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Your career is likely very important to you because it provides you with a way to pay the bills and buy things you enjoy. Hopefully you have a career that you really like because too many years of a person’s life are spent in the working environment for you to dread being there.

In order to show you can handle the responsibilities of the job you have to be able to effectively manage your time on a project. Make sure you ask questions about the project you are to complete so there are no misconceptions. You don’t want to spend your time working on something and then discover it isn’t what your boss really wanted.

As soon as you know your project and the deadline, break the project into small pieces. This way you can accomplish parts of it and then move on to the next without feeling overwhelmed by the big picture. If you are working on the project with someone else make sure you both agree on the set deadline schedule.

If the project has a very long time frame you may be asked to present what you have completed to your supervisor along the way. Make sure you pay close attention to your deadlines so you don’t fall behind. In every type of business there are unexpected events that come up and eat away at your time. Make sure you allocate room for such issues to come up so you won’t be stressed out to finish the project on time.

While you are working on one segment of the project, think ahead to the next. If you need to make phone calls, order materials, or get something approved do it now. This way everything you need will be ready to go when you get to that phase of the project. It will save you time and you can keep moving along at a good pace.

You will likely need to be confident in your decisions when you are working on a project. It is fine to do some research but don’t waste your time second guessing yourself. Trust your gut instincts and run with them. Once you have completed a part of the project don’t go back and do it over and over again. You will just be spinning your wheels and struggle to get the project completed on time.

Fairlie-based entrepreneur Daryl Foy has chosen the internet as the way to retail his merino wool outdoor clothing.

With the outdoors his passion, Foy relishes being based in a remote location, backing his “hi-tech skills” as a way to sell products from adventure clothing to internet games.

Foy does travel to Christchurch and other centres to show off his clothing wares, but says his clothing website provides his preferred one-to-one internet-based business model.

The adventure sportswear was carried in traditional retailers like Run 79 in Tekapo and Bivouac Outdoor in Christchurch.

But it was on the iRULE website where he gained 90 per cent of his sales. Foy settled in South Canterbury about five years ago, leaving Melbourne and his homeland of Australia to be closer to the outdoors. He chose Fairlie over Dublin, Ireland, and Portland, Oregon, partly because it had “no traffic”.

The web had several advantages over the traditional retail outlet, he said. “There’s nothing stopping you (here). It’s all up to you what you achieve _ I like that sort of challenge.” Continue reading →

Trying to juggle a full-time job and a business can be done. Consider these tips for smooth sailing.

1) BE UPWARDLY MOBILE: If you are still holding down a day job you will find that handheld wireless units provide privacy as well as constant e-mail contact with your clients. It’s best to check on your side business at lunch or during breaks. My favorite gadget is the T-Mobile Sidekick, mainly because it is so easy to use. Other options would be the Blackberry or Treo.

2) USE BETTER BUSINESS CARDS: If you must give a business card out at work or to people associated with your job, it won’t scream “I have my own business,” if you use a card with your name, personal e-mail and phone number. Don’t include the name of your business if you want to remain anonymous.

3) AVOID TIME WASTERS: Write form letters that can be reused and store them on your computer or handheld wireless device. Simply change the details for each business transaction for fast and easy communication. This cuts down on response time during business hours.

4) CELL FORMULA: Create an outgoing message that lets callers know how to get the quickest response from you. Add a tag line, “I check my voicemail regularly however, for a faster response please e-mail me at (fill in your e-mail address)

5) FAUX FAX: There are options if you don’t want to miss receiving a fax during work hours. Use one of the free electronic e-mail services; it is a convenient option you can access from a computer. Otherwise let the person faxing know that they need to call first so you can stand at the fax machine because you are at work.

6) ARE YOUR LIPS SEALED: Some employees don’t mind if you have a side-business yet others would prefer you keep what ever it is that you are doing a SECRET! Be careful not to flaunt what you are doing because it may cause friction or jealousy amongst your co-workers.

7) TIMING IS EVERYTHING: It is best to handle things for your side-business when you are NOT at your day job even if you have lots of free time. Run your business evenings and weekends and set boundaries for your clients by letting them know the hours you are available to them.

Entrepreneur

Todd Beckman, president and founder of The Tan Company, has constantly fought negative press about the $5 billion industry and now faces a summer slowdown, but he insists his business can survive the intense heat.

Despite Beckman’s assertions, for an industry that is highly subjective to fads, seasonality and growing concerns about the dangers of ultraviolet (UV) exposure, the future of indoor tanning is not bright.

Beckman, 42, has been touting tans for a long time. He launched what was originally called The St. Louis Tan Company in 1994. After overwhelming customer demand at the time, he opened a superstore later that year with 30 tanning beds.

Now the Tan Co., whose competitors include Planet Beach, Hollywood Tans and Palm Beach Tan, has 72 locations in 12 states and expects to grow to 100 locations by the end of this year. According to the company, salons had average revenues of $550,778 and an average profit of $213,278 in 2006 - making it one of the industry’s major players.

Beckman hopes that as long as some fashionistas and socialites like Paris Hilton are sporting dark tans, customers will return to the salons. “There’s always someone out there in the limelight that’s tanning,” Beckman said.

And to survive the summer months, when business falls 30 to 40 percent as customers opt to lie by the pool instead, the Tan Co. relies on annual membership fees to boost revenue during the off season.

CNN Money