I’m working on a project @ Belmont University right now that is trying to raise money for the Junior Achievement of Nashville. Our goal is to raise $3 from friends, family, and local businesses in order to match the $3 we originally put in the fund.

Click Here to Donate via Paypal

We are trying to raise the money before Thursday the 25th of February. Please help us raise money for this organization by matching our $3. Your gift will be greatly appreciated by the organization here in Nashville. We’ll report how much money we’ve raised on Thursday.

What is the Junior Achievement?

It is the world’s largest and fastest growing non-profit organization dedicated to educating young people about business, economics, and free enterprise. Classroom volunteers teach JA’s programs in both the United States and in nearly 100 countries worldwide.  For more information, visit our national web site at www.ja.org.

Thanks everyone for your support!!

John Price

So needless to say, there is alot going on over here. All good stuff but still not allowing me to blog as much as I want

I’ve started writing more and more in my journal hoping to place together all of the “nuggets” of knowledge I’m learning along the way. My goal in 2010 is to write an e-book for other entrepreneurs as they begin to start up their ventures. I’m hoping to provide good stories, helpful insight, and share the mistakes I’ve made in order to teach what I’ve learned the hard way.  BUT We’ll see…like I said,  it’s only a goal.

Meanwhile if you want to keep up with what I’m doing or this businesses I’m involved in, please check out the links below:

Freelance Shack – Online Freelance Blog: http://www.freelanceshack.com

Maximum Edit – Connecting Small Businesses to Professionals (re-branding at this time) – http://www.maximumedit.com

Hunting Square – Currently the most active project…We’re an outdoor community online. The new site is coming soon.

http://www.huntingsquare.com

Wedding Blog: Keep up with the planning process http://www.johnandsarah.net

Thanks again for everyone supporting me along the way. Although you’re not gaining much from me at this time, I’m truly bless to have the support from and let me know if there is anything I can do for you!

The Harvard Business school did some research on how we can be more productive while working.

When we search for anything online, we typically have to sift through pages of information, some relevant but most not. And often, we’ll start out by searching for one thing and then bump into something even more intriguing and veer off in that direction. We often repeat this pattern many times. Before you know it, the search for “tickets to Hawaii” that you started at 8 pm has morphed into a search of “great battleships of the Pacific” by 10 pm…then “movies by Stanley Kubrick” at 11…and so on ad nauseam. Meanwhile, your wife is angry because you promised to help your son with his homework hours ago and everything else you had planned that evening didn’t get done, such as responding to your sister’s text, friending your old college buddy on Facebook, and responding to someone who flamed you in their forum. You may ask yourself, well…how did I get here?

1. Sleep well: A well-rested brain is less likely to be distracted.
2. Eat well: Good nutrition is important to brain functionality.
3. Minimize stress and anger: it tends to ramp up production of brain chemicals such as norepinephrine and cortisol, which can lead to problems.
4. Watch out for time wasters: It’s easy to fall down the rabbit hole while reading blogs (except this one of course) or online forums. Stay focused by setting time limits for online activity.
5. Work smarter, not longer: If you’re working too hard or long hours without a break, your brain will seek out diversions at some point — whether you want it to or not. Schedule breaks in advance; you’re better off putting in six productive hours than of 10 hours of mindless search engine trolling or social networking.

http://shar.es/aaPMp

So I took the opportunity and about 4 months later the tour was wrapping up. Keep in mind that I began this in the summer and it had led into the fall semester of school which I was not attending. What was I going to do  for the next few months before I would start back up in the spring. Needless to say I started my company called Lifetime Reel and grew the business over two years before again returning to school. I’ll have to write a post just on those two year “dreams” my business partner and I shared.

Was I playing it by the books. Heck no! I had professionals, professors, friends parents, and others telling me and my business partner not to do it. I don’t play by the books and I never plan on coloring between the lines. I won’t follow the rules because as soon as you begin, you’ll never see the opportunities anymore. I’m not saying that all opportunities are good ones, but being able to still chase some is where I get my adrenaline

You might have considered trying something on your own – Perhaps owning a local boutique, restaurant, online business, etc. The problem most people run into is their risk level (wall) comes up and says to you – “Don’t do that, it might be too risky”

Not all of us have the need to take some of the risk associated with owning a business but all of us have the opportunity to start something – Even if it’s small at first! Here are some tips of raising some start up funds”

Entrepreneur Start-Ups said, With the economy in the grips of a major recession and credit crunch, many entrepreneurs have little choice but to tap friends and family members for their startup capital. But that doesn’t mean you should treat them like “friends and family.”

Nobody gives you money to start a business. People either loan you money–which you must pay back with interest over a specified time period–or they make an equity investment in your business–buying the right to receive a percentage of your future profits. Without proper documentation, there’s no way of knowing whether your uncle is making a loan or an investment. If your business becomes successful, he will want a piece of the action. If your business fails, he will want his money back with interest.
Let’s talk about how you can get started!!

In my opinion, Facebook is worth the investment because it allows you to use the platform such as groups or pages to send people to you. Then you also have the option to communicate with them and continue branding them. When using craigslist, you’re most likely sending them to a place such as your website that will have to convince them to stay and communicate with you. Now if you’re selling a used piece of furniture…craigslist knows how to get that thing sold in about 2 minutes. How do you attract your clients?

Is it really worth it to be open only two months a year? Can’t people just get a Batman mask at Wal-Mart?
Halloween has really changed. It’s not just a children’s holiday–adults have parties, nightclubs have costume contests offering things like trips to Bermuda. And the manufacturers have changed too–gone are the days of the disposable plastic costume. We sell Broadway- and theatrical-quality costumes. Adults usually spend three or four times what they spend on their kids! Our goal is for each store to bring in $250,000 in revenue, though we’ve had some bring in upwards of $600,000 in those two months.

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So could you be in business for two months out of the year and survive the remainder? Not me. At least not yet. I’ve always been intrigued by places like this and all of those Christmas stores that are paying rent for 12 months out of the year without steady profit.

What profession are you primarily in?
Web designer          41.4%
Graphic designer   25.4%
Programmer           12.7%
Writer                      6.4%
Illustrator               4.0%
Video                       2.5%

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Partnering with a virtual assistant may not be for everyone. Here are some things to consider before opting in for outsourcing.

* Getting personal: If you’re squeamish about handing over personal information like user IDs and passwords, you may want to think twice about using a VA, or at least limit any personal tasks you hand out.

* Tech issues: You may have to familiarize yourself with programs like ClientSpot or Skype in order to pay and communicate with your VA.

* Time investment: You’ll have to spend some time filling out request forms and signing agreements. You’ll also have to train your assistant, and there will likely be a learning curve before you get your work rhythm down.

* Language barrier: You’ll need the time and patience to be extra clear about your expectations, and keep in mind that slang or shorthand might be lost in translation.

* Time difference: Your VA may not be at your beck and call. If you need someone who’s available during US business hours, make sure he or she can accommodate you.

Some useful sites

* International Virtual Assistants Association (ivaa.org). Allows you to post a free “request for proposals” outlining your needs, to which VAs can respond.

* Find Virtual (findvirtual.com). Offers a virtual assistant directory that you can search according to criteria like pay rate and skill set.

* Alltop (Virtual-Assistant.Alltop.com). An aggregator of virtual assistants’ blogs and Web sites.

* Assistant Match (Assistant

Match.com). An agency that, for a fee, connects clients to assistants who’ve been screened and background-checked.

* Ask Sunday (asksunday.com). One of the largest virtual assistant agencies. Others include Elance.com, GetFriday.com, Brickwork India (b2kcorp.com) and DoMyStuff.com.

By GAIL EISENBERG

• Make a to-do list and stick to it. A to-do list is a great way to outline the work to be done for the day. This list should be prioritized accordingly as well. Chances are that small business owners will deviate from the list from time to time when a pressing situation emerges. However, the list will serve as a focal point to return to once pertinent matters have been addressed.
• Delegate tasks accordingly. Sometimes small business owners just need to relinquish some control and allow employees to assist with getting projects done. It’s better to delegate a critical task to one person who can put a sincere effort into it, rather than try and multitask yourself and generate mediocre results. Recruiting and hiring talented individuals who can take on a great deal of responsibility will alleviate the feeling that small business owners need to be involved in every single facet of business operations.
• Use business process outsourcing. Small business owners can outsource critical tasks – such as payroll and invoicing – to save time and money, and avoid multitasking on a regular basis.

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