I bumped into this reading an article. How precious is your time, I’m always the one screaming make everything more efficient, well,
this is a good tool… Get yourself a TIM, it’s a meeting cost calculator and clock which tracks how much money is waisted during unproductive business meetings. The clock displays the cost of every second of a meeting in progress, based on the number of attendees and their average wages. Get yourself a TIM (yes, Time Is Money) and stop having those 4 hour meetings

I know I’m bringing it with me to the next meeting.

CallPod, a mobile necessity

Chargepod is a 6-way charging device that allows you to charge multiple cell phones, PDAs, headsets, and most other mobile electronics with a single power cord. Just pick out the manufacturer-specific adapters for your devices and throw away the many power cords that are cluttering your office and home.

GoToMeeting.com – webconferencing

This stuff I actually love using, it works really good and easy and on an iPad too!
With the amount of freelancers I work with, my week excists out of quit a lot of video conferencing. Love this tool!

their info:

GoToMeeting allows you to host an online meeting with up to 15 people – so you can do more and travel less. Using our Web conferencing tool you can share any application on your computer in real time. Attendees join meetings in seconds.

• Hold unlimited meetings for one flat fee.
• Collaborate with remote colleagues.
• Host and attend from either a Mac or PC.
• Save with integrated audio conferencing (via computer and telephone).

Tokbox

This  is a free variant of the above. It supports video chat with up to 20 people. You can share your screen and tweet invites with a chat link.
It’s free for basic chats and up to 9,99$ a month for more options.

Aquanotes

Probably my favourite ! Genius ideas always stroke you in the shower, right? Same here! With Aquanotes you get 40 sheet of waterproof paper and a waterresistant pencil.
You prefer taking a bath? No worries, you can write underwater. Lovely! www.myaquanotes.com for all us thinkers, now do! Seriously, really happy with them !!!!

Swaddle, swaddling, swaddles

I know…this is only for those whom have kids, well it’s also the perfect gift for a mother to be. Don’t get any ideas, I’m not pregnant, I just think this is a very efficient thing to have. Only the fact that I am referring to it as a thing says enough right ?

SwaddleDesigns was set up by Lynette Damir in 2002, a woman, praise the lord, I like her already and she is running a 3.6 million dollar business of baby-related products now…RESPECT!

Go to swaddledesigns.com and find out for yourself… I’m convinced it’s an efficient product to give as a gift… and no one seems to think of it here, or maybe that’s just because I’m not really in the baby scene.

This one, is really interesting…Workstreamer

What with blogs, social networks, and 24/7 news sites, finding and sorting through information about clients, competitor, and prospects on the Web can become a full-time job. A new service called Workstreamer.com does the job for you. You create a FREE account on the site and name companies you would like to follow. Then, the service scours a vast amount of online sources, including Facebook, Twitter, and SEC filings, for mentions of those companies; Workstreamer filters out junk like coupons. Links to the information appear in your account real-time, sorted by company, as well as in daily e-mail updates. cool hey! I’m trying it out as we speak, of course Dutch and other European languages will be a problem, but maybe we can fix it, I’m definitely going to keep you up on this one.

BookOfFame and TweetNotebook

This is brilliant, take your “friends” anywhere ! @francesk0 showed me this. Just a great thing to have!
Make sure you only add people that you really like and not people that come and go, because if you use it, you don’t want to look at their status constantly (this is a bigger problem with BookOfFame than with tweetnotebook), just an insider!

If you start using stuff mentioned above, let me know, and tell us about your experiences!!
And now… I wonder, do you think I have written this blog post or is it written by a ghost writer? Let me know!!!

Wat me juist die oplossing heeft gegeven ligt uiteraard niet enkel bij dit laatste gesprek. Het zat al op een ander randje toen ik het volgende meemaakte. Na verschillende gesprekken en enkele keren rondvragen kreeg ik enkele functies bij reclamebureaus door op zelfstandige basis of projectbasis. De verleiding werd groot… zekerheid, ervaring, stressafname de woorden flitsten door mijn hoofd. Een bedrijf heeft langer dan 4 dagen nodig gehad om mij te contacteren, terwijl ze sinds 2 weken aan het zwaaien zijn met een vacaturesite… Met zo’n dingen heb ik het erg moeilijk, zeker in een business waar alles zo snel moet gaan. Als ik  4 dagen moet wachten op een antwoord, gaat dat voor mij te traag in eender welke situatie.

What’s the plan my man?
Hold on to your lovehandles!
Ik vlieg er steevast zelf weer keihard in en ik neem er alle onzekerheid en verantwoordelijkheden van een zelfstandige lekker bij. Waar ik wel nog naar op zoek ben, nee, “op zoek” is misschien een foute manier om het te zeggen, ze komen wel op mijn pad, dat zijn opportuniteiten om met beide handen te grijpen. Zalig! Ik kijk er al naar uit. Laat die nieuwe reeks flippo’s maar komen, deel 2 van m’n kaft is af en klaar voor gebruik.

Frank (one of my dearest mentors and friends, yes I know you are reading this, and no, I don’t have any reason to suck up, it’s a fact that you are great in what you do, and this is a small anecdote) once told me that it’s definitely good to give in your private life, but that you shouldn’t underestimate the power of giving in your business. You should extend that line of giving to your friends, to giving to the world. Share your experiences, share your ideas, just share… Of course there are things that you should keep to yourself, but share those things that can help other entrepreneurs and people you work with.

Yesterday was such a day. I was very honest and open on how to achieve things, I cleared the path to hard to reach contacts for someone and I finalized a project I’m working on. We’re almost there, it’s called “Ondernemers voor Ondernemers” (Entrepreneurs for Entrepreneurs)  the idea behind it, is simply giving.
I am so blessed to have a lot of intelligent, open minded people around me whom help me out with my business and put me in the right direction, give me free advice, I’ll give it all back to them someday, with finders fees (they taught me that too).  But, I had to figure it out myself first. The weird thing is, if they would have been there at the start of my company… I would have known so much more. You can compare it to going back to kindergarten with the knowledge you have now…
This is a part of me that wants to give, the website will have several big shot entrepreneurs, in companies and entrepreneurs of own companies. They share their story and answer questions. In the help section you will find questions about investors, where do I get advice, etc. and of course in the profile section you will see what those different people have achieved in their career. The one big thing they all share is their ability to think solution minded, they don’t see a problem or come to you with a problem, they will present it to you as an obstacle, how you have to get over that obstacle and what will be awaiting you once you arrive to the solution, and that exactly are the kind of people you want around in your life. I’m presenting them on a tray, on a website, so starting entrepreneurs or entrepreneurs at the start of a big change or just someone with questions can come here and ask without needing to know people, they are all there to give.

Until now the giving has paid back big time, the young entrepreneur that sat there yesterday will never look at me the same way and that’s a glorious feeling.

Outsourcing & Efficiency

I realized something really funny. Since a couple of months I am trying to get out of bed every morning at 6am, most of the time it works, let’s say 35% of the time it doesn’t work, I would get up at 6.30am-7am then. My pyjamas on, and behind my desk, I start working, working, and I love it, because the world is quiet, some of my freelancers aren’t but not 1 client here in Belgium would set a hold to the silence. Believe me, you get a lot of work done starting at 6! Anyways, that’s not the point I’m making.
Since my job consists out of outsourcing and project management I became an expert in it, yes, please do have a laugh, being an expert is not that funny, I seriously think I made every mistake possible in a very narrow field, thank you Einstein! But what exactly does this mean.
I have 2 very nice virtual assistants, one Belgian lady and one Asian lady, they both work their ass of for me and have learned to answer my mails the same way as I would, there are only 2 inboxes I clear myself… which has slimmed down my mailbox from 150 mails to approximately 20 mails a day… interesting mails I must add!  Next to that my team of freelancers is finally on top of their game, they understand my briefings, they work with me and they do the job. What’s the outcome of all this, it is true, you CAN outsource your life! Doesn’t matter if you work for a company or if you own one, you can easily source it all out, as long as you are willing to let go.

Believe me, you are NOT the only one who can respond to your mails, you can easily train someone and make them think like you. Next to that you have some easy online tools that make sure you don’t go to distracting websites too much. I’ll start writing about this more… it’s a handy tool for anyone in business. You can easily slim down your hours or start working on the more important stuff. Maybe another tip: write down 3 important things to do on your list before you get out of the office or before you go to bed, 3 things that are really important and take some time. If you start living with this philosophy and you actually do those 3 important things everyday, you can’t go home before they’re finished, you will have an amazing feeling when you get home and try to outsource everything else on that list that doesn’t require your personal attention. It’s like getting all the mess out of your dressing room, if you haven’t worn it for over a year, throw it out! If you really think you can’t miss it, try to put it in a box somewhere and see if you need it in the coming 6 months… do the same with outsourcing, I promise you, it will help!

Ambition & Easy solutions

When do you know where to go?
I have taken heaps of risks in my life as a 21 year old. And those risks brought me to the exact place where I am today. And I like that place…
Ambition is what thrives you…but what thrives the ambition?
Is your ambition to become the best at something?
Do you want to be on top of everything?
Is there something you really want to achieve?
What thrives the ambition?

Is it ok to go for the easy solution, just this once?

That’s a question I’m asking myself now… and I’ll get back to you on it soon, I need to figure it out myself first..
always welcome to give tips!

Thanks for reading again.
Kindest regards,

Isabelle

De KMO? Een handige, gratis kredietlijn.
Tot nu toe hebben wij, als klein communicatiebureau, een overzichtelijke klantenportefeuille waardoor we eventueel openstaande klanten nog van heel nabij kunnen opvolgen en via persoonlijk, amicaal contact de vergeten factuur meteen weer onder de aandacht brengen. Op een enkele uitzondering na, steeds met een gunstig resultaat. Maar ik maak me geen illusies. Als het ons gegund is om in de komende jaren een gestage groei te mogen kennen, besef ik maar al te goed dat ook wij tegen wil en dank een gratis kredietverstrekker zullen worden.

Kip of het ei?
“Maar meneer, ’t is dat wij op onze beurt ook openstaande facturen hebben, anders hadden we u al lang betaald. We zitten met hetzelfde probleem.” Oké, maar om het met een ouwe gouwe van Borsato dan te vragen: “Wie, wie, wie, wie, wie heeft het gedaan?” Net als die onbekende onverlaat die telkens voorop in de file rijdt. Een snoodaard die er plezier inschept ons allemaal te ontregelen, zou het? En wat was er eerst, uw of mijn openstaande verkoopsfactuur?

Gebrek aan ethiek. Gebrek aan communicatie.
Is het niet ironisch? Tijdens een crisis heeft iedereen de mond vol van bedrijfsethiek, maar wordt het zelden consequent toegepast. Waarom ik ethiek en communicatie naast elkaar plaats? In heel wat situaties zijn het synoniemen van elkaar. Want een degelijke manier van communiceren brengt een zekere ethiek met zich mee. Het ene is een gevolg van het andere, zo je wil. Je leverancier en klant in z’n waardigheid laten, daar gaat het om. Kan je momenteel de factuur niet betalen? Bel hen dan even op, of zet je boodschapje op mail. Maar laat tenminste merken dat het je bezighoudt en ja zelfs zorgen baart. Dat neemt al een deel van de frustratie langs de zijde van de schuldeiser weg. Wedden?

Een leverancier van diensten is als een namiddagje Ikea.
Datzelfde gebrek aan communicatie tussen klant en leverancier kom je ook eerder in de relatie tegen. Van bij het prille begin. Zelfs voor er sprake is van een eigenlijke samenwerking! Vooral bedrijven die diensten aanbieden, weten wat ik bedoel. Het ‘ideetjes-shoppen’. Je weet dat ze het van plan zijn, je merkt dat ze het doen, maar je kan het niet hardmaken, wilt geen risico nemen en doet mee met de ‘cirque’. En plots is de prospect verdwenen, vaak al de dag na je offerte (hoe kort die ook was). Van accountant (het geven van enkele eerste adviezen, om de voor handen zijnde kennis te tonen) tot communicatieadviseur, allemaal worden ze met de regelmaat van de klok gelicht. Voor talrijke prospecten is een dienstenaanbieder net als een namiddagje shoppen: een leuke wandeling, op ideetjes komen en nadien kijken in welke andere winkel je die grootse dingen op een goedkope manier kan laten uitvoeren. Dat is hun volste recht? Inderdaad! Absoluut! Maar dat men dan ook nog even het lef en de beleefdheid heeft om de eerdere contacten mooi af te ronden. Je weet immers nooit wie je wanneer opnieuw tegen het lijf loopt en in welke positie die persoon zich dan bevindt. Kortom, netjes afserveren is de boodschap. Dat hoort ook bij het correct zakendoen.

Weg met die maagzweren & nutteloze stress?
Het klopt als een bus dat de Zuid-Amerikaanse koffieboer dringend heel wat meer kansen verdient dan George Clooney en zijn “what else?”. Het is niet voor niets dat wij zoveel mogelijk van dergelijke producten zelf ook in huis halen. Maar wat met de ‘fair trade’, dichtbij huis, onder elkaar? Zou dat de economie ook niet een duwtje in de goede richting geven? Op z’n minst de gezondheidszorg en onze sociale zekerheid, want het zou ons heel wat extra KMO-maagzweren, -depressies en –hartkwalen besparen. Wat denk jij?

bron: http://laurensvdw.posterous.com/fairtrade-de-kmo-als-gratis-kredietlijn-and-i
volg Laurens op Twitter @laurensvdw

On the 8th of June, I’m watching tv and all of a sudden, Wouter Hamel comes on and says he’s looking for a Flemish girl to join him in his duet As long as we’re in love, of course I reply, and believe it or not, I got the gig!!!
The hardest part of it all was keeping it a secret from my parents… I tell them everything, I’m the kind of person that buys a gift and 10 days in advance starts asking “hey, I got your gift, really don’t wanna know what’s in it  ;) “
Yes, I am that kind of person  Anyways, we had a blast, there was a small thing about it on VTM (Flemish television) and it was great, the band was amazing… great guys and all really down to earth and I’m looking forward hanging out with them someday! You should all buy his cd, feel good music all the way and you definitely recognize yourself through the album.

These are my favourites, you really have to listen to both :

Don’t Ask

and this is about casual sex… just listen to the lyrics… no further explanation necessary

love this one too.. actually I love the cd, they’re amazing!

Here are some pictures of the duet:

Thanks for reading.. I’ll keep up time this time !

I’m amazed by the creativity in this video, and the vision it took beforehand to think of the idea and then execute it. Kudos to the girl who did it – I think we could all learn something from her!

Kudos as well to any professionals or other readers out there, with similar ideas (and a similar dedication to creativity). In entrepreneurship, as in life, it’s often creative people with vision that truly rise to the top.

Listed here, for no particular reason (besides just for the fun of it!) is my top-5 list of festivals around the world. If you’ve been to any of these, and have a great story about it, leave it in the comments section.

5. White Nights Festival. St. Petersburg, Russia

St. Petersburg is so far north that during their summer months, May and June, the sun barely even sets, bathing the whole city in sort of a “white” twilight. This phenomenon is where the festival gets its name, celebrating ballet, opera, and classical music in a way only possible in Russia.

4. Munich Beerfest. Munich, Germany

No one knows their beer like the Germans, and no festival celebrates it better than the Munich Beerfest. This festival, as you might imagine, can get a little crazy… but none still offer more to both the serious beer connoisseur as well as the casual beer-drinking party-goer.

3. Mardi Gas. New Orleans, USA

Known for its famous “boobs for beads” currency system (seriously – go look it up yourself), as well as elegant floats, rich cultural history, and great modern French-American food, Mardi Gras is America’s biggest party. Parties go late into the night, but Mardi Gras is also known as a time for picnics, formal balls, and wearing the traditional colors of purple (justice), green (faith), and gold (power).

2. Chinese New Year. Hong Kong, China

Chinese New Year is celebrated all over the world each year, but nowhere as fervently (or as majestically) as in Hong Kong. The festival, lasting 15 full days, includes a huge night parade with traditional lion dances and loud drum music. Fireworks, which is said to scare away bad spirits with its loud noises, is a staple the entire time.

1. Carnival. Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

Bringing 500,000 people each year to Rio, adding to the 1 million already there, Carnival is officially the world’s best party. Taking place over four days, with a culmination parade with floats, music, themes, and costume, Carnival is the ideal time to let loose in the final fling before lent.

One of the entrepreneur stories I like the best comes from Fred Smith, the initial founder of the wildly successful shipping and delivery company FedEx. The story goes that early on in the forming of the company, despite having gotten a lot of financing, the company was out of cash.

In an airport with about ¼ of the money he would need to pay employees that month, Smith boarded a last-minute plane to Las Vegas, and put his money on the roulette wheel. As fate would have it, Smith was lucky that day, and won enough by gambling to make his payroll.

Having enough money to pay employees, and continue operations, FedEx grew from there to be one of the world’s biggest shipping and delivery companies. However, we never would have seen any of that  happen without a bold move by Smith, and without some good ol’ gamblers luck.

What’s the moral of Fred Smith’s story? Though some of you may run out and start gambling your bank money, I’m not sure anyone would say that this was a smart business strategy. Instead, the lesson I take from this is to have faith in your idea, and be willing to take great risks (even personal ones) to see it through.

Have faith. Have fun. And work as hard as you can to make your company’s dreams come true. When things get bad, you can always think of young Fred Smith, gambling the future of company at the roulette wheel.

1. Nigeria’s official name is the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

2. Nigeria’s flag is three vertical strips of green white and green. The green stands for farming and agriculture, and the white represents peace.

3. Nigeria has the largest population of any country in Africa. Approximately 1 out of every 4 Africans is a Nigerian.

4. Archaeological evidence shows that humans existed in Nigeria as early as 9000 BC.

5. The areas around Calabar, a small city in Nigeria, contain the world’s largest diversity of butterflies.

6. Nigeria has a thriving film production area nicknamed “Nollywood,” considered the 3rd largest film industry in the world after Hollywood and Bollywood.

7. Nigeria is the 12th largest producer of petroleum in the world and the 8th largest petroleum exporter. Nigeria has the 10th largest proven reserves of petroleum, in the world.

8. The drill monkey — a specific species of monkey — is only found in the wild in Southeast Nigeria and neighboring Cameroon.

9. Nigeria has the highest rate of twin births in the world, compared to any other country.

10. Nigeria is the 3rd largest market in the world for Guinness, believe it or not, and one of the few places outside Ireland where Guinness is brewed.

What do you all know about Nigeria? Has anyone traveled there?

2. Piglet is afraid of everything and is paranoid of constantly being chased
- MUSHROOMS

3. Bunny gets into everyone’s business and constantly needs everything
- COCAINE

4. Tigger cannot calm down, bounces all the time and is never tired
- XTC

5. Christopher Robin can talk to animals
- HALUCINOGENICS

6. Pooh Bear loves sweets and has the wildest imaginations
- LSD

7. Owl is always ther to help anyone who needs help
- The Dealer