Last week I realized that I have not been away from my laptop since 2002. That’s not healthy. It is well known that Bill Gates retreats to his cabin for two weeks of solitude to read and think. I have always been captivated by that concept. I, too, know that good solutions, great ideas and new excitement appear when I am off by myself. Once I considered going laptopless, I started making a stack of books and magazines I want to read. The stack is pretty high (and heavy). I think I will add that beautiful yarn I bought on our trip to NYC . . .

Enough about me. Remember Michael Gerber’s concept of working on your business not in your business in his book E-Myth Revisited? When was the last time you stepped back, stepped away and read or thought or simply chilled? If you are like me it has been a long while. Let’s try it together and see what develops. Let me know.

As Eliza Doolittle sang in My Fair Lady, “England still will be here without you!” Please be here when I get back!

Late one night recently I found myself wide awake wondering what to make of all the negativity. Should I give up and pull down the website? Should I change my expectations? What to do?

Here’s what I decided:

1. I would take each of the negatives apart to see if there was something I could learn.
2. I would go back and check the sources and how they might have benefited from their gloom and doom. Did it make them seem more expert? We all know that bad news sells and good news languishes.
3. I would see how their points applied to my business in particular.
4. I would compare their findings with what I have seen and heard myself.

I felt much better. Isn’t it amazing how being proactive helps our outloook? Here’s what I learned:

1. Each of the points had merit, but they were also opportunities! In response, I have added solid information to the site and will continue to add more regularly; I added the ability to respond to each other anonymously. I will shortly be adding fun, clear ways to learn to use the website.
2. Some of the authors were men–very knowledgable, but they haven’t lived our experience and perhaps don’t know the correct questions to ask.
3. Where the points applied to Silver Vixens, I mined them for the gold I knew was there.
4. We all know how easy it is to trust “experts” over what we intuitively know. I remembered that the worst mistakes I’ve made occurred when I didn’t trust what I really knew. All my knowledge has worth!

Yes, it pays to see what the experts have to say, but let’s not blindly accept their “facts.” Silver Vixens continues to grow and to make a difference!

Make it informative by letting them know about one of your services they might not be using, an issue they may not be aware of or a new product that can help them. Ensure that it’s reliable by doing your homework so you know the information you are sharing is true and helpful. Keep it regular so they will come to expect hearing from you. That is one of your goals : to become a trusted resource.

The content needn’t be long or in depth, particularly if writing does not come easily to you. What’s most important is that you bring something of value to your recipients. Your sincerity will shine through. And use Spellcheck to make sure you are putting your best foot forward.

You probably already know about Constant Contact, a widely used program for just this purpose. Constant Contact will help you design professional looking missives easily. The company’s support is excellent. Sending a crisp simple e-mail will also work, but it’s not as eye-catching.

Like we tell our kids–keep in touch. The rewards are great.

Let’s talk about it. What have you done or been forced to do over the past couple of years for your business (Let’s not get into personal life stuff because we could probably all write volumes.) that would meet Tom Friedman’s criteria? What did you learn? I can’t wait to read your responses.

“PINK Slip Update–and a Call to Action

“The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), former recipient of our notorious PINK Slip, has yet to comply with a 7-year-old law that would reserve 5 percent of government contracts for women-owned businesses. Although women-owned firms account for 41 percent of all privately held firms in the U.S., they currently receive only 3.3 percent of these contracts. ‘The difference in federal spending between 5 percent and 3.3 percent was $7.5 billion based on 2006 numbers,’ points out Linda Denny, president and CEO of Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, the nation’s largest third-party certifier of women-owned businesses.

“The SBA has now proposed a rule to Congress that would only allow federal agencies to implement the program for women-owned businesses in four out of more than 2,300 business categories. ‘This rule would make it virtually impossible for any woman business owner to take advantage of the 5 percent set-aside, completely invalidating the intent of Congress,’ says Barbara Kasoff, president and CEO of Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP).”

“To get involved:

1. Click here to contact the SBA and ask it to rescind the proposed rule. Deadline: February 25. (WIPP asks that you forward a copy of your response to Anna at alubiner@wipp.org.)

2. Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher has written a ‘Dear Colleague’ letter asking members of the House to join her in asking the SBA to work with Congress to redraft the proposed rule. Let your representative know how you feel and cc WIPP.”

M3 is for women whose businesses are established, but who are ready to commit to taking them to the million-dollar level. As you explore the website, look at all the ways you can learn and benefit. I was particularly pleased that several awardees are “of a certain age,” and that means you can benefit! The next event is in Phoenix on March 4, and it will be co-hosted by Valerie Morris, the financial columnist for SilverVixens.com.

I, too, thought this sounded nearly too good to be true, but the program is backed by such rock-solid companies as American Express, Dell, FedEx, Cisco and Marriott. I will be at the Phoenix event: Be sure to say hello.

The process had ups and downs, took longer than expected–OK, so I was out of the country 31 days in the fall–and turned out to be quite complicated. But it is incredible to actually see what I have had in my head.

Please take a look at it. I hope you find it and its potential as exciting as I do. I would more than appreciate if you would tell anyone you know who fits the Woman of a Certain Age description. I hope you will join and consider giving the membership as a gift to a family member or girlfriend. The more of us, the merrier we can make it.

Dreams do come true–not to those who wait, but to those who work hard and persevere.

In June I remarried after eight years on my own. Seismic shift. My new husband is semi-retired and accustomed to wintering in Scottsdale. Seismic shift. One of my daughters and her family, who I am used to seeing at least 6-8 times a year moved out of the country. Seismic shift. How could I reconfigure my life to maintain the professional part of my life that I so love and yet totally uproot it?

I knew I could have a totally mobile business, because I had co-owned a direct selling business that I ran my part from my laptop, but my current business had been structured on relationships in the Chicagoland area. So I looked at what I had. For the last two years I have had a cute little, do-nothing website that I couldn’t figure out how to describe what I wanted it to be, though I had built two corporate websites before and two since! I would spruce it up from time to time, but couldn’t find the vocabulary to move it forward. In early May, Lena West, the Tech Forward columnist, and I had occasion to talk about it. She gave me the vocabulary!

I used the process from my IT’S REINVENTION workshop and looked at my strengths (ugh! my weaknesses, too) and what I love to do. One of my very strongest qualities is that I am a connector. I am fortunate to meet someone interesting everywhere I go and somehow we are connected or I know someone who has been looking for them. (Last week in the airline lounge in Hong Kong a Chinese woman looked at me and asked if I was a writer because she is looking for a woman to write a book with her! Why me? But it happened I know a good resource for her). I love telling peoples’ stories. I love to laugh. I love business. I have friends who are experts in their fields. I love to share information I learn. I love to give dinner parties. I love color. I like to learn new things. I love to travel. I’m independent, rather fiercely I’m afraid. I think I’m smart and I like to be around intelligent accomplishing women. These are not unique, rocket science kinds of qualities, but they add up to me. So what did I do with this? I designed an online community for women over 55!

As I just typed the above qualities, I am astonished at how many of them are visible in the site (I’ll let you know when it goes live – SOON!). It not only meets my needs to meet women like me, but it also meets my need to be mobile. Over the last 5 weeks I have been in Italy, Israel, England, Hong Kong, Macao and Vancouver — and you didn’t know it. We have been connected though you may have been travelling too. How cool is that?

Just you know — your columnist is actively using the same processes she suggests for you.  Stay tuned.

Yesterday, I bought the cables that will allow me to work on airplanes.  I know my MacBook will definitely not last 4 hours on battery, but I had forgotten that several seats in coach and all seats in business or first class on most airlines have electrical ports.  I just picked up several hours of good thinking and writing time!  You can even tell which aisles by looking at the technology information on your favorite airline’s website.

Are you using New Think or you trapped in Old Think in planning your business?  Get up to speed — it’s a lot more fun in the fast lane!