During the summer months, things can get crazy if you are taking care of your children and running a business. In fact, it may seem like it’s impossible to get any time to yourself. However, it is possible with a little planning.
Here are my three, quick tips to find some extra, personal time to refresh and re-energize.
1. Always work ahead whenever possible.
As you run around taking care of your business and all of your work priorities, you never know what’s going to pop up. By completing projects and errands in advance, you’ll be prepared for unexpected issues.
If everything goes smoothly, you’ll have some extra time in case you need a break. And when this happens, try to do something for yourself – paint your nails, read your favorite book, talk to a friend, or take a nap.
2. Plan activities for your kids that get them out of the house.
There are many ways your children can have fun, learn, meet new friends, and give you a few minutes to yourself at the same time. To start, check with your local library. They often offer craft programs, movies, reading events, and more free for participants.
And during the summer, many cities offer drop-in programs at local parks where the kids have supervised play. Conduct a little research. You may find that your gym or spa has child-activity centers. Another option is to work with friends to develop joint, play dates. This way, each Mom can get a break on a regular basis.
3. Change your hours.
Try to get up an hour early to get work done while everyone is asleep. If you’re not an early bird, stay up an extra hour at night. You’d be surprised how much extra time you have to accomplish things when the phone isn’t ringing and your children are not making requests.
And note that you don’t have to do this every day. Rather, you might try this just a couple days a week and find that it gives you all the extra time you need.
These are just a few tips from one busy Mom entrepreneur to another. For more help, check out www.entrepreneur.com/mompreneur/index.html, http://www.startupnation.com/series/131/1237/advice-entrepreneur-moms.asp and www.bizziemommy.com/
Do you have questions about being a busy Mom entrepreneur or selling your self-published book? Please let me know here or at www.jexbo.com. I’d love to hear from you!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Monday, July 6, 2009
Formalities of Germany
Howdy from Germany! I’m very happy to have this opportunity to tell you what it’s like to live and work as a foreigner in this beautiful country. I thought I should start off with the formalities, which are actually different here than in the U.S. This is a country where formalities are taken seriously, starting from a very young age.
It could come from the fact that German is one of those languages that has more than one version of “you.” The informal “du” which you use with your family and close friends is the English version of “thee” – so we have an equivalent, we just don’t use it anymore. There is also the formal “Sie” which is for everyone other than “du” and it’s also the plural version of “you.” As a foreigner, I am somewhat excused from following this strictly. If for example I mistakenly use the informal “du” when talking with my son’s teacher, she would just think it was a grammar mistake because German isn’t my first language. It becomes tricky for my Austrian husband though. When we meet other parents at school functions, my husband will whisper “do we ‘du’ or ‘Sie’ them?” and I’ll answer with me it’s about 50-50 what I will call them, so he should do what he would do without me.
Another formality here is that I am virtually always called “Frau Exler” (Mrs. Exler), even by women I consider good friends and have known for years. If someone knows that I have a doctorate, they might call me “Frau Doctor.” Because my husband also has a doctorate, I am also “Frau Doctor” by virtue of marrying someone with a doctorate. This can be handy if you forget someone’s last name, but remember their profession – it’s perfectly acceptable to say “Hello Mrs Butcher” to the butcher’s wife if you pass her on the street.
Before my son was born, I taught English in Frankfurt and the school where I worked encouraged us to have our students call us by our first names. One man refused to call me Jill, and insisted I call him by his last name as well. He told me, “If we didn’t play in the sandbox together and we don’t have the same last name, we should not use first names when we speak together.”
My son is growing up learning these formalities, and he not only shakes hands with his teachers, he shakes hands with his fellow classmates as well. If he’s invited to play with friends after school, he knows to shake hands with his friends as well as their parents, and his friends all shake hands with me when they play at our house. My son was called by his nickname Ali for his first two years of elementary school, and he used “du” with his teachers. In third grade, school in Germany becomes more formal (more on that in another blog), and he is now called Alexander, and uses “Sie” with his teachers.
So as an American, I am happy to introduce myself to you as Jill, but if you do not feel we are close enough to speak so informally yet, you may call me Mrs. Exler.
___________________
Do you have questions about self-publishing your book or finding a unique gift? Please let me know here or at www.jexbo.com. I'd love to hear from you!
It could come from the fact that German is one of those languages that has more than one version of “you.” The informal “du” which you use with your family and close friends is the English version of “thee” – so we have an equivalent, we just don’t use it anymore. There is also the formal “Sie” which is for everyone other than “du” and it’s also the plural version of “you.” As a foreigner, I am somewhat excused from following this strictly. If for example I mistakenly use the informal “du” when talking with my son’s teacher, she would just think it was a grammar mistake because German isn’t my first language. It becomes tricky for my Austrian husband though. When we meet other parents at school functions, my husband will whisper “do we ‘du’ or ‘Sie’ them?” and I’ll answer with me it’s about 50-50 what I will call them, so he should do what he would do without me.
Another formality here is that I am virtually always called “Frau Exler” (Mrs. Exler), even by women I consider good friends and have known for years. If someone knows that I have a doctorate, they might call me “Frau Doctor.” Because my husband also has a doctorate, I am also “Frau Doctor” by virtue of marrying someone with a doctorate. This can be handy if you forget someone’s last name, but remember their profession – it’s perfectly acceptable to say “Hello Mrs Butcher” to the butcher’s wife if you pass her on the street.
Before my son was born, I taught English in Frankfurt and the school where I worked encouraged us to have our students call us by our first names. One man refused to call me Jill, and insisted I call him by his last name as well. He told me, “If we didn’t play in the sandbox together and we don’t have the same last name, we should not use first names when we speak together.”
My son is growing up learning these formalities, and he not only shakes hands with his teachers, he shakes hands with his fellow classmates as well. If he’s invited to play with friends after school, he knows to shake hands with his friends as well as their parents, and his friends all shake hands with me when they play at our house. My son was called by his nickname Ali for his first two years of elementary school, and he used “du” with his teachers. In third grade, school in Germany becomes more formal (more on that in another blog), and he is now called Alexander, and uses “Sie” with his teachers.
So as an American, I am happy to introduce myself to you as Jill, but if you do not feel we are close enough to speak so informally yet, you may call me Mrs. Exler.
___________________
Do you have questions about self-publishing your book or finding a unique gift? Please let me know here or at www.jexbo.com. I'd love to hear from you!
Monday, June 29, 2009
Advertising Your Child in Germany
I'm very excited because I'm going to be the featured guest on the "Mind Your Bizness" radio program on July 1st at http://www.mindyourbizness.com/. If you'd like some tips on selling your self-published book, check it out.
Also, I recently thought about something interesting...
There are some things I notice here in Germany that I cannot imagine ever seeing in the U.S. One of them is the habit of buying stickers showing a baby with the baby’s name written under it and sticking it in the back window of a car. It’s not unusual to see stickers announcing “Horst,” “Susanne” and “Fabian,” and three car seats in the back of a car.
I always comment to my husband that this is advertising your child’s name to every nut walking down the street, who can then use the information to say, “Lili – your mama sent me to get you,” and kidnap your child.
But just as I tend to defend the American way to my husband, he tends to defend the European way to me, and tells me there are far fewer kidnappings in Germany than in the U.S. This may be true, but there are also 200,000,000 fewer people in Germany than in the U.S.
So anyway, that’s just an observation of life here in Germany, and something I would highly recommend against. First of all, I think the “cute” factor wears off quickly. Second, why risk endangering your child? And finally, once the cute factor wears off, you’re stuck with what I saw this past weekend… stickers showing babies in a window with “Hans” and “Lia” written underneath, and two bored teenagers sitting in the backseat!
__________________________________________________
Do you have comments about this or need help selling your self-published book? Please let me know here or at www.jexbo.com. I’d love to hear from you! Thanks!
Also, I recently thought about something interesting...
There are some things I notice here in Germany that I cannot imagine ever seeing in the U.S. One of them is the habit of buying stickers showing a baby with the baby’s name written under it and sticking it in the back window of a car. It’s not unusual to see stickers announcing “Horst,” “Susanne” and “Fabian,” and three car seats in the back of a car.
I always comment to my husband that this is advertising your child’s name to every nut walking down the street, who can then use the information to say, “Lili – your mama sent me to get you,” and kidnap your child.
But just as I tend to defend the American way to my husband, he tends to defend the European way to me, and tells me there are far fewer kidnappings in Germany than in the U.S. This may be true, but there are also 200,000,000 fewer people in Germany than in the U.S.
So anyway, that’s just an observation of life here in Germany, and something I would highly recommend against. First of all, I think the “cute” factor wears off quickly. Second, why risk endangering your child? And finally, once the cute factor wears off, you’re stuck with what I saw this past weekend… stickers showing babies in a window with “Hans” and “Lia” written underneath, and two bored teenagers sitting in the backseat!
__________________________________________________
Do you have comments about this or need help selling your self-published book? Please let me know here or at www.jexbo.com. I’d love to hear from you! Thanks!
Monday, June 22, 2009
How to Survive While Waiting For Your Big Break as an Author
Did you just finish your book?
Congratulations! Now, like many new authors, you may be waiting for your big break.
Well, while you wait for that publishing house, editor or producer to call, here are a few tips to help you get through these trying times while being productive.
• Do freelance work.
You’ll want to continue to improve your skills… so keep writing. Check with your local newspaper, or find neighborhood organizations that pay for submissions to their newsletters or magazines.
Also, research online for groups that may be interested in what you’re writing, and offer to prepare an article specific to their needs. You’ll also find freelance work at sites like http://www.elance.com/, http://www.craigslist.org/, http://www.guru.com/emp/index.aspx, and others.
• Consider teaching a class at a local adult education or community college program.
You might be able to set up an entire program yourself and teach something extremely focused in your area of expertise.
Or, you can branch out and discuss a topic you feel passionate about. You’ll be energized sharing your knowledge and increase your credibility as an author at the same time. Check with your local college, university or library to get started.
• Work as a volunteer somewhere that will help you promote your book.
For instance, if you’ve written a book about art, volunteer a couple hours a month at a local gallery. Perhaps you can develop a joint reading activity or event relative to your book that offers benefits for both parties?
To start, check out http://www.thevolunteerfamily.org/Volunteers/Default.aspx?gclid=CPD6zJ3igJsCFRYiagodFH66eQ, http://www.volunteermatch.org/ and your local phone book.
Now is the time to get out and promote yourself and your book. Don’t be shy. After all, you are your best cheerleader.
And while you work on your skills, spread the word and generate interest for your book, your phone just may start ringing.
Do you have questions about selling your self-published book or comic book? Please let me know here or at http://www.jexbo.com/. I'd love to hear from you!
Congratulations! Now, like many new authors, you may be waiting for your big break.
Well, while you wait for that publishing house, editor or producer to call, here are a few tips to help you get through these trying times while being productive.
• Do freelance work.
You’ll want to continue to improve your skills… so keep writing. Check with your local newspaper, or find neighborhood organizations that pay for submissions to their newsletters or magazines.
Also, research online for groups that may be interested in what you’re writing, and offer to prepare an article specific to their needs. You’ll also find freelance work at sites like http://www.elance.com/, http://www.craigslist.org/, http://www.guru.com/emp/index.aspx, and others.
• Consider teaching a class at a local adult education or community college program.
You might be able to set up an entire program yourself and teach something extremely focused in your area of expertise.
Or, you can branch out and discuss a topic you feel passionate about. You’ll be energized sharing your knowledge and increase your credibility as an author at the same time. Check with your local college, university or library to get started.
• Work as a volunteer somewhere that will help you promote your book.
For instance, if you’ve written a book about art, volunteer a couple hours a month at a local gallery. Perhaps you can develop a joint reading activity or event relative to your book that offers benefits for both parties?
To start, check out http://www.thevolunteerfamily.org/Volunteers/Default.aspx?gclid=CPD6zJ3igJsCFRYiagodFH66eQ, http://www.volunteermatch.org/ and your local phone book.
Now is the time to get out and promote yourself and your book. Don’t be shy. After all, you are your best cheerleader.
And while you work on your skills, spread the word and generate interest for your book, your phone just may start ringing.
Do you have questions about selling your self-published book or comic book? Please let me know here or at http://www.jexbo.com/. I'd love to hear from you!
Monday, June 15, 2009
How To Use SEO to Sell Your Self-Published Book
If you haven’t taken advantage of search engine optimization, or SEO, to sell your book yet, you’re missing out on a great opportunity. By adding appropriate keywords to your Amazon, jexbo or personal Web site page, potential customers will have a much easier time finding your site.
For example, if you write a book about rose gardens in England, key words for your book may be “rose garden” and “England.” Then, when people enter these words on a search engine such as http://www.yahoo.com/ or http://www.google.com/, a link to your Web site may come up.
And don’t worry. It’s not difficult.
Simply visit free sites like http://freekeywords.wordtracker.com/ and http://www.keyworddiscovery.com/search.html. Enter a keyword related to your book, and these services will produce a list of popular words that people search for related to these words.
Then, take these keywords and use them to write some articles on your Web site. Provide valuable information specific to your target market. After all, the search engines look for beneficial copy, not just keywords.
This is a start, and you’ll see an increase in site traffic in a matter of days. But for additional training and to improve your SEO results, check out sites like http://www.seomoz.org/, or hire an SEO copywriter.
It’s well worth your time and effort. After all, if potential customers can’t find your books online, they’ll just buy something else to read!
Do you need help selling your self-published book? Feel free to write to me below or at http://www.jexbo.com/. Thanks!
For example, if you write a book about rose gardens in England, key words for your book may be “rose garden” and “England.” Then, when people enter these words on a search engine such as http://www.yahoo.com/ or http://www.google.com/, a link to your Web site may come up.
And don’t worry. It’s not difficult.
Simply visit free sites like http://freekeywords.wordtracker.com/ and http://www.keyworddiscovery.com/search.html. Enter a keyword related to your book, and these services will produce a list of popular words that people search for related to these words.
Then, take these keywords and use them to write some articles on your Web site. Provide valuable information specific to your target market. After all, the search engines look for beneficial copy, not just keywords.
This is a start, and you’ll see an increase in site traffic in a matter of days. But for additional training and to improve your SEO results, check out sites like http://www.seomoz.org/, or hire an SEO copywriter.
It’s well worth your time and effort. After all, if potential customers can’t find your books online, they’ll just buy something else to read!
Do you need help selling your self-published book? Feel free to write to me below or at http://www.jexbo.com/. Thanks!
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