TEMplate… now might just be the time to get that IDEA off the ground!

OK, so I’ve been thinking…now might be just the right time
to get that business idea off the ground!
Uncertain economic times and less job security
= a greater need to put our financial destiny into our own hands.

Why not introduce someone you know that would also benefit with…
1. how to combine MOTHERHOOD and BUSINESS
2. how to get what you want by combining the two…

To help work out whether this is for you?… a gift
“What is it?” I hear you ask… the 10 best business tips ever!
It’s the So You Want to Start Your Own Business 10-step checklist. It’s yours if you join the entrepreneurial mother community…

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What have I been doing the last few months?

Denise has had her Entrepreneurial Mother Story included in the
Entrepreneurs.About.com. Startup Stories #2
(a part of The New York Times company)
click here to see for yourself.

Plus she has just got the go ahead for the inaugural
“Design your Business” program for the Mornington Peninsula Shire in June 09. Very exciting!…

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Want more of this sort of stuff?
the entrepreneurial mother will be bringing
on-line and face-to-face learning straight to YOU…
ask me what I can do for YOU!
Email mother@theentrepreneurialmother.com.au

or visit the website for a whole lot more…

Give time to love, give time to speak!

This is a master piece. If you have not read it take the time to read it now. If you have read it take time to read it again!
Isn’t it amazing that George Carlin – comedian of the 70’s and 80’s – could write something so very eloquent…and so very appropriate.

A Message by George Carlin:

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life. We’ve added years to life not life to years. We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We’ve done larger things, but not better things.

We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We’ve conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We’ve learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete…

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.
Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.
Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn’t cost a cent.
Remember, to say, ‘I love you’ to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.
Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
If you don’t send this to at least 8 people….Who cares?
George Carlin

Welcome to the age of change

A nice little piece from The Age this morning…
I don’t know about you, but I believe midlife and the change involved is something that you constantly go through, not just as a one off event. For me, it all started when I took 6-months leave-without-pay and travelled Africa. If you know my story, then you also know what happened upon my return. For those who do not, my life did a complete 180 degree turnaround; from being an international management consultant to being single, unemployed, homeless and pregnant, at the ripe old age of 36! Suffice to say, change was required, and has been constantly required ever since.

My view on midlife “crisis” so to speak is not that at all but rather that of disappointment. Midlife disappointment, that’s what it is. Disappointment around all the stuff you have had on your dream list, and have yet to tick it off. Better get started then!!

Don’t put any of it off a day longer. Mind you, it doesn’t mean all has to be done tomorrow, but by the time you time is up, you want to have ticked off that list, or as many as has been realistically possible. Work out what design you want your life to take, and then start living the design. Not difficult, just needs some considered planning, and taking the time out to consider it in the first place.
If you need some help to get you started, just let me know…

“Midlife is when you reach the top of the ladder and find that it was against the wrong wall,” the late American scholar and author, Joseph Campbell, said.

If you have reached middle age without pausing to contemplate the fact that you are, at best, probably halfway through your life’s journey, you are unusual.

There are several things that typically happen somewhere around life’s halfway point: physical attractiveness begins to wane; energy levels drop; health problems arise; parents are ageing; responsibility at work increases; children are becoming more independent; and relationships often break down.

What’s not to have a crisis about?

Despite the classic stereotype of a greying, ageing man at the helm of a shiny, red sports car, the midlife crisis is not a solely male domain. In January last year, researchers at Britain’s University of Warwick and the US’s Dartmouth College studied data from two million people from 80 countries and concluded that for both men and women, the probability of depression peaks at about 44 years of age.

“Some people suffer more than others but in our data the average effect is large,” says Professor Andrew Oswald from the University of Warwick. “It happens to men and women, to single and married people, to rich and poor, and to those with and without children.

“It looks from the data like something happens deep inside humans.”
read on

Fair Treatment under contracts

If you’re in business, then you need to read each of these articles…

ICA brings you the news and updates that others miss. If you¹re an independent contractor or a business engaging independent contractors, these news items are important.

* Have you ever been concerned that your contract is biased or unbalanced? Independent Contractors of Australia is working to do something about this. Click here: http://www.contractworld.com.au/reloaded/ica-news.php

* Tax breaks for independent contractors. Check this government
announcement:
http://www.contractworld.com.au/pages/PDFs/Tax_Break_Fact_Emerson.pdf.

* It¹s about time business paid on time. The Small Business Minister sends a warning to big business. Pay up! http://www.contractworld.com.au/pages/PDFs/Emersonsmalldebts.pdf.

* Think about it! How do political trends in the UK impact in independent workers? http://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/article_details.php?id=10608

Regards

The Team at Independent Contractors of Australia

Bouncing back from the sack

Leon Gettler asks…

What do you do after the sack? With the way the economy is travelling, chances are that most will not return to full time employment. And when the recovery finally comes, the work force and career path will be different.

The key bit for me here is the highlighted line, most will not return to full time employment. Bet that knocks are few dreams about, given that designing a life without a full time job had not really featured.

The sad thing about this article is that its quoting US sources…where are the Australian sources, like me? What you need is someone who has been there, done that, especially in your own part of the world.

And even more importantly, when you are wanting to combine parenting and swapping your time for money.

Having spent the last 12 years doing just that; I know it’s more about designing the life you want, and then knowing how to go about making it a reality.

Yes, there is a formula to follow. The one which I developed for me, works for me. I do use techniques from all walks of life, including corporate management skills. No doubt you will know what works for you, but you will need a place to start.

For example, do you actually know how much time in a day/week you can devote to working to make money? Do you know what you need to earn per hour to cover your family costs? Yell out if I can be of assistance.

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