Successful Time Management as a Business Woman- Dominique L. Watson

Time managements is critical when being a business owner but even more important when being a Woman Business Owner. We where several hats that all need the same amount of time…all of our time. There’s not a moment to spare and we can’t even imagine doing one thing longer than the other. But something has to take priority over the others…right?
As a mother, wife and business owner I must manage my time. I have to give everything in my life its time and not worry about the other things I am not engaged in at that time.
To Do List
I am a very organized person. I must know where everything is, how everything is going to get done and to what capacity. I am a hands on person; most business owners are. So if you’ve got a lot of things going on during the day, write out a to do list. Put the things that are most important or hardest on the list first. Knock those things out and then move to the next.
The non important things
Don’t get caught up in the things that are not important. Like facebook, twitter. Yes we do use them for networking but if you are simply sitting at the computer with your hand on your cheek and the other scrolling through your timeline…you are wasting time. Network…or get off!
Make your office..the office
I work from home so my office is right behind my living room. It’s convenient for washing clothes or dishes, tending to the children but it’s also a distraction when the TV is in the same room. Catch up on those soaps later! Get your work done and then worry about the TV.
Either your at work or at home
Another thing a lot of Work at Home Mothers get caught up in is the fact that they are at home. As a business owner, you need to set business hours. Get up in the morning at the same time. Don’t worry about the dishes until the children are almost home. When it’s time to work, work and let family and friends know that you are at work. When you are not working, close the door to your office. Cut the business line off. When work is done…it’s done!
Calendars are your best friend
I have a desk calendar that sits at my desk right next to my laptop. Everything that is happening at work is on that calendar. I keep it there so I don’t double book clients, so I know what’s coming up for the week, so I know what the next day is looking like. Will I have time for this or that? I follow that calendar and let family and friends know I have things going on that are important. I will not be available at this time. You should do so to.
Of course, there’s more to this list. But time management for the business woman is important because we go from service provider to mommy in two seconds. We go from designer to housewife in just a minute. We have to make time for the things that are important and conquer them.
Trust me, if anything in your life gets neglected, it will show! Tackle it and get a hold on it before you get overwhelmed and want to throw in the towel.

Dominique Watson is a writer, published author and magazine/business owner.  She began writing poetry and short stories at a young age. Dominique has published three inspirational books “Inspire Me Young”, “How to Keep God in your life” and “The Tension Reliever” which is her first poetry collection. “Too Much Untold” and “Truthfully Untold” were released in 2009 and 2010. She was also a contributing author in her magazine’s first published book “From A Poetic POV” which was released on July 1st, 2010.  The second collaboration The Battle of the Sexes was released on Valentine’s Day in 2011. “The Tension Reliever Another Side of Me Volume 2” is Dominique’s latest book.
She owns a magazine for writers called “From A Writers POV”. She also writes for the magazine’s blog “The POV Lounge”, VIP with Dominique & the “Curl up with a Page Turner” column.
Her hobbies are reading, writing, crocheting and making jewelry.
Dominique is currently working on expanding her magazine all over the internet. She lives in San Diego with her husband and daughter.
For more about Dominique, check her out at: http://www.wix.com/dominiquewatson/author

Dominique Watson
CEO of From A Writer’s POV Magazine
Mentor & Consultant for Authors and Writers
www.literarycareermovesonline.com
www.fromawriterspovmagazine.com

Your Success Blueprint: 7 Simple Steps to Double your Sales with your Time! By, Sarah Zolecki

I am grateful to have been a business for myself over the last 15 years. I guess you could say I grew up in the business. Being an entrepreneur is a wild and eye opening discovery of really Becoming You! You see, my first business failed. The second time around, I worked harder on me. It was a fulltime job- growing that is! The Butterfly Effect I call it. Going from a girl to a woman! My number one challenge- “How do I get it all done?” and “I need more time!”

I get it. Our lives are complicated, busy and going 90 miles an hour. Add in some kids, a spouse, a job, activities….and then no game plan to follow in your business...

That is a recipe for 100% frustration and disappointment. Picture a carton with someone pulling their hair out. You get the picture. It’s ugly.

So, here are my 7 (not so secret) steps I use everyday that helped me create a sustained multi-million dollar business today.

#1- Have A Game Plan.
A game plan flat out gets results. You will be effective and efficient. When was the last time someone said that to us?! Your reward for learning and then applying this game plan is 2 things. One- A life! and Two- peace of mind knowing where your business is at every step of the way.

With a game plan, you can’t wing it. Every time you have winged something, how did it turn out? Your business is a real one. Treat it like one…No time to wing it…you have to be prepared.

So- where are you going? What do want to accomplish? How many new clients? New accounts? New articles written? Videos produced? I do baby steps with my plan. This way I never get overwhelmed.

Meaning, what is my goal this very day, week and month? Yes- 1 yr, 5 yr and 10 yr plans are important as well. I remember hearing this question asked. “How do you eat an elephant? ONE bite at a time.”

#2 Ten Things By 10 am.
Write a list out the night before of 10 things you need to do first thing in the morning. Do the hard things first. A lot easier said then done. I know…ready for this part? No emails, no incoming calls, no internet, no text until it’s done. Just like at your job, if you had a task, you wouldn’t tell your boss “Oh, I got take these calls, or check my emails or got to text my brother Joe back.” Treat this like your life depends on it because it does! Make this commitment to your self to consistently do this and create a positive and productive habit in your business.

#3 Productivity Vs. Activity.
Focus on ONE THING…Revenue or Money generating activities. Ask yourself, is what I am doing moving me closer to my goal? If not, adjust..refocus. Start your day with the highest pay activities first and don’t deviate from it. Top producers don’t multi-task. They are 100% present in what they are doing that very moment and fully engaged.

As an entrepreneur our #1 focus is prospecting for new potential clients for our business. #1 mistake entrepreneurs make they focus on maintaining existing clients. I focus on building new leads into my business.

By doing this you develop productivity muscles..I will warn you, you will be sore until it becomes second nature. Focus on making yourself strong in this area. When you do that, everyone else around you will become strong as well.

I heard Jim Rohn speak at an event in Minneapolis in 2004. He taught me this phrase, “I’ll make me strong for you and you make you strong for me.”

These tips by Sarah are so rich. Read the rest of the " 7 Simple Steps to Double your Sales with your Time" at Allied Women



Sarah Zolecki brings to the table a winning combination; 15 years experience in the field and a contagious passion for people!  She is widely known as a predominant passionate leader in the direct sales/network marketing arena. She is one of the top-rated and sought after female industry trainers.
Sarah delivers high-energy presentations that creatively combine laugh-out-loud authentic humor and compelling insight to building your business. She has an amazing ability to empower someone by simplifying the fundamentals of being an entrepreneur, teaching them to apply those skills & taking the strategies straight to the top.
Sarah has inspired thousands of women to run with their vision, increase sales, create movements, attract and keep more customers, build longer-lasting, healthier relationships, strengthen their leadership skills and truly create something much greater than themselves. Her raw and authentic style of teaching will inspire you to take the steps to live out your dream! You can find her at http://www.sarahzolecki.com

Converting Leads into Sales-Excellent Wisdom from Excellent Women.

There is some excellent information being shared over at Allied Women In Business on the topic of Converting Leads into Sales.

Understanding the techniques behind converting leads into sales is crucial for you whether you sell diapers, lotion, handbags or information products. If you have been successful at creating a list but you don't have a strategy at how you are going to take that list and help them become customers it is almost guaranteed that you will feel unorganized and without focus.

Here are some of my favorite tips taken from expert's week so far.

Lavada Thompson on Converting List Subscribers into Buyers

Email blasts aren’t as effective as lead nurturing campaigns.

Email blasts tend to be very general in order to appeal to a larger audience. When a person subscribes 

to your list, typically, it is in exchange for something they deem valuable: an ebook, tele-class, tutorial, etc. They have explicitly expressed interest in the topic of that content. So, if they download your e-guide on improving the effectiveness of your Facebook campaigns, do you think they care to start receiving information about twitter? Maybe. But, probably not. It is better to create lead nurturing campaigns in which you send targeted information to smaller groups of subscribers. HubSpot has a 

great post on why lead nurturing is better than sending email blasts.

Amity Quist Jones on Easy and Amazing Secrets to Get the Sale 

3-way calls do wonders.  Get your warm/hot prospect on the phone with your sponsor or even the CEO of the company.  That will definitely get things rolling in the right direction.  Webinars and conference calls do extremely well also.  This helps to get questions answered and have another person verify that they can succeed in this program as well.  I find this to be one of the best way to convert your warm leads into sales. 

With these 5 top secrets I have shared with you, putting them all together makes for an amazing impact in your sales.  I have refined the way I do business and it has worked very well for me.
Here are a few ideas to make help convert warm leads into sales. With these few secrets I have learned, you are able to find out more by continuing to read at amityquistjones.blogspot.com.

Janice Clark on the S.E.C.R.E.T Formula to Converting Leads into Sales

T - Take the time to build loyalty
Wait a minute.  They aren't a client yet so why am I building loyalty?  You're doing this because they will be a client!  Or maybe they'll refer a client!  Either way, you've got to build loyalty with every lead you come in contact with!  Let them know that even if they don't sign up as a client, you still want a relationship with them!  Connect with them on Facebook.  Join their group (or invite them to yours) on LinkedIn.  Show them you want more than just their money.  Offer a mutually beneficial relationship and then...
Follow up!  Follow up!  Follow up!!

Mimi Zelman on Converting Leads into Sales.

It is always good to start the conversation by saying how nice it was to meet them at the event and that you would like to get to know them better and suggest meeting for coffee to talk about how you can help each other’s businesses. An email with the same message works to, if that is how you prefer to contact them as well.
Do homework on the potential client before meeting them.
Go to their website, and also see what they are doing on social networking.
Find out who their competitors are.
Once the rapport is established ask a lot of fact finding questions about their business.
The more you know the better. Knowledge is power, so always go on an appointment prepared!
By following this method, you better equipped to sell the prospect on what is good for their business, and handle any objections the client may have.

To read the rest of these great articles, head on over to Allied Women in Business. Banding together to learn from each other as entrepreneurs online is an important part of success. 

Let's Talk Leads.

If we are really going to get down to the nitty gritty of marketing, then talking about how to generate and handle leads should be at the top of the list.

It doesn't matter if you are an affiliate marketer, social media guru, information marker, writer, blogger, SEO specialist and I could go on and on, building a list of people to market to is where it all begins.

Today I read on article by Lavada Thompson and she shared from her story how she built up a list but then didn't know what to do with it. She simply began to email blast them- and that wasn't working.

I don't know about you, but I can relate to Lavada. Having a list that you frantically email many different types of information to doesn't work.

 Check out her article for some ways she has discovered to handle leads successfully.

Then come on back because all this week were talking leads.

Thank You Experts for Sharing Your Branding Secrets!

I am still reeling from the overflow of information that we were privileged to receive from our experts last week. If you were away, or missed one of the articles over at Allied Women in Business , I hope you take a minute to click on some links and do some reading.

Emily Stoik, Danielle Elliott Smith, Jennifer Ransaw Smith, Kristiauna Magnum and Natalie Sisson shared crucial information when looking at how to brand yourself and your business online. As an entrepreneur I was inspired and encouraged by these women and am thankful for the time they took to share their experience with us.

Don't just take my word for it, head on over there and learn for yourself!

"Brand Marketing Online: The Top 5 Secrets to Building Brand Visibility and Positively Enhancing Your Online Brand" - Emily Stoik

"How You Can Create a Remarkable and Influential Brand" - Natalie Sisson

"Discovering your own “it” Factor!: In just 5 effective Steps!" -Kristiauna Magnum

"Position Yourself as a Leader" - Jennifer Ransaw Smith

"Authenticity - Building your Brand Around YOU - 5 Tips to make it happen."- Danielle Elliott Smith

Position Yourself as a Leader- Jennifer Ransaw Smith.

Position Yourself as a Leader

Jennifer Ransaw Smith

There are some who believe that if you don't exist online, you don't exist at all. Now that may be kind of extreme, but I want you to think about it for a moment. What is the first thing you do when you want to find out more about something, you Google it. Am I right? It doesn't matter if you are interested in a new singer, new restaurant or checking out a new service at your neighborhood spa.

Don't you think people are doing the same with you? If you are going to become a breakout star in your industry, you must be cognizant of how you are positioned online.

If someone types your name and/or the name of your company in a search engine, what are the results? Will they be blown away by the amount of high-value content that reinforces your position as an industry leader? Will they discover great articles you have contributed to your industry publications? Will they discover that you sit on local and national boards contributing your skills and talents to make the world a better place? Will they stumble upon your thought-provoking blog that engages your target audience, on a weekly basis or more, by keeping them informed about some of the latest industry news?

Here's the bottom line; if you want others, mainly your niche audience, to consider you an Industry Rock Star, you must first consider yourself one. And there is no better place to start than branding online. One of the greatest things about the Internet is that it literally levels the playing field. You, a solopreneur, with a small operation consisting of your laptop and living room couch, can compete with the big agencies/companies with million dollar budgets. For the first time in history, you have the ability to reach an audience world-wide with the click of a mouse.

But, in order to be truly successful, you must operate from a plan. You must be strategic and consistent, and you must be extremely clear about your intension (and the end result you are seeking).

Continue Reading at Allied Women in Business

Allied Women in Business-Experts Week

Experts Week at Allied Women in Business is a week where talented women are featured as they share crucial information on a pre-chosen topic and how it relates to business.

This week we are right in the middle of experts week and have been hearing from some phenomenal women on the subject of Branding.

Branding is a concept that business people really need to grab a hold of and learn to do. If people don't know who you are, what you stand for and what your purpose is then you will get lost among the literally thousands of people who are in competition with you.

Take a look at what Kristiana Magnum has to say on "Your 'it' Factor" and then head on over to Allied Women in Business to read more! 


Discovering your own “it” Factor!: In just 5 effective Steps!


Has anyone every told you that you have that "it" factor? Well whether your answers is yes or no, you have come to the right place, because today you are going to learn 5 steps on how to Discover your very own "it" factor that will make you irresistible and attract the exact customer base and overall relationships that you are suppose to have in your life! But in order to discover 'it" you must first know exactly, who and what you really are.


In order to discover who you really are it takes a willingness to receive the proper help and coaching to tap into your “it” factor. Listed Below are the 5 effective steps that one must take if they want to know and market their very own “it” factor for mind blowing results and presence in their business.


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