Own Your Power,

Simone

Fashion Faux Pas: You can wear it, but wear it well!

By: Jessica Williams
There is absolutely nothing wrong with embracing and loving yourselves, whether you are a size 2 or 22. And how you dress is a direct reflection of your personality.
I am an artist and express myself everyday through what I wear. But even I have to be cognizant of what I put on my body. Seeking attention is normal and to a certain extent, a subconscious act. But being mindful of the type of attention one attracts is the challenging part of it all.
During the 1950s and early 60s, a shapely woman was considered sexy: Betty Paige, Marilyn Monroe, Dorothy Dandridge and other starlets were at least a size twelve, and weren’t afraid to flaunt it. Yes, they wore bikinis and fitted clothing—and looked good in them.
I am 5’ 11, a size 10 or 12 and I like fitted clothing. However, it is important that we are honest with ourselves as far as knowing what works for our body shape, as well as acknowledging what’s appropriate.
Beauty certainly comes in all shapes, sizes, and colors. It resonates from within, and what we do to our bodies on the outside is an expression of it. But even that has limitations. Ladies, you can have the most beautiful face in the world, but if your attire is ill fitting or inappropriate, no amount of makeup can cover up a fashion mishap.
Some of you know that deep down, you want to scream if you see another woman wearing sheer, black leggings as stretch pants. Transparent tights with bright underwear showing underneath are not attractive nor fashionable.

CONTINUE  READING FULL ARTICLE: http://bed-stuy.patch.com/articles/fashion-faux-pas

About this column: “Beauty Works” is a bi-monthly column that will examine the products and natural alternatives for developing your beauty acumen. Writer Jessica Williams is a creative expert with seventeen years in the beauty, film and entertainment industry. She is the founder of The Maitre-d of Makeup beauty blog and is coming out with her book, “It’s Makeup, Not Rocket Science” in February 2012. Feel free to email Jessica at jeswill2003@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/jes_theARTIST

The Own Your Power Resource Directory Wants To Promote YOUR Biz!

DIDN’T GET YOUR LISTING YET? They are on sale now for as low as $39! $19 for an additional listing.

www.ownyourpower.biz/directory

There is finally one place you can go to get connected with the lifestyle and business connections that you crave! We always encourage our members to “KEEP IT IN THE FAMILY” by using our network.   Now, all you have to do is go to the OYP Resource Directory online to see if any of our members in there can help you with their services or products!

 This is THE Resource Directory  where your business can be positioned alongside the movers and shakers of the Own Your Power Community!

Need help in building up your power network?

As a visitor of the directory, you can get easy access to meet our partners, favorite experts, holistic businesses, printers, designers, coaches, lawyers,  business leads and much more!

Category Sponsorship– Limited Opportunities You Can Take Advantage of NOW!

And if you really want to get noticed, you can stand out from the crowd by sponsoring any Category Section Tab for only $199 a year.  The categories include, but are not limited to: Consultants, Marketing, Design, Finance, Nutrition, Yoga. And, if you don’t see your category listed, just ask!

What’s Included As Category Sponsor?

1. Your Business Listing at the very TOP of your category. Get seen FIRST!* (yellow company highlighted as example) No MORE THAN 5 PER CATEGORY!
SEE OUR FULL SELECTION OF CATEGORIES HERE!

•    An image of your company logo or your head shot (125×125)

•    Up to 250 words to describe your business, service or product

•    Main Contact Name

•    Phone

•    Contact Email Address

•    Web Address

* Available on a first come, first served basis.

2. One  30 second  mention from hosts or 30 second commercial (you provide) on the Own Your Power  radio during the year of your listing.

3. Easy-to-find listings that are searchable by keywords and zip code!

4. We’ll promote these listings to our members, our email database, and through our prestigious partner’s emails/websites which, in total, covers a reach of well over 500,000 potential customers and partner contacts!

5. All paid directory listings  received before August 1, 2012 will automatically be included in our PRINT VERSION, as well as the PDF version available online, which will be distributed to all Directory Members!

What’s Included in  a General Listing?

•    An image of your company logo or your head shot (125×125)

•    Up to 150 words  to describe your business, service or product

•    Main Contact Name

•    Phone

•    Contact Email Address

•    Web Address

1. Easy-to-find listings that are searchable by keywords and zip code!

2. We’ll promote these listings to our members, our email database, and through our prestigious partner’s emails/websites which, in total, covers a reach of well over 500,000 potential customers and partner contacts!

3. All paid directory listings  received before August 1, 2012 will automatically be included in our PRINT VERSION. All paid directory listings  received before August 1, 2011 will automatically be included in our PRINT VERSION, as well as the PDF version available online, which will be distributed to all Directory Members!

How Much Is It?

It will be FREE to view, but to be featured just sign up today for only $39 for an individual listing for an entire year!

Note: Any additional listings are only $19.00. A great way to expand your personal branding if you have more than one business!

You’ll be billed via Paypal.com as a subscriber that will automatically renew yearly. You’re free to unsubscribe at any time!

SIGN UP NOW!

Category Listing: $199 Yearly

General Listing: $39 Yearly

Additional listings: $19

Once your payment is processed email your submission to directory@ownyourpower.biz.

•    An image of your company logo or your head shot (125×125)

•    Up to  250 words (GENERAL) and 400 words (CATEGORY SPONSOR)  to describe your business, service or product

•    Main Contact Name

•    Phone

•    Contact Email Address

•    Web Address

SPECS: Include 125×125  imaged cropped to size. SEND YOUR IMAGE ALREADY SIZED PLEASE.

Stay within your assigned word limit please.  If not we’ll have to send back for your edits.

If you’re a  Category SPONSOR please include: Your 30 second spot in Mp3 format or provide general copy you’d like us to say on the show about your company. Include web address and/or number.

Once your listing is complete you’ll be alerted via email that it is live.

WELCOME TO THE OWN YOUR POWER FAMILY!

Have questions? Call us! 877-545-7352

LIGHTWORKER MARKETING INTENSIVE

ENROLL TODAY!

With Coach Simone Kelly

Saturday, April 7

10am-3pm

Are you frustrated about having an amazing holistic/spiritual offering, but not quite sure how to market yourself?

Are you a spiritually-minded person who has a hard time asking for payment or have a negative feeling towards self-promotion? Yet you know it’s absolutely necessary to learn how to offer your services so you and others can benefit.

Would you like to know the basic tools that will help you build or enhance a holistic practice?

Well,  good news! I have designed the Lightworker Marketing Intensive to help you with breaking through these obstacles and much more!

Who Should Sign Up:

• Anyone who has a full-time job and a side business and wants OUT of Corporate America!
• Healers and holistic businesses  of any kind such as Massage therapists, Acupuncturists, Reiki Practitioners, Spiritual Coaches, Intuitive Counselors and Life Coaches.
• Anyone who wants to help those in need, but also need to pay your bills. Learn how to strike a balance and do both!

Would you like to learn how to share experiences of your clients as opposed to feeling like a used-cars dealer and SELLING yourself? I know, I know…many Lightworkers feel uncomfortable with the idea of marketing and selling, but if you want to have a successful business, you have to do it. I’ll show you how and make it a fun and painless  intensive.

Even if you already have ahttp://ownyourpower.biz/blog/wp-admin/post.php?post=2361&action=edit somewhat successful practice, this course will take you even further with the  right marketing tools, mindset, and support to help you gain results at a faster pace!

WATCH VIDEO FROM LAST CLASS! SEE HOW THE STUDENTS LOVED IT!

How You Will Benefit:

In this five-hour intensive, Coach Simone will help you break through all of those issues already mentioned and you’ll also learn  how to:

• Get More Clients
• Keep More Clients
• Get CRYSTAL clear on target market
• Price services
• Increase referrals
• Transform your vision and begin doing something you LOVE, which is aligned with your goal, and is not just a JOB.
• Think like a marketer…even if you don’t have a business background.
• Develop new creative Ideas for Increasing Income
• The importance of your branding image and signature style
• Learn her top 10 marketing strategies (such as blogging, video, and email marketing)
• The key to following up effectively
• Developing marketing materials (flyers, books, cds, dvds,etc.)

By the end of the course, you’ll have more clarity on your marketing efforts and you’ll even walk away with marketing copy that you can ACTUALLY use for a flyer and or website!

Our very first Lightworker Marketing Intensive is April 7th, 10am-3pm.

Be there for this fun and informative experience to TRANSFORM your Lightworker business!

ENROLL TODAY! Cost: $75 CLICK HERE!

REGISTER NOW. We expect this class to be sold out, so act quickly!

TIP: If you already have a website or marketing materials, bring a print out or examples so that Simone can offer feedback on them.

Also…Bring a brown bag lunch for our break

BONUS: All attendees will also receive a e-workbook with all that they learned in the class AS WELL AS A one-one coaching session with Simone valued at $100!

LOCATION:

Johane Rutledge School of Intuition

2929 EAST COMMERCIAL BLVD, SUITE 304

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL 33308  -CORNER OF BAYVIEW

ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR, Coach Simone Kelly

• Assistant Teacher at the Johane Rutledge School of Intuition
• Certified Master Life Coach on Law of Attraction, Holistic Business Coach and Intuitive Life Coach
• Reiki Master Teacher
• Certified Constant Contact Local Expert

Simone is the founder of Own Your Power Communication’s. Her mission is to serve as an empowering Guiding Force ..connecting entrepreneurs to their fullest potential. We want you to strive and succeed on a personal and professional basis. OYPC has been influencing today’s entrepreneur since 1996.

She’s passionate about personal empowerment and encouraging many to own their OWN businesses and to pursue a holistic lifestyle. Simone has reached thousands with her advice and uses her talents best with various forms of media: as an author, speaker, holistic business coach, master life coach and radio show personality. Through her programs under the OYP umbrella, Simone can help you gain results to help you own YOUR Power! Visit her site at www.ownyourpowerlifestyle.com for more information.

If you’re finally ready to step up and Own Your Power and YOUR OWN BUSINESS, this course is for you! Release the shackles and start to build your dream business. It’s time!

This powerful 8-week program is based on the book Jack of All Trades, Master of None? and features private coaching from Simone Kelly. This personalized business development program will keep you focused on a progressive transformation of your business and also help you gain a new sense of balance and joy from working solely on your passion!

You’ll get the knowledge, tools, insight, and confidence to lead your company and create extraordinary results.

Who Should Sign Up:
-Anyone who has a full-time job and a side business and wants OUT of Corporate America!
-An entrepreneur who continues to seek new business opportunities, instead of capitalizing on the ones they already have.
-Anyone who is feeling overwhelmed with their business and not sure of what to do next.
-Someone who needs help in managing various projects, but thinks they can’t afford to hire anyone.

How You Will Benefit:
-Transform your vision and begin doing something you LOVE, which is aligned with your goal, and is not just a JOB.
-Learn how to think like a marketer…even if you don’t have a business background.
-Master the art of relationship building.
-Design ways to increase your productivity by incorporating “Me Time” rituals.
-Learn the value of duplicating yourself by building and effectively managing a volunteer or commission-based team.
-Unleash your creative spirit and use it to promote your business.

“Working with Simone Kelly-Brown is like a breath of fresh air. Prior to my eight-week coaching program with her I had no idea that there were other ways to develop my business and market my holistic therapy services. I am now hiring an intern to work for me, and I have a tried and true system in place for running my company so that I can delegate projects as well as manage my practice when traveling if needed. My client-base has expanded, and I am now creating new possibilities for leading large seminars, retreats, and holistic events including my music production, on a global scale. Simone truly loves what she does, and speaking with her always leaves me inspired, grateful, and able to take concrete steps towards extraordinary business success. Many Thanks!” Kena “Rohi” Custage, NYC Director, www.energyofbreath.com “My experience with Simone Kelly Brown’s 8 week course was life altering. Before I started the course, I felt like I was all over the place. I learned that you can get more things done in the course of a day if you plan it out correctly. I accomplished more than I ever thought I could in such a short period of time.  I’ve developed a newsletter, a slogan, a teleclass, just to name a few. I can see the success of my business coming to fruition! I appreciated the challenge and I now feel like I have structure. I may take the course again in the future! I highly recommend it.” Tamisa M. Covington Apropos “Charmed, I’m sure…” www.apropos-etiquette.com

What You’ll Learn:
Session 1: Diggin’ Deep
We will focus on your goals, core values, and fine-tune what you want to accomplish with your professional life. Diggin’ Deep allows you to look into your future and develop the story that you will transform into a reality. This session will help you reflect, re-energize and refocus!

Session 2: Are You a Jack?
We’ll discuss the main areas you excel in and design your business around it. In this session, you’ll learn how to focus on your core strengths and get rid of the excess. You will begin to sculpt a new mission statement for your company and we’ll lay the groundwork to get it to the next stage.

Session 3: Develop YOUR System
We will work on how to best design your company’s weekly, daily, and monthly procedures so that it runs smoothly and consistently. Observe and monitor your business’ progress as you communicate a clearer vision to your team and implement new systems that address your business frustrations.

Session 4: Have Them Remember You!
Understand the push buttons of your target audience and design new ways to be remembered with innovative strategies.

Session 5: Fine-Tune Your Customer Retention
Learn the effective techniques for customer service, feedback and following up with clients.

Session 6: Create Your Power Team!
Create a Power House Team! Team Building is all about picking the right people! Develop some low-cost creative ways to build your staff and how to keep them. Learn the value of duplicating yourself by building and effectively managing an intern or volunteer based team.

Session 7: Create Your Own Mini-Marketing Plan
Develop a short marketing plan to roll out the newest strategies that you have learned in prior sessions. We’ll design a six-month timeline together.

Session 8: Gots To Have Vision!
In this last session you will develop your vision even further and begin to evaluate your progress. We’ll also do the assessment you did in the beginning of the workshop to see how far you’ve come in the past 8 weeks. The goal is to keep you on the path that you’ve started and to encourage you to continue on the path of growth and development.

This course is normally $1,200 for the one-one-one coaching. The Discount to you if you register before January 15th is a savings over over $300!

You also have the option of just getting the online course that will include 2 mini-sessions with Simone. One in the beginning and one before your last class.

All students will receive a certificate of completion as well!

TUITION:

Full plan: Pay in full and save over $353! Normally $1200

Buy now for $847

Installment plan: (SAVE $300!)

One on One weekly calls for 8 Weeks: Deposit $149 to get started, then every two weeks (3 payments of $250)

Buy now with $149 Deposit

Online Course: is a One-time tuition payment of ONLY $149.

You’ll get the course via email each week and must submit homework each week. You’ll have a weekly 20  minute question and answer group call with Coach Simone Kelly as well!

Buy now for only $149!  That’s only $18.62 a week!

Have questions? Call us TODAY to ENROLL  for the 8 Weeks to CEO Course at 877-545-7352. For more reviews on what clients had to say about their experience with us, please check out our success stories page.

There is a whole new culture forming with social media etiquette at the center. Even the Associated Press recently released a guide to social media that includes commonly used terms, such as ‘follow’ (for Twitter), ‘friend’ (for Facebook), and abbreviations commonly used in internet and text messages, such as ‘lol’ for ‘laugh out loud’. Getting accustomed to the new wave of communicating while practicing professionalism and etiquette may be a challenge for many professionals if proper etiquettes are not being utilized

Here are 5 easy tips on social media etiquette:

-According to Forbes.com, messages received by phone and e-mail are priority and should be answered first before responding to social media messages. This should also give you an idea of how to send/respond to more urgent messages. If a message is deems your attention, send it by phone or e-mail first. Social media outlets are for less urgent messages.

-Certain etiquette rules are unique to certain social media sites. Twitter users, for example, should be mindful of postings; according to CNN.com “Every 140-character snippet of info you’ve ever shared publicly on twitter will soon have a home next to the declaration of independence.” The United states library of Congress have started archiving tweets. Facebook users should be careful as well, in regards to their wall posting or on those of other users, since all postings appear in the public newsfeed. Anything you don’t want anyone to see should be sent in a private Facebook message or even through other means, such as e-mail.

-Social media has allowed businesses to communicate with their employees outside of work, using sites like Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and technology like the Blackberry. It is important to strike a healthy balance between your social and professional time, while keeping in mind vital obligations, such as family.

-According to baselinemag.com, businesses can also monitor employees’ social media usage. While some businesses encourage social media usage as a way to advertise, other businesses punish employees for inappropriate use. If you are looking for employment, some companies monitor Facebook pages and Twitter accounts, so it would be wise to watch what you post to either. It may cost you a job.

-Don’t spend too much time on social media, especially in a business setting. Some businesses allow employees to use social media during work, while others would discourage it. Either way, your career or job is always more important than any social media site!

Hopefully this Social Media Etiquette Tip Sheet will give you the guidance you need to navigate the world of social media with traditional communication.

President and CEO
Light of Gold PR, Marketing, and Consulting LLC
Web Site:  http://www.lightofgoldpr.com
e-mail:     info@lightofgoldpr.com

This article is written by Barbara J. Winter Author of Making a Living Without a Job–one of my favorite books! If you have been struggling with starting a business, this book will give you the kick in the pants you need and also it will help you see if entrepreneurship is what you  should be doing. 

Enjoy!

Simone

Eight Things I Wish I’d Known Before I Started a Business by Barbara J. Winter

It is when we all play safe that we
create a world of utmost insecurity.
~ Dag Hammerskjold

When I started my first business, I didn’t know another self-employed person. There also was no Internet and not many books that were written for someone wanting to create a one-person operation. It was all trial and error…lots of error.

Today there are abundant resources, but some of the most important things I learned still aren’t being acknowledged. Here are eight things I wish I had known sooner.

1. The business you start out with is not the business you end up with. By it’s very nature, business is an evolutionary process. As you change and grow—and as the marketplace changes and grows—you’ll make adjustments. The good news is that you can get started wherever and whenever you want without having to know every detail. Be willing for your business to deliver pleasant surprises.
2. Refuse to take advice from uninformed sources It’s easy when you’re filled with self-doubt to listen to dreambashers. Don’t do it. And don’t solicit advice from those who have failed. It’s amazing to me how often I talk to people who have abandoned a great idea because someone who knew nothing about their business (and probably wasn’t even an entrepreneur themselves) talked them out of it.
3. Know the difference between an expense and an investment. Many new self-bossers see any outlay of money as an expense. While your business will have costs associated with running it, spending money now to produce a greater good in the future is an investment. Your money needs to go to both.
4. What you don’t know can be learned. Part of building a successful business is determining which parts of it make your heart sing and which make your heart sink. Once you know that, you can farm out the parts that you’re not good at. Equally important is learning how to research your ideas and connect with informed sources. If you operate on the assumption that you can acquire the information and skills you need at every stage of development, you’ll always have the pleasure of being a voluntary student.
5. Personal growth is a daily activity. Paul Hawken says, “Being in business is not about making money. It’s a way to become who you are.” I became an entrepreneur because I was curious about what I could become. Self-employment continues to be my best teacher. There’s a basic truth you need to keep in mind: you can’t outperform your self-image. In order for your enterprise to reach it’s fullest potential, you have to reach yours. An occasional seminar or personal growth book or CD isn’t going to have the impact that daily work on your self will. Happily, there’s an abundance of tools to help you do just that.
6. Don’t confuse a project with a dream. Your dreams are your ultimate destination; a project is a step along the way. Too many people use a project failure as an excuse to abandon their dreams. Know the difference.
7. Patience is your best friend. There’s a fine line between being patient and being a procrastinator. It seems to me that what many people call failure is simply running out of patience, giving up before their idea had a chance to blossom. For most entrepreneurs, patience is an on-going challenge.
8. Know the difference between taking a risk and taking a calculated risk. Timid people who are not self-bossers think that you’re a wild person jeopardizing your family and finances. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Studies have shown that successful entrepreneurs take risks, but they’re cautious, calculated ones based on research—and intuition. Part of the appeal and adventure of being joyfully jobless is not always knowing exactly how things will turn out.

READ MORE ABOUT HER AND JOIN HER JOYFULLY JOBLESS SITE FOR MORE TIPS!

http://joyfullyjobless.com

Enjoy!

Simone

Have you ever found yourself knowing exactly what you need to do about marketing your business… and then not doing it? You are not alone. Many self-employed professionals find that the hardest part of marketing isn’t figuring out what to do. What’s hard is actually doing it.

Marketing yourself can be a confronting process. Making phone calls to strangers, writing marketing letters, and talking about yourself and your accomplishments can bring up fear of rejection, harsh commentary from your inner critic, feelings of incompetence, and the discomfort of performing unfamiliar activities. If you let them, these inner saboteurs can stop you dead in your tracks.

The good news is that you don’t have to completely eliminate these internal roadblocks in order to move forward in marketing. It is possible to feel afraid or uncomfortable and still take useful action despite the presence of these feelings. Here are ten ways to quickly break through internal barriers and get your marketing unstuck.

1. Recreate your vision. When you’re feeling blocked from moving forward, remember why you wanted to go there in the first place. What was your original vision of the business you are trying to build? Who will your work benefit? What fulfillment or satisfaction will it provide you? Write down your vision of a successful business, or if you’ve written it down before, pull it out and re-read it. Allow your own words to re-inspire you to do the necessary hard work.

2. Design a reward. Sometimes your vision may seem a bit too far off, and you need some more immediate gratification. Choosing to reward yourself for a job well done can provide you with a positive near-term benefit for effort that might not pay off for a while. Promise yourself simple rewards for completing difficult marketing chores like making follow-up calls or writing web site copy.

The prospect of a special dinner, a movie with your significant other, or a new gadget for your favorite hobby can help you to push past the blocks and get things done. Rewards don’t even have to cost money. Sometimes the promise of a bubble bath, walk in the park, or an hour reading a good book is all the incentive you need to take on a tough marketing challenge.

3. Tame the inner critic. Often when you’re feeling stuck, what’s going on in your head is a conversation with your inner critic, who seems to have a lot to say about sales and marketing. It’s difficult to work on promoting yourself when you are hearing a constant stream of comments like: “You’re not good enough,” “They won’t like you,” or “Who do you think you are?”

It can help to remember that the inner critic often says things that simply aren’t true. One way to counter this negative dialogue is to respond with the objective truth. For example: “Clients tell me I’m good at what I do,” “Many people say they like me quite a bit,” or “I’m a competent professional, thank you very much.” When you answer confidently with statements of fact, messages from the inner critic often begin to lose their power.

4. Face your fear. One of the most common obstacles to being successful at marketing is fear. Marketing activities may evoke fears of rejection, disapproval, embarrassment, and a host of other catastrophes. Instead of pretending the fear isn’t there, or attempting to ignore it, you may find it more effective to confront the fear directly.

Try to identify exactly what you are afraid of. What do you fear will happen if you make that call or go to that meeting? If you can identify the specific fear that is blocking you, it may be possible to soothe it by providing reassuring information or positive experience. For example, fear of rejection can often be lessened by setting up practice selling sessions where a role-playing partner responds with “yes” to every suggestion you make.

5. Get a pep talk. When you become discouraged, don’t be afraid to ask for outside help to cheer up and start feeling positive again. Ask a friend, colleague, networking group member, or your coach to give you some words of encouragement. Sometimes all you need to hear is: “It was tough for me in the beginning too… Eventually my efforts paid off… You’re doing all the right things… I know you can do it!”

6. Complain and clear. Feeling frustrated and negative can sometimes immobilize you. One method of clearing negative thoughts is to voice what you are experiencing to a caring person. Spend a full five minutes complaining about everything that’s going wrong with your marketing, making sure to say exactly how it makes you feel. Then ask your listener to reflect your feelings back to you. Knowing that someone else hears and understands you may be all you need to let go of a negative attitude and get back to work.

7. Read your fan mail. In the regular course of serving your clients, you’ve probably received thank-you notes, grateful voice mail messages, and other evidence that you’re doing a good job. Make a habit of saving these in a “fan mail” folder, and when you are feeling low, revisit all the nice things people have said about you. Remembering what a good job you do when you are working can encourage you to do the necessary marketing to get more work.

8. Quit; then start fresh. There may be days when you feel discouraged enough to just throw in the towel. Maybe you should do it. The act of quitting can be very cathartic. Proclaim: “I quit!” Perhaps even write yourself a resignation letter. Then take off the rest of the day, and don’t even think about work. It’s a good bet that after you have a chance to blow off some steam, you’ll be ready to come back the following day re-energized.

9. Change the scene. Marketing can feel difficult and lonely when you’re always slaving away by yourself in your home office. Try carrying out some of your challenging marketing tasks from a different location or with some company. Make cold calls from the patio, write a marketing letter in a busy coffee shop, or take turns with a colleague helping each other set up a good contact management system. Seeing a different view or enjoying companionship while you work may help you to complete tasks you have been avoiding.

10. Act as if. Whenever you feel incompetent about some area of marketing, you may be able to tackle those activities anyway if you simply try to act as if you were competent. Try playing the role of someone you admire. For example, what if you were Lauren Bacall? How would she make a follow-up call? Or how about if you were Martin Luther King? How would he introduce himself in front of a group? A short time pretending to be someone you think of as confident and capable can make those qualities rub off on you.

The next time your marketing feels stuck, try one of these methods to help you get back into action quickly. Marketing tasks are really only as hard as you think they are, so if you can find an easy way out, why not take it?

Copyright © 2005, C.J. Hayden

From entertainment to politics to fashion, fascinating tales of a single web site or blog being the catalyst to entrepreneurship and once-in-a-lifetime opportunities are increasing. Jeanine Hays, 32, a lawyer who has had a love for interior design since she was given her first decorating job—her bedroom at the age of six—is now one of the newest innovators to join that list of those who’ve found success via a passion they simply wanted to blog about. Hays is the founder of AphroChic: Modern.Soulful.Style, a blog she launched in 2007 that highlights designers and design products from around the world. The blog became so popular that in 2009, Hays launched AphroChic pillows and apparel, and most recently she launched her second collection, Brooklyn Renaissance, which includes wallpaper, shower curtains, tabletop and other home décor items depicting Brooklyn life. Lucky magazine and the folks at HGTV are among her biggest fans.

Read more>>

Own Your Power,

Simone

7 Simple Ways To Get New Clients Writing Articles by Biba F. Pedron

Two years ago, a publisher from Canada contacted me
to let me know that he had found online one of my articles,
“12 common mistakes new entrepreneurs make and how to
avoid them”, loved it, and asked if he could reprint it in
his next edition. Guess what my answer was? “Of course,
you are welcome!” I said, with a big smile.

The article was printed and as a result, I got three new clients
in Canada. Then another of my articles was featured in
Africa and I got my first client from the Burkina-Faso, and
got some more since then. Last year, a couple of my articles
were published in a book about marketing in India.

Articles give you international exposure, as soon as you
post them online, you never know who will read them or
reprint them.

So, how could you too get clients from all over the world
just by sitting behind your computer?
If you are not doing it yet – start writing articles!

If you think that you don’t know how to write or will not
be able to write, just try. Start with the tips of the week
and write 5 to 10 lines about your expertise. If you are
passionate about what you do, it shouldn’t be a problem.
You will be very surprised how easy it is. And it will
probably be easier for you than it was for me, since English
is your first language. So if I can do it, you can too.

Here are 7 simple ways to get new clients writing articles:

1/ Write articles, it is free. It will take some of your
time, but who better than you can speak about your
expertise, your services and your products. Writing articles
shows people that they can trust you, and it builds up your
image and your credibility as an expert.

2/ Post your articles online. You can post your articles on
various ezine directories like www.ezinearticles.com. You
can find at least a hundred of them looking on Google. Some
are free, for others you have to pay a small fee.

3/ Take advantage of the resource box “About the
Author”. Make sure to include the benefit of your
services, offer a free report, mention your newsletter and
of course mention your website. People like free stuff, so
when offering a free sample of your work, people will be
more willing to check your website and sign-up for your
newsletter to get the information they are looking for.

4/ Grow your list with your target market. How would you
like to have your target market coming to you instead of
chasing it? When people find and read your articles online,
it is because they are interested by the topic. The chances
are they would like to learn more about the topic and more
about you, so they will go to your website to do this.
Writing articles geared towards your target audience will
save you lots of money compared to communicating via a more
classic advertisement. It will also ensure that a higher
volume of people visit your site. When you promote your
products or services on your newsletter, people will get the
chance to know you and trust you and when the time comes,
they will buy your products or services.

5/ Grow your traffic. One of the main purposes of writing
articles it to encourage more traffic on your website. When
you publish your articles on ezine directories, this will
give you hundreds of websites pointing to your site, which
will also help your ranking on search engines.

6/ Get unlimited exposure. When you post your articles
online you don’t control anything.

Numbers of people who read and like your articles will
republish them on their own websites. I am always surprised
when I Google my name to see new websites using my articles.
And the great thing about it is that it is free publicity.
The exposure is huge because it can be websites from
companies from various countries, not only the US. That is
how I found some of my articles republished by companies
from UK, Canada, Australia, Africa, Poland, or China.

7/ Become an expert. Become “THE GO TO GUY” in your
field and you will quickly realize that people will come to
you for your expertise. As a result, you well get new
clients without leaving your home or office.

And here comes the magic. Just watch your business grow and
get tons of new clients, local or national or international.
And the beauty of it is that the only thing you had to do,
was to spend a couple of hours or less writing about what
you do and what you love the most, speaking about your
favorite topic: your business.

Want other ideas like this one to promote your business?
Learn more about “Power of Networking Secrets”, a 5 step
program, to turn more contacts into clients and more leads
into sales.

You will learn: how to create an outstanding business card
- how to polish an elevator pitch which will hook your
audience so that people will remember you – how to create
a 7 step follow-up system to turn more prospects into
clients – how to use your newsletter to promote your
products or services without hard selling – how to create
strategic alliances to grow our business faster. You can
read more about it and get your own copy of “Power of
Networking Secrets” at www.powerofnetworkingsecrets.com

(c) 2007 Biba F. Pédron