Twice
a month the Oracle will speak. On the 1st we will issue a retailer tip. On the 15th we will have a short column on the world
at large!
(07/19/2010) Simplify!
So there seems to be a reoccurring theme in today’s society of simplifying. The
act of clearing the clutter let’s you get your house in order literally and figuratively. I am not a person who likes “stuff” so any idea on how to simplify both for
work and home interest me. As I have read a ton about this I will pass on the best tips in both areas that actually seems
to work!
Home: Look
at the items that you have and ask these two questions: A) Do you like it or do you love it? Only keep the things you truly love. If you have any negative emotions
attached to something get rid of it. B)Have
you used it in the last 2 years? We hang onto so many things promising to fix or alter them. If you haven’t used
for whatever reason get rid of it.
I love to read and there are many good books out there but realistically only 10% of them I love. After simplifying my bookshelf I now look at what’s
left and I adore my treasures. When you keep the cream of the crop you find yourself loving them even more! Work: Email. It’s evil personified to me. It’s like soap scum! No matter what
you do to clean it up or prevent it it keeps coming back. In work, email often eats up your time and breaks up your
attention span from concentrating on anything. More insidious then things like Facebook or LiveJournal email can be justified
as saying you have to be on it semi constantly to stay in touch or “be available” for business. You find yourself
waiting for replies or always looking for new arrivals. Time to manage the beast! 1. Unsubscribe from every newsletter that you haven’t actually made a purchase off or
learned something important from in the last year. 2. 1 email address for work. 1 email address for personal. That’s it. You should not have more then 2
for any reason. 3. This is the tough
one. Limit how often you look at your email. Most of the articles on this subject say you check your email only four times
a day. I am working up to that, but started with saying for the first ten minutes of every hour I can look at email. After
that it’s verboten. Well I have to say I am not only getting more tasks accomplished but my world didn’t end.
And .. more importantly emails aren’t piling up! With ten minutes to check it, you respond faster and prioritize more
efficiently what you are doing and why.
Hope these things help make your life a little easier.
(7/01/2010) Retailer Tip-Why you need a website!
So I have been in the process
of updating our contact database and in doing so I learned something suprising about many independent pop culture stores. They don't have websites.The reason behind this more often then not was "Well, I don't sell online? Why do I need one?"
The answer is simple. SO PEOPLE CAN FIND YOU! Whether you sell online or not, the first place people go when
looking for a new store is the internet.
Why you need one:
1.You need to have a site so you can be found
in search engines. 2.So people can leave online reviews of your store on places like yelp.com and send more business
to you. 3.Your vendors will often post the information about your store online. A website adds legitmacy to your
business and help get people to your door.
Now how to do this cheaply and easily with no knowledge of coding:
Any
of the following places will be under $10.00 a month and even premade web templates that you can in similar formats to basic
emails. If you can send email you can make a website. 1. Web.com 2. Weebly.com ( COMPLETELY FREE) 3.
Intuit.com