Archive for Blogging
Purging My Clutter – Can you help me with my Email?
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During the past week I have been purging my electronic clutter, old files and software no longer needed and specifically, my email. Mixing this with my other day to day chores has been a challenge.
Like most bloggers and entrepreneurs, I have quite a few email accounts set-up for various purposes. I set out to get all of them cleaned up by the end of 2009 but life, as often happens, got in the way.
The next thing I know the New Year had arrived and I had hardly started on this project, which was quite substantial.
I use Gmail for most of my business accounts because it’s free, easy to use, and you get tons of storage space (7.2 Gigs) for each account. Now you know how the email thing goes, you get so many during the course of the day that you find yourself cherry-picking the really high priority and important ones first, leaving the others to get back to a little later.
The fact that I had so many emails to get back to began to bother me and it had gotten to a point where I knew I had to do something. It is a new year and this was gnawing at me, so drastic action had to be taken.
So I rearranged my normal work schedule to spend the required hours upon hours each day to clear away this backlog from my inbox, my mind and my life. I can tell you that I am now so refreshed and ready to rock and roll for 2010 that I just had to write this post about the experience.
This may sound like a small thing but when you have multiple accounts that accumulate 20 to 40 emails daily, and each account has an inbox with numbers in the thousands, let’s be honest, this **** is out of hand.
This situation has caused me to add another goal for 2010, and that is to implement a highly efficient email management system to avoid recurrence.
My old system was to set aside blocks of time to keep the numbers manageable but obviously I flubbed at that along the way.
This is where you can help me out.
What systems or techniques do you find most effective for managing your email?
Yeah I know, no system will help me if I fail to read them in the first place, but the sheer numbers had overwhelmed my efforts.
If you would kindly leave me some suggestions in the comments section, it would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers!
Is It a Good Time to be an Online Entrepreneur?
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This post is for my friends and readers who are wondering if now is the time to come online and start a business blog. I was asked this question several times during the Holidays as people contemplated their 2010 plans.
To get right to the point – YES! I actually believe that there is no bad time to start a business if that is what you desire, just get started and build it over time to what you want it to be.
Some general thoughts
It’s been a bumpy two years (2008 – 2009) for the global economy, as you no doubt have heard from the constant parade of talking heads on the daily blues news.
History has once again repeated itself and the cycle will be complete when the economy stabilizes and moves more consistently toward the positive.
This of course will not happen until the entrepreneurs of the world join forces and lead the way back, as has happened so many times before.
You see, economic prosperity never started with Dow Jones on Wall Street, but with Sam Jones on Main Street. Long before there were large corporations there were small businesses, started and operated by entrepreneurs who saw a need and decided to fill it.
History has shown us that whenever times got tough and there was economic uncertainty, people began to look within, grabbing hold of that creative spirit and finding a way to make ends meet. Simply put, when jobs dried up they made their own.
We are witnessing that very same thing today, as difficult times once again provide a necessity to create opportunities.
Today’s internet is loaded with opportunities as witnessed by the thousands of blog launches that occur daily. For the first time in history the average business person can compete with large multinational corporations since the startup fee for an online business is well within the reach of most.
As a business owner, you can reach as many people online as the large corporations through the smart use of social media. This leveling of the playing field positions you to carve out a niche.
The internet has exploded
In the year 2000, there were 360 million people on the internet, according to InternetWorldStats.com. Today there are 1.7 billion global users and growing. The sheer numbers tell you that opportunities are everywhere.
The importance of working together
Back in the day shopkeepers all worked together and looked out for one another for the betterment of the entire community. Today’s business climate is no different, with the exception of those who only care about themselves and are missing the larger picture.
This approach increases the chances for additional opportunities like joint ventures and project collaborations that otherwise may be more difficult to find individually. Working together within a community of bloggers brings about a collective knowledge that benefits everyone involved.
Conclusion
There has never been a better time to launch an online business. With a blogging education, a business plan and a strong desire to reach your goals the end result is totally in your control.
I would remove the curiosity of what might or could be and begin the journey of building your online enterprise.
