Who doesn’t love free stuff? My children already know how to watch out for the pleasant ladies in the grocery store who offer tasty samples at the end of each aisle. So whenever there’s something free to be had, believe me I’ll let you know. Especially in today’s penny-pinching environment.

Even during an economic slowdown, thousands of American entrepreneurs seek advice and resources to help them successfully start a business. SCORE “Counselors to America’s Small Business” is one resource that provides mentoring and avenues that can help them succeed.

Right now, the first 1,000 people to sign up for the “How-To Workbooks Giveaway” at www.score.org will receive two free workbooks on starting and structuring a business. This is the first time these educational guides have been offered together from SCORE and The Company Corporation^®.

• How to Really Start Your Own Business covers topics important to aspiring small business owners, including business plans, finance options and infrastructure support. New content covers the latest on launching a business Web site, attracting Web site visitors, developing an online media kit and avoiding eCommerce mistakes.
• How to Really Structure Your Business outlines the options that small business owners have in choosing a business structure, which affects operating efficiency and tax obligations. The new edition offers information on selecting a state to incorporate a business and how this can affect marketing options.

These workbooks, also available at SCORE’s chapters nationwide, have helped educate entrepreneurs on the first steps to establishing and running a business. To take advantage of this offer, visit the www.score.org home page and click on “How-To Workbooks Giveaway.” Complete the “Contact Us” form by entering your name, street address and email address, then clicking “Submit.” You will receive your free copies of each workbook in 2-4 weeks.

Don’t you hate it when you’re in a meeting or even in a store and someone feels like they need to carry on an entire and loud conversation right in front of you? Or maybe you’re traveling by plane on a business trip and the 10-year-old behind you decides to use the back of your seat for kickboxing practice.

People who do not display proper etiquette in public situations can just drive you mad. But guess what? It’s National Etiquette Week, May 12-16. Who knew? It’s a week, according to The Etiquette and Leadership Institute (ELI), to recognize courtesy, civility, good manners and kindness as the way young people, leaders, business people and children around the country are called to act.

ELI asked etiquette consultants across the U.S. about their constituents’ hot button issues. They included:

• Rude driving habits
• Children kicking the back of theater or airplane seats
• Loud, rowdy behavior in subways
• Cellular phone usage in restaurants
• Inappropriate dress at business functions
• Poor handshakes

Here are tips to address those hot buttons, offered by ELI:

1. While driving, forget about juggling six things at once; just be gracious to other motorists.
2. Parents should brief socially active children about respectful behaviors. If they can’t be still due to their age, wait a couple of years before taking them to concerts or similar events. Also, make sure they know to keep their feet on the floor, away from others’ seats.
3. If you are uncivilized, discourteous or unpleasant in public, you will be treated in that manner. Treat others as you’d like to be treated.
4. A restaurant is for gracious dining, so keep the cell phones tucked away.
5. A firm web-to-web handshake accompanied by eye contact and a smile is a powerful leadership tool.

When it comes to working out of your home, keeping your surroundings in tip-top shape is crucial. If something goes wrong with your house, then it could have profound and adverse effects on your business and productivity.

So as the temperatures rise and we all get ready for summer, put plans in place now for routine maintenance. For now, let’s focus on keeping your home office cool and in working order. Homeowners can avoid the unpleasant surprise of a broken air-conditioning system this summer by taking a few proactive steps today. These tips, from American Home Shield, can help families avoid spending time during the hot summer months without air conditioning by preparing their a/c units to handle the stress of the next few months.

While homeowners should check manufacturers' maintenance recommendations for their specific units (typically available online and in owner's guides), they can take the following steps to help ensure a cool summer:

1. Check the area around your outside air conditioning unit for overgrowth of vegetation - don't let plants or other obstructions impair the airflow to the unit.
2. Be sure to change system filters regularly. See the instructions on the new filter packaging for frequency of changing (generally recommended every 1-3 months, depending on use of system).
3. Have your evaporator and condenser coils checked and cleaned as needed.
4. Evaporator coils are located inside the air conditioning unit and should generally be cleaned by a professional - the high costs associated with air-conditioner repair can often be blamed on insufficient maintenance on the evaporator coils.
5. Although professional cleaning of the unit's condenser coils may be optimal, homeowners can personally clean their outdoor condenser coils by rinsing them with a garden hose. If you choose to do it yourself, be sure to turn off the electricity to the unit before rinsing and be mindful that too much water pressure can bend the aluminum fins.

Staying on top of home maintenance can make a huge difference when it comes to keeping your business going. Taking precautions now can save you days of lost work in the future.

Do you ever wonder just how we survived all those years without the Internet? I mean, really, how did I do my shopping? How did I communicate with business associates, and most importantly, how did I know what the weather was going to be, down to the minute, at my vacation destination? It boggles the mind to realize how unfortunate and disadvantaged we were before we had the entire world at the tip of our fingers!

But the question is this: When it comes to your business, are you using the Internet to your advantage in every possible way? If you aren’t enjoying the benefits of Internet access and your virtual phone system, then the answer is “no.”

One of the greatest benefits of a quality virtual phone system provider is that you’ll be able to turn your voice system into a virtual PBX through web access. With FreedomVOICE, WebLINK is that system. It allows customers to check voice and fax mail from any computer. You’ll be able to change your call forwarding settings, add or remove numbers, or change the times of day you’ll be called. Talk about handy.

Here are some of the most beneficial WebLINK capabilities you can enjoy:

• Web Voice & Fax Message Delivery
• E-Mail Voice & Fax Message Delivery
• Mailbox Access and Control
• Online System Setup
• Voice Blaster
• Account Access and Administration
• Call Analysis and Reporting

Once you get used to managing your phone system this way, you’ll wonder how in the world you ever survived in the business world without it. This system allows you to be more productive and responsive to customer and business needs. It also helps you stay on top of technological offerings in the phone system world.

Okay, so it’s Mother’s Day, and we’re all placing phone calls to our mothers, honoring significant females in our lives, and boosting the floral business with our credit cards. It’s a great day, and women everywhere feel recognized for the time and energy they spend mothering and nurturing children.

It’s also a day that has become big business. Greeting card companies, florists and restaurant owners are thrilled with this occasion, as it brings in big bucks to bottom lines. I glanced at the paper today and saw specials going on at grocery stores, car dealerships and shopping malls, all in honor of mothers and the money that they and their relatives spend.

I also saw home businesses, like photographers, jewelry makers and purse designers, trying to tie in their goods and services to this weekend of appreciation. If your home business has anything to do with moms, relatives of moms, or products and services that moms enjoy, you’ll be interested in the following, as provided by the U.S. Census Bureau:

• The idea of Mother’s Day started in 1908 with Anna Jarvis of West Virginia, honoring her recently departed mother who had hoped that sometime there would be a day to commemorate all mothers.
• By 1911, every state observed Mother's Day and three years later, Congress made it a national event.
• There are nearly 83 million mothers across the U.S.
• Each year, about 4 million women have babies.
• Of those, teen mothers have 435,000 children, and women 40 and older, 112,000.
• The odds of a woman delivering twins are one-in-31.
• More births occur in August than any other month, and Tuesday is the most common birthday.

So if you have anything at all to do with mothers and the markets they represent, you’ll want to start planning a promotion for next year! Mother’s Day is a booming business, and whether you like it or not, it’s an opportunity for big sales! Now, when is Father’s Day?

Tomorrow is Mother’s Day, and if you haven’t already called the florist or made brunch reservations, now is the time to do so. Mothers, whether they are your own or someone else’s, deserve a day of recognition, for sure. After all, who else but a mom would have put up with all your shenanigans without being  institutionalized or calling law enforcement?

Of course in the workforce, you can find mother’s all over the place. They’re everywhere! Which is fortunate, since babies tend to keep the population and future generations going.

So how do working moms see themselves when it comes to their career? Well, according to a survey by Adecco USA, most mothers (71 percent) said managing a career is actually easier than managing a family. As a mother myself, I can easily see this point of view. You can’t fire a family member if they continue to disobey your wishes, or say, show up late every evening for dinner. You can, however, fire an employee for not following company rules.

Here are other findings from the survey:

• 60 percent of moms feel they have the same work/life benefits as nonparents.
• Only 44 percent of nonparents feel the same way, with 25 percent of the respondents saying that they have fewer benefits.
• When it comes to working late and responding to e-mails after work hours, moms (71 percent) are just as likely as nonparents (73 percent) to do so.
• 59 percent of working mothers say motherhood has not had an impact on their career paths.
• 26 percent of working mothers say that motherhood has had a positive impact on their career paths.

The question of whether a working mom can really “do it all” continues to be a debatable one, but there’s no question that working moms all over the world make a positive impact in the workforce. So here’s to all the mothers of the world. Enjoy your special day!

If you know anyone looking for a summer job, or if you have been in that situation yourself, you know that seasonal hiring has a life of it’s own. Pools need lifeguards, working parents need summer sitters, landscapers need beefed-up crews, and teenagers need something to keep them busy. No matter how you look at it, seasonal hiring for summer jobs is underway.

Those of us who run a small business may be preparing to hire an intern or assistant for the summer months in order to lighten the load and get more done. But watch out, because according to CareerBuilder.com’s latest survey of more than 3,000 U.S. employers, summer workers may be acquiring bigger paychecks. Twenty-four percent of employers plan to pay their summer hires and/or interns more this year than they did last year. Nearly half (47 percent) plan to dish out $10 or more per hour; 7 percent will pay $20 or more per hour. Twenty-nine percent anticipate paying between $8 and $10 per hour while 11 percent expect to pay less than $7 per hour.

The survey reports that the most popular summer positions being offered include:

• Office support (28 percent)
• Customer service (19 percent)
• Landscape/maintenance (14 percent)
• Research (14 percent)
• Restaurant/food service (8 percent)
• Construction/painting (8 percent)
• Sales (8 percent)

So as we plan for summer support staff, it kind of makes you think of all the summer jobs that you might have had to endure in the past. For instance, probably the worst summer of my life entailed kitchen duty at a retirement home. The reason? I have a weak stomach, and scraping “used food,” from the plates into the garbage resulted in my gag reflex being on constant alert. So to provide some humor, the survey also revealed that opportunities arise in unconventional areas as well. When asked about the most unusual or memorable summer jobs they’ve ever held, workers shared the following responses:

• Chicken wrangler
• Caretaker for diabetic monkeys
• Clown in an underwater theater
• Bomb painter
• Gopher hunter
• Picked burnt potato chips off a conveyor belt
• Erased pencil marks out of used books
• Scrubbed rubber ducks for national rubber duck race

As a home-based professional, have you ever had days on end of meeting deadlines, skipping showers and missing out on much needed sleep? Or have you gone hours at a time typing at your computer, answering phone calls and tending to business without actually seeing another human being for days at a time? Sometimes I really think that the disconnect we experience from working out of our homes can take it’s toll, both mentally and physically.

Here are some statistics that may surprise you, according to the World Health Organization:

• In 1960 the average age of onset of depression in North America was 55-years-old, but in 2007, the average onset age of depression in North America was 24-years-old.
• Depression is expected to be the second largest single cause of disability in the world by 2020.

So if you find yourself feeling down, depressed or hopeless as you go through the day-to-day motions of managing your home business, consider the suggestions offered by Dr. Kathleen Hall, lifestyle expert in stress and work-life balance, and founder and C.E.O. of The Stress Institute and The Mindful Living Network. According to Hall, getting out in nature can help boost our moods and change our outlook. Why? Because researchers suggest that:

• We make nature and social connections with animals, trees, clouds and our surroundings.
• Sensory stimulation, like colors, sounds, fresh air and wind, all stimulate our senses.
• Activity, like walking or making motions helps us produce endorphins and serotonin.
• Escaping from our busy lives helps us reflect, think and come home to our self, which de-stresses and nourishes us.

Dr. Hall offers ways to incorporate "Ecotherapy" into your life:

• Take a walk in nature during your lunch, after work or before bed.
• Listen to nature sounds on a nature sound disk or machine a couple of times a week at work, or purchase a nature DVD for your television and computer with your favorite scenes.
• Keep photos of you in nature around your office to remind you of how you love to connect with nature.
• Keep a plant in your office, create a porch garden or visit a local park regularly.
• Get an animal or keep a small aquarium. Animals nourish our lives, reduce depression and the risk of many diseases.

When I had my first job many years ago, I remember how nervous I was not to make a mistake, to complete every project detail with precision and care, and to work above and beyond in order to make a good impression. I was hoping to thrive in my position, and stay with the company for years to come.

In today’s business climate, it seems like workers change jobs as much as their wardrobe. From a management point of view, this can wreak havoc in terms of training time and money, as well as morale and team unity. According to Dale Carnegie Training, evidence would indicate that a large number of employees in today’s workforce will change jobs every two years. In the first 10 years of their career, many younger workers may have as many as 8 jobs.

So, what can businesses do to retain top talent? Engaging employees is key. Peter Handal, chairman, president and CEO of Dale Carnegie Training, believes there are certain steps businesses can take to keep employees engaged and evoke loyalty in order to cultivate strong talent. He provides the following suggestions when considering programs focused on engaging employees and developing high potential talent:

Support employees in building strong skill sets.  By supporting employees in building both technical abilities and transferable skills (communication, confidence, leadership, and people skills) an organization can demonstrate their interest in the development of their employees. A more holistic approach to employee development is a key first step in employee engagement.

Prepare employees for, and support them during, times of transition. Individuals face transition in both their personal and professional life. Starting a new job, taking on a new role, moving to a new location are all times when the transition can overwhelm an employee. By helping employees prepare for job and role transitions, supporting them during the transition, and then recognizing their successes in the new situation, organizations can create a connection with employees that strengthens their engagement with the team and their willingness to help others during their times of transition.

Foster a sense of ownership within employees. The old encouragement to “act like you own it” is good advice. The challenge is making the adage practical. It is difficult to build a sense of ownership when the plans, activities, and details are dictated to you. Managers need to find ways to actively engage employees in contributing ideas to plans, activities, and outcomes.

Help employees see the link between current efforts and future opportunities. When employees view their efforts as a disconnected series of activities it is easy to begin looking for other opportunities where their work can be more meaningful. Providing employees with a clear line of sight between their work and the larger initiatives of the organization is a solid method of engaging employees and retaining top talent.

When it comes to entrepreneurs, gender plays a part in current global and national trends. In fact, new findings show that women's entrepreneurship matters -- women are creating and running businesses around the world, contributing to economies that represent more than 70% of the world's population and 93% of global GDP (2007). Women's entrepreneurship is a key contributor to economic growth in low/middle income countries, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean according to The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) 2007 Report on Women and Entrepreneurship released by The Center for Women's Leadership at Babson College. 

A gender gap persists -- both significant and systematic -- in new venture creation and business ownership, but the gender difference is more obvious in high-income countries but exists throughout all regions, with Europe and Asia showing a greater gap than Latin America and the Caribbean.

GEM data suggests that:

• women who are employed and have built a social network of entrepreneurs are more likely to become entrepreneurs.
• social and economic benefits of working are driving women's entrepreneurship more than increased education or household income.
• women's level of optimism and self-confidence in starting a business is highly influenced by the culture and social norms of their native countries.
• women entrepreneurs have less fear of failure than women who are not involved in entrepreneurial activity; yet they express a greater fear of business failure than men starting businesses.
• fear of failure is also higher for women in all country groups compared to their male counterparts.
• women in Europe and Asia low/middle income countries had the highest fear of failure rates (40.3%) compared to women in Latin America and the Caribbean (34.2%), and women in high-income countries (27.1%).

"Women's entrepreneurship varies widely across the globe," says Babson Professor Elaine I. Allen, principal researcher of the study, "It's a surprise that developing countries in Eastern Europe have low rates of women's entrepreneurship, closely resembling their highly developed European neighbors, while the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean have rates of women's entrepreneurship two and three times higher."

For more information on this subject, you can view the report at: http://www.gemconsortium.org/about.aspx?page=special_topic_women

I was working on a newsletter article last week and was trying to get in touch with an important source for the story. He is an attorney in his own small firm, and I was wanting to include his response to accusations aimed at one of his clients. I had heard from every other subject involved in the story but him.

So I called and left him a message with a voicemail system, which I assume went directly to his own office. I didn’t get a response. I called daily for three days, only to finally get an e-mail from him, saying that he was overseas, had just checked his messages, and would not have time to get a statement to me before the article went to press. Unfortunately, I had already been forced to finish the article for press time, and his side of the story was left unrepresented.

I’m sure this attorney was busy, but I was amazed that it wasn’t easier to get in touch with him, and I was astounded that he obviously checked his messages the old-fashioned way. I’m fairly sure that his client will not be happy that a statement was not promptly made on his behalf.

In today’s business world, you just can’t afford to miss phone calls or allow possible deadlines to get away, just because you can’t get your messages right away, or you have no way to communicate with clients or colleagues.
That’s why I always recommend to home-based businesses and entrepreneurs acquiring the services of a virtual office system. When you sign on with someone that offers toll free services, you are given the opportunity to launch and grow your business, no matter how small.

Companies like FreedomVOICE can help enhance your company image while increasing productivity, which in turn helps increase your profits. You will be available to clients, inquiries and new audiences. This can help increase your bottom line. With the vast features available with such a service, you can enjoy 1 800 numbers, unified messaging and follow-me call forwarding.

Once you have these features working for your business, you can gain the look and feel of an established corporation, which can save you the expense of purchasing costly and complicated phone system equipment that you may or may not be able to maintain on your own.

Gaining the benefits of a virtual office system is a simple way that will show you immediate results. And you won’t get caught out of town with no resources available to respond to calls promptly. Having such a system on your side may just keep you in contact with important people … like writers who need your input for a story. You never know who is trying to contact you.

I was putting gas in my car last week, and I envisioned myself having a meltdown right there at the pump. I fantasized for a moment, just wondering what would happen if I began crying, screaming, and ranting about how I’d much rather spend that much money on a new summer outfit or a great night out. Of course, using that gas money on a night out or a trip to the shopping mall requires yet more money for the gasoline that I have to put in my tank in order to get there.

This train of thought led me in the direction of asking, "I wonder if I could actually do all my shopping online, and invite all my friends over to my house, in order to look good and have fun without having to pay for the gas." I figured I could purchase almost everything I needed online, except I couldn’t pick out my own fresh fruit. As for my friends, well they love me, but my living room doesn’t offer the ambiance of Tuscany or the entertainment of a live zydeco band. Go figure.

So what does this have to do with home business owners? Well, if you offer a product or service that is available online, this might just be the perfect time to pump up the sales efforts and try to entice your customer base with more online shopping benefits. After all, who can really afford these days to spend a Saturday hopping from place to place in order to complete the shopping to-do list.

If you’re wondering how consumers are feeling, take a look at these findings from a recent survey, 2008 Online Shopping Habits: What is Affecting Your Spending? The survey was conducted by Safe Home Products to learn how outside factors in the economy, fuel prices, and weather have and will affect online shopping habits for consumers in 2008.

"We gained some valuable information from the consumers who participated in this survey, for example over 56% of consumers believe fuel prices will affect their shopping habits in 2008, but the majority will not change their online shopping habits," said Barbara Staib, president of Safe Home Products. "This tells us that consumers plan to change their shopping behavior in other areas, but not in their online shopping. The majority of the consumers, at nearly 59%, plan to shop the same amount in 2008 as in the previous year. This is positive news to us as it means the internet retail economy should remain stable."

The study found that those who favor online shopping will continue to do so, and that consumers see online shopping as a way to save money. What this means for home business owners is that we have an area in which to focus. All we need to do is figure out a way to show value, savings and benefits when it comes to our products or services being offered online.

It might sound like a challenge, but if you take a look at your marketing plan, evaluate your advertising dollars, and tap into the online shopping market, you may just provide much needed relief to those consumers that are contemplating hissy fits at the pump. Just a thought.

Tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo. Whether you really know what the day is about, we all love an excuse to celebrate another holiday, right? In fact, many have been celebrating all weekend, as restaurants, organizations and clubs have utilized this weekend as a pre-holiday build-up.

Holidays and observances present opportunities for small business owners and entrepreneurs to offer special deals, get involved with local events, and serve as sponsors or volunteers. This helps with increasing company awareness in your community, building better relationships with potential and current customers, and attracting new business.

So what exactly is Cinco de Mayo? Well besides the obvious - it being on the fifth of May, the origin of the observance goes back to 1862, when outnumbered Mexican troops defeated the invading French forces of Napoleon III at the battle of Puebla. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are more than 28 million people of Mexican descent in the U.S., some 9 percent of the total population. Nearly 11 million of these live in California.

So now that you know why you drink tequila and dance to salsa music on this holiday, you also might find ways to make such observances work for you. For instance, you could offer one-day specials, an in-store party, or have a Cinco de Mayo theme for the week that ties in your products or services. If you sell a product, you could offer $5 off, or increments of $5 off, and tie it in with the fifth of the month. There are countless ways you can make a holiday or special observance, no matter how well-known or how obscure, an opportunity to bring attention to your business.

The trick is that you have to think of it well before the actual day is here. Actually, when such days occur, it’s a perfect time to conduct a little research to begin planning for next year. Take time out tomorrow to review your newspaper, or watch local news to find out what smart or creative things other businesses are doing to incorporate Cinco de Mayo into their business marketing. Bars and restaurants are masters at doing this, and sometimes you can borrow great marketing techniques by observing what they do.

Once you spot an idea or event that sparks your interest, brainstorm on some of the ways you could incorporate the same ideas, and write it all down. If you don’t already, you need to have a file that is specifically for future marketing ideas. Anytime you spot a great marketing or promotional idea, write it down, keep a copy of what has inspired you, and file it away for later. Then you can start planning how you’ll incorporate those ideas into next year’s marketing plan.

Just like Cinco de Mayo, we all love an opportunity to celebrate and have a good time. If you can combine that willingness to have fun with a business opportunity, you can have the best of both worlds.