It’s Family Friday

November 30, 2007

I’m writing this post on my "break". You see, my daughter has been sick for a couple of days—and anyone with a 2-year-old can tell you that a toddler barfing all night is enough to knock a few years off your life span. Instead of actually resting, I thought I’d take a moment on my break from her needs to discuss the balance between work and family with my readers.

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I’m a Location Independent Professional!

November 28, 2007

Disclaimer: I’m not picking on the people who really do live like that. Really, I’m not—if it works for you, then great.

I saw a blog entry today on Problogger from someone saying she is a "location independent professional". After immediately thinking that sounded a whole lot like a "hook of a brand-like name" (straight from the Wally Bock laugh from earlier this week), I was intrigued enough to click on the link. So what is a location independent professional? Basically someone who can do their job from anywhere in the world as long as they have their laptop and an internet connection.

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Carnival of the Capitalists

November 27, 2007

The Carnival of the Capitalists for 11/26 is up at Money Walks. Some posts I’d like to discuss for this week’s carnival:

Written by nhgnikole · Filed Under Points of Interest | 1 Comment

Feeds, Readers, and Providing Value

November 26, 2007

I really think there’s not enough said about what feeds can do, and what they can do for your business. During the remodel of this site, and the building of two others that I am working on, I have been doing a lot of thinking about feeds and their uses. And now, I’d like to share these thoughts regarding building value and relationships through feeds with you.

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Carnival of the Capitalists

November 21, 2007

The November 19, 2007 Edition is now up at SEO ROI. It got up a bit late so I haven’t had time to review, but I’ll post some of my favorites and a discussion later this week.

UPDATE ADDED

Noteworthy content coming out of this weeks CotC:

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5 Powerful Techniques to Help your Business Stand Out

November 20, 2007

If blogging is a business itself, much like publishing or content production, then it only makes sense that the rules of good blogging would be the a variation on the foundations of running a business. As I was reading a guest post by Skellie on Problogger entitled "5 Powerful Techniques to Help Your Posts Stand Out", I was thinking about how her points could be applied to the small business owner. I thought I would reframe her examples to look at the larger view of the entrepreneur, bloggers included.

Written by nhgnikole · Filed Under Business, Marketing, Points of Interest | 8 Comments

The Art of Quitting

November 13, 2007

I’m an only child, which makes me a natural candidate for the sort of perfectionism that legend is made from. Most people who have met me would laugh when I say that I am an insane perfectionist because my psychosis is so complete that I have learned to hide it extremely well. I don’t know if that is my natural tendency from birth (the nature argument), or if it is born from the idea drilled into me throughout my life that quitting is for losers (the nurture argument). And therein lies the problem: Most entrepreneurs have to be driven like perfectionists to reach high levels in their field, and yet failure is the natural learning process by which entrepreneurs hone their skills and learn from their mistakes in order to go on to something better. What is missing from my equation is the "art of quitting"—the calculation of the exact right time in which quitting will advance you in business, not hurt you.

Is there a right way of quitting something, whether its personal or professional? According to the Psychology Today article, Adieu to All That, there is an entire psychology built up around quitting. While the psychology of quitting is important in every aspect of your life, I’d like to look at three of their concepts—open/closed memories, lingering, and accepting—from the perspective of the entrepreneur.

Written by nhgnikole · Filed Under Business | 3 Comments

Carnival of the Capitalists

November 12, 2007

Today’s CotC is hosted by Business Opportunities and Ideas. Of note:

New Business Ideas: Convenience at Your Doorstep at Small Business Trends
I had to mention this one because I used to work with a local Aussie Pet Mobile Franchise in Walnut Creek, CA. It’s really a great little franchise to own—and the owners really don’t work with the animals, but they are responsible for hiring the qualified groomers who do! If you have places to park your trucks, you could run one right out of your house.
The New Order of Business at A Relationship Economy
Jay Deragon offers a systematic approach to planning your social networking marketing campaign.
The Wile E. Coyote Economy at The Agonist
Ian Welsh makes me a little nervous about looking down right about now, because it’s a long way to fall.

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Let’s talk about SPAM

November 9, 2007

Today’s post is a montage dedicated to SPAM: what it is, why it’s bad, how to prevent it, how to not send it, and what happens when people just can’t take it anymore. Enjoy!

Written by nhgnikole · Filed Under Technology and Websites | 3 Comments

Today’s Inspiration: Sketchnotes from Mike Rohde

November 7, 2007

I found these sketchnotes on Flickr while wandering around the web tonight. (You can also see a discussion and a slideshow of the information at Mike Rohde’s blog.) The images of the sketches are remarkable in several ways:

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