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Many business owners struggle with issues like standing out in a crowded market place, getting more clients, and turning a prospect into a customer – a customer who pays what they’re worth. And all business owners aspire to build a brand that captures high paying clients, to create multiple revenue streams, and to break through unhelpful mindsets. Annemarie helps you do all this and more by introducing you to inspiring practical tools, branding, marketing and mindset strategies so you can take your business to the next level. Time to get going!
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Ambitious Entrepreneur – Declutter and systematize your office for maximum productivity
Download Episode Now I want you to be honest – can you currently see your desk? Or is it somewhere underneath a large pile of paperwork that’s growing at a rapid rate? And, are you struggling to keep up with everything that’s going on in your business? Annemarie Cross is joined by Lori Krolik – […]
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Ambitious Entrepreneur with Annemarie Cross
Annemarie Cross is a Brand Strategist & Business Coach supporting entrepreneurs tap into their unique and authentic brilliance (their brand) so they can create a buzz, gain expert status, and finally attract a constant stream of ideal high paying clients.
Annemarie shares simple yet highly effective ways entrepreneurs can boost their income by transforming their one-to-one services into lucrative information products and programs so they can create more money, time and freedom into their lives and businesses.
A champion for her clients, Annemarie’s motto ‘Your catalyst to success’ sums up what she desires for everyone she works with. As their coach, she inspires them to commit to and take courageous steps towards achieving higher outcomes; as their accountability partner she motivates and continues to drive them forward towards their goals; and as their cheer leader, she celebrates alongside them as they transform their dreams and visions into reality, allowing them to secure results that exceed what they had ever thought possible.
Annemarie can be contacted at: www.AnnemarieCross.com
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- Ambitious Entrepreneur – Declutter and systematize your office for maximum productivity
Now I want you to be honest – can you currently see your desk? Or is it somewhere underneath a large pile of paperwork that’s growing at a rapid rate? And, are you struggling to keep up with everything that’s going on in your business?
Annemarie Cross is joined by Lori Krolik – a Certified Productive Environment Specialist and Professional Organizer, who is an expert in creating systems so that you and your employees can work smarter and more efficiently.
Lori talks about the essentials tools that are necessary for maximum productivity; the one behavior that will propel you from information overwhelm to getting things done; and how to stop getting distracted throughout your work-day.
She also speaks about:
– The importance of having special ‘places’ to store business information and tasks;
– Why a contact management system is essential if you want to manage all of your contacts effectively; and
– Why having a formalized schedule/calendar system is important to keep you on track and focused so that you can work on business-building activities.
Did you know it can take you up to 25 minutes to get refocused after a distraction? Lori will show you want you need to do to eliminate those annoying interruptions.
So, if you’re struggling with information overwhelm and need to get back on track and focused, this show is a must listen!
- Ambitious Entrepreneur – Copywriting: How to Write Compelling Content That Converts Prospects into Customers
Does your mind go blank each time you sit down to write your sales page, article or blog post? Have you written your sales copy but just haven’t been able to generate the results you want?
Annemarie Cross is joined by seasoned copywriter Debra Jason from Write Direction. Debra has more than 25 years of copywriting experience and has developed compelling content for web and direct marketing communications that has converted her clients’ prospects into loyal customers.
Debra talks about two things you need to do before you put pen to paper (or hands to keyboard). Not doing these things is often the reason why your copy isn’t connecting with your audience. Listen out to see if you recognise them.
Find out the importance of ‘pushing your target markets’ buttons’ in your copy and how you could fail to grab their attention when you don’t.
Think you know the difference between the features and benefits of your products and services? Most ambitious entrepreneurs think they do – however when looking closely at their copy, what they are talking about is not a benefit at all – but a feature. And, features don’t showcase the outcomes your prospect can expect by working with you.
Make sure you learn the steps that Debra shares to help you pinpoint the benefits of your products and services – the outcomes your client will achieve through investing in you.
Debra also shares her formula/system to help you tempt your prospects as well as the template she uses when gathering testimonials from satisfied clients – very important when building social proof about your credibility and expertise in your field.
Want to be able to craft compelling copy that converts your prospects into loyal customers? The tips and strategies Debra shares on today’s show will show you how.
- Ambitious Entrepreneur – Speaking Your Way to Success
Want to build your reputation as an expert?
Then sharing your message through speaking is a must.
However, if you’re one of those people that fear speaking in public more than you fear death, before you shake your head and refuse to even consider adding speaking to your brand communication strategies – then you’re encouraged to listen to today’s show.
Today Annemarie Cross is joined by Debb Carr – Founder and Director of Voxy Lady Women’s Speaker Bureau.
Debb shares why she believes speaking is a great way to raise your profile, especially if you want to become known as an authority in your field.
By regularly speaking and showing passion for your topic, you’ll not only raise your profile as an expert, you’ll also continue to develop a community of people who are interested in what you have to say. And these people could eventually invest in your product/services.
Deb herself is now a passionate and powerful speaker; however she wasn’t always that way. In fact, when she first started speaking, she too felt nervous and apprehensive, so today she shares some of the tips and techniques she used to calm her nerves.
As the Founder and Director of a speaker’s bureau, Debb also shares what she looks for in a potential speaker looking for representation by her bureau. Implement these tips and strategies and you’re bound to get noticed and hired.
- Ambitious Entrepreneur – Smart Marketing for the Ambitious Entrepreneur
As an ambitious entrepreneur it can often be difficult to come up with ways to market your business better in order to build brand awareness and stand out from your competitors. Right?!
Do the traditional methods of marketing still work? Should we spend our entire marketing budget on social media and internet to get our message in front of our target market? How do we outthink our competition without having to outspend them?These may be questions you’ve asked when it comes to marketing your business. Especially if you want to make 2012 your best year yet!
Annemarie Cross is joined by Leslie R Wolff - a 45+ year marketing veteran who will answer all these questions along with sharing:
• 4 principles of Smart Marketing;
• How to identify overlooked opportunities; and
• How you can outthink your competition without outspending them.
Find what Leslie believes about basing your entire marketing strategy just on the Internet and social media, and why doing this can hurt your business’s growth. And, about the two things you can do that will dramatically improve your customer service.Leslie has also generously offered 1 lucky person a free copy of his book – Smart Thinking: Volume 1. Email Leigh at: smartmarketleigh@gmail.com with the correct answer to the following question to win.
Q: What’s the second principle of Smart Marketing?
Leslie is also offering a 50% discount off his book if you order by Feb 19th, by clicking here and using the code: BV43M
- Ambitious Entrepreneur – Powerful Business Introductions
You’ve just been invited to introduce yourself to a group of business owners.
So what do you say? How do you introduce yourself and your business?
Perhaps, like many other entrepreneurs you state your name, your company name, and your job title – after all that’s what you do. So it makes sense. Right?
Or perhaps your nerves get the better of you and you end up stammering and stuttering through your introduction.According to today’s guest – neither of those ways will leave a memorable impression and you could be missing out on numerous business opportunities.
Today, Annemarie Cross is joined by Katy Tafoya, founder of Success for Solopreneurs and Katy is an expert when it comes to developing powerful, memorable introductions.
Learn Katy’s 4-step process so that next time someone asks you to attend a networking event, or meet someone for the very first time – you can introduce yourself like a pro!
Listen to Katy as she shares insights on:
– Why it’s so important to be able to tell people what you do in a clear and concise way
– What to do if you do more than one thing in your business so that you don’t end up sounding like a walking infomercial, and
– What to do if you struggle to keep your introduction simple and therefore end up confusing everyone, and so much moreKaty’s strategies are simple, however don’t let the simplicity of these steps fool you. They are powerful. And, if you follow these steps when you attend your next networking event, you’re bound to be impressive and memorable.
So, what is it that you do? Listen to Katy’s tips and you’ll be able to answer that confidently, concisely and powerfully! - Ambitious Entrepreneur – Google Plus for Business Tweet
Google+ is one of latest social media tools to enter the marketplace and is certainly starting to make itself known with 100 million users within only 7 months of launching.
While it’s tempting to roll your eyes and sigh “Not another social media tool,” – you may just want to listen to today’s show before you decide not to incorporate Google+ within your social media marketing and relationship building strategies.
Annemarie Cross is joined by Janet Fouts - social media coach, nationally recognized speaker on online marketing and social media, and author of 4 books on the subject of social media, including her recent book, “Google+ for Business Tweet”. All of the tips and strategies that Janet shares in the book are written in 140-character posts/tweets.
As an ambitious entrepreneur find out why Janet believes it’s important to at least get your personal profile set up on Google+, even if you don’t plan on actively sharing content and building your network just yet. “From a search engine viewpoint – having your personal profile setup on Google+, is gold” states Fouts.
What you may not realise is that Google (the world’s number one search engine) no longer indexes Twitter posts as quickly anymore, often taking up to 3 days for your content to be indexed. Nor does Google index Facebook posts, which means the content you are sharing and posting on both Twitter and Facebook may never be found. This alone should be reason why you want to start sharing your content on Google+.
Not sure what to post on Google+? Don’t be tempted to share the same information as everyone else. That’s just dull and boring. Instead, Janet recommends you share unique, fresh content, especially if you want to build your reputation as a go-to resource.
Tempted to follow everyone back? This is not the best strategy when it comes to Google+. Janet shares her thoughts on who you should be following and why.
Google Hangout is a unique feature of Google+ and allows you to hold video meetings, share documents and chat with up to 10 people. Find out how you can leverage Google Hangouts in your business.
Janet also has a special offer especially for you, giving you access her ebook on how to leverage Google+ for business. Find out how you can get your copy.
- Ambitious Entrepreneur – Entrepreneurial Couples: How to maintain love and passion while create the business of your dreams
Are you an ambitious entrepreneur working alongside your spouse/partner and while you love them dearly, at times they drive you crazy? You can’t agree on the business’s direction or how best to manage your finances/money? Or they’re just not pulling their weight?
If that sounds familiar, this week’s show is a must listen.
Annemarie Cross is joined by Erika Forbes principal of The CouplePreneur. Erika is passionate about helping entrepreneurial couples and families develop and maintain passion and love while creating and building the business of their dreams.
Erika speaks about the common problems that many couples/families struggle with – recognise any?
Listen as Erika shows you how you can work through these issues so that you don’t sacrifice your personal relationship in order to build a thriving business.
Many CouplePreneurs believe that keeping their business and their personal lives completely separate is the best approach; however Erika doesn’t think so. In fact, Erika believes that “separating your work and the rest of your life just doesn’t work. It’s important to be able to recognise and agree that you have a shared passion for your business.”
“Is your business built on the foundation of love?” asks Erika? “From there you can develop the skills you need; the job description, the duties and responsibilities. This is not just a business for business sake. There is a far deeper bond that’s beyond your contract and your work.”
Are you relying too much on your own efforts while forgetting to tap into the resources of others around you? Erika believes this is yet another problem that can surface for CouplePreneurs. “Trying to do everything on your own is unwise, as you limit the possibilities and opportunities to grow your business.”
Erika believes it’s important to reach out and develop a network of other entrepreneurial couples for support. In fact, she encourages CouplePreneurs to set an intention for this year to reach out and meet other couples that are doing the same work. Meeting regularly with these couples will allow you to gain fresh insights to keep your creative juices flowing.
Not sure how to bring up a difficult conversation with your spouse? Erika’s suggestion on how to begin a difficult discussion is a great approach and will certainly allow you to maintain your love and passion no matter how difficult the topic/discussion.
Also on the show Annemarie Cross catches up with sales guru Meridith Elliott Powell - Author of 42 Rules to Turn Prospects into Customers. Meridith speaks about Rule 22, which explains the importance of solving the right problem to help you get past selling ‘price’. If your prospect is focused on price, it’s because you haven’t shown them that you have the solution to their problems.
Don’t get stuck in selling your products/services on price, but rather sell risk and value so that you can charge what you are worth – and get it! Meridith shows you how.
- Ambitious Entrepreneur – Get Financing Now: How to navigate through bankers, investors and alternative sources for the capital your business needs
Cash flow, finances in general and how to access funding from third parties to help ease cash flow is something that many small business owners continue to struggle with.
On today’s show, Annemarie Cross is joined by Charles H Green, a recovering Banker with 30-year career in finance and author of Get Financing Now: How to navigate through bankers, investors and alternative sources for the capital your business needs.
According to Charles many ambitious entrepreneurs aren’t aware of the market place and therefore don’t necessarily know the most appropriate or the best source of funding. Because of this they start to negotiate with the first party that comes along, leaving themselves wide open to predatory people working in the banking industry.
Don’t be fooled into thinking you need to take the first deal that comes along. And, don’t feel that you have to accept conditions that just don’t make sense for you. Do your homework first.
Listen to just a few of the many tips and strategies Charles writes about in his book, including:
• The Best Sources for Start-up Capital:
o Why it’s important for startup businesses to be financially independent before involving a third party. Consider going into business more moderately. You don’t need a large office or the best equipment/motor vehicle, or even to take prospects out for expensive lunches.
o Why you need to speak loudly even if you have a small stick: you can be as big as you want to be by leveraging online and social media technologies.
o How to get someone to pay you to develop (a product/program/system) and then sell it to everyone else: Charles shares his personal success story where he was paid to develop a comprehensive spreadsheet, which he is now going to leverage and sell to other clients.
o Approaching a potential partner to collaborate and contribute capital to your business.
o How to create cash out of thin air.
• What to prepare and what to expect when approaching a bank and/or investor.
• Getting to the bottom of no: what to do if your request for funding/capital has been declined.
• And much more.Need to ease your cash flow and get more funding into your business? Charles will show you how.
- Ambitious Entrepreneur – Business Planning: Creating your roadmap to success
Do you have a business plan that you regularly refer to? If not, you could be jeopardizing your ability to reach your business goals.
In fact, we’ve all heard the saying: “Fail to Plan – then Plan to Fail,” which is exactly what today’s guest believes will happen if you don’t have a solid business plan in place to guide you.
On today’s show Annemarie Cross interviews Fran McCully – Virtual Bookkeeper and Principal from Your Administration Solutions who believes that your business plan is the roadmap to building a successful business. And without one, it’s impossible to run your business effectively.
Fran talks about:
• the key elements you should include in your business plan
• why performing a comprehensive market analysis is so important, especially it you want to identify how you can distinguish yourself from your competitors; as well as
• steps you need to take to ensure you can achieve your business goals.Fran also draw on her 30 years combined experience as an executive assistant in finance and budgeting to talk about why having a virtual bookkeeper (to help you keep track of your expenses and finances) is so important if you want to maximize your overall profitability. That means more money in your pocket!
If you haven’t created a business plan, or the one you’ve put together previously is outdated and sitting at the bottom of your filing cabinet, then grab a pen and paper and make sure you write down the practical steps that Fran shares to help you create a strategic business plan that will help you grow your business in 2012.
- Ambitious Entrepreneur – Powerful marketing strategies for business growth
Do you find marketing difficult and confusing?
You’re certainly not alone – which is why many ambitious entrepreneurs don’t spend nearly as much time marketing their businesses as they should.
Well, you’re in for a treat as on today’s show Annemarie Cross interviews Steven Howard from Howard Marketing.
Steven is a leading marketing strategist, positioning specialist, consultant and author whose 30-year marketing and sales career in Asia/Pacific and Australia has covered a wide variety of fields, ranging from consumer electronics to publishing and from a national airline to personal financial products.
Steven talks about:
• Common marketing mistakes that entrepreneurs and small business owners make
• Tips on how to prevent making these costly mistakes; and
• Why customer retention is more important than new customer acquisition, and much more.Find out how Steven helped one of his clients (operating in a highly competitive market place) distinguish their service offerings from their competitors, which enabled them to secure clients at a rate that was 25% higher than what their competitors were charging. You too can follow this positioning strategy.
Are you leveraging satisfied customers? Many ambitious entrepreneurs don’t, and are therefore missing out on numerous opportunities for repeat and referred business. Steven reveals the steps you need to take in order to start compiling key feedback from your customers so that you can build your reputation, while ensure your customer will continue to sing your praises.
Do you think that a ‘customer’ is someone who makes a first-time purchase from you? According to Steven, this is not really a customer but rather a trial user. And, depending on the level of service you provide him/her, will determine whether or not they remain a customer and continue to recommend you to their contacts.
Looking for more marketing tips to help you take your business to the next level? Access Steven’s weekly Monday Morning Marketing Memo for some great marketing advice.
- Ambitious Entrepreneur – Growing your business with 4 different income streams
Want to increase your income, but the thought of working longer hours seems impossible because you’re already exhausted with your hectic schedule? Want to free up your time so you can spend with family, but know that by reducing the amount of hours you work – you’ll also reduce your income?
Stuck, confused and unsure what to do next?
You’re in the right place.
On today’s show find out how you can reduce the amount of hours you work with clients so you can spend more time with your family (or on leisure activities), while at the same time increase the amount of income you generate in your business.
Seems too good to be true?
Today’s guest will show you how.
Annemarie Cross is joined by Crystal O’Connor from Moxie Mompreneur who will share her top four favorite income streams, which includes Active Income; Passive Income; Leveraged Income; and Recurring Income.
Crystal believes that as an ambitious entrepreneur you can already create some of these revenue streams quite easily, by just leveraging the services you’re already offering.
According to Crystal trading hours for dollars (providing one-to-one coaching and/or consulting services) is not only exhausting, but will have you reach a level of income that you just won’t be able to breakthrough. Why? Because there are only so many hours in the day and working too many additional hours as a way to increase your income will only have you become exhausted and burned out.
In fact, this is the Active Income stream, and one you don’t want to build your entire business model around.
Instead, consider creating a group membership program that is run over a period of time so that you can build recurring income. Group coaching programs are far more lucrative for you as rather than providing one-to-one services, you are providing one-to-many services.
Passive income is also easy to create by developing information products that you can sell over and over again. Create it once and continue to build a steady stream of income that doesn’t require your direct time or ongoing involvement.
Think about recording a teleseminar, adding a few templates and worksheets, and having this available for download from your website, therefore allowing you to generate income while you sleep.
Crystal also talks about her 2012 coaching program, which you can learn more about here.
- Ambitious Entrepreneur – How to turn prospects into clients, easily and authentically
Do you cringe at the thought of having to sell your products and services to a potential business prospect? Host Annemarie Cross‘ guest is Meridith Elliott Powell from Motion First Now. Meridith also found sales uncomfortable, unfulfilling, and a little scary. Despite undergoing the ‘typical’ sales training and being given sales systems/process, she felt no better about selling and yearned for the day when she no longer had to sell. Unfortunately that day never came.
As an ambitious entrepreneur, selling is an important part of your business. If you don’t have those sales conversations with your prospects, you won’t generate any sales. No sales – no money. With no money, you can’t pay our bills, which will unfortunately eventually lead to business closure. These are issues thoroughly explored by Annemarie and her prestigious guest.
Meridith’s journey led her to discover sales techniques that not only worked, but felt comfortable and authentic. She has now compiled these techniques in her book: 42 Rules to Turn Prospects into Customers. In this interview, Meridith describes a few of these techniques and how they can save you from the horrors of the aggressive cold-calling techniques of olde. Are you ready to learn brand new customer-centric techniques?
Meridith is an award winning woman business owner and her unique background includes high level leadership and executive position in sales, marketing and finance. Her signature style and her ability to rapidly connect with people make her a sought after speaker, coach and strategist. Tune in as she shares some of her favorite rules from her book so that you too can turn your prospects into customers.
Meridith has kindly offered to give a copy of her book to one of our listeners. To win, listen closely for her question during the show and add your answer here. The first person with the correct answer will receive a copy of her book – 42 Rules to Turn Prospects into Customers.
- Ambitious Entrepreneur – Wellness and success: looking after your business’s greatest asset – you!
Are you so busy with your marketing; your work with clients; and your general business-building activities that you’ve hardly got time for anything else, let alone exercise? Know you shouldn’t be eating so much processed/fast foods, but with your busy schedule, these quick and easy options are far more convenient for you?
If you want to start looking after your business’s great asset – you, then you’ll want to listen to today’s show.
Annemarie Cross is joined by Kim Peterson from Commonsense Health, and according to Kim if you want to maximize your energy levels to ensure you can keep up with your busy schedule, you need to start taking better care of yourself.
Kim is a firm believer that wellness and success go hand-in-hand. “What you put into your mouth affects how your brain functions. It affects your attitude, your business and of course your cashflow,” says Kim.
Making a commitment to get started is vital.
If it seems a little overwhelming, Kim suggests you set small goals initially and begin working on your mini goals. Feeling good and having lots of energy is addictive, and you’ll want to continue working towards your goals because of the differences you begin to experience.
Kim also speaks about movement, and how this is so important for our bodies. Unfortunately, though, with the amount of processed foods we eat (which our bodies find extremely hard to digest) this can make us feel exhausted and disinterested in exercising. This is why choosing a healthy option such as fresh fruit and vegetables is so essential.
Struggle to find time during your day to prepare healthy food? Kim shares a great strategy that will help you make healthy meals and snacks while allow you to maintain your busy schedule.
Have a sweet tooth and think you have to deprive yourself? Think again. Kim shares her favorite snack, which is not only healthy, but also allows her to satisfy her sweet tooth.
As ambitious entrepreneurs we are the greatest asset in our business – so being proactive rather than reactive when it comes to our bodies is key.
Kim will show us how!
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- Ambitious Entrepreneur – Taking the fear out of public speaking
Does the thought of speaking in public cause you to go into a state of panic? If you’ve answered ‘yes’ – you’re certainly not alone.
Studies have shown that people fear public speaking more than they fear death. In fact, it’s not uncommon for people to turn down contracts because the new role involves public speaking.
If you’ve been turning down amazing opportunities to promote your business to a group of people because of your fear of speaking in public, this show is for you.
Join Annemarie Cross as she speaks with Robert Williams – Voice Coach, Trainer, Writer and Broadcaster about the three fundamentals of getting your voice heard so that you can calm your nerves and finally begin to speak with confidence.
According to Robert, even seasoned speakers still experience apprehension prior to an event, however in these situations it’s important to fall back on technique. Some of the techniques that Robert shares include:
– Why breathing the correct way is crucial,
– Why you need to watch your posture (and why this can be a knock out seller for your business), and
– Why being hydrated is so important not only for you, but also for your voice
Learn why a strategic pause through your presentation is a great technique to help you slow down the pace of your speech. Often when someone is nervous they tend to speak quickly, and they quickly loose the attention of their audience. If you’re nervous and have the tendency to rush your speech, make sure you know how to do a strategic pause.Find out why it’s important to be knowledgeable in the topic you are speaking about as you’ll quickly loose all credibility if you stumble through your topic.
“When the heart, mind and mouth speak in unison – that’s when the dynamite happens,” says Robert.
Want to take the fear out of public speaking so that you can build rapport with your audience and position yourself as an authority in your field and deliver a dynamic presentation?
Robert shows you how.
- Ambitious Entrepreneur – Making sales and turning prospects into customers – fun!
Does your throat go dry and your mind blank when you’re about to have a meeting with a prospect? If you answered ‘yes’ – you’re not alone!
Many ambitious entrepreneurs dread having to have the ‘sales conversation’ with a prospect, which unfortunately makes it difficult for them to build a successful, thriving business.
Annemarie Cross has invited Meridith Elliott Powell – author of ‘42 Rules to Turn Prospects into Customers’ back on the show to share her wisdom about how you can finally get rid of your fear of selling and start turning your prospects into customers.
Follow Meridith’s simple yet powerful principles so you not only feel comfortable with the entire sales process – you’ll also find it fun, “… because it should be” she says.
Find out why there’s just no room for pushy and aggressive sales tactics and why relationship building and proactive listening are vital when it comes to turning your prospects into customers.
“We’re in a relationship economy, so there’s no room for pushy, aggressive selling”, claims Meridith. In fact, she’s on a mission to change the negative connotation that many of us have around ‘sales’ by putting the person and relationship back into ‘selling’.
Discover why the relationship doesn’t end after you’ve presented your proposal and why it’s so important to continue with your follow up.
Learn how to add value to the relationship you’re building with your prospect so that you continue being top of mind and the first person they think of when they’re ready to invest.
Meridith truly believes that anyone can learn to sell. It’s easy! If you love what you do, (and we ambitious entrepreneurs do) mastering sales is going to be a piece of cake.
Find out how by listening to the show!
- Ambitious Entrepreneur – Discover Your Niche & Entrepreneurial Style
Running your own business and being your own boss is something that many ambitious entrepreneurs dream about.
However according to Annemarie Cross’s guest Sherrie Koretke – The Niche Clarity Coach, if you haven’t defined and taken into consideration your niche (in particular what you are passionate about and your life’s mission and purpose) in the planning stages of your business, you may just find yourself becoming over-stretched when managing and running your business.
Learn why it’s important to be compassionate to your niches needs. If you’re not, then you’ll probably find yourself struggling to effectively market and promote your business as you won’t have much to say. In fact, no compassion to your niche will also make it extremely difficult to connect with your them – and it’ll show!
Sherrie talks about three Entrepreneurial styles and why it’s important to understand which style resonates with you so you can operate your business effectively.
Are you an Empire Builder – the entrepreneur who longs to create a million dollar (or more) empire? Or perhaps you resonate with the entrepreneurial style of Freedom Lover, the entrepreneur who values their ability to live a particular lifestyle. Maybe you have young children that you want to take care of, or your love of travel is something that’s very important to you so you want to run your business around your lifestyle. Or maybe, your entrepreneurial style is that of Altruistic Visionary – someone’s whose purpose is to help others who are not in a position to be able to support themselves?
Being a solopreneur and working by yourself means that you need to find your motivation from within. “If that’s not big enough and outside of yourself”, say’s Sherrie “… you’ll find it very hard to keep motivated to find new prospects and convert them into clients.”
In fact, if you’re already struggling in your business, you may just recognize that you’re not following a business model that fits and aligns with your unique entrepreneurial style.
So, which entrepreneurial style are you?
- Ambitious Entrepreneur – Shattering Your Glass Ceilings to Improved Self Confidence and Business Success
You’ve got big dreams for your business but just can’t seem to breakthrough to the next level. Despite all the marketing you’re doing – you feel stuck. Can you relate?
Perhaps you’re not putting yourself forward for that promotion because you don’t believe you have all the experience outlined in the job description. Or maybe, you don’t put yourself in the running for that lucrative contract with a potential new client, because you don’t believe you haven’t got the necessary skill-set they’re looking for.
If this sounds like you, then today’s show is going to offer you some thought-provoking tips and advice that will change your life.
Annemarie Cross interviews Sandi Givens – International Award Winning Speaker, Author and Executive Women’s coach, and author of ‘Women on the Move: How you can create your place in the world’. Sandi is also a rebel on a mission to help women step into their leadership capacities so they can create the life ‘balance’ they long for.
On today’s show Sandi shares the number one self-imposed glass ceiling that holds women back in their careers, their business and their life, and teaches us how we can break through these barriers.
You’ll also learn why having such high expectations can set you up for disappointment and what you should be doing instead to increase your self esteem and confidence to finally achieve your dreams and goals.
Do you find it difficult to put your point of view forward and feel like your voice is not being heard? Sandi shares a fantastic step-by-step process to help you become more assertive so you can ensure your voice is heard, and much more.
Are you ready to claim your place in the world?
Sandi will show you how.
- Ambitious Entrepreneur – Cloud Computing: Can the cloud really help my business?
Picture this.
You’re working away at your computer preparing a proposal for a major contract. Midway through typing a sentence, the cursor stops; a deafening screech blasts out from the speakers; and you’re facing the blue screen of death.
Can you relate?
Unfortunately many ambitious entrepreneurs can. And, because you don’t regularly backup our data, you keep your fingers (and toes) crossed as you reboot your computers hoping that you can retrieve and access all of your information. Because, should this hardware malfunction be a serious one, you’d have no way of recovering several months of important business records as it’s been ages since you last did a backup.
If you’re guilty of not backing up your data regularly, you’ll want to listen to today’s show as our guest has a simple, yet effective piece of technology that can backup your data automatically.
Annemarie Cross is joined by Jenn Reed from Ask the Half Geek to talk about cloud computing and how the cloud can help your business. She recently authored the book Office 365 for Dummies which is based on Microsoft’s latest cloud technology.
Jenn explains how cloud computing providers (such as Office 365) can deliver applications via the internet which businesses can access from web browsers, desktops and mobile devices. We are also able to store our business software and data on these remotely based servers, which means that if our computer hardware crashes, we don’t have to worry about our information getting lost. Everything is stored securely at the remote location.
Jenn also tells us how cloud computing can optimise our efficiency, especially if you have multiple staff working from various locations. Each team member can easily access business data from their own computer, without the need to be at a central office. And that’s not the only benefit of cloud computing. Backups can be done automatically so you don’t have to worry about losing your data.
If cloud computing seems too technical and confusing or unaffordable for your small business, you need to listen to today’s call as Jenn explains what cloud computing is (in non technical/non-geek terms), the benefits cloud computing has for your business, and how you can access cloud computing (in particular Office 365) at a very affordable price.
- Ambitious Entrepreneur – Win-Win Outcomes: How to deal with conflict effectively
Are you working with a colleague whose behaviour is unacceptable? Or an extremely challenging client that is demanding way more of your time than what’s stated in your contract? If you are someone who won’t say anything but tend to keep your frustrations to yourself then you need to listen to today’s show, especially if you want to keep your stress and blood pressure levels at a healthy level.
According to Annemarie Cross’s guest Donna Smith, Holistic Counselor and Trainer from Own Your Own Power keeping things bottled up inside is one of the worst things you can do. Donna works with people to help them deal effectively with conflict and one of the things she stresses is important is to speak up and voice your frustrations to help avoid the situation from escalating.
Donna speaks about the importance of having clear boundaries and encourages us to stop putting other people’s needs before our own. When you don’t stick to your boundaries, your level of frustration can increase. Frustration can turn into anger, and anger into resentment. And that’s usually how a full blown conflict situation can occur.
To avoid a conflict, Donna suggests you deal with the situation immediately. Tell the other person about your frustration by using her 3-part ‘Confrontive Eye Message’. This is where you meet with the person face to face; you get in touch your feelings; work out what the real issue is; and then come up with a tangible effect.
This process takes away the blame from both of you – a far different situation from the normal finger pointing. Blaming the other person can cause them to become defensive and aggressive leading to a lose/lose situation, which doesn’t help anyone.
Learn Donnas’ 6-step process that will provide you with the right skills you need to create a win / win solution so that both parties are happy and can continue to respect each other’s boundaries. Your blood pressure will thank you!
Annemarie Cross is also joined by Meridith Elliott Powell – Author of 42 Rules to Turn Prospects into Customers. Today, Meridith talks about Rule 31, Learn to Love Accountability. If you want to turn your prospects into customers you have to start tracking your behaviours, measure your progress and learn from your results. Meridith shows you how.
- Ambitious Entrepreneur – How to Become a Published Author in just 8 weeks
Do you have a book inside of you just waiting to be written? But each time you try to put pen to paper (or fingers to the keyboard) you stare hopelessly at a blank page, struggling to find the right words?
Annemarie Cross is joined by Authors Coach, Ann McIndoo from So You Want to Write, who shares some of the strategies she has used to coach books out of dozens of ambitious entrepreneurs. She’s even worked with some high profile clients including Tony Robbins.
Being a published author is a great way to showcase your expertise and can open the door to numerous opportunities. In fact, according to Ann “having a book is your calling card. It helps you to build rapport and relationships.”
Not sure where to start? Ann shares the very first step that you’ll need to take to get started in writing your book.
Unsure how to structure your book so that it makes sense? Ann shows you how you can easily organize your notes and resources, into sequential order, which can later become the chapters of your book.
Are you still concerned that you won’t be able to find the right words? Ann shares a fantastic technique that she has used with numerous clients that has helped them to get their book out of their heads and onto paper. This technique is sure to help you bust through your writers block.
Ann also talks about the different options for publishing your book. No longer do you have to rely on the major publishers and hope that they will publish your book. Consider Independent Publishers, Self Publishing, or even Print on Demand Publishers such 48 Hour Publishing or Lulu. Print on demand publishing is a fantastic way to publish your book, whether you want 10 copies, 50 copies, or even 5 copies.
“Dedication, determination and discipline are vital when it comes to writing your book,” says Ann. Follow her steps and you too can be a published author in just 8 weeks.
- Ambitious Entrepreneur – Marketing & Money Mindset Practices for the Heart-Centered, Creative Entrepreneur
Are you a heart-centered, creative entrepreneur who’s giving away way too much of your time in comparison to what you’re charging your clients? Or perhaps you’re finding it difficult to charge what you’re worth for your services despite the amazing results your clients are achieving?
Annemarie Cross is joined by special guest Sherri McLendon - a marketing mentor, writer, educator and publicist, and owner of Professional Moneta International.
Sherri specializes in helping divine feminine entrepreneurs upscale their money mindset and apply spiritual practices to their marketing, public relations and media communications.
Find out the reasons why heart-centered entrepreneurs feel that they have to give away their gifts, talents and services for free and how their insecurity and lack of self-belief will continue to devalue what they can bring to their clients.
She also shares why not dealing with money clutter will continue to block the flow of money into your business and prevent you from creating abundance in your life and business.
Sherri explains unique principles that will help you change your mindset around charging what you’re worth so that you can place yourself in a position of leadership in your business.
Want to find out the number one way to move you quickly to your goals? Sherri will show you how, as well as explain how you can move from a place of servitude into a place of service – and why this is so important for heart-centered, creative entrepreneurs.
- Ambitious Entrepreneur – Attracting Your Ideal client with Key Lead Generation strategies
As a busy ambitious entrepreneur it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day operations of running your business, which doesn’t leave you much time for marketing.
Robert Dempsey from Dempsey Marketing joins Annemarie Cross on today’s show and stresses that marketing – especially lead generation is one of the most important things you should be focusing on in your business.
If attracting a steady flow of ideal clients is something you’ve struggled with, Robert shares some must-do inbound marketing strategies to help you generate a steady flow of leads to your business.
One strategy is to build a reputation as an authority in your field by creating interesting, informative and inspiring content that provides solutions to your ideal client’s issues. By building your credibility as an expert in your field through consistently sharing great content, and by implementing strategic keep in touch strategies means that your prospect will think of you when they’re ready to invest.
Robert shares how building a powerful blog is a great way to generate leads, and when combined with a compelling opt-in offer and ongoing lead-nurturing strategies through your email and follow up systems this will help you turn leads into clients.
Do you struggle with creating content? Robert shares how XMind and Scrivener are two tools that he recommends to help you get your ideas onto paper while helping you find your blog voice – all very important factors when planning your lead generation strategies.
Also joining Annemarie Cross is Meridith Elliott Powell, Author of ’42 Rules to Turn Prospects into Customers.” Meridith talks about her Rule 25 – Open the Door to Opportunities and goes on to explain the importance of selling small – in order to sell big.
In this trust and value economy, patience is a virtue and the need for instance gratification by pushing hard to get the sale is unwise. In fact, trust has to be built and value has to be created, and Meridith shares some great success stories to show you how to do this.
- Ambitious Entrepreneur – QR Codes and Mobile Marketing – is your website mobile ready?
Technology gurus predict that by 2014 the use of mobile web browsing will overtake computer browsing. In fact, half of all current local searches are done via a mobile device.
As an ambitious entrepreneur is your website accessible through mobile technologies?
If not, if you want to increase your prospect list and generate ongoing sales this is something you should be planning for – especially before 2014.
Because your website and blog play such a key role in building brand awareness with your prospects, if people can’t access your content – they certainly won’t hang around. And, that’s an opportunity you’ve just missed out on to get that person onto your prospect list.
What about QR codes – are you leveraging them in your marketing? Or like many other entrepreneurs and small businesses who have started dabbling with QR codes – you’re just directing people back to your website.
If so, according to today’s guest Sierra McMillan from Hi 5 Mobile Marketing – sending people back to your website, especially if it is not mobile friendly is another missed opportunity.
To ensure you get the best outcome in building brand awareness, getting key information into the hands of your prospects and boosting your sales, you need to take the time to plan your QR and mobile marketing strategy. What is your ultimate goal? How is your strategy going to be the most effective, engaging and entertaining?
Struggle with coming up with ideas that are effective, engaging and entertaining? Not to worry. Annemarie Cross asks Sierra to share her top QR and mobile marketing strategies so that you can capture your prospects attention and collect their contact information.
Want to measure and track your QR code efforts? No problem – this is certainly achievable. Sierra suggests doing some split testing so that you can continue to implement QR code and mobile marketing initiatives that you know will work and generate you the best results.
- Ambitious Entrepreneur – Magnetic Marketing: how to attract your ideal client into your business
A common issue that frustrates many ambitious entrepreneurs is ‘how do I attract my ideal paying client into my business.’
Marketing is one of the most important things you should be doing in your business; however for some of you, despite all the marketing, networking and other things you’re doing – you just don’t seem to be able to get the results you want. Can you relate?
If you’ve answered yes, today’s guest – Allison Babb Phillips the creator of the Ultimate Clients and Cash system joins Annemarie Cross to share some of the strategies she teaches that will enable you to become a magnetic marketer so that you can start to attract your ideal client into your business.
Allison talks about a very important concept of selling to the right person and how getting focused on your ideal client can make a significant difference in your business. To help you clarify this she presents 4 ways to tell if a person you are speaking to is the right prospect for you.
According to Allison, many entrepreneurs jump in too quickly when being contacted by a prospect for the first time. “They offer their solutions too early on in the conversation – before the prospect really identifies exactly what is going on for them and therefore lose a vital opportunity to show your prospect just how you can help them.”
To help you overcome that problem, Allison shares a great question that you must ask at the beginning of your conversation so that you can uncover exactly what your prospect needs. Once you have this information, you can then respond in a way that position’s your services specifically to the needs of your prospect, and shows them that you are the person that can help them overcome their issues and problems.
Allison will also reveal the number one mistake entrepreneurs make in telling others about their services, and explains why it’s important to ‘ditch your pitch’ if you want to become a magnetic marketer.
Annemarie Cross also speaks with Meridith Elliot Powell – about Rule 3 from her book: 42 Rules to Turn Prospects into Customers and how you can shorten the sales cycle in a shifting economy.
Meridith explains how in a healthy economy it can take 8 to 12 touches (communications from you) before a prospect eventually say’s ‘yes’. However in a shifting economy the number of times you need to reach out to your prospect can almost double. This means you may have to reach out as many as 20 times before a prospect decides to hire you – something that many entrepreneurs are not doing.
Want to speed up your sales cycle? Meridith will show you how.
- Ambitious Entrepreneur – Leveraging Twitter and Social Media to Build Brand Awareness
Why is it that Facebook and LinkedIn seem to be effortlessly put to use by business entrepreneurs, but harnessing the power of Twitter remains a confusing mess? In this episode, host Annemarie Cross is joined by visionary Marketing Strategist, Payson Cooper who shares some of her best Twitter secrets. But be sure to stay tuned ’til the end because Meridith Elliot Powell joins in for the second half of the show to talk about Rule 9 (Expand Your Brand), from her book 42 Rules to Turn Prospects into Customers. Are YOU ready to start getting more customers?
There are millions of people on Twitter–many of them in your target audience! And yet, is your Twitter marketing scheme not coming into fruition the way you’d hoped?
According to Payson one of the reasons why you may not be seeing results with your social media efforts is because you don’t have a well thought out strategy and process to support your online activities. Payson then shares the strategy that she used that enabled her to leverage her Twitter account and boost her sales by 1,200%. Find out exactly what she did and why it was so effective.
Struggling with the onslaught of text that comes with being a part of Social Media? Looking for a way to weed out the “noise” on Twitter from the people who are actually interested in what you have to say? Payson reveals the tool she uses that enables her to manage multiple accounts, keep track of key people she wants to establish a relationship with, while continuing to build a strong profile as an expert in her field. And it’s free!
Last, are you thinking of expanding your Brand, but don’t know how? Are you unsure what that last sentence even means? Never fear: Meridith Elliot Powell joins in for the second half of the show to help YOU get your brand out there and expand its worth to its full potential!
- Ambitious Entrepreneur – Direct Mail Marketing to Build Your Business
As an Ambitious Entrepreneur, you’ve probably heard the saying “The money is in your list.” According to Annemarie’s guest, Blase Ciabaton–also known as “The Direct Mail Man !”–your mailing list will determine 60% of the success of any direct mail campaign. In other words, your list needs to be as focused and targeted as possible if you are to generate any real success from your direct mail marketing campaigns. Tune in to learn how!
With the advent and popularity of social media, one of the old ways of marketing your business that is spoken about less frequently, is direct mail marketing. When planned and managed correctly – direct mail marketing, just like social media marketing can help you build your brand awareness and customer base. Blase Ciabaton has brought back this trend almost single-handledly–and his success rates are amazing!
Blase believes that many small businesses are not seeing the results or the response rates they strive for because they continue to fall into a common trap that often dooms many direct mail marketing campaigns. What is it? You’ll have to tune in to find out what this #1 trap is so that you can not only avoid it, but prevent yourself from becoming frustrated and confused about why your campaign failed to work.
It has been said that it can cost you five to seven times more to acquire a new customers than it does to sell more to an existing customer. Annemarie and Blase discuss the truth of this statement and Blase offers some suggestions as to why you should keep in regular contact with your existing clients if you want to increase your sales.
Throughout the show, Blase Ciabaton shares proven direct mail marketing tips that will increase your response rate, his thoughts about how many direct mail pieces it will takes before you can expect a response, and provides you with some powerful and effective “calls to action” that will get your readers fired up and taking immediate action! Are you ready to start your next–successful!–direct mail campaign?
- Ambitious Entrepreneur – Speak Like a Pro and Make Money Doing It
Does the thought of speaking in front of a crowd cause you to break out into a sweat? You’re certainly not alone. Annemarie Cross welcomes “Speaking Breakthrough Strategist” Rochelle TogoFiga of Speak Like a Pro to share how her fear of public speaking nearly caused her to give up her dreams.
“Many people would rather be the person who the eulogy is about, than the person who is giving the eulogy,” claims Rochelle, but after receiving an alarming wake-up call—she was diagnosed with Cancer—she came to realize that “…this is not a dress rehearsal. I should pursue my dream. It’s now or never!”
After surviving her bout with breast cancer, Rochelle turned her journey of recovery into a positive life-altering experience that transformed her life: She did all in her power to learn and develop her skills as a speaker! In this interview, Rochelle shares how she continues to help entrepreneurs follow their dreams and goals, including helping them to banish their speaking fears forever so that they too can make their voice heard with confidence.
During the show Rochelle shares the secrets that have enabled her to become a powerful speaker and catapult her business. Learn how to create a hook that will instantly grab your audience’s attention within the first 3 minutes of your presentation—a vital step if you want to make a huge impact!
Are you one of those speakers who shares everything with the audience? Rochelle explains why telling all is unwise, especially if you want people to hire you. Throughout this interview, you will learn exactly how to utilize “the key elements of a powerful talk.”
Grab hold of your audience like a magnet! And be aware of the one thing you MUST SAY at the end of your talk that most speakers don’t do. What is this “one thing,” you ask? It’s something easy that will almost certainly generate sales… But you have to tune in to find out what it is!
- Ambitious Entrepreneur – How the Internet Has Changed Your Business
Joining host Annemarie Cross this week is famed Internet Coach Gihan Perera. Since 1997, Gihan has worked with thought leaders, speakers, consultants and business professionals to help them with their e-marketing and e-learning strategies. He is also the author of 10 books, and has taken his 25 years of knowledge and experience with the internet and written his most recent book: Fast, Flat and Free: How the Internet Has Changed Your Business. Gihan is here today to share with YOU some of his best tips and strategies to get the most out of your business website.
In this interview, Gihan illustrates a simple online formula that puts you ahead of your competition; and on top of social media without it taking over your life! What are the four key sales triggers that convert Website visitors into customers? Listen in!
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube are social media tools we are all familiar with however Gihan shares some interesting thoughts on why he doesn’t believe you need to be using all of these tools in your business.
Are you ready to make money “with” the Internet rather than “on” the Internet? “Just like many ambitious entrepreneurs use the telephone in their business as a tool to help them to make money, the internet can be used as another tool,” says Gihan
Gihan also shares the importance of matching our business strategy with our online strategy, and why it’s important to understand the rules of social media. “Social media has changed the way we do business on the internet, we no longer can just continue ‘pushing’ our information to our followers. They just aren’t paying attention and will quickly unfollow you” says Gihan. “It’s about building connections NOT making a transaction. Make sure you share, connect, collaborate and engage with your followers in order to build trust.” A very important element in the sales cycle!
Are you struggling to get the best out of your website? Have you resisted using social media in your business because you’re already time poor? Do you often wonder whether other ambitious entrepreneurs are really making any money from their websites?
If these are questions you resonate with – then you’re going to want to listen to today’s show.
- Ambitious Entrepreneur – How to Build a Successful Business with Confidence and Courage
Joining host Annemarie Cross is Pat Mussieux from Confidence and Courage. Pat is fast becoming the Canadian voice for success in working with women entrepreneurs. Having handled major life challenges in the past 10 years, including divorce, deaths of friends and family members, a major move across the country at age 55 and starting over –both in life and in business – she has taken her business from zero to multiple 6-figures in less than 3 years. Are you ready to do the same?
Trying to build a successful business can often be a challenge. Despite your passion for your work and the long hours you put into your business you still struggle to find your next client; you’re unable to breakthrough a level of income; you’d like to increase your fees but you’re worried your clients just won’t be able to afford it; and you end up feeling frustrated and confused when you compare yourself to your clients and see the amazing things they have achieved. And, the list of challenges can go on. If any of that sounds like you, then you’re going to find today’s show very inspiring. Pat Mussieux went through the exact same worries that you’re going through and just listen to how far she’s come!
Pat shares the seven major barriers that will keep you from growing your successful business; including the number 1 technique to help you rid yourself of the negative beliefs that are holding you back! Pat also dishes on the steps she took to take her business to six figures and then onto multiple six figures.
Are you tired of going nowhere with your business? Maybe the way you do business needs to change. Join in as Pat Mussieux and Annemarie Cross discuss how to take advantage of social media, change your attitude toward business, and start making the money you’ve always wanted!
- Ambitious Entrepreneur – Online Marketing & PR Strategies
Do you struggle with marketing your business online? Are you doing what other online businesses are doing – yet just not generating the levels of success that they are? This week Annemarie Cross interviews Ryan Evans from Rand Media Group and Bitesize PR on the common mistakes that many ambitious entrepreneurs make that prevent them from building a successful business and standing out online.
Ryan draws upon his extensive experience in the digital world (being a former employee of one of the largest tech startups in Chicago) to share his secrets on what you need to do in order to do stand out online and distinguish yourself from your competitors. Ryan goes on to explain why finding your “niche” is vital in a global marketplace as well as why it’s so important to put your personality back into your brand in order to attract and engage your ideal client. Do you have something interesting to say? Are you ready to learn how to “think globally?”
If you’re confused about how to determine what people are searching for online and the levels of demand for your products and services, you’re going to love this episode: Ryan shares some great free tools to help you identify the best keywords you should be using to get you in front of your customers!
Ryan also shares why small businesses should not necessarily target large media companies when looking for PR and opportunities to get noticed by the press. “You need to put the personal back into the brand,” notes Annemarie. Ryan gives some great tips on how to use Google to your advantage to get your marketing strategy more “on target” from a do-it-yourself standpoint!
“There are so many opportunities out there that are being overlooked all the time,” says Ryan. Are YOU going to let those opportunities pass by?
- Ambitious Entrepreneur – Boosting your online presence: how to get targeted traffic to your website
You’ve finally ventured online, you’ve built (or had someone else build it for you…) a gorgeous website, and yet there’s little to no interest in you/your product! No traffic! This week, Annemarie Cross talks with Kathy DalPra from The Online Close about the common myths small business owners fall for when getting online. Kathy DalPra also takes this time to introduce her free Traffic Explosion Telesummit and shares some of her best traffic-generating tips!
“A lot of the business owners that I work with, when they come to me, they are 95% focused on the design, functionality, and the launching of their website; but, in actuality, that’s really only about 20% of what makes a website successful,” says DalPra. The 1990’s “if you build it, they will come” attitude toward websites no longer applies, but, for some reason, this myth continues to perpetuate, leading to massive disappointments. These disappointments include little to no traffic or interest being generated–despite all of the hard work being put into the design and layout of your website! Does this sound familiar…?
“There’s no reason to be intimidated,” DalPra says. It’s not “too hard” or “too expensive” to get more traffic to your website. You can even do most (or all!) of it yourself! DelPra shares some success stories including how strategies she implemented on one of her client’s websites generated an impressive increase in traffic and subsequent business.
DelPra also provides some great starting strategies that can help you increase traffic and targeted visitors to your website. DelPra also stresses one of her favorite techniques: The use of SEO. But what are targeted visitors? Who is your target audience? And what exactly is “SEO?” Never fear: All is explained.
Want more traffic? Want more business from your website? Kathy DalPra and Annemarie Cross will show you how!
- Ambitious Entrepreneur – Master the Card: Say Goodbye to Credit Card Debt Forever
If the thought of opening up your credit card bills frightens you and you feel like you’re drowning in credit card debt, then you’ll want to listen to this week’s episode of Ambitious Entrepreneur! Host Annemarie Cross interviews Joe Paretta, author of Master the Card: Say Goodbye to Credit Card Debt – Forever! Cross and Paretta share practical tips and strategies that YOU can put into use today! Get on the path to a life free of credit debt now.
At one time, Paretta had a credit card debt of $12,000! .”Every dollar I made was paying off–or, if not paying off, paying the minimum–on each of these cards,” says Paretta. Thankfull, by changing his habits and his mindset Joe was able to pay off his credit card debt. In this informative interview, Parette shares the steps he took in order to get rid of his debt…forever.
Are you juggling to pay off a credit card with another credit card? Do you even know how much you really owe? “It’s easy to lose sight of the amount of debt we’re carrying,” says Paretta. Learn how to stay on top of your bills and “nip a problem in the bud before it starts.”
“Take nothing for granted when it comes to money; and especially with debt,” warns Paretta. “Money is the bottom line: You’ve got to know how much you own and how much you owe.” Find out your TRUE financial worth!
Listen in as Joe Paretta shares practical steps on how to become confident in negotiating interest rates with your credit card company; how to shed your “poverty mentality” (and why this change in mindset is so important in moving forward; as well as how expanding your thoughts and dreams about your future will support you in reducing your credit card debt, and much more. For anyone with credit card debt, this is an episode you just can’t miss!
- Ambitious Entrepreneur – Making a Good First Impression with a Professional Image
Annemarie Cross interviews Helen Robinett from Image Quest, an image consultant who has seen many ambitious entrepreneurs (like you?) sabotage their professional image by the choices they make with their clothing and accessories. Don’t let this happen to you! With only one chance to make a good first impression, it’s important that your image sends the right message–especially where potential clients are concerned! Tune in as Annemarie and Helen share their best tips on making money while looking great!
Helen is obsessive about helping people feel confident in how they look by supporting them in choosing the right style and color so that they can maximize look and feel of their individual personality. In this informative interview, she shares the most common traps people fall into with their choice of fashion; the importance of selecting the right fit, style, and color; as well as some great tips on how to build rapport to make the right impression when meeting your prospect for the very first time.
“We hate to think that people are destroying their professionalism and their image by not taking the time to figure out what to wear and what not to wear,” Annemarie says, pointing out that so many of us judge professionals simply by what they are wearing. “Human beings are highly visual…our mind believes that the eye sees,” explains Helen. Annemarie and Helen discuss the importance of staying up-to-date with your career wardrobe, explaining the difference between fashion pieces that are “dated” and pieces that are “classic.” “Anything that is highly noticeable is generally a fashion fad,” says Helen, going on to explain an array of “timeless” items that every career woman should have in their closets.
What’s the time limit on trendy clothes? How long can you keep an item around before it becomes passe? What length of skirt is appropriate for your body? What part of your body should always be the focal point of your business image? Find out the answers to all these questions and many more!
- Ambitious Entrepreneur – Building Your Business with Quora.com & QR Codes
Ambitious Entrepreneur‘s Annemarie Cross speaks with Social Media Strategist Keri Jaenig of Idea Girl Media in the first half of this stellar episode. In the second half, Annemarie catches up with Stephanie True Moss, Founder and Chief Creative Officer of True Moss Communications, Inc and author/editor of QRmedia.us Today’s topics? Everything you ever wanted to know about Quora; and how QR codes can help YOUR business!
“Quora is like the Wikipedia of questions. It gives entrepreneurs a place to build their credibility by answering questions or even asking questions that are leading about their company, their service, their business, and what they do,” explains Jaenig of Quora. Throughout the interview, Jaenig continues to highlight the features of Quora in detail: How it works, why you should be using it in your business (but only if you want to build your reputation as an authority in your field!), as well as the benefits of being an early adopter of this technology.
In the episode’s second half, Stephanie True Moss talks in detail about QR codes: What they are, how you can integrate this innovative new tool to help build brand awareness, and much more. “QR codes started in Japan as a way of inventorying auto parts and because we are now carrying Smart phones more than ever, individuals have the capability of reading these, of scanning these little codes, with our phones and getting extra value and finding fun things on the other end of the codes,” True Moss says, starting off with a brief history of the handy tool.
Trying to keep up with latest social media technologies to expand awareness about you and your business, can be difficult and confusing, but, as always, the Ambitious Entrepreneur is here to help. To find out more on how each of these tools can help you build your credibility as a specialist in your field–as well as some of the tips and advice on how to leverage them in your social media strategy–tune in now!
- Ambitious Entrepreneur – Reinventing Yourself at Midlife
Annemarie Cross interviews Beverly Mahone of BAMedia! For anyone going through a “midlife crisis”–for anyone looking to leave their mundane job and pursue the career of their dreams–this episode of Ambitious Entrepreneur is for you!
“One of the major job boards here in Australia conducted a survey to find out how many people were really feeling happy and fulfilled in their jobs. The results were quite staggering with over 70% of people saying they weren’t happy in their career! Yet surprisingly, when asked, many of them didn’t have any plans on making a shift,” says Annemarie. Such is not the case for Beverly Mahone!
After nearly 30 years in Corporate America as a radio and television journalist, Beverly decided to walk away from her career to pursue her passion – which was writing full time. Following the successful publication and launch of her first novel, she then asked herself the question “What next?”
“When you find that passion, you just start working it. And you turn it up a thousand notches! And don’t just think that it’s going to happen overnight ’cause that’s not going to happen,” says Beverly Mahone of her entrepreneurial journey.
Drawing on her expertise as a journalist, her next entrepreneurial pursuit was to help other business owners to secure media opportunities and it wasn’t long before the doors to BAMedia, Beverly’s media consulting business were open for business.
Beverly’s story is an inspiring one. As is the advice she provides for other mid-lifers who want to follow their passion, yet have not had the courage to do so.
And, if you’re an ambitious entrepreneur who has been trying to attract the attention of the media – yet haven’t been able to yet – be sure to listen closely for all the tips and strategies Beverly reveals to help you stand out and get noticed!
- Ambitious Entrepreneur – Creating the Office of Your Dreams
In this episode, Ambitious Entrepreneur‘s Annemarie Cross welcomes DeAnna Radaj, owner of Bante Design LLC. DeAnna is a nationally recognized speaker on healthy home design, color therapy, the psychology of clutter for adults and children, and a variety of business topics for the individual, small business owner and entrepreneur.
Did you realize that the way you setup your office, including the décor and colors you use, can have an impact on your overall efficiency as well as your ability to attract your ideal clients, vendors and employees? DeAnna discusses office space and helps you figure out how to tweak, remodel, or re-design your space so suits your personal needs. Learn to maximize your space so that you can not only work more efficiently, but enjoy your life more overall.
Using her patented Integrative Lifestyle Design, DeAnna Radaj combines Feng Shui and eco-friendliness for a brand new decorating experience. “So many times it’s hand-me-down furniture, or stuff you have from a past relationship, or you bought it just to throw up on a blank wall, and we sometimes surround ourselves with things that have no meaning or a negative meaning,” says DeAnna of the typical office space. In other words: If you don’t even want to be in your office–how can you expect to get any work done in it?
“Design for you. Not what you should have or how it should be set up–get rid of the ‘shoulds,'” says DeAnna. You’re the one who has to work in that space: Make it suit you. DeAnna explains how to maximize your efficiency by asking yourself the 3 De-Clutter Questions.
Listen to DeAnna speak about Feng Shui, the benefits of implementing an Integrative Lifestyle Design, how to de-clutter your office and keep it organized, the meaning of color, as well as other things you can do to create the office of your dreams.
- Ambitious Entrepreneur – Building Your Online Profile
Ambitious Entrepreneur‘s Anne Marie Cross interviews the godmother of web success–the one and only–Jennie Armato. Listen in as Anne Marie and Jennie define the three key elements of channel coverage and share their tips for experiencing online success through building a fantastic online profile!
“Many business owners struggle to get more clients because they’re not building their online profiles through maximizing their channel coverage as effectively as they could.” But what is “channel coverage,” and why should you be using it for your business? What tools do you need to build a successful, professional, online profile? Anne Marie and Jennie tell all as well as discuss the “Fundamentals of Marketing” and how to reach out to your community–and convert them into clients!
“At the end of the day, you can have an award-winning website, you can have the best product ever created, but if you can’t reach the correct audience in the correct way, none of that pre-work will work.” But what is the one, absolutely critical, that most of us tend to make? Armato reveals the answer in this informative interview.
Learn why maximizing your channel coverage is not just about advertising on Facebook or enhancing the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) of your Blog. Learn how to integrate your many social media outlets with your search engine results. Learn how to get your product seen and how to not only get customers, but returning customers (the holy grail of a customer base).
Jennie Armato teaches how to increase your channel coverage on Google, Facebook, Twitter, and everywhere else! Learn how to “do a lot more [with your marketing plan] with the same amount of effort.” Learn who your target market is, how to address them properly, and how to keep them coming back for more!
- Ambitious Entrepreneur – Build Your Business with a Strong Personal Brand & Solid Networking Activities
In this episode, Annemarie Cross interviews Mark Cofano, e-Business Architect and co-founder of Victory Networking. Mark Cofano has been able to generate 100% of his business by direct referral and recommendation in the last three years. Throughout this stellar interview, Mark takes the time to talk about how he’s been able to achieve these phenomenal successes.
In the world of business, especially online, it’s important to stand out from the crowd. Annemarie and Mark discuss the importance of personal/business “branding” and the definition of “brand equity” (and what it all means to you!). What are the things that tell your audience–uniquely!–who you are? Or, are you one of the many budding entrepreneurs out there who hasn’t quite found your “voice” yet? Are you lacking direction? Discovering who you are, and where your talents lie, is the first step to Branding.
In this new age of Social Networking, there are more opportunities than ever to meet not only with friends, but with potential clients. Annemarie notes, “So many [small business owners] really think of Networking as something that they have to do, not something they necessarily want to do…because they think they have to put on a [false] persona.” Mark and Annemarie investigate the importance of being “authentic” in your personal and business dealings.
Learn how to make purposeful “Second Communications” with potential clients. Learn why Networking is so important, how to do it, and how to create personal value. Throughout the course of this interview, Mark Cofano shares some of his tried-and-true branding and Networking strategies.
Learn how to change your sales pitch from “spam” (even in real life Networking events, “spam” can happen!) to a brilliant “opt-in” plan. One good turn deserves another. Once you listen to this podcast, you’ll know your value, know your skills, know how to brand yourself, and you’ll be offering your services to all sorts of people–and they’ll be offering some of their expertise right back!
- Ambitious Entrepreneur – Business Building and Success Strategies
Starting your own business and working for yourself is something that many people dream about. However according to my guest Melinda Emerson (also known as SmallBiz Lady) there are 5 things you must have in place long before you open your doors to ensure your business not only survives, but thrives.
- Ambitious Entrepreneur – Key Steps to Making Money Online for Artists
Are you an Artist (or creative business owner for that matter) who wants to increase your income through leveraging the power of the internet – but don’t know where to start? Today I’m joined by Artist – Gayle Etcheverry who shares amazing tips and strategies from her book: Thinking Outside the Frame: How Artists Make Actual Money in the Virtual World to show you how you can become a working PAID artist!
- Ambitious Entrepreneur – First Impressions Count: Ensure Your Image says ‘Hire Me!’
Did you know that a potential client will make their decision on whether or not to hire you in the first 10 seconds of meeting you, based on your appearance? First impressions really DO count. Joining me today is Fashion enthusiast and Journalist – Catherine Garvin who is going to share lots of fashion tips and strategies she has learned throughout her career to ensure we make the best possible impression in those first 10 seconds of meeting a prospective client.
- Ambitious Entrepreneur – Spring Clean Your Website to Increase Productivity, Boost Promotion and Explode Profits
As an entrepreneur with increased competition to get the attention of your ideal client you need to become far more proactive in managing and maintaining your website. Joining me today is Tonya R. Taylor (known as Your Savvy Online Business Builder) from SavvyBizBuilder. Tonya shares why it’s important to have a website, why you need to keep it fresh and current, how to keep visitors coming back, and the top three mistakes that will keep you from making money with your website.
- Ambitious Entrepreneur – From Unemployed to Self Employed: One woman’s story of courage and determination
After separating from her husband, Meg Montgomery soon found herself on unemployment, facing an uncertain future. Tackling her challenges head on Meg completed a business development course and two months later launched her business, Women-Money-Power. Fast forward to today and Meg is now making money from her business and loves what she’s doing. Listen to this inspiring story and discover the steps Meg took to turn her life around to go from unemployment to self employment.
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