Are you prepared?

As I am sitting here trying to finish getting ready for my trip to Florida next week, I realize that I am not as prepared as I should be. I have known about this trip for a year now. I kept telling myself I had plenty of time to get my materials ready not only for my vendor table, but for my session I am teaching as well. Now I am down to the last two days and I still have plenty of work to do.

Are you prepared for your business and your clients? For example, if you have scheduled a pet sitting assignment weeks ahead of time, you should take the time right then and there to put together all of the paperwork that you will need and set the folder aside ready to go. Why? When the day comes for you to run off to your first visit, if you haven't prepared ahead of time, you may rush off without paperwork or the keys, which may lead to you having to return to your office or forgetting something you need to do during your visit.

We all can get overwhelmed from time to time and forget about little things we have to do. It is best to take the time to write down, while you still have a fresh memory, what it is that you need to do. It could be a to-do list or a spot on your calendar. I know that when I first get up, my mind has the day's events rolling about in it. If I take a few moments to sit down and write out everything possible that I can think of that I have to take care of, whether it is for that day or not, I will not forget about a small detail that may turn out to be important.

OK, I am off to finish my packing. As usual, I will be just fine as I put together a packing list several weeks ago and I know what I need so I don't forget anything.

Will you be joining me in Tampa?

If you haven't had a chance yet, visit http://www.iceaweb.org to check out more information about their upcoming conference September 24-27 in Tampa, Florida. I am so excited to be attending another conference, and as Vice President of Budget and Finance, I want to see more attendees there. Not only will there be some great information being taught, but there will be numerous opportunities to network and get to know other business owners in the errand and concierge service industry.

I am also excited because I will be one of the speakers for the pre-conference session. I will be discussing the basics of getting started during my three hour session. The information I will be providing will give you a great start to help you get your business off on the right foot.

I am looking forward to reconnecting with old friends and meeting many new ones this year!

Don't miss our show on Wednesday!

Make sure that you join us on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 at 10 am PT/1 pm ET with our guest speaker Peggy Porter. Peggy is a coach, author and speaker who specializes in helping Mom Entrepreneurs plan, prioritize and be more productive with their time so they can make more money, spend more quality time with family and bring more energy and less stress to their own lives.

Being a wife and mother of two children, Peggy experiences first hand the challenges of balancing work, family and ME time. She has successfully created a life that is full and rewarding and is passionate about helping all women create the same success.

If you run a business and want to find new ways to balance your work and personal life, then this is the segment for you. You can call in live at 646-478-4999 or listen online at www.blogtalkradio.com/errandgurutalk.

What type of attention are you looking for?

As I have been watching news reports, it seems that the talk of the town is Sarah Palin. Not because of what she stands for, but because of all of the controversy and scandal surrounding her private life. While I think that McCain is getting a boost in attention, are you sure it is the right kind of attention? My mom goes on and on about what a horrible choice he made and talks about how she may bring him down. I am sure John McCain would be happy to hear that.

Kids look for attention from their parents all of the time, whether they have to behave good or badly to get it. Of course parents tend to make a bigger deal out of their bad behavior more than they do when the child acts good. I know sometimes I have a tendency to overlook the good things my children do, because I just expect that from them, and I am more vocal about the bad things that they do. I promise I am trying to get better about doing the opposite.

As business owners we are always looking for attention when it comes to our business. Whether it is a piece in the newspaper or a bit on the local TV station or current clients are spreading the word. The more people that know about us, the better. Or so we think. The problem is when we don't care whether the publicity is about our behavior, whether it is good or bad, as long as it is attention.

We need to be more conscious about the attention our company receives. We want to throw a party and run to tell everyone when we have done good and we need to quickly take care of any errors we make and not draw attention to these errors. Of course, as business owners we will always make mistakes. It is how we handle them and the attention they receive that will determine what happens with our business.