ISSUE 12 DREAMS TO REMEMBER
INTO THE NEW YEAR...
WHAT YOU'RE LEAVING BEHIND. WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING TO GAIN.
DECEMBER 2018
DIAMOND GIRLS
THE MAGAZINE
IN THIS ISSUE
Routines
Morning Routines Create Maximum Productivity
Hustle
THE STEADY CLIMB TO SUCCESS
Tradition
Recipes with Love
Promo
If you don't promote yourself, who will?
Dreams To Remember
Self Care & The Hustle
DGTM DIAMONDGIRLSTHEMAGAZINE
DECEMBER 2018, ISSUE 12
Morning Routines Create Maximum Productivity BY ANDRIENNE KENNEDY
How do you begin
The way you begin
This type of reckless
your day? Do you
your day will
behavior would not
wake up without the
determine the flow
serve me or my
assistance of an
of the day and in
business well.
alarm clock?
turn affect the way you work.
When you wake up
As I have been on my mental health and
do you know what
For years I never
entrepreneurial
day or year it is?
really paid much
journeys, I had to
attention to my
come to realize the
Are you rushing
morning routines. I
importance of
around looking for
would just do,
creating and
keys and things
without any regard
maintaining
when you are getting
for routines or
schedules and
the kids out the
schedules.
routines.
door?
PRODUCTIVITY
ROUTINES
Productivity Wins
Creating a ritual for the morning will greatly maximize productivity for the day. Developing a schedule for my morning has greatly impacted the way that I start and end my days. When I begin each morning on an organized note, I feel much more confident about myself, my abilities and the tasks that I have to accomplish for the day.
Take a moment to think about it. How do you feel when you have to make an appointment and you have prepared thoroughly and given yourself enough time to get to your
Creating a morning ritual is
This is what my morning looks like :
not a one size fits all task.
I wake up on time, say a prayer, meditate and
Each routine will look different for each person. It all depends on your goals and what you are hoping to accomplish.
appointment? You feel good, you feel more confident and most importantly you are not burdened with the stress of rushing and dealing with all of the other chaos that goes along with being unprepared.
ROUTINES
recite affirmations to myself. I make my bed and then proceed to dress and prepare myself for the events of the day.
When I start my day like this, I am in better spirits
"When I start my day on a
and I feel much
peaceful note, I know that I
more productive. I not only feel much more
am going to accomplish more. "
productive, I actually am more productive. I am able to control of how things go. When I start my day on a peaceful note, I know that I am going to accomplish more. So what are the ways that you can create a morning routine that maximizes your productivity?
ROUTINES
Decide on a time that you will wake up each morning, and be sure allow enough time to complete the tasks that you want to complete each morning. Incorporate some sort of spiritual activity into your morning routine. Whether you decide to pray or read something of a spiritual nature, this will really help you get in touch with yourself and a higher power.
CHOOSE A TIME THAT YOU WILL WAKE UP EACH MORNING.
Meditation. Meditating for a couple of minutes in the morning can help you clear your mind of all of the mental clutter. Affirmations and Gratitude. Begin your morning on a positive note by expressing gratitude for all of the blessings in your life. Affirmations are a great way to be kind to yourself and develop a positive rapport with yourself. Decide on a time that you will wake up each morning, and be sure allow enough time to complete those tasks that you’ve included as part of your morning ritual.
These small things can start your day on a great note. When you being your day like this, your intuition begins to speak to you. So, give yourself some quiet time and see how much better you feel and how much more productive you really are. This is not only great for your mind, but for your body as well.
by Adrienne Kennedy To learn more about my mental health and wellness journey, please visit www.beautifulbraincollective.com Follow @beautifulbraincollective
THE STEADY CLIMB TO
BY ANTOINETTE HAYNES
As I wake up every morning before the sun rises, I face different tasks every day regarding my business. Ordering supplies, how to market, thinking of engaging content; just how to make my business better. Truthfully, I always wonder how I will EVER get ahead with this on-going “To Do List” that seems to NEVER end. I hear the phrase often from famous biz owners, “owning a business isn’t for the faint hearted” and I tell you, they are telling the honest truth. When I decided to open shop in 2010, I just KNEW that it would be easy to get and keep clients.
I thought all it took was a business card, and my book would be filled with clients that just adored my services. I had no strategy in place to keep them, because I was sure that they were coming back anyway…….wow… I got a rude awakening!
Okay, maybe my prices were too high? Well, I have got the perfect solution. Undercut all my competitors, because everyone will always come for a cheaper deal. Maybe I will do a Groupon! Groupon will bring me so many clients, I will give them my great facials, and offer them another facial for full price‌...yes‌.umm, no.
TO MY SURPRISE
...those people hopped on to the next cheap Groupon deal. These type “deal hoppers” , were just that, looking for deals only, never to pay full price, never to pay what you are worth. Discouragement consumed me; was I not good enough, or were my prices still too high?
So, now I know that I need help, and lots of it. I can give you a beautiful set of lashes and brows, snatch your va-jay-jay into smoothness, give your face a beautiful glow, but giving you constant, great content on a daily basis sets anxiety in me that you wouldn’t believe. I realize that I need a coach; a coach that “gets it”, biz besties that experiences frustration and anxiety like I do.
Fast forward a couple of years, social media became a really big deal when it came to business. Facebook ads, Instagram ads, hashtags, branded content, analytics, email lists started to make a BIG breakthrough, and I have become terribly overwhelmed with it all. It came so fast, and I just can’t keep up for the life of me.
PROGRESS In the last 2 years (especially), I have had some progressive growth in my business. The picture is much clearer of what I need; the path, not as rocky. Yes, I still get major overwhelm, because I have to come to grips what is needed to run a business. It’s important to have a sound board, business besties, and a business coach because entrepreneurship can be a lonely road. You will be tired, you will cry, you will curse, and you will want to kick someone’s ass. (If you never experience any of these things; you are NOT in business).
I learned quite a bit business wise in 2018. I decided that having quarterly goals worked better for me, its okay to kick toxic clients to the curb, its ok to cry, not everyone is gonna love you, and being overwhelmed comes with the territory. Since I found my new group the Posh Socialites; business life is a little better. This group contains a coach that wants you to succeed, a group that doesn’t have thousands where you will easily get lost, and a fresher prospective. In 2019, business is gonna be LIT. I’m coming in with a new website, great digital products, and a better focus. I feel that I finally found that group, and that coach that can take me to success!
ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN BY ANTOINETTE HAYNES, LICENSED ESTHETICIAN WWW.SERENITYSUITESKINCARE.COM Follow Antoinette on Instagram @SerenitySuites
Holiday mornings are by far my FAVORITE and always have been. Ever since I was a kid, my parents would have the most amazing Christmas mornings. We would come down the steps and my dad would always pretend Santa had just left...This Made my Childhood so special. After all the gifts were open my mom would make a HUGE Breakfast. We would spend the day in pajamas playing and eating. On Christmas morning I love to prepare a Breakfast buffet. I try to keep it as simple as possible, while at the same time offering options to meet everyone’s taste. by Stephanie Jackson
I don’t want to get stuck in the kitchen all morning So, I make as much ahead of time as possible. The holidays are stressful enough so, why have the additional stress on Christmas morning. Wake up, enjoy your family and friends. In this edition I’m sharing our menu and two of My favorite Breakfast menu items, to make Christmas morning a Quick and Delicious.
Here’s our menu: Egg and Sausage Casserole. 1 lb pound Sausage Browned, drained and crumbled 1 pkg 8 crescent rolls 1 cup frozen Hash Browns 1 cup Shredded Cheddar cheese 5 eggs, beaten 1⁄4 cup milk 1⁄2 tsp salt and pepper 2 Tablespoon Parmesan cheese
Separate Rolls and press together to to make a crust in a 9x13 inch pan. Spoon sausage over crust; sprinkle potatoes over sausage, then the Cheddar Cheese. Mix eggs, salt, pepper and milk and pour over Cheddar Cheese. Top with Parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered 375 degrees for 25-30 min. (Chef Bubba and friends 1992)
SPINACH/ MUSHROOM QUICHE RECIPE
1 pkg 9 inch single crust 4 eggs 1⁄4 cup milk
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1⁄2 tsp salt 1⁄2 tsp black pepper 1⁄8 tsp ground nutmeg 1⁄3 (10 ounce) bag fresh spinach 1 (8oz.) package sliced fresh mushrooms 1⁄2 yellow onion, sliced 1⁄2 (4 oz) container of feta cheese 1⁄2 (8oz) package shredded Swiss cheese
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. (200 C) 2. Fit pie crust into a 9 in. Pie dish 3. Whisk eggs, milk, parsley, garlic, salt, black pepper, and nutmeg into a bowl. 4. Gently combine spinach, mushrooms, onion, and feta cheese in a seperate bowl. Spread spinach-mushroom mixture in the prepared pie dish to op with half the Swiss cheese. 5. Pour egg mixture evenly over the filing, swirling egg mixture egg mixture in bowl to spread seasoning through the eggs; top the quiche with remaining Swiss cheese. Place quiche on a baking Sheet.
H A T ' Sin ON S A L E ? R E A Doven O N ! until the 6.WBake preheated quiche is lightly puffed and browned, Apartments and 45 to 50 min. A homes just into forcenter youof the toothpick inserted filing should come out clean. Cool for 30 min. Before serving Muffins or Pastries, Save time by purchasing store bought. Bacon in the oven, Here’s my time saver, baking in the oven.Place bacon on a baking sheet. Bake in oven preheated 400 degrees about 15 mins) Fresh Fruit We served mixed Berries. But choose the fruit of your choice. Coffee and Juices oh Yeah Mimosa are a great option Enjoy your Holiday Season!! Happy Holidays.
For more great time saving tips join my community @thesweetlifeofstephaniej on Instagram. Keep Reaching for your SWEETEST LIFE!
by Nay Marie
In my day job as a Promotional Products Distributor, I am surrounded by tons of items with brand logos like t-shirts, hats, drinkware, mailers, sticky notes, tech accessories and pens. SO MANY PENS. I guess you can say that I have become a bit of a “Swag Snob” and feel like a plastic pen with a logo on it is such a disappointment to everyone involved. I just know there are so many opportunities to do better within that same budget! I also think about it from a customer’s point of view. How am I, as a customer, supposed to justify spending hundreds of dollars with your brand, when your brand obviously only spent $1.00 or less in an attempt to woo me?
Now, I know that not everyone has the budget to hand out Mont Blanc pens that I would guard like Fort Knox, but don’t give me a pen with a faulty clicker that will bleed ink all over my Coach bag liner, either. Instead of recognizing your brand’s name and having positive memories associated with it, I will forever remember you as the cheapskate that ruined my bag liner with their cheap ass pens that I didn’t even want to begin with. A customer’s mindset is if you’re too cheap to giveaway something halfway decent, where else will you cut corners? Believe me, it’s not just me talking, but my and your customers.
The point of is that if you have X amount of dollars budgeted to promo and marketing, make those dollars count! People will take anything if it is free, whether they want it or not. Make sure your promo item is something that they will actually keep and use and remember who gave it to them, not something they will use once (if at all) and throw away. Don’t get me wrong, you really can have it all and find an inexpensive promotional product that also delivers, as long as you put the right campaign behind it.
Now that you have scrapped the cheap pen idea for something better, you will need to be clever with your words to build some excitement around this inexpensive promo item. For example, in my industry, stainless steel straws are trending due to the plastic straw ban in California.
If a Life Coach just hands you a metal straw and then runs down a list of their services to you, will you remember anything about that person’s message when you use the straw? Issa No and that straw will probably just end up in the silverware drawer alongside random lids that don’t match up with any cups in the house.
Imagine if that same Life Coach hands you a flier with the straw attached. The flier has colorful, eye-catching artwork and the saying “Life Sucks. Grab a Straw.”, along with a bio or list of services on the back.
I would probably hang that funny card up on the fridge and get a giggle from the memory from every time I use the straw. I would imagine this person that is coaching has a sense of humor and a personality that I may want to pay to help me out.
Life DOES Suck sometimes, but there is humor behind every situation and this Life Coach knows it. She must know what she is talking about!
The collateral speaks for her and she can save her sales pitch and make the meeting more of a friendly chat. I will remember this person. This second scenario is WAY more effective, personable and memorable than the first, and really blows the whole crappy pen thing out of the water. I hope you can see how going from a $1.00 plastic pen + sales pitch to $1.15 straw + fun flier really makes all the difference. I really just want to get you thinking outside the box when it comes to how you market your brand and what you decide to put your brand’s message or logo on. You can still be cheap (dollar-wise), but not come across as being cheap (business-wise). As small businesses, we are all trying to cut costs, so using our creativity is key!
So, what are my suggestions as a Promotional Products Distributor that have been proven effective and replace the cheap pens? These inexpensive giveaways can be used for Facebook campaigns, IG giveaways, gift with purchase or just a freebie that you send along with an order: -Stainless Steel Straws (“Life sucks, I can help”.
You can do your own Google search for “Promo items under $1 (or whatever your budgeted amount per item is) and get the full spectrum of what is available out there. It can be overwhelming because there is so much to see, but you can add filters once you find a few things you like. If you can, be sure to get a sample of an item before you place your order just to make sure it is as described. You do not want any surprises.
-Neoprene Coffee Cup Sleeves (“This is Probably Wine”. For boss women, Entrepreneurs, Moms) -Car Cup Holder Coasters (used as business cards for Uber/Lyft Drivers, Mobile Detailers) -Luggage Tags (services for Entrepreneurs, Travel Agents) -Silicone Phone Wallets (“I’ve got your back”. For any services for teens, students. You can place your business card in the slot) details
For Life/Business Coaches, Environmental Services, Food Services) -Webcam Covers for computer/tablet/phone camera (“We’ve got you covered”. For IT services, Graphic Designers) -Seeded Paper Bookmarks, Seeded Paper Business Cards (“Let’s grow together”. For Financial Planners, Mentors)
-Chap Sticks with business card printed on it (“We’ll never leave you dry”. For beauty industry or Outdoor Services, Healthcare) -Keychain Tape Measures (For Online Clothing Boutiques, Hair Resellers, Real Estate Agents, Movers) -Breath Mints in logo containers (for Speakers, Job Seekers, Food Services) -Temporary Tattoos (Let the art talk on these. For kids, Tattoo Studios, Artists) -Car Charger Plugs (For anyone on-the go) -Mobile Phone Earbud Jack Splitters (“Two heads are better than one”. For teens & college kids, Tutors, Mentors)
DREAMS TO REMEMBER by Tori Torres, Creator & Editor @DiamondGirlsTheMagazine
I began the first Issue with the same title. This Magazine was something I talked to my Grandmother about, just before she died a little over a year ago. My Gram was a giver. The kind of person who would give her last, oftentimes to her own detriment. I always feel that was one of the things that wore her down as she got older. And so, one of the unspoken things I learned from her, was balance. It's a never-ending quest, it would seem, to reach your goals each day. We are all guilty of the "Entrepreneur Hustle"! But one of the goals I'll be setting for my community in the coming year is more productivity and rest. Equal balance of growth and hustle, combined with rest & renewal.
DGTM ISSUE 12
It's so essential to take care of your mind, body, spirit, and your goals in proportion to what you can safely execute in a day. One of the things I've lacked in the past three years is incorporating an exercise routine into my day. I that time, I was so focused on building my brand, that I neglected my personal health. I suffered fatigue, intense mood swings, and even moments of depression because I wasn't rewarding myself and being present in each phase. Self care is not a luxury. It's a necessity and priority if you want to add value into your daily life. I find that I'm far more creative, vivacious, full of energy...and the planning for each week, month day, etc. makes me more productive than when I was "hustling" to get it done.
DGTM ISSUE 12
So it's back to the routine. Back to taking care of myself before I get into a day that's focused on everyone else. In looking back over this year, think about how much time and work you have put into business growth, vs. self care. If there's not a balance, then that can be from several factors: 1. Lack of planning 2. Lack of follow through with your planning 3. Not understanding how to plan correctly. If you're struggling with goal setting and creating a plan for yourself that works, join us for our 2018 Virtual Vision Board Party!
DGTM ISSUE 12
In 2019, I encourage you to spend the time planning, and executing with SMART goals, and living in the moment! My Gram missed the launch of our Magazine by just a few months. She lived stressed, tired, over-worked and over-used by those around her. I'm determined to live a better quality of life. One where I provide ongoing value to my community and those I come into contact with, most certainly. But also, by loving myself enough to set attainable goals, put in the daily work, and then allow myself the freedom to live and enjoy the moment. I hope that yo will, too... Happy Holidays!
XO, Tori
