Patience...It's a Virtue!!

Owning your own business can be very rewarding: flexible schedules, being your own boss and most importantly, controlling how much money you make. Well, lets look at controlling.

Practice What You Preach!!!

Telling someone, "I don't own a car", and you live in the Los Angeles area, will yield a perplexed expression from your audience. How is this possible? Why would you NOT want to own a personal car? In 2011, I will find out.

Hmm....

So much is going on today that I can't come up with an appropriate title for this post. It's:

- World Aids Day
- 55th Anniversary of Rosa Parks refusing her seat
- the day after massive teacher protests (in LA) picketing and walking out of classrooms
- the day unemployment ends for millions of Americans nationwide

Reflections...

As the end of 2010 draws near, we sit back and gauge where we have been and what direction are we headed to in the upcoming year?

Set goals that are meaningful and can enhance your personal growth. Look to increase your level of patience you have in the projects you have taken on; personal relationships included, and work on being a better listener. Once you are able to find balance between the two, will you beginh to properly track your growth.

Remember, good things come to those who wait!

Consulting- Building Your Own Small Business

A very rewarding career choice, is becoming a "Consultant" which means you get compensated for giving your expertise opinion on a business related matter, based on your experience in said field. Consulting businesses are thriving and becoming a large part of the work force. However my mantra is, "the game is to be SOLD, not TOLD"

National Entrepreneur Day: Money Doesn't Sleep!!

After a long work week, the weekend can't seem to get here fast enough! Relax, relate, release comes to mind, as I ponder what to get into, besides work?!

Being an entrepreneur means work doesn't end with the weekend, on the contrary, this is where the real work begins. Organizing thoughts and documents from the work week meetings you attended. Checking your agenda to plan out the next work week. Coming up with fresh and innovative ways to promote and market your business...in short, work never ends!!

True, it seems ideal to work your own hours, make your schedule and not answer to anyone, but you definitely work harder to provide for you and your loved ones. Many hours are spent on the business and ensuring it's survival and becoming sustainable. I can't express how rewarding it is to have complete strangers, support your vision by purchasing or using the product/service you are offering.

Today we say thank you to the many entrepreneurs who keeps going, even when the going gets tough!

Share Your Story: Woman Owned Businesses

If you have your own story to share, about your journey, as you opened your business, you can now share, in confidence, and gain additional exposure for your product and/or service.

Click here to be directed...we look forward to supporting you AND your business.

Wrap it Up!

As we prepare to close out 2010, we must first make it through the holidays. For many, the holidays represent family, fun, sharing and feasting, to others, it's just another day. Thanksgiving, is my least favorite holiday. It was during this holiday, that I was sent to live with my father.

It was bittersweet being dropped off to live with my father, with no warning, that set off a myriad of ups and downs in my life. I found solace in reading, expoloring and many times over analyzing every detail in my life, many times, to my dissatisfaction. I made many mistakes along the way, harboring anger towards my biological mother.

When I was finally, and we are talking some twenty years later, able to transfer the anger I felt towards her, into something positive and worthwhile, that I began to receive blessings in my life. Moving beyond my anger, afforded me the opportunity to exert my energy into something positive instead of dwelling on the past.

Once you are able to let go of hurt, confusion and despair, and find the love for yourself, will you finally reach your full potential. Do it before it's too late! Remember, "all of
your dreams can come true, if you have the courage to pursue them"! Don't allow situations, you have NO control over, control your destiny. Wrap it up and toss it out!

Give Back: It's your Duty!!

I am writing this while I am waiting for our monthly PTA meeting to start. I was elected as Secretary, for the 2010-11 school year. I volunteer every morning assisting with traffic control and making sure the kids are able to get from the car, to the school, without being hit. You wouldn't believe, how many parents let their children out of the car, into oncoming traffic, what happened to exit stage right??

Being blessed, with an opportunity to control my work hours, I have made it my duty, to contribute more to the schools my children attend. My older son attends high school, however, he appreciates when I pop up with extra lunch money, before lunch starts.

Giving back, can be as small as providing Kleenex, dry erase markers and HAND SANITIZER! If you are unable to give in a monetary fashion, your time is greatly appreciated. Our teachers and children need your support. The cheerful giver is always a cheerful receiver!

Daylight Savings Time: A great "do over"

This is the only time of the year when we can look forward to 2am, TWICE!! I thnk it's cool to be able to set the clock back and do the whole 2am thing twice. I only started to pay attention to this, during the last couple of years. Why? I am normally asleep at that hour. But today, I am pondering, how often do we wish we can go back in time and do something differently, if given the opportunity???

It is usually easier to say what we would like to do different, as opposed to actually executing said plan, or having a plan at all, to have a different outcome.

Facebook is a great place to find anecdotal quotes, and the one that comes to mind today: "you will have to do something you never have, to get what you want"...maybe I have misquoted, forgive me, but you get the point. Come up with a plan on how to do (insert variable here), execute said plan and journal your progress. You will find that it works, when applied properly.

Take this year's DST to think about what you want to do differently, and write it down. Come back to your journal as often as you like, and write down your thoughts. Always date, and utilize your paper properly. If your days entry takes up only half the page, your next entry should immediately follow, with the current date as the separator. Always write on the back of the page and keep one journal, per idea, in order to stay focused on each individual task.

Sorry, no videos today!

Challenges: Every Journey comes with One...

"There will be...smiles & frowns, ups & downs...share with ME...fairytales ain't meant to be"~ Snoop Dogg (CLICK HERE for Video). If you are a dreamer, like me, you envision your life and all that you want to achieve. We fantasize about our perception of success: making money, who we will marry, starting a business, yet, we seldomly dream about the journey we must take to get there.

Talk to as many people you know, and you still won't fully realize the obstacles, until you embark on the journey. If things ALWAYS went according to plan, success would be nothing. Why? If it where THAT easy, wouldn't everyone be successful??>> Well, lets think about success.

Success is what each of us strive for, however, we define success differently. Success is tied to completing goals and achieving our dreams. One thing success isn't- it's not handed to you on a silver platter, you have to WORK for it...HARD!!! But what fun is that?!

It is imperative that you choose your journeys wisely, for the time it takes to get where we are trying to go, is precious and we can't get it back. Time is one of the single most important attributes of success. Time is what we put into making our dreams a reality. Time is MORE valuable than money...never lose sight of that. So when you decide to invest your time to a project, plan on spending time on: hitting roadblocks, turning down the wrong path and coming in contact with people who don't have your best interests at heart.

Accept your challenges head on and be thankful for them...challenges makes us wiser, more strategic and are the backbone of SUCCESS!!!

Mental Health Day...for YOU!!

Always take the time to reward yourself...just because. Normally we save this pleasure for either a birthday, promotion, etc., but it is mandatory that you reward yourself as much as possible.

Normally, I will take myself to a movie, buy myself some flowers from the guy on the corner, take myself to a museum, or a great lunch. Lunch is my favorite reward because I can enjoy an establishment I wouldn't normally go to, and most importantly, lunch is cheaper! I can get the dinner meal for 1/2 off at lunch. I will take this moment to recommend the Filet Mignon from Flemings :)

Rewarding yourself makes you feel good about yourself and gives you the opportunity to network with new people. When you fly solo, you can indulge in a drink, that will most surely wear off by the time you have finished eating. Taking time out for yourself is definitely a reward for busy single moms. So while you're planning your next off day, this would be categorized as a personal holiday.

As always, stay true to yourself and love yourself...why??? Who can love you better than YOU?!

Validation: Do we really need it???

Each year, new reality tv shows come out, where their is a fierce competition to be labeled the "BEST". Whether its modeling, talent, business savvy, etc, we, the viewing audience, watch the initial offering, and form opinions as to who will be the chosen one. We immediately base our decisions on appearance and credentials, however, you can't judge by the outside alone. In many cases, we are wrong! The winner is the one who projects the most growth over a period of time, while the so-called "shoe-in" is left devastated and tossed off the show. Entering into these types of competitions, is usally to either make them feel superior to others, or to prove their self-worth.

Just as one would decide to enter into a competition, choosing to start your own business takes on the same form of consideration. Where do we make our first mistake? Asking others what do they think about what I am going to do? Have you ever wondered about living your life free of what others thought of you? How it would feel to take on a project, even when others you share your news with, don't share the same enthusiasm you are projecting? Why do we feel the need to share what we are doing in the FIRST place??? VALIDATION!!! We want OTHERS to validate what WE are doing...WHY?!?!?!

By definition, we are measuring pros and cons, should we or shouldn't we? It is typical to let others talk us out of what we want to do, for fear of not being accepted. How can I make something of myself, while still having the blessings of my peers?? My answer- FUCK 'EM!!

I know that is harsh, however, we must learn to make our own decisions and stand by them, no matter what. When you share with someone, criticism is expected. Sometimes I really don't mind hearing what you have to say, however, we also know hearing is passive, while listening is active. Why does this even matter?

Listening to someone means you are ACTUALLY interested in what they have to say, while hearing them means you are basically, just looking in their direction, your mind is wandering and you could really care less.

Don't let others fears, insecurities and negativity, determine YOUR desire and focus, to make your dreams a reality. At times, we allow others opinions to psych ourselves out of a great opportunity, great relationship or idea, to appease others opinions. Seek guidance instead, espacially from those who have traveled the same journey you are embarking upon. Seek guidance from those who want to mentor you. Mentor's have NO vested interest in your hopes or dreams, they are there to guide you.

As always, I encourage reading a new book, and if you are a spirtitual person, who believes things happen for a reason, I suggest reading either Paulo Coelho's, The Alchemist or Russell Simmons, Do You!. Both give great insight into the journey we face when we want to make our dreams come true.


The only person who determines your destiny is YOU!! And if you need a reminder, CLICK HERE to watch one of my favorite artists. The song tells us to "Hold Ya Head" and keep pushing forward. When all else fails, remain TRUE TO THE GAME and most importantly, YOURSELF!

Staying motivated!!

I know, I know...it's been over a month since I have made an entry, and I don't have a valid excuse...well, if you count I am staying motivated to make dreams a reality!

How? By staying focused on the prize- doing something GREAT! My motivation comes from being the 1st minority owned business in my industry, working on making an even greater impact on our environment by working in a cohesive effort with city governments and remembering, it's not about the money!

How dare I say that? Well it's true! When you become motivated by the money, greed takes over and you become willing to partake in Faust-like deals to get this money!

Staying motivated is a challenge, which is why one must always surround themselves with people on the "same page" which is to get money the honest and positive way, even when this way takes slightly longer and requires you to work harder. Many times we want the easy way out, however, that is only short-term mentality. The long-term mentality is to lay the foundation properly so that you can enjoy for years and generations to come.

Working Hard vs. Working Smart???

Although I think of new topics to talk about, I find myself with little to no time, to actually sit down and right. I have realized, and reminded, in order to be successful, why continue to work HARD, when it is better to work SMART!

What does that mean? Taking out the time to SCHEDULE your day. Having an agenda, to hold your scheduling, is genius! I dusted off mine and felt empowered as I watched the dust disappear into the air, just like time ticking away!

The biggest thing we take for granted is OUR TIME!!! It is extremely valuable to find a balance between work and play. It is easy to get caught up in the rapid pace each day brings, and forget to schedule in ME TIME, when we plan our work week. I also find that using an agenda, creates a HUGE advantage in the business world.

How empowering to say, "let me check MY schedule, and I will get back to YOU!"...especially after a draining day?? If the deal is ready on Tuesday, it will most likely be available on Wednesday, Thursday at the latest. Making decisions, in haste, leads to disaster, so the SMART thing to do is, take your time in making your decision, for if you make the wrong decision, you will have to work HARDER to redeem yourself.

Remember, the journey to the top is faced with many obstacles, falling and definitely, dusting yourself off and try again...until the next time, stay positive!

Giving Props!!

I have been fortunate to have met a couple of the smartest Men, who schooled me on the political Black History, that we aren't traditionally taught in school. Maybe the revolution wasn't meant to be televised Mr. Herron, but it is definitely shared through the Arts, and in particular, music.

Who is the LoneBlackFemale???

This blog is designed for the LoneBlackFemale (LBF) within their current environment.