The story hit the news in full force. A Walmart employee was trampled to death as savings-hungry shoppers shoved their way into the store on Black Friday. To make matters worse, the shoppers became quite upset when the police had to close the store as it became a crime scene. Were the deals worth stealing this man’s life? Was it so worth it to get a toy for their children that these shoppers actually traded a man’s life for those worthless items? What is his family going to do for Christmas?

While you may not have been among those shoppers who trampled a man to death, you may still be one of those business owners who is so cutthroat for your company that you have lost sight of the people you are serving. Like these shoppers, you may have lost sight of the people around you in anticipation of earning a big bonus. The holidays are a great time to stop, take a step back, and give to those in need. Rather than seeing dollars and cents, take the time to really notice your clients, your community, and – most importantly – your friends and family.

1. Give to your clients this year. You are in business thanks to your customers. Without them, you wouldn’t have two cents to rub together! Take this opportunity to thank them – with no thought of how it will benefit you and your company. Just give for the sake of giving!

2. Help out in the community. You picked the location of your business carefully because you wanted a good place to earn money. But look around. It’s not just a place to hang your “Open” sign; it’s a community. Join your neighbors by helping in a soup kitchen, collecting presents for Toys for Tots, or raising money for an annual fundraiser.

3. Take time to spend with your family and friends. Remember who has supported you from the time you started your business to where you have your business now. They deserve a lot of attention from you, so close the business doors and open the door to your home. Invite people to your house for a Christmas party; participate in neighborhood caroling; or take your family for a ride to see all of the houses lit up for Christmas.

This holiday season, let’s not lose our focus! Keep the Christmas spirit alive by thinking of what you can do for others rather than for yourself. Gifts are optional, but time and love are required.

It seems that all the talk these days is about the economy. All around us, businesses that were once multi-billion dollar giants in their industry are declaring bankruptcy and shutting their doors. Employees are losing their jobs with no other opportunities in sight! With such a great decline in the market, is it really possible to make your small business thrive?

The United States of America was founded on small businesses! Long before corporations came in and took over, small businesses were thriving. So what can you do to make your small business thrive in a declining economy?

I believe that the most valuable asset a company has is customer service. Somewhere between full-service gas stations and self-check-out stands, customer service has been shoved aside. No longer will a friendly clerk gladly assist the customer; now the customer may eventually be waited on by a disgruntled employee who would rather lean on the counter than serve the customer!

The same can even be said in the online world. Rather than prompt, friendly service, more and more companies are simply trying to make the big bucks rather than keeping the customers. One large company I recently ordered from stated that they would ship a free gift with my order. I didn’t ask for it. They simply added it to my order. However, a few days later, I received an email that stated they would not be sending me a free gift after all because I had used a gift card, and they didn’t do two special deals together! When customer service was called by another disgruntled customer, the company said that they were covered in their policy statement and refused to send out the free gift that they had offered!

Rather than give out a few free gifts, this company was extremely rude to customers who had not even asked for a free gift! It wasn’t the free gift that will keep me from ordering from them again; it’s the lack of customer service!

Are you losing customers because you haven’t fully realized the true meaning of customer service? Ask yourself how you can better meet your customer’s needs! You may just save your company from bankuptcy!

To your success,
Katie

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything on here! I’ve been through so much this year that I have let my blog fall to the wayside. The most exciting thing that has happened to me is becoming a mom. There is no better job in the world, and my daughter is so beautiful! But now I am back and excited to start blogging again! I have kept busy writing articles for www.demandstudios.com and www.ehow.com. Please feel free to view my articles and let me know your opinions!

If you are interested in earning a little extra money simply for writing articles, here are some key steps to follow:

1. Only write about what you know. Sure, you can research any topic and write a 250-word article on that topic, but the best articles are written based on your own knowledge. If you know about being a parent, then write an advice article to other parents. If you know how to build cars, then write an article about cars. Everyone has something to share if they will just tap into their own resources.

2. Consider what’s news. If you really want to drive traffic to your article, you need to find out what everyone is reading about these days. Do you have first-hand knowledge of the Presidential election? Can you come up with some great ideas for the holidays? Check into what people are interested in and then find a way to write about it.

3. Keep it simple. Remember, you’re not writing for a journal. Most people look up a topic online and then only scan the page. In order to get your point across, make sure you highlight the important parts and be concise.

4. Always, always proofread! You would be surprised at the number of people who do not spellcheck their articles before submitting them! One way to make sure that you look like you don’t know what you’re talking about is to pepper your copy with a lot of mistakes. Re-reading your article can save you from making silly mistakes.

There are many good article sites on the web these days, so find one that works best for you. Set up your PayPal account and get writing! Even if you don’t receive much of an income from these sites, at least your work is being published for others to review.

To your success,
Katie

If you’re like me, getting back into the swing of things can be difficult to do. I have to force myself to sit down and start typing, hoping that something (anything!) will come through my fingertips! Alas, some days are better than others.

I’ve decided to practice a writing exercise to get myself out of writer’s block mode and into writing a successful story! I invite you to join me in this challenge if you are fighting writer’s block as well.

Find three to five things in your house or office and describe them in detail. Personify them. Give them names. Create an environment for them. Imagine a scenario that involves these items. Whatever you do, you have to write for at least an hour about these items. Once you get your creative juices flowing, you may just find that story hiding inside of you!

Share your ideas with me! I would love to read your stories!

To your success,
Katie

I am so sorry I haven’t written in awhile! The holidays were quite busy for me and my family this year, and so my blog fell by the wayside. But enough excuses! It’s a new year and time to get back into the swing of things. I am excited what this year holds – both for my business and for my family. My husband and I are expecting our first child in March, and we are so excited!

In addition, I am considering adding a newsletter to my list of things to do. I can’t promise anything at this point, but I am brainstorming and developing new ideas every day. I am also trying to get back into my creative writing. Sometimes it seems the easiest route is to just accept the writing jobs that I know will bring in money and letting my own stories and poems fall by the wayside. Not this year!

I plan to enter several writing contests this year and (hopefully) to complete at least one of my stories! I’ll keep you abreast of my progress, and I hope you’ll let me know how you are coming on your new year’s resolutions!

It’s already the second week in January, so we better get started!

To your success,
Katie

Hello, Fellow Writers and Entrepreneurs!

Fall is in the air here in South Carolina, and the vibrant colors in the trees are inspiring to this writer. In fact, as I write this, I am looking out my window at a gorgeous maple tree in our backyard that is resplendent with golden hues! As our nights grow colder and our days longer, I am looking forward to our upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations. Can you believe 2007 is already drawing to a close?

Now is the time to re-assess the past year. What goals have you accomplished? Have you gained any new clients? How successful were you this year?

Write about your experiences this year and keep track of them every year so you can see your own progress. Whether you finally wrote that novel or short story or earned more money than you had projected, you are successful in everything you have accomplished.

To your success,
Katie

Hey! How are you doing this week? Are you getting back into the swing of things now that the kids are back in school? Can you believe that 2007 is almost over? It seems like it was Christmas just yesterday, and now it’s almost Christmas time again!

Writing is a hard job. You have to take the time to commit yourself to just sitting down and jotting your thoughts onto paper. Anyone who has experienced writer’s block can vouch that this career is definitely not for everyone! But if you’re one of the few who has the ability to write, then maybe you need some tips on getting started.

1. Set aside at least an hour each day to just sit and write. It doesn’t matter what you write. Just get the creative juices flowing. I have mentioned before that Roald Dahl, renowned children’s author of books such as The BFG, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Matilda, would set aside time each day to just sit and write about what he saw. As a result, he wrote many wonderful books that were created from things he noticed in his own yard.

2. Write about what you know. If you’ve never been to Europe, don’t try to write a book based on that culture (unless you plan on doing a lot of research!) Instead, write about things that are happening in your own neighborhood and add your own creative elements. Go to the mall and just observe people walking by. Everyone has a story, and you can usually create your own based on what you see people doing or wearing.

3. Don’t edit yourself. This is something I catch myself doing often. Just write your story. Once you’re done, then you can go back and do the rewrite. For now, just get your ideas down on paper. They don’t have to be perfect. After all, you’re the only one who is going to be reading them at this point in the game.

If you’re still having writer’s block, change your surroundings and try something new. You never know who or what will show up or what kind of story may develop.

To your success,

Katie

Hello, Fellow Writers!

I’m sorry I haven’t written all summer on my blog, but I have had my plate full with various projects (including growing my family), so it has been hard to focus on this blog! But I hope that you haven’t stopped writing while I’ve been silent. I haven’t. In fact, I have a new story in the works, which I hope to get published once it is completed. I have some publishing friends who are encouraging me along the way, and that is a key ingredient to any successful publication!

I know that it can become overwhelming to try and find your place in the writing world. It seems as though everybody and anybody believes they can write these days, especially celebrities (Ghost writers, consider increasing your rates at this point!) So how do you keep from getting lost in this dog-eat-dog industry? Submit, submit, submit!

But where do you start? Consider submitting short stories, poems, essays, or articles to various magazines and websites in order to “get your name out there.” If you have a manuscript ready for review, buy or borrow from your local library The Writer’s Market or any other writer’s guidebook to find out what publishers are accepting in terms of manuscripts these days. Don’t send your historical fiction manuscript to a publisher who specializes in science fiction! You are only setting yourself up for rejection.

Even if the first publisher rejects your work, keep sending it out to other prospective publishing houses. Don’t just choose the ones you are familiar with either! Some of the best books have been published by lesser-known houses because the manuscripts were simply lost in the “slush pile” at the larger, more well-known publishing house. Don’t be discouraged if you are rejected over and over again. Take each rejection as an incentive to go after the next publisher with even more fortitude. Believe in your workmanship!

If you feel that you have been rejected too many times to count, then perhaps you should seek an outside opinion. Allow someone you know to be an honest critic to give you advice on your manuscript. Take their advice and make those changes. Agents are also a really good source to let you know if you have a manuscript that is publishable. Most agents won’t charge you a fee until your work has been accepted to be published. Then submit, submit, and submit again!

Don’t give up! Just because celebrities make it look easy doesn’t mean that it actually is for most writers. That doesn’t mean your story’s not good. It just needs to be read by the right person at the right time. Visit www.writersdigest.com for help with your manuscript and feedback from editors and publishers.

Don’t give up! You have the drive to write, so keep writing!

To your success,

Katie

Well, my week has been so busy, this is the first time I have had a chance to sit down and type! Last weekend, my fellow classmates and I reunited for our 10-year high school reunion. It was so great to see everyone again. I graduated with a class of 28, so we were a pretty close-knit group. Thanks to everyone on the committee who helped plan the event!

As I was helping plan my reunion, I had the opportunity to look back through some of my old writings, including some essays I submitted for contests in high school. I was amazed at the ways my style has changed and at the ways it has stayed the same. In fact, I gleaned some new ideas from stories and poems I had written in my formative years.

What about you? Do you ever take the time to look back over what you have written in the past? How is it different from what you are writing today? Send me some of your work, and I will be happy to give you my unbiased opinion! Perhaps you can build on past work to get your writing juices flowing again!

While we’re talking about looking back, 2007 is halfway over already! How is your business doing? This is a good time of year to look at what you have accomplished since January and to re-evaluate your strategies for the rest of the year. July is a great time to offer a Christmas in July sale! Now is also a great time to be gathering ideas for Christmas. It’ll be here before you know it! Send me your ideas if you want some feedback.

To the Hampton Park Class of 1997 – Happy 10 Years!

To your success,
Katie

Just a quick post today, everyone! I just wanted to pay tribute to the men and women who have served our country in the past and who are serving our country today. Without these self-sacrificing heroes, our country would not be the incredible place of freedom it is today!

Thank you, service men and women and your families for dedicating your lives to protecting mine.

Have a great holiday, everybody!

Katie