When it comes to success, many of us loose site of just how much have accomplished in a day, a week, a month, a year and even a lifetime.  How good are you at celebrating your successes?  Or do you tend to focus on your faults and failures more?  A wise woman once said “We must learn from our mistakes.  However don’t let them consume you or you will never achieve greatness.  Celebrate your successes no matter how small or trivial they may seem. After all, that is where the real joy in life comes from.”

Here are some ways you can review and celebrate your successes.

As the year comes to a close, look back at the last several months and make a list of 20 accomplishments. This may be difficult for you to do as you review the past year.  You may only come up with 5 or 10 things.  That’s okay!  Start there.  Add to it as you think of more.  Ask your family and friends what they think you have accomplished.  You will be amazed at how quickly your list will grow.

The next thing to do is to start writing down all the things you accomplished each day.  At the end of the day, list 2-5 (or more) things that you accomplished that day (no matter how trivial they may seem).

You can buy a simple journal and call it your Success Journal.  Keep it near you at all times so that when you have reached one of your goals, a milestone or accomplished a simple task, it is handy for you to write in.

The Ta-da list is a great counterbalance for your to-do list and you will find that you have accomplished more than you thought you had.  In addition, the ta-da list creates an emotional spark to your soul often giving you the encouragement you need to keep on keeping on with the goals you have set for yourself.

And finally, when you have 5-10 things on your list (or even one) REWARD YOURSELF!  Go to the spa, get a manicure, take half a day off, go to a museum, buy a new pair of shoes J (my personal favorite) and remember to pat yourself on the back.  I have one friend who every time she accomplished a major goal, she bought herself a trophy!  The “AWARDS” guy loved her… She has so many now that she spends the money on supporting worthy causes.  This makes her feel good and she spreads her success around.

Zig Ziglar said; “You can have everything you want, if you will just help enough other people get what they want.”

That is one of my favorite quotes of all time. Because it is so true in my life. It is a self-fulfilling prophecy for those who practice the messages. Think back over your life. Think about the people who have had a positive influence on you. These are people who probably don’t even know what an impact they have had on you. They did something, however small that made a difference in your life. Maybe it was a friend, or mentor, or boss, or employee, or student or teacher, or family member.  They impacted your life because they cared enough to do something for which they may or may not be repaid. Without expectation or seeking glory. They gave for the sake of giving.

And you? What have you done for someone else that may have impacted your life and theirs for the better? What could you do for someone today that might just matter tomorrow or years from now?

When you help someone else it increases your self confidence. You feel good about yourself and others feel better about you. Your TQ (trust quotient) goes way up. People like you more. And they want to do business with you. People want to support people who GIVE.

By helping others you help yourself.  And it’s not just about money.  It could be as simple as a phone call, a card in the mail, a kind expression, a shoulder to cry on, lending an ear… etc. In fact, there is a great new book that just came out this week which shares in-depth what happens to those who are givers. It is called The Power of Giving by Azim Jamal and Harvey McKinnon.

“The Power of Giving is a book that will show you the simple secrets to getting what you want most in life. Extensive scientific research shows that giving will benefit you, as much those you give to. In this award-winning book, authors Azim Jamal and Harvey McKinnon, reveal how you can live your life to achieve the greatest impact, happiness and satisfaction.”

Jack Canfield, author of The Success Principles and co-creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul said about The Power of Giving,  “If everyone followed the advice given in this wonderful book, our world would be a richer, more equitable and peaceful place. I am personally touched by their deep message. The Power of Giving is a must read. Profit from reading it. Give it to everyone you love.”

“When you buy this book, you’ll help it to become a bestseller. This means you will also spread the message of giving. Already published in 9 languages, The Power of Giving won a 2009 Nautilus Gold Award — an honor previously bestowed upon authors such as His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Deepak Chopra, and Eckhart Tolle.”

You can follow The Power of Giving on their  fan page on Facebook or Twitter http://twitter.com/givingbook. You will also find helpful and inspiring articles every week when you  visit their blog.

The Power of Giving will help you to achieve more of what you want in your life. And you also receive several thousand dollars worth of gifts from partners who have also experienced the Power of Giving and want to share their gifts with you.  What about you? Are you ready to share your gifts with the world through Giving? Check it out at http://bit.ly/SrU87

Did you know that In Romanian, Greek and Hispanic cultures, Tuesday the 13th is considered unlucky?

Hoteliers once believed the number 13 was so unlucky that they did not even have a 13th floor in their establishments.  Well technically they may have but they did not number the 13th floor #13. and in fact, many hotel guests still refuse to stay in Room 13, so rooms are frequently numbered 12, 12A, and 14.

Some believe that a fear of the number 13 is the reason we only recognize 12 constellations in the Zodiac. The 13th being Ophiuchus ( the Serpent Holder) because of its location, could be included.

And a Baker’s Dozen became so because years ago London bakers would be subject to heavy penalties if they were caught selling underweight bread. To insure their bread met the proper weight standards they would include an extra loaf and to avoid using the word thirteen, called it a “bakers dozen.”

But not everyone is afraid of the number 13. In fact, “in 1881, an influential group of New Yorkers led by U.S. Civil War veteran Captain William Fowler came together to put an end to this and other superstitions. They formed a dinner cabaret club, which they called the Thirteen Club. At the first meeting, on Friday 13 January 1881 at 8:13 p.m., 13 people sat down to dine in room 13 of the venue. The guests walked under a ladder to enter the room and were seated among piles of spilled salt. All of the guests survived. Thirteen Clubs sprang up all over North America for the next 40 years. Their activities were regularly reported in leading newspapers, and their numbers included five future U.S. presidents, from Chester A. Arthur to Theodore Roosevelt. Thirteen Clubs had various imitators, but they all gradually faded from interest as people became less superstitious.” (source: Wikipedia.com)

And I purchased Eden Florist on August 13th (in 1981). I have always loved the number 13 and consider it very lucky for me.  Can you guess which number I always play in the lottery???

In addition to all this trivia, I came across some great tips to share. Here is my list of 13 Tips to help you in business and in life With an excerpt from each:

13 Tips for Working Smarter, Not Harder
Tip #13  Beware of perfectionism. Most routine work doesn’t need to be done perfectly. Ask yourself — Is your effort disproportionate to the value of the task? Will other, more important projects be delayed as a result? Can you reduce the frequency or level of detail of this task? Read the rest at http://bit.ly/rXW65

13 tips for closing the deal from iMediaConnection.com 
Tip #13 Close. Get some concrete next steps agreed to. “Go ahead and think about it for a few days…” is not a wise course of action if you want to sell good ideas. It allows people to stew over things, and make the sort of “tiny” changes that are reaching right into the mouth of the campaign and perform an idea-ectomy. REad the rest at: www.imediaconnection.com/content/19887.asp

13 Twitter Tips and Tutorials for Beginners
 Tip #13 6 Ways to Maximize the Use of Your 140 Characters – basic ‘Tweet Writing Tips http://bit.ly/9rjTH. Read the rest at: http://bit.ly/ZOF5y
 
13 Tips For Getting Page One Search Rankings
Tip #13 Leverage your closest affiliate relationships. Each company reacts to this one differently, but it’s worth a shot if you’re facing negative content that you want to make disappear quickly. If you have great relationships with affiliates, consider partnering with them to get links to the favorable web pages from a page on the affiliate’s website. Read the rest at: http://bit.ly/t4Abe
 
13 Tips Your Burglar Doesn’t Want You To Know!
Tip #13 A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than the best alarm system. If you’re reluctant to leave your TV on while you’re out of town, you can buy a $35 device that works on a timer and simulates the flickering glow of a real television. (Find it at faketv.com.)  Read the rest at: http://bit.ly/ouv5n
 
13 Tips for Effective Email Marketing by MarketingVOX
Tip #13 Make it easy to unsubscribe to your messages. No matter how hard you try, there will always be someone who wants out. Don’t give them grief over it.Read the rest at: http://bit.ly/4GdthQ
 
13 tips (A baker’s dozen!) for successful e-commerce
Tip #13 Use analytics to gauge effectiveness. Measurement is a must. “Especially in challenging economic times, marketers are wise to leverage analytics to measure success,” said Eric Peterson, a Web analytics consultant. “The difference between knowing you’re spending marketing dollars online and knowing how that money contributes back to the business is profound.” Read the rest at: http://bit.ly/QvelQ
 
13 Tips for Mobilizing Online Action by Have Fun • Do Good
Tip #13 Facilitate peer-to-peer referrals. Read the rest at: http://bit.ly/Z8wSW
 
13 Tips for Marketing Your Business With Your Blog
Tip #13 Mix it Up. If you decide just to go with one blog instead of multiple blogs for multiple channels of your company it can be worthwhile to mix up the type of content that appears on your blog. There are so many types of posts that a company could run depending upon their objectives including:
highlighting key staff members, message from the CEO, state of the industry posts, linking to breaking news in the industry, polls … Read the rest at: http://bit.ly/3wJg50

13 Tips for a STRESS-FREE Halloween
Tip #13 Hide your black cat. Some pet experts recommend hiding your black cat a few days before October 31st – not just on Halloween night. When it comes to pet safety, it’s better to be extra safe than extra sorry. Read the rest at: bit.ly/yEjay

13 Tips for Tough Times (GREEN LIVING)
Tip #13 DON’T MAKE DRASTIC CHANGES. If you’re going through a transitional period, remember that transitions are just that, transitions, advises Holt–and we need a certain amount of time to get through them. “We are such a quick-fix society that we want the answer now or even yesterday,” she says. “Allow time for transitions to happen. Stay with the simple things that you know to be true.”
Read the rest at: http://bit.ly/J8s1f

13 Tips To Help You Become More By Doing Less
Tip #13 Dancing & Grace. Inside of each of us is a dancer. That part of us that responds freely to the music of life. But somewhere along the way we become guarded. Our fears restrict us, and eventually we dismiss whatever gifts we have to offer. Today, let yourself dance. Read the rest at: http://bit.ly/1vOO5m

And to round things out, here is a free ebook: 13 Tips to Enhance Your Intuition  Grab your copy here: http://bit.ly/dQOV2

 Feel free to share YOUR links to 13 tips (or less) in the comments below.

Welcome to FREEBIE Friday for Small Business WEEK.  Here are additional resources to help you manage and grow your small business into a sustainable enterprise.  Read these articles and use these tools to position yourself for exponential success in your small business.

ARTICLES to Help you Manage Your SMALL BUSINESS:

Why PR Is the Prescription http://tinyurl.com/q2n2yz

The Right People vs. Getting the People Right http://tinyurl.com/ozuz4q

For Some Small Businesses, Recession Is Good News http://tinyurl.com/p22yn3                                                                                              
Don’t call her an entrepreneur  http://tinyurl.com/bdbr6w

Reading “The Heart of a Company” http://tinyurl.com/rcrdbm 
                             
Women: Selling Ice to Eskimos http://tinyurl.com/qjvkf9
 
Everything I Needed to Know about Customer Service I learned in a Tokyo Convenience Store http://tinyurl.com/oojfjj

The Pros and Cons of Business Blogging http://tinyurl.com/okyurz

How to Start and Grow a Business in a Slow Economy http://tinyurl.com/prma4x

Do you know if you are charging the right price? http://tinyurl.com/qvuee5

BRIDGING THE GENDER COMMUNICATION GAP TO BOOST BUSINESS SUCCESS http://tinyurl.com/o7323h
WEBSITES WITH Small Business IDEAS, TIPS AND Resources

Michigan State University Center for Intnl Business Education & Research ~ www.ciber.msu.edu/
 
Info on proposal writing and government contracting, doing business with the government, small, minority & women-owned business ~  www.proposalwriter.com
 
Home Based Business – A resource for home based business owners: guides, discussion board, government alerts, calendar, hbe newsletter, more. www.missouribusiness.net/hbb/

Provides access to University of Missouri Extension business programs, publications, newsletters, guide sheets, related resources, more.  www.extension.missouri.edu
 
SBA State Home Pages ~  www.sba.gov/world/states.html

State and Local Government on the Net ~  www.statelocalgov.net/index.cfm

Small Business Advisor ~ www.isquare.com

The Mining Co: Small Business Information ~ www.sbinformation.miningco.com
 
Resource for family business owners and executives ~ www.fambiz.com ~

The Daily Resource: the ultimate resource for today’s SMALL BUSINESS Entrepreneur (daily motivational podcast beginning June 1, 2009) www.TheDailyResource.com

Business & Economic Reference Library ~ www.mnsfld.edu/depts/lib/business.html
 
Smart Business Supersite ~ www.smartbiz.com/sbs/about.htm
 
K. Williams Business Resources ~ www.members.tripod.com/~KWilliamsResources
 
EBOOKS AND SPECIAL REPORTS:
 
Self Marketing dictionary This Glossary of Sales & Marketing Commonly Used in Bricks & Mortar and Online Businesses ~ Includes Internet Marketing Definitions and Acronyms Widely Used Today. http://tinyurl.com/r6o8cb

SmallBusiness.com Guide to Emergency Planning Basics for Small Business  http://tinyurl.com/qrmn4z
 
SmallBusiness.com Guide to Marketing Basics for Small Business http://tinyurl.com/pdfdbb

SmallBusiness.com Guide to Advertising Basics for Small Business http://tinyurl.com/pysez2

Smallbusiness.com Directories are user-contributed directories of links to online resources for small business owners and employees http://tinyurl.com/qk2vct

Want to start a small business? Check out this guide http://tinyurl.com/q3verj

The IRS and Small Business Administration (SBA) “Small Business Resource Guide” http://www.sbrg.irs.gov/
 
Ten Common Selling Mistakes in Business http://tinyurl.com/p5tzml

Nine Ways to Increase Profits in Your Business http://tinyurl.com/p9lzuh

Start your own Internet Business the right way, without falling into the traps that are out there waiting for you EVERYWHERE… http://tinyurl.com/pczpdr

Quirky Marketing 365 Ways to Promote Your Business Using Zany & Non-traditional Holiday – chapter 1 ++ http://tinyurl.com/pfk2ag
 
Get free audio Cashing in on MySpace AND two other FREE Gifts at http://www.quirkyoffer.com/LiveCallsInstructions.htm

Promoting Your Business on the WEB: 15 Strategies to Establish Your Brand, Get More Traffic and Make MORE Money on the Internet! (8-page report) http://tinyurl.com/r88sc5

NEWSLETTERS AND ONLINE MAGAZINES:

FUTURIST UPDATE newsletter from the World Future Society ~ www.wfs.org/futuristupdate.htm 

Sales Caffeine with Jeffrey Gittomer http://www.gitomer.com/sales-magazine/Sales-Caffeine.html

Business KnowHow Newsletter http://www.businessknowhow.com/newsletter/subscribe.htm

Seeds of Success Newsletter ~ http://www.successmagazine.com/subscribe/seeds/of/success

Business Week – http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/

Inc. Magazine Daily Resource for Entrepreneurs http://www.inc.com/

Entrepreneur Magazine ~ http://www.entrepreneur.com/

WomenEntrepreneur ~ http://www.womenentrepreneur.com

Success Magazine ~ http://www.successmagazine.com/

WE Magazine for Women ~ Business & Lifestyle Magazine for Women on the Go www.WEMagazineforWomen.com 

Subscribe to Keith Ferrazi’ free Newsletter (Author, Never Eat Alone) at www.ferrazzigreenlight.com

eMonday News ~ bi-weekly digital newsletter filled with small business and social media marketing tips and resources. To subscribe send a message to NEWS (at) wecai.org with “Subscribe eMonday” in subject line.
 
MISCELLEANEOUS SMALL BUSINESS RESOURCES:
 
Have a freebie you’d like promoted? Visit www.1000greatgiveaways.com (we are updating w new prods)  Send me DM with link to freebie and I check it out!

Free Autoresponder – www.freeautobot.com

Free teleseminar services – www.freeteleseminars.com (can record your sessions for free)

Animoto lets you produce TV-quality music videos using your own photos, or stock photos, in just minutes- www.animoto.com

Number-one way people grow their business is with a follow up system. What’s your follow up system? I use www.SendOutCards.com/heidi Test drive with a FREE card.

Instant Teleseminar http://instantTeleseminar.com/productInfo.asp?x=1306902

WECAI Domains ~ need a domain name, email or hosting?  Domains start at $8.95 each at www.WECAIDomains.com

Here are a list of small business resources to help you realize your financial goals:

Structure financing to satisfy both your business and personal needs ~ www.score.org/fc_3.html

Small Business Loans and Grants ~ http://www.business.gov/finance/financing/

Small Business Financing Resources ~ http://tinyurl.com/4ctlga

9 Steps to Establish Business Credit ~ http://tinyurl.com/qzv6qd

Tap 7 Innovative Ways to Finance Your Business ~ http://tinyurl.com/qle8tm

Discover all the Basics to Getting Business Grants and Loans ~ Take the Free eCourse ~ http://tinyurl.com/pqxucr

Alternative Financing Sources ~ Does your company need capital and it doesn’t qualify for traditional bank financing? http://tinyurl.com/qdjfwf

LOCAL AND NATIONAL EVENTS:

HOW to Promote Your Small Business on the RADIO ~ Here’s  event taking place on Wednesday, May 20th, that you don’t want to miss. IT’S FREE and early in the day. The perfect incentive to jumpstart your Publicity campaign.  Go to: http://tinyurl.com/qt8qfw and read all about it.

CHECK OUT THE U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)  Small Business FREE Workshops Nationwide info at:  www.onealtectraining.com

Internet Retailer 2009 Conference & Exhibition Boston on June 15-18 http://tinyurl.com/r8tz5p

Social Media Summit – Early Bird Discount Ends This Thursday http://www.socialmediasummit09.com/

June 9-11 – WEBNC Women in Business: National Conference and Business Fair - San Francisco, CA  http://tinyurl.com/cgwhu4

Power You Dream: NAWBO Women’s Business Conference 2009 ~ Women’s Business Conference 2009 offers a unique platform for women entrepreneurs to power their businesses. From awe-inspiring general sessions to value-added concurrent breakout sessions- some of the country’s top business experts and renowned entrepreneurs will present keen insight and timely perspective on how women business owners can sustain, grow, and expand their enterprises by recognizing and seizing opportunities in today’s challenging business environment. June 24 – June 26, 2009 www.nawbo.org

Green Business Event ~ second annual Green Business Event will invite an elite business panel to address questions regarding the local Green Movement. The Los Angeles Business Journal invites you to join us as we investigate ways in which companies of all sizes can intelligently respond to the call for sustainable business practices. Luncheon & Networking, 500+ attendees.
July 7 Los Angeles, CA www.labusinessjournal.com

WEBINARS ON DEMAND:

Expanding Your Web Presence in 2009 ~ Business is booming. In the past two years Online sales have increased more than 40%. Isn’t it time to maximize your online presence in 2009?
Learn search engine optimization tips and e-commerce strategies to help increase your sales, how to build a loyal customer base with email marketing and more…  http://tinyurl.com/pyauj3

Disaster Preparation and Planning for Small Business ~ Disasters can strike at any time. What’s your recovery plan in place? Did you know that 70% of small businesses that suffer a major data loss will go out of business within a year. Arm yourself with the information you need so you won’t be another statistic.
http://tinyurl.com/on5z7b

Finding Success in Today’s Economy ~ Learn business tips and information for “Finding Success in Today’s Economy”. Entrepreneurs and small to mid-sized companies who wants to achieve business success during tough economic times, can learn how to establish good business practices, develop sales and marketing strategies, identify new business opportunities and more ~ http://tinyurl.com/qakubn
 
Put Your Business to Work…For You ~ free online seminar. In one hour, learn how to increase productivity and make smart use of technology to grow your small business.
http://tinyurl.com/qcqycb

MISCELLANEOUS SMALL BUSINESS RESOURCES:

Nominate a Top Small Business for the 2009 Top 200 So. FLA Small Business Awards http://www.businessleader.com/SouthFlorida-Top100

Check out the SBTV Events Calendar for a list of Small Business Events around the USA ~ http://www.sbtv.com/calendar/default.aspx

Help a Reporter Out (HARO) ~ Find out who’s looking for whom to interview at www.helpareporter.com

Grow a Million Dollar Business Audio Program ~ 17 interviews with experts on topics that add to your bottom line at www.growamilliondollarbusiness.com

WECAI Domains ~ Register Your new domains here: www.WECAIDomains.com

Tips Booklets are better than brochures and people hold on to them! Create Tips Booklets to Promote Your Small Business ~ http://www.tipsbooklets.com/

GRAB Annie Jennings FREE Publicity CD at http://www.anniejenningspr.com/experts.htm

Want great publicity tips for your small business? Check out Joan Stewart’s Publicity Hound Newsletter ~ www.publicityhound.com
 
Influence and Social Networking sites ~ Places to find other Small Business Owners Online:

The Small Business Buzz (@sbbuzz) community on Twitter convenes two hours every Tuesday starting at 8 p.m. EST

LinkedIn ~  www.LinkedIn.com

Sta.rtUp.Biz ~ The Small Business Social Network at: http://sta.rtup.biz

Perfect Networker ~ www.perfectnetworker.com 

Check out the social networking directory Ning http://Ning.com for niche social networking sites

Manage Your Messages on Dozens of Social Networking Services at Once with Ping.fm  http://tinyurl.com/ov95ml

Read yesterday’s post 100+ Tips to Manage Your Small Business http://tinyurl.com/q928l6

Be sure to read today’s Women in Business Interviews on the WE Magazine for Women Blog ~ www.WEMagazineforWomen.com

Feel free to suggest similar resources in the comments section.

In keeping with the theme of Small Business week I am posting several articles and resources filled with more than 100 tips and ideas to help you manage and grow your small business.

If you have a great resource (or know of any) feel free to leave the info in the comments section. And do remember to comment. It helps us both with the search engines.

TODAY’S TIPS & Strategies to Thrive in Your Small Business:

7 Tips to Promote an Effective Meeting ~ http://tinyurl.com/pezv97

Slideshow: 8 Tips for Managing Staff Through Hard Times http://tinyurl.com/pezv97

Slideshow: 5 Tips for Selling Services Now http://tinyurl.com/ozx9wl

23 Tips for Tough Times ~ The Ultimate Business Tune-up for Times Like These http://tinyurl.com/ovckhw

6 Ways to Grow, Despite the Downturn http://tinyurl.com/pcbzy5

12 Ways to Attract Clients with Your Business Card http://tinyurl.com/q92lsz

5 Ways to Stand Above the Crowd http://tinyurl.com/pd42za

10 Business Survival Tips from Donald Trump http://tinyurl.com/r3llma

10+ Business Uses For Twitter http://tinyurl.com/cq8g4x

12 Powerful Recession Bustershttp://tinyurl.com/ovetpd ~ Legendary brands like Microsoft and Tupperware were born during a recession. The truth is that small businesses can grow in any economy.

5 Tips to On-Hold Profits ~  http://tinyurl.com/om95tf

5 More Tips to On-Hold Profits ~ http://tinyurl.com/p93sgn

WEBINARS on-demand

Four Ways to Double Sales ~  FREE web-based seminar about how to double your sales in 12 months. The concepts shared will be your best resource for increasing revenue. In this short hour, you will learn how to focus on your “best buyers,” hire the right sales force, reduce costs, and more! http://tinyurl.com/pe2wn8

Running a Small Business: 10 Overlooked Truths Revealed ~ Susan Wilson Solovic, Bestselling author, attorney, speaker and journalist and the CEO of SBTV.com ®, discusses some of the real-world challenges of running a small business that the textbooks don’t teach you.
http://tinyurl.com/rxcak3

ARTICLES for the Small Business Entrepreneur:

America’s Most Promising Startups (Is yours one of them?) http://tinyurl.com/8253bb

Twitter: Building Businesses Tweet by Tweet http://tinyurl.com/q3y4qc

Effective PR on a Limited Budget http://tinyurl.com/olftuh

America’s Weirdest Businesses http://tinyurl.com/dly4nh

How to Get on DailyCandy and Thrillist http://tinyurl.com/92hdt4

The 30 Greatest Fictional Entrepreneurs http://tinyurl.com/pptgpg
 
5 Moms Who Built Great Companies http://tinyurl.com/o9nfje

LIVE EVENTS:

~ Join me May 19 (today), 3 pm EST for In Praise of Bolder Women (free teleseminar) http://www.aprillejanes.com/bolderwomen.htm

HOW to Promote Your Small Business on the RADIO ~ Here’s  event taking place on Wednesday, May 20th, that you don’t want to miss. IT’S FREE and early in the day. The perfect incentive to jumpstart your Publicity campaign.  Go to: http://tinyurl.com/qt8qfw and read all about it.

And be sure to visit WE Magazine for Women at www.WEMagazineforWomen.com. Every day this week WE Magazine interviews 15 facinating women business owners and what they are doing to make a difference in their business and the lives of others.

Try AWeber Email Marketing Risk-Free

SBTV ~ Small Business Television: Real People Real Business ~ www.SBTV.com

Nominate a Top Small Business for the 2009 Top 200 So. Florida Small Business Awards ~ http://www.businessleader.com/SouthFlorida-Top100

Manage Your Messages on Dozens of Social Networking Services at Once with Ping.fm  ~ http://tinyurl.com/ov95ml

Ask the Expert Rieva Lesonsky of Entrepreneur Magazine (listen to her podcasts) http://tinyurl.com/pmr53m

Why PR Is the Prescription ~ Business Week Article http://tinyurl.com/q2n2yz

Commercial Creation Center Multi-media Production Suite including Audio, Video & Image Creation * Editing * Uploading ~ http://tinyurl.com/osmx9l

Publici-tea TO-GO is a bundle of comfort, joy, and DIY publicity inspiration that engages all of your senses, captures your attention, and compels you into DIY action to realize ready results with confidence ~ http://tinyurl.com/ouxmn5

Small Business Trends Blog with Anita Campbell http://smallbiztrends.com/

Penny Pinching Publicity Program with Shannon Cherry ~ Here’s an easy way to get proven publicity and public relations strategies to create more traffic, more prospects, more sales and more profits in less time AT LITTLE OR NO COST!!!

Women’s Media Summit Resource List (hundreds of resources to connect with the media) http://tinyurl.com/qk6dlz

The Twitter Phenomenon, My Twitter Story ~ http://tinyurl.com/cc4m88

Tuesday Twitter Tutorials – Attend a weekly teleseminar on how to get your Tweet On! http://tinyurl.com/cauf3p

GET MEDIA SAVVY!– The Ultimate eGuide to Promote Your Products, Services and Ideas to the World ~ http://tinyurl.com/bezt4g
AUDIOS & VIDEOS

Recognition Awards can Benefit Your Small Business http://tinyurl.com/pt2s4g

Lilian Vernon Shares her Theory on Entrepreneurship http://tinyurl.com/okrgpo

Overcoming Business Obstacles http://tinyurl.com/qd9u6k
 
Savvy Selling: How to Identify, Cultivate and Retain Your Best Customers VIDEO http://tinyurl.com/dbu4t5

Marketing: Tell a Story to Your Customers VIDEO http://tinyurl.com/pchm7l

Small Biz America: Where Small Business Talks ~ http://www.smallbizamerica.com/

Women’s Media Summit Audio Program ~ http://tinyurl.com/pcplh4

Blogging for Business Program How to Create Multiple Income Streams, Celebrity Status & More With Your Blog www.bloggingforbusinessprogram.com

If you have any media resources you’d like to share, be sure and leave the information and link in the comments section!

Best wishes for a successfull small business week in your neighborhood or part of the world!

Be sure to stop by tomorrow for Small Business Tips Tuesday!

And in honor of Small Business Owners the United States Small Business Administration kickes off  week long celebration called Small Business Week.

Beginning Monday May 18th through Friday, May 22nd, events will take place across the country in honor of small business owners. Chambers of Commerce will honor their small business person of the year, and small business owners will have specials and sales that customers and clients will be able to take advantage of.

In fact, during Small Business Week WE Magazine for Women is featuring at least 60 women business owners including mothers and daughters who work together.

And Success and Then Some will be bringing you a list of resources every day that can help you plan and grow your small business in every way, every day. 

For instance, on Monday you will learn about Media resources, Tuesday is Small Business Tips Tuesday, Wednesday I will post links to Events for Small Business Owners, Thursday is Small Business Resources Day for all those miscellaneous small business resources you may not know existed and Friday is Small Business Freebie Friday.  I will post dozens of online resources available to small business owners that you can access online for free!

And every day these resources will be featured on my Twitter timeline (one resource at a time). You can share your own small business resources and follow the conversations at #SmallBizWeek. And if you aren’t doing so already be sure and follow me at http://twitter.com/heidirichards. It should be a fun and informative week.

For more info on Small Business Week, read NATIONAL SMALL BUSINESS WEEK: ‘Backbone of America’ here: http://tinyurl.com/pn6cw6

Here’s the official site for National Small Business Week: http://www.nationalsmallbusinessweek.com/

Here are some FAQ’s by the SBA Advocacy Small Business Statistics and Research ~ http://web.sba.gov/faqs/faqindex.cfm?areaID=24

Looking forward to sharing these helpful resources with you.

To your success… and then some,

Heidi

What I’d like to do today is take each area of our business and see how we can maximize our profitability, beginning with Processes.

Are you maximizine your time? Do you focus on the work at hand? Do you play on your strenghts in business? Do you know what your competitors weaknesses are? Do you look at expenses and focus on reducing them to add to your bottom line? If you answered “no” to any or all of these questions, chances are you are not getting the most profit from your small business.

The first thing to look at are the processes you have in place to run your business. Do your processes add value to your business or are they things you do to stay busy? Busy-ness is doing things that you don’t really need to do and not paying attention to those things that could add value to your business. Only you can answer this question.

Processes in business can include how you handle mail, how and when you check email, paperwork, reports, meetings, travel, and other forms of communication such as the telephone.

The first question to ask yourself when looking at your processes is “Do I find things to do that keep me from doing the really important stuff, do I procrastinate by hiding behind “doing?” Do I find myself wasting time on mundane tasks during times when I should be marketing my products and services or training my clients, customers and staff for maximum effectiveness?

This is huge for me. When I have a task that seems overwhelming, I can find myself working on things that have little or nothing to with the task that really needs to be done. Take my newsletters for instance. I sometimes put them off until the very last moment because the job just seems too overwhelming to me. I want to work on them and get them out, but somehow I manage to find other things to do, such as answering emails, or going through old emails and deleting them. BTW, there is a time and place for everything so doing the sorting is not a bad thing, it’s just that I might do this during my peak time instead of working on the creative aspects of business when I am at my best.

What processes do you put too much time in, avoid, procrastinate about, or just get by doing that could be affecting your bottom line?

Here are some processes you could change to better manage your time and add to your bottom line:

THE TELEPHONE – Screen your calls. By doing this you are choosing who you wish to speak to. For example, say you are having a highly productive day, you are really in a flow, accomplishing a lot of things on your to-do list. And the phone rings. It could be a customer or it could be a sales person making a cold-call. Now I am not against sales people, I just wish they had better timing. It seems to me they call when I am either in the middle of writing an article or working on my website, having dinner or meeting with an important client.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could “screen these calls?” You may already be doing so, by having an answering machine pick up. However if you are in earshot and you hear the message it becomes another distraction. I recommend you hire someone to answer those calls for you. Having someone answer your calls (a live person) makes your company appear larger, and in some cases more professional. Now I already know that for some of you this is not the answer. You will tell me that your customers like being able to get you directly. And that may be true.

What I am saying is that having someone who is trained to answer your calls can free up a lot of your time to pursue those things that are important to business growth. Like marketing and public relations. There are many companies who offer this type of service. The most important thing is if you are going to screen your calls make sure you return them promptly. Don’t make people wait. It could cost you a job, a career or even a customer.

EMAIL - If you’re like most people these days, you probably get between50 and 250 email messages a day, many of which are unwanted. And some which are important. Multiply that by the number of email accounts you have, and you could find yourself spending the better part of most days just deleting and/or responding to these electronic communications. The problem is how to clear out your inbox and better manage your time.

Here are some tips to get your email under control.

Keep your inbox empty. This is the key to managing you e-mail.

Put important email messages in a folder or folders and title the folders appropriately.

Answer important emails in a timely fashion at specified times of the day (you decide when it is appropriate to respond and schedule that as your email writing time.

Set your inbox to check for new messages only a few times a day. Turn down the “you’ve got mail” announcer so you can better focus on the job at hand.

Get a spam filter. You may risk losing some email messages, however, you have greater control over what you allow into your inbox.

Put important email addresses in your address book so you won’t have to go searching for them when you need to send a message in a hurry.

Subscribe to mailing lists, listservs and the like at a new e-mail address. This will help with email overload and you can check these in your spare time instead of having to peruse them with your more urgent communications. Gmail may be a good choice for this.

Use your “delete” key. Clean up your inbox and remove old, unused messages.

In a subsequent message I will talk about maximizing meeting effectiveness….

Heidi

Heidi Richards Mooney ~ Author, Entrepreneur, Business Coach
Stay in Touch with SendOutCards http://www.SendOutCards.com/Heidi
Check out my latest book: QUIRKY MARKETING at http://www.quirkyoffer.com

Follow Me on Twitter ~ http://twitter.com/heidirichards

1. Improve your performance every day.  What 2 skills are you really good at? What has helped you become successful?  What can you do to improve upon them?

2. Model other leaders.  What traits do your role models possess that you would like to also possess?  Model these traits. Practice until they become second nature to you.

3. Find a mentor.  One of the best ways to accelerate success is to find a mentor to help you get there faster. Your mentor could be someone you know,  a book, audio or video  program by an author you admire or even an online mentor program.

4. What resolution have you failed to accomplish? If its important to you, take one step to accomplishing it.

5. Choose one habit great leaders have and work on it for the next two weeks.

6. Schedule time for your fitness plan.  You have a business plan, maybe even a life plan, how is your fitness plan coming along? If you’ve been neglecting fitness, schedule it like you would a meeting.

7. Honor others.  When others do a good job, tell them. 

8.  Read my post A Dozen Ways to Reduce Your RealAge and Take the RealAge Test

9. What opportunities are in your community for you to get involved and make a difference.  How can you capitalize on the current economic climate to help others?

10.  Write each of these WAYS down on paper, keep them in your wallet, your purse, post to your bulletin board above your computer or keep in your planner.  Add them to your Outlook calendar and look at them every day.

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