You have a great idea for a business and are ready to place the “Open” sign on the door. But hold on. To ensure things go smoothly, there are many ways to get great tips, insights and help:
Talk to other business owners.
If they are successful, learn from them what they’ve done right. If they are unsuccessful, learn what you should do differently!
Turn to friends and family.
Everyone you know knows something you don’t know and they can help you in some way. And don’t forget people you’ve worked with in the past…they know how you work and can advise you on where your strengths lie.
Look into joining community business programs.
Check with your local area Chamber of Commerce, state and city government sites, and other industry groups to find out more about business programs, events and activities going on in your area.
You’ll get important information to help you with local business laws, taxes, employment issues, and more.
Check out websites set up to help new business owners.
There are many sites available that provide free information to entrepreneurs.
To start, check out www.score.gov, http://www.uschamber.com, www.startupnation.com, www.pinkmagazine.com, www.entrepreneur.com, www.inc.com, and www.fsb.com.
You’ll be able to communicate with other business owners and experts and get fast, current data on the entrepreneurial trends that are important to you.
Many new businesses fail. But if you get timely information from the right resources, you’ll be well on your way to success!
If you have questions about your business or self-publishing, please let me know. I’d be happy to help!
How to Get your Kids to Love Learning
With all of the technical toys and video games enticing children to spend hours online, it can be difficult to capture their attention and teach them important skills. But I’ve found several ways to get your children to love learning.
Read.
First, read to your child every chance you get. Read recipes out loud while you’re cooking, read the newspaper out loud and read street signs as you drive or walk past them. And kids are never too young to hear you read to them – On the day my son was born, my husband read BusinessWeek Magazine to him.
Get Involved.
And it helps if you find things you yourself enjoy and want to learn more about. There are usually adult education programs offered at local school and community centers. Find something you’re interested in – cooking, furniture repair, a foreign language - and sign up for the class. Also see if there are classes your kids would be interested in and sign them up too. Not only will you learn something, your kids will see how fun learning can be.
Provide Rewards.
Another tip is to reward good grades. We keep a “prize bag” in the closet filled with prizes picked up at garage sales or super discount sales in stores, and every “A” on a test earns my son a prize. It’s fun and inexpensive. And if you don’t want to use a prize bag, you could also let your child pick what he or she wants to eat for a meal or offer the treat of staying up an extra half-hour past bedtime.
If you pay attention to your children and think of creative ways to get them involved in reading, math, science, history, and other subjects and learning activities, you’ll help them develop valuable skills and habits they can use the rest of their lives to be successful. And best of all, you can spend some quality time with your children in the process.
If you have some business tips or self-publishing questions for me, please let me know below. I’d love to hear from you!
Read.
First, read to your child every chance you get. Read recipes out loud while you’re cooking, read the newspaper out loud and read street signs as you drive or walk past them. And kids are never too young to hear you read to them – On the day my son was born, my husband read BusinessWeek Magazine to him.
Get Involved.
And it helps if you find things you yourself enjoy and want to learn more about. There are usually adult education programs offered at local school and community centers. Find something you’re interested in – cooking, furniture repair, a foreign language - and sign up for the class. Also see if there are classes your kids would be interested in and sign them up too. Not only will you learn something, your kids will see how fun learning can be.
Provide Rewards.
Another tip is to reward good grades. We keep a “prize bag” in the closet filled with prizes picked up at garage sales or super discount sales in stores, and every “A” on a test earns my son a prize. It’s fun and inexpensive. And if you don’t want to use a prize bag, you could also let your child pick what he or she wants to eat for a meal or offer the treat of staying up an extra half-hour past bedtime.
If you pay attention to your children and think of creative ways to get them involved in reading, math, science, history, and other subjects and learning activities, you’ll help them develop valuable skills and habits they can use the rest of their lives to be successful. And best of all, you can spend some quality time with your children in the process.
If you have some business tips or self-publishing questions for me, please let me know below. I’d love to hear from you!
How to Teach Your Kids about Finances
In today’s environment, it’s more important than every to give your children a sound, financial education so they appreciate the value of money and know how to save and spend it in a responsible manner. Here are a few tips I’ve learned in teaching my son about finances that may help you:
Involve your children in financial decisions you’re making.
Talk to your children about your financial situation and be specific. Say, “we have $50.00 to spend on groceries and we’re going to buy X, Y and Z.” Then, visit a store and show them that no-name brands usually cost less than name brands.
Teach them to clip and organize coupons and let them be in charge of the coupons. Also, have them do some simple math problems adding up the cost of groceries, coupon savings and more. By having your children actively participate, they’ll learn more and feel like they have contributed to helping the family save money.
Work with an allowance.
Give your children an allowance for tasks accomplished and talk about how to save, spend and donate portions of it. By actually dealing with their own dollars, coins and budget, they will get first-hand knowledge of how to handle money. You’ll help them learn where money comes from and that by saving their allowance-funds, they can purchase the things they really want.
Open a bank account for your child.
Once you explain basic finances to your child, visit a bank and find out what programs the bank has for young savers. Open an account and help your child make deposits and withdrawals over time. Review monthly statements, interest payments and savings together and answer any questions your child may have.
You may even want to make it into a game and challenge your child to earn a certain amount by doing tasks around the house, depositing a portion of that money over time in the account and then offering to match a percentage of the amount saved.
It’s important to give your children a sound financial education at an early age. And if you need help, reach out to your local bank, financial institution or library.
After all, by learning about the value of money now, your children will form good habits to budget and control their finances in the future. Plus, they will have a nice savings started for a college education or other important activities in the future.
Do you have questions about starting a business, working at home or marketing your self-published book? Please let me know here or at www.jexbo.com. I'd be happy to help you! Thanks.
Involve your children in financial decisions you’re making.
Talk to your children about your financial situation and be specific. Say, “we have $50.00 to spend on groceries and we’re going to buy X, Y and Z.” Then, visit a store and show them that no-name brands usually cost less than name brands.
Teach them to clip and organize coupons and let them be in charge of the coupons. Also, have them do some simple math problems adding up the cost of groceries, coupon savings and more. By having your children actively participate, they’ll learn more and feel like they have contributed to helping the family save money.
Work with an allowance.
Give your children an allowance for tasks accomplished and talk about how to save, spend and donate portions of it. By actually dealing with their own dollars, coins and budget, they will get first-hand knowledge of how to handle money. You’ll help them learn where money comes from and that by saving their allowance-funds, they can purchase the things they really want.
Open a bank account for your child.
Once you explain basic finances to your child, visit a bank and find out what programs the bank has for young savers. Open an account and help your child make deposits and withdrawals over time. Review monthly statements, interest payments and savings together and answer any questions your child may have.
You may even want to make it into a game and challenge your child to earn a certain amount by doing tasks around the house, depositing a portion of that money over time in the account and then offering to match a percentage of the amount saved.
It’s important to give your children a sound financial education at an early age. And if you need help, reach out to your local bank, financial institution or library.
After all, by learning about the value of money now, your children will form good habits to budget and control their finances in the future. Plus, they will have a nice savings started for a college education or other important activities in the future.
Do you have questions about starting a business, working at home or marketing your self-published book? Please let me know here or at www.jexbo.com. I'd be happy to help you! Thanks.
How to Turn a Negative Challenge into a Positive Experience
Negativity is everywhere these days, and it’s very easy to be sucked into this ugly environment that can lead to depression, frustration and failure. But don’t let it get to you! When things seem to be spiraling out of control, try these tips:
· Learn from the experience.
If something is not done the way you would do it, teach yourself how to do it so you won’t have to rely on someone else. Take the time to study new skills and you’ll have more control over the situation…and the way you feel about the outcome.
And for those services that you need to outsource, terminate suppliers that don’t work out and learn from the experience. Use this knowledge to change what you will look for in future suppliers so you don’t get burned again.
· Brainstorm.
When things come to a standstill and you need help, reach out to family, friends, business associates, online forums, and advisors. You’ll get some free tips and advice, solve problems and network with new people all at the same time.
· Focus on Other Business Activities.
Sometimes it can be beneficial to leave a project alone for a while and focus on other things. For example, if a business activity is just not going right or taking longer to accomplish than you’d like, use the unexpected time to research other aspects of your work.
Look for new marketing ideas online, optimize your site for the search engines, write articles for niche publications, and find other ways to boost sales and momentum. Then, when you return to your original project, you’ll look at it with fresh eyes and a new attitude.
These are just three quick tips to help you get out of a rut and move forward with your writing career and your business. If you have comments, or need additional help, please let me know. I’d love to hear from you here or at www.jexbo.com!
· Learn from the experience.
If something is not done the way you would do it, teach yourself how to do it so you won’t have to rely on someone else. Take the time to study new skills and you’ll have more control over the situation…and the way you feel about the outcome.
And for those services that you need to outsource, terminate suppliers that don’t work out and learn from the experience. Use this knowledge to change what you will look for in future suppliers so you don’t get burned again.
· Brainstorm.
When things come to a standstill and you need help, reach out to family, friends, business associates, online forums, and advisors. You’ll get some free tips and advice, solve problems and network with new people all at the same time.
· Focus on Other Business Activities.
Sometimes it can be beneficial to leave a project alone for a while and focus on other things. For example, if a business activity is just not going right or taking longer to accomplish than you’d like, use the unexpected time to research other aspects of your work.
Look for new marketing ideas online, optimize your site for the search engines, write articles for niche publications, and find other ways to boost sales and momentum. Then, when you return to your original project, you’ll look at it with fresh eyes and a new attitude.
These are just three quick tips to help you get out of a rut and move forward with your writing career and your business. If you have comments, or need additional help, please let me know. I’d love to hear from you here or at www.jexbo.com!
How to Turn a Negative Challenge into a Positive Experience
Negativity is everywhere these days, and it’s very easy to be sucked into this ugly environment that can lead to depression, frustration and failure. But don’t let it get to you! When things seem to be spiraling out of control, try these tips:
· Learn from the experience.
If something is not done the way you would do it, teach yourself how to do it so you won’t have to rely on someone else. Take the time to study new skills and you’ll have more control over the situation…and the way you feel about the outcome.
And for those services that you need to outsource, terminate suppliers that don’t work out and learn from the experience. Use this knowledge to change what you will look for in future suppliers so you don’t get burned again.
· Brainstorm.
When things come to a standstill and you need help, reach out to family, friends, business associates, online forums, and advisors. You’ll get some free tips and advice, solve problems and network with new people all at the same time.
· Focus on Other Business Activities.
Sometimes it can be beneficial to leave a project alone for a while and focus on other things. For example, if a business activity is just not going right or taking longer to accomplish than you’d like, use the unexpected time to research other aspects of your work.
Look for new marketing ideas online, optimize your site for the search engines, write articles for niche publications, and find other ways to boost sales and momentum. Then, when you return to your original project, you’ll look at it with fresh eyes and a new attitude.
These are just three quick tips to help you get out of a rut and move forward with your writing career and your business. If you have comments, or need additional help, please let me know. I’d love to hear from you here or at www.jexbo.com!
· Learn from the experience.
If something is not done the way you would do it, teach yourself how to do it so you won’t have to rely on someone else. Take the time to study new skills and you’ll have more control over the situation…and the way you feel about the outcome.
And for those services that you need to outsource, terminate suppliers that don’t work out and learn from the experience. Use this knowledge to change what you will look for in future suppliers so you don’t get burned again.
· Brainstorm.
When things come to a standstill and you need help, reach out to family, friends, business associates, online forums, and advisors. You’ll get some free tips and advice, solve problems and network with new people all at the same time.
· Focus on Other Business Activities.
Sometimes it can be beneficial to leave a project alone for a while and focus on other things. For example, if a business activity is just not going right or taking longer to accomplish than you’d like, use the unexpected time to research other aspects of your work.
Look for new marketing ideas online, optimize your site for the search engines, write articles for niche publications, and find other ways to boost sales and momentum. Then, when you return to your original project, you’ll look at it with fresh eyes and a new attitude.
These are just three quick tips to help you get out of a rut and move forward with your writing career and your business. If you have comments, or need additional help, please let me know. I’d love to hear from you here or at www.jexbo.com!
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