• 03Apr

  Happy Easter!!

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  Happy Easter!

  Easter is a time of rebirth and new life.  In addition to the religious aspects of Easter, most people like the idea of celebrating spring as a time of growth, fresh opportunity, and an end of winter.  (Chocolate bunnies and those malted-speckled eggs are great too.)

  It is easy to fall into the routines of our daily lives.  We are comfortable with our routines.  There is a regular rhythm in our habits.   But when does a routine turn into a rut?

  As we look forward to the progress of the new season, it might be fun to try new things as a way of growing in this season.  Try to do something new, if not every day, maybe make a point to try something new once a week.  New experiences help us breakout of our groove (Yes, I used the word groove) and are just plain fun.

  Some ideas:

  1)  Try completely different food – a Moroccan restaurant, Thai Panang, or Korean BBQ

  2)  Take a class that interests you

  3)  Walk someone else’s dog

  4)  Participate in different exercise class, such as a Nia or Zumba class

  5)  Sign up to support a new fundraiser

  6)  Watch an episode of the History channel on a completely foreign topic

  7)  Plant some herbs

  8)  Help your cells regenerate – for a whole day, eat just fruits and vegetables

  9)  Further help your cellular development by getting a great night’s sleep

  10)  Clean out a closet and donate what you don’t use

  11)  Wash the car!  Or surprise someone else by cleaning their car

  12)  Try a local brewery’s beer

  13)  Try a different wine

  14)  Drive a new road

  15)  Put a different assortment of toppings on your next pizza

  16)  Babysit someone else’s kids

  17)  Open a cookbook at random and try whatever page you see

  18)  Listen to your kids’ music

  What are your ideas for new experiences this spring?  Let us know by leaving a comment!

• 26Mar

  Snow and Mess

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  It is snowing, and my dogs are having a marvelous, snowy time.  They love the snow.  They love standing in the snow, crunching the partially frozen top layer of previous snowfalls, and they love chasing each other in the snow.  This is “dog tag” and while I don’t quite understand the rules, it involves lots of running, chasing, dashing in circles, and barking.  It looks like loads of fun.

  Then the wet dogs come inside.  They drags in chunks of ice, snowballs that cling to furry legs, and whatever foliage they can manage.  It can be messy.

  I think many times, having fun involves a messy process.  I like the idea that we embrace the messy aspects of our life, including our fun.   While I love a clutter-free, clean house, (my office doesn’t count) I also love the chaos and mess that comes with house-guests, especially those with children.  I enjoy the remnants that remain after a good party, or what the kitchen looks like after a really great meal.  Messy and wonderful.

  The mess is sometimes evidence of a terrific memory and a fun time.  So let’s go make a mess!

• 09Mar

  How Start and Maintain a Business Plan

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  One of a leader’s most important (and some argue, the most important) qualities is the ability to plan for the future. Leaders have to respond to changes in the economy, innovation by the competition, fluctuating consumer preferences, new marketing techniques, and advancing technology. Leaders have to make decisions based on imperfect information without the benefit of a crystal ball. Leaders have to be their own crystal ball.

  How do great leaders adjust for social changes, economic downturns, and changing customer buying habits?

  They have plans. They have a strategic vision. When circumstances change (and they are always changing), insightful leaders make adjustments to the plans. They update the mechanisms and the steps that contribute to the strategic plan. Flexible plans allow companies to take advantage of new opportunities while keeping the overarching vision at the forefront of the business.

  Write out your business plan. I am always surprised when business owners tell me they don’t have a written business plan. This is like sailing to China without a map. How can a business possibly move forward when there is no plan? How do you know what to plan for when you don’t have it mapped out?

  Some common excuses include: 1) I just haven’t had time; 2) My company doesn’t need one; 3) I don’t know what one is supposed to look like; 4) I don’t know what we’d do with a plan if we did have one; and my personal favorite, 5) It is all in my head.

  While I can think of several responses to all of these, the bottom line is the same: To be successful and sustainable, a company needs a plan.

  If any of these excuses seem uncomfortably familiar, please consider spending some quality time formulating a business plan.

  Where to start? My favorite business plans for many small businesses are based off free templates provided by SCORE at
  www.scrore.org. There are templates for startup companies as well as for established companies. The downloadable templates walk users though a series of questions that are crucial for companies to answer for their future successes.

  Who creates the plan? Sole proprietors can do it themselves or work with a coach or consultant. (Don’t know the difference? See article here.) One great way to develop a business plan for companies already in business to dedicate a half-day off-site with a dedicated note-taker and a facilitator. Spend 3 hours with your team, and tackle developing the business plan with the same determination as you would tackle a problem with a distributor.

  Make the process as painless as possible.

  1. Hire someone to fill in the blanks.
     Get an administrative assistant (temporary, if necessary) for this project to make sure it gets completed. That gives you a deadline and takes away the excuse that you don’t have time to write it out (especially if it is “in your head”).
  2. Consult with an expert.
     SCORE is comprised of experienced business mentors who are available for free consultations. Small Business Development Centers also offer free one-on-one consulting. You can also hire a coach or a consultant specifically to help develop a business plan.
  3. Put a date on it.
     I was recently reminded that “someday” is not a day of the week. Make a commitment to have a viable plan in the next 2 months.
  4. Start today.
     Make an appointment today to meet with an advisor. Download a template. Print it and start filling in the blanks. You can start today, right now.

  Business plans are not carved in stone, and they MUST evolve with the changing market, economy, and advances of the company. Great leaders make adjustments when circumstances change. Having a working business plan means that changes are incorporated into the strategic vision of the company. The plan, and the steps needed to achieve the goals, become guiding aspirations. Having a plan, and having the plan evolve means growing the company in the right direction.

• 27Feb

  Credit Card Rules Changed!!

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  Congress got involved with credit card companies. As a result, the credit card companies recently changed the rules regarding how it can charge customers. The credit card changes went into effect February 22, 2010. Consumers with credit cards should be aware of their rights under the new laws.

  1. Interest rates: Credit card issuers can no longer change interest rates in the first year that they issue the card. Cardholders get 45 days notice on any rate changes. Interest rates on the balances will not be raised unless the account is 60 days past due.

  2. Put a cap on it: Activation and/or service fees in the past were unlimited. Now, the activation and service fees are capped at 25% of the credit limit during the first year of use.

  3. Amazing grace: Card issuers previously were able to change the due dates to make it easier to charge late fees. Now, credit card companies have to give customers at least a 21-day grace period to pay their balance.

  4. Credit limits: Customers have to agree to exceed their credit limits before they can be charged a fee for doing so, and customers who go over limit can only be assessed one fee per bill.

  5. How long? Monthly statements now need to show how long it will take a cardholder to pay off the balance of their credit card debt if they only pay the minimum amount due.

  6. Just say no: Cardholders can now refuse to accept interest rate hikes. If you refuse the new interest rates you opt instead to pay off your balances at the existing rates.

  7. Hi Mom! Credit card companies used to target college students because their parents were liable for all charges. Now, anyone under 21 years old must have a co-signer or proof of enough income to repay the debt they might incur before they are issued a credit card.

  Caveat Emptor!

  Tags: credit card changes

• 14Feb

  Happy Valentine’s Day!

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  Daytona, FL

  Today is my perfect Valentine’s Day. I get to watch the Daytona 500.

  I realize that watching NASCAR may not be every girl’s dream for Valentine’s Day, a day usually hallmarked by, well, Hallmark, candy, champagne, roses, and heart-shaped chocolate boxes. But it works for me.

  On Valentine’s Day we celebrate love, and that means doing activities that make your loved ones happy. Some people will go out for a romantic dinner – I am making tempura shrimp and vegetables that go well with other race food. Some people will dress up and look beautiful for their partners – I will be in jeans and a number 14 sweatshirt. Some people will exchange cards and romantic gifts – I will place bets on NASCAR drivers and hope that my friends’ drivers lose. Traditional Valentine’s Day? No. Valentine’s Day Fun? Yes.

  Valentine’s Day is a moment to reflect on the important relationships in our lives, and there is one that is commonly ignored. My friend Carolyn Strauss (www.CarolynStrauss.com) reminds us in her blog that we need to remember to love ourselves as well. We need to love the person we are. So please take a little time to do something nice for yourself, as well as your loved ones.

  However you decide to celebrate a day that focuses on love and friendship, do what makes you happy, and what makes those around you feel cherished. Share the joy of being together. Make a promise to spend more time with someone special, whether it is a grandparent or a niece or a significant other.

  Happy Valentine’s Day!
  Mary

• 09Feb

  Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but product value is in the eye of the buyer.

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  Leaders need to put themselves in the position of their consumers. The theme of this article is to encourage leaders to experience their product or service from their customers’ perspective.
  

  1. Buy your product, and then try to return it. Do the internet search. Price compare. Actually make an order to see how well the process works. Some companies do this very well. Kohls, COSTCO, and Walmart are all very good about product purchase procedures and customer service during the return process. They build up a loyal customer base by being helpful and considerate throughout the buying (and sometimes returning) experience.

     Customers want the buying experience to be fast, pleasant, and productive. That means they don’t want hassle or difficulties along the way. If a company makes the process too onerous or time-consuming, customers will
     simply find other places to buy what they want. One reason many customers buy online is they don’t have to deal with customer service personnel.

     Organizations should experience their processes to see how they can increase consumer loyalty through simply examining their own customer experiences. Consider the airline industry.

     The airline industry needs to understand why so many of us are willing to put up with the lack of seat assignments at Southwest. It isn’t that they allow our luggage to still travel with us for free, although that is a help. Many people LUV (their ticker symbol) Southwest Airlines because the booking and changing of tickets is an easy process. Not only is there ZERO hassle for changing a ticket, but their customer service people are sincerely pleasant and helpful.

     My most recent experiences changing tickets on two major airlines were expensive and time-consuming. I don’t understand why I get docked $150 for a ticket change (months before the initial flight would have occurred) and then when I tried using the remainder of the ticket after the $150 was deducted, the airline also kept the remainder of the amount that I didn’t use when I rebooked. Seriously? I traded in a $534 ticket for $178 ticket? After several hours on the phone with various customer service representatives who were neither pleasant nor helpful, I succumbed. I was defeated.

     No amount of marketing or clever slogans is going to reverse the damage of poor purchasing processes and unpleasant customer representatives. Are senior leaders oblivious to the fact that their organizations are driving customers away? Maybe. But I guarantee that the major leaders of the airlines do not go through their own ticketing process and customer service desks and, therefore, have no real idea how miserable the experience is for their consumers. So I fly Southwest whenever possible.

  2. Go through your own drive-in. While traveling cross country with 2 dogs in the car, my meal selections are limited to either restaurants that do not mind my furry ones sitting with me (read: NONE) or those fine dining establishments that have drive-through windows.So on a recent trip, I placed my order at the window, and proceeded to the payments and collection window. I politely asked if they would please throw away my coffee cup (from my first drive-through experience of the day) to make room for their drink in my cup holder. To my unhappy surprise, the answer was a firm NO.

     “We cannot accept trash at the window.” “Why not?” I ask (in my own customer voice, which is far sweeter than I actually felt). “It is our policy not to accept trash. But you can park, come in, and throw away your trash.”

     Not willing to be so easily dissuaded from my fried entrée, I persist. “Is there an outside trash can?” “No,” came the reply, “because people might put garbage in it.” Seriously?

     It is 10 degrees outside, and I have pooches (what if I had children in car seats?) to consider. “Cancel my order please” was my response on behalf of all people traveling with small children, those who are physically challenged, and everyone else. It is ridiculous policy, and one that I am sure senior management knows nothing about. Why? Because they do not procure their own products in the same manner as average consumers do. They need to experience their company’s purchasing procedure like their customers do.

  3. Make the call. Leaders of America, I dare you – call your own customer service department. How long are you on hold? How many voice mails did you have to go through? How many buttons did you have to press before you got to the right department? An actual person?Nightmare on Hold – A Customer Service Story:

     My worst telephonic customer service experience was with one of the biggest PC manufacturers. After they shipped me the wrong $150 part, I tried to return it. Sorry, I was one day outside the 20-day window, they answer. “But:” I pleasantly explained, “I have only been home from a trip for 2 days, and it is only Monday.” “Sorry,” says their customer service representative in a country that sounds far away, “The clock starts when you place the order. And you can only return it by DHL.” (The DHL service office was an hour and a half away from where I lived.) Huh?

     Again, not easily dissuaded, I persisted in trying to find a reasonable person to help resolve the situation. I made over 150 phone calls to their overseas customer service desk, and no one even pretended to care about my
     problem. One of their senior customer service representatives suggested that I donate the undesired part to a school, because there was no way they were taking it back. I fell outside the stated policy. There are no exceptions.

     On phone call number 151 (I started logging them for my own amusement, since I spent so much time on hold, and I thought that number might prove lucky), I asked for the phone number to their Headquarters, right here in the US. Surely, I thought, if I spoke to a manager, I could explain that the part was still sealed in its box, and the mistake was theirs. I was told there are no phones at their Headquarters.

     My three letters went unanswered (this process became a research experiment in customer service), and emails to the company customer service site were ignored. Remember, I still needed a part to fix my computer.

     After two weeks of irritation and countless hours, I bought a Mac. My entire company went Mac. For the cost of decent customer service and a $150 part, this PC manufacturer lost me and my entire company forever. Mac, I am happy to report, has GREAT customer service.

  Leaders can protect against bad customer service before it starts by having efficient systems in place to take care of customers the first time. Not sure if your procedures are working? Make a return, go through the drive-through, and call your own customer service department.

• 29Jan

  Bless are they…..

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  Blessed are they…..

  There are those people in every organization who perform the myriad of tasks that everyone takes for granted.
  If you haven’t done any of these in a while, then you owe someone a thank you.
  I once had a boss who, when my time with the organization was complete (my tour was finished) and I was getting my outbrief, looked at me and blankly said, “I honestly don’t know exactly what you do around here.”
  I replied that much of what I did was, in fact, largely unnoticed because there were no problems associated with my department. “But don’t worry,” I assured him, “You’ll know more about what I did after I have been a gone a few weeks. When I’m not here, you’ll suddenly miss me.”
  I wasn’t trying to be self-aggrandizing or arrogant. He just never knew how many problems never got to his level because they were handled at mine.
  Then there are the basic, every day activities:

  1. Making the coffee (and again and again)
  2. Refilling the paper tray in the copier
  3. Sorting the mail
  4. Signing for delivery packages
  5. Cleaning out the office refrigerator
  6. Taking care of the trash
  7. Sending flowers to whoever is sick, had a baby, or lost someone
  8. Making the lunch run
  9. Answering the phones in the common areas
  10. Replacing the toner in the printers

  So to those people who DO those unappreciated, daily activities that make it nicer for the rest of us, thank you!!

• 21Jan

  How to Avoid Procrastination

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  It is minus 4 degrees at my house right now.  The temperature did not get higher than 7 degrees today.  On really cold days, when I am snowed in, I stay home.  Why fight Mother Nature?

  Being trapped in the house and my office makes me ridiculously productive.   No transit time, no spending time doing my hair in preparation for a face-to-face meeting, having to grab coffee on the road or waiting in-between meetings.

  I love working on my home office.  I know some people who do a lot of work from home have a hard time “going” to work, but I love my work and I love the environment.  Still, there are times when I struggle to attack the projects that frustrate, irritate, or seem mundane.

  So the question is how do I to get motivated when the project pile just keeps getting higher?

  1. Wash the towels first.   I am the queen of laundry, and when the pile looms, I attack the towels first.  Why?  They are bulky and once they are in the washing machine, the rest of the pile looks less daunting.  Make a dent in the biggest, easiest pile first.  Then the rest of the tasks seem more manageable.
  2. Make a dated list.  Not just the normal To-Do List that continues to grow every day regardless of the past three 18-hour workdays.  Put the day and date at the top of the  list of what is really important that day, and jot down what you really want to get accomplished that day.  Giving yourself measureable, attainable goals is helpful.  Simple ones like “Take Vitamins” and “Walk Dog” counts.
  3. Multi-task.  I know, I know.  Everyone says that multi-tasking increases the time it takes to accomplish something, but if you have a long, tedious conference call to attend that you are not chairing, clean out a drawer or do some other fairly mindless task while others talk.  I run two computers simultaneously so that I can always be working on something, and I don’t wait for loading of pages or looking up other information.
  4. Do the Post-Its Notes Focus Trick.  Thinking about the 2 dozen cupcakes that you need for the Halloween Party in the morning?  And the dog’s vet visit? And the oil light that came on yesterday?  And the project that is due in two days?  Write all the little distractions and other things on their own Post-It note, so and put them on the wall, on the space under the counter of your desk, or anyother place where you might see them.  Then as you get a few moments of free time, you can do some thing about those quick taskers.  What is left at the end of the day gets stuck on your daily list.
  5. Walk fast.  People in organizations assume that if you walk quickly, you are busy.   When you ARE busy and walking fast, and fewer people will want to waste your time with idle chat, (so slow down slightly but keep walking).
  6. Get it Done Now!  I make a sign and post it.

  Good luck!

  Mary

• 10Jan

  The January Hangover

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  ~ 7 Financial Strategies to Lead Into a Successful 2010 ~

  

  January always seems a bit like a Monday morning. Lots to do, and not nearly enough coffee. Pass the aspirin and start planning now.

  1. Assess the debt. If you personally did your part to single-handedly stimulate the economy over the holidays, we thank you. January is the time to assess all debt – credit cards, lines of credit, what you owe Mom and Dad, and car payments (I don’t count mortgage payments as debt, because you have to live somewhere, and if you weren’t paying a mortgage you’d be paying something for rent anyway.) Add it all up, and write that number on your calendar for Jan 1, 2010. As you pay off debt, track that number by adding up all debt at the beginning of every month, to make sure that debt number is heading in the right direction.
  2. Any Thing, just not Every Thing. The book Do It made a great point several years ago – you can have Any Thing you want, just not Every Thing you want. So prioritize your serious wants, and separate those from your more frivolous wants. If you want to take a vacation, make saving for that a priority. If you want to increase retirement savings, cut out something less important. It is all about making a clear decision and focusing on the end goal.
  3. Make a List and Check it Twice. I am the first to say that shopping with a list adds time. (I always forget something in the first aisle and have to double back somewhere at least twice.) However, whenever I take a trip, I make a list. When I go to a presentation, I make a list. For my financial goals, I make a list. Why? It increases the chance of getting it done if it is something I look at regularly. When making 2010 business goals, make a list. And before heading off to shop, make a list.
  4. Taxes, Taxes, Taxes. The tax bill is going to come as a surprise to a lot of people. The US deficit spending has to be funded from somewhere, so we are going to see personal income as well as corporate tax increase. If the deficit spending increased by 4 fold in 2009 alone, how much do we think our taxes are going to increase? (Hint: Probably more than what we’d like.) Hopefully taxes won’t multiply by 4 immediately, but we are naïve if we think we are not going to be impacted. Start planning for taxes early, and be prepared. You might need to get professional help.
  5. Pay to Pay? I know, it does seem wrong to pay a someone so that they can help you pay what you owe to the government. However, remember that a great tax person will generally 1) know the laws, 2) know the most recent changes, 3) actually save you time, effort and money in the long run. Don’t forget to take 2008 losses. Lot of folks are still reeling from the stock market melting, and many people sold at a loss. Remember that you can offset gains with losses for tax purposes. Again, seek a professional if it seems overwhelming.
  6. Get the family involved. Sit down and honestly discuss financial matters with the family. Make sure everyone (over a certain age, of course – an 8 year old doesn’t need to know what the utility bill is) understands that there are limited resources. A great technique is to give teens and tweens their own “living allowance” which includes what they need for lunches, entertainment, clothes and miscellaneous items. Start tweens off with a weekly living allowance, and teens for the month. It teaches them to budget, to allocate funds for what they want, and to be mindful of money. My friends did this with great success. The first month the teen ran out of lunch money on the 20th of the month. Mom directed the teenager toward the jar of peanut butter. Teen never had a budgeting problem again.
  7. Spend less than you make. If money gets tight, stop shopping. I was very impressed when a friend of mine told me a few weeks before Christmas that she just couldn’t do gifts this year because money was tight. Her friends were MORE than understanding, and a more than a few felt relieved because they were tight this Christmas too. Pressure off!

  Happy New Year!

• 31Dec

  Start the Year with Organized Finances

  Uncategorized 4 Comments

  Now is the time to get the home budget under control, assess debt, and keep track of business costs.  Setting up a system at the start of the new year somehow seems more satisfying than starting in May.  A few easy tips:

  1. Spend less than you make, after taxes.  What you make after taxes is the actual disposable income.  Many people forget about taxes, whether property, income, sales, car registration, or state taxes, and then are surprised when the paycheck runs a little short at the end of the month.

  2. Create a realistic budget.  Sit down with the credit card receipts and the checkbook, and figure out the major expenditures, such as the house and car payments, utiities, and food.  Then create the rest of the spending plan after you have paid the bills.

  3. Know where the money goes.  Many people get into trouble because they truly cannot figure out where the money went.  So track it.  And be honest.  If you truly do spend $60 a month at Starbucks, but buy your clothes at Goodwill, that is okay as long as you have planned for that in the budget.

  4. Write it down.  The best way to know where the money went is to track it.  There are many great personal finance programs available.  You can use a ledger book.  You can use a school notebook.  There is a free downloadable monthly budget program on my website that allows you to either make your own book by printing out monthly sheets or you can maniplate the entries and amounts and it does the math for you.  It is yours to use, and is not on any server, so your information stays completely private.  www.organize-you.com/refills/

  5. Plan for the rainy days.  If this recession taught us nothing else, it alerted us that anyone have financial troubles, so it is wise to save for emergencies.

  Good luck and let me know how it goes!!!

  Mary

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