June 8. 2008 by DeBorah Beatty.

I’ve moved my blog to deborahbeatty.wordpress.com. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Posted in Welcome, self-growth, Tips and Tricks, Shoestring Tips, Events not to miss, Personal Best, Uncategorized | Print | No Comments »

April 17. 2008 by DeBorah Beatty.

Finally, we’re ready to rock and roll! Check out the Press Release that I just sent out! This has been a real labor of love and everyone involved is totally excited!

Business Trainer DeBorah Beatty Is One of Global 100!

April 16, 2008, Walla Walla, WA – Local Business Trainer, DeBorah Beatty has recently finalized her joint venture with Business Expert Webinars going live on Monday, April 21, 2008. Always on the technology cutting edge since moving to Walla Walla in 2001 from Silicon Valley in California, DeBorah says this is a logical step for her business. “Geographic boundaries no long apply in so many areas.” she states, . “If I can be more effective through webinars, shame on me if I miss out on this opportunity.”

Business Expert Webinars (BEW), an international community of business experts, comprising best-selling authors, award-winning speakers, and business gurus, announced its launch today with more than 100 speakers and 700 live business education webinars that begin airing in May 2008.

“We are using webinar technology to deliver business eLearning,” said Lee B. Salz, President and CEO of Business Expert Webinars. Topics include all genres of business –sales, networking, public relations, marketing, real estate, human resources, entrepreneurship, management and many others. Visitors interested in participating can view the extensive schedule and sign up for webinars at BusinessExpertWebinars.com. Each webinar is taught by a live presenter on the phone and is supported by a presentation delivered over the Internet.

“People are frustrated with the free webinar offerings where the price of admission is a sales and marketing pitch. Either the entire webinar is an infomercial or the content is delivered at a high-level in the session and concludes with, ‘if you really want to know how to do this, buy my CD, DVD, book, etc.’ Thus, they aren’t really free,” said Salz.

Business expert and author of “Selling to Big Companies,” Jill Konrath, said, “What attracted me to deliver content with Business Expert Webinars was that the experts pick very specific topics and go deep into the subject matter. This is strictly business education. Participants come away from BEW webinars with actionable information they can implement immediately. It is a great way for adults to learn valuable information inexpensively, without leaving the office.”

About Business Expert Webinars

Business Expert Webinars is an international community of business experts that comprises best-selling authors, award-winning speakers, and business gurus. For more information, visit BusinessExpertWebinars.com.

Posted in Tips and Tricks, Shoestring Tips, Events not to miss | Print | No Comments »

October 17. 2007 by DeBorah Beatty.

Yesterday I was on two conference calls that I think may have changed my life. Want to recommend two people and their websites to you. The first is Katrina Sawa and her site, www.ksawamarketing.com. The second is Christine Kloser and her site, www. consciousbusinesscircle.com. Now, let me ’splain.

The first call was with a local coach, Shannon Spencer, who had offered a free 1-hour session (as I do, by the way). As an entrepreneur on a shoestring, I take advantage of EVERYTHING I can that’s offered as a free trial. What we discussed primarily is narrowing my focus, identifying my niches and beginning to really get in touch with what I really am up to. It was a fabulous opportunity for me to really hear what it is I’m up to create.

Let me digress here to say that as you probably know, people learn three ways: visual, auditory or kinesthetic (seeing, hearing or touching). I tend to be visual and auditory, so hearing myself speak my dreams into existence to someone who was REALLY listening to me was amazing! I recommend you take advantage of any introductory opportunity to speak with a coach highly. (do you get a broad hint here????????)

So I hung up from talking to her and it was time to dial in to the free teleclass with Shannon Sawa who was featuring Christine Kloser. Now, I had stumbled upon Katrina’s site quite by accident (hah!) and was impressed by her range of experience, but really didn’t know her from Eve. Neither had I heard of Christine Kloser (guess that was when I was hiding under my rock over the last 4 years). Anyway, these two women proceeded to speak about growing a “Conscious Business”, one with spiritual components (not religious, mind you, spiritual. There’s a difference.) Since one of the things I am training people in is conscious languaging, I really sat up and took notice. Hey! They were speaking to me! So much of the content I already knew (as we all do) but hearing it again really activated something within me and lit that fire in my gut all over again. I have been having the time of my life creating this new business, but sitting there quietly listening and writing frantically, I could literally feel my passions igniting, my joie de vivre kicking up a level and my intention firming. It was wild! If you ladies read my blog, thank you. It was just what I needed. I recommend all of you sign up for these two women’s newsletters and everything you can get from them.

I’m also forming some conscious business networking groups here in Walla Walla (or actually, if you’re interested, we can form them online or on the phone. These days with broadband access bundles including unlimited long distance, phone meetings are quite affordable. If you’re interested, contact me now! at deborah@deborahbeatty.com.

It’s amazing to me how many business growth tools and methodologies are incorporating Spiritual concepts and Divine Purpose. Have you noticed that? Your comments, as always, are always welcome.

I took a class recently on identifying and using Dependable Strengths. I’ve mentioned this before, but this is the first time it occurred to me that once you identify just what you are wired to do, cannot not do and what you are called to do, the ways to make that happen are not only a lot easier, but more creative and fulfilling. You can check out the Dependable Strengths site at www.dependablestrengths.com.

That’s it for this entry. Please feel free to add comments. I’ll be writing more about this, you can be sure.

Until then,
Work well, Play well, Be well!

DB

(c) 2007 DeBorah Beatty

Want To Use This Article in Your Ezine or Website? You have my permission, as long as you include this complete notice with it: “DeBorah Beatty publishes innovative tips and resource information in her blog, Opportunity’s Knocking , and is a successful speaker, meeting facilitator, trainer and business coach. If you’re ready to move to the next level, check out her website, DEBORAHBEATTY.COM “

Posted in Tips and Tricks, Shoestring Tips | Print | No Comments »

October 17. 2007 by DeBorah Beatty.

I’m the first one to admit that although I’m a techie and love the latest gadgets, I’m not HTML savvy - my ex was the programmer and he used to do all that stuff for me so I never learned. I subscribe to the “you don’t have to be the best, you can hire the best” concept.

Well, here’s a list of some of my favorite shortcuts to have really cool techie stuff without having to hire a programmer or spend hours learning html, xml or any other programs.

1) Turn your blog into a widget and post it anywhere

In computer programming, a widget is an element that a user interacts with such as a button, checkbox, slider, drop-down list, etc. With your blog as a widget (called a blidget), your latest posts are listed and clickable inside a scrollable box. When you update your blog, the blidget is automatically updated everywhere (only my first update wasn’t automatic … about 15 minutes later). A big plus is that it’s also easy for others to create a widget of your blog and promote it for you.

At www.widgetbox.com look down the left side and click Submit a Blidget. This no-cost service is very intuitive and with a few clicks you’ll be finished. You’ll need your blog URL and your feed URL (my feed is with http://www.blogger.com/). I inserted my blidget in my blog and it will go on the website as soon as I get a minute.

2) Have you found Stumbleupon?

http://www.stumbleupon.com/ is a really great way to find a whole bunch of sites that deal with just your area of specialization. The downside of this feature is that you have to download a toolbar and install it but the upside is that you get to rate all the websites you want to (including your own) to bring in more traffic (and isn’t that what we’re all about if we have a site?)

3) Low cost printing

http://www.vistaprint.com/ has been more in the news than it used to be. When I first started using them years ago, they were one of the best kept secrets around. You can get any one of several designs on business cards, letterheads, postcards, rubber stamps, etc. for no more than postage! Then, if you want to customize your card (change the font size or color, for example), or upload your own design (and it’s really easy to do that), and it’s a bit more for 250 full color cards on good quality cardstock. (Don’t forget about the biz card test outlined in a previous post).

4) Get paid for reading emails and get free stuff

http://www.mypoints.com/ is a little secret I’ve kept for awhile now, but I’m sharing it with you now. When you sign up for My Points, you set what information you’re looking for and what you don’t want. Then you get a bunch of emails to read. They all are well identified and they all contain a button to click to go to the sponsors’ websites. You get 5 points for each one you click through. Doesn’t take very long and you get exposed to some really great deals. Yes, you get a bunch more emails, but here’s the good part. You can trade in the points for STUFF! I’ve gotten several gift cards from WalMart, Webcertificate, Home Depot, and Barnes and Noble. And, that’s just for clicking through the buttons! If you take advantage of some of the offers (and they’re mostly great) you can get up to 1000 points in one swell foop! Also, you can order the next goodie through MyPoints once a year and get 250 points, too!

5.) Entertainment Book

Have you found this little nugget? This is a BOGO book for all entrepreneurs! Some of the best restaurants in your area are listed in here and you buy one meal and get the other free. Take a contact out to lunch and impress the you-know-what out of them without breaking the bank! It’s also not that obvious to use the coupons or the plastic card. And, if it’s the right contact, they’ll want one, too! Not only meals, but you can get movie tickets, car rentals, hotel tickets, and attraction tickets at a serious discount.

This has been such fun. I think I’ll stop for now and add another 5 moneysavers next time.

See you all.

Work well, play well, be well

db

(c) 2007 DeBorah Beatty

Want To Use This Article in Your Ezine or Website? You have my permission, as long as you include this complete notice with it: “DeBorah Beatty publishes innovative tips and resource information in her blog, Opportunity’s Knocking , and is a successful speaker, meeting facilitator, trainer and business coach. If you’re ready to move to the next level, check out her website, DEBORAHBEATTY.COM “

Posted in Tips and Tricks, Shoestring Tips | Print | No Comments »

October 17. 2007 by DeBorah Beatty.

Part of what I do daily is read. Everything I can get my hands on having to do with my latest project. At this point, I’m getting ready for my next presentation of my favorite seminar, Watch Your Mouth, Your Subconscious is Listening. Even though I’ve given it many times, there’s always something new out “there”. I delight in the technology advances that allow me to mine all sorts of websites for information and crystalize my findings on Google Reader! Wheee. I remember the old days when you needed to subscribe to pricey business magazines and sift through a scadillion pages that had nothing to do with your query, not to mention the piles on the desk!

I must admit feeling a bit sheepish about having waited so long to join the “feed-read” generation. I didn’t understand it so I wasn’t going to do it. But then I found a great Wikipedia post on RSS feeds, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS_(file_format). So, I took a deep breath and tried a couple using Google Reader. What a nice surprise. Now I can read through my voluminous web links in a flash.

I’ve rambled on to make this point - to coin a Star Trek phrase, resistance is futile. Technology is, after all, supposed to be our friend. If you take it slow, it works out.

There is a system known as Kaizen. It has as its heart the idea that great changes come with small steps. Toyota used it to become the giant is is today. The smallest changes can have far reaching results. Think of tossing a pebble into a quiet pond = the ripples go on for miles. A single footstep in the Tundra can upset the whole ecosystem there. A whisper of gossip can make or break a career!

Watch for an entry on Kaizen later this month.

That’s it for me for today -

Work well, play well, be well.

db

(c) 2007 DeBorah Beatty

Want To Use This Article in Your Ezine or Website? You have my permission, as long as you include this complete notice with it: “DeBorah Beatty publishes innovative tips and resource information in her blog, Opportunity’s Knocking , and is a successful speaker, meeting facilitator, trainer and business coach. If you’re ready to move to the next level, check out her website, DEBORAHBEATTY.COM “

Posted in Tips and Tricks, Shoestring Tips | Print | No Comments »

October 17. 2007 by DeBorah Beatty.

As I sit here on my couch, typing on my laptop, I find it very interesting to step back and see where my choice to go back into consulting and speaking has led me.

I thought I was busy before. Hah! I’m on the phone constantly, I am checking emails constantly so those folks who contact me have their questions answered, I’m researching, searching and annotating, all the time trying to keep body and soul together. I have my first three seminars scheduled for September and October and there’s much to do for marketing.

The thing that comes to mind this morning, however, is: no matter how nuts it appears to get and no matter how I think it’s too much work, I chose this insanity. I need to remember I wanted this and quite honestly, I’ve never been happier. I have said for years that entrepreneurship is an amusement park ride that has no equal. I’m living proof.

Now, here’s what I am discovering and I recommend you do this, too.

I need more business cards - time to redesign and get them printed. I recommend Overnight Prints at www.overnightprints.com. They have delivered consistent quality, professional customer service and unquestioning commitment to satisfaction. Their prices are excellent, too. You can upload your own design or use one of theirs.

I need advertising and coverage - time to write an article and submit it to the local paper on the values of coaching in small business. Works much better than a blatant bid for publicity and folks read the articles - they tend to glance through the ads but that’s it. Wish my daughter were still around, she’s now grown with children of her own, but when I did this last time, I had a huge “street gang” (she was very popular in highschool) to put up posters, hand out flyers, etc.

I needed to find a location - the local hotels were out of budget range for my first seminar, but I did find my local church hall and much more doable (not to mention free parking and lots of it).

As an entrepreneur with little or no budget, I have found very creative ways to do what needs to be done. Don’t discount what the experts say to do based on your budget or lack thereof. Sometimes you need to have a Miracle List, sure - that’s the list you have for stuff you want when a miracle happens - you, know, new car, that book/CD series by your favorite guru - those things. We’ll talk about Miracle Lists later. But what I say to you is GET CREATIVE. You have more resources than you think at your fingertips. You really do. Who do you know who can take flyers around town and put them up? Who do you know in radio, newspapers, television, etc. from your other life? One of my best contacts when my daughter was little, was one of her playbuddies’ mom’s who was a publisher. Got my first book sold that way.

TIPS AND TRICKS:

Make a list of your contacts and what they do.
Make a list of what you need to acquire, in your opinion, to be as effective as possible.
Now, take that list and see what you already have at hand if you just tweak and massage the requirement.
ASK, ASK, ASK. People really do like to say “Yes” to questions. Makes them feel needed. Ask for what you need. The worst that can happen is that they say “no”. Best answer, actually, is “No, but…”

Work well, Play well, Be well

db

(c) 2007 DeBorah Beatty

Want To Use This Article in Your Ezine or Website? You have my permission, as long as you include this complete notice with it: “DeBorah Beatty publishes innovative tips and resource information in her blog, Opportunity’s Knocking , and is a successful speaker, meeting facilitator, trainer and business coach. If you’re ready to move to the next level, check out her website, DEBORAHBEATTY.COM “

Posted in Tips and Tricks, Shoestring Tips | Print | No Comments »

October 17. 2007 by DeBorah Beatty.

One of the first ways people get to know you is through business cards. I can’t tell you how many times I have asked the interesting people I meet at meetings and events for a business card only to be told they don’t have one, or they haven’t gotten them printed yet, or some such excuse. The bottom line is IF THEY DON’T HAVE A BUSINESS CARD, THEY ARE NOT PREPARED TO DO BUSINESS!!!!

Here is an excerpt from one of the best books on the subject I have ever read - It’s Here’s My Card by Bob Popyk. If you don’t get anything else for your library, get this one. It is definitely a must read. (We will cover the values of reading in another post, later.)

This is from the Introduction.

“But business cards can be one of the most effective ways for finding new business, creating more business and leaving a lasting impression. … Business cards are an incredible tool for actually creating more business…

But, no matter how great your business cards, if you keep them in your desk drawer, at home, or in your pocket, they aren’t helping you create more business. They do you no good unless you get them in circulation….

Thre are some real basis to remember when using business cards:
1. You need to have them with you at all times.
2. You have to get people to read and retain them
3. You want to hand out something that’s a great reflection of you and your business.
4. It’s the person behind the card that makes all the difference.”

So, as I said before. think about what you’re offering to others when you are representing your self and your business.

Work well, Play well, Be well

db

(c) 2007 DeBorah Beatty

Want To Use This Article in Your Ezine or Website? You have my permission, as long as you include this complete notice with it: “DeBorah Beatty publishes innovative tips and resource information in her blog, Opportunity’s Knocking , and is a successful speaker, meeting facilitator, trainer and business coach. If you’re ready to move to the next level, check out her website, DEBORAHBEATTY.COM “

“

Posted in Tips and Tricks, Shoestring Tips | Print | No Comments »

October 17. 2007 by DeBorah Beatty.

You just got laid off. It was an ugly divorce. You find yourself burned out and frustrated by everything going on in the workplace so you decide you want to create your own business. You’ve read all the books and subscribed to all the right newsletters. You’re more than ready, right? Well, maybe.

You go down to the bank to get a loan or a line of credit to start your business, but without an income now, you’re not a good risk and you get turned down. You head off to the SBA - again, same story. Now what? Credit cards? Loans from friends and family? That’s what they tell you to do, but it isn’t always an option.

This blog will address things you can do to get off the ground and fly. If you want to share your stories, please feel free.

Work well, Play well, Be well

db

(c) 2007 DeBorah Beatty

Want To Use This Article in Your Ezine or Website? You have my permission, as long as you include this complete notice with it: “DeBorah Beatty publishes innovative tips and resource information in her blog, Opportunity’s Knocking , and is a successful speaker, meeting facilitator, trainer and business coach. If you’re ready to move to the next level, check out her website, DEBORAHBEATTY.COM “

Posted in Tips and Tricks, Shoestring Tips | Print | No Comments »