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Finding Your Passion In Business

Smart Women Institute — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 21:53:14 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPIhA_33p-I

Smart Women Interviews: Kelly Epperson

Smart Women Institute — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 21:05:54 +0000

Q: When did you realize your big WHY?
A: My big WHY came to me after a speaking engagement. A woman told me how much she appreciated my program and she commented that I “radiated joy.” My response was simply that I love my life and I’m glad it shows.

She replied: “I wish I loved my life.”

My heart flipped and twisted. EVERY woman should be able to say, “I love my life.” My WHY was born.

Q: How and when did you make living your WHY a reality?
A: I then focused my writing and programs on teaching women how to take the reins of their own happiness. I went deeper into my own stories (my divorce, my leaving the IRS, living in a France for a year, learning to trust and love again, etc) and started really becoming aware of what I had done to get out living from the place of fear and others’ expectations to living my own joy. By stepping into being fully me, my writing and speaking career took off.

Q: What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned so far about living your WHY?
A: One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is to stay tuned in to my Inner Voice. When I clear out the clutter (tangible and intangible), I am able to discern what is the right next step for me. I have learned to ALLOW and to ACCEPT and to ATTRACT. It is so different from the old driven thought habits of go-go-go, get-get-get. Letting go of being a People Pleasing Perfectionist has been a huge accomplishment for me. Every time I listen to my inner voice, my life expands in ways so much better than I ever could have imagined.

Q: What is coming up next for you?
A: The next thing I have going on is the program I have created that puts all this together for other women. I created the JOY Beyond Your Dreams life mastery program which is a 7-week online program with daily email lessons, weekly coaching calls, private email access, worksheets, fun snail mail, and surprise bonuses.

I teach how to step-by-step implement the happiness habits of a joyful woman along with how to let go of the gunk holding you back and keeping you stuck. It’s been so moving for me to hear the results of the women in my program – confidence, clarity, peace, less stress, more fun, more energy, more joy! Living a “new outrageously fun life!”

Q: Name some authors or books that have influenced your life in a positive way.
A: There are so many snippets from so many authors that inspire me. Any day, I could rattle off a different bunch. Today the immediates that come to mind are Anne Lamotts’s Bird by Bird; The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks; and Dr. Seuss’s Oh, The Places You’ll Go!

Q: What excites or ignites your soul?
A: What excites me is that I am truly living joy beyond my dreams (doing work that I love, building my business with my new husband that I love, in a house in the trees with a glimmer of the river that we love) and the caliber of women that enroll in my program – these gals are indeed my ideal clients! I love working with women who have so much inside them and are ready to unleash their beauty and live a life that is joy beyond their dreams. Having a woman say, “I love my life!” ignites my soul!

BIO: Kelly Epperson
Kelly Epperson is a former IRS agent now known as the “joy fairy,” who teaches women that anything is possible. A happiness coach and inspirational speaker, Kelly is the author of When Life Stinks, It’s Time to Wash the Gym Clothes; 365 Days of Joy-How to Be Happy Every Single Day; and JOY DROPPINGS, Evidence That Joy Is Everywhere, Every Day, for All of Us. Kelly gives workshops and keynotes, and is the founder of the Happiness Club of Loves Park. Kelly is the creator of the Joy Beyond Your Dreams life mastery program, a 7-week online course to get you confident and happy. Visit www.kellyepperson.com.

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About this section: Each week we feature one of our Smart Women Book Series^TM authors. If you would like to be featured in an upcoming newsletter and on our blog permanently, click here: http://www.smartwomeninstitute.com/2011/12/become-an-author/

Smart Women Interviews: Catherine Cassidy

Smart Women Institute — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:12:36 +0000

Q: When did you realize your big WHY?
A: I was driving in traffic in LA (stuck, actually) and muddling over a conversation I’d had with my best friend and thinking about what my next steps were because I wasn’t happy at my corporate job. It literally hit me and I knew I HAD to do it! I knew I wasn’t the only woman working hard and having barely any time or energy for a personal life, let alone a family (which was nowhere near in the picture at that age!), so I committed to building a company that made women’s lives easier (specifically, busy professional women trying to balance it all) and that empowered the women who worked with me as well.

Q: How and when did you make living your WHY a reality?
A: Two weeks later I’d given my notice and so a month later I was on my way. I started by building the foundation and getting the pieces of the puzzle in place – all the paperwork, etc. that needed to be filed and then just started networking and marketing and inviting all of my friends to be on my newsletter list! It’s been a slow and steady process with lots of personal growth and so many amazing clients who I HAVE been able to help make their lives a bit easier.

Q: What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned so far about living your WHY?
A: You have to have a support system around you that can remind you WHY you’re doing this because it’s not always an easy road to travel, but it’s so much more fulfilling. And always read your client’s testimonials when you need a pick me up and reminder of your ‘WHY.’ But mostly, even as a solo-preneur, you’re never alone if you have a great support system that gets it. If I may expand into an extension of the lesson, it’s that while you’re learning and growing and evolving, some people may fall out of your life and that’s OK. They don’t get it now, maybe some day they will, but you need people around you who are at a frequency that supports you instead of brings you down.

Q: What is coming up next for you?
A: My clients are high six figure earners plus, but my goal has always been to make fashion and working with a stylist approachable and accessible, so I’m launching an online shopping site in the next few months that does just that. I’m a little bit excited about it. It’s kind of revolutionary!

Q: Name some authors or books that have influenced your life in a positive way.
A: Wayne Dyer changed my life. I was working in the Fashion Industry, but in accounting as a way to get my foot in the door and my dream job was to be a merchandiser. It’s not easy to get a merchandising job – most people go back to school to get a second degree or study it specifically in undergrad. The Power of Intention and his comments on doubt made a light-bulb go off. 2 weeks later I got my merchandising job at BCBG.

As I continue my education and I LOVE to read, I’ve found Edwin Gaines, Napoleon Hill, etc. and I also love to read one of my clients writings, actually. Christine Kane has such a powerful way with words and she uses so few. But I always go back to Wayne Dyer.

Q: What excites or ignites your soul?
A: When women get excited about their new outfits and clothes (often just from their closet) when we’re working together. They get downright giddy and I love it! More than that, they have this new confidence in themselves as they have new confidence in their style. It’s electric and it makes me so happy. Otherwise, Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream and curling up with a cup of tea and a good book when I’ve just woken up. No need to rush into the day!

Bio: Catherine Cassidy
Taking leave of the Corporate Fashion Industry, Catherine Cassidy founded U*styled in 2008 to support busy women everywhere. YOU are our mission. U*styled is dedicated to empowering women and giving you the tools to discover the lifestyle you deserve through personal style. Her unique approach to Personal Styling and Brand Image has had her work across a broad range of industries and career stages including Real Estate, Finance, Consulting, Marketing, Advertising, Entertainment, Entrepreneurs and Celebrity Entrepreneurs. Connect with Catherine at http://www.facebook.com/catherine.cassidy

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About this section: Each week we feature one of our Smart Women Book SeriesTM authors. If you would like to be featured in an upcoming newsletter and on our blog permanently, click here: http://www.smartwomeninstitute.com/2011/12/become-an-author/

Smart Wealth Tip – Making Metrics Sexy

Smart Women Institute — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 21:48:42 +0000

I just returned from Miami after a kick-butt mastermind meeting with these 7 figure smart women: JJ Virgin, Jackie Hicks, Pamela Bruner, and Annika Rockwell.

While I was there, I received just what I needed as I always do when I set the intention to receive and listen. (I don’t always do this well, but I try!)

In honor of one of the many goals that came out of the meeting I want to talk about your Internet Business Metrics. (And thanks for the push on this Jackie!)

Now stay with me and don’t click away….

When you learn what metrics to look at, as well as how to talk about them and leverage them, they get pretty darn sexy.

I have to admit, over the years I’ve gotten really good at learning how to leverage my financial numbers (traditional metrics) as well as my database and social networks.

Now it’s time for me to leverage our internet business metrics too.

So What Are Internet Business Metrics?

Traditional business metrics include ROI (return on investment), customer churn rate, and Profit and Loss. These are more of the financial metrics that you can see and track in Quickbooks.

What I want to talk about today is those online metrics you can leverage. And you can track most of these using Google Analytics plugin right in WordPress.

Here are some metrics you need to know and track:

Visits
Page Views
Average Time On Site
New Visitors Percentage
Most Popular Posts
Top Referrers
Top Searches

Remember the golden rule of metrics – “What Gets Measured, Grows”

If you want to dig deeper and learn more about metrics… make sure to post your questions on our blog.

Do you know what Socialnomics is? You Better.

Smart Women Institute — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:28:13 +0000

If you own a business, you MUST embrace Facebook, Twitter, and Linked In. I say this all the time to my clients. And then I teach them how to map out campaigns and how to be authentic CEOs when leveraging and growing their social networks. Today’s video is a great reminder of the reality of our very new and exciting economy. As we move forward in the conceptual age, remember that your company can and should be connecting with your customers many times a day through these outlets.

Smart Women Interviews: Jen Sutton

Smart Women Institute — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 20:01:43 +0000

Q: When did you realize your big WHY?
A: Always wanted to go into either teaching or nursing from a young age. It wasn’t until I was a qualified nurse and on my journey of getting a degree that I realised – training and coaching other healthcare professionals was my why.

Why? Because nursing wasn’t enough, I wanted to help patients thorough the expertise and compassion instilled by the care delivers.

I wanted to make their lives easier, fulfilling and enjoyable and by doing that – share these same 3 values with those who needed the healthcare professionals guidance, care and expertise.

Q: How and when did you make living your WHY a reality?
A: This why became a reality when as a Marie Curie Leader I fostered a culture of support, growth, opportunity for the Marie Curie nurses who provided palliative care in the patients home.

This was a ‘tipping of the toe’ into an area that totally excited me. One where it feed my ego of making a difference – MAD.

Since then, I have created Enabling Success for health and social care leaders and managers. Building there confidence and emotional resilience in heading their organisations because it can be lonely at the top.

Q: What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned so far about living your WHY?
A: Keep on track – take action – otherwise if you just sit on the tracks – you’ll eventually get run over.

Q: What is coming up next for you?
A: Developing a Global Network using the principles of Sheri McConnell and her Smart Women’s Institute

Q: Name some authors or books that have influenced your life in a positive way.
A: Paul McGee ‘SUMO’ Shut Up and Move On, Joey Martin – Shift Speaker Training,

Q: What excites or ignites your soul?
A: travel, adventure and sunshine! Its the opportunity of not knowing where the day is going to end, how its going to pan out and with warmth of the sun to keep your spirits high.

Bio: Jen Sutton
Enabling Success and Your Success Factors
From Bedpans to Business Plans…

Jennie Sutton started her career in Nursing then went into leadership within healthcare as a result of her passion to make things better. Better for those who received care and better for those who delivered care.

Jennie enjoys getting people to realise their potential and believes that the way to facilitate that is through stepping out of your comfort zone whilst being supported in the process. Jennie works with practitioners within health and social care sector to overcome the challenges facing them in a highly stressful and emotionally charged profession.

Jennie currently combines her training, coaching and speaking business http://www.enablingsuccess.com and http://www.yoursuccessfactors.com with that of being a GP Practice Manager in Cumbria, in the UK.

Jennie is also a mother of four children and founder of a number of social enterprises, ranging from a Women’s Theatre Group to a Community Led Initiative in Health.
Jennie is some one who makes things happen. ‘No’ is not an option and provided the outcomes or actions make her MAD (Make A Difference), Jennie’s talents to make things come to fruition is her creativity and resourcefulness.

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Smart Women Interviews: Stacie Cole

Smart Women Institute — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:05:30 +0000

Q: When did you realize your big WHY?
A: When I turned 40, I was at a high point in a way and low point in another way. I had reached my professional and financial goals I set when I turned 30, thinking at the time they were impossible. But I was losing interest in my current career; it was no longer challenging or fulfilling. It was time to set a goal to hit by my 50th. I had spent the last 3 years steadily making healthy changes to my lifestyle. I started losing weight and getting in shape. At 40, I was in the best shape of my life. I had energy, confidence, and self awareness. It provided a springboard for growth in all areas of my life. Being fit had given me so much, I decided I had to share that with other women. I decided to share my passion for exercise and nutrition and become a life coach specializing in health & fitness. I enrolled at the International Coach Academy and became a coach. I was searching so hard for my ‘calling’ and it was right there under my nose.

Q: How and when did you make living your WHY a reality?
A: I live a healthy lifestyle one day, week, month and year at a time. The battle for a healthy lifestyle is won in the little moments when you have to do the right thing when no one else is watching and may never know your victory. You’ll know. Small changes add up to big results over time. It’s not a perfect road; it’s a slow, ever-evolving road. It has so much to teach you about you. I launched The Personal Evolution Company to help women through their journey and discover their why. To transition to a healthy lifestyle, it takes commitment. Looking good for one-time event isn’t going to cut it. There must be a bigger reason for the changes to stick. There is a lot of information available about how to exercise, what to eat, and even a lot of compelling health reasons why you should. NONE of it matters until it gets personal. People have to find their WHY to really make the change to a healthy lifestyle.

Q: What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned so far about living your WHY?
A: The most important lesson I’ve learned so far about living a healthy lifestyle is about promises. First, set goals that are totally within your control. You can’t control how much weight you lose this week or where it comes from. You CAN control what you eat, your portions and your exercise regimen. When you set your goal for the week, say it is to walk 3 times this week for 30 minutes at your minimum target heart rate, then you are making a promise to yourself. KEEP your promise. Only commit to the things you are willing to do. Start small if you have to. Once you make the promise to yourself, keep it.

Q: What is coming up next for you?
A: My next project is to widen my reach and create a community of support for women on their journey to being healthy and fit. I want to launch a national organization for women that provides inspiration, education, self awareness, motivation, and tips.

Q: Name some authors or books that have influenced your life in a positive way.
A: The most influential book in my life is Stephen R. Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I read this book (several times) early on in my professional career. It helped me grow up. The first habit alone was worth it’s weight in gold: Be Proactive.

Other authors I like are Tom Peters and Timothy Ferriss. A great book about eating healthy is anything in Tosca Rena’s Eat Clean series. Her recipes are fabulous, all whole foods and they taste great.

Q: What excites or ignites your soul?
A: It’s a total rush to see someone get excited about something he or she wants to do. I love positive energy. There’s no better feeling than accomplishing a goal or a milestone…unless you’re sharing someone else’s moment. Of course, I also get excited over a great golf shot.

Bio: Stacie Cole is an expert at creating a healthy lifestyle. She is a former gym owner, personal trainer and nutrition counselor. In her late 30′s she renewed her commitment to eating better and exercising. Losing over 40 pounds, she shed her size 14 clothes for a new wardrobe of 4′s. Stacie decided to center her professional life on her passion for a healthy lifestyle and launched The Personal Evolution Company (www.PersonalEvolutionCo.com) to help women live in the healthy, fit body they deserve. She is married to the man of her dreams, Jason. They live in Florence, S.C. with their Schnoodle, Putter, and Great Dane, Luna. Their goal is to move to the St. George, Utah area soon where they can hike the red rock canyons often.

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Smart Holidays Savings Starts Today!

Smart Women Institute — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 23:33:59 +0000

Smart Holidays Savings Starts Today!

…and lasts until the end of the year.

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Our annual holiday sale has officially started.

Head on over to our Smart Store now and get 35% off everything — it’s our holiday gift to you!

Be sure to enter coupon code “HOLIDAY12″ at checkout to grab your 35% discount.

Remember this sale lasts until December 31st only,
so do NOT miss your chance to learn, leverage, and lead!

Shop the Smart Store Now!

WHAT’S NEW?

We’ve been busy revamping and updating
our most popular products over the last few months.

We also converted them to downloadable versions
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Shop the Smart Store Now!

Here are the products you have to choose from:

Smart Women’s Create Your Own Network Today!
Smart Women’s Marketing 2.0 – Everything You Need To Know To Grow
Smart Women’s Guide to Publishing a Book that Build Your Business Fast and Easy
Smart Women’s Guide to Publishing Infoproducts Fast and Easy

Sheri McConnell-CEO
Smart Women’s Institute™

P.S. Remember, you MUST enter coupon code: “HOLIDAY12″ at checkout in order to receive 35% off your order. This coupon code is only good today, Thursday, December 15th, to Saturday, December 31, 2011 (sale ends at Midnight CST).

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Creating Your Your Own Biz – How Long Does It Take?

Smart Women Institute — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 18:05:52 +0000

Smart Tip of the Day

Dear Smart Women,

“Products and services succeed one person at a time, as the word slowly spreads. Customers defect one person at a time, as hearts are broken and people are disappointed. Doors open, sure, but not all at once. One at a time. One at a time is a little anticlimactic and difficult to get in a froth over, but one at a time is how we win and how we lose.” Seth Godin

I’ve been saying this for years… unfortunately, most of you do want success faster.

And sometimes, you are willing to drink the Marketing Kool Aid that is being poured out there because it gives you hope for immediate success, which seems to be what you need to start now.

For some of you, you might have never started otherwise, so in that way, maybe it is acceptable to poor this “tell them what they want to hear” Kool Aid.

Just so you know, the realistic sweet spot where things START taking off for most start-ups is around a year and a half.

It takes time, so ask yourself, where do you want to be in a few years?

Where you are right now

OR

in a place where you are building equity each day as the owner of a business?

Want to learn more about what makes an equitable business?

Join the Smart Women’s Institute for FREE today and find out immediately:

http://www.smartwomeninstitute.com/free-stuff

Supporting You – One Smart Step At A Time

Sheri McConnell

Smart Women’s Institute™

http://www.smartwomeninstitute.com

Smart “Thanksgiving” Weekend Sale!

Smart Women Institute — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 14:01:41 +0000

Smart “Thanksgiving” Weekend Sale!

Only 3 Days! Ends Sunday, November 27th at Midnight (Central)

Dear Smart (and Savvy!) Woman,

When you purchase all 3 of our most popular products as a bundle over the next 3 days, you will save over 65% (in dollars, that’s over $900!)

You can read the details on the downloadable programs below, and then make sure to come back to this page to use the special “Smart Thanksgiving Weekend Sale” link.

Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

Sheri McConnell

CEO

Product One

Marketing 2.0 – Everything You Need To Know To Grow

You receive Training and Q & A Audio Downloads on all the following topics below immediately after purchase!

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