First Word

I opened my own company in 2006, and next month I celebrate my 8th year in business. Considering most businesses open and close in the first year, I get asked how I've stayed in the game this long. Well other than a lot of fairy dust, I guess I'll try and distill it down. Persistence AKA never give up . Oh, a few times I've been about this "close" to throwing in not just the towel, but the baby, the dishwater and the tub it came in. A few lean months where my net suggested I could make more at McDonald's and contemplation of a six-figure income back in corporate sounded much better. Yet here I am still standing. Yes, I always give myself permission to have a brief adult tantrum, but once the angst tears and cries of defeat end, I get back to the business of my business. I buckle up, do the buttercup (more like marketing), and business goes on. Speaking of marketing ... you must market every single day. Marketing is like brushing your teeth and bathing (If...

People always ask me how I get so much accomplished in a day. I have a very specific routine. Yes, it's boring and regimented but it works. One of the first steps you can take in any routine and to start any work day is to get organized. I call this the "first-things-first" model. Of course in my office that requires a cup of coffee ;) first; but the first step to any day is to get organized. Step no. #1 always involves getting the information downloaded for each of the projects from my email. Each client's email (if it contains documents) gets filed in the proper folder -- that way nothing gets forgotten or downloaded in some forgotten segment of the computer. I can't say what your first steps should be, but I always advise entrepreneurs and the self-employed to get a system of organization in place and work it. Routines might take some spontaneity out of the day, but they guarantee your step no. #2 happens, too: make goals. Routines and goals set the pace for th...