Thursday, May 1, 2008

May 2008 Issue



Welcome to the Networking Girls blogzine where every article is written by a woman and every business is female owned. Networking Girls is dedicated to bringing you content that you can use in both home and business. Also check out the 4 featured Networking Girls and find out how they do what they do.

Hope You Enjoy This Issue

What's Happening In the Network

The April 29th meet and greet event was great and May will be even better. Three ladies who attended are featured in this issue. The next networking event is scheduled for May 27th ,7-9pm. You can go to Events to get details and prepay. Anyone planning to attend must rsvp/prepay by May 23rd. The first 3 ladies to rsvp for May meet and greet will be guaranteed a feature in June issue.

Put on your stilletos and come out with the other girls to see the premier of "Sex and the City" the Movie. The date is May 30th and location is Phipps Plaza (AMC Theater). The time is tbd but will definitely be in the evening. Contact Velvet if you want to join the other Atlanta Networking Girls.

The online community,is growing faster than I expected. 41 networking ladies joined this virtual community in less than a week period. Everyday there is a new face with ladies from all over and not just Atlanta. It just makes since to be able to network for free and without leaving your home. Sign up and also join clubs within the network such as the Fit Club, Ladies of Prayer, Internet Marketers, Chicago Networking Girls, Miami Networking Girls or New York Networking Girls. You can even start your own group. Check out Online Community here.

Also advertise your business on our network. The network is offering advertisement for as low as $20. Contact us if interested in a media kit and to get ad rates.

I look forward to meeting you all both online and offline.




Velvet
The Girl In Charge
www.atlantanetworkinggirls.com
velvet at atlantanetworkinggirls dot com

Have A Lovely Day



There are many things that can make us feel low at times. Maybe it’s poor finances, job, family, friends or something else. Something always gives us a reason to feel not good at times. Yes some areas of your life can be improved but don’t forget what’s important. What gives you the motivation to get out of bed everyday and go to an unfulfilling job or stay in a challenging marriage? Your answer to this maybe your kids, faith or both. Your kids put smiles on your face and are what is important.
Your question and answer to what motivates you maybe completely different but no matter what, there is always someone else in a far less desirable situation. In other words, things could be a lot worse.

My mother-in-law is in Malawi, Africa on a mission to help the less fortunate, impoverished and orphaned kids. These children were simply born in the wrong country and don’t have some of the most basic essentials we don't even think about. There is no public school system, public housing or even welfare which low income Americans are entitled to receive. As unappealing as these systems maybe to Americans, it is still better to be poor in America than in a 3rd world country.

When my sister watched her young, 38 year old husband slowly die of cancer, the challenges they had in the past didn’t matter. When my brother-in-law felt his health slowly slip away, promotions and bonuses on his job were the furthest from his mind. They both were just praying for healing.

There is nothing wrong with having goals and striving for better but always remember what is important. Besides my faith another thing that I like to do is to listen to the old Bill Withers song “Lovely Day”. It helps me to see how blessed I am when I look at my husband and baby. The lyrics to this song are:

When I wake up in the morning, love
And the sunlight hurts my eyes
And something without warning, love
Bears heavy on my mind

Then I look at you
And the world's alright with me
Just one look at you
And I know it's gonna be
A lovely day
... lovely day, lovely day, lovely day ...

When the day that lies ahead of me
Seems impossible to face
When someone else instead of me
Always seems to know the way

Then I look at you
And the world's alright with me
Just one look at you
And I know it's gonna be
A lovely day.....

If you would like to listen to this great song and be reminded of the important things around you, check out Lovely Day to hear and watch this Youtube video. I hope all you Networking Girls have a Lovely Day.

Network Give Aways



Here is another great giveaway to the girls in the network. Moms who want and need to find more time for themselves will love this. This free guide will show you how to find more time for yourself without guilt. Yes you love being a mom. Having the most difficult job on the planet entitles you to some me time.

How often does anyone offer you something for free? Grab it now!!!! Find The Time Mama
Find the Time Mama

We will always keep you girls informed of anything free that can be a great benefit to you. Take a look at other great giveaways:
Hot Mama Makeover

Business Review



How to Start a Greeting Card Business

For the Networking Girls who want to adventure into the creative side of herself, this may be the one for you. If you love to create cards for all occasions, turn it into a business.

This step by step guide is easy to follow. For less than the cost of a drive thru meal you can learn how to tap into the lucrative greetings card industry. The Greeting Card industry is a whopping 7.5 billion dollar per year business in the United States alone. With that much purchasing going on, there is always room for you to find your own unique niche selling greeting cards. If you're a creative artist, a great writer or even just good at making connections with people, this might be the right business for you. The good news is that if you aren't an artist or even a writer, there is still plenty of opportunity for you. If you just plain old have a love for bringing joy to other people's lives, you CAN start your own greeting card business from home.

Find out more by here Greeting Card Business Ebook

Prioritizing Business Tasks



There are actually a number of ways you can prioritize business tasks. Among the more popular and more effective methods is the alphabetical priority list whereby your tasks are given a value between A and F. A being most important,paying your taxes for example and F being something unimportant like cleaning your phone receiver. Here’s how to prioritize effectively.

Step 1 Create your task list. It is important to break larger tasks into smaller steps if possible. For example paying your taxes might first involve calling your accountant or making a deposit into your Swiss bank account first. (Just kidding about the Swiss bank account.)

Step 2 Give all immediate tasks the value of A – F. Again A is the most important task or tasks and F is the least.

Step 3. Evaluate the tasks based on two criteria: how important are they and how urgent are they. For example if your taxes are due tomorrow then you need to get busy or you’re going to face financial penalties so the task is very urgent.However, calling a client and finalizing a large sale is very important to your business.

Step 4. For all tasks with the same value, prioritize them numerically. Forexample, maybe calling your accountant and making a large deposit in your Swiss bank account both have a value of B. Which is more important? The deposit quite likely because you don’t want your accountant to be complicit, so making the deposit would have a value of B1 and calling your accountant would have a value of B2.

Step 5. Your final step in creating your task list, particularly if your high priority list is extensive, is to run through your list again and see how you can re-arrange it so that some of the less important tasks get moved down the list to make room to spread out your high priority tasks. For example if you have three A level tasks and only one F level task, perhaps you can move down a D or E level task and make room to spread out your high priority tasks. When in doubt, delegate to get all of those high priority tasks completed quickly.

Talk to you soon!

Crissy Herron Gipson
www.indiebizchicks.com

Buying Leads For Your Business



Various people in professions such as direct sales and network marketing depend on leads. These leads may come from many sources, including their own advertising. Some people do choose to buy leads from outside companies, and new people who come into these types of businesses wonder if they should buy leads,too.

As with most questions, there really is no “one size fits all" answer.Paying forlead lists may work well for some people, but it might not work very well for others. In this article, we will discuss some of the benefits of buying leads as well as some of the reasons that lead lists may not be the best solution.

Some of the benefits of buying lead lists are that the leads are delivered relatively quickly. When someone is starting a new business and needs to have leads to call, buying a lead list enables them to get started quickly.

There are many creative people in the world who can write great ads and create great graphics. Not everyone has these gifts, and for those that view advertising as a chore, buying lead lists eliminates the need to create one’s own advertising.

Buying leads is something that should be done with caution, however, as it can get very expensive. If someone is buying a high quantity of leads without seeing a worth while return on investment, then it would be wise to find another lead source.

In many cases, people buy leads to offer them a work-at-home opportunity. Some lead companies have unethical ways of gathering leads and the lead may not know anything about “requesting” any work-at-home information.

The lead may have actually been filling out a survey or some other form in the hope of winning a prize. Yes, the lead company may have included some very small print about a work-at-home opportunity, but the lead was probably only thinking about winning the flat screen television that was printed in big print.

The only way to tell if buying lead lists works for your business is to carefully track the cost of the leads and the results that came from the leads. It may be helpful to enter this information into a spreadsheet.

When a person is able to see how much was spent on the leads and if any of those leads joined the company or purchased products, it can make the decision of continuing to buy leads a lot easier.

Someone who purchases lead lists may also want to work with several companies and compare the various results to find where their money will best be spent.

I'll be back with more tips!

Crissy Herron Gipson
www.IndieBizChicks.com

About A Girl

Here Are 4 Fabulous Networking Girls And The Businesses They Enjoy.



Have you ever dreamed of a career in the high fashion industry? This Networking Girl has created a home based business for herself in a glamorous industry without flying off to Paris. Check out her designs and find out how you can join her team.

"As a busy working parent, Weekenders allows me to earn money in my spare time and still have fun! Being able to start at my own pace and using the products, training tools and support the company offers, makes running my business easy. I control my time and invest my energy in efforts that benefit me and my family. I'm able to work my business around my schedule and the rewards are numerous. The sky is the limit! Working my business opens me up to opportunities to be recognized for my efforts, rewarded with travel, fine jewels, and unique gifts from company incentives. It's a great way to earn and have fun!"

Contact: Chelsea Miles
Business: Weekenders
Website: www.weekenderusa.com./miles
Email:chelseamiles@bellsouth.net




This Networking Girl brought sweet goodies for us all to sample and I promise you that she is a pro at her craft. She will definitely be the one I hire for my daughter’s next party.

"My name is Hasoni D Roberson-Banks. I am originally from New Jersey. I have been in Atlanta for almost nine years. I have two boys 16 and 6. Married for 4.5 years and still going strong. I got started in cake decorating in 2004. My mom came to visit and help out with the wedding and we ran across an ad for cake decorating classes. Once I started the classes I couldn’t stop. After I started teaching I realized how much fun and creative I could be, I took that idea and ran with it. Now with my company I like to sit with the bride and get a feel of what she is looking for in a wedding cake. I try not to duplicate a cake add something different. I like to add a twist to my groom’s cake and make it special for just him. I also bake cookies of all shapes, cakes, bouquets, homemade candies, turtles, chocolate nut clusters, truffles and caramel apples with or without nuts. Swing by the bakery where I teach and create my delicious creations the Cake House & More in Stockbridge. I don’t just create for weddings but also social events of all kinds."
Contact: Soni
Business: Just Cakes By Soni
Website: www.justcakesbysoni.com
Email: hasonibanks@justcakesbysoni.com




This is a Networking Girl with a big heart. She is all about giving and helping others and is going to help ANG set up our “ANG Gives Back” events.

"In addition to being a wife, mother and nontraditional college student, I am also the founder and volunteer staff of Keepers of the Light, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit healing ministry and Project: Keep the Light On, a troop support awareness initiative based in Jonesboro, GA. Keepers of the Light offers alternative and complementary healing services to help individuals improve the quality of their lives and feel supported. Project: Keep the Light On provides care packages and appreciation and support to those in need who are voluntarily serving our country. Fundraising projects are going."

Contact: Dian Peters
Email: dianpeters@yahoo.com
Website: www.lightkeepersword.org




I wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for this Networking Girl. Not only is she the original founder of Atlanta Networking Girls, gave me the fabulous job of taking over the organization, she also introduced me to the world of internet marketing. I had no idea the numerous possibilities of making a great living online. She has also become a great friend.

"Carrie Lauth is a homeschooling and work at home Mom of 4 who lives in the College Park area. She owns an internet talk radio show and podcast at http://www.NaturalMomsTalkRadio.com. An avid writer, she owns several blogs as well as a few content based websites and information products that provide information and resources to her target audience.

After becoming a mother 9 years ago, she decided to stay home with her baby. Right away she started dabbling in Ebay sales, then Direct Sales and network marketing. Four years ago she discovered internet marketing and never looked back. She believes internet marketing is a wonderful business model for a mom because the possibilities are so limitless and there is such potential to earn passive income."


Contact Carrie: http://www.carrielauth.com/blog

Freezing It and Loving It


Have you decided to cut corners anywhere you can in order to pay bills and save money? Do you need to feed your family this week with little or no money, or the ability to go grocery shopping? Don't panic! You might just have enough on hand to get through.

Here's how: Grab paper and pen.

Walk through your kitchen, taking inventory of everything you have in your pantry, refrigerator and freezer, organizing your list into categories, such as meats, vegetables, pasta, etc.

Sit down and think creatively. Consider what veggie and/or pasta you can team with which meat to make a meal. Broaden your normal menu; be brave enough to serve some things you maybe wouldn't normally serve. Think outside the box and serve breakfast for dinner!

Carefully write out your meal plan for the week, and be diligent to stick to it! Here are a few kitchen budget-savers I've learned:

Eggs can really stretch a dollar! Breakfast casseroles, quiches, or just plain scrambled eggs with cheese are always hits. If you've got a handful of hash browns or a potato you can shred up, that will stretch them too. You'd be surprised how just a few slices of bacon, or a piece or two of ham that wouldn't be enough by themselves can work for a dish like this!

If you've saved small amounts of burger, sausage, chicken, pork or bacon and frozen them in baggies, you're really doing good! Even ½ - 1 lb can be stretched in many dishes to feed a family!

Bisquick (or generic baking mix) is a lifesaver – for pancakes, biscuits, potpies, dumplings, and crusts.

If you have staples on hand such as flour, sugar and oats, you can mix up your own muffins or granola bars for breakfast, sack lunches or snacks for after school or in the car when you're on the run (lots cheaper than stopping off for fast food!)
Use those lonely boxes of Jell-0 and pudding for desert or stretching lunch boxes. A can of fruit or a little sliced up fresh fruit can jazz up the Jell-O. If you find some Cool-Whip in your freezer, the kids will think you've gone all out for them!
Make a pot of soup or a potpie with the little bits of vegetables you have left in the frige or freezer.

Use that rice with some carrots, mushrooms and green pepper to make a stir-fry (almost anything goes!) If you don't have any meat, use a couple eggs instead. Think you can't do anything with one small carton of yogurt? You can make smoothies using it plus a handful of frozen berries, or a banana (over-ripe works best) and a shot of juice or milk. A can of creamof celery, mushroom, or chicken soup can stretch a little meat a long way! Use it in the crock-pot or for a casserole, serve with a vegetable and some noodles, rice or biscuits and you've got a delicious meal! Think you've got nothing for desert? Just a few apples dipped in peanut butter, or some oranges scrubbed and quartered on a plate are great. How 'bout that lone cake mix – make it as is, or add a can of crushed pineapple and brown sugar on the bottom for a pineapple upside-down cake.

Odds and ends of bread, or the crusts you've saved in the freezer can now be used for French toast, homemade stuffing or croutons, or bread pudding.

Thinking to toss out the last of that potato chip or Doritos bag? Don't! Use those crumbs on top of a casserole for added crunch and flavor!

You've heard the saying, "Necessity is the mother of invention"? Being desperate in the kitchen is how I've come up with these tips. As you stroll through your own kitchen, you too, will concoct clever ways to put delicious meals on your table without breaking the bank.

About the Author: Sandra Jensen is a dollar stretching mother of four boys. She's learned a trick or two about feeding a hungry family on a budget. Grab her ebook, Freezing It and Loving It, today:

Teaching Your Toddler To Sign.


In a long-term study funded by the National Institute of Health, researchers found that signing actually makes it easier to teach a baby to talk. Children who had signed as a baby consistently scored higher on standardized tests of both receptive language development (how much they understand) and expressive language development (how much they can say). There are several reasons why this might occur:


Because signing babies communicate earlier, brain development is “jump started” in the development of the neural substrate of language since babies use thinking, planning, and decision-making skills earlier.


Parents who sign with their babies actually speak with their children more. And the more language a baby hears, the faster the language is acquired.


Parents who sign with their babies actually look for reasons to interact with their babies on a verbal level more often. That also increases a baby’s interest in communication and enables the brain to develop faster.


Babies who sign can direct their parents’ attention to objects they find fascinating rather than just listening to labels for things their parents think are important. That means babies are more interested in the conversation.


Signing increases a baby’s interest in even better ways to communicate. When babies see how much they can achieve using signs, they often discover quickly that speaking gets even better results (since Mom can hear requests with her back turned and can’t see the sign).


In an article from USA Today, it is also noted that “11-month-olds who learned gestures outscored their peers in language abilities a few months later, a bonus that remained in place at age 3.” The same research also showed that “those same children outperformed their peers on a standard IQ test given at age 8. Indeed, the 32 children who had learned sign language as babies did an average of 12 points better on the IQ test. They scored an average of 114, while the 37 children who had never learned signs averaged 102. The researchers controlled for family income, education and other factors that influence IQ scores. The average child in the USA gets a 100 on the test."


Article provided by Sign Babies


5 Tips For Spring Cleaning

With warmer months just around the corner, spring cleaning isn’t far away. Whether you want to clear some of the winter clutter or just feel like a change in scenery, spring cleaning can make it happen. Now is the perfect time to clean out the garage, basement and/or attic. If there are any items that you don’t plan to use, this article will tell you how to get rid of them while making money doing it. As we all know, this can take a lot of work but a few simple tips can make your spring cleaning experience a breeze.

Tip 1:If you are storing away your winter clothes, consider using large plastic storage containers that feature snap-on lids. These can be found in the house wares department at most stores and are very inexpensive. Storage containers are very important to keeping your clothes dust and discoloration free, which may otherwise be a problem if they are left hanging in the closet from one season to the next.

Tip 2:When packing your clothes, roll them instead of folding. This not only eliminates creases and wrinkles, but also saves a lot of space. You will be able to pack a lot more clothes with this technique.

Tip 3:Label your clothing containers as ‘spring,’ ‘fall’ and ‘winter.’ This will help you to easily locate your wardrobe inside the closet.

Tip 3:If you have any clothing that you don’t plan to wear or simply have outgrown, consider donating them to a local goodwill or other nonprofit organization. Rather than tossing them out, your clothes can provide revenue for a worthy cause and help the less-fortunate to be able to afford clothing that would otherwise be unattainable.

Tip 4:If you are looking to clear out some knick knacks or perhaps even some Holiday decorations in order to make room for new ones, consider a trip to the local flea market. Everyone is looking for a bargain and they just may be looking for something that you no longer wish to own. A setup fee is usually required which, depending on the location, can be $10.00 to 20.00 per day. Otherwise, you can always sell items at internet auction sites, including Yahoo and eBay.

Tip 5:With all of the changes that you’re making, it may be time to switch to a lightweight vacuum. This will save from lugging around a heavier model and will glide across the floor with ease. There’s no use in completely wearing yourself out during spring cleaning, so try to make it as easy as possible.

About the Author
Daphne Succes, Writer, Business Owner, Motivator and Self-Starter Independent Consultant for Passion Parties http://www.daphnespassion.com/




Get Your Spring Cleaning Guide Here
Spring Cleaning Guide