BlueWave Media Inc.

Strength Building without Fear

Posted on 12. Mar, 2009 by Kimberly in business

“It takes more courage to reveal insecurities than to hide them, more strength to relate to people than to dominate them, more ‘manhood’ to abide by thought-out principles rather than blind reflex. Toughness is in the soul and spirit, not in muscles and an immature mind.” Alex Karras

There has been a lot of change over the past year. The economy is not what it used to be; what we once considered a necessity is now just a want. Yes, it has been difficult for many business, people and communities. The other day I had a client, a rather larger firm, explain to me that they were feeling the pinch and have decided to withdraw a bit in their marketing efforts for the next year. That really surprised me. Of course from a  financial point of view I was disappointed, but my heartfelt sadness was that they were fearful, and that fear lead them to in a sense “hibernate” as a business.

I know I may not know all of the reasons, unseen circumstances in the businesses and lives of others, but there is one thing I do know. Fear takes away our “essence” and leaves us in the fetal position in some corner of our offices. Maybe I am just too darn stubborn to give in (please do not ask my family as you know they will answer a resounding, “YES.”) I would like to think that what I feel I am destined to do, how I am to live my life will be guided by a series of well-thought out decisions. Not to say that I do not see myself making adjustments, because I already have been making those. However, I am not fearful of the times or what they bring. I know that what is called for are better methods, better accounting for time and skill, better balance and the ability to choose one path over another because it makes better sense overall.

This is the time for businesses, whether a home office or a large corporation, to hit the “reset” button. What we need are better accounting practices – better billing cycles and accountability (pardon the pun) as well as better decisions on what we think we “need” for upgrades in hardware, software and skilled people. If it allows you to shave off 2 hours because your system is faster, due to a complete upgrade or just a RAM injection, then to me that makes sense. It affects all of the projects production times. Going out to buy that 50″ flat screen so I can do my work from the couch in the next room, well maybe that is a bit overkill and won’t make it to approval from my accounts manager. Creatives are notorious for bad bookwork. We tend to pile up the work, forget to bill for a while until it becomes the issue of getting groceries or not that week. That has to stop. After a job is complete, bill for it and change your due date to 14 days instead of 3 months or whatever terms work best for your client relationships. But be valued. Bottom line.

iBiz 3 is the premier time-billing and invoicing application for Mac OS X.

If you need to track time, mileage or work that you do for clients then iBiz 3 will become an indispensable piece of software for your freelance work or small business. iBiz offers iCal and Address Book synchronization, automatic time tracking, customizable invoice templates and much more. For those that have a network of computers, you can use the networking version of iBiz to track work for multiple employees. If your business grows, iBiz Server/Client will let you expand, seamlessly.” I have used it for year and I love it.

I used to use Quickbooks, but to be honest, the MAC version was developed in the USA and did not have an allowance for GST and PST, so after using a “work-around” for a couople of years, I just switched to iBank and Excel to manage that — so I had something to send to accounting and to the accountant at the end of the year. Managing these are to be easy and painless – if you are spending too much time and it is a drudgery, which makes you not do it, then you need a better system. Whatever works for you, just do and do it consistently.

Advertising rates are great — it really is a buyers market. Measurable and reasonable marketing efforts are still the bottom line, but the rates are better than what they have been in a while. Maybe radio is still a bit beyond your budget, but why not take a part in sponsoring an event in your town or city. In June, the London Chamber of Commerce has a golf tournament here; last year I was a “hole” sponsor. I got a  lot of new clients and the cost was very reasonable. I will definitely be doing that again this year. You need to get out there and let people know you are alive and kicking — there are so many ways to do it on a small budget.

How much time do you spend on tasks that are not income generating? Have no idea? Days go by and you just do not know what you did? Well, it is time to find out. iBiz you can use the time tracker for almost anything. When you start something, a project, doing research or whatever, start the timer and stop if when you are done. It is amazing how much time you spend doing things other than productive tasks. Now, I consider the time to get ideas, be inspired, flip through .net or whatever to be valuable time. Inspiration is important. Even going for a walk, or just getting out of your chair every hour or two is important on two levels: you avoid “numb bum”, and it seems your butt’s comfort level is connected with your creativity. Sitting for hours at a time without getting out of the office chair can be hazardous to your creative mind. Did I hear an Amen out there? Actually getting up every now and again has proven to be a better use of time for me, because when I sit back down I am refreshed and ready to go. Sometimes I play darts or just listen to some music on my ipod for 10-15 minutes. The result: I get more done in a day. Imagine my surprise.

The most important aspect I wanted to bring to mind is to not be fearful, do not let fear guide your decisions. That never works out for good. Yes, these are different times indeed. No argument from me on that one. Being a better business person, being more informed and productive, billing on time and having the right equipment to do the job right and on time are strength building aspects. If you put the right practices in place and remember to look after yourself, you will come out of this season stronger, fitter and wiser. Hey you might even have a nice bit of cash flow as well.

Fear brings a paralyzed perspective; strength brings achievement. It is time to make a choice.

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• Finding the right road
• Wear the Right Pants
• There is always room to grow

Tags: business, management