You are here: Home / Archives for Lisa

How to Decide Whether or Not You Should Work From Home

May 17, 2012 By 6 Comments

I wouldn’t trade working from home for anything. There’s no dress code, it’s easier to stay focused, and if I want to work late at night I have a three-second commute. But working from home isn’t for everyone.

If you’re thinking about working from home or questioning your decision to work from home, consider these pros and cons.

Pro: Your overhead is low and you can furnish your office however you wish.
Con: You’ll need to carve an office out of living space in your home.

Pro: You can set your own hours.
Con: You have to be disciplined and keep some type of schedule. By disciplining yourself and getting on a regular schedule, you can still be productive while enjoying the benefits of working from home.

Pro: Associates or other business professionals won’t be nearby to bother you.
Con: You risk feeling isolated, “out of the loop,” and even lonely. Consider meeting regularly with other small business owners for coffee or lunch.

Pro: You don’t have to waste time traveling to meet with clients or waiting for clients to arrive.
Con: Clients will see how you live and work, unless you find a way to set your office apart from the rest of your home. French doors, a folding screen or even room-dividing bookcases can help.

Pro: No commute so you save time, energy, and money.
Con: You can’t escape your work, especially if your home office is in your bedroom.

Pro: You can merge your personal and professional lives.
Con: Trying to juggle both personal and professional obligations at the same time can be a challenge.

What made you decide to work from home or what’s keeping you from working from home?

Filed Under: Working at home Tagged With: , ,

How to Get the Most Out of Live Seminars

May 14, 2012 By 5 Comments

source: Today's Innovative Woman

Years ago when my older son came home from his first day of Kindergarten and I asked him what he’d learned, he said, “My brain is full!” After attending a few small business conferences this year, I understand how he felt.

This week I’m speaking at the Today’s Innovative Woman Success Summit and I can’t wait to interact with other business owners. When I spoke at their conference two years ago in Los Angeles, I was thrilled at how much I learned at the information-packed sessions ranging from how to market your business to growing your online presence.

Not only did I learn great tips and strategies from the speakers, I picked up a few tips from the attendees as well. This was no group of slackers!

Before you go to your next live conference, consider the following tips.

Consider the benefits.

Make sure that the conference you want to attend will help you grow your business. Unless you’re attending a conference that’s in town, going to an out-of-town conference can be expensive and may not be worth your time and money. Even if it is in town, the conference should be worth the time you’ll need to take off from your business.

Take notes…plenty of notes.

Whether you use an iPad, a legal pad or your laptop to take notes, be consistent. When you use one place to take notes, you don’t have to waste time searching for them when you need to refer to the notes again a few months later. When I was a speaker and an attendee at a conference a few months ago, I left with pages and pages of valuable notes and strategies that have helped me take my business to the next level.

Start a to-do page.

At one of the conferences I attended, the event planner provided each of us with a detailed booklet that featured each speaker’s bio and room to take notes. I took notes on the speaker’s pages. On a separate to-do page, I listed action steps. Taking notes is one thing…putting the information to use is another. The day after the conference, I highlighted the key to-do items and added them to my to-do list and overall project list.

Network, network, network.

During each break, I make a point to meet at least 3-4 new people. During one conference, they held a contest for the person who collected the most business cards (I lost).

At one conference, almost every person I met was prepared with a one-sentence “elevator pitch.” When I asked someone what she did, she’d answer, “I work with (insert type of business) to help them (insert three benefits).” Brilliant! In one sentence I learned what they did and what type of people they helped.

I’ve “virtually” attended plenty of Webinars, and at times I walk away from my home office with tips I can use. But nothing beats the energy, enthusiasm and inspiration that a group of successful entrepreneurs (both male and female) can provide at a live conference. The next time a Webinar invitation hits your e-mail, think twice and consider going to a live conference instead.

What did you learn from your last business conference?

Filed Under: Working at home Tagged With: , ,

5 Organizing Products Someone Needs to Invent

May 11, 2012 By 5 Comments

Guest Post by Dan Brantley

Dan is a professional humorist and speaker, and one of the funniest people I know — aside from the salesperson at Nordstrom who asked if I wanted to try on swimsuits. So when he told me about some organizing products he knew would never be made, I was intrigued.

1. “Always clean & empty” storage shed

This wonderful device is installed in your backyard and filled with all the stuff you want to keep, but don’t really need. At random intervals, a large dump truck comes along and empties your shed. The next time you go outside with Aunt Mabel’s Crock Pot, you’ll be amazed at how much space you have. Additionally the items are sold at local charity thrift stores. It’s recycling at its best! [Read more...]

Filed Under: Home office products Tagged With: , , ,

12 Rules For Working From Home

May 8, 2012 By 17 Comments

When you work from home, there aren’t any official rules. That, however, didn’t stop me from creating my own.

1. Bathe daily and try to change your shirt and underwear at least every other day.

2. Clean up your office once a week (even if you just remove coffee mugs and food wrappers).

3. Limit your work hours…you need to sleep.

4. If you have a deadline and you want to stay focused, turn off your e-mail alert.

5. If your home office is a mess, meet with clients somewhere else. Clients may say they don’t mind your mess, but they do, and they may try to figure out how to fire you.

6. If possible, don’t let your kids use your computer. If you get a virus, you can’t work. If they get a virus, they can’t play computer games. Do the math.

7. Make sure your mute or hold button works. Sometimes they don’t, which means you may have some explaining to do.

8. Don’t answer your business line if your kids are screaming or your dogs are barking. Caller ID and a hold or mute button can only do so much.

9. Set ground rules with your friends and family and let them know that even though you work from home, you’re not available to wait for the cable guy or plumber.

10. Don’t use a chair from your dining room or kitchen as your desk chair. Instead, invest in an ergonomically correct chair.

11. Teach your kids to leave your office supplies alone. In fact, buy them their own set.

12. If you’re (literally) working naked, please wear underwear while sitting at your desk. ‘Nuff said.

What rules do you follow for working from home?

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life Tagged With: , ,

How to Increase Home Office Storage

May 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Source: bluishorange

When you start a business from home, you may have think that you have plenty of storage space in your home office. As you grow your business, don’t be surprised if your storage space shrinks quickly. After all, no matter how much storage space you have, you probably want more.

When I first moved into my latest home office, I thought that I would have plenty of room for my books, supplies, projects and anything else that belonged in my home office. A few months later I realized I was wrong. I bought two bookcases, added shelves to my closet and donated a huge box of supplies I’d never used. Now I have extra storage space and I’m able to find what I need more easily.

Before you give up on finding more storage space, try these tips.

Think vertically. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Home office organizing Tagged With: , ,

4 Organizing Misconceptions You Can Stop Believing Today

May 1, 2012 By 18 Comments

I credit my older sister for putting me over the organizing edge. When we were younger and shared a room, her side was a disaster, and mine was obsessively neat (although I’ve mellowed a bit).

Even though my sister is still disorganized — she’s fine with it — she knows it’s possible for anyone to get organized. But some people are stubborn and refuse to get organized because they believe a few misconceptions about organization.

I want to set the record straight.

Misconception #1—Handle paper once.

This is not only impossible, it’s unrealistic. Whenever I hear an organizing expert tell others to handle paper once, I cringe. Instead of pressuring yourself to handle paper once, get in the habit of doing something to move each piece forward. The point is to keep the paper in play until it lands in a file or in the recycle bin. It’s a waste of time to pick up the same piece of paper and put it back repeatedly. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Home office organizing Tagged With: , , ,

5 Ways to Improve Your Voice Mail

April 27, 2012 By 8 Comments

The other day I called a client and the receptionist told me he wasn’t in, so I asked her to transfer me to voice mail. She told me the company didn’t have voice mail because the owner thought it was too impersonal. I wanted to ask her if she used an IBM Selectric instead of a computer, or carbon paper instead of a copier, but I kept my thoughts to myself.

Voice mail is invaluable to most companies, but is only as effective as the person using it. Consider these 5 ways to make voice mail more effective.

1. Help callers save time

When you record your voice mail message, let the caller know within the first few seconds whether or not he or she can bypass it. Long, boring messages are annoying, and most of the time callers don’t listen to them anyway. Instead of wasting callers’ time by making them listen to a long message, give each person the option to go straight to the tone. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Working with clients Tagged With: , ,

How to Jog Your Memory

April 24, 2012 By 1 Comment

source: ganesha.isis

Some people think I’m extra organized because I always enter notes in my iPhone. The truth is that I have the world’s worst memory. I can remember faces, not names, and directions, not addresses.

Over the years, I’ve taken a few steps to try to improve my memory or at least fake that I have a better memory than I do. By using the simple strategies below, I’m able to finish projects on time, avoid annoying friends and clients, and remember important dates.

Consider these four steps tips for improving your memory.

Add an attachment to your e-mail before you write your message.

Have you had to send a follow-up e-mail after you’re forgotten to include an attachment? I have. By adding the attachment before I write the message, I don’t have to send the follow-up message. The best part is that my friends and clients have stopped sending me e-mails — some of them in an annoying tone — asking about attachments I was supposed to include.

To read the rest of my guest post on Success Your Way, click here.

Filed Under: Time mgmt./Productivity Tagged With: , ,

Is Telecommuting Right For You?

April 20, 2012 By 8 Comments

When you think about working from home, do you picture a small business owner, or a corporate employee?

Some people forget that not everyone who works from home is an entrepreneur. Along with those of us who work for ourselves, corporate sales reps and other corporate employees work from home full-time, too.

Another group of people who work from home are telecommuters, those who work from home a few days a week instead of working in a corporate office every day. Whether you used to work from home and then had to go back to the corporate world, or you want a more flexible schedule, or you want to avoid a daily commute, telecommuting may be the perfect solution for you. Before you approach your boss about telecommuting, ask yourself a few questions. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Working at home Tagged With: , , ,

How to Get Past Gatekeepers

April 16, 2012 By 10 Comments

When I worked in a corporate office — I’ve tried to block out that part of my life — a vendor called my office and thought I was the receptionist. He was rude, condescending and had no trouble showing his true colors.

He never knew why, but I did business with his competitor instead of with him.

No matter how talented you are, or how great your business reputation is, at some point you’re going to have to get past business gatekeepers. Consider these three gate-crashing tips.

Don’t push harder

When you can’t get through to someone, your first thought may be to push harder. Instead of making progress, you’ll aggravate the person on the other end of the line. At that point you essentially squelch any chance you may have had of seeing or talking with the person they’re protecting. And by the way, yelling, “Don’t you know who I am?” rarely works. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Working with clients Tagged With: , ,
« Older Posts
Hide me
Sign up now for an excerpt from Organize Your Home Office for Success!
Name Email
Show me
Sign up now for an excerpt from Organize Your Home Office for Success!
Enter your e-mail address below to get an excerpt from Organize Your Home Office for Success. You'll also receive updates and occasional promotions that are available only to subscribers. We respect your privacy and will not share your information with anyone.
Close