Posts Tagged ‘start-up business’

Raise your hand, volunteer

Friday, May 6th, 2011

Raise hands from FreeFoto.com

As a writer, a sole proprietor of a business communications company I need to know where my time goes. It isn’t all spent staring out the window looking for inspiration for a catchy phrase for a subject line of an e-newsletter. Sometimes I need to take a hard look at how I spend my time and re-focus on activities that are productive. You may say, define productive. Can you measure the results of the time you spend doing volunteer work?

Expectations of volunteering

Do you simply compare the time spent to the rewards achieved? Remember what Albert Einstein said, “Not everything that counts can be counted. And not everything that can be counted, counts.”

What are your expectations of volunteer activities? Are you looking for business, personal enrichment, knowledge, social interaction, recognition, work experience?

Do you want to share knowledge, help others, promote a good cause, nurture other businesses, give back to your community, raise funds for a charity, enrich your spiritual life?

Volunteers are the critical core of success of many organizations. Putting a dollar value on volunteer activities takes away the real meaning. Motivated volunteers hold our community together and allow useful organizations to exist and continue to provide useful services.

Where do you volunteer?

I do most of my work in my office, by myself, as I try to create content for websites and newsletters. When a volunteer activity comes up, I usually jump at the chance to get out of my office and I cherish the opportunity to talk to people face to face.

As a volunteer ambassador with the Brampton Board of Trade I can help businesses make connections with each other at After Hours Events. My principle has always been to give. Many years ago when I started my first business, I found that other business owners provided me with helpful advice and connections. I hope I can do the same as an ambassador. It’s not about selling my business services it’s about helping others make connections.

Since the early or mid 1990s I have been a member of HPCA (the Halton Peel Communications Association.) For this past year I have been on the 5-person executive serving as the Meeting Coordinator. My job is to organize monthly events with speakers or activities that provide professional development for a group of sole proprietors who are writers, editors, podcasters, videographers, PR professionals, photographers, graphic designers and web developers.

HPCA is such a friendly group of talented people. The members are an endless source of information and help. The time commitment is insignificant when compared to what this group gives back in knowledge, collaboration, and camaraderie. In the course of conversations with other board members, I pick up all sorts of helpful information on the latest tools and technology and strategies to handle this ever-changing world of communication.

In addition to these business-related volunteer contributions, I spend a similar amount of time on church committees and activities. This deep commitment is a very personal one that brings me satisfaction because I feel I am helping where I can. All I have, (and that is GREAT deal) comes from God above, and I am committed to giving back as best I can.

Many hands

I still do have time to run my business and my household. Sometimes it is hard to keep a proper balance and I force myself to make tough choices. In a volunteer context, the old phrase, “many hands make light work” holds true.

It’s my hope that more business owners would step up and volunteer when a need is expressed. If you are like me, by volunteering, you’ll uncover talents that you have not yet allowed yourself to exercise. You’ll have fun, you’ll laugh and yes, sometimes you’ll cry. You’ll meet new and inspiring people. You’ll experience a sense of accomplishment that cannot be measured and cannot be evaluated with price tag.

Tags: start-up business, volunteer, web site content, writer, writing | 1 Comment »

Collaboration is essential for success

Tuesday, February 15th, 2011

No matter the size of your company, it is difficult to work alone and still succeed. As a start-up business or as an established freelance writer, we all have to work, consult and collaborate with others to complete projects. Who is in your network that can help you with the next assignment? Who is in the next cubicle or in the office down the hall with knowledge or skills to help you? What is it that you do best and how can you use your time to the best advantage?

A puzzling collaboration

I once conducted a face-to-face communication seminar for front line managers at a company with about 150 employees. We had three or four teams of managers at the session. We started out discussing the importance of teamwork and pride of accomplishment. Each team picked a name to help them boost team identity. I gave each team a bag full of jigsaw puzzle pieces and told them they had seven minutes to solve all the puzzles. What I did not tell them was that each puzzle had a couple of missing pieces and that the other teams the missing pieces. Unless they collaborated with the other teams, no one could complete a puzzle.

It was fascinating to watch how the exercise unfolded and to slowly see the light dawn. One team realized that they couldn’t solve the puzzle and started looking around the room. They would have to ask another team for help. ONLY by pooling all their resources were they able to solve all the puzzles. Perhaps it was a trite way to make a point. Throughout the day the message was reinforced. Communicate and collaborate for success. Eventually they recognized that in their everyday work as well, not just in this exercise, they needed to engage with others who had essential roles to play.

Collaborative partners supplement your expertise

In my own business providing writing services, my most profitable projects have been ones in which I collaborated with other professionals who complement my skill set. I am a writer and I don’t do page layout, unless the client wants the final product to look like my eighth grade art project. When design and page layout are needed I call a professional graphic designer to provide the quality product my client wants.

I am a writer of web content and I don’t do website design or development. When a client needs web design I call in a professional web site designer to do the job. Or, when web designers have clients that need web content written, they call me. It works both ways.

Collaborators learn from each other

Working on a common challenge with people who are willing and open to share ideas and solutions can be powerful and profitable. I have found that giving and receiving feedback helps me to identify ways to improve and change. It makes us all better at what we do.

Where can you add value to your client’s projects? When is it time to call in reinforcements to meet a deadline or to complete a task where your expertise is lacking? Can you set up a team of experts to enable you to submit proposals for bigger projects?

You’ll have an opportunity to hear about successful collaborations and learn about the depth of expertise in the membership of HPCA at our March 22 Bring and Brag Event.

Tags: collaboration, start-up business, web site content, writer, writing, writing services | No Comments »

Critique my work, please.

Friday, April 23rd, 2010

As a freelance writer, I strive to meet my customers’ expectations, deadlines and budget. Who would say anything else? It would be self-defeating to say that I try to miss deadlines, go over budget and deliver sloppy copy. How do you persuade customers to provide feedback that you can use to improve your writing assignments? Generally speaking, the corporate world does not have editors who tell you why your story does not work. I think that most freelancers would appreciate receiving constructive customer feedback – feedback that helps identify strengths and weaknesses.

Work comes to me in various forms. Ideally, I want to receive a creative brief that

outlines the goal of the project
describes a product or service
provides insight into the target audience
explains the desired style and tone
provides lots of background information and resources
details the project schedule.

It’s not an ideal world, so most of my assignments come to me as the result of a phone call or an email. I get requests to write media releases, white papers, some web pages, brochures or corporate video scripts. I ask questions until I have enough information to create my own creative brief for each project. Based on that information I do the necessary research, create an outline and start writing. Asking follow-up questions early in the process (before submitting the first draft) is a huge time saver for the client and for me.

If my submission is not acceptable, I’ll hear about it. The phone will ring or there will be a quick reply to my email, with questions and requests for revisions, etc. When this happens it gives me more insight into the client and what they need and like. This valuable information contributes to on-target messaging for the current project and gives useful background for future assignments with this client. I consider it really helpful to know where my writing missed its mark.

Satisfied customers seldom respond with anything more than an acknowledgement that they received the file with a brief comment such as, “Great work,” “thanks, got the file now we’ll be able to meet our deadline.” So what did they like about it? What created the satisfaction? What was it that worked especially well? How will I know the best way to handle their next writing assignment?

As a freelance writer, I appreciate receiving feedback on what was especially good about the submission, or what strayed from desired result. I encourage managers who are outsourcing writing assignments to provide specific and detailed feedback to their writers. It’s the only way we can improve our services to meet your expectations, deadlines and budget.

Tags: business goals, entrepreneur, freelance writing, start-up business, writing, writing services | No Comments »

Running a business is like riding a bike

Monday, April 5th, 2010

Last year I re-started my writing and editing business after a 10-year dormant period. ( I spent 10-years “in house” in corporate communications.) As I started to reconnect with former business acquaintances, make new connections at various business networking events, I learned about new business tools that are now available to entrepreneurs. I put a lot of effort in getting the word out about the writing services that my business provides.

In the warm spring weather this last weekend, it occurred to me that riding a bicycle is lot like running your own business. Recently I fell heir to a 21-speed bicycle – a far cry from the no-speed that I learned to ride as a kid and the three-speed I rode during my university days and at my first real job.

Last weekend, armed with a new helmet and an anatomically friendly saddle, I headed off on the cycle paths in my neighbourhood. I was a bit tenuous, at first. Until I figured out the gear mechanism, I was doing a lot of fast pedaling and not making very much progress. This is where the comparison to running your own business comes in.

In bicycling, you have to lift both feet off the ground and put them on the pedals; balance all your efforts and concentrate on moving forward. With that pedaling effort, you eventually up-shift, and your efforts are more efficient and you cover a lot of ground.

Starting a business requires a concerted effort, tenacity and patience. In business, your networking efforts sometimes seems as if you are just pedaling really fast and getting no where. When you do it properly, you can reap results. You start by meeting contacts, having follow-up meetings to better understand what they do and how you can help them. Then you can connect them with potential clients. You can create opportunities to get exposure for your own business and begin to meet potential clients. At first, it seemed to me that I was doing a lot of fast pedaling without covering much ground. Now, things seem to be getting in gear and I am covering more ground, gaining more exposure and getting referrals for my business writing services.

For bicycling, you need the proper equipment. A 21-speed is far more efficient than a three-speed; a proper helmet provides a valuable protection; and an appropriate saddle gives some added comfort. A bell lets people know you are on the road. It also helps to be in good shape physically to manage those long rides in the country. (that part still needs a LOT of work.)

As a writer and editor, I need a robust computer, software and communication tools to run my business. A well-equipped office with an ergonomic workstation is essential for a healthy workplace. I have business cards and a web site to let people know I’m in business. Finding the right networking groups, finding good partners for referrals, finding good sounding boards for your business questions all help to advance business. You need to know how to use the tools to their best advantage.

What gear are you in? Are you just pedaling fast and not making any progress? Are you coasting down hill, racing along the flat or grinding up hill?

Tags: entrepreneur, start-up business, writing services | No Comments »