www.exceptionalmag.com
July-August 2013
CONTENTS Extraordinary Profiles 4
Janis Kearney— A Life-Long Journey of Determination, Passion and Fulfillment
14
James Piper Bond—Developing Young People into Leaders
Minding My Business 22
Build a Strong Foundation for Your Followers by Allowing Them to Trust You
23
How to Free Your People, and Yourself, to Become Indispensable
Cover design by Jeff Hayes
24
Essentials of Cash Flow Management for Small Businesses
25
Great Icebreaker Quiz
Empowerment
26
To Win at Negotiating, Watch the Hands
32
Is Fear Preventing You from Living Your Purposeful Career?
27
Are Your Clients Over-stepping Their Boundaries?
34
Attention Parents! This Gratitude Formula Builds Character in Kids
36
Gaining Others’ Respect
37
Five Considerations Before Making Any Financial Decision
38
Easy Strategies that Help You Lose Weight
39
Practice Uncommon Appreciation
“Fortitude is the capacity to say ‘no’ when the world wants to hear ‘yes’”. Erich Fromm
Publisher’s Letter Dear Friends, Can you believe it? The summer is half over. I hope you have made great strides thus far in fulfilling your dreams, completing projects that you've started, or that you're pursuing new exciting opportunities. If you’re not getting the results you expected, then I'll ask, “What’s holding you back?” Is it a lack of money or time, or an unexpected situation? What are you doing to overcome these problems? I am happy to introduce the July/August issue. I hope that you will become inspired by the stories contained in this issue. From the cotton fields of Arkansas to the White House, Janis Kearney has blazed a trail most others could only imagine. A remarkable history-maker, she shares her life’s journey of growing up in a family of 19 siblings, working in the cotton fields with her dad, and becoming the first presidential diarist in U.S. history, chronicling President Clinton’s day-to-day life. As owners of Dog Fashion Spa, Elena Volnova and Domenico Ponti share information on the unique approaches they’ve taken to run their company. They explain how their company culture will help them develop a solid foundation for long-term growth and happy, loyal employees. You’ll also learn the true meaning of “service to others” from James Piper Bond. For 28 years he has been the CEO of “Living Classrooms," a non-profit organization which helps disadvantaged youth and young adults by providing them with hands-on educational and job training programs. These programs help young people to become leaders within their communities. Each of the individuals featured in this issue offers a new perspective on life, a new angle from which you can glean ideas to enhance your life. I encourage you to take a leap of faith before the summer ends to begin something new that you once thought was impossible, complete that project you never finished, or help someone else to achieve their dream. I’m also excited to announce that I have recently published two new books, “Welcome to the Top” and “Start Your Business Right”. I am looking forward to helping professionals enhance their careers and helping entrepreneurs and small business owners to quickly grow their companies. Welcome to the Top is an amazing resource to help you learn how to operate a profitable business. The information in this book will provide guidance to help you gain lasting success. I am amazed that within a short period of time, Welcome to the Top has become a 3! Amazon Bestselling book for new business enterprises. Visit the page on Amazon: http://amzn.to/13czGph. In Start Your Business Right, I outline a comprehensive process for entrepreneurs and business owners to follow to create a thorough plan for their business. It is the ultimate guide to help you plan your business at the most detailed level. Publishing these two books has been a great experience and hard work. I am just embarking upon this journey and I believe that it will be a very rewarding one. Visit the page on Amazon: http://amzn.to/15n0nXC. Visit www.secretstosuccessbooks.com to learn much more about these two great resources and my special offer. Let me know how I can help you succeed. With every wish for great achievements,
Exceptional People Magazine is not just a magazine. It is a life-changing experience. March-April 2013 | Exceptional People Magazine | 3
Photo by Jennifer Girard
Janis F. Kearney
A Life Life--Long Journey of Determination, Passion and Fulfillment
Extraordinary Profiles
From the cotton fields to the White House, Janis Kearney has blazed a remarkable trail that most could only imagine. Faith without works is dead. In this family of 19 siblings, they all had faith that life would change for the better. They also understood the power of hard work and taking action that would lead to change. As a young child, Kearney was a dreamer and she never stopped believing in her ability to become someone who could live a life that would have a profound impact upon others. Is it possible? It absolutely is possible and it became Kearney’s reality. She didn’t allow the limits that others tried to place on her become her reality. The limits that others attempt to place on you are their opinions of your capabilities. It is up to you to excel and prove them wrong. Motivational speaker Les Brown once said, “Someone’s opinion of you doesn’t have to become your reality.” Life wasn’t easy growing up in the Kearney household, but she understood the value of education, dreaming big and becoming an actionaire – just a few of the values that her parents instilled in all 19 siblings. Today, Kearney is an exceptional writer who is having an amazing impact on lives around the world.
until we graduated from high school, so hard work was certainly a part of my childhood. But it was also a wonderful kind of environment for learning and the love of learning. My parents, both of whom did not graduate from high school, had a deep reverence for education and an understanding of how important it was for us. Having come from an impoverished background, they found comfort in education, and they instilled in us not only the importance of education, but a love for learning. You can urge people to learn but unless they really love to learn or enjoy learning, they may or may not succeed at it. The love of learning that my parents instilled in us, has paid off greatly over the years. Faith was a huge part of it also. My parents were very involved in their church, as were we. Monica: As you noted, your parents stressed the value of learning and fact that education was very important. As we are all aware, that will certainly take you far in life. Janis: That’s exactly what they did and again, the dichotomy of that is that they did not have the education. My mom attended school up to the 8th grade, and that was not unusual for young women from families that weren’t even as impoverished. My mom came from a family that wasn’t considered poor, but in those days because of segregation, there was no black high school. Her brothers were able to go away to other cities to attend school, while State Press publisher Daisy Bates with managing editor Janis F. Kearney—Photo by Brian Lanker
Kearney candidly spoke about her life experiences as a child, how she went from picking and chopping cotton with her siblings, to become the first presidential diarist in U.S. history, chronicling President Clinton’s day-today life. She also discusses other exciting experiences surrounding her rewarding writing career. Monica: What was life like growing up in the Kearny household in a family of 19 children picking and chopping cotton? Janis: It was never a boring moment; it was great and I loved having a big family because you never had to go out searching for friends or people to play with. It was hard work. That was a very intricate part of our lives. I think I’ve written and talked about the fact that each of us when we were seven years old, became a part of my dad’s cotton chopping, cotton picking clan. We did that July-August 2013 | Exceptional People Magazine | 5
Extraordinary Profiles
Author Kearney interviews Governor Clinton in 1991 she was unable to leave because she was a female. I think that was a big thing that pushed her to make sure that all of her children, not just the males, were able to get an education and knew the importance of an education. Monica: Yes, and all of you actually attended college and many of you went to graduate schools and law schools. Janis: All of us except one attended and graduated from colleges and there are nine lawyers in the family now. Nine siblings that are lawyers, many grandkids, my parent’s grandkids are lawyers as well. It’s a testament to good parenting and stressing the importance of education to your children early on. My father taught us how to read, write and count before we went to school. He taught us faith and how important that is to structuring the values of young people. All of that is a testament to how I was enriched by growing up in Arkansas. Monica: You and your sister experienced racism while attending grade school. Can you talk about that experience and how it impacted your lives at that time? Janis: Well, yes. It was the integration era, and parts of Arkansas were not prepared for full integration, so they had something called Freedom of Choice where people were able to picket against integration. I know a number of black students who were able to attend schools with white students. We were a part of that group that participated in integration, and we experienced racism and prejudice 6 | Exceptional People Magazine | July-August 2013
during those years, not only from students but from teachers as well. That was a harsh lesson for us. We knew that segregation existed, we understood it, it was expected in our part of the world, but we hadn’t come face-to-face with it, because we had our own lives. We were isolated from that to a great extent. My dad knew about it, he dealt with it but as children we hadn’t, and going to a white school was an eye opener. It impacted us because we had come from a school where we were viewed as over-achievers. We worked hard and our grades showed it, but when we went to the white school as we called it, that all changed and our grades suffered. Then we had the interaction from day to day of co-eds, interracial co-eds and teachers, making it very clear to us that they didn’t expect us to learn, they didn’t want us to be there. It was something we had to deal with and it never changed how we viewed racial relations after that. Monica: Sometimes when you have a person of authority such as a teacher telling you, imprinting upon your mind certain expectations, if you’re a child, you may tend to limit yourself to those expectations. Janis: That’s exactly right. Thank God that we had our parents and we didn't allow others to decide what our futures held. However, it still impacted your sense of self, your sense of who you were, the sense of your abilities and self-confidence. I talk to educators a lot about how important it is to relate to your students and show them what you expect of them. A lot of times I think the problem with our students is that they’re being placed with teachers who don’t expect much of them.
Extraordinary Profiles
Monica: There are people with whom I've communicated and interviewed over the years. Some of them will say that they're doing something in life that they don’t particularly like, they’re only doing it because that's what their parents wanted for them. They are working in a career for example that’s not of their choosing. How important is it for parents to allow their children to not only dream big, but to experience the power of their dreams, rather than becoming a doctor or a lawyer, if they don’t want to go into those fields? Janis: Oh, I think that is so important, I really do, because as you said you find a lot of unhappy people doing things that don’t make them happy because they're trying to please someone else. You find yourself on a path that someone else set for you. My parents never ever told us, “I want you to become this, or I want you to become that. This is what you should do.” They told us to, “Work hard, dream big, dream as big as you want to dream, but just always know that those dreams only come true if you work hard and you focus on them.” They never said they wanted us to become any specific thing but they believed in us and they convinced us that if we wanted something bad enough, if we worked hard enough at it, that we could achieve it. We all decided that we wanted to work hard and, amazingly, so many of my brothers and some of my sisters decided that they wanted to become lawyers. If you talk to them and ask them, “How did this happen,” a lot of it came from our childhood, from experiencing some of the things that we experienced, seeing my dad experience some of the things that he experienced because we were poor, because we were black, because it was a segregated environment. Monica: Early on in your career you purchased the Arkansas State Press Newspaper from Daisy Bates, the civil rights leader who spearheaded the efforts to end segregation in Arkansas. It was a historical event that played out on the national stage. What inspired you to purchase the newspaper? Janis: I guess a couple of things. One, the fact that I always admired Daisy Bates. I met her early in my life when I was 16 years old, and I just thought that she was the greatest woman that existed. In 1987 after I’d worked for the state government for a number of years, I realized that I was not doing exactly what I was supposed to be doing.
Writing was my passion from probably when I was six or seven years old. I knew that’s what I would eventually do and I needed to get on that path in a more direct way. I realized there was another path that I needed to be on. Daisy Bates had started her newspaper, but in 1980 her husband died. The paper, by the way, ceased publication in 1959 during the height of the 1957 Central High crisis when Daisy and L. C. Bates played a critical role in that whole situation. It was very important to the 1957 Central High crisis. Daisy of course was the face and the voice of that era, and because of that, many of their advertisers, white advertisers especially, pulled their advertisements from the paper. If you know anything about very small newspapers, they can’t exist without advertising. However, Daisy revived the paper. She had promised her husband that she would and in 1984, she did. In 1987, she had a managing editor that she really liked but he was leaving to go to law school. A friend of mine who knew that I was ready to become more involved in writing told me about her need for a managing editor. I went to Daisy and I reminded her that in 1959 when I was 16 years old, I had applied for a clerical position with her when she was working on an antiharmony program and I didn’t get that job. This time she gave me the job and I worked for her as managing editor for just a few months before she said that she was going to retire and sell the newspaper. I was disappointed because I knew that this was what I was supposed to be doing. God had put me there for a purpose. I went home and told my husband. We talked about it and I returned to her and asked, “Would you sell the newspaper to me?” She looked at me as if I were crazy, but she said, “Okay, I’ll think about it.” She sold the newspaper to me and I was able to make a down payment and pay the remainder over time. I felt that God had put me at that newspaper for a purpose and that I shouldn’t just leave, walk away when Daisy Bates decided to sell it. I took a leap of faith and purchased her newspaper in 1988. I became the publisher and I absolutely loved it. I tell people it’s harder than chopping and picking cotton. Running a small newspaper is really hard work. The problem with getting good reliable people to work for you, people who know journalism, that’s important too. I struggled, I worked on it, I loved it, I learned so much about the business, I learned so much about myself, I July-August 2013 | Exceptional People Magazine | 7
Extraordinary Profiles
learned so much about the state government and policy, as well as the city. In 1992, I turned it over to my sister to run because I took a sabbatical and went to work for Bill Clinton's campaign. Monica: What life lessons did you learn from Daisy Bates? Janis: I learned many things from her during the time that we worked together at the newspaper. Even after I purchased it, she came in as a counselor for me for a number of years until she became quite ill. I learned tenacity. She was the most tenacious person once she decided on something. Once she got something in her head, no one could dissuade her, that's why she was so successful as a leader. She was bullheaded and she really believed in what’s right and she worked hard. She taught me that you don’t need a lot of people to accomplish something, it just takes one person or a small group of people who have the same mindset and who believe completely in what they’re doing. I learned that from her that you don’t need a huge group to make a difference. She was one person and I believe by just being that one person, she made a huge difference. She taught me that you should depend on something inside of yourself; very seldom can you depend on other people to direct you as well as you can direct yourself. There were a lot of questions concerning whether Daisy Bates should have been the in the NAACP at the time because she was a woman and because she hadn’t moved up in the line of the NAACP leadership. But Daisy Bates got out and she did things that other people would not have done, male or female, and that’s what made her different. Whether she was selected by God or she was selected by people, that’s why she was the person at the helm of that July Crisis in 1957. Monica: Your career took an amazing turn when you joined the Clinton/Gore presidential campaign and of course, you carved out a piece of history for yourself by eventually becoming the first presidential diarist in history. Before we talk about that, you also served as a director of minority outreach. What was your role in that capacity? Janis: When I took a sabbatical from the newspaper, I went to work for Clinton's campaign in Little Rock, where I worked in his press office. His office had two 8 | Exceptional People Magazine | July-August 2013
press secretaries, one was Avis La Velle of Chicago, and the other was Dee Dee Myers out of California. I went to work for Avis La Velle as the minority media outreach director, and I dealt with minority and special communities. I interviewed people who came on to work with him, I did radio interviews, and I did press releases of the events taking place around the campaign. When the news media wanted to interview either of the candidates, President Clinton or any of the people who worked for the campaign, I would be the person that they would contact first. Those are the kind of things that I did as the minority media outreach director. Monica: You’ve enriched the lives of many people through your writings and your work as an author, but you also experienced a major life transformation at the age of 37 when you began working at the White House. What impact did that position have on you as a black woman and how did you think it would impact your future? Janis: That’s a good question, as far as my future I don’t think I ever thought about that very much and that has kind of been the trajectory for my life. I cannot do things if I don’t see them at the time, either as a need or something that I really want to do at that time. I don’t think too far into the future when I decide what I’m going to do. When I went to work for Clinton's campaign, I didn’t think at all about going to Washington D.C. or going to the White House. I had a desire to work for someone I believed in, who I’d known for many years, who was my governor and who I thought was a great governor and would make a great president. It was exciting to work towards getting someone like him into the White House; that’s what I was doing. I had no plans at all of working in the White House. I was going to come back to my newspaper, and that was exciting to me. I was asked towards the end of our transition period after he had been elected if I was interested in coming to the White House. That was a hard decision because my mother passed away in 1982, and my dad was in his 80s at that time. I was the daughter who was living in Arkansas. I had brothers, but I was the girl. You must understand, I was the person who was making sure that he was okay. I knew that that would change things for him if I went away to Washington D.C. I was lucky that my son had graduated from high school and was going to college. My dad was a big concern, but he was the one who convinced me that I had to go. He told me that all of the struggles, the sacrifices that he and my mom had gone through, all of the things they’d taught us over the
Extraordinary Profiles
Author looks on as youngsters greet the President. years and instilled in us, that that should have prepared me for that decision. So I had to go to Washington D.C. I didn’t think a lot about the future except that I wanted to be able to come back home and check on my dad as much as possible. He knew I was going into a completely different realm, travelling to Washington D.C. and working at the White House. I just never have been a person who thought, “Okay five years from now, I’m going to do this.” I just don’t think like that. Monica: What do you think President Clinton saw in you to select you as his personal diarist? Janis: He saw someone whom he felt comfortable with, he saw someone that he knew quite well. He knew my writing and he felt comfortable with that and he trusted me. It’s a job that demands trust, so I think those were the things that he saw in me. It wasn’t a given that I would get the job. I did compete for it, and there were many other people who applied for the position. Monica: When you obtained the position did you think, "This is where I’m supposed to be and there is a purpose behind it?" Janis: I said that before I got the job. I heard that the job existed and I said, “I think God wants me to have this job," because I felt within myself that that was a perfect fit for me. I decided to apply for it at that point.
Monica: The fact that you had the opportunity to fill that position, there have been some good things and bad things that have come from that, but overall I can only imagine that that was an amazing experience for you. Janis: It was an amazing experience. I can’t even imagine anything else that I would have wanted to do than what I was doing. It was the perfect job for me. It was more than anything I could have dreamed of, and I was a huge dreamer. To have that kind of access to a president on a day-to-day basis, to be able to see history happening in front of me every day, there is no job that I can compare it to. Monica: From your childhood to the time when you were employed at the White House, you've had some amazing life experiences. How have those experiences impacted your thinking and your perspective on life today? Janis: I’m a huge optimist, and I haven’t changed very much from the time I was 16 and going so excitedly to an interview with Daisy Bates. I still wake up expecting something wonderful and exciting to happen in my life every day. I’m doing in my life what I know God put me on this earth to do, writing. I have met some incredible people, I have some incredible friends, and one of the things I’m most grateful for is my father who is now 107 years old. He lives between my home and my baby sister's home. He’s my boss and I have two beautiful grandchildren. My son who was my best July-August 2013 | Exceptional People Magazine | 9
Extraordinary Profiles
them to reach well beyond their potential. What words of wisdom can you offer to women about the power of living in the moment and not allowing what others think to limit their growth? Janis: Oh God, I mean I can just repeat what you just said. First of all don’t box yourself into, “This is what I can do, this is all that I can do,” whether it concerns race, whether it has to do with your gender, whether it has to do with what part of the country you live in or what part of the world. The possibilities are endless and it’s so important that we teach our young people that, especially our young girls, that there are no restrictions because of your race, gender, where you live, who you happen to be, or
Janis Kearney with President Clinton friend for so many years, is doing wonderful things. I have a wonderful husband who is a great friend and who has helped me. As they say, I have nothing to complain about in life. I think all of the things that I've experienced have prepared me for this moment in life. Monica: Any person who is a writer has the power to change people's perspective simply by the words that they write on a page. I believe it’s the meaning behind the words that have the power to move people to take action, to change their thinking. How would you say your writing has impacted your readers? Janis: Well I’m always surprised when people say that it does. What I’ve learned as a writer is that when you write, you don’t write for another person but you write about what’s coming from you. What I love is that I’m writing what is honestly coming from me. It is impacting people and I’m very happy about that. I tell the truth and you can’t be a true writer until you can tell the truth. I share things that I never thought I would share because it’s important to the story it makes it real, it makes it incredible. You don’t have to share everything that’s happened in your life, but certainly anything that you share has to be real and true. Monica: As a woman you have overcome barriers, but you also blazed a trail and opened doors for many women, not just black women. You have encouraged 10 | Exceptional People Magazine | July-August 2013
even your name. We’ve got to teach our young kids to believe in themselves, and I think that’s the key. If you believe in yourself, I think that you can reach way beyond anything that you experienced when you were growing up. You can accomplish something beyond all of that. I have great, great optimism for our young people. I know we criticize them a lot and we talk about how they’re not doing anything with their lives. I have optimism for our young people because I see a lot of young people who are accomplishing amazing things. Monica: When you wrote Conversations, William Jefferson Clinton from Hope to Harlem, were there specific lessons or insights that you wanted your readers to gain? Janis: I think what I wanted out of that was to present different people’s opinions, expressions, memories and experiences with William Jefferson Clinton, the man, the leader, the governor and the president. I did that in response to a lot of my friends in Washington D.C., especially my white friends who just could not believe that there was a white governor and president who had a rapport, who had a relationship, who understood the black community, the black race, as well as many other races, but he grew up mostly with blacks and whites.
Extraordinary Profiles
They couldn’t grasp that and I said, “Well, one of the things I want to do when I leave here is to write a book that allows them to learn about other people’s experiences and memories of what Bill Clinton was like,” not only as governor but even before then, as a child, what made him who he was. That was part of something that I did when I left the White House in 2001. I went to New Harvest with a fellowship to begin research and to start writing that book. Monica: Speaking of writing, you created your own publishing company rather than taking the traditional publishing route. Looking back at that decision, do you feel that was the best move for you? Janis: Absolutely, I do. I can tell you I did that after I had found a very good agent. Working with her to get my first book published through New York, that was not happening at the time and I was very anxious for that book to be published before my dad passed. He was 98 at the time. I thought, “I just can’t wait and wait for New York to decide when they want to publish my book.” That was when my husband and I sat down and talked about that and we decided to do it. I had taken lots of publishing courses and I knew a little bit about how to do it. I started the publishing company, I found people who contracted with me, and they helped me get my book published. Monica: Based on that experience, what are your thoughts on the publishing business today, because there are so many options available to authors and writers? Janis: I love it. It’s such a monopoly for someone in New York to tell you whether your book is worthy or not, and I always thought that that was objective. They don’t have the same experiences as you; they don’t understand the community or know the people that you may know. But they tell you that your book will not sell for one reason or another. I never thought that made any sense at all. I think a lot of people have decided that it doesn’t make sense, and now you find many, many independent authors, independent publishers, self-publishers, and publishing on demand. You find people getting it done in different ways, not having to go through the powers that be in New York. It’s hard work, especially if you want to do it right, and that’s why I tell a lot of people you can do it a number of different ways, but do it right. You are really going to work hard. Quality matters to me. It may not matter to
everyone, but it makes a big difference to me and I work hard to make sure that my books are quality publications as an independent book publisher. Monica: I’m sure many people, especially within black community, see you as a leader. So as a leader what is your dream for blacks in America? Janis: I would love to believe that one day blacks won't have to explain themselves differently because they’re black. I used to really believe that one day there would be a colorless society, that people would look at each other and they wouldn’t see colors. I know that’s not a possibility really, I don’t believe it’s a possibility. But I do believe it’s a possibility for people of different races, ethnicities and colors to be accepting of each other. That is my dream that we as a people will realize that we’re so much alike beneath the surface, and if we could get beyond the surface, I think this country, this world would be a much better place. I hope and I pray that black America will accept themselves, because that’s the first thing, accepting and loving yourself and knowing that you have the capability. Don’t wait for approval from other people, just do what you know you can do. Eventually you will get that approval, but if you’re waiting for approval before you act, then a lot of times it’s not going to work out. Monica: I think oftentimes that’s where our problems lie because we are waiting. I was telling someone recently, “You are waiting and you have faith in others that they will help you, but faith without works is dead.” You not only have to have faith but you have to start working towards what you want to achieve, and then other people will join in to help you. Janis: That’s right, a lot of people have to see it first. Monica: Talk a little bit about your memoire, Cotton Field of Dreams and your purpose for writing it. Janis: That was my first memoire and that was a love story to my parents, a memorial to my parents. I wanted to talk about all the things that we went through, the times that were not easy for any of us but also the many things that we gained from that, the values, the lessons, the love, the unmistakable, unconditional love. That's the kind of structured person I became and that’s why I felt that book was so important to write.
July-August 2013 | Exceptional People Magazine | 11
Extraordinary Profiles
Monica: What projects are you currently working on? Janis: Right now, I’m traveling with my latest book on Daisy Bates, titled, Daisy: Between a Rock and a Hard Place. It was published this spring, so I’m traveling and doing book signings and discussions. I’m actually already working on another book and this book is about my dad, his life, his life story, his lessons, his hopes -- Sundays with PJ. It’s centered on our Sunday dinners and the bond that held us together for years and years, and how so much came out of that, the many lessons and values that came from that. I’m using that as the catalyst to write about his life. Monica: What do you want your legacy to be? Janis: I think my writing is the legacy that’s important to me. I consider myself a purposeful writer, a writer with something to say. I would like my legacy to be a purposeful writer, but also the other important thing is being a parent. Having my son and raising him along with my husband, was just very important to me, and now I have beautiful grandkids that are very important to me. Parenting is one of the most important things in life. In the black community, it is extremely important. I would like to consider myself a good parent. It will be my last love. Hopefully there are many, many more books to come.
Thomas James, TJ Kearney at 106— Photo by Chuck Dovish 12 | Exceptional People Magazine | July-August 2013
Cotton Field of Dreams, A Memoir By Janis F. Kearney www.writingourworldpress.com
Ethel Virginia Curry Kearney in her early 20's
Photo by John Waire
James Piper Bond Developing Young People into Leaders
Extraordinary Profiles
For the past 28 years, James Piper Bond has dedicated his life to developing character, strength, dreams and integrity within the hearts and souls of thousands of disadvantaged youth and young adults in the Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. areas. Bond was recently named Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year. His passion for helping young people to succeed has enabled him to build and expand upon a model organization focused on preparing young minds for the future. His organization, Living Classrooms is leader among similar institutions in America. The results that Living Classrooms have achieved through its students, reach far beyond communities in Baltimore and Washington, D.C.
These young people are beginning to realize that they have the ability to lead extraordinary lives and that they can have a positive impact on their families and their communities.
explore the Chesapeake Bay. It’s really a science, technology, engineering and math program where students become the crew onboard ships, the historic ships that we have.
With well over 50 programs, Living Classrooms serves as an extension to 300 schools in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. areas by providing children of all ages with opportunities to learn life skills that will enable them to become outstanding citizens and leaders.
For instance, one vessel sails the Chesapeake Bay and the students are the crew onboard, operating the ship under the watch of our captain and educators. They navigate the vessel, which is really math, testing the waters of the Bay, and they are exploring and studying the oysters and crabs and the challenges that the life forms of the Chesapeake have. The challenges are formidable. Our students are studying, for instance, the water quality issues, they’re studying how much harvesting is happening, they’re looking at the balance between a strong ecology and environment and how that needs to be balanced with having a strong economy and watermen that need to make a living.
Bond enthusiastically shared his passion for helping young people realize their true potential, and giving them the courage to believe in themselves. Monica: I want to congratulate you on winning the entrepreneur of the year award. James: Thank you very much.
As the CEO of Living Classrooms, Bond has transformed the lives of youths by providing them with extraordinary life experiences and helping them to view life from a new perspective – well beyond the neighborhoods in which they live. The organization has an amazing array of programs to enhance the educational experiences of children, beginning in grade school. One of the organization’s programs, Fresh Start, is a national model for the U.S. Department of Labor. It is a program for teenage boys, primarily African-Americans 16 to 19 years old, who have dropped out or been suspended from school, or have been involved with the law and are not engaged in a traditional education system. “Our job is to work with them for 40 weeks and then two years of aftercare," says Bond.
Monica: I see that Living Classrooms has an amazing array of programs available to young adults and youth within the Baltimore/ Washington, D.C. area. Can you talk about a few of the programs and how the individuals who are in those particular programs are benefitting from them? For example, with the after school and summer education programs, you have a host of sub-programs that are available such as the Center for Talented Youth, for example. James: The Center for Talented Youth Program we’ve operated for almost 20 years in partnership with John Hopkins. We’ve worked with children throughout the region and really around the country and the world even, inviting them to come and experience those programs and
For seventh and eighth graders it’s an amazing experience, but also because they are able to live onboard a ship. One of the vessels is a Chesapeake Bay skipjack. It sails throughout the Chesapeake Bay and visits different ports. It stops at different places around the Chesapeake, drops the anchor and the students go onshore and camp out at night. They have to cook, they clean, and they’re living together as a team operating the ship. As far as studying the Chesapeake Bay and the fish and the crabs of the bay, they all work on individual projects that they have to report on at the end of the experience. The other vessel we have is a 104foot schooner, which travels up and down the East Coast. This is a ship that was built with the help of students 27 years ago. Onboard this ship students are comparing/
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Extraordinary Profiles
contrasting four or five different estuaries along the East Coast. They end up doing whale studies off Stellwagen Bank off Boston. They’re actually viewing and studying whales and doing projects related to estuaries and whales. It sounds like high-level science and in many respects it is, but it’s also an amazing opportunity for students to work together as a team onboard a ship, cook, clean and sleep in a bunk and live the life of a sailor. That’s the Center for Talented Youth Program.
Circling back towards what we’re doing in the Washington, D.C. area, first of all Kermit Griffin is tremendous and we’re very, very fortunate to have Kermit as our point person on our culinary program. He is working with young men and women who are looking to make positive changes in their lives, gain skills and be placed into jobs in the restaurant business or the hospitality industry. I just want to give a shout out to Kermit for all his good work and his leadership. Monica: How long has that program existed? James: Kermit has been on board now for a couple years. In
Washington there are so many opportunities in the hospitality and restaurant business. We’ve created a small catering company under his watch. It’s important that our D.C. residents have the opportunity to gain skills, obtain a food-handling license, and learn from an expert like Kermit what the expectations are, so that they can be successful in the workplace. That’s really exciting and something important that we’ll be expanding upon under Kermit’s leadership. We also have summer programming in the D.C. area onboard another historic
keeping the environment clean in their city and help improve the condition of the rivers.
ship called the Half Shell. It was historically a boat that would have been carrying oysters to market. Our precious cargo is students.
through these programs, how are they being incorporated into their educational curriculums?
For the last 12 years we have been taking inner city children from Washington out on day or multiday programs to learn about the Anacostia and the Potomac, to learn about how these rivers are as much their rivers as anyone else’s. To learn that they can be change agents in helping to clean up these rivers. They learn that the actions they may take on land, such as throwing a cup into the gutter or littering, could end up in the river and it’s going to affect the marine life and pollution levels. Students learn firsthand how they can play a part in
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Monica: I think it helps them to become well-rounded citizens. James: You’re exactly right. It’s broadening our children’s horizons and helping them realize that they are an important part of the community and the future. It’s very important. Monica: Sure. With all of the experience that students obtain
James: That’s a great question. We have a curriculum of materials that go out to schools ahead of time. We don’t really look at these as field trips, but more as an extension of the classroom. We help bring the learning alive and we help support what the teachers and the schools are looking to accomplish by having these field experiences to enliven the learning process. Everything at Living Classrooms is hands-on, experience-based learning. Our motto is “Learn by Doing.” We’re not so much doing book
Extraordinary Profiles
learning when we’re out on the ships or in the field. It's all hands-on experience, which I think is good for any child, whether it’s the most gifted kid or whether it’s the most challenged youth, and sometimes I think some of our most challenged youth are our most gifted children. I don’t know how you like to learn, but I always learn better when it’s hands-on. It makes learning relevant. That’s the essence of what Living Classrooms is all about. We utilize these hands-on education programs to
help children, youth and young adults to reach their potential academically, in the workplace and in their lives. That’s what we’ve been doing now for 28 years. Monica: Do you have specific schools that you work with? James: We work with 300 schools in the Washington, D.C. area that are partners who utilize us either as an extension of their class, or have field experiences on our ships. At Kingman Island, for instance, we operate environmental education programs on the island for children who come out. We have trails that we’ve built with help from our green team, we have clean up, and we see the Great Blue
Herons of the river. On the Anacostia River, it’s hard to believe sometimes but there is amazing beauty. Kingman Island is a wonderful oasis and a resource for children and for the community and the schools we work with. We also have some strong partnerships with schools like Ballou High School, one of the more challenged schools in the D.C. area that is really making strides to improve the graduation rate and help their graduating seniors either go on
to college or get into the workplace. If the students are not quite ready for college, we want to make sure they don’t just leave Ballou and hang on the corner. We transition them into jobs at companies like Toyota. We assist them with their resumes, inform them about expectations in the workplace, discuss how to interview for a job, and other matters. That is our partnership with a specific school in the Washington, D.C. area. In Baltimore we started one of the first charter schools 12 years ago, the Crossroads Middle School, working with children who are coming from public housing that are two, three, and four grade levels behind. They all live below the poverty line. At one school
65 percent of the children in the school did not live with one biological parent. Children come with an opportunity deficit, and our job is to help bring them up to speed and get them into the best high schools within three years. We’ve been doing that for the last dozen years. About a third of our kids receive scholarships to some of the top private schools in Baltimore and the other two-thirds attend the top five schools in the region.
Two years ago we were asked to take over the second-worst performing school in Maryland, Commodore John Rodgers, a pre-K through eighth grade school that is in a tough area of East Baltimore. We were asked to come in as a turnaround specialist. Since we came in, the enrollment has gone from 250 to almost 600. The school is now performing better than half of the Baltimore city schools as far as scores in math and reading. We’ve made great strides, but we still have a long way to go. Those are two schools that we actually manage. Monica: A number of programs that you offer through Living Classrooms provide the foundation for the young adults in terms of leadership,
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Extraordinary Profiles
preparing them to become future leaders in their prospective areas. James: Exactly right. You’re right on. That’s what it’s all about. Another exciting thing we’re doing in the D.C. area is we’re doing a lot of summer programming, working with inner city children. We have this amazing property called Camp Fraser. There’s this beautiful 100-acre plus property that is woods. We have five or six cabins there; we have a low rope/high rope course, a place for the students to be able to camp out. There’s a facility
there that can sleep up to 50 people and it has a great room with a big fireplace. We have programming going on daily now where we bring children out to stay for three nights. It’s a whole environmental program and curriculum. For many of these children it’s their first time ever to be away from the lights of the city streets. It’s almost like an Outward Bound type of experience, but it’s a Living Classroom Environmental Education STEM Program. That’s something that we are doing on a regular basis. We have a new program called the ESTEM Program. The goal is to work with primarily African-American girls, but also Hispanics. We connect
them with mentors, women who are in some way connected to science, technology, engineering and math as a career. Each of these girls has a mentor, and the goal is to work with them through the school year and the summer and to help them to do well in lower school and eventually move on to high school. We want to see all of these girls attend college. That’s an exciting new program that was just begun in the last year.
Monica: Do any of the programs that you offer through Living Classrooms prepare the young people to become business owners or entrepreneurs? James: Yes, there are some things we’re doing in that respect. We have another program called Fresh Start, which works with teenagers. This program works with young men, again primarily young AfricanAmerican men, boys who are 16 to 19 years old who have dropped out of school, have been kicked out of school or may have had a brush with the law. They may be on the streets and maybe haven’t picked up a charge, but they’re not engaged in the traditional education system at this
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point in their lives. Our job is to work with them for 40 weeks, followed by two years of aftercare. We’ve been operating Fresh Start for almost 22 years. It’s a national model for the U.S. Department of Labor. It’s a job-training program, five days a week. We help these guys get their GED and prepare for the workplace. It’s similar to what Kermit’s doing with the culinary program. This has more of the carpentry or metal work perspective to help them gain skills and prepare them to continue their
education and continue their quest to become successful in the workplace. We created a small student company that’s part of Fresh Start program, where students make chairs and tables and cutting boards and they sell their products. They split the proceeds based upon their performance in the program. That’s one entrepreneurial aspect. The other is the catering company that Kermit is beginning. Those are a couple examples of how we’re looking to encourage young men and women to start their own businesses. Monica: What has motivated, inspired, or encouraged you to stay with the foundation for 28 years?
Extraordinary Profiles
James: I think there’s nothing more important than being able to help others and being able to help youth and young adults to reach their potential and become successful in their lives. It’s very humbling to be part of that. We built a great team, and to be able to see the smiles and see the successes of our young men and women every day, there’s nothing more inspirational for me. Monica: Absolutely. Who would you say are some of your influences?
James: I very much enjoy and am inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela. Monica: From my perspective it appears that the foundation has processes which can be expanded or repeated in other cities around the country. Why have you chosen to focus only on the Washington D.C. and Baltimore areas? James: We actually created a subsidiary called Living Classrooms of America that can help consult in other areas of the country, and we have done some things through the Kellogg foundation to support other areas of the country. Right now we’re helping Chicago with their summer
jobs program. We’ve helped in Burlington, Vermont, with a consulting project a couple years ago. We’ve been asked to go out to Grand Rapids, Michigan, and to New Orleans, so we have done a few things along those lines.
instance with Fresh Start, our success rate after two years is 77 percent of our students are continuing their education and/or are employed. Our work with ex-offenders has resulted in a less than 7% recidivism rate after two years.
When the recession hit a few years ago, we decided from a business standpoint that it made sense not to go too far afield, just make sure our base is secure and take one step at a time. Whenever we look into something
For those who support Living Classrooms financially, we need to show that return on their investment, so it’s very important to measure everything. It’s the only way that we will learn how to improve as well.
like an opportunity elsewhere, it’s got to make financial sense.
Monica: What is your vision from this point forward for Living Classrooms, let’s say within the next three to five years?
Monica: Absolutely. In terms of your overall progress, how do you measure the success of the various programs and also the partnerships that you have with the schools? Obviously there has to be a difference in the students' progress in terms of the courses and classes that they’re taking but generally, do you have a way to measure the success of your programs? James: In fact it’s critical. Every one of our programs has metrics, including the summer programs that I mentioned to you earlier. The schools measure everything we do. For
James: We have a plan to build a $10 million facility. We have a beautiful piece of property and a partnership with Forest City on the waterfront of the Anacostia. We’re raising funds to have a workforce development center built there that will encompass the STEM programming and become a site where our boat can pull up as well, so we can have a strong presence in the D.C. area to serve more children, youth and young adults.
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Extraordinary Profiles
We also envision continuing our work at Kingman Island. We want to eventually create an environmental center there. It’s already been designed, a million-dollar environmental center to serve children, young adults and the public. We want to continue to grow the job training and culinary programs and create student companies like those that we have discussed.
be named the model organization for the United States. If we can assist in other areas of this country or around the world, we will be able to help many others. That may be on the horizon in the years to come. Again, one step at a time and it’s got to be financially feasible. Everything must be viable and resultoriented.
In Baltimore we are leading an effort that is very similar to what Geoffrey Canada has done with the Harlem
Children’s Zone. We’re doing that in East Baltimore. We’ve already raised $20 million over the last five years to get that started. We’re looking to break the cycle of poverty in that city. Currently we’re working with 1500 children a day. We’d like to work with 3500 children, youth, and young adults a day in the coming years. We want to see if we can help other communities around the country and the world. I don’t know if you've ever heard of the International Youth Foundation. That organization works with youth service organizations throughout the world and they work in 72 countries. They select a model organization in each country, and we're fortunate to 20 | Exceptional People Magazine | July-August 2013
Minding My Business
Networking should be part of your monthly business activities. Whether you network online via social media or offline at events one thing is for sure, you need to write thank you notes.
Minding My Business
Build a Strong Foundation for Your Followers, by Allowing Them to Trust You By Andrew Horton
realized my mistake, got the all the teams together, apologized and explained my decisions and how they would benefit the business and the teams. The forgiveness from all the team leaders and team members was not instant, but in time we got back on track again. When it comes to being a
Building trust with people can take time, destroying trust can happen in milliseconds. Any great leader knows that they must always act in a trustworthy fashion toward everyone around them, especially their followers. Trust is the foundation of great leadership; it is the glue that holds any team or organization together. People may tolerate poor decisions from a leader in the short term, but any leader, who repeatedly breaks the trust of their followers, can never continue to lead and positively influence them. When leaders make commitments or promises to their followers, they must be certain they can deliver on those promises. Too many “MANAGERS” make unrealistic promises to their “SUBORDINATES” about incentives, working condition changes or salary reviews, when they do not have the authority to make these offers. When they are unable to deliver on these promises, they break their trust with their team. This trust is very difficult or impossible to rebuild. Trust is fragile and it may not even take something as severe as the situation above to break trust with your followers. Trust is built on a framework of consistency and a feeling that the leader will always act in the best interests of their followers. I was leading a great team in one of my businesses a few years ago; we
were enjoying great success and were a tight-knit team, who supported each other. I became a bit complacent and I made three decisions in concession, which affected the team, without following my usual style of consulting them and getting their support and buy-in, before I made the decisions. All three decisions were sound and in the long run would be beneficial to the team and the business. Despite the correctness and validity of my decisions I realized that I had not acted consistently and had excluded my team leaders from the decision making process. They had not conveyed the message to their followers and this had created uncertainty in the teams. I quickly
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great leader, there are no shortcuts; you must be consistent, no matter how well things are going or how long you have been leading a team. All leaders start off with a pocket full of change or trust. Every time they make a good decision, they put a coin into their pocket or they build trust with their team. Every time they make a bad decision or compromise trust, they take a coin out of their pocket. If leaders continue to break trust with their followers they will quickly empty their pocket of coins and they will no longer have any influence with their teams. A really bad decision or a major break of trust, can immediately empty any leaders’ (MANAGER’S) pocket immediately.
Minding My Business
The way to build trust as a leader is to consistently exemplify competence and act consistently toward your followers. Your team will forgive occasional mistakes based on ability, especially if you are open and have built up connection with them. They will even give a leader a chance to build up connection with them. One thing they will never forgive is a slip in character. Even occasional slips in character will be fatal to any relationship a leader has with their followers. Character makes trust possible and as you know, trust makes leadership possible. The way for a leader to build and maintain trust, is by consistently exhibiting competence, connection and character. There are no shortcuts to this process. When you act as a leader, it is as if your followers agree to go on a long journey with you. The success of the trip will depend on your competence, how well you connect with your followers and your strength of character. When all three of components are in place the journey just seems to get better, the further you travel. If any of the three elements are missing or flawed, the journey gets more and more difficult the further you travel. Trust is the foundation upon which any leader’s ability to positively influence their followers is built. To become a great leader ensure that you never break the trust with your followers. The only way for a leader to earn and maintain trust in the long term, is to earn the respect of their followers by consistently making sound and well thought out decisions, quickly admitting their mistakes and by always putting the interests of the team ahead of their own personal agenda.
Book Review How to Free Your People, and Yourself, to Become Indispensable
Critics say this is Seth Godin’s most passionate book. First, he tells you, “There are no longer any great jobs where someone else tells you precisely what to do.” In his new book, Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?, he explains how to free your people so they can become artists, which means creators of unique, compelling and substantial value.
work for someone else at any level or are self-employed. But Godin’s principles can be applied to other aspects of life. Linchpins can be better spouses, friends and community members. They can be indispensable in many ways. Godin says that if you want customers to flock to you, it’s tempting to race to the bottom of the price chart. There’s plenty of room there, but the only way to win is to race to the top. When you are more human, remarkable, faster, and connect with customers, you will win. Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? by Seth Godin, Portfolio, 256 pages, 2010.
If you can do it, “They will rise to a level you can’t even imagine. When people realize that they are not a cog in a machine, an easily replaceable commodity, they take the challenge and grow. They produce more than you pay them to, because you are paying them with something worth more than money. People crave connection and respect.” As an individual, “You can’t become a linchpin merely because you are different. But the only way to become indispensable is to be different,” says Godin. “That’s because if you’re the same, so are plenty of other people.” One reviewer says the chapter titled “The Resistance” is worth the price of the book. Readers are faced with all the reasons they are not as indispensable as they could and should be. Linchpin is a most unusual, wellorganized and concise book about becoming indispensable, whether you July-August 2013 | Exceptional People Magazine | 23
Minding My Business
Essentials of Cash Flow Management for Small Businesses
by Donna Carletta It’s thrilling and terrifying at the same time. On one hand, you’re self-employed, doing exactly what you want to do without having to answer to a boss, show up in an office on time every day, or dealing with annoying co-workers. You make the rules and live life as you like. On the other hand, though, you’re without the “safety net” of a fixed income. With no regular paycheck coming in, budgeting can be a challenge, and if you’re not careful, you can find yourself struggling just to pay the bills each month – no matter how much you earn.
Taxes First As an employee, your boss conveniently paid your taxes on your behalf, leaving only your net pay in your check each week. As an entrepreneur, you don’t have that benefit, and that causes a lot of trouble for some newly selfemployed people. Here’s the thing – your “paycheck” suddenly looks a lot larger than it really is. With no FICA, Social Security, or other taxes being withheld, it’s easy to simply spend what you’ve earned, and then find yourself in trouble come tax time. 24 | Exceptional People Magazine | July-August 2013
Your accountant will be able to help you determine what percentage of your gross income should be set aside for taxes. If you’re self-employed, you will typically have to pay quarterly income tax – which is based on what you earned last year and is paid in advance – so you need to make sure you have that money set aside or you’ll face some pretty serious fines from the IRS. Quarterly taxes are due April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15. The easiest way to manage your tax payments is to open a separate bank account just for taxes. For each dollar you earn, take a percentage of that (whatever you and your accountant decide is the correct amount) and put it in your “tax” account. Then when it’s time to pay your quarterly taxes, simply write a check and mail it off.
Business Budget Planning Just like your household, your business needs a budget. You need to have a pretty good idea of what you expect to earn each month, and also what your expenses will be. You can also plan in advance for new equipment purchases, business trips, and other out-of-the-ordinary expenses.
Minding My Business
Some of the most common expenses you should count on include:
Taxes (yes, we mentioned them earlier, but it’s that
important) Hosting accounts Domain renewals Mailing list managers Memberships in business education forums and mastermind groups Contractors (writers, web designers, and others you outsource work to) Your accountant and lawyer if you have one Business only utilities, such as your cell phone, your Internet connection, and anything else you pay for from your business account.
Notice we mentioned your “business account.” If you want to have good business cash flow, it’s important to keep household money separate from business money. This can mean simply setting up a business checking account and depositing all money there first, then withdrawing your tax money into your tax account, and your money (your salary, actually) into your personal account. Not only will this help with cash flow, but if you form an LLC or a corporation, it’s vital to clearly differentiate between your personal funds and your business funds. Mixing the two can result in you losing the liability protection that forming a business entity afforded you in the first place. Cash flow is one of those things that small business owners don’t like to think about, but in order to have a healthy, sustainable business it’s vital for you to manage it well. Create a budget, be diligent about setting aside money for taxes and saving some funds for when you have a slow month, and you’ll never have to worry about how your business will manage to pay the bills.
Great Icebreaker Quiz By Kathy Kentty
As a salesperson, which of these icebreakers would you use on your first meeting with a new client? 1. Compliment about the office or something in it, like a photo. 2. Comment about the big sports win of a local or national team. 3. Say something that lets the client know you thought about the firm and what it does. Numbers one and two are idle chit-chat. Number three creates credibility by showing you’ve done your research and are ready to add value. Once you’ve started a business conversation, you can continue with a question that leads toward developing an opportunity or one that further qualifies the prospect.
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Minding My Business
To Win at Negotiating, Watch the Hands by Greg Williams When you negotiate, do you consider the value your hands possess during the negotiation? What about the manner in which the other negotiator uses her hands, do you take that into consideration when you negotiate? During a negotiation, the hands and their placement convey an avalanche of nonverbal (body language) meanings, which gives insight into the direction of the negotiation. Consider the placement of hands in the following examples. Hand(s) on Shoulder: This occurs when one negotiator puts one or two hands on the other negotiator’s shoulder. It can be an attempt to covey a stronger position, or a greater degree of sincerity, by the negotiator displaying the act. Two hands on the shoulders, sends more of a dominant message than one hand.
Hand-Wringing: This usually occurs when there’s a concern about one’s position or guilt about some aspect of the negotiation. Hand rubbing chin: This act conveys a person in thought mode.
Steepled hands: Hand over mouth when talking: (Such as a church steeple) -Conveys the thought of having superiority on the point being discussed. Notice, when this maneuver occurs and you’ll gain insight into what the other negotiator is thinking about the point being discussed. Hand(s) on hip: This gesture conveys more of a defiant stance and conveys the thought that one may be in the process of ‘digging in their heels’ on a point being discussed.
The negotiator displaying this act is either unsure about what he is saying, or he’s outright lying. These are but a few of the nonverbal signals from which you can glean clues into the thoughts of the other negotiator. To increase your chances of having a ‘winning hand’ when negotiating, watch the placement of your hands and that of the other negotiator when you negotiate. By doing so, you’ll get ‘inside’ clues to the meanings of other nonverbal signals (body language) that are being sent and received. That
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additional insight will put you in a stronger negotiation position … and everything will be right with the world.
The Negotiation Tips Are … * Always observe the placement of someone’s hands when you negotiate. If you’re not sure of what you’re perceiving, look for a ‘cluster’ (more than one gesture) of hand signals to give you additional insight.
* From the moment you enter into an environment in which you’ll be negotiating, pay close attention to how the other negotiator uses her hands. You’ll gain insight into what she’s thinking and the direction in which she’d like to take the negotiation.
* In observing the other negotiator’s hands, when they’re open, if you can, give something, when they’re closed, be weary. The other negotiator will not be in a ‘giving’ mood, when her hands are closed. So, don’t ask for anything you want that’s important during those times.
Minding My Business
“Under-promise, yet over-deliver.” I’m sure that’s a term you’re familiar with and something you strive to provide each of your clients.
Money Mindset: Are Your Clients Over-stepping Their Boundaries?
But what happens when you get a client that constantly oversteps their boundaries by:
demanding way too much of your time (especially in comparison to what they’re paying you for); expecting you to drop everything you’re doing to work on their ‘urgent’ request; frequently asking for discounts (despite the results they’re achieving through working with you); or grumbling each time they receive your invoice, requiring you to validate what you’ve billed (which is considerably lower than what you should be charging for the amazing value and talent you offer). Sound familiar? As a woman entrepreneur, it’s only natural to want your clients to love you and the work you’re doing. However caving in to their every whim (that’s above and beyond what they’re paying you for) is not the way to gain their respect. Giving in to a demanding client is a common money leak, which unfortunately devalues your time (your selfesteem and self-belief/self-worth) and WILL continue to prevent you from getting paid what you’re worth! If you were to calculate the ‘real’ cost of working with a demanding client – you’d be quite shocked. Not only should you take into account the extra (unpaid) time you’re spending on
by Annemarie Cross
their project, you also need to factor in:
the time it takes for you to regain focus on the project you were working on prior to their interruption; the time you’re not able to work on your other clients’ projects (who ARE paying you what you’re worth); the cost of you not being able to spend valuable time looking for other business opportunities or working with your ideal client (who loves and pays you what you’re worth); the cost of all of the negative energy (i.e. being annoyed, anxious and frustrated) which can seriously impact your quality of work and productivity across other areas of your business. Do I need to go on? As you can see the physical, emotional and psychological costs associated with working with a demanding client far outweigh the amount of money they are paying you. Saying ‘no’ to a client’s constant demands does not mean that you’re providing them any less than your best. In fact, it does the opposite. Standing your ground (when responding to a challenging client’s ongoing demands) means you are valuing and respecting
the expertise you offer and setting the standards for how you would like your clients to respect and treat you, which will have a huge impact on your self-belief, your self-esteem, and your self-worth. If you want to take your business to next level and get paid what you’re worth for the amazing results you deliver your clients – you NEED to address this. Are you ready to stand firm by setting (and sticking to) your boundaries, revisiting (and streamlining) your client list to make room for ideal clients who value you, your expertise and are willing to pay you what you’re worth? Yes?! Here are 3 steps to help you take back control: 1. Decide and take action Constantly worrying and harboring feelings of hopelessness and despair are not going to fix the problem. YOU are the only person who can change the situation. Don’t wait for something to happen. The cost to both you and your business is far too high. Take the necessary steps immediately to make sure the situation no longer
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Minding My Business
occurs; even if that means that you and your ‘challenging’ client part ways. Remember, you’re not losing a client – you’re making room for your ideal client, who will respect you, your services and the results you deliver and will therefore pay you what you’re worth! Decide and take action.
2. Set your boundaries Develop a range of packages and be very clear about what each package includes. If your client requires more of your time – they should be willing to pay for it. If they want to be able to contact you via email or via phone between your scheduled meetings or if they want their projects to have highest priority in your work calendar – they need to invest in one of your higher-level packages. You are worth it after all – aren’t you? Remember, you are in control of the situation. Set your boundaries by having clearly defined packages that your clients can choose, depending on their needs and budget. If they can’t agree to your packagers/boundaries – they’re not your ideal client.
Take a deep breath and say (something like): “[Name of client] I’d be happy to do that for you. At the moment you’re on my Bronze package, which includes [list some of the inclusions and benefits]. And, by investing in my Gold package, you’ll get even more of my undivided attention, so I’ll be able to complete the additional tasks you’ve just requested. We’ll also be able to work on [list some of the items in your higher end package] so that you will [list some of the other benefits the client will achieve].
Have a client that’s constantly pressuring you to overstep your boundaries by demanding way more than was stated in your package/agreement?
Remember, standing in your power with money by building an empowered money mindset so that you can charge what you’re worth and get it – starts with you! You need to value your time and expertise in order for your clients to. If they don’t, then parting ways is the best option and will allow you to make room for clients who will! Are you ready?
I can email you more details and the authorization form right now. What’s your best email address?”
Move on and find a client who is. 3. Stick to your boundaries
If they’re still unwilling to respect your boundaries, I’d suggest that they’re not your ideal client and it would be best for you to let them go.
This is just one example of what you could say to respond in a confident and firm approach. If they increase their level of investment – great! If not, then remind them what is included in the package they are paying you for. And stick to what you include in that package.
28 | Exceptional People Magazine | July-August 2013
Till next time, stay inspired!
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Food For Thought
ISSN 1944-9062 Founder and Editor-in-Chief
“To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream, not only plan, but also believe.” Anatole France
Monica Davis
Editors Jon Crump Marla Gem Beatrice Roots
Company Writers
“Character isn’t something you were born with and can’t change, like your fingerprints. It’s something you weren’t born with and must take responsibility for forming.”
Donna Carletta Kathy Kentty Pat Markel
Jim Rohn
Other Writers and Contributors
“The price of excellence is discipline.” William Arthur Ward
“Remember, happiness doesn’t depend on who you are or what you have. It depends solely on what you think.” Dale Carnegie
“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”
Angie Brennan Annemarie Cross Catherine Galasso-Vigorito Dawn Abraham Dawn McCoy Doris Helge Dorothy Rosby Eileen Lichtenstein Greg Williams Inez Bracy Jack Canfield James Adonis Keasha Lee Margaret Paul Rosalind Sedacca Sharon Raiford Bush Shelley Riutta Sue Urda William R. Patterson
Exceptional People Magazine is published bimonthly by Atela Productions, Inc. The opinions of the contributors are not necessarily those of Atela Productions, Inc.
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Exceptional People Magazine is a copyright of Atela Productions, Inc. The contents of this publication may not be printed, copied or distributed without the express written consent of the Publisher. 30 | Exceptional People Magazine | July-August 2013
Empower Yourself...
Professional and Personal Development
Do at least one thing everyday that will keep you focused on your dream.
Empowerment
Is Fear Preventing You From Living Your Purposeful Career? By Annemarie Cross
all founded on an underlying fear) that have prevented a person from exploring and finding a career that they could feel totally fulfilled in. 1. Fear of the unknown: you would rather stay with what you are familiar with, than taking that leap of faith into something you’re not that familiar with.
Is your resistance to change preventing you from realizing and living your dream role? Does the thought of the unknown keep you trapped on the boredom treadmill, staying in a position that is clearly uninspiring? Or perhaps you have chosen to just ‘settle’ with something in your life, as the thought of taking even the smallest of steps towards making a change seems far too intimidating. Behind any resistance to change is a small but significantly powerful 4letter word: F-E-A-R. In our Purposeful Careers intensive coaching program, we have identified 10 barriers that commonly trap people within a career they despise. Let’s briefly look at 3 barriers (which are
2. Fear of failure: rather than taking the time to research, plan and live the career you want and can feel truly inspired by, you take the first job offered for fear of failure should nothing else come your way. 3. Fear of rejection: caught up in the ‘family tradition’ your career path has been pre-determined by your parents whose desire is for you to continue the long line of descendents working in ‘a particular profession’. Going against the family’s expectations, which could prompt negative reactions, comments and possible rejection, prevents you from taking a different career path Can you relate to any of these? If so, you are certainly not alone. Even with the best of intentions,
32 | Exceptional People Magazine | July-August 2013
people still remain stuck within a role they dislike, or continue to put up with something they totally despise because of fear. This is why in week 11 of the Purposeful Careers program we spend quite a bit of time exploring ‘Potential Barriers’ and, more importantly, looking at strategies on how to power through and overcome these barriers. If you have accepted the status quo either in your current role or a situation in your life, here are six simple steps to support you in working through your fear to allow you to move forward with a renewed energy. Step 1: Acknowledge your fear Acknowledging exactly what it is that you are hesitant and fearful of can often give you a huge sense of relief. Unfortunately though, if you are not prepared to acknowledge your fear you will most likely end up surrendering to it. Fear can hold you back from fully embracing your authentic self, preventing you from discovering and harnessing your natural talents and skills, thus keeping you from doing what you are truly good at and having a career that you love. Ask yourself the following questions and write down your answers on a piece of paper:
What is it that I am fearful of? What is it costing me? Are my thoughts rational or am I only assuming that these things may happen? Is this likely to happen? What is the worst thing that can happen? Is it really going to be the end of the world?
Empowerment
Step 2: Get specific
Ask yourself:
Rather than trying to avoid your fears and letting them continue to block you from moving forward, begin to build some strategies that will allow you to begin breaking down the issues around your fears.
What have I achieved in my life
Look at your list of fears and ask yourself:
What specific steps can I begin to
take right now that will allow me to start facing my fears? What specific resources do I have accessible to me that will allow me to begin breaking down my fears? How will I start using those resources today? What specific resources do I need to find/receive that will allow me to work through my fear? What steps can I take to enable me to obtain those resources? When will I implement these steps in order to leverage these resources?
Step 3: Validate yourself Allowing yourself to continue believing that you won’t be able to cope with what ‘might’ happen will keep you stuck in your fear. Stop reinforcing that unhelpful belief (through concentrating on the negative), but rather focus on the positive aspects by looking at situations in your life where you have been able to accomplish things. As an NLP coach I’m particularly fond of the saying ‘Where your attention goes, your energy flows.’ Just make sure your attention is centered on your strengths – not your weaknesses and fears.
and career that I am really proud of? What obstacles or challenges have I faced and been able to work through? What personal resources/ characteristics were needed in order for me to achieve this? What personal strengths have I leveraged to enable me to overcome those challenges? Validating areas in your life and career will allow you to recognize that you do have the unique talents, strengths and characteristics that will allow you to work through any challenges, obstacles or fears. Step 4: Take action A fitting quotation from Herber J. Grant comes to mind: ‘Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice.’ Even if you have worked vigilantly through the first 3 steps, the exercises will be of no real value to you unless you take action. Commit to taking action today, even if you begin with small steps.
can be easy to begin listening to that inner voice of doubt (which is fueled by fear), particularly when we are confronted with different challenges. It is therefore imperative that you remain focused on exactly what it is you want to achieve so as not to slip back into the grip of fear. Keep your eyes focused firmly on your outcome and what it is you want to achieve. Step 6: Remain vigilant Monitor yourself constantly and STOP any negative thoughts that any underlying ‘fear’ can provoke. Revisit the previous steps to remind yourself of the obstacles and challenges you have been able to work through previously, and re-validate your strengths and talents. Begin and end your day with empowering exercises such as affirmations, journaling, meditation, or print out your favorite inspirational quotes and place them in a prominent position so that you are reminded of them on a daily basis. Till next time, here’s to powering through your fears in order to reclaim passion and motivation in your work!
What step will you take today that will allow you to start taking action? When will you do this? What accountability factor will you put in place that ensures you take this step? Make a firm commitment to yourself and stick to it!
To your success! Annemarie
Step 5: Become anchored With our hectic schedules often seeing us juggle a myriad of tasks, it July-August 2013 | Exceptional People Magazine | 33
Empowerment
Attention Parents! This Gratitude Formula Builds Character in Kids By Jean Tracy, MSS
Why is it so hard to teach children to be loving and grateful? Is there a Gratitude Formula that increases love and character in kids? Yes, you'll find it below along with 5 ways to teach it to your kids. Joseph Stalin said, "Gratitude is a sickness suffered by dogs." If you agree, read no further. But if you're curious why he thought so, look at his parents. Both his alcoholic father and his fanatical mother beat him savagely. His hate for them and his people is historic.
Look, I’m a parent like you. I want my children to be loving, grateful, and full of character. I know you do too. I also know you do kind things for your children every day. Do they thank you? Or do they expect you to serve them? Below is a no-fail formula for teaching your children to be loving, grateful, and full of character.
“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” - William Arthur Ward
The Gratitude Formula that Builds Character:
Gratitude Formula = Name + Thank You + Specific Action + Appreciation
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I’ve been guilty of letting others’ kindnesses go unmentioned. Perhaps you have too. Not only must we teach our children to be grateful, we mustn’t forget to be grateful too.
Empowerment
Let’s say your daughter, Jeni, vacuumed without being told. You’d be using the formula if you said: “Jeni, thank you for vacuuming. I really appreciate it.”
Now that you’re modeling gratitude, it’s time to teach it.
Maybe your son picked up his toys without being told. Use the gratitude formula by saying, “Eric, thank you for picking up your toys. I really appreciate it.”
1. During your family meetings, use the Gratitude Formula. Discuss how to use it, when to use it, and who to use it with. After that make it a part of the compliment section of every family meeting.
Perhaps your son Chris surprised you by setting the table before you came home from work. You could say, “Chris, thank you for setting the table. I really appreciate it.” See how simple it is? It needs to stay simple when you teach it to your kids too. The trick is to notice the wonderful things your kids do. Once you start noticing, make sure you deliver your gifts of gratitude. Your words will please your kids. They’ll encourage your kids to keep doing loving acts too.
5 Ways to Teach the Gratitude Formula and Build Character:
2. If you don’t hold family meetings yet, talk about it and role-play using it during Sunday dinner.
5. At bedtime ask your child to name three times when he felt gratitude during the day. Ask if he used the Gratitude Formula. Praise him for doing so. Conclusion: As Eileen Caddy once said, “Gratitude helps you to grow and expand; gratitude brings joy and laughter into your life and into the lives of all those around you.”
3. Discuss the Gratitude Formula and practice it during long car drives.
Teach your children to be grateful by noticing the good things they do. Offer your gift of your gratitude by delivering it with the Gratitude formula.
4. Create a chart with each member’s name and tally how many times each member used the Gratitude Formula during the day. Include using it with each other, teachers, co-workers, and friends. Encourage talking about the results too. Post the chart where everyone can see it.
Discuss it during family meetings, Sunday dinners, and long car drives. Create a Gratitude Chart. Talk about it at bedtime too. Bring joy, laughter, and appreciation into your family with the Gratitude Formula. Your children will become people of character.
July-August 2013 | Exceptional People Magazine | 35
Empowerment
Gaining Others’ Respect By Dr. Margaret Paul
Are you distressed about how often others are disrespectful to you? Discover why this may be happening and what you can do about it.
his inner desire for clean and appropriate clothing. Organizationally
We all want to be respected by others. And, we would all love to have control over whether or not others treat us respectfully. Is this realistic?
He is often late, disrespecting his inner desire to get places on time and not be stressed about it. His desk is often a mess, disrespecting his inner desire for order in his life.
Nigel, one of my clients, has a lot of confusion about this issue. He believes that people, especially his wife and children, “should” be respectful to him, and he gets very angry when they treat him disrespectfully - which they often do.
Financially
He does not balance his check-
What Nigel has failed to understand which is what led him to seek my help - is that others are often a mirror of how we treat ourselves. Much of my work with Nigel has centered around becoming aware of the many ways he disrespects himself and what would be respectful to himself. Emotionally He often judges his own feelings, discounting his feelings and telling himself that he “shouldn’t” feel this way. He often ignores his feelings, staying focused in his head instead of his body, and turning to addictions, such as sugar and TV to numb his feelings. He sees himself as a victim of others’ choices, making others responsible for his feelings rather than taking responsibility for his own pain and joy.
Physically
He often stays up late watching TV, disrespecting his need for adequate sleep. He often grabs junk food, not taking the time to eat well, disrespecting his body’s need for good nutrition. He doesn’t take the time to exercise so he is out of shape, disrespecting his need for a strong and healthy body. He dresses poorly, even to the point of wearing socks with holes in them, and often wearing dirty or wrinkled clothes, disrespecting
36 | Exceptional People Magazine | July-August 2013
book and is often overdrawn at the bank, much to the distress of his wife. While he makes plenty of money, he doesn’t save anything, creating an inner sense of insecurity. He often uses money to try to control how others feel about him, disrespecting his own inner worth by trying to buy others’ approval. Relationally
He often care-takes others rather than saying no when he means no, and yes when he means yes, giving himself up to control others, completely disrespecting his own feelings and needs. He often explains and defends, trying to control others rather than standing in his own power.
Empowerment
Spiritually
While he believes in God, he takes no time to nourish himself spiritually. He does things in business that he is not proud of, not respecting himself enough to behave with integrity. These are just a few of the ways that Nigel has learned to disrespect himself. Others, seeing or sensing his disrespect for himself, naturally treat him with the same disrespect with which he treats himself. Rather than becoming angry at them, Nigel is learning to see them as a mirror of his own inner system. Each time his wife or children, or anyone else treats him disrespectfully, Nigel is learning to go inside and see how he is treating himself. As a result of this, more people are treating him respectfully. While there will always be some people who are consistently disrespectful to everyone, Nigel is finding out that others do change in response to his changes. He is also learning to respect himself enough to disengage from others when they are being disrespectful to him.
Five Considerations Before Making Any Financial Decision By William R. Patterson When making investments, it is always important to take a holistic viewpoint. Contrary to popular belief, an isolated financial strategy is extremely risky and unlikely to bring you lasting success. Most people struggle financially because they attempt to build wealth with a linear approach—using one investment strategy, one portfolio, and one stream of income. To build significant wealth in a way that brings you greater freedom with every dollar made, you have to learn to manage multiple investment strategies, multiples portfolios, and multiple streams of income. To do so effectively, you will need to leverage the expertise of a number of different advisors including financial and estate planners, stock brokers, insurance agents, tax accountants and attorneys. While some readers might immediately think that they cannot afford to hire good advisors, they should really be reframing their thoughts into the question, how can I hire good advisors? Nowadays, many financial, legal and insurance services have been structured in a way to make them more affordable. It will just take a bit of research to find those that are appropriate for your needs. In working with these professionals, you should always take into account five important considerations before making any investment or financial decision including the:
1. Rate of return of the investment; 2. Amount of control one has over the investment;
3. Tax consequences; 4. Level of asset protection or exposure created by the investment; 5. Estate planning consequences. Often times when dealing with financial and other professionals, their expertise is limited to one field, and so is their advice. Therefore, it is important to have a number of professionals with expertise in these various fields as well as basic knowledge about these areas yourself. Your stockbroker may not realize the tax consequences of a particular transaction. Your accountant may not realize the exposure that a particular tax strategy creates relative to your asset protection, and so on. Since you may not have the luxury of bringing all of your professional advisors together, it is important that you maintain your total financial picture and all times. One critical insight to understand about the use of financial professionals is that those of modest wealth seek professionals to advise them, while those of great wealth seek professionals to execute their vision. Definite purpose, self-confidence, and insight comprise, The Baron Son’s first three “Supreme Principles.” You would be wise to leverage them when with your advisors to help build your fortune.
July-August 2013 | Exceptional People Magazine | 37
Empowerment
Are you seeking a sure-fire weight loss method without all the rules and trappings of the latest fad diets? If so, you’ll relish this good news: Losing weight doesn’t have to be complicated! It can be fun and easy if you do it the right way.
Diet and exercise are still the keys to weight loss, but you shouldn’t look at them as short-term, painful things that you must suffer through until you reach your goal. That’s not the way to lose weight and keep it off, so avoid that mindset.
Easy Strategies that Help You Lose Weight By Donna Carletta
The main reason why people don’t lose weight, even when they plan to, is because it feels overwhelming. If you can make it less overwhelming, you're more likely to see success. If you look at your weight loss in small steps, it becomes much more manageable and feels like something you can do. Mindset is everything when it comes to losing weight, so don’t assume that you aren’t capable. You can do anything you put your mind to, including losing those extra pounds. Break Down Your Weight Loss Goals Weight loss goals that are too large - like trying to lose 50 pounds - may stop you in your tracks. They seem impossible, so you give up before you even start. You might not feel like you can lose 50 pounds, but can you lose one pound? What about two or five? Those sound like better numbers, and they aren’t so frightening. If you lose only one pound per week, you can achieve your 50-pound weight loss goal in less than a year. At two pounds per week, that timeline would come down to only six months. That’s a realistic time frame and a reasonable goal. How to Lose Those Pounds Another thing that stops people from losing weight is that they don’t know how. You can learn how to lose weight properly, though, and it’ll help you feel so much better about yourself. More confidence is an attractive quality, no matter what weight you are, so the sooner you feel better about yourself, the sooner it’ll start showing to the world. 38 | Exceptional People Magazine | July-August 2013
Instead, make small changes that you can implement easily into your daily routines. Those changes will make a big difference over time. Here are some easy strategies you can use to lose weight and start a new, healthier lifestyle: Cut out just one snack or ‘bad’ food. You don’t have to change your entire way of eating overnight. You can do it by changing one food, snack, or meal at a time. Find a fun way to get some light exercise. You might not feel comfortable at the gym, but you can walk in place while you watch TV, pedal a stationary bicycle, or stroll around the block with a friend or family member. Get help. There are plenty of support groups for people who want to lose weight. Some of them can be found online, just a click away. If that’s not for you, get a friend or family member to encourage and help you with your goals. Encourage and reward yourself. As you lose weight, remember that your new eating patterns and exercise choices will become a way of life for you. This is a longterm solution that will be worth it as your waistline decreases and your health improves. Give yourself a treat as you reach each small goal, and plan for what you’ll do as the new, thinner you. Reaching your weight loss goals can seem daunting, but you can accomplish them without feeling deprived, stressed, or unhappy. There’s no better time than the present to get started. Then, one day soon, you’ll realize how much more enjoyable life is with your healthy lifestyle.
Empowerment
Practice Uncommon Appreciation By Jack Canfield A recent management study revealed that 46% of employees leaving a company do so because they feel unappreciated; 61% said their bosses don’t place much importance on them as people; and 88% said they don’t receive acknowledgement for the work they do. Whether you are an entrepreneur, manager, teacher, parent, coach or simply a friend, if you want to be successful with other people, you must master the art of appreciation. I’ve never known anyone to complain about receiving too much positive feedback. Have you? In fact, just the opposite is true.
Keeping Score When I first learned about the power of appreciation, it made total sense to me. However, it was still something that I forgot to do. I hadn’t yet turned it into a habit. A valuable technique that I employed to help me lock in this new habit was to carry a 3” x 5” card in my pocket all day, and every time I acknowledged and appreciated someone, I would place a check mark on the card. I would not allow myself to go to bed until I had appreciated 10 people. If it was late in the evening and I didn’t have 10 check marks, I would appreciate my wife and children, I would send an e-mail to several of my staff, or I would write a letter to my mother or stepfather. I did whatever it took until it became an unconscious habit. I did this every single day for 6 months—until I no longer needed the card to remind me. Appreciation as a Secret of Success
Consider this: Every year, a management consulting firm conducts a survey with 200 companies on the subject on what motivates employees. When given a list of 10 possible things that would most motivate them, the employee always list appreciation as the number one motivator. Managers and supervisors ranked appreciation number eight. This is a major mismatch, as the chart below so clearly shows. Notice that the top three motivators for employees don’t cost anything, just a few moments of time, respect and understanding.
Another important reason for being in a state of appreciation as often as possible is that when you are in such a state, you are in one of the highest emotional states possible. When you are in a state of appreciation and gratitude, you are in a state of abundance. You are appreciating what you do have instead of focusing on, and complaining about, what you don’t have. Your focus is on what you have received… and you always get more of what you focus on.
10 Ways to Really Motivate an Employee Employees
Supervisors
Appreciation
Good Wages
Feeling “in” on things
Job Security
Understanding attitude
Promotional Opportunities
Job security
Good working conditions
Good wages
Interesting work
Interesting work
Loyalty from management
Promotional opportunities Tactful discipline Loyalty from management Appreciation
And because the law of attraction states that like attracts like, the more you are in a state of gratitude, the more you will attract, and even more to be grateful for. It becomes an upward-spiraling process of ever-increasing abundance that just keeps getting better and better. Think about it. The more grateful people are for the gifts we give them, the more inclined we are to give them more gifts. Their gratitude and appreciation reinforces our giving. The same principle holds true on a universal and spiritual level as it does on an interpersonal level. I challenge you to discover ways to immediately appreciate someone in your life, starting today!
Good working conditions Understanding attitude Tactful discipline
Feeling “in” on things July-August 2013 | Exceptional People Magazine | 39
www.exceptionalmag.com
July-August 2013
CONTENTS Extraordinary Profiles 42
Domenico Ponti & Elena Volnova —Taking Canine Fashions to a New Level
Inspiration 50
Come On, It’s Not Over, You Have Another Good One Left
52
Financially Speaking: We Must Leave a Legacy
The Lighter Side
Cover Design by
Jeff Hayes
55
Enough or Too Much?
56
Puzzles and Funnies
57
Recipes
59
Profile Resources
60
Writers and Contributors
When you know a thing, to hold that you know it, and when you do not know a thing, to allow that you do not know it; this is knowledge. Confucius
Domenico Ponti & Elena Volnova
Taking Canine Fashions to a New Level
Extraordinary Profiles
Let’s face it, the fourlegged pooch has become a part of the family in millions of homes across the country and the world. In the eyes of many dog owners their furry friends deserve the highest level of pampering. Dog Fashion Spa, a New York based startup, is poised to take the pet industry by storm. They have developed a signature collection of spa products that dog-lovers have been awaiting, including fragrances and products for fur and paw care, as well as exquisite gift sets for dogs. After investing about two years of research and development into their line of products, these two enthusiastic owners have not only unleashed a set of unique products, but they are creating an amazing online community of dog owners who believe in providing quality of life for their pets. As the ingenuity behind Dog Fashion Spa, co-owners Elena Volnova and Domenico Ponti have established their unique set of footprints with their luxury line of pooch products. The founder of Exceptional People Magazine was thrilled to speak with Volnova and Ponti about their new venture and how they’re developing the company to become a leader in the industry of luxury pet product suppliers. Their goal is to not only build a line of great products, but it’s also about developing a solid company with high growth potential. Monica: Can each of you talk about Dog Fashion Spa, who it’s for and how it went from dream to reality. How did you start?
Elena: I think it started at a New York City restaurant about two or three years ago when we just came up with the idea. We love dogs. We understand retail very well. I think we actually wanted to start with a clothing line for dogs but we ended up launching our first line which is a spa line for dogs. Then, we spent the next two years doing research, developing formulas, creating designs for packaging, working on our strategy, working with groomers, high-end boutiques, understanding their needs and the needs of the luxury consumer, dog-lover and dog parents. And, here we are. Monica: Domenico, how did the two of you actually develop a partnership together? Domenico: We both were in retail together. We worked for the same corporate giant. One day we both looked at each other and said, “We work 17 hours a day for Corporate America. Why can’t we take this idea and run away with it and work 17 or 20 hours a day for ourselves instead and accomplish what we want?” There’s certainly a whole lot more respect, a whole lot more appreciation for things when it’s your own. Elena: For me personally, I was looking for more meaning and purpose in life and in work. Selling dresses in retail just didn’t cut it. Developing great products for dogs and dog parents seemed like it could help me accomplish both goals. This is very meaningful to me personally. Domenico: Elena says that because she has a Masters degree in Positive Psychology.
July-August 2013 | Exceptional People Magazine | 43
Extraordinary Profiles
Monica: The two of you obviously have a great partnership which you have developed over time. In order to have that type of relationship, you have to have a special synergy and have similar work ethics as well as backgrounds in order to be able to successfully work together. What are some important factors that should be considered when seeking a business partner? Domenico: I have to tell you, it was almost natural. I don’t want to sound cliché. I'm an architect by trade. I design retail space. Certainly, what I bring to the table, and I don’t want to stereotype it by being Italian, but I understand style. Maybe it helps me. Elena has so many years of experience in running the back of the house and making sure that things get delivered on time and making sure that things are executed. I'm certainly not the executor. I'm the creative guy. Elena: I look at it from a different perspective. I believe we both have powerful stories. We believe in the American dream. I was born in Moscow, in Russia. I came to this country after getting my first MBA. We built ourselves from the ground up. Domenico came here a long time ago. He was born in Sicily, Italy. We really do represent that American dream. We work very hard. We love this country. We love dogs and the bond between Americans and their four-legged friends.
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We do have very different strengths like Domenico said. One thing that definitely unites us is our passion. We’re both very passionate about what we do. We have very high ethics. Everybody can claim it but we really do treat every single person with respect. We’re building a culture, a company culture that stands for positive relationships, flourishing at work and at home. We’re building an amazing team around us. We’re proud of it. It’s not all about us. Monica: Speaking of company culture, how are you using your Master’s degree in Psychology to help develop that? Elena: I just came back from Los Angeles from attending a Third World Congress on Positive Psychology where 1,200 people from all over the world got together to review the latest research and applications of Positive Psychology to all kind of industries including company culture. To be brief, we really concentrate on what’s right with people and on their strengths instead of their weaknesses. We just believe that every person is very unique. You have to develop them. People need to be motivated. We identify their strengths. When you show people that you respect them, you give them freedom. We don’t have a vacation policy in our company. People are entitled to take as many days as they want to, when they want to.
Extraordinary Profiles
Monica: That’s the first time I've heard of that. Elena: We don’t watch the clock. If we need to watch the clock, then we have the wrong people. Domenico can talk to you about that. Domenico: I’m a lousy babysitter. People know what their jobs are. We are all adults. If you treat people like adults, I think you get that back. As Elena said, we don’t have vacation policy. Everyone knows what their job is. If three weeks prior to you going on vacation, you have to work 15 hours a day, that’s what you have to do to get your job done, get it done. Then, you manage yourself. We are not going to manage you. We’ll give you your responsibilities. This is what we expect to get done from you. We’re not going to call you. Elena: I will give you an example. Our community manager right now is somewhere by the lake. She does have internet. Because we’re all passionate about our work and we know we can't just separate. The truth is most of the time we do travel. We make sure our internet access is there. We do find ways to have fun and work at the same time. Monica: The model that you have is quite different than corporate America. Domenico: That was the whole idea behind building Dog Fashion Spa. Monica: I would imagine that helps to certainly reduce turnover rate? Elena: You build loyalty to the extent that people will support you in good times and in bad times. Monica: I've worked in Corporate America for many years as well. That level of loyalty that used to be there years ago is no longer there. Domenico: It’s not. There's no respect on both sides of the fence for that matter. Monica: You both have backgrounds in finance. I’ve spoken with hundreds of business owners and entrepreneurs. What I found is that most of them are financially limited. They don’t know how to get the funding needed to run their businesses. A business has many components. Most of those components require money in order to keep the business running smoothly.
From a funding standpoint, how did you get Dog Fashion started? Elena: It was a combination. We’d started putting whatever we could into it. We’re now also open to and looking at different options to bring on investors. We are considering bringing an investor on board. We think it’s the right time. In the very beginning, we did not want anybody to be a part of our strategy. The moment you start bringing investors in, then it becomes too many voices. We’re considering investors now. People are reaching out to us. We’re excited that people are reaching out. We believe people are reaching out because of what we’ve built thus far. In the beginning we intentionally kept it limited. Monica: I think that’s probably important. When you are approaching investors in the very beginning of your business, and I think it depends on who you're approaching, but I think there's a good chance that you may not own your business at that point. They will want to own it because they are financing a huge portion of the business. So in essence, you would be working for them. Domenico: Amen. We don’t want that to happen. We are going to look for investors that can bring something to the table. We are looking for investors that are partial to the industry or partial to the ecommerce world. Monica: Yes, absolutely. There are hundreds of entrepreneurs and business owners who run pet or dogrelated businesses. Other than the fact that you provide July-August 2013 | Exceptional People Magazine | 45
Extraordinary Profiles
luxury products and services, what other unique value do you offer? Elena: Simple idea, if you go back to our philosophy, it’s quality life for dogs. We believe that dogs deserve the highest level of care when it comes to everything; whether it’s nutrition, veterinarian care or grooming. Almost more than half of dog owners sleep with their dogs in their beds. We still believe that dogs are not being groomed and taken care of to the extent that they should be. What we’re doing is creating an amazing online community. That’s why we have a community manager who just started reaching out and creating a circle of dog parents that believe in our philosophy of quality life for dogs. We’re not for everybody. Not every dog owner will believe in our values. Those that do, we will provide them support. Monica: Are most of your clients or customers, boutiques or do you actually approach the individual dog owner? Elena: Individual customers can buy our products online. We do have a business to business side of our enterprise where we work with high-end boutiques that carry our products, high-end groomers that represent our product and sell it. This way they generate additional revenue. It’s like-minded individuals, again, most of them are in urban areas. It’s businesses that have the same target market. People are welcome to go to our website, www.dogfashionspa.com and buy products. Domenico’s background is creating amazing retail spaces. I won’t be surprised if one day you’ll hear that there’s a Dog Fashion store opening up. Right now, we’re just online. Monica: Domenic, you have an extraordinary set of leadership and team building skills. Talk about the importance of incorporating team building and how you can greatly enhance and grow your business. Domenico: It’s going back to what we were talking about before. You work with people so many hours of the day. Basically they become an extension of your family. We spend more time with other individuals than we do really with our own family. To me, it’s having activities together as a team, doing things together that are not necessarily always work-related. Monica: Also from a work perspective, do you allow each of your team members, whether they’re employees 46 | Exceptional People Magazine | July-August 2013
or contractors; do you allow them to utilize their specific skills in areas where you need those specific skills instead of asking them to do things that they are really not good at doing? Domenico: Absolutely. We are not going to do what Corporate America does which is promoting people into the areas that could lead them to failure. Elena: What happens in the corporate world unfortunately is when somebody is not good at their job, they try to get rid of you. They promote you. People are promoted to the highest level of their incompetence until they're stuck there. We’re definitely building something that’s totally different. Monica: There are also some common denominators that you look for when you’re putting together your team. What characteristics do you look for in people that you bring on board? Domenico: I’m probably the most non-judging person in the world. I look certainly at people’s strengths. If you were to look at some of the people that work for and with us, you may see everything from tattoos to body piercings. I overlook all those things. None of those things mean anything to me except what their strengths are and what they can bring to the team. Actually, the more diversified, the better for me. Elena: I don’t think we’re being one of those start-ups that are trying to be like Google and get the best candidate who has the highest grades and super smart kids. Nothing against them. We certainly do interview them. What we’re looking for however, I think, is a great story, a good heart and passion. They have to match with us, somebody with a good sense of humor, somebody who cares. If they don’t care, I can't teach that.
Extraordinary Profiles
Monica: Looking back on all of your hard work and experiences to date, is there anything that you think should’ve done a little differently?
Monica: Sure, that is true. You have to have more than just a love for wanting to make money. You have to have other important characteristics that make up the whole person. Domenico: That brings you money, FYI. I believe that if you do the right things in life, good things will come to you. If you go with the goal of just making money, I think you'd fail. Monica: Domenico, you also have a background in branding. How are you incorporating your branding experience into Dog Fashion Spa? When people see the words Dog Fashion Spa or they go to your website and they see your brand, what do you want them to feel or immediately get from that? Domenico: I don’t know if you had a chance to see our website. You can tell how clean and sleek it is. We are not throwing 75 million dollars worth of technology at you and making you so overwhelmed that you don’t know what menus to choose from or where to go on our site. In reference to the branding, I always like to work on things that people don’t necessarily see or understand. I would say they just feel good on our site. We only use one font. We only use three main colors. That is consistent in our labels, our website, our paperwork, everything. They see consistency. It’s easy reading and it all flows together. To me, that is what branding is all about.
Elena: I don’t know where to start. I wish that I would have quit my day job earlier. In the past two years it’s been a lot of hard work and long hours. It does take a while to do it. I also kept my day job. I was a General Manager in my last role, running a small company. At some point, you have to cut the umbilical cord and say, “I’m just jumping into this. I’m going to do it full time.” Probably looking backwards, I wish I had just a little more courage to do that earlier; maybe six months earlier. Domenico: You have no idea how many 10:00PM conference calls we had. Elena: It can really burn people out. Whenever people talk about entrepreneurs…I see a lot of articles now talking about keeping your day job. Build a business on the side. The reality is that it’s very, very hard to do that. Monica: I know exactly what you’re speaking about. I did the same thing. It is extremely tough. Just as you said, you’re working full time. At the same time, your business is a full time venture as well. Elena: The other thing I think this is just learning. You grow into this thinking you know a lot. Then, you become very humble, very fast, realizing how many details especially in production and building your own brand. I think I’m very humble about what I’ve learned and what I'm still learning every day. Monica: How satisfied so far are the two of you with Dog Fashion Spa and where you are now? Domenico: Extremely excited. Words can’t say enough. Elena: Sometimes I say that we’re running with our back paws in front of our front paws. It’s probably developing July-August 2013 | Exceptional People Magazine | 47
Extraordinary Profiles
faster than we can catch up. That’s why we are considering investors. We’re just getting very positive feedback from our target market. People really have been waiting for it. People are ready for bringing the quality of grooming for the pets to the next level. I really believe that we can build a community and educate them on positive relationships with their dogs and how to get happier and I'm very excited about it. Monica: In any business, in anything that you do and especially when you’re starting out new, there will be some major challenges and what most people see as failures. I always say that if you’re learning from them and you are able to take those lessons that you’ve learned and apply them correctly. Then you’re not really failing because you have gained an important experience and knowledge that will serve you well. Elena: We believe that we’re trying to build something that’s never been built before in the pet market when it comes to grooming. We don’t know one brand that does not discount its products. Everybody who distributes our product needs to sign a paper stating that our price will stay the same. We understand luxury for humans. I’m sure there will be tweaks that we’ll need to make. We’d like to blend the pet market and luxury market. We’re discovering it. There are no lessons there that anybody can teach. We don’t believe anybody has done it
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successfully. There are some brands that call themselves luxury. We don’t believe they are. We are on this blind path. We need to do it first here before we can expand internationally. Monica: What words of wisdom would you like to send to your potential customers? Elena: Take care of your dog’s grooming needs as you do your own. Clean their eyes daily, wash and moisturize their paws, make sure they smell great. Allow your dog to experience quality life as you do yourself.
Inspiration
Your imagination has no limits. Dream as big as you can.
Inspiration
Come On, It’s Not Over, You Have Another Good One Left By Catherine Galasso-Vigorito
In the cool of the evening at the ball field under the lights, it was the seventh inning of the all-star softball game. The score was tied 4 to 4, with two outs. The possibility of overtime was looming for the home team and the bases were loaded, as the visiting player was up to bat. The pitcher threw the ball at high-speed, the player swung and missed. “Strike one,” the umpire called out. Swiftly, the next ball was pitched a little to the left. “Ball one,” said the umpire. Another pitch came, “Ball two.” Then, one more ball was hurled over the catcher’s head. “Ball three,” the umpire shouted.
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Afterward, with the next pitch, the batter swung and missed, “strike two!” The crowd was full of excitement, cheering for their pitcher. “Full count!” the umpire exclaimed. With that, the home team’s coach called, ‘Time out,’ and he dashed over to the pitcher’s mound. Reassuringly, he whispered in the pitcher’s ear, “Come on, it’s not over, you have another good one left.” And with the encouragement from her coach, the pitcher’s confidence was lifted. She then threw a strike, the game went into overtime. The home team scored and won the game!
Inspiration
Perhaps, you put your heart into an endeavor and it didn’t turn out as you hoped. Or, you spent months or years in a situation that seemed so promising, merely to be rejected. Now, you feel like there’s nothing left to strive for, and the wind has gone out of your sails. But let me be the voice of encouragement for you: Regardless of what has happened in the past, it’s not over, you have another good one left!
Another God-inspired idea on which to act. New ways to make a difference in someone’s life. Additional opportunities to pursue. More friendships to discover.
God is interested in doing a mighty work in your life. Awaken yourself to new possibilities. Aim high, being confident in what God has given to you. Just because you had some undeserved hurts or setbacks, it doesn’t mean that your heartfelt dreams can no longer come true. Maybe you have been pushed down for a time, yet you don’t have to settle where you are now. You can pick yourself up and rise even stronger, for God is saying, “I want to take you further.” I’m reminded of the story I heard long ago about a couple who, for years, saved their coins in a change jar so they could afford to go on a fancy vacation. Finally, they were able to buy two tickets to travel to Europe on a luxurious ocean liner. Knowing that they didn’t have enough money to afford the cruise’s extravagant meals, the couple filled a suitcase with peanut butter crackers to eat throughout their trip. Days went by, and the couple watched the waiters carrying carts of delicious foods. They smelled the aroma of the fresh delicacies. And they saw huge buffets and the passengers enjoying the abundance. One morning, a waiter saw the couple walking along the deck, eating their peanut butter crackers and summoned them to the breakfast table. The man thanked the waiter, but explained that they couldn’t afford such elaborate meals. Surprised at the man’s response, the waiter exclaimed, “Sir, all the meals are included with the price of your ticket!”
much more than just settling for ‘good enough,’ ‘less than what you really desire,’ and thus, shortchanging yourself and your precious future. I have a friend who is a magazine writer with a very gratifying career. Everyone loved her stories, which focused on uplifting, positive events and experiences. Then, one day, she submitted an article to a major magazine, fully expecting a good review from the editor. Instead, to her shock, she was told that she was a poor writer and that she should look for another occupation. My friend admits that, for a full moment, she wondered if the editor were right. “Is my career over? Should I give up on my dreams?” she questioned, as she replayed the editor’s words in her mind, causing her to doubt herself. But then, reason came back, and she reminded herself of all the good reviews she had received in the past. She let go of feelings of inadequacy and put her faith in God, asking Him to guide her. And even though she was hurt for a time, she decided to ignore the editor’s comments and continue writing, helping people find a positive approach to life’s experiences. Two weeks later, boldly she called the magazine to ask about another project, she was told that the editor who had doubted her abilities had been fired! Her article was accepted after all, was published, and was later nominated for a prize in the journalism community. So, don’t count yourself out. Come on… It’s not over; you have another good one left! God loves you, and He wants you to succeed. It’s not like the Olympics where there is only one gold medal for each event. God is for everyone, we can all be winners… and He is there rooting for you!
So don’t be satisfied with the status quo. Pray bolder prayers; dream bigger; work harder; think outside the box; try another avenue; make that phone call, ask for help. Reach beyond self-imposed limitations or the negative words that someone spoke to you. For you are July-August 2013 | Exceptional People Magazine | 51
Inspiration
Financially Speaking: We Must Leave a Legacy By Cedric Dukes
Two things are guaranteed in life—taxes and death. One of the most difficult challenges for families to handle is the death of a loved one. There is a painful void and a long, healing process that takes place. There is also a realization of a harsh but undeniable truth: there is no more income. Leaving a legacy is a big part of why we are here. We are here to pass on what we left. There was a woman in 2 Kings 4:1-7 who was in debt and the creditors were coming to take her sons. Her husband was dead, and she did not have any way to pay her bills. We don’t know how she got into this position, but we do know that her needs had to be met and her husband did not have any inheritance to leave her nor the children. Her situation turned when she went to the prophet and followed his very orders by filling her pots with oil and selling it. Often God answers your need immediately. I wrote that to say this: Yes, God gives us miracles. However, we have a responsibility to try to leave something so the load is easier. How does God want us to meet the needs of our family? Proverbs 13:22 says, “A good man leaveth an 52 | Exceptional People Magazine | July-August 2013
inheritance to his children’s children...” Good man is defined as someone who is agreeable, pleasant, happy, prosperous and upright. A good man leaves his inheritance to others since he cannot take it. In my estimation, one of our legacies that we should leave is life insurance. Having insurance does not negate God’s sovereignty or ability to take care of your loved ones. It provides protection for your family in the future and it is consistent with what the scripture teaches in leaving a legacy. It is a legacy that you can leave your family. You have left them in better shape. Life insurance is used to support the living survivors until the rest of the family is stable enough to replace the missing income of that loved one. It can also be used as a wealth building plan. To build this plan we should take the appropriate steps: Step One Determine what type of life insurance is needed through an insurance agent. There are many types such as term life, cash value, or variable policy, etc. You want to pick an insurance company based upon reputation and its credit rating. The reputation should be based upon customer
Inspiration
service and its ability to meet your needs in times of distress. Also, the insurance is something that will help you leave some type of legacy for your family.
Here are some questions to ask yourself when you estimate the amount of insurance to purchase: 1. Does the insurance cover your funeral expenses?
If you want something basic and low cost, term life insurance is the winner. It’s popular and is offered by all insurance companies. It is cheaper in your early years and expensive as you grow older. The policy is extended over a period of time such as ten, twenty, or thirty years. The major advantage in term life insurance is that you can insure yourself for a lot less money. With term life, you cannot withdraw money from the value of a policy. When the policy expires in terms of years, you will have to renew. Most term insurance policies can be converted to whole life or other cash value forms of permanent life insurance. If you are looking to build wealth while living, permanent (whole) life insurance is excellent. It’s different from term life because this life insurance remains in effect for the entire life of the insurer. Permanent life insurance has two components. The first is the death benefit and the second is the cash value of the policy. Cash value enables the life insurance companies to make policy loans available to the policy owner, usually within a few days after the policy owner requests them. Cash value is a savings account that allows wealth to be built through the payment of monthly premiums. With this type of feature, you can borrow money from the policy to finance college educations, etc. Essentially you can become your own banker and pay yourself back. You can retrieve money out of the policy as a loan. The payments of this insurance can be twice as much as term life due to the fact that this life insurance never expires. There are several other factors that are beyond the scope of this article -- see your advisor for more information.
2. What bills and unresolved debts are remaining for your family when you pass? 3. Will your family have enough income for the next couple of years after your death? 4. Do the kids have enough tuition money to attend college or to give them a start in life? Again, contact an insurance agent or see a financial coach to help you. Finally, seek and get insurance that will leave a legacy for your family. Keep in mind what you do now will benefit your children’s children.
Investment Pyramid Real Estate Insurance Mutual Funds—401(k), IRAs Stocks and Options Bonds Savings, Money Market, CDs
Step Two The next step in selecting insurance is to determine and buy the appropriate amount needed. A simple rule of thumb is to buy about five to six times your current income. Again, all of this depends on the needs of your household. Instead of estimating the amount, you can have an in-depth analysis completed by your insurance agent therefore your amount could be more than five to six times your income depending on the situation.
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The Lighter Side
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Lighter Side
Enough or Too Much? By Dorothy Rosby
Some people have a wealth of money; some have a wealth of knowledge. My family has a wealth of water bottles and coffee mugs, and we don't even drink coffee, though we do drink water. One entire shelf in our kitchen is filled with water bottles. Another one is stacked with mugs on top of mugs on top of mugs. I’m afraid that someday when I open the cupboard, I’ll be mugged. Sorry. I tell you this because I think it’s important we reflect on the fine line between enough and too much; between having what you need and being knocked to the floor every time you open your closet. Abundance gives you room at the table. Overabundance gives you a spot on Hoarders. And that is nothing to be thankful for. I should know. Chargers and power cords have taken over our home like bindweed. I’m afraid to get rid of any of them because I’m not sure what they’re all for. We have an overabundance of both the practical flatbottom canvas bags, which are good for grocery shopping, and the kind without the flat bottom that aren’t good for anything. You may wonder why, if I have so many canvas bags, I also have an entire drawer full of plastic grocery bags. I’ll tell you why! Even a sturdy, flat-bottom canvas bag is only good for grocery shopping if you remember to bring it to the store. We have a veritable alphabet soup of entertainment: cassettes, LPs, CDs, VHS and DVDs and nothing to play some of them on. I’m just thankful we don’t have any eight track tapes -- that I know of. They could be buried under canvas bags and power cords. We have a wealth of coupons. In order to use them all, I’d need to purchase an elaborate filing system
and hire an assistant to organize it. This might defeat the purpose. And anyway, where would I put the new stuff we’d buy with all those coupons? Our cupboards are already full of coffee mugs and water bottles. We have a cornucopia of address labels sent to us by groups who think we’ll be so grateful that we’ll put one of those return address labels on an envelope, address it to them, and stick a check inside. But we’re not that grateful. We have so many address labels now that we’ll never be able to move. We have labels printed with my husband’s name, labels printed with my name, and labels printed with both our names. We even have labels printed with my son’s name, and, like other people in his generation, he barely knows what a letter is. We have more caps than the American League. Of course, when I say “we” I mean my husband and son. They have so many caps we could all wear a different one every day of the month, except that I don’t wear caps at all, and they always wear the same ones. We have a wealth of T-shirts because we get one for every event we participate in. This does save on school shopping because apparently a T-shirt and jeans are my son’s school uniform. I occasionally wear a T-shirt to exercise in, but I don’t exercise that much. If we don’t get T-shirts, we get water bottles. We are rich in water bottles! I’m all for free gifts, but how about hundred dollar bills? We have so many name badge and neck wallet lanyards from workshops and conferences that I’m thinking of hosting my own conference. We’ll confer about abundance versus overabundance, and I’ll give attendees T-shirts, water bottles, and canvas bags. Maybe mugs and power cords too.
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Lighter Side
The lighter side of 4- and 5-year-olds Melanie, 5, asked her Granny how old she was. Granny replied she was so old she didn’t remember. Melanie said, "Just look in the back of your pants. Mine say 5 to 6." Brittany, 4, had an earache and wanted a pain killer. She tried in vain to take the lid off the bottle. Her mother explained it was a child-proof cap. Eyes wide with wonder, the little girl asked: "How does it know it’s me?" James, 4, was listening to a Bible story. His dad read: "The man named Lot was warned to take his wife and flee out of the city, but his wife looked back and was turned to salt. Concerned, James asked: "What happened to the flea? 56 | Exceptional People Magazine | July-August 2013
Lighter Side
Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes For centuries, pancakes have been a favorite on the breakfast table. Besides being warm and tasty, they can be heart healthy when made with the right ingredients. Keys of their preparation are whole wheat flours and low-fat milk. Additionally, these buckwheat pancakes are sweetened only by the natural flavor of the blueberries and a bit of honey. Ingredients 3/4 cup buckwheat flour 3/4 cup whole grain pastry flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup low-fat buttermilk 3/4 cup non-fat milk 1 tablespoon honey 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 2 large eggs 2 tablespoon canola oil 2 cups fresh blueberries Cooking spray Various syrups and low fat buttery spread as desired
Directions In a medium bowl, whisk eggs and add canola oil, honey and milk. Stir thoroughly. Set aside. In a large bowl, mix the flour, spices and other dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients, stirring constantly. Last, add the blueberries and stir until the fruit is welldistributed throughout the batter. Coat the skillet or griddle with non-stick cooking oil and drop dollops of batter on the heated surface. As the pancakes form, turn them with a spatula until they are done on both sides. Serve with your favorite toppings. The recipe makes two large pancakes for each member of a family of four. Left-over batter can be stored in the fridge for several days and it also may be frozen.
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Lighter Side
Honey Marinated Grapefruit
While the apple may have originated in paradise, it wasn't until 1750s that the grapefruit was discovered in Barbados. It was a natural hybrid of the pummelo and the sweet orange. It took another 50 years for it to be named. In the 1800s, a Jamaican farmer called the fruit grapefruit because of the grape-like clusters in which it grows on trees. Today, grapefruit is found in its traditional yellows or its sweeter reds. The yellows are high in vitamin C, but the reds have C plus more benefits, including lycopene, limonoids, and naringin. These compounds not only reduce cold symptoms, they help reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer. Lycopene is a potent antioxidant and free radical scavenger. Free radicals are a natural part of metabolism, but they have dangerous effects on the body. When you eat grapefruit, its lycopene gets busy, mops up free radicals, and sends them on their way before they can cause trouble. In studies by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the limonoids and naringin in grapefruit increase levels of enzymes that help detoxify cancer-causing agents. Grapefruit is one food that provides more than the Daily Value of Vitamin C in one serving. A cup of grapefruit sections contains 88 milligrams of 58 | Exceptional People Magazine | July-August 2013
C or 146 percent of the DV. Vitamin C is part of the recipe for collagen, the "glue" that binds skin cells together. Among its other tasks, it fights wrinkles, helps wounds to heal, and keeps gums healthy.
Directions Grate 1 tablespoon of rind from a red grapefruit. Halve the grapefruit, squeeze the juice, and set aside. Place 2 tablespoons honey in a small bowl. Microwave on medium until warm, and add the grapefruit juice and grated rind. Mix well. Peel 3 additional red grapefruit, cutting away most of the white pith. Separate into sections and pierce each so the marinade can permeate. Arrange sections on dessert plates. Pour the honey mixture on them. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.
Profile Resources Part One Janis Kearney, Pg. 4, A Life-Long Journey of Determination, Passion and Fulfillment www.writingourworldpress.com James Piper Bond, Pg. 14, Developing Young People into Leaders https://livingclassrooms.org
Photo Credits Janis Kearney Cover Photo, Clinton White House Press Office Pg. 4, Jennifer Giraud, Jennifer Girard Photography, www.jennifergirard.com Pg. 5, Photo by Brian Lanker (Deceased) Pg. 6, Former Gov Clinton's press office Pg. 9, Clinton White House Press Office Pg. 10, White House Publishers Office Pg. 12, Chuck Dovish, Producer, AR Educ. Television Network James Piper Bond Page 14, John Waire, John Waire Photo, www.johnwaire.com
Part Two Domenico Ponti & Elena Volnova , Pg. 42, Taking Canine Fashions to a New Level, www.dogfashionspa.com
Additional Credits Graphics and Cover Designs: Jeff Hayes, www.plasmafiregraphics.com
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Writers and Contributors
William R. Patterson
Annemarie Cross
Ranked as the #1 Business Motivational Speaker by Ranking.com, William R. Patterson is a three-time award-winning lecturer and international bestselling author who uses his trademark approach, THE BARON SOLUTION™, to coach, train, and motivate business leaders, sales professionals, entrepreneurs, and investors. His breakthrough book, The Baron Son, has been translated around the world and featured in the Forbes Book Club and Black Enterprise. William is an internationally recognized wealth and business coach who has been a featured guest on over 500 television and radio programs. William's website, BaronSeries.com, is winner of four 2009 Web Awards including: Best Speaker; Best Male Author; Best Business Advice Site; and Best WealthBuilding Site. For more information, visit http://www.baronseries.com
Annemarie Cross is a Career Management & Personal Branding Strategist, Speaker, Consultant, Radio Broadcaster, and Author of ’10 Key Steps to Ace that Interview!’ She is also the founder/ principal of Advanced Employment Concepts – Career Management and Corporate Career Development Specialists offering powerful programs for people striving for career success and fulfillment, as well as savvy companies committed to building and retaining their most important asset – their staff.
Catherine Galasso-Vigorito
James Adonis
Catherine Galasso-Vigorito’s nationally syndicated weekly column, “A New You,” has endeared her to readers worldwide for over 15 years.
James Adonis is a people-management thinker and the author of three books including his latest, ‘Corporate Punishment: Smashing the Management Clichés for Leaders in a New World’. Thought-provoking and entertaining, James's keynote presentations and workshops show companies how to solve staff turnover, engage all generations, and win the war for talent. He has presented to audiences across Australia, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, with an impressive list of clients including McDonald's, American Express, CocaCola, Qantas, and Gucci. www.jamesadonis.com.
Known for her ability to uplift and encourage, Catherine has become America’s most beloved inspirational voice. Catherine is the founder and CEO of her own company, A New You Worldwide, developing and designing inspirational products. Her mission is to instill hope in the hearts of people everywhere, inspiring them to live a better life. She makes her home on the East Coast with her husband and three daughters. Visit her website at www.anewyouworldwide.com Searching for inspirational gifts - visit http://www.qvc.com/qic/qvcapp.aspx/app.nav/ params.class.K990/walk.yah.0101-K990.
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Widely considered a personal change agent and success catalyst, Annemarie has distinguished herself as being people-focused, caring, inspirational and life-changing in her approach. Annemarie can be contacted at www.a-e-c.com.au email: info@a-e-c.com.au.
Writers and Contributors
Rosalind Sedacca
Margaret Paul
Recognized as The Voice of Child-Centered Divorce, Rosalind Sedacca is a Certified Corporate Trainer and founder of the Child-Centered Divorce Network for parents facing, moving through or transitioning beyond divorce. She is the author of How Do I Tell the Kids about the Divorce? A Create-a-Storybook™ Guide to Preparing Your Children – with Love! which offers a unique approach to breaking divorce news to your children based on her own personal experience. She is also the 2008 National First Place Winner of the Victorious Woman Award.
Margaret Paul, Ph.D. is a noted public speaker, bestselling author, workshop leader, relationship expert, and Inner Bonding® facilitator. She has counseled individuals and couples, and led groups, classes, and workshops since 1968. She is the author and co-author of eight books, including the internationally bestselling Do I Have To Give Up Me To Be Loved By You?, Healing Your Aloneness, Inner Bonding, and Do I Have To Give Up Me To Be Loved By God?
As a Certified Corporate Trainer and Business Communication Strategist she provides consulting, speaking, training and Executive Coaching services to organizations nation-wide on marketing, public relations and business communication issues. She specializes in gender-related dynamics, marketing to women and employeemanagement collaboration in the workplace. To learn more about her book, free ezine, programs and other valuable resources on creating a positive ChildCentered Divorce, visit www.childcentereddivorce.com and www.howdoitellthekids.com. For more information about her customized programs, audio and videotapes, and other services, contact Rosalind at 561-742-3537 or Talk2Roz@bellsouth.net.
Dawn Abraham
She is the co-creator, along with Dr. Erika Chopich, of the Inner Bonding® healing process, recommended by actress Lindsay Wagner and singer Alanis Morissette, and featured on Oprah, and of the unique and popular website www.innerbonding.com. Their transformational selfhealing/conflict resolution software program, SelfQuest®, at www.selfquest.com, is being donated to prisons and schools and sold to the general public.
Sue Urda Sue Urda is an Author, Speaker, Inspirer and Co-Founder of Powerful You! Women’s Network, She was named twice on Inc. Magazines list of the 500 FastestGrowing Private Companies. Sue’s vision is to contribute to a global consciousness of women helping women succeed in business and in life and to open them to truth of who they are. www.sueurda.com.
Dawn Abraham is a Certified Life/Business Coach, and is an “Official Guide for Small Business Marketing at Selfgrowth.com. She also partners with professionals and entrepreneurs to help them create balanced lives while earning more money. Law of Attraction, Self Esteem, Abundance, Meditation, Motivation, Reiki, Private & Group Coaching, Free Life Changing Mp3's and Teleclasses are offered. http://www.qualified-lifecoach.com July-August 2013 | Exceptional People Magazine | 61
Writers and Contributors
Sharon Dahlonega Raiford Bush
Shelley Riutta
Sharon Dahlonega Raiford Bush is CEO of News Archives International. This multiaward-winning journalist writes and publishes news articles about productive individuals committed to making positive changes in their lives and in the world around them. She also writes and directs live performances for young, exceptional artists throughout the Los Angeles region. Sharon shares her life with her husband, veteran actor Grand L. Bush.
Shelley Riutta MSE, LPC is a Holistic Psychotherapist and Inner Bonding Facilitator in private practice specializing in Transformational individual counseling, presentations, groups and Workshops. To get her free workbook "What Do You REALLY Want: Finding Purpose and Passion in Your Life" or for information about the free teleclasses she does every month visit her web-site www.RadiantLifeCounseling.com or call her at 877-346-1167.
To learn more about Sharon, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Sharon_Dahlonega_Raiford_Bush and http://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonraifordbush. She can be contacted at https://www.facebook.com/TVwxGirl.
Dawn McCoy Dawn McCoy is author of "Leadership Building Blocks: An Insider's Guide to Success" http://flourishleadership.com/store/ index.html She is also is president and CEO of Flourish Leadership, LLC which provides coaching executives, public servants, and youth leaders. For author and speaker details, visit http:// www.flourishleadership.com.
Jack Canfield Jack is the founder and former CEO of Chicken Soup for the SoulÂŽ Enterprises, a billion dollar empire that encompasses licensing, merchandising and publishing activities around the globe. He is the Founder and Chairman of The Canfield Training Group which trains entrepreneurs, educators, corporate leaders and motivated individuals how to accelerate the achievement of their personal and professional goals. Jack is also the founder of The Foundation for Self-Esteem which provides self-esteem resources and trainings to social workers, welfare recipients and human resource professionals. http://www.jackcanfield.com/ 62 | Exceptional People Magazine | July-August 2013
Inez Bracy Inez Bracy is the host of her own radio talk show; Living Smart and Well and is a columnist for Senior Stuff a local ezine, the Orlando Examiner, a former columnist for the Island Voice magazine and the author of Rejuvenate Your Life in 21 Days. Bracy’s radio show, Living Smart and Well shares tips on creating your best life and is heard globally on www.livingsmartandwell.com. Bracy is an author, a masterful coach, powerful trainer, and a dynamic speaker. With more than 20 years of experience working for educational institutions and non-profits, Bracy uses her knowledge to help people create extraordinary lives. http://overfiftyfineandfancy.com
Keasha Lee Keasha Lee is President of Striking Statements, LLC a company that provides public relations and social media strategy for small to mid sized businesses. www.strikingstatements.com
Writers and Contributors
Dorothy Rosby
Eileen Lichtenstein
Dorothy Rosby is an entertaining speaker and syndicated humor columnist whose work appears regularly in 30-plus newspapers in eleven Western and Midwestern states. She is also Community Relations Director for an organization which supports people with disabilities. She lives in Rapid City, South Dakota with her husband, son, mother, and hamster. Contact her at drosby@rushmore.com or see her website at www.dorothyrosby.com.
Eileen Lichtenstein, MS Ed, CEO of Balance & Power, Inc. is a certified Anger Management Specialist, Career and Mid-Life Coach, EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique ) Practitioner and a former Biofeedback Therapist and faculty at Hofstra University. "SOAR! with Resilience™: The Interactive Book for Overcoming Obstacles & Achieving Success" is the core material for many of her trainings and a motivational read for anyone struggling to take their personal or professional life to a higher level of success and satisfaction. www.balanceandpower.com
Angie Brennan
Cedric Dukes
Angie Brennan is a humor writer and illustrator from Maryland. Visit her website at www.angiebrennan.com for cartoons, spoof advice, and more.
Cedric Dukes is an international author, speaker and leader on finances and self & career development. He is the author of two books, The Power of Time – Living a Life of No Regrets and Hostile Takeover – Manifesting God’s Plan and Purpose for Your Finances. Cedric’s books can be found at www.CedricDukes.com, www.amazon.com, and most major bookstores. His career includes management positions in engineering and purchasing. He has been a keynote speaker for churches, financial literacy classes, and credit counseling clubs as well as book clubs, seminars and conferences and has written columns for several national and regional publications.
Greg Williams Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator, is an internationally sought after speaker/trainer. He provides negotiation expertise to corporate and individual clients that seek to maximize their negotiation efforts, at the negotiation table. You can sign up for Greg’s free negotiation tips at www.TheMasterNegotiator.com – You can also view his Negotiation Tip videos at http:// www.youtube.com/user/ TheMasterNegotiator - Greg’s motto is, “Remember, you’re always negotiating”.
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Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures. John F. Kennedy