Own Your Power

Hi everyone,

I wanted to share with you a new site that my dear friend, Gabrielle Bernstein has put together to help develop our women of tomorrow! Three months ago she launched the social networking website www.herfuture.com. The mission of this site is to create inspirational connections and mentoring opportunities for women of all ages and demographics. The site is for women looking for a mentors, to be a mentor, networking, friends, career opportunities or an inspirational online environment.

Gabrielle said, “At this point I have several young women signed up on the site seeking mentors. That is where we come in, please check it out and create a profile. You can mentor young women by simply by sharing your story. Be a power of example, make friends, find interns (free help), make connections with like-minded women, promote their events/products/companies etc.”

I hope that you all join me here and show your support. I know I wouldn’t have accomplished much in life if I didn’t have strong women to look up to. It’s our turn to give back!

www.herfuture.com

Wow, can you remind me what year we’re in pleeeeease? I just received an email with this video and was compelled to share. I’ve heard and read about the Fox Network and racial slurs they’ve said about Obama and a few rappers, but when you see the actual video clips aired on Steven Colbert show…it really makes you want to scratch your head. I feel like we’re still in the dark ages sometimes. Check this out, eye-opening and yes…funny with Steven Colbert’s crazy self :0) Nas performs as well. Enjoy and please spread this video around.

Give ‘n Take has done it again! Special thanks to our generous sponsors, Barefoot Wine and Costcos!

Last Saturday, I was honored to have one of my dear friends and partners…Lisa Silvera of Thinkking Media share her expertise with my members.

We were blown away by her presentation that made us look at marketing even deeper then we could have even imagined.

I even let her partner, Chris Hughes offer his expertise. (You should know Give ‘N Take is an all women event…NO MEN ALLOWED at Give ‘n Take except the Costco’s rep. LOL.)

Both of them were amazing and loads of fun to learn from. We discussed branding yourself from your business cards, logo, website, headshots, phone etiquette (SMILE when talking), and even how you dress. I loved it, because people sometimes forget how important signature style is!

Don’t worry if you missed it, we plan on having Lisa back very soon…she’ll be a speaker at the 2nd Annual OWN YOUR POWER RETREAT coming September 26-27th.
Don’t miss THIS for the world!
Check out more photos: SPECIAL THANKS TO PHOTOGRAPHER LEONA MINTO

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:

I am proud to announce that Own Your Power Communications was recently selected to be apart of the Essence Network!  What an exciting new partner for us to have to allow us reach even more women with our message of empowerment and entrepreneurship! We are very happy to be apart of their family of recommended content!

Trading with others is loads of fun and an easy way to save your cash; from one-to-one barters to offering your goods to thousands in a barter exchange. It’s true that once you get the hang of it, you can become a bartering machine! But hey … not so fast, Speedy Gonzalez, you might overload yourself if you’re not careful. The goal is to create smart barters with balance. Here are some simple tips, so you don’t bite of more than you can chew!

Many people barter their services, from consulting, coaching, hairstyling, contracting, plumbing, you name it. We know that time is definitely valuable.

So, before you say yes to a barter, ask yourself the following…

1. How much extra time can I REALISTICALLY offer each week or month without over-extending myself or cutting into my paying client’s time?

2. What’s my return looking like and when will it be delivered? You want to make sure this is clear. What if you spend five hours a week on a project and they don’t fulfill your barter until two months from your date. Get it in writing first!

3. Is the service something that can be delegated to another team member, intern, or volunteer to save me time?

Dig Up Some Products and Perks

Don’t have the time? Search for some more buried treasures to offer up.

1. Do you have access to tickets, events, restaurant discounts etc, that your barter client might need instead?

2. Instead of getting you in the flesh, have you duplicated yourself in the form of a book, e-book, CD, DVD, or podcast? Informational products work wonders. You produce it one time and can reach thousands!

3. Do you have extra inventory on a product that you can offer up?

I remember when I first started bartering years ago, I was saying YES to a lot of things, because I wanted what they had. I also remember I went through a period of over-extending myself to the point of working overtime to fulfill the needs of cash-paying and barter paying clients. Remaining a person of my word means a lot to me.

Your reputation as a person who comes from a place of integrity can go a long way and also be a predictor for how long you’ll be in business. Needless to say, I kept my word after learning that STRESSFUL lesson of over-doing it. If you learn anything from my mistake, only barter when you absolutely know you have to resources and time to fulfill that order. Bartering should be fun, not a chore!

Keep Livin’ Good,

Simone