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  <atom:title type="html">Blog</atom:title>
  <atom:subtitle></atom:subtitle>

  <atom:updated>2008-08-25T20:44:42-04:00</atom:updated>

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    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>Business Hints from the Horse Sense Practice Adminstrator</atom:title>

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&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;As the Practice Administrator for Horse Sense, I serve as Shannon’s “right hand." In essence, my job is to run the daily operations of Horse Sense. From EAP to EAL to Horse Sense, Business Sense, it is my job to have my “fingers on the pulse." That doesn’t mean micro-manage and be a part of every aspect, but rather to know what is going on. So let me share with you some things I have learned about doing my job, and keeping up with the business.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;b&gt;Principle 1: Have a “go to” person&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br&gt;When you are as busy as Shannon is (and now me) you need a person that you can depend on to help out with the “little stuff," to be a sounding board, to be a “barometer," etc. For Shannon, on any given day, that is one of my responsibilities and I feel honored that Shannon trusts and respects me. My “go to” person in our office is Josie. She fills those rolls I just listed and she does a lot more!&amp;nbsp; &lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Find this person in your business. I don’t think it has to be an employee necessarily if you are not structured to support this, but find someone (friend, consultant, spouse). Finally, here are the two most important components of this relationship: trust and respect.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;b&gt;Principle 2: Thank the people who support you (and do it often).&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;Acknowledging staff routinely is critical for morale and productivity. It can be one of the hardest areas to remember in the daily grind. It is so easy to be critical and find fault. I would guess for all the good going on in your business there is much less wrong or in need of change. However, I bet it is pretty easy to find fault and be critical (even of yourself).&amp;nbsp; &lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Recognize the daily grind, the mundane, the monotonous work that has to get done daily just as readily as you recognize something special that has occurred. A simple “thank you” goes miles! I sent an e-mail to one of the Horse Sense staff thanking them one evening, and it was the first thing they saw the next morning when they came into work. That person thanked me and told me what a bright spot that was for their day. It was easy for me to do. It took no time at all. It was sincere, and it made a difference.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Have a great week!&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Lisa&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Shannon Knapp</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2008-08-24T12:35:48-04:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2008-08-25T20:44:42-04:00</atom:updated>

      
        <atom:category term="Business Tips"/>
      
      
        <atom:category term="Administrative"/>
      
      
        <atom:category term="General Business"/>
      

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    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>Animals: Our Allies in Health</atom:title>

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&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class="image-right" src="../../images/SKminis.jpg/image_mini" alt="Shannon and Minis"&gt;Hey everyone!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This past week Liza Sapir and I presented at the &lt;i&gt;Animals: Our Allies in Health&lt;/i&gt; conference here in Asheville, NC. The event was two days, and brought together professionals from a variety of fields, including DVM's, MD's, PhD's, OTR's and lots of others with many initials after their names!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This educational even explored the links between animals and humans from the perspectives of public health issues, from the risks associated with factory farming, and the role of animals in search and rescue. It also included presentations on "Canine Detection of Critical Health Events", and a wonderful first-person narrative by Mike Lingenfelter on animals in service to human health. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Further, &lt;i&gt;Horse Sense&lt;/i&gt; presented specifically on Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and At-Risk Youth (&lt;i&gt;Trailblazers, look for the complete presentation on the forum!&lt;/i&gt;) and another presentation on prison programs with dogs. Representatives were there from Delta Society and many other key organizations in Animal Assisted Therapies. &lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It was also quite an animal-lovers event. There were many service dogs present, and even a chicken (that's a first for me!). &lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Happy Trails,&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Shannon&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Shannon Knapp</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2008-08-19T16:01:19-04:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2008-08-19T16:01:19-04:00</atom:updated>

      
        <atom:category term="At-Risk Youth"/>
      
      
        <atom:category term="General Business"/>
      
      
        <atom:category term="Public Event"/>
      

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    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>Strengthen Your Personal Foundation</atom:title>

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                 href="http://www.horsesenseotc.com/consulting-retired/blog/archive/2008/08/16/strengthen-your-personal-foundation">
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class="image-right" src="../../images/ebarbourheadshot.jpg/image_mini" alt="Elizabeth Headshot"&gt;Another fundamental business issue that entrepeneurs face often doesn’t relate to their work at all. It relates to their personal lives. Who they are. Who they are being. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;You’ve got to have a strong personal foundation to build a successful business. Here are some areas to look at in your personal life and see how it’s impacting your business.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Energy Drains&lt;/b&gt;: What are you tolerating? What are you putting up with? What’s draining your energy? Make a list of 20 things and start eliminating them one by one. You’ll immediately free up extra energy and time.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Environmental Assessment&lt;/b&gt;: How does your environment support you? Do you love your home? Do you need to paint some rooms? Do you sleep in a comfy bed under the best sheets you can buy? Inventory all aspects of your personal environment – your home, your car, your work – and see what you can clean up.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Extreme Self Care/Daily Habits&lt;/b&gt;: How do you take care of yourself physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually? What activities do you engage in to care for your health in all aspects? Do you have any bad habits that you need to quit? How you care for yourself is often a reflection of how you care for others and ultimately how you will care for your business.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Your support team&lt;/b&gt;: I couldn’t agree more what The Riding Writer Brenda said, it’s all about relationships! Consider who is on your personal team – your family, your partner, your friends, your spiritual community. Note who is on your professional team – people in your profession, entrepreneurs in your community, colleagues in complementary fields that can support you. Actively seek to build and maintain these relationships and they will celebrate with you when business is great and support you when the road gets tough. &lt;br&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;If you build a strong personal foundation, your business will be on steady ground and you increase your odds of being wildly successful and satisfied in both business and life!! &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;--- Coach Elizabeth&lt;br&gt;&lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.elizabethbarbour.com"&gt;www.elizabethbarbour.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Shannon Knapp</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2008-08-16T16:14:07-04:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2008-08-16T16:14:07-04:00</atom:updated>

      
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    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>Fundamental Business Issues:  A Business and Tax Perspective</atom:title>

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&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class="image-right" src="../../images/Mike%20New%20Headshot.jpeg/image_mini" alt="Mikes New Headshot May 08"&gt;Let’s face it. The number of issues facing a business owner from a legal and tax perspective can be overwhelming, and it’s sometimes the one issue that you didn’t think about that can really hurt. Here is a laundry list some of the things to consider as a business owner:&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Do you have the right form of entity? (C Corporation, S Corporation, LLC, Partnership, Sole Proprietor).&amp;nbsp; &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Banking relationships-Do you have a relationship, what do they charge, what are their lending policies, do they have any other services you can use?&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Should you buy or lease office equipment (Furniture, Computers, Software, Etc)?&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Do you have the right insurance coverages in place, and did you shop around?&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Do you backup your computer systems?&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Do you understand financial statements?&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Do you reconcile your bank accounts monthly?&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Do you have a good relationship with all of your clients?&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Have you considered how you should extend credit (bill) your clients, and do you monitor what is owed to you?&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Have you developed a relationship with all of your vendors?&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Are there any vendors that will give you better terms? (30 day instead of prepaid for example).&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Do you have the right amount of debt for your business?&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Do you have the proper employment paperwork and payroll taxes set up and paid on time?&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Are your “independent contractors” truly independent, and have you considered the impact on worker’s comp insurance?&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Do you have background checks for your employees?&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Are all of your IRS and state filings current?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;A few important things to think about!&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Mike Sowkinski, CFO Consultants&lt;br&gt;&lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.cfoconsultants.net"&gt;www.cfoconsultants.net&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Shannon Knapp</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2008-08-08T13:04:04-04:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2008-08-08T13:04:04-04:00</atom:updated>


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    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>Navigating the Judicial System</atom:title>

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&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class="image-right" src="../../images/ShannonHeadshot_low_res.jpg/image_mini" alt="Shannon Headshot 08"&gt;Hey everyone!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I recently attended the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges annual conference in Norfolk, VA. Entitled "Navigating the Complex Waterways of the Judicial System," I represented both Horse Sense of the Carolinas and EAGALA at the three day conference July 27-30.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;At our booth I answered questions from primarily judges from all over the country about this "horse therapy" idea. I was pleased to see that quite a few had heard of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy, and several others were interested in how this could help them help the folks who come through their courtrooms. With over 400 attendees, we created awareness of EAP as a viable treatment option for judges in the judicial systems.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;There were also many wonderful presentations and events, including "Addressing the Needs of 'At-Risk' Youth Through Community Collaboration," "In School, the Right School, Finish School-Education Issues for Youth in Care," and "A Call for Action: Helping Children and Improving Systems of Care Through Detention Reform". &lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It was an informative and useful conference. I'll bring you more highlights from it in the coming months, as we delve a little deeper into some of the issues raised at the presentations.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Happy Trails!&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Shannon Knapp&lt;br&gt;Horse Sense of the Carolinas, Inc&lt;/p&gt;

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      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Shannon Knapp</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2008-08-06T10:58:37-04:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2008-08-06T10:58:37-04:00</atom:updated>

      
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      <atom:title>OJJDP National Youth Gang Symposium &amp; EAP</atom:title>

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&lt;p&gt;&lt;a class="external-link" href="http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org/"&gt;&lt;img class="image-right" src="../../images/OJJDP%20Logo.png/image_mini" alt="OJJDP Logo"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Recently I attended (and Horse Sense &amp;amp; EAGALA had a booth at) the &lt;b&gt;Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's &lt;i&gt;National Youth Gang Symposium&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt; in Atlanta, Georgia, June 23-26. (Click on logo at right to take you to the OJJDP website to learn more.) It was a wonderfully informative conference, and we had a lot of interest in Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and utilizing the EAGALA model for working with court-involved and particularly gang-involved youth!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This conference focused on the range of services for this particular population, from Faith- and Community-Based Organizations to Law Enforcement. I attended many helpful and insightful breakout sessions with new ideas for prevention and intervention, both areas that &lt;i&gt;Horse Sense&lt;/i&gt; is involved in in our own community.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Of particular interest to me was a presentation called "Community-Based Gang Prevention, Intervention and Suppression and Re-Entry", given by the &lt;b&gt;Gang Reduction and Intervention Program&lt;/b&gt; (GRIP) of Richmond, VA. Quite similar in description to the Gang Violence Prevention Program in Buncombe Co, NC, which &lt;i&gt;Horse Sense&lt;/i&gt; is a part of (now funded by the Govenor's Crime Commission), the GRIP program was launched in 2003 and has really leveraged the idea of partnership and community-based intervention. Among the folks from the GRIP program presenting were representatives from the Office of the Attorney General for Richmond, VA, the Richmond Police Department and various GRIP outreach workers. &lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;There are various ways EAP/EAL programs can work with gang programs in their community. Prevention would include events to engage kids before they become involved with gangs. Intervention would include programs like &lt;i&gt;Horse Sense's Running with Mustangs&lt;/i&gt;, providing counseling, skillbuilding and vocational support for kids already involved in gangs. Re-entry is another area where EAP/EAL is an appropriate consideration. (Suppression, however, is primarily a police/enforcement level of engagement.)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;So consider getting your EAP/EAL program involved in your community's anti-gang group or gang task force. It's incredibly rewarding work, especially when our recidivism rate for incarcerated gang-involved youth is an astonishingly low 20%. &lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Shannon Knapp</atom:name>
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      <atom:published>2008-07-28T14:58:21-04:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2008-07-28T14:58:21-04:00</atom:updated>

      
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    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>Build It and They Will Come </atom:title>

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&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class="image-right" src="../../images/brendaheadshot.jpg/image_mini" alt="Brenda Headshot"&gt;What is the most important piece of your business foundation? My immediate thought is this: relationships.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;In the early stages of any new business venture, it's not about getting business, it's about establishing relationships. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Marketing is a process enabling you to build or carry on a relationship when you can't necessarily be there in person. When you think about it, everything about marketing is relationships... whether you're talking about face-to-face networking, or advertising tactics that help you reach out to hundreds or thousands of people at one time.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;When you think about marketing from this perspective, its purpose and function become much clearer. And with this clarity, the questions that need to be answered by your marketing efforts naturally flow:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Who do I need to build a relationship with?&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;What do they need to know about me?&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How does my work and my business make their world better?&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How can I present my business in the truest, clearest, and most professional way?&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;br&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I'm not a networking guru like Coach Elizabeth, but I do know when I focus on the relationship first, inevitably the business comes. People are put off by a sales tactic; people respond when you demonstrate a genuine interest in their lives and who they are.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;There is a lot to know about all the marketing elements - from logos, websites, media buys, and public relations - but these things are all secondary to the foundational element of building relationship.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Be who you are. Build the relationship; the business will come.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
--Brenda Dammann&lt;br&gt;
&lt;div align="left"&gt;The Riding Writer&lt;br&gt;&lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.CreativeInc.net"&gt;www.CreativeInc.net&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
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      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Shannon Knapp</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2008-07-25T08:56:05-04:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2008-07-25T08:56:05-04:00</atom:updated>

      
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    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>Be Passionate About Your Business</atom:title>

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&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class="image-right" src="../../images/ebarbourheadshot.jpg/image_mini" alt="Elizabeth Headshot"&gt;When Shannon asked the Virtual Team “What do you think are fundamental business issues that entrepreneurs face?” I knew my first answer immediately. Of course, there are probably 5-10 major issues that we all face but I’ll start with my perspective on the foundation of it all.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;You’ve got to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE what you do.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;When you work for yourself, you will likely work harder than you ever did for anyone else. When the bottom line rests with you, there’s a lot at stake! Your livelihood, your reputation, your dreams, your ability to serve others, your ability to employ others… get the picture?&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;No matter how long you’ve had your business, it’s easy to get bogged down in details and get overwhelmed by all that you “have to” do and think you “should” do to keep things running smoothly. It’s easy to lose connection to your passion and it’s important to rekindle it from time to time. Ask yourself these questions.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;1. Why am I in this business?&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;2. What do I love the most about the work that I do?&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;3. Is this what I would be doing with my time and energy if I won the lottery and didn’t have to generate income for a living?&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;If you have any red flags come up in this dialog with yourself, pay attention! If you don’t 100% love the work you set out to do, maybe you need to do something else.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;And, if you get inspired by answering these questions and get excited to reconnect with your “right livelihood” then talk about it with your team, share it with your clients, incorporate it into your marketing materials and create reminders around your home and office to stay connected to that fire in your belly.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Connect to your passion for your business daily and it will make a big difference in your success and satisfaction as an entrepreneur!&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;--- Coach Elizabeth&lt;br&gt;&lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.elizabethbarbour.com"&gt;www.elizabethbarbour.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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      </atom:content>

      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Shannon Knapp</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2008-07-18T15:53:50-04:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2008-07-18T15:53:50-04:00</atom:updated>

      
        <atom:category term="Business Tips"/>
      
      
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    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>We're Back!</atom:title>

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      <atom:id>4a021075102fbb125f27d57ca216888b</atom:id>
      

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&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class="image-right" src="../../images/ShannonHeadshot_low_res.jpg" alt="Shannon Headshot 08"&gt;Hey Everyone!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Well, we've been away for a little while, focusing a bit on the homefront and getting lots of experience to share with you about our successes and challenges. Here's a brief overview of what's coming your way in the next little while:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;All three of the new Horse Sense websites. I've been deeply and ardently studying all things websites, and have put my efforts and learning (to date) in practice on the new sites. Look for these in the next few weeks!&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The Business Building Intensive Conference September 18-20, 2008 here in Marshall, NC. We're delighted by the line-up of excellent presentations on the topics of most value to new and established EAP/EAL businesses. I can't imagine what it would have been like to have had this Intensive when I began Horse Sense of the Carolinas, and I've poured heart and soul into this event. Come join us and get ahead of the curve!&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The Horse Sense Business Sense Workbook, the companion to the Vol 1 Horse Sense Business Sense book. We've been tweaking and refining the exercises to make them just right for you, developing an excellent resource for the new and/or struggling entrepreneur. &lt;br&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Be on the lookout for these and other surprises from Horse Sense in the next few months. Although occasionally one must go underground to get serious about important endeavors, I've really missed hearing from you and am glad to be back to blogging.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Happy Trails, and look for blogs, in honor of the upcoming Business Building Intensive, from the Virtual Team on Fundamental Business Concerns!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Shannon&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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      </atom:content>

      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Shannon Knapp</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2008-07-15T19:44:30-04:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2008-07-15T19:44:30-04:00</atom:updated>

      
        <atom:category term="Reflections"/>
      
      
        <atom:category term="General Business"/>
      

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    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>Spring Clean Your Marketing!</atom:title>

      <atom:link rel="alternate" type="text/html"
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      <atom:id>efe8bfbd0ebc0a929ff93ecf68aa0747</atom:id>
      

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&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;img class="image-right" src="../../../../../../images/brendaheadshot.jpg/image_thumb" alt="Brenda Headshot"&gt;Spring is a time to indulge your Inner Perfectionist&lt;/b&gt;, a momentary time out from the every day bustle to evaluate progress, siphon off unneeded baggage, and create breathing room in your office space and project files. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;b&gt;May is also a good time to evaluate progress in your marketing efforts&lt;/b&gt;, too; if you don’t stop at some point to appraise how things are working, you’re missing a valuable step in your marketing efforts. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;b&gt;Here’s an example&lt;/b&gt;: earlier this year, &lt;i&gt;Horse Sense&lt;/i&gt; momentarily dropped its advertising in a local publication. For years we’d maintained a small annual contract with the local paper to promote monthly tour dates. It was time to see if those ads were still doing their job. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;b&gt;The answer: Yes, they were&lt;/b&gt;! Attendance dropped off dramatically when the ads disappeared. It turns out this small investment yielded response from the local market while also helping &lt;i&gt;Horse Sense &lt;/i&gt;maintain top-of-mind awareness. The ad was worth it. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;b&gt;Take a couple hours now to regroup &lt;/b&gt;and look over your marketing efforts for the year. Are you networking in the right venues? Are you overlooking important opportunities? Is your website Events page up to date? Is it time to restock brochures? Are your ads working? &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;b&gt;Do your spring cleaning now,&lt;/b&gt; and you still have time to course-correct and renew your focus before more valuable time passes.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align="right"&gt;--- Brenda Dammann&lt;br&gt;The Riding Writer&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.CreativeInc.net"&gt;www.CreativeInc.net&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align="right"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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      </atom:content>

      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Shannon Knapp</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2008-05-30T06:00:00-04:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2008-05-15T16:50:11-04:00</atom:updated>

      
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    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>Spring Cleaning from an Admin Perspective</atom:title>

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&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;img class="image-right" src="../../../../../../images/iStock_springcleaning.jpg/image_thumb" alt="Spring Cleaning"&gt;Happy Spring and Spring-cleaning!! &lt;/b&gt;Tis that time of the year to try and review the basics and straighten up accordingly. For us it is audit time with our insurance friends. So I actually have a motive to get it done. So what does this look like from my position as the Practice Administrator?  Here is a basic list to review and clean or straighten up:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Personnel Files&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Policies &amp;amp; Procedures&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;General Ledger (the books)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Tax Payment records (state &amp;amp; federal)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Insurance (review health, worker's comp &amp;amp; liability)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Internal audit of client records&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Grant paperwork/files&lt;br&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Some people are great at keeping up with all these &lt;/b&gt;materials on a regular basis. Some people prefer to do periodic cleanings (more my speed). There isn’t necessarily a right or wrong way as long as at least once a year you are going through these things. Call it a self-audit.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;b&gt;April is a very busy month for us,&lt;/b&gt; and probably one of the hardest as far as paperwork, premiums, federal and state reports, etc. So May is a great month to re-cap and straighten up. For example, my staff hasn’t seen the wood on the top of my desk in probably a month (I pull everything I am working on and keep it out on my desk), but they will in the very near future. I have done my hoop jumping for the first quarter and now it is time to review all areas, file what needs to be filed and find my desk.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;b&gt;It seems like a lot, but don’t despair! &lt;/b&gt;You don’t have to do all the above in one day. Spread this out over the course of the month, and get help if you can. Start simple and work up to the more difficult and arduous. By the way, no, I don’t know what the easiest one is to start with. I will tell you that I will be starting with personnel files because it is always the last one on my list. This year I am making it the first.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;b&gt;So jump in and fear not!&lt;/b&gt; You will feel great when it is done and be surprised upon review how organized you are and how much you know.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div align="right"&gt;&lt;i&gt;--- Lisa Wheeler&lt;br&gt;Practice Administrator, Horse Sense of the Carolinas, Inc.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;

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      </atom:content>

      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Shannon Knapp</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2008-05-23T05:00:00-04:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2008-05-15T16:37:16-04:00</atom:updated>

      
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    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>Giving and Receiving Online Donations</atom:title>

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      <atom:id>4b586c3dbc5c289ddc13b883cf65008a</atom:id>
      

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&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Hey everyone!&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;I was recently reading in&lt;i&gt; Consumer Reports&lt;/i&gt; about non-profits making it easier and easier for folks to give&lt;/b&gt;. If you are a non-profit, I would definitely check this out and make sure people were able to give to my organization this way! Here's the article, in part:&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;"&lt;b&gt;More and more charities are accepting donations &lt;/b&gt;through a monthly credit card charge or electronic bank account withdrawal. If your chosen charity doesn't, you can www.networkforgood.org to schedul recurring payments to thousands of charities, schools..." and other organizations. Online bill-paying services offered by banks usually let you schedule a monthly payment to charity. &lt;br&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;b&gt;Before giving, check with these watchdog groups &lt;/b&gt;to see which charities deserve your donation:&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.charitywatch.org"&gt;&lt;i&gt;American Institute of Philanthropy&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.give.org"&gt;&lt;i&gt;Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.charitynavigator.org"&gt;&lt;i&gt;Charity Navigator&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Making it easy and safe for people to give to your organization is important&lt;/b&gt;! If I were a non-profit, I would be checking these sites to see how to avoid being on their "do not donate" list!&lt;/p&gt;
Happy Trails!&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Shannon&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;i&gt;Shannon Knapp&lt;br&gt;Horse Sense of the Carolinas, Inc&lt;br&gt;Real Help. Real Results. (tm)&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="../.."&gt;www.HorseSenseOtc.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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      </atom:content>

      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Shannon Knapp</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2008-05-20T20:02:04-04:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2008-05-20T20:02:04-04:00</atom:updated>

      
        <atom:category term="Funding Sources"/>
      
      
        <atom:category term="General Business"/>
      

    </atom:entry>

  
  

    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>Spring Clean Your Business!</atom:title>

      <atom:link rel="alternate" type="text/html"
                 href="http://www.horsesenseotc.com/consulting-retired/blog/archive/2008/05/15/spring-clean-your-business">
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      <atom:id>70d616540f8ad66ec4cf3681a358c9f3</atom:id>
      

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&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;img class="image-right" src="../../images/ebarbourheadshot.jpg/image_thumb" alt="Elizabeth Headshot"&gt;Whether you’ve been in business for a few months or a few years&lt;/b&gt;, if you periodically remove the figurative cobwebs, you’ll give an energetic boost to your business! Here’s a simple 3-step process to do this.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;b&gt;1. Assess your business&lt;/b&gt;. Look at all aspects of your business – clients, administration, marketing, environment, staffing, etc. Block out 30 minutes, grab a sheet of paper and make three columns. Label them &lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;i&gt;What's working well? - Celebrate your successes!&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;i&gt;What's not working so well? - Identify what needs improvement.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;i&gt;What can I change? - List the areas you know you can modify&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;b&gt;2. Create a plan&lt;/b&gt;. After you’ve done your initial assessment, look at the third column “what can I change?” and prioritize it. Look at three things that could make the biggest impact on your bottom line and three things that would be easy and quick to fix that would make you feel a sense of accomplishment. For example:&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Quick fixes:&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;i&gt;Buy a new phone system&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;i&gt;Add an e-mail signature with a link to my website at the bottom of all outgoing e-mails&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;i&gt;Clean off your desk&lt;br&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Big impact fixes:&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;i&gt;S&lt;/i&gt;&lt;i&gt;chedule weekly staff meetings to improve communication&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;i&gt;join a new networking group to help generate more word-of-mouth client referrals&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;i&gt;Finally hire that website designer and build a website&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;b&gt;3. Just do it!&lt;/b&gt; Once you’ve identified the areas you want to work on, create a timeline and just do it! Don’t think you have to change everything over night, either.  Start with 3-6 changes and watch the momentum build. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;b&gt;You’ll feel a spring in your step&lt;/b&gt; and likely see an increase in your business in no time!&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div align="right"&gt;&lt;i&gt;--- Coach Elizabeth&lt;br&gt;www.elizabethbarbour.com&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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      </atom:content>

      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Shannon Knapp</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2008-05-15T06:00:00-04:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2008-05-15T16:28:38-04:00</atom:updated>

      
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        <atom:category term="Administrative"/>
      
      
        <atom:category term="General Business"/>
      

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    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>College &amp; University Presentations</atom:title>

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      <atom:id>730ae03c635c02390098963c6adb5a41</atom:id>
      

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&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;b&gt;Hey Everyone!&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Just got back in town from a recent trip to Ohio State University&lt;/b&gt;. Lisa Wheeler, Diane Voytek and myself were up there doing presentations on Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and Learning. &lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;How did &lt;i&gt;Horse Sense of the Carolinas&lt;/i&gt; end up in Ohio&lt;/b&gt;? Well, a business intern from last summer went back to the University excited about her experience, and drew the interest of her faculty and other staff at the University about this unique new treatment modality and learning opportunity. &lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;She arranged two demonstrations for us&lt;/b&gt;: one for her classmates in an Animal Sciences course, and another for the general University, including the medical department, the psychology department, the social work school and many more. &lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;We were joined by Pam Smith, of &lt;i&gt;Reinbows at Serenity Springs&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt; Equine Center of Canton, Ohio (visit her site at &lt;a class="links" href="http://www.serentiyspringsequine.com/"&gt;www.serenityspringsequine.com&lt;/a&gt;). Together we offered a general introduction to EAGALA-model Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and Learning.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;We were very warmly received&lt;/b&gt;, and want to encourage you to look through the course listings at your local college or university for possible demonstration opportunities. It's a great way to further spread the word about your program and what you do, and to inform your community!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;b&gt;Happy Trails!&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;&lt;i&gt;Shannon&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Shannon Knapp&lt;br&gt;President &amp;amp; Equine Specialist&lt;br&gt;EAGALA Advanced&lt;br&gt;&lt;b&gt;Horse Sense of the Carolinas, Inc&lt;br&gt;Real Help, Real Results™&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.HorseSenseOtc.com"&gt;www.HorseSenseOtc.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;828-683-7304 (office)&lt;br&gt;828-683-6281 (fax)&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="callout"&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;b&gt;Business Building Intensive in Asheville, NC, Sept 19-20&lt;br&gt;Jump-Start your EAP/EAL Business and your Business Skills! &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;a href="../onsite-workshops/copy_of_business-building-intensive-workshop-september-2008/"&gt;Learn More By Clicking Here!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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      </atom:content>

      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Shannon Knapp</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2008-05-13T10:25:43-04:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2008-05-13T10:25:43-04:00</atom:updated>

      
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    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>Cleansing the Tax Palate</atom:title>

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      <atom:id>a341977d2e6fc2c26badc52c19fc77ef</atom:id>
      

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&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class="image-right" src="../../images/Mike%20New%20Headshot.jpeg/image_mini" alt="Mikes New Headshot May 08"&gt;&lt;b&gt;So you got your tax return back from your CPA,&lt;/b&gt; or your tax program filed it on time. Here are some things to do with that information:&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;b&gt;• Make sure that the CPA firm provided&lt;/b&gt; your adjusting entries so that your books match the return. This becomes a big deal when you go to get a loan at the bank or you want to sell your business.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;b&gt;• Purge all of your old accounting and tax records&lt;/b&gt;. I recommend that you keep all documents for 5 years, but if it has to do with the “basis” of property it should be kept forever. I also recommend that you keep your tax returns forever. Electronic documents are considered the same as paper, so if you can get it on a CD that would save space.&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;• Most companies only keep 1 year of information in the office.&lt;/b&gt; The rest should be stored in a different location. On the personal side, all of the prior year should be stored away….most people don’t need that stuff handy.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;b&gt;• Lastly, get organized&lt;/b&gt;. I just hired a person to get my company files in order…if you can’t find things then it is probably time to get a handle on it. And don’t wait! It only gets worse.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;b&gt;
'Til next time!&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:mike@cfoconsultants.net"&gt;Mike Sowinski&lt;/a&gt;, CFO Consultants&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

          ]]>
      </atom:content>

      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Shannon Knapp</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2008-05-09T06:00:00-04:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2008-05-05T22:41:11-04:00</atom:updated>

      
        <atom:category term="Tax Planning"/>
      
      
        <atom:category term="General Business"/>
      

    </atom:entry>

  

</atom:feed>
