I am so excited to announce that we have launched a *FREE* Visioning Group for business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs over at SelfMarketing.US and the first meeting is tonight at 7pm Pacific.

Visioning is a super cool process where you tap into Universal Mind.  It is also a practice that  deepens over time as you train yourself to open up to see what the Universe has in store for you and your business.

You see, we have a tendency to limit what is possible for ourselves and our businesses.  It’s simply human nature.  But, there is an Intelligence that knows no limits and it consistently asking to grow itself through you.  Just thinking about the fact that my business is an expression of the Divine makes my heart sing and my face light up.  Fear goes right out the window because how can I screw up if I am following a Divine path.  I might have the capacity to “screw up,” but Spirit doesn’t!

If you want more of this kind of inspiration and energy in your business, then join us on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of every month from 7 – 8 pm Pacific.  We meet over the phone & you can get the call-in number and passcode by entering your name & email on this page.

See you tonight ~
Cassandra

Related posts:

1. Are you afraid of sharing too much?
2. What is Your Heart Asking You to do?
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Do you wonder how to put the Law of Attraction to work for your business?

Would you like to learn from one of the most successful health & wellness practitioners in the nation?

I am so excited to announce that Dr. Mindy H. Pelz will be presenting at our next Self Marketing networking event.  She owns one of the most successful chiropractic offices in the nation, ranked in the top one percent. And she is going to generously share the principles she uses to create massive success in her life and business.

Just like healing is an inside job, Dr. Mindy strongly believes that growing your business begins with your own inner belief systems and a strong desire to serve others. She has mentored over a dozen chiropractors who have gone on to build their own successful practices.

Be prepared to be inspired! Dr. Mindy is a dynamic speaker and her enthusiasm is contagious. She will be sharing with us:

• her personal success tips
• 13 principles to attract unlimited success
• specific questions you can ask yourself for crystal clear clarity
• practical things you can do right now to engage the powerful Law of Attraction

It would be such a pleasure to share this information with you and to be a part of your support team! Please join us for…

13 Principles for Attracting Unlimited Success
Featuring Dr. Mindy Pelz with Family Life Chiropractic

Saturday, November 13, 2010, 9:30 to 11:30 am

• Informal networking ~ includes light continental breakfast
• Introductions ~ be prepared to deliver your 30 second introduction to the entire group
• Featured presentation ~ bring a notepad you will want to take lots of notes
• Brainstreaming ~ get in the flow of inspiration & help each other stream new ideas for your business

Center for Spiritual Living
1195 Clark Street, San Jose, Ca 95130
View Map

Pre-register for $15 {$20 at the door}

{No refunds, but you can send someone in your place}

About Our Speaker

Dr. Mindy Pelz-Hall is the founder of Family Life Chiropractic. She has been providing wellness care to the San Jose community for over 10 years. She has a bachelor’s degree in exercise physiology and nutrition and a Doctorate in Chiropractic.

Dr. Mindy’s philosophy is that our bodies need “erasers” to undo the damaging effects of stressful living. She works closely with each patient to find those exact “erasers” that will reactivate a strong immune system and create a life free from pain, filled with endless energy and an overall feeling of well being.

Dr. Mindy has completed her postgraduate certification from Palmer West College of Chiropractic in pediatric and pregnancy care and has been a guest speaker at several Bay Area schools and churches. Dr. Mindy and her team make health exciting, easy to implement, and extremely rewarding

{No refunds, but you can send someone in your place}

Related posts:

1. What is the greatest vision for your business?
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Excellent! Because our next Self Marketing meeting is perfect for you. We are featuring Erika Taylor Montgomery the founder of Three Girls Media & Marketing an award-winning boutique PR firm and she is going to rock your socks off! I know her personally and she is both a dynamic speaker and full of helpful information you can use right now to grow your business. I am always amazed at how openly and generously she shares her wisdom and expertise. She holds nothing back so bring all of your marketing, PR, and media questions.

Erika Taylor Montgomery is going to break it all down for us. She is going to cover:

• FREE online resources to help you get and monitor press coverage
• 5 ways to maximize press coverage once you get it
• The difference between a Media Advisory & Press Release and their core components, and
• Low-cost distribution channels

You will walk away from this presentation ready to tap into the power of the press. The media is always looking for a good story. So why not make that story about you?

Now I know some of you are saying to yourself, “But I’m not ready for press yet.” And that is exactly why you need to be at this presentation. Empower yourself with knowledge and allow Erika to help you prepare for more success. The bottom line is…

PEOPLE CAN’T HIRE YOU IF THEY DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU
Featuring Erika Taylor Montgomery of Three Girls Media & Marketing

Saturday, October 9, 2010, 9:30 to 11:30 am

• Informal networking including light continental breakfast
• Introductions ~ be prepared to deliver your 30 second introduction to the entire group
• Featured presentation
• Brainstorming Sessions

Center for Spiritual Living
1195 Clark Street, San Jose, Ca 95130

Pre-register for $15 {$20 at the door}

{No refunds, but you can send someone in your place}

Erika Taylor Montgomery

Erika Taylor Montgomery, CEO/Chief Publicist and Founder of Three Girls Media & Marketing Inc., enjoyed an 18-year broadcasting career in the San Francisco Bay Area before transitioning to Public Relations. In 2005, Taylor Montgomery launched Three Girls Media & Marketing Inc., the only PR firm in the nation to literally guarantee editorial media coverage to its clients.

Taylor Montgomery is also a sought-after public speaker and published author, providing invaluable insider know-how into working with the media, and how business owners can best utilize the press to promote their companies.

Following her award-winning broadcasting career, and prior to beginning Three Girls, Erika worked as Director of Media Relations for a prestigious Silicon Valley PR firm, and for the California State Legislature as a Press Secretary. While managing Three Girls, she also hosted the nationally acclaimed radio show, “PR 101 Radio: Marketing Advice for Business.”

Can you believe there is a lot more awesome stuff to read about Erika Taylor Montgomery? Click here to read the rest of her bio but not before you register for our next meeting!

{No refunds, but you can send someone in your place}

Related posts:

1. Biz Blogging Best Practices by Gather Your Crowd
2. Why Did You Start Your Biz?
3. 13 Principles for Attracting Unlimited Success

A couple years ago, I was barely paying the rent with my income as a coach. I was ashamed to show my husband my numbers, heck I didn’t even want to add up my income each month because my dollar amounts were not what I wanted them to be.

The truth was… I wasn’t telling myself or my husband the total truth about my financial situation, instead I was caught in shame and self doubt, and that was taking a toll on me emotionally.

You have to know where you are in order to get where you want to go.

My husband began to get worried every time I would spend money on something we didn’t absolutely need. I began to feel that he didn’t trust me with money and I doubted my ability to be successful.

This is no way to build a business.

I decided I had to do something differently, I was ready to tell the truth, let go of the shame and do whatever I had to do to build my business.

One night after dinner I took a deep breath and dove in to my records. I added up every bit of income I had received over the past 6 months, and every expense. I wrote it all down neatly in a notebook (Loral Langemeier once told me it’s fine to start with a notebook!) I may not have had fancy excel sheets like my husband, but I had the actual numbers, and I had goals.

Then, with trembling hands and a shaking voice, I sat down and showed my numbers to my husband. Talk about feeling a naked vulnerability.

I have to say here- I’m married to a Saint of a man, and I do not take this for granted. He was kind and compassionate, he watched me lovingly as I told him all the feelings I’d been carrying around and held me while I cried. He’s on entrepreneur too, and with both of our fluctuating incomes, we know what it’s like to be in debt. We decided it was time to look closely at all the facts, together, be a team, look at our numbers and set some real goals.

Bottom line, I stopped running from scary and mysterious numbers and I turned to face the truth

The black cloud of fear and scarcity that had been following me around began to dissipate. I got into action, I got more clients in my business and I began to feel empowered and … powerful!

Interestingly enough, the following month I broke $5000 in monthly income for the first time ever, which had been a goal since I graduated from coaching school!!

And you know what they say… The seed of manifestation lies deep in the fruit itself, small successes lead to bigger successes.

So right now take a moment to:

1. Look at the ABSOLUTE truth of where you’re at with your financial situation. Write down the facts, even if they’re hard to face.
2. Breathe.
3. Set some realistic Goals, use what you know and start promoting yourself, offering your services and/ or getting clients.
4. Write some action steps into your calendar now. Being in action is the most empowering thing you can do when it comes to money. You can do it, don’t overthink it… just GO!

And be gentle with yourself, have patience and faith. For us heart centered folks, the financial side of things is NOT always the part that comes intuitively. But I speak from experience when I say that exchanging my purposeful gifts of service for a sustainable income is the most fulfilling journey I’ve ever embarked on. And I come from a long line of public school teachers, there wasn’t an Entrepreneurial bone in my body until a few years ago… Believe me, if I can do it, you can too.

Don’t miss Reverend Deborah’s call on Thursday, October 7, 2010 she is my spiritual mentor and the reason I moved across the country to Santa Cruz. She WILL Blow you AWAY!!!

Love, Laura

Laura Rice, MA, CLC is an award-winning speaker, career & business coach and life purpose expert. Laura is the founder of Purpose2Prosperity and author of the “Six Simple Step System to Unlock your Life Purpose and Make Money Living it.”

Six years ago you would have found Laura working a dead-end job that was causing a health crisis in Laura’s life and draining her vital life-force energy. But, in two short years, Laura was able to move across the country to her dream location and start her successful, purposeful business.  Check out Laura’s phenomenal Women on Purpose telesummit at: www.Purpose2Prosperity.com/Summit

Related posts:

1. Would you like to go on a Spiritual Marketing Quest with me?
2. 13 Principles for Attracting Unlimited Success
3. I Have To Fix This Right Now…. Don’t I?

Photo by Kossy@FINEDAYS

Then it hit me: this is what we must do in building our businesses. We prepare.  We taxi.  We schedule.  We prepare some more.  And then we line up on that runway and go for it full force.  We give it all we’ve got.  We keep our eyes firmly planted on exactly where we want to do.  We move towards take off.  And when we reach a certain momentum, we turn the nose of our plane upwards and our wheels are off the ground.

We’re in the air!  And it’s oh so beautiful.  The surroundings look completely different from up here.  The view is expansive and colorful.  All of our hard work and dedication is taking off.

You know, this whole experience really got me thinking about how it takes a whole team of people with a common goal to get this plane off the ground.  As a solopreneur, it’s so easy to go it alone. Somehow my dreams feel safer when they’re only in my hands.  But, the truth is my Calling is bigger than just me.  Today, right now, as I write this blog post in my journal while on the plane, I make a promise to build my team.  I am going to ask three people to volunteer to serve on my team as my:

1. Spiritual Partner
2. Business Development Partner
3. Editor

The next logical step for me is to think about what I want to receive through these roles and also what I will give in return.  Once I have a clear request, then I will reach out to a few peeps who I feel aligned with and ask them to serve on my team.

So I know that your Calling is bigger than just you too and now I’m wondering…who can serve on your team?  You don’t have to spend money to build your team.  But, you must make it official.  Ask people to join your team.  Let them know what that means to you and what you will give in return.  Share your vision for your business, ask for their support, and open up to receive it.  Stop taxi-ing the airport, gather your team, and take off!

Everyone benefits when you share:
What stops you from sharing your vision & building a team?

Related posts:

1. Connect with Your Calling and Your Ideal Client
2. I just survived a plane crash!
3. 3 Reasons Why Every Solopreneur Should Blog

And just like giving birth to a human baby is much more than a physical journey, birthing a website is way more than a technical journey.  It’s been a mental, emotional, and spiritual journey as well.  Oh and I’ve learned so much…

photo by websuccessdiva

1. I’ve learned that sticking to a projected timeline is less important than the quality of content.  You simply can’t make creativity flow on command.  It’s more about opening up to expressing your creativity.
2. I’ve learned that my energy level will tell me if I’m trying too hard or flowing with my inner source of inspiration.
3. I’ve learned that my website/blog is an opportunity for me to connect with people and not to convince them to like me.  I’ve known this for like ever.  And yet, it’s crazy how many times I found myself in that place of really wanting people to like me and hire me.
4. I’ve learned that having people to bounce ideas off of is uber important.
5. I’ve learned that you don’t have to have it perfect before you launch.  In fact, you never have to have it perfect.  You simply get to have it.  Every sentence is an opportunity to love and accept yourself, your business, and your clients.
6. I’ve learned that sometimes taking a day off is the best way to move forward.  No matter how much you want to accomplish something…if you aren’t in the right heart-space, then you won’t receive the results you desire.
7. I’ve learned that over-editing feels like crap.  There is a difference in between crafting your message and picking it apart.  Know when to pause.
8. I’ve also learned that at a certain point there is nothing left to do but launch!

Everyone benefits when you share:
What have you learned from writing your web copy?

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I just saw Drew Barrymore in a Cover Girl commercial and it hit me:

Successful people aren’t afraid to be bold.

Boy, inspiration can hit at any time, can’t it?!  And it’s got me thinking…what does it mean to be bold?  So I looked it up in Dictionary.com and I like what I see.  Bold is…

1. not hesitating or fearful in the face of actual or possible danger or rebuff; courageous and daring: a bold hero.
2. not hesitating to break the rules of propriety; forward; impudent: He apologized for being so bold as to speak to the emperor.
3. necessitating courage and daring; challenging: a bold adventure.
4. beyond the usual limits of conventional thought or action; imaginative: Einstein was a bold mathematician. a difficult problem needing a bold answer.
5. striking or conspicuous to the eye; flashy; showy: a bold pattern.

I hope this definition fires you up, because your Calling requires you to be bold.  You must be courageous and daring.  You must not hesitate to break the rules.  Your inevitable success is asking you to break the rules.  So you get to let go of all of those “have to’s” and “supposed to’s” because bold is to do your own thing regardless of what others are doing.  You must dare to be yourself and share your message no matter how far beyond the conventional thought it goes.  And to top it all off, you get to be showy.

Wow.  That’s hot!  And bold.

Oh I’m so inspired right now and ready to be my bold self.  Let’s do this together.  Here are some questions to answer in moving towards your boldly successful business:

1. What does bold mean to you?
2. Where in your life are you already bold?
3. How can you translate that into business development?
4. What kind of things does a bold person say and do?
5. What are 5 simple things you can do to practice being bold?

Post your answers as a comment as I would love to learn from you and with you.

Related posts:

1. Are you afraid of sharing too much?
2. I just survived a plane crash!
3. Why Did You Start Your Biz?

Cassandra Rae & Cherie Del Carlo

Hi there ~

I am at Chrystal Bougon’s Lunch & Learn on How to Bring More Bliss to Your Blog featuring the fabulous ladies of Gather Your Crowd.  Woohoo!

Congratulations to Carla who just welcomed her second baby into her family.  We miss you and totally understand that your place is at home for today.  That’s so cool how we got to Skype you in for the presentation.  You are one dedicated lady!

Here are my notes from the presentation:

Social media is word of mouth on steroids!

What’s in a brand?

1. Your name
2. Your identity
3. Engage with peeps

Cherie showed us her infographic, which is a really big picture that shows all of their on-line presences and how they tie together.  It’s really cool to see on one page with your entire on-line plan is.  Your overall social media plan can feel overwhelming, but to narrow it down to one page makes it feel so manageable.

Carry your brand across all profiles {i.e. Facebook, Twitter, etc.} so graphically they look the same

Why should you blog?

• Share your passion – the web is dying for original content!
• Let yourself shine!
• Connect with people
• Marketing through relationships

You do not have to be an excellent writer.  As long as you’re funny, you can blog!

Your blog posts do not have to be long.  A good length for a blog post is 500 words.

You can also use your blog for:

• Microblogging like Twitter
• Share videos
• Post Photos

Search Engine Optimization tips:

1. Buy your domain for 2 years or more
2. Add privacy policy/terms of use
3. Use target key words in your title, url, filenames
4. Sprinkle in your key words in your articles {like 5 or 6}
5. Use good meta-tags {high level description of your blog that you drop in behind the scenes}
6. Post frequently
7. Hyperlink to other sites when you blog about them
8. Use tags
9. Use reputable host provider for fast page upload

Give people the incentive to take action.

To keep you organized create a graph that includes:

• All the places you exist on-line
• Schedule of publishing
• Takes on your topic

Think like your reader.  2 questions to answer:

1. Who do you want to read your blog?
2. Who’s reading your blog?

Set up an RSS feed reader and watch blogs you like.  Blog a response to someone else’s blog post and include a link to it to inspire the connection.

Acknowledge peeps who comment on your blog!

Create a mission statement for your blog.  What is your mantra? How does it tie in to your personality?

Schedule your blog post for high peak hours.  Don’t post on Friday night at 7pm!  Weekday mornings in between 7am and 9am are very popular hours – everyone’s checking email :~)  If you’re writing at a non-peak hour, then schedule it to publish during a high peak hour.

Your categories should show what your blog/business is about.

Syndicate your blog posts.  One wordpress plugin Gather Your Crowd likes is “links alpha”.  Keep in mind that every platform is different with different crowds.  Use them accordingly.  When posting on Twitter and deciding whether to push it through to Facebook, then ask yourself, “Does this make sense on Facebook?”  My favorite way to syndicate blog posts to Facebook is the app Networked Blogs.  *LOVE IT*

People want to connect, help out, and win stuff.  Woohoo!  Run a contest to encourage virality.  Virality is not a science.  It’s an art.

There’s a human side to your backlinks – create meaningful relationships through thoughtful comments :~)

Listen to your peeps.  What are they saying about you? Answer! Answer! Answer!

There’s no such thing as bad PR.

Clyde Learner with ITComputing just told me about WPTouch – a plugin that changes the view for peeps checking out your blog on an iPhone.  He also told me about bit.ly and how you can monitor how many peeps are clicking through your links.  You can also share your link straight to Twitter.  Suh-weet!

Gather Your Crowd can help you build a custom Facebook landing page.  Woohoo!  This is so important to do, folks.  And Facebook does not make it easy.  Hire Gather Your Crowd to do it for you.

Welp, that’s it from today’s presentation.  Leave me a comment to let me know your favorite tip or share a new one with all of us.

Rock it out, Peeps ~
Cassandra

Coach Cassandra Rae, founder & life coach
SimplyFearless.com
408.730.5546

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And isn’t that how it goes in life too? You strike up a conversation with someone at a party or at the book store and all of a sudden you realize you are talking to the perfect candidate for your product or service.  Here’s the opportunity.  Do you take it? What do you say? How do you talk about it without being pushy?

Yeah, it was one of those moments.

And it was fabulous!

I learned that when I don’t have the time to over-think it I actually know what to say.  I got to experience my own joy, excitement, and energy around the topic of Calling.  It was amazing.   Yes, there were parts that were fuzzy – as my coach was kind enough to tell me honestly and gently – but, overall the experienced showed me that I’m on the right track.  I actually know what I’m talking about.  What a relief!

I’m so grateful for my coach who gave me this opportunity to stretch my comfort zone and practice sharing my message with potential clients.  Now I feel more sure of myself even though I don’t have all the pieces in place yet.  Woohoo!

Today is Simply Fearless Friday!  Blog about one thing you’ve done this past week that’s stretched your comfort zone and then come back here to share the link directly to your blog post.  Facing your fears is an absolute must when you are building the business of your dreams. But, you do not have to do it alone.  Share your story and I promise to swing on by and leave you a comment.   I’d love to connect with you.

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