Erika's Blog - Northern Connections

Our eldest son has just returned from being away in California for 2 years. We have not seen him during that time, just emails and phone calls. For the past 4 months that he has been home, we have noticed some changes in him, some good and some not so good. Our family dynamics seemed to be the same, but there is something that is not quite right. Developing open and honest communication has become a challenge. You really need both parties to want to participate and make it work. If one party decides to distance themselves, it becomes virtually impossible to come to an understanding and work to resolve any differences that exist. It is the same in business relationships, friendships or casual acquaintances. True and meaningful dialogue is the basis of any good relationship, but it also takes skill. You don't want to offend. Speaking with a caring voice and putting yourself in the other person's shoes will go along way to making sure there is no breakdown that will take a lot of effort to patch up when feelings are hurt.

Labels: communication, family

I took the advice of my Business Coach and made some changes to my web site title and keywords. I also started writing articles and publishing on the internet. Between this and some backlinks from organizations that I joined, I was surprised to find my web site on page 2 of Google search. That is very exciting. Now I need to keep up the efforts to remain there and get even higher rankings.

Labels: business, internet marketing, seo

I am sure most business owners know what a strategic plan is, but I wonder how many actually have one and use it to plan their growth. A strategic plan should be a living document that gets revised regularly as demands change. It is not a document that gets prepared once and then sits in a file to be looked at again in a couple of years. I am currently a part of a team developing their strat plan for the first time and it is quite a learning experience for the group. If you haven't had experience in this before, it takes a bit of time looking at indicators and establishing milestones to ensure the results accurately reflect progress being made. Projects need to be planned and tasks assigned to staff. To get all staff to buy-in to the strategic planning process, it's a good idea to involve them in the decision making and also encourage their ideas and input. Our group has indicated they have gained from seeing other's programs and the benefit of working together as a team to move in one direction. There is lots of information available in preparing your Strategic Plan. If your are planning growth, you will need one so you don't veer off course.

Labels: business, strategic planning

Can't believe that Fall is upon us. I don't know about you but I find it a little depressing. I am definitely a summer person. Would love to live in California, but that's a dream that may or may not come true one day. When Fall hits, I want to start purging and tossing out unnecessary items that have been cluttering the house and office. I like to make a list of projects that need to be done and posting them in a visible spot. Then I make a priority list and decide what can be accomplished first. I tend to want to get smaller projects out of the way first so that you can see success and become motivated to tackle the larger ones as momentum builds. Enlisting your family or co-workers is a great way to start the ball rolling. Working in teams is much more fun than trying to go it alone. There are great tips on the net for getting organized. My associate Janet Barclay at http://www.organizedassistant.com/ is a Professional Organizer who has some excellent advice at her web site. For anyone needing to outsource administrative tasks while you work on your organization plan, give me a call or see my web site http://www.erikamartlew.com/.
Happy de-cluttering!!

Labels: organization

You may have heard the saying "no success in business makes up for failure at home" (or something like that). I've been thinking about success lately as I started out my home-based business. I also look at people I work with who put their jobs ahead of their family time or leisure time. Their families beg to schedule time with them. Working can definitely be more interesting and stimulating. It is much more exciting than trying to converse at a 3-year old level, or bake cookies. I stayed home for 13 years raising my children. It is not easy, but the rewards are well worth it. Now I am working full time and working part time at a home-based business. My philosophy is that your family comes first before all else. Otherwise, why did anyone choose to have children just to have them raised by day care staff and babysitters, and then wonder why they have problems. I firmly believe a parent's job is to raise good, responsible, respectful kids, and that means sacrifice (personal time, material things, etc.). Business success is secondary. What do you think?

Labels: business, family, success