Buisness Networking Fashion Pic!

Business Networking Affairs don't have to be boring! Check out this ABS by Allen Schwartz mini-dress! The cut is cute, but the price could be better...maybe I can find some alternatives! I'll keep you posted! In the meantime, see more styles here!

Women In Business - Balancing Career & Family

Can you do both effectively? Discuss it here.

Women in Business...Gettin' Ready!

by erinshellanthony

NSNetwork is full of women who have business ideas, and I've already seen a few floating around in the Sistah-preneurs group! However, thinking about drafting a business plan is just about as exciting as watching an elephant draw a self-portrait...or maybe the elephant is more exciting. Sometimes the best ideas start small, like on a napkin. As you think about your business, keep in mind a few of the best pointers I've ever received:
1. Start small. Take your idea. Cut it in half. Mission accomplished! Many business owners have grand dreams. When I started adaru natural hair salon, this advice (thank God I took it!) forced me to think outside of the box and get creative. For example, instead of furnishing the salon with the select Pier One furniture I picked out, I got on the road and drove to Ikea and spent about 25% of what was initially planned!

2. Dream big. Have a vision. Be willing to take it in steps, but keep the future vision in front of you at all times. There will be times when no one understands what you're trying to do...not your BFF, not your relatives, not your __fill in the blank__! Execute your vision in steps, and welcome success in every form that it appears, even the very small forms, and it will continue to come.

More on business tips and a *Product Giveaway!* I've been getting ready JUST for NSN members...later on! Comments

NSNetwork Member Feature & PRODUCT GIVEAWAY!

Watching our sistas doing well is one thing - being able to find out how they did it is another...and that's the purpose of the Women in Business feature. For this first "inaugural" feature, we're going to do a product giveaway as well! Are you ready to find out how you can win 2 free Saniyyah Naturally products? Jamilah Shakir of Saniyyah Naturally, and member of the NSNetwork, leveraged over 20 years of natural hair styling into an online radio show, natural hair products, and the nation-wide I Can Do My Own Nappy Hair workshops!

To win Jamilah's fabulous Lemongrass Moisturizing Shampoo, and Aloe Vera & Lemongrass Pomade, click here to leave a comment and tell us why you need these products, and click on the link at the top of the page to invite members! The best answer, combined with the most invites to NSNetwork wins!

While we're at it, however, we have to take advantage of the opportunity to learn from Jamilah and absorb just a bit of the wisdom she's gained!

What was your inspiration for beginning Saniyyah Naturally?
My inspiration for beginning Saniyyah Naturally was my search for great natural products for kinky and curly textures of hair. I found out in this process that there are so many products on the market that meet the needs of our textures of hair in name only and that most of the consumers did not have the proper information to make the best choices for their hair. There were many products lines with the label 'natural' but loaded with harmful ingredients that could cause cancer, allergic reactions, and severe dryness; even some natural product lines with natural ingredients that contribute to the dryness and breakage issue we are sensitive to. In my search I found not one comprehensive product line that would satisfy this need without compromising the health of my hair, my family's and my clients' hair. As a result, the Saniyyah Naturally line of products was developed. What grew out of the product line was an acknowledgment of my true passion to share holistically in the hair industry how to be healthy and beautiful, naturally!

What is business advice you would offer new women business owners?
#1 - Get to the root of what your passion is. What did God create you to do, that no one else can do quite like you? #2 - Be tenacious in believing in your dream and your product. Don't let up for even half a second! #3 - Put the proper work with the dream for the sake of integrity. The rest will follow!

What is the one thing you wish you knew before you started in business?
It only takes a few loyal and trusted people to reach even magnanimous goals.

Where do you see your business in 5 years?
I see Saniyyah Naturally products and services being the #1 company and information source for getting and keeping healthy and beautiful hair as well as holistic health solutions. It will be the #1 choice of the consumer and professional for damaged and chemically treated hair, transitioning hair, and natural hair.

Touch the Power Within and DO YOU!

Jada Pinkett Smith's words at the Black Women in Hollywood luncheon, where she was recently honored, are so right now. She speaks to authenticity, to just being yourself, and accepting who you really are. It hit me a few months ago when I heard Oprah talk about the fact that the reason she went into television was because she loved it. That's it. It wasn't for the money, it wasn't because she wanted to be in the limelight, it was simply because she loved it. You can always take tests to figure it out, but God has graced us all with specific gifts. What are yours? If you search what he's placed in your heart, which is probably also something you've always loved doing, you'll get a hint. I can just hear this old skool jam from Rufus & Chaka Khan harmoniously asking me "Do you love what you feel?" How about it - have you found IT, or are you in the process of finding IT? How do YOU "do you?"

On this day, 40 years after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I can't help but wonder "How far have we come in the last 40 years?" While political commentators constantly subject us to silliness relating to our African-American leaders, we have to re-direct and THINK about the depth of where we are as women - and as women of color - and the progress that still needs to made. One of the biggest areas I see that we CAN make a difference is in monetary support. So today, I choose to honor Dr. King with not just a moment of silence, but to also make an impact that can be felt, and make a donation in support of Obama, a political leader whose message, many say is reminiscent of Dr. King. If you're with me, just click here! How much progress do you think we've made? Weigh in! For now, let's reflect on the positive and not just believe in making a difference, but actually DO IT!

That One Simple Thing...

So, we're juggling the job, the children, life in general - and the question arises, "How can we find balance and still be effective?" After reading this article about doing just one thing each morning that allows you to relax-relate-release, I started thinking about what that one thing could be for me. As much as I really didn't want to, I started getting up a half hour earlier to experience "early morning calm" - you know, when everything is super quiet, and you can simply sit and and allow your mind to be clear. It was during one of these mornings that I received the word "simplification" (more on this one later!) and was able to inject the meaning of this word into daily activity. Simplification helps us to gain ground, simply because we're not hauling extra baggage. Here are 3 things you can do immediately to simplify your thought-life:
1. Spend an extra minute with a loved one.Being a multi-tasker has to be moderated! When you want to pull away, just linger a minute longer...holding your little one...in the arms of your husband...on the phone with your parents. Do it intentionally and take a moment to just bask.
2. Take a deep breath. Kemiko, a sista-preneur in Atlanta, shared a great breathing tip with me. Take a deep breath in through your nose, hold it for 3 seconds, and let it out through one nostril. Repeat on the other side. Once you do it, you feel re-energized from the extra dose of oxygen!
3. Assume the Best! It takes so much energy to be angry. Assume the best, and just let it go!

What's your idea for simplifying your life? Leave your comments here, in the discussion area!
1,000 Blessings~erinshellanthony