Wake Up Affluentry Review

My fifth video.  Two to go.  I may do a few more. Check out this review on Wake Up Affluentry and Affluentry Connection work from home opportunity.

Saving Money and Managing Money

Video # 4 

I am determined to finish my 7 videos.  Check out this great way to save and manage money for you and your business.

Be sure to subscribe to the channel.

How to Design Your Business Cards

For those of you who read my article on budget marketing and are interested in designing business cards, here are a few tips for designing your business cards (adapted from entrepreneur.com)

1. Use your logo as the basis. Make it the largest element on the card.  If you don't have a logo yet, check out Fiverr for logo designers for $5.  Before looking for a logo designer, be sure you have your brand established.  Everything that you do and that represents your business must illustrate your brand.  Below is my old business card for my baking business.  My logo is the focus of the card.

1. Keep it simple. Do not cram too much information on the card.  If necessary, use both sides of the card.  But be sure not to cram either side.  You can include the essentials on one side and the service(s) on the other.  For example, my card has too much information on the front.  I moved the social media platforms to the back of the card.  
2. Do include the essentials -- your name, title, company name, address, phone and fax numbers, and email and website addresses.  I would also suggest including your social media platforms as well.  Don't forget to state what you do either through slogan or services.
3. Make sure the typeface is easily readable.
4. Stick to one or two colors.  Color plays a major part in braking.  More than two colors can send the message of unprofessionalism and/or uncertainty of target market.  Be sure to research color psychology so you can select the best colors to represent your business.  

Feel free to comment below with any other questions job suggestions.  I hope this was helpful for you.  You can also check out others tips here.  

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

Preparing For Tax Season 2015

Day 2 of the Video Marketing Challenge

Since we are near the end of tax season, I did a quick video on business tax deductions to help you guys better prepare for next year.

Check it out

 

4 Things Every Entrepreneur Should Have

1. Business Cards

If you read my Marketing on a Budget  article, then you know how effective these can be.  These are your mini billboards that travel with potential clients and current clients.  They advertise how you can help and the avenues by which they can contact you.  Check out Vistaprint. (Use that link and get a $10 coupon)

2. Website

In today's technological world, a website is your stamp of validity.  In a consumer's mind, your business does not exist if it doesn't have a website.  Furthermore, your business is not a legit business if it doesn't have a well-crafted website.  Remember your website is a reflection of your business and is usually the first impression a potential client gets of the company.  If you are unable to afford a web designer, I suggest creating one through Wix.  Their templates are very sophisticated compared to other free website templates.   I created a site there for my baking business www.bjbakeshop.com 

3. Customized Domain Name

If you use a free website hosting company like Wix, you need a domain name.  If not, your web address will be a sub domain of the wix site (i.e. fbismyoffice.wix.com) and that reads as low-budget or unprofessional. And though you may be on a fixed budget, you don't want a potential client t.  o know that.  My favorite place to buy domain names is Go Daddy because I can usually google a coupon code to get a name for 99 cents.

4. Social Media Presence

Customers, clients and prospects must be able to connect with you on a social level. If they cannot, then you will not be the cool kid on the block.  Of course, I recommend Facebook for various reasons (see here) but I also recommend started with the social media platform that you are most comfortable with.  Create a schedule on how often you with post and engage and what content you will post.  

Hope this was helpful.  Until tomorrow, I wish you peace, patience and prosperity. 

Best piece of advice

Hey guys and gals

I wanted to give you, what I would call, the best piece of advice for budding entrepreneurs.  Here it is...

GET STARTED

Of course you should have some sort of vision and plan but don't get so bogged down in details that you delay starting. Taking action gives your dream breath and makes it real, so the longer you wait, the more frustrated you become that the dream has not come to fruition.  Thus, the best thing you could ever do for your business is get started. Don't worry about failure because it will come whether you plan for it or not. It comes with the territory.  It's the nature and beauty of business. 

READY, SET, GO

Sit down today and work on your vision for your business and map out how you plan to get there.  Then, figure out your first step and do.  Even if that means establishing a Facebook page or securing a domain name, do it.  Move toward your dreams.

As always, I wish you peace, patience and prosperity.

Marketing on a Budget

Hey guys.

You've been reading my posts on why and how to market on Facebook (if not, here's one).  And I hope you've taken heed and taken advantage of the free marketing.  But for those of you who would like to do some offline marketing on a budget, here are two things to consider: business cards and post-it notes.

Business cards are so convenient and be placed anywhere.  I like to leave my card with my tip at restaurants and outings.   I leave them in bathrooms on the sink.  I even leave them on shelves in grocery stores next to items that my target market is likely to purchase.  I also make sure I give clients at least two cards (one to keep; the rest to give away).  Vistaprint is the perfect place to shop. You can get 250 for about $10.  Right now, if you use this link, you'll get a $10 coupon for becoming a customer.

Another tool is the post-it note aka the mobile ad. Post-it notes are so convenient because they can go literally everywhere and easier to hold on too.  Did I mention they are cheap.  You can purchase a custom stamper for Office Depot or Vistaprint and apply it to a packet of post-it notes.  You want the information on your stamper to be brief and include contact information as pictured above.  You can also purchase custom post-it notes online.  I purchased custom notes to include my company logo so that they are more eye catching plus I am all about branding my business.

The next step would be to place your notes in high traffic areas: gas stations, Redboxes, ATMS, bathrooms, laundry mats, mailboxes.  The key is strategic placement.  You don't need to saturate one place with your mobile ad; one or two will do the trick.  Those who are interested will take it.  Those who are not will leave for the person is.  Win/win.  You can check out more post-it tips here and.

I also found this great article on marketing here.

You can even take a picture of the business card or post-it and post it on Facebook.  (Yes I had to sneak in Facebook.)

Until my next post, I wish you peace, patience, and prosperity.

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. 

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.

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

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.

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.

3 More Myths About Working from Home

Check out the first three myths here.

MYTH 4: The house will be sparkling clean now that you're working from home.

The reality is that the dirty dishes you left in the sink at breakfast will most likely be waiting for you come dinnertime. The time really flies once you get in the zone.  Truth be told, you will even wonder if you showered that morning or the night before.  This is were your schedule comes in (see Myth 6)  You must schedule in time to do housework if you can't afford a cleaning service.



MYTH 5: Working from home will be a breeze.

In many ways, telecommuting makes life a lot easier. It eliminates the time (and expense) of a commute. But working from home requires an extensive amount of self-discipline. Unlike working in a traditional office where your boss could check up on you (and keep you in check), you'll need to be highly organized, motivated and focused in order to successfully work from home.

MYTH 6: You'll love the peace and quiet of working independently.
At first, being able to work quickly and quietly without incessant interruptions from chatty colleagues will seem like a dream. But also take into consideration,  the sound of your little ones if you can't/won't have After a few weeks, though, you'll find yourself running to the supermarket just so you can chat up the produce guy or any adult you can find.  While working alone can be peaceful, it can also be isolating and lonely.  So consider how you will combat this.

Comment below with any other myths I may have forgotten.

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

3 Myths About Working from Home

True story: Whenever I tell a work-away-from-home mom that my kids are home with me, they always say "Must be nice" or "I wish I could" That drives me nuts!!!!! Like everything, it has its pros and cons.

They have NO idea. Neither did I when I taught high school and wanted to be home with first son.  So I thought I'd use entry to debunk some of those work-from-home myths.

MYTH 1: You get to spend more time with your kids
You do spend more time with your kids but that also means you spend ALL of your time with your kids.  Though you get to really learn your kids' personalities and see their growth,  you also have to create a work schedule around those little personalities.  If you can, I suggest getting a sitter a few hours a day to get those crucial work tasks done.  You can also designate one day as a "serious work day" where you complete those major tasks for the week including any meetings, errands, phone calls, etc.  You can utilize a drop-in daycare. (I do).  You can have work-from-home job and be with your kids but, as you can see, it requires a schedule.


MYTH 2:  You have to be a salesperson to be successful

Home-based businesses come in all sizes, shapes, and flavors. While plenty of home-based sales opportunities exist — selling cosmetics and telemarketing, for example — that kind is just a small percentage of the entire universe of home-based businesses. Consider the following nonsales businesses and careers that can be done from home:

• Accountant

• Organic farmer

• Caterer

• Personal fitness trainer

• Income tax preparer

• Web site designer

In each case, you could build a successful business with little or no sales experience.  But you still must market your business.  Remember that there is a difference between marketing and selling.  Marketing is simply spreading the word about your service/product, which is crucial to every business.  Selling is convincing someone that they should pay for your product/service.  By doing great work or creating the best products, your first customers will tell their friends and associates, who will then tell their friends and associates.


MYTH 3: Work-from-home jobs that aren't free are scams
I know someone who went to work for American Express from home for $10 an hour with the chance to advance to $13. Not only was she chained to her desk from 6AM til 11PM at night sometimes, but she needed to install a landline, have a specific speed on her computer and a headset. So she ended up spending $150 to set that up.  She basically worked for free for two days.   With ANY at-home job, there are expenses for set up.

One of the companies I currently work for only requires a one-time set-up fee of $25 (sometimes less).  We have NO special equipment expenses and our start up cost actually gets you some cool stuff to try out and some to keep like Baby Einstein for $6.  I work for another company that has a one-time cost of $8.

I have a few other myths to discuss so until my next post, I wish you peace, patience and prosperity.

Two Must-Haves of a Successful Entrepreneur

If you read my post on the Cashflow Quadrant, then you are familiar with the four different types of people.  If you recall, the major difference between employees and specialists/small business owners is that specialists/small business owners OWN a job.  We don't have a boss who pays off.  We are our own bosses and we pay ourselves.  At times, this is a blessing and a curse.  And this is why you need two things to be successful: determination and support.

If you are not a go-getter, either you soon become one or you will give up. As a specialist/small business owner, you are responsible for everything- marketing, customer relations, social media relations, bookkeeping, etc.  And there are no paid off days.  Days that you don't work equals days you don't make money and in some cases, lose money. Consequently, you need to be pushing and making moves ALL THE TIME.

When there are days that you feel like you can't go any further (and you will have those days), you need your support team. It is also essential that your spouse/significant other is in your corner because sometimes they are the only ones who know exactly what to say or do to get you back on track.  It is so important that your person is on board that I would say that you may want to reconsider your business venture if they don't believe in it.  When you person is not in your corner for Day 1, then they will be a no-show when you have those tough days.  They may even encourage you to quit. And if you don't have an incredible amount of determination, you'll have two battles to fight: one with yourself and the other with your spouse.

I do not intend to discourage you from owning your job.  I just want to prepare you.  I don't want to paint the picture that life in the (S) quadrant is all beautiful.  In fact, it may be downright ugly.  But it does has its rewards.  Before you make any moves, I encourage you to consider if you have these two essential pieces of this entrepreneurial puzzle.  And if you don't, work on that.

Until my next post, I wish you peace patience and prosperity.

Facebook Marketing for Mompreneurs 101: 11 Must-Haves on Every Facebook Page

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Love these tips.

Facebook Marketing for Mompreneurs 101: Nine Reasons You Should be Using FB Infiltrator for Your Business

1. No technical knowledge needed to use app
2. Eye-catching opt-in and landing pages on your Fanpage and Newsfeed.
3. Professional "Buy Now" buttons to make sales in the Newsfeed.
4. App compatible with groups, pages and profiles
5. Cheap one-time cost and NO monthly fees
6. Attractive coupon templates to promote local businesses
7. Customer can do everything from Facebook which yields higher possibility of conversion
8. Easy-to-use dashboard to monitor effectiveness of campaign 

Click here to start using FB Infiltrator

FB Streamlines Billing for Advertisers (Repost)

Facebook began a test last October I n which it offered advertisers the option of being billed when they reached their billing thresholds or on the last day of each month, whichever came first, rather than being billed as often as every day. The social network officially announced the rollout of the feature in a Facebook for Business post Tuesday.

The new feature was introduced as follows:

• As part of our ongoing simplification efforts, we’re streamlining the billing schedule for advertisers on Facebook. Instead of being billed every day, advertisers will now be billed when they reach certain billing thresholds, and/or at the end of the month.
• Billing thresholds are set based on how much you’ve paid in the past. For example, if you are a first-time advertiser on Facebook, you will be billed once you reach $25, or if you reach the end of the month. After that first payment, you’ll be billed in $25 increments, or when you reach the end of the month.
• As you spend more, your billing threshold will continue to increase up to $2,500 as you make successful payments. You can check your current billing threshold in the billing tab of your Ads Manager
• If you spend more than $2,500 per day and would like a higher threshold, you can request an increased threshold by filling out this form
• Threshold billing will roll out gradually to accounts spending in U.S. dollars in the coming weeks, with other currencies following in the near future. To learn more, visit the Help Center

Earlier this month, Facebook began allowing Ads Manager users to download all of their monthly invoices.

Posted by David Cohen on February 18, 2014.

If you would help with advertising on Facebook, feel free to contact me rachelbabajide@gmail.com concerning my Facebook marketing consultancy services or check out this helpful tool to get you started.

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

Make a Decision TODAY!!!

What Side of the Equation are You on?

Today, my husband and I had the opportunity of begin a 3-day intensive Rich Dad training.  Rich Dad is an enterprise comprised of financial workshops, webinars, trainings, and mentorships.  If you have any desire to be totally debt free AND financially free (yes there is a difference) then it is imperative you attend these trainings.

The basis of all trainings is the concept the company's founder, Robert Kiyosaki, created called The CASHFLOW Quadrant (see diagram above). According to Kiyosaki, there are four different types of people in business.  In order to eventually become debt free and financially free, you must first understand where you are on the quadrant and understand that you cannot stay where you are and gain freedom; you MUST move.

Divide the quadrant into left and right and you will see that the persons on the left are the workers and the right side are the bosses.  Ninety-five percent of the population is comprised of the workers and five percent of the population is comprised if the bosses,   The employees are the folks with a 'D' mindset and our self-employed person are our 'A' mindset folks.  Essentially, they do the same thing, they exchange their time for money.  The only main difference is that employees have jobs and the self-employed own their jobs.  In other words, the self-employed are not waiting for so one to create or take away their jobs.  They do NOT have people telling them to risk their lives for money.  This is where employees should aspire to be.  Now the self-employed, like myself, should aspire to become a partof the right side of the quadrant and own more than just their jobs.  This is where you'll find your 'C' student.

Instead, they own businesses and money.  This is how you begin to create wealth. You grow and aspire for more.  As a big business owner, you no longer own a job, you own other people's jobs and  proven systems like McDonalds franchises or MLM businesses.  As a big business owner, you have the opportunity to hire those 'A' students so thar you can become an investor where your money controls all the other quadrants and creates an income for you.    

So which side of the equation would you rather be on: the side that exchanges time for money or the side that exchanges other people's time, talents, money and knowledge for money?

Subscribe to this blog if you are ready to migrate to a different quadrant and begin a journey to financial freedom.


Until my next post.... I wish you peace, patience and prosperity.  

Not going to happen this time: Lessons from Atlanta's stranded snow survivors

Though there are many lessons to be learned from the Atlanta snowpocalypses Leon and Pax, the most important one is to have a Plan B (and C) for creating income for yourself and your family. I only pray that everyone affected had enough money to adequately prepare for this storm.  I also pray that no one was forced to choose between life and making a living this week.

If you are snowed in today, have a 'C' mindset or truly want a 'C' mindset and need a plan B for snowy days like today, take the first step to start working from home/ online via social media today.  Click here for information on how to get started.  Again, 'D' students need not apply. McDonalds is still hiring.

**Do not click above if you are only curious..  If you are not determined to work and win TODAY, then wait until you are.  This saves both of us time and money.**

My day is pretty full today but I am always willing to make time for anyone who is willing to work today.  I can't wait to meet and chat with you today.  So let's go.