Consulting on web projects is like creating a vision from 1000 piece puzzle without the picture on the box. As one who likes to solve problems, the more complex, the bigger the challenge, the more rewards. When the vision becomes a reality, a website, an online platform is born. What you do with it is what counts. Kheisha Reid, A Way of Lyfe, LLC, Founder and Life Coach, was referred to me by the Center for Women Enterprise, in Boston MA.. They provide opportunities for women entrepreneurs and small business owners to increase professional success, personal growth, and financial Independence. As part of their faculty, I teach online digital media literacy and social media marketing classes. Twice a month, I offer two-one hour pro-bono consultations that are set up for me by the Center. Kheisha and I met by phone consult. She briefly explained her business. I gave her an outline of what she needed to do to start an online presence. I asked her to circle back with me when she had a better idea of what she needed. Unfortunately, I did not hear back from her for several months. It was during my second phone consultation with Khesia that I heard despair in her voice. She was up against a deadline, recovering from a bad website consulting experience. She started to build a website that never materialized. She had partners and contractors relying on her to get the site up and running. She had a big hurdle with little funds. As a self employed consultant I work from home, inconveienced by the COVID crisis, my line of work slowed but did not cease. I've asked myself what can I do with my agency, privilege, education, skills, and social capital to help those who have been negatively impacted by this pandemic. Little decisions often have big consequences. This person was in need. I had time and resources to help. The question is will I? Yes. We came up with a price that allowed her breathing room to get her site up and running. Together, Kheisha and I created a website that is true to her brand, vision and business objective. We did this within the means she was able to afford. It was a pleasure working with her and I look forward to watching her business grow. I wish Kheisha much success in all she does. New Website
On a cold blustery early winter morning, just before dawn, the wind whips around outside my bedroom window. In the distance, I hear trolleys barreling down Beacon St. Rolling over in the comfort of my warm cozy bed, Rosie, my cat, scratches at the bedroom door. Its 5AM. Just a few more minutes. An alarm clock used to wake me; no more. The calls of my cat, the early morning noises and my body is what wakes me now. Darkness before dawn is a magical time on Beacon Street, the traffic lights linger green as far as the eye can see. Few people are out on these cold mornings; the streets are virtually empty. A Dunkin Donut truck is delivering donuts in Washington Square. As I sail past the green light at Trade Joe’s, the purveyor trucks are lined up ready to deliver. I arrive at the Down Under Yoga studio, its dark, quiet, warm and inviting. Smiling faces are there to greet me. I slip off my shoes, remove my coat, check in and head down to the to grab my favorite spot. As I open the door, the heat engulfs me; my glasses fog. My mat gently hits the the hardwood flor. It’s so quiet, peaceful and deliciously warm. My body melts into the floor. Within a few minutes, yogis quietly enter and set up their space. On Tuesday and Thursday mornings for the 6AM Heated Flow, about 5 minutes before , the doors swing open and at least a dozen people bustle in and ready their mats. I imagine a yogi bus traveling down Beacon St. stopping outside Down Under to drop off the yogis. Monday start my yoga challenge. This studio is my slice of heaven and part of a morning routine. Looking forward to what the challenge has in store! This week was about doing something different. Just completed 10 days of yoga, with a double on one day. That was different. Attended a Pilate class with a new teach and brought a friend who is new to the studio. Update: February 10! Week one challenge got off to a great start. Really enjoying how my body is responding to the heat and flow. Did a double on Friday and thought I would never be able to make it on Saturday. Here it is Sunday morning and I have 10 days straight on the mat. Its been quite humbling and challenging.
Week two The plan is to switch it up with two back to back classes, in addition to my early morning heated flow. The second class is new with a new teacher. Looking forward to trying my first Iyengar I class. I worry that my body will be able to keep up with the level of strain. Although yoga has kept me healthy and feeling well, I am feeling the changes in my aging body especially in my feet, groin and hips. Down Under Yoga suggests that this month consider, meditation, take a workshop, take the T to class, go to another Down Under Yoga studio, do a good deed or practice at home.
Each social media workshop I facilitate, people always seem to have the similar questions and concerns. Here's some next steps to help you along the way of expanding your brand and presence. Lean In. You can make it happen! Decide on what you can do yourself. Your time is valuable. Find help to do the rest. Download the Facebook for Small Business presentation. Use it as a review & resource to build your Facebook business page. Set up a consult with me the first thirty minutes is free. Create a consistent brand & digital presence. You have license & control over a website. If you do not have one consider investing in a mobile platform which provides social ready & personalization templates. Review www.dudaone.com mobile templates. Landing pages start at $599. It does not include the monthly web & domain name hosting fees. Define your audience with customer marketing profile(s) & persona(s). Use them to create and curate content. Leverage social media, engage with your audience using calls to action that will drive people to your blog/website/event. Connect with people. Make it easy for people to find & engage with you and your business. Organize & segment email contacts into lists by business categories. This way you can target market to your various contacts. Purchase a Constant Contact email + account. When you purchase , I provide one, one-hour free phone consult to get you started. Use COUPON CODE SAVE19Q1 at checkout. Coupon code good until MAR 30 2019. Save 30% the first 3 mo. Measure marketing objective results, revise & redo.
On January 24, 2019, a group of business owners from Boston gathered at Harvard I Labs in Brighton, MA for a presentation and discussion on Facebook business pages and Facebook/Instagram Ads. The session centered on how business owners can expand their brand, product and/or services using social media, email campaigns and website. Attendees are either women working for themselves, starting a new business, re-starting or re-inventing their careers. At the beginning of class three questions are posed: -what industry are you? -what brings you here? -what do you want to leave with? The answers help guide and facilitate the discussion. The content focuses on the needs of the group: business to business, business to consumer and consumer to consumer in the fields of health, education, hospitality, construction, home maintenance, technology and media and non-profit. Invariably people are seeking social media to drive action: increase customers, revenue, put people in seats, find applicants, etc. Many want to get their heads and business objectives around the concept of how to use social media. The basics are still important. What's the difference between a Facebook personal and business page? One can have a personal account and presence on Facebook and create another page. However, if you decide to start a business, become a celebrity or start a cause, you need to create a page which you use to promote that activity. If I don't personally want to be on Facebook can I have a business page? No. Most importantly, you do not want anyone: employee, friend, customer, setting up social media business pages for you with their personal credentials. Can I place Facebook/Instagram Ads? You need to have a Facebook personal account and business page. Decide if you want to set up a business Instagram account and connect it to Facebook. You will be able to create Ads that you can post to Facebook business page and or to Instagram. What's a hashtag? A word or phrase preceded by a hash sign (#), used on social media websites and applications, especially Twitter, to identify messages on a specific topic. What's the difference between Likes and Follows? Here's a great post that explains it much better than I will. Most attendees came for a better understanding about social media, how to use and engage on their Facebook business page. It was followed up with an email of resources and next step.
I met WENDY HERNÁNDEZ at one of my social media marketing classes at the Center for Women Enterprise in Boston. She contracted my services to upgrade LIONSPRIDE ASSISTANT WordPress site with a new responsive-mobile template. We kept the navigation simple, the pages clean and clearly stated who WENDY is, what she does and why her clients keep using her services. We recommended new pictures with WENDY, added calls to action and made it simple for those who visit the site to contact WENDY for her administrative and support services. We also made sure her phone, email and social media was readily available for those who visit and want to connect or share her site. January is a great time to renew, revise, upgrade, contact me if you are seeking a new web presence, strategy or marketing plan.
January 1999, I made a commitment to a regular, ongoing yoga practice, to help sustain a positive healthy approach to living. Life has a way of testing ones resolve and commitments. It is my service to that practice which has helped me strive for balance, peace and inner joy. It is an arduous journey; not a destination. I feel especially fortunate in my body, mind and spirit and I wish the same for you in 2019. Go easy on yourself in the new year. Take time to enjoy the small wonders and less time to worry about things in which you have little control over. Its knowing the difference that really counts. In 2019, my hope is for more tenderness, mercy and kindness in work, life and play, but especially in my yoga practice. As the body ages, its best to learn self acceptance, love and strength. The more I practice the more I need to practice to cultivate a balance that serves me and others. Looking back, twenty years of yoga practice, I have learned that the feeling of control is an illusion; your mind plays to keep you in constant fear. Yoga helps quiet the constant chatter, thoughts fade while your breathe and move through the poses. One day that breath is moving you through life's most difficult journey one breath at a time... If you have any questions on how to put some spark in your web and digital presence now or into the New Year, don't hesitate to contact me.
Show Stable Artisan's goal is to increase 2018 4th quarter sales. Owner and accomplished blue ribbon rider, Alison Green has spent many years developing an online store with high quality beautifully designed equestrian jewelry. Over the years, Alison has built a solid set of followers and multi-generational clients who keep coming back to purchase graduation, valentine's, engagement and anniversary rings. She has expanded to include lovely estate pieces. Show Stable Artisans contracted Nicastro Consultants to create a series of pre and holiday email and social media campaigns for the season. The FIRST CAMPAIGNS was a flash sale to people who had clicked the shop now button in a previous "Wake-Up" email campaign. It was a time limited offer of 20% off entire website. The campaign was sent to a small segment 526 customers, the email rates: open 44%, click through 34% resulted in over 70 people clicking the SHOP NOW button. It resulted in thousands of dollars in sales with for one email campaign.
“We the people of the US in order to form a more perfect union , establish Justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” The phrase, in order to form a more perfect union has always fascinated me. However, today it haunts me. What does it mean to provide a more perfect union? What was the thought behind including such a phrase in the document? “The Constitution was not born at once, it was developed gradually through debate, interchange of opinion, and careful consideration of problems.” The document was born out of necessity for states to interact, to ensure peace and provide a defense against ‘foreign’ enemies. The objective was to establish a strong national government while keeping state independence. Throughout the long hot summer months of 1787, delegates from each state carefully considered national problems. They labored over a framework and created a central government made up of individual states. The purposes was to create the Constitution with the intent to develop “a most elastic instrument, readily adaptable to meet changing conditions.” As our country ages and celebrates another birthday, my pledge, as an American is to work each and every day in both my personal and professional interactions to form a more perfect union by being more conscious of individual actions. The idea is simple, be positive, kind, thoughtful and open to people, ideas and conflict. Let’s work at forming a more perfect union with each other and just maybe it will spread across our country. Happy July 4th! http://www.ushistory.org/independencehall/history/indhall4.htm
best to learn to make a delicious lemonade! The alternative(s) can be more challenging. Whether you are a CEO of a multi national company or a one person small business, a balanced healthy perspective is essential. While business is chugging along, life can throw a few curve balls or a lemons. In a quick second, life as one knows it, can change. In that moment, a decision is forced upon you that may impact others or your life or business. Its in those moments that I am practicing to lean in, take a deep breath, not to react, but to sit with the situation. Its those split second decisions that have lasting impact. It is the reason I try to stay in the moment, give feelings and thoughts an opportunity to linger. Rather than duck the ball or a lemon that's veering in my direction, I reach for it and see where it takes me. Feeling a little more empowered when it doesn't knock me down, I can then focus my attention to making lemonade. Its simple and delicious. It also helps with balancing my perspective . Ingredients you will need: 4 to 6 large lemons 1 cup sugar 2 quarts cold water How to make homemade lemonade (makes about 10 cups): 1. Slice lemons in half. 2. Squeeze them into a large measuring cup (There should be about 1 1/2 cups of lemon juice). 3. Remove any seeds. 4. Combine the lemon juice and sugar, stir into the cold water and serve over ice. Enjoy!
