Book Readers: Mum's Writings Interviews Alice Nehme, Author

Book Readers: Mum's Writings
Alice Nehme, author of "A Testimonial Of Insanity-The Journey Home"
talks about drug addiction and offers advice and help. Whether you are touched by a friend or family member who is using or you want out, if you have questions, there is help available. Ask the tough questions, if Ally doesn't have the answers she may still be able to direct you.
This book is an insight into one young mans journey and how he and his family and friend helped him fight his way back.

Mother's Day Wisdom

Yesterday, being Mother's Day I enjoyed a sermon by my pastor's wife. Her words so impressed me that I felt led to share my notes here with you. It seems that as a teacher she relies on props to help her in her presentation and this was no exception. She chose to utilize clay and its many forms and properties.

She explained that there are three types of clay, which was news to me. The first is the kind we all enjoy as a child. It requires no water, is plyable once warmed by the touch of human hand, and impressionable but never takes a permanent form. The second is also requires no water, is plyable, and impressionable, however once it is is formed and dries it is what it is. During this process it is crumbly and can be hard to contain. The third clay is known as Potter's Clay. This is the clay that is spoken of so often in the Bible that it is worth noting it's properties.

Potter's Clay is the only clay that requires water. Unlike the other two types of clay it requires a very unique synergy with it's maker. With the addition of water, (could this be baptism?), it slips and slides in the potter's loving hands. This is the only clay that requires extreem heat to ensure its form remains. While in the kiln if the form has not been perfectly formed as the imperfections bubble to the surface it will develop cracks and chips.

Now consider the clay. Do you think it is fun to be beat, twisted, torn, and forced into shape? At least with the Potter's Clay it is loving hands that carefully form you. Which would you rather be? Even if you end up being chipped and cracked do you not think that you could be useful?

There is a wonderful book that was writen entitled, "God Uses Cracked Pots" by Patsy Clairmont. You don't have to stay broken to the point that you are useless. It is through our cracks and chips that God makes good use of us.

As a final thought I would like to share a quote with you. "Leaving a good impression is intentional, not unintentional."

The Day My Mouse Died

As a graphic artist and writer most of my business and communications are done via my computer. Many of those years I suffered from the tug of war syndrome commonly known as ‘too short mouse cord’. This is a very aggravating condition as I am sure you can attest. Ask any graphic artist, the graphic pen is a handy tool but needs much improvement to be totally reliable and useful. Besides which it isn’t really for typing or navigation.

For this reason when they came out with the wireless mouse I thought I had found my nirvana. Freedom was mine at last. With the insertion of two tiny little AA-batteries my quest was complete, or so I thought. I found out after a very short while that the major flaw my little piece of heaven had was that the life of a wireless mouse battery is short lived. The redeeming factor is that it warns you when the batteries are getting low. My frugal spouse insisted from the start that we should use re-chargeable batteries and being the loving and obedient wife, I agreed.

Herein lies the problem. One busy afternoon I was working away running five or six programs, updating clients information files, and in the midst of two instant messenger (IM) chats when my first warning went. I informed my frugal spouse of my need and the ever prepared Boy Scout that he is not; he had no replacement batteries in the charger. I held my breath, trusting the mouse to live just twenty minutes longer. But as you have already guessed my luck did not hold out. Moments later the two IM messages went unanswered and I sat frustrated staring at my monitor unable to tab my way to anything meaningful or helpful.

With nothing left to do but get up and walk away I was left lost and frustrated. I could only hope my clients would understand when I told them later why I suddenly began to ignore their messages. Unable to get anything else done I was quickly reminded of the days not so long ago before the invention of the computer.

There is a whole generation that can’t recall these times while my generation can recall pre-word processors and even television. Imagine that. No TV! Not even a VCR let alone a CD/DVD player! It is interesting how different our lives were with out these conveniences. The old typewriter with the correction tape built in was a real asset to the administrative professional (called a secretary back then). Now if we make a mistake we just back up and type it over again. Fingers in the wrong place on the keyboard delete the whole thing and start again. No muss, no fuss, no wasted paper or ink.

No matter how heavily we rely on technology, when it fails we know it is but an inconvenient hiccup. Wouldn’t you agree? We’d rather have to deal with the hiccups than traverse the road of life without our conveniences.

Attitude

Today I went to listen to a sage woman. She imparted much knowledge on the subject of attitude. One of the pieces she shared struck me as quite profound and so I wanted to share these words with you.

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact attitude has on life." Attitude to me is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what others think, say or do. More important than appearance, giftedness or skill.

It will make or break a company, a church, a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We can not change the past...the fact that people will act in a certain way...we cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is to play on the one string we have and that is our attitude.

I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it -- and so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitude." - Chuck Swindoll

Effective Communication

· Do your customers understand you?
· Are your vendors listening?
· How important is clear and accurate communications to you and your business growth?

This week a most interesting thing occurred. As I was surfing around my usual haunts I ran across a message on a board that brought up a very interesting and thought provoking subject. That topic was communication. As odd as it seems, and despite all of our knowledge, resources, and technology, we are remain unable to communicate effectively with each other.

Why is this such a problem for us? Why is it that communication continues to be our most difficult achievement? After all, are we not communicating in one form or another each and every day if not each and every moment? Not only do we interact with each other day in and day out but we have many methods of communicating. If you think about it I am sure you can come up with a lot more than the obvious two, verbal and written. What about body language; is that not a form of communication too? And that’s just for starters.

Read the full article in the upcoming Words of Wisdom Ezine, April issue. Available for the asking here: http://www.documeant.net#wow or find the link in the right side panel of this blog.

Insanity and business success ne're the twain shall meet

This month I hope you took the time to evaluate your business successes and failures. Without taking that one important step you could end up running around in proverbial circles. There is a saying I have heard many times that expresses this quite succinctly; "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955), (attributed).

One of the things that you might consider doing differently this year is hiring a coach to guide you along the path to success. There are many business coaches that can assist you in your quest. If you have trouble with goal setting find one that specifically states that is their area of expertise, if marketing or business structure you will need to look for those specialties. The right coach can make night and day difference in your success. I challenge you to give it a try, if you don't achieve a heightened level of growth in your business after working with a coach I would love to hear from you. However, on the other hand, if you have already gone this route and have seen the benefits I would love to hear from you too.

So, let me open the floor for opinions, comments, and question. Please post them below.

Don't Miss Web Content Awareness Day 2007

It's an Information Celebration Right in Your Email Inbox. Get instant access to trusted service providers, advice from top web marketing experts, great offers and more. Runs Jan 9 to Feb 9 - Learn more/sign up at http://WebContentAwarenessDay.com today.

#1 Feature on EzineArticles!

I am still recovering from a state of shock! Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that something I wrote, especially on the way to grandmother's house for Christmas dinner, would be chosen as THE #1 Feature article on EzineArticles.com!

This is where you can go to read it: 7 Hot Tips for a Prosperous New Year

I find it very strange that although it was singled out it has yet to be picked up for publishing or even forwarded. Hmmm. Something just doesn't seem right. Oh well! Still I would say it is a great way to kick of 2007!

I feel it in my bones that 2007 will be the year that made a difference in my life and my business. What say ye?

Ginger

Enjoy the Journey

In the Rush Stop and Look Around

This is the most exciting and wonderful time of the year. Everyone is involved in a flurry of activities and events. Parties and plays fill our evenings with festivities while our days are packed with shopping and decorating.

These event filled days can become stressful for some. As difficult as it is to admit this is also the season for increased numbers of those that suffer from depression and even suicide to surface.

To keep these traumatic events from creeping into your life, stop and look around. When you are rushing from place to place take a moment or two to enjoy the smells and the sounds, the glistening lights, and incredible displays that surround us.

Count your blessings instead of dwelling on the stress of the season. Enjoy each and every day to the fullest.

Wishing you a Prosperous and Happy New Year!

Holiday Shopping

As we enter into this holiday season my thoughts turn to the gifts that I will bestow. I don’t know about you but I for one hate the crowds and the stores and parking lots full of rude and obnoxious people. That is why I have committed this year to purchase ALL of my gifts from my internet friends. Not ONE will I go out and purchase at a retail establishment. Surly not one!

All year we struggle to make ends meet. Now, when the shopping season and the perfect reason to support our friends businesses begins, we run out of the house and buy from the places like Wal-Mart. Surely the big retailers won’t make good use of our money like our friends will.

What if you want to give a gift that your friends don’t have? The solution is simple. Change your gift selection! Won’t they be surprised when they get a gift that they hadn’t expected? How about a yummy treat? Maybe a stocking stuffed with fresh herbs and teas along with a candle or two would do the trick.

If the person on your gift list owns a business of their own a terrific gift you could consider is an ad package from another of your online friends. I can think of several online friends of mine that own mom & pop businesses that could use the income from such a joint venture.

If you don’t have a list of online friends that can supply your gift needs let me suggest a few that I have found that provide superior quality and speedy delivery.

General
Click button Shopping: http://clickbuttonshopping.com
Lisa’s Art & Horses: http://www.lisasart.com


Foods
Sage Hill Farms: http://www.sagehillfarms.com
My Little Taste of Italy: http://www.mylittletasteofitaly
Annie’s Accent Bakery: http://anniesaccentsbakery.vstore.ca
Vermont Shortbread Co: http://vermontshortbread.com/
Watkins: http://www.watkinsonline.com/ddemell


Home & Garden
Gourmet Candles: http://www.burningwithlove.scent-team.com
Pampered Chef: http://www.pamperedchef.com/
Holiday Cards: http://www.kimemerson.com
Card covers: http://www.documeant.net/cards.html
Roses & Teacups: http://roses-and-teacups.com
Cool Candle: www.CoolCandle.net
Home & Garden Party: http://www.hgpchic.com/


Packaging
Cello-in-a-box: http://www.celloinabox.com/812
Creative Gift Wrapping: http://www.creativegiftwrapping.com/ConsultantProgram.html


Fashion & Jewlery
Ellen B: Elle B. jewelry site
Chic Boutique: http://www.chloeschicboutique.com
Young Living: http://www.youngliving.org/fdurham
Premier Designs: http://www.premierdesigns.com/


Books
Heritage Makers: www.createalegacy.org
Marlin the Christmas Elf: http://www.lulu.com/content/537509
Jesus Gandhi Oma Mae Adams: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1894936604/
Presentational Skills for the Next Generation: http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=684125
Whatever! A Baby Boomer’s Journey Into Middle Age: http://www.therawreviewers.com/artman/publish/Whatever.shtml
Jan's Book Store: http://lulu.com/janverhoeff

Business Coaching
J. Givler: http://www.jgivlercoaching.com/

Travel
Global Gateways: http://www.myglobalgetaways.com/

Toys & Games
Discovery Toys: http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/esuite/home/playtoteach
Bright Minds: http://www.brightminds.us/web/CindyP
Blessed Toys: http://www.blessedtoys.com/members/lascrucesmoms/mof.html
Stuff A Friend: http://www.stuffafriend.biz/members/eulademv/


Marketing
Mommy’s Neighborhood: http://www.mommyneighborhood.com
Marketing Salad: http://www.marketingsalad.com/gifts.html
Nibroc Marketing Solutions: http://www.nibrocmarketing.com
Brand your Market: http://brandyourmarket.com

A New Dawn Cometh

For those that don't know, NASA is sending the Dawn spacecraft on a mission to the Asteroid Belt. On that spacecraft are the names of a select few humanoid life forms that stay tuned to the NASA missions.

If you would like to be included click here and simply enter your name.
http://www.dawn-mission.org/DawnCommunity/Sendname2asteroid/nameEntry.asp
Once you have done that be sure to print or save your certificate for posterity.

You see, I paid close attention to this mission due to the fact that my mother's name is DAWN. I can tell you for sure that Dawn will be on board Dawn flying through outer space, along with my hubby and me, and my twin sister.

Bet you didn't know I had a twin. Well I do and we have never met. She lives in UT and I live in FL. We are two peas in a pod. Both of us are writers and marketers. Both of us are from German ancestry. Both of us are or have been in the medical field. I could go on and on, but we are now business partners as well as friends, so I had to include her too. Check out our joint venture here: Nibroc Marketing Solutions

Now I want to invite you to join us too before it is too late. Get your name on board the Dawn Spacecraft and soar through the heavens with us.

Abundance Raining Down

It has been a little while since I have had a free moment to write and share my thoughts with you. This last couple of weeks has had my head in a spin. My writing has taken on a whole new aspect. What started as a fleeting desire is now a main focus.

Gone are those fearful days of blogging and ezine publishing. If I think back far enough I can even remember my first article. But here I am, no longer in Pampers. I have my newsletter on auto-pilot and have started a marketing business with my business partner Kim Emerson. We named it after her grandson, Corbin. It is called Nibroc Marketing Solutions at http://www.nibrocmarketing.com. We are working diligently on a for print ezine on marketing named "My Ugly Little Marketing Ezine". It does not contain the beautiful layouts that I have come to love to create but is rather a simple, content rich, information packed ezine for the serious business owner.

Yes, we have an online ezine that we offer as well but it is looking like we may end up combining the two. I can only hope, at this point.

Besides all these articles I am enjoying the new found friendships and business that these ventures are providing. It seems like just when I need a new project to peek its head up one comes rolling around the bend.

My most recent activity was to design a website from scratch around my writing itself. This I finally finished up today, just moments ago. The link to 'My Writing Place' is here and up there on your right. I do hope you will stop by and give it a look-see. I had to have some place to use my beautification talents since the ezine is so very UGLY!

Well, other projects are calling so I am off to fulfill the needs of others yet one more time.

Until then as always,
Ginger Marks

What was that?

Today I was sitting at my computer and something suddenly flashed across my screen. What was that? I am used to things popping up unexpectedly but actually flashing across my screen was something totally unfamiliar to my glare weary eyes.

I am not sure what it was even still. Maybe I have been invaded by space aliens? Perhaps it was the ghost of Christmas past? Or even a mere leprechaun having his way with my beloved computer. Whatever it was it was certainly a digital encumbrance.

Now that I think about it, this being so close to Halloween maybe it was a spook that has invaded my realm. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if the gremlins were out and about waiting to surprise me when least expected.

Now there is a thought, ‘when least expected’. How often have you been surprised by something ‘expected’? Is that even possible? Where do these inane saying come from anyway? Perhaps another mission into the unknown should be put on my agenda. A mission to find out where the most oft used sayings came from. But, there I go off on another adventure; best to leave that for another day.

“Hot Room” Technology Makes International Networking Event Possible

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

“Hot Room” Technology Makes International Networking Event Possible

Top Internet Marketers from around the world will meet for the first Audio/Video virtual networking mixer on Oct 12, 2006. The virtual meeting room holds over 500 and the founders expect a record turn out. All serious Internet Marketers are welcome to attend.

PRWEB) Oct 1, 2006 . Top Internet Marketers from around the world are gathering for the WINning Sister’s bi-annual virtual networking mixer slated to take place Oct 12, 2006 from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm, Eastern Standard Time at http://www.hc.secretofprosperity.com in the Hot Conference room owned by prosperity mentor Kim Emerson.

Every day thousands of entrepreneurial minded people start businesses and each year nearly 40% of those businesses will fail. The secret of those that thrive: Become a “real” business owner, not a hobbyist that plays “store”.

The host of this event is the WINning Sisters of RYZE, founded by Ginger Marks and Tammy DePew-Smith. It is a non-profit organization dedicated to the success of others in business and relationships within the RYZE online business network. Today, the program hosts over 100 members worldwide, with the numbers growing daily. All serious Internet Marketers are welcome to attend their Fall Fling Gala.

Among the scheduled events will be an informative presentation given by feature speaker Kelly McCausey of WAHMs Talk Radio fame. She will touch on newsletters and how the use of them to promote the success of your business. Door prizes will be given and games with valuable gifts will keep things energetic and upbeat.

“Our First event was held in a simple text chat room environment and we had an outstanding turnout. With the incorporation of the “Hot Room” technology that the A/V environment allows I look forward to an even larger group of professionals for this event,” says Marks of DocUmeant.net. She adds, “Every day thousands of entrepreneurial minded people start businesses and according to the Small Business Association within six years 94% of those businesses will fail. The Internet now allows these small business owners a greater chance for success by expanding their potential market to a worldwide audience through the online networking venue.”

© Copyright 2006. All rights reserved DocUmeant.

For more information on the Fall Fling Gala Chat email Ginger Mark at founder@winningsistersofryze.com or visit the website at http://www.winningsistersofryze.com/events.html

###

Press contact: http://www.writingpro.biz

A personal invitation…to The WINning Sisters of Ryze Fall Fling Oct 12th

You already have what it takes to WIN!

Here’s your chance to create NEW connections, network and play games while learning Business Promotion Techniques.

Guest Speaker Kelly McCausey from http://www.wahmtalkradio.com will be teaching us how to use ezines and newsletters to grow our businesses!

Among the 14 prizes to be given out Denise Michaels from http://www.marketingforher.com has donated her best selling book “Testosterone Free Marketing” and her E-Book “Sales Letters”

The WINning Sisters of Ryze Fall Fling is scheduled for Oct 12th from 4PM - 8 PM EST. Details can be found on the Sister Site at http://www.winningsistersofryze.com/events.html

WINning Sisters Fall Fling

I can hardly believe it fall is here already! It seems like we just had the Spring Fling and here we are planning for the Fall Fling. This time around we are going to meet in a live 'Hot Room' environment! I am so excited to be able to offer these fun events to the WAH community. As always the event is 'OPEN TO ALL' So bring everyone you know that wants to learn and party. We will have games & prizes and lots of open networking time. Our speaker, Kelly McCausey, is well known in the WAH community and will be speaking on Ezines aka digital newsletters.

If you would like more information you can view the Press Release here: http://www.winningsistersofryze.com/pr-2.html

To see the event details and the prize page visit the Sisters Event & Prize pages.

See you there!

Ginger

It's Primary Time Once Again

Elections are just around the bend. This time around it would be nice to see the candidates address the issues and divulge their records. What a refreshing change that would be. No more mud slinging, no more whining. No more hiding behind a plethora of rhetoric.

I have been saying for years that two things have to happen in order for things to change. The first is that if you don’t do your homework and invest a little time and effort getting to know the candidates you shouldn’t be allowed to vote. The other solution really rests on the shoulders of the first. That is that all candidate offices should have a choice of “None of the above” and if that is the winning vote, those candidates should be barred from running for any public office in the future.

What do you think it will take to turn the tide?

Tripping on Words

As a Copy Editor and Web site Reviewer I thought I would share some concepts on writing with you. Let me begin by mentioning that for those of you that hate to write and have found the need to share your thoughts there is hope!

Ghostwriters can effectively create content rich content for your use usually for a very small fee. Look at most all of our President's First Ladies' books that have been written in recent years. Each and every one was written by a ghostwriter. For example I have heard it said, Hillary Clinton's book "It Takes A Village" was written by not one but three ghostwriters. However you don't have to be famous to take advantage of these services. If you do decide that you want to write your own story perhaps you might want to make note of some of the most misused words and phrases so you don't get caught in their snares.

One of the main sets of words that are used ineffectively and improperly I have already used one of in the previous paragraph, that is 'effect' vs. 'affect'. Think of it this way, effect is the thing that causes the action while affect is the end result. Perhaps that will help you keep those two from being entangled.

A wide vocabulary is a repository that pulls together your ideas and generates powerful arguments. Have you ever been in mid thought or sentence and said, "What's that word I'm looking for?" As an author and editor I find myself constantly searching for just the right word or phrase. One of the most valuable tools to employ is a thesaurus. However there are times when even those will fail you. Perhaps you have been looking for a tool to supplement your current source or one that will assist you in understanding the proper usage and definitions.

For the last year I have been using White Smoke. If you would like more information on this wonderful program White Smoke offers a demo at their website at http://network.adsmarket.com/click/imNsnY2ff523YZicZZ1-w4tjmJ6NnYOUjw. It provides not only antonym and synonyms but definitions as well. Another benefit of using this program, for me, is that you can specify the type of writing you are doing and it will provide you with options that fit that writing style. For example, if you are writing a business letter the suggestions it gives for enhancement and replacement are totally different than if you were to specify your content was for dating purposes. I am certain you will find this tool a valuable resource.

Words should be fun. Learning to use them properly is imperative in the internet environment. Not only spelling but sentence structure are all laid bare as we are limited to the written word for most of our online communications. The right words in the right form written in a well formed sentence can clarify and fortify your message.

Language reflects not only our culture but our ideas. It explains our lives and our life experiences. It is our way of transferring our observations and perceptions to one another. Communication is a two way street. It helps you understand the world and the world understand you. When you use words improperly or even just spell them incorrectly it implies that either you are lazy, misinformed, or just plain uneducated.

Another valuable piece of advice is not to overuse 'big words' just for the sake of using them. I strongly agree with Don Watson's principals clearly stated in his book "Death Sentences". Management Speak (and over usage of unfamiliar terms) will make your listener or reader's go brain-dead quicker than a Sunday sermon. I offer the following excerpt from a book I recently acquired, see if your brain picks up every word and follows along with what the author is trying to express or if, like me, your brain shuts down and your eyes glaze over.

"Not a succedaneum for satisfying the nympholepsy of nullifidians, it is hoped that the haecceity of this enchiridion of arcane and recondite sesquipedalian items will appeal to the oniomania of an eximious Gemeinschaft whose legerity and sophrosyne, whose Sprachgefühl and orexis will find more than fugacious fulfillment among its felicific pages."

In closing I would like to offer one last bit of advice; grow your vocabulary first then practice using the words properly before incorporating them in your speech and writing.

I AM therefore I CAN!

When I was a young girl I used to love to prove people wrong when they told me I couldn't do something. Two little words, "you can't", were all it took for me to brave any challenge. I remember even as a young woman being undaunted by those naysayers. My motto then was "I am therefore I can!" Over the years somehow I became a little less daring. I began to listen to that little voice whispering in my ear. A sense of inferiority and/or lack of experience would creep into my being whenever I undertook an unfamiliar task.

Recently that little voice began yelling in my ear. Gone was the brave little girl. The older and wiser, set-in-her-ways, woman was in control. This last year I have been telling myself I am going to write an e-newsletter (ezine) and become an eBay merchant. I kept listening to that voice and I allowed it to keep me from accomplishing those two tasks. "You are only a woman, you don't know how, you will fail!" All of these thoughts and more continually bombarded my mind. However, after listening to a teleconference on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and hearing how important it is to have both an ezine and an eBay seller account I realized that I had to ditch my fear and just do it!

Soon after that decision was made I read a post on one of my internet networking boards that named a source for automating ezine distribution. What timing! What luck! Off I went to check it out and sign up. Now three months passed and I had only gotten half way to my goal. "You can't, you don't know how, what in the world would anybody want that you have?" Sound familiar? Yes, it was that still small voice whispering in my ear once more.

In the past year I have become an accomplished writer. So why not write a book? I had written articles and even compiled a few eBooks, both for myself and some of my clients, but I had no clue as to what to write that someone might actually pay to own. Then it hit me. Since I had been hostessing weekly chats and writing self-help articles why not write a book on presentational design & skills?

Over the course of the next few weeks I wrote what turned out to be a very informative and well written self-help book titled "Presentational Skills for the Next Generation". The next step was to apply for my selling numbers (ISBN) and bar code. Those would allow me to have others sell my book for me. Resellers like eBay and Amazon as well as being able to eventually print it for sale at the local bookstores could become a reality. This was another scary task. I had instructed other authors to obtain these items but had never had to get them myself. I knew where to go to get this done; it was just a matter of doing it.

Three weeks later I had my codes in hand and was sure I would take that final step and get an eBay merchant account. Did I get right to the task at hand? No! Why? Because I had lost my "can do" attitude. I let fear rule my actions. When you don't know what you're doing chances are you will let fear stop you.

It wasn't until I voiced my desire to two different people who had been where I wanted to go that I finally took action. Now I must say that the challenges I faced weren't that difficult to overcome. The real obstacle was FEAR! Once I set my fear aside I was able to take all the steps that would eventually see my tasks fulfilled. I have re-discovered my childhood motto and I invite you to claim it too. "I AM therefore I CAN!"

- Ginger Marks

Back to Business

It is that time of year again. The kids are getting back to school and it is time to pump it up a notch with our businesses. What is your idea of getting off the starting block? I was thinking about that the other day and thought that this might be a good place to begin my search.

Some of the things that come to mind are:

1. Advertising
2. Promotion
3. Sales
4. Events
5. Networking
6. Charity

All of these means it seems are just simply the tip of a mountain of ideas. Let's take the first one for example, advertising. You have online and offline. Then you have to consider what form of online or offline advertising suits you and your clients best. The worst thing you can do is throw good money in the wrong direction. You need to decide first who your target market is and what motivates them to buy. That is a topic for another conversation though.

Promotion sort of flows out of the advertising river into a whole new income stream of its own. If you want to promote your business you must first decide whether you want to do it in print or live interaction. Promotion can be done with flyers or you could join a group like the one I ran into recently that stuffs their products with your flyers. What a neat concept that is. You produce the promotional piece. It can be a business card, brochure or even a promotional or sale flyer. Print up 500 pieces and send it to the member that is requesting them and they insert it into their mailings. I would be happy to share this resource with you if you are interested.

How about those of us who enjoy the live interaction of an audience? There are multitudes of opportunities to promote your product or service doing seminars and chats. Just days ago I finished writing a book titled, "Promotional Skills for the Next Generation". I have it for sale in PDF version presently while I am awaiting my ISBN# to be able to sell it through vendors both in digital and print mediums. If you would like a copy just email me and I will be happy to send you your pre-release first edition copy.

What about Press Releases? They can be tied into your business promotion in a very powerful way. Consider hiring a professional who can not only pen the perfect press release but get it into the right hands. Don't attempt to do this on your own if you want real results. My PR Queen is Kim Emerson. If you want her assistance you can email her at info@writingpro.biz

One thing we fall back on often is the use of sales. These can generate interest and sometimes are the catalyst to revenues from those potential customers who are sitting on the proverbial fence. I have recently begun offering coupon book promotion to my clients as this seems to be a WIN, WIN, WIN! for everyone involved. Companies that would otherwise not let the associate promote their business can use these simple, non-threatening advertising options to their advantage. One thing that I have learned from this experience is that when offering a coupon you would do better to offer a dollar amount off rather than a percentage. Why? Well it seems that people don't perceive the value of percentage as quickly as they do an actual dollar amount.

As for events my recommendation is GET INVOLVED! If you can find the time get involved in putting them together. Attending is one thing and will garner you some networking time but when you are involved with the planning and promotion not only do you gain valuable experience but personal one-on-one with the movers and the shakers interaction as well.

Which leads us into networking. As you already know networking is a huge factor in the success or failure of your business. Just do it! Online or off. In person or in the chat room. It really doesn't matter. This is a powerful tool. Use it wisely. Make friends and let the conversation flow naturally into business informational exchange. Don't begin with an ad! This is the quickest way to turn the other members off.

Have you considered aligning with a charity? This is something that can be beneficial to others while being a promotional tool for you at the same time. Take this opportunity to use the press release to promote your business. During the holidays is a perfect time to make these associations.

Whatever your comfort level is, the key is to get off the bench and begin taking the actions to allow your business to grow and flourish. Set a goal, reach for the stars! If you end up in the clouds you have gained at the very least experience.