#1 Write a letter. When many people write their content they’re pulled back to their school days when they were learning how to write an essay or a formal report. Unfortunately, that’s not really what grabs the attention of readers and it doesn’t often create a strong connection. Instead, write your content like you’re writing a letter. That is to say, write conversationally. Use words like, “You” and “Your” to really let your reader know you’re talking to them.

#2 Use personal examples. Much of the content you write and publish has a connection to you personally. For example, if you have a dog training website then chances are you also own and train your dogs. You’re writing from personal experience. This personal experience is a fantastic way to connect with your readers. Share your challenges, your success and your mistakes with your readers. It not only builds your credibility, it helps your readers relate to you.

#3 Communicate your personality. We each have our own unique personality. Unfortunately, many people become reserved when they write. They tamper their personality instead of flaunting it. To connect with your audience flaunt your personality. Embrace it whole heartedly and use it to connect and to build a strong brand.

If you’re funny, then tell jokes. Share your wit, sarcasm, goofiness with your readers. They won’t all like your jokes but that doesn’t matter. Some will. If you’re serious, and the tone fits your website topic, then be serious. If you’re controversial then be controversial in your content. Your personality is a tremendous asset when it comes to connecting with your audience.

#4 Ask questions. Connecting with your audience is a two way street. It requires something from you and it requires an emotional response from your reader. When you ask questions and get your reader involved in the content, they become engaged. And it may help you create more user generated content.

#5 Use emotional words. Emotional words affect the emotions of your reader. For example, instead of saying, “You might be upset if someone _______” You might write, “You’d be FURIOUS, ANGRY, or you might even swear if that’s the tone of your website. Emotional words cause emotional responses and that forges a connection with your readers. They’re particularly helpful when you’re writing sales copy but they work well in content too.

Connecting with your audience is about being authentic. When you’re able to let go and pour your personality and your experiences into your content then you’re going to be able to build a community of devoted followers. Be confident, be proud, be your unique self and connect with your readers.

Looking for super easy solution to build your web pages? Take the comprehensive website builder at http://www.InternetBasedFamily.com for a 10-day test trial. You can choose from over 1200 templates and your account includes all kinds of interactive features including: message board, shopping cart, mailing list, coupons and more

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Writing from the Heart – How to Really Connect With Your Audience

There are essentially three types of content you can add to your website. They include: 

1. Print, like articles or blog posts
2. Video
3. Audio 

Within each type of content there are practically limitless options for formats. Many of the different types of content formats overlap each other. For example, you could interview someone as an audio file which visitors could listen to. A video file they could watch or you could interview them in article format or publish a transcription.

Print Content Options for Your Website

Print is often the most accessible for business owners and website visitors. And there are a number of format options. Here are just a few options to get the creative juices flowing:

• Articles and/or blog posts in a number of formats including:
  • Reviews
  • Tip sheets
  • Lists
  • How to information
  • Fact sheets
  • Question and answer
  • Editorials
  • Ecourses – lessons
  • Interviews
  • Reports
  • Blueprints & Templates
  • Mindmaps
  • Case studies
  • Comparison charts
  • Buying guides 

 Video Content Options for Your Website

Video content options are quite similar to print content options. While print offers visitors the ability to actually print the content to read and/or save, video can be downloaded or watched quite easily from a mobile device. Additionally, video makes it quite easy to communicate your brand personality. If your niche is a visual niche or your personality lends itself better to video content then by all means, create videos. It’s a growing medium and many people prefer video over print content.

Your video content options include but are not limited to:

• Reviews
• Tip
• How to information
• Question and answer
• Editorials
• Lessons
• Interviews
• Case studies 

Audio Content Options for Your Website

Audio content has been around for a while. Have you ever listened to a book on tape?  It’s still quite accessible and a great way to add some variety to the type of content you provide on your website. Again, like audio and video the formats overlap. And like video, audio makes it easier to communicate your brand personality. It can be tricky to communicate your voice when you’re writing – though it certainly can be done.

Also like video, audio can be consumed on the go. People can listen to audio files while they’re commuting or during time pockets, like waiting at the doctor’s office.

There are benefits to offering all three types of content on your website. People learn differently so you’ll appeal to all learning styles by providing, print, audio and video content. Additionally, it can help keep your website content fresh. Finally, if you have a preference or find you’re more skilled at creating one type of content then that’s the one to focus on. There are many websites that offer 100% video content and do quite well.

Create your content strategy. Include not only the type of content you’re creating but also the purpose of the content. Include a schedule for publishing content and your website will thrive.

Looking for super easy solution to build your web pages? Take the comprehensive website builder at http://www.InternetBasedFamily.com for a 10-day test trial. You can choose from over 1200 templates and your account includes all kinds of interactive features including: message board, shopping cart, mailing list, coupons and more

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Different Types of Content You Can Add To Your Website

#1 Change your keywords. This works quite well for PLR material along with other print content. For example, if you have an article on “potty training dogs” you can change the keywords to “Housebreaking your dog”. It’s also important, so you don’t get penalized for duplicate content, to change the subheadings, headings and headline so they’re original. Tweak the body content and you have a new article ready to go.

#2 Pull articles and blog posts from ebooks and reports. If you have ebooks and reports in your collection of content, you can create many new articles and blog posts. Pull sections that contain important information from the material, add an introduction and a conclusion and publish. Note: if you’ve sold the ebooks and the reports you may want to tweak it so it’s original and your paying customers don’t feel they’ve been shorted by paying for information you’re now giving away for free.

#3 Create ebooks and reports from articles and/or blog posts. Another fantastic way to get more from your content is to create ebooks and reports from your articles. Gather articles you’ve published or have on hand and organize them by theme or topic.

For example, if you have a dog training website and you have 50 articles on housebreaking, you can compile the articles into a short report to give away or sell.

#4 Transcription. Transcription provides a wealth of content opportunities. Whether you have audio or video material you can have the material transcribed. The transcription alone is valuable content you can publish. However, you can also use the transcription to create reports, workbooks and articles or blog posts. One audio or video file can produce a ton of content.

#5 Change the format. In addition to changing keywords, you can repurpose articles by changing the format. For example, a how to article can be modified and made into a tips article simply by reworking the layout and some of the wording. Again, take care to avoid duplicate content issues by changing the content enough so that it is original in the eyes of the search engines.

#6 Articles into autoresponders. Any content you publish online including reports and ebooks can also be repurposed to create short autoresponder messages. The primary difference between most articles and autoresponders is the call to action. Hone in on the primary nugget of information your article offers, transform it into a powerful autoresponder message and then include a call to action.

There are a number of ways to make your content go far. With each piece of content, before you publish it, also create a repurposing strategy. Maximize your time, money and energy and give your website visitors all the content they could ever dream of.

Looking for super easy solution to build your web pages? Take the comprehensive website builder at http://www.InternetBasedFamily.com for a 10-day test trial. You can choose from over 1200 templates and your account includes all kinds of interactive features including: message board, shopping cart, mailing list, coupons and more

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Repurposing Your Content – Easy Tips and Ideas

#1 What do you do differently than your competition?  

For example, Zappos.com provides free shipping both ways. That’s their USP and it works quite well. Buying shoes online is a risky business because you can’t try them on but if you know you get free shipping both ways, it eliminates 99% of the risk. Answering the question, “What do I do differently from my competition?” can help you find your perfect USP. 

#2 What makes you different? If you don’t DO anything differently than your competition then you may be different from your competition in other ways. For example, your website personality may be very strong and that’s your USP. You may have an extremely funny or controversial approach to your topic. 

For example, a copy writer may position themselves as a ‘story teller’ rather than a copy writer. This sets them apart from the thousands of other copywriters out there even though they perform the same service. 

#3 Who are your customers? Your customers can quite easily help you define your USP. Maybe you find that you’re really only selling to one small demographic, instead of trying to broaden your demographic reach, you can use that as your USP and really attract that specific audience. 

For example, Giada De Laurentiis has a cooking show that’s targeted toward people who wanted to make tasty, but simple, dishes at home. However, Giada has a huge following with the college aged male crowd. Go figure! It might make sense for her to market specifically to this crowd -Giada’s Tailgate Recipes perhaps?

#4 What do you offer? Often your product or services alone can be your USP. Using the writer example again, a writer might market their content services as “overnight content” or “24 hour content.” People know that when they do business with that service provider, they’re going to get their content quickly. That’s the USP. 

#5 Merging USPs. Finally, another option is to combine a few unique differences into one main USP. For example, clicker based dog training for children. This combines what makes you different, clicker based dog training, and your customers, children, into one merged USP. 

Finding your USP may take a little time and thought. Ask yourself the questions above. Find the strongest answer, the one that resonates with you the most and build from there. If you’re still uncertain, ask your friends and family for suggestions or advice. Sometimes it’s easier to see the benefits or personality of a website from the outside looking in.

Looking for super easy solution to build your web pages? Take the comprehensive website builder at http://www.InternetBasedFamily.com for a 10-day test trial. You can choose from over 1200 templates and your account includes all kinds of interactive features including: message board, shopping cart, mailing list, coupons and more

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

What’s Your USP? – How to Be Unique and Memorable

Analyzing Your Internet Behavior to Understand

When you hop online to search for information, what do you do?  Chances are you:

Enter keywords or a phrase into your search engine of choice.

Review the first page results

If the first page doesn’t meet your needs you might:

            Go to the second and maybe even the third page of results

            Or you’ll refine your keywords to get better results

Once you’ve found a list of websites that looks like it will provide the information you’re looking for, then you will click on a few websites to review…their content.

Content’s Role in the Process

Now if you go back and review that process you’ll notice two key things.

1. Your keywords determine your results
2. The content on the site is what you’re ultimately seeking.

That means two very important things for a business owner. It means that the content you have on your website must appeal to both the search engines and your visitors or prospects. This is essentially why content is king.

The Search Engine Side of the Content Equation

Search engines use the content on your website to index your pages. If a page on your website is devoted to chocolate chip cookies then the search engines are going to look at those keywords, chocolate chip cookies, and categorize your web page accordingly.

Now if the rest of your website is devoted to home decorating then the chocolate chip cookies page isn’t going to get much attention. However, if the rest of your website is devoted to chocolate, cookies, or chocolate chip cookies then the web page will get noticed and indexed higher in the rankings when someone searches using those keywords. This means the more content you have that’s devoted to the same or a similar topic, the better your search engine results are. As already demonstrated by your own online searching behavior, chances are if your website isn’t on the first three pages of results then your traffic is going to be lower. That’s okay, as long as you have an action plan to improve your search engine ranking.

The Visitor Side of the Content Equation

When someone visits your website they’re looking for one thing, content. Now the content can inform, it can entertain, it can stir up a controversy or any number of goals and objectives. However, one thing remains constant; it’s content that they’re looking for.

This provides you with an opportunity. Create content that meets your visitors needs and they’ll:

• Come back to your website again and again
• Refer your website to others
• Link to your website (which by the way improves your search engine ranking)
• Talk about your website on social networking sites
• Buy from your website, click on PPC ads and affiliate links.

Yes, content is king because it helps people find your site and it brings them back again and again. It’s an unbreakable circle of benefits. Create great content often and your website is sure to grow.

 Looking for super easy solution to build your web pages? Take the comprehensive website builder at http://www.InternetBasedFamily.com for a 10-day test trial. You can choose from over 1200 templates and your account includes all kinds of interactive features including: message board, shopping cart, mailing list, coupons and more.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Why Content Is King to the Search Engines (And Your Visitors)

So, let’s talk about a few things you can do to jazz up that new project to make it a little more your own.

Blending Filaments – These are a sparkly shiny thread that you can purchase to give a bit of shimmer to your project. You can thread it into the needle with your floss and stitch that way, or you can thread the blending filament alone and just stitch over top of the current stitches to add a bit of shine in certain places. This adds a great touch to any piece.

Beads and Charms – You can use seed beads in place of french knots or place a few around the outer edge of a design for a nice depth of texture. Charms can also be bought and added anywhere on a piece for a little bit of added “charm”;-)

Specialty Threads – Silk, Rayon, Metallic, Hand Dyed, there are any number of floss types in addition to your regular standard embroidery floss. Swapping out any standard color in your project and using one of these specialty threads in its place can make a huge difference in your finished project.

Take a minute or two today to look through your crafty stash and see what you can add to that work in progress cross stitch project to make it just a little more you. Get creative, have fun, and most of all enjoy what you’re doing.

For more tips, tricks and project ideas visit StitchingtheNightAway.com where you’ll find free cross stitch patterns, cross stitch supplies, and more great cross stitch information.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Making Small Changes to Your Cross Stitch Pattern Or Cross Stitch Kit For a Big Difference

To be adventurous means that you participate in exciting enterprises and bold undertakings. Are you adventurous in how you run your business? What would it look like for you if you were?

Whether you haven’t been exercising your adventure muscles out of fear or lack of know how, today is your opportunity to flex those muscles. Being adventurous is both fun and the perfect way to increase your credibility, visibility and profitability.

So, here are 4 ways for you to raise your bottom line by being adventurous in your business this week. Pick one or more, flex those adventure muscles and have some fun with it.

1. Talk to strangers. Isn’t there an old saying about strangers being friends you haven’t met yet? Strike up a conversation about anything with someone you don’t know at your local coffee shop or supermarket. Doing this grows your confidence and makes it much easier for you to talk to people you want to do business with when you attend your next networking event. It’s fun, too, as you get to meet a variety of people and make great new contacts. So, at the next opportunity, smile, look a stranger in the eye and say “hello.”

2. Let your personality show. In life, and especially in business, it’s easy to get caught up in acting like you think you “should” instead of simply – and proudly – being yourself. However, real success only comes to you when you are being real, when you are being you – truly, madly, deeply YOU. If you have pulled back on living the adventure that is being opening and authentically yourself, today is the perfect day to show the world who you are. Speak your truth. Stand up for yourself. Show people your sense of humor. Let your voice shine through in your business writing. Etc.!

3. Stake your claim. What do you believe? What is the work that you are brilliant at? What causes are important to you? Shout out who you are, what you do and what you stand for. Lay claim to your unique talents, perspectives, ideas and ways of being. Let the world see the real you even if (perhaps especially if) some people will disagree. Make peace with the fact that stepping into your power means you may ruffle a few feathers and be OK with that. Draw a line in the sand about who you are, what you do, what you charge, who you work with, etc. Trust me, as scary as this is that first day, you’ll be so glad you staked your claim.

4. Charge what you really want. You’re a business person with amazing and unique talents that change people’s lives. That means that you can charge fees that you fee great about and that are based on the value you add to your clients’ lives and not what you imagine they maybe can afford. It takes courage to charge what you are really worth so accept the adventurous journey of charging fees that make you happy.

Don’t worry if baby steps feel adventurous to you right now. Start there and see where it takes you. I guarantee that once you see the results you get from a little bit of adventure, you’ll be inspired to go bigger with it.

*****
© 2010 Ruth Hegarty

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Ruth Hegarty inspires and supports service focused entrepreneurs to create, promote and profit from content-rich signature talks that leverage their unique brilliance and create a foundation for a successful business. To learn more about Ruth and receive a free copy of her ebook “6 Steps to Turn What You Already Know into Your Profitable Signature Program,” go to Coach Ruth.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

4 Ways to Raise Your Bottom Line by Being Adventurous in Your Business

Speaking to your target market is a wonderful way to reach more people in a short period of time and get your message out about how your product or service can help them. It works well because your target audience can get to know you on a more personal level and get a feel for your style and personality.

You may be reading this and thinking, “I’ve never done any public speaking and I’m not feeling very confident about it.” I understand completely. I started speaking 15 years ago because I had a mentor at the time who insisted this was a great way for me to grow my business. It was not by choice and I tried (unsuccessfully) numerous times to avoid the process. I remember my first speaking engagement. I had purchased a $300 silk suit to wear for the occasion. I was so nervous that I was sweating the entire time. By the end of the presentation, I was soaked! The suit was ruined. I sent it to the dry cleaners but it could not be saved. After that first presentation, little by little, I became a better speaker and more confident in my ability.

If you’ve been thinking that speaking is a tool that could help you grow your business and get your message out, you should take the leap and go for it. Here are some tips and solutions that will help make the process a lot easier:

1. Choose a Topic – Pick a topic where you have expert knowledge. Think about a problem or challenge that you solve for your clients. Create a presentation around this and include 3-5 main points that will be benefit your audience.

2. Use the KISS Principle – Divide your talk into 3 main areas. The beginning is your introduction where you create a desire for the audience to listen to you by sharing your level of expertise. Don’t forget to share your vulnerability as well. People love hearing that you’re not perfect and you’ve made mistakes too! The middle is the 3-5 main points you want to share on your topic. The ending is where you let them know how they can get more information and how they can work with you.

3. Offer a Free Gift – Ask everyone to fill out a form with their name and email address. Put the forms into a basket and have the host pull out some lucky winners for a free gift. For example, it could be a free session with you, a free book or e-book. People love free gifts! Let the audience know that they will hear from you in the future about special offers or new products and services. This is an excellent list building tool. (I see many speakers forgetting this step and it’s one of the most important!)

4. Give Them Something to Buy – If you have a table at the event (many events offer a table to speakers at little or no extra charge) have your products and brochures, with descriptions about your service, available. After you finish speaking, get back to your table as quickly as possible so that people who are interested in asking questions or interacting with you can approach you easily.

5. Follow-Up After the Event – After the event is over, make sure you follow-up with the event host and find out how they felt about your presentation. This is an excellent way to learn what went well and if there are some areas for improvement. Be sure to ask the host for a testimonial about your speaking. This is an invaluable tool to have on your web site media page and marketing materials.

You can start with a small group (5-10 people) and move on to larger audiences along the way. Over the last 15 years, I’ve spoken to groups of people that had an audience of 5 people as well as groups of up to 750 people. The number isn’t what’s important. They key is to inspire a few people who identify with you and want to work with you to help solve their problem or challenge. Speaking has made a tremendous difference in my business. It can make a difference in your business too.

*****
© 2010 Joy Chudacoff

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Joy Chudacoff, ICF, PCC, is the founder of Smart Women Smart Solutions®, a Professional Certified Coach to 1000’s of women, Motivational Speaker, and Entrepreneur. She publishes a weekly buzz generating ezine, Reflections On Life and Business for Women Entrepreneurs. If you’re ready take your life and your business to the next level, get your FREE Tips, 2 FREE Reports and FREE MP3 now at Creating The Spark .

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Smart Women Use Speaking to Grow Their Business

Mistake #1: Leaving the project in the hoop or q-snap overnight.

Please, I beg you to stop torturing your cross stitch project in such a way. When you’re done stitching for the day take the project out of the hoop (or scroll frame, or q-snap, or whatever you’re using to hold your fabric taught) and let the project rest. Your stitching needs it beauty sleep too.

Stitcher’s Note: If you’re using a scroll frame or other frame where the fabric is sewn onto or more fixedly attached to the device it is recommended that you loosen the tension slightly to leave the project rest overnight and when you’re not stitching.

Mistake #2: Not crossing stitches in the same direction.

This one isn’t really a big deal, but it is something makes the finished piece look better. It doesn’t matter which direction your top leg of cross stitch is going, just be sure they are all going the same direction. Consistency is really the key here.

Stitcher’s note: Right handed stitchers usually have the top leg going bottom left to top right. Left handed stitchers usually have the top leg going from bottom right to top left.

Mistake #3: Not stopping to untangle the tangled floss.

It happens to all of us at some point during almost every project, the floss gets tangled and BAM there’s a knot in it. I know untangling it is a huge pain in the you know what, however if you’re going to frame the finished piece you don’t want those bumps getting in the way later.

Stitcher’s Note: If you know for a fact that you are NOT framing the piece when finished then by all means feel free to leave those tangles in there and stitch onward!

Those are just a few simple common mistakes that we all make, even me and I’ve been cross stitching since I was eight years old. If you take the necessary steps to avoid these mistakes I promise you that you’ll be very happy with the results when you’ve finished stitching your next project.

For more tips, tricks and project ideas visit StitchingtheNightAway.com where you’ll find free cross stitch patterns, cross stitch supplies, and more great cross stitch information.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Top 3 Mistakes That Most Cross Stitch Enthusiasts Make

Let’s face it, women have very busy, demanding lives. We are mothers, wives, partners, daughters, siblings, friends, community activists, employees and business owners. There are times when quantity is all I have to give because my plate is overflowing with “to-do’s. I’m there physically but not present in the moment. I’m busy “doing” rather than “being” because I’m thinking about so many things at once. Can you relate?

Last weekend, I was reminded that it’s about quality time and being present for the important parts of our lives. As I reflect on my special time with Jenna, I realize that this can be carried over to every aspect of my life. I can apply this thinking to my self-care, my relationships and my business.

Here are a few quick tips on how you can bring more quality time into your self-care, relationships and business:

1. Your Self-Care – This is typically the last thing on your list—right? Sometimes, when I talk about nurturing yourself first, I get these weird looks from women as if I’m some sort of an alien. It’s not natural for women to put themselves before others. We are nurturers by nature, however it’s essential that you give yourself quality time so that you can recharge your own battery. By the way, I didn’t truly understand this concept until after the age of 40. Getting a massage, practicing solitude or taking a bubble bath are great ways to nurture yourself.

2. Your Relationships – Spending quality time is so much more important than the quantity of time we spend with our family and friends. I find that an afternoon or evening with one of my children or husband where I’m truly present is worth more than spending an entire weekend while being distracted by life’s twists and turns. Schedule some “special” time with those you love. It will create a stronger bond and you’ll walk away feeling much more connected.

3. Your Business – If you aren’t careful, you can find yourself working “in” your business rather than “on” your business. It’s easy to get caught up in all the emails, social media and busy work that is part of running a business. Every week I have a meeting with myself and get very present about the direction of my business and goals. I’m checking- in to make sure that the steps I’m taking daily, weekly and monthly are in alignment with where I want to go. It is only then that I can communicate effectively to my team about the vision of Smart Women Smart Solutions®.

I have the opportunity to work with some amazing smart women. They are women with Big Ideas, Dreams and Goals which means they are leading very full lives.

Sometimes the feeling of guilt can creep in when they are on the journey to getting what they want and deserve in life. I invite you to schedule in some quality time for own self-care, your cherished relationships and your business goals.

Having this realization that it’s about quality time not quantity time sure makes me feel a lot better about all of the roles I play in my life. It can for you too.

*****
© 2010 Joy Chudacoff

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Joy Chudacoff, ICF, PCC, is the founder of Smart Women Smart Solutions®, a Professional Certified Coach to 1000’s of women, Motivational Speaker, and Entrepreneur. She publishes a weekly buzz generating ezine, Reflections On Life and Business for Women Entrepreneurs. If you’re ready take your life and your business to the next level, get your FREE Tips, 2 FREE Reports and FREE MP3 now at Creating The Spark .

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Smart Women Practice Quality Not Quantity

If you are a woman entrepreneur, your goal is to create brand awareness with your ideal client. It’s essential that you develop a marketing “mantra” that communicates to people on a continual basis what benefits you offer your clients and how they will be transformed or better off after they work with you.

American Girl® does this beautifully. They have a unique product. It’s not just any doll. You have over 20 choices of dolls to choose from, and you can customize the doll’s look and personality. For example, you can create a doll that loves sports (Jenna’s favorite), nature, or one from a specific historical time period. The entire store is set up so you can experience all of the dolls in different settings and choose exactly which one is perfect for you.

Here are a few tips you can use to boost your brand awareness for your business. These are effective whether you are just getting started or have been in business for a few years.

1. Create a logo – What is it that you do for your clients? Choose colors and a logo that represent your business. For example, my marketing has a lavender and ivory color scheme, and my logo is the nautilus shell because it’s my belief the nautilus shell is a near-perfect representation of a woman’s life. The American Girl® has the famous star graphic, as they want every girl to know she’s a star no matter who she is or what her preferences are.

2. Create an “experience” – Think about the process you use with your clients. Is it enjoyable and relaxing? For example, if you are an attorney, think about what you can do to make their visit memorable. Maybe it’s serving their beverage in a beautiful glass with a colorful, thick napkin (maybe with your logo on it?). From the first phone call or meeting, you need to develop your stand-out style in order to create a lasting memory with people.

3. Give them what they want – Make sure the services you offer are what the client wants and not what you want to serve them. When I first started my Women’s Success Circles over five years ago, I offered an all-day, one-time-per-month Success Circle. I had women who enrolled in the all-day Circle; however, most women could not devote an entire day to this process. Guess what? I was offering what I wanted them to have—not what they wanted. Once I created a half-day program, women flocked to the Circles. I had to make a change to what they wanted and give them the benefits and transformation they were looking for.

Now some of you may be reading this and thinking, “I’m just getting started, Joy. I’m a solo entrepreneur and not even close to being American Girl®.” Pleasant Rowland, the founder of American Girl®, was a teacher, writer and publisher of children’s books. She created the American Girl® idea out of her love and interest in history. She had no formal business training, and yet her Big Idea is known to millions of people. When you find a process or system that’s working, I invite you to notice how you can learn from it and use it to enhance your Big Idea, Dreams and Goals.

Anything is possible. Everything is waiting for you.
*****
© 2010 Joy Chudacoff

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Joy Chudacoff, ICF, PCC, is the founder of Smart Women Smart Solutions®, a Professional Certified Coach to 1000’s of women, Motivational Speaker, and Entrepreneur. She publishes a weekly buzz generating ezine, Reflections On Life and Business for Women Entrepreneurs. If you’re ready take your life and your business to the next level, get your FREE Tips, FREE Report and FREE MP3 now at Profits With Passion .

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Smart Women, American Girl® and Building Your Brand

LeBron James had a difficult decision to make. Stay in his home state and continue to play for the Cleveland Cavaliers or reach out of his comfort zone and try something new. He has publicly shared that winning a championship title is his greatest dream. He knew that he had to make decisions that were in alignment with his goals and that decision was not popular with many people around him.

I’ve been supporting women for over 5 years in my coaching work and one theme that continues to run through women’s lives is the ability to give themselves “permission” to be who they are and pursue their Big Ideas, Dreams and Goals. I know women who work outside the home and want to be at home with their children and leave the workplace. There are also women who are at home and they have a strong desire to own a business and combine their love of family with business ownership. There are scores of women who have Big Ideas about what they’d like to do with their lives. And yet, many do not take the steps to make their Big Ideas, Dreams and Goals a reality. Why? You may be uneasy about what others will think of you or fear you will be perceived as selfish or not loyal to those who depend on you. You may have that familiar feeling of fear that creeps up every time you have a great idea. Remember, fear is a natural partner to creativity.

When I was 29 years old and just beginning my journey as an entrepreneur, I had quite a few people who “encouraged” me to stay employed in my current job. I remember a family member saying, “Joy, don’t rock the boat.” This advice was out of love and caring for me but it wasn’t what I needed to hear. I knew that this was the only way for me to feel happy and fulfilled.

How about you? Do you dream of doing something new or different with your life? Here are a few quick tips on how you can get started:

1. Take a Time Out – give yourself permission to take some quiet, peaceful time to reflect on what is missing from your life. Grab a pen and paper and jot down everything you feel abundant about in your life and then reflect on what would make it even more fulfilling. It hasn’t always been easy for me to blend my family with my business dreams and goals; however I’ve found a way to have both. Instead of thinking about how it won’t work, get creative and begin to think of how to make it possible.
2. Ask Yourself a Question – Am I doing what I want in my life or am I doing what other’s think I should be doing in my life?
3. Find Your Courage – Create a vision about how you would feel if you could have that goal or dream come alive in your life. Breathe that in for a moment. Create a vision board about your Big Idea, Dreams and Goals. This process helps to keep the momentum alive and it’s a visual reminder to those around you.

I watched the interview with LeBron James when he announced his decision to join the Miami Heat. Some will say it was all about the money and I’d be foolish to think that it wasn’t a motivator. However, I noticed something different in the interview. LeBron felt a certain loyalty and sadness about leaving the Cavaliers. After all, he’d given them 7 years of his gifts and talent. He realized his dream is to be a part of something new, something bigger, something that would allow him to exercise his gifts in a bigger way. LeBron had to exercise his confidence and courage to embrace his own dream and take the steps to move closer to his vision. You have the opportunity to embrace your confidence and courage as well. You have permission to be exactly who you need to be, and make the necessary changes in order to live a life that is fueled with energy, passion and purpose.

Anything is possible. Everything is waiting for you.

*****

© 2010 Joy Chudacoff

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Joy Chudacoff, ICF, PCC, is the founder of Smart Women Smart Solutions®, a Professional Certified Coach to 1000’s of women, Motivational Speaker, and Entrepreneur. She publishes a weekly buzz generating ezine, Reflections On Life and Business for Women Entrepreneurs. If you’re ready take your life and your business to the next level, get your FREE Tips, FREE Report and FREE MP3 now at Creating The Spark .

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Smart Women, LeBron James and the Need to Be You

Back then, I was working as a business manager and marketing consultant for a very prominent physician in Los Angeles. I was making decent 5 figure money, however I didn’t own my car and I was renting an apartment with a roommate to make ends meet. The office where I worked was located in glamorous Beverly Hills, however the location of my desk inside the office was anything but glamorous. I sat in an area that was a “pass through” for every employee so I never had any privacy. If I leaned really far to my left, I could see some trees outside the window of my boss’s office. I longed for an office with a window view and an apartment all to myself.

Today, along with my beautiful family, I have my own business, Smart Women Smart Solutions® with an office in my home that has a panoramic view of blue sky, trees and mountains and I’m about a mile from the Pacific Ocean.

What changed? I changed. One thing I know for sure is that nothing changes until you do. If you want something in your life to change, then you have to be willing to make a change. Sounds simple doesn’t it? I must admit that it’s not that simple and along the way there have been bumps in the road. However, I would not change a thing.

I can’t share my entire journey with you in this article however, I do want to share 6 of the key essentials that took me from where I was – basically “surviving,” to today where I’m fully “thriving.”

1. Get Curious – I became an entrepreneur by accident. I wasn’t earning the money that I truly desired and when it became apparent that I was never going to in my job, I started to think about another alternative. I began dreaming, reading, researching and asking questions to anyone who might be able to give me some ideas on starting a business. Today it’s so much easier because of the internet. Google is at your fingertips to ask just about any question you can think of.
2. Get Moving – Once I landed on an opportunity that felt right for me in terms of money invested verses profit to be made, I began to look for ways to secure the money I needed to get started. I was considered a “credit risk” to many banks and was turned down quite a few times before I secured my first loan.
3. Keep Trying – Anytime you do something new, you’re bound to make mistakes and becoming an entrepreneur is no different. You will make mistakes. The key is to get up when you fall down and learn from the mistake. I’ve made numerous mistakes over the years and I paid attention to what I did wrong and learned how to do it right the next time.
4. Keep Learning – Take classes in areas of learning to get you up to speed on new, innovative ways to build your business. I enroll in classes all the time both offline and online to learn more about ways to increase my business and marketing. With all of the teleclasses and webinars there are today, it’s become so easy to learn from anywhere.
5. Get Support – Having coaches and mentors is one of the best investments I’ve ever made. Having a trusted “partner” on the journey who sees my situation through a different lens has been a big reason for my success. Having a supportive spouse, family and friends has played a big role for me as well. Make sure you surround yourself with people who champion your dreams.
6. Stay Focused – Decide what it is you want to accomplish and stay on course to make it happen. I’ve veered off course myself many times and I have to remember the answer to “Why am I doing this?” so I can ground myself again and stay focused on my desired outcome.

I invite you to stop dreaming and start acting on your Big Ideas, Dreams and Goals. One of my favorite quotes from Einstein is “Vision Without Execution is Merely Hallucination.” Stop hallucinating. Take action today and make it happen.

*****

© 2010 Joy Chudacoff

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Joy Chudacoff, ICF, PCC, is the founder of Smart Women Smart Solutions®, a Professional Certified Coach to 1000’s of women, Motivational Speaker, and Entrepreneur. She publishes a weekly buzz generating ezine, Reflections On Life and Business for Women Entrepreneurs. If you’re ready take your life and your business to the next level, get your FREE Tips, FREE Report and FREE MP3 now at Smart Women Smart Solutions Coaching .

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Smart Women Make It Happen

When someone new moves to the area or a family is just looking for a church to start attending, they head to the Internet and search for churches in their area.  Some things to include on your church’s web site to help possible new members include:

1. Statement of Faith
2. Information on the Pastor
3. Schedule of Services
4. Types of classes/services offered
5. If a nursery is available
6. Map and/or directions to the church

Of course a church’s web site is not just for possible new members, but for current members also.  Church’s could offer their calendar of activities for viewing on their website as well as missionary and other church related information.

For the members who are not able to attend church regularly for whatever reason, such as an illness, churches can offer a downloadable podcast or recording of sermons, Sunday school classes, special music, etc.  If handouts or workbooks were used, those could be made available online too.  If a church really wanted to go all out, they could even live stream their services on their website.

When planning a church’s web site just remember its purpose.  A church’s website doesn’t need to be anything fancy just something to inform possible new members and current members the information they need and desire.

It’s easy to get started with a church web site.  Just contact a church web site designer and they can help you plan the design and content in a way that benefit the church, its members, and prospective members as well as bringing Glory to the Lord.

Courtney Chowning is a <a href=”http://courtneywebdeigns.com”>church web site designer</a> who loves working with churches to create the perfect web site for them in an affordable manner.  You can find more out at CourtneyWebDesigns.com

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Is Your Church Online?

What your employees are allowed to say about the company.
I am not suggesting that you totally censor your employees. However, you do have a certain public image to uphold. You have to decide early on what you are going to allow your employees to say about the company on social networking sites. This is definitely something that needs to be outlined in the handbook you create about your company’s social media policy.

Is there a particular point person to send media requests to?
Your employees may run into members of the media while they are networking. The journalist may want to ask them some questions about your company. You have to decide if you want your employees to be able to answer those types of questions themselves or if you want one employee to be the designated spokesperson for the company. Whatever you decide, make sure to communicate this to all staff so there is no confusion.

What employees are allowed to post on online networking sites.
Once again this is a matter of protecting your company image. Your employees are a representative of you. You need to figure out what kind of information you want your employees to post on social media. Are they allowed to reveal your company name on their personal profiles? Can they post pictures of themselves at work? Is it okay for them to post pictures of themselves drinking alcohol? These might seem trivial, but it is important to let your employees know beforehand what they can post rather than trying to discipline them when they cause bad publicity for the company.

Having a social media policy is important for you and your employees. It helps your employees to know exactly what they can and can’t do with their social media profiles. It could also protect you from future lawsuits since the policy will be spelled out in black and white. Now stop reading this article and create a social media policy for your company.

And you can get a free report about earning extra money in your service business. Just go to http://www.learnsmallbusiness.com/autoresponder for your free small business training.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Small Business Owners – Create a Social Media Policy For Your Company Using These Guidelines

And as someone who’s seen the ins and outs of businesses all over the web, I’m begging you to read this article and protect your online business. (And spread the word, too).

Please use “safe” passwords – and a variety of different ones.

I, personally, have access to tens of thousands of usernames & passwords. Perhaps I have some of yours, if you’ve signed up for any of my affiliate programs over the years, or have bought any of my products that require you to set up an account.

I’d like to run a logic-check. If I have those passwords, and say, one of MY sites gets hacked (not even one of yours, but if one of mine does), then that person will have access to your username, password, and email address.

If you’re using that same username & password on other sites… that is asking for big trouble.

How would you like to wake up in the morning and find that your Twitter account has been spamming your followers all night?

What if you are using the same password on your email account and you wake up in the morning to phone calls from friends and family and business contacts asking why you’re sending them spam and nasty yucky emails?

AND the worst part? You try to log in to your accounts to stop it but you can’t because your password has been changed from the inside.

It really makes you think. At least it made me think.

The possibilities are quite unnerving to say the least. Plus, I’m one of those people who can’t stand it when bad things happen to good people.

So, please update your passwords. Make sure you use both letters and numbers (something like few8a6), so they aren’t easy to guess. And, always use a different password for anything that is important – like your Twitter accounts and email logins.

Nicole Dean cares – a lot – about online business owners and she wants them to succeed.  In fact she’s put together a guide on the topic: How to Avoid Disaster in your Online Business She’s also recorded a free training video which shows how she, personally, manages her passwords. You can watch it here:  http://www.nicoleonthenet.com/password-manager

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

I’m Begging You…

Content is still the foundation of any good website. However, the form of content has changed. Print content is still the most widely accessed information online, but video and audio have also left their mark. And now user or visitor content is becoming the norm. Why? Because it’s interactive and quite honestly if you don’t have a few interactive elements on your website, you may be missing out on traffic and profits.

What Is Interactivity and Why is It Important?

Interactivity is the ability for your website visitors to interact on your website. It can be anything from posting a comment about an article or blog to actually providing content for your website. More and more, people are looking to connect online. And you only need to look as far as your favorite social networking site to see this.

Customers don’t want to buy from a random business. They want to buy from someone they know, like and feel they’ve made a connection with. They want to buy from and visit websites where they feel like they’re part of a community.

Providing your visitors with the opportunity to become part of your community motivates them to:

• Return to your website.
• Stay on your website longer.
• Dig deeper into your website to learn more.
• Share your website with others.
• Recommend and link to your website.
• Bookmark your website.
• Buy from your website.

When you embrace your visitors and prospects as people who have something to contribute and you focus on providing value through information and interaction, you have a successful website. Your business will grow. The great news is there are a huge number of opportunities for you to motivate interaction.

Here are just a few ways you can add interactivity to your website:

• Social networking “comment” “Tweet This” or “recommend” plug-ins
• Rating articles/blog posts.
• Playing a game.
• Entering a sweepstakes or contest.
• Taking a poll or quiz.
• Commenting on an article or post.
• Forum

It’s important to know that interactive features also tend to boost your search engine ranking. Incoming links are one major way your SEO will improve. Additionally, any user generated content will help improve your rank.

Adding interactive features to your website doesn’t have to be complicated. It can, in fact, be as simple as adding a plug-in or widget. Before you start adding a ton of interactive features, however, spend some time planning. Know what your audience wants and make sure you’re providing value. Consider adding a feature at a time and testing and tracking the results. Making your site more interactive will help ensure your business continues to grow and prosper.

Looking for super easy solution to build your web pages? Take the comprehensive website builder at http://www.InternetBasedFamily.com for a 10-day test trial. You can choose from over 1200 templates and your account includes all kinds of interactive features including: message board, shopping cart, mailing list, coupons and more.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Adding Interactivity Your Website – Why It’s Essential

What Is A Newsletter?

A newsletter is essentially an email that is delivered to your customers on a regular basis. What makes it a newsletter and not a random email is that newsletters generally follow some sort of predetermined format.

This format often includes articles or teasers and links to articles and information found on the company website or blog. It may also contain advertisements if you’re an affiliate marketer or if advertising is one of your primary money makers. Finally, you may also include promotions, coupons, discounts and upcoming offers.

The bulk of your newsletter, about 80%, will be in the form of information about your industry or niche. Your newsletter’s goal is to provide value.

How Does a Newsletter Make Me Money?

We’ve already mentioned that you can sell advertising space in your newsletter. That’s definitely one way to make more money. However, the biggest benefit a newsletter provides any business is front of mind awareness.

Let’s face it, most of us forget things pretty darn quickly. A newsletter helps your customers and your prospects remember you. This is important because you want them to think of you when they have a need.

Also, a newsletter is a convenient way to motivate a purchase. Let’s say you sell information about yoga. You might have a bi-weekly newsletter that goes out to your opt-in list that offers a yoga pose of the week, a healthy recipe and a motivational quote. Pretty short and sweet. You might also promote your information product on how to choose the style of yoga that’s right for you. 

People become accustomed to receiving your newsletter and your information and they begin to trust you. You have established credibility with them and now they’re willing to make a purchase. 

Finally, a newsletter also increases your exposure. Do you ever share information you find online? You’ve probably shared videos and pictures online. You may have even shared articles, recipes, and tips. Newsletters are easy to share too – you simply forward them to a friend. Each time your newsletter is forwarded your business is placed in front of another potential prospect. 

Newsletters Are Easy To Put Together
What makes a newsletter such a great business building tool is the fact that they’re really easy to put together. There are many companies that offer newsletter management. This means that when people subscribe or unsubscribe to your newsletter the process is automated. These same services generally also offer a number of customizable newsletter templates. This makes it easy to upload your logo or header and brand your newsletter for your business. 

A simple newsletter like the one mentioned in our example above for the yoga website might take an hour maximum to create. You can also outsource the task to an assistant. 

When it comes to finding marketing tools and tactics that offer a great return on investment, you can’t go wrong with a newsletter. They boost awareness, exposure, and the potential for profit. Consider planning your company newsletter today.

Looking for super easy solution to build your web pages? Take the comprehensive website builder at http://www.InternetBasedFamily.com for a 10-day test trial. You can choose from over 1200 templates and your account includes all kinds of interactive features including: message board, shopping cart, mailing list, coupons and more.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Why Your Online Business Needs a Newsletter

 Here are five easy tips to help you write more content. 

#1 Plan it. This may seem like an oversimplified solution. However, you can write significantly faster when you know what you’re writing about and why. Spend an hour a month or even ten minutes a week and plan your content. What are you going to write? What purpose does it serve? 

Consider going as far in your content plan to outline the article with a few key points you want to cover in the content. 

#2 Seek user generated content. Your online interactions are a fantastic way to find and create more content. One interaction on a social networking site can turn into several article or blog post ideas. You can also use email questions that are sent to you or forum postings and interactions you have. If you’re going to use the content verbatim, make sure you ask permission from all involved parties. 

#3 Schedule time. Creating content often falls to the bottom of a to do list. You’ll be able to get much more content writing accomplished if you put it on your schedule. Find a time of the week that works best for you and devote an hour or two to writing your week’s content. Then you can publish it, schedule it and be done for the week.

#4 Repurpose. You probably have a ton of content already created, right? You have reports, ebooks, blog posts, and articles. Repurposing your content to create fresh content is a great way to write content fast and it’s good for the budget. 

#5 Track your ideas. Content ideas come to us at the strangest of times. Maybe you’re on the treadmill, waiting at the dentist or in the fast food drive through. Create some sort of method to capture these ideas when they come to you.

Chances are your phone or mobile device has a note taking function or a recording device. Or you can use a good old fashioned notebook and pen. The point is to keep it with you so you can capture those great ideas, and free moments, to write more content. 

Bonus tip – use your resources. In addition to keyword research, simply reading about your industry and networking with others can help you generate more content ideas. More ideas equals more content.

Writing more content doesn’t have to be difficult. Plan it, schedule it, and be ready for when those great content ideas strike.

Looking for super easy solution to build your web pages? Take the comprehensive website builder at http://www.InternetBasedFamily.com for a 10-day test trial. You can choose from over 1200 templates and your account includes all kinds of interactive features including: message board, shopping cart, mailing list, coupons and more.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Five Easy Tips to Help You Write More Content

Content

This is about as basic, and as important, as it gets. Content is the breath of your website, you need it to live.  Adding fresh content accomplishes several website improvement goals. First it ensures you are feeding your audience valuable information on a regular basis and giving them something to come back to.  Stay fresh.

Additionally, regular content improves your search engine rankings which of course helps drive traffic, and profits.

Adding content doesn’t mean you have to publish long winded articles or reports, though you certainly can. Something as simple as a review, a worksheet, a template or blueprint or even a list are also valuable pieces of information and they go a long way toward improving your website.

Social Networking Plug-Ins

Social networking has become one of the most effective and potentially profitable means for building a business and certainly for boosting website traffic.  And because it’s so effective, developers have gone wild. Both Twitter and Facebook, the two hot social networking sites at the moment, have a number of plug-ins and widgets. You can add any number of these to your website to give it a fresh look and feel and to boost interaction. 

Take a look at your options, establish your goals, and choose one or two plug-ins that will help you blend social networking into your business website.

Update Your Opt-In Offer

Opt in offers and freebie giveaways can get stale. You can create a new offer and freebie to refresh both your website’s landing page and your opt-in list strategy.  If you’ve noticed a drop in subscribers, consider tackling this website improvement strategy first.  It may be as simple as revamping your current offer to draw interest.  

Add a Page

Adding a page to your website can take only a short time and it can help boost traffic, interest and profits.  Do you have a FAQ Page?  What about a Product Review Page?  Maybe a video sharing page?  Brainstorm your options. Consider what would offer value to your visitors? What would make them want to come to your website?

 User Generated Content 

User generated content can be as complicated as adding a forum to your website or it can be as simple as a “Share Your Story” page or a “Comments” plug-in.  And adding a user generated content feature to your website helps you achieve better SEO, traffic, and it helps you build a community of followers. 

Beyond The Quick And Easy 

If you’re not already blogging, consider revamping your website as a blog or adding a blog. This isn’t quick and easy in the sense that it’ll take five minutes and you’re done. However, it is an effective way to drive traffic and give your website a fresh look and feel.  

Updating your website doesn’t have to be a huge project. There are very effective steps you can take to update your site and keep it fresh that will take you less than a day to accomplish. Establish your goals, create a plan, and take action!

Looking for super easy solution to build your web pages? Take the comprehensive website builder at http://www.InternetBasedFamily.com for a 10-day test trial. You can choose from over 1200 templates and your account includes all kinds of interactive features including: message board, shopping cart, mailing list, coupons and more.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

5 Quick and Easy Ways to Improve Your Website

Here are 7  niche research easy tips and ideas. 

#1 Start in your imagination. Many people start by jumping online and visiting the keyword search tools. These tools are a step in the process. However, they’re not the first step. Instead, start with topics and ideas you’re interested in. Once you have a list of ten to twenty, heck even fifty ideas, then you can begin to brainstorm the possibilities.

For example, if you are interested in beer you might brainstorm the following niche possibilities:

• Making beer
• Beer tasting for beginners
• Award winning beer
• Microbreweries in Kansas

#2 Remember that a niche can be:

• A demographic like “beer tasting for women”, or “great budget beers for frugal aficionados”
• Geographic – “beer tasting in Kansas”
• Or even a level like, “Home brewing beer for beginners.”

Use this information to further expand your brainstormed list of ideas.

#3 Go offline. 

Yes, you’ll be building a website however there is a tremendous amount of information to be found offline too. Read the newspaper (okay so you can do that online), read magazines and industry publications and visit your bookstore to see what people are reading. Browse the shelves in your various areas of interest and explore the books and titles dedicated to various aspects of your topic. This may help generate more ideas for your niche research list. 

#4 Jump back online and research trends. There are many trend analysis and reporting sites. These sites can help you both brainstorm new ideas and research the niche ideas you already have. Google trends, trendwatching.com and even Twitter have information about what topics are on the minds of many. 

#5 Research the competition. There are several handy websites that tell you which websites are targeting specific keywords. They also tell you which keywords specific websites are targeting. You can learn a lot about your potential competition this way and it’s a great way to further expand your list of niche ideas. 

#6 Eavesdrop. Spend time on industry forums and chat rooms, and visit blogs. You’ll learn a lot not only about your potential niche but also what questions people have and what topics are popular. 

#7 Keyword research. This can be the most confusing and complicated part of the process. Begin it organized!  Create a spreadsheet to document your niche ideas and the information you find. This way, you can compare the information in an efficient manner. And once you choose your niche, this information will help you create your content as well. 

Looking for super easy solution to build your web pages? Take the comprehensive website builder at http://www.InternetBasedFamily.com for a 10-day test trial. You can choose from over 1200 templates and your account includes all kinds of interactive features including: message board, shopping cart, mailing list, coupons and more.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Niche Research – Easy Tips and Ideas

Effective marketing is a lot like cooking—you need more than one ingredient to make the perfect dish. Your ideal client is looking at both online and offline marketing to find your service. You want to make sure that no matter what method is used, they will find you as the expert or “go to gal” in your industry. If you have a consistent marketing message, online marketing is a wonderful tool to reach more people and get them connected to you and your business.

There are many choices available when making the decision to create your online business presence. Here are a few basic online “ingredients” you’ll need to get yourself up to speed:

1. Web Site – In today’s world, your web site is similar to the business card years ago—(If you’re in business then you must have a business card) same idea with the web site. It establishes you as a “real” business. Here’s the good news: It doesn’t need be anything costly or fancy. A basic Wordpress web site describing who you are, what services you offer, and how to contact you is important and the investment is around $500. As soon as possible, you’ll want to add rave reviews from happy clients, as well as a system for capturing people’s information when they visit your site so you can continue to stay in touch with them.

2. Social Media – Using sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, just to mention a few, are great ways to get your message out about your business to your ideal client. The best part? It’s free. Any time you have the chance to market to large numbers of your ideal client for free—do it.

3. Blog – Blogging is a great way to attract your ideal client by writing or posting interesting articles and tips on something that’s in your area of expertise. People who identify with your message will be attracted to your blog and sign up to receive your posts.

4. Article Submissions – Submitting your articles to article web sites like www.ezinearticles.com is another useful tool to get you known as an expert in your field. Feeling like you aren’t a writer and not sure what to contribute? I certainly felt this way early on in my business. However, I’ve learned how to take the important work I do with women entrepreneurs and document that into useful information that I know other women would be interested in. Sit down and think about what you do most effectively with your clients. Make notes about what you do for your client that is useful and write about how you do that.

5. Ezine – This is something that I use that you can relate to right this minute. You are reading my online newsletter (referred to as an “ezine”) that I send out every week to Smart Women all over the world. This is an excellent tool for staying in touch and continuing to “showcase” how you help people with your service. One tip: Don’t overthink this. Often times, my clients will hold off on doing this because they aren’t sure how to get started. A simple email with a quick tip sent on a regular basis is all that you need in the beginning. When I started using online resources 5 years ago, I sent out a pdf document using my AOL personal account every 6 weeks. The results were wonderful and they can be for you as well.

In my work with women entrepreneurs, I support them in choosing the right “ingredients” for their business both online and offline to make a winning recipe for entrepreneurial success. Take some time this summer to choose which ingredients will take your business into the spotlight as the “main” course.

Anything is possible. Everything is waiting for you.
*****
© 2010 Joy Chudacoff

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Joy Chudacoff, ICF, PCC, is the founder of Smart Women Smart Solutions®, a Professional Certified Coach to 1000’s of women, Motivational Speaker, and Entrepreneur. She publishes a weekly buzz generating ezine, Reflections On Life and Business for Women Entrepreneurs. If you’re ready take your life and your business to the next level, get your FREE Tips, FREE Report and FREE MP3 now at Profits With Passion .

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Smart Women Have an “Online” Presence

The thought of building a business “online”—you know sitting behind your laptop in your pajamas all day, never having to leave the house sounds really attractive to many people. This works well if you are in a products based business where the only contact you have with real people might be the UPS guy or gal. However, if you are in a service-based business like an attorney, consultant, coach, event planner, real estate,–you get the idea, then it’s essential that you have both an online and offline presence.

If you are a service provider, you are the product. I find many entrepreneurs dragging their feet on this part of the business plan and it’s the one area that can guarantee new business. Today, after 51/2 years, my business is still over 85% referral based. These referrals come from satisfied clients, speaking engagements and client attraction events that I’ve attended. Do I enjoy online business? Absolutely. However I’ve learned the value of taking my business offline.

Here are a few solutions for taking your business “offline” to attract more of your ideal client:

1. Public Speaking – this has been the number one best way for me to build my business “offline.” It has produced the most highly qualified referrals over the years. The audience can get a sense of who you are and your presentation can identify more clearly how you can help them. Make sure you leverage your time well by speaking to groups that are your ideal client.

2. Referral Program – create a “referral” letter that you can send out to all of your current and past clients. Let them know that you are accepting new clients and explain how your services can benefit people they may know. You may be surprised that clients (and good friends!) can forget exactly what you do if you don’t remind them often. I’ve had prior clients get my letter and call me to begin working with me again!

3. Attending the “Right” Events – getting out and attending events is key to the growth of your business. Make sure that you attend events where you truly enjoy the programs being represented and it’s essential that these events attract your ideal client as well. Let me clarify something: If you are drawn to a particular charity or fundraiser that is not well attended by your ideal client, that’s wonderful. Giving back or enjoying the spiritual growth you receive is important to your success as a human being. It’s key to pick one more venue to attend regularly so that you can also work on building your entrepreneurial dream as well.

If you are a woman entrepreneur in a service based business, the tips and solutions above can generate more ideal clients quickly. In fact, it can happen in as little as 30 days if you put these action steps into place right away.

Next week, I’ll meet you back here to chat with you about building an “online” presence. Successful marketing is like cooking: You need more than one ingredient to make the recipe turn out just right.

*****

© 2010 Joy Chudacoff

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Joy Chudacoff, ICF, PCC, is the founder of Smart Women Smart Solutions®, a Professional Certified Coach to 1000’s of women, Motivational Speaker, and Entrepreneur. She publishes a weekly buzz generating ezine, Reflections On Life and Business for Women Entrepreneurs. If you’re ready take your life and your business to the next level, get your FREE Tips, FREE Report and FREE MP3 now at Smart Women Smart Solutions Coaching .

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Smart Women Take Their Business Offline

If you think about the word “occasion”, what comes up for you? For me, an “occasion” means a special or important time, a celebration or ceremony. When I wake up on the day of an important occasion, I feel a quiet excitement inside—anticipation about how this special time in my life will unfold. Don’t get me wrong. If I’m in charge of the occasion like planning a family member’s birthday party or some other big event, there’s some anxiety that goes along with the “occasion.”

Do you ever wake up in the morning thinking of your life as a celebration or a day that’s special? I typically need a strong cup of black coffee before I can think about anything in the morning and with a busy family in tow and a vision for my business that seems to never stop, some days can be more of a challenge than a celebration! However, I’m working on adjusting my attitude to reflect more of a celebration in my life and making each day feel special.

How am I going to do that? I’ve been spending some quiet peaceful time over the last few days asking myself a few questions on how I can make my life more of an “occasion” each day. I want to live my life fully and with no regrets. I want to (hopefully!) teach my children and the people around me to do the same. Here are a few questions I’ve been asking myself lately:

1. What do I want? That’s a big question isn’t it? So simple and yet so enormous. It’s a great question to ask yourself if you’re curious about your life, your future and your legacy. Your life is defined by the choices you make along the way. I invite you to get some paper, a favorite pen and the beverage of your choice and sit in a spot that’s peaceful and quiet where you can really get in touch with your internal voice—your soul. Take a deep breathe, ask the question and then write whatever pops into your mind. A word of caution; don’t censor your answers. Try and avoid judgments.

After you finish this, you can go on with the n ext question which is:

2. Is what I’m currently doing in alignment with what I want in my life? We can say we want something but if we don’t actually take the right action steps to make it happen, it will most likely never materialize or come to fruition. If I want to get in better physical shape or take my business to the next level, I have to ask myself if the current daily, weekly and monthly action steps will eventually get me to the place I want to be.

Take a look at your current life. Does it match up to what you want? If so, bravo! You are on your way. If not, then you need to ask yourself the next question:

3. What are the changes I need to make to get what I want? This can sometimes be the most challenging part of the process. Why? If you’re willing to acknowledge that change needs to take place in order for you to have more of what you want in your life, then you must contemplate taking the next step which is actually making the desired changes to get you on course and moving in the right direction. A wise mentor once shared with me that “change does not always mean success, but success always means change.”

In the movie, Natalie Portman struggled a bit with this process but in the end, it was accessing her own internal voice and her belief that helped her to begin a new life journey toward achieving what she wanted in her life. I invite you to get in touch with your internal voice. Allow her to come out and into your life. It will surely be a special “occasion.”

Anything is possible. Everything is waiting for you.

*****
© 2010 Joy Chudacoff

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Joy Chudacoff, ICF, PCC, is the founder of Smart Women Smart Solutions®, a Professional Certified Coach to 1000’s of women, Motivational Speaker, and Entrepreneur. She publishes a weekly buzz generating ezine, Reflections On Life and Business for Women Entrepreneurs. If you’re ready take your life and your business to the next level, get your FREE Tips, 2 FREE Reports and FREE MP3 now at Creating The Spark .

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Smart Women Understand “Life is an Occasion”

A mentor once shared with me that 50% of accomplishing any goal is “showing up.” If you have a strong desire to grow your business, then it’s essential that you do the work that’s involved and that means “showing up” in places where your ideal client and potential referral sources are. In my work with women entrepreneurs, I offer coaching on how to set up a referral program that’s proven and successful to attract new clients in a very short period of time. There is work involved and they do have to “show up” by communicating to their referral sources what the program is and all it has to offer.

Jenna’s been playing in this league since February—just about 90 days. I’m going to share what I like to call “Jenna’s 90-day Program” to take her to the next level of skill in baseball, which can also help you go to the next level of success in your business:

1. Attitude – This is the most important asset to have when you “show up” in life. People are attracted to those who have a positive attitude. You are more productive and creative when you have a good attitude. Jenna has been last in the batting order and sat out innings during the game, however she has maintained a positive attitude.

2. “Show up” consistently – “Show up” at meetings and conferences where your ideal client is present. When you find the right fit, join the group, become a member and attend consistently so that people can become familiar with who you are and how your business can help them. I’m a member of a Mastermind group and a few women’s professional networking associations where I consistently make new contacts and enjoy new business. By the same token, Jenna has never missed a game or a practice.

3. Coaching and Mast reminding – This has been an enormous key to the growth and success of my business. I continually surround myself with coaches and mentors who’ve already walked the entrepreneurial path that I’m on. Their guidance and support has enabled me to quickly reach my goals. Jenna’s league has excellent coaching. They make it fun and at the same time, teach the players core skills needed to play the game.

Performing and engaging in these three easy, simple tasks for 90 days has taken Jenna to a new level in baseball. It was evident at last Saturday’s game. Are you wondering what might happen to your game of entrepreneurship if you started “showing up” with a great attitude, being consistent in your efforts and had some valuable coaching or mentorship? I invite you to create your own 90-day action plan using these simple tools and see what happens.

Anything is possible. Everything is waiting for you.

*****
© 2010 Joy Chudacoff

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Joy Chudacoff, ICF, PCC, is the founder of Smart Women Smart Solutions®, a Professional Certified Coach to 1000’s of women, Motivational Speaker, and Entrepreneur. She publishes a weekly buzz generating ezine, Reflections On Life and Business for Women Entrepreneurs. If you’re ready take your life and your business to the next level, get your FREE Tips, FREE Report and FREE MP3 now at Profits With Passion .

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Smart Women Keep Showing Up

This first one is THE quotation than began the transformation in my life many, many moons ago that brought me to where I am today…

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company… a church… a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past… we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you… we are in charge of our Attitudes.” Charles Swindoll

For the other free spirits out there, Carl Rogers says, “If we value independence, if we are disturbed by the growing conformity of knowledge, of values, of attitudes, which our present system induces, then we may wish to set up conditions of learning which make for uniqueness, for self-direction, and for self-initiated learning.”

Edwin Friedman adds that “The colossal misunderstanding of our time is the assumption that insight will work with people who are unmotivated to change. Communication does not depend on syntax, or eloquence, or rhetoric, or articulation but on the emotional context in which the message is being heard. People can only hear you when they are moving toward you, and they are not likely to when your words are pursuing them. Even the choicest words lose their power when they are used to overpower. Attitudes are the real figures of speech.”

As someone who is well known and honored for having created so much lasting beauty in this world, Frank Lloyd Wright knows that “The thing always happens that you really believe in; and the belief in a thing makes it happen.”

Henry David Thoreau beautifully phrased the same sentiment when he said, “Thought is the sculptor who can create the person you want to be.”

And, to put it even more literally and practically, “I am no longer cursed by poverty because I took possession of my own mind, and that mind has yielded me every material thing I want, and much more than I need. But this power of mind is a universal one, available to the humblest person as it is to the greatest.” (Andrew Carnegie)

So, “If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.” (Marcus Aurelius)

And “The greatest part of our happiness depends on our dispositions, not our circumstances.” (Martha Washington)

Because, “Peace is not the absence of war; it is a virtue; a state of mind; a disposition for benevolence; confidence; and justice.” (Spinoza)

Even after being exposed to the darkest side of humanity, Victor Frankl still believed “Everything can be taken from a man but … the last of the human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”

The key message in all of this is that “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” (Gandhi)

Never ever, ever forget that “You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.” (Buddha)

I hope these quotes have inspired you as much as they continue to inspire me. I’ll end this list with what I believe to be the most powerful saying I ever heard. You may even be familiar with it as it is often quoted. These words touched me so deeply that they actually inspired me to have the courage to start my business and they underlie everything I do in my business even today. They are…

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” (Marianne Williamson)

If you didn’t see your favorite inspiring quote here, please share it with me. I’ll compile a list and share all the gems with this community.

As always, have fun with this!
*****
© 2010 Ruth Hegarty

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Ruth Hegarty inspires and supports service focused entrepreneurs to create, promote and profit from content-rich signature talks that leverage their unique brilliance and create a foundation for a successful business. To learn more about Ruth and receive a free copy of her ebook “6 Steps to Turn What You Already Know into Your Profitable Signature Program,” go to http://www.CoachRuth.com .

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Is Your Attitude Helping or Hurting Your Success?

PLR can be altered and used in any way you like, as long as you follow the terms of use given with the PLR content. The most common limitation is that you should not claim to have written it yourself (which would be dishonest) and you cannot distribute the content to article directories.

You can however use the content as you wish on your own websites, in your newsletters, auto responders, blogs, etc. You can turn it into reports or e-book, or any other type of content you can think of.

PLR content is often inexpensive because it is sold to a limited number of people. This is why rewriting portions, or all, of the PLR content you purchase is so important.

Wherever you decided to get your PLR from, you want to be sure to rewrite it. While it is a great option for creating content, the idea here is that you are creating. You want to add your own spin so that it is unique and not like others who tend to use their PLR as is. This is also dangerous for search engine purposes. Also by rewriting the PLR content, you are free to put your name as the author.

You can find PLR all over the internet but to be honest not all PLR is created equal. There are people writing PLR content who are not well versed in the English language and then there are some who are just plain crooked. So you want to be careful. If possible, get a sample first.

Courtney Chowning is a Christian entrepreneur who runs a Christian PLR site and affiliate program, http://christianmomplr.com. She also blogs at http://courtneyspeaks.com about putting God first in your blog and online business.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

PLR in a Nutshell

This grain is a complete protein which is one of the reasons why it has been used for such a long time. This means that it has all the amino acids we; including one names lysine. In fact, quinoa has quite a bit of this important amino acid. Amino acids are needed by your body to create proteins that are then used in repairing and building muscle fibers. In our current diet, we get most of our protein from animal products. Only a handful of grains and other plant based foods contain all the different types of protein blocks we need. That’s why quinoa is considered a super food and is also often called the mother grain.

Quinoa is also good for you because it is full of fiber and low in sodium and cholesterol. Quinoa is also full of Thiamin, Riboflavin, Folate, Vitamin B6, Vitamin E, Niacine, Iron, Magnesium, Phosperous, and Manganese. In other words is packed with important vitamins and minerals while still being surprisingly low in calories. NO wonder it’s a superfood.

With all that fiber and protein, it is a great food to include when you are trying to lose some weight since both of those nutrients help keep you full longer. You can cook it instead of rice, potatoes, pasta and other white starches. It’s better for you and you won’t have to worry about sugar cravings later.

Not only is quinoa a very versatile grain – you can make breads, puddings, and pilaf like side dishes out of it or just serve it like a breakfast porridge – it is also gluten free, making it a great choice for anyone suffering from celiac disease. It’s also delicious on salads and gives a plain old plate of lettuce and vegetables some extra texture and flavor.

Still on the fence about quinoa and why you should eat it? In other words, what types of health benefits can you expect from this superfood? It can help remove dangerous free radicals from your body through the antioxidants that can be found in it and is also good for your heart. It also contains quite a bit of lignans which help protect your heart. Add to that the fact that it is a whole grain; it’s not surprising that it is considered quite healthy.

And now I would like to invite you to start cooking with quinoa. Take this easy quinoa muffins recipe for example. Quinoa is also a gluten free grain, making it perfect for anyone living a gluten-free lifestyle. As are these delicous gluten free oatmeal cookies you don’t want to miss.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Quinoa Nutrition Facts – This Is What Makes It Such A Healthy Food

Here’s What You Need:

We’ll start with the equipment. You will need a blender to make good smoothies. No need to buy a special smoothie maker. Any all-purpose blender will work. A small, personal blender like the magic bullet is nice to have becasue you can customize each smoothie. Of course regular blenders work just as well, plus you can make more servings at a time.

Frozen fruit comes next. You can create your favorite frozen fruit smoothie with just about any type of fruit or fruit combination. Great fruit to start with is strawberry, peach and banana.

Yogurt makes another great addition to just about any smoothie. It makes the finished smoothie creamier and gives it some good flavor. You can use any type of yogurt. I usually stick to low-fat versions to keep the calories in check. Another great option is thicker greek yogurt.

You will also need liquid of some sort to thin things down. Milk, water and juice are popular options. Your smoothie’s consistency will be determined by how much liquid you add. A good ratio to use is 2-1-1 (frozen fruit – yogurt – liquid). For a yummy strawberry smoothie blend 2 cups frozen berries with a cup each of milk and low-fat vanilla yogurt.

Add more or less liquid until your smoothie gets the consistency you like best. You can also throw in a few ice cubes and blend them into your smoothie

Let’s Start Blending :

Let’s talk about blending. Start by blending the fruit and yogurt a litlte, then add your liquid and blend away. If your blender has a pulsing function (most do) use it. It allows any larger piece of fruit to sink back down to the bottom and get chopped up. That way you will end up with a nice smooth smoothie.

Should your blender get to the point where it is having a hard time moving everything around, your smoothie is too thick. Add some more liquid and it will work just fine.

For smoothie recipes that call for ice in it, start with the ice and chop it up in your blender before you add the remaining ingredients. This will make sure everything combines well and that you don’t end up with big ice chunks.

By the way, you don’t have to stick to just frozen fruit in your smoothie. Feel free to mix both fresh and frozen fruits. For these frozen smoothies you can either buy fruit already frozen at the grocery store, or take your favorite fresh fruit and toss it in the freezer. It is very easy to freezer berries for example. Just put them in a freezer bag and freeze them whole.

Slices of frozen banana make a great addition to just about any fruit smoothie. Just peel your banana and slice it. Put them into a freezer bag and freeze until you need them for a smoothie. Adding them gives your smoothie a nice creamy texture and adds some sweetness as well.

Create a delicious smoothie with this strawberry smoothie recipe. It’s quick and simple to make and you can find more smoothie recipes at http://healthy.hillbillyhousewife.com/category/recipes/smoothies

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Here’s How To Make Frozen Fruit Smoothies

Think about it. When you think about your to do list, how do you feel? Does it make you feel overwhelmed? Chances are that it has simply far too many things on it.

I’ve been there. In fact, I often have the same problem. But my economic survival depends on getting over it, so I’ve found a few things that help. And there’s one thing in particular.

1) Get rid of your huge to-do list

You know what I’m talking about: Your huge to-do list that has far more things on it than you could ever complete in a week. And you feel overwhelmed. No wonder you’re procrastinating. That’s your body telling you that you’ve cut off more than you can chew.

So what do you do? Get rid of it.

Well, not entirely, but take a few minutes and sit down and go over it. Then pick out a couple of items that really have to get done. Then pick one of those that you can do easily if only you take the time to do it. Start a NEW to-do list and put that item on it.

Add item two and three as well and then put the other list aside. Finally, start another new list and only add item number one.

2) Focus on item number one

So now you have just one item on your to-do list, you can focus on just one task at a time. Sure, people are singing the praises of multi-tasking, but research as well as experience have shown that it just doesn’t work. So put all the other stuff aside, even item two and three, and just focus on item number one.

3) Divide and conquer

If that first item is too big, break it down into steps, and line them up underneath item one. Then tackle step one and cross it off once it’s done. Next, do step two. And so on. The divide and conquer approach makes overcoming procrastination a breeze.

In fact, before you know it, you’ll have completed item number one. Give yourself a pat on the back, a break, and maybe a cup of coffee or another reward. Then go on to item number two and repeat the above process.

And if you’d like more help with overcoming procrastination, you’re invited to claim Elisabeth Kuhn’s FREE introduction to EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), which is highly effective for helping you stop procrastinating.

To claim your free guide, click here now: http://EasyEFT.info

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

How to Stop Procrastination – An Easy Three-Step Process For Overcoming Procrastination Fast

Manifesting abundance is a great phrase, but sometimes it probably drives you crazy. Sure, you would love to manifest abundance, or rather a nice strong solid cash flow — towards you and your bank account, not away from you.

But sometimes it seems that the harder we try, the worse it gets. It can feel as if we were jinxed. And in a way, we are.

How so? Remember when you grew up? What did you learn to believe about money during those oh so influential formative years?

Here are a few beliefs that you may well have encountered:

3) Money can bring a lot of problems.

Sound familiar?

If so, you may have just found the root to your money problems. Of course, there are many more. This is just the beginning.

Let’s take a closer look at the first one: “There isn’t enough”

Now think about your life. How often have you encountered the feeling that there simply wasn’t enough.

Did your family always have enough money, or was there a feeling that other had more and that your family couldn’t afford everything they wanted.

Did you always have enough money, or was getting enough to buy what you wanted — and sometimes even needed — often a struggle — or even mission impossible?

What did you eat? Was your mother constantly clipping coupons and complaining about the price of things?

Where did you go on vacation? Or did you even go on vacation? And if you did, was there any talk about how much everything cost.

Did anyone ever complain that money didn’t grow on trees?

Did you work for extra money, but weren’t really happy with how little you were paid for your efforts?

How did you envision your financial future? Did you see yourself as wealthy and living with an abundance of resources? Probably not.

Instead, you may well have imagined that it would be great if you could make it, and you worked long and hard to get decent grades in school to improve your chances that you would.

All of the above are symptoms of a sense of “not enough” — not enough money, not enough resources, not enough of anything else. It’s poverty thinking in a nutshell.

But you don’t have to stay there. You can remove your money blocks, one after the other. There are a lot of tools out there that will help you do just that.

But the first step towards manifesting abundance is understanding what’s holding you back.

And if you’re ready to take that first step towards manifesting abundance, you’re invited to download a FREE special report about five key money blocks — and what to do about them.

You can download it right here: http://www.easyeft.info/5blocks.html

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Manifesting Abundance – Which Money Blocks Are Holding You Back and What Can You Do?

1) Breathe

Take a deep breath, let it out very slowly, and then do it again at least 10 times! Here’s why it’s so effective: it stimulates a key nerve in your body that makes your body stop producing stress hormones and make calming hormones instead. As a result, you’ll feel a lot calmer.

2) Get away

Remove yourself from the upsetting situation. Run an errand. Get a cup of coffee. Go for a walk around the block. You can even explain that you need to take a quick time out — or excuse yourself to use the facilities.

Getting a bit of distance will help the other techniques work more effectively — and even allow you to use them, starting with the one above. After all, it’s kind of hard to stand in front of a person you’re angry with and start taking really long slow breaths…

3) Take your nose off the screen

This is one of Roger Mellott’s highly effective stress management techniques, and it works well for managing anger as well. The idea is that if you have your nose on the TV screen, you won’t see the big picture. Yet if you back up a bit, you will. So think about how you’ll feel about this issue in a week or even a year.

4) Lower your stress

As you’ve seen in the tip above, stress management techniques can really help you keep a lid on anger. So make it a point to learn more about how to reduce the stress in your life. There are three aspects to that. Make your life less stressful overall, for example with better time management, make yourself more resilient to stress, and have a ready arsenal of instant stress relievers handy at all times — and remember to use them.

All three are important, but for the purpose of controlling outbursts of anger, the third one is the most crucial, so start there.

5) Study up on anger management techniques

Finally, it’s important to understand how anger works, why it’s so important to tame it and how to do so. The more you learn, the better you get at it.

And to help you get started, Elisabeth Kuhn, Ph.D., would like to invite you to get your FREE special report on anger management techniques.

To download it right now, just click here: www.angermanagementcourse.net

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Anger Management Techniques – Five Strategies to Take Control of Your Anger Quickly

1. Send a Online Press Release

Online press releases are the key to fast publicity. Your news does not have to be momentous to qualify for a press release, though you do have to have a news angle. An event is a news angle, but the more it fits in with something else in the current news, the better.

You have the choice between premium online press release sites, like prweb.com and prnewswire.com, and budget priced press release sites. Of the budget priced ones, by far the best is webwire.com where you can get your release published for $19.

As well, you can even send out press releases for free. There are dozens that offer that service, though most of them try to upgrade you to paid status. The free sites work best if you send your press release to at least a dozen of different ones.

2. Tweet Your News (with an incentive)

If you have a lot of Twitter followers, you can also get great results by tweeting your news. This works best if you create a gift that you offer your followers in exchange for checking out your news. Either that, or send them to a compelling article that gives them some real value in addition to your news.

The reason for the incentive is that it will inspire your followers to retweet your tweets, which will help spread the news far beyond the reaches of your own followers.

3. Facebook Fan Pages

Set up a Facebook Fan Page for your business — or your newly launched line of products or services, or big event. Then work at gather friends. This has to be done in advance, just as you have to build up your following on Twitter in advance.

Then, a couple of weeks before your event or launch, start sending out notices about it, with pieces of valuable information, or maybe the same incentive you offered on Twitter.

4. LinkedIn Events

You can also promote your events on LinkedIn. That’s a great way to build your visibility within the LinkedIn community. Especially when you offer services to businesses or professionals, this will help you get qualified visitors to your website and event. When you post an event all your contact will get a notice which makes it easy for them to share the news to their contacts with just one click.

5. Other Social Networks

There are more social networks beyond the top three above. Like Biznik and Ryze. Ryze is a particularly friendly one — focused primarily though not exclusively on women. There are many different networks within Ryze, and you can join as many as you like.

Of course there are even more places where you can get the word out, starting with your own blog, and with publishing articles. There are also a few teleseminar announcement services, plus other places where you can advertise events, including usfreeads.com, craigslist.org, and the online versions of various newspapers.

For best results, start with online press releases, and then work on social media – building up your Twitter followers and Facebook fan base, and get involved in LinkedIn, Biznik and Ryze or other networks of your choice. When you do that, you’ll soon have lots of people you can contact once you’re ready to announce your news.

Ready to get more out of your own networking efforts? Join Sue Clement at her FREE teleseminar on summer marketing and get ready to take your business to the next level.

Claim your access here: http://www.sueclement.com/teleseminar-sms.html

Can’t make it? Sign up anyway — Sue will be happy to send you the audio download link after the event.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Small Business Marketing Ideas – Five Low Cost Ways to Get the Word Out Fast

Here are 7 key steps that help you build referral partner relationships:

1) Know your ideal clients and customers

Before you can even begin the process, you need to know what exactly you’re looking for. In order to help them find ideal clients for you, you need to know yourself who your ideal clients are. So do some work exploring who you like to work with and why, and put it into words.

2) Develop an Audio Logo

Sometimes known as an elevator speech, an audio logo captures in a few seconds who you are, who your ideal clients are, and what you do for them. It makes you stand out and memorable, and it helps your potential clients (or those who know them) figure out instantly if you’re a good fit for them.

3) Identify potential referral partners

Identify who would be good potential referral partners for you. They need to fit certain criteria, and the most important among those is that they have to have regular access to your ideal clients.

4) Make contact

Once you have identified potential referral partners, make contact. Get to know them, find out as much about them as possible and develop a relationship with them.

5) Development and training

Once you have decided to work with someone, it’s time to get more specific. Help them help you by providing them with all the information they’ll need to refer ideal clients to you. Be sure to give them plenty of feedback, both in terms of what worked and what didn’t.

The more closely you work with them, the higher the quality of referrals. Of course, you’ll do the same for them as well as you reciprocate.

6) Rewarding your Referral Partners

In order to inspire your referral partners to continue their efforts and even increase them, you’ll need to reward them. This can be a little tricky and is best worked out with each person individually.

Some people are looking for straight commissions, while others would be positively insulted by the mere suggestion of that. So this is not a one-size-fits-all situation.

7) Tracking your results and tweaking the system

In order to get the most out of your referral partner relationships, you need to track the results. Keep tabs on how many referrals you have received and how well they worked out.

With that information in hand, you can give feedback to your referral partners and help them send even better referrals your way. This information will also help you as you seek out additional referral partners.

Ready to get more referrals and new clients… even in summer? Join Sue Clement at her FREE teleseminar on summer marketing and get ready to grow your business. To claim your access, just click here: http://www.sueclement.com/teleseminar-sms.html.

Can’t make it? Sign up anyway — Sue will be happy to send you the audio download link after the call.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

How to Get Referral Partners – The Seven Key Steps to Referral Partner Success

Many people believe that “everybody” is out of town during the summer. And so they think they’re excused from putting any effort into marketing. Let them.

Just look around. There are plenty of people still in town, but there is a lot less competition for their attention. So why not take advantage of that situation.

a) Always be prepared

Do all the usual things you do — keep a stack of business cards with you at all times, and be prepared to talk about what you do in a way that lets your ideal prospects know that yes, you’re exactly the person they’ve been looking for.

If you’d like to take some time out, whether you’re going to the beach or to a summer concert, you can still carry those cards with you. You never know who will be standing next to you in line at the hot dog stand or the ticket booth.

And that’s not all…

b) Catch up on “lunch”

Think about all the things you’ve been too busy for during the “busy” months… How many people did you want to have lunch with but never seemed to have the time.

Why not call them up, one after the other, and schedule a time to get together. Chances are good that their schedule has lightened up as well… and they’ll be happy to join you for lunch, coffee, dinner, whatever. This is especially helpful with potential referral partners.

And because schedules are a bit more leisurely all around, you’ll have plenty of time to chat and build rapport, while talking business as well. You may end up with several new referral partners, and probably a quite few new clients as well.

c) Go to your meetings

Whether it’s networking breakfasts or Toastmasters meetings, you’ll be surprised about how happy everyone will be to see you. After all, summer can indeed be slow. Entire clubs and associations seem on the verge of summer extinction, and so your presence gives you extra visibility — and the organizers will really appreciate you for being there and supporting them just by showing up.

So between allowing serendipity to hand you new clients on the beach, catching up on lunch dates long overdue, and getting extra connections from the organizers of your favorite groups, you’ll find that marketing during the summer can bring lots of rewards.

Ready for more summer marketing strategies? Join Sue Clement at her FREE Summer Marketing Secrets teleseminar and get a big jump start on your competition. For more information and to sign up, click here: http://www.sueclement.com/teleseminar-sms.html

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Summer Marketing Secrets – How to Zoom Right Past Your Competitors

Smoothies are also a great way to get your kids to eat their fruit and get a serving of milk at the same time. What’s not to like about a “milkshake” to cool you down after playing outside.

The Basic Ingredients Of A Good Fruit Smoothie

The ingredients for a good smoothie are very basic: plenty of fruit, a little yogurt, milk or juice. You don’t really need anything else. Just put everything into a blender and blend until smooth. You can add more or less liquid (that’s the juice or milk) to get the consistency you like best.

To Freeze Or Not To Freeze

My favorite smoothies are usually frozen and I use frozen fruit for them. Frozen fruit can be found in your grocer’s freezer aisle year around and you can also freeze your own when you find yourself with more fresh fruit than you can eat. Berries are usually best frozen whole, while bananas can be peeled and sliced before freezing. If you are using fresh fruit, you can add some ice to turn your smoothie into a frozen drink.

Using a combination of fresh and frozen fruit, or adding plenty of ice cold milk or juice will result in a cold instead of frozen smoothie. I suggest you try them both ways and see which kind you prefer.

By the way, just about any smoothie made with fresh fruit can also be made with frozen fruit. You may just want to add a little more liquid if the smoothie is getting too thick for your blender to process.

Yogurt, Juice Or Milk?

We already established that we need plenty of fruit for a good smoothie. The other main ingredient is usually yogurt, juice or milk. Personally I like non-fat yogurt a lot in my smoothies. I use either vanilla or Greek yogurt along with a splash of juice. If you are not a big yogurt fan, try using some milk instead or use your favorite fruit juice. Even if you are using yogurt you will need a splash of milk or juice to get the smoothie to a drinkable consistency.

Non-Dairy Versions

Of course you don’t have to have dairy in your smoothies. You can blend just about any fresh or frozen fruit with your favorite juice. For that creamy smoothie consistency try adding some frozen banana slices to any smoothie.
Other great options are soy, rice or almond milk. Just blend your favorite fruit with one of those dairy free “milk” products. If you are trying to up the protein content of your smoothie and make it a little more filling, add some soft tofu to your smoothie. Just be sure to add a little splash of soy milk or juice to think it out to a drinkable consistency.

Let’s Sweeten Things Up

Last but not least, let’s talk about sweeteners. They are of course completely optional and whether or not you need them depends on how sweet the fruit you are using is. I also find that if I add vanilla yogurt or orange juice I don’t usually need any added sweetener.

When I do add a sweetener it is usually stevia, a natural no-calorie sweetener. Other options are sugar, simple syrup or honey. Taste your smoothie before you add anything to sweeten it. If you feel it does need that little extra sweetness, add a little and blend it in for a few seconds.

Are you ready to give smoothies at try? My personal favorite at the moment is this delicious strawberry pineapple smoothie treat. Get out your blender, grab some fruit, yogurt, juice and ice and blend up one of these delicious smoothie recipes today. They are as healthy as they are delicious.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Healthy Fruit Smoothies – Indulge In One Of These Today

As popular as blogging has become, I often hear from home-based business owners who are trying to figure out exactly what a blog consists of and how they can use one to benefit their business. Below are three tips that can help maximize the impact of your business blog.

1. It’s All In The Name

Be sure to choose a name for your blog that is both descriptive and easy to remember. Try to stick to either your business name or the name of your star product/service. If none of these are available consider using your name or business tagline.  Also, consider possibly adding in your keywords … such as Publicity Virtual Assistant.

2. Use Keywords Effectively

When you write posts for your business blog be conscious of the words that you choose. Pepper your posts with keywords relating to your business, products, services and brand. These keywords will trigger Search Engine results and help you reach the top of the results for your keywords. Be careful not to overuse keywords, though, because readers will get frustrated  and the Search Engines consider that against the rules.

Also, consider keyword phrases – often called long tail keyword phrases (why, I’m not sure!).  Long tail keywords are simply a sting of words that make up a phrase that represent your keywords. Think, what would people type in Google to find me.  Examples, “how to start a business.”  Think … how can I define my blog more (or this particular post). I wrote this blog post on … (fill in the blank), now what keywords do I need to put in so others can find me?

3. Quality Information (No Fluff!) & Fresh, Regular Content
Another thing to consider when writing business blog posts is to keep your posts informational. The more quality content you offer to readers, the more often they will visit your blog. Also, by posting regularly your readers will get to know the schedule and tend to visit your blog on a regular basis because of it.

You know your audience best.  What do they want to hear?  Need to hear? Solve that problem that you’ve been having and you know others are having too.  Consider adding in reviews, recommendations, etc.  Your blog can be so much more than you talking about your business.  What fun thing can you add?  Contest, giveaways, etc.

There are many ways to use a blog for business use. If used correctly, a blog can be a terrific tool to inform potential customers of your business. Be sure to update your blog regularly so that the content remains fresh and people coming back for more great information.

–
Tips from Jill Hart of Christian Work at Home Moms, CWAHM.com and Diana Ennen of VirtualWordPublishing.com. For more tips visit http://SoYouWantToBeaWAHM.com. These tips can be used if you include this short bio.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Three Tips To Get You Started Blogging for Business

What kinds of content should I consider using for my business?

Each business is going to be different as far as what needs it will have. The types of content that work the best for most affiliate marketers are:

Articles
Reports
E-Books
Blog

Do I need to provide a Report for my business?

It’s certainly not necessary, but it is advisable. Reports, especially free ones, can be quite attractive to potential customers. If you provide quality content that helps your site visitors find information they’re looking for, you have the best tool to use to get them interested in what you’re selling. Within the content of the report, you should have links provided that will take them back to your site for more information or to your affiliate products directly in case they’re interested in buying right away.

What topics should I cover in my articles or other content?

The topics you choose could be almost anything, provided they relate to your business’s niche. For someone promoting beauty skin care products, they can choose all sorts of topics on skin care. They could be anything from skin care tips to skin care myths to the history of skin care.

I can’t write and I can’t afford to hire a writer, what do I do?

It’s certainly true that hiring a skilled writer is the best option. But, you can create your own content that will work in getting your business going. It will take time and effort on your part, but it can be done. The keys to creating that content lie within the eye-catching title, topics of interest, factual items and good grammar and spelling.

You would need to research to find topics to write about. Find out what your target audience is looking for and create your content around that. Choose a title that reflects what the article is about and use a good keyword within it. Then write your article using factual items that you found in research. Make sure they are factual, if they aren’t people will not trust you and they won’t be interested in buying what you’re selling.

You don’t need to be an English Major or have a degree to provide good grammar and spelling. Use the word processing program’s spelling and grammar check. It won’t catch everything, but it will catch a fair amount. Then, if you choose to, have someone else read it through and look for any additional mistakes you missed. Place any appropriate links within your content and you’re good to go.

Content is important in any business. It helps provide information to your potential clients, gain credibility, and attract traffic to your site through the search engines. The more your target market becomes interested in what you’re selling, the more they will be likely to want to buy the products using your affiliate links.

MommysPlace.net is a leading online resource for work at home moms. Since 1999 its been a trusted and valuable resource for moms who want to work from home. Find a job or business today: http://www.mommysplace.net

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Creating Content for Your Affiliate Marketing Business Website: FAQ

Here are some easy work at home ideas for WAHMs. 

Find a telecommuting job.

One way you can work at home is to find a telecommuting job. This is where you apply for a job and a company will hire you. You might do data entry or answer phone calls. This is appealing to many moms because you don’t have to run a business or find your own customers. You are an employee, but you work at home.

If you are interested in finding a telecommuting job, you can look in your local paper or in online communities to find places that are hiring. 

To protect yourself from scams, research the companies you apply to and remember that you shouldn’t have to pay to get a work at home telecommuting job. 

Direct Sales 

Another easy option to start working at home is to join a direct sales opportunity. This is where the company provides the product and you sell it through home parties or other means. This is usually easier than starting your own business because good direct sales companies will have a proven business model you can follow. 

If you are interested in entering direct sales, look for a company that offers a product you are really interested in. That will make it easier to sell. Also, you can expect some costs with joining a direct sales company. You will probably need to pay for any samples you get, along with marketing materials. 

Take Surveys 

Some WAHMs work at home taking surveys. Companies pay people like you to give them your opinion on new products and packaging. This type of work is easy to get into, you just need to find some legitimate survey companies. It’s also very flexible since you can do it at any time of day. 

If you want to earn money taking surveys, though, don’t expect your income to be consistent. You won’t qualify for every survey you find. As well, sometimes you need to earn a certain amount before the survey company will send you a check. 

Start your own business 

If you have a talent or skill, perhaps you can turn that into a business you can do from home. For crafty people, starting a craft business might be a good idea. There are many people who admire crafts but aren’t talented enough to make them themselves. If you have a skill that others can benefit from, such as writing or design, perhaps you can start a service business. 

If you decide to start your own business, you will need a website and probably some business cards or other marketing materials to advertise. Then start looking for people who can benefit from the product or service you provide. 

If you want to work at home, there are many options to choose from.  You can work for someone else, join a direct sales company, and much more. It’s just a matter of finding an option that suits you best. 

Looking for super easy solution to build your web pages? Take the comprehensive website builder at http://www.InternetBasedFamily.com for a 10-day test trial. You can choose from over 1200 templates and your account includes all kinds of interactive features including: message board, shopping cart, mailing list, coupons and more.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Easy work at home ideas for WAHMs

So, with a limited budget and time in short supply, how can you get the website you need? It might be easier than you think. There are many tools available now for people who want to build websites on their own but have no experience. Here are some easy website building tips for WAHMs. 

Use a Web Design Program. 

One way a lot of moms get started with their first websites is by using a website design program like Frontpage or Dreamweaver. These programs even come with templates you can use to get started, so don’t need any design skill at all to get your first website up and running. You don’t even need to know any html coding since you can do all the designing in a “What You See Is What You Get” format. 

Start a Blog Instead. 

Another solution for getting your first website up is to set up a free blog instead. You can start one at Blogger or Wordpress. They are very easy to set up and you can find free templates to help you get the look you want. If you want a more unique look, hiring someone to design a template or a theme for your blog can be a lot less expensive than having your entire site designed. 

The other nice thing about a blog is that it’s easy to add new content regularly. It also gives you a way to interact with your visitors because they can leave comments for you. 

Use Wordpress. 

A really popular way to build websites right now is with Wordpress. If you are comfortable figuring out how to add a Wordpress blog to your domain, that might be a good way for you to go. This is a little more technically difficult than the first two options, but if you’re interested in learning something new, it does give you a nice way to build a website quickly. 

A Wordpress site is easy to manage because it’s so easy to add new pages. As well, instead of having it hosted by Blogger or Wordpress, it is hosted on your own domain, so it looks a little more professional. 

Try a Site Builder. 

A site builder is one of the easiest options there is for building a new website. If you have a host for your website, your hosting plan might even come with a free site builder included. You just follow the steps and your new website will be built very quickly. 

There are also other site builders you can look at such as Servint.com and Site Build it. These will get you up and running very quickly too.

When you’re ready for your first WAHM website, you don’t need to sacrifice a professional image for your business budget. There are lots of easy options you can use to create the website you need. 

Looking for super easy solution to build your web pages? Take the comprehensive website builder at http://www.InternetBasedFamily.com for a 10-day test trial. You can choose from over 1200 templates and your account includes all kinds of interactive features including: message board, shopping cart, mailing list, coupons and more.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Easy Website Building Tips for WAHMs

Write articles 

Writing articles is a great way to advertise your business for free. Write an article on your area of expertise. Make sure it’s on a topic that will be of interest to your readers. At the end of your article, include a brief bio of yourself and a link to your website. After people read the article, if they want to learn more about you and your business, they will click on the link. You can submit your article to article directories, newsletters, popular websites, even to print magazines and newspapers to spread the word about your business. 

Write a press release

Press releases are another good way to get your business name and information out there. You can write a press release about the opening of your business or any other news you have. Remember to include a link to your website so that readers know how to find you. Then submit the press release to the online press release sites. You can even submit it to newspapers, radio, and television stations. If your story is newsworthy, they could do an interview with you and your business could be front page news! 

Post in forums 

Posting in forums is a popular way for WAHMs to advertise their businesses. When you join a forum, create a signature with a link back to your site. That will be how you advertise. Look for forums where your target market spends their time. When you post, don’t promote your business. Instead, answer questions and give help where you can. Your signature line will do the advertising for you. 

Business cards 

Business cards are a necessity for any business owner. While they usually aren’t free, you can get quality cards for very little money. You might be able to design and print your own on your home computer. Vistaprint.com offers great deals on business cards. Then carry them with you and leave them behind wherever your target market spends their time. 

Print flyers 

Flyers are another good way to get the word out about your business in your local area. If you have a computer, you can probably design and print your own flyers. Then hang them up in the library, grocery stores, wherever your target market might see them. On the flyer, give them an incentive to call you or visit your website. 

Marketing doesn’t have to be scary or expensive. The above ideas are affordable and very easy to do for any work at home mom.

Looking for super easy solution to build your web pages? Take the comprehensive website builder at http://www.InternetBasedFamily.com for a 10-day test trial. You can choose from over 1200 templates and your account includes all kinds of interactive features including: message board, shopping cart, mailing list, coupons and more.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Easy and affordable marketing ideas for WAHMs

Here are some reasons why joining direct sales can be a great option for WAHMs.

A proven business model that works. 

When you join a direct sales opportunity, you are in business without having to start your own business. Instead, you are joining a business that is already set up. That means you don’t have to come up with a business idea or wonder how to market yourself. Those things have already been planned and developed for you. As well, you will have access to marketing materials and maybe even a website that are already made up for you. 

Set your own hours. 

A lot of WAHMs find direct sales appealing because you can set your own hours and decide who you work with. If you only want to do parties on the weekend, there is nothing stopping you from doing that. Or, if you prefer to work in the evening when you have childcare or your husband is home with the kids, you can do that too. You have a lot of freedom in deciding when you work and how much time you spend on your business. 

Small investment

There is usually a small cost associated with joining a direct sales company. You will need to pay for any samples and perhaps your own marketing collaterals. You might need a business phone, a cell phone, or a fax machine to be accessible to your customers. But compared to what you would spend on starting your own business from scratch, this is actually a very small investment. 

Sell a product you like and believe in.

When you get involved in direct sales, you can choose the company you work with and the products you sell. That means you can sell a product you believe in and are really passionate about. If you like what you sell, you will be a more effective sales person. Products range from cooking, to books, to lingerie, to skin care and much, much more. Whatever you are interested in, you can find a product to suit you. 

Opportunities for career growth and development 

Once you join a direct sales company, there are usually opportunities for career growth and development. In some companies you can become a manager by having people under you in your downline. Not only is that good for your business development, you can also earn a percentage of their sales. That means that direct sales can also be very lucrative for those who are successful at it. 

Direct sales is a good choice for WAHMs who want to work with an established company, sell a product they love, and have the flexibility of owning their own business. If that sounds like something you would enjoy, direct sales could be the perfect work at home job for you. 

Looking for super easy solution to build your web pages? Take the comprehensive website builder at http://www.InternetBasedFamily.com for a 10-day test trial. You can choose from over 1200 templates and your account includes all kinds of interactive features including: message board, shopping cart, mailing list, coupons and more.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Why direct sales is a great option for WAHMs

Here are some reasons why providing a service online is great option for WAHMs.

Use a talent or skill you already have. 

You probably already have a talent or a skill that people will pay you to provide for them as a service. This may be something you went to school to learn, or that you learned in the workplace. Just because you’ve decided to work from home doesn’t mean that your skill has to go to waste. You can continue to develop your skill and use it to serve others in your service business. 

Usually can work whenever you want

When you provide a service online, you can usually work whenever you want. You can reply to emails late at night after your kids are sleeping. You can do your work whenever is convenient for you, as long as you’re meeting your deadlines. Occasionally, a client might want to call you at a certain time during the day, but you will usually be able to plan that around your family’s schedule.

You don’t have to get gussied up. 

When you worked outside of the home, sometimes just getting ready for work may have been a job all by itself. When you provide a service on the internet, there is no need to get gussied up to go to work. You can work in pyjamas or in the clothes you wore to the park with the kids. Since no one will see you from behind your computer monitor, you don’t even need to worry about doing your hair or wearing makeup if you don’t want to.

Low costs to set up a service business 

There are minimal costs to setting up an online service business. You will need to set aside a space in your home to work. You may need a business line or a fax machine. A website is a must, as is an email address. You will also need any equipment necessary for providing your service. 

However, these things usually don’t cost very much. Also, they are significantly less than if you were to set up a service business where you met with people face to face. Then you would need an official office space, which is much more expensive. 

Lots of other WAHMs online to network with for friendship and business advice

One more reason why providing a service online as a  WAHM is that there are so many WAHMs already working online. You can find lots of other moms to network with for friendship or business advice. There are very supportive groups of WAHMs in forums and other networking sites. 

Providing a service online can be a great option for WAHMs. If you have a skill you can provide as a service, this might be the right option for you.

Looking for super easy solution to build your web pages? Take the comprehensive website builder at http://www.InternetBasedFamily.com for a 10-day test trial. You can choose from over 1200 templates and your account includes all kinds of interactive features including: message board, shopping cart, mailing list, coupons and more.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Why providing a service online is a great option for WAHMs

I just love the smell of air and sun dried laundry. There is nothing else like. No fabric softener or scented dryer sheet can come close to that smell. Your clothing will also look better after drying out in the sun. Sunshine is a very powerful stain remover and will get your whites whiter. Unfortunately it will also fade color over time in dark clothing, so don’t leave it out there any longer than you need to.

The biggest reason to use a laundry line is that you will save quite a bit of money over time. Let’s start with the obvious. Your dryer uses quite a bit of power. That power isn’t used if you take a few minutes to hang damp clothes outside. By the way, hanging up laundry isn’t has hard or labor intensive as you may think. Just take them outside, pin them on the line and then let the air do the rest. After that it’s just a matter of taking it down, folding or hanging your clothes and putting them away (something you would still need to do with the dryer anyway).

You should also keep in mind that dryers aren’t exactly cheap. By using yoru dryer less (or not at all), it will last much longer, thus putting off the purchase of a new one. This alone adds quite a bit to your overall savings. But it doesn’t stop there…

Dryers put off quite a bit of heat and during the warmer months, your air conditioning has to run longer and harder to compensate, adding to your power bill and thus the total cost of running that dryer.

I’m sure you have noticed that dryers aren’t exactly gentle on clothes and wear on them over time. That of course results in you having to go shopping for new garments more often. Of course that can be fun, but it also can cost quite a bit of extra money over time (which you could be saving by hanging your clothes out to air dry and thus being able to wear them much longer.

Does all of this add up to suggest that you need to throw out your dryer? Of course not. But I hope the points above inspire you to rethink using it for everything. Sheets and towels for example are easy to line-dry. String up some twine across a spot in the back yard and hang them out to dry. Next you may want to give drying your whites out in the sun a try. I am sure you will be impressed by the stain removing powers of the sun.

You may also want to consider getting a small drying rack that you can use either inside or outside depending on weather conditions. Use it for shirts and blouses as well as socks and the likes. The rack does not use a lot of space and it is light and easy to move. Best of all it will keep your clothes looking their best longer.

Another great way to save on laundry and be more environmentally friendly is to make your own laundry soap. Here’s a recipe for my favorite homemade laundry detergent. It cleans as well as any commercial product and is quick and easy to make. I also like this easy homemade laundry detergent recipe. Give both a try and see which one you prefer.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Replace Your Dryer With An Old-Fashioned Clothes Line

I experienced a major upheaval and dramatic change slightly less than two years ago when my mother passed away suddenly from a brain aneurysm. I’m experiencing another transition stage this summer with the arrival of my first child. Becoming a mother is certainly far more joyful than losing a mother, however, the depth of the transition is comparable. Such events, both happy and sad, are blessings in the way they open doors to new opportunities even as they may close doors to others.

This week I invite you to take a close look at every aspect of your business and personal life and make some clear and specific decision about what you want and what you don’t want in your life. Whether you are going through a major life transition or not, it’s always a good time to make sure you are living the life you WANT to live. Feel great about your decisions and take action steps to make your choices your reality.

One of the main things that holds people back from deliberately making change is uncertainty around how to communicate change to others. (By the way, how you communicate is a great area of your life to review and update). Our communication patterns, like everything else, evolve over time and are prone to habits. Check-in with how you speak with yourself and others and see where you can upgrade and feel even better about how you “talk your walk.” This week’s article, 8 Must Haves to Make Every Conversation Authentically Compelling, packs a double benefit as it gives you powerful communication tips to help you upgrade your communication in general while also helping you authentically communicate all the other changes you make.

Effective communication skills help you express yourself in a compelling manner, share your authentic self with others and feel confident and successful. Following are eight of “Ruth’s Rules” for communication that, when incorporated into your personal communication vision, will make your conversations more enjoyable, authentic and successful. When you are clear on your communication vision, you will always know what to say (even when you don’t think you know what to say).

Start incorporating these 8 must haves to make every conversation authentically compelling into your conversations today (oh, and don’t overwhelm yourself with this, pick one or two to start with and when that feels comfortable add a couple more until it all flows effortlessly).

1. Know what you know. Believe it or not, “facts” aren’t always as cut and dried as you think. Be honest with yourself about what you know to be true, believe to be true, are unsure about and plain disagree with. Trust your gut (intuition) about what you feel and know. It’s OK if you don’t agree with others (or they don’t agree with you). What’s important is that you are clear on what is important to you and on how you want to compassionately communicate with people who have different points of view.

2. Always set an intention for a win/win/win outcome in every communication exchange. “Winning” an argument is no prize.

3. Be a GREAT listener. It’s temping to spend the other person’s talk time thinking of what you will say next, however, paradoxically, concentrating on listening to and really hearing the other person actually helps you say the best possible thing. Plus, when people feel heard they are much more open to what you have to say.

4. Think VALUE. Always share the best of who you are. Give people the gift of the real you.

5. Always be sincere. Sometimes it’s tempting to say the easy thing (i.e. when you say you can’t do something when the truth is you simply don’t want to). These kinds of pseudo-lies don’t hurt the other person, they hurt you. You are subconsciously telling yourself that simply not wanting to do something isn’t a good enough reason, that what you want isn’t important. Believe me, the ripple effects of this kind of silent message are amazingly impactful on your general level of success and well being. Say you don’t want to politely, positively and honestly, but DO say you don’t want to if that’s the truth.

6. Practice “talking your walk.” Communicate your authentic self all the time and everywhere so that it becomes natural and effortless. It matters that you BE you in the grocery line and even when you’re by yourself.

7. Become skillful at asking questions. Questions help you educate yourself about others, clear up confusion, create connection, listen more deeply and actively, go deeper with a topic, go deeper in a relationship, show interest, etc.

8. Put it into ACTION. Communicating is active, it’s something you DO. Focus on BEING yourself while you DO communication. Plan ahead when you are faced with an important chat, choose your language consciously, speak your truth joyfully and compassionately, etc.

The more you communicate the real you to the world, the easier it gets and the more success you will enjoy.

As always, have fun with this!
*****
© 2010 Ruth Hegarty

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Ruth Hegarty helps women entrepreneurs create confident and effortless success. As a certified Law of Attraction Coach, Ruth teaches women to unleash their powerful creator so they can work less and earn more. To learn more about Ruth and receive a free copy of her Effortless Success Toolkit for women entrepreneurs, go to Coach Ruth.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

8 Must Haves to Make Every Conversation Authentically Compelling

Sure, hiring a high quality web designer is always the best way to go. But, more than likely, you probably don’t have the money to budget for that yet, so getting it done yourself will be the next best option. What can you do to ensure you have a productive website to get your business off the ground?

Here are some things to keep in mind when planning out your website design:

Website Theme

The most important thing to remember is to create a website theme that goes with your niche market. Making that connection helps to build credibility and trust with your potential customers, so you need to be sure that the theme matches well. For example, if you’re promoting informational products, the site should reflect that. If you choose graphics relating to real estate, it won’t connect well with your informational product business.

Your site will then look more suspicious to your customers and instead of keeping them at your site to check out your products, you’ll send them running away thinking you’re a scammer. Trust can be easily lost.

Focus on What’s Important

You know the website is important to your business. The problem some affiliate marketers have is that they go a little overboard in the design. Pretty soon they find themselves with a site that has too many graphics, banners and other eye catching items. The potential customer then becomes distracted by everything going on in the background and forget what they came to your site for in the first place.

Make sure to keep the focus on your products and less on the design. Draw the site visitor’s eyes to what you’re selling, so you can keep their interest and hopefully they will buy something using your links.

Make a site visitor’s stay as easy as possible

Any internet surfer looking for information or a certain product to buy is always in a hurry to find it. Your website needs to be easy to navigate. If someone comes across your site looking for some information, they want to find it fast. They’re not likely to stay at your site if they have to search in several different places to find it.

Set your site up, so that a person can access the other site pages from 2-3 areas of the Home page. Sidebars and the header are great places. They usually will be seen from other site pages and people can locate them quickly without having to look for too long.

Your Website is crucial to your business. It’s where people are going to sort through information as well as find links and banners to purchase what they’re looking for. Anything they will essentially need to know should be found on your site, so take your time to create one that will make your business endeavor profit.

MommysPlace.net is a leading online resource for work at home moms. Since 1999 its been a trusted and valuable resource for moms who want to work from home. Find a job or business today: http://www.mommysplace.net

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Designing a Website for Your Affiliate Marketing Business

Why is a Niche Important?

A Niche is important for a few different reasons. Here are some of them:

Marketing Campaigns

In order to sell more of the products you’re promoting, you need to focus your marketing efforts in one area. This means that you should focus that campaign to reach the people that are more likely to purchase your products.

If you choose a Niche for your Affiliate Marketing business, it becomes easier to reach your target audience, because you can use the same techniques for all of them. Without a niche, then you’ll be trying to market the items to a larger group, where most of them aren’t likely to be interested in what you’re selling. Time and effort is then wasted.

Building Rapport, Credibility and Trust

Most people aren’t going to hand over their money to buy the products you’re promoting unless there’s some level of trust. In order to gain that trust, you will need to build some rapport and gain credibility with them. Then the trust comes.

To get rapport, credibility and ultimately trust; you need to show that you have some knowledge in the area you’re marketing in. For example, if you choose to promote nutritional products, you can create a site and blog using the nutritional theme. You can also comment on other blogs, within that niche, and add your link to your comment user name. This increases your chances of more site traffic.

The articles your site contains along with your online presence in forums and blogs, will start to earn the rapport and credibility you need to earn their trust in the end. If you try to promote too many un-related products on one site, then it’s going to be a little tough reaching out to your potential customers.

Narrows down your possibilities

When you first start out in an affiliate marketing business, you scour the internet looking for the right products to promote. There are tons of options out there, so finding the ones you want for your business is pretty time-consuming.

By choosing a niche to build your business around, you narrow down those product possibilities to a more manageable amount. You can then spend some of your time researching the product and the affiliate opportunity to see if they are what your business needs.

If you’re starting out in affiliate marketing, you should definitely consider finding a niche to get into. It will not only make things easier for your marketing campaigns and driving traffic to your site; but it will also increase your earnings.

The higher income you want for your business can be attained easier if you narrow down your options, so you can focus all your energy to marketing to your target audience. Your target audience is the group of people that are more likely to be interested in your products and possibly buy them using your link.

MommysPlace.net is a leading online resource for work at home moms. Since 1999 its been a trusted and valuable resource for moms who want to work from home. Find a job or business today: http://www.mommysplace.net

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Affiliate Marketing: Why is it Important to Market to a Niche?

If you’re not already familiar with EFT, also known as Emotional Freedom Technique or EFT Tapping, you should know that works with your body’s energy system. In fact, it’s kind of acupuncture that uses gentle taps instead of needles along the meridian points to get stuck energy moving again.

It can be especially effective at helping you overcome distressing emotions and all sorts of conscious and unconscious blocks. And that includes procrastination and various bad habits that may be holding you back.

Here’s how it works:

You tap on a series of points while saying certain statements, and your body kind of recalibrates itself… Give it a try — you might be amazed.

Download a free introduction to using EFT, complete with an illustration of the main tapping points, and then go ahead and try the following tapping sequences.

The set-up phrase:

The first part is always the set-up phrase where you tap with two fingers of one hand on the karate chop point of the other.

While you do that tapping, you say the following phrases three times, preferably out loud. You can also pick the phrase that resonates most with you and repeat it three times, with or without small variations.

“Even though I don’t want to do this (activity) right now, I deeply and completely accept myself”

“Even though I would rather not do (this activity), I choose to feel calm and confident.

“Even though I am tempted to procrastinate, I choose to do this (activity) right now.”

Next, you continue with the follow-up statements:

For the follow-up statements, you use the negative parts of the set-up statements for the first round or two, and then you use the positive ones for another round. You can also add a round where you alternate between them, but make sure you always end with a positive statement.

Examples for negative statements from the above is “I am tempted to procrastinate” and an example of a positive statement is “I choose to feel calm and confident.”

Ready to give it a try? You’re invited to download Elisabeth Kuhn, Ph.D.’s FREE EFT ebook (with illustration to show the tapping points) and start tapping. You may soon find that overcoming procrastination or any bad habit you want to get rid of has become much easier than it used to be.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Cure Procrastination – How to Use EFT to Overcome Procrastination

When it comes to money, we often don’t act in our best interest. There might be an opportunity and we just blow it. What the heck is going on? Self sabotage! But why? Because many of us are subconsciously afraid of making too much money. Even if “too much” actually might be barely adequate. The reason lies in our childhood conditioning, and in the reinforcement by certain parts of society.

Here are just a few potential blocks:

1) Some people believe that too much money brings problems

What problems, you may wonder. How about taxes, insurance hassles, and, relatives and acquaintances descending on you to hit you up for money. And then there’s the hassle of having to manage it all. Of course that believe has actually other underlying beliefs that go even deeper. How about this one:

2) Some people don’t believe they deserve to be well-off

And if you don’t deserve it, it’s just a matter of time until you manage to get rid of any money that actually comes your way. I’m sure you’ve heard about those lottery winners who manage to lose it all in record time. That’s evidence of money blocks at work. They’re just not comfortable with having wealth, or even “enough” money. EFT can help. Which brings me to yet another belief:

3) There’s just not enough

Indeed. That’s classical poverty thinking. Maybe you’ve been brought up with that sentiment. There just wasn’t enough money to do the things you wanted to do, or that your parents wanted to do. So you believe there isn’t enough, and by your actions, which are guided by your beliefs, you continue to manifest not-enough-ness.

So what can you do?

The first step is to recognize what’s going on. Go ahead and pinpoint the beliefs that are designed to block your financial abundance. Write them down. And then…

Enter EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique)

It may sound almost too good to be true. But it’s true nonetheless. EFT money tapping can work wonders on things like limiting beliefs. Just work on them one after the other, and dissolve them, and replace them with more constructive beliefs.

And right now, you can get a FREE special report on 5 major money blocks that may be holding you back (and how EFT might help you). To get it, just click here: http://www.easyeft.info/5blocks.html

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

EFT Tapping for Money and Prosperity

PLR can help bloggers and Internet Marketers in a variety of different ways. PLR can be used on a particular blog with or without an actual blog posting, to attract more readers. It helps bloggers because they do not need to take additional time in composing a blog post, they just use the PLR article instead.

PLR can be used in a variety of different ways; these are just a few ideas to get you started.

• If you have a newsletter you are trying to promote, PLR can be extremely handy. You can package together a few of the PLR articles and offer them as an incentive for subscribing to your newsletter.
• Use the PLR in your blog. Add them to your blog posts to attract additional loyal readers. PLR incorporated with you blogging will keep them interested and coming back for more.
• You can also use the PLR coupled with an auto responder system. This provides people who sign up on your website wonderful content. Included with this content you can add affiliate links gearing them towards certain related products. If they purchase something through your affiliate link you would make a commission.

PLR content can be utilized in many different ways as highlighted above, but most importantly you can use it to give your customers the content they desire. This not only helps your clients, readers, and customers, but also helps your ranking in the search engines and the amount of traffic your site receives.

Find out more about PLR and sign up to get 5 free PLR article at Christian Mom PLR.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

What is PLR?

Before Victoria, weddings were simpler affairs. The sweet strains of Lohengrin were soon overpowered by DJs and bands, and beautiful, handmade nose-gays were eclipsed by bursting, colorful bouquets, among other things. For today’s bride, toning down what’s already an over-the-top affair is made appealing with the resurgence of the vintage wedding, a nod to nuptials of the past. Yet, there are multiple avenues to take when considering a vintage wedding theme; fortunately, there are also countless websites and books devoted to the subject.

As with anything, you can take inspiration from the past and carefully intertwine it with modern ambience to create a blend of old and new, or you can host a blowout vintage wedding bash that replicates the past to a T. The choices are endless!

Refining the Vintage Wedding Theme

Dress/Accessories: Finding the perfect dress is the goal of every bride. For those hoping to wear a vintage wedding gown to their ceremony, the search can be somewhat more complicated. If you live in large metropolitan city, there are likely quite a few vintage clothing or consignment stores that you can check out. Online browsing/shopping is always a good alternative, and if you do purchase anything, your local tailor can easily handle most alteration needs.

You can also opt for modern wedding dresses that have vintage vibes, such as mermaid or trumpet styles. Though, of course, when the elegant Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier in 1956, she chose a beautiful, full-skirted gown in ivory. The point here is to stick with flowing, high quality fabrics and classic embellishments that keep with the vintage wedding theme.

As far as shoes, jewelry, and veils, many of these items are also available online, either in their original vintage form or as modern reproductions. Your mother or grandmother may even have some pieces lying around that you can use to round out the vintage wedding theme.

Music: Undoubtedly, there are bands in your area that specialize in old-time hits or, at the very least, jazz standards. Some larger cities might even have mock big bands that can perform at your reception. There are a couple ways you can go about this: consider having the band greet guests on the lawn, in the style of an old garden party, or create a faux bandstand at the front of the reception venue to feature the band in all its glory.

To get guests excited about the wedding theme, before the band comes on, have a victrola or phonograph that you’ve rented or purchased piping music throughout the reception venue. It will set the stage for the coming attractions!

Food: Weddings in the past have traditionally been sit-down dinners, though you don’t have to follow this when planning a vintage wedding. Offerings weren’t nearly as diversified as today, and the usual fare consisted of various meats, salads, and fruits. Occasionally, brides also held pot-lucks, a way to get everyone involved in the festivities.

Selecting your menu can certainly play off these more traditional choices, but you can also mix and match. Pair old favorites with some new choices, and be creative! In terms of the cake, the flavor of choice was always buttercream. Obviously, white cake is still the reigning champ of wedding cakes, but if you decide to go with chocolate, red velvet, or the like, you can have your cake decorated with vintage flair – pearls, beads, feathers, lace, and other trimmings that meld with your wedding theme.

Pictures: As with your music, finding a photographer who specializes in snapping pictures with an ‘old-timey’ feel is not necessarily vital, but a consideration in your search. Certainly, the photographer can take pictures as usual, and revise certain elements when he’s back at his studio. Perhaps you’d like black and white or sepia-toned pictures – that’s doable. Maybe you want a crackled finish – sure. Get to know your photographer and his capabilities! Look at portfolios before hiring anyone, and you’re sure to find a photographer who can carry out your wishes for great ‘vintage’ wedding pictures.

Lighting: The right light is important for any wedding! Regardless of the time of day your reception takes place, the lighting you choose should foster both warmth and invitation. Elaborate chandeliers, candles housed in extravagant candelabras, and other sources of ambient light are ideal for a vintage wedding theme.

Warm up reception tables with centerpieces surrounded by candles, or purchase multiple mini-chandeliers and hang them around the appetizer tables, gift tables, or in the bathrooms. Milk-glass lanterns/lamps were also a popular choice of lighting; they provide a soft glow that’s unequaled.

A New Take on the Classics

A vintage wedding theme allows you and your guests to re-discover the beauty and elegance of the past. However you choose to incorporate these elements into your vintage wedding, just remember — have fun! From birdcage veils and quaint petit-fours to jazz standards and a 1940s getaway vehicle, there are multiple ways to make the ceremony and reception unique to you. Plus, a vintage wedding theme can be a lot of fun for everyone involved! They’re a great way to re-invent the past, learn a little history, and infuse your ceremony and reception with some wonderful, old-fashioned glamour.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

A Celebration of Times Past: Planning a Vintage Wedding

PLR stands for Private Label Rights. When someone gives or sells to you PLR, they are letting you use that product, normally article or blog posts, in whatever way you wish. This means if you were to purchase a set of PLR blog posts, that you could use the posts as is or even rewrite them. They are articles you can use as if they were your own.
So, how can PLR help those who write devotions on their blogs? There are two ways. One way is to purchase PLR content and then rewrite it with a Biblical twist. There are many places online where you can purchase all kind of PLR content. For example, say you purchase a set of PLR article about parenting. You could take each article and add Biblical examples of parenting to create a devotion blog post.

Another option is to purchase Biblical based PLR articles. There are only a few sites online that actually sell Biblical based PLR, but they are out there. Just Google “Christian PLR” or “Biblical PLR” and they will show up in the search results. Purchasing Biblical based PLR content can help you save time because the research has already been done. The devotions are already written. All you have to do is rewrite it to make it match your style of writing.

An added benefit of PLR is also that it can help brainstorm post ideas. Just by looking at the available types and topics of the PLR available online can help spark an idea for a devotion or series of devotions. Of course, the biggest advantage of using PLR content is the ability to shorten the amount of time it takes you to write a Biblical based devotion.

Visit ChristianMomPLR.com to get 5 free PLR articles based on Biblical foundations and try Christian PLR out for yourself.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Using PLR on Your Biblical Devotion Blog

In reality, popping the question should be an intimate moment that is special to both of you. Whether you decide to ask her during a quiet dinner for two or propose in front of thousands of baseball fans, choosing the right spot and ambiance is important when you ask for her hand.

Unless you know your girlfriend will appreciate a flashy proposal, keeping it romantic between just the two of you is the best approach, one she will remember long after a public proposition. Before asking her to marry you, use this list of tips and hints to dream up fabulous wedding proposals that leave her speechless.

The Dos and Don’ts of Wedding Proposal Ideas

Personalized wedding proposals: No girl wants a canned version of a tired, old proposal. Above all, don’t do anything you’ve seen in the movies no matter how much she swooned. This is your opportunity to make it special for her and show her that you know and love her! When the time comes for popping the question, choose her favorite spot, as long as it’s quiet, uncrowded, and romantic. She wants a magical day/night that she can share again and again, so it should be memorable. And never just say, “Will you marry me?” Tell her why you want her to marry you; personalize your proposal and let her know why she is so special to you!

Make the ambiance romantic: Most guidelines on wedding proposals agree that no matter how big a sports fan your girlfriend is, asking her to marry you at a game is probably not the ideal way to go about things. After popping the question, there is no time to reflect or even whisper sweet nothings to her. Keep the chaos to a minimum, so that the two of you can properly discuss this momentous occasion. Of course, this doesn’t mean you can’t ask her at a sports game – maybe she’s the type of girl who would enjoy a thousand sets of eyes on her when you ask.

Furthermore, this doesn’t mean you have to focus on popping the question over candlelight, but the locale should be – at least – semi-secluded, away from loud restaurant music, gawking crowds, and family. (Always remember that asking her in front of her family or yours adds unneeded stress when popping the question.)

Show a little respect: When discussing potential wedding proposals, you’ll probably meet countless people who think asking her parents for her hand is lame and outmoded. Maybe, but it shows you’re responsible and respectful of her parents and family. Sure, it’s not easy to discuss such a big step, but her parents will remember that you approached them long after. Plus, you don’t have to ask for her hand per se – use it as a way to encourage communication between the two newly merging families. It’s a great way to start working on your in-law relationships!

Make it a surprise: You’ve undoubtedly discussed marriage prior to popping the question. The only thing that should come as a surprise is when you actually ask her to marry you. Previous discussions of merging your lives, including evaluating what’s important to both of you in life and love, is vital to the success of your marriage. If you haven’t talked about marriage prior to the proposal, you may want to brace yourself for a quizzical look followed by a hesitant maybe.

Choosing the ring: Please don’t come unprepared to the proposal. Many women expect to have a ring on this night. It’s not that we need something flashy and expensive to make it real; it’s just that it helps cement your commitment and lets us know you’re ready to take the plunge.

However, if your girl is the type who wants to pick and/or design her own ring, you should have discussed marriage well in advance. She knows it’s coming, and is happy to say yes without hardware in hand. But just take her ring shopping as soon as possible after popping the question!

Wedding Proposals from the Heart

Asking your girlfriend to marry you is an exciting time! Sure, you may get nervous, but practicing those all important words in advance will help to alleviate some of those jitters. Don’t worry if things go awry — remember what you’re there to do – ask the love of your life to commemorate your commitment to each other!

Wedding proposals are a great way to incorporate what your love means to the both of you and should be as unique as the two of you. Cherish the time and make it special!

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Popping the Question: A Guide to Wedding Proposals

When you first install WordPress you’re going to have that same old boring standard Kubrick theme with a blue header that everyone and their brother gets. It’s not very exciting, it’s kind of plain, and it’s definitely not much fun at all. The good news is that you can easily change that and make your blog a little happier and a little more you with just a few simple clicks of your mouse.

You have a few options here. You can download a free blog theme from one of the many theme directories online, or even from WordPress.org and install that to your site. Of course, many others still use those themes, but it’s better than the plain blue and white sheet that you started with.

Another option is just to change the header on that standard WordPress theme and replace it with a new image. You can find free blog headers online much the same way you would find themes or if you have some graphics knowledge you can create a quick new header yourself.

There are many benefits to making this small change to your site when you start blogging.

- You’re going to make your site more memorable to the reader when you have a graphic header that represents your topic well, even if that topic is just your every day life.

- You’re going to stand out from your competition and other blogs on the same topic.

- You’re going to encourage your visitors to stay and read more because they are going to be intrigued and interested by what they see before they read.

- You’re going to instantly filter out people that are looking for something else, which is just as important as getting the right people to stick around.

… and the list could go on and on about the benefits of customizing your blog appearance with a header or theme.

If you’re brand new to blogging, take a few minutes today to find something to jazz up your blog look. You’ll be glad you did.

Get free blog headers and free blog themes from EasyWahmWebsites.com

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Benefits of Customizing Your Blog Header

Whether you’ve been asked to be the best man, maid of honor, or simply say a few words at the ceremony, you’re responsible for lightening the mood with some laughter and tears. And for most people, giving speeches – wedding or otherwise – doesn’t come naturally; staring out at a sea of guests can be overwhelming, especially if you’re not a classically trained rhetorician.

The beauty of wedding speeches, however, is the inherent spontaneity and off-the-cuff remarks that can be made. Remembering the good, old days and looking forward to better days is what makes wedding speeches so touching.

Just don’t stress out! Writing a wedding speech is easier than you think!

Below are some quick, easy tips to help you while writing a wedding speech that not only moves the wedding party and guests but leaves a memorable impression.

Writing a Wedding Speech with Flair

First things first. Don’t waste any time putting together your speech ideas. Get out a fresh piece of paper, and jot down a few ideas that you know will help celebrate the marriage of the bride and groom in a positive way. Perhaps start with a funny anecdote or joke to elicit laughs from the audience and put you more at ease. Wedding speeches should always be light, funny, and conversational. Formal language has its place, but it’s not here. You should also ask the bride and groom – since they might be having others speak at their wedding – if they would like you to speak on a special theme or subject.

When compiling and writing your wedding speech, know your order in the wedding party. Though you should know well in advance the schedule or timeline of events at the ceremony itself, you may still find it helpful to coordinate with the bride, groom, and other members as well as establish a rapport.

Keep wedding speeches to innocuous topics, such as congratulations, compliments, stories, and happy wishes. Don’t ever say anything you think will be even the slightest bit offensive. At any given wedding, there are dozens of people from all walks of life, so it’s best to avoid incendiary subjects that some people may take issue with. This includes, of course, religion, sex, politics, past relationships of the bride and groom, crude language, and anything else that’s not family-friendly. When writing the speech, keep it upbeat and happy, avoid negative stories, and stay polite – this is key. If done right, you should also comment on the beautiful bride!

Some books that offer tips on wedding speeches may recommend that you set out to memorize your speech by heart – this decision can easily go awry. Sure, you may have your paper in front of you, but searching for the words once you have forgotten them slows you down and creates long, perhaps uncomfortable silences. You would also be reading your speech verbatim, which can often sound mechanical and forced. Rather, think about having cue cards with the basic ideas you want to cover in your speech – simply elaborate on each topic that you’ve previously rehearsed while writing your wedding speech.

Wedding speeches should be kept short – everyone wants to return to eating, drinking, and having a good time, so avoid dragging out your happy wishes for too long. A good rule of thumb when writing a wedding speech is to have a great opener, a joke, a brief anecdote, and a heartfelt closing, all of which should take about five minutes. In short, plan out your key points in advance. At the end, you should always thank everyone, including the bridal party, wedding planners/organizers, and out-of-town guests.

Wedding Speeches that Wow

A little planning beforehand will help you formulate some basic thoughts that you want to incorporate while writing your wedding speech. However, the best part about wedding speeches is throwing in some memories that are truly special to you – remember them aloud as you would tell any intimate moment with a close group of friends. If you happen to forget your wedding speech, it’s okay! Just run with it and speak from the heart. Share your happiness.

Emotions run high. Above all, embrace this honor that the bride or groom has bestowed upon you and make them smile.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Tips for Writing Wedding Speeches

These programs can be good income generators, provided you put in the work necessary to make your commissions. There are numerous affiliate marketing opportunities out there for anyone to choose from and each one offers differing monetary rewards for the commissions. The problem is, that not all of those opportunities are legitimate ones. Yes, the annoying scammers have gotten to this part of the internet too.

So, as an aspiring Affiliate Marketer, what can you do to avoid falling into one of these Affiliate Marketing traps? Here are some things to look for when deciding on one of those opportunities:

Website

Take a thorough look at the website of the product, that you’re considering taking on in your affiliate marketing business. The website should contain a decent amount of information about the product you would be taking on. It should also provide good information on the affiliate program that they are offering. Make sure that the site has contact information in case you need to ask questions or get support.

Any website, offering affiliate programs, that have no contact information is not worth your time. If you can’t get a hold of them when you need to, how can you be sure you’ll get the money due to you. Also, if the site has more information on how much money you could make from their program and less on what the product is and does; then it’s not likely the program is legit.

Research

As with anything on the internet, you should be doing your research to determine if the program is on the up and up. Look to see if anyone else might have used that program and find out what their experience was. Also, look for information about the company, if any is available, to see if they seem legit.

Don’t Pay

Legitimate programs will not charge you to sign-up with them to sell their products. There are some cases where you may be paying for other items, like their magazines, special software or some other type of service. But, as far as signing up to simply market and sell their items, there shouldn’t be any charge for you.

Affiliate Marketing is a legitimate business opportunity. You’ll just have to sort through a lot of programs to make sure you’re signing up for one that won’t scam you. Take your time and thoroughly research the programs that interest you and you should be able to avoid some scams that could cost you a lot of money in the long run.

Nell Taliercio has been working at home full time since 2004. She’s worked as a telecommuter, virtual assistant and affiliate marketer. In 5 years she’s discovered many secrets to finding legitimate work at home jobs and securing them. You can find work at home job information and tips at: http://www.justonlinejobs.com

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Affiliate Marketing: Avoiding The Scams

One of the things I always hear from people is that they were unhappy with what they outsourced, and I’d say about 90 percent of the time that thing was some form of content creation, writing an article, posting on a blog, making a video, etc. Then I look at what they received and I say, “But, this is really good. Why are you unhappy with it?” And of course, they have no idea, they’re just not happy with it, something is missing.

Do you know what that something is? It’s their passion. They’re so used to creating content and writing in their own voice that they expected the passion to come through in the ghost writer’s work. That’s not going to happen unless your ghost writer is just as passionate as you about the topic, but that doesn’t make the content any less valuable to you. Sometimes you have to let go of that attachment just a little tiny bit.

Don’t worry, there’s good news. I’m not all gloom and doom here, after all I love outsourcing! The good news is that when you find someone to do the content creation that you’re comfortable working with and that can work for you on a regular basis you’re going to develop a relationship with them and they are going to pick up your tone and your passion!

Ask them to read some of your previous writing or watch some of your previous videos so that they can get an idea of your perspective, the words you use, the overall tone you convey. These tiny little details will make a huge difference in what you get back. Of course, don’t expect them to read your life’s work in one sitting, but just two or three pieces of content so that they can match up their writing to your writing.

Communication is what this is really all about. Having an open line of communication with your virtual assistant, ghost writer, content creator, and anyone else who is doing work for you is the best thing you can do during your outsourcing efforts. Talk about the project, let them know your expectations, and include any special requests right at the very beginning of the project together.

I hope that makes sense. I’d love to hear some of your outsourcing stories and questions. To learn more about outsourcing head on over to EasyWahmWebsites.com where we talk about all the different aspects of the work at home lifestyle.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

The One Thing You Can’t Outsource in Your Business

* Make the kids dinner and put them to bed early.  Then, make dinner for you and your husband.  It can be the same thing the kids have but spice it up a bit with a pretty tablecloth and a couple of candles.  Bring out the “good” dishes and use them.  This can make even the simplest dish feel fancy and romantic.  Spend time just talking and catching up on each other’s day.  Who knows where that will lead?

* Plan a day where you both go for a walk or even go out for dinner together and have someone else watch the kids. Better yet, plan a day where you can both be home while the kids will be at school and just spend time at home.  Plan a nice meal and watch that movie that you’ve been wanting to watch but have not had the time.

* Spend time just talking.  Sit out on the porch after the kids are in bed each night and just talk.  You will be surprised what you can find to talk about that does not pertain to your children.   Remember you used to do this before you had children and you can do it again.

* Pick up a card at the store and his favorite candy and lay on his night stand or pillow, or even slip it into his lunch box when he’s not looking.  When he finds it, he will know that you are thinking of him and that you love him.

Now, please don’t think that I am perfect and do all of these things all of the time.  I am preaching to the choir here.  I am just like every mom out there and tend to get wrapped up in daily living and forget the small things, too.   But, I can tell you that when I do forget to spend time with my husband, it does show in our relationship.   In the same way, when we do take the time to make time to spend together, it also shows.  I am very blessed to be married to my best friend for 16 years now, and I pray that God will grant us many more years together.  I can honestly say that we are still very much in love and very happily married, but it’s only because we have learned over time to make sure that we take time out for us.  No, this is not selfish.  It is what helps to strengthen our relationship as husband and wife as well as in mother and father to our children.  We try to show our children how important it is in a marriage to make sure that we take time out for each other.  They see how much we love each other and how that love spreads to them, because they see that we care enough about each other to make sure that we keep communication lines open between us which helps us to keep communication lines open to them as well.

Just like your kitchen is the heart of your home, the love that you share with your husband, which should be second only to God, is also the heart and soul of your family.  The love that you demonstrate to each other is the love that your children will demonstrate to others.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Making Time to Spend With Your Husband

Am I exaggerating?  Maybe.  But there are a lot of moms out there that have extremely full days trying to juggle different sports, sports teams, music lessons, grocery shopping, doctor’s appointments, cooking dinner, and housework, and some while still working a full or part-time job.  How in the world do they do it and still find time for their husband and children?  Well, there are a lot of times that they do not, not really.  They think that by getting their kids involved in many different activities they are doing what is best for their children.  They may be, especially if their child(ren) are really good at sports or music, etc. But there are a couple of key elements that tend to be forgotten a lot of times.   One-on-one time and spending time together as a family.

I cannot begin to tell you how important it is to take time out to just spend time with your child.  If you have more than one child, then you need to spend time with each of them individually.  Taking the time to get to really know a child not only helps to boost your child’s moral, but it also helps to bring you closer together.  This, in turn, builds strong bonds when that child is out on their own.  They will see you not only as their parent, but as close friend and confidant.  And, as long as you are honest with them, they will be honest back to you.  They will know that they can trust you with problems that they are dealing with and know that you will help them get through them.  This also teaches them how to be with other people and, one day, with their own children.  They will remember how you took the time to spend with them and get to know them, and they will want to do the same for their children as well.

As for family time, it is another great opportunity to show your children what it means to turn off all the televisions, computer, and game systems.  When you do not have any other distractions around, pull out a deck of cards or a favorite board game, plan some favorite snacks for finger foods, and just have fun!  You will be surprised what you will learn from your children even while playing a board game.  This is another great opportunity to get to know your children.  You will see how they interact with others, especially during a competition, and you will see how well they win or lose.  If you find the your child is a poor loser, you can take the time to show them (in a gentle, loving way), how to congratulate the winner and show how proud you are of the person that won, but you also show praise to your other children that did not win by praising how well they did play the game and how much fun you had spending that time with them.

What about crafts?  Do your children like to make crafts?  Keep a craft box handy full of finger paints, tempera paints, popsicle sticks, construction paper, glue, etc., so that they can be as creative as they want.  If you are really worried about clean-up, keep some of the $1 plastic tablecloths on hand and tape them down to the table.  When they are through, gather it all up and toss it away.  Just don’t forget to remove your child’s artwork first so that you don’t throw it away! Label with your child’s name, date, and age so that you will always remember when they made this.  I can guarantee you that you will always remember the time that you spent with them make it even if they are too young to remember it themselves.  But, they will love hearing you talk about when they are older.

Another great way to spend time together as a family is to go to a local park, or even an amusement park or museum.  Talk about all the different things that there are to do or see, and then make sure to do/see everyone’s favorites.  Make sure and take the camera along so that you can capture some of these memories for your scrapbook/photo album.

One more great way to spend time together would be to prepare a meal together.  Let everyone be in charge of a particular item on the menu.  Make sure and supervise smaller children and help them when necessary, even little ones can toss a salad or crack an egg with supervision.  Let them measure ingredients out.  They really love this and will really feel like they are contributing.  It’s been proven that children who help prepare foods will often eat them where as they would not eat them if someone else prepared them.

I hope that this article has inspired you to look at your priorities and make the time to spend with your children.  They are only little once, and you will never have this opportunity again.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

The Importance of Spending Time with Your Children

It often helps people get started if I explain the difference between self-love/acceptance/esteem/confidence and arrogance. These two concepts are often confused in our minds. Love yourself the way you love others. Conjure those feelings. They are not arrogant. They are a deep compassionate abiding sense that this other must always be well and be connected to you and you would do anything to ensure their well being. Arrogance is about “I’m better than you” where love is about “I’m happy you’re so wonderful and part of my world.” Imagine your life if, instead of making comparisons and judgments, you felt a deep compassionate sense that you must always be well and happy and all your actions supported that belief? How would that feel? The practical results of becoming irresistibly attractive to yourself are that you will gain clarity on what YOU actually want in life (vs. what you think you should want or “know” what others want of/from you), you will attract other happy people to you and have no room for negative judgmental people, you’ll discover the junk that’s been in the way for a long time and have a reason and the ability to handle it once and for all and, most importantly, you will feel happier and more joyful each and every day. As your love for yourself grows, life gets better, easier and more joyful.

How do you get to this place? Start where you are. Don’t judge how far you have to go or anything you have done to get where you are at this moment. You are already remarkably lovable even if you don’t see it yet. Then, try the following:

*Do something that makes you feel good about yourself. It doesn’t matter what it is or if it would be important to anyone else.

*Do something that makes you feel proud of yourself. It doesn’t matter what others think or whether it’s even practical.

*End a habit or practice that doesn’t make you feel good about yourself.

*Admit something important that you haven’t, but need to.

*Take yourself on a date to get to know you better.

*Give something away that you would normally charge for (adding value for the joy of it-week 5).

*Do something good for someone who doesn’t deserve it (affecting others profoundly-week 6).

*Identify a quality that you don’t currently have that you really want to have and then take 30 days to develop that quality.

*Make a list of all the wonderful things about yourself – ask others for help with this.

*Make a list of all the things in your life for which you are grateful – make a Thanksgiving game of this.

*Learn a skill that has previously intimidated you (like programming your DVD player). Ask someone for whom this task is easy to help you. People like to help and it removes the possibility that you will “fail” and beat yourself up about it.

Avoid making falling in love with yourself into a chore or another opportunity to blame yourself for any shortcomings. It is meant to be a joyful experience – just like falling in love with someone else. Go out of your way to see the best in you and be glad of it, it’s your birthright!

*****
© 2010 Ruth Hegarty

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Ruth Hegarty helps women entrepreneurs create confident and effortless success. As a certified Law of Attraction Coach, Ruth teaches women to unleash their powerful creator so they can work less and earn more. To learn more about Ruth and receive a free copy of her Effortless Success Toolkit for women entrepreneurs, go to Coach Ruth.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Fall In Love With Yourself

When they were smaller, we would make lots of homemade play dough and I would let them have whatever kitchen utensils they wanted to use (unless it was a more expensive piece, that is) and just play to their heart’s content. I also kept a craft box handy filled with lots of pipe cleaners, pompoms, Popsicle sticks, construction paper, glue, paper towel/ toilet paper rolls, glitter, stencils, etc., and would put them outside on the back porch and let them use their imaginations. I even kept water-soluble paints and brushes on hand, and on time we painted river rocks! I still keep a lot of these items on hand, but they are getting bigger and not wanting to do that as much as they used to. Now, I have one that loves to draw and one that loves to paint, and one that loves to do both. We try very hard to encourage our children to be creative in all that they do.

A lady I spoke to recently said she used to let her children finger paint on the kitchen floor (vinyl flooring) because they could be as messy as they wanted and then she would just mop it up when they were done! What a great idea! I never thought of that one, but I used to blow bubbles in the house for my kids when they were little. Don’t worry, it is not messy or hard to clean up unless you spill them. The kids have a blast trying to pop the bubbles, and it is something different from just blowing them outside.

They also love to ride their bikes around the yard. We are blessed to have acreage for them to ride on. We will also make a sprinkler for them to play in when it is hot but we cannot go anywhere that day. Take a clean, used gallon-sized milk jug and punch holes in the bottom. Run hose over a tree limb and place the nozzle of the hose in the top and tape. Turn on the hose and you have a frugal, homemade sprinkler! Of course, there is also the lake when we can.

Another outing that we plan to do this summer is go play a few games of putt-putt at a small local business. The prices are very reasonable and it’s close to home. I know not everyone has this option but make sure and check around locally to see what your area offers in the way of activities for families. Don’t forget to check out local parks. Make sure that, in the hotter months, to go early in the morning before it gets too hot and the mosquitoes become to pesky to enjoy your time outdoors, and take lots of water to keep everyone hydrated.

Make sure and plan a family day/night. Take turns picking a board game to play or a movie to watch. Pop popcorn, fix favorite drinks and snacks, and just enjoy spending time together and catching up on each others lives. Make sure and plan your days accordingly. Try to plan something to do inside on the days that it is supposed to rain and your outdoor activities when it is supposed to be clear.

I hope this helps you come up with some ideas on how to entertain your children. Please remember to tailor activities to be age-appropriate for your child(ren), and have a wonderful summer!

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

How to Keep Your Children Occupied Once School Is Out

Communication is quite simply an exchange of messages. This is why we are still communicating even when we are just standing around at a networking event talking to no one. How other’s perceive you is what you are communicating. Do you look comfortable, confident, happy to be there – or not? Regardless of how you actually feel, how you appear to feel is what sends the message. This is why it’s very common for shy people to be perceived by those around them as aloof or unfriendly. People are perceiving a fear of speaking up as disinterest and even hostility at times.

This idea is at the core of branding your business. You can take actions that promote a particular perception of your brand but at the end of the day your brand is what your market thinks it is (versus what you think it is or want it to be). You want to be deliberate and conscious in how you are communicating about your business so that how your market perceives you is aligned with who you are and how you want to be seen.

As a member of society, it’s not possible to avoid being “on display” and as entrepreneurs we actually want to be out there in front of our prospects. So get out there and make the great impressions you want to make by keeping in mind the following:

1. What does how you dress say about who you are? Does your appearance communicate the brand image you want it to? How would someone describe your appearance: conservative, creative, classic, fun – and does this fit with how you see yourself and how you want people to perceive you?

2. What does your language say about who you are? Do you convey your messages in a positive or pessimistic way? Do you complain or are you solution focused? Do you gossip? Do you promote the work of others whom you admire as much as you promote yourself? What are the words you use most often? Do you speak casually, enthusiastically, in a fun loving manner, spiritually? How would others describe how you use language? Does this fit with how you see yourself and how you want others to see you?

3. What does your community say about who you are? Do you spend time with successful entrepreneurs? Do you spend time with people who are walking their talk? Are you delighted with the brand images of your colleagues? Are you all work, all play or a little of both in your relationships with colleagues and associates?

4. What does your written material say about who you are? What colors do you use in your marketing material? How do you talk about your work in your written materials? What words would someone use to describe your website? Do these match up with the words you want people to use to describe your website (and all your other materials)? What does your social networking profile say about who you are? Is there continuity among your written material in words and appearance?

Pick one area above and explore how you are communicating who you are with the world. If you aren’t currently getting the results you want in your business, tweaking the above so that your messages are in alignment with your unique brilliance will begin to shift you toward greater results in your business.

Of course, it’s not possible to counteract for every possible impression made on every individual. Don’t worry about that. You simply want to show your true self to the people who are an ideal match for your business.

Remember to have fun with this!

*****

© 2010 Ruth Hegarty

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Ruth Hegarty helps women entrepreneurs create confident and effortless success. As a certified Law of Attraction Coach, Ruth teaches women to unleash their powerful creator so they can work less and earn more. To learn more about Ruth and receive a free copy of her Effortless Success Toolkit for women entrepreneurs, go to Coach Ruth.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

How You Walk Your Talk Directly Affects The Money You Make

There is a lot of buzz on the internet about working in various fields of transcription business. In fact, there’s so much buzz and advice out there that it can be overwhelming. If you’re interested in starting a general transcription business from home with no special training and no expensive classes then here are a few things you should know.

While transcription courses may be somewhat necessary in the medical transcription field (and they aren’t always in that area either) they are certainly not necessary in the category of general transcription. Some community colleges and technical schools do offer general transcription classes that you can take. They range in length, but are usually very short “diploma” type of programs.

The only advantage I’ve seen with these classes is they offer you a shiny certificate when you’re all finished. For the most part they cover typing, increasing your typing speed, and then recommend a bunch of expensive equipment you don’t even need. Of course, some classes are going to be better than others, but I have yet to find a general transcription class at a community college that seemed completely worth while to give you the tools and resources needed to actually get started.

The truth is you don’t need to shell out hundreds (sometimes thousands) of dollars for an expensive class and then additional money for all that unnecessary equipment on top of it. You can get started with just your computer and handful of free resources and a little time to practice your skills. Just that little investment of time in yourself and you’ll be headed in the right direction in no time at all.

Transcription Crash Course was designed to help guide you through the resources available to transcriptionists today and start your very own general transcription business from home. Following this quick and easy guide you can actually start a home transcription business this week.

Loretta Oliver has been transcribing and working from home for seven years and poured all her favorite resources into this home business outline adding in her personal experiences, the good, the frustrating, and the profitable in an effort to help others avoid expensive mistakes and get on the right path to work at home success.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Do I Need to Take a Class to Start a General Transcription Business?

Your entrepreneurial offense is key to long-term success in your business. When your ideal client says, “Yes, I want to work with you!”, now you have the opportunity to shine. They are excited about the service that you’re going to provide them. However, this is the one area that can easily be overlooked in your business. When we get a new client, sometimes we forget about them because, well, now they are a client. You go out and begin marketing again to find another client and forget about the new client. Am I right?

This is where having a good offense is really important. You want to show them how great you are and give them the experience of working with an “expert.” You want them to feel they made the best decision by hiring you to solve their problem.

Here are a few tips and solutions to help you put on a good offense with your new clients:

1. Build a solid relationship – You want to consistently foster a solid, business relationship with your clients all along the way even after you complete your work with them. Building faith and trust with your clients is one of the keys to success in business.

2. Practice consistent follow-up – this is easy to do but sometimes where the ball gets dropped. When someone becomes a new client, create a welcome packet or welcome letter that continues to remind them what a good decision they made. If you see an article that you know would be of interest to them, send it or email it. Set up a system in your business for follow-up so your clients don’t fall through the cracks. Recently, a client came to me because her current clients were not happy with her service. Once we took a laser view on the process she uses in her business when a new client comes on, it was clear that she needed to provide more “high touch” communication with them.

3. Keep your word – if you make a commitment to your client, make sure you honor it. If you promise information will be sent out or a call will be returned, make sure that happens when you promised. This is where the trust factor can be strengthened or broken with your client.

4. Create special packages – you can easily set yourself apart and shine with your client by doing this. Take an inventory of all the services you offer and create special packages or bundle the services together. I offer this to my clients and I know other women entrepreneurs doing this in different types of businesses and it’s working beautifully. People love packages. Don’t you love it when you receive those offers from your favorite getaway offering a weekend package that includes breakfast, dinner, and a massage?

Having a good offense is critical to getting qualified referrals from happy clients in the future. Creating trust with your clients can cause a dramatic increase in your business in a very short period of time. The next time you go to bat for a client, be prepared to hit it out of the ballpark!

Anything is possible. Everything is waiting for you.
*****
© 2010 Joy Chudacoff

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Joy Chudacoff, ICF, PCC, is the founder of Smart Women Smart Solutions®, a Professional Certified Coach to 1000’s of women, Motivational Speaker, and Entrepreneur. She publishes a weekly buzz generating ezine, Reflections On Life and Business for Women Entrepreneurs. If you’re ready take your coaching business to the next level, get your FREE Tips, FREE Report, and FREE MP3 now at Smart Women Smart Solutions Coaching .

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Smart Women Have a Winning Offense

Create Your Own Information Ebook

Creating information products is a huge, wide open opportunity that offers excellent potential for anyone that recognizes it.

A good information product is typically designed to provide a solution to a problem.  People don’t always have the time or the patience to research so they love it when someone can come up with a solution that is simple, precise and to the point.

Everyone, I don’t care who you are, has some knowledge about something. If you dig down deep into your brain, I know you can find the knowledge you possess.  Once you realize what you know and how you can turn that knowledge into information for a thirsty market, you’ve got a winner.

I’m not talking about creating lengthy detailed, “stuffed with fluff” boring reports, I’m talking about creating small reports that pack a punch and give people information they need. Once you create your report your next job will be to create a salesletter that also packs a punch.  Simply write down the powerful benefits that your report delivers and outline them in a salesletter that your viewers won’t be able to resist.

The best thing about creating information products is that it offers extremely high profit margins and you will get paid over and over for writing something once. That’s what residual income is all about.  But one of the things I appreciate most about creating my own information product is that there are no delivery costs or inventory to maintain.

Start a blog

Creating a blog is such an easy way to get your foot in the internet door.

A blog is a lot like building a website only you don’t have to find a domain name, pay for hosting or even have a product to sell.

Blogs originally started out as a means for people to freely voice their opinions or solicit interaction online; however Blogs have become the prefect media for businesses as well. It’s a way for you to engage your readers in a topic that interests them.  You can do this by writing informative and interesting blog posts, finding news items, encouraging feedback from readers, etc.  Of course if you have a product or service, by all means you will want to use your blog to promote it.

The more information you can place on your blog and the more feedback you can generate, the more successful you’ll be.

I recommend getting started with the free services of blogger.com.  I like them because they are fast and easy.

Once you get your blog set up, sign up for a Google AdSense account. After you read the Adsense terms, conditions and instructions, copy and paste the AdSense code they provide you right on to your blog. Each time a viewer clicks on your Google ads, this generates income for you.

Keep whatever you write about informative, interesting, unique and personal. The more interesting you are and the more people can learn from you, the more visitors you will get. Here are a few blog ideas that may help you get started:

Got a new pet? Make entries each day about training, feeding and caring for your pet.

Do you like to travel?  Start a blog about your travels, where you went, what you learned, packing ideas, how to spend less and have more fun, etc.

What’s your pet peeve? Write a blog about it.  How do you deal with your pet peeve, what ideas do you have for others with the same pet peeve?

Have you done any decorating or remodeling?  What did you learn? What shortcuts did you take? What handy tips did you use to make the job easier? Etc.

Do you have children?  Write a blog about homework problems, discipline problems or emotional problems and work affiliate programs into it.

There are certainly plenty of ways to make money online, but these are my favorites simply because they are easy to get started, easy to maintain and will generate income on a consistent basis.

Resource Box:

For Online Home Business Ideas, resources and personal guidance, Elizabeth McGee invites you to visit her Online Home Business website and start building your financial future today.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

The Fastest Way to Making Money Online

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Ten Twitter Tips For Work-at-Home Moms

1. Virtual Assistant

The term virtual assistant actually covers a broad spectrum of work to be offered. You would basically assist the person in their day to day business tasks, much like an in office assistant would. This could be a combination of any of the other service based businesses and might include writing, email support, blog management, and more.

2. Transcription

If you can type you can transcribe. Transcriptionists can make a good living by taking audio files and creating text documents for their clients. You might choose to specialize in transcription of a certain type of file, video or podcast transcription for example.

3. Customer Service

Every business needs customer support of some kind. You can be the person answering all the emails that come into the help desk leading people to the answers and maintaining the frequently asked questions section. This is a huge time saver for the other business owner and allows the freedom to work on a flexible schedule.

4. Blog Manager

Many busy marketers don’t have time to blog, but they want to keep that flow of communication going with their visitors and readers. You could be their voice on their blog and keep things freshened up by providing two or three posts per week in exchange for a monthly retainer fee.

5. Ghost Writer

Do you like to write, but don’t want to manage your own websites or write about the same thing all the time? This is a great option for you! Websites need content and someone has to write all those words. Why not you? You could provide various packages of articles, reports, presentations, speeches, and more. There are lots of options when it comes to ghost writing.

6. Backlink Builder

This one requires a little know-how of search engine optimization, keywords, social media and the like. However, with just a little bit of knowledge and a few systems in place to make the process easier you could certainly get started with this business idea. Backlinks are the currency of the internet and website owners are always looking for more of them.

7. Social Media Manager

Are you familiar with how to leverage social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn? Offer your services for a monthly retainer to manage the social profiles and marketers and website owners. You can create their profiles, run their promos and contests, and bring them fresh new clients on a regular basis. Trust me, they’ll love you for it.

Well, there you have it. All of the above ideas can be started with a small investment for a domain name and hosting, add a little time and elbow grease and you’ll be well on your way to building a full time income working from home.

To get more work from home ideas go to EasyWahmWebsites.com

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7 Service Based Businesses You Can Start and Do Working From Home

You can publish information and earn money from your knowledge by building a website around what you already know. If there is a topic you know something about and enjoy sharing information on, this could be an ideal opportunity for you. You can write articles on the topic, or even have others contribute their knowledge to your website so you don’t have to do all the work on your own. 

How does an information website earn you money? 

For one thing, you can sell ads on your site. You can also earn money with affiliate marketing. Become an affiliate for programs that are relevant to the topic of your website. Then post banner ads for the affiliate product or include your affiliate links in the content of your website. You will earn a commission whenever someone makes a purchase through your link. One other way you can earn money is by publishing Adsense ads. This is a script you can add to your pages and that will display ads related to the content on the page. Whenever someone clicks on the ad, you earn money. 

This can be an easy business to run from home because the majority of the work involved is writing about a topic you already know a lot about. Unless you sell ads, there is little customer interaction. You can work on it at any time of day, and invest as much time as you have. 

For a successful information website, it is best to find a niche. If your topic is very broad, you will want to narrow it down. For one thing, this will make it easier for you to target the right keywords so your site will show up well in the search engine rankings. Also, if your site is also tightly niched, it will be easier for your to find your audience. Sites that are very general are hard to drive traffic to and to optimize for keywords. 

One of the most important things your site will need is regularly updated content. If you update your site only once a month or once every few weeks, people won’t visit you regularly. Less traffic means that advertisers will not be as interested in your site. You will also have few people looking at your affiliate links, so you will earn less money there too. 

If you have some knowledge to share, becoming an information publisher could be an ideal home business for you. It’s a great way to earn income doing something you’re already doing for free. 

Looking for super easy solution to build your web pages? Take the comprehensive website builder at http://www.InternetBasedFamily.com for a 10-day test trial. You can choose from over 1200 templates and your account includes all kinds of interactive features including: message board, shopping cart, mailing list, coupons and more.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Become an Information Publisher

Online business owners are busy people and don’t have time to do everything themselves. This is why they often hire people just like you to take care of routine tasks or specialized projects for them. Many of them are willing to be patient with the right person so you’ll have opportunities to develop your skills even further while earning money. 

Do you have any experience providing administrative support? If you do, there are lots of opportunities available to you as a virtual assistant. They range from answering phones and taking messages to doing data entry, to managing lists of contacts, and much more. Whatever administrative task you know how to do, chances are there is someone who is willing to pay you for it to make their life easier. As a virtual assistant, you can continually learn new skills as well, so your new business can grow very quickly. 

Another skill you might have is writing. Business owners have to keep up with blogs, article writing, newsletters, social media, and so on. This means they have to do a lot of writing. If writing is something you enjoy and are good at, you may have just the skill they need. You don’t need a degree in English to provide writing as a service. To write online, all you need is to be able to write conversationally, and have a good grasp of grammar and spelling. 

Graphic design is another service you might enjoy providing. Have you been playing around in graphic design programs to make cute buttons and backgrounds? That’s another skill you can market online. Not everyone has the time or the talent to create those things, but they’re an essential part of working on the internet. 

Whatever service you would like to provide, you will need a website to show off your skills. Spend the time to make your website look professional, or else hire someone to do it for you. You might even be able to trade your skills for theirs to save some money on getting started. On your website, be sure to include a portfolio to display work you’ve done.

Another thing you should have on your website is a way to sign up for your newsletter. In your newsletter, you can keep subscribers updated on work that you’re doing and remind them how you can help them too. Your newsletter is one of your most important marketing tools. 

To start getting traffic to your website and subscribers to your newsletter, you can advertise by writing articles. Write articles about your area of expertise then publish them where your potential clients will find them. After they read your article, they will likely click through the link to your website to learn more about you and how you can help them.

Sometimes people worry that they’re not skilled enough to provide a service online right now. Don’t let that fear hold you back. Simply start out by offering whatever you can do right now. Then as your skill level and confidence grows, your offering can grow too. 

Making money on the internet might be easier than you think! Think about what you’re good at and then find a way to take it online. 

Looking for super easy solution to build your web pages? Take the comprehensive website builder at http://www.InternetBasedFamily.com for a 10-day test trial. You can choose from over 1200 templates and your account includes all kinds of interactive features including: message board, shopping cart, mailing list, coupons and more.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Take Your Knowledge Online

Here are some ideas for selling your crafts online. 

To sell your crafts online, you will first of all need a website. Your website is your business card on the World Wide Web. It is also a place for you to show off your creations. You will need to include order information, your prices, and contact information so interested buyers can easily find you to ask their questions. 

Good photos of your products will help you sell your products online. Take pictures of your products from different angles. You will need to optimize them so they load quickly on your visitors’ computers. You wouldn’t want a potential customer to leave without buying just because your images took too long to display! 

You should also write good descriptions of your creations. Tell what they’re made of and describe how they look, feel and smell. This will help make your craft appealing to your visitors, even though they can’t pick them up and hold them. Be sure to include prices and shipping information too. 

On your website, you should also add some information about you. People like to know who they’re buying from. You can add a photo of yourself, maybe sitting in your craft studio or with your newest creation. It adds a personal touch to your website and helps your visitors to trust you. 

Now that you have your website, it’s time to start promoting it. One of the easiest places to promote your new website is in online directories. Submit your website to as many craft and general directories as possible. Some will be free, but the higher quality ones will charge a fee. 

Participate in forums and include your website URL in your forum signature. When you participate in a forum, be sure you’re adding quality information to the conversation. If you’re just there to post your links, everyone else will pick up on that and they will ignore you. Instead, engage with the other members and over time they will likely click through to your website to learn more about you. 

You can also promote your craft website by writing online press releases and articles. Submit them to the article and press release directories. They can bring you more traffic and help your new website show up better in the search engine results pages.

Social media sites are wonderful places to promote your craft business. Just like in forums, you will need to build relationships with the people you connect with in social media. You can also post links to your sales and new products. 

Selling your crafts online can open up many opportunities for you and your craft business. You can go from being a small local crafter to someone who has customers all over the country, or around the world. Once you have your craft website and start promoting it regularly, you will be ready to take your craft business wherever you want to go.

Looking for super easy solution to build your web pages? Take the comprehensive website builder at http://www.InternetBasedFamily.com for a 10-day test trial. You can choose from over 1200 templates and your account includes all kinds of interactive features including: message board, shopping cart, mailing list, coupons and more.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Sell Your Crafts Online

Virtual Assistant 

A Virtual Assistant provides administrative support to small business owners, large corporations, and independent professionals. They are different from other administrative professionals because they support their clients from their home offices, using their own equipment. Hiring a Virtual Assistant benefits business owners because they are retained on a contract basis, only when needed. 

To get started as a Virtual Assistant, you will need general business administrative skills, organizational skills, and strong customer service skills. You will also need a website that advertises your skills to potential clients. It is very quick to set up this type of business, but you can earn a high hourly wage by providing Virtual Assistant services. 

Writing

Have you always loved to write? A writing business might be the perfect fit for you, and is very quick to set up. A professional writer might be hired to write anything from short blog posts to long sales letters, and everything in between. Businesses of all sizes hire writers to take care of their newsletters and other business documents.

To start your writing business, you will need to assemble a portfolio of your written work. This might include articles you’ve written for yourself, or even a paper you wrote for college. Then post it on your website along with the services you offer and your rates. 

Website Design 

If you’re someone who enjoys creating websites, you might be interested in a website design business. As a website designer, you could be creating brand new websites for clients, updating websites to make them more effective, or completing redesigning them. An internet presence is important in almost every industry, which means that website designers are in demand. 

To start your website design business, you will need to create a professional-looking website of your own. Post some projects you have worked on, either for yourself or for other people. You should also post your rates and any packages you offer. 

Graphic Design 

Do you have a flair for design, and play around in graphic design programs? A graphic design business could be the ideal outlet for your skill, and it’s easy to set up. Graphic designers can design ads, logos, marketing materials, and so much more. Graphic design is a very specialized skill that not everyone can do, so there is always a demand for it. 

To get started as a graphic designer, put together a portfolio of designs you’ve created. Decide what kind of graphic design services you want to offer. Then post your services and your rates on your website, along with your portfolio. 

In just a few days, you can have the beginnings of the successful home business you always wanted. Choose a service you would like to provide, determine your rates, and start looking for that first client. 

Looking for super easy solution to build your web pages? Take the comprehensive website builder at http://www.InternetBasedFamily.com for a 10-day test trial. You can choose from over 1200 templates and your account includes all kinds of interactive features including: message board, shopping cart, mailing list, coupons and more.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Quick and Easy Home Business Ideas

On the internet, your website is your business card. It’s also more than that – it’s where potential customers can first meet and decide if you’re someone they want to work with. That’s why it’s helpful to have a blog or articles on your website, so they can get a feel of what you’re like and what you know. Even if you market to local businesses with flyers and classified ads, most people will want to visit your website before calling you. So, having a website that sells your services is very important. 

First of all, your website will need to look professional for you to be taken seriously. This is your “office space” on the world wide web. What would you think if you went into a business office where the door didn’t close properly and the paint was peeling off the walls? You would probably leave as quickly as you came in. It’s the same way online. An unprofessional or a “do it yourself” website may scare away potential customers. If you’re not confident you can create a professional website, hire someone who can do it for you. You may even be able to barter your services in exchange for theirs. 

On your website, you will want to have a portfolio of projects you’ve completed. This will give shoppers the confidence that you can do for them what you say they can. If you haven’t completed any client projects yet, you can still create a well-rounded portfolio. Simply offer your services to a charitable organization or a friend in exchange for using the work as a sample. 

You should also post your rates on your website. Depending on what kind of business you have, you may not want to post all your rates. But it is a good idea to give your visitors a general idea of what you charge. 

Testimonials are another important thing you should have on your service website. If possible, include a picture along with the testimonial, to make it more believable. Also include the person’s full name, their website address if they have one, or their city. Avoid testimonials that sound vague. Instead, use testimonials that tell specifically how you helped. 

Your About page is one of the most important pages on your website. Statistically, most people who purchase a service online visit the About page before making their purchase. We all like to know who we’re working with. Include a professional looking photo of yourself and your bio. 

You may also like to include some personal tidbits about yourself… but don’t make it too personal.

Throughout your website, write in a friendly welcoming tone. Make your visitors feel as though you’re glad they stopped in and you’re looking forward to talking to them. Keep your language conversational. 

If you follow these tips, you’ll have a professional-looking and welcoming service website that showcases your skill. You’ll be on your way to getting your first paying clients too.   

Looking for super easy solution to build your web pages? Take the comprehensive website builder at http://www.InternetBasedFamily.com for a 10-day test trial. You can choose from over 1200 templates and your account includes all kinds of interactive features including: message board, shopping cart, mailing list, coupons and more.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Creating A Service Website That Sells

Anxiety is characterized as extreme reactions to fearful situations. When someone follows you into a dark alley, those anxious feelings of a racing heartbeat and sweaty palms gives way to heightened senses and a rush of adrenalin that can save your life. This is the fight or flight syndrome.

In the case of frequent anxiety, the fearful feelings are dread of a particular situation and not the situation itself. Getting caught in traffic can cause an anxiety attack over what might happen when you get to work late. Starting a new job can bring on anxiety attacks. You don’t know anyone and fear of that unknown can send you into a panic.

Everyone experiences panic or anxiety in small ways. Like the fight or flight example, it can save your life. In new situations, we get panicky but when the outcome we fear fails to materialize, the anxiety stops. For someone with chronic anxiety, this is not the case.

Every situation that brings anxiety is not life-threatening. More than likely it is an extremely stressful situation that has brought on the anxiety as a way of dealing with it. Unchecked anxiety of this type can lead to depression.

If you suffer from anxiety attacks on occasion or a more frequent anxiety disorder, there are steps you can take to manage anxiety and get it under control.

1. See a professional. This is always a good first step. Self-diagnosis of any type of physical or mental condition is unwise and can be dangerous. A professional psychologist can help you understand your anxiety and prescribe medication or other effective techniques.

2. Get a good night’s sleep. During the sleep cycle, your body repairs itself. You feel more rested after several hours of restorative sleep, reaching the REM stage. Most people need eight hours a night which varies within an hour or two each way.

3. Exercise on a consistent basis. Exercise helps you to use oxygen more efficiently. It helps to get more oxygen to the brain. It also increases focus which may help you see solutions to problems rather than simply worrying about them.

4. Meditate. Meditation is more than chanting mantras. Yoga is an exercise that involves quieting the mind and controlling your breathing. Simple mediation such as taking 5 minutes to clear your mind everyday can work wonders in the fight against anxiety.

5. Manage the worry. When you feel your pulse start to quicken, count backwards from ten. As you count, focus on the situation. What has actually happened? Resist the urge to read anything more into the situation.

6. Don’t use alcohol. You might think that the glass of wine is relaxing your tension but alcohol is a depressant. In anxious situations you could rely too heavily on it and gain another problem in the process.

7. Find some relaxing activities. Stress can rob you of your energy. On a regular basis, do something you like such as gardening, painting, reading or listening to music.

Anxiety can come into your life at any time. It’s normal. When the anxiety becomes frequent you could be at risk for more serious conditions. If you feel your anxiety is starting to take over your life or increasingly causing you problems, seek professional help immediately. There is no need to suffer this terrible condition in silence.

Give me 30 minutes and I will give you some help with managing your anxiety. Grab your totally free consultation today!

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Effective Steps To Manage Anxiety

Working toward mastery in communication is something I often talk to my clients about since we communicate all the time yet tend to think about it very little. This article outlines several key communication concepts that, when practiced and incorporated into your personal and professional conversations, really amp up your results and feel SO much better.

First, understand that you communicate ALL the time and it’s an extremely powerful and effective process when done mindfully. You began communicating at birth and will continue your entire life. In fact, the majority of your days are spent communicating, so communicating well is vital to the success of any endeavor. Even if you don’t actually say anything, you’re still communicating. You may even talk to yourself when you’re alone (I do this myself). And never underestimate the power of your inner voice to impact your quality of life in all areas.

There are many reasons for engaging in communication including to inform, to persuade, to entertain, to motivate, to structure and control or world and our understanding of our world, to create, to critique and make people feel comfortable (and in some cases to make people feel uncomfortable). You can develop effective communication habits like you would develop any skill: by coming to understand both the why and the how-to of communication and then practice, practice, practice.

Keep in mind that all behavior is potentially communication. Any aspect of your behavior may communicate something to someone if they perceive it as such. That’s why even when doing and saying nothing you may be conveying a message. In business it’s particularly important to be aware of this aspect of communication as it’s impossible to avoid being “on display.” You inevitably find yourself communicating something to someone whether you are aware of it or not. This is how reputations are formed. Managing your communication helps you manage your reputation and how you and your business are perceived in the world.

Let me share an interesting statistic about communication with you. The bulk of how we, as humans, communicate with each other actually has very little to do with our words. Body language – posture, eye contact, etc. – represents the majority of what actually influences people when you communicate. Body language accounts for 55% of understanding in communication. Your body language is impacted by your attitude and self-esteem so how you feel about yourself, your life and your message influences how well you communicate. Pretty interesting, isn’t it?

The quality of your voice – your tone, pitch, etc. – accounts for 38% of communication meaning that how you use your voice affects someone more than what you say. Picture someone whispering vs. shouting the same words or giving an authentic compliment vs. using a sarcastic tone of voice. Not surprisingly, the quality of our voice is also affected by how we feel about ourselves.

So, what percentage of the impact of our communication and the behaviors that result are influenced by the words we use? If you’ve been following the math, you know it’s a mere 7%! That’s pretty shocking when you think about it. Now, I’m a huge fan of words and believe strongly that we should pay careful attention to our words. However, the words alone, without the underlying attitudes, beliefs and sense of self, are virtually meaningless and won’t get you the desired results you want.

Keep these things in mind when communicating and you’ll notice that you are more effective and enjoy the process more, too.

*****
© 2010 Ruth Hegarty

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Ruth Hegarty helps women entrepreneurs create confident and effortless success. As a certified Law of Attraction Coach, Ruth teaches women to unleash their powerful creator so they can work less and earn more. To learn more about Ruth and receive a free copy of her Effortless Success Toolkit for women entrepreneurs, go to Coach Ruth .

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Don’t Be a Trash Talker

Entrepreneurship can be fun, exciting, challenging and risky all at the same time—just like any other game we play. There are days when I’m on top of the world because everything is working out just the way I had planned and, there are days when I want to crawl in bed and pull the covers over my head because it feels like every move I make or card I play turns out to be ones that don’t move me forward at all.

Jenna’s game will be graded on several factors; easy for anyone to understand how to play, organized and neat presentation, and of course, turned in on time. If you want your business to get high marks and become successful, there are several questions that you need to ask yourself:

1. Decide what game you’re playing. What type of business do you have or want to have? Is it something that the marketplace needs? Are there other people doing the same thing or a version of your business that have been successful? Jenna sat down in her room and I put her favorite games all around her—Chutes and Ladders, Sorry, Trouble, etc. This exercise helped her to see how other games were put together in terms of pieces, die, cards and rules.

It’s always a good idea to research other people who’ve been successful in your industry. It’s not to copy what they’re doing but to see similarities—what’s working, what’s not working.

2. What’s the object of your game? What product or service are you offering? When your ideal client makes a choice to work with you, what will they receive at the end of your time together? This is critical to your business process. Helping the client understand how they will be better or different after working with you is of high interest to them.

3. How do people play your game? In other words, how do they work with you? Is it in person? By phone? Online? Do you offer packages or bundle services together? You have to make the access to your service easy for the client.

4. Make the experience rewarding! People want to enjoy the relationship they develop when working with someone. Price is not always the major factor in why people buy. They want to work with someone who has the expert knowledge they need and who will make the process enjoyable.

Jenna created a game called, “Math Baseball.” It’s a game that she knows a lot about and enjoys playing. The rules she made up for the game are both fun and challenging involving some risk. Sounds a lot like the game we play called “Entrepreneurship.”

Anything is possible. Everything is waiting for you.
*****
© 2010 Joy Chudacoff

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Joy Chudacoff, ICF, PCC, is the founder of Smart Women Smart Solutions®, a Professional Certified Coach to 1000’s of women, Motivational Speaker, and Entrepreneur. She publishes a weekly buzz generating ezine, Reflections On Life and Business for Women Entrepreneurs. If you’re ready take your life and your business to the next level, get your FREE Tips, FREE Report and FREE MP3 now at Profits With Passion .

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Smart Women and the Game of Entrepreneurship

Few dresses are ideal for everyone – and there are obviously assets you would like to emphasize and others you’d prefer to downplay. Usually, the sales associate at most bridal boutiques or stores will be able to offer an accurate analysis of the dresses you’ve selected, though you can also have your gown altered to make sure it ‘hugs’ you in the right places. While no body is alike, the following guidelines on choosing a wedding dress are designed to help you stick to the right style when browsing through the racks, online, or even having a dress specially made.

The Right Dress for Your Wedding Day

If you’re like most women, you’ve been dreaming about your wedding day since you were a little girl, imagining a beautiful, fluffy white ball gown. Choosing your wedding dress may not be so simple. Today’s bride has a plethora of gown options available to her, including A-line, sheath, mermaid, empire, and ball gown silhouettes. Though fitting sessions are the only way to tell what works best for you, the following body shape tips are meant to help you sort through the pile.

Hourglass: This shape is, by far and large, considered the ideal of feminine beauty. Ball gowns are perfect for those with smaller waistlines, while form-fitting gowns work just as well and cleverly show off your curves. Choosing a wedding dress like a dropped waist wedding gown, an updated look from the 1920s that’s becoming very popular, works well for those with longer torsos and some height to them. Hourglass-shaped women are usually on the bustier side, so you’ll want to avoid the harsh straight lines of some strapless gowns; instead, opt for sweetheart necklines or something with a little twist.

Rectangular: Finding a dress for your wedding day is all about knowing your body shape. The idea here is to look for gowns that create curves even if you don’t have them. Elegant sheath dresses cut on the bias or bust-enhancing necklines create curves where none exist. A cinched waist dress on your wedding day, one with slightly puffier skirts, will similarly capitalize on your small waist and create volume.

Slim: A mermaid or trumpet dress for your wedding day is perfect for the slimmer bride with smaller hips, though this style can favor anyone on the slender side. A dress with a ruched bodice will create the appearance of a larger bust line, and, again, add curves where needed. Modified A-line gowns with slightly higher waist lines will make you appear taller as well.

Oval: Oval-shaped and plus-sized brides benefit from the classic lines of empire dresses; whether simple or jazzed up with some embellishments, this dress (a wedding day classic) hides numerous figure flaws and enhances the bust line. When choosing a wedding dress in the empire style, remember that it should be somewhat fitted, since a gown that’s too loose can become billowy.

Show Off Your Wedding Day Style

As a last note, an A-line dress on your wedding day is more often than not universally flattering. Tall brides should keep the lines, detailing, and fabric simple, though smaller brides can pull off fabrics with high sheen; however, they, too, should avoid decked-out gowns, opting instead for nice touches at the neckline or the bust line to draw the eye up. Choosing a wedding dress in this style hides a lot of flaws, but still offers that big skirt appeal from your girlhood days in a stylish way. Sheath gowns, too, offer the same benefits as A-line gowns, meaning they camouflage many of the flaws you’re looking to hide. In this case, however, differentiating between constructed (more curvy brides) and loose sheaths (slender brides) makes the difference when choosing a wedding dress.

Also, consider trying out this handy dream wedding gown creator that walks you through your unique body type and which styles would suit your shape best. It’s easy to use and provides some tips that will pay off during your shopping trips!

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Choosing a Wedding Dress for Your Body Shape

Here are five things I did to make sure I hated running.  Feel free to apply these tips to sabotage your fitness plan:

Mistake 1: I was hungry
My early urges to run usually coincided with an urge to lose weight.  I’d start some ridiculous diet and then decide that I needed to up my results with exercise.  This meant that I was huffing and puffing and I was hungry.  Starting a workout with no fuel in your tank is a guaranteed way to feel exhausted, unfit, unhappy, and uninspired (by the way, the diets didn’t work either).

Mistake 2: I went too fast
I was going to start to exercise and I was going to RUN darn it.  So I’d fly off my front porch and my lungs would be burning before I’d gone any appreciable distance at all.  I had no plan for how far I was going to go or any thoughts about pacing myself to go the distance.  I just ran.  Not very far.  And then I felt discouraged. The first time I ever thought that maybe, just maybe I might like this running stuff was when I tried jogging/running/and walking to slower music.  I grabbed a cassette tape (remember those?) of music that made me happy but didn’t have a fast driving beat, and I decided to just keep moving until it was over.  I ran slow, I walked when I got tired, and I was happy at the end of my workout. Mixing joy with exercise? What a concept!

Mistake 3: I chose the wrong environment
I still have horrible memories of trying to become a runner on a hot humid sunny afternoon in the Midwest.  I was literally running around a corn field.  It was a big flat square with absolutely no change in scenery.  That didn’t work for this aesthetically-oriented person.  Now this is especially significant, because, at the time, I lived only a mile from Lake Michigan.  I was really good at sabotaging my fitness plans because it never even occurred to me to adjust the timing of my workout to take advantage of a cooler morning or to drive to the more beautiful, slightly cooler location and try running there. That running stint didn’t last long.

Now I know that beauty is one of the things that fuels my desire to be active.  One of my favorite things about running is the opportunity to get outdoors and into nature. If you aren’t into sabotaging your workout plans, know what environment works for you and plan accordingly.  Indoors, outdoors, boisterous or quiet? Soothing or upbeat?  It’s all possible.

Mistake 4: I went at it alone
My mental talk went like this: “I’m not a ‘good’ runner so I don’t really want anyone to see me.  Won’t it be fun when I’ve built up some endurance and can ask a friend to go running with me?”  Guess what?  It never happened.  Now, had I asked a friend to support me and run with me from the very beginning—who knows?  I do know that one of the best things about running now is the weekend runs I take with friends.  What busy woman couldn’t use more uninterrupted time to chat, gossip, connect, and just catch up? My running friends have encouraged me to keep going, to restart, to try new things, and to stretch my abilities in ways I probably never would have done on my own. Toughing it out by yourself when you are a fitness newbie is a prime way to stall your momentum and motivation.

Mistake 5: I judged myself
Constantly.  That little voice in my head told me how out of shape I was, how out of breath I was, how everyone was looking at me.  I did not have a “little engine that could” mantra going in my head, but one that defeated me and contributed to making every working out an uphill battle. I didn’t celebrate each workout, but instead kept looking ahead at how far I had to go.

I still run up hills that I don’t think I can get up, but I’m older and wiser now and I absolutely know that I’m not going to get to the top if my head doesn’t cooperate with the mission.  Every strong runner I know has some kind of positive mantra or phrase that keeps them going during tough times. I’d bet that every workout dropout has the opposite.

So that’s how I screwed up my workout motivation.  What have you done to sabotage yours? Better still, what could you do to set it on a more positive track?

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Five Tips to Sabotage ANY Exercise Plan

But before you even think about starting an internet home business yourself, there are a few things you need to consider that will help ensure your online success.

First off you need a solid business plan.  This will include research for what market you want to be in, what products or services you want to sell or promote and close examination of your financial situation.

So Keeping those things in mind, the following list of practical guidelines will help you get started planning your internet home business.

Be Sure You are Financially Ready

Although it is true that starting an internet home business is cheaper than starting an offline business, that doesn’t mean it’s free.  Your research and planning will require some time and building a website, finding a web hosting service as well as business tools and training will require a small budget.

Depending on the tools and services you use, starting an internet business could cost you $100 or less to get started or it could be as much as a few thousand dollars, it simply depends on what you decide to do. That’s where a good business plan is so important.  You want to know right from the start what your business will be costing you so there are no surprises down the road.

Marketing will also play a big part in the success of your business. Your website, which will be your business, needs traffic and lots of it, so you’re going to have to find effective ways to drive traffic to your site.  Whether you are using paid traffic options or free ones, keep in mind that it could take anywhere from one to six months before you actually see income coming in.

So be sure you draw up your business plan so you will know how much your business will cost, how much time you will need to spend at it and what tools and resources you will need to be successful.

Choose Your Online Business Model

There are many online business models to choose from. Legitimate business models include offering services, consulting, selling tangible items or information products, affiliate marketing and dropshipping to name a few.

But whatever business model you choose to be in it’s important to do something that you enjoy.  If you are in a service based business where you create websites for example, but don’t especially love the service industry, you’ll want to consider that carefully before choosing that sort of business.

You may decide that you want to sell items on the web but don’t want to carry inventory, a dropshipping business may be ideal.  Dropshipping allows you to sell items from your website but get shipped to the customer from a dropshipping supply house. When an order comes in through your website, the dropshipper packages and sends the item.

If you don’t especially love the customer service aspect of shipping products and dealing with inventory and returns, you may want to consider affiliate marketing where you don’t have products yourself, instead you simply promote other peoples’ products for a commission of the sale.

If you love to write you may want to create an informational website or a blog or write your own digital products that you can sell online.

Whatever you decide to do, be sure it fits with your personal, financial and business preferences.  A business should meet your financial goals but it should also be something you enjoy. The more you like something, the better you will do at it.

Beware of the Online Schemers

There are lots of lures, schemes and tactics that trick people into thinking the internet is their ticket to fast riches.  Don’t be mistaken. These are scams disguised to look like genuine plans. Only after it’s too late do you realize you’ve been scammed.

If you are not sure of a certain opportunity, check with the better business bureau, or check with ripoffreport.com before making any monetary commitments.

The simple truth is there is no fast and easy method for getting rich. If your true desire is to start an internet home based business, then just as in the offline world, you will need to invest time, effort, have a good plan in place and invest in your business.

Your business whether offline or online will be part of your future financial success, so treat it as such.

About the Author:
For Internet Home Business ideas, resources and personal guidance, Elizabeth McGee invites you to visit her Internet Home Business website and start building your financial future today.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Practical Guidelines for Starting an Internet Home Based Business

As a person goes down the line of usual questions, one of the questions they seldom ask themselves is: “What am I passionate about?”

It has often been quoted by Oprah and others that, “If you follow your passion, the money will follow.” No one can argue with this wisdom which has proven itself many times over by people who have done exactly that – they have followed their passion and became successful without thought as to whether or not they would receive financial gain.

Passion is a hard thing for some people to identify, and it is often something they would never expect. It is rare that someone is passionate about typing or cleaning windows, for instance. Yet, they may have started a data entry business involving typing or a commercial cleaning business involving wiping windows out of a passion to retire by age 50 – or out of a passion to travel the world and enjoy the flexibility of time that business ownership might allow them.

When we started a home-based service business, I can honestly tell you that my passion did not include learning to use a screw driver, work with basic hand tools, climb a ladder, or crawl under a house. My true passion was to work alongside my husband in a family business that might one day include employing some of my children. To pursue that passion, I had to be willing to do what it took – and that included crawling under houses and into attics for several years until the business could grow large enough for us to hire others to do this for us.

The motivation for doing this came from the very fact that all of this was in pursuit of my passion, and I was living out that passion one day at a time. I could look beyond the spider webs in each crawl space to see my passion coming into fruition – one elbow and one knee forward at a time. Eventually, I made my way into an office and now handle all of the administrative functions of the business. The bookkeeping, scheduling and dispatching of service calls involved with this are also not my passions, but learning these things has brought the fulfillment of that original passion. Today, our business employs family members and others, and I continue to work alongside my husband although in a far different capacity than when we first began. Understanding my true passion for starting a home-based business enabled all of this to happen and helped me to keep focused during the literal obstacle course involved in getting there.

So, when you are considering what kind of home-based business is right for you – take the time to examine your true passion. You will be pleasantly surprised by how much your passion will motivate you to do things you never though you would be able to do, and you will also find that nothing is more satisfying than being guided by that passion and where it will eventually lead you.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Choosing a Home Business: What’s Passion Got to Do With It?

You may recognize some of the symptoms of burnout. In the early days of business, you couldn’t wait for the phone to ring. Now, you grow annoyed and resentful every time it does – especially if your home business phone also rings in your living room so that you don’t miss a call while you’re giving the dog a bath. You used to take pride in having a schedule that was so jam packed with appointments that you had to pencil in time to use the restroom each day. Now, you just want to hit the “delete” button for the schedule on the computer and take an extended vacation – permanently. You may have heard yourself say that your customers are running you instead of you running a business. That’s a clue you’ve turned a corner into full-blown burnout.

So what happened to get you from the mountaintop of successful business ownership all the way to the valley of burnout? Some things may be obvious – being so busy building your business that you have not taken time to rest, recreate and take care of your personal, emotional, spiritual and relational needs. Those things are easy to identify and fix by changing your priorities, but there is a not-so-obvious reason why business owners experience burnout. The reason is because the thrill is gone.

This happened to us after several years in business. Everything was finally going our way after years of sacrifice and hard work. Customers were happy, profits were high, and phones were ringing – too much, it seemed. We made the changes necessary to give ourselves more time to relax and enjoy the successes in our lives, but even those changes didn’t seem to pull us out of burnout.

There came a point where we had to sit down and really take a hard look at things. Why had we lost the thrill of owning a business? How could we get it back? Here are the steps that we took that may enable you to pull out of burnout.

Get back to the original purpose of why it is you started into business. Rediscover the joy that brought you to this decision and trace your path back to the point where things began to go off track. For us, our decision to go into business was because we enjoyed serving people – which is why we chose a service-oriented business. Where we had gotten off the path is that we began to allow our customers to dictate our policies, determine our schedules and had inadvertently trained them to expect us to be at their beck and call without having set any boundaries. When you work from home, this is one of the dangers of not being able to separate business from home life – the lines tend to get blurred especially if customers know you can hear the phone ring in your bedroom after hours (or worse yet, pull up in your driveway to conduct business while you’re mulching the yard on a weekend because you didn’t answer the phone). “Serving” was no longer something we did from the heart – it was something that was demanded of us and began to feel more like slavery. It wasn’t the customers’ fault – we allowed it to happen.

In the initial days of starting into business, it is normal for new business owners to do whatever it takes to gain a new customer. In the beginning, there is often the time to cater individually to each customer, and since you work from home, it seems convenient to do so. Once a business begins to grow, if you continue with that mentality, you are going to find yourself being pulled and twisted in twenty different directions by the increased number of demands on your time and attention. You start to feel taken advantage of rather than priding yourself on prompt service and courtesy. And very soon, you guessed it – burnout.

Once we realized that burnout had taken place, we began to re-establish firm boundaries between home and business. Instead of feeling pressured or forced to capitulate out of fear of losing customers – a seed of unnecessary worry that is often planted in the first years of business – we learned to relax and have confidence that our customers weren’t going anywhere just because we needed to make some necessary changes. The key to doing this successfully was to establish a plan, communicate it effectively to the customers – and stick to the changes when customers tempted us to bend the rules.

Burnout, as it turned out, was a clue that we were going through growing pains and attempting to hold onto practices and habits that served us well in the infancy of our business – but would suffocate us if we refused to recognize that we, and our company, were evolving.

If you find yourself experiencing burnout, go back to the place in time where joy existed. Identify what it is that stole your joy. Make the changes necessary to fix this, especially when it comes to setting boundaries where home and business meet, and you’ll soon discover that the thrill is back.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Home-Business Burnout: How to Get the Thrill Back

More companies are now breeding ‘patio’ type plants like tomatoes, cucumbers and strawberries to grow in more compact form.  Look for the words “compact”, “patio” and “space-saver” when you buy seeds or plants.  You can use recycled buckets (make sure they have a way to drain excess water) to plant a compact tomato plant, cucumber plant and a variety of lettuces on a small apartment style porch if you wanted to!

Vegetables aren’t the only thing going small.  Cherries, apples, pears and other fruit bearing trees now come in dwarf varieties.  Consider fruiting trees instead of non-fruiting for landscaping, especially if space is limited.  A hedge of blueberry plants will not only provide you with a juicy treat in the summer but also give you glorious red foliage for the fall.  Edible landscaping makes good use of your space AND your landscaping dollars.

Think three-dimensionally with your growing space (or think “the sky is the limit!).  If you have a fence or railing, you can use string or chicken wire tacked to your fencing to train cucumbers, sugar-snap peas, tomatoes and pole beans to grow up the fence or railing.  Plants like sugar-snap peas and pole beans can be grown close together and yield abundant crops for the small amount of space they need.  Store bought or homemade trellises will allow you to gain a large amount of vertical space.

Don’t forget that while you might have stuff growing UP, that you have lots of space going DOWN as well.  It only takes a 6”-8” space from the base of your upward growing sugar snaps or pole beans to create a row of radishes or lettuce.  The radishes will mature very quickly and your upward growing plants will shade your tender lettuces.  I have a vertical bed which trellises my upward growing plants but I also have the bed do double duty by planting radishes, carrots and lettuces in front of the bed.

Don’t forget space hidden in plain view.  Instead of planting those marigolds next to the walkway this year, go for alternating plantings of green and red leaf lettuce and a collection of herbs.   Instead of planting just any old ground cover, consider edible ground cover like cranberries (a new variety does NOT require a bog and is a beautiful ground cover that will give you cranberries by fall).  Instead of hanging baskets of flowers, you can plant a hanging tomato plant or a basket of the patio-style cucumbers.

These are just a few ideas to get you looking at your space in a different way.  Just remember: The sky is the limit and there is no rule as to what you have to use to landscape your property.  Get creative!

Tammy Paquin is a work-from-home mom of 3 boys and the owner and publisher of Frugal-Families, an online resource for frugality, finances, budgeting and everything else related to stretching the dollar and living well while spending less. For more great gardening ideas and pictures visit, Frugal-Families Blog

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Making the Most of your Space to Garden

The results of that survey are that most business people aren’t using one of the best methods for building credibility, visibility and profitability in your business simply because you don’t know how. Honestly, I’m shocked more people aren’t accessing your inherent talents to earn more money in less time in your business.

More specifically, the survey found that 10.3% of you said that fear of standing up in front of a group held you back while a whopping 89.7% said your biggest challenge to sharing your message is that you don’t know the best way to express your business offer. With these results, it’s no wonder so many of you aren’t making the money you want and deserve in your business!

If you’re one of those 89.7% (even if you didn’t take my survey, this is you if you identify with the majority answer) and you’ve been working to grow your business for a while now and things aren’t happening the way you want, then I want to help you solve this problem so that you and your business thrive.
Here’s the scoop…

If you want to change your business circumstances in a way that dramatically increases your profits, you are invited to apply to take advantage of a special, “Content Assessment” session with me to…

***Uncover what truly is your core business offer (this is your signature content and it may not be what you think!) in a way that will allow you to work less and make A LOT more money. You may be sitting on a gold mine with what you already know and if you’re not using it properly then you aren’t profiting from it.

***Identify multiple ways you can leverage your signature content that will directly impact your bottom line.

***Uncover hidden challenges and fears that sabotage the growth of your business and keep you working too many hours for too little money.

***I want you to leave this session feeling renewed, re-energized and inspired to turn your content into a highly profitable signature program that powerfully generates revenue while you get to work less because you’re using your unique brilliance.

If you want to take advantage of this very special, very limited and totally free 30 minute “Content Assessment” session, contact me through the links in the bio at the end of this article with answers to these questions…

1. What kind of product/service do you provide? (or would like to provide if you knew how?)
2. How many income streams are you currently leveraging? (How many different ways do you sell the same product/service)
3. Do you currently have a signature program? (a unique way that you share your product/service)
4. What are your revenue goals for the next 12 months?
5. What actions do you currently take to grow your business?
6. What do you see as the major challenges holding you and your business back from growing at the pace you want?
7. On a scale of 1-10, how vital is it for you to bridge the gap between where you are now and where you want to be in your business in 12 months?
8. What happens to your business if nothing changes?
9. Full Name
10. Email Address
11. Phone #
12. Your Time Zone

This is a limited space offer so I can’t necessarily guarantee everyone who is interested a free session. If you are interested in leveraging your knowledge in your business, contact me through the links at the end of this article and let me know answers to the above questions. I’ll be reviewing the responses personally and contacting you to schedule a content assessment session if your information is a good fit for this offer and we can schedule a convenient time. (Hint: the more thoroughly you answer the above questions, the better able I will be to see how well I can serve you and your business.)

*****

© 2010 Ruth Hegarty

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Ruth Hegarty helps women entrepreneurs create confident and effortless success. As a certified Law of Attraction Coach, Ruth teaches women to unleash their powerful creator so they can work less and earn more. To learn more about Ruth and receive a free copy of her Effortless Success Toolkit for women entrepreneurs, go to Coach Ruth.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Survey Results and Special Offer For an Opportunity to Dramatically Increase Your Profits

Women are the most creative beings on earth and I want to make sure when you have these awesome, amazing, wonderful ideas, you ask the “right” person before you give up on your Big Ideas, Dreams and Goals. By the way, I don’t think people intentionally want to hurt your feelings when you share a great idea. I think it’s because few people are visionary– they aren’t looking through the same lens on life as you are. Many people see the world as black and white. Entrepreneurs have a lot of gray in their thinking. Entrepreneurs are unusual. We are not ordinary people. We think differently.

When I first decided to birth my Women’s Success Circles, I was very excited. I could hardly sleep at night as I was up thinking about all of the ideas and possibilities of how I could support women using this concept. I was at an event one evening with my husband and I decided to share my Big Idea with a woman there and she flat out took the wind out of my sails when I told her about it. She laughed and said, (and I quote) “That will never work. Women will never pay for that.” Can you imagine the embarrassment I felt? Thankfully on the way home as I licked my wounds, my husband Greg reminded me that not everyone will like my ideas but that doesn’t mean they won’t work. He said a lot more than that but I only have room for so much!

When you’ve got a really Big Idea and you feel like you’re going to burst at the seams if you don’t share it with someone, ask yourself a couple of questions:

1. Is this person where I want to be in terms of how I define success and achievement? I’ve found that people who’ve achieved success are willing to listen patiently to ideas and ask very wise questions to help you flush out your idea more fully. Having mentors and coaches in my life who’ve achieved the success I desire has been a key ingredient to the growth in my business. People who’ve had success in their lives are typically more open to possibility.

2. Is this person a positive, nutritious person? Is the person you are about to speak with, someone who you admire for their positive outlook on life? Do they inspire and motivate you?
I have a “core” group of people in my life who I turn to when I have a Big Idea, Dream or Goal that I’d like to accomplish. These people are successful, positive, creative, and most of all, they inspire me to be great.

I invite you to think about the people you are surrounding yourself with when you are brainstorming your next Big Idea. It can make the difference between achieving your goals or giving up too soon when success may be just around the corner.

One last thought: As coincidence would have it, I ran across a quote the morning after I wrote this article and it feels like the “perfect” ending: “The girl doesn’t, it seems to me, have a special perception or feeling which would lift that book above the “curiosity” level.” From the rejection slip for “The Diary of Anne Frank.”

Anything is possible. Everything is waiting for you.
*****
© 2010 Joy Chudacoff

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Joy Chudacoff, ICF, PCC, is the founder of Smart Women Smart Solutions®, a Professional Certified Coach to 1000’s of women, Motivational Speaker, and Entrepreneur. She publishes a weekly buzz generating ezine, Reflections On Life and Business for Women Entrepreneurs. If you’re ready take your coaching business to the next level, get your FREE Tips, FREE Report and FREE MP3 now at Smart Women Smart Solutions Coaching .

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Smart Women Know Who to Ask

The following article discusses some of the more popular yet free methods for ensuring you get backlinks to your website while also helping you get more of the traffic and sales you deserve.

Guest Blogging

Consider becoming a guest blogger.  Serious bloggers are busy people so they love it when they can find others that will provide guest content on their blog.  It saves them time but it also gives you a chance to gain a backlink and gain some exposure.

Start by finding blogs that relate your site’s topic.  Then politely suggest to the blog owner that you have unique content that you think will be of value for their readers. Most blog owners will be happy to accept a guest post. Just make sure that the blog owner will allow you to include a link back to your website. Some may even post your picture.  Most bloggers won’t have a problem with posting a link back to your site but it’s a good idea to make sure first before making the commitment to write for them.

Join Forums

Forums are a fun way for online marketers to get to know each other and at the same time learn new tips and tricks to run their businesses more profitably.

Most forums will allow you to create a signature link.  In that link, you can put your name as well as a link to your website. That way every time you post a comment or question on the forum, you create a backlink to your site.

The more you participate, the more backlinks you will generate. Also when someone values what you say they will generally click on your site’s link to find out more, either about you or your website.  It’s an excellent way to generate both backlinks to your site as well as generate interest among other forum members.

Write and Submit Articles

Submitting articles to article directories is ideal for building backlinks. Writing just one article a week and submitting it to prominent article directories will generate links to your site fast.  That’s because article directories allow you to publish a resource box with your article which will include a text link to your website.

Additionally, if the articles you post to the directories are interesting and worthwhile, then other website owners will find it beneficial to publish your articles on their websites generating even more backlinks for you.  The more articles you post to article directories, the more backlinks you will generate.

Use Social Media

When you create a blog post or content on your website, try providing social media options for those who read and enjoy your content. Provide icons for Twitter, Facebook, Digg and others so that readers might bookmark your content to those sites.  Again, each time this is done there’s another backlink generated for you.

As you look for ways to get backlinks to your website you may find that some methods work better than others. Start out by trying them all and then focus on those that work the best for you. But regardless of the methods you use, if you keep up a regular routine of generating backlinks to your site you’ll not only gain top search engine rankings, you will also continue to hold top rankings.

About the Author:
For Internet Home Business ideas, resources and personal guidance for starting and promoting your business, Elizabeth McGee invites you to visit her Internet Home Business website and start building your financial future on the web.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

4 Ways to Get Backlinks to Your Website for Free

Planning a Wedding with a Budget in Mind

An itemized wedding budget detailing the specifics – such as the dress, food/drinks, venue, flowers, and band – will ensure you’ve covered all the major aspects of your wedding day.

At the top of your worksheet, spreadsheet, or what have you, list what you’ve decided is a reasonable amount to spend on the wedding. On the left hand side, make each specific and significant element that you must or would like to have a line item. For instance, the ceremony, which encompasses the venue/place or worship, wedding officiant, and any licenses, would be listed here. Decide on a true and honest estimate of what you’re willing to spend planning a wedding on a budget, and then, at a later date, add what you actually spent so that you can keep accurate track of your finances. Other items in the left hand column should consist of things such as the reception (food/drinks, cake, favors, venue, etc.); wedding attire (bride’s clothing and shoes, makeup, hair, groom’s clothing and accessories); rings/jewelry; flowers (for the entire party and at both venues); music/band/DJ; photography; transportation (if applicable); invitations and signage; and anything else that would cause a significant dent in your wedding budget. Remember to include such essential fees as tips for vendors (about 15 to 20%), trial hair and makeup sessions, and dress/tuxedo cleanings and pressings.

As far as planning a wedding on a budget with your parents, his parents, and any other well-wishers (step parents perhaps), show them your finalized wedding budget at an informal, yet constructive meeting. Discuss costs and who can realistically afford what. In days past, it was common – and expected – for the bride’s parents to pay for everything, a modern dowry in a sense. Today’s weddings no longer involve such a considerable sacrifice, though it is still carried out by many traditionalists. At this meeting, you’ll want to discuss how the payments will be made; maybe your parents would like to split something or pay for one segment of the wedding entirely. Will they be giving you one lump sum in a check or visiting vendors with you to pay upfront? Such concerns about planning a wedding on a budget should be dealt with by a frank talk that involves all parties.

Many wedding budget planners suggest opening a separate wedding account at your bank that’s not linked with any of your personal accounts. This simple action will help you more carefully figure out what’s been spent on the wedding and where the funds are going. You should also set aside an additional 5 to 10% of your overall wedding budget should mishaps arise. The likelihood that you will go over your budget is almost a given; the amount to which you do can be controlled, in most instances, by careful wedding planning, and that budget of 5 to 10% extra you’ve stashed away will come in handy. Scaling back from the get-go is a huge help; this includes things like not having a buffet (wasted food), having fewer bridesmaids, and offering just wine and beer at the reception (alcohol is a major expenditure). Still, if these are must-haves, just be cautious of vendors who try to upsell you to some better, improved service that you probably don’t need. Research is a crucial part of planning a wedding on a budget, so make sure you do your fair share before visiting vendors and venues.

Fine-tuning Your Wedding Budget for Success

Far too many couples forget about planning a wedding with a budget in mind and have a bang-up, blow-out bash that ends up putting them in the red. Add that to any other debts, and you’re starting your marriage – which should be thoroughly exciting – with a gray cloud over your heads. A well-planned wedding budget that’s done from the start – with nothing unaccounted for – will ensure that you can mosey off to your honeymoon with nothing else to worry about but enjoying yourselves.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

The Collaborative Wedding Budget: Coordinating Multiple Parties with Ease

With all of the internet business scams and internet marketing sales hype afloat don’t risk discouragement and failure due to poor advice and marketing pitfalls.  Instead steer clear of the bad ideas and take note of the following:

Bad Idea #1 – Don’t Build a Business Around Products that People Can Get for Free.

There are lots of products that people can get for free so selling those types of products online may prove to be less than fruitful.

For example, you may choose an ebook, guide or course to sell or promote online, but if others are giving it away for free or for less money you won’t be making many sales.

Also, certain items like moving boxes or yearly calendars are both examples of items that people sometimes pay for but often get for free.

When thinking about products to sell or promote be sure to consider how profitable those products are by first determining if they are things people are, more often that not, willing to pay for.

Bad Idea #2 – Don’t build your Business around Niche Products where there is No Demand.

In order to get the most out of your time and effort, spend some time performing keyword research. It will help you tremendously for knowing exactly what people actually look for online.

There is nothing more disheartening and frustrating than spending hours creating a product that produces little to no interest from the internet community. First find out what people look for online, and where they are spending their money.

Bad Idea #3 – Don’t Create an eCommerce Website around Only One Product

To begin making money online and growing a successful ecommerce business it’s important that you incorporate more than one product into your business plan.  For example, what happens if people land on your website and aren’t interested in your one and only bird feeder?  On the other hand what if the product you are selling or promoting all of a sudden is no longer available or your supplier discontinues the item?

Provide your visitors with related choices and alternatives when selling items and goods.  You will have a much better chance for making not only more sales but saving yourself from disaster.

Bad Idea #4 – Never Sell or promote products you have not personally used or know nothing about.

Part of building an online business is gaining the trust of your visitors. If you are starting out as an affiliate marketer promoting other people’s products for example, it can be a big mistake to try and persuade others to buy a product or service that you personally know nothing about. Even though it’s been done by many a marketer, the best approach is promote with honesty and personal experience.

The most successful marketers are those that build trust and generate visitor confidence.  You can do this by promoting only products that either you create yourself or can endorse through personal use.  This is also how you build trust and lasting relationships with your visitors which is ultimately the best strategy.

Building a well researched, legitimate online business is the best way for making money online, but it starts by taking the time to research your market, find quality products and build a relationship with your visitors. It just makes good business sense.

Resource Box:
For Internet Home Business ideas, resources and personal guidance, Elizabeth McGee invites you to visit her Internet Home Business website and start building your financial future today.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

4 Bad Ideas for Making Money Online

Here are some strategies to get attract large volumes of traffic on the Internet. 

1. Article Marketing 

One of the best ways to generate traffic to your website is by creating links to your location on the web that are embedded in original articles that you distribute to article sharing websites. These links are called “back-links” as they serve as an indirect way or “back-way” to access your website. 

Potential customers will follow links to your website based on their interest in the content of your articles. 

These original articles that are created to promote your business or expertise typically contain a bio box or author profile and by-line that include a link back to your website.  Given the wide reach of publications and article sharing websites like ezinearticles.com and iSnare.com, this type of “article marketing” is a very effective way to grow your audience. 

Your well placed articles will develop valuable back-links that will help to draw volumes of traffic to your website and that will in turn help to boost your search engine rankings. 

Podcasts 

Audio podcasts, that function like Internet radio shows, are an ideal way to boost website traffic.  Just as article directories can expose your website to thousands of potential visitors, so too can podcasts promoting your website attract large audiences through podcast directories, like iTunes, PodcastAlley.com and PodcastDirectory.org. 

Webinars 

Participating as a speaker or contributor to a web-based seminar or webinar featuring high profile co-speakers and sponsors is another way to attract volumes of new traffic to your website. 

Webinar producers invest a lot in promotional strategies to attract as many registrations and subscribers as possible.  This is free advertisement for the speakers involved and the experience also helps to build up your profile and credibility to your target market. 

Forums 

Depending on your niche there may be certain discussion forums where a large percentage of your target audience gathers to discuss topics and share information. 

Identifying these forums and providing or sharing valuable information as a conscientious contributor is a good way to attract traffic to your website and build credibility about your business and expertise.  

As you leave posts in these forums you can incorporate links into your signature and direct forum participants to your website when appropriate and fitting in response to a question. 

Blogging 

Many businesses are starting blogs for the sole purpose of building traffic.  When publishers share well-written content on regular basis, that content eventually attracts a loyal and growing readership in that niche. 

In addition to this natural or organic audience growth, search engines will respond favourably to blogs that post frequent content. The more you post, the more search engine robots will crawl your site and the more likely you will achieve top rankings in search engine returns for your keywords. 

This all ultimately leads to more traffic and more sales potential for your business.

Videos

YouTube and Google Video are video websites attracting high volumes of traffic and superior on the search engines.

Think about creating a video that explains the key points of your article using screen shots or PowerPoint slides.  Upload this video to a website like YouTube and other video directories and you will create another effective way for significant traffic to find your website.

Looking for super easy solution to build your web pages? Take the comprehensive website builder at http://www.InternetBasedFamily.com for a 10-day test trial. You can choose from over 1200 templates and your account includes all kinds of interactive features including: message board, shopping cart, mailing list, coupons and more.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Quick Traffic Strategies

Here are 5 website mistakes to avoid. 

1. Bad Graphic Design 

Not everyone has the ability to design a professional looking website but there are some key points to take note of to ensure that your website “works”: 

• Understand who your target market is and choose a design or website theme template that would appeal to this market.  For instance if your business caters to a technical audience looking for detailed written information you wouldn’t clutter your website with a lot of pictures or animated graphics.

• Choose your colors appropriately: While you might love that deep purple background and fluorescent pink coloured font, the combination may make your content difficult to read for any length of time.  Tip: dark type on a light background is best for reading.

2. Disorganized Layout 

In the quest to be original or unique some website owners put in place odd navigation bars that make it difficult for readers to find what they’re looking for. To avoid that choose a design that positions your navigation bar in a clear and central position – the top of the page is a good spot. 

Don’t overload the navigation bar with selections – choose what would be the most logical choices for your readers.  For example if you own an online writing business you might have as your main navigation bar selections: About Us; Services and Rates; Portfolio; Blog, and Contact.  You can then create sub-menus from those main headings, if needed. 

3. Poorly Produced Content 

One of the worst things you can do for your website is to publish poorly written content.  Remember your content is the “voice” that greets your prospective customers or clients when they land on your website. 

Make sure that the content on your web page is well-written (free of grammatical and spelling errors) and relevant to what your site is all about.  If your copy is weak you’ll lose your readers within seconds.

4. No Call to Action

Even if you engage your audience with an attractive, well laid out website containing clearly written and engaging content, if you don’t ask for what you want, you may not be in business for long. 

Make sure every page of your website has a call to action that supports your marketing and income earning strategy. Asking a reader to purchase a product or service or subscribe to your blog updates, newsletter or tip sheets are some examples of concrete calls to action. 

5. Broken or Outdated Links 

Imagine going into a store, seeing directions to the furniture department, following those directions only to find out that there is no furniture department – you were just following old signs that the store neglected to update. 

You’d be left thinking that establishment was pretty slack and unprofessional right? That’s how your visitors will feel if you have outdated or broken links on your website. 

Create a positive impression for visitors to your website and ensure that all your links are up to date and working. 

Looking for super easy solution to build your web pages? Take the comprehensive website builder at http://www.InternetBasedFamily.com for a 10-day test trial. You can choose from over 1200 templates and your account includes all kinds of interactive features including: message board, shopping cart, mailing list, coupons and more.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

5 Website Mistakes to Avoid

Whether your service involves face to face meetings with clients or involves no in-person interaction at all, you can build a successful online service business by creating a website and connecting it in powerful and innovative ways to your target market. 

Here are 3 tips to building a website that will boost your service business: 

1.  Get Your Website Noticed with SEO – Search Engine Optimization 

Once you create a website for your service business you’ll then need to ensure that it contains the descriptive or “keywords” that your target market will be using to find businesses like yours in the search engines.  

Consumers have whole heartedly embraced search engines like Google and Yahoo! as effective tools for finding destinations on the web. For example, if a consumer is in need of an accountant he need only type in accountant to receive thousands of choices. Of course he’ll want to narrow down his search according to an accountant that can meet his particular needs.  For example he might search for a small business accountant who understands tax laws for the state of Florida.   

Your goal then becomes finding the best ways to make your website turn up in the top returns for searches with keywords most often used by your target market to find businesses of your type. 

Incorporate these keywords into every page of your website but ensure that your content is still compelling, relevant and engaging for readers.

2.  Make Your Website Easy to Navigate and Understand 

Ensure that your website features a layout that will be familiar to your target market.  Consider including the following:
 

• Home page: An attractive, concisely written home page should immediately convey to visitors the type of business service offered.

• Services page: Make it easy for visitors to understand how to purchase your services by explaining your services in greater detail on a dedicated services page. 

  This is also the page to outline the cost of services offered.  If possible, consider bundling your services into discount packages.  Customers will appreciate that you’ve thought through their needs and will end up spending more if your packages propose to make their life easier while saving them money at the same time.

• E-commerce – Shopping Cart: Ensure that your website makes it easy for customers to purchase your services.  Whenever possible (and depending on your business) allow customers to connect to a shopping cart where they can purchase your services without delay.
• About Us: Since you can’t greet your visitors in person make sure your “About Us” page explains a little about your experience, your vision for helping customers in your target market and anything else that you think might help instil confidence in someone who is considering purchasing your services.

3.  Build Credibility in Your Market 

Finally, build a sustainable and loyal client base by raising your public profile online.   You can do this through:

• Developing back-links to your website from popular, high traffic websites in your niche.
  • Secure these valuable back-links by offering to guest blog/write for these websites.
• Participating as a speaker in webinars or teleseminars.
  • Not only will this drive traffic to your website but prospective clients will get to learn more about your services within an environment that builds further trust and confidence in your abilities. 

Looking for super easy solution to build your web pages? Take the comprehensive website builder at http://www.InternetBasedFamily.com for a 10-day test trial. You can choose from over 1200 templates and your account includes all kinds of interactive features including: message board, shopping cart, mailing list, coupons and more.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

3 Tips for Building a Website to Promote Your Service Business

Here a few easy strategies for incorporating SEO into your website:

Identify your Keywords

Before you do any optimization work on your website you first have to know what keywords are being used by your target market.  For example if you are selling home repair guides, you’ll need to know the profile of your target market and the words that they are using on search engines like Google or Yahoo! to find information about home repair.

You might find that a hot market for home repair guides are single, professional women aged 30-55. You might also learn that women in this age group use words like “easy home repair” to find these guides.

With that information you would include that phrase and related similar keywords in your website content. 

Getting Ranked on Search Engines for Your Keywords

How you use those keywords and phrases on your website is very important. When the search engine sends out its robot crawlers to search your website their goal will be to see what words help to define your website and will index your website accordingly.

Depending on the volume of traffic and types of links leading to your website you will develop a search engine “ranking.” The higher your search engine ranking, the more likely your website will move closer to the number 1 spot on a search engine return for your keywords.  That is of course your goal.

Most Internet users will choose to click on a website that is on the first page of search engine returns for any term searched.

Incoming links: You can create good incoming links to your website by guest blogging on other, well-respected websites in your niche; by obtaining media coverage on well read media sites; and by commenting or participating in online discussions, blogs and forums hosted on other high profile websites and social media platforms (like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter).

Make Your Content Relevant

Be careful not to overload your website with your keywords.  The search engines will consider this spam and you will not receive favourable SEO ranking. Instead think first and foremost about your audience.

Write your content to serve your target market’s needs. Use your keywords in a natural way and make sure your content provides valuable information.  That is the best way to draw traffic and gain positive SEO ranking.

Remember Website Titles and Meta Tags

Each web page on your website should have a title.  When creating those web page titles think about using your keywords – again in a natural and logical way.  Your web page titles help Google to better understand what your website is about.

Meta tags (descriptive tags in your website’s “back-end”  that you can fill in with your keywords) are also important as they help to describe what your page is about

Both your web page title and meta tags may be used by Google in your directory listing. This is VERY important as it helps search engine users to get a better understanding about what your website is offering. 

Equipping readers with this knowledge has the potential of improving the click-through rate to your website from search result pages and that will have a positive impact on your web traffic and potentially your sales.

Looking for super easy solution to build your web pages? Take the comprehensive website builder at http://www.InternetBasedFamily.com for a 10-day test trial. You can choose from over 1200 templates and your account includes all kinds of interactive features including: message board, shopping cart, mailing list, coupons and more.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Easy Search Engine Optimization Strategies

In the late 1990’s a friend of mine was hired by a design firm from a larger city nearby. He was given only the most rudimentary training on Microsoft FrontPage and sent out to the business community to create three page sites for $1000 each. If the client wanted anything remotely original they were passed up the chain and sold packages that ranged from $3000 to $10,000. The upsell would usually involve some sort of sound or motion of course – no real functionality was expected.

In today’s economy most Small Business Owners don’t have massive chunks of cash at the ready for a business tool that does nothing but sit pretty on the internet. They feel a burned by their previous experiences with web service providers. That translates into a lot of outdated or non-existent websites for the small business community.

Fortunately, there are more options available than in previous years. Someone with a brick and mortar business can have an attractive and interactive website that helps them achieve real goals.

Well, they can if someone they trust offers it to them.

I’m encouraging people like me that have internet marketing experience and a love for helping others to consider offering their expertise as a local web consultant. When you focus on local clients, you have a pretty amazing home field advantage.

These business owners want to be online. They’re hearing about the importance of social media know they should be plugged into it somehow. When you approach them as a local consultant, demonstrating comfort with the world of internet marketing and social media, they’re full of questions and often start with issues of price.

They want to know:

What will it cost me to have a website built?
What will my ongoing costs be?
What will I be able to do for myself and what will I need to hire someone else to do?

As a consultant I’m quick to answer money questions – I don’t try to change the subject or sell them on their need first. The last thing they need is a polished sales pitch. What they need most of all is hope. Hope that you can help them accomplish their goals for a price they can afford – and really, you only want to invest more time with those that can, right?

Start by sharing your basic site set up price and explain what that includes. It pays to create the most affordable basic package that you can in order to appeal to snug budgets, but if you know you’re dealing with someone who can afford more, tailor your package offer to their level of need.

Small business owners are mavericks by nature. They’ll ask about their options for ‘doing it themselves’ but in my experience, very few actually want to. They just want to know that they have a choice. Knowing that they could actually do it themselves with some training actually helps them make a smart decision about outsourcing.

Your role as a consultant will become invaluable to them when you answer questions, provide helpful information and offer services or referrals that fulfill the business owners needs. When you’ve won their trust you’ll find that you win their business.

Kelly McCausey shows you step by step how to create, launch and grow a local business consulting business at Become a Blog Consultant: http://www.becomeablogconsultant.com

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Become Someone Small Business Owners Can Trust With Their Website