I'm expanding my services over the next several months and need your help. 

Would you volunteer to be interviewed about how you run your business and what kinds of struggles and obstacles you face?  Or what an ideal environment would allow you to accomplish?

This will be an informational interview only and your feedback will be anonymous.  It is all in an effort to find out what real women business owners are thinking and not just what they say in the public eye. 

I don't want to build a better mousetrap for you.  I want to get rid of the mice.

If you want to participate, please contact me with your name, email, phone number, and best day/time to reach you.   I'll follow up with you next week to schedule an interview.  Thank you for your help!

Lori Richardson over at Allbusiness.com has a great post on "toleration." 

What in the heck is toleration?  Well, once I describe it for you, you will see the value of this post.  Toleration is the act or practice of tolerating something.

How many times a day do you tolerate something under your control?  5, 10, 20, constantly?  By tolerating things you can change - such as your incomplete records, the way you interact with vendors and customers, and even the way you collect money in your business - you could be fighting against a low-grade hum of aggravation that keeps you from doing your best work in other areas.

Lori's post got me to think about a couple of things in my business that aggravate me every time they happen, but I never do anything about it.  Until it happens again, of course, and then I get peeved all over again.

So today I'm going to make a couple of changes, starting with my phone habits.  There is plenty of aggravation out there, so there is no reason to add to it with things you don't have to tolerate.

What are you tolerating that you don't have to?

"You get what you tolerate."

~ John C. Agno

Editor's note: This is the second in a series on business lessons from the Olympics.

When your big opportunity appears, will you be ready to jump on it?

Michael Phelps is all over the news regarding his quest to beat Mark Spitz's record for the most gold medals at one Olympics, and he just might do it.  Regardless, he is an impressive swimmer and athlete, at this writing already winning 3 gold medals and breaking 3 world records. 

Michael makes it look easy, but you know he has been training every day for years to get to this point.  He worked just as hard on a random Tuesday in 2007 as he did this week in Beijing. 

That's the not-so-secret secret.  To perfect your business every single day, even when no one is looking, so that when your big opportunity comes it is second nature.

• Document your systems so you can provide a consistent product/service
• Take these newly documented systems and delegate what you can
• Focus on your core business so you will always be one length ahead of the competition
  

Not matter what your industry, there is some type of Olympic event in your future.  Rather than waiting for it to appear and scrambling to prepare, start your practice routines now.  Build on your strengths, strengthen or outsource your weaknesses, and get to know your competition. 

Your big opportunity is coming...will you be ready when it does?

Related articles:

Zhang Yimou on Systems

Editor's Note:  This is the first of a series on business lessons from the Olympics.

The opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing was simply amazing.  The sheer number of performers - 15,000! - and the incredible originality and vision of director Zhang Yimou, left me impressed with Chinese creativity and teamwork.  

For those of you missed the ceremony, here is a slideshow presentation to give you an idea of the scale of it.  Keep in mind that while technology was used (most notably the huge LED screen on the floor and the screen wrapping around the top of the stadium), most of the movement in the performance - from the drums to the type keys to the twinkling lights - was done by coordinating thousands of human beings.

Zhang Yimou could not have done this without explicit instructions to those performers and repeated practice to get it right.

We've talked before about systems for your business.  These "recipes for success" are key to making your business less of a "bought job" for you and more of a functioning business.  After all, if you are the hub that keeps everything running in your business you will never be able to relax, take time off, focus on expanding your business, or even sell it. 

You will likely never face a project as intricate and detailed as Zhang Yimou's opening ceremony and will probably never have to manage as many resources.  But taking control of the projects you have now and documenting your processes means you will be able to easily delegate them when the time comes, and your employees will be able to follow your plans with precision.

Start documenting your processes today, even if you don't have any employees yet, and you will be well on your way to earning the Gold.

It's Friday, the weather has cooled down, and I'm heading out for a cruise ship inspection.  A cruise ship inspection, you say?  Stay tuned for more details on that next week...

In the meantime, here are some great articles I've been reading this week.  Enjoy!

• Amber at Brown Bug Project tells us how to dazzle our website visitors (and it doesn't include shiny stuff).
• Chris Brogan brings us 50 Online Applications and Sites to Consider.
• Judy Dunn at Marketing for Solo Entrepreneurs explains why every customer is not the same and what you should do about it.
• Looking for a better help page on your website?  Check out this great example.

Have a great weekend!