Search Results for: blog improvement by accident

Using Customer Questions to Make Improvements

When customers or clients ask questions, it can be a good jumping off place for us as to the areas of our businesses that need work. If things are confusing or do not quite work for those we do business with, they will likely come up as a question or a problem. Instead of simply feeling resentful or answering the question and moving on—if a question pops up (particularly if it pops up repeatedly) it is a good thing to investigate and see if there is room for improvement. I have found that questions and problems can be a great … Continue reading →

Improvement by Accident

I tend to write about operating a home-based business as if everything can be controlled and organized with just a bit of planning—as if a good business plan and a strong budget, not to mention plenty of focus and effort—and your business will be on the steady incline. I wanted to pay homage to the reality that sometimes, improvements and growth happen in our business pretty much by seemingly complete accident. If necessity is the mother of invention, I think that accidents are often what prompts some interesting improvements and changes in direction—not only in our businesses but in life … Continue reading →

Sleeping Beauty: A Strange Fairy Tale

Charles Perrault’s “La Belle au bois dormant” (literal translation “the Beauty sleeping in the wood”) is a bizarre little tale. Some people might find Walt Disney’s adaptation of the story as soporific as the curse upon Aurora, but at least it has narrative consistency. So many of the things that happen in Perrault’s story leave (modern) readers scratching their heads, and that’s on top of the hefty dose of terrible messages for women, something that didn’t come as a surprise after I read the 17th century Frenchman’s take on Cinderella. Up until the point of the teenage princess’ pricking of … Continue reading →

Pet Insurance is Necessary, Despite Expense

Are your dogs and cats covered by a pet insurance plan? There are some pet owners who love their “fur babies” so much that they will hold off on buying themselves a health insurance plan in order to be able to afford to get pet insurance. Depending on your budget, pet insurance might be a bit expensive, but, many pet owners feel that is it very much worth the cost. Around one million pets are insured in North America. This equates to about 1% of the population of pets in the United States. Who buys pet insurance? According to Kristen … Continue reading →

IIHS Picks Safest Vehicles for 2012

Every year, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) releases a list of the safest vehicles of 2012. Vehicles that end up on this list must pass a series of crash tests designed to determine how safe the car or truck would be in the case of a crash. Is your car on this year’s list? For 2012, the IIHS has selected 115 vehicles that it considers to be the safest choices (for 2012 vehicles). Last year, the IIHS only found a total of 66 vehicles that it considered to be the safest ones from 2011. To get onto this … Continue reading →

Making the Most Out of What You’ve Got

I was in a car accident on December 2nd, and I’m probably going to be under my doctor’s care for quite a while. Yesterday we started physical therapy. I’m grateful to be getting the care I need, but it’s taking so much time away from my family, and in particular, my husband. I see my kids during the day because we homeschool, but my husband is at work all day, and I’m starting to wonder if I’m even still married. I think I am, but sometimes, it is a question. He comes home and I’m gone, and then when I … Continue reading →

Setting Expectations for Dog Training

Do we expect too much from our dogs? Sometimes we think that dogs should jump to obey our orders, and many dog owners soon find out that perhaps we’re not viewing dogs and how we train them in the right way. Pet website ZooToo has an overview of how the dog training process works, explaining why many of us might be going about training in the wrong way. What’s always important to remember, especially when bringing a new dog home, is that there will be a honeymoon period but that period will end. New dogs, especially ones from shelters, brought … Continue reading →

Do the Shoes Matter?

Having an athletic husband and son, I know a bit about shoes. I have to say that I never paid much attention to which shoes I wore when I worked out. I just assumed that any shoe would do the job since I was not doing anything athletic or running. However, I have friends who tell me how much switching shoes improved their workout. My husband insists shoes can make or break your workout. Even my 11 year old son knows exactly what he needs to play baseball, basketball, soccer, football or whatever sport he is interested in at the … Continue reading →

Americans Think They Drive Better Than They Really Do

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A survey shows that people’s perception of how well they drive, as compared to other drivers, is a bit off. People tend to think that they are much better drivers than the multitude of horrible drivers that they see on the roads around them every day. This perception doesn’t quite match up to the facts, though. We have all had experiences with really bad drivers. These encounters may not have resulted in a car accident, but some of them may have come close. How often have you been irritated by that driver who suddenly hits his breaks for no apparent … Continue reading →

GMAC Study Reveals Unfit Drivers

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A study done by GMAC Insurance reveals that almost one out of every five American drivers is unfit. This means that for every five vehicles on the road, there is one that is being driven by a person that has little understanding about the rules of the road, or how to drive safely. This may, or may not, surprise you, depending on exactly what you have encountered while driving down the road. How many times have you had to deal with a really bad driver? I believe that everyone has had the unfortunate and frustrating experience of having to deal … Continue reading →