Woman
Wealthy Magazine
April 2015 Issue #1
Isn’t it time you start Beaming? Divine Money Messages
Do I Really Need to Incorporate My Business?
3 Out-Of-The-Box A Succe$$ful Steps to Attract Woman’s Guide Spiritually Aligned to Hot Love Clients and a Hot Life! Maximize Your Wealth Now in Business, Finance, Family & Lifestyle
Table of Contents
Woman
Wealthy Magazine
Letter from the Publisher Shirlene Reeves
Page 3
Letter From the Editor-in-Chief Angela Mosley
Page 6
Isn’t it time you start Beaming? Shirlene Reeves
Page 10
Is Tiny Transformation Worthwhile? Christina Marlett
Page 12
I Love Mondays! Money Lessons from the Grocery Store Gayle Bode
Page 14
Reach For the Light 3 Keys to Discover Your Dream and Live Your Purpose Lauren Perotti
Page 16
Divine Money Messages Cynthia Stott
Page 18
The Conscious Closet Huda Baak
Page 20
A Succe$$ful Woman’s Guide to Hot Love and a Hot Life! Mai Vu
Page 22
3 Out-Of-The-Box Steps to Attract Spiritually Aligned Clients Julia Stege
Page 24
Did the Easter Bunny Give You the Sugar Blues? Deb Dutcher
Page 26
10 Top Reasons Why Most People Don’t Become Financially Free Kathy Fairbanks
Page 28
Do I Really Need to Incorporate My Business? Nancy D. Greene, Esquire
Page 30
Ask Rebecca Rebecca Hall Gruyter
Page 32
Letter From Publisher
Shirlene Reeves
Welcome to the April issue of Wealthy Woman Magazine (WWM) Listen Now We are super excited to be launching our new digital quarterly magazine written by women for women and offering powerful articles full of little-known tips, techniques, and resources to support you in becoming more successful in your Business, Finance, Family, and Lifestyle. Our intention for Wealthy Woman Magazine is to share information to guide you toward living the lifestyle of your dreams. Twelve successful Featured Experts share their combined years of experience, awe-inspiring expertise, and time-tested advice. Together we celebrate the beauty of growth through the power of knowledge. We are excited about making a bigger global impact and empowering women worldwide. We believe that what we share will help our readers excel in business and in their lifestyle in 2015 and beyond. I am so honored and excited to highlight each of our Wealthy Woman Experts. I hope that as you read through the articles you will be encouraged, empowered, and inspired to make a conscious decision to step up in every aspect of your life. As the Publisher, I would love to hear from you. Reach out and let me know which article(s) you enjoyed reading and which ones left an impression and moved you to make changes in your life. You can send all comments to me at sreeves@MaximizeYourWealthNow.com. Enjoy every article in this issue of WWM and be sure to watch for notice of our new Wall of Fame at www.MazimizeYourWealthNow.com, where you can read more information about each Featured Expert and what they provide to further assist you in your growth. Know that as you lovingly express peace, joy, and generosity in your life – even during the difficult times – you’ll experience a universal love in every moment of your of your day. Build your success ~ Believe In You ~ Blend infinite possibility! Blessings to all,
Shirlene Reeves
Letter from the Editor-in-Chief
Angela Mosley
Welcome to the first issue of Wealthy Woman Magazine! We are honored that you have chosen to take us along on your journey toward becoming a Wealthy Woman. Each issue of Wealthy Woman Magazine will focus on maximizing your wealth. Wealth, however, is not just a financial term. We want you to experience a rich abundance of money, yes. But we also desire to see your business become wealthy personally and socially, along with financially. We desire to see your relationships become wealthy, as you begin to experience deeper levels of connection and authenticity. We desire to see your lifestyle become wealthy, as you improve your health and self-confidence. A wealthy life is a life that is full of blessings, opportunities, connections, and expression. It is for this purpose, then, that Wealthy Woman Magazine has been born: To share with every woman that wealth is attainable and sustainable, in every area of life. Enjoy the articles in this issue of Wealthy Woman Magazine and reach out to us if you have comments you’d like to share.
Angela Mosley amosley@iamenoughinstitute.com
TurnYourVision into
Reality withDesign
Unique Designs for all your Business Needs • Magazines • Custom Ads • Social Media Banners • Websites • Landing Pages • And More
Jennifer Insignares
Graphic Designer & Success Strategist Contact Jennifer at
yourdesignsbyjen@gmail.com
Graphic Designer for the “I AM Enough”, “Wealthy Woman” & “UnlEAshED” Magazine
www.yourdesignsbyjen.com • www.facebook.com/creativedesignsbyjen
Woman
Wealthy
Executive Team
Shirlene Reeves Publisher, Wealthy Woman Magazine Shirlene Reeves is a Transformational Healer Blending Business, Finance, and Universal Principles. She strengthens your business foundation with multiple streams of income and expands your vision through massive visibility so you can make money while you sleep. While living on Maui, she furthered her spiritual experience and education. Shirlene practiced Healing Touch Therapy with surgical patients at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center. She trained with best selling author and speaker Dr. Wayne Dyer and the American Spiritual teacher and former Harvard Professor Ram Dass.
Anita M. Jackson, EdD
Publisher, I Am Enough Magazine, Co-Publisher, Wealthy Woman Magazine Dr. Anita M. Jackson is on a mission to empower all women to know they are enough. With 25 years of experience in working with individuals, mostly women, as a Marriage & Family Therapist and Organizational Psychologist, Dr. Jackson is convinced that when a woman truly understands the powerful and spiritual truth of “I Am Enough” there will be a powerful shift in all areas of life.
Shirlene can be found online at www.maximizeyourwealthnow.com
To step into your next level of outrageous success in every area of your life with confidence, courage, and feminine power, schedule a free 30-min consult with Dr. Jackson via email at draj@iamenoughinstitute.com. www.dranitamjackson.com
Angela Mosley
Jennifer Insignares
Angela Mosley is an Intuitive Editor and Ghostwriter. Her ability to feel the unique connotations, emotions, and power of words helps her bring her clients’ messages forward in a more concise and powerful way. Angela works with the thought leaders and transformational coaches of today as they bring their wisdom and passion into print in a way that honors their distinctive voice and truth.
Jennifer Insignares provides branding, graphic and layout designing services. With ten years of experience as a graphic designer, she works with entrepreneurs creating high quality custom design packages that support their business endeavors and high-end visibility in print and online.
Editor-in-Chief, Wealthy Woman
She can be found online at www.angelamosley.com, or you can email her at angela@angelamosley.com.
Graphic Designer, Wealthy Woman Magazine
Her expertise is in working with businesses needing to create custom layout designs and marketing materials that truly impress their customers. Whether its creating a flyer, brochure, advertisement, postcards or something as intricate as helping them design an online magazine, she can create it for you.
Website: www.yourdesignsbyjen.com Email: yourdesignsbyjen@gmail.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/creativedesignsbyjen
Woman
Wealthy Magazine
Wealthy Woman Magazine exists to educate women in matters of wealth and finances. The Featured Expert Writers in Wealthy Woman will share their knowledge, tips, and experiences with readers to help them understand the attributes and attainment of wealth. Each issue will focus on wealth and finances as they relate to Business, Finances, Relationships, and Lifestyle.
www.maximizeyourwealthnow.com Publish Date
April July November January
2015 2015 2015 2015
Each Issue Will Offer the Following Letter from the Publisher Letter from the Editor Maximize Your Wealth Maximize Your Business Maximize Your Relationships Maximize Your Lifestyle Ask Rebecca: Advice Column
Contact Us
To advertise with our magazine, please contact Shirlene Reeves at sreeves@maximizeyourwealthnow.com to request our Media Kit.
Beaming? Isn’t it time you start
by Shirlene Reeves
I
magine a mom trying to feed her two young children by fishing through a big blue dumpster, behind a supermarket. She felt the fear of having only 15 cents in her pocket. More importantly, she was experiencing the pain of repeated meals of rice and beans and the look on her children’s faces as they cried, “Mom, I’m hungry!” She and the boys were living in an 18’ trailer towed behind a big orange truck. Every night she begged God for a place to settle in somewhere and rest. There was no money to stay at an RV park, and they were running out of gas. That woman who dumpster dived to feed her children was me. The hardest part of that story is that I went from being very wealthy down to dumpster diving for food. In fact, I gained and lost a fortune three times. Now, I am a Transformational Healer blending business, finance, and universal principles. I am a certified financial educator and the founder of Maximize Your Wealth Now. From these experiences I learned the secrets and the Three C’s to maximizing my wealth and keeping it. Do you want to know the secrets? Once you know them, you can begin to create a plan. Once you have a plan and a solid financial foundation for your business, you can light up the world with your message and mission. Here are the three secret strategies: Clearing, Clarity, and Confidence. Clearing leads to Clarity;
Clarity leads to Confidence
CLEARING Clearing your past helps you understand the lessons you’ve learned from your mistakes so that you can move forward with confidence. It’s not your fault. There are no mistakes because you don’t know what you don’t know. You only do the best that you can in that moment, with the knowledge that you have been taught. You never learned how to be an entrepreneur in school. In fact, you were taught how to be a good employee. As a result, you have to learn how to be an entrepreneur by making mistakes in earth school. I’m here to teach you what I learned from my mistakes so you don’t have to make them. You clear your past by forgiving yourself and understanding that any mistakes you’ve made were just the steppingstones to create your success.
CLARITY – BREAK THROUGH CONFUSION It’s important to break through Confusion into Clarity. The confusion is that you might think of yourself as being poor, but the reality is you are especially wealthy in knowledge. Each experience becomes a new tool in your toolbox to strengthen your foundation and maximize your wealth. Once you strengthen your foundation with clarity and a positive perspective, you can put your business on a path toward multiple streams of income and massive visibility so you can make money while you sleep. I liken your business to a lighthouse I’m so happy when I go home to San Felipe because I can see a beautiful lighthouse from my living room. It sits out by the water, shining its beam so brightly, surrounded by beautiful mountains. When I wake up in the morning, I see the lighthouse. It stands white and tall in the sunlight, and it has an amazing foundation. It’s not on shifting sand. It stands on a cliff in strong cement. I know it’s always going to be there. At night I only see a silhouette and its beam shining brightly so the captains of the boats can find it, but I know the lighthouse is there. By the way, have you ever seen a lighthouse running up and down the beach searching for the captains? Me neither. What about in your business? Have you ever run up and down the beach searching for your perfect clients? I did. But once I learned and applied these secrets, I was able to stand firm on my foundation beaming out my light with massive visibility. Now I’ve stopped running up and down the beach, and my perfect clients find me.
THAT BRINGS US TO CONFIDENCE Once you have a plan and a solid foundation, it will boost your confidence. Then you can implement massive visibility and shine your beam brightly just like the lighthouse on the beach. Then your perfect clients will find you. Maybe you’re asking yourself, “How do I get to confidence and massive visibility?” You start by building your foundation. Would you like to hear how you can get started building your business foundation? Building your foundations starts with recognizing the Three C’s and then implementing the correct steps to financial freedom. You may need the advice of a good financial educator to help you identify and understand the best steps for your unique situation. A good financial educator can help you understand things like building multiple streams of income, maximizing your visibility, and keeping more of your money in your own pocket by maximizing your taxes. It all begins, though, with the Three C’s. Clearing leads to Clarity; Clarity leads to Confidence It’s entirely up to you. Whether you take these next steps with me or with someone else, I encourage you to take them so you can stand firmly on your foundation and beam your light out so your perfect clients find you.
Maximize Your Business
11
Tiny
Is Worthwhile?
W
Transformation
by Christina Marlett
hile working with a client in one of my Full Bodied Freedom Sessions recently, I was reminded that I attract people into my life for two reasons. The first reason is so that I can help them heal things in themselves using Embodiment Coaching and what I like to call Meaningful Movement. The second reason I attract these people into my life is so that I can heal those same things in myself.
incredibly fulfilling to track those tiny shoots and honor them. Then when I look back, True life is lived when tiny I marvel at where I used to be changes occur. ~Leo Tolstoy and how far I’ve been able to come. Energetically, the tiny She got changes are certainly scared more sustainable than big True life is lived and when tiny changes occur. dramatic shifts. The trick wonis to be mindful of those ~Leo Tolstoy dered if little sprouts and not let she was your ego step all over wrong for wanting big dramatic them while crushing your spirit changes and major growth to in the process. Huge and tiny happen. I said, “Of course not!” changes both guide us along the path of life. If the changes were That is a miraculous thing I’ve I love the concept of duality. I all huge, it would be exhausting learned since I started working believe there is plenty of room and overwhelming. If the changprivately with clients. If some- in our magical lives for oppoes were all only tiny, it would be one shows up to heal around site experiences. Sometimes, hard to keep the faith that things guilt, for example, I recognize we are in need of a major enwere actually moving along. that the guilt is present in me ergetic shift. At other times, too. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have it’s important to value the little Here’s an example. At a perattracted that person at that mo- sprouts that eventually grow sonal development course I ment with that particular issue. into towering oak trees. I think attended once, I had a major both kinds of expansion are physical and emotional healing This client reminded me about valuable, and one is not better experience around my daughtwo different facets of personal than the other. ter’s birth. I loved the healing transformation. She echoed a experience because, at the time, desire I used to have as well, I feel so alive when I have a ma- I believed that major changes the desire of wanting “big jor “Aha!” moment. In keeping were more valuable than tiny shifts” to happen in her person- with duality, I also find it changes.
12
al growth. I shared a quote that I love with her.
Maximize Your Lifestyle
When I got home, though, it took me a month of doing almost nothing to incorporate that healing. Was it worthwhile? Absolutely. I was fortunate enough to be able to clear the rest of my schedule with my family’s support and let the healing occur. On the other end of the spectrum, one day I noticed a change in me that had taken place over time. A mom at my kids’ school was recruiting volunteers for a school event. She asked me if I would consider helping out. I was surprised by what came out of my mouth. I said no because I wanted to enjoy the event with my family. In the past, I would have been concerned about looking bad by saying no, and then I probably would have made up an excuse that wasn’t entirely truthful. In that particular moment though, I easily accessed my truth and spoke it, which was a new experience for me. The woman looked at me admiringly and said, “I wish I could say no like that. I don’t even want to volunteer for this event.” It didn’t take any huge process for me to be able to say that no. It was just a gradual series of tiny transformations that culminated in my being able to speak my truth. What was most important about that moment was that I took the time to notice that something in me had shifted. The trick to those tiny changes is acknowledging them and celebrating them, even though they are tiny. They are little lights on the pathway that illuminate the knowledge that we are headed in the right direction. In my own Dance Ugly Dance Awkward business, I’m grateful for the memorable moment when I discovered that I’m a healer and that dance and metaphor are my medicine. I’m also grateful for the tiny changes that happen each time I work with a client in movement and discovery. I’m noticing the ebb and flow of personal growth and transformation. There are big waves and there are those gentle little ones that lap at the shore. Both experiences make an ocean. One set of waves is not better than the other. What’s important is the constant motion and the beauty of taking it all in. Start tracking the tiny shoots of transformation in your life. It’s such a valuable experience to be able to go back and see how much you’ve grown.
Listen Now Image courtesy of Green Shoots by Eric Kilby from www.flickr.com Maximize Your Lifestyle
13
I Love Mondays!
Money Lessons from the Grocery Store
P
by Gayle Bode
14
eople tell me I see things But when it comes to the internal differently, especially accounting, you may find yourself when I share my philos- doing anything except looking ophy about loving Mon- at your bank account because it days! I love Mondays because I seems a difficult task or unwanted get to start a new week and do chore. You may think you need everything I did not get to do last a special talent or aptitude with week. My Women’s Initiative numbers to be able to get comtrainer Yolanda Butler advised fortable with your numbers. me to wake up each day thinking “Today I get to…” What a Wake up each day thinking great beginning! “Today I get to…” What a Letting go of all the “shoulds” great beginning! Letting go of and “have tos” all the “shoulds” and “have tos” and just seeing what wonderful and just seeing what wonderful things I get to things I get to do! do!
to eat. Turning a corner, you see the refrigerator section. It has all the juice bottles neatly stacked by flavor and type. All the labels are facing you, which makes it easy to see what you are choosing. Nothing is out of place. Did you get a tense feeling or any anxiety that things are too intensely organized?
My vision is that you as a business owner become comfortable with your Money IN and Money OUT numbers. So comfortable that you can get to a place where you feel “today I get to look at my numbers and see where I am in my business.”
I help people draw closer to embracing their numbers by using something familiar…and ordinary. I grew up in the grocery store business, so I’m very comfortable talking about the business of running a grocery store.
No.
I believe that can happen for you. As a business owner, you are great at whatever got you interested in starting your own business in the first place. You have a passion. I believe it is important to work with one’s strengths. You may love serving your clients and interacting with them. Providing your unique talents is why your company exists.
Imagine your favorite grocery store. Not the big box store or the local mini-market. Picture a medium size grocery store with all the various aisles and sections. Now, see yourself walking in the front door. On your left is the produce section with is a pyramid of bright ripe oranges, juicy apples, and delicious bananas. You know they will be fresh and delicious
Did you feel as if you couldn’t touch anything because you might disrupt the perfect alignment? Did you think the grocery store owner is obsessive compulsive, or that they hired clerks with special super organizing skills to stock the shelves?
We are comfortable walking through the aisles of the grocery store because we are there for a specific purpose and we have come to expect everything to be in perfect order. We can be reassured the meat and produce are fresh, the cold items are in the refrigerated sections and the frozen food is in the freezer. It is what we have come to expect, and it is calming to know things are in order. How disturbing would it be to open the ice cream freezer door and find the kitty litter sitting next to the vanilla ice cream? You Maximize Your Business
would recognize immediately that the kitty litter is out of place. We are very familiar with the grocery store, and we know what to expect. What if you could feel that way about the numbers in your business? What if you could get to the point where you would immediately recognize when something is out of place such as the kitty litter in the ice cream section? You can do it. You can get to know your numbers. When I was eight years old my older brother and I worked in my Dad’s grocery store. We stamped cans of beans and corn with “48c.” Each stamp represented a can I could touch, see and feel. The numbers were a real item. The same is true in your business. The money you bring in represents your time or something you sold. The expenses represent something you are getting such as coaching help, office supplies, or utilities. As you become more aware of the purpose of each amount, you are more readily able see the numbers. It is important to become more comfortable with your numbers. It is critical in being able to make good business decisions. We all have money going in and out of our business bank accounts everyday whether we are looking at it or not. It is happening. We have automatic payments set up or use the bill pay service. Money comes in automatically from shopping carts, PayPal, Square, or other merchant services.
If you do not currently have a separate business bank or credit union account I strongly urge you to set one up. Also, ask the financial institution to use the calendar month beginning and end for the statement dates. It is easier to see the numbers if each statement comprises each month. When the numbers end midmonth, you need to add a step to total up your month end numbers. I like easy wins. The bank statement can be your first monthly Money IN Money OUT Report. Once they are set up, your Money IN and Money OUT categories and sections can be as familiar as the aisles of the grocery store. Your personalized system allows you to see how everything is lining up. So, come on…grab your cart! Create your own aisles and sections of revenue and expenses. Embrace what is going on with your numbers without fear or judgment. The more you get familiar with what the amounts represent and why they are in the categories they are in, the more comfortable you will be. Then you will see your numbers in a whole new way. Soon, you will love Mondays as great beginnings for your financial future.
Listen Now
Create your own aisles and sections of revenue and expenses. Embrace what is going on with your numbers without fear or judgment.
Maximize Your Business
15
Reach For the Light 3 Keys to Discover Your Dream and Live Your Purpose
Y
by Lauren Perotti
ou can have a dream for your life at any age – it’s what draws you toward something more. It is your longing for expansion. Life itself is seeking to have a freer, fuller expression through you. The Talmud, a sacred ancient text of Rabbinic Judaism, says that “Every blade of grass has its angel that bends over it and whispers, ‘Grow, grow.’” Just imagine what that blade of grass must do in order to keep growing - pressing through soil, even cement, to seek the light.
Image courtesy of http://mkalty.org
Haven’t we all seen a blade of grass pushing its way through a sidewalk crack? What a seemingly hard task! Sometimes our human quest to live more of who we really are, doing more of what we love, can feel that hard. What if building your dream life is not that hard? Like that blade of grass, you are also designed to desire more expression of that which is your core essence. Your very DNA is shaped in a spiral, and you live in a spiral universe that is ever expanding – is this a coincidence?
We are each a spark of the universe, which is our extended body; this is not merely a profession of faith, but a law of physics. If every element in creation has a unique purpose, that includes you and me. The more you understand your life purpose and live in alignment with it, the more everything and everyone around you will empower your ability to manifest your greatest dreams. How can you discover your next dream and make it real so you can live with more purpose and passion?
Key #1 – Determine What You Would Love Can you answer the question, “What would I love?” Believe it or not, there are many people in this world who can’t do so. People tend to think about what is possible based on their current circumstances and aren’t able to see a new possibility for the future. When you learn how to shift your thinking from a fear-based perspective to a vision-based mindset, all sorts of possibilities arise.
TAKE A STEP: Here’s one way you can bring about this shift. Dreams usually speak to you through your longings and discontent, sometimes one more than the other.
Determine What You Would Love
1. Write a list of what you want more of and what you want less of in your life. 2. Determine if you can minimize or eliminate any of the items of which you want less. 3. Highlight the top five things of which you want more, one way you could invest your time in this, and your desired outcome if you did so. 16
Maximize Your Lifestyle
Design Your Dream through Creativity and Presence Key #2 – Design Your Dream through Creativity and Presence Creative expression is about making time to play or create something - just for the fun of doing it. It could be a culinary dish, a dance, a poem, a song, a drawing – whatever it is that you love to do, without an end goal in mind!
Key #3 – Deserve Your Dream Let’s admit it - even the most confident among us have at least some limiting beliefs or perceptions about ourselves that create doubt about possibilities. Once you really embrace that you are a unique spark of the Divine, then you can see the truth emerge and begin moving toward your dream. The truth is that you don’t need to earn the right for your dream, but you deserve it simply because you are breathing. How much good will you allow in your life? When you can see yourself as the architect of your own life, as the designer of your divine destiny, rather than as the victim of circumstance, then you can begin to build your dream – one that is fueled by your passion, your persistence, and a belief in yourself that you really are worthy of having this dream.
TAKE A STEP: Expand your sense of deserv-
ing by letting go of old resentments, anger, and guilt that may be dragging you down. List five unresolved conflicts that you have held onto and are now ready to release. Create a ritual for discarding them. For When you immerse yourself in a creative process example, you could read the list out loud, affirm your readiness to release them, burn the list in a safe place, with any of the artistic disciplines, it helps you beand then rinse the remnants down the sink or toilet come present because you use your senses. You also automatically tap into your imagination, which is how with cleansing water. you can bring the unconscious into tangible form, and Just as Thoreau discovered in his Walden Pond experinto the light of awareness. iment, I am confident that if you take even one step in Why is cultivating presence so essential to awakening the direction of your dream, and endeavor to live the life you have imagined, you will discover more joy, your dream? Being fully aware in the here and now freedom, and pure prosperity. transforms fear and enables you to ground and empower your vision. And, when you imagine, you access a wealth of symbols, archetypes, metaphors, and pictures. These are what really help you design a clear blueprint that can be brought to life. An architect can’t build your dream home without a blueprint, and the universe can’t help you build your dream life without a clear vision and design.
TAKE A STEP: Set aside some focused time,
away from your to-dos. Start with a meditation or inspiring music. Visualize yourself living your dream life. Write down whatever comes to your mind, no matter how different or impossible it may appear. Use descriptive and present tense language infused with gratitude to paint a picture and enliven it. Finally, create a vision board representing this life using images and words from magazines or other sources that inspire you. Maximize Your Lifestyle
Listen Now
Deserve Your Dream 17
Divine
Money Messages
Believe
by Cynthia Stott
Ask
Recieve
This article is NOT for everyone. Read on if: • You want to make the world a better place. • You have a Calling, Message, or Mission, even if you don’t know exactly what it is. • You want a deeper connection with your Heart and Soul and to hear its voice more clearly and definitively. • You have a Big Mission and you need Big Money to make it happen. • You would work toward this Mission even if you didn’t get paid AND you want to get paid well for doing what you LOVE.
Great! You are in the right place. This article was written for YOU!
W
hat if you could develop a deep, emotionally connected relationship with your money? What if the people you are meant to serve most could find you quickly and easily and pay you well for doing the things that you are most passionate about? How would this change your life and your business? The Truth is your people are WAITING for YOU! In fact, they are most likely praying for someone just like you. They may not even imagine that someone with your unique gifts and talents exists. You may be the answer to their prayers. What if you could know the unique message and gifts that you were born to deliver to the world? Better yet, what if you knew exactly how to manifest and draw directly to you the money you need to complete your Big Mission? If you are reading this article, then Divine Money is
18
reaching out to you and wants to support you in creating and manifesting your Big Mission. Divine Money is a being of golden light with a Divine-Masculine energy. He is similar to an angel, yet different. He came to me in October 2014 in a meditation. He asked me to be his “emissary,” which is a person sent on a special diplomatic mission. He shared with me that he has a “bad rap” and that some people even hate him. He asked me to help him improve his reputation, especially with mission-driven entrepreneurs. He declared that he wants to support people but he can’t do this if they reject him or turn away from him. He asked me to connect him to people so that he can help them get the money they need to complete their missions. You can have as much as you want. Ask, Believe, and Receive. This is the winning formula established more than 2000 years ago. Maximize Your Wealth
Ask
Ask for what you want with Clarity and Decisiveness. Ask specifically for what you want, not just for “more.” Don’t ask for how you would like to receive it, just ask for what you want and believe you will receive it. Be specific and open to even more, with a heart full of gratitude.
Believe
You must believe that you are worthy of receiving money and, maybe more importantly, that wanting money and receiving money is a good thing. According to Divine Money, many people don’t believe that wanting and receiving money are good and they actually slam the door in his face when he comes knocking. If this has been your experience, don’t worry. It’s not your fault, and it can be changed. It’s not your fault because society teaches us that having lots of money is bad and/or rich people are bad. Countless books, songs, movies, and TV shows have taught us this lie. Remember the ‘70s TV series Little House on the Prairie? The Ingalls were poor and good and the Olsens (the shop keepers) were rich and bad. This theme has been repeated time and time again. You may have heard the old saying, “They married for love, not money and now they are poor as church mice.” In many instances, we have been taught that if we are rich we will be unlovable and that we must choose between love and money. Divine Money is here to say that you don’t have to choose. In fact, opening yourself up to receiving more money can also open you up to receiving more love. Your belief that you deserve more money can change quickly and easily. There is a simple and fast process for changing your beliefs around money. The first step is wanting it to change. During a channeled session, one of my clients asked Divine Money why she didn’t have more money. He responded that it was because she was slamming the door in his face. When my client asked which door, Divine Money showed her a door in her heart. She opened the door and saw a huge golden light. Stepping through the door, she saw that Divine Money was dressed in a tuxedo with very formal “tails” and she was in a ball gown. He asked her to dance. Now, they are dancing together and she is able to see the people who are waiting for her and they are saying “yes” to working with her.
Receive
Just receive. You don’t need to figure out how you will receive it, just be open to receiving it. Part of being open to receiving more money is looking for it. Remember playing ball as a kid? You looked at the ball as it was flying through the air, maybe you even called out, “Got it!” or “Mine!” You had to move toward the ball and open your hands to receive and catch it. If you turned away from the ball, you wouldn’t be able to catch it. It’s the same with money. You have to watch for it, expect it, and greet it with open hands and a big smile on your face. This is how to “dance” with money and receive more money. Divine Money wants to support you and your mission.
Get ready to RECEIVE!
Listen Now Maximize Your Wealth
19
The
Conscious by Huda Baak
W
hen I first learned to trapeze, I was petrified to let go of the security of the trapeze I was holding on to. But in order to reach the other trapeze, I had to let go and be suspended in the air for a few seconds before grabbing the second trapeze. Letting go of things is one of the most challenging lessons for those of us who like a sense of control. The only time we release something is when we need to make room for a new version, like getting rid of the old pair of shoes when a shiny new pair comes in. But very rarely do we let things go willingly. It’s almost as though we’re afraid that letting go means we’ll lose a part of ourselves. We are always changing and growing. Our clothes are a direct reflection of who we are and where we are on our journey, and should therefore evolve as we do. When our job, lifestyle, or dress size changes, so should our wardrobe. The problem appears when we go through these changes but continue to reach for the same old clothes. Once we’ve outgrown them, it’s time to let them go.
20
Closet
Much like we update our computers and our apps, we also need to update our look and our wardrobe to reflect who we are today. I’ve done wardrobe consultations for women who’ve had three dress sizes in their main closet. One woman was keeping a collection of clothes her ex-husband had bought for her—and they had been divorced for ten years. Feng shui teaches us that in order for positive energy to flow, we must first let go of what’s sitting there piling up and stagnating. Weeding through your closet can be very cathartic. Unlike emotional shifts, physical changes are relatively easy and the results are immediate. That in itself is motivating. Reclaim the space in your closet by focusing on your current lifestyle, your favorite colors, and the styles you’re most comfortable with. Based on that, you can streamline the rest. Start by taking everything out and giving it a good look. Try most of the clothes on, so you know if they’re keepers. A question to ask yourself is, “If I saw this in a store today, would I buy it?” Maximize Your Lifestyle
Here are more tips to help you get started: 1. Put only the current season’s clothes in the closet and leave all the other clothes in a separate closet or plastic bins.
2. Organize the clothes into categories like dresses, skirts, pants, jackets, and tops. I like to color code mine as well, starting with the lightest color to the darkest in each segment.
3. Another note about color: If you have clothes in
5. If your shoes are scuffed or the heels need to be
replaced, put them in the fix pile or toss them depending how worn they look. Have a pair that’s STILL uncomfortable after two years of breaking them in? Donate them.
6. If you find that you have so many clothes that
you’re buying external storage bins for the surplus, then it’s time to weed through.
all colors of the rainbow, then it’s harder to mix and 7. If you have multiples of the same items like black match. When I shop for my clients I buy 2 main col- skirts or flowery tops, then try them all on and keep ors and a handful of pieces that can complement those only the ones you love. colors, making it easier to expand your wardrobe. 8. Sentimental items and mementos shouldn’t take up valuable space in your main closet, so store them 4. Trendy clothes, shoes, and purses are only good somewhere else. for a short time. If you have those for two years beyond the trend, consider giving them the boot. 9. With the rest of your clothes, create four piles: Toss - Fix - Keep - Donate
Toss
Stained clothes - You’ve ried to wash them, sent them to the cleaners, they’re still stained and sitting there in your closet. Toss them out.
Fix
Items needing repair. From buttons to hemlines, set aside all items in need of some TLC. If you’ve lost or gained a few pounds, get those clothes altered so they fit and look great on you again.
1. Clothes that you haven’t worn in two years. The chances of you wearing them this year are slim. In fact, you’ll probably never miss them!
Keep
Clothes that you love and that make you feel like a million bucks when you wear them.
Donate
If they’re in good shape, donate them or take them to a consignment shop or thrift store. Someone would love to have them, so it’s a win-win! Several categories of clothing should be in the donate pile.
4. Cocktail dresses and bridesmaid dresses. Unless they’re stunning and you know you’ll wear them soon, donate them.
2. Clothes from a previous life. If you’re transition-
5. Something with tags still attached that was a great ing from a corporate career and becoming an entrebuy, but you’ve never worn. More than half of wompreneur, or you’re now a stay at home mom then I en’s closets have at least one brand new item. Donate guarantee you that your old work clothes will sit there them! for years untouched. Now that you see what you have, your next step is 3. Clothes that are too small. If those pesky 15 to create a list of what you need to buy to round out pounds won’t leave, then it’s time the clothes do. If your wardrobe. This can be an item of a certain color, you feel bad every time you look at them, then toss a jacket, a belt, shoes or accessories. Remember that ‘em. Reward yourself with new outfits when the clothes are an extension of you and need to reflect weight comes off! who you are today and who you want to become, not who you used to be. Maximize Your Lifestyle
21
A Succe$$ful Woman’s Guide to Hot Love and a Hot Life by Mai Vu
K
aren spent another long day at the office. Last minute demands and deadlines just wouldn’t stop pouring in. The dinner plan that Karen had with her boyfriend was ruined two hours ago when she had to text him about her impending delay for the third time. He is mad. Actually his feelings are hurt, and that is even worse. He feels like he is last on her list of priorities, and that his needs don’t matter.
about getting older with so many unrealized dreams. This is a classic example of the clients I work with. Karen is in such a frustrating dilemma. She works hard for her money, but she can’t really enjoy her success since it makes her man feel less accomplished in life than she is. She motivates and inspires every life she touches, but she can’t seem to motivate her man. And she is exhausted.
have a man to support her. Equally disheartening, the man in this type of relationship feels inadequate, like he is somehow “less of a man” because his spouse is so successful.
Most of the time, both people in the couple are surprised by this shifting dynamic. At best, the relationship often tends to become platonic and functional. At a mediocre level, both sides feel lots of tension, unspoken resentment, and inadequacy. Despite a lot of The emotional demands are taxwork, investment, and sacrifice to ing on her spirit; they must have How to break out of this give to each other, both sides end put on 20 pounds of guilt. During cycle? up feeling unseen and unapprecithe day she has to deal with egoated by each other. The relationdriven men, and then at night she In the old days, men needed ship eventually fizzles and ends comes home to what seems like women to support them to achieve up repeating old patterns or in a a whining baby. “Pay attention to great things. Men also expected complete disappointment for all me!” it cries. But the truth is she parties involved. women to have children, clean just doesn’t have any attention left the house, and cook dinner. Do to give him sometimes, not with you remember the saying “Behind The Dalai Lama once stated, “The all the other demands pushing in Western woman will change the every great man there stands a on her professionally. world.” But we cannot do it alone. woman?” Women today are leading and Karen feels bad thinking about healing the world, and in return In today’s day and age, women him like that. He is a good man. have become equal leaders. And we need to learn how to let men She doesn’t know what to do. the reverse should be true. Behind serve us. We need to intentionally She makes more money than he progress toward our dreams from every great woman, there should does so she has more financial stand a great man, supporting her. a place of abundance, not deplepower, and, as he aptly points tion. And the way to do this is by However, for some reason, this out, she is free to come and go cultivating the love around us, is not as acceptable. Instead, the as she pleases. He, on the other and asking for support, which will successful woman feels bad that hand, is under-appreciate for his usually be happily given, by the her man is in her shadow, or she skills and expertise, and is bitter feels bad that she doesn’t even way. 22
Maximize Your Relationships
Get back a life you truly love When I first founded Hot Life Hot Love, I had no idea how much of an impact I would have on thousands of women just like Karen. My clients don’t just work with me; they use my program to transform themselves into beautiful, whole people again. Their joy and sense of fulfillment quickly has them brimming over with happiness as they use their sense of awesome to reignite the spark in their relationship. What secrets do I share with them? First, the harder that we work, the more we tend to shut down on the inside. Women must learn to let love in again. They don’t realize that their insistence on carrying the responsibilities of the world is what makes it really hard for men to love and cherish them. Their hard work is actually getting in the way of them receiving love, money, and success. If they can’t let love in, they can’t let money and success in either. Second, stop trying to save each other from hurt feelings by walking on eggshells. Redesign the way you communicate and speak to each other so that you can find a release for those pent up emotions that need to be expressed. Don’t hold back from letting down your guard anymore. You deserve to be with a man who loves all your true colors, and encourages them to shine brightly, not someone who blows down your flame every time it’s too bright. Finally, learn how to surrender to each other. Your relationship should be a safe space for you, where you can talk about your hopes, dreams and fears without being judged or let down. Encourage him to share with you, too, especially when he is wounded because you are, once again, working late and will not be able to make it home for dinner. And you don’t have to be the strong woman all the time. Surrender and let him love you. If you find that you are struggling to use these solutions, seek out help. You deserve to have a hot love and hot life again! My mission in life is to help you achieve that!
Listen Now Maximize Your Relationships
23
3 Out-Of-The-Box Steps to Attract
Spiritually
by Julia Stege
Aligned Clients
H
ave you ever noticed that your most favorite clients are people who are on the same spiritual path as you are? It makes perfect sense that folks who share the same beliefs get along better. And when your clients are spiritually aligned with you, serving them becomes a beautiful way to fulfill your soul’s mission on this planet. The question is, How do you attract your most spiritually aligned clients? You may have noticed that the traditional approach to marketing isn’t remotely inspiring. In fact, a lot of what folks do to attract clients may seem abhorrent to you! Have you ever wondered if there is a different way? As a spiritually inspired marketer, I have spent years perfecting the art of attracting divinely aligned clients, and I promise you, this is not traditional marketing. The following are three out-of-the-box steps to start attracting more spiritually aligned clients and fulfill your purpose through your marketing.
Soul Tribe Attraction Step 1: Focus on What YOU Want, From the Heart
missing” and you feel pretty bad as you do it, your marketing campaign will not be successful. You can tell it won’t be successful because of how you feel.
legitimate concern. You will turn some people off. But you do not need to attract everyone. In fact, you simply cannot please all the people all of the time.
All the great mentors of the last century have reminded us that manifestation begins in the realm of thought. We must think about the results we want if we desire to achieve those results in the real world. It is important for us to line up with and expect what we want, and clarifying our desires is the first step.
On the other hand, if you approach your marketing from the perspective of how much you love your product or service and how it will enhance the lives of your Soul Tribe, and you feel good as you create blog posts, advertisements, tweets, and web copy, your campaign will successfully bring you into alignment with the perfect customers who are seeking you. Then like magic you will start receiving calls, emails, inquiries, and comments from your peeps.
Remember, you’re not talking to everyone in the world. Only those who are aligned with your passion are your ideal clients.
The challenge is to focus on your desires in a pure way, without worrying too much about what other people may want. It’s important to start from the heart and identify your soul’s desire for your business. That way you will be creating the foundation for attracting those people who can help you fulfill that desire.
Soul Tribe Attraction Step 2: Pay Attention to How You Feel and Raise Your Vibration Now How do you feel right now? Not many marketers will ask you this question because they don’t think how you feel is important. Most people approach marketing from a stance of “what’s wrong.” They look at what is missing (not enough clients or sales for instance) and market from that perspective. The Law of Attraction is like gravity in the sense that it’s always responding to vibration, and how you feel will indicate whether you are moving toward or away from what you desire, including your Soul Tribe. So if you start your marketing campaign from “what’s Maximize Your Business
To help you in this process, make a list of things that make you feel good, and then schedule to do at least one thing from that list every day of your life. This will help you become more attractive to everyone, including your Soul Tribe. And you will notice other things you desire are manifested. Good vibrations are the key!
Soul Tribe Attraction Step 3: Share Your Purpose in Your Marketing The best way to ensure that your marketing will attract spiritually aligned clients is to share your purpose in your marketing, your newsletters, your blog, your podcasts, your teleclasses, and your social media. That way your true Soul Tribe can recognize you as the one they’re seeking, the one who is uniquely qualified to understand and fulfill their needs. Some spirit-preneurs resist sharing their passion in their marketing because they are afraid of turning off potential clients. This is a
It is important to consider that unless you are truly authentic in your marketing, your perfect customers will not recognize you when they find you. If you are trying to be slick or polished or if you are hiding who you truly are, your Soul Tribe will pass you by because they are only attracted to authenticity and alignment. You may acquire some clients who pay you, but they won’t really get you or connect with you in a deeply soulful way. When you do share yourself authentically, it is a vulnerable act, and your tribe will appreciate your willingness to be real. So much of what we consume from media day in and day out offends our sensibilities to the point where we want to tune it all out. When your authentic message comes through the noise, your peeps will leap for joy, or they may weep for joy. The fact is, they have been waiting a long time for the real you and what you have to offer. When you begin to implement these steps you will immediately notice a shift in the quality of the people you’re attracting. Celebrate each time someone who is spiritually aligned comes across your path, even if they don’t become a client right away. Feeling good and expressing gratitude for each small change will make you a spiritually aligned client magnet in no time.
Listen Now 25
Image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net by Maggie Smith
Did the Easter Bunny Give You the
A
Sugar Blues? by Deb Dutcher
hh, sugar! Chocolate bunnies, jelly beans, and candy-filled eggs fill the Easter season. Then we have cakes, pies, and cookies in nearly every other season. Every holiday we are tempted with all the goodies, and we give in. Then, we feel the pain and pay the price. Sugar is addictive. Most of us cannot stop with just one jelly bean or one bite of the bunny’s ears. We see it, think about it, and then eat it. Then we wonder, Why Am I Doing This?
We do it because our bodies respond to sugar just the way they do to cocaine and heroin. These substances all hit the same receptors in our brain, creating endorphins and making us feel amazing. But, they also have a dark-side – as addictive substances, they create a dependency, and we crash-and-burn and then need more.
Ahh, sugar! Chocolate bunnies, jelly beans, and candy-filled eggs fill the Easter season.
26
Breaking this addiction is no easy
matter. But, we need to break it, as sugar is being consumed at an alarming rate and creating major health issues in our population. Back in 1700, the average consumption of sugar was 7-1/2 lbs per person per year. Today we are hitting 150 lbs per person, per year, in the United States. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the maximum amount of added sugars women should eat in a day is 6 teaspoons (or 25 grams or 100 calories). The total recommended amount in all sugar consumed is 10% of our calories. If you eat 1500 calories a day, that is only 150 calories of sugar – 7 teaspoons. (This includes fruits and foods with natural sugar.) Most of us are getting much more!
Maximize Your Lifestyle
Sugar is not only in the visible forms of candy, sugar cubes, sugar packets for coffee, cookies, cakes, and pies. It is also hidden in our breakfast cereal, bottled and canned sauces, sodas, bottled juices, bottled flavored waters, condiments, packaged meals, and almost all munchies. We cannot escape it unless we make all our own foods, from scratch. (Hardly likely!) Packaged and processed foods are the most suspicious ingredient-wise. White bread, pasta, tortillas, bagels, crackers, and chips are loaded with the same health-challenging sweeteners as white sugar. Alcohol also converts to sugar in the blood-stream, so limiting our intake to no more than one glass per day is important. Interestingly, 50 percent of the sugar we consume today comes from high-fructose corn syrup in fat-free foods like salad dressings and regular soft drinks. Too much sugar is creating a sick nation. Reducing or eliminating sugar helps your body avoid heart disease, diabetes, all forms of cancer, tooth decay, and obesity. Sugar (and sugar-like substances) can cause cravings, crashes in your energy, exhaustion, and mood swings. So, how do you reduce your sugar consumption? You start by reading labels and choosing those with the least amount of natural sugar in the products – cane sugar, fructose, glucose, maltose, and honey. Don’t eat artificial sweeteners just because they have fewer calories! Artificial sweeteners are chemicals that our bodies really cannot process and that can even cause bloating. Artificial sweeteners are frequently found in many reduced-calorie foods, processed products, and diet or decaffeinated drinks. They contain chemical compounds called sucralose, aspartame and cyclamate that the digestive tract cannot break down easily, which can lead to bloating. Sweeteners, which can be up to 300 times sweeter than natural sugar, are known to increase appetite and result in overeating. One way to be safe is to make sure you eat protein and fiber-rich foods with your sugar. No more straight chocolate bunnies! Eat a salad first, with a bit of protein. Then, the sugar will not metabolize as quickly and you will not have the spike in your blood-sugar. The main factor that determines if the food will cause a spike in your blood-sugar is the food item’s Glycemic Index rating. The Glycemic Index* is a measure of how fast the sugar in a food Maximize Your Lifestyle
metabolizes in our bodies. If your food has protein and fiber, the sugar will be metabolized more slowly and you will not get the sugar-spike. You want a food that hits below 50 GI to keep your blood sugar from spiking. However, this is not a required nutrition labeling method and you have to do your research (or, get the list of common foods and their Glycemic Index from me!) Ultimately, to get off sugar, we have to choose better options. Instead of a cookie, choose a healthy nutrition bar, or some dried fruit and nuts, which will have less sugar, and more protein and fiber. Instead of high-fat, high-sugar ice cream, go with low-fat frozen yogurt – usually half the added sugar, and add some berries for fiber and nutrition. Instead of fruit juice, eat the whole fruit, with all its fiber and nutrients intact. Dilute juice, especially served to children, with water. Skip soda, diet or regular! When you think you are hungry, drink a glass of water first and wait. Sometimes our bodies’ signals are hard to decipher. Taking sugar out of our diet is hard, but worth the effort. If you choose to eat some candy or sweets, as we all do at some point, eat it! But, make sure you have a real meal before or right after, and choose dark over milk chocolate if you can. Eliminate the added sugars and you will control, and even lose, the Sugar Blues! • Glycemic Index: measurement of the speed at which sugar metabolizes in the body. Examples: Lentils, ¾ cup cooked: 30; Medium Apple: 38; Slice of White Bread: 70; 1 oz French baguette: 95.
Listen Now 27
10 Top Reasons
Why Most People Don’t Become Financially Free by Kathy Fairbanks
To Think is To Create
~Brian Klemmer
O
ne of my mentors, Brian Klemmer, shared with me some thoughts about Abundance and how a Compassionate Samurai asks, “How can I?” while average people ask, “Can I?” The premise of a Compassionate Samurai mindset is based upon blending a warrior-like business mindset with character traits of compassion in order to produce extraordinary results. In business, often two types of leaders surface. The first are those who are nice, good-hearted, and compassionate, but can’t make much happen. The other kind can make everything happen – they’re creators, the go-getters, and the aggressive producers in society; however, they’re often self-centered, greedy, and unethical. How do you focus on making things happen in your business in a really big way, but not lose your integrity? Those who are able to make things happen while maintaining their integrity are also able to pass the litmus test of the ten items below. Can you pass this test?
1
Financially Free People Have Big Enough Need:
If you don’t have a big enough need you won’t do what it takes to overcome the obstacles necessary to get there. Many people will not even allow themselves to want something they don’t think they can have because when you want something and cannot create it, it HURTS. Financial freedom requires big wants. To simply want $100,000 although specific, it is 28
not emotional or clear. If you know $100,000 is for your child’s education - you will be emotional about it.
2
Financially Free People see the opportunity all around them:
Opportunity surrounds us. We are immersed in opportunities, yet most people are blinded to them. One place you can start to see opportunities is to look for problems.
Any problem is an opportunity to make money. If it is a problem specific to a person, they will pay you to solve it. Today, keep your eyes and ears open for opportunity by searching for problems other people have.
3
Financially Free People are disciplined:
Many people mistakenly believe that most wealth comes from some unique invention or creation. Maximize Your Wealth
Statistically that is not so. Most wealth is generated by methodically investing. This utilizes what J. Paul Getty called the eighth wonder of the world, Compound Interest. That means you have to be disciplined enough to save the money. Are you willing to commit to investing $1000 or more a month? Are you willing to be disciplined to read half an hour a day on investing or a total of 2 and a half hours a week for the next three months?
4
Financially Free People Pay Themselves First:
5
Financially Free People educate themselves with specialized knowledge:
Most people pay themselves last, not first or even second and that is a MAJOR error. This is so simple, but not so easy. It has always been talked about, many books have been written about it, and yet it is amazing how few people do it.
The rules around investing and taxes were made by the wealthy. It will always be that way. Learn the system or you will be abused by it. Make a commitment today to study investing for a certain amount of time per week. Seek out the knowledge and get educated.
6
Financially Free People hang out with wealthy people:
This is so critical. Wealthy people know experts who can help you out. I recently attended a Millionaire’s Institute in order to learn from the speaker as well as meet Maximize Your Wealth
some very successful people. The conversations were open and geared toward a willingness to “pay it forward” and provide introductions to others which would have been outside of my circle of influence if I had not attended the seminar. Wealthy people also have money to invest in your good ideas, assuming you have an idea and that you are willing to give them their fair share of the profit for backing you. Spending money to get to know wealthy people is an investment not a cost.
7
Financially Free People are willing to risk what they have:
There is no such thing as a FREE LUNCH. There is something called a RISK REWARD RATIO that you must master. However, you are going to risk money along the way and lose it. No one makes all successful investments. Know how much you can afford to lose (and sometimes that is borrowed money), what the potential success rate is and what the real reward is. Then you must be willing to risk.
8
Financially Free People have an abundant mindset:
A scarcity mindset is the viewpoint that there is not enough. Not enough money, not enough time, not enough opportunity, or anything else. It is usually based on the viewpoint WE are not enough. Abundance is the viewpoint that our wholeness and completeness is not dependent on external circumstances. You are enough - not because you have money in the bank or know influential people or anything external to you.
9
Financially Free People have a contribution mind set:
A contribution mindset means you are always looking to see how you can contribute to the other person or organization. NOT leading with “what is in it for me.” You are looking at things from the other person’s perspective. What problems are they having and how can you help? If you sincerely are listening for how you can contribute and asking people what you can do for them you will be amazed at whom you attract and what opportunities become available.
10
Financially Free People have a budget and an asset and liability statement:
Two ways to know where you are at financially are a cash flow statement and an asset and liability statement. They are like two different gauges on your car. The knowledge of where you are at currently is far better than the ignorance of denial. Now you can figure out the appropriate decisions to correct the situation and move you to financial independence. So, do you pass the test? If not, what can you do to improve your score?
Listen Now 29
Do I Really Need to
Incorporate
I
t’s the cocktail party cliché. When I say I’m a lawyer, the person I’m meeting often “just has a quick question.” When that person is starting a business or thinking about it that question usually is: I was told I didn’t have to be a corporation to start a business. Is that true? Before I answer let’s step back. The law is often more concerned about what you can’t do – i.e. you can’t use misleading statements when selling to a consumer – then about what you can do. There’s no law out there that says to be in business you must form a corporation (with a name ending in Inc, Company, or Co.) or a Limited Liability Company (“LLC”). So, technically, you don’t have to incorporate to have a business. But you should. Why? Isn’t incorporating an unnecessary expense? A business can operate as a sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, or LLC. A sole proprietorship means your business is you and you are not incorporated.
30
My Business? by Nancy D. Greene, Esquire
A partnership is when you and someone else run a business and don’t incorporate. A corporation is born when it files Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws with a state. It’s owned by shareholders and has a board of directors. A limited liability company is also created by filing Articles of Incorporation with your state, but the owners are “members” not shareholders, and there’s no board of directors. As a sole proprietor or a partnership, you are personally responsible for the business’s debts or any claims made against it. On the other hand, shareholders of a company or members of an LLC aren’t personally responsible for the business’s debts. Why? Because the law views a company as a “person” separate from its owners, officers, and directors. A corporation gives you a corporate shield or veil that guards your assets against these claims. So, the primary advantage to incorporating is to protect your assets (your house, your car, your bank accounts) from the business’s customers, creditors and employees.
“But wait! I represent (INSERT NAME OF FRANCHISE HERE) aren’t I protected?” The short answer is “NO!” Sally’s home-based business sells makeup and clothing. She sells Jody age-defying lotion and lotion infused socks. Jody has an allergic reaction. Her throat swells closed and her feet balloon up. She almost dies from anaphylactic shock. The doctors trace the allergic response to the lotion in the products Sally sold her. When Jody sues for “not warning that people allergic to lotion might have an adverse reaction,” her attorney will sue the parent company and Sally. Plaintiffs’ lawyers follow a modified Marine slogan when choosing who to sue: Sue them all, and let the Court sort them out. The chances are Sally will be sued, even if the parent company settles and pays Jody’s claim. Sally will have to hire an attorney, and will lose a lot of sleep between when Jody makes the claim and when it’s resolved. Now, will Sally still lose sleep and possibly have to hire an attorney if she’s incorporated? Yes. But, the difference is that if Sally Maximize Your Business
is incorporated, her company loses the lawsuit and only the company will pay Jody’s judgement. If Sally is not incorporated and she loses the lawsuit, Jody’s going to get paid by garnishing Sally’s wages and bank accounts and selling Sally’s stuff, including her house. If she has incorporated her business, Sally’s wages and her house are protected (usually) from Jody’s attempts to collect. Okay, did you see what I did in that last sentence? I added a lawyer-ism. I said “(usually).” There are ways for a plaintiff to pierce the corporate veil that protects your assets. These ways vary from state-tostate but generally require bad actions by the owner. If you make a fraudulent statement (one of material fact you know or should know is untrue) and someone is damaged, you will likely be responsible regardless of incorporating. Also, if you ignore the company’s separate existence, by running personal expenses through it without properly taking the value of those payments as income, then a court is likely to disregard the company too. Most people don’t have to worry about attempts to pierce the corporate veil because they are honoring the company’s separateness and aren’t engaged in fraud. The other caveat is you will be responsible for any company debt you guarantee (i.e. promise to pay).
a construction company. The projects go WAY over budget. Staff 4 Uz uses its profits to support a failing construction enterprise. Ultimately, the construction losses are so great that Staff 4 Uz goes out of business. Mario loses everything. Williamina gets another job. Staff 4 Uz wouldn’t have failed if the construction enterprise been a separate company. Construction 4 Uz wouldn’t have drained Staff 4 Uz’s resources, and Construction’s creditors couldn’t have looked to Staff for payment. So, if your new business is outside your core business line or is very risky it may be better to form a new company for that enterprise to protect your profitable existing business. Incorporating is an inexpensive way to protect your assets when you have a business. Invest in your business and leverage the protection the law gives you by incorporating. Any fee the state charges is cheaper than what you’ll pay a lawyer when someone sues you and it gives you the peace of mind to focus on running your business and not protecting your backside.
Okay. I understand why I need a company. But I only need one, right? Maybe. Having more than one company may make sense if you have more than one business venture. Let me tell you a story. Mario’s profitable staffing company, Staff 4 Uz, has excess cash and is looking to expand. It hires a Chief Operating Officer, Willamina. She starts a new construction division within Staff 4 Uz by leveraging the company’s minority-owned status. Staff 4 Uz is awarded several contracts. Williamina’s plan seems like a huge success. Except. . . Williamina doesn’t know how to bid a job or run Maximize Your Business
Listen Now 31
Ask Rebecca
By Rebecca Hall Gruyter, Founder/Owner of Your Purpose Driven Practice Listen Now
This powerful column provides you an opportunity to ask Rebecca those business questions, money questions, leadership, speaker, personal growth, and empowerment questions you have. Rebecca wants to help you overcome fear and bring your message forward. In each issue, Rebecca will select 1 to 3 questions to answer.
Question 1:
Dear Rebecca, what is the most essential thing someone needs to do to start to address and hopefully enhance their ability to acquire more money? ~Deidra Trudeau, Women’s Success NOW
Dear Deidra, thank you so much for your money question. I believe there are actually two essential things someone needs to do. First, I advise everyone to look at their relationship with money. I call this the profound level. How are you interacting with money? Do you have a thriving and trusted relationship or are you uncomfortable with money on some level, perhaps keeping it at a distance? If so, really look at this and think about how you would like your relationship with money to be. As long as there is discomfort, you will be resistant to receiving more, because that would bring more discomfort into your life. A great place to start this dialogue with yourself around money is to ask yourself, “What is important about money to me and why?” Treat this dialogue as a discovery. Really look at what is important to you and why. Gain an understanding about why you want more and what more would mean to you.
32
Ask Rebecca
Second, on the practical (or number) level, it’s important to gain an understanding of how your money is actually flowing. Where are all the dollars going? Where and when is the money coming in? If someone took a snap shot of where your dollars are going, is it in alignment with what is important to you? It’s important to know what is happening with your current dollars as you’re looking to acquire more. It’s also important to be really clear on what more is. You need to be specific about how much more you are looking for. Is it $1 more per month? Or $3,000 more per month? Knowing what you currently have coming in and discovering what you are looking to bring in allows you to see specifically the gap or difference between the two numbers. As long as the goal is vague (I just want more), it’s harder to achieve. This is because $1 is more! Our minds need to know exactly and specifically what we mean by “more” so it can start to help us fill the gap. The understanding of this gap then allows you to specifically develop a plan to get from where you are to where you want to be. You also may want to check out my 7 Myths and Powerful Truths about Money on my website: www. YourPurposeDrivenPractice.com To your empowered journey. Warmly, Rebecca.
Question 2:
Dear Rebecca, how would you advise an introvert working on getting out of their box to take that first step? ~Rebecca Pauli, Co-Founder of JuzzGorgeous, LLC
Dear Rebecca, thank you so much for your stretching question. I believe the first step is to figure out your Why. Why are you wanting to step out of your comfort zone? Knowing this will help encourage you as you are stretching. Secondly, how can you stretch in a way that plays to your strengths? For instance, maybe one of your strengths is listening. A way to play to that strength is to attend events that are in your areas of interest and have a set of questions you can ask someone. Sometimes, for an introvert it’s easier to ask a couple of questions and listen then feel the pressure of leading a conversation. Third, have a plan. Another way to attend events is with a friend. This way you can support one another, introduce each other, and stretch your respective comfort zones as you explore connecting with others on a deeper level. Ultimately, remember to be extra kind to yourself. Anytime you are stretching out of an area of comfort, your mind and body can feel threatened because they don’t know if you can survive this new way of being or interacting. So, to protect you, your body will send danger signs throughout your system even when you are not truly in danger, because your mind and body know you can survive “in the box” but are not sure you can survive outside the box. This is why it’s important to be patient with yourself as you stretch and grow, build in ways to support yourself, allow an exit strategy if you need it (this builds trust within yourself), and allow down time. Introverts tend to be recharged by themselves, so build alone time into how you attend networking events, conferences, or other people-centered events. Provide time and space for you to recharge before, during, and after the event. This will help you feel centered and safe, and help you keep connecting without feeling completely drained. I look forward to seeing you. Warmly, Rebecca We hope you have enjoyed ASK REBECCA and if you would like to submit your questions to Rebecca, please email her at: Rebecca@YourPurposeDrivenPractice.com and in the email indicate if you are okay with her using your name and business with the question or if you would prefer to have it submitted anonymously. Ask Rebecca
33
Woman
Wealthy
Shirlene Reeves, Publisher, Wealthy Woman Magazine Shirlene Reeves is a Transformational Healer Blending Business, Finance, and Universal Principles. She strengthens your business foundation with multiple streams of income and expands your vision through massive visibility so you can make money while you sleep. While living on Maui, she furthered her spiritual experience and education. Shirlene practiced Healing Touch Therapy with surgical patients at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center. She trained with best selling author and speaker Dr. Wayne Dyer and the American Spiritual teacher and former Harvard Professor Ram Dass. Shirlene can be found online at www.maximizeyourwealthnow.com
Huda Baak Huda is an award winning image consultant and professional speaker. She has spoken before thousands of professionals, worked with hundreds of clients, and has appeared on numerous radio and television business talk shows in the San Francisco Bay Area. For 25 years, Huda has been dedicated to helping women “be seen” authentically and to creating a unique signature style for them. Her claim to fame is her holistic approach to image and how people ‘show up’ which goes beyond their physical appearance, but includes their mental, emotional, and spiritual selves as well. Huda can be found at www.HudaBaak.com.
Gayle Bode Gayle helps business owners get more comfortable with their day-to-day Money-IN Money-OUT relationship and have a more realistic conversation around their money, without judgment or fear. Gayle is a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor and enjoys public speaking and training. She recently taught a recordkeeping class for the non-profit organization Women’s Initiative to help empower new entrepreneurs to better understand their financial situations. Gayle can be found online at www.bodeoffice.com
Deb Dutcher Deb Dutcher is an Executive Health Coach and Corporate Wellness Consultant. She founded her company, Energy Unlimited Coach, to support career women and men who have put their health to the side while building a business and career. Deb has been working in the nutrition field for over fourteen years and has helped hundreds of clients get leaner and stronger while creating healthier lifestyles. Deb teaches that when we ignore our body’s signals, we will end up on Mad-Body Mountain, with an angry, unresponsive body that has pain, digestive disorders or disease, and unwanted extra weight. She has the tools and roadmap to get you back to Sexy, Lean, and Strong Valley quickly and safely. Deb can be found online at www.energyunlimitedcoach.com
Kathy Fairbanks
Kathy Fairbanks leads the corporate team at Klemmer & Associates Leadership Seminars providing experiential training and business solutions to clients worldwide. Prior to joining Klemmer & Associates, she experienced a 20year successful career in the financial services industry with CitiGroup and General Electric. Connecting her strategic business skill sets with the 10 traits of the “Compassionate Samurai” insures a perfect match of deliverables from the Klemmer & Associates Leadership team in order to make a real difference in the way organizations and people operate to produce WIN-WIN results. Championing K&A’s mission statement of “creating bold, ethical leaders who are committed to a world that works for everyone with no one left out” is always at the top of Kathy’s mind. Kathy can be found online at www.klemmer.com
Nancy Greene Nancy Greene, Esquire, ensures that while you’re out doing what you love and growing your business, you aren’t always watching your feet for potential landmines. An Amazon best-selling author, a member of the National Association of Professional Women, a NAPW Woman of the Year 2012/2013, and a member of the EWomen Network and the Women’s Speaker’s Association, Nancy loves helping other women business owners thrive in today’s litigious society. Nancy takes all that fancy legal mumbo-jumbo and demystifies it. As a dynamic speaker, she makes learning about the law fun, and business owners realize the law less daunting than they thought and risks can often be costeffectively managed. Nancy can be found online at www.ndglaw.com
Featured
Rebecca Hall Gruyter
Experts
Rebecca Hall Gruyter, is the founder/Owner of Your Purpose Driven Practice, Creator of the Women’s Empowerment Series, Best Selling Author, and International VoiceAmerica Talk Radio Show Host. She has a Bachelor of Science in Business, Strategic Management Concentration, and a strong background in corporate and entrepreneurial circles as an in-demand Consultant, Motivational Speaker, Community Leader, and Coach. Rebecca is committed to helping people impact the world powerfully, helping them line up their business and life with their core values and unique gifts. Rebecca can be found at www.yourpurposedrivenpractice.com
Christina Marlett Christina Marlett believes that the human body is made to move. She is deeply passionate about incorporating meaningful movement into all types of learning. After training as an Embodiment Coach on the beaches of Mexico, the lavender farms of California, and in the rainforests of BC, she created her business Dance Ugly Dance Awkward. Christina loves helping people become the best version of themselves by asking great questions and then moving their bodies to find the answers. These days, you’ll find her speaking, teaching, coaching and facilitating all over North America. She can be found online at www.danceuglydanceawkward.com
Lauren Perotti Lauren Perotti is a sparkling speaker, author, and DreamBuilder Coach. Lauren brings her nearly 30 years of expertise, her passion and her creative approaches to help professionals who have achieved hollow success to truly make their life a masterpiece in ALL realms – a life they LOVE. By teaching her clients the art and science of success – of DreamBuilding – they are able to re-ignite their brilliance and up-level their success without sacrificing their Soul. She is co-author of several books, and is working on her book Ignite the Fire of Your Purpose, Passion and Power, 7 Spiritual Pillars to Light Your Path to Pure Prosperity. Lauren can be found online at www.laurenperotti.com.
Julia Stege Julia Stege is called The Magical Marketer because she helps spiritual business women and conscious entrepreneurs to clarify and express their purpose through branding and websites that attract their true Soul Tribe online. Hers is a magical process that helps you attract divinely aligned clients by being authentically you. Julia provides intuitive branding consulting and design services, project management, website design, and online marketing management. Julia can be found online at www.magical-marketing.com
Cynthia Stott Cynthia Stott is a speaker, mentor, and business medium who has been channeling higher selves/souls for many years. She primarily works with mission-driven entrepreneurs who are highly and diversely gifted and talented and want to integrate their gifts, talents and passions into a cohesive business model that resonates with the people they are meant to serve most. Her Game Changing Belief™ System changes even deep-seeded fears and beliefs quickly, easily, and permanently. Her uplifting presence and channeled messages inspire entrepreneurs to integrate their various Divine Gifts and bring forth their Divine Message so the people they are meant to serve find them quickly and easily. Cynthia can be found online at www.cynthiastott.com
Mai Vu International Speaker and Master Coach, Mai Vu works with mom entrepreneurs who are divorced & dating again. She helps women either turn their relationship around or attract and create their new lasting love, while raising healthy kids, and rocking their business. Mai has a successful 6 figure coaching business, serving over 1000 women worldwide for the past 20 years. She has also trained and certified over 1000 Life Coaches. Mai Vu has been described as playful, funny, bold, as she takes a stand for Your Hot Life & Hot Love! Mai can be found online at www.maivucoach.com.
Woman
Wealthy Magazine
This publication is produced by AMJ Productions & Publications via The I Am Enough Institute www.iamenoughinstitute.com • www.iamenoughmagazine.com