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The Other Veteran’s Day Hero…The Military Spouse

Posted on: November 10th, 2011 by Beth Heilman

Tomorrow, 11-11-11 is Veteran's Day here in the US. Its a day to remember and honor those who serve our country, the men and women who defend our freedom everyday; Our Armed Forces.

It doesn't matter which branch of the service these brave souls choose to serve in. They are all heroes.

But there is also another Veteran's Day hero who stays in the background, supports without question, sacrifices and keeps things running smoothly at home without complaining or even giving what they do a second thought.

I'm talking about the Military Spouse. These wives (and husbands) of  Active Duty Military personnel are heroes in their own right. They put up with long deployments; time periods that can last from a few weeks to a few months and even longer.

They are left home alone to take care of anything from kids to car problems; from balancing a lean budget to fixing a leaky faucet. They do double duty; things that both a Mom and Dad, husband and wife would tackle together they do alone. How do I know?

Because I was one.

Not many people know this, but I was an Air Force wife for nearly 20 years. So when I tell you that I know what it's like to be the one left behind, to be the one who was both the Mom AND head of the house, I speak from experience.

I also know what it's like to want to be the supportive spouse and have a career of my own. One of the most difficult things about being "married to the military" is the uncertainty of knowing if you're going to be in one spot long enough to put down roots and establish yourself  in a job, much less a career. It can be frustrating.

Military pay wasn't much then and it still isn't much. When a spouse works and has to pay child care, it almost doesn't pay to work. Until now.

When I was raising my kids, the internet as we know it today didn't exist. Back then it was Commodore 64's and DOS programs and blinking cursors.

Today, thankfully, the possibilities are unlimited. Any military wife with a laptop (or smart phone) and an internet connection can start and run her own successful business from home. 

Some hot trends right now range anywhere from being a Virtual Assistant, to starting an e-commerce website to information marketing. Social Media Management and website content management for small (and some large) businesses can both be done from home and worked around kids schedules and TDY's. That's "temporary duty" (short assignments for a couple of weeks to a couple of  months at a time) for any non-military folks. ๐Ÿ™‚

There's almost nothing in business that can't accomplished over the internet. For military spouses, it levels the playing field in the job market like never before.

So to all the Military wives and husbands who think they may have to settle for whatever low paying job they can get, think again. You really can create your own business (and do what you love) using today's technology. Do some research. Find a business that really gets you excited…and will pay you what you're worth.

Dream again…you've earned it.

Are you or do you know of someone who's a Military spouse, Vet or service member? Please pass this along to them and as always, please leave me a comment below and let's talk. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. Happy Veterans Day…I salute you.

Until then…

To Your Success,
Sonrisas(smiles),

Beth

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The Way To Overcome Resistance Is With Action

Posted on: August 30th, 2011 by Beth Heilman

Ever get something in your head that you just KNEW you were supposed to do?

It could be losing weight…or moving to a new location…or starting a new business (one of my personal favorites ๐Ÿ™‚ )

The excitement builds, all the pieces are in place. You may even have your friends and family on board ready to cheer you on in this next exciting step in your life and all of a sudden…WHAM!!

You stop dead in your tracks. Suddenly all the motivation is gone. Even doing the laundry and cleaning the cat box sound like more fun than following through on your new plan.

It's the killer of dreams and the squasher of all things even remotely looking like personal growth or forward movement in your life.

The one sure-fire way to tell if the thing you're wanting to do is really what you're supposed to be doing is when Resistance starts
rearing it's ugly head.

How do you overcome Resistance? Take ACTION.

Do what it is you need to be doing whether you feel like it or not. And whether you're scared to or not. This exposes Resistance for what it really is.

You see, Resistance likes the status quo. It wants you to stay safe and small. The moment you make a decision and start moving forward in your life, good ol' resistance will start following you like a shadow.

You'll procrastinate, you'll rationalize. In it's strongest form, you may even get depressed or sick.

There's a fantastic book called "The War of Art" by Steven Pressfield that goes into wonderful detail how resistance in all it's forms, shows up and tries to keep you stuck. I highly recommend it to anyone who knows they've been called to greater things, but just can't seem to "get it in gear".

It doesn't matter a step you take, but do something that will move you closer to where you want to be…whatever that is for you. Take action today.

If you're feeling stuck right now, but know in your heart of hearts you've been called to do bigger things and play a bigger game, I
encourage you to get "The War of Art".  

It will be a game changer for you…it was for me.

Remember one thing about taking action when you're feeling resistance.

It's kind of like turning the light on in a dark room. The room seems spooky and unfamiliar until you flip the switch then…POOF!

Now you can step into that room because you can see. No more fumbling around (procrastinating and avoiding) because you know what's in front of you and what to walk around.

Action is your light switch…flip it today.

Leave a comment below and let me know how YOU overcome resistance. Love to hear from you ๐Ÿ™‚
 

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Your Ideal Client: Narrow Your Focus For A Broader Reach- Part 2

Posted on: August 2nd, 2011 by Beth Heilman

In the last post we talked about narrowing down your focus when you’re looking for your ideal client.

We talked about how what’s called the “shotgun approach” to marketing never works. You can’t be all things to all people.

But how do you identify your ideal client? Who are they really and how do you find them?

Find Your Ideal Client

Find Your Ideal Client

For starters, look at all the customers you have now. Who is it you enjoy working with the most?

Are they in a certain age group? Are they men or women? What does your product do for them? Are they business owners or do they work for some one else? Are they single parents?

Demographics like age, gender. and family status and are just one part of the equation.

The other part and (probably the biggest part) of that same equation is:

What problem does your product solve?

If you have a great weight loss solution, do you work with people who have 5-10 pounds to lose and want to look fabulous for an upcoming class reunion or do they have 50, 100, 150 pounds or more to lose and if they don’t, they might not be here in 5 years.

How you talk to, market to and where you find those people who have a true obesity problem will be
light years different than the class reunion crowd.

Another example I can give you is my ideal client…you.

You’re more than likely here because you want to have your own business. You’re just starting out or most likely haven’t even started one yet. You probably aren’t sure yet what you want to do when you grow up, you just know that what you’re doing now isn’t it ๐Ÿ™‚

You may have gotten the rug pulled out from under you when the housing market crashed like I did, but the thought of taking just any old job earning way less than you’re used to makes you want to cry.

You’re smart, you’re ambitious, you have tons of great ideas and things you love to do, but you’re not sure how to turn that into a business, a successful business, that not only earns you a great living, it allows you a great life. You’re who I love working with. ๐Ÿ™‚

How can you find the clients you’ll love working with? You go where they are. We’re so lucky that with the internet, we have the whole world at our fingertips. There are online forums on nearly every conceivable topic, there are groups on social media like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

For those of you who prefer face-to-face interaction there’s are meet-up groups all over the country. Go online and search for the problem your product solves then add forum or blog (for a virtual online meeting) or meeting after it and then add your city.

Ex: weight loss + forum OR dog lovers + meet up + san diego

Easy peasy, right?

Here’s another example for you. Some of my ideal clients happen to be Realtors. They were really hit hard in the housing crunch and many are just barely making it, but they’re not sure what else to do. I also
happen to be a Realtor so I definitely speak the language.

(Hint: always speak to your ideal client in the language they understand(no, I’m not saying learn a foreign language). If you deal with folks primarily in one profession ie; doctors, mortgage folks,
attorneys, truck drivers, chefs; learn some of the “industry speak” that they use.

Bottom line…meet them where they are. They’ll appreciate the effort and will feel more comfortable talking with you.

And always, always, (did I say always?) come from a place of service, sincerity and authenticity. People are savvy and will spot a phony (or someone who only wants to make a quick sale) a mile away. I know that’s not you ๐Ÿ™‚

Finding your ideal client is a breeze when you really narrow down who you want to work with and the problem you can help them solve.

Let me know any ideas or any questions you have about where you can look for your ideal client.

Then again how would you like it if your ideal client found you?…

I’ll show you how in some upcoming posts. Until then…

Make it a wondermous day!

Sonrisas (smiles),
Beth

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