On the flip side, the 2nd quarter of the year is coming to a close as summer hits, and parents in business are no different than anyone else.  We want our momentum to keep going into the 3rd quarter without interruptions.  I definitely do.

In my opinion, summer and business growth and productivity do not need to work against each other.  In fact, greater productivity can lead to greater enjoyment of summer.

I have a sneaky suspicion the busier I am, the more I achieve and fit in to my day.

Think about it - When you have large chunks of time that are unaccounted for…What do you do?  My guess is daydream, play with apps, doodle, waste time, or grab a coffee.

When we are busy and have a really full schedule, we actually fit more in because we are diligent about scheduling.  We make time for each task and responsibility, hopefully blocking out time for our families and fitness and sleep. We map out our days out of NECESSITY, so we can cross everything off not leaving a spare minute to doodle.

A few weeks ago, I had the distinct pleasure of hearing Samantha Ettus speak about work family balance on a panel for Hot Topics for Moms in Business. Samantha imparted us with one tiny little tidbit that stuck in my mind because it is the way I live.  “Run your life like train schedule.” Samantha dramatically changed her entire family’s schedule so both she and her husband could run their businesses and spend time with their children.

Operating on that schedule allows Samantha to fit in everything that she and her husband prioritize.  This is how I live year-round, but especially in summer.  During summer, most of us have the benfit of warm weather and longer days, which lets us squeeze in an early morning run or evening walk for ice cream with all of other responsibilities sandwiched in the middle.

I hope each and everyone of you enjoys your holiday weekend, and as it comes to a close set some goals for your summer.  Outlining both business and family goals are important.  Then, take a look at your schedule week by week and draft up a timeline for those goals.  Insert tasks in your calendar along with time to enjoy your kids, dogs and the summer weather.

Reach out to friends and other parents in your neighborhood to arrange a childcare swap, carpools, or information on local kids’ programs.  Go over plans with your spouse and partner and put it all in the schedule!

I am training for a half-marathon, and I think the discipline used in my training can be applied to business.  I have a plan mapped out with goals I want to hit and how much I need to run, stretch and rest/reinvigorate to get to my goal.  The same goes for business.  I know where I want to go, which includes how many nights I need to work to get there and how I can take the weekends off to replenish myself and my family.

I would love for you to share your top summer goal with me and how you have scheduled to make it happen!  Keeping one another accountable is always helpful!

Here is to an amazing summer for you and me both.  I hope your business rises like the heat (Don’t forget to cool off with an ice-cream).

For more on ’summer tricks of the trade for moms and dads’…read here.

Rachel

Not sure if you remember, but last spring - I unplugged! That is right, I unplugged for a week with my family.  It was great!  I logged in to my computer once a day just to quickly go through emails in case of anything urgent, but for the remainder of the week, I was PRESENT for face-to-face time.

As winter break approaches and I am going to travel a little with my family, the question of unplugging boils up again.  Well, this time around, I cannot totally unplug because I have a few pressing projects, etc.  However, I only plan to attend to those specific tasks, and unplug for the rest of the time.

As a mom and an entrepreneur, I am not doing my job as a mom if I do not unplug and give full attention to my family when the opportunity presents itself.

So, this semi-unplugging begs the question:  To use an automated ‘out of the office’ message while traveling this holiday season. I say NO.

Don’t fret if you have a different opinion.  I am open to your thoughts, but for me, it is a BIG fat NO to the automated message.

Why? I think that the automated response has a place if you really are somewhere without internet access (where is that?) or ACTUALLY will not be checking email for an extended period of time.  My guess is that will not be the case for most of you.

Even with time off, most of you (and me) will be checking the iphone/berry/droid from time to time.  Isn’t it just easier to do what I did with my initial unplugging?  Simply respond to anything urgent, file away what can wait and needs a response when you are back to work, and delete the junk.

This crazy little unplugging system that I have may seem like a contradiction, but I think a quick daily check of email can really save valuable productive time when you return. With my way, the only emails left in your inbox are the ones that need your attention.

As for what all this has to do with the automated response:  they are annoying; make more junk mail for the recipient; and my guess is that if what your emailee needs is so pressing, they will go on an email frenzy with your inbox and everyone else associated with you.

If this snowball effect happens, it could mean more work for you to clean up in contrast to quickly attending to the matter in the first place.

If you check once a day and respond (currently 24 hours is the minimum courtesy expected to return an email), everything just flows more easily.

As I said, this is my opinion.

I say NO to automation.

If you say YES to automation, share your experiences…..

For more winter vacation survival tips as a mompreneur, click here

AND I do say YES to Merry Everything!

I thought of how this question may relate to my larger start-up biz audience here at StartUpNation, and I easily found my answer in the original question — “Can we find time for pampering?”

I hear from so many entrepreneurs, not only moms and women, but men, too –  “I just do not have time for ME!” or “ME time is a luxury that I cannot afford right now.”

Well, I question how you simply cannot afford to go without a bit of ME time.  Although we all define what pampering means differently to each of us, every person is entitled to a little bit of it.  As a start-up biz person, who lives and breathes their business, more than likely works out of their home probably close to round the clock, and has invested the majority of their time, energy, love, and money into their venture…..YOU need some ME time!

So, while I plan to make some very real suggestions to mompreneurs everywhere on how they can fit a tiny bit of precious pampering, I ask you, StartUpNation Readers, to make a short list.  That list should include the top three ways that you like to enjoy ME time.  Honestly, your top choice could be as simple as shutting off your phone and reading a book for 30 minutes or indulging in an hour of yoga or perhaps a massage.

Make your list, hang it above your desk, and think about whether you take the time or not.

If you do, share with us why it is so important to make the time.

If you do not, stay tuned for some helpful hints as to allowing yourself time to indulge in YOU!

In the meantime, read about my recent brush with excess time and how I prefer the craziness and chaos at http://backngroovemom.com

I am sure that most people would benefit from a short break-up with their smart phone, laptop, or Ipad, but I want to clarify one very important reason behind my taking space from my phone.  I am a mompreneur, and what does mompreneur mean?  Mom + Entrepreneur = Mompreneur  To me, being a mompreneur means that I hold two really important positions.  Not only am I in control of my entrepreneurial mission, but I am responsible for setting an example for my kids and teaching them valuable life-lessons.

In our current world, pick up any magazine, newspaper, or log onto any news site, and you will very likely come across some news piece regarding teenagers and misuse of technology.  Teenagers all over are violating school rules and logging onto social media while in class, hiding phones under the dinner table, and engaging in risque’ behaviors with their phones and on the internet.  Our children are growing up with an attitude of constant availability.  I am not one to say whether this is the right or wrong path, I simply feel that as Moms & Entrepreneurs, we can set an example on boundaries with technology and availability.  That was a crucial piece of my unplugging efforts.  I was going to be in the moment and model that for my boys.

Another big part of the trial separation was the hours that I keep as a mompreneur.  I put in LONG days, as most of you do.  Often, I am up early and late at night working in order to fit in all the mom stuff in between.  I was in need of a mental break, and believe me - it was a HUGE challenge to take it!  Email and technology are awesome in respect to the fact that they allow us to communicate and do business at off hours, but they also creep into all parts of our day.  Take it from me, it is very difficult to let go of constant “in-the-know” cold turkey.

As I stated in my video challenge, I LOVE my phone and typically answer emails throughout the day.  I made a promise to my boys that I would check once daily, but the deal went both ways.  My boys were also responsible for staying off their itouches, etc, and live the moment with me.  They were very excited about this idea, and out of the mouthes of babes, stated “moms should unplug when away, we would be mad if you did not.”

Moving on to the actual separation……Here are the details and my tips to you:

• I actually powered the phone OFF (gasp) and put it away.
• For the first 24 hours, I felt as though I was constantly missing something.
• I finished a fiction book for pleasure in 24 hours (unheard of), played Rory’s Story Cubes (an imagination based game, nothing electronic) with the boys, and enjoyed an interruption-free family dinner BEFORE I believed that I made the right choice!
• Checking email once daily was overwhelming because of the sheer amount of emails - I found it helpful to create a folder for all the important emails that I needed to respond to when vacation was over.  I deleted all junk mail so it did not clog my email feed.
• By midweek, I almost forgot about my phone! However, by the end of the week, I was anxious to get back to my projects.
• When I finally turned my phone back on, I was in a bit of a frenzy!  Actually, when I created my list for Monday, I was overly ambitious and ended up being disappointed because I did not finish everything.
• I am happy to report that by Tuesday, I was totally back on track and setting manageable to-do lists and had returned every email that I needed to! Stay tuned to my blog here on StartupNation, I plan on sharing some to-do list tips with you.

I highly recommend this little vacation from your smart phone.  I am extremely motivated after vacation and feel as though we escaped as a family for a week.  We enjoyed a lot of laughs and fun times - One of the cutest was when I was ziplining, and my boys yelled from below “GO Backngroovemom!”

Check out http://backngroovemom.com for the full report on the vacation and stay posted for some important biz updates!  AND, feel free to email me - I will probably answer you quickly from my phone (we are so happy to be back together). Rachel

Spring Break starts this Friday at 3 p.m., and although I worked part of the winter break, we have a family trip scheduled for spring break.  This is a time for us to share with one another having conversation that does not include talk of homework, tests, chores, my busy schedule, carpool details, lunch menu choices, and the need for everyone to be quiet because I have a conference call.  It is Real Live Face-to-Face time (not on an Itouch) where we can create memories that certainly will never fade.

SO, I am challenging myself to something new — watch the video below and find out!

Some may criticize my decision, but it feels right to me.  I owe this to myself and my boys - to be a family without interruption.  This also teaches my boys an important lesson - that they do not have to be tethered to technology all the time either, but actual time spent together is important.

If you think I may need checks and balances with this challenge:  Have no fear!  My mom is joining us, AND no one dislikes my smart phone use more than my mom.

I hope you will think of me next week -

Do not forget to drop me a comment below if you try to ditch the phone or not on vacation….always curious to hear different opinions.

You can always visit me at http://backngroovemom.com and catch up on my archived posts.

And, you know that I will have one big blog to write when I get back on how this whole challenge went for me!

Employees want to do a good job. And what the boss often needs to do is get out of the way and let them perform. Of course, when I became a business owner, I fell prey to the kind of thinking that trips up so many entrepreneurs: You have to work endless hours, you have to micromanage every aspect of the business, you have to make every decision. Ack!

I don’t know if my businesses would have survived if I hadn’t come up with what I call Go Theory. (”Go” as in “just go away”.) Go Theory is not about where you go or what you do while you go away from the office. Go Theory is all about what you don’t do:

• Don’t send your employees lots of little reminders by email.
• Don’t keep checking your smart phone.
• Don’t miss the spectacular view or the interesting presentation or the quality time with friends because you were stressing out about what might be going on back at the office.

Instead, enjoy your time away. Because you’ve got great people taking care of the business while you’re gone. If that last sentence just sent a chill up your spine (“But…no one can possibly take care of my business except me!”), read on.

The first element of Go theory, its absolute essence, is hiring great people to work in your business:

• Fire quick and hire slow. Invest the time and money required to make the best choices. I don’t rely on just myself to spot the right person — I make sure that at least two other people whose opinions I respect interview the candidates.
• Hire smart. I hire people who are smarter than me.
• Pick people with a track record for doing their tasks and accomplishing their goals. You don’t want to deal with excuses.

The second element of Go theory involves what you do with those great employees once you have them:

• Give people a great place to work, including real benefits.
• Trust them to handle problems and give them room to succeed or fail.
• Get in the habit of throwing issues back to employees — otherwise, you’ll be chained to your business 24/7.
• Make your business a vibrant and healthy system and you’ll find that employees work better when you’re gone.

The third element of Go theory is at once the easiest — and the hardest:

• Give employees clear directions or goals, and leave them alone to do their jobs. A quick check-in early in the project to make sure they are on track is OK, but then…go away!

The idea is for you to work on your business instead of in your business. This forces you and your staff to create good systems that can run without you. As the CEO, you want to be useless in the day-to-day business activities so you can be proactive and reactive to markets and opportunities. Keep in mind that what puts your business ahead of the competition is not logging lots of hours at the office — it’s creativity. Ask yourself: How can you be creative if you’re spending all your time making sales calls?

Go Theory provides a lot of rewards, including a “real life” for the CEO and a stronger, healthier bottom line for the company. I find that in my absence my business thrives. Projects move forward, problems get solved, and new ideas emerge. All this — just because I learned to get out of the way and work from a beachside cafe two hours a day.

Carrie Fisher has an impressive background as a writer, two of her books having been made into films. After something akin to electric shock therapy, she risks losing much of her memory and past in order to move forward with the rest of her life. To many, this would be a death sentence as our history, that which binds us into routine and dictates much of our decision making, is the thing we find the most comfort in.

Fisher is an example of someone who refuses to be put in a box, who is still out there learning lessons, sharing her findings and being funny — whatever you may think of her or her talent, you just have to appreciate those qualities in a person.

She has a book: $29.00- 13.38

She has a 1-man show: $59.00-49.00

And those lovely cinnamon buns on the cover, priceless.

I was disappointed to see that there wasn’t some Hollywood intern trapped in a hamster wheel blogging for her while she’s on the road, to capture all the love and well wishes, etc. but I suspect she will get to that eventually. All Boomers have to embrace the web at some point.

To Carrie’s new life, she’s summoned her chutzpah and making some coin on skills she still has, memories she might lose and of course, looking to what the future might bring.

Altogether, a rather inspirational message.

Quote to consider

No written word, no spoken plea Can teach our youth what they should be; Nor all the books on all the shelves It’s what the teachers are themselves. Given to John Wooden by his Father upon Graduation And now to You

He is, quite simply, the greatest basketball coach ever. The numbers speak for themselves: 10 NCAA championships in 12 years, including seven straight national championships, 38 straight tournament wins and 88 straight wins overall. You don’t build a record like that without being a great leader and without being able to mold and shape raw talent into cohesive teams that make winning a part of their very existence. A day after his 95th birthday, UCLA’s head basketball coach emeritus brought his leadership lessons to UCLA’s Alumni Weekend Conference, where he shared his thoughts on team spirit, teaching and — most important to him — poetry, during a conversation with author Steve Jamison and a group of business school graduates.

I don’t like to give advice. I’ll give opinions.

You’ve got to get across to each individual that what we are interested in is what is going to work for all. You have to think for the group and not just of yourself.

I once heard team spirit defined as a willingness to lose oneself in the group for the good of the group. I used that for a spell, but it wasn’t quite what I wanted somehow. Eventually, I decided that I would eliminate the word “willingness” and institute “eagerness” — an eagerness to lose one’s self in the group for the good of the group.

[A leader] is just part of the group. You have to be firm but not stubborn. Stubbornness we deprecate, firmness we condone. The former is my neighbor’s trait; the latter is my own.

We’re all different. The good Lord in his wisdom didn’t create us the same. Some players, for example, I had to pat on the back constantly, and there are others I had to pat a little lower and a little harder. You can’t treat everybody alike. You have to try to give everyone the treatment they earn and deserve under your supervision.

When you have to discipline, do it privately and not before others. Don’t embarrass them before their peers.

• Complete Interview
• Coach Wood web site (warning he has audio on his web site)
• His books

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I’m a big fan of “if you have a gift at something, you share it.” Perhaps it’s all that Catholic school (no lights under a bushell, and such) but I think this journey is a lot easier when people give one another a hand.

With the latest phenomenon of YouTube, there is precious little NOT shared online. For those who just didn’t want to deal with the lack of quality filtering in the latest trend with video contact (my hand is high in the air), there is a site you should check out: Academic Earth, where education is being brought—for free—to virtually every scholarly topic under the sun.

New York-based Academic Earth aims to make a world-class education available to everyone on the planet. Toward that end, it is building a user-friendly ecosystem that gives internet users around the globe the ability to find, interact with and learn from full video courses and lectures from the world’s leading scholars.

More than 1,500 video lectures are currently available on the site, covering economics, entrepreneurship, history, law, medicine, religion and the sciences, among many other topics. A series of thematic collections, meanwhile, combine lectures to create courses such as “Understanding the Financial Crisis” and “Social Entrepreneurship 101.” Faculty for Academic Earth’s lectures are drawn from Berkeley, Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Stanford and Yale, and courses are offered under a Creative Commons license through open course programs at the universities. Associated materials include lecture transcripts, handouts, reading assignments, tests and problem sets; some classes are also available as podcasts.

You can’t get real academic credit, the classes can be saved, rated and shared as favorites. This is an ideal site for anyone who wants to learn more. It is easy to use, unintimidating, not geared towards tweens, and gives you every opportunity to learn to your heart’s content. What have you always wanted to learn?

Website: www.academicearth.org�

“That head!” 

“What a big puppy!” 

“He can hold three?!”

Variations of these words always seem to blurt out of people as they encounter the one-and-only, life-loving Maximus Sloan. Those of you who know Max adore him. Today, friends, he needs your support.

Among neighbors, it’s no secret that he’s had a lump growing on his back. It’s also no secret how much I love Max and how much he just wants to be a part of things, to be at my side for whatever, wherever, whenever, even as I jabber away to seemingly nobody in my home office.

Special note: Max is Romeo’s son. I’ve paid homage to Romeo here previously.

Well, today is a big day for Maxie. On his behalf, I am asking each of you to send your positive energy and most supportive and powerful thoughts across the universe to him in Rohnert Park north of San Francisco where he will undergo surgery.

Here are some photos for those of you who don’t know him in person and after the photos, my special request:

                            at 6 weeks

                 drifting off on summer vacation

 contemplating the next stunt

                                                               throw some more balls in!

 a couple of weeks ago

He’s going in to have a hemangiosarcoma cancer tumor removed that recently aggressively returned. It’s located along his lumbar in front of his left hip. You can see it, actually, in the last photo. His doctor, Lisa Alexander, an experienced surgeon, believes there are reasonable odds for a fully functional recovery and significant extension of his life at a high quality level.

(My brother and I tried to eradicate these kinds of hereditary diseases by creating the business plan for and funding VetGen but the development of cancer diagnostics to be used for preventative breeding has still eluded the researchers there.)

Max and I talked last night after his last pre-op meal, which included his regular dog food heaped with some homemade dark meat turkey with broccoli and spinach in a vegetable broth. His appetite for this meal was much like his appetite for life. He devoured it.

Laying in the grass afterward, we talked quietly about things. I kept both of my hands on him softly with no movement during this time, eyes closed. He laid there, relaxed but alert like a sphinx, swishing his tail in the grass occasionally to acknowledge my voice and my tone. We talked about what we wanted to happen, how tough he would have to be, how much his friends love him, and what fun lay ahead if he could go in today, go under, come out on the other side of it and endure the surgery and recovery. We talked of body surfing at the beach, fetching balls, hikes in the redwoods, spooning in bed, howling at passing sirens, and just being “a part of things.”

He told me he was ready… for life. Typical Max.

Whatever you got, friends, today’s the day. Send it to him. He needs you.

Check-in is at 10am Pacific Time. X-rays are at 11am. If those show no presence of spread to other major organs, a CT scan happens at 1pm. If that shows no obvious spread to neighboring tissue, surgery starts immediately.

I will be there all day, working from the lobby at the surgery center, pulling for my best friend and little brother, Max.

If all goes well, the surgery will take place and he will stay for monitoring and recovery for at least one night.

I will provide an update here tomorrow.

Thank you for pulling for Max today. This crazy world’s a better place with him in it.

Rich