You walk into your office, and staring back at you is a massive pile of files on your desk. Or, if you are digitally inclined, you have the equivalent number of files in your “inbox” on your laptop. You know that the experts tell you you should prioritize, calculating which matters require attention first, and then proceed in an orderly manner. [Read more…]
Entrepreneur tip for the day — required reading: your business insurance policies
Most of us are familiar with insurance. Periodically, you pay a premium in return for a promise by a company to pay for a loss you may incur that the policy covers, up to a specific total amount. Almost anything can be insured. We are all aware of automobile policies, and coverage for our homes. And of course, we have various insurance policies that cover our business. [Read more…]
Tip of the day for the entrepreneur
So often we entrepreneurs spend 80% of our time servicing the clients that earn us 20% of our revenue. Set aside some time to take a hard look at your “chart of accounts.” See which clIents you have that take much more of your time then the dollars in justified. Then, ask yourself the following questions: (1) why do I spend so much time on these clients; (2) is the time spent justified for reasons other than revenue; and (3) what would my business look like if I stopped servicing one or more of the time-sucking clients. You may be surprised at what a little pruning might do for your business, your work-life balance, and surprisingly, your bottom line.
Three interesting thoughts to ponder for today. . .
Here are three random thoughts you might ponder today, in no particular order: [Read more…]
How fella got his groove back, part two. . .
In addition to the pithy maxim “fake it until you make it,” another bit of advice comes from a slightly more formal source. An Eastern proverb, somewhat paraphrased, essentially tells us to always cast our hook into the water, even if you are not sure that there is anything there, or even if it’s been there a while and the fish aren’t biting. When you least expect it, you’ll catch a finned friend. What this is speaking to is perseverance. No one prospers without perseverance.
How fella got his groove back. . .
Everyone from mainstream scientists to sports psychologists to metaphysicians recognize the power of positive thinking. But sometimes that’s not an easy thing to do. How do you get your groove back as your trundling through your own dark night of the soul? [Read more…]
I can’t work for anybody else.
Maybe you are like me. You chafe under the authority of a boss. Even a benevolent boss who may be a great person to work for still exercises a great deal of control over your day. [Read more…]
Keep moving forward!
Ever feel stuck, spending more time in neutral or looking in your rearview mirror? Here’s an old Chinese proverb that speaks to this issue: [Read more…]
The best job ever?
Solopreneuring is the best alternative to a job. In today’s world, no one has assurances of continued employment except under rare circumstances. Virtually every job, even those once deemed to be less subject to layoffs, are no longer safe harbors. And as for myself, I feel more secure trying to make my own job, so to speak, every day. As an entrepreneur you are in control of your future. Well, more control anyway. And no, there is no security when you run your own business. But there’s not much working as a wage slave for someone else either
Yet another reason to be an entrepreneur . . .
Being on my own gives me the opportunity to brainstorm and to solve puzzles my own way. One of the missions of virtually every large organization, from the military on down to most corporate environments, is to train or mold employees into serviceable parts. Whether you are a private in the U.S. Army, or you are an IBM-er, you have to be trained or indoctrinated into matching your goals with those of your organization. On my own, I make up the goals. Moreover, I really enjoy brainstorming to try to figure out solutions to problems. That’s something that’s tough to do as a wage slave. Yes, I know there are companies that value innovation and encourage free-form thinking, but I believe these are still rare. With myself, sometimes bouncing ideas off of other colleagues, I can think of 100 ideas, of which 99 would suck, but one of them might be really valuable. Not only is this a cool way to spend my day, I think I might be run out of any typical big organization.