Alive September 2014

A lifestyle magazine where entrepreneur women connect, learn, identify and achieve their true purpose.

Contents

2 ALIVE magazine September, 2014

A lifestyle magazine where entrepreneur women connect, learn, identify and achieve their true purpose.

Get out of Credit Card Debt4

Benefits of Being an Affiliate Marketer

5

4 Crucial Things You Need to do to Build Your List

6

5 Things to Consider When Publishing a Newsletter

8

Spend Wisely to Save Money

11

Why Should I Make a Budget?

12

Entrepreneur of the Month13

How Hard Can the World be for Mom Entrepreneurs?

15

Partnering is like Courting16

5 Money-Saving Travel Tips for Small Businesses

17

Entrepreneur Training Schedule - Hosted by The Savane Group

18

ALIVE Magazine may not be reproduced, in whole or part, without the express permission of the publisher. The use of photos, ads or articles must be requested in writing to [email protected] Magazine is a published monthly.ALIVE Staff:Brandy Adamson, Publisher and Editor-in-ChiefSam Aucello – Graphic DesignerALIVE Magazine appreciates the work done by our Contributing Writers as well. For advertising and sales email [email protected].

Best Small Business Idea -- Get Focused And Get Going

21

Tips on Building Revenue for Your Business

22

Blend Your Strengths with Small Business Needs

25

You May Have A Successful Small Business Idea

26

Exclusive Credit Repair Leads

27

Keeping Customers Loyal28

Five Ways to Use a Meeting29

Why Change Management Training is Essential for Your Company

30

Non-Profit Strategic Planning

31

ALIVE Magazine may not be reproduced, in whole or part, without the express permission of the publisher. The use of photos, ads or articles must be requested in writing to [email protected] Magazine is a published monthly.ALIVE Staff:Brandy Adamson, Publisher and Editor-in-ChiefSam Aucello – Graphic DesignerALIVE Magazine appreciates the work done by our Contributing Writers as well. For advertising and sales email [email protected].


Yes, you can get out of credit card debt. If you are determined to get out of credit card debt you surely can get out of credit card debt. Though it’s a bit difficult to get out of credit card debt, it isn’t impossible. All you need to get out of credit card debt is determination and planning. Both are equally important (or maybe determination is even more important).

Determination doesn’t come without proper reason. So, you need to first ask this question to yourself – “What will I get if I am able to get out of credit card debt?”, “What difference will it make”, “What’s in it for me” or “Is it really beneficial to get out of credit card debt”. Use the answers to build your determination. The fact that all the nagging via mails/phone (by the credit card supplier and/or their collection agent), will be gone, should do good to strengthening your determination and should provide you with a reason on why you should endeavor to get out of credit card debt. Think about the stress-free life after you get out of credit card debt. Try to link vari-ous reasons together and try to see the benefits through them. All these collectively will help in bolstering your determination and prevent it from getting weak at any point in time.

The second thing that you need to get out of credit card debt is planning. The planning to get out of credit card debt will start with making a list of the credit cards that you currently posses and noting the debt and the APR for each of them. The sum total of all these various credit card debts, will give you the total credit card debt. You also need to check if you have been defaulting on payments on some of these credit cards (and hence incurring a late fee). You will need to avoid that and put it on the plan you have prepared to get out of credit card debt. The next step in getting out of credit card debt is to check your current financial position and make an assessment of what you expect your future financial position to be.

Next comes the research to check the various balance transfer offers available in the market; to see if one of these can prove beneficial to you. Use all this information to calculate how much time you will require to get out of credit card debt and how you will distribute the debt payment across your various credit cards (ensuring that you payoff the debt that is hitting you the most and also ensuring that you don’t incur late fee on any credit card payments)

GET O

UT


Can I get out of credit card debt?

of Credit Card Debt

Affiliate marketing has become one of the most effective ways to advertise online. It is also one of the easiest ways for anyone with a website to make a profit online. Affiliate Marketing is an agreement between a merchant and a website owner. The website owner, or the affiliate, allows the use of their site for the promotion of the merchant's products by linking to the merchant's website. In exchange, the merchant pays a commission to the affiliate on all sales generated by the affiliate. Every time someone clicks on the link on the affiliate website and proceeds to make a purchase, the affiliate gets a commission. The merchant will pay the affiliate only when a customer clicks on the product link and makes a purchase.Affiliate marketing programs are described as a win-win situation for both the merchant and the affiliate because of the pay-for-performance scheme. Both the merchant and the affiliate enjoy some benefits in affiliate marketing. There are many benefits on the merchant's side. It gives the merchant a wider market in which to advertise a product or service. Affiliate marketing will give the product or service the maximum exposure that it may not get with other traditional advertising techniques. The more affiliate sites a merchant has, the higher the traffic, which can convert to sales. Affiliate marketing is the equivalent of having an army of sales people who will do the advertising and will only get a commission if a customer purchases.Meanwhile, since an affiliate marketing relationship is a win-win situation, the affiliate also enjoys many benefits. Foremost among these is the easy way to make a profit. The affiliate can earn by having an ad or link to the merchant's website, which prospective customers will hopefully click and proceed to make a purchase. As soon as the customer clicks on the ad on the affiliate's site, is redirected to the merchant's website and goes on to buy that particular product, the affiliate earns a commission. The more referrals there are the more profit for the affiliate.

Benefits of Being an Affiliate Marketer


Affiliate marketing is an excellent way to earn money while at home. There are virtually no production costs. The product is already developed and proven by the merchant, and all you have to do to find, as many prospects as you can that will bring in the profit for both the merchant and the affiliate. Affiliate programs are usually free to join, so affiliates do not have to worry about start-up costs. There are thousands of products and services you can choose from. You can find affiliate programs for every product under the sun. Surely, there is a product or service out there that is relevant to your website.In addition, there is absolutely no sales experience necessary. Most affiliate programs offer excellent support when it comes to providing marketing material. The simplicity of affiliate marketing allows you to be an affiliate marketer at the least cost and the most comfort. You can even build a successful affiliate marketing business right in the convenience of your own home. In affiliate marketing, your responsibility is simply to find prospects for the merchant; you do not have to worry about inventory, order processing, and product shipping. These, along with customer service support are the duties of the merchant.Because of the global reach of the internet, you can easily find thousands of prospects. You can intensify your advertising campaign by exploiting more aggressive and productive strategies such as viral marketing. By attracting more prospects, you also maximize your potential to earn. Another benefit of an affiliate marketer is the minimal risk involved. If the product you are advertising is not making money then you can dump it and choose another. There are no long-term binding contracts tying you to products that are not making enough money.All the same, the best benefit of being an affiliate marketer is the opportunity to increase your income; and you can make a profit even if affiliate marketing is only a sideline business. With your own affiliate business, you can earn easily earn extra income, although you do have to exert effort and use your imagination to maximize your earning potential. Indeed, affiliate marketing is one of the simplest and most effective business opportunities on the web today.

Build Your List4 Crucial Things


From your list, you will get your targeted customer, this is a good list since they already have shown interest in what you have to show and sell since they have willingly signed in for your list. These are the people who have liked what they have seen in your site and have decided they want to see more and maybe even purchase what ever product or service your company and site has to offer.Many people would think that building their lists would take hard work and a lot of time to build and collect names and addresses. This is not so, it takes a bit of patience and some strategies but in doing this list, you open your site and your business to a whole new world of target market. Take the effort to take your business to a new level, if traffic increase and good profits are what you want, an opt-in list will do wonders for your business venture.There are many sources and articles in the internet available for everyone to read and follow in building a list. Sometimes they may be confusing because there are so many and there different ways. Different groups of people would have different approaches in building an opt-in list, but no matter how diverse many methods are, there are always some crucial things to do to build your list. Here are four of them.

Online marketing may have developed a sudden surge these past few years, but many in the know how have felt its rise even from way then. As more internet based businesses are put up, the need to develop new marketing skills and knowledge based on this new medium have arisen. More and more marketing strategies are being discovered and developed to cope with the changing face of business the business world.The demand for online marketing tips and strategies have drastically grown and a new form of business has been born, internet marketing strategies. While there are companies that are all too eager to help your site and business build a clientele for a fee, there also many ways that can spread the word about your sites subsistence in a more cost free way. One of this is Opt-in email marketing, also known as permission marketing.Opt-in marketing requires the permission of a willing customer to subscribe to your marketing materials, materials that take form in newsletters, catalogs and promotional mailings via e-mail. The more opt-in marketing mail is sent, the more chances there is to bag sales and more sales. To do this, you must build a list of all those who wants to subscribe to your opt-in marketing list.

You Need To Do To

IV Keep a clean and private list. Never lose the trust your customers have entrusted you. If you provide e-mails to others and they get spammed, many will probably unsubscribe to you. Remember, a good reputation will drive in more traffic and subscribers as well as strengthen the loyalty of your customers.


I Put up a good web form in your site that immediately follows the end of your content. While some may say this is too soon to subscribe for a website visitors application, try to remember that your homepage should provide a quick good impression. If somehow a website visitor finds something that he or she doesn’t like and turns them off, they may just forget about signing up.A good web form for subscribing to an opt-in list is not hard to do. Just write a simple short statement about how they would like to see more and get updated about the site. Then there should be an area where they could put in their names and e-mail address. This web form will automatically save and send you the data’s inputted. As more people sign in, your list will be growing.

III Provide good service and products. A return customer is more likely to bring in more business. Even then and now, a satisfied customer will recommend a business always. Word of mouth and recommendations alone can rake in more business than an expensive ad. As your clientele roster grows so shall your list. With more members on the list, the more people will get to know about what you have new to offer.

II As mentioned in the first tip, make your homepage very, very impressive. You need to have well written articles and descriptions of your site. Depending on what your site is all about, you need to capture your website visitor’s fancy. Make your site useful and very easy to use. Do not expect everyone to be tech savvy. Invest in having good programming in your site, make your graphics beautiful but don’t over do it.Don’t waste your time making the homepage too overly large megabyte wise. Not all people have dedicated T1 connections, the faster your site gets loaded, the better. Go for a look that borders between simplicity and sophisticated knowledge.

5 Things To Consider When Publishing A

Newsletter Providing a newsletter for your opt-in list subscribers provides many benefits in terms of driving traffic into your site as well as boosting the sales and profits of your site and company. This is a marketing ploy that will not hugely dent your marketing budget and will not also require many man-hours in developing this project.With a newsletter, you can inform the public about your company and products as well as services. You can keep them posted and updated about what’s going-on with your company as well as many of your promotions and offerings. With these, you keep on reminding your subscribers that you are still here and is willing to offer them good deals and services.Newsletters also allow you to impress your subscribers. It can show your expertise and knowledge about the topic at hand and the many benefits you can offer them. When you impress people, they will become potential customers and another great thing is that they can recommend you to their friends, colleagues and family. All of them could very well be customers in the future.If you do not have a newsletter or publishing one for your site, then you may have to consider about researching and be well informed on how to publish one. It is not as easy as it seems but if and when you get the right idea and process, it will be smooth sailing from there on. Try to take the time to learn what you need to learn and get that newsletter ready and good to attract subscribers to your newsletter as well as traffic to your site.In the next few paragraphs, I will provide you with some things to reflect on when you decide to start your own newsletter for your site.

Here are five things to consider when publishing a newsletter.

Make sure that the content of your newsletter pertains to and closely associated with your business or the theme of your site. Do not dwell too far on what could be regarded as your field of expertise. You have started a site and your theme for your site will always be something you are knowledgeable about. For example; if you have a site that sells auto car parts, your newsletter must contain articles or content like photos that pertain to cars, auto parts and such. You may also include content about your company and your staff.Remember that visitors of a certain site are there because they are interested in what the site has to offer. If they sign up for an opt-in list or for a newsletter this means that they want to be updated for that certain theme or subject. Be sure that when you publish your newsletter you are providing for the need of the subscriber as well as their interests.

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Ensure that you have well written, information riddled and content rich articles. You articles will be the body of your newsletter and that they should be able to excite your readers as well as provide information. Articles should be well written and checked for errors such as spelling and grammatical errors for it to look professional and believable. The trust of your client to you and newsletter is at stake here.

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Here are five things to consider when publishing a newsletter.

Fact-check your articles. Make sure that you provide true facts and figures so that your reputation as an expert and knowledgeable in that field is not questioned. If you lose the trust of your subscribers these may persuade them to unsubscribe to your newsletter. You will lose many potential sales this way.

3 Provide fresh and new articles that can provide new information to your subscribers. If you publish stale and old news in your newsletter, there is a tendency that people or your subscribers already have read and known about them. This will lose their interest in your newsletter and they wont get to read what is most important, your ads. They may not open or read any of your succeeding newsletters losing your intention in writing and publishing newsletters, to get them to visit your site and make a purchase.

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Never use copyrighted materials such as photos and articles. This is outright plagiarism, you may get into a lot of trouble for this. You can lose your business and get sued over copyright infringement. If you do not have the time to write your own articles, there are many willing and able professional article writers that can do it for you for a reasonable fee. All your investment in writing and publishing articles will be well worth it when you see your list build up and your traffic increasing.

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Have you ever noticed that the things you buy every week at the grocery and hardware stores go up a few cents between shopping trips? Not by much…just by a little each week but they continue to creep up and up.All it takes for the price to jump up by a lot is a little hiccup in the world wide market, note the price of gasoline as it relates to world affairs.There is a way that we can keep these price increases from impacting our personal finances so much and that is by buying in quantity and finding the best possible prices for the things we use and will continue to use everyday… things that will keep just as well on the shelves in our homes as it does on the shelves at the grocery store or hard-ware store.For instance, dog food and cat food costs about 10% less when bought by the case than it does when bought at the single can price and if you wait for close out prices you save a lot more than that.Set aside some space in your home and make a list of things that you use regularly which will not spoil. Any grain or grain products will need to be stored in airtight containers that rats can’t get into so keep that in mind.Then set out to find the best prices you can get on quantity purchases of such things as bathroom items and dry and canned food.You will be surprised at how much you can save by buying a twenty pound bag of rice as opposed to a one pound bag but don’t forget that it must be kept in a rat proof container.You can buy some clothing items such as men’s socks and underwear because those styles don’t change, avoid buy-ing children’s and women’s clothing, those styles change and sizes change too drastically.Try to acquire and keep a two year supply of these items and you can save hundreds of dollars.

Spend Wisely to Save Money


You say you know where your money goes and you don’t need it all written down to keep up with it? I issue you this challenge. Keep track of every penny you spend for one month and I do mean every penny.You will be shocked at what the itty-bitty expenses add up to. Take the total you spent on just one unnecessary item for the month, multiply it by 12 for months in a year and multiply the result by 5 to represent 5 years.That is how much you could have saved AND drawn interest on in just five years. That, my friend, is the very reason all of us need a budget.If we can get control of the small expenses that really don’t matter to the overall scheme of our lives, we can enjoy financial success.The little things really do count. Cutting what you spend on lunch from five dollars a day to three dollars a day on every work day in a five day work week saves $10 a week… $40 a month… $480 a year… $2400 in five years….plus interest.See what I mean… it really IS the little things and you still eat lunch everyday AND that was only one place to save money in your daily living without doing without one thing you really need. There are a lot of places to cut expenses if you look for them. Set some specific long term and short term goals. There are no wrong answers here. If it’s important to you, then it’s important period.If you want to be able to make a down payment on a house, start a college fund for your kids, buy a sports car, take a vacation to Aruba… anything… then that is your goal and your reason to get a handle on your financial situation now.

Why Should I Make a Budget?


What ignited the spark in you to launch Full O’ Flair? My family has always had sensitive skin and extreme allergies. When my children were young, I started researching and finding natural, less harsh chemicals for their skin. Two of my children had eczema and I was determined to find alternate ways to treat them with out the chemicals and cost of prescription medications. . So, I began making natural skin products to provide this solution.

What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur? First, you need faith and not just a little a lot.Second, you must have the ability to focus and acknowledge when you need helpLastly, hard work and perseverance is a must. Don't let anyone tell you your ideas are stupid and will never work.

What motivates you? My motivation is my children and knowing that God gave me the ability to accomplish whatever it is that I need to get done. Not saying that it is easy but anything is possible.

What words of wisdom would you give to someone starting a new business? If you are wanting to start a business, always start at step 1. I see a lot of great business minded individuals that get excited and jump without first gathering information. They get a space, set up and think business will be great. Please, research, register your name (dba or LLC, etc), and do your business plan before you open the doors whether it be a virtual location or a storefront.

Entrepreneur of the MonthHow do you define success? For me success is being happy with your own accomplishments not what others see for you. Whatever motivates you and keeps you striving for more will make you successful in your own right. What has been your most satisfying moment in business? My most satisfying moment was the moment that a mother of a 3 year old little girl that I met while at an outdoor flea market called me after purchasing some bath products for her daughter. I gave her instruction on how to use each product and to let me know the outcome. The little girl had eczema so bad that she had open cracks that bled from her head to her toes. The phone rang and she was on the other end with her daughter laughing and yelling "Thank you, Ms. Erica!" in the background. Her mother was crying and telling me that this was the first time since she was about 1 that she has been able to take a bath without fussing and crying from the pain. It was that call that let me know that all the hard work and time was worth it.

What is your favorite business development book? It's not really a business development book but a great overall character building book to assist you in dealing with change as it comes and it's Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson.

In one word, characterize your life as an entrepreneur. Relentless :) www.facebook.com/fulloflairwww.fulloflair.comtwitter: @fulloflair


www.facebook.com/fulloflair

www.fulloflair.com

Full O’ FlairWhere Body Meets Soul

What does Full O’ Flair do? Assist those that want to experience the silky, smooth, soft skin and pampering that only Full O’ Flair can offer. Full O’ Flair started as gifts for family members for special events, holidays etc. and were soon requested from family friends. Starting as a basic gift basket service, Full O’ Flair ventured into a different realm a few years later. At that time, lo-tions, bath salts and other body products created as its own brand was launched. It was suggested that others be allowed to benefit from the products. So, after being used for years by my family & friends to assist with their extreme eczema and skin sensitivities, we decided to share the products with you. Now you too can benefit.

*All Natural products *No detergents*no parabens - allergies & skin sensitivities welcome*

I have recently completed training for massage therapy and am working with local chiropractors to improve the health of others. I am using massage to decrease the use of medication to cover problems. Massage can not only relax and release tension but it can also allow your body to heal itself as it was designed to do. The products of Full O’ Flair will merge with the body healing work of Where Body Meets Soul to provide a totally soulful experience in health. The new store that will soon be adding a massage therapy clinic is located in Irving, TX. and will be hosting a grand opening next month, August 16th, 2014. Be sure to stop by 1711 Irving Blvd. Suite 211. Irving, TX and bring the coupon below to enjoy a discount on your purchase.

SAVE 25% OFF YOUR FULL O’ FLAIR BATH AND BODY PURCHASE OF

AT LEAST $40exp. 12/31/14


In order to be a mom entrepreneur you have to learn how to keep your cool even during the direst of situations. You need to be patient with your children as well as your business.You also need to be prepared for any kind of problem that you might face. As a mom entrepreneur, you will be facing a huge amount of pressure. All you need to do is to think to yourself: "I am a mom! I know I have been through worse!"There are some ways how you can ease the pressure of being a mom entrepreneur. For one thing, you could consider getting some help. Hiring a nanny would be a pretty good idea since you won't always have time for your kids. You see, even if you control your time, there are some instances when your business would require you to work in unconventional times.Getting support from your family is crucial in being a mom entrepreneur. You need somebody there who can make you believe even if you are full of doubt. Who you need is someone to hold you up when the problems are trying to beat you down. People need to understand you when your business is going through a rough time. However, you should remember that not all people appreciate being treated like shock absorbers all the time.When deciding to become a mom entrepreneur, be sure that you will be venturing into a business involving something you love. You do not want to add to your frustrations by taking on a business that you just hate. Think of your interests and try to get an idea from there. Mom entrepreneurs who do this end up the most successful, because they make money doing something they love.What you need to understand is that being a mom will not hinder you from being an entrepreneur. Don't feel that the world is trying to bring you down because of your being a mom entrepreneur. Id you do this, you will end up blaming your kids and you might lose your family.Between business and family, remember that family should always come first. This philosophy will lead you to success.



Motherhood can be a very fulfilling, yet frustrating time for a woman. You see, motherhood can actually prevent women from accomplishing many of the goals they have set for themselves.Nowadays, it is only proper that both parents share the responsibility of rearing a child. However, we cannot deny the fact that mothers often have a harder time. In this line of thinking, what do you think mom entrepreneurs face in today's world?Well, many moms actually find that being an entrepreneur is much better than being an employee. You see, when you are a mom entrepreneur, you are your own boss. This means you will be able to balance time between taking care of a child and making money. Being a mom entrepreneur also gives you the advantage of choosing where to go and when.Mom entrepreneurs actually do not have it so hard nowadays as they did a few years back. You see, technology today has evolved to a point that it makes being an entrepreneur quite easy, whether you are a mother or not.Mom entrepreneurs nowadays can actually take care of business even when they are at home. The technological marvel of the internet actually means that being a home-based mom entrepreneur has a lot of advantages.Mom entrepreneurs nowadays have a chance at becoming globally competitive, as the internet actually allows people from all over the world to do business with you. Mom entrepreneurs also have a number of opportunities out there for them to take advantage of. You see, a mom entrepreneur nowadays has a much bigger chance of making a lot of money than being a mom employee.What does it take to be a mom entrepreneur? Well, if you want to join the ranks of the 10.6 million women who own businesses and generate 2.5 trillion dollars annually, you'll have to have the character of a mom entrepreneur.You'll need patience and lots of it. Taking care of a child and of a business at the same time can be pretty frustrating.

Partnering does not happen overnight. You should approach it slowly and methodically like courtship or dating. In the same way you wouldn't sleep with someone or suggest going to bed with someone on the first date, you don't want to try to close a deal with a potential partner in the first meeting.Don't try to close the partnering deal the first time you meet. It's a recipe for failure. Partnerships may take weeks or months, sometimes even years to evolve.It's being introduced maybe by a common client or a common friend, getting together for coffee, trading some email, some phone calls back and forth, getting together for lunch again, talking about some common client problems that you're running into, some things that you can't fill. Make sure that you take your time to do this right and that you don't ask for the sale or try to close the deal too soon.It's as much about personalities meshing together with the trust and the chemistry as everything else. There's got to be some IT-related connection or business-related connection, but even more importantly than that, the personalities really have to connect.Keep your antennae up for opportunities whenever you're going to reseller channel events or going to technical training classes or business expos. You never know when you're going to meet your next potential partner.

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Partnering Is Like Courting

Saving money is a priority for any business, especially a small business.Small businesses often need every break and discount they can get, and traveling can be one of the most costly areas for small businesses. Unfortunately, many of the best travel advantages only go to big businesses.To help your business compete, here are a few tips to make your traveling expenses a little more palatable.

* Search for cheap airfares. Internet search engines provide a great resource for cheap fares.Be sure to get on these sites’ e-mail lists so you stay abreast of specials.

* Avoid alcohol. Drinking alcohol at meals can boost your bill. Stay away from adult beverages and you will be much happier when the check arrives.

* Stay in and watch a movie. By simply staying in your room at night and not going to bars or nightclubs, you can save yourself a lot of cash.

* Use free time for free attractions. Instead of heading to the golf course, go to a museum. Free attractions can be enlightening and easy on the wallet.

* Look for a deal on your rental car. You may want to join a discount program for car rental.Car rental discount programs for business have traditionally only been offered to large businesses. But now, Thrifty's SmartBiz program is breaking new ground as the first car rental discount program designed specifically for small businesses.

With a SmartBiz account, you'll get low business rates with no minimum financial commitment. A free SmartBiz account also gets you unlimited miles, free additional drivers, free enrollment, no fees, no dues and no contracts. The account offers one free day of car rental after every 16 rental days with no blackout dates.


Entrepreneur Training Schedule

The Savane Group has set its training schedule for the month of September! The virtual courses offered are timely and attendees are able to immediately execute what they learn. If you are interested in participating in any of these courses, send an email with the course(s) of interest to [email protected] and their team will get you registered.

You Have Made the Decision to Live Life on Purpose, Now What?

This workshop is for those that have decided to live life on purpose. This workshop will help you identify your purpose and talents and then decide how entrepreneurship fits into your life. Regardless of the type of business you are interested in creating, you will address the challenges and practicality of your business idea. You will learn about resources that will help you do further self-exploration and the steps to begin establishing your business.

§ Find a business that maximizes your talents

§ Determine how to price your products and services

§ Participate in Sounding Board activities with fellow participants

§ Share in the discussion of a Living Your Purpose as an Entrepreneur

§ Receive fundamentals and resources for getting started

The target audience is for individuals that are ready to transition from working for someone else and utilize their purpose and talents in business.

Cost: $25

Date: September 9, 2014

Time: 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. CST

Stepping Into Your Purpose with the Right Foundation

This workshop assists entrepreneurs in creating a solid foundation to be successful in business. Topics include:

§ Choosing the Business Type that is a good fit for you

§ Registering Your Business

§ IRS requirements

§ Why set up your Dun & Bradstreet Number

§ Financing Your Business

§ Environmental, health, and safety considerations

§ Patents and Licensing

Cost: $25


Time: 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. CST

Get in your ZONE – Launching While You Work!

Each day, we each have 1,440 minutes. When are you most energized? When are you least distracted? To successfully optimize the time when are you in your zone – you must be in the right mindset to nurture your business. Participants in this call well identify elements that contribute to personal creativity and high energy and learn how to best utilize the time that they are in the zone so that they begin living life by design!

Eliminate the mental blocks that are getting in the way so that you can live a life of purpose and design!

Cost: $25


Time: 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. CST

The Savane Grouphosted by:


mailto:[email protected]

How to Create a Work/Life Structure that Works for You

Are you ready to launch a business, but aren’t sure how you will fit that into your already busy schedule? Are you a business owner faced with how to balance everything?

Participants will learn how to balance that is specific to their circumstance – whether you are working full-time, managing and caring for your household and family, operating a business that is growing, you will want to attend so that you maintain a balance between work and home without pulling out your hair!

Cost: $25


Time: 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. CST

Due Diligence – Research and Evaluate Your Business Idea

You will be provided the tools to evaluate your business idea through research and planning. You will:

§ Begin market research; including interviewing potential customers and identified competitors

§ Product/service identification and pricing

§ Explore the pros and cons of developing business partnerships

§ Develop your companies mission statement and value proposition

§ Begin gathering data to prepare your business plan

Cost: $25


Time: 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. CST

The Business Plan is Your Road Map: Now Tell Your Story.

Your brand is the foundation upon which you establish and grow your business. As business owners, we spend hours perfecting our products and services, designing an engaging website, maximizing SEO and writing plans but many times avoid investing the time in building your brands story. Your story is an asset that will strengthen the impact of all your marketing efforts. Register for this course to learn how to make a meaningful connection with your potential customers and how to position your brand so that your niche market finds value in your business.

Cost: $25


Time: 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. CST

Online Presence: Where Are You, Where Do You Want To Be?

When asked about their current online presence, many business owners will quickly list several popular social media platforms. My question to you – is this enough and are you reaching your niche market?

This seminar prompts attendees to assess their online presence – website, blog, social media, etc. and determine if their presence aligns with their long-tern goals. Participants will develop a plan to increase their presence, while strengthening their brand. Participants will also learn about free and inexpensive tools that are available to streamline the management of their online presence.

Cost: $25


Time: 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. CST


Launching Your Business on a Shoe-String Budget

You know what business you want to start, now what? How will you get the necessary tasks accomplished so that you can launch your business? Participants will create a timeline, receive available resources and tools to launch their business while they work!

Cost: $25

Date: October 2, 2014

Time: 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. CST

Cross Marketing – How does it Work?

Did you know:

§ Nearly 10.4 million firms are owned by women generating $1.9 trillion in sales. Yet, only 3% of all wom-en-owned firms have revenues of $1 million or more compared with 6% of men-owned firms

§ Minorities owned 4.1 million firms that generated $694.1 billion in revenues and employed 4.8 million work-ers 46% of women-owned businesses are tiny enterprises with revenue of less than $10,000 per year, compared with 30% of men-owned businesses

§ 2.7 million firms are owned equally by both women and men; these firms add another $731.1 billion in reve-nues and employ another 5.7 million workers

Don’t you want your business to be included in these kinds of statistics? You will learn how to successfully cross market your business and learn how to identify those opportunities that are good for your business.

Cost: $25

Date: October 7, 2014

Time: 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. CST


I used to give a talk titled, “10 Ways to Overcome Overwhelm in Business and In Life”. It was an excellent resource for getting into action and taking charge of your business. If you’d like a copy, just email me and I’ll send it to you. After I’d given this talk for awhile, I realized that getting out of overwhelm was even simpler. You don’t need 10 ideas. That’s overwhelming in itself. You just need one essential key. If you can master this one key, you can pretty much get whatever you want out of your business and your life. Here it is. Don’t blink or you’ll miss it. Focus.

That’s right, focus. When you are entirely focused on what you are doing in the moment, you don’t have any attention left for being in overwhelm. Focus and overwhelm are opposites. Think about it. You are overwhelmed because you are thinking about all the things you’ve got to get done today, tomorrow, and the day after. You aren’t solidly focused in the present moment doing what’s in front of you. But when you are stuck in overwhelm, it’s really hard to get focused. So what can you do?

It’s actually very simple. Get back to basics. Go back to your core values, your mission statement, your vision. Stop right now and think about the vision you had for your business when you first started it. What did you want to accomplish? Why did you want to do it? Were you looking for freedom? Did you have a better way of helping people? Completely let yourself be absorbed in the dream you had. Feel how it was when you started. Now you are focused. Take this vision and write it down again. Go into detail about what you really want to do with your business.

Now from this focused state, get into action. It should be much more clear to you now what the most important tasks are. Focus your energy on those and get going. Any time you start feeling overwhelmed, stop and go back to your dream, your vision. Ask yourself why you are doing what you are doing. Really feel it and then start again. I guarantee you this will get you focused and get you out of overwhelm. Now you can get what you really wanted out of your business.

Best Small Business Idea


Get Focused And Get Going

Tips on Building Revenue for Your Business

It's a dog-eat-dog world. You must be prepared for anything when deciding to open your own practice or small business. And once you become a business owner, you need to know how to make your business grow.

"What keeps business owners, practice owners and partners up at night is likely the challenge of managing and growing the business," says Steven Stralser, clinical professor at Thunderbird: The Garvin School of International Management and author of "MBA In A Day."

In his book, Stralser addresses business professionals who have extensive training in certain industries but want to learn the skills necessary to manage businesses of their own.

Packed with examples, helpful anecdotes and real-world case studies, this straightforward guide gives readers a comprehensive business education without having to spend the time and money on graduate school.

The book covers essential principles and concepts taught at today's top business schools. Topics include negotiation, accounting, marketing, effective communication, information technology and leadership.

Stralser offers the following tips to help your business grow.

* Focus on existing customers. With advertising and other marketing costs, finding new customers can be expensive. Acquiring new business is important, of course, but so is keeping and growing your current clientele.

* Stay in touch. Offer more products or services to existing customers, clients or patients. They will respond with loyalty and future business. Think "greater share" of customers instead of "market share." It's simpler and more profitable in the long-run.

* Develop a Web presence. Developing a Web page puts information on your business right at the fingertips of clients or potential clients. And not only does accessing your Web site save them time, it saves you time as well.

For example, a client can have access to old reports from past projects. By having this information accessible online, you won't have to take time out of your busy schedule to print and ship the reports to that client.


Small Business Needs

If you are looking to start a small business of your own, there is a proven process that is necessary to start off with. Many creative people have great business ideas, but their approach to planning is ineffective and eventually flops. First and foremost, you have to find a market that is a good size. Now what does this mean exactly? Finding a niche market that is a reasonable size entails pinpointing one that is big enough to make a profit but small enough for the resources of a small business and one that does not compete with large corporations.

Two main mistakes that entrepreneurs make in finding small markets are targeting a market that is too broad and targeting a niche that is already heavily exploited. What you decide to sell must connect product to target audience or you will not be successful.

To start off with, choose your own unique area of expertise. What are you good at? What do you have experience in? Use your education, your skills and the people you know who could help you transform your idea into reality. If you have many areas of interest and are not sure which one would be the most profitable, a little more research will be needed. Consider how it will be possible to convert your education and skills into money-making opportunities. Research your surrounding marketplace to see what is needed in your area.

Now if you are trying to find small markets online, be forewarned that this can be tedious and time-consuming. You will first have to think of a list of possible target audiences, then take your first idea and research an exhaustive list of keywords and keyword phrases that people in that target audience are using for information on their desired product. Next, one must research all keywords and phrases for relevancy and then study which keywords on your list might lead to other niches that will need future researching. Then, you need to compare all your keywords to web pages to evaluate the present competition. You will use all your information to narrow down your list to keywords and phrases that have the most online traffic and those that are the least exploited. If your small market does not appear to be profitable, you must start the entire research process over. If you do find one that seems to be a money maker, you then must focus on finding ideas to profit from.


Blend Your Strengthswith

You surely know that a small idea can lead to a great business success. The first movement is to think of an idea that would be suitable for the business market. After coming up with the idea, the next step is to put that idea into action. Of course, this is a very difficult step and having the idea is only the start of the journey. After that you will have to face many obstacles before being able to carry on with your business project. This is just the beginning of this process and there is a lot of questions you will have to answer before even start.

Some of the main aspects you have to concentrate on when you have business ideas are the abilities and gifts you can pour into the business. It is very important for you to be identified with your business project. Those ideas should be based on activities and actions you take pleasure in doing. For example, if we suppose that you dislike working in the open, landscaping business would not suit you. On the other hand, if you like working with children, setting up baby-sitting or tutoring business would be an excellent idea. In this case, without any doubt you business will be more successful because you will have put your mind, effort and also your heart on it.

Another vital step is to analyze the needs of a specific product or service in your region before setting up your business. Do people of your area need your product? Are there other business like the one you are planning to start? You should ask yourself whether or not you are the only one offering that service or product. If you are not, you will have to analyze the competence you will have to face. You have to think whether the service you are offering is one that customer would repeat, or if it is a one-time specialized service. Obviously, the former are more likely to succeed than the latter.

There are other aspects you have to take into account. These aspects are described below:

- One of them is that if the idea is unique, you will reign the market. But if there is much competition, it will be difficult to enter into the market.

- A second point would be if you can offer quality from the very beginning, otherwise, you won't succeed.

- Finally, you have to think about your capital to start your own business. There are many business ideas that require little investment and bring great profit. Some demand research, such as daycare service, and others need a large amount of money to begin the business. So take this recommendation into account before investing all your money in a small business idea.

You May Have A

Successful Small Business Idea


If you own or work for a credit repair business, or you are considering starting a credit repair business, you may have at one time or another considered purchasing exclusive credit repair leads.

For starters, the purchase of credit repair leads is a wise choice for your company because the people that fill out these on line forms for credit repair are serious about getting their credit fixed.

They are not simply surfing the net, looking for information or a free ride. The minute they filled out the form and hit submit, they committed themselves to seeking the help of credit repair professionals and are waiting on a phone call.

Exclusive credit repair leads can be purchased relatively cheap, so it may be in your best interest to buy them that way and eliminate any competition.

Of course before you go and commit yourself to purchasing exclusive credit repair leads, you will want to make sure that they are exactly that.

You certainly don’t want to be purchasing leads that are old or have been recycled.

So before you commit to a credit repair company, call and speak with someone in customer service. Find out how they obtain their leads and how they will be delivered to you.

If you cannot get a hold of anyone in customer service, or you are not satisfied with their answers, than move onto the next credit repair company.

Remember, you work hard for your money, so if you are not happy with the customer service or the answers that they give you, than you can count on not being happy with leads they send you.

Credit Repair Leads


EXCLUSIVE

Keeping Customers

Send your regulars Christmas cards, invite them to meet with you for lunch -- anything you can think of. A good tip is to always use the techniques that your competitors are neglecting.

If your service is one that the customer will need at regular intervals or a certain time of year, make sure you keep track of this in your customer database and send something out then. There’s nothing worse than losing out on a customer’s business just because they didn’t have your phone number to hand and had a little extra time to see an offer from a competitor.

Another good thing to send to your mailing list is a newsletter, either by email or post. Take a few hours each month to write something with useful information about your industry that your customers are likely to keep and find useful, and put your logo on the top so that they can be reminded of you when they see it. As a bonus, you can keep this material archived on your website too, so it can be found by people searching for related words in search engines.

Be Crazy About Feedback.

You need to phone up as many customers as you can to get their feedback after they deal with you. Make sure they were satisfied with what you provided, offer to fix anything that they’re not happy with, and ask them if they can think of any way you could improve. Customers will appreciate this -- and they’ll like it even more if you actually implement their suggestions.

Provide a Personal Service.

Go the extra mile to make your customer feel like they’re your friend, and not just a tracking number in your database. Tailor everything you do to their needs, and make everything easy for them -- don’t leave them to do legwork that you could be doing. After all, they’re the customer.

Finally, cheesy as it might sound, customers really appreciate a little thank you note when you’ve received their payment. For an extra personal touch, you could handwrite it.


LoyalIt's a well-known fact that it costs many times more to acquire a new customer than to keep doing business with your existing ones. For this reason, the best way to become profitable is to have loyal customers who keep coming back again and again. It's all about relationship building. So what can you do?

Customers Aren't as Loyal as They Used to Be.

It used to be that customers would find one service that met their needs and stay with it for absolutely years. Now, though, customers are fickle, and can all-too-easily be tempted away by a competitor's offer if they feel that it sounds cheaper or better than yours. So-called 'loyalty management' has become more of a science than it ever used to be, and it's one that you need to make use of if you don't want to be constantly failing to retain your customers.

Offer Discounts for Repeat Business.

You will see some businesses who give people a 'first-time' discount, as a hook to get people to try their services. This is entirely the wrong way to do it. What you should be trying to do is reward loyalty by giving people a discount each time they use your services. Over time, this makes it so that moving to the competition looks like a ridiculous proposition for them -- why would they when they get a 20% discount from you every time?

Keep Mailing Lists.

You should have at least two mailing lists: one for your prospects (people who might buy from you), and one for your customers (people who have bought from you). You should lavish attention on both lists, but especially on the existing customer one -- and really lay it on thick for anyone who's bought from you more than once. You need to be in contact with your regular customers as much as you can, always understanding their needs and when they might need you again. Don’t worry about this costing masses in direct mail, as you can always do it by email. The secret is this: contact, contact, contact.

Meeting

Observe ethics. What are the participants proposing? What values are revealed by their suggestions? What type of actions do they admire? What do they support and what do they oppose? How much respect do the participants show for each other? Good ethics keep a business on the right side of good.

FiveW

ays to use

A

I

II

III

IV

V

Determine a person’s ability to plan. Does the person who called the meeting have a clear goal and a specific plan to achieve it. People who do, recognize the value of preparation and can be trusted with larger projects.

Measure teamwork. How are the participants working together? Are they making methodical progress toward an agreement, decision, or solution? Are the more skilled participants helping the others? Is the group working toward a result that benefits everyone? People who work as a team contribute more to productivity.

Demonstrate communication. How well do the participants state their ideas? Do they speak clearly? And do they pay attention when others speak? People who communicate well avoid problems such as misunderstandings and arguments.

Determine how people think. Are the participants offering ideas that logically follow what the last person said? How innovative, practical, or useful are the ideas? Are people focused on details or major projects? Are they focused on what happened or upon what happens next? Certainly people think differently, and this helps you observe their strengths.


Let’s face it: Your company or organization is likely to go through a major transformation at some point. Whether it is in a division, within a function, or across the entire organization, you as a leader will need the skills to facilitate the change and help your business continue to thrive efficiently.

Sometimes the reason for change is external; perhaps the change is pushing you. Other times, the reasons for change are internally generated; you are driving and moving the transformation. Either way, change is now the norm, and senior leaders need to be able to handle it with focus, commitment and energy.

Whether your company’s leaders have gone through some sort of formal leadership training or not, a change management program might be the way to make the changes happen as painlessly as possible. An executive leadership program can provide your company with leaders who are creative and driven. And as part of the training, or as a separate one, leaders can be trained to handle a cultural transformation.

A good change management program will be interactive, and tailored to suit your company’s needs and goals. Look for an executive coaching company who is willing to take all aspects of the change into consideration. Not only must one consider revenue; but also communication, performance, and accountability. It is likely that almost everyone and everything is going to be effected by the change and leaders need to think on a broad scale.

Why Change Management Training is Essential

for Your Company


It is important to mention that it is the size of the organization matters more than for-profit or non-profit status in determining the objectives, steps and activities in the Strategic Planning process. Small non-profit and for-profit organizations have a similar manner of conducting business and planning activities that are different from larger non-profit and for-profit organizations.

However, there are certain characteristic distinctions between non-profit and for-profit organizations in relation to focus of the planning activities. Unlike for-profits, which tend to focus primarily on profit-maximizing activities, the non-profit organizations generally are more focused on matters of board development, fundraising and volunteer management. Hence, Non-Profit Strategic Planning concerns keeping in mind the interests of the board, its development and the well-being of its units. It is also aimed at laying stress on raising funds, while the other aspects of planning take a backseat.

New non-profit organizations need to take down strategic plans on paper and create a formal plan, including all the number of considerations a starter non-profit organization needs to take care of.

In case of old or pre-existing non-profit organizations, Strategic Planning requires preparing a long-term map delineating the sequence of activities over several years, from where one is today to where one aims to be in the future. Usually, a period of 3 to 5 years is covered by a strategic plan. The following are to be presented in the plan:

Non-Profit Strategic Planning


· Mission statement of organization, stating the reason for its inception and activities.

· Vision statement throwing light on what the organization is hoping to become.

· Values to be adhered to by the organization in the conduct of its activities.

· Assessment and description of the needs to be fulfilled by the non-profit organization.

· The organization’s immediate goals.

· An assessment of the organization’s present status.

· Strategies adopted to meet the goals and objectives.

Alive September 2014

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Transcript of Alive September 2014