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Posted on Thursday, May 29, 2008 by Yana Berlin
Hi Ladies,
For those of you who are actively involved in their businesses and are doing what you love, I would like to set up a podcast and bring on specialists that can answer your questions, and help you grow your business.
What I would like to hear from you is which areas of your business you need help with. Is it marketing? Business Plan? Manufacturing, etc.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Yana
Hi Yana!
I am in need of help in expanding my network for Passionate for Life. Becoming an interactive social network, and marketing the site.
Thank You for the opportunity!
Dana
Hi Yana - I think this is a great idea. You have always been such a huge supporter of my goals, and I know so many others can learn from you too. Whomever told you you won’t succeed at something must not know you. Because even though we have never met, I know you are a go-getter and will be successful at whatever you put your mind to. Go get ‘em tiger, and if I can help, I am here.
PS - I would say one of my biggest challenges is not having enough hours in the day to accomplish all that I want to and finding better means of distribution.
Ladies,
Thank you for your comments,
My goal here is to get feedback from all of you and set up a call where we can strategically address your issues and see if we can provide feedback that would move your business along.
Remember that individually we can only do so much, together as a TEAM the SKY IS THE LIMIT.
Hi. This is a wonderful idea! I have found that with the economy the way it is right now, even Internet sites are being affected. I am finding more and more sites having to shut down because of this. It’s very sad. I think marketing would be a great area to cover. Proper marketing is needed more than ever, even for well established sites.
Laurie
I have some goals to expand my team and I’m looking for some creative ideas on how to go about expanding. What is the most effective approach to getting my opportunity in front of people? Should I have opportunity events? What is the likely ROI? If the ROI is good, how would I go about planning an event? Should I bring in competition from other companies to draw more attendees or do something on my own?
Just some of my thoughts.
Thanks for organizing the event.
Hi Yana, everyone!
How do you say no to someone elses dream so that you can have your own? This is something I’m face with at the moment. I’ve been down the road setting up business with this person (a relative) that didn’t work out. Now that I’m in the planning stages for my own, and have been out there doing something, here comes this person again! It would be great hearing feedbacks on this issue!
Hi Donna,
I have a balsy but honest reply for you.
I have many people in my life who approached me for a partnership, and when I was beginning in my entrepreneurial career I partnered up with some of them. Some businesses worked, while others failed, but one thing was for sure I made a decision not to establish partnerships unless it was absolutely necessary to move the business along. For instance if capital was required that I didn’t have or the person had marketing skills that would benefit the business the partnership was considered, otherwise it was a no brainer.
Now when people approach me, I’m very upfront about, I simply say, that I’m at this special time in my life where I like to do things my way, and that interference with a healthy partnership. I than encourage them to start their own venture and provide resources that they can pull from.
And Donna, don’t have any guilt doing it, partnerships have to compliment each other, and you need to do what’s good for you.
If this relative is a woman, invite her to the group and let her Do What She Loves, not what you love.
All the best.
Yana
I am a new author (Rock Star Mommy). I am always on the lookout for PR strategies! I subscribe to couple of Book Promotion Newsletters and am always surprised by how much I don’t know!
Donna, I am so in agreement with Yana about partnerships etc. This is too important, Donna, to let good manners dictate what you do.
I do understand what you‘re feeling though. Being self employed or working alone can be a bit daunting at first and I confess to often feeling lonely, particularly as I had been managing in a large hospital and was used to lots of people to being around. I was very receptive to joint working opportunities initially, and like you, Donna, sometimes felt it was unkind to say no!
I look back now and marvel at how I was so naive! And I made mistakes with people, good people, but they just weren’t on my wave length, and I wasn’t on theirs. I found myself making compromises I didn’t want to make.
Early on I joined a women’s only networking organisation and I found that really helpful and supportive. The monthly meetings over a glass of wine rarely generatd any business but they did help me establish my business and feel clear about what I was doing. Later on I got a business coach and that has been enormously helpful. he doesn’t pull his punches an dtells me straight when i am indulging myself and not being business minded (Although I think if you can’t be self indulgent from time to time what’s the point in being the boss!)
So my advice is make it very clear you want to do this on your own but keep the lines open. You could be coaching buddies and share information and resources as they set up their own unique business and you can even share costs from time when you maybe do promotions or events. But you can do it alone and in my experience that’s the best!
Best wishes to all you amazing entrepreneurial women out there! Women do business differently and I love it!
Jane changingpeople
I am versed in Web 2.0 and social media (one and the same), but I’m resistent to Web 3.0 (mobile. I don’t know if it’s age or economics). While I normally talk with DIY crafters and Indie artists, Social media is social media..
Feel free to share your passports (or IDs) for socnets so I can find you.
I am:
[Link Removed]
[Link Removed]
debra roby on facebook
debroby on seesmic
This is really a fantastic site! So much energy is felt as I read the posts. I look forward to learning more and growing my business that I work from my home.
Thanks Again,
Linda of EcoMomsCare.com
This is a great site, and the podcast idea is a very good one. I own an sustainable apparel
[Link Removed]
and I know I will have questions.
Thanks so much.
Zoica
Hi, everyone. I’m not sure if this is the right place to post this, if there is a better place, can someone let me know please? If anyone is interested, I own a family friendly directory called Web-Beacon Family Directory. I know how hard it is to market your business Web site. It can be so expensive. I struggle with marketing with my site every day, knowing what to do, etc...A site listing in my directory is regularily $39.99, but if anyone from Fabulously 40 would like to list with me, I guarantee more traffic to your site, I will list the site for $19.99. I’d like to extend this offer to all members, in case anyone is interested. If this is inappropriate, I’m sorry. I just really want to help people with their marketing and help them to succeed in any way I can, and I really mean that. I’ve had people help me along the way and it meant a lot.
If anyone is interested, or if they know how I could offer this to all members, if it’s ok, send me a message on here, or email me at
[Link Removed]
.
And, again, if this is inappropriate in any way, just tell me!
Thanks, everyone and have a great weekend!
Blessings,
Laurie
Hi Yana,
Yes I would really like some direction in how to market a site. Is the SEO worth doing? I have paid to have my site listed in the top search engines and nothing really came of it. Meaning I did not see any increase in my site traffic. What other ways are there for us to market ourself/websites. YES YES I would love to have experts share with us!
Thanks,
Linda
www.SaferForYourHomeAndSelf.com
Donna, GO FOR IT ON YOUR OWN !
Like many have said, this way your “dreams” for your business will be reached not put on the back burner with a partnership from the get go.
Be strong and move forward!
[Link Removed]
Will address SEO in our future podcasts.
In the mean time here is my pep talk:
Most of the SEO do not guarantee any results. You pay and hope that your traffic increases. You need to be in the top search engines such as Google, MSN, Yahoo, etc.
Yahoo has a paid submission for $299 I think that’s worth paying for, the rest are free.
The best way is to network, network and network some more. Social Networks are becoming increasingly popular, but what people don’t understand is that you can not create an account post a blog and get all users to buy your stuff. You need to build a brand, build yourself as an authority and interact with a community. Once that is established traffic comes....it’s a long and arduous process but it is very effective.
Links and banner exchanges are a great way to increase your traffic, but don’t just exchange with any one, try to find your targeted audience.
That’s my two cents for the day.
Have a fantastic weekend everyone.
Yana,
Thanks for the SEO info,. I will check out the $299 yahoo submission this weekend!
Enjoy your weekend to the fullest!!!
[Link Removed]
Yana and Changingpeople, thsnks for the honesty! You‘re both right of course and I know that. I’m a coward who doesn’t want to hurt my relative’s feelings but I have to do it and I promise myself to do it. I have been looking at the offer more though Yana, as you say, if it will help financially or benefit my plans in anyway? I’m on the fence. Her ideas are similar to mine and that’s probably because I talked to her about my ideas some years ago!lol! [Keep your ideas to yourself ladies!] But as I said, I’ve been out there doing something, very part time, and once I get the ball rolling I know it can be a success! I just find it really hard what to say...and I’m not usually tongue-tied! Not so much what to say, but how to say without the hurt feelings?! Anway, I’m going to stop procrastinate and get to it...
Hi, blancogator.
One of the main reasons you do not have good luck with search engines can be your keywords. They are VERY important. Here is a free tool you can use that will analyze your keywords and everything else that is important to search engines. (No, I am not affiliated with them in any way, I just use the tool myself) It will give you all of the info you need to know. Just enter your URL in the box and click the Check URL button. It will let you know what you need to fix on your site, if you choose to do so.
[Link Removed]
Laurie
Thanks Laurie for the the Scrub the web info. I will use it tonight and see what it suggests! Thanks again!
Linda
[Link Removed]
You‘re more than welcome. I hope it helps. There are a lot of people/sites out there that have free tools you can use, you just have to find them.
I’ve been told, repeatedly, in the past few weeks that the new way to advertise is to have business page up on social networks like Facebook and Myspace. I did make one on Facebook, but they make it very hard for anyone to find you. Their business profiles are call ‘pages’ and you cannot find them in searches. You have to have people become your ‘fans‘, but they can only find your page if they find a link on someone else’s Facebook profile, so it’s very hard. There are other sites where you can add a business page also and I’m checking them out. Has anyone had any success doing this?
Laurie
Yana:
A good place to start for your first podcast would be at the beginning of creating a business...getting an expert/s that can speak to the tiny details or would be willing to give a step-by-step or check-list for those of us who are at the beginning OR have put their cart before their horse when it comes to their business. It can be so overwhelming at times and we tend to drop the ball or skip over tiny details that end up biting us.
Another great podcast would be on the 10 Biggest Mistakes and the 10 Smartest Things to Do or Not Do when establishing your business. There are many here...including me...who could speak to this!
I can’t wait for the podcasts to start.
I am building a virtual assisting business. I also work long hours as a radiographer/mammographer. I am a single mom (I am engaged, but have been single most my life)and need to support my boys. I am finding it very frustrating not having the time I need to work on my business. I know that I will do very well at it and I am already building client?le. I also have VA’s that want to work under me. I am scared to death to take that leap of faith being as I have 2 mortgages and a lot of unsecured debt! (Not to mention 2 teenage boys that eat everything in two gulps!) Any suggestions here??
Kindest
Melanie
Marketing is where I need help. I’d like to know what are the most cost effective ways to advertise to build your work from home business. Is it networking on the internet, advertising in papers, internet or magaznes?? How about Press releases??
So yes, I’d love to hear about anything that would get me infromt on front of the right audience!
Thanks Yana,
Linda
EcoMomsCare!
Yana, Where can I find out more info on the Yahoo paid submission for $299 that you mentioned last week!
Thanks Linda
This is a great place to share our needs and also to support one another wherever possible.
Right now I could use advice on marketing a book I co-authored with Lynn Hull
It is a coaching book specifically written for women approaching 50 or beyond who have unfulfilled desires. Getting the general public to be aware of the book is slow going. We believe it is mainly due to the fact that most people buy books written by authors whom they are familiar with or books that have been recommended by a friend or a well-known person like Oprah.
We’ve received some great reviews and have been interviewed by some internet radio programs; however, we need to get noticed by someone with clout
! And, I do realize, that as new authors, this our experience is probably typical.
Thanks for reading this.......Julie
Your Life Your Way: The Essential Guide for Women
www.essentialguideforwomen.com
www.essentialguideforwomenblog.com
I would love to improve my marketing strategy on the internet. I don’t get very much traffic to my website. But I also need help with my content because I think I should have converted some of that traffic to a few sales by now. There are so many factors involved. I create artisan handcrafted jewelry, and many other do that too, so I need to brand myself, focus on a niche, and spread the word. I work full time as a manager at a health services company, so my time is limited for my home business. Any help is appreciated.
LeAllyson
Plum Beadacious
[Link Removed]
Ladies,
Doing what you love is an on going group that provides support for woman business owners.
Submit your questions, share ideas, success and strategies.
Here is the latest podcast
http://media.fabulously40.com/audio/Busines 20Plan 20Podcast-.mp3
I would appreciate your feed back, and more questions that we will address in our upcoming sessions.
By ourselves we are limited together we can rule the world.
The best is yet come.
See you on our Fabulous Space.
Yana
Thank you for the podcast Yana! Very useful, eye opening information. Looking forward to the next one :)
All the best,
Zoica
Oh, boy, this is really great. Thank you, Yana, for your vision 3 years ago. I loved the podcast, look forward to the next one. You have inspired me to ressurect the beloved business that I was allowing to die on the vine. As women, when we start a business it is generally born out of love or passion; it’s in our very fiber and very very personal. Thank you for providing a forum for us!
Cynthia Schmidt
Chocolatier
Yana, once again I think the pod cast would be a great idea. I am new to the site so I don’t know if this has taken place yet. Please let me know if this has happened already and or when it will be occurring in the future.
I would love to learn more about blogging, driving traffic to your sites etc.
Thanks,
Arletta
Hello Donna08,
I’m new to the site, but I felt your pain. I have found it is always more difficult to make decisions when it comes to family, more so than anyone else. I don’t know if it would help you to think of this family member as you would a difficult employee you might have to terminate. Perhaps a consideration would be... if they walked out before, what is stopping them from walking again, leaving you in a pickle? Sorry, that’s my two cents. Have a great Weekend, and good luck! It is your business, It is your decision.
Make you Happy!
Hugz,
Marie53
Good Morning Ladies,
I am new to the site, and I just wanted to say, that I am sooooooo glad to be here. It may take me a little time to learn to navigate but it will come to me.
I am looking to start a business in the near future. So Yana, I need all the help I can get! I have always been in retail, and due to health issues, I will never be able to work for anyone (retail) again. I can work for me! I would like to open a shop selling jewelry, Precious gemstone jewelry, that working women can afford! Also jewelry for children old enough realize it’s not a candy necklace. ;)
Thank you for having me and allowing me to be a part of your lives.
Hugz,
Marie53
Hello Marie53,
Welcome to this fabulous network!
I like the idea of children jewelry. I think is really unique, and with a lot of potential.
Best of luck!
Zoica
Hello Anette,
I apprecite the Welcome! It is great to be here. My niece is a great inspriation to me. Cheyenne is 9 years old going on 53, she is highly intellegent, and very mature for her age. I helped her make a bracelet for her mother last evening. It was great fun. Today when I saw her mother, Jodi, I noticed that she was wearing the bracelet that Cheyenne made for her last night! I was thrilled.
Thank you,
Hugz,
Marie53
Nothing better than having an inspiration muse, and the first customer
! That sounds great!
Now, you need to make a plan. Start writing down what you would like to produce, who is your customer, how are you going to produce them, location, source of materials, cost, selling price, where you will sell them. I am just mentioning a few, but there are steps that need to be taken for a successful business. Having an apparel business, I know that, and I know you cannot skip them. Then is your business plan, write it down as simple as it can be at this stage, and go over it later, any time you feel more confident.
Good luck!
Zoica
Hello Donna,
I say stay close to your dreams and DON“T let anyone stop you. I am not a great fan of family in business. But it happens and yes I have been their. Sit down and write all the good things that you have by yourself in business then write why you should not go into business with someone else you will know by the second line why you have to do this yourself. What a great feeling when you go to bed at night and wake up with new ideas. And this site is great to share and get someone else thoughts on this. So your not alone.
I feel for you but enjoy where you are now and don’t let someone else change that. Its a great feeling to be incontrol of who and what your are. Don’t feel sorry after you have done the hard work. This is all about YOU
Keep us posted Good luck
Donna Safe & Secure
[Link Removed]
One thing this site has done is inspire me to bring my business back to life. I became a chocolatier while living in Washington State. I created a line of chocolates, tested my flavors in the town’s Saturday open air market, supplied wholesale to a B&B, a coffee house and 2 wineries. I was building my business with plans to move and continue to grow it somewhere else. Then I met my husband. I moved to Hawaii with full intention of continuing my business there. My costs tripled, the health department and other government agencies were incredibly difficult to deal with and I discovered that Hawaii is not exactly the friendliest place on earth to do business. I was disheartened. But, the demand for my chocolates continued to grow. I went “underground” making my chocolates at home and selling them only to friends and family just to keep doing what I love and not lose the skill and techniques I had so painstakenly developed. But now I feel inspired! Here’s where I would like some suggestions:
I want to make a very simple website, manage it myself, have a blog within it and even be able to occasionally post an instructional video - any thoughts?
I’ve thought of PayPal instead of getting a merchant account - any thoughts?
I’ve used US Postal service for my shipping to the mainland with good luck during the cooler months but am open to other options - any thoughts?
Lastly, here’s a photo of one of my truffles. I’ve posted the other one on my profile.
Thanks for your suggestions
Cynthia
Hi Cyntia!
I can only comment on this from my experience. It takes time and patience, but you can do it in steps:
1. Do some research, see other websites that you like and write down what you would like to see on yours. Start with fewer pages.
2. Establish a budget.
3. Contact web designers and start a dialog. The prices can go really high, up into thousands.
3. If your budget is still under, start a really basic one, make it yourself ( I heard about a site where you can do it, but I need to contact her to get the name)or contact a freelancer( I can help you with that)
4. Remember your site is your image, your storefront on the web, so you need to be happy with the image that you are portraying. So if you start basic, go back and make it right!
Good luck!
Zoica
You are every welcome! BTW I love your truffle pic. Very enticing!
In regard to Pay Pal, it seems that customers prefer it, they feel more comfortable with it, and more secure, while from your stand point, it is a lot less expensive that opening a merchant account, and takes less time to set it up.
If you want to check out the merchant accounts, mine is a very good one, and comes with a decent monthly cost.
Shipping: I use USPS Priority Mail. It turned out better than UPS.
All the Best,
Zoica
I’m all about learning as much as I can to grow my business. I would like help with marketing, especially how to drive traffic to my website, SEO, etc...
Yana, thank you and I look forward to learning more!
Blessings,
Leslie
Hi Ladies,
For those of you who missed this mornings email, here are the details for our next podcast this week
WHEN: Thursday at 5:30 PST
Conference Dial-in Number: (269) 320-8200
Participant Access Code: 468409#
TOPIC:
Driving LOTS of traffic to your site for FREE
Join me, I look forward to speaking to you this Thursday.
Also, check out our last podcast on the most crucial part of your business.
http://media.fabulously40.com/audio/Busines 20Plan 20Podcast-.mp3
I’d love to be able to get writing jobs that would allow me to get my name further out there, thereby creating paying me enough to work as a full-time writer!
not easy to do even w/ the wonderful help of Yana, and several published friends!
have no idea how to really do an excellent query or get people who’ve never heard of me to read it/them!
Hi Ladies,
Here is a link to our what was suppose to be a recorded podcast, but I got so excited on the call I forgot to record it.
Please except my apologies, and see detailed description of that call.
http://fabulously40.com/article/2542/How-To-Drive-More-Traffic-To-Your-Website-For-Free 20Plan 20Podcast-.mp3
As always, I’m looking forward to your comments, questions, and suggestions.
All the best,
Yana
Donna,
Rejecting someone else is a hard thing to do, but what is even harder is we will reject ourselves or put ourselves second with out even realizing that is what we are doing.
You already supported that person’s dream and it did not work out! You were second, now it is your turn to be first!
It’s time to (as my mama says) “Put your big girl panties and hold your ground.” You can do it! Have faith in you and your dreams.
The Shoe Diva
Hello ladies,
I am new to this site and am VERY impressed with the content and participation. I look forward to listening to the podcasts and learning from each and everyone of you.
I, too, am interested in marketing, including learning how to drive business to my website. Are there ways to make my website more interesting—writing, content, etc.? I welcome comments to help make it better.
Please check it out at [Link Removed] I look forward to helping others. Thank you all.
Best,
Nadine
Hello Nadine,
Welcome!! I’m sure you will find everyone here at Fabulously40 absolutely wonderful. I’m also sure you will find a lot of really great ideas, friendships, and wisdom.
It is very nice to meet you, I look forward to seeing you around the site.
Marie53
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