Women and girls are uniquely and disproportionately affected by armed conflict.  In modern warfare, an estimated 90% of the casualties are civilians, and 75% of these are women and children. No Woman, No Peace

Wow, right? When I read this in an article today, I had to sit down and take a deep breath. It boogles my spirit and jumbles my heart.

Even though this UN resolution and the USA’s action plan to support the solution to this are great news, it is also mind numbing to imagine that the effect of war is so deadly to citizens in general, and to women and children in particular.

As we enter this new year with promise and resolve, let’s remember our sisters in arms. A friend of mind said it best today – Arms are for hugging.

For those of us in lands that are more peaceful, let’s give thanks for all the blessings we have. Let’s celebrate nations taking positive action. Let’s share with our neighbors the effects of war so we can no longer turn a blind eye to it. Let us remember that we are in this together.

If you are in a country torn by war, know that we are with you.

If this problem moves you to take action, take it now. Donate your time, your money, and your help in whatever way you can. Women have the power to eliminate poverty and war. If not now, when?

2012 is going to be a productive year here at SmartWomanGuides.com – we are going to host several Global Women’s Summits, produce several women entrepreneur products, and have much quality time together at training events. I am excited for all there is to come and I am inspired by every woman I meet.

We are going to expand our ability past our doorsteps and into the global commerce arena. We will be reaching out to our global sisters to better ourselves and our world.

As we do our work this year, we will come face to face with problems like the one in this article about women and war. It’s our responsibility to be both witness and relief. Start today by being thankful and aware.

Remember: No woman, no peace.

In love and gratitude,

Vicki @Smartwoman Flaugher

[graphic by DFID - UK Department for International Development]

It’s the color of the season, the color of an open heart, and the new black – gratitude.

Never before in my life have I felt such an outpouring of gratefulness, generosity, and caring as I have witnessed over the last several weeks. Don’t know if I was just wearing the right clothes, or smelled just so, but I have had the pleasure of seeing some amazing things first hand. And, I feel glad from it.

Everywhere around us, we witness the world. Some of it can seem frightening. If you listen to the general attention monger media, you might conclude that we should all be in a constant state of fear.

But here’s the deal – fear is a state of mind, not an automatic reaction. When we open our eyes to beauty and miracles, we see that instead. Call me a rose-colored glasses wearing optimist, but hope and forward looking visioning feels better to experience. It gives me more strength of spirit to face the issues that need addressing and to take action. Fear cripples – hope and love uplift. Fear is a choice and it is not my choice today.

In honor of this elation and well…gratitude I feel for the wondrous and hopeful things I see around me, I thought I would share with you some of my favorite causes. If you have one you love, please list it in comments below so we can all know about the good work they are doing and how we can help.

Kiva.org – Microlending site: For as little as $25 you can provide much needed credit assistance to deserving entrepreneurs worldwide. Most entrepreneurs who use microlending are women.
RoomToRead.org – Literacy program started by ex-Microsoft executive, John Wood, that builds libraries throughout the developing world. Room to Read’s programs have reached more than three million children so far and hopes to improve literacy for ten million children by 2020.
WomenForWomen.org – Women for Women International 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.
Charity: Water - Almost a billion people on the planet don’t have access to clean drinking water. That’s one in eight of us. charity: water is a non-profit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. 100% of public donations directly fund water projects.

We have the power within ourselves to create a world of peace, understanding, tolerance, and health. Thank you to everyone who is working toward this vision – know that many of us stand in gratitude for what you do.

Together, we are stronger!

Vicki Flaugher, CEO
SmartWomanGuides.com

Technical demographic analysis and statistics can be pretty dry stuff. They can be quite helpful, but frankly, are not where you need to start to know how to market your products and services. You just need to know your audience and here’s what I recommend. 

I say, let’s start from common sense. Let’s start with YOU.

I am a firm believer in doing what you know. So, if you are a mom and you want to market children’s toys, you’ve got a pretty good basis of knowledge, don’t you? You have kids, you know what your kids like, and you can talk to the other moms you know to get info about their childrens’ preferences. You can be pretty confident that your experience carries across the market.

Following the same logic, you know how you buy too, right?  You know which ads catch your attention and which ones turn you off. You know what price points are deal makers or deal breakers. You know what time of the year or month you go shopping. You know how you prefer to be treated by the sales help in the stores. You are a knowledge powerhouse when it comes to your kids!

What else are you an expert about? Fashion, food, bill paying, education, marriage, raising a family, to name some likely choices, but the list goes on.  My point is that you have so much knowledge already in your life experience that you can begin to formulate some rather precise ideas about a market. I’m not suggesting that you isolate yourself from others’ opinions, but rather that you honor your own.

Do you use the resident expert within you or do you dismiss it as every day life stuff that has little significance? Do you have amazing excellence at your fingertips that you disregard as “I’m just being me” filler material? If you do, cut it out! Your ideas, creativity, and point of view are what make you unique, while at the same time giving you access to market demographics. You have full access to yourself and you need to plug in and go for it. 

Make a list today of all the things you are good at, that you know about. Don’t edit or critique, just let the thoughts flow. I believe you will discover a treasure trove of information to use for your business. Be willing to look at yourself from the outside and you will have your own marketing survey right under your nose. Report back what revelations you experience—we want to know!

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