Photo Credit: Business Week

This daytime talk show host/ woman entrepreneur/ chef- who- does- not- bake recently appeared in an ad for an unhealthy food chain that was pulled because of fear people could think she’s a “terrorist sympathizer”…

Who appeared in this ad and for what company?

Thoughts???

Photo Credit: Katherine Choi, New York Times

Life gets busy and work gets busy. There comes a time when you can’t be everything to your business and be everywhere at once. That thing about wearing multiple hats as a business owner sometimes does not work. Doing everything for your small business can create stress and lead to havoc in both your business and personal life. At some point, you come to the realization that too much time is being wasted by the many hats you are wearing. This is when outsourcing or hiring out for certain tasks becomes necessary.

Let me just start out by saying that I strongly dislike asking for help when it comes to business matters and I most certainly hate the idea of paying people to do work that I could possibly do. I’d rather take the time necessary and teach myself how to do it either by researching online or reading a how-to book. I sometimes consider my inability to ask for help a bad habit.

Not asking for help and sticking to a budget (that is a good thing!) is how I got into web design. When I was working on my first business, the quotes I received were too high so I decided to teach myself how to design my own web page. Mission: Successful. As it turns out, I happen to really enjoy the web designer world and a new career was born. However, the countless hours I spent could have been put to better use marketing for my business or doing numerous other tasks. But what was I supposed to do on such a limited budget?

Just because I picked up web and graphic design does not mean I’m a computer programmer or feel like getting intimate with my computer on a “mother board” level. I recently ordered new software and realized I needed more memory (RAM) for my computer. Off to the Apple store I went, only to find out they do not actually sell extra memory. This is something you have to either order online and install yourself or go to an independent Mac specialty store.

I went back home and visited Crucial, a website dedicated to selling computer memory. After running the test on my computer, the system listed possible memory sizes I could install in my computer. For $81, I could have the memory shipped right to my door. Realizing that I had to actually open my computer and plug a chip into the board, an overwhelming fear of screwing up my computer overtook both my mind and body.

Messing up my computer is just not an option at this point. I have too much at stake and buying a new machine is not a possibility at this moment in time. This fear combined with a time crunch caused me to cave and hire specialists to install my RAM. The specialty store charged me $99 for the memory plus a $35 service charge. This added up, but it was money well spent because they had everything installed and tested in less than two hours. Best of all, I can rest assured knowing that the installation was properly completed.

Sometimes you have to get over yourself and ask for help in the areas of your life and business where you can’t or don’t want to do it all. Think about the cost of you doing and figuring out how to do the task versus hiring out for the job. When assessing whether or not to outsource a job, keep in mind the value of your time, the skills you possess, costs associated, your budget, and your stress level.

Don’t be afraid to take off a hat and outsource, this is what will continue to make you a successful woman entrepreneur.

Paradise in Thailand
Photo Credit: Katie at www.entrepreneurgoddess.com

Here is some food for thought:

What does success mean?
How do you define success?

Think about it long and hard. Find your own definition and your own voice. It’s fine to think outside the box.

Now, list five successful women, both personally known to you and famous. Next to each woman write down the reasons why you believe they are so prosperous and what has made them so successful. What does success mean for these people? Are there various aspects of their personalities, philosophies, or ideas you wish to incorporate into your life?

How do you know when you have succeeded? How do you celebrate your success?

Feel free to share your thoughts, ideas, and success stories!

Artist: Dave Walker

You asked and your web guru is here to provide the answer!

Question: I need an online presence for my business, but I’m not sure if I should do a website or a blog. What do you recommend?

This is one of the most common questions business owners ask when they are thinking about putting their business online.

First, let’s establish the difference between a website and a blog.

Blog:

• The term ‘blog’ is an abridgement of the term ‘weblog’
• A blog is a website where entries are displayed in reverse chronological order
• Common functions include: Provide news or commentary on a particular subject
• Can act as an online journal or diary
• Blogs typically combine text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic
• Readers leave comments and feedback
  

Notable blogs:
Entrepreneur Goddess
Huffington Post
Perez Hilton
Mogulette
John Chow

Note that there are over 112 million blogs in the world!

Website:

• A website generally includes a collection of images, videos, text, or other digital assets on the web
• Unlike a blog, the information on a website, generally speaking, is not constantly changing
  

Notable websites:
Target
General Electric
Writer’s Digest
NOW

Nobody is in charge of the world wide web, which makes determining the actual number even more difficult.

These days, businesses who already have websites are blogging and those with blogs are creating websites. I recently spoke with someone at a law firm who confirmed that lawyers are beginning to blog where she works. It is in their marketing plan to integrate these blogs into the company website.

These types of combined websites and blogs are becoming increasingly common among large corporations, shops, individuals, and small businesses. Combined “blogsites” offer customers, visitors, and readers the best of both worlds. It’s a great way to emotionally appeal, show your clients you really are an expert in your field, or simply relate to the general public.

Notable blogsites:
Erin Pavlina
New York Times (some writers have blogs)
Entrepreneur Magazine
CNet
Oprah
General Motors
Trump
Blog Maverick

While nearly every business should have a website, not everybody is made to blog. If clients are considering a blog or a blogsite, I ask a very simple question: Will you write and publish at least one article per week? If they say yes- it’s a go. But if they say no- I encourage them to stick with a website and add another page to post their articles.