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April – my favorite month of the year (and not just because it’s my birthday month). I love April for many reasons: Easter, spring, and having more daylight hours. I also enjoy the Masters Golf Tournament, and the Boston marathon.

One thing I notice as my birthday starts to roll around, though, is that I really reflect on my life and business for the past year. I think of where I was one year ago, and where I am now, personally and professionally.

What surprises me is that when I talk to other business owners, as their own important dates approach, they seem quite surprised and sometimes saddened at where their businesses are when they reflect on them. When we discuss the difference in my lack of surprise at my own situation – I realize it’s because I reflect on my business more than just once per year, and I make changes as necessary.

Business Reflection – Once Per Year Just Isn’t Enough
by Donna Toothaker

It is natural occurrence for business owners to reflect on their businesses once per year as a special day approaches - perhaps a birthday, business anniversary, or the start of a new year. Some business owners, however, only make that reflection once per year. That makes for a long time in between to really consider their businesses and contemplate whether they took the direction they intended for them one year ago. It’s a long time to look back to determine whether they accomplished what they set out to accomplish, whether the risks they took worked in their favor, whether they made the contacts they anticipated, the profits they hoped for, and whether their goals were met.

For many people, only doing this once per year allows for that melancholy, regret, even surprise, to set in. Perhaps they anticipated the business would be at a different level one year later. Maybe the realization set in that their business and marketing plans weren’t followed as closely as they had been initially. Undoubtedly, some folks will have the “I wish I had” statements; “I wish I had set regular goals as I intended”, “I wish I had gone to more networking events”.

To avoid the regret, and “I wish I had” statements, it is important to take quarterly and monthly stock of your business as well as those once per year ‘reviews’. I don’t mean going through weekly and monthly goals or to-do lists and seeing how many have been met and accomplished. I mean - take stock of your business as a whole, whether it has had forward movement, what has happened in the past quarter/month, how your time has been spent.

Block out appropriate times in your calendar to do this. It is that important!

At the end of every month, spend 30 minutes considering the month. Consciously think about where your business is now, in relation to the start of the month. Consider your business in the way that you do at the end of each year or each anniversary.

Have you stayed on track with your business and marketing plans?
Did the business move in a forward direction?
Do any “I wish I had” statements come to mind?
Are you moving toward finalizing long-term goals?
Was your time spent productively?
Have sales, client-base and engagements increased as planned?

Consider what didn’t work as you would have liked. What can you do differently the next month that will keep you in forward momentum? What do you ‘wish’ you had done this past month that you didn’t? Don’t have the same regrets. Make changes.

Spend an hour going through the same process at the end of each quarter as well. Putting this process into practice will eliminate any regret and surprises as those anniversaries and birthdays approach.

Donna Toothaker is an expert Virtual Assistant and founder of www.1stVA.com. Donna specializes in providing marketing and administrative support and services to Professional Speakers and Life and Business Coaches. To discover how 1st VA can help your business – visit http://www.1stva.com .

We can all use a chuckle as we mail out our tax payments...
by Richard A. Chapo

Like death, paying taxes is inevitable. In the case of most Americans, tax season is just around the corner. If only paying taxes was so easy.

As you begin pulling out those receipts, the eraser and reading plain English tax instructions that Einstein couldn’t figure out, you’re going to need a good laugh. Here you go:

1. I am proud to be paying taxes in the United States. The only thing is – I could be just as proud for half the money.

2. People who complain about taxes can be divided into two classes: men and women.

3. Like mothers, taxes are often misunderstood, but seldom forgotten.

4. The best measure of a man's honesty isn't his income tax return. It's the zero adjust on his bathroom scale.

5. Next to being shot at and missed, nothing is really quite as satisfying as an income tax refund.

6. A tax loophole is something that benefits the other guy. If it benefits you, it is tax reform.

7. Few of us ever test our powers of deduction, except when filling out an income tax form.

8. What's the difference between a mosquito and an IRS agent? One is a bloodsucking parasite, the other is an insect.

9. It would be nice if we could all pay our taxes with a smile, but normally cash is required.

10. The government deficit is the difference between the amounts of money the government spends and the amount it has the nerve to collect.

11. Taxes: Of life's two certainties, the only one for which you can get an automatic extension.

12. What Mae West said about sex is true about taxes. All tax cuts are good tax cuts; even bad tax cuts are good tax cuts,

13. The federal income tax system is a disgrace to the human race. - Jimmy Carter

If nothing else, it is good to know that a former President of the United States feels the same way about taxes as you. If only someone would agree to a flat tax, millions of Americans could dispense with the aggravation and stress of filing taxes each year.

Richard A. Chapo is with http://www.businesstaxrecovery.com - recovery of business taxes through tax help and tax relief. Visit http://www.businesstaxrecovery.com/articles to read more business tax articles.

WWW.FolderShare.com

Another great way for small business owners to share and sync files with their clients or VAs. Or to sync files between their own PC and laptop.

According to Miscrosoft, FolderShareTM allows you to create a private peer- to-peer network that will help you to synchronize files across multiple devices and access or share files with colleagues and friends. You no longer need to send large files via email, burn them to CDs/DVDs and mail them, or upload them to a website. FolderShare allows you to share and sync important information instantly with anyone you invite, making it the perfect solution for personal or small business use.

Best of all - it's currently free!

There was an article on Life Coaching in the March 26, 2006 edition of The New York Times. Did you catch it? Folks in Hollywood, such as actresses, singers, directors, writers and producers, are catching on to the benefits of having a life coach.

Business Building Tip of the Month
by Marjorie Geiser, RD, NSCA-CPT
of MEG Fitness

Perhaps the hardest area for business owners is to really determine who their ideal client is, what it is they absolutely love to do, and how they want to offer their services. The clients I work with are afraid they will limit their business opportunities by narrowing down their target market, but it actually does just the opposite! Once they really define their ideal client - see that client in their mind - they are able to create a marketing message that speaks to that person. In the meantime, other people may 'hear' the message and contact them, also. When someone is doing what they have a passion for, as they become more clear around their ideal client, their message will resound loudly everywhere they go. So, really get to know who your ideal client is and always do what you have a passion for. Imagine loving what you do every day, looking forward to each client daily, and doing it in your ideal setting. That's my idea of success.

Marjorie Geiser is a registered dietitian, certified personal trainer, life coach and business coach. Marjorie has been the owner of a successful small business, MEG Fitness, since 1996, and now helps other health professionals start up their own private practice. To learn more about the services Margie offers, go to her website at www.marjoriegeiser. com or email her at margie@megfit.com.

Wishing everyone a wonderful April and a joyous Easter!

Warmly,

Donna Toothaker