5 Ways to Fund Your Start-Up Business

5 WAYS TO FUND YOUR START-UP BUSINESS

5 Ways to Fund Your Start-Up Business

Article By: Lynne Dominick and Heather Jadus

Incredible as it may seem, before 1972, a woman in the United States looking to purchase a home needed a cosigner to take out a mortgage, even if she met all of the financial qualifications on her own. 

In 2016, women will not only continue to wield significant individual purchasing power, they will be responsible for 43% of all small business start-ups, rising to an estimated 50% by the year 2020.  

Adequate capital behind any new business is absolutely essential for its success.  Here are some of the most commonly used methods of securing revenue.

Bootstrapping

One of the motivating factors in having your own business is the independence that comes with it.  As a result, your goal should be to retain as much of the controlling interest in your business as possible.

Lines of credit along with business credit cards can provide great leverage and help you to get things off the ground.  American Express, Chase, Citi and Capital One offer bankcards that have no annual fees and low interest rate options specifically for new businesses owners.

Friends & Family

Asking friends and family to help get you through the initial launch stages is also a widely accepted way of funding your start-up while maintaining complete ownership. 

Angel Investors

An angel investor is someone who provides capital for a business start-up.  Most of the time, an angel investor will provide a loan or ask for shares in the company depending on both the financial and time obligations required.  

If you end up seeking revenue by this method you will need to have a business plan that lays out a vision for your business that includes specific costs and anticipated revenue for at least 18-36 months.

Recently, we have seen the growth of angel investor groups such as 37 Angels, http://www.37angels.com/#focus, a network of investors that has been created to specifically fund start-ups by women.  These networks are a great source of potential revenue, but will most likely require you to give up a sizable percentage of the company.

Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding is one of the fastest growing segments of revenue sourcing for new businesses throughout the world, allowing businesses to obtain small amounts of revenue from a huge network of people.  It is estimated that Crowdfunding will skyrocket to a trillion dollar industry by 2020.

Participants can chose from equity as well as non-equity based crowdfunding platforms depending on what product or service they are looking to fund.

Product based crowdfunding allows visitors to purchase a product at a special rate in return for their monetary support.  Kickstarter, Indiegogo
and GoFundMe are among the most popular crowdfunding sites.
https://www.kickstarter.com/, https://www.indiegogo.com/#/picks_for_you
https://www.gofundme.com/

Equity based platforms work similarly to that Angel Investing, requiring that an owner turn over a percentage of the company in return for monetary investment.

Crowdfunding 2.0

There is an exciting brand new crowdfunding platform called Smash Fund that is rewriting the rules by using a Share Economy business model similar to the one used by Uber.  

By marrying a premium social network with a crowdfunding platform, Smash Fund is able to provide network partners with 80% of the collected membership revenues in addition to any revenues collected through direct crowdfunding.

Smash Fund is also eliminating the conditions and fees associated with traditional crowdfunding platforms as further incentive.  To learn more: http://smashfundgal.smashfunder90.com/
http://smashfundguru.smashfunder90.com/

No matter how you elect to raise money for your business, you need to investigate all of the options open to you and select the one that best matches the needs of your start-up.

Preparedness is fundamental to success.

3 Keys to a Total Money Makeover

3 KEYS TO A TOTAL MONEY MAKEOVER

Article by Jasmine Sreenika Crystalsinger
Photo Credit: Sajas Minrah
Magazine: Issue #34

3 Keys to a Total Money Makeover

Are you a Global Glamazon on a mission to captivate the world with your wisdom and do you sometimes struggle to create the income and impact you desire?

If you've been in business for yourself for any length of time, you will have surely encountered one of those dark nights of the soul where you feel you've done everything but still remain stuck in a holding pattern when it comes to your finances.

This frustration can even lead to bouts of fatalistic thinking, visions of shamefully slinking back to a soul-sucking 9-to-5 cubicle or worse.

Self-doubt is normal, but sliding into a downward spiral of chocolate truffle binges serves no one. And it doesn't get you any closer to running your gypset empire from a private turquoise lagoon in the Maldives, either!

So, put that truffle down- it's time to start stalking success the right way, starting with what's between your beautiful, bohemian ears.

What's needed is a money mindset makeover and the great news is that you can begin today!

Pleasure, purpose, and prosperity form a sacred triad and I teach a specific process that allows you to activate the trident that is their power.

Sacred Success Key 1| Pleasure
The biggest mindset mistake I see with clients who are struggling to expand their wealth consciousness is thinking that they will be happy when they earn a certain amount of money or achieve a milestone in their business. 

While some achieve their goals this way, they're almost always unfulfilled and left wanting more.

Your emotions are a very important guidance system and when you don't feel happy, you are invited to stop, get clear on what you truly desire to call in, and decide to start feeling good RIGHT NOW. What lights you up? What fills you with energy? What makes you feel juicy and magnetic? 

When you operate from a place of joy in your business you become mesmerizing and will magically attract clients, fans, and allies who will help lift you to the next level because you've switched them on. 

In addition, journaling about your joy juicers will help you channel genius money-making ideas, AND attract more opportunities to feel good in your life and business!

Sacred Success Key 2| Purpose
WHY do you want what you want? What will increased income allow you to experience, create, and contribute to your own evolution and to the lives of others? 

Your WHY is your driving force and your north star that allows you to navigate to miraculous new continents of achievement. It's the lighthouse that brings droves of ideal clients to the shores of your business to be transformed by your truth and to finally achieve their cherished dreams. It's what allows you to remain committed and stay the course so you survive stormy seas and sail more swiftly to success.

Spend some time in nature connecting to what makes you feel passionate and what fills you with a profound sense of achievement. Write down an experience that made you feel that way. Revisit this in your mind with all of your senses as a way to ignite the fire of your purpose and watch as you attract more opportunities to fulfill your aspirations at the highest level.

Sacred Success Key 3| Prosperity
For many, prosperity equals money but when I question my clients, nine out of ten times, their goals for prosperity are quite vague.

To begin, ask yourself what prosperity means to you, not what your family, spouse, or society believes, but what you feel and wish for in your heart of hearts.

• Does prosperity equate to a certain amount of money? If so, how much, and by what date do you desire to receive it?
• Does it mean a certain freedom and ease? If so, what does that look like?
• Does it mean an influx of exciting opportunities, if so which ones?

Feel prosperous right now by regularly showing gratitude for all the marvelous abundance you have in your life already!

Imagine experiencing the prosperity you dream of as if you had it RIGHT NOW. Any resistance you may encounter could point to underlying negative or ambivalent beliefs about money. 

Write these down, then drown them symbolically in a bucket of water. Choose to pen a new prosperity story. Write in the present tense and describe your life in detail as if you were currently experiencing your money miracle. Know that you have all you desire available to you right now in your energetic treasure trove. 

Make it a marvelous morning ritual to ask your intuition: "How can I achieve this?" Then record the insights and synchronicities that appear to bring your desires into manifested form. 

Take inspired action consistently and you will be amazed how quickly you are able to achieve your dreams by overcoming the fear that keeps you safe and playing small so you can instead expand into pleasure, joy, and infinite possibility!

Success Strategies for Charging Your Worth

SUCCESS STRATEGIES FOR CHARGING YOUR WORTH

Becoming an Empowered Woman

Article by Marinna Rose
Photo Credit: Sajas Minrah
Magazine: Issue #34

So many women have a difficult time asking for their value in the service they give, especially those in the holistic industry. The secret of receiving your value is not only being able to show others the value you have to offer, but first and foremost YOU valuing yourself! 

You may know that you are worthy and feel what you have is very valuable, but if you are not resonating that out to the world in everything you do, you will NOT receive the value back from others and your clients. 

This comes from complete unconditional value for who you are and what you have to offer. If you even breathe a sigh of “No worries, I’ll make this work for you and adjust my time for your schedule etc..” Your value is lost in that same breath. 

Think about this. If you are not valuing you, your time, and program first, then how do you expect anyone else to? You know who they will value more? Your competitor. Even though they may not have the best program or might not be the best match. If your competitor stands in their leadership role without wavering, not giving anything up to get the acceptance of the deal, then the client will organically feel it is a better value.

Why you ask would they feel it would be a better value just based on that? Well that is the million-dollar question. They are standing in their value, not showing any desperation, not giving any of themselves up to be fed by the client valuing them… they already know they are valuable and do not need validation.

The client feels this validation energetically and they are attracted to this energy, because that is how the Law of Attraction works. Also the Universe responds to you standing in your value, it now knows you are valuing yourself and your goods, so it now delivers that value back to you.

Success Strategies to Receiving your Value:

Strategy 1 :: Work on yourself first. Look at your own life and see if you are receiving the value that you deserve, not just in business, but also in your personal life, friends & family. This is where you will find the truth of what you are resonating to the world.

If you are not feeling that you are receiving your value back, then ask some questions, do some journaling about what is blocking your value from being received.

For example: are you one of those great friends, sisters, mothers etc.. that prides themselves on always being there for everyone, dropping everything when they need you…but maybe when you are in need everyone seems to be too busy?

Strategy 2 :: Are you feeling conflicted on what to charge for your work? If you are everyone will feel this and you will not receive your value. Do some journaling in why you are conflicted. Is it because you feel you do not have enough education or not certified in your area? Well that’s all hooey, most conflictions are stemmed from other peoples opinions. So be sure to ask yourself where this is coming from, you’ll be surprised it’s usually not from you.

Now be sure to become solid in your foundation of what you feel is the correct value of your service without the outside factors and practice, practice, practice delivering so you feel very comfortable and come from a place of certainty and power when delivering.

Strategy 3 :: Coming from your power space, do not waiver when the client makes excuses. Do not give any of yourself, time or value up in this moment. Only ask questions back to the client of what this transformation is worth to them. Make them tell you how valuable your service is in their own words.

Remind them that the value lies in showing the Universe how serious you are about your goal. So when you are willing to take that risk, the bigger the better and the better result. When the Universe sees that you have taken this action it knows you mean business and it delivers!

P.S. These strategies also work with friends and family, be sure to come from your power space when they ask of you and only say yes when your heart is all in and nothing is expected back on your end. When you come from a place of obligation you both become the negative ends of the magnet and the energy exchanged has no charge, if any it is negative…the whole process becomes null and void. This approach was life changing for me, I know personally these strategies will get you on the road to emerging your Empowered Women that is hovering under the surface!

How to Promote and Market a Holistic Business

How  o Promote and Market a holistic Business

HOW TO PROMOTE AND MARKET A HOLISTIC BUSINESS

Article: Angel Quintana
Photo: Dasha & Mari

Promoting a holistic business needs to be done with care. You got into business to make money, but you also got into business to truly make a difference. That ingredient is what makes you different. You see, your message is about humanities and love. Not to sound mushy here, but when you market a holistic business you need to do so with care.

As a holistic business, you have a personal attachment to what you are selling because (most likely) you once struggled with this problem. So when you reach down deep in your soul, it doesn't a part of you and that is what expected of you as a leader in your niche. 

Let me give you some tips on how to promote and market your holistic business so you not only stand out in a saturated market, but you take competition out of your vocabulary because you know you are one-of-a-kind.

Tip #1: Have a Strong Voice

Now, this doesn't mean you can be controversial or even rebellious-- in fact, I would recommend that you be both. The biggest hurdle to showing up on social media, in your articles, and your ezine is to do it with a strong voice. If you water down your message, you're going to sound like everyone else.

This could also mean coming up with your own terminology or buzzwords. Think about how you speak to your friends, what words have you made up or use frequently to get your point across? Is there humor in there somewhere? If you can use your real personality to generate buzz around your holistic business this will get people talking about you and referral-based marketing is the best (and FREE) promotion ever!

Tip #2: Keep it Designer

Another great way to promote your holistic business that will set you up for success is to assure that everything you put out into the ether is TOP NOTCH. This includes copywriting, advertisements and marketing collateral, professional photography, and consistency. When you position your holistic business like a luxury brand, your perceived value increase and that's what I like to call a great marketing strategy!

Tips #3: Establish Expert Status

Everyday you should ask yourself, "What can I do today to show I am an expert at what I do?" This will help you with all your social media posts, articles, and more. Knowing you are an expert at what you do isn't enough to win the business. You're going to have to show, without being trite, that you know your stuff.

Showcasing testimonials occasionally in your social media posts or on your website is a must. The more you clout you can build, the better. This also goes with finding the right publicity. You never want to hurt your reputation by showing up on an unprofessional blog or website, or worse on the cover of a magazine that looks like poo poo. Trust me, as much as you think being on the cover of just any magazine give you credibility, the fact is, it doesn't-- especially if you are looking to position your holistic business as a luxury brand.

Tip #4: Don't be a Bad Salesman

Whether you like it or not, every entrepreneur must be a salesman to some degree. You know your product better than anyone else and it's always a good idea to polish up your salesmanship. Being a bad salesman merely means-- your sales tactics are working. If you are currently experiencing a lack of sales or customers, if could very well be your approach to sales.

Sharpen your sales skills by sharing more of your authentic voice, instead of drowning it out with ambiguity. Your people are actively searching for you, but if they can't hear you (or don't want to hear you), you'll never be able to serve them. Salesmanship comes from a deep understanding of knowing and believing 100% that your product or service solves their problem.

That said, you don't need to force your product down anyone's throat, if you done your job correctly and your sales skills are shining through the right customers will knock on your door. The more you work on your selling your products with your own authentic voice, the sooner your tribe will be able to find you and start speaking your same language. And that's great promotion!

How to Sell More Luxury Products Online

Sell More Holistic Products Online

HOW TO SELL MORE HOLISTIC PRODUCTS ONLINE

Article: Angel Quintana
Photo: Dasha & Mari

Selling is actually an art. If you're looking to sell more holistic products online, then it might be time to embrace your artistic side. Once you have established credibility, it's only natural that your audience want to continue to buy what you have to sell. In fact, if you won them over in a previous product, why wouldn't they want to buy what you have next?

Selling more holistic products comes down to understanding the immediate pain of your niche market. If you've got this down, selling more products will be easy. It becomes almost like a rinse and repeat marketing strategy. However, if you are struggling to create new products for your existing market, perhaps if time to dig a little deeper. Here are some helping questions to help you think outside the links and sell more products online.

What product could I offer that complements a previous offering?

Let's say you offered a coaching program that solved problem A. It's been a few months and they are now salivating to learn something new. What do you think that next new training would be? If you don't know, you could start by sending out a survey, but an even quicker way would be to post the question in a Facebook post or in a Facebook group. It's a lot easier for people to write their answer on social media than to open their already over-crowded emails, click on a "take a quick survey" button and hope they complete it.

How could you re-package your offerings to increase the sale?

You know when you buy a gift basket it's always more affordable than buying each product individually. Packaging your products is a great way to increase the sale price for each new sale you make AND it helps your customer save money in the long run. Do you customers a favor and package up some of your products that complement each other and offer those products to your customers. You just might be surprised how long they've been waiting for you to do that!

Do you have a landing page with testimonials for all your best sellers?

One of the best kept secrets of internet marketers is to create landing pages and SEO keyword rich website to sell very specific products. They usually include a video or mp3, a brief checklist of what is included in the product, and a boat load of testimonials. If you're looking to sell more holistic products online, why not spend a week creating individual landing pages for some of your best seller products? You'll give Google yet another reason to send you new customers and your visitors will have a better understand of what you are selling by providing them individually pages just to talk about the product they are interested in.

There you have 3 superb ideas on how to sell more holistic products online. Every month in The Club we provide trainings and classes to help you sell more holistic products online. to learn more about The Club and the internet marketing trainings, click here.

How to Increase Sales Online for Your Holistic Business

Increase Sales Online

HOW TO INCREASE SALES ONLINE FOR YOUR HOLISTIC BUSINESS

Article: Angel Quintana
Photo: Dasha & Mari

Let me rest you assured that growing your holistic business online is best way to make a difference. You and I both know you got into business to help serve those in need and today you woke up realizing you weren't helping as many people as you could. That is why the internet should be your new BFF.

You didn't graduate from college, get certified in everything under the son, read all those books, or go through all that trauma in your life just to make a little money. Having a holistic business means just that-- you should serve your ENTIRE niche market. And what better place to do that than the world wide web.

So what are the secrets to increase sales online that actually produce results? You and I both know there is no shortage of marketing strategies, but who is to say they all work. Well let me break down all the ways I know work when trying to increase sales online and why you should start implementing them today.

Increase Sales Online Strategy #1
Create an SEO-friendly Free Goodie

I know you've seen them on just about everyone's websites, but having a free goodie where you potential customers can opt-in (collect an email address) is essential to building trust. But it's not enough to just have something for FREE on your website for your audience, it actually needs a strategy behind it.

A free goodie should be titled with SEO. What is SEO? Search engine optimization is how Google will help you to attract new customers. How it works is withe keywords. You free goodie need to have keywords in the title and ideally, a landing page where your visitors can read all about how awesome it is, which entices them to opt-in.

If you don't know your keywords, it's going to be difficult to create a Free Goodie that is optimized for Google. Not to worry, this SEO course will help you figure out your keywords. Once you know your keywords, then you can start to create a free goodie. Just don't forget to mention at the end how you can continue to serve them. The free goodie might be free, but don't forget about making sales. After all, the purpose of the free goodie is to build the know, like, and trust factor, so they feel comfortable giving you their credit card information later.

Increase Sales Online Strategy #2
Engage New Prospects with Social Media

While social media  may not be the best way to generate new sales in your holistic business, it is the best way to keep them engaged. An engaged prospect is more likely to buy down the road than someone who is just finding out about you. I've have people on my list for years before they every became a client.

Preschedule social media posts with a platform like Hootsuite or Sprout Social so you aren't spending all day on social media engaging with your audience. Once you get into your rhythm you'll start noticing your fans hunting you down on other social platforms. Pay attention to these people; they are hot new leads to increasing sales online!

Increase Sales Online Strategy #3
Set-up an Advertising Campaign and Budget

Many holistic business owners skip over advertising because they don't know how it works or feel they don't have a big enough budget to do it. But this is absolutely not true! Setting up an advertising campaign could cost as little as $125 per month! I know you spend more on green juice each month than that. 

Advertising is for the serious entrepreneur and if you are serious about increasing your sales online, online advertising is a must. It will help you to build brand awareness, acquire new prospects, and of course, increase sales. With just a small budget each month, you can easily grow your holistic business.

Simply, designate a budget to your advertising campaign and start running one today. If you need help setting up Facebook retargeting advertising or web-based ads to show up on authority sites, be sure to check out The Club. We offer affordable advertising campaigns to our Club Members and we manage them 100% too. 

The ONE Thing That's Keeping You From Making Millions!

Keeping You From Making Millions!

THE ONE THING THAT'S KEEPING YOU FROM MAKING MILLIONS!

Article by Lorena Morales
Photo Credit: Angel Quintana
Magazine: Issue #22

Money. What would you do with big—really big—money?

Many women say: “I’d set up my family and close friends. Then I’d feed an African village, save the whales….”

Secretly thinking: “Shoes. Spas. Sunshine.”

We want what money can buy—the stuff, the comfort, luxury and security. It’s natural, yet we feel guilty. 

Guilt suffocates the soul—and it keeps you broke.

Many of us have unconscious money guilt. Having, or even wanting, all those delicious things means we’re selfish and superficial. We are programmed to believe that good people don’t want riches and excess. We have many unconscious money beliefs—money is evil; work hard makes money; money corrupts—but guilt tops them all.

Behaviorally, this unconscious guilt is a huge influence. Energetically, it’s even bigger. Because here’s the woo-woo. Guilt is a vibration. When you vibrate on the guilt level, everything around you is on that vibration, and you become a magnet for more guilt. And guess what? You will never make real money if you’re living in the guilt vibration. 

It’s confusing and frustrating, because we know we do deserve it, but the unconscious tells us different. We say we want more money, and then we don’t understand why we are not making as much as we want—and in many cases, need. 

So the clue is, if you’re not making the kind of money you want or need, look around for guilt. Recognizing its presence is the key to freedom. 

In order to overcome guilt, know these truths:

1| We live in a rich, abundant Universe. There’s more than enough. 

2| Guilt helps no one. Neither does suffering. A guilty, struggling you does not contribute to the flow of universal abundance.

3| Everyone is capable of wealth. The only thing between us and the income we so desire is the belief that it’s not possible. Being abundantly rich is not only your birthright, it’s your responsibility. (See #2)

You want to be in the vibration of fun, gratitude, and abundance to attract the money you do deserve. 

Imagine yourself with the money to run your empire. All the people you’ve employed; the influence on them and their lives, working each day in an environment modeled on abundance. You being broke doesn’t serve the world; it doesn’t end hunger or save penguins. It only perpetuates the belief that we live in a poor Universe—which just isn’t true.

It’s your time to step up, honor all of your desires, and kick guilt to the curb. You are meant to lead by example—be the wealthy wonder that you deserve to be.

Think about it. How could you influence the world if you lived from abundance?

Done Being Broke? 2015 is the Year of Infinite Money Possibilities

2015 is the Year of Infinite Money Possibilities

DONE BEING BROKE? 2015 IS THE YEAR OF INFINITE MONEY POSSIBILITIES

Article by Lorena Morales
Photo Credit: Pinterest

A few years ago I decided that instead of resolutions, I would make New Year’s Declarations. I declared I was done being broke; that I would make big money. And I did just that, taking very specific steps. 

Declare!
If you struggle with money, declaration is a powerful first step. Declare you are already making more money in 2015.

Be Specific.
Get clear about the amount you desire. I used to say, “Just enough for my bills,” without knowing how much that was! How much do you want to make this year? Take that number—break it down by month, week, and even days. Write everything down. You’ll be amazed how effectively this keeps you on track.

Get over it!
My clients—talented, hard-working women—often arrive desperate about money, and so mad at themselves! They’ve been “foolish” following the you-too-can-have-a-six-figure-business dream; they “should” have known; they’ve “failed.” Sound familiar? Well, that stops now. No one lives a mistake-free life! Forgive your disappointments. Give up guilt; forgive the past. Now you’re actually free to start over.

DO Something.
Listen, I love the Law of Attraction; it’s valid and important—and I know raising your vibration and energy is not enough without action toward your goals. Nothing will happen if you don’t get off the couch and do something. Action is not optional.

Take Fun Seriously.
Fun elevates your vibration and feeds your creativity, yet most women don’t make it a priority. A movie, roller skating, a bubble bath. My clients put it in their calendar—fun is nothing to mess around with, and it’s where the money is at!

2015 is the Money Year
Per Numerology, 2015 is an “8” (2+0+1+5=8), and 8 is the number of money—and it’s an amplifier. It’s the perfect year to transform money because you’ll get fast results.

In this year of infinite money possibilities, I promise you—money and abundance can spread like wildfire in 2015, with focus and work on your money (or lack of money!) issues.

Bringing it All Together:

• Declare you are making more money in 2015.
• Know your numbers; write down exactly how much you desire
• Forgive yourself for bad financial decisions; there are no mistakes, only lessons learned.
• Have fun!
• Take advantage of the abundant money energy this year brings.

I personally want you to remember that you are worthy of making all the money you desire. It’s your birthright. So have fun doing it!