4/01/2008
Platinum Joint Venture Bonus Giveaway
| As I told you last week, today is the launch of the Platinum JV of which I am a part. What is the Platinum JV? Very simply it is a group of 10 Internet-based entrepreneurs who decided to pool our expertise and give away 10 e-products (mostly e-books) for free. Yes, for free.  Really…for free. (Click here to view the press release.) Ready to tap into these products and the accompanying expertise? Click here to begin downloading immediately. Also, feel free to send this link to anyone and everyone you know, work with, live near, like and have heard of: http://www.kathleengage.com/jvplatinum.htm Labels: business, business advice, business building, entrepreneurs |
2/27/2008
Do all entrepreneurs have ADD?
| I don’t know about you, but I have days (and nights) during which I have one million-dollar-idea after another (Donny Deutsch are you listening?). Apparently, I am not alone. In fact, I read in a couple of places that roughly half of all entrepreneurs have (or maybe think they have?) Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) Now I know little about ADD, I do not have the condition nor would I ever diagnose myself or anybody else. I use the term here to describe the constant flow, at least in my brain, of new ideas, approaches for clients or for my own business, better systems and so much more. (And that's all before the additional millions of ideas I have for kid-friendly products and other gadgets that will make our busy lives easier in the kitchen, at home and in the office.) There will never be enough hours in the day to develop even a small fraction of the copywriting and marketing – related products I am dying to bring to life. NEVER. Yes, the entrepreneur’s mind is a busy, excited and innovative one. I don’t know about you, but I know for me that while money certainly plays a role, it’s so much more the idea and product/service development that keep these brain juices flowing. And the more I see and accept how infinite the world of ideas is, the more ideas come to me. Of course many never see the light of day and of those that do, just a small slice are actually viable and successful. But the thrill of the idea is a great one, don't you think? Labels: ADD, big idea, entrepreneurs, inventions |
2/19/2008
Getting Out Of Your Home Office ‘Cave’ (Part 2 of 2)
| As I said in my previous post, working from home, whether as an entrepreneur, freelancer or employee/telecommuter can be one of the best, most effective, most liberating gigs around. Before moving out of my home office, I called home “my office” and my office “home” over five years. I managed to be incredibly productive and growth-oriented by following these rules every single day:
Labels: entrepreneurs, freelance writer, freelance writing |
2/18/2008
Getting Out Of Your Home Office ‘Cave’ (Part 1 of 2)
| Working from home, whether as an employee or as the master of your domain, is no longer the exception to the rule when it comes to where you work and what you do all day. Many people decide to leave full-time employee positions to “go out on their own.” Others remain employees but are allowed to telecommute some or all days of the week. Many see the “freelance life” or the “work-from-home life” as a perfect, idyllic existence. Freelancers and telecommuters have a seemingly perfect life of hanging out around the house in their pajamas and doing much of nothing at all, right? (Similar to what many view, so wrongly, as the relaxed, pajama-and-soap-opera-days of stay-at-home-moms.) Wrong! The truth is, working out of your home is a lot harder than it sounds. You have to keep yourself motivated and productive at all times -- not an easy feat in today’s distraction-filled world. Discipline and scheduling will make or break you. On a personal note, I ran my business, Get It In Writing, from a super-cool home office for about five years before moving to outside office space about 15 minutes from my home. My problem was not distraction or ineffectiveness, but actually the opposite: I was working too much, too long and too hard. I needed a separation between church and state (or between home and office). I needed my home to be a haven away from the busy-ness of the world, not be a part of it. See my next post for my top tips on getting out of that cave you call your home office cave. Labels: entrepreneurs, freelance writer, freelance writing |
11/25/2007
Just say "no" to time wasters and time stealers
| I received some great advice via Jack Canfield (of Chicken Soup for the Soul and The Secret fame) and his "Success Principles" e-mails. Here is what he says about saying "no" to the nonsense that keeps us from doing what we need to do (and these are directly quoted from Mr. Canfield's e-mail): 1.) Non-essential email such as poems, jokes and stories. Write a polite, "take-me-off-your-feel-good-list" response you can create as an email signature to reply whenever you receive these. If you are routinely copied on inner-office email that doesn't apply to you, ask to be taken off the list. 2.) Telemarketing calls. Log on to www.donotcall.gov to have your telephone number (including your cell phone number) removed from telemarketing lists. 3). Other people's busy work. Direct co-workers to readily available information they can locate, print and read on their own, once they know where to find it -- instead of asking you as an easier "go-to" source. 4.) Crisis deadlines. Ask to be notified well in advance of deadlines so you are more in control of the delivery of projects. Politely advise co-workers you cannot bail them out at the last minute when they miss THEIR deadlines. Always ask if the deadline is truly a high priority -- ultimately, many are not. Labels: business tips, entrepreneurs, productivity in business |