Kerri-Raluna’s blog

G’day and welcome back

So, do You?

Do You Like Money?

How much? No, not what amount! How much do you like money?

How many of your Business decisions are based on how much you want to be making money?

Why am I asking You?

Yesterday I wrote recommending Ryan at mind movies. I was very quick to point out that my reason for recommending Ryan and Mind Movies to you had nothing to do with my earning money.

Why?

Well, obviously I recommended the site because it’s useful.

Did it matter if I received a kick-back or not? Do You care? I obviously thought You must or I wouldn’t have been so quick to say I didn’t receive a brass razoo for sending you there.

Why is this important to You as a Female Entrepreneur?

One of the main difficulties that I have seen (and been guilty of) in my New-age niche, is the way we Female Entrepreneurs relate to Money.

We want to make a difference in the world.

We want to help others avoid the pitfalls we have faced.

We want to be successful,

 BUT more importantly we want to be seen as “nice“.

Why?

I don’t know. I think it is partly cultural and partly pre-wired into our systems. I liked Pollyanna. I like money. I do not know how comfortable I feel about stating that I like money.

Like I said, this appears to be a major problem for many of us.

The truth is we need money to succeed.

We need money to Grow our Businesses.

We need money to feed our kids.

We need money to pay others.

Interestingly, we are usually happy to pay others for their services. We love to shop. We do NOT feel “bad” about supporting our Girlfriends in their Businesses.

So, why do we feel “bad” about charging our friends? Would they feel “bad” about charging us? Or is it that they have a boss to hide behind and we don’t?

Money is an important part of our Business Plans. How important is money to You when it comes to implementing Your Business Plan on a Daily basis?

Honestly, where do YOU draw the line between friendship and Your Livelihood?

Kerri Raluna

G’day and Welcome

If You’ve ever gotten bored and googled me, Kerri Raluna, you’d know that my business away from marketing(?) is in the New-age Niche. No, not because it happens to be a great niche, but because, (dare I say it on a marketing site?) it’s part of who I am. Ok?

Now, today I thought I’d briefly mention Affirmations and,

Why YOU as a Serious Marketer should consider USING Affirmations?

You will hear it time and time again in the marketing world. FOCUS GAINS RESULTS.

Now, obviously from what I said earlier, I am constantly trying to implement the ideas of Napoleon Hill and The Secret. Not just because I believe in an Universal energy but also because I know I need to “FOCUS in order to ACHIEVE”.

Now You understand that  affirmations are “just” a tool to help You Focus on Your Business, (Remember FOCUS gains RESULTS ), I recommend you look at them a bit more seriously than you may have done in the past.

It’s easy to write affirmations off as the latest fad, when in actual fact they are the oldest method of Business Focus in the Business World.

They are NOT saying “I am pretty, everyone loves me”

They are saying “I believe in my clients, I focus on my clients needs, I learn new skills faster than I did old ones”

Affirmations say a whole heap of forgotten “Importants” in one line and bring those successful memories to the front of your consciousness.

That, my dear Watson, is one way they can help you Focus. By reminding you of where you have already succeeded and allowing you to build on your successes.

Affirmations don’t remove your challenges or perceived failures. Affirmations do help you cope with them by directing your thoughts to solutions.

An affirmation can be something as simple as a message used for your background.

An affirmation can change daily by using an Inspirational calendar next to your computer.

An affirmation can be as simple as watching a six minute video every morning and night.

It does not matter HOW or WHERE you use Affirmations. Like all Business Tools it only matters that you allow yourself the opportunity to benefit from them.

You may like to consider looking at the free (still, my favourite word) Mind Movies produced by fellow Aussie Ryan and his International mates like Frank Kern. This isn’t an affiliate thing. Just one Aussie offering to Help You and another Aussie pointing You to him at MindMovies.com

wishing YOU every success,

kerri-raluna

G’day and Welcome

Can YOU accomplish a simple task that I failed?

Yesterday I had alot that I should do. I was at work for 10 hours. What did I accomplish on my to-do list?

In the first 60 minutes I accomplished heaps. I opened the shop, vacuumed, paid some bills, re-arranged the workshop room for todays class and after that first hour I did…

Zip, Zilch, Zero, Nada, Jack…. 

Or did I?

I checked some unimportant e-mails, watched a couple of you-tube marketing videos, read some potentially interesting sales letters, hung up several times on a persistant Indian telemarketing company, and chatted to some friends outside about the Trump/Kiyowski book. That’s right, I also played games on-line!

What I consider to be actual work, like maybe updating a web-site or using some of the Business info I’ve accumulated, Nope. Not one seriously sensible or instantly income productive thing occured all day.

I multi-tasked. I chatted on the phone while playing cards. I ate while reading sales letters. I had a smoke while chatting outside (hey, that’s customer PR time around here!). Just realised…I only multi-tasked two things at a time yesterday -Now that is SLACK for me. Even in the morning I usually eat, plan my day, drink my wheat stuff and listen to Tony Robbins while doing the exercise thing on the “sore bum bike”. That rumour about me having a ciggarette on there too is totally unproven… I get bored during the wind down at the end.

Anyway, you get the picture.

The funny thing? I had already decided that I would just rest yesterday.

My slack day at work was actually my attempt to have a semi day off by just opening the shop and dusting. If it was a proper work day I did very little indeed. What REALLY bothers me is what I still did do on my REST day.

The only things I was “supposed” to do was

1/dust the stock 

2/NOT do anything other than serve customers and answer the phone.

3/avoid anything else that might be termed a Business activity. 

4/NOT multi task anything.

5/rest

The only things that I did NOT do, were dust the stock, rest and avoid anything un-necessary to do with Business!

WHY did I want to try to do this?

I wanted to prove to my first born that I am capable of “turning off”.

WHY?

Well, because she said I couldn’t do it for one whole day.

She was right.

Even with the compromises that I was allowed to still attend to I FAILED.

How often to you truely relax? and for how long?

If I had dusted and played games for the rest of the day I would have accomplished the task we set for my day off.

I could not do it! I ignored the bit that sounded boring -dusting. I can handle that.

I could NOT stop my-self for one day from opening mails I knew were to do with Business marketing.

I could NOT stop my-self discussing Messrs Trump and Kiyowski and their Business accumen.

I could NOT stop my-self from multi-tasking and actually just eat my lunch.

Even when I went home I managed to squeeze in some marketing channels on tv, accidentally of course. I was just channel surfing

I could NOT leave Business out of my brain for one day.

Why is this important to you?

I challenge you to do it.

It may just be the most revealing Business lesson you try. If fact,

Go On,

I DOUBLE DARE YOU to have ONE 24h DAY OUT.

G’day

Every so often that wonderful thing happens where there is a Major Time Management hiccup.

This is one of those areas that can be a potential minefield due to HOW you choose to handle it.

For this example I will use Your Wedding Anniversary BUT it could just as easily be your childs much anticipated school recital.

Imagine, you have agreed in advance to attend your Wedding Anniversary dinner with Your partner. On the appointed afternoon you receive a call to an amazing Business Opportunity, But it’s that night.

Which one should You Choose to attend?

This is a problem for  all entrepreneurs with a family both male & female. Earlier in my business life I would have ummmed, aaahed and chosen Business First like I perceived all normal people would!

Eventually I listened to the re-release of the song “Cats in the Cradle”. You know the one, Little boy blues got a man on the moon and when you coming out to play Dad? Followed by the verse saying forget it and just give me the car keys…

Partners and Children are people too. They will wait in the side-lines while you build your Empire IF they feel they are still important to You. If not, one day they may just not be there. This is not a total doom & gloom thing here. Just a warning to be very certain about which you decide to choose. Family activities may be unproductive business time used up OR they can be a reminder of why you are putting in the hours.

For the record, I would say that if you want to keep your partner and future adult children in your life, don’t stuff them around if you’ve said you will be somewhere with them. Look at your inbox over the last few weeks. Every business offer presented is Urgent, Limited and Act Now. Notice that if you miss one, another offer that is just as amazing and once-off is there to take it’s place.

Just on that briefly, it took a year for it to be re-released but I eventually got on the John Thornhill coaching course (If Sold Out sign up to the JohnThornhill blog if you want to know about the next one).Very little in the world of business is as irreplaceable as your family time, including awesome business offers.

Okay, so you have decided to turn down AN amazing Business offer in favour of your families future BUT the guy or his P.A. is on the phone waiting to know if you can make it tonight.

Can you re-schedule to another night?

Can you send a representative for your business?

Unless you know them very well (they have at least been to your house for coffee) do NOT say that you are putting your family first. Very few business people will treat ‘that much info’ as acceptable. They will be politically correct and say they understand…and they may. However they will never accord your business the same level of respect again.

Right or wrong, if you are a female, you just told them that you are running a non-serious house-wife hobby business.

This is NOT a sexist thing by the way. It is a business thing.

How would you feel if you rang another business and the Guy there said he was putting his Mother-n-Laws visit first? You would understand his wanting a harmonious life BUT it is likely you would always have a reserved ‘whatever’ part of you when it came to any further business dealings.

There are exceptions of course, Giving Birth, Funeral, Major Wedding Anniversary but even then too much info can bite your Business Reputation.

So, how to refuse while leaving the door open? Try being honest, firm, and apologetic and let them know you value that they used their Business time to contact your Business.

“Hello (potential business). I’ve just checked my diary. Unfortunately I am unavailable this evening. I really appreciate you contacting me though, 

• Would you be willing to re-schedule? or
• When will there be another seminar? or
• When else would be suitable for you?”

Your questions to this other Business convey that you are NOT blowing off the fact that they have taken the time to contact you. If you are unable to gain another appointment time so be it. Do not waiver on your decision not to attend to them tonight once you have said you cannot make it. Doing so during the call will make your Business look very dis-organised (read by your potential Business contact as You are probably too inefficient to involve My Business with).

Time management for business versus home does involve a certain amount of unwritten ettiquette when dealing with your potential Business allies.

Your Business will be treated according to the way You come across

BUT

You do not need to sacrifice All Your Home Life to be Successful in Your Business.

I hope I have given you something to consider in todays tip, and Yes, I have been guilty in the past of motor-mouth myself.

Kerri

RaLuna Dreams®

G’day & Welcome

No, this isn’t me BUT she is one of the reasons for todays post! and yes, she did say I could use her profile picture. She is the youngest, my potential sales heir who already happily upsells customers at my bricks and mortar New-Age Centre, RaLuna Dreams®

She is a Gemini. She is very much the ‘youngest’ child. She is surrounded daily by Psychics, Healers, Therapists, Crystals, Crystal Skulls, and Angels. She is a normal, demanding, gotta-love-me, child. She is a job all by herself!

She has a Taurus Daddy who has his own business doing airport Transfers six days a week. She also has a Libran teenage sister known as the God-send baby sitter. She has a sometimes grouchy mama.

Are you a Female Entrepreneur with a Family?

Then this part of my back to basics blog IS written for YOU.

This area is for special tips that our male entrepreneur friends do NOT need to consider.

Silly things like being an accessible wife and mother.

Silly things like organising the house so that it remains a home.

Silly things like collecting the youngest from school and serving the customer who just walked in.

Silly things like running a business around all the other silly things!

My first tip comes from watching the television programme ‘Worlds Richest People’. It’s a great programme filled with rags to riches motivational people. One evening they showed an exceptional Kuwaiti Business (Lady) Entrepreneur. She made one statement that has saved me alot of precious time.

The statement was: ‘Why do Western Business women believe they must do Everything themselves? They make major Business decisions before going home to do the washing, make the beds etc”.

Starting to see why this blog is for YOU and not our male counterparts!

This strangers statements hit a very raw nerve with me. I began to think how I could buy a maid (Duh, she is very rich -I am not …yet…). Then I started to appreciate that that was not necessarily what her point was. Like you, I budget my business time and finances. I weigh time versus cost decisions in my business life every day. I was not using the same calculations for my home time.

Every couple of evenings I would try to get a temperamental washing machine to actually wash. Maybe I should buy a new one? Then, the following morning I would hang the washing out before getting the kids and my-self ready for our day. I work late. At some stage I would finally get the washing in. The kids are at the shop from after school until classes finish and I can take them home. They aren’t there to be able to help either. My partners hours are on a par with mine. Eventually I would iron the things.

Yet somehow, for some unknown reason, I believed this was the way things HAD to be for ALL Female Entrepreneurs with a Family. It is NOT.

I listened to the Kuwaiti Lady and I did the very simple move of “asking other mum’s”.

How do you cope?

What do you do with your clothes?

Am I being less than sensible for even asking this?

The first thing I learnt was that this is a universal problem for those without maids!

The second thing I learned was that I was not alone in being an over stressed, grouchy wife and mum.

The third thing I learnt was to apply my time versus costs formula to my home life.

One of the girls I spoke to has a real estate business. Her solution is to only wash sheets and smalls at home. Everything else goes to the Dry-cleaners and comes back on little coathangers. Unfortunately the cost of this was higher than my budget but I have filed it away as a GOAL to ACHIEVE.

So, my current solution? A local Laundary service run by two Female Entrepreneurs with Families! For the cost of two packets of ciggarettes a week, all our families washing is dropped off twice a week on the way to work. After work it’s collected, fully washed, dried and folded.

According to the budget, if I stop smoking altogether, I can pay them to iron it to!

The point is as a Female Entrepreneur with a Family You DO have Challenges to Overcome BUT they are NOT insurmountable.

 If You choose to use Your Efficient Business Brain and Not your ‘too stressed to think clearly at home’ brain…

…” YOU CAN BE a SUCCESSFUL (not a stressful) Female Entrepreneur with (an intact) Family”…

Wishing & Wanting You to acheive everything you deserve to,

Kerri RaLuna

G’day, Thankyou for visiting my first post

This blog is the result of many months of researching and considering where to spend my limited, and hard earned, internet budget. Perhaps like you, I have trialed and dabbled with different products in an effort to create a successful (or even noticed) website.

Very few of the courses I bought, or was offered, were a complete waste BUT there was no method to my mad search. For instance, I now have a wonderful assortment of templates…for everything!

Unfortunately at the time I got most of them I was using a ‘recommended’ web host who tried very hard to limit what I was able to do by providing a compulsary site builder (no cPanel option there) …and a very expensive ‘buy me’ web design team. Sound familiar? You can’t put in a template if the html and ftp functions have been blocked to make it ‘easier’ for you!

So, there I was with (some very expensive) courses that I was unable to utilize. A very unprofessional looking shopping cart, that was so bad I eventually deleted it and took to using Oztion. A very annoyed husband and a rather high internet connection bill with nothing to offset the expense.

I eventually got the hint. The budget was well and truely over-extended. Either I found a tutor for idiots or I cut my losses and waited for the New Year. Actually, to be honest you can take it that I was hoping there would be a New Year…ok, the husband says I’m abit over attached to the idea of feeding the kids, BUT it was a serious worry.

• If your website is non-functional,
• If you have limited to no traffic,
• If you are spending your day off on a computer instead of going to your friends birthday barbie,
• If you have courses you cannot implement despite the logical looking instructions,

You MUST get back to the basics.

The courses you have gotten do NOT have to be a waste but unless you have the basics you will NOT succeed despite the fact that you DO have the ability. (You found your way here didn’t you?)

This blog category is here to help you make sense of the myriad of offers out there by putting them in some sort of order of importance! 

Kind of a ”What you need to know before you get this offer?”

Just thought, as we are discussing basics here, if you have a bit of time (or inclination) and wish to learn VERY BASIC HTML for FREE (my favourite word) head over to that kids site called Neopets. This link will take you straight to the beginning of their course. I learnt this basic HTML off there six years ago and it was the best course I ever tried to learn on HTML. It was written (and I learnt it) before they had those ‘change colour’ buttons at the top of the web pages.

Why bother learning a code for programmers?

It’s only the BASICS! and it’s on a non-scary kids site so it won’t hurt you or take long to do.

I was able to use the techniques I learnt on this kids site to amend template designs without having to pay someone to remove what amounted to one bit of click and cut! They wanted double the template price to take out that one bit.

Knowing the Basics will save you money and time in the long run.

Kerri-RaLuna