solo
entrepreneur, whether you are just starting out or
have been around the block a few times.
Sure, we all want to make more money in our business or we'd still
be whining about having a job. But because pricing is what will
separate you from the pack or leave you sucking eggs before you
get started, it's one of those details that we all have struggled to
get right.
Pricing isn't an exact science by any means but looking around on
most websites, you'd think it's called Follow The Fool
instead of testing your price for profits with real paying customers!
Although related to pricing a Virtual Assistant service, Erin makes a good
point: If you want to charge premium prices, you'd better be willing and
able to deliver the goods. Check it out here: TheVACoach
Lighten up and laugh once in a while. I'm often overly serious about
juggling my multi-roles as a solo entrepreneur.
It comes from being a cube-widget in the past. But, now and
then there comes a time when it's just as important to be silly. I ran across
this blog where you can buy and read cartoons. The cartoonist, Mark Anderson
creates office humor that is both tasteful and funny.
Some of the humor may be too subtle for some folks,
especially if Dilbert is the only office humor you read.
You can also hire Mark to do custom cartoons for your sites, promotions or
whatever you can think of. If nothing else, go visit once a week to get a
chuckle out of the weirdness called Doing Business.
Andertoons
I'm always on the lookout for Solo Entrepreneurs who are doing
their own thing as a business with no apologies. Kinda
makes a tear come to my eye, I'm so proud of them!
Ok, sentimentality is over.
Catching up with Metacool, there's a post about strategy that makes a lot of sense.
We can all relate to wasting time with marketing strategy, business strategy,
traffic strategy, this strategy and that strategy but what we aren't doing is taking any actions to get anything done!
We can spend days, or weeks even working on various strategies and never
really do anything. The post is short (not like mine!) and I think it may help some of
you get Unstuck. Metacool
Finally I'm going to share with you some of the tools and resources used
around here. Before you ask, NO! There are no guarantees - this is real life
here, not a fairy tale. For the smart people reading this....
Do they always work? Nah, at least not the way I think they should.
Will they help you make more money as a Solo Entrepreneur? Beats me!
Will they help you get things done? Yeah, if you use them.
You may already use them, but for some of you these will be new.
Either way, as always....take what works for you and leave the rest!
Here's my short list:
I use it because I'm always reading other people's blogs and want to refresh
my memory when it comes time to follow up or use something mentioned there.
Maybe Photoshop is easy for you, but for me it's too much like having a toothache.
Gimp gave me a headache and has a very steep learning curve if you're operating
a business. I had to find something that was easier! Hello Picknik!
Picnik allows you to take your photos and edit them with powerful tools that
you can tweak until you like what turns out. You can upgrade for $24.95 A
YEAR! but the free tools work just fine for most of what I needed.
Haven't used this service but what's on offer looks interesting, especially for
those of you doing any kind of teleconferencing or telecommuting. The free service
offers web conferencing, online training, netmeetings and working with 20 people at a time. Monthly rates start at only $19.95.
This one is slick and I'll definitely use on forums, blogs and email promotions.
Yes, I could use the fonts in my Word or Open Office program but this was
too good to pass up. Yes, for now it's free and offers special services for a fee.
If you have been less than pleased with the signature fonts or software you
have been using for your signature online, then check this service to see
what's on offer.
That's it for today and I leave you with this -
"The Pessimist complains about the wind, the Optimist
expects it to change and the REALIST adjusts his sails."~ Anonymous
