Last week we created a business entity so my wife could get a sales tax certificate to sell her crafts at a local craft show/fundraiser. I remember seeing something online, so I went onto the Secretary of State's site and found the Idaho Business Resources site. They have an automated system there that walks you through the entire process of setting up a business entity with the state, including wizards to help you determine what licenses you may need. Very cool system.
We registered her as a sole proprietorship, however, so I don't know how well it works for more complicated entities that require a registration fee. I'll let you know when I register my business entity later this year.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
Conflicting priorities: the bane of excellence or savior of "good enough"?
Since I lack the funding to just dive in and work my new business to the exclusion of everything else that brings in money, I find I have to slip my business efforts in when I can. As a result, the business is progressing slowly and, truth be told, the quality is not what it could be. I find myself settling for what I can get done in the time slot available rather than taking the time to get everything just right.
This may not be a bad thing. I am a bit of a perfectionist, and if I thought I had the time to get things perfect I may slip into paralysis by analysis and get even less done. The thought that there is one right solution tends to make me want to find it, even though there really is no way of knowing if I do.
I'm finding that I have a better chance of getting things right, however, if I take the time to create a plan. It's easier to know where I left off on something and where I was heading with it if I have something written down I can refer back to. Of course planning takes time, too, and the temptation is always there to skip planning and "actually get something done".
That's where discipline comes in. That's also where I have room for improvement. My goal for today is to take some time this afternoon before I knock off work for the week to plan where I'm going with my business (and everything else I've got going on) and break out some short-term objectives to pursue next week. That way when I come in on Monday morning I'll be able to pick up where I left off, knowing exactly where I'm headed.
This may not be a bad thing. I am a bit of a perfectionist, and if I thought I had the time to get things perfect I may slip into paralysis by analysis and get even less done. The thought that there is one right solution tends to make me want to find it, even though there really is no way of knowing if I do.
I'm finding that I have a better chance of getting things right, however, if I take the time to create a plan. It's easier to know where I left off on something and where I was heading with it if I have something written down I can refer back to. Of course planning takes time, too, and the temptation is always there to skip planning and "actually get something done".
That's where discipline comes in. That's also where I have room for improvement. My goal for today is to take some time this afternoon before I knock off work for the week to plan where I'm going with my business (and everything else I've got going on) and break out some short-term objectives to pursue next week. That way when I come in on Monday morning I'll be able to pick up where I left off, knowing exactly where I'm headed.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
When do you give up and hire a pro?
Yesterday my computer told me it was time to upgrade to Internet Explorer 8. I did. I hate it. And my web sites look all messed up now. So I finally made the break to Firefox, hoping it was just a IE8 thing. Nope. My sites are messed up there, too (and probably have been from the beginning).
So today I spent a few hours cleaning up me CSS to deal with the problems. Everything is ironed out now...mostly. There's still something funky going on with IE8.
If I had the money it would be tempting to let a pro handle this. I should be working more on my content right now instead of tweaking style sheets. On the other hand, hiring a pro would probably wipe out any profits I may make this year. I admit I have no idea how much a pro would even cost, but I suspect it's not cheap.
As they say, it takes money to make money. But I'm determined to succeed in spite of that obstacle.
So today I spent a few hours cleaning up me CSS to deal with the problems. Everything is ironed out now...mostly. There's still something funky going on with IE8.
If I had the money it would be tempting to let a pro handle this. I should be working more on my content right now instead of tweaking style sheets. On the other hand, hiring a pro would probably wipe out any profits I may make this year. I admit I have no idea how much a pro would even cost, but I suspect it's not cheap.
As they say, it takes money to make money. But I'm determined to succeed in spite of that obstacle.
Monday, May 4, 2009
The MetroMom puts on a great teleseminar
My recent foray into Twitter (http://twitter.com/thomstrat) has opened up a new source of information for me. But perhaps the best was a teleseminer I sneaked into over the weekend. The MetroMom, Kim DeYoung, runs a business supporting mothers running their own businesses from home. As part of this effort, she put together a teleseminer with 18 different experts in various aspects of running an online business. But, as her target audience is busy moms, she added a helpful twist.
The entire seminar was prerecorded and made available to participants at any time during the two days. Attendees could read the session descriptions and pick which sessions they wanted to attend at the time they could actually attend. Fantastic idea!
Though the seminar was promoted as "for women" I signed up anyway, as the majority of the topics were things I'm interested in with my current business plans. Fortunately it's easy to go "in drag" on the internet. Actually, it didn't matter. My Twitter avatar is very obviously male, and I tweeted about many of the sessions I attended. I got persona responses from DeYoung and several presenters, and no one said anything.
I was very impressed. This was a high-quality seminar--for free! DeYoung is a great interviewer, and her experts were...well, expert. There was a lot of good information given. Yet I could see how the seminar could have been so much less than it was if DeYoung hadn't worked hard to provide substance. As it was, the seminar reflected very well on all who presented, and even more so on DeYoung.
Great concept, great execution. I give it two thumbs up.
The entire seminar was prerecorded and made available to participants at any time during the two days. Attendees could read the session descriptions and pick which sessions they wanted to attend at the time they could actually attend. Fantastic idea!
Though the seminar was promoted as "for women" I signed up anyway, as the majority of the topics were things I'm interested in with my current business plans. Fortunately it's easy to go "in drag" on the internet. Actually, it didn't matter. My Twitter avatar is very obviously male, and I tweeted about many of the sessions I attended. I got persona responses from DeYoung and several presenters, and no one said anything.
I was very impressed. This was a high-quality seminar--for free! DeYoung is a great interviewer, and her experts were...well, expert. There was a lot of good information given. Yet I could see how the seminar could have been so much less than it was if DeYoung hadn't worked hard to provide substance. As it was, the seminar reflected very well on all who presented, and even more so on DeYoung.
Great concept, great execution. I give it two thumbs up.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Time management for starting a business
Many people who are successes at business just dived in feet first. The rest of us hang on to their normal 9-to-5 while they try to get things up and running. For most of us that probably won't work. To quote Yoda from The Empire Strikes Back, "That is why you fail".
And yet it's not necessarily bad to try and get as far as you can before taking the leap the rest of the way. It's just most of us lack focus. We have good intentions of building up our business on the side, but we never seem to get it done. Why is that?
I suggest it's because we lack the discipline. Other things come first (and often they should), or when we do have the time we forget that we're supposed to be doing something with our business plan. We don't readily remember what the next key step is, so we push it aside and go do something clearer and more pressing.
The solution, I believe, is to treat your business like a project. Project managers know that you eat an elephant a bite at a time. But they also know you need to know where to bite next. So how do project managers tackle a project? The move from the big to the small as follows:
Start at the top: Jot down a quick list of things that must be done before your business can start operations. Keep it broad and general, like "secure inventory", or "set up accounts". Don't attempt to define any of these yet, just get them down on paper. Go until you run out of ideas, but be prepare to add more as they occur to you.
Pick a top-level item and break it down: Take one of the items you just recorded, preferably the one you feel is the most immediate need. Think about the various things that need to be done to accomplish that step and write them down. For example, if you wrote an item for "set up bookkeeping" then ask yourself what would you need to do to complete that task. Your answers may look something like:
Once you've completed this step you should prioritize them based on what steps absolutely need to happen before the others. Obviously you can't configure software you do not yet have, but defining you account list could maybe be done at any point prior to configuring the software. You should complete this step with a list in chronological order of what you need to do and when.
Break items down further as needed: Depending on how organized and disciplined you are, or on how large blocks of time you expect to have, this may be as detailed as you need to go. But for others of us, we need to break each step down further. For example, we could break down "compare bookkeeping software packages" further as follows:
It's not a long list, but it's much more detailed. When you know exactly what your next step is, it's much easier to remember next time you have ten free minutes that this would be a good time to Google "accounting software small business" and see what packages come up. You can do that easily in ten minutes, and once you're done you are that much closer to your goal. You may even feel a surge of satisfaction knowing that you actually made progress toward your dream.
Continue and repeat as needed: Break each item and step down until you've done so for all your work items. Look for dependencies between the separate work items and subordinate steps. Start making a list of the "first steps" in each area; items that other steps are dependent on, quick wins, or other small tasks that would help move things along. Take the top ten and keep the list handy.
Whenever you have free time pull out your list and see if any of the top ten can be done just then. If so, do them. If not, relax knowing that you're not doing anything because you can't at the moment. As you complete several items on your list return to your master list and "refill".
Make sure you cross off completed items on your master list. Take a few moments to note just how many tasks you've completed. You are making progress! Doesn't it feel good?! Celebrate your progress!
It may take a considerable amount of time to get organized initially, but once you've got the master list you're most of the way there. Ten minutes a day or half an hour a week is all you need to stay up to date. Add new items to your master list as they occur to you. Look over your list to see if your priorities or dependencies have changed. Refill your Top Ten list if you haven't already done so. Boom! You're on your way again.
Organization and time management can be the key to getting your business from dream to the reality. Don't just sit around wishing you could get things done. Take charge, get organized, and get things done!
Update: Havi, at The Fluent Self, has a related post. Do just one thing.
And yet it's not necessarily bad to try and get as far as you can before taking the leap the rest of the way. It's just most of us lack focus. We have good intentions of building up our business on the side, but we never seem to get it done. Why is that?
I suggest it's because we lack the discipline. Other things come first (and often they should), or when we do have the time we forget that we're supposed to be doing something with our business plan. We don't readily remember what the next key step is, so we push it aside and go do something clearer and more pressing.
The solution, I believe, is to treat your business like a project. Project managers know that you eat an elephant a bite at a time. But they also know you need to know where to bite next. So how do project managers tackle a project? The move from the big to the small as follows:
Start at the top: Jot down a quick list of things that must be done before your business can start operations. Keep it broad and general, like "secure inventory", or "set up accounts". Don't attempt to define any of these yet, just get them down on paper. Go until you run out of ideas, but be prepare to add more as they occur to you.
Pick a top-level item and break it down: Take one of the items you just recorded, preferably the one you feel is the most immediate need. Think about the various things that need to be done to accomplish that step and write them down. For example, if you wrote an item for "set up bookkeeping" then ask yourself what would you need to do to complete that task. Your answers may look something like:
- Compare bookkeeping software packages
- Select bookkeeping software
- Compare prices for selected software from different vendors
- Purchase software
- Define account list
- Install and configure software
- Complete setup of accounts in software
Once you've completed this step you should prioritize them based on what steps absolutely need to happen before the others. Obviously you can't configure software you do not yet have, but defining you account list could maybe be done at any point prior to configuring the software. You should complete this step with a list in chronological order of what you need to do and when.
Break items down further as needed: Depending on how organized and disciplined you are, or on how large blocks of time you expect to have, this may be as detailed as you need to go. But for others of us, we need to break each step down further. For example, we could break down "compare bookkeeping software packages" further as follows:
- Google or Amazon.com search to find out the main packages
- Read reviews of each package to determine what key considerations might be
- Create your own list of key criteria for evaluating software
It's not a long list, but it's much more detailed. When you know exactly what your next step is, it's much easier to remember next time you have ten free minutes that this would be a good time to Google "accounting software small business" and see what packages come up. You can do that easily in ten minutes, and once you're done you are that much closer to your goal. You may even feel a surge of satisfaction knowing that you actually made progress toward your dream.
Continue and repeat as needed: Break each item and step down until you've done so for all your work items. Look for dependencies between the separate work items and subordinate steps. Start making a list of the "first steps" in each area; items that other steps are dependent on, quick wins, or other small tasks that would help move things along. Take the top ten and keep the list handy.
Whenever you have free time pull out your list and see if any of the top ten can be done just then. If so, do them. If not, relax knowing that you're not doing anything because you can't at the moment. As you complete several items on your list return to your master list and "refill".
Make sure you cross off completed items on your master list. Take a few moments to note just how many tasks you've completed. You are making progress! Doesn't it feel good?! Celebrate your progress!
It may take a considerable amount of time to get organized initially, but once you've got the master list you're most of the way there. Ten minutes a day or half an hour a week is all you need to stay up to date. Add new items to your master list as they occur to you. Look over your list to see if your priorities or dependencies have changed. Refill your Top Ten list if you haven't already done so. Boom! You're on your way again.
Organization and time management can be the key to getting your business from dream to the reality. Don't just sit around wishing you could get things done. Take charge, get organized, and get things done!
Update: Havi, at The Fluent Self, has a related post. Do just one thing.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
New Writing Gig: Examiner.com
Examiner.com is a Clarity Media Group venture that leverages local writers in 60 major markets across the US to provide local, expert content. I've applied and been accepted as the Boise Business Strategies Examiner.
My debut article can be found here. Most Boiseans are familiar with Metro Express Car Wash by now, but I look a little deeper into how they use their electronic sign as an entry point to get people into their online marketing.
So take a look if you like. I should be posting something every few days.
My debut article can be found here. Most Boiseans are familiar with Metro Express Car Wash by now, but I look a little deeper into how they use their electronic sign as an entry point to get people into their online marketing.
So take a look if you like. I should be posting something every few days.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Building a Personal Brand
Dan Schawbel has a new book out, Me 2.0: Build A Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success. Branding as a business concept is nothing new. But in the Internet age when it's becoming increasingly possible for individuals to stand out, people really need to pay attention to their "personal brand". Companies aren't interested in retaining employees for life anymore. If anything the trend is toward companies being one day run by an army of independent contractors. There are already virtual companies out there made up of a group contractors working together on a project.
Add to that mix the current economic situation. People are losing their jobs and trying to find new ones among incredibly stiff competition. It's not enough any more to just qualify for a job. You have to market yourself for it.
I've not had a chance to read Schawble's book, but if this article is a sample, it should be good reading indeed. Plus there's likely the added bonus of dual application. If it works for the individual, many of the strategies should work for businesses too.
Here's an excerpt from the article in which he discusses conducting situational analysis:
I may have to add this book to my list of reading.
Add to that mix the current economic situation. People are losing their jobs and trying to find new ones among incredibly stiff competition. It's not enough any more to just qualify for a job. You have to market yourself for it.
I've not had a chance to read Schawble's book, but if this article is a sample, it should be good reading indeed. Plus there's likely the added bonus of dual application. If it works for the individual, many of the strategies should work for businesses too.
Here's an excerpt from the article in which he discusses conducting situational analysis:
You can’t leverage social media for career success unless you know where you stand today. This includes taking a good look at your life, what your current responsibilities are, the amount of resources you currently have and your career position. For instance, if you have two children and a full-time job (two children is probably another full-time job), you won’t be able to spend ten hours a day building a community using social media tools. If you’re twenty years old and your parents are wealthy, then you will have more time to invest in your online brand and you may have extra cash to help market yourself. Also, you may have a strong or a weak professional network, which can either support your brand or hinder it moving forward.
When it comes to your career, you need to decide if you’re looking to go to graduate school, start a company, or get a full-time job at a company and climb that corporate ladder. These decisions will impact how you use tools to communicate what you do, who you serve, and how you want to be positioned relative to everyone else, along with your goals and mission.
I may have to add this book to my list of reading.
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