Jump in!

"Ready to jump into entrepreneurship? You don’t have to create a business to be an entrepreneur. You only have to realize that everything you ever wanted is just beyond your comfort zone."

http://www.fastcompany.com/1665596/20-things-ive-learned-as-an-entrepreneur?partner=leadership_newsletter

Think like an entrepreneur in your life and work. Take measured risks, try something new, have more than one option, cultivate relationships to build a better team. Use your strengths while building character through your weaknesses. Smile and have a sense of humor about your successes and failures. Go out and enjoy life!


This website is intended for informational purposes only. Comments are open to the public and not endorsed by the author. For career advise, coaching, or counseling, please seek out a professional who can meet your personal needs. Nancy Miller, M.S., Career Management Consultant Copyright Center for LifeWork Design © 2007 Reprint by permission only – www.centerforlifeworkdesign.org

Is There a Silver Lining?

Is there a silver lining in the economic downturn? Those who are losing their homes and businesses may not think so. Business owners who have not protected their personal assets may find they are in a double bind. Their business problems spill over into their personal lives. Careers, businesses, and personal lives are so intertwined they cannot be separated, but owning your own business affects your personal life even more closely. Whether you are in a tough financial bind or relieved to take a new direction in your life, change can be a good thing. The article, Silver Lining in Economic Maelstrom on the New American Dream, website reminds us that the economic downturn may be turning people's minds away from consumption and on to things that really matter.

This is the perfect time to think about your vision for yourself and your business and why you went into business in the first place. Think like an entrepreneur wherever your career takes you. Look again at your values and where they came from.

• Are you influenced more by the media and your friends, or by what is really important to you?
  
• Is earning money your first priority at this time in your life or do you have the time and financial means to take risks and spend your time and money on the things your love to do?
• Are you taking the time to to choose your direction rather than letting it choose you?
  

If earning money is a priority, you can learn to live on less and enjoy it more. Through training or experience learn the skills that will take you where you want to go. Enjoy the simple pleasures in life. I learned to "Have a fine day" from my little dog, Pepper. The new year is a good time to revisit your personal and business "Vision." Have you drifted off course? You may need to pay attention to your natural strengths and the skills you are building. Determine how much risk you can take at this time in your life. An entrepreneur is resourceful, resilient, and able to take planned risks. Make your risk-taking worthwhile and enjoy the ride!



This website is intended for informational purposes only. Comments are open to the public and not endorsed by the author. For career advise, coaching, or counseling, please seek out a professional who can meet your personal needs.

Nancy Miller, M.S., Career Management Consultant
Copyright Center for LifeWork Design © 2007
Reprint by permission only – www.centerforlifeworkdesign.org

Mac is too easy

Occasionally I wonder why I bought a Mac when we have always been PC users. I love my Mac, but there are times when I can't figure out how to perform a simple task. The thought crosses my mind that it would have been easier to just stick with a PC. I hate to admit it, but I spent the last 2 days trying out different drivers for the Multifunctional Color Samsung CLX-3170 FW network printer. After installing the driver that came with the computer, going to the Samsung site and downloading their driver for Mac, troubleshooting, and checking online blogs, I found the solution.

One of the blogs led me to the Mac HD Library folder that contained a printer folder. To my amazement, there was a folder for Samsung. I installed the series CLX-3170 driver. It asked for the network location which I supplied. It took less than 2 minutes and my printer worked! I should just remember that there is usually a very simple solution with the Mac. It's just too easy.


This website is intended for informational purposes only. Comments are open to the public and not endorsed by the author.

Nancy Miller, M.S., Career Management Consultant
Copyright Center for LifeWork Design © 2007
Reprint by permission only – www.centerforlifeworkdesign.org

Credentials

What qualifies you to provide the product or service you offer? Do you have a natural talent, years of experience, a degree, or certification to provide a specific service? Having a degree or certification can give you confidence and needed training, but what do customers respond to? I think it depends on whether you are offering a product (something tangible) or a service. Whether you are providing a product or service, word of mouth, reputation, integrity, and a strong network are vitally important. But trust is even more important if you are providing a service. You might provide a limited "free" product or service, but the customer still needs to trust you as a person. In his book, "Free," Chris Anderson discusses the virtues of offering something for free. His book is even available "free" on iTunes. Giving something free works best if you have a product people can see and touch. A free service is only as valuable as the person offering it.

I have degrees, certifications, and qualifications, but in my business trust is most important. Certifications are only as valuable as the organizations that provide them. Your customer needs to know the qualifications of the provider, how the certification is relevant to the service being provided, and what kind of training you received to get the certification. A formal education is easier for a customer to understand if they respect the institution that offered the degree. Natural talent is harder to quantify, but it is at least as important as formal training. Testimonials provide some verification for experiential qualifications, but there is often no way to verify their validity.

What credentials do you find most useful in your business? Whether you own a business or work for someone else, you have methods for identifying your expertise. A job seeker might use a cover letter and resume, while an entrepreneur would use business cards, brochures, and a business plan to show off their credentials. Often face-to-face contact and word of mouth show your customer your integrity better than the papers your credentials are written on. Whenever possible I hand a card, brochure, or sample product to a person so they will remember who I am and what I can do for them. Social networking and blogging can also tell your customers a lot about who you are as a person and help them feel connected to you on an ongoing basis.


This website is intended for informational purposes only. Comments are open to the public and not endorsed by the author. For career advise, coaching, or counseling, please seek out a professional who can meet your personal needs.

Nancy Miller, M.S., Career Management Consultant
Copyright Center for LifeWork Design © 2007
Reprint by permission only – www.centerforlifeworkdesign.org

Transparency

“Is lack of privacy an “opportunity for entrepreneurs?” If we haven’t had privacy for years and we want to have an ethical business, is a high degree of transparency to our advantage?” as Shel Horowitz points out. I think the transparency of the Internet and social networking can provide needed accountability. As I began to read about the lack of privacy on Google and Facebook, I felt a little bare. Then I realized that I really had nothing to hide. If I say something I regret, then maybe I needed to know that I had it in me and do something about it before the thought snowballs. I like the idea of letting people know who I am and knowing whom I am doing business with. We can accept a certain amount of humanness as we grow as entrepreneurs in our businesses and careers.

Some of my identity such as my birthdate, social security number, personal phone number and address needs to be protected as much as possible, although I can find much of it in a Google search. I don’t know how it got out there. In fact, I signed up for Google Maps and Google found websites I didn’t remember I had. I signed up for various sites to find out how well they worked and then dropped them, but the imprint is still there. Sometimes I feel like everything I ever wrote it still out there. I can see how much my writing has improved, but it can be a little shocking to find things I wrote four or five years ago still hanging out on the web. I guess part of transparency is seeing the growth through the years.

I have made it my business to be an advocate for healthy business practices and healthy employees. With so many corporations and businesses cutting back on customer service while taking advantage of a needy workforce, I want to support ethical businesses. Sometimes paying the cheapest price now costs more later in loss of jobs, economic fluctuations, and social problems. I like reading that Shel Horowitz supports ethical business practices as I do. I also like the fact that as entrepreneurs we will be accountable to our readers.

This website is intended for informational purposes only. Comments are open to the public and not endorsed by the author. For career advise, coaching, or counseling, please seek out a professional who can meet your personal needs.

Nancy Miller, M.S., Career Management Consultant
Copyright Center for LifeWork Design © 2007
Reprint by permission only – www.centerforlifeworkdesign.org

Entrepreneurship is a Growing Trend

Entrepreneurship is growing as a career path. According to the Kaufman Index, the downturn in the economy seems to be driving more people to start their own businesses when they find themselves unemployed. As a result there is an increase in the number of businesses that tend to generate smaller incomes. Owners of these businesses may face greater financial challenges due to lack of capital to invest and less business experience. But it doesn't take a high level of education, years of business experience or a lot of money to be successful in a business. Some factors that may help overcome lack of capital are:

• Strong network
• Filling a need
• Products that are affordable
• Passion
• Drive
• Time to work on the business
• Strong family support system

Those entrepreneurs who are struggling in this economy may be able to tap into their resourcefulness, and need to succeed to make their businesses work. Struggling entrepreneurs may bring much needed creativity and new perspective to their problem industries. With the current level of unemployment and with corporations failing, there must be something wrong with the way we are doing business. We need a new way of thinking and working. The upcoming young and older entrepreneurs will provide impetus for change regardless of how much money they make. Tapping into the strengths of diverse cultures may bring different ways of doing business, such as:

• Families working together
• Communities supporting local entrepreneurs
• Small businesses cooperating and collaborating
• Trading services
• Community small business centers

I believe one of the biggest obstacles many of these businesses face is a lack of business knowledge. With the current level of job loss a growing number of people want to start their own businesses. Often they have a skill that they are very good at, but don't know where to begin to get information for starting a business. Many artisans and people with expert skills lack the understanding, interest, organization, and communication skills to plan and implement necessary business tools. Each of us uses a different measure of success. Having a simple plan, support systems, and accountability will help new entrepreneurs find success.


This website is intended for informational purposes only. Comments are open to the public and not endorsed by the author.

Nancy Miller, M.S., Career Management Consultant
Copyright Center for LifeWork Design © 2007
Reprint by permission only – www.centerforlifeworkdesign.org

Affiliate Websites

I tried Google AdSense, and I didn't like the ads that dominated my website. I moved them out of the way to the bottom of my blog. Now they are not a nuisance, but they have little chance of producing revenue. I will take them off soon.

I am much more interested in the affiliate programs. As an affiliate, I can choose companies that I use and respect, and I control the size of the banner or link. I can place adds and links in the text and/or on the sidebar. I enjoy sharing business tools that I have looked at and can review myself or get feedback from readers on their value. Here are some sites that will get you started as an affiliate.

Commission Junction (probably the best known)
Connect Commerce (Google)
Linkshare (I'm not familiar with this one)

Each affiliate site has their own set of rules to follow. They are all similar, but you will want to read the agreements before you sign. You will need to give them your business EIN or social security number for tax purposes. Each company has rules that you need to follow to continue doing business with them. Again each is similar, but there are important variations. Here are a few examples.

Vista Print (It's my link, try it!)
Allows you to click on your own link and get commission from the products you buy.

Quickbooks
Doesn't allow you to click on your link, they require their link to be placed ahead of a competitors link, and they have a really nice button for "greener" products.

GoDaddy
Has some REALLY big banners, so watch what you choose, they have different sizes, styles, and specials to choose from.

Watch your email for changes and updates from your affiliate partners. I will be adding more soon. It does take time to set them up.


This website is intended for informational purposes only. Comments are open to the public and not endorsed by the author.

Nancy Miller, M.S., Career Management Consultant
Copyright Center for LifeWork Design © 2007
Reprint by permission only – www.centerforlifeworkdesign.org