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Finding Black Businesses Online

Believe it or not, I’ve spent a good portion of the last ten years searching for Black Businesses Online. I like convenience as much as the next shopper, but it’s almost impossible to shop conveniently when trying to support other black owned businesses. I’m sure you know what I mean. It’s ten times easier to simply go to your local Walmart or Target for just about everything, than it is to find local black products and black business owners to support. Finding Black Businesses isn’t always easy, but it’s a challenge worth undertaking. Being a black entrepreneur, I feel it’s important to support other black businesses as much as I expect others to support me. Long story short, among the many things that I do online, I maintain the Search Urban Directory, which is in my opinion one of the biggest and most comprehensive online directories of black businesses and black websites. I’m always impressed by the new and exciting minority owned businesses that are submitted to the Search Urban Directory on a weekly basis. Contrary to popular belief, we do have an ever growing number of black inventors and innovators creating products and services designed to make our lives better. If I can support them simply by maintaining this directory, I know that I’m making it a little easier and a little more convenient for other black consumers to commit to buying black online and in their local communities. The Search Urban Directory: http://searchurban.msoyonline.com Top Categories: Natural Hairstyles | Black Business | Black Women
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10 Things Social Media Is NOT…

After doing several Social Media Workshops, Panel discussions and everything in between. I am writing this article for all of the conversations, discussions and pushback. I hope this list adds some value.Social Media is NOT…1. It is NOT the Holy Grail… Yes it is everywhere. Yes it is low cost. Yes it is effective. Yes it is Powerful if used properly. It still can only be one prong of your overall marketing approach. Social Media is designed to strengthen and insulate relationships. You still need some traditional marketing. Obviously this is based on your market, your company, your goals etc. It is meant to enhance and amplify your message. Do not put all your eggs in any basket. Balance, prioritize, have a strategy and goals. Engage you audience.2. It is NOT Magic… You are not pulling a rabbit out of a hat. It is not a way to pull the cover over your customer’s eyes. So let me advise not going out and planting those beans in hopes of a magic beanstalk.3. It is NOT Fake… I truly believe it can be either the most powerful tool or the biggest fake. Always remember that you have to earn attention. It is creating, maintaining and enhancing relationships. So do not have someone write tweets for you. Work hard at providing the right experience for the right audience in an authentic and genuine way.4. It is NOT One-Way… I hear SO many people say that they do not think a social media tool doesn’t work or that social media overall is not an effective medium. Then after discussion with them about how they are using it, we discover they use it as a broadcast medium. They do not engage with the audience. They create content and let it sit without using the real power of the medium. CONVERSATION. This creates connection.5. It is NOT Advertising… It is not about you. It is social exchange of ideas, thoughts, insights and best practices. The great news for those who forget. It is Social Media and it is in the title for you. It is SOCIAL. It is a chance to interact with your customers, prospects and suspects in an engaging way.6. It is NOT Something to Do Without a Plan… Take the time and effort to set some goals, a benchmark. Have an idea where your audience is and what you are going to share with them. Start with a destination and then a map of how you will get there. If you do not, then any road will get you there and that road may be through un-travelable roads or roads with heavy roadblocks.7. It is NOT Corporate… Again, this is human and personal. Do not talk about you, your products or your company. Do not talk like a corporation in your annual report. Do not talk with your logo. Speak in a voice. Be real. Be from this planet. Have fun and relax.8. It is NOT a Replacement For Eyeball to Eyeball… It is a way to enhance person to person networking. It strengthens relationships. It is a great way to share or talk about events.9. It is NOT a FREE… So even though the platforms require a very low cost. It requires a lot of human capital to run a successful social media campaign. There is a big cost; it just doesn’t come in the way of subscription or dues. There is also a bigger cost of avoiding and putting on the backburner.10. It is NOT Without Work & Effort… You cannot just put up a profile and then go away. It requires interaction and engagement. The effort can not be when you want. It has to be frequent, consistent and sustained.Even though this list is not exhaustive, it is something to think about.Other Related Article(s)I wrote another article last week you might also enjoy about 10 Myths of Social Media - http://tr.im/tSLS* By Chad Rothschild MBA, Marketing & Branding Expert | Social Media Marketing Authority | Author | Speaker | Workshops | www.chadrothschild.com
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NEW PRODUCTS

Hello All,I have officially introduced two new products to my line: Bath Salts and Bath Teas. I am PayPal Verified so, send me a line and pick up something for yourself TODAY!!!~Ms Ebonée
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Reach 200,000 Potential Customers

The 2009 African American Holiday Gifts Guide will be advertised to at least 200,000 African American potential customers - educated people and book buyers.It costs just $10 to advertise. Your ad will remain online for a year.Please contact me privately if you would like to place an ad. I will be advertising a wide range of products.For more info, visit: African American Holiday Gift ShoppingHere's to your success!Zhana
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Five Characteristics of Goal Setting - Part 1If you have ever taken any courses in strategic planning you might be familiar with the concept of S.M.A.R.T. goals. SMART goals define for us what a goal should look like. So now I want to build upon this acronym with my interpretation of what S.M.A.R.T. goals are:Specific: Do you know exactly what you want to accomplish?Action: Write out your goals in detail.Measurable: Are you able to assess your progress?Action: Create a timetable to measure your outcome.Attainable: Is your goal within your reach given your current situation?Action: Are you doing more than you really are qualified to do? Are people, places and things in line to help you fulfill your goal?Realistic: Is your goal relevant towards your purpose in life?Action: What is the purpose of this goal? Remember create realistic goals not dreams.Timely: What is the deadline for completing your goal?Action: Is this the right time? Then set a start and ending date for completion.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Don't forget to join the Women Who Win Network at www.WomenWhoWin.ning.com. Create your own group and invite all your friends for wonderful information about scholarships, grants, business startup info, credit and debt help.Copyright © Elizabeth Felder - UnStoppable Women Who Win, All Rights Reserved. Articles may not be reproduced in original or altered form without written authorization by Elizabeth Felder - UnStoppable Women Who Win.Coach Elizabeth FelderAuthor & Life Coach to Women
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Five Characteristics of Goal Setting - Part 1If you have ever taken any courses in strategic planning you might be familiar with the concept of S.M.A.R.T. goals. SMART goals define for us what a goal should look like. So now I want to build upon this acronym with my interpretation of what S.M.A.R.T. goals are:Specific: Do you know exactly what you want to accomplish?Action: Write out your goals in detail.Measurable: Are you able to assess your progress?Action: Create a timetable to measure your outcome.Attainable: Is your goal within your reach given your current situation?Action: Are you doing more than you really are qualified to do? Are people, places and things in line to help you fulfill your goal?Realistic: Is your goal relevant towards your purpose in life?Action: What is the purpose of this goal? Remember create realistic goals not dreams.Timely: What is the deadline for completing your goal?Action: Is this the right time? Then set a start and ending date for completion.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Don't forget to join the Women Who Win Network at www.WomenWhoWin.ning.com. Create your own group and invite all your friends for wonderful information about scholarships, grants, business startup info, credit and debt help.Copyright © Elizabeth Felder - UnStoppable Women Who Win, All Rights Reserved. Articles may not be reproduced in original or altered form without written authorization by Elizabeth Felder - UnStoppable Women Who Win.Coach Elizabeth FelderAuthor & Life Coach to Women
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I just recently lost 10 lbs so I had to reward myself with a hot fudge brownie sundae. A homemade brownie, vanilla icecream (though I wish it was Blue Bell), hot fudge, whipped cream and a cherry. I was not counting one single, solitary calorie and if I could have thought of something else to add on to it I would have! It took me about 30 minutes to eat it because I savored every morsel!Ladies, when you get overwhelmed with the thoughts, goals, aspiration, tasks, responsibilities, and dreams of being a successful entrepreneur, think of the hot fudge brownie sundae. Do one thing related to your business and then eat you a sundae (or do something to REWARD yourself). As time passes, do two things and then reward yourself. Keep increasing the number of things you do to get your reward and then look back in awe of all that you have accomplished.May God's Favor chase you down and overtake you!Kimberlyhttp://www.iamcoolinandschoolin.com
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Maybe it's not the leads...have you thought of that?Maybe the leads are fine, but your products are not in high demand and you have to push for sales and convince people that they NEED them. (With the current economy people are choosing food over what they now call luxury, they are not shopping for things they DON'T NEED!)Maybe your opportunity is ONLY appealing to YOU..if it wasn't then everyone would JOIN YOU.Who are WE FOOLING?Maybe you are not failing..maybe all the efforts that you have put forth are not working because you DO NOT HAVE something people WANT!Are you following the trends or just sold on your opportunity because YOU believe in it...what about YOUR prospects. Do you have WHAT EVERYONE IS LOOKING FOR? ...are you being hunted or are you constantly hunting?I have been in your shoes before with multiple opportunities, and I CAME TO REALIZATION THAT what I really needed was something WORTH SELLING...something that WHEN the consumer uses..it WILL MOTIVATE them to WANT IN and join the business.Don't waste your leads or prospects on opportunities and products that are not the HOTTEST TREND! Like I did!Stop wasting your money!My leads and prospecting have finally been paying off because I have something PEOPLE WANT.Why is my phone ringing off the hook? Word of MOUTH spreads like WILD FIRE especially when you HAVE something GOOD and WANTED!Here is WHAT I MEAN..........Open Your MIND ...before you burn and getting tired of Home Based Businesses.World renowned and respected economist and author, Paul Zane Pilzer, former economic advisor to two United States Presidents and the Editor in Chief of Success Magazine, predicts the Wellness Industry will be the next major force in business on the planet, reaching 1 TRILLION dollars by the year 2010.In "The Next Trillion: How the fortunes of the new millenium will be created in the Wellness Industry", Pilzer exposes the truth about why half the U.S. population is unhealthy and overweight: Americans have become caught between the economic interests of the trillion-dollar food industry and the trillion-dollar healthcare or "sickness" industry.Pilzer explains why consumers will turn away from consuming more material goods and instead seek to achieve internal self-improvement - healthier foods, vitamins, nutritional supplements and fitness programs - and why consumers will create a virtually limitless and sustained demand for wellness-based products.Paul Zane Pilzer writes in his book The Wellness Revolution: How to Make a Fortune in the Next Trillion Dollar Industry -"The greatest opportunity in all products of new technology, traditionally and in the future is in the DISTRIBUTION of those products," he writes, "....the real money is made by people who carry that invention from the laboratory to the consumer, and make an impact on that consumer's life. Those people are the DISTRIBUTORS of Wellness Products and Services.We are starting to see the emergence of a wellness distribution business... a business of people who educate people about products and services that will improve their health and develop customer relationships and then people will go back to their distributor of that product for more and more information on food and health.The number one reason of all reasons (people) turn on the Internet is to find out information about health and wellness. HEALTH is the most popular subject on the web.Ten years from now...we will look back on this time with the Internet as the BEGINNING of the health and wellness information EXPLOSION that the Internet is causing."There’s still time to get in on the ground floor and make your fortune in wellness. Find out how CLICK HERE-----> Fortune in WellnessJessicaFREE BIZ Networking LIVE Mon-Fri 8PM EST!Are You Sick and Tired?
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Many, if not most people go through life wishing that their life could be different. When they stop and look around them, there are images of people in the media or in their own industries which have succeeded in developing fabulous lifestyles, wonderful relationships and deep spiritual growth. We all see the lives of a small percentage of people on the planet through the media and think "why am I not so lucky?"Those people who have been able to accomplish their life's dreams have all started out with true intention in their life....and pursued their dreams with all the passion they could. When you think about success in life, we all have the ability to mastermind our own dreams. But, before embarking on our dreams we have to do one thing - decide what it is we truly want from life.There is so much happening in our world today and there are so many people and organizations vying for our attention. The television, radio, Internet, your employer, family, church, and neighbors all want a piece of your time so that you can be influenced in some way.When your employer asks you to join the company baseball team, they want you to devote time to developing a team atmosphere and comradery for the company. If you wife and daughter ask you to go shopping with them, they want to spend time with a person they love dearly. Is it all-important? Absolutely but, you have to decide what is going to be the most important goals of your life and decide if the activities you are doing today going to help you meet the goals of your future.For now, you may have decided that family, business and spiritual goals are going to hold the top positions in your life. After you decide how much time is going to be spent developing your life balance, you must stick with the plan that you have carefully masterminded. Your consistent daily actions towards your goals will bring you closer to your dreams.Unfortunately, there are life events that cannot be helped and may put a drain on your time and resources however; your goals and dreams must always have a place at the table. Your true desires in life are what give you hope and passion to live. A recipe for cherry pie cannot be made without cherries and flour. The recipe for life cannot be fulfilled without a decision about what is important.Your life decisions will determine your destiny and success. Success comes to those who are thoughtful and mindful of the effects of their decisions. By the way, dreams do come true...for those who decide what it is they want from life.
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Are you trying to Sell On Social Networks?

If you want to learn how to profit from promoting your business on social networks take my 7 Day eCourse: ‘Selling on Social Networks.’ URL: http://www.socialmediasistas.com/selling-on-social-networks.php I make money from social networking. How do I do it? I know how to attract the attention of my ideal customers on social networks. And I know how to get people to buy the things that I sell, just from sharing information, creating conversations, and posting a few videos. Are you trying to Sell On Social Networks? Let me share my social networking strategies with you: http://www.socialmediasistas.com/selling-on-social-networks.php
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Playing For Keeps has received "5 Nymphs" from Literary Nymphs! Come check out the review and if you haven't picked your copy, it isn't too late!Blurb:Keirra Smith has never met a man more self-confident, overbearing and irritating and she wants him. Only she isn't willing to admit that she does. Eric Brooks lives a lifestyle that she doesn't want any part of but he wont take no for an answer. Knowing that she is fighting a losing battle she gives in. After all what better way to prove to him that they are incompatible than to give into everything that she—he wants.Happy Reading!Stephanie Morris
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Today I thought I would sit down and share a tip or two with my readers and fellow entrepreneurs online. This past week, a few sistas have asked me about my web business (they were not really looking for a designer) just wanting to know how they could get started and do what I do. New to me, the obvious questions were do I do this full time and is it profitable? Yes and yes. Though you won't hear me claiming to make Five thousand dollars a week, I can say with all honesty that I do make thousands of dollars as a full time, work at home mom building websites, selling digital eBooks, ecourses, and coaching other women entrepreneurs. The BIG question I get is of course, "When did I really start to see profits online? What did I do?" My honest answer is simple: When I discovered my niche and created my own social network, I essentially made my own market. I figured out that I loved working with and really connected with other women entrepreneurs of color, so when I created BBWO (a space for us) I found friends. To my surprise many of my new friends wanted to either learn from me or utilize my design services, which opened up a steady stream of customers. At that point and ever since, I've paid nothing for online promotion, because I figured out how to drive traffic to my websites and promote my businesses just by building my own networks. There's is my answer and I hope it helps inspire and provide direction for my fellow 'work and web women' trying to build their buzz online. I am coming out with an new eCourse on Social Media Marketing this week, so if you are interested in that, definitely let me know. In the mean time, feel free to download and read 2 of my best selling eBooks, which I've just bundled for you: "Turn Your Niche into a Network" and "Create Your Own Ningalicous Network". You can find more download details here: http://www.e-junkie.com/lhenry/product/48683.php#Turn+Your+Niche+into+a+Network
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Get ready for the New Hip Hop 1980’s Throwback Movie "Up in the Attic". There’s a lot of joy, pain and teenagers doing what teenagers do in the NJ suburbs of NYC back in the day. The fly guys and fly girls ran mad episodes and many lessons were learned Available on DVD October 1, 2009. Check out the clips and join the movement on http://www.upintheattic.ning.com andhttp://www.myspace.com/upintheatticmoviehttp://www.upintheatticmovie.com

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Southern Comfort Kamal Imani feat Vulenzo!
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Saturday Morning Tax Savings

Tax Help for the Home Business OwnerI BELIEVE THAT WE SHOULD BE WILLING TO PAY UNCLE SAM EVERY PENNY REQUIRED BY LAW.BUT THAT LAW DOES NOT SAY THAT WE HAVE TO OVER PAY!!!This blog is intended to help you, the home business owner, save money by pointing out the TAX BREAKS set fourth by our Government.So how do you know you qualify as a Home Business Owner?The Law says that ANY tax payer who has an ACTIVE Home Based Business has to do the following:• Run that business consistently• Run it with the INTENT to make a profit.• Keep good recordsYou can reduce your taxes by $3000 to $6000 a year just by doing those 3 things.SOME ADVICE: No one should start a home business just to get the tax deductions. That is not what the tax breaks are for. The breaks are a result of having the business the reason for it.Are you just starting your business? Here is more Great news!!!The American Jobs Creation Act allows taxpayers to deduct up to $5000 in new business start up costs and $5000 in Organizational Expenditures (in the tax year the business is started) This is a huge benefit for both small and home based businesses.Start Up Costs: Those expenses incurred before actually offering goods and services for sale.Organizational Costs: Expenses for business license or setting up a business entity like LLC’s or Corporations.Thank you for reading my Tax blog. My hope is to help you, the tax payer keep that which is rightfully your.Next week: Further information on those 3 qualifications of Home Business Ownership.Yours Truly,LenisaDish Gardens by Lenisawww.Lenisa.Etsy.comLenisahbb@yahoo.comgreenbutton.gif
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I strongly believe everyone has a purpose in life. Many find their purpose in things they are passionate about. What things do you want to accomplish? If you envision your success what would it look like. It’s a fact – if you can’t see your vision, you’ll never get there. You have to see it, know what it is, know where you want to go, in order to reach that vision. Think about what your success will look like. If you take away any doubts what would your business (your future) look like? Write down your vision and post it some where that you can see it every day so that you can start focusing on your vision and your success.You can accomplish anything that you focus on, so dream big!Follow the series on momentum on our blog at //bizstrategy.wordpress.comAlso Visit:www.pathfindersbr.org//choicesprogram.wordpress.com (new program to help single parents)
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How to Create the Ultimate Referral Marketing System in 7 Simple Steps

By John Jantsch

It’s funny how often small business owners tell me that the number one way they acquire new business is by way of referral. Yet, when I ask what they do to intentionally stimulate this powerful marketing strategy, I get blank stares.

If you’re doing something right in your business, you will get the accidental referral but, by creating a systematic approach to consistently generating referrals, you will find that your job of marketing and selling can become a pretty simple affair.

The following seven steps constitute the core components used to build an effective referral marketing system for your business.

Step #1 - Create a referral target market(s) – you must create a target list of companies and individuals who can be motivated to refer. This can be clients or a network of related businesses. In many cases you will find a certain percentage of your clients already refer some business. Tap these sources first, create tools to make it easy for them to refer you, ask them what would motivate them to refer more business. Don’t spend your time and energy trying to create a referral program that everyone will buy into. Some people are just wired to give referrals – focus on that group

Step #2 – Identify your ideal referral client – In order to receive high quality referrals you must be able to quickly communicate the exact type of person or business that makes a great referral.... CLICK HERE TO READ MORE


Visit National Business Women Enterprise Network
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