Don’t let your business be put into the ‘cute’ category

Defend your concept

Own your ambition. As a young woman, people will try to put your business into the “cute” category, says Lisa McLeod. Don’t let them. If you run a cupcake shop, talk about yourself as if you are cupcake mogul. If you starting an Internet business make it clear that you’re just as savvy as Zuckerburg. Don’t ever use the words, little, small or fledgling to describe yourself or your business. You don’t have a cute little business, you have a REAL business. When I started my business 20 years ago, people often assumed I worked for myself so I could have more flexibility with my kids. In hindsight, when people called my business little, I should have said, “It is now, but I plan for it to be very big.” It takes guts and ambition to start a business. The founders of HP, Wal-Mart and Google had ambition. So do you, don’t ever forget that.

Read the full article at: http://hear.ceoblognation.com/2013/04/04/seasoned-entrepreneurs-share-their-advice-for-young-female-entrepreneurs/

Are you a multi-tasking champion? We all like to think we are, but Xerox’s sixth myth questions this idea. What are your productivity strategies?

6. Double Your Output

Multitasking means performing two or more tasks simultaneously. Today’s computers do it very effectively. Research shows that each individual task suffers efficacy when people multitask. Focus on one task, finish it; then move on to the next. It’s faster and more effective. Leave multitasking to the technology built for it.

Measuring the right key business data is the focus of Xerox’s final myth. How do you determine what to measure in your business?

8. Track Your Results

Metrics are only as useful as what they measure. If you measure input, such as how many sales calls were made, you can calculate the cost per call. But if you measure output, such as sales closed, you can calculate the cost per sale. Measuring output can be more difficult than measuring input, but it’s also more useful in guiding business decisions.

Understanding staff needs is Xerox’s fifth myth. How much flexibility does your staff have to determine how they are most productive?

5. Do Everything by the Book

Sometimes it’s more effective to think of productivity in terms of guidelines or suggestions rather than hard, fast rules. What works efficiently for one person doesn’t necessary save someone else time. Aspire to the goal of peak productivity, but allow some individual flexibility in how to get there.

Striving for excellence is the goal of business owners. In Xerox’s seventh myth, they question the relationship between quantity and quality. Do you waste time striving for ‘perfection’?

7. More is Better

Quantity and quality are inexorably linked. More is better as long as quality isn’t its casualty. One only needs to recall the recent housing loan crisis to see what happens to customers and business when quantity jumps and quality drops.

Providing an optimum working environment is the focus of Xerox’s fourth myth. Under what conditions are you most productive?

4. Hear the Place Humming

Chances are your office is not as quiet as a library. Despite the open design of most office space, it’s not always conducive to productivity. Nearby conversations, cubicle conference calls, unattended ringtones and auditory desktop alerts frequently distract attention from the business task directly in front of you. Lead by example and mute your disruptive work habits.