Danielle Prahl Shares How to Find Your Success in Spite of

A “SUCCESS” Coach is an understatement. Danielle Prahl shares “How to Find Your Success in Spite Of…” and the obstacles she overcame to follow her passions journey to it’s ultimate purpose. Now she’s giving other female entrepreneurs the benefit of her experiences.

DANIELLE PRAHL: Success Coach | HER BOOK: “Divorce, Drinking and Dating” – OUT FEBUARY 2018 | WEBSITE & SOCIAL MEDIA

3 Tips to Elevate Your Thinking using your Value Proposition

I bet you never imagined the Tortoise and the Hare playing a role in how you use your Value Proposition in your business. Let me share with you my thoughts on a second lesson this fable has for you…

Content Writing with Kenya Sheats

Kenya is a natural born writer and believes writing is a freeway to self-expression and looks at it as her form of therapy. Having worked with many corporate officials, she decided to serve the entrepreneurial community with her talents as a content writer and started Kenya Writes For Me. Here, she offers services that run from resume writing to content creation for blogs, social media and more. During this interview she shares her tips and tricks for not only those who wish to hire a content writer but also for those who want to perfect their existing skills. Be sure to stay to the end of the podcast.

KENYA is passionately sharing how the journey of her passion helped her find her purpose.

Enjoy awesome tips like:

“Study your tone/voice” to understand your writing style
Her “3 C’s” to building your brand authentically

You’ll love every minute of this interview. I’m even sharing my take on PEARLS…

Get Social with Kenya:

FACEBOOK * TWITTER * INSTAGRAM

5 Stages of Behavioral Change

The definition of insanity is doing the repeatedly doing the same thing expecting a different result. In this podcast, I’m sharing my take on what psychologist call the 5 stages of behavior change. I’m putting my spin on how behavioral change gets you closer to understanding HOW to be more authentic in business. Also, be sure to look at the blog post that I mention in this podcast. It’s pretty darn good too!

GRAB MY 30 DAY BEHAVIOR CHALLENGE:

HERE

3 Reasons Your Record SHOULD Be Broken

Your purpose doesn’t reveal itself over night, it is an organic process that takes your passion on a journey of discovery.

Who cares if others think you’re crazy… Your purpose comes from your passion OR… is it the other way around?

Be sure to leave your comments/questions below and remember, all the deliciousness happens over in my kitchen (the list). Subscribe below and grab the treats my guests and I only serve up there.

The Butterfly Effect

How many times have you wanted a “Do Over”? Wouldn’t it be nice to have a definite cycle of events that you knew would yield the most beautiful result imaginable? Much like the butterfly, building a business takes time and happens in stages. This podcast walks you through my idea of what happens during the butterfly effect of personifying your brand.

3 Tips to Setting Your Business Up Right To Work With Vendors

Set Your Business for Vendors!!!

I’ve got 3 Tips that may help

That’s right! Today I’m sharing 3 Tips to Set Your Business Up Right and Work with Vendors.

You’ve heard the expression, “The customer’s always right”, right? Are they though? In this blog post I’d like you to look at the opposite side of that coin and ask yourself this question: “As a brand, are you a customer who’s worthy of this advantage?”

I’m a service provider and I’ve worked with my share of customers & vendors who don’t fit the bill:

The inability to verbalize their needs but ability to criticize when you don’t hit their fantasy mark
The oblivious attitude towards the fact that payment is based on time
The push back when their vision is questioned

As entrepreneurs, we have to be cognizant that, even though we are customers to other entrepreneurs, B2B business puts you in an equally judged roll and your reputation could be equally bruised if the working relationship goes south.

Take a look at my tips….

Have an open line of communication:
- Communicate your vision: This means you need a plan going in. You need to do some soul searching and research to create a vision for the project you have in mind. You should know what you don’t know and then communicate that when asked, instead of giving excuses or false answers. As a client and a brand, you are still being judged for the way you handle your business (i.e. customer service). Service professionals take note and make decisions from the experiences they have with you. Remember, they get to choose who they do business with too. On average, loyal customers are worth up to 10 times as much as their first purchase. That said, your vendor wants to do a good job for you. On the flip side… even though they aren’t YOUR client, missteps could cost you just as much. Instead of being a “Bad Client”, build rapport and show your loyalty. It will be reciprocated in a plethora of ways as you continue to use them.

Check your ego at the door:
- When you reach out to a service provider (i.e. graphic designer, web developer, business coach, etc.), remember the reason you reached out in the first place. You think they have the expertise to help you achieve your goal. The expert you’ve contracted will have suggestions but if you have a clear vision for your project and its purpose, it makes it easier to achieve your vision. Be Clear About the Scope of Work and don’t get in your feelings when they make suggestions. Their idea could enhance the original plan. If you’ve communicated properly, the suggestions given should be relevant and consistent with your original goal. As the expert on the project, it’s entirely plausible that they will want give instruction to educate you in attempt to assist you in reaching the best, most efficient results. Take a look at this graphic. It defines a “Bad Client”. Leaving your ego at the door minimizes the odds you’ll be in this category with your clients/vendors.

Be prepared to negotiate:
- It is always a good idea to have a budget when you walk into a meeting or phone call with a potential service provider. Now having said that, I realize small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs may feel a little intimidated by the term “Budget”. The thinking is, it implies you need a lot of money. That isn’t true at all. You just need to know what you can afford, be realistic with your request and be open to negotiate. I’d venture to say, you aren’t the only one with limited resources. If you do your research and are realistic, you may find a service provider who is willing to work within the boundaries of your budget. Take a look at this article on Forbe.com. It gives negotiation tactics that could prove useful.

Over on my podcast, The C.E.O. Mindset,

I had a conversation with a service provider and she was very candid about common mistakes she’s recognized when working with her clients AND helpful tips to ensure you make the best decisions when hiring vendors to help you in your business. Tonya Franklin is the owner of MJS Virtual Collaborative Services. She is an expert service provider who someone who has experience helping her customers set their businesses “UPWRITE”.

Listen to Podcast—————->>>>>> HERE

I enjoy chatting with my interviewees on my podcast, but as much as I enjoy it, I would LOVE to chat it up with you too.. That’s why I started Coffee and Conversations. It’s starting out as a IG LIVE. I go live each week day morning to chat it up about a little bit of everything. We will definitely add this topic to the list.

LET’S GET SOCIAL:

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I’d Love To Work With Ya!

Whether you’re needing a quick chat to bounce ideas around or a full on course to take you from Startup to Levelup, I’ve got something for YOU!

Listen to My 8 Step Strategy!

Set Your Business “Up Write” with Tonya Franklin

Tonya Franklin is the Chief Administrative Officer of UpWrite Solutions, LLC, she is also an educator and trainer. She has served as a contributing writer for publications such as Million Moms in Action, Greater Working Women Ministries, and has also worked with Speak Woman Magazine. She is also the founder and EIC of The Virtual Elite Magazine, a magazine catering to virtual assistants of color, and also Chatterbox blog (under her event consulting brand – Prime Events). She is also the author of the book “Good Customer Service Tips for Entrepreneurs”.

WEBSITE * FACEBOOK * INSTAGRAM * TWITTER * LINKEDIN

BOOK REFERENCE: The Hope Quotient

In this blog post, I’m sharing my 3 Tips to Setting Your Business Up Right To Work with Vendors. Enjoy the read after the podcast.

Strategic Marketing, Networking, and the Power of the Follow Up

Success is purposeful. It’s intentional and doesn’t come easily for most, that’s why I’m writing this blog post. When it comes to building relationships, growing a network, and driving sales being intentional is one of, if not THE most important activity you can do for your business. Being intentional means setting goals, being strategic, and following up CONSISTENTLY. Let’s take a closer look at each of these and hopefully you’ll begin to develop a few intentions of your own.

SETTING GOALS: As entrepreneurs, we know what we want the end result of our labor to be. We understand (intellectually) the sacrifice and work involved in achieving the success we want, but knowing what to do and ACTUALLY doing it are two very different things. I’ve been on a weight loss and high blood sugar prevention quest for years…I know I shouldn’t eat certain things and that I should exercise, but there are times when I let my desire for an ooey gooey skillet chocolate chip cookie with vanilla ice cream get the better of me. Setting goals is a lot like this if you don’t have intention behind it. You see, it’s not enough to know what to do, it’s not enough to know how to do, you have to have a goal. Not just any goal… a S.M.A.R.T. goal. A goal that’s Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timed. This helps with accountability. It holds our feet to the fire when we start procrastinating or veering off track. When we are intentional, we set S.M.A.R.T. goals.

BEING STRATEGIC: Now that you’ve set those S.M.A.R.T goals, you can be strategic in your activities. Marketing, sales, customer services and/or anything else that produces a desired result. Think of chess. It’s not a game of chance, it’s a game of strategy. When you play, the goal is to win. You know the desired result, but there is an opponent in the way of that result. I’m not a chess player, but it only took me a second to google it and find this:

“…tactics allow you to take advantage of your opponents’ mistakes in the short term, strategy flows from your understanding of more permanent aspects of the position. Awareness of strategic elements is vital in that it allows you to evaluate a position (tell who is better off, if anyone); more importantly, it is the foundation of planning in chess.” ~ Chess.com

If you substitute a few words in this paragraph, you’ll be talking about marketing your business. Being intentional in strategic development is about putting your goals and plans into action.

FOLLOWING UP CONSISTENTLY: What good will it do you to set goals or be strategic if you drop the ball on the follow up? In this Forbes.com article, they share “How to Master The Art of Networking Follow up” so you know it’s A THING. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you the value of relationships in business. Where do you think that relationship comes from? FOLLOW UP. A piece of advice, I love, from this article is number five… “Give first. Expect nothing in return”. You’d be surprised how valuable this practice can be in your business and the credibility it builds during your follow up process.

I wanted to share this podcast with you because I’m interviewing someone I call a “MASTER NETWORKER”. She is dynamic in her approach to and follow up after networking! The beauty of this interview, however is she not only shares her expertise about networking, but she also drops some nuggets of wisdom on the subject of strategic marketing…

Now that you’re wrapping up this blog post, take a LISTEN to this fantastic interview!

Also…remember, P.B. & Style is a weekly dish of personal branding deliciousness and I’m the chef. Just like any chef worth her salt, I have my secrets. I share them over in the P.B. & Style KITCHEN (my email list). At the bottom of this blog post, after the button for the podcast, I’M INVITING YOU TO JOIN FOR “The Tea“…. All you have to do is enter your information and you will have a seat at the table for all the YUMMINESS being served by me and my guests. Sorry, you won’t find me sharing it any where else!!!

Conversing with a Master Networker, Ms. Stephanie Franco

This podcast will have you ready to jump up and create strategies for your marketing and your networking. Stephanie Franco, Master Networker as I call her, is has an amazing and super power ability to create marketing strategies for the smallest of budgets and build incredible networks from nothing. I’ve seen her start a Meetup group in a city she has never done business in and have over 20 people show up like it’s nothing.

Her uncanny ability to make something from nothing spans the reach of her business and you will be so much better at doing this yourself from listening to this podcast.

For more on her business, services and/or ways to network with her via social media use the following links:

Like this episode? You’ll love this blog post too. I’ve added goal setting, being strategic, and THE FOLLOW UP to this conversation. ENJOY!!