Play With Your Money And Treat It Well

Money loves being attended to so count how much you are spending and making, set financial goals, and look at your results regularly.

Know where your money is coming from and where it is going...that which is tracked happens.

Yep~

Workshops And Business Tips

Yoga - Network - Wine

Yes you can network in yoga clothes!

Presented By:
Open Here Yoga &
2hats Consulting

Bring your yoga mat, connect with entrepreneurs, have a glass of wine... Hurrah!
30 minute yoga practice lead by David Schlussel. Then get to know each other over a glass of wine.

Deets:
Free
Monday, February 23rd
6:30pm - 9:30pm
Location TBA

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I Love You Because: A Night of Music, Art and Interactivity!

A collaborative photo project about love...the perfect Valentines Evening in SF.

Deets:
$10 Cover
Saturday, February 14th,
8pm-Midnight
The Design Guild Gallery
427 Bryant Street
San Francisco

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....Slice Of The Day

Management Slice of The Day
When an employee or a charge comes to you with a problem like, " X is broken, what should we do about it?" don't take the bait. The best solution is to turn it around by responding, " What do you think is the best solution? What would you do?". This gives them ownership of the problem and the solution. They will feel empowered and it saves you time.

Marketing Slice of The Day
To find out what search terms people are using in your industry use the Google Search Keyword Tool. You will learn a lot about what words are most important to use in blog posts, newsletters, and what industry categories you are competing in.

Financial Slice
San Francisco has a number of Tax Credits based on what zone your business is in. Check out: Buena Vista strategies. Also call the San Francisco Board Business Hotline at (415)-861-4002 for information.

Development Slice
Create a plan first. 1. Write out the measurable goal 2. Brainstorm required components of the goal 3. Organize Components 4. Break down the components into tasks 5. Assess the task list to make sure it will take you to your goal directly, then get into action!

...and a slice of Life:
Go, right now, and sign up to volunteer for an afternoon at a cause you support... I just did and I feel great :)

Three Networking Events You Could Actually Have Fun At...

Burlesque at a clothing designer's trunk show, a burlesque birthday bash at Club Sutra and the perfect Valentines art opening.

...plus 4 slices of piping hot bidness advice, fresh from the oven.

Management Slice of The Day

Before completing your work day, create a list of the next day's activities. This will get all those unfinished details out of your head and on to the page. Then, when you're taking that first sip of tea in the morning you can peruse the list with a fresh eye.

Marketing & Sales Slice of The Day

Create a leads list that adjusts anticipated income from a client depending on the chances you have of landing that client.

Financial Slice

Create a monthly budget from the last month's report of income and expenses. Then look at the same month's results from the previous year. Now you will be able to tell if your fluctuations are seasonal or dependent on some other factor.

Development Slice

Create a brainstorming group with 6 fellow entrepreneurs. Each business gets 20 minutes of floor time, exploring challenges and opportunities for your business.

Where To Connect In The City

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LoVeBoMb - A Lover's Soiree

A Valentines Day Trunk Show put on by San Francisco's freshest clothing designers!
~~ Burlesque Show~~ Starting at 5pm
Performances by:
Les Moquettes Coquettes
Cheese Puff Girls

Deets: LoVeBoMb - A Lover's Soiree
Saturday, February 7th (2Pm - 7Pm)
Club Mighty
119 Utah St San Francisco

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Tira's Birthday Bash

One of my favorite clients, Avra Organic Spa, is having a birthday party for Tira (the owner) at Club Sutra this Saturday night. Tira asked if I knew any cool people who wanted to come.

You can get in free and hooked up with the party by getting on to the invite list through this [link]

~~Burlesque attire for the ladies, suits for the men~~

Deets: Tira's Birthday Bash
Saturday, January 31st 10:00 pm
Club Sutra
443 Broadway North Beach, San Francisco
Dress Code: Burlesque
www.avraorganicspa.com/birthday

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I Love You Because... Gallery Opening

A super kewl art opening is a great place to connect and network with people. Missing Piece presents "I Love You Because . . . " Join Alex Warnow as he unveils 15 large prints at The Design Guild Gallery, We'll have wine and cheese (it is a gallery opening, right?) and many of the participants will be on hand. There will also be a limited quantity of books on sale. If you know you want one I suggest you buy it in advance.

Deets: I Love You Because... Gallery Opening
Thursday, February 5th, 6pm-9pm
The Design Guild Gallery
427 Bryant Street (at 2nd street), San Francisco

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...and a slice of Life
Find someone who doesn't share your political views, ask them about their core beliefs, and JUST listen.

How To Create A Leads List That Will Help You Reach Your Revenue Goals

A great tool for estimating your revenue goals is to set up a "Leads List" in a spreadsheet. List potential clients and the chances you believe you have of landing each one. This gives you an "Adjusted Estimated Revenue" from that client. In other words, if you expect $1,000 from a client, but you only have a 50% chance of landing the client, the "Adjusted Estimated Revenue" is $500 (1000 x .5 = 500). Obviously you will either be getting $1,000 or NO dollars from that client, but it's a VERY useful method of budgeting and setting goals.

Here's How It's Done:

1. Open up a new spreadsheet
2. Pick a financial goal for a period (Like $10,000 in January 2009)
3. Enter "Dates" in the 1st column
4. List clients in the "Source" column
5. Put what you expect that client to generate financially in "Potential Revenues"
6. Predict the % odds of getting that client in the "Adjustment" column
7. In the "Adjusted Estimated Revenues" column, multiply "Potential Revenues" by "Adjustment"
8. At the bottom right cell you add the "Adjusted Estimated Revenues" to get your expected income for the period

By adding up your "Adjusted Estimated Revenues" you have a pretty good idea of your take for that period. You'll get better at guessing the adjustment % as you use the tool and you can use the Google Docs revision tool to track how well you guessed.

Another great use is seeing if your income is wedged towards the end or the beginning of the month, which you can do by sorting the date column. (Tip of the hat to Sat for this recommendation)

As you contact clients you can change the "Adjustment" column % to reflect what happened.
If the client declines, change the result to 0%. If you will be talking more with the client, or they're thinking about it, change to a % that best reflects the situation. When you close, change your "Adjustment" % to 100%. This way you'll have an up to date "Best Estimation" of revenues.

Start Now - Get Investors Later

Start-up capital isn't the solution for 90% of brand new start-ups, in fact it's usually a problem. Most likely, if you look at your business plan straight on, you will see that you actually CAN start your business without other people's money. Usually it's a waste of time anyway because nobody with any common sense trusts you to be able to effectively manage their money.

Here's why:

1st - You could be making the best pizza in town, but that doesn't make you a good pizzeria owner. Think about who you give your money to, they're experienced at what they do. Investors feel the same way.

2nd - New business owners blow money on stupid things. It's not their fault, they just don't know any better. You are going to make mistakes because you are new and there's no shortage of other people who have already been around the block a few times who want to borrow money. The smart money will go to them.

3rd - All your early money will be going into building infrastructures that already exists in established businesses. Again, money will flow to where it has been treated well.

Your business plan should be for you personally, it's not some 30-page advertisement. When you think you need money to complete a task, the first thing to do is to find a free work-around. If it's part of the critical path, spend from your own pocket. If you can't afford it then see if there's a barter solution available.

If you can't do it on your own, it might be a great idea to get involved with a business that's very similar and already established. Mentors and coaches are SO valuable. Swallow your pride and go learn from a veteran. It will save you time and money and grief.

So stop walking around with your hat in hand and start working on your projects. Make a plan, take action - rinse, repeat. If you do that for a while you'll start to feel pride in your abilities. People will begin to get interested in what you're doing and eventually they'll start to offer you money. Now THAT'S a nice position to be in.

Starting on your own is the best thing in the world. Believing in yourself enough to jump the cubicle and be an entrepreneur is exciting, it's fun and it proves mettle. Go for it.

3 large & socially conscious funds

• Calvert Funds
• Domini Social Equity
• Parnassus