My cat Annie is full of useful lessons. And for those of you who say that lack of time is keeping you from getting your life story told, here’s what Annie knows about good time management… More
Posted in How to, Personal historian, Self-employed, Tips
Tagged How to, Personal historian, productivity, self employed, time management, Tips, Writing
Are you struggling to survive in these tough economic times? I’ve been self-employed for 30 years and know what it’s like to keep going through lean years. If I’ve one key piece of advice, it would be to watch the small stuff. You’d be surprised at how a few dollars a week can add up over a year.
Here’s are 16 penny-pinching ideas worth trying:
1. Check out thrift stores and garage sales. Don’t spend a fortune on office furnishings. Local thrift stores and garage sales are a good bet for desks, chairs, and filing cabinets. Even better, get stuff free through organizations such as Freecycle.
2. Buy used equipment. I’ve used refurbished computers for years and been very happy with them. The savings are considerable. Make sure you buy from a reputable dealer who has a warranty on parts and labor.
3. Meet over a coffee rather than lunch. A few business lunches a year can add up. Your local coffee shop is a more practical alternative. Better yet, invite a client to your home. The coffee’s cheaper. 
4. Save on gas. Consolidate your car trips. If you’re driving to pick up groceries, combine it with a trip to the post office, office supply store, or library.
5. Use VoIP. Don’t spend money on long distance calls. Use a VoIP service such as Skype . It’s free and easy to set up and use.
6. Become friends with your library. Stop buying books and magazines and renting DVDs. They’re all free at your Library.
7. Go online. Before spending your hard earned dollars, check out the wealth of excellent free resources available on the Internet. To get you started, here’s a previous post I wrote 100 Free Resources for Personal Historians.
8. Only buy what you absolutely need. It might be fun to have the latest iPad and smart phone but are they essential items in your business? I’m still using a cell phone I bought 5 years ago. It suites my needs just fine. Don’t be seduced into spending money on electronic devices and software that’ll do very little to help your business.
9. Be a savvy shopper. Clip coupons, check out sales, and compare prices. And find out the best time of year to buy things. Here’s a start: The Best Times to Buy Anything, All Year Round.
10. Negotiate a good deal. Whether you’re dealing with a salesperson or a subcontractor, don’t be shy to ask for a discount. I always ask salespeople if that’s the best price they can give me. Sometimes paying by cash rather than a credit card will lower the price on an item. With a subcontractors, pointing out that you’ll be using their services regularly might lead to a reduced fee.
11. Market on the cheap. This is not the time to be producing glossy brochures and business cards. I’ve written about some low cost or no cost marketing ideas here.
12. Try bartering. This involves trading goods or services with another business. For example, you might arrange with a web designer to create a website for you. In return, if you’re a personal historian, you could organize her photo collection.
13. Monitor your energy consumption. Shut down your computer when you’re not using it for a few hours. Turn off lights that you don’t need. And avoid phantom energy loss by literally pulling the plug on all equipment that operates in standby mode such as computers, monitors, computer speakers, and cell phone chargers. Phantom loss can add hundreds of dollars to your yearly electrical bill. To make it easy, plug these standby mode items into a power bar that you can shut off with the flick of a switch.
14. Tax deductions. Don’t forget that if you’re home-based, you can deduct a portion of your rent or mortgage interest. And keep in mind that some of your utilities and home services such as security, cleaning, and yard maintenance are eligible for tax deductions.
15. Use recycled printer cartridges. Printer ink is hugely expensive. Check for a recycle dealer in your area or go to an online source such as Whole Toner.
16. Consider free web hosting. It’s not perfect but the price is right! For a list of some of the best, check out Best Free Web Hosting.
What are some of your penny-pinching favorites?
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Photo by Alan Cleaver
Posted in Home Office, How to, Self-employed, Tips
Tagged frugal, How to, ideas, penny-pinching, self employed, small business, survival, Tips
To start off your week, why not peruse some of these lively articles in Monday’s Links Roundup? I recommend The Power of Color! for tips on how to use color to sell your products or services. And for a really creative memoir idea, take a look at The Sidewalk Memoir Project.
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Posted in Monday's Link Roundup
Tagged book publishing, color, family stories, Gays, genealogy, grammar, How to, Lesbians, link roundup, Marketing, memoir, punctuation, social media skills, Tips, Writing
Marketing strategies assume one size fits all. We’re told that we must network, build referrals, provide items of interest to the media, write newsletters, blog, give presentations, and so on.
News Flash! It doesn’t matter if we know what we’re supposed to do if we don’t like doing it. And not tending to marketing tasks that we’re told are critical can make us feel inept. This can quickly spiral into doing nothing at all.
For example, there’s no point in telling me to get out to as many “meet and greet” events as my poor little body can manage. I’d rather have a root canal than walk around a room full of strangers pretending I’m thrilled to be there.
On the other hand, I know there are others of you who would prefer to schmooze than spend hours at a computer grinding out a newsletter.
Here’s the trick. The #1 thing you can do to jump start your marketing is to make a plan that takes into account your personality.
If you’re introverted, like me, put more energy into newsletters, blogs, and social media. And if you’re an educator at heart, meeting potential clients through workshops and presentations can be satisfying.
If you’re extroverted, design a plan that’s people oriented. Networking events, professional groups, trade shows, and conferences will get you energized.
Conclusion. It’s useful to broaden your range of marketing activities but first build on your strengths. It’ll give you more confidence. Then bit by bit you can begin to add a few marketing tasks that you find more challenging.
Two of my previous articles that you might find helpful are:
Photo by David Campbell
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Posted in How to, Marketing, Tips
Tagged #1 tip, best approach, How to, Marketing, personality, secret to, Tips
This Monday’s Link Roundup has two terrific lists, 100 Resources for Writers and 50 Best Memoir Blogs. And if you want to read about the value of life stories for terminally ill patients, be sure to check out For The Dying, A Chance To Rewrite Life.
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Have you listened to your outgoing voicemail message lately? Does it sound professional? Like someone you’d want to do business with? If not, you could be losing potential clients. Here’s what you need to do:
1. Avoid old answering machines with poor quality audio.
What kind of business impression do you create if your prospective caller can hardly make out your voicemail message because of static and a barely audible voice? If I were hiring you to do a video or audio recording, I’d have second thoughts!
Be smart. Use a telephone company answering service or a good quality digital answering machine.
2. Make it clear as to the person the caller has reached.
You might say something like, “Thank you for calling. You’ve reached the voicemail of Kathy Smith, owner of Lifestory Productions.”
Don’t leave an announcement like, “Hi, I’m not in. Please leave a message after the tone.” Callers have no idea if they’ve reached the correct number or if their message will actually reach the right person.
3. Leave instructions.
Many voicemail messages end with something like “Please leave your name and number after the beep.” It’s a start. But if all you get is “Hi, this is Bob call me at 200-4000,” you have a problem. Who is Bob and what does he want? Does this call require immediate attention?
A better outgoing message provides the caller with some guidance. Here’s a sample: ” Please leave your name, the reason for your call, a number where you can be reached, and the best time for me to call you.”
4. Be concise.
Callers don’t want to listen to a lengthy monologue before they can leave a message. Your voicemail announcement shouldn’t be more than 20 seconds long.
5. Avoid being cute and clever.
Even if you have the wit of a Mark Twain, cleverness can wear thin if a caller is hearing your message for the third time. Keep it simple and business-like.
6. Script and rehearse you message.
We’ve all heard voicemail messages that covered the spectrum from flat and bored to breathless and rushed.
The tone of your voice is as important as the words being spoken. I once worked with an actress on some narration for a documentary of mine. At one point she said, “I can do that line with a smile in my voice. It’ll work better.” She was right. She actually spoke the line while smiling. It sounded friendly and welcoming.
Begin by writing down what you want to say. Read it aloud. Edit your message until it sounds right. Now try it on a friend or family member and get a critique. Before recording your message do several rehearsals so that you can deliver your lines flawlessly and with a smile in your voice.
7. Record your message in a quiet environment.
Nothing reeks more of amateurishness than a voicemail message with a background cacophony of dogs barking, kids screaming, and TVs blaring. Find a quiet room to record, preferably one with lots of sound absorbing material like a bedroom.
And finally…
Here’s a sample of an outgoing message that you can adapt to suit your needs.
Hello. You’ve reached the voicemail of Kathy Smith, owner of Lifestory Productions. Please leave your name, telephone number, the reason for your call, and the best time for me to reach you. Thanks for calling.
Photo by Christomopher
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In this Monday’s Link Roundup I particularly enjoyed Toss Productivity Out. It questions our usual notion of what it means to be productive. And for the grammar challenged like myself, you’ll find More one-or-two-word confusables a handy reference.
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Posted in Monday's Link Roundup
Tagged books, Fonts, grammar, hospital, How to, India, iPhone scanner, Life stories, link roundup, productivity, teen age ghost writers, Tips, type design, typeface, typewriters, volunteer
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