Give Yourself Give Yourself Permission to Focus on Important Projects and Utilize Email Auto-Responders
May 8, 2008
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For a few days I’ve envied people who have auto-responders on their emails that say, “I only check email at 10am and 4pm, I look forward to replying Read more
Why Did You Startup Your Business?
May 5, 2008
A lot of people ask me how and why we started this business. What were the events that led up to it? What was that moment like? Read more
From Humble Wordpress Blog to Online Magazine
April 13, 2008
Once upon a time (July 9, 2006) I started a humble and simple Wordpress blog with zero budget and zero design… just a great name and a vision to make Startup Princess a world wide site for women entrepreneurs. Read more
Parallels of Business Strategy and Playing Solitaire
March 26, 2008
As I was sitting here with a fever of 101, not able to sleep and playing a game of Free Cell, Read more
How to Write a Winning Sales Pitch
February 5, 2008
What makes a winning sales pitch a success? the Mogul Mom, Heather Allard asked Read more
What Would You Do if another Retailer was Copying Your Product Descriptions?
February 5, 2008
Grant a wish! We’d love your feedback on this critical issue. Here is an email I received from a Startup Princess recently:
I have an issue that I thought you might be able to provide some insight. 90% of the product descriptions on my site are written by me. I spend many hours writing them as best as I could. Sometimes I look at other retailers for ideas, but ultimately the work is different than everyone else’s.
We are the first to carry quite a number of items, I know because I research online like mad on less common items. As these products become popular and talked about, other retailers start to notice and start carrying them also. That’s great and dandy, and expected, but the thing that is bothering me greatly is, I recently came upon 2 sites that started carrying the items after us, and found they have copied my descriptions word for word, down to the punctuation and quotations. I recognize my own work and it is obvious those descriptions/content came from our website.
Couple of things to keep in mind, (1) I don’t know if they are aware the content/work is my original. However, (2) the manufacturer/distributor for these particular products do not provide descriptions.
I do realize that people are likely going to copy if they see something is good and nice, but it is my own original work and content that they are stealing!! What can I do, what do I say, and how do I approach these retailers? Or should I just let it go, what would you do if you were me? Thanks in advance for any advice / tips you can provide. I do not want others to steal my work.
Getting Things Done: Where Does YOUR Motivation Come From?
January 28, 2008
This is my third post on Getting Things Done…the others are here and here.
Right now I’m delaying today’s major task and necessary evil: stacks of papers. Why? Because blogging is more fun and papers aren’t. Besides-it’s slightly chilly in my basement and I’m enjoying being cozy under a blanket while I type. Ha! Plus, papers don’t talk back, blog posts sometimes do. Likely no one but me will read my papers (fortunately), but at least 1500 readers will read this post today. So, how do I go from here to there? How do I get my Royal fanny off this chair and into the thick of “Getting Things Done” so I can help all my papers find a home? I know the answers already, but doing them is a different story!
Here is a strategy for getting my Royal fanny up and moving:
1. Stand up
2. Turn on some fun, fast-paced music like “Dancing Queen” by Abba
3. Get a trash bag ready, locate my file folders, and labeler
4. Set a timer for 45 minutes (less overwhelming than 60)
5. Go and get as much done as I possibly can, “everything has a home” mantra
6. Take a break and do something I LOVE for 15 min (like a healthy grilled veggie sandwich for lunch)
7. Repeat process, if necessary, and yes, I dare say it will be absolutely necessary.
Writing this is perfect because now I’m mustering up the courage to get busy…so yes, kind friends, you must be my motivation today. Thanks! It also helps that I have a guest coming to stay…and I really can’t have my papers all over the bed anymore (office/guestroom). Papers don’t make a very nice comforter. I’m starting to hear dancing queen in my head…better go turn it on. 
Today’s Magic Wand: Where does your motivation come from?
Share with us!!!!
When Life Has Other Plans-Is Your Business in Order in Case of an Emergency?
January 23, 2008
Fairy Godmother Laura West of Center for Joyful Business writes today’s post:
Well, I started off 2008 very excited and pumped about the new year, new plans…new possibilities. I kicked off the New Year with a Business Planning Retreat with my friend and colleague, Wendy Watkins of PassionFruit People Growers. We went to the beautiful mountains in North Carolina and holed up in a luxury timber home - spoiled ourselves while we marinated, planned, brainstormed, calendared, blew up, and blew out plans for 2008. Talk about coming back and being revved to go!
Well, my intention was that I would be writing you a blog entry about our retreat, what we did, how we did it, etc…and give you some ideas and inspiration for your own.
Life had other plans.
Within two days of returning I had a high fever and severe abdominal pains, my Dr. sent me directly to a surgeon who put me in the hospital. Long story short…two and 1/2 days in the hospital, fortunately no surgery, just dehydration and eventually they discovered a lung infection. Sent home with antibiotics and an order for lots of rest.
Hmm, this wasn’t how I planned to spend the kick off month! Right now I would be in Las Vegas with David Neagle, at his workshop, “Experiencing the Reality of Success”. Cancel plans.
I like to look at these life turns and see what arises for a message. What is my body trying to tell me? My biggest question that keeps arising is “Am I fully en-joying life while I grown my business?”. I absolutely love my work and the amazing people I work with. It fills me up creatively and provides lots of stimulating, creative conversation. But what about personally? It’s had me tweak my calendar and add in some time for massage and spa time and also I’m looking at taking some personal fun & creative classes. I think life gives us these little wake-up calls to see if we are paying attention!
It also had me thinking about my business emergency plans. I needed to call and let clients know, rearrange teleclass plans, change cafe conversations, etc…at one point I even was talking my 10 year son through writing an email to a client so she would know I wouldn’t be on the call.
It’s inspired me to create - or start creating since I’m still recuperating - some back up plans.
Here’s a few of my ideas (please feel free to comment and add your suggestions):
1. Keep my Virtual Assistant up to speed with all current clients and contacts (or even better share my calendar) so she can contact them in one fell swoop.
2. Give my husband my Virtual Assistant’s contact information so if anything really traumatic should happen he can talk with her and keep folks up to date.
3. Get that new SmartPhone so I can have up to date contact information instead of having to call people to call other people. (obviously wouldn’t worry about this in a life or death situation, but in minor emergencies it streamlines a lot of effort)
4. I also spoke with my VA about updating our Policies and Procedures Manual. What if the emergency isn’t with me? She lives in Colorado and we sometimes joke about if a “bear gets her” what do I do. (Not that we are sending any intention or energy there, but she did have a close call last summer) My Policy and Procedures Manualoutlines all my online programs - the how’s of how to log-in, where we keep things, passwords, access codes, explains the different client lists, products, etc… Ours is out of date since we have grown so much over the last year so we are planning time to update.
All of these are just in case. Then I can rest comfortably knowing that my clients and readers would be taken care of and that I could take care of things if my support gets in a crisis.
How about you? What are your Emergency Back-up Plans?
En-joy!
Laura
Getting Things Done in 2 Minutes
January 11, 2008
Recently we held our first Startup Princess Networking Tea Party of the year and we discussed the David Allen book, Getting Things Done. It’s already changing my life.
Warning! This is not a book for reading in your bathtub….it really is a book that requires digesting with high levels of energy to concentrate and take notes. But don’t get scared, I highly recommend the effort. It’s definitely a “must read” regarding personal organization and processes for managing “piles of stuff” so there’s a reliable system. Confession: I’ve been the “slightly scattered” Startup Princess and I’d really rather be the “organized and effective” type, so I’m on a quest to change my behavior and decrease my mental stress and burnout/ADD functions because “I have so much to do, if I can just concentrate on where to begin.”
Last Fall I digested Timothy Ferriss‘ “4 Hour Work Week” and it shifted my paradigm of hard work and enjoying life more fully and now I’m working 10 instead of 50, taking more time to do other things important to me, including vacations and family activities, service, etc. I’m over my email addiction (90%) and my obsession with checking my web traffic (getting a desktop computer and putting it in the basement was the secret there, instead of lugging my mac laptop wherever I went like it was my nursing babe). Now if I can just manage the 10 hours that I AM working with order instead of chaos, I think we’ll see great levels of effective outcomes in 2008!! So, I begin with Getting Things Done and have high expectations…afterall, it is a national bestseller, so I hope it will work for me too.
Because I am quite overwhelmed with the thought of tackling my messiness, I’ve decided to just take a new baby step each week. In the book there’s a workflow chart (you can download for free under “free articles” if you create an account on David Allen’s site). 
In the book’s workflow chart it breaks down “what to do with stuff” by saying you should first (1) identify “what is it?” is it trash? is it something you need to keep for future as a reference? what do you need it for? Is it yours? Once you identify with the object and there’s an action associated with it (2) then you’re supposed to just do it then if it will take you less than 2 minutes. This is the teeny tiny baby step I’ve taken in the last several days and it’s really making a difference because I’ve realized how many quick and painless things I overlook often that I can get done in a heartbeat. I love it. Perhaps you will too…
Today’s Magic Wand: If you’re looking at your “To Do” list or in box and you can “get it done in 2 minutes”, don’t put it off any longer. You’ll be amazed by how quickly things will start getting done and your mind will start feeling lighter because it’s such an easy thing to check off. You’ll start to feel energized and organized because you ARE…one baby step at a time.
What’s the NEXT Baby Step you’d recommend?? I’d love to hear your thoughts… what do you think is essential for reclaiming my space and my thoughts? If you’ve read the GTD book, what do you think I should focus on next? What has worked for you?Â
How Our Family Took 5 Weeks of Vacation and Maintained our Income
January 5, 2008
I’m on vacation in St. George, Utah for a week with my family (vacation doesn’t always mean work-free for us). My kids are watching cartoon network (something we don’t have at home) so I decided to blog for a moment about the incredible vacation blessings we had in 2007 and how they were possible. For us it is particularly exciting because in 2004 and 2005 I don’t think we even took a vacation at all–back then we couldn’t afford the extra gas or the expense of traveling, even in the most simple sense. We appreciate the success of Matt’s Wholesale Works and the flexibility of Startup Princess. Perhaps there’s something in this post that will help you to consider how you can also enjoy more vacation and family time in 2008.
How We Took 5 Weeks of Vacation in One Year and Maintained our Income
1. We’re Entrepreneurs
Since Matt and I both have our own businesses, we have the flexibility and opportunity to call the shots of when we will and won’t work, including taking off in the spur of the moment if we feel like it or taking off in the middle of the week, etc. there’s no one to report to or to arrange schedules with. We love being bu
siness owners, don’t you?
2. We Have Mobile Businesses
Fortunately we have internet and phone-based businesses (to think that my dream for 3 years was to be a store owner! what was I thinking!?) we love that we’re able to relocate at will–perhaps we’ll rent a villa somewhere in Europe for a month or travel the country in an RV for a Summer–the possibilities are endless and exciting!
3. We Enjoy a Solid Client Base
In the last 2 years Wholesale Works has enjoyed a steady flow of repeat clients, many who rely on us regularly and we don’t have to stress about finding new customers, they find us. Word of mouth is our biggest marketing campaign (thanks to everyone who keep sharing the great deals on consumer electronics!). We’re active in networking groups like Startup Princess, Corporate Alliance and BNI.
4. We Have Reliable Distributors
Our distributors have consistent inventory stocked and process orders promptly. Some of our distributors even “blind” ship so we can ship directly to the client without revealing our source.
5. We Have a Dependable Support System/Sub-Contractors
Matt works solo however he has excellent connections he relies on during busy times or when needed if he’s out of town. I have Leslie Smoot, my new partner here at Startup Princess who oversees our events and manages other projects we have going–recently I was out of town until just a couple hours before an event, yet I knew everything would be taken care of and it was. It’s critical to have dependable partners in your life! I also have the blessing of our partnership/grant with the local small business development center, Laurie Ann has been my Admin Assistant for the past six months, everyone should have a “Laurie Ann”!
6. We Work Crazy Hours/Lots of Hours Prior and After Trips When Necessary
When we went to Florida for 2 weeks in June we had to work really hard for the several weeks prior not only to pay for Disneyworld and the Beach Condo, but to cover the income of the time we were going to be playing, so that meant long days and lots of extra work before to meet our goals–but we all were working for a common goal and it really bonded our family to “make a wish, make it happen!”
7. We Keep Communication Lines Open While We Travel
While it’s not ideal to answer your phone on vacation, a missed call may mean the chance to pay for your vacation! Sometimes we just make it a “hotel” day and enjoy the pool, etc. while one spouse catches up on work, etc.
8. We Vacation Off-Peak Season for Our Businesses
We know when the phone will be ringing off the hook for Matt’s business (Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve), so we won’t plan to go out of town during that time-ever. The slowest month for him is January, so it’s a great time for us to get away.
9. We Extend/Combine Work Trips with Vacation and Find Opportunities to Work While on Vacation (when possible and appropriate)
This Fall I went to BlogWorld in Vegas (hitched a ride with Janet Meiners) and my family drove down a day later spur of the moment, picked me up and we continued to drive down to California together. While I was there I contacted Entrepreneur magazine friends and tried to connect (although this was unsuccessful because of timing) but I did connect with Startup Princess Jamie Dadant who met me at Downtown Disney to enjoy an hour of business chat and meet up for the first time.
10. We Travel Creatively & Cheap
Priceline is our favorite online source, (Hilton in Anaheim for $19, Double Tree in San Diego for $39) but we’ve had a few set backs with them (my husband once had to sleep in a room under construction because they overbooked and there wasn’t another hotel available anywhere in the city). We use the Bidding for Travel forum to help us see what to bid for, it has been very successful for us. We also look for off-season deals, once we traveled in November to London RT from SLC for only $205 including taxes! If you’re in college still, check out STA Travel (I used this until just a couple years ago when I graduated with my master’s, maybe that PhD program is looking better? ha!)
Another favorite is to volunteer to get “bumped”, my husband can do this easily when he’s traveling on his own (I don’t do this when we’re ALL together) and he’s gotten us at least 8 flights for free this way.
We’re also not afraid to bum it with tents, friends, family, or do trades for airfare, hotels, or timeshares! One of Matt’s clients recently deeded his timeshare over to us for a plasma tv…pretty awesome.
Today’s Magic Wand: Don’t forget to bring business cards when you’re on vacation…we’ve made some excellent contacts/clients while just hanging out at the pool and in line for a ride at amusement parks.
What ideas do you have to share? What works for you? We want to hear!!
