Article of Interest: 9 Tips to Help You Sleep Through the Night During Tough Times

I recently interviewed 20 presidents of small businesses to find out what allows them to sleep through the night. The following are some tips that they shared:

1. Put in a good day’s work. Get to work early and stay an extra hour or two at the end of a normal day if needed.

2. Connect with upbeat, enthusiastic, high-energy people who share similar business concerns and who offer up a whole host of action-oriented solutions to extraordinary day-to-day problems.

3. Communicate with employees as often as possible to convey the steps being taken to keep the company strong.

4. Obsess over listening to customers, employees, vendors, colleagues, and friends and take action on what is said.

5. Emphasize a back-to-basics approach on everything, from how to buy office products to choosing cleaning services (do-it-yourself mentality) to who gets wooed over lunch or dinner for new business initiatives.

Read more of the other tips here at OPEN Forum by American Express OPEN.

Site of Interest: fear.less

Let's face it. It takes guts to run a company and a certain degree of fearlessness (better known as taking calculated risks) to make grand, sweeping leaps of faith (decisions) that may or may not lead to victory for your business.

But if you are sure about who you are and what you are doing, fear should not have any part of your life.

Here's a site that brings out the fearless factor in an exhilarating manner. It features stories about courageous people and how they conquered fear. These experiences might help YOU get your business blazing. Give it a try:

From entrepreneurs, business leaders, artists, scientists, and survivors of extreme experiences, these stories demonstrate the hidden potential we have to confront our fears and come out victorious.

fear.less

Bracelet available here (no affiliation).

Article of Interest: Which Social Network Do You Use to Grow Your Business?

There are a zillion social networks to choose from. Well, not that many, but enough. Which one do you use? Has it helped you grow your business? Just who is your demographic? What's in your strategic social media plan?

Fast Company offers up some good advice (answers to the above questions) in, "Social Networks Are More Than Networking."

After you read it, let us know how you are effectively leveraging the use of social networking platforms to increase your bottom line.

Click here for your complimentary Fast Company The Social Media Bible Ten Commandment ball (pictured above). Just print, cut, glue, and be inspired! Warning ... set aside plenty of time.

Interview of Interest: Alice Krause Chats With Dr. Marsha Firestone

Friend and colleague Alice Krause, author of the News on Women blog, interviews our founder Dr. Marsha Firestone, Women Presidents' Organization, about entrepreneurship and women business ownership. Here are the four questions addressed:

1. What inspired you to start your organization?

2. What steps do you think are necessary for an entrepreneur who wants to move her business to the next level?

3. What can entrepreneurs do in the current economic climate?

4. What advice do you have for women who are just starting out?

Go here for the interview and to learn what Dr. Firestone has to say.