Taking Time Off During the Holidays

Sometimes I see moms hang “Closed” signs on their websites, but closing down shop during the holidays, or at other times, can mean a lot of missed sales and the potential loss of a lifetime customer. 

As online business owners, we’re conducting business in a virtual 24/7 world.  People expect things to run constantly and if an online business is shut down buyers will go elsewhere.  Unlike many brick and mortar businesses, they have a choice and don’t need to wait for a site to re-open in order to get what they need. 

Obviously, we can’t be in front of our computers from sun up to sun down every single day of the year.  Not to mention, we deserve to have and enjoy time off every now and again, but how can we do that without closing?

Here are a few ideas to help keep business going and still afford to take time off for the holidays

1. Outsource
   Whether it’s customer service emails, hiring a student to mail packages or a writer to help write and post articles and blog posts, consider outsourcing tasks that will allow you to take a breather and keep business running as usual.
2. Use Your Autoresponder
   Plan your newsletters and promotions in advance.  Write them and load them into your autoresponders so they go out on the dates and times you need them to.
3. Shopping Carts
   Be sure your shopping cart is set up and functioning properly.  If you don’t have the buying process automated with a shopping cart yet…Get one and put it to work.
4. Create Digital Products
   Making your products immediately available to your customers after purchase is a great way to give them what they need without you having to be there to give it to them.  If possible, create information products in your business.

Being able to conduct business even when we aren’t physically present is one of the biggest benefits of being an online business owner.  Take advantage of that ability by planning ahead and automating as much as you can.  Then you can fully enjoy your time off.

Doing it All

 Here’s another list of How to Solve All Your Problems:

1. Quit eating.
2. Quit sleeping.
3. Quit going to town to run errands, pay bills and buy groceries.
4. Quit spending time with your family.
5. Quit listening to me.

;)

Just kidding!

When I moved to the country out of desperation from having Too Much To Do,
I had to thin out my life. Moving thinned it somewhat since we crossed the
state line and long-distance friends quit calling. But we decided that in order to
get the life we wanted, like a prize-winning rose, we had to prune a lot of
things.

This is what I did; I’m not saying you should do this too. Do what works
for you when it’s time to do it, not before.

I reordered my priorities and cut out everything that wasn’t directly
related to my kids and my  husband. I quit going to support functions and outings of all kinds.
Yes, I enjoyed the fellowship when I was there but it took so much of my day or night to make
it happen and usually the kids ended up getting ignored or babysat. If you are at the
place in life that you NEED that, then don’t give that up. There is a time for
everything. (A good email group can provide the fellowship, encouragement and education
you need.)

I focus on educating my kids. When we build websites or start new
projects, that IS school. If we add something like that, we take off something else.
Building websites is Science: technology so we wouldn’t do other science during that time.

Writing a book is English: composition so we wouldn’t do other English at
that time.

You need adult time so find it when the kids are asleep or give them
something quiet to do during your quiet time. I HAVE to get up before my gang because once
the day starts, I can’t concentrate very much again. I hate being interrupted when
I’m trying to do something serious so I budget my time. I let them stay up late and read
while I go to sleep early. They sleep in so I can get up and read. It works for us.

If you have a baby or a retired person in the house, create your schedule
around that person’s needs. But you have to create some kind of schedule, even if it is
a loose one. If you don’t control your time, it will run away from you and at the end of
the day, you’ll wonder where it went.

So many books, so little time…

Rhea!
who continually prunes things out of her life

Create Fun Photos: Superimpose It

Hey all, another great question this time and a little break from normal business-type stuff.

Q: Do you know of a FREE photo program what will do head swappring. I had one in my old pc,and its fun to use. thank for your reply – Alan

A: Hi Alan! I don’t quite understand this question but assume it has to do with some kind of software where you take image of one person and superimpose it upon another person’s body.

I personally haven’t come across such a software though I’m sure it is available out there. But I know you don’t need a specialty software to do that. You can actually do that very easily with Paint.NET or any image editor worth its salt. Here’s a quick video to show you how I do it using Paint.NET. It is really super easy.

Last Minute Holiday Biz Tip from NPR

I was listening to NPR this morning after I dropped my son at school.  Actually it was their Business Report called Marketplace.

They were dong a re-cap of holiday retail sales.  What was doing well, what wasn’t, what consumers/customers were thinking etc.  Most of it was pretty dull and pretty predictable UNTIL……

They said that Retail Gift Cards will account for 20% of all retail holiday sales – 20%!!!  That is a huge number.  There is no other single product pulling in that kind of percentage.

So, if you are looking for a quick and easy way to generate last minute business this holiday season, crank out some gift cards and offer them to your customers and prospects.

Some companies have those cute, premade plastic cards to use.  If your company is not one of those, don’t fret.  You can print out business card size Gift Cards using these tips:

1.  At the top ion Big Letters put “ABC Company Gift Card”

2.  Leave the denomination blank so you can fill it in

3.  Be sure to put “Redeemable ONLY through Jane Smith, Consultant” and include your website, email and phone. number.

Once you have them ready to go, take them with you wherever you go so you can offer them to last minute shoppers who just don’t know what to get Aunt Bertha or Uncle Simon!

Love & Success!
Sarah
www.directsellingleaders.com

Scheduling for the Spontaneous Work at Home Mom

Here’s a little advice, based on the article you would have found in Kelly McCausey’s December issue of that WC.

If you’re anything like I am, you hate schedules and living by a clock or calendar.  However, as a busy work at home mom, you know that some planning and scheduling are required in order to get everything done we need to.  So, let’s talk about how we spontaneous moms can have our cake and eat it too.

Like I said before I used to despise schedules, alarm clocks, to-do lists, anything that meant I had to have a plan for my days (and I still don’t use alarm clocks – I find them too jarring!).  Don’t ask me how I managed to make it through college and my first few jobs, but I did.  It wasn’t until I started working for myself from home that I realized that my lack of being prepared was ruining parts of my life.  

Sure, I could hold my business together and I did a good job of spending quality time with the kids, but other important areas of my life were lacking…big time.  The house looked as though a tornado had blown threw, my health was slowly fading, not to mention the fact that my husband probably wondered who I was and what I’d done with the sexy, smiling and happy mama he once knew.  We won’t even go into all the other parts of my life that were slack to say the least.

So, how was this non-scheduling mama going to find a way to make it all work?  I wasn’t sure, but I knew I had to do something and quick.  I hear from other moms in business how they just wish for once they could have a clean house, a business that wasn’t behind on deadlines, kids who knew more of them than the back of their heads, etc. but they don’t know how to get to that point.  

First, let me tell you this…it CAN be done.  It’s not effortless and yes, if you fight tooth and nail to avoid schedules it won’t be something that happens overnight without a bit of inner resistance from your former self.  But, with a bit of patience and reminding that it’s all worth it in the end to get to the happy mama you once were, it is possible and here are a few of my very own tips to help get you there.  

First you have to PLAN  – Here are some ideas to make things simple: 

1. Set up a yearly calendar you can view at a glance. Enter all your project deadlines and other major business obligations. This is not going to be hugely detailed, but helps you ensure you’re on track for your business goals. I keep my calendar up on my office wall.
2. Set up a calendar 1 month in advance that has important business and personal obligations. This will have more detail than the yearly planner, but won’t be as task-oriented as your weekly/daily plan.
3. Each week, plan what you need to do each day. Do this on the weekend and list all the tasks you need to do each day – business and personal. You can put your business and personal in different colored pens, so it’s easier to view.

Next, it’s time to SCHEDULE – No groaning allowed ladies…it’s not as hard as you might think. 

The night before, always create a detailed schedule of what you need to do. Include driving the kids to school, picking up groceries, dry cleaning, all your business tasks (and exactly when you’ll do them), exercise, hair appointments, picking up the kids, cooking, etc. The more detail the better, but the key is not overloading yourself. Give yourself a little more time than you think you need to get everything done. Scheduling is absolutely not equal to OVERSHEDULING. 

And lastly, DELEGATE – That’s right…you don’t have to do it all! 

Make a delegation plan. Get a chore schedule for your family. If your kids are older, you might also get them involved in business tasks. Think of people you could work on projects with – whether you do a profit share or hire them on an hourly basis. Just start delegating. 

For stuff the family is involved in, write a list of chores and post them to your fridge or another high-traffic area. Then schedule those chores into the family calendar, so everyone can see them.

Ok, now take some time in the next few days to sit down and actually do these things. Try it for a month, or even a week, and see the difference it makes. Then tweak your system to make it work best for you!

As I mentioned, December’s WC had a much more detailed explanation of the process. Hopefully you’ve already got your subscription to the WC magazine and can read the rest of my ideas there. What…you don’t get the WC? Grab your subscription here.

The Best Real Education of 2007

All year, my team and I have worked diligently to bring you the
best in entrepreneurial education available today.

We interviewed cool experts on conference calls.

We hosted several live events.

And we helped several families achieve some pretty amazing goals!

Now, for a limited time only, you can get a special package with
our most popular pre-calls, along with 2 ebooks and 10 bonuses!

But hurry! This special is only good for the next seven days!

On Thursday, Dec. 20, we’re taking it down forever.

If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to get out of debt and
do something different with your life, here’s help.

This is real education:

http://www.educatingforsuccess.com/2007/

So many books, so little time…

Rhea!
who is always trying to find ways to help you!

5 Ways to Get In Front of Influential Leaders

This is part 2 of last week’s post – 20 Leaders Who Need to Know You.

So, you’ve gathered their contact information – address, phone number, etc., right?  Here are 5 ways to begin your relationship with these influential leaders.

 1. Pick up your local paper or business journal.  Scan the stories for any of the names on your list.  Find a positive story that mentions one of them.  PAYDIRT!  Send a warm note complimenting them on something specific from the story. 

To the mayor, you could say “Thank you for standing up for (fill in the blank) I so appreciate you as a leader.  If I can ever be of service to you, please let me know.”

Do not, I repeat, do not, try to sell them anything at this point.  You are simply establishing a relationship. Though you may include your business card if you want to.

Do this as often as you can.

2.  Help them solve a problem.  You’ve heard this one before.  If you read or hear about a particular challenge they are having and you can connect them with a solution, write or call to offer it.  You will engrave yourself in their memory.

3. Go where they are.  If there is a networking opportunity where any of these leaders will be present, GO!  Again, this is not the time to sell.  Educate yourself so that when you get to speak with your leader, you can pay a sincere compliment or offer assistance with something you know will matter to them.

If you don’t get to speak them, follow up with a note. “Mr. Football Coach, I am so sorry I missed the opportunity to speak with you at XYZ Function.  I had hoped to tell you in person how impressed I am with the academic performance you insist upon from your team.  If I can ever assist you….”

4. Stop by with treats (not your product – not yet anyway) for the Police or Fire Department and leave a special note of appreciation for the Chief.  Theirs is a thankless job much of the time.  If you can, meet them in person and say thank you.

5. If you are face to face with any of these leaders and don’t know what to say, here is a question that will distinguish you from the pack:

“What is the biggest challenge you are experiencing right now?”

One of my clients did this at a high muckity-muck networking event and had people literally lined up to talk to her.

Once you have established a connection with these leaders, then you can SLOWLY introduce your business to them.  Even very influential leaders like to do business with people the know, like and trust.  By taking the above actions, you will become one of those people!

Love & Success!
Sarah

Cashflow 101

  

Do your children love to play educational board games like mine do?

I don’t know what it is that makes Monopoly, Risk and Masterpiece so exciting that young people will sit for HOURS waiting on each other to “go” when normally they can’t sit still for one minute!

Maybe it’s the mental challenge.

Maybe it’s the reality.

Maybe it’s just fun!

Maybe it’s that play is at the heart of insightful learning and games have that unique ability to teach without intimidating.

Have you ever wished, in the middle of your daily routine, that you could rekindle the sense of spontaneity that sparks the essence of learning?

I have.

And I’ve made a profound discovery. Play should be an essential part of our educational process every day. And I’m not talking about Recess.

The problem is that innovation can be time-consuming and messy. Maybe that’s why those of us who spend our lives cleaning and maintaining order, cringe at the mention of setting up a game in the middle of the living room floor.

But what’s more important?

Creative, imaginative, happy children learning and gaining vision while they are having fun…

or keeping everything in its place?

I look at it as creative learning, rather than “making a mess.” Playing with them keeps me from seeing the mess from afar.

Our favorite Real Life game is Cashflow 101 developed by best-selling author and millionaire Robert Kiyosaki. It’s not really a board game; it’s an accounting course in a board game box.

When we first started playing Cashflow, I didn’t have a clue how to read a financial statement. But Cashflow 101 was designed to improve players’ financial futures by showing them how to keep their hard-earned money and how to make that money work for them. It also shows them what not to spend their dollars on.

Two tracks on the board teach the two worlds of investing – the Rat Race where all players begin and the Fast Track where those who are truly financially free really live and invest in bigger investments. The goal is to leave the Rat Race in less than an hour and learn to invest on the Fast Track.

Kiyosaki says, in Real Life, about 95% of all people are trapped in the Rat Race and stay there because of lack of financial literacy.

I don’t want my children to live in financial illiteracy.

So we play Cashflow.

The children have learned real life purchasing strategies like not to buy doodads such as a wave runner, a cappuccino machine or a new boat. Instead, they are learning which apartment complexes are good investments and which rental houses are not.

The game card is a financial statement that Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad drew for him on a napkin. Every time a player gets paid, he must figure his income by subtracting his liabilities from his earned income.

From doing that frequently, players learn basic accounting, cashflow management, investing and investing vocabulary, and how to think strategically. When a player’s passive income exceeds his earned income, he advances to the Fast Track.

Last week, I asked my two oldest boys to fill out their own personal financial situations on a Cashflow 101 game card.

The 21-year-old said it gave him “endsight” or insight about his end. He realized he needs to sell a few of his real estate investments and that he ought to start a business.

The 14-year-old commented that he needs to move two of his gumball machines, which aren’t producing as they should, and that he wants to start a business, too.

Kiyosaki has designed another game for younger children called Cashflow for Kids that my little children (4 and 6) love. And Cashflow 202 teaches investing in the stock market. We haven’t gotten that one yet, but don’t tell anybody… I’m going to order it for Christmas!

Besides learning how to make important financial decisions and learning from their mistakes, the best thing we are gaining is financial vision.

Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad said, “Vision and faith go hand in hand. In order to have a vision of a brighter and better future, you must have faith. If your faith is weak, so is your vision. And if your vision and faith are weak, your future will remain the same as it is today.”

I don’t want my children to lack vision.

I don’t want them to lack faith.

I want them to accomplish what they were put on this earth to do and to do it in faith. I don’t want fear or poverty to steal their dreams.

The only objection my husband and I have about this game is that it shows children as being expensive. Yes, they do cost money. So we teach them that children are a wonderful blessing from God.

Children are eternal.

Children carry the family into the future. (Even that one you’d like to punt into the middle of next week.)

So if you want to make learning fun at your house and you could use a dose of financial vision, consider scheduling the game Cashflow 101 into your weekly activities. One family in Montana plays Cashflow with another homeschooling family every Friday night!

You may discover a budding entrepreneur who will grow up to change the world.

And he was living with you all the time!

He may even be the one you’d like to punt.

So many books, so little time…

Rhea!

who hopes her boys learn to mind their own businesses

 

 

The Dirty “P” Word: Procrastination!

There are many reasons that you may procrastinate. Poor time management, anxiety about a certain task and being bored by a certain task are just a few of the reasons that people procrastinate. In the end, procrastination usually leads to more stress.

Here are some tips and questions that you can ask yourself that will help you to overcoming procrastination:

Can you approach the task differently? Always be mindful of how you approach tasks. Ask yourself: Do I need to use a different technique? Will a new way of approaching this task make me feel better? How can I get some JOY out of starting this project? We all work in different ways and are inspired by different things. Find what works well for you and go with it.

Be sure you have what you need: Make certain that you have the right information, equipment and energy level to enable you to complete the task.  Don’t attempt to start on a project unless you have all of the tools necessary to complete the project or at least to get it to a good stopping point.

Plan, plan, plan: Did I say Plan? The time we spend in preparation and planning to see a task to completion is imperative. 

Break it down: Big projects can feel overwhelming. Break them down into the smaller subparts. You’ll get more done if you can do it piece by piece.  By using the Break-It-Down method, you will find that even the most dreadful tasks can be done in small increments.

Boost yourself up: Give your own motivation a good boost. Trust in your strengths. Take a moment to reflect upon other tasks that you have accomplished and feel good about! Keep reminding yourself that you can be successful!

Reward yourself: Celebrate and let yourself enjoy the completion of your tasks (large or small). It is important to never minimize your accomplishments.

Overcoming procrastination can be done and it usually involves both better organizational and time-management. You can start overcoming procrastination now and in the process, feel much better about yourself. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll be surprised at how much joy, exhilaration and sense of accomplishment is on the other side of procrastination.

P.S.   Every time you feel like procrastinating, picture yourself finishing the task that you are procrastinating on.

So, have you been procrastinating? 

12 Days of Christmas – For YOU!

I just love the Holiday Season!

As you know, after spending any amount of time with me, I am a big believer in the spirit of generosity, so this time of year is one of my very favorites.  To kick off my Giving Season, I would like to give you 12 free gifts as part of my 12 Day of Christmas Celebration.

Each day beginning December 12, I will send you a business-building gift.  It might be an audio program, a pdf checklist, an ebook – there’s just no telling because I will be pulling things from my personal business stash to share with you. (I know I’ve got a movie you will love and an entire best-selling business book in the que!)

If this sounds like fun, please click on the link below to join the celebration (I only want to send these gifts to those who want to receive them!). 

http://www.directsellingleaders.com/12days.html

Please feel free to forward this email to anyone who would like to Celebrate the Season with The 12 Days of Christmas!

Love & Success!
Sarah

P.S.  Just so you know, there are no strings attached, no selling, no nothing behind any of the gifts I will be sending you.  They are just gifts from me to you:)

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