Getting a loan in this economy is no easy task! I know personally that the application process for small business loans can be daunting. That process can be made even worse if the loan application is rejected in the end.
Women owned small businesses typically endure even more obstacles. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that there is gender discrimination in banks, but the common circumstances that may be contributing to the trend do seem to have a connotative effect in terms of approval rate.
Considering that many women small business owners begin their ventures after a professional leave of absence, many times after the kids have matured to allow enough time for a business, lending institutions consider the lack of experience or gap in work history to be a negative factor.
When the bank manager asks you what you’ve done for the last 10 years and you answer – “raised my children”, a red flag suddenly goes up!
Borrowing from family and friends is a good way to get the ball rolling. Be sure to use a good loan contract, either by an attorney or done by yourself. If you are going to make the contract on your own consider a loan template or resource like LoanBack – a great service that not only helps create a loan contract, but also helps to manage the payback.
Once your business is running many more options and alternatives to a small business loan exist. Equipment leasing becomes a viable financing solution. While most leasing companies won’t approve start-up, established business with a decent credit history can fiance commercial equipment.
Business cash advances can also be an option for businesses that can prove historical revenue for at least 6 months. If your business is processing credit cards then your funding request can be simple to apply for and easily approved.
Keep in mind that there are plenty of ways to finance your business, even in hard economic times – stay true to your dream!
As a working mom, do you think that organizing your business desk for effective time management is possible? Yes it is. There is hardly any working mother that would not be thrilled to have an office desk that is free from any form of clutter. You open your desk drawers to find that the compartments are all tidy. All the important to-do files are in one compartment while all the urgent to-do files are in another compartment. Even the finished projects are filed in their own compartment which is neatly and painstakingly stacked to give you ease of access.
In as much as organizing your business desk for effective time management in this manner is desirable, not every woman knows how to go about it. Personally I don’t believe in the use of accordion file, especially if your section is such that is termed “information-heavy”. Even the use of Input Tray does not solve the matter as you would notice over time that you are speedily accumulating tons and tons of paper. I believe we can always do better than using these methods. Let’s start with the junk. When a piece of paper comes and you deem it to be junk, don’t just stow it away, throw it into the trash bin.
Still talking on organizing your business desk for effective time management, if the paper you received turns out to be an important item to be dealt with, all you need do is make note of it on your to-do list. If you are making use of a computer, your to-do list should be distinguishable on the desktop by having its own icon. In this case, you don’t have to throw the paper into the trash bin, rather you create a file folder which is properly labeled and where such papers should go into. If the assignment can be delegated, then send the paper and requirements immediately to the right person. In order to be on the safer side, you can still add it to your to-do list so that you can remind the person to handle it.
In organizing your business desk for effective time management, you don’t have to stick those colored pieces of Post-It papers on your desk. Instead, get a clean sheet of typing paper and stick them to this paper which you then put in a labeled file which should be kept close to your computer. With all these tips, I’m sure you can make the most of organizing your business desk even as you effectively manage your limited time. The time you spend in organizing your desk is never wasted.
When I talk about mindfulness as a means of reducing stress for working moms, I am not talking about meditation. As a woman and a mother who is working, it is very important that you do not allow stress to take a hold on you. Do you know why? The reason is that if this happens, you would see yourself where you would not want to be – the hospital. An author who also happens to be a medical doctor specialized in stress management, Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn came to the realization that a higher number of cases he was handling were as a result of stress and this prompted him into developing a method of treatment.
This method of treatment developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn is the form of an 8-week course which combines, meditation, yoga and mindfulness to achieve treatment for those patients suffering from stress-related disorders. Before the end of the 8-week period, the doctor noticed significant improvement in those patients. Since you are lucky enough to be reading this information either from the comfort of your office or home and not from a hospital bed, we can put aside the meditation and yoga aspect and dwell more on mindfulness. What really is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is the unique art of paying close attention to what is happening around you in the present moment. In this case, you stop for a minute and become vividly aware of your thoughts but you don’t judge such thoughts. You simply allow them to play out. When this happens, you begin to notice things that have always been there but you neither noticed nor even appreciated them. It’s a form of unfocused thinking which tends to bring about a new and unique perspective on all those things you have never seen as being adequate. It gives you a form of guidance which is somewhat refreshing and inspiring.
When you engage in the art of mindfulness, you are indirectly reducing stress in a form that can be said to be concentrated. It is something you can engage in at any time of the day. It does not make any difference whether you are sitting in the comfort of your home, being driven in a car or even sitting down at your desk right inside your office. Are you stressed out in the office or at home? Then let just a minute of focus do that magic in your system through mindfulness. It is a minute you would come to realize was actually well spent, especially when it helps to keep you away from the hospital.
As a business woman, wife and mother, most times it becomes really demanding for you to carry out all your duties at the business and family fronts. This is where you require good skills in managing your business projects as a mom. There is no need asking if you presently have more than one project going on at the same time because you certainly do have. You don’t have to worry about not seating in front of your computer and seeing a neat and properly arranged document on your screen. All you need do is put your project on the right track with just four easy to follow steps.
First, in order to get your projects done in a timely fashion and right too, you would need to type out a rough draft of the things you need to do, especially where it has to do with the projects at hand. Every woman who is into business knows that managing your business projects as a mom is never an easy task, after all you are just a human like every other person and can easily get distracted by the happenings within the home front and the business area. Listed below are the four steps you can take to make things easier for you as carry out those business projects. They are:
Outline the bigger steps: When you are carrying out projects, there are minor steps and major steps involved. To make the process easier for you, it is necessary that you outline those bigger and major steps and insert End Dates on them so that you can strive towards achieving your set goal.
Define your goals: With every project you engage in, there is always a goal which happens to be the end product you desire to achieve through that particular project. Don’t give yourself a very tight goal date. Make room for a few extra days which you would use to polish the project when the goal is successfully met.
Outline the smaller steps: Within the bigger steps, you are sure to find the smaller steps. Instead of ignoring them, it helps to outline them so that as soon as you are through with the bigger steps, you move on to the smaller steps to actualize your project.
Maintain a running file: Yes, in everything you do, a running file is always important. You may choose to save the information in your computer and at the same time, have them documented on paper files which you would find helpful should you be carrying out a similar project in the future.
With these steps, you are sure to make the best of managing your business projects as a mom with little or no stress.
When we talk about balancing work, family and friends, in order words, balancing every aspect of your life, it does not necessarily mean running faster or even harder than others. It’s all about getting things done at the right time and at the right proportion. If you are still wondering what I’m talking about, you can agree with me that on daily basis, we all as humans have limited time in which we are very much awake and at the same time, functioning. Based on this, you should not just concentrate on only one area, the rest would be suffering greatly from neglect.
What I’m saying in essence is that in order to be successful in balancing work, family and friends, you don’t have to concentrate only on work and ignore family and friends. In the same vein, you also don’t have to concentrate only on family and ignore work and friends and so on. You don’t have to be perfect before you can properly juggle between these three essentials in your life. In fact, working towards perfection has always been known to be a waste of time, all you need do is plan your time and activities very well and in due course, you would be able to share out your time on work, being you’re your family and also having a good time with your friends.
As far as balancing work, family and friends is concerned, family should always be the first on your list because you could lose that job tomorrow but your family will always be there for you. In this case, devote a given time that you are sure to give them FULL ATTENTION. If you are spending time on the beach with them, keep your iPhone or Blackberry at home so that you are not tempted into discussing business with clients and denying them of the much needed attention.
In order to make the best of balancing work, family and friends, it is also advised that you pay attention to your health. This means that you make a to-do-list and carry out the most important functions at work and delegate the rest so that you can have a little time to rest your feet. Also, you should make out time to eat good foods, avoid skipping meals and most importantly, take lots of fresh fruits and make out time to exercise. Maintain a healthy lifestyle. With this, you would be able to give both your family and friends enough time without compromising your work schedule. It is just a simple rule if you are determined to make it work.
Are you a woman who desires to have authority in her place of work or business? Do you have that desire to be perceived as a leadership material through your actions? If your answer to these questions is yes, then taking the following 3 steps to gaining more authority as a woman would do you a lot of good. They are:
Handle your appearance: Unlike men, women are always graded first, based on their appearance. Talking about your appearance does not mean you should go slimming down or that you must be young. You have to look like a woman who has the authority. How do you achieve this? You can start by spending time and a little money on your hair. The next is choosing a blend of makeup that is simple yet alluring. This takes you to dressing. Your dressing should be corporate and you can achieve this with the use of suits or in recent cases, tailored dresses since they are known to combine authority and feminine touches.
Use the language of authority: Always speak more in active language than in passive language. This is one area that is known to have worked for most women entrepreneurs and executives who are in male dominated sectors. For example, instead of saying “The installation project was completed prior to the deadline”, you can add more authority to the sentence by saying, “The team completed the installation project before the deadline”. Another example is, instead of saying “A proposal is required before the end of this month”, you can add more vigor by saying “The Cable TV firm requires a proposal before the deadline”. Make your authority be felt through active language.
Create credibility for yourself: This could be tricky and you could feel uncomfortable but it works when done right. All you need do is pick pieces of your credibility and when the opportunity presents itself in the form of introductions and conversations, you tactically chip it in. You don’t need to be an advanced degree holder to be credible. What about that successful marketing campaign you spearheaded for your corporation? What about that important client you were able to secure? Try to weave these achievements into concise statements and prove your competence. You are sure to tickle the male brain because they like hearing numbers.
If you religiously stick to these 3 steps to gaining more authority as a woman in your dealings with others, you are sure to gain the authority you desire in your business or workplace.