This blog is for those who want lil inspiration and motivation for having there own business as well as this blog will have tiny amount of articles regarding to thought provoking life style (actual lifestyle not media oriented).... One last thing my brothers and sister , my friends u have to take the step don't rely on your friends or relatives U have to build it for yourself ... HAVE a LIFE FULL OF HAPPINESS , WEALTH AND HEALTH :)
Gossip can actually be good for your business, your customers, and the bottom line. But you need to know how to spread the right news in the right way.
Gossip gets a bad rap--and not without reason. We generally regard gossip as being untrue, or as involving personal information that should not be shared, whether it's true or not. As George Bernard Shaw once said, "The things most people want to know about are usually none of their business."
But a recent study suggests that workplace gossip may actually be a good thing. According to Stanford University researcher Dr. Matthew Feinberg, "Groups that allow their members to gossip sustain co-operation and deter selfishness better than those that don't."
What if you could put the power of gossip to work in your organization--in a positive way that builds people up rather than tears them down? You can. Here's how.
Catch your people doing something right
As one successful CEO notes, many bosses barely interact with their employees, unless it's to tell them that they did something wrong. While some good employees may tolerate this for a time, others will move on to greener pastures. Why not start some positive gossip in your office by telling your employees--face to face, or via email or personal notes--what a great job they did on a particular task or project, and how proud you are to have them as employees? Spread this kind of positive gossip in your office and it will be repaid many times over with happy, productive, and loyal employees.
Talk about the good things your business does
Chances are your company is doing a lot of good things out there in the world, and you should make sure your people hear all about it. Whether you're providing eldercare services in your community, or you have developed a patch that makes people invisible to mosquitos, or you sell a line of refreshing organic fruit juices through grocery stores throughout the region, your business deserves props. Spread the word and your people will soon be bursting with pride for the positive change they are helping make, and they will pass on the word to their friends, relatives, and colleagues.
Communicate positive customer stories widely
Your customers can be the very best source of positive gossip in your business, because they have experienced for themselves the benefits of your company's products and services. Be sure to tell positive customer stories to your people--individually, in teams, and in large-group meetings--and invite customers to stop by your offices or participate in team meetings to tell their own stories. This is an extremely powerful form of positive gossip, and everyone in your organization will benefit by hearing it.
Make gossip part of your company culture
Gossip isn't gossip if it isn't spread around. Make sure you let your people know that you not only approve positive gossip at work, but that you encourage it. Research shows that positive gossip has far-reaching and long-lasting benefits. Model the behavior you want others to emulate by engaging in frequent positive gossip yourself, and providing positive feedback to those employees who follow your example. Remember: You always get more of the behavior you reward!
Trying to do damage control too quickly will usually make a bad situation worse. Here's what to do instead.
Screwing up is part of life. Even great geniuses make mistakes. When you do screw up, however, what's important isn't the screwup (that's history) but what you do afterward. Here's a step-by-step approach:
1. Take a deep breath.
The moment you realize you've made a big mistake is usually not the best time to take action to correct it. Any action you take when you're in panic mode is likely to make the problem worse.
For example, suppose you blurt out in a meeting with your boss and Customer A that your company gave Customer B a huge discount. You immediately realize that bringing up that discount means Customer A will probably demand a similar discount.
Trying to recover on the spot is a bad idea. If you tell the customer, "Of course, big discounts aren't our usual policy," you'll only call more attention to the discount. Same thing if you apologize to your boss the moment the two of you leave the meeting.
So take a deep breath, shake yourself out, maybe go for a short walk. Get a little distance from the situation before you react.
2. Take a dose of perspective.
Although your blunder may seem monumental to you, it may be far less significant to the other people involved.
If your mistake is uncharacteristic, chances are that people who already know you will simply put it down to your having a bad day. That doesn't mean you don't need to make amends, but the situation may be less dire than you assume.
Remember that, in the grand scheme of things, your huge, embarrassing mistake is insignificant.
3. Do a reality check.
Now that you've gotten some distance and perspective, revisit your blunder with the other people who witnessed it. Find out how much damage has been done by putting your inquiry in the form of a question, like:
"John, when I reacted negatively to your idea earlier today, I think I might have been overly harsh. I want to make certain you know that I'm not trying to be a pill and that my heart is in the right place."
Reality checks are best delivered via email rather than in person, because email gives everyone the opportunity to cool down.
4. Apologize and address the blowback.
The response that you get from your reality check in the previous step lets you gauge what you'll need to do to get beyond the mistake. For example, if the response is something like "You screwed up badly, you jerk," some groveling may be in order.
On the other hand, if the response is more like "Yeah, I was offended/angry/surprised, but it's no big deal," your apology can be more perfunctory:
"John, I'm really sorry that I overreacted and would like to meet with you to apologize in person and make a commitment to never allow myself to act that way in the future."
Shortcut: When you've screwed up
DON'T try to fix things immediately; take some time to think.
REMEMBER that eventually nobody will care what happened.
Amazon's 2013 e-commerce sales totaled more than those of the nine other largest U.S. merchants, combined, according to data from Internet Retailer, an e-commerce research firm.
The online retail giant topped the charts at $67.9 billion — that's $49.6 billion more than the second-largest online retailer, Apple, which clocked in at $18.3 billion. Traditional big-box chains such as Walmart and Staples took third and fourth place, respectively. Netflix, at no. 7, also cracked the top 10 with $4.4 billion. Dell came in at no. 10 with $3.6 billion.
Amazon announced a wearable-technology store late last month, and as of Monday, it now lets customers add items to their shopping carts directly from Twitter. The site's sales totaled $19.7 billion in the first quarter of 2014, meeting expectations.
The following chart, created by Statista, shows how Amazon's 2013 sales compare to its competitors:
Want to leave your job and work for yourself as a freelance designer? Here's what you need to do.
We'd all like to leave our jobs and set off on our own. But without discipline and careful project management, you can end up overworked, underpaid and worse off than before.
So, here’s one of those things they didn't teach you at design school; there are a dozen stages to every freelance job you do - and the fun part, making things, is just one of them.
If you want to get consistent work, if you want to deliver on time and, most importantly, get paid, stick to this step-by-step workflow. It will minimise chaos and help you concentrate on making great designs that earn you enough money to become self-employed and boss-free.
01. Getting clients
The best contacts are made offline, so check out Eventbrite for good networking events
As a freelancer or small business, you need clients and - as well as getting your work seen - that means building a network. Start by joining relevant groups on LinkedIn, sign up to job boardsand freelancing sites.
But with all this online activity it’s easy to forget that the best contacts are made in the real world - so keep an eye out for business networking events in your area; coffee mornings for start-ups, Pecha Kucha evenings and so on. Try MeetUp andEventBrite to search for stuff happening near you.
02. Consultation
Sitting down for a conversation - physical or virtual - is an essential step when starting a project. A mistake that many rookie freelancers make is allowing clients to lead the process too much. This can be really bad for both of you. Talking things through helps you to avoid that. You know your practice and your business so it’s important to manage expectations as early as possible.
This is also the time to do any required negotiation; setting fees, your availability, a schedule for revisions and deadlines. If you skip this stage you may find that your client will dictate all of that for you, in terms that are favourable only to them.
Most importantly, you can build an understanding of your client’s needs. If you’re supplied with a brief by your client up front, go back to the client and use that as a guide for discussion, highlighting any areas you don’t understand.
03. Pitch
From consultation you can then formulate a pitch. A pitch can take several forms. It can be a physical presentation of your preliminary work or a detailed brief. Its enables you to show the client what you intend to do - and to get their agreement on that.
Your client will want to be involved creatively. It’s better to give them as much input at the pitch stage as possible, rather than in a few months time when you’ve produced work of finished quality.
04. Agreement
You need to have everything that you intend to do written down
So far, everything has been formative. This is where things get serious. More established organisations will have a standard contract for outsourcing, but many won’t.
You don’t actually need a legally notarized contract, but you do need to have everything that you intend to do written down. A Letter of Agreement is a perfect mechanism for this. Make sure it details what work you intend to undertake (including amendments), the deadlines that you’ve agreed, fees for the work and, crucially, what you will charge for additional work added to the agreement.
If you don’t know where to start, try out free legal documents site LawDepot - with free templates for work contracts and service agreements you can amend, then reuse again and again.
05. Time management
Having a list and ticking things off it is a great way to prevent panic
Time management tools are your best protection against the agents of chaos. Online services like Todoist and Producteevenable you to break down any project into a list of bite-size tasks. They’re also available as mobile apps.
There’s much to be recommended in these tools. Being able to tick off a task from your list gives you a feeling of progress - and keeps every project on track and on time.
06. Preparation
Prep will vary from practitioner to practitioner but we know one thing for certain; if you try to skip this stage you’ll fall on your face. Make sure that you have all the equipment and software you need to complete the task. Make sure all that equipment is working.
For some jobs you’ll need to prototype; create wireframes, sketches, storyboards, do research and so on. Ensure you have studio time booked, tickets sorted, meetings arranged - all in advance. Don’t skimp on this step - it’s tempting, but this is where you’ll find the holes in your boat before you set sail.
07. Creative
Here’s the bit you like to do - the part you trained to do. Notice that it’s only one step among many because, even though you may call yourself a designer or illustrator or web developer, this is only a small part of the job. Without mastering the other steps, you won’t be working in the industry for long. It’s also the tipping point. Every step after this should have been prepared for in the first six.
08. Delivery
Your consultation process should have enabled you to arrive at a realistic, mutually agreed deadline. Don’t miss it. You should also have decided exactly how to deliver the work too. All this should be detailed in your letter of agreement.
09. Review
This step is out of your hands, but you do need to be prepared for it and to expect it. That’s why there’s a consultation phase.
One of the frustrating things about any creative collaboration with corporate entities is that your clients will invariably want changes made. The criticism you receive may be constructive and you may find that it will help you to continue and refine your process with that client. Sometimes, it won’t be. Expect a Bernard or Brenda from marketing, with an A level in Art to be particularly insightful.
10. Revision
It’s important to make sure that you don’t get locked into a nightmare cycle of endless revision. One way to ensure that doesn’t happen is by specifying a limited number of revisions in your letter of agreement - and make sure that you get paid for any revisions or amendments beyond that point.
11. Book keeping
Online services can help take the pain out of bookkeeping
It’s funny that so many creative freelancers and businesses think of bookkeeping as the boring part... But you can’t make a living from creativity if you don’t invoice.
There are some free - or reasonably inexpensive - online services that can help you out with that. CurdBee is one of the most comprehensive and, at $5 a month, cost-effective entries. It includes features that enable you to track time on a job and export data to spreadsheet formats. There’s alsoMakeSomeTime, a prettier, simpler online invoicing tool.
If you and your clients are happy to use PayPal, business users can generate their own invoices on the platform, free.
One of our favourite new(ish) financial toys is SimpleTax. It’s an online system that you enter all your invoiced earnings and expenses into. At the end of the financial year it calculates your tax for you and you can file your return to the HMRC. Goodbye accountacy fees.
12. Payment
Finally all the hard work pays off and you get to spend the money on iPads and beer. Sometimes, though, clients prefer to keep your money in their bank account. Naughty clients.
Go all the way back to your letter of agreement again, first. You should agree a maximum payment period with your client upfront. Thirty days is standard in law.
If resubmitting your invoice doesn’t work, a letter restating your original terms should be sent. Make sure that it’s sent 'signed-for'. LawDepot may come in handy again - you can use the service to find a template for a sternly worded letter. Unlike emails and texts, you can prove a recorded letter has arrived.
This year's tax season has finally been put to bed. And many people -- both small-business owners and consumers -- are breathing a collective sigh of relief. However, there is a fundamental difference between business and personal finances when it comes to taxes. While the “average Joe” may not have to worry about taxes again until next year, “Joe the small-business owner” needs to start thinking about his next quarterly tax filing now. Yes, for the small business owner, the taxman cometh four times a year.
While this is bound to cause anxiety, it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With proper planning and the right financial tools, many business owners can approach each filing with confidence.
For the entrepreneur who has achieved this, I applaud you. And for the rest, to start you off on the right track for next year I’ve flagged seven financial faux pas that are commonly overlooked by small businesses.
1. Not keeping financial records up-to-date. This is the number-one mistake small-business owners make and also the most important to remedy. While it seems logical to keep records accurate, it is easier said than done. No one wants to pour over accounts payable, receivables and cashflow at the end of a long day, which is why this important part of the business is often overlooked.
One way to help manage this is to employ financial tools that do the work for you. The cloud has opened up a myriad of applications that can “speak to one another” and automate backend services. Additionally, the anytime, anywhere ability of cloud computing and smartphones makes it so you can update your books on the go.
2. Skipping the annual budgeting and financial forecasting. If you don’t have something to measure against, how will you know if you are on track? Data is knowledge, so create a simple plan based on your business insights and knowledge of market trends to forecast ahead and plan accordingly.
3. Not meeting with an accounting professional regularly. Remove some of the burden by working regularly with an accounting professional and use their expertise to your benefit. Indeed, a recent survey of 400 accountants by analytics company Zogby, found 65 percent recommend business owners meet with their accounting counterpart at least once per month to maintain good financial standing. (The study was commissioned by Xero.)
4. Misclassification of employees. This issue is becoming increasingly important as more businesses outsource jobs to contractors. It is also something the IRS has been paying close attention to, so be cautious! Misclassification can result in big fines and government scrutiny. Play it safe and classify accordingly.
5. Not incorporating your business. Not incorporating is not an option. Most SMBs choose an S.Corp or LLC filing because of tax purposes — meaning that you file your business taxes at the same time as your personal income taxes, but the entities are kept separate. This provides a little extra security in that, if something goes wrong with your business, you won’t lose your personal assets with it.
6. Incorrectly filing your business. Choosing the right business structure (i.e. LLC, S Corp. or Corp.) can be confusing, but it’s worth putting some thought into. Most small businesses opt for an S.Corp or LLC. It’s important to have an idea on how you want to structure your business and then file accordingly. But most importantly, make sure to file.
7. Mixing personal with business expenses. Small businesses are afforded tax breaks and write offs that are typically unavailable to the general population. These include home office deductions, mileage, some business meals, utilities and travel expenses. Make sure you are taking advantage of these and not leaving money on the table, but be careful not to over indulge, as excessive deductions are one of the biggest triggers of an audit.
Good financial health is something that needs to be fostered 365 days a year. Avoid the financial "sins" and use the proper financial structures to keep your company on the right path.
As the first grandchild of a former U.S. President (George W. Bush) and the great grandchild of another former U.S. President (George HW Bush), this baby will have some serious political clout.
Future Hollywood Royalty: Dashiell Weinstein
AP
Parents: Harvey Weinstein and Georgina Chapman
Harvey Weinstein, Hollywood's biggest producer, and his wife Georgina Chapman, fashion designer and founder of Marchesa, welcomed a son last April, named Dashiell.
This is the couple's second child together, but their first son. With his parents' high-profile Hollywood connections, this baby will be a major player in the entertainment world.
Future Oligarch: Leah Lou Abramovich
Getty Images
Parents: Roman Abramovich and Daria 'Dasha' Zhukova
This is the seventh child for Abramovich, who owns the Chelsea Football Club.
Future English Monarch: Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge
Chris Jackson / Getty Images
Parents: Kate Middleton and Prince William
Prince George, the son of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, has taken the world by storm since he was born last July. He's already made his public debut in on an official royal tour in New Zealand, and is quickly becoming a fashion icon, just like his mom.
Baby North West, or Nori, was born last June. Her parents, Kim and Kanye (or Kimye), got a lot of flack for giving her such a unique name, but the world soon forgave them when it saw just how cute she is.
Her parents love the spotlight, and chances are that baby Nori will
Six-month-old Joseph Kushner and his two-year-old sister Arabella have quite the empire to inherit: Ivanka is reportedly worth $150 million and Jared's net worth is around $200 million. With his parents' business drive and money, baby Joseph is bound to be a successful business person.
Actress Olivia Wilde announced the birth of her son with fiance Jason Sudeikis in a hilarious tweet that said "Ladies and gentlemen, Otis Alexander Sudeikis has LEFT the building! (I'm the building)"
Both Wilde and Sudeikis are well-known for their comedic chops, and if baby Otis is anything like his parents, making people laugh will come naturally to him.
Future Tennis Pros: Leo and Lenny Federer
Reuters
Parents: Roger and Mirka Federer
Just this week, tennis legend Roger Federer and his wife Mirka welcomed their second set of twins: boys Leo and Lenny. The Swiss couple also has four-year-old twin girls Myla Rose and Charlene Riva.
If dad Roger starts training his kids early, he'll have a full team on his hands.
Future U.S. President: Baby Clinton-Mezvinsky
AP Images
Parents: Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky
Just last month, Chelsea Clinton announced that she and her husband, hedge-funder Marc Mezvinsky, are expecting their first child later this year.
If this baby is anything like his or her grandparents, a former U.S. President (Bill Clinton) and a potential U.S. President (Hillary Clinton), he or she has a good shot at being president, too.
Making this simple and short exercise a part of your daily routine will help you and your business.
Many corporations use meditation to help employees bring new ideas to the table--Shell Oil, Google, General Mills to name a few. I think it's also important for entrepreneurs to make meditation part of their daily routine.
Since I built time for meditation into my workweek, my capacity to shape the glimmer of an idea into a fully developed proposal has both expanded and become more efficient. My increased productivity speaks for itself about the benefits of meditation, and science backs up my experience. Researchers have found that people who meditate 30 minutes a day for eight weeks have improved focus, memory, and cognitive flexibility. Meditation triggers high-frequency brain waves associated with attention and perception: it feeds the wellspring of human creativity.
Give meditation a try to get your creative juices flowing. Here's how to start.
Find a meditation technique that works for you.
There are many ways to meditate. To start: try sitting mediation. Whether you sit on a chair or cross-legged on the floor, make sure that your spine is upright with head up, chin straight ahead. Count your breaths, an ancient meditation practice. On your out-breath, silently count one, then two on the in-breath, up to four, then return to one. If your thoughts begin to stray, or you find yourself counting beyond four, return to one.
Keep your eyes open; closing your eyes can lead you to drift away on certain thoughts. Stare at the flame of a candlelight if that helps, or a picture of a pleasant landscape. Repeating a simple chant (perhaps the ubiquitous Om) also helps keep your mind clear and focused.
Begin by meditating 10 or 15 minutes two or more times per week. Gradually build up to 30-minute session over several weeks. You can get coaching help too. Try using the free app Insight Connect. Insight Connect provides users with guided meditation sessions that last as long as you choose.
I put meditation to work by scheduling a consistent time--no calls, no appointments, no interruptions ever during this 30-minute period in my office (and also at home) when I focus on my breathing and let go of all other thoughts. It takes practices and discipline, but your capacity to let go increases each time you meditate.
Focus on de-stressing.
Meditation strengthens cognitive control. The ability to concentrate is enhanced when meditation quiets other brain functions. After one of my 30-minute meditation sessions I find that I have a burst of creative and associative energy--I listen more acutely to my colleagues and am better able to synthesize disparate ideas into an action plan.
The spark of creativity is ignited when we are able to get out of our own way by letting go of preconceived notions, inward distractions of day-to-day worries, habitual associations. Creativity, in other words, stems from the state of mind induced by meditation.
Practice meditating daily.
If you exercise your brain this way you can make it stronger and more innovative than you were yesterday. Thirty minutes of "mindfulness" at the office as a substitute for outmoded brainstorming sessions can make us all stop and think.
The hows of meditation have been around for millennia. They are simple to learn, and, although they require consistent practice, they will return increasing rewards as you build them into your weekly or even daily routine.
In the early stages, you can't assess radical ideas using stats like projected revenues or cost savings. Here's how to determine which bold ideas are worth keeping.
Organizations often fail to adopt potentially game-changing ideas. Typically, it's because the internal idea-evangelists fail to convince the C-Suite that the ideas will either boost profits or cut costs.
But the problem, notes author and former McKinsey consultant Kaihan Krippendorff in a fascinating article on the Knowledge@Wharton site, isn't the idea evangelists. The problem is that most organizations are erring in using such bottom-line numbers to measure the potential of new ideas.
Why the Bottom Line Is Less Important in Early Stages
Intuit co-founder Scott Cook has famously told his internal disruptive teams to spend almost no time doing financial forecasting or plotting plans on spreadsheets. The reason is one Krippendorff would appreciate: An early-stage idea shouldn't be prematurely assessed by dollar potential.
As Krippendorff observes, "industry-shaping ideas rarely show signs of being able to meet these measures early on." Moreover, their value "cannot be accurately predicted in their early stages."
All of which makes sense, but it leaves a gaping question: How, then, should companies evaluate bold ideas in their early stages? Here are three suggestions:
1. Assess the idea's potential to help--or harm--the brand. Krippendorff writes about how one company he worked with "had developed an idea that looked more like building a movement than producing a can of sugar-water." In other words, there was a risk that the idea would be dismissed for its scope and degree of difficulty. The solution was to frame the impact of a movement as something that could--if not acted on--eventually threaten the company's brand:
Knowing the CEO may resist this new idea, we reframed it as a defensive move to protect against a threat to the company's core brand. The idea won funding. In two to three years, we hope this idea provides brand protection and also generates profits. But had we argued its attractiveness based on profits alone, senior management would have probably killed the idea.
By aligning a new idea with the company's brand, you're affiliating it with something that any organization has a vested interest in protecting and preserving. That's important to recognize, especially when the path to profitability for a new idea may be difficult to predict or demonstrate.
2. Assess the idea's potential to bring in new customers. In business circles, it's generally more acceptable to have smaller margins on new customers, just to "get them in the door," so to speak. Moreover, the act of customer acquisition is never an easy thing, whether the organization is young or mature. Any idea that can potentially add new customers--even if the initial cost for doing so seems high--is worthy of the top team's consideration.
There are countless tools you can use to assess new customer potential, many of which are low-cost, such as SurveyMonkey. You can also use social media. Scott Gerber's primer reveals some basic questions you should ask.
3. Assess the idea's potential to inspire current and prospective employees. Krippendorff points out that many innovative employees end up leaving organizations precisely because the organization did not appreciate the potential of their bold new ideas.
He cites a recent survey from Accenture, in which 93 percent of the self-employed respondents who previously worked at large corporations say that they pursued an entrepreneurial idea within their previous company first. Of this entire self-employed population, a whopping 57 percent say their company did not support their pursuits. "Entrepreneurs want to build their ideas inside companies," Krippendorff concludes. "They don't mind doing so while they continue other duties, but companies are not supporting them."
No one's saying you should support a miserable idea for the sole purpose of employee retention. But it's possible to encourage employees in their pursuit of bold ideas, while still holding the line on which ones get the top team's attention.
One way to do this is to actually celebrate when a brave new idea gets killed. That might sound strange, but one company that makes a habit of such eulogies is W.L. Gore, the chemical products company that makes Gore-Tex.
"Mistakes made in the pursuit of novel solutions are accepted as part of the creative process. When a project is killed, staff celebrate its passing with beer and champagne," notes the MIT Sloan Management Review. "When a project fails, a post-mortem is conducted. Flawed concept or poor execution? Bad decisions? The goal of these post-mortems is not to punish, but to learn and improve."
