,000 tweets. Unfortunately when this happens, there is no way I can view all of them, but I tend to skim through the overflow of ‘tweets’.

According to a recent article in Entrepreneur, tweets should be engaging. Tweets should ask your followers questions, include information and self-promotion. A sense of humor is good also! Try not to be cryptic in your message. Don’t whine or complain. Keep it happy! Include personal commentary to make things personal for your followers. You’ll seem to be a real person rather than just a handle.
Do your research before diving head first into Twitter. Once you’re in, you’ll give a tweet too!

Courtesy of: Schools.com

Forward-thinking business are starting to think outside the box of outdated real estate philosophies that include long lease terms, heavy upfront costs and little or no flexibility.  These businesses are now looking at the workplace differently and are choosing innovative and flexible workplaces.  This is where Office Suites PLUS comes into play!

Office Suites PLUS works with a range of clients.  Many clients choose us because of the flexibility and cost savings we can provide.  We have analyzed the needs of today’s businesses and cater our services in order to help business thrive and be more successful.

Obviously work IS getting done outside the office, thanks to technology, but it is very naive to dismiss the need of an office all the time. Office Suites PLUS can provide a workspace that improves flexibility, something that the ‘on the go’ office can’t always do.

Let’s switch directions a little this week and focus more on icebreaker exercises.  The Two Truths and a Lie game is a competitive game that helps encourage better communication in the office, while at the same time helps everyone get to know each other a little better.

Here’s how to play:

Start by having everyone write down two truths about themselves and one lie on a small piece of paper.  Make sure to keep it a secret!!!  After everyone has finished writing down their truths and a lie, have an open conversation period for about 15 minutes.  Make sure to engage in conversation with your coworkers and quiz them about their questions.  You want to convince others that your lie is a truth while at the same time trying to guess others.  Don’t reveal your secrets to anyone even if you feel that they have been discovered.  Once the conversation period is over, gather in a circle and one by one repeat each one of your three statements.  Have the group vote on which one they think is the lie.

Report back next week on if this helps improve communication as well as break the ice a little.  Better communication in the workplace is ideal.

This is an amazing honor for her and the company.  It is the highest honor of an American Business Woman Association group can bestow on one of its members.  We are very fortunate to have Karen as one Suite Managers and representing Office Suites PLUS.  She will now be representing the company at the 2012 National Women’s Leadership Conference in October.

Obviously when I got this email, I was thinking, wow, what a remarkable honor for her!  Have you ever had a moment like this?  Where you received news about someone and it 100% motivated you to become more successful?

Previously I have discussed what motivates people and several entrepreneurs say success and money.   So what are some successful traits of entrepreneurs?  According to Martin Zwilling, CEO and Founder of Startup Professionals, Inc, there are several traits that entrepreneurs should possess.

1.    Never lose sight of long-term goals, but focus real energy on short-term objectives.
2.    Set a personal example with visible, memorable symbols and behavior.
3.    Instill optimism and self-confidence, but stay grounded in reality.
4.    Take care of yourself: Maintain your stamina and let go of guilt.
5.    Reinforce the team message constantly: “We are one – we live or die together.”
6.    Minimize status differences and insist on courtesy and mutual respect.
7.    Master conflict – engage dissidents, and avoid needless power struggles.
8.    Find something to celebrate and something to laugh about.
9.    Be willing to take the Big Risk. 
10.  Never give up – there’s always another move.

Whether you are an entrepreneur or an employee for a large corporation, these traits will undoubtedly help you lead to success.

Have you ever thought about carpooling?  Sites like RideShare.com help carpoolers connect.  You could also take public transportation, if available.  Or ride your bike on a nice day!

When trying to do your part in saving the Earth you can conserve but going paperless in your workplace.  Use a tablet during business meetings to keep notes and power point presentations.

Let’s all join together and be a team! Go Green, one piece of technology at a time!

Before thinking about switching to a ‘shared space’ evaluate your business practices that are currently in place.  In my opinion, a coworking community can help with productivity but you must make sure that your employees understand the procedures.  Be clear with your employees on what you expect from them.  Go over check-in and leadership policies ahead of time.  The space will allow workers to come and go as the please, so your role as management might become more of a team leader.

Technology is a huge part of a coworking.  You will find your employees using technology for communication, project management and team collaboration.  Train your team to use the new technology wisely.

So if you think you are ready, go over these few steps with your employees and make sure everyone is on board!