I was watching my 2-year-old son playing this afternoon.  For almost 10 minutes he just ran around in a circle. It wasn’t even a particularly big circle – but round and round he went – showing absolutely no evidence of boredom. In fact, he really seemed to be enjoying himself.

It got me thinking about how often as adults – especially as solo entrepreneurs – that we feel like we’re just running round and round in circles. The problem for us is that it certainly isn’t fun. When we feel like our businesses have stopped growing and like all our hard work is no longer moving us forward, it’s easy to get exhausted and discouraged. Read more »

I really didn’t like having a job.

In the years that I worked for other people, I was so frustrated by the complete lack of control that I had over my life. We all know the drill…showing up and leaving at the same time each day, being told when we can have lunch or take a vacation, trying to look busy even when we’ve finished our work because heaven forbid we should just be able to go home early…

It was a desire for independence that led me to start my first business. I certainly had good intentions and a strong work ethic but I also had absolutely no clue what I was doing. The truth was that I lacked the fundamental understanding of money that was required to keep a business afloat. Once I realized this, I focused on studying with the best financial experts I could find, gaining the financial tools, knowledge and understanding I needed to be a successful entrepreneur. Read more »

In order to create success as a small business owner it is critical that you build a quality list of people who are interested in the products and services you offer and the ways you can add value to their lives.

I’m evaluating a viral listbuilding software tool from the folks at ListHero.com. It’s the fastest, simplest and easiest way to build your list that I’ve seen in a long while.

Here’s all you do…

Create a short ad that promotes your newsletter or ezine

Add some code to the pages of your website

… sit back and watch your list grow.

ListHero helps you generate 1,000’s of highly targeted subscribers for free and pays you generous affiliate commissions as your list grows.

I’ll let you know what I think of it once I’ve had a chance to check it out. Meanwhile go grab access to this  viral listbuilding software while it’s still free.

I live next door to two of the tiniest dogs I have ever seen. I’d be afraid to have a dog that size. I’d worry that one misstep and I could end up accidentally squashing the poor thing. But the funny thing about my next door dogs is they don’t ACT small. They do everything big – from saying hello, to protecting their little girl owner, to standing up for themselves if a bigger dog tries to get bossy.

Well, just like a small dog who thinks he is a Great Dane, a small business doesn’t always have to act small.  Small dogs know their strengths and use them to their advantage.  They know they can be more agile, move quicker and get away with things because they are cute.  A small business has more flexibility, quicker response times and more personal customer service than the bigger guys.  Knowing your strengths is the key to success.  Small business owners who know what to focus on can take their business to the top. Read more »

We live in a society that is all about focusing on what we don’t have.  Commercials, magazines, movies all remind us that we can be thinner, wealthier, smarter and have more STUFF.  Here’s the thing.  I don’t believe that it is bad to strive for more.  After all – isn’t wanting more freedom, more inspiration and more money, what led most of us to become entrepreneurs? Goals keep us moving forward – they give us a sense of purpose and direction and ultimately serve as guidelines for building success as small business owners.  I think that when it comes to finances, we should all strive to create wealth, not just because of what it will mean in our own lives, but because of the difference it will allow us to create in the lives of others.  However, consider how much more powerful it is to strive for more from a place of happiness with what you have already created, than to constantly struggle to improve, while depressed by a perception of all the ways in which you have failed. Read more »