Do you walk on eggshells around people with chronic illness or disabilities? If so, you are not alone.

Maybe you’re a little uncomfortable — you don’t know quite what to say and don’t want to stick your foot in your mouth. You want to ask questions but don’t want to pry. In our “politically correct” world, eggshells are all over the place.

Most literature about chronic illness informs us that stress can aggravate symptoms and cause relapses, and a lot of us can attest to that fact. Avoiding undue stress is a positive thing. However, we cannot divorce ourselves from planet earth and the reality of every day life. Taking the concept of avoiding stress too far, especially within the family, can result in pent-up resentment by all concerned.

Most people who have a chronic illness or disability are functioning members of society and integral members of family life. Rather than avoiding that person or avoiding the problem altogether, why not approach them as you would anybody else?

Adults with chronic illness or disabilities want… and need… to be included in important issues, even potentially negative ones. Family and friends, or even co-workers who overprotect can end up causing more harm than good, adding to their own stress levels in the process. It is a vicious cycle that raises tensions and prevents functional problem solving. Good intentions don’t always equal good outcome. Life is fraught with highs and lows and it is folly to try to protect someone from life itself.

Perhaps you are the one with a chronic illness or disability, going out of your way to paint a rosy picture and keep your problems to yourself. We all want to put our best foot forward and, unquestionably, that’s as it should be. But taken to the extreme, it sends the wrong message and can lead to misunderstandings and unexpressed anger. Clearing the air about problems as they arise will ease tension in the long run.

Eggshells be damned. No more hiding. Rather than allowing chronic illness or disability come between you, make a pact to face it honestly and speak freely. Empowerment is gained through being part of the solution rather than part of the problem. We’re all just people.

Writer Ann Pietrangelo embraces the concept of personal responsibility for health and wellness. As a person living with multiple sclerosis, she combines a healthy lifestyle and education with modern medicine, and seeks to provide information and support to others. She is a regular contributor to Care2.com’s Reform Health Policy blog in Causes. Follow on Twitter @AnnPietrangelo.

by Daniel Isenberg

Some of your friends are doing it. People who do it are in the front pages and web almost every day. Even President Obama is talking about it. So should you do it? Should you join the millions of people every year who take the plunge and start their first ventures? I’ve learned in my own years as an entrepreneur — and now an entrepreneurship professor — that there is a gut level "fit" for people who are potential entrepreneurs. There are strong internal drivers that compel people to create their own business. I’ve developed a 2–minute Isenberg Entrepreneur Test, below, to help you find out. Just answer yes or no. Be honest with yourself — remember from my last post: the worst lies are the ones we tell ourselves.

1. I don’t like being told what to do by people who are less capable than I am.
2. I like challenging myself.
3. I like to win.
4. I like being my own boss.
5. I always look for new and better ways to do things.
6. I like to question conventional wisdom.
7. I like to get people together in order to get things done.
8. People get excited by my ideas.
9. I am rarely satisfied or complacent.
10. I can’t sit still.
11. I can usually work my way out of a difficult situation.
12. I would rather fail at my own thing than succeed at someone else’s.
13. Whenever there is a problem, I am ready to jump right in.
14. I think old dogs can learn — even invent — new tricks.
15. Members of my family run their own businesses.
16. I have friends who run their own businesses.
17. I worked after school and during vacations when I was growing up.
18. I get an adrenaline rush from selling things.
19. I am exhilarated by achieving results.
20. I could have written a better test than Isenberg (and here is what I would change ….)

If you answered "yes" on 17 or more of these questions, look at your paycheck (if you are lucky enough to still get one). If the company that issued the check isn’t owned by you, it is time for some soul searching: Do you have debts to pay? Kids in college? Alimony? Want to take it easy? Maybe better to wait. Do you have a little extra cash in the bank and several credit cards? Do you have a spouse, partner, friends, or kids who will cheer you on? If so, start thinking about what kind of business you want to set up. It doesn’t matter what age you are: research by the Kauffman Foundation shows that more and more over–50s are setting up their own businesses. Talk to people who have made the plunge, learn how to plan and deliver a product or service, think about that small business you might buy, talk to people with whom you would like to work, and talk to customers.

"I like to take risks" is not on the list. People don’t choose to be entrepreneurs by opting for a riskier lifestyle. What they do, instead, is reframe the salary vs. entrepreneur choice as between two different sets of risk: the things they don’t like about having a steady job — such as the risk of boredom, working for a bad boss, lack of autonomy, lack of control over your fate, and getting laid off — and the things they fear about being an entrepreneur — possible failure, financial uncertainty, shame or embarrassment, and lost investment. In the end, people who are meant to be entrepreneurs believe that their own abilities (e.g. leadership, resourcefulness, pluck, hard work) or assets (e.g. money, intellectual property, information, access to customers) significantly mitigate the risks of entrepreneurship. Risk is ultimately a personal assessment: what is risky for me is not risky for you.

"I want to get rich" is not on the list either. All else being equal (and all else is rarely equal in the real world), on the average, people who set up their own businesses don’t make more money, although a few do succeed in grabbing the brass ring. But the "psychic benefits" — the challenge, autonomy, recognition, excitement, and creativity — make it all worthwhile.

Daniel Isenberg is a Professor of Management Practice, Babson College

Source: New York Times

By CATHERINE RAMPELL

Published: February 5, 2010

For the first time in recorded history, women outnumber men on the nation’s payrolls.

This benchmark is bittersweet, as it comes largely at men’s expense. Because men have been losing their jobs faster than women, the downturn has at times been referred to as a “man-cession.”

Women’s new majority in the nation’s workplaces comes decades after women first began trading in their aprons for pantsuits in droves, and it reinforces expectations that women will continue on the path to pay parity.

“Important milestones remain to be achieved, but women’s surpassing 50 percent of employment is something that historians will note for years to come,” said Casey B. Mulligan, an economics professor at the University of Chicago who has been tracking the recession’s effects on both sexes.

According to seasonally unadjusted data released on Friday by the Labor Department, women held the majority of nonfarm payroll jobs in January. They also did so during February, March, November and December of last year, but the shift emerged only on Friday when the Labor Department revised its 2009 data. Women’s slender lead was highest last month, when they held 50.3 percent of the nation’s nonfarm payroll jobs in the raw numbers.

Read the rest

What common mistakes do women entrepreneurs make, and how I can I avoid them? This is a question our bankers often hear from both new business owners and seasoned entrepreneurs.

"We can all learn from our mistakes and from the mistakes of others," says Christy Schmitt, Union Bank senior vice president and small business banking executive. "Many of our most successful business clients failed at their first venture and persevered to build strong companies."

Following are a few common mistakes women entrepreneurs make:

1. Hiring too quickly, firing too slowly. Staffing can be one of the most difficult and time-consuming aspects of running a successful business. Because making key hires can affect your entire business, many women agonize over whether they’re making the right decision, sometimes losing opportunities to hire qualified people. On the other hand, if you know you need to let someone go, don’t procrastinate. If you don’t have someone trained in human resource management on staff, work with a consultant or attorney who specializes in employee relations to ensure that you adhere to your state’s legal parameters. While firing an employee is a difficult decision, you need to do what’s best for your business.
2. Failing to delegate. As women, we sometimes try to do it all, at home and at work. But successful business owners know that a strong leader is surrounded by an even stronger team. Train your employees efficiently and utilize their skills. Identify a strong team manager or second-in-command so you can manage your time wisely. Reconsider whether you need to attend every meeting or review every memo and e-mail. Trust your team.
3. Not developing a relationship with a banker. Given the challenges of today’s competitive business market, it’s important to have a solid relationship with your banker. Don’t wait until there’s a problem with your business to reach out to a banker. Do it now to prepare for the future. If your banker isn’t calling you, contact him or her; trust your banker, and discuss your specific business needs and goals.
4. Not looking into supplier diversity programs. Many major corporations and the government have special programs for woman-owned, minority-owned and service-disabled, veteran-owned businesses. Some banks, including Union Bank, also offer financing programs that provide flexible underwriting on loans and lines of credit specifically for these businesses. Work with your banker to determine what options might be available for you and your business.
5. Not being certified. "This is probably the easiest mistake to avoid," says Frank Robinson, Union Bank’s vice president of diverse banking. "Certification as a Women’s  Business Enterprise and/or Minority Business Enterprise can open doors to government or large corporation contracts." If your company is privately held and at least 51 percent owned by a woman or minority who is a U.S. citizen or legal resident, you can apply for WBE or MBE certification. Talk to your banker and obtain this certification today if you qualify.

The foregoing article is intended to provide general information about selecting and working with a banker and is not considered financial advice from Union Bank. Please consult your financial advisor.
Martha Pineda is a priority banking manager for Union Bank in Tustin, Calif. For more information about Union Bank Priority Banking, visit www.unionbank.com/priority.

Source: Laura Petrecca, USA TODAY

USA TODAY asked people who wanted to start a small business to be part of the USA TODAY Small Business Challenge, a six-month series that would follow their progress from having an idea to making the first buck. Nearly 1,800 people applied; they came from every state — and a few from abroad.

For the next six months, USA TODAY will follow the chosen five groups of entrepreneurs from across the country as they navigate starting their own small businesses. Along the way, the entrepreneurs will discuss their progress, challenges and opportunities with three small-business experts and post their video highlights. The participants are not required to take the experts’ advice. On the first Monday of each month through July, we’ll update the entrepreneurs’ progress in print and online. Though no winner will be declared, you can vote for the entrepreneur you think is "most likely to succeed."

We are a nation of dreamers.

Some of us yearn for an idyllic life as a novelist, shaping a story in a quaint country house. Others hope to wake up in a swank city apartment and take a company-paid town car to a top financial firm.

Still others want to be like the millions of entrepreneurs who had the guts and drive to push their big ideas into businesses that they own and operate — beholden only to themselves and the customers they cultivate.

Remarkably, even in dire economic times, the desire to own a small business doesn’t diminish. Annual business creation in the U.S. has remained consistent for nearly 30 years, even during downturns, according to a new study from the entrepreneurship-focused group Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

"Entrepreneurs are not easily discouraged," Kauffman CEO Carl Schramm says. "In boom times and in tough times, roughly 600,000 firms are formed every year in America — about one per minute."

Even the harsh climate of the past two years, the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, hasn’t smothered such aspirations. Credit has evaporated and consumers have closed their wallets, yet hordes of potential business owners still possess a can-do attitude. Even knowledge that about half of small businesses will fail in their first five years is often not a deterrent.

"For a lot of entrepreneurs, when they have an idea, it becomes a passion, almost an obsession," Schramm says. "They cannot not do it."

The push to start a business is varied. Some decide after a layoff that they never want to report to another manager again. Others want to turn their passions — quilting, genealogy research, book collecting — into full-time vocations.

Last fall, USA TODAY published a six-part series about starting a business and asked prospective entrepreneurs to submit their business ideas for the Small Business Challenge, a six-month series that would follow their progress as they moved their businesses from ideas to making the first buck. Nearly 1,800 budding business owners responded, pitching ideas displaying ambitiousness, earnestness, smarts and yes, even misguided drive and planning. Five have been selected, and their start-up journeys will be chronicled by USA TODAY starting today.

WINE BAR: Passion for vino leads Michael Matthews to open a new business

PEANUT SELLERS: Airport bar leads entrepreneurs Hughes, Goldberg to mixed nuts

VACATION RENTALS: Layoff prompted Kathy Standage to pursue something new and exciting

HOME INSPECTOR: Threat of pink slip motivated Carl Edmunds to start a business

BOTOX PROVIDER: Dr. Susan Riegg sought less stress, more control over her life

Among the hundreds of submissions: restaurants, a tattoo parlor, an Italian ice pushcart business, a dog-poop-scooping service, an iPhone app-creation firm, a tanning salon, an Easter egg dying kit targeted to dog owners, a tourist-photography business, a line of feminine-looking gun cases targeted to women, and an "ultra-thin, liquid nipple cover" that would help prevent chafing from workout clothes. Contenders covered all ages, ethnic backgrounds and geographic locations.

The range of sophistication and — in some cases the lack of it — does not surprise experts. The entrepreneur coaching groups Score and the Association of Small Business Development Centers, which combined help more than a million people a year, say they regularly see clients who have a wide range of ideas and skills.

But it’s enthusiasm that often stands out more than any other characteristic. That’s expected among entrepreneurs, says Rick Wade, the U.S. Commerce Department senior adviser and deputy chief of staff.

In general, Americans are hopeful, he says: "It’s at the core of who we are."

But he stresses that small-business owners, in particular, "have a different kind of drive."

"They’re accustomed to overcoming obstacles," he says. "I don’t know of any start-up that didn’t have a challenge."

Meeting these challenges gives entrepreneurs the inherent knowledge that they will be able to survive hard times. It’s the mind-set of "we fall down, but we are going to get up," he says.

Up-and-down emotions

When Carl Edmunds’ division at a corporate printing company was on the potential chopping block, the West Windsor, N.J., resident morphed an interest in household repairs into a new career as a home inspector and energy use auditor.

"It’s time to take control of my own destiny!" Edmunds, 56, wrote in his submission to USA TODAY. "I will not continue to live in constant fear of the inevitable arrival of the proverbial ‘Pink Slip.’ "

Edmunds’ business, NuVision Inspections, is one of five start-up firms that USA TODAY will follow for the next six months. The others: a wine bar in Gainesville, Va.; a high-end property rental service for homes in Vail and Golden, Colo.; a Botox-provider in Mequon, Wis.; and an all-natural butter-toffee-peanut seller in Orlando.

Although each business is beyond the idea stage and through initial struggles, the neophyte owners will continue to experience the self-fulfilling highs and gut-wrenching lows that come with self-employment.

Running a business is "an extremely messy process," says Dane Stangler, a senior analyst at Kauffman.

"We may boil it down to business-plan-writing at universities," he says. But it’s not that simple. "It’s one step forward and one step back, and then some side steps."

Edmunds has been mentally taxed as he has taken six different licensing tests in two months, as well as insuring and incorporating his new firm. Tasks such as developing a company website have been placed on the back burner.

"I’ve hit a lot of stumbling blocks," he says. "I had no idea how difficult this would be."

Yet, on Jan. 12, he received some uplifting news: He passed a vital home-inspection exam. With that final license secured, he should be able to launch his business in time for the spring real estate push.

"I’ve always wanted to be my own boss," he says. "I can work out of a little 8-by-8-foot office in the back of my house and a pickup, and be happy."

A long road

Start-up accomplishments come in many forms, such as getting a website’s e-commerce function to work, creating a high-impact marketing campaign and even persuading a potential distributor to take a chance on novel new products.

But for new business owners, rejection and unexpected obstacles will come with the territory, Stangler says.

Each year, home-shopping giant QVC gets pitched hundreds of thousands of ideas from hopeful business people. Yet only about 15,000 new products will get on the air each year. (Another 45,000 products come from existing suppliers.)

The long odds also come into play at TeleBrands, the infomercial seller of products such as the PedEgg foot callus remover, Pedi Paws pet nail trimmer and Stick Up Bulb wireless light bulb. TeleBrands receives about a thousand product pitches from entrepreneurs annually but typically markets only four or five new products.

"The majority of ideas — the majority of products — do not sell commercially," CEO A.J. Khubani says. "Take Thomas Edison: He had over 1,000 patents to his name, yet how many were commercially viable? We only know of a few."

Small stumbles and all-out defeats are common for entrepreneurs. Yet, one way to work around those pitfalls, besides learning from past mistakes, is to heed advice from others.

"Everyone has a dream," says Doug Rose, QVC head of programming and marketing. "But if you’re really, really wise about how to develop it, you’ll listen to feedback from others, and you’ll welcome it, even if it’s hard to hear."

Rodney Hughes, a USA TODAY small-business challenger who is selling the butter-toffee peanuts, knows what it’s like to see entrepreneurial dreams crumble. One of his past businesses, a printing shop in Tennessee, went under in the economic downturn after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

"It was one of the roughest times of my life," he says. "But I learned some lessons."

Among them: Don’t rely on one client for most of your business. Hughes had one buyer who represented 70% of his sales, and when that buyer stopped purchasing printing services, it had a dramatic effect on his business.

Hughes has a more cautious path to entrepreneurship now.

He holds a full-time job working in business development at the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission but has invested in other firms such as a bar in Orlando.

He also took some of the pressure off himself by partnering with friend Lee Goldberg and several others to start the nut line. So far, the venture has had its share of setbacks, but the group also is proud to have created a logo and aggressively seeded online media with mentions of their brand.

Successful entrepreneurs learn to balance the good times and bad.

"The most important (trait) is resilience," says Kauffman’s Stangler. "It’s about not giving up hope."

Hughes and his peers at Poppa D’s haven’t sold their first commercial bag of nuts, but they still have confidence.

"For us, it’s just the fact that we feel in our hearts that we can make this work," Hughes says.

By: Ann Pietrangelo

Sometimes it’s the little things that make a big difference in quality of life and maintaining independence.

If you have relapsing/remitting multiple sclerosis, as I do, it’s easy to overlook simple things that can make life easier when in relapse. Since my own diagnosis in 2004, I have come to appreciate some simple household helpers that assist me in managing daily life with MS.

1. Tall Stool for Kitchen Work: An inexpensive solution to a big problem. If standing at the kitchen counter for any length of time is a problem, a tall stool is just the right height for kitchen duty. Get in the habit of gathering together everything you’ll need in one spot rather than making multiple trips around the kitchen. Grab the stool, have a seat and enjoy your kitchen again. Make sure the stool has firm support and no arms so you can easily maneuver. You don’t need to buy anything fancy or go to a specialty store — any tall stool will do.

2. Mobility Aids: An adjustable folding cane can be tucked away in a large purse, suitcase, or car, out of sight and out of mind until you need it. There is even a cane that folds out into a stool! They are available in lots of styles and colors, too. If you need them, lightweight, folding wheelchairs and walkers are excellent devices for people who only need them occasionally.

3. Shower Chair: If you have difficulty with balance and strength, the shower can be a little intimidating, but a small, sturdy shower chair can give you back your confidence, and can be easily moved aside when not needed. Grab bars can also boost safety. While you are thinking about the bathroom, you may want to consider investing in a blow dryer stand to relieve your uncooperative arms.

4. Handicapped Parking Placard: People with multiple sclerosis often appear healthy and strong even though they have difficulty walking for any length of time. Problems with fatigue, stamina, balance, and coordination can interfere with daily activities. If you have difficulty walking or standing for more than a few minutes, you might want to consider applying for a placard. The ability to park close to a place of business or shopping center could make all the difference in the world when it comes to maintaining a sense of independence. The information you need, along with the application, are available online from the Department of Motor Vehicles in your state.

5. Sensible Shoes: Sensible shoes don’t have to be ugly shoes. High heels and pointed toes aren’t very sexy if you teeter around on the brink of disaster all day. Opt for shoes with a low heel and sturdy construction. Shoes that have no support at the heel and do not stay put when you walk can cause trips and falls. Even flip flops can cause trouble if you have difficulty walking. For hanging around the house, lightweight slippers with flexible soles that move with your foot are comfortable and safe.

6. Cooling Products: Heat and humidity makes it even more difficult for already damaged nerve fibers to transmit electrical impulses, resulting in an exaggeration of MS symptoms (pseudo-exacerbation), which may include fatigue, dizziness, and extreme weakness. A simple rotating fan can make a big difference. Information on Cooling Programs: Multiple Sclerosis Foundation: Cooling Program, Multiple Sclerosis Association of America: Cooling Equipment Distribution Program, National Multiple Sclerosis Society: Cooling Product Information and Assistance.

7. Visual Aids: Most drug stores and department stores have magnifying reader glasses at various strengths. Magnifying screens, good lighting, and a host of options for your computer help people with visual disturbances.

8. Handy Helpers Around the House: Devices to help you reach reach things in high places, gripping tools for opening jars, and even pens made for people who have trouble with their grip make little chores easy again.

9. Yoga/Wii: Yoga is often recommended for people with MS and there are programs designed specifically with MS in mind, including exercises that can be done from a wheelchair. Wii is more than just a game and Wii Fit includes some yoga positions and a series of exercises to improve your balance and coordination. With no need to leave home, you can progress at your own pace.

10. Stress Reducers: Your spirit needs some TLC, too. Try using candles and essential oils with calming scents like lavender and sandlewood as you go about your household chores. Water fountains bring the soothing sounds of a stream or brook inside your home. Meditation and deep breathing exercises can rejuvenate in just minutes a day. Don’t neglect the mind/body connection.

Writer Ann Pietrangelo embraces the concept of personal responsibility for health and wellness. As a person living with multiple sclerosis, she combines a healthy lifestyle and education with modern medicine, and seeks to provide information and support to others. She is a regular contributor to Care2.com’s Reform Health Policy blog in Causes. Follow on Twitter @AnnPietrangelo.

By: Ann Pietrangelo

One of the most frustrating aspects of life with chronic illness is the constant state of flux. It is true of all types of multiple sclerosis, and relapsing/remitting MS certainly lives up to the name.

The fact that many of these on-again off-again symptoms are invisible to observers makes it a particularly difficult series of emotional adjustments, especially if you are prone to worry about what other people think.

It’s hard to be taken seriously when people see you looking the very picture of health one day and claiming to be the opposite the next. It probably doesn’t help their perceptions when we go to great lengths to hide the truth.

We hear a lot about maintaining a positive attitude in the face of adversity, and most of us work at keeping our complaints to a minimum and putting on our best face for all the world to see. Most of the time this works in our own favor, but occasionally the challenges of life with chronic illness loom so large as to become overwhelming.

Since receiving the diagnosis of relapsing/remitting MS in early 2004 I have, for the most part, managed to have more positive days than not. The not-so-positive days have been largely hidden from view, revealed only to a few friends and the closest of family members. Let’s face it, nobody wants to be considered a complainer.

I don’t want to be seen in a negative light, but as a positive person who lends kinship and support to others through my writing on the subject of MS and chronic illness. On the other hand, the bad days we all experience cannot be avoided. Addressing them openly and honestly doesn’t make me a negative person; it makes me human.

That was my thought process recently when I tentatively posted brief snippets about my latest MS relapse on Facebook and Twitter. Not complaints and not written in anger, they were instead brief and honest snapshots from a life altered by MS.

The response took me by surprise. Friends, acquaintances, and complete strangers sent me emails of support and understanding. Those who also live with MS or other chronic illness were, of course, able to see beyond the few words I’d written — I had struck a nerve. As far as I could tell, no one saw it as complaining or that I was passing on negativity. It was taken for nothing more than the truth that it was.

I have no less faith in the power of a positive outlook on life, but more faith in the people around me to accept the hard truth once in awhile. I’m not saying that anyone needs a play-by-play of our lives any more than we need one of theirs. What and how much of ourselves we choose to share is very much a matter of personal preference.

In a previous article on the topic of positive thinking, I wrote, “I wonder if, by keeping my bad moments private, I have contributed to the pressure to keep up appearances and if by putting my best face forward, I’ve given the impression that I’m always full of sunshine and roses… let it be known now… I have moments when no matter how hard I try, I cannot fight the frustration. So I acknowledge it, deal with it, and purge it. It’s not particularly pleasant, so I generally get myself back on track rather quickly. It is what it is.”

I would like to add something more to that statement: There is no need to keep these feelings to yourself. It is possible to share the bad as well as the good and to do it without wallowing or complaining. It is simply stating the facts of life. If they can’t handle it, that’s not your problem, but people just might surprise you.

Writer Ann Pietrangelo embraces the concept of personal responsibility for health and wellness. As a person living with multiple sclerosis, she combines a healthy lifestyle and education with modern medicine, and seeks to provide information and support to others. She is a regular contributor to Care2.com’s Reform Health Policy blog in Causes. Follow on Twitter @AnnPietrangelo.

Ok, so you’ve decided to start using the Internet to promote your business more actively and most people you talk to who know about the web tell you the same thing … you need to redesign your website. The problem for many small businesses is that getting to the point when you actually have the budget or manage to get the right help to do it may take some time.

In the short term, this leaves you with an interesting challenge that there just isn’t much advice for – the moment when you realize that you still need to promote your business despite having a website that you hate and which you know is less than ideal. Can it really be possible to use the Internet effectively for marketing without a good website?  Yes, definitely.  Here are a few ideas on how to do just that.

1. Announce a non-existent redesign. The first thing you need to do with a subpar website is to give customers the impression you are working to improve it. The only thing worse than a bad website is one that seems like it will be bad forever. So put a note on your homepage in some way sharing that your redesign is “coming soon.” If you think about it, this is exactly what retail destinations do when they hang those signs saying “please pardon our progress.” Progress takes time, but the first important lesson is that your customers need to know that it is coming … even if you have no idea when.

2. Create other homepages. The nice thing about the web today is that you can get up and running on a host of other sites to create a branded presence for your business in less than an hour. What this means is that your website doesn’t need to be the only place that you share information about your business.  Need a page telling people where you are located? Populate that information into Google Maps and use that link. Want to tell people about your business and share some images? Create a Facebook fan page for your business. There are lots of sites out there where you can share information about your business without needing to just point people to your site.

3. Fix your homepage first. The homepage of your site is the gateway to your business and the first impression someone is likely to have. While a full redesign may be some time away, getting some help to recreate your homepage can be a good investment to start people with a positive experience of your site and then potentially drive them to other homepages as mentioned in #3.

4. Use more direct communications. When you can’t rely on your website to reach your customers, you may want to consider a more direct model. Email marketing certainly fits into this category – but starting a Twitter account and sharing updates directly can also be a way of offering a more consistent stream of content or information without relying on your website to do it.

5. Leverage your other materials. I have seen more than a few small businesses struggle to create a quality website while at the VERY SAME TIME they have an expanse of good printed materials such as brochures and other collateral they use in the real world to promote their business. If you have these kinds of materials, work with someone (or buy a relatively inexpensive scanner yourself) to digitize some of the best of your content. Then you can upload to your site or post it online in another location to make it available for customers and prospectives.

 By Trent Hamm

Source: Open Forum

When I was in the process of launching my internet business, The Simple Dollar, I was under a great deal of stress.  I was working a full time job while at the same time giving a ton of my time, emotion, and energy to making my new business take off.  On top of that, I also needed time for my wife and my children.

For more than a year, I was a complete overstressed wreck.  I didn’t sleep enough.  My anxiety level was quite high, causing me to overreact to every little thing.  I got sick several times, causing me to both miss time at my full time job as well as vital business startup time.  I also often felt like I was letting someone or something down in my life because there simply wasn’t enough hours in the day.

That period taught me several vital lessons about the dual difficulties of launching a business while still trying to maintain some semblance of personal finance security and a normal home life. 

First, recognize that you can’t do everything.  The more you try to take on everything, the more likely you are to begin letting people down – and letting yourself down.  That can be a downward spiral of failure and overcompensation that becomes difficult to escape from.

What can you do instead?  Spend some time honestly figuring out what the real priorities are in your life.  Many people will tell you that their family is a priority – and they may even believe that – but they’ll find themselves making other choices when it comes to crunch time, letting their family life suffer at the expense of a business.  If your true priority is your business, admit it to yourself and focus your energies there.  If your true priority is your family, admit that as well and accept that you may have to let your business lag a little.  If your true priority is maintaining your full time job, accept that your business will probably grow very slowly at first.  Once you have your priorities straight, it becomes much easier to determine which elements of your life deserve priority over others.

Another key step is to reduce your personal spending and financial burden.  Many people, when their lives are overfull with demands but their wallets are flush with income, will choose to commit to a much more expensive standard of living because of the convenience.  It’s easier to go out to eat – where you can relax for a bit before eating your meal – than to prepare something at home, right?  It’s also more expensive, which means that you’re more attached than ever to the very difficult personal balancing act you’re taking on.

That’s why a fresh commitment to personal frugality can be so vital as you balance full-time work and the launch of a business.  The less you require for your own personal spending, the easier the transition to a full-time businessperson can be.  Look into ways to reduce your personal spending without much pain.  Install a programmable thermostat and program it to have your air conditioner or furnace not run when you’re not at home.  Hold off on upgrading that car.  And, yes, eat at home as often as you can – learn how to prepare simple, tasty meals with inexpensive ingredients and remember that the slow cooker can really be your friend.

What finally happened with my own situation, you might ask?  Eventually, I made the difficult choice to walk away from my full time job, even though I was earning more from that job than I was from my business.  The reason?  I realized that my family was the highest priority in my life, more than my job or my burgeoning business.  This put my business and my full time job into conflict and I chose the one that made family choices easier for me.  Of course, the path to that decision was made much easier by a strong commitment to reducing my personal spending.

By Matthew Solan, Experience Life

Who among us hasn’t searched for solutions on how to live a happier and healthier life? Little do we realize that in order to discover the answers, we must first learn how to ask the proper questions. Naikan (pronounced NI-KON) is a Japanese word that means “inside looking” or “introspection.” It’s also a structured method of self-questioning and self-reflection that helps stimulate a renewed sense of appreciation and insight about our circumstances.

Yoshimoto Ishin, a devout Buddhist of the Jodo Shinshu sect in Japan, developed Naikan in the 1940s. His strong religious spirit led him to practice mishirabe, an arduous and difficult method of meditation. Wishing to make such introspection available to others, he developed Naikan as a method that could be more widely experienced.

Three Easy Pieces
Naikan is quite simple. The entire practice revolves around three questions that engage strategically with your attention. Similar to logs that make up a raft, each is strong on its own but provides even more support when tied together with the others. The three questions are:

1. What have I received from ______?
2. What have I given to ______?
3. What troubles and difficulties have I caused ______?

What’s special about these questions is that they provide a foundation for reflecting on our relationships with others. Whether it’s a parent, friend, teacher, sibling, work associate, child or partner, focusing on someone else enables you to develop a more holistic, realistic view of your conduct. It helps you appreciate the give-and-take that occurs in daily life.

Let’s take a closer look at each individual question and how they function within the practice as a whole.

What have I received from _______?
This question requires you to look beyond your troubles and perceive the ways you are supported. “People who are very self-focused and self-centered have greater difficulty answering this question because they are typically not paying much attention to what is going on around them,” says Krech, who serves as executive director of the ToDo Institute (www.todoinstitute.com), an education and retreat center near Middlebury, Vt., that hosts Naikan retreats.

If, for example, you go out for dinner with a friend and you constantly talk about how bad you feel or how terrible your life is, you’re probably not going to notice that someone cooked your dinner, served it, and provided water when your glass was empty. All these actions support you, yet you are oblivious because you are primarily focused on your own inner experiences.

What have I given to ______?
The second question grew out of Yoshimoto Ishin’s business practice. Each month he sent out statements to his customers that indicated what products his company had provided and what payments had been received. Yoshimoto believed it was useful to conduct a similar examination of one’s life in terms of debts and credits. “Question two gets you to check out whether, in fact, the world owes you,” says Krech. You may find that the world owes you because you’ve given more to the world than you have received in a concrete way. Or you may come out exactly even. Perhaps you realize that you owe the world and are in debt to other people and the world itself. Most people relate to the latter and that tends to trigger a sense of gratitude. And guilt.

While gratitude is often viewed as a healthy emotion, guilt tends to be seen as something that should be eliminated. But Krech insists that guilt can be a positive tool for promoting one’s overall well-being. “This kind of guilt is healthy,” he says. “It’s an awareness that you have received a great deal from certain sources and given little in comparison. That spurs you on to want to give something back — often to the planet, the community, and your family.”

What troubles and difficulties have I caused ______?
The third question requires you to look at the impact you have on the world and the people with whom you interact. “It is considered the hardest one because it’s not something we do naturally,” says Krech. To illustrate, he offers this example: Someone cuts you off in traffic and you have to swerve to avoid an accident. For the rest of the day, you tell people about how some jerk almost killed you. However, when the roles are reversed and you cut someone off, you usually just shrug it off. You tell yourself that you weren’t paying attention or mouth “sorry” as you speed by. In other words, you rationalize your action and don’t give a second thought to how you may have affected that person.

“People put so much energy into how much trouble other people have caused them,” says Krech. “And almost no energy into how they impact others. This question makes you turn your attention completely around. That’s not an attractive thing to do — but on a spiritual level it is very profound.”

What a person learns from this question is how to recognize the need to funnel one’s energy toward situations that can be better managed. “If someone lies to me, I can’t keep him or her from lying or require that they tell the truth,” says Krech. “That’s their responsibility. But if I lie to someone else, that’s my responsibility. At a common-sense level it is more important to focus on what you might be able to control and change. It will only cause you suffering to focus on that which you have little or no control over. You can almost define poor mental health in that way.”

Finding Higher ground
People usually approach Naikan for specific reasons. Some seek spiritual sustenance; they may not be religious in a traditional manner, but they believe it’s important to have some kind of foundation that provides an opening to understanding things on a higher plain. Others turn to Naikan for help they are not receiving from standard therapy, such as mental health counseling or addiction treatment.

Naikan is also an ideal way to improve relationships. The practice can inspire couples to do more for each other, or enlighten them about ways they could each offer more to the relationship. On a similar level, Krech has successfully used Naikan in business environments to strengthen team-building among employees.

Perhaps Naikan’s greatest asset is the fact that it doesn’t offer a quick-fix solution. Instead, Naikan asks you to look honestly and sincerely at the reality of how you are living. The next step is yours. “Naikan doesn’t tell you whether to stay in a relationship or get divorced, or change jobs or stay where you are,” says Krech. “However, it will give valuable perspective and information that often helps people find clarity about what they should do.”

Daily Naikan

Gregg Krech encourages those new to Naikan to begin with “Daily Naikan.” It is the simplest method of reflection and requires 20 to 30 minutes before bedtime.

Here’s how it works: Sit in a quiet place, without distraction, and write down the answer to the three questions in relation to the day’s events: What did you receive from others today? What did you give to others today? What troubles and difficulties did you cause others today? It is important to be specific. For example, rather than write that you received food, specify the actual food you ate. Don’t leave items off because they seem trivial or because you receive them every day. Use a single journal to keep your thoughts organized.

Try this daily practice for a week. Once you are comfortable with this format, take it to the next level by choosing someone in particular — a partner, a coworker, a friend — to reflect upon using the three questions. Krech suggests increasing your time to at least 50 minutes, and to focus on a specific period of the relationship. “You don’t want to do it for the entire relationship, because there is too much there to cram into one sitting,” he says. “Instead, you might choose the past three months or just the past month, a week, or even a day — especially if you are going through a troubling time.”

Eventually, you will develop the presence of mind and wisdom to step back from your anger and look at a conflict in the broader context of the entire relationship. “It doesn’t mean you forgive the person or resolve that what he or she did is okay,” says Krech. “Rather, you see a particular incident in the context of everything else that’s happened; in the context of the love and support you’ve received from this person. Naikan reflection has a tremendous ability to help people soften their hearts and melt the anger and aggression that can ignite during fights among people who love each other.”

Resources:
Naikan: Gratitude, Grace, and the Japanese Art of Self-Reflection by Gregg Krech (Stone Bridge Press, 2002) and http://www.todoinstitute.com.

Experience Life magazine is an award-winning health and fitness publication that aims to empower people to live their best, most authentic lives, and challenges the conventions of hype, gimmicks and superficiality in favor of a discerning, whole-person perspective. Visit www.experiencelifemag.com to learn more and to sign up for the Experience Life newsletter, or to subscribe to the print or digital version.