From the category archives:

Independent Thinking

The 9-Step Plan to Managing Your Time

by Daria Steigman on July 13, 2010

9-Step Time Management Plan for Business | Steigman Communications, llc | Independent ThinkingMy latest column for IABC’s CW Bulletin is out, and it is about time: how we claim it as business owners, and how we can manage it to keep ourselves from being overwhelmed or letting critical tasks and projects slip through the cracks.

It can be a challenge for even the most organized. I’ve written before that it doesn’t take a superhero. While I wish I had a time turner, like Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter books, I live in a world where the wizardry is really just a product of hard work.

The column looks at 9 strategies for managing your business. They range from identifying the five business buckets to prioritizing the big stuff to understanding cash-flow cycles.

You can read it here.  Then come back and tell me: What would you add?

Photo by Laffy4k (Flickr).

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Let’s Talk About You

by Daria Steigman on June 4, 2010

Independent Thinking | Steigman Communications, llcThis blog turns 2 today. It all started with a 74-word post about communications, business, and unique selling points. But the blog  is here because of you — my community.

So in honor of our second anniversary, let’s talk about you:

  • Who are you? I know who some of you are — but not all of you. Whether you’re new or a seasoned reader, please take a minute to introduce yourself to the Independent Thinking community.
  • What do you want me to write about? I’ve tried to stay true to my pledge to write about business, entrepreneurship, communications,social media, and how technology is impacting the way we work. But what kinds of posts resonate with you? Is there something you’d like to see me write about more? Something that’s missing from this blog?

Thank you. The comments are yours.

Photo by mischvelente (Flickr).

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What Book Has Influenced Your Career?

by Daria Steigman on June 1, 2010

Daria Steigman | Independent Thinking | Steigman Communications, llcThere’s a LinkedIn discussion going on right now in one of my groups about the books that have made you the person you are today. While I knew many people would cite inspiration texts, philosophers, and business gurus, I had to stop and think whether there were any media that resonated that much. I scanned all the books on my shelves. Nothing popped out.

Then I realized there is one documentary and one poem that did make a difference:

  • I saw Harvest of Shame when I was 13 (props to an amazing teacher), and it made me want to do something to help migrant workers. Ten years later, when I knew I needed a graduate degree to break out of my dead-end job, I chose labor relations.
  • Wordsworth’s The World Is Too Much With Us is 14 lines long, and it turned my 17-year-old self upside down. I came to college planning to study economics and business so that I could live and work overseas. But then I found poetry and my passion. And that took me into that dead-end job, which took me to labor relations–and eventually to that blowtorch that helped shape who I am today.

The rest of my library? Some really great stuff that’s made me an educated woman and/or given me great ideas and insights. But made me who I am? That’s a much smaller list.

What about you? What media have helped forge your path?

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The Truth About Planning

by Daria Steigman on May 11, 2010

Business Planning: GPS (and a map & real-time info)For years I thought I was an accidental business owner. I mistakenly believed that I’d fallen into business ownership out of a determination to avoid bosses and office politics, which eventually led to an aha moment when I figured out that—yes!—I like the business of running a business.

What really happened was that I identified a market need and the appropriate universe of prospects, created services and pricing, developed a marketing strategy, and got to work selling. In other words, I had a plan.

And that’s the short secret to business success–and the topic of my latest column for IABC’s CW Bulletin. It features wisdom from Tim Berry, entrepreneur, founder of Palo Alto Software, and author of The Plan-As-You-Go Business Plan, who talks about misconceptions about planning and offers three planning essentials.

Read the complete article here.

Photo by w00kie (Flickr).

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3 Must-Ask Questions Before You Go Online

by Daria Steigman on March 4, 2010

Should you be on LinkedIn? Plaxo? BizSugar or Open Forum? While it’s easy to be online, the vast array of options can leave even the social-media-savviest business person overwhelmed. At last check, my AddThis button linked to over 230 separate platforms/sites.

Because time is a finite resource and we can’t be everywhere, I recommend applying a simple three-pronged business test for social presence:

  • Will it help me be found?
  • Will it help me connect with my audience?
  • Will it help me identify new business?

I explore these questions in some detail in a new IABC CW Bulletin article, Bringing Social Media to Your Business. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Photo by jenny downing (Flickr).

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