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Sunday, March 30, 2014

Peace, Patience and Prosperity

If you haven't noticed by now, I end almost every post with the same wish for all of my readers:  I wish you peace, patience and prosperity. Though it is a cute use of alliteration, I really do wish this for everyone.

Peace
As a wife, a mother and a business woman, it can be very difficult to manage your time.  Sometimes, it can be down right frustrating trying to accomplish a day's work.  I have a friend that often tells me that I make this look easy-almost too easy.  Truth be told, it's an illusion like a duck- cool and collected on the top of the water and paddling for dear life to stay afloat.  Yup, that's me making it all look easy.  It's hectic sometimes but making it look easy comes for inner peace.  So, I pray this for every parent, entrepreneur, and spouse out there because I know how tough life can get.

Patience
I'm a work-from-home mom of a 5-year-old and 5-month-old.  That alone can drive you nuts.  Now add homeschooling to the mix and you've just created a monster.  Patience has never really been my strong suit but I must admit that having kids has REALLY helped me work on that.  I have to be patient with my kids when they don't do what I need them to do when I need them to.  And I have to be patient with myself when I feel inadequate as a mother and realize that I won't get everything right all of the time. 

Prosperity
To be prosperous does not only refer to having wealth, but also refers to having an abundance of positive things.  So yes, I wish you prosperity in all aspects of your life: your familial relationships, your career, your relationships with others and yes your business ventures.  It makes all the hard work and stress worth it.  There is no greater feeling than that of  a sense of accomplishment (whether great or small).  And as an entrepreneur, you have to have the courage to stick things out when they are rough and see it through until the end.  That is the only way that you will know what true prosperity feels like.  Prosperity is not really wrapped in money.  Prosperity is the freedom that money affords you for your hard work.  And it's time to get to work.

So until my next post, I wish you peace, patience and prosperity in ALL aspects of your life. 

Monday, March 24, 2014

What does retirement look like to you?

Hey guys

Sorry for being MIA this past week but I have been working extremely hard on adding an additional stream of income for the family.  If all goes well, my husband should be able to quit his job by the end of the year.  Yes, I said the end of the year.  This one stream will allows us to spend more time growing our other streams of income without having to work a 9 to 5 any longer.

Though a 9 to 5 provides some measure of security, we also learned a few months ago that it also can deny you time with your family, time for a vacation and time to enjoy life (read here).  If you remember, my post about the CASHFLOW quadrant, you remember that jobs force you to trade time for money.  Some people get excited about working 2-3 jobs but not me.  That's why I'm working hard to move on the other side of the equation and own a system/business that has people work for me.  This system/business will, in turn, allow my husband to expand our business into the investment realm and allow our money to work for us.  So essentially, we will be trading money for more money.


So what does retirement look like for me?
  • a chef, nanny and maid
  • $10,000 in emergency savings and growing
  • $20,000 in the boys' savings accounts
  • 3+ trips/cruises a year
  • A four bedroom home with an office
  • Sleeping in
  • Enjoying my 30s with my husband (that should have been first on the list)
  • Great performing investments. 
This is how we will get there..
  • Pay off debt a year from now (I hate owing anyone ANYTHING)
  • Retire my husband from his 9 to 5 job. (He deserves it)
  • Two years from now, retire myself with this major income stream
  • Let our system make money for us on autopilot
  • Expand our territory

So what does retirement for you include? trading time for money  for 40 years or trading money (investing) for more money in a few years?  Comment below.  If you would like to trade money for more money rather than time for money, then join this event today.  

Until next time, I wish you peace, patience and prosperity.

Saturday, March 15, 2014

15 Best Apps for Busy Small Business Owners

Check out this article by the small business expert, Melinda Emerson.

Since Facebook is my office, I am often working on the go from my cellphone.  I love these apps suggested my Melinda.

Until next time, I wish you peace, patience and prosperity.

Friday, March 14, 2014

Why did I get married?

Black loveThis June my husband and I will have been married 6 years  though we like to say we've been married since the day we met 8 years ago.  We've been though 1 hurricane evacuation, 2 kids, 3 major familial deaths, 3 job losses, 2 resignations, 1 major flood, financial crises, and 1 new home.  And yet, none of those things answer why I married my husband.

Here's why

Last Thursday, I was having the hardest time with my 4 year old.   He drained me (which is why I suggested a sitter in this article).  I spoke with my husband earlier that day and he knew what I was going through.  By the time he came home from work, I had checked out- mentally and emotionally.  Guys, I was tapped out. I was feeling really low that day.  I was second-guessing my parenting, second-guessing my decision to stay home with my kids, second-guessing working from home and so much more.

My husband came home and did exactly what I needed him to do.  He kissed me ever so softly, got under the covers with me and held me until I fell asleep.  This, my friends, is why I got married.  He knew EXACTLY what I needed and did it.  My husband may not be perfect but he has my back when I need him most.


 
Until next time, I wish you peace, patience and prosperity.


Mompreneur News: Facebook to Change Business Page Look

(From Facebook Marketing Expert, Mari Smith's newsletter)

Facebook just announced that Pages are about to get a whole new look. Mostly, the changes make Pages now appear in the same design as our personal profiles. Here’s what to expect: 
* Your Page wall posts will now be displayed inone single column (phew, good news here - this is much easier to read and follow. However, we won’t be able to feature content, such as images, in that nice double-wide view).

* The row of four tab thumbnails at the top are going away - ugh. There’s been some confusion about this at first. App tabs appear under a “More” tab (just like Profiles) +  the app thumbnails also appear on the left column a little further down.

* Details about your business (aka the About section) + photos and videos will appear in a narrower left column. 

NOTE: You may need to make adjustments to your Page Cover Image, as the name and category appear right on the image in white text and your profile picture will sit a bit higher in the new design. The actual dimensions remain the same, which are 851px by 315px.


New Facebook Page Layout
Until next time, I wish you peace, patience and prosperity.

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Facebook Marketing for Mompreneurs 101: 7 Key Ways to Optimize Facebook Fan Page SEO

So you thought SEO was just for websites huh?  Google any company or person and of they have a searchable Facebook page, it will show up in the search results.  That means you need to beef up those Facebook posts and pages to make sure they up your search visibility.  

For example, Google my home-based bakery BJ Bake Shop.  When you search for the name, Google provides you with results that include the company's Google local page, its Google+ page, its website, its Pinterest page, its Twitter page and, you guessed it, it's Facebook page.  So I have been able to provide yet another searchable result for my business. 



So let's get to work.  Check out these tips for optimizing your Facebook page.

Also, comment below with the link to your business Facebook page.  Let's connect.

Until next time, I wish you peace, patience and prosperity.

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

10 ways to declutter your day (time management tips from a mom)

Ok.  So we've made our goals and made our plans.  Now it's time to take action.  This may seem like a daunting task because you have SOOO many daily tasks to do in addition to your goals this month.

Let's get a hold of our days so that we can accomplish our goals this month.

Check out this very good article on getting organized.  Great for stay-at-home parents.

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

How to Make Plans and Meet Your Goals




Ok.  So now we have our goals established for the month.  Now it's time make plans.  Planning is crucial to reaching your goals.  You need a clear-cut plan to how you will reach your goal; it's your road map to your destination.  

Here is a great resource to help you write your road map.  You'll find some awesome printables to map out your goals for March by month, week and day.  You can use these over and over for each month.

Until next time, I wish you peace, patience and prosperity.




Monday, March 3, 2014

March Goals

Happy March!!!

I'm a few days late but this new schedule is kicking my butt...in a good way.  I think starting this schedule at the end of February was a great idea because I get to start  the month of March on a good foot.  It has helped me declutter my day and focus on things that lead me to my goals.  I encourage everyone to have goals: annual, monthly, weekly and daily.  Even if you don't meet every goal, you have something to strive for.  If not, you will be all over the place and get nothing done.  I'd rather get 2 out 10 goals met rather than none.  Wouldn't you?  What goals have you set for yourself?