Ready to Start a Blog - Why Wordpress?

Are you having trouble deciding which blogging platform is right for you and your business? If you’re looking for an easily customizable and user friendly option, look no further than WordPress.

What WordPress Has to Offer

WordPress offers easily customizable templates with many templates to choose from. Some of these templates are free and can be found online through a search engine, via the WordPress website, or from developers themselves. Other WordPress templates can be created and designed by a professional to meet your specific business needs.

And you can also find WordPress templates available for sale online. In short, you can create a 100% unique website with WordPress templates.

It’s so very easy to use. Whether you’re a blogging novice or an industry expert, WordPress offers a user friendly control panel. Even the customization of readymade templates is pretty straightforward.

And there are blog posts, manuals and forums on just about every WordPress topic under the sun which means if you have a question, chances are the answer is out there and easy to find.

Widgets and plug-ins. Because WordPress is so very popular, there are literally thousands of developers continuously working to create widgets and plug-ins to solve the needs of business owners like you and to make your blog experience unique for your readers and customers.

Widgets and plug-ins cater to just about every interest or need from games, to social networking to SEO tracking and data. If you need it, you can probably find it in a widget or a plug-in.

All in all, Wordpress is a great option and I highly recommend hosting your wordpress blog yourself. It is a very small investment to host your own blog and worth it!

Tackling the Time Monster

How often do you find yourself running around crazy feeling like you're not getting anything done and thinking you just don't have enough time?

How you "see" your time directly affects how you utilize it and how you feel as you go through-out your day. If you're not careful, you will find your business and life running you, instead of "you" being the master of your business and life.

It wasn't too long ago that my business and life were running me all over the place! I had to step back and realize that my relationship with my time was totally unhealthy! I always felt like I never had enough time and that I was never getting anything accomplished. I am sure you can identify with that feeling... I think it can be pretty common and you know that it isn't fun!

So, how do you go about changing your relationship with time? Here is what worked for me!

• Set your intentio to change your thinking about time. When you feel rushed or find the chatter in your head saying "you don't have enough time"... STOP. Battle it with positive affirmations like "I have more than enough time", "time is on my side", "everything that needs to get done, will!".


• Remind yourself that what needs to get done, will. You know that anything that you have ever needed to get done has gotten done. Even if you have had to pull an all-nighter you got it done! (note: all-nighters not recommended after 25)


• Prioritize your time. Map out your month, your week, your day and set your priorities. What do you want to get done NO MATTER WHAT. When you get it done... check those baby's off your to-do list and trust me you feel a lot of accomplishment!

Your time, just like your life, is all on how you see it. If you think you don't have enough time... you are probably right. If you think you have all the time in the world... you are probably right! So, remember YOU HAVE TIME! Ahhh... now doesn't that feel better knowing that you have all the time you need!!!!

Creating Your Own Success Plan and Celebrating YOU

One of the most important things you can do in business is create and identify your achievements. Goals not only help you stay motivated, but they are the starting point for helping you break it down into tasks and small steps.

Here are some tips to help you create your own success plan:

#1 – Chart your goals. Keeping track of your goals is important. You may want to start by writing down all of your goals in one place where you can easily keep track of them. Give your goals estimated dates of accomplishment and reward yourself as you tick off your successes.

Keeping track of your goals in this manner will help you stay motivated and keep you moving in the right direction. Experts have agreed that we are more likely to stick to our plans if we have well-thought out and specific goals we’re aiming for. Writing down your goals and giving them a due date helps you do this.

#2 – Overcome your obstacles. We all have obstacles we need to find a way around. In business, it may be balancing your family life with work, or perhaps squeezing in time to build your business around your full-time job. Whatever your current situation, it may help to write down your obstacles together with a resolution plan to help you get over them.

For example, if you have very little time to build your business, write a realistic plan to keep you on track. Even if you only have four hours a week, it’s much more realistic to write that down than to aim for ten hours and end up disappointed.

#3 – Celebrate your success. Many of us have goals which we strive for, but often times we only celebrate our big accomplishments. However, it’s important to celebrate the small successes just as much as the big ones.

A good way to do this is to have smaller goals as well as large ones. Then chart down your progress and identify all of your achievements – big or small.

Taking time to celebrate your small achievements will give you a sense of accomplishment. It will help fire you up and make it easier to tackle your larger goals. It really doesn’t matter how you celebrate as long as you acknowledge your job well done.

5 Reasons to set-up a Google Profile Today

You launched your business and you’re blogging, you’re using social networking sites, and you’re going to networking meetings, but have you set-up a Google Profile? Google is one of the biggest search engines out there today and you absolutely want to make sure that Google is linked to you!

Here are 5 reasons you should set-up your profile today!

1. Your profile will appear at the bottom of the first page on Google. You know that everybody checks everybody else out online now. Let’s just say you are at a networking meeting and you meet Susie and set-up a one on one next week. Before meeting with her, you think what else should I know about Susie and do a Google search. If Susie has set-up a Google Profile, you would find her listed at the bottom of the first page with all the information she wants you to know.

2. Your profile can include links to your Blog, Website, Social Media Pages, Services, Products, YouTube videos or whatever you want to put links to. This is a great tool to help people connect to what you offer!

3. You can have your bio on your profile. Let people know who you are, what you offer and how you can help them.

4. Your profile can include photos! Flicker photos can be integrated onto your profile! If you make Cakes, Design Jewelry, have an Apparel line or have samples of your work, you can include them on your profile. How great is that? Let a potential client experience what you offer via pictures!!

5. Having a profile on Google is not only a great way to help brand you, but it is a great way to promote your business too! Take advantage of another opportunity for you to showcase what you want people to know about YOU and YOUR BIZ.

It only takes a few minutes to set-up your Google Profile and is free to do! You can set-up your Google Profile by going to www.google.com/profiles. For the small investment in time, you have nothing but opportunity to gain.

The Buzz on Blogging and How It Effects Your Biz

Whether your new to business or been in it awhile, you have likely heard about blogging. Blogging may seem like just another thing you have to do in the long list of to-do's to run and grow your business, but used properly it can create more visibility for you. So, in other words it is a great tool to attract potential clients.

If you optimize your blog and post consistently valuable and useful information the search engines will love you. Simply put, when someone types in keywords of something they are looking for and you are blogging about what they are looking for on a regular basis, they are likely going to find you in the search results.



Basically, you are creating a valuable tool to drive traffic to your website and it cost you practically nothing. The best part is that these people searching and finding you are considered "pre-qualified" because they have chosen to click through to read your content. If your content is valuable and informative they are going to want more and will likely sign-up for your list.

You are building a relationship with your blog readers. They are getting to know, like and trust you through your posts and interaction on comments. This helps make it easier for them to take action in the future when you offering a product or service to them. They are more inclined to buy because you have built that relationship with them and experienced your expertise.

Remember that blogging is a marketing tool and to make it work you have to be consistent. You should be blogging at least two to three times a week. Saying you don't have enough time is an excuse. You have to make time. It is just as important as going to your networking events or any other social media that you spend your time on. You are doing it to attract new clients, period.

Blogging is a wonderful way to connect with your audience, to provide valuable and useful information to prospects and customers, to sell your products and services, and to drive traffic to your website. Have fun with it and just do it!

Create Your Perfect Day... Week... Month

Have you ever thought about what a perfect day would look like? I mean seriously, you might be surprised at what you come up with. I was. At first I caught myself day dreaming and imagining aspects of a somewhat material life, but when I thought about a typical day and what would put a smile on my face each and every day I was surprised.

The truth is a perfect day is likely for most people very simple and quaint. A perfect day encompasses not just work time, but play time and of course me time too! It is a day that makes you feel whole; and nourishes your physical, emotional and intellectual well being.

To get started creating your perfect day, think about what is really important to you. What matters the most and use this list to guide you as you map out what your perfect day would look like.

Here is an example of my perfect day.

6:00 -6:15 Wake-up - I'm Alive

6:15-7:00 Enjoy Yummy Delicious Coffee/Get Kids Ready

7:00 -7:30 Drop the Monkeys Off at School

7:30 -9:00 Work-out/ Get Clean & Beautified / Have Breakfast

9:00 -10:00 Power Hour - Answer Emails, Return Phone Calls, Update Website

10:00 -10:45 Client

11:00 -11:45 Client

12:00 -12:30 Lunch/ Errands / Read-Education

12:30 -1:00 Marketing - Write Articles, Post, Update, Newsletter Etc

1:00 - 1:45 Client

2:00 - 2:45 Client

3:00 - 3:30 Pick-up kids

3:30 - 4:00 Answer Email / Return Phone Calls / Prepare for next day

4:00 - 7:00 Open Time / Family Time / Dinner Time

7:00 - 8:30 Biz Development Activities

8:30 - 9:30 Downtime / Me Time

9:30 Night Night


My day doesn't always happen in this order, but I try to make sure that I follow this as best I can and most importantly implement the things that are most important on a daily basis.

The joy you will get by creating your Perfect Day is amazing. Just simply laying it out has an impact on your well being, because often we haven't even recognized what are perfect day is and/or maybe we are already living it and not truly being grateful for it.

Lets take this perfect day to the next level. How do we create our perfect week and perfect month? It is simple you take the basis of your perfect day and expand it into your week and month.

Lets talk business. One of the best things you can do is get clear on what it takes to run your business. Write down everything you need to do to make your business operate. Now plug these task items into your week and or month depending on how often you need to do them or better yet get rid of the ones that are not a good use of your time and hire a VA or intern.

A couple of things to think about:

• Group meetings, phone calls and/or like items together to make the best use of your time.
  Make sure to include dedicated time that you are going to work on your business and not in your business, this is your business development time.


• Figure out how much money you want to make and work it backwards. How many hours do you have to work to meet that goal and then plug it into your day/week/month.


• Decide what your "Me Time" is. Make yourself plug this in! It is too easy to skip past the "me time" like it is some task that you will do later and this is vital to both the success of your business and your sanity. Trust me!


• Plug some fun time into your weekends! I love to hike, so I know that twice a month I grab the family and head out to hike the trails of AZ.

Just by taking the time to think about what is most important to you and then creating your day, week and month around this makes a huge impact on your life and your business. It rejuvenates you, pushes you forward, makes it easy to pop out of bed in the morning to take action and creates inner peace.

One of my favorite sayings when I was a very young lady and still is; Always Take Time to Stop and Smell the Flowers.

Make It Happen with a GBA Scholarship

You read that right! Money shouldn't keep you from achieving the life you dream of!

Use the comments section below to share your circumstances with us and why you need a Make It Happen Bootcamp Scholarship. Tell us what it would mean to you to be able to be a part of this upcoming Bootcamp.

We can't wait to award two scholarships!!!

Remember - integrity is everything!

Got Goals - Now What

It’s the New Year and we’re excited! We have set some great intentions for the New Year and can’t wait to tackle our goals. We just know that this year is going to be the best year ever! We are really going to break boundaries and make changes for the better. Woohoo!

Sound Familiar? But, hey it is Day 12 of the New Year and well, lets get real! How’s it going? Are you making a big impact, setting new records, making changes that are for the record book?

Or have you found yourself overwhelmed and not sure where to start or making some changes but struggling on being consistent. Maybe you’re not even sure if you know what you want to do, you just know you want it to be better this year.

We all have great intentions, but we aren’t always good at acting on those intentions. So, how can you create your best year ever and keep from falling into the same old routine that you’re stuck in?

First, you need to make a decision. Decide what is most important to you and act on it. Many times we have so many things we want to do that we don’t get any of it done. Start by picking one goal that is really important to you and make it a priority. Now, start by breaking that priority goal into baby steps and do something each day that gets you closer. When you get this done or have tackled it to a point that it’s no big deal, add something else into the mix.

Second, get out of your own way. Stop letting excuses, outside circumstances or personal problems get in the way. Just because you aren’t having a great day doesn’t mean it’s time to curl up on the couch. Lets face it, if you had a 9-5 job you wouldn’t have the option of telling your boss you just didn’t feel up to working today and that life was rough and well, you were going to just curl up under your desk. LOL. On those days, it’s just the opposite. It is time to grab the day and make the most of it. It is only you who can keep YOU going. Ask yourself this; is the success of your business important? Hmmm, I didn’t hear you? Oh, YES then act like it and take action no matter what, even if you don’t feel like it!

Third, love thyself. It is the love that you give yourself that builds who you are, makes you strong, gives you the ability to go out there and really make it happen. So, each day or at least each week do something for you. Pretend you are your own child and take care of yourself. Give yourself some one on one time with YOU. It is the simple act of loving ourselves and taking care of ourselves that empowers us to do and give more back!

Fourth, share it with everyone. This not only helps you stay accountable, but it lets the universe know you are serious and will send things your way to help! Plus, best of all, when you are open and sharing, you never know when you are going to come across someone who can help you achieve your goal even faster!

Fifth, Mind Set Does Matter. Feed your mind, stay positive and remind yourself that you can and will do it! Mind set combined with action makes you unstoppable.

Remember, in order to make this year the best year ever you have to make changes. Change means stepping out of your comfort zone and doing things that at first may seem uncomfortable or scary. But, when you do this, the pay-off or reward is huge and totally worth it! You will be so glad that you stepped up and made the difference in YOUR Life to make it the best ever!

Capture Your Ideas and Empower Your Biz Webinar

To view this Free Webinar, please visit: http://blip.tv/file/3069113

Make It Happen Bootcamp - Kick Off 2010 with a Bang

Since the launch of Girlfriend's Biz Alliance over a year and half ago, I have had numerous conversations with fabulous business women just like you. All of you are passionate about what you do, but things just aren't happening fast enough. Whether you want more clients, more money, want to make a difference or want more visibility, it just isn't happening as quickly as you would like.

I have heard from many women they need help with focusing, creating a clear strategy, making the most of their time, and implementing actions steps to MAKE IT HAPPEN!


The Girlfriend's Biz Alliance MAKE IT HAPPEN Bootcamp is about providing you with the tools, support and accountability you need to get results faster and ultimately MAKE IT HAPPEN.

So, what can you expect from participating in the MAKE IT HAPPEN Bootcamp?

A Clear Vision of Where You Are Headed
Your 90 Day Vision and Goals Mapped Out
A Clear Strategy of How You are getting from Point A to Point B
Tools for Marketing and Tackling Social Media
A Kick in the Butt, so that you can Kick it into High Gear
Totally Action Orientated
Complete Accountability so you Make It Happen!
Tools to help you Get Focused
Ways to Make the Most of YOUR Time
How to Take Action Consistently
Have a Biz not a Hobby
Make More Money and Have Fun Doing It!

Plus...

You get lots of access to your favorite Girlfriend's Biz Advisor and MAKE IT HAPPEN Gal, muah - your accountability partner, cheerleader and ally (at an amazingly affordable price).

Connect with fabulous like minded women who are real, ready to share, ready to grow and learn, and be part of a team effort of helping each other get results and MAKE IT HAPPEN.

Join me starting January 20th for the Make It Happen Bootcamp! We will chat live every Wednesday at 11am Arizona time for 8 weeks. Each call will be recorded, so don't worry if you can't make the call. Plus, we will have 2 Q&A Calls to answser your questions.

Lets kick-off 2010 with a bang and make the success you dream of a reality!

Get the details by visiting the Make It Happen Bootcamp page on our website.

Join GBA to raise money for Entrepreneurs and Kick You Health into gear for 2010!

I am often only focused on Business Goals and have decided for 2010 to add some different to the mix and have some Personal Goals too. Personal Goals are just as important as Business Goals! With that said, I decided to start of my 2010 with a personal goal of running a 5K. I know for some this is a walk in the park and I hope it is for me too when the time comes, but for now it is a stretch for sure!

For anyone who lives in the Phoenix Valley, I would love for you to join me and other fabulous women at the 2nd Annual Women's Business All the Way 5k Run or Walk.

I can't think of a better way to start off my year than by combining a personal goal with raising money for Women Entrepreneurs!

You can learn more about this event and sign-up by visiting http://www.wefphx.org/.

The race is February 6th and as of today there is only 7 weeks to train. Here is my training schedule if you would like to use it.

I will keep you updated on the progress ! Today is my first day to run!

Sunshine Kisses - Amy

Day Planner for Women Entrepreneurs

I am very excited to announce and introduce something to you that I have been working on all year!

Are you tired of trying Day Planner after Day Planner searching for the right one to help you get organized and be productive in your business?



I was so tired of buying and trying day planner after day planner and being disappointed every time! So, in January 2009 I decided I was done trying to find one that would work... and decided to create and design my own day planner that would be perfect for the woman entrepreneur!

For most of the year I have been testing different proto-types on myself and figuring out what works best for the woman and mom entrepreneur. I am excited to say I have found a system that not only works, but if you commit to using the system (which is easy) you will see results!


Creating and growing a successful business takes a CLEAR VISION, STEADY FOCUS, the "WHY" you to do what you do DEFINED, GOALS SET, and an ACTION PLAN to EXECUTE.
The Girlfriend's Biz Planner takes your typical Weekly/Monthly Day Planners and turns it into a Biz Planner that will help you define your vision, map your goals, keep you focused and make your time highly productive!



Here it what you will find inside:
Yearly Vision Statement
Yearly Goals
90 Day Mapping System
Your Monthly "WHY"
Monthly Master Task List
Monthly Calendar View
Weekly Calendar View
Weekly Appointments
Daily No Matter What
Weekly Goal/Intention
Weekly Affirmations
Delegate/Ask
Weekly Accomplishments
Weekly Gratitude
Weekly Reflection
Ideas Section
Stay In Touch Reminder
Daily Marketing Reminder
Weekly Notes/Messages
Mileage Tracking
and MORE!

The Details...
Size - 7" wide by 9.5" long (easy to have on hand all the time)
Sturdy Cover
Spiral Bound


Sneak Peak Inside

Get Your 2010 BIZ Day Planner Now!

Pretty In Pink Spotlight - Jami Amidon

Pretty In Pink - Jami Amidon

Business: IntelligentSkin

Website: yourintelligentskin.com

Snapshot of your business? One side of our business offers professional skin care and body treatments by licensed professionals. The other side offers in home skin care and make-up educational seminars by skin care consultants who represent pure, safe, and beneficial skin care products.

What inspired you start your business? I was in a corporate position making six figures, but was completely stressed out and unfulfilled. The business found me and I fell in love with the people, products, and compensation plan.

How long have you been in business? November 06. Recently incorporated under Intelligent Skin LLC.

What is a typical work day? Work from home office with women across the country, but locally the girls are all over town in salons and medical offices. Consultants work from their homes too. I really work on completing my daily intentions written down from the night before, or I am all over the place. I have my day broken down into segments. Only certain amounts of time for the different parts of my life and each day has a separate folder 1-31 with the task ready for me to work on that day. I am not perfect at this, but it is becoming habit for me like a budget. Yucky, but stress relieving.

What is your proudest moment in business? Every time I see someone become successful and reach their goal.

What is your current business challenge? Up and down volume

What motivates or inspires you to keep going? My belief in what I am doing and my personal goals. I am unemployable. I never want a job with someone telling me what to do or how much I can make.

What is your favorite motivational quote? Today it is. “Be more, so you can have more, so you can do more for others.” Rita Davenport

Family? Blended, 1 married stepson with 2 children, 1 married daughter with 2 girls, 2 boys in college, 1 son in highschool. I am NOT old!

How do you balance running a business, family and “me time”? Book it baby.

What is your favorite “me time” activity? Shopping!!! all over the country, mostly artist shows. I really want to go to the one in Ada, MI.

What is your best piece of advice for other Always Busy Women in Business? If you do what you love you will never work another day in your life. Find and create yourself within your business. You will have a blast and the hard days will be less hard. You decided your worth, not anyone else.

Do you have a favorite business tool and/or resource? Go To Meeting cuts down the travel time for me and allows me to have meetings all over the country. I also read a lot of great business books.

What is next for your business? Growing 2 new teams by end of November 09.

Special Offer? Offer code:ABW25 25% off any professional service in Tucson. $50 in skin care products plus additional discounts for hosting a skin care education seminar or make up training with 4 guests in attendance. Schedule online at http://www.yourintelligentskin.com/



Are you a Girlfriend in business? Would you like to be featured and show off your product or service. Contact us at empower@girlfriendsbizalliance.com.

Pretty In Pink: Christine Siler

Pretty In Pink Spotlight: Christine Siler

Business: C & R Productions

Website: http://www.crprod.com/

Snapshot of your business? We are a custom website design and software development company, specializing in assisting companies to grow their bottom line.

What inspired you start your business? It just happened.

How long have you been in business? Since 1984 – 25 years

What is a typical work day? Answering emails, assisting my business development mangers (sales staff), working with my web designers, business calls, talking ABWA, working on idea’s to grow our business with my husband who is our CIO, teaching my grandson.

What is your proudest moment in business? One of the programs we developed is a voice active menu (one of the first) it is my voice on it and Walt Disney World and Perdue Universities both bought our program.

What is your current business challenge? Finding the next niche.What motivates or inspires you to keep going? To be a snow bird and have 2 beautiful homes and travel.

What is your favorite motivational quote? Do not have one

Family? 1 sister, 2 daughters and 1 grandson.

How do you balance running a business, family and “me time”? We get off at a set time, most days we make it; I have Fridays off for my grandson as we home school him as well. Saturday is work around the house day and Sunday is about “US”. Me time is reading or play on-line game.

What is your favorite “me time” activity? Reading, soaking in a big tub

What is your best piece of advice for other Always Busy Women in Business? Enjoy what you do and be excited by it. Do write a business plan and marketing plan it helps you to achieve what you want because you know what you want and how to get there.

Do you have a favorite business tool and/or resource? Business associates

What is next for your business? We will be rolling out our new product that should take our company to the next level. Ask me again in 2 months and then I can talk about it.

10 Ways to Survive the Carpool Line

1. Grab a Drink. We all can use a yummy cup of coffee or a cold ice tea.

2. Have fun activities for the kids sitting in the back seat. You can even pack a fun bag for yourself and through in your favorite magazine, book or journal.

3. Make some calls. Catch up with love ones and friends while you are waiting!

4. Twitter or Facebook. Update your status or chat online.

5. Plan Your Day. Pull out your calendar and see what is on schedule for the next day and plan out your day. List your top 5 must get done tasks for the following day.

6. Car Dance. Turn up the music and rock out! Do some car dancing and rev up your engine for the rest of the day.

7. Write Notes. Take those few minutes to hand write some Thank you notes to clients.

8. Brainstorm. Have an upcoming project you want to launch or a new service you want to offer. Put it on paper and brainstorm on what you need to do to make it happen.

9. Kid Talk. Have little ones in the back? They are trapped in the carpool line too. Have some fun conversation with them or play an “I See” game.

10. Best Survival Tip. If the carpool line just has you going crazy, my best advice is to park in a nearby spot and walk in. This will save you from the frustrations and craziness of the line. Plus, who couldn’t use a nice boost of sunshine and fresh air?

Great Article by Jennifer Fong - Your Newsletter is an Important Part of your Social Media Strategy

http://liajen.wordpress.com/2009/08/20/your-newsletter-in-an-important-part-of-your-social-media-strategy/

Shared via AddThis

Making the Most of Your Day

Being your own boss can be a challenge. You’re it! As an entrepreneur it is imperative to prioritize each day for maximum productivity. It is so easy to get caught up in surfing the net, chatting with friends on facebook or worse preparing to prioritize (you know what I am talking about… making a list, organizing papers, busy stuff that doesn’t get you any closer to your goal).

The most common time waster is procrastination. Any of us can think of a million different time consuming tasks to do, that ultimately accomplish nothing.

One of the best things you can do to maximize your time is to plan your day. Each morning or at the end of your day take 15 minutes to map out your day. The only way you are ever going to achieve your goals is to take action steps and these steps need to be in your calendar!

You might be reading this and think… yeah, yeah, I’ve heard this before. O.K., so then why aren’t you making it happen? Let’s take a second and get real. Think about what behaviors might be sabotaging your success. Do any of these sound familiar?

Continually preparing and not taking action.
Being unable to say “NO” to things that aren’t moving you forward
Failing to ask for help
Focusing on unproductive tasks
Being unorganized
Not having a clear goal
Waiting until late in the day to do tasks and then not doing them because you’re tired.

Did you connect with any of these? The first thing in correcting a behavior is recognizing it. Analyze the behavior and ask yourself why you are behaving this way? Is it possible there is something else holding you back?

Here are a few things that can help:

Focus on priorities first thing in the morning.
Tackle the most difficult task first
One of the best things you can do is carry a tote around with you, so you can be productive when free time opens up.
Don’t take phone calls, look at emails or get on the internet until your priorities for they day are complete.

5 Ways to Help Tackle Self Motivation

While self-motivation is a simple concept, we all know that it’s one of the hardest things to attain. Despite purely good intentions, most of us are better at slacking off than getting motivated. But, no matter what your attention span it is possible for you to motivate yourself and reach your goals; you just need to follow a few simple steps.

Know what you’re doing

A to-do list is nice to have to help you get things done, but it doesn’t do much to help you stay motivated. Before you can make your to-do list, you need to set goals and priorities. They may be short term like “finish this project to attain more work” or more general like “increase workload to attain promotion”. If you give yourself a goal or vision to work for, you’re going to be more motivated to finish things than if you’re simply completing tasks.

Stay positive

A positive attitude can go a long way. People have probably told you this over and over, but you’re still not inclined to believe it. Take a little extra time each day to remind yourself of your accomplishments. It is also a good idea to try to surround yourself with positive and encouraging people. If you don’t have any at work, find positive and encouraging statements from successful people and post them around your office.

Set mini-goals

Finishing a project can be a daunting task. If it’s a large amount of work, you’re likely to look at it, get overwhelmed, and give up or put it off before you even get started. An easier way to accomplish a project is to break it up into smaller tasks. This way you’ll be looking at a bunch of small goals instead of one great big one. While it’s the same amount of work, it helps to keep you from getting overwhelmed. Plus, each time you accomplish one of your tasks, you’ll feel successful and motivated to keep trekking on through the rest.

Reward yourself

To help keep yourself going, set up rewards for each task you complete. They don’t have to be anything big; they could be going to see a movie over the weekend or spending 15 minutes on the phone with a friend you haven’t talked to in a while. It’s just something positive to help encourage you. You can also set small rewards for your mini goals and have a large reward for when you finish a large project.

You can also punish yourself to achieve goals. For example, set up a mini-punishment, like snapping a rubber band on your wrist. Every time you find yourself drifting off and not paying attention, or doing something counter-productive, snap the rubber band. This will help train your mind to stay on track.

Have a backup

While we may have the best of intentions, most of us really aren’t that good at sticking with our self-motivating methods. If this seems like you, you may be in need of some backup. This is a friend, co-worker, or associate - anyone who is dependable and trustworthy. Let them know what your goals are (and even your rewards and punishments) and set up a plan for them to check up on you.

It could be as simple as giving you a call to see how much you’ve gotten done, or maybe have them be the keeper of some reward and administer it when you reach your goal. This way, if your resolution wavers, you’ll have someone else there to help out.

Pretty In Pink: Nancy Jay

Meet Nancy Jay!

Business: Premier Designs Jewelry

Website: www.premierdesigns.com

Snapshot of your business? I sell high fashion jewelry, which is in between costume jewelry and the “real stuff. We often call it “bridge jewelry”. Premier Designs offers something for everyone with our reasonable prices and varied styles from romantic and classic to bold, dramatic, and bling. I assist women by going into their homes and teaching them and their friends how to accessorize their wardrobes with jewelry to economize in today’s tough financial times. I also teach women how to get this jewelry free, as well as how to supplement or replace their income by building a successful direct sales jewelry business. In addition, I do catalogue shows and take wholesale individual orders.

What inspired you start your business? Due to chronic health issue, I cannot work a traditional 9 to 5 job. I was in the “right place at the right time” when I heard about Premier. I had always been a jewelry lover and loved the product Premier offers, along with the flexibility the business opportunity would allow me. It was the best decision ever as it has changed my life!
How long have you been in business? I started with Premier in February of this year.

What is a typical work day? On a day I am not doing a home show, my day consists of a combination of marketing, developing my business, calling customers and hostesses, recording shows, doing my “books” (I try to avoid that at all costs, ugh ;), and going to as many networking events as I can. On a day I am doing a home show, typically I arrive at the hostess’ home an hour before to set up, the show lasts 2 hours and then I take about ½ hour to gather my stuff…plus travel of course.

What is your proudest moment in business? My proudest moments have to come from the personal connections I make with customers. I have a few I can recall but the one that stands out is when I sold a watch to an elderly woman in the hair salon I go to. She is also disabled and has limited income but she wanted that watch so much. I sold it to her on the spot and reduced the price significantly to make it feasible for her to afford it. I did take a hit but the smile on her face when she went around showing everyone her new watch was priceless!!! I still keep in touch with her to this day and she calls me her “gem” ;)

What is your current business challenge? My biggest challenge has to be the fact the, due to being ill for quite a long time, I don’t have as large of a social network as I’d like, as well as that much physical stamina. These limitations make it very difficult to really get out there and get known and book shows. I am working on overcoming these. (oops..i think I gave 2 challenges ;)

What motivates or inspires you to keep going? What keeps me going are two things: the fact that I was out of work for 5 years and now I am able to work due the flexibility that Premier affords me. Secondly, I LOVE the product I sell and the company I work for and what they stand for. Premier Designs treats me like gold, no matter how much or how little I sell and they were the only company to have sent me a card and flowers when I was recovering from surgery and a subsequent life threatening event. (I mightadd..this beautiful bouquet and card came from the owners of this HUGE company so they really keep on top of their jewelers and go out of their way to make you feel special and appreciated for your work.

What is your favorite motivational quote?
Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall-Confucious

Family? I have a wonderful husband, Cliff, who is very supportive of my going back to work and is also a strong fan of Premier Designs. I also have 3 kitties..Teddy, Lilly, and Minnie. They are my “furry kids”..but they are more like regular kids to me since I do not have any.

How do you balance running a business, family and “me time”? Since my energy is limited, I always feel like I need to take every moment of it to work and I don’t engage in much “me time”, to be honest. So, striking that balance has been really difficult, I must admit. However, I am working on it and the meetings that GBA provides is an awesome help since they provide us with a forum to discuss these issues.

What is your favorite “me time” activity? Hmm..I do so much with my husband it is hard to say…probably listening to music and singing since music and singing are two of my other passions in life.

What is your best piece of advice for other Always Busy Women in Business? As hard as it is as a business owner, try not to let work consume your life and be the only thing you have. It’s easy to fall into that pattern, especially when you are like me and always feel there is something to be done and have trouble leaving your work “at the office”, which is often our homes, and not thinking about it 24/7. Not to mention, not having any time for yourself or your family. That will make for one irritable and unhappy person, not to mention put a huge strain on your relationships with family and friends. On the other hand, if you allow yourself to engage in non work activities, including “me time” and time for your family, you’ll be a more well rounded and happier person in the end and you will subsequently be a happier and more successful business owner.

Do you have a favorite business tool and/or resource? For me, it is my upline and networking and speaking with other small business owners, like in groups such as GBA.

What is next for your business? I am really looking to engage in a lot more social marketing to build my customer base. I am also looking into re-structuring some of my shows and sales strategies to increase my sales. Also, I am working to promote our brand new line, which just came out last week and is absolutely beautiful!!!

Special Offer? I would like to offer 15% off everything in the entire catalogue to GBA members. Also, I will be offering my retired items at 10% off.

Tips for Staying Focused on Your Biz

If you are easily distracted or get bored easily, staying focused on your business can be harder than doing the actual work of your business! It is very easy to procrastinate, especially when you work from home. There are always ‘so many other things to do’.

Here is a secret that you may not have heard yet: The dishes can wait! The laundry can wait! So feel free to make those phone calls or answer those emails. The laundry and dishes will still be there, waiting for you! However, if you wait too long to call a client back, they may move on to someone who gets back to them faster than you do.

Why did you decide to go into business for yourself? Whatever the reason, write it down and put it where you will see it on a daily basis. When you are feeling distracted, look at what you wrote down. It will be easier to work when you remember why you are working in the first place.

You may want to team up with another work at home friend. Send each other your goals and keep one another accountable. Call each other at the end of the day and discuss what you accomplished; you can share your successes or lend each other a sympathetic ear over things that didn’t go as you planned.

Stay motivated by setting daily, weekly and monthly goals. If you “work backwards” you will create a road map to your success. For instance, if you are in direct sales and your financial goal is to sell $1500 in product that month. Do the math and you’ll see that you need to sell $375 of product each week. Now, how many home parties do you need to hold each week to accomplish that? How many phone calls do you need to make each day in order to schedule those parties?

When you accomplish your goals, give yourself a little treat to remind yourself that you worked hard and achieved success!