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Time and task management is such a key skill for solopreneurs that it comes up a lot in my work.  I was already an avid student of productivity even before starting this business, and now I make it a point to always be testing and improving my practices.  One trap that is easy to fall into is getting sidetracked during task work.

Task work is the nitty-gritty work you do to run your business.  It’s not the big picture and planning work, but actually doing the keystrokes, calls, or actions necessary to do your work.  Much of this kind of work happens on the computer or online, so it’s ripe with places to get sidetracked.  How does it happen?  You want to log into a site and find out they want you to change your password.  You go to your email to get the reset link, and see just one email you have to take care of right now and hours later you still haven’t reset your password or finished the initial task.  Social media is the worst for getting sidetracked!

There’s lots of ways to avoid this, and the important thing is that you do avoid it!  Here’s a few ideas to try:

• For especially bad tempting sidetrackers such as email, news sites and social media, have designated time slots to check and use them daily.  If it’s not your time, you should only be on those sites if it pertains to your current task.
• Do your big picture planning so you know what the best project to be working on right now it.
• Plan your projects in enough detail that you know what your next few tasks are
• If something tricky comes up that is going to require multiple steps and therefore increase the risk of getting sidetracked, use a piece of paper to write down the steps so you don’t forget what got you where you are.
• Consider using a prominently placed post-it note or small white board that always has your current project on it so you can only ignore it if you try.
• Schedule your calls ahead of time and have limited phone hours so you don’t feel compelled to answer the ringing phone.
• Support your own efforts to focus – use headphones, shut the door, close programs you aren’t using, have a good chair, etc.

What helps you stay focused on small tasks?  How do you avoid getting sidetracked?  Share your ideas in the comments.

Early on in our home renovation, I hired a contractor for work he said would take 6 weeks.  If you’ve ever done extensive home renovations, you know what’s

coming – 9 months later we fired him and still had holes in the floor down to the dirt under the house and a 2″ gap under an exterior door where he ripped a threshold out on his first day and never replaced it (among many other problems).  Way more went wrong than I could ever put in a blog post (or even a series), but the one of the biggest things he did wrong was that he didn’t manage us, his clients.

As the client, it’s not my job to know whether an idea is feasible, realistic or even a good idea; it’s the contractor’s job to know that and steer us accordingly.  It’s also his job to say “no” when it’s appropriate or when he can’t fulfill our request.  This person said yes all the time and ended up way over his head and we paid the price.  What I learned from this is that one of the most important roles you can play is to make sure you manage your work situations so your clients get your best work.  More than once, I’ve helped my clients dig out from bad situations caused when they hired someone who didn’t manage the work and much like my contractor got in over their head.  It doesn’t serve you or your client if you’re a “yes man.”  If saying no to a request is the best for the client and you, then you owe it to both of you to say no.

So how do you say no gracefully and preserve the good relationship between you and your client?  Lay the groundwork way ahead of time by being honest and meeting your commitments.  If you answer questions about your skills and knowledge honestly from the beginning, your client will respect that and when you opt to say no because something is out of your expertise your client will be grateful you said no.  Likewise, if you are selective about what you take on but always deliver your client will trust that you are making a good choice for both of you when you say no.

When it seems warranted, an honest explanation of why you are saying no can help as well.  There are loads of good reasons to turn a request down, and sometimes it can be helpful to explain your reasons.  Surprisingly though, sometimes people don’t care – they just want your answer so they can move on.

Do you always say yes to keep you clients happy?  Have you ever said yes when you shouldn’t?  How do you handle saying no?  Share your thoughts in the comments.

One of the best practices I’ve begun using recently is a weekly schedule template.  Probably like you, when I started my work at home business I thought my time management would be EASY!  I have SO much time now right?  Ha, ha, ha.  It’s been way more complex than I thought it would be.  Along with that open schedule comes the complexity of almost infinite combinations of how to spend my time.  Not only do I work at home, but I’m also owned by my fixer upper house, so on top of work and personal responsibilities, I have an entire additional sphere to work in.

What makes scheduling so complicated is figuring out what the best things to be doing today are given that there are thousands of things I could be doing.  I was also constantly shifting between work, personal, home improvement, health, recreation, social time, etc.  When one was great, something else often suffered.

Early on, I adopted the practice of planning my week out on Sunday.  I try to do no work at all on Sundays, but this is the one chore that is really important.  It sets the stage for a calm, organized productive week vs. a week of scrambling and finding I didn’t complete the things I needed to but got a bunch of less important things done.

The practice of planning my week out on Sundays was a big improvement, but I still found that at the end of the week I would have done great in one area only to find I missed something important in another.  It also made every decision about time much more complicated because I was picking from my entire universe of things I could be doing.

This is where the weekly template comes in.  I started to see that there were patterns in certain things.  I’m productive in certain ways at certain times.  I’m great in the morning and afternoon, but evenings are not so great.  I like to plan errands and appointments for mid-day which is between the morning and afternoon Los Angeles rush hour.  I need dedicated time every week for personal, business, home improvement, social and recreational activities.  My meals and snacks tend to be on a fairly regular schedule.  Using what I learned, I created a template for my week.

The template gives me a starting point for each week.  I use an electronic calendar, so it was easy to program it to repeat week after week.  Giving myself certain windows for certain things means that I know know the best time to schedule various things.  I just fit it into one of the pre-set windows for that activity.  If something comes up such as a client wanting to meet during time I have personal chores scheduled, it’s easy enough to swap the time slots.

What I love about this is that I’ve pre-allocated my week in a way that suits me.  Far from being rigid, it’s made me more flexible.  If something comes up that I want to do, I just add it in and make up later whatever I bumped out for that new activity.  At the end of the week, I’ve spent my time in a way that reflects my values.

Ready to try this yourself?  Here’s a few tips:

• Leave some extra time so you can handle unexpected things that pop up
• Make sure to include enough sleep, recreation and free time
• Get up, end your work day and go to bed at the same time every day to the extent it is possible
• Pay attention to your when you are most creative and productive AND when you feel tired and dull
• Realize that your template will always be adapting both on a daily basis for unexpected things and over the long haul as your life and business evolve

Do you use a template for your schedule?  Do you think you might give it a try?  Tell me about it in the comments.

I was talking to an aspiring business owner a few weeks ago, and his business is in the professional services area.  He told me that his plan was to use Craig’s List to build his business.  Another person who sells business-to-business at the corporate level wanted to use Facebook to sell her services.  Still another business owner told me she uses speaking, but her method is just to go out and give a collection of unrelated but useful tips and hope people call.

What do all these efforts have in common?  They are not the low hanging fruit for these business owners.  I can’t say they won’t ever get a client from these efforts, but there are efforts they can take that are much more likely to succeed and that’s where they should start.

Imagine you are trying to shoot a bow and arrow and hit a target, but you’ve never used a bow and arrow before.  Would you take your time and attempt to aim your arrow the way you’ve seen it done, or would you blindfold yourself and hand toss the arrow and see if it hit?  Which is more likely to hit the target?  If you at least try to aim for the target, it’s likely you’ll get close.  If you just toss the arrow on a whim, you may get close but there’s a much bigger chance you won’t.

Many solopreneurs complain of being overworked and overwhelmed, and this random approach is a big reason for that.  Picking a technique out of a hat means there’s a lot of possibilities to pick a technique that is not a good choice for your business.  When it doesn’t work, many solopreneurs think they aren’t working hard enough so they do even more of the first technique and then add a second, third or even more techniques.

The problem with this approach is that it will almost never work.  It requires the solopreneur business owner to keep doing more and more, and it requires some darn good guesses!

So what’s a better way?  For starters, do some homework and make an educated guess on what will be the single best tactic to promote your business and start there.  Will everyone always make the best choice?  Of course not, but it’s likely to be a much better choice than a randomly chosen one.  Second, set some goals about what you want to happen from your technique of choice.  If you want people to call, set a goal for how many per week.  If you want people to buy, set a numeric goal.  Third, measure your results.  See how many people are calling, buying, etc.  Fourth, assess and revise.  It’s possible you do need to do more work on the technique you are using, and it’s also possible you need to ditch that technique and do something else.

Always start with your best guess of what will bring you business not just a random idea.

How do you figure out what to try to promote your business?  Tell me about it in the comments.

One the big changes the internet has made in the way we do business is that it has leveled the playing field and allowed small and solo entrepreneurs to build a lucrative and sustainable business.  New businesses and new business ideas are being born every day.  Add to that the growing trend of people wanting more than income from their work and you have an ideal set up for the creation of brand new products and services available for sale.

This is awesome!  I think as entrepreneurs we take it for granted that people can just start selling a product or service even if nobody has ever sold it before.  But never before in history has the opportunity been so great.

So, yes, it’s great but there is one issue that pops up again and again when selling something brand new.  Nobody’s ever heard of it!  Nobody knows they need, want or could use it if they don’t know it exists.  If you are reading this article, you probably have an interest in small and solo businesses and you may be more immersed in new businesses than the average person so some of these examples may not surprise you.  When I first started my business and got out and started networking, I was surprised to learn of all the new businesses I had never heard of.

Here are some examples of businesses I had never heard of before I started meeting other business owners:

• Writing coach
• Dating coach
• Therapeutic stretching
• Multi-level Marketing coach
• Communicating with angels
• Green living consultant

These are all real examples from actual business owners I’ve met.  Do you see the possibilities?  It’s mind-blowing to me that almost anybody can create a business selling something that they invented.

So what’s the unique issue with these types of businesses?  Well, it’s much harder to get the word out if people don’t commonly know the product or services exists.  Pretty much everyone knows that dentists exist and what they do.  When we need one, we go to one.  With a dentist, the business challenge is to get people to pick your practice when they need a dentist.

For businesses that offer a brand new or unique product, the business owner faces not only the same challenge as the dentist (getting people to pick your business) but the challenge of just introducing the concept to the public.  If you have one of these brand new products or services, your marketing needs to cover a lot more education and awareness building than the dentist.  You’ll need to first make people aware that the product or service exists and then encourage them to pick your business.  This isn’t an insurmountable challenge, but it is one you’ll need to address if you have this type of business.

Did you create your own product or service when you started your business?  How have you educated the public about the existence of your business?  Tell me about it in the comments.

When people ask me what I do, I respond in different ways but I always include the word “solopreneur” or the phrase “one-person business.”  A common response I receive is “You mean startups?”  Even though I get this question a lot, it always throws me because to me startups are a very different type of business than a solopreneur business.  So different in fact, that I’m not usually sure how to answer this question.  The answer could be a book, or at least an essay, and it’s hard to spell out just how different these two types of businesses are in casual conversation.  Needless to say, I don’t think I’ve done a good job answering this one.

Technically, every business is a “startup” at some point when they are first getting started.  In common, modern use though a “startup” is usually a business that is seeking to grow and make big revenues either for the founders or in order to be sold.  While possible, it is rare to find a startup that runs with just one person for long.  Usually one of the first steps is to add at least one other person.  In contrast, solopreneur businesses are by definition one-person businesses.  They may have some outsourced help such as a virtual assistant (VA), web designer, programmer, business coach, etc. but the business is primarily about selling the products, services or knowledge or one person.  Because the business is so closely linked to one person, the solopreneur usually isn’t looking to sell or take on investors like startups are.

I finally got clear on why these two types of business are so closely linked for most people when I was recently talking to someone who is part of a 4-person startup.  When I told him who I work with, he asked me “One person businesses?  But don’t they eventually need to add a second person?”  The whole source of confusion, and the idea I wasn’t seeing, was that many people are unfamiliar with the entire model of building a sustainable, one-person business with the intention of staying solo forever.  People do have long-term solopreneur businesses – I talked to a service professional recently who has been a solopreneur for 50 years!  Whether you eventually add some help or not, you can still be a solopreneur and it can be successful, sustainable and satisfying.  In fact, about 3/4 of businesses in the US have no employees!

So, if you love the idea of a solopreneur business, don’t let anyone tell you it’s not a viable business model.  It’s not inevitable that you have to add employees.  Oh, and when you get the same question over and over don’t wait to figure out what you aren’t seeing.

Tel me about your solopreneur business or the one you want in the comments.

The idea of Twitter hashtags has become commonplace outside of Twitter, and I get asked a lot what they are.  Once you know what they are, hashtags can be an effective

addition to your Twitter strategy for your solopreneur business.

What are Twitter hashtags?

Twitter hashtags are represented by the “#” or “pound” sign before a word or phrase.  The symbol and the word or phrase together are a hashtag.  Hashtags are used to denote that a tweet is about a certain subject.  Here are a few examples of hashtags:

• #SOTU – for tweets about the US President’s State of the Union address
• #worldcup – for tweets about the soccer World Cup championships
• #dog – for tweets about, you guessed it, dogs
• #ncis – for tweets about the TV show NCIS (the hastag is shown on TV during the show)

Hashtags can be for current events (like #SOTU) or special interest (like  #dog).  They can also take on a humorous, game-like quality such as #hollywoodpostitnote, which is about movie ideas that would never be made.  If you want to see any tweets with these hashtags, head over to Twitter and put the hashtag into the search bar.  Look at your own risk because Twitter sometimes contains adult ideas or language.

How to use Twitter hashtags

In general, including a hastag is a way to let other people interested in a topic find your tweet.  If I want to see what people are saying about the TV show NCIS, I can search on the hashtag #ncis to see all the tweets that contain that hashtag.  Another, more subtle element of using hashtags is that they denote you as someone “in the know.”  Whatever the topic you are tweeting about, if you are knowledgeable and stay informed on the subject you’ll know the relevant hashtags to use.

Hashtags for Solopreneurs

Aside from having some fun with clever hashtags, solopreneurs can use hashtags as a way to increase their visibility on Twitter.  Here’s how:

1. Add a relevant hashtag to a regular tweet about your area of expertise.  This will help more people find your tweet including people that aren’t following you.  People look at hashtags when they want to find something and many people use the saved search function of Twitter to keep on top of some hashtags.
2. Include the savvy use of hashtags in your Tweets to demonstrate that you are knowledgeable and up to date in your field.
3. Create a relevant tweet for a popular, current hashtag in order to connect with new people who may not have found you otherwise.

Sounds great, right?  Are you ready to start bombing all your tweets with multiple hashtags?  Well don’t do that just yet, read on for a few things not to do.

Hashtags – what not to do

There’s a few don’ts in using hashtags.

1. Don’t add an irrelevant hashtag to any tweet just to get more eyeballs on it.  People will not be pleased and they’ll click away because they didn’t find what they were looking for.
2. Don’t jump on a popular hashtag bandwagon with tweets that add nothing just to be seen.  Only use a hashtag if your tweet is relevant and valuable.
3. Avoid anything offensive if you use your Twitter account for a business where being professional matters.  Some hashtags have racist, sexist, sexual or otherwise objectionable content.  If in doubt, don’t do it.

Do you use hashtags in your Twitter account?  How do you use them?  Tell me about it in the comments.

Do you ever get requests for help someone for free?  I know I do.  I’ve had my business for 4 years now, and I have to admit that sometimes these requests still leave me flummoxed.

Let me be clear about what types of requests I’m talking about.  There are certain times it’s fine to ask for something free.  I regularly offer silent auction gifts to non-profits.  I welcome requests for quotes or opinions for media pieces.  I love being a guest blogger for someone else.  I’ve done interviews as someone’s guest.  What sets these situations apart is that the exchange is a win-win.  Each party gives and gets something.  In my case, it’s often free publicity or the opportunity to be seen as an expert.

I’m also not including someone asking for information to help them decide if I’m the right fit for them to work with.  I’m not including people who decide to have a discovery or other free session with me that I offer a few times per year.

I’m also not talking about someone asking me a question in casual conversation – I love to talk business and usually can’t stop!  I’m also excluding any volunteer or mentoring done as a way of contributing to the world.

What I am specifically talking about are the blatant (or implied) requests for free service with nothing offered in return.  These requests come in various forms.  There are a few people I see occasionally on a social basis who think it’s fine to ask for services I would charge hundreds of dollars for simply because we are loosely acquainted.  There was a recent request from someone on a social networking site whose first interaction with me was to ask me for free help.  There’s also the “Can I buy you a cup of coffee and pick your brain” requests.

So how do you deal with these requests as a solopreneur?  When you operate a transparent, one-person shop there’s no receptionist or corporate policy manual to hide behind.  If you turn down the request, the person knows it is you turning them down.

Here’s what I’ve learned:

• Try not to react right away.  There’s often an emotional sting that comes with these requests because the person doesn’t seem to value your services or expertise.  Wait until the immediate urge to verbally chastise them subsides.
• Offer lots of free resources on your website.  Having free items such as blog posts, a newsletter and other downloadable free gifts allow a person to access you and your expertise for free.  This could lead to future business, and at the very least it’s a good contribution to others that feels fair to you.
• Be honest that you are not going to help them for free.  If you tell someone you can’t help them right now because you are too busy, expect regular calls for the foreseeable future asking if you are still too busy.  It’s better to get it over with quickly by being honest right away.
• Be consistent.  Don’t say no to one request only to say yes to an identical request from someone you have the same relationship with.  Integrity is a huge part of having a successful solopreneur business, so don’t damage people’s perception of yours.
• Offer a one-time consultation for a fee.  Many experts say not to do this, but I’ve found that people love being able to try just one session.  Not everyone is ready for a long-term commitment.  You can put this on your website as a regular offering or offer it to people who you think have a special circumstance.

I strongly advise against working for free except when you are just starting out and need at least a few references and testimonials.  How do you handle requests for free services?  Tell me about it in the comments.