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Apr30
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Whether your office is in your home or off-site, as an entrepreneur, you're probably dealing with some sort of stress each day that you work. This is true in every work environment, but small business owners and independent contractors deal with different types of stress (and face different causes) than employees who are working for others.
Carlos Herramenta has a good article over at WorkZ that addresses ways to increase productivity and reduce stress. Keeping in mind that a lot of it comes down to personality and attitude (how you are affected by stress has a lot to say about your attitude and vice versa!), the seven tips in "Tools That Eliminate Stress at the Office" can be very useful as you go about your day.
Wishing you less stress and much success!
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Apr29
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What are the "seven deadly sins" a small business owner can commit? Rachel Bridge has called us all out this week with a fantastic list of spots where start-ups cause themselves to, well, go south. Are you committing a "sin"...
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Doesn't it seem like we're always looking for free or low-cost marketing opportunities? One of the first things a new business needs is to create a brand and get the word out about it...but most of us don't parade out...
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One of my concerns since my divorce has been finding affordable health insurance. Those of you who have been self-employed for a while know how hard this can be. It's much easier when you have a spouse whose company covers...
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Apr28
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Those of you considering buying into a franchise or franchising your business are going to be very interested in the 15th Annual International Franchise Expo, sponsored by the International Franchise Association. I spotted the ad for this expo in the...
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I had the pleasure of "meeting" Bud Bilanich today thanks to a comment he was kind enough to leave here at SmallBizMentor. I'm glad I took the time to visit his blog, because I've had the opportunity to read an...
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Apr27
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Home-based business owners know that while it can occasionally be very rewarding to be "home alone" (reporting to work in your robe, for instance, or having an eight foot commute), it can also be discouraging from time to time. This...
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Apr26
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It seems to me that among the more "scholarly" writers I know, the MFA is a highly-regarded honor much akin to the coveted Green Beret of the Army's Special Forces soldier. While this may or may not be due to hype...
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Hector Barreto, head of the Small Business Administration (SBA), has announced his resignation. The White House "immediately" announced the nomination of his successor, Steven C. Preston. Neither the New York Times nor CNNMoney.com seem to think small business owners (or...
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As I mentioned earlier this month, a growing number of military veterans are striking out on their own when they come to the end of their time in service. Come to find out, about 4 million small businesses are owned...
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Have I convinced you yet that "going green" can be good for you, the environment and your wallet? If not, you'll want to check out this article over at CNNMoney.com. As I suspected, I'm not the only one that sees...
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Apr25
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I don't know about you, but I'm always wondering if there's someone out there who can walk me through some basic ways to streamline or speed up my computer systems. After the great laptop spyware spanking of March, I'm a...
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Apr24
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It's been a while since we discussed the importance of marketing to women (and the many authors and business folks who are cashing in the concept of doing so). Today I learned that Leslie Grossman, founder of the Women's Leadership...
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Apr23
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By now most business owners are aware of how important a presence on the Web can be to their company's marketing, sales and public relations efforts. Some of you may want to build a website for your business by yourselves,...
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I'm sure you've all heard of the "freshman fifteen"...but have you heard of the "deadline five"? You may not have. It's a little term a colleague and I coined when we noticed that after the quarterly publication we worked for...
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Rachel Bridge has an interesting opportunity UK entrepreneurs-to-be should apply for. The Sunday Times is looking for folks who will be starting a new business within the next few months so they can select three start-ups to follow from, well,...
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Apr22
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In the spirit of spring cleaning, it's time to get organized here at SmallBizMentor.com too! I think you're going to like this, based on the response to Wednesday's Writer Tips. As you know, I'm pretty big on being prepared and...
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Apr21
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Some of my colleagues like to use the weekends to prepare everything in their office for the upcoming week; others take a few minutes each day to prepare for the next. Others just fly by the seat of their pants...
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Apr20
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I don't know about you, but all the spring cleaning lately has made me want to hit the road and head off into the sunset...to a hotel where someone else will do the cleaning for a day or two. Granted,...
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Once again, my neighbors up north have caught my eye with some interesting looking resources! This week it seems the banks across Canada are conspiring to make me wander off for hours through their article archives. Whether you're looking for...
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According to Inc.com, Bank of America has set aside $10 million for the Opportunity Finance Network. The network is made up of almost 200 financial firms that promote small business lending in low- and middle-income neighborhoods nationwide. They'll start out...
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Apr19
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We've got another wonderful Meet & Greet today, folks. Maria Palma, founder of Salon de Maria, is also one of the blog-hers here at Know More Media. In addition to learning about her amazing works of art over at SalonDeMaria.info,...
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* What do you enjoy the most about operating your business? What tasks would you perform even if it had nothing to do with the successful operation of your company? I love being able to work at home and...
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Writers, it's time to share your favorite online (and offline!) resources with your fellow freelancers. As you've probably noticed, a good number of the small- and home-based business owners I've interviewed here at SmallBizMentor are writers, and that's not purely...
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I spotted this article over at the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle today and it piqued my interest for several reasons. First of all, their title says a lot..."Black entrepreneurs growing in number". According to the Census Bureau, minorities (including women...
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Alrighty, Small Biz folks, I can't resist passing this information along, just because it's given me a good giggle. Yes, I really did receive a pamphlet in the mail today from the Promotion Marketing Association inviting me to attend their 15th...
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Apr18
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Remember my tips about sprucing up your office and creating an enjoyable work environment? As you know, one of the ways I like to do that in my own home (and home office) is with scented candles. Those of you...
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* Please describe the business you operate or service(s) you provide to clients and customers. We are a family owned business. We handcraft all natural soy wax candles & beeswax candles, using only all cotton wicks, pure fragrance oils and...
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* What do you enjoy the most about operating your business? What tasks would you perform even if it had nothing to do with the successful operation of your company? Being with my family and working and learning together....
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Apr17
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Those of you who are stopping by SmallBizMentor because you are just in the initial stages of planning a home-based business (or, as I think of it, the "I want to stay home, but what will I do?" stage) may...
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Apr16
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Entrepreneurs know how easy it is to become so involved in their business that it consumes all too many hours in a day and too many days of the week. How frequently do you find yourself working more than 8...
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Apr14
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I picked up the new issue of SmallBiz (Spring 2006) a few days ago and finally got an opportunity to page through it. I can't wait to sit down and really devour this magazine! If you enjoy reading stories about...
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If you've been perusing the Know More Media network of business blogs, you've probably met my colleague Monica Flores. She's the highly talented author of the SistersinBiz blog here at KMM. But did you know that Monica is also a...
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* Please tell us about the resources you’ve used thus far and would recommend to others (or steer them away from). Take a moment to share your educational background (both academic and work-based) and point out things that have...
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*What is the least enjoyable part of operating your business? Are there any tasks you’d gladly delegate to anyone else, no matter what the price?For me, the least enjoyable part was that first year in business, when we were...
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* What challenges have you overcome during your endeavor? Please describe something that impacted you financially or intellectually and how you got past it.I've had to get over any of my own sense of fear, or low self-worth, or...
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Apr13
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I've got another fantastic survey chock full of information here from a small business owner/operator. Home-based business owner Jessica Harvey is the founder of TheHomeCast.com, an independent consultant for Once Upon a Family and the homeschooling mother of two children. She's...
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* What steps did you follow to build your business? Are you still in the process of planning your endeavor? THC: TheHomeCast actually came together very easily. I had the idea of creating a site that combined podcasting, newsletters,...
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*Please tell us about the resources you’ve used thus far and would recommend to others (or steer them away from). Take a moment to share your educational background (both academic and work-based) and point out things that have helped...
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* What do you enjoy the most about operating your business? What tasks would you perform even if it had nothing to do with the successful operation of your company? It’s funny because I just realized that my answer...
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* What accomplishments are you most proud of during your career? Has your business or product won any awards, mentions in the press, garnered praise in reviews or by users, or helped someone overcome a challenge of their own?...
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Apr11
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Being only a few hours' drive from the border myself, I find a lot of resources offered to Canadian business owners quite interesting and pertinent, no matter what country one resides (or operates) in. I recently came across CanadaOne, an...
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Several times in the past I've mentioned that home-based business owners are in the best position to prepare their businesses for emergencies. Those of you who operate small businesses outside your homes have an advantage over the big boy corporations...
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Anyone else still have the urge to do some sprucing up around the office? Or are you already done? I've been tackling a room at a time here at my house, and am itching to get at my office. I've...
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Apr10
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Every year tons of people I know resolve to lose weight, exercise, start eating right...and none of them make it past the first month or so. I've never bothered to even make such resolutions, until this year. Back in December...
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Apr 7
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Frequent visitors to SmallBizMentor have surely seen the astute comments and questions posted by Dr. Ellen Weber of the MITA International Brain Based Business. Dr. Weber has taken the time to visit quite a few of the blogs in the...
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Please describe the business you operate or service(s) you provide to clients and customers. "MITA International Brain Based Business is a center where we certify business leaders and university faculty to accomplish things never before accomplished by using parts...
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Please tell us about the resources you’ve used thus far and would recommend to others (or steer them away from). Take a moment to share your educational background (both academic and work-based) and point out things that have helped...
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What’s the worst advice you’ve been given with regard to building or operating your business? How about the best advice? "The worst advice is that something cannot be done. The best advice is to take a risk, step up...
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What accomplishments are you most proud of during your career? Has your business or product won any awards, mentions in the press, garnered praise in reviews or by users, or helped someone overcome a challenge of their own? Tell...
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Apr 6
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So how many of you small- and home-based business owners rely on Intuit's QuickBooks accounting software? Just about everyone I know does, since you can use a PC-based version or an online version to perform just about every accounting or...
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Feeling competitive? Check out this press release from The Small Biz Games announcing the creation of the first ever Small Biz Games! Turns out Overstock.com is sponsoring a $10,000 Fast Start Small Business Challenge in which 15 micro-businesses and home-based businesses will...
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Apr 5
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If you look to the right side of this blog, you'll notice I've added a new category to the SmallBizMentor offerings called "Meet & Greet". As I mentioned back in February, I want to give you, the visitors of SmallBizMentor.com,...
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Please describe the business you operate or service(s) you provide to clients and customers. I have written 6 books in my "Collecting Money Series" and the "Ultimate Handbook of Credit & Collections" being published by Entrepreneur Press in August....
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What do you enjoy the most about operating your business? What tasks would you perform even if it had nothing to do with the successful operation of your company? I love to write and help people. I love when...
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Have you worked with a mentor who has led you far? Take a moment to recognize their contribution(s) and we’ll all applaud with you! When I first started my collection agency I had a mentor, a man who owned...
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Without spilling the beans, what is in the works for your business or product line for 2006? Where are you headed, and where do you hope to be by the end of the year? What about the coming years?...
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Apr 3
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Are you headed to Washington, D.C. this summer? Don't forget to book your room and register for the annual BookExpo America event, which will be held May 19 - 21, 2006! Sponsored by the Association of American Publishers and the...
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The folks over at Jerry B. Jenkins' Christian Writers Guild have announced the opening of this year's "Operation First Novel" contest. In addition to winning $20,000 (wow, that's a good sized prize!) the winner will have their novel published by...
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We've touched on using venture capitalists to gain funding for your small business in the past, but have you considered applying for grants to fund your dream? If not, you might want to do so! According to this article over...
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