What social media is:

Social media is a tool. It is a way to communicate and stay connected to people and businesses. What are the differences between old media and new media? Old media, such as television, newspaper advertising and radio are all one-directional.

New media, or social media, gives everyone the opportunity to get involved by giving feedback. With social media, we all have the ability to interact with what we see, hear and read. We have a voice and we can express our thoughts on a particular product or service. Our opinions actually have the chance to be heard if we choose to participate. (more…)

Thank you, mom, for being there for me and making a difference in my life.

My mother, in many ways, reminded me of Lucille Ball. She was silly, funny, full of life; and creative, talented and caring, too. To this day, when ‘I Love Lucy’ comes on I think of her. I lost my mother when I was 17, but she made a huge difference in my life in the short amount of time we had together.

My mother was my ‘difference maker.’  Was she perfect?  No. Was she a saint? Hell no. Did she make a difference in my life? Absolutely – yes! (more…)

I posted a motivational photo on my Facebook business page and received not a single “like” or “share.” I pinned the same image to my brand new Pinterest board and garnered 39 repins in four minutes. Pictures sing and soar on this new visual social media platform like nothing we’ve ever seen.

“Power scrapbooking” is the perfect term to describe Pinterest. The bright new star of social media has in its short lifespan already won the number 3 spot (in terms of traffic) in the social media network wars.
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Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible. ~ Tony Robbins 

A couple of years ago, I didn’t exist—at least on the web.

I had no presence anywhere except on LinkedIn, where it was minimal at best. I almost lost a chance to be involved in a professional project because of my invisibility.

The organization I was about to work with did a quick check on me and found I did not have much more than a basic profile which generically said I was in sales. When the decision-makers saw this they most likely thought that I was not qualified or was going to try to sell them. I learned very quickly that having a presence online is extremely important in building trust and credibility.

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In the beginning of my business social media relationship I favored Twitter. 

I was able to meet exciting new people, connect with like-minded business owners and interact with other fitness pros. I even spoke with a fellow Twitter user on the telephone for nearly two hours, shooting the breeze about writing and using WordPress (yes, you @writer_sheri).

Then…I don’t know what happened. Twitter became my wife and Facebook appeared on the scene as my hip, new mistress. Why I chose Facebook over Twitter I’ll never really understand. Maybe it was the prettier interface. Perhaps it was the longer status updates and lengthier replies. Possibly it was the ability to easily post and view photographs. Whatever it was that Facebook had over Twitter, it won my heart and I almost abandoned the 140 character platform I had so once loved.

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Do you ever feel a bit overwhelmed with all that it takes to run a business today?

Finding the right tools to build a successful business can be challenging. In this article you will find a wealth of information from like-minded small businesses who share thoughts and ideas on what it takes to be successful.

In addition, supplemental articles feature two well-known business leaders, Brian Tracy and Melinda Emerson, who share their wisdom and experience on building and maintaining a successful business. They weigh in on what is absolutely crucial not only continue to do business today, but what steps you need to take to ensure your business succeeds in the future. (Download all articles in the “Tools for Business” series compiled into a FREE ebook here.)

Let’s open the toolbox and take a look inside. Are you ready?

Download FREE ebook

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Brian Tracy truly is a man of world experience. He has worked as a consultant, trainer and advisor for more than 1,000 corporations, written over 45 books, and produced and written more than 300 audio and video learning programs, translated into 20 languages. Tracy has had successful careers in sales, marketing, investments, and real estate. He has assisted and guided people with personal and professional development, and has worked with individuals as well as executives from all walks of life spanning the globe for over 30 years.

Tracy was kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule to talk to us about what is important in building a successful business. He also gave insight into how his latest book “How To Earn What You Are Really Worth” came to be, and shared some personal thoughts (interview follows below).

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Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. – Albert Einstein

We all want things to better in our lives. We all want today to be better than yesterday. The truth is, at some point, we can find ourselves in a routine where we feel overwhelmed and somewhat out of control.

You may have heard of stories like this one:

You get up in the morning frantically putting the wheels in motion making breakfast, getting kids up and ready for school. You search for your car keys while trying to find the right outfit to wear. You remember you had a meeting and you’re now running behind. It dawns on you that you don’t have enough gas in the car and you were going to take care of that the night before. Now you have to make and extra stop on the way to work. (more…)

How to rise to the top by adding your personal touch.  
(Video or transcript) 

Are you an independent contractor? It sounds like a commercial. It’s not.
I’m going to call this a “signature move”. Everything that you do, whether
you are an employee, whether you’re a manager, whether you own the company,
you are at the top, middle, or the bottom, the point, of this segment, is
to remind people to look at themselves and invest in themselves as an
independent contractor.

That means that, let’s for instance, why the bar scene? Bar scene is
partly because when I was a bartender, I didn’t look at myself as an
employee. I looked at myself as an independent contractor. What I did was I
made sure that I worked for myself. I put my signature on everything. I got
people excited to come in and see me. I gave back. I went above and beyond
because the more that you do, the more that you give, the more people
actually are attracted. They want to come back and see you.

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