Monday, March 31, 2008
This Could Be Revolutionary: Online Scheduling Services
Like the idea of promoting your company, booking clients and maximizing your time? How about all at the same time? Its possible with the likes of three new online scheduling companies: HourTown, Booking Angel and Genbook. These companies host and post your personal and business itineraries and offer the viewing public the available time slots or appointments. No more phone or email tag with clients wanting to know your availability. Potential or repeat customers can immediately see when you are available and book on the spot from the host's website. The really exciting part, as Bob Tedeschi writes in today's New York Times E-Commerce Report is they " will also transmit scheduling information for their businesses to search engines and online Yellow Pages directories". This works best for appointment based service industries like hairdressers, massage therapists, restaurants, healthcare providers and the like. But from a cost management perspective this is worth investigating especially since some of the services are free.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Friday, March 21, 2008
Innovation and Inspiration Through New Ways of Thinking
What do cancer research + a professional gambler and cleft palate surgery + an advertising executive have in common? Brand new ways of thinking about charitable business models. Read here for more "Bottom-Line Philanthropy".
Friday, March 14, 2008
Managing Stress
Burning the candle at both ends tends to be par for the course for most entrepreneurs. If its not the workaholic in you, it may be the pressure from deadlines that the responsibility of having your own business brings. Its also hard to say no to a client. For most, balancing work and life is a constant challenge. It takes active participation and a solid support system. And access to good (read: relevant) information. I can definately recommend this article from How Design called "Shedding Stress" by Pat Matson Knapp as being all the above.
I have frequently turned to How Design since I discovered it (thanks Steve!) to help me with all sorts of things like dealing with difficult clients, pricing services and self promotion among other things. If you're not a designer, don't worry. This magazine is still full of relevant information.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Business Pre-Nup or Post-Nup?
Yesterday I mentioned that I had rescinded my services from a client under uncomfortable circumstances. Today I came across a great article "Making the Breakup Much Easier" in the New York Times. It outlines the importance of deciding ownerships in joint business ventures and co-development initiatives and how to go about them.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Social Entrepreneurs: Mainstreaming of the Mavericks
Charles Leadbeater's article about social entrepreneurs is nothing new (published March 07) but I found it so heartening that when I read again, I wanted to share it.
Thinking About Things I Really Don't Want To But Probably Should
Recently I parted ways with a longtime client, one with a fairly high profile. The truth is, I fired him. For harassment.
Yeah. Gross.
How did I get here? How did this happen? I work for myself, choose my clients and provide my services based on carefully considered terms. How did the checks and balances that I thought I had put into place to protect me from this sort of thing, fail me?
I thought that I was using forward thinking when considering possible uncomfortable situations that a woman offering the services that I do might experience ‘in the field’. Heaven knows my experience as a costume designer exposed me to the sort of overtures that might be made. But here I am, in this situation, embarrassed and shaken trying to figure out how to never ever put myself in this situation again. And so my brain starts to spin….
If I had made mention of Harassment in my Terms of Engagement contract, maybe this wouldn’t have happened.
If I hadn’t been so hungry for the business, maybe I would have been in a better place to see clearly how I may have allowed this unwanted behavior to gain root.
If I hadn’t invested so much of myself in the project, maybe I might have been able to maintain a detached perspective.
If I hadn’t been so excited about the work I was creating on his behalf maybe I would have noticed sooner his manipulation and misrepresentation.
If I wasn’t already so busy with work from other clients then maybe I could have seen this coming.
If I were more professional maybe this situation would have been avoided.
While these may be worthy concepts to consider, it is foolish to think that anything that I did was to blame for his (choice of) inappropriate behavior or that I was deserving of what happened. Sometimes shit just happens and no amount of forward thinking could have avoided it.
While in my heart I know this, it doesn't change the ‘What the f*ck?” kind of repulsion I feel as I scramble to shore up the hit this fiasco has triggered to my revenue and my self esteem.
Then I pick up a book on my bookshelf called “The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield. I open it randomly to page 89 and here’s what it says:
“The professional endures adversity. He lets the birdshit splash down on his slicker, remembering that it comes clean with a heavy-duty hosing. He himself, his creative center, cannot be buried, even beneath a mountain of guano. His core is bulletproof. Nothing can touch it unless he lets it.”
It continues:
“The professional keeps his eye on the doughnut and not on the hole. He reminds himself it’s better to be in the arena, getting stomped by the bull, than be up in the stands or out in the parking lot.”
So I guess my focus needs to be on what to do now, after the fact, because this is NOT going to get the better of me.
Yeah. Gross.
How did I get here? How did this happen? I work for myself, choose my clients and provide my services based on carefully considered terms. How did the checks and balances that I thought I had put into place to protect me from this sort of thing, fail me?
I thought that I was using forward thinking when considering possible uncomfortable situations that a woman offering the services that I do might experience ‘in the field’. Heaven knows my experience as a costume designer exposed me to the sort of overtures that might be made. But here I am, in this situation, embarrassed and shaken trying to figure out how to never ever put myself in this situation again. And so my brain starts to spin….
If I had made mention of Harassment in my Terms of Engagement contract, maybe this wouldn’t have happened.
If I hadn’t been so hungry for the business, maybe I would have been in a better place to see clearly how I may have allowed this unwanted behavior to gain root.
If I hadn’t invested so much of myself in the project, maybe I might have been able to maintain a detached perspective.
If I hadn’t been so excited about the work I was creating on his behalf maybe I would have noticed sooner his manipulation and misrepresentation.
If I wasn’t already so busy with work from other clients then maybe I could have seen this coming.
If I were more professional maybe this situation would have been avoided.
While these may be worthy concepts to consider, it is foolish to think that anything that I did was to blame for his (choice of) inappropriate behavior or that I was deserving of what happened. Sometimes shit just happens and no amount of forward thinking could have avoided it.
While in my heart I know this, it doesn't change the ‘What the f*ck?” kind of repulsion I feel as I scramble to shore up the hit this fiasco has triggered to my revenue and my self esteem.
Then I pick up a book on my bookshelf called “The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield. I open it randomly to page 89 and here’s what it says:
“The professional endures adversity. He lets the birdshit splash down on his slicker, remembering that it comes clean with a heavy-duty hosing. He himself, his creative center, cannot be buried, even beneath a mountain of guano. His core is bulletproof. Nothing can touch it unless he lets it.”
It continues:
“The professional keeps his eye on the doughnut and not on the hole. He reminds himself it’s better to be in the arena, getting stomped by the bull, than be up in the stands or out in the parking lot.”
So I guess my focus needs to be on what to do now, after the fact, because this is NOT going to get the better of me.
What can I do to make myself feel empowered? How can I move on and let it go?
Monday, March 10, 2008
Suffering Is Optional
The March 2008 issue of Ode magazine has a great commentary by Byron Katie about the nature of suffering and how we get in our own way. Click here to read it.
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