Solo Entrepreneur Must Reads

Another week. I hope all of you have taken some time off to relax, rejuvenate and vegetate! Let's get to it. I've found a couple books to share with you. Two are for your business and one is for you, the business owner. Enjoy.

1. The No Asshole Rule - Building A Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't by Robert Sutton

As solo entrepreneurs, we don't usually have the employee thing going on and can avoid (most of the time) having an asshole around on a constant basis. But then there are the customers, clients, suppliers, bankers and just about everybody else that just seems to want to cut their teeth on us!

TNAR gives you practical tips and techniques to at least not end up in prison for doing the world a favor by getting rid of these folks.

Robert shares two tests for determining if you're dealing with a true member of the Asshole Society or just someone who's having a really bad day.

Test One: After talking to the asshole, do you (Robert calls you "the target") feel oppressed, humiliated, de-energized or belittled by the person? In particular, do you feel worse about yourself? You'll have to get your own copy to read Test Two!

2. How To Sell To An Idiot - 12 Steps to Selling Anything to Anyone by John Hoover and Bill Sparkman.

I first picked this up because of the color of the cover. Ok, so that's not exactly a good reason to buy a book but I'm glad I did finally read it.

Solo entrepreneurs sell because we must not because it comes easily. If the idea of selling makes your stomach churn, especially face-to-face, belly-to-belly selling situations - then this is the book that's going to help turn you into a selling machine or keep you from going nuts!

How to Sell...not only gives you tips to figure out who you're selling to, but gives you simple techniques to prepare to sell. Believe it or not the same skills you use everyday to run your business are the same skills used when selling to a prospective customer. You'll have to read the book to find out what that is!

Finally, for your summer reading enjoyment
3. The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick) by Seth Godin.

This is what I'm reading now and it's worth your time. As a life coach the biggest mistake I keep seeing is good people operating businesses that they hate or pouring their hearts into one that will never be more than a job.

Most of the time it goes deeper than disliking the selling part or tired of handling cranky customers. I'm talking about those who have dived, head first, into a business they should not have started in the first place.

For example, Linda likes quilting and will do them as special gifts. Somewhere a light bulb went on and 3 years down the road, she's had enough of quilts, quilting fabrics and all the other stuff that goes with operating a sideline quilting business. Her question to me? 'What the hell was I thinking?!' and 'How do I get myself out of this mess!'

According to Seth - what really sets superstars apart from everyone else is the ability to escape dead ends quickly, while staying focused and motivated when it really counts.

From The Dip: "Winners quit fast, quit often, and quit without guilt-until they commit to beating the right Dip for the right reasons."

Reminds me of a Kenny Rogers song, 'You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em and you got to know when to walk away'.

That's it for today, short and sweet but I'll leave you with this:

Live out of your imagination, not your history. - Stephen Covey

Blog Stops, Seminar Marketing & Unique Funding Idea

Miss me? Me too! Couple of blog posts that you might want to take a look at and a unique funding resource. Let's get to it...............

1. How To Market Seminars
If you've been thinking it's time to get out of your comfort zone and go belly-to-belly with your prospects or clients, then you may be interested in this. You'll give up your email address for the free guide, so I thought I'd let you know that up front.

It's a quick read and may be something that you want to add to your nap-sack for future reference. Like anything else you do as a solo entrepreneur, preparation is the key to effectively marketing a seminar. Site owner is Jenny Hamby, author of How to Successfully Market Seminars and Workshops.

2. Guy Kawasaki has a great post this week - 9 Biggest Myths of the Workplace
I read other people's blogs (so do you, don't lie) and decided to drop in to see what Guy has been up to lately. This post will be a good reality check for those of you wishful thinking about the good old days of employee-hood. Take a look because I can guarantee, you'll do whatever it takes to grow your solo business.


Speaking of Blogs........

Are you also doing any freelance work? Freelance Switch maybe a resource you can use instead of Guru or E-Lance.
This blog is promoted as a community of freelancers and a resource site for freelancers of all persuasions. Content is provided by other freelancers and it does appear to be heading in the right direction.

If you do any freelancing or considering going this route as a solo, see if this works better for how you want to work. It seems to be a good place to meet your freelance colleagues too.

Unique Banking Idea - Prosper
Banks won't give you a loan unless you're in debt up to your eyeballs or willing to give away a body part? Everybody you know run the other way because you have that look in your eye - entrepreneur needs money? Here's a possible alternative to begging.

Prosper has a unique business model that if it works as planned, could be ideal for the solo entrepreneur. This is how it appears to work:

1. People who need money request how much they are seeking and at what interest rate.

2. Other people in the network bid for the privilege of lending them the money at a fair interest rate, which may not be as high as the one requested.

3. Prosper then steps in and acts as the 'go-between' to make sure everything is safe, fair and easy.

It may not be a simple as this but if you're in that 'feast or famine' cycle of your business, it wouldn't hurt to take a look. Especially if your 'small business friendly' bank - isn't friendly to your small business.


That's it for now and I leave you with this:

If a window of opportunity appears, don't pull down the shade.- Tom Peters

Time for change

This is definitely out of the ordinary but over the next few weeks your favorite Solo Entrepreneur Blog is going places. Yep, since 2005 Blogger has been home for The Solo Gazette...it's been nice - but it's time for a change.

That's about ALL that's going to change!

Will I still be un-politically correct? What do YOU think! So what's in store?

More Solo Business Ideas. There are solo entrepreneurs making money doing some interesting things and I'll let you know what they're up to and what I think about it....figured that out didn't you?!

More Solo Resources. I've been trying to not overwhelm you folks, but from the comments I get - this is saving some of you a lot of time finding them on your own.

Videos & Podcasts. I'm going to add more sight-n-sound to a few posts. I'll keep my religion, sex and politics to myself (most of the time)!

Product & Service Reviews Quite a few of you are working your business online & offline...wow, it surprises me you really read what I've been saying about - diversify!

Guest Solo Entrepreneurs. I'm asking other solo entrepreneurs who have been and plan to remain solo to give you folks some tips to make your journey a bit easier.

As always, whatever I happen to write about you are free to take what you can use - leave the rest. Understand this right up front - some of my guest entrepreneurs may try to sell you something but I don't expect you to buy anything. If you can use what's offered, fine - if not, pass it on. Got that? Good!

You may not notice the move (hey, this is me and there has got to be a hitch or two - right) but I'll keep you updated here. When the final move is made - I'll give you a heads up.

That's it for now and I leave you with this:

Women and cats will do as they please, men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. - Robert A. Heinlein

Logo Design Tips, Privacy & Unpolitically Correct

Summer is nearly here and many of you are thinking about going on vacation. Bye-bye, have a safe trip and eat lots of chocolate somethings along the way!

The rest of us have decided that we'll go when all the tourists go home! I'm taking a 3 month 'road-trip' starting late August...backpack & laptop will travel! Starting with Alaska, Canada by train & Boston a week in September - then jump to Europe before making the loooong trip home - maybe. Hey, all work makes you drink lots of coffee - I could use a change!

Let's get right into some light-weight things this time. Start with your logo.
Many times we leave this little detail last, have someone else slap something together for us and then wonder What the hell was I thinking?! six months down the road when it makes us sick to look at it.

An article by Jared McCarthy from Marketing Profs gave a few tips in designing your new one:
Begin the design in black and white.
Why? Because it's easier to evaluate the quality of the design before you use it. You're going to put it on a business card or on a website but how is that widget going to look when you use it on a billboard or on your letterhead? Using color first can hide a flaw that you might miss after you pay for the design.

Shape and style really matter more than color.
Have you seen a logo that made you scratch your head and go huh? Yeah, we all have. When your design is complicated, change it so the main element is clearly recognizable in a split second.

Check other logos....Nike, Coke, Microsoft - When you see it, your brain names it. There's nothing to distract your eyes. Fleur-de-lis designs may look great on your craft projects but for your business logo - it sucks. Got that! Good.

Go easy on the color. Ok, politically correctness is going right out the window here so if you're sensitive, leave. Some of you can't mix colors worth a damn! Many of you have colors on your websites, letterhead and promo products that are just plain butt ugly.

No, Grasshopper - purple and orange with red letters do not play well together. If the colors are fighting each other for attention - keep them away from your business logo! Don't pick a color simply because it's your favorite or because it's the 'hot' color this season either.

You are going to use your logo colors in everything related to your business. Keep it simple enough to be consistent and that can be accurately reproduced on your websites, business cards, letter head or anywhere else. With a simple, clean design and the right color choice, you’re on your way to a logo you can live with.

Here are a couple I found online that had some unique and really nice designs:
Logo Design Pros
Logo Jeez
The Logo Company
My Corporate Logo

Check around because you may save some money by having it done locally. There are some great logo designs out there, find a graphics person you can work with and get that ugly logo fixed.

These online resources can help in operating your solo business or give you a couple ideas.

1. Socrates
Good resource where you can find legal forms online. Getting a quickie divorce? Bet they have them too! Search the complete library of human resource forms, contractor forms and business software.

2. Complete Landlord
Are you looking for tips on getting the maximum from your rental property without becoming a slum lord? Then this resource can be very useful for do-it yourself landlords, rental owners and managers. Get the information, keys and tools you need to build wealth with rental property.

Not happy with the potential for privacy online or offline? Want to keep what you do on your computer and when or if you do it - your business? Then these next resources may be of interest.

Find Not
With identity theft and nosey folks running rampant through the streets, it's time to give this some serious thought. If you're ready to stop hackers, prevent identity theft and more from invading your privacy, then I can highly recommend you start here.

Evidence Eraser and Window Washer
By now you know that hitting 'delete doesn't get rid of where you've been online or what you've been up to on your computer. You did watch that episode of CSI Miami didn't you?!
Either of these programs can give you a bit more personal security and frustrate the hell out of anyone looking to make you their next victim.

That's it for now and I leave you with this

We are here on earth to do good for others. What the others are here for, I don't know. - W.H. Auden