Biz Chicks Rule
Guest Post By Lori Widmer
I had a client once who expected – no, demanded – that I be online and signed into Instant Messaging from 8 a.m. until she went home at 8 p.m. my time. If she had questions about what I’d written, she wanted me right there to answer them. My relationship with her ended about 3 seconds after that demand. She was challenging my ability to work my own hours, take my own time off, basically have a life.

a guest post by Kathy Gruver
(www.bizchicksrule.com) — “It’s not what you know it’s who you know” has never been more true than it is today. Connections and self-promotion are the cornerstones of a successful business. Here are some pointers I’ve picked up along the way.
Learn from the boy scouts
I’ve been to so many mixers where people are unprepared with no business cards, no pen and an almost apologetic way of introducing themselves. Have enough cards and have them ready to hand out, especially at a function where meeting contacts is the objective.
Show your muscles
One of the first things my father …read more

a guest post by Jean Thompson
When I took on the challenge of running a chocolate company in 2002, it was a labor of love fueled by a commitment to bringing dailyindulgence to chocolate loving women across America.
What an exciting journey it has been with many powerful and sometimes painful lessons learned along the way. Here are the highlights so you can benefit from the wisdom of my experience as you grow your own winning company.

guest post by Kim Shepherd, CEO of Decision Toolbox
(www.bizchicksrule.com) — Finding "work-life balance" is a hot button for so many people simply because "work" and "life" are constantly at war with each other and there’s only so much time to go around. But what if you could integrate the two more closely, become more efficient, and leverage technology to make it happen — from home?
In Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Tomorrow’s Big Changes, Mark Penn reports that 4.2 million Americans now work exclusively from home (a nearly 100% increase from 1990), while some 20 million do it part time.
We’re moving …read more

My Top 10 Hard-Won Lessons for Lasting Business Successa guest post by Alice Cunningham
Take this list to nearest mirror, look yourself in the eye, and consider the path to success you are traveling to grow your business. Just a fewmeaningful changes can result in a smoother journey and a faster road to success. This I know for sure based on over 30 years of experience in the entrepreneurial trenches.
Mistake #1 – Being Addicted to Being Right
If you’re ultra-competitive, watch for signs that you argue every point to the death — right or wrong. Make a practice of listening to every …read more

Although I really have never thought of myself much as a “Biz Chick,” I suppose I must grow up and admit that is what I am.
A little about my history, for starters. I have an almost-bachelors-degree in business management (not graduated — have 13 elective hours left that I will never take). I worked as a nail tech (from pre-college on — 20+ years now), and then as a salon owner (10 years), then when I moved to Texas five and a half years ago, I didn’t want to go through the pain and suffering of building brand-new clientele …read more

[photo source: eBaysellingcoach.com]
eBay selling is a home business that most anyone can do regardless of if she has another business, has a full time job, has children or not, is in between jobs, or is retired. eBay selling does not require special training, a college degree, complicated equipment, the purchase of a start-up kit, or an advertising budget. eBay can be used by most anyone to develop another income stream for the household. Moms love eBay selling because their kids are constantly outgrowing clothes and toys, and eBay gives them a way to recover some of the …read more

Phil and David were so kind as to let me guest post an article for them over at Slacker Manager. Both of these guys are wonderful bloggers and I had a lot of fun contributing to the blog. If you get a chance, head on over there and take a read.
And a great big thanks again to Phil and David!

by Marijke Vroomen-Durning, RN
I love working from home. Oddly, unlike many others who dream of working from home, it was never a dream of mine; I’m a nurse – how the heck can a nurse work from home? But – life has a way of changing directions and this nurse became a telecommuting medical editor and then a freelancing self-employed writer. Who would have thought?
I can tell you who wouldn’t have thought – the people around me who know I have the attention span of a gnat. That is if a gnat even has an attention span. Who knows?
For one …read more

by CJ
In college, I was more interested in boys and partying than in preparing myself for a career, so it should have been no surprise when, on graduation day, I hadn’t a clue what to do next. I floundered for a couple of months (and yes, I moved back home with my parents) and then landed a job as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer, running a mentoring program for at-risk kids.
Although the job was certainly meaningful, it wasn’t intellectually satisfying enough for my hyperactive brain. So I floundered a bit more and ended up taking a writing class at a local …read more