Webinar and New Products

I've been scouting for products from other sources that can help you with your business. Besides asking me how to get customers to pay, people also frequently ask about arranging credit for their business. That's tough for small business owners because banks so often want personal guarantees and other direct ties between the business and the owner's credit. But I did find an ebook about how to get credit for your small business without tangling your personal finances. Since it isn't my product, I simply put a referral to it in the store.

On 20 May, I presented a webinar about getting your small business paid on time and in full. That was sponsored by Independent Computer Consultants Association, and a recording is available from them.

I put together an MP3 audio download derived from the webinar, using only the USA-oriented material. Initially I intended to charge for it, but I decided to offer it free of charge instead. If you're like me, you listen to this type of program while traveling to appointments.

If you want the international sneak peek at the end of my webinar, though, you'll prefer the ICCA recording. The cost for ICCA members is $25 (there is also a package deal for all webinars this year that brings it down to $10 per session), and the fee for non-members is $50. To get the webinar recording, visit ICCA.

Articles

My blog entries were turning out to be short articles. To reach a wider audience, I now distribute them through ezinearticles.com, where publishers can pick them up free of charge so long as articles are reprinted in their entirety with my attribution paragraph.

You can now download a <a href="http://www.makesureyougetpaid.com/shop/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=8"free report</a> collecting a few of my articles about doing business across borders. These are starter articles, of greatest interest for anyone who is new to international business. When I began looking into international business, it looked daunting. Just the list of ways to handle payment made my head spin--and I did not find the whole list at any one place, so I had to create my own. Naturally, my overview of payment methods is in the starter pack.

Newsletter Launch

My newsletter launched in June 2009. If you find yourself yawning while studying ways to run your business better, you'll be interested in a project I've begun. All I will tell you right now is that learning can be fun, and what I'm working on is something even your employees will like! If you want to know more, please sign up for the newsletter!

Bonnie D. Huval, Founder
Seneschal Incorporated (USA)
Havenshire Limited (UK)

At the end of June 2009, I updated "Get Paid! As Much As You Deserve, and On Time." This edition is also available as a paperback through Amazon. To get the paperback, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Get-Paid-Much-Deserve-Time/dp/1448631807/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1249556329&sr=1-1">click here</a>. It is on magazine sized pages so the customer checklist is large enough for you to use. People who buy in either form get electronic (not hardcopy) updates such as this updated ebook at no extra charge for three years.

I intended to keep our Latest News simply business oriented... but if you are having a financial disaster, personally or in your business, please read this!

One of my businesses rents out space in a small office building. The newest tenant moved in last autumn--a small business that had just been bought by a new owner. Less than a month ago, the property manager relayed a request from that new business owner for a reduction in rent. He already had the lowest lease rate in the building because he took the unit most in need of updating. Considering how hard the times are, I sent back some questions instead of an outright rejection.

In retrospect, even cutting his rent in half would not have solved his problems, but I wish he and I had talked directly about it. A few days ago, he killed himself. No matter how far down you are, please don't do that.

Even when it seems like your world is ending, nothing is the end of the world except the end of the world. Everything else is short of that. Good things don't last forever, but bad things don't last forever either.

At this point, you might expect me to talk about how many entrepreneurs fail at least once before they succeed. That isn't where I'm coming from. I used to work for an employer just like most people do. Even though I wanted to try doing business on my own, I was afraid to take the risks. Then I got sick. Really sick. The kind of sick where doctors scratch their heads, say they don't know what's wrong, and can't offer much help. The kind of sick where you're sure you couldn't possibly be so ill unless you're dying. On top of that, I was in debt and on my own, and lost most of the activities at the center of my identity. It felt like the end of the world. That was more than 20 years ago.

So you see, I mean exactly what I said, and I know exactly how hard it is to believe when you're in such a deep dark place. I've never felt suicidal over money problems. Other things can be big enough for that, but not money. I have a fundamental belief that I can always start over--I've done it before, and I can do it again--and I don't think I'm any stronger than you are.

For me, after getting so sick, the risks of stepping into business for myself no longer looked as daunting--so I did it. Sometimes it has been great and other times not, but I am much happier. My health also gradually got better. It isn't perfect, but hardly anybody's is after a certain point.

If you can't hold on for your own sake, remember that your life is not an island. My tenant left a wife and children and friends to mourn him. He left a hole in a lot of lives that nobody else can fill, and all that sorrow has nothing to do with money.

So if you're in a bad spot kind of like my tenant, or kind of like me 20-something years ago... it isn't the end of the world. Things may fall apart. You may fall apart for a while. But do stick around. If you don't, you'll never know what would have been your next chapter.

Bonnie D. Huval