In this day of work-from-home technology-infused business opportunities, we’re all in the same boat. No one (that I know of) addresses the problem of what to do at the end of the day when you feel terrible from sitting and staring all day long. If typing burned calories, I’d be 20 pounds lighter rather than my spread a couple inches wider. Over the years, I’ve come up with a couple ways to avoid this unwanted side affect from too much technology:

1. Create a reminder or an appointment to get up and walk around. Sad but true, we now have to purposely schedule this kind of time into our calendars. At least I haven’t had to schedule in bathroom time…yet!
2. Pace while you’re on the phone. If you’re lucky enough to have contact with the outside world, even if by phone, then get moving while you’re talking! Invest in a hands-free headset for your phone so you can take your talk time as walk time too.
3. Splurge on a Treadmill Desk. That’s right – someone (A doctor at the Mayo Clinic!) invented a desk that is integrated with a treadmill. If you can afford the cool $6,500 for it, go for it and let me know how it works for you. I tried one at a conference recently and although it only goes up to 2 mph (I guess that’s all you can do and accurately type at the same time), over an 8 hour day they say you can burn an average of 100 extra calories per hour. The nice part is, there is a version that you can rotate so you can also sit down when you want to. Costs more, it’s less effective, but I guess if you’re a true couch potato you’ll need that out.
4. Just say no. Take a day or at least an afternoon of unplugged time. Pretend that your internet is out (OK you guys, stop hyperventilating!). Really…what’s the worst that can happen? You can take a walk through the woods or have lunch with a friend. Find a reason to step away from the screen and no one will get hurt.

I am curious – does anyone else have this problem? I am SURE it isn’t just entrepreneurs that experience this and I know I’m not the only one. What do you do to either avoid or get over your Technology Hang-Over?

Julie Lenzer Kirk is a serial entrepreneur, author, and mom. She is the founder of Path Forward International, which provides companies and individuals a “Boot in the Butt(TM)” to launch new ideas, grow existing ventures, find their work/life balance and fine tune their leadership skills. Her book, “The ParentPreneur Edge: What Parenting Teaches About Building a Successful Business” (Wiley) is available online wherever books are sold.

If there is one thing that defines the age we live in, it is technology.

We are simply inundated with it. Whether you love it or hate it, your business is going to involve technology.

One of the first strategies is a presence on the internet. Whether a blog, landing page or website, you must have some representation on the web.

And, there are many options available to you with a variety of price points.

Like most anything, the key factors will be: What do you want? How much do you want to spend? How much do you want to do yourself?

The latter is an area where many entrepreneurs balk. Their strengths and talents do not include the technical arena. And, that is okay.

Nobody can be expected to be skilled in all avenues. If your budget permits you to hire out all your technology needs, and it is compatible with your strategy, go for it.

If your revenue is not quite where you want it to be, you don’t have to go without. Or settle for mediocre.

If you want a visually stunning web masterpiece, you will probably pay a graphic designer several thousand dollars. And, when you need changes, you will be paying high rates for those. Trust me – you will need changes. One of the benefits of the internet is the dynamic nature of information. Yours will shift also.

There are several hosting solutions that offer integrated web builders. Essentially, websites in a box. They are pretty intuitive to use once you get in there and start doing.

A key point to remember is that you must have a clear idea of what you want your website to do for you. Just like you would not build a house without a blueprint, you don’t want to start constructing a website without a guideline of how your site will appear and work.

Don’t let this part bother you – you do not need to know anything technical to design your site. You will always have a home page and pages such as About, Contact, etc. Take a blank piece of paper and draw a box at the top. This is your home page. Underneath that, draw a row of additional boxes. These represent the pages you will navigate to from your home page. Note that navigation will be consistent and each page will have the same look & feel.

If you require additional options for a given page, simply draw more boxes underneath the box for the page.

When you get this hierarchy defined, you have just defined the organization and layout of your website. Wasn’t that easy?

The next step is to design how you want your website to look. Look for websites that you like, and that connect with you. You are not going to be duplicating anybody’s work, just getting a clear idea of what you want.

You can then create your template. This will be a base page that will be used to create all other pages from. If you are using your internet provides tools, you will get to select one of their pre-defined templates. Although simpler, you may not get a template that is quite ‘you’.

Presuming you are going for a more custom solution, you will be designing your own template. Again, you don’ need to know anything technical – you are just drawing how you want it to look.
Take the time to get the template looking exactly the way that you want it before you create any pages. If you don’t do this and you need any changes, you will need to change every page that you have created.

Creating the html page is actually fairly straightforward with the right software tools. There are many great html editor programs out there – many of which are free.

If your preference is still to have someone else build the page, consider having them just do the template. Once that is built, you simply copy it for each page you want. This will be much cheaper than paying someone to do all the pages for your site.

I highly recommend you look into either learning how to make simple changes to your web page, or find a resource that is readily available to you. When you do need changes, chances are you will need them quickly, and you won’t want to wait.

Tip: Before you change a page, take a backup copy first.

Whether you do your own changes, or retain someone else, ensure that you receive all the components – html, images, etc. – that comprise your site.

A good technical resource will support you in whatever level you desire. If you want them to do everything and leave you in peace, they will do that. If you want to know how to do some changes yourself, they should be able to give you some pointers on how to do it. You may even get some limited support, dependent upon the arrangements and their fees. More importantly, a good resource will communicate with you in an effective, engaging manner and not baffle you with techno-speak.

Although a good plan now is better than a perfect plan later, take the time to choose wisely. If you are going to use an autoresponder, some have more features, some have better deliverability rates. You want to ensure you have the right choice before you start building your list. Yes, you can transfer them to a new provider if you opt to change albeit everyone will need to opt-in again.

In summary – you don’t need to know how everything works in order to get yourself or your business on the web. You simply need to be clear on what you want and how you want it to look. Obviously, focus your talents & passions where they will serve you the best. Consider learning some of the basic concepts to enable you to make quick changes with minimal expense. Choose your designers, developers and software carefully. Ensure you know what you are getting and that they will support you when you need them. If you’re not sure where to start, check in with those you know and find out what they recommend.

Mark Semple is a Certified Comprehensive Coach, Founder of Successful Together Coaching and the 2007 International Coach of the Year. As a recovering IT guy, Mark enjoys assisting others with their technology needs, in addition to making a difference with his unique coaching perspective, speaking & writing. Click here for details on the web services Mark provides.

Here I am running off the gasoline in my generator. A nasty storm came through that left thousands, including us, without power. It made me thankful that I was prepared – are you? Can a bad storm or other glitch in your service take your business down? Following are some things to think about:

1. Are your desktop PC’s or servers on a battery backup? Windows doesn’t like to be shut down unexpectedly and has been known to corrupt files and drives when that happens. Thankfully we had all our computers (that weren’t laptops) on a Uninterruptable Power Source (UPS) so I had time to run around and shut them down when the lights went out. You can ever get software that closes down your computer automatically when it runs off the UPS for a certain amount of time. The disk you save could be your own!
2. Do you know where the closest Wi-Fi Hotspot is? Mine is the little coffee shop in town. It’s free, so when the power is out they get a lot of business from the folks in my neighborhood.
   
   
3. Do you have an old-fashioned phone that doesn’t require power? I am amazed at how many people have FORGOTTEN what a regular phone is. Keep at least one in your house (they’re dirt cheap!) for those black out times.
   
   
4. Have you considered a generator? We lose power quite often and I can’t afford to stop working every time, and I CERTAINLY can’t afford to restock my freezer either when my meat spoils. We invested in a fairly-moderate generator a few years back that my husband was able to connect in through the circuit break panel so it runs most of the house. Don’t ask me how he did it, but it works great when we need it!
   
   
5. Last but not least, do you have an off-site backup of your critical data? I know this is nothing new, but I know a lot of people who don’t do this. Do me a favor: don’t wait to lose everything to start backing up your files. I’ve had too many hard drive crashes (don’t buy a Toshiba laptop!) to not be diligent about backing up. Don’t get caught with your without your data duplicated somewhere.

Don’t wait until a hurricane, thunderstorm, or rolling blackout interrupts your business. Take some proactive steps NOW to make sure you’re ready when the lights go out in Georgia (or wherever you’re located)…

Julie Lenzer Kirk, an award-winning entrepreneur and mother of two, grew her business to multi-millions in revenues while raising her family. She cashed out of her company and now teaches entrepreneurship at the University of Maryland while providing workshops, consulting, and keynotes as the President & CEO of Path Forward International. She is the author of The ParentPreneur Edge: What Parenting Teaches About Building a Successful Business. Sign up for her monthly “Boot in the Butt”(TM) e-newsletter at www.JulieLenzerKirk.com

For those of us without kids running around all the time (mine are both in school), being home alone all day really can be a problem. My friend Terry actually joked that she was going to buy a volleyball, put a red hand print on it and call it “Wilson” (if you haven’t seen Tom Hanks in Castaway, you won’t get that).

I am an extrovert. While I really enjoy those days where I get to really focus and dig into my work, there are other days when I just want to talk to someone other than my cat. Oh, I talk on the phone a lot but somehow that just doesn’t do it. I feel drawn to GET OUT…to press the flesh, as they say. To meet people and hear about what they’re doing (because it might spark an idea for me) or brainstorm with colleagues about what I should be doing.

It really hit home (no pun intended) when I was looking through an old photo album from my first entrepreneurial venture. That business outgrew my house after 4 years, but I still worked from home on many occasions. We had picnics, went bowling and played laser tag. Every year we had a fun holiday party in the office (complete with piñata – don’t ask!) and an opportunity to dress up for an elegant soirée at a nice restaurant. Looking at the pictures of the smiling faces from the company I had built made me realize I MISS WORKING WITH PEOPLE.

So what’s my solution?

For me, I learned the hard way the first time around that having a company that depends solely on my direct efforts for revenues was NOT the way to grow. At the same time, I am not in a hurry to move out of my comfy home office and incur the expense of an office and employees.

I’m working on bringing partners into my business that will remain working out of their homes, but we’ll make opportunities to get together at least once a month to talk about the business, where we’re going and how we’re going to continue growing.

I’ve also found a few fellow women entrepreneurs with whom I have lunch every couple weeks. We take turns mentoring and being mentored, and some days just spend the whole time laughing. My own little mastermind group – it’s a great release.

For everyone else, what you do depends on what your ultimate goals are. If you’re happy flying solo, make sure you get out there and find fruitful opportunities to network. Volunteer in your community. Sit on the board of your professional association. Just GET OUT and you’ll grow to appreciate the quiet times at home and look forward to the next venture out.

Julie Lenzer Kirk, an award-winning entrepreneur and mother of two, grew her business to multi-millions in revenues while raising her family. She cashed out of her company and now teaches entrepreneurship at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County while providing workshops, consulting, and keynotes as the President & CEO of Path Forward International. She is the author of The ParentPreneur Edge: What Parenting Teaches About Building a Successful Business (John Wiley & Sons) and can be reached at Julie@JulieLenzerKirk.com or sign up for her monthly Boot in the Butt™ e-newsletter at www.JulieLenzerKirk.com.

 Part I – Start Within

In part I of this series, the emphasis was on the most crucial part of your relationship – you.

You understand that you own your power and you alone are responsible for your success in your business.

The next step in your journey to the shared success you desire is to take

stock of everything that you currently have. And, appreciate it.

It is basic human nature to be more aware and responsive to that which is missing or the things that are not going right.

So your chosen one does not get your business and has yet to be a willing participant in it. Are there ways right now that he is being supportive?

If he works and contributes to the household income, is that supportive or not supportive? If he makes sure the vehicles are serviced, clean and usable, is that supportive or not supportive? See where I’m going?

There may be many ways where your partner is simply doing what he presumes are his responsibilities, without fanfare or reward. Chances are that if he ceased doing what he does on a regular basis, you would not be in the space you currently are, and your life, not just your business, would take a new course. And, probably not one that you would prefer.

As I communicate with a lot of women in home businesses, I regularly here comments – especially from mothers – regarding the unfair ratio of responsibilities they have, and how they are not appreciated for it.

As a husband and a father, I know first hand how much a wife & mother does to care for home and family – and, how frequently they out themselves on a back burner.

I have learned to acknowledge what my wife does and how much I appreciate everything. Not because she is needy, or I feel the need to pacify her. Because I deeply and genuinely appreciate all that she does to keep our family flowing.

After all, if something really needs to be done, one of us is going to have to do it – and it will take one of us away from something else.

Can you imagine how you would feel if you received flowers and a card acknowledging and appreciating you and all that you do? Or a surprise hug & kiss, followed by a statement like “I really appreciate the difference you make in my life”?

It would feel pretty good, wouldn’t it?

Guess what? It feels pretty good for your man also. When was the last time you expressed appreciation to your other half for all that they contribute to your life currently?

It may feel like we’re getting a little paradoxical here. Ie: Men don’t always express their appreciation for things yet they love it when they receive it?

Basically, yes.

Although our emphasis is on gaining more support for your business, it really comes down to the dynamics of your relationship. And, we know how much fun the differences between men and women can be.

And herein lies your opportunity.

Simply start acknowledging & appreciating the things that your other half does do for you right now. Don’t think about what is missing or not right for you, just simply tune in to the things that are being done.

Appreciation is very empowering to a man. When a man receives appreciation and acknowledgment, he wants to do more.

And, this is where the shift starts to happen. It’s not about a stand-off, keeping score or pointing fingers. It is about you doing what you need to do to have the life, relationship and business that you desire.

In summary: Appreciating your partner for the things they do and the value they bring to your life will lead them to be willing to do more.

Mark Semple is a Certified Comprehensive Coach and the 2007 International Coach of the Year. Most importantly, Mark is the dedicated supporter of his wife in her business. For Mark’s insights on Success Together, visit: www.successfultogethercoaching.com

 

We’ve all enjoyed Julie’s previous posts here & here, and its with great pleasure that I introduce her as a regular contributor to “Home Office” as her primary area of expertise with us…though she can speak with much authority on all aspects of entrepreneurialism (especially being Parentpreneurs) I value her tips and experience and always empowered by her contributions. Hope you enjoy and welcome her as well. Please keep the dialogue alive!

When I started my first business out of my home it took me a good 9 months to get used to it. Where was the water cooler? Oh, yea, it’s my faucet. Who wants to go grab a bite for lunch? No one’s there. There were certain adjustments I had to make. There were also challenges and temptations I had to learn to overcome. Should I be cleaning the house while I’m home? What about that treadmill? It took me a while, but I finally figured out how to make it all work.

Fast forward 13 years, 2 companies, and several offices-outside-the-home later and I am back working from my home office. This time, I’m taking to heart the lessons I learned the about how to overcome the temptations and challenges of working from home:

1. Keeping your priorities straight. My first office was in my basement staring directly at the washing machine. It took me several months to get over the draw I felt to get laundry done while I was working. Because I was new at this self-employment thing, I was not yet able to prioritize myself between home and work. They seemed intertwined and I felt pulled between the two. I had two separate lists – one personal and one business – each prioritized individually. Now I’ve learned to combine my list into one Master List with both personal and business items on it. THEN I prioritize the resultant list and find I am able to get the high priority tasks attended to without that nagging feeling that I’m missing something.

2. Setting up a routine. When my husband then joined me in my business a couple years after I had started it, he still felt the need to keep an ‘office’ routine even though his commute was 30 feet down the hall. He set his alarm, got up and took a shower, worked until lunch when he would go out and eat and run errands, and then work until 5:00. He really needed that routine. It took him several months to realize he could be more flexible with his schedule. Although he still sets his alarm, he’ll now go out and run errands before the office lunch crowd takes over the stores.

3. Closing the door. Having an office in your home provides for a great deal of flexibility as well as temptation. That great sucking sound heard in my house at night is the call of my work, pulling me in. I have found that in order to maintain my sanity, I have to be able to not only close the door, but LOCK IT. There are just times when enough has to be enough. There are other times when being able to

4. Reaching out. Working from home can be very lonely. If you’re an extrovert like me, you need people and working from home you’re normally ALONE (and little ones under 6 years old don’t count). Therein lies the dilemma. When I was traveling to see customers, it was not a big deal. I actually looked forward to a few quiet days by myself in my office. Now that my travel schedule is less hectic, I find that I need to schedule a day or two a week out so that I maintain what’s left of my sanity. Networking events, with the right groups, can be not only fruitful from a business perspective but also enjoyable. I also use the time to catch up with former colleagues or friends I haven’t seen in a while. It feels good to get out!

So what are the challenges that you face working at home? How do you combat those temptations? Do you wish you could do it more or less? Share your tips and let’s see how others make it work!

Julie Lenzer Kirk, an award-winning entrepreneur and mother of two, grew her business to multi-millions in revenues while raising her family. She cashed out of her company and now teaches entrepreneurship at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County while providing workshops, consulting, and keynotes as the President & CEO of Path Forward International. She is the author of The ParentPreneur Edge: What Parenting Teaches About Building a Successful Business (John Wiley & Sons) and can be reached at Julie@JulieLenzerKirk.com or via her website at www.JulieLenzerKirk.com Sign up for her monthly Boot in the Butt™ e-newsletter at www.JulieLenzerKirk.com.

Now, mos tof u know I’m Not a designer, artist, nor techy-chick….FAR from it really!

BUT, as I get progressively better…I’ve been giving all my newfound energy, strenght and time to homeschooling my girls and we developed a daily class called “Creativity & Innovation”. Not your typical Art & Crafts or Science/Invention/Innovation class either.

We experiment, test things out, trial-and-error at its very best.

And, here comes along an opportunity to test-drive this logo design and creation software that has some high-claims, such as:

• “No other…logo design software offers this much power, flexibility …and quality!”
• “fun way to create stationery for your business … or client’s business!”
• logos the way you want! In your own time, at your own pace.
• Fast, easy and really affordable!

Anyways, I spent an absolutely fun, exciting, non-frustrating (‘cuz I get that way with new software) hour today!

Keep in mind, that I do NOT aspire to be a graphic artist or logo designer, but to be explore new opportunities for myself and my loyal followers (many who are Do-It-Yourselfers), I’m ALL for it!

Well, and that fact that my girls are really creative, innovated ‘lil entrepreneurs…this software is THAT easy to use that we scheduled time to play with it during our new C&I hour this week

So, here’s my take on things:

• WOW! It’s totally user-friendly, easy-to-use, and a Fun way to truly custom design professional-looking logos.
• I was able to narrow down (in just in 1-hour flat) 3 acceptable designs, to change colors, fonts, rotate, slant or move the location of the text,
• Move images in, around & Out of the logo “drawing board”
• Import personal images into the logo, manipulate, roate, paste and organize multiple images for my own unique look and feel.

I was thinking and marveling at the fact that I, a words-craftswoman, was able to actually create a digitally appropriate and actually very personal/professional look and feel…yay, me

Now, here are some things to think about:

• EmpowerWomenNow.com’s custom logos were designed professionally for $100s (non-disclosable) for full vector files,
• When I considered other Do-It-Yourselfer softwares, the one I was considering cost $99, and I was NOT able to import my own images, but most importantly, I would be paying for ONE logo design–period. I would have paid for the “right” to use the software for one design only!

For less than half-that price you can get an awesome software to design, re-design, over & over again…possibly even become proficient to design logos for others…hmm…

Some tips to share in my exploration hour:

• I cut, cropped and changed my images in Microsoft Publisher before importing them into the logo “drawing board” because I couldn’t find (or didn’t have the time or patience to find) if you can do it directly in LogoCreator.
• If you’re not happy with what you’re designing, no matter what, save a copy and make a folder with all the works-in-progress…because when you’re exploring the multiple templates, you may find that you liked the “idea” you just had…and not saving means starting all over again. Trust me…I did it
• Search and explore ALL the options in your chosen “Categories” first. You’ll be totally surprised what you can cut & paste from the Many templates they already have to custom make your own!
  • For example, the “Real Estate” category has so many cool houses within the different logos to strip from, “Travel & Leisure” has creative ways to play around with natural settings that I really liked, “Corporate” etc…
  • Just search and look before you venture on making your own from scratch…I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with what’s already available for you to move & manipulate!

Last cool note: You can get LogoCreator for both Mac & Windows platforms.

If you decide to give it a whirl, please share your experience below!

The ParentPreneur Edge: What Parenting Teaches About Building a Successful Business

Julie and I share way too many similarities as women entrepreneurs, mompreneurs, author, speakers & consultants! After a truly empowering power networking chat, I asked her to write this guest post for something I feel passionately about…how to truly be successful in your balancing act as mom and profitable home based business owner.

Little did I know that she’d share even more empowering & touching stories to make her point clear as day!

Please share your attention & link-love to Julie; and start chatting below in the comments to agree, disagree or “feel” the value of every word she penned below.

Is that glass or rubber you’re juggling?

As a woman entrepreneur who also happens to be the mom of two beautiful newly-teenage girls, I’ve had my share of opportunities to make choices between work and life.

Sometimes the decision I had to make was clear: my dad had been diagnosed with a recurrence of lung cancer (after being cancer-free for 9 years!) on Christmas Eve. He lived 1500 miles away and even though we were throwing a big New Year’s Eve party at our house, I had to go. We called off the party and I went and spent 3 days just hanging out with my dad where I got my last picture taken with him. In the following 6 months as he courageously battled cancer, I flew back and forth for a total of 9 weeks away from my then 8 and 6 year-old daughters, but I have no regrets. Since I was self-employed and had hired good people to keep working, I was able to take that time away from work and my business not only survived but we had our best year ever. At the same time, I was able to negotiate a $250,000 contract with a new customer, some times on the cell phone at the hospital while my dad received his chemo treatment. He didn’t mind – he was an entrepreneur, too – and it made him smile to see our success.

But to me, that time with my dad was pure glass. Had I dropped that ball in my great work/life juggling act, I would have never been able to recover it and, as a result, never been able to live with myself. You see, I had realized that some balls we juggle are rubber. They bounce and we barely miss a beat. This one wasn’t going to bounce.

Fast forward 4 years when I somewhat unexpectedly received a contract from a major publisher to publish The ParentPreneur Edge: What Parenting Teaches About Building a Successful Business.

Don’t get me wrong – getting published was a lifelong dream that I shared with my dad. When this opportunity presented itself, however, I had admittedly not thought much about the business I was going to build around it.

I had taken some time off after cashing out of my business and while I continued teaching, I was enjoying my time with my kids. When I looked at my opportunities, my original thought was to become a full-time speaker/trainer, but then I started looking at what that really entailed. The lifestyle of an on-the-road professional speaker was not conducive to spending a lot of time with my kids. And frankly, since my daughters were entering their teen years, I felt strongly that THIS was a critical time for me to be around for them, even more so than when they were little. I was in a quandary – what do you do? Which opportunity is glass and which is rubber? How do you choose?

I decided to look for alternative ways to promote my book while limiting my travel to a reasonable level. In doing so, I developed some guidelines for determining which of the balls we juggle are glass and which are rubber:

1. Get clear about your core values.

I had created my first company all around having flexibility in my life and being able to spend time with my kids. That had not changed. If I was going to be true to what I really stand for (and preach!) I had to walk the talk and make decisions authentically.

2. Ask yourself: will this matter in 1 year? 5 years? 10 years?

With my daughters being at what I consider to be a critical point in their growth where they are getting the opportunity to APPLY the lessons and values we’ve taught them, do I really want to play the absentee mom NOW? While I can’t completely stop them from making bad decisions, I can be here to support them and provide guidance. That is hard to do from a hotel room miles away.

3. View a decision holistically – will the opportunity come again?

I received an exciting opportunity to be a guest on a daytime TV program, but the taping was the day we were leaving for our long-planned, 2-week family vacation to Italy. We were flying through NY so I could have made it work, but when I mentioned it to my husband, he flipped. We had been incredibly stressed out and this had the potential to start our vacation out from an even more chaotic position. I had to look at the big picture – was this going to be my ONLY opportunity to get on national daytime TV? No, I didn’t believe so and besides, I felt strongly that I had to walk the talk and make the right decision for my whole family. Turns out, another opportunity came up and I tape a 6-minute segment for national TV next month!

You need to recognize that some things can bounce – and then let them bounce without guilt. When you really think through the criteria listed above, you may be surprised at what becomes rubber that you were sure was glass. My daughter’s second birthday was rubber. I had a business trip that took me away on her actual birthday but with her party planned for that weekend, she never knew the difference.

What criteria do you use to prune your commitments and your schedule? How do you prioritize between home and work?? [Please share your answers, questions, thoughts in the comments below! Let's get to Your True Values of Home Office Entrepreneurialim today!]

Yes, this review is long-over due…but, I promise it’s well worth the wait!

#1 I am SO happy with the services of:

WahmCart – Work at Home Mom (WAHM) Friendly Shopping Cart

Wahmcart is a full featured eCommerce solution that allows you to manage your Products, Sales, Prospects, Clients and Affiliates all in one place, by offering a secure shopping cart, affiliate software, tracking and the follow-up management system.

For a complete comparison, features description, and more please pick up our free WahmCart shopping cart eBook is available right here for you!

We compare the following systems with great details in the eBook, but briefly here:

• aWeber – NOT a shopping cart, affiliate manager, tracking system.
• PayPal – NOT a affiliate manager or autoresponder, yet is integrated with WahmCart for secure payment
• 2CheckOut – NOT an autoresponder; yet can be integrated with WahmCart. Its a free script that needs to be installed on your website.
• Mals-e – NOT an autoresponder, tracking system
• QuickPayPro - most comparable but cost $49.97/month.
• 1ShoppingCart – most comparable but runs close to $80/month for similar services offered at WahmCart

My additional add-on:

• Thirdsphere – most comparable with webhost; but after 2+ years of being a loyal and happy client, their web hosting, server size, and customer service did not live-up to what I hoped to have received after being a long-time client.

So, why should You Consider signing-up for WahmCart now?

• Cheaper. It’s highly-affordable and offers me everything you need to host an ever-growing ezine list! Why pay more for the same services offered at 1ShoppingCart? And, there’s bulk-payments for 3-months and 6-months with discounts. I got the semi-annual plan for the extra savings and less accounting hassles

• EASY-installation, integration, transfer. Moving from Thirdsphere to WahmCart was a snap (of course because I have my virtual assistant do it )! Anyways, I’ve been unrolling many different ways to capture subscribers, such as:
  • my Empower Me Now eTips eNewsletter,
  • my free “How to Create a Search Engine Optimized Press Release” eBook
  • my free EmpowerWomenNow.com Podcast transcripts download list

  and, you can except to see many more, with

• All-in-one eCommerce software for all Your Internet Marketing Needs! Why pay for separate autoresponder, shopping cart, affiliate manager AND tracking software when you can get all of these in 1-special place!?

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No, that’s Not a double-negative in the above statement.

Simply, you have to know what you are not capable, able, willing or even interested in doing for yourself and your prospective business associates, clients and customers!

Here are some critical questions to ask yourself in determining what you are not!

1. What is the market share you do NOT want to attract?

2. What kind of customer/client do you NOT want to work with or for?

3. What are the services/products that you are NOT willing to offer? promote? share?

4. Who are you turning away from your business? website? blog?

5. Are you rejecting enough bids, request for proposals or shaddy consultations of people or businesses you don’t want to be associated with in the first place?

It’s Time to

Just like Julie Lenzer Kirk shared  “Excuses are just a noisy way of not getting something done”…complaining about doing things you don’t want to do in your business or life revolves on your inability to just “Say No”!

Your profitability depends on it!

If you’re not turning away traffic or clients, then you’re simply not sticking to your brand well enough. Worse, you probably still don’t even know who your ideal target client/customer is!

Now, I work hard to always underpromise and overdeliver with every opportunity comes my way…hence the flood of happy recommendations and clients keep a steady flow.

Take on a crappy client who’s destined to be crappy through the process AND crappy even after the job is done…is just plain Crappy! So, WHY take them on in the 1st place?

To make a buck!?!?!

Girl–a single buck for all the emotional turmoil one single crappy client can wear as a heavy noose, and I always tell, recommend to colleagues, staff and friends…to RUN far away from these business transactions!

• So, do you RUN away from enough pains in your tush?

• Do you regret taking on a crappy client and you had a gut feeling not to take him/her on during your initial consultation phase?

• Are you such a person-pleaser, that you’d rather be poor and out-of-business than lose 1 single “friend”?

Girl–then, that “Friend” never deserved that coveted title in the 1st place!

Okay…Truth be told: I was a tom-boy growing up and had very few girl-friends while growing up…oh heck, I have very few girl-friends today! And, I’m DARN proud of it!

I have 1 sister and my 2 younger bros and I were much closer to the boys that my sister…age and maturity changed that now

Nonetheless, I found loyalty in the males in my life…and never understood nor participated in girl-talk, chatty-crap and all the jazz that goes on in being a chick.

I actually had more “friend”ships with all my teachers, coaches, adults in my life than with kids my own age as well…I couldn’t then, nor can I now, deal with idle-talk.

I’ve always been about quality and quantity, and when I wrote my Girl-Friends poem it was for one of my dearet and best girl-friends…who miles now part us; but our friendship is ever strong!

This is why, my marriage is something I’m most proud of in my life…my dearest and best friend through think & thin makes all life worth living for!

I take my experiences with relationships and apply them into my daily business practices–hence, building powerful networking opportunities. And, you should strive to this level always.

My powerful network is built our high-quality relationships built professionally and we have a “girl-friend” fun, personal and personable aspect to it…but, do I feel sad or as if I”m missing out? No Way! Cuz’ girl-friend…while I’m a hard wise-worker I am a party freak too

Now, a mother of 3 girls, I see the caddiest, arrogance and back-biting all over again…and I teach them with great pride and joy that quality matters NOT quantity.

The more we turn away the “bad” people in our lives; the more we open ourselves to more “good” relationships to pass by and enter into our lives.

Ironically, in grade school & high school, I was voted ‘most popular’…but, I believe this is NOT because I befriended everyone; but because I respected everyone and gained their respect in full.

Also, everyone knew me; although I didn’t know everyone. So, in biz–this is what you’re trying to achieve. Everyone “knowing” you…rather than the other way around!

So, as for knowing what you aren’t…its about how you position yourself, that you turn on your loyal fans, readers, subscribers, staff, colleagues, mentors, etc…so they turn people on to you! Meanwhile, turning away the “bad” vibes, people, whatever so they are not associated with you!

While I DO turn possible clients down, I never turn down an opportunity to grow together. When, I mean “run”, you can “run” from the biz transaction; yet stay popular by your strong work ethics, personality and ability to network effectively; so even the “crappy ones” are speaking highly about you behind your back!

Knowing what you aren’t also allows you to only attract the best people and opportunities into your life. Start under-cutting your fees, rates, etc…then, you short-changing yourself for the person and business you can become.

Simply, if you don’t believe you’re worth more and short-change yourself…those around you will not believe or respect you either and start walking ALL over you in the process as well as in the future!

Not, a very successful, prosperous business model, huh?

To answer your question: “Yes, I’ve been burnt once or twice in business only. I’m a fast learner, and will NOT let anyone walk over my domain.”

How? I kill with kindness! For my loyal readers who experienced something “bad” or “indifferent” with me before; and I took our relationship to the next level…please share below.  If I did anything “crappy” to you and didn’t know it; please do NOT blast me in the comments, just email me first and let me know what I can do to help or correct the error.

As always, Please share your honest opinions, thoughts & concerns below!

Humbly yours,

Ponn