The Small BizNest » freelancer

Pick Your Top 3 Tasks For The Day And Focus

John Joyce — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 16:41:01 +0000

Do you find yourself each morning clicking on a few interesting links in Twitter or perhaps your news reader and, before you know it, 2 hours have passed and the only thing you’ve finished is your first cup of coffee? There are just too many distractions between email, your smart phone, social media, news readers, you name it. How do you get anything done each day?

Enter the focus box. Every day I write my top 3 tasks for the day in a big red square on my whiteboard so I can stay focused on the initiatives that will have the greatest impact on my business. Just to make sure I devote my time to the tasks at hand, I shut everything else down. That’s right. You heard me correctly. No Twitter, Facebook, Outlook, Blackberry, Firefox. I even shut my door.

This might seem like an impossible modus operandi but you’ll be surprised how much of an impact it will have on your overall productivity. Of course, there will inevitably be emergencies and interruptions in the course of the day, even when you are holed up in your “productivity bunker”. The key is to make sure you get back on track and that you don’t move on to other projects until all three boxes are checked.

Try it for a week and let me know your results.

We’re Back!

John Joyce — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:47:15 +0000

Welcome to the new home of The Small BizNest where we develop online marketing ecosystems for start-ups and small to medium size businesses. Over the coming months, we will be adding content aimed at empowering any business to accelerate their online marketing initiatives. Blog topics will cover all aspects of business building and will offer observations and insights that promote an open discussion and knowledge sharing.

As small business owners continue to fuel the economy, they need to focus on their core business and turn to resources like The Small BizNest to develop long-lasting marketing strategies.

If you know of any business owner that could benefit from our knowledge and expertise, please send them our way.

Thank you,

- John

Everyone’s A Freelancer

admin — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 08:07:02 +0000

Have you recently received a call from a former co-worker or friend to let you know that, “I’m out on my own so let me know if you need a [insert specialty here] contractor”?

Just five months ago there were plenty of freelance opportunities all over the country. I was able to bounce around craigslist, from state to state, and find all kinds of lucrative opportunities. Not anymore, Monty! [George Carlin]

Fewer opportunities and a glut of “experts” in the market have created great uncertainty for solo business owners who have typically been able to maintain a steady stream of clients through simple word-of-mouth referrals. Now is the time to use your client portfolio and references to differentiate yourself from the newbies.

So, don’t position yourself as a social marketing guru or Web 3.0 visionary. Just tell stories of measurable impact you have had on the growth of your customers’ business.