It’s IAWBO’s birthday and YOU get the gifts! In addition to all of the valuable goodies inside the FREE Virtual Birthday Gift Bag we’re giving away during the month of September (did you get yours yet?) you will enjoy 30 days of How Does She Do It? Interviews on the blog like this one:

Today’s How Does She Do It? Mentor is Kimberly Englot of The Center for Authentic Self Development  http://kimberlyenglot.com

http://facebook.com/KimberlyEnglot

http://twitter.com/KimberlyEnglot

How long have you been in business online: 20 months

Tell us about your business. Who do you love to work with? what is the #1 greatest benefit they get from working with you?  I love to work with no-nonsense women who are ready to get clear with what they want, and get happy! My average clients come to me with a bunch of “junk” in her life. She wants to start taking care of herself again, and put herself back on her priority list. She also wants to do it WITHOUT feeling guilty (like she is letting someone else down) or selfish (like she is taking away from her family).

By the time we’re done working together, she is happier, thinner and setting boundaries with those who take advantage of her. She is clear on what she wants in life and knows exactly what to do to get it (whether it’s changing careers, starting a business, or writing a book).

What does being a woman in business online mean to you and what is your favorite thing about it? It means complete freedom! I’m big on freedom, I talk about it a lot. Being in business online allows me to choose everything: who I work with, what hours I work, what companies I align myself with, what prices I charge.

I get complete control over my whole life and I savor that. I thrive on intuition and when I get a creative idea at 11pm, I am free to work on it all night and take the following day off. You can’t do that in any other business.

I am also being very strategic in how I set up my business, so that in a few years I will be able to work less and earn more. Again, most other business models trade dollars for hours, so you never get to that point of freedom, without sacrificing income.”

Who has been your greatest mentor and how have they impacted your success?

I actually have two.

First, my best friend owns 3 businesses, not online, but seeing someone so young (when she started she was 22) being really successful made me go, “Okay, I can do it, too!” She was also the one to encourage me to take the big plunge and become an online entrepreneur. Without her, I would still be trying to make myself work into my business, rather than the other way around.

Second, my business coach since I started online, Gina Bell. She was the second person to look at my idea and say, “Dream Bigger, Girl…you can have exactly what you want, without pain or compromise!” You need someone to believe in you when you don’t believe in yourself, and that is what a coach is for.

What is the one achievement are you most proud of so far and why? I have to say I’m just proud of mustering up the courage to even jump in and do it! It’s pretty scary, when you’re just starting out. You look at the internet and think how big it is, and then you start seeing the “gurus” and it’s easy to fall into a comparison trap. So just taking the first leap and deciding to do it, and do what it takes is huge!

My second pride and joy is my book, which will be release in December 2010, entitled “The Happiness Formula.” I have wanted to write a book for a while, so seeing this dream happen is really amazing for me. My friends and family keep saying… “So it’s going to be a real book (meaning not an eBook)…in bookstores and on Amazon and everything?” LOL.

What does “authentic in business” mean to you and why is it important? Authentic in business means being yourself, warts, bumps and all. It means being real with your customers and following what is true to you. It means being in integrity and being transparent.

Without this, you can’t build real relationships with your customers and if there is no relationship, there is no trust. When you’re online, and your customers won’t necessarily ever meet you, being real is extremely important. Even if they do one day meet you in person, you don’t want them to go… Oh, she is so much nicer, funnier, cooler in her eZine…

What is your favorite & most effective marketing strategy that you use to grow your business? The most effective strategy for list building is multiple-partner Joint Ventures, like telesummits and compilation eBooks. I’ve done both and they explode your list growth.

To grow my business income-wise, having a Signature program is by far the best thing. I have just started my third round of my Signature program and it’s a great way to leverage the material I already have, plus the buzz it builds after a few rounds is priceless.

How do you stay off (or minimize the extremes) of the proverbial “cashflow rollercoaster”? Having a membership based or subscription based program. You need to have something that regularly brings in money. You don’t have to spend a lot of time on it, a teleseminar or two each month, providing high-quality information only to your members. Over time it grows and you make more money, but the amount of work stays the same.

How do you achieve work-life balance? I don’t believe in balance. I believe in harmony. Set goals, and just let life flow from one area to another when you need it. Trying to keep “balance” will just make you crazy, frustrated and feeling like a failure because you can’t keep it together. Not to mention that one loose “cog” will through your entire plan out of balance and possibly cause a mental breakdown…I speak from experience.

Instead, I focus on my priorities. I lay them out and set deadlines. For example, when I am prepping for a marathon, I obviously need to workout more than normal for months leading up to it. Trying to do that plus maintain a perfect household, and career is crazy and exhausting. Instead I let a few things shift to the background while my focus is on running. When the race is done, I am free to shift focus back to laundry, reading, spending time with friends…etc.

I’m not saying go crazy and only focus on one thing at a time, there definitely needs to be limits, but trying to be perfect at everything, all at once, is insane.

What is your favorite technology that supports your online business and why? The obvious would be my website…but that’s obvious, right?

I have a love-hate relationship with my autoresponder/shopping cart. On one hand, I need it. It processes my payments, sends out my eZine, and organizes my affiliate program, all with minimal effort once you know the program.

On the other hand, setting it up caused me some stress! And I probably caused my VA stress. Once she had it set up and taught me how to use it, it took about a month to get really comfortable with it and now its second nature.

To be taken seriously in business online, you NEED an autoresponder. I really shake my head a people who say, “Want to subscribe to my eZine list? Send me your email address and I’ll add you.” Not cool and looks very unprofessional.”

What is your best productivity tip? Pre-schedule as much as possible. When you’re inspired and blogging, write as many blogs and pre-schedule them. Pre-schedule your eZines and broadcasts to go out so you can set them and forget them.

When those small details are set up, you have more time and energy freed up to focus on other things (like designing products, setting up JVs and marketing).

What has been your biggest breakthrough, mindset shift or top lesson learned so far? “Feel the fear and do it anyway!” It’s my favorite quote and I repeated it to myself often when I was first starting out.

It’s terrifying to look at the amount a coach costs and go, “Am I really going to spend that much?” But it’s worth it. You’re either going to spend it in time or in money, and I’d rather spend the money and cut the time in half!

And once you get going, fewer and fewer things scare you, you just have to keep going and trust in your ability to make things work. You will, because you have to!
.

Remember to claim your Birthday Gift Bag!

It’s bursting with 30 EXCLUSIVE GIFTS (not available free anywhere else) hand selected by our team of experts for success-driven women like you!

As a matter of fact, Kimberly has contributed her Discover Your Authentic Life Series (A $47 value and remember this is just 1 of the 30 gifts you get in this gift bag valued over $1300)
.

Pssst… Once you have registered for your gift bag you’ll be directed to a SECRET PAGE where you’ll discover a MEGA secret we’ve been keeping. You’re really got to see it to believe it!

It’s IAWBO’s birthday and YOU get the gifts! In addition to all of the valuable goodies inside the FREE Virtual Birthday Gift Bag we’re giving away during the month of September (did you get yours yet?) you will enjoy 30 days of How Does She Do It? Interviews on the blog like this one:

Today’s How Does She Do It? Mentor is Pam Perry of Ministry Marketing Solutions, Inc.

How long have you been in business online? Five years

Tell us about your business. Who do you love to work with? what is the #1 greatest benefit they get from working with you? We are a PR coaching and social media marketing consultancy that provides amazing online branding and marketing solutions for best-selling authors, mission-minded non-profits and seasoned entrepreneurs.

What does being a woman in business online mean to you and what is your favorite thing about it? This is the new economy!  Having a business online provides for my family and provides an outlet where we can share our skills and talents without any geographical limits.

Being online is a way to connect with like-minded entrepreneurs and find fascinating clients who “get you.”

Who has been your greatest mentor and how have they impacted your success? My greatest mentor has been my co-pastor, Dr. Stacia Pierce. She not only provides me with spiritual direction, but fashion and style tips.  She knows how to market and brand online – as a life coach – and provides me with fresh ideas that cause me to stretch myself and be more to do more.

What is the one achievement are you most proud of so far and why? The one thing that I am most proud of is that I was selected by my mentor, Dr. Stacia Pierce, to be part of her “DREAM TEAM” panel during her Women’s Success Conference.

I’ve received a lot of awards, been featured in tons of media – but nothing makes me prouder than to be recognized as a “success” by one who you model yourself after!

What does “authentic in business” mean to you and why is it important? To be transparent. To be real. To not hide behind stuffy words or overly thought-out copy. Just be you. “DO YOU” as Oprah says. No one can “DO YOU” better than you.

What is your favorite & most effective marketing strategy that you use to grow your business? I love connecting live with people.  So speaking is my all time favorite! Doing workshops in person. BUT – since I can’t be everywhere all the time, I do webinars, teleseminar and three weekly internet radio shows on Blogtalk radio: Chocolate Pages, Synergy Energy and the Diverse Business show.

How do you stay off (or minimize the extremes) of the proverbial “cashflow rollercoaster”? Affiliate marketing!  My affiliate income is one way to have passive income continually – without the large investment of time.

How do you achieve work-life balance? Schedule “me days” where you break away and refuel, refresh and recharge.  Read and write your creative ideas during this time – and remember to be easy on yourself. Rome was not built in a day!

Also unplug at least once a week!!!

What is your favorite technology that supports your online business and why? I love my iphone. Some days I don’t have to turn on the computer – I just have my phone and I can make major deals, connect with customers or plug into social networks and connect with prospects.

This fits my mobile lifestyle and I feel empowered because I do not have to be stuck in an office.

What is your best productivity tip? Tame your email. Set up folders for your favorite topics. Pick FIVE to SEVEN major groups of email that you want to keep track of – ones that will improve your life, business – and flag those emails to go in those folders.

Go through your “priority” folders daily, glance at the other stuff from clients or client related and everything else discard!

What has been your biggest breakthrough, mindset shift or top lesson learned so far? How to use affiliate marketing with network marketing combined with internet marketing with social media marketing. Powerful.  It’s all about branding and creating SYNERGY ENERGY!

To learn more about Pam Perry and her work you can also visit her social media pages and sites at:

• http://www.facebook.com/pamperrypr
• http://www.facebook.com/pamperryfanpage
• http://www.twitter.com/pamperry
• http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ministrymarketingsolutions
• http://www.brandingsuperstar.com

.

Remember to claim your Birthday Gift Bag!
http://www.iawbo.com/giftbag

It’s bursting with 30 EXCLUSIVE GIFTS (not available free anywhere else) hand selected by our team of experts for success-driven women like you!

As a matter of fact, Pam has contributed 62 Ways to Boost Your Business – Networking Tips (A $25 value and remember this is just 1 of the 30 gifts you get in this gift bag valued over $1300)
.

Pssst… Once you have registered for your gift bag you’ll be directed to a SECRET PAGE where you’ll discover a MEGA secret we’ve been keeping. You’re really got to see it to believe it!

It’s IAWBO’s birthday but YOU get the gifts! In addition to all of the valuable goodies inside the Virtual Birthday Gift Bag (did you get your yet?) you’ll enjoy 30 days of How Does She Do It? Interviews on the blog:

Today’s How Does She Do It? Mentor is Debbie LaChusa, The Business Stylist™

http://www.facebook.com/DebbieLaChusa

http://www.facebook.com/TheBusinessStylist

http://twitter.com/dlachusa

http://www.linkedin.com/in/debbielachusa

How long have you been in business online? 5-1/2 years

Tell us about your business: I work with women who have been successful in their career and have now started, or want to start, their own service-based business. These women want to make a difference in the world, they want to leave a legacy, they want financial and time freedom, and they want recognition for the work they do.

They are passionate about the services they offer, are very good at what they do, are serious about being successful in their own business, and they’re smart, hard-working, and determined. Yet despite all this they are still struggling in their business and they are often confused and overwhelmed about what to do to get out of struggle and achieve their goals.

I love working with these women because I know if I can help them be more successful in their business, they will help more people. And, they will also be able to experience what I feel blessed to have experienced for the past 12+ years – the opportunity to run a business that is personally fulfilling, financially rewarding, and that allows me to live my life on my terms.

I help these women design their business, their brand, and their marketing around who they are, so they have a unique, one-of-a-kind business that is easy for them to operate because it’s authentic to who they are. Plus, it helps them stand out in the marketplace and be more successful, usually with less work.

The greatest benefit these women get from working with me is the confidence and clarity of knowing exactly what to do to make their business more successful, more fulfilling, and more profitable. And to be able to accomplish all of this in a way that is totally authentic and comfortable.

What does being a woman in business online mean to you and what is your favorite thing about it? I consider myself a business owner who leverages the Internet to serve people worldwide. I ran a successful marketing consulting firm for 6 years before I started doing business online. The reason I chose to go online was because I wanted to reach and serve more people. I wanted to reach out beyond my local client base and serve people worldwide. And business on the Internet is truly a global adventure.

One of my favorite things is that I get to meet and work with so many interesting people from all around the world. I’ve had the opportunity to travel and speak in Canada and Australia. And, currently, nearly half of my mentoring & mastermind clients are located outside of the United States.

It is so cool to be able to get on a conference call with all of my mentoring clients and realize that we truly represent the world. And to also realize that regardless of where we are from, we are all women in business with the same life and business challenges. To be able to serve all of these women is truly a joy, an honor and a privilege.

Who or has been your greatest mentor and how have they impacted your success? I have had so many great mentors – too many to count – that it’s really impossible to pick just one. A few that stand out and what they taught me are:

T. Harv Eker, for instilling in me the power of practicing “Ready, Fire, Aim.” This concept was a radical departure for me as self-confessed “former” Type A, planner and control freak. Getting comfortable practicing “Ready, Fire, Aim” has totally transformed my life and my business.

Jennifer Hough, for teaching me the power of trusting in the Universe and letting go of my attachment to how I think things “should” be. This too has totally transformed my life and my business.

My mother and my grandmother, for being women business owners (before it was “in”) and showing me I could do anything I wanted.

My daughter, for instilling in me a sense of adventure and “No Fear!”

What is the one achievement are you most proud of so far and why? That I have been able to repeat my success. Creating a successful business one time, might be considered a fluke. I’ve been able to do it three times. That is something I am very proud of.

What does “authentic in business” mean to you and why is it important? Authentic in business means being YOU. It’s not about trying to be like someone else (e.g. a mentor), or trying to create a business like someone else has, it’s about creating a business that makes the most of who you are, that let’s you show up and be real, and share your unique gifts and talents with the world.

What is your favorite & most effective marketing strategy that you use to grow your business? I love doing free teleseminars. They’re a great way to share what I know with people, introduce them to me and my concepts, and to generate qualified leads. My very first month in my first Internet-based business, I did a teleseminar for T. Harv Eker’s organization, Peak Potentials, and that teleseminar enabled me to attract clients and be profitable my very first month in business. I’ve used them successfully ever since!

The challenge these days is that there are so many free teleseminars that it’s getting harder and harder to attract listeners. It’s a good thing I use a marketing mix, and don’t rely on just one method of marketing (one of my secrets to success!)

How do you stay off (or minimize the extremes) of the proverbial “cashflow rollercoaster”? When I ran my consulting business, all of my clients were on 6-12 month retainers, so I had guaranteed cashflow. When I transitioned into my coaching and training business, I learned quickly that I needed to do something similar. So I created 6 and 12 month mentoring and mastermind programs that I only open up one or two times a year. That way I have clients I can focus my time on, and my business has guaranteed monthly cashflow. And any other programs or services I sell, are just gravy on top of that.

How do you achieve work-life balance? I follow what I call the “the big rocks” philosophy, another concept I learned from T. Harv Eker. And that means, I schedule what’s most important to me personally and professionally first: my “big rocks.” All of these activities get scheduled in my calendar. So my daily workouts, and family and personal things, get scheduled right along with my business appointments. By focusing on my top priorities first, I can make sure I have time to get them done. Let’s face it, there never seems to be enough time in the day to do it all. So the key is making sure you do what is most important to you. I also focus on spending my time where I get the biggest return on my investment.

What is your favorite technology that supports your online business and why? There are so many that I absolutely could not operate my business without, including my blog, my bridge line, Aweber, my shopping cart, Ning … but one of the newest tools I started using last year that has automated my scheduling and saved me a ton of time (and eliminated the need to pay an assistant to manage my schedule) is TimeDriver.

What is your best productivity tip? Printing out my daily calendar at night so I know what is on my schedule for the next day, and so I don’t have to keep opening Microsoft Outlook (and my email!) all day long to see what I’m supposed to be doing. I do my best to get everything done that’s on my calendar, and then I check it off when it’s completed. Sometimes, I may get an inspired idea and choose to follow that instead of what I had planned to do, but I’ve learned that truly inspired ideas move you light years ahead and usually are very quick and easily to implement. In learning how to recognize these ideas, and separate them from “bright shiny objects” which can be totally destructive to getting anything accomplished, I am able to accomplish more, more quickly.

I also think it’s very important to understand your own work rhythms and peak focus times. I don’t focus well early in the morning, so I don’t focus tasks that require heavy thinking during that time. I used to feel guilty about starting my workday a little bit later, but when I accepted that’s what works best for me, and embraced it, I became a lot more efficient with my time.

I also don’t answer my office phone during the day, except for client coaching calls. I let it go to voice mail and return the calls when it’s convenient for me. And every time I happen to pick up the phone, it reinforces why I do this!

What has been your biggest breakthrough, mindset shift or top lesson learned so far? That everything is always perfect, just the way it is … even if it doesn’t seem like it in the moment.

When I learned to let go of my attachment to the way I think things “should” be and I learned to just be present and accept what is, my entire life and business shifted. Now, when things don’t “go according to plan” I simply look at it and ask, “how can this serve me?” And when something appears to “go wrong” I just tell myself it means something better is around the corner.

Since I’ve been living my life and operating my business this way, I have experienced so much more peace, and joy. It truly is NOT about the destination. It is about the journey. And it’s a fascinating journey if you are open to ALL of it without judgment.
.

Remember to claim your Birthday Gift Bag!
http://www.iawbo.com/giftbag

It’s bursting with 30 EXCLUSIVE GIFTS (not available free anywhere else) hand selected by our team of experts for success-driven women like you!

As a matter of fact, Debbie has contributed her Special Report – Why Marketing Isn’t Enough: 3 Steps for Getting Out of Struggle and Creating a Successful Business and Abundant Life (A $47 value and remember this is just 1 of the 30 gifts you get in this gift bag valued over $1000)
.

Pssst… Once you have registered for the free gift bag you’ll be directed to a SECRET PAGE where you’ll discover a MEGA secret we’ve been keeping. You’re really got to see it to believe it!