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Managing a successful support team takes a project manager who is willing to not only work on developing their team but also developing themselves. Below are a list of areas where a project manager should either currently excel in or are developing in as part of their skillset. This list is based on the acronym “L.E.A.D.E.R.S.H.I.P”:

• Listening.
• Encouraging.
• Adapting.
• Delegating.
• Energizing.
• Realistic.
• Shaping.
• Helping.
• Integrity.
• Principled.

As you review these 10 skills that a project team leader should possess, keep in mind that if you don’t possess a skill, you can learn it, refine it and then incorporate it into your skill set. It all about teamwork and team building as you manage your project team. So also look for some of these skills in your team members as a way to continue building a firm foundation for your team.

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Having your family support your business is important because:

• They can be your sounding board for ideas.
• If you manufacture items, they can be your initial team of workers.
• Family members can help you with organizing your home office
• Create business activities around family time.
• Create specific tasks that family members can complete to support your business.

These are very simple things that you can do to incorporate your family into your business. Another key point is that you make sure you delineate time and space in your home for running your business. According to DNB.com in the small business section…

The key to running a successful home-based business is the support of your family. Instead of having to face these responsibilities alone, you can integrate your family into your work by giving them certain tasks to help you or by instituting “safe zones” where you can work in peace and where they cannot enter unless there is an emergency.

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As a business owner, one of the things that you may face is the end of a connection to a client or vendor or a project. To help you tactfully deal with it, I have created a list below of a few things that you should keep in mind:

• Don’t be mean. Even if the other person is mean to you.
• Keep your cool and not get out of control with your emotions.
• Make sure that all financial matter are finalized. Ensure that you and the other party agree about the amounts and that they are processed.
• If you have an agreement in place, follow the specified steps for ending your working relationship with the other person.
• Always hold a final meeting to discuss how things will be handled as you end the relationship.

As you face the end of a working relationship, don’t look at it as a negative. Try to find the positive in it so that you won’t get frustrated. Yes it may be hard on you especially if your income is being affected. I’ve experienced this as a business owner. I have found that the best thing to do is not dwell on what you have lost but look forward to the opportunities that will open up to due to the loss.

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I was then able to check the status of my appointment as week as find out more details about the company I chose to use. The company was Balanced Body Massage which is owned and operated by Deborah Hays Arellano. My finding is that Schedulicity would be a good benefit to any business that uses scheduling to manage client appointsments.

Below is the second part of the interview.

Who else is in this space? What/who are you competing with?

There is no other company with a web search capability, but there are an array of online scheduling services that help you schedule everything from a conference room to your neighbors lawn mower, or an appointment. Much of what is available to our market today started as an “enterprise application”, basically an appointment book that resides on the service providers PC. Which means you still have to call to book an appointment. There are some software companies that extend the ability to book appointments through a service provider’s web page, but none that offer scheduling to anyone, anywhere, anytime.

What does your service do that is unique, compared to competition? What features make you distinct?

• Mobile schedule manage from an iPhone or Blackberry – you don’t need a PC at work! Clients can schedule on the go too.
• Online scheduling with no limits – unlimited SMS, appointments and its free to clients
• We manage recurring and split appointments, all the nuances that service providers love about traditional scheduling
• Integrated email marketing module that enables meaningful communication with clients
• Sophisticated multi-provider functionality to handle multiple services, schedules and needs
• Client management database, client history, tagging, notes, etc.
• Dedicated client scheduling portal where clients can manage all their appointments

Why do you think you’ll be the online scheduling solution of choice?

Because we’ve designed this solution from the needs of both the consumer AND the small business owner. We’re the first to think of what everyone needs and we help everyone get the convenience and ease of use they want!

Tell me a bit about your company, it’s uniqueness and ability to bring this to a national marketplace?

We’re growing at a rapid pace already in cities around the country. What happens is that a service provider signs up and consumers fall in love with the convenience and then want all their service professionals to make scheduling this easy. We are the only place where anyone can schedule what they want in seconds and this idea is catching on fast!

What are you doing on the marketing front to drive growth? Is there something different you do?

We genuinely want to help small businesses be successful. We think this is at the core of what will make us successful. If you follow us on Twitter or Facebook, you’ll see how we do this.

What are your plans for the future?

We want to be everywhere clients and small businesses need us. Whatever, whenever, wherever.

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Image: Courtesy of Schedulicity.com

In a recent interview with members of the staff from Schedulicity, they shared key information that can help you understand how their service can help you manage your client scheduling.

Below is the first part of the interview with them.

What is the Schedulicity story? What was the genesis of the business idea?

We spent thousands of hours behind the counter answering phones and understanding the needs of small business owners and we realized that their customers needed a solution from the frustration and inconvenience of scheduling as much as they did, so we built it.

Why now? What market forces are making online scheduling such a hot topic?

It’s an idea whose time has come. The frustration and inconvenience of telephone tag, messages and call backs has reached a peak. As American’s we’ve been scheduling our travel reservations, shopping online, downloading movies and auctioning our merchandise for years. It’s time that a company solved the scheduling problem for both the consumer and the small business with a simple, web-based solution. Schedulicity is a web 2.0 company, meaning the service sites securely on the web, no software to download, just a few easy steps. Businesses can be up and running in 15 minutes.

Who are your customers? Where are your customers?

Schedulicity is perfect for most appointment-driven businesses. We have customers in all the major metro areas in the US in a range of industries, too many to list. Here are a few: hair stylists, dog groomers, CPAs, real estate agents, massage therapists, nail salons, spas, home repair, lawyers, chiropractors, photographers, business consultants… just to name a few.

What does your service do besides just online appointments?

Schedulicity does so much more than just online scheduling. For the consumer, it’s search, schedule, simplify the only service that allows consumers to search for their favorite service professional and schedule in second. Schedulicity is Free for consumers, and provides a personal scheduling page to manage all your appointments in one place. The service includes mobile scheduling and appointment reminders and the ability to schedule when its convenient for you (at home, in your pajamas) Plus, we’ll help consumers get their favorite businesses signed up if they aren’t already using Schedulicity.

For the business owner, Schedulicity is $29.95 a month and includes unlimited online scheduling, client relationship management (database, tags, communication history), unlimited text and email alerts, automatic appointment reminders (this means no more “no shows”). Online marketing and business reporting. Plus, Schedulicity gives small businesses a powerful web presence with its search capability and Schedule Now button. If you ask your clients, many will tell you that “Schedulicity gave me my life back.” Now that’s a service that does more than just schedule appointments!

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Some of the things that you should dow when starting a project are:

• Determine the goals that you want to accomplish by the end of the project.
• Determine the timeline; whether the project will have an end date or if it will be an ongoing project.
• Determine who your key stakeholders will be and get them on board early with the goals of the project.
• Determine who will be your team members along with what their responsibilities will be.
• Identify potential issues that will need to be addressed if they occur; have a plan in place to deal with the issues

Although this isn’t a complete list of what you should do on a project, this is a great place to start so that you can have a solid foundation for your project.

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A Vision Board is where you pull together all the ideas of things that you want to do within your business and put them on a board. You can use words or pictures to represent the ideas that you want accomplish in your personal or business life.

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Just use your imagination and let it be unlimited as you create your Vision Board. When I created my Vision Board, I decided to use words that would inspire me to reach for my dreams. I did it this way because I like seeing the words and get more inspired by them.

One of the people who have really felt that Vision Boards make a difference is John Assaraf whose testimonial was part of “The Secret” movie. Watch the video as he shares his thoughts about Vision Boards

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If you are thinking about upgrading to Windows 7, then there are a few things that you should make sure you do before upgrading:

• Before upgrading to Windows 7, you should definitely run the upgrade advisor to see if your computer is ready for Windows 7.
• If your computer is not ready, I strongly suggest that you don’t upgrade until you do have a computer that is ready for it.
• Backup all of your data to a safe place where you can do a restoration in case of issue.
• Make sure that all your software programs work on Windows 7 or find a substitution.
• Check your peripherals, such as printers,  to make sure there are drivers available in Windows 7.
• If you are not experienced in upgrading Windows software, I would suggest that you get someone who is experience to do it for you.

These are some of the things that you need to do to prepare to install Windows 7. Continue reading this column for more articles about my experience in using Windows 7. Watch the video below for a “First Look” at Windows 7.

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To develop a strong marketing plan for a startup, below are some of the things that should be included by the business owner using the acronym S.T.E.A.D.Y.:

• Strategy. Start with a strategy of how you will market your business.
• Timing. Make sure that you time your marketing campaign so that it connects at the right time and the right way with your target market.
• Evaluate. Build-in a way to evaluate your marketing efforts so that you can see what’s working and what’s not working.
• Assessment. Assess the needs of your target customers to make sure that your marketing plan will reach them.
• Delivery. Ascertain the best way to deliver your marketing plan to reach your target customers.
• Yourself. Put yourself in the place of your target customer and try to think like them. Then tailor your marketing plan to them.

As you implement these simple steps into your startup marketing plan, be concise and thorough so that you can have a better chance of being successful with your plans. The three videoes below is part of a 11-part series and it shares a few basic tips about marketing.

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Image: Courtesy of Microsoft.com

I know that this isn’t something that’s new but hear me out and see some of the features that the newest version boasts. According to their website, below are some of the newest features:

• Keep in touch with others: Connect with your people when and how you want.
  • Facebook
  • Windows Live Messenger
  • Email
  • Snap and share pictures
  • Tweet on Twitter
• Always in sync: Easy backup and recovery with Microsoft My Phone.
  • Backup your information
  • Preserve your pictures
  • Sync it, search it, and save it on the web.
• Customization features: Customize with apps, themes, ringtones, and more.
  • Manage Netflix account
  • Listen to Pandora
  • Access Marketplace apps
  • Unleash your inner rock star with Guitar Hero
  • Customize wallpaper and themes (your colors)

Special Note from Microsoft: Available programs, features, and functionality vary by: device, version of Windows Mobile software, mobile network provider, and availability of network connectivity and supporting technology (such as Exchange Server). Data plan required. Carrier fees may apply.

I decided to tryout this new software because my phone was on the list of phones that it could run on. I found the process straightforward, had good instruction for the entire process, and brings me a since of connectivity at all times. One of things that most people will love is the fact that the “My Phone” software is free.

make sure that you check to see if your smart phone is on the list of phones that can run “My Phone” software by visiting the “Explore Phones” webpage. There is much more information on their website so make sure you visit and explore all that Microsoft shares about “Go Windows Go“.

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