What a great month it’s been for Solo-E! First we were named a finalist for “Website of the Year“. Then today I discovered we are no. 92 in John Crickett’s The Top 100 Business Blogs list. Wow!

Other blogs on the list of note: Seth Godin’s blog, DuctTape Marketing (John Jantsch), Fast Company, Small Biz Trends, and Escape from Cubicle Nation (Pam Slim). Pretty heady company! And those are just the ones I recognized…you’ll want to peruse the entire list, for there are a lot of goodies to be found!

I’m thrilled to announce that Solo-E.com has been named a finalist in the “Best Website of the Year” category for the 4th annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business.

Wow! What an honor! And a wonderful opportunity for us to further spread the message that working solo can be financially and creatively fulfilling, without sacrificing personal freedom to make it happen.

You can read more about the Stevie Awards (maybe you want to enter for next year?) and help us reach more solo entrepreneurs by Digg-ing our press release. A brief mention in your blog or ezine would be the icing on the cake

Thank you for being the inspiration that keeps Solo-E alive and evolving!

Here we are in September. The end of summer is near and I see this as a time for new beginnings. Labor Day is over, the kids go back to school, people are back from vacation and it’s time to ‘start’ thinking about next year’s intentions, goals and successes. Not including this month, there are 3 months left until the end of 2007 and it’s never too early to start planning.

Read the rest of this post »

It seems like there are dozens of great, new websites and web resources popping up every day.  Some of these new web toys and tools can be a boon to your business - but it’s tough to keep track of them all.  Let me save you the trouble of sorting it all out with a quick review of some of my newest favorite sites:

Read the rest of this post »

And they wonder why small businesses are such advocates of net neutrality…here’s a great example of the "big boys" cutting out the "little guy".

AT&T/Cingular, Sprint and Qwest have begun blocking customer calls to free conference services like FreeConference.com. My understanding is that it only applies to wireless calls. But still!!

Read the rest of this post »

Creating your own world - your own way, can be a daunting experience.  There are so many challenges that Solo-Entrepreneurs face.  (i.e. demands on time, finances, lack of resources, self-confidence, establishing realistic goals, accomplishing ‘it all’). 

And, having time for a family, having time for you, for living life, for just being.  And yet each day, each hour we are driven to succeed, driven to make a difference, driven to keep enjoying this wonderful thing we call "Entrepreneurship"!

So to celebrating your accomplishments, your efforts and all the fun you’ve had in your ongoing develepment - we encourage you to submit your story to the "Entrepreneur of the Year Award". 

You can nominate yourself or nominate someone who has inspired you!  All nominations must be received before 11:59 pm - September 15, 2006. 

If you or your nominee advances to the next round, come back here and post a comment with the link where your story has been shared on the INC. Website. 

To submit your nominee now, visit:  http://www.inc.com/entrepreneur/ and carefully read the instructions!

To your Solo-Success!!

~ Amy Ewart

Andy Wibbel’s blog has been named the Best Blog on Marketing to a Specific Consumer Demographic by the Marketing Sherpa annual Reader’s Choice awards.

If you want to learn more about using blogging to market your business, I also highly recommend Andy’s blog. Informative, funny, and a little edgy (ok a lot!), it will keep you at the end of your seat waiting for the next post!

Terri Recommends Andy Wibbel’s blog

non-affiliate link

In a big win for Solo Entrepreneurs, a bipartisan majority of the House Judiciary Committe yesterday passed the "Internet Freedom and Nondiscrimination Act". While this doesn’t mean it will become law, it is definitely a major step in the right direction for Net Neutrality.

Imagine you publish your ezine today. Most of your subscribers get it in their inbox today. Without net neutrality, that could change — your ezine might not be delivered for several days, depending on the network your subscribers use, unless you pay a fee. That new viral movie you just had created? Budget additional funds to get it delivered, or risk slow download speeds and those annoying stutters in the middle. These are real scenarios that hit us, as solo business owners, especially hard.

There are more fights ahead. Network operators are spending huge amounts of money (I read one source that put the amount at $1 million a day!) What can you do?

• Learn about the facts. Read: Why Consumers Demand Internet Freedom
• Sign the SavetheInternet.com petition
• Call your senators and House representative (get their phone numbers and a sample script)
• Tell five friends!

Tags: [netneutrality]

One of my most favored quotes is by Anne Frank (a young holocaust victim, who documents her experience, if you have not yet read her diary, it is motivating beyond measure) which says: “How wonderful it is that we can start doing good at this very moment.” This quote appeals to me. As a mother, a person, a Solo Entrepreneur and Self-deprecating, Self-Improvement Junkie, it suggests that if we ‘choose to’ we can immediately change direction or improve and ‘do good’ if we put our mind to it. I thought of this quote when I was reading a recent survey conducted by Wells Fargo titled Found: The secret to small business success.

Read the rest of this post »

A new Small Business Administration study released today found that when the deductibility of health insurance premiums is increased, the survival of self employed businesses increases.

Well, duh!

Anything that puts dollars on the bottom line of a solo business is going to increase the odds of success. And they needed a study to confirm that? Jeesh.

Solo entrepreneurs (in the US) that can legitimately employ their spouse at least part-time can do even better — deduct their premiums AND medical expenses — through a tax “feature” known as section 105. Here’s a chance for little companies to finally get the breaks usually reserved for the “big boys”!

Tags: [medicalreimbursementplan],[self-employed],[taxes]