Stiletto Woman Magazine (Jan 2011) by Stiletto Woman

Jan/Feb 2011 • Volume 3 Issue 1

Real Women • Real business • Real Life • Real Women • Real business • Real Life

Celebrating real women in business and life

Stiletto Woman m a g a z i n

SUSAN GUNELIUS 30-minute social media marketing techniques for your small business

THE NAKED TRUTH

One woman’s journey through cosmetic surgery and self confidence

SUNDAI LOVE America’s Next Top Model Cycle 13

Pretty Business

Up Close and Personal with a Beauty Industry Expert

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Real Women • Real business • Real Life • Real Women • Real business • Real Life

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Vo l u m e 3 Issue 1 J a n/F e b 2011

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On the cover

Karlena L. Wallace

Teresa Bowman

Mary Ann Shea

Disclaimer: Stiletto Woman and its editors have made every effort to provide accurate and timely information. The publisher, contributors, editors, and other related associates do not assume responsibility for information that is incorrect or omitted. Stiletto Woman disclaims neglect, liability, and damages as a result of erroneous information. We do not express endorsement or validity of any company, website, or blogsite. The content provided is solely for informational purposes.

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www.stilettowoman.com www.stilettowomanmedia.com Volume 3, Issue 1 (2011) ISSN: 1947-9999 (Print) ISSN: 1948-0008 (Online)

Zoe (Chic & Sassy)

Teresa Bowman Leslie Walker

T. Hardiman Janet Allebre Amy Barnes Nicole Greer

Susan Porter Kimberley Hostetler Maureen Francisco

Sundai Love

America’s Next Top Model, Cycle 13

From t he Pu bli s her Welcome to the New Year, and thank you for reading Stiletto Woman! Stiletto Woman is where we celebrate everyday women in business and life. This year we want to expound on the voice of solo and micro women business owners, independent professionals, and women looking to evolve professionally. However, as women, we are multifaceted, and life can’t be all about business. Therefore, we intend to communicate through our magazine in an authentic way by sharing experiences and engaging in candid dialogue that propels us forward. In this issue we cover social media, cosmetic surgery, the beauty industry, and more. Our goal is to inspire you personally, and provide greater access to information that helps you grow professionally. If you have questions, or would like to contribute, don’t hesitate to contact us at info@stilettowoman.com. Until next time,

Karlena L. Wallace

Celebrating women in business and life.

Real Women • Real business • Real Life • Real Women • Real business • Real Life

Stile t t o Wo m an

Features

COVER STORY

12 4

PRETTY BUSINESS: Up Close and Personal with a Beauty Industry Expert SUSAN GUNELIUS: 30-Minute Social Media Marketing Interview by Karlena L. Wallace

THE NAKED TRUTH

Pretty Business

by Maureen Francisco

FAB TO FITNESS WITH AMY: Starting the New Year Right by Amy Barnes

MEET JAMIE DADANT: Helping Women Launch Online Businesses

CONTRIBUTE TO...

Stiletto Woman

We’re looking for sharp writers and great photographers. If you have some experience, and would like to share your work with our supportive group of women, we’d enjoy hearing from you! Log on to our website at: www.stilettowoman.com, click on the link to contribute, and submit your inquiry! If you have questions, please email us at: info@stilettowoman.com.

We look forward to your submission

2 2

Photographer: Scot Woodman, www.ScotWoodmanPhoto.com

Makeup Artist: Katie C, www.wix.com/makeupisthekey/katie-makeup

Makeup artist: Katie C. Clothing designer: Tawny Holt Photographer: Scot Woodman

30-Minute

Social Media Marketing

S usan G unelius, Ph.D.

Interview by Karlena L. Wallace

Susan studied marketing and English in college. She spent the first part of her career directing marketing programs for some of the biggest companies in the world. She left the corporate environment in 2004 after giving birth to triplets. For her, going back to the corporate setting was not a viable option, so she decided to stay home with her children. Before long Susan got the itch to do the marketing related work she enjoyed most. So she decided to write a book about copywriting for those who couldn’t afford to hire a professional copywriter, and for those who didn’t have the experience to do it effectively themselves. Initially, Susan simply planned to publish an article on the web. However after researching how to publish a book; she tapped into her natural writing ability and gained the confidence to move forward. Even still, her original goals were not to become an author. Once she evaluated the promotion schedule authors traditionally commit to, she realized the conventional route of promotion wouldn’t be ideal for her two-year-old triplets; so she turned to the social web. Susan finished her first book in 2008. She focused on her niche—marketing, branding, and writing, and found great success. Today, in just two short years, Susan has authored eight niche-focused non-fiction business books. I was excited to get Susan’s expert opinion on the position of social media today, how it impacts small business, and what can be expected in the future. She gave insightful strategies that will help us all leverage social media more effectively.

Social Media Marketing continued

KLW: Give us a few tips on how we can all build brand value? Are the rules different for women and men?

Karlena L. Wallace: As a marketing expert, what concepts do you see business owners not implementing that they should? Susan Gunelius, Ph.D.: Social media is the biggest opportunity for businesses of all sizes to grow their brands. Social media gives businesses the ability to connect with more people around the world than ever before. It’s an opportunity to build relationships and create brand loyalty; which evolves into vocal brand advocacy, where you have people around the world talking about your brand—the kind of word of mouth marketing that you just can’t buy. It’s an opportunity that businesses are crazy to pass up. Consider this analogy: 10 years ago, before the social web existed businesses would have killed to get audiences of engaged people standing in front of them so they could talk to them; well we have that now, it’s just happening on the social web, and the audience is bigger than ever. Not leveraging that opportunity is crazy. KLW: Is social media as powerful and essential as it’s been made out to be? Tell us why or why not? SG: There are many reasons why social media makes a difference and is so powerful. Today if you need to buy a product or service, do you pick up the yellow pages? No. You go to Google and type in a keyword related to the business or product. So when you look at a tool like social media that has the ability to connect people; I always say, think of a blog—if you have a website with 10 pages, that’s 10 pages for Google to find you—10 entry points to potentially find your site. If you start a blog and attach it to your website and write a post for a year; you now have 365 more ways for Google to find you. Then what happens is a compounding effect of blogging. Imagine writing what I call “amazing share-worthy content” —content that people like and they want to share with their audiences. Suddenly now, people are tweeting about your story. They like it on Facebook. They’re writing about it on their own blogs. Now your 365 + 10 entry points to your site has grown exponentially; you’ve got hundreds possible thousands of entry points for people to find you via Google. So the compound effect of blogging is something people should be leveraging because when people look for businesses like yours, they are going to Google, and you need to be there.

SG: Brands aren’t created by companies. They are created by the consumers who experience them—who create emotional involvement and develop expectations that are based on branded experiences. So, the way to build brand

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“Brands aren’t created by companies. They are created by the consumers who experience them”

value online and across the social web is to create your own core-branded online destination. I recommend a blog because that is the perfect place to generate the compound effect talked about previously, but it can be any tool that you enjoy. It’s best to use whichever tool you like because that’s where you’re going to spend your time. You’ll want to build your destination online and spend time across the social web doing the kind of searches that you would do to find businesses like yours; follow the paths that you find and locate your best audience. You want to find out who those people are and where they hang out; join in the conversation, and slowly you can start bringing people back to your online destination where you can deepen that relationship, and create brand advocates and loyalists based on those relationships. Once you’ve done that for a while, you can branch out and create destinations across the social web (i.e. Facebook page, Twitter page, etc). You can spread your tentacles across the web and provide branded online experiences so people can self select how they want to experience your brand. It’s important to know that not everybody wants to experience your brand the same way, so if you can diversify those branded experiences, but still always bring them back to your core branded online destination, then you’re building your brand promise, and that will intrinsically turn into your brand value. KLW: I like the 50 social media marketing activities listed in the book, many of the things are practical, and very doable for most entrepreneurs. In your opinion how much time should we spend building our brands online? SG: You’ll see a lot of supposed “social media experts” (I say “supposed” because I don’t think there’s any such thing. The web is too new for anyone to claim to be an expert.);

you’ll hear them say you have to spend this or that amount of time on social media. I completely disagree. I think any minute you spend using social media is going to benefit you long term; to put hard limits on how much time you need to spend on it makes it seem like a chore. If you find a tool that you enjoy and start engaging people and conversing, you’ll end up spending more time than you imagine because you’ll probably like it. You should allocate however much time you can. Every bit will help. However, whatever amount of time you set aside to spend on social media activities just make sure that you follow the 80/20 rule of marketing, which generally tells us 80%

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of your business comes from 20% of your customers; flip that over to your web participation limits, and at least 80% of your time on the social web should be on non-self promotion activities (just conversing with people) —building relationships—sharing their content. It’s a two-way street. You can’t expect people to share your own amazing content; you have to share theirs too. So 20% or less time should be spent on promotional activities. At the end of the day no one really cares about you, they care about how you help them. If all you’re doing is self promoting, no one is going to want to hang around with you. Divide your time using the 80/20 rule, and you should be okay. KLW: Is there such a thing as “too much” social media? Can a person or business become overexposed online? SG: I don’t think you can become overexposed online. I think the risk for small businesses is accidentally spending so much time doing social media activities that other parts of the business suffer. So you just need to be aware that as much fun as it can become, you don’t want to forget the other parts of your business. Social media marketing should be one tool in your arsenal. It should not take over everything. The best marketing plan is still a very integrated marketing structure where you’re using online and offline—and social media is just one aspect of it.

should she do a personal page that reveals more about her personally. Which one is most useful from the onset? SG: When starting out on Twitter for example, particularly when trying to build a business; building a business page is going to be most beneficial because the name of your Twitter profile, blog, business, etc helps with search engine optimization and building your brand. If you’re known in one place by one name and in another by a different name; it creates confusion for the consumer, and instead of building value, you’re separating your efforts. So to build the strongest brand across the social web, you will want to present one image and keep a personal social page separate. If its business, keep it business. KLW: Where do you see social media in the future? What effect will it have on our lives as professionals and entrepreneurs? SG: We’re in a really exciting, yet strange time in terms of marketing communications and the social web as a whole. We’re at a time where the entire privacy issue is of concern. We hear privacy breaches by companies; whether intentional or unintentional, so it’s difficult to say what’s going to happen as far as that relates in the future. In terms of marketing opportunities, more and more people will realize that the ability to connect with people on the web is really how marketing has changed. Think about when television ads first came out. It’s kind of in the same position. What used to work doesn’t necessarily work anymore because people have access to so much information. We’re at a turning point. It’s an exciting time to be part of the social web right now.

To learn more about Susan Gunelius, Ph.D., visit her online at www.SusanGunelius.com. Her book, 30-Minute Social Media Marketing is published by McGraw Hill, and is available wherever books are sold.

To listen to the recorded interview with Karlena and Susan, log on to StilettoWoman.com.

KLW: Let’s say, an entrepreneur is just starting out on Twitter, is it best for her to create a business page that communicates information about her business, or

Website: http://www.lulus.com Photo credit: lulus.com

f. i.

h. j.

a. $50.00 b. $40.00 c. $55.00 d. $77.00 e. $36.00 f. $69.50 G. $69.00 h. $54.00 i. $44.00 j. $129.00

by Maureen Francisco

ould you take your clothes off and show more than a million people the type of cosmetic work that you’ve had done ... on your body? One 46-year-old mom did. She didn’t do it out of a dare or out of vanity, but purely for educational purposes.

The

Kim said, “A lot of women are scared, and feeling guilty, and are asking a lot of questions [about aesthetic surgery]. I love to be able to put women at ease. They need to know that this is a hard procedure and long healing time.” Kim is known as “Kimmers25” on RealSelf.com, a social-networking website that invites people to learn, research and ask questions about aesthetic surgeries. She used the site to find out if breast reduction was right for her. “I was very happy to see actual patients posting their ‘real’ surgical events as they were happening. What better place to obtain info than from the patients themselves. Also knowing that all of the surgeons on the site were pre-screened and not just some quacks trying to sell their services was awesome.” The Madison, Wisconsin mom was sold and went under the knife to reduce the size of her breasts; a decision she didn’t decide overnight, but something she had been thinking about since she was 19 years old. “Kids were the priority then. Now, it’s mom time.” After Kim gained the confidence to get the procedure, she wasn’t exactly smiling right away. “Two weeks after my post-op procedure, I went into my doctor’s office crying and saying ‘What was I thinking? I’m an intelligent woman. Why did I do this?’ Women need to remember, this is a hard procedure and the healing takes time.” Fifteen months later, Kim has no regrets. In fact, her “smaller” breasts inspired her to work out and eat healthier. She went from a size 16-18 to a size 4 and lost 70 pounds. All that was left around her mid-section was lots of extra skin that exercise couldn’t take away. So, Kim found herself researching on RealSelf for ANOTHER procedure—a tummy tuck. “So glad I did both and so very happy with the results.” And, you can see Kim’s results on RealSelf yourself —pre-op and post-op. Nothing is censored. “I realized that women have a ton of anxiety about doing plastic surgery procedures. I wanted to share with them my positive experience and encourage them along the way through their process. We are like a family and support each other through anything.”

truth From there, Kim wrote the “Tummy Tuck Survival Guide” blog on RealSelf. “I wanted to write about my real life experience so that women knew what was normal and also what to expect. It is down to earth, crazy and full of tips and tricks and a whole lot of humor. I call it ‘Girl Power!’” Kim said she isn’t an advocate for aesthetic surgery. She just wants women who are thinking about getting a nip and tuck to be empowered to make the right choice for themselves. And, if she has to take her clothes off to educate women, it’s alright by her.

About the Writer

Maureen Francisco is a contributor for the #1 reality show website, RealityWanted.com and a segment host for a radio show powered by CBS. She is the CEO and founder of MoProductions, LLC, and will soon add published author to her platform. www.maureenfrancisco.com

Should Build Strong Cultures Too

Solopreneurs by Karlena L. Wallace

When you think of business culture what comes to mind? In many cases, you think of huge corporations with wordy mission statements, orientation programs, and company picnics. The culture is really the heart and soul of the company—it’s evidence that the company is who they SAY they are at its core. One can easily correlate branding with culture, but they are different. They work collaboratively and call upon the other, yet they each have very distinctive roles. Essentially a company can sell just about any message or image to the world; the culture plays a part in solidifying or discounting that claim. The culture is really about how a company backs up what they say! We often think this is reserved for the big chains; but not so! As a solopreneur or micro business owner, you can do the same; in fact, in some cases you can do it more effectively because the connections are more intimate. And let me say again, this is not about sales jargon or marketing mumbo jumbo. This is purely about how you operate holistically. Your marketing is for the public. Your culture is how you respond, interact, engage, and reach those that may come in contact with your business—and those who have made a connection (directly or indirectly) on some level. Your brand is the image and messages put out, that the public uses to conjure up a perception about your business. Your culture is the internal workings of that image or message, that stakeholders (internal and external) experience to corroborate or discount one’s perception.

Here are a few things to consider when assessing if your culture coincides with your mission. Think about your model. How do you primarily communicate with people? Are you an online based venture, where email is essential? Are you a local retailer with face-to-face contact? Do you interact both online and offline equally? How do you manage those communications? • Is it normal practice to answer emails and consumer requests promptly? • Do you follow-up with consumers who purchase your products? • Do you have policies in place for customer service or retention issues? • How do you handle conflict and criticism? • How do you work with contractors, employees, vendors, etc? And perhaps the biggest questions…What do you want to be known for? How would you describe your business reputation? How has that been established? Once you’ve identified where you stand currently, and honestly look at improvement areas; it’s much easier to see how you can better reach people in a consistent manner and tone.

Ponder this thought: How many times have you been sold a product or solution, and later realized it failed to live up to its claims and expectations? Or you were sold on an idea or image about a company, but up close and personal noticed the company wasn’t appealing after all? Keep in mind, marketing pitches and catchy slogans gets the consumer in the door—but it’s your engagement in the consumer relationship that keeps them there sharing, praising, and advocating your business.

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t miss the next issue!

Stiletto Woman in Business Awards 2011

Nominations begin

January 17, 2011

Nominate yourself or other amazing women in business today! Nominations start in January 2011. Check our website, newsletter, and Facebook to get the updated details on entries, awards, categories, and deadline dates.

Order Stiletto Woman Magazine conveniently online

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Pre t t y Business

Cover Story

Up Close and Personal with a Beauty Industry Expert

Katie has been intrigued with makeup for as long as she can remember. Her mom was a hairdresser, so the setting was always the perfect place for people wanting their makeup done. When asked about her first makeup application experience (aside from putting makeup on her Raggedy Anne Doll), she remembered working with one of her mother’s client. The client needed her makeup applied for an event but didn’t have a makeup artist. From there Katie’s talent expanded mostly by word of mouth. Today she continues doing the work she loves.

Model: Sundai Love Makeup artist: Katie C. Photographer: Scot Woodman

Pretty Business continued

L-R: Raina, Courtney, Sundai, Laura, and Jessica Makeup artist: Katie C.(Laura, Sundai, Courtney) Photographer: Scot Woodman

Just Being Katie What can we find you doing on a Saturday night? I’ll do anything on any given Saturday! I’m incredibly random and spontaneous … if friends want to go out to dinner and a movie, I’m there. If my friends from Oregon are down and call, wanting to go watch the Giants play, I’m there! When I’m not doing that, I’m most likely to be out with my girls at a baseball game, going to the city, playing indoor soccer with my team, having a girl’s night out downtown or having my favorite night watching Sex and the City reruns, painting nails and doing facials. It doesn’t get any better than that! Tell us three words that describe you. There was a lot of debate about this one. I could NOT find just three words to explain myself. So, I sent out a text to every person in my contact list who knows me, asking for their opinions. The three most common were: bubbly, determined/ ambitious, and creative! I can’t really disagree with that. Thanks, guys! Who stays on heavy rotation in your iPod? I love all kinds of music! I was always in band in school and I’ve played piano since I was 10, so it’s a large part of my life. Currently, “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga is literally playing NONSTOP on my iPhone! Techno is my favorite. I love Celtic music, opera, house, dub, pop, alternative, country, symphonic music, etc. My friends used to make fun of me in high school for playing the Titanic theme song and The Phantom of the Opera soundtrack super loud in my car! I love everything from Sarah McLachlan and ATB to Lady Gaga and the Moulin Rouge soundtrack.

Katie At Work What was it like working with high profile clients like the cast of America’s Next Top Model? It was really great. The girls are so sweet, so humble and HILARIOUS! I had so much fun doing the shoot. I’m not the type to be star struck because I truly believe celebrities are just like everyone else so it was like working on a really fun bridal party or something. Plus, I had already worked with Sundai Love of Cycle 13 and she is a total sweetheart so I had a good feeling about them. And today, I still keep in contact with the girls. Is doing business in the beauty industry the same as doing business in other fields? No, it’s not the same at all. Regular business is cut-throat, competitive and very time consuming. In the makeup/beauty industry, I have fun with my clients! I talk to them, getting to know more about them and it’s not just to get them to purchase something. Even though the beauty industry is competitive, I don’t and never have felt that pressure. I’m just me and do what I do. What would you say is THE must-have beauty product? Besides the confidence you have in yourself (because that really is the most beauty enhancing [not to mention appealing] tool you possess without spending a dime), I’d say either a good foundation that covers well but isn’t bad for your skin or a quality brush set! Blending is key to good makeup application! With the right brushes, it makes that flawless application look easy and well done! The faces of your models are exquisite, how did you perfect your skill? Practice, practice, practice! Having such a passion for something makes you want to get better each and every day. When I daydream, all that runs through my mind is all the different ways of doing makeup! I’m so serious! Every day after school when I was in kindergarten, I would steal my mom’s lipstick out of her purse at her hair salon and put it on. I watched every person I could when they put on their makeup until I was old enough for my mom to let me wear it! Then I decided to buy Kevyn Aucoin’s books since I was so highly intrigued. That’s what really got me headed in

the right direction. I also had a family friend who worked at MAC in the Hollywood Hills. I was in high school when I heard of what she was doing and I used to write her, telling her how awesome I thought she was. So corny, I know! But, she ended up sending me her old MAC kit. I had Kevyn’s book and Taneka Williams’ MAC makeup. I was good to go. I haven’t stopped coming up with and practicing new ideas since. What has prepared you to become an exceptional makeup artist? The determination and confidence to do so. One night on the phone in high school, I told my best friend out of nowhere, “I’m going to do makeup and I will be damn good at it.” I just knew that about myself then, and I know it still now. How important is skin care in the makeup industry? Absolutely necessary! You can have the best brand of foundation on the market, but if your skin isn’t healthy from eating correctly, drinking enough water, exercising and using quality skin care products with environmentprotecting agents in it (i.e. SPF, organic and natural agents), it won’t have that appealing and beautiful glow everybody is after. You can’t fake that glow!

Laura Kirkpatrick Makeup artist: Katie C. Photographer: Scot Woodman Does personality or style play a part in how you apply makeup? Both have a huge part in how I perfect my makeup! One of my personality traits is that I am flexible … if a photographer and model are after a certain look, we will all have fun making sure that look is achieved! Of course, I will add my own touch of creativity when it’s appropriate to do so. I’m very outgoing, caring, energetic and fun—when it’s appropriate for me to go wild, you better watch out! All my personality traits come out in my art! I think that every makeup artist likes to think that each has a certain “style” when applying makeup. Some things work for a makeup artist and they stick to what they know is good and works. In my opinion, a good makeup artist is one who is 100% versatile just like the model, photographer and stylists are and can have a blast creating the look and watching it pan out! I am always professional, but makeup to me isn’t just a job—it’s my passion and the one thing that makes me happy!

Visit Katie Online: www.wix.com/makeupisthekey/katie-makeup

Jessica Serfaty Makeup artist: Katie C. Photographer: Scot Woodman

Changing

World

the

Women

History

Women

Influencers

rances was an abolitionist and poet. Born free in Baltimore, Maryland, she had a long and prolific career, publishing her first book of poetry at twenty and her first novel, the widely praised Iola Leroy, at age 67. Frances had her first volume of verse, Forest Leaves, published in 1845. Her second book, Poems on Miscellaneous Subjects, published in 1854, was extremely popular. She often would read her poetry at public meetings, including the extremely popular Bury Me in a Free Land. Frances moved from Maryland, a slave state, to Ohio, a free state in 1850, the year of the Fugitive Slave Act. In Ohio she taught domestic science as the first woman faculty member at Union Seminary, an African Methodist Episcopal (AME) school, which later merged into Wilberforce University. She was connected with national leaders in suffrage, and in 1866 gave a moving speech before the National Women’s Rights Convention, demanding equal rights for all. In 1892 she published Iola Leroy; one of the first novels by an African-American woman, it sold well and was reviewed widely. Frances continued with her political activism, and in 1897 was elected Vice-President of the National Association of Colored Women.

Frances Harper (September 24, 1825 – February 22, 1911)

Gertrude B. Elion (January 23, 1918 – February 21, 1999)

n 1988 Gertrude was the recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Working alone as well as with George H. Hitchings, Gertrude developed a multitude of new drugs, using innovative research methods that would later lead to the development of the AIDS drug AZT. Born in New York City to immigrant parents, she graduated from Hunter College in 1937 and New York University (M.Sc.) in 1941. Unable to obtain a graduate research position due to her gender, she worked as a lab assistant and a high school teacher. Later, she left to work as an assistant to George H. Hitchings at the Burroughs-Wellcome pharmaceutical company (now GlaxoSmithKline). She never obtained a formal Ph.D., but was later awarded an honorary Ph.D. from Polytechnic University of New York in 1989 and honorary SD degree from Harvard University in 1998. “People ask me often”, Gertrude said, “[was] the Nobel Prize the thing you were aiming for all your life? And I say that would be crazy. Nobody would aim for a Nobel Prize because, if you didn’t get it, your whole life would be wasted. What we were aiming at was getting people well, and the satisfaction of that is much greater than any prize you can get.”

Text credit: about.com, wikipedia.com, nndb.com

Photographer: Scot Woodman, www.ScotWoodmanPhoto.com

Makeup Artist: Katie C, www.wix.com/makeupisthekey/katie-makeup

Beauty i s in th e E ye of the B eh ol der

Model: Anna Lark Makeup artist: Katie C. Photographer: Scot Woodman

Fab

Starting off the New Year Right

bringing

to fitness with Amy

amy barnes, fitness expert & personal trainer health and wellness columnist Let me tell you, working in the fitness industry, this is one of the busiest times of the year. Everywhere you turn, people are focused on the things in their life they need to change, and many times (especially at this time of the year after maybe indulging a little too much during the holiday season) this includes their state of health. Some people love to make resolutions, some people steer away from them … regardless, a resolution is really just goal-setting wrapped up in a fancy package for a holiday, and in order to successfully attain any goal, you need to have a plan and take steps to set yourself up for success! Personally I think we should be making resolutions all year long to create the kind of life we want. I advocate framing your goals in a positive way to keep your attitude good and your motivation high. For example, instead of stating on New Year’s Day that you will not eat any baked goods this year (negative—setting yourself up to fail), why not resolve to eating five fruits and veggies a day and allow a baked good once a week (positive—something to look forward to). Get the idea?

Here are some of the tips to achieving your personal goals that I have found to be crucial to success that I hope will help you as you start another year of good health!  Make your goals measurable. A vague goal such as “I want to get into shape this year” gives you nothing to shoot for. “I want to lose 2 inches off my waist by March 1st,” on the other hand, is a meaningful, measurable goal. Concrete goals give you something to work towards with purpose. “I want to be able to walk around the entire neighborhood without stopping in one month” Or “I want to wear my favorite jeans by Spring Break” are great examples of measurable goals.  Set “stepping stone” goals. If your goal is a biggie—say more than a 25-pound weight loss—set short-term weekly or monthly goals to keep you moving in the right direction without getting discouraged. Aiming for 1 to 2 pounds a week is a healthy, reasonable, and more important, sustainable goal. Weekly goals will also help you adjust your plan if you’re not seeing progress.

Fab Fitness continued  Create a plan. A plan is imperative for making your goals reality. I like to start by writing reasonable, achievable “I will” statements. For example: “I will set my alarm 10 minutes earlier than usual 4 days this week to ensure I fit in my morning exercise” or “I will add two fruits to my diet every day” are parts of a concrete action plan. Setting simple, reasonable goals will help you stay upbeat and on track. Putting it down in writing (on paper or on your computer) helps you to be more objective and concrete about your goals. It also helps you to better analyze your progress as you move forward.  Reward your successes. I’m a big believer in self-nurturing, and there’s no better time to nurture yourself than when you’re shedding some of your old, comfortable lifestyle habits to make room for a new healthier way of life. Even positive change can be stressful, so be kind to yourself by acknowledging your progress. I generally try to stay away from food rewards. There’s nothing wrong with the occasional bowl of ice cream; what I don’t like is the emphasis it places on satisfaction through food and food alone. Instead, buy yourself a brow wax, some new lip gloss, a cute workout top, or treat yourself to a hot stone massage.

 Practice patience. . .and forgiveness. There will be days when everything goes to the dogs. Days when you have raging PMS, get swamped at work, and eat two slices of cold pizza before you take off your coat and cook dinner. Nobody’s perfect. Even the most dedicated exercisers have setbacks. The difference between those who succeed long term and those who don’t is how they deal with them. If you immediately think, “I’ve blown it; I’m so fat; why bother?” that overwhelming sense of failure will make it harder to get yourself back on track. Successful exercisers shrug off the workout that never was and occasional overeating and go back to making healthy choices right away. Stay positive and keep moving forward. Zig Ziglar said it best, “It’s not what happens to you that determines how far you will go in life, it is how you handle what happens to you.”

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Finally, remember that it’s not enough to just set these goals. You need to put them in action! “I’ll do it later” turns into “never.” So as you’re writing your goals, add WHEN you’re going to put them in action. Be Specific. Action is one word that guarantees results!

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About the Writer As a fitness expert and mother of two, Amy understands firsthand the challenges of balancing healthy habits with the demands of a busy life. She is a fitness competitor and lifestyle and fitness coach who’s been featured in various media outlets from Oxygen Magazine to NBCs Today Show. After losing 340lbs, Amy wants to give back and help others live healthier lives. www.iofitnesstoday.com

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Photo Credit: Hea r tWo rk s by L o r i 19 Website: h t t p : / / w w w. e t s y. c o m / s h o p / h e a r t w o rk s by l o r i

❤ ❤❤ Lori st a r t e d m a ki ng je welr y in 1990 w hen s he became wear y of paying s o much money i n t h e s t o re s f o r c o o l s tyles. She is classically self-educated in the ar t of je welr y making t h ro u g h f e ro c i o u s l y re a d i ng volumes of books on the subject and through the labor intensive m e t h o d o f t r i a l a n d e r ro r. Lori’s sole intention is always to craft something that is so uniq u e a n d s o e mo t i o n a l l y e vocative that each woman who wears her je welr y would immediatel y c a t c h Lori’s a e s t h e t i c visio n and m ak e it her own.

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Stilettology woman in business

Jamie Dadant Tell us about eBoutique Builders, where did the inspiration come from to create this new business? E Boutique Builders is a full-service boutique offering everything you need to start and run your own business. We specialize in turnkey websites and custom websites. Four years ago, I started my first online business. I knew very little about the process and it took a long time to get everything up and running. I also made some pretty big mistakes along the way. Now that I’ve figured it all out, I want to use my experiences to help other women who are interested in starting their own businesses. Through E Boutique Builders, we not only help women get up and running with a website, but we also provide extensive training on everything they need to know about running an online business.

You offer turnkey websites for sale, what does that mean, and how is it different from a typical website? Turnkey websites are websites that have been premade and loaded with drop ship products. When you purchase a turnkey website, you are essentially purchasing a “business in a box.” Everything is already completely set up. There is no inventory for you to carry and products are already in place for you to sell. When you receive an order, you place the order at a discounted price with the vendor. The vendor then ships your order directly to the customer who placed the order from you. The price difference from that sale is your profit.

Stilettology continued Through eBoutique Builders people become online business owners a lot quicker, what type of support do you provide? We offer extensive training, outlining everything from setting upÂ your business, operating your business and marketing your business to drive sales. We work extremely close with our clients to make sure that they have the knowledge needed for success.

What limitations can be expected with a Premade Boutique Website? There are really no limitations. We set you up with a premade website, but once you own the site, you have the freedom to add products and change products. You have complete ownership and are able to do whatever you choose. You offer custom websites for those selling their own products, tell us about that program. Our custom websites are a great option for someone who has a product of their own that they would like to start selling online. For example, if you make jewelry or sew baby blankets, then a custom website is right for you. The process is simple. Choose from one of our boutique web designs and we will upload your products onto the site and give you the training that you need so that you can turn your hobby into a business. Offer a service instead of a product? No problem. We can help you with that too!

What would you like to accomplish with eBoutique Builders in the next three years? I would like to continue to help women get set up with online businesses. I have a true passion for working with women and I really just want to continue to do what weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re already doing!

www.eboutiquebuilders.com

January/February 2011

SW Stiletto Woman