“This Life Ain’t No Joke” :: Entrepreneurship

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“This life ain’t no joke, so aspiring and future entrepreneurs better be prepared,” my friend said to me the other day.  We were lamenting about how tired and exhausted we were from pushing hard to make our dreams come true.  I had been working on a side project in addition to my regular work as a designer and trying to figure out my taxes.  He had been working hard to realize a dream to relocate to New York and had just finished paying off all of his credit card debt (I was a little jealous).  We were having our usual “hey, how are you doing?  How is business?  How is life?” chat.  I have these types of chats often with some of my entrepreneur friends as time permits and I find them to be really refreshing.

Entrepreneurship is a lifestyle and one that not everyone gets or understands.  Having a group of friends or a circle of acquaintances that are going through similar trials, ups, downs and circumstances, provides me with a support system.  I have lost at least one friend that I considered dear to me, because they didn’t understand the demands an entrepreneurship lifestyle could put on someone.  I am still hoping that we will become friends again if/when they too, follow an entrepreneur dream that they have.  I feel then, they will understand.

My circle of support is not just made up of physical friends, but digital ones as well, some of them whom I have never met.  Sharing ideas, tips, listening (or reading) and sometimes venting frustrations, are easier to do when you feel the person on the other end has an understanding about what you are talking about.

This life is not easy.  It can be very difficult and stressful at times.  It can also be very rewarding.  My answer to my friend was, “I know.  I’ve been super tired lately ’cause I’ve been pushing really hard.   I know I can do this and I will.  I just have to keep pushing.”

Do you have a network or circle of friends/mentors that you consult with or get support from?  Have you ever lost a friendship due to your entrepreneur lifestyle?

I’m Grateful for my Hearing :: Listening

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This may be the wonkiest and sappiest post you may read from me, but I woke up this morning feeling extremely grateful…for my hearing.  It’s Spring (although it doesn’t feel like it) and this morning as I lay in bed, I could hear the birds chirping.  I lay in bed for a while just listening.  I listened to the sound of the traffic on the street below, tires rolling on pavement and the whistle of the wind between the cars.  I live in an older building and I listened as it groaned and creaked, kind of like how my body does in the morning when I first wake up (snap, crackle, pop).

I spent most of my early morning routine, listening.  I listened to the water as I took a shower, the sound of limbs and leaves rustling as the squirrels chased each other and some baby birds chirping angrily for their meal (I assume), while I walked my dog.  I was grateful that I have the ability to hear and that I can listen to the world around me.  I was also struck by how important of a tool, listening can be for business and in personal relationships.  I can be a bit of a motor mouth in that I talk a lot and fast.  My father once told me that it can be difficult to get a word in, once I get going.  I like to think that I am just passionate in what I am talking about, but I realize that it is a selfish and possibly self-centered move.  I need to listen more.  If I am listening, I am not talking; therefore giving someone else a chance to express themselves.  This is something I am working on as part of my own effort at self-improvement.  I want to speak less and listen more.

In business, listening may be the key to being successful.  If a business relies on customers and clients to thrive, listening to what they want, what they hate and what they have to say, can direct you towards serving them better.  When they are happy and satisfied; you will be happy and satisfied with the revenue that is generated.  People like to feel like the money they are spending is worth it.  If they are not satisfied, then it is a waste.  Sometimes it can be difficult to listen when we are talking and when I say talking, I mean marketing.  We are constantly crafting and bombarding people with our marketing messages.  We want to speak to them, connect with them and talk to them about what we think they want to hear.  What we think will endear them to us and buy.  Maybe we need to listen more, maybe they can not get a word in because we are talking too much or they do not feel that what they have to say will be received, because all we do is talk?

I know a few brands that genuinely seem interested in listening to their client base and actively listen, solicit feedback and make improvements based on what they are hearing.  I think we all should be doing this.  I was grateful this morning for my hearing and that I could listen to nature and the world around me.  Now, I need to show that gratitude by listening more in general.

Motivation Monday:: Coffee

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It is cold, dark and gray (Spring where are you?) this Monday morning.  I had a full night’s rest, but I am dragging.  I peaked and crashed at 8:30 this morning.  Coffee time!  One cup, two cups, three and now I am furiously typing away after dancing around my abode to Pharrell Williams’ “Happy.”

I will be the first to admit that I have a coffee addiction.  I love everything about it, the smell, the taste and pretending like I am a barista in a fancy coffee shop with my “creations.”  To keep myself from feeling guilty about my addiction, I periodically research the benefits of drinking coffee and caffeine.  This morning’s Google search turned up this post with 13 evidence based health benefits of coffee.  Score!

Coffee makes you (me) happy, fights the potential onset of Parkinson’s Disease, improves energy (before you crash), and helps to burn fat (will make me skinny).  Thanks coffee!  So today’s Monday motivation is dedicated to coffee, because it is going to fuel me through this visually drab and cold day…and make me skinny.

Social Media Tips for the Non-Tech Savvy: Twitter

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What it is:

Text messaging online.  Well, sort of.  Twitter is a social media network that only allows you to use 140 characters in your messages/posts.  Messages can contain text and images (linked) and are seen primarily by those following you in their feeds, called Timelines.  Unregistered users and those not following you can gain access to read your tweets, unless your profile is set to private.

Why you might want to use it for your business:

Twitter is a great place to quickly connect and engage with other business professionals.  It can be used as an online networking tool, quick communication tool for customer service, a quasi news source and a way to see what is trending in your industry and in general.  Depending on the type of audience you are trying to build and your niche, it may also be a great platform to get the word out about your product/service, brand, special offers and promotions.

What are these?

Mentions – in simple terms, they are mentions of usernames or people.  The “@” symbol is used as a designator to call out a user, followed by their usernames.  @ mentions can be retweets of your content, replies to something you tweeted, replies to someone else’s tweet by you or to talk directly (publicly) to someone on Twitter.

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Retweet/RT/MT – A retweet is when you repost something someone else tweeted, or when someone reposts something that you tweeted.  The “RT” designation usually precedes to let viewers know that it is reposted content.  Sometimes, people will place their own commentary before or after the retweeted content.  When space does not allow for the full retweet or retweet plus a comment, people will modify the content a bit.  The designation “MT” will precede to let viewers know it is a modified tweet.

Hastag/# – You’ve seen the “#” sign before if you have visited any social media network.  This is called a hashtag and is used in a variety of ways.  Some use it as a phrase for emphasis, to call out their brand or to tie it to a subject.  Hashtags are searchable and you can view what people are saying about a hashtag by doing a quick search.  Hashtags are also used to follow along and participate in Tchats (twitter chats).  Tchats are like panel/group discussions, normally scheduled for specific dates and times.

Timeline – This is your “news” feed that is a dynamic stream of tweets from all of the people you are following.

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Followers/Following – People follow you to receive your tweets in their timeline.  You follow people to receive their tweets in your timeline feed.

Profile Image – This is pretty self-explanatory.  It is the photo that accompanies your tweets and lets us see who you are visually.  If you do not change the default avatar, we will think that you are an egg that has not hatched yet.

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Header Image – This is something new that Twitter introduced maybe a year or so ago…well maybe it’s not that new.  The header image is the image that appears behind your profile image and what your description text sits on top of.  The default is a black hole of nothingness.  I can admit to be a bit lazy and a narcissist by using another image of myself for my header image.

Description – Tell people a little bit about yourself and feel free to not do what I have done and go hashtag crazy…I should probably change that.

Etiquette:

DO NOT TYPE IN ALL CAPS LIKE THIS.  In internet land, this is considered shouting.  You would not shout every word you say during the course of a normal conversation with a friend.  Do not do it online…anywhere, email included.

It’s considered a thoughtful gesture to thank someone for sharing your content or retweeting your tweet.  If you respond to them, make sure to use their username (@xxxx) within the tweet if it does not automatically appear when you click reply.

Try not to post a multitude of tweets all at one time.  While your followers like you enough to follow you to receive your content in their feeds, the do not love you enough to only want to see your content.  You will flood their timeline feed so that they have to keep scrolling just to see something else.  It’s an ineffective tactic for you because they are just trying to “run away” to find something else and may unfollow you as well.

If you modify a RT (retweet) to add your own commentary and fit within the character limitation, use the MT designation.

Bonus Tip:

Use a social media sharing tool like Buffer, Sprout Social or Hoot Suite to help you stay organized and schedule tweets to go out.  Scheduled tweets interspersed with real-time tweets help cut down on some of the stress.

Another Productivity Post: The Best From the Web

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I know it probably seems like I obsess over time management and productivity, but it’s because they are two very important components for a successful small business.  At least they are very important in my eyes.  I feel the more productive you can be in the shortest amount of time, will allow you to have more time to enjoy life.  So, I try to maximize every minute I can during the work day, because I attempt to shut it all off and live when the work day is done.

I thought today instead of writing another post on ways I try to stay productive, I would share posts from other people with their tips on productivity.  I present productivity tips from around the web:

  1. “5 Benefits of Scheduling Every Hour” by Steve Garofalo, The Brevado Blog.
  2. “4-Step Battle Plan to Destroy Productivity Terrorists & Work Distractions” by Annie Sis, The Social Solutions Collective Blog.
  3. “12 Productivity Tips from Incredibly Busy People” by Bruna Martinuzzi, American Express Open Forum Blog.
  4. “Jerry Seinfeld’s 6 Best Productivity Tips” by Joshua Rivera, LifeHacker Blog.
  5. “The Importance of Taking a ‘Time Out’” by Marc Ensign, 500 Words of Less Blog.
  6. “Healthy Habits for Increased Productivity” by Sarah Brooks, Under30CEO Blog.
  7. “4 Apps for More Productive Professional Networking Events” by Jade Hammond, eZanga Blog.

Are there any stellar articles you recommend for productivity tips?  Share them in the comments below!