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Archives for March 2016

Finding Time for Your To-Do Lists

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We all know it. We all fear it. Sometimes we don’t even want to look directly at it because it will haunt our entire day. The to-do list. Many a times I’ve scribbled down something and posted it on the fridge door. Many a time I forgot to remember the something and move on with the hustle that is surviving these cold streets. Even while I sit here without a working laptop scribbling the old fashion way on real paper, I should be trying to get my electronic baby fixed. Finding the time to remember what I’m supposed to do is becoming a small task itself.

So how does one keep up with tasks while still finding time to hustle?

Keep your list to 3 Items

I try to minimize my to do lists because it helps me figure out what’s important to me. These are the three things I need to accomplish and the easy number makes it hard to. It’s important for me not to feel overloaded with tasks so keeping it short and simple can increase my chances at actually completing it.

Go off Grid

For most people, the internet is the biggest distraction. Sometimes it’s great to establish a schedule for going online-and sticking to it. Maybe I’d browse online in the morning or late evening, but I try to limit my internet intake. It helps me free up the rest of my time to do those important stuff on my to do list.

Take a Morning Moment

The morning is the fresh part of the day when the mind and body are feeling refreshed. Take a moment. Smell the morning. Hit the snooze-twice. Enjoy a small part of your morning doing something you love or nothing at all. I like to call it my morning time out when I mentally plan my day. I take note of what didn’t happen the day before and without  eating myself up for it, plan the perfect day in my head. It helps me understand what I really want. Taking a moment to yourself can be the difference between a good and overwhelming day.

It’s not the wisest idea to beat yourself up for not getting something done. We all get the feeling that 24 hours is hardly enough. Sadly, it’s never going to change, but maybe a slight switch to your habits might bring in some positive light.

How do you tackle your to do lists? What are some tips you would give to someone struggling to find the time?

3 Ways to Start Your Business While Still Working

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Like most of us, working is not an option. You have bills that need to get paid but at the same time, you are passionate about your dreams. I have been there and it’s not an easy task and maintaining balance is not something that’s simply done. It takes planning, organization, and consistency when it comes to working a true 9-5 while building your business on the side. Here are three ways you can still keep your sanity when working your day job while still quickly grow your business.

1. Delegate
We are women and we want to do it all, right?! We know how to run our business. Everything is suppose to look an exact way and no one can do it better than us. Unfortunately, must of us have shaped up this behavior and mindset that we are the modern day SUPER WOMAN and can handle any and everything. Well, I hate to break it to you sister but that’s just not the chase. You trying to do EVERYTHING, can hurt you more than it can help you. With any successful business, there are a team of individuals that play their role to help grow the business. Yes, you can run your social media, manage your website, and send out products or provide service, but something is going to lack which is not good for your or your company.
Start by writing a list of all the things that need to be done and put a star beside the things you could give away for someone else to complete or that you absolutely hate doing. Then seek an assistant that you can have help you grow your business. I know what your thinking, “how am I going to pay someone when I’m still working myself.” Well it’s not as hard as it may seem. A lot of people today are hiring Virtual Assistants (VA) which cut that price in half if you had an in-house employee. During my first month of assistance, I allocated $75 to my assistant budget. The help freed up so much of my time so that I could focus on bigger things to grow my business.

ACTION: Search local VA in your area or check out PeoplePerHour, ODesk, or Freelancer for possible assistants.

2. Gain a Mentor or Coach in that Area
Mentors are great to have when you are in business. This person is like another valuable part of your team that will help you elevate your business. This person has been in the shoes that you are in now and know more about the business than you. Having this person on your team to offer you advice, suggestions, or guidance will help you grow your business quicker than you could without the mentor. Instead of you having to trial-and-error certain programs, software, or systems, this person can help you by past the time and money waster, and lead you straight to the gold.

ACTION: Seek a mentor or coach by getting referrals from friends or family. You can also ask for referrals from your like-minded Facebook groups.

3. Focus on Goal-Oriented Activities
Finally, you must focus only on your goals that’s going to help you be more successful. Hours and hours on social media envying what the other person has is not going to grow your business and should not be on your goals list. Now, some competition can be good to help motivate you to get moving and stay consistent but mundane scrolling is going to get you nowhere. Or even hours of conversation with your BFF, discuss what you seen on social media is nothing going to work either.
From this day forward vow to only do activities that help propel your business to the next level. If you have to question if the activity your involved in is helping your business, chances are it isn’t and you need to move on. If it doesn’t benefit, don’t do it!

ACTION: Write a to-do list. Keep it with you and review it frequently to help you stay on track with your goals!

By implementing these three simple steps, you will be able to have your business on auto-pilot while your at work. The possibilities are endless for you to implement while your still working towards turning in your resignation. Until then, continue to push through and keep your eyes on the prize. Continue to dream BIG and know that anything is possible as long as you put your mind to it. Until next time…..

Aprille Franks-Hunt of Coach, Speak & Serve™ (CSS)

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Womeneur Spotlight” google_fonts=”font_family:Open%20Sans%3A300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C600%2C600italic%2C700%2C700italic%2C800%2C800italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Take a walk down the path of these entrepreneurs, business owners and progressive women.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”vc_default” bg_type=”image” parallax_style=”vcpb-default” bg_image_new=”id^3103|url^https://www.womeneur.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/womeneur-spotlight-aprille-franks-hunt-of-coach-speak-and-serve_650_650_90_ffffffgrayopac-7_s_c1.jpg|caption^null|alt^null|title^womeneur-spotlight-aprille-franks-hunt-of-coach-speak-and-serve_650_650_90_ffffffgrayopac-7_s_c1|description^null” css=”.vc_custom_1461356721274{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1461356631364{margin-bottom: -2px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”]

APRILLE FRANKS-HUNT OF COACH, SPEAK & SERVE™ (CSS)

MASTER COACH AND PRESIDENT[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”custom” border_width=”5″ accent_color=”#e3672b” css=”.vc_custom_1460496937176{padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_column_text]Website:

Social Media: [dt_social_icons animation=”none” alignment=”default”][dt_social_icon target_blank=”true” icon=”facebook” link=”https://www.facebook.com/groups/speakandwrite” /][dt_social_icon target_blank=”true” icon=”twitter” link=”http://twitter.com/epicaprille” /][dt_social_icon target_blank=”true” icon=”instagram” link=”http://instagram.com/EpicAprille” /][/dt_social_icons][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”3102″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In all our entrepreneurial endeavors, we often forget that we may need a little coaching to take us to the next level.  may very well be the solution to some of your shortcomings when it comes to maximizing and monetizing the message of your company. Aprille is a Master Business Coach & Strategist, Filmmaker, Author and Philanthropist and the Founder/CEO of .

Women Recharged is transformational movement that amplifies women’s voices and triumphant stories of truth, and , a next-level distance learning platform that helps modern-day authors, speakers and coaches maximize and monetize their messages. To date, both companies have served over 5,100 individuals globally with tools, resources, training and support establishing Aprille as the go-to expert for purpose-driven entrepreneurs who want to do business on a higher plane and , in turn, reap higher profits and make global expansion a reality.

Aprille does not just “talk the talk,” she equips you with the tools and resources you will need to support your life as an entrepreneur. With a wide range of expertise, Aprille is focused on coaching people through their goals and ambition and making sure they become great leaders in business and in life.

This Womeneur shares with us her journey in business and how we can learn some key lessons from her.

What inspired your journey into business?
I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit and honestly am a bit bossy – so leadership truly came natural for me. The fact that there are passionate people in the world with a voice – a message and a mission inspires me! If I can help someone share their story, make an impact in the world and create a living – I am in!

What steps did you take to start your business?
Hired a coach. Seriously. I like to go straight to the answers and minimize my learning curve. My first coach helped me with the direction that I wanted to move in next after closing my real estate consulting firm and moving into the Coaching, Speaking and Author space. The next thing I did was perform my due diligence (on Google) of what others were doing and started watching the process of those doing it well. I truly spent time learning FIRST so when I hit the GO button I had a wealth of knowledge and know how.

What are your biggest fears?
Funny you ask that. I didn’t used to think I didn’t have any – but as I’ve grown in my business I would have to say I have a fear of success. Of getting “too big” in my space and somehow failing or messing up in a major way. I don’t want to let people down and I think that can sometimes show up in making small decisions where you have the capability to make big ones.

What do you do to stay motivated when you feel like giving up?
LOL, I want a job at McDonalds. And then I come to my senses and get back on track!

What are your weaknesses in business and how have you worked past them? 
I like to think of things opposite my strengths as gaps. By understanding my strengths I am better able to focus my efforts on maximizing the things that I do well. The gaps are opportunities to build a team and allow someone else to be stronger in their areas of strength.

So, I work past them by not focusing on them!
The most rewarding part of what I do is watching the process work for my clients. Watching them live their dreams and watching it actually WORK!

What’s been most rewarding?
I was still as driven and passionate as I am today. I used to be the owner of a Real Estate Consulting firm then before that I was a GM for a Real Estate Company. I was good at it but wasn’t internally happy and knew there was more. So I searched for what that more was – and here I am!

Who were you before you started your business?
I wouldn’t do anything differently. Things happen as they ought – I can’t take away some mistake I made because that could alter something else. I appreciate where I am right now.

If you had to do it again, what (if anything) would you do differently?
I wouldn’t do anything differently. Things happen as they ought – I can’t take away some mistake I made because that could alter something else. I appreciate where I am right now.

What’s one good software or application you cannot live without?
Email and my google calendar. My life is that calendar!

What’s your secret to cultivating a relationship between you and your customers?
Daily communication with my audience. I’m very social and I take my audience on the success ride with me. So, consistency!

Where do you see your business in 5 years?
I see it sold or me hiring a CEO. I see Coach, Speak & Serve as the premier organization where coaches and speakers go for training and certifications around the world.

What are 3 tips you can share with budding and current entrepreneurs/business owners?

  1. Hire a coach or seek guidance – don’t waste time “trying to figure it out” on your own when you don’t know what the “it’s” are.
  2. Do you homework – if you want to win, prepare to win – do your research, follow people successful at what you want to be doing
  3. Be consistent at showing up – no one can duplicate you or your style – your story or your vision – you own it to your audience to show up, everyday.

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Just Be Great. Period.

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I can’t believe that in 2016, there are still some people who blame society for their personal problems— as if all other three-plus trillion people on the planet live perfect lives. Day after day, we troll social media looking for the ‘next best mess’ story to retweet, repost, or share to our followers, just to prove how messed up someone else’s life is compared to ours. Or we find fault in the things that everyone else has or does as if nobody pays any attention to our flaws. The truth is, you don’t have to dim someone else’s’ light to make yours shine brighter. You can be great without apologies and without explanations.

We as women, as millennials, as human beings were created with the innate ability to be unique—to be different. But somewhere over the course of our lives, someone or something taught us that “fitting in” is better than standing out. Conforming to the way things are is better than shifting to make things change. When did being “normal” become so popular?

Here are 3 things you can start doing today to unleash your greatness.

1. Stop living your life based on the opinions of others.

When has anyone been able to pay their bills with someone else’s opinions? NEVER. I understand impressions matter, but so does your sanity. The day you decide to just “do you” without apologies. is the day you will begin to let your inner glow shine bright.

2. Recognize your uniqueness and own it.

There is a reason why no two people are made the exact same way. Variety really is the spice of life. When we were created, we were created to be different. No other person on this planet looks exactly like you, sounds like you, thinks like you, or lives like you do. No One can “do you” like you can! Be you and own who you are.

3. Stop settling for mediocre when you know you desire extraordinary.

There is nothing wrong with wanting the best life has to offer. If you feel that where you are is not good enough, don’t remain there! Strive for better and greater. Nothing wonderful can be birthed inside of mediocrity. Believe you were created to live a life of excellence, then do what you need to do to start living in excellence.

Today, I am giving you a pass. A pass to just be great, in spite of. This is the thing to know and accept: you were made to do more and to be more than what you settle for. It is easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, especially when it gets hard to see how amazing your life is because you see your “behind-the-scenes,”yet you compare it to others “highlight reel.” Let’s not continue to look or/and use our mirror to show someone else their shortcomings without first examining our own. You have the authority to live up to the high standards you set for yourself as a little girl (even if you dreamed of wearing pink high heels, living on cotton candy clouds and being the next Oprah). Own who you are and accept who you are growing to be. You now have permission to be great. Period.

Build a Social Media Strategy With These 6 Awesome Tricks

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If you are serious about building your business and your brand, you must be actively engaged on social media. I’m sorry but there is no other way around it. I can hear some of you already, “Not one more thing, I’m already so busy with everything else.”

You are preaching to the choir. I used to feel the same way, and that is why I didn’t take the time to understand how to really use this incredible marketing medium. When I started my network marketing business last year, I jumped feet first into social media marketing, without a plan. I thought I was a big-baller, shot-caller because I already had a Facebook page with over 1,000 friends and had over 600 Twitter followers (don’t laugh). Needless to say, it didn’t turn out that well and I was completely overwhelmed. Social media marketing isn’t just posting, tweeting and pinning. If you want business-related results, you must see the bigger picture. Every action you take on social media should be part of that picture.

This is where your planning comes in.

It may sound like a lot of time and effort, but if you take a step back and create a social media strategy, the rest of your labor will be effortless.

Here are six tricks to help get you started in building your strategy:

1. Create
Sit tight, because this is the beginning of your journey. Think about where it is you want to go with your business. Are you looking to increase sales – and who isn’t? Do you want to expand awareness with your brand? What do you want to accomplish in marketing your business on social media platforms? Begin to set clear objective goals, but don’t spread yourself too thin or you’re not going to accomplish anything. I focus on the S.M.A.R.T. strategy for goal setting to ensure my objectives are Specific, Measurable,Attainable, Relevant, and Time-based.

2. Choose
​Not all social media platforms are created equal. When I developed my social media strategy, I only had two platforms initially listed in my marketing plan. I didn’t want to overwhelm myself and I wanted to make sure I was able to stay consistent with my marketing. Be excellent with one or two platforms instead of mediocre with five or six. There is no shame in that game.

3. Check out your competition
Why recreate the wheel? Your competition can tell you a lot about what works and what doesn’t. After all, they’re targeting the same customers you are. If you ignore your competition, you’re giving up a fantastic opportunity to learn from their successes and pitfalls.

4. Content
Just hearing the word content used to make me break out in hives. But then I started to think more about what my customers wanted. Start drafting high-level messages that you know will resonate with your customers. Don’t be afraid to get your creative juices flowing; your social media presence should be fun and exciting – not boring.

5. Consistency
I still struggle with this one, but I cannot stress enough that it’s importance. Consistency is providing predictable and reliable results to customers or clients every time you interact with them. That’s right – every time. When you make a schedule – stick with it. If you drop the ball, don’t beat yourself up; just get back on schedule as soon as you can.

6. Control
You’ll need control for managing your posts. Some of my business partners use Buffer, I use Hootsuite. They are social media sharing tools that allow you to schedule posts across different social media platforms. It’s a huge time-saver and as an entrepreneur, our time is money. But more importantly, I am able to see my weekly strategy and modify as needed.

7. Bonus
Do EXACTLY what we did to grow our Instagram community to over 30K followers in months and learn how to still grow your community even with the recent Instagram changes: Download our Instagram Content Calendar + 19 Dozen Killer Tips!

Listen, you may not see immediate results – don’t get frustrated. Stick with it. Social media takes time and also an investment of your time over a sustained period in order to achieve results. But if you commit to the six C’s I listed, you’ll see results sooner rather than later.

Avi Loren Fox of Wild Mantle

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Womeneur Spotlight” google_fonts=”font_family:Open%20Sans%3A300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C600%2C600italic%2C700%2C700italic%2C800%2C800italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Take a walk down the path of these entrepreneurs, business owners and progressive women.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”vc_default” bg_type=”image” parallax_style=”vcpb-default” bg_image_new=”id^3105|url^https://www.womeneur.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/womeneur-spotlight-avi-loren-fox-of-wild-mantle_650_650_90_ffffffgrayopac-7_s_c1.jpg|caption^null|alt^null|title^womeneur-spotlight-avi-loren-fox-of-wild-mantle_650_650_90_ffffffgrayopac-7_s_c1|description^null” css=”.vc_custom_1461356441589{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1461356229779{margin-bottom: -2px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”]

AVI LOREN FOX OF WILD MANTLE

[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”custom” border_width=”5″ accent_color=”#e3672b” css=”.vc_custom_1460496937176{padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_column_text]Website:

Social Media: [dt_social_icons animation=”none” alignment=”default”][dt_social_icon target_blank=”true” icon=”facebook” link=”http://facebook.com/wildmantle” /][dt_social_icon target_blank=”true” icon=”twitter” link=”http://twitter.com/wildmantle” /][dt_social_icon target_blank=”true” icon=”instagram” link=”https://www.instagram.com/wildmantle” /][/dt_social_icons][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”3104″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Meet Avi Loren Fox! She is the 29 year old Founder and Designer of , a collection of fashionably warm and cozy hooded scarves. She started her company by falling in love with the cashmere and wool sweaters she used to create her first hooded sweater. It felt cozy and warm, and when she put it on, she felt a quiet sense of comfort.

As a child Avi started a pet-sitting business, and she has been an entrepreneur ever since. Now, she is a designer behind the Wild Mantle, the iconic hooded-cowl, or “mantle” that turns anything you’re wearing into a hoodie. The word “mantle” actually means a loose fitting hood or cloak and my customers tell me “it feels like a hug. Avi shares that:

Starting a business is hard. If your product or idea has what it takes to make it, people will show up to help. But it’s your job to paint the vision and to be the leader.

Avi took the time to share with us her career accomplishments and her goals for the future of her company.

What inspired your journey into business?
This all got started when I stitched the first hooded-scarf out of some cozy cashmere and wool sweaters. It felt cozy and warm, and when I put it on, I noticed a quiet sense of courage fell over me. When I wore it out into the world, people noticed, and they’d ask “What is that? I want one!” I heard the same thing from each person who tried it on: “it feels like a hug” and “I feel like a warrior.” We called it the Wild Mantle, and before I knew it, I was making them for lots of other people.

What steps did you take to start your business?
The business started very organically. Friends and family asked if I would make them to sell so they could buy one. Not knowing much about sweater manufacturing at the time, I used sweaters from thrift stores for material and I enlisted local seamstresses in sewing my designs into mantles. This was how we manufactured in the first year. However, when it was time to scale up, I launched a Kickstarter Campaign to produce our first batch at a knitting mill in Colorado. It was successful: we raised $39,827 of our $30,000 goal.

What are your biggest fears?
My biggest fear I’ve had to overcome has been that I wouldn’t have the grit or persistence to make it through that initial start-up phase. People are always saying how most small businesses fail in the first 5 years. This really haunted me in year 1 and year 2 (I’m in year 3), because I do have a tendency to change my mind a lot and jump between projects. However, I’ve come to understand that the things I want in my life and in a company will be possible once I make it through that stage. So, that determination has helped me overcome my fear. Now, that fear is something I look back on and chuckle at. The benefit of focusing on one product and one company has already brought be exponentially greater joy than having the freedom to jump from one half-completed project to another. And, I’m just getting started. So I can’t wait to see how things grow as I continue to focus my energy on Wild Mantle in the coming years!

What do you do to stay motivated when you feel like giving up?
In years 1-2, I used to have moments of feeling like giving up all the time. Luckily I had a really amazing support system in my boyfriend, family and friends who believed in me and helped me come back to my long term vision rather than fall victim to my immediate emotions. At this junction, I’ve passed the point of no return. It’s not that I feel like giving up – its more like I recognize an area where things aren’t working and I think: hmm…why is that not working? Is there another way I should be approaching it? Usually there is…and the moment of frustration is really just a clue that I need to change gears and try another approach.

What are your weaknesses in business and how have you worked past them? 
Perhaps my biggest weakness in business is lack of experience from never having worked for a designer or fashion company. I’ve had to overcome a learning curve when it comes to figuring out how clothing is designed and brought to market. However, I think this also gives me a competitive edge, as the lack of education has enabled me to invent my own way forward rather than just mimic the systems that others have put in place before me.

What’s been most rewarding?
The emails I get from customers telling me how much they love our mantles are definitely one of the most rewarding parts of what I do. For example, one customer, whose husband was suffering from lung cancer, bought a mantle a present for herself to help her make it through this challenging time. She wrote of how safe, supported and empowered it made her feel every time she put it on. I get emails like this from all over the world and I realize that there is magic in the mantle as a symbol, and that it is that extra dose of courage and hope we all need as we discover and take up the mantles in our own lives.

Who were you before you started your business?
Before Wild Mantle, I was a wedding photographer. I started a company with my older brother, and although we had a great time and were successful, it wasn’t what I wanted to do the rest of my life. I still photograph a handful of weddings a year for people who find me through referral – which I absolutely love and is the perfect amount.

If you had to do it again, what (if anything) would you do differently?
When I look back, I see how the timing of the unfolding of Wild Mantle has been absolutely perfect. Some opportunities that weren’t available to me early on came later when I was actually more prepared. During the first year, I changed my mind a lot about whether or not I even wanted to start the business. I wasted a lot of time going back and forth. Ultimately, this was a very important process because it allowed me to truly 100% commit. But at the time, it was frustrating. In a perfect world, perhaps I would go back in time and tell my past self “just keep going…you’re going to love this and it’s going to work!”

What’s one good software or application you cannot live without?
I’m such a google junkie. I use gmail, drive, calendar etc. to run my business. It’s easy to use and convenient. Beyond that, I love Everlance which is an app for your phone that allows you to keep track of the mileage you can write off in your car.

What’s your secret to cultivating a relationship between you and your customers?
Some of my first customers were my friends, and carrying that friendship feeling into my relationships with my customers has been key to our success. For example, so many of my customers specifically email me to thank me for the beautiful packaging the mantle comes in (wrapped in tissue with a sticker so it feels like opening a present) and for including a hand-written note. These are things I always do that bring me great joy, and send the mantle off with love it its new home. I know a day will come soon when I won’t physically be able to hand write a note in ever order, but I’m committed to figuring out how to keep that personal relationship feeling so that our customers know how important they are to me.

Where do you see your business in 5 years?
There is no accessory on the market at large that turns anything you’re wearing into a hoodie. I see Wild Mantle as not only disrupting the winter accessories / outdoors market with our innovative new core-warmth solutions, we more importantly inventing a new industry around detachable hoods. In 5 years, I see us growing into a midsize company and selling in stores around the country and world.

What are 3 tips you can share with budding and current entrepreneurs/business owners?

  1. Know the difference between persistence and adaptation, and use each one wisely. Being an entrepreneur is a unique balance between persistence and adaptation. You need to be persistent enough to see your idea through to success, but you also need to be willing to adapt your opinion and idea until it is a formula for success.
  2. Don’t be afraid to ask for help! Starting a business is hard. If your product or idea has what it takes to make it, people will show up to help. But it’s your job to paint the vision and to be the leader. So, first, be clear about what you need and then be open to finding those people / resources in creative ways.
  3. Don’t forget to relax and pace yourself. One thing that made me really afraid to be an entrepreneur was that you had to work 24/7 and would always be stressed out. While, this may be true sometimes, you also have the power to decide what is a healthy schedule for you and what will enable you to be a strong, efficient and effective leader. For some people, that may be 24/7 – for others a balance – or for people like Tim Ferris it may mean a 4 hour work weak 🙂

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How To Keep A Business Running When You Get Sick

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Moms are usually great at taking care of everyone else, except ourselves. When it comes to self-care we always seem to neglect setting aside enough time for us on our priority lists. It can feel selfish to block out alone time, rejuvenation time or down time. Especially when you’re a womeneur trying to build an empire, we just don’t have enough time in a day to give some of it away to lounging around, right?

The only time we seem to unwillingly take a break is when someone falls ill. Whether it’s our partner, kids, or parents, we are right there ready to nurse them back to health, but what happens when we ourselves fall ill?  Even the healthiest of moms gets a little sniffle eventually. Who steps in to take care of us, and how can we keep a business going while nursing ourselves back to health? Do we keep going no matter what because we know we have a ton of things to do?

We talked last time about motherhood being a 24 hour commitment with no days off, and that would include sick days, but when you’re a mom + entrepreneur whose sick this is like a double whammy. We typically just keep going, prolonging illnesses and wearing our bodies down even further. We still have households to run too so a day off, never really feels like a day off does it? And we’re entrepreneurs, so long gone are the days of calling in sick, snuggling under the covers and letting a co-worker cover your tasks for the day. Sure we may want to just stay in bed, rest and drink cocoa all day, but that’s just not always possible while running a business.

Thankfully there are some contingencies we can set in place so our business doesn’t have to completely stop while we are feeling under the weather.

Make a List

If you are well enough to list all the tasks that need to get done you can start to tackle them slowly one by one between naps and doses of medicine.

Shift the Load

If you have a virtual assistant who you feel confident in, this would be a perfect time to move some of your tasks to their plate.

Reschedule Meetings

Check your calendar and shift your schedule forward, moving any appointments that can be moved to a later date.

Outsource Day Work

If your business includes physical products that need to be packaged and shipped consider bringing in some help to make those runs to the post office until you feel better.

Pull From Your Stash

If you are a blogger this is a perfect time to pull from your stockpile of posts. You should always have a few extra posts ready to go in your back pocket and when you are sick it’s a perfect time to use them.

Order Take Out

Don’t even try to cook a thing, stay in bed, and place an order so you won’t have to worry what the kids are going to eat for dinner.

Did you find this list helpful? Things don’t have to stop because you not running at 100%, how do you continue to take of business when you are feeling under the weather?

Image Source: BLM Girls

4 Simple Life Lessons That Are Easily Overlooked

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everydayfeminism.com

Where is that damn life instruction manual? You know the one that tells you EXACTLY what to do in your EXACT situation and gives you the most pleasure. I am sure it is pretty thick with a lot of shalls and shants and a lot of stuff I shouldn’t have done lol.

No one promised us an easy life. I can imagine when I was born and my parents seen me and said, how great it is to have her! But not telling my little newborn ass of the days when things were not so shiny. I am sure that many can relate and if you can’t, rest assured, you will. And that can be a good thing because often times your best character is developed in challenging times.  So here are 4 simple life lessons that you can use.

1. Nothing lasts forever. Change is the only thing that’s constant. You had best believe that change will come over to wash out the old and usher in the new. So those feelings that come with heartbreak, humiliation, anger, shame or guilt will one day subside. The downside to this is that good things come to an end as well. But when something good has ended always expect something better to take it’s place.

2. You are your own best friend. No one is going to always hold your hand. Your right hand chic is probably gossiping about you right now as you take in my words. Your boo thing may realize that it’s getting warm outside *coughs* cuffing season is over *coughs* sundress season in full effect. You are the only person who will be with you 24/7. You are the only one who knows ALL of your secrets and are able to pick yourself up in hard times. Yet, we don’t realize the value in being a friend to ourselves. Our inner dialogue often times consists of us talking down on ourselves in a way that we would never talk to our friends and family. I think it is time to begin to value the friendship within.

3. Time is a great healer. This is quite possibly the best piece of advice I’ve received and it was from my dad. I was 19 years old and 7 months pregnant and hadn’t talked to my child’s father in a week. We had a fuss over some ish he did and dude turned off his phone and ignored me. It was already not a good relationship, so I never felt good about it, so that on top of pregnancy hormones was just enough. I asked my dad “When will I feel better?” And he said, “Time.” “Time will help you feel better.” Little did I know that simple piece of advice would be a pivotal moment in my life. I carry that advice in the situations in which it feels as if my heart is bleeding. I always tell myself in a week I will start to feel better. Typically by 3 weeks I have noticed the actual changes of feeling better.

4. Always hold your head up. There have been so many times where I have felt so ashamed or guilty of something I had done and caused me to just want to hide forever or at least until the ish died down. I think 90 percent of the things were blown out of proportion by my mind, but the point is you should always hold your head high. Granted there will be times where you may royally mess up just don’t let it hang as a dark cloud over your head.  I don’t care what you do, you always hold your head up and eff what others think. We all make mistakes. The key is to learn from our mistakes. That keeps you from moving forward.

I believe that applying these lessons will help you on your journey to being your best self. Remember the road is not a straight one, but if you keep pressing forth, you will arrive at your destination.

Top 5 Mistakes Creative Entrepreneurs Make When Developing Their Personal Brand

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colourtech.com

Personal branding is the best decision as a creative entrepreneur that you can make. It allows you to connect with your audience on several levels. It creates distinction from any other brand in your industry because those people aren’t you and no one has your exact story. Developing a personal brand can be hard for some because they see industry veterans make it look so easy. Sometimes we tend to look at the success of others and we follow suit in their actions. We can’t start out like this! We must focus on what we do best and how we can help our customers all while staying true to ourselves.

The best advice ever given to me when developing my personal brand was to always give value and be myself. I’ve noticed a trend of things that emerging business owners are doing that creates a perception they don’t want across their digital platforms. These trends are in the comments of other business pages, comments on my own page, and conversations in facebook forums that I participate in. When you are in the beginning stages of your business, there are a few things that you should avoid. I am going to share 5 mistakes that emerging entrepreneurs are do when developing their brand plus provide solutions to fix it:

Mistake #1 – Not Sharing Your Story

The number one mistake that I see new business owners make is not sharing your story and connecting with your audience. You ask for a sale without establishing a connection with your audience first. Although there are many ways to connect with your audience, telling your personal story is one of the most effective ways!  When we attract customers and visitors on our digital platforms, there is a curiosity that most people have of wanting to know the face behind the brand. Many people miss this step because they have an urgency to make a sale or grow a following. All these things are fine. However, making a sale and growing a following that truly cares about you and your brand will come after you’ve established trust.

Solution: Tell your story through your captions or photos on social media. Or, you can post your story on your website on your bio/about page or through your blog. Telling your story is extremely important in connecting with your audience.

People love to know your background and experiences. They want to know how you’ve overcome fear or how you learned your niche. They want to know what you are doing now to keep a consistent business or make sales. They also want to know what’s next for your brand. Be transparent. Don’t hold back. Your story could help someone, encourage someone, uplift someone or bless someone in ways you won’t know. The best thing you can do for your audience is to allow them to understand, sympathize or empathize your journey to help them along with their journey!

Mistake #2 – Following the Leader

It’s so easy to look at the vets in your industry. While I am an advocate of modeling what works, I believe there is a balance between doing what works and making it your own. Just because a certain system or theme works for someone else, doesn’t mean you have to do it. If your brand personality is a minimalist brand and you love simplicity, your brand visuals should reflect that. If your brand personality is bold, vibrant, and youthful, your brand visuals should reflect that.

Brand visuals are extremely important because they attract your ideal clients and targeted audience. The tone your brand plays a big part in the type followers you gain. All these things must align, but it will be hard to develop a brand that represents your true self when you develop a style that looks like everyone else. For example, most bloggers have clean white photos that look pure and fresh. This is perfect for the person who truly loves pure-white and clean elements. This style is not perfect for the person who has the most bubbly, vibrant, youthful brand personality. Don’t get me wrong. The industry standard is white space on your website for maximum readability, but the brand style (colors, fonts, textures and patterns) don’t have to look like everyone else’s.

Solution: Research the adjectives associated with your personality. Are you outspoken, bold, or girly? Do you like soft colors or loud neon colors? Why? Find those colors that people associate with the adjectives of your personality. Example: If you are passionate, bold, and loving, you’d probably choose feminine colors of pink or a stronger color of red. Create a brand style that is true to YOU to create distinction for your brand. Avoid creating a style that looks like everyone else’s style. If you need any assistance with understanding brand color, style, and personality, keep reading, I have something for you!

Mistake #3 – Inconsistent Style

It doesn’t matter if you don’t have any design skills or you can’t afford to pay a graphic designer to create graphics that compliment your brand style. Many business owners are very inconsistent with the content they post and the visuals of their brand. It makes it harder for people to remember your brand when you don’t have a consistent brand identity that’s memorable. Using inconsistent color schemes and fonts in your visuals will take your audience longer to remember your brand. This is important especially if someone else decides to share your content. Not creating a consistent style will immediately affect the amount of time people will remember and connect with your brand.

Solution: Create a brand style and stick to it. Choose a color pattern that aligns with your brand tone and personality and stick with it. Choose brand fonts for your entire digital platform and stick with it. Create a style for your graphics. Create a specific tone for your brand and stay consistent. Consistency is key. Staying consistent in all of these areas will help your audience remember you and connect with you because of these things alone. I teach all of these things in my ecourse Build a Stellar Brand Identity. To learn more about creating your stellar brand, .

Mistake #4 – Mixing business with pleasure

Failing to create a clear focal point for new social media and website visitors is another mistake business owners make. It’s totally fine to humanize your brand by showing your family or pets, but it’s not fine to post them more than you share valuable content or business related content on your business pages. Mixing business with personal photos should be done in moderation. If you have a business page, be sure that people can tell you what do immediately when they visit. This doesn’t mean only updating your bio to show what you do and who you serve. This means that the photos you post should reflect what your bio states as well.

Solution: Create a separate business page and stay consistent with posting business related photos and graphics to build your brand and increase brand awareness. You can always use the 80/20 rule. Post 80% of business related content and photos and use the other 20% for personal photos just to keep your brand humanized. Make sure your bio reflects exactly what you do and who you serve. Post valuable content that reflects your title, brand, and business. Remember to post personal photos in moderation, or create a personal page to post all the family and pet photos you’d like!

Mistake #5 – Failing to establish authority

This one is BIG you guys! Many times may we have our story together, we may have our own style, we are consistent with our brand style, and we are consistently posting business related content that aligns with our bios but we fail to prove why we are an expert in our fields. This mistake is kind of related to telling our story, but this focuses on what makes us money. Whatever we are in our fields, a specialist, guru, expert or whatever your title is, we must use our knowledge to show our audience that we can provide proven methods, systems, techniques to help them accomplish their goals. In other words, we answer these simple questions easily by establishing our authority:

Who are you? What makes you different? How will this help me?

Solution: Provide valuable content by sharing video or blog content of how you make your products, you working behind the scenes, of you providing a service (especially if you are in the beauty industry), or informing your audience of different uses of products. If you need help with consistently providing content, you can download my free ebook, 30 Ways to Create Content for Social Media and Web, by.

Naisha Patterson of Brownstone Closets

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Take a walk down the path of these entrepreneurs, business owners and progressive women.

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NAISHA PATTERSON OF BROWNSTONE CLOSETS

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZER[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”custom” border_width=”5″ accent_color=”#e3672b” css=”.vc_custom_1460496937176{padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_column_text]Website:

Social Media: [dt_social_icons animation=”none” alignment=”default”][dt_social_icon target_blank=”true” icon=”facebook” link=”http://facebook.com/BrownstoneClosets” /][dt_social_icon target_blank=”true” icon=”twitter” link=”http://twitter.com/BrwnstneClosets” /][dt_social_icon target_blank=”true” icon=”instagram” link=”http://instagram.com/BrownstoneClosets” /][/dt_social_icons][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”3118″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Naisha Patterson is a Professional Organizer specializing in closets at her company . She has always loved all things related to organizing! For years, Naisha helped friends and family declutter their homes and one day she decided to go for it and start a small business.

At Brownstone Closets, the motto is simply that an organized, chic, living space allows you to live your best life.

Like many entrepeneurs, Naisha developed the details of her company from her experience living in Brooklyn, NY. Her family lived in different brownstones throughout her life and there weren’t many closets in her home; sometimes no closets at all. Naisha’s journey as a small business owner includes her Brooklyn roots and provides a solution to the frustration that many people feel when they find a nice home with one small piece missing to make it perfect, a great closet!

Brownstone Closets does not solely create wonderful closets but focused on making your home and your life more organized. A organized home life sets the stage for a great start to your day and evening. The company’s services include:

  • Closet Consultation – this session is for the client that is hands on and needs some direction. We’ll recommend products and/or systems that will work for you and your closet to ensure and organized space
  • Closet Organization – we’ll help you declutter: sort, toss, organize and put away clothing in your closet, also, assist with purging and donating of unwanted items.
  • Closet Decor – our passion is to turn closets into boutiques that the client can feel amazing in when getting dressed. By painting, adding decorative items, lighting and closet systems (if needed), we’ll take your closet from drab to chic!
  • Personal Shopping – shop for products to help get your closet organized
  • Seasonal Clothing Storage – we’ll swap out your seasonal clothing, create proper storage and put them away
  • Vanities – we can organize and style your vanity for your makeup, perfumes and jewelry.

This Womenuer shares with us her journey in business and the tips we all can use to become stronger entrepeneurs.

What inspired your journey into business?
I have been inspired by so many things and people. Family and friends inspired me to go for it and have been so supportive. In addition, HGTV shows, various magazines and “bumping” into a website some years ago. Coming across Dayka Robinson’s, an interior designer in Atlanta helped me think that I could REALLY do this business thing.

What steps did you take to start your business?
First, I came up with a name, Naisha’s Nook. I cringe every single time I think about that name. It was later changed to Brownstone Closets after my best friend told me that she had a dream that I had a business named Brownstone Closets. I purchased my domain name, had a little website, my current website is better, still needs tweaking but much better than the first. I also hired a business coach.

What are your biggest fears?
Honestly, my biggest fear is not doing it; feeling like I just can’t do it and giving up. I read an article where this young lady had an awesome business idea and she kept putting it off and coming up with every reason as to why she couldn’t start the business at the time. She then opened up a magazine to see that someone else has actually started the business she kept thinking about. I feel like if you don’t own up to your gift, God will raise up someone else to do it. I want to honor my gift, so the fear of not doing that really gets to me.

What do you do to stay motivated when you feel like giving up?
Pray. Pray. Pray. It has gotten me through SO much! I have a really great circle of “boss lady” sister friends that I text often and chat with. I have an amazing business coach who sends me scriptures or inspirational articles and they are ALWAYS right on time!

What are your weaknesses in business and how have you worked past them? 
OMG! Staying consistent, staying on top of it all, staying sane! LOL I work a 9-5 and I’m raising a young lady. My daughter is 14 and wants to have her own beauty salon. It is a lot to juggle and try to “keep myself”. I’m an organized person but with a small business it tends to get a little overwhelming, if I can be completely transparent. I’ve gotten so much better at designating days JUST for the business. Being a mom and maintaining my household comes easy.

What’s been most rewarding?
Wow, having the best supporters that I haven’t even met in person! Seeing my hand-made products re-posted on social media really does something to me; it makes me very emotional. When  my daughter watches me and says that she wants to be her own boss,  that is THE BEST FEELING EVER!

Who were you before you started your business?
I was receptionist, administrative assistant, executive assistant…someone always helping executive level staff “keep it together”. Here I go with the transparency again…someone who didn’t believe in her gift. It makes me sad a little but I know that others feel this way. This gift, your gift, my gift, isn’t meant to be kept hidden. It has taken me some time…I struggle with hit. Gods got me though, truth.

If you had to do it again, what (if anything) would you do differently?
Hmmm…nothing. Really. Mistakes and all. If I had to pick something it would be that I wish I didn’t actually tell people that my business was called Naisha’s Nook.

What’s one good software or application you cannot live without?
Google

What’s your secret to cultivating a relationship between you and your customers?
Honesty, my “secret” is love and no judgement. I have built some great friendships from clients that I’ve helped get organized.

Where do you see your business in 5 years?
Full time Brownstone Closets, for sure. An extensive home accessories/closet organizing line in Target! Watch out, Nate Berkus! LOL. A team of wonderful individuals working with and for me. A coffee table book of wonderful closets all designed/organized by me! I LOVE home design books.

What are 3 tips you can share with budding and current entrepreneurs/business owners?

  1. Believe in yourself and do “it”, whatever “it” is ESPECIALLY when you don’t feel like it.
  2. Follow-up, hear the no and keep it moving. We get so lost in “what if they say no”, let them say it (or not) and keep moving forward.
  3. Keep growing! Reading, attending classes, networking, all of that. Stay sharp!

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