Recently, we attended a great business event with fabulous speakers. One of the speakers came up and we were shocked - he looked nothing like his picture. It was so different, he even commented on it, stating that he keeps it around to remind himself how attractive he used to be. We get it. We miss our younger faces too. But as Jessica Venturi reminds us in this excerpt from the Entrepreneur's Survival Guide, an up-to-date photo is important. Yes, we all hate getting our pictures taken. Don't worry - she tells us how to actually look great (and still recognizable).

Before you run off to get your hair done, if you haven't written your holiday card list or started planning all those gift baskets, THE TIME IS NOW. If you're in Canada and our posties are still on strike when you receive this, you'll need some alternative solutions right quick - and yes, of course, we're here to help!

If you've got all your holiday planning over and done, we commend you. You're obviously on top of things and probably the kind of person who carefully reviews their metrics on a regular basis to determine if they're getting to all the places they need to go. You are that person? Excellent. Guess what? We have another metric for you - one you may not have even considered. If you start tracking this, and working with that number to optimize your business, your growth will skyrocket.

While you're at it, are your processes up to date? That metric will move your dial faster if you have great written processes. Not sure how to get started? Here's a primer.

Finally, if you've always wondered how Slayers spend their day, Ellen shares her Day in the Life with us here.