Blog

It is so easy when you own a home-based business to slack off during the summer months – but is it practical?  Probably not, as the seeds you sow now will reap rewards in the fall – and – when the cycle continues year round your business flourishes.

Here are some things that I recommend to keep you focused and will still give you some time to enjoy the summer.

• Schedule the times you will work – it may be reduced hours or days because you have kids at home,  a summer cabin or a boat that is calling you every weekend.  Be consistent, and make people aware of the best times to connect with you.

• Keep your written goals for the week/month in sight in your home office or work space and then you can complete them in the time you allow.  Here’s a hint – Make them S.M.A.R.T goals – i.e. specific, measureable, achievable, realistic, and timely.

• Reward yourself when you achieve your weekly summer goals…. One can always use a spa treatment, a shopping trip, a day at the beach or a special lunch/dinner at an outdoor café.

• Have an accountability partner to keep you focused – someone in your same business, or another person who works from home also.  Set up weekly calls or daily email chats, perhaps create a friendly competition to keep you making calls.  Make it fun!

• Get up earlier in the summer and perhaps get a half-day’s work done before lunch. … you can then treat yourself to the time off later in the day.

• Work outside whenever possible – or if that doesn’t work take your breaks outside, so you can get your daily dose of vitamin D.

Most of all, take a moment to be grateful for being able to work from home and all the good things that go along with that… flexibility, spontaneity and (yea!) a short commute to the office … and make it a great summer!

Real Men DO Send Cards!

I believe, like the adage “Real men don’t eat quiche,” another socially
accepted rule of masculinity, “Real men don’t send greeting cards,” may have
become archaic.
Let’s look at some reasons why they traditionally didn’t send cards:

• - it’s not macho
• - they are too busy watching “the game” to go to the store
• - they don’t know what to say in the card
• - they don’t have an assistant at the office ( or they just fired one)
• - it’s the wife’s job
• - they don’t remember
• - they don’t believe in the power of follow up

It is way too easy in this day and age to send cards that there really is no
excuse anymore.  With Send Out Cards (my preferred program) you can go
online and choose, or create a greeting card – even add photos, logos or
videos – and send it without any of the inconvenience of the traditional
ways – and still touch someone with a personal REAL card that is sent by mail.

High tech – high touch!

I know many men who now see the value of the personalized greeting card -
for work and in their personal lives – and are having positive feedback from
sending them.  If you want to find out more, just give me a call or drop me
a line.

I thought it may be fun to look at some possibly AMAZING statistics about Moms and Mother’s Day, reported by Phillips & Company on a radio station last year – judge for yourself – and let me know what you think or if you have any to add to it.

16 AMAZING Statistics About Moms And Mother’s Day

#1.) Moms are getting older and more educated.  In 2008, 14% of new moms were 35 or older, and 10% were in their teens.  Those numbers were the exact opposite in 1990:  There were more moms in their teens back then.

#2.) In 2008, a record 41% of children were born to unmarried women.  That’s up from 28% in 1990.

#3.) It’s split almost perfectly 50-50 . . . half of women say that they decided to have a child when the time was right, and half say pregnancy just kind of happened and they rolled with it.

#4.) Today, 54% of new mothers have at least some college education.  That’s up from 41% 20 years ago in 1990.

#5.) The average mom has a life expectancy of 81.  Unfortunately, the average age of widowhood is 55.

#6.) Women make 80% of the general purchasing decisions for their families . . . 93% of the food purchases . . . and even 65% of the auto purchases.

#7.) Americans buy 140 million cards for Mother’s Day . . . even though there are only about 83 million mothers in the country.

#8.) Mother’s Day is the third-biggest greeting card holiday in the U.S., behind Christmas and Valentine’s Day.

#9.) This year, Americans will spend $671 MILLION on Mother’s Day cards.

#10.) Behind the Christma-Hanu-Kwanzaa holiday season, Mother’s Day is the second-biggest gift-giving holiday in the U.S.

#11.) This year, the average person will spend $126.90 on gifts, flowers, parties and meals for their mom on Mother’s Day . . . that’s about $3 more than last year.

#12.) People will spend $1.9 BILLION on flowers for Mother’s Day.

#13.) The most popular types of flowers for Mother’s Day are:  Mixed bouquets, carnations, daffodils, roses, and tulips.

#14.) The total spending this year for Mother’s Day is $14.6 BILLION.  To put things in perspective, that’s the same amount of money that was given to the auto industry in its bailout, or the value of California’s BOOMING medicinal marijuana industry.

#15.) Besides getting their mom or stepmom a gift, 20.6% get their wife a Mother’s Day gift.  Also, 9.4% of people buy something for their daughter, 7.9% for their grandmother, 7.6% for their sister, 6.8% for a friend and 1.7% for their godmother.

#16.)  48% of people say they’re FACEBOOK FRIENDS with their mother.

Kevin The Intern

Phillips & Company, Interview,Phillips and Company 5/7/2010
8:40 am

http://y98.radio.com/2010/05/07/16-amazing-statistics-about-moms-and-mothers-day/#ixzz1Kmf2cxjw

My friend Mike has this very cool website called Gratitude Rocks .  He shares amazing photos and thought-provoking quotes with all who subscribe.
Recently it struck me how much Mike’s website aligns with what I do.  I send cards, greeting cards, in the mail – how novel is that in our fast-paced,
throw-away world today?

People love receiving cards.  The cards are a “feel-good” thing to do.  They spread positives into the world.  They make someone’s day.

Cards can be sent for so many different reasons, for example:

• to show appreciation for a gift
• to thank someone for their time
• to share photo memories of special occasions
• to show gratitude for a job well done
• to cheer someone up
• to celebrate occasions, holidays, milestones
• “just because…”

When was the last time you sent a card to a loved one or to someone in your business world who needed to be appreciated?
Often we think about doing it but it’s too inconvenient; we don’t take the time and the moment passes.

Why not give it a try?

You can do it instantly with my program, which of course is in tune with the world we live in – it’s web-based – and still create
a custom card that shows you must have taken time to do so, AND have it delivered the old-fashioned way … in the mail!

NOW THAT ROCKS!!

I am very excited to be  back writing my blog and to  focus on all the things I am passionate about: networking, connecting others, and customer service.  My new website is up and running and I feel extremely energized about all that is going on in my life.

Business networking is the greatest single asset for creating  growth and a sustainable business model in today’s market.  I love building relationships and teaching entrepreneurs how to create their own networks.  I am very grateful for all the amazing people I am meeting as I share my greeting card service on a weekly basis at my regular BNI meeting – who then work on my behalf to expand my prospect and client base. I also “pay it forward” by instructing people how to link with new clients and create opportunities as I connect these prospects with other great people in my network.  One of my favourite things to do is meet new people and learn about them and what they do.  Even as I’m talking to them I am thinking about how I can best support them.
There has never been a better time to start using valuable networking and communication skills to rise above your competition.   I heard this quote from someone I respect and it resonated with me:

” Appreciation wins over self-promotion every time.”

I think it is  a good mantra to remember when networking, and I hope you agree.  Let me know what you think and  please take a look at my new website and let me know how I can be of service to you.   Let’s get connected or reconnected!