A couple months back I had a little plumbing problem that required turning off the water to the house. Our do-it-yourself job was great until we needed to turn the water back on and nothing happened. Several frustrating hours later the emergency plumber came to the rescue and made everything all better. Should have been a hefty bill right? Well I wouldn't know because even though I've called them, they've never sent a bill.

Hello, how do you make money if you work for free? It's not on purpose but this same scenario happens over and over with small and large businesses alike. The key is to develop a billing system so that you handle money collection the same way every time you do it. Think about it once, put the process into action and then monitor it regularly. Here are 5 ways put more cash in your pocket. See full post

You are in the zone, working away, the inspiration is flowing. Your hands are blowing over the keyboard like magic. You start thinking about what a productive day you are having. Then suddenly it happens. The phone rings, an email arrives, someone bursts into your office and it’s all over.

Next thing you know, hours have gone by. You look up and think, “How did I get here?!” The day is almost over, you haven’t finished what you wanted to and all that fantastic productivity has just flown out the window.

Interruptions are more than annoying. They can really slow down your business and your productivity. Arriving emails, ringing phones and unexpected visitors are the most common types of interruptions. Here are some ways to deal with them. See full post

One moment I'm rehearsing and preparing for a teleclass where I was the guest expert. The next minute, my computer screen goes black. The computer starts making a weird beeping noise and all I've got are blinking lights and characters that don't make any sense.

I frantically push buttons as I realize I'm supposed to "go on" in 10 minutes. Not only have I lost my script, but the call-in number to the teleclass and the contact number for the person running the class are locked in the depths of my now useless computer.

AAGGGGHHH.

Sometimes even the best laid plans can unexpectedly blow up in your face and birth a crisis.

People make mistakes, technology breaks down, "Stuff" Happens. We've all been there when the panic sets in and all rationale hits the road. Trust me I know from personal experience.

The key to handling a crisis or what we sometimes refer to as a fire, is to become a Fire Fighter. Take a look at the steps I used to extinguish this fire. Then incorporate them into your routine so that you can be a Fire Fighter when bad "stuff" happens to your good process. See full post

There it is. The event you’ve been waiting for. It’s all the big name speakers you’ve been drooling over, it’s in a city you’ve been dying to visit and it’s just the perfect information you need right now to take your business to the next level.

You grab your plane ticket, pack up the laptop, ship Rover off to the doggie sitter and are off. Three days later, it was a fantastic event. You met great people, you learned a ton of new things. You’re pumped up and ready to go.

Three weeks later somehow you can’t remember the name of that great contact you’d made and you really haven’t changed the way you do business. Here are some steps to take to set yourself up for success before you actually fork out your hard earned dollars. See full post

I’ll tell you a little secret. Back in the mid 90s I actually used to go for weeks at a time without checking my email. When I finally did, there would be a whopping 20 email messages. A little note from a pal. The occasional work related message. The joke of the day. 20 whole messages, in a week, can you believe it?

Now I get 20 messages in like 5 minutes. Do you ever miss the “good ole’ days” of email? When you could actually sit down, read and handle everything in a small amount of time?

For many, what used to be a great convenience has become just another task to tackle.
No, you can’t give up email cold turkey. It’s here to stay. But it doesn’t have to be so hard or overwhelming. Here are 8 easy ways to cut down on the constant shuffle and overwhelming amount of email you handle every day. And I’m not just talking about spam filters. See full post