Slowing Down to See the Bigger Picture

Sometimes, a forced slowdown is thrust upon you. Literally, in my case! Here’s what happened to me last week. With end of the school year festivities in full swing, last Monday I had a nasty spill in the kitchen and tore the plantar fascia of my left foot. It hurt like crap when it happened, and I was somewhat taken aback when the podiatrist, who looked at the injury, said with almost a chuckle, that I was going to be basically without a foot for four to eight weeks if I was lucky. I didn’t care to hear what would happen if I wasn’t lucky.

 Apparently, this wasn’t like the standard stubbed toe or occasional shin splint issue that happens from time to time. This was somewhat serious, and yes, very painful and inconvenient.

We have a trip to Lego Land and a jaunt to San Francisco planned for summer break. I just bought new running shoes, and I’ve recently made it to the advanced level of Jilian Michael’s 30 Day Shred DVD. I don’t have time for eight weeks of lugging my foot around in a cast. I left the podiatrist nearly in tears. I tried to gather my thoughts and reminded myself that I don’t have control over this situation. So, I’ll need to ride the wave and stay positive.

While this injury hasn’t disabled me from writing, it has slowed me down in many other ways, and interestingly, I was able to accomplish some “to do” list items that have been sitting for quite some time. Let’s say that I’ve managed to pull out all of the interesting recipes from my Sunset and Real Simple magazines while icing my foot. Not only that, I’ve had time to rework some of my business initiatives and strategies.

Could a forced slowdown be occasionally necessary for reorganizing and seeing the bigger picture? Perhaps!

Yes, I’m basically out of commission for a few weeks, and getting a new knee length cast tomorrow. But, I’m regrouping to come back bigger and better after I’m back on two legs. In the meantime, I’m getting my work done, yet running at a slightly less frenetic pace. Sometimes, that’s just what the doctor ordered.

Song of the Day: Learn How to Fall – Sorry, I couldn’t find Paul Simon’s version on YouTube, but I found this guy’s rendition.

Keeping a Sense of Humor on the Road to Success

As a freelancer, small business owner, or whatever you’d like to call me, I’ve worked with literally hundreds of different clients. Some I’ve really enjoyed and others have been a bit on the challenging side of things. Yet, when I look back at everyone, those who stand out the most have been the most comical.

I love working with people who make me laugh. And, I think that more than a few of my clients have chosen to work with me because I have said a few funny things here and there. I even snagged a client who simply found one of my blog posts funny and decided he wanted to work with me.

Regardless of the type of work you do, I truly believe that a sense of humor is possibly the ticket to success. Let’s face it. No one enjoys working with someone who is flat and without personality – even if they are skilled in other ways.

Does this mean that those who haven’t been blessed with a comical sense are doomed for failure? No, but I do think one should work on their humor in a similar way to keeping up with technology or current events.

I make it a priority to make the people around me laugh, sometimes at my expense, and I never cease to take advantage of an opportunity to point out something unexpectedly funny. Living here in Scottsdale, there are countless humorous situations happening on a daily basis that I witness. I love sharing these little stories with others and writing about them.  

In fact, I think that humor and being conversational are what makes work enjoyable and writing interesting. I know that no one wants to read yet another blog post about the latest in marketing techniques. But, if I can share these techniques while also telling a funny, personal story, I’ll capture the interest of my readers, and it’s much more fun for me to write, as well.

On days when I’ve had to deal with lots of humorless people, I sometimes wonder if I should be more serious. However, the fact is that that’s not me, and I’ll only be able to achieve the success I want if I can infuse humor into my daily grind. I’ll get where I need to go while keeping the sense of humor, and hopefully, I’ll continue to find like-minded colleagues on the road to success.

And with two young boys, humor often revolves around farts, poo-poo, and boogies. Well, that’s not so bad, as I also find those things quite funny, too!

Song of the Day: Classical Gas

A Few Business Lessons from Donald Trump

Heaven knows Donald Trump has been dishing out advice since I was in high school. And, I appreciate his dedication to wanting to help others. I’ve certainly enjoyed The Apprentice over the years, and love that he has introduced NeNe from Atlanta Housewives to an even bigger audience.

That being said, I think that the fact that he touched on the whole Barack Obama birth certificate issue as a way to gain attention for his possible run for office is amazingly stupid. Now that the “long form” birth certificate has been released by the White House, he’s probably blown his opportunity to become a candidate.

In this fascinating little political/entertainment story, there is much that can be learned – particularly if you have a small business. So, I’m sharing a few nuggets of inspiration that I think are helpful.

It’s Better to Promote What You Can Do rather Than Criticize Your Competition
Perhaps Donald, like Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront, could have been a contender if he had solely focused on what he could do to make this country better. Surprisingly, he decided to take a cheap shot at Barack Obama by even mentioning the whole birth certificate thing. What Donald Trump didn’t realize is that the majority of Americans don’t really give a damn about the birth certificate. It’s a moot point since he’s ummm like already the President. Now, that the birth certificate has been released, he looks silly and petty.

It’s Wise to Have All the Facts before Accusing Someone of Something
There are those times when, in business, you feel like you’ve been cheated, duped, or slighted. However, before you launch accusations, it’s always good to get all of your facts straight. Donald didn’t know whether or not Barack Obama was born in Hawaii, Indonesia, Kenya, or the South Pole, so he should have kept his mouth shut until he knew for sure. Now, if it had been proven that Obama had fudged where he was born, Donald would have had a point. However, that didn’t happen.

One of my friends/colleagues the other day told me that he thought someone had stolen something that he’d been working on for quite some time. He could have instantly hired an attorney and initiated a full-scale attack on him, but he decided to take it slow and find out what had happened. He was able to work it out with the other business owner, and now he has him as a new client! Now that’s classy and far more productive than just shooting out accusations.

Your Customers Are Drawn to the Positive Not the Negative
Donald Trump has forgotten an important business lesson. Customers or voters in this situation want to hear the positive. We want to hear how someone can make our lives better and easier. What we don’t particularly want is negative banter and criticism of others. Sorry Donald, when I hear you bitching about politics, it makes me change the channel, and now, I’m getting so turned off by you, that I’m pondering not watching The Apprentice. You sound like a whiny child who just wants attention!

“Glass Houses”
I’m sorry but the reality is that Donald Trump has been married three times, has repeatedly filed for bankruptcy, and is basically now a reality TV personality. Before he can start throwing stones at others, he may want to consider his personal stats. Yes, we all have our failures and vulnerabilities, but most of us aren’t lashing out at others on CNN. If he does run for office, I’ll be interested to see how he dances around these personal issues when the Christian evangelicals have questions.

The moral of this story is that it’s always smarter to keep your mouth shut until you know what the heck you’re talking about, and even smarter to stay focused on the positive. Donald Trump blew it in a big way over the last few weeks, and now looks like a fool before he’s even left the presidential election starting block.

Perhaps, he needs to reread his books and rethink his strategy. Or, maybe he just needs to focus on being a reality TV star.

Song of the Day: Born in the USA

A Snowbird Teaches Me How to Be A Bad-Ass!

If you’ve read some of my blog posts, you probably know that I have a rather tumultuous relationship with snowbirds. For those of you not in the know, snowbirds are the, shall we say, active seniors who flock to Scottsdale in the winter months from places like Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, and Iowa. Then, when the weather heats up here, they blow the joint faster than Jeff Spicoli.  

This morning, I witnessed a fascinating example of extreme snowbird brashness and decided that I’ve had it all wrong. Instead of fighting them, I need to join them. Modeling my behavior after snowbirds, I might just be able to take my business to the next level!

So, here’s what happened. As always, I was waiting patiently for my turn at the bakery counter at AJs (our local grocery store). There’s a system at the bakery that you’re supposed to obey. You grab a little pink numbered ticket, and wait for the counterperson to call your number. Then, you order what you want and pay. Pretty simple I think, and most of the time it works out quite fine.

However this morning, it was especially crowded with snowbirds who are trying to get the last of their Scottsdale days in before the triple digit temperatures set in. I was holding my number and waiting patiently amongst the crowd while listening to their Mid-West chitter-chatter. Then, one of the snowbirds came up to me, and asked if I was in line. I said, “No, I’ve grabbed a ticket and I’m waiting for my number to be called.” I encouraged her to get a ticket, too. Instead, she winked at me and said, “I don’t need a ticket,” and proceeded to walk up to the counter, grab the attention of the cashier and order her coffee and cinnamon roll.

I was blown away by her confidence and her blatant lack of concern for order. She wanted coffee and a cinnamon roll, and that was that. This sweet-looking, 70-something woman was an anarchist disguised as a cast member from the Golden Girls. Truly amazing!

Now, I’m not saying that I want to break all the rules and just grab what I want without respect for others. However, I’m digging this lady’s supreme confidence. Perhaps, I need to ramp up the attitude a bit, and focus more on what I need rather than just accommodating what others want.

Today, I’m celebrating this snowbird and her sly, bad-ass attitude. It’s making me think that seniors really do have more fun!

Orange Blossoms and Business in Bloom

Last night, I received a heartfelt email from a reader of this blog thanking me for a post I wrote about six months ago. It reminded me that I need to keep up with my writing – even when I’m short on time.

So, I’m going to try and make more of an effort for The Entrepreneurial Mom Blog. It’s therapeutic for me to write about being a mom and a business owner, and maybe, just maybe, I’m helping out or entertaining a few people out there.

Last Wednesday, Rex became a 7 year old, and just as always, the orange blossoms bloomed on his birthday.  For those of you who don’t live in Arizona, the smell of orange blossoms is an amazing aroma of spring that prevails for about a month before the stifling summer heat begins to set in.

To me, orange blossoms remind me of when I first became a mom and why I wanted to become a business owner. How distinctly, I remember leaving the hospital with Rex when he was two days old being nearly overwhelmed by the scent of orange blossoms.

When Rex was exactly one year old, I decided to start my own business so that I could stay home with him. Perhaps, the orange blossoms were calling me yet again to begin another new adventure.

Seven years have passed since I left the hospital with Rex, and I’m more driven and focused than ever before. My purpose is clear – to be there for my family while also growing a business that will help provide for their future.  The orange blossoms are in bloom and continue to serve as a reminder to stay focused on nurturing both my family and my business.

I have several new business ventures I’m working on right now, and I’m still enjoying working with my existing clients. The orange blossoms are perhaps a sign of another new chapter in the life of this mom.

Song of the Day: Orange Blossom Special

Google Weeds Out Unoriginal Content Sites

As someone who used to get a considerable amount of her writing assignments from Elance, I was always perturbed by the jobs that were posted for cheap articles. No, I’m not talking $25 or $30 an article. There was always and probably still are jobs out there posted by individuals/companies wanting to pay writers $2.00 to $5.00 per article. What writer in their right/write mind would agree to this? Umm, no one!

Interestingly, there were always providers (usually overseas) who would bid on these jobs. Now, I’m a fast writer who can crank out a 500 word blog post or article in 30 minutes or so if there isn’t a lot of research required. But, you would have to be churning content out at a super hero pace to make any profit if you were getting paid $2.00 per article.

The reality is that the providers who take these jobs are not writing articles. They are spinning them. This means that they are grabbing other writers’ copy and reworking it through an automated spinner to create “new” content. Why would someone want spun articles? For SEO purposes and not much else.

Fortunately, Google is finally cracking down on content farms and their customers that publish unoriginal content by launching a new algorithm update called Farmer.

Now, as a writer who gets paid for producing quality content that is hopefully read and not just used for SEO purposes, I am grateful that Google is shedding some light on this problem.

I frequently have clients who ask about SEO or who are using SEO specialists but don’t understand their real purpose. I always tell them that yes, it is important to figure out keywords that will help your site’s ranking and to update your content frequently. But, where I think I differ from many providers of SEO is that I truly believe that you also need to have quality content. You can’t just put a bunch of nonsensical articles and text on a site and expect to make money from it. You need compelling text, interesting material, and informative articles and posts that will turn a site visitor into a customer. This can’t be done by spinning articles.

If you’re a business owner who is marketing online, good content is now more important than ever. Those who have duplicate, plagiarized, spun content on their sites and blogs are likely to be caught and will drop significantly in their online ranking. And for those who want to improve their rankings, take the time to develop fresh, original content on your site or blog. If you don’t have the time to write your own content? Contact a legit copywriter who can help. Yep, that’s me, but there are lots of others out there too. Just don’t go on Elance and ask someone to write you articles for $2.00 a pop. At the end of the day, you will get you pay for, and that might be a really bad thing in the eyes of Google!

Bad Fashion, Bad Leader

Last night, we were watching our national news on TV, and Rex wanted to know who the weird guy was in the brown robe. Well, he was watching a clip of Moammar Gadhafi giving a speech wearing a very odd ensemble that included a caramel colored, polyester looking, flowing gown with dolman sleeves, a sash, a hat that looked like it came from the set of the Eddy Murphy movie “Coming to America”, and, of course, his signature “BluBlocker” (as seen on TV) sunglasses. Even a six year old knows a fashion train wreck when he sees one.

Now, I’ve watched Moammar since I was in high school. I’ve always been intrigued by his crazy sense of style that has included Sgt. Pepper uniforms, disco shirts, fatigues, fur hats, etc. Similarly, I’ve always found the perm, zipped up action suits, high heels, and insane eyewear of Kim Jong-Il to be equally as fascinating. Fidel Castro in his track suits and Iran’s leader, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in his Members’ Only jackets certainly round out the bizarre fashion plate dictators on my radar screen.

What I’ve determined by checking out this group through the years is that their egos are so immense and the people around them are so scared, no one is going to step up to the plate and tell them that they look foolish.

This begs the questions – Is bad fashion the first sign that a leader will run amuck? Or, does poor leadership lead to the bad fashion?     

My guess is that it’s the latter. When individuals get completely out of touch with reality and have too many “yes men”, this breeds bad fashion.

This problem also happens to everyday leaders who aren’t ruling third-world countries.  I used to have a very overbearing boss back in the early 1990s who liked to wear too tight, polyester Angel Flight pants that were hemmed way to short. He wore them with stained Haggar dress shirts and wide striped ties. Like Kim Jong Il, he was a megalomaniac. No one who wanted to keep their jobs was going to critique his disco pants. He eventually helped run the company into the ground.

I also had a female boss many moons ago who liked to wear really short skirts even though her legs had seen better day. She also thought she was hot stuff, and not one person on her staff ever told her that she looked like a street walker.

So, my new theory is that the person with the wildly inappropriate clothing is the same person who throws around their power and has no value for what others have to say.

No, I don’t think everyone should dress alike. In fact, I love personal expression in all forms. However, even a six year old knows when something doesn’t look right. There’s a difference between a chic, fashion forward leader and Gadhafi dressed like a gospel singer. The key is to identify these individuals early on and cut them off before they seize power. The potential boss or client who is dressed like a nut is probably not a good choice in the long run. Once you get beyond their lack of fashion sense, you’ll still have to work with their ego and the inability to take constructive criticism.

So Long George Shearing from a Diehard Fan!

I feel like I’m writing a little too often about celebrities who have died, but it seems like lately more than a few of my favorites have departed.

Back when I was in high school, I was given a stack of records from a flamboyant, yet stylish coworker who, at the time, was shifting to the more “modern” tape cassettes. Among the records that he gave me were several from George Shearing. I instantly fell in love with George’s piano playing. When I discovered that he was also blind, I was hooked. He was a genius in my mind. I spent the next decade or so collecting every album that I could find of his, and he made a bunch. He collaborated with lots of other musicians including Nat King Cole, Peggy Lee, Mel Torme, and Nancy Wilson, and I think I have at least 20 of his LPs.

George Shearing died today at the age of 91, and I’m incredibly sad about it. How I would have loved to have seen him perform. But, I do feel very fortunate to have my George Shearing record collection and to have been exposed to his music at such a young age.

When Randy and I have romantic dinners, I always put on George Shearing. His version of Autumn in New York is among my top five favorite songs of all times. He was a true classic.

Like many of the people who inspire me, George Shearing overcame huge obstacles before he found success. He was the youngest of nine children, born blind to working class parents. His dad delivered coal, and his mother cleaned trains. Yet, he began learning piano at the age of three. He moved to the United States in 1947, and quickly started churning out hit songs including “Lullaby of Birdland” which is probably his most famous. He kept playing piano until he could no longer play. Retirement in the traditional sense just wasn’t an option for George. He was a musician until the day he died.

Music has played such an important part in my life, and George Shearing stands out amongst all of my favorites. I’ll miss you George, and hope that you’ll finally now be able to see all of the joy that you’ve given to music lovers like me around the world.

So, I leave you today with a favorite of mine from George Shearing. I hope you’ll like it as much as I do….

Hoping for a Peaceful Transition in Egypt

In 2000, Randy and I traveled throughout Egypt. Of course, we went to Cairo and Luxor, but we hopped aboard a bus and traversed the Sinai to Dahab, Nuweiba, and Sharm el-Sheikh.  It’s a beautiful country with some absolutely amazing sites.

While we couldn’t help but appreciate Egypt’s amazing history, we also noticed terrible poverty and lots of unemployed young men with too much free time on their hands.  And, it was really no different in the many other Muslim majority countries that we traveled to. Throughout Jordan, Tunisia, and Morocco, we saw basically the same thing.  What’s sad is that all of these countries have so much to offer, yet have not done a very good job of providing opportunities for their citizens.

What I always think is the big elephant in the room that seems to not get discussed when it comes to problems in these countries is how they have really limited opportunities for women. You can’t diminish the freedoms for half your population and expect to succeed.  Egypt is certainly not as restrictive as countries like Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan , but it’s still a very male-dominated society.

Strong countries are built on providing freedom and opportunities for all of the people who live in them. You don’t need to be a history or political expert to figure this out.  Hopefully, there will be a smooth transition to a new government and that the focus will be on providing freedom for everyone – not just those of a certain gender.  

The Benefits of Blogging

Occasionally, someone asks me why I have a blog. These are usually the individuals who don’t spend much time online. I try to explain the SEO benefits, the desire to build a community, and my love of writing. Some then understand my efforts, and of course, there are those naysayers who think I’m wasting my time. Whatever!

In the past year since starting The Entrepreneurial Mom, literally thousands of people have read my posts. I have given advice to other moms who wanted to know how I started my business. I’ve encouraged other small business owners. I’ve attracted new business, and I hope I’ve made a few people think or even laugh with some of my posts. WordPress sent me the stats of what I accomplished with the blog last year. Here are just a few of the results.

My blog was viewed just over 12,000 times in 2010. That’s equivalent to 29 full 747s.

I wrote 120 blog posts and uploaded 197 photos.

The busiest day for my blog was December 9^th when I received 655 views.

Not too bad, hunh?

Will I keep blogging in 2011? Definitely! I’ve started two new blogs that I’m anxious to see succeed, as well.

One Local Family which focuses on our family’s pledge to not buy from national retailers and restaurants for a year.

And,

Rock Your Business – this is a venture with my friend Adrian Miller where we will be sharing business lessons learned from rockstars.

I highly encourage all small business owners to take the time to blog. It has been a thoroughly rewarding experience for me and has dramatically helped my business. If you’re not sure where to start, send me an email, and I’ll share some tips to help you get going.

And, I hope you’ll follow along this year with my blogs, and I promise to keep my posts interesting and thought-provoking.