Whom do you know at Bear Stearns, Merrill Lynch, WAMU, Wachovia, Lehman, Morgan Stanley or AIG?
By Maria | November 13, 2008
Whom do you know at Bear Stearns, Merrill Lynch, WAMU, Wachovia, Lehman, Morgan Stanley or AIG?
I am donating 20 one-hour sessions to folks at those companies who have lost their job or know the date they’re loosing it. If you have left your job on your own accord, this free service is not for you.
Giving 1-hour coaching, advice or brainstorming sessions. This is a giving call, NOT a sales call. I have 15 hours left.
Example: Worked with a VP, few managers and advisor. Critiqued resumes and networking processes giving tips and resources to help them get as he said a lot closer to landing another job. Many leave the call with an action plan, at least 8 ways to market, a bunch of resources for databases he can tap into and happy homework to do.
Don’t know me? My first “go” at coaching happened at Bear Stearns (NY) when I was a trader back in the 70’s. I helped many women secretaries get jobs on the desk or in management. Then I mentored them while they built their careers including helping them get paid what they were worth at raise or bonus time. I started my career at Merrill and worked at Reynolds that is now folded into Morgan Stanley.
WHO SHOULD APPLY
You or your friends if they have HAVE LOST THEIR FINANCIAL SERVICE jobs or have been given a date that they are going to loose their financial services jobs due to the current crisis.
I give you one-hour. You may tape the call.
Please apply at http://www.ElevatingYourBusiness.com/contact/
To save 1 email from going back/forth, send me the following information:
1. Where you are in the leaving process, why you’re leaving, etc.
2. Where do you want to go (whatever you’re sure of or are thinking of)
3. Send me three times on an upcoming Monday/Tuesdays after 11 am and up to 8pm that you’ll call me. Please use pacific time zones since I”m a NYer living near Seattle right now.
4. Send me your resume.
5. Tell me what you’ve been doing to find a new position.
We’ll go from there.
Topics: Special Deals | No Comments »
LLC or INC Formation — No Service Fees
By Maria | November 4, 2008
Free for One Day - November 11, 2008*
On Tuesday, November 11th , MyCorporation is offering any Inc or LLC formation with NO SERVICE FEES, our usual $149 fees are completely FREE!
*Your fees will be the usual state mandated filing, publication fees and shipping charges. The service fee is waved.
Save this notice and call or click in early - it’s only happening from 6am to 6pm.
Call 1-877-692-6771 or visit us online at My Corporation
Mention or enter code FREE149 when placing your order online or via phone.
Topics: Special Deals | No Comments »
As Seen in CEO Magazine — Busted: Business Plan Excuses… What’s Yours?
By Maria | November 3, 2008
Today I have some good news and some bad news. First the good news.
The good news is that the great people at Small Business CEO Magazine.com are publishing an article in their November issue that was submitted by yours truly.
If you haven’t visited SmallBusinessCEOMagazine.com yet, you simply have to check this out. Our friends over there have done what so many have asked for. They have created an incredible open-to-the-public online magazine just for people like us.
Want access to articles written by the top people in their professions? Small Business CEO Magazine has that. Want to read first hand interviews with industry giants and cutting edge business people? Small Business CEO Magazine has that too. They even have a calendar of upcoming events for Entrepreneurs and Small Business people from around the world. When it comes to information that will help you grow and achieve your business and life objectives, Small Business CEO Magazine has it all!
… and now they have me too for one of their great articles! I’ll be sharing proven principles of success in their newest issue.
Best of all, Small Business CEO Magazine offers free access! It just doesn’t get better than this! Go to http://www.smallbusinessceomagazine.com/article.aspx?Article=123 to read it now.
Oh, the bad news? The article I submitted will be only in the current issue for one month! That means it’s super-important that you go see it NOW!
Please join me this month for a FREE issue of their online magazine, compliments of Small Business CEO Magazine.com.
All the best to you!
Maria Marsala
P.S. While you are at Small Business CEO Magazine, be sure and subscribe so you never miss an issue of this must have resource for entrepreneurs and small business people! http://www.smallbusinessceomagazine.com/article.aspx?Article=123
Topics: Special Deals | No Comments »
Busted — Business Planning Excuses
By Maria | September 30, 2008
Busted – Business Planning Excuses
Ok. We all know how planning is helpful to the growth of businesses. So let’s get all the excuses on why you don’t have one out of the way…
Plans are ONLY for companies that need financing.
My plan is going to change.
My business is too small.
I don’t want to create a monster business.
I don’t have time to create a 50-page plan.
I make up my business as I go along!
I don’t want to make much money anyway.
I’ll never use it again anyway.
I don’t think ahead.
Write it? It’s all in my head where it belongs.
You won’t get much written on one-page. I need more.
I’ll pay a consultant to write one.
A West Coast’s excuse for not creating a plan…
It’s Not Spiritual to Plan
And the number one reason…
Who wants systems? We became entrepreneurs to do what we want! Systems? We want to do what we want, when we want. So, you’ve got to be kidding?
(c) 2008 Maria Marsala, Chief Business Strategist/Collaborator at http://www.ElevatingYourBusiness.com/
Topics: Articles & Tips | No Comments »
Business Good, But You Want GREAT? Then It’s Time To Fast-Track Your Business
By Maria | September 20, 2008
Businesses can do well without planning, mny do. However, to become a high performing organization, to grow rapidly, a company really needs a planning and monitoring process. Got yours? I sure do have mine!
Why create a plan?
%u2022 Diagnosis how every area of your business is doing.
%u2022 Clarify your thinking
* Focus on the elements that are the most critical to your success.
%u2022 Test your ideas without having to put large amounts of cash at risk.
%u2022 Boost the profits and performance of your small company or department.
%u2022 Use it over and over again.
If you’re on a budget, as many new business owners are, you can purchase the workbook that includes the Entrepreneur Toolkit CD (for PC and MAC use) at your favorite bookstore, although it’s easier to find online. It includes systematic, practical, interactive exercises and templates, worksheets, powerful sales calculators, mini-sales budgets, one page performance scorecards, sample plans, and bonus tools! All created in programs you usually have on your computer - MS Excel and Word files.
If you’re a more seasoned business owner, department manager or executive, you can sit down at your PC to create a draft of your plan in 1-2 hours — Really!
Together with reading the E-myth Revisited, by Michael Gerber, creating a business plan are “mandatory to do’s” for all business owners. Why? because the E-myth shows you what happens when you don’t have a plan and systems and how much better off you’ll be with them. And the One-Page Business Plan® process helps you simply create your plans and systems to monitor your progress. Creating a plan now, will save you hours upon hours worth of your valuable time and will help you make fewer large and costly mistakes.
Isn’t that what you need as a business owner? Systems that work and more time to do what you’re passionate about? Below are 10 key elements of any process.
1. It helps you choose opportunities more wisely and waste less time because you have a plan in place.
2. A single page can contain all the elements you need to tell your employees, board of directors, potential partners or banker where you are taking your business and how you are going to get there.
3. The most important reason to have a business plan is to clarify your thinking, regardless of the size of your company.
4. Knowing where you’re going creates hope and enthusiasm about the future.
5. It facilitates creating and analytical thinking, problem solving, communication, and teamwork.
6. It also brings out procrastination, frustration, differences of opinions and possibly anger.
7. Somehow writing initiates the transformation from idea to reality.
8. Writing allows others to participate in your dream and give you feedback.
9. You review it each day to create the day’s priorities and make decisions about your business.
10. The CD which comes with the book, including scorecards, templates, budgets, and bonus tools to help keep you on track!
(c) 2008 Maria Marsala, Elevating Your Business http://www.ElevatingYourBusiness.com
Topics: Articles & Tips | No Comments »
Are You Planning NOT to Fail - Business plans
By Maria | September 20, 2008
- easier than you think, critical to prolonged success-and on one page!
Failing to plan is planning to fail. This simple and straightforward adage really says it all. Why don’t business owners plan? Smart people, ambitious people, people who are excited and passionate about creating their own mini-empires - don’t create plans! Why not? Well, beyond the basic “don’t know how” and “why do I need it?” reasons, here are other common scenarios:
1. Avoiding pain? For some people, the idea of writing a business plan makes them long for something less painful-such as a root canal! Most small business owners keep their plans in their own heads instead. But working through a planning process, such as the One Page Business Plan®, doesn’t have to be painful. It can even be fun! Putting your plan on paper is the first step towards making a dream “real.”
2. Write it down. If your want your business to grow beyond your capability to keep track of every little detail, you’ll have to provide written plans for someone else to follow. Take a vacation? Retire or sell your business? Can’t happen if everything needed to run your business resides only in your mind.
3. Overwhelm. It’s a buzz word right now, but it speaks to a large group of people who suffer from not enough time, not enough money, too many commitments, too much stress. They have no balance between their personal life and work life; it all blends together. Almost invariably, these folks don’t have a formal plan, or if they do, they created it once and never looked at it again. A business plan is a blueprint for the success of your business. Creating and using your business plan will also help you distinguish between pipe-dreams (in your head) and the goals that can make your business a reality.
4. Goals. Also known as “objectives” in business planning, goals are what keep you going on a day you just don’t want to go into the office. They are realistic and achievable and will compel you to try new things or continue doing what’s working. Eventually, you’ll be able to use your business plan to make decisions and set priorities just by looking at your plan every day. Plan NOT to fail. Create your business and marketing plan this month and if you already have one that’s fallen into disrepair, use the one-page format to fix it! Let this useful, living, breathing, document put you on the road to success.
(c) 2008 Maria Marsala, Elevating Your Business http://www.ElevatingYourBusiness.com
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Ten Reasons to Finally Create A Business Plan
By Maria | September 20, 2008
This is a story, about a business owner whose business profits sucked. She had no business plan, no marketing plan written down, but had heard, quite a bit, how creating one would help.
So she moved 3000 miles from “home” and three months later, came across an all day One Page Business Plan(r) seminar that had a profound effect on her life and business. Three years later, she taught the class in same exact place. This is a very true “story”.
So never start with a blank page. Create your One Page Plan soon to help your business. And once you’ve created it, it’s simple to update!
1. You’ll choose new opportunities more wisely and waste less time because you have a plan in place
2. A single page can contain all the elements you need to tell your employees, board of directors, potential partners or banker where you are taking your business and how you are going to get there.
3. The most important reason to have a business plan is to clarify your thinking, regardless of the size of your company.
4. It facilitates creating and analytical thinking, problem solving, communication, and teamwork.
5. It creates hope and enthusiasm about the future.
6. It also brings out procrastination, frustration, differences of opinions and possibly anger.
7. Somehow writing initiates the transformation from idea to reality.
8. The written word produces a contract with yourself that results in immediate action.
9. Writing allows others to participate in your dream and give you feedback .
10. Because your coach, consultant, business builder strategist, friend, relative tells you that one of the top reasons businesses fail is a lack of planning! That’s why!
(c) 2008 Maria Marsala, Elevating Your Business http://www.ElevatingYourBusiness.com
Topics: Articles & Tips | No Comments »
Today, Tomorrow, and Your Future Best Practices
By Maria | September 20, 2008
New to business or an old pro, the first step to creating a business plan is determine where you are right now. Why? Because those things that need “fixing” you WILL place on your plan!
Rate the state of your business over the past 12 months.
Rating System N/A= Not Applicable 1 = disaster 3= average 5 = brilliantly successful
_________ Business Plan/Written Goals
_________ Business Tracking System
_________ Daily Game Plan
_________ Business Plan Effectiveness
_________ Attracting Your Ideal Clients
_________ Exit Strategy
_________ Marketing Plan Effectiveness
_________ Marketing Skills
_________ Selling Skills
_________ Sales System
_________ Branding/Identity
_________ Distinct Competitive Edge
_________ Elevator Speech That Works
_________ Expert Status in Your Industry
_________ Customer Retention/Loyalty
_________ Advertising/PR Efforts
_________ Networking & Follow-up Process
_________ Profitability/Cash Flow
_________ Pricing Process/Marketing Funnel
_________ Availability of Capital
_________ Delivery of Products/Services
_________ Speaking Engagements
_________ Presentation Skills
_________ Product Knowledge
_________ Products/Intellectual Property
_________ Budgets & Reporting Processes
_________ New Services/Products
_________ Technology/CMS
_________ Internet Presence
_________ Ongoing Internet Marketing
_________ Controls/Procedures
_________ Contracts, Legal Advice
_________ Administration Functions
_________ Strategic Alliances
_________ Teamwork/Leadership
_________ Hiring Process/Manual
_________ Employee/Consultant Retention
_________ Business & Health Insurance
_________ Training, Cross-training
_________ Office Organization
_________ Computer Organization
_________ Your Professional Development
_________ Your Personal Development
_________ Personal Organization
_________ Work/life Fulfillment/Balance
_________ Setting Life Priorities & Goals
_________ Personal Health/Having Fun
Scoring: Since you must consider all the above in your successful business/unit, it’s not the total number that counts; it’s how well you do in each area!
Congratulations! You’ve now assessed the “state of your business.” Next, it’s time to propel your business to the next level.
* These 5 concepts are from The One Page Business Plan® program, Maria Marsala certified one-page consultant. http://www.BusinessAndMarketingPlan.com
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OUU Business Planning YUCK!
By Maria | September 20, 2008
Business Plans for Maximum Profitablity and Focus
Why bother spending time to create a one-page business and marketing plan? The answers are SIMPLE: Focus and Profitablity.
If you’ve been in business a few years, you know how easy it is to get off track. (If you’re new, trust me, it happens daily). Plus you’re making decisions all day keeping track of what you’re doing will help you make better and quicker decisions.
Know that you do not want to spend your time and money to create a plan unless you use it daily! YES>>>> every day. A One Page Plan(r) is easily used daily to help you set the day’s priorities.
Don’t beleive me. Really — See what business owners like you have finally been able to do http://www.ElevatingYourBusiness.com/success/
View a sample of what you can create and use often at http://www.businessandmarketingplan.com/smallbusinessmarketingplan.html
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Referal Expo 2008
By Maria | September 15, 2008
Referral Expo 2008 begins in just X days! (www.ReferralExpo.com)
Check out the great line-up of presenters. (including me, Maria Marsala!)
This is an event not to miss!
During this event, you’ll learn things like:
* How to get referrals without asking for them
* Techniques to get people to send you quality referrals
* Strategies for building relationships without breaking the bank
You really should register for it.
(It’s a virtual event, conducted over the phone, and it’s FREE to attend!)
You’ll come away with loads of ideas from each presentation.
These are strategies that you can begin implementing the very next day.
Don’t risk missing this landmark event. It’s filling up FAST!
Check it out for yourself. I know you’ll agree with me.
(Oh, and pass this along to your friends!)
Topics: Events | No Comments »