No Frills Small Business with Carlota Zimmerman an

If you missed our live Google+ Hangout on Air, or you want to listen to it or watch it again, here it is!   Marie Segares and I celebrated our 8th broadcast by talking about going, figuratively, back to school, i.e. entrepreneurs choosing to free their minds and gain the (various) knowledge necessary to take their businesses to the next level. Marie and I discussed options from figuring out one new aspect, that, when mastered, will bring in a new form of revenue, or simply, educating oneself to all of the local resources that are, most likely, on display in your neighborhood, but you're not using.   For example, one mayor of a small town in Massachusetts will host weekly coffee meetings with local entrepreneurs...and that's huge!   Who knows what resources and meetings your local city government is offering that could mean the difference between life and death for your business?  Share your thoughts with us! Comment at http://nofrillssmallbusiness.com/episode8, email us at info@nofrillssmallbusiness.com, Tweet Marie (@cyeshow) and Carlota (@kittenmagix), or chat with Marie and Carlota on G+. Stay connected! Subscribe to the audio podcast on iTunes or Stitcher, or sign up for our mailing list!  

If you missed our live Google+ Hangout on Air, or you want to listen to it or watch it again, here it is!   Keeping Up with the Joneses As two broke authentic female entrepreneurs, in starting our respective businesses, both Marie and I had to make our respective peace with the (sometimes overwhelming) success of other entrepreneurs. It’s something every new small business owner has to deal with: you have a great idea, you have virtually no money or experience, you’re trying desperately to believe in the value of your idea…but is that enough? You go on Facebook, for example, and see a friend from law school who has her own posh consulting firm, posting pictures from her weekend in the Hamptons and you want to curl up in the fetal position at8am. You find yourself thinking, "...what the hell do I know? Who would ever care about my idea? I should just give up..."   Don’t do it! Keep your chin up and you do you.   You can either commit to your small business idea--i.e. commit to yourself--or you can break your own heart and waste your own damn time, comparing yourself to your (dangerous, deluding) perceptions of other people. Perceptions that are frequently false. That chick in the Hamptons? Maybe she has a trust fund, maybe her husband pays the bills, maybe she got a great buy-out from her last job. Maybe it doesn’t really matter and you should keep your eyes on your own plate and GET BACK TO WORK! You can waste your entire afternoon driving yourself crazy clicking through all of her Facebook photos and loathing yourself, and your life…or you could spend that afternoon, working on your new website, creating a list of potential clients, networking and you know, build your own business.   Because you never know what’s really going on in other people’s lives. How could you? Most of us barely know what the hell is going on in our own life! You’re jealous of that guy who’s going to Thailand for Christmas while he, simultaneously, is probably jealous that you had the moxie to start your business, since he loathes his job, and only does it for the money, and has nightmares about work every night, and plans to spend the entire time in Thailand, drunk, whining.    Not to mention: the more you invest, emotionally, in your business, the more you allow it to change your life, the less you’ll care about what other people are doing. And right around then, that chick from the Hamptons? Well, she’ll be emailing you, asking to take you out to drinks, and get your advice since your business looks great, wow, you really know what you’re doing and she’s a hot mess.   Again: you do you, Sunshine.   Maybe that means that when you sit down to work, you log out of Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and cuteoverload.com. Maybe you turn off your phone, put on some background music and set the egg-timer for 45 minutes and just do business. Better to spend a solid 45 minutes doing business than 8 hours seeking reasons to feed your voracious insecurity and self-loathing.   You can waste your life keeping up with the Joneses of the world or you can realize that your only competition is in the mirror. #GetToWork   Marie adds: If you are going to spend time comparing yourself to other businesses, do it productively. Examine what’s working for them, and consider whether or how you might adapt those practices for your own business.   Share your thoughts with us by commenting at http://nofrillssmallbusiness.com/episode7, emailing us at info@nofrillssmallbusiness.com, Tweeting Marie (@cyeshow) and Carlota (@kittenmagix), or chatting with Marie and Carlota on G+. Stay connected! Subscribe to the audio podcast on iTunes or Stitcher or the video channel on YouTube! Sign up for our mailing list! 

If you missed our live Google+ Hangout on Air, or you want to listen to it or watch it again, here it is! We did this show, hot off being part of the presentation at BlogHer’15 Social Media Bootcamp Lightning Lessons in the Latest: LinkedIn, Google+ Hangouts On Air, and Twitter at which we had discussed … Continue reading Episode 6: Using G+ for Your Small Business

If you missed our live Google + Hangout on Air, or if you want to listen to it or watch it again, here it is!   We shared our strategies and actionable tips for transitioning from being an employee to being self-employed. Some of the things we discussed were: Testing and creating structures to improve … Continue reading Episode 5: Transitioning from Working for Others to Being Self-Employed

Our Next Episode Our next live G+ Hangout on Air is scheduled for Monday, June 8, 2015 at 10 a.m. PT/11 a.m. MT/12 noon CT/1 p.m. ET/6 p.m. GMT. We’ll be discussing the transition from being an employee to being self-employed. You can watch the preview below. Don’t forget to RSVP here for your reminder! … Continue reading Teaser for June 8, 2015 Live Hangout on Air

About This Episode This episode was recorded in front of a live and participatory audience! Freelancers obviously can’t do it all by themselves, so we thought the topic of using collaboration and partnership to grow your small business would be the right one to record at the Freelancers Union Hall’s newly launched co-working space. Freelancers Union is dedicated to building … Continue reading Episode 4: Using Collaboration & Partnership to Grow Your Business

If you missed our live Google + Hangout on Air, or if you want to listen to it, here it is! You can watch the video and share your feedback at http://nofrillssmallbusiness.com/3. We shared our strategies for getting the most value out of business conferences or networking events, including: Plan ahead. Save money by registering during the "early bird" periods. Reduce the negative impact of your absence on your business by completing critical tasks, prescheduling, and touching base with clients before your trip. Set your own goals for professional development, networking, and more, and then focus on these activities to get the most out of the conference. Pack the right mix of clothing so you can present yourself well. Take care of yourself. Hydrate! Take advantage of on-site resources like spas and gym facilities to keep your routine as close to normal as possible and to ward off stress. Give yourself permission to retreat, refresh, and rest when necessary. Be open to opportunities. Stay positive and put your best foot forward when making connections. Consider volunteering to help out in exchange for free admission, or look for sponsorships. We also shared our crowdfunding tips. Follow up and stay connected. Continue the conversations you started at the event via email or on social media. Join online groups for participants or attendees. Reach out to people you didn't have the chance to meet with at the event. What other suggestions do you have for getting value out of business events? Share your thoughts with us by commenting at http://nofrillssmallbusiness.com/3, emailing us at info@nofrillssmallbusiness.com, Tweeting Marie (@cyeshow) and Carlota (@kittenmagix), or chatting with +MarieSegaresUndergroundCrafter and +CarlotaZimmerman on G+. Stay connected! Subscribe to the audio podcast on iTunes or Stitcher or the video channel on YouTube at http://nofrillssmallbusiness.com/YouTube! Sign up for our mailing list at http://nofrillssmallbusiness.com/list! RSVP for our next Google+ Hangout, scheduled for Monday, May 11, 2015! Get more info at http://nofrillssmallbusiness.com/4. Using Collaboration and Partnership to Grow Your Business - No Frills Small Business, live Google Hangout on May 11, 2015

Our next live Google+ Hangout on Air has been re-scheduled for Monday, April 27, 2015. We’re taking No Frills Small Business bi-coastal! Carlota will be holding down the fort in New York City while Marie attends New Media Expo in Las Vegas. We’ll be talking about how you can get the most value from your next … Continue reading Teaser for April 27, 2015 Live Hangout on Air

If you missed our live Google + Hangout on Air, or if you want to listen to it or watch it again, here it is! You can also subscribe to the audio version of No Frills Small Business on iTunes or Stitcher. We celebrated Women’s History Month the No Frills Small Business way! This episode focused … Continue reading Episode 2: Women’s History Month 2015

Our next live Google+ Hangout on Air is scheduled for Monday, March 30, 2015. We're going to be celebrating Women's History Month by talking about how you can make your own herstory as a women small business owner, solopreneur, freelancer, or artisan. Listen to our audio teaser for more details! We'll be answering the top questions we hear from women small business owners. Join us live to share your questions, or share them with us before hand by commenting at http://nofrillssmallbusiness.com/teaser201503, on the Hangout page, email us at info@nofrillssmallbusiness.com, Tweet Marie (@cyeshow) and Carlota (@kittenmagix), or chat with Marie and Carlota on G+.

If you didn't have a chance to join us on February 23, 2015, or, if you want to listen again, you can listen to the audio version of our Social Media Week panel. For more detailed notes, including all the images referenced in the recording, visit http://nofrillssmallbusiness.com/smw2015. About the panel Carlota Zimmerman (Moderator) is an entrepreneur: a career/small business coach, writer, and former playwright. Her writing has been published on websites including Huffington Post, Thought Catalog, AboveTheLaw & MSNBC.com. She coaches a variety of white-collar and artistic clients, helping them to create the professional opportunities they need, from the resources they have. She has taught career-building workshops at CUNY, the NY Public Library, and other locations. A graduate of Wellesley College, and IU Bloomington Maurer School of Law, Carlota previously worked in TV news in Russia and the US, before launching her business in 2008. Like her Facebook page for a complimentary consultation. Emily Colucci (Panelist) is a freelance art writer, curator and co-founder of Filthy Dreams, a blog analyzing art and culture through a queer lens and a touch of camp. Writing for print magazines, online venues and exhibition catalogues, Emily has contributed to VICE Magazine, ArtVoices Magazine, Salon, LA Review of Books, New York Magazine’s Bedford and Bowery, WhiteWall Magazine, among others, and has forthcoming articles in POZ Magazine and Art Papers Magazine. This September, Emily will be co-curating Visual AIDS’s annual exhibition, Party Out of Bounds: Nightlife as Activism since 1980 at LaMaMa Galleria, looking at the intersection of HIV/AIDS activism and nightlife from the 80s to the present. Deemed (by herself) the “art critic of trash,” and told that she writes from a “contrarian personal sensibility,” Emily is interested in Downtown New York artwork from the 1970s and 1980s and its legacy, AIDS activism and queer activism in art and any type of experimental contemporary art. Kate Hendricks (Panelist) is a stand-up comedian, writer, and creator of the character and web-series "Kate the Wasp." As a stand-up performer, Kate has appeared on ABC's The View, Nickelodeon's "Nick Mom's Night Out" and she performs frequently around NYC's premiere bars and basements. Her web-series, "Kate the Wasp," is a satirical take on a cluelessly entitled but well-intentioned white woman. As part of the 2014 New York Television Festival, Lifetime selected "Kate the Wasp" as a semi-finalist for their Unscripted Development Pipeline. Marie Segares (Panelist) is a blogger, author, podcaster, consultant, and college professor. After a 15-year career in nonprofit management, including co-founding an innovative public high school and managing the administrative operations of a community health center, Marie started an entrepreneurial adventure in 2013 by working for herself. Currently, she spends her days hustling among crochet and knitting pattern designing, blogging, hosting three podcasts, and teaching undergraduate and graduate business courses. Looking for the images referenced in the recording? Visit http://nofrillssmallbusiness.com/smw2015 Join the conversation! You can read all the Tweets panelists and audience members shared - or even add your own! - using hashtag #SMWNYCALLTHATSHEWANTS. Don't forget to let us know what you think. You can comment below, or Tweet to Carlota at @kittenmagix, Kate at @katethewasp, Emily at @emilycolucci, and Marie at @ucrafter.

If you missed our first live Google + Hangout on Air, or if you want to listen to it or watch it again, here it is! In this episode, we focused on budgeting. We talked about changing your mindset about money and your business budget, saving money, pricing, free and low-cost resources for small businesses, competition, … Continue reading Episode 1: Budgeting