Dr. Miser recommends them, so I’ve set up a free business profile. Still investigating whether it’s worth the investment of cash on top of time….click the image below to see my profile on FastPitch.

Last Friday we dropped the boat in the water, so the sailing season has begun. It’s hard to tell here in Minnesota, as there was frost on my windshield this morning, but I have faith. So much for global warming!! It hasn’t yet reached the great upper midwest.

So if you’re going to be anywhere near Pepin, Wisconsin, this summer, give me a holler and let’s set up a time to get out on the water! We’ll go for a sail and do a little networking while we’re at it!

How in the world did THIS happen? I knew it had “been a while” since I posted to my blog, but 3 MONTHS??? Not good. Back to the basics. Back to writing every day. Back to blogging once a week.

What commitments have you made for this year that you aren’t keeping? The only way to do it is to do it. So I’m doing it. What are you doing to keep your commitments to yourself?

Okay, this is too fun not to share: http://www.softmall.org/fusion/readarticle.php?article_id=17

Sometimes you just need to kill 15 minutes with mindless fluff. These three sites will help you do that. Enjoy!

• Firstborn Multimedia’s TYPEflake: Create a snowflake made from your words, your choice of typeface, and your choice of colors.
• Cake Writing Generator: Enter up to two lines of text, click the Icing button, and your message appears as decoration on a frosted cake.
• Typotheque’s DanceWriter: Type in a message and watch the dancer form each letter.

This month’s Art of Networking article in BNI’s newsletter that goes out to over 100,000 people worldwide!

Internet Forums Can Make You the Expert by Beth M. Anderson

On Monday I leave for California and the International BNI Convention. My friends Sue and LuAnn and I are taking the first 2 1/2 days to drive a Mustang convertible up the coast and enjoy the sunshine and ocean. Then we head back to San Diego and the convention. It’s an exciting time for me and for my company, OrgTrack.com. I’ll get to spend time with my clients and prospective clients, in a jam-packed four days of work and fun.

Take this week and spend a few minutes thinking about where you are, and where you want to be. I have a goal of the number of new customers I want to have by the end of the week. What’s your goal this week?

And the next day I get recognized again on www.bni.com for being published on the website www.beneaththecover.com.

Amazing visibility and recognition right before conference!!

See my article in the November 2007 issue of SuccessNet. This monthly newsletter has a subscription base of over 100,000 people. Exciting!

http://www.bni.com/successnet2005/successnet05/Nov_2007/story.shtml

We’ve all seen that sign a million times…but here’s one with a new twist. I saw this on the door of a local gas station/convenience store. “Shoes must be on your feet when you enter the store.“

Now what do you think prompted someone putting that sign up? Pretty easy to guess…some smarta** kid saying “But I have my shoes right here!” and the cashier thought ENOUGH and hand wrote out a sign, thinking that would solve all the world’s ills.

One of my favorite quotes of Dr. Misner’s is, Don’t Make Decisions Based on Exceptions. What “signs” are you using around your business that are outdated or foolish. Here are some thoughts to ponder:

• Have your prices stayed the same for too long?
• Do you have any employee rules that no longer make sense?
• Does your website or brochure have outdated material on it - obsolete products, old addresses, pictures of people or things which are no longer a part of the company?
• Are you handwriting or crossing off something on your business cards? (go to www.vistaprint.com - they’re cheap!)
• If you have a retail operation, are your windows clean and free of clutter? Old notices are not attracting new customers.
• Restrictive sales practices or billing processes because of one bad client experience.

Take a look around and spruce up your place, even if your “place” is virtual. Don’t spend so much time protecting yourself from the exceptions, and you’ll have more time, energy and space in which to blossom.