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Welcome to the ninth Carnival of Bootstrapping Entrepreneurs (CoBE #9). Critieria for inclusion: relevant to bootstrapping, entrepreneuring, startup/ small businesses. To be fair to everyone, entries are selected approximately in order of submission. If you were included, please support this carnival by linking back to this post. This also exposes your readers to similar blogs.

Editor’s Choice

Here are this edition’s Editor’s Choice entries.

1. Ben Yoskovitz: 10 Steps to Building an Online Media Empire.

Picks of the Week

These entries are this week’s regular picks.

2. Todd Goldfarb: 8 Tactics for Marketing a Small Business.
3. Michelle Cramer: How You Know It’s Time to Grow.
4. Chris Russell: Office White Noise.

Bonus Entries

These entries are not specifically related to entrepreneuring and bootstrapping but might be of interest.

5. Warren Wong: How To Overcome Fear And The Obstacles It Creates.
6. Nenad Ristic: Attribution Theory.
7. Vandelay Website Design: Being a Proactive Blogger.

That ends this edition of the Carnival of Bootstrapping Entrepreneurs. Any articles submitted on or after Sep 8th that meet the criteria but not appearing here will likely appear in the next edition.

Please use the submission form for future editions. Limit one entry per week per person. If you find you are not getting into this blog carnival, please read 11 tips for being included.

Welcome to the eighth Carnival of Bootstrapping Entrepreneurs (CoBE #8). Critieria for inclusion: relevant to bootstrapping, entrepreneuring, startup/ small businesses. To be fair to everyone, entries are selected approximately in order of submission. Please support this carnival by linking back to this post.

This edition is a bit shorter than normal because a half a dozen or so bloggers sent the same entry - several of which I’d already accepted in earlier editions of this Carnival. So please keep track of your submissions - no dups - to increase your chances of getting in.

Editor’s Choice

1. 21 Proven Tactics for Self and Employee Motivation by John Wesley.

Picks of the Week

Here are this week’s additional picks.

2. Be A Good Manager By Letting People Learn And Grow by Warren Wong.

3. You’re Worth More Than Your Job by Edith Yeung.
4. 5 Ways to Think Strategically by Luke Houghton.
5. Keys to Effective Holiday Marketing in 2007 by Frances Palaschuk.
6. When is it Time for a Re-Design? by Vandelay Website Design.
7. Avoid Getting Gypped by Fraudulent Web Designers by Michelle Cramer.
8. 7 Ways to Expand Your Products and Services by Terry Dean.
9. Talking Good English by Mark Miller.

That ends this edition of the Carnival of Bootstrapping Entrepreneurs. Any articles submitted on or after Aug 31st that meet the criteria but not appearing here will likely appear in the next edition.

Please use the submission form for future editions. Limit one entry per week per person. If you find you are not getting into this blog carnival, please read 11 tips for being included. I’ll particularly point out a few reoccurring problems:

1. Submitting the same article twice. Always send something fresh. It’s not that hard to keep a spreadsheet of your carnival submissions.
2. Submitting more than one article in the same week, sometimes in the same hour. If you can’t be bothered to pick your best, I can’t be bothered to either.
3. Not making articles readable (high contrast pages, non-miniscule font sizes, short to medium paragraphs). Computer screens are not ideal reading platforms.
4. Being off topic or simply not targeted at bootstrapping entrepreneurs, or entrepreneuring in general. The article might be great, but if you don’t target it at entrepreneurs, that reduces the chances of being accepted.
5. Submitting someone else’s writing as yours.

Welcome to the seventh Carnival of Bootstrapping Entrepreneurs (CoBE #7). Critieria for inclusion: relevant to bootstrapping, entrepreneuring, startup/ small businesses. This carnival may soon appear on other guest host sites, but a note will be posted on this blog in weeks that that happens.

To be fair to everyone, entries are selected approximately in order of submission. Please support this carnival by linking back to this post.

Editor’s Choice

1. 5+1 Simple Ideas For Brainstorming With A Dictionary by Samir Bharadwaj. Samir offers not only a selection of brainstorming tips but does so in a great example of good blog article formatting. Nice headings, bullet lists and images.

Picks of the Week

Here are this week’s additional picks of the week.

2. Analysis Paralysis: The #1 Killer of Productivity by Dominic Tay.
3. 8 Moves to Make When the Chips Are Down by John Wesley.
4. Hey, Where are the Bugs Anyway? by CA.
5. Blogging for Service Providers by Vandelay Website Design.

Other Entries

Here are some additional entries for this week’s carnival.

6. Seeking a Dream by Michelle Cramer.
7. 7 Highly Effective Habits for Stress Releasing by Dianne M. Buxton.
8. 5 Things To Consider When Looking for A Network Marketing Business by Chris Tackett.
9. 5 Things You Can Do To Improve Your Marketing Overnight by Eric Hudin.
10. Make People Comfortable By Greeting Them Right by Warren Wong.
11. Do You Know How to Delegate Effectively? by Sue Massey.
12. Spending Those Hard Earned Dollars On Advertising by Matt Hanson.
13. Top Ten Franchise Opportunities for $20,000 by Tom Stanley.
14. I Can Stand My Stand Up Desk by FitBuff.
15. Accounting Tips For Those Using A CPA by Mike Harmon.

That ends this second edition of the Carnival of Bootstrapping Entrepreneurs. Any articles submitted on or after Aug 24th that meet the criteria but not appearing here will likely appear in the next edition.

Please use the submission form for future editions. Limit one entry per week per person. If you find you are not getting into this blog carnival, please read 11 tips for being included. I’ll particularly point out a few reoccurring problems:

1. Submitting the same article twice. Always send something fresh. It’s not that hard to keep a spreadsheet of your carnival submissions.
2. Submitting 2+ articles within minutes of each other. If you can’t be bothered to pick your best, I can’t be bothered to either.
3. Don’t make paragraphs too long or backgrounds colored. Anything that makes it hard to read your article reduces the chances that it’ll be read and accepted.
4. Being off topic or simply not targeted at bootstrapping entrepreneurs, or entrepreneuring in general. If you’re talking only about wealth, career, blogging, etc., in your article, and do not tie the topic in to business or entrepreneuring, then I might not accept it. If it’s selected for a Pick of the Week, then I’ll summarize it and do the tie in. But if it’s not picked, then I won’t necessarily put it in the rest of the carnival edition.

[updated] Welcome to the sixth Carnival of Bootstrapping Entrepreneurs (CoBE #6). Critieria for inclusion: relevant to bootstrapping, entrepreneuring, startup/ small businesses.

To be fair to everyone, entries are selected approximately in order of submission. Please support this carnival by linking back to this post. Because of the volume of entries, I’m reducing the number of summaries and present 1-3 picks of the week.

Picks of the Week

This week’s picks:

1. Planning an Business Trip by Mike Harmon.
2. Quiz: What Kind of Entrepreneur Are You? by Skip Shuda [updated].
3. A Motivation Secret of Top Performing Managers by Dr. Robert Karlsberg and Dr. Jane Adler.
4. Evaluation is Critical for Success. How to Measure Your Progress by Millionaire Mommy.

Other Entries

These are the remaining entries for this edition.

5. Are You A Good Facilitator? by Louise Manning.
6. If You Really Want Something Done, Find a Busy Person To Do It by Adam.
7. Want to Waste Some More Time Before You Start Your Business? by Stefan Töpfer.
8. Going to the Top Too Fast by Wilson Ng.
9. Business Productivity With New Media: 10 Questions by Noric Dilanchian.
10. The Money Series – Why Didn’t I Think of That Billionaires by Edith Yeung.
11. Watch For Upwarding Leaping Monkeys by Jack Yoest.
12. From iPhone to YouTube - The Viral Marketing Method by Eric Hudin.
13. Do You Really Want to Buy a Franchise? by Tom Stanley.
14. Learn Good Customer Service by Jason Rakowski.
15. Leveling the Playing Fields by Stacey Derbinshire.

That ends this second edition of the Carnival of Bootstrapping Entrepreneurs. Any articles submitted on or after Aug 13th that meet the criteria but not appearing here will likely appear in the next edition.

Please use the submission form for future editions. Limit one entry per week per person. If you find you are not getting into this blog carnival, please read 11 tips for being included. I’ll particularly point out a few reoccurring problems:

1. Submitting the same article twice. Always send something fresh. It’s not that hard to keep a spreadsheet of your submissions to all carnivals.
2. Submitting 2+ articles within 5 minutes of each other. Do not send more than one entry per week or ALL of them will be deleted. Don’t make me do your work for you - choose your recent best and send that.
3. Don’t make paragraphs too long or backgrounds colored. Anything that makes it hard to read your article reduces the chances that it’ll be read and accepted.
4. Way off topic or simply not targeted at bootstrapping entrepreneurs, or even entrepreneurs in general. If you’re talking only about wealth, career, blogging, etc., in your article, if you do not tie the topic in to business or entrepreneuring, then I might not accept it. If it’s selected for a Pick of the Week, then I’ll summarize it and do the tie in. But if it’s not picked, then I won’t put it in the rest of the carnival edition.

Welcome to the fifth Carnival of Bootstrapping Entrepreneurs (CoBE #5). Apologies for the delay from last week. Critieria for inclusion: relevant to bootstrapping, entrepreneuring, startup/ small businesses.

To be fair to everyone, entries are selected approximately in order of submission. Please support this carnival by linking back to this post. Because of the volume of entries, I’m reducing the number of summaries and present 1-3 picks of the week.

Picks of the Week

This week’s picks:

1. 13 Things a Successful Entrepreneur Must Know & Take Action On by Edith Yeung. Edith consistenly posts great articles about business and entrepreneurship. This one provides a checklist of thirteen building blocks for entrepreneurial success.

2. 10 Reasons Why Only 4% of the Population Achieve Their Goals by Gustav S. Even if you know the building blocks of success, not everyone achieves their goals. Gustav explains why. [Note to Gustav: You can enhance your article by numbering each reason. When your article title says X Reasons, readers expect them to be numbered.]
3. How I Became a Millionaire While Working In My Pajamas by Millionaire Mommy. Can you become a millionaire working from home? Millionaire Mommy did, and she explains how.

Other Entries

These are the remaining entries for this edition.

4. How to React to Criticism by Dr. Robert Karlsberg and Dr. Jane Adler.
5. What Happens if Your Clients Don’t Pay? by James Mitchell.
6. 26 Steps to Blogging Success by Vandelay Design.
7. Planning Out a Short Term Project by Matt.
8. Top 20 Dumbest Business Ideas That Made Millions…Or Not! by Silicon Valley Blogger.
9. My Partner’s Not Doing Enough Work! by Warren Wong.
10. A Few Ways To Save Money With A Small Business Opportunity by Cade Krueger.
11. There are Times When Features are Better Than Benefits by Jim Logan.
12. Negotiation and the Short Term Performance Trap by Charles H. Green.
13. Advertising Jingles and Commercials - Radio & TV by Matt Hanson.
14. How to Write a Headline and Grab Your Prospect by the Eyeballs! by Chris Tackett.
15. You Can Make More Working Less by Eric Hudin.
16. Finding The Right Information About Franchise Opportunities by Tom Stanley.
17. Four Tasks to Increase Values or Prices in Business Transactions by Noric Dilanchian.
18. The Millionaire Inside; Get Inspired by Susan Velez.
19. How to Influence Others by Terry Dean.
20. Tips for Sorting Through Overwhelming Files by Michelle Cramer.

That ends this second edition of the Carnival of Bootstrapping Entrepreneurs. Any articles submitted on or after Aug 4th that meet the criteria but not appearing here will likely appear in the next edition.

Please use the submission form for future editions. Limit one entry per week per person. If you find you are not getting into this blog carnival, please read 11 tips for being included.

Here are some blog carnivals to check out, all of which Bootstrapper was recently accepted into. This post is to give back some link love, and to hopefully expose Bootstrapper readers to some great blogs about business and entrepreneuring.

1. Carnival of Network Marketing #17 accepted The business blogging toolset: 100 resources for entrepreneur-writers.

2. Carnival of Network Marketing #17 accepted Startup required reading: top 100 VC bloggers.
3. Carnival of Game Production #5 accepted The poor entrepreneur’s toolset: 100 freebies for bootstrappers.
4. Best of Web 2.0 Carnival accepted Startup required reading: top 100 VC bloggers.
5. Best of Web 2.0 Carnival accepted The business blogging toolset: 100 resources for entrepreneur-writers.
6. Carnival of Money, Growth & Happiness accepted New media ways to raise capital.
7. Carnival of Small Business and Startups accepted Startup required reading: top 100 VC bloggers.
8. Carnival of Small Business and Startups accepted The business blogging toolset: 100 resources for entrepreneur-writers.

If you think/know I missed a carnival, please drop a comment in this post, with a link to your carnival that a Bootstrapper article is in and I’ll modify this post.

Don’t forget about the Carnival of Bootstrapping Entrepreneurs. And a couple of reminders:

1. If you get in, please support the Carnival by linking back to the edition you appear in.
2. Please: only one submission per person per week. Some of you are still submitting multiple articles in the same week. Multi-author sites may submit more than one article per week.

Welcome to the fourth Carnival of Bootstrapping Entrepreneurs (CoBE #4). Critieria for inclusion: relevant to bootstrapping, entrepreneuring, startup/ small businesses. Criteria for exclusion:

1. Non-articles (list of internal links instead of an article).
2. Articles that exist purely to promote an affiliate link.
3. Articles not relevant to bootstrapping or entrepreneuring. (Home jobs/ freelancing are not relevant. Enter those in either the Carnival of Internet Pros or the Carnival of Work Productivity. Though please read the requirements for those two carnivals before submitting an article.)
4. Articles not formatted for easy reading (i.e., overly long paragraphs.)
5. Multiple entries for the same edition - it depends on how relevant the articles are, but in most cases, all entries will be deleted without being viewed.
6. Persistently not supporting the carnival by not linking back won’t mean exclusion, but priority will be given to new entrants or those who have been supportive. There are few of you included in this edition that have been in an earlier edition but have not bothered to link back.

To be fair to everyone, entries are selected approximately in order of submission. Please support this carnival by linking back to this post. Because of the volume of entries, only the first few have been summarized.

Pick of the Week

The following entry both wowed me and peeved me. You’ll see why in a second.

1. Top 30 Entrepreneurs: My Input on Each by Ian Fernando of Ian Fernando.

   My advice: don’t call your article “Top 30 Entrepreneurs” when you bluntly say you in your very first sentence that you are only going to cover five. You lose credibility because your title is so misleading. However, you made up for it with a good overview of the five entrepreneurs that you did profile. Good job on the formatting - great use of images. (Goes nicely with your clean blog template.) Nice presentation of the challenge each entrepreneur faced. I’ve seen your other good writing in other carnivals. Just be more honest with your titles.

Summarized Entries

When time permits, I’ll pick 5-10 entries and summarize them.

2. Effective Direct Marketing by Chris Tackett of Direct Marketing News. Direct marketing is essential to the success of some businesses. If that includes you, Chris offers some tips on being effective.

3. Blog Comments Can Build Your Personal Brand by Krishna De of Today’s Women In Business. Some businesses can benefit from a blog. Others can benefit merely from commenting from a blog. Krishna shows you how commenting elsewhere can help with branding, especially if your business is very personal.
4. FUD - Why Sell Is Still a Four Letter Word by Charles H. Green of Trust Matters. Selling strikes terror in the hearts of some otherwise capable entrepreneurs. Charles explains why, and presents an important paradox about selling.
5. Kids and Entrepreneurship by Stacey Derbinshire of Starting a Small Home Business. You are never too young to be an entrepreneur. Stacey provides a couple of tips for adults who are in a position to positively influence a budding young entrepreneur.
6. 7 Phrases Successful People Would Never Say by Edith Yeung of EdithYeung.com. Success comes from more than just hard-work. Edith points seven things you don’t want to say if you intend to succeed.
7. How To Come Up With Good Business Ideas by Warren Wong of INTJ Personal Development. Some businesses need a constant source of fresh ideas. Warren offers four tips for producing good ideas.
8. Oh, David Allen, Could it be I’m Falling in Looove Witcha Baaabaay? by Laura Young of
   Dragon Slayer’s Guide to Life. I gotta say I love this Spinners song, and the title of this article makes me snicker. David Allen is THE GTD (Get Things Done) guru. Laura explains why she likes him and the whole GTD perspective.

9. The Key to Online Business: Do Something Small by Praveen of My Simple Trading System. Your business idea does not have to be large and complex. Praveen talks about microbusinesses, which cost little to nothing to start and get going.
10. How to Earn 12.28% in a 4.5% World by Dax Desai of Dax Desai. Have some business funds that are currently unused? Dax shows you how to make them work for you, earning above average interest.

Remaining Entries

These are the remaining entries for this edition.

11. Create Your Treasure Map To Riches by Millionaire Mommy of Millionaire Mommy Next Door.

12. Flip This Product- A Simple Way to Launch a Great Business by CapForge of CapForge.
13. When it Comes to the Next Best Thing, Forget About it by Ruth Mitchell of Buy Outside the Box.
14. 5 Distractions To The Nesting Entrepreneur by Ant of The Beef Jerky Blog.
15. Strategic Application of Offshoring in a CPA Practice by Mike Harmon of Basic Accounting.
16. The Price Of Ignoring What’s Wrong by Sue Massey of Business Management Life.
17. Some Business Opportunities in Nepal by Bhupendra Khanal of Business Analytics.
18. Get More Done with Activity Logs by Dr. Robert Karlsberg of The Road to CEO.
19. Promotion Goals For A Low Maintenance Niche Blog by Derek Beauchemin of DerekBeau.com.
20. Expand Your Skills by Peter of Succeed With This.

That ends this second edition of the Carnival of Bootstrapping Entrepreneurs. Any articles submitted after July 27th that meet the criteria but not appearing here will appear in the next edition.

There are still many of you submitting multiple articles in a given week so that I may now have a half dozen of your articles in the backlog. If that’s you, then please ease off on submitting more until you see a couple more of your articles appear. Or make sure that you are linking back to earlier editions of CoBE in which you appeared. [It takes a lot of time to go through articles and summarize in an interesting way. So if you have not linked back in support, you’re being bumped for more of the newer bloggers entering the carnival.]

One suggestion I’ll leave you with. If you submit an article that’s all about you, think twice. Share “how” not “what”. Who cares how much success you have had unless you share how you got there? Please tell us your entrepreneurial success story and how you got there. That’s what people want to read.

Please use the submission form for future editions. Limit one entry per week per person.

Welcome to the third Carnival of Bootstrapping Entrepreneurs (CoBE #3). Critieria for inclusion: relevant to bootstrapping, entrepreneuring, startup/ small businesses. Criteria for exclusion:

1. Non-articles (list of internal links instead of an article).
2. Articles that exist purely to promote an affiliate link.
3. Articles not relevant to bootstrapping or entrepreneuring.
4. Articles not formatted for easy reading (i.e., overly long paragraphs.)
5. Multiple entries for the same edition - it depends on how relevant the articles are, but in most cases, all entries will be deleted without being viewed.
6. Persistently not supporting the carnival by not linking back won’t mean exclusion, but priority will be given to new entrants or those who have been supportive.

To be fair to everyone, entries are being selected approximately in order of submission. Please support this carnival by linking back to this post.

1. Price vs Value - How Much Should Writers Charge? by Yvonne Russell of Grow Your Writing Business. Whether you’re a writer or an entrepreneur offering any other service, the question of how much to charge always comes up. Yvonne offers some suggestions for deciding, based on whether your service offers extra value.

2. How to Make $45,000 a Month- Six Months After You Start by CapForge of CapForge. CapForge provides a solid example of the mindset necessary to bootstrap a startup business and reinvest profits to a self-sustaining, income-producing level.
3. How would you get back from Mars? by CA of Atlantic Canada’s Small Business Blog. Don’t let the article title fool you. CA points out that “making money” and “creating value” do not have to be conflicting objectives of an organization.
4. Best Business Schools for the Entrepreneur by Ted Reimers of College Grotto. Feel the need to take some tutelage before or during your entrepreneurial career? Ted lists ten business schools with entrepreneurial programs.
5. How I Failed at Making Money Online by Ray Johnson of Link Rambler. Not everyone who tries makes money online. Ray points out the errors he made in his attempt at online entrepreneurship, then points out 4 ways to improve your odds of success.
6. 7 Habits of Highly Effective Money Managers by Edith Yeung of Edith Yeung. Many new businesses go under within the first or second year of existence. Managing cash flow becomes a critical skill. Edith points out some effective habits of money management.
7. How to Start an Online Store by Ant of The Beef Jerky Blog. Dropshipping can be a very profitable method of doing business. You make the sale and the product supplier ships the product. If you do it online, you have the advantage of reduced operating costs, once your ecommerce site is setup. Ant lists five steps for setting up an online business.
8. The Solution to the Problem by Wilson Ng of Reflections of a BizDrivenLife. Problem-solving is an important part of running a business. While brainstorming to solve problems might be useful for new situations, reoccuring problems might already have a solution. Wilson points out that maybe a reoccurring problem has already been documented in your organization. And if not, maybe it should be.
9. I Can’t Stand My Stand Up Desk! by FitBuff of Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog. Good health and good posture means a better overall attitude for you. If you’re not happy with your sitting posture, try something different: stand up. FitBuff explains how a standup desk can posture and productivity and burn calories.
10. John Assaraf and Murray Smith Interview by Scott Allen of About Entrepreneurs. Scott interviewed John Assaraf (The Secret) and Murray Smith (Indian Motorcycles) about entrepreneurial passion, the success mindset, and more. There’s a 40 minute audio version of the interview and an 8-part transcription.
11. Leadership - Managing Time For Maximum Profit by Sue Massey of Business Management Life. Sue provides reasons why managing your business time effectively helps to maximize your profit.
12. Diversify Your Investments by Starting a Side Business by Brad Isaac of Achieve IT! Goal Setting Blog. Not everyone wants to or can be a full-time entrepreneur. Brad explains how you can bootstrapping a part-time/ side business on weekends and evenings.
13. Building Visibility with Promotional Umbrellas by Matt Hanson of Matt’s Creative Advertising Blog. Promotional products can go beyond the traditional branded pens and mugs to other products. Items such as umbrellas not only keep potential customers dry but display your brand to many people. Matt points out that you don’t necessarily have to give the product away, if it offers a lot of value.
14. Don’t Buy A Franchise with your Ego by Tom Stanley of Tom’s Franchise Information Blog. Many entrepreneurs, instead of starting a new business or buying an existing one, buy a franchise. Tom suggests that when you choose a franchise, don’t do it just because it sounds exciting or because you think your friends will like it. Ultimately, you want it to earn money, and you might be surprised at the types of franchise businesses that can do that for you.
15. Learn Good Customer Service by Jason Rakowski of Learn Good Customer Service. Managing customer relations is crucial to maintaning repeat customers. Jason points out how to make it easier on yourself by using CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software.

That ends this second edition of the Carnival of Bootstrapping Entrepreneurs. Any articles submitted that meet the criteria but not listed here will appear in the next edition. I currently have a backlog of entries and minimum of time to go through everyone’s articles. There are still many of you submitting multiple articles in a given week so that I may now have a half dozen of your articles in the backlog. If that’s you, then please ease off on submitting more until you see a couple more of your articles appear. Or make sure that you are linking back to earlier editions of CoBE in which you appeared. [It takes a lot of time to go through articles and summarize in an interesting way. So if you have not linked back in support, you’re being bumped for more of the newer bloggers entering the carnival.]

One suggestion I’ll leave you with. If you submit an article that’s all about you, think twice. Share “how” not “what”. Who cares how much success you have had unless you share how you got there? Tell us your entrepreneurial success story and how you got there.

Please use the submission form for future editions, and limit yourself to one entry per week.

This post is a roundup of blog carnivals that Bootstrapper was recently accepted into, and I’m giving back a bit of link love.

1. Carnival of Credit Card 18 accepted Bootstrapping your business cash flow.

2. Carnival of Debt Managmeent #17 accepted Worthwhile free applications for bootstrapping entrepreneurs.
3. Working at Home Blog Carnival #41 accepted Benefits and hazards of working from home.
4. Carnival of Budgeting #12 accepted 21 ways to promote your startup business.
5. Carnival of Entrepreneurs #30 accepted Being an expert online entrepreneur.
6. Carnival of Debt Relief #11 accepted Reasons to build a business online.
7. Carnival of Wealth Building #9 accepted Bootstrapping your business cash flow.
8. Towards Better Life Carnival #11 accepted Reasons to build a business online.
9. Carnival of the Capitalists accepted 20 ways to finance a business startup.

Don’t forget about the Carnival of Bootstrapping Entrepreneurs. And a couple of reminders:

1. If you get in, please support the Carnival by linking back to the edition you appear in.
2. Please: only one submission per week. Some of you are still submitting multiple articles in the same week.
3. There will not be two editions per week despite what I said in edition #2. The schedule now is that each new edition will appear on a Wednesday.

[UPDATED Wed Jul 18/07: Despite what this post used to say, there will not be two editions per week. All editions will be posted on Wednesdays starting Jul 25th.]

Welcome to the second Carnival of Bootstrapping Entrepreneurs (CoBE #2). Critieria for inclusion: relevant to bootstrapping, entrepreneuring, startup/ small businesses. Criteria for exclusion:

1. Non-articles (list of internal links instead of an article).
2. Articles that exist purely to promote an affiliate link.
3. Articles not relevant to bootstrapping or entrepreneuring.
4. Scraped snippets of someone else’s article. Seriously? Why waste everyone’s time?
5. Multiple entries for the same edition - it depends on how relevant the articles are.
6. Persistently not supporting the carnival to link back won’t mean exclusion, but priority will be given to new entrants or those who have been supportive.

To be fair to everyone, entries are being selected approximately in order of submission. So if you don’t see your entry submitted by July 6th, it will likely appear in edition 2 next weekend. Here are the entries for the first edition. Please support this carnival by linking back to this post.

1. Plan Your Trip Now For Your Business! by Shawn Edwards of Destiny Online. Are you in a business that requires a lot of travelling? Shawn suggests keeping in mind three basic things for business travel.

2. Business life lesson - Don’t let anyone steal your dream by CA of Atlantic Canada’s Small Business Blog. Feeling a little doubtful about your entrepreneurial dreams? CA relates a couple of personal stories that may inspire you to keep your dream.
3. Working Through Distractions by Chromegrrrl/ Wendy of HostOmni. For those of you following creative endeavors, such as freelance writing from home, there are probably many distractions in your day. Wendy lists some of her strategies for deflecting distractions.
4. 3 Reasons to Quit Your Job in order to Advance Your Career by Marc of Marc and Angel. Marc offers three strong reasons why you may want to quit your job.
5. Interview With Andy Ajello: Environmental Entrepreneur by Alexandra Levit of Water Cooler Wisdom. Opportunities lie in many markets, including the environment. Alexandra interviews Andy Ajello, and discusses what inspired him to find a way to reduce the illegal dumping of electronics.
6. How to Manage a Sales Call by Jack Yoest of MTDC. Not everyone enjoys selling, but in some businesses you just cannot get around it. Jack tells us how to handle a sales call.
7. Business, Interrupted by Silicon Valley Blogger of The Digerati Life. If you’re at a crossroads in your business venture, maybe it’s time to sit back and take a look at what you’re doing. That’s what the Silicon Valley Blogger does in this article, offering some rationale for doing so.
8. No Cost Starting a Business - Startup Example by CapForge of CapForge. Bootstrappers know that you don’t always need to have capital to start a business. CapForge provides a concrete example.
9. How to Maximize Your Day Job While Creating a 4 Hour Work Week by John Wesley of Pick the Brain. Tim Ferriss’ new book “The 4-Hour Work Week” is of course inspiring a lot of people. If you’re thinking about finding your own 4-hour week, read John’s five suggestions about how to apply the book’s advice.
10. 7 rules about startup code by Vitor Domingos. Vitor offers some wise and amusing advice to software entrepreneurs who are in the pre-startup stage. I.e., only have an idea.

That ends this second edition of the Carnival of Bootstrapping Entrepreneurs. Any articles submitted that meet the criteria but not listed here will appear in the next edition

Please use the submission form for future editions, and limit yourself to one entry per week. If both your entries for any Saturday through Friday period are selected, one will appear in the “weekend” edition (Sun or Mon) and the other will appear in the mid-week edition (Wed or Thur).