Bitten by the Business Bug is a book written by Jason O’Neill, who is a teen entrepreneur. It is filled with common sense tips for business and life, all from Jason’s own experience with his own business Pencil Bugs.

Bitten by the Business Bug is a must read for parents and their kids, whether you are interested in business or not. Jason is an inspiration. We are having our children read this book. Schools do not teach entrepreneurship or thinking outside the box. That’s why we are interested in books like Jason’s to help fill in the gaps of our children’s education with supplemental material.

Bitten by the Business Bug is a close look at a young entrepreneur’s adventure into business ownership, the opportunities that have come with that ownership and the lessons learned. These opportunities and lessons have taught Jason so much more than he would ever learn in school alone. He and his parents have been wise in keeping school first, being a normal kid second and business third. In doing so this has allowed Jason to be a kid, but even more than that has taught him that just because he is a kid doesn’t have to limit what he can accomplish. Jason has big aspirations for Pencil Bugs and it will be interesting to see all that Jason will do in the future.

Jason is a philanthropist at heart. Since the advent of Pencil Bugs has given portion of his earnings a to kids in need, whether that is helping kids in foster care or sick children in the hospital. From donations to gift bags, Jason has helped meet the needs of children in his community.

I think both parents and children will learn much from Jason. I know I did and hope my children do too.

Visit www.PencilBugs.com for more information about Jason, his book and business.

It does take a little bit of time to learn your way around Projecturf.com but if you are familiar with other online platforms it shouldn’t take too much time to figure everything out. Those unfamiliar with online platforms and who are new to using the internet for their business solutions, should allow themselves extra time to soak in all the options Projecturf.com has to offer.

Here are just a few of the features Projecturf.com has to offer your business:

- Project listings

- Task Management

- White Board for notes

- Time Cards, including timer (love this built in feature!)

- Generate reports

- Calendar assign due dates and progress markers for each project

- Documents may be uploaded. There is unlimited storage.

- Listing of Project Manager, employees and all those who may be a part of the project whether they are contracted workers, like independent contractors.

Easy to use. Keeps things organized. Provides a way to touch base with project team members from one database. Eliminates paper clutter!

They offer a 14 day trial and after that there is a fee charged. $9.99/project for individuals or $34.99 for 10 projects in the Startup level and it slowly increases with each level. Business with 30 projects pay $69.99 and Enterprises with 150 projects pay $169.99. Fees are on a per month basis, unless you opt to pay on a yearly basis. All in all pretty reasonable for small businesses with fewer projects.

For more information visit https://www.projecturf.com

In case you haven’t heard, you can download your free copy of From Blog to Business, there’s a copy waiting for you at www.fromblogtobusiness.com. From Blog to Business is a 47-page e-book written by Esther Crawford, editor of ShePosts.com, and Jennifer James, founder of TheMomsBloggerClub.com, that’s full of practical tips and samples about how to really flip from being a mom blogger to a problogger!

http://www.fromblogtobusiness.com/

Small business grants are becoming the norm as they are very popular among entrepreneurs as being one of the easiest ways to get finances when loans cannot be obtained.

Sarting RobnT Business Solutions did not require a loan or a small business grant as we are running from a small office and need only a little bit of equipment. But if you were starting up a garbage removal company you would need offices to run the company, a facility to house the trucks, and fyet another acility to deal with the waste. So that would require a a lot of start up capital to make business work, buy the necessary equipment, and hire the employees. Small business grants might be a way to start obtaining the finances to start your new business venture.

Small business grants are not hard to find if you look and they are free money since business owners usually do not have to be paid back like loans. It is always worth the research so you avoid getting in over your head with a huge debt load.

Happy startup!

1. Get outside

This one may seem rather obvious, but if you live in the inner city, getting outside does not necessarily put you in the middle of nature. For those who are lucky enough to have a yard to play in, just going outside with no particular agenda is a wonderful way for children and adults to connect with the natural world. If you or your kids are more comfortable with having a project to do while you are outside, here are some ideas:

-Build a “cabin” from twigs by laying them cross-wise like settlers’ cabins.
-Collect rocks, leaves, etc. and identify them.
-Identify plants and what they are good for (such as food or medicine).
-Collect pine cones, seed pods, feathers, etc. and use them to make crafts.

If you live in the middle of the city, make a point to go to a park or a national or state forest once a week. You might consider attending an arboretum, too, or participating in a nature walk. Most national and state forests host nature walks at various times of the year.

2. Get dirty

Mothers tend to cringe when their children stomp through a mud puddle, but just getting down in the mud is such a fun, child-like way to enjoy nature. Gardening is a more purposeful reason to dig in the dirt; why not ask your kids to help you? Children can pull weeds and throw them enthusiastically into a wheelbarrow; they can harvest vegetables or dig holes for planting. If they are very young, give them a shovel, a bucket of water, and a section of earth to dig in. (Remember the old-fashioned concept of mud pies?) If you live in the city, container gardening is rewarding and plenty dirty!

3. Get wet

Nature is not always about warm, sunny days. Truly natural surroundings are variable. Try taking a walk when it’s snowing and enjoy looking at the snowflakes. If it’s raining, jump in the puddles.

4. Get wild

Attracting backyard birds or squirrels with a feeder is an educational way to bring wildlife to you. (And you’re doing something nice for the animals.) Get a bird identification book and look up the names of your many visitors. You might consider investing in a pair of binoculars.

5. Look up

No matter where you live, there is sky above you. Spend some time looking at the stars and moon at night, and the clouds by day. Did you ever find shapes in the clouds as a child? It’s still a fun activity for the whole family. And of course, finding shapes in the stars is something man has been doing for eons. Teach your children about constellations and try to find them. If you use binoculars or a telescope, the fascination broadens. You may find your family gathered around the telescope for hours in the evening instead of the TV.

Need Life Insurance?

Right now many businesses are looking for cheap life insurance to provide for their employees. Everyone is going to die sometime or other, right? Life insurance assures people that their families will be provided for upon their death. Many businesses offer their employees a life insurance policy that provides employees with $10,000-$25,000 policy. Employees like to have this extra life insurance policy because quite often it may be the only life insurance they have in the event of their death.

Offering a life insurance policy to employees allows employers a way to offer extra incentive and benefits to their employees. A company like Advantage Life Insurance is helpful to business owners and has set up listings so that they can enter all their pertinent information for insurance for groups and look up the best “buys” on health insurance. Plus they give you a FREE online quote!

Do you need a structured cabling contractor for your business? Does your business need any network data cabling and telephone voice cabling installed? Well, Mason Technologies is a structured cabling contractor hat performs large cabling installations.They will install all the network data cabling and communication cabling for businesses. Primarily they are focused on companies who want cable installed in an entire building on multiple floors. So if you have a need for cabling installation for your business, consider Mason Technologies.

Since RobnT Business Solutions is still a small business, we do not need a structured cabling contractor at the moment. Right know our cables are just our computer, printer, telephone cords, and external hard drive cord etc. Nothing big or fancy. However, if we do grow in size in the future and get a larger building requiring a structured cabling contractor, we just may be checking out Mason Technologies for our growing needs.

Expanding and Contracting: Managing Your Stress Level
By Mary M. Byers

My work is seasonal. I make about 30% of my income for the entire year in one month! That’s the good news. The bad news is that it can be stressful getting through such a busy time. That’s where the concept of “Expanding and Contracting” comes in.

Expanding and contracting requires making a conscious decision regarding how big your life view is going to be at any given time. For example, I once had a speaking engagement in my home town. Since my mother lived there, I decided to take my children along so they could spend some time with grandma.

Several weeks before the engagement, my world view was still large. I could look at the calendar for the entire month, make plans for later in the summer, and keep an active “To Do” list for the week. As the engagement approached, however, I narrowed my focus to getting my presentation ready and getting myself and the kids packed. The day before our departure, getting out the door and to Grandma’s house was ALL I focused on. As soon as my presentation was over, however, I was able to expand my focus again and begin planning for our next trip—a family vacation.

You’ve probably used these concepts of expanding and contracting without even knowing it. Think about the last time you had friends over for dinner. When you called to extend the invitation, your life view was still large. As you approached the day of the meal, your view contracted as you began to plan the menu and make your grocery list. The day of the event, your view likely contracted even more, to the point of being focused on straightening the house and getting the food prepared. After your guests arrived, your view could begin to expand again and by the time they left, you were probably already thinking ahead to what the next day would bring.

Expanding and contracting your view is extremely useful in staving off stress. As I view my calendar some days and an overwhelmed feeling starts creeping over me, I simply take a deep breathe (or two, or three, or ten, depending on the situation!) and ask myself, “How can I contract my focus?” Doing so keeps me from being paralyzed and gives me a focal point toward which to direct my energy. It’s an extremely effective means of staying sane when you’re running a home and a business under one roof. Having a laser focus is necessary sometimes just to get you through the day.

What techniques do you use to help you get through your work-related busy times? E-mail me at mbyers@marybyers.com and I’ll share your tricks in my next post. Until then, now that I’m done traveling for awhile, I’m expanding my focus again and it feels good!

Mary Byers is the author of Making Work at Home Work: Successfully Growing a Business and a Family Under One Roof. You can learn more about making work at home work by subscribing to Mary’s free blog at www.makingworkathomework.com. Interested in more articles like this? Join the blog ring here.

Looking To Hire A VA?

Finding a VA can be a lot of work. Sure you can ask your friends but what about other means of finding a VA? We recently came across a site that helps you find services in your area, so we thought why not try looking up a Virtual Assistant (VA) in our area on http://www.justclicklocal.com. We were interested in what exactly would come up.

This process was very easy to do. First, you put in the service that you are looking for (in this case Virtual Assistant), your city and look at the search results! Just Click Local is a great place to look for you services that you are in need of, like a VA. But you can also look for services such as an accountant or secretary.

Whether you are looking for a VA in Chicago, IL, Birmingham AL, or Tulsa OK you will find something you are looking for!

Happy hunting!

Computer Connections by Petr Kratochvil

Traveling While On Business
Sometimes when you run a business you may need to travel and therefore you need a car. Although with gas prices so high you may just want to stay at home and do your work virtually! However, what if your car dies or you fly to your destination and need to rent-a-car? This is when websites like The Car Connection come in handy. They list helpful reviews and photos as well as the car users ratings of the cars. You might be interested in a car like the Toyota Yaris, which is a nice car with a rating of 6.0 out of 10 for your business trips. Or the Porsche Cayenne with a even better ranking of 7.8 out of 10. Or perhaps the latest updates on the Audi S4 will attract your eye. Or maybe the Nissan GT-R might interest you it has a ranking of 8.6 out of 10.
The Car Connection also lists the best prices for cars that will fit into your budget – without breaking the bank; while still showing you high quality cars with a great rating!
Whatever your automotive business needs are The Car Connection can help you choose the car that is the best fit for you, your budget, and your business!

Happy shopping!