As a small business owner you know that every day is different, each with a unique opportunity, challenge and/or obstacle. When you also work from home, you get the added “bonus” of small business challenges intermingled with chores, home projects and as a parent, when school is not in session…children.
Remember why you are in business for yourself. 
The flexibility of taking time to do what matters most to me and my family drives my motivation to manage the balance between my small business and my life.
As a small business person and parent, it is of utmost importance that I provide for my family, which can also be defined as being able to spend time together.
On a recent beautiful Friday afternoon, my youngest child wanted to go swimming. It was a spectacular, postcard quality day in Maine with temperatures in the upper 80's. Looking at my schedule I determined that everything could be done from my iPhone - we went to a nearby river.
The spot pictured here was the view from my virtual office that day, a photo taken with my iPhone. My office work was done, e-mails answered, phone calls made, appointments scheduled - all under a tree, by the river, as I watched my child swim and smile.
Invested in an iPhone 3Gs early this year and love it!
My business runs on PC; email syncs beautifully with my iPhone. I almost never carry a laptop as I do everything from my phone (the virtual assistant's, assistant!).
BEFORE YOU BUY YOUR iPHONE
Based on my recent experience, if you are thinking about buying an iPhone, this is what to do and expect:
Do your homework first and speak to the Apple Store Specialists. The two people who helped me (Jason & Adam, So. Portland, Maine) were very, very savvy and helpful! What's more, they could not have been more patient with all of the questions I had (from a true iPhone novice) pre-purchase.
Most importantly, make sure that you understand why you want one, how you plan to use it for business and what type of phone/minutes plan you would like to have. This will make the transition a lot smoother.
Be prepared to spend quite a bit of time at the store. I made two separate visits in one week. One, to get initial info re cost, minutes, set-up, is this right for me, etc. My second visit was for the purchase. On this visit, between additional questions, the process, etc. I was there for approximately 1.5 hours. While it took longer than I had anticipated, I got everything I needed to make a well informed purchase.
Go during the day and midweek for a less stressful shopping experience, as everyone in the State seems to go to the Apple Store on a Saturday!
Opt for a business purchase in their system which helps you accumulate points every time you buy peripherals, etc.
AT&T customers. The AT&T coverage works better with the iPhone than with the average cell (very few dropped calls for me). However, be aware of Unlimited Data Plan changes effective June 7, 2010 for new AT&T customers see this article from the Wall Street Journal http://on.wsj.com/bGkm8o.
At the end of it all, I found out that I could even port my telephone number from Vonage to my iPhone via AT&T so that my business wouldn't skip a beat! Granted, it took two weeks and I needed to have my business line forwarded to a temporary number...the point is that it could be done.
POST PURCHASE
Highly recommend making an appointment with the Business Specialist at the Apple Store (post purchase). Chris was my Business Specialist and he was very helpful. Turns out he had been an executive assistant himself and really understood what I was trying to accomplish with my new equipment.
Additionally, my local Apple Store offers free of charge Business workshops for learning how to use and maximize the use of your new iPhone.
Best peripheral - a phone/wall jack! Appx $40 but allows you to carry only one cord and you'll be able to plug in anywhere. Which you will need to do as the battery life is less than regular cells (this is a mini computer, after all).
There are also jacks that cost upwards of $89.00 which allow you to use your car stereo speakers to amplify music from iPhone. Because I don't use my iPhone in this manner I found the basic jack works best for me.
I also really enjoy the great customer service. Between Jason & Adam, I'm instantly recognized whenever I walk into the store which is a great feeling!
Good luck & Enjoy!
A great way to build capacity is to outsource some of the functions of your business.
As a Virtual Assistant and Consultant, it is important that my clients know and understand the difference between an employee to whom you are delegating a project and an independent contractor to whom you are outsourcing work based on their particular business focus, specialty or expertise. These are some of the best practices that I recommend:
- Know the difference: Check with your State's Department of Labor on regulations distinguishing an employee from an independent contractor. In some states, these regulations have recently become more stringent.
- Seek professional advice: Check with an attorney to make certain that your company's per project contracts or those provided by the independent contractor have the necessary legal language.
- Protect your information: After checking with an attorney, have ready for signature a mutual non-disclosure, non-compete agreement; keeping your proprietary information and that of the independent contractor safe.
- Abide by tax laws: Make absolutely certain that you have an IRS W-9 Form on hand for each independent. At the end of the year, send form 1099-MISC to all independent contractor to whom you have paid over $600. For more information check with your accountant, tax preparer or go to IRS.gov
- Check credentials: It is always a good idea to meet with the independent contractor and check their professional references. Look at their website and ask questions!
As a person who is Spanish/English bilingual and bicultural, there is nothing more frustrating than picking up a product, magazine or advertisement where the words were changed into Spanish, using an auto-translation program. The mere gesture of changing the words from English to Spanish is not translation and it is not enough for me.
I'm a Mom, small business owner, well read, well traveled, and head of household. I am Spanish/English bilingual and bicultural. I am your target market. At the store, I pick up a product from Company-A. I read both the English and Spanish labeling (remember, I'm bilingual, as are many others in the United States). If I see that Company-A has changed the words from English to Spanish while syntax, context, and grammar are wrong, I will promptly put your product back on the shelf.
I will, instead, buy the product from Company-B (next to yours) with an English only label. Company-B is not insulting my intelligence, language and culture. Although Company-A initially captured my attention; ultimately, their poor translation makes me think and feel that they are not as interested in me, the Hispanic/Latino consumer, as they may expect.
Company-A wants to sell the product, I get it. But think of it this way, your marketing department would never allow you to advertise and market a product in Maine exactly the same way you would in Texas, right?! So why assume that using an auto-translation application to change your message from English to Spanish, verbatim, will work?
My tip to any business or company hoping to cash in on the very large Hispanic/Latino market: Splurge and use a real, Spanish speaking person to translate!
Better yet, if you are marketing your products to groups of Mexican descent, use a translator from Mexico. If you are targeting Puerto Ricans, use a Puerto Rican. This way, you won't lose my business and nothing will get lost in translation
A local non-profit asked me to speak before a group of new micro-enterprise graduates on networking skills essentials. My presentation began with 4 Keys Of Successful Networking:
I. THE RULE OF SEVEN
I recently read that someone has to see, hear or in some way have an interaction with you or your business at least 7 times before committing to a working relationship.
Curious to test this theory I decided to track my interactions with a couple of my clients. Thinking back, I discovered that two of my biggest clients, came in contact with me (or heard my name, etc.) 7 times before signing a contract.
II. WE DO BUSINESS WITH PEOPLE WE LIKE AND TRUST
Put yourself in the networking prospect or potential clients place. Would you do business with someone with whom you did not feel comfortable, either intellectually or professionally? Would you hire you? Contemplate your answer. If the answer is no, think about the why:
- Did you find something in common (business or personal)?
- Did you try too hard or where you too much of a hard sell?
- Did you give the other person time to talk?
- Did you listen?
- When asked a question about your business, were you clear and to the point?
III. ESTABLISH YOUR EXPERTISE
Use the opportunity to establish your expertise at a workshop or seminar discussing a topic where you may already have a good grasp of the material. At this event, ask intelligent questions (even if you already know the answer) and make well informed comments based on the topic. You will find that people will make it a point to come up to compliment your obvious breadth of knowledge and will ultimately ask for your business card. This opens the channel of communication for you to begin a good business relationship.
IV. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
This is one of the most important principles of business ownership - period! If you do not know your market or audience you cannot understand your prospective clients and, therefore, you cannot add value.
In a networking environment, getting to know your audience is determined by the information that is available all around you during the event.
- What type of event are you attending (business afterhours, non-profit fundraiser, etc.)?
- Who is in attendance (i.e., women business owners, International business people, local tradespeople)?
- If engaged in conversation, what is the other person saying about themselves or their business?
- Watch their body language. Are they leaning in as you speak? Are they looking elsewhere?
Keep in mind that you can use almost any daily interaction as a networking opportunity. Understanding what you expect to get out of the interaction and keeping the other person's business needs in mind will help you in successful networking.