We essentially heard this cry from one of our recent clients. They had a website that was barely being held together with spit & bailing wire and was prone to crashing if looked at sideways. They had at least three different eCommerce solutions that didn’t talk to their website. Add to that two different membership management solutions and as if that was not enough, a completely separate email solution to send out their newsletter and other communications. I’m probably missing something on the list but you get the point.

When you look at a September calendar and note that the first Monday says “Labor Day,” do you find yourself reflecting on the triumphs of the labor movement, the dedication of our unions or the challenges of the American worker through history? If you’re like most of us, the answer is probably not. Labor Day means the end of summer and time to go back to school. It means the last chance to have a memorable weekend.

In short—it's time to party.

Here are some ideas to help you celebrate this annual end of summer holiday:

How do you deal with stress? Do you just roll with the punches, or do you find yourself sick with worry? While there are many things that happen that we have absolutely no control over—traumatic events like disasters or violence or the death of a loved one— many of the things that cause us stress are the result of our own doing or thinking. Public speaking, for example, is probably the most prevalent fear, but it can be overcome with preparation, training, and practice. It's up to us in how we deal with our fears and other stressful situations.

Featured Resource this week - StockUnlimited

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Featured Resource this week - Centerpointe

Did you know that if your head isn't in the right place, you can sabotage your business and personal success? Centerpointe's premier introductory product, Holosync, gives you ALL the benefits of meditation – in a fraction of the time – and without spending years learning how...

What if you could meditate like a Zen monk, literally at the touch of a button?

• Increase your threshold for stress…deal with the ups and down of life much more easily…protect yourself from serious physical and emotional problems caused by stress...
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In business, there are many times when you find yourself answering the same questions over and over. Some businesses put FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) on their website and that helps some.

But what about the people who insist on calling instead of checking your site?

“Summer was our best season: it was sleeping on the back screened porch in cots, or trying to sleep in the treehouse; summer was everything good to eat; it was a thousand colors in a parched landscape; but most of all, summer was Dill.”

― Harper Lee

Summer is that time of endless possibilities—three whole months when adventures of any sort could happen. Even better, summer is when so many great memories are made, and luckily those memories don't have to be expensive!

Featured Resource this week - iMember360

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Unleash the power of WordPress and iMember360 to create your Infusionsoft™ driven membership site instantly! iMember360 - a WordPress plugin that turns a normal WordPress site into a full-featured membership site with all the protection controls you can imagine, almost limitless customization, and driven by Infusionsoft’s second-to-none CRM and e-commerce engine.

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Featured Resource this week - PureChat

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Featured Resource this week - ScheduleOnce

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There are so many ways to create and use video, that I’ll never get them all….but what I can do is to give you some examples of how to fit video into your business, and what technologies are used in those examples.

First, is what we did for the documentation of our JoomFuse product. We used screen capture recordings with voice over. We used ScreenFlow to record, edit, and highlight the resulting video and then export the resulting video (Camtasia is another similar product to ScreenFlow).

Back to school time can be stressful for parents and students alike. The approach of autumn means students need to get back into that education mindset, and there's no time like the present to get started on the new school year. (Psst… there’s a parallel here for us as business owners so don’t be too quick to dismiss this, whether or not you have kids!)

Take a field trip. Ever have that dream where you’re late for that big test because you can't find your classroom? To make sure that dream never becomes a reality, visit your school at the first opportunity to get the layout of the land. If possible, meet the teacher and get an idea of what his or her expectations are for the new class.

No matter what field you're in, taking the time to acquire some business know-how won't hurt you and could even change your life. Not all of these bestselling books contain the magic formula for success, but each has insightful advice that could make a difference.

The 48 Laws of Power.  The preface of this book states: “Today....everything must appear civilized, decent, democratic, and fair. But if we play by those rules too strictly, if we take them too literally, we are crushed by those around us who are not so foolish.” If you like Game of Thrones, then this may be the business book for you. With laws of power like “Crush Your Enemy Totally” and “Keep Your Hands Clean”, this #1 book in the Political Philosophy will help you secure your Iron Throne. Author Robert Greene uses historical anecdotes and examples to show many of the ruthless behaviors people will adhere to in an attempt to “win.”

“Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.”
― James Baldwin

Your children are always watching you. They learn how to act and react based on how you do. So what are you teaching them?

Learning the skills it takes to be an entrepreneur will help any child advance later in life. Here are some ways to make sure your kids are learning the things they're going to need in the future:

You can’t focus on a goal that you haven’t set yet or that doesn’t motivate you, so that’s the first step. What are you setting your goal for? Yourself? Your business? A new product or service?

We developed a simple tool to help our clients through the process, which we will share with you today.