Recently, Heidi Richards, founder of WE Magazine for Women, listed this blog in her “101 Women Bloggers to Watch” roundup!

THANK YOU, Heidi, for including Entrepreneur’s Breakfast. It’s an honor and a pleasure to be associated with such an enterprising woman as yourself, as well as mentioned in the same breath as this group of empowered and dynamic professional women.

WE Magazine is a veritable smorgasbord of must-have tips, tricks and tools to help the modern woman make informed decisions in both her personal and professional life. Women who read WE are bosses, business owners, mothers, lovers, sisters, daughters, friends. They’re coaches, crafters, consultants, artists, athletes, health enthusiasts, hobbyists, and technology gurus.

Most of all, women who read and contribute to WE Magazine have a passion for living and for making a difference in the world!

To read the complete cast of amazing woman bloggers on Heidi’s Hot List, click here.

Popularity: 18% [?]

by Dina Giolitto

It’s tempting, when the news headlines are screaming about government financial bailouts, to just sit there with your mouth hanging open as you ponder what might happen to your 401K.

However, in tough times, the LAST thing you should be doing is waiting for further instructions.

If you were a Boy Scout (and even if you weren’t), then you’re no doubt familiar with their catch phrase: “Be prepared.” That’s about the best advice anyone can give. And it’s especially relevant when managing a business.

When people start to clutch their purse strings more tightly, and supply and demand turns on its head, here’s what you need to do RIGHT NOW to ensure that your company stays afloat in trying times.

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Popularity: 18% [?]

Join Me for a 4-Month Exercise in Productivity & Profit Building

The above sounds so corporate-bland, doesn’t it? All it means is that I’m setting a goal for myself to make X amount of income by the end of 2008.

The goal will continue on indefinitely, but December 31, 2008 will be the “check point” where I assess how it’s coming along, and if I can meet or maybe even exceed my goal. If I find that I’m in excess of my goal, super! Maybe I’ll set a higher goal and then try to reach that next.

If I miss my target income, then I’ll know that what I need to do is hire teams of people and set up automated systems that do the work for me - so that I CAN use my time more profitably.

Are you with me here? Do you want to try it?

Let me explain this process. It’s not new, I did not invent it; it’s just something that’s a really smart thing to do but we all tend to forget.

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Popularity: 27% [?]

If you own your own business, then you know the value in receiving written testimonials from genuinely satisfied customers. Likewise, you may want to express your appreciation to someone who’s made a difference in your life by providing a great product or service.

The good news is, you don’t need to have been blessed with the gift for perfect prose to create a testimonial for someone. But you may want to kee your digital camera handy!

Yes… a picture is worth a thousand words. Think of how much cooler you can help to make someone else’s website, simply by snapping a photo of yourself enjoying using the product, with simple thank-you note attached.

Here is a testimonial that was sent in by “Rascal” to Nikki’s Barkery at http://nikkisniknaks.com - where you’ll find homemade, all-natural doggy treats available by mail order.

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Popularity: 85% [?]

Admit it: if you’re a freelancer or online business consultant, sometimes you let prospective clients fall through the cracks. Let’s say, for example, that a friend of a friend contacts you with a vague request for your services. You mean to reply and ask them to be clearer on their needs. But time slips away and before you know it their email is at the bottom of the heap along with that Cialis spam that you meant to delete two months ago.

Even if you always manage to snap up the hot prospects… forgetting, procrastinating or blatantly ignoring the less than stellar ones is bad policy. It lets others know that you’re not walking the talk you spout regularly on your blog… and it’s just an un-smart way to do business.

Let’s review some possible reasons why you’re not answering every query that comes your way:

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Popularity: 100% [?]

The first year you do business online, you’ll love the convenience of instant payments by PayPal. But then your business will grow a little more, and some customers will ask you to pay by credit card. You must upgrade your PayPal account in order to offer them this.

Once your account is upgraded, PayPal will help themselves to a wee little service charge for every transaction you make. Bank-account-to-bank-account payments incur one fee, and then credit card payment fees are even higher. The regular PayPal fee is 2.9% plus .30 USD. I forget what the credit card fee is; I think I blocked it out.

Gradually though, as your client invoices grow larger, you’ll see more and more money being deducted from what they pay you. You might think, “Oh, it’s such a such a small amount.” But what if I told you that you’d be making $70,000.00 this year? And then what if I said that I was going to take out of that $2,030.30, for no real reason. You’d be disappointed, right?

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Popularity: 18% [?]