I have been a member of Black Business Women Online for a while and I just wanted to share this very valuable resource to anyone interested in networking with other black businesses online. I continue to learn tips on building my business and I have connected with some positive and helpful people. If you are interested in finding out about Black Business Women Online. Click Here

How are you doing with your transmogrification? Are you moving forward at a rewarding rate or do you have to slow things down? Is your business life visibly changing the way you want it to or are you still stuck with the same old problems?

Sometimes it can be very frustrating for professionals like me who work with bright-eyed entrepreneurs because I can get caught up in their dreams. I can imagine how great their lives will be when they have accomplished the goals and tasks we have set out for them to do. I can see the benefits — more income, more cash in the bank, a more satisfying life and the rush of knowing that they are in control of their lives.

Then the comfort zone hits. Even though I can see the finish line, they are still standing still. They have put in hours to develop new skills and change their business building habits, they have followed my advice, they have begun digging for their red diamond and they have all done so very well. But then it all stops.

True-Life

True-Life is a new company that offers writing, marketing and consulting services to non-profits and small businesses. I have over 10 years journalism experience and over 4 years in development/fundraising. If you need any of these services, please contact me.

The Services that we provide include:

• Grant writing and Research
• Business Plans
• Press Releases
• Board Development
• Strategic Plans
• Development Plans
• Consulting
• Non-profit Startup paperwork

Fees are as follows;

Grant Research – $75.00
Grant Research will include a list of 10 foundations that your non-profit is eligible to apply for. The list will include the name, address, contact person, grant guidelines and deadlines as well as the link to the application and/or the printed application.

Grant Writing - $300.00

Peace. I am in the process of starting a strictly black & white photography business. Here are some of my first photos. The client is a jazz musician from New Orleans. Please let me know what you think. I have no photography training. Any honest feedback will help.

Just wanted to share with my sistas a sista that is doing it. Her name is Lashanda Henry if you haven't heard. She has been a great help in my bussiness and I just want to pass it on to you. If you need a cool urban banner she comes highly recommended and she is the definitely the one to connect to if you want to increase your business. Click the links below and check her out!

“You must be the change you want to see in the world.” -Gandhi

How many times have you heard this quote?

As cliché as it is, I don’t think we really understand what it means. It’s on countless websites. Buttons, t-shirts, bumper stickers and political posters. I’ve even sat in on meetings where it’s been an agenda item. But the truth is, I've rarely seen it practiced.

Whether I'm hanging with women who want to make a difference, activists who want to change the world or healers who want to share their gifts, I've noticed a common mistake: We are so focused on “doing” the change work, we have no time to “be the change.”

We forget to take care of ourselves first.

Why does it matter?

You can own your own domain. If you have an awesome idea for a domain name? Buy it. No buts, no excuses, find a way and own it for yourself. For about $10 a pop you secure your idea. Be sure to buy a .net or a .com . When I first started eastwind productions back in 2003, I bought the .com for it, ... well I ... did not renew it on time and the next thing I knew it was sell n for $800 big ones, I quickly bought the .net and have held onto it. Now that I am have n some problems with the hosting of my portrait photography blog ... I am so Thankful I own the domain. So http://www.ursobeautiful2me.com has been put on hold once again ... while I locate host n. But all is not lost I am take n this time to develop this biz more before launch.

Over the years I have designed many logos for companies.
I enjoy this process and the final outcome is always of great interest. There are of
course some basic rules to keep in mind and the number one rule is to test the
final logo n blk/wht. Number two...make sure the mark is scale-able or size-able.
Number three...make sure the mark can be reduced for your business card and enlarged for your car magnet.

Greetings Sisters
Here is an event that you may be interested in.
MADE IN AFRIKAH EXHIBITION 2010 which is due to to be held in Cape Coast Ghana 15th-21st September 2010.
From the organisers website:
We are looking for groups from all over the world to attend this exhibition. This is the platform for Africa / Caribbean Diaspora to unite with economics and progression in mind.
We are providing a platform for skills exchange and business with people on the continent of Africa. We are working with the people at the grass root of the
magnificent continent of Africa to bring forth the opportunity to invest
in small to medium scale businesses.
We welcome speakers and exhibitors and visitors from everywhere. Our goal is to provide a vehicle to investment on a scale that means that things actually get
done because organizations and groups will become aware of each other
and join forces with a common goal in mind. To rebuild, resettle and
re-establish Magnificent Africa.
Below are some of the criteria that need to be met. Your establishment should meet at least one of these, but we do hope that you will match more, especially the last one:

Content is Still King and the future of blogging....read the full article here
http://webworkerdaily.com/2010/03/03/the-future-of-blogging/

I’m not suggesting that glitz and glamor are better than substance and message. On the contrary, I firmly believe content will always remain the most important aspect of any blog, newspaper or magazine. I’m just saying that we cannot ignore the obvious truth of today’s readers and viewers. We cannot stick our heads in the sand and hope that the quality of our content alone will win the day. We need to deliver our best work (be it blog post, article, movie, book, etc.) in the best packaging available if we want to give it a chance to be consumed/digested and, ultimately, appreciated.

Don't forget March is Women's History Month. That You President Carter. A link of note is http://womenshistorymonth.gov/ .
You can find another awesome link for Women's History Month at my blog
www.sonyamacdesigns.blogspot.com

work n to get my blog (www.sonyamacdesigns.blogspot.com) tight n up and over the week end I designed a simple static page for my website(www.sonyamacdesigns.com). I am not happy with this design at all..............
so a redesign is in order already) but it is so much more than I had before (I have owned this domain for at least 2 years). Still work n hard to get ready for the blogger mash up, over at http://www.sfgirlbybay.com/blog-it-forward/ ....please
plan on ck n out my post on Wednesday March 10th. I really need your support. My business website is www.eastwindproductions.net and my portrait photography site is www.ursobeautiful2me.com.

Greetings Empresses!

I know that you have Big Dreams & Many Goals that you have your Heart & Mind set on for the future.
Well, The Future is NOW! Give your self & your business that jumpstart you need right out the gate!

Industrious Empress...

A Network of Women striving to reach the same goal of financial success & stability through our own creative works
A Resource for ideas, advice & support
A Conglomerate of businesses with the same target markets,audience,customers & clients
A Financial base to create funds to invest in our individual & collective businesses (advertising, festivals, manufacturing)
An Organization to build, merge & emerge stronger businesses and industry

We Need, Organization & Finances!

Let's work Smarter not harder from this point forward, Let's Do This!

Industrious Empress is an Organization I have started to Support & Develop Afrikan Centered Artists & Artisans. If you are interested in combining resources with other sisters with African, Culturally-minded businesses & products please visit & join us. This is not a social network this is a union, association of entrepreneurs who want to make progress both individually & collectively for the betterment of our people & essentially the world!

One of the main goals is to create a fund to finance our business goals. Read the plan, and join the movement!

http://industriousempress.ning.com/

Peace & Prosperity,

Yes Lioness!

As you can see my name hints at transformation, unfortunately a few of us find ourselves caught in a never ending cycle of wanting to live up to new years resolutions but not quite, wanting a home business that we can celebrate but fail at finding a way to make it work, wanting to blog but finding that priority somewhere in the laundry basket.

I believe that evolution leads us to working smarter not harder so that we would find time an energy to really contribute our vital enegies to peace and serenity. One of my resolutionS was to become a certified Diva, healthy, sexy and free. I created sexierhealthierme, an informative blog that I hope visitors find as a life changing life improving experience. Now I just set up the blog and I set it up for free so you probably wont find the best graphic format that money can buy, but it is intended to be informative. The latest post is called "Ready for a makeover, the weight is over"

Check me out.... www.sexierhealthierme.wordpress.com, Thats where Ill be.

Peace, Love and Guidance
Became Become Becomming.

Greetings, YMIB Sistas:

All of you hold or have held diverse professional positions of varying degrees and are seeking to positively elevate to the next level in your lives, so I would like your feedback.

I am developing a series of workshops, specifically geared toward women of color, that will explore issues we often face pursuing our careers. Of course there are the various "isms"; however, there are a multitude of other challenges as well. Rather than assume I know what they are I'd like to hear from you! So my question is...

If you were to attend a workshop to broaden your professional/personal development what topic(s) would you be interested in and why? What's important to you?

Greeting Everyone
Here you will find correction on the link for Besele Virtual Administrative Assistance www.beselevaa.com

Have a Great Day! Peace and Blessings ~Esubayi

Alaafia Everyone

Announcing the launch of a new hand~crafted boutique Etnico Totes www.etnicototes.com
Etnico Totes features Ecclectic Culturally Inspired, Handbags, Totes, Wallets and Clutches!
Custom Orders Are Welcome! Check It Out!

Also visit Besele Virtual Administrative Assistance www.beselavaa.com
My company's goal is to help entrepreneurs and business consultants put more time, freedom and flexibility back into their lives by rescuing them from their administrative burdens.

In the process, we improve their business systems and allow them to better serve their own clients.

I specifically work with entrepunuers, business consultants, non-profit organizations, and community improvement programs. Contact me via my website for a compementary consultation on how I may be able to better serve your administrative needs. Peace and Blessings to all ~Esubayi

Greetings SiStars!,

I hope this message meets you in health, wealth and blessings!
Starting this month I am launching some exciting EYE AM YOGA programs. In October is Yoga for Nubians and next month is SiStars Yoga.The programs offered are:

*Yoga for Nubians
*Yoga for Youth
*SiStars Yoga
*Yoga for Street Youth
*Prison Yoga
*Warrior Men Yoga

I also launched a fundraiser to help with the cost involved to launch the programs throughout the year. Your help would be much appreciated and assist in bringing the healing,uplifting science of yoga to many!. To chip in you can go to www.eyeamyoga.com/support.html. For full description on the programs go to www.eyeamyoga.com/programs.html. If you would like to join one of the programs contact info@eyeamyoga.com

Thank You!
.:Mafdet Maat:.
www.eyeamyoga.com

Greetings!
It has been a very long time since I have reached out to my people on ymib. I pray that Each One of You is Maintaining on the Highest Level Possible.
I have an idea to create a union for women artists,designers, entrepreneurs etc. I would like to gather all of us so that we can not only combine resources but also support each other. There are so many of us who really work hard and sometimes struggle with our businesses that I feel it's overdue for us to come together and help each other get to the next level. Now I know this is a grand idea but this is one worth following up on and bringing to REALITY. I would like for everyone who reads this bulletin to contact me through my e-mail: yeslioness@hotmail.com and we can begin the process of flesching out the organization.

Despite extensive oil and gas resources, diamonds, hydroelectric potential, and rich agricultural land, Angola remains poor, and a third of the population relies on subsistence agriculture. I can only cry out WHY? Such Big Business ventures (click the link below) appear to rape the land and extract the Spirit out of everything it touches. Is the governmental corruption in US/Africa so bad, that we can't hear the voices speaking out for the people? What do you know? Share...

http://www.crippssears.com/Chevron-begins-production-at-Angolan-oil-fiel...

New boutique is opening August 2009 to promote and nurture indie artists and designers. It will be THE place to find innovative fashion, home, and accessories for the fashion-forward.
Located in the heart of a city in transformation, Newark NJ, the boutique will be amongst the renaissance of a part of downtown that is being compared to South Street in Philly and even Soho. The brand new storefront is 1800 sq ft and will be below luxury loft NY-style apartments and in a row of equally fabulous shops, restaurants, galleries, and cafes only 12mins from midtown NYC.
It is surrounded by Rutgers University, NJIT, Seton Hall Law School and the burgeoning art community.

Strategy, leadership, innovation, and marketability…all are crucial to business success; however can your business execute?

Small business owners normally spend countless hours organizing business plans and marketing plans without considering if they can execute the plan. Creating a plan whatever type of plan, should be your game plan to achieve your vision. This requires one of the most important skills of any business-Execution.

What is execution? In business, it’s exposing reality so that you can act on it. Execution is not just about doing what you say you’re going to do. It involves being realistic about your business in all areas including your own skill sets; it also involves having a ‘business mindset’ so that you can take action, and lastly it involves creating a success team that has execution integrated into their skill set.

So how do you begin incorporating execution into your business? Here are 5 areas to start with:

Many people ask me, “Sherese, how do you continue to thrive even in a down economy?” The truth is, although I’m thriving, times are still tough. The challenges of keeping our profit margins on track keeps me on my toes and reveals that the foundation I've built works!

Here are five ways that I keep Effició on the success track no matter how many drops the business rollercoaster has:

1. Collaborate. Business owners have many needs and want their solutions based on their unique situation. I try to address these needs by collaborating with other experts to provide an enhanced learning experience. Not only do our customers enjoy the benefits of our expertise but myself and my collaboration partner become better business people for working together vs. going it alone.

FIRST THINGS FIRST: SET UP GOOGLE READER

If you are serious about selling art online you need to get to the important information others share about the topic. One of the most useful tools to accomplish this is a feed/rss reader. It lets you subscribe to your favorite blogs so you don't have to actually go to the site all the time to check for new content. Instead you get an account at Google Reader and let it deliver all new posts to your reader inbox. It actually works quite similar to an email account.

Here is a quick video on how it works:

Many artists, musicians, designers, crafters, writers and other creative people have Facebook accounts and can use these to reach more people and grow their creative business. There are many things to be done that can help you promote and market your work and I will name 25 that I think would be useful to implement.

This is not a post about markeing though, it's more about the little things Facebook offers that you might have overlooked but that can have a big impact on your creative biz because you streamlined your profile to work for you. The tips reach from fairly basic to pretty advanced, so there should be something for everybody.

1 add your website/blog url to the info box under your profile pic:

It was -10 that evening but a warm +25 in our hearts as we celebrated the 'mZansi-Life' in Oslo last weekend. All South Africans know the mZansi-Life. It's the life that many here in Norway yearn for. The life of sunshine and colour. Orange and green instead of grey, black and white. Choice instead of chain stores. Sunshine instead of grey skies.

I left my good Art Director job in Durban and moved to Oslo 10 months ago. It was not the crime or general frustration most South Africans site for leaving. Rather it was love. I had fallen in love with a viking and now was to leave my life behind and move to the coveted Scandinavia. Taking on 'love immigrant' status was harder than I thought. I found myself bewildered at this new life. Everything I had come to know and love of South Africa was suddenly gone, the fashion, the colour, the options, the people! I was wishing for that life again, the mZansi-Life so much I began to blog about it.

If you would like to catch my latest blog posts please visit the following:

http://tomokastwists.blogspot.com ~ Business Tips & More
http://carmennc.blogspot.com ~ Sisterlocks, Give~Away Announcements & More

Blessings my SiStars,

Sharing an awesome resource!

http://EtsyAOC.ning.com

I joined them last year right as things were being organized. At some point I realized I wasn't "emotionally" ready for the commitment to logging on, checking in, and participating on a regular basis. But I've recently reinstated my membership and a lot has happened in a year! Those of you on etsy, if you haven't already done so, should look into this. It's just another avenue for shared interests and common goals. And can help with business exposure and support.

Blessings SiStars,

Making things is a wonderful experience. What we create with our hands can make wonderful gifts for the holidays, birthdays, anniversaries and more. It gives us a feeling of great joy when someone appreicates the love that we have put into our creation.

...and sometimes, we go into business, selling our arts and crafts and being able to sustain ourselves financially by doing something that we love. That is indeed a blessing.

Eighteen years ago, I began blending fragrance oils for personal use and eventually went into the business of selling my creations. My formulas are unique scents that delight the senses.

The Joy of Blending Fragrance Oils for Fun or Profit is...

"An extraordinary eBook that shows you how to create fragrance oil blends for fun or profit."

Tonya reveals for the first time her original formulas. Contains an introduction to perfume oil blending, tips for making fragrance oils, bath salts, shower gels, lotions, incense and potpourri.

Supply outlets are provided, as well as guidelines for retail sales.

Included are 50 fragrance oil formulas, 14 incense oils and 3 potpourri blends.

Great for gift-making, or profit.