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.