I am excited to be bringing on board a bookeeper to offer you the entrepreneur and small business owner even more support.

Meet Aimee Olson! With a degree in accounting and a specialty and preference for working with small businesses she brings with her a wealth of experience to help you get organized.

Stay tuned for more information….

On the one hand I am relieved that political commercials on the radio, on tv and even on Facebook are soon to be over. On the other hand this is such an important day that it is a good idea to stop and think about the day, what it means and what an incredible privilege it is to cast my vote and be a part of the democratic process.

Today is a day for all of us - Republican - Democrat - Libertarian - Green - it doesn’t matter where you stand on the issues it matters that you participate and become involved in this historic day that comes to us every 4 years.

I hope all of you take the time to appreciate this day and what it means!

As we head into the post-election season there are going to be countless hours going over the campaigns of all the candidates. What went wrong, what went right, what should have been done differently. 20/20 hindsight is always best but there are lessons to learn from the analysis that will soon be filling the airwaves.

Evaluating your campaign - Have you started or just completed a project? Now is the perfect time to stop and take stock of where you are headed or evaluate where you have just been.

• Did you have an end goal in mind?
• Did you plan from the end back?
• Did you stick to the plan?
• Did you change mid-stream? Was that good or bad?
• Are you still headed toward your goal?
• What should you have changed or should you change for the next time?

Maybe it is time to add to your team and get an outside voice to help you see clearly what your project involves and make sure that next time that it goes more smoothly or so that while in the midst of your current project you can get some help.

Is there a colleage, a mentor or a mastermind group that you are a part of that you can bounce ideas off of and get their honest feedback? Surrounding yourself with like minded people who are creative and can offer positive criticism when needed or a great job when you need it most is so important.

I hope that you take part in this important day and appreciate the freedom:

• To vote
• To be part of the democratic process
• To be an entrepreneur
• To run your business the way you want

Lesson #1: Take it one step at a time

If you look at the process as a whole - writing, editing, proofing, launching and promoting an eBook can seem to be a huge project and it is. It was such a relief to look at the entire process from beginning to end and break it out into smaller more manageable chunks and assigning target completion dates to each step. Once I went through that process with my coach it seemed very doable and I began to look forward to the process.

Lesson #2: Have 2nd & 3rd sets of eyes proof for you

After writing and editing both my ebook and my website I got to the point where I felt cross eyed and realized I needed a break. So I stepped away for a few days so I could come back fresh and also enlisted the help of several people to critique my ebook and website. It is amazing what a different perspective can do for you in a project like this.

Lesson #3: Have fun and learn lots!

This really can be a fun process and an incredible opportunity to learn lots of new things. Take your time, enjoy the process and use the opportunity to create a product you can be proud of and are excited to promote and talk about. I learned a lot about me, even more about my chosen topic and had the opportunity to interact with friends and acquaintances as they helped me proof and critique to make my eBook the best it could be.

Lesson #4: Keep it simple - Don’t over analyze

Here is that simple theme again! Don’t over analyze, don’t over criticize and don’t over complicate things. The process is actually quite simple but does not always feel that way so keep it simple, work with a mentor or a friend who will hold you accountable and keep you on track and will remind you to

Keep it Simple!

In creating my business I have had to find tools that allowed me access to the information I needed, when I needed it. It has taken me awhile to get my current set up to be where it is now, a system that works great for what I need using all no-cost and low-cost online tools.

With all that I have learned through research and asking questions, I know it can be a timesaver for other entrepreneurs on the go who need to pack up their office and go.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed putting it together for you. You can click on the book above or visit the following site for more information. http://www.simpleportableoffice.com

"Our life is frittered away by detail… Simplify, Simplify." ~Thoreau

From writing my ebook to business planning to marketing plans I am learning to simplify, simplify.

Its not always easy either! There are some projects and ideas that seem overwhelming with information overload. It is times like this that I know it is time to stop… take a deep breath… and gather my scattered thoughts and take it one step at a time.

This is when I realize and remember just how important it is to set up a system, but where do you start? Sometimes I’ll try an outline and take a look at the steps involved… but honestly most of the time that is just too complicated and is not a good way to capture the fleeting gems quickly enough. That is when I break into my bag of tricks and pull out the power tool ‘Mind Map’.

This super cool tool helps me gather each thought and idea ( great ideas of course:)! ) and get them down on paper all in 1 place. Check out the definition and example of a mind map at Wikipedia . They can be hard to explain so it is usually best to see an example in order to get the ‘picture’.

For creative thinkers, entrepreneurs, renaissance souls and multipreneurs thoughts and ideas can scatter here, there and everywhere so capturing them and putting them onto paper is essential. When I have a new idea my brain can go a little nuts. I have learned that it is just best for everyone concerned to take a second and write it down so I wont obsess in my efforts to not forget.

Mind maps allow these scatters thoughts and ideas to come into a cohesive form. When you use a problem solving and organization tool like a mind map you can start to see a pattern, a series of steps that must be taken from Point A to Point B without jumping to Point F first. A simple tool that can make a great system!

See? Simplify & Systematize… that seems to be a theme.

Here are just a few things that caught my attention enough to write them down.

4 criteria necessary to go "beyond booked solid", choosing business building blocks that can be built upon again:

1. Scalable: Grow exponentially if you want to.
2. Leveragable: So you do not have to do all the work yourself.
3. Profitable: The margins you are making are worth the time and labor put into it.
4. Be the best in the world at serving my clients.

If you want to go beyond booked solid:

1. Name what it is you want to do - Remember words matter and what we tell ourselves everyday makes a difference whether we know it or not!
2. Reconfigure what you have and turn it into something else - I loved this one, this thought really struck me and made  me take a look at what was working in my business and what wasn’t. How can I take what is not working and turn it into something that is?
3. Don’t throw away what you have, do something different! Reconfigure it into something you want. - This sounds the same but actually it is slightly different. What about all those half finished product ideas, business plans that we all have in the back of our mind or in a file cabinet somewhere. Don’t throw it away, bring it out and take a look at it from a different perspective. Why didn’t I fnish this? What do I still like about it? What might still work? What needs to be reworked.
4. Cross Appropriate: Take ideas/models/influences in different markets and bring it into your own market .  - This was something I hadn’t really spent time working on before but it made me think of different programs and ideas that I have seen and heard about and thought it was so clever and fresh. I need to go back to that and see how I can make that work for me and my business.

I highly recommend signing up at AuthorTeleseminars.com and downloading this audio file and hear it for yourself. Make sure you stop back by and share some of what made you stop and think.

Well known names like, Seth Godin, Tim Ferris, Howard Behar, Michael Port… that is just to name a few. And best of all…. it’s free!

There are times I am listening at my desk and just shaking my head yes! I agree! Wow great idea, how can I implement that in my business?

Not only has this series created a MUCH bigger reading list than I already had, it has challenged me to think differently about my business and how I run it. It is like having  a group coaching session from some of the biggest business experts…at no charge. Now that is hard to beat!

Soon I will share some of the tidbits I received and just had to write down to remember.

I highly recommend taking a look at AuthorTeleseminars.com for yourself. The MP3’s are downloadable so you can listen to them again… and some you will need to and want to! There is just too much to absorb at one time.

I hope you enjoy and find this as invaluable a resource as I have!

My colleague and dear friend, Erin Blaskie, is hosting the first annual Summer Speaker Series featuring an amazing line-up of speakers including James Roche, Christina Merkley, Sheri McConnell, Alexis Neely, Allana Pratt, Lou Bortone, Viki Viertel, Lynn Scheurell, Kathie Thomas, Debbie LaChusa, Wendy Weiss, Terri Z, Donna Gunter, Diana Ennen and so, so, so many more.

Here’s the deal… She’s featuring TWO speakers PER DAY for the entire month of August (not including weekends because really, who likes working weekends?)

The best part is that this amazing series of speakers is priced VERY affordably. It’s going to be one of the hottest events of the summer and you’ve got an invitation from me!

Simply click through this link Summer Speaker Series and register today. You won’t be disappointed and I’ll be there to speak as well!

You can purchase a seat in one track, two tracks or get audio downloads included too (along with your live seat) so what are you waiting for! I’ve heard there is a cap of 200 people due to the bridge line and with the speakers involved, that won’t last long!

Visit the Summer Speaker Series Info Page and register now… ‘see’ you on the calls!

I am always on the look out for simple steps that are easy for anyone to implement. As we go along I am looking forward to sharing with you some tips along the way and give you a glimpse of what you will see in the ebook.

Please add your comments and let me know what types of information you would like to learn more about.

Lets take the journey together and create a portable office…..The Blue Jeans VA way.

I was very impressed with the immediate follow-up from Aweber with relevent, helpful tips to help you get started right away using and getting the most out of Aweber.

Which of course is a lesson to learn on how any business should market itself. Why not take advantage of an audience and give relevant content that your ideal customer can begin to use immediately. Show them your expertise and showcase the type of work you enjoy doing.

So sign up today and start receiving your list of Top FREE Internet Resources.