This is also the busiest time for us in the home furnishings industry. After all, all the turkeys in the world won’t make the dining room look beautiful, but a new coat of paint, new table, and new window treatments will.

So we try to handle the combined increased pressures of our business with personal lives, which often comes with overwhelm, stress, and frustration.

What’s a business owner to do?  Use these simple 5 tips to tame the holiday craziness and get more done without losing your head.

1. Concentrate only on the money-making activities.  Hm, what do I mean by that…  As entrepreneurs, our to-do lists are never-ending, right?  We don’t operate from 9-5.  And we don’t think within boundaries.  There is always more to be done to grow any business. Update the website (or to build a website to begin with).  Try a new product.  Get an assistant.  Start a blog.  Begin using Facebook.  Organize your office.  The list can go on and on.  But during the next two months, I want you to only concentrate on two things:  your client work and marketing.  These are the two activities that go straight to your bottom line.  Anything else that comes during the day gets put on a back-burner until January.
2. Do a Thanksgiving promotion. Most businesses send out Holiday cards in December.  I recommend you send yours out in November.  There is no better time to show your appreciation to your clients and prospects than during the time of Thanksgiving.  You will stand out of the clutter simply because there is relatively less clutter and traffic.  And, as busy at you may feel now, you do have less on your plate in the beginning of November than in the beginning of December.
3. Write everything down. I don’t know about you, but if I don’t write something down, I will forget it.  If forget it, it doesn’t get done.  Very simple.  So if I want to get things done, I must write them down.  As soon as they pop in my head.  Regardless of where I am.  If I’m driving, I pull over.  If I’m working in my office, I stop what I’m doing.  If I’m working with  a client, I do a very quick “give me just one second” and I write it down.  Another tip, is to always write it down in one place.   Business or personal – all gets written down in one place.
4. Calendar, calendar, calendar. Thank heavens for smart phones, what did we ever do without them?  But while they make syncing more efficient, they don’t instill the habit of putting all of your appointments on the calendar.  And that’s exactly what I’m talking about now.  No matter how small or big, business or personal – it must have a slot on your calendar.
5. Do it now, not later.  Procrastination is never good, but it is especially limiting during your busiest time of the year, when you’re trying to cram more business, more parties, and more shopping than physically possible.  As soon as you hear that little voice in your head saying “I’ll do it later”, that’s your red flag.  There is no later.  You have to stop and make yourself do it now.  One of the techniques I use if the task is big is to chunk it out.  My mentor Neen James calls it the 15 minute rule.  Break up the task into smaller, more manageable  parts that take only a few minutes (15minutes or whatever time you feel comfortable with).

As you’re plowing through the Holiday season, make your decisions through the filter of the 5 tips above.  If you do, I guarantee that you will get more done.

It takes a village (con’t) – next stop – hair!

It takes a village (con’t) – final stop – make-up!

Voila!

In some countries, it’s illegal to let nursing mothers out in dresses like this.

This is such a lame angle, but it had to be done – had to capture the hair!

My supportive husband Vitali!

But dealing with the ‘sea of notes’ and ‘to-do items’ afterwards has always proven challenging. How do you do it productively? How do you spend the least amount of time – for the best possible outcome. Here are my 4 proven secrets to conquer the post-conference overwhelm.

Take control of your notes. I use the ‘3 pen process’ when I take my notes. Blue pen for main notes. Highlighter for those items which I want to notice first when referring back through the notes. Red pen-to mark an arrow next to the action items.

When being discerning with your notes ‘from the get-go’, you make sure that no time is wasted when you get back to your office. You don’t have to re-read every quote, thought, or comment that you found interesting at that time. Being organized about the way you take notes during the conference, ensures you are most productive with your time after the conference.

Make an action list. Since you don’t have to re-read and go over everything that you wrote, you are ready to hit the ground running as soon as you get back. And your first step is to pair down your ‘sea of notes’ into one succinct action list. Simply pay attention to your red marks only, and make a separate list of your action items.

Prioritize. You have three choices: immediate priority, short-term, and long-term. Immediate items are easy, fast, you should have done them long time ago, they are no-brainers. Give yourself only two days to get them done.

Short-term priorities have 30-60 day span. Ask yourself: which of these action items have the lowest cost and will bring the biggest return?

Long-term priorities don’t mean ‘someday’ and certainly not ‘never’. Give yourself a time span of not more than 90 days.

Get it done! The best way to get done what you set out in your action list is to put them on your calendar. Spread out your calendar in front of you and plot each action item on a specific day of the week. Be sure to give yourself a start time and an end time. Resist interruptions. Work AS IF you’re going away on vacation – somehow that knowledge always gets us more productive.

1. SPEAKING

Although many of us are petrified of speaking in front of groups, it is hands down, one of the best ways to get a new client. Why? Because after someone heard you speak, she is much more likely to know, like, and trust you. And people only do business with those they know, like, and trust.

2. SOCIAL MEDIA

If you think, social media is a waste of time, think again. Every day, many relationships are forged on facebook, twitter, and linked in. To have your profile on each one of these networks is a must. The next step is to participate! It is only through conversation and dedication of time, that you will start seeing results.

3. ON-LINE MARKETING

One of the best ways to get new orders, is to stay in touch with your clients. And one of the best ways to do that is through an e-mail newsletter (also referred to as e-zine). When done systematically and authentically, e-zines will keep you front and center in your clients’ minds.

4. DIRECT MAIL

This one may sound a bit scary, I understand. You may have questions like: what to mail, when to mail, how often, and to whom? I can tell you that frequency outpulls the size of your mailing piece. So it’s much better to mail a smaller card several times, then to mail a large fancy card – only once. The list of prospects can be easily rented from various sources that specifically deal with databases (i.e. infousa.com).

5. NETWORKING

This is one of the oldest ways of growing your business known to man. Oldie, but goodie, it is one of the most powerful ways to get in front of your prospect. They say showing up is 80% of the job. I say following up is 95%. If you don’t follow up, all the time that you spent getting the event, talking to people, distributing cards, and driving back is wasted if you don’t follow up afterwards.

6. REFERRALS & TESTIMONIALS

Everyone knows and says that their business is built on referrals. I think you’ll also agree that if we only rely on organic referrals, it will take an eternity to grow our businesses. The important note to remember here is that it’s our job to ask for them. The best way to do that is to let your customers know from your first interaction that you appreciate referrals. Set up systems in your biz to encourage and get them, so that they are not forgotten. Finally, put your testimonials on all your marketing materials!

7. PUBLIC RELATIONS

Free publicity – what could be better – right? But how do you get it? Like anything else, it takes dedication. It starts with good photos. Next you must know your publications’ editorial calendars. Finally, you must present yourself to the editors as a valuable resource. Position yourself like this: “How can I be of value to your publication?”

7 ½ Just do it!

All these strategies may sound overwhelming, as you’re already overwhelmed by the amount of work you have. So my advice is to pick one, that sounds like a ‘low-hanging-fruit’. Give yourself a deadline. And do it. Once done, pick the next ‘low-hanging-fruit’. And tackle the list one-by-one.

If you would like more in-depth information about all of these strategies, and more, you have to check out www.BusinessofDesignTelesummit. 10 design industry experts share their secrets about exactly how to tackle each of these marketing strategies.

Children and window cords don’t mix. When window cords are accessible to small children, these seemingly harmless products may become strangulation hazards.

This is especially important with older window coverings that may not meet the latest national standard for window cord safety.

The Window Covering Safety Council is urging parents and caregivers to make the right choice and only use cordless window products in young children’s bedrooms and sleeping areas. Owners and renters should replace all window coverings in the home made before 2001 with today’s safer products.

And remember to always follow these basic window-cord safety rules:

  Install only cordless window coverings in young children’s bedrooms and sleeping areas. Replace window blinds, corded shades and draperies manufactured before 2001 with today’s safer products.     

 Move all cribs, beds, furniture and toys away from windows and window cords, preferably to another wall.

Keep all window pull cords and inner lift cords out of the reach of children. Make sure that tasseled pull cords are short and continuous-loop cords are permanently anchored to the floor or wall. Make sure cord stops are properly installed and adjusted to limit movement of inner lift cords.       

  Lock cords into position whenever horizontal blinds or shades are lowered, including when they come to rest on a windowsill.

brought to you by: www.windowcoverings.org

I’m going to call this one “Where is Waldo?  (aka Anton)”.  Do you think this first-time mom is scared of the cold weather?

This would be flash light and camera into the poor guy’s face – and he is still so curious…