~~~***~~~ Running a Good Business Book 1: Why Good? Why Now? By Claude Whitmyer and Gail Terry Grimes Published by FutureU Press, a division of The University of the Future, LLC Smashwords Edition Copyright © 2011 by Claude Whitmyer and Gail Terry Grimes All rights reserved License Notes: This ebook is licensed for your personal use only This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author This ebook is not meant to be a substitute for legal or professional advice It is the reader's responsibility to verify that the facts and general advice in this ebook apply ~~~***~~~ Table of Contents Chapter 1: Do What You Love and Still Pay the Bills - Do Well By Doing Good and Manage As If People Mattered - Entrepreneurship Can Bring Both Security and Freedom - Why "Good?" - Why Now? - Too "Good" to be True? Chapter 2: Small is Beautiful - Characteristics of Small Business - Small Business By the Numbers - What's the "Unemployment Rate" for Small Businesses? - What Does the Immediate Future Hold? Resources About the Authors ~~~***~~~ Chapter 1: Do What You Love and Still Pay the Bills It takes a certain turn of mind, some unique skills, and a big dollop of realism to successfully run a business on your own For many, a business of their own is not primarily a stepping-stone to a bigger enterprise, though you could use it for that People run small, micro and one-person businesses because they prefer that form of business They like the opportunities and freedoms it gives them to enjoy more agile and expansive personal lives, to express their political and ethical values, to play a larger role in their communities and, in some cases, to pioneer new fields or overcome personal challenges and adversities But what we really mean when we say "good" or "small?" In chapter of this volume we'll go into detail about what makes up a good business as compared to an ordinary, run-of-the-mill enterprise and in chapter we'll look in detail at various ways of measuring the numbers and characteristics of small businesses in the U.S As we continue through this volume and all the other books in the Running a Good Business series, you will learn step-by-step how to start or transform a business into one that is good in every sense of the word You will learn how to Select the best clients for you Build a network of referrals for new business Maximize and stabilize your income Keep your books and manage your time Find technical and emotional support when the going gets tough Set up your workspace and choose technology Handle your phone and mail efficiently Price your products and services Create a marketing plan that works Serve your community Take care of your employees all this, remain true to your values, and still find time for your personal life too Do Well By Doing Good and Manage As If People Mattered You can follow your heart good serve your community and take care of your customers and workers all without sacrificing your business bottom line You will learn how to clarify your personal values make your management style true to those values and work with others in a mutually cooperative and supportive way You will also develop an awareness of the "downstream" impact of your business activity .the freedom needed to take action at your own discretion to control that impact and the necessity to work at a human pace rather than the pace dictated by machines The importance of life-long learning and the role of mindfulness in finding and maintaining meaningful work will also be covered Entrepreneurship Can Bring Both Security and Freedom In our experience with nearly a thousand small business owners, having control over their work coupled with the joy and security that comes from expressing their internal vision are the two most frequently mentioned reasons why they chose to start their own business Increasingly people are feeling the need to make a difference, to find meaningful work, to take charge of their lives Here's what a few good businesses have to say about self-employment: "A lot of my friends who are employed are scared to death their going to lose their jobs I have a friend who has been unemployed for two years and can't find a job She was laid off after 14 years I feel there's a lot more security in being self employed My business can go up and down but no one's going to fire me I'll always have a job "I have control of my life and my time, the rhythm that seems right to me on a daily basis and I don't have to answer to someone else Being self employed means I can say yes or no to projects I want to work on As an employee no matter how many of your own projects your impassioned about there will always be the boss saying you gotta this I'm assigning it to you "I think part of why other people think of running a business as such a risk is that it's not part of their life To me it's a natural extension of what I anyway t doesn't feel like I'm working when I'm working It's an incredibly good feeling to know that what I'm doing has an impact, that I am helping people achieve peace and health and harmony in their lives I no longer feel the separation that I had when I worked for someone else and had a work life and a personal life and there was a line down the middle Now that line is totally blurred Its really nice I feel like my life and my work are of a piece." Patti Breitman, Book Agent ~*~ "Being self employed once your successful the real benefits are almost boundless Even though there are none of the traditional benefits There is no time and a half no vacation pay there's none of that I have to salt money away for that But I personally wouldn't trade working on my property out here in the country looking at the redwoods watching the birds in the feeder in my wife's garden with my children running around, for anything I don't know how I could have a better life really I'm crazy about what I'm doing I have my moments of frustration and then I think would I rather be working for another lab and boy I get my priorities straight I all of a sudden realize how great it is in spite of the few frustrations here and there It could be a lot worse and it couldn't be a lot better." Don Anderson, Anderson Dental Studio ~*~ "I think having a small and micro business is about control control of your life and your time not having to answer to someone else While I was getting my masters degree I worked at a bookstore and for those three years I had the experience of being an employee Although I liked being part of a group and the sense of having colleagues and going someplace and seeing people everyday I hated the fact that when I was tired and ready to stop I couldn't At 4:00 in the afternoon, when I was ready to exercise and go have dinner, I had to keep working I was not efficient during that time and it didn't make sense I couldn't pay attention to my own body rhythms I couldn't work when I was best able to and most productive I had to work according to their time clock and not mine "I see myself doing this forever I love it Its ideal I just think I'm the luckiest person in the world when I wake up in the morning to have the flexibility the control of my time the time to write the time to exercise in the afternoon walk and yoga I never commute I stay home if its gray and rainy and I don't want to go out if I don't want to go to the office I don't Its wonderful who can complain?" Dorothy Wall, Writing Coach ~*~ There are times almost everyday that I get this little chill that runs through my body and I go wow! I'm really enjoying this day I'm having a good time I make some money I'm in control of my life doing what I want to do, not what someone else wants me to What more could you ask for? I feel like I've gotten to a place I've always wanted to be Its great Sure I could make more money if I went to work for HewlettPackard or someone like that, but why? The money is not what its all about For me at least Its about having that feeling every day Where your driving down the road and your sitting there thinking 'I'm as happy as I can be and I'm working I'm being a productive member of society and enjoying it and getting paid for it.'" John Parry, Solar Works ~*~ "I have two kids and there's no question that my priority is to be a good mother Everything about my work would probably be more if I didn't have children but it's very important to me to a good job raising them And I think compared to friends of mine who have other kinds of jobs and have the same juggling act to I feel really lucky because I'm flexible in my hours I can take the boys to a soccer game and get up a little earlier so I have my time in the studio or pick them up from the soccer game and then go out to my studio I have that kind of flexibility which a lot of people who are more connected to an institution or some kind of job can't have." Pam Glasscock, Fine Artist ~*~ "My work is very preventative and helps me be in tune with something bigger than myself I guess it is the spiritual aspect of preventative medicine something more than you not just your little self It does use the biological as a way to the spiritual but there is nothing churchlike about it "The fact that it is in service of something cogent that rebounds back to me and is also serving something bigger than myself is very satisfying That satisfaction and the freedom of choice can also be hugely distressing I'm learning how to enlarge my capacity for not knowing and being in chaos and turmoil By my actions I learn what comes back very quickly and it's usually in a way that is salutary It gives me a great sense of well being." Robert Rovin, Rosen Bodyworker ~*~ Why "Good?" "Good" is a perfect word to indicate the layers of meaning that exist with the idea of a "Good Business." A Good Business does good for the people who work there, the community where its located, the physical environment and the society it is a part of But when a business succeeds economically we also call that a "good business" to be in A third level includes the classical meaning of the phrase "good works" which refers to a social benefit So a good business is also a source of such "good works" as philanthropy, community sponsorships, keeping economic transactions local so the money stays within the community, taking care of employees in a better way than businesses who claim "it's not personal, it's just business." Finally, a good business is a business you create because you are seeking personal fulfillment by following your heart To follow your heart requires that you consciously clarify your own personal values as does "doing well by doing good." This renewed awareness of what you value most will also help you to assess the impact your business is having on your family, your community, the environment and society in general Understanding your impacts on your community will help you identify additional ways to serve it through your business And clarifying your values requires that you also question your assumptions about management style and then learn how to make your management style true to those freshly clarified values This is a different than normal way of running an economic enterprise and is based on three key practices: - Skillful Means - Tradeskill - Market Focus Skillful Means "Skillful Means is the art of working well In business Skillful Means results in efficiency, productivity and profit For the individual who applies Skillful Means while working, joy, satisfaction and a sense of meaning will emerge." Arnaud Maitland Dharma Publishing and Center for Skillful Means ~*~ Skillful means in its most contemporary sense is a set of practices introduced by author, teacher, and entrepreneur Tarthang Tulku in his book: Skillful Means: Patterns for Success We'll briefly list the elements of skillful means and return to them throughout the series, integrated into our discussion of running a good business If you want to go deeper on your own, check out Tarthang Tulku's book In some respects, "skillful means" is a synonym for "everyday mindfulness." For most people, however, mindfulness is either: - unheard of - a very nebulous, difficult to grasp concept - some kind of meditation practice Skillful means, on the other hand, are a couple of dozen practices or skills that can be lumped into three main groupings: - Awareness - Change - Sharing Skillful means start with increasing awareness as a conscious practice in everyday life This awareness then serves as the foundation upon which all the rest of practices of skillful means are assembled, learned, and executed on a regular basis Skillful means brings mindfulness practice into every aspect of your business/work life It results in an increased capacity for getting to the root of the kinds of challenges and crises that infect everyday business interactions and it opens up new ways to build in steady, lasting improvements both in the way you business and how treat those close to you In strengthening your skillful means you will learn better ways to manage time, money and information; improve your economic results, and increase your enjoyment of life Skillful means will empower you as an individual and thereby help you empower your work teams and organizations to achieve their highest potential continually improving collaboration, quality and results Awareness Within the suptopic of awareness there are several specific practices including: - Inner Freedom - Caring about work - Learning how not to waste energy - Mastering the art of relaxation - Cultivating purposeful appreciation for life's gifts - Enhancing your ability to concentrate - Developing a mindful relationship to time - Mastering the art of "working from the gut." Change Within change lies the practices of: - Coping - Avoiding unnecessary efforts to escape - Overcoming resistance and resentment - Learning to let go when appropriate - Recognizing superficiality and purging it from our own characters - Withstanding manipulation both of us by others and by us of others - Coming to a deeper appreciation of competition and its true role in nature and commerce Sharing Within sharing are additional valuable practices including: - Cultivating deeper self-knowledge - Learning better ways to communicate - Encouraging cooperation - Taking responsibility and asking others to take theirs - Developing more humility while giving others more than their fair share of credit There is some overlap between skillful means and tradeskill and no wonder Becoming more aware, learning to deal with change, and developing the ability to give and receive support are all essential for good business success You'll see as you learn more about tradeskill that the overlaps with skillful means lie primarily in three focused areas: energy, time, and cooperation Tradeskill "While we recognize 'natural' musical and athletic abilities, business ability, on the whole is still considered something that you can acquire as an adult But I believe tradeskill, like many skills, is easy to acquire when young, harder to get the knack of when you're older Tradeskill is what you learn as a kid while running the paper route, working in your uncle's store, or starting an over-the-counter market in baseball cards The smaller the business, the more important tradeskill becomes." Paul Hawken, Growing a Business ~*~ Popular business magazines often carry glitzy profiles of real-life businesses that read like fairy tails success stories that shrink years of work into "started making cookies in her trailer and ended up with a multimillion dollar business." The emphasis is on making a pile of money, being in the right place at the right time, and "If you work hard and have a great idea, you, too, could be one of the people in these articles." The skill it takes to run a business is glossed over and remains a mystery Creating a good business and keeping it going involves what has come to be called "tradeskill." This is a term originally coined by Salli Rasberry and Michael Phillips in Honest Business to describe a whole cluster of behavioral attributes that are vital to running a business For many tradeskills, if you have them, you learned them when you were young You can go to the most prestigious business school in the country and you won't find anyone talking about tradeskill Chanting mantras, practicing visualization, or taking a workshop won't help you get tradeskill and it won't rub off on you by reading the Running a Good Business ebooks or any other book You picked up tradeskill from your parents or from someone you spent a lot of time with who was in business Tradeskill is like riding a bike, ice skating, and being lovable: much easier to learn when you're young You usually know whether you have tradeskill or not, just as you know if you have a "green thumb" or are good with children Tradeskill is quite different from being skilled in a trade Being a talented dress designer doesn't mean you will succeed at running a dress designing business Being a good cook does not ensure success in the restaurant business Being a skilled carpenter does not automatically make you a competent contractor Being a talented artist does not ensure you will succeed as a gallery owner Success in business is not an inalienable right bestowed at birth to every United States citizen It's actually more like raising a child and getting married While everyone feels they can it, few actually know what "it" is It is beyond the theme of these books to deal with marriage and child-rearing But the fact is that not everyone can start a small or micro business and expect to succeed Running a successful small, micro or one-person business requires tradeskill Tradeskill means that not only you have to be competent in your field, you also have to be good at business Of course if you don't have the knack of running a business it's alright to use trial and error as a way to learn, as long as you have not used your home as collateral or borrowed heavily from your in-laws Although most people learn what tradeskills they have when they are young, that's doesn't mean you can't make up for what you might lack Elsewhere we share a selfassessment instrument that will help you figure out the tradeskills you have and those that are weak or non-existent This self-assessment will also give you a chance to create a plan for gaining those you lack and strengthening the weak ones (See the Supplement to Book 4: Self-Assessment for Tradeskill) Market Focus Market focus means finding and focusing on your appropriate market niche Fortunately, the number of market niches for a "good" business is large Over the last several decades, consumers have become increasingly sophisticated Greater consumer awareness is leading to an increase in businesses that match goods and services to consumers who need them When it comes to market focus, the examples are many Consider the oil traders who buy and sell drilling rights worldwide and deal in millions of dollars from their office at home Or the arbitragers and bond dealers working on investment portfolios of their own, Despite these challenges, the time may be right, once again, to build a business of your own, but don't expect too much help from the State or Federal government The good news, however, is that small, micro and solo entrepreneurs are a resilient bunch and now many of them have technology on their side (The Internet is the great business equalizer possibly greater than any technological advancement in history.) The small a business the more quickly it can move to respond to changing markets Small, micro and one-person businesses seem to have an innate ability to adapt when they have the resources to so In our current dark days of recession, true economic recovery rests with each of us the founders and owners of the truly small business As you will learn, if you don't already know, everyone has a vested interest in the success of the smallest enterprises among us, whether as customers, citizens, or budding entrepreneurs ourselves In reality, small businesses produce most of the jobs in this country as well as the lion's share of the gross domestic product According to the 1997 report of the U.S Census Bureau, the nation’s 17 million small businesses that year constituted 99.7 per cent of all employers, employed 52 percent of private workforce and accounted for 51 percent of the nation’s sales Industries in which small-businesses play a dominant role provided 11 million plus new jobs between 1994 and 1998 virtually all of the new jobs created during that time period Although people often repeat the folk wisdom that that 80 percent of all small businesses fail within five years, statistics from the U.S Census Bureau reveal a different story The Census Bureau reports that 76 percent of all small businesses operating in 1992 were still in business in 1996 In fact, only 17 percent of all small businesses that closed in 1997 were reported as bankruptcies or other failures The other terminations occurred because the business was sold or incorporated or when the owner retired ~*~ Sidebar: We are aware that in our use of several different sources, we report numbers that seem to lack consistency across time, such as the Census Bureau claiming 17 million businesses in 1997 and the Labor Department reporting 106 million in 2006 as the "peak" of the number of small businesses Someday we'll take the time to go figure out where these inconsistencies come from and what that means for real numbers In the meantime, suffice it to say that whichever set of numbers you pick, small businesses still account for an important proportion of the economy and produce the majority of jobs ~~~***~~~ Footnotes (Footnote 1) In the past decade there has been a growing controversy over the idea that there is a natural maximum number of individuals in social networks because the human brain can’t handle more than 200 relationships at a time If this idea interests you, check out “Dunbar’s Number” (named after British anthropologist Robin Dunbar) in an Internet search engine such as Google This number is supposed to have a range of 100 to 230 and an average of 150 The scientific studies Dunbar looked at measured the group size of a variety of different primates Dunbar then used that data to correlate those group sizes to the average brain sizes of 36 primate species to produce a mathematical formula for how the two correspond Using the formula he derived, he predicted that 147.8 is the "mean group size" for humans, which matches census data on various village and tribe sizes in many cultures Prior to the popularization of Dunbar’s number by lay social commentators, anthropologists, sociologists and community organizers had noticed that there did seem to be a limit of about 200 individuals in various social groups ranging from indigenous clans to personal address books As we said, the idea was that you couldn’t really “know” more than 200 individuals at a time W.L Gore, Inc., the original inventors of GoreTex, built a very successful business model using this number Even though the Gore company had many divisions that added up to thousands of employees, they used a few simple rules to govern when to open a new plant: (1) No more than 10,000 square feet (2) No more than 200 people (3) No more than 40 desks When the needs of a particular plant exceeded these numbers, they split off like a dividing amoeba and formed a new group Learn more about W.L Gore's unique approach to management at [http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/WL-Gore-amp;-Associates-IncCompany-History.html] ~~~***~~~ Resources These resources are also available on a hyperlinked web page that will allow you to jump right to the resource or it's Amazon.Com description (when it's a book) [http://www.meaningfulwork.com/running-a-good-business/] ~*~ Caveat: You can visit the Resource page on our website, click on any of the links for books, and then make a purchase We get some pocket change about 5% as a reward from Amazon for having set up the page That will help defer production costs a little However, if you'd prefer to purchase direct, bypassing our commission, simply visit Amazon.Com on your own and use their search engine to look up the titles The price will be the same, but we won't get a commission In its infinite wisdom, Amazon has canceled our commisions because of a new California law about sales tax The links will still work, but we won't get any revenues from this point forward ~*~ We have long been thought leaders in the movement to bring back purpose and values to the workplace as demonstrated in our writing, including our books: Mindfulness & Meaningful Work: Explorations in Right Livelihood (Parallax Press, 1994), through which we helped introduce the idea of "right livelihood" to the Englishspeaking world [http://meaningfulwork.com/books/mindfulness_meaningful_work.html] Running a One Person Business (With Salli Rasberry Ten Speed Press, Second Edition, 1994) We were among the first to call for a values-based approach to entrepreneurship [http://meaningfulwork.com/books/running_a_one_person_business.html] In the Company of Others: Making Community in the Modern World (Tarcher/Putnam, 1993) where we were early champions of the practices of "circles of intimacy" and grassroots marketing that have come to be known as "degrees of separation," "social networking," and "social marketing." Please visit an example of one of our social networks at, http://briarpatch.ning.com and read about its long, fascinating history at http://www.briarpatch.net [http://meaningfulwork.com/books/in_the_company_of_others.html] These books also document the development and describe the elements of Good Work Guidance™, our unique approach to career guidance and coaching for people seeking a more meaningful work life Good Work Guidance is, you might guess, what underlies the Good Business Advice consulting process (see below) Additional Resources ReWork by Jason Fried and David Hansson (Crown, 2010) [http://amzn.to/mDK1H5] Skillful Means: Patterns for Success by Tarthang Tulku (Dharma Press, 1978) [http://amzn.to/jX1QEM] The End of Work As You Know It: Strategies to Redefine Work on Your Own Terms by Milo Sindell and Thuy Sindell (Ten Speed, 2009) [http://amzn.to/k9E8Wh] The Four-Hour Work Week: Escape the to 5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich by Tim Ferris (Crown, second edition, 2010) [http://amzn.to/mephBH] The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield (Grand Central, 2002) [http://amzn.to/inezER] ### About the Authors Claude Whitmyer Third Person Claude Whitmyer is the co-author of Running A One-Person Business, and editor of two anthologies, Mindfulness and Meaningful Work: Explorations in Right Livelihood and In The Company of Others: Making Community in the Modern World As a business consultant with more than 30 years of experience, he has provided resources, training, and guidance to many hundreds of individuals seeking creative and meaningful work in both the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors He has also worked with managers in such corporations as the American Hospital Association, Apple Computer, Hewlett-Packard, Fujitsu America, NASA, Pacific Bell, and Southland Corporation First Person I have also written numerous articles and reviews for popular, professional and academic publications Check out the full list of currently published Running a Good Business ebooks at Smashwords.com [http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/claudewhitmyer] Contact Me: http://meaningfulwork.com/contact.html Sign up for our periodic email newsletter: http://meaningfulwork.com/subscribe_newsletter.html Connect with us online: Community: http://meaningfulworkcom.ning.com/ Blog: http://meaningfulworkcom.blogspot.com/ Twitter: @Claude_Whitmyer and #good-business Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Claude-Whitmyer/728723719 LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/cioclaude Email: mailto:claude@meaningfulwork.com Bios http://www.claudewhitmyer.com/ http://meaningfulwork.com/bios/bio_claude.html http://futureu.com/about/biography_claude_whitmyer.html Other Blogs Build Your Course Online: http://www.buildyourcourseonline.net/blog/ FutureU: http://www.futureu.com/blog/ Gail Terry Grimes Since the 1980s Gail Terry Grimes has served more than 150 organizations as an external consultant for: - Development and Marketing Communications - Information Analysis - Instructional and Presentation Design - Project Management Her clients are mostly not-for-profit institutions in healthcare, education and human services Her portfolio of writing and media fills 25 linear feet of filing space She has orchestrated projects small and large, including surveys, special events, group processes and printed documents And, she has interviewed countless community leaders, philanthropists, healthcare professionals and their patients, medical researchers, educators, non-profit administrators, small business owners and industry leaders LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/gail-terry-grimes/0/92/b50 Email: mailto:gail@futureu.com Personal Website: [http://gailterrygrimes.com/] ~~~***~~~ Why a Series of Books? Running any small, micro or one-person business is complex There are many details about which you must be aware and make timely, wise choices If you visit the business department of a bookstore online or terrestrial you will find hundreds of titles Most concentrate on a broad brush approach to starting and running a business Some cover topics in detail, such as Marketing, Public Relations, Accounting, Bookkeeping, Sales, Store Layout, Office Layout, Business Productivity Software, Time Management, Getting Organized and so forth Many focus on specific business types like Trucking, Warehousing, Gift Shops, Beauty Shops, Consulting, and so forth The Running a Good Business series at Smashwords takes a more comprehensive approach Each book is stand-alone, so it is longer than a chapter in a broad brush approach book, but shorter than a full length print book Making each available as an ebook is an ideal solution to the distribution challenges Most publishers would want more pages before going to press With ebooks, less is ok and for certain topics, topics like running a "good" business, it's better to go longer than a chapter but shorter than a book You'll be able to pick and choose from among the ebooks, only purchasing what you actually need If you encounter a topic where you want to know more, you can always purchase a book about that later The complete series is made up of 18 stand-alone ebooks, each on a specific area of importance to every small, micro or one-person business Together these books make up an in-depth and comprehensive recitation of all the major small business management topics you need requisite for a mastery of small business success plus a few topics not usually covered such as becoming a learning organization, becoming values-focused and personal support systems The Running a Good Business series is also supported by our blog [http://meaningfulworkcom.blogspot.com/] and a virtual community [http://meaningfulworkcom.ning.com/] So you'll always have peer-based support and I'll be there too if you need some short and sweet, no obligation, simple coaching or if you would like to hire either or both of us to work directly with you or your people in a more in-depth way Here is a tentative list of the 18 books that will make up the series The final volumes actually produced will depend on feed back from people along the way as we roll these out Visit http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/claudewhitmyer to order the books currently available When each volume first comes out, I'll provide a coupon code for a limited time that will give you a 100% discount You can visit http://www.meaningfulwork.com/running-a-good-business/ to find the coupons currently available Running A Good Business - The Ebook Series at Smashwords.Com: Book 1: Why Good? Why Now? (this volume Book 2: Becoming a Learning Organization Book 3: Becoming Values Focused Book 4: Start Up and Legal Matters Supplement to Book 4: Self Assessment for Tradeskill Book 5: Setting Up Shop Book 6: Choosing Your Equipment Book 7: Organizing Your Space Book 8: Managing Your Information Book 9: Managing Money Book 10: Managing Time Book 11: Managing Financial Matters Book 12: Marketing, PR and Self-Promotion Book 13: Managing Your Relationships Book 14: Personal Support Strategies Book 15: Managing Growth (and When to Stay Small) Book 16: Productizing Your Services Book 17: Using Technology Book 18: Tools for the Small, Micro or One-Person Business You'll always find the most current list of the ebooks included in the Running a Good Business series as well as publishing dates for those that are already out and hoped for dates on the rest at http://www.meaningfulwork.com/running-a-goodbusiness/publishing-dates.html ~~~***~~~ Why Smashwords? The first purpose of these ebooks is to offer you some inspiration and ideas as you make your way through your own process of deciding if running a good business is for you The second purpose is to act as client materials for our Good Business Advice® approach to consulting for small, micro and one-person businesses that would like help in starting or growing their enterprises Thanks to the Internet and all the market-focused software companies utilizing its capabilities, there are far more tools available for small, micro and one-person businesses than ever before One of the most useful family of these tools is automated publication of content For quite a while now, it has been possible to use "content management software" to create dynamic, information rich web sites Wordpress, Joomla and Drupal are examples of open source software that does this But recently a new category of online publishing has emerged, automated digital content called "ebooks." Ebooks as digitized text have been around a long time What's different now is the automation of the ebook publishing and distribution processes so that just about anybody can become an author with a self-published electronic book bearing their byline Among the leaders in ebook publishing and distribution niche is Smashwords.Com Smashwords has created a system that heroically supports anyone who wishes to become an ebook publisher or a self-published author of ebooks They provide easy to follow, step-by-step guidelines for formatting your document in Microsoft Word You upload the formatted file and it is automatically scanned for ebook readability If it passes, links are generated that allow you to sell your ebook in formats for all the popular ebook readers, from iPad to Kindle to just about any smart phone Best of all, your ebook is ready for instant sales and downloads and you can easily link to the Smashwords.Com shopping cart on your blog or website Smashwords is also a great example of a "good business." Founder Mark Coker's vision is less motivated by making money than it is by the desire to make it possible for any serious writer to find his or her audience without having to run the gauntlet controlled by the big print-book publishing houses (though making money is definitely on his mind as reflected in the unique business model he's created Learn more by visiting Smashwords.Com on the Web) What Should You, The Reader, Do Next? If you read this far, you're likely interested in what I'm trying to So your next step is to visit Smashwords.Com and take a look at the free samples available there For now, the first volume "Why Good? Why Now?" is free and you can pick up a coupon code at http://www.meaningfulwork.com/running-a-good-business/ for each of the other volumes as they come out that will give you a 100% discount As we feel more confident about having done the best job we can, we'll start to turn on the pricing feature to test various price points Until then, visit Smashwords every week or so to see what's new in the Running a Good Business series Next, having read some of the content, share your reactions with me See below for "How to Give Us Feedback." You may also want to visit our MeaningfulWork blog to see what others have shared and participate in the conversation there [http://meaningfulworkcom.blogspot.com/] or in the virtual community site at http://meaningfulworkcom.ning.com/ If you're one of the earlier visitors, please feel free to jump right in and start the conversation by asking a question or posting a comment If you decide to start applying some of the ideas we present here and find you need some coaching or consulting help, please feel free to call us or send an email Even if you don’t need help, please let us know what works or doesn’t We want to make any improvements we can to this information Finally, if you like what you see, be sure to tell everybody you meet about it The more the better! And thanks in advance for your support and encouragement Good luck and good reading! This Is an Experiment Having a publishing outlet like this makes it possible for us to experiment with the structure, content, and delivery of the consulting materials I've created as part of "Good Business Advice." Now, we can make these ideas available to you in an incremental fashion, get your feedback, and improve them so they are even better Feedback and Refinement The key here is to make it easy for our targeted audience (probably people like you, if you kept reading this far) to respond to the ideas and best practices we present so that -using a two way conversation we can modify this content to best serve our audience's needs In other words, instead of writing for an imaginary, "average" reader, we can find out who our readers actually are and tailor this content to their actual needs Publishing the content in an electronic form at a company like Smashwords also makes it possible for us to keep our work in print forever Once the ebook series is more or less complete, I'll experiment with moving it into "print on demand" or POD Stay tuned for news on the project in the not so distant future Publishing with Smashwords and following their guidelines for marketing and PR will make it possible for us to better build our own "Good Business Advice" consulting practice and identify others who may want to be trained in our approach Obviously, I'm in it for the long haul So we fully intend to publish every single volume in our proposed list of titles Then make them better using your feedback and publish them all together in a single printed volume for consumption through traditional book distribution channels Volumes may be added or removed depending on feedback from readers and clients That makes those of you who participate in the experiment during this ebook phase of the project pioneers and early benefactors of the wisdom of the content The content has already proven itself through the hundreds of clients we've used it with But that doesn't mean it can't be made better This then can be a "good business" process based on the shared value of our desire to help each other Your reward for participation, beyond the content itself, is that at least for a while at the beginning, the content will be free Free to the Pioneers For the first 100 people who join us here at the beginning, we'll make sure that you get free copies of the ebooks and a special discounted price on the print book when it comes out To let us know you ARE one of the first 100, post something in the discussion forums at http://meaningfulworkcom.ning.com/ or on the blog at http://meaningfulworkcom.blogspot.com/ or send us an email at mailto:claude@meaningfulwork.com Any of those three actions will get your name added to the list and we'll send you a confirming email (so be sure to provide the email address you want us to use no messages from me) For a limited time after each ebook comes out, there will be a coupon code associated with it that gives you a 100% discount Visit http://www.meaningfulwork.com/running-agood-business/ to find the coupon codes currently available How to Give Us Feedback Your choice Any of methods listed above in how to contact me My preference? Community: http://meaningfulworkcom.ning.com/ where it will be easier to archive what you share and automatically make it available to the public, along with pertinent categories and tags that will make it easy to search We want to give credit where it is due and posting your feedback to the community site is the most efficient way to make sure that happens ~~~***~~~ Why Did We Start This Project In the First Place? In a phrase, "Good Business Advice." For the last two decades we have been working with our business clients to refine a values-based approach to starting and running a small, micro or one-person business What our clients and we mean by "good business" is multifaceted Yes it means financial success, as in "that's a good business to be in." It also means "that business is doing good in the world." Across time we've developed a ton of helpful content to aid in the process of building a successful good business It's full of great tips and tools about a wide variety of topics including: - Bookkeeping and accounting - Marketing and promotion - Choosing technology - Managing time, money, information and people - Alternative ways to finance a business - And more all flavored with a personal values frame of reference By creating the Running a Good Business series we can reach a much bigger audience with these ideas and continue to use the ebooks as consulting materials with our clients -providing an easy way to reproduce and distribute them To help you get a better flavor of the series, let us share with you how we describe Good Business Advice on the MeaningfulWork.Com website: ~*~ Good Business Advice™ helps you start or run a business that takes good care of your employees, provides high quality products and services, and still makes a profit With Good Business Advice you: - make your business "recession proof" - improve your management skills - grow and change with the least pain Good Business Advice can help you: - expand or sell a successful business - create better policies and procedures - develop a business or marketing plan that works - find promotional methods that are more effective than display advertising Good Business Advice improves your business with: - better information handling - effective time management - reliable record keeping - stronger financial controls - enhanced relationships with suppliers, subcontractors, and employees Good Business Advice can all this and help you stay true to your personal values at the same time Good Business Advice uses one-to-one tutorial sessions and a hands-on approach to help you find and implement solutions to your marketing, management, and personnel issues Using personalized attention, a computerized resource referral system, and a network of like-minded consultants, teachers, and advisors, Good Business Advice is unmatched by any consulting firm, small or large Best of all, if you're not local to the San Francisco Bay Area, Good Business Advice is available online If you or someone you know wants to own a good business a business that pays the bills and is good for people and the environment, a business that is not only successful but also gives you more political and ethical freedom, a business that gives you the room to be who you really are then Good Business Advice can help ~~~***~~~ Who is This For? Businesses of All Kinds Good Business Advice is for big businesses, small businesses, micro businesses, oneperson businesses, free agents and entrepreneurs It's for manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers It's for the millions of one-person businesses including, but not limited to, Accountants, Acupuncturists, Archivists, Artists, Body Workers, Bookkeepers, Carpenters, Consultants, Dancers, Doctors, Editors, Electricians, Financial Planners, Floor Finishers, Historians, Lawyers, Martial Arts Instructors, Musicians, Painters, Plumbers, Photographers, Publishers, Stockbrokers, Teachers, Writers and dozens more A representative list businesses we've already worked with can be found at http://www.meaningfulwork.com/who_has_used_good_business_advice.html What Services Are Offered? Executive Coaching If you are a manager or executive facing a job transition or looking for career guidance, we offer you private consultations in person or by phone or email To schedule an appointment write or call 415-648-2667 Workshops Both Running a Good Business and The Path to Meaningful Work are available as one- or two-day workshops by special arrangement for groups of eight or more To let us know of your group's interest, please write or call 415-648-2667 Business Consulting Starting, expanding, or selling a business? To it right, don't try doing it alone Let us help We can help you well by also doing good For information, please write or call 415-648-2667 How Much Does the Consulting Cost? Fees for Good Business Advice are either project-based or hourly The hourly rates are based on the size of your organization: Less than $5,000,000 gross annual revenues or fewer than 10 employees: $100/hour $5,000,000 to $25,000,000 gross annual revenues or 10 to 150 employees: $200/hour $25.000,000 or more in annual revenues, more than 150 employees: $400 an hour Project-based fees: Contingent upon project scope If you want to start a new business or improve an existing one, call for an initial 15-30 minute evaluation over the phone to discuss your needs and determine how Good Business Advice can help There is no charge if you choose not to make an appointment for further advice How Do I Arrange For The Consulting? For more information, write to us on paper or by email To schedule an appointment, please call meaningfulWork.com 801 Van Ness Avenue, Suite E433 San Francisco, CA 94102 415-648-2667 Office 415-902-2548 Cell 415-502-5416 Fax claude[at]meaningfulwork[dot]com ~~~***~~~ What Do People Say? About Good Business Advice™ "Thank you for your good energy and help I enjoyed it very much and appreciate your good ideas and commitment." David Lion, Produce Distributor, Palo Alto, California ~*~ "It is helpful to look at my business with your kind of overview to see where things have been missing and make the changes needed I appreciate your help." Andrew Silver, Commercial Artist, San Francisco ~*~ "It felt good to talk about the issues I'm facing and to be understood I appreciate the concrete suggestions and look forward to another session." Kat Good, Market Researcher, San Francisco ~*~ "We are impressed with your ability to educate and understand You have a good feel for the special needs of non-profit organizations." Nina Stein, Non-profit Development Director, San Francisco ~*~ "We were quite glad you changed your plans so that you could be with us Not only did you contribute to the bankers' thinking, you contributed to ours, too! We look forward to working with you on other projects." Matthew Taylor, Management Consultant, Boulder, Colorado ~*~ "The consultations I did with you were definitely an important factor in the rapid gains in my business I have taken your suggestions and support to heart and they have greatly strengthened me and my work." Don Propstra, Therapist, San Francisco ~*~ "You've done a terrific job The Company and I thank you! My first and stronger reaction to the Quick Guide (documentation) is EXCELLENT!!!" Keith Butler, Corporate Communications Manager, San Francisco ~*~ "I learned a lot from our session You answered questions I'd had for years It was good to have someone so knowledgeable to work with." Zach Stewart, Architect, San Francisco ~~**~~ About Gail Terry Grimes "Thank you so much for your generous heart and for your absolutely essential skill and knowledge on the case statement for the Tibetan refugee camp It's been a total pleasure working with you." Kathleen Gorman Campaign Director YTDR Foundation, Manpat Tibetan Refugee Settlement Project ~*~ "I really appreciate Gail taking the time to prepare and to present to our faculty the intricacies of using on-line and blended course formats Her ideas were thoughtprovoking and added to the overall effectiveness of the program and to the excitement people felt about using the tools in their own classes She truly excited faculty to try the various techniques in their own classes." James Boitano, Dean School of Arts & Sciences Dominican University of California ~*~ About Claude "Claude is a deep water community builder and networker He was in on the ground floor of the PC revolution in the '80s and has learned his way up with it, inventing and evolving many useful solutions He has tirelessly supported right livelihood approaches to business, and other sensible strategies for the new century." David Sibbet Founder The Grove ~*~ "Claude is a seer of extraordinary sagacity He has helped me and many others into developing a clearer view of self and one's potential and uniqueness He is also a pleasure working with in developing organizational capacity for excellence " Whitney Vosburgh Artist and Branding Consultant Whitney and Company ~*~ "Claude was my instructor at CIIS in the MA Business program which was conducted in large part over the internet He showed patience, humor and wisdom Claude is a maverick a real entrepreneur, smart, creative and determined and working with him offers many benefits " Debra Amerson Founder Plantris ~*~ "Claude Whitmyer is one of the most thorough, versatile and effective consultants I know The breadth of his business knowledge and his demonstrated commitment to integrity and social responsibility make him a uniquely gifted business advisor and management consultant Claude truly makes a high value contribution to each project he undertakes " Christian Forthomme, MBA Founder RealChange Network ~*~ "Claude is a thorough teacher and a knowledgeable mentor Under Claude's tutelage and supervision, I experienced dramatic growth, both professionally and personally." Roberto Aponte Founder Visionary Events ... Internet-based business transaction tools and a pack of global logistics companies like FedEx, UPS and DHL, a small business serving a local market can expand into additional local markets that have... enforce that original intent Two strikes against small business Even SBA loans are a problem They aren''t really loans from the SBA Rather, they are loans from a bank that are guaranteed by the SBA So... information and people - Alternative ways to finance a business - And more all flavored with a personal values frame of reference By creating the Running a Good Business series we can reach a much