by Michelle Shaeffer

Do you have support to help you manage running your small business while caring for your home and family? You’ll notice many super heroes have sidekicks. No one thinks of Batman as less than a hero when when Robin helps out or Alfred takes care of his mansion. It’s okay to get help from a spouse, friend, coach, virtual assistant, maid, children, mother’s helper or all of the above plus more.

Here are some ways you can get support and help to save you time. Be creative and you’ll find that support can make your life easier without being expensive.

Menu Planning: Do you plan menus? If you have an older child who enjoys cooking or planning, ask them to help. Or put a suggestion box in your kitchen and let everyone contribute ideas. Then it’s easier to come up with your weekly/monthly menu to save time. You might also consider a service like Saving Dinner where menus are mailed to you weekly (I subscribe to this).

House Cleaning: You don’t have to do of the 100% cleaning yourself, Moms! Even little ones can help with a few chores. Create a chore chart and hang it on your fridge, then reward help. Chart Jungle has some nice ones. Maybe it’s time to consider a maid now and then. You can check with a professional service or find a friend with a teen looking for some extra pocket cash (if you go the teen route, it helps to have clearly defined checklists of what needs done). Whether it’s once a week or once a month it may free you up to get more focused work completed. Read the rest of this entry »

Psalm 9:9
The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed,
a refuge in times of trouble.

This is a powerful promise and one to meditate on and memorize to be written on the tablets of our hearts and minds. The beauty of this passage is in the word, “Refuge”. In the Webster dictionary and bible dictionaries the word refuge means; a shelter and protection from danger or distress. What’s more interesting is the Hebrew definition for refuge: ‎misgab (mis-gawb) which also means; “CLIFF” – High and Lofty inaccessible to reach or obtain.

Here is the cross-reference for this very passage:

Psalm 91:2-5 “I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.“ Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day, NKJV Read the rest of this entry »

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Writing a letter to Santa is such a memorable tradition – something every child should experience. You’ll delight in the shrieks and dances of excitement when the envelope is torn open and a letter from Santa written to them, by name, is discovered! The letter mentions personalized tidbits (provided by you), is hand-signed by Santa and postmarked from the North Pole. That’s the experience a U Write Santa personalized letter can bring to your child. Beginning September 2010 seasonal orders will be accepted at our website. Follow us @UWriteSanta on Twitter (we’re online Sept.-Dec.).

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by Alicia Forest

One of the many things I discovered when on my recent private retreat with my mentor coach Kendall Summerhawk was that I sometimes still have a tendency to bend in situations where I shouldn’t. Not actually bend-over backwards, but enough that I end up not feeling good about the situation. I’ve actually strengthened this boundary quite a bit in recent years, but as always, I’ve been tested on that a few times lately, so I wanted to share some of the ways I’ve strengthened this boundary within the way I run my business so you can do the same.

Here are 4 ways that you can gracefully set boundaries in your business:

1. Have a policy page

For every product, program or service you offer, someone is going to ask you to do something different for them. It could be to offer it in a different format, at a different time or day, with a payment plan option, or dozens of other scenarios than I can’t possibly cover here. As a general rule of thumb, don’t accommodate. Yes, there will be times when you make a different decision, but most of the time, stick to the parameters you created in the first place. You can’t please everyone, and every time you accommodate someone, you a) typically un-accommodate someone else who was just fine with the way your offer stood in the first place, and b) attract more people who will ask you to bend things for them in the future.

What do you do with the requests you get? Create a policy page from each and every decision you’ve made on how you will or will not run your business. Then when the next person makes a similar request, you simply send them to that page that explains clearly what your policy is, and that the policy applies to everyone. It takes the edge of it feeling like saying ‘no’ was a personal decision as much as it makes it super-simple for your team to handle these requests.

2. Be fair to ALL your clients

Being fair to all my clients is one value that I hold that makes it easy for me to be clear about the boundaries I have in place in my business. If you remember that it’s NOT that you aren’t willing or don’t want to be accommodating, but that it simply wouldn’t be fair to the rest of your clients and customers by doing so, it makes it much easier to say no graciously, and it keeps your integrity intact. Read the rest of this entry »

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Marketing Assistant – Telecommute position

by Michelle Shaeffer

Picture yourself driving down the road in your car. You’ve got so many things to focus on at once. Kids in your car. Other drivers on the road. Your rear view mirror. Your side view mirrors. The speedometer, the gas gauge, the check engine light. The traffic lights. Road signs. Your destination. If you’re unfamiliar with the territory you’ve got to get in the right lane for the right exit. Feeling anxious at the thoughts? For most of us, driving is not a stressful experience. We’ve learned to juggle everything that needs our attention so we can successfully and safely drive our cars from point A to point B.

Running your business is a little like driving a car. At times it might seem hectic and overwhelming, especially for new business owners, but just give yourself some time and you’ll find your groove. Once you get your systems down it gets easier.

Let’s take this little car metaphor and apply it to your business focus. There are twelve “focus checkers” listed below.

Where did you begin your journey?

Take a few moments to remember where you began. When did you start your business? Why did you start your business? What was your dream?

What are you driving in? Got your bumper stickers?

The car we drive makes a statement. So must our businesses! Your business has got to have it’s brand. It should be recognizable and plastered everywhere. Bumper stickers, door magnets, window clings. Build your brand and then surround yourself with it. Read the rest of this entry »

Genesis 39:21-22
“But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.” NKJV

Since Joseph was a young boy God had a special plan for his life. God confirmed these plans through dreams given to Joseph about his future. These dreams told him that people would bow down to him including his own family. This of course did not go well with his family and shortly there after the trials for Joseph began.

Joseph was rejected by his own brothers, thrown in a cistern, sold into slavery, falsely accused and falsely imprisoned. Now imagine for a moment yourself being put in Joseph’s position or perhaps you could relate to some of the trials he went through. Some might think God was not with him or maybe he did not have enough faith to endure such tribulations but that is not what the bible says. It says in a number of passages that the Lord was with Joseph and in this particular passage it says God showed him mercy and favor.
God in His infinite wisdom and sovereignty had a plan for Joseph and part of that plan was to allow Joseph to go through hardship. It is a hard concept for us to accept or even agree with but the scriptures are clear that God was with him in the cistern, He was with him when he was enslaved and God was also with him when He was in prison. Read the rest of this entry »

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Lab Implementation Engineer Telecommute

Telecommute Appt Setters

by Christa Jensen

It is unfortunate but, emergencies do arise now and again. With a regular job, you would call the boss and hope they understand. The whole crew pulls your weight while you’re gone. When it’s you own business you’re the sole person responsible for its entire function.

It is of the utmost importance to establish some form of a backup plan. To leave your business in limbo can be disastrous to it. Your clients, customers or consultants depend on the function of your business to be smooth and consistent at all times. It is in fact business.

With a few bad reviews from poor communications, delay in orders and anything of the like can take your growing business and send it crashing to the ground. This is why it is imperative to have a backup plan in the case of emergencies.

There are many options to obtain security for your business in cases of these emergencies, from very basic to complete running of your business. We will also explore how to communicate in the aftermath if you have nothing in place.

Here are some FREE Options:

1. Have a family member or close friend have access to your business email, contact list and client/customer list. Make sure they have this in a safe place and readily available. With that have a document saved in a file they can access from their computer, with a form letter to send to your contacts, clients/customers that there is an emergency. Also it is important that you offer your clients/or customers a way out, if they have paid for anything. Allow them to chose to back out and receive a refund if they desire, make sure to inform them that if a refund is requested it may take up to 30 days, this will allow you enough time to do it yourself or forward the information to your family helper. If you owe business money or consultants make sure this information and instructions are with your helper too. Read the rest of this entry »