Your Fall Season Must -Haves

As we enjoy my favorite season, fall, my plan is to ratchet up the to-do list with passion, persistence, favor, and balance. You?

A mere two months left before another year, and the great news is there is still time to make this your best year yet. Continue to plan strategically; make that money call to a potential client or employer; talk up your brand like a rock star; be your authentic self and know that you are talented; and, most importantly, find the time to do you.

Here are my favorite people and products/brands to help capture the best in mind, body, heart, soul and hair for fall 2010.

Mind/Inspiration
Live your passion like today was your last day and create what is essential and missing in the market place:

Dr. Willie Mae Hawkins, needed support as a single mom so she created a movement, SPRING, Inc. SPRING, Inc. provides spiritual encouragement for those who are currently single parents or who will soon become single parents through separation or divorce; those who have been widowed; those who are adopting, are foster parents, or are involved in some other custodial arrangement.

Max L. Siegel, one of the most influential executives in the entertainment and sports industry, was once the highest ranking African American executive in NASCAR. Now he can add producer to his impressive credentials with a 10-part docu-series titled Changing Lanes, which will premiere on the BET network.

As you know, books can transform your mind and set your ideas on the fast track. My favorites to capture the entrepreneurial spirit, provide spiritual balance and transform one’s mindset as it relates to debt, disaster, divorce, deceit, disease, and depression is Facing Your Giants by Max Lucado. And if your mission is to over-stand, leverage social media, and learn how to monetize your blog, then purchase Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuk.

Get ready for Getting to Happy, Terry McMillan’s sequel to Waiting To Exhale, which is in stores now.

Body
Don’t believe the hype! There are no potions and magic pills to reverse the aging process. However, you can get the blood pressure, cholesterol, joints, muscles, mind and stress all in check with a four letter word – yoga. Bikram yoga is the most intense and worth a try to achieve serenity.
Spadium, New York: No need to find your passport–you can eat, love, pray and spa in your own backyard. If you live nearby a major city, there is a Korean district close by. For a mere $110 you can have a traditional Korean body scrub, massage, facial, get your hair washed and conditioned, and enjoy a sauna, steam room, and green tea.

Soul
Music can heal thy soul and transform thy inner being. Our favorite brand new mommy, Jill Scott, is in the studio putting the finishing touches on her fifth studio album, Light of the Sun. It’s scheduled to be released late this year.


Newcomer and unsigned talent Abby Dobson is a gifted jazz and R&B singer with a debut album, Sleeping Beauty: You Are the One You Have Been Waiting On: Volume One.

Mommy Power
As we get ready to send our children off to school, the mommy brand takes center stage. Regardless of how you came to be a mom, you know that this job has the best benefits and the greatest stress:
The Juiceboxx is a blog for modern parents, giving moms and dads what’s hip, happening, and helpful in the world of parenting.

The Brand New Mommy is the digital destination for black women renewing and redefining their personal brand post-childbirth.

Hair
Whether your mane is textured, weaved, locked, or natural, a service/product is always needed to get one’s hair healthy. After a few mishaps, I have stumbled upon the potion and pros that will save and enhance your hair:

Brownstone’s Feng Shui revitalizes hair and scalp, stimulates hair growth, relieves dandruff, and leaves your hair smelling delicious.
Indigofera.com offers premium plant-based products and solutions for your hair and skin while offering an interactive hair blog for your burning questions.
Duafe Natural Holistic Salon is a celebrity haven in Philadelphia that provides premium haircare services and Shea butter-enriched homemade products.
Loving Your Natural Hair workshop, conducted by Felicia Leatherwood, is a must to understand how loving your hair and not cursing it will make it thrive.

What will you do this fall to produce different results for your mind, body, soul and hair?

Seven Ways to Effectively Self-Promote Your Business

Seven Ways to Effectively Self-Promote Your Business

By: CHARISSA ARSAOUI
Friday, July 9, 2010


* Business Advice

CharToday’s business owners need an affordable way to set themselves apart from their competition. For start-ups, every penny spent on advertising has to count. Without hiring a pricy PR firm, is it possible to get the word out about the new products and services you have to offer without breaking the bank? Of course it is!

With the help of the Internet, you can employ strategies that will improve your bottom line by allowing you to keep more of your hard-earned cash in your pocket. Here are a few no-cost ways to promote your business effectively:

1. Get a blog and direct your customers to it. WordPress and Blogger offer user-friendly options for first time visitors to the blogosphere. Free account options are available for you to engage and inform your readers about all the things that set you apart from other companies professionally.




2. Post articles relating to your trade or industry in newsletters and Web sites that accept Guest Posts. Lend your expertise to publications in your industry for free. Just make sure that each post includes a byline with links to your blog or Web site. Driving business to your Web site is a quick way to increase your customer base.



3. Design a business card that grabs people’s attention. A well-designed business card is classy, straightforward, and useful. It provides important information about the type of establishment that you run, your business’s name, physical and Web address and a logo or motto to help with branding.

4. Familiarize yourself with social media networking. Create Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn accounts for your business. Update them frequently with announcements about upcoming events, new product launches and special promotions being offered.

5. Host a monthly giveaway. What better way is there to get the word out about all things involving you than through a contest sponsored through your blog or Web site? From homemade beauty products to hour-long fitness training sessions, offering an online incentive from time to time is a good way to build trust and let prospective customers try out what you have to offer.




6. Trade services with other entrepreneurs. Use your ability to barter as often as you possibly can. Swapping skills with other businesses is a cost-effective way for you to get things done on a budget.




7. Set up a mailing list and offer your customers incentives for signing up for it. Keeping in constant communication with your customers gives you a distinct advantage. Offering sales and promotions from time to time to the people who are considerate enough to provide you with their contact information promotes goodwill and loyalty among your customers.


You don’t need to tap into your profits to establish a rock solid marketing plan. With some creativity and our list of suggestions, you, too, can travel down the road to success with ease.

Karen Taylor Bass, public relations consultant and author, recently told The Network Journal that she, herself, employed some of these strategies - along with a few others such as sending out podcasts to potential clients - for the launch of her own business.  

“If I had to select one, I would say that the blog is the most effective strategy on the list,” she says. “It’s a great way to establish your expert status and provide fodder for the marketplace. Also, it optimizes well on the Internet and is the equivalent of instant syndication.”

Taylor Bass advises budding business owners to consider networking as a close second to blogging. “Networking should be approached as a strategic partner rather than a chore,” she says. “Observe how the top players ‘work’ a room and make everyone feel engaged and special. Being the best listener in the room goes a long way.”

Additional reporting contributed by Sergie Willoughby

Mocha Moms Are More Than Just Mothers ... Feel Me?

I recently wrote about the Mocha Moms Incorporated for my blog on BlackEnterprise.com and thought you might want to read. Let me know your thoughts - do you agree/disagree?




Mocha Moms Are More Than Just Mothers

Group is dedicated to helping women to re-define their power after leaving careers in corporate America

"Live every day of your life with passion," recommends Mocha Moms President Dee Dee Jackson

Mocha moms of the world unite; we are a movement transforming the home, marketplace and most importantly -- self. A mocha mom is a woman of color who has chosen to make parenting and family a priority. She may alter her career, work schedule, or eliminate working outside the home all together to focus on providing the best care for her children -- mother care.

And while there are many lower-case mocha moms, there is also the upper-case Mocha Moms Inc., an organization for women learning to re-define their power as it relates to family, community, and self through sisterhood upon leaving their successful careers in corporate America. Click here to read more of the article - http://www.blackenterprise.com/lifestyle/2010/06/24/mocha-moms-are-more-than-just-mothers/