September :: 2009 :: Thinking Home Business | Practical Tips For People Who Work From Home

I may well have left my run a bit late, but I’ve just now registered interest in being one of the 100,000 people who from September 30 will be helping test the new online communication and collaboration tool, Google Wave.

Some time ago I took time out to watch a presentation done for developers. I’ve embedded the link below. If you haven’t yet watched it, be warned, it can get you in. It’s about 1 hour and 20 minutes long and, if you are as interested as I am in new ways to enhance communication and collaboration, you won’t be able to stop watching once you’ve started. I was utterly fascinated by what was demonstrated and I believe this tool could be a terrific asset for small business.

And I’m not biased by the fact that this product was developed in my home town of Sydney.

Whether or not I get to be one of the testers, I’m looking forward to the day when Google Wave is generally available.

If you want to try your hand at Google Wave, there is a simple online form for registering your interest.

How many times in your life have you seen a sign saying “”Under New Management”?

And what are those signs supposed to convey? Things will be better? In what way, better prices, better service? But they don’t say that, do they? So when you think about it wouldn’t you say we’re really none the wiser?

I mean, maybe the prices are going up rather than down, maybe the range of goods or services is being “streamlined” so you can’t any longer buy your favorite items there, maybe staff numbers have been “rationalized”, so now it will take even longer to get served.

Whereas the sign on a coffee shop at my local mall today says something different. It says “Under New Happy Management”.

And while passing by the other morning I noticed a woman from the coffee shop serving some people. She was bright, cheery, efficient. Of course.

Thinking about writing this post I asked myself, how do I deal with clients and business colleagues? Do I let the challenges of business and the GFC get me down so I act and sound overwhelmed and grumpy? Or is my home based business always (or most of the time) under happy management? It’s been going for 21 years, but I’d like to think so, at least for now and the future.

Is your business under happy management? Any tips? Feel free to share your story here of how you’ve made it so.