We have a lot MORE at www.twibc.com Thriving Women in Business Radio Each week, the publisher will interview a woman who will have a lot of value to share. These interviews will inspire you and give you insights into key business areas. After the live broadcast, you can listen to all the inspiring interviews you missed and see our upcoming guests here at www.twibc.com/radio. Thriving Women in Business Directory You need all kinds of products and services to successfully run your business. You want vendors to see you not just as a client—but as a partner. For whatever you need, check out our comprehensive business directory of vendors who want your business. Visit: www.twibc.com/directory to assemble your list of vendor partners. Special Community Offers Our experts and business directory partners want to make it easy for you to do business with them. That is why they have put together special offers for you and the other women in our community. We are adding new offers all the time, so visit this page often: www.twibc.com/offers. More Great Content from More Featured Experts Our Thriving Women in Business Community has selected 30 different experts to serve you in print, in our digital issues and on our website. Be sure to visit the website to read the digital issue with more great articles and features, and anytime you need some super tips or want to deepen your knowledge in a specific area, use the search feature on our website to find what you are looking for. See all our experts here: www.twibc.com/experts. Thriving Woman of the Week Read our weekly profile and get to know a woman of influence and hear how she became successful and overcame challenges. Learn a few of her strategies for success that you can use right away. This is a great, easy weekly business boost. www.twibc.com/twow. 2
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PUBLISHER’S NOTE Let’s Make 2016 Your Very Best Year Yet! Margaret Mead, American anthropologist said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” I was thinking about this quote as I sat down to write this, my first publisher’s note in the first issue of this magazine. I enthusiastically purchased Today’s Innovative Woman magazine from publisher, Cathy Allesandra, (and rebranded it) because I have seen countless times how reading one article, implementing one great tip or learning something you didn’t know can change the trajectory of a business. That is my mission here: to provide you education, a variety of incredible resources and a community of like-minded, like-hearted women who will absolutely, positively impact your business journey. I believe that the more successful women in business are, the better our world will be. Most businesswomen do what we do to help others, to make a difference and yes, to change the world.
THE THRIVING WOMEN IN BUSINESS COMMUNITY Has so Much More Value for You Free Monthly Business Building Tele-class We have so many incredible experts with so much more value than they can share in their articles, so we feature a free, live hot topic call with one of our featured experts. You can also take advantage of their deeper dive on the same topic. See our lineup and register at www.twibc.com/teleclasses. Events for Thriving Business Women We know the value of connecting and learning with like-minded, like-hearted women. Through our website, you can keep current on so many great personal development and business development events happening in your area and virtually. Visit our Events page frequently. www.twibc.com/events. Thriving Women in Business Giving Circle Women worldwide are seeking education and entrepreneurship training. Our TWIB Giving Circle is changing lives and uplifting communities through our quarterly events and annual Global Love Day event. Take a look, or better yet, join us to make a difference. www.twibc.com/givingcircle.
In order for women to thrive in business, we need ongoing guidance, ongoing support and community. I want you to rush to read this publication each time it arrives in your mail box, to visit our website often and to look to our community for events to attend and vendors with whom to connect. Whatever your business challenge, look to us for the solutions. Let us be your partner in making sure 2016 is your very best year yet. I encourage you, throughout this year, to find every opportunity to use your success to uplift other women. As a reader, I now consider you a member of our community. You will see on our website that we have a lot of ways for you to engage with the other members of our community. Please connect with me and let me know your thoughts. My team and I are here to support you and we will always be upgrading.
To Your Thriving Success! Caterina Rando 4
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BEST YEAR EVER ISSUE
IN THIS ISSUE
8) Embrace Happiness to Ensure 2016 is Your Best Year Ever By Lee Richter 10) 3 Ways to Create Additional Sales. . . Additional Money! By Debbie Mrazek 12) Adopt Good Habits and Nourish a Loving Attitude By Marion Gellatly 14) Feng Shui Before February’s Chinese New Year By Linda Lenore 16) Spiritual Marketing, Part One: Profound Truth for Your Best Year Ever By Linda Basso
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18) New Year, Old Systems By Bibi Goldstein 20) Super Tips to Enjoy Your Best Year Ever! By Caterina Rando 22) Are You Ready to Be a Woman of Impact? By Andrea Woolf 24) Have a BRAND New Year! By Tammy Tribble 26) Determine Your Best Business Type: Top 5 Questions to Ask By Nancy Lewellan 28) How to MAXIMIZE Productivity When Your Office Is at Home. Part One By Jenenne Macklin
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30) 2 Things You Can Do When Writing Your Book to Create a Magical Connection with Your Reader By Robbin Simons 32) 1099 Processing Time is Here! By Candy Messer 34) Marketing is About Inspiring People By Diana Concoff Morgan 36) 4 Simple Steps to Create a Vibrant Start to the New Year By Kenya Moses 38) Start Your Dream Now By Laurie Zerga 40) Money Loves Clarity By Laura Gisborne
42) Time Management Tips for Creative Entrepreneurs By Minette Riordan 44) Be a Winner By Lu Casillas 46) 7 Powerful Reasons to Leap Outside Your Comfort Zone By Susan Tolles 48) All About You 3 Ways to Connect with Your Creative Vision for 2016 By Tobey Allen 50) Self-Love 101 By Wendy L. Harvey Make sure your subscribing to our publication. We’re looking forward to bringing you our Innovation Issue in March 2016!
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BEST YEAR EVER ISSUE EMBRACE HAPPINESS to Ensure 2016 is Your Best Year Ever
thing you can control is your reaction. Choose happiness. Choose to see challenges and mistakes as learning opportunities to grow and to learn.
By Lee Richter
Keep a daily gratitude journal. Each day, list three things you are grateful for. This increases your happiness dramatically.
Did you ever take a class about “Happiness?” I wish it had been offered in my high school or the college I attended. In 2011, someone I knew and cared about killed herself and it was a shock to me. I realized how unhappy she had been. Because I knew I never wanted that to be me, I began to focus more on my happiness. I brought a happiness coach into my life and took classes to learn that happiness is a choice. It is. We can choose to be happy or not. I began to offer classes to my team to share happiness with them too. Some of them told me that it made a profound difference in their lives at work and at home.
Commit to being happy, do the work and become happier, making 2016 your best year ever. Lee Richter is an innovator and for more than 30 years, she has built successful and dynamic, community-driven businesses. Her unique vision and system generates massive results, proven by her highly successful companies, which produce millions of dollars, hundreds of jobs, support communities and educate thousands of people all over the world. Lee has been working with happiness experts for many years and www.sharehappinessnow.com is her passion project she shares with the world.
In the following year, the Harvard Business Review splashed a big yellow happy face on its cover and announced that companies should pay attention to happiness within their teams. We were ahead of the curve. We were already paying attention to bringing more happiness into our lives. Yay! It sounds so easy, doesn’t it? Well, it is not always easy. Happiness is a science, and like all things, it has to be understood, accepted and implemented. Follow these ideas to add more happiness in your business everyday: As you start each day, choose a positive mindset. When you do this, you look for the good around you in your life. It is a daily practice. When life throws challenges and obstacles in the way, remember that the only 8
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BEST YEAR EVER ISSUE 3 WAYS TO CREATE ADDITIONAL SALES . . . Additional Money! By Debbie Mrazek What are you selling now? Is it what your market wants this year? In coaching women, I often find that they are hesitant to add new products or services. What they are doing is working—people are still buying, no one is complaining, why rock the boat? Think about the growth you want this year. How are you planning to get it?
Focus on your customers. ASK them what they love about what you
currently provide. Is there additional value you can bring by adding on to what you have? This can be the easiest—already established market, small investment to add to a current product, and it can take little time.
Focus on your product/services. How and why did you create what you
currently have? You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Take your best practices from what you created first and create something new. Remember why you created it—are those reasons still important to you? If not, adjust accordingly.
Focus on your market. How long is the life cycle? If the life cycle has come
to an end in the United States, could you sell it in other countries and create a whole new market? With such incredible access to the world through the In10
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ternet today, it is possible for you to extend the life cycle of what you currently provide. By focusing on additional markets, you can expand your business and revenue. Invest time in researching where else you could sell. Better yet, just try something. . . pick a country and go online to your current contacts and ask them for referrals to the people they know in that country and reach out to them. The world is at your fingertips. Reach out and open the door! Debbie Mrazek is president of The Sales Company, a Texasbased firm that is helping hundreds of entrepreneurs, individuals and corporations better assess, understand and engage in practical, purposeful selling. With “Mrazek Energy”believed to be from another world, since it is a constant flow of happiness and enthusiasmDebbie teaches the tools and techniques and how to transform them into S-A-L-E-S for YOU. www.the-sales-company.com.
The Sales Company puts a little caffeine in your sales. T H E
S A L E S
C O M P A N Y
Be the competition. Contact Debbie Mrazek
www.The-Sales-Company.com
972 618 1880
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All About Business
BEST YEAR EVER ISSUE
ADOPT GOOD HABITS and Nourish a Loving Attitude
Get out of the habit of being envious of what others are wearing. Get into the habit of studying well-dressed women and trying new styling techniques for you.
By Marion Gellatly, AICI CIM
Get out of the habit of putting on clothes that you “sort of” like. Get into the habit of enjoying how you feel in clothes and accessories you love.
January is the month to create new habits for the upcoming year—new habits that will lead to self-appreciation and a good self-image. Here are some ways to nourish a loving attitude—because you deserve it! Get out of the habit of criticizing your body when trying on clothes that don’t flatter your body type. Get into the habit of discovering clothes that naturally flatter your shape and proportion. Get out of the habit of buying random pieces and feeling bad because you never wear them. Get into the habit of shopping with a purpose and a list.
Get out of the habit of feeling stuck. Get into the habit of giving me a call to help you get unstuck. I’m here to be your best supporter and guide. Marion Gellatly has made it her job to help women gain confidence in dressing to support their professional goals and personal brand. She is passionate about educating women so they can confidently master the nuances of their visual communication, a big part of which is professional appearance. Marion is an engaging speaker, author, and recognized leader in the field of image management and has been supporting women for over 20 years. Marion can be reached at mlgellatly@powerful-presence.com.
Get out of the habit of settling for bargains, hand-me-downs or past-season discounted clothes. Get into the habit of paying full price for something you love and will wear often. Get out of the habit of throwing on the same old thing day after day. Get into the habit of taking time to create “new” outfits from your wardrobe and use more of what you already own. Get out of the habit of adding new items to an already overstuffed closet. Get into the habit of having a well-edited closet by eliminating clothes before adding new ones. Get out of the habit of running out the door without your makeup on. Get into the habit of scheduling enough time to put your best face forward.
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BEST YEAR EVER ISSUE FENG SHUI Before February’s Chinese New Year By Linda Lenore Wealthy and powerful people around the world who utilize Feng Shui principles know setting the stage for success involves body, mind, spirit and the environment. Focusing our attention on all four levels creates a strong foundation on which to build our businesses and enjoy balanced living. Rituals and ceremonies are an intricate part of the process. They powerfully affect our subconscious mind. Used in conjunction with Universal Laws, they were key components in creating great and prosperous world civilizations. Some cultures, like the Babylonians, openly shared this knowledge. Others withheld it for use by only the rich and famous.
1. Engage your body in a specific physical activity to change old cellular memory patterns within your body. 2. Visualize your desired outcome. This changes the way your mind holds the mental cellular memory. 3. Say an affirmation with as much conviction and passion as possible. This shifts the cellular memory held within your emotional and spiritual bodies. Embrace these ideas for your best year ever. For more great feng shui insights visit: www.lindalenore.com/year-of-the-monkey-teleseminar Linda Lenore is a Feng Shui Master, Certified Green Building Professional, best-selling author and vital office/home consultant whose clients include Adobe®, Bank of the West®, Ritz-Carlton® and international personalities. Quoted as an “expert” in the Wall Street Journal®, Better Homes & Gardens® publications, and more, she’s known for creating corporate and home environments that stimulate success and soothe the soul. Linda is known as “The Healing Designer.” She can be reached at linda@lindalenore.com.
Setting the Stage for Success Celebrated worldwide, this Year of the Monkey Chinese New Year starts February 8, 2016. A time-honored tradition greeting the New Year consists of removing old energy and attracting new energy. Activities reflect this twopart process. Even the Dragon Dance in Chinese New Year’s parades symbolically includes them: 1) Fire-breathing dragon evaporates old energy, 2) Bright colors and zigzag movements attract new energy. Ceremonies and rituals help us change energies in our businesses and homes. While sweeping floors, imagine you are sweeping away old thought patterns. When washing windows, picture clarity of vision. Three-Fold Process for Manifesting Desired Outcomes A powerful, three-fold process aligns body, mind and spirit with our environment. Intentionally add these steps to your rituals: 14
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BEST YEAR EVER ISSUE SPIRITUAL MARKETING, PART ONE: Profound Truth for Your Best Year Ever
and you need input from others, the universe, or your version of God. But all of that only works if you are fully standing in who you came here to be. Your marketing will only be as powerful as you are present to the real you.
By Linda Basso
Want to know more about the pillars of marketing and how they can support your best year ever? Read more from Linda on the four pillars of spiritual marketing on her expert page at www.twibc.com.
This is the first in a series about the four pillars of spiritual marketing, so you get results and enjoy the process. Try improving the pillars of your marketing to create your best year ever! These four pillars involve getting clear on the truth, plan, message and path within your business. The first—finding your truth—is the powerful foundation of spiritual marketing that deepens your approach and makes marketing easier.
Linda Basso is a marketing coach with a spiritual attitude that supports entrepreneurs in growing their businesses, their impact and their revenue. Her four pillars of spiritual marketing can help you get the results you want, be real and have fun while you do it. For 22 years, she has created brands and campaigns for Kimpton® Hotels & Restaurants, Jamba Juice®, Disney®, and many small businesses. She has helped her clients win many awards, along with placements in publications such as The Wall Street Journal®, TIME® Magazine, and the front cover of WIRED® magazine. Reach her at 510-381-3094 or lindabasso.com.
Ways to get clear on your marketing truths: • Get clear on what you really sell. All doctors sell health care. Yet one doctor may really sell relief, while another sells strength. Get clear on what you sell by truly understanding what your clients gain from working with you. When you voice what you really sell and marry that with what the market longs for, you create truly powerful products and services. • Align with something higher than yourself. Nothing makes you feel more isolated than going it alone. When you lean into whatever powers you believe fuel the universe, you are partnering with truth. Letting the truth of your beliefs enter into your business brings the transparency that creates resonance with potential clients. • Stand in your power. Part of being a spiritual marketer is stepping into being a creator. Yes, you are a part of something larger. You are here to contribute, 16
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NEW YEAR, OLD SYSTEMS By Bibi Goldstein As someone who really loves technology and very much dislikes paper, I’m always amazed at how many people I speak to on a regular basis who say, “Oh yeah, I think I have that SOFTWARE/TECHNOLOGY/SYSTEMS, but I just don’t use it. I guess I should, since I’m paying for it.” Often times individuals and/or businesses come to me to help them streamline and automate their systems. When I consult with someone, I address four basic areas: 1. Email: What platform they use like Outlook®, Gmail or other web-based programs, how often they check email, how they archive email, and their process of responses/delegation of emails. 2. To Do Lists: What platform they use like paper, Asana®, One Place Home®, how things get added, how things get checked off as done, how they delegate, how they monitor delegated To Do’s. 3. Information/Notes: What platform they use like paper, One Note®, Evernote®, how often they refer back to things, and if they have to share these with other people. 4. Follow up: What platform they use like MailChimp®, Get Response®, Infusionsoft®, Ontraport®, if their process is documented based on prospect, customer or vendor, and if there is a multimodal like email, phone, snail mail follow-up system in place. Before you move to the next best thing in productivity, give your existing systems a chance to work. Most systems fail because we have not emotionally invested in them. In the new year, you have probably set a goal to be more productive. Ask yourself this year, if you gave the systems you already have your full emotional attention. Do not throw it out now that 2015 is over. Go back, revisit, relearn, and give the systems you already have a real chance to work for you and your business before moving on. This will ensure a great 2016. Bibi Goldstein is the founder and CEO of Buying Time LLC, a virtual assistant service, serving small businesses and entrepreneurs around the globe. Bibi is a speaker, author and time management guru. Connect with Bibi on her website www.buyingtime.com. 18
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SUPER TIPS to Enjoy Your Best Year Ever By Caterina Rando Apply these proven ideas now to enjoy your best year ever in your business: Know ALL your numbers. Do you know what your best sales day, week, month, quarter and year are to date? If not, find out or start to track these so you know what numbers to begin working to beat. Set revenue goals for each income stream in your business. Many people set an overall goal and break it down by months. You are more likely to succeed by setting goals for each way you generate revenue and setting monthly and quarterly goals for each revenue source. Build influence to build your business. Make sure that your marketing plan is an influence-building plan. People will return your phone calls, attend a meeting or buy from you, only when you have influence with them. The influence equation is Visibility + Value + Consistency = Influence.
month, set a goal for how many referrals you are going to receive from your clients and trusted alliance partners. Track and raise that goal each month. Be high tech and high touch. Yes, have a social media plan. Yes, do some organic posting throughout the week. However, do not only build influence online. Get out there and speak in public to build massive influence, show up to places you are invited and always do your best to accept any invitation from clients. They will introduce you to potential clients and rave about you. Host your own events. The host or producer of any event is building the influence in the room. Events are not only big conferences or seminars. Any gathering builds relationships and influence. Host a brunch, a two-hour introductory seminar, or a get together to make vision boards or talk about your 2016 goals. Getting people together builds massive influence. Consistency over time creates results. Follow these ideas and you will be well on your way to enjoying your best month ever.
Do what is the highest and best use of your time, most of the time. If you are a coach, no one pays you for administrative support or graphic design. If you are an insurance agent, no one pays you to write marketing copy. Stay in your mastery and get support with the rest. Follow the money first. Start each day doing the revenue producing activities first. Do not get waylaid with email, social media and other things that can wait. Start with sales calls and closing business. Otherwise you will often get distracted with the challenge du jour and fall behind on your rainmaking. Set a goal for how many referrals you want to receive monthly and track your progress. The reason we often do not get a consistent flow of referrals is that we do not set goals around referrals, so we do not get a lot of referrals. This 20
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BEST YEAR EVER ISSUE ARE YOU READY to Be a Woman of Impact? By Andrea Woolf Do you know you could be, do and have more but are getting in your own way? Are you your biggest critic? Are you feeling stuck and frustrated in your business or your life? If you answered YES to any of these questions, then you have come to the right place. You want something to change. You Know You Are a Woman of Impact If: • You are being called to play a bigger game in business and in life. • You want to become your own biggest champion and embrace your magnificence. • You are ready to contribute and make a difference in the world. • You want to connect, collaborate and communicate with a vibrant community of like-minded and like-hearted amazing women. Do any of those points speak to you? Are you hearing yourself say, “Yes, that is ME?” Then you are indeed a Woman of Impact. Here are some quick tips to help you step into BEING that amazing woman: 1. Increase your presence and access your power. Use them to impact your business and your community. 2. Find your voice so you can speak up, be heard and make a difference. 3. Gain clarity so you show up clear, purposeful and powerful. 4. Unleash your passion and become a powerful attractor magnet in your business and your life. 5. Be who you really are and truly embrace your magnificence. 22
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I have so much more to offer you about becoming the powerful Woman of Impact you are destined to be. Go to my Expert page to read more in the Five Points of Impact article series. Are you ready to be a Woman of Impact? If so, I would love to speak with you. I can be reached at andrea@andreawoolf.com and by phone at 949-713-7734. Andrea Woolf is the founder and coach extraordinaire for Women of Impact, a vibrant community of women coming together to change their business and life, and transform the world. She is the author of “Ignite Your Life—How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be,” and helps women achieve amazing results and truly connect to the difference they make. Find out more about Andrea and all her exciting upcoming programs and events at www.andreawoolf. com. Andrea would love to hear from you at 949-713-7734 or email andrea@andreawoolf.com.
Release Your Inner Champion What Is Holding You Back? • Do you know you could be, do and have more, and you’re getting in your own way? • Are you your biggest critic? • Are you being called to play a bigger game in business and in life? If you answered yes to any of the above, come to www.andreawoolf.com/innerchampion to find out how to Release Your Inner Champion!
Andrea Woolf Founder of Women of Impact
andrea@andreawoolf.com • (949) 713-7734
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BEST YEAR EVER ISSUE Have a BRAND New Year! By Tammy Tribble The new year is a time for reflection and anticipation, filled with hope, resolutions and visions of making this year your BEST YEAR EVER! Let’s start with your BRAND: Great branding clearly, concisely and confidently communicates who you are, what you do and the results of working with you. It differentiates you from the myriad of others who are doing the same thing. However, we all know you have your own special way of doing it and that is what branding does; it reflects your personality and your core values, and does it in such a way that your ideal clients are physically drawn to you.
Make it visual: Color and images are visual reflections of your brand, so keep them congruent. This includes: website, business cards, fliers, signage, email marketing, information products, and so on. Everything looks like it came from the same family; this instills confidence and credibility. With a clear message and a strong brand, you are set up for success, able to confidently attract your ideal clients, and transform lives with your awesome gifts and talents. Congratulations in advance on your best year ever! Tammy Tribble is the founder of Mimetic Design Systems, Inc., where she works with entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, and business owners who are ready to stand out from the crowd and make a difference within their target markets. She is a branding specialist, providing businesses with communication and marketing materials designed to tell everyone about their amazing business. She helps her clients fulfill their dreams and make their vision a reality! Contact Tammy at 510-881-8446 or tammyt@mimeticsystems.com.
So for your BRAND new year: Decide who you want to play with, what you want to do for them, and what results they will get from working with you. Now extend your BRAND: Once you have it, share it with everyone and put it everywhere. If you’re branding yourself as a speaker, that should be on all your print and online media. Capture attention: When potential clients are searching the web, you have four seconds to capture their attention and only four seconds afterward to keep it. That means clarity is key, and the user has to understand the results you offer specifically for them or they will keep looking for someone who does. 24
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BEST YEAR EVER ISSUE DETERMINE YOUR BEST BUSINESS TYPE: Top 5 Questions to Ask
or partnerships. Not keeping up these formalities can eliminate asset liability protection if your business is sued.
By Nancy Lewellen
5. Can your profession be an LLC? If your company is in the medical, legal or accountancy field and a few others, like veterinarians, chiropractors, doctors, lawyers and CPAs, you may only have a partnership or corporation with two or more owners.
Business owners have multiple entity types to choose from. Answering the questions below helps you determine which business type suits you best. 1. What have you got to lose? If you have few assets and your business is sued, the creditor won’t get much. Therefore, a sole proprietor or general partnership may be good for you, and is inexpensive to set up and run. Corporations and LLCs provide asset liability protection, so you may want to consider these if you have real estate, or large retirement or investment assets.
Nancy Lewellen, MBA/JD is a real estate, business, and international law attorney, a California licensed real estate and mortgage broker, and managing partner of the Palladian Law Group. She practices arbitration, mediation and transactional work, has International Law and Public Interest Law certificates from Santa Clara University School Of Law, and interned with the UN in Geneva, Switzerland. Nancy previously held lending and credit policy positions with three major banks for nineteen years, and had her own commercial mortgage and residential mortgage brokerage firms for ten years prior to law school. You may contact Nancy at 415-399-0993 or at nyl@palladianlawgroup.com.
2. How many owners are there? If it’s just you, a sole proprietor is the cheapest to set up and maintain. If you have two or more owners, you may want a partnership, LLC, or corporation. If you set up an LLC or corporation, and your spouse and your partner’s spouse are not involved in the business, have them sign a spousal consent waiving rights to business ownership in the event of death, disability or divorce. 3. What does your tax advisor recommend? He or she can look at your personal and business assets and determine which type of entity will minimize your taxes. Over time this may change as the business grows. 4. Are you good at details? Running a corporation or LLC requires meetings and documenting decisions, and takes more time than sole proprietorships
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BEST YEAR EVER ISSUE HOW TO MAXIMIZE PRODUCTIVITY When Your Office Is at Home. Part One By Jenenne Macklin Your office is at home. You can actually walk from your kitchen to your office. We all know there can be many perks to having a home office: flexibility, time with family, and even working in your pajamas. The key is to maximize productivity as if your office were offsite. Here are three tips on how to do that:
1. Set yourself up for success 2. Push the reset button 3. Manage your mind
To maximize productivity and avoid overwhelm and frustration, it’s essential to push the reset button. I talk more about this in part two of this article series at www.twibc.com. One component that often comes up for my clients is how to balance it all. If this is true for you, then I invite you to register at www.sucessfulmompreneursummit.com to balance what you love and who you love without losing yourself. Jenenne Macklin is passionate about partnering with successful, heart-centered women in business to know their value, create wealth and leverage their feminine power to create fulfillment, a sustainable business and luxurious lifestyle. She has a gift for intuitively guiding women to uncover their purpose, passion and power. As a transformational speaker, coach and author, Jenenne is a powerhouse of empowerment, inspiration and a catalyst for women to have clarity, confidence and courage to live their dreams. Jenenne would love to hear from you at: 310-978-7133 or Jenenne@jenennemacklin.com.
For now, let’s focus on setting yourself up for success. If you transitioned from corporate to entrepreneurship, you are used to colleagues and the spirit of competition keeping you motivated for success. At home, you are your motivator. Setting yourself up for success requires a plan. The first step in your plan is clarity of goals and purpose. Simply put, what is your “why”—the reason for your business? This answer will be your motivator, and it is important that it is visual for you to see on a daily basis. Next is setting clear boundaries, not only for those you live with but for yourself as well. When are you in the office and when is the office closed? Next will be your support. Who is your mentor/coach to hold you accountable for achieving milestones to reach your goals? Lastly, knowing when you are “at your best” will allow you to effortlessly accomplish your highest revenuegenerating activities. In the end, you want to produce results. 28
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BEST YEAR EVER ISSUE 2 THINGS YOU CAN DO WHEN Writing Your Book to Create a Magical Connection with Your Reader By Robbin Simons
It’s not always easy for authors to create a true connection with readers. It can take skill, experience, and oftentimes, a lot of trial and error before getting it right. This can be particularly challenging for entrepreneur authors, whose focus is primarily on their clients and business, not on themselves and their own past struggles or internal demons. However, this is actually where the greatest connections can be created between author and reader. There is great value in sharing the messy stuff about how you came to be successful or what it really took to overcome your own challenges.
to be vulnerable than to hide from the emotions that keep us stuck. By sharing the most vulnerable parts of you and your story, you empower others to do the same. What a gift that it is! Be strong enough and vulnerable enough to lead the way and to give others the strength to do the same. Robbin Simons, founder and CEO of Crescendo Publishing, is the leading expert on lead-generation book publishing and platform growth. Through her exclusive publishing programs, she takes aspiring author-preneurs from idea to published author in 90 days and to-date, has a 100 percent success rate in creating Amazon® best-sellers. In addition to being the best-selling author of multiple books herself, Robbin’s work has been featured in many online and offline media outlets, and her authors have been featured in major television and print media outlets including Forbes®, NBC’s Today Show, Huffington Post, The Dr. Oz Show, USA Network and many more. Connect with Robbin at Robbin@crescendopublishing.com or at www.crescendopublishing.com.
Here are a couple of things you can do to help your readers connect with you on a deeper level and understand why you are the person they should work with. Write from your heart. Too many authors write from their heads and not their hearts. They over think the content, use big words because they think it makes them sound more intelligent, and get caught up in what they THINK they should be saying, not on the message they want to communicate. The best books are written from the heart. Yes, sometimes they can be painful to write because the process requires you to reveal parts of yourself that you may not necessarily want to expose. By digging deep and being authentic with your reader, there is a bond that is formed. In this way, readers are able to see themselves in your story and a connection is formed. So keep it real and be authentic. Be vulnerable. There is no way to heal without being open and vulnerable enough to move through the experience. I learned that it takes more strength 30
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BEST YEAR EVER ISSUE 1099 PROCESSING Time is Here!
The exemption from reporting payments made to corporations does not apply to payments for legal services. Therefore, you must report attorneys’ fees (in box 7) or gross proceeds (in box 14) as described earlier to corporations that provide legal services.
By Candy Messer
For information on how to properly fill out the 1099 forms, see www.bit. ly/1csCHU1. If you have 1099s that need to be processed, but do not feel comfortable doing them yourself, contact us for assistance at 310-534-5577 or contact@abandp.com. We are here to help!
The IRS requires 1099 forms to report payments to vendors made during the year. They are due to the recipient by January 31 and to the IRS by February 29 (paper) or March 31 (electronic). IRS instructions state that a form 1099MISC is necessary to file for each person to whom you have paid during the year: • At least $600 in services (see www.irs.gov/uac/About-Form-1099MISC for more specifics) • At least $10 in royalties • Any fishing boat proceeds; or • Gross proceeds of $600 or more paid to an attorney
Candy Messer is President of Affordable Bookkeeping and Payroll Services and energizes business owners by removing the burden of the bookkeeping and payroll processing from their shoulders. With 15 years of experience, Candy understands the stresses business owners face and offers customized services to meet their varying needs, including bookkeeping, payroll, Quickbooks consulting, and bill pay services. Candy works with service based business owners who are overwhelmed with the paperwork required to stay in compliance for filings and frees them to focus on what they love to grow their businesses. Visit her website at www.abandp.com for more information.
There are exceptions to these rules: • Generally, payments to a corporation, but see below for reportable payments • Payments for merchandise, telegrams, telephone, freight, storage, and similar items • Payments of rent to real estate agents • Payments to a tax-exempt organization including tax-exempt trusts • Payments made with a credit card (form 1099-K is issued by processors)
• • • • •
The following payments made to corporations generally must be reported on Form 1099-MISC: Medical and health care payments reported in box 6 Fish purchases for cash reported in box 7 Attorneys’ fees reported in box 7 Gross proceeds paid to an attorney reported in box 14 Payments to corporations for legal services
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BEST YEAR EVER ISSUE MARKETING Is About Inspiring People By Diana Concoff Morgan Marketing is about inspiring your potential clients to take action on your expertise. When you share content to educate, inspire and motivate your customers and potential customers, you get to be as passionate as you want to be about motivating them to take action. You attract the people who will benefit from your expertise. These are the people who are ready to learn from you. Maybe they are ready to buy from you, but you don’t know that, and sometimes they don’t either.
a good feeling that you sincerely care about them and want to help them. If they really feel this, they will take the next steps to find out more about you. If every one of your blog posts ends with, “Buy my this or that,” people feel pushed and usually don’t buy. But when they feel that you genuinely care about them, they are inspired to move forward. Diana Concoff Morgan, business and marketing coach, author and speaker is passionate about teaching, inspiring and empowering entrepreneurs to grow their businesses. She specializes in online and offline strategies; showing you how to apply them to your business to get results. Diana has over 20 years of successful business and marketing experience, building 2 of her own businesses using the strategies she offers her clients. She understands the struggles and challenges of building an effective, authentic online presence and has the patience and know-how to help you. She offers live and virtual trainings, and “done for you” internet marketing services. www.wholeheartmarketing.com.
An Example of How Marketing Inspires People Let’s say you are a health and nutrition consultant. You are passionate about inspiring people to eat healthy. You want to motivate them by educating them on how to eat right, what to eat, what not to eat, the results of not eating right and the benefits of eating right. In your blog, you are not selling them your workshop or your teleseminar. You are inspiring them to take the right action and educating them about the cost of not eating healthy. Sure, you will have tools and programs to offer them support, but that’s a different conversation. The intention of your blog is to inspire, educate and motivate people and to build relationships. Hopefully what people get from your blog is
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BEST YEAR EVER ISSUE 4 SIMPLE STEPS to Create a Vibrant Start to the New Year By Kenya Moses When we find ourselves in transition and the road ahead appears unclear, we often seek solace in behavior that isn’t to our benefit. We may reach for an extra piece of bread, procrastinate, or neglect ourselves completely. Often the answers to our stresses are staring us in the face. If we take a moment, we could get grounded and gain clarity. As a business owner, artist and single mother of two, I have experienced moments of feeling isolated, fearful and confused. These feelings tend to surface at the start of a new year when we should be making resolutions and goals. The inability to see the road ahead is often indicative of four areas in our lives that can be nurtured. When these areas are nurtured you can get a bright, vibrant start to the new year:
3. Nurture your ME time. Whether you are a mother, spouse or friend, you need time for yourself. This does not necessarily mean sitting in meditation or taking a day off, but simply means to remove yourself from distractions, allowing yourself to breathe, gain clarity, connect and enjoy all the beauty in your life. 4. Nurture your people: It is imperative to surround yourself with people who love and support you. You deserve to surround yourself with people who are in alignment with your values and supportive of your endeavors. Kenya Moses is a well-being, career and business coach, dedicated to supporting women in creating vibrant, healthy and successful lives. She is the founder and president of Be A Fit Mama, Inc. Her work has been seen in publications including Essence® Magazine, San Francisco Examiner®, Livestrong, Ehow and more. In addition, Kenya is a professional vocalist, dancer and single mother of two boys. Visit www.inspiredwell-being.com and www.beafitmama.com.
1. Nurture your food. When you eat vibrant, healthful foods, you assist in the regeneration of cells, tissues and organs. As a woman, you can even slow the hormonal changes in your body. Adding root vegetables, garlic and lemons into your diet can help keep your body feeling and looking vibrant. 2. Nurture your body. When your body is engaged in movementlike yoga, jogging or dancingit increases resilience, memory and selfesteem, while decreasing stress, anxiety and depression. Taking even just a moment to stretch and breathe brings great benefits to your body. 36
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BEST YEAR EVER ISSUE START Your Dream Now By Laurie Zerga Do you remember your last New Year’s resolution? Did you stop working on it by mid-February? Making change is hard if you’re doing it because you should. Many people live one year twenty times. It is more fun to live twenty new years, growing, changing and acting on your dreams. Launch this year with these three tips to energize your life and keep the dream active.
called intuition. Is your intuition rusty? Find a trusted accountability partner, mentor or coach to support you. Pick someone who believes in you. These are some of the best ways to make change and bring your dream to life now. Define goals that move you closer to your dream. Set yourself up with accountability and support. As you take action, more steps will unfold. Make your dream real today rather than something out there, some day. Find out more about bringing your dreams into your life at my expert page. Laurie Zerga, founder of Feminine Power Flow, combines passion for relationships, community and business to support women entrepreneurs. She successfully navigates many roles society mandates of women. While raising two daughters, she climbed to an officer position at a Fortune 500 company. Since 911, she transitioned from consultant to entrepreneur, launching Chef-K® nationally. Now she helps women reclaim their true self and feminine power to lead their dream business life through coaching programs, speaking and workshops.
Envision Your Dream You might not know every step to your dream. No problem. It means your dream is worthy of you. If you know each step to get there, it’s a plan. Get started by envisioning your dream, and do not worry about the how. Can you taste it, touch it and smell it? Your senses, feelings and emotions are important as you envision your dream. Specific Actions to Take Now Next, define the specific actions you can take to start moving toward the dream. You do not have to drop what you are doing this minute. Consider what you can do now that expands you and moves you closer to your dream. Accountability and Support In order to really bring your dream to life, look for ways to ensure you will continue to move toward it. You have an inner barometer that can help. It’s
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BEST YEAR EVER ISSUE MONEY Loves Clarity By Laura Gisborne We start a great company, full of passion for changing the world—confident that we will create amazing impact and serve millions in new, innovative ways. Suddenly, there are not enough hours in the day and the revenue is just not flowing. We often end up dreading that business we once loved. Brilliant entrepreneurs are creative visionaries. However, the talent we have around creating is not usually paired with a passion for structures and systems. Here’s the good news. It doesn’t have to be so hard. It also doesn’t have to take long to find your time and money freedom.
Example: Legacy Leaders Global serves well-established, women entrepreneurs with a passion for changing the world, who are struggling with time management and inconsistent revenues. Together, we craft simple, clear systems to provide consistent, recurring revenue and time freedom so they can be the visionary leaders they are here to be. Simple systems work wonders. Visit www.tinyurl.com/laurafreegift for great exercises and tools to get you back on track. To your success! Laura Gisborne is a highly successful business expert. She has owned nine companies, ranging from small boutique businesses to a multi-million dollar wine and real estate empire. The innovative business model of her current company, Legacy Leaders Global, exemplifies that businesses can be both profitable and purposeful. Through her initiatives, thousands of people are receiving regular contributions in multiple countries across five continents. Receive a free copy of her book, Stop the Spinning at www.laurafreebook.com.
It is time to refocus. Time and money shortages are simply an indication that we have gotten off track. With a few short exercises, you can craft simple systems that will have money and time available to you in abundance. Money Loves Clarity. If you are struggling with cash flow, I want you to get back to the basics. Ask yourself three things: 1. Who do I serve? Not everyone—but that sweet, ideal client you love working with 2. What is their problem? Not every problem you could solve, but that one simple place that you know keeps them stuck and you are uniquely qualified to move them through it 3. What is the solution you can create together and what will be the result?
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BEST YEAR EVER ISSUE TIME MANAGEMENT Tips for Creative Entrepreneurs By Minette Riordan Are you constantly saying, “I don’t have enough time, I am too busy.” That seems to be a continuous theme with my clients. Their biggest concern is not having enough hours in the day to get everything done, especially marketing and sales activities. Before we talk about managing our time, I want to take an honest assessment of your time-eating gremlins. We all have themthose activities that eat time and stop us from being productive.
What should you do? Try time blocking. Time blocking is the best time management strategy for creative entrepreneurs who struggle to get things done. Time blocking your calendar means getting rid of your to-do list and putting into your calendar specific blocks of time dedicated to the different activities in your business and life. Make your sales and marketing a priority if you are committed to building a profitable business. Dr. Minette Riordan started her entrepreneurial career in high school. Her moneymaking enterprises ranged from babysitting jobs to creating a stained-glass window for a local restaurant. She is an award-winning entrepreneur and business coach with 15 years of experience in the fields of marketing and sales. She is the best-selling author of The Artful Marketer: The Fundamental Business Guide for Creative Entrepreneurs. Her next book on time management for creative entrepreneurs is coming soon. She lives in sunny Santa Barbara, California with her husband of 19 years and two teens. Learn more about her at www.minetteriordan.com.
Avoid time-eating gremlins Here are some possible gremlins that may be eating your timeespecially if you are an entrepreneur working from home. Add kids to the mix and this list grows exponentially. • Underestimating how much time a project will take • Checking your email constantly • Jumping onto social media every time you get a notification • Letting paperwork and bills pile up • Doing laundry or other housework instead of making sales calls The list of activities that can distract us from spending time working on moneymaking activities in our business is endless. Sometimes there is fear underneath those distractions, in which case we tend to create more busywork so we don’t have to focus on what is or is not working in our business. Fear of making sales calls can have us scrubbing floorboards instead of picking up the phone. 42
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BEST YEAR EVER ISSUE BE A WINNER By Lu Casillas
Today’s woman is not only a breadwinner, but due to longevity, she is increasingly becoming the caregiver for loved ones. This is a conversation that is not being talked about enough. If we are making the income, managing our homes, families and lives, why is it that statistics show the majority of women have only $1,000 saved? What does one do when faced with a health or family crisis?
your ability to earn. Life Insurance. Do you see the value in it? Hint: If you said, “No,” you’re wrong. The right policy is not only a net-worth gain, but can be used while living. Is it too late to start a new plan for your future? Hint: If you said, “Yes,” you’re wrong. It’s never too late! Being prepared for an unplanned crisis has never been more needed.The first winning step. Look at what your financial plan is actually creating for you and does it have liquidity? Lu Casillas, is the educator and creator of Blend2Day, supporting women to find Balance in Life, Educating one another through Networking, and making their Dreams become reality. As a specialist at FCA, it is her goal to help women create a wealth preservation strategy that allows access to funds while also building a lifetime income stream.
Ten thousand baby boomers will retire every day for the next nineteen years. Tax deferred plans are being promoted today, which means you will be paying higher taxes on that money in the future. It’s time to take control. Yesterday’s idea of saving for retirement doesn’t work as well for those in the sandwich generation, faced with raising children and caring for parents. Where is the financial balance? Tidbit: If you have a 401k with $450,000, that will roughly be an annual income of $18,000. Would you be able to live on that? Wait, it will be taxed! The key today is creating a lifetime income stream. It does exist and it is a perfect addition to the good work you have done so far. Here are some things to think about: What is your biggest asset? Hint: If you said, “My home,” you’re wrong. It is 44
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BEST YEAR EVER ISSUE 7 POWERFUL REASONS to Leap Outside Your Comfort Zone By Susan Tolles It’s a new year. Time to dream big, set big goals and create a plan for your best year ever. But with all that dreaming and planning comes taking action, and taking action means stepping outside your comfort zone. Not just a baby step, but a giant leap toward the unknown, with the confidence that you are on the path to becoming the amazing woman God created you to be. Unfortunately, I’ve worked with far too many women who have let fear of the unknown keep them from experiencing a more meaningful life. They would rather stay where it is comfortable, settling for mediocrity because of their what ifs and yes, buts.
• Allowing yourself to try new things will prove that you do not need to be perfect, just passionate about life. • Continually moving forward brings greater success and happiness as you achieve your God-given potential. • You will reach the end of your days with no regrets. Are you ready to take a big step out of your comfort zone? I’m here to help! Click here to get started today! Susan Tolles is The Reinvention Strategist for Professional Christian Women, whose clients surround the globe. As a Certified Life Purpose Coach, she inspires and equips women to successfully integrate faith, family, relationships and career to honor God in everything they do. Susan’s expert guidance leads them to embrace their unique value, follow their divinely designed purpose and lead with influence and authenticity, creating a strategic plan for success on their terms, not the world’s.
A richer, more purpose-filled life begins at the end of your comfort zone. Here’s why: • Breaking out of your comfort zone helps you slay your fears. Instead of giving in to imagined failures, you become more confident and bold. • Stepping outside your comfort zone exposes you to new experiences and opportunities, sparking your creativity and increasing your knowledge, which in turn lengthens your life. • You’ll find greater energy, self-fulfillment and meaning in life as you explore the world with great expectations of what lies ahead. • An eagerness to dream bigger dreamsnot merely settlingsets you apart from the crowd, and you will inspire those around you to do the same. 46
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BEST YEAR EVER ISSUE ALL ABOUT YOU 3 Ways to Connect with Your Creative Vision for 2016 By Tobey Allen
1. Have your values changed? Get some clarity on your current values. Take out a big sheet of paper. Fold vertically so that there are three sections. Next, at the top of each section label the following: What I love, what I would like to get rid of, and what I am in the process of changing. Then with colored markers or crayons, begin to fill out each section using words, symbols or colors. By the time you are finished, you will have defined your values and what is important to you. You can then use these ideas to create your vision board for the New Year. 2. Create a possibilities box. Get a small cardboard box, medium decoupage, scissors, foam paint brush and magazines. As an option, you can add stickers and iridescent sparkle glaze to give it a magic quality. Cut your images out of magazines. Next, paint the images in place with a foam brush and decoupage varnish. Decorate the inside as well. Then when dry, write your possibilities on small slips of paper. Roll these into scrolls, tie them with string and place them in the box. When the varnish has dried, write Thank you on each of the outside corner edges of the box. Inside, write All that is in this box is so.
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3. Ritualize and magnetize. Why not celebrate your possibilities by ritualizing them? Write a letter of gratitude of what you have now and how you have achieved your goals for 2015. Then, seal it in an envelope and send it to yourself at the end of the following year2016. You may be pleasantly surprised by what you have achieved. May you transform your vision into seeds of possibilities for 2016! Tobey Allen, co-author of Catch Your Star, is an art therapist and seeds of possibilities coach™. She specializes in connecting people with their creative gifts and life purpose. She has incredible insight in coming up with ideas and finding creative solutions for businesses. For further details, please visit www.seedsofpossibilitiescoaching.com.
Learn how to think creatively and infuse into profitability I help you brainstorm and find innovative solutions and go from possibility to profitability!
Create your seeds of possibilities now!
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BEST YEAR EVER ISSUE SELF-LOVE 101 By Wendy L. Harvey The definition of self-love: Regard for one’s own well-being and happiness Love is the most powerful emotion we are given, and it can take a lifetime to learn the full aspects of self-love. Mandatory classes are required in different stages of life and somewhat difficult to master. When we aren’t provided with the proper materials to study or allocated ample time to study, we fail this course immediately.
3. Love Decisions: This is the decision-making process for allowing people/ situations into your space. Once you know God’s love for your life, you can understand self-love. Self-love will provide the betterment for you and those around you. Wendy L. Harvey has become an inventor with guts/determination to survive in the corporate games to gain momentum to become a savvy CEO of 7 Faith Productions, LLC. She was bounded to the “principles of accounting” but her heart was beating fast for the world of “media.” She marches to the forefront for domestic violence victims, for single parenting and for self–love. Wendy has created programs developed for raw and realistic dialogue through seminars, teleseminars, webinars and conferences to set an evolution from “stuck” to “success” for your inner spirit to “think” and “proceed” in life. www.wendylharvey.com.
Society has tainted us with misconceptions that loving ourselves is a sign of “conceit” or “self-absorbed” characteristics. We are taught to give love; that ultimate sacrificial kind of love for others, but not for ourselves. We go through life suffering meaningless challenges and obstacles, not striving in life because of our lack of self-love. We think we don’t deserve advancement. Self-love has become an unattainable reality, or a mere myth of sorts. As I was asked to speak on “self-love,” I came to realize I had failed this chapter earlier in my life. So, my mission was to analyze my life before the eyes of others with transparency; hopefully to help other women, as well. The self-love syllabus became my agreement to reveal, release and reinvent my love. It is composed of three comprehensive parts to be taught along with Q&As and examples: 1. Love History 101: This is the breakdown of the verbal/visual love that derived from your childhood environment. The unveiling of the who, what, where, when, why and how of your love. 2. Respect the Love You’re With: Your self-love screams for respect! 50
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