Thursday, February 26, 2009

Nicole's Commentary 27 February 2009

My personal and business philosophy is to make everyone that I come in contact with better by creating relationships that will enhance their business. The niche market that we serve are business owners. Most people can tell when we meet them that my company is about working and building together but there was a need to find a way to translate that message utilizing technology. This would allow us to connect with more people than we could ever meet in a person. My facebook profile has 954 friends and business associates half of which I don't know (YET!). It has been the use of technology (sites such as DiversePhilly, linkedin and facebook) that allowed my company to improve our productivity and now we are using videography services (Thanks Red Sun Multimedia and Beckett Concepts) to spread the message across the internet and reach more business owners. The internet can be used to connect but if you are only using it to promote your business, the internet will also be used to disconnect. I recently found out that my e-mail address was in put in a clients spam folder :-)

Does your philosophy show that you value others by sharing information in your newsletter or does your philosophy show that you are using the internet to promote your business?

Monday, February 16, 2009

Tara's Commentary 16 February 2009

Read this section to see how the Wealth Building Series speakers use DiversePhilly for "Each One, Teach One" to share our knowledge and grow together...

Newman Networks is led by a dynamic individual who knows the power of relationships. And I want each of the attendees of the Wealth Building Series presented by Newman Networks' Diverse Philly to understand what we are presenting. In the inaugural workshop, Steve Goldflam of Goldflam and Associates, an accounting firm, spoke about "falling in love with reality". And although Valentine's Day was days away the topic was your real financial numbers, i.e., your budget. The numbers I want everyone in my segment to "love" are your credit scores. Perhaps love is not quite the correct adjective, so let's say to change your Relationship with Money which directly affects your credit rating. And just like with any relationship, if you haven't been exposed to healthy ones it may be difficult to emulate.

President Obama wrote of the 'audacity of hope' and we as individuals and/or business owners must be proactive instead of reactive. You always have choice...even if you don't like the options. Make a decision to move forward. Today. NOW.

Your assignment: Get current (less than 6 months old) copies of your credit reports preferably with scores. There are many sites you can use, but try www.identityguard.com. I am not endorsing this site, just letting you know of an affordable way to get your reports instantaneously. Contact me if you have any problems obtaining your Experian, Equifax or Transunion reports [TheCreditWoman@gmail.com].

In addition, this is an educational series. Whether you attended the first session or not it is just as important to do that assignment. Your budget. Ask yourself this question: Without knowing what I am earning and spending, how can I possibly manage my credit rating?

Looking forward to discussing with YOU how to increase YOUR bottom line in 2009.

About Tara Colquitt, featured in Essence November 2007 for becoming wealthy through real estate as part of the House Depot:
I have a proven track record of helping others improve their credit scores and I educate and mentor clients with diverse circumstances about using credit properly to gain access to wealth. Most of us need to change our relationship with money while building a relationship with people to potentially gain leverage to secure financial freedom for future investments. I believe everyone has knowledge that can assist others in achieving their highest potential; therefore, it is imperative that like-minds work together to reach financial goals and create paths for others to follow.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Nicole's Commentary 2 February 2009

How is generational wealth created? By using financial discipline of paying yourself 10% of your income first and investing that money over time. But you must first allow yourself to be wealthy. We have to give ourselves permission to afford the lifestyle, responsibilities and habits that the wealthy have. From the consumerist article (http://consumerist.com/consumer/bad-decisions/1-in-3-lottery-winners-broke-within-5-years-316502.php), 1 in 3 lottery winners go BROKE within 5 years. These instant millionaires have not developed the habits to retain wealth. I have personally seen a family receive multiple 6 figures from a life insurance policy, buy 2 houses in the suburbs to eventually lose the houses to foreclosure within 4 years. The family then had to return back to the original house in a worse financial situation then before they got the money. One of the mistakes they made, among many others, was starting a business without the network and resources to sustain the business.

A network marketing executive recently told me a saying that continually plays in my mind “How you do anything is how you do everything”. In my own life, I am attending the wealth building seminar at IKEA as a student. I have had 2 practice rounds at building wealth. Just like it took me 3 attempts at weight loss to finally learn from the correct teacher (Thank you, Melanie Marchand) and add the healthy life style disciplines of cutting down on carbohydrates at night and adding 32 ounces of water to my diet. This time, I will implement the financial disciplines that are required to build wealth by budgeting the required 10% percent, giving 10% to charity, setting 10% away for fun, using 10% to continually improve myself and living on just 50% of my income (Thank you, Brian Williams for that formula).

When I opened my fortune cookie from my favorite Chinese Truck on 38th and Walnut, my fortune read “You will spend old age in comfort and material wealth”. I plan on doing everything possible by learning from the DiversePhilly network to make that fortune come true!