Not hide from my family (although the idea occurs periodically), but hide behind my computer. More and more, I look around and see social media chatting replacing real time networking. Please don’t mistake me, I love social media, use it all the time, and have reaped the rewards of connecting online. However, not without getting out there and networking IRL (In Real Life).

Whether it be on a local level or a regional or national conference, it is essential to connect face-to-face with other small business people in your vertical or who complement your business. Not only is this essential for your business, but also for your mindset. As I wrote earlier, being a small business person who either works from home or a small office is isolating, and talking to others allows you to see you are not alone.

The first step in networking is to start out slow. Try a local networking mixer first. Most local communities have a community calendar. Seek out a young professionals meet-up, a direct sales referral group, or even a seminar. Take a peek at what is going on out there behind the world-wide web and you will be pleasantly surprised how refreshing talking in person is!

**Tip: Take a wingman. Most of us have at least one friend or colleague who lives near us who does something similar. Cajole them to go along and be your back-up.  Often walking into event with someone else is all we need to move forward.

Local networking hours often lead to meeting like-minded entrepreneurs also looking to share ideas and brainstorm solutions. Don’t just collect cards, but follow-up with the people that you met and clicked with….That means setting up a second meeting, forming a mastermind group or scheduled meet-ups.

**Tip: I try to schedule my meetings for one right after another during a specific time frame, so I don’t lose travel time going to and from random meetings here and there. Pick a day or two per week that you schedule appointments.

Hitting up a conference or two is a big MUST. I know this brings a financial component, but it is a necessary expense to expand knowledge and meet others in your space. The internet and the overall accessibility that it brings allow us to network nationally, but meeting a few of these connections in real time really helps the process. Take the plunge and go - make the most of the experience.

**Tip: Keep costs to a minimum by driving to a conference with some of the connections you make locally or attend a conference in a city where you can stay with friends or family.

What do you think?  Do you like to get out there and meet other startup business people?

What are your tips?

For more on meeting people in person and networking IRL - visit me here.

Rachel

Recently, I outgrew my alcove.  That coupled with my kids’ growing need for a computer-friendly space for homework and dare I say it, my need to set boundaries at home between work and family life forced the move.

It was determined that my headquarters would take over a 2nd floor room that basically remained unused.

Transitions are often hard for many people, especially when it involves leaving a space they are comfortable working.  My old space was all carved out and had a fabulous built in desk area and a lot of shelves and I was used to it!  My new space was barren.  I needed a desk and some seating and shelves and a bookcase and a phone line to start…

Additionally, moving my home office meant that I had to go through the PARAMOUNT stack of papers on my old desk.  I can assure you that this was a task that I had put off for many weeks.

I am proud to say that I did it, bought a desk, got the phone working, and fabulous new seating if you happen to want to stop by.

Here are 5 TIPS that made setting up my new home office go much more smoothly:

1. When deciding on furniture, put FUNCTION first. Originally, I picked a desk based on looks until I realized that it offered me very little actual work space.  I ended up choosing a desk that really allows me to spread out.
2. Put aside a block of time to set up your office. It is too hard to work in an office that is not ready to be worked in, so mark your calendar off for a few hours and prep your work space.
3. Consult with an expert. I often try the DIY route, and end up needing help anyways which costs me TIME.  I decided to spend a tiny amount of money up front with an ‘organization’ person.  Honestly, the whole project took 3 hours with the help, and my paperwork was cleaned up, office set up and ready to go, and rather than buying new shelves we discovered shelves that I had in the basement that worked perfectly.  By lunch, I was back to work.
4. Having a door makes a BIG difference. Although my alcove was private, it was missing a physical door.  After only 1 week with a door on my home office, I cannot believe the HUGE difference it makes.  When it is family time, I shut the door and leave work in there.  It was too tempting to brisk by the alcove and check emails and messages.
5. Keeping paperwork behind closed doors is a major luxury. With the help of my ‘organization’ expert, I transformed a closet into my filing area with shelves and a filing cabinet.  Having a door to close allows me to leave my office looking fresh and neat for meetings and video calls.  If you can do it, I say go for it!

For more on the actual move and the before and after photos, you can visit here.

Here is to BIG productivity and success in my new space and yours…

The article elaborated on how Dorsey’s days are themed so to speak.  For each 8-hour shift, he is working on a particular aspect of the company, such as product development or marketing.  While reading the piece, I was struck by mental lightning!

As moms in business, we essentially work 2 different shifts (at least we should).  We are startup business people for part of the day, but whenever we decide to quit, we are moms.  (Pay attention to the deciding to quit part.)

A common complaint that I hear from moms in business everywhere (and this probably pertains to all home based business people with families) is that the 2 roles often run together.  When we mix our offices with our home life, which is all too often the case, being a mom and a business person intersect, crash, and merge continuously throughout the days.

Just this past weekend, I was at a party and a mom who works from home approached me on this exact subject.  How did I recommend setting boundaries? Which ways did I not only enforce to my kids that I was working, but let go of work when it was family time?  Did I find it difficult to turn off work since it was so readily available at home?

Moms in Business feel the pull between both of their babies, both human and business.  Our children need our attention, love, and understanding, but so do our growing businesses.  I think that we can all take a lesson from Jack Dorsey, so I incorporated some of his techniques in my tips for being both a MOM and an ENTREPRENEUR:

First, define and separate the time periods for working on business AND families.  Now, I know first hand that being a mom is a 24 hour gig, but there are hours that our children are in childcare, with family, or at school.  These are hours that we can count on to work on our businesses.  Define the ‘shifts’ to increase boundaries.

Second, hold a planning session with the one and only - YOU - on Sunday Night.  Set your tasks for the week, and use Dorsey’s themed days as an example.  Maybe an accounting day or a day spent entirely in meetings back to back for that particular week?  Set expectations, commitments, and ‘themes’ for the week.

Third, resist the urge to let the 2 roles collide. This is extremely difficult with or without a home office because let’s face it, where we go, our smart phone goes.  Resist the temptation to answer one last email or take one last call when it is family time.  I am certainly not perfect at this, but what I can guarantee is that when you overlap one role into the other, you are not providing either ‘company’ your full attention, which leads to mistakes and/or extra work (trust me).  Give each position your undivided attention when you are set to work on that project.

Fourth and finally, be forgiving. Do not beat yourself up over wanting to work certain hours on your business plan.  Do not feel guilty about setting boundaries on your business when it is time for you to be a MOM.  Be firm and peaceful with your plan because your business and your children are both your babies.

Can you suggest any scheduling tips and tricks to help remove overlap, leave out guilt, and improve performance?

Rachel

http://backngroovemom.com

There are a few simple ways to get started.

1. Location, location, location.

The old realtor term still rings true. Where you set up your home office can affect your productivity. Before you decide where in your home to set up your home office, carefully evaluate every room and ask yourself a few questions:

• Will you actually work in this space? You may set up the perfect office but still work in your kitchen or on your bed.
• Will you be distracted often? If you decide to set up your home office in the kitchen, how much privacy will you have?
• Is there enough lighting?
• Is there enough room for all of your equipment, files, and supplies? A room with a closet or space for a storage cabinet or furniture that can hide supplies is ideal.
• Are there enough electrical outlets?
• If you don’t have wireless Internet, how difficult would it be to get Internet access in this space?

The answers to these questions can help you find the best space for a home office.

2. Forget flimsy furniture.

Instead, invest in functional furniture that gives you plenty of storage space for files and supplies. Whether you want to use a simple writing desk (ideal for a laptop computer) with a lap drawer for supplies or a large desk with drawers for supplies and files, decide whether the piece is functional.  Also, look for an ergonomically correct desk and chair as well as a bookcase to store reference and business books.

3. Use the right arrangement:

Decide whether you want to set up your office using one of these arrangements: L-shape, Parallel, U-shape, corner, or reverse corner arrangement.  The arrangement you choose depends primarily on the size of your office, the type of furniture you have, and how much work surface you will need.

• The L-shaped work area offers the important advantage of getting equipment off your desk and onto a secondary surface.
• The U-shaped work area allows you to keep everything within reach on three surfaces. All you have to do is swivel your chair one way or the other while you work.
• The parallel layout generally positions your desk facing into the room and your secondary surface behind you. Although the two surfaces aren’t next to each other, you can easily access everything you need.
• The corner arrangement and reverse corner arrangement include a desk with returns on each side. The desk either faces into the corner or out into the room.

4. Be creative with file storage.

Instead of using a grey, metal file cabinet to store your files, think outside of the file box.  You could store files in a wooden or wicker ottoman, below a window seat with file frames inside the drawers, or inside a decorative wooden trunk.  A good way to keep files you use often nearby is by using a desk with at least two deep file drawers. Set up an easy-to-use filing system using hanging folders for main categories with interior folders (they’re cut lower than manila folders) inside.

5. Save space within your home office by using all-in-one equipment that prints, copies, scans and faxes documents.

The Brother MFC-J615W is a great example because it has a compact, modern design that doesn’t take up a lot of space, and it looks great in any home office. The smaller footprint (and often low price) of these machines makes them ideal for most space-challenged home offices. Keep storage space on your computer to a minimum by storing information online through a virtual filing system, and eliminate the need for a special photo printer by using an online photo processing service.

6. Avoid the corporate office look.

Let your home office reflect your hobbies and interests, whether they include photography, golf or anything else. Hanging photos you’ve taken or photos of gorgeous golf resorts can add interest and color to your home office. A well-designed home office can make working in that space more enjoyable. For privacy and to minimize the effects of direct sunlight, add window treatments.

7. Think twice before you share your home office.

You may be a stacker and keep papers stacked all over your desk and floor, while your spouse or an assistant needs his or her work area completely clean.  Designate one part of your home office for you and the other part for anyone who shares your home office and if possible, don’t share a desk.

8. If you’re going to meet with clients in your office, set up a space within your home office that includes guest chairs and a meeting table or coffee table.

A dining room is ideal for client meetings mostly because most people rarely use them, the space usually is clutter-free and it’s readily available at all times.

Take a close look at your home and decide whether it’s time to move your home office or take steps to make it more productive.

Lisa Kanarek is one of the nation’s leading home office experts and the author of several books including Working Naked: A guide to the bare essentials of home office life. She is the founder of HomeOfficeLife, a firm that advises corporations and individuals on all aspects of working from home and is founder of the blog Working Naked (www.workingnaked.com).

Well, I just heard from another entrepreneur who hired a big, SEO research firm. Unfortunately, things did not go well, and this new business owner needed some help.

With this in mind, I thought it was time for a quick review so here are:

The Top 3 Ways to Get the Best Results from your Search Engine Optimization Copywriter:

1. Research.

When hiring a new SEO copywriter, have an extended conversation with that person and get all of your questions answered. (Ask about costs, expected results, timeframes, what is involved in reaching your
specific goals, etc.)

Also, call references, review work-samples and check for a good rating with the Better Business Bureau. This way, you’ll have some confidence starting your work relationship and know what to expect.

2. Communicate.

Once you start working together, keep in touch with your SEO copywriter on a weekly basis. You should know the status of all current and pending activities at all times.

And when you start a Pay-Per-Click campaign, launch a new Website, send out an e-mail auto-responder series or have another SEO project in place, ask for a report.

Since it is SEO, you can track clicks, top keywords, open rates, and other data to see what is working and what isn’t.

3. Review.

When you have some data for your SEO projects, review them with your SEO professional.

Stop the campaigns that are not getting results. Change keywords, overall copywriting, e-mail distribution times, subject lines, and more.

Then, test the variances to see what works best. Your SEO copywriter should keep track of the changes and keywords in a main database (note that you should own this database and all materials your SEO person creates for your business).

Communication is Key.

SEO is an ongoing process of research, tracking and changing so it’s essential to talk to your SEO copywriter on a regular basis and have a good, working relationship.

By monitoring activities and knowing which keywords and processes provide the best results, you can make the appropriate changes quickly.

This way, you save time and money while reaching your goals faster. More importantly, you will know what is going on and avoid being ripped off!

Do you have questions about SEO copywriting and how it can help your business increase sales and awareness fast? Please write to me here or at www.rembrandtwrites.com.

This way, you can practice your pitching skills with a smaller venue and begin creating media relationships to help your business grow.

But how do you start your publicity efforts?

1.      Research.

First, you want to read the local publications and figure out who writes about your industry or “beat.” Check out the archived stories online and also look for appropriate contact information.

If you don’t see a particular writer or reporter who covers your particular area of expertise, contact the managing editor or assignment editor. These editors are usually in charge of assigning stories to various reporters. 

2.      Practice.

What are you going to say?

Well, you could just pick up the phone and introduce yourself!

Tell the editor your area of expertise and the value you can provide as a resource to that publication.

You can also pitch a story pertinent to the publication’s audience. But with both of these methods, it’s essential to: 

Offer valuable information that relates to the local community.

After all, that’s what the local publication is all about and what the editor wants to hear!

For example, you can talk about how a national story or trend relates to your business and the local community, provide a case study about one of your local customers or offer an original opinion-piece or article pertinent to the publication’s editorial calendar. 

3. Follow-Up.

After you introduce yourself to the appropriate media contact, follow up with an e-mail or snail-mail letter. You want to remind them what you have to offer their audience.  

Remember to focus on their needs and how you can provide value.

And after your initial contact, you want to keep in touch with your new media contact. On a monthly basis, send a note about a recent article in the publication, provide information about an upcoming community event or ask how you can help.

Most local media venues are tight on staff and cash so they will appreciate your efforts.

Get Results.

By starting with these simple activities, you may end up with an immediate interview or a writing assignment. If not, at least you will build a strong, working relationship with the local press so they know who you are and what you have to offer.

Then, when it’s deadline time, and they need an expert resource for an upcoming story, you’ll be at the top of their list.

And if you are a new business owner, this process can teach you how to talk to the media at a low risk-level. After all, if you mess up your pitch with a small, local publication, you can learn from your mistakes and avoid them when you move on to bigger, national media venues.

With this in mind, try contacting your local media venue within the next week. It won’t cost you anything but time. Plus, you’ll increase your pitching skills.

And who knows?

You may end up with a media clip that builds buzz about your products and services, a new working relationship with the local press and third-party credibility you simply can’t buy!

Have questions about boosting sales, awareness and credibility with search engine optimization copywriting, social media strategy and public relations? Check out my new book, “Simple Publicity,” or contact me here or at www.rembrandtwrites.com.

Great! Now, what do you do?

A.     Sit back and watch who signs up.

B.     Communicate with your new registrants right away.

C.    Send valuable information to your list on a regular basis.

If you answered B and C… Ding, Ding Ding! You are right!

Newsletter Set Up is Just the Beginning.

The whole reason you have an online newsletter registration
is so that you can collect the contact information for potential
customers.

Once you get their names and e-mails, the real work begins…

• Send a thank you.

Immediately after people register for your newsletter, send them
a personalized, e-mail thank-you note. It should include a welcome
message, all the benefits they will be receiving and any kind of
free e-report, survey, white paper, etc. that you agreed to send
them if they registered.

• Schedule e-mail auto-responders.

What are they?

Well, after you send out your initial thank-you
and welcome e-mail, you need to communicate with your
list on a regular basis.

With e-mail auto-responders, you send e-mails to your
audience to remind them about your business. And these 5-10
e-mails are scheduled for automatic delivery over a matter of weeks.

However, you want to ensure these e-mail messages are personal
and provide value to the readers.

Perhaps, you can share a story about something that happened
to you recently, provide a business tip or talk about a current,
news story?

At the end of your e-mail, you remind your list about
a particular product or service that you are selling.

This way, you communicate with your list in a way that provides value,
reminds them you are around and allows them to get to know you
over time.

It is a fantastic way to build long-term, customer relationships.

• Are you blogging and using social media?

In addition to sending out the e-mail auto-responders mentioned above,
you also want to let your list know when you have a new blog entry,
article, sale, etc. And this is just a simple process of scheduling an
e-mail to go out whenever you have a new entry.

For these services, check out:

http://aweber.com/?324776
www.constantcontact.com
www.icontact.com
www.myemma.com
www.verticalresponse.com

This way, you can easily stay in touch with your list on a regular
basis and keep your products and services top-of-mind while
providing value.

• Monitor e-mail auto-responder results.

Once your newsletter-registration and e-mail auto-responder
process is in place, be sure to monitor it regularly.

By checking your e-mail service, you can see how many people
opened your e-mail, the most popular content and clicks,
the best subject lines and send times, undeliverables, spam notices,
and more.

This is valuable information you can use to get the best results
for your e-mail efforts. Plus, you can use this data to discover key
trends with your list members, conduct follow-up, stop issues before
they become big problems, and create new content to meet their
specific needs.

Take Advantage of This Process.

Having a newsletter registration allows you to create and
grow your own list of customers. But this is just the beginning.

Once you offer your newsletter, it’s important to provide
personalized information  to your list on a regular basis via
an e-mail auto-responder series.

Now, you may think that your customers will turn away if you
send them too many e-mails. And sure, you will get some
unsubscribes. But you do not want these “uninterested” people
on your list anyway.

Just be sure to send valuable information your customers can
use. And note that there is an art to the content and timing of these
e-mails… so I strongly advise that you hire an experienced, SEO
copywriter to help you write and send them.

But it’s well worth the time, cost and effort. With good, e-mail
auto-responders, your list will actually look forward to
receiving  your e-mails.

And this means you can build valuable,
long-term customer relationships that will catapult your business
above the competition and dramatically increase sales.

Do you need assistance setting up your newsletter process and
e-mail auto-responder series? Please write to me here or at
www.rembrandtwrites.com. Your site traffic will increase!

Perhaps, you spent hours writing the copy yourself?

Or maybe you hired a big, Web company to design a site with all the bells and whistles?

Either way, you are not finished…. unless, you did this one, key step…

Did you have outsiders give you their opinions of the site?

After all, you are probably too close to it… and you’ve spent so much time and effort (and maybe money)
preparing it, that you may miss some important errors.

With this in mind, have some outsiders and potential customers answer these questions (and your Mom or spouse doesn’t count)!:

1.       What is the first thing you look at when you open the site?

2.       What does this business offer?

3.       Does the site provide a solution to your problem?

4.       What are you supposed to do when you visit the site? What is the call-to-action?

5.       If you want to purchase something, do you know what you are supposed to do?

6.       Is it easy to find what you need on the site?

7.       Does the site have too much going on, or is it easy to get the information you need?

8.       What did you like most about the site?

9.       What did you like least about the site?

10.    What suggestions do you have to add value this site?

Once you have a good collection of responses, review them carefully.

Are you surprised at the answers?

You may discover blatant mistakes and key data that you overlooked. And while you may be disappointed, it’s great that you have this information.

Now, you can use this “insider” insight to help you create a site for your customers that works. Once you make the changes and update your site, run this test again.

Did your updates work?

If you receive the responses you are looking for, move forward with a big launch for your site. But if information is still missing and potential customers are not getting the value and data they are looking for, your site still needs changes.

Take the time and effort to review what your customers want on a regular basis. Then, provide the appropriate information they are looking for. After all, you may think you have a great site, but if it doesn’t meet the needs of your target market, you don’t!

Yes, this may be time consuming. But think what will happen if you don’t take action. Your site will not be the best it can be, and sales and site visitors will go to the competition.

Do you need help with a site review and search engine optimization to boost awareness, visitors and sales?Please let me know here or at www.rembrandtwrites.com.

• I don’t need SEO.

• It’s too expensive.

• I was ripped off by SEO in the past.

Well, here’s the cold hard truth about SEO:

You need search engine optimization to compete.

What happens right now when potential customers
are looking for your services?

Go ahead. Try it.

Type in a keyword about your products and services
in Google and see what comes up.

Are you listed? If not, who is?

Well, these are the people “stealing” your sales.

It’s worth the expense.

If you hire a good, SEO copywriter to optimize your
site for the search engines, it’s well worth it.

In the long run, the sales you receive from their SEO
efforts can pay for their fee.

And really. Can you afford not to optimize your site?

Find the right SEO service.

“I was ripped off by SEO in the past.”

O.k. I’ve heard this one a lot, and my sympathies go
out to you. But this is no reason to give up on SEO.

What happened last time?

Did you have clear expectations of what the results would be?

Did you thoroughly discuss your goals with SEO service
in advance and understand the process?

Did you get referrals?

When you pursue SEO again, make sure you know
exactly what you are paying for and what you can expect.

If this is not clear up front, you run the risk of losing time
and money. Plus, you will not get good results.

SEO is an important part of today’s marketing process. And
it doesn’t need to be difficult. Hire an experienced professional
and get your business posted in the search engine listings.

And when the sales calls start coming in, you’ll wonder why
you waited to move forward with your SEO efforts!

Do you have questions about search engine optimization for
your business and want some honest answers? Please let me know
here or at www.rembrandtwrites.com. I’d love to help you get noticed
online!

Many people think of self-discipline as being strong enough to resist all temptations and just do all the work we need to do. But I’ve discovered that the best way to be disciplined is to help yourself, by removing all temptations from the situations where you need to get work done.

For example, I play rugby and need to train six times a week. Sometimes I train with my teammates but twice a week we’re supposed to train on our own. I had been skipping half of those training sessions. When I talked with my rugby friends about it, it turned out that they had been skipping some of their self-training sessions too. So we made an agreement: instead of training by ourselves we’d all get together at the park and train. If someone didn’t show up, they’d have to pay the four of us $20 each. That’s $80 for missing practice! In two months, only one of us missed a session.

Here’s the funny part: because everyone lived in different parts of the city, we all had to drive 30 minutes to meet up at the park. It would have been much more convenient to train on our own. But we had already tried that and it didn’t work.

Most of us face situations like this one every day. We try to convince ourselves that driving an extra 30 minutes to do something that we could do at home is stupid. We think that we should just be strong enough to get our work done without any extra incentives. But you’re a human being. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Temptations exist. You can either make it really hard for yourself or manipulate the situation you’re in so things are easier for you.

This is how I manipulated some situations in my life to make things easier for myself:

• I used to check my email several times a day and that was killing me. There’s no way to focus on something and be productive if you check your email every five minutes. I decided to tear up a $1 bill every time I checked my email during the day. Six months later, I’m out $3 and I’m 200% more productive. Not bad, huh?
• I wanted to eat more fruit and less junk food. So, instead of buying both at the grocery store, I only got fruits and no junk food. Now, every time I want junk food I need to drive a whole mile to the closest gas station. I’ve probably reduced my intake of junk food by 90%.
• When I get really stressed out, I start sniffing. This gives me headaches and stomach cramps. I used to think that it’s part of me and I couldn’t change it. Last month I did an experiment: every time I started sniffing, I’d take a 5-minute break from work. The first week of my experiment I was really pissed at myself. I’d work for two minutes, start sniffing, take five minutes off, then work for 30 seconds, start sniffing again, take another five minutes off and so on. I couldn’t get any work done. But little by little I started associating the sniffing with the punishment and I stopped doing it. Now it probably happens once or twice a day, but I don’t have the headaches or stomach cramps anymore.

When you run your own business being disciplined is incredibly important. But if you manipulate your situation, you can make it a lot easier to avoid temptation and get your work done.