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Archives for April 2016

Change Your Mind Change Your Life

April 27, 2016 by Sharon Beason wc@womeneur.com 155 Comments

bossip.com

He wasn’t giving me what I wanted. I wasn’t giving myself what I needed. I depended on his assurance and neglected the voice inside whispering “it’s time to try something different”. I was scared and didn’t realize it. I was comfortable, attached and certainly not prepared to discover what different looked and felt like. Until I was forced to. That voice inside no longer a whisper but rather a roaring scream threatening my very being. 

Why do we gravitate towards the same reoccurring hurt and negative emotions?

Because in the most logical illogical sense the pain is familiar. Something familiar usually has feel good properties and often times makes us feel comfortable. So though pain is not an ideal space to be in, it’s what we know and therefore we keep the momentum going in that direction. Unconsciously we trick ourselves into feeling “good” about something that in reality does not. Consciousness often always rears its head and confirms with us that this pain is actually really painful and does not feel good. But because we have not practiced enough feeling better feelings outside of pain, we become afraid of the uncertainty that comes along with exploring something new, different and unfamiliar, thereby sticking with familiarity.

It makes no sense but somehow simultaneously makes all the sense in the world. The logic is twisted but this is the conditioned un-awakened physche so many embrace. I’ve personally been there, and for the life of me could not understand how I was winding up in the very same predicament, experiencing the same feelings, ones that I desperately claimed not wanting to repeat. I’m not sure why it always take for something catastrophic to happen, the kind of situation or circumstance that knocks you flat on your face to finally come to the dreadful truth that change need to be made or else?

We have to really understand that:

  • Our brains are hard drives that simply follow directions encoded into our psyches and we must literally create new routes within our brains to change our habits
  • It is difficult to change what we are not aware of, and we are generally unaware of ourselves. Once we’re aware of ourselves we can better understand the external systems that confound our expectations

When what we do, how we do it and the way we do it no longer fits our purpose in life, we must choose to do something else.

Filed Under: Real Talk

Workplace Privacy? Is There Such a Thing?

April 26, 2016 by Asha Wilkerson 3,224 Comments

9jalegal.com.ng

I get questions all the time from employers and employees asking about workplace privacy issues. The employees want absolute privacy, and the employers say, “yeah, right!”

What it comes down to is how carefully the privacy policies in the employment handbook are crafted. An employee’s reasonable expectation of privacy is directly tied to the expectation the employer creates for them.

So, can an employer search my personal belongings at work?  The answer is yes, they probably can.  If the employer has a policy that states desks and lockers are provided for the convenience of employees but remain the sole property of the employer, they may be inspected along items found inside the lockers or desks before, during, or after an employee’s shift.

In addition, any electronic devices such as cell phones, computers, or pagers that the employer provides come with zero expectation of privacy. That means, if an employee is using a work cell phone to conduct personal business, the employer has the right to search and inspect that cell phone and to use anything they find on that phone against the employee.

I have also had questions about police officers wanting to search an employee’s workstation or locker. The employer has no obligation to let the officers search the workstation, but they have every right to consent to the search so long as the privacy policies make it clear that the items searched are company property.

If you’re an employer and want to manage your employees’ expectations of privacy, carefully craft a privacy policy and disseminate it widely throughout the workplace. If you’re an employee, you really should have no expectation of privacy in your workplace when it comes to your physical items.

If you have any questions about your workplace policies, do not hesitate to give me a call or shoot me an email and we’ll find a legal solution to your problem.

Filed Under: Business

Alexandria Alli

April 25, 2016 by Sharon Beason wc@womeneur.com 3,240 Comments

[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^3283|url^https://www.womeneur.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/womeneur-spotlight-alexandria-alli-of-fw-style_650_650_90_ffffffgrayopac-7_s_c1.jpg|caption^null|alt^null|title^womeneur-spotlight-alexandria-alli-of-fw-style_650_650_90_ffffffgrayopac-7_s_c1|description^null” css=”.vc_custom_1461793605685{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1461793995078{margin-bottom: -2px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”]

WOMENEUR SPOTLIGHT: ALEXANDRIA ALLI OF F&W STYLE

DESIGNER/OWNER[/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]Social Media: [dt_social_icons animation=”none” alignment=”default”][dt_social_icon target_blank=”true” icon=”facebook” link=”http://facebook.com/FW-Style” /][dt_social_icon target_blank=”true” icon=”twitter” link=”http://twitter.com/fwstylebags” /][dt_social_icon target_blank=”true” icon=”instagram” link=”http://instagram.com/fwstyle” /][/dt_social_icons][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”3282″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Alexandria Alli is the founder and designer of , a beautiful handbag company baased in Atlanta, GA. She started her passion for fashion at age ten, when she persuaded her mother to let her assist her at her Fashion Design Studio everyday after school. At that young age, Alexandria learned a lot about design and running a fashion business. When she was 13, Alexandria and her family moved from Nigeria to Atlanta, Georgia and this is when she started her modeling career in major companies throughout the South.

Her modeling career sparked her love with the beauty and fashion the industry. Alexandria was attracted to the the classic charm and the well crafted luxurious Items, specifically handbags, that I she obtained from modeling. The experience made her realize that many women, including herself, could not afford the luxurious accessories and clothing that she modeled in magazines and on the runway.

After earning my Masters Degree in Business Administration in 2008, she decided to put her educational background and years of experience in the fashion industry to create a luxurious brand for the everyday fashionable woman. With the support my husband Alfred Alli, F&W Style was born. Our handbags are now in over 40 boutiques including select Ritz Carlton Gift shops nationwide.

Alexandria, our Womeneur this week, shares her career journey, her fears as an entrepreneur and what advice that can benefit all of us.

What inspired your journey into business?
My journey was first inspired by my desire to create high-end well-crafted luxury handbags but at an attainable price for all women. After having kids my desire for my business has gotten even stronger because, I see my business as a true life lesson for them and any young people out there. If you put your mind to something you can achieve it, no matter the circumstance. I am excited about how far my business has come and also for how much we will achieve in the future.

What steps did you take to start your business?
I took me a full year of research before I finally started my business. I took time to research the industry and talk to mentors that I had in the fashion industry. It also took time finding the right manufacturer to create my designs. But, once we got those two things figured out we jumped in head first. We started doing Trade shows and knocking on several boutiques door steps trying to get them to carry our line.

What are your biggest fears?
I think my biggest fear is failure, not reaching the goals that I have set for myself and my company. But I have learned that it is okay to have fear, because bravery is not the absence of fear, it is the ability to overcome that fear. So, I rarely focus on the fear of failing, instead I focus on brave things that I can do for my business everyday that will ensure that it is successful.

What do you do to stay motivated when you feel like giving up?
I have been blessed with a great support system. My husband is part owner of the business and also my number one supporter. He is always my sounding board when I have those bad days. My mom who is also a designer motivates me to keep going. And I also have a great group of entrepreneur friends who understand the struggle and are awesome motivators.

What are your weaknesses in business and how have you worked past them? 
One of my weaknesses would be trying to do it all. When I first started my business I wanted control of it all our sites, trade shows, store visits, orders, campaigns etc. But, I have learned that doing it all by myself is the fastest way to get burnt out. Now, as hard as it is sometimes I have to get the right people in place and delegate tasks.

What’s been most rewarding?
The most rewarding thing has been seeing women all over the United States wearing my bags and also seeing my handbags featured in magazines. I still remember the first day I saw a woman walk in to a restaurant I was in, wearing one of my handbags, I remember thinking WOW! I’m a real designer now lol..That feeling never gets old

Who were you before you started your business?
I went from being a full time model to getting my degree in Marketing and working as a Bank Manger for several years. I really was not feeling fulfilled in that position and I knew I wanted to do something that I have a passion for, which is fashion. I went back to school to get my MBA which gave me the tools to run the business end of my brand.

If you had to do it again, what (if anything) would you do differently?
I would have gone fulltime with the business sooner instead of holding on to my corporate job for so long.

What’s one good software or application you cannot live without?
It will definitely be Microsoft Outlook! Email is a huge part of my business and the outlook application works great for us.

What’s your secret to cultivating a relationship between you and your customers?
The secret for us has been keeping in contact with them and showing them the personality of our brand through social media, email, newsletters, trunk shows etc.

Where do you see your business in 5 years?
I see our brand being a household name in big box stores like Bloomingdales.

What are 3 tips you can share with budding and current entrepreneurs/business owners?
The three tips that I would share is :

  1. Take time to plan your business
  2. Know who your customer is and how you are going to reach them
  3. Stay Focused and don’t give up!

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Filed Under: Womeneur Spotlight

Create Your Own Damn Opportunities

April 20, 2016 by Annette Burgess 2,796 Comments

There is a saying, opportunity only knocks once. Funny thing, though, even when the opportunity does knock we often don’t even realize it’s an opportunity. I am not going to lie; I did not recognize opportunity as much as I should have because of fear of the unknown. Has that ever happened to you?

 

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. – Thomas Edison

 

A few weeks ago, I was listening to my new friend excitedly share her plan for growing her business when she mentioned an area of my expertise. Did I just hear opportunity knock? I swear it was like a scene from a Saturday morning cartoon – a lightbulb went off in my head!  As soon as the moment was right, I began to share how my expertise in that area could benefit her, and we both agreed we needed to schedule time for a deeper discussion. I had never, until that moment, thought of providing that type of service – but I put it out there to positive results. Opportunity knocked and I answered the door even though I didn’t know what was around the corner.

It sucks but that’s how opportunity can be sometimes. She has the audacity to make you believe in yourself, be okay with not knowing how it’s going to work out, and taking risks.

So how does any of this relate to your business? Simple: you can create opportunities for yourself and your business by finding ways to put yourself in the right place at the right time. Sometimes that’s all you need to take your business to the next level. Happens all the time.

Here are four key ways you can begin to create your own damn opportunities:

1.    Meet new people

If you want to be presented with more opportunities, simply meet new people. The more people you meet, the higher your chances of possible opportunities. Go to meetings with people having similar interests as you. Visit conferences. You can even meet people online these days; join different LinkedIn groups, follow people on twitter. Don’t forget to follow-up after your introduction to schedule lunch or to grab a cup of coffee!

2.    Continue learning

Personal development is critical for your success. Learning is a process that should never end. The moment you begin to think you know it all is the moment your business will stop growing. This year, I have committed myself to reading 10-pages of a personal development book or business book every day. Those 10-pages add up to about only 30-minutes. Will reading 10-pages one day change me or my business? Probably not. But reading 10-pages of a personal development book or a book on building my business every day for several months will improve my self-esteem and aid in creating business building ideas.

If you want true success, learn to work harder on yourself than you do on your business

3.    Rack up those frequent flyer miles

You should visit a different place at least once a year. This is a great way to get you out of familiar surroundings to build your tribe. I love this because new places and new people mean possibly being presented with an opportunity that simply doesn’t exist in your hometown. A close friend of mine has built a successful network marketing team with partners from all across the country and internationally. Not one of her business partners live in her home state.

4.    Don’t be scared of “I don’t know.”

The magic happens beyond our comfort zones. When I told my friend about my industry-specific coaching, I had no idea she would sign-on – but she did. I had no idea how it would work – but after a bumpy start, it did. And I had no idea about pricing, but it all worked out. Not being afraid of opportunity has allowed me to expand my services and it has brought in more business. As an entrepreneur, I love more business.

Filed Under: Real Talk

How To Quit Your Job and Launch a Full-Time Business in Less Than 6 Months

April 19, 2016 by Dani Watson 2,930 Comments

full-suite.com

Little over a year ago, I was far away from the place I am in now. I spent Monday to Friday feeling pretty miserable, hugely unfulfilled in my career and lost as to what my plan was. Despite earning well, I was living paycheck to paycheck, compensating for my lack of fulfillment with excessive shopping and partying. On top of everything, I was starting to suffer badly with anxiety, something I’d never really experienced before.

I think the main trigger point was entering the final year of my twenties with that all-important milestone of thirty straight ahead. I’d always seen thirty as the year I’d hoped to have everything figured out in terms of my career, yet I was inches away from wanting to throw it all in.

A year later, life looks very different.

I am now founder of an online business that has grown to be more than I ever anticipated, am earning more than I ever did in the corporate world and no longer spending every last drop of money and, for the first time in my life, I actually love my work.

Amazingly, it didn’t take that long to turn my situation around. Approaching thirty I vowed that I would never settle in a job that I didn’t love and would create a new story for myself on entirely my terms. I started a side hustle as a social media strategist, launched my blog and within six months after launching my business, I was taking it full time.

I really do believe that anyone else can do the same and I want to share some of my tips for anyone who is looking to break away from a career that doesn’t fulfill them

1. Be willing to sacrifice what you want now, for what you want more in the future.

My biggest sacrifices I made to get my business off the ground were the three things I enjoyed the most: Shopping, socializing and Netflix.

I was launching my business alongside a full time job so knew that the only way to make space for my new venture was to cut out the things that weren’t of benefit to it.

It’s amazing how quickly you can adapt to these changes. Its also amazing how much time you really do have once you start to cut out the unnecessary.

Many people protest that they don’t have enough time to start something new, but my guess is that you have far more time than you think. Look at how you spend your day and those little things you do that aren’t necessary. Spending fifteen minutes shopping online may not seem a huge deal, but those fifteen minutes a day can actually make a huge impact on a new business.   Use your time wisely.

2. Don’t try and please everyone – nail your niche

When launching a new business, it’s so easy to think that in order to attract the masses, you need to appeal to the masses and do as many things as you can and be everything to everyone.

From what I’ve learned, the quickest way to grow your audience and business online is to really hone in on your niche and really get specific about who it is you are trying to attract.  I think one of the reasons my business took off so quickly was because I knew I wanted to work with a specific type of woman so that everything I created, I made it appeal to them specifically.

3. Get a savings plan in place

Unless you’re a trust fund baby or a lottery winner, you need to think about how far your cash is going to stretch once you leave your job. Many of my clients come to me telling me they want to quit their job and the first thing I ask is whether they are financially in a position to do so. You need to get a saving plan into place to cover at least three months of living costs.

Break down the bare minimum of what you need each month and start from there. You also want to take into account investments you may need to make in your business to get it off the ground. Don’t go quitting anything until you have these finances in check.

4. Network online and offline

Businesses don’t exist in a vacuum. They require people to know about them and to talk about them, which is why it’s really important to engage with your audience and others who may buy from you/hire you or spread the word about what you do.

Whilst there are many great places to network online (Facebook groups are a favourite of mine) don’t underestimate the power of offline connections too. Seek networking event within your local area, talk to people you meet about what you do.

It can be difficult talking about your new business idea in the early stages and many women lack the confidence to do so. My advice would be to nail your elevator pitch and rehearse how you would tell someone in a  few short sentences what you do.

5. Surround yourself with people who get it

The quickest way to get a business off the ground is to surround yourself with people who are going to keep you motivated and also those who have more experience and who are able to offer you advice.

Starting out, I had and still do have a strong network of ambitious women who inspire me to keep going. Some of these have been mentors who have had a wealth of experience in the online world and whom I’ve been able to learn from, others were women in my own position who were just starting out trying to carve something from scratch.

I don’t believe I would have been where I am now if it wasn’t for these support systems in place.

Although I initially launched my business doing social media consulting and this is still a huge part of what I do, one of my greatest joys now comes in helping other women stop settling and to start living life on their terms by creating businesses that they are passionate about. If you would like to hear more, I’d love to hear from you so please drop me an email at dani@wearetheclique.com

Filed Under: Business

Rolande Sumner of Butter Angels

April 18, 2016 by Sharon Beason wc@womeneur.com 1,425 Comments

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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^3140|url^https://www.womeneur.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/womeneur-spotlight-rolande-sumner-of-butter-angels_650_650_90_ffffffgrayopac-7_s_c1.jpg|caption^null|alt^null|title^womeneur-spotlight-rolande-sumner-of-butter-angels_650_650_90_ffffffgrayopac-7_s_c1|description^null” css=”.vc_custom_1461358428310{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1461357987322{margin-bottom: -2px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”]

ROLANDE SUMNER OF BUTTER ANGELS

[/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/TheButterAngels/” /][dt_social_icon target_blank=”true” icon=”twitter” link=”https://twitter.com/butter_angels” /][dt_social_icon target_blank=”true” icon=”instagram” link=”https://www.instagram.com/butter_angels/” /][/dt_social_icons][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”3139″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Rolande Sumner, Owner & Founder of Butter Angels, is a wife, mother of 2, and Army retiree. During her service she desired skin care that was pure, simple and without the harmful additives found in traditional brands. As a result she started creating body butters in her kitchen. Immediately she noticed her dry skin was more supple and soft. In 2015, she decided to turn her hobby into a business. is a natural skin care brand designed for busy moms. Each product is created with 5 natural ingredients or less and 100% safe for children.

Rolande’s mission in business and life is to serve her community and her fellow veterans. With the success of her company Butter Angels, Rolande donates a portion of profifts to veteran organizations.  “These organizations assist women in transitioning into civlian life via training and fellowship.” Many of our Womeneurs are experiencing develop or tranistioning in to a unique field as compared their normal 9-5. Rolande has embedded that entreprenieurial spirit through the development of her company.

This Womeneur dicusses her journey from military life to diving in to the beauty industry and makes her successful.

What inspired your journey into business?
At the heart of it, I wanted to do something I loved while utilizing my leadership and life skills. While transitioning from the military, I decided to make more time for my family. Working for myself allowed me the freedom to not only utilize my leadership and life skills, but also be a lot more present for my family.

What steps did you take to start your business?
Once I made the decision to make Butter Angels a reality I started to research business structures, industry related groups, as well as solidify my flagship products. I then drew up a very basic business plan on the SBA site. It included a time line when I would apply for my EIN, business license and other paperwork, as well as start up costs. I joined a few industry and military network groups to gain mentorship and fellowship with other small business owners.

What are your biggest fears?
My biggest entrepreneurship fears are failure and mediocrity. Failure is my most irrational fear. Failure is inevitable and necessary for success. There are lessons that failure can only provide. You can’t have success without failure. I want Butter Angels to be a household name. There is no place for mediocrity if you want to be hugely successful. Mediocrity means one hasn’t went above and beyond to optimize all of their opportunities to surprise and dazzle the customer or make an excellent product. Mediocrity is the space I do not want to be in.

What do you do to stay motivated when you feel like giving up?
To stay motivated I pray, meditate, read small business success stories, blog articles and speak with more experienced business owners. I also celebrate the victories, big and small. There are so many moments that can bring you down in entrepreneurship. Having a full list of methods to help keep me motivated keeps me from losing steam and quitting.

What are your weaknesses in business and how have you worked past them?
Being a new entrepreneur can be overwhelming. When things are chaotic and I find myself overwhelmed I stop and take a short break. Sometimes the break is a few hours and other times it’s just a day. It allows me to re-prioritize and focus. My lack of business experience is also a weakness of mine. There are so many things I need to learn. Learning is fun, however, it has cost me a little bit.

What’s been most rewarding?
The most rewarding part of this journey is the ability to help others through my business. As part of Butter Angels platform, a percentage of each purchase is donated to women veteran organizations. As a women veteran, I fully understand the obstacles that may present themselves. I want to do my part in helping other women veterans face and overcome those obstacles.

Who were you before you started your business?
Before Butter Angels I was a Human Resources Non-Commissioned Officer then Talent Acquisition Manager.

If you had to do it again, what (if anything) would you do differently?
If I had to do it again, I would have strengthen my administrative foundation and improved my cash flow prior to starting the business. Butter Angels could be a little further on the Business Cycle had I prepared well before I started.

What’s one good software or application you cannot live without?
I cannot live without Shopify. Shopify has helped me develop my own ecommerce site with lots of wonderful inexpensive apps. My site needs some work, however, without professional HTML knowledge I think I am doing pretty good.

What’s your secret to cultivating a relationship between you and your customers?
I believe my customers love my honesty and candor. I put a little bit of myself in every order, comment, blog and interaction with each of my customers. My intention is to make Butter Angels approachable, fun, realistic and quality. The only way I can do so is to be just me. I am committed to providing the best customer service possible. My goal is leave each customer feeling proud of their experience with Butter Angels. To me everyone should be treated like a five star customer.

Where do you see your business in 5 years?
In five years I see Butter Angels with a solid team which includes an accountant, an attorney, a marketing coach, and 2 full-time employeess. It was be great if it were debt free by then as well.

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

  1. Maintain a learning mindset.
  2. Open your mind to the idea that you can always learn something new
  3. To stay relevant and have any chance of survival, you must be willing to learn

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Filed Under: Womeneur Spotlight

When A Starbucks Green Tea Latte Gives You Life… and Lessons

April 17, 2016 by Robinette Love 2,940 Comments

I recently had a #Starbucks coffee meet up with a friend and she asked me what kind of drink I would like. In my mind, I heard a record player screeching to a halt. “What kind of drink would you like Robinette? A $5 drink decision sparked a 10 second debate in my mind, as well as feelings of paranoia and unworthiness. The play by play went like this: “I should refuse it. I don’t know what her money situation is like.” Or “I was the one that suggested that we meet up. I should be buying her a drink.” And worse “Is she going to ask me for money next week?” All I heard was No, No, No! Refuse the gift or feel guilty for the rest of the evening. It took everything in me to say “Green Tea Latte, please,” but only because my behind was thirsty.

As a Black Woman, I am so used to being I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T. Many black women are taught to do for ourselves, get it done and now, and for God’s sake Puh-Lease do not depend on no man.  While that is good for basic survival, it robs us of our capacity to truly feel the pleasures in life that come from being open to receive. We have been taught for so long that is is better to give than to receive. No, it is not! Do not be hoodwinked and bamboozled lol. Receiving is just as powerful as giving. Imagine how you feel when you give, give, and give only to feel resentment when you don’t feel like you’ve received. We feel hurt and then everyone around us has to hear our woe is me pity story. And besides, if I am giving and giving, then who the hell is receiving? A person who doesn’t mind receiving, that’s who!  Also, not to generalize all black women, but honestly, we have been taught that being vulnerable is a bad thing. To be able to receive requires a great deal of vulnerability. If someone compliments us on our nails or something, we would be quick to tell them how bad we need a fill in. Instead of receiving the compliments, we wonder if the person sees the flaws that we see, because deep down we feel unworthy. The simplest of gifts or compliments can send us down this road.

So how does one open up the flow of receiving? By being mindful. When you are offered a gift, use your discernment and if it aligns with your values then receive. If someone compliments you on your heels, please do not proceed to tell them how you bought them ’97 at a garage sale and the heels are leaning lower than The Leaning Tower of Pisa. A simple “Thank you” does the trick. That’s it. You are worthy of receiving and please remember that people always meet you at your level of expectation. Expect to receive goodness. Expect to recieve gifts. Expect to receive compliments. Expect for people to be nice to you. Not because you worked hard to win their appreciation, but simply because you deserve it.

Filed Under: Real Talk Tagged With: appreciation, giving, habits, love yourself, receiving, vulnerability, worthiness

Dear Entrepreneur: What to Do When You Don’t Know What to Do

April 12, 2016 by Amber Dee 2,944 Comments

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As an entrepreneur, you may have experienced a block. Maybe writers block, content block, or just a block of your natural creative thought flow. Surprise…you’re not the only one. Believe it or not, most entrepreneurs will experience this “block” at least once during the duration of their business. If this sounds like your current life situation, then this ones for you.

I suggest creating an action plan to get your creative thought process back flowing, now and in the future. The technical name of this action plan is a Creative Action Plan (CAP). Simply put, it’s a checklist or to-do list that you add to and access regularly that contains action steps in areas of your business so that you always have steps you can take to move forward.
First, start by making a list of your goals. You might not no where to start or how to keep the train wheels rolling but I’m sure you know your destination. After you have completed that step and you know where you want to be, decide how you will get there. Here are a few of my goals in my action plan that I refer to keep me going.
T: Think of ways to increase your customers
Do you recall visiting that restaurant that you absolutely loved and the service was great? Or how about that one department store you visited with the rude cashier? These memories are etched in your brain for the simple fact of how each interaction made you feel. Make a list of the things that stood out to you (good and bad) and figure out how you can recreate (or ensure you don’t recreate) that same feeling. Take the restaurant we spoke of earlier, did the waiter/waitress remember you name which made you feel at home? Create that same feeling for your customers. How can you make them feel special?
S: Streamline your process
With running a business as entrepreneur, you have so many processes to keep your business running. Research ways to streamline each step from the smallest to the biggest by writing your typical weekly routine out for each week. Think of streamlining duties such as analytics, customer intake, editing, or data entry. Even streamlining the smallest step can help your business run more efficiently. Locating an assistant, automated system, or just simplifying your steps can help you keep slaying it in your business.
M: Make collaborations
I can’t think of a better way to grow your business than making collaborations. This will keep you visible as well as keeping your to-do list loaded. Write down businesses that you would like to collaborate with and send them a pitch of your interest. Not sure of how to collaborate? Try one of these:

  • guest blogging
  • interviews
  • giveaways
  • reviews

There are numerous actions to add to your list to keep your business moving in the right direction. Continue to brainstorm more ideas to add to your CAP to help keep your creative juices flowing but for now, here’s how to take action:

ACTION STEPS:

1. Create a Creative Action Plan (CAP) that includes

a. Identify ways to elicit good feelings from your customers

b. Locate ways to streamline your processes

c. Throw out a pitch for a collaboration
Until next time.
Amber

Filed Under: Business

There’s Value In Self-Promotion

April 6, 2016 by Stella Press 3,114 Comments

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It’s 2016. Self-promotion is the key to creating opportunities and this generation of creators are building careers off of it. But still, it’s a tough thing to self promote. It’s icky, sticky and almost terrifying. Yet, aForbes article expresses the importance of self-promotion for career growth. Compared to male counterparts, women were advancing at a lesser rate in addition to  waiting longer for pay raises.Still, we fear a sensible solution-promoting ourselves in order to explain why our hard work needs a platform, save sounding tacky while at it.

It’s hard to take the opportunity to tell a superior, client or prospective employer how knowledgeable you are in a field while not sounding forced or rehearsed. I can testify to the quiet awkward pauses. So I’ve learned some key things to help me remember the benefits of promoting my value.

Believe

It starts with being able to believe in what you do. Your passion should stem from your genuine need to support your belief. The biggest part of being comfortable with promoting ourselves, is our ability to completely surrender to our faith. I am learning to be a bigger cheerleader for me because if not me then who. If I shy away from my achievements and choose to not embrace my value, how fair would that be to me?

Practice Makes Perfect

WIth everything, it takes time getting comfortable explaining your passion. It’s important to allow time to fumble or make mistakes. Try out your elevator pitches in front of friends. Self promotion is related to the works of networking so up your networking skills to gain that comfort level. Make these easy connections in real time so that the promotion of your work through other channels could be just as a breeze.

Remain Authentic

Probably the most important tip to remember is to be yourself. A great part of self promotion is done through transparency and staying true to yourself is of great value. There is no real way to be authentic but to be the open and honest version of you. I have learned that on the journey when my eyes are the only ones on my back, I have to listen to my truths. Learn why I laugh, or why I frown. Why I might not wake up in the mood or why my days might lack fulfillment. These are the foundations to my creative ideas and I care to respect them.

Even though I may still struggle with shaking the nerves of promoting my work and promoting my value but along my journey, I’ve learned to take risks and understand the value in my growth. There’s no real fear in being me so promoting for me should be easy.

Filed Under: Real Talk

How To Consistently Create Content for Your Brand

April 5, 2016 by Natalie Greagor 2,987 Comments

Wrecking your brain trying to consistently create new content is totally unnecessary sometimes, especially if you don’t have a new product, project, course or workshop in the near future. There are diamonds inside the content you already have. Learning to repurpose content can totally save your life! Think about the content you’ve already published on your social media accounts and blogs. I’m going to show you a quick 3-step system to develop new content with the content you already have. Under each caption on social media, you should be posting meaningful information for your audience that help them in many areas. On your blog, you should be sharing your advice, best tips and knowledge in your niche plus give insight on topics that can help your audience and increase your brand awareness. There are  simple steps that you can take to create a system of overflow with great content. Let’s dive in:

 

Step 1: Review your best content and take notes

 

Your best content can be found in your most engaged posts across your digital platforms. The most page views, likes, comments, shares and reposts will tell you what your audience likes. If you don’t have any interaction yet, you can definitely use the most viewed blog posts or what you consider your best content. Keep these platforms, posts, and engagements in mind to remember where to locate important and popular content. Collect your social media captions, advice and comments as well. You can also use keywords from your sales copy during promotion and product sale campaigns. Make a list of all of the correspondence or content that you published that received a lot of attention. This list will ultimately create options of new content to post. Remember, all you are doing in step one is writing the platform, type of content, and type of engagement you received when you published your content.

 

Step 2: Dissect the information to locate new topics from your notes

 

In this step, you’ll analyze the best of your best content out of the notes you’ve taken so far. In order to dissect information on your digital platforms, you must initially be posting authentic, useful content. Go through your notes and write down each key point that is a topic valuable to your audience. This could be a specific number in a list post, a specific bullet point in a bullet list post or a how to post, etc. Or, your key point can be a sentence that sticks out to you in a paragraph. For example, if you’ve written 5 tips to help your audience accomplish a task, the information you shared under each tip allows your audience to complete this task using your suggestions. Under each tip, find an important sentence or a unique section of your paragraph to make a headline or a new title for new content. Create new topics based on the topic that you’ve covered  in your old content and elaborate on that subject or key point.

 

Step 3: Publish new content and repeat

 

Once you’ve narrowed down your most popular content and noted key points that stood out to you, publish your new content. For every new topic you’ve created, elaborated on, and published, repeat the same steps of 1 and 2. By doing this 3 step system, you’ll always have valuable content to post. Of course, when you feel an urge to write completely new content, go for it! But, be sure to create a system that you are comfortable with to help you stay ahead of time by immediately keeping records of your engagement rates. Keep recording content that get the most attention no matter what type of engagement it is.

 

One of the questions I see asked continuously is “What to post?” or “How to find new ideas?”. For what it’s worth, find those hidden gems within yourself and your previously posted content. There are always valuable topics to cover. Once you find your rhythm of repurposing, you’ll definitely generate new ideas with your new 3-step system.

 

Do you have a repurpose system in place already? What do you do for motivation? How do you come up with new ideas for your digital platforms? I’d love to hear in the comments below.

Filed Under: Business

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