THRIVE

IN YOUR CAREER
70 TIPS FROM A COLLECTION OF SMALL BUSINESS EXPERTS

Compiled and Published by Tips Products International www.tipsbooklets.com

70 TIPS FROM A COLLECTION OF SMALL BUSINESS EXPERTS

Compiled and Published by Tips Products International www.tipsbooklets.com

INTRODUCTION
This booklet brings you practical and immediately usable insights in bite-size pieces for you to create success in your small business. Whether you are beginning your entrepreneurial journey or have been on this path for awhile, you are sure to find one more idea you had yet to consider. Each author in this booklet offers tips from his or her expertise. These well-tested tools and techniques are sure to get you thinking about what works best for you now and in the future. Youll see suggestions about everything from how to create a physical environment that supports your success, tools to keep your business relationships running smoothly, ideas for marketing and promoting your business, utilizing the services of a Virtual Assistant, and ways to look at money. Find all of that and more right here in this booklet. Test one thing at a time. See how it suits you. Contact these authors. They remain successful, inspired, and inspiring by contributing to your life. Plus they are really terrific and interesting people youll want to know and have in your life. Interview these authors in your publication if you are a journalist. They are professionals, ready to share what they have with those who find it useful. Multiple sources and bulleted content are all in one place right here for your article, radio or television interview, blog, or website. Get a price quote if you are shopping for services or products they provide. Purchase printed copies of this booklet from any of the authors or the publisher to use as a customized promotional tool for marketing your business. Talk with us about licensing the downloadable version for other promotional applications like social media and on your website. The possibilities are truly endless.

Published by: Paulette Ensign, CEO and Chief Visionary Tips Products International 13146 Kellam Court, Suite 133 San Diego, CA 92130 858-481-0890 paulette@tipsbooklets.com www.tipsbooklets.com 2010, TPI All Rights Reserved 2
THRIVE IN YOUR CAREER

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ATTRACT. ENGAGE. RETAIN.

Choose high impact activities. Adding content to your website, posting articles to directories, creating videos, and contributing to social media all build your search engine rankings. People solve their problems in two ways: Using a search engine and asking their contacts (online and off). Without a strong web presence you may as well be invisible. Offer exclusive content. What gets shared on Facebook should be different from what gets shared on Twitter or through your newsletter, otherwise theres no incentive for people to belong to all of your communities. Be a trusted resource. Contact clients and prospects just to say hello or share a resource. Youll be seen as friendly, helpful, and thoughtful rather than just another salesperson. Keep marketing. The only way out of a feast or famine cycle is to have a continuous stream of new potential clients in various stages of the decision making process. Marketing only when you dont have clients is a way to stay locked in a feast or famine cycle. Let your personality shine. The only way to attract your ideal clients is to let the real you come through your marketing.

Winnie Anderson works with service businesses to attract, engage, and retain more of their ideal clients. She and her team of Virtual Marketing Mavens help you expand your online marketing to create a powerful, fully branded, web presence; integrate your online and offline marketing; and position you clearly as the leader in your segment. She offers coaching, consulting, training, and design services.
Virtual Marketing Mavens 199 New Road Suite 61, #359 Linwood, NJ 08221 888-672-9145 toll free Winnie@VirtualMarketingMavens.com www.VirtualMarketingMavens.com

Winnie Anderson

70 Tips From a Collection of Small Business Experts

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INFORMATION IS KEY
Subscribe to and read leading trade publications for your industry both printed and online. Set up your schedule so you have time to read 1 hour every day. Contribute articles and letters to the editor to them. Study your competitors and determine how your product or service can offer greater value. Read their web pages and blogs. Start a blog of your own. Use social media like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to learn about any customer concerns or common complaints. Attend trade shows and conferences in your field and volunteer your services to them. You are considered an authority or leader when you speak at shows. Remember business is about relationships. Make sure you keep up with current events. Read the New York Times online to see what most of the country is reading and talking about. Use Google Alerts. This is a free service by Google that is a modern digital version of clipping services. You enter in any subject or term and Google sends you an e-mail when anything is written on that subject online.

Gary R. Brongas book Bringing a Product to Market From Your Home is intended to streamline the process of taking a product from an idea to reality. It is based on his beenthere-done-that experience. He started his product CLIPEZE with an idea, computer, and $500. Today CLIPEZE is sold in over 1,000 retail stores and catalogs around the world.
Clipeze Worldwide, Inc P .O. Box 373 Mims, FL 32754-0373 800-385-0014 toll free admin@clipeze.com www.garybronga.com www.clipeze.com

Gary R. Bronga

THRIVE IN YOUR CAREER

CUSTOMER SERVICE AT ITS BEST

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Go the extra mile for customers. It often takes just a few extra seconds at the end of an interaction to finish well. Use positive expressions to assure your customer that you will follow through. Of course. Consider it done. Id be glad to. Multiply your effectiveness by treating your coworkers as valued customers. People will often pass along what they have received. Listen and take your customers seriously. If they think there was a problem, there was a problem. Realize that every day you make a difference in the life of each customer. You either make it easier or more difficult.

Caulton-Roberts Associates was established in 1989 in East Longmeadow, MA. Having spoken to thousands of individuals about customer service, Kathy Caulton, company president, lists A.T. Cross, Service Corporation International, Health New England and many financial institutions among her clients. Ms. Caulton has authored the 1995-2007 Daily Calendars on Customer Service Excellence. Over 100 of the Fortune 500 companies have purchased these calendars for their employees. The calendar has been distributed in over 20 countries. Of the many reasons people cite for hiring Caulton-Roberts, the full customization of the material to suit the specific needs of the company is key.
Caulton-Roberts Associates PO Box 852 East Longmeadow, MA 01028 413-525-5731 Kathy@caulton-roberts.com www.caulton-roberts.com

Kathy Caulton

70 Tips From a Collection of Small Business Experts

ORGANIZED MINDFULNESS

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Refer to your business plan, mission statement, policies, and procedures often. They will aid in decision-making, keeping you focused and on track. Create sensible support systems. Use products and systems that support how you think and learn i.e. visual, auditory, or kinetic. The right system aids in memory retention, work-flow, and motivation. When in doubt hire a professional organizer or other professional to help you with any concerns. Develop daily/weekly habits and routines. This creates dependability and minimizes clutter. Use a daily to-do list and prioritize accordingly. Schedule all activities to manage time and capture important opportunities. File completed projects or paperwork at the end of each day. Honor space limitations. Scientifically, all objects emit an energy field. Overly cramped or cluttered spaces create confusion. Define boundaries and respect their limits. Store surplus supplies off-sight. Keep all like things together according to purpose and function Realize that consistency and maintenance are key. Schedule a review routine twice annually to ensure all systems are current and relevant. Include as part of your policies and procedures.

Sheila Delson is a Certified Professional Organizer specializing in helping those afflicted with chronic disorganization challenges, such as ADHD, OCD, compulsive hoarding, and others. She is the past-president and certification director of the Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD), formerly the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization (www.nsgcd.org). Her companys mission is to help people achieve a higher quality of life by developing functional personalized systems and a safe, clutter-free environment.
FREEDomain Concepts, LLC since 1994 5 Oak Bend Road Poughkeepsie, NY 12603 845-463-4140 Sheila@freedomainconcepts.com www.freedomainconcepts.com

Sheila S. Delson, CPO-CD

THRIVE IN YOUR CAREER

THINK LIKE AN ENTREPRENEUR

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Take only Ideal Clients. Definition of an Ideal Client: Already appreciates the value you bring, has the money to pay you, you like them. Trust your intuition. Do it only if it feels right. Lower the price without giving discounts. If someone doesnt want to pay you the full amount, ask them what part of your services do they want you to take out? Charge what you are worth. Your first customer is you. Practice saying in the mirror: My fee is $___and Im worth it. until your eyes tell you that you believe it yourself. Realize pie in the sky thinking gives pie in the face results. Promises of more business later by giving a good deal now is a scam. If they dont want to pay you what you are worth, walk away and be glad you dodged a bullet. Know how to sell. Listen, so you can Identify their need, describe their pain, offer a solution, give a call to action.

Marilyn Ellis has a lot of people listening. As an author, speaker, certified life coach and professional organizing dynamo, she not only helps people get organized but she also helps them think organized! Her company name, Lighthouse Organizers, LLC reflects her true desire to help people navigate through their busy and challenging lives. If you are stuck on the rocks, lost in the fog or surrounded by sharks, Marilyn will shine her harbor light on you and bring you home safely.
Change your thinking, change your life. 866-379-6440 toll free mellis@ecis.com www.lighthouseorganizers.com

Marilyn Ellis, CTACC

70 Tips From a Collection of Small Business Experts

MAKE DECISIONS YOU CAN TRUST

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Use your powerful tool. The most powerful tool you have is choice and the way to make the most powerful and best choices in your life is from your Gut, never from your Ego. Follow your Gut. If you dont follow your Gut you wont get what you want or where you want to be in life no matter how hard you try. It is impossible to create a life you desire through a mental process. Be more concerned with how you want your day, your work, and your life to feel than how you think you want it to be. Your Gut is about how you feel. Only your Gut can show you how to create your life to match the feelings you have inside. Trust your instincts. Dont believe everything you think. Thinking is the learned response often confused with intelligence. Being a good thinker doesnt mean you make the best decisions by thinking things through. Admit who you are and stay congruent with your words and actions. Let your Gut be your GPS and guide you through choices on a daily basis. Youll see what isnt working and be able to make better choices.

Mary Goulet authored Go With Your Gut, How to Make Simple and Critical Decisions. She coaches individuals on how to trust their instincts. The only way to live the life you crave. This is the only decision-making and problem solving process that teaches you exactly how to Go With Your Gut and trust every decision and choice you make.
Go With Your Gut 760-445-2022 Pacific Time Mary@gowithyourgut.net http://GoWithYourGut.net

Mary Goulet

THRIVE IN YOUR CAREER

MASTER YOUR P .R.I.D.E.

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Possibility Pledge to become a possibility thinker. Learn to say Yes instead of No to your dream career. Responsibility Take 100 percent responsibility for your current state of affairs and for realizing your dreams. Inspiration Commit to a career that inspires you, and create experiences that add significance to your life. Design Develop and design a strategy to achieve your goals, and then take action. Think big, start small, start now! Engineer To ensure that you reach your goal of having a career where you thrive, engineer it for success: enlist support, do your research, improve your skills- whatever it takes to get there. Remember, the impossible isnt!

Patrick Healey has been a business owner his entire adult life. He works with business owners and professionals who want to grow their businesses by attracting and retaining the best employees. Pat is an expert in the field of employee attraction and retention having written and published three books, A Womans Guide; Finding Joy In Your Job, The Employee Attraction & Retention Workbook For Small Businesses and soon to be released Be The Best Boss; What you need to know, what you need to do!He shares his information nationally through his workshops and keynotes.
Integrated Team Solutions LLC P .O. Box 1834 Lake Oswego, Oregon 97035 503-720-5973 pat@EmployeeAttraction.com www.EmployeeAttraction.com

Patrick Healey

70 Tips From a Collection of Small Business Experts

ITS ABOUT THE PEOPLE

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Be aware of the rules and ramifications of personal relationships with subordinates, coworkers, and supervisors. There are strict penalties for improper relationships and abuses of power. Learn how to react to situations. Reacting to the actions of others or circumstances is not always in your best interests. Note situations you wish you had not reacted to peoples actions or words. Sometimes the best choice is not reacting. Yet other times, sharing credit for your successes with team members and those around you is a wellappreciated way to react as a leader. Be more patient. Practice delayed gratification. This helps develop your self-discipline and saves you money in interest payments throughout your life. Borrow money only when absolutely necessary. Review Standards of Operations to understand definitions of conflict of interest. Participating in an activity causing a conflict of interest can hurt your career and is punishable. Ask a superior when in doubt. Seek opportunities to teach what you know. Teaching others is an opportunity to sharpen your skills and share knowledge, whether in a classroom or one-on-one as you go about your day. Superiors will recognize your teaching skills and see you as having management or leadership potential.

Elbert Mackey helps people organize their lives to be more successful and productive. His latest title is the Promotion Journal: Youve Been Promoted. The tips and strategies in this booklet are potent examples for increasing your productivity and developing a positive reputation that can advance your career to higher levels.
How to Say Congratulations.com 223 West Anderson Lane, Suite B/202 Austin, TX 78752-1135 512-779-9956 mail@howtosaycongratulations.com www.howtosaycongratulations.com

Elbert Mackey, Founder, CEO

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YOUR VIBRANT PATH

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Be entrepreneurial, even when you work for someone. People see you as a go-to person, leading to opportunities for job growth and great future referrals. Innovate, take on tasks, propose solutions - without being asked. Cultivate your leadership skills. Make working with you a transformational experience and people remember you and your leadership. Conduct yourself with courage, integrity, and humility. Read about leadership. Discover and indulge your passions. If you strongly believe in an industry, company mission, or adore actual work itself, your positive energy attracts people and new opportunities. Learn how to manage up. You and your boss have a symbiotic relationship. As you help your supervisor look and be successful, that reflects well on you. Learn how your supervisor receives information best (verbal, written, etc.); use that method to communicate requested data, anticipated items, and to showcase your work. Live in balance. Explore interests and engage with people outside of your work sphere. This keeps you from burning out in your career. Plus, it gives you more options and connections in the future.

Mary Miller offers coaching on both personal and professional goals. She is an attorney by training, with other careers along the way. A premise of coaching is that within you are the knowledge and answers needed to move into the future you desire. Mary asks clients to grow and stretch themselves. She believes the quote from William Butler Yeats, Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot, but make it hot by striking. Mary C. Miller, J.D., ACC, SPHR
Integrated Choices, LLC Explore. Decide. Go. 434-242-7181 Eastern Time CoachMary@avibrantpath.com www.avibrantpath.com

70 Tips From a Collection of Small Business Experts

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THE ORGANIZED ENTREPRENUER: ACHIEVE PEAK PRODUCTIVITY

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Customize organizing systems. When creating an organizing system, design it with your habits, needs, work, and lifestyle in mind so that it is easier for you to maintain. Do a Brain Dump by getting all of that information out of your head. Keep track of tasks, ideas, and information that you are afraid you would otherwise forget if you dont write them down or store them electronically. Separate your master project list from your daily to-do list. The master list includes all of the projects you plan to get to, but cannot realistically accomplish in one day.Your daily list puts it into action. Unclog your calendar. Identify tasks on your calendar, agenda, or to-do list that you dont really need to do and let them go. You can revisit them again on another day, or delete them altogether. Own your interruptions. Broadly define an interruption as anything that you didnt want to, or expect to, happen at that time. When an interruption occurs, decide to take it, delegate it, delay it, or pass on it.

Lisa Montanaro is the owner ofLM Organizing Solutions, LLC, created in 2002. She is a Certified Professional Organizer, Business & Life Coach, and Motivational Speaker. She is the author of the book The Ultimate Life Organizer: An Interactive Guide to a Simpler, Less Stressful & More Organized Life, published by Peter Pauper Press. Lisa is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) and the National Speakers Association (NSA).
LM Organizing Solutions, LLC P .O. Box 113 Warwick, New York 10990 845-988-0183 Lisa@LMOrganizingSolutions.com www.LMOrganizingSolutions.com (website) www.DecideToBeOrganized.com (blog)

Lisa Montanaro

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PLAN FOR SUCCESS

Put whats in your head down on paper. Write a plan including goals, objectives, and necessary actions to document where youre going and how youll get there. Getting this on paper makes you accountable to yourself and others. Communicate the plan to team members. This gives you better commitment from your team while also ensuring everyone is working toward the common goal. Work it, watch it, adjust it. Implement the plan. Keep it visible. Refer to it often. As other opportunities present themselves it will be easier to determine whether you can take a detour or need to stay on track. Partner with a Virtual Assistant (VA). This helps for focus and minimizes overwhelm. By partnering with a VA you can delegate necessary tasks that eat up your time and take away from revenue generating tasks or time in front of clients. Draw on their expertise for sharing new concepts, ideas, and generating products. Give yourself permission to alter the plan. A plan provides direction, but sometimes other opportunities come about. Its okay to alter the plan if it makes sense. You may even discover a whole new direction is needed.

After spending 20-years in retail/direct sales, lending and manufacturing Kelly Poelker gained first-hand knowledge in many aspects of operating a business. In 2000, she left her cubicle behind and set out to share her knowledge and expertise with other small business owners by helping them to build a solid foundation for their businesses. Kelly co-authored Virtual Assistant - The Series books and Working Virtually.
Another 8 Hours, Inc. 618-624-3080 Central Time kp@Another8Hours.com www.Another8Hours.com

Kelly Poelker, President

70 Tips From a Collection of Small Business Experts

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NETWORKING: YOUR CAREERS #1 TOOL

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Keep your word. Making promises you cant keep destroys your credibility. If you arent certain you can come through, say so. (Networking Principle) Create, practice, and perfect a powerful self introduction that you can give in fifteen seconds. Make sure it tells who you are and what you do, creates curiosity in your listeners, and leaves an impact. (Networking Skill) Set monthly goals for networking. Include events, phone calls, notes, meetings and emails. Review your progress quarterly to identify what works. (Networking System) Create a Referral Club or Master Mind group with a few like-minded people. Pool your energies to build the success of each member. Use social networking to expand and extend your sphere of influence. (Networking Action) Identify people you would like to collaborate with and offer to help them reach their goals. Use networking in the personal, professional, and community areas of your life. (Networking Action)

Networking is not rocket science! You can do it if you are willing, open minded, and present in the moment. Your IQ, financial situation, or social status are not key factors in networking which consists of four components: principles, skills, systems and actions. Networking links needs with opportunities, challenges with possibilities, and problems with solutions. Donna Reed is a Strategy Coach, Facilitator, and Author with over 25 years experience in networking. She is the author of Networking Tips That Build Powerful Connections, 55 Networking Tips For People Over 55, and numerous articles. Donna M. Reed

Strategy Coach, Facilitator, Author 5740 East Paseo del Cenador Tucson, AZ 85750 520-299-8199 toolsachievers@q.com www.ToolsForAchievers.com

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EFFECTIVE BOOK PROMOTION

Be as committed to marketing your book as you were to writing it. What was the point of writing if it never reaches the readers? You sell your ideas better than anyone. Realize your book is one element in spreading your message. Its a product and more than an end in itself: Its part of your campaign to share the story you were passionate enough to write. Think creatively about book promotion. View every encounter as a chance to spread your message. Be prepared with your elevator pitch. Offer business cards as follow-up information. Be appropriate and respectful of your listeners time. Do one thing every day to promote your book, no matter how small. Phone someone, create a mailing list, and write your blog post. That one effort puts you ahead of 90% of your peers, who do no promotion. Learn the power of social media for your book. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube They can all promote your message, your book, and you. Its not a fad; its the future of marketing.

An award-winning author, speaker, and independent book publisher, Mary Shafer leverages 35 years in marketing and almost a decade in book publishing helping authors and publishers effectively promote their books. Mary runs The Word Forge, a freelance marketing consultancy and its publishing division, Word Forge Books. She is president of MidAtlantic Book Publishers Association, and member of The Authors Guild and The American Society of Journalists and Authors. Get Marys marketing newsletter, The Anvil, www.thewordforge.com .
The Word Forge PO Box 97 Ferndale, PA 18921 888-320-9673 - toll free wordsmith@thewordforge.com www.thewordforge.com www.maryshafer.com - author blog

Mary Shafer

70 Tips From a Collection of Small Business Experts

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A PROACTIVE APPROACH TO Success

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Invest in yourself regularly.Reading business books, taking classes, learning new skills, improving your oral and written communications skills, or polishing your image improve your marketability and show others that you are serious about succeeding. Do more than expected.Your boss and clients have certain expectations. By exceeding those expectations, not only will you make an impression, youll find additional opportunities. Ways to exceed expectations include: turning work in before its due, volunteering for additional work, pitching ideas, packaging projects professionally, and finding ways to reduce costs. Break your primary goals into bite-sized goals.By breaking a major goal into smaller, easier-to-accomplish steps, you will be empowered to take action and will experience a greater sense of accomplishment along the way. Surround yourself with positive, successful people.Not only will positive, successful people lift you up with their infectious energy, youll see how they approach business, customers, and challenges. Observe, ask questions, seek advice, and learn! Become a mentor.Mentoring is rewarding to mentees and mentors alike. Youll be exposed to a fresh perspective and an enthusiasm for your career that you may have lost. Sharing your passion can rekindle it, allowing both of you to grow.

Celeste Stewart has used these proactive tips to turn her passion, writing, into a thriving and successful business. Celeste provides engaging, informative Web content, eBooks, articles, newsletters, press releases, training manuals, product descriptions, and white papers. In addition to selling words for a living, Celeste regularly helps other freelance writers thrive in their writing careers. Celeste Stewart, Freelance Writer
Temecula, California 951-757-3532 celeste@celestestewart.com www.CelesteStewart.com

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