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Hello everyone

Lebelle's Block and Visual Noise are two VERY talented professionals  who are on the rise, and they're trying to make a name for themselves in the modeling/photography industry and they can use your support. You can simply "like" their fan pages below and tell all of your other friends on facebook to support by "likeing" their fan page as well. Also, if you're a model, make-up artist, or photographer or you know someone else who is, Lebelle Block would be delighted to have you on. Thanks so much. :-)

http://www.facebook.com/lebellesblock?ref=ts&fref=ts

http://www.facebook.com/visualnoise1?ref=ts&fref=ts

Becoming a Power Player in the Coaching Business isn't easy, but it's possible.

Ladies – are you:

• A woman with a defined area of expertise or a unique skill to offer the world who is trying to determine if coaching is the right pathway?
• An ambitious female entrepreneur who started your own coaching business and is trying to figure out how to get your business out of first gear?
• A woman who ealized that the corporate world was not for her and left to use your expertise as a coach in your field?
• A professional coach with an established coaching business who isn't earning what you deserve?

If you fit into any of these categories, keep reading.

The Coaching Business is like a game of chess and every woman entrepreneur must play to win. Regardless of your current position in the industry, all women share one common drive – to become the Queen of our respective domain. However, in order to become a Power Player, you must have more than desire and determination; you need to have a Framework for Success.

Let me start by setting the table:

In my twenty-four years in business, I’ve had the opportunity to sit in the C-Suite of two National Healthcare Corporations, work as a Division Chief for three State Government Agencies, serve as a Commissioner for Women in 2 states, and direct a National Women’s Association. In these roles, I hired a variety of coaches to help with skill development, provide training and speak at conferences. Today, as a National Business Consultant and Trainer, I have the pleasure of coaching hundreds of women (and men) in corporate leadership roles, as well as small business entrepreneurs.

Coaching is an industry that’s ripe, if you pick from the right tree! I want to see women entrepreneurs rock the coaching industry like never before; and now is the ideal time. But the only way this can be done is if more women learn how to become “Power Players”. A Power Player is a women that, no matter where she began her coaching journey – be it in the “Hood” or at “Harvard” – knows how to play the game exceptionally well, stand out, and even change the game altogether.

What Does It Take to be a Power Player?

The business arena is the ultimate proving ground for one’s skills and abilities, especially as a coach. It’s the ultimate self-development and growth experience. The business world provides you with the opportunity to stretch your mind and broaden your expertise in the process of producing results for your clients. Coaching is a matter of expanding the capacity of one person or many to win in the Super Bowl of their own life or career, but your coaching skills have to be a proficient enough to show them how to do that.

The structures, models and methodologies of the coaching business are numerous, but most are designed to facilitate learning new behavior for personal growth or professional advancement. Coaching is the process of helping to identify the skills and capabilities that are within a person, and enabling them to use them to the best of their ability. As a coach, you must possess the skill, ability and ingenuity to help people envision and create the better future for themselves or their organizations.

Becoming a Power Player in the coaching industry encompasses four things:

1. Learning the Game – This involves knowing the rules of the industry, understanding your niche in the field, and figuring out what it takes to be one of the top contenders.
2. Playing the Game – This involves knowing how to connect with the right networks, figuring out where to focus your efforts to build your clientele, and what products and services you should offer.
3. Mastering the Game – This involves figuring out how to build eminence in the market and how to position yourself to continuously move through a series of destinations to avoid complacency.
4. Redefining the Game – This involves leaving your mark in the field, becoming a revolutionary coach, and creating a legacy that will impacting others for years to come.

Now that you know what it takes, let’s outline the Power Player Manifesto. To be a powerful coach in today’s business environment, you must be serious about putting your coaching services on the national map and this requires a specific vision, mindset and method. The infographic below provides a framework to show you the four most critical areas for coaches to establish themselves and/or improve in order to step-up their game during the last quarter of 2012 and in 2013.

The Framework:

• Business Strategy – How You Compete:

This helps establish your “position” in the field and guides how you compete. Coaches aren’t and shouldn’t try to be experts in every area. What is your established area of expertise? What type of coach are you – life, business, career, health, fitness, spiritual, executive, dating, financial, etc. Find and establish your niche. Trying to be a jack-of-all-trades makes you a master of none. Likewise, if you were a mailroom supervisor making $38,000 a year at the height of your professional career, you shouldn’t jump into the coaching business claiming to be able to show people how to make a million dollars as entrepreneurs – unless you’ve already made your first million.

Compete based upon what you know, do well, and can demonstrate past results! Your clients will know if your expertise is being recited from a blog or a book or if it came from your own experience and knowledge. Your business strategy should always flow from the position you’re establishing in the market. For example, Life Coaches offer very different services & products, and address a completely different set of issues than Executive Coaches and you don’t want to send a mixed message to clients or potential clients.

• Branding Strategy – How You Build a Name, Reputation and Loyal Clients:

Once you know your business, then you can build a powerful brand. Your brand as a Coach is the platform upon which you stand and the promise of what you plan to offer to clients. Therefore, your brand messaging has to be consistent with the business area in which you’ve positioned yourself. If you’re a Business Coach, why would you market your latest “healthy living” product or "organic soap"? However, if health & wellness is a part of your business coaching platform, how have you integrated the two areas? Do your clients understand the correlation between all of your products and services? You don’t want potential clients to think that you’ve changed focus areas based upon your brand messaging, particularly if you cater to corporate clients.

• Financial Strategy – How You Profit:

This is where the rubber meets the road. If you’ve started or plan to launch a coaching business for lifestyle economy reasons (i.e. to augment your 9-5 paycheck) and you’re not looking to build wealth as an entrepreneur, then none of this information is really pertinent. But, if you are in the coaching business to build an enterprise economy, then you must have the right financial strategy and revise it as the needs or trends in the market change. Do you know what are other coaches charging? Are your products comparable? Upon what did you base your pricing model? Did you know that pricing is related to and can actually dictate your target market? Pricing too low or too high can also make it difficult for you to move up or down at a later date.

Keep in mind that Ken Blanchard can bill a million+ dollars for his teams coaching services. Your products and methods may be just as good, if not better, but you have to prove that you are worth the higher bill rate. Posting YouTube videos of yourself sitting on your bed giving a coaching lesson in business management strategies won't get you to the million dollar club! Proven business experience comes from results and outcomes. What results can you show with current clients to substantiate your pricing model or bill rate?

• Leadership Strategy – How You Build Eminence and Grow Your Business:

Okay – now for some real talk. If you don’t consistently play this game like you’re a “true” WNBA player, then you’ll end up on the bench or in early retirement. You must focus on optimizing what you offer and maximizing the results for your clients. Every day hundreds of men and women are stepping into the coaching field, including CEO’s from billion dollar corporations with “proven business experience” and the competition is fierce. Whatever got you to where you are today, won’t keep you there tomorrow.

If you want to be a leader in the field, you must be innovative and focus on solutions. Leaders don’t follow the same tactics as others, they figure out how to do things better and how to add more value than their competitors. Ask yourself this question, if you had to pitch a proposal for coaching services in "Change Management" to a group of CEO's from 3 Fortune 500 Companies, what innovative service or product could you bring to them that would make you a top contender against Ken Blanchard Companies, Anthony Robbins, or even another small business coach? This question illustrates why your leadership strategy must focus on where you want to go as a coach, and not just on where you are today!

Was this article helpful? I'd love to hear your comments!

If you are serious about becoming a Business-Savvy Entrepreneur and a Successful Coach and you want to increase your earning potential, Monique Stoner can help!

Visit her website at www.moniquestoner.com. Monique has upcoming webinars focused on helping women in the Coaching and Consulting Businesses. LIKE her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MoniqueStonerFanPage to get immediate notices about her webinars.

Monique is also launching the MBA Center for Women website and virtual training services on Oct. 16, 2012 at www.mbacenterforwomen.com. 

Check out the MBACW e-Brochure!

P.E.A.S Magazine

As many of us know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. As someone who has lost loved ones to this disease, I am happy to introduce an entrepreneur that is looking to bring awareness to this disease, year round.  Lindsey Compton is the CEO and founder of Hair's A Cure, which is a breast cancer foundation that seeks to celebrate the love of healthy black hair & body while raising awareness and funds for breast cancer treatments. At 22 years of age, I am impressed to witness her tenacity and passion for such an important cause. After having some life challenges, Lindsey quickly realized that God's plan for her was different than what she planned. While researching statistics of breast cancer for African-American men and women, she came up with, Hair's A Cure. Here is some of the research she found: Of the estimated 34(%) percent of African-American women diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011, nearly 19(%) percent of them passed away – that’s over 6,000 lives taken due to this disease. 77(%) percent of African-American women who are diagnosed with breast cancer survive compared to 90(%) percent of Caucasian, non-Hispanic women.

Lindsey's goal is to educate African-American men and women on the importance of healthy living, bring awareness of Breast Cancer and raise money to help diagnosed patients pay for treatments. She shared with me that, "Hair’s A Cure will help increase the survival rate, and teach women about the importance of our health from the soles of our feet to the ends of our hair strands". I hope you enjoy her story.

1. Tell me your story. What were you doing before you started your own business?

Right before I started my business I was making plans to fly off to New York and attend graduate school. Unfortunately, things came up that made me depressed for a short period of time. I began to realize earlier this summer (2012) that my plans for my life were not the plans God had for my life.

I was so used to strategically planning the next steps in my path that I had lost my understanding for a moment that God directs us where he needs us in life. For me, that was Hair's A Cure.

As a 22-year-old, I was shocked and disheartened when seeing that African-American women have the highest mortality rate of  breast cancer related deaths compared to any other race (41% higher).  This has a lot to do with lack of funds, lack of early detection, and other preventable actions (please read the article here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/therootdc/post/breast-cancer-mortality-rates-for-african-american-women-disproportionately-high/2012/04/09/gIQAxJoR6S_blog.html?socialreader_check=0&denied=1 )

Although it is taking a lot of work to reach my dream of saving lives, I'm pursuing my path one small step at a time!

2. What made you want to start a business and what is your mission?

I wanted to start Hair's A Cure because I was appalled by the statistics of African-American women and men who die each year due to factors related to either not being able to afford breast cancer treatments or late tumor detection.

One day I was just thinking about all of these staggering statistics and the thought of "Hair's A Cure" came to mind. Beyond that, as of eight months ago I have been extremely involved within the community of natural hair and healthier living. This combined with God's dream gave me the inspiration to start this business.

My mission is to "Promote Hair Just as Healthy as Breasts" and I want to do this by offering affordable cancer treatments to African-American women and men who cannot afford them, while educating our race on the importance of healthy eating. What we eat DOES make a difference in our health and helps to prevent diseases.

3. What inspires you? What keeps you motivated daily to keep growing your business?

My motivation is imagining the day I will be able to drive to the homes of women and men whom I have helped to give funds for affordable cancer treatments. That is my motivation, and that is what helps to keep me going.

4. Do you have a mentor? Who is it and why? Do you believe it's important to have one?

No, no mentor! I believe it's important to have one, but I have yet to find one of my own. For now I set my eyes on Christ and pray for the best.

5. What would you tell someone who wants to get involved in your line of business but doesn't know how to get started?

Realize that this is not about you or making your money. This industry has turned into money hungry people capitalizing off of individuals who are dying from this disease. It's sick, actually.

If you want to save lives then save lives. There's nothing wrong with creating a special breast cancer t-shirt or planning fundraising events. But when your ultimate motive is to make yourself money, then that's a problem. This is (and should be) a sacrificial move to help others because you have been blessed to be alive, healthy and well.

You have to have a passion for this. If you don't have passion for this field, then find out what your passion is and go from there. You will be 10 times more successful by doing what you were meant to do rather than forcing yourself into a place you don't fit.

6. What advice would you give to someone with an entrepreneurial spirit?

Simple, never stop dreaming, but don't keep dreaming to the point where you don't get up and take action in pursing your dreams. Success does not fall out of the sky. You have to climb the ladder to reach it.

It's a lonely road to the top, believe me. But it's a rewarding one in the end.

7. How can anyone get involved and help your foundation?

We are looking for donations of $10 or more to help with startup costs and to help get treatments for patients in need. Here is the donation link: http://www.gofundme.com/hairsacure.

I want to thank Lindsey for taking the challenge to share her business with us. She has started a great cause and I hope you will find it in your heart to help her and others in any way. Support Breast Cancer Awareness Month anyway you can.

________________________________________________________________________________

Be someone’s motivation and tell us your story! To be featured on PeopleWhoProsper.com email Tamara@garrisonprosperitysolutions.com. Put PEOPLEWHOPROSPER in the subject line and share a little about yourself.

Do you have a product or service you can sell to Walmart?

Walmart has just survived a class action lawsuit by the skin of their teeth. To get ahead of potential smaller lawsuits they are announcing the above initiative. So jump in and take advantage of this golden opportunity. Use guilt to your advantage.

Contact your regional manager of Walmart to offer your goods and services to take advantage of  this window of opportunity.

For the full press story see the link below.

ttp://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-14/wal-mart-to-announce-multibillion-dollar-women-s-initiative.html

Michelle S. Hawkins

Celebrating my 500th post with a giveaway.

http://wirequeen.blogspot.com/2012/10/celebrating-my-500th-post-with-giveway.html

When you are inclined in the profession of hair styling, perhaps one of your greatest dreams is to be part of the few yet very good top hair dressers in your country or even in the world. It’s a very difficult journey but not an impossible one. It is not even impossible for those who have no knowledge and zero training at all, for the most important factor to be successful in this field is your determination, commitment, and your very own unique eyes. If it’s possible to be the industry’s leader, where should you start?

1. Start by acquainting yourself with the numerous hair cutting and styling methods and techniques. This would eventually consume bulk of your time. Even when you already consider yourself as a professional, there are still some items to consider and lessons to learn. An aspiring top hair stylist will not progress when there are gaps and omissions in his or her learning curve. Neither can he or she keep up with competition if he or she is unaware of cuts and styles others are offering.

2. Start with a few yet loyal clienteles. Though you would want to be recognized by as many people as possible to be the best hair stylist, it still pays to be patient and let the laws of nature and economics take their course. Concentrate on giving your best shot even with a few clients that you currently have, for the good news (your very good work) will eventually spread out. Instead of allotting your time massively promoting your services elsewhere, just prepare for the load of referrals that your current customers may provide when you get your job done exceptionally.

3. The industry leaders have keen pair of eyes capable of identifying hair styles whether they look good or exceptionally good. They are concentrated on providing the latter. Getting a haircut and hair styling done good means that your work is merely acceptable and is common. Creating an exceptional look suggests that your work is hailed above the average and an exception to what is acceptable, that it is somewhat unique and can only be tagged as your own creation.

4. Bring your imaginations to life. Most of the time, the best hair stylist can already imagine the perfect cut, twists, and curls at the mere instant of seeing the client’s hair. It’s a very good sign of an artistic and skillful mind. Implement all your planned creations however odd-looking they may be. The top hair stylists of today made their mark with the help of their crazy ideas.

5. Search for a good mentor. Aside from the lessons which may be imparted to you, explore more for other ideas. Join seminars and conventions on hair styling. When given an opportunity, seek employment under one of the best hair and fashion stylist in your country or area, even just as an assistant. You will eventually learn some tips and tricks by mere watching and listening.

6. Establish communication or a strong relationship with each of your client. If possible, get to know their personalities and lifestyles. It’s not only a form of excellent customer service but also a chance for you to learn even more.

About Author:

Charlotte Howard is a Celebrity Radio Host, Salon Business Expert, Lifestyle Coach, Hair Artist, Author and Founder of The Hair Artist Association teaching about the power of Beauty!

Hello BBWO,

Now that I'm back from speaking at Blogalicious 2012 I have a wealth of new information and resources to share. For starters click here and find out how to get investment capital for your business. Also note that you can click here to add your own videos to BBWO.

Did you know October is Women's Small Business Month? I believe that your business success depends on the company you keep, which is why I will be hosting the SistaSense Power Circle as a LIVE 2013 Conference + expo here in Chapel Hill NC this January. Want to be the first to get all the details plus speaker list, click here.

Sharing / browsing events on BBWO is a great way to stay in the loop. As a matter of fact I will also be co-hosting the Good Life Girlfriends Women's Day event here in Raleigh NC very soon. GLG early bird tickets were gone in the first 24 hours! Women entrepreneurs right now are getting serious about being informed, motivated and successful, I hope you are too.

Expect to see more videos, event updates, and how-tos from BBWO in the next few weeks. Let's make sure you close out the final quarter of 2012 in a big way! More to come. -lh

p.s. If you want to send me a direct email the address is lhenry@sistasense.com.

Having a company is really a potential risk, with the intensity to make you a great deal of money or to ruin you completely. Among the right steps to take in managing a business effectively is to build proper business credit for your company. Among the most significant actions you need to take to create successful business credit is to separate your business credit from your individual credit. This safeguards your personal life from possible credit harm if your business credit ends up not doing very well, so if you would prefer to finance a vehicle or perhaps a house, you would not be denied, for bad credit simply because of your business.

Personal credit and business credit laws are handled quite in a different way, generally in most instances any deceptive or inaccurate facts on your personal credit history you can challenge it and also the personal credit unions would settle it for you within one month. No such law protects business credit profiles, so are going to have to be extra careful when handling business credit.

Before you even sign up for business credit, you need to have your business in compliance with the recognized standard or the credit bureaus would most likely not even take into consideration your application.

It is up to you to be in compliance by obtaining all the things that are necessary for your business before you even apply. You should have the opportunity to obtain a loan without the use of your personal information to be eligible or business credit. If you aren't in compliance and you attempt to apply for business credit, you will more than most likely find yourself wasting your time, cash and other resources.

It's then up to you to apply for the business credit profile that suites your company, Sole proprietorship, Partnerships or Corporation, having fully understood the effects of each. For example in a Sole proprietorship you are accountable for debts incurred by your company and personal assets could be withdrawn in need be.

Soon after you are secure with all this information, you can then apply and get yourself a business credit profile.

It is essential that you separate business credit from personal credit, if your business credit runs bad, in the event that you require mortgage or financing or a car. It would be more difficult, if your personal credit had been ruined by your company.

"The goal isn't to be like White or Asian women; the goal is to be healthier Black women."

Urgent Message: Bargain deal on “Soul” Yoga Paradise retreat to the Bahamas Strictly For BBWO Members! Limited Time Offer.

Researchers have suggested that health disparities in African American women, including adverse birth outcomes, lupus, obesity, and untreated depression, can be explained by stress and coping. The Strong Black Woman/Superwoman role has been highlighted as a phenomenon influencing African American women’s experiences and reports of stress. Superwoman Schema: African American Women’s Views on Stress, Strength, and Health

Compared to other females, Black women have a shorter life expectancy and carry the highest mortality rate for many killer diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, infant mortality, HIV/AIDS and more. Compared to women of other races, Black women are also least likely to get married; and for decades, Black women's natural physical attributes have been criticized, but when purchased by others, those same attributes are deemed desirable, sexy and alluring. Go figure. Living Well, Despite Catchin' Hell: The Black Woman's Guide to Health, Sex and Happiness.

If you agree with the research, then you know you can’t play games with your health. Too much stress is dramatically impacting you. You need a retreat, by us for us!

In exactly 26 days Master Teacher Yirser Ra Hotep and Neter Aunkh Aakhu the two certifiers of Kemetic Yoga in America are teaming up with a few other teachers to present a one of a kind Soul Yoga Paradise Intensive Weekend Retreat.

This retreat is perfect if you are looking to de-stress, improve your health, and have major fun.
With just 28 days to go a few spots remain open but rather than just cancel, they decided to make a one-time special offer to BVSGA to see if we can fill those extra spots.

The great thing about it the deal is a 40% or 200 dollar savings off of an already reasonably priced retreat. Why? Because they realize even 28 days is very short notice so if you can make a decision quickly you can benefit tremendously.

For details go to:
Soulyogaparadise.splashthat.com

Four days in Paradise with these top practitioners will benefit you tremendously.
You’ll:

• Loose a few extra pounds
• Look years younger
• Gain more energy
• Make new friends on the health journey you are on.
• Discover healthier eating options
• Get tons of useful practices and techniques to master stress, quickly prevent disease or eliminate sickness from the body.
• Learn self-healing techniques and save on medical costs.
• Experience the ultimate getaway in the presence of experienced, top level African American practitioners
• Learn how to stay forever young in body mind and soul
• Learn ancient techniques for rapid life transformation, more fun, more joy, more peace.
• Learn how to enhance yourself spirituality in practical ways by focusing on techniques that build your internal resolve, will and character.
• Discover the role of Black people in the history of Yoga and the role they play today and on into the future.

Here are the basics:

• The retreat includes 3 nights 4 days in one of the top hotels on the island of Nassau: The Wyndahm Ambassador Hotel
• It includes over 20 hours of yoga workshops on everything from self-mastery to prosperity meditations.
• It includes a Vegan meal a day.
• Nov 2-4 2012 is the actual conference
• Normal Cost$595 BBWO $395(can be made in two payments)
• Here are the requirements to qualify for the discount
• You must be able to come in Thurs Nov 1 and leave Sunday afternoon /evening Nov 4.
• The deal is based on number of respondents once you sign for more info in 24 hours we will know if it’s a go.
• You must be ready to pay in full or make a payment in 48 hours otherwise the deal is off.
• This price is based on triple occupancy, if you prefer double add $100 to the total
• Your budget should be a minimum of $1000+ fun money. Flights from major cities average around 475 if you come in Thursday and leave Sunday.

If you can meet these requirements please sign up @ Soulyogaparadise.splashthat.com or call Neter Aunkh (305)651-4020

Getting a company is a potential risk, with the power to build you a great deal of money or to destroy you completely. One of the right steps to take in running a company effectively would be to build proper business credit for your business. One of the most important actions you need to take to create successful business credit would be to separate your business credit out of your individual credit. This safeguards your personal life from possible credit damage if your business credit ends up not working on very well, so if you would like to finance a vehicle or a house, you wouldn't be turned down, for poor credit simply because of your company.

Personal and business credit laws are handled quite differently, generally in most cases any misleading or inaccurate facts on your personal credit history you can challenge it and the personal credit unions would settle it for you within 30 days. No such law protects business credit profiles, so are going to have to be extra careful when dealing with business credit.

Before you even sign up for business credit, you need to have your company in compliance with the standard or the credit bureaus would most likely not even take into consideration your application.

It's up to you to be in compliance by obtaining all the details that are necessary for your company before you will apply. You should be able to obtain a loan without the use of your personal data to qualify or business credit. In case you are not in compliance and you attempt to apply for business credit, you'll more than most likely turn out wasting your time, money and other resources.

It's then up to you to apply for the business credit profile that suites your business, Sole proprietorship, Corporation or Partnership, having fully understood the effects of each. For example in a Sole proprietorship you are accountable for debts incurred by your company and personal assets might be withdrawn in need be.

Soon after you are confident with all this information, you can then apply and get yourself a business credit profile.

It is essential that you separate business credit from individual credit, if your business credit runs poor, in the occasion that you require mortgage or financing or perhaps a car. It could be more difficult, if your personal credit had been ruined by your business.

If you’re a serious minded Black Business Woman, I’m sure that when you saw the term Business-Savvy Barrier in the title of this post, you raised your eyebrows and thought, “What the what?” But the numbers representing our success and progress compared to women in other races are startling. Black women business owners have come a long way in the past 20 years, but we still have a way to go.

Despite the growth of Black women entrepreneurs, there are multiple challenges, specifically regarding the income disparity experienced in the entrepreneurial sector. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, although Black female business ownership is up 59% since 2002, we only generate a little more than 3% of the gross sales receipts of the $1.2 billion dollars of all women-owned small business firms.

These are the demographics of the top three women-owned small business firms by race: White (72%); black (12%); and Asian (7%). While there are approximately 388,759 more Black women business owners than Asian women, they generate $51 million dollars more in annual gross sales receipts. Conversely, Black men with small businesses earn an average of $103,310 annually, compared to Black women business owners who earn an annual average of $43,000. This is disturbing and ladies, we must do better!

This suggests that Black men are somehow more successful in charting their ascent up the business ladder, being their own bosses, and spearheading their own economic futures. This may also indicate that Black female entrepreneurs have significant hurdles to overcome outside the corporate setting without access to capital, economic resources, angel investors, and eminent business advisors with “real-world” experience to help navigate the rough business terrain.

This should be an eye-opener for Black women business owners collectively. If, as the data indicates, we are struggling with disparity in gross sales receipts, what will it take to change the numbers? How can we enhance our Earning Power? I’ve already pointed out several barriers that we must overcome, but there are also other major obstacles such as lack of market expansion. Studies have also shown that Black women tend to network and sell to “our own people”, because we perceive that they are most interested in our products and services. But by far, the most substantial hurdle has to do with being Business-Savvy.

Is the research pointing to a legitimate short-coming? Is there a Business-Savvy Barrier for Black women entrepreneurs? Strong Business Acumen (the term I prefer) involves having solid business management skills such as, financial acumen, driving strategy and innovation, critical thinking, and the ability to build strategic relationships. This goes beyond technical skill and the depth of knowledge that you may have regarding your industry. So, for Black women, the missing element of the success and financial profitability equation is Business Acumen.

Black women have brilliant business ideas, but we have to shift our focus to learning how to become “Masters in Business Acumen”. Our businesses have the potential to get us a much bigger piece of the revenue pie. So how can Black women bridge the financial gap and greatly enhance our gross receipts over the next several years? Here are four steps that I suggest:

1. Become More Business-Savvy: This means cultivate a deeper understanding of the business behind your business. From a business portfolio perspective, you must be cognizant of the primary functions that impact the bottom-line of your small business: Cash Flow (i.e. days of cash on hand and speed of cash generation), Customers (acquiring, serving and retaining them), Growth (achieved through new or enhanced products or services, reaching new customers, or moving into new markets), and Return (as a function of margin and velocity).
2. Develop Financial Acumen: Don’t relegate this to a bookkeeper and then glance at the numbers when you get your reports. You must learn how to interpret the story that the numbers tell and take the appropriate action (strategic and/or tactical) in response to that story. This means knowing exactly what your company's financial numbers mean and their implications.
3. Constantly Focus on Business Strategy: The business arena is all about change, all the time, no matter what industry you’re in—and that's more evident now than ever before. Your business strategy must do three things effectively: gain customer preference, create a sustainable competitive advantage, and leave money in the bank. To avoid the red zone of failure or to move from just breaking even, you must operate more strategically.
4. Understand the Power of Positioning: Whether you are a new business owner or seasoned, you wear the mantle of a business leader. Innovation and strategy within your business will be driven by your great ideas and your ability to execute and implement those ideas. Understand your current position in the marketplace, see where your industry is heading and then take a LEAD position – get in the front of the line and deliver!

To know how closely you fit in the statistics, ask yourself this question: Based upon your tax return from 2011, would your accountant say that you have a “business” or a “hobby”? I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic.

I have a new virtual service coming on October 16, 2012 that can help you enhance your Business Acumen.  Take a look at this e-Brochure to learn more.  If you are serious about becoming a Business-Savvy Black Woman and want to increase your earning potential, the MBA Center for Women can help you! If you would like more information or want to sign-up for the MBACW mailing list, please visit http://www.moniquestoner.com/the-mba-center-for-women/. The MBACW website and virtual training services can be previewed live on October 9, 2012 at www.mbacenterforwomen.com.

Internet and network marketer must understand the basics of SEO to ensure that content and website promotion reaches search engines like Google and Yahoo. When you have a better understanding of how search engines work, you'll know what you have to do to get your articles, blog posts, videos, etc., to rank high on Google.


The first thing you should know and be concerned about are keywords. Google will rank a website based on what they scan when the site is visited. For instance, if they see a site that has the keyword "lose weight for good" throughout the content on the site, Google will then put that website on the search engines for that specific keyword.  This way, people who are searching for information on that topic will be able to find what they need. Remember, Google operates for visitors to find what they need.


Now if you have keywords all throughout your site, you will still need off-page optimization with backlinks to get the high rankings. Backlinks will get your site noticed and bring in lots of traffic which is what you want. The popularity of your site is crucial to the internet and your business. Having other websites linking back to your site is a huge plus. Websites that are robust with authority will have Google going crazy. In order for you to gain this popularity that Google loves so much, you have to have links on other sites to link back to your site. If you publish an article or guest post on another blog, leave your URL in your bio. You can even do this when you make comments in places like

Yahoo Answers, forums, blog posts, videos, etc. There are many ways you can do this on different networks. Also, making sure your page is optimized for search engines is a great idea. You absolutely do not want to leave this on-page optimization out.   This is when you include your web page title, meta description, and meta keywords. Make sure these are targeted keywords or key phrases.   


Since you have an idea of how SEO workds, you can now start to improve your website to work toward high rankings on search engines. Be consisent in learning how to use SEO in your marketing efforts.

More info on the blog at http://www.selfmadesavvy.com/info

You know how you always hear "give something away to attract new clients"?  Well, everybody seems to give the same old stuff - articles, audio, etc.  Don't get me wrong.  A lot of giveaways have great value.  Sometimes businesses give away too much, but usually it's designed with the end users best interest in mind.

Giving things away for free is a fantastic way to get contact information, build subscribers, run contests or make product sales. But what kind of goodies might be creative, interesting, innovative? Here I'll share just a few ideas.

#1: USB Drives

Buying a USB drive on eBay only costs a few dollars. If you're buying them in bulk, you can get them even cheaper.

Take a bunch of USB drives and load them up with videos, audios or text content. Then give the USB drives away. That can have a much higher perceived value than having people download the files themselves.

#2: Pens

I love pens.  Pens are one of my passions.  (Check out my all time favorite pen hereon my Pinterest board, the Cross Year of the Dragon - ok, I digress).  As a giveaway, you can brand both high quality pens and low quality pens. While some people won't go out of their way for a pen, it could be a great item to include in a product. And a reminder of where to find you if you add your website or company name.

#3: Cups and Mugs

What if you came up with a cup design that people would actually want on their counters?  Instead of just putting your logo on it, think of creative designs, sayings, images you can include.

If you can come up with a unique design that people love, they'll definitely go out of their way to get that cup.

#4: DVDs and Videos

Another creative giveway - free DVDs or videos. While the up-front cost in creating videos may vary, once a video is created it becomes a very affordable item you can give away forever.

Printing a new DVD only costs a few dollars. Giving away an online video is completely free. And videos have a very high perceived value, making it an ideal giveaway item.

#5: T-Shirts

Much like mugs, you want your shirt to be unique. Don't think in terms of just adding your logo.  After all, people may not be inclined to be your walking billboard...

BUT

What if you try to have something funny, conscience-boosting, or shocking on the shirt? For instance, consider including an infographic or a quote with an image. Make it a shirt that people will want to wear...then add a small logo on it.

#6: Old Stuff

If you have old items sitting around that probably won't ever sell, you may be better off just using it as a free giveaway.

Do you have a batch of CDs sitting around?  Instead of hoping someone will buy them (which they probably won't), you can make good use of them as free bonuses.

#7: Quirky Objects

Quirky objects can include stretchy plastic toys, odd electronics and other small, portable objects that do strange things. These objects may not be particularly useful, but can be fun giveaways. If you can find some way to tie it back to your brand or product, even better.

I bet you can come up with other items you can giveaway in your business. Feel free to mix and match what I've suggested, or simply use these ideas as inspiration to come up with your own.

Joining Social Networks

If you would like to meet and communicate with other internet users, especially ones that share the same views and beliefs as you do, then you may want to think about joining a social networking website, such as Facebook, Twitter, or Linkedin, and setting up your social profile if you haven’t already done so. When it comes to easily finding and communicating online with other internet users, social networking is the best way to go.

If you are interested in joining a social network the first thing that you will need to do is find a network to join. You can easily find a number of networks by searching the internet. For the best search results, you may want to search with the words "social networking" or "social networking websites". In your search, you will most likely come up with a large number of different networking sites. Popular sites that may be included in your search results may include, but will not be limited to, MySpace, Orkut, Yahoo! 360, FriendFinder, FriendWise, Facebook, and Classmates, just to name a few.

Once you have made the decision to join a particular social networking website, whether or not it is one of the ones mentioned above, you will need to need to register with the site. Even free networking communities require that you go through the registration process. Once you are registered, you should be able to start communicating with other community members. Before you start communicating, you may need to develop your online social profile or profile page, depending on the networking site in question. Although it may seem easy enough to create a profile, there are many internet users who are unsure exactly what they should and should not include.

Read the rest here...http://bit.ly/SHuPTj

BLACK GIRLZ PRODUCTIONS, LLC PRESENTS CHEATING ON MY MISTRESS (STAGEPLAY) WHEN ONE WOMAN IS NOT ENOUGH

CHEATING ON MY MISTRESS main character ,Carmelo Miller, has a boat load of money, a trophy wife named Cynthia, and a body that will make any woman scream…“good lawd!”   Looking from the outside in, you would think everything was peaches and cream.  However, there is one major problem. He is not honoring his vows. As Carmelo battles with serving two masters, his perfect world comes to a quick halt when a young vibrant video vixen named Monique dances her way into his life.

Up and coming playwright, Shaneisha Dodson is a 2011 literary excellence award winner and a 2011 African American literary award nominee. Dodson has a love for the arts and adapted her novel Cheating on my Mistress into a stageplay that is currently receiving rave reviews. People are hailing “What an awesome play with a very good meaning. This is a must see, especially for young men and women.” Mark your calendars because the next stop is Dallas, TX!

You don’t want to miss out on this extradionary play. Come out and get your laugh on!

Shaneisha Dodson is now bringing her amazing production to The Black Academy of Arts Letters Saturday November 17, 2012. The show begins at 7pm.  Tickets are only $25 and can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com.

I know right? Only 90 days until 2013. And if you haven't thought about it yet, ask yourself... what have you done in 2012? If you own a business, have you met your financial goals for 2012 so far? Have you met your customer service goals for the year? Did you even start the business you wanted to or are you still thinking and talking about it? What about if you have started a movement, does the world know about your cause? Did you get the job or start the career you wanted?

Well, if you haven't met your goals, I'm here to tell you that you still (or ONLY) have 90 days to reach your goals for 2012. You should start a countdown now to push yourself to meet your most important goals. If you are looking to get started in 2013, this is a great time to begin your planning process. You should be planning how you are going to be successful in 2013. You should be writing your business plan, looking for investors, or figuring out how you are going to finance your business.

For some of you, the answer will be positive. For those of you that have met your goals so far, I applaud you for working so hard! For those of you that do not have a positive answer, this is not to make you feel like a failure but it is a friendly reminder to wake up and ask yourself, WHAT HAVE I DONE IN 2012??

Let's get to work and make the last 90 days prosperous!

We would love to hear from those that have had a good 2012, how did you do it? What advice do you have for those still trying to meet goals in the next 90 days?

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