My Organized Biz » Misc.

My Organized Biz to Discontinue Publication

Mary Emma Allen — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 19:00:36 +0000

As of the end of December, My Organized Biz will be closing as b5media discontinues Bizzia and the business blogs. I’ve been writing this blog for several months and hope I’ve brought you helpful information about organizing your business, your office, and your marketing.

It has been enjoyable blogging here and getting to know so many of my readers. As with many opportunities in life, there comes a time to go on to something else.

I shall be activating two business blogs I established at Blogger some time ago and will publish future business and organizational tips there so that my readers will have information to refer to. These are Baby Boomer Biz Notes and Blogging and Business. Come join me there!

Post from: My Organized Biz

Time to Organize for 2010

Mary Emma Allen — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 06:00:08 +0000

As one year comes to an end and another begins, it’s time to take stock and see where you might make changes. Also, you’ll want to do some organizing for 2010.

Consider practices and products that weren’t so successful this past year. It might not be your fault at all but is due to the changes in the economy and spending power of your customers.

What can you do this year to minimize losses and even drive up profits?

Discontinue unprofitable products
Brainstorm for new products/services that meet people’s needs in a changing economy.
Assess what promotional practices worked.
Discontinue those that didn’t meet with success over the long term.
Look for inexpensive or free promotional programs.
Collaborate with other businesses and develop some joint promotional ventures.
See if you need to take a parttime job outside your business to meet family and business expenses temporarily.
Consider what other business people, online and off, are doing.
Learn how to use social media to your advantage in promoting your business and products.

What techniques are working for you?

Post from: My Organized Biz

December Round-up of My Organized Biz Posts

Mary Emma Allen — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 06:00:29 +0000

Winter image: sxc.hu

At the end of each month, I present a round-up of five posts that have been popular or have generated interest at My Organized Biz.

Here are 5 for December:

Organizing Your Packaging for “Green” Products

Organizing a Studio in a Loft

Pearl Harbor Day – December 7

Organizing Your Branding Techniques

Mary Emma Allen — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 06:00:12 +0000

Developing a brand or recognition of your name and/or business has become a hot topic nowadays. Focusing your interests under a related “umbrella” enables you to brand a wider group of activities.

I’ve written about a number of branding strategists at Home Biz Notes. Perhaps none of them started out deciding to develop a brand, but slowly it has evolved for them and is worthwhile building upon now.

Susan Gunelius on Branding Your Business – The Playboy Way

Branding – The Elm Creek Way

Kyra E. Hicks Discovers Her Writing Niche or Brand

How Do I Brand My Home Business?

Can I Brand – The Trails End Quilters Way?

Have you begun branding your business?

Post from: My Organized Biz

How Are You Organizing for Christmas?

Mary Emma Allen — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 04:20:17 +0000

Christmas image: sxc.hu

As the hours wind down toward Christmas Day, are you stressed out trying to meet business commitments, finish orders and get deliveries made, along with family holiday plans? Or are you well organized so that everything is running smoothly?

If you still have much to do:

Prioritize and decide what really needs to be done and in what order.
Is there anything you don’t need to do until after Christmas Day…or even the holiday season?
Can you get someone to help you with these commitments?
Is there something else you can put off that you thought you needed to accomplish?
Take a few minutes, here and there, to relax over a cup of tea.
Even a 15 minute power nap may help revive your energy and help you see possibilities.

How do you get everything organized and accomplished?

Post from: My Organized Biz

Organizing Your Business Around Another Job

Mary Emma Allen — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 04:25:08 +0000

Many people with small or home businesses work at them around another job. They may have a full or parttime job working for someone else. How do they combine the two efficiently and productively?

Set down a business plan for your business.
Decide how you can get it started parttime, utilizing the hours when you’re not at another job.
If it’s an online business, it’s much easier to juggle your activities, fitting your business into the time slots you’re not at your “away” job.
If you’ve opened a business in your home, decide what hours you’ll be open…in other words, when you’re not away from home, and try to stick to them.
See if anyone in your family will help you with tasks that must be done while you’re away.

I have two parttime jobs away from home, and the schedules for these are constantly changing from week to week. With one of them, I’m on call, so don’t always know when I’ll be working there. My writing/blogging business is online, so my writing times can be fairly flexible. I also help my husband with his online business and fit these hours between my other work. It requires much juggling of time and family commitments, too. However, life is never boring!

What suggestions do you have for juggling a business and another job?

Post from: My Organized Biz

Tips for Organizing a Business Open House

Mary Emma Allen — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:56:07 +0000

At Home Biz Notes, I wrote about, Plan an Open House to Generate Interest in Your Business, possibly between the holidays or right after the new year. What steps do you take to organize one of these?

Decide on a date and time.
What will you emphasize…new services, products, reintroduction of current ones (see list on Home Biz Notes post).
Put up notice in your place of business.
Tuck notices into purchases.
Send out cards/announcements which you can make on the computer.
Possibly plan a program.
Do you need someone to help?
Will you have special decorations?
Whatwill you give as door prizes or hand-outs (keeping them within a reasonable price range)?

Post from: My Organized Biz

Organizing a Studio in a Loft

Mary Emma Allen — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 06:00:52 +0000

In reorganizing our multigenerational home, now that granddaughter is away at college, my daughter found she could utilize the loft area for her sewing and fabric design studio.

Loft space image: sxc.hu

(One side will retain a bed and space for Kara.) However, the sprawling sewing nook and storage in the living room will be moved to the loft.

This has become an extensive project as the family:

Repainted the walls, which involved looking at many paint chips.
Finished the floor (there was only a subfloor before)
Built permanent railings on either side of the chimney for the portion overlooking the living room.
Decided to paint the remainder of the upper half floor which contains a bedroom, bath and hallway.
Moved and reorganized

However, this will be a delightful studio for our daughter and give her the sewing and design space she’s desired, even though it’s not huge. This also gives Kara her place when she’s home from school.

How have you reorganized to have a studio, office or work place?

(Of course, the loft space pictured is much larger than ours!)

Post from: My Organized Biz

Productive Organizing for a Sunny Day

Mary Emma Allen — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 14:26:33 +0000

The challenge – organizing your work so you’re productive when the weather outside lures you away from the keyboard, sewing machine, easel, billing, bookkeeping…or other necessary tasks to keep your business on track.

Image: sxc.hu

How can you take advantage of everything?

Get up extra early so that you can get the absolutely necessary work done before breakfast.
Organize your “to do” list so that the priority items are on top. When those are done, you can play, then get to the not so important items afterward.
Before being lured away from work, make a commitment to stay up later that evening to make sure everything is done. Then stick to it.
If it’s an “at home” business, get family members to help you wherever possible so you all can…get the Christmas tree, go shopping, attend a party, wrap gifts, make the caramel corn.
Work efficiently and don’t permit distractions when you are working, so your tasks will be accomplished faster.

(I must leave for the day at noon. Thus, I’m up earlier than usual on my “sleep in” morning, so I can get this post written, along with others.)

How do you organize to get your necessary work done and have the rest of the day to do other things…with family, with colleagues, by yourself…on a lovely day?

What

Post from: My Organized Biz

Pearl Harbor Day – December 7

Mary Emma Allen — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 06:00:16 +0000

Take time out from organizing to remember Pearl Harbor Day or learn about it and significance to our United States heritage.

Veteran's flag image: sxc.hu

I don’t remember the day Pearl Harbor happened, but I recall when the war was over. Our teacher, at the one-room school, learned of the occasion and let us out from school immediately, so we didn’t have a full day.The siren at the local firehouse was sounding, people in cars blew their horns as a friend and I walked along the road toward our homes. My mom was excited because it meant Uncle Al would be coming home. By then her brother was serving in Guam as an Army Air Corps plane mechanic. We only heard from him periodically, when letters with words cut out (there was censorship of soldiers’ mail in that war).Uncle Al was proud to have served for his country’s freedom and kept his dress uniform to be buried in many years later. He also wanted his medals pinned on his jacket. The flag over his casket was folded and handed to my mom, his only surviving family by that time. She later gave it to me, “Take care of Uncle Al’s flag.” Unspoken were the words, but the thought was there…”and remember the men like Al who fought for our country’s freedom.” Which we do on Pearl Harbor Day.

Post from: My Organized Biz