November-December 2008 - Issue #66

• Intro
  
• Mini Article - Lesson of the Moving Tree
  
• The Office Corner
  
• The Human Resources Corner by Anne Caldwell
  
• Grammar Question of the Month - Waiver or Waver?
  
• Tech Tips by Terence Kierans - Excel
  
• Writing Corner
  
• Word of the Month - Trope
  
• Recommendations
  
• Judy's Corner
  
• Judy's Photo Gallery
  

* WE NEED YOU TO CRITIQUE A WEBSITE. I have the privilege of mentoring Jennifer Muench, co-owner of Everyday Business Services, Goodyear, AZ. One of her goals is to have a website, and like so many of us, she and her biz partner, Christle, have a limited budget.

One of the options I gave Jen was to use Homestead.com, where she can do all her own work and get a feel for what it's like to create and modify a website. She's very talented, and I felt that she would probably want to create websites for others in the future.

Now she's at the point where she needs help, and my way of giving it is to ask you to point out ways to improve her site. She is going to be a leader in the area of marketing and organization, and I know you'll be kind yet thorough when you critique her site. You can send your comments to me and I'll forward them to her. Here's her domain: http://www.everydaybusinessservices.com.

judyvorfeld@gmail.com?Subject=EverydayBusinessServices

* IF YOU HAVE EMPLOYEES, asserts Anne Caldwell, you've got personnel issues. Even one employee. It's all part and parcel of running a business. But the BUSINESS is an external thing – it's the internal ORGANIZATION that can be your problem child if you're not paying attention to it.

Have you ever wondered how these two relate? If you have, or if you have questions, concerns, issues, or ideas about your staff or your attempts to manage them to success, I have a gift for you. After all, if your employees are successful, so is your business, and if they're not, neither are you.

Bring all your questions, concerns, etc., to a no-cost, individual consulting session with my dear friend and colleague Anne Caldwell, president of Outsourcing Solutions. She's a visionary Human Resource strategist. You can reach Anne at (602) 228.9191 or email her at mailto:pres@azoutsource.com. The first ten calls will get a free session. Tell her Judy sent you!

And starting with this issue, we'll offer a special Human Resources column to help keep you up to speed with current, practical ideas to enhance the quality of your employee(s) and business.

* THIS ISSUE'S ARTICLE is by the dynamic, talented, and down-to-earth head of Psychotactics.com, Sean D'Souza. I had to share it with you: the principles are so powerful.

* SOCIAL NETWORKING. Pick and choose. Start with a narrow focus and stick with it for at least three months. Explore the software to see how it works. See if the program is for you and your business or organization. After three months, you'll have a good idea if it's worth staying with the program.

Remember, in social networking, giving is as important as getting. Be available to help others, to answer questions, to offer support within your area of expertise or experience. What have you given? What have you learned that you can apply to your business? Was it worth it?

By Sean D'Souza

Once upon a time there was a little tree. He sat in the soil and danced in the wind. And he looked around and saw the other trees. "Man, they sure look taller than me," said the little tree. "Probably it's the soil," he mumbled.

So he lifted up his roots and moved over to the part of the garden which he thought had better soil. A few weeks later the little tree looked up again.

===============================================
Probably, it's the sunshine
===============================================

"Damn," he cursed under his breath, "the other trees are growing taller than me. Probably it's the sunshine. Let me move into where I get more sunshine."

And so the little tree moved from point to point, always picking up his roots. Always moving. Always searching for the right soil, water, fertiliser, sunshine and other more favourable conditions.

===============================================
And he stayed stunted
===============================================

The trees that stayed in one place built strong roots. Their barks grew solid. Their branches soared. And the little tree stayed little.

===============================================
Are you a little tree?
===============================================

A tree that keeps uprooting itself doesn't get a chance to grow. It stays confused and scattered. Stay where you are. Learn what you need to. And grow strong roots. That's what will make you a big tree.

Move upward. Not sidewards.

©2001-2008 Psychotactics Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Wouldn't you love to stumble upon a secret library of small business ideas? Find simple, yet electrifying ideas, on copywriting, public speaking, marketing strategies, sales conversion, psychological tactics and branding. Head down to http://www.psychotactics.com today and judge for yourself.

1. TIN EYE: image search engine built by Idée currently in beta. Give it an image and it will tell you where the image appears on the Web.
http://tineye.com/login

2. VECTOR MAGIC: Convert bitmap images to vector images with a few simple clicks. Just upload your image and Vector Magi will guide you through the process. The results are delivered right away in EPS, SVG, PDF, and PNG formats.
http://vectormagic.com/

3. 25 OFFICE ORGANIZING TIPS
http://www.businessknowhow.com/manage/getorg.htm

How do we keep the best? Part 1
By Anne Caldwell, President, Outsourcing Solutions

In a job market like the current one, attracting and retaining the best help is challenging. The key to finding and keeping good employees is creating an environment in which they would want to work.

Comprehensive Benefits Package
Start by providing a benefits package that is comprehensive. There are many good plans for medical and dental, plus other benefits you can make available at a good rate with little or no cost to you. Some of these include the following:

Legal plans
Pet insurance
Employee assistance plans
Vision care
Credit union memberships
Auto club discounts

By providing the vendor with a pool of employees, you automatically qualify for group rates, which are paid by the employees who want the benefit.

Define Performance Expectations
Next, make sure that you are defining performance expectations. Nothing enhances an employee's chances for success more than being clear about what is expected of them. Knowing where they stand, and what they need to do to increase their compensation or be considered for a promotion provides a powerful incentive to stay.

Be certain that you are acknowledging the efforts that people make. When employees feels like their contribution is noticed and appreciated, it solidifies their connection with the company.

I often ask management groups to close their eyes and remember a time when they felt that their efforts were entirely understood and totally acknowledged. It usually takes them some time to come up with something, but when they do, it's a vivid memory. This tells us:

1. That it doesn't happen very often
2. That it feels so good, we remember it for years

Remind Your Staff That You Appreciate Them Why not make it part of your routine to remind your staff that you appreciate their contribution? Be specific. Don't just tell them they did a good job. Tell them how effective it was that they found such an innovative way to turn that irate customer into a satisfied, even delighted one.

I often suggest to skeptics to try it for a month as though they really see the value, and they are often surprised with the result.

Anne Caldwell is President and Founder of Outsourcing Solutions, a human resource strategy firm that works with small companies, start-ups and organizations in transition. Outsourcing Solutions can be reached at (602) 228-9191, www.azoutsource.com or pres@azoutsource.com.

Waiver: the giving up of a claim
Waver: to hesitate; also tremble or quaver

When you design a worksheet you often add rows of labels at the top of the columns, and columns of labels to the left of each row. When the worksheet grows, these row and column labels scroll off the screen so that you cannot see them.

So that these labels remain visible why not "freeze" the rows and columns in which the labels are located? For example, freeze the first row and column of your worksheet. Then, when you scroll the worksheet that row and column will remain on the screen - only the unfrozen portion of the screen will scroll.

How to do it?

Select the cell immediately below and to the right of the area to be frozen. For example, to freeze rows 1 and 2 and column A:

a) Select cell B3;
b) Select Window/Freeze Panes.

If you don't want to use the frozen panes, select Window/Unfreeze panes.

Terence Kierans
Cyberspace Virtual Services
tkierans@virtualservices.com.au
http://www.virtualservices.com.au/
We keep your project on the boil, while you sleep

1. HOW PLANNED DISCONNECTORS CREATE POWERFUL ARTICLES: by Sean D'Souza
http://www.psychotactics.com/artpowerful_articles

2. WHAT THE FONT: Ever wanted to find a font just like the one used by certain publications, corporations, or ad campaigns? Well now you can, using WhatTheFont font recognition system. Upload a scanned image of the font and instantly find the closest matches in its database.
http://www.myfonts.com/WhatTheFont/

3. FR** COURSE: WRITING VERSE FOR CHILDREN
http://www.writershelper.com/write-verse.html

Main Entry:trope
Pronunciation:*tr*p
Function:noun
Etymology:Latin tropus, from Greek tropos turn, way, manner, style, trope, from trepein to turn
Date:1533

1 a : a word or expression used in a figurative sense : FIGURE OF SPEECH b : a common or overused theme or device : CLICHE *the usual horror movie tropes*
2 : a phrase or verse added as an embellishment or interpolation to the sung parts of the Mass in the Middle Ages

*By permission. From Merriam-Webster's Collegiate(R) Dictionary at www.m-w.com by Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.

1. WHERE IS YOUR USERNAME BEING USED IN SOCIAL NETWORKING?
http://usernamecheck.com/

2. MAYBE YOU CAN'T MAKE MONEY DOING WHAT YOU LOVE
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/10/maybe-you-cant.html

3. TEN TECH THINGS I'M THANKFUL FOR
http://www.louisgray.com/live/2008/11/ten-tech-things-im-thankful-for.html

Happy Holidays! I hope that, as we prepare for 2009, you have a chance to recharge your batteries, and spend some precious time with friends, family, and just being...

Dragonfly, Desert Botanical Garden. October 2008. Photo by Judy Vorfeld

Monarch Butterfly Desert Botanical Garden. October 2008. Photo by Judy Vorfeld

Monarch Butterfly Desert Botanical Garden. October 2008. Photo by Judy Vorfeld

Monarch Butterfly Desert Botanical Garden. October 2008. Photo by Judy Vorfeld

Monarch Butterfly Desert Botanical Garden. October 2008. Photo by Judy Vorfeld

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