Blogs, Twitter, and LinkedIn - oh my!

So as a business owner, of course, I have to learn how to stay on top of the latest technology for marketing my firm. The challenge is I don't have an IT person to help guide me through this. so here I am fumbling through all this stuff. Blogging isn't too bad if I can just find time to consistently post. LinkedIn is nice to keep track of people I had worked with before in other jobs or engagements. I haven't figured out yet how to use it to actually find buyers and land business. I think because it would require more time than what I'm willing to commit to it.

The newest outlet I've ventured into is Twitter. This is a really interesting and mind boggling medium. At first, I thought "Who in the world is going to want to follow me?" Let's face it, I'm just a girl trying to be a good mom while running and growing a business. Surprisingly, in the 3 (?) weeks I've been on there, I've actually attracted some serious followers - like the Pittsburgh Business Times and Manufacturing Crunch!

I will admit, I've avoided Facebook. Lots of my friends have asked me if I'm on there or tried to get me on. I just can't do it. I only have so much time to manage and stay on top of all these different outlets. I would rather spend that time with my kids than trying to manage one more social media. But if you can prove the business value to me of Facebook over LinkedIn, I'll switch - I'm not doing both!

The challenge for me - besides the technological side of it - is keeping everything (except this blog) strictly business. I value my family's privacy above anything else. Even here, I try to limit revealing any personally identifiable stuff about my family and I will never post pictures of my family. I have no control over who sees this information and as my son often says "People are crazy"

So I'm continuing my foray into all these new social media. I hope to figure out which are useful, which are not, and how to effectively use them. Wish me luck!

Happy Mid-Year!

I know lots of people love to celebrate New Years Eve. It gives them a chance to reflect on the previous year and set new goals for the new year. For me, the end of June is almost like another New Year for me. See I live in Pennsylvania and the state's fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30th. While I do not work for the state, several of my clients depend on state grants to help fund the projects and training they do with my firm. That mean's I'm usually very busy with work in June as everyone tries to finish projects and training before the year ends and July is rather quiet. So, I try to take the first week of July to evaluate how the first half of the year went, what worked, what didn't, and any adjustments that need to be made for the second half of the year.

Right now, not only am I looking at the projects I'm working on and training that we offer, but I'm also looking at where I'm focusing my efforts geographically. The first half of the year involved me doing a lot of traveling overnight for several nights in a row. My kids were not too fond of all that traveling. Of course to develop new business closer to home, I'm going to have to spend a lot of time prospecting and trying to build new relationships.

The cool thing now though, is the kids are just now getting old enough that I can take them down to my office for about a half hour and they will play while I check e-mail. Their attention span doesn't last much longer than that - but it's definitely progress. I'm hoping to install a wireless router in the next few weeks so I can do some work while we're outside playing in the backyard. At least, in my head this seems to be a good idea, we'll see how it plays out in real life!

Why I work for myself

Last Wednesday I had a great reminder of why I work for myself. Now, let's be clear that running your own business is not easy. You take on quite a bit of risk, there is no guarantee of a paycheck (or that your clients will pay you on time), and there is no such thing as work/life balance (you just have a life). I've been spending an inordinate amount of time lately working on training materials for one of my largest clients. This means not only am I working my three days a week with Naomi watching the kids, but I put in another three hours every night after I put them in bed, plus naptimes on the weekends. Add to that my frustration with government regulation and taxes (That's a whole other post!) and there are days when I wonder if it would be easier to just work full-time elsewhere or be a full-time stay-at-home mom. While I know I could never go being a full-time employee (I like being the boss) I love working.

So last Wednesday, I got a reminder of what a great life I have. My son just turned 3 and my daughter turned 18 months. If you're a parent, then you know that means a trip to the doctor for a well visit. Their appointment was at 1:30 pm, so Naomi came and I worked in the morning doing project reviews with the students in my Six Sigma Black Belt course. I came up from my office at lunch and we all ate together. (Daddy comes home everyday at lunch, too.) The kids and I went to the doctor's appointment and on the way home, we got to stop by the railroad tracks so my son could watch for trains - I didn't have to rush back to work. Then when we got home, my daughter took a nap and my son and I went out to fly his new Lightning McQueen kite.

It was a beautiful sunny 70 degree day - unusual for March. Two things happened that afternoon that made me really stop and thank God for my life. First, I watched my son as he was lying in the grass, propped up an his elbow, looking up at his kite completely at peace. Then a little later on, while we were playing in his sandbox, he ran out to the middle of the yard and laid down on his back and yelled "Come on Mommy, come lay down with me." So I did. We just laid in the grass, feeling the warm sun on our faces, and watched the clouds and streaks from the planes. Later, that night as I was working on my training material and both kids were in bed sleeping, I remembered the afternoon and why I love working for myself.

Jot this down.... where?

Ok, so here's one more story for you. This past Friday I was running around getting things ready for my son's birthday party. Wouldn't you know I got four business calls that afternoon. My husband had also taken the day off, so I went to run a couple errands while he stayed with the kids.

Since I was in the car by myself I decided to check my voice mail and return a few calls. As I'm listening to my messages, I realize I don't have my planner, or anything I can take notes on for that matter, no big deal, I'll just listen and return calls on Monday. One of the messages was from the president of a company I have been trying to get a contract with for six months. He wanted me to call him back that afternoon - I needed something to write on now! I'm thinking - How can I not have a single piece of paper in this car! Then it dawns on me, I have diapers in my purse for my daughter. I can take notes on the back of the diaper then transfer them to my planner when I get home. I just need to make sure I do it before I forget and put the diaper on her.

I'm glad I called back that president, we have a meeting scheduled for next week. As for taking notes on a diaper - it's not the easiest thing in the world - but it works!

Training Materials, Rice, and Stickers

I know it's been a while and I have so many great stories to share. It's been busy here with me traveling and then getting called for jury duty - which by the way was fascinating. I know everyone tries to get out of jury duty, but it's so interesting. I'm actually very glad I was chosen and got to sit on a jury. If you have the chance, do it.

Ok, a couple weeks ago I was preparing for the first session of a Six Sigma Black Belt course I'm teaching. I had everything ready except the CDs for the students with the training material. I decided to bring my laptop upstairs and burn the CDs in the kitchen while my kids ate lunch. It was Naomi's day off how hard could this be? HAHAHA!

I set up my laptop on one part of my counter (away from any water or food sources) and the labels and cases for the CDs on another part of the counter. I got my children seated at the table with some chicken-flavored rice (one of their favorite foods). After I finish burning the first CD, I get the second started and take the first over to stick the label on it and slide it into sleeve. I thought I had a smooth process worked out. Then my son jumped down "I want stickers too!" he starts shouting. I peel parts of the unused paper off for him to play with and he proceeds to stick them on himself and chase Jake, our dog. I tell him to stop chasing Jake as I continue my CD making process.

Meanwhile, my daughter is still happily eating her rice. Ever once and a while my son pops back in for another "sticker" to play with. Suddenly, I wonder what has been happening with all the stickers. As I casually ask him what he's doing with the stickers, he replies "Nothin' mommy." This is when I realize he has stuck them to our wooden kitchen table, my couch, and on himself. (Have I mentioned he's in the stage where he only wants to run around in his underwear?) I go start unpeeling the stickers from the couch and his body. As I head back into the kitchen to continue burning the CDs, check on my daughter, and peel the stickers - I hope - off my table, I hear her laughing. I turn the corner to see her holding her hand out and Jake licking it off. I ask her "What did you just feed Jake?" See simply and innocently looked at me, held her one hand out to her side, and said "Nothin'." How's that for an 18 month-old?

I then spent the next 15 minutes cleaning up rice and stickers from the kitchen and children's bodies all while trying to not get rice stuck on the training CDs or in the CD sleeves. Believe it or not the CDs turned out just great.

The Economy Stinks - Now What?

It's been a pretty quite month here in our house and with business. No major overnight trips, crazy deadlines, or scheduling issues (you know those client calls when kids are wailing in the background or pounding on the heating vents.) While you would think that's a good thing, I'm definitely uneasy. As most of you know, I always have some major event happening or on the horizon. You figure, in just the last three years our family has experienced the birth of two children, moved once, launched two businesses, traveled to Europe, and my husband has changed jobs twice. And that's just what I can think of at the moment.

I guess what I've really be pondering is the current business and economic climate. Let's face it, it hasn't exactly been roses out there. Yet, when I'm in talking to my clients, many of them are doing well or at least they're holding steady. They don't seem to be getting hammered like the talking heads on the evening news or Pres. Obama would lead you to believe. That should be a good thing, right? So why is it that they are skittish about investing to improve their operating processes? I do have a few clients that are really going on the offensive in this market. Incredibly focused on eliminating the waste in their processes, improving their quality, and taking market share away from their competitors. These clients are fun to work with - they have an amazing energy, great leadership, and a clear vision. Then I have most of my other clients who might actually be in a better position with their backlog and cash flow that are afraid to make any changes. They are pushing out projects, holding off on training, all the things that could help them improve their profitability. I don't get it.

I've been talking to my clients since about August or Sept. about investing in these areas during slow times so they are in a better position to weather these economic storms and emerge stronger. It's not just talk either, I've been looking at my own business to make sure I'm offering the services clients want, watching my costs, and actually expanding (I'll be bringing on my second person next month.) At the same time though, I'm holding off on finishing my basement/office. I really think my clients would rather I use the funds they're paying me to provide additional services to help them instead of carpeting my floor. Plus, my kids love that they can draw on my office floor with chalk (it's still concrete.)

Ok, so this really is not my best blog entry, but it's just something that has taken up so much of my thoughts lately. I believe so strongly in manufacturing and the american work ethic and I want so desperately to see these companies succeed and grow. I guess I just get frustrated when I know I could help them and they don't want to invest in helping themselves. On the other hand, are those clients I would really want to work with? I don't know..... Thoughts?

Staples and Schedules

Ok, if you've noticed my tagline, you'll see that it reads part-time CEO and full-time mom. The reason I picked it is two-fold, first because I don't work a traditional five-day week. The other reason is because I think most moms regardless of how many hours a week you work are still a mom and when a child is sick or gets hurt, you a usually the one that stays with the child.

Last Tuesday, my son got his first official injury. He was running laps around our downstairs when he tripped or bounced into the couch (I'm not really sure what happened, I was trying to find and pick up his socks so we could go to our cell group meeting at church.) That spun him around and he fell backwards into the doorway from our family room to the foyer. Of course, he began really crying and I quickly swooped him up. As I'm sitting there rocking him and trying to sooth him I decide to just quickly check the back of his head to make sure everything is ok - that's when I saw the blood. He had split the back of his head open. Ed and I actually stayed quite calm, getting him cleaned up a bit. Ed took him to the ER for staples and they were back home in less than three hours.

Now, here's the challenge, I had two meetings scheduled for the next day, plus a dentist appointment. What do I do? As a mom, I want to stay home and baby my child, as a CEO I know I have commitments to my clients. So, I waited to see how he was in the morning. My dentist appointment was at 8:20 am and my son went with me just as we had planned - and you know what - he was fine. So I went to my first meeting about 25 minutes away then stopped back at home - he's still fine. In fact, he has to be told no running in the house today. Three staples in the back of his head and it hasn't slowed him down one bit. I worked in the basement for a few more hours before my afternoon meeting 10 minutes away. The boy is still fine.

Step two to this process is getting the staples out. My son has to go this Thursday at 2:30 pm. I was supposed to be meeting with a client two hours away that day. Ed has a meeting at 3 pm that he can't change or move. So, guess who changed their meeting? Yep, I did. Because like I said at the beginning, it doesn't matter how many hours a week you work, when you're a mom - you are always a mom and that is your first priority. So I will be traveling north to met my client tomorrow instead and taking my son to the doctors on Thursday to get his staples out. My kids may not remember all these things when they're older - I just hope they remember that their mom was there for them.

Inaugurations, Snow Storms, and Clients

So I have to confess I have been very conflicted all day over a few issues. Of course, today is the inauguration of our 44th president, Barak Obama. I was a bit surprised at feeling so conflicted. While I did not vote for him, I had committed after the election to be open to his presidency because I believe in our process and our constitution. Yet, when I got up this morning, I felt sad and frustrated when I didn't want to be. I am glad we can look beyond a person's skin color and elect them into office, yet his policies and stance on many issues unnerve me. I will continue to pray for him and all our elected officials, but I'm also going to speak up when I think they're wrong.

The next issue I was conflicted over was actually going to work today. I knew I had to leave and would be gone overnight because I'm doing an all-day training session with a client tomorrow and I didn't want to drive for 2+ hours early in the morning. What caught me off guard was another potential client calling me yesterday to set-up a 1pm meeting today. I should be glad, this is another opportunity of business and a Fortune 500 company which is great for my marketing efforts. the downside is this company is 3 hours from my home in good weather and of course it's snowing today. I didn't really want to leave early, I wanted to hang out with my kids and watch the movie Cars with them (for the 80th time). But since I couldn't risk being late, I left almost four hours before my meeting. It was a good thing, I saw three cars off the road on my way up.

Now, I'm in my room preparing for tomorrow's training. I've talked to Ed who briefly filled me on the day. He said they were tired this evening and he got them bathed and in bed by 7pm. but since he was on his cell phone from work, he couldn't really talk to me for long, so I don't even know what they had for dinner. I miss being home with them, playing, and putting them to bed. On the other hand, I actually got to soak in the tub tonight - which is a rarity for me. So I'm ending my day the same way I began it - conflicted. I enjoy the work I do and am thankful for the opportunity to run my own business and yet, I feel the guilt of being gone - especially overnight.

What I have learned so far, is I'm not going to get it right every time, but I keep trying. (That's becoming a theme on this blog). Fortunately, I get it right more times than I get it wrong. So for now, I'll enjoy the quite time I have and look forward to getting home tomorrow night to the noise and the chaos.

Timing Is Everything

So I thought I would share with you an incident that happened over the holidays. As I've mentioned before in this blog, balancing my roles as Mom and CEO can be quite a challenge. Some days I do well, some days not so well. Of course, having Naomi here makes a huge difference for me to get it right. However, over the holidays we all took "vacation." That doesn't necessarily mean I didn't work - it just wasn't formally planned. Here's my case in point...

The week before Christmas I had gotten an e-mail inquiry from a potential client about one of my training courses. I replied to his e-mail with some additional information. He then wrote back that he would like to set -up a phone call to discuss the training in more depth with himself and a couple others at his plant. Well, since I didn't have Naomi here I would have to schedule it for 12:15 pm when my husband, Ed, is home for lunch. I also picked the day I had to take my daughter to the doctor's for her 15 month check-up. While that might sound strange, you'll see why in a bit. The potential client e-mailed back that he could do the day and time I had suggested. Here's where my balance part comes in...

At 8:05 am the morning of the call, the prospect calls my cell phone. Well, both kids are up and I'm trying to get them breakfast so there's no way I can answer the phone. It goes to voice mail and I check it while making the kids scrambled eggs and toast. He's calling to confirm our call. My voice mail states I return all calls within two hours. Well, my daughter's doctor's appointment is at 10 am, so I plan to return his call while I'm in the car on the way to the doctors. The kids are usually quite in the car and I use my bluetooth earpiece. At 8:45 am I start getting both kids dressed, teeth brushed, and on the potty/diaper changed. My son then has a fit - he does not want to take his sister to the doctor's because he doesn't want her to get a shot and cry. Finally, at 9:40 am we are heading downstairs to get into the car. Since my son is still quite upset about taking his little sister to the doctor's I can't make the call in the car. While we're in the doctor's office, the prospect calls again. After the appointment, while we're still in the parking lot, I listen to the message - he is just confirming the call and the attendees. I leave the doctor's office and we stop by the train tracks so my son can watch for trains. I take the opportunity to return my prospect's call. We confirm the time and number.

As I pull into our garage at home, my daughter is asleep. I put her in bed and take my son down to my office. It's 12:05 pm. I get everything ready for my call. Ed pulls in at 12:13 pm and takes our son upstairs for lunch. I get on my call at exactly 12:15 pm. The call goes well and we wrap up by 12:40 pm. I head upstairs to the kitchen to see Ed before he goes back to work and finish lunch with my son. Perfect timing. Now, I can spend the rest of the afternoon racing trucks and reading stories with my kiddos. Life is good!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! I have to say, I took off three weeks for the Christmas holiday and it was great! Working for yourself definitely has its advantages. It was so nice just hanging out with my kids and playing. We baked cookies, played games, watched movies, and read books. I can now recite verbatim The Belly Button Book, Dr. Seuss' What Wast I Scared Of, and Veggie Tales - Larry Boy and the Fib from Outer Space. Yet, while I love building tents and forts with couch cushions and blankets I also love the work I do, so here I am back in my office, my first day back to work.

For those of you who may consider starting a company or working out of your home, let me warn you, it is very difficult. I've always thought it was much easier to either be a full-time stay-at-home mom or work in an office full-time. When you work out of your home, it can be difficult to have a phone conference while you can hear your children banging around above you. (My office is in our soon-to-be finished basement.) This is especially true when you hear one of them crash (falling off the couch?, tackled by her older brother?) and start crying. There is always the guilt in the back of your mind that you should be there to pick them up and kiss the boo-boos. Luckily, we found an amazing person to watch our children while I work. Naomi loves my kids and does a great job taking care of them and helping me around the house. Plus, the kids love her. I've finally come to the realization that by working, I'm fresher with my children, I have more patience, and we do need a break from each other.

So as for now, I need to go make some phone calls and hopefully the noise my kids are making by running their cars, trucks, and planes back and forth over the floor vent directly above my desk won't be heard by my clients. Here's to the new year!