Who gives a flip about teachers?

I thought that title might get your attention!

My friend and colleague, Houston CPO^® Janice Simon, asked me to write up a little something about teachers to be posted on her blog. Are you one? Do you know one? They’ve got such a cushy 8:00-3:00 job, right? Read the full post here.

Is Black Friday all it’s cracked up to be?

Image by Charlie Brewer via Flickr

Every year retail outlets entice us to shop on Black Friday. When I was a kid, the sales would start “early” at 8 AM on Friday morning. Now it’s a race to see who will open up the earliest for the best deals. 3 AM? Midnight? 10 PM on Thursday?

For some folks, the day isn’t about shopping. It’s about spending time with loved ones because that’s the only time they all have time off from their regular lives. If they find bargains, great. If not, their goal is to spend quality time together. They’re not on a shopping frenzy; they’re out to have fun.

But what about the folks who are determined to save money by purchasing items on this big sales day? Consider the actual cost of this adventure:

 

Time:

Time lost sleeping – you had to wake up a few hours earlier

Time spent in traffic to get to the stores

Time spent in traffic in the parking lot

Time spent waiting in line to get inside

Time spent fighting the cold – and getting a cold

Time spent fighting the crowds in the store

Time spent standing in checkout lines

 

Money:

Spending more than was budgeted because you get caught up in the excitement

 

Space:

Buying things you don’t need, just because it’s on sale, but you have nowhere to put it

 

Stress:

If you don’t truly enjoy all of the above, then it’s taking a toll on your emotional well-being.

 

Take for example a rockin’ pair of boots. They’re normally $149, but they’re on sale for $99. That’s 33% off!!!!  You’ve got to take advantage of that, right? On a normal shopping day, it might take you one hour total to get to the store, find your size, make the purchase and go home. On Black Friday, however, it might take you three hours to do that. Plus, you saw a $200 purse that was on sale for (gasp!) 75% off and you grabbed it because it might go with one of your outfits. At 75% off, who could pass that up? While you might have saved $50 on that pair of boots, it cost you two extra hours to do it, plus you spent $50 that you hadn’t planned on, thus wiping out your monetary savings. And, if that purse doesn’t go with your outfit, you’ve just added to the clutter in your closet.

My shopaholic clients call me a buzz killer. I am, because those moments of unplanned splurges put a dent in wallets and add to the piles at home, both of which raise stress levels.

So tomorrow while you’re rubbing your stuffed belly and recovering from your glorious Thanksgiving feast, think about your goal for Black Friday. Are you out to have a good time catching up with friends and family? Enjoy! Or are you out for bargains? Consider what I’ve mentioned above and ask yourself if it’s still a bargain. If you deem that it is, create your shopping list and budget and stick to it.

What makes Fresco Tours an amazing company? (hmmm…does it have to do with being organized?)

Camino de Santiago: celebrating the end of our pilgrimage

We’d heard about the Camino de Santiago many moons ago at a family gathering. Every now and then it would pop up in conversation – someone’s mother or cousin or uncle or grandmother had an amazing experience making the pilgrimage in northern Spain.

We decided that we’d celebrate a milestone birthday by finally making the pilgrimage. We researched our options: lug our supplies on our backs and sleep in albergues (pilgrim hostels) along “The Way” or go with a company that transports our stuff from stop to stop, prearranges our meals and stays at B&Bs along the way. We’d stayed at hostels in our twenties, but our tastes have changed in the last two decades. We didn’t want to sleep in a warehouse of bunkbeds with strangers, and I wanted my own bathroom. So, we chose the latter.

My husband researched companies. We nixed the five star ones because of budget, as well as the low end ones that guided pilgrims from hostel to hostel. We wanted a small company that would take care of a small group of travelers instead of herding around a huge bus full of tourists. We wanted a company whose goal was to share their joy of culture, food and travel – and not just take money from as many people as they could. We wanted a company who knows what they’re doing. This is what led us to Fresco Tours.

Owner Alex Chang was born and bred in the U.S., so he understands Americans’ needs. But as a resident of Spain for over a decade, he knows the language, people, and ins and outs of daily life. The guides he hires aren’t travel mercenaries who show up during high season to make tips. They live in Spain full time and are equally proud of sharing their knowledge.

Before our arrival in Spain, we were given guidelines and packing lists to help us prepare. Upon arrival, we met up with the other nine pilgrims in our group in Leon at an orientation that laid out everything that we needed to know about the hike details. And I really do mean details. They’ve thought of everything that could possibly happen and have systems in place for every part of the trip. They do so much work behind the scenes in their meticulous planning, and it truly pays off. As pilgrims, we didn’t have to think because every detail of the day was taken care of for us. All we had to do was make it to breakfast on time in the morning and the rally point in the late afternoon.

Every evening we reviewed the plan for the following day: breakfast time, step-off time, weather, terrain, bathroom locations, lunch stop, sites, scenery, best places to get pilgrim passport stamps, and the end of day meeting point. If your toughest decision of the day is whether to have white or red wine with dinner, you know that someone else is working hard to handle the details. Fresco Tours takes care of the regimented fine points so that when you leave the van in the morning, your mind and body can float freely on the trail.

The hiking itself was not always easy. There were a couple of rocky areas, slippery spots and steep hills. I had planned to train for the hike by walking several miles every day, but that never happened. I showed up totally out of shape and was incredibly sore for the first three days. But the scenery, food, drinks and hospitality allowed me to forget about it.

Each morning started with a hearty breakfast. We hiked at our own pace each day. We enjoyed some of the best-tasting, freshest foods at our lunch stops. Every evening we were treated to farm-fresh dinners. We slept well in refurbished manor homes that housed only our group and were located in peaceful areas.

When we reached Santiago, we all walked to the cathedral together. We’d spent the last nine days hiking 150 kilometers (about 100 miles). It was time to claim our Compostelas and time to celebrate at our farewell dinner. The Camino de Santiago was the guest house, and Fresco Tours was the gracious host. Because of the organization that Fresco Tours implements, I can thank them for an incredible experience.

If you’d like to view pictures from our journey, please feel free to browse our photo journal.

Buen Camino!

How can a solopreneur go on an extended vacation? Part II: The Business Side

Image via Wikipedia

As mentioned in my previous post on the subject, getting ready for your vacation on the personal side is fairly easy. But getting things ready on the business side takes a fair amount of thinking and planning. Your vacation set-up for your business will depend on your industry, business model and how long you’ll be gone. While each solopreneur’s set-up will be individual, in a nutshell, these are the areas you’ll need to address:

Blocking off prep time

You’ll need to schedule some time on your calendar for getting your business ready to run on autopilot while you’re gone. What needs to be worked on during these sessions? Keep reading….

Taking care of current clients and business deals

You’ll want to notify your clients and colleagues of your vacation dates. The lead time on notification will depend on how much time your projects take. Will you need to finish their projects before you leave? Can they be put on hold? Can they be started upon your return? This should be discussed with those individuals who are involved. If they’re informed about your vacation schedule, this will help prevent “emergency” contact during your vacation and save you on catch-up time upon your return.

Taking care of prospective clients

Who will handle your incoming calls and emails from your prospective clients? Will a vacation greeting on your voicemail or an auto-responder email be enough until you get back? Or do you need to ask someone to cover for you?

Handling communication while you’re gone

Do you want to check voicemails and emails while you’re on vacation? Do you need someone to screen your voicemails and emails and forward only the emergencies? Or will your vacation auto-responder suffice?

Paying the bills

You don’t want to rack up late fees while you’re gone, so be sure to make payment arrangements before you leave.

Blocking off catch-up time

This is so important! Even if you decide to have someone screen your calls and emails, you’ll still need to address everything that you did not address while you were gone. You can knock out a huge amount of tasks if you block off a full day – process mail, email and phone calls. On your “out of office” messages, be sure you include this day as a part of your absence so that people don’t email and call you on your first day back. Let them be surprised when you respond a day early.

The more organized your plan is on the front end, the less stress you’ll come back to when you return to work. Wanna get away?

A Lesson in Customer Service: Don’t Do What CBS Did to Dallas Cowboys Fans

Image via Wikipedia

I recently completed a business course called Sanera Camp (presented by Alicia Arenas), so I’ve got customer service on the brain. If you go to any workshop or class on how to get and keep customers, they discuss at length that you need to deliver what you promise and, if at all possible, go above and beyond what’s expected.

There are a handful of times, however, when you might not be able to deliver on your promise to your customer.

Your vehicle breaks down and you can’t make your appointment – You call your customer as soon as possible to apologize, and then do what you can to make it up to them.

You’re asked to film a television spot and need to reschedule – You call your customer as soon as you find out, apologize, explain what an amazing opportunity this is, and then offer some kind of freebie on top of the promised service to make it up to them.

A blizzard is expected to make travel impossible over the next few days – You call your customer to go over options and get them their promised service as soon as humanly possible.

Things out of your control happen, so you do your best to make your customers happy.

You don’t stop mid-way during a job and say, “I don’t want to finish. Goodbye.”

So here’s what happened today. CBS advertised that they were going to show the Dallas Cowboys vs Buffalo Bills football game. A football game has four quarters. In the third quarter, announcer James Brown came on air and said, “We’re going to move you to a more competitive game,” and CBS promptly yanked coverage from Dallas over to the Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cincinnati Bengals game.

What?!?

Was there some kind of technical mishap at the stadium that prevented airing the Dallas game? No.

Was there some kind of weather event that caused the game to be stopped? No.

The Cowboys were finally winning big and pulling it together as a team, and CBS decided to pull coverage? In the middle of a game? CBS basically said, “I don’t want to finish. Goodbye.”

For anyone in sales or service, CBS gave an excellent lesson today.

Less Stress for Teachers: Launch Party Put the FUN in Fundraiser!

Launch Party at The Twig Book Shop: Less Stress for Teachers

Last night was fantastic! The  launch party at The Twig Book Shop for my book, Less Stress for Teachers: More Time & An Organized Classroom, was a wonderful chance to visit with friends and raise money for the Harlandale Education Foundation.

According to www.Harlandale.net, the Harlandale Education Foundation’s mission is “to create a college-going community. HEF provides $500 or $1,000 scholarships for any and all graduates of the Harlandale Independent School District who continue their education beyond high school. Harlandale ISD ranks in the lowest 1% of Texas schools in property wealth. Ninety-six percent of the student body is of Hispanic heritage. Ninety-one percent of the population is economically disadvantaged.” And what most people don’t know is that not only do Harlandale ISD teachers work their tails off during the day, but they also open up their wallets every spring for a fundraiser. The majority of donations come from HISD teachers and staff. Now that is generosity!

Harlandale served as the center of my world for most of my adult life. I started as a teacher when I was only 22 years old, and I still do consulting work for them. Harlandale is a tight-knit community where people stay because you’re welcomed with open arms. It’s a wonderful feeling to walk in, and it still feels like home. Just like last night.

I’m sure I’ll be missing a few folks from this list, but thank you to everyone who came out last night to support my book and HEF:

Pam Vetters      Joni Vara      Kathy Bruck      Colleen Reeve      Lois Brown

Yvette Esobedo      Mary Alice Lozano      Elsa Neaves

Alicia Neaves      Adam Smith      Laura Castaneda      Jacob Castaneda

Cathy Castaneda      Natali Aztua      Jeanine Nepveux

Nancy Scott Jones      Michael Hartfield      Margaret Anaglia       Rick Davis

Carl & Hope Dufner      Jamie Sargisson      Fran Cohen

Taylor Henson      Sayuki Goldman      Cheryl Myers      Terri Millmeyer      Helen Dao      Nicholas Valenti      Craig Loeffler

Rosa & Jim Hoback      Kevin Cooper      Stacy Olds      Magdalena McCall      Ash Serratt      Bea & Lincoln Strawhun      Ruben Fechner

Steve & Denise Sample      Julie Wisdom-Wild      Diana Turner      Brandy Gresham      Dane Bauerle      Chris and Sara Bunch

Rochelle Lefton      Cheryl & David Rodriguez      Norma Wing      Michelle Reyna

Laura Beizer      Susan Straus      Andrew Segura

Danae Chavira      Joseph Segura      Joe Segura      Aurora Adam      Franke Johnson      Roberta Saldana      Dolores Sekula

Cindy & Dave Barrett      Luke Collins      Vanessa Drahl      Carol Maki

My new friends from SAISD

Everyone who stopped by because they read about the event in the San Antonio Express-News

 And the guy who dropped in to browse and bought a book for his daughter when he found out what was going on!

For pictures, visit the album on Facebook.

Thank you also to everyone who helped make the event possible:

Nancy Scott Jones

The Twig Book Shop

Kirby’s Steakhouse

Al’s Gourmet Nuts

Cruz Catering

How can a solopreneur go on an extended vacation? Part I: Prepping the Personal Side

Image by nanda_uforians via Flickr

We all need a break from reality, but if you run your own business, and you wear all of the hats in the company, thoughts of a vacation are often soon replaced with, “I can’t leave. My business will fall apart.”

I completely understand that viewpoint because I used to feel the same way. When I finally made the leap to travel, I checked email every other day so that I could keep up with transactions. After a few more trips, I checked in only twice a week. Now, I don’t check in at all.

If you’re in a line of work in which you get emergency calls to rescue people and aren’t allowed to take a vacation, you probably won’t be able to do the things that I’m going to suggest. But if you’re itching to cut loose or you get the fantastic opportunity to go on an expenses-paid trip to somewhere exotic, I would hate for you to miss out on the chance of a lifetime. So, here are some tips for how a business owner can get away.

On the personal side:

Check the destination requirements for passport, visa, inoculation and other entry requirements. These can take up to ninety days to secure.

Proceed with your regular vacation planning: air transportation, ground transportation, hotel and sightseeing. Or, hand it all over to a travel agent to do everything.

Secure bookings with a house sitter, kennel, or any other service you deem necessary to take care of your home in your absence.

Make sure that any bills that are due while you’re gone are paid, or you’ll have access to pay them electronically while you’re gone. I prefer the former so that I don’t have to worry about finding an Internet connection on a specific day.

Put a temporary hold on the newspaper and mail so it doesn’t become obvious that your house is vacant.

Order any prescription medication that you’ll need while you’re gone.

Inform your credit/debit card companies where you’ll be so they won’t put a freeze on your card when you try to use it.

 

Everyone has other “details” that they’ll need to see to depending on their current life status, so there will I’m sure be other matters to which you need to attend. To prevent the need to reinvent the wheel each time you go out of town, capture everything that you do in an electronic list so that you can use it as a checklist each time. Modify the list as necessary.

Getting things ready on the personal side is fairly easy. But getting things ready on the business side takes a fair amount of thinking and planning. We’ll cover that in the next post.

Daylight Saving Time: What delayed promise will you keep?

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Daylight Saving Time ends on Sunday morning. Normally when something with the word “Saving” comes to end, it’s sad. In this case, it should be joyous because we’ll gain back one whole hour!

In my time management coaching sessions with my clients, we spend time discussing priorities and which ones need to be fit in during the finite amount of time that we’re allotted during the day. When November rolls around, and we pick up an extra hour, I usually ask folks what they’ll do with their extra time. Catch up on____ ? Finally complete the _____ they’ve been working on?

This year is a little different.

When we left our friends’ house after the Kentucky Derby back in May, we said, “We need to have a foodie dinner party!”

“Just let us know when!” was the excited response.

We kept waiting for the perfect time. They were going on vacation. We had packed weekends. Should it be grand or simple? We needed to pick the right dish. We went on vacation. They were busy. We were busy. Next month. Next month. There was always a reason why it wasn’t the right time.

And now it’s too late. He passed away last week. We never had that get together with them. We took for granted that a weekend would open up and that we’d have the perfect foodie/wineaux couples evening.

My friend Damon Jacobs, a licensed marriage family therapist in NYC, wrote a book called Absolutely Should-less. We utter so many “shoulds” in life – “I should do this.” “I should have done that.” Some of the shoulds are wishful thinking… “I should skydive!” “I should climb Mt. Everest!” But some shoulds are meaningful…and very do-able.

This weekend, I encourage you to be Should-less. Pick a promise that you’ve been putting off and do it. How will you use your extra hour?

What would happen to your business if you got hurt or died?

Image by Linda Nowakowski via Flickr

I love Drew Brees. Not just because he’s an awesome athlete and led the New Orleans Saints and the city of New Orleans to a storybook Super Bowl Championship. Not just because he and his wife have made New Orleans home and help out the community and building up the team. It’s because he digs peanut butter and banana sandwiches with honey. Come on over, Mr. and Mrs. Brees! I’ll serve ya up some “sangiches” any ol’ time!

Two weeks ago while watching the Saints game, we witnessed something that can often be seen at the end of a football play: a player was knocked out of bounds and ran into somebody on the sideline. But this time the sideline observer got hurt. And it was the Saints’ head coach.

Sean Payton’s leg injuries required surgery. He has to stay off his feet for a few months. How the heck can an NFL coach do his job if he can’t walk? Well, he’s got a support team. He has assistant coaches and leader-players who have stepped up to fill in wherever and whenever possible. Sean Payton has an emergency plan in place.

If you’re the owner of a large company, you might have a vice president who can fill in and cover your duties while you’re out for a few weeks.

But what if you don’t have a big company? What if there’s just a few of you? Or, just you? What happens if you get hurt, disabled, or die? It’s morbid to think about, but if your business is your main stream of income for you and your family, what will need to happen in the event of an emergency?

Take the time to gather your operations manuals, review them, and go over expectations and contingency plans with your attorney, accountant, family and staff. Plan for the worst. Hope for the best.

Always have a Plan B.