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The Marriage Blog Week in Review for February 11-17

Due to the observance of a major love holiday last week, the main focus of many articles in Marriage revolved around that. Here’s how Lyn and I covered all things Valentine’s Day and beyond. Monday, February 11 I wondered what mattered more to you with rings, quality or quantity. Lyn observed the kind of realms talk show and relationships spark around Valentine’s Day. Tuesday, February 12 I listed places for the romantically challenged to find online help. Lyn reflected on how some people just need somebody because they can’t stand being single. Wednesday, February 13 I weighed in with Rule … Continue reading →

Do You Talk Too Much?

I have written quite a bit about business communication and how to make the most of sales pitches and networking opportunities—but one thing I haven’t really written about is the tendency some of us have to talk TOO much when we are interacting with prospects and customers. If shyness is a problem for some small business owners, than talking too much and be too dominant in interactions is a problem for others. Do you say a dozen things when you really only need to say one? Do you feel uncomfortable with silence and feel like you need to keep talking … Continue reading →

Learning and Borrowing From Business Models–Part One

Perhaps, you have heard the term “business models” before and wondered what exactly it meant? A business model is really just a style or type of business operation. It may seem like there is only one way to “do business”–but that is not true, there are definitely all sorts of different ways to set up and operate a business. Many people find that it is easier and makes more sense to adopt an existing, successful, and proven business model than to try to invent one of their own. In reality, you may already have adopted someone else’s business model in … Continue reading →

Business Really Is Personal

In my years of working as a fundraising professional there was one tried and true rule that we reminded people who were working to raise money–”People give money to people, NOT organizations.” This is a good rule to remember in our home businesses too–people form relationships and spend their money with businesses where they feel connected to the people. We can definitely use this reality to help us build our own home businesses! I do not mean to suggest that we should be paranoid and confuse business relationships with personal ones, but in reality, people get attached to people and … Continue reading →

Are You Better at Facts or Relationships in Business?

Remember that character on television years ago who used to say: “Just the facts, Ma’am.” Of course, as a police detective, he was in the business of working with people and figuring out relationships, but he was determined to stay focused on the quantifiable facts. I think most of us feel comfortable in one world or the other—either in working with facts and figures, or in working with relationships and people. “Facts” people feel most at home working with terms, prices, dates, calendars, contracts, conditions, and other specifics in the business world. Things that can be written out on paper … Continue reading →

Coping With Shyness

Not all of us home business owners are outgoing extroverts. Shyness and social insecurities can be a bit of an albatross when it comes to networking and marketing. BUT, there are plenty of successful business people who don’t necessarily consider themselves social butterflies or even strong leaders. There are ways to accommodate and cope and still stay focused on marketing and promotions—even if you consider yourself to be quite shy. In this day and age, a great deal of marketing and promotions can be done without ever having to meet with people face to face. You can create a strong … Continue reading →

The Devil is In the Details

When I was a child, I had a teacher who used to say “the devil is in the details.” I didn’t actually know what that meant until years later and now, when I’m dealing with all the dull, little daily details of operating a home business; I finally really FEEL what that saying means. If I let those little details go, my home business would actually be in trouble! Sending and answering e-mails, managing phone calls, working on outlines and queries, ordering supplies and products, making contacts, sending invoices—whatever the daily details are that need to happen in your business, … Continue reading →