Author Archives: Anna Doo

The Third Time I Trudged Through the Bataan Memorial Death March

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Bataan Memorial Death March March 23, 2014
Bataan Memorial Death March March 23, 2014
Bataan Memorial Death March March 23, 2014
Bataan Memorial Death March March 23, 2014
Bataan Memorial Death March March 23, 2014
Bataan Memorial Death March March 23, 2014
Bataan Memorial Death March March 23, 2014
Bataan Memorial Death March March 23, 2014
Bataan Memorial Death March March 23, 2014

This was the third time I’ve participated in the Bataan Memorial Death March. The first year I entered in the military heavy category. This meant I wore my full Army uniform, including combat boots and carried a 42 lbs ruck sack (a military issued backpack). The requirement is 35 lbs. How did I end up with 42 lbs then? Well, that’s what happens when you train with two fellow females and one shows up the morning of the march with entirely too much weight and we distribute it. Bad idea. Bring non-perishable food items instead of military issued gear so you can donate what you don’t need to make weight. Continue reading →

What is failure exactly?

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What exactly is failure? Is it a lack of being able to accomplish a task or reach a goal? Is it giving up even if you have the resources to finish? Is it not getting started in the first place? What is your definition of failure? Leave a comment below, I’d love to know what you think.

Take chances, make mistakes.Webster’s defines failure as an “omission of occurrence or performance” or  “lack of success”. That seems a bit too narrow in my mind. Let me first say I hate failing. Loath, despise and abominate failing! Continue reading →

On the Quest for Harmony

Posted in solopreneur, work life balance by

Harmony Work-Life Balance

I recently watched a TED talk presented by Nigel Marsh titled “How to Make Work-Life Balance Work“. In light of some upheaval during the past week, I found it a poignant topic. Am I in the right line of work? Am I pursuing it properly? What about my commitments outside my business?

Marsh argues that, “Certain job and career choices are fundamentally incompatible with being meaningfully engaged on a day-to-day basis with a young family.” He also posits that a work-life balance does not mean the same things to every human being on the planet. I too alluded to that sentiment in my previous post on this topic. In addition, his comment stuck with me that being balanced doesn’t mean I have to do a full 180 degree turn to find some solace. Continue reading →

The Hope of Great Things to Come

Posted in social media, solopreneur by

Champagne ToastCompleting projects makes me feel great! That’s because there are so many inherent functions that follow.

As you may know by now, I set a deadline of January 15, 2014 to launch my online course geared toward DIY business owners who want someone to show them how to create, maintain and promote their online presence. It’s called Website Design by Anna Doo and you can find it by clicking on the link websitedesignbyannadoo.com Continue reading →

Build it – they will come

Posted in social media, solopreneur, technology by
Photograph by Jean Pierre Dalbera

Photograph by Jean Pierre Dalbera Flickr

Does this hold true for digital products? Or must we market them –AS– we build them? Rome wasn’t built in a day – and I venture to argue that no digital product is created in a day either. I will admit the baseball field the title refers to may have fared a bit better though.

Many startups fall prey to perfecting a product before getting it to the marketplace. Then by the time it exists in front of the customer – no one is even looking for it, or anticipating its arrival. But how is a solopreneur supposed to create a digital product and market it at the same time? Simple – time management. Though the only ‘simple’ part is actually typing that sentence. Continue reading →

Solopreneur work-life balance

Posted in solopreneur, work life balance by

Solopreneur vs. work-life balance – can we be successful at both?

Christmas in Durango, CO - Striving for the infamous work-life balance.

Christmas in Durango, CO – Striving for the infamous work-life balance.

Any fellow solopreneurs out there? How do you handle this holiday season? Do you carve out time to vacation just as our paid-time-off employee friends do? Or do you spend the week of Christmas and now New Year’s fretting over the work piling up, the emails awaiting a response and self-imposed deadlines looming ever closer? Continue reading →

Constantly Updating

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Continuously Updating

I’m in the midst of creating an online course to empower business owners to create, maintain and update their own website. Of course, I’m using WordPress as the platform to help them build a site they will be able to manage. WordPress is the easiest to use platform for non-techy people.

I recorded a video about a week or so ago replete with installing a self-hosted WordPress.org site and then an overview of the Dashboard and Settings menus. Well, I went back to record the next series of videos today regarding the Tools and Users menus as well as begin building the site by choosing a theme. Continue reading →

Social Media Etiquette

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image of thumb up and thumb downWhen did it become acceptable to utilize Facebook for business-level communication?

I mean, I use Facebook for business communication – i.e. to promote my client’s Social Media sites, or to tell everyone what’s new in my business, or to like and share businesses I admire and appreciate with my circle of friends.

But I do not use Facebook as a valid form of communication that should only be between two people or entities. Receiving a private message from a colleague that a) addressed me improperly and b) simply said ‘Call me’ caused me to do the exact opposite and completely ignore the demand. Continue reading →