2011 January

Get Ready for Working Naked Day Tomorrow!

January 31, 2011 By Lisa Leave a Comment

Tomorrow is the 2^nd annual Working Naked Day…the day we celebrate our freedom to work from home on our own terms. While our corporate counterparts are cursing their morning commute, we’re enjoying a slow stroll to our home office down the hall.

The blog posts below should get you in the mood for Working Naked Day. They’ll also remind you of why there’s no better way to work, than from home.

Snow What? You Can Still Work From Home
Winter storms are taking over the country but for those of us working naked, it’s still business as usual. For you home office virgins, here are a few tips to help you ease into the world of working naked, even if it’s for only a short amount of time. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life, Home office organizing, Making money from home, Time mgmt./Productivity, Working at home Tagged With: starting a home-based business, working from home, Working Naked Day

6 Home Office Fixes You Can Do in a Day

January 27, 2011 By Lisa Leave a Comment

You know that deer in the headlights look that people get when they’re scared? Sometimes my clients get the same look when they think about making changes to their home office. They feel overwhelmed and they don’t know where to start. It’s definitely normal and understandable.

Transforming the look and function of your home office can be a challenge and definitely intimidating. While you can’t change everything about your home office in one day, there are a few simple things you can do now to make your home office more productive. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Home office design, Home office organizing, Home office setup Tagged With: home office fixes, home office set up, working from home

Is a Franchise or a Non-Franchise Business Better for You?

January 24, 2011 By Lisa 1 Comment

Guest post by The Franchise King®, Joel Libava

Please read the title of this post again. Look at the last two words. That’s right; it’s about what is better for you. Please don’t base your decision on what your well-meaning friends, relatives, and MBA friends suggest.

The business model of franchising is totally different [Read more...]

Filed Under: Making money from home, Working at home Tagged With: owning a franchise, Small business, The Franchise King

No Need to Call in Sick When You Work From Home

January 21, 2011 By Lisa 5 Comments

When my alarm went off this morning I got out of bed, took a few steps and then fell back into bed.

I feel crappy.

When you own your own business you can’t call in sick (who would you call anyway?), but in-between naps you can still handle a few tasks from your comfy bed or sofa.

That’s what I’m doing today, but first I’m going to have another cup of tea from the new mug Carrie Wilkerson, The Barefoot Executive, just sent me. (Thanks, Carrie!)

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life, Making money from home, Working at home Tagged With: calling in sick, Carrie Wilkerson, home office productivity, working from home

5 Things You Need to Know About Your Small Business Web Site

January 19, 2011 By Lisa Leave a Comment

One of my clients just fired her Webmaster.

It was sort of my fault.

She kept complaining to me about how long she had to wait for him to make updates, program the right keywords and put together an opt-in form, so I took a close look at her site. After I read a few pages, I realized why her blood boiled every time she thought about her site. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Home office technology, Improving your web site

Break Down Your Time and See Your Productivity Go Up

January 17, 2011 By Lisa Leave a Comment

Two weeks ago I had an incredibly productive week. I powered through everything on my To Do list. My main focus was on the marketing and publicity tasks I’d been wanting to try and a few money-making projects that I’d been putting off. I was a productivity powerhouse.

The next week I didn’t accomplish anything. Nothing. Nada. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life, Time mgmt./Productivity Tagged With: copyblogger, Home Office Tips, Sonia Simone, time management, working from home

All Dressed Up: New Year, New Home Office

January 14, 2011 By Lisa Leave a Comment

Some people spend New Year’s weekend relaxing, thinking about what’s ahead and maybe even nursing a hangover from the best New Year’s party ever. Not business and marketing coach, Debbie LaChusa.

Over the New Year’s weekend, she “seriously decluttered, repainted and redecorated” her home office.

The medals she earned from two marathons, the Minnie Mouse drawing by her daughter and the SUCCESS magazine [Read more...]

Filed Under: Home office design, Home office organizing Tagged With: Debbie LaChusa, Home office design, Home office furniture, home office set up

Don’t Beat Yourself Up When You’ve Let Yourself Down

January 12, 2011 By Lisa Leave a Comment

You know those days when everything clicks and you can’t believe how amazing you are? You replay the highlights of the day in your head, tell yourself how you can accomplish anything and even psych yourself up for the next day. You are awesome!

But what about the bad days? [Read more...]

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life, Working at home Tagged With: Home Office Tips, Small business, working from home

Move it Where You’ll Use It

January 10, 2011 By Lisa Leave a Comment

Last week, a contractor doing some work on my house looked at my barbeque grill and said, “You’d probably use that more if you moved it closer to your kitchen door.”

Um, why didn’t I think of that?

I moved my grill and now I use it almost every night. That guy’s simple suggestion made something I’d quit using, useful again.

Move it where you’ll use it is a simple idea but one that so many of us forget (obviously myself included). Consider a few ways to make it easier to use what you have. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Home office design, Home office setup Tagged With: Home Office Tips, setting up your home office, Small business, work at home

See Your Home-Based Business Through Your Clients’ Eyes

January 5, 2011 By Lisa 2 Comments

Image from cbs.com

There’s a show I’ve watched a few times called Undercover Boss.

The premise is that the owner, president or CEO of a corporation, goes to work as a regular employee. The manager or person in charge of the store, manufacturing plant or other type of business who’s in charge of training the new employee, doesn’t know that he or she is dealing with the “head cheese” of the company. It’s a brilliant idea!

By going undercover, Mr. or Ms. Cheese sees first-hand what’s wrong with the company. The best part is that [Read more...]

Filed Under: Making money from home, Working with clients Tagged With: Entrepreneurs, growing your home-based business, Small business, small business tips, Undercover Boss