But this is just a friendly reminder that it’s that time of the year.  It’s time to think about getting your taxes done and filing and if you’re like me and scared into a corner by numbers you likely aren’t doing it yourself.  While my husband is free for me he does do Canadian taxes for others for a reasonable fee.  I can’t give you specifics of course because I don’t know you’re situation but if you’re interested then use the Contact Me page to send a message and I’ll make sure he gets back to you.

Don’t let that guy in the picture be you!

1. Take advantage of real life business opportunities. For the most part I’ve concentrated my business online.  I’ve blogged, built websites, tweeted, etc.  But in real life I haven’t done much.  I’ve got business cards (finally!) and I’ve started working on some real life networking opportunities.  I’m even talking to someone about doing some public speaking – about my almost done e-book (how’s that for inspiration to finish it?) and about writing e-books.
2. Spend about 5 hours a week on my own projects. I tend to get carried away working on clients’ stuff and forget that I had started this project or that project. I know 5 hours a week isn’t a lot but it will be enough that I’ll make progress.
3. Don’t settle for less than I’m worth. I sometimes take writing projects at prices I know are below the quality I deliver.  So this year I’m setting some realistic rates.
4. Write and market 6 e-books this year. Is that too many?  I don’t think so at the moment.  That’s two a month and I know I can do an e-book in 2 months.  I’ve done clients’ e-books in 3 weeks!  So, it is just a  matter of giving it the time it requires.  This isn’t necessarily included in those 5 hours!
5. Make better use of online networking. I need to focus on one or two things so I’m going to focus on the Facebook Fanpage and Twitter.  I’ve already made a good connection on Twitter today!
6. Obtain and keep 3 long-term/regular clients. I’ve already got two that are looking to become long term.  I should know for sure in the next couple of weeks.  But I’d rather have a few regular clients than many clients that are just off and on.  Not that there’s anything wrong with the off and on – they fill in the cracks so they are appreciated!
7. Actually DO the 31 Days to a Better Blog workbook. It’s been sitting in my OneNote for a long time and I really need to put that to work!
8. Master time management. I always say this is my biggest task.  This year, I am planning to plan!
9. Plan time for family and friends – all work and no play makes Danielle a real drag!
10. Plan time for me – all work and no play makes Danielle kind of nutso!

Did you make resolutions (or even just goals – I know some don’t make “resolutions”) this year?  If so, drop a note in the comments and share!  I’d love to see them!

Well, Sharon Hurley Hall has made it all much simpler for you with her E-book, Getting Started in Blogging.  What does it cover?  From her site:

Hosting

Platform Choices

Free Themes

Customization

Getting Ideas

Planning And Management

Stats

How To Improve Your Blog

Linkbuilding

Advertising and Promotion

Monetization

Blogging as a Business

Resources

I’ve been blogging for years but I always find something new to learn from Sharon.  She was my first mentor and got me started on freelance writing and made me believe that I could actually make a living from it.  She encouraged and inspired me and still does today.  Personally, my favorite section was the Resources because it has some great places that I will go back to again and again.

Oh, and the part you’re going to like best – it’s free.  Save yourself some time and money and download this e-book.

And once you have the hang of the basics you might want to consider purchasing Darren Rowse’s 31 Days to a Better Blog. This e-book still has me working and it has a great workbook format!

If you’re not sure what nofollow and dofollow means, basically it just defines whether Google will follow the link and take into account things like PR and age of blog.  If you allow dofollow in your comments, people who comment will get a little bit of link love – in other words, a backlink.  If you don’t, people who read the blog and the comments can still follow the link to your blog but Google won’t give that link any weight.

So why do I dofollow in my comments?  Because I want you to comment obviously!  And that’s just a little extra incentive.  Since this blog is so new the benefits may be minimal but eventually it will have weight.  I also include CommentLuv so that your latest blog post will be featured in your comment.

So do me a favor – say hi, share your opinon, ask a question…leave a comment.  I do check out every legitimate blog that belongs to a commenter and if you dofollow I’ll be more likely to leave a comment on your blog. If you don’t it doesn’t mean I won’t – but it is incentive!

Of course, that takes money, and that is where my website activities come in.  Of course, the ability to write will come in handy but I don’t want to have to be writing for others all the time.  I want to be able to have my own projects, too.  And ultimately, I want some of those projects to become residual income.  I know a lot of writers use sites like Bukisa, Firehow, and eHow as forms of residual income but they make me nervous.  At one of the writing boards that I go to often I’ve been reading about how lots of eHow articles are being deleted.  I don’t want to put time into that if my work is going to be lost.  I experienced that already many years ago with another writing site and I don’t want to have to deal with it again.

So what kind of residual income am I thinking about?  One that I’ve already dabbled with and plan to do a little more work on is static blogs.  I know, that kind of goes against everything blogging but I know some people that have good experiences with them.  They are basically like websites – once the content is there you can move on to build more but if you happen to add to it, it doesn’t hurt.  The other thing that you know I’ve been working on is e-books.

I’m about one half to two thirds of the way through my first e-book.  It’s for parents about teens and drugs.  I’m not sure how good of a choice that is when you consider marketability but I figure it is a good choice based on my knowledge and experiences.  I have a teen that has a drug problem (although she doesn’t think of it that way) so I’ve done loads of research on the topic.  And I’ve got the personal slant.

My problem is what to do with it when it is done!  I have to admit that I suck at marketing and while I have learned to do ok with Twitter and have a fan page with almost 100 fans, I’m not really utilizing them.  So, I’m debating on taking on a parter.  Someone that is really good at the online marketing thing.  Someone that is willing to go 50/50.  I do the writing and creating and they market the hell out of our product.

Do you think that could work?  And how would I decide on who to partner up with?  You know, becoming partners with people online is a risky endeavor.  It is hard to get to know people.  And even when you think you’ve gotten to know someone, can you really trust them?  Well, I do have a couple people I would consider.  But if that fails, then I guess I’ll just have to learn to market my butt off myself.

So that is the theme for this next year…

B R A N C H I N G   O U T ! ! !

• The load of writing projects that I’ve taken on
• My e-book – and setting up the affiliate program to go with it.
• Make a plan for next year
• Come up with some good e-book topics to cover

Ok – that’s all I’ve got right now.  I have to think about it a bit more apparently as that is a really small list.  But I want to know what you are planning.  Leave a comment.

People tend to learn as much as possible at what they specialize in.  Athletes are in the business of pushing their bodies to the limits so that they can excel at their chosen sport.  But they don’t necessarily have the knowledge they need to find out how to do that.  That is why they hire nutritionists, physical trainers, coaches, and other professionals that are focused on bringing it all together.  Likewise, writers learn as much as they can about the art of written communications so that they can help business people succeed in their chosen profession.

Here are some of the things that writers can do to improve your written communications:

• Say what needs to be said in as little words as possible.  Let’s face it – people are not big readers these days so if something can be said more effectively in 5 sentences than in 10 sentences a writer will minimize extra words so that the reader will focus on what is important.
• Avoid grammar, spelling mistakes, cliches and other writing blunders that will cause the reader to lose faith in your business or get distracted from the real message.
• Project the image that you wish to portray to clients and potential clients.  A good writer can manipulate words so that the reader will get a specific message.
• Focus on the writing – the writer’s job is to just write.  They aren’t thinking about the customer that came in earlier with a complaint or the meeting that they need to get to in an hour.  They are focused on writing the text just the way you need it to be written.

Remember that one person can not be everything.  Any successful business person knows that part of the success of a business is knowing when to do it yourself and when to outsource to someone that is specialized.  So the next time you sit down to write a sales letter, write some text for a brochure, or write a press release, stop and think – are you really the best person for the job?  If you are, that’s great; but if not, consider hiring a professional writer.

Do you have a band?  or do you know of someone that has a band?  And you don’t have a website yet?  Well, it is about time you did!

WordPress is an excellent platform for artists of all types.  You can display videos, picture galleries, biographies, upcoming gigs and tour dates, and much more so that your fans can find out what you are doing.  I’m offering a special for bands for the month of November only.  The special includes:

• domain name
• free hosting for one year
• Bio page
• Gallery page and/or Video Page
• Tour/Gigs page
• and of course a Home Page

I’ll also throw in a half our tutoring segment so that you can update your pages when needed.

All this for how much?  Only $50!

Bands should take advantage of this offer now – available only for the month of November.

For example, you might have a working knowledge of Word, and figure that you can build you next business flyer on your own.  But, you sit down and things just don’t work out the way you envisioned them and you end up spending two hours trying to make it just right.  In the end, you almost get what you want, but not quite but it needs to be sent off to the printer so you send it anyway.

Now, if you’d hired a VA to do it for you, it would have been been done in about an hour, it would be done the way you wanted it, and you would have had two hours to strike off an important activity on your to-do list – or maybe even two.  Even though you paid the VA for their work, you were likely able to make your own work more efficient by concentrating on the things that you do best and the things that make you more money.  It might have been direct contact with customers, following up on a service you provided, or bringing in more sales.  Whatever it was though, it was likely something you actually enjoy doing and are very good at.

There are many things that small business owners do each day that can be done more efficiently by someone else.  Even though you are paying them, the important thing to remember is that when you do the things you are good at and the things your enjoy your business is more profitable.  By sourcing out the activities that you are only so-so at and the activities you don’t like doing, you can increase your profit and make your business more efficient.

Is there something that I can help you do? Check out my resume or my list of expanded services to see if I can help you and your business grow.

Blogging is a tool that is becoming a marketing tool that many small businesses are taking advantage of. But why? Isn’t blogging just talking about your day and other personal stuff? Not anymore. Blogging is a tool that can help small business gain new clients and develop closer relationships with current clients and can even help bring back previous clients.

What kinds of small business should blog?

• Any business that focuses on customer support
• Any business that depends on trust
• Any business that provides information
• Any business that wants to develop strong relationships with customers

What can a blog do for businesses like these?

• Blogging can give you a forum for communications
• Blogging can demonstrate your expertise on a subject
• Blogging can allow your business to keep customers updated on changes
• Blogging can keep your customers informed on new products or service that are being offered
• Blogging can increase your presence on the Internet
• Blogging can inform you about how people are finding you on the Internet

Perhaps one of the reasons that small businesses turn to blogging is the low cost involved. It can cost anywhere from $400 and up to have someone design a website for you – and that doesn’t include the cost of getting someone to add content and maintain the site! But with a blog you can have your own site set up quickly – overnight in some cases. And if you are not a writer you can hire a writer to fill your blog with informative posts on a regular basis.

One of the services I have decided to offer is blog set up and/or maintenance. I love the experience of getting a blog set up so that it reflects the tone of the company and I enjoy writing blog posts on a variety of topics.

Check out some of the options that I have available for small business.

There are many small business that don’t have websites because they think that they can’ t afford it. Work at home moms that run businesses like having parties (candles, Avon, Passion Parties, and so on), consultants, daycares, and so on tend to think that it isn’t within their budget. But a blog can really give them that extra jump.

If you have a small business, consider trying blogging and see what it will do for you business. It is especially effective when done in conjunction with social networking.