Now, I know this sounds easier said than done so I’m going to give you the first step in accepting that any situation “is what it is” (and you’ll probably remember that you’ve heard me say this before). It’s to express gratitude daily. Express gratitude and appreciate all that is the way you want it in your life as well as any aspect of any situation or person that you can even when there are other aspects that you want to be different. Of course, this is important from a Law of Attraction perspective since like attracts like (so feeling grateful will attract more wonderful things for which to feel grateful). It’s also important from a brain chemistry perspective. Recent brain research has shown that when you focus more on what you love about your life, it creates noticeable changes in your brain. These changes can be seen on brain scans that reveal the activity of the brain. When people were asked to focus on what they love about their life, their brains look healthy on the scans. When they were instructed to focus on what they don’t like, their brains scans were comparable to those of someone who is sick. Our emotions (feelings of gratitude) literally change your brain for the better. So, spend time every day focusing on what is great about your life.

*****

© 2009 Ruth Hegarty

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Ruth Hegarty helps women entrepreneurs create confident and effortless success. As a certified Law of Attraction Coach, Ruth teaches women to unleash their powerful creator. She hosts the popular “The Art of Joyful Living Radio Show.” Listen every Tuesday by visiting  Art of Joyful Living .

To learn more about Ruth’s group or one-on-one coaching programs and to get her free Confidence Building e-book for women, please visit her website at Leap of Confidence.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

It is What it Is – And Why That’s OK

Here are one dozen strategies for you. Choose your top three and give them a try.

1. Set your cell phone/watch alarm for every 30, 60 or 90 minutes. When it chimes, stop and check in with yourself. What are you thinking? How do you feel?
2. Post reminder notes EVERYWHERE from your car dashboard to your bathroom mirror. Post-it notes are great for this. You can simply post the questions: “What am I thinking?” and “How do I feel?”
3. Enlist the help of your family/friends to call you on “backsliding” (very sweetly of course) when they hear you speaking in old patterns (this helps with your thought processes as our words come from our thoughts). You can also have them check in with you throughout the day (with a call or email if you’re not together) to ask you how it’s going.
4. Wear a talisman, like a specific bracelet, that you designate as your “behavior changing talisman” or “thought changer” so that every time you glance at it you are reminded of what you are doing.
5. If you’re an avid social networker, always include how you feel in your posts. Every time you Tweet throughout your day, no matter what it’s about, save a few spaces for “I feel _______.” In order to share it, you have to think about it.
6. If you check your email frequently during the day or your computer or phone, register at one of the reminder sites (like the birthday reminder sites) to receive emails/texts throughout the day to remind you to check in with what you think, how you feel, what you are doing, etc.
7. You can’t go wrong with mantras, keywords and affirmations
8. Create a series of daily habits that include processes for working on making this change automatic and authentic.
9. Track your thoughts, feelings and actions in a journal (which can be done throughout the day)
10. Get a buddy who is also working on making a change and keep each other on track (like a work out buddy).
11. Apply a personal reward system. Every time you catch yourself using your new language/habit/belief, you get a treat.
12. Make a game out of improving your life either in your own mind or literally create a card, dice or board game and have fun with the process.

These are just a dozen possible strategies. Use them as is or tweak them to fit you better. These can all be adapted for changing thoughts, beliefs, actions, habits, etc. For me, enacting change is all about making it fun, authentic and holistic so keep that in mind as you journey through whatever changes you are making.

*****

©2009 Ruth Hegarty

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Ruth Hegarty helps women entrepreneurs create confident and effortless success. As a certified Law of Attraction Coach, Ruth teaches women to unleash their powerful creator. She hosts the popular “The Art of Joyful Living Radio Show.” Listen every Tuesday by visiting  Art of Joyful Living .

To learn more about Ruth’s group or one-on-one coaching programs and to get her free Confidence Building e-book for women, please visit her website at Leap of Confidence.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

How to Check In On What You’re Attracting

It is estimated that 346,000,000 (source*) people read blogs. Of course a number of blog readers are Christians. I imagine a large portion of those blog readers are not Christians and have never even heard about the love of Jesus. That is a lot of people we can be witnessing to. You never know who may be reading your blog so it is imperative that you write about your faith and the Bible in a way that even non-Christians will be able to understand and see the love you have for Christ.

Of course incorporating Bible verses in your blog is a great and easy way to show the love of Christ. After all the Word is God according to John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” You could even add a Verse of the Day widget your sidebar. But what if you don’t have a blog in which you can easily add scripture into where the topic is not faith related?

Having a loving attitude towards others is another way we can show the love of Christ on our blogs. Do you help a reader or fellow blogger when the need arises? Jesus is known for helping others. He is the ultimate good Samaritan. Do you live hurtful or hateful comments on other blogs? Leaving rude or hateful comments is not following the commandment given to us in John 13:34, to love one another. How you deal with people goes along way in showing the Jesus’ love for others and this applies in the blogging world too.

Another way to tell you readers about Christ is to use personal examples in your posts. If you are writing about the power of prayer include a story in which you asked for something in prayer and then how you saw the Lord answer your prayer one way or another. Showing how God has worked in your life is a great testimony for others to to see and hear. Maybe even consider creating a video instead of writing a blog post. A lot of times our words can be misunderstood and at times Christian principals can best be explained by speaking. When quoting scripture also consider the Bible version you are using. Some Bible versions explain a verse more clearly than others. Just remember not to choose a Bible version that changes the meaning of the verse.

No matter how you write your posts or interact with your blog readers just remember that you are representing the King of Kings, your Lord and Savior. Pray before you write and always write the truth and you can’t go wrong.

*http://thefuturebuzz.com/2009/01/12/social-media-web-20-internet-numbers-stats/

Courtney Chowning is a Christian blogger who writes about blogging the Bible at her blog CourtneySpeaks.com. You can find out more tips about blogging the Bible by signing up for her newsletter, “Faith, Family, and Business” where you will also find a free report about mixing Christian virtues in your blog.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Are You Blogging the Bible?

As I reflect on my life and dial it forward to now, I’ve been fortunate to travel on many adventures and I have a lot of memories to put in “My Adventure Book.” There are a lot of photos and memories around the “stuff I’m going to do.”

How about you? Do you have an adventure, Big Idea, or goal that you would like to take action on? Do you daydream about doing something different but you aren’t sure how to get started or make it happen? In my work with women, they explore and discover what their next adventure is and we work together to create a plan that is clear and easy for them to follow to make it happen. Maybe they want to start a new business. One woman decided to take a 6-month sabbatical and I’m helping her map out valuable time so she uses it wisely.

Here are a few tips to help you make your next adventure a reality:

1. Get it on paper – The first step to make your adventure a reality is to write it down on paper and place it somewhere where you will see it every day. Take the idea out of your head and write it down. Make sure it’s written in a positive, clearly defined statement: “I’m going to Hawaii, to the island of Maui, on August 20, 2009. I will learn how to body surf while I’m there.” Do you see how powerful that is? Make a clear statement with a deadline attached to it.

2. Create a plan – Grab a pen and a blank sheet of paper. Sit down and write your adventure at the top with the target date. Now begin to make some notes about what you will need to do to make it happen.

3. Tell someone - You have no idea how powerful it is when you actually tell someone else about your planned adventure. Many times, we daydream about ideas and adventures but we never tell anyone. Why? We are afraid–afraid that if it doesn’t happen, people will laugh at us or worse, see it as “failure.” What’s interesting about sharing your adventure or Big Idea with someone else is two things occur: You get more excited about your idea as you share it with someone, which propels you into action. Two, many times the person you share it with may be able to help or offer a resource. Example: Maybe this person knows someone with a condo or time-share in Maui who would like to rent it to you at a great rate.

Just in case you haven’t seen the movie, I won’t tell you how it ends. I will, however, share one thought: Take some quiet time to think about what you really want in your life. Ask yourself, “What is my next Big Adventure? My next Big Idea?” I invite you to use the tips I’ve outlined for you. It really will make a difference in your life. And if you’ve seen the movie, then you will understand, “Cross my heart, I promise.”

Anything is possible. Everything is waiting for you.

*****
© 2009 Joy Chudacoff

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Joy Chudacoff, ICF, PCC, is the founder of Smart Women Smart Solutions(tm), a Professional Certified Coach to 1000’s of women, Motivational Speaker, and Entrepreneur. She publishes a weekly buzz generating ezine, Reflections On Life and Business for Women Entrepreneurs. If you’re ready take your coaching business to the next level, get your FREE Tips, FREE Report, FREE MP3 and be the first to hear about my exciting new program for coaches and consultants at Smart Women Smart Solutions Coaching.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Smart Women and the Movie Up

When I started my business over 5 years ago, I could see the beginning of the path that I was about to take and that was about it. I had some support at the beginning of my journey; however, I realized pretty quickly that I needed even more support and new ways of thinking as I traveled. I began to learn from women about their wants and needs and how I could help them. I learned what they were passionate about and what they wanted to bring into the world as their special gift. Dorothy started out with Toto and as she made her journey down the Yellow Brick Road, she found some friends who could support her along the way and she was able to support them as well. Dorothy met the Lion who wanted to achieve courage, the Tin Man who had a desire for a heart, and the Scarecrow who longed for wisdom.

How about you? Are you standing at the beginning of a road that leads to something you desire but can’t seem to take that step forward in the journey? I was hesitant at first 5 years ago when I started my journey. I kept asking myself, “What if it doesn’t work?” “What if I fail?” As you may recall, Dorothy was a little scared as well. It’s not easy to take an unfamiliar road —even if you’re pretty sure that at the end you’ll find the answers to get what you want and deserve in life. But here’s what I know for sure: When the desire is there, the how-to will come.

Here are some tips and solutions that I’ve used during my own journey, (Dorothy too!), and I believe they can help you as well:

You’re Not in Kansas Anymore – acknowledge that you are about to begin a new, exciting journey in your life. This is certainly where I am right now. I was standing at the kitchen sink the other day gazing out the window and I realized that my life and business are going to the next level. It’s both exciting and scary at the same time. I know that I need more support and resources now that I’m getting ready to travel into unfamiliar territory.

Find Your Own Good Witch – Seek out someone who’s in your corner. Someone who wants to see you succeed in whatever it is you desire. Having a coach or mentor who can ask you the important questions and help you navigate your journey along the way is essential. Who knows if Dorothy would have ever gotten out of …..if she hadn’t had the Good Witch of the North guiding her along the way.

Pack some Confidence, Courage, and Wisdom for your journey – Confidence and Courage are two key items to have with you at all times. If you’re feeling like you don’t have enough, (I’ve felt this way many times), make sure you invite people to come along on your journey who seem to always bring out these qualities in you. It’s much easier when you are surrounded by people who champion you; people who think you hung the moon. Wisdom is also important. Surround yourself with wise people who can help you navigate troubled waters along the way.

For me, the best part of the story is at the end, when Dorothy and her courageous, heart-felt, and wise friends realize that everything they wanted, deserved, and desired was with them all the time. All they had to do was look within to see they already possessed what they were looking for………and you can too!

*****
© 2009 Joy Chudacoff

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Joy Chudacoff, ICF, PCC, is the founder of Smart Women Smart Solutions(tm), a Professional Certified Coach to 1000’s of women, Motivational Speaker, and Entrepreneur. She publishes a weekly buzz generating ezine, Reflections On Life and Business for Women Entrepreneurs. If you’re ready take your coaching business to the next level, get your FREE Tips, FREE Report, FREE MP3 and be the first to hear about my exciting new program for coaches and consultants at Smart Women Smart Solutions Coaching .

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Smart Women, Dorothy, and the Yellow Brick Road

When I was studying to become a Professional Certified Coach, I was required to read lots of books that were essential to my growth as a coach. I found one book in particular, “Finding Flow” by Mihaly Csikszenthihalyi (”chick-Sent-me-high”) to be quite thought-provoking. Csikszenthihalyi believes that many people walk through their lives without ever becoming aware of what energizes them or where they find themselves in the “flow.” Athletes sometimes refer to this as being “in the zone.” “Flow” is the place where you lose yourself and all track of time. You know when you are in the “flow” when you finish a task or project and you feel more energized than when you began. Have you ever done something and forgotten to look at the clock or stopped to take a break for lunch or even go to the bathroom? I personally find my “flow” in my work with women, watching my children play sports and listening to solo piano.

How about you? Have you found your “flow”? And if you have, are you practicing it on a regular basis? In my work with women, I find there are some who know where their “flow” is, and some who have lost touch due to their demanding lives and lack of time for self-care. Even though some women know where their “flow” is, they typically aren’t making the time to practice it as often as they should. One of the ways I support women is to help them find ways to have more “flow” in their lives.

In my Success Circles, I offer some exercises to help women discover their “flow”. Not sure yet what yours might be? Here are a few questions that will support you to finding the “flow” in your life:

1. Where do you lose yourself? What activity are you doing when you lose track of time, forget to eat, etc.?
2. Describe a time in your life when you felt passionate about being alive, inspired, challenged.
3. If you had a day off, and could spend it any way you wanted, what would you do?

Finding “flow” is a lot more essential in life than you might think. It’s the difference between living an energetic, passionate, purposeful life that holds meaning, or living one that feels full of boredom, humdrum, and just going through the motions. I invite you to find a quiet, peaceful place and ponder these questions. Once you have the answers, make the necessary changes to allow more time for you to be in the “flow” of your life.

“The quality of life does not depend on happiness alone, but also on what one does to be happy.” Mihaly Csikszenthihalyi

Anything is possible. Everything is waiting for you.

*****
© 2009 Joy Chudacoff

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Joy Chudacoff, ICF, PCC, is the founder of Smart Women Smart Solutions(tm), a Professional Certified Coach to 1000’s of women, Motivational Speaker, and Entrepreneur. She publishes a weekly buzz generating ezine, Reflections On Life and Business for Women Entrepreneurs. If you’re ready take your coaching business to the next level, get your FREE Tips, FREE Report, FREE MP3 and be the first to hear about my exciting new program for coaches and consultants at Smart Women Smart Solutions Coaching .

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Smart Women Find Their Flow

Who are the people to consider?
College students, active military personnel away from home, military families home and abroad, prisoners, orphans, missionaries, disaster victims, nursing home residents, hospitalized children, unwed mothers or those in a crisis pregnancy, single parent families, and special friends and relatives who may be living far away.

How do I find mailing addresses for people I don’t know?
Conduct a search on the internet to look for ministries who distribute care packages to the specific people groups you would like to reach, and speak to friends at church or in social clubs to ask for names of people who may like to receive a care package. Find out about the local organizations and ministries and ask about specific people you can help. Speak to the social worker at your school to locate a special family or child to bless.

What kinds of things should I include in the Care Package?
This will depend on who will be the recipient of your package. Here are some suggestions:

For military service men or disaster victims, include things like toothpaste, tooth brushes, hand sanitizer, personal wipes, mints and hard candies (avoid things that can melt), combs, soaps, shampoo, lotions, medicine packs (Tylenol, Advil, etc.), vitamin packs, Band-Aids, disposable razors, ear swabs, nail clippers, magazines, crosswords or word puzzles, travel size games, pens, paper, envelopes, prepaid telephone calling cards, Bible, AA batteries, lighters. Liquid items should be in travel size bottles, and the bottles should be labeled if you are using generic bottles, especially for military personnel.

For college students, consider non-perishable food items such as soup mixes, hot cocoa mix, microwave popcorn, a disposable camera, stationery, school supplies such as mini-staplers, notebook paper, calendar, organizers, calculator, etc. If you personally know the college student, you can include family photos, personal keepsakes and gifts, stuffed animals and gift certificates to their favorite restaurants or local grocery stores.

Many prisons do not allow prisoners to receive packages, and those that do have a list of items that are accepted, for safety concerns. You will want to coordinate with a prison ministry to see what the rules for receiving care packages might be. Many prison ministries have pen-pal programs if you prefer this to sending a package.

Many pro-life ministries accept care packages for unwed mothers or those in crisis pregnancies, and they also accept care packages for children. Things like blankets, diapers, teething rings, layette sets, bottles, diaper ointments and wipes are welcomed.

You may also enjoy hosting a party and asking guests to contribute items to your care package — or to help assemble several care packages, including packaging and addressing them.

Here are some places that will help you locate people for which to send your care packages and will accept your care packages as donations for others:

Operation Blessing for Disaster Victims

Love Packages distributes packages to missionaries on the field

Buckner Orphan Care International distributes care packages to its orphanages
Prison Fellowship arranges correspondences with prisoners

Operation Military Pride for a list of recommended items and mailing instructions for overseas military personnel and to sign-up to be put in contact with deployed service men and women who may enjoy communicating as well as receiving care packages

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

How to Assemble and Where to Send a Care Package

What is the value of PLR? The value of private label rights content differs from person to person. The value of PLR is determined by what a person actually does or does not do with it. With a little creativity PLR content can be of great value to you in generating multiple types of content on your blog, website, or newsletter. The more you are able to use a particular PLR article the more valuable it becomes to you. By re-purposing your PLR content in different ways you are getting your money’s worth out of the content. The reason you purchased PLR to begin with was to create content for your blog or site so use it for that. There are no limits to the ways in which you can use PLR to generate content, as long as you are in compliance with the PLR terms of use, that is.

For a blogger the value of a PLR is beyond measure. With a single PLR article you could create a multi-part series on a certain topic. All you have to do is rewrite or change the PLR article to show a different and unique perspective. For example, if you have a PLR article about 5 tips for generating website traffic, each tip could actually be written into it’s own blog post. From that one article you created 5 different blog posts for your readers. You could also rewrite a PLR article to use for article marketing, as a guest post, on a forum, in your newsletter, or all the above. Taking a little time to rewrite certain passages of an article can really change the whole dynamic of the article.

To make sure you are getting the most value out of your PLR content you need to really consider the PLR content you actually purchase. Most importantly make sure you purchase from a PLR source you trust. In order to get the most out of your purchased PLR, you must purchase quality PLR. There is a lot of junk out there, make sure you don’t waste your time on it. Secondly, only purchase PLR in niche’s you actually use. Just because you get an email about a special sale on PLR, if it isn’t in your niche, it doesn’t do you any good.

Also use the PLR you have before buying more. Make the most of what you have before spending more money. Not only will you get more content, but you will save money. Get creative! You are not limited to using PLR article content in written works only. You can record the article content as an audio or a video. This is an easy way to really make the content your since you are putting yourself in to the content by recording your voice. You can then use the audio or video as a bonus for a information product, to product a product, as a podcast, or you could just give it away to your readers.

Increasing the value of PLR is not hard to do. It is just a matter of a little work and creativity. The more you reuse your purchased private label rights content the higher value it has for you and the more it can help in content creation. That is what PLR is there for – to help you create content.

Courtney Chowning is a provider of PLR at http://ChristianMomPLR.com where she blogs about ways for you to re-purpose and get the most value out of your PLR content.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Determining the Value of PLR

Under-achievement in teens can be caused by many things:

Emotional discomfort. A teen who has experienced a life changing event (addition to the family, a family loss, divorce…etc) is very likely to go through a period of educational underachievement.

High parental expectations. Many times parents put too much pressure on their teen to make a certain grade, excel in a certain subject or sport or perhaps pick a certain career path and this can have a negative impact on the teen. If the academic pressures on your teen are too strong, your teen may feel the need to rebel.

Undiagnosed learning disabilities – there are time where a mild learning disabilities is missed in lower level schooling or there could be a physical hindrance such as poor eyesight or hearing difficulty.

Peer pressure. Pure and simple, there is good peer pressure and there is negative peer pressure. Many teens feel that the smarter they are, that some of their friends won’t like them. They may feel the need to perform at a certain level to feel accepted into a certain clique of friends.

If you notice your teen becoming an underachiever, first check in with your teen to see if there is something that you can do to help. Communicate with your teen about how he or she is feeling about school overall and ask them if there are any problems.

You can then speak with your child’s teacher at school to see if there are areas where extra help would be beneficial. Many schools offer free tutoring services. There are many times that an underachieving teen has hit a downward spiral because they are disorganized and find it hard to keep up with the schoolwork and other activities they are involved in.

While it may be hard for some parents to digest, not all children are academically inclined. Even if your child isn’t a scholar, that doesn’t mean that they can’t excel in many other area’s. If you tune into your child, you can help them find out exactly what they are good at and passionate about. Letting your child know that doing their best is good enough and if their best IS a C then that is ok will go a long way with your child. It will encourage your child to try their very best and it will alleviate some of the pressures that they feel which may cause your child to rebel or shut down completely.

Many teens that are underachieving will see that it will affect their self esteem in a negative way. If you teen has low self esteem, offering them emotional and comfort will help them greatly. The best way to let your child know that you love them is to shower them with acceptance. Make sure that no matter what grades your child brings home, that doesn’t mean that you love him or her any less.

Help your teen manage his/her schedule better. Make sure that they have everything they need to stay as organized as possible.  Help them to set goals for themselves as it pertains to school (grades, study habits..etc). You can even suggest that your teen start up a study group and offer to host it at your home.

The key here is to try everything that you can and to find out why your teen is not living up to their potential in school. If after working on this and tackling it from many angles, you feel you’re teen isn’t making any process, you may then want to consult a professional to see if there are some other issues causing the problems. You can seek professional support from a school counselor, doctor, therapist or clergy.

As a proactive parent we must seek resources to help our child take an interest in learning, growing and becoming independent. Being an informed parent is one of the 1st steps to ensuring your child has a brighter future.

Struggling To Help Your Teen In High School? Get help now. The Real Life Guidance to Helping Your Teen In High School report is available for easy and instant download to your computer.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Helping Your Teen Succeed in High School

Your party is likely to be a hit when you use gruesome and ghoulish dish looks, but with a surprisingly delightful taste. Most people enjoy Halloween and the spirit it brings with all matters of age cast aside. All you need to do is to create your own devilish or scary costumes, get the theme right and top it off with incredible Halloween Party Recipes and you will have the party everyone will talk about.

One of the Halloween party recipes is the eerie eyeball d’oeuvres Halloween recipe. This is mainly meant for the adults. It is not too difficult a task to make this kind of recipe. The good news is when frozen the eye balls can be used with alcoholic drinks during chilly holidays or other fall festivals.

When shopping, you ought to choose different colors of the d’oeuvres especially red and green. You then need to peel the red ones and make a hole on top of each then stuff a green olive in and ensure that the red color is well visible and showing.

Other Halloween party recipes include baked worms in apples as a Halloween snack which might make you squeamish and bloody fingers Halloween party recipe oozing with blood. This is the most ghoulish recipe and as always with Halloween, the more scary the better.

Grab this easy Halloween recipe booklet crammed full of 35 fun easy Halloween recipes for you and your family this year. These recipes and bonus party planning tips will be sure to make your Halloween party the spookiest most fun on the block without breaking your family budget.

Even if you’re not having a Halloween party, you can still make great use of the easy Halloween recipes for kids in this booklet to make your night special. Add a ghost story or two and you’re all set for the perfect October 31st with your family.

Spooktacular Dreams!

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Halloween Party Fun Recipes for Adults and Kids Alike

The kids’ party ideas must involve the adults’ supervision especially when there is cooking involved. The food coloring must be involved with the kids’ recipes because everything should resound the spirit of Halloween and that means that recipes as well. The most popular design most adored by the children is the creepy ice cream spider among others.

Everyone loves ice cream and for the Halloween party, the kids will love the spider imitations made from ice cream. When preparing this kind of Halloween recipes for kids, you can use the gallon vanilla, graham cracker tart shells, red M&M candy pieces and black shoestring licorice pieces. All you need to do is to mix the ingredients then sprinkle the crumbles on every scoop of ice cream so as to form a black furry looking spider body and put them in the freezer so the whole mixture can get iced and frozen and thus look even more real.

This is just one of the many Halloween recipes for kids which will bring even more ‘flavor’ to the holiday. But remember as far as these recipes are concerned, the only limitation you have is not a cook book or a recipe book but your imagination. If you can make something and make it look scary but with an outstanding taste then you have yourself a Halloween recipe.

Grab this easy Halloween recipe booklet crammed full of 35 fun easy Halloween recipes for you and your family this year. These recipes and bonus party planning tips will be sure to make your Halloween party the spookiest most fun on the block without breaking your family budget.

Even if you’re not having a Halloween party, you can still make great use of the fun Halloween recipes for kids in this booklet to make your night special. Add a ghost story or two and you’re all set for the perfect October 31st with your family.

Spooktacular Dreams!

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Tasty Halloween Recipes for Kids

Get started by trying out some uplifting affirmations. These will help you shift your thinking from where you are now to a much stronger and more powerful and joyful perspective. I’ve given you some below to get started with. They cover self-love as well as financial independence. Pick and choose 10 from this list to use every day for this whole month and then check back in with where you are and enjoy the shift that you made. It’s best to say the affirmations out loud and with feeling.

Get started with 10 (or more) of the following affirmations:

* I am my own best friend. I love and appreciate myself just as I am.
* I am vibrantly healthy and uniquely brilliant.
* I trust myself.
* I give thanks for my life of health, wealth, happiness and perfect self expression.
* I am the master of my life. Perfect wisdom is in my heart.
* Life is fun and I’m willing to enjoy it.
* I am rich in consciousness and manifestation.
* Everything I want in life is coming to me effortlessly and easily.
* It’s OK for me to have everything I want in life.
* I am relaxed, focused and centered. I have plenty of time for everything.
* I am confident, relaxed and comfortable in all situations.
* I give myself permission to be ‘who’ I want to be.
* I am an unlimited being in spirit and soul and am one with the Universe.
* I am safe and protected and I am divinely guided.
* My power is in my actions and I follow through on my goals, one at a time, every day.
* I now have enough time, energy, wisdom and money to accomplish all my desires.
* Abundance is my natural state of being. I accept it now!
* Everyday I’m growing more financially prosperous. I am a money magnet.
* I’m now earning a high 6 figure income doing what satisfies me.
* Financial success comes to me easily and effortlessly.
* I meet every challenge with grace and ease and surrender to the abundance that is manifesting daily in my life.
* Infinite riches flow freely into my life daily.
* I deserve and accept wealth and abundance.
* Great riches and abundance are heaped on me just because I am me.
* People are clamoring to pay me for my wonderful services and the benefits I provide.
* I am the source of my wealth and abundance.
* I am outstandingly successful every day.
* I now easily and joyfully accept thousands of dollars each week.
* Money is rapidly mounting in my checking and saving accounts. It keeps multiplying daily.
* The money and situations I attract into my life are better than I ever imagined.
* My self worth and net worth build daily.
* I love myself and I naturally attract loving relationships into my life.
* I am now ready to accept a happy, fulfilling, healthy relationship.
* The more I love myself the more love I have to give.

*****
© 2009 Ruth Hegarty

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Ruth Hegarty helps women entrepreneurs create confident and effortless success. As a certified Law of Attraction Coach, Ruth teaches women to unleash their powerful creator. She hosts the popular “The Art of Joyful Living Radio Show.” Listen every Tuesday by visiting Art of Joyful Living .

To learn more about Ruth’s group or one-on-one coaching programs and to get her free Confidence Building e-book for women, please visit her website at Leap of Confidence.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Express Your Independence

What about when we focus on the future? Let me first clarify dreaming about versus living in the future. I absolutely want you to dream about your future and dream BIG. Know where you are going and what you are wanting. Imagine it, feel it, smell it, love it. Those kinds of dreams fuel your imagination and help inspire your actions. Living in the future is when you think along the lines of “when such and such happens, I’ll be wealthy/happy/etc.” When my company takes off, when I lose weight, when I get my tax refund, etc. are all ways of living in a future that is not only not guaranteed but the very activity of focusing on it in this way almost ensures failure. Why? Because when you do this you are focused on lack – on what you don’t have yet – not on what you want or even what you do have. In Law of Attraction there is a huge difference between a focus on how amazing it will be to attain something we desire and a focus on that desire not yet being ours. It seems subtle but it is actually a huge difference in mindset. It’s the difference between complacency and possibility. So, continue to dream big dreams while living in the present.

Aaahhh, the present. This is where the magic happens. Focus on how amazing your life is NOW. Even if you don’t have everything you want (and that is actually a good thing since we always want new things and it’s part of living this life) really get into the feelings of what you do have that is wonderful. What do you love about your life now? Your body? Your work? Your home? Your planet? Everything? Find even one small thing to love about everything you come in contact with in your day. What do you love about your money? In what ways do you already feel prosperous? What do you have an abundance of? From pencils to love to pop-tarts, what do you never run out of? That’s abundance. Feel it in every fiber of your being. Really feel the amazingness of you and your life.

Next step, revisit that huge exciting dream you have for your life. What are some of the key elements? What will exist when you are living this dream? For example, one of my clients recently shared that one element of her big dream is recognition from her peers for her success and the good work she does. There’s no need to wait. I had her brainstorm ways she can have that recognition now so that she experiences the FEELING of her dream now. That’s how we bring that dream to life and create it in the now. She came up with some terrific and fun ideas for feeling recognized in her work including honoring herself. What can you do that will make the amazing good fortune you dream of a part of your day to day reality today. Really, what can you do today, in this current moment, to live your dreams of abundance, wealth, prosperity, love, you name it!?!

P.S. It helps to surround yourself with like-minded people so you are all supporting each other’s dreams and current state of being. Seek out people who want to see you make your dreams come true.

*****

© 2009 Ruth Hegarty

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Ruth Hegarty helps women entrepreneurs create confident and effortless success. As a certified Law of Attraction Coach, Ruth teaches women to unleash their powerful creator. She hosts the popular “The Art of Joyful Living Radio Show.” Listen every Tuesday by visiting Art of Joyful Living .

To learn more about Ruth’s group or one-on-one coaching programs and to get her free Confidence Building e-book for women, please visit her website at Leap of Confidence.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Living Your Wealth in the Here and Now

Think of your talents-Do you scrap book?  Do wood working?  Do you quilt, knit or do other crafts?  Do you make jams, jellies or other preserves?  Are you a car buff?  Do you have an eye for details?  Think of creating presents with your talents!  Truthfully, anyone who puts down a homemade and thoughtful present isn’t worthy of receiving them.
•    Scrapbookers- Giving grandparents a page of scrapbooked pictures set into an inexpensive frame is thoughtful and I can think of many grandparents who always complain of never having updated pictures.  Down the road, you could give them an expandable storage book for their outdated pages.  How about scrapbooking your cherished family recipes for your children?
•    Quilters and/or sewers-Create gifts with those talents!  I found a pattern for quilted checkbook covers.  They were fast, easy and allowed me to personalize them for each recipient (cat fabric for my cat loving friend).  I’m not much of a sewer but even I was able to make flannel pajama bottoms for my boys.
•    Knitters/crocheters- My Great Gram always used to knit mittens for us.  She would also make us hats and scarves.  I still have a pair of double-yarn mittens she made me over 40 years ago.  They’re now stashed safely in my closet but I still think fondly of how warm they were and how much I loved wearing them and loved my Gram for making them for me.  Who can’t appreciate a homemade present like that?
•    Car person-I know it’s not as easy as it used to be to work on cars but thankfully, oil changes are still generally a do-it-yourself deal.  If you’re still into changing your own oil, considering giving coupons to your friends or family to change THEIR oil as a present (note that it’s for labor only and the recipient still has to buy the supplies).  I know I would LOVE getting a practical present like that!
•    Eye for detail? –My mother-in-law has pretty much everything she wants or needs.  My husband has an eye for detail-detailing cars that is.  He gave his mom the gift of a car detailing.  He spent about 5 hours washing, waxing and detailing her car and she was thrilled.  Keep in mind that a present like this would cost over $100 at a detailing shop.  If you have an eye for detailing homes (you’re good at cleaning) how about offering coupons for housekeeping services?  I know come spring time, I’d love an extra pair of hands for spring cleaning.
•    Baker/cook- My sister-in-law was a really busy woman with three young boys, finishing her teaching certificate and working almost full time.  I gave her a gift basket full of homemade frozen cookie dough logs, homemade dry baking mixes (similar to those layered jar mixes where you just add the wet ingredients) and two bags of store bought gourmet coffees.  I told her that I was giving her the gift of time with her boys.  She could take one of the frozen cookie dough logs out of the freezer in the morning and put it in the fridge and then that evening, she could make a cup of coffee, make cookies with her boys and enjoy spending time with them (without the hassle of trying to follow a recipe and mix dough with three youngsters trying to “help”).  She loved the gift!  Think about what you can make or bake along the same lines.  You could make bread dough that could be frozen and used the same way.  Be creative.
•    Gardeners-How about sharing saved seeds with your favorite gift-recipient?  How about offering up your time during planting season?  Personally, I’d love coupons offering to tend my garden when I go camping for a week.  A gift basket with coupons for garden tending saved heirloom seeds, homemade row markers and a fresh set of garden gloves would be loved by any gardener!

I’ve given you just a sampling of how you can put your talents to work creating thoughtful, relatively inexpensive and practical presents for the holidays.  What talents do you have?  What can you do?  Before you go out and buying something and spend a bunch of money, think on how you can create those thoughtful gifts first.  I think you’ll find that during these tough economic times, practical, thoughtful gifts from the heart are more appreciated than ever before.

Tammy Paquin is a work-from-home mom of 3 boys and the owner and publisher of Frugal-Families, an online resource for frugality, finances, budgeting and everything else related to stretching the dollar. For more ideas on practical, thoughtful and inexpensive gifts visit, Thoughtful, Practical and Inexpensive gifts

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Thoughtful and Practical Gifts from the Heart

Living a “reactive” life can be exhausting and frustrating. There are a lot of quick stops and fast starts–most of them unplanned. The best way for me to describe my day was it felt like I was in a ship without a rudder. No direction, just floating out in a big sea of confusion. No real direction, just reacting to each wave. There was no planned course or clear navigation. I was just trying to keep this rudderless boat afloat and get back to shore.

In contrast, when you are living a “proactive” life, your days are on course with clear navigation, doing things that will lead you to your Big Ideas, Dreams, and Goals. Being “proactive” about your life is being conscious and thoughtful about how you spend your days. You are queen of your ship, with a well thought out map on where you’re going, what you’re going to do, and with whom you will do it.

As I reflected on yesterday, I felt a calling to share it with you. Many women are living a “reactive” life day after day, without a clear plan of action to take them where they want to go. Most of my days are quite “proactive”, with a plan in place to keep moving me toward my goals. As I reflect on my day yesterday, if I was living in this “reactive” mode most of the time, I would be a very unhappy, restless, tired and exhausted woman! How can you get more “proactive” and get out of “reactive” mode?

Here are a few tips and solutions:

1. Change “Yes” to “No” – Women are nurturers by nature. We like to be helpful and supportive. It’s a challenge for us to say “No.” The next time someone asks you to do something, I invite you to pause for a moment and ask yourself if this request is one that calls you to action. If someone’s in a real bind, that’s one thing. But if it’s to take on a role that really doesn’t serve you or there may be someone else better suited for the role, maybe you should consider a “No” response. In my Women’s Success Circles, I share with women that there are actually four answers to a Yes or No question!

2. Plan for Downtime – When you see that you have a busy day, plan for some breaks in-between meetings or events. Even 10 minutes can recharge your battery before moving on to the next big task. Make sure you take time to eat lunch in the middle of the day, take a few moments to breathe, get re-focused, and refreshed for the afternoon.

3. Get some support – Find ways to automate, delegate, or delete more of the “to do” items on your list. This is essential for women who are committed to living a life that is passionate and on-purpose with meaning. You can do it all, but you can’t do it all by yourself. It was a tough lesson for me to learn but one that I clearly embrace in my life today. I just brought another person onto my team, as there is no way that I could achieve my “Proactive” life without more help from others.

What I just shared with you is what I left out of my life yesterday. Making too many commitments to others, not giving myself enough downtime in between appointments, and not taking full advantage of the support I have in my life. The above solutions are simple to put into place and they will help you to navigate a clear, well thought out plan for your day and your life. Will there be unavoidable storms on the horizon? You bet. But as I share with the women in my Success Circles; if you can navigate a “proactive” life 85% of the time, you will be sailing into the high seas with plenty of blue sky filled with energy, passion, purpose, and meaning.

“How we spend our days, is of course, how we spend our lives.” Annie Dillard

Anything is possible. Everything is waiting for you.

*****
© 2009 Joy Chudacoff

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Joy Chudacoff, ICF, PCC, is the founder of Smart Women Smart Solutions(tm), a Professional Certified Coach to 1000’s of women, Motivational Speaker, and Entrepreneur. She publishes a weekly buzz generating ezine, Reflections On Life and Business for Women Entrepreneurs. If you’re ready take your life and your business to the next level, get your FREE Tips, 2 FREE Reports and FREE MP3 now at Creating The Spark .

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Smart Women Live A Proactive Life

When you’re looking for free cross stitch patterns, one of the first places you probably thought of was Google. This is what’s called a search engine and there are plenty of these to go around, but the number one search engine is without a doubt is Google. A nice searching tip is to ask the search engines questions such as “Where can I find free cross stitching patterns?” or “Where is the best place to find free cross stitching patterns?” Of course those are just examples, but try to broaden your searches and you’ll find much more results in what you’re looking for.

The second way to find something you want online is by word of mouth or by links on a website. Say your checking your e-mail and on the right side of your screen on the website happens to be a link that interests you, and while there is nothing wrong with this, you’re still not sure whether it’s exactly what you want or not since you didn’t search for it.

There are billions of websites online and probably thousands for finding free cross stitching patterns, you just have to know where to look and not to click on any old link you see because some websites are quite dangerous to your computer. Just remember that one helpful tip and to search in the form of questions such as “Where can I find some free cross stitching patterns” when you’re doing you’re searching and you will find much better results!

Loretta Oliver of Stitching the Night Away is a firm believer that everyone needs a hobby and is striving to help make cross stitch supplies and information easily accessible to everyone that wants to stitch.

You can find free cross stitch patterns at Stitching the Night Away along with a wealth of cross stitch information and resources. Including a free guide to stitching on evenweave and linen fabrics.

Happy Stitching!

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

How to Find Free Cross Stitching Patterns Online

You can prepare the very traditional spaghetti with meatballs for your Halloween party. You might wonder if it is appropriate for Halloween. Yes, of course, if you add a little twist to it. Why not make the spaghetti meatballs look like eyeballs? It is very easy. Cook the spaghetti and meatballs the way you always cook them. Once the meatballs have been cooked and molded into balls, you can add a small portion of cheese at the center of the meatball to make it look like an eyeball. Simple yet very Halloween-ish.

You can also bake a pumpkin pie that looks like a spider web. Get a recipe for making pumpkin pies. Bake the pumpkin crust. Once the crust is baked and cooled, spread cream over the surface of the pie. This will be the background of the web. To create the web, you can sue a mixture of chocolate and butter heated inside the microwave. Draw a spiral from the center of the crust to the edges. Using a toothpick, draw lines from the center to the edge of the crust for it to resemble a spider web.

Are you ready to learn fun Halloween recipes that you and your family can enjoy? Visit http://halloween-recipes.justnotmartha.com/ today!

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Fun Halloween Recipes For a Great Halloween Party

You can use traditional or common recipes. Just tweak it a bit to make it suitable for your party. For instance, you can prepare spaghetti with meatballs. Just make the meatballs look like human eyeballs. Your guests will surely feel as if human eyes are staring at them whenever they get a serving of your spaghetti with eyeballs.

Prepare foods that resemble body parts of humans like fingers, ears, heart, eyeballs, bones, skulls, nose, tongue, and so on. You have to use your creative juices to be able to come up with such recipes. Or you can search for them in the internet, which is easier and more convenient.

Create spooky or gross names for your recipes. For example, you can serve ’spaghetti with eyeballs’, ‘fried bat wings’, ‘finger foods’ (make it literal and serve finger foods that look like fingers), and so on. For your beverages, you can choose drinks that look like blood, goo, or mud. You can choose drinks that are blood red, slimy green, or murky brown in color.

These tips for preparing Halloween recipes for your party will surely make your party the talk of the town. Have fun cooking spooky meals!

Are you ready to learn Halloween party recipes that you and your family can enjoy? Visit http://halloween-recipes.justnotmartha.com/ today!

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Tips For Preparing Halloween Party Recipes

That’s the great thing about cross stitch as a hobby, it’s very adaptable and creative by nature. Yes, you have a pattern in front of you, and instructions, and we all begin with a pile of fabric and thread. However, there are so many ways that you can add a touch of your own pizazz to any project, even if it’s from a prepackaged cross stitch kit.

Let’s go over a few quick ideas for fiber enhancements.

• Use Kreinik pearl blending filament to go over an area of stitches that you want to stand out with a little extra shine. This is a great technique for accenting things like butterfly wings, it gives flower petals for a dewdrop look, and it can bring new depth to any cotton floss color.

• Swap out a standard floss color for an over dyed floss instead. This gives you a range of depth and detail that helps your project stand out from the crowd. It’s also a great technique for jazzing up single color projects like samplers and blackwork projects.

• Swap out a solid color for a Kreinik Metallic, their #4 Very Fine Braid is the right size for this. Stitch with 1 strand of metallic braid instead of 2 strands of cotton floss. This is a fun way to add sparkle to your project and there are a lot of colors available.

• Change the color scheme completely. This one requires a bit more work and creative thinking, but the results can be so worth it. Change a red dragon into a blue dragon, or transform purple flowers into orange ones, use your imagination. Just make sure you use the same tones in a different color and you’ll be fine.

• Make it glow in the dark! This is a fairly new option that’s available by using the Glow in the Dark thread line from Kreinik threads. There are a few different colors, and of course they all glow in the dark. You can add these blending filaments to just about any project, but they are particularly fun for Halloween cross stitch projects. I’ve also had some luck adding them to Christmas ornament projects, they stand out on the tree at night even when it’s not lit up.

I hope you have some ideas flowing for your next cross stitch project now. Your only limit on what you can do is your imagination. Enjoy your hobby and have fun with it. Just a simple color swap can take a project from nice to amazing.

Keeping a variety of extra cross stitch supplies on hand, also known in the stitching world as your “stash,” is a great idea for any stitcher. With these extras on hand you’ll always be ready for that creative spark when the mood strikes to start something new or to make changes to enhance an existing work in progress.

One of the key things for any stitcher to keep in their stash pile is a selection of embroidery floss and cross stitch fibers. Without these elements your fabric will remain a blank canvas, a masterpiece in waiting.

Loretta Oliver is founder and creator of Stitching the Night Away, and a firm believer that everyone needs a hobby. She is striving to help make cross stitch supplies and information easily accessible to everyone that wants to stitch or find creativity. Stitching the Night Away is also home to a cross stitch forum and various free resources for stitchers since 2001.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

5 Ways to Enhance Your Cross Stitch Project With Different Floss and Fibers

This process can be extremely joyful when you enter into it in the spirit of discovery and fulfillment. Set some time aside (don’t overwhelm yourself, if spending a day or even a few hours on this feels too scary, plan to spend 10-15 minutes each day on it until you are done) and get started.

To get started, get a vivid picture in your mind of who you want to be based on the following questions (remember, this is you “in a perfect word” so don’t get hung up on what you think you are capable of at this moment. Instead, go for what you WANT):

1. As a woman, who do you want to be? Who do you REALLY want to be?
2. What personality traits, talents and unique qualities do you have (what ones do you want to have)? Are you funny, happy, quirky, a great writer, athletic, etc.?
3. What is your lifestyle like? Do you feel a sense of balance? Do you have enough fun, love, spirit, etc. in your life?
4. What is your appearance? What is your hairstyle? Make up routine? What fashion statement do you make? Do you have a business look and a play look? Do you love all of your clothes?
5. How do you stay fit? Do you go to the gym? Practice yoga? Stay fit playing with your children? What’s your nutrition profile? What are the foods you eat regularly? What are your splurges?
6. What are your goals? What are you truly committed to? What will you accomplish no matter what?
7. What is your relationship with money? Do you earn what you want (and deserve)? What work do you do? Where do you do your work? Who helps you? Do you love it?
8. What is the state of your relationships? Do you have plenty of love and companionship in your life?
9. What is your relationship with spirit? Do you have a spiritual practice? Do you share your spiritual life with others?
10. What is your home like? Do you love your physical environment? Is it beautiful? Functional? Colorful?

Use as much descriptive detail as you can so that you really and truly get to see yourself in this vision. Consider all the different roles you play in life – wife, mother, sister, daughter, friend, entrepreneur, community member, etc. How do you see yourself in all of these areas?

Don’t second guess yourself!

*****

© 2009 Ruth Hegarty

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Ruth Hegarty helps women entrepreneurs create confident and effortless success. As a certified Law of Attraction Coach, Ruth teaches women to unleash their powerful creator. She hosts the popular “The Art of Joyful Living Radio Show.” Listen every Tuesday by visiting Art of Joyful Living .

To learn more about Ruth’s group or one-on-one coaching programs and to get her free Confidence Building e-book for women, please visit her website at Leap of Confidence.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Who Do You Think You Are?

Jobs that are done in brick and mortar buildings focus a lot on your skills, education and experiences in previous positions. Telecommuting jobs are the same, but they also need to show that you are capable of working from a home office- away from the main company.

Also, on the site jobs generally have less applicants, so an employer can read through each resume they receive. Telecommuting positions can be quite popular, so most employers don’t have time to go through the hundreds they usually receive. In this case, your resume will need to stand out so that it has a higher chance of getting noticed.

When developing a resume for your telecommuting position, keep these things in mind:

Focus your experiences or skills on what pertains to the job you’re applying for- If you’re looking to apply to a virtual assistant position, then focus all your previous job positions or skills that relate to that, such as office assistant etc. Leave out anything that doesn’t pertain to the position, like babysitting.

Don’t forget to include jobs that include experience working from home- If any of your previous positions allowed you to work from your home office, even for a couple of days a week, then include it. Let your employers know that you have some experience working away from the main office.

Computer skills- Be sure to include your computer skills. Virtual assistants use various types of software programs, so let your prospective employer know what programs you can use efficiently. If you’re certified in any program that you might need to use on the job, let them know.

Typing or Data entry speed- If you’re applying to a position where there’s a lot of typing or data entry involved, then be sure to let your prospective employer know what you’re current typing speed or Data entry speed is. You can go online to test yourself if you’re not quite sure what they are.

Have two different types of resumes- Most people use word to type their resume into. That’s great for attaching to emails and sending off to the hiring managers. But, you should also have an ASCII text resume to paste into the body of the email. Some companies won’t open attachments for fear of viruses and some attachments accidentally get deleted. Having your resume properly formatted in the body of the email eliminates that problem.

When compiling your information to put into your resumes, be sure to place the items that grab attention first and work your way down. If your educational background is stronger than your work experience, then start off with your education entries. Once their attention is grabbed, they’ll want to read on to the rest of what the resume contains.

So, take your old resume for onsite jobs out and look it over. What can you do to spice it up and help land you the telecommuting position you’re hoping to land?

Nell Taliercio has been working at home full time since 2004. She’s worked as a telecommuter, virtual assistant and affiliate marketer. In 5 years she’s discovered many secrets to finding legitimate work at home jobs and securing them. You can find work at home job information and tips at: http://www.justonlinejobs.com

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Telecommuting Resume Tips

Most helpful guides and reports show you the more popular ways of utilizing them; such as creating more articles for your website and gaining more blog posts to publish on your own business blog. These are great ways to make the most of your purchase, but they certainly aren’t the only ways.

While it would be wonderful to list all of them here, we’ll explore some of the less common ones that still can be powerful for your profit line.

EBooks- EBooks are hard to create from scratch, but they can be much easier to put together if you use your PLR articles, reports and whatever content you purchase. As long as the overall topic is related, you can easily find a way to tie it all into an eBook.

Special reports- These reports can be a great way to entice someone to sign up to your newsletters, add as a bonus item to another informational product or even to sell as an informative report.

Lead Generation report- These work great if you’re selling an eBook or even a special report. These reports are generally smaller than what you’re trying to get your visitors to buy and they don’t usually contain a whole lot of information. They just give a reader a taste of what they could be getting if they buy your intended product.

Newsletter content- Newsletters are a great way to keep your visitors coming back and keeping you in their mind. They provide good information relating to the topic of your site and can entice your visitors to check out what else you have to offer that they could learn more about concerning that subject.

E-Courses- These are short, but very informative educational lessons that people can receive in the email message boxes. A lot of people like to learn something new and they tend to go for these e-courses because they give them information that they can check out in their own time without being bombarded with a 700 page manual. Reports and eBooks are great ways to turn PLR material into a shorter e-course.

Videos- Even though videos are in a different format then what most PLR content comes in; there isn’t any reason why you can’t use some of that material to help you create a video or even a viral video. Use your content to come up with an idea and then take some of that content and develop an outline or even a cheat sheet to provide your listeners.

Audio content/podcasts- You can use your written materials for ideas for podcasts and for an outline of how your audio piece will go. If you do use an outline for your podcast, you consider creating a transcript of your audio content. This would be a great way to make your podcast more valuable to a listener whether you put a price on it or not.

Pile on the bonuses- If you’re selling a high ticket item that people may not be too willing to hand over their money for; then using your PLR content to create bonuses products will help you increase the value of your informational product. A normally $197 offer can seem pretty daunting to someone who’s trying to decide if he would be getting his money’s worth. By adding as many free bonus items as you can, then your high ticket item doesn’t seem so expensive after all.

This list only shows a mere handful of the numerous PLR possibilities that are awaiting you. Just imagine of what you could create with your PLR content that could bring your business to a new level of success.

Nell Taliercio has been a full time Internet Marketer since 2004. In that time she’s used, written and created countless pages of content. She’s also used good quality PLR as a powerful and important part of her business. Come learn more about PLR articles and compare PLR sources to find the right PLR for your needs. http://www.plrbuffet.com

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

A Million Uses of PLR Content

It’s easy to understand why there might be some confusion. Sometimes, you are told to add your references to your resume. Other times, you’re told to add the simple phrase: “References available upon request.” Or you might even be advised to hold off completely until your interview and walk in with a separate reference sheet. It can be a lot to think about. So to help you out, let’s stop avoiding the issue and take on that pink elephant in the room.

“References Available Upon Request”

If you’re still adding this phrase to the bottom of your resume, you can go ahead and delete it. Many experts agree that it is something that’s now unspoken. Employers understand that if you haven’t added them to your resume, they must be available upon request. Really, what are the odds of you telling a hiring manager or interviewer you’re not going to provide any references?

Creating a Separate Reference Sheet

Whether you plan to send your references with your resume and cover letter or bring them into your interview – or both – it’s a good idea to create a separate reference sheet. When creating your sheet, you want to format it in a similar fashion as you would your resume. This means using a standard file format and standard fonts.

You want to save your file in either Microsoft Word or as a PDF document. And when you save your document, it’s good to title it using your name and the word “references” (i.e. “JohnDoe_References”). The best way to make sure your reference page looks like your other documents is to save your cover letter or resume as your document page. This way, you know for sure that you’re using the same fonts and sizes.

Choosing References / What Information to Include

On your reference sheet, you want to include at least three professional references – the best options would be from your most recent employers. After you’ve determined who you will add to your reference list, you want to make sure to include the name of your reference, the company your reference works for, the business address, email and phone. But most importantly, you want to make sure that your reference’s contact information is current.

What to Do With Your Reference List

Now that you’ve successfully created your reference list, it’s time to decide what to do with it. Many times, you’ll be given instructions from the prospective employer on whether to send it with the resume or not. If you’re not so instructed then you can hold on to it for your interview. In this case, you want to print more than one copy on high-quality resume paper.

Another way to make use of references is to get recommendations via your LinkedIn page. This allows you to offer instant access to multiple references, cutting out some of the work for you and prospective employers.

Now that we’ve dealt with that pink elephant in the room, it’s time to get started managing your references. What are you waiting for?

Heather Eagar is a former professional resume writer and is passionate about providing working professionals with current, reliable and effective job search tools and information. Compare the top resume writing services in the industry at http://www.resumelines.com.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

How to Manage Your Job References

You’ve probably met this woman before. You feel better about yourself, your life, and the world—- even if you only spend a few minutes with her.

Women who have “personal” power are living lives that are on purpose and with passion. Why is it important for you to have “personal” power”? Because you are your most powerful self when you are navigating a life that is on course with clear direction. If you are reading this and thinking, “I’d really like to have my own brand of authentic “personal” power.” Guess what? You can.

“Personal” power is closer than you think. It’s within your reach. “Personal” power comes from within. You can’t buy it or borrow it from someone else. It’s a power that’s personal only to you. It’s your Authentic self—your Authentic voice. She’s with you all of the time. The women in the world with “personal” power have taken a few simple steps to access their power and bring it to the world. How do I know this? Because I’ve taken the time to do my internal work to help me access my “personal” power. I didn’t always feel as courageous and bold as I do today, however, through this process I was able to access it and bring it into my life and other people’s lives.

Are you ready to access you own brand of authentic “personal” power? Here are some easy solutions to help get you there:

1. Make a decision to choose what you don’t want – sometimes it’s easier to first decide what you don’t want in your life. When women honestly answer, “I don’t really know what I want yet.” I say “Bravo!” When a woman can be honest that she has no idea what she wants, she’s almost half way there! We’re so afraid to “not know” something that we stay stuck or trapped where we are. Start by making a list of what you don’t want in your life and begin to eliminate those things first. For example, when I made a decision that I wanted more “nutritious” people in my life—people who were a positive light, those people began to show up.

2. Explore working with a coach or a mentor – find someone who is skilled at helping you explore what might be next. Once you begin eliminating what you don’t want in your life, you’ll have the new open space to allow for more of what you do want. This has been an invaluable part of my journey. I refer to my coach as my “thinking partner.” Someone who can ask me the hard questions and help me reframe my thinking so that I can feel my own “personal” power.

3. Plan your Renewed life course – once you know what you want, make a commitment to have more of those experiences in your life every day. In my Women’s Success Circles, women create their ideal day filled with more of the things that allow them to have their own brand of “personal” power.

4. Believe in yourself – Develop a belief that what you want is what you deserve and should have.

5. Express Gratitude – when you wake up in the morning and go to bed each night, make a positive gratitude statement about 3 things you are grateful for. If you begin your day being grateful and end your day being grateful, you will begin to feel more powerful.

If you are a woman with “personal” power, you are creating a “spark” every day in your life and other’s lives as well. When your life is on course, it’s much easier to navigate in times of troubled waters. There will always be challenge and change in the world, however a woman with “personal” power may fall but she will not fail. She can access her “personal” power at any time to support her no matter what the situation. “Personal” power will help her get back up again and keep navigating her purposeful, passionate journey.

What you are waiting for? You’ve got the power…

Anything is possible. Everything is waiting for you.

*****
© 2009 Joy Chudacoff

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Joy Chudacoff, ICF, PCC, is the founder of Smart Women Smart Solutions(tm), a Professional Certified Coach to 1000’s of women, Motivational Speaker, and Entrepreneur. She publishes a weekly buzz generating ezine, Reflections On Life and Business for Women Entrepreneurs. If you’re ready take your life and your business to the next level, get your FREE Tips, 2 FREE Reports and FREE MP3 now at Creating The Spark .

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Smart Women Have “Personal” Power

You are no longer searching the office supply store for quality resume paper because so much is handled online. Instead, you’re disclosing your email address, directing people to your website or blog and telling people to connect with you on LinkedIn. Since the rules have changed so much, it’s important to make sure you’re keeping up. So let’s take a look at some of the new rules of the executive job search.

Develop Your LinkedIn Profile

You have probably heard about LinkedIn from tons of peers by now. This is because this social networking site is really important to job seekers at all levels. In fact, it is so important that many recruiters and other hiring decision makers make a habit of searching LinkedIn for their prospects. So, at the very least, you need to have a well developed profile with tons of professional contacts, and even some recommendations.

But this is not where you want to stop. There are great clubs to join right on the site, as well as other ways to connect with members. It’s a good idea to take advantage of all the site has to offer. You never know, you might just find your next opportunity over the Internet.

Participate in Other Online Branding Techniques

You’ll find in time that if you want to go along with the new rules of the executive job search, it’s a good idea to take part in online personal branding. What’s so interesting about the Internet is that it is very likely that you’ll find something about yourself by typing your name into a search engine, whether you added the information or not. So it’s up to you to make sure that you create a branding strategy that ensures searching for your name will offer information about you which you want noted.

Ways to do this include creating a Visual CV or Google Profile, starting a blog related to your profession, creating profiles on Twitter and Facebook, and even writing book reviews on Amazon.

Create a Portfolio for Your Personal Branding

This works both online and off. In your portfolio you want to focus on items that have helped you market yourself as a brand throughout your career. This includes your executive resume, career biography, references and cover letter/email message.

Some other items you might include are your achievement summary, performance milestones, leadership initiative profile, speaking presentations, publications, patents and other important information. Basically, this portfolio will work similarly to a media kit. It has all the goods in it to help prospective employers know exactly who you are and what you can offer them.

Learning the new rules of the executive job search is a major component of finding the job you want. So while jumping on the bandwagon may not be your “thing,” in this instance, doing so could very well get you in the door of your next employer.

Heather Eagar is a former professional resume writer and is passionate about providing working professionals with current, reliable and effective job search tools and information. Compare the top writers for executive resumes at http://www.resumelines.com.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

The New Rules of the Executive Job Search

Creating compelling and accurate product descriptions is how you will achieve this task and hopefully move your viewer from a casual shopper to making an actual purchase.

So let’s take a closer look at the things that will give your potential customers the product descriptions that appeal to their senses, emotions and their expectations, but will also give you the edge for making the sale.

Use Descriptive Words and Phrases
Help your visitors learn about your product features and benefits by drawing them a compelling mental picture of your product.

It makes sense to use descriptive words and phrases but using words like better, nice, great and good won’t provide much descriptive value.  You’ll have to be more specific.  Describing a mystery as being ‘A really good thriller’ won’t captivate like describing it as ‘An exhilarating shocker that had me mesmerized’.

What Makes Your Product Unique?
Think about what really makes your product different from other similar products.  For example, if you are promoting a diet program you might use words like ‘great tasting food’, ‘easy plans to stick to’, fast weight loss’ but what actually sets you apart from the competition?  It might be easy online access, money back guarantee, personal support, etc. Whatever it is, use it to help your potential customer understand why they should make the decision to buy from you.

Put Yourself in Your Buyers Frame of Mind
Try reversing the roles and putting yourself in the place of your buyer for a minute. Now that you’re the buyer, what would you want from this product?

For example if you’re writing a product description for a weight loss program, it’s important to state the obvious benefits but if it were me I’d be wondering if I could eat chocolate cake once in awhile or how long will it take to get results and what eating tips it provides for eating out.

One trick I use in trying to cover as many bases for my readers as possible is think about the who, what, where, when and how of a product.  What is the product about?  How does the product work? How does it help accomplish a goal?  Who is it designed for?  Why would I use it over another product?

Write down all your answers and then craft them into a product description that convinces your reader of its value.

Use the Seven Deadly Sins
Lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride might be sins but they also strike up emotion. Now think about what emotions your product strikes up.

For example, when I think of anti-aging skin cream I think about how much younger I will look, how my friends will be envious or how I will look more attractive.  Notice how I’ve just covered envy and pride.

Help your reader connect with the emotions that are felt when thinking about your product.  This is how you will effectively set the stage for putting your potential buyer in a buying mode.

Describe the Best, Most Appealing Features
Features are the actual characteristics or aspects of a product. If you are selling diamond necklaces the features will be the quality of the diamond, chain, clasp, etc. So when describing these features use compelling descriptive words.

For example, “Sparkling white diamond necklace with a glimmering 18k white gold cable chain”.  Help them feel the features and appreciate its value.

Use different descriptions for different products
You might be selling ten necklaces but each necklace needs its own product description that describes the subtle uniqueness of each.

Don’t use cookie cutter product descriptions. It won’t help potential buyers understand the differences and make decisions accordingly. Generic across the board descriptions won’t impress a buyer.

Meet your customer’s expectations
Always understand your customer’s needs and expectations before setting out to make the sale.

Chances are your product meets the expectations customers have but if you don’t know exactly what those expectations are you’re not likely to mention in an impressive way.  First understand your customer’s expectations and then be sure you describe your products as meeting those expectations.

Next time you sit down to write a product description do more than just describe its features and benefits, also learn to put yourself in your customer’s shoes, strike up emotion and meet expectations. The more your product description can connect with your potential customer the more sales you’re likely to make.

About the Author:
Liz McGee, author and marketing specialist, offers free tips and help for those that want to make money online, not lose it. Join Liz’s free newsletter, blog & discussion forum where you can find out how to start an internet business.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

How to Create Product Descriptions that Make the Sale

Of course, adding numbers doesn’t simply meaning writing “1, 2, 3” in random places around the resume. They have to be used strategically to make a difference. But if you adopt the right strategies, you can bet that you will have enhanced your resume tenfold.

Start with Amounts

When jotting down accomplishments, not merely responsibilities, to your resume, you want to get as in-depth as possible. This means listing the amounts associated with everything you have accomplished. For instance, if you were a sales representative at your previous employer, you can mention that you not just sold products for the company, but that you sold X amount of products for the company.

Also, it’s a good idea to talk about how many clients you were able to sell to. The more detailed you’re able to be when describing your accomplishments, the more vividly you can paint a picture of what you’ll be able to accomplish if the company hires you.

Move On to Money

So now that you’ve been able to successfully describe how many products you’ve sold, and how many clients you sold to, during your time at your previous company, let’s think in terms of the dollar bill. If you were a sales representative, your ultimate job was to sell products or services to as many clients as possible so that you could make money for the company. So how much money would you say you made?

Obviously, the more money you were able to make, the more successful you probably were at your job, so you want to break down as many numbers as you can. Don’t just total out all that you made in your career there. If you sold more than one product or service, don’t be shy about listing total amounts for those that you sold the most of. These dollar amounts will tie into your explanations for how many products and clients you sold, so that your story can become that much more vivid.

Don’t Forget Time

But you can’t thoroughly list an accomplishment without mentioning time. In other words, over how many years did you sell products? How fast a time frame were you able to sell X amount of products to X amount of clients that made X amount of dollars? Or how many times a month were you asked to come up with another important sales strategy? You’re catching on now, right? It’s all about making sure you don’t leave any important details out. If you don’t mention it all, you’re simply selling yourself short.

So now it’s time to pass you the baton. It shouldn’t be hard to come up with the numbers you need to fill in the blanks on your resume. Just take time to think about all the great things you’ve accomplished at your previous jobs so that you can show your future employer what a great employee they’re getting.

Heather Eagar is a former professional resume writer and is passionate about providing working professionals with current, reliable and effective job search tools and information. Compare the top resume writing services in the industry at http://www.resumelines.com.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

How Numbers Can Enhance Your Resume

Private label rights articles, also known as PLR, are articles that a person can purchase and then use on their blog without having to add an author or credit bio box. In fact you can post PLR articles as if you wrote them yourself. PLR articles can usually be purchased in packs or as a monthly membership and normally revolve around one particular subject. The great thing about PLR is that once you purchase it or even get it for free, you have content that is tailor made for bringing traffic to your blog.

One way PLR articles can help a beginning blogger is in helping the actual creation process of writing blog posts and articles. Internet users are voracious readers of information. If it were you, wouldn’t you want to see something new on your favorite blogs each time you visited? So do your visitors. When you are growing your blog it can be hard to devote time to content writing because you have other areas to concentrate on such as social media, maintenance, etc. PLR articles make it easier to publish to a blog regularly.

PLR articles can also assist a blogger in developing content ideas. If you have a good PLR article that you think would make a great podcast topic, record that article and make it into an audio podcast. You have the flexibility to add and take away any part of the PLR content you want. Plus you are adding another element of content for your readers.

PLR articles can also help a blogger to brainstorm other post and article topics. If one of the PLR articles is a top 5 lists, then each numbered item could actual be expanded into it’s own blog post or article. If a PLR article is a product review that lists the positive qualities of a particular product then you could write another post or article with the negative qualities of the same product.

Private label rights articles can be a great investment in a blog as long as you actually use them. Don’t let the articles sit on your computer untouched. PLR articles are a gold-mind of information and ideas and can help keep your blog up-to-date with quality content while also attracting readers.

Courtney Chowning is a Christian entrepreneur who runs a Christian PLR site and affiliate program, http://christianmomplr.com. She also blogs at http://courtneyspeaks.com about putting God first in your blog and online business.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

PLR Can Help A Beginning Blogger

This experience got me thinking of other ways you can create costumes out of what you have OR by getting basic sweat shirts and sweatpants (or regular shirts and pants depending on your climate and clothing) which can be easily reused after Halloween.

The cowboy and cowgirl look are common and easy with jeans/shirt and hat.  Oh, don’t forget the red bandana which can be found very cheaply at craft stores.

Ideas for Red Clothing:
•    Lady Bug- By simply getting self-adhesive felt (available in craft stores) you can cut round spots and make your little trick-or-treater into a lady bug.  A bit more creativity will allow you to make a red cape that can be easily held at the corners to make wings.

•    Clifford the Big Red Dog-Like I did, just make ears and eyes (I looked at a Clifford book to see how to make his eyes) and quick sew (or hot glue if you’re so inclined) onto red hat and you’ve got Clifford the Big Red Dog!

•    An Apple- Use green fabric and a bit of craft stuffing to create a stem (stem of an apple) and either glue or sew it onto a hat OR use ribbon sewn to the stem to make two ties which can be used to tie the stem onto the top of the head (remember to use two ties and tie with a bow which comes under the chin and can be quickly untied for safety).  You’ll have an apple for Halloween.

Ideas for White Clothing:
•    Black, irregular spots of felt and you’ve got yourself a cow OR smaller irregular spots and you’ve got a Dalmatian puppy.  You can add to the costume and make a LOOSE fitting brown collar with your puppy’s name on it OR add a Christmas bell for your cow.

Ideas for Grey Clothing:
•    How about having a mouse or cat slinking around on Halloween?  Again, cut ears for a hat from the felt.  Black eye liner makes easy whiskers drawn on the face and if you’re REALLY creative, go for felt mitts for their hands (simple mitts, no fingers and add paw pads to bottom for realism).

Making M&Ms
•    Okay, you know the colors, red, black, brown, yellow, and now a few extra colors like blue.  Cutting an “M” out of white felt, you’ll need two.  There are several ways to proceed from here.  You can either use self-adhesive type Velcro dots to attach the “M” as it is to a M&M colored sweatshirt OR cut the “M” out of the self-adhesive type felt.

Creating Flowers:
•    Purple, pink, yellow and other “flower” colored clothing are great for sending your little ones out as flowers OR having them wear green so that they are the stem of the flower THEN cut flower petals from your felt and attach to a coordinating hat.  If you’d like to add a bit of stiffness to your petals, you can buy a yard of sizing that can be ironed onto your felt and provides the desired stiffness.

The bottom line is attaching items so that they can be easily removed later on and you can reuse the sweatshirts, sweatpants and hats.  It doesn’t take much to create inexpensive, cute Halloween costumes that will quickly go from costume to everyday wear again (which is a huge plus in this economy!)

Tammy Paquin is a work-from-home mom of 3 boys and the owner and publisher of Frugal-Families, an online resource for frugality, finances, budgeting and everything else related to stretching every dollar. For more quick, easy and reusable Halloween costume ideas visit, Fast and Reusable Halloween Costumes Ideas

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Reusable Halloween Costumes

And yes, points are given to the couples that take the time to personalize their wedding with fun favors, unusual refreshments, decorations, and other unique wedding ideas. But have you ever thought about shaking up your own wedding, perhaps even changing the very structure of it? With a little ingenuity (and planning), you can personalize your wedding in a way that’s fun for everyone!

My Favorite Memorable Ideas for Unique Weddings

Consider the rehearsal dinner. Whereas most couples elect to run through the standard ‘meet and greet,’ practice their walk down the aisle to get rid of those pre-ceremony jitters, and then sit down to a light repast, some brides and grooms choose to infuse this gathering with their very own unique wedding ideas. One example I’ve heard of is eliminating the sit down dinner entirely, which is usually more formal in nature anyway. The brides then invite the rehearsal dinner guests over for a picnic (in warmer months) or a potluck supper (great any time). This option not only takes away a lot of wedding stress, but also encourages the guests to interact more.

The wedding ceremony itself is, of course, meant to be solemn and respectful, but that doesn’t mean before or after the priest or minister marries the couple you can’t infuse the ceremony with your own unique wedding ideas. One of the more unusual examples I’ve heard about is the entire wedding party dancing up and down the aisle to the delight of the guests who get in on the act. Without so much as a hint as to what is going on, an upbeat tempo begins playing and guests start clapping. The bridesmaids and groomsmen get footloose up and down the aisle, making way for the groom’s and bride’s grand entrances. After all, a lively entrance is certainly one way to personalize your wedding and make sure guests never forget your nuptials!

Another way to personalize your wedding is seating guests at round tables at the wedding venue itself (serving as both the ceremony and reception area). Though it appears to be the reception, the guests actually watch as the bride and groom are married while seated at tables, and then after a quick swap out, the area becomes a beautiful reception. The perks? The bride and groom save lots of money because there’s no need to secure two venues, and your guests don’t have to travel.

And, of course, if you choose to have a wedding theme, you can incorporate all sorts of unique wedding ideas. Take the idea of a renaissance-themed wedding. Both the bride and groom, for instance, will be wearing flowing fabrics and unique headpieces, while the entertainment could feasibly be even more entertaining. Couples have hired ‘court jesters,’ ‘jugglers,’ and ‘dancers’ to lighten the mood, carry on the renaissance theme, and personalize their wedding in a unique way. However, whatever your wedding theme may be, just remember to explore all the unique wedding ideas and possibilities available to you. If it’s historical in nature, do your research! If it’s hobby-themed, ask your friends to share their ideas. Not only will collaboration on unique wedding ideas help you to envision a better wedding, you’ll also have the support of your friends.

At your reception, just about anything goes. It’s your day, so plan and personalize your wedding reception how you want. Some brides feel as though they have to please their guests. Bottom line – if you plan and personalize your wedding activities and events, your guests will want to stay all night long. Consider, for example, the buffet or sit down style dinner served at most weddings. A few brides have elected to have wait staff circulate with heavy hors d’oeuvres and beverages or have had multiple refreshment tables set up around the room. Usually, one of the most popular attractions at these refreshment tables is the giant chocolate fountain, with fruit and pretzels for dipping.

Another one of the more unique wedding ideas I’ve heard about is a groom’s cake made entirely of meat. Ideally, the groom’s cake is meant for him and his right-hand men, so, in many ways, it’s appropriate. And you might just have a lot of extra ‘cake’ left over to enjoy later!

Memories that Last a Lifetime

These examples of unique wedding ideas are just a few of the more memorable highlights I’ve seen at weddings over the years. Regardless of how you choose to personalize your wedding, it will always be a special day – a celebration of love and romance with your closest friends and family members. And if you ultimately decide to play it on the traditional side, don’t worry – you have those beautiful memories to last a lifetime.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

A Wedding to Remember: Unique Wedding Ideas They’ll Never Forget

If you’re a part of this statistic, and are seriously making moves in this direction, you are about to embark on a life-changing experience. However, this venture won’t come without challenges. So to help you on your journey, here are some tips to consider as you make your attempt to switch careers at the executive level.

Know the New Career Like You Know the Old One

As an executive, you know how important it is to know your industry inside and out. Of course, for you to have made it to the level you are currently at, you probably spent years conducting research, shaking hands and effectively working your way to the top. In order to make a lateral move to another career, you’ll need to get to know the new career just as well as you know the old one, including the customers, products, metrics and process, among other aspects. Of course, you won’t have decades to get the job done.

So how do you do it? The good news is that you’re already a pro at networking, marketing yourself and researching the ins and outs of the career you’re leaving, so all you have to do is apply your same strategies to the new one. It may mean that you’ll need to get out and explore networking functions, join boards and join social networking sites that cater to your new career. The more work you put into getting to know the new career, the more you’ll increase your chances of convincing an employer that you’re no “newbie” in the field you aspire to be a part of.

Stress Commonalities in Your Resume

While you’re trying to start a new career, you don’t want to place too much emphasis on the contrasts between your old career and the one you hope to dive into. Of course, you can’t completely overlook obvious gaps that can’t be avoided because you didn’t acquire specific experience. Instead of focusing on them in a negative way, turn them into positives and marry them with skills that you feel can enhance their goals.

However, any contrasts would likely be mentioned in your interview and shouldn’t be focused on at all in your resume. Instead, you want to note only your skills and accomplishments that match the company’s needs. If you send the message, “I know I’m not from your field/industry, but I’m good enough to be here,” instead of just projecting, “I’m the right person for your position,” you could be setting yourself back – so far back that you’ll fall right behind your competition.

Stepping into a new career can be a scary prospect, but certainly one you can handle. If you learn all there is to know about your career of interest, and essentially nurture it as you did your previous one, you’ll be able to convince employers that you’re indeed the right person for any job you apply for.

Heather Eagar is a former professional resume writer and is passionate about providing working professionals with current, reliable and effective job search tools and information. Compare the top executive resume writing services in the industry at http://www.resumelines.com.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Switching Careers at the Executive Level

What’s the problem? If the problem is a bad connection with the target market, you can use a few choice tools to change that. Revamp your marketing strategy or consider link building to fix what’s going wrong. When that doesn’t work, the problem may lay between the site owners (you) and the market.

Everyone wants to be listened to. To get your market to listen to what you have to say, try listening to them first. Learn what your market is interested in and what information they desire from you. Superficial answers won’t do. Build a stronger relationship with your readers by digging a little deeper.

Try these 8 ideas to give you a head start to being a better listener:

1. Keyword Research: Your target market won’t find your blog unless the content you post is optimized for them. Starting a project with keyword research will drive traffic your way that will be interested in what you have to offer. But, only half of the equation is due to keywords. You will get the readers by tapping into what they enter into search engines but you won’t know WHO exactly is searching for you. Another part of the equation is missing, so keep reading through these tips to help you…

2. Correspondence and Comments: Actually take the time to read the comments that readers leave for you. The feedback will give you helpful insight into what they are thinking.

3. Track Links: Who is clicking on the links on your website? Through tracking, you can see what offers are being taken advantage of. Even though people say they want a certain product, they may be clicking on something else entirely.

4. Submissions: Create a form where readers can record suggestions. See if any of their comments are similar, following a common thread or trend.

5. Message Boards: These can be addictive, but are a valuable source of information. You don’t want to spend all of your time here especially when other business activities take priority. What you do what to do is skim the more popular ones and see what people in your target market are talking about. To find the message boards of your choice, type “XXXX message board” in any search engine.

6. Twitter and Facebook Groups: Again, social networking can be just as sidetracking as message boards, so use your time strategically and wisely. Stay in contact with groups that reflect your target market to catch up on the latest trends. It will help you to modify your content to meet their needs.

7. Read the Blogs of Your Own Readers: Just about everyone has a blog and an opinion to go with it. Use your RSS feed reader to keep tabs on what they write about.

8. Competition: Keep an eye on what your competition is doing and how their audience responds. Use your feed reader to track their headlines.

Listening doesn’t have to take huge chunks of time. It should become part of your daily routine, giving you a deeper understanding of your target market. Keep your eyes and ears open and you’ll learn what you need to know to reach your intended target.

Alice Seba is the creator Contentrix…your source for straightforward content marketing advice. Whether you’re looking for more traffic, sales or both, Contentrix has it covered.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Listen… Then Reach your Target Market

But before you start your next audio or video, have a plan. In other words, write it down.

Look at some of the audio or video content that is out there today. YAWN. It’s often repetitive, it runs off track and just doesn’t provide the informative value it promised. You can be spontaneous, but without some kind of pre-determined direction your content may meet the same fate. Using a script or a few simple notes ensure that you end up with something decent.

Movies use scripts. If they didn’t, we’d be bored to tears and demanding our $10 back. You might think, well reality TV is off the cuff and still brings in the audience. But, even reality TV doesn’t compare to trying to fly by the seat of your pants with an audio or video. Reality TV is highly edited and what you see on your TV screen is nothing like what the editors started with. The same goes with documentaries that may combine unscripted portions, but included scripted commentary with a tight plan of what the finished product will be. With your own multi-media, the message is easily lost if you don’t prepare.

Here are a few tips to get you started:

*For an audio or video interview, be sure to get access to the questions first so you can plan what you will say before you go on.

*How do you prepare for an interview? Use tactics that work for you. If you like to plan then create a complete script so there are no surprises, but make sure you can read it so it doesn‘t sound like you‘re reading. A freer approach is to jot down key speaking points to jog your memory when the time comes.

*Are you going to be the subject of the video? If you are recording yourself, keep your notes nearby as you talk to your audience. So as not to appear to be reading from a paper, strategically place it close or type the words on the screen if you are using a webcam. With a camera, you can tape the notes to it.

*Mix it up with some scripted talk and spontaneous discussion. To plan for the unplanned, script your intro and conclusion. That way, your listeners won’t miss out on important stuff you want them to take away from your presentation.

None of this will keep you from stumbling over words occasionally. Nobody needs to be perfect, but what it will do is polish your project so your audience can’t help but listen and take action.

Alice Seba is the creator Contentrix…your source for straightforward content marketing advice. Whether you’re looking for more traffic, sales or both, Contentrix has it covered.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Great Audio and Video Begin with Words… The Written Word

The next generation of mommy bloggers is computer savvy and a force to be reckoned with. They have the power to reach far and wide with their opinions and causes.

Speaking of causes, mommy bloggers support some worthwhile ones. But that needn’t be the only purpose of a mommy blog. You might be thinking of using it to turn a profit to contribute to the income of your household. In that case, keep reading for more information.

First things have to be first though. It is imperative that you remember one IMPORTANT fact. Your future as a profitable mommy blogger could depend on it.

FACT: Just because a blog is influential doesn’t necessarily mean it is profitable as well. In other words, traffic and readership don’t automatically translate into cold-hard cash.

WHAT THAT MEANS FOR YOU: Moms, who want to use their blogs as a profit centers and are simply modeling their blog after influential ones, won’t likely see any cash anytime soon. If you want to make money, you need to model yourself after bloggers that are making money.

Use the following tips to earn some money with your blog:

*Sponsors Should PAY: It’s nice getting free products, but they don’t pay the bills. Sponsors can buy advertising space if they want to support your blog. Exchange your precious real estate for CASH instead of being lured by companies that promise influence and free swag.

*Get Paid to Talk About Products: Get money for the products that you talk about. If you are doing reviews or product giveaways, get yourself an affiliate link. Every time someone clicks on the offer after reading your review and buys a product, you get paid. Once your influence reaches a certain level, consider charging for your reviews.

*Accept the Offers You Want: Many moms don’t want to turn down a potential opportunity that can give them the chance to share products with readers. That adds up to a lot of time for you with very little monetary compensation on the other end. There’s nothing wrong with being selective. Accept those that will meet your needs and let the rest go to someone else without any guilt.

*Track Ads: How is your advertising performing? Tracking your ads lets you see which ones visitors are clicking and which ones are not performing well. Before chucking them, try repositioning the ads.

*Create and Sell your own Products: With digital products, you end up with very little overhead and more profit. It is more cost effective than other products and can be downloaded easily to the customer. Consider eBooks, special reports and software to name a few.

You blog because you like it, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be a valuable resource and a profitable venture. Focus on choosing profit-generating activities as you increase your influence among moms and the Internet community.

Alice Seba is the creator Contentrix…your source for straightforward content marketing advice. Whether you’re looking for more traffic, sales or both, Contentrix has it covered.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Creating Profitable Mommy Blogs

Whether you’re new to list building or have been at it for awhile, it’s completely normal to hesitate about sending offers and even feel a little guilty about doing it.

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

1) If you have not yet made the attempt to promote your business to your subscribers, don’t act hastily by inundating them with an onslaught of email promotions. Start out slow and test the waters first. An initial email letting them know you will be sending them valuable offers will open the lines of communication and lessen the shock value of promotions appearing in their inboxes.

2) A subscriber who is not interested in receiving your offers will have the opportunity to let you know, and most will not hesitate to be very forth coming. Just as they had the chance to “opt-in” to your mailings, they will now have the chance to “opt-out” of your promotions.

This will help you weed out subscribers who aren’t customer material. The good news is that most people will appreciate and be receptive to your offers given.

3) Once your list knows what to expect, you can begin the actual task of promoting. That doesn’t mean you can send them multiple offers on a daily basis until they exile your address to the world of SPAM. However, it does mean that you will have to stay on top of contacting your list and make a point of doing so frequently enough to stay current and fresh in their minds without filling their inboxes with clutter.

4) It’s important to maintain a balance between content-driven emails and those containing promotions. Selling to your list requires a delicate balance. Mix it up without mixing messages. In other words, alternate between information and promotions but don’t blend the two.

You do not want to take the risk of your message getting lost. You want to remain to be a voice your subscribers can trust without becoming too sales-driven and you also want to make sure your offers are clear without getting lost in your content.

I know that selling to your list can be intimidating because I used to feel that way too, but you have to remember that you’re running a business and emailing your list is not charity work.

If you have not yet made the attempt to promote your business to your subscribers, or you feel in the wrong when you do, it’s time to overcome your fear of selling to your list so you can make more money. Head over to Email Marketing Sweetie and learn how to grow your list, reduce your workload, and boost your income.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Effective Email Marketing Doesn’t Have To Be Complicated

Twitter is by far and away one of the best freaking ways to promote your business you can find. Seriously. If you’re not on Twitter, go sign up. But I’ll let ya know right now that there are a lot of nitwits on Twitter. Trust me, you DON’T want to look like a nitwit. Here’s how to avoid that:

You Are NOT A Guru
Twitter gives you a little bio area where you can put some info down about yourself, your biz, etc. I’ve come across all kinds of bios – from the short and sweet to the funny to the weird. But what really grates on my nerves is when people call themselves a “guru” or something along those lines.

Trust me, you are NOT a guru. You are a regular person with a Twitter account. Calling yourself a deity makes you look kind of obnoxious and cheesy.

In case you missed the memo, a person wants to do business with someone they like. Not the person who does a great impersonation of a 70s used car salesman.

Just be real. You’ll make a lot more friends that way. And that will improve your business.

Twitter Is NOT Your Ad Feed
If you follow me, I will get a little email from Twitter letting me know. I’ll look at your Twitter page and see if I want to follow you back. If all I see are notices about the things you just listed in your Etsy shop or some other similar type of ad, I’m not going to follow you back.

Not trying to be mean, here, but I am not interested in reading your personal ad feed. And neither is anyone else….

Twitter, like all social networking sites, does require a bit of the “social” to be considered effective. So get with the conversation – you might even make a new friend or two.

What’s Up With That Welcome Message?
Another thing I find kind of irritating (and so do other people) is to get a message saying “Thanks for following, now go to my website and buy something.” Okay – maybe they don’t actually say “buy something,” but that’s what they’re implying by sending that message!

It’s okay to send a little DM (direct message) to someone when they follow you, but keep it personal…. I mean, if you met me in real life, walking down the street, you wouldn’t introduce yourself and ask me to fork over some cash…. If you did, you’d be a weirdo and I’d run the other way.

And if you did that on Twitter, same thing.. I’ll run the other way! Or click away, as the case may be…..

Participation Is Required
I’ll be honest with you. I have more followers than updates. (at the time of this writing, I’ve made 2,345 updates). I can’t say that I sit around posting all day long on Twitter, but I’ve obviously made an effort.

If, however, I get a follow notice from someone who’s last update was in 2008, I’m not likely to follow back. I mean, you got onto Twitter to follow me, so why not update the darn thing???

But Please, Don’t Overshare
Have you ever been to the bar and had a total stranger sit by you and start telling you way too much information? Sometimes people do that on Twitter, too. (I don’t know if they’re drinking while oversharing, but it might be linked…)

And while I do think that people need to actually Tweet every so often, I don’t want to know too much about your life. And you should always be careful about what you put on the web because it’s all indexed and can easily be searched upon.

I mean, any cyberstalker worth their salt will be able to pull up boatloads of info on you already, why put out more info than they really need to know???

About The Author:
Crissy Herron is the founder of IndieBizChicks.com and host of the corresponding podcast. In addition to managing her own website, she enjoys working with other business owners and teaching them how to market their businesses online. For a free Twitter class, visit:  http://indiebizchicks.com/wp/free-twitter-class/

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Using Twitter For Business – Without Looking Like A Nitwit

Ruts can happen to the best of us, so if you got caught up in one, don’t feel bad. The point is to recognize the rut and figure out how to get out of it. Quickly! (Ruts can harm your business – so you really don’t want to stay in one for too long!)

Here are some tips on getting un-stuck:

Get out of your comfort zone!

This is probably the number one reason people fall into ruts. They spend too much time on doing things that are “comfortable.” So let me ask you a question: What is one thing you know you need to do for your business, but haven’t done, because it scares the hell out of you?

Guess what? I want you to start working on that thing … today! Don’t wait! Do it today!

Get out of your house!

If you work from home, it can be very easy to fall into a rut. In fact, your business rut can start extending into your life. It can be really easy to sit at home in your pajamas all day and never  get dressed, or fix your hair, etc. If you find yourself doing this everyday, that’s a rut, my dear.

If the above pajama person sounds like you, I want you to get out of your house. Today. And not just to go to the grocery store. I want you to pack up your laptop and head to your local coffee shop and work there for an hour or two.

If you have kids, you can schedule this activitiy for when you can fiind a sitter. But that doesn’t mean you get out of it completley! You still gotta break free from that rut, so you better find time to leave the house sometime this week! (you’ll thank me later.)

Find A Mentor

I am assuming that most of you reading this are “solopreneurs.” That means you are basically a one-woman show. When you work on your business by yourself, it can be easy to lose sight of the big picture.  Have you ever wished you could turn to someone for advice? Someone who has been in the trenches and could give you insight on how to develop your business and succeed?

Finding a mentor can help you tremendously. They can help you figure out what pices of the puzzle are missing. This can breathe new life into your business and help give you the motivation to take things to the next level.

About The Author:
Crissy Herron is the founder of IndieBizChicks.com and host of the corresponding podcast. In addition to managing her own website, she enjoys working with other business owners and teaching them how to market their businesses online.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Get Out Of Your Business Rut

When purchasing PLR, or private label rights, content you are not limited to just using that content for writing purposes. You can use it for audio as well. By recording the PLR content you can offer your readers something new and really catch their attention.

To record your PLR content all you need is a PLR article, computer microphone, and the free program Audacity. Audacity will allow you to record and edit your audio file. Before you start recording your audio file you should practice a couple times. You don’t want to sound like you are reading from a script. You want your speech to be clear and to sound friendly and welcoming.

The audio you can create can be used in a number of different situations. You can add it to your blog as a blog post, add into an existing podcast, use the audio as your podcast, offer it as a freebie for your mailing list, etc. If you create a series of audio on a particular subject you could even sell the audios as an information product. The list could really go on and on. The point is that by using audio files you can add a new and exciting element to your blog or online business.

Creating audio files is just one example of using PLR content in a form other than writing. You can even use your chosen PLR content in a video. The concept is the same as using the PLR content for an audio but you are recording an image of yourself speaking instead of just your voice.

By re-purposing the PLR content you purchase you are making the most out of the money spent and also adding value to your blog or online business. Purchasing PLR content can help grow your business in more than one way.

Courtney Chowning is a Christian entrepreneur who runs a Christian PLR site and affiliate program, http://christianmomplr.com. She also blogs at http://courtneyspeaks.com about putting God first in your blog and online business.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Convert Your PLR into Audio

So how can you know what message you’re sending with the body language you’re using? Here is a quick guide to give you some ideas of what you’re saying with your gestures.

Crossing Your Legs

While crossing your legs during an interview seems to be a polite and professional gesture, some experts beg to differ. In fact, this action actually sends a message of complacency, which is not what you want to communicate to your interviewer. This is why it is advised that you instead plant both feet firmly on the floor. It demonstrates confidence in who you are.

Cracking Your Knuckles

If you have body tics, like cracking the joints in your neck or fingers, it may betray your nerves. While you want to show humility in your interview, you never want to let them see you sweat. However, if you’re busy nurturing nervous tics like twirling your hair or fiddling with your cufflinks, you may show more nervousness than intended.

If you know that this is a potential issue for you, it’s good to practice sitting in the interview without making nervous gestures. You can make sure to clasp your hands so you don’t allow them to move around. This may help you keep your nervous tendency under control.

Folding Your Arms

Did you know that folding your arms in any situation sends a message that you’re closing yourself off from the person you’re communicating with? This means, if you fold your arms in an interview, you’re sending the interviewer the message that you’re not inviting him or her in. In other words, you can appear to be an unfriendly person, which could potentially X you out of the job.

Leaning Back in Your Chair

When in an interview, it’s not a good idea to lean back in your chair. This gives the impression that you’re overly relaxed and disinterested in the job. It can also make you appear untidy. To remedy this, sit a little bit forward in your chair. This helps you present yourself as alert and eager to answer any questions thrown your way.

Invading the Interviewer’s Space

If you’re the friendly type, you may be unaware if you ever invade an interviewer’s space; however, doing so should be avoided. An example would be if you are sitting on the other side of the interviewer’s desk then stretch your hands or body over the desk. Since this desk is a personal space for the interviewer, you don’t want to invade this space. If you do, you could come across as unprofessional and disrespectful.
There are many other gestures that you may subconsciously make that create a strong message. If you’re not sure of your own mannerisms, you can set up a mock interview and either have a friend tell you about your body language, or videotape it and play it back. The more you’re aware of the message you’re sending, the more you can improve your interviewing skills.

Heather Eagar is a former professional resume writer and is passionate about providing working professionals with current, reliable and effective job search tools and information. Compare the top resume services in the industry at http://www.resumelines.com.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

What Your Body Language Says In Your Interviews

It may seem like you’re moving backwards if you consider volunteering while searching for a job. But, in many ways, it moves you forward even though it offers no pay. If you’ve been thinking of volunteering, but have been reluctant to do so, don’t second guess your idea. It may pay off more than you think.

Why Volunteering Works

There are a number of reasons that volunteering works well when you’re working on your executive-level job search. For one, it offers you the opportunity to pass time and remain active when you don’t have the luxury of a 9 to 5 routine to keep you busy. Also, it allows you to develop your passions and make a difference in the lives of others. Essentially, volunteering is said to be good for the soul. But in the case of finding the job you want, volunteering is a way to develop great skills and make the necessary connections you need to acquire your next job.

That’s right. Volunteering is a great way to help you get your foot in the door for another job. There are a couple of ways that this can happen for you. Non-profits are always looking for good executives to help take their company to the next level, so if you volunteer your time and make the right connections, you may find yourself being offered a position. Another way is to join a charity’s board where you can meet important connections from other companies and organizations. By sharing your great ideas and helping to take the charity to the next level, someone may be impressed enough to offer you a position.

How to Make Volunteering Work for You

One of the best ways to take advantage of volunteering and its ability to help you secure a job is by getting involved in a cause that follows your passion. For instance, if you are an animal lover, you might volunteer in some capacity for your local zoo. Or if you enjoy the arts, then you might volunteer for a non-profit organization dedicated to music, art or dance.

You can approach an organization with the skills that you already have under your belt and offer to give them your professional assistance free of charge. After the word spreads of the charitable giving of your expertise, you may just make some great connections to get you hired at your next employer.

Every person in the middle of a job search knows how difficult it can be to find a job when he has plenty of time available, let alone find one when some of that job search time is compromised with other activities. But volunteering is different, it can leave you feeling rejuvenated after knowing you’ve made a difference in someone’s life. So if you want to make the most of your job search, it’s a good idea to add volunteering to your “to-do list.”

Heather Eagar is a former professional resume writer and is passionate about providing working professionals with current, reliable and effective job search tools and information. Compare the top writers for executive resumes at http://www.resumelines.com.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

How Volunteering Can Enhance Your Executive-Level Job Search

We have all heard the old adage, “It’s not what you say, but how you say it.” An effectively written message can be instrumental in helping your business succeed. Why? In order for people to get to know your product, understand your service, and come to trust what you are telling them, you must communicate in a way that is clear, concise and sets your business apart.

The key to success is to apply your knowledge to the art of website copywriting. A well-written website will generate revenue by attracting new customers with an exciting and enticing message, maintaining current customers with a trustworthy and believable tone, and setting your business apart from the competition.

That is why it is critical to learn the skill of copywriting as a business owner. Do not be scared or intimidated by learning copywriting. In fact, you are oftentimes your own worst critic. As a business owner, you have the knowledge necessary to best communicate what it is you are trying to sell and why it is important for people to buy it. Whether you offer a product, a service or both, no one knows your business better than you do.

So how do you learn the important skill of copywriting? Take part in copywriting education such as online courses, seminars and tutorials. Taking advantage of copywriting programs is a great way to hone in on not only how to write internet copy, but how to use website copywriting to improve your business.

Copywriting programs such as Copywriting Sweetie take you through the copywriting process, step by step, helping you to craft your message and best share it with the online world. From setting your message and business apart from the competition, to web page builder software and copywriting critique lessons, this is a great way to learn, master and apply the art of effective and successful profit-producing copywriting.

Once you begin learning copywriting and apply it to your online business, you will also see just how important it truly is. From writing an effective welcome message on your home page, to enticing your visitors to opt-in and keeping them coming back for more, your Internet copywriting skills will quickly prove to be an integral part of your online business.

While learning copywriting can be a challenge for many business owners, it is becoming an increasingly important skill to obtain. It is absolutely critical to communicate effectively and efficiently and those who do it best are those who succeed. Once you have mastered the skill of Internet copywriting, you will be a better business owner for it and your business will be more successful because of it. Don’t be intimidated. Internet copywriting can be easy if you take the time to learn the tricks of the trade and remember this one simple rule… You know your business, so write what you know!

For more help with Internet copywriting that will convert visitors into buyers, check out Copywriting Sweetie. This complete training manual and software will show you how to transform your under-performing copy to get more satisfied repeat buyers.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Why You Need To Learn Internet Copywriting

If you are wondering just how to start an affiliate program, you may want to begin by taking advantage of affiliate marketing software and program management tools to help you get started. From affiliate recruitment to outsourced affiliate management, there are plenty of tools that will guide you through the technical steps and process of starting an affiliate program.

Once you have your program in place, your next step and very critical component, is taking on a strong, dependable team of affiliate marketers. It is crucial to you, your business, and the success of your affiliate program to employ affiliates who will best represent your business. You must establish a trust between both you and your affiliates, as well as between your affiliates and your customers. After all, you are depending on them to help your business succeed and in turn, they are depending on you to help them succeed. That is why a strong affiliate team needs a strong affiliate manager.

Whether you choose to manage your affiliate program on your own or take advantage of outsourced affiliate management, the key to a successful program is effective affiliate network management. If you find that you are too busy with the day-to-day to give your affiliate program the proper attention it needs, then by all means, hire an affiliate program manager. While managing your affiliate program may start out as a manageable task, you may want to consider outsourcing affiliate management services as the program grows and becomes more successful.

An effective affiliate manager must know three very important things: 1) the product, 2) the audience, and 3) the approach.

The product
As a business owner, you know your product better than anyone. However, if you choose to utilize outsourced affiliate management, be sure that your affiliate manager is equally as knowledgeable and well-versed in your line of business and specifically about your product or service.

The audience
Nothing is more important when it comes to successful affiliate marketing than knowing who your audience is. Proper and successful affiliate management will require making sure that your affiliate marketers are targeting the right audience, and ultimately bringing in customers.

The approach
Once your audience has been identified, it is equally as important to speak to them in a way that is enticing, attractive and of course, makes them want to buy your service or product. While you are working hard to build your business and your brand, it is absolutely critical that your affiliate marketers are in line with your business approach. Be sure that they are advertising in the right places and using the right language.

Take the time to set up an affiliate program that works best for you. The bottom line is a successful affiliate program that is well managed will mean more success for you and for your business.

For more answers to your questions about starting and running your own profitable affiliate program that your affiliates will love, claim your copy of the step-by-step Affiliate Manager Sweetie course at http://www.affiliatemanagersweetie.com

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Affiliate Manager Success Tips

As every entrepreneur knows all too well, one of the biggest hurdles for any business is having access to readily available capital. In today’s economic downturn, it can be nearly impossible to gain the funds one needs to both grow and sustain a business. However, if you are looking for new and inventive ways to either start a business or keep your current business afloat, selling information products is not only cost effective, but can prove to be highly profitable.

Creating information products is as simple as sharing what you know with others. The key to selling information products is to identify your audience and provide them with attractive opportunities to not only purchase your info products, but put them to good use with up-selling and cross-selling opportunities.

For example, if you are a web developer and your main focus is selling your services, you may want to consider creating a “how to” guide for writing html code. If you are a software engineer who sells to small and mid-size businesses, you may want to create a user manual to go along with your information product. The real key to success with selling information products is not only what you know, but how you deliver it. Make your knowledge work for you.

Package your information product in such a way that is enticing to your customers. Offer a “tease” of information along with the purchase of your product. Once they have gotten a taste of your information product, it will be easier to sell them the rest of the story.

You may also want to consider selling information products to industry partners and peers in addition to clients and customers. This is a great way to increase your profit-making potential while sharing knowledge with others in your line of work.

A great tip for getting started selling information products is to start out by offering an information product for free. Yes, the ugly four-letter word. But “free” does not have to be synonymous with “no profit”. In fact, by offering a free information product, you will not only prove to your customers just how knowledgeable you are, but you will entice them to want to learn more. Consider your first free offering an investment – a relatively cheap investment considering the fact that you did not have to invest any capital to create it.

The great news is that when creating and selling information products online, the possibilities are endless. From ebooks and ezines, to newsletters, articles and electronic reports, information products are easy to create, cheap to produce, and free to deliver. By using something as simple as email or a quick and easy downloadable file, you can increase your revenue stream simply by sharing what you know. The power is literally at your fingertips.

Learn how to create an easy-to-manage high-profit information product business, and stop working so hard and start earning more at => http://www.informationproductsweetie.com

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Mobilize Your Passive Income by Creating & Selling Information Products

The key to online affiliate marketing is to first learn affiliate marketing basics. Take the time to invest in an affiliate marketing guide, tutorial or affiliate marketing ebook. These tools can be instrumental in gaining the knowledge you need to become a successful affiliate marketer. You wouldn’t jump into the ocean without first learning how to swim. The same goes for learning affiliate marketing. Make sure you understand the basics before you jump on in.

Once you know and understand just what affiliate marketing is and how it works, you can then start earning money. Well, almost. Earning a living through affiliate marketing sales is more than possible, but you must be strategic. The key to success is to know how to make it work for you. Many affiliate marketing newbies often spend too much time focusing on what they are doing and not who they are doing it for.

While working hard as an affiliate marketer is important, it is equally important to spend your time wisely. Initially, it may seem like a good idea to advertise on every website, become members of multiple online forums, and write as many articles as possible, all in hopes of gaining visibility. But you will soon discover that many of these efforts will prove to be in vain.

So how do you drive traffic to your affiliate site without spending every waking moment trying to master the myriad of online media available to you? The answer is simple. You must work smarter, not harder. Building targeted traffic is a keystone for affiliate marketing success.

While being visible is critical to affiliate marketing success, you must be seen by the right people. Take the time know your audience, seek them out, and direct your message to potential customers, not every John and Jane Smith who happen to be surfing the web. Once you have identified who your audience is and where they can be found, driving traffic to your affiliate site becomes a much easier, and more effective task.

For example, if you are an affiliate marketer for a health and wellness service, you wouldn’t want to write an article for an auto industry website. Instead you may want to consider placing an ad in a family oriented newsletter. Or, you might consider websites and ezines that focus on cooking, exercise, and even clothing. The more strategic you are about targeting traffic through well-placed ads, enticing articles and unique offerings, the greater success you will have in affiliate marketing sales.

Your success as an affiliate marketer is dependent upon you and you alone. Don’t burn yourself out by saturating the internet with one-in-a-million advertisements, going after dead traffic or wasting your time in front of a less than interested audience. Instead, work smarter by knowing your audience and being strategic with your approach. Then and only then will you attain affiliate marketing success.

People make the mistake in thinking that a business built to last is too much work, or takes too much time. Sure, you’re going to have to work for it, but if you work SMART, you can get results faster than you may have thought.

So, how do you work smart? The best things I’ve found, is to find someone else who’s ALREADY doing what you want to do and follow in the footsteps of someone who’s been making a steadily increasing full-time with affiliate programs, go here: => http://www.affiliatemarketingsweetie.com

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

How To Work Smarter Not Harder As An Affiliate Marketer

1. Automate everything you can. An example of this are: synch your social networking sites so that you update your status in one and they are all updated at once. A couple of helpful resources for that are http://ping.fm and http://www.tweetlater.com
2. Group like activities: make all your calls together, run all errands on the same day (or better yet, have someone else run them : ), etc.
3. Maximize your down time. I always carry a file or book with me so that if I end up with a wait at the dentist, I can make good use of the time.
4. Always book your next appointment at your current appointment. For example, when you get your hair cut/massage/teeth cleaned/etc. schedule the next appointment before you leave. That saves time and energy remembering to schedule those things and finding time later to fit them in.
5. Create checklists and forms for all routine events. Print up a shopping list for the fridge and check off what you need as you run out, have documents ready for each new client or customer so you don’t have to stop and assemble them one at a time, etc. Make templates for letters and emails you send all the time. (Save email templates as drafts and update them as needed.)
6. Color code your electronic or paper calendar: perhaps have a different color for each family/team member or each type of business activity (blue for clients, pink for marketing events, etc.)
7. If you don’t read the messages, remove yourself from email lists. It may seem faster to delete the message but in the long run, getting off the list is easier and quicker than deleting messages every day. You can always re-subscribe if you find later that you miss them.
8. People often argue with this one but if you tend to save tons of articles/emails to “read later” – don’t! Unless you schedule a specific time each week to read them, they aren’t that important and just create an energy draining toleration by existing.
9. As soon as you can financially (and even before if it feels right) hire out the “stuff” you don’t like to do or don’t have the expertise for. This includes personal and business stuff like house cleaning, website updates, appointment scheduling, laundry service, etc. If you’re a business owner, hire an assistant or VA as soon as possible and learn to delegate. (Learn about VA’s at http://www.AssistU.com)
10. Schedule time for yourself in your calendar with the same systems and weight you attach to business. For example, schedule a movie night with your spouse and write it in your calendar so any invitation to a networking event, etc. gets an automatic NO because you are already booked.
11. Bonus suggestion: Say NO way more than you say YES to requests for your time.

Have fun with this. Be creative. Apply the same techniques to your personal and professional life and see how much room you have to breathe and grow when you are strategic and systematic in how you get things done.

*****

© 2009 Ruth Hegarty

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Ruth Hegarty helps women entrepreneurs create confident and effortless success. As a certified Law of Attraction Coach, Ruth teaches women to unleash their powerful creator. She hosts the popular “The Art of Joyful Living Radio Show.” Listen every Tuesday by visiting Art of Joyful Living .

To learn more about Ruth’s group or one-on-one coaching programs and to get her free Confidence Building e-book for women, please visit her website at Leap of Confidence.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Taking the Path of Least Resistance

Fall is the season of rich colors, warm lighting, and cozy, inviting spaces – all the things you want to emulate throughout your wedding day and reception. And it’s easy to carry on that theme with appropriately selected fall wedding favors – favors that evoke the spirit of the season and give your guests a beautiful reminder of your wedding day.

When choosing fall wedding favors, remember your theme or color set. Bright yellow sunflowers are always big for autumn themed weddings as are rich red, brown, yellow, and orange autumn leaves. However, fall wedding favors with bright, deep colors will help set the stage at each person’s plate setting. But today’s bride wants to give more than just mints or candy; she wants to offer her guests a little gift to thank them for coming – one that is not only functional but well worth the price.

Our Favorite Favors for Autumn Themed Weddings

Here are our favorite fall wedding favors that incorporate both the beauty of the season and show your guests how much you appreciate them coming!

1. Wildflower Seed Favors: Give your guests a way to look forward to warmer weather – as well as integrate more green initiatives into their routine – with wildflower or tree seed favors. The younger set will especially love this, and it will give them a chance to plant a beautiful garden with the help of their parents. Seed favors are ideal for environmentally-friendly brides and grooms who want to make a difference at their autumn themed weddings or simply serve as a way for couples to celebrate the birth of something new.

2. Glass Coaster Sets: Everyone loves coasters. They keep furniture free from water stains and can be customized with names, dates, or special pictures as well as pastoral fall scenes that are the perfect backdrop to autumn themed weddings. We suggest glass in particular because it fits with almost everyone’s design scheme and is a decidedly elegant option for fall wedding favors.

3. Wine Bottle Stoppers and Bottle Openers: Functionality is the name of the game for many brides who are shopping for autumn wedding favors. And guests love favors that they can use. Many wine bottle stoppers or bottle openers are painted in lovely, vibrant fall colors or are embellished with a beautiful sunflower or autumn leaf as the decoration.

4. Fall-themed Photo Albums: Many couples nowadays provide disposable cameras at each table so guests can snap away at events the bride and groom may have missed. If you and your loved one are more sentimental about the images your guests capture, why not provide everyone with a fall-themed photo album, so they can put their own pictures from the wedding in it? And whenever they browse through the album, they’ll remember your happy day and the role they played in it.

5. Cookie Cutters: With the holidays right around the corner, cookie cutters – either in autumnal shapes or other fun shapes you choose (hearts, doves, stars) – are an excellent gift to give guests at autumn themed weddings. After all, functionality plays a role – and your guests will admire your “good taste” when they find these lovely keepsake fall wedding favors at their plates.

6. Candles and/or Tea Light Holders: Flickering candle light is oh-so-romantic, so shouldn’t you share that essence of fall with your guests? Adorn your reception tables with pretty fall leaf shaped candle or tea light holder, and you’ll be hearing, “What a wonderful favor!” all night long. These fall wedding favors allow your guests to bring the memories of your special day as well as the warmth of fall into their home.

Autumn Themed Weddings Are Meant to Be Warm, Cozy Affairs

The mystery and beauty of the fall season creates the perfect setting for autumn themed weddings. Fall is the season of transformation – an ideal that likely carries over into your marriage vows. From invitations and decorations to the cake and gown, you have all of your ducks in a row so to speak. But choosing fall wedding favors doesn’t have to be complicated, and you certainly don’t have to match your theme exactly. Just don’t forget to spice up each table at the reception with thoughtfully chosen wedding favors that showcase the fall season – and your wedding’s style – appropriately!

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Fall in Love with Festive Fall Wedding Favors

Here are a few Halloween Recipes to die for.

There are plenty of kinds of Halloween recipes you can make ranging from cakes, to dips or even just small simple but still scary snacks. One of the Halloween recipes that kids can’t seem to get enough of are Pumpkin Pasties (like in the Harry Potter books.)

The ingredients for Pumpkin Pasties are as follows:
One pound of canned pumpkin
Two slightly beaten eggs
Half a teaspoon of salt
Half a teaspoon of ginger
Half a teaspoon of cloves
One teaspoon of cinnamon
One and two-third cups of milk
Three fourths a cup of sugar
Half a teaspoon of allspice
Nine ounce pie crust pastry

Roll the pastry crust thin and cut into circles approximately 4 inches in diameter. Put a spoonful of filling near the center. Fold over the crust into a half-circle and firmly crimp the edges closed. Don’t forget to add vent slits or fork holes in the top before placing on a baking sheet.

Bake Pasties at 400 degrees F until crust is a light golden brown, which is usually about 10 minutes.

Another of the popular easy Halloween recipes seems to be Spooky Sugar Cookies, and the ingredients for those are as follows.
Four tablespoons of milk
Two cups of margarine/butter
Two and one-fourth cups of sugar
Three eggs
One and a half teaspoon of vanilla
Six cups of flour
Three-fourth teaspoon of salt

They should be baked at 375F for 12 minutes and should be put in laid flat at about one-fourth of an inch thick.

Remember that during Halloween, it’s one of the few times a year where parents encourage their kids to eat food that is rotten for their teeth or just in general isn’t good for their health. While this food may be delicious and some of the recipes make great party food, you should always watch how much of the bad food you are eating and always remember to brush your teeth and remind your kids to brush their teeth after eating the food. After all, there is no reason that a Halloween party can’t be fun and responsible at the exact same time

Grab this easy Halloween recipe booklet crammed full of 35 fun easy Halloween recipes for you and your family this year. These recipes and bonus party planning tips will be sure to make your Halloween party the spookiest most fun on the block without breaking your family budget.

Even if you’re not having a Halloween party, you can still make great use of the fun Halloween recipes in this booklet to make your night special. Add a ghost story or two and you’re all set for the perfect October 31st with your family.

Spooktacular Dreams!

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Halloween Recipes to Die For

Your personal preferences.

Fabric. Do you prefer a certain type of fabric? Would you rather stitch on linen than on aida? What about the color of fabric in the kit; do you want white fabric or colored fabric for your background? Would you rather purchase a hand-dyed fabric for this project?

Threads. Do you prefer a certain brand over another brand? Are all the colors of the brand you wish to use available to you easily for purchasing or will you have to hunt for missing colors required to stitch your project? Would you like to maybe substitute certain types of threads used in the project (i.e. … use an over dyed thread in a border instead of a solid color or replace a multi colored section with a variegated thread)

Beads. If any beads are used in the project are you comfortable using them or would you rather eliminate them and use Colonial Knots or French Knots instead? Brand is a preference for some for beads as well; some prefer the structure of one brand over another.

Size of the fabric.

Many needlework stitchers have a very specific preference about how much fabric is left around the edge of the project for framing and finishing. Generally in the purchasing of a kit you will have somewhere between 1-3 inches of fabric around the border of the design, but this not guaranteed. If you have specific requirements that you or your framer are firmly decided upon it is likely best to buy your own fabric as opposed to using the fabric in a kit.

Amount of threads, beads and embellishments.

Another thing to consider is how much thread you use for a project. Kits contain a pre-measured amount of floss and beads. These amounts vary by brand and many a stitcher has found themselves running out of floss and having to write to the kit producer requesting more of a certain color or sometimes several colors. While some kits have more than enough supplies provided it is, again, never a guarantee that it will be enough for you personally to complete the project.

If you were to purchase your threads separately you can buy extra to begin with and not have to worry about thread dye lots being different. If by chance you do run out you will know the correct thread code numbers and can go to your local or online needlework supply shop to purchase more of that color without having to rely on the kit manufacturer to send you more of that color.

The type of chart received.

Generally a kitted version of a cross stitch chart will vary slightly from a chart only purchase. Chart only versions tend to have a heavy card stock cover or are printed completely on card stock or heavier paper that what you may receive in your cross stitch kit purchase. The chart in a kit may be of a lighter weight paper and tear more easily.

Would you like to stitch the design more than one time?

For example, if you have two children and would like to stitch the same design once for each of the children, it may be less expensive and more organized to purchase the chart & supplies separately than to purchase two cross stitch kits. This also allows the ability to use slightly differing fabrics for each to give them their own pizazz even though they are the same design.

These are just a few of the things to consider when debating between purchasing a kit and purchasing the chart and supplies separately. I hope it has given some insight to your decision and made things a little easier on you. Happy Stitching!

Loretta Oliver of Stitching the Night Away is a firm believer that everyone needs a hobby and is striving to help make cross stitch supplies and information easily accessible to everyone that wants to stitch.

You can find free cross stitch patterns at Stitching the Night Away along with a wealth of cross stitch information and resources. Including a free guide to stitching on even weave and linen fabrics.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Purchasing a Cross Stitch Kit Versus Purchasing Chart & Supplies Separately

If you want to use persuasion to negotiate your way into a job, there are some great ways to do so that won’t annoy or turn off the interviewer. So before you head into your next executive-level job interview, consider these tips.

Express Confidence and Humility

When trying to acquire a job, you want to convince the interviewer that you’re the right person. However, in doing so, you want to make sure that you exude confidence in your abilities, not cockiness. You know who you are and what you’ve accomplished in your many years as an executive, which is probably mentioned in your cover letter or executive biography. But when you’re in front of the interviewer, you have a chance to show in person who they’ve read about on paper.

The goal in this scenario is to let the interviewer know that you’re comfortable and confident enough to address any situation – and do this without going over the top and speaking like you would if you were negotiating with a client. You know you’re the best person for the job, so confidently express this. However, don’t feel so great about your abilities that you forget that you’re competing with others who may be confident and humble. Arrogance could essentially cost you the job that you so humbly want.

Use Storytelling to Your Advantage

Another great way to persuade into the job you want is to be a great storyteller. Storytelling is not just a pastime for children, it’s great for adults too. Why do you think so many people are caught up in soap operas and reality TV? They tell riveting, exciting and downright scandalous stories. Of course, you don’t want to talk about sex, lies and betrayal in your job interview, but beefing up your own professional accomplishments is a good place to start.

Think about it, it’s hard to have an accomplishment that didn’t require some level of work to get there. At the executive level, you are bound to have had some outright challenging situations occur that you had to overcome. So when you are questioned about your career, don’t hesitate to tell one of your well-crafted stories of trouble and triumph. The interviewer will not only know you are great at problem solving, but also that you are an interesting person as well.

When you’re interviewing, charm is also a big plus in persuasion; that is, as long as it doesn’t come across in a fake way. If you truly have a great personality, don’t be afraid to show it. Having an infectious personality can certainly help you get the job. Besides, once you’ve showcased your confidence, humility and great storytelling skills, you’ll already be that much closer to being a shoe-in for the position, why not take that extra step?

Heather Eagar is a former professional resume writer and is passionate about providing working professionals with current, reliable and effective job search tools and information. Compare the top executive resume writing services in the industry at http://www.resumelines.com.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Executive Interviewing: How to Persuade the Right Way

Wait a minute. Maybe you’re like the thousands of other marketers out there who simply don’t have the time to sit down and write up that content. You could hire a ghostwriter to create them for you,… but that’s only if you’re lucky to have the money to swing it. What happens now? PLR, or private label rights, allows you to keep reaching for your goals without compromising quality.

So, what exactly is PLR?

Imagine waving a magical wand and- poof- content appears already written for you. While there’s no magical wand to get a hold of; you can still achieve magic by having your content pre-written for you to do almost anything you want with. That’s PLR.

Private label rights material allows you to purchase content, within your niche, already created for your needs. All you have to do is to personalize them to accomplish what you want to do on your site. Change them up so they’re a little different than the original and you have good quality content that will help drive more traffic to your site.

Why do I have to change them? Can’t I leave them as they are?

It’s highly recommended that you change the content a little to make it more unique. The reason why that’s important is because that same PLR material will sometimes be sold to heaps more people depending on the site.

If too many people tried to publish the content on their sites without changing them, then you’re likely to hurt your chances with the search engines and you could lose your hard earned credibility with your site visitors.

By making your PLR content more unique; you have a higher chance of standing out from the rest of the crowd of your competitors. Website visitors want fresh, new material; not regurgitated content that’s seen in a ton of different places.

What kinds of PLR content are there?

There are several types of PLR materials available for you to purchase. Let’s list some of the more common ones that others use:

•    Articles
•    Reports
•    eBooks
•    Audio and video content
•    Recipes

Can I do whatever I want with them?

Well, yes and no. For the most part; yes, you can do pretty much anything you want. It all depends on the site you’re purchasing your content from. Every site is different, but each one will tell you what you can and can’t do with your content rights. Usually, these sites won’t allow you to sell the material again as PLR material, but you could do anything else you want with them.
Exactly what would I do with PLR content?

One of the biggest benefits of PLR material is that there are so many things you can do with the content you purchase. You’re by no means limited in that area. Here are some of the most common uses that others have used their PLR content for:

•    Blog posts
•    Giveaway reports
•    More articles
•    Bonus material

Isn’t PLR content expensive?

Absolutely not. Since those, who sell PLR content; sell them to several other people, they can get by offering the material for a lower price. If they sell a pack of 5 articles to 50 people at a price of $5 then they can make $250. Split that up for the 5 articles in the pack and that translates to be $50 per article.

PLR is becoming more of a necessity these days as most people are finding themselves crunched for time to get all their work done. PLR has given many an online marketer back their time for themselves or for their families. Of course, we can’t forget the inexpensive price that all that would bring. If you’re serious about being a success online, you should consider using PLR content for your site and reap the rewards that many others have experienced before you.

Nell Taliercio has been a full time Internet Marketer since 2004. In that time she’s used, written and created countless pages of content. She’s also used good quality PLR as a powerful and important part of her business. Come learn more about PLR articles and compare PLR sources to find the right PLR for your needs. http://www.plrbuffet.com

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About PLR

Don’t Use a Template

One of the biggest mistakes job seekers make when creating their cover letters is making them too generic. There are so many cover letter templates online that it’s pretty easy to use one and just fill in the blanks with your information. While there is nothing wrong with getting basic ideas from templates, that’s as far as it should go. Your cover letter should be extremely personal to who you are, what you’ve accomplished and what you hope to accomplish in the future.

Never Undersell Your Talents

Sometimes you can write your cover letter thinking that you’re giving enough information about yourself and your accomplishments; however, you could find yourself underselling your talents. This happens because you’re simply not used to thinking of descriptive ways to talk about your skills and accomplishments.
For instance, you may have been in charge of maintaining office files. However, if you described the action simply as “maintained office files”, you’re underselling yourself. Don’t be afraid to dig deeper by talking about the types of files you maintained, what types of filing systems they were maintained in, how often they were maintained, who they were maintained for, how many files you estimate where maintained and so on. Give yourself the credit you deserve – you’ve earned it.

Avoid Focusing Only On You

The purpose of writing a cover letter is to help you expand on the information that you presented in your resume, and add even more that couldn’t be included. It’s your chance to express passion, dedication, and desire.

Remember that everything you’re presenting is done in an effort to show your interest in the position. So you’re expressing your passion in starting or continuing in the industry you love, you’re showing dedication to previous employers (and potentially to the new one) as well as skill level by noting your accomplishments, and you’re presenting a desire to passionately dedicate yourself to this new company and position. If you talk about me, me, me without saying what you want to do for them, you’re missing the point, and maybe a great opportunity.

Some other no-no’s to avoid include starting with a weak opening paragraph, rather than one that grabs the reader’s attention, trying to be witty to a fault, omitting your contact information and failing to edit. If you avoid these mistakes waiting to happen when writing your cover letter, you’ll be in a much better position to secure the job you really want.

Heather Eagar is a former professional resume writer and is passionate about providing working professionals with current, reliable and effective job search tools and information. Compare the top resume writing services in the industry at http://www.resumelines.com.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Cover Letter No-No’s

If you do not already have a blog post and article idea list it is easy to create one. Just take a piece of paper and write down every topic you can think of. This should give you a pretty good start. As you think of more topics you can add them to the list.

What happens when you start running out of ideas? Then take a look around on the Internet. There a numerous ways you can brainstorm ideas for blog posts and articles. Below are a few of ways I brainstorm ideas.

1. Read other blogs.
I read other blogs to see what they are writing about. If I find a topic I really like on another blog I add it to my list. If find a certain blog post is getting a lot of traffic and comments I add the blog post topic to my list. With thousands of blog on the Internet it is easy to come up with blog post and article ideas this way.

2. Read Comments on other blogs
Some people leave great comments on other blogs. Often times the comments left on blogs will stark an idea. If a comment gets a reply then that usually means it would be a topic people are interested in so add it to your list.

3. Trending Topics on Twitter
Twitter is the place to be if you are online. Trending topics on Twitter tells you what people are talking about the most. If a topic is a trending topic on Twitter then it must be a popular topic. If any of the trending topics fit within your blogging niche then add the topic to your blog post and article idea list.

By creating a list of blog posts and article topics you are saving yourself valuable time. Next time you can’t think of anything to write refer to your list, choose a topic from the list, and get to writing.

Courtney Chowning is a Christian entrepreneur who runs a Christian PLR site and affiliate program, http://christianmomplr.com.  She also blogs at http://courtneyspeaks.com about putting God first in your blog and online business.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Brainstorming Blog Post & Article Ideas

While it is true that there are some basic things homeowners can do to keep their units functioning efficiently — keeping the filters changed and coils cleaned on a regular basis, having the unit maintained on a once or twice yearly basis, and paying attention to the settings on the thermostat — there is one not-so-obvious consideration when it comes to saving on the electric bill.

While it is helpful to select the most energy efficient model of equipment you can afford and replace units that are old and well past their energy efficiency prime, there is no one particular brand of equipment that excels another when it comes to energy efficiency superiority. Eager contractors will promote their brand of equipment over a competitor’s brand to make a sale — and some are well worth considering — but the brand of equipment you select is not the true source of where your energy savings will come from.

Are you ready for this piece of news? The true source of all energy savings or losses involved in heating and cooling your home is in your duct work. This is particularly helpful to know for people who are about to begin building a new home, but it is equally helpful for those who already own a home and have central heating and air. Your duct system and how it is insulated and designed should be the real focus when you are considering energy costs.

One way to tell that your duct system is poorly designed is that there are areas within your home that are either hotter or colder than other areas — and your compressor has a hard time keeping up to get all the rooms to a comfortable temperature and satisfy the thermostat setting. (A unit that runs continually can also be because it is undersized for the amount of square footage in your home, and this should be ruled out.) Another tell tale sign is to take a look at your duct work — does it look like a mass of spaghetti noodles with ducts running all over the place, or does it have a main trunk line from which uniform-length ducts are running to each room? Are the ducts kinked or bent and starving for air? Are any more than 25 feet long while other ducts are only 10 feet long?

Here’s an important tip: you can spend top dollar for the most energy efficient heating/air equipment on the market BUT if your duct system has been poorly designed, contains air leaks or is improperly insulated, you are not benefitting from any type of energy savings that that high efficiency unit can provide. Your duct system is the key to reducing your electricity costs — particularly if it is poorly designed — and the cost savings are so significant that it’s worth having your existing duct system inspected and/or replaced.

When we became aware of the relationship of duct system design and energy savings, we went to our local electric company and asked them to begin monitoring the energy usages of customers who had their duct systems redesigned. In a majority of these cases, the customers did not replace their old units — they simply had their duct work redesigned. To our amazement — and the amazement of the electric company — customers were achieving a 15%-25% savings on their monthly power bill and were reporting that their homes felt more comfortable, had equal temperatures throughout and that the units were not running continually to keep up with the thermostat. When most of these customers finally do replace their units, they can expect an even further savings on their energy bill. Our local electric company is now a proponent for change in local heating and air practices.

Depending on the size of the house, it can cost a family as little as $1,500 to $3,500 to have a poorly designed duct system redesigned, modified or replaced. In extreme cases or in very large homes, it can cost more, but that is rare. That investment in their homes is recovered within two years from energy savings alone — plus the duct system becomes a permanent fixture and should never need to be replaced again. These families are continuing to reap the energy savings throughout their years living in the home.

The key is to find a heating and air contractor who is licensed and knows how to properly design and install a duct system and has a reputation for doing so. A properly designed duct system requires specialized engineering skills for which all contractors have received training but which not every contractor is willing to take the time to do correctly. Not all do this properly because it involves extra time and labor — and unfortunately, most homeowners, builders or building inspectors are not educated well enough to know they are not getting a properly designed duct system. Look for contractors who specialize in duct modification and design.

How can you tell the apples from the oranges? A good way to start is to interview several contractors and ask them to draw or sketch their plans for how your system will be designed — and then explain why they are doing it the way they are. A good contractor will be able to educate you about air flow rates (known as CFMs) and will build a design that includes what is known as a trunk system — which is a system of primary ducting that usually runs the length of the house and from which all the secondary ducting is attached which run to each room. A trunk system provides equal air flow to every part of the house.

If your contractor’s drawing does not include a trunk system but instead relies on the secondary duct work to carry all the airflow, run! Your duct system will look like a tangle of spaghetti noodles, and the airflow in each room will be different from one part of the house to the other. Unscrupulous or lazy contractors will not want to do all the extra work involved to install a trunk system. Conscientious contractors will — and they will be able to explain why in a way you can understand.

In this era when more and more families are looking for ways to save money and “go green” — a home’s duct work is a good place to start.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

How to Really Save Money on Heating and Cooling Costs

Workaholics4hire is owned and run by a work at home mom who built her business from the bottom up. They specialize in helping others find work that they can do from their own home. This company hires virtual assistants to perform certain tasks that clients of their company contracts them to do. It’s been around since 1997.

Sylvie Fortin was the work at home mom who built this business. The idea came about when she saw that there was tons of telecommuting jobs available out there and also saw that a lot of people didn’t really know how to find those jobs.

She created her business to get the companies who wanted to hire people to work from home and the people who wanted telecommuting work -together. Her site was launched in 1999 and became a success almost instantly as the market for telecommuting work was huge.

People who were frustrated with telecommuting jobs that turned out to be scams turned to Sylvie’s company for help in locating those jobs, so Workaholics4hire was born and her business empire began from there.

Besides the jobs she hires her agents for; she also has a section on her site that shows telecommuting job positions from other companies that don’t contract through her business.

What types of work do they hire for?

Workaholics4hire hire for:

• Virtual Assistance
• Writing
• Web Design
• Desktop Publishing

You will have to sign up for their membership to see what openings they have available in those areas. You can then learn more about those positions from the information provided about them on her site.

How much can I earn and how much can I be paid?

It depends on the position you are looking to apply for. Many are based on the project needed, while others are around $10 an hour.

Are there any fees involved in applying with this company?

There is no fee to join as a member of workaholics4hire, nor is there any fee to apply for a job with them. Sylvie is well aware of the job application fee scams out there, so she made sure to offer her business services without any type of fee whatsoever in the membership or the application process.

How do I apply to work for them?

On their website, you will have to join their free membership. You will receive an email with a link to their available jobs list. Each job that you can apply for will have a form included to fill out and send in.

Each position that is available at the time you apply; will have specific requirements that you are expected to have. Sylvie hires the best workers, so make sure you meet the requirements she asks for before applying for a position.

What skills are they looking for?

This would depend on the position you’re applying for. Workaholics4hire goes for the best in each field. You should have a decent amount of experience and knowledge in the position you want to apply for.

Nell Taliercio has been working at home full time since 2004. She’s worked as a telecommuter, virtual assistant and affiliate marketer. In 5 years she’s discovered many secrets to finding legitimate work at home jobs and securing them. You can find her work at home job information and tips at: http://www.justonlinejobs.com

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Telecommuting Job: Workaholics4hire

They hire for the following:

• Automotive service operations
• Banks
• Retail stores
• Casinos
• Restaurants

The types of shops, that you would be assigned to, will depend on what’s available in your area and the types of customers that are needed for each assignment. For example, a mature aged woman is not likely to be assigned to a shop that’s geared toward the younger crowd; unless the business specifically asks for it. Best Mark will make that determination as shopping projects arises.

What qualifications do they look for in an applicant?

Best Mark looks for many qualities in someone they hire. The most important quality they look for is honesty. All evaluations must be honest and true based on the experiences seen on the day of the assignment. They include the following:

1. The ability to be discreet
2. Dependability and able to meet deadlines
3. Pay attention to details and be observant
4. Able to communicate effectively
5. Honor their commitments
6. Able to follow detailed instructions

They also require that you be at least 21 years of age and that you have a reliable means of transportation. You should also have a computer or access to a computer with internet access as some information will need to be entered into the computer.

What do they pay?

The pay depends on the type of assignment that you’re asked to do. Some jobs pay for the assignment itself, some pay with reimbursement and some do it with both. You will be informed of the pay details before deciding to accept an assignment or not. They send out the check after your assignment is completed and the evaluation forms are reviewed and validated.

Best Mark states that they will hold a portion of your pay; should you not perform your job requirements of an assignment as they were stated in the assignment details. As long as you perform your assignment as written, you will have no problems with the pay.

Compensation includes the price of the item purchased. It does not include mileage to and from the establishment or for your time in performing the job itself; unless a business establishment offers it in their project details.

Do they have training?

Yes, they will train those that are hired. You will learn the basics of what clients look for in their evaluations. Plus, you’ll learn more about the company as well. They will walk you through the process of how to perform your assignments including entering data and turning in whatever is necessary according to the assignment details.

How do you apply?

They have an online application form for you to fill out on their website.

How do I know if I’m hired?

After you’ve filled out your application, and an assignment comes up in your area; you will be contacted by your regional coordinator. They will ask a few more questions and if you’re deemed a fit for their company, you will perform your first test job for them.

Nell Taliercio has been working at home full time since 2004. She’s worked as a telecommuter, virtual assistant and affiliate marketer. In 5 years she’s discovered many secrets to finding legitimate work at home jobs and securing them. You can find her work at home job information and tips at: http://www.justonlinejobs.com

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Become A Secret Shopper: Best Mark Review

What does a Virtual Assistant Do?

A virtual assistant can perform many different job tasks. Every assistant has their own specialized areas that they offer their services in, but here are some of the more popular duties that they take on:

• Transcription
• Writing
• Web Designing
• Bookkeeping
• Customer Service both by phone and email

Not every virtual assistant performs all of these duties. Some offer a few of them and others even offer more services, such as marketing.

What type of equipment does a Virtual assistant use?

A Virtual Assistant will need their own office space within their home. This space must be located in a quiet area away from loud noises, due to the phone work you may be providing your clients.

The office area should include:

• Computer with high-speed internet
• Printer/Fax
• Phone with headset

Your computer will need some software programs installed. This will depend on what duties you will be performing. Some of the software programs you may end up needing are:

• Word processing program
• Web designing program
• Bookkeeping program
• Audio program for transcribing

Some companies will supply you with the appropriate software programs, but most of the time, you should be providing your own.

How much can a Virtual Assistant Make?

Each company offers a different rate of pay. The pay rate is factored with how much experience you have, and the types of duties they need you to perform. For those that perform with minimal skills the pay rate could be around $10 an hour.

Those with more experience could see up to $25 an hour. If you’re providing a specialized type service, such as web design, then you could see a pay rate of up to $60 an hour. Some get even more.

It’s important to note, though, that not all companies will pay you for the amount of time you’re scheduled for. For example, let’s say that you’re dedicating 9-12p. for your virtual assisting duties for a company. During that 3 hour time period, you only perform about 2.5 hours of work; then you would only get paid for the 2.5 hours of work and not the full 3. Each company will lay out how they do things in your interviews.

Are there any special skills I need to have?

A majority of the companies that hire Virtual assistants expect you to have some experience performing the tasks they want you to do. For instance, Web designing. They want to hire someone who can do the job.

Here are a few other things employers will look for:

Someone who’s professional- You may be working from your own home, but you are still employed in a job. That means, you will be expected to perform all of your duties in the time they give you to do it. Make sure those around you know that at designated times, you are not to be disturbed.

Dedicated phone line- If you’re going to perform phone work for your employer, you should have a designated business line to use specifically for your job. While some use their home phones, it is still not recommended. You are representing your employer and if your grouchy spouse happens to answer the phone while a client is on the line, your job may be in jeopardy or history.

Virtual assisting can be a very rewarding job for those who have administrative skills and who want to work from their own home.

Nell Taliercio has been working at home full time since 2004. She’s worked as a telecommuter, virtual assistant and affiliate marketer. In 5 years she’s discovered many secrets to finding legitimate work at home jobs and securing them. You can find her work at home job information and tips at: http://www.justonlinejobs.com

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Telecommuting Job: Virtual Assistant

West at Home is a company that provides call center services by utilizing home based agents. Their high quality customer relations services have earned them an award in 2008 for the Contact Center Company of the Year.

They have 20 plus years of providing customer service under their belt and they continue to meet the demands of their contractors with the best support agents possible. They use cutting edge technology and they use the best training materials, so their contractors are never left unsatisfied with the performances of their agents.

What type of work would I be doing?

If you’re hired for them, you would be providing customer relation services. Some of the tasks that could be involved with a position with them include:

• Obtaining and verifying customer information
• Resolving issues
• Explaining sales features
• Offering new products or services

Your job duties will depend on the position you’re hired for and those duties will be given in more detail at that time.How much can I earn? How would I be paid?

Each project is different. Some will be hourly, some per minute and some per call rates. West at Home, however, will determine if the total amount that you would be paid is greater or less than your state’s minimum wage. You would be paid the higher rate at all times.

You would receive your pay via direct deposit or, if you prefer, a pay card option. Pay will be on a biweekly basis.

Along with your pay, West at Home offers their agents flexibility of scheduling, opportunity to work from their own home office and some medical and dental benefits from an outside provider should you qualify. West at Home doesn’t offer vacation pay or insurance benefits though.

Do they offer training?

Yes, West at Home will have training for their new home based agents. You will also be paid for your training. You will receive training specific to the company you would be working for, so you won’t be left high and dry and not knowing what you’re supposed to do.

Their training sessions are completed online, so you would be able to attend them from your own home office.

Are there any requirements to apply for them?

Besides job commitment and professional work performance, West at Home does have some other requirements. They are listed on their FAQ page. They are looking for specific PC requirements from their home based agents.

How do I apply for them?

Their website contains their online application that you can easily fill out. They have a section on their website where you can check on the status of your application; otherwise they will contact you when they’re ready.

If you have what they’re looking for, you will be contacted for an interview with the company. If you pass the interview stage, you will then be notified of a position within their company.

If you accept a position with them, you will then be given all the necessary information you will need for your new position.

Nell Taliercio has been working at home full time since 2004. She’s worked as a telecommuter, virtual assistant and affiliate marketer. In 5 years she’s discovered many secrets to finding legitimate work at home jobs and securing them. You can find her work at home job information and tips at: http://www.justonlinejobs.com

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Work-at-Home – West at Home

Teletech is a business process outsourcing company that provides services such as the following:

* Customer management
* Recruiting
* Training
* Loan processing
* Payroll administration
* Much more

Their main corporate office is located in Colorado. But, they have several countries they operate in, such as Australia, England, Scotland, Spain, Hong Kong and China. They offer their corporate services to companies worldwide.

They employ over 55,000 people in several countries that handle over 3.5 million customer interactions in any one given day. Their workers will provide customer support over the phone, through email in live chat sessions.

How much can I earn? How would I get paid?

The pay varies greatly. It will depend on the skill sets needed for the client you would be working for. Teletech pays hourly. They pay biweekly and you would receive your pay via direct deposit.

Is there training offered?

Yes. Teletech will train you if you’re hired and they will pay you for the training as well. They developed an elearning training course that you can do from home. You will learn the best information possible relating to your job as well as any company rewards that you might be eligible for.

Are there any requirements needed to work for them?

Yes. Teletech strives to provide the best customer service agents for the companies that contract through them. They pride themselves in the fact that they were able to offer their agents a way to perform their job duties from their home office. So they do look for people that can commit to their job and provide the best, professional support services as someone who works in a brick and mortar building.

Teletech also looks for specific PC, home office and phone requirements; which are listed on their FAQ page. You will learn more about those requirements when you go to their website to apply for the work at home agent positions.

How does the application process work?

You would need to fill out an online application form on their hire point site. For those who qualify, an interview will be set up as well as computer requirement tests done to determine if you’re a fit for their company.

If they find you to be a fit for their company, then you will be notified and a position will be offered to you at that time. Any specifics for the job you would perform would be given to you at that time.

Are there any fees involved?

No. There are no fees involved. In some cases, agents hired with Teletech may need to purchase their own headsets, but you purchase them on your own at the store of your choice should the need arise. No money would be passed to Teletech.

You may also need to update your computer with the necessary requirements to work for them, which would be at your cost. Your application process will let you know if you would have to purchase your headset, but most do not.

Nell Taliercio has been working at home full time since 2004. She’s worked as a telecommuter, virtual assistant and affiliate marketer. In 5 years she’s discovered many secrets to finding legitimate work at home jobs and securing them. You can find her work at home job information and tips at: http://www.justonlinejobs.com

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Work-at-Home – Teletech

The quickest, most effective way for a company to reach their target market these days is by using a social media site, such as Twitter. These sites are a way to connect to just about anyone from anywhere in the world.

What are their duties?

Most companies will have a different set of tasks they need their specialists to do for them. But, here are some of the more common tasks you might be asked to perform for a company:

• Set up and maintain accounts on certain social media websites
• Research your target market to see what they’re saying about your employer
• Respond to any complaints, concerns or questions of your target market
• Stay on top of the social media circuit for new social media tools your company could use

What equipment do they use?

The main piece of equipment you would need is a computer with high-speed internet. The computer should easy access to all search engines to help stay on top of any social media news.

In some cases, a mobile phone is needed for texting messages to social media sites. Sometimes, employers will provide this for you if they need you to use one.

What skills should I have?

You should know your way around most social websites. You should know how to use some of the more popular ones and know most of the tools they use to enhance their social media experience.

You will need to remember that you’re working for an employer and not goofing around and socializing with your friends during your work times. You also need to be able to be a professional at all times when performing your managing duties. The sites you’re socializing on for your employer are that company’s customers or potential customers.

If you don’t keep a professional attitude with them, you hurt your employer’s company. Your job is to help alleviate as much negative publicity on the internet as possible; not to start it by arguing with customers.

How much do they make?

The rate of pay varies greatly with each company that hires these managers. What you would get paid could depend on how much experience or knowledge you have in the social media arena.

It also depends on the duties that you would be expected to perform and the size of the company that’s going to hire you. The rate of pay could fall in the range of $25,000 to $50,000 a year for full-time employment.

Social media managers are fast becoming a popular choice for a profession. While it sounds like you’re simply chatting about the internet, it’s still complicated and hard work. Much research will need to be done and you still need to keep track of where your employer’s target market is at.

If you do your job well, your employer’s company will thrive. You can have the satisfaction of knowing that you played a part in that and they just might reward you for your efforts.

Nell Taliercio has been working at home full time since 2004. She’s worked as a telecommuter, virtual assistant and affiliate marketer. In 5 years she’s discovered many secrets to finding legitimate work at home jobs and securing them. You can find her work at home job information and tips at: http://www.justonlinejobs.com

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Telecommuting Job – Social Media Manager

With all the other resumes that the company receives for that same position; it’s hard to get noticed. The cover letter helps you to stand out and increases your chance at getting an interview for the job.

But, is it always necessary to send a cover letter when applying for a job? Actually, it’s not. There are some situations where one isn’t needed. Here’s how you can determine whether a cover letter should be sent or not:

Read the job advertisement

The first thing you should do is to check out the job advertisement and see what it says, if anything, about cover letters. Some will say that you should send one with your resume and some will say not to send one.

Do what it says to do. If you send one when the ad states not to or vise versa, then you’re not following directions well and that doesn’t look good in their eyes. If you can’t follow directions in a job ad; they question whether you could follow directions on the job or not.

What is the application process?

In most cases, there will be two options for applying to a position. One will be to send your resume and the other is filling out one of their specially made application forms. These forms could be filled out online or offline.

If you’re sending your resume to apply to a position and the job ad doesn’t say whether to include a cover letter or not; then consider sending one. This way, you show them what position you’re applying for (since they sometimes hire for more than one job) and you show them why they should consider hiring you.

If you’re filling out an application form, then a cover letter wouldn’t be needed. Application forms ask for specific information. That means that they only want that specific information from you at that time. Most of the time, the applications have a section where you can provide extra things you have done to help you stand out.

How popular is the job you’re applying for?

You’re not likely to know how many people have or are going to apply for the same position. Just be aware that if the job is advertised online and it’s a popular one, then it’s more than likely going to get hundreds of responses.

Popular jobs are ones like customer service or data entry. In these cases, it’s going to be tough to get noticed, so that you can get an interview for that position; especially if the ad is online. If that is the case, then a cover letter is very necessary to grab a hiring manager’s attention.

If the job isn’t as popular or if the position is local, where not many people are likely to apply, then the decision to send a cover letter or not is up to you. The fewer applicants they have; the higher your chances are of getting noticed with or without a cover letter.

Keep these things in mind when getting ready to apply for a position with an employer. Cover letters are powerful tools to use to sell yourself to a hiring manager, but they’re not always needed. Look at your situation and determine whether a cover letter would boost your chances or not.

Nell Taliercio has been working at home full time since 2004. She’s worked as a telecommuter, virtual assistant and affiliate marketer. In 5 years she’s discovered many secrets to finding legitimate work at home jobs and securing them. You can find work at home job information and tips at: http://www.justonlinejobs.com

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Are Cover Letters Really Necessary?

Having a transcript made gives you a new format. You’ve just repurposed your content without doing anything new or different. You’ve got something new that you can give your audience in the form of a PDF as a short report. This could be free viral content or it could even be a report that you sell for small fee, depending on the content and your goal with it.

What if your customer or visitor can’t hear? Technology is a wonderful thing and the internet is widely used by people everywhere today. Unfortunately, a lot of those people are hearing impaired. If they’ve landed on your site via a search, which means you have something they’re looking for. But, if you’re only offering audio and video versions, and they can’t hear it, then they aren’t going to get what they came searching for in the first place and they’re going to move on away from your site.

In the case of info products and online courses, sometimes people just like to have the text format to read and follow along with the audio or video. They can print it out, highlight, and takes notes on it if they want to. They can read along on their screen if they want to. They can watch or listen first and then read later, or refer to the text when they are working on what you just taught them. The addition of the transcript allows them to consume your content in the way that’s best for them, and that’s always a good thing.

Using transcripts of your audio and video can open up more doors for your online business. If you need a transcript of your audio, video, interview or podcast, contact Loretta Oliver at Easy Wahm Websites and you’ll have a professionally transcribed and ready to use document waiting in your email inbox in no time at all.

Loretta has 7 years of transcription service experience and strives to deliver a quality product to each and every client, no matter the size of the project. Requests are accepted for any length from 5 minutes to an ongoing series of hour long teleseminars.

A cleaned up and easy to read transcript of your audio or video will be delivered in a timely manner and with great accuracy. If you’d like a PDF created for you including your affiliate links, images, and additional information just ask when you send in for your price quote. Expand your reach and gain new followers and customers today by adding the use of transcripts to your online business.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

3 Reasons to Have Your Audio Or Video Transcribed by a Transcriptionist

There are times in your life when you just don’t have all of the information you need to get to where you want to go. Fortunately, there are people who do have “expert” knowledge and are willing to help you discover the answers you need. Yet, I find that people don’t want to take that first step to ask those who have “expert” knowledge about a subject or situation. Why is that? Could it be that you feel you will be judged for not knowing this information? Are you afraid the person with the knowledge might say “No”? One of the things I’ve learned is that people really enjoy helping others. It’s a real confidence builder when someone has the chance to share their knowledge on something. When we were lost in New York (this happened more than a few times!), people jumped at the chance to get us going in the right direction.

If you are thinking about making any sort of change in your life–whether it’s personal or business, doesn’t it just make good sense to ask someone who has insight, wisdom and information in that area? You wouldn’t try to repair a plumbing leak in your home or take your laptop apart and fix it. So why would you go it alone for a major life change? I learned early on that it’s important to have coaches and mentors around me at all times to support me in navigating the path ahead. I feel more confident and relaxed knowing that I have the guidance and mentorship of people who have walked the path ahead of me and can share their journey so that I don’t make the same mistakes.

If you are thinking that now is the time for you to make a change in your life, don’t go it alone. Here are a few smart solutions to help you stay on course to your destination:

1. Ask an “Expert” – Find someone who is known to be an “expert” in what you want to accomplish. For example, if you are ready to start or grow a business, find someone who has helped others do this successfully. If you are ready to make a change but you’re not sure what to do first, find someone who successfully has a system to help you determine what your first steps should be.

2. Give yourself extra time – It’s natural when you finally make a decision to do something new that you want the change to happen as quickly as possible. Remember, when you are entering new territory, you need to allow some time for getting off course and then making up for lost time along the way. This is where a good coach or mentor can help you minimize errors and wrong turns. Giving yourself extra time will keep you from having feelings of frustration and keep you excited and inspired about your exciting new journey.

3. Carry a Good Map – One of the things that I do with the women I serve both individually and in my Women’s Success Circles is help them to create a plan of action that supports who they are and where they want to go. Each woman has her own Big Ideas, Dreams and Goals so we work together to design a “map” that will serve them individually.

Oh, by the way, being a woman is a real advantage when it comes to asking for direction: My husband Greg would at times settle for studying the map and try to figure out which way we should go to get us back on track. My natural inclination was to ask someone right away for help once we knew we were lost. I wanted to keep moving and get to our next adventure as soon as possible! Smart Women don’t go it alone; they seek out the “experts” and get the right directions.

Anything is possible. Everything is waiting for you.

*****
© 2009 Joy Chudacoff

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Joy Chudacoff, ICF, PCC, is the founder of Smart Women Smart Solutions(tm), a Professional Certified Coach to 1000’s of women, Motivational Speaker, and Entrepreneur. She publishes a weekly buzz generating ezine, Reflections On Life and Business for Women Entrepreneurs. If you’re ready take your life and your business to the next level, get your FREE Tips, FREE Report and FREE MP3 now at Profits With Passion .

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Smart Women, Subways and Asking

Why Employers Are Reluctant to Hire You

The reason the employers feel a little bit leery about hiring a high-level executive in a lower position is because they think you’re not interested in sticking around long. Employers know that some employees need work and will accept a position just for the money with no intention of excelling within the company. For obvious reasons this is undesirable; however, it prompts many employers to decline higher-level applicants right away.

Also, employers may feel more comfortable with choosing exactly who matches a position because they have the advantage of having a large applicant pool during this recession. With all of these odds against you, how can you get the job anyway?

Repackage Your Experience

If you are applying for a position that is obviously below your level of experience, you may have to repackage your experience to focus more on what the company is looking for than what you have accomplished. It may be incredibly tempting to brag about all of your accomplishments as an executive, but, since an executive isn’t what the employer is looking for, it’s up to you to refocus your attention so that it pinpoints skills you have that match the lower-level position.

Reiterate Your Intentions

If you are looking for a position at a lower level because you are interested in switching careers and gaining experience in a new area, there is nothing wrong with this. For this reason, explain your intentions in your cover letter since it’s often difficult to hide all of your previous experience. Also, it may be that you’re moving toward retirement and would like a position that will allow you to spend more time with your family while still participating in a fulfilling career. This can be viewed as an admirable feat by a prospective employer, so don’t be shy about disclosing it.

Don’t Let Rejection Deter You

As mentioned previously, there will be some employers that are simply against the idea of hiring someone grossly overqualified for a position, but don’t let rejection deter you. Keep doing what you’re doing with confidence. It will pay off in the long run.

While you may be applying for jobs that will result in pay and responsibility cuts, if you feel good about what you’re doing, it will show as you apply. Being overqualified is only a testament to your hard work over the years, so apply with confidence to secure the job you want.

Heather Eagar is a former professional resume writer and is passionate about providing working professionals with current, reliable and effective job search tools and information. Compare the top resume writing services in the industry at http://www.resumelines.com.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

What to Do When You’re an Overqualified Executive

So, how can you avoid crossing the fine line from smart resume packaging to exaggeration? Here are a few ideas to consider …

Choose Creative Ways to Describe Your Skills and Accomplishments

It’s one thing to choose a creative way to describe what you’ve accomplished in prior positions; fudging the truth is another matter altogether. If you are able to find creative words for what you’ve actually done, you’re considered a smart cookie. However, if you fudge the truth and tell a story that didn’t happen, you’re considered a liar.

It’s very important that you carefully choose what you write in your resume because everything can be tracked. So if you tell an employer that you were managed 10 employees in packing department, when in actuality you managed handing out daily assignments drawn up by the real manager of the packing department, you could find yourself in deep trouble for fudging the truth. Using action words like managed, oversaw, developed and arranged are good ways to make small tasks look bigger, as long as using them doesn’t result in a lie.

Get Used to Telling the Truth

How do you find the happy medium between exaggerating and underselling yourself? The best way is to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. For instance, if you’ve managed an average of 50 calls per day, successfully routing them to the appropriate party via the company’s complex phone system, yet on your resume, you write that you were “in charge of answering phones”, you’re only telling a half-truth.
Of course, you don’t want to say that you developed the intricate phone system yourself because that would be an outright lie. So what’s a happy medium? Tell them that you “managed an average of 50 calls per day, successfully routing them to the appropriate party via the company’s complex phone system”. Do you see how that works? You were much more specific about what you did and were able to tell the truth, making your accomplishment much more impressive without having to lie.

Use Your Cover Letter to Back You Up

If you feel that you simply do not have enough experience to make a hard sell in your resume without exaggerating, use your cover letter as a way to tell your stories in detail. Since resumes only leave room for one- and two-liners, they can feel restrictive. By using your cover letter to better describe your experience, you can help to make up for what your resume lacks.

You don’t want to get into the habit of stretching the truth in your job applications. One little “white lie” can come back to bite you in a big way. Instead, find ways to creatively tell the truth about your accomplishments. No matter how small you think they are, they are yours and you should be proud of them.

Heather Eagar is a former professional resume writer and is passionate about providing working professionals with current, reliable and effective job search tools and information. Need a resume service? Compare the top ones in the industry at http://www.resumelines.com.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

How to Avoid Exaggerating In Your Resume

In the Christian niche there are a number of e-book topics available. An author can focus on Christian parenting, Christian marriage, or even Christian blogging. If you have a favorite e-book you could even write an e-book on the same subject but with a Christian angle.

Writing e-books is not always easy, especially for someone who is not a natural writer. A quick way to get started is to create an outline of the points you want to make in your e-book. This will help keep you focused on what you need to be writing. Of course, you could also hire a ghostwriter to do the writing for you, and the outline you create can be used a guideline for the ghostwriter.

If you find that you have trouble completing the actual writing portion of the e-book, then you should consider using PLR content. PLR content can help get you pass writer’s block and also add some filler information to your e-book. There are a few PLR sites that even sell Christian based PLR content.

When developing a Christian based e-book remember to include important Christian values and backed them up with Bible verses. Keep your target audience in mind as well. Make sure you are giving them the information they want.

Once you have you e-book written, the next steps include editing, getting an e-book cover designed, and marketing. Find someone to edit the e-book for you; don’t do it yourself. You have looked at your creation multiple times and it will be easier for you to overlook mistakes. Depending on how you plan to distribute your e-book, you may even need to setup a shopping cart or a mailing list system.

The great thing about e-books is that anyone can write them regardless of experience, expertise, or writing ability. If you have information to share, then you can write an e-book. So if you ever wanted to write an information product, just do it. Someone will benefit from your knowledge.

Courtney Chowning is a Christian entrepreneur who runs a Christian PLR site and affiliate program, http://christianmomplr.com. She also blogs at http://courtneyspeaks.com about putting God first in your blog and online business.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Writing a Christian Based E-Book

The new definition of one income living is applying more and more to a wider segment of the population — including those who have found themselves out of work or with reduced hours due to the recent changes in the economy. In these situations, families are finding themselves in one income living situations without necessarily making the conscious choice to do so. This is creating a situation where the nuggets of one income living wisdom are beginning to take on new life and become a benefit to an ever-increasing number of people.

While there is no one-size-fits-all formula to successfully living on one income, testimonies abound on the internet and in a variety of  publications of families who are not only living well on one income but are living abundantly. This is an encouragement to many that their quality of living need not be reduced only because their paycheck may have been.

One income living starts with a change in how we think and how we relate to money. It is a process of learning to rearrange our true priorities and weed out the fluff and stuff unnecessary to our lives. It is learning to develop a greater sense of resourcefulness, creativity and self-sufficiency and a way of looking beyond monetary limitations to see the greater possibility. In this sense, one income living can become a gift instead of the overwhelming sense of deprivation that some would imagine.

What families who have devoted themselves to the principles of one income living have learned is that the disciplines that come with it actually bring freedom — not deprivation. They become free from debt, free from financial fear and come into a greater understanding of the benefits of patience and self-restraint. They end up saving more money than they did on two incomes and have more purchasing power, more freedom to pursue their personal passions and have found a type of peace and joy that comes with contentedness.

That doesn’t mean sacrifices aren’t made. It does mean that the sacrifices count for something. In this way, the true priorities of life take precedence over things of lesser importance — things that usually distract us and deplete our financial resources, coincidentally.

There is beauty in simplicity, and learning to live abundantly on one income brings us back to a level of simplicity that clears up the complications and confusions of life. It becomes a state of being rather than just a way of living and affects every area of life in terms of how we choose priorities, face challenges and live our lives. It sets us free from working solely to earn money and allows us to pursue passions instead of careers.

Yes, it is possible to live well, live abundantly and live in contentment as a one income family. Even if only for a temporary season in life, the disciplines and principles that will be developed will reap benefits that last a lifetime.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Abundant One Income Living

But you have to use them correctly, or they will not serve you as well as they could. Read on for a quick review of seven power business card etiquette essentials:

1) Your business card represents you

Before you hand out your card (and preferably before you have them printed up), check the following:

– Does your card match your introduction or audio logo? — Is it immediately clear from looking at the card what services or products you provide? — Is it branded to reflect what you do and your marketing position? — Is it clean, crisp and of good quality without dog ears or scuffs? — Does it look professional? — Is the information on it correct and up-to-date? Avoid handwritten corrections.

2) Do you have enough of them?

If the answers to the above questions are positive, make sure you have enough cards so you’ll always have them available when you have an opportunity to pass them out. Find places to keep an extra stash – toss a box of cards in your truck or glove box of your car, and keep extras tucked away in your purse or briefcase so you won’t run out.

3) What if you do run out of cards anyway?

Make sure to get one from anyone you meet AND then email a quick note with your contact information or a V card within 24 hours.

4) How do you exchange cards correctly?

You should first establish rapport with a person in a conversation before exchanging cards. If you aren’t asked for yours, ask for theirs first. Most people will respond in kind. If not, simply ask, “May I offer you my card?”

5) Look at the cards you receive

When you receive a card, borrow from the Japanese tradition. Honor it by looking at it and at the person, and then make a comment about it. This focus will help you remember both the card and the person.

6) Take notes

Be sure to jot down quick notes on the back of the business cards you get while networking. These notes can make the difference between a follow-up happening or not. There’s nothing worse than getting back to the office with twenty business cards and you can’t remember who all these people were.

What if you don’t have a pen handy? Just fold over a corner of the card for people with whom you definitely want to connect further.

7) Don’t Get Your Cards Mixed Up

Make sure to keep your own cards separate from the ones you get from other people. Keeping them in separate pockets or sections in your purse or briefcase, for example, will help you avoid the embarrassment of handing out a card that isn’t yours.

So let’s recap:

Business cards are a key to making connections. Make sure they represent you well and pass them out liberally — while always getting cards in return. Then follow up — and watch how quickly you’ll get new clients!

Discover more key strategies during your FREE first month in Sue Clement’s new membership program Your Marketing Edge! And get ready to take your business to a whole new level.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Business Card Essentials – Seven Power Business Card Etiquette Tips For Greater Networking Success

1. Lunch is for connecting

It’s not about business, certainly not directly, so leave your samples and folders behind (unless your guest has specifically requested them), and it’s not really about the food either. Instead, focus on getting to know the other person.

2. Order fuss-free food

No matter how much you love spaghetti. Twisting noodles and slurping sauce can be distracting and a disaster especially if it ends up on your chest or lap. And of course watch your manners – don’t speak with your mouth full.

Instead, order an easy-to-eat pasta dish, for example something like ravioli that’s bite size and easy to manage. If both of you enjoy sushi, consider going to a Japanese restaurant. Sushi is a perfect business lunch food since it’s served up in handy bite-sized pieces. Avoid anything complicated or messy — unless you plan on bonding over trying to figure out how to crack those crab legs.

3. How to invite someone

Just suggest, “Let’s have lunch.” And ask them to suggest a restaurant, either one they like or one they’ve always wanted to try. Aim for a nice restaurant that’s not too expensive. Stay clear of fast food or noisy places.

If it’s a client or prospect that you’re inviting I prefer to offer to pick them up and drive them. This has saved me from being stood up more than once! But for those of you, who are speed demons like me, remember to drive conservatively. Now is not the ideal time to get pulled over for a speeding ticket.

4. Ask lots of questions

This lunch is not about you. Your goal is to get to know the other person, so get curious and ask lots of questions. But keep them conversational this isn’t an inquisition. If you’re not good at coming up with questions on the spot plan ahead it’s also good to have a look at the newspaper headlines for some current topics to get you started. Avoid going into the gory details of your own life and definitely leave you personal baggage at home.

5. Pace yourself

If you’re asking you guest a lot of questions or if they’re a slower eater, they might be still sitting in front of a full plate while you’re all finished. Try to avoid that. Pace yourself, and eat slowly. You want to finish about the same time. Then order dessert or coffee — or both.

6. Don’t drink (much)

Seriously. Avoid drinking too much, even too much water. You don’t want to have to excuse yourself to go to the restroom and leave your guest twiddling his or her thumbs. And definitely watch out when it comes to alcohol. Unless your guest orders it first, avoid it, and if you do have a drink, stop at one.

7. It’s your treat

Insist on that, even if your client offers to pay. Unless there’s a major reason — the client’s company has a policy that prohibits that their employees are treated for meals, or unless there are other obvious reasons, pay for the meal. For discretion use a credit card.

And here’s a bonus tip: leave your cell phone in your pocket or purse and turn it off.

So let’s recap: Business lunches are for connecting. Keep the focus on the prospect (or client) and watch how quickly you’ll get new clients or strengthen your bonds with your existing clients!

Discover more key strategies during your FREE first month in Sue Clement’s new membership program Your Marketing Edge! And get ready to take your business to a whole new level.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Lunch Etiquette – How to Ace a Business Lunch

Once you move beyond your immediate circle of friends and acquaintances, getting business through personal referrals won’t work so well anymore. But there is something else you can do that works almost as well as personal referrals: Testimonials.

Essentially, testimonials ARE like referrals. They really are social proof. And research has shown that people trust testimonials a lot more than anything you could possibly write in your sales letter yourself. It also shows that people are more than twice as likely to buy from an ad with testimonials than from ads without them.

So don’t let your ads sitting there without testimonials for another day. Get some from your clients and put them on all your sales materials.

You may think that this is easier said than done and you’re right. It has to be done correctly, and it will take some work. But once you see the pay-off, you’ll find that it is worth much more than the work it took to get it. In this section, you’ll discover what kind of testimonial you’ll need to get.

Get the correct type of testimonial

In order to work in your favor, testimonials have to have certain qualities — they have to be believable and specific, and they have to remove obstacles.

1) Believable

Remember that testimonials work like referrals. If they were so outlandish that you wouldn’t believe they were true, they wouldn’t work. Testimonials work the same way. Yes, they have to be positive, but stay within the realm of the reasonable.

2) Specific

The more generic a testimonial, the less convincing. So be specific. Give details that answer the kinds of questions that your prospective customers or clients might have.

3) Remove obstacles

Imagine the concerns and doubts your prospective customers might have. Try to have them addressed in the testimonials you include in your materials. The more questions you can answer, and the more you can reassure your clients-to-be, the more likely they’ll be to pick up the phone, click on that button, or sign on the dotted line.

How do you get testimonials that meet all these criteria? Look for part two of this series and find out.

Meanwhile, let’s recap:

Don’t miss a chance to get testimonials from your clients. Then use them and watch how quickly you’ll get new clients!

Discover more key strategies during your FREE first month in Sue Clement’s new membership program Your Marketing Edge! And get ready to take your business to a whole new level.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Get New Clients and Increase Your Sales, Part 1 – The Secret Weapon and 3 Key Features it Must Have

Is it writing that’s worthy of The New York Times bestseller list? Maybe, but I’m not sure how practical that is.

Could it be as simple as writing so that your readers understand the meaning you’re trying to convey? Yep, I’m pretty sure that’s it.

So how do you make sure your readers understand you?

First, you have to determine the purpose of your writing – the message that you’re trying to get across to your readers. That may sound simple, but it’s not always so. What are you hoping to accomplish and how will you do it? The four main purposes in writing are to entertain, to inform, to persuade, and to question. Which purpose are you writing for? How would an article for a teen magazine on the dangers of drinking and driving differ from an article in a professional medical journal on the effects of alcohol on a person’s cognitive ability? What about a blog post detailing your weekend escapades at a local bar with your friends? Think about how the content, tone, vocabulary, and style would vary in each of these formats. Each piece might deal with the effects of drinking, but from a very different perspective and with different, even competing, interests in mind.

Next you need to think about your audience. What do they already know about your subject? What do they need to know? Why does this particular audience need to read what you’re writing? A reader already familiar with the problems of overdevelopment in her small town probably doesn’t need a long backstory on what caused the explosive growth. She wants to know what’s going to happen next, how other towns have responded to similar problems, and what she can do to reverse the damage.

Now you know what you’re writing, why, and for whom. That will get you a long way, but you’re not done yet; you have to be effective. Your audience may be crystal clear on what you’re trying to say, but the trick is to get them to care. You may have great information on today’s financial state and how boomers can successfully plan for retirement, but if you can’t capture – and keep – their attention, that information never gets read.

You want to appeal to your audience and deliver your message in a way that rouses them to action, or makes them think, or laugh, or cry; you want to make an impact. That’s where style and voice come in. Style covers things like word choice, the types of sentences you write, how you introduce a piece, how you conclude it, and how you show your meaning (if you don’t know it already, memorize and make your own the mantra of “show; don’t tell”). Voice is that element that’s intangible, yet so crucial for effect. Voice in writing is what makes it yours and no one else’s. It’s you peeking out from behind your words saying, “This is me!” It’s what gives your writing power and captivates your readers.

Writing isn’t just sitting down at your desk and letting the words flow. It’s a systematic process. There’s a logic to it. Yes, it’s creative, too, but it’s not just a throwing up of ideas and words and sentences in the creative spur of the moment. It takes some thought and design. These are your blocks: purpose, audience, tone, style, voice. Once you know what materials you’re going to build with, your final product comes out strong and beautiful.

Happy building!

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

The Building Blocks of Powerful Writing

1. If you had all the money you wanted, where and how would you live?
2. If you had the answers to all your problems right now, how long would it take to solve them?
3. Do you have a personal or professional vision? If so, what is it?
4. What do you wish you could achieve in this lifetime that you think might not be possible?
5. If your answer to # 4 could become magically possible, what would that look like?
6. On a scale of 1 to 10, with ten being the highest, how would you rate the quality of your life today?
7. Using that same scale, what would have to happen for a score of 10 to be possible for you?
8. If there is a dream or goal that you’ve given up on, what would make that dream or goal possible for you now?
9. If there is a part of you that you’ve given up on, who would you have to become to have fulfillment in that area?
10. If there is a goal or part of your life have you put on the back burner because the ‘time isn’t right?’ What would need to be true for the time to be right now?
P.S. Remember to THINK BIG for yourself!

*****

© 2009 Ruth Hegarty

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Ruth Hegarty helps women entrepreneurs create confident and effortless success. As a certified Law of Attraction Coach, Ruth teaches women to unleash their powerful creator. She hosts the popular “The Art of Joyful Living Radio Show.” Listen every Tuesday by visiting Art of Joyful Living .

To learn more about Ruth’s group or one-on-one coaching programs and to get her free Confidence Building e-book for women, please visit her website at Leap of Confidence.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Oh! What Possibilities!

You’re passionate about your message. Whether it’s about frogs, women business owners, or creating financial stability, you have this burning desire to get your message out and help people (or frog lovers). The best way to do that is to write a book, right? Reach more people (and frog lovers) and, at the same time, become an expert in your field.

Writing and publishing a book isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. It’s work. If you’re a new author, you might think that the majority of the work is in writing the damn book. Not so. That’s the easy part. It’s in the post-final-manuscript stage that the real work begins. You might be thinking that you just have to find an agent or a publisher, and then you can sit back and relax, watch the publisher work its tail off to market your book, and wait for your royalty checks to arrive.

Whether you self-publish or go with a traditional publishing house, YOU are going to be instrumental to the publishing, marketing, and selling of your book. And that means that you have to shift your mindset around your book. While your book is fundamentally your passion, you have to start looking at it as a business.

First, publishers and agents look at your book that way. Their job is to sell books. They’re only going to bring on books that will sell. They don’t really care how passionate you are about frogs, women entrepreneurs, and financial stability. They have revenues and return on investment to worry about. Each book is a product for them. Can they sell it? What is the market? Is the author marketable? Will there be other ancillary books (products)? What are the other competing books?

For you to have a shot, you need to be thinking like a business owner, not just a writer. Here are some things to consider.

Platform – What kind of audience and following do you have right now? Do you publish an Ezine and have a database to which you send your Ezine? Do you speak? At what kinds of events? How many people attend your events? Do you collaborate with any other organizations and companies? Can you depend on them to help you get the word out? If you don’t have a platform, what do you need to do to get one?

Target Market – Who is your book written for? The answer is NOT “everyone.” You really have to think about the person who will read the book. Male or female? How old? Where does she work? Or does she work? Does she have kids? What’s her annual income? What are her fears? What are her goals? What keeps her up at night? What is her passion?

Viability – What’s the purpose of your book? What problem or challenge does it solve? Have you determined that there is a need? In other words, your book should solve an existing need, not create a need. What are its benefits? What are its features?

Marketing Plan – What activities will you engage in to sell your book? Book tours? Blog book tours? Book signings? Amazon book selling programs? How does your website fit into your marketing plan? How do you build your customer list? Do you give away any products or services for free? How does media (social and traditional) fit into your marketing? Do you have a plan, or do you just engage in activities haphazardly?

Sales Funnel – Your book is a business, and it’s only one part of your business. How does it fit in with other products and services you offer? If you do speaking events, are you set up for back-of-the-room sales? Your sales funnel should include low-price services/products, medium-price, and high-end. What does your sales funnel look like? Is there a natural flow from one product/service in the sales funnel to the others? How do the other pieces of your business (website, blog, social media) support this?

More Than a Book – Many authors find that the biggest benefit of writing their book is that it lends them credibility and opens doors for other opportunities. If you’re now a credible expert (because you’ve written a book) on frogs, women entrepreneurs, or financial stability, what can you do with that? What organizations and associations do you need to be pinging about using you, the expert? Are there workshops, workbooks, events that are natural follow-ups to the message in your book? Can you collaborate with other experts and “celebrities” in your field?

You might be a little overwhelmed by all the questions I’ve posed. It’s not something you’ll build in a day. Just like you didn’t write your book in one sitting, you won’t create the business of your book in one day either. If you’re just starting out writing your book, then you can be looking at these areas and working on them at the same time. If you already have a book, then start building the business part of it.

Frog lovers, women business owners, and the financial world will thank you.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Your Book Is a Business

Many couples choose certain locales because they cater specifically to destination weddings and hosting numerous guests; they are the places that everyone on your list wants to go to and may not have had a chance before, but now have an iron-clad reason to make the trek. Here are the most popular spots for destination weddings – as well as what you can do while you’re there! (Just remember to choose a locale that suits you both; if you love water, a beach wedding is best, but if you would rather have a more rustic affair, opt for the mountains!)

Five of the Best Destination Wedding Planning Picks

• Italy: There’s nothing more romantic than Italian destination weddings. Rome, Florence, Venice, and Milan – you name it; this is the ultimate getaway for many couples and their families. But going overseas also has a lot of challenges. As part of your destination wedding planning, you’ll have to ensure that all guests have or acquire a passport well in advance, and you’ll be responsible for finding suitable accommodations and transportation to and from the events. Your guests will want to do a little sightseeing while in town, so creating a list of places to visit and how to get there is a must. Fortunately, there are many destination wedding planning specialists who cater to foreign couples, so use their abilities fully. And the true perk of destination weddings: you can honeymoon right where you got married!
• Hawaii: This tropical island is a mecca for couples who want a relaxed beach wedding with little fuss. And hundreds of thousands of couples flock here to celebrate their nuptials Hawaiian-style. Many airports in the U.S. have direct flights to Honolulu, but if you decide to get married on another island, your guests can easily catch a flight the same or next day, giving them time to explore. And whether you choose to have an impromptu, informal affair or a giant, tropical bash, there are many knowledgeable destination wedding planning companies that can help you decide where to have your event, what to serve, where to spend your honeymoon, and much more.
• The Bahamas: One of the top destination wedding locations, the Bahamas truly evokes the Caribbean spirit in more ways than one. If all of your guests are U.S. citizens, then you’re in the clear (though, based on recent legislation, you are required to have a valid passport to enter). Citizens of other countries are advised to check entry requirements before booking tickets, and you can make it easier on your guests if they are flying from another country by verifying the requirements beforehand. Many couples choose to have their destination weddings take place among the centuries-old cathedrals or fortresses or at the famed city harbor in Nassau. And once the wedding is over, you and your guests can experience the best seafood, golfing, shopping, and casinos available!
• Napa Valley: For couples who love wine and/or the idea of getting married in a vineyard, Napa Valley is a great choice for destination weddings. Proximity to the big city – San Francisco and all of its unique sights – and the pastoral beauty of countless vineyards lure thousands of couples here each year to tie the knot with the help of a destination wedding planning specialist. From Spring to Winter, the change in seasons provides a new and different look to the Napa Valley countryside. Some wineries even host on site and have event planners at your disposal who specialize in destination weddings! And what would be more fun than touring the Wine Country on The Napa Valley Wine Train for your honeymoon?
• Lake Tahoe: For many years, the scenic charms of Lake Tahoe have routinely been voted one of the top spots for destination weddings. And it’s no wonder why this vibrant city appeals to so many different people. There’s biking, hiking, boating, camping, fishing, golfing, and skiing, all right there for you and your guests to enjoy. If you choose a wedding resort, which not only takes care of the accommodations for you and your guests, you’ll be provided with a dedicated destination wedding planning guide who will see to all of the details.

Destination Weddings: a Break from the Norm

Many couples think destination wedding planning is an outrageous expenditure. While this belief is true in some instances, you’re actually saving yourself from many hassles. Wherever you choose to have your ceremony and reception, you’ll be matched with event planners skilled at making sure that the tiniest aspects of destination weddings flow smoothly. And, you’ll also have your honeymoon built in to the cost. The best part you ask?…experiencing a brand new place with your family, friends, and loved ones.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

The World’s Top Places for Destination Weddings

So how can you avoid resume quick sand? It’s easier than you think. Here is a bit of advice to take advantage of so you won’t become the quick sand’s next victim.

Tailor Your Resume for Each Employer

Employers recognize generic resumes a mile away. The generic resume is the one that you pull off of a template website then change only a little bit to match your specifics. If you want to let an employer know that you’re serious about the job you’re applying for, you have to do better than that. It’s your job to conduct research on the company and position to learn exactly how you feel you qualify. If you can’t do that then you have no business applying. At least that’s how the employer will feel as they dump your resume into the pool of quick sand.

Make Your Resume Keyword Heavy

Often times, resumes get lost in the quick sand because they have been run through scanning software meant to catch certain industry-specific keywords. If your resume doesn’t include some of these keywords then it may be filtered to the “quick sand” section of the program and be readied for deletion. To avoid this from happening to you, it’s a good idea to conduct a good amount of research on the company, as well as the industry as a whole, to learn what words should be included in your resume.

Let Your Cover Letter Say What the Resume Doesn’t

Another way to help avoid resume quick sand is to have your cover letter tell the story your resume can’t. For instance, if you have a major gap in your employment because you chose to take time to raise the family, you can explain this in your cover letter. Also, you can utilize this tool to highlight any experiences you acquired during your time off that might be relevant to the position you’re applying for.

If You’re Not Qualified … Don’t Apply

Sometimes we set ourselves up to have our resumes tossed into the quick sand. That’s right, if you didn’t apply for the job you were grossly under-qualified for, you may not have found yourself in this position. So if you know that you can provide absolutely no proof that you qualify for a position, it’s best not to apply. And while you’re at it, stop sending resumes to the same recruiters. If they’re interested, they’ll likely contact you. Repeatedly sending your resume to a recruiter is neither necessary nor appropriate.

The job search world is a tough one, but not an impossible one. If you play your cards right, you can not only avoid the resume quick sand, but actually secure a great position.

Heather Eagar is a former professional resume writer and is passionate about providing working professionals with current, reliable and effective job search tools and information. Compare the top resume writing services in the industry at http://www.resumelines.com.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Avoiding Resume Quick Sand

Obviously, what you’ll be buying depends upon your profession.  Make sure you inquire about the dress expectations that your new employer has.  Just because your last employer preferred casual dress and no ties doesn’t mean the new employer will feel the same way.  Knowing what you’re expected to wear will save you time and money and prevent any wardrobe issues the first week of work. 

Unless you’re working in the fashion industry, don’t be a slave to styles.  I’m not saying to give up on style, just keep to timeless styles when creating your work wardrobe.  A nice white shirt will stay timeless and it can be easily styled up with a  scarf, jacket or sweater versus that hot pink polka dot number that had five minutes of fame before being delegated to the bottom of the closet. 

Extremes are usually not timeless or professional.  Mini skirts and 2” zippers generally aren’t going to be perennial favorites or professional.  Whereas, skirts that fall between just above the knee and just below the knee will be fine year to year.  A pair of pants with a mid-rise waist will carry you much further than the low-cut with the top of your bum showing.

Neutrals and black are always easy to mix and match and accessorize.  You can also buy the very trendy blouse that strikes your fancy if you know that the black skirt you already have works with it.  I recently passed on the light pink jeans that caught my eye simply because I realized that I’d have a harder time matching up shirts rather than going for the basic “blue jean” color.  I can wear my blue jeans with ANY shirt in my closet and I can either dress them up or down depending on my mood but the pink would a hassle to coordinate.  Too much trouble for a trendy pair of pink jeans! 

So keeping these basics in mind let’s talk about how to frugally find your professional, timeless, non-extreme and easily coordinated wardrobe. 

-Thrift Stores-Don’t shake your head “no” too quickly!  I admit that it can be harder to find your size and you do have to go through racks a bit more (especially to weed out the seriously outdated and out of style clothing-a downside to thrift store shopping) but if you can come up with $100 worth of name brand clothing for $20 in two hours on a Saturday afternoon then you just made a “wage” of $40/hour!  That’s the $80 you just saved really equates to. 

Thrift stores have come a long way, as well.  Goodwill has developed “boutiques” where they filter higher quality, brand name clothing to.  I have one near me and all those brand names that my mother in law is intimately familiar with are there!  This is also a well-heeled community with lots of female and male professionals who regularly clean out stuff they don’t want anymore.  I have been there and found beautiful suits, blouses and other great things with labels still on them for upwards of 95% less than the price on the labels!  Some people have confessed to me that they buy clothes thinking they’ll lose weight and fit into it and then give up and donate the stuff.  Imagine, BRAND NEW for 95% less!

 I love to frequent a thrift store that is run by the local hospital women’s auxiliary.  The profits are used to buy hospital equipment like the new MRI machine.  Anyways, the doctor’s wives donate much of their clothing specifically to this shop.  I’ve purchased beautiful brand name wool sweaters there for $4.  I also snagged a stunning brand-named, mid-calf length, lined, wool coat (dressy and very warm for our New England winters) for $20.  This would have been a $200 purchase if it had been brand new!  I really do have other good uses for $180.  Do you?

Consignment Shops-Many people decide to try and recoup a bit of the cost of their wardrobes by selling their high quality and in-style pieces through consignment shops.  Consignment shops are decidedly picky about what they’ll accept (the shop makes their money from the sale so if they don’t think it will sell, they won’t accept it).  You’ll pay more at a consignment shop versus a thrift store but you’re not going to sift through serious outdated items.  Some consignment shops focus on particular types of goods (like furniture) or business and dress clothing so make sure to call ahead to see if they’ll have what you want.  Personally, I haven’t had as much success with consignment shops but many have.  I think it depends on what you’re looking for.

Brand new but deeply discounted-I do shop at retail stores in addition to thrift stores.  I have found deals that made buying brand new beat buying at thrift stores (which can be brand new clothes as well but you work harder for the deals).  Always try to hit your favorite retail stores as they begin to accept the clothing for the next season.  You can find deeply discounted winter clothing (50-80% off!) by April and May here in New England.  I found brand new short-sleeved polo shirts for my boys for only $2.22 each one October.  They were originally $9.99 each but short sleeves are heading out by October here and they were making room for long sleeves.  I bought ahead for at least two years and several sizes because polo shirts are timeless and with three boys I know someone will fit into them sooner or later.  I was able to get five shirts for the original cost of just one shirt!  You can find the same great deals to help fill out the wardrobe! 

In addition to shopping season-end sales also make sure to look over your choices for any damage or dirt.  Many times a bit of lipstick might get on a shirt when it’s tried on.  A button might be missing.  Whatever the issue, point it out and ask if they will drop the price.  I have a beautiful dress but one of the buttons is missing.  When I examined the dress, there was a spare button available and I’d have to sew it on.  The supervisor basically marked it down 75%!  I couldn’t believe my good fortune!  It doesn’t hurt to ask. 

Other sources-Tag sales, flea markets and freebies from friends and family should NEVER be discounted.  People give away and sell their very nice, stylish clothing for various reasons; having babies, leaving or changing professions, changing sizes, changing tastes.  Just because you didn’t pay full-price for something doesn’t mean it isn’t totally acceptable for your needs.  Unlike second-hand children’s clothing, second-hand adult clothing isn’t generally worn out and heavily stained and perfectly serviceable for continued use.

You can create a stylish and professional wardrobe frugally.  Remember to focus on spending your hard-earned money on timeless styles, easy to match basics necessities (like black or tan pants and skirts) and avoiding extremes in styles.  Then you can focus on where to find the best deals at thrift stores, thrift boutiques, consignment stores, and year-end retail store sales.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Frugally Dressing for Success

Typically, however, we hear about “green collar” jobs, not necessarily those at the executive level. They do exist, though. So let’s dive into the world of the executive-level green job to see how you might make your way into this promising industry.

Jobs in the Green Industry

First, let’s take a look at some careers that you may be able to take advantage of in the green industry. There are tons to get involved in at the executive level, include ecology, bio-fuels, building and construction, air and climate, forestry and plants, education and hydropower. However, the list doesn’t end there as you can also get into health, medicine and toxicology, environmental business, solar energy, solid waste, wind power, renewable energy, sustainability and perma-culture, and regulations.

Basically, the industry is pretty wide open. Your job is to find your niche within the industry then see how you can tunnel your way in. How can you do this? Let’s look at a few ways to get connected to the green job of your dreams …

How to Connect With Green Jobs

Connecting with a green job at the executive level is probably a lot easier than you think it is. In fact, it’s actually not much different than connecting with any other potential opportunity at your level. Basically, you want to connect with people who are considered to be “in the know.” This means networking both online and, the traditional way, offline to meet those individuals who are making moves in this new and thriving industry. Also, you want to make sure that you get familiar with the lingo and culture. It’s a good idea to do tons of research on the cutting edge companies, technologies and individuals making a difference in the green industry. Learn all you can so that you’re just as well-versed in this world as those who are already working in it.

What else? Once you get familiar with companies out there making a difference, it’s a good idea to begin making contact with the decision makers to see how you can fit into their mold. If you’re not sure who to make contact with, you can check company websites to find a wealth of information. You can look for the Board of Directors, C-suite company leadership, and even news and press releases to conduct your research.

Green jobs are among the more promising recession-proof occupations to take advantage, so why not get in on the action? If you’re looking for work and think a green job may be for you, it’s good to know that there are a number of steps you can take to make your way into this industry. Now it’s up to you to get started. What are you waiting for?

Heather Eagar is a former professional resume writer and is passionate about providing working professionals with current, reliable and effective job search tools and information. Compare the top writers for executive resumes at http://www.resumelines.com.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Going for the Green Job at the Executive Level

The first step in affiliate marketing is to find a niche market with products you believe in. The Christian niche is a great because you are promoting products and services that serve the Lord. You can also be fairly certain that the content is going to be family friendly and free of offending language or questionable data. The Christian affiliate marketing niche is not huge, but is steadily growing. New Christian affiliate programs are popping up everyday.

Christian affiliate marketing works the same as any other type of affiliate marketing but by promoting Christian products you have the unique opportunity to change someone’s life for the better. The Lord works in mysterious ways and you may never know if a person gives their life to the Lord because of your recommendation of a Christian product.

Most affiliate programs offer a variety of tools and materials for you to use to promote their products. It is up to you as the affiliate to use the tools to send customers to purchase the products. In order to become a successful affiliate, in any niche, you must commit to publishing content everyday. If you are a blogger, I am sure you have heard the saying, “Content is King.” The saying is true in affiliate marketing too. Content has proven to be one of the best sales tools available.

There are a number of ways you can publish content and make affiliate sale. Some possible methods include setting up an e-course in an autoresponder, sending out newsletters, writing an e-zine, writing blog posts, posting in social networking communities, article marketing, and writing press releases. The goal is to get your content out there while using your affiliate links.

For the Christian niche some popular affiliate programs include ChristianBooks.com and Amazon.com because of the large number of Christian books they sale. If you publish a book review of a Christian book you can then include your affiliate link in your review. You can even write devotionals around a particular subject and then reference the affiliate product as an additional study aide.

There are countless ways you can include Christian content on your site and still promote Christian products as an affiliate marketer. Just because run a Christian website does not mean you cannot be a successful affiliate marketer and make money online. Just remember you “can do all things through Christ” (Philippians 4:13).

Courtney Chowning is a Christian entrepreneur who runs a Christian PLR site and affiliate program, http://christianmomplr.com. She also blogs at http://courtneyspeaks.com about putting God first in your blog and online business.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Christian Affiliate Marketing

This is an extreme case example but the principle is the same whether you are on that plane or safe in your home. Telling your child that mommy needs 20 minutes of uninterrupted quiet time to take a bubble bath is not neglecting your child. Rather, it is practicing extreme self-care. Just as there was a larger benefit to the child on the airplane to being second in line for an oxygen mask (continued protection and comfort from you) there is a benefit to your child, children, husband, wife, friends, etc. of you practicing extreme self-care in your everyday life. That benefit is a happier, healthier, more focused you. Rather than begrudgingly or grumpily spending time with your family when what you really need is a half hour alone to unwind after a tough day at work or at home, take the half hour for yourself. Read, journal, go for a bike ride, take a relaxing bath, whatever will make you feel better. Then you can spend time with your family in a happy and healthy mood. Your family would rather spend one hour of joy with you feeling great than two mediocre or tense hours with you wishing you had a moment to yourself.

You may not need quiet time every single day, or maybe you do. Identify what you need to feel your best and then give yourself the gift of yourself. Ask the older kids to watch the younger ones, or ask your spouse or a neighbor to watch them all, and take a stroll after dinner. Combine your quiet time with an easy task and take the dog with you. Enlist your family into the process. Everyone might like a quiet hour before or after dinner or reading time before bed. There are many ways to take extremely good care of you. Take a whole day once a month to be alone or ten minutes every day. Whatever works for you.

To get started, make a list of the top one to ten activities you would like to include in your day as part of your self-care. I like to call these your Delicious Daily Habits. Once you have your list, start to incorporate these things into your life on a daily basis. Then sit back and see your spirits rise. Here are examples of some possible delicious daily habits to kick-start your imagination. Choose from this list or invent your own unique habits. Avoid feeling overwhelmed by starting with one self-care change each day or week and keep building momentum until taking extremely good care of yourself is second nature to you.

1.) Walk
2.) Journal
3.) Talk to your mom
4.) Play with your cat/dog
5.) Spend time in nature
6.) Swim, dance, move your body
7.) Sing
8.) Read a great novel.

Be creative in finding ways to make your self care a priority. Have fun with this!

*****
© 2009 Ruth Hegarty

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Ruth Hegarty helps women entrepreneurs create confident and effortless success. As a certified Law of Attraction Coach, Ruth teaches women to unleash their powerful creator. She hosts the popular “The Art of Joyful Living Radio Show.” Listen every Tuesday by visiting Art of Joyful Living .

To learn more about Ruth’s group or one-on-one coaching programs and to get her free Confidence Building e-book for women, please visit her website at Leap of Confidence.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Self-Care

We are “reminded” on a daily basis about who we “should” be. The covers of various magazines remind us that we should look thin and trim at all times. Our family, friends, and colleagues have their ideas of who we “should” be as well.

There have been times in my life when I wanted to be more of someone else and less of who I was. In my 20’s, I was really into fashion and fitness. I wanted to look and dress like many of the women I saw on the cover of the most popular magazines. In my 30’s, when I would meet a successful person in the business world, I wanted to emulate a lot of who they were being as I had a strong desire to be a successful entrepreneur. In my 40’s, I’m still interested in discovering effective ways of living in the world and being successful as an entrepreneur. The difference for me today in my late 40’s is that I know it’s essential to take what works for me and weave that into who I am at my core–my authentic self.

Unfortunately today, there are women and young girls in many parts of the world that do not have any freedom. There are women who are not allowed any independent actions whatsoever. Likewise, there may be a woman on your street or in your office who does not feel she has the opportunity to exercise her independence. Her personal circumstances or limiting beliefs may leave her feeling “trapped” and unable to move forward with her dreams and desires.

It’s up to you and me to lead the way. In a few days, our country will celebrate its “independence”. We are fortunate to live in a country where we can say, wear, do, or be whatever we choose.

Let me ask you a few questions:
* Are you living into your Big Ideas, dreams and goals?
* Are you taking advantage of the fact that you have the opportunity to be exactly who you are?
* Are you walking and talking your independent thoughts?

As you move into the weekend, I invite you to reflect on who you are being now in your life and who you would like to become. The oak and sycamore trees in the park were planted to grow in a straight line along the street. Once planted, they began to take on their own independent shape and size. They are living into their uniqueness, their individual beauty, their independent growth. You are a beautiful, Smart Woman. You have your special gifts to bring to the world. Let your own brand of independence and uniqueness shine through. Take advantage of your “Independence Day” and celebrate who you are because there will never be another You.

Anything is possible. Everything is waiting for you.

*****
© 2009 Joy Chudacoff

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Joy Chudacoff, ICF, PCC, is the founder of Smart Women Smart Solutions(tm), a Professional Certified Coach to 1000’s of women, Motivational Speaker, and Entrepreneur. She publishes a weekly buzz generating ezine, Reflections On Life and Business for Women Entrepreneurs. If you’re ready take your life and your business to the next level, get your FREE Tips, FREE Report and FREE MP3 now at Profits With Passion .

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Smart Women Celebrate Their Independence

How then do you still apply for a position that you have little or no prior experience doing? You can identify your transferable skills, or those skills that would be valuable to an employer even if those skills are not directly related to the job you’re seeking. Here are some ways to identify and make the most of them those skills.

Think of Your Favorite Accomplishments

Most likely, when you’re thinking of switching careers, you’re moving toward something you would love to do versus something you think you have to do. This is why it’s a good idea to think of your favorite accomplishments as you seek your transferable skills. What are you good at doing that simultaneously makes you happy?

Are you a master organizer whose organizational skills changed the face of a company? Did you give a speech at a non-profit in your spare time that touched the lives of numerous children? Whatever you’re really good at that makes you happy should be your centerpiece when identifying your transferable skills because you’ll be openly passionate about it as you approach employers in your new field or industry.

Pinpoint Skills for Each Position You Apply For

What you’ll probably notice as you identify transferable skills and try to apply them to different positions is that varying skills will deem themselves relevant. For instance, if you’re a former travel agent and you’ve decided that you want to become a writer, you might find that one of your transferable skills may be travel, especially if you apply for travel writing positions. In other words, while you may not have extensive writing experience, noting your knowledge of the world-at-large may work in your favor.

On the other hand, you might be able to apply for the same travel writing position, having been a waitress, if you highlight your extensive list of personal travels throughout your life along with your passion for keeping a vivid, well-written journal. While this transferable skill isn’t professional per se, it may be help you get the job. One of your duties when identifying your transferable skills is to determine exactly what the employer is looking for to help you determine just what you can offer them as an employee, so keep this in mind as you apply.

It may seem somewhat intimidating to try to apply for a job when it seems that you have no direct experience relevant to the position. However, many employers will take strides to train you when once you’re hired whether you have relevant experience or not. So don’t let a lack of experience deter you from pursuing your dream. If you can exhibit a basic understanding of the position by highlighting your transferable skills, you may just surprise yourself by being hired for the very position you desire.

Heather Eagar is a former professional resume writer and is passionate about providing working professionals with current, reliable and effective job search tools and information. Need resume writers? Compare the top ones in the industry at http://www.resumelines.com.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Identifying and Making the Most of Your Transferable Skills

So what can you do to make sure yours is not filled with mistakes? Let’s take a look at some common executive resume errors that you want to avoid as you’re creating or updating yours.

Forgetting a Clear Job Target

It’s never acceptable to submit a resume that looks like a generic template that you downloaded from a free website. At the executive level, there is absolutely no excuse for creating something that doesn’t focus directly on the position you’re interested in. You’ve accomplished too much, and should have too much to say, to not be able to sculpt a masterful resume filled with your accomplishments. By submitting a resume that doesn’t tell your story, or define a clear position objective, you’re telling the hiring manager that you really don’t know who you’re applying with or why you really want the position.

Excluding Personal Branding

Once you’ve reached the executive level, it is important that you have already begun to differentiate yourself from others by creating your own personal brand. Companies are not looking for carbon copies at this level. They want to know that you can bring your own personal touch to their business in order to take it in a direction they have yet to imagine. As you create your resume, show how innovative you are. Show that you’re able to breathe new life into their organization. You can’t do that if you don’t breathe life into your resume by including your personal brand.

Not Keeping Up With the Times

As an executive, you probably already know that half of how other executives function is through some type of portable device, be it a PDA or smartphone. It’s a good idea to keep this in mind as you create your resume. Why? Because many hiring managers will be checking resumes through their portable devices and may not feel good about trying to read densely-populated sentences on a tiny screen. That said, when creating your resume, write short, value-driven statements that get to the point but leave enough whitespace to not overwhelm busy managers.

Missing the Obvious

There is no excuse for having typos, grammatical errors or poor formatting in your resume. Again, you have to exude perfection even if we all know that no one is perfect. Since you know you’re not perfect, it’s important to have someone read through your resume for errors. Then have someone else read through it. Keep going until you feel sure that it’s as perfect as it can be. This way, your fabulous qualities won’t be overlooked because you wrote “objetive” instead of “objective.”

Don’t let common resume mistakes ruin your agenda as you’re trying to create a reputation as a quality executive. As you craft your resume, work to carefully create perfection to increase your odds of making the impression you want.

Heather Eagar is a former professional resume writer and is passionate about providing working professionals with current, reliable and effective job search tools and information. Compare the top writers for executive resumes at http://www.resumelines.com.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Common Executive Resume Mistakes

Ask Yourself  – Do I Really Need This?

This is a good question to ask yourself anytime your about to make a purchase. It’s  a great tool when you’re just starting out, but also something I still do on a regular basis (and have to remind myself to do as well). A good way to look at it is to distinguish between needs and wants. Let’s look at some quick examples:

I really need to buy these groceries or else my family won’t have dinner.

I really want this new shirt because it looks cute, but the once currently in my closet are still working fine.

What works for me is to make myself delay any “want” purchases by at least a day. Once I had a chance to sleep over it, the new item I thought I couldn’t possibly live without suddenly doesn’t seem quite as important anymore and I’m able to walk away from it.

Skip The Meat And Other Grocery Saving Tips

A big part of living more frugally is cooking and shopping for groceries that are less expensive. Rely less on convenience foods and cook more from scratch. Sure it’s simpler to buy that frozen lasagna and just heat it up, or pop a breakfast sandwich in the microwave every morning, but you’re paying the price for that convenience. Instead make your own lasagna (in fact, make a double batch and freeze one for later) and grab a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast instead. Just scoop 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of dry quick cooking oats into a bowl, cover with water and microwave for 1 minute. Then just add sugar and cinnamon or whatever else you like.

Meat is another biggie. You don’t really need to cook with meat every single day. Work in a few days a week without and prepare a bean and rice or bean and cornbread dish instead. It will provide you with plenty of protein, is low in fat and has a lot of healthy fiber in it. To be truly frugal, you’re going to want to cook up the beans yourself from dry ones of course.

Another thing that works well for me is to simply reduce the amount of meat I’m putting in a dish. If you’re making pasta or casseroles, you can easily cut the meat in half and substitute more rice, pasta, potatoes or veggies.

Repurpose and Reuse As Much As Possible

Don’t discard or throw out anything without considering first if there’s something else you can do with it. I mentioned oatmeal before. We eat a lot of it for breakfast and as a result we end up with a bunch of empty round oatmeal cans. I’ve turned some of them into flour and pasta containers, others hold various craft items. A member of my Hillbilly Housewife Club recently pointed out that it would also be easy to put contact paper around them and then let the kids color them. It’s a very cute idea and the end result will be a perfect and unique gift container for Christmas or Birthday presents.

When I don’t know what to do with a particular item (an old bath towel for example), I go to the web and search for “What can I make with …” or “reusing …” or “repurposing …”. Give it a try. You’ll be surprised how many things that you would ordinarily throw away can be reused and brought back to live with a different purpose.

Small Habits and Changes Add Up

Don’t get discouraged by how small the savings are for all the little frugal things you are doing. On their own, they may not seem like much, but by making them habits that you do day in and day out and by combining quite a few of these little things, they will start to add up and translate into big savings.

What works for me is to sit down from time to time to write down all the little things I do to help save money and live more frugally. I cook batches of dry beans in the crockpot and freeze them instead of using canned beans. That ends up saving me about $0.05 per can. I also  line-dry my laundry which saves a few pennies a load. The list keeps going on and on. Each thing I do only saves pennies (and sometimes dollars), but by the time I’m done, they all add up to quite a bit of money each month.

Thrift Shops, Hand-Me-Downs, Yardsales and Such

When I was growing up, we’d always get Hand-Me-Down clothes, toys and books from older cousins. For some reason that frugal habit has gotten out of style over the years, but it still works well and we still practice it in my family with this generation of kids. They often outgrow things much faster than they wear them out and there’s no reason not to pass them on. Talk to your family and friends about it and see if you can’t start trading things.

In addition, you can find plenty of “gently used” items at yard sales and in thrift shops. They are usually the first places I look when we need something.

Keep it Simple – Keep It Fun

Often the simplest things are the most fun and don’t have to cost a lot of money. Instead of going out to a restaurant, grab the kids and have a picnic at the park or cook outside on the grill. Other frugal activities we enjoy are game night where we dig out our favorite board games, reading together, going for hikes and exploring some of the playgrounds, parks, museums and such in our area.

Another thing that works well for us is movie night. We pick up a movie from the library or borrow it from a friends house, put on PJs and pop some popcorn. Great family entertainment for a Friday night.

Learn from Others and Get Support

There is a lot of frugal knowledge out there. Talk to the women in your family to learn more or find an online community of women that have the same values and interests. Not only are they a fountain of knowledge when it comes to all things frugal, they are also there to encourage you and motivate you to keep going.

I would like to invite you to join our frugal community at http://www.HillbillyHousewifeClub.com . We have a great group of women just like you who share tips, stories and recipes about living a frugal lifestyle.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

7 Tips For Living in a Frugal Way

One way to avoid the writing blues is to do all of your writing at one time. If you publish 5 blog posts a week set aside one day each week to do nothing but write those 5 posts. Once you have them written, you can then schedule them to be posted on a certain date. This way you have fresh content being posted everyday on your blog but you are actually only writing once a week.

Another way to beat writer’s block is to just write less. Instead of writing 5 blog posts a week, just write 3 and then have a guest blogger post on 2 days. Guest posts are great in the fact that not only do they give you a break from writing, but they can also offer a fresh perspective on certain topics. It can be good a thing to give your blog readers a little variety and different views.

An easy to come up with fresh content ideas is to use PLR articles. PLR stands for Private Label Rights and basically means that you have the right to use the articles as your own. You can edit the article and then use it as a blog post. The great thing about using PLR articles is that the data is already in front of you – all you have to do is rewrite the information that is already there. This saves time because you do not have to brainstorm blog post ideas or do the research. It is already done for you.

Creating content your for blog doesn’t have to an all consuming chore that you dread. By changing the way you write, utilizing guest posts, and even using PLR you can overcome the monotony of writing and keep your blog up-to-date with great, fresh content.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Don’t Let Creating Content Be A Daunting Task

Even if you have a wedding planner, you’re still facing hurdles of your own when it comes to surviving the wedding stress, trying to make sure that everything flows smoothly on the big day. But what do you do when unexpected issues arise? Have you considered your plan of action and which stress-free wedding tips you’ll rely on if something goes wrong? In these instances, a hands-on approach to the problems you’ll encounter will solve everything right then and there.

So, with all the potential problems that can happen before and during your wedding day, how do you handle, manage, and overcome wedding planning stress? Here are a few of the best stress-free wedding tips that brides swear by to get them through the wedding planning stages.

Stay in Control with These Stress-Free Wedding Tips!

1. Surviving wedding stress involves giving yourself enough time to plan. Your wedding is what you make of it. If you allot no more than six or seven months for an extravagant affair, chances are it may look like it was rushed. With extra time, you can plan, make changes, hire the right vendors the first time around, and choose the best venues that match your budget (because you can shop around). And if you’re in a rush to get married, opt for a simpler ceremony and reception – one that’s affordable but doesn’t cause you stress in the long run.

2. Remember that a holiday wedding, while beautiful, is more stressful. Not only do you have a wedding to plan, but you have to worry about the added stress from the holidays. At Thanksgiving, for instance, you’ll have guests coming in from out of town, and you’ll worry about a big dinner, while at Christmas, you’re focused on buying gifts and decorating–all at the same time. This is not to say that surviving the wedding stress (and holiday stress) can’t be done; holiday winter weddings are some of the most elegant, joyous events. But you need to keep in mind that you will have added stress to deal with. Make sure you have a dependable wedding planner who can offer valuable stress-free wedding tips as well as many helpful friends who have the time to help you plan your big day.

3. Hire the right wedding planner – and get knowledgeable stress-free wedding tips. This is a given when it comes to surviving wedding stress. Of course, some brides do not hire a wedding planner, and that’s fine. Planners simply provide a sort of stress buffer for you and your family so that you can concentrate on other elements of the wedding. You’ll have the opportunity beforehand to interview wedding planners in your area to see if they can accurately align with your wishes and carry them out as you see fit. Plus, you can evaluate his or her personality to see if it’s someone you can work with on a regular basis.

4. Surviving wedding stress when one of your vendors goes MIA. Yikes! This is a tricky situation. You’ve planned for months that your vendor will show up at the time agreed upon. But it’s the day of the wedding — what can you do now? If at all possible, try to find a replacement; this may not be feasible since it’s truly last minute. A missing vendor does not spell immediate doom however. Here’s your chance to save the day – if the florist doesn’t show up, make a pit stop at the local grocery store and buy all the flowers you can. If the DJ cancels, enlist a friend to bring along an MP3 player with music everyone can dance to. And if the minister calls out sick, there’s a possibility a notary (in some states) can marry you, or you can have an eloquent guest perform the ceremony. After all, once you have that license in hand, you’re officially married regardless.

5. One of the best stress-free wedding tips for you (and your family) is to avoid being a ‘bridezilla.’ Stress can bring out the worst in anyone, and tackling and surviving wedding stress is the most difficult. And no one knows it better than the friends and family of the bride, who may witness a change in her demeanor over time. There’s no need to subject your loved ones to your emotional outbursts. Always give yourself time to reflect and relax. You don’t have to spend every waking moment making plans. Trust your friends to help you when it comes to planning the wedding and surviving the wedding stress; don’t go it alone.

Proper Planning Means Surviving Wedding Stress

Managing and surviving wedding stress is not easy. There are so many things that might make you want to call the planning off. Just remember that one of the most helpful stress-free wedding tips out there is to make sure that you allow yourself enough time to plan and make the day right. This is, after all, your wedding day, and while everything will not go the way you planned, keep a smile on your face and appreciate the many people who made the time to celebrate with you.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Surviving Your Wedding: Stress-Free Wedding Tips

It doesn’t matter whether you are blogging for fun or blogging to make money, if visitors are your goal then here are eight types of blog posts that you can use to keep your blog interesting, promote sharing, increase followers and encourage comments.

Type 1 – The ‘QUICK TIPS’ Blog Post

Quick tips are great “in between” posts. They are short and normally between 100 and 250 words. If you have ideas that you want to share with your readers but it doesn’t justify a full blog post, posting quick tips are ideal. The tip should be focused on one key area of your niche. For example, “How to eat less when eating out” is a perfect ‘quick tip’ for a dieting blog.

Type 2 – The ‘HOW TO’ Blog Post

Expanding on the quick tips blog post, let’s look at the ‘how to’ posts. These provide expanded and much more detailed information to your readers on how to do specific things related to your niche such as step-by-step instructional detail or specific examples.  You could even separate these posts into two or three part courses.

For ideas on ‘how to’ posts, have a look at niche topic forums or other related blogs for questions that others are asking on how to do specific things. Well written, detailed informative ‘how to’ posts are typically very popular and can help recognize you as an authority in your field.

Type 3 – The ‘REVIEW’ Blog Post

Product or service reviews are especially useful to readers because it helps them with the decision buying process.  It’s also a great way to monetize your blog.  This is particularly beneficial to affiliate marketers.  When you review a product and include your affiliate link, this gives you the opportunity to make a commission from each sale you generate.

The key to writing a credible ‘review’ blog post is not to simply go over the major benefits and highlights of the product, but to also mention things about the product that could be improved. This keeps your review balanced and also gives your reader a more objective view.  Your blog visitors will appreciate your candid honesty and will be more likely to trust your recommendation.

Type 4 – The RESOURCE Blog Post

Some of the most popular blogs use resource lists.  Blog readers love lists because they can easily scan the information and focus on what they are most interested in reading.

For example, if writing a post on the ‘10 ways to lose weight fast’ a resource list would mention the posts from related blogs that also have this information.  This gives your reader a much broader view of ideas and tips available to them.

By doing this you will also find that readers will look to you as a useful resource for finding as much well-rounded information as possible on the topic at hand.

Type 5 – The INTERVIEW Blog Post

People love interviews, especially if it’s with someone they like and admire.  Try interviewing someone in your niche and sharing the results of the interview with your blog readers. This is also a powerful traffic generator as the person you interview will most likely post the interview on their blog and around the web, bringing more traffic back to you!

Type 6 – The ‘BEST OF’ Blog Post

These are great end of the year or end of season posts.  For example, if you do a lot of reading, you might list the ‘best of’ articles, books or guides that you read during the past year.  Additionally, you could also create a post highlighting your most popular blog posts of the year. Whatever your niche, have a look back at the items, events or ideas that were the year’s best and create a post around them.  This can be a fun, especially for the nostalgic reader.

Type 7 – The PERSONAL STORY’ Blog Post

Everyone loves a personal story. Anyone that follows you or your blog would be interested in a personal event or happening related to your niche.  Did you attend a seminar? Did you buy a new product?  Did you have a mishap that could be made an example of?  Without getting too personal or overly detailed, writing a blog post on you personal achievements or activities almost always draws interest and feedback.

Type 8 – The ‘NEWS’ Blog Post

Every niche has some news related items or happenings.  Keep your eyes and ears open to what’s going on, then find a newsworthy item and write your personal comments. This is not only an easy to create, quick post; it also encourages feedback from readers. Be sure to link to the post you are referring to along with your comments.

Resource Box:
Liz McGee, author and marketing specialist, offers free tips and help for those that want to make money online, not lose it. Join Liz’s free newsletter, blog & discussion forum where you can find out ‘How to start an internet Home Business‘,  for free

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

8 Creative Types of Blog Posts

If one-on-one salesmanship isn’t your cup of tea, and even if it is, you’ll be delighted to discover that there’s a much easier way: finding referral partners and having them send pre-sold clients to you.

Sounds too easy.  It is quite easy — once you have the system in place.  Of course, you’ll do the same for them.  The really good part:  neither of you needs to hard sell. You’re just helping your clients — and each other.

The referral partners approach to marketing is not exactly new, but it’s still relatively unfamiliar to most small business people and entrepreneurs who are struggling week in and week out with making connections and sales.  They wear themselves out going from one networking breakfast to another — without seeing the kind of results that would justify their efforts.

If only they knew that they don’t really need to work that hard. If only they knew the insider secrets of referral partner success.

Because once they find out, and put a bit of effort into learning about the system and start using it, getting new clients will be so much easier.  And networking will be much more rewarding, especially financially rewarding.

What are referral partners?  Put simply, referral partners are people who team up with each other and regularly refer clients or customers to each other.  You probably think, well, that sounds great, but how can I get some?

Well… getting some will take a bit of effort — initially.  Though probably less effort than you have expended on getting sales. Here are some basic steps:

• figure out who would be an ideal referral partner for you.
• make a list of who to approach
• connect with them and assess if you are a good fit for each other.
• work at developing the relationship
• give them information to help them become ideal referral partners and  ensure they refer the right kinds of customers to you.
• find ways to nurture your relationships with your referral partners so they will consistently send you many referrals on an ongoing basis.
• Send them referrals as often as you can!

So yes, you too can get more clients — and fast — without the hard-sell! Find out more about it in this FREE collection of powerful teleseminars PLUS a FREE month in Sue Clement’s new membership program: Your Marketing Edge! And here’s a related article on getting more business.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Shy? Hate to Sell? The Secret to Networking For Achieving Business Success Without the Hard Sell

A reciprocal referral partner relationship is easy to establish when your target customer and the other person’s target customer align totally. You might, for example, be offering complementary services to the same customer base. That makes for a really close fit and allows you to easily pass referrals back and forth. You might even share the same suppliers.

But where can you find these people? Look at your target customer and figure out what other services or products that they must buy that align with your own products or services.

For example, a computer network installer could easily collect referrals from the owner of a moving company, a commercial property manager, or even a security systems salesperson. These are all people who would likely know of someone who’s moving and could use the computer network installer’s services.

So spend some time to really think about your target customer and what other services they might use.

Here is an example to think about: a mortgage broker, a lawyer, a realtor, and a home stager all go together because anyone who sells a house will definitely need a mortgage broker, a realtor, and a lawyer. And if they want to sell their home faster and for more money, they could also use a home stager.

So that’s a foursome that can go together. But it doesn’t have to end there. A moving company, a yard clean-up company, and maybe even an organizing specialist might be able to fit in as well. They all work with people who want to sell their house, and so they could make ideal reciprocal referral partners for each other.

So yes, you too can get more clients — and fast! Find out more in this FREE collection of powerful teleseminars PLUS a FREE month in Sue Clement’s new membership program: Your Marketing Edge! And here’s a related article on getting more ideal clients.

This Article has been posted from: LadyPens, a Free Reprint Article Directory featuring Select Women Authors.

Reciprocal Referral Partners – How to Build the Most Common Type of Referral Partner Relationship

I know we’d all love to gain clients everywhere we go, but the truth is, clients aren’t gumballs. And attending a networking event isn’t a guarantee that you’ll walk away with new client. Instead, if you shift your focus to meeting people and to building relationships and alliances with them, you’ll have much more success! Here are six power networking strategies to get you started:

1. Know lots of different people

The foundation for building a strong network is having many acquaintances. Because most of our close friends tend to know and do what we know and do, they offer few new contacts. By having a good proportion of acquaintances, you’ll create a larger and more powerful network.

2. Make new friends and have fun

Masters at networking don’t network – they make friends. The real gold lies in building relationships. And you better not approach it like a chore! Growing a network should be enjoyable. Of course, this means that you should look to connect with people you enjoy. As you get to know, like and trust each other, you’ll build the basis of a lasting partnership that will be far more valuable than any quick sale every could have been.

3. Don’t Sell

In fact, don’t sell at all! The quickest way you’ll fail with networking is if you mistake it for a sales opportunity. It’s not. No one wants to have a brochure opened in their face or have products or services pitched at them.

So, even if you happen to come across someone who seems like an ideal client, someone who actually wants to find out more about your services, you’ll have more success if you focus on building rapport first. Then schedule a follow-up appointment as a start to the sales process.

4. Attitude is everything

Learn to really enjoy networking as a business building experience. That way, you’ll also be far more attractive to others and much more likely to draw them to you.

5. Think quality over quantity

Networking is not about joining or attending a dozen events or associations every month. Instead, just pick a few that you can commit to and attend faithfully. You almost can’t help but build relationships and friendships as you go to the same meetings and see the same people again and again, just as lon