Let me get right to the point! “Consistently inconsistent” is NOT a great place to be in your business, but an EASY place to find yourself stuck if you don’t do something about it!

If you are one of the women out there with a GREAT business OR business idea and a passion for helping others through your expertise, then ask yourself these questions…

1. Am I REALLY doing all I can to reach my market and spread my message? Or am I playing it safe, too paralyzed by fear to move forward?
2. Am I frustrated every day because I can’t seem to acquire new clients and customers?
3. Do I see other people doing what I do and making a lot of money doing it, but I can’t seem to do the same? What do they have over me?
4. Am I too bogged down with LIFE and can never seem to give my business the time and attention it needs to grow….plain old burnt out?
5. Are people constantly trying to barter services with me and asking me to lower my rates?
6. Do people always tell me they LOVE my stuff, but they never actually buy?
7. Am I devaluing my own services and worth?
8. Am I stuck in the same place year after year with little to no growth at all?
9. Every year I say it’s going to be my year, but nothing is happening, why?
10. I start off full force but always seem to lose steam, why?

If you answered YES to any of these questions, then…

CLICK FOR A POSSIBLE SOLUTION HERE

I had an amazing weekend at the UFC fights in DC on Saturday! Both of my husband’s fighters won and we had a HUGE after party celebrating my husband Lloyd’s 15 year anniversary for his martial arts school. It was also my girl’s weekend with my best buddies from high school and they are now fight fans!

I’m gearing up for my small group tele- coaching program starting on October 11^th and so looking forward to reinventing businesses for entrepreneurs ready to start 2012 with a big bang! I hope you decided to join us, we are doing some amazing things this quarter!

************************************************

TO PARTNER OR NOT TO PARTNER

Is it me or does it seem like everyone is partnering up these days? Partnerships can be a good thing…or they can be a bad thing, depending on who you go into partnership with.

Speaking from direct experience, I can tell you some of the pitfalls to avoid when trying to decide who to partner with! I have had my own horror stories as well heard horror stories from my clients and coaching students that will make your skin crawl.

Can you believe I even had a partner one time who hid the fact he had a full-time government job for YEARS and pretended to be a full-time entrepreneur?  After I spoke to others who worked with him, the trail of lies was a mile long and this was a pattern of behavior. Crazy, right? You will be amazed the lengths dishonest people will go to in order to create an appearance about themself that is far from the truth!

You must always protect yourself and your business! Here are some key things to beware of and some things to think about when you are considering a partnership of any kind in your business:

Tip #1- I find that many people partner with others simply because they are afraid to go into business alone and want the security of someone else being “in it” with them. BAD IDEA, partnerships should never be made out of fear, this is NOT a good reason.

Tip#2- Only partner with people who bring something to the relationship.  For instance if one person has the money to fund the business, but the other has the marketing knowledge to make it work, that is a partnership where each person is bringing something extremely valuable to the business. This makes sense.

Tip #3- Never partner with someone who has nothing to bring to the business of value, for them it is a winning situation because they will benefit from you, but for you, it’s a lose/lose situation.

Tip #4- Never be persuaded by someone who talks the talk, only partner with people who can PROVE their business savvy, success, experience etc. Someone’s word is just not good enough, we all know that talk is very cheap!

Tip #5 -Be sure your visions and missions are in alignment and the expected outcomes of the partnership are laid out on paper. There is nothing worse than partners in business being on the same page, it causes confusion, dissention and ultimately will lead to a nasty split.

People begin partnerships with good intentions, but so many of them go bad if you don’t do your research. Bad partnerships have landed plenty of people in court spending big money and wasting valuable time.

So if you are considering a partnership, be sure to follow these guidelines. And if you are in a partnership that you know isn’t working due to some of these reasons, then it is time to GET OUT before things get too messy!

Cheers to Business, Beauty & Balance,

Vicki

“The possibilities and opportunities are endless for you and your business when you make the important and life-changing decision to learn the core principals and strategies of effective marketing.” – Vicki Irvin

First, thank you to everyone who submitted a question to me, I look forward to helping you out.  In case you missed it, from time to time I will be taking business challenges from real people just like you and helping to solve them.  All you need to do it is send your challenge to: info@vickiirvin.com with a subject line that says: “Help Me Vicki” and you may just see it featured and solved right here on the E-VOLVE  E-zine like Nisha below…..

************************************************************************

Hi Vicki

Vicki –thank you in advance.  My issue is marketing resources.  I have the ideas and concepts, but don’t have the money.  I’m an author and speaker however, it’s been very difficult getting speaking opportunities because other people don’t know about my services (other than my family and friends).  Help!

Thanks again for your willingness to help! – Nisha

Hi Nisha,

Your question is one of the top ones that I receive from entrepreneurs on a regular basis! Regardless of what it is that people do, EVERYONE needs a way to get the word out about their products and services or else their business will suffer.  Which of course takes us back to effective marketing, all roads in the end lead us back to marketing!

For the budding entrepreneur with great ideas and concepts, the sky truly is the limit, so don’t be discouraged.  You have an awesome opportunity to start building your business the RIGHT way from scratch, so consider yourself lucky!

I work with a lot of authors and speakers and normally we begin by putting a system in place for them to attract speaking opportunities from the right types of clients.  We narrow down who their target market is based on their message.  I am not sure what your particular speaking topic is, but you must learn how to target the clients who would want to hear your message, and of course…pay you for it.

As a speaker, you will also have times when you speak for free, and when you do, you must learn how to “showcase” for bigger opportunities.  Every chance to speak in front of an audience opens up the door for someone else in the room to book you for future engagements based on your performance. In fact this is how most big time speakers get booked, by others in the audience seeing them.  On the flip side, this means that your “talk” must be on point and designed in a way to move people, so to become a marketable speaker that people will pay, there is a system to that as well.

Here is a solution for you, as there is no way, I can help you here so quickly.  My Extreme Women Entrepreneurs Event this year has some of the TOP speakers/authors in the world coming as my guests and guess what? They will be teaching exactly what I am talking about, how to get booked to speak!  I am dying to tell you exactly who these big name speakers are, but it won’t be fair until I open my event registration.

But I can say this…anyone including yourself who is serious about speaking as a long-term, lucrative career, NEEDS to be at my event to learn from the top speakers on how to get booked, and design a talk that people will be DYING to pay you for! So stay tuned for that, it will definitely be the solution you need!

Hope this helps!

Vicki

http://www.vickiirvin.com

Put The Spotlight Back On YOU!

Are you able to distinguish yourself from your competitors? In a crowded market, what do you do that is so different from everyone else? What is totally unique about your product or service that makes it a no-brainer for a person to choose you over everyone else?

If you are unable to answer any of these questions because you just don’t know, then chances are you either do not have a brand for your business, or your brand is not built or based on anything strategic.

Click to learn more here

Let me paint a scenario for you.  I often hear entrepreneurs complain that the economy has totally killed their business.  They say that they can no longer make money because customers just don’t have any money right now, and therefore their business is barely hanging on.  Well, I say that is not entirely true.

I say that because I know people in every niche and industry imaginable who are having their best years in business ever.  While their competitors may be struggling or having to close their doors, they are thriving because they learned how to position themselves differently in the marketplace. That means they have a “hook” and something that is causing people to gravitate towards them over everyone else.

Learning how to strategically do that is a skill in itself and one that could very well be the difference between your business thriving…or dying.

People still have money, they just put more thought into where to spend it, and who to spend it with. So don’t be fooled by all the economy doom and gloom, chances are your business could be thriving too, if you had just the right branding and positioning!

If you want to learn more about Branding and how to monetize it, then make sure you register for my complimentary tele-class, “Brand Building Blueprint-How To Create And Monetize An Authentic and Unique Brand That Attracts Clients Like A Magnet in 3 Simple Steps.”

This is one of my most popular tele-classes to date and It’s back by ULTRA popular demand!

Click for details here

Talk soon!

Vicki

I am coming off of a live 4 day event with my husband Lloyd. He had over 270 business owners fly from all over the world including China and Australia to come and learn effective marketing strategies.  I presented for them on Branding and marketing messages to make you stand out and attract more clients and opportunity.  It was an amazing crowd and more came out of it than I expected!

Speaking of live events, I wanted to give you a heads up! My annual Extreme Women Entrepreneurs Event is being held this year July 15-17^th.  This year our entire focus will be on Purpose, Profit and Prosper. The event is being held for entrepreneurs of ALL levels as well as those who are still trying to figure out what their true purpose and passion is.  Sometimes you know you want to do something else, but you just aren’t quite sure what! Well after attending my event, you can best believe you will know exactly what it is you were meant to do. After the success of my event last year, this year I will be taking things to a whole new level!

Join my list to receive my awesome gifts and new releases on my upcoming event!

http://www.VickiIrvin.com

Just how are you profiting in your business? Are you making money from more than one aspect of your business? Are you doing live events? Are you speaking? Are you conducting tele-seminars? Do you have a coaching program?  From my experience, most entrepreneurs could and should be profiting from all of the above. You never want to stay so narrowly-focused in your business to the point you are stepping over thousands and thousands of dollars by not expanding the scope of what you are doing. The worst number in business in “1” because if  that “1” income stream ever goes away, so will your business.  That is why you must proactively create multiple profit centers within your core business, to arm you against that. Bullet-proof your business!

If you have never considered expanding the scope of your business, then today, I want you to seriously think about it. Yes, there is a proper way of doing live events, creating talks, and creating profitable coaching programs. As with anything, you have to invest in learning how to get the knowledge to do so. Those who come to the Extreme Women Entrepreneurs Event will be exposed to all of the above!

Will YOU be there this year?

Join my list to receive my awesome gifts and new releases on my upcoming event!

http://www.VickiIrvin.com

Vicki

My Branding sessions are SOLD OUT! I have literally spent the last two weeks working with entrepreneurs on tweaking and recreating their business brands and business models!  I normally reserve branding sessions for my coaching clients, but I am happy to have opened up my door to work with many entrepreneurs for the very first time. The results were amazing and the face of many businesses have been changed for the better.  2011 Is all about monetizing your business in EVERY aspect and I look forward to the success of the people I was lucky enough to work with!

Speaking of Branding, I am leaving to go film my segment for the Lifetime TV show “The Balancing Act” on January 25^th.  I am pretty excited since I am such a huge Lifetime TV fan.  Stay tuned for more updates and follow my journey to Lifetime!

http://www.VickiIrvin.com

What does your business look like today?  If you had a snapshot of your business one year ago and then compared it to a snapshot of your business today….what has REALLY changed?

Did you increase your business profits?

Do you have more clients and customers?

Does your business have a system?

Do you have a profitable brand?

Are you attracting great opportunity?

Are you able to work in your business full-time and support yourself

Have you experienced growth?

If you are unable to answer these questions with an emphatic YES, then something has gone terribly wrong.  No. it’s not the economy, that excuse doesn’t fly.  While this is indeed a very different market…many, many entrepreneurs have experienced their best years ever.  Why? Because people are still investing and buying whatever they choose to.  But, if your business marketing message hasn’t struck a chord with them, then they just took their money to someone else who did.  In plain English, you are being out-marketed by your competition.

Let’s take two businesses who do the exact same thing, equally as well.  One is complaining the market has killed their business, while the other one has tripled their income and has no shortage of clients. When comparing the attributes and traits of the two entrepreneurs, most likely here are the BIG differences that stand out…

The one with the booming business has consistently invested in themselves and their education to learn how to effectively market, rather than trying to figure out things on their own (never going to happen). One looks at what other knowledgeable and successful people are doing and follows suit, the other doesn’t. One is truly committed to working ON their business rather than IN it. One is consistent, and the other is sporadic.

So I ask you…What does YOUR business look like today compared to one year ago?  If you are not happy, then don’t let another year go by without doing something different, because THAT is not working.

Wishing you a prosperous 2011!

Join the entire Superwoman Lifestyle Movement:

http://www.VickiIrvin.com

Vicki

The Extreme Women Entrepreneurs Event was absolutely amazing! The event was information and action-packed and a life-changing experience for so many women. James Malinchak, Ed Rush, and Lloyd Irvin came in and added a level of expertise we could have only dreamed of. I am so happy to have introduced so many women to a real system for their business where they can now see all that they have been missing. Can’t wait to do it again next year! Many women from the Extreme Women Entrepreneurs Event are going to be hanging out in Vegas at James Malinchak’s next seminar at the end of this month! I can’t wait to see those of you who will be there and introduce you to some other fabulous people in my circle!

Be sure to join Superwoman Lifestyle and meet thousand of other fabulous and intelligent women! Superwoman Lifestyle is a forum for women to promote their products and services and network!

Check it out today:

http://www.superwomanlifestyle.com

Do you feel STUCK in your business or in your life? If you do, then what do you plan to do about it? I find that when we feel trapped, we think it is beyond our control to change our circumstances, when in fact we are the ONLY ones who can change out circumstances! Being stuck is just a state of mind. Nobody forces us to stay in a situation that is not ideal. Nobody makes us stay in a relationship we don’t feel good about. Nobody makes us stay working in a job we don’t like. Nobody makes us stay stuck running our business the wrong way.

In reality we control all of those things and we have the power to do something about them. If you are not happy in a relationship, then leave. If you do not like your job, then leave and find another one. If you are not happy about how your business is going, then invest in yourself, find a coach or mentor and change the face of your business. Successful entrepreneurs recognize that they control their own destiny. They do not blame other people for their short-comings or failures. They learn from their mistakes and they regroup and keep pressing on.

The harsh reality is that we are usually our biggest obstacle in life. Coming up with ways to pacify ourselves as to why something is not going our way. Pointing fingers and placing blame in every direction possible except ourselves. The day we all learn to look at the woman in the mirror, accept her for the great person she is and promise to work on the areas that need work…is the day we realize that the sky is the limit and accept no more excuses.

So today, you are no longer STUCK in anything you don’t want to be in. You either choose to become unstuck or you remain where you are knowing that YOU made that decision and accepting full responsibility for the outcome.

So what’s it going to be? I vote for becoming UNSTUCK!

Be sure to join Superwoman Lifestyle and meet thousand of other fabulous and intelligent women! Superwoman Lifestyle is a forum for women to promote their products and services and network!
Check it out today:

http://www.superwomanlifestyle.com

Vicki Irvin formerly a human resources employee, quit her 9-5 job to become a real estate investor. She created a multi-million dollar coaching business in 12 months by applying marketing strategies and techniques that many have never even heard of. After being asked by women nationally how she managed to build and juggle several successful businesses, tend to her family and stay in such great shape, she decided to teach her blueprint for business success, beauty and balance to other women through Superwoman Lifestyle. To learn more about Vicki, visit: http://www.vickiirvin.com

I hope you enjoyed your holiday! Miami was GREAT, as usual. Now I am back home preparing for my son’s graduation from pre-school on Sunday, his Uncle Sean from New York (my brother) is coming down to cheer him on, and boy is he excited. Uncle Sean is an eligible and handsome bachelor if any of you ladies are looking! My mom is trying to get him off the market. LOL (he is gonna kill me)

HAVE YOU DONE ANYTHING DIFFERENT IN YOUR BUSINESS?
Nothing in your business will change until YOU become at master at marketing it. If you have not already signed up to attend the Extreme Women Entrepreneurs Event July 9th-11th in Washington, DC, then hurry and secure your seat before the special pricing goes UP, this is the life and business-changing event you have been waiting for!

For Event Details And To Secure Your Seat Today:

http://www.vickiirvin.com/retreat

FOR WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS AND THOSE ASPIRING IN DC, MD & VA…

In case you haven’t heard, I am having a F*R*E*E* Networking & SuperSeat Extravaganza on June 12th where I will be revealing some of my success and marketing strategies. There will be other successful women entrepreneurs in attendance as well, sharing information with you. Women have been applying for a chance in my special SuperSeat where I will be solving your business challenges on the spot and showing you the power of the mastermind live and in person! If you have not already registered, hurry and do so now, I will be mailing out tickets next week!

Register Here and Learn Full Details:

http://www.vickiirvin.com/freeevent

While I was in Miami out shopping, I noticed the business owners doing more than usual to attract clients and customers into their shops. Miami ALWAYS has people working to hustle up people to dine at their restaurants or shop in their stores. They don’t just let people walk by, they hire people to actually talk to you and get you to buy from them. Everyone is hustling up business. But this time, I noticed them doing even more, probably in response to the economy which is of course the smart thing to do. Stores were holding fashion shows using their sales clerks to model and walk the runway IN THE STORE, all in an effort to get customers inside so they could sell them. I thought it was brilliant. But it also got me to thinking about how little most people do in their own business to bring in customers. You can’t just send an email or post your business link on Facebook, that doesn’t work. You HAVE to have a list of prospects that you can communicate with. Without a list, the key to ANY business, you will not get to the level you want. Having a list means you are targeting your ideal market. Doing anything else, means you are out there blindly marketing to anyone, many of who are not interested in what you are offering. Building your list is an ongoing process that successful entrepreneurs are working on continuously, that is how and why they are making money.

You have to have a system of marketing to people that is well thought out and delivers a clear and concise message that resonates with your target market. So if you do not have a list for your business that is a TARGETED list and you are not bringing in new prospects, then chances are I have just solved your business challenge. The next step is HOW to build that list and there are multiple ways of getting that done.

We will be devoting a lot of time to list building at the Extreme Women Entrepreneurs Event July 9th-11th! If you KNOW that your business is great, if you KNOW you have something of value that people can really benefit from, if you KNOW you are meant to be an entrepreneur, then YOU need to be at the Extreme Women Entrepreneurs Event July 9th-11th. Three (3) jam-packed days of marketing systems to attract clients. Three (3) dynamic top-notch sought after and in demand speakers who can show you how to increase your business profits. A nurturing environment of all women there to support each other as we make our mark on the world!

REGISTER NOW AND CHECK OUT EVENT DETAILS:

http://www.vickiirvin.com/retreat

SPORTY GIRL FITNESS TOUR DC
If you missed the Sporty Girl Fitness Tour DC in February…your second chance is here! Sporty Girl Fitness Celebrity trainer Basheerah will be back in June and this time they are raising the bar! They will be back in full force with personal training days to devise your program, a private VIP healthy cooking evening gala, 1 day fitness bootcamp and to introduce you to celebrity Sporty Girl and Singer Chante Moore who will share her personal testimony. For full details on the June Sporty Girl Fitness activities and to register, check it out here:
http://www.sportygirlfitnesstourdc.com

Vicki Irvin formerly a human resources employee, quit her 9-5 job to become a real estate investor. She created a multi-million dollar coaching business in 12 months by applying marketing strategies and techniques that many have never even heard of. After being asked by women nationally how she managed to build and juggle several successful businesses, tend to her family and stay in such great shape, she decided to teach her blueprint for business success, beauty and balance to other women through Superwoman Lifestyle. To learn more about Vicki, visit: http://www.vickiirvin.com

Additional streams of income, everybody wants them, but everybody doesn’t know how to create them. But as a budding or thriving womanpreneur, you have to make this a MUST in your business. Instead of going all over the place to create more revenue, what if I could show you how to create 3-4 additional streams of income from within your existing core business? There are opportunities in front of you that you can’t see because you are too immersed in the day to day operations of your business. Regardless of what industry or niche you are in, there are ALWAYS other ways of generating revenue, it just takes knowing the “system” to see and identify them and then making them profitable. See it doesn’t matter WHAT it is that you do, all that matters is that you have a system for bringing in clients on a regular basis and that you put portions of your business on autopilot to free yourself up to do other things. Leveraging your time is very crucial to your success and you will soon learn how to effectively do just that.

One of the things I am going to be doing for the Extreme Women Entrepreneurs Event is inviting women on stage with me to tell everyone about their business and what challenges they have. I, along with other smart women entrepreneurs will then provide you with solutions to your problem that will be guaranteed to fix your business on the spot, as well as show you were you are leaving money on the table! THAT is the power of the mastermind principle, a bunch of great minds in the room at one time focusing on YOU. Every successful person I know belongs to a mastermind group structured in this way and it is why they are making 6-7 figures, nothing works better!

So I need you to start thinking about the direction and focus of your business for its continued growth. Whatever it is you are doing now, get prepared to add other “legs” to your business and build other models within your existing model. It is not hard to do, and it can increase your profits in ways you have never imagined. If you are stuck, don’t worry, I will give every single person at the Extreme Women Entrepreneur’s Event a new revenue stream before they leave!

Vicki Irvin formerly a human resources executive, quit her 9-5 job to become a real estate investor. She created a multi-million dollar coaching business in 12 months by applying marketing strategies and techniques that many have never even heard of. After being asked by women nationally how she managed to build and juggle several successful businesses, tend to her family and stay in such great shape, she decided to teach her blueprint for business success, beauty and balance to other women through Superwoman Lifestyle. To learn more about Vicki, visit: http://www.vickiirvin.com

Good News! Extreme Women Entrepreneurs Event information is being officially released to the public within the next couple of weeks. I know many women are anxious for the details and ready to plan for the event, so it won’t be long now! I talked to James Malinchak and he is going to be doing something VERY special for the women at my event July 9th-11th, and I can’t wait!

Have you joined over 1,200 other women in our membership forum yet? Make sure you do:

http://www.Superwomanlifestyle.ning.com

How do you plan to build and/or expand your business? Are you the brand and face of your business? Or does something else represent your business brand? That is a decision that you must make carefully and one that you should stick to once you do decide and something we will discuss in July. But regardless if you yourself will be the brand, every woman entrepreneur should own her own name! It is a HUGE mistake to be in business and not own your name domain. Being the Superwoman coach that I am, I took the liberty of typing in the URL of several women who are on my list! VERY few own their own name! NOT GOOD! If I wanted to, I could go and buy your domain name right now and there isn’t anything that you can do about it.

See it doesn’t matter if you don’t feel like you are established enough yet, one day, one day very soon (like right now), you are going to need to own the domain of your name for your business purposes, regardless of you already have a website for your business using your business name or another concept. See having Superwomanlifestyle.com is one thing, but I also own Vickiirvin.com. When people hear about me, read about me, see me on TV, see me at an event, they are going to go and search Vicki Irvin and I would be remiss if I did not have more information on myself someplace. You and I both know that people Google EVERYTHING these days and that will include you and your business.

When your business gets really big, you will have competitors out there who will go and buy your name themselves just to keep you from owning it. Trust me, I know several people who have had this done to them and it’s a major problem you won’t want to deal with. In fact, just this week I had someone call me to complain someone did this to them, and it turned out to be a competitor who bought their name from under them and then redirected their name domain to THEIR website! Yes, it gets just that ugly! Can you imagine McDonalds buying burgerking.com and when people type it in, it goes to the McDonalds website? Happens all the time! There are many other reasons that owning your name in business is beneficial as well, but you get the point by now.

It costs about $7-9 bucks per year to own your name, you should go and lock it up for several years at a time until you are ready to use it. Treat your business like a business and protect your name! For less than the cost of a cup of coffee you can avoid a BIG mistake in your entrepreneurial endeavors! While I don’t endorse any particular domain service, go to www.godaddy.com and check out how simple it is to grab your name and protect your business, takes about 3 minutes! HOP TO IT!!!

Vicki Irvin formerly a human resources executive, quit her 9-5 job to become a real estate investor. She created a multi-million dollar coaching business in 12 months by applying marketing strategies and techniques that many have never even heard of. After being asked by women nationally how she managed to build and juggle several successful businesses, tend to her family and stay in such great shape, she decided to teach her blueprint for business success, beauty and balance to other women through Superwoman Lifestyle. To learn more about Vicki, visit: http://www.vickiirvin.com