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Packing with style
The online world is my playground but if you follow me on Twitter, you know I spend an awful lot of time traveling as well. And almost all of that travel is for business. While delays are inevitable, wardrobe stress is completely avoidable.?
Packing for business is all about economization. If it?s a 3-day trip (or less), it all fits into my carry-on or it doesn?t come. I refuse to wait for checked luggage on fast trips.?
For some people, packing for business is second nature. For the rest of us, it?s as simple as learning a few tricks.
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Peek in my luggage?
????????? Commit to neutrals: Pair every skirt, pair of pants and jacket with at least 2 tops. If it isn?t versatile, swap it out. I choose one color (black or grey) for the base items and from there add colors and patterns with blouses, camis, and sweaters.?
????????? Accessorize like you mean it: If you?re wearing a black dress 3 evenings in a row, ramp up the drama with different colored pashminas and jewelry. Because accessories are small, stuff them in the corners of your bag, your shoes and outside pockets.?
????????? Roll with it: My uncle (a retired sergeant) taught me to roll my clothes. Rolling multiple items together saves space and keeps everything neatly pressed. Put lingerie and socks in the center. This trick also works great for bringing back a bottle of wine.?
????????? Bag it: Put toiletries in re-sealable baggies to prevent a nasty mess when your bag?s tossed down the conveyer. On your way home, baggies are great for wet swimsuits, dirty shoes and umbrellas.?
????????? Cruise control: To arrive boardroom-ready, wear jeans or yoga pants on the plane and pack your outfit of choice at the top of your carry-on. When you arrive at your destination, make a quick stop in the airport bathroom and do a switch-a-roo. You?ll arrive for your meeting fresh and ready to work.?
Got a packing tip (or nightmare) to share??
Looking forward to continuing the conversation on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn (whichever one works best for you) or leave a comment below.
About Julia Rosien
Julia Rosien is the resident DotCominatrix for Women in Biz Network, Chief Idea Officer of SocialNorth, a social media strategist firm, and 2012 president for Withit.org, a leadership development network for women in the home and furniture industries. Julia was a founding organizer of Canada?s first 140 Conference and its master of ceremonies as well as a presenter at both Vegas and High Point furniture markets, Tweetstock.ca, Women in Biz Conference to name just a few. Not surprisingly, she?s been named one of the most influential women in social media and was a nominee for the Roger?s 2011 Women of the Year celebration. Julia is a staunch supporter in the power of word of mouth. Her work online with bloggers and social media influencers prove that getting found online is not only doable, it?s a must-have business strategy.
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Arguably not since Johannes Gutenburg invented movable type and the printing press has there been a more significant advance in publishing than the WordPress publishing platform.
While the printing press allowed the dissemination of ideas, firstly in Europe and then the world, the WordPress blogging software has allowed individuals and businesses to publish what they like almost instantaneously on the internet.
The opportunities that flow to small businesses, start ups and entrepreneurs who use WordPress to build their online presence and conduct their internet marketing are enormous.
The benefits offered by WordPress software, which is open source and free, are obvious and stunningly effective:
1. the opportunity to tell the world about your business, your goods and services;
2. the opportunity to build your brand and reach an audience you would never have expected possible;
3. the reduction in advertising costs associated with advertising in local or national newspapers or radio/tv.
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Any small business owner knows all about the prohibitive cost and difficult to measure return from advertising in
1. local newspapers
2. national papers such as the Irish Times, the Irish Independent, the Daily Star and so on
3. radio stations and television such as RTE, TV3, Newstalk and local radio
4. magazines etc.
WordPress features
The most significant feature of WordPress by far is the ease of use-even for non technical users.
If you can use a WISYWIG (what you see is what you get editor), point and click your computer mouse then you can publish with WordPress. Not too long ago, small business who owners who wished to have a website for their business were reliant, totally reliant, on ?tech people?-people who understood technical stuff like html, css and other obscure terms.
This, thankfully, is no longer the case.
Themes and plugins
Along with the ease of use is the ability to change the look and feel of your site with a couple of clicks by simply changing the theme of your WordPress site. And because WordPress is free and open source there are a literally hundreds of thousands of WordPress themes to choose from.
Plugins, pieces of script, which are also free can be added freely with a couple of clicks and will allow you to add some great features to your site such as
1. social media sharing buttons
2. contact forms
3. Google analytics
4. and more.
Relying on the ?tech guy?
Relying completely on the ?tech guy? in 2012 to promote your business on the internet is a missed opportunity for you and your business. Many smart, astute business owners are taking greater control of their internet marketing and online branding.
Many of the biggest sites online such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and others have easy to use interfaces and loads of free videos online showing you how to use them.
And the easy to use WordPress publishing platform should be at the hub of your online marketing efforts for your business and building your brand on the web, reaching new markets and customers.
Related posts:
- Marketing Your Business Online-Internet Marketing for Small Business
- Online Marketing Ireland-Can Internet Marketing Benefit Your Business?