2010 August

11 Ways to Avoid Micromanaging

August 30, 2010 By Lisa

For the past month I’ve been working with a company that’s sending its sales staff home to work. The company has finally realized that through technology including videoconferencing and e-mail, their staff can be just as productive in their individual home offices as they are under the corporate thumb.

There’s only one problem: the sales manager is a micromanager. I’m not only helping their staff make a smooth transition from a corporate office to a home office, I’m teaching the sales manager how to let go and let his staff work on their own. If he can’t change his controlling ways, the company is going to let him go.

In the Management Excellence article “Leadership Caffeine-Give Your People Room to Run,” Art Perry shares 11 ways to avoid micromanaging. These tips apply to anyone with a large or small staff or someone who works with a team of freelancers. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life, Time mgmt./Productivity Tagged With: Management, micromanaging, working from home, working with others

Making Space for a Spouse While Working From Home

August 26, 2010 By Lisa

I admire couples who can work from home together and not strangle each other by the end of the day. It’s not that I’m unreasonable, bitchy or territorial (at least not all of the time), but there’s no way I could stand to share an office with a spouse. Period.

Part of the reason is that I’m from a family of five kids which makes me want my own space, my own supplies and as much privacy as possible. This site is called Working Naked, after all.

The other part is that too much of a good thing can be bad. You may adore your spouse but if you spend every day and night with him or her, you may drain the fun out of your business and your relationship.

If you’re still willing to work with your spouse, there are a few ways to keep the peace so no one [Read more...]

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life, Home office organizing, Home office setup, Making money from home, Time mgmt./Productivity, Working at home Tagged With: Entrepreneurs, Home office, Small business, starting a business, working from home, working with a spouse

Knowing What You Earn Might Take You Home

August 24, 2010 By Lisa

For several months I’ve nagged asked my friend Steve to write about how he decided to go from a corporate job to working from home. The wait for his article was worth it.

Guest post by Steve Anderson

Working from home was a dream long before it became a reality, and that’s because I needed plenty of time to convince myself that leaving the corporate office was not some crazy dream.

In hindsight, I’m sure I wasted too much time agonizing over the potential drawbacks. “I’m with a successful business, making great connections, challenging myself professionally. How do I leave this?”

It was good to ask those questions, but I needed to also ask myself another obvious question: “How much would I have to be offered to leave it all?” Could I leave for the same salary? Could I work from home for 10 percent less? or 20? or 30 percent?

Ask yourself that question, but before you answer it, answer this question: “How much money am I [Read more...]

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life, Home office organizing, Making money from home, Time mgmt./Productivity, Working at home Tagged With: Home Office Tips, Small business, starting a business, working from home

Working Long Hours Doesn’t Make You More Effective

August 23, 2010 By Lisa

A friend of mine complains often about how busy she is. She owns her own business, has a small staff and works crazy hours. Sleep isn’t one of the tasks on her To Do list. Out of curiosity, I spent the day with her to see her in action. I experienced first-hand how someone who’s busy all day, isn’t necessarily accomplishing anything. There are a few things my friend needs to do to start being more effective.

Delegate. My friend has a hard time letting go of tasks to the point of micromanaging. When she does delegate, she ends up doing most of the tasks herself or redoing whatever it is she has asked someone to do. Delegating works well if you clearly explain what you want someone to do and then follow up near the deadline date. When someone knows that you’re going to follow up, they’re more likely to do as you ask. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life, Home office organizing, Making money from home, Time mgmt./Productivity, Working at home Tagged With: Entrepreneurs, Home Office Tips, time management, working from home

Research Your Competition and Then Change Your Approach

August 19, 2010 By Lisa

Some people welcome competition and see it as an opportunity to improve their business. Others put on blinders, ignore the competition and are happy to run their business as usual. There are a few ways to learn about what works and doesn’t work for your competitors so you can create a business that’s all your own.

Research your competition honestly. Never mislead competitors by pretending to be a client. Instead, set up a Google alert with your competitor’s name in quotes. Each time they’re in the news, you’ll receive an e-mail alert. Check out their Web site to learn more about their products, services and business philosophy.

Introduce yourself to your competitors. Savvy business people know that there’s enough business for everyone. If a competitor is up to his or her eyeballs in clients, they may send a few clients your way. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life, Improving your web site, Making money from home, Marketing/Public Relations, Time mgmt./Productivity, Working with clients Tagged With: Entrepreneurs, improving your business, Researching your competition, Working with clients

Treat Yourself as Well as You Treat Your Clients

August 18, 2010 By Lisa

Most of us do what we can to keep our clients happy (within reason). When you spend most of your effort trying to please your clients, it’s easy to forget about meeting your own needs. Ignoring your health, family and personal time may seem like a small sacrifice at first. After awhile though, you may grow to resent everything you’ve given up for the sake of your business.

There are a few ways to make sure you’re taking care of yourself.

Pace yourself. Realize your limitations and stop working when you’ve accomplished the goals you’ve set for the day. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying your business (that’s one of the goals of working for yourself, isn’t it?) but too much of a good thing can be harmful and ultimately lead to burnout. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life Tagged With: Balancing home/office Life, Entrepreneurs, Working with clients

What Image is Your Business Projecting?

August 16, 2010 By Lisa

When I hired someone to design my first Web site for another business I owned several years ago, I thought it looked incredible. When I look back at that crappy site, I can’t believe I was proud of it. My site and business focus have changed over the years. Now this site reflects who I am and what my business can do.

Do you know how your business looks to the outside world? As your client base grows and your business gets busier, you may start to ignore the basics. Take time to look at your business from an outsider’s point of view.

Analyze your Web site. Does it reflect the tone and style of your business today? Your product [Read more...]

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life, Making money from home Tagged With: Entrepreneurs, Home office, Small business, working from home

What Does Your Desk Say About You?

August 12, 2010 By Lisa

Is your desk sloppy or streamlined? Messy or immaculate? Consider whether one of these three desk descriptions fits you.

Desk #1
Topsy-turvy and turbulent
The top of your desk is piled high with magazines, unopened mail and bills. If someone wants you to see something, they leave it on your chair. Eventually you’ll feel it when you sit down.
Your desk screams: You’re a creative person but you seem a bit scattered, unreliable and easily distracted.
Desk makeover: The goal isn’t to be a perfectionist or a neat freak. Instead, create some order. Use desktop file holders for the files you’re working on now, put stacking bins on the floor to hold [Read more...]

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life, Home office design, Home office organizing, Home office products, Home office setup, Making money from home, Time mgmt./Productivity, Working at home Tagged With: Home office design, home office set up, organizing your home office, Working styles

How Rappelling is Like Running Your Own Business

August 9, 2010 By Lisa 3 Comments

My first rappel down a waterfall...scary, but amazing!

A few weeks ago I spent a week in Costa Rica where I saw incredible plants and wildlife, and took part in more extreme sports (at least they were extreme to me) than I ever have in my entire life. First I sailed across a zip line through the rainforest, then I jet skied across the ocean (note: choppy ocean) and then I went canyoning (in this case, rappelling down four waterfalls and one rock wall) in the rainforest.

Thinking back to my trip made me realize how running a home-based business is like rappelling down a waterfall.

You’re out of your comfort zone. Just as it’s unnatural to hang onto a rope, push yourself away from the wall and plunge many feet below, starting a new business is unnatural. The way I felt rappelling down the first waterfall seemed as overwhelming as starting my first home-based business. Now that I’m on my third business, starting a new business feels more comfortable. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Making money from home, Time mgmt./Productivity, Working at home Tagged With: canyoning, Costa Rica, Entrepreneurs, Small business, starting your own business, working from home

Yes, It’s OK to Say No When Working From Home

August 6, 2010 By Lisa

In Jeffrey Zaslow’s Wall Street Journal article, “Yes, I’m Home. No, I Can’t Pick Up Your Child,“ he writes that those of us who are working from home are finally saying no when someone asks for a favor. The response from readers was mixed. Some people could relate to the article and were happy that someone finally acknowledged the problem. Others thought that anyone with a home-based business is home anyway, and should be able to help others no matter what.

Here’s the deal: just because we’re working from home doesn’t mean that we’re available to wait for repair calls, UPS deliveries, or to pick up a friend’s kids from school when that friend can’t leave work. Of course when it’s an emergency, there’s no question whether you should help out. But there’s a point where others can take advantage of you.

One woman in Zaslow’s article who was asked constantly for help from friends and neighbors, turned errand requests into a job. She works part-time for a new online company called taskrabbit, that matches “senders” (people who need someone to do an errand for them) with “runners” (people who will handle the errand). Now she’s paid for her time. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life, Making money from home, Working at home Tagged With: Home office, Home Office Tips, Jeffrey Zaslow, Small business, The Wall Street Journal, working from home