Legal Speak For the Lay Person: What You Say May Be Used Against You!

Legal Speak for the Lay Person

When a person is arrested for a criminal matter, there are legal procedures like the Miranda warning to advise that you have the right to an attorney and anything you say may be used against you.

Do you know your rights when it comes to civil matters? There is more than one legal way that you may be asked to give testimony – that means talk about something – that can later be used against you in a civil matter, even if you are not yet involved in a lawsuit.

This article explains some of the common civil circumstances where you may be asked to speak, and what to keep in mind to help protect yourself. For legal advice, always seek guidance from a reputable attorney in your area!

Recorded Statement

If you are involved in any kind of insurance claim, you can pretty much expect to be contacted by the insurance company for a statement or interview. The insurance company representative or claims adjuster will ask you a series of questions, and will usually record the conversation.

The insurance company representative may contact you by phone or come to see you in person, even if you are in the hospital or recovering from injuries.

Do you have to give a statement? The insurance company will say they have to get your statement to investigate the claim. If it is your insurance company, there is probably wording in your auto or home policy that requires you to cooperate with the investigation.

If it is the insurance company for the person or company at fault, they will say they have to get your statement before they consider paying your damages.

While you will likely have to provide a statement – and will want to tell your side of the story – you don’t have to give your statement right away. You do not have to provide a statement while you are upset, ill or medicated.

Most importantly, you do not have to provide a statement to the insurance company before you have contacted an attorney.

Remember that an insurance company will try very hard to make sure your claim is covered under the policy before they will pay any money. That also means they will try very hard to determine if your situation is not covered, even if they are your insurance company.

Even if your claim will be covered by the policy, then the insurance company will decide how much the claim is worth. That often includes cutting back on the amount because they think you could have avoided the situation or that you brought some of it on yourself.

You see why your recorded statement is so important?

Examination Under Oath

An Examination Under Oath is a sworn statement from an insured taken by an attorney representing the insurance company. The insurance company attorney will ask you questions about yourself, your background, your finances and the reason for your insurance claim. A paid court reporter will be there to take down every word you say.

Insurance companies in every state will use an Examination Under Oath to investigate claims, especially if there are large dollar amounts involved or if the insurance company thinks fraud may be involved.

The insurance company can arrange for an Examination Under Oath even if there is no lawsuit involved. You will get a letter telling you when and where to show up.

You may be told to bring copies of your personal information, for example: phone records, bank statements, pay stubs, tax returns, utility bills, mortgage and deed, and tax returns. You will be questioned about any or all of these things.

You could be asked questions about who lived with you, arrest records, your physical or mental health, or medications and injuries from before and after the incident that is the basis of your claim.

If you don’t show up or refuse to answer questions, your claim may be denied for failing to cooperate.

You do not have to bring an attorney with you to an Examination Under Oath. You need to know that you have the right to hire an attorney before an Examination Under Oath even if you did not have one when you filed your claim.

Depositions

Depositions are similar to an Examination Under Oath but are more formal and not limited to insurance companies.

Depositions are part of the discovery part of a lawsuits, when both sides are allowed to ask questions and gather information they will use to prove their case to a judge or jury. You can be deposed whether you are the one who filed the lawsuit or if you are defending yourself against a lawsuit.

In the United States you have the right to represent yourself in a lawsuit, but it is usually not a good idea. You will want to have an attorney with you if you are going to be deposed.

Deposition testimony will be taken down by a court reporter and sometimes will be filmed. Any part of what you say can be used against you during the lawsuit and at trial.

You might be questioned on your personal life, employment history, military service, daily activities, finances and your education, in addition to details that have to do with the lawsuit.

Your attorney will help you get ready for a deposition so you have an idea of what to expect.

At the deposition, your attorney will speak up if the questions are something you should not answer or are not proper. He or she will make sure you get breaks when you need them if the questioning goes on a long time or ask to postpone further questioning if needed.

 

Do you have question about giving statements in insurance claims or legal actions? Do you have an experience to share? Please leave your comments below!

Legal Speak for the Layperson: What You Need To Know About Expert Witnesses

What you need to know about expert witnesses if your are in a lawsuit. Legal proceedings can be scary and confusing for anyone not familiar with legal language and procedures. Your attorney will guide you through the process of your legal situation, and there is a good chance that he or she may talk to you about the role of an “expert witness” in your case.

What Makes an Expert

A legal definition of expert is “Persons examined as witnesses in a cause, who testify in regard to some professional or technical matter arising in the case, and who are permitted to give their opinions as to such matter on account of their special training, skill, or familiarity with it. An expert is a person who possesses peculiar skill and knowledge upon the subject matter that he is required to give an opinion upon.”

That’s a mouthful! What it means is that an expert is a person who knows a lot about a particular subject because they have experience, training or education on that subject.

When an expert tells what they think about your subject, they are giving testimony and what they say about it is their opinion.

There are two sides to every legal proceeding.

The person (or government body) that starts a legal proceeding to accuse another person or company of doing wrong is the plaintiff.

The person or company being charged with a crime or being sued in a civil action is the defendant.

An expert witness may be hired by either the plaintiff or the defendant to give an opinion on an important subject in the case.

Examples of Expert Witnesses

Television crime dramas have loads of expert witness testimony (cue the music) that make or break the case. Scientists called to the stand to explain DNA tests, blood spatter patterns, fingerprints or how poisons are detected are all examples of expert witnesses.

For most people, the most common cause of a lawsuit is personal injury. There are legal proceeding every day for personal injury claims, from car accidents to worker compensation claims.

Both the person who is injured and the party at fault will use experts to try to show, among other things, how badly the person is injured, if the injury keeps the person from working, if the person will continue to suffer from the injury, and if the injury could have been prevented.

Medical doctors are frequently used as expert witnesses. The injured person will have been treating with one or more medical doctors that could include a number of specialists, like orthopedists and neurologists.

In addition, the person or insurance company on the opposing side of the lawsuit often will arrange for the injured person to be examined by a specialist of their choosing. This is called an Independent Medical Exam (“IME”) or a defense medical exam.

Doctors aren’t the only kind of expert witness. Depending on the circumstances leading to the lawsuit, experts called to testify may include mental health specialists, accident reconstruction specialists, workplace safety engineers, mechanical specialists, or authorities on just about any subject that pertains to the case.

Then It Gets Interesting

Having an expert to testify about injuries and damages is not always a straightforward process. That’s why you need a good attorney!

The other side may try to impeach your expert. In other words, they will try to convince the judge or jury not to believe the testimony of your expert.

An expert may be impeached if the other side proves the witness is not qualified enough to be an expert, that his area of expertise does not apply to the case, or that the expert has not looked specifically at the situation at hand.

Sometimes the other side will claim that the expert’s opinion in not based on true science, if your expert has an opinion about your injuries that is unique.

Having a better understanding of the role of expert witnesses will help you if your case requires an expert. An experienced attorney will explain the need for an expert witness to prove or defend your position in the lawsuit.

Do you have experiences with expert witnesses? Are there more legal issues you would like to learn about?

Elder Care Emergencies – How You Can Be Prepared

how to be prepared for elder care emergencies It is all too common for older folks in failing health to end up in the emergency room. Even if their elder care providers include an assisted living arrangement or a nursing home, they will be transported to the hospital if they fall and break a bone or have a medical crisis.

More than 6.8 million people over the age of 65 ended up spending at least one night in a hospital during 2012, according to The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration on Aging.

The Center for Disease Control reports that more than 2.5 million older people are treated in the emergency room each year for injuries from a fall, and one out of five falls result in broken bones or a head injury.

There are steps you can take now that will help you be ready to respond to an elder care emergency.

Getting Your Docs in a Row

Before your elderly loved one is too sick or confused to sign legal documents, it is a good idea to get written permission for you to talk to doctors and make treatment decisions for them. Your parent can also fill out a form that makes it clear how much life-support they would want.

There are different kinds of permission forms

One kind is a medical power of attorney. A medical power of attorney allows the doctors to speak with you and lets you to have a say in treatment choices. A medical power of attorney does not give you the right to make any financial or property decisions for your parent.

If your parent is already in the hospital, you can ask the hospital, usually through the hospital social worker, to help you and your parent complete a medical power of attorney and have your parent’s signature notarized.

The hospital will usually ask if your parent has Advanced Directives. Advanced Directives are a way for your parent to make it clear how much medical care he or she wants if they are too sick or hurt to express their wishes.

Advanced Directives let you and your parent discuss and make decisions on treatments or life support ahead of time.

For example, my dad was very sick and facing major surgery. He made it clear that even if he was unconscious, he did not want food or fluids withheld. He had a real fear of starvation.

That information was put in writing, so we were able to reassure him that his wishes would be respected. With that done, he was less anxious going into surgery.

A Durable Power of Attorney gives you the legal authority to conduct all your parent’s business, including financial business. This kind of document is best prepared through an attorney to protect the interests of everyone involved.

Start Your Engines

Keep you gas tank topped off. My mom had multiple health issues and frequent small strokes the last few years of her life. We were in the same emergency room so often we joked about carving notches in the bed rails.

It only takes a few minutes to top off the tank. I made a habit to swing into the gas station anytime my gas level hit ¾ of a tank.

That may sound extreme, but the last thing you want do on the way to the emergency room is stop for gas. And you can trust me when I tell you that you do not want to be standing in a cold rain getting gas so you can get home after spending 24 sleepless hours in a hospital waiting room.

Heels and Toes

Now that your car is gassed up, stash a bag in your vehicle with good walking shoes and a change of comfortable clothes.

When we were taking care of my mom, I worked full-time in an office where I was usually wearing a skirt and heels. Not the best attire for traipsing up and down the hard floors of a hospital any time I needed a cup of coffee or to follow Mom down to X-ray.

I kept a bag in my trunk with sneakers, socks, a T-shirt and jeans and a hoodie. Even if I didn’t change my whole outfit, swapping the high heels for socks and sneakers made a huge difference in my staying power, and patience, for a lengthy hospital visit.

Can you Hear Me Now?

Keep a spare charger for your phone and other devices in your car. Remember to add an adapter in case you need to charge your phone in the car.

Do you know if your car has to be running to charge a phone or other device? If you do leave an electronic device to charge in your parked car, make sure you cover up the cord as well as the device. Don’t tempt a thief to smash out your window to grab your device!

Keep a phone charger with you in the hospital. In hospitals with limited outlets in waiting rooms it is pretty common to see folks sitting on the hallway floor with their phones plugged in while they scroll and text.

I quickly learned to get in the habit of scoping out chairs near an electrical outlet when I would walk into the cafeteria or a waiting area. I knew that if I sat down on the floor, I wouldn’t be able to get back up!

The phone battery runs down fast when you have lots of family members to update, so charge that puppy up at every opportunity. But, never ever leave your phone plugged in and walk away, even to step out of your parent’s room.

We all dread that call telling us our Mom or Dad is hurt or sick, but a little preparation in these four areas will help you tend to them with a few less distractions.

Are you caring for an elderly relative? Please share you experience in the comments below!

Business Ethics for Super Entrepreneurs: 4 Reasons to Define Your Values

Business Ethics for Super Entrepreneurs

Are you ready to be a super entrepreneur? Are you clear on your business ethics? If you aim to be the business owner everyone respects and trusts, here are four reasons why defining your values will improve your business.

Super Entrepreneurs Have a Plan

A good starting place for a business plan is figuring out why you want to work for yourself and what you hope to accomplish. To work from home? Be your own boss? Make money? All these may apply and probably more.

All businesses provide a product or service to solve a problem or enhance the lives of their customers. Core values will help make your brand distinctive.

The successful entrepreneur identifies a marketing niche by getting clear on what makes their product different from any other and builds a plan to reach their target customers. There are loads of courses and applications to help new business owners build their list and automate ads and emails.

Building and marketing a better mousetrap can make you a successful entrepreneur, but a super entrepreneur’s plan will also build a business culture, and that’s where your business ethics come in.

There are companies, and then there are super companies. It is no accident that super companies are as known and respected for how they treat their customers and employees as they are for their products and services.

Super companies come in all sizes, from mega corporations to solo super entrepreneur businesses.

I have been fortunate to spend the more than a decade with a company led by owners who are consistently recognized as “super” by peers, employees, and customers for their integrity, excellent work product, and community service. They have clearly stated values that guide their business practices. Their success is a direct result of their reputation.

Defining core values and incorporating those values into your business plan will give you a firm foundation for succeeding in your business as an entrepreneur.

Established Values Help Decision Making

Once you have set your core values, it will make it easier to draft your business procedures and make decisions. Sooner or later, you will run into a difficult situation that falls on you, as the boss, to resolve. Always look to your core values.

When problem-solving, eliminating those options that run counter to your core values will help you drill down to making the best decisions for your business.

Your company values should be reflected in the processes and procedures you give to employees, including virtual assistants.

Keep your values in mind in your selection of vendors, suppliers, sponsors, and affiliates.

We all love to see and participate in collaborations with other entrepreneurs, and of course, you will want to make sure your collaborations are with business owners whose values are in sync with yours.

Business Ethics Promote Customer Trust

Articulate your values as part of your brand. Let your customers know what to expect from you, your products and your customer service.

Who can forget how Superman used to say he fought for “truth, justice and the American way”?

Customers appreciate hearing about your commitment to them, so make the effort to communicate more than just an intent to be honest. Do you promise orders to be shipped with a certain number of business days? Do you welcome emails from your customers? Respect for your customers time and attention is a value, too!

Values Build Customer Loyalty

Customers will try out your product and services if they trust you, and consistently providing value-based products and services create loyalty.

In retail, the rule of thumb is that loyal customers make up about 20% of a customer base, but are responsible for 50% of sales. Not only that, but loyal customers are more likely to recommend you to new customers.

Customers are more loyal and secure when dealing with people and businesses they perceive as having compatible values. Are you a “green” business when it comes to your raw materials and waste? Do you donate a percentage of profits to charity? Share those values with your customers.

Your Values Are Part of Your Brand

Whether you have a brick-and-mortar business, a full-time online company or are just starting out with a side hustle; you can be a super entrepreneur by establishing core values based on business ethics that are unique to you and your brand.

What values define your business? Are you more likely to give repeat business to a value-based company? Please share your comments below!

Why Periscope Is the Online Business Owner’s Secret Weapon

Let Periscope be your secret weapon for community building! Periscope is the online business owner’s secret weapon!

Introduced less than a year ago, Periscope is a hot social media app that works as a mobile live streaming platform. Periscope makes it easy to spontaneously stream a live video of your opinions and activities via “scopes”. Participants show their support by sharing the broadcast and raise the host’s ratings by screen tapping to generate “heart” icons that float up the side of the screen.

Connected to Twitter, your scopes automatically show up on your newsfeed, so your followers can tweet and re-tweet your broadcasts. This can be a great marketing tool for your online business with the potential of attracting new business.

As an online business owner, take advantage of the fabulous and FREE opportunity to personalize and promote your brand and products by interacting live with viewers.

I have taken the leap into Periscope and so can you!

Get ready, get set… Periscope!

The very first Periscope stream that I participated in was done by a productivity guru who was on Periscope for the first time. She was ready, organized and completely personable. I got what I came for with no pain. She made me trust in her product.

I have happily followed her on Periscope and Twitter and tune in to her broadcasts. She became a role model for me when it comes to providing business content via multiple platforms, including live streams.

To attract viewers in the business community, have your content organized before scoping about your business or services. Treat business related scopes like a stand-up presentation in a boardroom. You can be less formal, but have some structure to the way you are sharing your information.

You may want to spend a few seconds in small talk while folks are joining your broadcast, but do get to the main topic fairly quickly, while you still have the attention of your audience.

Periscope for Business or Pleasure?

If you are going to use Periscope to market your business, it is probably a good idea to avoid using the same platform for sharing unrelated personal information unless you have an established following that knows you well.

If you are building a community around your products or services, try to be consistent and make the majority of your broadcasts about your business!

That’s not to say you can’t let your audience get to know you.

One of the business owners I follow has been on the Periscope scene from the beginning. She has also become a good friend, because she is so personable and friendly. Almost all of her scopes are related directly or indirectly to her products or services, with just plain socializing after the main topic has been discussed.

Everyone gets the benefit of her main topic, and not everyone sticks around for the chit-chat and that’s okay. Because she leads with great content and is a genuinely friendly and up-beat person, her followers are loyal and her business is growing by leaps and bounds.

Respect Your Periscope Audience

When you begin an online business venture, unless your name is already a household word, you will build recognition and followers over time.

One of my most respected and talented business coaches consistently stresses the importance of reaching out to potential community members. There is no substitute for one-on-one direct communication.

This is often the most difficult hurdle to overcome for new business owners. Where do you find potential community members, and how to reach out?

Periscope can be your secret weapon for community building!

When someone joins your scope and takes enough interest to comment, tap out hearts or share your broadcast they have gifted you with their valuable time and attention. Say thank you!

Make every effort to send a quick message expressing your appreciation. It feels good to send happy messages, and your audience member will enjoy being noticed. Don’t you think they will be more likely to tune in again?

Just Do It – Jumping on Periscope

Getting on Periscope might seem pretty scary the first time or two, but will be worth the effort. And every time gets easier.

Live streaming lets you respond immediately to viewer questions and comments, building loyalty and trust in your viewers. Periscope is also a great way to connect with other online business owners and may lead to some fabulous collaborations!

A little advanced planning and consideration for your audience can make Periscope the platform that takes your business to the next level.

Have you tried Periscope yet? What is holding you back? Share your thoughts on Periscope in the comments below!

Are Your Balls to the Walls? How To Avoid New Biz Burnout

Are your balls to the walls? How to overcome overwhelm!

Even girl bosses can have their Balls to the Walls, and usually do! The term came from aviation and is used to describe an extreme or intense situation. In many airplanes, the throttles (or power levers) are sticks with ball shaped ends. When a pilot wants full power, the throttle is pushed towards the front wall of the cockpit. So… “Balls to the Walls” means “full power”.

Nothing beats being an entrepreneur! Fueled with enthusiasm and amazing ideas, those first weeks and months when you decide to go for it are spent at full throttle, fueled by some dream of an overnight success story, because our products and services are completely awesome!

In our rush to get our business launched we spent hours late into the night setting up the framework, domain names, web sites, and producing products for prospective clients. We are launching a new business with a single mindedness that makes it practically noble to ignore housework, yardwork, shopping, laundry, and a slew of other daily life-tasks.

Look At This Mess!!

Just as in a new relationship, reality eventually sets in – probably sooner for entrepreneurs still working a full-time day job and bosses with multiple family obligations.

You can ignore the stats after you first go “live” convinced the public just needs to discover you before your offering will be on fire! Then after Tweeting your heart out, adding more blog posts, or whatever you do for marketing ……. crickets.

It is awful to realize that you really did build a better mousetrap, but the world has not beaten a path to your door… or your website!

Worse, you lift your red-rimmed eyes from the cruel statistical reports and look around your home at all the chores that have piled up in the meantime.

A Moment of Reckoning

You are discouraged and disillusioned, with a hefty dose of overwhelm thrown in. I know, I have been there (and go back to visit that place occasionally.)

“To be or not to be, that is the question”. Or, “What would Shrek and Fiona do?” if your frame of reference is a little more contemporary. It is a time of reckoning… with yourself.

Your first inclination may be to chuck the whole entrepreneur thing. It would be easier to hide in your swamp or tower and obsess about everything that went wrong.

It is also easy to blame your circumstances, your family or the universe to justify quitting.

Don’t give up. You are still the main character and there are lots of chapters left in your story!

Your business, like “true love”, is closer than you think. Just like any hero, you have to go through a few adventures before you can learn what your true love actually looks like.

And like any hero, you will need to make some sacrifices.

Changing Focus

What about your dreams, your vision of your business? Your dream are great, that’s what got you started as an entrepreneur. But to keep going, you have to let go of a static image of your successful business. Be prepared to refine and re-define what success looks like to you.

This does not mean flying by the seat of your pants without a business plan that includes measurable goals, and a written calendar of progressive steps to get you there. It means giving up the notion that anyone is really an overnight success.

Make your business goals reasonable and your steps manageable. Track your progress, and celebrate the positive trends. Do you have fifty new followers? Is that twice what you had last month? You want a daydream? There’s one for you! If you double your stats each month, where will you be in a year?

What are you learning as you go? You may find that your first business vision was too small! Plan big for the future but keep your present planning steps small enough to be executed well.

Gathering the Clan

Every hero has helpers along the way and every hero stops along the way to lend a helping hand. By the climax of the story, everyone has played a part in the hero’s big success.

You will need to sacrifice the idea that you can do this all alone.

Joining a community of like-minded people will give you tools, tips, and encouragement. You will have a place to bounce ideas, get feedback and learn how others have dealt with problems you are having.

Tip: Identify your weaknesses and find experts in those areas for coaching.

Did your first launch flop? Do you need help with branding, marketing or video production? There are established experts that offer free webinars, cheat sheets and paid courses in these and other key areas critical to online entrepreneurs. The added bonus is that the best experts have community forums that you can join!

Be the Boss

Back to the annoying reality that there are only so many hours in a day. Even while building a business, we are still faced with cooking, cleaning, laundry and other domestic details.

Remember that sleep and exercise can be skimped on for only so long before your overall performance suffers.

You must allow adequate time for sleep and exercise. It helped me get more sleep when I calendared an audible alert on my phone to remind me to Go To Bed!! I start to get sleepy when I hear it and it marks a shift in my evening activities. Pavlovian, but it works.

Think about your business or domestic tasks that can be delegated or skipped all together. You are the boss, so you get to decide: delegate or don’t do it. Delegate business tasks, domestic tasks or a combination that works just right for you.

You can hire a maid service to clean every other week. You can hire a teenager to mow the lawn and pull weeds.

Do you really need to change your house and yard decorations? Can you say no to making 47 dozen cookies for the school fund raiser?

Alternately, you may find it helpful to hire a Virtual Assistant to help with some business related tasks to free you up for content creation and personal care.

Bottom Line

Have you been going full throttle? Balls to the Walls and feeling overwhelmed?

The bottom line is, every hero gets smacked down at least once before they triumph. They keep going, build community and adjust their strategy until finally, they find what they were looking for. Success!!

You are the hero of your business story! Has your vision changed? Are you building community? How’s that delegating thing going for you?

Subscribe to this blog for more business and management content!

Defeat Chaos- Small Business Continuity Planning for Entrepreneurs

how to keep your business going when the unexpected happens.

Are you a small business owner with multiple responsibilities? Almost every entrepreneur I have met since starting my own freelance business has one or more competing priorities, including:

  • Growing a small business
  • Continuing education
  • Full time day job
  • Small children
  • Health issues
  • Elder care

If you are already feeling stretched thin between your personal and business goals, you are not alone. What will happen if you have to deal with an unexpected event?

Small Business Continuity Planning

Big corporations and government agencies have put together what are essentially uber to-do lists that they can pull out in the event of an emergency or disaster that disrupts their daily workflow. Whether you call it Disaster Recovery, Business Continuity, or a Business Resumption Plan, entrepreneurs can take a page from the big business playbook to manage our business and personal lives when things get hectic.

Disruptive events don’t have to be huge disasters like hurricanes or a critical illness. Anything that would take your full attention and make you change your priorities can be disruptive, even good things like a product launch, a new baby or six bushels of peaches that need to be made into jam.

The Department of Homeland Security has a Business Continuity Plan outline that we can use to create a planning framework for micro-businesses like yours and mine.

Impact Analysis

If you are the chief cook and bottle washer for your home and business, you do not need a fancy questionnaire to figure out all the important tasks that you do on a regular basis. Think back over the last week or two, and refer to your planner for the last six months.

Make a list of the vital things that have to be done. Include everything, even if it seems obvious, for both your home and business. Leave lots of space for notes after each space on your list.

Grocery shopping, meal preparation, cleaning, pet care, blog posts, product packaging and shipping, laundry … if it is a task that you perform regularly for your home or business, add it to the list.

Wow, you are a busy person!

Recovery Strategies

For each of the tasks on your analysis list, start making notes of ways that job can be handled, even if you aren’t able to do it the way you normally do. Can it be skipped for a while? What is the bare minimum?

For example, my normal housecleaning schedule includes deep cleaning each area of my home on a regular basis. When I have to spend several days processing and canning garden produce, any cleaning outside of the kitchen just doesn’t get done that week, much less deep cleaning.

But when I spent three months taking courses, building my website and preparing to launch my blog while working a full time job, I did a weekly bare minimum. In other words, the bathrooms were cleaned enough to be sanitary, but I certainly didn’t scrub tile grout with a toothbrush!

Plan Development

Now that you have an idea of the most essential tasks that have to be done and how often, flesh out how you would go about getting those things done if the situation is not “normal”.

Think about backups and work-arounds.

Do you send a regular newsletter or update to your mail list? What if your computer crashes and burns? Is your mail list stored somewhere besides your computer hard drive, like the cloud? Can you log into your blog site or mail scheduling application from another computer?

You can develop backups and work-arounds for personal tasks as well.

Meal planning for a day or two could be delivery, so your backup can be a folder of menus from the nearest Chines restaurant and pizza parlor.

The work-around for longer disruptions can be a week-long menu for very simple and easy meals and a matching grocery list. Don’t forget the deli when making that meal plan and grocery list. Rotisserie chicken and cold cuts are user friendly, as are microwavable entrees and sides. If you make more than one weekly menu and list, you can alternate!

Testing and Exercises

This is where you try out your carefully thought-out backup plans and work-arounds to make sure they work!

Borrow a friend’s computer or go the library to make sure you can get to your online business essentials.

Try asking your spouse to validate your business resumption plan by preparing meals for a week. Hand over your menu and grocery list. Revise the plan as needed… you may get surprising feedback!

This is your opportunity to revise your plan and discover things you may have missed. Revisit your plans at least annually and always before any anticipated events that will impact your home and business.

Conclusion

There is no wrong way to prepare your Business Continuity Plan. You most likely will not have a full blown written alternative in place for every aspect of your home and business, but by making your Impact Analysis list, the most urgent things to plan for now will pop out at you.

What are the most critical tasks you need to cover with a Plan B? Are there tasks that are less important but really easy to work-around?

Do what you can now, and consider calendaring time to work on a back-up plan for the rest.

How do you handle disruptions to your home and business? Would you like to see more information on business continuity planning for entrepreneurs? Please share your comments and questions below!

Three Important Reasons to Inventory Your Business Resources Before The New Year

Taking inventory of your business resources now will help you be prepared for 2016!
What did you buy for your business this year?

Have you spent any money on your business in 2015? What did you get? If you are a current business owner or preparing to launch a business in the new year, now is the time to inventory your resources!

There are several good reasons to take stock of your business-related purchases, and here are my top three:

Many, if not all, of your business expenses may be tax deductible. Make sure you have your documentation ducks in a row so you are ready for tax season.

Reviewing your purchases will help you project your expenses for 2016. What did you get in 2015 that you will want to replace or renew? Do you have supplies in house that you can use for future new products?

What did you forget you got? Seriously. Did you sign up for of online courses, workbooks or inspirational e-books to help you be a faster, better and smarter biz wiz that you haven’t completed or even started yet? Your first impression was probably right – this is good stuff – so don’t waste it! Add these resources to your inventory list, and calendar appropriate blocks of time in the coming months use them.

Planners

Yeah, well. This category requires a bit of a confession for me, because I cannot possibly justify all my planner purchases as strictly business related. I just happen to enjoy planners and stationary and pretty pens and …. That said, there are some administrative costs that can be attributed to your business, even if they are adorned with bows and stickers, so put them on your list.

Services

This year I launched my website so I purchased my domain name, web hosting through Bluehost and after a hellish week of trying to customize a free theme, I bought a wonderful responsive WordPress theme from BluChic .

These are all service expenses, some recurring, that are strictly business related and should be in your inventory. Also track your costs for paid mail services, payment processing, social network scheduling, and any other business widget or online function you purchased or subscribed to.

Did you use a virtual assistant, web designer or project manager? The cost of hiring staff should be in your inventory, even if the job was short-term, like the company I hired to help design my company logo this year.

Education

Definitely consult with your tax professional to see if any online courses you have purchased in 2015 with qualify as a business-related deduction. Not all business courses may qualify as a tax deduction, but they are still important resources that should be on you inventory list.

Courses and webinars you have already completed will be worth re-visiting after you have more business experience. Lessons that you had as a newbie business owner will have a greater significance when they are no longer just a concept and you are handling that issue for real!

Equipment and Supplies

Some of you produce tangible goods for sale like soap, jewelry, home décor, or planner supplies. The materials that you purchased to make your product and the equipment you use for your business should be in your inventory.

My production this year has been digital in the form of images and written content, but I still bought equipment for my business, such as my Surface Pro and word processing software. For creating my own blog photos and in anticipation of making videos, I also purchased studio lights, a DSLR photo lens for my styled shots, and my tripod adapter and microphone … all through Amazon!

What kind of resources did you get for your business this year? What gave you the most bang for your buck? Please share your best and worst in the comments below!

Are You A Planner? How to Conduct a Thanksgiving Postmortem

What would you change to make your next Thanksgiving the best ever?
What Would You Change?
Get a Jump on Planning for 2016!

With the last turkey leftovers about gone, and the Black Friday shopping out of the way, now is a good time to perform a Thanksgiving postmortem. No, I’m not talking about ways to use a turkey carcass! This is all about another way to use your planner and organization skills to make your life easier in 2016.

How did your Thanksgiving work out this year?

Were you a relaxed and calm hostess as you sat down to a perfectly cooked meal at your lovely table? Did everything get done but you were so exhausted by dinner time that you weren’t interested in food? Or was the entire affair a complete train wreck?

What is a Postmortem?

Postmortem is a Latin word meaning “after death”. In a business context, a postmortem is a look back at a completed project or event to identify what worked and what didn’t work. It is an essential part of basic project management used by successful team leaders to improve their business.

If you are the one who plans and executes holiday events like Thanksgiving Dinner, then you are a project manager and will benefit by a look back at your holiday dinner plan while it is still fresh in your mind – even if there are parts you would rather forget!

Gather Your Data

Breaking a big project – like Thanksgiving Dinner – into steps is the most basic element of project management.

If you are already a planner gal, you probably organized your Thanksgiving plans into steps for shopping, cooking and cleaning and put those tasks into your planner or calendar. (Not yet using a daily planner? Oh, Honey … stick with me anyway. The planner community is a wonderful place to be!)

At the very least, I bet you had a to-do list or a grocery list on paper or in your head.

So grab your planner or a calendar, whatever notes or lists you used to get ready this year, some paper and pencils and sit down in a quiet place with your beverage of choice.

Do a brain dump. If you didn’t make a task list before Thanksgiving, make one now. Jot down everything you did to get ready, including cooking and cleaning.

Write down what worked and what didn’t work for you. You will sort it out as you move into the analysis part, but for now try to quickly get everything down that readily comes to mind. Don’t spend too much time on this part. You will probably add more later.

What made you smile? A new sweet potato recipe that everyone raved about? Your kid’s pine cone turkey as a centerpiece? Hubby vacuuming all the floors the day before?

Anything not so great? Were you too worn out to enjoy your guests? Did the mountain of dirty dishes make you want to cry? Was the turkey overcooked or under cooked? What would you do differently?

Get Real With Yourself

Remembering the highs and lows for your brain dump probably raised a variety of emotions. Pride, embarrassment, amusement, annoyance to name a few.

Holiday family gatherings can bring on all kinds of emotional reactions that can lead to overwhelm if we let it.

We tend to want to make a good impression, and sometimes set impossible standards for ourselves to do it. Worse, we expect our immediate family members to help us achieve those standards and we get upset when they resist!

I married into an Italian family of eight children. To be specific, I married the baby of that family and he has five older sisters! Not only did I truly want to make a good impression on this huge family, the older me can admit I also have a teensy competitive streak.

So, take the desire to make a good impression, add a competitive streak and season with a liberal splash of perfectionism and you have the perfect recipe for an exhausted and overwhelmed woman. Does any of this sound like someone you know?

Was your goal to serve a delicious meal to comfortable and happy guests? Did you wear yourself out trying to dazzle and amaze everyone with your Pinterest-worthy home décor, tablescape and gourmet meal?

Be honest with yourself and your motives as you review the pre-holiday and T-day chores from this year’s celebration.

Look At Each Step

You are going to review every single thing you did to prepare before, during and after Thanksgiving dinner.

Look at your planner or calendar to see when you did the task. Would it have been better to do it two days earlier? A week earlier? How early could the task have been done? If you had thought of it sooner, could you have delegated the task?

Ask yourself: Was this task really necessary? Was this task joyful? Did I do it the hard way? Could someone else have done it? Was it worth the time and trouble?

Start from the very beginning. There is no judgment here but yours. This review is to figure out what worked best for your current situation and what did not work so well for your current situation.

For example, let’s say you spent several hours polishing Grandma’s wedding silver and hand-washing heirloom china.

Was this task really necessary? No. You could have used disposable or dishwasher-safe dishes and utensils for dinner and dessert.

Was this task joyful? Yes, if you have fond memories of helping your mother and grandmother each year. No, if it is a painful reminder of a loved one who has passed or if you just hate polishing silver!

Did I do it the hard way? Did you get this chore done weeks in advance, a little at a time? Or did you frantically polish and wash dishes late into the night because you were running out of time?

Could someone else have done it? Or at least part of it, like hand washing the china and silver after dinner?

Was it worth the time and trouble? It was if you had plenty of time and love hand washing fine old dishes. No, if you are currently working full time outside the home and/or have health issues and/or are caregiving for others, and …… you see what I mean.

Considering these questions, take an honest look at everything you did this year, from cleaning and decorating to your menu selection to the desserts and clean-up.

Planning For Next Year

Keep in mind that you are not being “lazy” or a poor hosterss if you scale back some of your decorations or substitute prepared foods for traditional homemade versions during busy times of your life.

You are being a savvy CEO who wisely reallocates resources and revises workflows in response to changing conditions! You are an amazing woman!

Following your postmortem of this year’s Thanksgiving, you will now have a better idea of what you can change or rearrange to make your next holiday event less stressful.

Be sure to put reminder notes in your 2016 planner with your ideal holiday To-Do list and timeline!

What was your biggest challenge this Thanksgiving? What do you think you will change next time? Please share your questions and comments on holiday planning in the comments below!

It’s Not Too Late! Last Minute Organizing to Reduce Thanksgiving Stress

Planning tips for an organized and relaxed Thanksgiving.
Be a relaxed and happy hostess with these planning tips!

Sometimes life gets so busy that even the most organized woman lets a big event sneak up on her. Or maybe you volunteered to host Thanksgiving at the last minute. Either way, you can avoid inviting stress and overwhelm to your holiday feast with some last-minute organizing tips.

The Bird is the Word!

If your turkey is still frozen, and you have a few days left, the easiest safe thawing method is in your refrigerator. Put it on a paper towel lined tray or baking sheet to catch any leaking juices. I usually put my turkey in the fridge early enough to make sure it is thawed in time to unwrap and rinse it the day before Thanksgiving.

Food safety tip: Use a lower refrigerator shelf for thawing your turkey and be extra careful when you remove the thawed bird on the tray. If drips or spills occur, use disinfectant wipes to clean up the spill and discard any foods contaminated by the raw poultry juices.

If you are in a pinch, you can thaw a frozen turkey in cold water, changing the water every half an hour until the deed is done.

The Butterball web site is a great place for all things turkey, including a nifty little calculator for estimating how long it will take to thaw your bird with one of these methods.

Put It In Writing

Write out your menu, including condiments and dessert toppings. Do you have all your ingredients? Whipped cream? Cranberry sauce? Extra ice? If you have to make one more run to the store before the big day, make your list now. How about non-food items like paper napkins and a disposable roaster pan?

Looking at your menu, work out a timetable for roasting your turkey and any other yummy things that have to be cooked. If your guests will be bringing dishes, find out if any of them will need to be heated and for how long.

Remember to allow prep time in your timetable. It takes a while to peel 10 pounds of potatoes!!

Write out or type your timetable in large fonts. I like to slip mine into a page protector and tape it to a cabinet door so it is easy to see even if my hands are full, and doesn’t get moved or covered up by any kitchen helpers. If you typed it, save it on your computer for the next year!

Make Room

Clean out your refrigerator. Be ruthless! If you aren’t serving those leftovers for dinner on clean-out day, go ahead and get rid of them.

Run the dishwasher and empty it out the day before Thanksgiving.

Make extra room on your kitchen counters by removing any appliances or decorative items that you will not be using on T-day. I put mine in the garage temporarily.

Do you have a cooler you can use for beverages, or can you ask a guest to bring one with ice? It would be nice to have the extra room in the refrigerator, and really helpful to have your drink area outside of the kitchen.

Pots, Pans and Dishes

Looking at your menu again, figure out your serving dishes. If any might be dusty from storage, go ahead and wash them.

If you are using special occasion dishes for your table, you may need to wash those, too.

Stack your clean serving dishes in a designated spot on your now uncluttered kitchen counter. Label each dish with a sticky note or scrap paper with the food it is intended to hold. Put your serving spoons there, too. Drape a clean towel over the stack until show time.

Honestly, labeling the serving pieces is so incredibly helpful when you start dishing things up to take to the table and you have guests that want to help, and the noise level in your house is rising …..

Do you have your pots and pans ready for the big day? Consider setting those out with labels, too so you don’t end up switching saucepans or realizing you need a baking sheet that is still under the turkey. The goal is to make it easier on yourself on Thanksgiving day by making most of the decisions now, even what pan to use for heating gravy!

If you are not going to be using disposable plates, go ahead and set your holiday table a day or more in advance. Include your trivets and serving spoons and salt and pepper shakers. Cover it all with a clean bed sheet until your guests are due to arrive. Easy peezy!

Hospitality

True hospitality is cheerfully opening your home and making your guests feel comfortable.

Have you ever been to someone’s house that constantly apologized or made excuses for her house or food or decorations? Did it make you feel like you were there at a bad time?

A frazzled and tense hostess is not welcoming, so please don’t do that to yourself and your guests!

The week before Thanksgiving is not the time to paint, redecorate or scrub the walls behind the refrigerator. Tidy the main living areas, swish the bathrooms and put out clean hand towels, then relax about it. You guests will be fine!

Hall closet stuffed? Take guest coats and lay them on a bed.

Do you have a busy schedule the week of Thanksgiving? Don’t plan to make home-made pies or Grandma’s seven layer Jello mold. Just don’t! You’ll be up all night and totally exhausted, and that’s no fun for anyone.

I promise you that simpler side dishes and store-bought pies will be eaten and enjoyed. And believe it or not, turkey and gravy are just as satisfying eaten off regular dishes as your mother’s wedding china that has to be hand-washed.

Try to make your clean-up as easy as possible.

It’s is not too late to have a lovely and stress-free Thanksgiving with realistic goals and a little last-minute planning. I am wishing that you and yours have a safe and  happy Thanksgiving!

Please share how these Thanksgiving planning ideas worked for you, or any other useful tips! Are there other holiday planning topics you want to hear more about? Please leave your comments below.

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