Own Your Power

When Erik Moser was laid off from his job in public relations in January 2009, he improvised to keep his finances afloat.

He scaled back on eating out. He picked up a few odd jobs, like babysitting for his sister and dog walking for friends. He even got out of the lease on his Chicago apartment and moved back in with his parents.

“Is the situation ideal? Not by a long shot, but desperate times call for desperate measures,” he says. “I’ve done what I’ve had to do to live until I can get back to work.”

Moser, 26, isn’t the only person getting creative with money these days. As more and more Americans find themselves underemployed or out of work — at last check, 14.5 million were unemployed — growing numbers of people are resorting to similarly creative methods to pay the bills.

For some, many of these coping mechanisms revolve around second or third jobs, as well as light work for family and friends. Others, however, have adopted less conventional strategies. See if any of their ideas could also work for you.

Teach What You Know

While working as a technical director for a small theater company in New York City, Matt Klan has generated “a good amount” of income by teaching small classes in different stage techniques.

So far, Klan has taught two-day classes in Wisconsin, Maine and North Carolina. Most of the classes focus on stage combat (i.e., stunt fighting). Klan, 33, advertises the workshops on Facebook, Craigslist and other Web sites and gets deals on rehearsal spaces for about $10 to $25 per hour.

“The classes don’t generate a ton of money, but it’s enough to travel a couple times a year,” says Klan, who has another side job working in the engineering and construction management field. “I also get the chance to hone my craft [and] introduce people to new things.”

Klan also benefits from the networking involved. In the last few months, he has been asked to teach the classes at a number of universities as well.

Can’t Make Rent? It’s Party Time

Another creative option for making ends meet is the rent party, in which guests chip in to help the host pay his rent.

Historically, rent parties, or “skiffles,” were social occasions in vogue during the 1920s and 1930s where tenants hired musicians or bands to play, and passed the hat to raise rent money. Cary Wintz, author of Harlem Speaks: A Living History of the Harlem Renaissance, says that as African Americans moved to the city from the South, they needed help paying the rent on their high-priced apartments.

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by Chris Crum| Staff Writer

Press Releases Not Only for the Press

Press releases are a form of online marketing that we don’t discuss very often. They don’t have the new and exciting appeal of social media or even search engine marketing, but they’ve been around a lot longer and are still working. In fact, they can play right into those other forms.

“Search engine rankings are arguably the most important small business marketing tool available today because it drives Web traffic — and potential prospects — to a small business’ Web site,” a PRWeb spokesperson tells WebProNews. “However, because improving search rankings is desirable, achieving results can be both challenging and highly competitive.”

PRWeb shared a case study with us, involving a firm that typically sees a boost in search engine rankings and a 50% spike in web traffic after they issue a release. In fact, for one release in particular, the firm saw a spike of 400% on two different Web sites, and the firm doesn’t believe they were from the same users. They also incorporate social media tools like Twitter to extend the “shelf life” of press releases, and say that drives additional traffic.

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“If you want a release to rank highly in search engines you have to use key words and link those to your Web site,” says Peter Figueredo, CEO of NETexponent, the subject of the case study. “In addition, you need to put them in the release a few of times, for example in the headline, the sub-headline and again in the body. This is different from a traditional news release with a catchy headline where you may not have your key words included.”

“When we included a link to our press releases on Twitter and other social media networks, we saw these both expanded the scope of distribution and the extended the longevity of the announcement,” adds Figueredo. “With other news releases we saw an initial spike in Web site traffic on the first two days and then it dropped off. With these features we’ve seen increases in traffic up to five days after the news release was issued.”

Some have suggested that Twitter could actually replace the press release. I wouldn’t go that far, but it provides a complimentary service for announcing news quickly. The press release just has much broader potential. That hasn’t stopped at least one company from offering a service that provides one line “Twitter-style” press releases.

When we think of press releases, we often think of distribution, which is a huge part of it definitely. But when using a newswire service like PRWeb, BusinessWire, PRNewswire, etc., don’t forget about your own website as well. Earlier this year I discussed how some companies’ own press centers are holding back some marketing opportunities for them.

Your site should have a section for press releases, and that should be up to date with the latest release when it goes out. You’d be surprised at how often these go without being updated even when a press release has been spotted elsewhere. It is also a good idea to link to any company blogs, Twitter accounts, or any other place where company announcements are made.
Another thing I notice is that many company press pages also do not have RSS feeds set up. Some offer different kinds of press alerts, but otherwise, they are relying on people to frequently check back to see what is happening. Google does this well. They announce a lot of their news via their wide range of blogs (which is a great strategy in itself), and while their press release section doesn’t get nearly as many updates, they offer a feed so that users know when it has been updated. They also provide links to other press-related resources where their latest info can be obtained.

The bottom line is that press releases inform interested parties of what is going on with your business. Despite their name, they’re not just about the press anymore. The web has made them available to anyone. Social media is an extension of this, and opens up the opportunity for sharing. Search engine rankings of course bring releases right to searchers. Make your releases good.

Do you get good boosts in traffic from press releases? Tell us about it.

Own Your Power Member Rosalyn has made amazing leaps and bounds with her health. At  the Own Your Power Retreat last year she shared with me  her amazing turnaround to becoming healthy and how she has been able to keep the weight off with swimming, walking, and healthy eating.  She shares her story with us…Take a look!

Rosalyn (Roz) George Lost 150 Pounds, One Step at a Time

Initially, to motivate myself to lose weight when I wore a size 22, after consulting my doctor, I bought a size 20 dress and hung it up in front of the closet so I could see it each time I opened the closet.

I realized it is not what you eat all the time; sometimes it is what part of the day you are eating. I started a journal of what I ate and the time of consumption.

I put a picture of myself on the refrigerator and on my desk at work. Whether I was at home or at work, I would always see the larger version of myself. I would take my kids to the playground and instead of sitting down watching them play as usual, I started to walk around the trail at the park. Once I started to notice a difference in my clothing, I made sure that I went walking three times a week.

Here are a few suggestions for motivating yourself to lose weight:
Roz in 2003 – before

Before: 150 lbs more...

? Consult your doctor first
? Take a before picture (motivation picture). Trust me, after awhile of looking at the picture, the person in the picture will look like a stranger.
? Put the picture up at work and home.

After

? Eat breakfast and drink plenty of water.
? If you drive, start parking farther away from your destination.
? If you take bus, start getting off one stop before your destination.

Rosalyn (Roz) George

Need a little motivation or encouragement? Hey, we all do! Join us in the Own Your Power group, BEE HEALTHY FITNESS CHALLENGE, where my trainer , Justice offers up tips to help us stay fit and focus. Make sure you add Roz as a friend too and let her know you’ve seen her story! Simone

Last month, I got a very nice wake up call. It was an email I received from my friend Tamisa, who I hadn’t spoken to in a few months. She told me she just finished reading my book, At Second Glance. She said she read it in one weekend and couldn’t pull herself away and only took a few breaks to stop and eat. LOL It’s 400 pages, so that alone was impressive! I wrote that book years ago, but never really pushed it like I should have.

“At Second Glance is a real page turner! I laughed, I cried, and laughed some more as I felt a little connected to some of the characters and their situations. I highly recommend this fantastic novel by multi-talented author Simone Kelly Brown!” Tamisa Covington, NJ

That email she sent made me feel so good; it was an ego boost at first, but I have to admit, I felt guilty. I was mad at myself for not really writing or promoting it like I should have. Writing is really one of my first loves and my favorite form of expression. However, I have to admit, because it’s so much fun and like a hobby to me, I still have to force myself to promote my fiction work. It’s also not bad to have an extra revenue stream from doing things that you love. That is what ‘Owning Your Power’ is all about!

After I read Tamisa’s email, I looked at my book At Second Glance again. I started reading some of it , smiling, blushing, laughing and getting into the book as if I didn’t write it! It’s mind-blowing how new things can feel when you haven’t looked at it in a while. I was excited again about my work! I posted a link on my network, Facebook and Twitter about it and then a new order came from a member who lives in Japan about twenty minutes later! A few others ordered it in the next few days. I was pleasantly surprised to wake up in the morning to “You’ve Got Cash” emails from Paypal.

I began to wonder what was the “block” with this book in particular. It’s like deep down I still believed, “Oh, artists don’t really make any money. Who wants to be a starving writer? Not me! I’m a respectable business coach!” I’d tell myself,” You got real work to do, no time to be playing around writing fiction.”

However, as the law of attraction states, what you focus on expands.

What Tamisa’s little email did for me was make me revisit my second fiction novel that I’ve been picking up and putting down for the last few ~shivers~ years! I know if I really work on it, I could knock it out in about three months.

I keep hearing the faint whisper in my ear of my writing coach, Sophronia Scott telling me, “Respect your work.” Those were the words she uttered to me in a coaching session a few years ago to help me with procrastination with my first fiction book, At Second Glance. Those very words drove me to action to complete it, along with her amazing tips on re-writing your manuscript.

Just like I love to blog on lifestyle and business tips, host podcasts and events; my fiction writing is a part of my soul. It’s a part of me that I shouldn’t push to the side as a silly hobby. It’s my way of sharing my message, voicing my opinions, creating my own little universe of characters that help heal others, make people laugh and teach lessons.

So, enough about me. What have YOU been kicking to the curb? Maybe you think it’s just too much fun and it’s not going to bring in instant income, so why do it?

1. Really sit and remember to honor your passions, be true to yourself and respect your work. Carve out small chunks of time each week by creating focus days. Have specific days isolated for various tasks.

2. Get a coach to help in this area to increase your productivity.

3. Ask a friend to be an accountability partner that is aware of your goals and can help crack that whip on you. Set up weekly calls.

4. Join a network of like-minded people. Surround yourself with positive energy and influences.

5. Stop making excuses and worrying about what people will think or say. ~a-hem~ Yes, it’s one of my issues with my fiction books. Well, there are juicy sex scenes and all. My father almost passed out when he read a scene on my site. I did say I was a respectable holistic business coach, what if it gets out that I write like that? LOL. Oh…so sorry, I digress

6. Spend me time with yourself so that you can remember what your TRUE passions are. You know, in case you forgot or never made time to find one.

If you need a push, I’m here for you, as long as you give me a push back too.

You have a talent to share with the world, and believe me we’re waiting…

P.S.
You probably had no idea what an impact your funny little email had on me, but thanks again for encouraging me to respect my work again, Tamisa. Sophronia, I’m a forever grateful to you for doing what you do encouraging writers like myself to just do it, love it, commit to it, and of course…respect it!  ?

Own Your Power,

Simone

Are you feeling perfection pressure? The pressure to look good? To be a model employee, spouse or parent? Here’s the skinny: Trying to be perfect is not only impossible, but downright unhealthy, writes psychologist and Harvard professor Dr. Alice Domar in her latest book, Be Happy Without Being Perfect: How to Worry Less and Enjoy Life More, co-authored with Alice Lesch Kelly.

It’s okay to have goals. It’s good to set aside time to meet them. What’s not okay is to feel that in order to be happy, everything in your life needs to be perfect. Learn how to break free from perfectionist thinking with these tips from Dr. Domar’s new book.

Are You a Perfectionist?
Wanting to be perfect is normal. What’s extreme is expecting to be perfect in all aspects of life. “Perfectionism is an act of control. If things are perfect, they feel more ordered, more in control,” says Dr. Domar. “Some people tolerate a lack of control; perfectionists feel overwhelmed by it.”
Some characteristics of perfectionists:

* Intensely competitive
* “All or nothing” approach
* Procrastination
* Fault-finding

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