Independent Thinking » Independent Thinking

The 9-Step Plan to Managing Your Time

Daria Steigman — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 11:59:53 +0000

My 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).

Let’s Talk About You

Daria Steigman — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 11:05:40 +0000

This 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).

What Book Has Influenced Your Career?

Daria Steigman — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 12:01:52 +0000

There’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?

The Truth About Planning

Daria Steigman — Tue, 11 May 2010 12:11:56 +0000

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).

3 Must-Ask Questions Before You Go Online

Daria Steigman — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 13:58:50 +0000

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).

Are You an Entrepreneur or a Business Owner?

Daria Steigman — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:56:44 +0000

My latest IABC Independent Thinking business column is out, and the focus is on how we see ourselves and the shifting terminologies that we use to define ourselves and our businesses and the way we want our clients, customers and prospects to think of us.

There were several takeaways, but the real constant is that how you identify yourself may matter a great deal to someone else. So select your terminology with deliberation, recognize that perceptions differ, and be comfortable with your place in the business continuum.

Some really smart people weighed in on this topic, and it’s well worth the read. So go ahead, read it, and then tell me what term you use and why.

6 Keys to Business Success

Daria Steigman — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:07:08 +0000

My latest IABC Independent Thinking column is out, and the focus is on lessons learned over my 20 years in business. The article looks at six keys to business success, including blowtorches, community, quality, and change.

Take a read, then come back and tell me: what would you add?

Are Business Cards Obsolete?

Daria Steigman — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:58:20 +0000

[Note: This post originally appeared on IABC'sÂ Communications World blog.]

I love that there’s an iPhone app that lets you exchange contact information just by bumping phones. But does this mean that business cards are becoming obsolete?

Business cards speak to me, especially when it comes to small businesses and solo practitioners. The paper, logo, design, and readability give me clues to a company’s personality and whether they have thought about that first impression. Whether someone does or doesn’t have a Web site and/or a customized e-mail address gives me some data about their permanence and their business sense. And please think twice before handing me a card with out-of-date information.

The Japanese have an entire ritual around business cards. While Americans are typically more informal, we might do well to probe the underlying reasons for the meishi exchange.

So what do you think? Do you decipher business cards or wish they’d go away?

On a related note, my friend Deborah Brody has a good post on business card dos and don’ts that has some common sense tips for making sure what you are handing out isn’t hindering your success.

Expand Your Team with Virtual Help

Daria Steigman — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 13:47:12 +0000

Many independent consultants and small business owners are notoriously bad at delegating, whether it’s because they don’t want to spend the money or they don’t know where to start. Yet building a successful business means focusing on those tasks that make the most sense and delegating or eliminating those that will distract you or eat up valuable time.

One solution: a virtual assistant. The right virtual assistant can be invaluable.

My latest IABC CW Bulletin column is out, and the topic is how to expand your team with virtual help. The article looks at the varied ways that virtual assistants can help and offers some tips on finding the right one for you. It also features two people, Gloria Bell and Zane Safrit, with great insights on the topic.

Read the complete column here.

Photo by ShellyS. Flickr Creative Commons license.

Insomnia, the Apprentice:UK, and the Mind of an Entrepreneur

Daria Steigman — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:53:36 +0000

Insomnia can make you a little crazy. If you’re prone to it, then you know that there’s nothing quite like flipping channels at 2:45 a.m. and discovering that your best options may be a slasher movie or the 20th iteration of LockUp Raw.

So I thought I’d found nirvana when I happened upon a 2005 episode of The Apprentice:UK. British entrepreneur Sir Alan Sugar was grilling the hapless four remaining contestants. He was particularly puzzled by one guy, who claimed to be a rather successful real estate entrepreneur but was ready to put it all on hold to be The Apprentice. After all, most entrepreneurs will do almost anything to avoid going back to work for someone else.

That’s when it happened: the guy said he was different. Sir Alan agreed–and fired him. Seemed a “duh” moment to me.

What do you think? Can you truly be an entrepreneur if you’re fine dropping everything to go to work for someone else?