It’s beginning now. I’ve been watching as the real estate market begins to dance on the edge of a sheer cliff and I hold my breath expecting a shaky, but undeniable plummet. I don’t think it’s merely a “natural” readjustment resulting from an overly inflated market (although I do think the market is terribly inflated). I think that a combination of economic factors, including a higher cost of basic goods (especially gas) have created a climate for a major housing market readjustment.

But I believe that there are other, more significant causes…
Let me be openly opinionated for a moment… (more…)

I’ve been fretting about my overwhelmingly large collection of physical “stuff” again lately. I do this several times a year. It used to be only in the fall. Then it was in the spring and the fall. Now, it seems to be nearly constant.

I think about my belief that we, in America, have too much. We have so much that we appreciate nothing. I look at what the typical family owns, how disposable everything is, how overwhelming in volume. It makes me ill. I think about the conversations I’ve overheard about how “it doesn’t cost as much to live in other countries, so ‘those people’ don’t need to earn as much as we do…” and my stomach turns. I actually heard someone say that to one of my children the other day, and I had a fit. I described (to my child) the differences I noticed between America and China and why we are lazy and greedy in comparison.

Then I look at myself… under a magnifying glass.

I try to balance my Zen tendencies. I think about how to create a sustainable, socially and ecologically aware lifestyle. I don’t want a mansion. I like lots of outdoor space and a fairly tiny indoor space. I want to better appreciate the things I have, I want for very little. I need my personal space to be uncrowded and uncluttered. Currently, these needs aren’t being met.

I’ve asked all my family and friends to refrain from buying me things. I’m beginning to really believe that the belongings in this life aren’t something we drag along behind us, but they are what we must push before us, everywhere we go. I know that’s a quote from someone (loosely translated) but I don’t remember who said it.

I do know they were wise…

The problem is, my space is terribly crowded and cluttered at the moment and it’s making me crazy. Not just a little irritated… I’m going out of my mind. So, I’ve been working all weekend to try to remedy this situation, while supporting my youngest son’s latest eBay project.

My diet is going well, so most of my current clothes don’t fit. Happy problem, but it’s causing me to have to review my closet once every week or two. And the stuff is seeming to find dark corners in the cabin where it multiplies… and multiplies… and so on.

So, I’m looking through my zen and feng shui books, I’m reading my simplicity books, I’m learning about the guy on the Internet who sold everything that didn’t fit in the trunk of his car [www.allmylifeforsale.com], and I’m looking at my own life more carefully.

What I see is a life full of stuff that I spend weeks every year sorting and analysing and trying to determine if it’s really essential. What I do is spend alot of my time (or money) maintaining, heating, cooling, insuring and repairing stuff. I find that I’m dodging things or tucking them away for “later” — and I wonder why.

Fact is, if I’m not using and enjoying an item now… do I really need it for later? Does it really matter how cool it is, or who gave it to me, or what memories it holds if I keep it packed away in a box every day of the year and never even see it? Moving around lately has made me less tolerant of having stuff packed. We have stuff scattered everywhere. Yes, it’s getting a bit better, but it’s still horrid. I’m married to a pack rat. My kids have pack-rat tendencies (from the paternal side, obviously). And, we are living in a small cabin. All that adds up to cramped frustration. Wayne did clear out the storage unit he rented to hold the stuff that he had stored at his sister’s house when we got married. Of course, he didn’t go through it, or get rid of anything… he simply boxed it all up and moved it into the cabin that we are building. So, there’s not room to even move around to paint the walls now.

My eldest son is headed to the military, so he’s going to need a place to store some of his ’stuff’ while he’s gone. My younger son is a clothes horse and shoe fanatic (he threw out five pairs of shoes yesterday, and has many more remaining) and he’s a collector. My husband, aside from being a packrat, is also an artist… so he keeps dibs and dabs of weird little things for use in his art projects. Don’t believe me? He takes apart the filters from my water jug and saves the little rocks for use as “terrain” on his miniatures…. I kid you not… and that is only one of several of those types of habits. My daughter saves scraps of papers… and all school work… forever. She cries if I act like it should be thrown away, although she’s finally getting a bit better about that finally.

I’m looking around and I’m overwhelmed. I want to take off a couple weeks and just clean and purge. What would be heaven for me? To be able to fit my “special things” into a single shelf with a door on the front. I even have the shelf… I’ve had it for years. But, what I don’t have is all my stuff concentrated down and weeded out so that it would all fit in there. What else do I want? A small wardrobe of only a few items that all mix and match and that look good, fit perfectly and make me feel confident when I wear them. This one is happening because I’m shrinking out of most of my stuff and I’m having to donate items every time I do laundry. (Not complaining on this particular point). I want low quantity, high quality in my life. I’m tired of dealing with stuff that I don’t want, don’t need and don’t enjoy.

I’d like to be able to live comfortably and in an organized fashion in that 25 foot airstream. That, for me, would be ideal. The problem is, when we do give that a run, I’ll be doing it with my packrat husband and his rat-twin (my daughter). I’m not really looking forward to that. I don’t deal well with a crowding and cluttering due to my own “stuff” — and I certainly will not be a happy traveler if I’ve purged and cleared out mine and then have to deal with everyone else’s. Just the thought of it depresses me.

I want to “go paperless” in my office. I want to build a redundant backup system for my multi-drive data storage design (currently underway) and I want to remove all things that are not essential from my collection of physical stuff. I’ve weeded quite a bit this weekend, but this is only the first pass of this “depth” and I’d expect it’s going to be pretty thin by the time I’m finished. Heck, I’m even having my son sell some of my jewelry — something I never thought I’d do. But, the fact is, I have a few pieces I really enjoy and wear all the time, and the rest just sit there in my box and gather dust. It’s crazy. Yeah, I know most women (at least in this country) have scads of jewelry and makeup and clothes and shoes… and I’ve always had a weakness for jewelry… but the time has come to select the cream and dispose of the rest.

I don’t do “knick-knacks” as a rule, and I’m even culling out the few of those that I do have. I’m having visions of a clean, clear uncluttered existence. I’m seeing Asian-influence decorative techniques where everything is bare and one or three items are added to create contrast and the rest is left bare and clean and restful and peaceful. I dream of a place that welcomes me, and doesn’t attack my senses. I want understated luxury, soft clarity.

Yes, I still enjoy and appreciate baroque stylings and Victorian influences — but I’d like to have mostly clean lines, minimal decorating and one really special piece in any given area or room that stands out not only because it’s beautifully worked, even a bit “overdone” but because it’s in such sharp contrast from the rest of the area. I want my environment to be welcoming and touchable, comfortable and NOT busy. I want my mind, my eyes, and my body to find rest there. I want to create my own haven. I want to know where every single item I own is located and I want to never search to “lay my hands” on what I’m seeking — be it a measuring cup, a silk blouse or a legal paper. And I want it NOW.

Later, on another kick, I’ll work on the virtue of patience… but that’s not gonna happen today. Today, and for the next several weeks, I’m all about the simplicity.

Granted, I’ll be sitting mostly still for the next couple of years, but I’m now officially working in my new-to-me 1974 Airstream silver bullet named Serenity. If you check out the new logo, you will see an image of my baby. If you read on, you will see a couple photos of the inside of the office and the outside…

This is the outside shot of Serenity.

This is what the “office” space looked like originally — with the teal colored fold-out sleeping quarters. Have I mentioned how I feel about the color teal? *shudder*

This is the same physical space, now set up as my mobile office inside the airstream. From my office chair, I can lean back and grab a cold bottle of water or a snack from the ‘fridge. I have my own kitchen area (I don’t even have to leave Serenity to enjoy lunch when I work) and I have a bathroom and a couch. Not bad digs for an office, eh?

And the best part?

This is the view out my office door. And the door is to the immediate right of my desk, so I can lean back and gaze outside whenever I want. Heck, it’s even bright enough in here with the skylights and the banks of windows that I’m managing to keep plants alive! I have an office that can FINALLY keep a few plants from turning all brown.

I have alot more left to do. I’ll be tricking it out for technology for future trips, so I can work wherever I go. But for now, I’m loving it with every step toward the ultimate goal of complete portability.

I’ll keep you posted on my progress!

My youngest son needs to earn a bit of money to call his own. That’s not so easy when you live in a rural area. It’s almost impossible if you are a parent unwilling to turn over the family car to a new driver, and are unwilling to buy a car for said teenager. I don’t believe in buying cars for teenagers, never have. But, if I ever saw a need for one, it’s now. Living this far out makes it difficult for the younger set to get an “after school” job and learn a bit about responsibility and working to earn.

But, as a small business owner, a net-junkie and an overwhelmed mom, I’ve come up with a way around these problems… A win-win for everyone!

Derrick has agreed to take some of my things and put them on eBay and sell them (and package them and send them and deal with all that for me). I’m going to give him a substantial percentage of any income from my items, and of course he has his own stuff that he plans to sell too. My only requirement is that he put 50% of anything he makes into an IRA. Since he’s under 18, I have to “sponsor” him per the eBay rules, but he’s mature enough it doesn’t really bother me.

He’s been working on putting money aside for his retirement quite a bit this year. I talked with him about the value of the dollar he can put in at this age, vs. the dollars he can put in at an “advanced” age of say…. thirty. Once he learned about the joys of compound interest and investments, he was eager to begin. So he started looking for ways to earn money and has asked me for any ideas I might have.

I’ve had him take over some of the housecleaning, and I pay him for that out of my personal account. (This is above and beyond the work he does that’s standard faire for being a member of the family — this is pay for him to do the stuff on my own list that I don’t want to do). I’ve also hired him to do the filing and organizing and some work in my office. That’s been paid out of the business account (and is a business expense… besides, his hourly rate is more affordable than having an adult come in to do the work, and some of the information is sensitive and I’d prefer strangers not handle it.) I hope to get him to help me achieve a true paperless office before he returns to school in a week. It’s going to involve quite a bit of scanning and organizing digital files. This will be paid out of the  business account as well.

All told, I think it will be a great way for me to stay more organized and productive while I minimize the “footprint” of my office. And, it will provide an opportunity for my ambitious son to help secure his future now. And, with the new eBay deal, maybe we can get rid of some of the stuff around here without overloading the local Goodwill (we have made about six sizable trips to Good will in the last couple of months). It will also teach my son how to plan and handle a small business, how to deliver on time, work with customers and how to
do taxes at year end. (All stuff I want him to know before he leaves home for college).

He’s collecting stuff as quickly as I am ready to part with it to begin working on eBay now. And, since I’m in the middle of another “minimize and shovel the place out” kick… it’s pretty easy “pickin’s”. And, it’s catching on… there are already members of the family that are interested in having Derrick sell items on commission for them too! So, it may be a great way for him to begin growing a small business that he can carry though college… and do from his own computer.

It may not be for everyone, but having my son work for me has been great for me… and for him. And knowing I’m helping him to learn makes it that much sweeter. I wish I’d put a grand or so away each year beginning when I was 16… I’d probably be a much more “well funded” future retiree if I had.

Sometimes it’s hard not to “collect” things. I’ve had a few bouts with that problem myself over the years. But, I have found the perfect solution, and thought I’d take a moment to share.

If you want a way to remember special events, to ensure that people who want to give you gifts only buy token ones, an easy-to-carry souvenir from any trip and all your travels, and you don’t want to fill your house doing it… consider what I’ve done:

I’m eliminating all collections from my life with the exception of my quotes collection (which is stored digitally and therefore takes no physical space) and my sterling silver charms collection — which also takes very little space.

I started that collection a few years ago. It was something I wanted to do to remove the hassle of a HUGE Christmas tree, once the kids left home. I wanted to get started on the “ornaments” to decorate my tiny tree early, so I’d have a good looking tree when the time came. I reasoned that it also let me have an easy-to-port way to remember trips, events, occasions, etc.

For years, I’ve asked the kids to get me a charm when they felt the urge to buy me something. When I travel, I make it a point to pick up a charm from the area. When Alex was born, I had special baby charms that I purchased. Now, I have quite a little collection… but they all fit in a smallish box. Now, I’ve asked anyone who ever wants to buy me something (be it birthday or mother’s day or whatever) to buy me a charm.

My daughter found this adorable sterling silver witch’s hat for me on Mother’s Day and sent it to me (I was out in Colorado on a writing retreat at the time) and it is so sweet! It was also easy to ship, easy to pack in my bag to bring back home and is tucked away in my “charms box” now. My son brought me back a tiny little sterling frog (I love frogs) from his travels this summer and I have a diminutive Statue of Liberty from his trip a couple years ago to New York.

I’m also keeping a list of each charm and who got it for me and what the occasion was. That information stays in the box with the charms. So, I can ensure that I’ll have my memories when I’m older without filling up an entire house to do it. Heck, I’ll even be able to take them on the road with me when we travel in the Airstream. Ahhhh Bliss.

And it’s so easy to take a few moments and look over them and remember the events, the places and the people that brought them into my possession. IMHO, It’s the perfect collection, the perfect gift and the perfect solution to small, meaningful, token gifts.

I’ll add them to a tiny tree (probably a Bonsai type) for my own Christmas tree of memories when Alex gets older. I’ll add a battery powered set of tiny LED lights too.

For me, it’s perfect. And I thought I’d share the idea with those of you seeking a simpler, easier way to accept gifts graciously, record memories and keep things compact.

Many small businesses use the calendar year as their fiscal year. So it is significant to more than your personal “New Years Resolutions” that the middle of 2006 has now officially come and gone. If you are a small business owner, you may find solace or panic in the fact that 2006 is more behind us than in front of us. No matter how business seems to be going, now is the time to do a mid-year small business evaluation.

If you had a list of goals for 2006 in January, pull them out and dust them off. It’s time to see how close you are to reaching those goals. If you didn’t set goals at the beginning of the year, now is your opportunity to determine where you are and where you need to be by year-end. Consider the following three check-point areas sooner, rather than later, to keep your business on track and to avoid any nasty surprises at the end of the year:

Financial Goals

Run a mid-year financial report for January 1st through June 30th. Once you have that in hand, you need to look at overall income, expenses and taxes paid. If your income is lower than expected, or your expenses are higher than expected, now is the time to make the necessary adjustments required to get your business back on track. If your income is higher than expected and your expenses are lower than expected… you may need to make adjustments on the amount of money you are paying quarterly for taxes or the extra money for year-end taxes that you are setting aside.

If your income is larger than you expected… and you are wondering where all the money is… you need to take a good look at your expenses column. If you are paying for services you aren’t currently using, eliminate them… TODAY. If you need to purchase major equipment this year, and purchasing those items now would save you time, then buy them now. If you don’t have the cash on hand, but will by year-end, consider a 6-months-same-as-cash offering through an in-store line of credit or a business credit card. Just be careful and make sure you read the fine print, make the required monthly payments and pay it all off before the due date.

If your expenses are too high, determine where you can cut without hurting your business. If you have been a bit more “open handed” with the business spending than you had expected, now is the time to create a monthly plan to adjust the rest of the expenditures for the year and get back on track. If your income is lower than it should be, determine what you can do to pump up bottom line before the end of the year.

Marketing Goals

Is your business growing at the rate you anticipated? If it’s growing slower than you had hoped, you need to determine what you can do to remedy the situation. If you have been planning to add a new product and/or service, now may be the time to launch and take advantage of the marketing blitz you can create with a new offering. If your business is growing too quickly, you may want to consider specializing your services to attract only your ideal clients. In the service industry, in particular, you often discover that specializing your services and focusing your scope on particular end-users will improve your bottom line, while freeing up a bit of time during your business day.

Now is the time to take a look at your marketing materials — are they fresh and up-to-date, or are they looking “tired” and worn? Pay special attention to your website and your business stationery — business cards and letterhead. These are the materials that most of your potential clients will use to assess your ability to meet their needs. If you haven’t freshened up your look and added a bit of content to your website this year… it’s overdue. If your business card isn’t perfect, and you hesitate to hand it out, it’s not doing you any good. Take the time, spend the money, and be sure your first impression is doing your business justice.

Personal/Professional Goals

This is also the perfect time to review your own personal and professional goals. Are you putting enough money into your retirement plan? Don’t wait until the end of the year before you think about it. You should be paying yourself every time you make a quarterly (or monthly) payment toward taxes. If you have maximized your retirement, you may also want to consider protecting your intellectual property. If you don’t have a trademark, and you need one, begin that process now. (You may have it complete by the end of the year!)

If you determine that you aren’t taking the time away from the office that you need, if you feel that you live at work and that much of your time is spent doing chores that are not helping you to move forward professionally or personally — you may want to consider hiring an onsite or offsite assistant — even if you are an offsite provider yourself. Having someone come in to do some of the filing takes a load off your plate. Delegating some of the regular tasks that keep you from moving to the bigger issues, can be a sound investment in your business, your career and your sanity. (Confession: I have someone in my office as I’m typing this and he’s cleaning and filing and getting me ‘in shape’ to continue with my core focus for the remaining months this year. It’s a great relief!)

Yes, it’s the middle of the year. Yes, time is passing too quickly. Yes, we all wish we could slow it down a bit — especially those of us who are self-employed.

July isn’t just the middle of the year, it’s also the perfect month to assess your business and your life to be sure that you are meeting your goals. It’s an opportunity to make the adjustments required to pull yourself (and your business) back on track, if you find you are veering a bit off course. So, take stock in where you are now and what needs to be done to have an enjoyable (and profitable) second half of 2006!

My best friend recently got married! I’m thrilled for them both and I just uploaded a few photos from the beautiful event into my photo gallery. If you would like to see more…  go here to view the Wedding Album.

Today the kitchen has lost its position as the “heart of the home” that it enjoyed in generations past. According to a 2004 report on dining out, single professionals eat over 50% of their meals away from home. And, in recent trends data… the NationalRestaurant Association (NRA) reports that restaurant sales will rise nearly twelve-fold from the 1970 figure of $42.8 billion to a whopping $511.1 billion this year!

So, where does this leave you when you are trying to show a home? It makes it essential that you outline the ideal kitchen and help your listing clients ensure that their kitchen shows well.

Yes, some people are gourmet cooks, some families still eat dinner together every night, and some individuals consider their kitchen the only real place to “congregate with friends.” But many homeowners eat out more often than they cook at home. Add to that the number of meals that are “delivered” and the number that are eaten “en route” to work and school… and you may find that the kitchen has taken a back seat when you are showing a home. (more…)

Well, it’s starting to feel official… I’m going to be an aunt! Course, all the horrid stuff I’ve done to my sister over our lifetimes will probably come back to haunt me finally. Like telling her that she was too mean to be an “aunt” when my (now 18) firstborn arrived. I assured her that she was not an “ant”… she was an old roach. Yeah, my sister has had to tolerate alot over the years… and I was good compared to many siblings I know (namely my husband… he is a great adult and a fab husband… but was a horrid sibling!)

So, my sister is undeniably pregnant now. She’s simply adorable! And her husband, John… well he’s just cute as can be — all anticipatory and such.

Amy has created a little web page for her new little guy… and if you want to take a peek… go visit Ezra’s site (that’s my nephew’s name!).

The ultrasound shows hair already… which means that the little guy will probably be born like most of the babies on my mother’s side of the family — with a headful of black hair. Amy had that gift when she was born. I, on the other hand, was born bald. I didn’t get hair until I was about two… I looked like a frog. Amy was a beautiful baby.

Daddy, John, was also born bald… so the little guy should consider himself pretty lucky that he picked up on the RIGHT genes where hair is concerned. ‘Course daddy has made up for the lack of hair early on now… his hair is longer than Amy’s.

Personally, I think the baby is going to be adorable… a mixture of those two will HAVE to yield a beautiful result. Oh I can’t wait to SEE the little guy!

On July 4th, 2006 the year-old www.WickedTreo.com site will be replaced by www.WickedMobility.com, a more inclusive view of mobile technology, hardware and software for the high-tech entrepreneur. This new site will be run in tandem with the former WickedTreo.com site until August 1, 2006. At that time, the WickedTreo.com site will be shut down and the URL will permanently forwarded to this site.

I’ll be keeping all the archived WickedTreo articles here, but will be
adding information about Tablet PCs, UMPCs, high-tech products that
promote mobility… and even some mobile lifestyle, voluntary
simplicity and related information, ponderings, and amusements.

If you currently have WickedTreo.com bookmarked, please replace that
URL with http://www.WickedMobility.com for future reference. I hope you will find the new site even more beneficial and helpful than WickedTreo. Welcome to my new site. Browse. Enjoy.

Angela A. Parker

Ok. I’d planned to wait to announce. But I can’t wait any longer. Patience has never been one of my virtues — ask anyone who knows me. I wanted to get the new website up and running and do the announcement there… but the excitement has taken over! I now have my dream machine! A “new to me” 1974 25-foot Airstream! And she’s sooooo pretty!

Whoo-Hoo! *dancing about the room*

This little baby, aptly named “Serenity” will be transformed over the next few months to a full time office and will later be taken on the road for full mobility and functionality. I simply can’t wait! Those Joss Wheldon fans among my readers will recognize the reference of my new mobile office’s name. The rest… go watch the series FireFly. (It’s great!) (more…)

So, you have decided to launch (or are considering starting) your own outsourcing or virtual assistant business. Maybe you aren’t sure if you are “on track” or you don’t quite know what to expect. The following list of “common phases” of creating a successful independent, entrepreneurial business may help. After working with many virtual assistants and service providers as they have set up their businesses over the past several years, I’ve determined that few (if any) of these “steps” are usually skipped.

If you are preparing to open a business, if you are in the middle of the process — or even if you feel you have “hit a brick wall” — the following phase “timeline” may help you to determine where you are and what you need to do (or to endure) next.

PS: Don’t forget to take the time to actually enjoy the journey!

Typical Phases of an Outsourcing Services or Virtual Assistant Practice:

The First Phase:

• Introduction to the concept of outsourcing or virtual assistance.
• Hours of research and growing excitement.
• Realization that providing specific skilled services is something you could do/have done/am doing!
• More excitement and search for a “how to” outline for becoming a virtual assistant, offsite provider or outsourcer.
• Getting a clearer concept of what is involved in running an outsourcing business, so you can effectively explain it to others.
• Discussion with family, friends and respected peers.

The Second Phase:

• You talk about little else and those close to you mention that fact.
• Decision to launch a practice.
• Announcement to family and friends of intentions to open your business.
• Overwhelming, immobilizing FEAR!

The Third Phase:

• Discovery that even with all the things you know, there are so many more you don’t know that you NEED to know to excel as an outsourcing services provider and small business owner.
• Doubts that you can learn everything you need to know.
• Realization that you have painted yourself into this corner by announcing and you either have to move forward or quit now (and pray no one remembers your grand announcement.)
• Your nose meets the grindstone and they become quick friends.

The Fourth Phase:

• More determination and a business plan is fleshed out. (This should have come earlier in the process, but seldom does.) Following the business plan your website is built, equipment is purchased or updated, decisions are made on Internet connectivity, fax access (freestanding, computer based/virtual, or combination with printer and phone — an all in one), determination on need for separate phone line, determination on hosting options, and an enormous number of other decisions (both tiny and huge) on how to run your business and what you need in terms of software and hardware and any classes you need for specific skills you don’t currently have to run a business, aside from the skill you have for the services you plan to offer for hire.
• Website launches, announcements are sent out, and your excitement peaks.

The Fifth Phase:

• You wait… and wait… and wait… and the customers seem to be a myth.
• And you doubt your decisions, your abilities, even yourself.
• Then… you get a client or two and nearly fall all over them trying to be the best possible independent contractor they have EVER met. You don’t bill for all your time, you lose your shirt financially — all in an attempt to impress them, make yourself invaluable to them, and get their signature on the “all important” contract. Simultaneously, you seriously frighten the customers with your exuberance.
• You survive but you don’t prosper.

The Sixth Phase:

• You are disenchanted. You have gained 20 pounds from sitting in front of the computer day in and day out. Your family asks you to introduce yourself at the dinner table because they remember the face, but can’t recall the name — or they offer you a plate “to go” so you can eat at your desk, as has become your habit. Your wrists ache, your mouse finger actually clicks through your REM cycles each night, you have dark circles under your eyes and you are pretty sure that you need glasses from the eye strain of non-stop monitor viewing.
• Suddenly you realize you aren’t having any fun.

The Seventh Phase:

• It’s been months. You are running a business, but it’s not what you had dreamed it would be. Your projects aren’t exciting, your clients aren’t what you imagined and your income just plain sucks.
• You decide something has got to give. (THIS is the turning point for most service providers that make it this far and leap the hurdles to arrive in this uncertain position).

The Eighth Phase:

• At this point, most individuals either decide to niche their services or they give up their practice in disgust, convinced that working from home, a real outsourcing career and actually “making it” in this industry is some cruel hoax or joke.

The Ninth Phase:

• You niche your services and get picky about your clients.

Why niching matters:

1. You don’t buy as much unnecessary software if you know your target clients, and with a little research you can get copies of the most common software and hardware needed in that particular industry.
2. You can “drill down” and develop and hone skills that are valuable to your specific market, rather than trying to be all things to all people.
3. You find your own direction as a business owner, as a service provider and as an entrepreneurial individual.

The Tenth Phase:

• You begin to taste real success and you realize… “So THIS is why I stuck it out!”
• You work with people you truly enjoy and only accept the most appealing projects
• You do only what you do best and you hire out what you need that you don’t enjoy and do well for your own business
• You seek a professional network that supports you and you learn to refer business to others and keep only the best fits for yourself
• You learn to take time for you — away from work and “the business” — and start to explore the concept of balance in your business and in your life.