So your business is Facebooking, blogging, Tweeting, and gaining attention from your customers and potential new business.  You feel excited that you are now a part of the internet highway and byway of true business dealings.  Until someone sends you a post that’s not so nice.  And then you find another post about your business and you that’s absolutely absurd.  How can they get away with such lies and slander?

Guess what, the more you do online, the more visible you are.  Yes, this is a good thing.  But it also makes you and your business vulnerable to bad publicity.  What do I mean?  Let’s dig a little deeper.

• Let’s say that one of your competitors is hoping to get a run on the market.  However, you are one of the top in your industry and going strong.  So instead of your competitor playing nice, they decide to post derogatory comments across the internet.  Their goal is to deface your business and annihilate the competition, you.  So they start posting untrue facts about your business or your service or your product.
• You recently had a personal downfall with a loved one.  Your business is just starting to take off, until one of your friends finds a very nasty post about you and your business.  Noting how your ethics are far from true and how you have had client complaint after another.  Or they complain about your business as a past client.  But wait a minute, you don’t even know this client.  What are they talking about?
• You got into business to truly help people, but as we know, many will take advise from experts and never put it into place.  Your an honest person so you give them the best advise you can.  But instead of taking this advise and moving forward, they decide to be vindictive.  Not only do they post obnoxious and untrue comments, they do it every where they can.  Under every alias address they can find.  Their goal is to watch you suffer.

Hopefully, none of you have had to go through this.  But unfortunately, in a business world where many feel threatened or lacking the confidence to move forward they get desperate.  So they post untrue facts trying to build their business on your client’s coat tails.  Or they are hurt by how successful you are and they aren’t.  So instead of looking to improve their business in a positive way, they work hard to pull yours down.

This can certainly put a damper on your marketing efforts.  Some have had to pay good money to get these untrue comments taken down.  However, not all is lost.  Consider this a compliment.  I realize this sounds a bit off, but think about the main reason most post derogatory comments that aren’t true.  Jealousy, envy, hurt…..the list can go on forever.  But if this does happen to you, here’s my advise.  Whatever you do, don’t ignore it.  Start posting with happy client testimonials.  Or how you plan to rectify the situation by offering them a huge discount or a freebie.  Either way, you are telling the public that your customer’s matter and you are working to make it right.  Also, the key to bad publicity is to react quickly.  Check out some of these great articles and resources to help you get back on track to a positive marketing campaign.

How to Remove Bad Publicity

Git Rid-Off

Online Reputation Management

Iron Reputation

Imagine consumers clamoring to get a discount on sheets/big screen T.V.’s/computers/games/Xbox…..you name it, it was on sale on the infamous Black Friday.  However, I must ask America, was the death of an innocent man, bruised elderly, and injured children worth it all?  Have we really stooped so low as to think that a thing is worth more than a human life or bodily injury to loved ones?

Black Friday was created for one reason, and only one reason, to get more of your money.  The big named stores put items on sale with a very limited amount to cause shopping envy and mayhem.  This day was created to start the Christmas shopping off to a great start.  To give folks a chance to buy big ticket items that they normally could not afford at the regular price.  However, this little shopping day has turned into a blood bath of people with a pack mentality to be the first one in line.

Each year it astounds me how worse this day becomes.  Pepper spray, pushing elderly folks out of the way just for a sale on an item that will be lost, forgotten or broken months down the line.  Was it worth it America?  Was it worth looking like idiots on YouTube?  Was it worth bodily harm to your children?   Wake up America.  We have been going through this economic meltdown for a reason.  To wake up to the fact that we have over spent, over extended, and over promised ourselves into debt.  We need to pay attention to our bank accounts and start saving instead of spending beyond our means.  You may want to be a slave to the big banks by paying exorbitant fees, however I do not.

So here’s my suggestion for next Black Friday.

Big Named Stores:

• Run your Black Friday specials online only, not in the stores.
• Protect your consumers/employee’s.
• Allow them to enjoy Thanksgiving with their family instead of corralling a bunch of crazed consumers.
• Save yourself money and give your employee’s a bonus instead of having to hire security for a day of consumer blood bath.

Consumers:

• Open a Christmas account whereby you save for next year’s Black Friday event and pay cash with your debt card.
• Plan out your day of shopping wisely without having to go overboard financially.  Remember there are more important things to life than STUFF!
• Shop online in the safety of your own home without putting yourself or your family in danger of the pack mentality.

I personally believe this recession happened for a reason, to teach us all a lesson.  To spend within our means, save money, and be kinder to our neighbors and loved ones.  After all, stuff is stuff, it can’t keep you warm at night, give you love or a shoulder to cry on.  It’s just stuff.

Yes, we are slowly pulling out of a very rough economic recession, but we also need to remember that we are all still human and must treat others how we would want to be treated.  After all, would you be happy if you found out that your 80 year old grandmother or mother was injured over a Black Friday special?  Would you be celebrating if you found out that your child was trampled to get an Xbox?  We need to remember what’s important, people, not stuff.

Let’s do it America.  Shop smartly, go online.  Keep your family and yourself at home on Black Friday.

As the title states, What a Ride – Take Two: as you may guess this is an update to my previous post.  In this post I stated how this year was quite the whirlwind, not only for my business, but personally as well.  As I shared, that something didn’t feel right so I went in to my Gynecologist to find out the why and found it was a cyst.  After surgery, hoping that it was just a nasty old cyst, we found it to be cancer.  At that point, I was scheduled for a second procedure to have a full hysterectomy to ensure nothing was left behind.  Well, I’m happy to report that the results came back stating……drum roll please…..I’m cancer freeeeeee!!!  I must say that it was the best news of the year.

I had also shared with you that I had chosen to think positive thoughts towards a great outcome, and walla, it was done.  I’m a true believer in positive thought, but I must admit that you really have to believe otherwise it doesn’t work.  I believed with all my heart that my outcome would be a positive one, filled with only thoughts of being cancer free and that’s what happened.

Many say that you are what you eat, however I believe you are what you think as well.  The thoughts we put in our minds each and every day are just that, thoughts.  Some have already come to past while others have not even turned into an outcome.  What does this actually mean?  Well, we all have a choice to concentrate on that thought, negative or positive, either way if we start to believe in that thought or words it begins to become a reality.  So I even though you may have hundreds of thoughts a day, the ones you dwell on are the ones that become your reality.

As my business coach tells me all the time, why worry about something that hasn’t even happened yet?  So I ask you the same thing, why worry, be distraught or even invest in negative thoughts?  Instead, why don’t you concentrate on positive things in your life and around you.  Unless you enjoy being miserable….be my guest.  However, I prefer to enjoy life and be happy.  It’s up to you….you make the choice.

After my check up I was instructed to see a surgical specialist – that’s right, surgery.  After visiting with my new surgical doctor I was then scheduled for various blood work up and CT scans.  Once the results came back I was whisked into surgery to remove a 6″ x 6″ Cyst weighing in at 3.5 pounds.  Once I was back home recovering I received the dreaded call….the lab results from the biopsy of the cyst came back as cancer.  I was then scheduled with an oncologist for the next plan of attack, which is going back for more surgery to get a full hysterectomy and lymph nodes removed.  A real topic bummer, don’t you think?

Now I could of feasibly decided to feel sorry myself, go into a deep depression, and think only the worst or take the high road.  Personally, I decided it was better to go up hill than down, taking the high road.  So I began to think only positive thoughts.  “Once I have my second procedure I will get a clean bill of health and live to a ripe old age of 93.”  “The resulting body parts being removed will be cancer free and I will be home free of cancer.”  The typical self talk we go through.  I must admit though, there were some fleeting moments of the poor me syndrome, but I got past it.

During this whole process I had the opportunity to really evaluate my life and whether I was truly happy.  After all, when do you really get a profound chance to look at your life?  I also realized how much doom/gloom we have that surrounds many of us on a day-to-day basis.

• News items stating another possible recession.
• More foreclosures to come.
• More people out of work.
• More people loosing their homes/lifestyles.

The list goes on and on.  But through this all I also came to the conclusion that we can all wallow in pity or do something about it.  I personally choice to do something about it.  With that said, I’ve promised myself to put forth the Positive Thought Movement.  What does this really mean?  It means that we all have choices, to go with the gloom/doom and believe every word to the point that it affects every aspect of our lives.  Or we have the choice to refuse to get caught on the gloom/doom train.  We don’t even buy a ticket.  We take the bad information as a grain of salt and how it can’t possibly affect us, because of how wonderful our lives are.  Think about…..if you only allowed positive thought’s into your brain what the outcome would be?  After all, they say you are what you think.  That what you think becomes reality.  I know, I know, there are doubters out there who may say that I’m looking at life through rose colored glasses, but I’d rather see the good in everything and everybody than the bad.  Just think of how it would affect your relationships, your attitude, your life in general if you only had positively good thoughts.

Even though life may have thrown me a sucker punch, my way of getting even is thinking only good thoughts for a good life.

• I refuse to turn on the news
• I refuse to get caught up in the whole recession thing
• I refuse to put forth any more time or effort on things that are only negative

They say we only go through this particular life once so why not make the best of it?  Why go around being miserable when you can be enjoying life?  Life is a precious gift, you never know when you will take your last breathe or kiss your loved ones for the last time.  So I challenge you to make the best of it every day and appreciate everything around you.  Love your friends/family with all your heart.  Look at life as if you don’t have tomorrow.  Be kind to your neighbors, strangers or anyone you come in contact with.  Appreciate your surroundings, appreciate LIFE!!

• We have star/starlets wanting more money, more cars, more houses, more stuff, and when this isn’t enough they want to be on reality T.V.

When is enough, enough?

• We have politicians who have beautiful wives and more power than most, yet they are one of the first to cheat on their wives and abuse their power?

When is enough, enough?

• We have rules/laws that don’t allow parents to parent without someone interfering.

When is enough, enough?

• We continually cut our deficit by closing schools, public programs that help thousands, and over tax the middle man.

When is enough, enough?

• We have children who have no respect, little ambition, low self-esteem, internet bullies, and little to no manners.

When is enough, enough?

So I ask you:

• When will we be happy with what we have instead of worrying about what we don’t?
• When will we learn that stuff is stuff? – It won’t love you and it won’t care – people do.
• When will we stop the negativity and start the positive movement?
• When will we stop listening to the crap and start listening to ourselves?

We are all capable of love, trust, happiness, excitement, peace…etc.  We all have these within each one of us, so why don’t we tap into them?  Why do we try to fill our holes with stuff?

Let’s become a nation that supports one another, lends a helping hand, and cares for human kind/nature.  I suggest you sit down and write a list of all the good/positive things in your life.  No matter how bad it is, I bet you can find something; all you have to do is believe.

A friend was kind enough to pass this video on and it really made me think how we can change so much simply by changing our words.  How many times have you said something and wanted to take it back or it didn’t come out the way you intended?  Words are a powerful thing that can do so much good if used properly, such as this video expressly demonstrates.

So considering the upcoming holiday for many, I challenge you to use your words wisely, to bring good, joy, love, and laughter to many.  Let’s face it, our world needs kinder words, kinder thoughts, kinder expressions, kinder people.

May you find this enlightening to do the right thing; use your words for good.

• Tell that special someone how special they are to you.
• Pay a stranger a compliment to make their day.
• Do a good deed for someone who has less than you do.
• Be kind to your fellow man/woman/animal/child/elder.

Feel free to pass this forward and make a difference in someones life today.

Interesting questions, don’t you think?  With all this said, ask yourself are you accountable for your actions? 

As a nation we can’t change our world unless we start with ourselves and part of this change is becoming aware of our own actions.  That’s right, our own actions.  Unless someone is sticking a gun to your head you, and only you, are responsible for your own actions.  We may not always like the way we react to situations, but there’s nothing written in stone that we can’t change how we react.  We simply have to be aware of our actions and take responsibility for those actions.  That means all of us including movie stars, sports figures, government officials etc.  No matter how little or how much money you make you are still responsible for your own actions.

In fact I have a resource for you that may help you realize the issues across the board when we don’t take responbility for our actions.  I highly suggest you invest in this book  ”The Power of Personal Accountability” by Mark Samuel/Sophie Chiche.  You can purchase this book through Amazon.com by simplying clicking on this link  http://tinyurl.com/4dnge6x.  You will see how we can all make a difference in our lives and others when we take accountability for our actions.

My challenge for you is to read this book and pay attention to your actions and how they affect others.  I know we are all human and will faulter here and there, but that’s how we learn, by our mistakes.

I would love to hear your story on how you became accountable for your actions and how you changed them for the better.

Here’s a simple list to keep in mind when investigating what pre-paid card works best for you:

1. Investigate the company to ensure your money is protected with the FDIC Deposit Insurance Coverage as with your bank.
2. Find out the steps needed to transfer funds onto your pre-paid card. 
   • Can you transfer funds directly from your bank account? 
   • If you need to utilize Money Gram or Western Union to transfer funds ensure they provide the necessary receiving number needed to complete the transaction.
   • Utilize their customer service department to have them walk you through the process up front, but they may charge a fee to speak with a customer service rep.  If this is the case, ask them to waive the fee as a first time customer.
3. Can you use your card for any establishment that accepts Visa/MasterCard?
   • Some may charge extra fees regarding gas stations, rental cars, and hotel reservations.  Find out these costs up front.  In most cases they will be present on their websites.
4. Find out if they report to the top three credit agencies (Equifax/TransUnion/Experian).  This will help to build credit worthiness or keep your credit in good standing.
5. If you have to go through too many hoops to get your questions answered – stay clear and check into other pre-paid options. 
6. In most cases you can transfer funds from your PayPal account to your pre-paid card.  However, if this is a business account I suggest you open a personal account in order to help from running into issues.   Trust me, I found out the hard way that most business accounts are noted under the business name not your personal name. You see, these cards can only be noted under your personal name and won’t recognize your business name as the same individual account.  This will raise many red flags causing you a lot of time proving your connection with your company.

Remember that you want this experience to be an easy way to access funds while still having the ability to pay on-line/vendors/bills.  My personal experience, I found Silver MasterCard to be the easiest to use and their customer service very helpful and friendly.  However, every individual has different needs so I highly suggest you check them all out

 to find out which one will best fit your personal needs.  You can compare many of these pre-paid programs through CreditCards.com.   They have a great way to compare all the current credit cards out there regarding fees, interest rates and more.  Just be sure to do your homework upfront before deciding upon which card will work best for you.

Best of luck and happy budgeting.

The other night I had an opportunity to watch “The Ugly Truth”, released on July 24, 2009 starring Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler whereby Gerard plays a very obnoxious cable commentator noting the truth about women and men.  At least according to his point of view.  However, it got me thinking about those simple words, “the ugly truth” and how many of us have a hard time with the truth.  But if you really break it down, who’s truth is it really?  The observer or the one receiving the information?  After all, we all have two eyes and perceive the world based on our background, mind thought, and surroundings.  What is one’s reality may not be the same reality for another.  For example; if four people go to the same seminar, hear the same speaker, and receive the same information why is it that if those four individuals are asked what they learned you receive four different answers?  Because each individual has a different perception.  With all these factors in play it’s hard to imagine how someone else’s truth could possibly be yours.

I personally believe that you make your own truths, you write your own life story, and perceive the world in your own special way – through your eyes.  Keep in mind that we are all individuals and have our own way of seeing things.  So the next time someone says they are trying to tell you the truth about you or your life ask them one thing, “is this really my truth or yours based on what you see?”  This certainly doesn’t mean that you don’t continue to share and be honest with each other, it simply means you have the choice to act on it or not.  This will also help during those heated conversations with your loved ones.  Remember: are they stating a fact or is it simply the whole ugly truth the way they see it?  Something to think about, don’t you think?