work Archives — Thrifty Mommas Tips

My 6 Favourite Podcasts for the Morning Commute

Paula — Fri, 16 Dec 2022 03:02:55 +0000

So, it’s been awhile since I shared a little about what I am up to these days. Six months ago I took a position as social lead at a marketing agency in Cambridge, just outside Toronto. I lead a team of talented social media professionals and I enjoy that. It’s a hybrid job which is the way of the post-pandemic world. Two days a week I drive to Cambridge, about an hour and ten minutes from my house in London, so I have time in the van and have discovered podcasts. These are 6 of my favourite podcasts to listen to in the van on the way to work. They are entertaining and educational and I think there’s a little something for everyone here. It’s no big secret that I like to support female entrepreneurs and I am lucky enough to know and to celebrate several of them, even some I call friends. When a few of my OG blogging friends launched podcasts I was excited to take them for a test-drive. They have become my go to first choices in my spare time too often. But in the car, when I can tune into the message and tune out the dullness of the drive to work, I can enjoy using the third space to learn. My Favourite Podcasts What She Said with Candace Sampson What She Said with Candace Sampson is the podcast I listen to religiously each week. When a new episode drops I am more than ready for it. Candace has a tremendously funny side, but she’s also got some pretty formidable skills at interviewing and has clearly got the right formula down. She makes my day several times a month when I tune into the segments about social justice topics I care about and want to learn more about. From experts who tackle parenting neurodiverse teens to travel experiences you’ll want to bookmark or add to your bucket list, plus the latest roundup of entertainment news and movie reviews, Candace cleverly packs the hour with information. Chatter That Matters with Tony Chapman This is a podcast I honestly didn’t even know about until last month and now Tony Chapman is a regular in my podcast lineup. How did I find this one? Erica Ehm often talks about Tony Chapman and I have heard her refer to him a few times on LinkedIn. I think it was the week she shared the episode featuring her sister Leslie that got me hooked because she’s genuinely fascinating and has lived many lives already and their conversation together just seemed flawless almost effortless. Chapman truly has the art of the gab. He covers fewer topics in one episode than some of the other choices on this list but that means he goes in depth with all the episodes I’ve heard so far. This one is really well done and he’s a respectful and talented interviewer also. Love that. Want to listen? I recommend this episode of Chatter That Matters featuring educator Ken Wong. Clearing a New Path with Shauna Rae Last year, I was working at a small marketing agency in Zorra Township, just outside London when someone mentioned Shauna Rae’s name in the context of a conference that was being planned. Her name wasn’t entirely unknown to me so I thought I’d check her podcast out. Often the topics she covers have a rural angle and as someone who lives in London, Ontario I find that interesting. Year one was focused on rural woman-identifying non binary and queer entrepreneurs. The diversity of the topics and guests makes this one of my picks for my favourite podcasts. My favourite episode from there recent days is this one featuring Anne Douglas. Avery Bright Life Lisa Thornbury and her amazing daughter Avery both do Avery Bright Life together and they tackle building independence as Avery grows. Episodes like When to Step in and When to Step Back provide great insight into how to parent a child who is not neurotypical. I love that Lisa’s lived experience is raw and honest and she never pulls any punches. She has a wicked sense of humour and shares that every episode. Her positive attitude and humorous take on life and the challenges in parenting keep me coming back. Here’s one of my favourite episodes. Big Blend Radio Lisa and Nancy are a mother daughter duo who share their adventures and interview travel writers, as well as industry leaders and those who somehow intersect with travel or hospitality. They have a wonderful conversational tone that I have always found charming and easy to engage with on the way to work or on a Sunday morning over coffee. They also have a ridiculous number of travel and lifestyle magazines. Full disclosure – I did one of their shows a couple of years ago. It was an episode about getting outdoors and celebrating spring break in Vermont. What makes this one of my favourite podcasts is the duo themselves to be honest. Lisa and Nancy do a spectacular job of leading a conversation and educating listeners to all the ways one can see the world. Ten Percent Happier This Ten Percent Happier is one that I started over a year ago, because I was looking to grow positivity and gratitude and build a stronger mindset. I mean, I think that is a goal for a lot of people. This is a social psychology kind of podcast that has a self help slant. Listen in when you need a little motivation or simply when you are in a rut. Thinking About Starting a Podcast? You might want to read up on getting started. Here’s an easy to read podcasting book. The Blue Yeti bundle is highly recommended by Amazon and many people I know. This post contains affiliate links as a service to readers. Do you have any favourite podcasts. Share your favourites so I can listen too.

The post My 6 Favourite Podcasts for the Morning Commute appeared first on Thrifty Mommas Tips.

Easy Bee Life Cycle Learning Kit

Paula — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 12:54:00 +0000

I know many of you have been thrust into the homeschooling mode this past few weeks. You are probably looking for resources that are affordable. Here’s a Bee Life Cycle Activity that will help kids studying early science and life cycles. As many of you know, we are dealing with teenagers here and high school is totally different than elementary school, of course. But, even so, I have kids with ADHD and ADD and learning disabilities, so my reality is that I need to supervise my kids if anything is to get completed here at all. Easy, Educational, Activity Books If you have little people, then you might be hunting for supplementary learning resources right now to help drive the learning home. Here’s hoping this Bee Life Cycle Learning Kit will help by giving kids something to do that is free. My free resources are here for you to use right now and always. Do remember to check out my Free Printables Pinterest Board for more amazing colouring pages, word searches, crossword puzzles, learning units and even this Family Tree Activity for Adoptive Families. All The Free Activity Books So, don’t be shy. I have many printables and activities here that can help all of you to stay mentally sharp. My word searches are popular and so are the colouring pages. Today, though, I wanted to share a Bee Life Cycle Activity Book with you so that you can access this and share it with your kids. Hopefully, it helps a bit. I kind of learned something myself when researching this activity. So How am I Helping My Big Kids Right Now? Right now, I am checking on the kids frequently and, as always, reminding them to return to task often. That’s just our reality here. I have been working from home for 12-15 years, so I kind of have a system here that works. Thankfully, my kids are old enough to understand that if they don’t try to do some of their work independently, then they will struggle when school returns. Nobody wants that. My days right now are actually pretty busy with numerous editing projects on the go. So, I need them to try to do some work on their own. Normally, I ask them to do their work in a common space. But each child is different. One has ADD with inattentive subtype and she needs prompts to return attention to task. She typically needs a quiet organized space to work in and clear instructions that don’t contain a trillion steps. My younger girl actually prefers to work without us hovering nearby. I am often reminded during this pandemic that the fewer words the better when communicating with kids who have ADD or ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.) While that seems counterintuitive, as we are all always trying to build our children’s vocabulary, right now because it is a stressful time for everyone, it’s not uncommon for kids of all ages to be feeling younger mentally than they actually are. So, keep that in mind. They don’t need more noise. Simple directions and fewer words. Bee Life Cycle Colouring and Printing Book For your little ones, here is the Bee Life Cycle Activity Kit. Hope they enjoy it and I hope it helps. Check out the activities that I have here relating to geography and travel. This England Colouring and Activity Book is useful and fun to do. There’s also a France and Greece Colouring and Printing Book. All of these are free and easy to download. Enjoy the Bee Life Cycle Free activity book. Do me a favour and help me to help you right now. What other activities or printables would you like to see? Do you need more geography content or science and animals? Insects, perhaps? More Free Resources How Can I Help?

The post Easy Bee Life Cycle Learning Kit appeared first on Thrifty Mommas Tips.

The Perfect Mother’s Day Gift for Entrepreneurs

Paula — Wed, 08 May 2019 12:54:19 +0000

I received the Epson 3 in 1 home office all-in-one printer for consideration here. Listen, when you spend as much time in your home office as I do the tools that you have MUST make life easier. I love my home office. It is one of the biggest reasons we bought this house. It was the feature that caught my eye first immediately on viewing our home. And yet…as much as I love my home office I’d rather not spend an extra second more than I have to in it. Because swimming, skiing and travel make me way happier than working inside an office and I’d rather be outdoors any time of year which is why I am loving my new Epson home office all-in-one printer. A Home Office all-in-one Printer That Works So, back to the tools. My computer, shine, camera, printer and scanner are all vital elements necessary for me running a business. The computer needs an upgrade soon. Because it’s old. I bought it in 2012 when I launched my writing, communications and social media consulting business. But it is now slowing me down and it’s time. And my printer, well I let that baby slide long enough. It was time to upgrade. So, thankfully now I have a new home office all-in-one printer saving me time and making me look good. Epson Premium XP-7100 is the perfect Mother’s Day gift for moms who are entrepreneurs. With the Epson Premium XP-7100 home office all-in-one printer (Small in one), I’m able to do everything I need to do for my business as well as my personal life. It was a welcome change for me because my old printer was a bit of a fail. It was small and wireless, however the wireless capability died long ago, and it was very unreliable in general. I was happy to be able to finally replace it with something that works well. Epson Premium XP-7100 Does It All Whatever I need to do for my business or home life, I can do it with this machine. It’s an all-in-one that works well, connects easily, and doesn’t take up a ton of space. In fact, Epson calls it a small-in-one, and it mostly is. This little powerhouse can print, copy, and scan without being big and bulky. It also boasts voice command capability which I am crazy stoked about trying. FUN!! Hey Google print my travel tickets. Thanks! Family Printing Emergency Test #1 Picture this: Literally this morning after a week of me being sick, my husband woke me up to say: Payton needs your help printing something. YAWNS. Unimpressed with either of these two family members at 6 a.m. Note – I only set up my printer/ scanner fully Sunday and Monday. It is Tuesday and I had not shown either of these two how to use the new Epson. Homework Drama Solved I have two high school students and everything they do is computer based obviously. They submit all assignments on line to teachers and they each have their own computers and smartphones. BUT still things have to be printed and submitted in person often too. So, when I woke up to a printing emergency this morning because daughter was up too late doing homework last night I showed her what to do with the Epson Premium XP-7100. For about ten minutes late last night she struggled trying to connect with my old outdated printer and then I demonstrated how simple her computer connects wirelessly with the new Epson home office all-in-one printer. Her computer located the printer quickly and printed wirelessly and efficiently. Homework printed and ready to submit in person. Happy Dances All Around It’s funny how happy that made her, because she worries over late assignments and things like that. And everyone knows that when kids are happy Mom is happy and vice versa. Frankly we had been so used to our old printer, which never really performed well, that this was a breath of fresh air. SO Happy Days ahead with this Epson XP-7100 simplifying the homework situation for the teens in my home and therefore taking a bit of work away from me. Epson Premium XP-7100 Specs I’ve told you why I was excited to get this home office all-in-one printer and a bit about why it’s a worthy new addition to my office. Here are a few of the specs. 5-color ink for superior photo quality 30-page ADF and auto 2-sided print/copy/scan Supports specialty paper, DVDs; borderless up to 8″x10″ 4.3″ touchscreen (you will love this. I do) Built-in USB/card slots Easy mobile printing using app Wireless with Wi-Fi Direct or Ethernet A Great Mother’s Day Gift If someone wanted to give me tech as a birthday present or a Mother’s Day gift I’d be ecstatic actually. Tech gifts are some of my favourites. Tech gifts like this Epson Premium XP-7100 series home office all-in-one printer make the perfect Mother’s Day gift for any entrepreneur. Technology Makes a Great Gift A printer/ scanner for Mother’s Day? Come on, Paula… I know you are still thinking who would give their Mom a printer or scanner/ copier all in one for Mother’s Day? Well, this gal would. Here’s why….. Family Printing/ Scanning Test #2 May is a month of chaos at high school because everything is adding up and assignments and exams and prom and a school year are all winding down. Plus we have graduation and prom and a martial arts grading coming up!! I can barely keep up. On Sunday morning, while out of the house at a martial arts tournament, we checked one daughter’s email. In fact an email had come in Friday night late that said she was hired for a summer camp job. HURRAY. But we read it Sunday and were away from home. Papers due back Monday morning. There were tax papers and more to fill out fast, then scan into my computer before sending. Problem, What Problem? SO, without a second to lose we printed the attachments, filled them out together (listen most kids still need help with tax forms), accepted the job offer and scanned filled out forms into my computer, before emailing them back. WHEW!! Saving Time and Gas Money As with any new technology, making this home office all-in-one printer work with existing computers meant that we needed to download new drivers and also add an app on my phone for remote printing and scanning. I have not mastered the remote scanning perfectly yet, but I will have it figured out by Mother’s Day. AND having a copier of my own is GOLD. GOLD. I am copying contracts right now as I write this post. Multi-tasking for the win! Just a week or two ago if I needed something copied I had to drive to Staples and pay 10 cents a sheet. Mother’s Day Gifts Should be Awesome Mother’s Day gifts should be awesome and thoughtful. I feel like that’s a given, right? This Epson Premium XP-7100 ticks both of those boxes for me. Perfect for the business mom. In fact, it’s perfect for any mom. We are OFTEN the ones who are responsible for printing calendars, homework, and business documents. Having a durable, easy to use home office all-in-one printer makes our job easier. If you’re looking for a great Mother’s Day gift this year, I highly recommend this Epson Premium XP-7100 home office all-in-one printer. It’s a time saver and a great printer, scanner and copier in one.

The post The Perfect Mother’s Day Gift for Entrepreneurs appeared first on Thrifty Mommas Tips.

What’s Your Word of the Year for 2018?

Paula — Tue, 02 Jan 2018 12:03:22 +0000

What’s your word of the year? Every year for the last 6 years in a row I have chosen a word or phrase to guide my personal and professional attitude for the year. This has often been a really positive proactive experience for me. The year I chose Grow, I grew. The year I chose productivity I was productive. And so on. My word of the year is my philosophy or vision. I was astonished actually when I went back through my files this week and discovered I have been doing this for longer than I thought. In fact, I have chosen to do this since 2012. My first ever word of the year was productive. Chuckled a bit when I read back through that post about why I reject New Year’s resolutions and the many reasons a word works better for me. In 2013 Health was my word of the year and I worked towards building better health all year – which is a goal every year actually. What a fun thing it is to write here in this space every day five days a week for a year every year. This is my space to vent and explore and celebrate. Which reminds me of the year I chose celebrate as my word of the year. Over the course of 9 years here I have grown a family, lost a few relatives to cancer and Alzheimer’s Disease. Together my family has tackled childhood anxiety and bullies, special needs, FASD, Crohn’s Disease of course and so many transitions. We have grieved, celebrated, loved and lost and it is truly awesome to be able to see all these things reflected here in photos and words. In 2017 I traveled many amazing places including Ireland and I went to Space Camp in Huntsville and I grew and I built a wonderful year…and along the way I learned a few things too. My word of the year that I chose for 2017 was Mindfulness and I can tell you this was not my finest word of the year. Mindfulness is much much harder than I imagined. It began strong and fell hard around March. A year of living mindfully was not what I imagined and perhaps I need to try again. Because it was only a few months of mindfulness and it left me feeling a bit disappointed that I couldn’t make that one stick. Definitely, I have to practice this one regularly to get there. For 2018 I am choosing a very simple word to guide my actions and decisions. Move. My Word of the Year is Move. Move Forward of course, and not back. Move whether travelling or exercising or planning a year of business goals. This year I will move with purpose. And I will move more often. In fact I will move when traveling and there will be a good deal of travel in 2018 too. When I ski I am moving. When I choose a new business project or partnership I am moving. The year 2018 could be about the word NO. But again I decided that was too negative. Oh this year I will say No to more things that are not right and I will push back with a No when the rates and terms are ones I am not comfortable with. No is a fine word, but it should not be a year long philosophy. The negativity there is too harsh and black and I need light and uplifting to support my health and business. My Yes’s will be tempered with many No’s. [clickToTweet tweet=”What’s your word of the year for 2018?” quote=”What’s your word of the year for 2018?”] But for me….for my family…my business and my health I choose Move as my word of the year for 2018. Move every single day. Move more and move forward. Travel more and Move with motivation towards that goal. Ski more and swim more and work out more. This year I celebrate being able to move with strength and precision and balance through all the various fitness classes and workouts I tackle. In the business domain the word move is active and confident and for me it seems like a word that embraces knowing when to pivot or change or grow. Move upwards, onwards and forwards. In the world of social media marketing you can’t stand still. Nor can you do that in life, because it will pass you by. Keep moving and Happy New Year! What’s your word of the year?

The post What’s Your Word of the Year for 2018? appeared first on Thrifty Mommas Tips.

Personal Goals – My Word of the Year for 2016

Paula — Sun, 27 Dec 2015 10:08:33 +0000

It’s that time of year again, the time to set some personal goals. When December 31st approaches and another year has gone by, the lists start populating your twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook feeds fill up with reflection posts. That tends to cause some degree of nostalgia for the year gone by. I mean right now it feels like everyone is sharing their: Top Ten Posts of 2015 or Top Five Celebrities of 2015 and so on. Motivation Every year for the past few years here I have chosen a word to symbolize my year and my professional and personal goals for that year. It helps to motivate me to stay focused throughout the year. This time of year I like to look forward and also look back to determine whether my word held weight all year and if I did what I set out to do. I ask myself if there’s anything I might have done differently and then I also start thinking about the year ahead. Looking BACK In 2015, I chose Celebrate as my word of the year. I recall that it took me a good deal of time coming up with that one. It was almost the end of January when I decided on celebrate as a personal philosophy of how I would approach the year as it unfolded. I waffled quite a bit and thought originally that my word would be travel, but decided that travel was too dependent on other things. Schedules and money…travel depends on many other factors. I was worried that if I identified the word Travel as one of my biggest personal goals for the year that I’d in some way jinx myself. In previous years I have chosen Growth and Health as words of the year. So how did Celebrate measure up? Did I choose the right word? Prior Benchmarks Growth and Health were actually better words and more accurately defined the theme of the years gone by. In 2014, Growth defined my business and personal goals as well. We grew into a bigger home and my business grew exponentially and growth was a very positive word for the phenomenon that defined our year. 2015 – the Year Gone By When I look back on the past year of 2015 part of me thinks I chose the wrong word and clearly should have embraced the word Travel. I did Travel a lot. Purposefully, I added more travel content here on the blog. I took several media fam trips, a cruise with family and we learned to ski in Quebec at Mont Tremblant. I began to think of myself as a travel blogger and travel writer more than I had before. Cultivating What I Want Alongside of the health, technology and lifestyle content here on Thrifty Momma’s Tips, I also cultivated more travel content. But did I celebrate? Occasionally, but not as much as I should have. In fact I suspect I completely lost sight of that concept by September, if not sooner. I am not certain that I celebrated as I intended to when I grasped the word and wrote the post that I hoped would help motivate and describe my professional and personal goals for 2015. It was a great year, but I don’t think I fully understand or realized the word Celebrate yet. To the word celebrate I apologize a little because I feel like I let you down a bit. And I vow to be sure to return to that word and embrace it fully in the next decade, if not sooner. Do you have a word of the year for 2016 yet? 2016 is rapidly approaching and I’d be a liar if I said I wasn’t looking forward to the coming year with more excitement than usual. There’s something about the collection of numbers in 2016 that makes me happy. Maybe it’s just the fact that it’s an even numbered year. I feel positive about it, even before it has started, and that’s a good thing. I think outlook is often half of the battle. The Reveal As 2016 planning begins, I think this year’s word arrives right on time. So I confidently embrace the word Travel. In the last few weeks I have seen numerous travel opportunities filling my in box so the hard work attending conferences and networking this year is paying off. We will be travelling a good deal in 2016. It won’t always be possible for all of us to travel, but as I sit here in my office in Ontario trying to wrap up some posts before the holidays, I have two pending travel writing opportunities scheduled and ready to run with in 2016 and I have a family trip happening very soon as well. I’ve had to turn a couple of others down already because January is very full and I can’t really swing more than one trip a month. Do You Embrace a Word of the Year? Travel is my word of the year for 2016 and I can’t wait to share the world with my family and yours. Travel opens up new worlds and I love sharing those with my family and brining my readers along for the ride. Happy New Year to each of you. Do you have a word of the year or a resolution?

The post Personal Goals – My Word of the Year for 2016 appeared first on Thrifty Mommas Tips.

5 Tips to Help Teens in a Challenging Job Market

Paula — Fri, 20 Nov 2015 23:14:05 +0000

The job market has always been a competitive place. In today’s society, that’s even more true. Going to college, or university, is a start, but companies look for other things besides a college degree. These days they are searching for someone with an extra edge or skill. It’s almost become essential to have a second language too. So what can you do to give your teen a toehold in a challenging and rapidly evolving economy? Short of finding the job for them, or Here are a few things that can give a teen an edge for college, and later, in a competitive job market. Standing Out in a Competitive Job Market College and university degrees are great. They’re the foundation for a good future, but it takes more than a college degree to land a great job. Today a huge portion of the job market has a degree or two. In fact I was recently reading a book about the Jobs Crisis that was eye opening to me as a parent of teens. Employers look for something that makes a candidate stand out. There are things your teen can do to give them an edge in the job market after they graduate college. Volunteer Volunteering is a great way to score points with a college and with employers. Volunteering shows an attitude of service and an ability to work well with others. It also shows that an applicant cares about something other than themselves. There are plenty of volunteering opportunities available to your teen if they look around in the community. Check hospitals, nursing homes, local food pantries – anywhere where extra manpower might be appreciated. Maybe your local area has a volunteer fair. That can be a great way to find a volunteer position that is a good fit for your teen. Also as a side note a great benefit of volunteering can be the networking and connections too. At the start though it’s also about generating experience and references. Study I know. This is so played out, but it still holds true. A great GPA in high school translates to a better chance of your teen getting into their college of choice. A great GPA in college shows employers that your young adult knows their stuff and that they were committed to their degree. That can send a message to employers that your recent graduate will be just as committed to their new job. Connect with an NGO Connecting with an NGO (non-government organization) is a great way for your teen to gain an edge in the future job market. Much like volunteering, being a part of an NGO shows a commitment to helping others and to something larger than themselves. For an even better boost, your teen should look for an NGO associated with their chosen field if they’ve decided on one. In fact, most things should filter through that lens. Extracurricular Activities Not only do extracurricular activities help your teen get into college, they give them an edge in a competitive job market if they remain active through their college years. Just like extracurricular activities show a college that your teen is well rounded, they show potential employers that your graduate is more than just what they learned in college. No matter what job market your child is headed into, they’re always more attractive applicants if they are interesting. Learn Another Language The world is more of a melting pot than ever before, so knowing more than one language can be a big leg up in a competitive job market. Even if an employer isn’t actively searching for a bilingual candidate, having that skill could open up other opportunities down the line. It also opens up the job your son or daughter is applying for by showing their potential employer that they have something to offer that others don’t. The Job Market is a Little Like the Thunderdome Two (or more) applicants enter. One applicant gets the job. It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there, and the job market is no different. If your teen wants to ensure that they’ll have an edge down the line, they need to start thinking about their future now. The five suggestions above are just some of the ways that your teen can ensure they have an edge when they enter the job market later. This post contains affiliate links as a service to readers. A purchase via one of the links means I receive a commission.

The post 5 Tips to Help Teens in a Challenging Job Market appeared first on Thrifty Mommas Tips.

Work It Like a RockStar! Six Business Lessons From Gene Simmons

Paula — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 11:49:45 +0000

Lately I have been thinking a lot about business and how we function as business people. Every entrepreneur out there in 2015 knows that the economy and workplace have changed dramatically in the last 10 years. The digital economy, email, the workplace and the business of social media have all changed the nature of work. The fact that I have a social media consulting business, as owner of Thrifty Mom Media, and a blog here in this space, is proof of how the market has changed. The culture of technology has given me a space to build and operate a successful business. This spring I attended the Art of Marketing conference. The closing speaker Gene Simmons, of KISS, a marketing and branding force of nature, is one speaker who stuck with me and still has me thinking, re-evaluating, every single day how I work. Simmons is a Rock Star icon who crafted a lasting brand from dressing up in high heels and boasting magnificent hair and makeup while entertaining audiences with music. Quirky and funny and larger than life – many are familiar with that Gene Simmons, but how about marketing and branding tour de force Simmons? I hadn’t really reflected on that until the day I listened to him work the audience at The Art of Marketing. He offered a new way of framing business in 2015 for me as an entrepreneur. I thought you might also appreciate Six Business Lessons From Gene Simmons. Six Business Lessons From Gene Simmons: Tough Talk from Gene Simmons: 1. THE CULTURE OF TECHNOLOGY IS NOT GOING ANYWHERE. GET OVER IT. The culture of technology enables you. It doesn’t disable you. Email is here to stay so stop thinking about it as an extra or drudgery or more work or a business disability. IT’s life. It’s a fact of business in 2015. When Simmons was working the crowd he pulled a female marketing manager up – asked her the income she made and how much spare time she had. She noted she worked maybe 45-50 hours a week, made about $100 K a year and then said – “But let’s be honest I am always on and available by email.” Up until this point I occasionally also felt chained to email. But it’s what Simmons said that made me realize that’s a ridiculous way to feel anymore. He said quite simply – yes so am I. So is everyone in the room. We are all on. We all check our email often. That’s life. Get over it. It’s not an add on, a crutch, or an excuse. If you want to be successful at what you do in 2015 email is part of your life. [tweetthis]The culture of technology enables you. It doesn’t disable you.[/tweetthis] 2. YOU HAVE MORE FREE TIME THAN YOU THINK – You have all the time in the world to create something meaningful to you. Are you doing what you love? Is there room in your life for a passion project, or another passion project? Simmons asked someone how much they work a week. The top end answer was 40 to 50 hours a week. Then he asked how much holiday time they get a year. 2-3 weeks average was the answer. Nights are not spent at the office, he gleaned from asking the audience member and also weekends are not spent at the office. So, are you stuck in a job that pays the bills, or even just thinking you don’t have time to do that extra passion project? Try again. Do the math. Add 2-3 weeks vacation a year, night time and weekends. If you really want to, if you are motivated, you have all the time in the world to create something meaningful to you. 3. EXPLODING BRICKS AND MORTAR: Bricks and Mortar might be weighing you down. I understand this from a business perspective as a person who runs her business inside a home office. I also understand this when I take a look at the retail landscape this past year and even when I contemplate lessons from Target Canada. Almost everything is done on line. It can also often be done on line easier and faster and less expensive than it can be from a massive expensive office space. I already knew that, but it is important for many. In 2014 I was asked if I wanted to partner with a company here that had an office available for me to rent. The cost of the office space was outrageous and an unjustifiable expense for me. I run a social media consulting business. I can tweet and email you anywhere. I can build a campaign and write content better from the deck of my home, with less cost to me, than would be incurred renting a building. I also hire many virtual contractors. There’s no way it makes sense to rent an office space if my virtual employees are in Alberta and The US. [tweetthis]If you aren’t making money it’s costing you money. [/tweetthis] 4. IF YOU AREN’T MAKING MONEY, IT’S COSTING YOU MONEY: If you are not making money it costs you money. SO true. I have begun thinking this way a lot more in the last 2 years as my business grows. SO, if for instance, I want to take a family vacation and it is important that I disconnect a bit…I have to factor that in to the cost of the vacation. Or I have to build the people into my business who can carry it beautifully and competently while I am away. If I want to take a media FAM trip for four days and I am unable to sit and create content and build partnerships then I need to evaluate whether I can afford that time. I believe Gene Simmons when he says he never takes a vacation. He’s always on. If you love what you do, he summed up, then why would you ever need or want a vacation? [tweetthis]Here are Six Business Lessons From Gene Simmons via @inkscrblr[/tweetthis] 5. LANGUAGE SKILLS MUST BE IMPECCABLE: Your language skills must be exceptional if you want to succeed. Gene Simmons was born in Israel and his mother was Hungarian. He described his English language skills as a young boy immigrating to America. He realized quickly, he said, that poor language skills meant people treated him as if he was less intelligent. THIS IS an important lesson. I am an English Grad. I have no other language barrier or obstacle and I know I am privileged by virtue of being born in Canada. BUT, I see this every day in business. If you grammar sucks, I swear to you that I cannot hire you to create content for a client. I cannot hire you to represent a brand. If your spelling is poor and your oral language skills are poor, you have a hurdle to overcome. Fix it. 6. SPREAD THE RISK: This is buying a car with five tires (one spare). This is investing a week of your salary every month. This is diversifying. So, invest. And also look at potential revenue streams that are passive at the same time as you are building active revenue streams. For myself, sponsored content cannot be everything. Consulting cannot be everything. Investments cannot be everything and ads cannot be the only thing on my web site either. Add it all together and then continue to look for more smart revenue streams and investments. For instance smart guy that Gene Simmons. He has Kiss merchandise and events and has such things now, as Kiss coffins. He also smartly has trademarked some smart things. He trademarked the word motion, he told the group. So, that means any time someone wants to use the phrase “Motion pictures” he gets paid. What?? That’s super savvy. There are many more business lessons to be learned from Gene Simmons. In fact, I am, after writing this, now motivated to purchase his book Me Inc. I took away a lot more from Gene Simmons closing speech and workshop at The Art of Marketing this year, but these are my Six Business Lessons From Gene Simmons I wanted to share with you. This is the link for Canadians – > This post contains an affiliate link.

The post Work It Like a RockStar! Six Business Lessons From Gene Simmons appeared first on Thrifty Mommas Tips.