What if we were to apply this same hierarchy to our small businesses? What basic needs of our businesses need to be met before we can work our way up the pyramid to business self-actualization and ultimate success?

You know it’s coming… wait for it …

Yes, among other necessities, you need a website.

1. Do you know that 74.4% of the population in North America is now using the internet?
2. For those of you in the health and wellness industry, do you know that 61% of adults look online for health information? That’s eight out of ten internet users!

Here’s a personal story to illustrate this point. I recently decided to start taking yoga again. I did an online search for yoga studios and instructors in my area. Surprisingly, this search turned up only three studios! I would be willing to bet you a year’s supply of wheatgrass that there are more than three people teaching yoga in my city! But alas, I won’t be able to find them unless I happen to meet someone who takes yoga from them. By the way, the yellow pages, which I hardly ever use, revealed the same three studios. I guess they’re the only ones marketing themselves. Do you see the opportunity here?

A website is a basic need for your business that can also help you fulfill the rest of the needs on your pyramid. How so?

Safety – Having a web presence brings you more business, which increases your financial and employment security.

Love/Belonging – Stretch a little and add a blog to your website to increase interaction with other businesses and consumers.

Esteem – Now that you have a professional website, and you’re blogging to build relationships, you gain the respect of others as an expert in your field. This increases your confidence and helps you gain more clients. You also gain self-esteem by expanding your use of internet tools. You’re on a roll!

Self-Actualization – With your increased business, your expert standing in the field, and your sparkling self- confidence, (all based on your professional website, remember?) you are free to be ever more creative in solving problems and growing your business. You have now built a self-actualized company!
So what are you waiting for?

Smartflex Solutions has helped hundreds of small businesses, and we can help you, too. Call our friendly staff to ask about our website solutions, and start climbing that pyramid!

Monday, January 26^th, 2009 marks the beginning of the Chinese New Year of the Earth Ox. This is the Chinese year 4707. This is the second year in the 12 year cycle of the Chinese horoscope and promises to be a better year than last year. Even though last year was an earth year, this one is yin instead of yang, and thus promises to be less tumultuous. Now that you have finished with all of the loose ends from the last 12 cycle and started in a promising, if somewhat chaotic fashion with the year of the rat; it is time to continue making smart choices and move slowly forward, to ensure a firm base for this 12 year cycle! This is the year to stay stead fast to whatever seeds you planted, fertilize them and watch them grow. It will not be quick, good choices are essential, but it should not be as traumatic as the last couple of years.

Ox years are slow, even paced, hard working years. One foot in front of the other, going slowly forward is the motto. Unfortunately Earth has a destructive relationship with the Ox’s fixed element, Water. This makes for some hard times! We have seen this conflict of elements for the last 4 of 6 years. However this is not all bad, and as long as we remain optimistic, there will be success. It will not be flashy, it will take work, but we can succeed.

This is the year for intellectual pursuits. Great minds coming together, making a plan, and setting it in motion. Steady savings and financial stability are hallmarks of this sign. The last time the earth Ox was seen as the ruling influence was January 29, 1949 - February 15, 1950. The world was in another recession in late 1948 and early 1949. The world economy recovered during the year of the ox due to rational decisions and careful planning.  Thus planning, scholarship and research are favorable activities this year. It is also an auspicious time for the arts, applied arts such as design and graphics are best. Be creative; think outside the box, but with your feet on the ground. It is important to select only a few projects, and research them thoroughly, and start slowly and keep on going. No ‘get rich quick’ schemes this year.

This is a good year for romance, slow and steady. Be on the lookout for the right mate. Take it slow. This year also boosts careers as long as you keep your other responsibilities in mind (the ox year can cause one to loose sight of those around them, family and friends, when they are working hard on a project).

People born in the year of the ox are steady, reliable, trustworthy, patient, hard working; stubborn, fearless, obstinate…..Do you get the picture? They are just the person you want on your team in these hard times. They know how to keep going, moving forward in the face of extreme hardship. Oxen tend to be very verbal. They may be soft spoken, but you will want to pay attention when they speak. It is no wonder that Barack Obama is an ox. They are willing to tackle the workload when it becomes overbearing for others (lucky us). Ox make a very good match for rats, snakes and roosters, but can have some troubles with the horse, the sheep and the pig.

Other people tend to look up to Earth Oxen because of their reliability, sincerity and their modest ambitions. The year 2009 will be a period of lasting accomplishments. This is true for individuals, societies and the human race in general. There may be times when motivation appears to be lacking. Keep pushing forward.  In fact the big challenge everyone faces is to generate the enthusiasm and desire to act. Those individuals and organizations that do will create enduring benefits for themselves and the world.

1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, and 1997 are years of the ox.

Finally, It’s here again. I love San Diego Restaurant Week. Don’t miss the last one of the year. Maybe I’ll see you at Georges or Roppongi next week. If your new to restaurant week, here’s the scoop:

June 22-27 - Call EARLY for Reservations, they go quick at the best spots.

Quick Facts

ONE: Now in its fourth year as San Diego County’s largest and most successful dining event, San Diego Restaurant Week was launched with the intention of spotlighting the city as a premier dining destination.

TWO: There are no tickets or passes required for Restaurant Week. Food lovers may simply dine out at as many participating restaurants as they like. Advance reservations are strongly recommended and can be made by calling restaurants directly.

The San Diego Rock ‘N’ Roll Marathon is this Sunday June 1st. If you’re coming down to cheer on your favorite runner - RIGHT ON! If you’re coming down to head to the beaches make sure you plan ahead because of the traffic issues. I’ll post a map of the event below for planning purposes. Have a great weekend.

Thought I might share a few of the sites, services, products and such that top the personal MFT (My Favorite Things) List… at the moment.

1. Google411: Need directions, an address or a company… like 30 seconds ago? Then you need 1-800-GOOG-411. I love this service and it’s at a price you can’t beat. FREE.
2. Pandora: Online radio based on MY or preferably YOUR preferences not some Morning Zoo DJ. Find great new music based on stations that YOU choose. Very Cool indeed and as my wifey says… “It’s like I get to do the DJing”
3. Moo Cards: These cards are, to use my daughter’s phrase, “SO CUTE”. I use them for all kinds of fun projects. Big Ups to our friends from across the pond at Moo for a job well done.
4. Yelp: Looking for a good auto mechanic, wanting to know where the HOT new restaurants are in your hood or just looking to get your hair did? This is the place to post and peruse user generated reviews.
5. George Lange: This is what I watch when I want a smile and to remind me why I love photography as a creative outlet.
6. Lynda.com: When you need to get your learn on… Give Lynda at try.
7. AliceQ: Chowhounds already know Alice and if you want to get the low down on the up side of San Diego food I suggest you bookmark her site pronto.
8. The Brary: If my library card had a mileage plan I’d have endless round the world trips for life. Reserve books, movies, cd’s and audio’s for FREE and have them sent to the library closet to you. It a thing of wonder. I Love The Brary!
9. Saving the best for last… Click HERE for our family’s newest addiction.

This is my 6.2422 Step Leap Day challenge to you:
1. Get Massively Creative and Inspired
2. Do Something Unexpected for You and those You Love
3. Mix a healthy dose of Extra in your ordinary day and get all kinds of Extraordinary
4. viagra out of your normal routine and try something unusual, exciting, new… NOW! Get to it.
5. Invite your community of people to join with you. As many as possible.
6. Share what happened with the world via YouTube, Your Blog, Twitter et al. Inspire others.
6.2422. MAKE LEAP DAY A TRADITION IN YOUR LIFE as often as possible.

…shut off your email and go make someone’s day;^)

Below is the email that inspired the above post. I received it from one of my West of the Five clients this morning and is worth reprinting.
Thanks to MikeD and being back on coffee for the inspiration.

“Dear Friends,

Today is a BONUS day that we only get to celebrate once every 4 years.

It’s Leap Day!

I wanted to take this opportunity to remind everyone how cool life is and to take some time and appreciate it. Also, I think leap year is pretty fascinating and thought you might enjoy the knowledge. Check it…

Why do we have leap years?
First, in order to clearly understand what a leap year is, let’s define the following.

Pay attention, because this is where it gets cool and rocks my world (literally).

Since our calendar is only 365 days long, there is a distance between where the earth is on its revolution and the end of its 365th day (365 rotations) and the completion of its orbit around the sun. It will take the earth .2422 days or just under 6 hours to cover that distance. Over the course of time, neglecting to adjust for this distance (1/4 day) would cause our seasons to eventually “drift” between the months. The fourth of July would one day be cold at the beach.

In order to ensure the seasons stay inline with our calendar (which is really just convenient for us) we add one day to the year every fourth year.

This system is not perfect though! You may have noted that one year is not exactly 365.25 days. There is still a difference between the calendar year (even with leap year) and the solar year. Adding one day, every fourth year is TOO MUCH! So… here are the rules for determining Leap Year.

Examples:

I hope everyone has a great day! It’s bonus so enjoy it!”

Do not sign the back of your credit cards! Instead simply write SEE PHOTO ID or PHOTO ID REQUIRED. The last thing you want is for someone who stole your cards to see exactly how to sign your name.

If you still make payments on credit card balances by mail, do not put the full account number on the check. The last four numbers will make the account clear to the creditor and no one handling the checks as they are processed will have your account number and signature in one place.

Photocopy front and back all credit cards and forms of ID in your wallet. In the event that your wallet is stolen you will have all the contact numbers and account numbers you need to cancel the cards quickly. You would also need to file a police report immediately to prove to creditors that you are diligent and proactive. This will work in your favor if charges are investigated. You would also need to contact the three credit reporting agencies AND the Social Security Administration to place a fraud alert on your name andsocial security number. Keep the numbers for the three agencies on or with the photo copy of your wallet’s contents.

Equifax: 1-800-525-6285, Experian: 1-888-397-3742, Transunion: 1-800-680-7289, Social Security Fraud Line:1-800-269-0271

One last safety note is to put a PO Box or work address on your checks instead of your home address. This prevents your cards from being used for on-line purchases if your checks are with your credit cards when they are stolen. If the address entered from your checks and the address your cards are billed to do not match that will usually be enough to make the transaction fail.

If the address entered from your checks and the address your cards are billed to do not match that will usually be enough to make the transaction fail.