#PinkTip of the Week

You’ll never make a dollar selling to yourself. Find out what your customer’s needs are; ask them and listen. 

Positive Affirmations:

This is your year for success. 

#PinkTip of the Week

Life is guaranteed to throw you a few curve balls. Remember that setbacks are to be expected. Get up, dust off and keep it moving towards your goals. 

Positive Affirmations:

Love and wealth flow abundantly into my life. 

#PinkTip of the Week 

Passion, Plan & Profit are the three keys to success. In order to generate income from your business you need to make sure you have the passion and a solid plan. 

Positive Affirmation:

I have the power to live my dreams. 

#PinkTip of the Week

It is hard to remember that we are only human. We make mistakes, lose our cool and want to give up. Remember the first step is to recognize your mistakes, apologize if necessary and move on. Life will move on if you decide to or not. 

Positive Affirmation: 

I am a smart and powerful woman.

#PinkTip of the Week: 

Being a business owner has its share of ups and downs. There were many times that I wanted to throw in the towel and give up. It is during these times that I pick up my gratitude journal to remind myself of all the things I am thankful for each day.

Positive Affirmation:

I release my fear of failure today

Establish core values for your business and stick with them.

What is your mission? What are your business values? It is important to create core values for your business and remain consistent with your mission in every decision you make. There is a saying that I have heard my Grandmother say for years “If you stand for nothing, You’ll  fall for anything”. Make sure your business is built on a solid foundation of values.

Positive Affirmation of the Week:

I am thankful for all my blessings and accept abundance in my life

Learn to become a frugal entrepreneur.

This recession has taught us to spend money wisely. As an entrepreneur you need to make sure you are spending money on necessity items for your business. Do not overextend yourself because positive cash flow is the life line of your business success.

Positive Affirmation of the Week

I am bigger than my fears

What do teens know about starting a business?

Turns out they know a lot more than you think.  I had the honor or facilitating the Black Enterprise Teenpreneur Conference, sponsored by Wendy’s, for the 3^rd time last week and it was truly remarkable.  With over 80students attending the conference, we had the opportunity to educate, empower and encourage our youth to dream beyond the usually 9-5 and become their own boss.

I was surrounded by an amazing team; I’na Saulsberry (The Starfire Group), Kevin Johnson (Johnson Media, Inc), Brandon Griffin (FYEBYE, Inc) and our program director Malla Haridat (New Designs for Life) each with a passion to teach our youth about business ownership. And I could not forget the fabulous Black Enterprise team, especially Natasha Gore and LaToya Smith.

The conference started with guest speaker Kenyra Rankin, author of “Start it Up: The Complete Teen Business Guide to Turning Your Passions into Pay”. She led an activity to help the attendees brainstorm businesses that capitalize on their unique strengths.

Our next guest speaker was, Quintin Primo, owner of Capri Capital Partners, LLC. Mr. Primo shared his life story and encouraged our students to never give up on their dreams. Mr. Primo appeared on the Forbes Wealthiest Black Americans list with an estimated net worth of $300 million.

The day ended with the students exploring the Wendy’s brand and developing a new product for the company.

Day 2 of the Teenpreneur Conference was jam packed with guest speakers and interactive activities. Students were honored to hear from Dawn Finch, owner of Pooka Pure & Simple, sharing how she made the cover of Black Enterprise and how she uses social media to promote her brand. Her session was so great that I am now a Pooka fan!

We also heard from Sree Sreenivisan, Social Media guru and Dean of Student Affairs at Columbia University. The students we so engaged with the learning how social media can affect their ability to get ahead in the future. His session was so great that I took a few notes for myself. (smile)

After an afternoon session of business development activities, students heard from the team of Starting Up Now.  They facilitated a fun sales activity for students to understand the importance of identifying features and benefits when selling products.

Last but not least we had the honor of hearing from Derek Dingle, Editor and Chief of Black Enterprise and owner of Milestone Media. The students were excited to learn that Mr. Dingle was responsible for the creation of Static Shock animated series. I had no idea we had a series of Black superheroes.

Students had the opportunity to present their business ideas to thegroup. My team created Teen Perspective, a news program focused on issues that teens were interested in hearing.
And after all the guest speakers, activities and business presentations the conference ended with a fabulous graduation. It was a great experience and I look forward to seeing everyone again in Columbus, OH for next year’s Black Enterprise Teenpreneur Conference.

Make sure to visit http://www.BlackEnterprise.com for more updates on next year’s conference.

Marketing Research is very important in developing your strategic plan

Building a solid plan is very important to your business success.  In order to conduct a proper plan you will need to conduct market research. This marketing research should include identifying your competition, market trends and a SWOT (Strengthens, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis.

Positive Affirmation of the Week:

I begin each day bright, happy and empowered.

Make sure your website has some type of “call to action”

You spent a lot of time and dedication to building a great website. Unfortunately, building the website and leaving it there is not enough. You need to make sure you are capturing contact emails or other contact information from you visitors. You can do this by offering a free download, asking to join your newsletter or anything else that would prompt your visitors to sign up for more.

Positive Affirmation of the Week

I am successful in whatever I do