Photo Via EdmontonDowntown.com

Every businesswoman should have a list of awesome business blogs bookmarked on her browser. Here are a few of my favorites:

Businessballs. They provide “free career help, business training, organizational development - inspirational, innovative ideas, materials, exercises, tools, templates - free and fun.”

Entrepreneur Blog. Your source for small business right from the resource. If you don’t already receive Entrepreneur (the magazine) make sure you subscribe to some of their blogs.

Small Business Administration. I’ve taken advantage of their services in the past and like what I’ve seen so far. They are there for you, so use both their website and local office as a resource. My favorite business plan template can also be found on their website, so be sure to check it out!

Every Diva Mogul needs a mentor, so don’t even think about starting a business without one!

Some say you should have a mentor for every aspect of your life, but I wouldn’t go that far. I’d back it up and say every gal should have a mentor for the most important aspects of her life, like business.

Whether you’re a happy cubicle cowgirl or a cutting edge solopreneur, finding the right mentor can play an important and instrumental part in your career growth.

My favorite networking group, the Women’s Global Network, recently launched a fantastic mentor/mentee program. The results? Check out this video:

http://www.vimeo.com/3931067

Video by Jessie Van Gundel

I’m a hot mess this week. Business is heating up and I’ve once again found myself neglecting everything else in life to ride the wave.

> The Gym? Oh yes, I do have a membership. I forgot!

>Clean clothes? If I want to be seen and sniffed in public, I better get washing (yep, I work from home).

>Food? With every meal out, the waist goes out.

>The house? Lucky for me, I live in a culture where people call before they come a knockin’.

>The hubby? He’s hinting…

If I don’t shape up and take time for ME, this Diva Mogul just might find herself joining in on the Operation Muffin Top(ple) Madness at Twolia.

I must take drastic measures to save myself before it’s too late…

My advice: No matter how busy you are, take time each day to live a healthy, harmonious lifestyle. You’ll ride the wave of sleek longevity.

Now I’m off to take my own advice!

Speaking of muffin tops, check out this celebrity stylist tip about buying pants your size… (Muffin top prevention advice available at 2:02)

http://www.vimeo.com/3589999

What do you get when you mix 5 eager entrepreneur-minded women with dinner and a bottle of wine? The Diva Mogul Crew.

Tonight I’m off to hang with my Diva Mogul Crew.

Once a month we rotate hosting duties for an evening of learning, collaboration, networking, great conversation, and the occasional piece of juicy gossip. The host supplies the main course while the rest of us bring apps, side dishes, desserts, and vino.

We’re all powerhouse entrepreneurs, so we get the trials and tribulations of owning a business. Chances are, someone else in the group has ‘been there, done that’ and has a few words of wisdom. We toast to success (small and large), learn from experience, and introduce the other Diva Moguls to the many people we know.

Allow me to introduce my Diva Mogul Crew: An athletic financial guru, an insanely savvy CPA, a sassy stylist with A-list Hollywood connections (and free swag!), an unstoppable realtor (Queen) who is thriving in the current housing market, and of course MOI.

With more companies firing that hiring, people everywhere are unleashing their inner entrepreneur in hopes of surviving the economic downturn.

The Theory of Entrepreneurial Evolution states that a person with a great idea, exceptional business plan, and unique marketing style can survive even the toughest of times.

It really is the survival of the fittest.

What are you doing in business that is exceptional and unique?

Find out what these women are doing to survive:

Tapping Business Skills That Already Exist
It wasn’t the economy, but culture shock that influenced Donna Young and her sister to start their (now successful) export/retail business.

Want to confirm that your idea is really as hot as you think?
Entrepreneurs bounce business ideas off bar crowds
Start pitching ideas and receiving feedback at unexpected places. If your idea turns out to not be so hot, it’s better to find out sooner rather than later.

Saving the planet, one company at at time

Does your company save the planet?

These days, it seems as though nearly everyone and every company is Going Green. It’s like the latest version of the low-Carbs craze, but only Going Green is here to stay.

Labeling your company Green and walking the walk isn’t altogether too difficult. In fact, it’s easy. Here’s how in three basic steps:

1. Brainstorm how your company saves the planet.

Think about ways in which your products or services are Green. This is where you’re supposed to think creatively and think outside the box. Think: packaging, carbon emissions, electricity, office habits, how your services are carried out.

Can’t come up with any ideas as to how your company might be Green Conscious? Here’s a simple solution: Decide to go Green by making changes around the office. Live your new lifestyle for a month and see how it goes. Then move on to the next steps.

2. Write up a Green Manifesto.

Let your customers know why Going Green is important, what makes you a Green Conscious company, as well as future steps your business will take for the planet.

3. Market yourself as Green.

You might be Green, but if you don’t flaunt it how do you expect to get business for your efforts? Now that you have your Manifesto, you need to market yourself as an environmentally friendly company!

It’s easier than you think. Add your Manifesto to your website, mention you’re environmentally friendly on your business cards, and harness the power of Social Media (like this new video from Arm & Hammer).

While a post like this one has been brewing in my mind for months, the article Social Media and Product Survival gave me the inspiration I needed to get this out today.

Want some more step by step information on Going Green? Check out Finding Your Path: Defining Green for Your Buisiness.

There are days and weeks when the workload is never ending and you start wising there were more than 24 hours in a day. What to do…what to do… Here’s some advice:

• Stop wishing for more than 24 hours in a day.

Instead, be glad there are only 24 hours. As luck would have it, there are 24 hours in a day all over the world, so no need to worry about those Japanese (for example) out-doing you in the number of hours in their day. Chill out and thank your lucky rabbit foot.

• Step away from that desk (and nobody will get hurt).

You might be super busy, but it’s no excuse to NOT take a break. As I’ve said before and will always say…EVERYBODY NEEDS AND DESERVES A BREAK. Take yours.

• Workaholics are boring people, so don’t be one.

When you’re finally hanging out with non-coworkers, don’t you want to have something to chat about? If you’re always talking about work and the office, people grow bored of your “waaa-waaa-waaaaaaaa.”

• Call upon your Diva Mogul Super Duper Powers of Concentration.

Stop checking Facebook for the tenth time today, make your inbox wait, and know that People Magazine will still be around tomorrow. If you’re in someone else’s business, you can’t be doing your own business. Think: Get in, do it, get out.

If you’ve ever worked in the corporate world, for a nonprofit, restaurant, or anywhere for that matter…you’ve worked with these people. Despite the supposed rigorous selection process, these people have somehow managed to work where you work (or did at one point).

A few weeks back, I asked people across the country to send me humorous work stories and I never would have imagined what a popular topic this would turn out to be! All stories are 100% true. Here are a few on CORPORATE SPENDING:

Mizz Spendy:

“One of the women from Human Resources decided to use the corporate credit card to buy a CAR. The purchase was red flagged because company doesn’t actually have assets! Upon further investigation, my boss found out she had also used corporate money to redecorate part of her home.”

Striptastic:

“About two years ago, the company fired a coworker. Turns out he was spending corporate money at fancy strip clubs! He had already hit up every strip joint in town several times over before someone noticed. The company isn’t very good at checking our expenses, so his spending sprees went on and increased in amounts over the course of about a year. After this, the company checked our spending closely for a few months, but now it’s back to signing without reviewing. When will they learn their lesson?”

Being self-employed, many believe, is G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S (to steal a line from Fergie for a quick sec). There are certainly glam aspects (see my workation in Holland), but here are a few things some of my fellow self-employed peeps might not want to make public:

Confession #1: Work comes in waves. Especially when starting out, it’s very hard to be busy and get paid every moment of every single day. Sometimes we’re surfing wave after wave and other times we’re waiting for the work to roll into the office (picture head on desk, snoring, and drool). If we’re not doing projects or with clients, we’re working on our marketing. Business can be a never- ending headache if we allow.

Confession #2: We work hard, very hard…and take secret breaks (but shhhh…). I go walk on the beach or read a few pages from a novel. I have a friend who surfs. And…sometimes waking up early to begin my work day can exhaust me so much that I take a mid-afternoon nap. The worst part is when I don’t allow myself a break… my poor family and health.

Confession #3: We’re constantly concerned about finances, especially when we first start working for ourselves. This is never ending. When you’re Richard Branson, you become concerned about either a.) someone stealing your money or b.) making your next billion. In the beginning, for most of us, making the first thousand can be a true challenge. Most entrepreneurs quit when the money doesn’t immediately start flowing through the doors. Which leads me to the next confession…

Confession #4: We occasionally find ourselves navigating our surf boards to job search sites. I’ve forced more than one entrepreneur to fess up to this…and they did. So I know it happens to nearly all of us!

(This should really read: Start a multi-million dollar business while on the toilet and make your first million before flushing-TODAY!)

Entrepreneur is a pretty cool magazine. I should know because I subscribe. However, I sometimes find myself really annoyed reading the articles. Just the other day I finally stopped to analyze why and came up with two main reasons:

1. Everything is sugarcoated. Perhaps that’s what sells, but I enjoy hearing more about the trials and tribulations of entrepreneurs and how they overcame the odds to succeed. Instead, the magazine writes articles something like this: Jane Doe always had a passion for dogs and after working ___ years in ___industry, decided to strike out on her own. In 2004, Doe invested $50,000 of her own money and put daily expenses on her credit cards. She convinced Wal-Mart, Pet Smart, and Target to order her products and sales have reached $20 million this year with expected 2009 sales of $30 million. Yeah. Right. Who really believes that it’s this easy? Does anyone else care about the missing sentences?
2. The second reason why Entrepreneur annoys me is because they never tell you HOW TO DO IT. Yes, I want the steps no matter how bloody the ladder to entrepreneurial success may be. I’m the type of person who gets fed up with fantasy and wants the dirty, nasty, gory, and sometimes boring details of how Jane Doe’s business grew from an investment of $50,000 to a gorgeous $24 million. Every single issue they promise to divulge the “secrets” to success or being a millionaire at 30 and instead I’m always met with disappointment.

When will Entrepreneur give me what I want? Probably never. They know that sugarcoated surface fantasy sells. Disney has done a great job with this and Entrepreneur is doing the same. One of these years I’ll stop subscribing…unless, of course, they decide to feature ME as a success story! Or I can do some freelance work for them.

(I hope someone from Entrepreneur is reading this post… HINT, HINT, HINT!)