by Eric Veruzh
Sometimes you realize that you need to quickly acquire some new skills. For me, Project Management is one of those areas. Most of the concepts I’ve heard about or read about, but I can’t articulate how to construct a sound approach to managing a new project.
I’m working on a new book called The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management. So far, I’m about 9 chapters in (about half-way through the book). This seems to be a comprehensive look at how to approach a project, but it’s aimed more specifically at individuals in large organizations. That being said, I still find many of the approaches to be useful and things I will be implementing in how I approach many of my own projects.
One idea I like in particular is a Work Project Breakdown. Basically, this lists all the tasks needed to complete a project, the time expected to do so, and who is responsible for this. The book covers global concepts down to much more minute details that will help any project manager, or anyone who needs a quick grasp of business and project concepts.
I’ll post a more comprehensive review in a couple of weeks when I finish this book.
September 25th, 2006
Putting on a community festival was one of the best experiences I’ve been involved with. Being involved and visible has been a great confidence booster for me but what I may not have really thought much about is that if things go wrong, you also have to take responsibility for them. The issue may not be so much in the necessity to accept responsibly but how is the best way to do so when the need arises? We’ve had some negative reactions to locations and methods that were employed for postering. Taking responsibility is only half the battle. What do you do for restitution? How much can talking, and listening be used to make things right? When do you actually need to provide financial compensation? When someone has complaints to air, especially valid ones, I have a tendency to want to make things better immediately. It’s important though, to not over promise anything. I have the authority to do what is necessary to make amends, but I’d rather discuss these issues with other board members to get their input. Making limited promises during the initial contact allows more latitude and options to make things right.
How do you do this when you’re blindsided and caught on the phone? I think empathy is key, but also showing enough restraint to be logical and reasonable yourself. It’s important to get all the facts and to use those, along with gut instincts, to “fix” things. It’s hard to sit and wait, but this time it’s the right thing to do. This is not a crisis and we are lucky that we have some time to examine our options and find the best solution.
September 18th, 2006
How many times have you heard yourself say: “Oh, if only I could do that, that would be so great, but I’d never be able to…” A defeatist attitude is going to doom you to failure, no matter how great you are, or could be.
After working with a group of dedicated volunteers all summer, I’ve realized how powerfully “peer pressure” affects each of us. Being involved in putting on a community festival has given me new people to compare myself to and new standards to hold myself against. These folks are great. They do big things and think even bigger. In my book, putting out 20,000 flyers in a weekend was something to scoff at yet, these guys did it and never had any doubts that it was possible. Next time, I too, won’t have the same doubts as this time. Yes, it takes work, but thinking that “this is doable” suddenly makes it so.
Lots of people have noticed a difference in my confidence level. Projects that would have been daunting a few months ago now are less intimidating. Most of this can be attributed to the attitudes I’ve absorbed from those around me. Keeping them around keeps me motivated!
September 10th, 2006
I’ve put this business mostly on hold over the summer because of a lot of things going on in my personal life. I’ve got a networking group that I think will be a benefit to most of the people I’ve invited.
September 6th, 2006
by Viojieley Gurrobat
Have you ever wondered how big corporations such as Sony and CBS are able to establish their corporate images? How important are these images in promoting their respective products or services? The answer is simple: by creating a unique and impressive identity. And how are they able to do this? By hiring brand identity designers.
Now, what is this brand identity design and who are these brand identity designers? It has been said that a good and strong brand identity is the most potent weapon in the marketer’s arsenal. Creating a brand that is timeless, distinctive and powerful can help your business or product stand out among your competitors. Brand identity design is associated with the visual aspects of a company or business identity or brand. Brand identity represents how a company wants to be seen and how the company illustrates its image. And how and where it is seen, what it looks and feels like depends entirely on the product of the company.
A company’s brand identity can be represented through a unique logo or signage that is often incorporated on all the company’s materials such as stationery, business cards, packing and so on. The brand identity design is what often helps the customer to remember the company and the right brand identity design can be one of the company’s best marketing tools as it transforms the company’s vision and values into an image that customers become familiar with. A good visual identity or imagery is also important for almost all businesses as it often what attracts people who aren’t drawn in by words and numbers alone.
To be able to create good and effective brand identity design, many company’s hire brand identity designers. Brand identity designers create logos, promotional materials, and advertising programs that promote and establish a corporate identity. Their job is to provide new and innovative ways to combine images and words to express the key message of the company.
A good brand identity designer should possess innovativeness and problem solving skills. Typography and illustration are key areas in which a brand identity designer should excel. Additionally, a brand identity designer uses design and strategic thinking to help companies find the right brand identity that will help them stand out in competitive marketplaces.
Simply put brand identity design is an artistic and practical approach that focuses on the needs of the companies in areas such as marketing, packaging, product branding, communications and website design. Thus, if you are a business owner wanting to create a good and lasting identity in the market, perhaps the professional help of brand identity designers can benefit you a lot.
About The Author Viojieley Gurrobat loves readings books in her spare time. She writes stories and poems about anything under the sun. For comments and suggestions kindly visit http://www.graphicdesignsunlimited.com/.
April 5th, 2006
I don’t normally do things that make me nervous, but I set up a meeting with a SCORE Counselor. SCORE is the Service Corps of Retired Executives, an extension of the Small Business Association. They offer free counseling and advice to folks working on startup ideas and growing businesses. I’ve been toying with the idea of taking my business to the next level for a while now and am actually starting to see some progress, I think. I’ve had a couple of folks recommend that I talk to them before, but this time I actually did it. I’ve got an appointment May 8, downtown. I don’t even know what I’m suppose to bring, but hopefully this will help me get motivated to start working on things in the next month.
April 5th, 2006
Offices to Share is a national service that specializes in helping small businesses and entrepreneurs find pre-furnished office and conference room space. Many businesses just starting out are run from the entrepreneur’s home. While this has many advantages (no rent, convenient commute), there reaches a time where considering a change of venue is important. Maybe you’ve reached the point where meeting with clients and the kitchen table or local coffee shop doesn’t present the image you want, or summer break has increased the amount of time your kids are spending on the phone during business hours. This may be a time to consider renting a office suite. Offices present a more professional image, however, finding the right office space can be a challenge. Long-term leases (over a year) lock an entrepreneur into a scenario that may not fit them in six months, much less in 18 months or two years. What if your company suddenly employs 10 people, or you decide that this wasn’t the right business after all? You’re stuck paying rent on something that you don’t need and subletting may not be an option.
If you decide to pursue leasing office space the benefits you receive will vary based on the type of property you choose. Options vary from executive suites, to shared office space, and subleases. Executive suites typically are in a large building and often include a receptionist, shared conference room space, office equipment such as copiers, faxes, and possibly video conferencing. Shared space is more variable in the conditions that they offer. It is usually occurs when some business has extra space that the would like to put to use. Often businesses that cohabitate are compatible enterprises such as web designers and a small IT company, or a accountant and a tax lawyer. A sub-lease could possibly land you in any number of different situations.
Check out Offices to Share for more ideas on how to select an appropriate space and to take advantage of their listings. If you don’t find anything that suits your needs, at least you’ve got a few ideas of where to start.
Link: http://www.offices2share.com
April 1st, 2006
Being a small business owner can leave you managing all aspects of your work and sometimes that can leave you burned out. One way I’ve found useful to help keep the momentum going is to have weekly meetings with a friend and you and update each other on progress of goals for the week. Seeing someone else excited about your ideas can help recharge your batteries and get you more motivated about your projects again.
When my idea bouncer was out of town on vacation. I realized how much I had come to depend on these little pep talks that we have a couple times a week, either over email or a mutual "work date." We’re both in similar places in our lives, working on setting goals and getting respective businesses up and running. We’re cheerleaders for each other. Our businesses don’t overlap at all so there is no fear of exposing "trade secrets", although networking with people in your same field can be a great way to gain insight and have a great network of contacts to rely on, but that’s another post for another day.
March 24th, 2006
Being an entrepreneur has its benefits. One of them is that there is no boss to tell you when it’s time to stop or start. This can seem like a great benefit, especially if you are great at time management. If you’re like many people, suddenly having to manage all of your own time, set priorities, agendas and business goals, the workload suddenly becomes daunting. One useful tool for evaluating your time use is thee double entry method. Basically, this consists of creating a schedule for the day or week of time you intend to spend on each project.
Perhaps the intended Monday schedule looks something like this:
9 am: return email/phone calls
10 am: book keeping
11am Marketing Calls
12:00 Lunch
1:00 Client Project
2:00 Client Project
3:00 Client Project
4:00 Meeting
At the end of the day, perhaps you’ve made a note in the next column that your day really went more like this:
9 am Return Email/Phone Messages
10 am Bookkeeping
11 am Bookkeeping
12 pm Bookkeeping
1 PM Client Project
2 pm Client Project
3 pm Client Project
4 pm Client Project
5 pm Meeting
As you can see, the project and book keeping may have taken significantly longer than anticipated. If trends like this continue, you will at least be aware of them and can take this into account when scheduling your time. Maybe it makes sense to hire someone to help with aspects of your business. If you always make marketing calls at 3:00 PM on Friday and discover no one is at the office, or find that bookkeeping takes too long when you’re still sleepy in the morning, it empowers you to make the switch when you can find inefficiencies in your schedule. It may also let you get home to your family at a saner hour. Good luck!
March 24th, 2006
Starting a business takes a lot of thought and planning. Not everyone gives the initial stages as much planing as they deserve.
Entrepreneur Press has written a series of books to help the serious individual work through the complex steps of starting a business. The book won’t tell you what business to start, but if you have an idea and need direction in starting the steps to make the business viable, this is an invaluable resource.
The book provides chapters that cover many essential areas of starting a business including choosing an legal organizational form, writing business and marketing plans, basic employer responsibilities, contact information for various resources, ideas for conducting marketing research among others.
It provides check lists to remind you to think about certain aspects that are essential for a successful business start.
March 24th, 2006
Previous Posts