Marie Leslie
Resources for a Productive & Creative Life
Is your email inbox like mine? If I don’t keep a close eye on mine (meaning every 12 minutes), it somehow seeks revenge and its contents multiply faster than the hangers in my closet. Since I don’t want to spend my day babysitting the inbox, I’ve developed a few strategies that allow me to handle …
Once upon a time, my calendar was bursting at the seams. With four active children, a retail photography studio, church service, and community volunteer work, my color-coded calendar looked like a rainbow threw up on it. I was busy 24/7 and the word “relax” was not a part of my vocabulary. I felt like I …
Is your business where you want it to be? Are you feeling frustrated or stuck with the growth of your business? You can do many things to try and give your business a boost. Some solutions may require a substantial financial investment. Other solutions may require a lot of time. How do you know where …
As a photographer and consultant, I hear a lot of questions about online image use. Most of these questions are about images people find on the web and want to put on their blog, website or Facebook page—or about using them in various products such as eBooks and advertisements. These are six of the most …
Are you having a mid-life crisis? Are you thinking your best opportunities may have already passed you by or wishing you were younger so you’d still have a shot at the success you’ve always dreamed of? It’s not too late. Just because you’re approaching the mid-century mark (or even well past it) doesn’t mean you’re …
Business apps are an essential for all entrepreneurs today. Subscriptions and purchases can add up quickly, though, for the solo entrepreneur. How do you choose which apps to use for your business and which are the best value? I recommend looking for free apps to increase your productivity, as a starting point. Whether the app …
Are you feeling stuck in your business marketing? Are you looking for a way to expand your reach without spending a fortune? Would you like to attract more potential customers and increase your authority? If the answer to these questions is yes, you should consider public speaking. Speaking on topics in your niche, whether to …
Do you know what the most important business skill is? It’s not sales. It isn’t marketing. It’s not picking the next “sure thing.” It isn’t accounting (thank goodness for that!). And it’s not networking. The most important business skill isn’t any of these, but it is one of the keys to success in all of …
What’s your business image? Do your photos online and on your website tell the story of your business and help you connect with your customers? Do your customers recognize you when they meet you in person? Professional business portraits can be a big boost for your business image. With the internet, business is more personal …
How do you treat adversity? Do you retreat to the closet with a pint of Ben & Jerry’s and a bag of Oreos? Or do you bandage the bruises, dust yourself off and jump back in the game? Adversity occurs in every life. In the business world it can come in the form of a …
How do you define success? What does success look like to you? Have you ever really thought about it? Is it a satisfying career, a big paycheck, a big house, all the toys? Or is it more family time, better health, or time to relax and enjoy your life? Each of these is part of …
As a writer and photographer, I have dealt with copyright issues and questions nearly all my professional life. From my first copyright law class in college to daily explanations to clients and publishers as a professional photographer, to business consulting for new entrepreneurs, I have needed to keep current with what is happening in the …
Your home office can start to feel cluttered and confining, especially when you’ve been so busy working in it that you haven’t paid much attention to your surroundings. It doesn’t have to stay that way, though. There are many things you can do to make your office more inviting, whether it’s a home office, or …
Have you suddenly entered the brave new world of work-from-home? Have recent news events necessitated new work arrangements? Even if you were fortunate enough to already be a remote worker, is working from home working like you thought it would? Working from home can work. It can work if you have young children. It can …
Some days all it takes is just one thought, one well-timed phrase that resonates and sticks with you to inspire you and motivate you toward your dreams. Because we’re all a little different, and we each need something just a little different to move our thoughts in the right direction, here are 15 of my favorite …
Do you dream of owning your own business? Of being your own boss? Have you come up with the next million-dollar idea? Do your friends and family rave about your photography/sewing/baking/gardening/design skills and say you should be paid for your talent? Starting a business can be an exciting and life-changing adventure. It is not, however, …
Would you like to painlessly boost your productivity today? Here are two simple ways to improve your productivity, save you time and give you a little clarity. 1. Clean off the top of your desk or workstation. Really. Remove everything from the top of your desk. Leave the computer monitor and the phone. You don’t …
Do you Need a Home Office Declutter? Home offices are unique. Unlike a traditional business office most home offices must do at least double duty. These days there are few who work at home who aren’t sharing office space with a partner, a spouse, or even children learning remotely. Home offices often become catch-all creativity …
It’s that time in our business when we turn the page on the calendar and begin to turn our attention to planning for our success in the coming year. There are many things you can do to boost your success next year. One of my favorite things to do is read. Not only have I …
You’ve heard that blogging is good for business. But blogging takes time—and, as a busy business owner, time is always at a premium. Is blogging really worth your time? And what do you have to do to create a top business blog? Yes, blogging is worth your time. There are some definite benefits to business …
Are you one of the many people who is terrified of public speaking or are you one of the few who knows the benefits of it? Public speaking is said to be one of the most feared activities in life. According to Wikipedia, 75% of the population experiences anxiety or nervousness when speaking in public. …
Does your business website have a blog? If your answer is no, you are missing out on one of the best and most affordable business tools available. There are as many personal reasons for blogging as there are bloggers on the internet, but when it comes to business blogging there are some sound business reasons …
Small, independent game developers are becoming quite the rage within the community. Gaming fans recognize indie studios for the passion and dedication they tend to put into their finished products on a limited budget. If you have a great idea for a new game and want to get started, here are a few tips on …
Have you had any setbacks lately? A project that didn’t go as planned, a cancelled vacation, a job opportunity that didn’t work out, a relationship that didn’t go the way you thought it would? It’s been one of those years, hasn’t it? We’re in the middle of a remodeling project here–really a series of projects, …
