Business Year End Review Strategies

The Power of Gratitude…
Why a “Grateful Year In Review” will get you ready to Look Ahead 

This is the best time of the year, and the most hectic time of year for most small business owners. It is easy to fall into the anxiety and rush of the season.

But when you pause to reflect on what you are thankful for, it can put you in a positive mood; And isn’t that the greatest way to end the year?

“Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.” –Sarah Ban Breathnach, inspirational author

One tradition we have at our business, is to take time to list all of the major (and some of the minor) accomplishments for the entire year. We write them all down and schedule an entire morning to review them with everyone in our office. It becomes an energetic time to share and reminisce about the year! And if I left anything off of the lengthy list, someone is sure to let me know. We love to celebrate how far we have come and reward those who have done an outstanding job.

This “meeting” gets us in the frame of gratitude for all who have helped to move the business forward, and becomes a time of recognition (which everyone loves).

We also take time to recognize the feedback we receive from our clients and how those suggestions have made us a better company.

It is amazing to see this “Year in Review” and spend the time to show our employees our appreciation.

Here’s a few questions to ask yourself that will put you in that grateful perspective, and get you ready to think about your direction for 2012:

1) Who has made a difference in your life this year? What did they do? Have you thanked them for it? (It’s not too late to send a card of thanks!)

2) What has created the biggest impact on your business this year? Was it an event, an employee, a new marketing strategy? Who has helped you to implement and create positive change in your business?

3) What are some of your unique talents and gifts? What are some talents of your employees? What outstanding trait could you recognize for each employee?

4) Name five new things you learned this year related to the business. Is something working well…not working…does something need to change? Write them down and use this as a starting point for the new year.

Take a look at how far YOU have come this year, and use this to remind yourself to be grateful and positive. Then let us know what you are grateful about!

Tax Free Shopping Days in August

Mark your calendars! Select Local governments are offering TAX FREE shopping days in August.

Check the list below to see if your state qualifies.

Sorry, Arizona, we are not on the list!

Eligible items include school supplies and some include computers and computer software.

Alabama
Eligible Items: Clothing (up to $100), computers (up to $750), school supplies (up to $50), books (up to $30).
Dates: August 5-7

Arkansas
Eligible Items: Clothing (up to $100 per item), accessories (up to $50 per item), items normally sold as school supplies.
Dates: August 6-7

Connecticut
Eligible items: Clothing and footwear (up to $300).
Dates: August 21-27

Florida
Eligible Items: Clothing (up to $75 per item), accessories (up to $75 per item), footwear (up to $75 per item), school supplies (up to $15 per item).
Dates: August 12-14

Iowa
Eligible items: Clothing and footwear (up to $100 per item).
Dates: August 5-6

Louisiana
Eligible Items: Items not used for business purposes (up to $2,500 per item).
Dates: August 6-7

Maryland
Eligible Items: Clothing and footwear (up to $100 per item).
Dates: August 14-20

Mississippi
Eligible items: Clothing and footwear (up to $100 per item).
Dates: July 29-30

Missouri (check your city, only some cities participate)
Eligible items: Clothing (up to $100 per item), school supplies (up to $50 per item), computer software (up to $350 per item), computers (up to $3,500 per item).
Dates: August 5-7

New Mexico
Eligible items: Clothing and footwear (up to $100 per item), school supplies (up to $15 per item), computers (up to $1,000 per item), computer equipment (up to $500 per item).
Dates: August 5-7

North Carolina
Eligible items: Clothing and footwear (up to $100 per item), school supplies (up to $100 per item), sports and recreation equipment (up to $50 per item), computers (up to $3,500 per item), computer equipment (up to $250 per item).
Dates: August 5-7

Oklahoma
Eligible items: Clothing and footwear (up to $100 per item).
Dates: August 5-7

South Carolina
Eligible items: Clothing, school supplies, computers (no limit).
Dates: August 5-7

Tennessee
Eligible items: Clothing (up to $100 per item), school supplies (up to $100 per item), computers (up to $1,500).
Dates: August 5-7

Texas
Eligible items: Clothing and footwear (up to $100 per item), school supplies (up to $100 per item).
Dates: August 19-21

Virginia
Eligible items: Clothing and footwear (up to $100 per item), school supplies (up to $20 per item).
Dates: August 5-7

For more informattion visit: http://www.taxadmin.org/fta/rate/sales_holiday.html

Tip: Use Dropbox to Make Your LIfe Easier

Dropbox is one of my favorite tools. I use it everyday. And it’s FREE!!

Why do I love it? Well, it uses the cloud to store all my files so I can access them from anywhere. I can access them from any computer, from my iPad, from my mobile phone, from my laptop……anywhere!

How does it work? Watch this short video and see….and then try it out.

http://db.tt/WuKScUO

Comment below and let me know if this super tool is as useful to you as it is to me.

Are You Leading Your Company With Your "WHY"?

All the great inspiring leaders in the world, all think, act and communicate in the exact same way…. and it’s the exact opposite from everyone else.

In this transformational 18 minute video, Simon Sinek teaches us his “golden circle” theory…and how you can be the inspirational action leader in your company.

This is an important video for us all.

Simon Sinek….
TEDx Puget Sound speaker – Simon Sinek – Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Action

Did You Know You Are An Expert?

Guest post by Barbara Rozgonyi, publisher of Wired PR Works

People have questions. You have answers. That makes you, to them, an expert. What do you want to be known for? Here’s some help on figuring out how to be the “know it all” go-to resource in your area of expertise.

Today it doesn’t take a website or a blog to connect with a community online, but it does take some strategic planning and effort. Before you begin answering questions on a site, take some time to think about who you want to be known by and for what do you want to be known.

1. Who Do You Want to Reach?
Answering questions on a site like LinkedIn puts you in front of millions –if they’re searching for your topic. But, maybe smaller is better, especially if having local connections will help you meet your business goals. If you don’t need international influence, then look for smaller centers of influence in forums and LinkedIn groups. Keep in mind that you’ll need a broad reach on a wide platform if writing a book is one of your goals.

2. Professional Industry or Client-Centered Comments?
Joining in with a professional industry group will keep you up-to-date and allow you to get feedback. Because you are all providing the same professional service, joining a group where your customers are will bring you more business. Look for groups where you can easily rank as one of the five top experts or better yet, own the category. Watch out for forums where you’ll be saying the same thing as dozens of other people. Even in these situations, adding a personal touch such as a reference to website of the person who asked the question or a story from your experience will set you apart.

3. How Should You Keep Track of Your Answers?
Compose your answers in Word and save a copy to use in your newsletter, blog or file. Drop in the URL or topic so you can go back and track the follow-up conversation. Be on the lookout for partnerships and connect with people you’d like to know better.

4. How Much Time Should You Spend?
Budget a specific amount of time and don’t go over. It’s easy to get carried away with comments. Resist the urge to become an annoying know-it-all. Even though you may know the answer to every question, give others a turn. Start out by setting aside an hour at the beginning or end of the day to answer comments. Scanning questions takes less time. On some days, you may not have any questions to answer at all.

5. Question Resources: Places to Find Questions to Answer
HARO – Help A Reporter Out
AllExperts
LinkedIn Answers
LinkedIn Groups
Twitter
Yahoo Groups

So, what are you an expert at?

————————————–
Barbara Rozgonyi is the founder of CoryWest Media, LLC, a virtual public relations and marketing consultancy that gets new media to work for you. As publisher of wiredPRworks.com, Barbara reports on ways to use marketing, social media and public relations to grow business, build brands, raise visibility and connect communities. To stay updated on how to use social media and PR, visit http://savvysocialmedia.com. Originally posted at http://wiredprworks.com.

Daily Affirmations

We all know we should do our daily affirmations.

This is my favorite example of how it should be done.
At Just A Minute, LLC we do this every morning.

Win an iPad

What? That link is not clickable?

Gmail has a glich! Some of their links are not clickable.
Thanks to Frank Bauer and his post of Feb. 10, we know why.

Click here to see why some of your gmail links may not be clickable.

Thanks, Frank for the info.

Be sure to comment on his blog (and this one too) if you appreciate the information.

Which Video Camera is Best? Flip Video vs. Kodak Zi8

As you know, online videos are all the rage. Putting them on your blog or website can greatly impact your bottom line. YouTube is HUGE…..and making videos is really fun. But what is the best “pocket” camera to use for the best quality?

I tested the Flip Video and the Kodak Zi8 (both highly recommended) and did a very UN-scientific test.

Here’s what happened:

Learn more about the Kodak Zi8 Pocket Video Camera (Black) and the Flip UltraHD Camcorder, 120 Minutes (Black) (FTC notice: If you purchase from this link, I will get a few dollars in compensation from Amazon).

Free up Your Time: Create Systems in Your Business

This business tip is from Patricia Drain . I learned this bit of wisdom from her years ago, and it’s true!

Here’s what Patricia says:

CREATING SYSTEMS IN YOUR BUSINESS WILL FREE UP YOUR TIME

Once you learn how creating systems in your business will make your business flow more easily, then you will have the key to success. Create just ONE system in your business today.

I started systemizing everything — from how the phone was answered, to how meetings would unfold, to how invoices looked when they were mailed out.

Guess what that did for my business?

I didn’t have to “show up” to help the business grow.

I created more value in my business.

In fact, when I sold that business, the buyer said “What made me buy your business over the 20 others I looked at, were the ‘systems’ you created.”