Archive of ‘Entrepreneurs’ category

Motivation Monday: Turn your passion into profits

By Chanda Temple

If you’re still a little blurry on what your passion is, entrepreneur and digital lifestyle expert Mario Armstrong could help put things into focus.

Starting today, Mario kicks off his Never Settle Club, a free, five-week program designed to help people identify their passion and monetize it. People may sign up at http://www.neversettleclub.com, share their ideas and get feedback from others. The idea of such a community connection, which has its own Facebook page and #neversettleclub hashtag, is to offer powerful advice, resources and homework to build bridges to success. There will also be weekly chats with Mario.

With the help of AT&T, Mario offered such a program this summer. He’s back at it this month. Why? Because he said he feels like there’s an “obligation’’ to help other people live their purpose.

As someone who’s recovered from a failed business venture and a layoff years ago, he hopes the knowledge shared will open doors for others. Currently, he’s an Emmy Award-winning tech commentator for the TODAY Show, CNN, HLN and Fuse. He recently started writing a column for Men’s Fitness magazine.

“I want people to be successful and be happy, living life on purpose,’’ he said in an Aug.11 video included at the top of this post. He added that the program is for people with all kinds of visions and even those still trying to discover their passion.

So how do you find your passion, which is something that should excite and motivate you to live it each day? Mario offers these eight tips:

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Why you can’t tell everyone your dreams

By Chanda Temple

As a child, Eunice Elliott always said she'd be on television. Her classmates called her idea "ridiculous.'' She ignored them. Today, she's living her dream as a television traffic reporter for the NBC station in Birmingham, Ala.

As a child, Eunice Elliott always said she’d be on television. Her classmates called her idea “ridiculous.” She ignored them. Today, she’s living her dream as a television traffic reporter for the NBC affiliate station in Birmingham, Ala.

How many times have you told someone an idea and they’ve criticized it or told you you should do something else?

You know these kind of people. They live for the thrill of hunting down a vibrant dream, only to pick apart every detail until there’s nothing left but the bones that once held together everything.

When you encounter these type of negative people, especially in business, know this: Their opinion does not matter. Trust your judgment and know that you and your dream are good enough.

Being good enough is what Birmingham, Ala. motivational speaker, comedienne and television/radio personality Eunice Elliott promotes in her public appearances. Here are her five tips on how she stays focused.

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Wednesday’s Word

We all face obstacles in life. Just don't let them stop you from crossing the finish line.

We all face obstacles in life. But we can’t let them stop us from crossing the finish line.

By Chanda Temple

No matter how much you’ve promised yourself that you will have a good day, there’s always someone determined that you won’t. They dig in until they find your weak spot to make you fall.

Or there’s a plan you hatched with hopes of it being successful, only to see it fail.

When this happens, some give in to the pressure and crumble. Others stay to stick it out and fight.

If you are determined to face down defeat, there are so many ways to do it. During a televised sermon earlier this year, I heard some encouraging ways from Houston pastor Joel Osteen. His words may inspire you to continue the journey to find your greater.

Remember this: Your greater is out there, you just have to be encouraged to go get it.

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Motivation Monday: Do you work your job or does it work you?

By Chanda Temple

Marcia and Marla Pruitte are motivational speakers, helping folks get their IT together. (Photo: Special)

Identical twins Marcia Pruitte, left, and Marla Pruitte are motivational speakers, helping folks get their IT (intimate truth) together. (Photo: Special)

In 2010, Marcia Pruitte thought she was working her dream job.

She had opened a natural hair salon in Jackson, Tenn., where things were good for business. But soon, she realized she wasn’t being fulfilled. She wasn’t a licensed cosmetologist, she just owned the salon. So if stylists didn’t show up to service clients, she didn’t make money. She didn’t like someone else having that type of control. To her, that wasn’t freedom.

Meanwhile, her identical twin sister, Marla Pruitte, was having a similar feeling about her cupcake business. Also in Jackson, Marla worked hard to make her bakery a success. But if customers didn’t come in, she could potentially have a bad week. Her store became more of a job than a dream. She felt trapped.

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Mastering the art of a good handshake

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What does your handshake say about you? Image by Jet via Flickr/CreativeCommons.

By Chanda Temple 

Earlier this year, I met a man running for public offie. I don’t remember his name nor the office he wanted. What I do remember is his handshake. It was clammy and sweaty.

After shaking hands, I couldn’t wait to wipe my hand. It was left kinda wet.

As I walked away, I wondered if the man knew what his handshake said about him. He may have been the best man for the job, but all I could focus on was that handshake.

Though it may seem small, a handshake is a big thing in politics and business.

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Motivation Monday: Why it’s important to follow your heart in business

By Chanda Temple

Trust yourself.

Trust yourself.

Traci Ann Moore’s parents had picked what they thought would be the perfect career for their daughter.

She’d attend college, study accounting and work as a CPA. Case closed.

But during Traci Ann’s junior year at the University of Montevallo, she had a change of heart. She wanted to study interior design after taking it as an elective.

Her mother wasn’t having it.

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Seven Oprah Winfrey quotes that will inspire you

By Chanda Temple 

Oprah Winfrey Image from Webmaster Abril via Flickr/CreativeCommons.

During the last episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show in May 2011, Oprah Winfrey encouraged the audience to ask themselves: “What’s your passion?” 
Image from Webmaster Abril via Flickr/CreativeCommons.

When Oprah Winfrey ended The Oprah Winfrey Show in May 2011 after a 25-year run, I set the DVR to record the last episode. Once I played back the recording, I sat in awe of her messages and immediately started taking notes. I wanted a written memory of her quotes so that I could read them whenever I felt like it.

The other day, I ran across my notes and thought they’d be a good share for “Throwback Thursday.” Here they are: (more…)

Reconnect, recharge and refresh to meet remaining goals of 2014

By Chanda Temple

Consultants TaShara King and Kimberly Davis

Dr. TaShara Smith-King, left, and Kimberly Davis of Davis + King Consulting help impact people’s lives through motivational messages. They say it’s not too late to tackle the unfinished goals you set on Jan. 1.

Today is July 1, 2014 –  the halfway mark for the year. Are you still pursuing the goals you set on January 1 or have you given up on them? Don’t lose hope. There’s still time to go after what you want.

Kimberly Davis and Dr. TaShara Smith-King of Davis + King Consulting, a Birmingham, Ala.-based company focused on empowering women and young girls through motivational speaking engagements and conferences, have six tips to help get you back on track.

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Motivation Monday: Do single women need a mate to start a business?

By Chanda Temple

Do single women need a husband to start a business? Absolutely not, says small business expert Melinda Emerson. Image by Michigan BD via Flickr/CreativeCommons.

Do single women need a husband to start a business? Absolutely not, says small business expert Melinda Emerson.
Image by Michigan BD via Flickr/CreativeCommons.

I have a friend interested in leaving her full-time job to start her own business. But what’s stopping her is that she’s single. She says she’d prefer to have a husband as a safety net to help with the mortgage and living expenses in case her business fails or is slow to produce income.

When married, she knows she’d love her husband and care for him, but she’d also love the idea of having a mate as a “cushion” in the event her business flops.

My friend’s comments got me thinking: What do single female entrepreneurs think about this? I posed the question to Melinda Emerson, a divorced, Philadelphia mother of one who’s known as “America’s No. 1 Small Business Expert.” 

Melinda, nicknamed the Small Biz Lady, got real in five seconds flat: A husband is not a back-up plan in business.

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What does your business card say about your brand?

 

Sherrod Shackleford, left, and LaVon Lewis founded their branding and marketing company, PDG, in a dorm room, 14 years ago. Today, they are handling accounts for major companies. They are based in Atlanta, Ga.

Sherrod Shackelford, left, and LaVon Lewis founded their branding and marketing company, PDG, in a dorm room at Alabama A&M University, 14 years ago. Today, they are handling accounts for major companies. They are based in Atlanta, Ga. (Photo by Chanda Temple)

By Chanda Temple

Before you hand your business card to Sherrod Shackelford or LaVon Lewis, make sure the card is truly what you want to say about your company.

If not, be ready for their feedback because the two founders of PDG, a branding and marketing firm based in Atlanta, Ga., are not shy about sizing you and your card up and  saying what they like and don’t like about it. 

“I don’t know what you are selling,” one of them told an entrepreneur during a recent branding workshop, where attendees provided their business cards for critiques.

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