Author: Cynthia

Marketing Plans for Business

 6 Marketing Plan Examples to Fit Your Small Business

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Do you have a marketing plan to guide you this year?

Small business owners often take a sporadic approach with marketing – trying lots of things at once, or trying one or two things inconsistently. Without a marketing plan aligned with your business goals, you will not get the results you want.

A marketing plan outlines the steps you need to take to maintain consistency and actually get to where you want to be. In this free guide, we provide 6 sample marketing plans for you to adapt to your business specifically.

Included:

  • Sample marketing plans for businesses of various stages of growth
  • Starting points to build your own marketing plan
  • Activities that should be in your top to-do’s
  • Examples of marketing plan execution

Use these basic marketing plans to structure your marketing the right way, and succeed!

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Thrive Hive

Marketing Plan Specialists

 

 

Release All Obstacles

To Ensure Your Business Success

Obstacles

A few days ago I received a message from a business owner asking for my help and advice. This is how her message started:

“Hey i really need to know how to promote my business on line like you do im tired of doing for family and friends im really loosing to much money right now just got gagged by …………….. mom jm done i signed up for cash app i need to know how to sell on pinterest and esty i have to go hard with this time”. This is exactly how her message read.

This was the tone of her messages that were being sent to me. Her messages were being delivered to my phone quicker than I could read them and they went on like this for quite some time Saturday evening. I decided to give her a call the next day to breakdown a few things that I knew she desperately needed to hear that pertained to her business.

Breaking It Down

Obstacles

Two years ago I tried explaining the same thing to this business owner over and over, again and again, but because she had so many obstacles in her life (and she still does) she simply could not hear me.  The message I was trying to convey to her was that she need to have a business plan in place which would in turn help her to setup her system for success. She refused, absolutely downright refused to take the advice and information I had willingly shared and offered to her. She kept telling me that a business plan was a waste of time and she could not see how it could help her. So this time I decided to take a different approach with the Holy Spirit’s guidance and direction. I shared with her a story in the Book of Kings in the Old Testament. It was the story about Naaman the leper.

In 2 Kings 5:1-27 you’ll find the story about Naaman, his leprosy and his plea to Elisha to heal him of this awful disease. When I explained it all to her, I mean I broke it down to the point that I was shouting to the top of my lungs because I got so excited by the end of the phone which was on a Sunday, I told her to think about the words I had just spoken to her and to possibly shut down her business for now, regroup and start fresh in the new year I knew I had her complete attention and not only had she heard me but she actually listened and heeded my advice. I told her that I do not conduct business on Sunday but promised to give her a call on Monday. Monday came I called my client and guess what; she was singing a new song. She’s getting help with her business plan from her uncle who knows all about how to write them to ensure ones success. I’m saying all of this to say if you have a business and you have yet to write a business plan I suggest that you stop what you’re doing and write one asap. It’ll grow your business exponentially and you’ll have money flowing into your life for your highest good and those you love care and provide for.

I talked and tried talking to her using explaining and breaking down some great proven strategies and that how having a business is imperative for any business owner.  I told her to think about what I shared with her for the rest of the day because I don’t work on Sunday.  She agreed. 

Before we ended the call I told her that she would have to change her attitude and her way of thinking.  Once again, she agreed.

I understand it can be hard to switch and shift your mind when you’ve been living in a negative space for what can seem like forever.  I know because I have been there myself.  I’ve sabotaged my businesses by my own negative energy which wasn’t serving me in anyway.  When I made the choice to change my life it took a whole lot of time, but I knew it had to be done because it was affecting my business.  I wasn’t being consistent and I wasn’t accomplishing any of the goals I had put in place for my business.  When I finally made up my mind to do what I needed to do, it made all the difference in the world in a profound way.  My businesses were being impacted with such negativity that I didn’t think I could ever change.  I got tired of laying dormant because the negative forces all around me were pulling me down. 

ObstaclesWithout us ever knowing and sometimes we quickly realize it, we sabotage our own businesses. We don’t mean to, but unfortunately it happens.  Obstacles, blocks and all kinds of fears seem to invade our space and can have the power to take over.  If we stand strong and remind ourselves that we are able and capable of doing those things that we are afraid of trying to achieve, those goals we want to attain, we can do it without a shadow of a doubt. Now is the time to release all obstacles in this new season that is upon us.  Now is the time to walk through and accept those things that help to make our businesses a huge success.

Bless your business,

 

Cyndi

 

From The Word of God

Elisha’s healing of Naaman the leper, commander of the army of the king of Syria, is a familiar story to many (2 Kgs 5:1–27). Naaman hears that Elisha, the prophet of Israel, can heal him, so he makes the trip. When the two meet, Elisha tells him rather dismissively that he needs to take a bath in the Jordan River. Naaman doesn’t take this well and prepares to go home. At the behest of some servants, he consents to dip himself in the Jordan. He is miraculously healed by the simple act. The display of power, so transparently without sacrifice or incantation, awakens Naaman to the fact that Yahweh of Israel is the true God.

 

Streams of Income

How To Get Streams of Income Flowing From Your Business Into Your Business

Streams of income

Income. It’s what everybody needs to live a comfortable lifestyle.

Leveraging your business can be fun and exciting. It can also be a great experience filled with lessons that can change the way you see business and always remember that business is more than just business. It’s about giving and gifting what you yourself would expect from others.

Business is also about sharing and really caring about your customers and those who have come to trust you. If you were to take time to sit back and reflect on how you worked so hard on building your business, you would quickly realize that you’re like a star who recognizes the fact that you may not have such a thriving, flourishing and all around successful business if it were not for one, God the Father, your infinite source of knowledge, wisdom, abundance and prosperity who provides you with the necessary tools and resources you need, and two your customers/clients with whom you have an excellent rapport and awesome business relationship. For some of you personal relationships have formed simply by you being a dedicated and wonderful Christian business woman owner your customers know, respect and have come to highly trust.

Streams of incomeSo how do you get more streams of money and lots of it flowing from your business into your business.

Let’s say you are a graphic artist and you own a design business. The possibilities for you are endless in this great field. You could be making, easily, $100,000 a year. Here’s how. 

One way that you can stream income from your existing business is by using your unique graphic design ability and creating your own store where you can put your designs on a bevy of products that include:

  • Greeting cards
  • Tee shirts
  • Wall art
  • Keychains
  • Coffee mugs
  • Mouse pads
  • Pillows
  • Throws
  • Postcards and more.

Here are a few of my designs from my Zazzle store.  Right now I have a balance of $7.36 in my account.  I had a lot more, but I let someone go in and use the money because she was having a Sickle Cell event and I allowed her to use my earnings to order the mugs and buttons that I designed for her special event.

Streams of income Streams of income Streams of income Streams of income Streams of income

You can make a lot of money on Zazzle and CafePress, but it does take a whole lot of time and effort.  I have sold tee shirts and mugs mostly, but I haven’t really focused on my store too much this year because of my body butter business.  I plan to relaunch my store before the year is out.  I highly recommend opening a Zazzle store, but also know that when you sell items on Zazzle, they of course, get most of the percentage, leaving you with pennies, but if you sell a lot of items, it’s well worth it.  It does take time as I stated earlier. 

If you want to look into opening your store with Zazzle, you can open a free account here.

I hope this article has been useful in helping you to think about how you can grow your business to get more money flowing into your life. 

Setting up your system for success,

Cyndi

 

I’ll Say It Again Revised

Business Is More Than Just BusinessBusiness is more than businessAnd The Reason We Should Embrace It

 

Hello Women of Excellence,

Do you see the women in the photos smiling? It’s because they recognize the important fact that business is more just business. Read on to see exactly the point I am trying to make.

Business is business. I am constantly being reminded of it whenever I sell a product, but there is so much more to business than business.

One of the most valuable lessons I have learned as an empire owner is that most people have taken most, if not all of the emotion when conducting business. There is absolutely no emotion attached to business tradings, dealings and transactions. Well, except for me and I hope you feel the same. Listen, if we were to take all of the emotion out of our daily business practices I don’t think we would be in business for long. Business is strictly business for most, but is this really a smart way or the right way to run a business.

 I think it’s extremely important that we keep some emotion in our daily business transactions.  What I mean is this; when I hand make a body butter gift set for a new customer I make sure that I pour a lot of love into my gift box creations.  It is important that I place in each box that I lovingly designed the highest quality products that I can find because I want to give my customers the very best gift items that I can possibly give. This is important because I want my customers to be happy and satisfied with their purchase.  For me, presentation is everything.  

Business is more than business

Now just think, if I were to take all of the emotion out of my daily business goals I would find myself cutting corners and I probably wouldn’t take so much time crafting such beautiful gift boxes.  I enjoy what I do and it is my hope that it shows in each and every one of my presentations.  For me, producing great themed gift boxes is my passion and I want that passion to shine through the nano second my customers’ eyes open their elegantly designed gift box. I don’t ever want to cut corners when it comes to giving my customers the very best.

I think it’s safe to say that we as God’s Virtuous Women Entrepreneurs, love to produce and give life changing lasting substance that has great potential and could possibly change someone’s life. Also, if I removed all emotion from my business I don’t think I would enjoy the success that comes from being that brilliant business woman who knows how to give! I wouldn’t be able to define success and if I couldn’t define success (in every aspect and area of my life and business) what good would I be to my customers, potential customers or myself. I would just be another business owner focused on making lots of money.  Now, please don’t get me wrong; I am sure that there are a lot of successful businesses owners who make tons of money, but I think the focus is just that money.  I think it’s important that we put our customers’ needs first and then the money will just flow right into our hands.  So, let’s not make money our focus.  Instead, let’s think about how we can change lives through our services and products.  It is imperative that we think about others.  When we do this, our business will soar like never before. Business needs to be more than just business. 

Business is more than business

BUSINESS IS HELPING AND GIVING OUR VERY BEST AS WE WORK TO CHANGE LIVES

Being in business means helping, giving, sharing, gifting, blessing and transforming. In our hearts we should be pouring out compassion into the lives of our clients and potential customers by providing them with highest level of service one can give. It’s that simple.

It’s an amazing feeling running a business, but it’s even more exciting when you run your business from a mindset that says I only want to offer and give the very best that I can give where my business is concerned and that includes exceptional customer service and the very best product/service in my specialized field which includes amazing prices that’s fair to both my customers and myself and a show of appreciation in the form of a special gift to my customers; a high quality gift that they can use to help them in some area of their life even if it only makes them smile. It is then that business is recognized as more than just business, but a caring individual who, behind the scenes presence can be felt in the most enriching and empowering way ever!

Be encouraged,
 
Cynthia

I Apologize

Good Evening Women of Excellence,

I pray all is well.

I felt the need to reach out to each and every one of you because I published a piece that went out before I was ready for it to be distributed.  The true article will be published tomorrow so please stay tuned and again, I truly apologize for the mistake.

God bless you all!

Cyndi

Women in Business

WOMEN IN BUSINESS

Gifted, Rich and Prosperous Beyond Belief…

It’s The Story of Our Lives!

As a Christian woman that has been blessed beyond belief to own a profiting business I have to say I do enjoy my flourishing empire. I love everything about my businesses because I feel like each one has been tailor made for and exclusive to me. It’s the story I get to write a little about everyday and it is one of my many loves. I water my business everyday with my heart giving it the love it needs. 

Perhaps you maybe asking yourself how I have been able to propel and soar my dynasty enjoying the great success I’ve now come to expect.

I have been going at this work-at-home “thing” for a long time; since 2002 to be exact.  When I closed the doors to corporate America and all of it’s stress, I opened the doors to limitless opportunities for myself.  It was back in September 2002 that I started my typing business, Magic Fingers.  It quickly turned into a secretarial and I soon found myself teaching myself graphic design.  I fell in love and taught myself how to create and design beautiful pieces of heart art.  I give God all the glory and you know something, He deserves it all.  

Cyndi’s Digital Palette was launched and now Cyndi’s Light Work Designs.  I love to design website headers for my own blogs, but most of all I love to design wall art for heart and home. 

Here’s how I have created and designed my business success.

First, I setup my own unique and powerful system for success that I simply call Setting Up My System for Success.

When you start a business it is vital that you have all systems in place. Here’s how I did it. 

  • I had goals and I began writing a business plan around all of my goals one by one.
  • I had a vision… more than one to be exact and I knew exactly what I wanted to bring to life.  I wrote out my vision and plan in clear and concise terms that I could go back to and use a guide for my business.
  • I had dreams, probably too many to count which has been awesome.   I never stop dreaming which helps to keep my focused and centered on and around my businesses.
  • Gifts.  I use my gifts to the fullest.  I recognized what my gifts were and began using them to build my businesses up from the ground. 
  • Talents.  I think women are the most gifted and talented beings on the planet and we specialize in using our talents in certain areas of our lives as well as in our businesses.  This is how success is birthed.
  • Knowledge and by wisdom.  I have taken all of the knowledge, which I love to call, tools and resources and I apply my knowledge and wisdom to my businesses to help them to sustain whatever comes my way.
  • Faith.  All of my faith is in God.  It has to be or else I’ll lose focus and veer off onto the wrong path.  You must have faith in God and yourself.  You must believe that you can succeed and you will.  You have to speak encouraging words over your business everyday.  I always say, such and such is going to make a lot of sales today and it is going to soar and guess what, it really does because I simply believe it and I take inspired action to ensure that I make great sales everyday!

I Also Did/Do This…

I took all the tools and resources available to me and I created and designed my own rich reservoir of abundance that I use as my guide and compass that leads me to the path of success everyday. I use all the gifts that I have been given in addition to my unique skill set. I love to write so writing out a great plan was really easy for me.  Plus, I was clear on what I wanted to do. Also, I add to my plan all the time. I have even reinvented the wheel more than I care to admit, but I have to tell you that it has blessed my business abundantly because it makes me think and when I think it takes my business to the next level if that makes any sense at all.

I also speak affirmations that work like a beautiful sparkling charm on a bracelet. They work because they serve me by encompassing my mind with positive words, sentences and some are even paragraphs because they are true. They have also helped me to shake fear and put positive thoughts in my mind making me smile while raising my vibration. There’s an incredible feeling that comes over me when I get excited about business. 

And then the best part is I get to give and share. There is no feeling like giving and this is one of my greatest investments; you and me. 

It is my sincerest hopes that you are using this wealth of information for your own businesses. It is so very important that we help one another as we strive to excel in excellence in our infinite potential. 

Where are you in business? Are you right where you want to be or are you where you should be according to God’s perfect and perfect timing?

If you are stuck and can’t seem to move one iota then it’s time for you to do something different. A new season of new beginnings will soon be upon us. What better time than the fall season to incorporate a new few business propelling components to send you soaring on a consistent basis and not just for a short while or for a season. You have all the tools. Use them. 

Happy Am I

All The Days of My Life

Happy Am ILife for me lately has been a river of tears. Happy tears. 

All last week I was really sick with a horrible cold. I have not had a cold in two years. 

Last Tuesday my throat was really scratchy and then I started coughing and couldn’t seem to stop. I decided to shampoo my hair and right after that I was confined to the bed. My husband made me a cup of tea which helped me to feel a little better. When it was time to go to bed I just couldn’t sleep for coughing. I was taking Robitussin, but it didn’t do much in terms of helping to ease the cough. 

As time went on I was feeling worse and then better until I went out to my credit union. Thank God my husband was with me because I got really dizzy and nauseous. I came home only to end up in bed once again. 

As I lay here, or is it lie here, resting I have been thinking about my life as an entrepreneur or as some people say a successful woman business owner. I thought about all of the things I have envisioned and all the dreams I have prayed for and worked to ensure that they come to fruition.  I also reflected upon my shortcomings and a river of thoughts came to mind. With all of my unique and brilliant ideas that I have gratefully been presented with and that I wisely implemented to ensure my success as a business owner I have, I’m sad to say, have failed. In my failures I have had to look at myself over and over time and time again. And now I am elated, overjoyed and happy to say that my failures have become my success stories. I now know the importance of confidence, faith, commitment, consistency and perseverance. I also know and understand the meaning of inspired action. 

And so it is I am here a woman of wealth and like you I have goals I must accomplish. And like you I have dreams that I long to bring into the light of my life as well as sharing my dreams with you for I know they will be empowerment, enrichment and encouragement just as they are for me. My heart is the cup that holds my wealth, my riches, my abundance and my prosperity. Here in my heart my true potential can also be found and it is the gift that opens the doors of never ending opportunities and the life changing covenant I have made with myself to ensure that you too reach your destination. 

Business Goals

Building A Successful Business That Will Help You To Live A Prosperous Life

Never ending are the possibilities and opportunities made available to you when you take inspired action to create value for others. 

When you create value for others a major shift takes place in your business. 

When we think of launching a business we think of earning a living to support ourselves and our families and for some of you, you are cloaked with a deep burning passion to help others. It becomes your focus and goal to ensure that someone out there is getting the help they need in that one area of life that could possibly impact their entire life, hopefully long term. 

When we do this in a consistent basis constantly working to share our knowledge and perhaps even lend understanding we create a whole new world of opportunities for ourselves. If we are sincere in our efforts, working diligently to accomplish our goals it is then that we design a thriving, prosperous and successful business; one that cannot fail. 

When you envision seeing someone benefit from a service or product you offer you change the entire dynamic of your business that has a lasting effect on your life. Abundance then begins to flow to you like a magnet and then you change your financial forecast and future which is in the very moment that you take the necessary steps and actions to change someone else’s life. 

When you truly believe in Yourself, your goals, your endeavors and you aspire to be the woman business owner who promises yourself to pour out your passion into every aspect of your business you are making a commitment to not just change your life but the lives of those who come to know you and trust you. This is the success you will come to live, love and appreciate. 

Welcome July

A New Season

Good Day God’s Virtuous Women Entrepreneurs,

How are all of you phenomenally brilliant women business owners doing these days.

It’s July already and I am really excited about this new season.

In this new season, I’ve decided that it’s time to embark on something new, but new should always pertain and be relevant to your existing businesses.  I say this to say, because new opportunities are always being presented to me and I used to think that that meant it’s time to start a new business, but I learned as I went along that when new ideas come to me or are gifted to me that have the great potential to make more money, and yes, we all love to make money, it doesn’t mean that I throw up a new website or start something altogether different from the businesses on which I already built, am currently building or trying to build up. 

Okay, let’s get right down to business and setup even greater success in this new season for our businesses.

I am presently working on a few minor business details using my favorite platform on which I use to build most of my websites; WordPress.  

I’m not sure if any of you use WordPress for your website(s), but if you don’t maybe you should consider switching over to this rich CMS.  It has a steep learning curve, but once you understand how it works I think it will serve you well and you’ll be happy with the results when you see how much you can do with it and all that it offers. It has a ton of plugins to help you to do whatever your goals are in terms of building your website.

Anyway, today I’ll be working on a few of my businesses and setting them up for the upcoming Christmas season. I know you may be thinking I’m crazy for mentioning Christmas, but trust me when I tell you, it will be here before you know it.  I am a preparer and a planner which is why I am able to get things done in a timely as well as a professional manner.  I keep my customers on my mind because I have to help people.  I just do.

And so it is that I have to tell you that I have a new collection I’ll be launching for the Christmas Season for my body butters and I am thrilled to see it all come to fruition. I have been working nonstop because you know as I always say marketing and technology changes every second we breathe, but I do what I know what’s best for me and my businesses and it all works for me and it all flows so perfectly. 

I believe if you have a product or perhaps offer a service and you implement your own unique and brilliant ideas into your business success will follow wherever you go.  You just have to know that you have something others need.  

You have to believe that your product is the one product that stands out from the competition because you created it using your creativity in such a great way that it has the powerful potential to change a life.

If you offer a service or you have designed a product out of a need here’s how you can market your services for life-changing success for you and others:

Write great content.

Example: Let’s say you make glittery glassware and in the midst of you designing your specialized glassware you have discovered that there are a lot of women and even some men that are doing the same thing.  Here’s how you take your glittery glassware business to the next level setting it up in a class all by itself.  You write remarkable content.  You tell an attention-grabbing, attention-keeping content that tells your personalized story about how and why you started your business designing beautiful wineglasses, glassware or whatever you want to call it. You are going to tell your audience about how you made the discovery and how it can change their lives.  Maybe they are searching for that one-of-a-kind gift that they simply cannot find in stores. Tell them how you are going to send them their glassware and how long it will take for them to receive it.

Create Life-Loving Value for Others

This is where you get to share your own wealth. 

When you create transformational and life-loving value for others, you not only change their life, but you change your own life.  

I cannot stress enough the wealth that is in you.  When you take that wealth and you use it to build your empire, but create value for others and prosperity for yourself. 

Creating value for others is empowering and enriching. It gives you the chance to share your gifts and abilities with the world.  This is how your money flows directly to you.  You take inspired action by creating value for those who trust and look to you to help change their lives permanently. When you do this you will see the value that has the potential to make you even wealthier than ever.  

Now, sit down and pen your plans to paper to create even more value for your customers as well as for yourself.  You’ll instantly see and feel the amazing and awesome power that is in you.  Get excited and keep your energy level to a temperature that is as high as the heat and humidity are during the Summer Season of 2018!

Blessings,

Cyndi

cyndisdesignz@gmail.com