TresSugar

You Asked: My Mom Is Driving Me Nuts!

DearSugar — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 06:00:00 -0700

Dear Sugar,

I am 42 going on 43 years old. I run an accounting business out of my parents home to cut down on my costs. The problem I have is that my mother tries to tell me how to run my business all the time. Because I owe her money, she thinks that she can tell me what to do. She says things like, "It's my house; you'd think it was your house the way you go around doing things around here."

I have a little sign that I put out front of the house to try to attract business and she constantly moves it on me. When I shut the blinds for customers privacy, she's constantly reopening the blinds to "let light in." She not only tries to control the business but my personal life, too. What can I do? - Up Against the Wall Angela

To see DearSugar's answer read more.

Dear Up Against the Wall Angela,

Although you're trying to save money, I advise you to move your business elsewhere. Your mom is being incredibly generous to offer up her home to you, but it's pretty clear that she's involving herself a little too much in your personal and professional business, which will soon, if it hasn't already, affect your work and the relationships with your clients.

While talking to her and asking her to back off might offer some temporary relief, I have a feeling that she'll soon be back to her overbearing motherly ways. Though it's no doubt annoying, know that your mom just wants the best for you so if she thinks light is better than privacy or if she feels your sign is in the wrong location, she'll make the changes she sees fit and while you're under her roof, there just might not be a way to stop her.

If you don't have a room in your own home to convert into office space, see if there are any vacancies in a low-rent district or if you can share space with someone else or take over someone's sublease. There are options out there so I advise you to do some research. When it comes to family, sometimes distance makes the heart grow fonder so hopefully a little time apart will get your relationship back on track. Good luck.

Source

Handle This: He Takes Another Woman as His Date

DearSugar — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:00:00 -0700

A business associate of your fiancé is having a huge and decadent wedding this weekend. He’s also a possible investor in your fiancé’s new start up, so it’s a schmoozing event too. Of course you’ve been planning on going, but when you come down with a horrible flu, there’s just no way you can make it.

You’re surprised when your fiancé tells you that instead of going stag, he invited his bookkeeper, who’s been helping out with the business. You’ve known her for ages, and in that time you’ve always been pleasant with her, but you can’t help but find it weird that she’s going to be his date. You don’t want to get upset over nothing, but how would you handle this?

Source

I Feel LOST

DearSugar — Fri, 25 May 2007 13:00:00 -0700

Dear Sugar--

I'm lost. I just finished college and now have my first $30K plus BBA (bachelor's degree in business studies) at 31 years (sad but true); I'm stuck in a rut. I have about a 3.45 GPA or something...I didn't go to Stanford, Yale, Harvard, so no job offers are landing on my doorstep. I live in the middle of nowhere...seriously, NW Minnesota...middle of nowhere.

I feel lost. I think I should start studying for the GMAT and go back & get a Master's. I swear all the good jobs require an MBA or Master's these days, right?

I have tried looking in all the right places for a job, even a
telecommuting type job, and cannot locate anything. I'm 31, I have no kids, I have 2 cats, and I have a boyfriend whom I love so much that I stay in this piddly little town for his sake.

Do I accept the fact that I will be doomed forever to a life of misery and failure? Or does someone actually feel that life can sometimes be fair and I should be able to have both things I want? I feel like I've been wounded in a sword fight, crying my eyes out each night is not ideal. What can I do?

--Lost Linda

To see DEARSUGAR's answer read more

Dear Lost Linda--

It may make you feel better to know that many people feel as frustrated and stuck as you do. It sounds like you are really motivated and want to fix this situation, so that's a great first start.

Getting your masters will give you a leg up, but keep looking -- there have got to be some jobs out there that pay more than $30K that don't require the degree. Talking to a career counselor might be helpful as well. They could offer suggestions as to what your next steps need to be taken in order to get a higher paying job.

I know you said that you love your boyfriend and want to stay with him, but your career sounds equally important, so have you thought about moving to the closest biggest city with him? Remaining in an unhappy job and town isn't healthy for you or your relationship, so explore your options, because you have some here - it just might take some time to make it happen. Good luck Linda.

Source

You 101: Drew Barrymore, Work and Love

DearSugar — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 12:00:00 -0700

In April's Glamour, Carrie Fisher interviews Drew Barrymore, exploring how she's managed to become such an unlilkely and unique success story, inside and out. There's much of interest in the interview, but this gem I selected just for you:

For years I've said that when it comes business, I am a woman, and when it comes to relationships, I am a child. I just haven't figured out how to bring the same confidence and conviction I have in the boardroom to my romantic relationships

Click here to read more

Anybody else have an experience like this? Where one part of your life feels very adult and confident, and another part seems childlike and unsure? Anyone out there more secure in their intimate relationship than in their other roles? Let's talk about it, ladies!

Source

TrèsSugar vs. Emily Post: Thanksgiving Etitquette

TresSugar — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:30:14 -0800

Emily Post published Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics, and at Home in 1922 and solidified her place as America's queen of domesticity. She was like the original Martha Stewart, but more tactful! Today her name and advice live on at the Emily Post Institute, but how does its advice fare in the real world. Compare her Thanksgiving advice to mine. Hers is in italics, of course.

Source: Flickr User Gabriela Camerotti

View Slideshow ›

Levi Wears Leather and Skin in Playgirl Shoot

TresSugar — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:00:54 -0800

As we all know, Levi Johnston took time out of his busy schedule as a nut salesman to shoot some nudie photos for Playgirl. So here are some of the shots, which I cropped a bit for decency's sake. Even though there is no full frontal, we do see a lot of skin . . . and armpit hair.

Back when I asked you all whether you would do, dump, or marry Levi, the majority of you said you would dump him. Do these photos change your mind? If you want to see more of Levi, check out Playgirl.com (NSFW!). And to see my picks from the pics, read more.

View 5 Photos ›

Business Card Battle Royale

GiggleSugar — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:08:11 -0700

Some of us at Sugar just got new business cards, and as we were debating the merits of matte finish vs. semiglossy, TeamSugar reminded me about the (highly entertaining) business-card scene in (the otherwise quite disturbing) American Psycho. Will bone beat out eggshell and pale nimbus in the subtle off-white smackdown? The tension is palpable!

Flight Of Conchords Guy Means Business

GiggleSugar — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 11:20:00 -0700

HBO's Flight of the Conchords is about two musicians from New Zealand trying to make it big in the Big Apple. Brett McKenzie and Jemaine Clement have been performing together for years, billing themselves as " "New Zealand's fourth most popular folk parody duo." In this clip, Jemaine (my new crush) is trying to get his lady into bed with lame but hilarious lines. "And you know when I'm down to my socks what time it is," he says, "It's business time." (Thanks, Queen of Noise!)

Hillary Talks Sexism, Obama's Job Offer, and Mad Men to Vogue

TresSugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:00:35 -0800

Hillary Clinton finally sat down for a long-overdue Vogue interview. She offended editor Anna Wintour during the primaries by turning down the fashion mag out fear of looking "too feminine." And though she won't be on the December cover, the article is as substantial and satisfying as a cover story.

From night swimming alone to her favorite shows (Mad Men!), we see a side of Madame Secretary that all the vetting in the world would not unearth. See some of what she had to say below.

On visiting countries as a high-ranking female: "You can go to some countries and there's not a woman in the room. They don't even make the effort to give me the token woman minister. . . . And in lots of African countries the honorific for women is 'Mama.' So I had lots of people say to me, 'Mama, what about this; Mama, what about that?'"

On President Obama's job offer: "I was stunned after the election when President Obama asked me to consider this. . . . I really was very unconvinced. I did not think it was the right thing to do. I didn't want to do it. I just really had a lot of doubts, and I kept suggesting other people: Well, how about this person! How about that person! This one would be really good! But then a friend of mine called me and basically said, 'How would you have felt if you'd been elected and you'd called him and asked him to do this?' And that really made a big impression on me. How do you say no? And so . . . I said yes. And here I am."

On Mad Men: "That's how it was! That's why the women's-liberation movement was so shocking. It was like news from outer space"

See what else she had to say after the jump.

Sign Language: That's What Friends Are For!

TresSugar — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:00:00 -0700

The Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas' new ads promise that Toronto businesses know how to treat their neighbors. These ads also show that the agency for the TABIA knows how to construct a good ad.