There’s a divided world on Twitter about followers and following.

Some people are of the mind that, hey, if you take the time to follow me, I’ll reciprocate and follow you. Others go more along the lines of hey, if I take the time to follow you and you don’t follow me back immediately, I’m outta here. (So there!)  And yet there are still others who follow just to up their numbers and then dump you like yesterday’s garbage.

And then there are those that follow you because they think you have something of value to say or share. Or perhaps you made them laugh, or think, or strategize. Maybe you inspire them somehow. Maybe they just like you. They’re not necessarily following you just to get followed back, but they like you!

There are a few reasons I follow someone and it has seemed to work rather well for me. I’ve made some great friends, great contacts, learned things of value, had a few chuckles, and landed numerous clients on twitter.  So here is a quick look into why I follow folks on Twitter.

1. I think you’re interesting or funny or engaging. Somehow you’ve resonated with me.

2. I’m supporting you because you’re another mompreneur who’s doing the best she can do make it all happen. (I’m a huge supporter of other mompreneurs).

3. You followed me and I’m reciprocating because of either #1 or #2 above.

4. We’ve done business together, either past or present.

5. I met you either in person or online. It’s a great way to stay connected quickly and easily.

6. You’re my target market and I’ve got a 50/50 chance that you’ll follow me back and perhaps we’ll strike up a conversation.

7. You’re my competition and this is another way of staying on top of what’s happening in the marketplace.

8.You’re either directly or peripherally related to my industry.

9. You’re a local Vancouverite!

A few times a month I go into my list and see who my new followers are.  Sometimes I follow back, sometimes I don’t. It’s nothing personal; I have a lot of folks who don’t follow me back. So hey, whatevs. It’s all good.

I think the disconnect happens when people take Twitter so personally. Just because somebody doesn’t follow you back in the timeline you want them to doesn’t mean they won’t… they just might not have gotten around to it yet! We’re busy folks. We’ve got a lot going on! We’re all being pulled in ten directions at once. So chill.

And I think another thing to watch out for is over-doing the self-promotion. Keep it to the 80/20 ratio. People get tired and click “unfollow” faster than you can say “where’d all my followers go?” when all they see is a stream of self promotion or retweets.  ENGAGE with your followers. Talk with them. Strike up a conversation. Butt in! You’re allowed. It’s an open playing field.  And have fun. Meet new people. Learn new things. It’s all part of the new web. The new way of doing business.

So drop by and say hi. I’ve relaunched my twitter account to really connect with the folks I’m aligned with. Let’s get the party started!

Filed under: Business Integrity, Customer Service, networking | No Comments »

I was thrown for a loop not that long ago when a colleague in the virtual assistant industry asked what hours I kept.

I almost answered, “All of them”. (In hindsight, I should have! I mean, come on, when it’s your own business – especially, I would assume, when running it out of your home, aren’t we always working? Aren’t we always, “on”? Aren’t we always mere steps away from hopping back to it?  But I digress….)

“I work intermittently throughout the day”.

I was greeted with silence. And I was surprised by that. So I piped up again, “I work in chunks of time throughout the day”.

“You mean you’re not glued do your desk like the rest of us?”

And finally, cheekily, “No, I would die.”

See, I’m more productive when I work this way. I’m more focused, I’m faster, I have more clarity, I’m sharper. I’m more creative, I’m recharged, I’m energetic. My body hurts less (I mean hunched over the laptop, slouched, squinting?  OUCH!), my eyes hurt less, my BRAIN hurts less!

And I’m a hell of a lot more fun to be around than when I’ve been working for 8 to 10 (or more) hours straight.

Then 16 months ago I had a baby. Went from being an Entrepreneur to being a Mompreneur overnight (well, actually it was over 55 hours… but that’s another story…).  So thank goodness I was used to this work style, because I had to work intermittently. I had to schedule client calls around nap times (and hope he didn’t wake up screaming, lol!) and child care days. Had to stop everything because it was story time. Had to shut down the laptop at 4pm to start clean up and supper. And had to save that email I was in the middle of writing to Drafts because my kid is so darn cute that I just had to run over and give him a million kisses and hugs.

So yeah, this “punctuated workday” works well for me. Heck, it works extremely well. And for my business model. And especially for my clients. I’m blessed with these amazing clients and customers who get it, who gel with it (or just don’t care!).

Not every day is like this. Take today for example. I’m holed up in my office finishing up a project and starting two more. I’ve been at it for 5 hours and am going for another few. Hey, if a client needs me to be there, I’m there. If I have a deadline on a huge project, you can bet your bottom dollar I’m not away from the computer much. I take a day or 2 a week for this kind of  marathon, but the other 5 days?

Is when the magic happens. Is when the creativity flows. Is when new products are created. Is when productivity increases. Is when new relationships are built. Is when clients join the Scratchpad Secretaries family. Is when I move and shake and make things happen – for me, but more importantly, for my clients. It’s when I’m at my best. It’s when I’m ON!

It just works for me.

And apparently it makes a lot of sense.

How do you work? What works best for yourself, your lifestyle, your business model? Leave me a comment, I can’t wait to hear!

Filed under: Business Model, Organization | No Comments »

When my son was a baby, much like a lot of you I couldn’t let him cry for more than a few minutes. I just couldn’t do it. No way.

Until one day I could.

I was putting him in his bed for his nap one afternoon and he would have NONE of it. He was crying and crying and standing up with his hands on the railing and just looking at me through teary eyes and a tear-streaked face and it was so sad and pulled at my heart…. so I shut the door and went on about my business.

I knew to my core that if I took him out of his crib and back out into the living room, I’d be actually doing him a disservice. I knew he was tired. I knew he was exhausted. I knew what he needed.  And what he needed was sleep.

Sure enough, after just a few minutes, he was out.

Fast forward to recently.  I was doing a “quick and easy” project for a client. Only it wasn’t so quick and easy (they never are, sigh….).  The software I had didnt’ have the capability for what he wanted. I had put the call out to other Virtual Assistants for info and feedback, had called out on Twitter (and learned a lot), but what he wanted couldn’t be done with what I had, nor with the next step up. And I wasn’t going to make a $299.00 purchase for a quick job when I just knew there had to be a better and easier way. So, I stopped everything and thought for a few minutes.

“Am I really going to tell him I can’t do this? Am I going to send a job back only 3/4 finished? Am I really going to say, Sorry, but there you go?”

No. That wasn’t sitting well with me. It just was all wrong. It just wasn’t me. It just wasn’t my business practice. I don’t work that way. End of story.

BUT, what should have been a 1.5 hour job, was now going on 4 hours. This service was now becoming a disservice to both him and me.  Him, because he should have had this back yesterday, and me because I was spending too much time on this and stressing out. And, I had other clients’ work to be doing. And come on, in an hours for dollars business model? Time is money (and more on that another day!).

And then I found the answer. An online solution. An inexpensive solution. And a much easier and less convoluted solution. One that he could use over and over and over for less cost than hiring an Admin support person.

Did I shoot myself in the foot?

Maybe. But in good graces I just couldn’t leave him high and dry.

So two takeaways really:

1. when service is becoming a disservice, end it. BUT,
2. admit there is a problem and offer a solution!

So I’ve just saved him A) a bit (potentially a lot) of money and B) I’ve found him another way to automate his business and ease some workload.

Oh, and C) I’ve found a great app to use for future clients and for my own business going forward!

***

if anyone is curious, the service is pdffiller.com

Filed under: Business Integrity, Customer Service | No Comments »

In preparing my newsletter (premier edition!) earlier today I came across an old article I wrote in 2008 about jumping on your own bandwagon. About getting things moving when you have an idea. About acting on those “A-ha” moments.

Pretty much about getting off your butt and just doing it.

When I was still working in the corporate world, I had the idea for Scratchpad Secretaries. It was my “maybe someday” idea. I mean, I had a cushy job with tremendous perks. I had a steady, and pretty good, income. I knew what I had to do each day, I knew how to do what I had to do each day.

With my eyes closed.

So why rock the boat? Why pursue something totally new and foreign? I mean, I had no idea how to start a business, let alone how to RUN one! Domain name? Hosting? Web development? Social media? Business plan? PR?

Huh?

So I put it away, in the back of my mind, for a rainy day.

Fast forward one month and, well, it was a rainy day.

The rainy day was now the perfect opportunity. So I grabbed it.  With gusto.

And never looked back.

Hindsight is 20/20, we all know that, so one of the best lessons out of all this for me was to JUST DO IT!

If you’re in a corporate job, especially a cushy corporate job, and have fear about striking out on your own?

Do it anyway.

You don’t have to up and quit. You don’t have to drop everything. You DO have nights and weekends though. So yeah, you don’t have to quit your day job (yet).

On maternity leave?

A GOLDEN opportunity to spread your wings. To check things out. To test out your business idea.

To be able to stay at home and raise your babies while bringing in an income!

The piece of advice I give to everyone is to Just Do It. Just start it! Baby steps are okay. Start with some research. Grab that domain name. Survey your target market. Find out if this will fly.  Just make sure you keep on it. You had this idea for a reason.

So act on it!

Whenever you find yourself thinking, “that would be awesome to do”, or “what a great idea for a side business”, or “hey, I could totally do that”?

DO IT!

Turn that someday, into To-Day!

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I’m all about making life easier. Because really, life is pretty complicated. And busy. We’re constantly being pulled in every direction at once, whether it’s from our children (talk about constantly, lol!), family (birthday dinner at so-and-so’s, brunch at the in laws, nephew’s high school grad, can you come over and fix this, Auntie coming to town & we need an airport pick up…. you get the idea, I’m sure…), ourselves (darn it I forgot to take something out for dinner again, Oh My God look at the dust on that, when was the last time I weeded the garden?, gotta make a grocery run…), and of course, our jobs (have to update the site, conference call at WHAT time?, schedule an intro here, spend some time on this forum or that site, mingle with facebook friends/fans, connect with twitter friends, sit down and do the books….)

Ei yi yi.

This is why I love Google Calendar.  It’s the one place in my life where everything makes sense! It’s the one place in my life where there is order, lol!

I simply plunk in my “to do’s”, set it to remind me via email, AND (lifesaver) it emails me my agenda for the day each morning.

You can create as many calendars as you want. I have one for my biz, one for my personal, one for my husband and one for my son’s appointments/play dates. Sounds like too many?

The bonus is that you can colour code each one and merge them all together. WAY easier than putting everything into just one – I’m a visual person, I see the colours easier and more quickly than monochromatic text only. And believe it or not, it’s less cluttered.

Try it. Let me know how it goes. Or fill me in on how you keep track of your busy Mompreneur lifestyle; I’m always looking for tips & tricks!

Filed under: Organization | No Comments »

“Hi, I’m Stephanie Lee <handshake>. I have a 15 month old hurricane-of-a-child, Oscar, and I run an Admin Services company called Scratchpad Secretaries dot com. I’m just about to launch a program to help moms start their own businesses so they can stay at home with their babies, called Moms Who Mean Business, and I have a neat little ezine of the same name for Mompreneurs. It’s full of marketing tips & tricks and advice on how to juggle it all!”

Easy enough, right? That about sums up where I’m at right now in both life (he just started to climb! Everywhere and Everything! I put a stop to it when I found him sitting on the box of wine bottles…. after all, I may need to get in there in an emergency!), and business. And I’m so proud and so excited for the Moms Who Mean Business program and the work I’m still doing on it to make it even more helpful and full of even more information, and yet last night I totally balked during my “elevator pitch”.

I went out for (what I thought was) cocktails (but turned out to be dinner) with some local moms to meet up with Erica Ehm of the Yummy Mummy Club (@yummymummyclub). I had made plans to drop something off to a friend afterwards (and have a glass of wine), so I couldn’t stay for the full evening – and hey, when you have a sitter, you cram everything you can into those few precious hours!  I had chatted with some great new moms I met, and some closer friends, met Erica briefly and was ready to go when she said, “Hey, before you go, we haven’t gotten to chat!”  And then the,

“Tell me about yourself.”

Do I tell her about my mom life? I mean, it was a mom meet up, not an official Mompreneur meet up. It was a night out for moms, not a “moms who started businesses” networking event.

Only it was that too. I mean, it always is. We’re mompreneurs. It’s who we are, it’s what we do, it’s all part of our life as moms. And as entrepreneurs, it’s just the way we are.

Granted, in a busy restaurant you can’t hear the person next to you, let alone the person across the table from you. And it’s nearly impossible to have one line of conversation going with 10 people all excited to be out for the evening, lol! She asked about my mom life so I chatted about that for a moment. Nothing that would really make her remember me.

I mean, whose kid hasn’t climbed or started to talk?

The voice in my head (just one of them!) was telling me to talk about the new program I’m creating, I mean, I’m SO EXCITED about it! So passionate about it! So happy to have found a way to help and support other moms!

“How am I going to get this across to her in a loud restaurant with 10 other people wanting her time and attention? How am I going to do this justice? How am I going to impart the passion I have for helping moms?”

By the exact paragraph I opened this post with, that’s how.

Instead?

“Well, really nice to meet you, it’s great to put a face to the name of people we tweet with. And to get out and meet up in person!”.

I was hesitant to talk about Moms Who Mean Business because I didn’t want to come across as pushy.

Ei Yi Yi!

So ladies, write a quick paragraph about what you’re doing right now. Where you’re at in your life right now. What kind of business you’re into, where you are in that business, what new product you’re launching…and practice it! Practice Practice Practice. And don’t think it’s pushy or out of context (unless it is!).  I’m so excited about the Moms Who Mean Business program that I totally went in circles around it. Duh.

Don’t do what I did. Learn from this colossal mistake!

Filed under: networking | 1 Comment »

Good morning! So happy you popped by. I do hope you get some great information from the show this morning…it’s my first time being on and I’m a bit nervous!

Don’t forget to sign up for my Moms Who Mean Business ezine (look over there on the left!) to get monthly news, tips & tricks on everything Mompreneur. Whether you’re just starting to think of launching a small business, or if you’re well established, we’ll have information for every step of the way!

And a bonus I’m extending ONLY for today’s listeners of The Mommy Mentor is a bit of a special price when the Moms Who Mean Business start up program is launched. Keep this code handy: #MWMBpr01.

Details of the launch and more info on the program coming soon!

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