Karen Post

Condensed soup, perfume and now skimmed news, all pack an intense punch of value in a smaller space than their fuller counterparts.

In a world with seemingly less time and so much more to consume I’ve identified three tighter, smaller and concise was of getting three important things done in my world.

1) Read theSkimm.com.
This daily feed of the top 3-4 news stories keep you informed even when your day does not allow any news reading, TV watching or much dialogue with your well-informed friends.

2) Weight train in 30 minute chunks.
For years I’ve tried, and then soon blown off, the hour-long weight training sessions with a personal trainer. I got bored. Most days after an hour, I was so sore, I never wanted to come back and the cost, in my mind, seemed excessive. A shorter 30-minute session is fun. I’m seeing the same results and I rationalize the expense as no different from a nice dinner out, but helps to reduces my waist line, not increase it. If you are in Tampa and need kick in the butt, and an inspiring trainer, I highly recommend  Sasha Townsend.

3) Write shorter blogs.
Yes, in the beginning this will not seem like less of anything, because it is often a tougher task to get to the point with few words.  Trust me, once you master the shorter, sweeter blog post style, it will mean you are a more effective writer and it is very likely, more people will enjoy your opinions, ideas and talents. I know I’ve been guilty. However, I am going to recommit to work this change into my blog writing.  Sure, every now and then a “how to” branding subject or marketing issue will need or deserve a bit more detail, story or blah, blah, blah.  That’s cool, but for now, I’m signing up to brief is better blog.

Got to go!

For many years I was the youngest in many business situations. I was younger than all my employees, having started my ad agency when I was 22. I was also the youngest to sit on important boards and I was considered by many to be a very young entrepreneur running two companies.

Then one day that changed. I’m not really sure exactly when this happened, but suddenly—while I still felt young, liked loud, new rock bands, trendy fashions —I turned 50! YIKES!!

My amazing life has raced through three decades and now I’m not the youngest any more, except when I go to an event at my mom’s senior living community and thank God, I am the youngest there.

What I am still is very young-minded, contemporary and a hip aging entrepreneur. I’m not sure I love the way that sounds, but until I can find that back-in-time retro aging potion at Walgreens, what is, is, and I’ve got to embrace my new place in life.

Why not? Vintage wine gets better with years. So I’m going to turn my modern maturity, earned wisdom and even my new challenges into super-charged fuel that takes me to even higher places in business and in life.

So stay tuned for upcoming blogs addressing–

When your mind says Go! And your body says No!
Forever young—keeping your competitive edge sharp
It’s never too late to start a business, start over or start a party

This weekend is Labor Day. Many start the count down on Monday, seven days before the official day, as the long weekend nears. It’s  a day off, the banks are closed and your dinner menu will likely include beer and barbeque.

Most don’t have a clue to the significance of the original Federal Celebration, which stemmed from President Cleveland’s reconciliation with labor unions after the deadly Pullman Strike of 1894, where a number of workers lost their lives.  A lot of folks view Labor Day as the final travel weekend before school begins, football season starts, and others think of it as the last weekend to wear white without risking getting a major citation from the fashion police.

And then there are many entrepreneurs that see that first Monday in September as just another great day to work or play, because you’re the boss and every day is a holiday and celebration. I share the last sediment.

I do have friends that can’t really relate to my opinion that Hallmark or Federal holidays are overrated. Not the significance of the day, but that they are more special than other days. Especially when I tell them I may work on Monday, their instant reply is “you work too much, you need to enjoy life”, which I really hate when people say that. Because my amount of joy, relaxation and celebration likely  exceeds theirs twenty fold, it may just not fall on a  holiday.

Sure being an entrepreneur can be scary and complicated. I was reminded of this today when I watched 10 episodes of Leap-Year, an on-line comedy series about the highs and lows of small business with 5 budding entrepreneurs. If you have not seen this, you’ve got to check it out. The storyline is creative and inspiring. And what I found really cool was that it was produced by PR and digital shop CJPcom.com for Hiscox, a small business insurance expert . Hiscox provides online business insurance to companies with less than 10 employees. And beyond the great reality small biz flicks, that you can watch anytime, there are business resources and a series of awesome interviews with very notable entrepreneurs like Mashable’s Editor in Chief Adam Ostrow, Guy Kawasaki (Alltop.com, Enchanted) and Gary Vaynerchuk (Daily Grape, The Thank You Economy). It’s brilliant marketing! They leveraged social media and streaming video, produced something relevant and entertaining and then associated their brand with it, and offered a great product. BINGO everyone wins!

So my Labor day holiday weekend may not be conventional. I will write a lot. I will do some planning and think about many things that are important to me. I may eat barbeque. I don’t drink beer, but do drink wine and may hang with some friends. I will play tennis and get a massage. But most of all, when I hear people chatting about dreading going back to work on Tues., to that job—I will rejoice and celebrate that I’m an independent entrepreneur who loves the labor of my business.