Tag Archives: small business advice

83 Year-Old Nun & Two Old People Hack a Nuclear Complex

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In what the U.S government called a security breach to the supposedly impenetrable defenses of a Nuclear Complex, two boomer anti-nuke activists and their 83 year-old nun sister broke into the facility and splashed blood on the building where weapons-grade uranium is stored.

The Y-12 National Security Complex in Tenn. shut down their activities for a day and went on a “security stand down” for the first time since 9/11.

Now if three old people can hack into a Nuke plant and pull off mission impossible, is there any better way to illustrate how a driving purpose can give you the super powers necessary to accomplish outstanding things?

The secret sauce to their success, according to today’s WSJ (Wall Street Journal) was good planning.

To recap the three main elements for a successful mission:

A Driving Purpose

An Excellent Plan

The Courage to Execute In The Face of Enormous Odds

Doesn’t that sound a lot like being an entrepreneur? I thought so too.

Post script: The three are in jail and the world is safe, but I just found the story so inspiring..except for the obvious kinks.

Strong Advice For Entrepreneurs From CEO, Nancy Sharp

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Nancy Sharp, CEO of Food for Thought gave us some strong entrepreneur advice last night.  She’s built a company from Zip to $25 mil in revenue.  Here are a few key points.

1. You have two choices. Lay down or get up.

2. Own your confidence – if you don’t believe in yourself no one else will.  (this is echoed in The Corner Office by Adam Bryant – Indispensable and Unexpected Lessons from CEOS)

3. Know your numbers. You have to read the dials on the bus you’re driving.

4. Plan. Find your own North Star. Only you as a small business owner can plan the map.

5. Invest in good advice.

6. If you’re an entrepreneur, you’re going to have screw ups.  Own them and adjust.

7. What balance?

8. Put your mother in receivables. She’ll get the money in the door to feed her children.

Thanks Nancy! For your food for thought and your Food for Thought.  Both were delicious.

 

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Top Tips for Busy Entrepreneurs – How-to stay on top of your work

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Last year I was operating under the old ratio of:  busy tasks vs. priority tasks.  The equation looked like this:  600 + 4 = a day in the life of an entrepreneur.

The 600 represents everything other than what you should actually be doing -  reading possibly important stuff, looking for stuff, responding to stuff, email & texting stuff, thinking about stuff, worrying about stuff, filing stuff, shopping for stuff, going to stuff .. (etc.) We can see how having 600 things to do can quickly spin out of control.

The 4 represents the specific accomplishments that should be completed today that will have direct impact on your revenue line.  Ommmmmmmmm. (granted these 4 things have several steps each)

These 4 things could mean – complete planning on workshop, finalize all of the details and get the marketing into the field.  Write about the topic and plan to release the information to key people, publications and websites – have a healthy meal.

By adding a healthy meal you boost priority things to 5.  Now the equation reads:  5 + (600) = the busy entrepreneur with sprouts who did the job.  Ommmmmmm

So here are my tips on staying on top of your work and moving it forward.

1. Get on to yourself!  The Big Hairy 600 is the enemy! (put the enemy into time slots or it will drink your blood)

2.  Put 4 real, measurable, move ahead goals on your today list (and every day!) In the trade we call this working ON your business.

3. Put all the rest of the Big Hairy 600 OUT of Your Sight line so it isn’t staring you in the face. Does that mean you don’t even open your email function? YES. WHY? Because it’s the DEVIL.  (when I’m done with this blog and work on my other 3 things and have a phone meeting THEN I’ll open my email.

4. Will this new method hurt for a while because it will feel like withdrawal? YES.  Will I be missing all the wonderful people and opportunities that light up my brain and my day? YES.  But will they still be there in an hour or two hours when I’ve scheduled them in? YES.   Do I need to put this on an auto-generated function announcing to the world that I, Lennie Rose, am on the Email diet that does not allow me to respond to you immediately? NO!!! Why?  Because why would I go out of my way to explain to you why I’m not answering your email? When — if I stick to my schedule and email you in a few hours or end of day..you will be happy instead of insulted.

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As If.. Small Business Advice for the New Normal

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Sock puppet made in Blender
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I don’t try to act “AS IF” I am successful or happy.  When I try, it’s to act “AS IF” I’m normal.  There have been plenty of times when I thought I WAS normal only to find out that I wasn’t.

I’d like to take you back to my first real business interview. The position was for a part-time copywriter for a small PR firm specializing in commercial real estate.  I was fresh off the Taste of The Nation PR committee as Chicago chair and felt I could handle this entry level position.

Here is how the interview went.

Them: We got your press release samples and they were great but we didn’t receive your resume.  Can we see it?

Me: My resume?

Them: (shock) (silence)

Me: I must have left it on my desk.  (What resume?)

Them: Could you give us some examples of your writing experience or achievements?

Me: Does painting my kitchen like a clown and writing a puppet show count? OR, (light bulb) what about the years I spent as head writer for the Chicago Film Critics’ Award Show, (you know, Chicago’s answer to the Golden Globes where I wrote every part for every host and celebrity but I’ll discretely leave out the part about when Roger Ebert took the stage with my script and announced to the audience, “If this was in English I’d read it.”)

Them: Any other examples?

Me: Just my humor columns, a piece published in the Tribune about helping my cousin through cancer and this feature film script that won the Chicago Women in Film Screenwriting  Competition.

Them: Will you be happy being pigeonholed in the backroom of the office banging out press releases for $15 an hour without acknowledgement?

Me: Sounds like heaven.

Them: And will you subject yourself to insult and betrayal while we tell you you’re wonderful and still remain cheerful and diligent but not too ambitious so you don’t usurp our positions?

Me: Sign me up!

Them: Do you live close?

Me: Very.

Them:  Excellent. When can you start?

And then we lived happily ever after.  AS IF!!!!

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Go with the Flow – Lessons Learned from My Worst Vacation

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It all started with detailed plans to take a trip to the GrapeHound Festival in upstate New York.  My trip-savvy daughter made the arrangements and planned to pick me up at the airport with her Greyhound and “my Greyhound” June.  

We’d drive to an “adorable cabin” in a gorgeous National Park and spend the week-end taking the dogs to their doggie fair to eat doggy ice cream in kookie doggie hats while we drove from vineyard to vineyard on winding upstate roads. I imagined we’d meet East Coast dog owners and have exhilarating conversations.   

I’d even packed the smoked oysters for cocktails under the stars.

Well, I’m sure the stars were out there somewhere behind the blasting torrential rain. Maddy was three hours late to the airport because June had stomach flu and needed to make umpteen stops. Our neighbors were not only NOT dog owners, but they drove Harley’s – lots of them – with Punisher written on the back of their matching leather jackets.  

Night 1. Our new neighbors stayed up all night drinking while I clutched a can of bug spray as my first line of defense. The cabin stunk, the bed was bug ridden and I didn’t want to touch the sheets.

The gang turned out to be undercover cops. Their noise freaked out our dogs. One just toppled over. 

Day 1. We spent the next day at the vet finding out the limp was more like a panic attack. There was no ice cream by the time we got to the “fair” and I’m allergic to wine.

Night 2 – More new neighbors move in on the other side of the cabin. THEY get so drunk one gets arrested and his motorcycle impounded.

Day 2. I awakened covered in bug bites. Dogs are fine, kid is fine, sun is out. I insist on ending the trip at  Crystal’s Palace of Magic Fingers Massage ten blocks from the airport. After being slathered in Lavender oil, I took a shower which soaked my suitcase and drenched the clothes. All I had dry was brown palazzo pants, a yellow sweater and a blue tam.

Day 2 Scene at the airport – 4 hours to kill before the flight. A small girl with sparkle shoes sees me eating a stale tuna sandwich, mistakes me for a clown and tries to befriend me.

The flight is delayed – 4 more hours.

I end up trapped on the plane next to a religious gentleman who is saying prayers throughout the night. I am saying my own silent prayers -they are best left silent – and arrive home at 4:00 AM learning YET again, that flexibility is the best way to execute great plans.