Are you an Internet Entrepreneur? Then You Probably Need Some Tips to Manage Your Cash Flow

As an internet entrepreneur, you are managing a business that requires you to manage your cash flow. Managing your cash flow is an important task and not to be neglected. It will aid your business to soar to greater heights or fall from grace.

Weigh the Opportunity Cost

During the first few month or even years, your start-up or internet business will be generating little to no profit. You would most likely be working for free, being the owner of your business. Most start-up or internet entrepreneurs will be faced with the same problem, tight cash flow. Naturally, most people will tend to save cost by selecting the cheapest offerings or product. It is not wrong to select the cheapest but I would recommend you to weigh the opportunity cost of the spending. There are some task and projects which are suitable for cost reduction and some not so appropriate.

Quoting an example: If your company is promoting high end software for sale, in a bid to save cost you signed up low priced hosting that makes your site loads slowly and crashes many times in a month. Before even trying your product or look at the pricing, your clients would most probably not have much confidence in your product.

As a business consultant, it is my recommendation that you ensure the decisions made be inline with your company goal and objective

Planning ahead

You do not have to be an accountant or finance person to manage your cash flow well. It is all about planning ahead, it does not matter how well or bad you are currently doing, sometimes it makes a huge difference if you are able to pull through the difficult time by hanging in there and just be in operation before the next big break comes along. Therefore, managing your finances well is very important. Plan ahead by generating a report on when and how much funds are coming in and which period to take note of when cash flow are low.

Back-up Funds

Some companies do not keep track of their finances and they tend to stretch their finances to the maximum.  A business coach can help you be accountable.  A company generating negative cash flow could risk the chance of getting into liquidation. It is always good to have back-up funds ready so when there is a essential need for the  funds, you would be prepared. With strong cash flow, you would be able to carry out your expansion plan smoothly. Or during any difficult period, these back-up funds might just be your life boat.

I hope the above pointers mentioned will help you better in managing your cash flow. With a healthy cash flow and sound financial decision you should be able to manage your company well.

Source:
www.annemcgurty.com
480-442-2014

Squeezed into a corner? Maximize whatever space you have.

Winston Churchill once said, “We shape our buildings; thereafter, they shape us.” How true, not just for hotels but for our offices as well.

Studies have found that the physical space in which we work affects satisfaction, productivity, and even learning. Yet few of us take time to strategize and organize our workplaces or our homes.

Imagine an office where you show up every day and feel excited each day to get started because your desk is inviting you to sit down. Your chair is ergonomically correct, you have all the latest technology, and you have comfortable seats for your guests. When your office is right, you will feel comfortable and energized. When you check into your office each morning, you will have the right keys for being organized.

Here are a few keys and a few simple steps, ranging from the right work-space system to ergonomic-friendly products that can help businesses boost employee productivity and ease.

Be ergonomically correct
Keep a massage ball handy to free your hands from stress. People performing repetitive activities on a keyboard or an adding machine can injure their hands. A stress ball will help you exercise your hands in new ways, rather than just typing.

Arrange your office room in such a way as to maintain appropriate air circulation. Position yourself away from air conditioning vents that push air right on top of you.

Position your computer monitor twenty-four to thirty-seven inches away from you with the screen at or below eye level to reduce strain on your neck and shoulders.

If you are on the phone a lot, use a headset or a quality speakerphone so that you can listen and write notes at the same time.


Create an at-home work-space 
Designate a spot in your home to do your business and money activities such as Internet research, writing thank-you notes, managing your schedule, and paying bills.

Always do work activities in that space and only that space.  Then you’ll always know where everything is.

Arrange your main office
Arrange your office furniture for maximum use of the space.
Create a specific location for specific things, such as client files, supplies, books, calendar, briefcase, and appointment book.
Place your most frequently accessed files nearest your work desk.
Place peripherals and hardware where you can reach them without crossing the room.
Secure cables off the floor. Label them, so you always know what they are and to which equipment they connect.

Work anywhere
Wherever you are, keep your works flowing.

Create a portable office 
Have an “on the go” system ready to roll whenever and wherever you go. Even at a moment’s notice, you can always have your schedule, work plan, and appointments list handy—in the car or however you travel.

Get set up for mobility
Keep your critical information at hand by using a PDA (personal digital assistant). These devices have become mainstream and have the functionality of a computer but are compact enough to throw in a briefcase, handbag, or pocket (e.g., iPhone, SmartPhone). This mobility can also be done with a laptop, which can be set up so you can work offline on your email, and once you hook up to the Internet it will synch, send, and reconcile your email.

Through Microsoft Outlook, you can synchronize your task list, calendar, and address book to your home computer using Microsoft Exchange.   However, assess your true needs before you purchase. Keep it simple.

Use the same organizing methods
Wherever you work—at the office or at home—consistency simplifies your thought process.  Use the same system.

Unclutter your brain. Let organizing do the work for you…so you do not have to try to remember what you were doing or where you put something.

An inefficient work-space is seldom life threatening, but it still hurts us on the job. Studies show that each year 1.8 million workers develop injuries related to ergonomic factors.

That translates into an annual productivity cost of more than $60 billion. The personal cost is even greater. A messy office hampers our job performance, robs us of our confidence, and prevents us from spending valuable time with our family and friends.

In 1982, there was a criminology theory called “broken windows theory.” The theory was about the effects of urban disorder and vandalism on crime and anti-social behavior. You know—park a car in a nice neighborhood and chances are no one will hurt it. Throw a brick through the windshield, however, and the car is likely to be vandalized. That’s the broken window theory. And that’s also the power of image and respect.

What about your workplace? What message are you sending out about your office? That you’re competent and efficient? Or that you’re disorganized and out of control?

Source:
www.annemcgurty.com
480-442-2014
Lost In Your Own Office:  Tips for Getting Organized

Overwhelmed by Email? Maximize this invaluable resource

Are you way behind in your email? Think about how you handle email and why. Then strategize and organize to get your email under control.

Take a look at some of these key tips to organize the volume of email.

Synch your email

• Use a SmartPhone that is synchronized to the email on your computer it's really easy these days as most phones are automatically configured to your Gmail our Outlook account with just a few simple minutes configuring the settings. 
• Take those free minutes standing in line or waiting for an appointment to clear your email, keep scrolling and delete what isn't necessary. 

Set aside a time for email

• Focus time to check business email once a day, but not first thing in the morning. Does your morning (or main) work first so you do not get sidetracked
• Limit yourself to focus one hour of answering emails to keep your work goals on plan rather than respond to new inquiries. 

Answer business email within twenty-four hours. Set up an auto-responder when you can’t.

• Turn off the audible or ghost alert. 
• Check personal email during non-work time. 
• Unsubscribe from email lists you do not read.

Send efficient messages

• Use the subject line to clearly describe the purpose of your email. This helps the recipient, and it helps you when you are trying to find a message you previously sent.
• If your email requires an action by the recipient or is urgent, put URGENT or DECISION in the subject line or use the “urgent” notation provided in your email program. 
• Keep it short. Keep it simple. One topic per email. Do not overload with too much information. It might be overlooked…and where would you file it?
• Compose lengthy or complicated emails in your word-processing program, and then copy/paste into the email. If you have a glitch during the sending process, you can easily retrieve the message. 
• When replying to email, include enough of the old message that the recipient knows what you are talking about. Delete unnecessary information.
• When forwarding an email, delete the other email addresses. 

Follow up weekly

• Review your sent emails weekly. If you haven’t received a response, follow up.

Use BCC

• When sending an email to multiple addresses, put your email address in the “To” line and the recipients’ addresses in the “BCC” line (blind carbon copies). That way, only one name shows up and the recipients do not see everyone else’s names. Do not broadcast other people’s email addresses. 

Monitor attachments

• These two steps will keep your computer from receiving and spreading viruses: Do not open an attachment unless you know who sent it and you’re expecting it. Only send email attachments when the recipient is expecting it.
• If a file is too large to send through regular email, use Google Drive or DropBox.  These free services (for initial accounts) allow you to upload files and send invitations to specific individuals to open and download that file.  These services prevent the email from clogging the recipient’s mailbox and slowing down the sending and receiving process.

Monitor downloads

• Do not download anything unless you know who sent it, what it is, and you are expecting it. 
• Set up your email program to manually download upon your direction. 

Set preferences for receiving emails

• Set a file size limit for receiving emails; most are thirty to fifty kilobytes. This is especially useful if you travel without fast Internet access. 
• To prevent your inbox from overflowing, ask yourself: “Does this information contribute to my professional or personal goals?” If not, delete (such as by using Orla). 
• If you are unavailable for a period of time, set the “Out of Office” feature so senders will receive one automatic message as to when you will return. 
• Some email programs allow changing the subject line of an incoming message, so you can more easily find and retrieve the letter later. 

Eliminate clutter

• Open and read an email only when you are ready to act on it. 
• Before you read your emails, go through and delete the ones that obviously do not interest you or do not need to be saved or clearly are spam. 
• Set up block controls for spam. 

File online and offline

• Take some time to manage and organize email files, folders, and cabinets offline on your hard drive, and online through your service provider, where it remains even if your hard drive crashes. 
• Copy an email to your hard drive by using F12 on your PC.  This action converts your email into document that you can store in its appropriate folder within your hard drive, for example, under My Documents; create new folders such as My Finances, My Clients, My Correspondence, or Personal. 
• Turn emails into tasks by using Microsoft Outlook. Left-click on the email, drag it to your designated task folder, and drop it. A task window pops open with the email appended to it. Write in the task description; assign a priority and a due date. Click Save. Now you can delete the original email. Change the subject line to reflect the action required (e.g., change “re: Annual Meeting” to “Call travel agent re: Chicago trip”). 
• If you use a “tickler” date file system for hard copies (days 1-31, months Jan-Dec), print the related email and file into the folder for the day you will need it (e.g., a message with driving directions you will need on the date of the appointment).  

Get organized. Continue to think about how you work each day. When you understand why you feel like you’re always running but never getting ahead, you can change how you process your email. When you do, you’ll be able to check out of the office, feeling like you’re in control and on top of your job.

This blog post is an excerpt from Anne's book, Lost in Your Own Office.  Available at www.annemcgurty.com

Are you doing what is your passion?

This morning I was working on my website and I had the television on in the background and was listening to Wayne Dyer talking.  He said something that really struck home with me.

“When we live in a place of passion, we can create anything.  Passion is the creative source in our soul.. live it and let it be your number one source of living life.. it is God guiding you.”

As a business consultant, I know that may be a little too “God focused” for a business dialogue, but I see the value in living your passion.  When we feel something inside of us,driving us, and we ignore, I think we are destined to live in chaos.  The chaos is the conflict of doing what we think we should be doing versus what we enjoy doing.

I know I get so excited when I am working with people as a business coach, being productive, being of service.  It is obviously nurturing my soul when I am working with others, my clients, my friends.

Think about your life, try to feel it in your heart and soul.  Is it serving you? Or are you serving another force outside your comfort zone.  If your life is calm, organized, and balance, chances are you are living your passion.  If you are feeling conflict and disorder, there is opportunity to strategize and organize yourself into a more fulfilling life.

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Testimonials 

Anne is a professional and expert in organizational development and strategies. She inspires others with her knowledge and experience to become more productive and to seek out solutions to everyday obstacles in the workplace and home. Her dedicated approach towards her clients gives them that personal attention lost in today’s fast paced society. As both a friend and colleague I highly recommend Anne! — Lisa Jimenez, Director of Human Resources, Allied Business Schools

Anne McGurty of Strategize and Organize has made a tremendous impact on our business. Her skill in client service and experience has created significant results inside our firm. — Rob Ekern President/CEO, C.R. Ekern & Company and author of ‘Consultative Brokerage®: A Value Strategy

I have worked with Anne in the private sector, the public sector, and at home. Anne has a remarkable talent which makes initial organization, as well as continuity in knowing where things are, simple and logical. Anne’s coaching technique is very personable and caring. If I move to another job, I’m taking Anne with me! -- Sharla Allen ORH Manager at Wyoming Department of Health

Managing time and resources efficiently and effectively is critical to success. I found Anne skilled in identifying what aspects of time management and organizational management I needed help in and then being able to customize an approach to fit my needs (and then proceeded to do the same for my management team). It seems these days we are all pressed for time, thus I highly recommend you take a few minutes and learn where Anne can help you and your business. — Jeff Poe, CEO, Vision Care Specialists (formerly Executive Director of US Oncology)

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Manage Your Inbox: 4 Tips to Take Control of Your Email

If your email inbox is out of control, you might need to rethink your methods for organizing your email and emptying your Inbox. Developing a new approach to handling your Inbox will help you to gain more control, improve your response time, and stay up with critical actions and deadlines.
This post details four important aspects that can help you process your email more efficiently-both at home and at the office. Although some of the productivity tools mentioned here are specific to Microsoft Outlook (Outlook 2010. Outlook 2007, and Outlook Web Access), most of the techniques-and even the organizational attitude described here-can help you to more efficiently process email and empty your inbox, even if you use an email application other than Outlook.

1.   Set up a simple and effective email reference system.  The first step toward an organized inbox is learning the difference between reference information and action information.

•   Reference information is information that is not required to complete an action; it is information that you keep in case you need it later. Reference information is stored in your reference area, email reference folder, your My Documents folder, or in the cloud on Google Drive, for example.
•   Action information is information you must have to complete an action. Action information is stored with the action, either on your to-do list or on your Calendar.
Nearly everyone receives plenty of reference information through email. It may seem as half, if not more, of your email is reference information. So it is essential to have a system that makes it easy to transfer messages from your inbox into your email reference system-a series of email file folders where you store reference information to ensure you have easy access to it later.

After you take care of filing your reference information, you can use the next three steps to handle the email that you have to do something with-your action information.

2.   Schedule uninterrupted time to process and organize email

How many times are you interrupted every day? It's nearly impossible to complete anything when there are constant interruptions from the phone, people stopping by your office, and instant messaging. So it's critical that you set aside uninterrupted time to process and organize your email.
Many email messages require you to make a decision. The best decisions require focus, and focus requires uninterrupted attention. Establish a regular time each day to process your email so that you can empty your linbox Of course. you can scan your email during the day for urgent messages or requests from your boss or clients.

Book yourself a recurring appointment for an hour a day to process email, and mark that time as "busy." During that hour, don't answer the phone or take interruptions, and work only on processing your lnbox. You can also turn off the audio alert that chimes each time you receive a new email-which can be a distraction in itself. In Outlook, click the File tab. Click Options. On the Mail tab, under Message arrival, clear the Play a sound check box.

At first, keeping these appointments will take discipline. But over time. the discipline becomes habit. And after you completely empty your lnbox, you'll see the value of this one hour a day and you'll stick to it like glue.

With today's technology, synchronizing email to your Smartphone, it makes it easier to keep this email appointment and to process your lnbox. This standard Smartphone technology means that you don't have to be at home or at the office to keep your daily email management appointment.

Conversation view in Office 2010 enables you to organize email folders by date and conversation. When Conversation view is turned on. messages that share the same subject appear as conversations that can be viewed as expanded or collapsed, helping you to quickly review and act on messages or complete conversations.

Also, improved search tools in Office 2010 make it easier to narrow your search results by using criteria, like sender or subject keywords, and other information, such as attachments. The Search Tools contextual tab includes a set of filters that efficiently focus your search to isolate the items that you want For more information, see Find a message or item by using Instant Search.

3.   Process one item at a time, starting at the top.  When you sit down to process your email, the first step is to sort it by the order in which you will process it. For example, you can filter by date, by subject, or even by the sender or receiver of the email message.In Outlook 2010, on the View tab, in the Arrangement group, click the arrangement option you want.


From the View tab, you can filter your email by date, category, sender or receiver, and more. You can also change the arrangement directly from your lnbox. To display the list of options, under the Search box. right-click the Arrange By: box. The Arrange By: box in your lnbox gives you convenient access to even more options to arrange your messages.

Tip: If you use Outlook 2010. enable the reading pane (called the preview pane in Outlook 2007) so that you can view your messages without having to open them. To enablP. the reading pane. on the View tab, in the Layout group, click Reading Pane. To enable the Outlook 2007 preview pane, on the View menu, click AutoPreview.

Resist the temptation to jump around in your inbox in no particular order. Begin processing the message at the top of your inbox and only move to the second one after you've handled the first. This can be hard at first, when you might have thousands of messages in your inbox. But as you reduce the number of messages over a few sessions, eventually you'll get to the point where you can process the 60-100 messages you get every day and regularly get your inbox down to zero.

4.   Use the "Four Os for Decision-Making" model

The "Four Ds for Decision-Making" model (4 Ds) is a valuable tool for processing email, helping you to quickly decide what action to take with each item and how to remove it from your inbox.  The expanded Ribbon in Office 2010 is designed to help you quickly find the tools that you need to complete your tasks. Features are organized in logical groups collected together under tabs. You can also customize the Ribbon to include tabs you personalize to match your own style.

The expanded Ribbon in Outlook 2010 replaces Outlook 2007 menus, giving you easy access to tools on conveniently organized tabs.

The Quick Steps feature, new in Outlook 2010, speeds up managing your email even more. This feature enables you to perform the multi-stepped tasks you use most often, such as moving email to a specific folder or moving a message and replying to it with a meeting request, with a single click. The Quick Steps gallery includes buttons for one-click file and flag, sending messages to your team, and other popular commands. For more information, see Automate common or repetitive tasks with Quick Steps.

The Quick Steps feature turns your most frequent tasks-whether forwarding messages to your co-workers or copying messages to a specific folder-into one-click operations.

Tip: Learning a few basic keyboard shortcuts in Outlook 2010 can make performing these tasks even easier and faster. Read our article on how to save time with quick computer shortcuts.
Decide what to do with each and every message

How many times have you opened, reviewed, and closed the same email message or conversation? Those messages are getting lots of attention but very little action. It is better to handle each email message only once before taking action-which means you have to decide what to do with it and where to put it With the 4 Ds model. you have four choices:

1.   Delete it
2.   Do it
3.   Delegate it
4.   Defer it

Delete it
Generally, you can delete about half of all the email you get. But some of you shudder when you hear the phrase "delete email." You're hesitant to delete messages for fear that you might need them at some point. That's understandable, but ask yourself honestly: What percentage of information that you keep do you actually use?

If you do use a large percentage of what you keep, your method is working. But many of us keep a lot more than we use. Here are some questions to ask yourself to help you decide what to delete:

• Does the message relate to a meaningful objective you're currently working on? If not. you can probably delete it. Why keep information that doesn't relate to your main focus?
• Does the message contain information you can find elsewhere ? If so, delete it.
• Does the message contain information that you will refer to within the next six months? If not. delete it.
• Does the message contain information that you're required to keep? If not, delete it.

Easily delete an entire conversation so that no new responses to it will appear in your inbox.
When a message contains all the previous messages in the conversation, you can click Clean Up to eliminate redundant messages. For example, as people reply to a conversation, the response is at the top and the previous messages in the conversation are below. Use the Clean Up command to keep only the most recent message that includes the whole conversation. For more information. see Use Conversation Clean Up to eliminate redundant
messages.

Cleaning up your conversations makes it easier to stay focused on the task being discussed.

Do it (in less than two minutes)
If you can't delete the email messages. ask yourself. ''What specific action do I need to take?" and "Can I do it in less than two minutes?" If you can. just do it.

There is no point in filing an email or closing an email if you can complete the associated task in less than two minutes. Try it out-see how much mail you can process in less than two minutes. I think you will be extremely surprised and happy with the results. You could file the message. you could respond to the message. or you could make a phone call. You can probably handle about one-third of your email messages in less than two minutes.

Instant message allows you respond to email messages faster. You can often view the availability of a person and instantly reach out to them using a variety of instant messaging methods depending on apps opened, ie., SKYPE, Facebook, or WhatsApp. Sometimes it's just easier to do a qucik message.  Caution, it will be more difficult to follow the thread as it will be in multiple places.  If the thread is essential, keep the communication in one place.

Delegate it
If you can't delete it or do it in two minutes or less. can you forward the email to an appropriate team member who can take care of the task?
If you can delegate it (forward it to another team member to handle). do so right away. You should be able to compose and send the delegating message in about two minutes. After you have forwarded the message. delete the original message or move it into your email reference system.

Defer it
If you cannot delete it. do it in less than two minutes, or delegate it. the action required is something that only you can accomplish and that will take more than two minutes. Because this is your dedicated email processing time. you need to defer it and deal with it after you are done processing your email. You'll probably find that about 20 percent of your email messages have to be deferred.
There are two things you can do to defer a message: Turn it into an actionable task, or turn it into an appointment. When you're using Outlook, you can defer emails that require action by dragging the messages to your Task List to turn them into tasks. Name the task to clearly state the required action so that you don't have to reopen the email message. The result is a clearly defined list of actions on your Task List that you can prioritize and schedule to complete on your Calendar. Or you can turn the message into a meeting request by dragging it to your Calendar.

One of my Favorite Tips on Outlook: Use the To-Do Bar in Outlook 2010 and Outlook 2007 to drag an email message from an email folder to a date on your Calendar or to your Task List. On the View tab, in the Layout group. click the To-Do Bar. (i've yet to figure this out on Google.  Please comment if you know how to do as easily on Google on a desktop or even better on a Smartphone.)
When the bar appears, drag the message to your Calendar or to your Task List. This copies the message to the new location; it doesn't move it out of the original mail folder. so you'll still be able to find what you need.

Use the 4 Ds model every day
A concept I learned from an email management software, Orla (which I don't support anymore, although it was a brilliant concept).  Using the 4 Ds model on a daily basis makes it easier to handle a large quantity of email. Our experience shows that. on average, people can process about 100 email messages an hour. If you receive 40 to 100 messages per day, all you need is one hour of uninterrupted email processing time to get through your inbox. Our statistics show that of the email you receive:

•   Fifty percent can be deleted or filed.
•   Thirty percent can be delegated or completed in less than two minutes.
•   Twenty percent can be deferred to your Task List or Calendar to complete later.


Naturally, for those who a backlog of hundreds of messages, usually it takes time to get to the point where your daily routine keeps you up to date. It's important to get that backlog down, so I would suggest setting blocks of time aside to work through it. Then, you can really enjoy processing your messages every day using the 4 Ds.

Keeping it Simple - The Four Agreements

Over the past few years, the principles of paring down the excess, simplifying and pulling apart the true meaning of integrity have become powerful personal themes. For many of us, there's a motivation to once again examine old habits that consistently work happily in the background regardless of years of self-examination. Perhaps under the direction of a new global energy, there's a feeling of having the ability to lovingly get rid of those things which have served us all comfortably on one level, yet have afforded excuses to remain small on another.

I discovered Don Miguel Ruiz's The Four Agreements recently and it powerfully resonated with this decision to whittle back; to simplify; in becoming more authentic as a participant on this planet and start operating in a more genuine way.

1. Be Impeccable with your Word: Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the Word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your Word in the direction of truth and love.

2. Don't Take Anything Personally: Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering.

3. Don't Make Assumptions: Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.


4. Always Do Your Best: Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret. ~ Don Miguel Ruiz

By using these 4 simple principles, we can easily transform the way we as people operate in this world. How do they resonate with you? Please feel free to share your thoughts, we'
d love to hear from you.

How to Know if You Have a Toxic Boss?

Does your office look like an episode of The Walking Dead?  It may be because you have a Toxic Boss.

We all know them. The boss who constantly berates their people. The team leader who creates division within the team rather than harmony. The manager who condescends to talk to the individuals in their team, but rarely pays attention to their opinions. These are definitely toxic bosses.

I was called in a company recently to help with their customer service.  Very quickly I discovered that they had over 10 people in a customer service position in the last two years.  Upon investigation, I discovered that there were no procedures in place to support training, the office furniture and conditions of the office were uncomfortable and above all the boss/business owner was demeaning and a micro manager.  These toxic bosses create toxic environments.  If you're in one of these offices, you'll feel like you are among "The Walking Dead".

These people drain the energy of the individuals in their groups. They are belittling, trivial and obnoxious. They consider themselves superior to other people and they don't really care who knows it. All they are concerned about is "getting the job done". Or perhaps it's "straightening this place out". As part of their drive to accomplish their goal they dismiss or ignore the other members of the organization. And eventually it affects them too,

It is vital that you, as a hiring manager or human resource executive, to be able to identify these toxic bosses. They can severely diminish productivity while increasing cost. They can make a large company an unpleasant place to work, and they can destroy a small company.

How to uncover a toxic boss
Often all you have to do is walk around. Listen, employees might seek you out to point out their toxic boss. If that isn't going to happen it usually is due to the fear that the toxic boss builds in the organization. Then you'll have to get the facts some other way.

Consult clients, or even former clients, of your company. Pay attention to the side remarks they make as they answer your direct concerns about something else. Get them to talk about the managerial strengths of the organization and be sensitive about what or who they leave out.

Investigate overhead costs. One of the leading costs of a toxic boss is in personnel issues. Generally these costs are accumulated into overhead accounts as opposed to charged to operating units. Regardless if your company's annual employee turnover rate is within norms for its industry, check out the numbers.

Does one group have significantly more people quitting (or retiring) as compared to others? Have there been occasions where a few individuals from the same unit have left the company within a short time period? Does one department have greater overtime costs in contrast to others. Have the employees in a particular department used up all their vacation and more of their sick days than the average?

How to handle it?
Someone who can be described as a toxic boss didn't get to where they are devoid of being effective in something. If they weren't capable of some specific element of the business they would have been fired long ago. You'll want to evaluate the value of this individual to the company and weigh it against their cost to the company.

If the toxic boss has improved sales by ten percent in the last year the stakeholders will possibly not care if the employee turnover rate in that department is higher than average. However, if you document that the cost of goods sold has risen by five percent over the same period, because of increased training costs, fees to employment agencies, sick leave costs and increased overtime, you will get their attention.

Your strategies with respect to a toxic boss would depend on the circumstances. You can recommend coaching or advanced training for the toxic boss. It's possible that the individual should be transferred to a position without a lot of responsibility for people. Perhaps the goals set for the individual are unreachable, which has been responsible for their toxic boss management style, and should be adjusted.

Always document and quantify the measurements which you use to determine that a toxic boss is impacting the company. Use overhead expenses as well as direct costs to demonstrate true bottom line impacts. Finally, use the same measurements to quantify the benefit to the company when your actions resolve the toxic boss problem.
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If you have any questions or comments about this article, or if there is an issue you would like us to address, please visit www.strategizeandorganize.com or call for a complimentary strategy call at 480-442-2014.

The Physical Space of Our Offices Affect Productivity

Squeezed into a corner?

Maximize whatever space you have.

Winston Churchill once said, “We shape our buildings; thereafter, they shape us.” How true, not just for hotels but for our offices as well.

Studies have found that the physical space in which we work affects satisfaction, productivity, and even learning. Yet few of us take time to strategize and organize our workplaces or our homes.

Imagine an office where you show up every day and feel excited each day to get started because your desk is inviting you to sit down. Your chair is ergonomically correct, you have all the latest technology, and you have comfortable seats for your guests. When your office is right, you will feel comfortable and energized. When you check into your office each morning, you will have the right keys for being organized.

Here are a few keys and a few simple steps, ranging from the right workspace system to ergonomic-friendly products that can help businesses boost employee productivity and ease.

Be ergonomically correct

• Keep a massage ball handy to free your hands from stress. People performing repetitive activities on a keyboard or an adding machine can injure their hands. A stress ball will help you exercise your hands in new ways, rather than just typing.
• Position your computer monitor twenty-four to thirty-seven inches away from you with the screen at or below eye level to reduce strain on your neck and shoulders.
• If you are on the phone a lot, use a headset or a quality speakerphone so that you can listen and write notes at the same time.

Create an at-home workspace

• Designate a spot in your home to do your business and money activities such as Internet research, writing thank-you notes, managing your schedule, and paying bills. 
• Always do work activities in that space and only that space.  Then you’ll always know where everything is.

Arrange your main office

• Arrange your office furniture for maximum use of the space.
• Create a specific location for specific things, such as client files, supplies, books, calendar, briefcase, and appointment book.
• Place your most frequently accessed files nearest your work desk.
• Place peripherals and hardware where you can reach them without crossing the room.
• Secure cables off the floor. Label them, so you always know what they are and to which equipment they connect.

Work anywhere

• Wherever you are, keep your works flowing.  

Create a portable officeHave an “on the go” system ready to roll whenever and wherever you go. Even at a moment’s notice, you can always have your schedule, work plan, and appointments list handy—in the car or however you travel.

Get set up for mobility

• Keep your critical information at hand by using a PDA (personal digital assistant). These devices have the functionality of a computer but are compact enough to throw in a briefcase, handbag, or pocket (e.g., iPhone, Galaxy). This mobility can also be done with a laptop or tablet, which can be set up so you can work offline on your email, and once you hook up to the Internet it will synch, send, and reconcile your email.
• Through Microsoft Outlook, you can synchronize your task list, calendar, and address book to your home computer using Microsoft Exchange.   However, assess your true needs before you purchase. Keep it simple.

Use the same organizing methods

Unclutter your brain. Let organizing do the work for you…so you do not have to try to remember what you were doing or where you put something.  

An inefficient workspace is seldom life threatening, but it still hurts us on the job. Studies show that each year 1.8 million workers develop injuries related to ergonomic factors.

That translates into an annual productivity cost of more than $60 billion. The personal cost is even greater. A messy office hampers our job performance, robs us of our confidence, and prevents us from spending valuable time with our family and friends.

In 1982, there was a criminology theory called “broken windows theory.” The theory was about the effects of urban disorder and vandalism on crime and anti-social behaviour. You know—park a car in a nice neighbourhood and chances are no one will hurt it. Throw a brick through the windshield, however, and the car is likely to be vandalized. That’s the broken window theory. And that’s also the power of image and respect.

What about your workplace? What message are you sending out about your office? That you’re competent and efficient? Or that you’re disorganized and out of control?

Credit and Source:  This blog post is an excerpt from Anne McGurty's book, Lost In Your Own Office, available on amazon.com.

http://www.strategizeandorganize.com  480-442-2014

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What does it take to fill your calendar with clients?

Yvonne , Anne  and Shannon
 Enlighten Studio, Scottsdale, AZ

It was New Year's Eve day, 2013, and I had an appointment at a Scottsdale hair salon.  Mind you it was actually the last day of the year, I imagined it might be significantly busier for the big last night of the year. As I got to the salon and no one else was there, I was wondering  aren't most people having their hair done with a super up do or a blow out.  Perhaps not.   I personally, just needed to get my hair cut and colored, a long overdue visit.  Thank goodness to Instant Barter, I found the option for an alternative beauty and hair salon to check out without needing to dip into my personal cash.

Seeing that the salon was kind of quiet, being an analytical business person, I was strategizing with my new friend and shop owner, Yvonne, about her business.  She's been working on hair a long time and this girl is absolutely talented.  I had to wonder though why she was there by herself on what i would have believed would be a highly lucrative day.  The answer was she was undertaking all the tasks, clients, and maintenance of the shop completely on her own.  Have you ever been there, doing everything by yourself, thinking you can manage it all?

All that I could suppose in reaction was simply, Yvonne will need to hire another person.  Do what you do best and delegate the rest!    Hire someone to come in and clean the shop, organize the shop, and beautifully merchandise products.  I encouraged Yvonne to  create the space to focus on what she loved -- hair!

Being the  bright business woman, Yvonne jumped on it and started looking for help. Our conversation, had not been news to her, she knew what to do, she just had not made the effort at this stage to get it done.

Today, I was going to be back in her shop for a long overdue appointment.  It actually took a couple of weeks to get it worked on both of our now busy calendars.   She looked great!  Yvonne looked refreshed and happier.  She boasted about how she had been up since 5:30 am and had taken a workout at the gym!

The most interesting component is the fact that I arrived early for my scheduled appointment, no surprise there, I'm often early.  But the interesting thing was that Yvonne now needed to juggle me with another client. What was different is she now had "Shannon" to wash my hair and get me started with a blow dry.  How cool is that, Yvonne hired someone and was effortlessly delegating part of the task with my appointment to a helper.  I was so delighted for Yvonne simply because not only did she take action to be more efficient, but she managed it like a pro.  Virtually anyone observing might have thought she'd been operating the shop for a very long time by doing this.  By the way, it happened to be a packed shop when I left.  Imagine that change, a  Wednesday morning in April, no special occasion.


I made certain that I reserved my next appointment before I walked out the door.   An entrepreneur with that sort of natural talent (you can see how great my hair looks in the picture), as well as business savvy is sure to be sought-after and filling up her calendar for weeks in advance.

Source:
Strategize & Organize

No work, no money, no self-esteem? Being unemployed doesn’t have to take over your life.

Rebuilding confidence isn't always straight forward because sometimes we don't even know we're not being as confident as we used to be.  However, if this article is resonating with you at any level, here are some tips for you to reclaim your confidence.

1.  Write down what skills you liked using the most in your last job?  What were you genuinely great at, keep it really simple.  Ask yourself, "Are those skills highlighted on my resume?"  You want prospective employers to see what you are best at.  Imagine going into an interview and having them ask you, so tell me about your experience “facilitating conferences” and you detest the extroverted function of your previous job!

2.   Find a local group that meets weekly to support other folks looking for work.  You will get the benefit of networking and also be of service as you may be helping someone else with your network. 

3.   Connect with social networks.  I say this cautiously, as it can be a time waster if you’re not targeted about how you are managing your time.  Become involved with the business groups on Facebook, and connect with professional peers on LinkedIn.  Update your profile, and your status, let people know you’re available.  Interact, engage and be honest!

Building your confidence with work is kind of like dating.  Sometimes it doesn’t work out.  It’s time to say NEXT, lift your head up high and move on.  Even though it may have been the best job you ever had, know that you have it in you to score an awesome job! 

Anne McGurty , CEO of Strategize and Organize, www.strategizeandorganize.com.  She is a business coach working with busy executives and CEO’s of small business.  

Strategies to Further Improve Your Work Productivity

 1. Undertake the most difficult thing first. As soon as you arrive at the office, you may be inclined to first check your emails, go through the day’s mail, or furrow through some easy admin activities. Instead, try doing the most challenging, trickiest (or least satisfying) action early in the day. You’ll be approaching it when your focus level is raised and your mind is sharp.

 2. Prepare for tomorrow at the close of today. Take 15 minutes at the end of every day to make tomorrow’s to-do list. This routine of preparing will give you the gift of focus, allowing you to get a jump-start the next morning. In a sense, you’re building a plan for the following day.

 3. Transfer all ideas, actions, and goals onto paper. Clear the muddle out of your brain by taking pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and make it possible for to-dos and brilliant ideas to become more tangible.

 4. Use your email proficiently. Avoid skimming emails and leaving them to act upon “later.” Instead, plan time just twice each day to check and handle emails. Go through each email message thoroughly, then act, file, delete, or forward.

 5. Enjoy a lunch break every day. You may not feel you have time for one, but schedule the time. Poor nutrition while at work is costing countries (and their businesses) up to 20% in lost work productivity! 

6. Become a proficient time estimator. Most undesirable activities don’t take as long as you think they will. And most enjoyable things tend to draw out a bit longer than you'd think. Have a timer to get an accurate measure of the exact time it takes to finish several different everyday tasks.

 7. Setup an effective work space. The standard office person spends 2,000 hours per year at her workspace. Make sure that space is easy to work by simply gathering things you use most often and housing them within effortless reach of your usual seatedea.

 8. Tackle paper effortlessly. Resolve to deal with your papers on a scheduled cycle. Whether first thing in the morning, at the end of the day, or somewhere in between, set aside 30 minutes each day so you don't end up with overwhelming piles.

 9. Be more efficient by avoiding distractions. Try using lower-energy hours as your open office hours so you don’t squander peak work productivity with distractions.

 10. Understand the many benefits of staying organized. Getting organized goes way beyond having a orderly and uncluttered space. By becoming more organized, you’ll not only help your business run more effective, but you’ll enjoy many personal benefits as well.

 11. Stop procrastinating. Break activities down into realistic-sized parts and write these down Each day’s achievements can give the motivation so you can keep going.

 12. Master how to say “no” and delegate. Take control of your schedule and tasks by creating a list of all your commitments, both daily and special undertakings. Even if it takes a little more effort on the front end to teach someone else, it may pay off by providing you increased time and energy to focus your attention on more substantive responsibilities.

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