Archive | April, 2010

Being Serious (or not) While Working from Home

By on April 27, 2010 in General Interest

Some entrepreneurs take themselves way too seriously. I’m not one to do that. Although I am serious about my work and about being completely professional, I feel that life is too short to not enjoy it and have fun. When you’re working from home, you can be serious and have fun too. Lighten up a little and enjoy the life you’ve created for yourself.

Work at home entrepreneurs start their lifestyle for one reason: to enjoy working from home. It’s convenient, flexible and you really get to do whatever you want, whenever you want to – - provided you’ve planned for it. There’s no clock to punch, no one breathing over your shoulder, no one to tell you when to go on breaks, go to lunch, etc. You get the idea. So why would you place extra burden on yourself by always being so serious when you don’t have to?

What I’m specifically talking about is learning how to enjoy your lifestyle as a work-at-home employee. I try to enjoy each day as best as I can and still get my work done. I don’t spend all day, every day being relaxed, but I take those moments to do it when I can. It makes my day go by smoother and I pick up a few life lessons along the way. Here are some things you can do to try and lighten your day a little:

  • Pack up your laptop one day and go to your nearest Starbuck’s to work.  Okay, if you don’t like Starbuck’s, then go to the library or somewhere quiet, with WiFi, where you can work in a different environment. A change of scenery can make a huge difference in your day and leave you feeling refreshed.
  • Take your lunch break and surprise your spouse/significant other by showing up to have lunch with them. It will give you a break from your home office and frozen lunch . It also gives you brownie points with your soul mate.
  • Play your music AS LOUD as you can while you’re working. Who’s going to make you turn it down? Just make sure your windows are closed though when you do this. You don’t want the neighbors calling to complain that you’re playing Snoop Dogg a *little* too loud!!
  • Pack up your tuna sandwich and go to the park. Sit there in solitude and just enjoy nature. Call it a “mental break.” You’ll be surprised at how refreshed you’ll feel when you get back to your office.
  • Take a nap after lunch. Not only is this refreshing and refueling, but can actually help you work better. The siesta is perhaps the best thing ever invented.

Working from home is a definite plus, but doesn’t have to be stagnating or limiting. Enjoy what you’ve created for yourself. Work will always be there. Small moments of special times won’t. Enjoy!

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Get more tips and advice by visiting my website at http://www.thedailyexhorter.com

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Marketing for the Socially-Impaired

By on April 20, 2010 in General Interest

So, you want to make a ton of money and you want people to give your their business, right? You want people to buy your product and just constantly ask you when, where and how can they get more of what you’re selling…am I clear so far?

Well, all of those things are great, but how are you going to convince them to do that if you aren’t marketing??

I see and talk to a lot of people everyday who have awesome business ideas and great products to sell. But they are frustrated a lot because they don’t have the customers they think they should have. Part of the problem is that they aren’t getting out to talk to these customers. They aren’t networking with them, whether online or offline. They aren’t in the community of people for whom their product or service would be ideal. Why? Because they do not understand marketing.

I won’t attempt to get into the entire concept of marketing in this one post, but it will be something that I will tackle in the next few weeks and months. I am a firm believer that marketing is crucial and that you have to give people a reason to spend their money. They are not going to just give it to you all willy-nilly. That is not how it works. In this time of financial uncertainties, people are very careful with their money and what they spend it on. Just because you have a great idea and an awesome product is not reason enough for them to empty their bank accounts and start spending.

To market to people, you have to understand them and connect with them. To do this, you have to TALK to them. Yes, you actually have to interact with people and get to know more about them. You don’t have to become BFF’s (I have a teenager), but you do have to form some type of relationship so that you establish a level of trust and comfort with them. Once this has been done, the customer or client feels like you understand them and they will get value from doing business with you. Until then, you’re just a sounding board talking about how wonderful you are and how great you will be for their lives. Not cool.

Being socially-connected means getting on tools like Twitter and Facebook and actually talking with people. Never mind the creeps and the nerds on these sites, but connect with people who are in your marketing pool. Are you a mom with a great mom-gadget? Find and connect with other moms for whom your gadget would be ideal for. Are you a computer-geek? There are many more like yourself but you won’t know about them until you say “hi”.

If you think that networking is not for you or you don’t know how to get started, check back in with me next week and I’ll discuss just how easy it is. You’ll be surprised and you will learn how to market your business and finally get rid of all of those widgets you have piling up on your dining room table. I’m just saying…

Have a great day!

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Hard Times Still Create Passion Based Opportunities

By on April 20, 2010 in General Interest

Every good mother or school teacher has at some point related the sage wisdom that necessity is the mother of invention. Never in modern times has that been more appropriate than today. A Christian Science Monitor article written by Kate Vander Wiede reprinted in the Chicago Sun Times Sunday Nov. 8, 2009 edition illustrates the fact perfectly.

Erik Proulx was one of those people who turned his career lemon into lemonade, literally. After loosing his Boston based advertising position he decided to start blogging about it. His site PleaseFeedTheAnimals began to include the stories of others like him.

He took it another step and turned many of those stories into a film production. It highlighted people who found ways to leverage their passions into the next opportunity. The film “Lemonade” was entered into the Sundance Film Festival and could be released very soon.

Take a lesson from Erik and his friends. Don’t let the economic funk get you down. Do something about it.

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What’s Your Motivation to Work from Home?

By on April 13, 2010 in Business

Just about everywhere I go, people want to know what is it that I “do” that allows me to work from home. Most of them think I DON’T work (which is far from the truth) because my schedule is so darn flexible. I can do two hours of work, have lunch with my kindergartner, get my nails done, grocery shop for dinner and be back at my desk to meet my afternoon deadlines. It’s all in a day’s work, but to some it sounds like all I do is have fun. Far from the truth. For instance:

  • I’m up usually well past the time that everyone else in my house has gone to bed.
  • I work on weekends…sometimes.
  • I have to work when I’m sick, tired, etc. No one else is going to do it for me.
  • I have to depend on me to create my paychecks. Nothing comes automatically for me. Not even health insurance.

Who would want this type of lifestyle, on purpose? There are a lot of people who say that they want to work from home, but do they really mean it? Are they committed to being focused? Are they driven enough to market themselves continuously? Most days, I work completely alone with only my music or the humming of the dryer. Admittedly, working from home does indeed have perks, but it IS work nonetheless.

Working from home is more than a great idea. It’s hard work but it’s also rewarding work. What you have to ask yourself is what is your motivation for wanting to work from home? Is it to be there for your kids? For solitude, flexibility or convenience? Or is it to get-rich-quick as some programs claim? The bottom line is that whatever your reason(s) may be that you feel are drawing you home, make sure that you’re ready and able to be focused and committed to the lifestyle.

I’ve got to run now. I’ve tivo’d The Housewives of New York and I’m going to watch it while I finish writing a few articles that are due tomorrow. Somebody’s got to do it!

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Get Your Social Action and Cardio Groove In Gear

By on April 8, 2010 in General Interest, health, Politics

A couple of weekends ago I began the battle of the gut. I bought myself a nice used bike from Blackstone Bicycle. It’s one of a number of non profit bike shops around the city of Chicago that refurbish and sell bicycles. This particular shop has the added goal of teaching kids in the surrounding neighborhood how to pick up some mechanical and business skills.

While I was in the shop being helped by one of the young adult employees, there were lots of kids on the premises as part of their Youth Bicycle Education program. While I  was there some kids were putting spare parts in bins,  others were getting repair instruction from the adults and one young lady trainee rung up my purchases (bike, helmet, bike lock and replacement seat for the wife’s bike).

A bunch more kids were taking a nice Saturday break playing basketball against the fence. Someone showing some obvious mechanical improvisational talents, strapped a big plastic paint/chitterling bucket to the fence. They had a soccer ball doubling as a basketball for the afternoon. (Brought back lots of fond memories of alley basketball from my childhood).

The Blackstone Bicycle shop is one of the arms of the Experimental Station which is the actual 501c-3 non profit organization. It’s located in a nondescript stretch of Blackstone Avenue at 61st Street right across from the University of Chicago steam plant.


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If you’re looking to get your body and health back in gear but you’re not a runner then a biking is a good place to start your efforts. Having places like Blackstone Bicyle as a resource means you don’t have to begin with Olympic caliber hardware either. Take a little extra time to search out a place like this in your community and start with something simple . You can work on improving your health and your corner of the world all at once.

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