I am part of a blogging experiment of sorts, Bloggers Helping Bloggers, initiated by Chuck Westbrook. He started a campaign to get high quality, but less famous bloggers noticed and, being that it’s a SmartWoman article of faith that together we are stronger, I bought in. Great idea to help each other, right?

Chuck made his first blog selection and it’s a wonderful choice: Zoe Westhoff of Essential Prose

Zoe is a young American writer, living expat in Thailand. She talks about creativity and how to avoid over planning yourself out of it. She discusses taking action, taking leaps of faith, to do what you love – to let your purpose loose on the world. She uses strong vocabulary with poise and skill. I am thoroughly enjoying reading her blog and am grateful to Chuck’s work to feature Zoe. It is enriching me and I believe it will enrich you too.

I would ask you to go visit Zoe’s blog, Essential Prose, and check out what she’s doing. If you like what you see, here are some ways to help promote her:

• Tweet it out on Twitter -not on Twitter? Sign up today! My user name is SmartWoman – I’ll follow you there once you sign on.
• Profile her on your blog – encourage your readers to check Zoe out.
• Recommend Zoe’s blog in your newsletter. If you didn’t know about her, your readers probably don’t either. They’ll appreciate the fresh information.
• Be inspired by one of the topics Zoe writes about, create a blog post about that, and reference her.
• Write about Chuck’s efforts on your blog
• Read Zoe’s blog and let it touch you in a needed area of your life – we all need creative support
• Hit all your other social media site and promo her there

Why would you want to do all these things? Because highlighting others feels good, sure, but also, it gives your own readers/clients value. Sharing your spotlight and influence increases your credibility as an expert and authority power point. By providing useful information, you become the go-to source of interesting and helpful stuff, and that in turn makes others want to be with you more and want to share you with their friends.

All good leaders recognize others. All successful business people tell others about the people they meet that are worth knowing. Like a private recommendation to a four star restaurant, these tips will lead you to resources that you didn’t have previously. It also provides you more depth and breadth of reach, as once you know someone, they know you, too, right? Like that old commercial, they tell a friend, who tells a friend, who tells a friend, and so on.

By going to Zoe’s blog and posting comments to the posts that you feel are relevant, your website link will be seen by all of the individuals who are participating in Chuck’s campaign. You could also be one of the blogs that Chuck chooses to feature in the future. Imagine thousands of individuals reading your blog every day and telling others about you. What could that do for your business? For your life? For your faith in continuing during difficult times? I bet, quite a bit. So, another advantage of promoting Zoe and Chuck is that you get to feel the warmth of their flame. Your associations get noticed too.

If you aren’t into Zoe’s blog, find a way to promote someone else in your life. Profile your clients on your site, refer a friend to another business person, talk someone else up to a stranger. Your network and your net worth will increase. It’s good for all of us.

Together, we are stronger!
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman

Follow me on Twitter: SmartWoman

Cooperation is a SmartWoman Principle. I honestly believe that together, we are stronger. To highlight this point, I want to showcase two opportunities you have today to use the strength of cooperation to your advantage in your business.

Kiva and Microlending

There are many ways to show gratitude, foster solidarity, and raise awareness. These activities strengthen your ability to persevere in your business, reach out to others for help, and have your business noticed. They build your character as an entrepreneur and character is how you will ultimately succeed.

Every day on my Twitter background, I have been featuring a global female entrepreneur who is soliciting to receive a microloan through Kiva. Within hours, these entrepreneurs have become fully funded. Hours! Kiva provides the opportunity for farmers, retailers, manufacturers and more worldwide to feed their cattle, buy more inventory, and create new jobs. These women and their partners are pulling others out of poverty, creating self-sustaining economic systems and living “The Dream”.

Participating in microlending plugs you in to a global community of support and promise. It shows you what’s possible. It lights the fire of passion and purpose and spurs you on to do whatever you have to do to be successful in your meaningful work. An entrepreneur with vision, drive, and purpose is unstoppable. Sharing and cooperation through Kiva (or any other of the many microlending organizations) is a way to become that type of entrepreneur.

I’ve set up a SmartWoman Entrepreneurs lending group on Kiva.com if you’d like to participate. $25 is all it takes to get started and the loan repayment rates are typically in the high 90+%. None of the money goes to me and I don’t get any kind of referral fee for you to participate. I simply believe that reaching outside of yourself grows you. I believe you’ll love how it makes you feel and you will benefit from the character development that active philanthropy provides. I believe it is our responsibility to assist our global entrepreneurial sisters and I’d be honored to be shoulder to shoulder with you in these efforts.

Bloggers helping Bloggers

Chuck Westbrook has started a campaign to help quality blogs that are underappreciated get noticed. It’s a truly brilliant idea, using the power of the tribe and of self-interest in coordination. We all want to be successful and most of us are willing to help other people be successful also. By giving of our time and attention to others, we are going to gain attention for ourselves. This idea definitely gets the SmartWoman Seal of Approval.

Chuck is creating a team of top bloggers who will review everyone asking to be featured and select a blog. For the next two weeks, everyone participating has agreed to read the featured blog regularly. After the initial two weeks, another blog will be selected and the process will continue. I signed up to participate and you should too. It’s a tremendous opportunity to be center stage in front of a great group of individuals, both the selection committee and the audience following.

To participate in Chuck’s blogger campaign, go here: Chuck Westbrook Bloggers Helping Bloggers

By giving of a little attention and money, not only do we find out about new things, we also provide opportunities. In both the Kiva example and Chuck’s blogger help program, you have the opportunity to participate in the world at large, to reach beyond yourself, to break out of the day to day picture that sometimes traps us.

Whether you choose either of these two opportunities or find another way to grow, today is a good day to start. Perspective expands as your reach increases. As an entrepreneur, this will be your saving grace. Your business will expand as your viewpoint does. Isn’t that one of the reasons why you’re in business to begin with? Reach out today. Taking some action, even a small one, is all that you need to do.

Together, we are stronger.
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman

follow me on Twitter: SmartWoman

by Vicki Flaugher, CEO of SmartWoman Guides

The last several weeks there have been some very interesting items coming out that I wanted to share with you. It’s fun to stay connected with a community, so check out these links and see if any of it appeals. Have fun!

Power People You Should Meet

 Ron Hudson’s 50 Most Influential and Powerful Women in Social Media

Check out the amazing group of women who are using their voices to live their passionate life!

200+ Internet Marketin Gurus on Twitter

Last I counted, there are actually over 500 people here. If you want to  learn about marketing on the internet, this is a treasure trove of talented people!

Contests

DotComSecrets Zero to $100 Million Contest

Free training and a charity drive, with the opportunity to win a Corvette and help kids in third world countries. Will take you step by step getting an internet business up and running. Yes, I said free to participate. Isn’t that neat?

Free Resources (Learning, Publicity, and more)

HelpAReporterOut.com

Free publicity service where you can respond to media inquiries for expert quotes and interviews to promote your business. Also, if you own a blog you are considered media, so you can solicit interviews to create original and interesting content for your site. I tried the service for one of my niche market sites, got dozens of very high quality responses, and they all sent me free promo copies of their books, DVDs, etc to review. Highly recommended.

UltimateBusinessCamp

Free teleseminars on Tuesday and Thursday for the month of October. Hosted by Tami Szabo and Ingrid Olson, designed to help women get educated and inspired. All you have to do is show up and listen in to the call. All the speakers provide discounted offers, but each session is substantial, not just a pitchfest.

 I’ll keep collecting more and add it to the list.

Together,  we are stronger.
Vicki Flaugher, the original  SmartWoman

follow me on Twitter: SmartWoman

I’m excited to announce a whole new level of success tips if you are a business woman (or want to be one): The Ultimate Business Camp For Women!

This is a free Teleseminar Series with professional business coach, Tami Szabo, and co-host, Ingrid Olson, designed to empower and educate female entrepreneurs. I met Tami Szabo through Evan Carmichael and was more than happy to sign on to help out when Tami asked me to join in.

And, the speaker list really is pretty darned impressive, if I don’t say so myself - did I mention I am the opening speaker on Oct. 2nd? Yes, SmartWoman will kick off the fun and I am so honored and thrilled. I am still pinching myself, giddy to be rubbing shoulders with these awesome women.

I’ll be speaking for about an hour, with a Q & A session afterwards, and my topic is “The Marketing Power of the A-HA! Moment”. We’ll be covering the following ideas:

1.  What is the A-HA! Moment?
2.  How can the A-HA! Moment help me as an entrepreneur?
3.  Five mistakes to avoid with beginner adult learners
4.  How to apply the A-HA! Moment magic to your website
5.  How to apply the A-HA! Moment magic to your emails
6.  How to apply the A-HA! Moment magic to your backend sales

You will be given the opportunity to purchase my latest SmartWoman product at a special discount, complete with bonuses. If you think you could benefit from receiving a practical, step by step recipe for improving your business systems to reach more new clients, you’ll likely enjoy this offering. But, don’t worry – it’s not a pitch fest! My most sincere wish is that the information you receive on this call is enlightening, actionable, and full of quick and affordable ideas to help you, even if you decide you are not interested in anything other than listening in on the free Business Camp calls. You will not be pressured nor are you obligated to do anything other than to enjoy the session. I will leave it up to you to do whatever else you feel is best for you.

This should be an incredible event with great information to help you be more successful in your business. Tami and Ingrid have pulled together a whole list of women who can speak to your issues in business and what I like the best is that the speakers come from a wide range of viewpoints. It’s important to have a variety of mentors, who have a range of skills, to learn all you can, and that’s what you will experience. So go sign up on Tami’s site and show up throughout the month!

When: Every Tuesday and Thursday in October at 6pm Pacific/7pm Mountain/8pm Central/ 9pm Eastern

To sign up for the event, and find out about more about all the scheduled speakers, visit
http://tinyurl.com/53az8d

I look forward to having SmartWoman Guides readers on the call. I think you’ll enjoy it!

Together, we are stronger.
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman

The offer below was sent to me and I just had to share it with you today. I participated in the bonus offering by providing my SmartWoman Marketing Mindset Series: Traffic 101 audio and am so excited to be involved with such a fabulous and charitable event. We talk a lot about how giving and networking builds your business and this is an example of it, so I wanted to share it with you.

There is a no-strings attached gift from Eldon Taylor just for taking a look at this event, a gift that was designed just to bring unity to the world. You cannot get much better than that.

You can buy the book here, if you’d like, then proceed to the bonus page, put in your receipt number and get access to the bonus gifts available for those who purchase, as well as claim your no-strings attached gift just for visiting Eldon’s site. I’ve read the book – it really is great, so I have no reservations about encouraging you to check it out.

Here’s the press release and bonus offer, including the details on their charitable contribution to Women for Women:

The Gift of Self Actualization

Eldon Taylor’s International and New York Times best selling book, Choices and Illusions, states that “the real meaning in life comes from what you give, not from what you take. . . . that the “warm fuzzy feeling” we derive from a true service experience—going to the aid of another in need—is the best feeling we can have when we put our head on the pillow each night.”

Today, Eldon has put together an amazing special offer that just keeps on giving. In fact there is a bonus gift for you, just for clicking on the link below and reading his inspiring special offer.

Click here for more details.
Eldon Taylon Choices and Illusion Bonus Offer

For every copy of Choices and Illusions sold, Eldon will make a donation to Women for Women International of $1. Women for Women is an award-winning non-profit that provides women survivors of war, civil strife and other conflicts with the tools and resources to move from crisis and poverty to stability and self-sufficiency, thereby promoting viable civil societies. They currently work in eight countries including Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Kosovo, Nigeria, Rwanda and Sudan. They have served over 150,000 women and distributed more than $42 million in direct aid and loans. You can see for yourself the fabulous work they do by going to: womenforwomen.org

In addition to raising money for Women for Women, you will also receive over 100 additional gifts from leading visionaries, such as Don Miguel Ruiz, James Van Praagh, Louise Hay, Wayne Dyer, Jack Canfield and of course myself, just for purchasing one copy of Choices and Illusions, which costs less than $15.

Choices and Illusions does a great job at explaining, in a very down to earth way, how your mind works, why some changes can be so difficult to make, and how you can take control of your own mind to create the life of your choosing. You owe it to yourself to learn all that Choices and Illusions has to offer and then apply it to your own life. Readers from around the world are reporting huge changes in their lives when they did just that and now it is your turn.

Enjoy the no-strings gift and THANK YOU very much for your contribution to providing women around the world the means to build a better life for themselves, their families, and their communities.

Together, we are stronger!
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman
Click here to follow me on Twitter

Are You Ready for a Challenge?
 
There’s nothing like quite like a good old fashioned challenge to see what we are made of, to push the boundaries and test the limits as its only when we overcome these type of trials and challenges that we reap the sweetest rewards in life.
 
September 22nd is an important date as it marks the 100 day countdown of 2008. With that in mind, I wanted to share with you a unique opportunity called the 100 Day Finish Strong Challenge.
 
Gary Ryan Blair, otherwise know as The Goals Guy has put together what I believe to be the most comprehensive approach to goal setting and performance enhancement.

The 100 Day Finish Strong Challenge is a structured performance improvement program where challengers compete against themselves to achieve a number of challenging goals and finish the year strong. I’ve signed up for it and am inviting all aspiring entrepreneurs who need an end of year kick in the pants to accept the challenge and get going. It’s only up from here, baby!
 
To get on the priority notification list for the challenge, go to this website right now and watch a really inspiring video as well:

SmartWoman Recommends The Goals Guy – 100 Day Challenge!

I wish you a great home stretch during these last 100 days and encourage you to dream big dreams and take the necessary actions to make them reality!

Together, we are stronger.
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman

P.S. You can also sign up for this program to promote it as an affiliate here.

Today is an exciting day! I put the finishing touches on a client site I have been working on and I am SO proud! I’d love for you to go check it out and tell me what you think: ThePublishedExecutive.com

Michael Levin, the CEO of BusinessGhost, Inc., is a celebrated author with 60+ books  to his name. He has worked with the highest levels of business people as well as sports stars and celebrities. If you know marketing giant Jay Abraham, you know Michael. If you know baseball Hall of Famer Dave Winfield, you know Michael. And, on top of that, he’s a great guy. I simply love working with him.

I designed a site for him to integrate his business into the new blog and social media conversations as well as automate his processes and expand his leveraged products. Not only am I honored to participate, but I am also quite happy at the potential this project has for great success.

If you go to his site, you can download an extended audio interview of me speaking with Micheal about his patented BusinessGhost method of writing your own book. It will give you a very good sense of his personality and skill and motivate you to finally write that book you have within you.

Enjoy! Day 2 was a success!

Together, we are stronger.
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman

Follow me on Twitter!

My love affair with John Cow continues. I am a staunch supporter of his blog and what he does. I encourage you all to fall in love with the CowBoy too. The site is actually a three way partnership effort from some of the best internet marketers in the business so their advice is totally worthwhile. They are generous with their support and advice and on the leading edge of what works and what doesn’t (without any of the bull, shady techniques of some other marketers). Yes, I am biased, but don’t take my word for it – find out for yourself!

I’ve offered this before, but if you haven’t already, get your 130 pg. free “Building a Business Not a Blog” ebook on how to start a new blog from the ground up. It’s straightforward and relatively easy. Like following a recipe! I can recommend it without reservation. (Hint- I also get amazing, high quality traffic when I post to the JohnCow blog with a link back – you could too if you just got involved!)

John Cow also has great resources to help you promote your blog once you get it going, so take a taste of their style by getting the free stuff and then see if it piques your interest for some of their other products, like CommentKahuna and TrafficKahuna. They’re affordable and effective – I use them and find them easy to use and very helpful.

Enjoy the goodies and contact me if I can help you further!

Together, we are stronger.
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman

I belong to many newsletters and they frequently give me tremendous ideas and free resources. I wanted to share one of my favorites with you:

Warren Whitlock: Warren is one of my all time favorite free publicity guys. You can get involved by offering your products as bonuses for author’s book launches, which will get you some very nice traffic. You can also get great tips on how to promote yourself as an author too.

Warren has been working lately on Twitter a lot and he is fast becoming a super user. You can click on his name to check out his blog and you can follow Warren on twitter as well.

Honestly, Warren Whitlock does lots of things–see if you like him too. I do! I think he offers great information. 

Short but sweet. I’m on a road trip for an investment training class. Until I return on Thursday evening, stay happy!

Together, we are stronger.
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman

P.S. Note: Just in case you haven’t noticed, I am launching a weekly update newsletter. You can sign up for it by filling out the form on the upper right corner of the page. I promise I won’t SPAM you and will only send you good stuff.

P.S.S. I made a commitment to myself to laugh more so I found a great way to do it–this is just a silly, tangential thing, but I bet you laugh also.

Feel the blood pumping through you? That’s the state of mind your business should generate, right?

You are going to LOVE this interview, loyal readers. I enjoyed conducting it and was moved by Michelle’s story. Be prepared to hear some heartbreak mixed in with victories as Michelle takes us from her earliest beginnings organizing ski trips for money at 12 years old to the vicious attack that changed the course of her life. She used her personal strength to get on the other side of her experience where she shares her skill inspiring others to design the life they desire.

To listen to the interview now:

To download to listen later:

Michelle is a published author and accomplished coach and in this interesting 35 minute conversation, you will easily understand why.

Michelle’s latest book, From the Kitchen to the Corner Office: Mom’s Wisdom on Leadership, is out in stores and she’s doing something very exciting to help promote it. She’s going to help promote you!

Here’s a video where she talks about her book so you can learn more about it:

Here’s how to get involved: Go to Michelle’s website and read about Lipstick Leadership week. There is still time to tell your story of how your mother’s advice or example helps you in your work. Whether you work in a cubicle or a spare bedroom converted to your office, you have a story to share and Michelle wants to hear them all. The official dates are July 14th through July 18th but you can go now and start posting.

Michelle shared with me that this latest book is just one in a series and she intends to take the best kitchen table wisdom stories and feature them in other book releases. It could be a fantastic and powerful way for your business to get exposure.

When you share your story, be sure to include your link to your website so you can get visitors from Michelle’s site who read your story and want to get to know you. What better way to get to meet like-minded women, support each other, and promote your business all at the same time, right? I’m posting a story, that’s for sure!

Enjoy the interview and enjoy Michelle’s video. And, go buy her book. You’ll love it.

Together, we are stronger.
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman