Women of Gwinnett Business Networking Group: September 2007

Why Blog?

Three years ago, I did not know what a blog was. I heard of online journals. I even had one. But having a journal connected to a business sounded way too personal. Who would read your journal and purchase something from you?

Well times have changed. Journals have become less personal, and online business has become more personal. The result, of course was the birth of the blog. I defy you to name a large company that does not have a blog. Google has a blog. Yahoo has a blog. EBay has a blog, and within that they have bloggers who have their own blog.

But you run a small business selling hoo-haws (or whatever else you sell) why should you have a blog?

In this impersonal internet world, buyers are cautious about buying from small companies for several reasons. First it is hard to know if the business is reputable. Second, they feel no personal connection to the product of the sales person. Having a blog will bring your prospective customers closer to you emotionally which will bring them closer to you financially.

But blogging can be time consuming. Is it worth it? Yes indeed. The longer you can keep your your readers on your site, reading and searching for more information, the better the chance of them purchasing from you.

So get a blog. Attach it to your website. Write something... daily. The extra 10 minutes a day will be well worth it.

www.ahermitt.com

“Resolve To Never Give Up”

Robert Warlow

Small Business Success

One quality that most budding entrepreneurs find they need very early on in their business career is persistence – that stubborn streak and the resolve never to give up. But developing the habit of persistence is tough. After so many rejections, so many failed ideas, so many days when nothing seems to go right, the temptation to pack it all in and move onto something else can be overwhelming.

That prolific inventor Thomas Edison said, “All I can do is try everything to prove my idea is right and only give up when I am sure it won’t work.” This is the guy who tried 3,000 different ways to develop a light bulb. Now that’s what I call being persistent!

What can you do to make sure you don’t give up until you are 100% sure that it won’t work? Here are some ideas.

Have a Goal

I have talked before about having a clear goal or vision. Knowing what your end result is, why you are doing what you are doing, can be a powerful tool to cultivate persistence. Having a vivid picture in your mind of what you are setting out to achieve can keep you going during the dark days - remember the saying that it’s always darkest just before the dawn. Wouldn’t it be sad to think that you may have given up when success was just around the corner?

So, if you find yourself on the point of giving up, close our eyes, visualise your goal or the reason why you started, and dig deep for the persistence to carry on.

Develop a Road Map

It’s all very well knowing where you want to go, but if you are entering unknown territory you need a road map or a plan. For your first year, write down all the steps you will need to take. Lack of persistence kicks in when you don’t know which way to turn, it’s easier to turn around and go home. Having a plan mapped out before you start will give you the edge to carry on with your journey. A plan is a commitment you have made with yourself and can be a great tool to spur you on.

Going blindly into your new venture can seem a hugely daunting task but a plan ‘chunks’ down all the steps you need to take. A plan with smaller steps is harder to give up on than one plan which outlines the end goal. Each small step accomplished is a motivator to carry on to the next one.

Avoid Interruptions

Once you are into your plan, resolve with yourself to avoid all interruptions. Create habits for your working day – only take a break at a set time and duration; don’t stop what you are doing to start something else, focus on the task in hand; start the habit of limiting your phone conversations to purely business talk. If you find cold calling a problem, create the habit of making one call at 11 o’clock every day; you’ll soon you have it cracked.

Be Creative

One of the main reasons we give up is we think there is no other way to achieve our goal. But be creative! Before giving up, be like Edison, is there version 2,599 you can try first? If you have hit ‘the wall’, take time out of the business and go somewhere you can think in peace. Not only is this time-out likely to re-motivate you but you may get that much needed flash of inspiration. So before giving up, resolve to adjust your plan and find another way.

Don’t Listen to Them

One devastating destroyer of persistence are the ‘doubters’ in your life, the ones who are quick to say, “It will never work”, or “I don’t know why you bother”. These negative-thinking people can rob you of your persistence, so avoid them or block them out of your mind as soon as they come with 3 feet of you!

If you haven’t been able to move away quick enough just picture them as the non-achievers they are, nod sagely at their comments and move on, laughing to yourself at how little they know!

A strange thing about persistence is that you can only develop the skill when times are tough. You can’t practice the art of persistence when everything is going well, so I hope it’s one skill you won’t have to get down to a fine art!

Small Business Success

http://www.smallbusinesssuccess.biz

Small Business Success is a resource dedicated to helping small business owners be more successful. If you are looking for a regular flow of ideas and tips then subscribe to Small Business Success a free newsletter, which provides you with quick tips, ideas and articles.

For more information visit http://www.smallbusinesssuccess.biz

10 Successful Tips for Business Networking

I recently came upon this article and thought it was very relevant.

Effective business networking is the linking together of individuals who,
through trust and relationship building, become walking, talking advertisements
for one another.

1. Keep in mind that networking is about being genuine and authentic,
building trust and relationships, and seeing how you can help others.
click here to read the entire article:

What Have You Done for Your Networking Group Lately?

Over the years I have noticed a trend in new people joining networking groups. (I have belonged to several, and am a founding member of this one.) People mistakenly assume that by joining the networking group, they are going to instantly increase their business sales, and when that does not happen, they leave, or become inactive. Unfortunately they are missing the whole point of networking.

While networking groups certainly can help grow a business, or give a new business the kick start it needs, this happens as a side effect and should not be the main purpose of joining a networking group. A business networking group consists of a group of people who join forces combining strengths to simultaneously strengthen networks, and learn from each other. The most successful person in any networking group (without a doubt) is the person who contributes the most.

If I believed in Karma, I could attribute such success to it. I do however, believe in doing unto others as you would have them do unto you. It works. It really works. At this point I am going to use our beloved Darla Dixon as an example. She joined this group when it was a floundering start up. Frankly, it was not going to make it. I was struggling with a serious illness, and meetings (which at the time were in person), were inconsistent at best. But Darla knew a good idea when she saw it, picked up the ball and ran with it. This is why we are 67 active members today with over 140 people in our Yahoo Group. Darla has moderated our group, organized get togethers, recruited new members, built our websites, which includes this new and wonderful blog, and has served us all in may ways.

It is no wonder that if any of us hears the words "looking for an artist", that Darla comes to mind. She has given to us all, and none of us would hesitate to give back to her. I am not saying that any member needs to do as much as Darla does for the group. I am saying however, that lending your special talents to the group would make both it and your own business much stronger. Here are some examples of activities you could do to help grow your networking group.

Organizing functions and meetings formal and informal
Sharing Business Knowledge
Charity Coordinator
Cross advertising and promotion
Giving public reviews when pleased with anothers service (using the email list and sites like Kudzu)
Lending Your Special Talents to the group: marketing, design, etc.

by Andrea Hermitt, www.ahermitt.com

Your Yahoo Profile as a Business Tool

When is the last time you updated your Yahoo Profile?

Was it around 1995? No way, where did the time go?!?
Chances are, your details have changed!
You may use Yahoo for email, or you may have a Yahoo username for Yahoo Groups.

Your Yahoo Profile can be a useful sales tool for your business. Did you know that you can have as many as four website links in your Yahoo Profile? Why not also use your Yahoo Profile to tell people a little bit about yourself and your business? Get your business link in there!

There is the concern about privacy, if you use your Yahoo ID to go to Yahoo Chat, then I would recommend a more detail-hidden Yahoo ID and Profile, but for business networking groups, I would definitely keep my Yahoo Profile filled out and up-to-date. If you don't want to post a photo of yourself, remember that you could instead post a photo of your product.

http://profiles.yahoo.com/ahermitt

A sketch for photo to show she’s artistic and creative. Profile tells what Andrea does – murals and writing.

http://profiles.yahoo.com/darligraphy

I used my Self portrait as photo, links to portrait art website if anyone wanted to see more art examples, an affiliate link to VistaPrint, and a link to Women Of Gwinnett group.

http://profiles.yahoo.com/themercedeslady

Lori McTaggart's Yahoo Profile shows she sells Arbonne and her email address is there in case someone came upon the page and wanted to place an Arbonne order.

http://profiles.yahoo.com/sjrboswell

Includes link to her Stampin’ Up! Website and a little bit of information about her.

http://profiles.yahoo.com/tonidore

Photo, profile information all filled out to promote her astrology business, the Astrology Source.

UPDATE YOUR YAHOO PROFILE: LINK

Places to post a free ad online

Rochelle Noel of The PC Link emailed in two great places to post a free advertisement online.

www.backpage.com and www.kijiji.com . You can post in multiple cities and categories on Kajiji. Backpages also offers the opportunity to post in multiple cities at paid level fairly affordably - it just depends on which cities you select.

I added them to our link list. If you would like more sites that allow free ads, check our links in the sidebar, on the right of this blog - scroll down near the bottom to locate them.

Now you know where we have them all linked, you can come back to www.WomenofGwinnett.com anytime you want to post an ad, and get to many great places quickly. Remember to bookmark our page, or sign up to receive updates to our site automatically!

Thanks again, Rochelle, for sharing those two great links!

FEATURE: Crystal's Creations

Women of Gwinnett member, Crystal Brown, is so crafty! Check out this crafti-licious pincushion - it is totally hand-sewn and looks like a little cake. Adorable, would make a wonderful gift, and it's calorie free!

Check out her site: LINK
See more of her Pincushions: LINK

Crystal says, "I live in the Atlanta, Georgia, which is where my Home based business really took off. My passion to create things with my hands was the deciding factor in starting my own business 7 years ago. When I sold a crocheted bunny to a co-worker, the fire to create more items began to burn stronger. It was the first toy I had ever crocheted. Toys are joy to make. Currently, my toys are my best sellers. In addition to my website, I currently sell my items in boutiques, crafts shows and consignment shops nationwide.

I love all types of crafts and love to make several different things. I am always learning from others and my creativity keeps growing and growing. Soon, there will be several different lines of products on my site, so please check back often to see what I have been up to."

Using Direct Mail & Mailing Lists

Did you know you can purchase mailing lists? The price of your mailing list depends on how many options you select. You can be very specific, for example, you can request a mailing list by families with children and income levels. A mailing list is also a good option if you want to only mail to specific zip codes.

Many mailing list suppliers can allow you to obtain your mailing list on CD-ROM, if you want to use the list more than once, or you can opt for the mailing list to be sent to you on pre-printed mailing labels, which saves time. Most mailing list companies will require you to email or mail in a sample of the mailing material if you request a list that includes families with children. This is a good sign - it means the company cares about the safety of children.

There are many services that also offer a mailing list and they will handle all the mailing and affixing postage for you. If you use one of these services, be sure to also include some 'blinds' (names and addresses of family and friends, so you can be sure the mailings are actually happening, and are taking place by the schedule you selected. In other words, if you add a friend to the list and the friend says they never got the mailing, yet you paid for it - you will know you have an issue to discuss with the mailing company!

w3Data, a mailing list supplier, allows you to look up your previous or current customers (the information is secure) and they'll help you find more customers just like the ones you've had! This is a pretty sure-fire method of creating a successful direct mail campaign, if you don't know where to start.

Women of Gwinnett Group members have virtually everything you need for beauty and health!

Get your hair cut, styled or colored by Ann Halstead or Roxanne Yarbrough, get fit at Contours Express in Snellville, find serenity at A Reiki Experience in Snellville or Serenity Lakes wellness center in Lawrenceville, shop healthy products for your pet with Terri Edwards' Organic Connection website.

AVON from Allison Newton or Shelly Lorenzen, Beauti Control from Iram Mehal; Mary Kay available from Mary Kay director Lois Peterson, Tracy Hayes or Melissa Hendrix; handmade soaps (great gifts) from Patti Owens of Scrubbles Soap! Arbonne products are available from Beckie Smith, Antonina Boatman, and Lori McTaggart!

Tell them you found them on http://www.WomenOfGwinnett.com !

Women of Gwinnett has virtually everything you need for your home!

Coughlin, Chana - Tupperware 770-279-2957

Davies, Angela - Tupperware

Majoris, Rebecca - House Cleaning 678-314-4306

Newton, Allison - Tupperware

Pillert, Yvonne - Carpet Cleaning

Qamar, Karen - Expert Blinds & Shutters

Sanders, Laura - Longaberger

Smith, Traci - PC 404-797-1193

Taylor, Michelle - Food Mixes 706-557-9764

From Carpet Cleaning to Tupperware, members of Women of Gwinnett have you covered!

5 Tips to Get Organized for Work at Home Moms

5 Tips To Get Organized For Work At Home Moms
By Becki Maxson

If I was to come into your office area right now, would you cringe? Don’t feel bad, I’ve been there too! But you know you don’t work at your best when things are a mess, or all the important stuff is swimming around in your head. Here are 5 tips to start getting better organized.

Email is your best friend and your worst enemy. If you don’t take charge of it, it will take charge of you! Outlook is a terrific tool to keep track of your emails, your daily schedule, your to-do list, client phone numbers and email addresses and more. I use the folder function to act as an online file cabinet. Really, it’s simple and it works great! I just create a folder by subject and drag pertinent emails into it. Then when I wonder, “What did we talk about last time?” or “Where’s my log-in for that account?” I know right where to go.

Paper, paper everywhere…are you buried? Maybe a computer system isn’t for you, but all is not lost. If you don’t have a planner, get one! There are many kinds of planners to choose from, in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Find one that fits your needs and use it to keep track of doctor appointments, school meetings, your work schedule, etc. Set up a good old-fashioned rolodex or file box to keep track of phone numbers, emails and other information.

I also print out e-books that I buy and put them into report covers with a clear plastic cover so I remember to read them and they don’t go to never-never land on my hard drive.

Now, tax planning. Neglect your record-keeping and you’re asking for a real headache down the road. An easy way to keep track of receipts is to get a hanging file folder and 12 manila envelopes. Have one envelope for January, one for February and so on. During the month, throw all your receipts in the corresponding envelope. When the month is over, tally up your receipts and write it on the outside of the envelope. That way, when tax time comes, most of your work will already be done. Or again, use a simple Excel spreadsheet or just a spiral notebook to keep track of your expenses by category. Remember to track your income too!

Take some time each day to “take care of the little things” and you’ll stay organized, feel less stressed, and get more work done!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Becki Maxson juggles a husband, three teenage sons, Boy Scouts, meals, laundry, volunteer stuff and home business in Rocklin, CA.

She is the founder of http://www.KingdomWork.com, an online resource for Christian home based business owners, and is a Marketing Mentor for Advantage Conferences.

This article can be reprinted freely online, as long as the entire article and this resource box are included.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Becki_Maxson
http://EzineArticles.com/?5-Tips-To-Get-Organized-For-Work-At-Home-Moms&id=424587

REVIEW: Traci Smith, Pampered Chef

Traci Smith, The Pampered Chef (Snellville GA)

404-797-1193 / Email: ChefTraci@comcast.net

Traci Smith is a delightful person and does a very entertaining kitchen show! I hadn't had a kitchen show in years and I found Traci's name on our WOG website. She was easy to work with, kept everyone entertained at the show, and takes care of her customers.

Testimonial/Review by: Susan Boswell (as buyer)
rubberstamping: http://www.susanboswell.stampinup.net
writing and web services: http://www.dylanandco.com

I bought some Pampered Chef products from Traci through the home show that Susan Boswell had. Everything was just as expected, delivered as promised (due to the diligence of both Traci and Susan!) and I love my Pampered Chef products. Traci does a really good job of keeping up with her customers through her newsletter, and will keep you up to date and alerted when your favorite item is going on sale or set to be discontinued by the company.

Testimonial/Review by: Darla Dixon (as buyer/client)

REVIEW: Terri Russell, Pet Parties Plus

Terry Russell, Pet Parties Plus (Grayson GA)

770-682-8670 / Email: petparty1@aol.com

I've been to Terry's farm several times and it is a fantastic place for a field trip or a party. There are lots of well-cared for animals there that are used to people (especially important with kids). Terry is very, very patient with the animals and the kids!

Testimonial/Review by: Susan Boswell (as buyer/client)
mailto:sjrboswell@yahoo.com
rubberstamping: http://www.susanboswell.stampinup.net
writing and web services: http://www.dylanandco.com

REVIEW: Cakes by Shupan Abraham

Shupan Abraham, Cakes by Shupan

404-593-8961

I hired Shupan to create cakes for my twin daughters' birthday. We were going to have a luau party. Both the girls tend to like the same thing, but I like to make sure their cakes are as individual as they are. They both like Spongebob Squarepants so I asked Shupan if there was anything she could do with that idea. She came up with two awesome cakes - she used a blue gel for the water and brown sugar to look like sand. The birthday girls and the guests were all just delighted. The cakes were the highlight of the party! Shupan will listen to your needs and create cakes to perfectly go with your occasion.

Testimonia/Review by: Darla Dixon

REVIEW: Pencil Portraits drawn from photos by Darla Dixon

Darla Dixon Pencil Portraits

770-736-1584

I am continually amazed by the artwork Darla has done for us. Every time I look at it, it looks fresh and new. The amount of detail is amazing!

Reviewed by: Andrea Hermitt

REVIEW: House Cleaning - Rebecca Majoris

Customized Cleaning by Rebecca

House Cleaning Service

Email: rm2996511@yahoo.com

678-314-4306

I would like to let everyone know what a really special treat you are in for when Rebecca cleans your home. She pays attention to the small details - I just love coming home after she has cleaned for me - it feels so good in my home, like it did when I use to clean it myself. Rebecca also cleans Serenity Lakes Wellness Center for me - it is a 5,400 s.f. center and it also looks just great each and every week. Rebecca is very dependable, affordable and reliable...I highly recommend her for your cleaning needs.

Thank you Rebecca for a job well done!

Debbie McDermott
Owner, Director

Serenity Lakes Wellness Center

http://www.serenitylakes.com

REVIEW - Ann Halstead, Hair Stylist

Ann Halstead, Hair Stylist

770-466-6406 / 770-713-1341

You've got to go have Ann do your hair! I went to see her without knowing what I wanted done and I took maybe 10 or 12 photos of styles I liked and just asked her flat out - Which of these will work with my hair? We talked about my hair (thick and wavy) and which styles would require more effort
than I was willing put forth (very little, especially during the summer).

She gave me a great cut, she was easy to talk to while she was cutting, and her rates are very reasonable (so if you get a short cut like I did, you can afford to have it cut as often as you should to maintain the style). Her beautiful home was spotless!!! Also, I cannot remember the last time I got
a new hairstyle and received the same cut the next time I went back to the salon. When you find a hairstyle you like, you want the same cut when it's time for a trim, right? Well consistency is what you'll get with Ann. I still love my haircut and she did a great job on my kids' hair and my hubby's hair, too. She was SOOOOO patient with my kids (especially my daughter who can be quite moody for a 9-year-old). Everyone I've given recommended Ann to has loved her! And even though Ann does a great job, you won't have to wait weeks for an appointment. Give Ann a call when you're
ready for your next haircut; you won't be sorry!

Testimonial/Review by: Susan Boswell (as buyer/client)
mailto:sjrboswell@yahoo.com
rubberstamping: http://www.susanboswell.stampinup.net
writing and web services: http://www.dylanandco.com

REVIEW - Immaculate Carpet Cleaners

Yvonne Pillert, Immaculate Carpet Cleaners
http:/immaculatecleaners.net

I have had Yvonne come out to clean our carpet on many occasions. My carpet is about 20 years old and really should be replaced, but every time Yvonne comes here, it looks so much better it gets a new lease on life! She's hurting the carpet companies' sales by doing such a good job! Her machine (truck mounted) does leave your floor damp but it dries very quickly, that's not a big deal when the trade off is a super clean carpet. Stay away from the bait-and-switch companies that you see advertised and just call Yvonne and you'll get a good cleaning at a fair price. It's great to have the house so nice smelling and the carpet looks great.

Review/testimonial by: Darla Dixon (as buyer/client)

Yvonne cleaned all the carpet in my home for a very reasonable price. My carpet is 8-years-old and VERY light and it looked great when she was done! She took the time to point out the few tiny little areas she wasn't able to get clean (hello, did I mention my carpet is 8 years old and I have two kids!), but I probably wouldn't have even noticed them if she hadn't shown them to me. She also give me detailed instructions on the best way to spot clean my carpet being professional cleanings.

Testimonial/Review by: Susan Boswell (as buyer/client)
rubberstamping: http://www.susanboswell.stampinup.net
writing and web services: http://www.dylanandco.com

Using a blog as our directory

Welcome to our new site!

The old site was getting very difficult to update regularly. This site is on Blogspot, and it's basically a blog, but it's very easy to input links and such. I hope it will serve our group members better.

A little note on the member links on the right - if the person does not have a website, the Blogspot site kind of forces me to put a URL (website address) in a field in order to put the person on the list. So I used www.WomenOfGwinnett.com as the URL for the people who don't have a website.

For the people who do not have a website, I have listed their phone number so we can get in touch if we need something. So, if you want to look at the member's websites, it will save you time if you know that if there is a phone number there, there's no use clicking the link - because it will bring you right back here!

The site will probably need a lot of tweaking, and I need members to regularly check and let me know if their website or info changes. I would love for members to just randomly click the links every now and then, and let me know if you find any dead (inactive) links, so I can fix them.

A major plus of using a blog as our website is that within a few months, we should get a lot more hits from search engines. Lately with the Earthlink site I had up, the best we ever did was to get 3 hits per day. That's pathetic, so I expect better things from this site.

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