The United States as a nation celebrates Independence Day each July 4th. This special day commemorates our freedom from the Kingdom of Great Britain and the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. As small business owners and women, we should be especially thankful on Independence Day, as this was the start of our great nation and the many freedoms we have gained. Hold a Fourth of July sale this weekend, offer a special discount or add in a special patriotic product with each sale. If you make your own products, be sure to follow the Independence Day theme and offer a few red, white and blue items.  If monetarily possible, sponsor an Independence Day event or festival, set up a booth at a local craft show.  Lastly, take the day of and enjoy the Fourth of July festivities!

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Dear Nina,

I am a personal trainer who is approached daily by moms who are interested in my services but don’t follow through with signing up for sessions with me. What can I do to motivate these moms to sign up for sessions? I also have problems with friends approaching me for free personal training sessions and not even offering to compensate me. What do you suggest I do in these situations? For me as a mom, personal training is about helping other moms look and feel good about themselves. It hurts me to see these women unhealthy and unhappy but not willing to do anything about it. HELP!

Sincerely,
Fit and Confused

Dear Fit and Confused,

I’m going to be honest when I say there is no way to motivate someone else but what you can do is give them the information and support they need to motivate themselves. Make sure you are asking these moms if they are interested in signing up with you, if you want them to sign up you have to ASK! Some people need to be asked specific questions to make them realize they need your service, so ask them revealing questions. Be sure to offer them a tidbit of information they Continue Reading >>>

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Free Enterprise Affecting Your Business?

This week we are focusing on Free Enterprise and how our economy relies chiefly on market forces to allocate goods and determine prices. What market forces are affecting your business? Have you found that needed resources are affecting how you price your items? If you’re in a direct sales business or a franchise, are rising gas prices and/or food prices affecting the pricing of your products, services or delivery fees? I challenge you to re-evaluate your business and how free enterprise economy is affecting your business, answer the above questions and post your results in the WAH section of the forums.

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Even if you already own a home business, there are ways to make quick cash from home this summer. You can put up a lemonade stand with your children, have a neighborhood car wash, hold a garage sale, clean out your garage and sell on eBay or Craig’s List.  You can offer baby-sitting services, grocery shopping services, grass cutting services… there are many things you can do to make quick cash this summer, be creative and get to work!

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You should follow specific criteria for creating goals, there are many different systems and techniques. I personally follow the S.M.A.R.T. system, there are different variations of the words but this is the most generally used:

Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic/Relevant
Timely

Specific - a specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal
Example: General goal “Market my business more” vs. Specific Goal “Tell 3 new people per day about my business for the next 6 months” Continue Reading >>>

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This week we are focusing on goal setting and how it equals goal getting. When you write down your goals and review them regularly, you are more likely to reach those goals. You should review your goals each month because you may find that your goals or action plan need some tweaking. So choose a date on the calendar such as the 1st of 15th of the month to revisit your goals and make any changes. When you look at your goals, be sure to read them out loud 3 times… hearing your goals in your own voice will not only imprint them in your subconscious but it also empowers you. Many self-help experts suggest reading your top 3 goals each morning before you start your day and I am telling you it works!

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