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

Living Naturally

In the last few years I’ve become more aware of how our lives and careers impact the environment. From reading websites like the New American Dream and Green Career Central to learning that my daughter chose to use cloth diapers and cloth napkins rather than disposable, I can see how many small changes make a huge impact on creating a healthier planet. Recently my four-year old grandson was visiting recently and asked, “Nona, what happens if the earth gets sick?” The question surprised me but I told him that the earth is getting kind of sick, and we are cleaning it up. Our children remind us how important it is to create a healthy planet.

I’ve been thinking about ways that I can enhance my coaching business by offering a tangible product that promotes healthy living and a healthier planet. In business seminars they say that when times get tough people want a band-aid rather than a vitamin. I have been offering the vitamin in the form of coaching, classes and workshops that support strategies for long-term success, but I realized that in our present economy people often want something to make them feel better now.

So I started looking for band-aids. Products that taste good, are safe for the environment and have healing properties. I began researching companies I was familiar with that are known to have products that are healthy and safe for the environment. I was having difficulty finding a product that fit the niche I was looking for. Then I remembered a delicious Cucumber Dill Dip that I bought at the California State Fair from a Watkins Associate. Watkins products have been known for their healing and environmentally safe products since 1868. Watkins products are soothing, safe, and have the NPA and DFE Certifications for providing natural products that are designed for the environment.

With an investment of only $39.99 I became a Watkins Associate and started using Watkins products at a 25% discount. If you are interested in joining me in creating A Greener Business through using and promoting Watkins products, you can contact me by phone or email for more information. If you just want to try some products use the Watkins website www.watkinsonline.com and enter my Watkins Associate ID # 384397.

I started my business to use my passion, training, and experience to provide a service that I felt was important. I'm living my dream everyday. My passion drives my business rather than my business driving me. If you are a person with an entrepreneurial personality, you may be driven to own a business and then find a product or service that fits your lifestyle. What drives you to work at what you do?

With Love and Happiness,
Nancy Miller, M.S.
Watkins Associate
ID #384397



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
www.centerforlifeworkdesign.org

Free Webinars for Entrepreneurs

Sramana Mitra, entrepreneur and Forbes columnist will be offering a free webinar on sales strategies June 9, 2009 10:00 AM. Visit her website http://www.sramanamitra.com/

http://www.insideview.com/WEBINAR/SRAMANA/

Visit her website: http://www.sramanamitra.com/ for other free webinars.


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

Affiliates

I have been hearing a lot about affiliate programs lately, and I've been thinking about adding advertisers that I use or that seem to fit with the content of this blog. At a recent conference, one of the presenters discussed the money earning power of Google AdSense. I'd been avoiding such open advertising, but decided to try it out on this blog first since it is related to doing business. After spending about an hour and half reading about the program and feeling like I was probably wasting my time, I signed up. Even though I was skeptical, I didn't want to sign up without some clue about what I was signing up for. I was surprised to find that Google had some good policies such as not allowing their ads to go into popups, unsolicited emails, or adult content. Google allows you to put the code for your ads anywhere on your website or you can use their simple process. Obviously if the ads are not very visible, you won't get the pay per click revenue.

After taking the plunge and signing up for AdSense ads that were supposed to be related to this website, I found a list of ads that were unrelated such as earn big $ to work at home and templates for $335..and up (at least they said up front that they were charging.) I deleted the ads and added "monetize" again. I'm not completely happy with the ads since one ad didn't spell "custom business plans" correctly. Another advertiser claims you can become a successful Life Coach in 30 days by listening to his CD's at home. Typically certification from reputable coaching programs involves home study, coach training, supervised coaching, and a test. While a person with a graduate degree in a psychology or counseling could step into coaching through self-study, not everyone has the training and background to be a coach without going through a rigorous program. While I would not endorse any of these ads, they don't appear inappropriate for a business website.

Since Blogger is part of Google, they make it very easy to "monetize" your blog. I like the fact that it is also very easy to delete the ads if I don't like them. I will continue with AdSense and see how I like it. I don't think I will have these ads visible enough to make them very profitable. It's easy to insert the ads after every post and on the sidebar. The options are simple to apply and change. I chose to put the ads on the sidebar after all of my links and blogroll. Less intrusive, but also less profitable. You can take a moment to click on the ads and see how AdSense works. Google policy asks that the publisher not click on their ads, so I will go to each site to see what I am advertising. Let me know if you should have any problems after clicking on the ads. Just post a comment.

I will be soon begin adding affiliates that I use and/or am familiar with. I will also report on the different ads posted on this site. Let me know your experience with affiliates. Are you finding them profitable, intrusive or both?


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

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

Social Entrepreneurship is growing

The concept of Social Entrepreneurship is growing. Entrepreneurs who are able to earn a living while improving the economy or working conditions of people all over the world. Seeing products, colors, and styles from Africa, the Middle East, and Asia brings us closer to the people and cultures who made them. Social Entrepreneurs are bringing Artisan's crafts from developing countries with rich culture and tradition to the United States. Other social entrepreneurs such as Tom's Shoes and One Laptop per Child give a product each time you buy one. Social entrepreneurs are going all over the world to use their business expertise to build positive relationships while helping to economies one person at a time.

In the United States we don't have the mass poverty that is seen in developing countries but we have a growing number of people who are poor and disenfranchised. Social entrepreneurs have an opportunity to teach people the skills they need to end the cycle of poverty and give them a place in their communities. Teaching people Gardening, Crafts, and Business Skills empower them to use their talents and gain much needed economic opportunities.

While teaching an entrepreneurship through gardening class, I found that the women in the group were very enthusiastic about growing vegetables and having healthy produce for their families. Gardening takes work and responsibility, but it is a healthy way to de-stress.

What opportunities do you see for doing business while helping your community and the planet?

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