In today’s economy, it’s hard enough to find a job – let alone, a flexible one that suits your needs both as a professional and a working mom.  But don’t despair – in actuality, this may be one of the BEST times to land the flexible gig you need to finally achieve and maintain some form of life/work fit.

While the economy has definitely taken a toll on the job market, it has also forced us companies and employees to reevaluate how we work – and we have seen flexibility placed at the forefront of this change. When companies couldn’t afford to reward and entice employees with bonuses or raises, they were forced to get creative and offer flexible work schedules, four-day work weeks, sabbaticals, and telecommuting options instead.  When workers could not find full-time, traditional positions, they in turn started freelancing, contracting, and even interning.  Both corporations and workers have seen the benefits of workplace flexibility in terms of morale and profits, and the average 9 to 5 has been redefined during the recession.

So how can you find a flexible job that matches your skill set and experience?

• Start your own freelance or consulting company.  Many employers who were forced to downsize over the past year are hesitant to invest in full-time hires as their business picks up.  Temporary and contract work is the fastest growing segment of employment right now, and USA Today recently reported that up to a quarter of the nation’s workforce could become temps over the next two years.  Would your skills and experience make you a valuable asset to a product launch campaign or three month operations manual overhaul for a local company?  Sign up at elance.com or sologig.com to promote your temp services and work how and when you’d like.  One thing to note – be prepared to cover your own health insurance and retirement costs, as that is one of the employer benefits for not actually bringing you on full-time.
• Approach your current employer.  Flexible work arrangements allow organizations to cut payroll costs without large-scale staff reductions.  Companies such as KPMG implemented an optional four-day workweek last year in exchange for a 20% lower base salary.  Cost-saving strategies are at the forefront of your supervisor’s mind.  If you are willing to take a slight decrease in pay in exchange for your dream schedule or are willing to forgo your bonus in order to telecommute one day per week – now is the time to approach him or her about it.
• Throw a party.  Today’s Tupperware party is not your mother’s Tupperware party.  If you are strictly looking to find a source of secondary income, sign on to host an in-home party and make a profit off of your sales.  Many products these days can sell for over $100, allowing you to generate a sometimes significant amount of profit.  Many women have also turned to in-home jewelry, culinary, and clothing sales in order to keep their skill-sets fresh, gain new experience, and make money according to their scheduling needs.
• Go to a temporary staffing company.  Of course, make sure that you make the company aware of your flexibility needs and find out if they are willing to work with you.  Some might have part time or flexible jobs and others may not.  There are a few firms that focus specifically on flexible work, like the one I founded, Mom Corps. Mom Corps matches up candidates like you with premier employers who have flexible work opportunities (part-time, contract, telecommuting, etc.)
• Network creatively and strategically.  The definition of networking has also changed substantially.  You don’t have to put on a power suit and attend a sometimes awkward business luncheon or cocktail reception in order to collect business cards and contacts anymore.  Some of today’s best networking takes place at the soccer field with parents of your children’s friends, over Twitter and Facebook with other working moms’ groups, and while volunteering in your community.  Cast a wide net professionally – and personally – in order to set yourself up for as many leads as possible. Let your network know what you are looking for and you might just find the perfect opportunity!

Most importantly, have fun!  There are some great flexible opportunities out there just waiting for you!

We get this question all the time. And the best advice is always to start small, with little to no overhead. If you can moonlight in your pie-making business on the side, you’ll not only make some extra cash in your spare time, but you’ll get a feel for whether it could actually be a profitable, full-time business down the line.

Luckily, there are all sorts of online tools popping up these days to help you sell the fruits of your labor. In a series of posts on this blog, I’m going to detail some of the best ones, starting with one of my favorite online shopping destinations, Etsy.com.

If you’re a crafter – and by that I mean a knitter, sewer, jeweler, graphic designer, and everything in between – Etsy is the place for you to sell your wares. Not only is it easy to set up a shop – you can do it with little to no tech know-how – but it’s considerably less expensive than building your own website. You’re also entering a community of like-minded sellers and a built in audience of buyers.

How it works:  You sign up, and create a “shop,” which is where you’ll list your items. You’ll pay 20 cents to list an item for four months, and when it sells, Etsy will take a 3.5% cut. At the end of each month, you’ll get a bill detailing what you owe.

The goal, of course, is to make a lot of sales. That will make that $.20 listing charge more than worthwhile. For tips on how to make your shop profitable, I turned to seller Jess Radlich, a graphic designer whose shop Sublime Designer offers invitations, business logos, and custom work (full disclosure:  she made my – lovely –  wedding invitations).

• Put some thought into your shop name and design. You want a name that’s easy to remember and distinctive, so people can find it fairly quickly with a quick search on the site. You should also take some time to design a nice header for your store – if you don’t have the skills to do that, there are several designers on Etsy who feature the service for $20 – $30. This is a business, so your space should look professional.
• Focus on presentation. You’ll be able to take photos of what you have for sale and write a description of each item, so really take the time to create an appealing package.
• Upload new products often. “Once your shop is open, try to list new items every day or so. This puts you at the top of Etsy’s search feed and gives you more visibility. Updating often is also a good way to get featured on the Etsy home page, which is free advertising!” says Radlich.
• Give and solicit feedback. Shoppers are going to look at your feedback, listed next to your username, to determine if other customers have had good experiences buying from you. You want to keep your feedback as close to 100% positive as possible – it may be the difference between someone buying from your shop instead of a similar one. “Always remember to give feedback, if you buy something, and remind your buyers to do the same for you. It makes potential buyers have more confidence in you before they make a purchase,” explains Radlich.
• Advertise. Start with word of mouth, by sending an email to friends and family when your shop is up. They’ll tell their friends, and the cycle continues. But you should also use social networking sites, like Twitter and Facebook, to post about your shop and any new items you’ve listed. Radlich uses a blog, which links to her Etsy site, to connect with other graphic designers and post her recent work. And if you have the extra cash, she suggests purchasing a slot on one of Etsy’s showcases, which they do by category (jewelry, art, clothing) or by occasion (wedding, holidays). It’s cheap – about $7 – and your item will be highlighted for 24 hours.

WHO:

WHAT: Serena & Lily; an upscale linens and homewares company.

WHERE: Sausalito, CA

WHEN: 2004

HOW: When her first son was born in 2000, Lily Kanter, an 18 year veteran of the corporate world, decided to trade in her board meetings for baby bottles. Shopping for her newborn, Kanter struggled to find high-end furniture for the nursery.  “There was nothing in the Bay area that was done with well edited taste,” she describes. Soon after, Kanter and her husband capitalized on the void in the market and opened Mill Valley Baby & Kids Company, a baby and home furnishings shop.

At that same time, Serena Dugan, an experienced freelance decorative painter, textile designer and commissioned artist; was splitting her time between projects for corporate and residential clients.   When it came private residences, Dugan was beginning to specialize in decorative painting projects for— you guessed it—nurseries.

One afternoon in 2004, Dugan walked into Kanter’s store with her portfolio in tow. “I decided to reach out to area baby boutiques to introduce store owners to my work and my service, in the event that their clients were looking for the type of work I did,” says Dugan. That day, Kanter was in the hospital, giving birth to her second son.  Soon after she left the hospital, Kanter swung by her shop to check on things.  It was there that she found Dugan’s portfolio.

Kanter was so impressed by Dugan’s designs that three days later, the two met face to face. Kanter recalls Dugan saying, “If I were having a baby today, I don’t know how I would decorate my nursery. It just doesn’t exist today.” As they poured over the portfolio, Kanter’s head began to fill with visions of everything from baby bumpers to blankets  in Dugan’s style.  Dugan, who in the past had worked on designs for Pottery Barn Kids, brought to the table artwork unlike anything Kanter had ever seen before.  “The concept was to create a new look,” says Kanter.  “That’s just what she did.”

For the next two months, Dugan and Kanter worked tirelessly to get their idea off the ground. Initial funding came from their credit cards and second mortgages.  “When the number got to $750 thousand, we went and got angel investors,” says Dugan.  In May of 2004, Dugan and Kanter sent out their first catalog to 400 boutiques across the United States.  Three weeks later, they had over 100 orders.  Eventually, the brand’s success and an expanding family forced Kanter to sell Mill Valley Baby & Kids Company. “I just had baby number 3, Serena & Lily was taking off and I had 3 boys under 4 years old,” describes Kanter.

In 2007, the duo began bringing their wares to the public with the launch of SerenaandLily.com. Recently, the company branched out from the nursery room, expanding its lines to include women’s bags, bedding, furnishings and more for the entire home.  They didn’t stop there either.  In 2008, Kanter and Dugan let the world in on their nursery decorating secrets when they co-authored the book “Nursery Style.”

Since their launch in 2004, Serena and Lily’s sales have consistently doubled every year and the company is on track now to do $1 million dollars in business per month. Their bedding and gift collections are distributed to over 600 stores nationwide, including Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdales. Celebrities also count themselves fans of Serena and Lily’s designs—it’s been said that A-list moms like Jennifer Garner, Jessica Alba and Nicole Kidman decked their newborn’s nurseries with the furnishings.

What will the future bring for Serena and Lily? “We think big,” says Kanter.  “Our eyes are set on building a Ralph Lauren type of brand that has a lot of different categories and is beloved by many and a design leader.”

THEIR ADVICE: According to Kanter and Dugan, if you’re starting a business with another person, you should have two things in common: drive and passion.   “What drew Lily and I to one another was that we both have a similar drive,” says Dugan.  “We believed in what we were doing, we were passionate about the idea and with that belief and that passion, we knew we could make anything happen.”

Want to win a copy of “Nursery Style?” Click here and type NURSERY in the message box.

WHAT: Saladworks, the nation’s #1 salad franchise

WHEN: 1986

WHERE: Saladworks has locations in 11 states, but the company calls Conshohocken, Pennsylvania home base

HOW: Being successful in business is rarely a toss up. It’s a mix of ingredients: hard work, creativity and passion, to name a few. But for John Scardapane, founder of Saladworks, it was both.

Working as a gourmet chef in a New Jersey country club, Scardapane noticed a lack of healthy alternatives for diners and decided to take action. “I realized that there were really no healthy alternative food offerings available for consumers on-the-go, so I developed the concept to serve fresh, made-to-order entrée-sized salads in a comfortable, restaurant environment.”

With that concept in the back of his mind, Scardapane climbed the ranks at the country club, going from chef to management level. Scardapane soon learned however, that the promotion wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. “When I was promoted to management, I was guaranteed a base salary and a percentage of the profits of the club. I made these profits, but I was never given my percentage because of a prior manager’s losses. This made me realize that I couldn’t work for someone else – I had to go into business for myself,” he says.

Eventually, Scardapane left his job, taking with him years of kitchen experience and his idea for a salads-only restaurant. In 1986, Scardapane pitched his Saladworks concept to a local mall in southern New Jersey, but was met with a less than enthusiastic response. “Mall management was skeptical of the salads-only business model, and worried it wouldn’t be profitable,” he says.

Scardapane’s confidence in his idea never wavered though, and with $90,000 in borrowed funds, Scardapane scored a spot in the mall’s food court, and began to serve his salads to the masses. “Saladworks quickly became the highest grossing concept in the food court,” he describes. In 1992, Saladworks expanded to become the first and largest fresh-tossed salad franchise.

Today, Saladworks is an $80 million dollar company with over 100 locations in 11 states across the country. And gone are the days of Saladworks offering strictly salads—the chain now offers a selection of fresh sandwiches and wraps too. What’s next for Saladworks? Making health food healthier. “We’re lowering the calories, salt, and fat in our signature salads, wraps, and sandwiches. We’re also testing yogurt-based dressings in some of our locations; using yogurt rather than mayonnaise significantly reduces the fat and calories in salad dressings,” describes Scardapane.

HIS ADVICE: According to Scardapane, confidence is everything when it comes to being a successful entrepreneur. “Up-and-coming entrepreneurs must build up confidence in themselves and in their product or service. There will always be people who will discourage you. Realize that you only fail if you stop trying,” he says

WHAT: The Diner’s Deck, a deck of cards—one for each of the 52 Manhattan restaurants chosen by the deck’s creators—with each card doubling as a $10 gift certificate at the place it describes. Forking over the $29.95 for the deck can really add up to some serious savings. To break even use three cards. Use the whole deck and you’ve saved yourself around $490. Boyett and Winner’s brand, “City Shuffle,” has also recently added two new decks: The Diner’s Deck for Brooklyn and Downtown and The Bar and Lounge Deck.

WHEN: 2003

WHERE: New York, NY

HOW: “The original inspiration for The Diner’s Deck came to Jeff when he was getting ready to go on a date” says Boyett. Wanting to shake things up a bit and discover a new place to dine, Winner wrote the names of some restaurants on slips of paper, shuffled them and asked his date to pick one. Two nights later, Boyett and Winner went out to grab a bite to eat, planning to use a gift certificate to pay for the meal. Over a couple burgers, Boyett listened to Winner’s date night tale, and then it hit him. “It occurred to me that each card could have value, each card could be a gift certificate,” describes Boyett. From that stroke of genius came “The Diner’s Deck,” a product that’s sold at retailers such as Barnes and Noble, Bed Bath & Beyond and to corporate clients both big and small.

After their dinner, the pair hit the ground running and started the development process. “We started with a lot of shoe-leather market research,” explains Boyett. An actor waiting tables on the side, Boyett went right to the source: the customers in his restaurant. “I talked with and listened at length to my customers about what they’d want such a product to do. How often do they eat out? How often do they try a new place? What kind of restaurants would they like to discover?” Boyett also talked with restaurant owners about what would make them want to take part in their product.

Taking the advice of customers and restaurant owners, they began to design the deck. To start, the duo set a release date ten months in advance. Although the deadline added pressure to the process, it helped too, says Boyett. “The setting of a launch date pulled a kind of road map into focus, helping us to set due-dates for various aspects of the development process and helping us to shift into a more serious gear.” With the help of a professional designer, Boyett and Winner were able to make a few prototype decks. To pay costs such as this, they funded the start-up on their personal credit cards, keeping costs low by using cards with low APR’s and working from their home office.

Once the decks were complete, the pair shopped them around, taking them to gift shops and bookstores to gauge owner’s interest in carrying the item. “Getting positive responses, it all started to seem that much more real and I began working weekend double-shifts at my restaurant so I could work full-time pitching restaurant owners on participating” says Boyett. Ten months later, Boyett and Winner met their goal and launched the first edition of The Diner’s Deck.

In 2007 The Diner’s Deck began to turn a profit. Today, the product provides a steady source of income for both Boyett and Winner, giving them time to still do the things they love. “I’m still able to take acting jobs. Jeff has been able to continue editing and making films,” says Boyett. What’s next for The Diner’s Deck? Any day now, The Diner’s Deck will go mobile with the launch of “Relish,” an iPhone app which follows the same concept of the original deck.

THEIR ADVICE: “One of the most important decisions you can make is who you decide to go into business with.” According to Boyett, when choosing a business partner, it’s of utmost importance to only work with people you trust and respect. Loving your idea is important too, says Boyett. “It’s a ton of work and in the early days especially…it’s the love for the idea that keeps you going,” he says.

Want to broaden your restaurant horizons? Click here and type “Diner’s Deck,” into the message box for a chance to win one of each of the City Shuffle Products.

WHAT: Purple Lab Cosmetics

WHEN: 2007

WHERE: New York, NY

HOW: It all started with a cocktail party. “I ate so much that after twenty minutes, I felt full and uncomfortable, like my pants were suddenly one size too small. I told my husband I had to go home and he was a little disappointed…I jokingly said, “Well, if my lip gloss would plump my lips and not my hips, I wouldn’t be in this mess.” And with that, the idea for Purple Lab Cosmetics was born. “The light bulb in my head blinded me,” says Robinovitz. “What if there was a lip-gloss with plumper and appetite suppressant?” she thought.

After that fateful cocktail party, Robnovitz picked up the phone and called a friend who worked at a major makeup brand to see if she could make the product. “My husband grabbed my phone and said, “YOU make this product. This is the start of your brand!”

Two weeks later, Robinovitz trademarked “Huge Lips Skinny Hips,” a lip gloss that plumps your lips and curbs your appetite, seting the wheels in motion for developing her brand. “I had no idea what I was doing but after asking around, I found a lab, who recommended a manufacturer for components. I joined a beauty organization so I could create a network of insiders who could guide me,” says Robinovitz.

To get the product off the ground, Robinovitz and her husband invested their life savings into the new brand. “In the beginning, the investment didn’t seem large. What started as $5,000 turned into $50,000. And it hurt when I crossed the threshold of $250,000.” At one point, Robinovitz even considered selling her engagement ring. Thankfully, today, Purple Lab is funded by outside sources—and Robinovitz still has her engagement ring. “We now have investors and partners, which was vital and really the only way for us to take Purple Lab to the levels we envision,” says Robinovitz.

When Robinovitz started her brand she was working as a consultant, creating strategic communication plans for fashion and beauty brands. Eventually, burning the candle at both ends took its toll. “I almost didn’t have a choice. When I started the business, I had no idea it would take the amount of time and energy it took. And by the time I realized, I was so “in” – financially and emotionally – that there was no turning back,” she describes.

Within the next year, Purple Lab hopes to launch seven new products and cross the multi-million dollar revenue threshold. Robinovitz plans to base her next seven products (everything from mascara to hair product) on something she likes to call “double duty beauty.” “Everything will be about double duty beauty – chic, innovation, fun wrapped around science forward technology and cutting edge ingredients,” she describes. A former fashion, beauty and lifestyle journalist, Robinovitz promises that her products will be top of the line. “I have very discerning taste after being in the media, writing about beauty, and trying every single product there is to try for over a decade,” says Robinovitz.

HER ADVICE: According to Robinovitz, facing your fears head on is key to succeeding as an entrepreneur. “Do it. Lose all fear. Take a risk. Think of yourself as the baby chick learning to fly and just jump out of the tree,” she suggests. “Trust your vision and instincts,” she adds.

Want to win your own tube of “Huge Lips Skinny Hips?” Click here and write “Purple Lab” in the message box.

-Toree, Iowa

Working from home definitely has its perks. “You don’t waste time commuting. You can be home for your family when you need to. You can usually set your own schedule. You don’t have to pay for a work wardrobe,” are just a few of them, says Allison O’Kelly, CEO of MomCorps.com. While working from home can make things easier, searching for a position is anything but simple.

To sidestep work from home scams, start your search with sites that feature only vetted work from home opportunities.  Two of my favorites are Women for Hire and Mom Corps. Although both are geared towards women, the sites provide free listings of legitimate work from home jobs for both sexes.  Another place to check for work from home jobs is directly with companies.  For example, JetBlue has agents that work from home.

Once you think you’ve found a real work from home opportunity, do a little poking around. Start by asking if you can speak with current or former employees. “The client should be able to connect you with others that have worked with the organization so you can learn about their experiences,” says O’Kelly. If the job-listing provider can’t comply, consider it a warning sign.

There are other red flags you should be on the lookout for too.  If the employer promises you can make a lot of money with little or no experience, its more than likely a hoax. Avoid companies that ask you to pay for training, pay for supplies or wait a month before you get your paycheck too.  “Unless you are buying a business, you should not need to pay money to work from home. You should not be required to pay for an expensive training class or materials to work from home,” advises O’Kelly.

If the listing you’ve found passes these tests, you should still vet it with the Better Business Bureau to be 100% sure that it’s an authentic work from home opportunity.  You can do so by clicking here.

WHAT: Corso’s Cookies

WHERE: Syracuse, NY

WHEN: 2001

HOW: “I always loved to bake since my first easy bake oven and I also loved art. Once I combined them both into decorated cookies I knew I had found my niche,” says Corso. When Corso had trouble finding a unique gift to send to a friend who had a baby, she decided to take matters into her own hands. The result? A million dollar business. “I decided to send her some cookies decorated like flowers in a basket. She loved them so I started making them for thank you gifts…they created quite a buzz around town. Every time I sent cookies out the recipient would want me to make more to send to someone for them. It seemed to be a snowball effect,” says Corso.

Working as a real estate agent, Corso used part of her commissions to fund the start-up. “I would go to the store, buy a pound of sugar and ten pounds of flour pretty much every other day. Then I’d wait to get paid on one bouquet to go out and do it again,” said Corso. The fledgling cookie business received its biggest boost from its first large order. “One thing that really helped was an order for 5,000 heart shaped cookies from the American Heart Association. We didn’t have any equipment for this. We had to do all the rolling by hand. I called every relative I had, every friend I had to help. With that order, the money we made helped us get things really started,” says Corso. A new and improved website also helped Corso’s Cookies gain exposure. “Once we got a really good website up, other companies started coming to us wanting to sell the bouquets on their site,” says Corso. Today, Corso’s Cookies are sold on over 100 websites, including ProFlowers and Amazon.

As orders kept getting larger and more frequent, Corso decided to leave the real estate business behind and pursue her true passion. “Within 6 months of starting cookie bouquets, the cookies just dominated. The tipping point for leaving real estate was my getting three hours of sleep a night,” explained Corso. But Corso wasn’t the only one burning the midnight oil—her husband Peter Hess also worked overtime to get the business off the ground. “My husband worked a full-time job to support us and worked with me in the evenings and weekends to prevent us from having to hire an accountant, janitor or salesperson. He kept on top of business matters and I made sure the product was made and orders were fulfilled,” says Corso. Over the course of the first three years in business, the couple went from engaged, to married to full-time business partners. “It was a huge challenge to the relationship but we both came out stronger and so did our business,” says Corso.

After three years of hard work, Corso’s Cookies began to turn a profit. In 2008, their revenues topped two million dollars and they expect things to only get better. “2010 should be our best year ever based on the sales we are starting to see come in for next year,” says Corso. For Corso’s though, it isn’t just all about making a profit—giving back is important too. Recently, the company teamed up with Vera Bradley’s Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer to sell their “Hope Garden Cookie Bouquet,” with a 20% of the proceeds from each bouquet going to help the foundation.

HER ADVICE: For Corso, slow and steady is the key to building a successful business “Don’t get in over your head or think you have to have everything right away. Grow slow,” says Corso. “Buy equipment used, and don’t worry about the competition. You have stay focused and have a plan of your own, don’t let their decisions influence what you are doing,” she adds.

Are you an entrepreneur with a story to share? Click here to tell us how you turned your bright idea into a money maker.

WHERE: Saddle Brook, NJ

WHEN: 2008

HOW: “Much of how we got here feels like serendipity,” says Scherl.  Both former successful marketing and strategy consultants, Scherl and Jaensch focused on women’s issues for most of their careers. “We focused on women-driven businesses – birth control, health and beauty, fertility– servicing leading companies including Johnson & Johnson, Wyeth and Church & Dwight,” says Scherl.  

Knowing about their passion for women’s issues, a venture capitalist friend showed them a business plan for Zestra.  “He said, ‘This opportunity, this category is for you’,” says Scherl. In April 2008, the pair met with the company’s higher-ups hoping that they could potentially manage the company.  They was under the impression that Scherl and Jaensch were coming to the table with funding to back the troubled brand.  “We parted ways believing that our interests were not aligned,” says Scherl.

Although the meeting didn’t turn out the way they hoped, Scherl and Janesch’s walked away with their curiosity piqued.  “As we looked at the category, which we now define as sexual satisfaction, it looked like the “perfect storm” from a marketing perspective,” says Scherl. The pair noticed how many women were looking for increased sexual satisfaction that didn’t have access to very many solutions. “Women weren’t talking to their health care professionals about sexual satisfaction, even though studies showed that 43% of women were sexually dissatisfied.  Most doctors were reluctant to bring it up with their patients,” says Scherl.  

With the facts in front of them and clinical, healthcare and marketplace evidence that showed Zesta worked, Scherl and Jaensch decided to take action. “Mary and I saw and seized an opportunity to “start a conversation” with women about something very important to them,” says Scherl.
 
Three months later, Scherl and Jaensch launched Semprae Laboratories.  After about a year later, the company that formerly owned Zestra declared bankruptcy.  Semprae made an offer and they were awarded the company’s assets several months later for $2.5 million dollars.  After acquiring the assets, Scherl and Jaensch put an additional $3 million towards making over the product and re-launching.  They also decided to leave their consulting jobs too to put 100% into making Semprae and Zestra a success. “After spending 8 months researching and developing the brand’s new story, Zestra “launched” with new packaging, flavor, positioning, messaging, business model and organizational support in April 2009,” says Scherl.
 
After just 9 months in business, Semprae is on track to be a seven figure business in 2009. Semprae has big plans for the future too.  “We are focused on driving significant growth to get to breakeven by the middle of next year.  We expect that the Zestra franchise is capable of driving $100MM in sales.” says Scherl.

THEIR ADVICE: According to Scherl and Jaensch, their business motto can be summed up in a line from the 1975 movie “Rollerball”: “No time-outs.  No substitutions.” “Get up every day and work as hard and as smart as you can for as long as you can.  Figure out the two or three things that drive your business and focus 100% of your time, energy and creativity on those elements,” adds Scherl.