|
|
|
Greetings!
 I just finished watching a remarkable movie, "Salmon Fishing in The Yemen". It's a story about a sheik with a crazy dream to build a place for salmon fishing in his country, despite the arid climate. Even though the idea is technically feasible, everybody thinks it's a crazy idea. Yet somehow they find a way to do it. It is fun and inspiring and a really great movie.
It reminded me of the dream many of us have to start a business. Sometimes we have an idea for a product or service, but friends and family tell us we're crazy. Maybe we have a good paying job but want to give it up to go it on our own and people try to discourage us.
 If you listen to those people, instead of what's in your heart, you may not follow your dreams and may end up working unhappily. And often when you don't follow your heart you end up with a nagging empty feeling that just won't go away.
Dreams can come in many forms. Entrepreneurial dreams. Health aspirations. Relationship ideals. Sometimes they are less esoteric - perhaps a special home or vacation or vehicle.
Whatever your dreams might be there are a couple key concepts to remember when pursuing them:
1. To realize your dream(s), it is necessary to create a game plan. An actual list of goals and steps necessary to get there. If you take the time to do this, then you will have a blueprint to help you stay focused.
 2. Despite the cliche`, Life is Short and it is going to continue whether you go after your dreams or not. Before you know it, six months or a year will pass and had you started following your dream blueprint when you first created it, you may already have achieved your dream and if you're not quite there, surely you are well on your way to realizing it.
When you don't work the steps, when you just 'wish' and (day)dream, then your dreams may never come true. In this life, we almost always have to take the initiative to make our own luck and to ensure our dreams come to fruition.
I know people who have started their own business but who don't understand how much work it takes to get it going. They do a few networking events, they may even donate to a few charitable events, they send out a newsletter or two and hand out some business cards, but when these activities don't immediately result in clients, they find themselves sitting at home wondering what they're doing wrong.
 In fact they are doing nothing wrong. They just aren't doing enough. Building a business is a numbers game. You have to be out there constantly, talking to people, building relationships, promoting your brand, and creating a presence in the market.
As an extreme example, I met a woman at a Chamber mixer one night who was terribly distraught because she felt her business was failing since she'd had no customers and hadn't sold anything. To listen to her, you'd have thought she'd been in business for years (or at the very least months). When asked, it turned out her doors opened just a few days before the mixer! Yikes! That's totally unrealistic.
You must have reasonable expectations and you must believe in what you're offering. Belief is of paramount importance because when you aren't fully committed, your lack of confidence comes through to prospective clients and subconsciously they will think: If he/she doesn't believe in this, why should I?
There's no question it is challenging to stay committed over the long haul. The first few years are especially difficult. Often you're working in a vacuum and only have your dream blueprint to keep you motivated. It is rare you'll have income and even if you do, most of it needs to go back into the business.
 To be successful, especially in the beginning, you must treat every day like your only job is to promote your new business. Every day you must do something that helps further you down the path toward your dream. Don't get mired in the minutiae - an all too common affliction for avoiding the hard tasks.
Just like the sheik who, against all odds, believed he could bring salmon fishing to Yemen, you can realize any dream if you have the confidence, faith and determination to go after it. Tenacity is the word, one step at a time...
Not sure how to create a dream blueprint? Executive Errands® can help you define the action items to follow so you can realize your dreams! 760.898.9604 www.executive-errands.com |
|
Our Favorite Things... Grower's Market...
 Recently I left a tomato out on the counter. After a week, instead of being rotted and leaking juice, it looked almost like it did the day I put it there.
The only difference was it had gotten firm and dense and shrank in on itself a little but otherwise it looked basically ok. There's something desperately wrong with that. Ewwwww Produce - normal produce - should rot eventually, right?
If you want locally grown, organic produce and if you enjoy specialty products by local chefs and bakers, then try Grower's Market located in the 73000 block of Highway 111 in Palm Desert.
The produce is fresh, the store is small yet packed full of great products. When you walk inside, you feel like you've been transported to a small town grocer of yesteryear.
In addition to the wide array of produce, Grower's Market has a large variety of locally made pastas, specialty breads, fresh teas, sauces and salsas.
They also have a better than average selection of gluten free products. The staff is helpful and friendly and they donate food regularly to the FIND food bank.
Open Mon - Sat 9am - 6pm and Sun 9am to 5pm 760.346.3276
When you want fresh and local - Grower's Market, one of our Favorite Things..
["Our Favorite Things" gives us an opportunity to share people, places, events and things that we truly love and that you might too. We have no business affiliation with any company or individual featured here. We just want to share good things with you and if our recommendations help build business for someone else or saves you time or money, GREAT!!!]
|
|
Summer Activities to get you out and about...
 We only have a month or so left of summer - or at least until we need to start preparing for the return of the snowbirds. So before we have to knuckle down, here are a few fun things to do to help get you out of the heat and to have some fun:
--If you enjoy camping, then Lake Hemet might be the place for a fun and affordable weekend! We just spent a few days there and it was a blast (although the 58 degree night was a bit too chilly for me)! You can camp, fish, boat and enjoy the beautiful scenery while making s'mores over a hearty campfire. www.lakehemet.org
 --If you enjoy hiking, why not take a trip out to Whitewater? This preserve offers permits for camping, back country trip parking, and after hours hiking. On August 14th there is a bird walk where you might see any of their 216 available species. http://www.wildlandsconservancy.org/preserve_whitewater.html
--One of our most favorite places is Idyllwild, sort of a mini Big Bear and only about an hour away. Idyllwild is a cool and fun place for hiking, camping, bicycle riding, shopping and dining. Especially shopping! There are a number of local artisans showing off their wares. www.idyllwild.com
--If you prefer to be in the water, then either the Palm Desert Aquatic Center or Knott's Soak City will satisfy your desire to be wet. The Aquatic Center includes three pools, diving boards and slides and is extremely affordable. Knott's Soak City also has a number of slides, wading pools and fun activities. On August 3rd and 17th, Knott's offers a 'Dive-In Movie', showing "Goonies" and "Flushed Away" respectively.
www.cityofpalmdesert.org/Index.aspx?page=611 and http://www.soakcityps.com/what-s-new/dive-in-movie?gclid=COTIvf_uwLECFSQ0QgodOgwApg
Executive Errands® 760.898.9604 or visit our website at www.executive-errands.com |
|
Save Money, Live Healthier...
 One of the ways to live healthy and to follow your dreams is to eat right.
Unfortunately, produce, especially organic produce, can be costly. We recently received a 'Grocery Savings Guide' in the mail. Here are some tips to help save on your grocery bill so you can afford to indulge in healthier choices:
1. Products on the top and bottom shelves often carry the bigger sizes of items and they tend to carry a lower price per unit than the eye-level items.
2. Purchase oranges, onions and potatoes in bags rather than individually and you'll pay roughly half the price per pound.
3. Buy store brands rather than name brands. There are a few things you shouldn't skimp on (in my opinion, cheese is one of them) but for the most part store brands are made by the name brand companies and are far less costly.
 4. Buy ground beef and chicken breasts in bulk or family sizes and you'll save at least 20% on beef and as much as 50% on chicken. If family size is too much, invest in a Food Saver system and freeze in individual portions. You'll make your money back in no time.
5. Opt for frozen seafood over fresh. Vacuum-packaged seafood costs 20-40% less than 'fresh' and most 'fresh' fish has been previously frozen in transport anyway. Why pay more?
6. Avoid, avoid, avoid pre-packaged and prepared food as you'll pay a high fee for the convenience. A two pound bag of carrots is about $1.29. Precut sticks run about $7.16 for the same amount.
7. Buy non-grocery items at a discount warehouse or mass market retailer. Grocery stores have huge margins on these items.
 8. Those 'club' discount cards are worth about an 18% savings off your total grocery bill when you use them consistently.
9. Make the time to download coupons. You can download them directly to your store club card so when you enter your preferred card number they are automatically deducted from your bill. Try www.couponcart.com or find one that works for you - there are dozens of them.
10. Join a warehouse club. The $40-$50 yearly fee is more than made up in the discounts you receive. If you opt for the Executive level membership, you'll receive money back at the end of the year.
Executive Errands® 760.898.9604 or www.executive-errands.com
|
|
Long Term Rentals...
 One of the tasks we do for our clients with long term rentals is to 'flip' the house when a tenant leaves. We do the cosmetic home inspection, write up a findings report, make recommendations for fixes, provide quotes for client requested work efforts, and do the work once it's approved.
The findings report includes photographs and documentation that helps the homeowner decide whether or not to return security deposits. We make the home re-rentable just as quickly as we can, sometimes in as little as a week, so the realtor or property management company can market the home and get the revenue going again.
From handyman work to new carpet, new paint, deep cleanings, plumbing, electrical or AC service - whatever needs to be done, we are there for our clients and realtors.
Once the home is rented again, and when the client requests it, we'll work with their realtor to do a pre-rental walk through with the new tenants so there is a 'condition of the home' baseline. All too often tenants and homeowners end up in a disagreement over damages post move-out. These pre-rental inspections avoid that problem.
To discuss any of these services or to engage us to do a post move out inspection, please contact us at 760.898.9604 or www.executive-errands.com
|
|
Money & Time Saving Apps....
 One of our favorite health and wellness apps is "Health Tip of the Day". When you're planning to live a healthy lifestyle but don't always know where to start, this app offers great daily tips and if you like them, you can tweet them and/or send them to Facebook. to share with your friends.
Health Tip of the Day is free (or .99 if you want it ad free) and is available through iTunes. It is available for both iPhone and iPad.
Start getting your healthy tips today!
Executive Errands® at 760.898.9604 or www.executive-errands.com
|
|
Is Your Transportation Healthy?...
One of the ways to better health is to ride your bike. It's been too hot for most of us but if you'd like to prepare for the cooler days of Fall, let us know and we'll take your bicycles for a  preventative maintenance check.
Your bikes will be cleaned, greased, aired up, adjusted and returned - ready to ride immediately upon your return.
Likewise, your golf carts are also probably ready for a preventative maintenance checkup. Tires, batteries, checks for motor and alignments - it's not too soon to get your play vehicles ready for Fall.
To schedule any of these services, please contact us at 760.898.9604 or www.executive-errands.com
|
 1) If you enjoy this newsletter, then this is a reminder that all of our newsletters are available at our archive by clicking here: EE Newsletter Archive
2) We have a dedicated Executive Errands® page on Facebook - www.facebook.com/executiveerrands - each day we post at least one service, helpful hint, charity update or other news. If you haven't yet visited and 'liked' us, please do so today! 3) We also have a dedicated Concierge Business Solutions page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/conciergebusinesssolutions If you haven't yet 'liked' us, please do. We post regular business, marketing, sales, and networking tips on this page. 4) As always, both client testimonials and newsletter testimonials are available on our website at www.executive-errands.com
5) If you'd like an electronic copy of our Homeowner Reference Brochure, please give us a call at 760.898.9604
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Are you familiar with the phrase 'mired in the minutiae'? Mostly we are mired in the minutiae when we focus on the fun tasks (whatever we consider to be fun) or easier tasks instead of getting out there and winning clients or selling product.
Oftentimes a key indicator of being mired is when we spend countless hours planning when we should be doing. This is also known as 'analysis paralysis'.
It is easy to sit in our office and do paperwork or post on Facebook or read about how to do something. It is hard when we have to make a cold call or suffer the rejection of our sales pitch or try to explain exactly why someone should want to do business with us.
 If we want to realize our dreams, we have to make a plan and get out there to make it happen. One of the benefits of following our dreams is that when we do things we love, our brains release endorphins that make us feel good. Endorphins also help increase our health quotient.
But if we allow ourselves to become mired to the point where we are experiencing paralysis, then not only don't we progress toward our dreams, but also the benefits of following our dreams are negated.
Spend the time to write down the steps and set the goals you need in order to realize your dreams. Then every day make sure to do something off that list. Don't be afraid to change the list from time to time. You need to review the steps and if they are no longer effective, or if your direction has changed, then by all means make adjustments, but the important thing is to keep working at it every day.
All too soon that dream will be in snug in the palm of your hand. Remember, time is going to pass one way or the other. Don't waste another minute...
It was Socrates who said "Beware the barrenness of a busy life". How true! That's the scourge of our society isn't it? We're all so busy, we have no time for any semblance of work/life balance.
Even when we make time for fun we often take our work with us in the form of an iPhone or iPad or some other lifeline (and I use the word 'life' sarcastically in that context). Or worse, if we don't carry our work with us, we often suffer guilt and worry over what is happening or not getting done.
August 1st through 7th is 'Simplify Your Life' week.
Executive Errands® has been helping to simplify your life for the last nearly 7 years and we are thrilled and honored to have been allowed to do so. Thank you, all our dear readers and valued clients, colleagues and friends who support us, refer us and use our services!!
Until September,
(Don't forget to 'Like' us on Facebook!)
Leslie Spoor, CCS
President, Executive Errands® & Concierge Business Solutions
760.469.2487
CL #944447
We value our clients' privacy. Therefore we do not, distribute your email address to anyone, ever.
Executive Errands® is a Registered Trademark of Leslie Spoor
(our attorney insists we say this)
|
|
|
On October 20th, please join us for "Celebrating Wellness" a fundraiser to benefit Soroptimist House of Hope (SHOH).
We already have about a half dozen vendors signed up so if you have a health and wellness company and would like to promote your business, the contact numbers are below for participation information.
The Celebrating Wellness fundraiser is one of the first events for the 2012 - 2013 season and promises to be a lot of fun.
For the month of August only, we're offering a special back-to-school deal. Instead of our regular hourly rate for errands, we'll do your school shopping for a fixed rate.