Suitable for S-Corps, C-Corps, LLC's and partnerships, the software is free and includes free e-Filing of your 2009 Federal tax return (due 3/15/10.) A state version with e-Filing costs $50 (a pop-up box offer appears after you install the program and begin your Federal return.
This freebie is the full version of the software and is available to first-time users as well as people who've used it before. I got a freebie last year and was able to get this year's freebie too. The only thing you can't do if you're a previous customer is import your data from last year. So the trade-off for saving $110 is a little manual entry from your 2008 return.
I tried TurboTax Business last year (instead of paying over $900 to a CPA) and found it be really easy. If you've never done your own taxes, you might do better with a pro. But if you're at least somewhat acquainted with how your company is set up, you should be able to do this yourself. It's empowering and can save you a lot of cash.
While many of you are health care professionals, I know that pretty much all my readers are health care advocates. You're the go-to person for friends and family with health questions. You're also the ones reaching out and teaching others. There's a last-minute deal on a tool to help you do that better.
***Offer expires Friday, January 29, 2010 at Midnight***
Food, Inc. is a good overview documentary about US food production and how corporate America has been steadily controlling our food supply by dominating farmers and food processing techniques. I was lucky enough to see it in the theater, but it had such a limited run nationwide that most of you didn't get the chance.
For 2 days only, you can buy it on DVD for the same price as a movie ticket!
What's great about the movie is that it gives equal time to the biggest problems in our food supply such as meat production, GMO corn, lack of agricultural diversity, and labor issues. These topics are so big that getting it down to movie-length is no easy task. Some of you who are already knowledgeable on these subjects might find it too cursory, however it's perfect for teaching others. This would make a great gift for your clients and loved ones!
This 10-DVD set is our advanced program for those that want to sharpen their spa management skills. Even the most experienced managers and directors will find Power Up! extremely valuable and insightful.
In this convenient-to-watch video of our live seminar, we will share with you their vast firsthand knowledge in superior spa and team management that will help you gain control of your employees and lead them to stellar performance!
If you've attended other spa management or director training programs in the past Power Up! will prove to be the perfect advanced course for you. Whether you are currently employed as a spa manager or director, plan to become one in the future, or employ them in your business this powerful and motivating series is sure to become your best investment in a great career!
In this fast paced and entertaining program you’ll learn:
Service and compensation programs • A spa business overview: what’s hot and what’s not for the spa that plans to succeed! • The spa service menu: planning for the right kind of customer and business • Spa packages and gift certificates—beware of the hidden profit dangers! • Compensation planning: what’s fair versus what’s affordable
Employee recruitment and training • Characteristics of an ideal spa employee: what you and they need to agree on • Recruitment and hiring workshop • Training programs: the must-do and must avoid rules of employee training • Service and retail sales skills: A zero-option sales performance standards
Leadership skills • Understanding the dominant personality type of spa employees, and how to communicate effectively with them • The firm but fair manager: defining roles, setting boundaries, and being consistent • How to plan and conduct an effective staff meeting • The essentials of employee motivation • Performing employee evaluations, corrective action plans and terminations
è Convenient Packaging! Your 10-DVD set comes packaged in a leather bound binder, complete with printed copies of the presenters’ slides so you can follow along and take notes.
It's that time of year again! Certainly time for us to put on our fancy clothes and party hats, but also time for me to share my annual list called My Favorite Business Things with you. For those of you who are new, this is my Oprah-style list of favorite goodies that I've personally used througout the year, but all related to business.
If you're quick, you can still get your purchases done in time for your 2007 tax-deductions!
Admittedly, the style of the Apple iPhone makes my heart beat faster, but the current version doesn't wirelessly sync with Microsoft Outlook on Exchange Server. There's just no way I'm going to plug in wires to update my handheld. So when I saw the ads for the new Blackberry Curve 8310 with GPS navigation, I was swayed to consider another Blackberry (usually retails for around $400). When I saw that Amazon is having a deal to buy one for only $25 (after rebate) I was sold! The new Blackberry Curve is about 1/3 smaller than my old Blackberry, with a bright screen, good sound quality, and a camera. I'm still testing out the Telenav turn-by-turn navigation service, which hasn't been 100% accurate in the area I live. But I love the new Blackberry!
If you want to take advantage of the sale/rebate offer, hurry. It expires on 1/5/08. Click here to buy.
Computer virus protection is a necessary evil in that you've got to have it, but all the programs have some downside or other. McAfee has horrible customer service. Trend Micro PC-cillin used to be great, but trying to upgrade/renew was a nightmare. Norton, oh my. I can barely type their name as I'm still mad at how it made all my Microsoft office programs crash all the time. Grisoft's AVG Internet Security is my 4th program, and it's run smoothly and effortlessly this whole year. Automatic virus updates are easy to schedule. It does not hinder the speed of my computing. They've got a good reputation. I'm really happy with it.
With a website, 3 blogs, and a Flickr photo journal to manage, I really needed a good easy-to-use photo editor. I stress the importance of easy, because I want to spend time creating my art--not learning a bloated software program. When Picnik launched it changed everything for me! Their editing interface is simple. You can sign up for a free account to do basic cropping, resizing, etc. But after I blogged the free version, they also rolled out a $24.95/year plan with a ton of cool features. It's worth every penny! The most valuable thing about Picnik is that they have a tool where you can add text on top of pictures--perfect for making your own website/blog header or banners for your website! I love the new blog header images I recently made: Inspirational Business, Sacred Elephants, and even my personal blog called Russian River Chalet. Picnik rocked my 2007!
Speaking of photo editing, here's an awesome service to touch up those headshots of yours! Last year, I was commenting on Guy Kawasaki's blog about his new headshots. I was musing that perhaps I should touch up mine, because people always tell me how much younger I look in person (yikes!) The friendly owner of FixMyPhotos saw it, and offered to give me a free Ultra Retouching (usually $10, so it's a deal anyways.) What an improvement! They corrected the blue tones from me standing in the shade, and made my skin look smoother. If you've got a headshot on your marketing materials, you should definitely have FixMyPhotos improve it for you!
This book was a great little jumpstart for my productivity this year. Being passionate about my work sometimes means that I put all my energy there--to the exclusion of other things. Tim's book got me thinking about how to reclaim my weekends again, and really helped me to minimize the amount of time I spend on emails (key: use an auto-responder and tell people when I'm offline, instead of keeping my virtual office door open 24/7.) Much of the rest of his book is about how to build an automated ecommerce business, with some very handy links and resources. As a coach, I have to tell you that starting a business like that takes endless hours--just like starting any business does. It's not going to be a 4-hour work week until it's up and running. But if you're feeling like you work too much or work inefficiently, check out this book. It will get you thinking about how you can make your business run more automatically. Some of the life-visioning exercises in The 4-Hour Workweek are excellent as well.
I know some of you are smiling because you already know the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is my favorite charity of every year. But for those of you who are just getting to know me, I'll briefly explain that I've got a passion for elephant conservation, enough that I started supporting the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in 2004--enough that I flew all the way to Kenya to meet the baby elephants & their caretakers. [Click here to read more on my elephants blog.]
Click through to their website and read some of the orphaned elephant rescue stories. [post-script: I notice their site is having issues right now. I'm a little worried that they need more help.] The stories are so engaging, and I promise it's worth your time. Grab the tissues before you click. Your heart is going to bust open.
So if you love elephants or love someone who loves them, please join me in supporting this special organization!
Power-Up! Practitioners Business Course: The Spa Career and Personal Confidence Booster 8-DVD Set with CD-Rom of Materials [Click here to visit the ordering page.] Here it is! A one-of-a-kind learning experience for the success-minded holistic practitioner. Hosted and led by spa retail guru Keith West-Harrison and spa consultant & life coach Jaya Savannah (formerly Schillinger) this empowering 8-DVD training program will help you to take your practice to the next level of excellence and personal income! Whether you are a solo practitioner or manage a team, this breakthrough DVD training program will teach you everything you wish you’d learned in practitioner training school about building up your practice, but didn’t. Consider this your post-secondary business education! If you are a holistic services professional of any kind—spa, medical spa, alternative health practitioner, or customer service-minded salon professional—Power-Up! Practitioners Business Course is the program for you.
Who says that education has to be a serious affair? This course is educational, practical, and also FUN! Expect to be challenged, to laugh, to grow, and to see your career from an entirely new and uplifting perspective. This is more than a training seminar—it’s your ticket to a better way of life! Keith West-Harrison is one of the most successful and entertaining sales trainers in the business, and you can expect him to share with you the techniques that brought him success at his New Orleans spa! You don’t have to be the most experienced professional or work in the most beautiful spa to become a tremendous success in business, but you DO need to have and follow a great plan. And we have that plan for you!
Jaya Savannah specializes in coaching spa professionals to rapidly grow their business through inner and outer excellence. Instead of feeling like you have to “sell yourself,” all the time, Jaya will help you to capitalize on your unique gifts and win clients over with your authenticity and exceptional customer service. Stop worrying about the competitive spa market, and let us show you how to polish up your skills and shine like the valuable professional that you are!
This is just some of what you’ll learn from our breakthrough training program:
• How to improve your personal and career confidence • Discover your unique niche and how to market your services
• Client psychology: what customers really want from their treatments • A client consulting technique that will win you top service and retail sales income!
• A personality profiling system that helps you to communicate with different types of customers so they immediately like and trust you.
• How to please any client that arrives late for an appointment with you (and be even happier than if they had come on time!)
• Client rebooking, retail, and referral strategies that will help you build a loyal clientele while also doubling your income.
• The Fame Game: how you, too can become a celebrity in the industry by capitalizing on your own unique talents and creating treatment protocols that newspapers and magazines love to write about!
Power-Up! spa and holistic service professionals are special people, the true achievers in an increasingly crowded field. Spa, salon, medical spa, and wellness clinic employers and customers are looking for only the best experts for jobs, advancements and services. Do you have what it takes to go to the next level of knowledge and skill?
Buy your copy of our hottest practitioner’s training program today, and train yourself and all of your current spa, salon, medical spa, and wellness clinic employees with it now. Then whenever you hire new employees, have them watch the DVD’s too. Think of all the time you’ll save by having a standardized training system—but what you’ll really love is how much more money you’ll be making and how confident you’ll start to feel when we show you how to sell services and products without selling your soul.
Let us Power-Up! your holistic practice for you! The Power-Up! Practitioners Business Course includes: 8 DVD's from our 2-day live seminar. 1 CD-Rom with PDF's of presenter's slides, sample consultation forms, worksheets, & handouts. $549 plus shipping/handling. [Click here to visit the ordering page.] • This item is shipped Priority Mail, so you'll receive it quickly. • We offer a money-back guarantee to make sure you’re 100% delighted with your purchase.
Testimonials from Previous Power-Up! Students:“2006 started with Power-Up! (Practitioner's Business Course) and ended with a six figure gross for this solo esthetician! I set goals at Power Up! that I thought were ridiculous at the time. Especially the monetary goal I set. Power Up! helped me not only achieve my monetary goals, it helped me achieve many personal goals. My small business grossed six figures in 2006 which was a huge increase over the previous year. Since Power Up I have streamlined my business to three days a week and still doubled my personal service sales. I have fired clients who did not fit the practice I envisioned for myself and they still are happy because I found them somewhere that fit them better . I have gone to a referral only model and have a 75% retention rate on all new clients. Power Up! rocks!!!!”Annamarie Lubow, Esthetician/Owner of Anna M Skincare in Idaho Falls, ID
"As a skin care salon owner, I am in constant search for ways to keep my estheticians educated. They love learning, as it keeps them inspired. But good classes are few and far between. I have my own skin care line, so it's not advantageous to send them to a class taught by a skin care company, as their push will be on their product line. So, it doesn't leave me with many options. I sent three of my estheticians to the Power Up! class and boy, was it ever educational! This two day class taught them about what you really need to know to succeed in this business: the relationship you have with your client and how to make it the best it can be. Looking at this business from a true understanding of what the clients really want, versus what WE think they want, is a real eye opener, and Jaya Schillinger and Douglas Preston shed the light on it. Giving the most advanced, most cutting-edge facial does not guarantee your success. But being taught the tools to connect with your clients is what it's all about. As Douglas Preston always says, "the one thing that your competition can't duplicate is the relationship you have with your client." And this class will show you the secrets. My estheticians got so much inspiration from this class and it was worth every penny! If you want to be truly successful, this class is a must!"Renee Rouleau, President of Renee Rouleau Skin Care Salon in Plano, Texas
“Your experience in the industry shines through. The tools that you gave are awesome. The VIP topic was a huge new concept. The instructors’ presentation skills were outstanding. They personally got to know each participant. My favorite segments were the 3 R’s for reinforcement. (The section called Shine) was my little healing session. The VIP segment because I know it will build my business, retention, and loyalty. I liked the press & promoting yourself information, too.”Susie Raymond, Esthetician/Owner of White Sage Spa in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
"What a great 2 days I had at Power-Up! It was just the right mix of material, made perfect sense, and was just the kick in the pants that I needed."Laura Wilson, Esthetician/Owner of Pacific Skin Care in Santa Cruz, California
“I honestly struggled with whether or not this was the right time for me to attend something like Power Up. My business is brand new, so there’s not much left over money in my budget and just enough income to cover expenses at this point, but I can honestly say that making the investment in Power Up was the smartest decision I’ve made thus far...Thank you for a fabulous weekend and I look forward to working with you in the future.”Michelle Krueger, Esthetician/Owner of SkinCare Solutions in Cedarburg, Wisconsin
“The return is almost immeasurable. My best day before, excluding Christmas gift certificates was $1200.00, but my average was about $500. With the new client interview technique, I have had six $1000 days—boosting my average to $700/800, and one day totaling nearly $3000.! For an esthetician in business just a little over a year, in a totally new location, with pricing in this area well-below metropolitan areas, that is nothing short of amazing!!! And the client feedback is amazing as well. All have greatly appreciated the extra care and attention and gladly agreed to add-ons and entirely new product programs. One in particular stands out because she interrupted me mid-sentence and told me that she had been getting facials for nearly 20 years and never had anyone ask her the questions I asked or be such a "true professional" She now calls herself my "client for life," after only 3 sessions. She wanted to purchase all new products with her 10 session microderm package—she bought everything....I mean everything! I have noticed a really big difference between the new clients and prior ones and would love to know a graceful way to introduce this interview with those clients. Most of all its been really rewarding to create such solid client relationships right away. The new clients have been telling all their friends and it wont be long before $1000 is a slow day. Thank you so much!!! I must also give you a plug and thank you for your Inspirational Days & Nights CD. Since I don’t have time to actually put aside to listen to it, I made a compromise. I listen to it in the car on my way to and from the shop. It gets me focused by the time I get there and helps me unwind on the drive home. Its been a great tool for me to get really clear on what I need to do that day other than seeing clients and helps me to let go of "The List" of things to do in my head. Sometimes the simplest things are the most effective. Thank you.”Dawn McGrath, Esthetician/Owner of Serenity Zone Day Spa in Nevada City, CA
“You both know your stuff! Thanks for the great ideas! Your presentation skills are very good. It’s great to be taught by you both! You were very organized and I felt like I was part of the class and was able to get my questions answered. It’s great to also have the actual material (to print out in a binder.) The most fun part of the class was the Personality Keys. The most useful parts were the VIP session and the 3 R’s. Thank you for all your hard work to help me.”Miriam Lytle, Esthetician/Owner of Wolf Mountain Day Spa in Grass Valley, CA
“The instructors’ presentation skills were very good. They included everyone. The manual will be very helpful in the future. My favorite segment of the training was bringing in the spiritual and business aspects.”Stacey Ehlers, Owner of Santa Fe Massage in Santa Fe, NM[Click here to visit the ordering page.]
A great way to motivate yourself to get more organized is to find things that you also enjoy using. Sure, you can get bargain basics at a big box office supply store, but most of the goods are so boring! If colorful, pretty things make you more productive, then you might want to check out this online store my friend Lisa Taft Preston turned me on to.
See Jane Work has some very attractive office supplies. Prices are a little spendy compared to plain black/grey/navy basics, but a little splurge is fun. Take a browse around. While you're there, notice how they are a great example of niche-branding!
Interested in day spa management? The conference recordings from the 2007 Day Spa Expo are available for purchase now! There are two different websites you can buy from depending on what format you prefer: Online Streaming Audio with Mp3 Downloads* (available now) -You get the whole conference for only $129. -Includes 36 presentations -Listen online -Download to your iPod, computer, or burn to CD -Receive the PDF's of presentation slides/handouts * You can listen to 3 minute previews of our presentations for free. Multi-media CD Roms or Audio CD's (available 4/7) -Receive CD-Roms of the entire conference for $249 -Special reduced-price for Day Spa Association members: $149 -Individual CD's are $16-28 each Personally, I think the Mp3 option is really a great deal! Listening to the previews is pretty interesting too. I really appreciate that they made that available. Click here to go directly to the audio/slideshow preview page. If you weren't at the conference to hear my 3 presentations, here is a recap. All the audios are online in those links above. For fun, I'm including a few slides here as examples. When you buy the audios, they'll give you full size slides of the whole presentation. 1. The Empowered Manager with Jaya Schillinger I had some fun with this presentation on developing your leadership skills by using my collection of elephant photos to illustrate day spa managment concepts. The audience and I did some real on-the-spot coaching around how to maintain quality standards and set firm boundaries with staff. I've been getting phone calls all week from people saying how much they loved this topic. 2. The Overwhelmed Spa Manager with Douglas Preston & Jaya Schillinger Douglas is so much fun to teach with. He is always the audience's favorite at these shows, and this presentation was no exception. We talk about how to understand the psychology of spa employees, and how to prioritize, delegate, and set goals in your business. We tried to keep it fun with our "Love Boat" theme, using a few pirate photos (Johnny Depp!) to spice it up. 3. The High-Powered Front Desk Team with Keith & Andre West-Harrison and Jaya Schillinger Keith and Andre are really entertaining and bring a real-world point of view to spa consulting. They've both "been there, done that," (and so have I) and we teach you some of our best key points about training your spa front desk staff in this presentation. (Sorry, I don't have a screen shot for you on this one, but you do get the slides if you order the recordings online.) There were so many other fantastic presentations at the conference! I'm only blogging 3 out of the 36 available. I'm really pleased that the conference uploaded the recordings and have them ready for you. Hope you enjoy them!
The Powered-Up! Front Desk:
Creating a Highly Effective Spa & Salon Reception Team
If you’ve got a front desk, you need this DVD program.
Your front desk staff is one of the most important influences on the profitability of your spa or salon. It is often the first point of contact with your customers, is in charge of your service scheduling, and largely responsible for how smoothly your business flows and operates daily. However, proper front desk training is often overlooked by management, resulting in lost revenues, employee turnover, and customer dissatisfaction.
In this informative 4 DVD set (filmed at the live 1-day seminar) Jaya Savannah and Keith West-Harrison will share with you the techniques they have developed over years of training front desk teams. Beyond the computer and cash-handling aspects of job training that you already do now, you and your staff will learn how to turn the front desk into a profitability machine:
Making a good first impression
How to multi-task at the front desk
Sell more of your premium priced services
Fill more of your hard-to-sell appointment hours
Client rebooking techniques
Up-sell with gift certificate packages
Clear out slow-moving retail items at full price!
Bonus: Includes the seminar handouts on CD-Rom, so you can print them out.
Don’t miss this chance to get the tools you need to train your front desk team! These simple but proven strategies will help you get the most value from your reception staff and will pay for itself many times over with increased revenues. Even this traditionally high-turnover position can help generate the vital income your company needs —and you’ll tap that hidden resource as soon as you implement even a few of our strategies. [Testimonials below.]
Price: $249 for the 4-DVD set and the handouts on CD-rom.
We offer a money-back guarantee to make sure you’re 100% delighted with your purchase.
Special note for spa & salon employees:
This is one educational product your employer will find worthy of paying for, so be sure to tell them about it!
Testimonials from The Powered-Up! Front Desk Seminar Attendees:
"I got a lot out of The Powered-Up! Front Desk class as an owner. I was going to send my front desk person but she had family obligations. I'm glad it worked out that I went and would recommend it to other owners as well. The class had a lot of good suggestions which I am going to implement ASAP. Also, I don't know about other owners but I always wonder "how do the big spas handle this situation?" Talking to some of the girls that are in this position gave me some insight into their front desk policies. Very interesting! It was good for me to step out of the esthetician world and into the "Front Desk" position. I might add too that it really helps as owners to know that you're not alone in your endeavor. Thanks for a great class!"
Cindy Martin, Owner of A Thousand Cranes Day Spa in Modesto, California
"The girls loved the front desk class. We had a company meeting this morning and they have a lot of great ideas now to implement!! Thank you so much again!!"
Debbie Savino, Owner of Aquablue Skin & Body Spa in Salinas, California
“What an absolutely wonderful wealth of information Jaya & Keith gave…I came away with 5 new tools to implement. It was entertaining and informative.”
Jeannine Fernandes, Front Desk Staff Member at Glen Ivy Day Spa in Valencia, California
“The industry knowledge was spot on! It’s nice to talk and listen to others who understand! I can wait to implement some of the new ideas learned here today. The instructors’ presentation skills were great! Very knowledgeable, and the handouts will prove to be very helpful in training our staff to be exceptional.”
Front Desk Staff Member
“I feel this information is necessary to every spa. I was never bored, because it was very entertaining. It was very useful in day-to-day life in general, and I’m taking back the motivational techniques. And I’ll definitely use sales techniques for my staff.”
Front Desk Staff Member
“Very knowledgeable. Wonderful! I loved, absolutely loved this training. I can’t wait to share all I’ve learned. The pace of the class was good, not too fast, and touched on every subject. It was very useful. This experience is really going to impact me and my staff in a wonderful way. I had a great time. All of you are excellent coaches/consultants. I had a wonderful time and I learned so much. Thank you.”
Front Desk Staff Member
“Jaya & Keith’s knowledge was wonderful. I plan to share this great knowledge with my staff! The flow was smooth and kept me involved throughout the entire class. The information is very useful, well organized, and very well orchestrated!”
Spa Owner
"My favorite segment of the training was Jaya's inspiration segment with personal connections...The seminar was great. The funny energetic presentation kept it interesting."
Mandy Drane, Front Desk Staff Member
"I enjoyed how they both knew about all the subjects & how they both threw in their personal input. They went at a pace where everyone kept up, and were able to answer all of our questions. I think that all of the info they gave us was where we needed it, in real situations. The environment was great. It was serious, but not too serious--they made it FUN. They gave us real situations and told us how we could handle them, with what we should & shouldn't do."
Front Desk Staff Member
"The instructors were very organized with information. They were clear about what we should and should not do at the spa. They made me feel very comfortable because of the way they interacted with the group. My favorite part was product selling, and ways to promote an item that is not selling & product knowledge."
Denise Lepe Mercado, Staff Member at Aquablue Skin & Body Spa in Salinas, California
"Great presenters with interesting & relevant life histories. The pace of the class was not too slow or too fast, and I appreciated the visual and auditory presentation. I took lots of notes & plan to use all the information! The instructors were entertaining, thorough, informative, and the class was very well organized. They involved the entire class. Very friendly. I liked the retail segment and how they gave examples of selling services and explaining services to clients. Thanks! I feel very motivated!"
Jennifer Torres, Refresh Day Spa
"They really know what they are doing! They answered all my questions and doubts. It was informative and fun, unlike other seminars. It was all organized. The handout portfolio was great! Good interaction. My favorite was retail. Very informative and they answered all questions. Everything was great!"
Jazmin Diaz, Front Desk Staff Member at Aquablue Skin & Body Spa in Salinas, California
Now that 2006 is coming to a close, it's time for me to share the results of My Favorite Business Things annual list. For those of you who are new, this is my Oprah-style list of favorite goodies that I've personally used througout the year, but all related to business.
Have fun browsing through my selections. And by all means, please use the comment field at the bottom of the post to share your 2006 favorites with us.
The iPod is on my list for the 2nd year running, but this year it's the video iPod. When I first upgraded from my photo iPod, I didn't really know if I would watch videos on it all that much, and I don't--at home. Mostly, I'm an avid music listener, but for traveling on planes and staying in hotels, the video iPod really helps break up long stretches of time. There are so many good podcasts and classes on Mp3 now, too. The iPod is definitely my favorite business tool.
I also have the Bose sound dock, but I moved that one up to my weekender house. For business, I wanted something that was smaller for travel, without giving up sound quality. This doughnut-shaped speaker system from JBL sounds amazing! It's not sold specifically for travel, and I've got to admit that the transformer plug is as heavy as the speakers, but all the travel speakers I've heard pale in comparison to the JBL's. I highly recommend these for office, hotel rooms, and creating ambiance in a classroom.
I'm no photography buff, but I do need to take photos at business events and for my blog. Despite my steadiest hold, just pressing the shutter button down is enough to make a picture blurry. This tiny flexible tripod corrects that problem, especially if I use the self-timer feature on the camera. Even better than a regular tripod, this small but mighty device can wrap around almost anything. I love taking it out in nature and experimenting with it. This is a super buy for anyone with a small digital camera, and they just came out with a larger SLR camera version too.
One of the best decisions I made in 2006 was to start blogging. I've always received nice feedback on my newsletters and magazine articles, but the content-planning and length started to turn into a chore after a few years. I had looked into blogging only a tiny bit, and studied information about "business blogging," but it seemed kind of dull. It was only after I started reading my multi-talented friend S. Jones' blog that I really got inspired. He gives himself total permission to write whatever he feels like, in whatever form he feels like (articles, stories, images, poetery) and that freedom spoke to me. When I asked how to get started, he suggested TypePad. Now my writing is much more extemporaneous and creative, and the TypePad software is a breeze to use. I found my writing freedom this year, and hope to shake it loose even more next year.
FeedBlitz was the tool that helped me convert from writing my eZine to blogging. Most of my readers are still newsletter subscribers that read via email instead of blog-reading software. This service has helped me to have the best of both worlds. I write my articles once, on the blog, then once a week FeedBlitz sends out the latest blog entries in the form of the newsletter. This is so much easier than what I used before! I really love it.
As I was having new business cards printed this year, I realized that I needed to do something about my phone number. Inspiration, Inc is expanding in 2007 and I'll be bringing in new associate coaches. Since we'll all be working from different parts of the country, I needed to have a company 800# service that would route everyone's calls and faxes. Ring Central has a great price compared to all the others I researched, and the interface is so clean and uncluttered. We're very happy so far.
This book on organization and task management has totally changed the way I think about my to-do lists. It's also dramatically changed the work flow of several of my clients. David Allen has developed a cult following for his system because it really changes the way you think. If you follow his teachings, you've got a real system for managing production instead of just keeping most of it in your head. Don't wait. Order this book now and implement it as your 2007 committment to getting organized.
I have to admit that this entry is a last-minute addition to the 2006 list! My dearest friends Keith and Andre West-Harrison of Preston Inc just sent me these as a holiday surprise in the mail yesterday. These are such happy and positive cards!
My card for today says:
"I am free to create success in my life--it's my choice.
To be free is to know that I can direct my awareness where I want to, when I want to, and how I want to."
There's that freedom factor again. Did I say that I love these cards? I really adore them.
As most of you know, I'm an elephant lover & conservationist. So it's really hard for me to pick one charity as my favorite for the year, when there are several that I support. However, the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust's rescue work for orphaned elephant babies in Kenya is still the dearest to my heart--in part because I've met the little ones and the amazing keepers that care for them. [Click here to see a slideshow.]
I've lost count of how many baby elephant's Inspiration Inc has fostered this year, but I think it's at least 6-8. Some of them, like Lenana, I personally foster because my heart is connected to them somehow. Yet I'm also inspired to buy fostering certificates for other elephant lovers, as a way to share a little ellie love and further support the orphanage.
Those are a few of my favorite business things for 2006! Please send your favorites along too. If you've got something you want me to review for the 2007 list, by all means, let me know.
Here's wishing you a very happy holiday season and a prosperous New Year!
Managing the 4 Personality Types: Insights Into Better Communication
[Video DVD from the Day Spa Expo in Las Vegas, 2006]
Do you love the concept of developing a spa, but get frustrated and overwhelmed when it comes to managing your staff? It’s not easy when you’ve got a diverse team of personalities to orchestrate and every one of them has a different idea of how things should get done. Some managers try to force workers into roles they’re not suited for, which results in mediocrity and turnover. Others make the mistake of hiring staff that are just like themselves—weaknesses and all. Still others abdicate management responsibilities altogether and let chaos rule until the business falls apart.
To be a successful day spa manager, you must be able to communicate with team members who’s styles may be completely different than your own. Not only is this essential to preventing misunderstandings and drama, but it allows you to harness the power of natural conflict and use it as the fuel for your success.
In Managing the 4 Personality Types: Insights into Better Communication, coach Jaya Schillinger will teach you a leadership psychology method used by top management executives that you can use immediately with your day spa staff and coworkers. You will also gain greater insight into your own personality type, so that you know how to hire and delegate effectively, and free yourself up to do more of what you love.
[90-minutes]
Order direct from the DSA for $34.95 and get free shipping/handling on your order.
Also there's a 20% discount for Day Spa Association members!
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Inspirational Business Articles with strategies & tips for holistic business entrepreneurs and those who want practical business advice with consciousness, not hype.
Sacred Elephants A trunk full of inspiration for elephant lovers, conservationists, and spiritual friends of Ganesh.
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The Power-Up! Practitioners Business Course includes: 8 DVD's from our 2-day live seminar. 1 CD-Rom with PDF's of presenter's slides, sample consultation forms, worksheets, & handouts. $549 plus shipping/handling. [
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