Dawn Olinek

I admit it. I jumped on the Twitter bandwagon this past year and connected with different Tweeple, as they call it, and even Tweeted myself silly at times. But what was it all for? Was I hoping to gain social networking connections? Did I want to justify “goofing off”? Or did I simply enjoy learning how to create succinct tweets? Maybe it was a little of everything because I can’t put my finger on just one reason.

When I’m using Twitter I feel like I’m still in high school. Sure it might be considered the greatest social marketing tool right now but you must admit that at times you feel a bit childish using it too. Never did I imagine myself utilizing a tool that forced me to do exactly the opposite of what my English teacher’s taught me. Words like OMG, BTW, LUV, etc. are making my former educators cringe as I type this post. I’ve always been gifted with good grammar and spelling; in fact my husband uses my noggin’ instead of the dictionary for spelling.

So how many of you are making connections with your Tweeple? I mean real connections; not that superficial stuff where you “think” you’re friends because you tweet each other every now and again. And how many of you have really benefitted from Twitter as a marketing tool for your business? I find it hard to believe that you are creating meaningful relationships with your followers when we’re talking about hundreds or even thousands of followers. Those types of numbers can only mean one thing. Popularity contest. “I have 1,000 followers. Na na na na!”

And everyone is following a handful of Tweeple who feel like what they have to say is sanctimonious and all-important. Twitter is just a sounding board for them to publish their “fluff” on a broader scale save that they ever tweet something of substance.

I’m in no means trying to bash the world of Twitter and all of it’s users; I’m merely sharing my observations. If Twitter excels in the capacity that you need it to then congratulations to you! For those of you on the opposing end, Twitter is probably another fad trend that you can use for fun, but should also take with a grain of salt.

Which statement accurately describes you? No fudging either.

• I consider myself an organization expert. Everything has a dedicated place, I never have to search or scramble when I need something. In fact, I can locate exactly what I need from my desk drawers with my eyes closed.

• I consider myself middle-of-the-road. I’m not consistently organized but my surroundings aren’t in complete disarray either. I wouldn’t mind becoming more organized but it’s nothing that’s keeping me up at night.

• I consider myself an organization novice. Often times I can’t find what I’m looking for, things are scattered about my desk. What the heck does tidy really mean, anyway? I admit it, I need help!

If you are a master of organization then congratulations! Most likely your work day is sequential in nature and you are rarely frazzled. The rest of you? Well, I have a few simple fixes up my sleeve that I’m going to pull out just for you.

Shelves. Beyond the obvious. Shelves are practical on several levels. They can house your books, which is the obvious, but you can also use shelves to organize your magazines and client files. To minimize the sterility of “just shelves” adding visual interests imparts a vibrance that makes you want to work within this space. A picture, a plant, or a clock adds depth and dimension and brings your surroundings further to life.

Storage galore. I firmly believe that everything must have a place of belonging. Whether you use plastic containers or wire baskets invest in several different shapes and sizes and start filling them up. When you take something out of its place be sure to put it away just as soon as you are finished using it. It’s easy to fall into the trap of taking something from where it belongs, using it, then laying it down elsewhere. Do that throughout the course of the day and, well, you have a cluttered mess about you.

Lists, they’re not just for our parents. There’s no shame in keeping a list. Who cares if your parents do it; once again they have a leg up on you. Lists are a great way to keep you focused and on course from the start of your day until the end of it. Tasks that you accomplish, check off. Tasks that you think of on a whim, jot down. I advise against the sticky note thing. Jotting down notes and sticking them all over the place isn’t going to get you anymore organized. Centralization is key here. I found a no-frills electronic list keeper on the Web today. Check the resource section below for the link.

Calendaring. I adore my iCal because it actually “dings” at me when something is due. I can separate out my work activities from my personal activities. Each category is color-coded so I automatically know whether I’m doing something for business versus pleasure. I can set an alarm or have an E-mail reminder delivered to my Inbox. A paper calendar seems so archaic to me now and honestly I need a system that will remind me when I need to do something or be somewhere.

I can’t wait for you to begin implementing these changes, as slight as they are, into your daily working regime. You will see dramatic improvement in your systems and efficiencies almost immediately. And lest I forget; organization=less stress, something we can all benefit from.

Printable Checklist is a no-frills checklist that anyone can use. You can create your list and print a copy to keep on your desk or you can add and delete items from your computer.

After brainstorming for a fair amount of time on my blog topic I’m finally settled on a three-part series titled Business Vitality. As an entrepreneur of two years I have learned a few things about getting my business in front of my target market. One strategem that I have pulled out of my bag of marketing tricks is a newsletter. Newsletter=electronic format, not paper. Paper newsletters have gone by the wayside and just as well. They are a tremendous waste of resources and everyone expects to receive any newsworthy information via their E-mail Inbox. It’s not enough to crank out a generic shell of a piece featuring mundane topics. Readers want to be compelled to read what you have to say. They want useful advice and information. They want to come back for more. Give them what they want!

Newsletter layout
There are two schools of thought here. One says that you should send out an HTML (and text) newsletter version. The other saying text only. I have a definite opinion about this and will be going against the grain of many and I’m okay with that. I’m not in the business of jumping on the bandwagon and riding with everyone else when I’m convinced there are other ways of doing things. I have no use for newsletters that arrive in my Inbox in plain text; they are plain ugly! I look forward to the arrival of newsletters that are in full-color and have a layout. Better yet, I really like newsletters that match the senders Website. Consistency is everything.

Frequency
How often you send out your newsletter is just as important as what it looks like. If you blast subscribers with a newsletter on a daily basis then you can kiss your audience goodbye with the snap of a finger. Now this isn’t indicative to every newsletter out there. I subscribe to daily editions, but in general entrepreneurs shouldn’t be sending out newsletters with that degree of frequency. What is appropriate? Weekly or monthly. Unless you have a lot of reader-worthy information to share with your audience I would stick to a monthly send out.

Signup form
Potential readers need an obvious way to sign up for your newsletter. Read: it should be right in front of their eyes. If they have to look for it then forget it. The best way to get subscribers is to add a signup form to your Website. Your subscriber rate will be higher if you have a signup form on every page of your Website. If this isn’t possible then at a minimum it should be on your homepage.

Welcome letter
Each time you gain a new subscriber your newsletter autoresponder will send out a “welcome letter.” This welcome letter establishes the relationship between you and your subscribers. Simply put, make it count. It should be short and to the point. Tell your readers what they have signed up for, what they can expect to read and the frequency at which they can expect it. Sending out a generic template sends a cold and distant first impression. And lest I forget, include a freebie. Everyone loves to receive something for nothing every now and again.

Compelling meat and potatoes
Don’t bother your subscribers with a newsletter if you aren’t going to fill it with substance. It’s a waste of their time and the only thing that will come of it is an unsubscribe. People want to read your interesting information. Information that will help their business in some fashion or other. People don’t want to read about your ramblings. Engage your subscribers.

Stay tuned for part two. Until then, put these steps to work for your business success.

Back before I knew anything of prefabricated homes the vision I had in my mind was of something along the lines of a modular home; unsightly and uninspiring. Blah. After much research I have found that many of today's prefab homes are modern, minimal, and above all environmentally friendly; all attributes that I'm attracted to.

I'm excited to showcase a fabulous company, h-haus, Home Design for a Smart Energy Future. I developed a love for h-haus as soon as I saw their home models; sexy, chic, and functional. Designed from recycled steel frame construction, wood flooring (no laminate floors, thank you very much), energy efficient appliances, and the option to purchase an energy package including solar panels, geo-thermal heating, rainwater harvesting, and wastewater recycling it's 21st century prefab at its best.

What makes these homes so enthralling for me? The avid use of recycled materials, energy efficiency, alternative energy methods, and fabulous design. When you purchase a prefab home (let me quickly point out that h-haus does not use the term "prefab" for their home models. For lack of a better word it's how I'm referring to their product in this post) the clearing of your property is minimal; massive tree removal is not a prerequisite as we see with large scale builders in suburban sprawl.

If suburban sprawl must continue, I look forward to seeing more prefab homes cropping up versus the typical cookie-cutter "suburban style" house that I see so much of today.

Corporate Americans aren’t the only group of people feeling the burn from the current economic climate. Professional service providers are also feeling the pinch as we aren’t immune to the economic woes currently felt. I don’t want to overgeneralize because there are many businesses out there that are prevailing due to smart positioning before things started to turn. I also don’t want to make this another depressing vexatious article about your business and the economy; there are far too many blurbs currently circulating as I brainstorm and compose this piece. What I want to do is share with you, dear reader, my 5-step approach to keeping your business very much alive (read: you do not need to close your doors; you just need to scale back).

Step 1: Think small-scale. Ask yourself this question; “Does my business have to operate at full-time status to stay afloat or can I still pull profits with a part-time gig?” Successful entrepreneurs sink an abundant amount of time, energy, and cost into their business as they should. If these factors are weighing you down then think about stepping back a little bit and reconfiguring your plan of attack.

Step 2: Think home-based. Are you currently renting a space to accommodate your business operations? If you are then this might be a good time to consider converting an empty room in your house into your home office. You can save hundreds or even thousands of dollars each month by giving up a lease and moving your business to your home. The tax benefits are far too good to not consider this option.

Step 3: Think necessities, not wants. Have you taken inventory of all of the subscription services your business is currently utilizing? Do you really need to have paid services for time tracking software or collaboration programs, to name a few? There are many stellar business tools that you can get free of charge that should be equivalent, if not better than what you are currently using.

Step 4: Think with frugality. Are you a member of several organizations charging you a monthly or yearly membership fee? Are these memberships crucial to your business existence? Now is a good time to make a list of the pros and cons to your affiliations and determine which ones are vital; you can nix the rest of them.

Step 5: Think like a marketing and networking mogul. Just because business may have slowed down for you doesn’t mean you should neglect your marketing efforts. Now is the time to really hone in on your current network alliances as well as making new ones. At a minimum you should be keeping your blog current and continuing to send out newsletters; don’t let your subscribers think that you’ve fallen off of the face of the Earth. Continue to stay in the forefront of their minds.

The economics of business is cyclical and entrepreneurs that make sound, necessary changes now and adhere to them will be part of the successful crowd that can weather the next economic storm.