The Dream Catcher Series- Featuring Priscilla Williams

By LaTasha West

                

The Dream Catcher series seeks to provide information and real world advice. Over the next few weeks I will share interviews that I have done with ladies who are successfully chasing, following and living their dreams.  These women are wives, mothers and business owners who are willing to share a small piece of their journey with you.

I hope this series encourages, motivates and inspires you to believe.

This week I chat with Priscilla Williams R N, of  PriscillaQWilliams.com

Here is what Priscilla has to say:

1      LaTasha: Tell me how you came up with your business idea? Was this something that you have always dreamed of doing? 

        Priscilla: When I first started my first business, it was a nonprofit to provide resources and educate cancer patient of color particularly. I was working at the cancer center in downtown Chicago giving chemotherapy and I saw a need for individuals who didn’t have the knowledge of cancer or how to take care of themselves or family. I joined forces with Mrs. Mary Mitchell, of the Chicago Sun times and we held breast cancer awareness programs to educate the community.  After a few years, I took a job with a major nationwide pharmacy and I decided to take my business in a different direction and that’s when I started Priscilla Q. Williams, Inc. This allowed me to speak and educate about different health issues and to educate on a broader level including cancer, diabetes, heart disease and many other health issues. Shortly, after, I started an internet base radio show and I focused on health, wellness, and women’s empowerment. I have a heart for women and I not only wanted to educate about their health, but I wanted to empower them to live their dreams and to go after their goals. This is when people began to reach out to me for info about entrepreneurship and inquire how I started my business. This is when I began to have women’s conferences, networking events and speak about women empowerment.  I always had dreams of having a business when I was a child.

LaTasha: How long did it take you to actually launch your business after you got hit with the concept?

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        Priscilla: It took a few months after the idea hit me, I started reaching out to similar business that provided resources. I would check out books at the library to learn about nonprofits and I it took a few days for me to incorporate my business. Once my business was incorporated, I began to make business cards, I purchased a website, and I began to meet with key people who would help me get started. This was all done in less in 6 month time frame.

2       LaTasha: Did you earn a profit right away? If not how long did it take you?

·        Priscilla: No, I did not earn a profit right away. I actually did a lot for free for a long time. I started to make a profit after about 1 year. I did a lot of consulting through my business. I landed a contract with a company for 2 years through the health department to educate about diabetes and this is when I really started to bring in a consistent revenue.

3      LaTasha: What would you say was the best piece of advice that you were given in business?

·         Priscilla: The best advice I was given as an entrepreneur, is to remain consistent. If you want to be successful in any business you must stay committed to your business and not give up. Everything might not go as planned, but you have to be willing to keep working and making connections.

4     LaTasha:  As entrepreneurs, we have millions of business ideas, what was the craziest one that you had? Did you try to launch it? How did it turn out?

Priscilla: I must say I have a lot of business ideas, but they all made sense. I have a heart for people and so my business mind always deal with helping others. I think that it is very important to run your ideas by a coach or a mentor so you can make sure you’re heading in the right direction.

To learn more about Priscilla visit

Website: www.priscillaqwilliams.com
www.blogtalkradio/priscillaqwilliams
www.facebook.com/pwillia1
www.twitter.com/p_williams1

Priscilla is just one of the many amazing women who are living and catching their dreams! The Dream Catcher blog series is just one component of our mission to inspire you to chase and live YOUR dream.  We invite you to join us on this life changing journey! For more information on the Live the Dream Symposium Tour, Radio show or The Next 100 project visit www.idefinemysuccess.com

                                                                                  

The Dream Catcher Series- Featuring Summer Alexander

By LaTasha West

                The Dream Catcher series seeks to provide information and real world advice. Over the next few weeks I will share interviews that I have done with ladies who are successfully chasing, following and living their dreams.  These women are wives, mothers, business owners and DREAM CATCHERS who are willing to share a small piece of their journey with you.

I hope this series encourages, motivates and inspires you to believe.

This week I chat with Summer Alexander, CEO of Summer Alexander Research, Inc.

Here is what Summer has to say:

LaTasha: Summer, how long have you been in business now?

Summer: 3 years!!

LaTasha: What, if anything would you change about your journey in business?

Summer:  Honestly there isn’t anything I would change – even the months with no clients, the days I felt like giving up and the many, many tears I shed. I’ve come to understand that every little thing I’ve experienced has been a necessary step on the path to get me to exactly where I am today.

LaTasha: What was the biggest misconception that you had about working for yourself?

Summer: That I would have more time! While I do have flexibility with my time, I am always in CEO mode. When I worked a job, at the end of the work day once I walked out the door I didn’t think about it again. With my business there always seems to be more to do, another idea to implement, one more email to send, etc…

LaTasha: Were you born an entrepreneur or did you become one? Explain.

Summer: I was definitely born to be an entrepreneur but didn’t always know it. I had a “good job” working with people I loved and making “good money” but I found myself unhappy – restless even. I didn’t know why. After 7 years I was downsized and found myself unemployed for the first time since I started working at 16 years old. Initially I loved the freedom of not punching a clock but there was always this inner nudge pushing me to do more. Turns out that nudge was trying to tell me I had so much more work to do in the world but not for someone else.

LaTasha: If you taught a class on entrepreneurship what would you name the class and why?

Summer: I’ve learned that no matter what business you are in, you are in the business of marketing which is why I teach entrepreneurs how to market their businesses effectively in my Effortless Marketing Bootcamp. What I love about this training is that I have a chance to not only work with the group as a whole but to talk monthly with each entrepreneur individually over the course of 6 months. So often we sign up for programs and trainings but never take the action necessary to actually achieve the results. I named my program the Effortless Marketing Bootcamp because I’ve taken the effort of taking action away by holding you personally accountable.

Summer’s Business

Summer Alexander is an award winning Market Research professional with a passion for making data and analytics understandable for business owners. 

After working 7 years as a Network Engineer for AT&T, Summer took the knowledge and skills she learned in the corporate workspace and paired them with a formal education in marketing to partner with small business owners and help them grow strategically.

Summer learned first-hand what it takes to grow a company while working for the owner of a multi-million dollar small business. She helped fund the production, marketing and distribution of products by researching and presenting key market information to private investors which helped to raise over $300,000 in capital for the company. As the marketing manager Summer was also responsible for plan development and execution of all marketing and advertising activities for the company. 

Now the driving force behind her own company Summer has been featured in Black Enterprise and has had the pleasure of working with clients such as Pace Suburban Bus Company, IL Department of Veterans Affairs, and was hired as the Marketing Director for the 20th anniversary of the Black Women's Expo and directly contributed to attracting more than 30,000 attendees over the 3 day weekend. 

In addition to developing strategic marketing plans for companies throughout the US, Summer is also a professional speaker and an Amazon #1 Best Selling Author of The Little Book of BIG Marketing Ideas and the September 2014 release Effortless Success: How to grow your business without hard work, struggle and sacrifice. As professional speaker and trainer, she has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs through her practical yet motivational marketing bootcamps and workshops.

With a personal motto of “Doing what I say I will do, when I say I will do it,” Summer is recognized by clients as providing prompt, accurate and reliable market insights to help increase client attraction and profits for small businesses. 

Learn more about Summer when you download her free recording Break the 7 Mindset Blocks Keeping Your From Earning More In Your Business:

Website www.MarketingMoneyMindset.com

https://www.facebook.com/SummerAlexanderResearch

Twitter handle https:// twitter.com/SummersResearch

Summer is just one of the many amazing women who are catching and living their dreams! 

The Dream Catcher blog series is just one component of our mission to inspire you to chase and live YOUR dream.  We invite you to join us on this life changing journey! For more information on the Live the Dream Symposium Tour, Radio show or The Next 100 project visit www.idefinemysuccess.com

Stop wishing and make it happen!

Maybe you made a wish.........

Setting goals incorrectly can be similar to riding a stationary bike. You are pedaling and pedaling, moving and moving yet you are getting nowhere.  This can be frustrating, discouraging and even somewhat intimidating.  Studies show that people fail to achieve the goals that they have set for themselves because they are going about it all wrong.

Did you know that there is a correct and an incorrect way to set your goals? If you are like the vast majority of people you probably thought something like this: “I’ll say what I want and then I work to make it happen”. Sounds easy enough right? Wrong! Setting goals requires some thought. Not only should you be specific in what you are trying to do, you also need to have a plan to get there.

Some people think that they are setting goals when in fact they are actually making wishes. Do you know the difference?

Have you been trying to lose weight for an extended period of time now?

You want to earn more money in your career yet it hasn’t happened for you?

Can’t seem to find the love that you are looking for?

Having trouble building your savings account?

Business not growing like you thought it would?

If you can answer yes to either of those or have a similar situation, it’s probably because you made a wish for those things to happen and you have not made them a goal.

I highly suggest that you take part in the Vision Seeker Series! I'll help you stop wishing and make it happen!

Join me for a complimentary strategy call June 26th where we will discuss proper techniques and strategies to set goals correctly and achieve them! Click here to register for the 6/26 FREE session!

Get your marketing message heard

Can they hear your message?

By: LaTasha West

You’ve been busy trying to get the phone to ring or to get clients in the door but no one is calling or stopping by. No one is opening your emails, reading your blog or responding to your social media posts. You are starting to get exhausted and frustrated.

Don’t give up; maybe your audience can’t hear you.

It’s time to switch up your approach or PIVOT as I like to say. When promoting a product or service, trying to tell a story or just get someone’s attention you need the audience to hear you. 

That’s marketing- marketing is getting your message heard. So how do you do it?

Here are a few points to consider when crafting your marketing message

1. Know exactly who you are talking to. Understanding your audience will help you craft a message that speaks to them, to their hearts. People decide with their gut, hearts and emotions.

2. Meet them where they are. This doesn't necessarily mean physically, but that might work too. I mean find out what is important to them. What do they want/need? What are their pain points? If you can present a solution to a potential client’s specific problem you will get their attention.

3. Be Personal. Connect with the potential client. Use their name if you know it, comment on what they were wearing when you met, mention the place where you met. A personal connection is a great way to start a conversation.

4. Speak in a common language. Do not talk over anyone’s head. Do use big words, or company/industry jargon. Keep it simple so that they can understand you. Think about how you zone out if someone is using words that you don’t understand.

5. Keep it simple. Do not dilute your message with random facts. Keep the listener focused on what you are presenting, only mention details relevant to the point that you are making.

6. Bring it all together. After you have delivered you message, it’s time to drive it home. Remember to remind the listener of their specific problem that you are solving.  Clearly state that you understand their need and how you will help them. Talk about your benefit to them.

Try implementing these steps the next time you present your massage and let me know if you see better results!

Staying focused on your focus

"Image courtesy of Michal Marcol/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net".

Staying focused on your focus

By: LaTasha West

If you are anything like me or like most creative minds you have at minimum 10 new ideas a week. The super hero in you tells you that you can do each and every idea that comes into your head, but I have to share a secret with you. That’s not the best idea.

Trying to do too many projects at once can cause you to be overwhelmed and you may get burned out. Believe me when I say I know, I have found myself working like a mouse on a wheel trying to get 6 projects launched at basically the same time. It was terrible and quite honestly I was working, working, working and getting nowhere. You have to decide what to work on now and which brilliant ideas to put in your “later folder”. The later folder is your friend, use it.

How do you decide where to put your focus? I’m glad you asked. This depends on your long term goal. For example if your goal is to make money soon, then you want to work on the project that is most likely to bring in revenue quickly.

Once you have set your BIG goal then you should tackle it one piece at a time. Take your BIG GOAL , break it into medium goals, break those in to small goals and then break those into micro goals. By doing this you will reduce your chances of being overwhelmed and loosing focus or giving up all together. This helps you FOCUS on your FOCUS. As you check items off your list you will feel accomplished.

Your focus plan may look something like this.

BIG GOAL: Host graduation party June 6th

Medium Goals: Find venue, caterer, and DJ and book them by May 1st

Small Goals: Call 4 venues for pricing and availability by Thursday

Micro Goals: Monday make a list of 10 possible venues, caterers and DJs

Make sense? By breaking each task down, into smaller quantified goals with a due date you now have focus. As you complete your micro goals, you are now set up to complete your small goals and so on.

Now you try!

You should be in video

"Image courtesy o FreeDigitalPhotos.net".

Well at least your business should. I’m certain that if you are not hiding under a rock you have at minimum heard of YouTube. Chances are that you have probably even taken to the site to learn how to do one thing or another. 

YouTube is the 2^nd largest search engine next to Google (which by the way owns YouTube).  In my opinion all small businesses should have a video presence. This will allow your customers an alternate way to experience your company and could be also give your company an edge over the competition. It’s a fact that people do business with those they know, trust and love. YouTube helps to create that relationship.

True story- I was looking to hire a speaker for a workshop, I glanced at each candidates’ YouTube page to learn a little more about them.  By looking at their videos I was able to see their presentation style, hear them speak &learn a bit about their personalities. I made my final decision based on the YouTube presence.

Here 10 ways your company can use YouTube

1. To introduce the company to the world

2. To connect with clients on a more personal level/ build trust

3. To introduce new products, services or team members

4. To do damage control, if needed. You can put together a quick sincere video explaining the situation and have it available within minutes literally.

5. To teach clients how to use products

6. To explain “how to do something”

7. To present a class

8. To make a short video greeting card or newsletter

9. To do a video blog

10. To market an upcoming event

I am sure you can think of a few more creative ways to use this service. One super-duper great thing about YouTube is that it’s FREE! All you need to get started is a smartphone, YouTube account and a video!  Try it out at YouTube.com

Visit our YouTube page and subscribe to stay update with the happenings of Her Business Consulting. Click Here!

***Diamond (commonly referred to as a tip)- If you’d like to add some pizzazz to your video with an opener, head over to Fiverr.com and have one made for just $5.00!