I’ve been sweating about this post since I decided two days ago to cut back on writing. Since I only write three times a week, each post has to meet the needs of every single reader, right?

My sister said she only reads to see how bananas I am. I think D.J. comes to maintain proper boyfriend support quotas. Steph, Sarah and Sara stop by for tips on freelancing, I think. And Lesli and others read because I make them laugh (I hope). Moonbeam loves the tech tips, and Chris likes the marketing insights. And at least eight of you want to keep hearing about the cupcake cravings (click here to take the poll — what do you want to read?).

So, should my three posts a week be about my ongoing 40-something angst? The business side of my small business? The best technology tools I run across? I covered all topics when I wrote every day, but how can I possibly do everything to make everyone happy?

Ah. Therein lies a true problem.

Sunday is my official one-year anniversary. Here’s the list of services offered that still appears on my website (which I haven’t updated since it launched):

• Marketing Copy
• Brochures
• Emails
• Press Releases
• Catalogs
• Newsletters and eNewsletters
• Strategic, Marketing and Business Plans
• Organization-Produced Technical Papers and Books
• How-Tos for New Clients
• Industry Research and Benchmark Documents
• Conference and Workshop Promotions

New small business always want to help. A prospective client says, “Is that something you do?” and a new business owner says, “YES! Of course! When do you need it!” I’ve done that several times, committing to projects I’ve never tried before, then searching the web for information about whatever the hell it is I’ve just committed to.

But after a year in business, I sat down and asked myself two questions:

1. What do I write best, and
2. What do I best like to write?

Lo and behold…. the answers to both questions were the same!

1. White papers
2. In-depth articles and pithy press releases (beyond the new product announcements)
3. Blog posts

This list is not a real surprise, given my first passion for journalism. Sure, I can write the heck out of a postcard, and my email campaigns can get the phones a’ringin’. But I’m happiest when you give me a juicy, problem-solving white paper with research to track down, people to interview and real thinking to do. And I am usually really proud of the end results.

So, what would happen if I focused the second year of Avenue Z on marketing my in-depth writing services? People who write these types of pieces are generally called “content writers” instead of “copywriters.” My next marketing campaign (if I ever find time to market again) will target organizations that need longer, stronger, more researched pieces. I’ll enjoy my work more, and my end products will show it. Thus I’ll get more work and increase my value and my income.

But about this blog… don’t be concerned. Although I’ll try to focus my business in year two, my blog posts will continue to be both schizophrenic and bipolar (why limit myself to one mental disorder?). I try to turn my personal life lessons into insight about my business. Thus, happenings with my dating life, my running, my cat and my neuroses usually end up providing inspiration into something I can use for a post about being a small business owner.

A special note to those of you who wrote to me, depressed about the fewer posts…. Yes, a bribe would help. I did find a “cupcake of the month” club, though I think I’d have to move Chicago. If the cupcakes are worth it, I’ll consider relocation.

Update… Cool! One of my favorite clients just gave me permission to reference one of my best white papers as a sample here. It’s a guide to choosing the right media for conference handouts. You’ll have to register on their site, but they’re nice people, I promise….

I’ve talked about Pelotonics before… it’s an online group collaboration tool that helps me manage projects with some of my clients. When I’m working with a team of people on a project — a brochure, for example — I set up a project with Pelotonics, and we store all the tasks, files, messages and milestones in an online portal, and everyone knows when everything is due.

Pelotonics is offering a very limited late-stage beta program to 500 new signups. You get their Plan 1 with the capability to manage up to 10 projects for free for life. It’s ordinarily $24 a month.

If you’re a freelancer, you’ll look uber professional to your clients with this type of an organized project management system. If you work with groups in an office, it’s great for getting things done.

They just started the offer today…. grab one while you can! I think they will fill the 500 slots quickly, but technically you have until August 20, 2008.

Have you ever done a screen capture by pressing Print Screen, pasting it somewhere, editing it and sending it off? One of my favorite new (free!) tools is Jing, a little application from TechSmith, which makes the screen capture process insanely easy.

Jing sits on your screen at all times in the form of a little yellow sun. You can click on the capture button to bring up cross hairs that allow you to capture the part of the screen you want. Then you can either create an image that you can add notes to, or a movie up to five minutes long! It rocks.

Another cool thing? Once you have the capture you want, you can save it to your computer or throw it up to your own private account at screencast.com. Then you send a link to see it.

The Jing Blog with tips

Jing how tos

I think the biggest danger for small business owner burnout is when a business starts to take off but right before it’s actually a self-perpetuating machine. It’s when you’re working long, hard hours and still not really making enough money to relax. You’re on the cusp of success, but you have to keep pushing really hard to make sure you don’t fall to the wrong side of the precipice.

I’m there, and my legs are starting to cramp from balancing on this tightrope. My sister called from her vacation yesterday, and I actually shed tears when I talked to D.J. last night about how much I long for real time off. My last real vacation was in 2002 when my parents and I went to Alaska, a few months after my husband left. My phone had no reception, and I sat all day and read books on the 11-person boat. I explored shores where a thousand colored starfish clung to rocks in crystal-clear water. I couldn’t believe how lucky I was and how relaxed I became.

The rest of the days off I’ve taken have been spent with the family in Denver — holiday breaks that are fun and chaotic and drive me a little bonkers. I sneak a day off here and there, but I’m never truly off — when the BlackBerry blinks red, I’m on again.

These days I’m either working or worrying about working 16-18 hours a day. My mind doesn’t take many breaks. I generally manage to not sit down at the computer to work on Saturdays, mainly because I run hard in the morning then need a nap in the afternoon, then do something social Saturday evening. I work almost every Sunday for at least 4 hours. And during the week, I sit here from about 7 to 7, usually stopping too close to sundown and cursing myself for having to take an hour-long run in the dark. I’m usually back by 9 or so, then I bathe, sleep, and start again.

Like I’ve written before … how can I take a vacation? Call it poor money management or poor planning or whatever — the truth is I still live month to month. I have a buffer and a little cache of ready cash should my business blow up completely, but not much. To take a vacation, I’d not only have to have the money to go, but I’d also have to have the money to cover not making money. And that’s not the case.

So I’m burning and churning. Today I received notes from two clients about little things and big things I need to get done for them. I have a deadline for an article for another client, who also sent a new project yesterday. I just received an update from a fourth client, and I have to get into something there as well. And that doesn’t count a couple of other folks, plus some clients who have gotten quiet, meaning I need to find out when they will need me again.

Well, this post has taken me 45 minutes to write, so I guess I better start making a living (I’m keeping track of my every activity to analyze where I waste the most time).

By the way — even as I write this, I’m cringing, hoping that I don’t sound too whiny or ungrateful. I LOVE my job. I LOVE my clients. I LOVE being helpful and giving them content they need. I don’t mean to complain or to say that my life sucks. I’m one lucky woman, and I know it. I just get tired sometimes.

“Jules” has been very, very busy. He (she?) works at a company that specializes in SEO. He just stopped by my blog and posted this note:

Hi,

I’m Jules and I work at [company name].com, a company interested in blog
advertizing. I found your blog engaging and I’m contacting you to ask if
you are interested in blog post sponsorship.

If you are interested, kindly mail back for confirmation [email].Please include your blog’s URL.
Looking forward to doing business with you.

Sincerely,

Jules Viernes

I Googled the phrase “blog post sponsorship” and discovered that it means opportunities for advertisers to pay for ads at the bottom of my posts.

Somehow I don’t think Jules is sincere. Here is a Google search with 9 other blogs that Jules has found engaging. In addition, looks like Elmer is also interested in “blog advertizing.”

Hi,

I’m Elmer and I work at [DIFFERENT company name].com, a company interested in blog advertizing. I found your blog onceuponadiet.blogspot.com engaging and I’m contacting you to ask if you are interested in blog post sponsorship.

If you are interested, kindly mail back [Elmer's email] and I’ll send you pricing details, guidelines and processes. Looking forward to doing business with you.

Sincerely,

Elmer

Skylar is also interested in blog post sponsorship.

Hello,

My name is Skylar. I just spent some time digging through your great blog and I found it very engaging. I’m contacting you to ask if you are interested in blog post sponsorship.

If you are, please e-mail me back and I will send you pricing details, guidelines and processes. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards,

Skylar Sinclaire

While I don’t think Jules really finds my site engaging, some days it sure would be helpful if my time on this blog paid off. What are your thoughts on advertising?

Read sponsorship is a good thing from Mashable.

Read a blog sponsorship justification from Mouse Clone.