Change your thinking, solve a problem!

I've been guilty of trying to solve a problem using the same kind of thinking that created it. I'm guessing we all have tried to do that.  Let me share an example although it may be one I used before.

I have a one year old computer and an external mouse.  I was having trouble scrolling down the screen and noticed that the cursor jumped around unexpectedly. I blamed the laptop and kept trying to figure out what the problem was.  Then I looked at the situation a new way.  What if it was the mouse that was causing the problem?  It was wireless and I'm guessing a few years old. Could that be the problem.

Now I hate to spend money on things when what I have does the job but this wasn't going to be a big expense so it was worth the try.  Two days later my beautiful new purple mouse showed up and everything was as quick and smooth as could be!!  Yippee...such a simple solution and all I had to do was think of things another way.

Bonus - the USB part of it was now so tiny it could live in the laptop as I travled from coffee shop to coffee shop on my quest for company as a solopreneur working from home.  Join me sometimes?

Have a wonderful day and remember to keep shining!
Marianne

What part of your business is not working well?

I belong to three Facebook groups for entrepreneurial women from all over the world.  I'm overwhelmed at times by what they've taken on.  But I'm mostly inspired by their fierce dedication and drive.

The best part of the journey is that they feel many of the same emotions I feel - the lack of direction at times, the challenge of handling big open blocks of time, the solitude in doing this on my own. That's why I started this blog, why I reach out to other like minded women and why I'm planning in early May to start a local Meet Up so we can support and learn from each other.

A young woman on one of the posts today talked about having an idea for a web TV series a month ago and already getting contacted by American Idol and other shows.  I'm not sure of the details but she is the classic case of having and believing in a vision and making it happen. She writes, "This was just an idea four weeks ago and now it's full blown and filling up the lineup with more inspiring entrepreneurs and artists that have a story that will spark the greatness within us!"  Yes!

She closes with a message that I think is important for all of us.  "Make sure your business energizes you and not drains you.  If it's felt more like the latter lately, it's time for a shift.  Declutter the things you dread about your business and find a way to start doing more of what you love."

This week is all about that for me.  Focusing on what I love most about my business and deleting those things that are not working as well.  For me, I love to work with other entrpreneurial women. That I know for sure!

Til next time, keep shining!
Marianne

Let's go positive!

What’s the point in being positive with the world we live in?  That’s something I hear often.  My usual response to that is to ask what their view of the world is.  I then hear a litany of stories that can be found any given day in the news – terrorists, plane crashes, murders and so on.  The fact that all the news shows have to fill up huge blocks of time every day means that they have to seek out as much mayhem as possible.  Add that to the fact that we humans are wired to be curious especially about the odd and the awful leads many to believe we live in a predominantly negative world.

I don’t watch the news.  I don’t have much negativity in my Facebook feed.  I look for and pay attention to the miraculous (spring buds coming out from under piles of snow) and the things that bring a smile to my face.  I revel in the new inventions, the feel of my sheets when I slip into bed, the friends that make me think and make me feel loved. 

Just that simple shift from focusing on negativity in the news to noticing things that make me happy changes my world view dramatically.  Does that mean terrible things aren’t happening somewhere?  Absolutely not.  But there are so many more wondrous things.  I figure I’ll hear about the important ‘news’ stories eventually and then I can choose to find out more if I care to.  But other than that, I don’t even want to randomly let them drift into my sphere. 

As a soloentrepreneur woman working primarily at home it’s up to me to create the best mindset.  I work better when I’m in a good frame of mind rather than mired down with the woes and worries.  I begin my day with a positive ritual and off I go!

As we head into a holiday weekend for many religions, I think it’s a good time to make a decision to pay attention to what’s good around us – in our family members (yes, I know they can be challenging but they probably think the same thing about us), in our fellow citizens and yes, in our world.

Until next time, keep shining!

Today's post comes from a wonderful Facebook group I'm connected to.  Here it is as I received it.  It was just what I needed!  

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How I made $3k in the first week of my Business!

Alright, what came to your mind when you read the above statement? A spammer? Another one of them to lure me into buying her “Build your six-figure business in a short time” program, Right? You got all the rights to think so because that's what I do when I hear about ‪#‎instasuccess‬formulas.

Look, before I keep going here, I need to open up and share a bitter but stark reality with you. Yes -- if you look at me now, you’d consider me a success. And I do feel blessed with all I have.

But let me tell you something before I talk about steps I took to make $3k in one damn week of my first month in business.

I felt Broken. Empty. Alone. Tired.

Before finding out about this Online Business Wonderland, I worked for peanuts (140 Blog posts for $80), got dumped, worked 18 hours/day with no light, scorching heat and lots of hatred and taunts; A perfect pudding for quitting. But guess what!

I DID NOT QUIT. PERIOD.

Point being, it’s okay if you're at a breaking point. In fact, if you are on the verge of giving up, rise from the ashes like a Phoenix. You’re gonna get there! I know. Because I have and I’m no different than you.

So my success is the result of 3 things:

1. Know your value and translate it into the right kind of words. “I am a copywriter. I write Clear, Concise & Compelling copy with a bit of wit and whole lotta personality for entrepreneurs who wanna up their game.” These two sentences brought me $3k in ONE week. Conclusion? Write concisely and clearly.

2. Reach out. I swear!!! No amount of FB ads can bring you as much work as networking can. Tell people what you do; don’t miss a chance to let the world know how awesome you are. Be happy about it, they’ll love you AND your service/product.

3. Keep learning. You can’t say you’ve learned enough. No. You can never learn enough. Read blogs, group posts, Google stuff, make your notes. Research. Research. Research.

YOU DON'T NEED TO BE PERFECT AT WHAT YOU DO. BE GOOD ENOUGH. PERFECTION COMES WITH PRACTICE.

Maria Rana

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I asked Maria how to credit her as I shared this article with you.  She gave me a link to a blog post someone had written about her. If you have an extra minute, you'll be truly amazed at her story.  http://electric-empire.com/letter-pakistan/

A complaint free workplace

It’s finally spring after a long tough winter.  It rained here in Rhode Island yesterday which was a nice change and welcome because it’s helping to eliminate those last snow piles.  Are you happy about the fact that the weather is improving or are you still complaining that it’s not as warm as you’d like it to be?

I’m fascinated by what we humans do and why we do it so I tend to observe our behavior a lot.  I’ve been listening to people complain the past few weeks about the fact that the weather has not been spring-like despite the date on the calendar.  It’s as if we humans are entitled to have the weather we want even though for the most part we’ve chosen to live where we do.

It seems to highlight two pervasive behaviors in our society that can be detrimental to our mindset as business owners – entitlement and complaining.  Let’s talk about complaining today and save entitlement for the next post.  Are you a big complainer?  If you are, you’re devoting a lot of your precious time to focusing on everything that’s wrong.  Many say that everything is energy. Constant complaining creates a negative environment which your co-workers and even your customers can feel.

Have you ever walked into a space and immediately felt the negative vibe?  I know I have.  It’s uncomfortable and off putting.  It’s not a space I want to spend time in.  Complaining all the time can make that kind of environment.  I love the quote from T Harv Eker, founder of Peak Potentials and the author of the NY Times bestseller ‘Secrets of the Millionaire Mind”.  He asks, “Are you complaining because your life is bad or is your life bad because you’re complaining all the time?”  Good question.

Could your environment use some sprucing up energy wise?  Then see if you can get a handle on your own complaining.  How?  Try the strategy used by those at A Complaint Free World.  They sell bracelets which I buy and give out at all my seminars on creating a positive life.  You place yours on one wrist.  Every time you complain, you switch wrists.  Goal?  Keep  it on one wrist for a month and watch the difference in your life and your business.  Isn't it time you got a handle on complaining?  

See you next time and remember to keep shining!

Marianne

Being a Solopreneur woman is all about learning

What do you need to learn to grow your business? Today's lesson will be presented at the East Bay Chamber of Commerce at 16 Cutler St. in Warren Rhode Island. It's all about how to add video to your blogs and websites mostly because people prefer to watch video rather than read. But also because video helps bring your site to a higher level in search engines. Stop by today if you're around. Session starts at noon and includes networking with other like-minded women. Cost is five dollars for chamber members and $10 for nonmembers bring your lunch and enjoy the camraderie and learning. See you there!

Networking tips

Isn't this why we started our businesses?

Happy International Women's Day

Things are not as bad as we sometimes anticipate

I admit it.  As much as I teach stress-busting strategies, I'm chicken to go to the dentist.  I've had some pretty bad experiences there the most recent being a couple of years ago when I had my mouth and nose covered and couldn't breathe.  The dentist and assistant had stepped out leaving me with a thing anchored to my mouth that I couldn't take off.  Can you say panic attack?

Since then, I'm even worse at the dentist. This past week I had an appointment to make a flipper tooth because they're going to pull one out soon.  I was a wreck because I thought I would have to hold this goop in my mouth for a long time to make an impression.  Sounds easy but my brain got wired for fear that day a few years ago and I had to be prepared.  I gathered my usual batch of stress-busting strategies (check them out in my Frazzled to Freedom: 30 Days to a More Stress-Free You program) and valiantly sauntered in.  I was ready.  Know what?  It was a breeze! Turns out the process for this was easy.  Yes, they had to make impressions - 3 of them - but they each took a little less than 2 minutes!  Yippee!

Hasn't something similar happened in your business?  You put off doing something you need to do or think would be good for your business because you think it's going to be too hard, too expensive, too time consuming.  I did that on a simple scale with the mouse for this computer. I've never been good at the one on the laptop so I've used an external one.  My computer was giving me trouble, jumping around, the mouse not doing it's job.  One day it hit me that all I really needed to do was probably get a new mouse.  Everything changed - this one has a smaller insert into the USB which makes it better for lugging the laptop from coffee shop to coffee shop and everything is now smooth and easy.  Why did I wait?

What are you waiting for?  Do you need to get onto social media?  Do you need a website?  Do you need to get a bit of training, get a logo made (I got this one made at www.Fiverr.com for only $5.50) get an intern?  Just do it...it's probably easier and less stressful than you think.  And if I can help, just let me know.  I'm aat solopreneurwomen@gmail.com

Til then, keep shining!

That includes solopreneur women! One of my goals is to gather us together frequently so we can be part of each other's stories. 

How a silly game can be a great life lesson

Are you someone who plays one of those games on Facebook or on your Ipad or other tablet?  I do occasionally, usually at the end of the day before I go to bed.  They're nice to unwind with.  But they're also great models for life.  Why?  Because embedded in them are little mini lessons.  Here's the most recent one I found.

I've been playing Bubble Witch Saga for a bit, a fairly mindless game.  There are only four possible goals in this game: to clear the top of the screen, to free the ghost, to save the animals or to defeat Morgana (I guess she's the Witch).  As the levels increase there are more and more obstacles along the way towards whatever goal is in that round.  Sort of like life.  As you get older, there are more challenges and responsibilities and more goals to strive for.  Like the game, you develop strategies as you go forward, strategies to help you navigate those obstacles and put you in the best position for success.  The same is certainly true for a solopreneur woman.

Recently I was stuck at a certain level in the game.  I couldn't figure out why.  It seems I was clearing the required 6 spaces at the top but I wasn't free.  My first thought was it must have been a fault in the program.  After all, I was doing it right.  Or was I?  As I started the game for the upteenth time, I realized I had been going for the wrong goal.  I was trying to clear the top when I should have been trying to save the animals.  Once I had the correct goal in mind, it was easy to apply all the strategies I had developed over the span of time of playing the game and I easily saved those little creatures!

So what's the lesson for me and for all of us solopreneur women?  Every now and then we have to check in on our goals.  I know I've had to do this with my business several times because what I was  aiming for didn't necessarily work.  I began Horizon Enterprises to share the multiple award -winning Strategies for Success program that changed my school.  It took a full year to write the book/curriculum during which the climate of education was changing.  The focus was not on empowering students to be successful.  It was generating high test scores.

I had to do what many of you must do.  I had to look at that goal which was to get my program in schools around the country and shift.  I took the same information that I had been teaching teens (which actually came from the adult world originally) and reconfigured it into speeches, seminars and online programs for adults.  I also taught myself website and internet marketing for myself and to generate income by helping other solopreneur women get online.

Have you checked into your goals for your business (or for your personal life) lately? Maybe it's time to take another peek.

Til next time....keep shining!

Finding someone to do your website

I just saw a commercial for getting a website done for free.  It's a site called web.com.  I had to check it out.  I know how long it takes to do a website so I was really curious about what you could get for free.

As soon as I got to the website, someone messaged me to see what I needed help with.  I said that I noticed that once they got the site up and running the way you wanted it to be, there was a monthly charge.  I asked what the charge was.

I was amazed to see how much it was - $114 a month!  Or as they said, ONLY $114 a month.  That's really expensive!  That's $1368 a year to run the website.  Two years - $2736.  Three years - $4104.   This does not include changes or updates to your website.

If you have a business website, you certainly hope to run the business long past 3 years.  That website is going to cost you a fortune!  For a business running 10 years, you'd be paying close to $14,000!

In reality, you can have it designed for a one time fee probably about $2500.  Then you only have to pay for hosting (anywhere from $6 to $12 a month), renewal of your domain name (about $15 a year) and any updates if you have someone else do them rather than doing them yourself.

• That means the first year you pay the $2500 plus hosting $144 (at the top price) plus domain which puts you under $3000.  
• The following years?  About $160 each year or less!!  
• Over 10 years:  $3000 for the first year plus $1440 for the other 9!  
• Total?  About $4400 or $10,000 less than with web.com.  

I don't know about you but I sure could find a use for that $10,000 difference!

So although web.com looks tempting, it doesn't make sense unless you're only doing a 2 year business.  Working with a local entrepreneur will certainly make the process easier because you get to meet in person to explain your vision and to perhaps get the training you need to make your own updates.

I'd be happy to create a website for you business with a one time fee that let's you put that $114 back into your business or your own pocket every month.  Contact me at SoloprenuerWomen@gmail.com and we'll set up a time to talk.

Til then...
Keep Shining!

Passive income streams to support your business

One of the advantages of having your own business is that you can add aspects to your business any time you want.  Whether you're in a brick and mortar business, a small business working from home or one that's strictly online, you can add pieces to your business that generate income.

The first thought is to add another product or service to what you already have.  That usually involves quite of bit of marketing as well time.  Or you can add to your online presence.

Hopefully you have a website for your business.  If you don't, that needs to be one of the first things you do because otherwise a good portion of your target market is not going to find you.  Most people search for what you offer with their smart phone or tablet.  Unless your demographic is the elderly or even some baby boomers, they're not going to find you in the Yellow Pages or the local paper. You need a website!  Contact me at solopreneurwoman@gmail.com if you need some help with this!

If you have a website, you can add some affilate ads that complement your business.  Once you set these up, you can get a commission from any sales you make that come through your link.  If you have a big enough following and the right ads, this can add up.  And your business does not have to open for the process to happen!

You can also add affiliate links to your blog as I have here.  I made a choice to only affiliate with those products I use and believe in.  I love them and know others will too.  I'm in the process of creating an affiliate program of my own to share my Frazzled to Freedom: 30 Days to a More Stress-Free You online program.  This way, more people will know about it and those who are willing to share will get 20% of whatever I take in, truly a win:win:win for all parties - my business, their bottom line and those who take the course.

More on this next time...

Until then, keep shining!

Don't. Give. Up.

Today is the day after the 49th Superbowl.  I come from a family of all boys, all diehard sports fans. Footabll is not my preferred sport but with my home team in the running and the excitment that surrounded it, I watched the game with friends.  While I honestly don't understand the intricacies of the game, I know enough to get emotionally involved when the home team is on the line and they were. Down 24 to 14 going into the 4th quarter, it was not looking good.

But the home team won because they never quit.  They moved the ball down the field two more times making it 28 to 24.  But the other team never quit either.  They were inches away from getting another touchdown and winning the game after a miraculous catch. But circumstances shifted, a player from my home team intercepted the ball and the momentum shifted.

As a solopreneur woman, there have been plenty of days when I just wanted to give it all up and get a job.  Let someone else worry about the details, where they money is coming from, how to keep up on the every changing technology.  Let someone else try to convince the world that you have something you've given your heart and soul to that's just right for them.

I have a friend who is a saleman.  He drives 1000 miles a week to jewelry stores with his bag of basics.  I asked him once how he was able to keep going, year after year, often being rejected as the economy shifted and people spent their money on technology more than jewelry.  He simply said, "I never give up."  He goes in the store and starts a conversation with the owner even if they don't think they want or need something.  As he talks, he takes things out of his case reminding the owner subtly that maybe they indeed did want or need something.  Did it work every time?  Probably not. But he never gives up.

We solopreneur women need to do the same.  Whatever our challenges, whatever obstacles present themselves, we must keep a clear vision of why we got into this in the first place.  And like the winning team (and actually the losing team) from this year's Superbowl did - Don't. Give. Up.

Using Pinterest to grow your business

I'm a big one for taking classes.  I'll take almost any class that's offered if I have the time. My thoughts are that if I can grab one useful tip that I can use and share, then it's worth my time. 

I took a Pinterest class recently. I was one of the first to embrace this social media site and also taught classes at my local adult learning center on how to get on Pinterest.  But i had fallen off a bit and wasn't entirely sure how it could benefit my business.

I was wrong.  Here's what I learned.  What you share on Facebook or Twitter may last for at most a day or two.  Not everyone even gets to see what you post because of the algorithm that determines what you get to see.  But what you post on Pinterest lasts forever...if it's memorable.

Since I'm in the positivity business as well as working with solopreneur women, posting a positive quote is perfect for me.  The key is to put your contact link at the bottom of the image so they have it when they share it and when they save it.  

I use the website for the online program I created on the bottom of each.  Some use pictures I took myself, others use pictures from free sources.  I google the quote if I don't know the author. It's important to credit them and it's important to only use free images.  

Once I post it on Pinterest, then I also post it on Facebook which is linked to Twitter. So that picture or meme as they call these gets a lot of play.  Small amount of work for a lot of impact.  I'll be sharing these on some future postings to support and inspire you on your journey.

Happy pinning and remember to keep shining!

Welcome fellow women solepreneurs!

It's time for all of us who travel this path to find and support each other!  As solo women entrepreneurs, we deal with unique challenges.  I've had several careers in my life time including owning a flight school with an amazing partner. Owning a business on my own has been one of my greatest adventures.

As solopreneur women, we must do everything:

• Find a way to balance our lives with the responsibilities that women traditionally carry
• Handle all aspects of our business - legal, financial, marketing, sales, employees
• Either learn how to do the things the business needs such as creating a viable website or pay someone to do it for us, both options difficult especially when starting out
• Figure out which social media outlets work best for our business and how much time we should spend on them
• Constantly be up to date on the latest technology and how it applies to our business
• Find time for every day life - family, significant other, fun
• Find the time to take care of ourselves 

The journey for me has been many things - exhilarating, exhausting, confusing, challenging.  I've done many things the hard way, redirected my business several times, learned how to do almost everything myself and gone through some huge successes and some very low times.

But the best part is I've learned a great deal over the past few years. One of my greatest joys has been sharing what I've learned with other women business owners while helping them connect with each other both professionally and personally.  

This blog and the corresponding website (www.SolopreneurWomen.com) provide the chance to:

• teach other women solopreneurs how to do some of the things I've learned
• offer a variety of services to other solopreneur women - website design, social media setup, business coaching
• connect with other like minded soloprener women online and potentially with local meet up groups for those in the same location
• support others with the positive strategies I've been teaching 

What's next for you if this resonates with you?

• Sign up to receive the newest blog post automatically
• Share your thoughts by commenting on the posts
• Pass this on to your fellow solopreneur women

See you next time!  Until then...Keep Shining!