Setting Yourself Up For Success

As entrepreneurs we all have some setbacks. The thing here to remember is that you can always overcome set backs and get back on the road to success. I just finished broadcasting The Ms. Boss Show and I gave 7 steps on how to set yourself up for success. So just to recap those 7 steps.

1. Have a clear vision for what you want and what you want to stand for.
2. Have a solid revenue generating action plan. Notice I said revenue generating action plan. I've had action plans before, but I they were not generating the revenue that I felt should be coming in. So that is why it is important to have a revenue generating action plan.
3. Know your business and know your industry. In order you be successful in your business you have to know who the players are. Knowing your business will allow you to handle any questions that maybe asked. The worst thing in the world is to be asked about something and you can answer. So make sure that you know your business and your industry.
4. Know your audience. In order to know who to sell to, you have to know who they are and where they are.
5. Find you a coach or a mentor. Having someone to be accountable to is extremely helpful. It keeps you on track when you know that you have to go back and report to someone. You want to look like you have been doing what you were supposed to be doing, so this is where a mentor or coach becomes a great partner to have.
6. Surround yourself with positive people. These might be people at a local networking event. People at your local chamber or very specific industry groups. You want to be around people who are going places. The energy in the room is usually amazing.
7. Learn how to self motivate. Whenever I am feeling down I will find me a motivating story to watch on TV or on the Internet. If I am in my car and feeling a little down in the dump I have plenty of motivational CDs to listen to. This way I am almost always in a positive state of mind.

I hope that this helps.

Until Next Time

Make It A Great Day!

Audrey

The Ms. Boss Show Today's Guest Jessica Miller-Merrell Author Of Tweet This

The Ms. Boss Show Today's Guest Jessica Miller-Merrell Author Of Tweet This

If you missed The Ms. Boss Show this morning you missed a treat.  Author Jessica Miller-Merrell shared tips with us on tweeting for business.  She shared some great techniques about how to manage your tweets and what tools you could use.  She also shared how many times you should tweet and whether or not you should retweet.  One of the most common questions that people have about Twitter is how to get people to follow you, and Jessica shared some insight on how to build your Twitter following.  So if you missed the show don't worry it is on demand at http://www.TheMsBossShow.com.  Go check it out and hear what Jessica had to say about Tweeting for Business.

Until Next Time

Make It A Great Day!
Audrey

Dr. Martin Luther King

Once again it's that time of year to honor Dr. Martin Luther King. I had the pleasure of attending a summit at Metropolitan Church in Newark, NJ in celebration of Dr. King which was focused on youth leadership. It was just amazing to here some of the young people speak and how well put together they were. It made me very proud, because I could just tell by the way they spoke and the topics that they spoke on, I was looking at the future leaders of tomorrow. The passion that they already have in continuing to carry out the legacy that Dr. King started. For this reason I will do what I have to do to help them become our leaders of tomorrow. Sharing my knowledge, wisdom and passion with them. Helping them to unfold the gifts that they were given and show them how to live a life beyond anything that they could ever imagine all while giving back and helping others.

We are all very busy, and as I was told yesterday busy people have to learn time management skills, but I would hope that you join me in encouraging and empowering our youth so that they can see their dreams come to life and so that they can continue to leave legacies for years to come just like Dr. Martin Luther King.

Until Next Time

Make It A Great Day!

Audrey

Add Multiple Streams Of Income From The Content You Produce

There are so many ways to create multiple streams of income online without much hassle. I am going to share a few ways I do it and then I am going to share a new way that I just found out about. Over at The Ms. Boss Report.com which is another one of my blogs I signed up for Google Adsense, so every time someone clicks on one of the ads on my page I earn money. I go back and check my account once a month to see how much I have in there. If I was driving more traffic to the site I could probably earn a substantial amount of revenue from this. Another thing that I am using is my online radio show The Ms. Boss Show. When I started to broadcast over at Blog Talk Radio I enrolled in their revenue sharing pool and just like my blog when someone click on an ad on my show page I make money. 

If you are an author you may want to check out Create Space.com Here you can upload your books and they will be on demand and also entered into other distribution channels depending on the marketing program that you choose. Now over here I make good money because it's based on the price of my DVD which sells for $27.00 and is apart of the Create Space market place and Amazon.com

I just found out about something that Yahoo is doing called the Yahoo Contributor Network. If you are a content provider Yahoo is paying you for your content. They have several different payment models depending on whether the content that you provide will be exclusive or non-exclusive to Yahoo. So if you are already writing and publishing anyway, why not earn some extra cash by syndicating your content and getting paid for it.

I hope this help to move you closer to your financial and business goals for 2011.

Until Next Time

Make It A Great Day!

Audrey

The Beauty Of Funding Start-Ups

I recently read an article that Dermalogica Skin Care Company is launching a micro-loan program to help women in the U.S. and overseas start businesses. The fund is worth $500,000. The company has also reached out to its network to get other beauty industry business owners to take part in this campaign. Can you imagine if other uber-successful business owners adopted this model of giving back how many entrepreneurs would be able to get their venture off the ground. Capital to get started is just one major needed component. The other component is business start-up basics which is up to the entrepreneur to acquire. Having the money to start without the necessary knowledge is a plan for failure right out of the gate. So before you even you think about going for the money, take a visit to your local SBA or SBDC to help you learn the basics. For information on micro-loans visit www.Kiva.org.

Until Next Time

Make It A Great Day!

Audrey

50 Cent On The Cover Of Black Enterprise

I just finished reading an article in the January issue of Black Enterprise magazine about 50 Cent. The article talks about the deals that 50 made by forming different partnerships. I think one of the biggest deals he is recognized for is his deal with Vitamin Water where he made $100 million dollars. As small businesses we can take a page out of this mans book. Most entrepreneurs have so many ideas and we try to do them all at once, but what I gathered from the article is that you can do them all, but you need a system, they need to make sense, they need to compliment your brand and you need someone who knows how to help you go about finding the right partners to form these joint ventures with. In 50 Cent case he had Chris Lighty who is the founder of Violator Records. The other thing I gathered from this article is that if you are looking to form joint ventures and create partnerships, you have to ask yourself what value are you bringing to the table for your partner. 50 already had success in the music industry, so he was bringing that to the table. If the venture creates value for both parties involved, then it's a win win for all. Last but not least all of these ventures have allowed 50 to create multiple streams of income. If you get a chance check out the article. It was a very good one.

Until Next Time

Make It A Great Day!

Audrey

Who Are You?

 Over the past few years I've felt that I wasn't really sure about who I was or what my purpose in this life  is.  I knew that I wanted to become more spiritual so that I could figure out if I was going down the right path.  So back in October I was a panelist at The National Publicity Summit when I met Howard Wimer who is the author Inner Guidance And The Four Spiritual Gifts.  He was pitching me to be on The Ms. Boss Show.  The topic that he  pitched wasn't one that would fit the show, but before he walked away he handed me his book and I said to the time keeper, he should have pitched me on this.  Well after I got a chance to sit down and go through all of the books that I had received I decided that I wanted Howard to be a guest on the show.  I was so amazed about what I learned from him on the show that I decided to do an Inner Expansion Party at my home.  Well I was so amazed at what I learned from the Inner Expansion Party that I decided to take Howard's workshop, which I just completed about an hour ago and I have to say that I am blown away because I discovered who I am.  There is no doubt in my mind about who I am and what I am supposed to be doing and also how to do it.  Because Howard has been so helpful to me I will be co-hosting a show with him once a month so that my readers and listeners will get a chance to experience what I have experienced.  There is nothing more gratifying than to know who you are, what you are supposed to be doing with your life, how you are supposed to be doing it, why you are supposed to be doing it.  So if you get a chance check out the book which is below and also stay tuned for the date of the show.

Until Next Time 

Make It A Great Day!

Audrey

The Ms. Boss Show Tuesday Recap: Beware Of Business Monsters In 2011

Great show this morning.  Just wanted to give you a recap.  The topic was What Do You Want In 2011.  Just a few tips to help you get whatever that is.

1. What Do You Want?  In order to achieve this goal you must first be clear about what you want.  Clarity is so important here.  Take some time to figure this out.
2. Why do you want it?  You have to have a big enough why to accomplish this goal.  If your why is small and shallow this is not a goal worth setting.
3. When do you want it?  Set a time frame for accomplishing what you want.  2011 has 12 months in it.  Choose a month to hit the mark.
4. What are you going to give up for this goal?  You have to give up something.  It maybe time, your favorite TV show, your weekly hair appointments or money, but you have to be willing to give up something.  If you aren't willing then your why is probably small and shallow.
5. Who will help you?  What you need to understand about finding help is that you have to ask for it first.  If you don't ask for help then don't expect to get any help.  This is tough for most people, but in order to grow in anything you can't do it alone.  You will need help.
6. What will you do when you hit your goal?  Is that it for you or will you set a new goal.  Once you hit the first goal you will have momentum, so this is the perfect time to set your next goal.

Beware in 2011

There are three things you need to beware of this year.  They will hinder your growth and this year is about growing.  So let me share them with you.

1. The Email Monster-  He will try to come in a possess you everyday.  You have to be strong and fight him off.  What I do when he shows up is peep in his window and see which emails are important.  Check them and then I hide from him the rest of the day until I have time to peep in his window again.  Don't let him possess you.
2. The Time Thief- He will always try to trick by telling you that you have more time than you actually have.  Before you know it you are hanging out with him doing something totally unproductive and the whole day is gone and he is already planning how he will hold you up tomorrow.
3. The Procrastinator Perp- Now he is very slick.  He will make seem like what you are doing is important but in reality it isn't.  See is in co-hoots with The Time Thief and if you are not careful you will get caught up wasting time with these two and nothing will be achieved.

So that is my recap.  To listen to the show which is always archived go to http://www.TheMsBossShow.com.

Until Next Time

Make It A Great Day!

Audrey

Saving For A Rainy Day in 2011

Well we have lived to see a new year so let's make this year the best year of our lives.  The way to do this is to make sure that you are preparing and planning for the best.  Lets start with how you will increase you income and save more this year.  We have all heard it before, we should have a savings set up for rainy days, so we know how important it is.  Some of us went through many storms last year and the savings we should have had was not there.  Some of us had too much month at the end of the check, so it was almost if not impossible to save anything.  So how do we make sure that this doesn't happen again this year.  Set a realistic amount that you want to save.   Get you a side hustle just to fund your savings.  Here is a list of side hustles that don't take much time at all.

1. Sell once a month at a flea market
2. Sell something on Ebay
3. Set up a Friday child care service or whatever day you have free
4. Sell your favorite cakes to the nearby diner
5. Set up a Wednesday Woman Service for Seniors to take them for a day of beauty
6. Go to a local bar that has a kitchen and offer to sell fish sandwiches on their busiest day.
7. Sell your your art work
8. Sell your special services that you offer.

Just make a plan to sell something.  Anything to make sure that you are putting something into your savings accounts to help you avoid those storms that you went through last year.  If you don't have anything to sell let me know and you can help me sell some of my stuff and make a commission.  I have a lot to sell and can use of the help I can get in doing so.

I hope this helps.

Until Next Time
Make It A Great Day!
Audrey