I remember my days as a MaryKay consultant. Yes, I was a MaryKay consultant. I learned so much from the nationals and
directors. The one thing that stuck with me to this day is, the term follow up. Back then, I was not the best sales
consultant. As I reflect on those days I
now understand what was meant when the directors said, “the key to being successful
in the business was to be consistent in following up.” The reason I disliked following up was, I was
afraid. I would tell myself, “What if she hangs up on you?” OR “What if she
says no”? Granted these things can happen at times. That leads me to another important lesson I
learned in MaryKay that “No” means “NEXT”. Do not get hung up on someone saying
NO! But getting back to my point, following up has been one of the main reasons
I have gotten so far. Was I afraid? Definitely.
Was I nervous? Absolutely, but I did it anyway.
I picked up the phone and said, “Hi, this is Cemone with OOBW, we’re
touching bases with you to make sure you received our email with the details
you requested as well as answers to your questions,”. Sometimes it worked,
other times people just hang up and to be quite honest I am OK with it. When that happens, I say to myself, “She is
not an Out of Box bride” OR “They’re not for me”. What I have come to realize is that, not
everything in business is going to be comfortable and sometimes we have to work
through our fears. Rejection helps to
take you to the next level. For me
following up was a fear because I did not want to be rejected. I wanted my
business to be successful, but, I was afraid to pick up the phone and speak to
a complete stranger. Today, I am not afraid, it is a part of my business. I realize the difference between having a new
client or going out of business. Today
those fears have become triumphs. What’s holding you back in your business?
What do you fear? Today I challenge you all to do more of what you fear until
it’s no longer a factor. 
Your Not Going To Get Far If Your Not Following Up - I Promise..
I remember my days as a MaryKay consultant. Yes, I was a MaryKay consultant. I learned so much from the nationals and
directors. The one thing that stuck with me to this day is, the term follow up. Back then, I was not the best sales
consultant. As I reflect on those days I
now understand what was meant when the directors said, “the key to being successful
in the business was to be consistent in following up.” The reason I disliked following up was, I was
afraid. I would tell myself, “What if she hangs up on you?” OR “What if she
says no”? Granted these things can happen at times. That leads me to another important lesson I
learned in MaryKay that “No” means “NEXT”. Do not get hung up on someone saying
NO! But getting back to my point, following up has been one of the main reasons
I have gotten so far. Was I afraid? Definitely.
Was I nervous? Absolutely, but I did it anyway.
I picked up the phone and said, “Hi, this is Cemone with OOBW, we’re
touching bases with you to make sure you received our email with the details
you requested as well as answers to your questions,”. Sometimes it worked,
other times people just hang up and to be quite honest I am OK with it. When that happens, I say to myself, “She is
not an Out of Box bride” OR “They’re not for me”. What I have come to realize is that, not
everything in business is going to be comfortable and sometimes we have to work
through our fears. Rejection helps to
take you to the next level. For me
following up was a fear because I did not want to be rejected. I wanted my
business to be successful, but, I was afraid to pick up the phone and speak to
a complete stranger. Today, I am not afraid, it is a part of my business. I realize the difference between having a new
client or going out of business. Today
those fears have become triumphs. What’s holding you back in your business?
What do you fear? Today I challenge you all to do more of what you fear until
it’s no longer a factor. What I Learned During My Mini Vacation
The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind!
My days were packed back to back and consisted of limited sleep and
even some times limited food (only because I would forget to eat). I needed a break. When the opportunity
presented itself, I jumped on it and planned to take a few days
to hang out with my main guy, my son. Don't be misunderstood, I see
my son every day, we have our lunches and mini bonding moments during
my busy-ness; however, I wanted to hang out with him
uninterrupted and away from everything.
We packed our bags and took a
little drive to the Boca Beach Club, A Waldorf
Astoria Resort. What a lovely experience of just him
and I! We went to the beach, we ate, and did a little sightseeing.
No format and no agenda. I came back recharged and ready to dive back into
another busy, yet amazing wedding season. Even though I see my son everyday - What I
loved was that I got to hang out with him and really see him...I
can't put a price tag on that. It's worth far more to me than anything else
in the world.
As a single mompreneur, at times, I tend to get
caught up with everything that is happening with the business first and then I
revert to handling the basics when it comes to my mommy-ness: I make
sure he eats, brushes his teeth, goes to swimming and so forth and so on, not
necessarily in that order. Occasionally, we'll go to lunch,
dinner, see a movie. Although I'm physically in the house with him, I'm
not really home. I'm in my office dealing with clients, blog posts,
marketing and all of that other stuff. Sometimes it's difficult to switch from Cemone "Building
an Empire" to Cemone "Making Dinner for Darius".
Nevertheless, I make it happen. I'm grateful for every part of my
mompreneur journey, from having the opportunity to make my
own decisions and the ability to take breaks when I think
it is necessary. I answer to no one, and that's one of the best
parts of it all.
I say all of this to encourage each of my busy single
mompreneurs to take a day or two if you can; turn off the phone, computer, and
all other gadgets and just hang out with your
child/children. They see us working, and sometimes they don't want
to bother us because they know it's important, and it's their way of helping
us. Take my advice, take a break and enjoy the real loves of your
lives. I don't have to tell you this because you know it but it's worth
it!
July Feature: Mompreneur & Owner Of Making Malissa Blog
So excited to bring you this month feature - You're going to love this interview, she's funny and she keeps it real. I love it!! On her blog Making Malissa her aim is to motivate, inspire and support. She's a mom, mompreneur , entrepreneur and overall an inspiration. My favorite part of the interview is the love section and where she finds inspiration. What's your favorite piece? Leave your comments at the bottom. Don't forget to like her on IG and follow her blog. CG
Name of Company: Making Malissa Blog
Years in Business: 7 Months
WHY: Tell
us why you started your business/blog – etc: I started my
blog because I was in the midst of a divorce and felt as if everyone around me,
including family had abandoned me in my greatest time of need. I didn’t want
anyone else to ever feel like I did, I felt so alone. So I began writing to
share with others that they aren’t the only one going through tough times! I
share my candid experiences and offer some lessons learned.
When you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up? I wanted to be a veterinarian! (What girl didn’t want to hold cute, cuddly animals all day!
What was your first business idea? I actually HATED writing before I began blogging. I never in a million
years thought I would start a blog. A couple years ago, my big sister told me
that I should do video blogging because I have a great personality and love to
talk, lol. I also wrote a love letter to a guy back in the day and he told me
that I need to be a writer one day…because my words resonated with him in a way
he had never experienced. I was much too
scared/embarrassed to do video blogs at first. I didn’t want to open myself to
that type of criticism, so I started to write. Since then January, I have
written 25 blog posts and uploaded 12 blog videos to YouTube! The sky is the
limit.
What do you wish you knew before starting your business? The overnight success stories are BS! It is SO HARD to grow subscribers/followers to a blog. So, hard. Social media is a beast of its own when you use it for a business, just ask an It Works salesperson (I’m sure you have received a few of those sales pitches in your DM). I have recently realized, the more you hold back your quirky, dorky, blunt, honest personality…the longer it will take to get the recognition you deserve. Always, always be 100% yourself. For the things that are too controversial for FB or IG, I use Snap Chat for! It’s a great outlet.
What did you learn from your worse boss? I am in the military. I blog as a second full time job. The worst boss I ever had was someone I worked for a couple of years ago. I got hired into a job that was for two ranks higher than me. (I mean, I was the best at my job, I deserved it, I thought.)It was the worst year of my life. He was so hard on me. I was hardly ready to be put in such an important position with my lack of experience in that field. I was told I couldn’t do anything right…and rarely praised for the things I did do right. He micromanaged my work ethic and wanted me to act like someone I wasn’t and treat people as if they were beneath me. With the “tough love” he displayed, I learned to take criticism. I learned to let it in one ear and out the other. I learned the importance of keeping my work-space clean and organized. I stopped crying over being yelled at all the time. I really toughened up and was humbled. I needed that job.
What’s your highest level of education? In the military, one of the perks is FREE SCHOOL! Early in my career, I really took advantage of it. I now have my associates in Criminal Justice. I could pursue a bachelors, but I honestly have no clue what I would want to get my degree in. Definitely NOT criminal justice…I find reading about the law to be extremely boring. I have put off school to do blogging. Many people probably think that it’s not a smart choice, but I don’t really care haha. Blogging is what I absolutely love and I know it will pay off in the future just as much as a degree would, if not more. The possibilities in blogging are endless, that’ what I love about it. AND I HAVE to be my own boss when I get out of the military.
Top 3 books to read this summer? I HATE reading books ahahha. I fall asleep within the first two pages of any book I read. I’m pretty sure my breathing pattern changes and puts me right to sleep.
Let’s Talk
About Business:
What was your strangest marketing experiment? My largest audience is males 18-25. Which is SHOCKING considering I’m a girl blogger. I try to cater almost every single article to women AND men. They are really appreciative of me including them in articles that involve parenting and divorce. Men have feelings too ya know!
How do you maximize social media? I use Facebook and IG the most. My Facebook page recently blew up overnight because I posted a short video of my thoughts about Pokemon a couple days after it came out. Because I was brutally honest and talked about a relevant light topic…thousands of people FLOCKED to my page.
What did you learn from your biggest failure? There is always room for improvement and with every failure comes new strengths. I am appreciative of every lesson learned. It truly makes me a better person.
How important is it for you to do your best? It is my main goal. I did my entire website by myself. I knew nothing about website design before blogging. Every single thing I do for my blog is self-taught. Video editing, photo editing, marketing, you name it! I try to master every single thing that comes my way. I am impatient and need everything to be perfect. I will stop at nothing to get something exactly the way I want it before it’s published. I think those things are the key to success. I am self-run, self-taught and self-motivated through one thing…..passion for what I do.
How do you feel about failures? What does it mean to fail? Failure is necessary in order to be successful long term.
Any money saving tips? You got me there, nada! I am still waiting to see income rather than expenses!
Where do you find inspiration? I find inspiration through my son Caleb. He is what keeps the strong drive I have. I want to blog full time when I get out of the military. In order to do that, I must stay on it, every day with 100% effort in order for that to happen. Caleb deserves the best and I want him to see me working so hard and not ever giving up so he never does either. I tell him that he is capable of anything and he is stronger than he thinks…everyone is!
With the kids and other things happening in your life, where and when do you find the time to work on your craft/business/ study? Any moment I get. I don’t categorize my blog into a business. It’s a way of life. I have mastered including my son into almost every blogging thing I do. That way, I don’t feel guilty about “working” while he is with me. He is my sidekick and helps me with anything I need. We are a team…and in return, he gets his favorite mini Vanilla Bean Frappuccino!
LOVE:
What’s it like dating and being a single mom? The dynamic is TOTALLY different after being married. I guess I don’t put up with a lot of stuff that I would have in past relationships. The priority is no longer the guy, it’s Caleb and me. If their plans don’t 100% match what we have going on, BYE!
Challenges? I have trust issues from my past relationships. I have my guard up ALL THE TIME. I almost don’t trust my own instincts now…so everything is a red flag to me now. I have to protect myself and Caleb so in return it can cause a lot of heartbreak (on the guys part!). I am definitely not as open as I used to be, and it’s not really a bad thing. Guys have to have a lot of patience to earn my trust and prove themselves to me, if they aren’t willing to wait for that, then I don’t have time for them either!
Sometimes you have to make tough decisions whether it’s personal, family, relationships or business. Do you ever feel misunderstood? Give examples or details. All the time. The decision to get a divorce was the number one thing people didn’t understand. I had to make a decision for 3 people. That seems really selfish. But I knew deep down that I was making the right decision because NONE of us were happy. My Ex finally admitted it to me about 6 months after we split. The decision to get a divorce was the ONLY decision I have ever made that went against the grain of majority of my friends and family, yet I was so set and confident in my decision. That’s how it knew it was right.
How important would you say is having a support system? Who’s a part of your circle? I have 7 brothers and sisters. I talk to each one every 1-4 months. Some more than others. That just shows how close I get with people. I don’t really need very much support. I am very self-sufficient and independent. But, like every person…there are times when I just need a shoulder to lean on. In those times of need, all a person needs is ONE friend or loved one. It is so much more important to have a couple friends that genuinely care about you, that you only talk when you really need to…rather than a crap load of friends that you hang out with every day that will ditch you in a heartbeat to pursue their own agendas.
What was your strangest marketing experiment? My largest audience is males 18-25. Which is SHOCKING considering I’m a girl blogger. I try to cater almost every single article to women AND men. They are really appreciative of me including them in articles that involve parenting and divorce. Men have feelings too ya know!
How do you maximize social media? I use Facebook and IG the most. My Facebook page recently blew up overnight because I posted a short video of my thoughts about Pokemon a couple days after it came out. Because I was brutally honest and talked about a relevant light topic…thousands of people FLOCKED to my page.
What did you learn from your biggest failure? There is always room for improvement and with every failure comes new strengths. I am appreciative of every lesson learned. It truly makes me a better person.
How important is it for you to do your best? It is my main goal. I did my entire website by myself. I knew nothing about website design before blogging. Every single thing I do for my blog is self-taught. Video editing, photo editing, marketing, you name it! I try to master every single thing that comes my way. I am impatient and need everything to be perfect. I will stop at nothing to get something exactly the way I want it before it’s published. I think those things are the key to success. I am self-run, self-taught and self-motivated through one thing…..passion for what I do.
How do you feel about failures? What does it mean to fail? Failure is necessary in order to be successful long term.
Any money saving tips? You got me there, nada! I am still waiting to see income rather than expenses!
Where do you find inspiration? I find inspiration through my son Caleb. He is what keeps the strong drive I have. I want to blog full time when I get out of the military. In order to do that, I must stay on it, every day with 100% effort in order for that to happen. Caleb deserves the best and I want him to see me working so hard and not ever giving up so he never does either. I tell him that he is capable of anything and he is stronger than he thinks…everyone is!
With the kids and other things happening in your life, where and when do you find the time to work on your craft/business/ study? Any moment I get. I don’t categorize my blog into a business. It’s a way of life. I have mastered including my son into almost every blogging thing I do. That way, I don’t feel guilty about “working” while he is with me. He is my sidekick and helps me with anything I need. We are a team…and in return, he gets his favorite mini Vanilla Bean Frappuccino!
LOVE:
What’s it like dating and being a single mom? The dynamic is TOTALLY different after being married. I guess I don’t put up with a lot of stuff that I would have in past relationships. The priority is no longer the guy, it’s Caleb and me. If their plans don’t 100% match what we have going on, BYE!
Challenges? I have trust issues from my past relationships. I have my guard up ALL THE TIME. I almost don’t trust my own instincts now…so everything is a red flag to me now. I have to protect myself and Caleb so in return it can cause a lot of heartbreak (on the guys part!). I am definitely not as open as I used to be, and it’s not really a bad thing. Guys have to have a lot of patience to earn my trust and prove themselves to me, if they aren’t willing to wait for that, then I don’t have time for them either!
Sometimes you have to make tough decisions whether it’s personal, family, relationships or business. Do you ever feel misunderstood? Give examples or details. All the time. The decision to get a divorce was the number one thing people didn’t understand. I had to make a decision for 3 people. That seems really selfish. But I knew deep down that I was making the right decision because NONE of us were happy. My Ex finally admitted it to me about 6 months after we split. The decision to get a divorce was the ONLY decision I have ever made that went against the grain of majority of my friends and family, yet I was so set and confident in my decision. That’s how it knew it was right.
How important would you say is having a support system? Who’s a part of your circle? I have 7 brothers and sisters. I talk to each one every 1-4 months. Some more than others. That just shows how close I get with people. I don’t really need very much support. I am very self-sufficient and independent. But, like every person…there are times when I just need a shoulder to lean on. In those times of need, all a person needs is ONE friend or loved one. It is so much more important to have a couple friends that genuinely care about you, that you only talk when you really need to…rather than a crap load of friends that you hang out with every day that will ditch you in a heartbeat to pursue their own agendas.
Have you ever felt judged being a single mother? How? When? Not really. It is so common these days. Also, my blog brings in a lot of positivity and support! My readers are awesome. They tell me all the time how good of a mom I am. Caleb is happy and that’s all that matters.
Tips For Building Partner Relationships - It's All About Relationships
Building relationships can be tough especially when you’re the new
girl on the block, some of my tips for building relationships that shouldn’t
cost you $350 are:
- Meet and greets – It’s important to know who’s in your industry make it a point to connect with them, call them up and say… “I’d like to meet you and learn more about your business”
- Make it a point to follow up after your meeting – Send them a personalized card.
- Make it your business to attend industry events and follow up with all those you meet after.
Again, it’s all about building relationships as the new
guy/girl on the block you have to remember that it’s going to take time and you
have to be persistent. Moreover, be sure to evaluate and think about it before
joining any type of organization that has member fees, sometimes your business
isn’t the right fit, make sure you do your research. Finally, don’t expect the
phone to ring off the hook, your new to this so, keep plugging, keep going and as
a result you’ll see your business grow.
Nothing Great Happens IF Your Hiding Under The Bed!
When I first started my business I remember all I wanted was
for someone to give me a chance, I wanted to be able to prove to the world and myself
that I was capable. I could start a business,
grow it and make it successful. I saw
the glitz and glam of starting a business; the money, independence and growth
potential. I never realized or thought
of the negative aspects such as naysayers and negative people who would try to
hurt my business. When this first happened to me I wanted to
crawl under a bed and hide from everything but I realized that my problem wasn’t
going to go anywhere if I was busy hiding from it. It’s all about perception, when I first had client
issues I took it as an attack. In
reality it wasn’t an attack instead it was a lesson. I’ve come to realize that whenever something
negative happens I have to take a step back, listen and meditate. Crying is not an option, my negative
situations become my opportunity to become creative and learn something new
about myself and business. See, what has
changed for me is my perception, I’m learning that becoming great has a lot of
learning experiences, some are going to be uncomfortable. As humans we don’t like the idea of being
uncomfortable and we don’t like others with negative perceptions of us but that
is exactly what we need occasionally, we need the candle lit under up butts to
get us moving. I encourage each of my
readers to embrace the negative and uncomfortableness, to find ways to overcome
it with our creativity and to never throw in the towel just because it’s
difficult. It's difficulty probably means it's worth it!
Nothing Will Happen Unless YOU Make it!
I learned a lot of lessons when I first begun my business,
one of the most important lessons was that nothing was going to happen unless I
got up and made it happen. Sitting at
home staring at the computer waiting for an email to come in or the phone to
ring was not the way to gain business but making an effort to network and meet
with others would be a way to begin. I
see many mompreneurs and entrepreneurs expecting everything to happen just by
them sitting in front of the computer all day.
Don’t get me wrong there is business and money to be made online but I’ve
found that the best ideas, clients and opportunities came for me when I was out
and about networking and making an effort to meet and learn more about people
and my environment. Some days It’s important to lock
yourself away and plug into whatever you’re doing on the computer. Those are
focus moments; however, you’ve got to get out!
It’s important to make an effort to break out for the day and touch the
world. Let everyone know that you’re
here, let them see that you’re not a drone behind the computer; instead you’re
real and ready to do business. Try it
and let me know how it works for you. CGJune Feature Mompreneur: The Village Maternity Services
It was such a pleasure when Nicole agreed to be apart of this project - she is the first. I want to send a special thank you to the, " Village Maternity Services" you're awesome. Read about Nicoles journey of starting the village - Be inspired, stay focused, and fabulous.
The Village Maternity Services
Mompreneur: Nicole Vasicanna (Owner/Operator/Founder)
Years In Business: 2.5
⦁ When you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up?
I kind of have a smart mouth. Loved to argue and play devil’s advocate so I thought being a prosecutor would be the perfect profession. But while in high school, I observed that quite a few of my friend’s parents were in business for themselves, and I knew then that I wanted that lifestyle.
⦁ What was your first business idea?
I use to sew quite a bit in high school. I started making and selling pillows. Then we had a culture week at school and I created a skirt out of bandannas. A few people liked my concept and requested I design some items for them using their country’s flag.
⦁ What do you wish you knew before starting your business?
Nothing actually. I dibble and dabbled in a few other entrepreneurial adventures so I knew that there would be no clear, straight, and direct path. Yes, I do believe success leaves clues, but no one’s journey is exactly the same and I believe you have to start before you’re ready; and that’s what I did. I also know that every overnight success is really a journey of 10 years.
⦁ What did you learn from your worse boss?
Honestly, I haven’t had any bad bosses. But through observation I’ve realized that every boss is NOT a leader; but it can be a skilled that’s learned. However, I inherently believe that some people are born with a natural affinity towards leading and bringing out the best in others.
⦁ What’s your highest level of education?
I hold a Bachelor’s degree in psychology.
Where do you find inspiration?
Books. Audiobooks. Meditation. My village and circle of friends. Also meeting new people. I’ve become incredibly open to learning about different cultures, opinions, and ways of life.
⦁ As a (single mompreneur ) how do you balance?
There’s no such thing as balance in respect to most people’s understanding of it. I don’t think you can practically have balance on a daily basis. But over the course of a month, 2 months, 3 months period I work to create a structure that resembles balance. For me, this means making a conscious effort to schedule time with loved ones. Carving out alone time for me. And no longer being afraid to say NO to projects that are not in alignment with my goals.
⦁ How is it being a (single mompreneur) running a business?
I won’t say it’s difficult, but it’s not for the faint at heart. I’m okay with being without. By no means do I expect to be a permanent situation. But I do believe that when you sign up for this lifestyle you inherently are signing up for making many sacrifices. I do my best to shield my son from that. I will go without before he does. But I also don’t want to sugarcoat it either. I don’t think I would be doing him any justice if he though money grew on trees. He’s going to grow up to be someone’s husband and father. And if he’s going to do it well, that’s no easy task. These are lessons I don’t want to shy away from teaching him. I try to be strategic about what I expose him to. But I believe he understands that I work so hard in order to make his life better than mine.
⦁ What advice would you give other (single mompreneurs / mompreneurs)?
Just go for it and start. I think we get so caught up in the big idea. The final destination. While those ideas are amazing, they’re also grandiose and overwhelming. Start focusing on, “What can I do right now” What steps can I take now” and begin to take those baby steps. Moving forward is still moving. You just have to take the first step and start.
⦁ Sometimes you have to make tough decisions whether it’s personal, family, relationships or business. Do you ever feel misunderstood? Give examples or details.
Oh definitely. I think the hardest thing for me right now is juggling my financial resources and it may come across as me not wanting to spend time/ or hang out. But there are so many things I want to do, places I want to go, things I want to experience. I think those around me sometimes don’t realize I can’t say yes to every invitation because every penny adds up.
⦁ How important would you say is having a support system? Who’s a part of your circle?
HA! I wouldn’t be Nicole without my support systems. This is why my company is called The Village Maternity Services; because I believe in the power of the collected. My support system helps me with my son. My extended family plays a huge role in this, and I couldn’t do half the things I wanted to without them. I look to friends and family around me to keep me grounded & focused. To check me when I’m not living up to full potential and to help identify weakness and blind spots. I know who I am and what I want so, our opinions may clash, and I may not always take their advice. But I think the moment you believe you’ve got it all figured out you just lost your way. I’ve learned to ask for help and that I’m incapable of doing it all by myself.
A very difficult lesson I learned in nursing school while on the brink of almost failing pediatrics. I was working part time, full time nursing student, and my scholarship program required clinical/work hours as well. It took one of my lead professors sitting me down and saying, you need to ask for help. Who can help you? She flat out told me that if I continued to try and do this alone, that I would fail. This was a very difficult lesson for me as I HATE inconveniencing people. But she made me realize that those that care about you usually want to help, I just needed to ask.
Finally Where Can Our Readers Find You:
⦁ Email: info@villagematernityservices.com
I'm Walking Over " Negative Nancy"
This is probably one of the most difficult things that I’ve experienced in my business, Overcoming my own negative voice. As I grow in my business I am learning the art of speaking positively about myself and abilities. It starts with eliminating words such as; I wish, maybe, we shall see, I’ll try, and the big one If I’m lucky. Where did these thoughts of disbelief come from? How is it that I’m my own worse critic? I’m sure it started somewhere in my childhood and years and years of reinforcement helped and confirmed the negative attitude and thoughts of myself. Starting OOBW was a huge leap for me, deep down I knew I could do it and I wanted to do it, I was just afraid to. What was I afraid of? To this day I can’t tell you exactly – only that I felt an anxiety whenever I thought about starting my own business. I did it anyway – despite the fear. I took deep breaths made my list of things to do and crossed each task off one by one as I accomplished them. Yes, the little negative voice would always appear and have a tip or two to give, nevertheless; I ignored her and kept on moving. As I had little successes here and there the voice had no choice but to become silent. I was proving her wrong by doing it anyway. From time to time to this day the voice appears and it’s usually when I’m trying something new. Anyone out there who has experienced this will tell you to keep going and do it despite that little annoying “Negative Nancy”. It’s true the saying “Life is on the other side of fear” Learning to move past my fear of starting my business has been life changing – What if I did listen to that voice; I don’t want to even imagine where I’d be today! What are some of the words you use to hold yourself back?
Top Two Services I Used When Starting My Business
As a single mompreneur it’s all about keeping more in my purse. You’ll hear me mention how I learned a lot about how to manage my business through the school of hard knocks. I made tons of mistakes. It’s laughable now but wasn’t when I was losing money left and right. In the beginning you’ll get tons of emails, phone calls and junk mail trying to sell you something. Take a step back and really think about it – Don’t jump at everything that comes at you and offers a free 30 day trial. This week I’m sharing my top two services that I used that helped me in the beginning and to this day are in use.
Mail Chimp – If you don’t know what this is you are missing out. Mail Chimp can be used for many things; I personally use it for sending out email reminders to my potential clients and current clients. I use the schedule tool constantly. I’d create my content on the weekends and schedule it to go out throughout the week. Good news is I didn’t have to be in front of my computer to make it happen. It’s a onetime set up each week. Once I had my systems in place it was easy for me to teach an intern how to use it; now it’s the interns’ job to schedule some of our content. The best part is Mail Chimp is free if you have less than 2K emails on your list. I’m sorry but you can’t beat that with a stick!
Google Drive - The lover of my soul, I’m so in Love with DRIVE. I have friends who swear by Drop Box and I guess it’s good, however; DRIVE is awesome! First; it’s FREE, It syncs with my phone, computer, IPAD and I always have my documents at the tip of my fingers; most importantly, it’s shareable. This platform was so important in the beginning stages of starting my business and to this day it has grown with my business. I could go on and on about DRIVE but I’d rather you try it and tell me all about it.
Did you find this helpful? Tell me, I’ll be sharing more goodies very soon!
Five Habits I Adopted In The Beginning Of My Business:
Consistency is key I had to work at it (my business) in a consistent manner. I knew that if I was to be successful I couldn’t start something today and never look at it again until the following month. I was on a mission to figure out and understand my formula.
I became my number one fan; unfortunately not everyone I met was in support of what I was doing. I held my vision in front of me at all times. If no one told me I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I was awesome.
I exercised the law of delayed gratification; I wanted to go shopping many times; however, I made up my mind that any earnings I received would be reinvested back into my business. I saved and reinvested. I do think that it’s a work in progress especially if you haven’t been taught the laws of money; FYI I’m still learning.
It was easy to sit around and do nothing all day. I wanted and needed energy; energy is everything. I made sure to meet and communicate with those who were excited and ready to hustle. We encouraged and supported each other, to this very day.
Read, Read, Read! I never liked reading , at the same time I never liked the idea of being broke. It was important from me to read all the greats, I pulled bits and pieces from each of them and I applied it to my life and business. I’m also a fan of re –reading books. To this day I read every morning, it’s a great habit to develop.
It’s Not Impossible But We Must Keep At It!
Investing back into your business is the best advice I can ever give. When I began my entrepreneur journey as a Mary Kay consultant it was advised to me that I reinvest into my business, of everything I earned I was to pump a portion of it back into my business. I was to pay myself, save and reinvest. This is easier said than done; it requires discipline and practice every day. It’s not impossible but we must keep at it! I’m reading “The Richest Man in Babylon.” This book puts it all in perspective, wanting to grow your business is one thing but we must practice better money habits. Unfortunately, these are details that should be taught in grade school but it isn’t. We’d be miles ahead had we only known. Nevertheless, as we advance ourselves in our businesses, there is no excuse. If we follow the principles of paying ourselves first, save and reinvest. According to the “The Richest Man in Babylon” we’ll begin to see growth in our purses. I’m personally committed to learning how to better control my life and finances – Are you game?
Cemones' Interview: My Entrepreneur & Wedding Planning Experience
Happy Friday! Being an entrepreneur has it's share of us and downs. Everything is not always what it's cracked up to be. We make mistakes as business owners and sometimes it's difficult getting over that little hump. Reflecting on my early experiences as a entrepreneur my first interview comes to mind. Take a listen, although you may not be in the weddings and events industry there is something that can be learned.
What Are You Doing To Maintain Your WHY?
Make It Better Than Ever
Passion First - The Rest Will Follow
I learned this some time ago that if you focus on your craft
and do something from your heart the money will follow. I sometimes wished that they would also add
to that – Saying, you’ve also got to have patience because nothing happens
right away! As entrepreneurs first starting out we get so caught up; we’re
trying to survive and make money.
Sometimes we forget that we have to put our passion and service
first. I can tell you first hand that
starting a business cold turkey is no joke!
It takes a lot to wake up each morning and continue to push forward
despite the bank account balance.
Regardless of this we push forward; we focus on our services and become better
at what we do. I can honestly say that
doing this has kept me focused and committed to my goals and passion. Money comes and goes the key is to understand
that there will be great and not so great months; that we learn in the valleys
so that we can sparkle on the mountain top of success. I truly do believe that if we focus on the
service that we will run a faster and more successful race.
Courage & Faith
Mentally drained and overwhelmed, making the best of the situations and fires. Some of the blame is ours; some of it has nothing to do with us but has potential to affect us in a major way! How do you pick yourself up from the drain of the week and keep it moving? Do you take a break and reconvene on Monday morning? Do you throw in the towel and turn off your phone? OR Do you continue to work, despite the feeling of wanting to run and cry. Courage and faith, we must rely on our courage that is deep within us and our faith in God. There has to be a brighter day, did he bring us this far to abandon us and feed us to the wolves? Are we that far gone? What is courage? What is faith? How do we know we have it - I’ve come to the conclusion that we know that we have it by the mental, physical and emotional tests we pass and fail. Our courage is tested and our faith is tried. God really wants to know if we believe all the things that we say we believe. Do you believe that you can run a successful business? Are you in it for the long run, no matter what? Can you take the criticism and negativity, will you still be here? Do you have the courage to forgive yourself in your mistakes and really/truly move on? As a mompreneur and entrepreneurs with a few years in business, I find these questions ever present. I look to my courage and pray for my continued faith in God and I continue to work, even though it is sometimes difficult to see the end of the rainbow. Even though things may seem crazy at times; I do know that I must be ready and I must continue to move forward and that quitting is not an option.
Learning From My Mistakes
I've beating myself up many times when it comes to making a
mistake. I would take it hard and get so
emotional about the mistake made. I've
even pondered and ponder on it to the point where I would need to take the
entire day off. As I go through my entrepreneur journey I am learning that
mistakes are to be learned from. I'm
learning that once I've made a mistake and I realize it, my next step is to
figure out how to make it better so that it won't happen again; moreover, I'm
learning that I cannot take it personally and beat myself up to much about
it. Sometimes we say to ourselves,
"I've worked so hard" or
"I really did try" that maybe true nevertheless we must not view our
efforts as a lost cause instead we have to learn to channel our energy in the
right direction so that our efforts do not feel lost or not appreciated. It's all a learning process, this week I want
to encourage you to learn from your mistakes and not to beat yourself up to
much about it! CG
I LOVE POSSIBILITIES
Pushing For Excellence
While reading the book, “The Magic of Thinking Big”, by David J. Schwartz; he mentions several times the importance of being better than you were the day before. Excellence is the specific word used in the text, it’s so easy to be petty and selfish because we live in a world where it’s tolerated and excused in one sense or another. To be excellent, to acknowledge your wrongs and to learn from them if we could each apply this concept, what a wonderful world it would be. What I’ve learned is that being excellent is a daily process and we never quite get it but we must try. So many times I have the urge to blow my top and act like a coconut. LOL! I don’t in most cases; I really want to give people a positive experience when they come in contact with me. It doesn’t matter if it’s a client, friend, family or a random person on the street. I’m determined to present myself with an attitude of excellence. What do you think? If we’d all give it a go – what type of impact do you think we’d have on all those we encounter? Think about it!
Happy Friday!
TGIF!! it’s so amazing how much 1 week can change everything. I encourage each of you to stay plugged and positive. Sometimes life in general can weigh in heavy on your spirit, sometimes it’s difficult to see the upside but if you stay plugged and connected to a powerful, positive and uplifting source you’ll get through it – I promise. My powerful source is my team and my faith. My team keeps me grounded and encourage. I sometimes believe that they believe in me more than I do. My faith is my strength - I’ve learned so much about myself and I attribute that all to my faith in God. I can’t imagine a better being to put my trust in – I trust him… Thank you Father - It’s Friday and I’m celebrating this week’s WINS and happy moments. Will you celebrate with me?? Happy Friday!!
Finding My Happy Spot
Let’s face it -Shit happens. We can spin our wheels trying to figure out why it happened or we can choose to move on. Everything in life has challenges and I’ve come to believe that anything worth having in life is not always going to be easy. Reflecting on my life experiences I am thankful for the love and support of my family and friends. They are my gems that I keep close to me – my precious gems. It’s because of them that I was able to keep going when at times I wanted to stop – some of them wouldn’t let me stop. It’s laughable now but I’ll never forget those moments talking with my friend in Korea or having drinks at the spare of the moment with my girls just because. I’ll never forget the kind words of my mother and the hugs of my son when he could see that I was having a moment. Those moments make it all worth it and keep me going. In this life we have to find our happy spot and stay there for as long as possible, more over we have to cherish those who aid in our happiness and balance. My happy spot is with my family and friends.
Build Castles Not Graves
Action cures fear!
I'm currently reading the book, " The Magic of Thinking Big" I'm actually re -reading this book. Something that stood out to me this week was the line "Action cures fear". I pondered on this line most of the week - sometimes we're so afraid to try something new. Sometimes we're afraid of what people are going to say - that maybe they won't take us seriously. What I've come to realize is that the cure to fear is initiative, desire and determination. The answer to our problem is getting off our bums and putting in the work to make shit happen. It's realizing that it's going to be unfamiliar and confusing but if we can get over that hump it'll be worth it.
My Lesson From The Alchemist
One of my favorite books of all time is the Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Once I read this book I was changed forever. I was inspired and re -inspired by every single page. I think it's safe to say I've read this book at least 4-5 times and counting. We get so hung up on people, things and places. The most valuable lesson I took from this book was to let go. Just let go; we all know what we have to do, we all have the tools right in front of us. Just let go! Let go of all the negative energy, the fears, I can't and I'm not sure and I'm afraid. Let it go! In the Alchemist we see a young boy who leaves all that he knows and is comfortable with in search of his treasure. What he finds on his journey is far more exciting and amazing. The lessons and the people he encounters all lead him to the ultimate treasure, finding his soul mate and the cherry on top of the cake - his treasure. Had he been comfortable tending sheep - What a boring book it would be. Needless to say what I took from this book is this, you'll never know - you'll never know until you let it go. I wish life came with a manual, unfortunately it doesn't we have to try and fail and try again. We have to trust and lose in order to win. We have to walk in love and faith in order to experience all the promises life has for us. My greatest lesson learned from the Alchemist is to Let go!
New Year, New Goals
Happy New Year!!!
It's December 2015 and as we welcome 2016 and close out 2015 I sit here thinking of this year. It has had its share of ups and downs. I think of how I overcame and soared. I think of how amazing and precious life is. I'm grateful. This year I've learned to be truly grateful for all that has been given and provided for me. There is truly a higher power in control of everything and that brings me comfort. I've seen people who are close to me fall and get up again. I've also, seen those who have lost hope in everything. I'm here to say anything is possible if you believe. Change is possible is you believe it is. It sounds cliche but it's the truth. The secret to life, love, health and wealth is you. It starts with you. Happy New Year! CG
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