Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

While I have been focusing primarily on college recetly, I have also gotten the ball rolling on my current project. It is a large project and I have learned this past year to pace myself and to focus on the task at hand.

I also found one of my favorite quotes of the year just last week:

"Be who you are and say what you feel,
because those who mind don`t matter,
and those who matter don`t mind."
-Dr. Seuss

Happy New Year, SuN!

I have really enjoyed reading all the comments in this section.

Frozen, I particularly liked what you had to say about slowing things down and learning to accept that things are not always going to happen just the way you want them to. My family took several hits this year with some serious medical issues, which has caused me to step back and examine what really matters most in life. I was guilty of taking life way too seriously before. Now, I am learning to roll with life`s punches and laugh at myself and my mistakes. I still learn from them, but do not dwell on them.

Keycon, I liked what you said about taking a genuine interest in people and asking questions. I have learned to do more of that myself. The results have been very positive. I know so many people who are so completely wrapped up in themselves that a person cannot get a word in edgewise. It`s exhausting to try and talk with someone like that. Thus, I refuse to be like that. Plus, I think people are more comfortable with someone who is fully engaged in what THEY have to say. I think it earns you more respect, too.

Mostly, though, I have learned to accept things just as they are. It`s difficult to do, when most of us usually have at least some notion of how we would like things to turn out. I truly believe that applying a more Zen approach to both my personal and business life has made me more productive and a far happier person.

Thanks for all the insight. I look forward to reading more.

And, Happy New Year to you all!

As they say, although things may not be the way you want them to be, they`re definitely going the way they`re supposed to go.

2006 was a big year for me in many ways. I married the sweetest man and
moved to a beautiful home in a even more beautiful place and then...
decided to work smarter and not harder. I learned from my husband to take
small steps each day instead of looking too far down the road. I learned
from my niece to always remember what`s "nice about me". I learned from
my best friends - my dogs - to run hard and sleep hard and set goals.
So, I am beginning a new adventure with a graphic design company - a very
talented designer - doing photography, marketing, design. We are so
excited to be building this business and learning....

Thank you for making this forum available.   I hope we be a positive addition
and learn with everyone else on this journey. Thanks, Carolyn (at
jwdesigncenter)

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Jen Walter
Creative Director
JW Design Center
www.jwdesigncenter.com

I learned the importance of being nice to the person who will hand walk your
invoice through the different departments and get it signed off so I`d get
paid in days, not weeks!!

Without the help of Marie Ortiz, I would have had a lean holiday!!! But
because we had a good working relationship she was willing to hand walk
my bill through accounting rahter than have me wait for weeks or MONTHS
to get paid.

Receptionists, clerical staff, administrative assistants--it can be more
producting to send them a little thank you of Godiva than send those
higher-up the food chain the Sam`s Club size of popcorn!!!

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"Whatever you can do or dream you can--begin it." Goethe

As an administrative person for an engineering firm (my day job)...I would like to give major KUDOS for this particular quote!!!! You have NO idea how often the efforts and bending over backwards I do on a daily basis goes over looked. An occasional thank you would be nice from some of our clients. It is amazing how often you hear that the Admin/Recep/Etc. is the most important job in the company...and yet we get forgotten when it comes time to recognize! So thank you anika...I appreciate you comment very much!!!

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Leah Tucker

Y`know what`s really going to be a tremendous irony? When all the clerks, receptionists, production people, accountants, bottom-tier analysts, and everyone else who actually DO the work in big enterprises....all leave to start their own businesses! LOL! Can you imagine only executives and upper management people left in those big, glass buildings? :-)

Hmmm...sounds a bit like a book we were talking about on another thread Craig....and yes...I would love to see that!

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Leah Tucker

This forum has been great to read. Here`s my `06 observations:

* Losing my cat of 13 years really, really sucked. And I`m a guy. I took 3 days off just to deal with it.
* Losing my Dad in July, after 21 Years with Parkinson`s, and 10 days to actually die after his heart attack, stopped me in my tracks and put my whole life in perspective.
* Vowing to live a legacy for him and my mom, as well as doing so for whomever I`m destined to meet.
* Starting Brand Counsel, LLC was twice as expensive as I imagined.
* I forgot how lonely being an entrepreneur really is sometimes.
* My mom`s total knee replacement surgery right after Thanksgiving reminded me of how much she needs me, and what an honor it is to honor her and be her advocate navigating the healthcare system.
* That the reason I`m so critical of others is because I`m so critical of myself (and I`m actively working on that, believe it or not).

And on happier notes...
* Deciding that a move to Boston is my destiny (I`ve lived there before) and that structuring my firm and client base to the NE is exactly what I should be doing.
* That my ideas do matter and that I`m more intuitive than I thought I wads.
* That building exactly the life I have always imagined is thrilling.

And finally:

That fear and excitement feel exactly the same way. But now, I`m showing fear the door and welcoming in the second half of my life.

BrandAlchemy,

Wow, and I thought we had a tough year in 06`. Kudos to you for making it through everything you have an still being able to see the positive.

As for moving to Boston, I`m glad it was the right thing for you. We lived in NH for almost 6 years and were all too happy to leave there. I guess we are Western or Mid-Western people at heart.

I`m truly sorry that you lost so much in 06`. I hope 07` is a very successful and much happier year for you.

Kind regards,

Kim