National Small Business Week

Every year since 1963, the President of the United States has proclaimed National Small Business Week to recognize the contributions of small businesses to the economic well-being of America. As part of National Small Business Week, the U.S. Small Business Administration recognizes this special impact made by outstanding entrepreneurs and small business owners. In 2011, National Small Business Week will honor the estimated 27.2 MILLION small businesses in America. Small businesses are major contributors to the strength of the American economy. More than half of Americans either own or work for a small business. According to the Small Business Administration, they also create 60-80 percent of new jobs in the country. Yes, you read that correctly: 60 - 80 PERCENT. I didn't make it up. That number came direct from the Small Business Administration's website. Politicians, are you listening? Those are numbers we can sink our teeth into.  Additionally, small businesses drive innovation and increase U.S. competitiveness. Small businesses ARE are the BACKBONE of this country.As a Professional Organizer, I am passionate about my small business clients and moving them to the next level of success. If you are ready to move your business forward, contact me to help you!

In it to win it with direct sales!

Ask any person who is in direct sales why they do it, and they will usually tell you they are passionate about their particular product. It is what originally enticed them to the business as a consumer; then came learning they could actually do "this" as a business and make money at it. Somewhere from that first spark of passion to their time in business, most struggle with actually running their businesses and earning what they expected. There are a ton of direct sales companies out there. Here are just a few:

• Rodan + Fields / Mary Kay / BeautiControl / Avon

• Lia Sophia / Silpada / Stella & Dot / Premier Designs / Guy and Eva

• Juice Plus / Advocare /Genesis Pure / Nature's Sunshine / Isagenix / MonaVie

• Pampered Chef / Tupperware

• Thirty-One Gifts / Scentsy

As an organizer who specializes in helping clients with their paperwork, I often see insides the lives of these very talented people . The problem is certainly not with their chosen line of products. Most of the products are fantastic products which are priced reasonably; the companies themselves are well-known, reputable, and well-respected; and with many, the company itself has invested a great deal in marketing and advertising.  The rate-limiting step is, quite simply, organization. Take heart, however, the problem is not with you. Most of these businesses are paper-driven businesses with a plethora of forms, brochures, product announcements, price sheets, product information sheets; you name it. It can be absolutely overwhelming! Each person trying to run this type of business wears many hats, to say the least: that of trying to run a "storefront" with products on hand, being the sales person, office manager, and bookkeeper, at a minimum.Working with clients in these types of businesses, I have successfully put into place systems which help them to run their businesses so that they can focus on what they do best: selling the products they are passion about. I typically hear, "Now, I can really do this!"Whether you are have been in a direct sales business for a while, you are a newbie to this type of career or are thinking of dipping your toe in the water, being organized is an absolute must. If you want to win at this type of business, start with GETTING ORGANIZED! Then SALE ON, SALE ON, my friends.Bless you in your day and in your success! ~ Kat Jacoby

Start Your Morning with a Fast Start

If you want to start your morning being the MOST effective and productive, TAKE 10 to 15 minutes at the end of the prior day updating your master list, grouping like projects / items (I like using clear Project Files from The Container Store), and putting away unnecessary files.When you walk into your office and it looks like The Tasmanian Devil (cartoon) has made a pass by your desk, it's not a good way to start your day. By spending those valuable minutes the day before, it now helps to set the tone for the new, productive day, which you now control.An additional bonus to this 10 to 15 minutes spent? It allows you to help establish priorities and clear your mind of the day's tasks. Knowing you have taken this time will allow you to decompress on the trip home and at least, mentally, leave work at the office, until tomorrow.

Safeguard your identity when purging paper

Whether you deal with your paper on a daily or weekly basis, as you sort and purge items, be mindful of protecting your identity! This is a must-have tool for me from The Container Store. You can safeguard your personal information from prying eyes with this self-inking ID Guard Stamp. The unique pattern masks your name and address on discarded credit card offers, junk mail or magazines. Use it to cover up account numbers, telephone numbers or other identifiable information you don't want others to access.Safeguard your identity. Then, RECYCLE all that paper!

Happy Organizing ~ Kat Jacoby

Tools for Time Management

When our kiddos were in middle school, the house we lived in only had 2 bathrooms. Grooming had become a VERY important part of the morning routine for our daughter and son, then in middle school. Many a morning dispute arose over who had been in the bathroom too long. I quickly found a simple solution!  

 A few weeks later, my sister was visiting. I was in the kitchen when I heard her laughing and calling to me from the hallway. "

Sis, please tell me what an egg timer is doing in your bathroom!

" I explained that when that timer "dinged," each child knew their time was up: no arguing with one another; no arguing with me; the timer helped by giving an AUDIBLE BOUNDARY. More than ever today, people get lost in the amount of time they spend on projects. Clients and colleagues as well, admit they intended only to check their email, ended up logging onto FaceBook, which then led to someone's (then) interesting blog, and suddenly, they find they wasted almost their entire morning. At National Conference this spring in Ohio, one of my product favs was the Time Timer. Their tag line is "Make Every Moment Count."

The abstract concept of elapsed time is easy to see and understand with their graphic depiction

. This tool allows users to manage time more effectively in meetings, classrooms, therapy sessions, testing venues, at home and any other activities which require limits be set. There are different types of tools to fit any type of user: Some the size of a small alarm clock, large visuals for education, wrist watches, software apps for your computer and iphone -- endless possibilities. 

 Whether you choose a simple egg or kitchen timer or one of the many options that Time Timer has to offer, I challenge you to use a timer for just 1 week.

SEE YOUR PRODUCTIVITY SOAR!

Book Review - Greatest Book on Coaching for Small Business

I just completed an audible book from www.audible.com.  It is called “The Greatest Book on Coaching for Small Business,” by Terry Ostrowiak. This audible book, 2 hrs. 25 min., was packed with so many positive gems. If you are a small business or a small business coach, it’s a keeper. But don’t shy away if you don’t fit into those categories – there are tips throughout for encouraging others in our daily walk of life (and who doesn’t need that!). ~ Kat JacobyInformation from his website www.quantumleapcatalyst.com

Terry Ostrowiak is a Business Catalyst who assists open-minded executives, in small businesses, to achieve Quantum Leap Results, targets and goals, faster and more easily than they could do it on their own.

A featured speaker at international conferences, Terry has shared the platform with Earl Nightingale, one of the world's foremost experts on "success", and Og Mandino, the renowned motivational speaker and leading author on "success" with sales of more than 30 million books.