Atlanta Journal Constitution article:  Networking is critical to one’s success.  In good times and bad, it’s the ties that bind.  www.Google.com -  Check out networking associations and organizations – there are tens of thousands available!  Tired of the same ‘ole networking chatter?  Wish you could be somewhere else?  Is anyone listening to what you have to say?  Does anyone care?

With 29+ years of networking experiences to draw from, it’s obvious to me that for most individuals networking is either ‘tell and sell’ or ‘hit and run’!  The race to the finish line seems to be about who can engage in small talk faster and collect the most business cards.  Recognizing that females differ in the way they network, The Joy of Connecting was created to provide a platform for professional women to meet, to socialize, to build relationships AND foster business without the harried/impersonal format that’s most familiar at mixed gender events.  Women love to connect with one another and do so naturally.  Just recently I received several testimonial/endorsement letters from JOC participants and thought – why not let you hear about The Joy of Connecting from women who value their experience and were open to sharing their thoughts with others?

Testimonials:

Bonnie, as a first timer at a JOC event, I immediately felt at home and welcomed. Every single female in the room was open, positive, and encouraging! It was a safe place to be yourself and share with other likeminded women. The evening was organized, well ran, and respected everyone’s time! Yasmeen Lord, Designer – By Yaz – Atlanta, GA

I had to share a few words to describe my first Joy of Connecting event: welcoming, relaxed, educational, positive, and productive. We first enjoyed a delicious meal and got acquainted simply as individual women, without performing pitches or “commercials.” Then we followed a structured format to share information about our products or services with the group in a natural way which reflected our genuine personality and sincerity. At the program’s conclusion we freely mixed and mingled to ask questions, try free samples, and follow up on interest. A few sales were made on the spot. A special treat is the inclusion of artists who sometimes share their talents, such as a wonderful song or fabulous fashion piece. The room was brimming with mutual support, encouragement and reciprocity. There’s no doubt in my mind that each one of us left feeling very “connected” to other participants and were eager to attend the next JOC. Joanna Boyce, Ardyss, Int’l – Licensee for Lawrenceville, GA

I always immediately know it when I’ve connected with positive people.  An entrepreneur since 2005, last night’s Joy of Connecting business networking forum was the best meeting of its kind that I have ever attended! From the extraordinary ambiance to the fantastic food ~ this room filled with empowered women was delightful in manifold ways. The strength, support and resourcefulness shared promises to yield great benefits to my business and my life. So as I take another whiff of Kathey M’s “Good Soap” ~ I am reminded of the joys of connecting! Thanks Bonnie ~ you rock! Val McLeod, Chief Facilitator – Conversations with V (Savannah, GA)

My experience of attending The Joy of Connecting event in February 2012 has impacted my business tremendously. The diversity and versatility of every leading lady in attendance was truly rewarding in every aspect of business growth. I have attended countless seminars over the years and have to admit that JOC is one of the most effective and powerful of them all. The beautiful angel and founder of JOC, Ms. Bonnie Ross-Parker is like a magnet of energy and compassion in connecting women business owners. I am proud to be a lifetime member of JOC and will continue to support and encourage every new or veteran business owner to attend. I promise every woman will leave there on a natural high of success…like I did. Thank you Ms. Bonnie for embracing me with your gracious and elegant spirit. I am definitely a certified JOC supporter! Pebbles, Owner of  Closet Talk Consignment Lounge Smyrna, GA

Being an entrepreneur in today’s economy is a wonderful opportunity to share your talents IF you have what it takes to be successful! What is it about the successful entrepreneur that is integral to that success? Do women entrepreneurs have common traits that help with success? Is it luck? Is it their product/service? Or, is it something characteristic about her that means she would likely be successful at anything she attempted?

The woman entrepreneur will likely need some luck, but it is her drive, faith, energy and vision that will propel her to reach her goal(s). Here are a few common traits of the successful female entrepreneur. And while there are likely others, possessing these are certainly indicators that your chance of success is significantly increased.

1. Drive. Failure is not an option for the committed entrepreneur. Bumps in the road will not set her back, but will steel her resolve. She is on a mission and knows she will get to her goal.

2. Vision. The female entrepreneur is a big-picture person. She can see her successful business, what it looks like with all of its components. She can see her product on the shelves, her services in action. She is not only not afraid to dream big, but views her daydreams as achievable.

3. Autonomy. This woman likes to be in control and isn’t afraid to make decisions by herself. She is comfortable with being alone and has confidence in her intelligence. She is a take-charge person. This woman doesn’t wait for someone else to act and doesn’t second guess her choices.

4. Intuitive. The woman entrepreneur trusts her instincts about her product or service, the market and her business management skills. She uses her instinct as well as her research and her knowledge to guide her business decisions. She knows that her instincts will be what sets her apart from her competitors and will ultimately lead to her success.

5. Distinctive. People remember this woman. She is distinctive. Her product or service is distinctive and her company is a stand alone. There is nothing ordinary here.

6. Planner. This woman not only devises and puts down on paper her business plan, she follows it. She doesn’t lose sight of her goals or methods for reaching her goals. When she reaches a fork in the road, she might explore the alternate route and add it to her business plan. However, she never forgets her vision. Her business plan is the written version of the vision she sees in her mind.

7. Risk-taker. Starting a business isn’t the first time this woman has thrown the dice. She isn’t afraid to bet everything on herself. She has been known to jump before.

Grounded entrepreneurs are a rare breed. Those men and women who can truly create and lead their own original business are a combination of visionary and realist. For the true female entrepreneur, the stakes may be high and the odds may be long, but there is no other option for her.

Billions of dollars are spent each year by a certain group of people… and that group is everywhere we look, and you’re probably one of them!

I’m talking about moms. Mothers are responsible for much of the household spending and influence the buying decisions of family members across generations.

If you’re looking to market more effectively to this group of savvy online consumers, download this free 9-page report:

“Quick & Easy Ways to Market to the Powerful Multi-Billion Dollar Market of Mothers Online”

This report shows you:

- Just how big and influential the mom market is
- Why moms use the Internet & what they do there
- How to reach moms and gain their confidence – all on a shoestring budget.

Your download is completely free and comes without any type of obligation.

Click here to get yours

(Click on the link to open, or right-click to save to your desktop.)

by Dory Devlin

You know if she knows you’re feeling the pinch this year with rising gas prices, job uncertainty, and all-around-everything-is-so-expensive anxiety, Mom is not going to want you to spend a ton on her this Mother’s Day.

The market analysts who watch just how much we spend on what predict fewer dollars will be spent on Mom this May, though not in a big way. The National Retail Federation says, on average, we’ll each spend $138.63 on presents for mom, down from $139.14 last year, which still adds up to $15.8 billion. Tons of dough, which most moms would rather you not spend.

With that in mind, I thought my obligatory Mother’s Day post on Work+Money would focus on what working moms could use for Mother’s Day. If you ask any working mom, top of her list would be time. More time to get everything done that needs to be done. Time to just stop and be with our families.

Since my blogging roots are in tech, I always think of tech-related ideas first because tech is supposed to help us be more productive at work so we have more time for the other parts of our lives. So here a few tech ideas, and more importantly, ideas to give mom some time apart from all of her demands, and some other great ideas from the women of Shine.

Smartphone for a smart mom: Okay, if your mom is looking to make the leap from basic flip phone to a smartphone that will allow her to text and email with a full QWERTY keyboard, check email easily while on the road, the iPhone is all the rage and is very cool, but RIM’s BlackBerry Curve will do everything she needs. If you go the BlackBerry/iPhone route, take a tip from my chat with Lisa Belkin on her Life’s Work XM radio show the other day: Tell her to turn off the beeps and sounds that let you know when every single email has arrived so it doesn’t make her less productive and stressed. (Lisa does.) If you’ve got an older mom who is having trouble seeing the tiny, tiny print on her mobile phone, I recommend the Jitterbug phone, which is so intuitive to use, has large type on the screen, and can always reach a live operator by pressing zero. After the initial $147 purchase price, you can tailor monthly plans to how you use the phone, for as low as $10 a month. Continue Reading »

By Elizabeth Gordon

You often hear about entrepreneurs getting lucky – getting on Oprah or selling their business for $50 million to a big conglomerate. When you hear these stories of seeming overnight success, it makes you think, “Wow, they are sooo lucky.” But what sometimes appears to be luck is actually the result of a well laid plan and strategy that is finally coming to fruition. Every time you hear the story of an entrepreneur’s big win, you are probably not going to hear about the 100 times before that they failed, but trust me, they did.

What allowed them to eventually get to their big win? They didn’t beat themselves up after they failed, nor did they let it make them fearful of taking future risks. Instead, they viewed each small failure as simply a stepping-stone on the path to success. The good news is you can improve your luck. When you recognize that there is no such thing as “the overnight success story” and instead make the goal of each day to move the ball one step closer to your goal, you’ll increase your odds every day. If so-called good luck is really just persistence, creativity and determination that have finally paid off, there are some ways to stack the deck in your favor.   Continue Reading »

By Jewel Diamond Taylor
motivational speaker and author
www.WomenOnTheGrow.com

Lord, I am a woman-on-the-grow.
Please help me…

* to find the strength to get up when I just want to give up.

* to speak up the next time he/she disrespects or abuses me.

* to guard myself from family/friends who challenge my trust, patience, time, faith and money.

* to be grateful and show up for my job even though I don’t enjoy it.

* to be a good provider for myself and my family with less stress and struggle.

* to resist my additions. Continue Reading »

By Sri Dasgupta

“How do I connect with someone quickly?”

This may seem like a simple question, but it’s actually a little more complex — and perhaps you know that already. When I work privately with clients on such a topic, it takes a few months!

Still, here are two steps you can take right away, to connect quickly with someone, no matter what the situation. Continue Reading »

By Minesh Baxi

Use these 10 questions to determine how focused you are on Networking

1. I have at least 400 people in my network who receive information from me at least once a month
2. I have a compelling 30-second commercial
3. I focus more on selling through my relationships than on selling to people directly
4. I have marketing materials like business cards, brochures and a website, which showcase my expertise. They have a clear, attention getting headline, bulleted points about what I can do for my clients and a low risk, irresistible offer Continue Reading »

By Biba Pedron

Networking is my favorite, low-cost marketing tool. However, a large number of people often find it a challenge to get results and turn prospects into clients, simply by networking.

So here is another very effective marketing tool that requires no skills, can be applied to your business immediately and will help you to gain many new clients.

Simply get testimonials from your current clients!

Testimonials from satisfied customers are typically the best way to promote your business. And it doesn’t cost you a thing. So, stop selling and let your clients and raving fans do it for you. Continue Reading »

By Larry Baltz

You’re sitting in a room full of eager business owners at a networking event. One by one, everyone stands up and introduces themselves, hopefully gaining the opportunity to find one or two new prospects in the crowd.

Unfortunately, most business people stink at Introductions.

Take for instance the remarks made at a recent event I attended. A hotel sales rep introduced himself and stated that his hotel offered beds, meals and meeting rooms. Oh really? How many hundreds of hotels offer that, I thought. What he said was essentially the same introduction used by all the hotel sales people in the room that day. Continue Reading »