The Power of Networking

Two days ago, I received a phone call from a number I did not recognize.  The individual did not leave a message so I went about my everyday business without giving it a second thought.  The next day my cell phone rang again from the same number but I missed the call so, once again, I had no idea who it was.  But this time the person left a message.  Low-and-behold it was one of the phenomenal women I met at the Winner's Summit Conference and Expo the prior weekend.  In fact, we had lunch one day during the conference along with a few other great women who attended.  I was finally able to return the call last night and boy did we have a good time talking.  I was so excited to hear her voice and chat with her since we didn't have much time to get acquainted at the conference.  In fact, you would think we were long lost friends because we chatted on the phone for at least 45 minutes.  We reminisced about how enlightening the conference was and how inspiring it was to be in a room filled with so many dynamic and successful Black women.  And then she said the words that shocked me, "I am hoping you can be one of my mentors."  HUH?  Me, a mentor?


As it turns out this young lady, Ms. Eleanor "Cookie" Burke, is already busy as a blogger (http://exquisitediamonds.blogspot.com/) and an author about to release her first book, "Reflections 66," a book whose characters will make you laugh, cry, fall in love, and take you back down memory lane to your high school days.  The book is available for purchase online at Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Reflections66-Eleanor-Cookie-Burke/dp/1439251207/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269955370&sr=1-1).  But Ms. Cookie was reaching out to me because she wants to start her own t-shirt collection as a part of her business.  As we talked I believe we were equally impressed with each other's humility -- her humility to call me and ask for advice and suggestions and my humility to be willing to openly share them with her.  Although I am still a new business owner myself I was able to share savvy business tips to help her get started.  In fact, I had no problem sharing pertinent information with her on what I have learned thus far.  I believe we all have our own niche and must tap into that niche.  There are thousands of t-shirt businesses around the world but each has their own unique direction and target market.  So I was thrilled to share and "mentor" this motivated business woman.


My interchange with Ms. Cookie proved a vital point -- that networking is a powerful tool.  Attending events such as the Winner's Summit can be life changing.  You have the opportunity to make new friends, business acquaintances, mentors, supporters, business partners, and like-minded individuals who can point you in the direction you need to grow your business.  Just look at this prime example.  As the result of one in-person introduction and one telephone conversation I am now blogging about this phenomenal, motivated business woman and bringing even more exposure to her business and her mission.  NETWORK! NETWORK! NETWORK!

Cheryl

Gearing Up For A Successful Year

I am so excited that I can hardly contain myself.  I launched Moms R The Best in June 2009 and, by my own admission, I chose many of my vendor events very poorly last year.  Some events actually had more vendors than customers.  But I kept my confidence level high, smiled and treated every person equally even if they didn't make a purchase, and continued to network with the full determination that 2010 would be a better year.  That's what being in business is all about.  And you never know when someone who takes a business card or flyer is really going to come back and purchase your products.  So, to all those vendors out there who are having a bad event... lift your head up high, give a big smile to every single person who visits your table, and remain confident about the potential opportunities that might occur from networking with other vendors at the event.

Granted, events are not just about having the largest amount of traffic... it's also about the overall quality of the event, the mission of the event, the target market, and the preparation and advertising put into making the event a success.  For example, the Winner's Summit organized by The Professional Black Woman (http://theprofessionalblackwoman.ning.com/) was my first event for 2010 and MY what a treat.  This event knocked my socks off!  Not only was I able to make some sales but I was able to network with so many phenomenal, successful women entrepreneurs.  I cannot say enough about my excitement to attend next year's conference.

Moms R The Best's line-up of events for 2010 continues to excite me:

April 9-11 - Vendor at Park City Mall in Lancaster, PA (http://www.parkcitycenter.com/directory)
April 24 - 2010 Girl Power Expo organized by Young Women of Distinction (http://girlpowerexpo.eventbrite.com/?ref=ebtn)
May 1 - SPLEX Anniversary Block Party at Prince George's Sports and Learning Complex
May 8 - 2nd Annual Community Day in Suitland, MD
May 22 - Kentland Girl Scouts Troop Fleat Market/Carnival
May 28-30 - BOCA 6th Annual Movement & Wellness Expo with Dr. Sunyatta Amen

Hope to see you at one of these events!

Cheryl

I'm On Fire

After a dynamic weekend of motivational and inspirational presentations from successful, empowered, professional Black women I am on fire!  I feel so inspired to continue pursing my passion of empowering young girls, women and moms through expression.  Words are powerful, so if one of my t-shirts is able to empower just one woman then I have already succeeded.  And the highlight of the event was my honor of accepting the award for Outstanding Business Woman of the Year.  I was thrilled and humbled in accepting the award.

I got the rare opportunity to network with six and seven figure women, meet other women entrepreneurs who are also working diligently to grow their business, and even enjoy an unforgettable performance by R&B sensation, Tony Terry!

I will blog more about the many wonderful things I learned at the Winner's Summit Conference and Expo later in the week.

Cheryl

Being Fat and Happy

Before I had kids, only six years ago, my body was in tip-top shape!  I worked out everyday (sometimes twice a day), ate healthy foods, and lived an overall active life.  I loved how great I looked in my size 6 clothes and the enormous amount of energy I always had.  I had trained myself to run on the treadmill for 40 minutes or work up a sweat on the Elliptical for 60 minutes; jump rope without feeling like I was going to pass out; bust out 100 crunches straight without giving it a second thought; and lift heavy weights in the gym that most women would be too intimidated to even consider.  And then came motherhood...  I delivered my precious baby girl in January 2004 followed by my oldest son in December 2006 and my youngest son in October 2007 -- talk about accomplishing a lot in 3 years!  I lost all the weight after I had my daughter in 2004, but having the boys back-to-back wrecked my sexxy mama figure.

Now, nearly three years after delivering my last child I am ready to whip my body back into shape... at least I think I am.  I started taking a kickboxing class in January of this year which has been awesome, but I wasn't combining the exercise with healthy eating.  So I decided to go on a cold-turkey diet and eliminate all simple sugars and carbs from my diet.  It's amazing how determined and motivated you can be about a goal.... UNTIL IT'S TIME TO START (Lol).  Yesterday was my first day on the diet and boy was it hard.  I'm so used to eating whatever I want, whenever I want.  Most days I grab a chocolate muffin from the local bakery in the morning (since I'm not the eggs, bacon & pancakes breakfast type), rotisserie chicken and rice for lunch, and a hearty dinner...maybe even a sugary snack in the evening such as chocolate chip cookies or a donut.  NOW, all of that has changed.  I am watching my calorie intake, drinking only water and tea, eating mostly organic foods, and avoiding fatty, fried foods.  I must admit a big part of me just wants to say "the heck with dieting" and be fat and happy.  But I know that losing the weight is not just about me getting skinny and being a hot mama again.  It's also about me reaching a healthy weight for my height (only 5'3), reducing my risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and high blood pressure, and setting a good example for my kids to follow.  I want my children to grow up making wise choices about what they put into their bodies and understanding the importance of physical activity and exercise. 

With all of that said, I am going to continue putting my best foot forward with this diet.  I am determined to continue reminding myself of how important it is to be in good health so I can be around for a LONG time in order to care for my children and see them grow old :)  Wish me luck!  And stay tuned for updates on how I'm doing.


Cheryl

Girl Scout Cookie Craze

In the Fall of 2009 my 6-year-old daughter became a Girl Scout Daisy and, in less than one year, I have been amazed at how phenomenal the experience has been for her. My daughter, having two younger brothers but no sisters, cherishes the "sisterhood" of Girl Scouts and the many activities she's able to participate in with other girls her age. As a mom, I value the many lessons that are taught to the girls including building character and skills for the real world such as leadership skills, social skills, and self-esteem.

Recently, the popular Girl Scout cookie sales began and MY, MY... how people LOVE Girl Scout cookies! I am constantly amazed at people's reaction when they see me with the cookies. Last week I was on the metro headed home from work and had a bag of cookies in my hand. Out-of-the-blue a complete stranger approached me and asked, "Ooooh, are you selling Girl Scout cookies?  My mom loves them and I must buy a few boxes for her." After my initial shock that the woman approached me and after chuckling a bit to myself, I gladly sold her three boxes of cookies. During the same week, my husband got home from being out during the day only to find that our neighbors saw the empty Girl Scout cookie cartons in our yard and were waiting for us to get home so they could buy cookies. Again, we simply chuckled to ourselves and sold them the cookies they wanted. I have sold cookies to people on my job, former co-workers who I haven't seen for months, friends, neighbors, and complete strangers. There is truly a Girl Scout Cookie Craze that exists for so many people. So, I encourage you to continue supporting the Girl Scouts cookie fundraisers, give our girls a friendly smile when you see them at cookie booths at your local grocery stores and other venues, and buy a box of cookies or make a donation to support our girls if you are able!

And I would be remised if I did not give a special mention of my fantastic Girl Scouts Troop -- Kentland Troop #925 located in Prince George's County Maryland as well as our wonderful, hard-working Troop Leaders, Ms. Stephanie Burroughs and Ms. Lisa Watts. We appreciate all you do for our girls!

Visit the Girl Scouts website for more information on the variety of cookies available:
http://www.girlscoutcookies.org/

Cheryl

Proud Mommy Blogger

When I first heard the word "blogging" I had no idea what it really meant or why people spent their valuable time doing it.  As I began delving more into social networking as a way to create a buzz for my business I came to learn more-and-more about the purpose of blogging and found some fantastic bloggers with valuable information for their readers.  I was also introduced to numerous blog networking sites especially for mommy bloggers.  I began increasing my interactions with mommy bloggers on Twitter and my eyes became wide open to the Blogosphere!  I began to understand that some moms use blogging as a way to express their daily feelings and share their "mommy world" with others, some use blogging as a great way to network, some use blogging as a means to offer fantastic giveaways to their readers, and still others use blogging as a way to generate income for their households.  In any event, I caught the blog bug real quick.  Initially, I didn't know what I would blog about (and sometimes the direction of my blog is still a bit fuzzy to me since I only started in September 2009) but before I knew it my little fingers started typing away... and people actually responded positively to my blogs.  I absolutely love the feedback I receive from readers.  Needless to say, now I am hooked and plan to blog for a long time to come.

In celebration of my excitement to be a mommy blogger I am introducing a new "Mommy Blogger" tee from Moms R The Best (http://momsrthebest.com/).  This tee will be posted and offered for purchase within the next week.

Cheryl

Smiling Does The Body Good

Researchers say it takes 43 muscles to frown and only 17 muscles to smile, so why don't people smile more often?  This is a question I ponder quite often as I go about my daily activities in life -- taking the metro to work, dropping the kids off at school, interacting with coworkers, running errands on the weekend, and so forth.  More and more I observe that people just don't seem to have a friendly, happy feeling about their existence.  They tend to frown much more often than they smile.  Is it the economy?  Or did this sense of unhappiness begin long before the economic downfall?  Is it simply that we live in different times and people are so focused on what is happening in their own lives that they are oblivious to others around them?  Or perhaps the fact that as a society we are always staring down (at a Blackberry or laptop) or have our heads pressed against a cell phone preventing us from making eye contact and engaging in a polite smile with others.  In any event, it sure would be nice to be greeted with a pleasant smile from someone, ANYONE, tomorrow morning on my way to work... or the next time I'm at the mall or the grocery store with my kids screaming and hollering.  Smiling does the body good, is much easier than frowning, and is contagious.  So, the next time you think about smiling at someone...  instead of resisting the urge, JUST DO IT!  You will be surprised at how good it makes you (and the other person) feel.

Cheryl