Albert Einstein tells us that the very definition of insanity is "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

Are you doing something over and over again in your business, and not realizing it when you don't get your desired results?

What can you change, tweak, revisit, pivot, or edit in your business plan to make sure you are still going to make your forecasted goals?

Today more than ever the pace of business is so fast, and the ability to get information is so widespread, that we all benefit from taking a good long look at what is working and can be supported, what is not working and needs to be changed, and research and development: what can we start to do differently?

What is Working

For many clients, it is easier to sell them on additional products and services than it is to find a new customer.

• What are you offering to your existing clients?
• What can be enhanced or improved for your existing clients?
• Can you come up with a product or service to help make their lives better, to entertain them, to help them reach additional objectives?

For green businesses, this may be as simple as you coming up with additional resources for your client, such as pointing them in the direction of certification services, vendor lists, or other opportunities to highlight their company. Or, you may be able to send them a sustainability checklist for their own use, to help them become more energy efficient, use more local vendors, use biodegradable materials, or change out their existing supplies for a greener option.

What is Not Working

Are you spending ineffective marketing dollars? Are you not sure if the latest site redesign is making a difference? Do you not have enough analytics, data, or reporting on your latest campaign? Find out where the "holes" are and start to fill them up.

Your business depends on you making educated decisions about policies, long-term goals, and short term campaigns. Get rid of nonperforming or underperforming streams of work: they detract from your core focus and take up time that could be better spent increasing your existing productive and profitable offerings. Don't know about a particular decision? Recruit advisors or helpers who can help you sort out the wheat from the chaff: it is better for you to make a good decision today than to wait and make a perfect decision later down the line. It also doesn't help to procrastinate, which is its own decision. Figure out what you need to cut and cut it.

What Can we do Differently?

Research and development is an important part of any business: this includes hatching new ideas, implementing pilot programs, and testing exploratory products and services to match your clients or targeted clients' needs. This part of "working on the business instead of in the business" is difficult for many, as it requires more big-picture thinking and planning; however, the incremental steps you take to create new ideas and new product lines results in additional opportunities later.

• If you and your team do not currently spend time doing R&D, consider allocating time to generate a report on current trends in your industry and identify emerging needs.
• If you and your team do spend time doing R&D, consider a prioritization ladder where you test new ideas against your internal matrix (is it possible? is it implementable? is it timely?) and assign a score and a timeframe to roll out new efforts.

Within a 6-month, 12-month, 18-month timeline, and 24-month timeline, you may have four additional product offerings or incubated new endeavors that can be launched, spun off, or sold.

Remember Einstein's warning that if you are doing the exact same thing, you'll probably get the exact same results. Don't expect things to change (much) if you're not willing to evolve, extend, and grow yourself and your business practices. If you want to change, change now. The world needs your ideas, energy, and enthusiasm.

Monica S. Flores, web developer at , believes in the triple bottom line of people, planet, and profits. She creates effective, engaging websites for women-owned companies, green businesses, and progressive organizations: her focus is on organic, holistic, fair trade, and sustainable work. Follow her on Twitter as @monicadear. She runs The Greater Equator, a luxury online marketplace of eco-friendly products, and Green Business Women, a directory of green women in business.

The Local "Slow Money" movement poses a simple thought question for you:

 ** What would the world be like if we invested 50% of our money within 50 miles of where we live?

** What if there were a new generation of companies that gave away 50% of their profits?

** What if there were 50% more organic matter in our soil 50 years from now?

The movement is working towards establishing food security and more abundant "food sheds" within local communities.

When you purchase your food and it's travelled 3000 or more miles, you pay the additional price of gas, trucking fees, interstate transport, and foreign or far-away workers. 

Five steps to consider:

• Consider investing in your local economy by supporting a local farmer, artisan, or vendor.
  
  
• Consider purchasing all your food locally - grown within a 150 mile radius, if possible.
  
  
• Consider buying organic, natural, sustainable, recycled/upcycled, and artisan/handmade products.
  
  
• Consider being a part of a food coop, CSA, barter, or sharing economy.
  
  
• Consider moving all your material possessions through freecycle, Craigslist, or circles of acquaintances: especially items likes toys and games, children's clothes, shoes, or other items that can get a lot of usage.

 We can strive towards self-sufficiency and support of our local economies. This year, move away from the Wal-mart and toward the Farmer's Marketplace. Move away from Amazon and toward your artisan jeweler, independent bookstore, or vintage shop. Stop going to the chain restaurant and support the local ethnic restaurant. 

We can move the economy towards sanity, productivity, and security - one decision at a time. 

Monica S. Flores, web developer at , believes in the triple bottom line of people, planet, and profits. She creates effective, engaging websites for women-owned companies, green businesses, and progressive organizations: her focus is on organic, holistic, fair trade, and sustainable work, and she's committed to Drupal development. Follow her on Twitter as @monicadear. She runs The Greater Equator, a luxury online marketplace of eco-friendly products, and Green Business Women, a directory of green women in business.

The minute you decide to retire, phase yourself out, step into a less-intensive role, or cash out, your participation ceases to exist, and you'd better hope that you have procedures and systems in place that allow the company/business/organization to continue on, without your specific involvement. 

The six best ways to organize this include:

1) Early on, consider what your exit plan will be.


Envision what will happen to your entrepreneurial venture, your startup business, or your grassroots nonprofit if you are no longer there. What's the exit plan you're anticipating, if any? The "Founder Effect" plays a huge role in startup and micro businesses and can dictate -- positively or negatively --- the entire ethos and "spirit" of this endeavor.


As soon as possible, consider how you might write yourself out of the equation and not become such a "point person" for the company. Consider what you'll need to do to slowly ease yourself out, even if you just started the company. One day you may want to cash out or reduce your hours - what will that look like? Who will be in charge? How will there be accountability? Who will be responsible for making decisions?

2) Clarify and put it in writing.

Develop a mission and vision statement and formally adopt it. Lay out the ideal organizational chart and recruit people to fill those roles. Convert your knowledge into actionable items like policy manuals, questionnaires/forms, or standard operating procedures. Train your people according to your standard. Use video and written manuals as much as possible. When you keep your overall process consistent, it makes it easier for all levels of employees to conform.

3) Find, build, motivate, and strengthen your team.


If you are all alone, consider what will happen if you get "hit by a bus." While macabre, it's a valid scenario. The quicker you recruit good people to fill your key positions, the quicker you can start training them to have a sense of ownership of the company. Cut out the fat and focus on the high performers. The first 8 employees can make or break the company's success.

4) Incorporate.

If you have not yet done so already, consider moving from loose association or sole proprietorship status into a LLC, S-Corporation, 501 ( c ) ( 3), or C-Corporation. LegalZoom.com has some great resources to help you do this. Once you have formal standing as a stand-alone organization through an FEIN number and being registered with your state, you can get articles of incorporation, a mailbox, a bank account, and even a rental space in the name of the organization. No more having to hold all the paper, or sift through the files, on your own. You also can legitimately take on partners or other shareholders to split the work.

5) Get professional advice.

A business coach, attorney or legal team, and financial planner or tax advisor can help you determine the best way to structure your organization for the best benefit to you, your family, and the company itself. Don't go it alone - find people who are willing to help and hire the best you can afford. You'll save time, heartache, and mistakes, and you'll gain a friend who can help your team grow.


6) Expand your knowledge.

Get as much information as possible from your local SCORE, NAWBO, Green Chamber of Commerce, BALLE Chapter, or other mentorship and networking organization. There are two kinds of knowledge: one that you already know, and the other that you need to seek out. By having people available who can help with specific questions, challenges, and issues, you make your long-term and short-term planning much easier. You can choose to be proactive instead of reactive.
 

Monica S. Flores @monicadear is committed to empowering, educating, and connecting women in business. She is available for consulting on web development through 10K Webdesign.

She offers a free directory of woman-owned green businesses GreenBusinessWomen.com and a member community for success-oriented women ASuccessfulWoman.com.

If you are a sustainble, eco-friendly seller, apply to become a seller at her luxury green online marketplace TheGreaterEquator.com.

If you are involved with a business, you have every interest in making sure that the business survives and thrives. What are you doing on a day-to-day basis to increase that probability?

• If you're in management - think about high-level requirements and strategies, and come up with a plan to measure and attain your goals.
  
  
• If you're an advisor - think about your team and how you can best help them succeed.
  
  
• If you're not involved in day-to-day decisionmaking but still want to help - be a cheerleader and make your statement about the company through blogging, tweeting, or speaking. Evangelize for your team.
  
  

 Our daily routine benefits when we have our specific sphere of activity and we understand how that "fits" to the larger goal for the company's productivity, expansion of market share, and overall success.

Let's take a moment to understand where we "fit" in the overall plan for the company, and give some attention to how we can best make a positive difference in helping the business grow.

Let's make sure that the value of our stake in the company is increasing through our efforts.

Monica S. Flores, web developer at , believes in the triple bottom line of people, planet, and profits. She creates effective, engaging websites for women-owned companies, green businesses, and progressive organizations: her focus is on organic, holistic, fair trade, and sustainable work, and she's committed to Drupal development. Follow her on Twitter as @monicadear.

Thirty Steps to Starting up Your Green Business, an easy-to-follow guide with 110 pages of details to launching and growing your green business.   Use the 30+ tips to  get organized, focus on the basics, build your infrastructure, increase your customer base, interact online, review your data, refine your process, and maintain your course.   Find additional information on green metrics, sustainable practices, long-term sustainability, and a resource list.  Available as an e-download or as a trade paperback.  Click to purchase the e-version for $8.99 and download instantly.

• If you go somewhere new, it's nice to be aware of the highlights of that place.
• If you're learning about something, it helps to have an "About" piece of information.
• If you get lost, you need a roadmap.
• If you're needing something, it should be easy to get it.
• If you need to call someone, or e-mail them, get their contact info handy.

I encourage you to think about the above in terms of your website and how people interact with it. Do you have a "start here" or "highlights" section on your own website? Do you have a clearly listed "About" page? Do you have a sitemap or step-by-step process? Is your product list available? Are your contact details up-to-date?

When thinking about your website visitors, newsletter recipients, users, and customers, you'll want to have the rights kinds of information available to them in the right places.

The following are (I think) mandatory on your website:

1) Who We Are, or an "About Us" page -- this helps people identify if you are the right "fit" and to assure your website visitors that the place is, in fact, run by real human beings. Photos of your team or staff are a plus.

2) Products and Services - what do you offer? this is easy if you have e-commerce, because you can specify your products list, but if you're selling services, make sure these are clearly defined. What do you sell? Make it clear.

3) How it Works - what are the next steps? How does someone engage with your company or organization? Make it very apparent what your next step, or "call to action" is.

4) Contact Information - a contact form is great, along with phone numbers, e-mail, fax, skype, or however else you communicate

5) Highlights, Blog, Articles, or Stories -- some additional ways to add search engine optimization to your site and to increase your rankings. If you have ongoingupdated information on your website, it helps your content stay "fresh," engaging and meaningful.  A linked Wordpress.com or self-hosted Wordpress.org blog is great for this if you don't already have blog capacity on your website.

 Your website visitors need certain types of information - don't make it hard for them to find it. Keep your navigation consistent on every page, provide detailed information (without giving away everything), and make it easy for your casual visitor to turn into a paying member, customer, newsletter recipient, donor, or volunteer with easy-to-use forms.

Find information, resources, and support for green business women at http://www.greenbusinesswomen.com

	Social Networking for Women in Business, 136 pages of tips on managing your social media.   Available as an e-download or as a trade paperback from Amazon.   Click to purchase the e-version for $7.99 (use code: greengirls1).
	Thirty Steps to Starting up Your Green Business, an easy-to-follow guide with 110 pages of details to launching and growing your green business.   Available as an e-download or as a trade paperback.   Click to purchase the e-version for $8.99 and download instantly.

Thank you for your support.

Monica S. Flores of is committed to educating, empowering, and connecting women in business. Her company offer full-service website design and development to green organizations, progressive companies, and women entrepreneurs. Connect with her at @monicadear