Remember the air traffic controllers strike of the 1980’s? Then President Reagan ordered the striking workers back to work under threat of termination. Those who didn’t return to work were fired. Those who did are now headed for handsome retirement packages. Their replacements earn 70% of the outgoing workers’ salary, yet they work harder and…
DetailsTwo decades ago, my mother-in-law succumbed to breast cancer. While I never knew her well, I had a few precious opportunities to talk with her briefly in my youth. In hindsight of course, not nearly enough. This month, I am wearing a pedometer. In November, in…
DetailsHas technology ever disappointed you? Last week, my email software program suffered a massive coronary. At first, I refused to believe it, as if ignorning the problem would make it reverse itself. I rebooted and gently clicked all the right buttons. Ack! My mind screamed in frustration, yet I resisted the urge to kill Laptop…
DetailsAn Example of Living Well When was the last time you read something that impacted the way you perceived life? Earlier today, I read "grow ’til you go" as the part of an endorsement on the outside back cover of a book. I can’t remember the book or the author, but I do remember that…
DetailsGoing “whole hog” means devoting yourself entirely and completely to something. As Indies, if we’re not going whole hog in business, we’re pretty much not going anywhere, right? And if a blog is added to the mix, the only way to make it worth our time is to go whole hog with that too. Easier…
DetailsForbes Magazine recently asked 20 rich business people — I’ll call them "Richies" — a series of questions. One of them was, "What was the hardest lesson you ever learned?" I thought the answers were insighful. 1. Don’t Lose Focus. One Richie said that losing focus caused him to go bankrupt.…
DetailsAs the leader of the 600+ member Indie Beauty Network, I work directly or indirectly with hundreds of companies to help them maximize their potential in life and in business. For most, both life and business center in large part around the Internet. We shop there, we sell there, we network there, we learn new…
DetailsAll Indie businesses are special, but face it, these days, anyone with a credit card and time on their hands can launch a competing business in no time flat. Suddenly, your golden egg looks like just like the one at a website that launches the next day. What’s an Indie to do? …
DetailsKill It, Drag It Home and Eat It I once worked for a man named Randall Robertson. One day, we talked about how we could contribute years of blood, sweat and tears at a company and get nothing out of it but a pay check. Having been told all my young life that a pay…
DetailsPeople are afraid of different things. In the end, sadly yet all too frequently, they are afraid of success. Afraid that their business will succeed beyond their wildest dreams and propel them skyward. They have a fear of flying. OOOPS!! PICTURE INTENTIONALLY DELETED How do you get over a fear of flying? By flying of…
DetailsMore and more these days, there’s a business happening behind those doors. According to "Home Offices On The Internet," a study by International Data Group, nearly a third of US households includes an income-generating or corporate home office. If that’s true, you have a world of valuable, low-cost networking opportunities right outside your front door.…
DetailsIf You Have A Talent, You Have A Business Rebecca Picard loves playing "Eye Spy With My Little Eye" with her 6-year old son. But when she aims her Nikon D2X at a subject from her Brattleboro, Vermont, home and photography studio, it’s more than just child’s play. Like so many…
DetailsA friend told me that she if she doesn’t pay her mortgage by the 16th of the month, a late fee is charged. Last week, she was running a little late and was not ready to mail her check until the 15th. So she called the mortgage company and asked if she could pay by…
DetailsI watched a little Joel Osteen last night. His message encouraged people to take time after work to adjust their attitudes so they did not bring workday stress into the home. Good advice. The problem is that for most people, the distinction between work and home is blurry at best. …
DetailsWhen it comes to money, I want to be like my mother when I grow up. But when my father passed away a few months ago, my life sort of stopped. And when that happened, I wrote three checks without first depositing money into the checking account. The bounced check fees totaled over $100. Ooops.…
DetailsThis is a nice picture. But who cares? It’s not your picture. Stock photos can be used at a website to complement the products being sold. But while they can set the mood for the products, they can’t represent the products. People want to see what they are buying, not…
DetailsAlright already! So the 2007 Love To Be Indie Contest was great, but it was making people work too hard. That’s what I was told anyway. I was testing that theory with new simplified contest rules but that’s not working either so I’m bagging this contest and will return soon…
DetailsA life well lived. A passion well executed. Anita Roddick :: 1942 ~ 2007 Get Anita Roddick’s book, Business As Unusual, and be inspired to put your talents and passions…
DetailsWe start out in business excited about the great stuff we’re going to do. But it’s easy to get carried away with all the enthusiasm, and forget how important it is to stick to the basics and keep things as simple as possible. My mom says it’s great to learn…
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This morning, I saw a man tending to a neighbor’s lawn. I asked him for a business card just in case I ever need his services. He told me his rates, and then he said, "I mow, edge and blow — for dough." It reminded me of what we do…
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