What's your business plan?

In 1845, a British expedition commanded by Sir John Franklin boldly set out in search of the Northwest Passage, a fabled sea route around the top of North America. The expedition was plagued by logistical problems from the very start.

The crew had little experience with the arctic. Other than Franklin, few among the officers were arctic veterans. Disregarding the advice of the native Inuit, crewmen were outfitted in uniforms far better suited to winters in Southern England. 

In May, the expedition set sail from England never to return. Studies over the years have concluded that hypothermia, starvation and lead poisoning, along with inadequate clothing and supplies, lead to its demise.

While few of us have our hearts set on being arctic explorers, the fate of the Franklin Expedition serves of a poignant example of the importance of proper planning. It has been said that if you don’t know how to get there, it doesn’t matter what road you take.

Gratitude is an amazingly powerful attitude with payoffs in health, business, and relationships. Years ago, my nephew gave me a gratitude jar which sits in a place of pride in my kitchen for its reminder and random use. More recently I discovered some lovely slim journals from The HappyMe Journal that charmingly prompt children and adults for the steps toward feelings and habits of gratitude and happiness.

This week we will celebrate Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. gratefully eating our fill of turkey and the traditional fixings and sharing it with family and friends. We hope you enjoy a lovely holiday too!

My granddaughter and I love to read a wonderfully illustrated children’s book (more on the book later) about a little boy whose grandfather once sewed him a special blanket. Over time, the beloved blanket grew worn and well-used. The disappointed little boy went to his talented grandfather who cut the blanket down and made the child a new coat.

Time went by and the coat became worn so the little boy took it to his grandfather who cut it down into… well, you get the drift. Eventually the grandfather only had enough cloth left to make a button for the boy.

If you are (or were) a fan of The Sound of Music, you might remember the lyrics: “Let's start at the very beginning. A very good place to start.”

The same applies in your business.

Too many business owners make the mistake of developing their product or marketing strategy before doing the first critical step…

Are you as crazy busy, day in, day out, as we are? Work, spending time with family, getting the yard ready for winter, hobbies, exercise, household chores, travel… shouldn’t there be more than 24 hours in a day?? Focus, organization, and productivity have a huge impact on our lives and even our peace of mind. Take a look at these 8 amazing apps and tools.

Keeping your customers engaged is a priority, one you may spend an inordinate time obsessing over. Sometimes it’s hard to know if you’re on the right track when no one seems to be commenting on your blogs, subscribing to your video channel or signing up to get newsletters. 

Enter the e-book.

You may have seen an offer at one time or another on a website: “Order our free e-book now! Enter email address to receive free download!” Look how much those two sentences accomplish—something free! Exclamation marks make you feel like you should do it NOW! And they’ve instantly gotten your permission to sign you up for their catalog or newsletter. 

Entrepreneurs start businesses for a variety of reasons. They want to be their own boss, control their own schedule, and create the ideal workspace. They want to pursue a passion and feel more alive. They want to make more money and create job security.

Successful entrepreneurs start out with their own ideas for how things should be, but it usually doesn’t take long before they realize they’ll need input from others. Business has always been a partnership between the company and the customer. Not only do you want sales from your customers, but you also want their loyalty and referrals. The best way to achieve this is to acquire and analyze data pertaining to your customers’ interactions with your company and its products and services.

One of the best things about being an entrepreneur is that freedom to do your own thing. But when you find that you have to do everything yourself, it no longer feels enjoyable—just exhausting. 

When you find that your days are being consumed with administrative tasks rather than the venture you began, it might be time to consider hiring a Virtual Assistant (VA).

Your goal during the holidays should be to enjoy yourself and your loved ones, but that's practically impossible to do if you're feeling too much stress. Here are some things you can do to prevent that anxiety from spoiling your good times:

1. Pay attention to your health.
Too many projects and activities can stress anyone out, but don't let them keep you from taking care of yourself. Make sure you're getting plenty of sleep, eating properly, and exercising. Combat winter's dry air by taking steamy showers. Dress warmly and appropriately during cold weather. There's nothing like getting sick to take all the fun out of the holiday season.

Thanksgiving is the most widely celebrated holiday in the United States. For many families, this is the only time during the year that they are together, and they have many ways to celebrate their togetherness - mainly the annual feast. 

As the story goes, the first Thanksgiving was all about the pilgrims being thankful for the food that had been provided to them by the local Wampanoag tribe, and even today, when we think of counting our blessings, food should be included.

Does the thought of holiday shopping leave you with that not-so-merry feeling? Here are some tips that can help save you time, money, and stress this holiday season:

If you just feel like there never seems to be enough money to do anything extra, it could be time to take a look at how you're handling your finances.  

Sometimes even small changes can make a big difference.

Feeling blah? Maybe it's the potato chips. Or the coffee. Yes, it really could be your diet. We have a tendency to first turn to caffeine when we're running low on energy, but then we can feel jittery and have that hard crash. Instead of coffee, try some green tea. There's still some caffeine content, but green tea contains an amino acid, L-theanine, which helps promote relaxation, so you won't get that jittery feeling.

Laughing just feels good. When you laugh really hard, tears may fill your eyes and your stomach may hurt, but it stills feels good. Laughter is fun. Probably some of your best memories are of you and your friends or family laughing together. You always remember a funny movie or a really good joke that made you laugh out loud. Laughter brings joy to your life.

It's never too early to start teaching your children about money. Even preschoolers can begin to understand money concepts by playing pretend store or restaurant games. 

Money lessons for five-year-olds

At age five, you can teach your child words like savings, bank, check, bills, and trade-off. A piggy bank is an easy way to demonstrate how the child can save for something that he or she really wants. Make a game of it; count the coins once a month, and create a chart showing how close they are to their goal.