Issue 10
"My soul maginifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior" (Luke 1:46-47)
______________________________________________________
Issue 10: Table of Contents
* Letter from the Editor: Have You Responded to the Survey?
* Business Building Article: Final Steps to Decision Making
* Business Definition for the Week: Learn about Contracts
* Home Business Quick Tip: Teaching Others Can Build Your Business
* Biblical Applications to Business: Elizabeth- Waiting for Perfection of Time
* Online Business Article: Create Your First Autoresponder Series in Wahmcart
*Business Resources & Announcements
*NACWIB Association News
*Subscriber News
===================================================
Greetings CWIB Reader!
Merry Christmas! It’s here - well almost.
Christmas has come around again.
I’m sure you hear the doom reports on television as retailers talk about the lack of buying that’s going on. If you’re in business, you have to adjust to meet the needs of the marketplace. However, as Christian women in business, it’s also a time to rejoice that the true meaning of Christmas will have a chance to be the focus this year as the buying diminishes.
When people face hard times, they tend to focus more on spiritual things. This year will be a great opportunity to add a reminder about the true meaning of the season of Christmas according to the Christian faith as you interact with your customers, friends and family.
Survey News: Have you responded to the survey on what you want NACWIB to provide for you in 2009? You can see it in the right hand blog column.
So far most people want NACWIB to focus on how to grow a business for 2009. That’s a great topic because recession or not, growing a business is not only feasible but necessary. As the economy shifts so do the needs of society. Businesses serve the needs in society so business women must learn to read the economy in order to make adjustments. This is a skill business women must acquire in order to grow their business and NACWIB will be showing you how to do this in 2009.
All of the suggested survey topics will help you to move your business ahead so answer freely. You have the rest of this month to respond to the survey. Go there any time while reading the newsletter and put in your response.
Decision Making Series: I decided to wrap up the series on decision making this week. You’ll find the last four steps listed in the next article.
Bible Principles: The second of three lessons on Bible women who waited for their dream and were rewarded for their faith is presented this week. Last week we talked about Mary, the Mother of Jesus. This week we take a look at her cousin, Elizabeth, the Mother of John the Baptist and see how that relates to this modern time as you look forward to seeing your business purpose unfold.
NACWIB News: Have you noticed that a FREE membership level was developed for NACWIB just by subscribing to the newsletter? So much information is provided each week (and it will get better next year) that it was decided that membership is already happening at the subscription level. Next year, different membership levels will start and the benefits I have planned for you will be fabulous.
Have a Joyous and Blessed Christmas,
Consuelo
Editor, CWIB News
Founder & President
National Association of Christian Women in Business
_____________________________________________
Business Building Article: Final Steps to Decision Making
Our series on learning how to make a decision has been going on for the past three weeks. This is the last week of that series.
Last time you learned to develop a list of alternative solutions for your problem. Now you’re going to review the final steps required to make a good business decision.
Evaluate the Alternatives: Review each alternative solution and determine which would be the best for the business situation. Determine if there are any things that would cause additional problems if you selected that alternative such as increased costs, need for trained people that are not already with the company, time constraints or other problems.
Make Your Selection: It’s time to make the decision. Decide on the solution that you’ve determined is best for this decision.
Implement the Decision: After deciding on a solution, you have to implement the solution. Develop your action plan, determine the steps it will take to monitor and establish priorities for the solution, and identify the resources you have already to make the solution work. Then get busy implementing the decision.
Evaluate the Decision Results: Always take time to review your decision and the outcomes. Evaluation is a key point to know when you make a good decision or not. It will let you learn from your decision process and know what to do next time it the same or similar situation. You’ll understand how to make the decision quicker next time and whether or not you need to make changes.
To review the series on How to Make a Business Decision here are the 7 steps we’ve covered over the past few weeks:
1. When You Have to Make a Decision
2. What is the Problem?
3. Explore Alternative Solutions
4. Evaluate the Alternatives
5. Select Your Solution
6. Implement the Decision
7. Evaluate the Decision Results
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Business definition for the week: Learn about Contracts
When you sign a legal document, you are entering into a contract. Starting a business lets you sign and enter into contracts on behalf of the business. If you are a sole proprietor, the contract will be between the other person and you. If you are a corporation the contract will be between the other person and your company, not you. Having a corporate structure gives you some protection from liabilities incurred through a business. As a sole proprietor, you would be personally responsible for liabilities from the business. This means your personal assets (house, car, bank accounts, etc.) could be garnished to pay for a business debt if you get sued.
_________________________________________________
Home Business Quick Tip: Teaching Others Can Build Your Business
People want to learn new things like how to change their oil, do a craft or build a tree house for their kids. Show them an easy way to learn and you will make them feel more capable and independent. This is a great way to grow your small, home based business. Start teaching other by providing detailed instructions with your products, giving a workshop, or coaching them through the process.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Autoresponder and Shopping Cart – Recommended by NACWIB
If you want to build an online business you will need a reliable autorespoinder and shopping cart system. Wahmcart is both. Click on the name to learn more. You can get a free 10-day trial of this Autoresponder Service and Shopping Cart. This week’s Online Business Article tells you more about this great business resource.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Biblical Principle to Consider: Elizabeth- Waiting for Perfection of Time
“Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.” Luke 1:57-58
Elizabeth was the wife of Zechariah the High Priest and the cousin of Mary, Mother of Jesus. She was old by reproductive terms and past the age of being able to have a child. In her day and culture, that meant the Lord had not blessed her with the gift of motherhood. But there was a reason for the delay. Elizabeth was to give birth to the man who would announce the coming of Christ - John the Baptist.
Elizabeth’s story of waiting is a great one to encourage any Christian woman who is waiting to either start a business, see that business grow or waiting to see how the economy will affect her business. Waiting is something that gives God time to do His work in your life. While you are waiting and praying, He is working on responding to those prayers. If you are not praying about what you want for your business purpose, perhaps that’s the first thing to start doing. Elizabeth prayed all of her life to be able to have a baby. Even when past the age of potential, God was doing his perfect will in his perfect time for her perfect season.
When Mary visited Elizabeth what a joyous meeting it was between the two women; one older and one young, both pregnant with the promises of the Lord. This is the season to be pregnant with the promises of the Lord. Use this season to pray until the fullness of your prayers are answered, knowing that in your waiting allows God to do His perfect work in your business and your life.
Read the story of Elizabeth in Luke 1: 39-80
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Online Business Lesson: Create Your First Autoresponder Series in Wahmcart
Creating an autoresponder series is a great way to build a mailing list on the Internet. Your list will become the most important part of your business operations as it provides the way to get in touch with people who are actually interested in what you have to offer.
WAHMCart is an autoresponder and shopping cart program that has all of the functionality of a major shopping cart and autoresponder with one great exception – the price. WAHMCart is reasonably priced for a hardworking piece of software on the Internet. That means great value for you while you get exactly what you need to get your business up and operating on a regular basis.
Click the name to check out WAHMCart for 10 days without cost. Go there to see how easy it is to set up an autoresponder series using these quick instructions.
To create an autoresponder series for a list in Wahmcart, first create a mailing list as you normally would, making sure you add a welcome message as your first message in the series. This message will have a 0 day delay so that your subscribers will receive it immediately after they sign up.
The steps to follow will walk you through setting up more messages in your autoresponder series. We'll use the example of “New Life Coaching Services” who sends a plain text email to their subscribers once per week.
1. Login to your account. Choose Followup => View Lists => Choose the list you want to add to and click Messages => Click Add Message
2. Choose whether you would like your message to be delivered in plain text or HTML. By default Wahmcart does plain text.
3. Next enter the delay of the message. This is in days and is the number of days after a subscriber signs up for the list. Since this is the first followup email (not counting the welcome message), set the delay to 7. Subscribers will then receive their first email 7 days after they sign up.
4. The set of buttons "First Name" and "Last Name" that appear under the Delay section are for your subject line only. If you wish to enter either of these in your subject line, click them...otherwise simply type (or copy and paste) your email subject into the next section.
5. The buttons in the following section (First Name, Last Name, Email, URL, Company, & Date) are for the message itself.
Tip: If you copy and paste your email into the body section and then click any of these buttons the information will default to the end of the email, so be sure to cut and paste to where you need it in the email itself.
6. Now, copy and paste or type your first message into the section labeled "Body:"
7. Click the "Preview Message" button at the top to see what your message will look like. If you need to make changes simply click the "Edit Message" button to go back and edit the message. To save and add the message to your autoresponder series click "Save Message".
8. Complete the steps again for each additional message you would like to add to the series.
Be sure to check out WAHMCart and start building your mailing list today.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Business Resources/Announcements
NACWIB recommends WAHMCart as the autoresponder and shopping cart of choice.
FREE Membership Level:
Tell your friends, family, and business woman to subscribe to CWIB News to have a FREe first level membership to the National Association of Christian Women in Business (NACWIB). The monthly newsletter of the National Association of Christian Women in Business is featured on the CWIB News blog at cwibnews.blogspot.com. It is PACKED with business building and business leadership information, resources, tips, Biblical Principles and Home Business Tips.
NACWIB Will start membership levels in 2009 that will provide more benefits to women in business and leadership.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Subscribers Talk
So glad some of you are starting to write to say how much you are enjoying the newsletter. I continue to consider how to make this resource more informative and timely for you. Please fill in the survey in the right hand column to help out with that.
I'd love to hear from you too - info@cwibnews.com
Consuelo
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Again, I appreciate your joining us and I'll see you next week!
God Bless,
Consuelo
Consuelo Meux, Ph.D.
President & Founder, NACWIB
http://www.nacwib.com
http://www.nacwib.org
"Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!" (Luke 2:14)
===========================================================
DISCLAIMER: All information is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for professional business advise. Use of this information is at your own risk. We make no warranty, express or implied, regarding your individual results.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Saturday, December 13, 2008
CWIB News Issue 9 - Making Hard Decisions
Issue 08
December 13, 2008
____________________________________________________
National Association of Christian Women in Business NACWIB
____________________________________________________
"God cares about honesty in the workplace; your business is His business"
(Prov. 16:11, Peterson).
=====================================================
Issue 9: Table of Contents
*Letter from the Editor: The Focus of Your Waiting
*Business Building Article: Decision making Series: Explore Alternative Solutions
*Biblical Applications to Business: Making Hard Decision that are Right According to Your Faith.Luke 1: 38
*Online Business Article: The Basics of SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
*Business Resources & Announcements
*Home Study Program: Sign up for mailing list
*NACWIB Association News
*Subscriber News
_____________________________________________________
Letter From the Editor
Greetings and Merry Christmas,
Christmas time is upon us once again. How quickly the days seem to go as we get older. It seemed to take forever for Christmas to arrive when we were little. I think it was because of the focus of our waiting.
As children, we waited all year to get presents. As we got older, the focus of our waiting changed. It might have been waiting to finish a tough year, waiting to get vacation or waiting for other reasons.
For many women of faith the waiting is now a time to bring hope. As the news grows dim about economic situations Christmas lets us remember that waiting for our dreams, hope and joy are a part of a life of faith.
Centuries ago, people waited for the Christ child who finally came on Christmas. Other faithful people waited for other signs of hope.
The next three weeks of December will highlight three Bible women who waited for their dream and were rewarded for their faith by making right decisions. We will see how waiting can relate to us in this modern time no matter what things look like on the outside.
We will also finish up our business series on decision-making this month. In January we will start a new series of business leadership topics and announce the start of the Lydia Mastermind Circle for women who want to fast-track their business and leadership potential.
I pray your Christmas season is blessed with joy and love as we remember our Lord is still in control.
God Bless,
Consuelo
Editor, CWIB News
Founder & President
National Association of Christian Women in Business
_________________________________________________
Do you need SEO-rich content for your Internet business to drive traffic to your websites and increase your business success. Reasonable rates, Fast Turn Around, Original Content
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Business Leadership Article: Decision Making Series – Explore Alternative Solutions
Over the past few weeks in this series on decision making we’ve looked at the basics of making a decision and how to determine what decision really needs to be made. Today we look at how to explore alternatives in the decision making process.
How to Generate Alternative Solutions
After figuring out what you have to make a decision about, you want to generate and evaluate some alternative solutions. To begin, review your problem then, come up with a list of feasible solutions.
1. Brainstorm a list of possible solutions.
You can do group brainstorming or use mind-mapping techniques to brainstorm alone. Just make a full list of possible solutions without being judgmental. You have time for that later. Tony Buzan’s Book, The Mind Map Book: How to Use Radiant Thinking to Maximize Your Brain's Untapped Potential
has been a classic on mindmapping through the years. I’ve used this book throughout my years of study and teaching and still return to it to generate loads of useful ideas.
2. Surveys
A business professional can always ask others for ideas through survey. A survey presents the problems and a series of alternative solutions that others can respond to. For instance, I’ve put up a survey on the newsletter blog to ask what you want to find from NACWIB this year. This will give you some alternatives and you come up with a solution. While you here put in your answer to the survey then click “see results” to instantly see what responses are.
3. Discussion groups
Draw alternative solutions by discussing the problem with others. Make sure these are people whose opinions you trust. If the issue is private, carefully choose whom you will discuss this with. You can also gather a small group to discuss the issue. This is similar to brainstorming and you can even use the mind mapping technique with your group. Tell the group you want ideas that are focused.
After you come up with a list of alternatives here are some things to consider:
1. Try to avoid rushing to judgment. Don’t go for the obvious but take time to look for the root of the issues.
2. Don’t always go for the easiest response. Maybe doing some things would be quick and easy but it might not be the most effective in the long run. Take time to determine if you have to take more steps to really solve the problem.
3. Generate enough alternatives. Give yourself enough alternatives to select from in order to really think the decision through. If you are making a decision that is routine and done all the time, you may generate a shorter list of alternatives. But if you’re faced with a brand new problem, your list of alternatives should cause you to think harder and more carefully about what to decide.
Next time: Evaluate the Alternatives
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
YouTube is all the rage. You can find videos to meet every marketing need. Learn to put a YouTube video on your website in 10 minutes or less with this quick easy guide.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Biblical Principle to Consider: “May It Be To Me As You Have Said” Making Hard Decision that are Right According to Your Faith. Luke 1: 38
I wonder if I would have made the decision Mary made when the angel told her she was to be the mother of Jesus? Without hesitation, Mary decided “I am the Lord’s servant,” and said yes to the plan. It seems like the only likely decision, but Mary had a choice. Fortunately, she was prepared in her heart and spirit to trust the Lord an made the right choice.
We have choices to make on a daily basis; in business and personal life. Some of the choices are easy, almost no-brainers. But others leave us baffled as to what to do. The illustration Mary leaves with us as women of faith in business is to make choices based on our faith and values.
My decision to start the National Association of Christian Women in Business NACWIB came after thinking about it long and hard. I hesitated because I worried about being associated with political ideas that have distorted the truth about Christianity. I wondered if talking about business would offend some people who didn’t think women should succeed and be assertive in their calling as business leaders.
But I realized that I was letting propaganda and wrong ideas distort the truths of my faith. I had to decide to do what I knew was right and correct.
Mary’s decision could have gotten her killed or at least ostracized from her community. But she made the decision that was right. You might be facing some tough decisions right now in your personal or business life. Read Mary’s story found in the book of Luke 1: 1-39 to learn how she made her big decision. Then take time to pray about how to make decisions that face you that are right and correct according to your faith.
____________________________________________________
Internet Business Article: The Basics of SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
If you’ve been working on the Internet for more than one week you’ve probably heard about SEO or Search Engine Optimization. SEO is something that every online business owner needs to know about. While is might sound difficult there’s really is no need for SEO to scare you off.
What is SEO?
SEO is working with the words or keywords that people look for most often in order to find information on the web. You use SEO techniques ever time you do a web based search.
How SEO Works
When you go to a search engine and type in words that describe what you are looking for you are using keywords. Web spiders crawl the whole Internet and find pages that match the keywords you typed in.
The sites or pages that appear in the search results are ranked in order of importance according to the search engine they used. If a site owner has optimized their site or specific pages for the keywords you want, their site could rank on the list that appears to you in the search.
Why SEO is Important
Most people will choose one of the first few sites on the list to find the information they want. You want your site to be listed as one of the top sites that appear for a particular keyword phrase. Do this by including appropriate keywords in your writing so the search engine spiders will find your site.
If you want to learn more about this important topic of SEO read my blog at http://www.seowritingservices.blogspot.com/. I keep this blog updated on how you can learn SEO or purchase my writing services to drive traffic to you website or blog.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Business Announcements
Home Study Program:
Sign up for the mailing list of the Business &
Marketing Home Study Program. More lessons are being added each month. Register at this website: http://www.nacwib.org/homestudy.htm
NACWIB Association NEWS
YOU have a FREE NACWIB Membership!!! The National Association of Christian Women in Business is giving a FREE first level membership to subscribers of NACWIB News. That means you will
* Continue to receive business building news that speaks to your head as well as
your heart
* First Chance announcements of all NACWIB programs
* Opportunities to get discounts on NACWIB programs.
* Periodic Surprises (free ebooks, reports, information, tipcs, etc.)
SHARE The news (CWIB News) and tell you friends, church groups, and other to subscribe.
The Lydia Mastermind Circle
The Lydia Mastermind Circle will be a 12 month coaching program for women who want fast-track business and leadership mentoring. A special mailing will be sent this month.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Subscribers Talk
Please take time to answer the quick poll in the right hand column of the newsletter. We want to know how to prepare the best programs and workshops for you in 2009. Thanks!
Community Announcements
What’s going on in your community to help business women grow their business and live a balanced life? Send in your announcements and let’s see if we can get them out to more people.
Spread the NEWS
Tell your groups, church, associations, and others about CWIBNews. Tell them to subscribe today
at http://www.cwibnews.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Keep waiting, the time will come for your faith to be rewarded.
God Bless,
Consuelo
Consuelo Meux, Ph.D., President & Founder
NACWIB: http://www.nacwib.com/
Editor, CWIB News
"Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens."
(1 Thessalonians 5:16, Peterson).
=================================
DISCLAIMER: All information is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for professional business advise. Use of these tips and information at your own
risk. We make no warranty, express or implied, regarding your individual results.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
December 13, 2008
____________________________________________________
National Association of Christian Women in Business NACWIB
____________________________________________________
"God cares about honesty in the workplace; your business is His business"
(Prov. 16:11, Peterson).
=====================================================
Issue 9: Table of Contents
*Letter from the Editor: The Focus of Your Waiting
*Business Building Article: Decision making Series: Explore Alternative Solutions
*Biblical Applications to Business: Making Hard Decision that are Right According to Your Faith.Luke 1: 38
*Online Business Article: The Basics of SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
*Business Resources & Announcements
*Home Study Program: Sign up for mailing list
*NACWIB Association News
*Subscriber News
_____________________________________________________
Letter From the Editor
Greetings and Merry Christmas,
Christmas time is upon us once again. How quickly the days seem to go as we get older. It seemed to take forever for Christmas to arrive when we were little. I think it was because of the focus of our waiting.
As children, we waited all year to get presents. As we got older, the focus of our waiting changed. It might have been waiting to finish a tough year, waiting to get vacation or waiting for other reasons.
For many women of faith the waiting is now a time to bring hope. As the news grows dim about economic situations Christmas lets us remember that waiting for our dreams, hope and joy are a part of a life of faith.
Centuries ago, people waited for the Christ child who finally came on Christmas. Other faithful people waited for other signs of hope.
The next three weeks of December will highlight three Bible women who waited for their dream and were rewarded for their faith by making right decisions. We will see how waiting can relate to us in this modern time no matter what things look like on the outside.
We will also finish up our business series on decision-making this month. In January we will start a new series of business leadership topics and announce the start of the Lydia Mastermind Circle for women who want to fast-track their business and leadership potential.
I pray your Christmas season is blessed with joy and love as we remember our Lord is still in control.
God Bless,
Consuelo
Editor, CWIB News
Founder & President
National Association of Christian Women in Business
_________________________________________________
Do you need SEO-rich content for your Internet business to drive traffic to your websites and increase your business success. Reasonable rates, Fast Turn Around, Original Content
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Business Leadership Article: Decision Making Series – Explore Alternative Solutions
Over the past few weeks in this series on decision making we’ve looked at the basics of making a decision and how to determine what decision really needs to be made. Today we look at how to explore alternatives in the decision making process.
How to Generate Alternative Solutions
After figuring out what you have to make a decision about, you want to generate and evaluate some alternative solutions. To begin, review your problem then, come up with a list of feasible solutions.
1. Brainstorm a list of possible solutions.
You can do group brainstorming or use mind-mapping techniques to brainstorm alone. Just make a full list of possible solutions without being judgmental. You have time for that later. Tony Buzan’s Book, The Mind Map Book: How to Use Radiant Thinking to Maximize Your Brain's Untapped Potential
has been a classic on mindmapping through the years. I’ve used this book throughout my years of study and teaching and still return to it to generate loads of useful ideas.2. Surveys
A business professional can always ask others for ideas through survey. A survey presents the problems and a series of alternative solutions that others can respond to. For instance, I’ve put up a survey on the newsletter blog to ask what you want to find from NACWIB this year. This will give you some alternatives and you come up with a solution. While you here put in your answer to the survey then click “see results” to instantly see what responses are.
3. Discussion groups
Draw alternative solutions by discussing the problem with others. Make sure these are people whose opinions you trust. If the issue is private, carefully choose whom you will discuss this with. You can also gather a small group to discuss the issue. This is similar to brainstorming and you can even use the mind mapping technique with your group. Tell the group you want ideas that are focused.
After you come up with a list of alternatives here are some things to consider:
1. Try to avoid rushing to judgment. Don’t go for the obvious but take time to look for the root of the issues.
2. Don’t always go for the easiest response. Maybe doing some things would be quick and easy but it might not be the most effective in the long run. Take time to determine if you have to take more steps to really solve the problem.
3. Generate enough alternatives. Give yourself enough alternatives to select from in order to really think the decision through. If you are making a decision that is routine and done all the time, you may generate a shorter list of alternatives. But if you’re faced with a brand new problem, your list of alternatives should cause you to think harder and more carefully about what to decide.
Next time: Evaluate the Alternatives
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
YouTube is all the rage. You can find videos to meet every marketing need. Learn to put a YouTube video on your website in 10 minutes or less with this quick easy guide.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Biblical Principle to Consider: “May It Be To Me As You Have Said” Making Hard Decision that are Right According to Your Faith. Luke 1: 38
I wonder if I would have made the decision Mary made when the angel told her she was to be the mother of Jesus? Without hesitation, Mary decided “I am the Lord’s servant,” and said yes to the plan. It seems like the only likely decision, but Mary had a choice. Fortunately, she was prepared in her heart and spirit to trust the Lord an made the right choice.
We have choices to make on a daily basis; in business and personal life. Some of the choices are easy, almost no-brainers. But others leave us baffled as to what to do. The illustration Mary leaves with us as women of faith in business is to make choices based on our faith and values.
My decision to start the National Association of Christian Women in Business NACWIB came after thinking about it long and hard. I hesitated because I worried about being associated with political ideas that have distorted the truth about Christianity. I wondered if talking about business would offend some people who didn’t think women should succeed and be assertive in their calling as business leaders.
But I realized that I was letting propaganda and wrong ideas distort the truths of my faith. I had to decide to do what I knew was right and correct.
Mary’s decision could have gotten her killed or at least ostracized from her community. But she made the decision that was right. You might be facing some tough decisions right now in your personal or business life. Read Mary’s story found in the book of Luke 1: 1-39 to learn how she made her big decision. Then take time to pray about how to make decisions that face you that are right and correct according to your faith.
____________________________________________________
Internet Business Article: The Basics of SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
If you’ve been working on the Internet for more than one week you’ve probably heard about SEO or Search Engine Optimization. SEO is something that every online business owner needs to know about. While is might sound difficult there’s really is no need for SEO to scare you off.
What is SEO?
SEO is working with the words or keywords that people look for most often in order to find information on the web. You use SEO techniques ever time you do a web based search.
How SEO Works
When you go to a search engine and type in words that describe what you are looking for you are using keywords. Web spiders crawl the whole Internet and find pages that match the keywords you typed in.
The sites or pages that appear in the search results are ranked in order of importance according to the search engine they used. If a site owner has optimized their site or specific pages for the keywords you want, their site could rank on the list that appears to you in the search.
Why SEO is Important
Most people will choose one of the first few sites on the list to find the information they want. You want your site to be listed as one of the top sites that appear for a particular keyword phrase. Do this by including appropriate keywords in your writing so the search engine spiders will find your site.
If you want to learn more about this important topic of SEO read my blog at http://www.seowritingservices.blogspot.com/. I keep this blog updated on how you can learn SEO or purchase my writing services to drive traffic to you website or blog.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Business Announcements
Home Study Program:
Sign up for the mailing list of the Business &
Marketing Home Study Program. More lessons are being added each month. Register at this website: http://www.nacwib.org/homestudy.htm
NACWIB Association NEWS
YOU have a FREE NACWIB Membership!!! The National Association of Christian Women in Business is giving a FREE first level membership to subscribers of NACWIB News. That means you will
* Continue to receive business building news that speaks to your head as well as
your heart
* First Chance announcements of all NACWIB programs
* Opportunities to get discounts on NACWIB programs.
* Periodic Surprises (free ebooks, reports, information, tipcs, etc.)
SHARE The news (CWIB News) and tell you friends, church groups, and other to subscribe.
The Lydia Mastermind Circle
The Lydia Mastermind Circle will be a 12 month coaching program for women who want fast-track business and leadership mentoring. A special mailing will be sent this month.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Subscribers Talk
Please take time to answer the quick poll in the right hand column of the newsletter. We want to know how to prepare the best programs and workshops for you in 2009. Thanks!
Community Announcements
What’s going on in your community to help business women grow their business and live a balanced life? Send in your announcements and let’s see if we can get them out to more people.
Spread the NEWS
Tell your groups, church, associations, and others about CWIBNews. Tell them to subscribe today
at http://www.cwibnews.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Keep waiting, the time will come for your faith to be rewarded.
God Bless,
Consuelo
Consuelo Meux, Ph.D., President & Founder
NACWIB: http://www.nacwib.com/
Editor, CWIB News
"Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens."
(1 Thessalonians 5:16, Peterson).
=================================
DISCLAIMER: All information is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for professional business advise. Use of these tips and information at your own
risk. We make no warranty, express or implied, regarding your individual results.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday, December 06, 2008
The Economic Downturn and Your Business - Issue 08
Issue 08
December 6, 2008
__________________________
"God cares about honesty in the workplace; your business is His business"
(Prov. 16:11, Peterson).
=======================
Issue 8: Table of Contents
* Letter From the Editior: Economic Downturn and Business
*Business Building Article: How to Focus in on a Problem
*Biblical Applications to Business: Teaching Like Sister Phoebe
*Online Business Article: Simple Steps to Writing a Press Release
*Business Resources & Announcements
*Home Study Program: Sign up for mailing list
*NACWIB Association News
*Subscriber News
======================
Letter from the Editor!
2. Is the problem situation clear?
Getting clear about the problem lets you know what you’re really dealing with. You don’t want to miss some important factors that could make implementing some type of solution an even bigger problem.
3. Are you making assumptions about the problem? (Usually this will happen when the problem is not clear).
It is easy to start including ideas or thoughts that are not relevant, true, or otherwise necessary into a situation. These are just assumptions, and assumptions may cloud the truth of the issue or bring in irrelevant factors that result in a wrong decision.
4. If you are making assumptions, how do you know your assumptions are true or accurate, or not?
If you make assumptions, test the assumptions against any facts and information you already have about the problem to assure that the assumptions are true or not. You might have to eliminate various assumptions, one at a time in order to know if you are being biased or not about one or more issues related to the problem.
5. If nothing were done about this problem, what would happen?
The answer to this question could be a great way to save a lot of time in a business. What if you just let the issue go along as is. What will happen in the short term? What would be the long-term effect? If nothing of importance would happen, you can decide if you have a problem that is worth the taking the time to solve. However, if the answer to this question results in recognize thing your business would encounter even greater difficulties or problems by not taking action, you can then determine how much priority to give to the decision making activities for this particular problem.
6. In what other way could the problem be stated?
That is, what other terms could you use for the problem? Could you say this is a problem that will affect the company or has it already had an effect? Instead of saying this is a critical issue could it be identified as one that is chronic or ongoing? The words used to identify the problem are important because they set the tone for how quickly want to address the problem or not.
7. What important data, statistics or other information are known that have direct bearing on
the problem?
This question asks you to bring everything you know about the issue to the discussion. Present the information on who, what, when, where, where, and how about the problem so you have all of the information. Who will be affected? What departments or areas of specialty are involved? Does the problem reach outside of the company and into the customer base? Include all relevant information, facts, and date in order to be accurate with your decision.
These questions let you focus in on the problem with more accuracy. Instead of working on an issue that may not really matter, you will narrow the focus and better define the precise problem to solve.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Need A Website?
This Website Builder will have you up and on the web tonight.
No HTML needed. Complete with a hosting set-up, shopping
cart, autoresponder, and web site submission software. 10-day
free trial.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Biblical Principle to Consider: Teaching Like Sister Phoebe
“I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea. I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been a great help to many people, including me” (Romans 16:1-2)
Phoebe was an early missionary of the Gospel to the church of Rome. Paul sent her to teach the people in the area and introduced her as a strong communicator, teacher, preacher, and evangelist. Phoebe displayed courage and boldness in her work, gaining the respect of those she worked with in the church.
Your business might be in the field of education. Educators have a position of great responsibility and influence over the minds and hearts of others. Like Phoebe, you are already well educated in your field. Hopefully, you also have a mentor to introduce you to others as a person with the right credentials to teach others. Women are normally the first teachers and mentors most people have as infants through life. In the world of business, women also run consulting and coaching businesses, and other service industries. Teaching is a natural role for most women who lead by example in the workplace, home, community, church and schools.
Is your work involved in the education system in some way? Do you teach, formally or informally as a part of your work? In what other ways are you in education as a part of your business? How does the support of Paul for Phoebe encourage you as you teach others in your work life?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Online Business Lesson: Simple Steps to Writing A Press Release
A press release is an excellent way to gain publicity and exposure for your business. A press release is a document containing information that you would like a media organization to feature, such as general information about your business, a special event that you are holding, or a special incentive you are offering.
By having a story featured in a newspaper, magazine, or other form of media, your business will receive publicity and credibility. You can also use the clippings of paper stories and links to stories featured through electronic media as part of your press kit.
You can submit a press release at any time, however you may find that the media features stories about businesses when something special is happening, such as a grand opening, special event, or special offer.
Here are steps to a simple format to use when writing a press release.
Time Statement
If your story can be published at any time, the words “For Immediate Release” should appear at the top left hand corner. However, if the information should only be released after a certain date, use the phrase “For Release After [insert date]. Under that, include your contact information.
Body of the Release
The next area of the press release is the “body”. This is the part of the press release where you include the information you want to publicize. Try to keep your press release under two pages. If it is more than one page include the word “more” at the end of the first page. At the end of your press release insert three number symbols (###).
Questions in the Body
As you write the body of your press release, keep it focused, clear, and concise. Try to answer the five basic questions – who, what, why, where, and when. Who are you, and what, exactly, are you promoting? Why is your target market interested in this? When and where is this taking place?
Submissions
Once you are finished with your press release, you will want to submit it to the media. This can be to your local media outlets, such as newspapers, regional magazines, radio and television stations, or media outlets in geographic areas that you want publicity in. If you are promoting an event that will happen on a specific day, submit your press release early enough so that it has time to be received and facts can be checked, etc.
You can also submit your press release to electronic media, such as newswire services, Internet Talk Radio programs, and more.
Continue to Submit
If your story does not get picked up, don’t give up on press releases. Try a different media source, or rewrite your press release and submit it when you have something to promote. The media receives many, many press releases and cannot publish a story on every one of them. If you keep trying, you will find publicity.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Business Announcements
Home Study Program:
Sign up for the mailing list of the Business & Marketing Home Study Program. Learn about
the monthly topic. Program allows you to purchase the lesson you need month by month.
NACWIB Association NEWS
Keep an eye open for the new NACWIB Association
Website coming in 2009.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Subscribers Talk
What’s bugging you? Do you have a business question you want answered? Send me a note
and I’ll try to put your comments or questions into the newsletter. This way the NACWIB
community can brainstorm a response to your questions or inquires.
Community Announcements
What’s going on in your community to help business women grow their business and live a balanced life? Send in your announcements and let’s see if we can get them out to more people.
Spread the NEWS
Tell your groups, church, associations, and others about CWIBNews. Tell them to subscribe and get their business paln template and devotionals for Christian business women.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks for reading; see you soon.
God Bless,
Consuelo
Consuelo Meux, Ph.D., President & Founder
NACWIB: http://www.nacwib.com/
"Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens."
(1 Thessalonians 5:16, Peterson).
=================================
DISCLAIMER: All information is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for professional business advise. Use of this information is at your own risk. We make no warranty, express or implied, regarding your individual results.
December 6, 2008
__________________________
"God cares about honesty in the workplace; your business is His business"
(Prov. 16:11, Peterson).
=======================
Issue 8: Table of Contents
* Letter From the Editior: Economic Downturn and Business
*Business Building Article: How to Focus in on a Problem
*Biblical Applications to Business: Teaching Like Sister Phoebe
*Online Business Article: Simple Steps to Writing a Press Release
*Business Resources & Announcements
*Home Study Program: Sign up for mailing list
*NACWIB Association News
*Subscriber News
======================
Letter from the Editor!
Hello Dear Reader,
Welcome to another issue of Christian Women in Business News.
Can you believe another year is almost over? This has been an exciting year with all that has happened in the world. The economic downturn is now on the forefront of everyone’s mind and with good reason. More jobs are being lost, meaning people will really feel the crunch as the holiday season draws near.
This has great relevance to the business community. Staying in business during an economic downturn means making your business even more relevant to the needs, wants, and desires or your target market. People will make very careful decisions about what to purchase an dhow to spend their money.
How will you prepare your business to get through the economic crisis? Will it mean developing products at different price points in order to offer options to your target market? Will you need to drop some products or services that are no longer relevant to your target market and focus your marketing efforts in different directions?
To stay in business, a woman in business leadership must forecast the future of her business by looking at economic trends and consumer behaviors in the market place. You can do this by reading the business section of the newspaper, listening to financial reports on the radio or television and studying consumer buying trends. This information will help you to make a better decision about how to focus your business to meet the need of customers when the going is tight.
We continue our series on making decisions in the workplace in this issue by presenting important questions you need to ask yourself to narrow the focus of your problem.
God Bless,
Consuelo
Founder & President
National Association of Christian Women in Business
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Business Leadership Article: How to Focus in on a Problem
Last week we talked about how to define a real problem. Now, it’s time to learn how to analyze the extent of a problem. A women in business leadership needs to know how to look at a situation and understand what is happening or not, who is involved, and what the stakes are of the situation.
Here are some questions to consider as you analyze what is a real problem and the full parameters of that problem
1. Is this a new problem or has this occurred before?
2. Is the problem situation clear?
Getting clear about the problem lets you know what you’re really dealing with. You don’t want to miss some important factors that could make implementing some type of solution an even bigger problem.
3. Are you making assumptions about the problem? (Usually this will happen when the problem is not clear).
It is easy to start including ideas or thoughts that are not relevant, true, or otherwise necessary into a situation. These are just assumptions, and assumptions may cloud the truth of the issue or bring in irrelevant factors that result in a wrong decision.
4. If you are making assumptions, how do you know your assumptions are true or accurate, or not?
If you make assumptions, test the assumptions against any facts and information you already have about the problem to assure that the assumptions are true or not. You might have to eliminate various assumptions, one at a time in order to know if you are being biased or not about one or more issues related to the problem.
5. If nothing were done about this problem, what would happen?
The answer to this question could be a great way to save a lot of time in a business. What if you just let the issue go along as is. What will happen in the short term? What would be the long-term effect? If nothing of importance would happen, you can decide if you have a problem that is worth the taking the time to solve. However, if the answer to this question results in recognize thing your business would encounter even greater difficulties or problems by not taking action, you can then determine how much priority to give to the decision making activities for this particular problem.
6. In what other way could the problem be stated?
That is, what other terms could you use for the problem? Could you say this is a problem that will affect the company or has it already had an effect? Instead of saying this is a critical issue could it be identified as one that is chronic or ongoing? The words used to identify the problem are important because they set the tone for how quickly want to address the problem or not.
7. What important data, statistics or other information are known that have direct bearing on
the problem?
This question asks you to bring everything you know about the issue to the discussion. Present the information on who, what, when, where, where, and how about the problem so you have all of the information. Who will be affected? What departments or areas of specialty are involved? Does the problem reach outside of the company and into the customer base? Include all relevant information, facts, and date in order to be accurate with your decision.
These questions let you focus in on the problem with more accuracy. Instead of working on an issue that may not really matter, you will narrow the focus and better define the precise problem to solve.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Need A Website?
This Website Builder will have you up and on the web tonight.
No HTML needed. Complete with a hosting set-up, shopping
cart, autoresponder, and web site submission software. 10-day
free trial.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Biblical Principle to Consider: Teaching Like Sister Phoebe
“I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea. I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been a great help to many people, including me” (Romans 16:1-2)
Phoebe was an early missionary of the Gospel to the church of Rome. Paul sent her to teach the people in the area and introduced her as a strong communicator, teacher, preacher, and evangelist. Phoebe displayed courage and boldness in her work, gaining the respect of those she worked with in the church.
Your business might be in the field of education. Educators have a position of great responsibility and influence over the minds and hearts of others. Like Phoebe, you are already well educated in your field. Hopefully, you also have a mentor to introduce you to others as a person with the right credentials to teach others. Women are normally the first teachers and mentors most people have as infants through life. In the world of business, women also run consulting and coaching businesses, and other service industries. Teaching is a natural role for most women who lead by example in the workplace, home, community, church and schools.
Is your work involved in the education system in some way? Do you teach, formally or informally as a part of your work? In what other ways are you in education as a part of your business? How does the support of Paul for Phoebe encourage you as you teach others in your work life?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Online Business Lesson: Simple Steps to Writing A Press Release
A press release is an excellent way to gain publicity and exposure for your business. A press release is a document containing information that you would like a media organization to feature, such as general information about your business, a special event that you are holding, or a special incentive you are offering.
By having a story featured in a newspaper, magazine, or other form of media, your business will receive publicity and credibility. You can also use the clippings of paper stories and links to stories featured through electronic media as part of your press kit.
You can submit a press release at any time, however you may find that the media features stories about businesses when something special is happening, such as a grand opening, special event, or special offer.
Here are steps to a simple format to use when writing a press release.
Time Statement
If your story can be published at any time, the words “For Immediate Release” should appear at the top left hand corner. However, if the information should only be released after a certain date, use the phrase “For Release After [insert date]. Under that, include your contact information.
Body of the Release
The next area of the press release is the “body”. This is the part of the press release where you include the information you want to publicize. Try to keep your press release under two pages. If it is more than one page include the word “more” at the end of the first page. At the end of your press release insert three number symbols (###).
Questions in the Body
As you write the body of your press release, keep it focused, clear, and concise. Try to answer the five basic questions – who, what, why, where, and when. Who are you, and what, exactly, are you promoting? Why is your target market interested in this? When and where is this taking place?
Submissions
Once you are finished with your press release, you will want to submit it to the media. This can be to your local media outlets, such as newspapers, regional magazines, radio and television stations, or media outlets in geographic areas that you want publicity in. If you are promoting an event that will happen on a specific day, submit your press release early enough so that it has time to be received and facts can be checked, etc.
You can also submit your press release to electronic media, such as newswire services, Internet Talk Radio programs, and more.
Continue to Submit
If your story does not get picked up, don’t give up on press releases. Try a different media source, or rewrite your press release and submit it when you have something to promote. The media receives many, many press releases and cannot publish a story on every one of them. If you keep trying, you will find publicity.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Business Announcements
Home Study Program:
Sign up for the mailing list of the Business & Marketing Home Study Program. Learn about
the monthly topic. Program allows you to purchase the lesson you need month by month.
NACWIB Association NEWS
Keep an eye open for the new NACWIB Association
Website coming in 2009.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Subscribers Talk
What’s bugging you? Do you have a business question you want answered? Send me a note
and I’ll try to put your comments or questions into the newsletter. This way the NACWIB
community can brainstorm a response to your questions or inquires.
Community Announcements
What’s going on in your community to help business women grow their business and live a balanced life? Send in your announcements and let’s see if we can get them out to more people.
Spread the NEWS
Tell your groups, church, associations, and others about CWIBNews. Tell them to subscribe and get their business paln template and devotionals for Christian business women.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks for reading; see you soon.
God Bless,
Consuelo
Consuelo Meux, Ph.D., President & Founder
NACWIB: http://www.nacwib.com/
"Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens."
(1 Thessalonians 5:16, Peterson).
=================================
DISCLAIMER: All information is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for professional business advise. Use of this information is at your own risk. We make no warranty, express or implied, regarding your individual results.
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