Author Archives: Kori Rodley Irons

About Kori Rodley Irons

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What if You Could Only Work for an Hour or 2 a Day?

I have days when I definitely work a “regular” work day but there are others where other areas of my life encroach. As a home business owner, many of us face a reality where we can only work an hour or two on our business a day and we have to try to make that time count. What IF you can only work for a short period of time on your business? How do you take advantage of the time you do have and make the most of it? If you do not have unlimited time to dedicate to your … Continue reading →

Sending Mixed Messages to Customers and Clients

We have heard about the hazards of sending mixed messages in our personal lives—to our children, when dating, or in trying to talk with other people. Getting our messages clear and avoiding sending convoluted, mixed messages is important in our home business efforts too. One of the problems that arise around sending mixed messages in the business realm is that we may be unclear what is happening as well. If you have ever been through a merger or worked for a company that went through some major changes—you know what it is like to be on the receiving end of … Continue reading →

Squealing & Shrieking

The other day, I was walking through a department store and there was an incredible shrieking sound—a child of course, the typical age of about three years old, squealing and shrieking and decidedly NOT using an ‘inside voice.’ Of course the parent was trying to quiet and control the shrieking child but it reminded me that for many families just as biting and asking “why?” and talking back are phases of development—having a child who is a squealer and a shrieker is a challenge too. Some children are loud and some are amazingly and shockingly loud in their squeaks and … Continue reading →

Exes as Friends

Yesterday, I was reading Lyn Newton’s article on “Warning Signs” in the Marriage Blog and something jumped out at me—she shares that one big red flag in a relationship is “If you are in a relationship with someone who still has contact with ex’s and talks with them frequently without including you then there is a warning sign.” For many of us single parents, we know how woven together our lives can be with our exes and while some of us battle and fight, every once in a while an Ex turns out to be a great friend. I am … Continue reading →

A Pre-college Purge

I have been very open in sharing that two of my children have finished high school and are starting the “college years.” I am under no illusion that it will be smooth-sailing or even that they will march through their college or the next steps without bumps, interruptions and changed directions. I am expecting and accepting of that. What I do know for sure, however, is that we are in a major period of transition and one of the things that has been happening this summer is a cleaning and purging. Without encouragement from me, both of my daughters are … Continue reading →

Can Pride Get in the Way?

Pride can be an important element of self-esteem for a single parent. For those of us who may feel horrible when we are first going through a separation or divorce, or who find ourselves completely overwhelmed at the death of a spouse, getting to a place where we feel proud of our role and efforts as a single parent can take some time and work. There is such a thing as too much pride, however, and sometimes our pride can cross over from healthy self-esteem and self-awareness to conceit, arrogance, and an unwillingness to allow others to help us or … Continue reading →

Include Little Extras

I wrote earlier today here in the Home Business blog about how focusing on living up to expectations and NOT letting customers and clients down can be a good, simple, and basic way to go about customer service. Just to augment that article, however, I wanted to also share that including some little extras is a way to go above and beyond and ensure that your customer service or your business offerings will impress. I am not talking about huge add-ons here, but the little things we can do that add value and show interest, but do not take up … Continue reading →

Making Plans for When the Children are Gone

There was a time not so long ago when I could not for the life of me imagine a life without children in my house. As a long-time single parent, so much of my time, resources, energy and budget have gone to supporting and caring for my children and it has definitely given my life grounding and purpose. The end is on the horizon, however, and while I will always be a mom and I know that I will continue to be a part of my kids’ lives, I have also started to realize that there is going to be … Continue reading →

A Child’s Emotional Explosions

There are power struggles, temper tantrums, and then there are those incredible emotional outbursts that our young children have. I actually think of them as explosions. It has been my experience that they happen with toddler and preschoolers and then return with full force during the adolescent years. How can a parent help to temper those emotional explosions and can anything be done to help a child find other ways to express himself? These grand emotional explosions can be scary and they seem decidedly different from a power struggle or a manipulative tantrum. I always found that it seemed as … Continue reading →

Know Who Has the Buying Power

Have you ever found yourself making a long, elaborate sales pitch to one person—only to find out after the fact that you have been paying attention to someone who does not control the purse strings? Whether it is the spouse who actually has the buying power or the boss or someone in a completely different department—you have just wasted all that time and energy making a good pitch to the wrong person. Of course, you can chalk it up to experience and practice but it is a good idea to know who has the buying power so that you can … Continue reading →