Date post: | 09-Mar-2016 |
Category: |
Documents |
Upload: | valerie-stuut |
View: | 212 times |
Download: | 0 times |
Connecting Mind, Body and Business
Issue: IU League 3 Week of: June 27, 2011
NETWORKING COMMUNITY
Inspired Living is a publication from
Inspiration University for the IU League.
www.InspirationUniversity.com
IN THE NEWS
Staying Healthy!
INSPIRATION
3 Reasons Why Goal Setting
Leads to Success
BUSINESS
SOLUTIONS
Use an E-Book to
Brand Your Business
5 Daily Habits of Successful
Entrepreneurs
CONNECTIONS
Why Women Need Mentors and
How to Get One
IN THIS ISSUE:
IN THE NEWS Page
Staying Healthy Facts 2
INSPIRATION
3 Reasons Why Goal Setting
Leads to Success
3
BUSINESS SOLUTIONS
Use an E-Book to Brand Your
Business
4
5 Daily Habits of Successful
Entrepreneurs
5
CONNECTIONS
Why Women Need Mentors and
How to Get One
6
IN EVERY ISSUE
Sponsor Offers 7
Up Coming Events 7
Business Highlight 7
Publication Information:
Inspired Living is a publication for the
IU League of Inspiration University, a
networking community. This publica-
tion is distributed for members only.
Membership information can be found
at www.Inspiration-University.com
or contact:
Editors: Valerie Stuut and
Vicky Pestrichelli
Copyright 2011 Inspiration University
Food for Thought: Staying Healthy Facts
What do you think causes
more deaths in the United
States each year: car crashes,
drug overdoses, alcoholism
or firearm accidents? The
truth is that all of these com-
bined would come in third to
food and smoking!
The number one cause of
death is smoking with
435,000 annually and obesity
causes approximately 400,000 deaths each year, ac-
cording to the Center for Disease Control.
Page 2
3 Reasons Why Goal Setting Leads to Success
Page 3
Are you intentionally cre-
ating your life on your
own terms or is life just
happening to you? “What
is your destiny”…have
you ever asked? Goal
setting is the first step to-
wards reaching achieve-
ment and charting your
destiny. Here are 3 Key
Reasons to start setting
clearly defined goals now.
1. Clarity and Focus- Goals give you a target to
shoot for and provide a specific direction to point
your time and energy. Everything is created
twice…first as a thought and then as form. Without
the conscious creation, there could be no physical
creation. When you set a goal, you have taken the
first critical step. You have begun the process that
allows the universe to actualize the goal into physi-
cal form.
2. Motivation and Inspiration- We are motivated
by our desires. When you set a concrete goal
around one of them you have made a decision to
create it. Visualize every category of your life and
business then formulate goals for each one of them.
See them as if they already happened. Next, write
out each one including as much details as possible
with the necessary action steps towards obtaining
each goal Oh, and one more thing, it is vital to set
deadline dates with timelines that are achievable,
measurable, and keep you moving forwards.
Knowing when it has to happen makes it happen.
3. Accountability and Results- Setting goals
makes you accountable plain and simple. When
you make a commitment to yourself you then be-
come obligated to follow through. The all knowing
voice inside of you reminds you that you have a
goal to achieve and keeps you moving towards
achieving it. When I was writing my first book, I
set a goal to launch my book at The Hay House
conference, which was only 60 days away. To hold
myself true to my word I committed to a booth at
the conference, paid for it, and announced it to eve-
ryone I knew. So what if you suspect you might
become a slacker? That is when a mentor or coach
will keep you motivated and inspire you to keep
forging ahead down the road to success.
Wishing you Much Success!
By: Wendi Blum: Wendi is a Published Author,
International Speaker, Success and Strategy Coach
and Visionary who specializes in helping others
create a satisfying and fulfilling life.
Use an E-Book to Brand Your Business
Page 4
By: Karen Leland
eBooks are now a viable way of building your brand and
getting word out about your company and expertise
Amanda Hocking, the 26-year-old current indie queen of
eBooks, was rejected by so many New York publishing
houses that she decided to go the entrepreneurial route
and put out an eBook instead. To date, she's sold more
than 500,000 books and made more than $1 million dol-
lars. The movie rights to her popular "Trylle Trilogy"
series have been acquired and, a few weeks ago, she
closed a US$2 million deal for her four-book "Watersong" series with (yes, you guessed it) St. Martin's
Press -- a traditional publishing house.
While Hocking's paranormal romance novels are probably not what the typical entrepreneur is looking to
publish, the best-practice business point is that eBooks are now a viable way of building your brand and
getting word out about your company and expertise.
Here are the basics: An eBook (electronic book) is an electronic document that can contain text, images,
audio and video. They can be viewed on a personal computer, smart phone, PDA and eBook reader, such
as a Kindle, and are sold through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and dozens of other outlets.
Depending on the length and content of the eBook, they sell from between 99 cents and $99. But the cur-
rent rage is pricing eBooks at the lower end of the spectrum for around $2.99, or even giving them away
for free as a promotion.
The five best reasons why you should be writing an eBook, beyond the immediate financial return of
book sales, include:
1. Increases name recognition for your company and personal brand, as well as drives traffic to your
Web site via links from book excerpts, free samples, reviews, newsletter distribution and blog
mentions.
2. Introduces you to potential customers looking for what you offer via press releases about the
book, an Amazon listing and book reviews from bloggers.
3. Provides a perfect free, downloadable giveaway on your blog to entice visitors to sign up and give
you their contact information.
4. Makes a great calling card to send before you meet with a potential client to show your knowl-
edge, expertise and point of view.
5. Forces you to develop content you can then repurpose for marketing collateral and turn into pod-
casts and Webcasts.
Oddly enough, the easiest part of eBook publishing is getting the finished product up and running for dis-
tribution. Many can be uploaded with just a click of a few buttons. But where most entrepreneurs face a
challenge is in finding the time, or having the writing chops, to craft the eBook in the first place. Even if
that's the case, it's no excuse, since there are scads of eBook-savvy small businesses whose sole purpose
is to ghost write, edit, design and publish your eBook.
By: Elaine Pofeldt, www.openforum.com
Have you ever noticed that when you get things right in your
business, other opportunities start arriving, with almost no
effort on your part? It’s all about momentum. Other peo-
ple—potential employees, prospects, vendors—naturally
want to be part of a good thing, so they flock when your
business is growing.
In interviewing many successful entrepreneurs over the
years, I’ve noticed that they often rely on small daily habits
and routines—both in business and their personal lives that
keep the needle on their business moving in the right direc-
tion. These disciplines aren’t complicated but they pay big
dividends.
1. Plan Tomorrow’s Agenda Today: Scott Cullather,
CEO of inVNT, a live events agency in New York, meets
with his key support team before the close of business to go
over what’s coming up the next day. “We review and fore-
cast what tomorrow is going to look like and how we’re go-
ing to get through that,” he says. “It gives us an opportunity
to re-prioritize. It also allows us to go to bed at night. Your
mind does a lot of work for you while you’re sleeping. You
get there the next day and are much more efficient and pro-
ductive.” This focused approach has helped growth, he says.
The company expects sales to rise from $20 million last year
to at least $25 million this year.
2. Put Your Meetings on a Diet: Ask entrepreneurs who
left corporate America what they don’t miss and they’ll tell
you it’s those endless, often unproductive gatherings around
the conference room table drawn out by flabby agendas and
presentation technology that takes forever to get set up.
Many fast-growth companies keep meetings short, so em-
ployees have time to get projects done. For instance, Cul-
lather limits his afternoon huddle to about 15 minutes.
3. Find a Way to Manage E-mail that Works for You:
They key is to avoid getting sucked into constantly respond-
ing to and sending e-mails, which delays you from finishing
projects on time. Many business owners like the system
suggested by David Allen, the well-known author of Getting
Things Done. He offers a free PDF full of smart tips, such as
putting e-mails you need to act on—and those you don’t—in
separate places in your inbox.
Another strategy that many use: Find ways to reduce the
number of useless messages you view, so you have more
time to work on what matters. OtherInbox, for instance, pulls
e-mails from various senders into folders you’ve designated
and even unsubscribes you from e-newsletters you no longer
want. You can use it for functions such as filing all of your e
-mails from a particular client in one folder. It’s available on
AOL and Yahoo! mail. Some enterprise systems offer filing
systems, too—so if you use one, make sure you set aside an
hour to master it.
4. Never Stop Selling: You’ll lose productive days if you
wait until you’re almost done with your current projects to
pitch new business. Projects can get dropped, clients can run
short of cash and other things can go wrong in an economy
like the one we’re in. The smartest entrepreneurs I know are
always cultivating new business, so they can quickly plug
holes that open in their schedule. Often, it’s a matter of send-
ing in a project with a quick note saying, “Anything else I
can help you with?” at the end. They are, of course, prepared
to bring on temporary help in case they get overbooked as a
result—even if it’s simply through an arrangement with a
reliable freelance colleague.
5. Exercise Regularly: Cullather puts on his running
shoes at 5:30 or 6 a.m. daily, and then hits the streets. “It’s
amazing to me how many creative ideas have come to me
during these long runs in creative solitude,” he says. “Not
only does it give you the physical endurance to work 18 or
20 hours a day and travel around the world but it helps
stimulate your mind and your thinking.” When Cullather is
traveling, he hits the gym—often a great chance to spend
time with clients or network informally. “When we’re work-
ing with Fortune 500 companies, their senior executives are
there at 5:30 or 6, before the conference begins,” he says.
Shouldn’t you be there, too?
Page 5
5 Habits of Successful Entrepreneurs
Why Women Need Mentors and How to Get One
Page 6
During her first job out of college, Ally Sperber never went
in search of a mentor. Instead, Mary Ellen, one of the man-
aging partners in the financial firm where both women
worked, found her. In Sperber, Ellen saw a kindred spirit.
And despite their nearly 15-year age difference, the mentor-
mentee relationship quickly blossomed into a close friend-
ship. "Early on, she embraced me and really showed me the
ropes," explained Sperber, 27, who now works at a public
relations firm in Los Angeles. "She showed me basic stuff,
from how to be a professional to how to prepare for meet-
ings. And when it came time for my next job, she even
taught me how to negotiate my pay."
A good mentor can play an important role at any stage in a
woman's career. But it's especially important during the first
few years on a job. "Time is of the essence," cautioned Vic-
toria Pynchon, a co-founder of She Negotiates, a consulting
firm that empowers women to stipulate equitable pay.
"There's a very narrow window of time for women to be
pulled into existing networks, especially inside corporate
America."
Christine Silva, a research director at Catalyst, a nonprofit
research group that focuses on women in business, also
urged women to identify mentors as early in their careers as
possible. Silva also advises women to seek out a sponsor,
whose role is different from a mentor's. While a mentor can
help an employee navigate the nuances of office politics, a
sponsor is someone who has her back when it comes time
for a promotion.
Sponsors "have to be senior enough to have a spot at the
decision table -- but they don't necessarily have to be a
woman," says Silva. The mentor doesn't need to be female,
either. "It's about having a variety of people in your corner,
regardless of their gender." "Don't pick a mentor based on
their gender," Pynchon agreed. "Pick someone because of
who they are." She encourages women to develop their own
personal "board of directors": "You should align yourself
with not only who has the power, but who has the courage
of their convictions and who tells the truth."
In busy offices, many women are reluctant about asking
would-be mentors for guidance. Lisa Maatz, director of
public policy and government relations at the American
Association of University Women, tells women to be
upfront and clear about what they're asking. "Don't just
ask someone, 'Will you mentor me?'" said Maatz. "If
you’re asking someone to be generous with their time,
realize the commitment might sound intimidating. Be
clear that it doesn't require lunch every week or an end-
less chain of email."
Maatz also reminds mentees that they aren't the only
beneficiaries of mentoring relationships; it's a two-way
street. "When you do it right, it's the kind of thing that
comes back to you ten-fold," says Maatz, who is cur-
rently mentoring a young woman in her office. For the
mentee, she said, "The goal is to create an army of past
and present coworkers who care about what you've done
and believe in your work."
Here are four tips for finding (and keeping) a great
mentor:
1. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE. The search for a
mentor should begin right away. Don't put it on your
future to-do list for a year or two from now. Especially
when starting a new job, strike while the iron is hot.
2. SECURE BOTH A MENTOR AND A SPONSOR.
Look for support at varying levels of your company's
hierarchy. Seek out a mentor to help navigate daily con-
cerns and a sponsor willing to sing your praises when it
comes time for a raise or promotion.
3. DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK. If you wait for a
mentor to seek you out, you could wait a long time. Re-
member, the worst your prospective mentor can say is
no. When you ask, be clear and up front with what's
required in terms of time and commitment. And don't
limit yourself to only women. Men make great mentors
and great sponsors, too.
4. BE ASSERTIVE. If you want a strong and assertive
mentor, start acting that way yourself. Stride into a
room. Make eye contact. Use a firm handshake. Choose
the best available seat. Stop apologizing. And then,
when the time comes, say thank you.
_________________________________________
Source: www.huffingtonpost.com
Mark you calendars for our upcoming networking
opportunities:
September 20, 2011 - Tuessday:
IU League Meeting: Location TBA
October 18, 2011 - Tuesday:
IU League Meeting: Location TBA
November 12, 2011 - Saturday:
Total Working Women’s Convention:
Broward County Convention Center
Here are some great offers from our sponsors. Just
print them out and enjoy!
Print out the above inspirational message and
display it in a place you can see everyday like
your refrigerator. Page 7
We would like to thank Park Lane Jewelry for
participating in our Total Working Women’s
Convention.