Virtual Assistance  helps you focus on growing your business while handling your office needs.

Virtual Assistance services are about making your company look good, says Annette Walden Mason.

Where has the time gone.  One of my goals for the first of this year was to start an email newsletter.  Now here it is 4 months into the year and I finally got the first one published.
Lots has happened over the past few years both personal and business wise.  I have re-evaluated my business and the products and services I offer.  I’ve had people to tell me they love the products and services I offer and want to use them, but don’t know where to start.  As always, I’m more than willing to show, teach, and coach individuals on how and what to do, but then I hear, I don’t have the time.  So I am now offering Virtual Assistant services.  Meaning, I will do it for you.  I am really enjoying helping others to ‘Stay Top of Mind’ with their clients and prospects.  Listed in the next section are some of the virtual assistance services I offer.  The list keeps growing as clients ask me if I can do something else for them thus, a new aspect of business is born.  If you know of someone who could use any of these services, please give them my information.  I would greatly appreciate the referral.

JOC wants the attention of professional woman. 

JOC ‘s Carolyn McCollum, Bonnie Ross-Parker and Sharon Meeks DeBouse are looking forward to supporting you.

The Joy of Connecting is undergoing a major transformation: 

New name, new mission, new revolution in women’s networking.  

New purpose, new experience. 

The JOC leaders are looking forward to supporting you in promoting passionate and meaningful connections in our combined effort to enhance and expand our respective businesses. 

WATCH OUR VIDEO HERE: JOC is Transitioning.

JOC is transitioning and evolving. We continue to offer development series. If you’re all about personal and professional growth, you’ll love it. Stay tuned for changes coming spring 2013!  Will you be ready?

Stay tuned. Keep watching. 

To see what else Bonnie is up to, view our activity calendar HERE. 

If you enjoyed this post, please take a sec to share, tweet, and Google+ it so that others can benefit from it, too.

Introductions; have you ever stopped to consider the power you have when you make introductions?  I often remind others to introduce people they know to people they need to meet.

Bonnie Ross-Parker facilitating relationships at the Pro-Networker Event. You simply never know where an introduction will lead!

Have you ever stopped to consider the power you have when you make introductions?  The reverse is also valuable.   Introduce people you meet to people they need to know.  You simply never know where an introduction will lead!  You have no way of knowing who YOU’LL meet and the difference that individual will make in YOUR life.  You never know who will meet YOU and the difference you can make in that person’s life. 

 A valuable part of one’s personal and professional growth is to recognize the power you have that can significantly affect individuals you meet along the way.  Learn to share your resources, your knowledge and your connections.  Not only will these efforts produce results for others – you’ll benefit from the reward that comes from being a person who cares about others. 

Want to grow your network?  Be a connector.  Click here to see how to facilitate relationships and make introductions.

Business Woman: Event | Joy Oliver & Dr. Cheryl Langley. We can’t wait to meet professional women in the Marietta area. We focus on bulding relationships. Then we learn about one another’s businesses. Our goal is to establish a strong community of like-minded business women. We are looking forward to bringing you the benefits of The Joy of Connecting Experience!

Business Woman: Event | Joy Oliver & Dr. Cheryl Langley can’t wait to meet professional women in the Marietta area to build relationships, learn about one another’s businesses and establish a strong community of like-minded business women. I look forward to bringing you the benefits of The Joy of Connecting Experience!

Spotlight Your Business: Feb 21| Event | Andrea Young |  #JOC

Kick Your New Business Up a Notch in 2013.

What if someone asks about your company or product? How well versed are you? Do you have a clear and simple description? Attend JOC and improve, transform and grow your business in a friendly environment.   42 Rules for Effective Connections – one of the many books available by Bonnie Ross Parker http://bit.ly/BRPBooks

Andrea Young, JOC Licensee says: You’ll meet a great group of women, enjoy a delicious dinner, build your business, build yourself and make some great friends along the way!

Powerhouse Self-Defense will significantly reduce the number of females that are sexually assualted each year in the USA, by empowering ladies, nationwide.

About: Powerhouse Self-Defense is designed to teach ladies how to avoid sexual assault with basic techniques. Just one self-defense technique is enough to make a difference. We will come to your location.COME PREPARED-LEAVE EMPOWERED!

(Editor’s note: You don’t have to be an “Apple” junkie to appreciate this wonderful column compliments of Therese Skelly.  I receive her newsletter and just had to pass this along.  Enjoy and do register for her complimentary special report.  Bonnie

Building Your Business and Making Sales the Steve Jobs Way

Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.”~Steve Jobs

Don’t you love that quote? This is why I’m so passionate about working with and empowering entrepreneurs to get out of their own way and break free from limitations that hold them back from being the change. Those of us who have heard the call and said yes to its whisper are the ones courageous enough to leave our jobs, step away from the perception of security, risk falling and failing, and ultimately undergo huge personal transformation….all in service of that deep dream that lives inside.

But it takes courage to play at this level. Courage to keep going when those around you chide you for being so ‘crazy’ as to wanting to do it on your own. And more courage yet to stay strong when the cash flow is weak and you might be swimming in fear and doubt, or can’t find the way to take your business to the next level. And it often takes even bigger amounts of courage to step up and sell your services and ask for rates that you really deserve.

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” ~Steve Jobs

Let me clarify what I mean by entrepreneurial courage. I define it as your ability to BOLDY express who you are in your business, sell your services, make decisions based on your strengths and gifts, and the willingness to go against the grain – to stand out and listen to your own inner voice and vision versus following along with what everyone else is doing.

And that takes guts, let me tell ya! If you are to be a successful business owner you must be a leader! This is where the courage comes in. As an employee, it is very likely that you were given work or told what to do. But when it’s your own business, you are responsible for creating all of it. While you may have a team, ultimately, the success or failure you experience is on your shoulders.

That’s why this entrepreneurial journey is not for the faint of heart!

If you talk with anyone who has been on the path for a while, they’ll likely share with you the steps they took and what they bumped into to finally own their brilliance and build a business around it. You’ve likely heard my story….I had a master’s degree in counseling, practiced for 25 years, yet felt that was a liability as a business coach! I had coaching training and certification and coached and trained with some of the industries finest to integrate the business building, marketing, sales, branding, copywriting that I know today, but because I had been a therapist I still felt like it wasn’t enough, so I had a really hard time selling my services.

The journey for me to really decide to build my brand and my business on the fact that I am an expert in this mindset and inner game area was a painful one to be sure. Why? Because as I often say….“Your Brilliance Lives In Your Blind Spot.” So in my case all my mentors and business girlfriends could clearly see where my business positioning needed to be, but I, 1) didn’t value it, 2) couldn’t figure out how to market it, and 3) had no idea how to weave it through my business model. And that experience has lead me to the path I am on today, and formed the foundation for the Serving Without Selling program and all the work I do with clients.

The craziest part? Just as in life, very often the thing we struggle with the most is where our gifts are and what we are actually here to teach. So guess what I’m teaching now? Yeah! How to get that brilliance out of your blind spot and own your value! How to have the courage to let YOU show up in your business, and how to make money doing what you love, and are good at.

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.” ~Steve Jobs

But how do you get courage? How do you risk putting yourself out there when it’s new or it’s scary? The #1 thing – get support! Truly. The issue lies in that you can’t see what you can’t see.

That’s why it’s my theory that your brilliance lives in your blind spot. Here’s what happens when it’s living there:

• · You can’t believe anyone would pay for it, so you can’t sell your services
• · You can’t charge appropriately for it because it “comes so easy” to you
• · You think everyone has it or can do it, so why do they need you?
• · You can’t figure out how to make it a business that makes money

I have worked with loads of business owners who were not loving their businesses because they weren’t marketing and selling the thing they should have been. They were listening to what someone else told them they should do, ‘selling out’ on their dream or chickening out and just taking the easy money.

And there’s nothing wrong with doing things to get some cash in the door! But is it costing you? If you are working with people that are costing you energy, it’s not worth it! Sometime we just have to make choices based on revenue, but if you are to have a satisfying and fulfilling business, it has to weave YOU in it.

But what kind of support do you want? Not just someone who rubber stamps your ideas. No, find someone who will challenge you to show up BIGGER than you are currently comfortable with. Find someone who will call you on your ‘stuff’ when you start backing down, and someone who takes the time with you to discover what you should be marketing and selling based on your unique gifts and talents and values.

The next step to get more courage is to create an empowering environment. Reading Steve Jobs quotes are inspiring and stimulating. Reading the Enquirer not so much! Listen to fellow entrepreneurs who have blazed the trail to show you that it’s possible. You must keep as much positivity in your environment as you can as you make the transition from just having a business to being the kind of business owner who’s making a difference in the world. It’s a big shift, so set yourself up for success by having an environment that pulls you forward. This is where vision boards and inspiring books, goal setting or affirmations, and coaching work well.

And once you make the commitment to have a business you love, based on your gift and unique talents, it’s a whole lot more rewarding.

“Almost everything–all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure–these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.” ~Steve Jobs

I couldn’t have said it better. Thanks Steve and thank YOU my readers for showing up and doing the great work you do in the world.

Therese Skelly is a business catalyst and mindset mentor, helping service based entrepreneurs create businesses they will love.  Visit her site at www.HappyinBusiness.com, and for a free special report on how to get your brilliance out of your blindspot and into your profit spot, go to www.Happyinbusiness.com/Innermarketingebook

Who is she? She is empowered, enlightened and enterprising. She exudes energy, enthusiasm and confidence. She has embarked on a journey and created a mission only she can fulfill. She’s a risk taker. She connects. She collaborates. She gives back. The entrepreneurial woman will not be denied. She deserves success and takes pride in her accomplishments. She sets the standard of excellence in all that she does and in all that she is. She endures.

The entrepreneurial woman is unstoppable. She does it all. She creates. She markets. She promotes. She shares resources. She supports other like minded individuals with her ideas, her time, and her talent. It requires courage to be an entrepreneurial woman in today’s marketplace. There’s no fall back. No pay check. No employee benefits. No paid vacations. It’s you, your products and/or services, vying for consumers in an already established economic environment. It’s possessing the fortitude to differentiate yourself from everyone else by finding a unique way to be memorable.

In the early 80′s after completing my 12th year in the teaching profession I left to pursue my entrepreneurial dream and purchased a franchise. Everyone thought I was crazy. A typical comment was, “How can you give up your career, vacations, benefits, etc. to owning a retail business? You’ll have to work at year round including weekends!” No one and nothing could persuade me. I was ready. I was determined. I was tired of someone else directing my life. I wanted control even if that meant long hours, hard work, and facing the unknown. Twelve years later I owned 6 franchises and became the Regional Director with responsibility to oversee 22 other stores.

I look back on those years with huge satisfaction. I went from school teacher to entrepreneur. I went from a single pay check to multiple streams of income. I proved to myself and those who doubted my determination that I could meet the challenges and survive. I know what it takes first hand to break away and go out on your own. I know the amount of faith it requires. I also know the rewards that come from doing what you really want to do even if it means following unfamiliar roads to travel an uncertain journey.

The entrepreneurial woman in the marketplace is doing better than surviving. She’s thriving. She’s unique. She’s a gift. She’s a person who endures. It serves us all when we pay attention to and support the entrepreneurial woman economically. She takes her tasks seriously, often over delivers, and shows us what is possible by her example. If you are an entrepreneurial woman, congratulations! If you are considering “stepping out on your own”, go for it! I for one am eager to support you, your talent and ideas. I believe others will, too.

You’re looking for a business opportunity to be your own boss and earn unlimited income, however you’re not yet in the financial position to leave behind the steady paycheck and health benefits you’re day job offers. How long should you wait before you take charge and start your own business?

By participating in network marketing (also known as multi-level marketing or MLM), you can begin today — and still keep your day job! The low initial investment (ranging from $25-$1,000, depending on the company) and the freedom to work out of your home and set your own schedule make network marketing the ideal vehicle for starting a business part-time.

The challenge, however, is knowing how to build your MLM venture to a level at which you can leave your salaried position to devote yourself full-time to pursue your entrepreneurial dream. When the bulk of your day is spent on working for someone else and fighting rush-hour traffic, where do you find the time and energy to grow your business? What can you do right now — while working a regular job — to take your MLM business to a full-time level?

SEEING THE OPPORTUNITY

Begin by cultivating a success. Winston Churchill once said, “An optimist sees an opportunity in every calamity; a pessimist sees a calamity in every opportunity.” The problem is that many aspiring entrepreneurs view having to work for someone else as a “calamity.” They dread going to work, thinking, “I can’t wait till I leave this place and be free!” Unfortunately, because of negative attitudes, individuals overlook the very opportunities and resources available to them in the workplace which would allow them to achieve their goals faster.

Brainstorm ways that your present job can actually benefit your MLM business. For example, when you arrive at work, be observant!. Each person you work with is potentially a customer — or even “business builder” — for you. Imagine! You have the opportunity, on a daily basis, to develop relationships with these “prospects.” Then realize the number of people each of your fellow employees know. (Experts say that every person you meet knows at least 250 other people.) Talk about an ideal starting point from which to build a lucrative client base! Opportunities abound, when you’re looking for them.

SETTING GOALS

Once you’ve committed to turning on an “opportunity” mentality, your next step is to write down your goals and design a strategy for achieving them. How much income do you require from your new business to be comfortable replacing your current salary? Write that number down. Next, determine a deadline as to when you want to accomplish that goal. With your target in sight, outline the action steps you need to take in order to “hit the mark” within your time frame.

After you’ve set your goals, share them with people who trust you, believe in you, and want you to be successful. This can include the person who sponsored you, colleagues, your spouse, or friends. Ask them to help you by holding you accountable for achieving your goals and remind you, when frustrations and disappointments occur, of the ultimate freedom you’ll gain by building a successful business.

MAXIMIZING YOUR TIME

Even though you’re spending much of your day working for someone else, you still have opportunities to grow your business. The key is leveraging that time to achieve your goals. Here are five tips to help you make the most of your time:

1. Determine what time-management system works best for you, and use it. Don’t leave your business growth to chance. If you’re going to succeed, you need to plan and be proactive.
2. Plan on a weekly basis. How many hours this week do you intend to devote to your business? Do you need to get up early, stay up later, or both?
3. Use your lunch time and other scheduled breaks to build your MLM business. Meet prospects for lunch, write follow-up notes, or study your company materials — any activity that will help you take your venture to the next level.
4. Stay positive. Negative thoughts waste time and blind you to the business-building opportunities around you. Focus on your goals, not your setbacks.
5. Keep a daily record of how you’re using your time each day. This will show you where you can improve on your time-management.

Remember, your time is limited, however, that’s no excuse for failure. You have the time you need to make your business succeed, so make the most of it!

LEARNING THE BUSINESS

As in any business endeavor, ignorance is NOT bliss. What you don’t know CAN hurt you. Therefore, invest time to learn all you can about the network marketing industry and about company. Read your particular books like Leonard W. Clement’s Inside Network Marketing (Prima Publishing, $14.00), Richard Poe’s Wave 3: The New Era in Network Marketing (Prima Publishing, $14.95), The Greatest Networker in the World (Prima Publishing, $12.00) by John Milton Fogg, the founder and chairman of Upline Magazine, and How to Make Big Money in Multi-Level Marketing (Prentice Hall, $14.95) by David Roller. Listen to tapes and attend training meetings. Call your sponsor to get your questions answered.

Don’t waste time and energy trying to figure out the business on your own. By studying what the experts have to say, you’ll shorten your learning curve — and the time it will take for you to go full-time in MLM.

MAKING THE TRANSITION

How can you tell when you’re ready to “cut loose” from your day job? The first key is patience. Wait at least until your business income is close to or on track to replacing your current salary. Not having sufficient income will put an unnecessary strain on what could be a successful business in the future.

Secondly, make sure you have at least three committed, income-producing leaders in your organization. This way, you know that you have assurance that your business will continue to grow.

And finally, trust your intuition. You’ll know when you’re ready. Your commitment to success and your work ethic will be so strong that you’ll feel momentum driving your business to a “full-time” level.

FULFILLING YOUR DREAM

While working 9 to 5, plus long commutes, leaves limited time to devote to your business, don’t let that hold you back from a better future! Set your MLM business goals today and outline the steps you need to take to achieve them. Then GO FOR IT! When you commit to do whatever it takes to succeed, you’ll fulfill your dream of having a lifestyle of time and financial freedom. Begin today for a better tomorrow.

“What’s Holding You Back?”

One of the keys to taking your MLM venture from a part-time activity to a full-time business is to identify the obstacles that could keep you from fulfilling your dream. Here are seven to beware of and what you can do to avoid them:

1. Unclear vision. Define EXACTLY what you want and outline the steps that will take you there.
2. No business plan. Remember, despite the extremely low initial investment, it is a bona fide business. Therefore, don’t treat it like a hobby. Design and implement a business plan that will keep you on course toward your goals.
3. Half-hearted commitment. If you take a “try-and-see” approach, you may abandon ship too soon, — just as you were about to reach your goal. Resolve to “stay on board” for the long-haul. You’ll arrive at your destination in due time.
4. Focusing on busy work instead of profitable activity. Establish your priorities and make all your decisions in light of them.