5 QUICK TIPS WHEN MARKETING YOUR BUSINESS ON A SHOESTRING BUDGET!

 

5 QUICK TIPS WHEN MARKETING YOUR BUSINESS ON A SHOESTRING BUDGET!

Most of us use the various social medias and online sites to do a large portion of our marketing. Of course this will become even more of the “norm” as business savvy owners become more familiar with the CORRECT way to use these venues to maximize their marketing efforts. It’s really not WHICH you use to market your business, however HOW you use these tools that count most!

I always get a ton of students in my classes who ask the same question, “Where should I market my business?” so the question isn’t new, however what I tell my students is you have to understand how each type should be used (no two social networks are alike) and how to best use them to serve YOUR individual needs! So here are a couple of tidbits that I hope you can use….

 1. Don’t over-complicate your marketing strategy; however it’s CRITICAL that you have one. Start off with a basic outline and tweak, add, delete items as you move forward. Having someone create one for you is not nearly as important as you understanding the importance of a marketing strategy and having something in place.

2. For sites such as NING social networks, Facebook, and Meetup.com groups make sure that you strategically join groups where you can not only find your TARGET market, but also are able to provide information to the members that they may view as being of value TO THEM! Do NOT, I repeat DO NOT just arbitrarily join as many groups as you can….”MANY does not always MAXIMIZE MONEY!”

3. LinkedIn is NOT a social network, however a PROFESSIONAL network and the marketing strategy using it should be designed differently than the above sites. Not that it’s any more important (I actually get a lot more customers off of social sites than LinkedIn, but it does serve a purpose for me). Make certain that you set yourself apart from others, show your EXPERTISE and answer inquiries promptly.

4. EVERY business owner should do IN PERSON networking! Ok EVEN those of you who have online businesses…YES in person networking events are MANADTORY for all!!! It’s choosing the RIGHT type of networking event for you that is important. Again, similar to the groups, you should choose those that will attract your customer base as well as allow you to “give” back. Also, if you go to an ordinary mixer, please know how to “work the room” there is an art to that. Sorry too much to write here, but I will provide another blog on “How To Captivate Your Audience At a Blah Event!”

5. All of the contacts you make, know how to separate your list servs into several categories. No one should have just one master list. This is important for your mailings and announcements.

I hope these tidbits helped. Have more questions, email me at ASKMRSV@empowerme2day.com

* I have a class that I run in the Raleigh, NC area. If you are local,  REGISTER for details on Marketing Your Business on a Shoestring Budget.

 ** I am also trying to gage the interest for a webinar. If you would be interested in attending a webinar on this, please send me an email at TRAINING@EMPOWERME2DAY.COM. And let me know!

Thanks for reading! And remember…PASSION PREDICTS PROGRESS!

Put Your Credit In Check – A 6 Step Guide For The Financially Savvy GEN-Y

WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOUR STUDENT DOESN’T MAKE SOME OF THE SAME FINANCIAL MISTAKES YOU MADE AS A TEEN OR YOUNG ADULT? ARE THEY HEADED OFF TO COLLEGE AND NEED A LITTLE HELP TO BETTER UNDERSTAND CREDIT OR MAYBE THEY WANT TO START SAVING?

 STUDENTS CAN NOW TAKE THE GUESS WORK OUT OF UNDERSTANDING CREDIT AND MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON THEIR FINANCIAL FUTURE WITH 6 EASY STEPS!

 

Every student is different, but we all want to see our teen and young adults prosper financially. This easy to read, short information report outlines 6 key steps all teens and young adults should use when making decisions on money and credit! Let’s face it, we ALL want them to know and understand the 3 C’s……

 College, Career, and CASH!

 

This report keeps it simple. Showing teens and young adults 6 quick and easy steps they can take NOW for a strong and healthy financial future:

• What type of credit card should most young adults use
• Why have an Emergency Fund
• Paying educational loans back early
• Plus a chance to win a FREE IPod NANO! (see info below)

 

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(winners will be contact by June 15, 2011)

Changing Your Self Image By Changing Your Mindset Part 3: Live Your Passion Intentionally!

I was driving to a workshop, that I was facilitating, when all of a sudden I was hit with something so profound, it caused me to pull to the side of the road and jot a question down, “Why don’t we live our passions LITERALLY?” I pulled back onto the road and proceeded to my destination, not really understanding what I even meant by the question. When I finally made it back home, later that evening, I pulled out the paper that I scribbled on earlier and ran the words through my mind again…” Why don’t we live our passions LITERALLY?” I began to start visualizing an incident that happened about 13 years ago and chuckled.

My son, who is now almost 15 years old, was about 2 and I was having the hardest time potty training him! I mean what gives? Why are boys so difficult and stubborn when it comes to potty training? He was extremely rambunctious and I often found him under my feet in the kitchen pulling out pots from the cabinets to bang on. It was a norm in my house to hear him banging away as I shouted, “Christopher leave the POTS alone”, or “Christopher, put those POTS back!” All as he banged away, without a care in the world, seemingly ignoring me to the fullest! Well, I was at my wits end this day with trying to catch him to get him to sit on the potty, so as I collapsed on the sofa, in defeat, I looked at him, almost pleading….”Christopher, please, for Mommy, go sit on your POT…” Well, he looked at me, a little bewildered I think, and preceded into the kitchen. I heard the familiar clamber of pots and pans and awaited the inevitable sound of loud bangs as my rock star begins his rendition of “Wild Thang”. After a minute there was silence. Ok being the inquisitive Mom I am, I figured he was up to something major and needed to go see what he was into. As I turned the bend and continued to the archway of my kitchen, I stopped dead in my tracks and burst into laughter! I ran, retrieved a camera and quickly snapped a picture!

 

My little music man had taken my words LITERALLY, went to his familiar zone, retrieved a pot of his liking and “Got on it”! I laughed so hard that day, I forgot about feeling frustrated and tired.

As I thought of the story and pictured the sight in my mind, I thought, how literal kids can be. If you are a parent, work with children, or come in contact with children, you will agree, we have to be very careful of what we say to them, because they will take the words literally. My now, almost 15 year old, still does this. Especially when I ask him to “clean his room,” I often find myself having to be very specific in my request, otherwise, all the clothes, electronics, etc that are cluttering his room, would be shifted to his closet and hence, he has fulfilled my request…the “ROOM” has been cleaned!

Why don’t we get literal, like kids, when it comes to living our passions? Many of us know what we are passionate about, but do not proceed with fulfilling them. Many times we use excuses to set limits on those passions. We talk ourselves into believing we can’t make a living doing the work we enjoy doing, or we can’t go on the vacation we want because it’s too expensive, or even that we are unable to find the perfect mate for us. So instead of living our passions LITERALLY, we settle for dreaming about them and creating excuses as to why we can’t have what we want. Stop, and let go of those excuses, let’s try living our life LITERALLY!

Part 4: How do we live our life LITERALLY?

Seize The Opportunity by Al Duncan – The Millennial Mentor™—is a World-Class Motivational Speaker, an author, and a renowned Youth Speaker. Visit him online at www.alduncan.net

Seize the Opportunity

“Opportunities multiply as they are seized” -Sun Tzu

One of the biggest mistakes people make is spending too much time looking for the big opportunity or the perfect timing to do something. The over-used axiom “Patience is a virtue” is irrefutable. But it is equally true that “he who hesitates is lost”. Seize the opportunity. 

There is a thin line between patience and procrastination. Unfortunately way too many people spend far too much time on the procrastination side of things.

Patience is taking a well-calculated risk. Procrastination is avoiding risk.

Patience is taking the time to learn what to do. Procrastination is knowing what to do and not doing it.

Patience is saying, “I’ll finish this by_____.”  Procrastination is saying, “I’ll get to it sooner or later.”

There are dozens of tips and techniques for overcoming procrastination and seizing opportunities. Here are three:

1. Start cooking while the pot is hot.

The best time to build momentum is when you first think of an idea or start on a task. This is the time to create some small steps that you can take right away and use to measure your progress.

2. Have a sense of last minute urgency all the time.

Have you ever noticed that normally people finish a task just in the nick of time? This is because a task will expand to the allotted time. Think about that.

A person can have two months to do something and finish it in two days. Of course it’s the last two days before it’s due! Last minute urgency creates an incredible amount of energy and drive.

3. Weed out worry.

Earl Nightingale wrote about what he called the “Fog of Worry” and provided an authoritative estimate of what most people worry about.

• 40% of the things you worry about will never happen.
  

• 30% of the things you worry about couldn’t be changed by all the worrying in the world.
  

• 12% of your worries are needless worries about your health.
  

• 10% of your worries are about petty, miscellaneous things.
  

• 8% of your worries are about real and legitimate concerns. In other words, 92% of your worrying is a complete waste of time.
  

Here’s one last thing in closing.

Keep in mind that opportunities don’t disappear they simply move on to next recipient. An opportunity that comes your way is probably an opportunity that someone else procrastinated or passed on. If you pass up on a good opportunity someone else will capitalize on it.

Remember…

Every time you seize the opportunity, the gate to infinite possibilities swings wide open in front of you.

Al Duncan – The Millennial Mentor™—is a World-Class Motivational Speaker, an author, and a renowned Youth Speaker. Visit him online at www.alduncan.net

Design Your Destiny…It Takes An Investment by Delmar Johnson

Just a little over a week ago, I had the opportunity to not only be a participant but a speaker at The Design Your Destiny Entrepreneurship Spring Conference in Atlanta, GA hosted by a dynamic young lady by the name of Tierra Destiny Reid.  I came in contact with Tierra only a few months ago and I will tell you just in that short amount of time, I can with confidence say that her middle name is not by accident and neither is our meeting.  The DYD conference was actually my first time at an entrepreneur affair of that magnitude, and I did my best to soak up all that I could from all the other wonderful speakers like Felicia Joy, Angela Stalcup, Jim Beach, Pamela Adams, Darnell Henderson, Elizabeth Chester, Tierra Destiny Reid, Althea Lawton-Thompson, Sharece Hall, and the keynote speaker Joyce Bone (the millionaire mom) who took a $10,ooo risk and turned it into a $150 million publicly traded company.

For weeks a whole team of us shared the conference with all who would see and read on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and any other outlet that was thought of.  We wanted everyone who were aspiring or a growing small business owner to know that INVESTING in themselves will always reap a harvest in the long run.  The result of all that sharing, and marketing and talking about the DYD conference paid off.  Women who were ready, hungry, and had a dream showed up on a rainy Saturday morning at a beautiful venue known as Chateau Elan Winery and Resort.  It was a “NO EXCUSE ZONE.”

Of course their were plenty who made excuses of why they didn’t come; I would venture to say the biggest excuse may very well have been NO MONEY or NOT ENOUGH MONEY.  I can totally relate and could tell you some war stories on that very same topic.  BUT for me I had to push past that potential “road block”  and be committed to NO EXCUSE.  I didn’t let a lack of sufficient income over the past 6-months, or a near empty bank account and a 7 hour drive to Atlanta stop me from the opportunity to make lasting connections, and investing in what I see as part of by destiny in growing professionally and personally as an entrepreneur.

So you might ask why did I share these few thoughts? Because there is at least one person out there that needs to know that not everything has to be perfect to go where your heart is trying to take you.  You don’t need a bag full of money or have to wait for permission from someone else, to invest in your dreams and hope for a business idea that you may have be sitting on for years.  What I will suggest that you need to do is research, connect, collaborate and negotiate your way to what you’ve been dreaming of.

Design Your Destiny…It Takes An Investment.

CHANGING YOUR SELF IMAGE BY CHANGING YOUR MIND: Part 2. The Walls Are Down, Now What?

Ladies! I absolutely love, love, love this part of our process. It’s where we begin to “think outside the box”. It’s time to get creative and stretch beyond any limits that may still be lingering. Ok, are you ready? Passion predicts progress. Yes I said it, PASSION PREDICTS PROGRESS! Think about it. What you are most passionate about, is what your life and everyday activities normally form around and in the end, it’s what you progress towards. Don’t believe me? Think about this. When you find a hobby that you really truly love to do, let’s say crocheting for instance. Don’t you always try to squeeze time into trying to do that activity? No matter how busy your life may be, you do your best to maneuver things around to give yourself time to do your crocheting. It works with anything you are truly passionate about, be it a hobby, your children, your career, whatever it is that makes you feel alive and gives your life purpose. The challenge we face often is how to focus in on our passions and then begin to build our lives around them. Why is this so important? Again, our passions WILL predict our progress. So, once we are able to, say, find our true passion in our career life, we are able to put our focus there, instead of a 9-5 J.O.B. (Just Over Broke) to a true career that caters to that passion. We will flourish in that career and prosperity will stop eluding us and will start to be drawn to us, like a magnet.

So some of you may say, well that’s all well and good, but I am not passionate about anything, I have no idea of my purpose. Don’t get discouraged, this statement is thrown at me at least 10 times a DAY! And I have a 2-part solution to finding that passion or what I also like to call your “purpose driven passion”.

Part 1. DREAM: I want you to dream like a 5 year old. Think back, I mean way back when you were around 5 or 6 years old. For some of us, that’s going to take a whole lot of thinking, LOL, but that’s ok, I’ll wait! OK, now remember what you said when someone asked you what you wanted to be when you grew up; a doctor, lawyer, teacher, maybe a mom. Hmmm. I dare to say, maybe you haven’t thought back quite far enough. Think back a little further. Back to the times your answer may have been, Wonder Woman, or in my case, All Mighty Isis! Yes, I want you to think back that far! It was those times that there were no limits. You truly felt that you could be anything that you wanted to be and no one, I mean no one told you any different! Ok do you have that feeling of fearlessness in you now? Able to reach tall buildings in a single bound? Yes? Then I think you are ready for Part 2.

Part 2. Think of something that you absolutely love to do and will do it all day, everyday for free. However, the key is for a career, you will learn to do it so well that people will actually pay you for it! Sounds crazy right? Not really. Because you will find that this is what you are truly passionate about and in the end, you will love it so much that you can’t get enough of it. You won’t be able to read enough on it, do it enough, or even watch and learn from others to hone your skills that much more around it. And in the end, will become, yourself, an expert at it. And what do we do as a society? We actually pay people who are experts in their field, whether it’s writing, cooking, childcare, or yes, even crocheting! We pay and often we pay handsomely.

So, what is YOUR Passion? Part 3: Using Your Passion To Reach Prosperity

Changing Your Self Image, By Changing Your Mindset: A Six Part Series

Part 1: Initially Speaking!

As I begin to look back on my life and what has gotten me to this point, I often consider how I have drastically altered my self image. What steps did I take, how did I find the support during tough times, and where do I go from here…

I didn’t realize how much my past truly shaped who I perceived myself to be, what goals I felt I deserved to accomplish and even what type of partner I should have. My mind had already sized things up and answered the questions, often times even before the questions were even formulated. About 5 years ago I decided that I had had enough, I was throwing in the towel; I was sick and tired of being sick and tired; and yes, the fat lady had begun to sing! I needed to snap myself out of a depression that had literally lasted 30 years and had taken my self image to an all time low. But where would I begin? How do I begin to change something that had been a part of my life for so many years? Well, I decided to start at the beginning, take baby steps, and ultimately reach my goals.

 I am no different than anyone else; I don’t have any special powers (although my son thought I was a super hero when he was 5!) I’m no smarter than the next person. I’m just plain ole Veronique, knowing that I needed a change and praying that I could pull myself together long enough to reach it; I formulated a plan, because as we all know “if you fail to plan you plan to fail”. What I came up with, in that plan, is something that helped take me from a victim to VICTORY! And it’s something I train my clients on today.

First things first: Identifying Your “Wall”. That wall could be one thing like a piece of sheet rock, or it could be a culmination of things like bricks stacked one on top of each other, all with the same purpose: Blocking You From Your Breakthrough! Take out a sheet of paper and start to list all the things that you feel are holding you back from success. Everything from feeling ugly or stupid, to being a procrastinator or perhaps a perfectionist, whatever that wall is identify it. After all, you can’t possibly begin to knock something down if you don’t first locate it, now can you?  

Some of us may need 2 or even 3 sheets of paper, that’s ok, just start listing and don’t stop until you have listed everything that you can think of that could possible stand in your way to success. Did you list everything? Now take a look at that list. How many of those things are excuses that you have devised because you are simply scared to succeed? When I wrote out my list, and you better bet it was a long one! I noticed that a lot of things on that list, in fact I would dare to say 99.9%, were excuses that I created just out of FEAR! I had failed for so long; it had become comfortable to me. I knew exactly what to expect, but that success thing, well that was a whole new ball game. That is treading into unfamiliar waters. So I had to make a choice, do I sink or do I swim? Well, like me, I hope you decided to swim and if you have, I want you to take those sheets of paper, ball them up into a nice round ball and…..SLAM DUNK THAT THANG into the nearest trash can! Your wall will no longer hold you back! Now let’s get down to business…

 

6 KEYS TO BETTER FINANCIAL SUCCESS FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS, YOUNG ADULTS, AND THEIR PARENTS!

6 KEYS TO BETTER FINANCIAL SUCCESS FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS, YOUNG ADULTS, AND THEIR PARENTS!

The other day I received a message from a GREAT new friend of mine, Coach Joanne. She wanted me to provide some suggestions to a college student who just received his first credit card. After shooting her back some ideas to relay to him, it started me thinking about a session that I offer called Wish I was G.R.O.W.N. (Getting Ready for the Outside World Now). I often teach this session to high school students and young adults and the segment on credit has always been a favorite of these young, energetic, can’t wait to be independent ladies and gents! So here are just 6 real quick suggestions for young adults and parents when considering things such as credit cards, student loans, and savings. I hope this helps many more students!

 

1. When choosing a credit card, choose one that is a major card, visa or master card, do NOT start off with (and I often make it a rule to never succumb to) department or specialty store cards such as Macy’s, JC Penny’s, Amoco, or Kay Jewelers. The interest rates on these types of stores are normally a lot higher and you are stuck with purchasing only from their store, limiting your options when sales come up.

2.  Once you receive your first credit card take note of the payment deadline date. Start off now by making it a habit to only purchase items that you KNOW you will be able to pay off in full by your payment date. If you can’t afford to pay it off, it probably isn’t really needed.

3. If for some reason you are not able to pay off the complete balance at the end of the month, do not just pay minimum balance, pay as much as you can. Ideally you want to keep the balance below 33% of the total amount of credit you have.

 

4. Start an emergency fund. This is a savings account that is readily available to you for life’s unexpected events. It’s ok if you only have $5 to start. Begin with the most you can afford to set aside that will not cause you problems in your daily expenses and gradually add. Set a goal as to how much you want to have saved by a certain day and just START! It doesn’t matter if it’s a penny, a dollar, $10 or more, just START!

5. Once you are comfortable with your credit card and emergency fund, begin to look at long term financial goals. Students, if you have a job and can set aside about $50 per month to start paying on loans, DO IT! There are two major types of student loans, subsidized and unsubsidized. Simple distinction, subsidized loans the interest is paid by the government while you are still in school and up to 6 months (for undergrads) after graduation, unsubsidized are loans that the borrower is responsible for the interest accrued from day one. So of course what do I suggest, use the $50 to pay on loans that are Unsubsidized! You will be amazed at how much you save in interest alone when it’s time to start paying on the principle!

6. Parents, there is no such thing as an EMERGENCY CREDIT CARD for teens and young adults! It doesn’t exist!!!!!!! No matter how well we try to prepare our students, there will always be a blouse, car part, or god forbid PARTY expense that will ultimately fall into that “emergency” grey area. Allow them to get that first credit card on their own instead of giving them a credit card (unless of course your last name is Hilton and you can afford it!) and help teach them how to be responsible CREDIT BUILDING DYNIMOS!

 

I hope that these 6 keys have provided a stepping stone in helping prepare you for your financial future! If anyone has specific questions, please feel free to send them to askmrsv@empowerme2day.com I will respond to every question within 5 business days and will post some of them on my blog!

Starting a Business…SMART!

Starting a Business… Smart! 

With the economy still trying to rebound, many of us have begun to look for ways to supplement our incomes, or lack there of…. As a longtime business owner and empowerment coach, clients often ask me to give advice on choosing the right business venture and inevitably asked, “Should EVERYONE own their own business?” 

 Ok let’s start with the question, “Should everyone own their own business”, simple answer….”ABSOLUTELY!” Now a little more detail. When I say everyone should own a business, I don’t mean that everyone is made to rely solely on a business, but what I do believe is that everyone should have a minimum of what I call a “LSH” (Legal Side Hustle). Some type of business that can not only supply some additional funds but that can also keep the creative juices flowing.

With that being said, how do you get started in the hunt for selecting and starting a new business venture? Here are my 4 basics when starting:

1. Consider what you enjoy doing – No one is successful in a business they hate doing. Just because it’s the hottest, fast growing, tech savvy business out today does not mean its right for you. Stay simple and choose something that you not only already know how to do, but already do it well.

2. Decide if it will be for-profit or non-profit – Just because a business is non-profit, does not mean it can’t be lucrative for you. But also keep in mind, to get into a non-profit because you think you will get money from grants and other sources is a deadly move. The economy is tight on everything, including funding for new start-ups.

3. Start off small – Nothing kills a business faster than trying to start too large too quickly. Nothing’s wrong with a small profit, in fact a small profit is better than no profit.

4. Design a business plan – The one mistake I made when I started off was thinking that I didn’t need a business plan because I wasn’t looking for funding resources. WRONG WRONG WRONG! Everyone needs a business plan. It helps to put things in perspective, gives you a focus, and helps to identify key areas of a business that may be overlooked.

These are just 4 key things to consider when starting a business. I’m sure others have some additional suggestions, so to all those seasoned owners or even the recent start ups that have suggestions for those looking to start a business, I want to hear from YOU!

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All Talk?

I have a very good friend who, for the life of me, I just can’t figure out! I love her to death, but I just don’t “get” her! She has a good job, (and I do stress the word “job”), a beautiful home, car, and social life. But she is not taking any steps to secure her financial future. I mean NONE! Yet she consistently complains about not being in a financial position that she wants to be in. She wants to be able to leave her “job” and pursue a career that really interests her. But because she needs her income, instead of taking steps to put herself in a position where she can leave, she opts to continue with her boring 9-5 and gripe.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting that she leave her job at the moment, or even within the year, but what I am suggesting and have suggested to her over and over again, is to set a plan of action. Give herself a deadline to be in a position where she could leave her job, at her own discretion, and embark on a new fulfilling career of her choosing. You want to know what her response has been to me for the last 3 years I’ve been trying to encourage her to do this? “It’s too much… I can’t make a decision on what I want to do”. So what does she do? Absolutely NOTHING!

Here is an obviously very intelligent woman who makes her own money, is independent, but has NO CLUE how to get to the next level in her life. Instead she is comfortable “talking” about what she wants to accomplish, never setting goals. Do you have a friend like that, or worse than that, are YOU that friend?

I know that this is a very scary journey to embark on. We all have gotten into a comfort zone and although we may not like it, we are used to it and know what comes along with the territory. I’m suggesting that you take action, and step outside that comfort zone to explore opportunities that you may never have done much more than dream about before. How about instead of just dreaming we try LIVING that dream for a change?