I recently put a poll in at YGG asking what makes people work harder. The three choices were money, recognition or self satisfaction. I was surprised to see that money did receive a vote, but the other two were neck and neck so far. Well I wanted to delve further …

Here is the second part, you can read the first installment here!

5. You get some cool stuff!

I have gotten a few books to look over and read from people that read our blog, I have a review coming on one pretty soon so keep looking. I really love to read, so this has turned out as a great bonus to my blogging. I hope everyone will go out and look for these books when I post the review, because they were all excellent.

I have even gotten invited to a few entrepreneurial conferences here in my home town from readers that have caught on. There is quite a thriving business scene here that I didn’t even know existed!

6. How to write better

I will admit that my writing style leaves a lot to be desired, but I think I have made quite a few strides in my writing style over the past few months. I can confidently write and article now, and while not perfect I don’t feel as paralyzed looking at the screen than when I first started.

My idea’s seem to flow onto the page much easier and my structure has gotten better. I am always open to constructive criticism as far as my writing goes, and I would welcome and tips that people have that could help me improve. And I promise my writing style will continue to evolve in the future.

Coming up with idea’s for posts has been stumping me lately, just can’t get a great idea to expand on. On top of that my son does not really want to grant me the time to write when I am home, he just wants to play or get into trouble! So I have decided that keeping a regular diary about working on a few business start ups would be a great way to keep the content flowing while I am stumped, so here it goes!

PetEcommerce.com

For the last couple months I have been working with YGG’s own Joey Pomerenke on getting his great idea, a store builder and e-commerce platform for people in the pet industry, up and running. This was an idea that was in the back of his mind for quite awhile now and he sold his Pawsuppetsupply.com company to make it happen.

I joined the team in mid February and it has been a roller coaster ride from that day, taking care of the sales department I have been interviewing and hiring people, dividing territories and getting ready to help market this business. Our only problem is getting the site up, there have been a few delays in site design and programming. The programming is a big job and there have been some hiccups in that getting done lately. For a sales guy that is amped up and ready to sell this has been a trying time, knowing there is nothing I can really do makes it even worse.

Right now I will sit and wait until it is ready to go, hopefully soon but I will keep you updated!

I was sitting in my chair the other day and the thought popped into my head, “I manage a blog that helps teach people about business, but what has it taught me?” Over the last few days I have dug deep for an answer to this question, and I think I have it below. As I list my points I wonder what your thoughts are, so please leave them as comments because I am truly interested!

1. It has opened doors to me I never thought possible.

I have only been doing this blogging, mostly behind the scenes, for the past 6 months and I have met some extraordinary people! I reconnected with Joey Pomerenke, one of the original founders of YGG, and we are working on a business together. You can also find Joey doing a lot of interviews with some great entrepreneurs that share our values on YGG. I have teamed up with Paul Ocalian, and avid YGG member in creating a new media boutique. What a talented designer, that without YGG, I probably wouldn’t have known.

I have also met a lot of great people through the Brazen Careerist network, which we are a part of. What a great idea that combines so of the best up and coming bloggers that are out there, many of which I have gotten to know lately. All of this thanks to taking a leap of faith and trying out something new to me.

Tisha Kulak is a writer for Creditorweb.com, where she writes about credit card offers, business credit cards and responsible credit card use.

There are more entrepreneurs moving forward and following their dreams of opening a business and operating a successful business of their own. While many have found success in starting up, most will face the all-important decision of how to continue to finance their businesses, especially if they are still in the early stages and require more capital to continue on. Here are some things to consider when searching for money beyond a personal savings account.

The Business Plan

This is the first consideration you need to make before even approaching anyone for money. You need to have a solid business plan that you understand and feel confident is complete. While you may have begun your operation without one, it is essential that you have a full understanding of what it takes to keep making your business work. People who give you money want to make certain you are not setting yourself up for failure, or at least a lot of struggle.

Feign “important” text messages.
I’ll admit it – I’ve done it, too. Standing in a room full of unfamiliar faces, attempting to mask the discomfort I feel about not knowing who to approach, or how, I instinctively fish around in my purse for my blackberry, furrowing my brow when I find it, pretending to tend to an “urgent” message.

Whether you’re meeting up with two potential clients, or you’re entering an event with 200 seemingly-random people in attendance, initiating conversations can often be – err – easier said than done (yes - pun intended! ). Talking about how happy you are that it’s nice and sunny outside (or how frustrated you are that it’s raining), or how magically delicious the spicy sauce on the mini crab cake hors d’oeuvres is, can only take you but so far. When advising clients on how to communicate more effectively, one strategy that I recommend is to “put the onus on yourself to make the most effort in conversations.” Now, by effort I do not mean yack everyone’s ear off for hours, however, it’s important to remember that you can only expect to get as much from a conversation as you are willing to put into it. And unless you’re a mime or a monk (or a member of the Halitosis Club of America), conversation is an absolutely crucial part of building meaningful personal relationships and successful businesses.