Missy Ward

FeedFront Magazine Issue 23 Now Available

by Missy Ward

The 23rd issue of FeedFront, the official magazine of Affiliate Summit, is at the printer and over 41,000 copies will be going out to subscribers and events in early August 2013.

Issue 23 of FeedFront will also be distributed at Affiliate Summit Meetups and Affiliate Summit East 2013.

This issue of FeedFront Magazine includes Let Structure Set You Free by me, Networking for Introverts at Affiliate Summit by Shawn Collins, Five Benefits of Responsive Web Design by Rehan Zaidi, and the agenda for Affiliate Summit East 2013.

Also, there are articles on lead generation, email marketing, Google Affiliate Network migration, Google Ads, coupon affiliates, Google Schema, API’s, outsourcing to Fiverr, podcasting, and more.

Issue 23 of FeedFront Magazine can now be viewed online, downloaded, and printed from issuu.com.

Get the FeedFront RSS if you’d like to get all of the articles as they are published to the feed.

If you haven’t subscribed, you can get the magazine for free at feedfront.com/free-subscription.

Also, become a fan of FeedFront on Facebook to see past issues, covers, etc.

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WAHM

3 Tips to Avoid the Solopreneur Rut

by Missy Ward

Years of laboring in the salt mines as you wonder what the specific ramifications of physically attacking your supervisor might do to your career are finally over.

Not only are you self-employed, you're the only place the “buck” stops.

But after a while, life as a solopreneur can become very routine. You may begin to feel isolated, easily distracted and then finally… bored.

These are the warning signs of what I call, “Solopreneur Rut” and if left untreated, it can be very damaging to the business you've worked so hard to build.

Here are 3 tips that I use to avoid the Solopreneur Rut:

Learn, Establish & Practice Effective Time Management Skills

In a solo office, it's easy to adopt a “Whack-a-Mole” mentality towards managing projects, emails, social media, phone calls and administrative issues that arise during the day.

While you'll certainly feel that you've been busy at the end of the business day, you probably won't feel that you've accomplished what you set out to do that day. Unexpected issues will always arise, but the time you spend dealing with them should be the exception, not the rule.

Instead, maximize your productivity by practicing effective time management. Establish deadlines daily, evaluate any progress (or lack thereof) on each project and prioritize your tasks in order to get the job done efficiently and effectively.

Maintain Communication with Colleagues, Old Co-Workers, Mentors and Mentees

Regularly schedule meetings and keep in touch with individuals who support your vision. The meetings might range from a simple call, grabbing a cup of coffee at Starbucks, a lunch or joining a like-minded local group that you found on Meetup.com. (Here's one that I organize here in Orlando: http://www.meetup.com/ASMCOAFF/)

Not only will the contact keep you from feeling alienated and lonely, it can also help you professionally by establishing or strengthening your business network.

Best of all, it gives you the opportunity to troubleshoot things going on in your business and provides a chance to hear other opinions aside from your own.

Practice Regular Evaluations

Practice regular self-evaluations in the same vein as you probably received during annual reviews from your supervisor at your old job.

I like to schedule my self-evaluation quarterly as it gives me enough data and history to review without being too shortsighted. I set it for the same date that I pay my Quarterly Estimated Taxes so I can get two distasteful tasks over at the same time. 😉

If you have a mentor, it might be good to set up a time for them to review your self-assessment and provide feedback.

Adoption of these tips can help you work smarter keep you going on an optimum trajectory.

What else helps you avoid the Solopreneur Rut?

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Affiliate Summit News

Get the Affiliate Summit East 2013 App for Android…

by Missy Ward

In addition to the private networking group on Facebook for Affiliate Summit East 2013 attendees, there is also an app .

There are Android and iPhone versions of the Affiliate Summit East 2013 app.

Some features of the app…

Social feed with photos and comments from attendees
Ability to chat with other attendees within the app
All of the agenda items, and the ability to create personal notifications
Details on the sponsors, exhibitors, and speakers
Map with routing functionality

Install the app now on your Android and iPhone.

Sync up your Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter accounts and fill out your profile in the app to start networking.

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Affiliate Marketing

4 Vacation Tips for Mompreneurs

by Missy Ward

This post originally appeared on itsaWAHMthing.com, where I regularly contribute articles about affiliate marketing, productivity and technology tips for small businesses and work at home moms.

Reaching a point where you can reward yourself with a vacation is a great treat in itself and I'm about to do just that, when I leave this weekend for a 2-week wine-tasting vacation through Italy, Monaco and France.

But, since work as a business owner never ends, in order to create this dream vacation for myself, I'll be putting in some extra work before I leave.

A big part of this preparation is readying my businesses to function without me, even for just a short period of time.

Here are four tips that I recommend that have helped me successfully plan and enjoy a vacation without hurting my businesses:

Get Your Staff Ready

No employee is going to do well when his or her supervisor up-and-leaves without any notice or preparation. You'll need these workers to take on some of your duties and know how to respond to tasks and needs without your authority. For their sake and the sake of your business, you need to take steps to prepare your employees.

Making these preparations can be a lot of work, especially when you leave your business for the first time. Employees and contractors need to be trained on where to get the answers to everything they need. They need to know how to handle various tasks that you normally do, and this requires establishing training time. In a sales environment, you might want to hand off customer interactions responsibilities to some of your workers and observe them for a period of time before you leave — this will give you reassurance of their performance even as you help them polish their own skills.

Ultimately, you'll probably need at least a week to get things ready, but consider your unique circumstances and adjust accordingly. You might need several weeks or even a month to get everything together.

Travel in the Slow Season

Most businesses see peaks and valleys in terms of how much work they get throughout the year. Sometimes this changes on a weekly basis, with weekdays or weekends seeing a decline in sales. Other times it's a particular part of the calendar year that tends to be slower than the rest. Whatever the case for your particular business, try to plan your vacation around these periods to keep yourself at work when you'll be needed most.

Maintain a Line of Communication

Most business owners would love to cut the cord and be completely disconnected from their businesses while they're on vacation. But that's not always practical, and the isolation could actually make it tougher to enjoy your escape from real life. Despite your desires, it's smart to keep a line of communication open between you and your business. Whether this is email or phone is up to you, but it reduces the anxiety of having to cover every last detail while making you available for any urgent or emergency needs.

In some cases, simply knowing that everything is running well will be reassurance enough to let you get back outside and work on that tan.

Create a Back-to-Work Plan

If there's a downside to going on vacation, it's usually waiting for you when you return to work. Business owners typically return after a period away to find themselves swamped with work and overwhelmed. It's hard to erase those obligations, but you can create a system to better address those needs.

For starters, set aside time upon your return to attend to the work that has piled up. Keep your schedule free of obligations on that first day as you catch up with your business. Meet with employees to discuss operations while you were gone and get a sense of your duties in the coming days. Once you've re-oriented yourself in your environment, you can move ahead with scheduling meetings and getting back in the swing of things.

By taking the proper precautionary steps, you should be able to enjoy a stress-free vacation while your business floats on without springing any leaks. It's not easy for hands-on owners, but even a short getaway will be rejuvenating for you and good for the business.

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