Posted Thu, 01/14/2010 - 10:39 by Christine Lambden
It's traditional at this time every year to look back on the previous year, celebrate our successes and try to learn from our mistakes, and then set new goals for the upcoming year. Like many of you, this was our first year in business, and we spent much of it learning...which is code for making mistakes. If you aren't making any mistakes, you probably aren't taking any chances, right? Big victories and big mistakes start with the same four words, "Hey, what if we...?"
Posted Mon, 12/14/2009 - 19:57 by Christine Lambden
If you're managing your professional network and staying in touch with clients, prospects, and people who can introduce you to other people that you need to know, you probably face this problem as often as we do. You want to call and touch base, but you don't really have a reason for the call. You can't say, "Hey, I just wanted to remind you that I'm here if you need me!" Or rather, you can. But if you say it every time, you aren't moving the relationship further along.
Posted Mon, 10/26/2009 - 07:44 by Christine Lambden
- Look for opportunities to be of service. Volunteer for tasks. Offer information (like white papers or templates) and introductions freely. Your client is paying for your resources and your connections, as well as your expertise.
- Stay out of corporate politics, but show your commitment to the project's and client's interests. Say, "I want you to be successful. Then I'll be successful." Say it often, and really mean it.
Posted Mon, 10/26/2009 - 07:31 by Christine Lambden
Many entrepreneurs and independent consultants hire executive coaches to provide accountability and an objective second "pair of eyes" for business challenges and opportunities. We wholeheartedly support this approach. Some of our best friends are executive coaches.
Posted Thu, 10/01/2009 - 07:53 by Christine Lambden
One of the biggest challenges for every professional is how to know whether you are working on the things that matter most. It's easy to stay busy all day and into the night without accomplishing anything.
If you are working hard but not seeing progress, it may be that you are working on the wrong things. One way to manage your productivity is to manage your priorities.
Posted Thu, 10/01/2009 - 07:52 by Christine Lambden
Delores is a marketing consultant. She has heard that Stan's company needs someone to write the advertising copy for a new product. If she starts her first meeting with Stan saying, "I'd like to write the advertising copy for your new product," Stan might hire her to do that.
Posted Mon, 09/21/2009 - 17:59 by Christine Lambden
One of the most common complaints I hear from other writers, freelance programmers and work-from-home consultants is that it's hard to draw the line between work time and personal time. Many of us spend more than a typical workday at the computer when we're writing or coding, but we also spend a lot of our personal time at the computer, too. How else could I keep up with all my friends on Facebook?
Posted Sun, 09/20/2009 - 17:40 by Christine Lambden
There is a difference between a job and a hobby. When you decide to do something for fun, to help you relax or to take your mind off your problems, you don’t have to do it well and you don’t have to do it forever.
These are revolutionary ideas to most people.
Posted Thu, 09/17/2009 - 22:50 by Christine Lambden
Whether you are an independent consultant or working for a consulting firm, sooner or later you'll find yourself on a subcontract to a client through another consulting firm. This is a relatively common occurrence in IT consulting and not unheard of in any field.
Posted Thu, 09/17/2009 - 22:48 by Christine Lambden
It's a common situation. You and a bunch of other smart people are sitting around a conference room table trying to solve a problem. Everyone agrees that continuing to do what you've done in the past is a bad idea.
