Give a little...GLOW a lot!

In the spirit of the holiday season, giving a little can greatly reflect in your GLOWing personality. Help us bring a little cheer to someone's life this year as we help the Partnership Against Domestic Violence.

Please show your giving side by bring a personal care item to the December 3rd GLOW event!

PADV Holiday WishList
Toothbrushes
Sanitary Napkins
Deodorant
Hair Care Products
Toilet Paper
Pain Reliever
Shower Gel or Soap
Tooth Paste
Body Lotion


For more information about the Partnership Against Domestic Violence please check out their website.

Time to Get Organized

I am constantly telling co-workers, "I am going to clean my cube today." And shamelessly…I just move a few stacks of papers around and leave at the end of the a busy work day knowing that my space will be a "mess" to greet me the next morning. With the new year only a little less than 2 months away and the promise that of "doing better" next year always a resolution, I never seem to rid myself of "piles" on my desk (or on my kitchen counter, in my car and laundry room floor.)

December's GLOW features Monica Ricci, professional organizer with Catalyst Organizing. She will be helping the GLOWING women of Gwinnett by giving her talk on "Striking a Balance: Powerful Life Management for the Stressed & Overwhelmed." A perfect topic for the most hectic…excuse me, I mean wonderful…time of the year!

Check out Monica's blog article on Why Piles Aren't So Bad After All

Rachel Jeffers (Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce, Programs & Events Manager)

Confessions of a Multitasker

July 20,2010

When I read this Blog (Simply Stated: Real Simple; See below) on multitasking, I laughed to myself because I knew exactly what the author is "confessing". As females, we have been blessed with the gift to multitask, and it makes life much more productive for us.

We can curl our hair, pour a cup of coffee, pay the cable bill online and lay out the frozen chicken for dinner, all while listening to the news on TV for traffic updates and making a mental TO DO list for work and rushing out the door to make it in TIME for work! Yes, pat yourself on the back; we are amazing creatures who can do it all! And most of the time we can, except when does multi-tasking too much interferes with quality of relationships, performance and peace of mind.

I often have to remind myself to slow down and relax. Take one project on at a time, listen fully to co-workers and spend quality time with loved ones.

Enjoy ~ Rachel Bartz (Programs and Events Manager: Gwinnett Chamber)

---One of my biggest gripes these days—and I know I'm not alone—is when other people multitask. Whether it's mid-conversation, and I can hear them typing in the background, or mid-meal, and they're checking their Blackberries, I feel it's rude and ruins the quality of time we're spending together. But, I'm ashamed to admit that I might be guilty of a slightly different kind of multitasking

When I have people over to my home, whether it's for a brunch or a dinner, I always hop up to clear the plates when the meal is done. Inevitably, some other kind soul will take that as her cue to help, to which I always shriek, "Sit down, I'm just getting these out of the way." Because, in fact, I really don't want anyone to help me clean up; I'd rather my guests stay at the table and keep enjoying the conversation.

But then, I'll admit, I take it one step further: I start to wash the dirty pots and load the dishwasher. I should mention that my kitchen is an open one, so I can still hear the conversation going on at the dining room table (or even the living room, if people have migrated there). But still, the guests always yell, "Julie, sit down! Leave that for later."

I understand that these cries of protests stem mostly from their desire to relieve me of clean-up duty. But ironically, it actually helps me relax, knowing that I've gotten a jump-start on the disaster area that is my kitchen. And as multitasking sins go, this one seems like a victimless crime! However, I'm aware it might actually be rude for me to leave the party, and make others feel bad about having fun while I'm doing battle with a greasy pan in the kitchen.

So: Do I need to leave the clean-up for later and rejoin the party? Or is it okay to start scrubbing while the other guests mingle?

Simply Stated: Real Simple Blog

http://simplystated.realsimple.com/simplystated/2010/06/multitasking-throughout-the-day.html

Work & Life
Posted on Jun 17, 2010 11:29:16 AM By JulieRottenberg

When Women Rule

I just read a very interesting article from the New York Times. It was published in 2008 but still very pertinent to the business arena that women must navigate today. The article is called "When Women Rule." It talks about how history shows that women rulers have oftentimes had a better track record than men. It also goes into reports that have revealed the biases around the world when rating men vs women as leaders. Please click HERE to read the article. Return to this post and let me know your thoughts. Do you think that the findings are valid? Have you experienced any of these prejudices during the progression of your own career? What is the solution?

Evaluate Your Small Business Website

So we've all made our New Year resolutions for 2010. . . or most of us have anyway. Many are personal aspirations and others careeer and business related. Did at least one resolution include updating your website?

If not, then add it to the list! Below is an article written by Deborah Crawford that I think is definitelty worth the read and follow-up. Step into the New Year in the right pair of high heels and make sure that this major marketing tool is updated and streamlined with your mission and vision for your organization.

~Nicole Wright (Niche Market Program Manager; Gwinnett Chamber)


Evaluate Your Small Business Website

Have you taken time to evaluate your website lately? Your website is a marketing tool—in some instances, it may be your only marketing tool! Just like print ads, sales kits, radio or TV ads, billboards, signs, business cards, sales letters, and so on, your website represents your business to the world. It’s a good idea to visit your site frequently and try to look through the eyes of your visitors and/or customers.

Some things to consider when evaluating your site:

First Impressions: Does your site come up quickly when you type your URL into your browser? Is your URL easy to remember and easy to spell? Does your home page download within eight seconds? People are impatient and will not wait for flashy intros and tons of graphics to download. Do you get right to the point? Can you tell immediately what this company does?

Credibility: Does your website give your company credibility? Does it look professional for your industry? A jewelry designer and an accountant would have different images for their companies, and should not use the same canned website themes. Fun, creative businesses need to demonstrate their creativity online. More serious professions should choose more sedate web designs. Nobody wants to hire an accountant whose website features dollar bills dancing along with “We’re in the Money”. It may be funny, but I don’t want my accountant to be funny.

Easy to Read: Can the average reader of your site easily read your content? Journalists have long used the 8th grade reading level as their goal when writing. Avoid jargon and acronyms that readers unfamiliar with your industry do no know--unless you are writing content explaining those terms. It’s a good idea to have someone outside your industry read the content on your website and give you feedback. Remember, white space is good—don’t try to fill up every inch of the page with words. Short paragraphs, short sentences and short articles are more likely to be read online.

Easy to Navigate: Are key links to your site easy to find, and are they consistent throughout the site? If they are on the left on the homepage, keep them on the left. Do you have too many links on the homepage? If you have over 20 links on your homepage, consider reorganizing and condensing them. Make it easy for visitors to find what they are looking for. Cut the clutter and minimize the ads.

Valuable Content: Good content is still king on the web. Educate your visitors—they are looking for information. Tell them about you, your company, your products, and your industry. Update frequently so they will return. Delete outdated information. Learn to write for the web, or hire a freelance writer with some experience in writing for the internet. Provide resources and links helpful to your readers.

Branding: Make sure your website is consistent with your offline marketing materials in color, design, impression. If you have a logo, put it on each page, along with contact information—your name, company name, phone, fax, URL, address. Make sure customers can contact you. Nobody wants to do business with an unknown entity. If you run a home-based business and do not want your home address online, rent a PO Box, or at least put your city & town there. Check that each page supports your mission and vision statements if you have them, or that it supports the image you want your company to have.

Links: Make sure you have links to relevant sites and make sure they all work. Make sure your internal links work, too. Broken links are frustrating and will lose visitors quickly. Check them often. Check your outgoing links to make sure they still work and that the sites you link to are sites you personally recommend. Exchanging links is a great idea, but make sure you don’t exchange links with businesses you wouldn’t support.

Graphics: You need graphics—just like pictures in the newspaper or in a magazine, they create interest and aid in communication. Make sure yours are small enough to load quickly. Make sure they support your message—don’t have your visitors trying to guess why you have a picture of a pig on your page.

Keeping your website current, efficient, and informative can help you grow your business and build your brand. It can help you reach people around the world! Make sure that what you have online truly represents your business to every one of them.

Deborah Crawford
BellaOnline's Small Office/Home Office Editor
www.bellaonline.com