Ms. CEO Mail Category

BYOB Business Success Seminars

Published
by
Felicia Joy
on March 20, 2009
in Ms. CEO Mail
. 0 Comments

BYOB Business Success Seminars

BYOB!  That’s right.  You’re thinking beer or booze?  No, not quite.  In our vernacular, BYOB stands for Be Your Own Bailout.  It is clear that entrepreneurs and small business owners who want to survive the recession — and those who want to start a business but are scared or unsure of how to launch — must find the answers for ourselves in 2009 and beyond.

So in the interest of bailing ourselves out — and more positively and importantly — achieveing our dreams and goals, Ms. CEO Media Inc. has launched a program that will provide weekly teleseminars to give you the information and steps you need to break through roadblocks, settle on strategies, develop your team and ultimately build your business with a strong unshakeable foundation. 

Our varied teleseminar offerings will cover topics that both startup entrepreneurs and experienced business owners will find useful, practical, relevant and so helpful that the information you receive will enable you to take immediate action to increase the value, revenues, notoriety and success of your business!

Check back weekly for new offerings and if there is a particular topic you’re interested in send a note to us at service@msceoshow.com.

Meanwhile, check out the topics that are coming up and get registered for the BYOB Business Success Seminars now!  Remember the enterprise that knows the most, grows the most (and the fastest)!

SEMINAR SCHEDULE

TOPIC: Money You Didn’t Know You Had — Maximizing New and Existing Tax Deductions and Credits
DATE: Wednesday, March 25, 2009
TIME: 6-8pm

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Tuesday, March 24, 2009; 11am      REGISTER NOW>>
REGISTRATION PRICE: $49

This BYOB Teleseminar will cover existing and new tax deductions and credits in detail—and how you need to document in order to legitimately claim them.  Take this teleseminar to “find” money in your business that you did not know was there.  Also, get details on planning and strategizing to maximize your tax deductions and credits next year.

Take this teleseminar to:

  • Find out exactly what the Obama Administration’s new small business tax deductions and credits mean for you in dollars and cents, and how to take full advantage of the new provisions.
  • Find out how to apply existing tax deductions and credits in ways that you had not previously thought of or considered.
  • Reduce your taxable income, pay less taxes, save more money and use that money to keep your busines growing.
  • Find out what kind of documentation you need to legitimately claim every deduction and receive every credit you deserve.
  • Plan — or add to your plan — for 2009 to make sure you maximize all deductions and credits for next year as well.
  • “Find” a few hundred to a few thousand dollars — through tax savings — that you did not know you had that you can now use for your business!

Past Guests on The Ms. CEO Show

Published
by
Felicia Joy
on February 8, 2009
in Ms. CEO Mail
. 0 Comments

The Ms. CEO Show with Felicia Joy has featured successful entrepreneurs of both genders and from all walks of life! Many of our guests are nationally renowned experts and entrepreneurs. A few of our past guests include:

  • Kathy Ireland — A former model and actress, and CEO of Kathy Ireland Worldwide, a $1.4 billion retail and marketing corporation based in California.
  • Bill Bartmann — A multimillion dollar entrepreneur and business coach and a former Forbes 400 billionaire.
  • Julie Morgenstern — An organizing guru who has been a regular on the Oprah show; who also operates a multimillion dollar book and product enterpise.
  • Roni Deutch — A multimillion dollar entrepreneur, owner of a private tax law agency and founder of the Roni Deutch Tax Centers, a fast growing franchise operation.
  • Mary Adrapple — A million dollar entrepreneur and founder of Apple’s Bakery in Peoria, Illinois.
  • Nell Merlino — A successful entrepreneur, the pioneer behind “Take Our Daughters to Work Day”, and the founding visionary of Count Me In, a not-for-profit that has helped more than 250,000 women entrepreneurs build their businesses to more than $1 million in annual revenue—with the intention of helping more than 1 million women achieve this milestone by 2010.

Ms. CEO Media Inc. Preferred Partners Marketing Program - Frequently Asked Questions

Published
by
Felicia Joy
on January 31, 2009
in Ms. CEO Mail
. 0 Comments

Pretty Powerful 2009 - Frequently Asked Questions

Published
by
Felicia Joy
on January 19, 2009
in Ms. CEO Mail
. 2 Comments

Following are answers to frequently and generally asked questions about the Pretty Powerful 2009 event.

  1. The event is 9am-7pm; does that mean I have to be there the entire time? No; upon your paid registration, a Ms. CEO representative will contact you via email to schedule an appointment.  You should arrive on time and expect to be at the event for approximately one hour.
  2. Do I only get one photo? No; you will receive multiple photos of your look(s).  Your photos can include headshots, half-body shots, full length shots and various angles.  You will receive all of your photos on a compact disc before leaving on Saturday, May 16th.  There are not a set amount of frames per person.  Some people pose easier and quicker than others, but the average amount of frames ranges between 50 and 75.  Trust us, you will get the million dollar photos you are looking for!
  3. What do you mean by “one look” or “two looks”? This means that you will be photographed with one look (same clothing, hair and makeup) for all of your photos or with two different looks for two sets of photographs (change of clothing and makeup). (Or as many looks as you would like.  Email service@msceoshow.com to register for more than two looks.)
  4. Is photo re-touching included in the price? No.  Photo re-touching incurs a separate cost.
  5. I don’t own a business; can I still participate in this photo shoot? Absolutely!
  6. What’s the latest that I can register? You can register up until the day before the shoot (Friday, May 15th) but this is not advisable.  Appointments are booking quickly so to ensure you get a spot and get your preferred time, you should register now.
  7. How is this price possible? This is a special collaboration of Ms. CEO Media Inc. and Derek Blanks that has been arranged especially for fans, listeners, followers, readers, friends and family of the Ms. CEO and Derek Blanks brands.
  8. Is this photo shoot for everyone? This photo shoot is for any woman of any age, race, ethnicity, profession, background or walk of life.  As long as you register, you can participate!
  9. I can’t make it on Saturday, May 16th; can I schedule for another day? This is a one-day-only opportunity!
  10. Will hair and wardrobe styling be offered as well? You must arrive with your hair and wardrobing already prepared.  Professional makeup, including lashes, will be provided but the remainder of your look is up to you.
  11. My friend is taking photos on the 16th but her appointment is later in the day; can I wait for her? If you would like to experience this with your friends, please book back-to-back appointments.  To keep everything manageable for all participants, the makeup artists, and Mr. Blanks, anyone on set will have to be working or receiving service.
  12. I have children, can I bring them with me? No; we apologize but childcare will not be provided.  The only exception to this is if the child (children) will be taking the photos with you.
  13. My question is not listed here; how can I get it answered? Please email your question to service@msceoshow.com.  Thank you!

Ms.CEO Mail - December 30, 2008

Published
by
Felicia Joy
on December 30, 2008
in Ms. CEO Mail
. 0 Comments

Hello Felicia,

I wanted to thank you for your show.  It’s such a blessing to have access to people like you.  I know you are focusing on how to trim costs during this time.  I’ve also heard that during hard times is the best time to start a business.  With the interest rates being generally low, do you recommend new entrepreneurs look for standard loans from the SBA or seek angel investing if the initial investment is less than $200,000?

D. Johnson
USA
——

Dear D,

Thanks for the questions!  It’s a blessing to make a difference in the lives of my fellow entrepreneurs so thanks for this opportunity! 

You are correct.  Now is the very best time to start a business.  For a ton of reasons.  Here are three: First: You’ll be more focused.  Everyone is so fearful and cautious these days that this will force you to be crystal clear about your business purpose and communicating that to your potential customers because nobody is spending money these days unless they understand what you are selling and how it benefits them. 

Two: Everything is cheap (or cheaper)!  This includes all the supplies you’ll need, labor, advertising, equipment and money!  Retailers, bankers and businesses are hurting and they are more willing to make a deal with someone with a clear business plan and the willingness to buy. 

Three, and perhaps most important for an entrepreneur with the heart, mind and strategy of a champion: Your competition is running scared.  Fear (the opposite of greed, which is what got us into all of this mess) is paralyzing alot of people.  Be calculated.  Be cautious.  But be bold because the run to the end zone of entrepreneurial success is wide open with so many people running for cover!

With regard to the second part of your question about whether to seek money from the SBA or an angel investor, do both.  In fact, get money from every source that you can (cheap money only—there is no reason to pay ridiculous interest rates right now).  Use the money wisely.  Don’t blow it on all the pretty stuff that people think they need when starting a business, that really are money and time wasters (like a flashy website and brochures).  Use the money to market your business aggressively and sell more of whatever you are selling so that you can bring in more money.  Your goal should be to have every dollar spent bring you 3 or more dollars back.  Sit on as much of the money as you can so that you always have enough to keep moving forward but don’t skimp on marketing.  Once you have your business plan, a basic website, cards and a business phone number, build, build, build your business and never look back! (Caution: If appealing to angel investors becomes a full-time job and you have other money to get started, go ahead and launch your business and drive hard everyday at bringing in revenue. Investors are more impressed if you come to the table with more accomplished than simply a hat in hand and a request for money.)

Check back in if you have more questions and best to you in the New Year!

Successfully Yours,
Felicia Joy

Ms. CEO Mail - December 23, 2008

Published
by
Felicia Joy
on December 23, 2008
in Ms. CEO Mail
. 3 Comments

Dear Ms.CEO,

This has been a year of accomplishments for me. In the world of academia I completed my Masters Degree in Human Resources Management—and professionally, I completed my employer’s leadership/management program facilitated by a local university.  Now I am ready for another venture in my life.  I have talked in the past about starting my own company.  I would like to combine my law enforcement expertise with my HR background by starting a niche staffing company.
 
I need insight on how I can get started with a venture such as this.  I know I would probably start at home but what should I do first?  Thanks for any insight you can give.

Lisa
Atlanta, GA
12/23/08
———-
Dear Lisa,

Woooo! Congratulations on aggressively pursuing your goals, I love it! And you have the energy of the Energizer bunny because after all that you have already accomplished, you are ready to jump right in with a new business. Great! You are creating momentum and that will serve you well as you get your new venture off the ground. This is what it’s all about and this is why Ms.CEO exists!

I’ll share with you the first five things you should do and then you can always email for more insight. I have found this to be a less overwhelming approach than trying to give you a list of 20 things, for example, that you should do (smile)!  (By the way, you are exactly right to operate from home—low overhead!)

So, first five things:

  1. Write a business plan and write it yourself.  I once hired a company to write a business plan for me.  That was a distrastous waste of money.  Hiring someone to read and carefully edit your business plan once you’ve put it together is fine but definitely write a business plan and definitely write it yourself.  This will help you get crystal clear about the size of your market (i.e. the number of customers available to you) and how you are going to roll out your company.  And please note the word “how”.  The most important parts of your business plan will be your sales and marketing section (what you are going to do to let potential customers know you exist and how you are going to make money from them once they know about you) and your business finances.  The U.S. Small Business Administration offers great tools to help you get this done. 
  2. Form a legal business entity through your Secretary of State’s Office.  In your case, it’s the Georgia Secretary of State and you can file online for $100.
  3. Next, get your Employer Identification Number from the IRS, which you can file online at no cost; and then open a business bank account, which you can usually open with $100 or less. 
  4. Next, get a website address for less than $10 per year through 1and1.com, godaddy.com, or Register.com.  As far as the design, you can find someone to create a simple and clean design for you at the price you would like to pay on talent marketplaces like Guru, Elance, and ODesk, where you post your project and freelance professionals bid to do the work within the price range that you set.  A word of caution: Keep your website simple.  Avoid flash and all the bells and whistles.  Search engines like Google don’t read flash and usability tests have shown that web surfers actually prefer clean looking sites with crisp simple photos and well written content more than they care about your site looking like a blockbuster movie trailer.  You should also definitely post a profile for your business on LinkedIn, which is an accepted social networking tool for professionals and entrepreneurs.
  5. Last but not least, order business cards, start marketing and go make money!  This is an important step but do you know it’s one that many entrepreneurs never take?  Many entrepreneurs spend a lot of time “getting ready to get ready”.  In other words, ordering supplies for their business.  Ordering print materials.  And doing alot of other things that may be helpful but that are not critically important.  To get money rolling into your business all you need is a way for people to contact you (phone and email) and you need as many people as possible in your target market (the people who would buy your service) to know about you. 

Take these five steps and you’ll be well on your way!  Drop us a line if you need more help and let me know how it’s going. 

Oh yeah, here’s a bonus step, go join the Make Mine A Million $ Business RACE where you can get help to build your business to a specific goal (all the way up to $1,000,000) and get a chance to win $100,000 and other great prizes!

Best to you,
Felicia Joy
A Business Woman’s Best Friend

Ms. CEO Mail - December 17, 2008

Published
by
Felicia Joy
on December 17, 2008
in Ms. CEO Mail
. 0 Comments

Dear Ms. CEO,

Earlier this year my family and I started a truck driving school in Atlanta and the response has been great. Our prices are lower than all the other schools, the government agency that oversees driving schools has visited ours several times and says it is the best facility in the state, and our school currently has the highest number of graduating students who pass their commercial driving test the first time. We are happy about the success of the business but we’ve got one problem. We need more students! I’m sure some of the slow down in our registrations is due to the holidays and the end of the year but we’re not waiting around for things to pick up—that’s why I’m reaching out to you. Trucking companies desperately need drivers and people desperately need jobs and we can provide the training but we need to get to the students. We have signs, a website, hats, stickers, t-shirts, open houses and job fairs and we’re getting some results but we’d like to see more. Should we break down and hire a marketing firm—which so far looks like it’s going to be very expensive—or is there something else we can do to find students?

-Misty in Atlanta
12/17/08
—————–

Dear Misty,

Congratulations on launching a new business and finding great success right away! Sounds like things are trucking along (pun intended — ha!) but that you want to make sure it stays that way. I like your proactive approach. Well, there are a lot of things I could say but I’ll start with a couple things that may seem super simple but they work like a charm. First, the best way to find new customers is to ask your current ones! Ask students who attend the school now or who have attended the school in the past how they heard about you. This will let you know where and how to reach out to new prospective students. And you may even want to start a referral program. Maybe you can pay $50 for every student referred who completes the program.

The other resource I would suggest using is Craigslist. OMG! Post at your own risk. I mean this in a good way. Every time I have posted jobs on Craigslist I get a flood of applicants. It used to be free but now costs $25. Not a lot of money at all for such a tremendous response.

As an aside: There are many marketing tactics you could use and I’m sure you will think of more. Always find a way to track the various tools and tactics you use so you can put more money and effort into the ones that are working and ditch the ones that are not. To track, use different “reply-to” mechanisms such as unique website addresses, emails, or phone numbers or names of people to ask for—when you get a lot of emails to an address or a lot of people calling asking for “Betty Jo”, well then you know you’ve got a winner. Best of luck to you in business!

-Ms. CEO

Ms.CEO Mail - December 1, 2008

Published
by
Felicia Joy
on December 3, 2008
in Ms. CEO Mail
. 0 Comments

Dear Ms. CEO,

I am a photographer and I am partnering with a friend who is a graphic artist to start a full-service visual design agency. We are trying to decide between forming a partnership or an LLC; what do you suggest?

Kia in Atlanta - 12/1/08

—————–

Dear Kia,

Congratulations on launching your new business!  The advice provided here is general and for informational purposes only.  Always consult your personal certified advisors (accounts and attorneys) before making these kinds of decisions.  Now, on to the answer: There are only two reasons (other than image) to set up a business entity: tax advantages and protection from legal liability.  Sometimes partnerships are right, but I generally would advise against them.  They offer no greater tax advantages than an LLC but they do come with a potential pitfall when it comes to legal liability.  Why?  Because once you form a partnership with someone, anything that person does becomes your liability too.  Bad business debts, civil lawsuits, and more. An LLC is the simplest, most effective way for you to go!

-Ms. CEO