My son Jack recently joined Cub Scouts here in our community. His “den” leader is an older man, sort of a grandfather type who is very wise and shares some interesting information with the boys (did you know that if you’re in need of the police, you should dial 311 and not 411?). When a boy becomes a Cub Scout, he receives a book about what it means to take on this role. An early part of the book is about following a “set of values.” They encourage the boys to know, commit, and practice these values. This got me thinking about how Smart Women know, commit, and practice their own values.
When I was growing up, I don’t remember many conversations about values. I was told to always say please and thank you. Always tell the truth. Always be on time. Respect your elders. These were the basic “values” in our home. Good stuff to be sure, and ideas that I pass on to my own children today. However, the world has changed since I was a little 
girl. Women today play so many roles. We are creative beings with Big Ideas, Dreams, and Goals. We take care of our spouse or life partner, children, aging parents. We run large and small businesses. We are active in our communities. We are the “glue” that keeps everyone and everything together. (I went to visit my Mom and sister for a few days and before I departed, I handed my husband Greg a 3-page single-spaced document of what needed to be done over the course of 5 days to keep the family running smoothly!)
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Ventura Blvd., Studio City, CA 91604. There will be food, drinks, music and a live auction at the event. Also this year, the Woman of Courage Award will be presented to Smart Woman and Alumnae Circle Member Pam Yelsky. This non-profit organization is near and dear to my heart. Everyone who registers for the event before Wednesday, May 14 will have access to a live group coaching call with me to get all of your life and business coaching questions answered. (Coaching call will be in June) To register for the event, go to 
Do you know what WIIFM stands for? Sure you do! You ask yourself this question every time you think about making an investment or purchase—“What’s In It For Me?” Am I right? We purchase everything based on the “benefits” that we will receive when we use the service or product.
Marketing really is just like the game of baseball. And once you figure out the rules of the game, you will move around the “diamond” very quickly, scoring successful runs. First, you have to decide what you are marketing (product or service) and second, who your ideal client is. In other words, who benefits from using your product or service. When you have determined who your ideal client is, you can then create a “message” that will appeal to those people. Makes sense, right? Many times, when we start a business what’s the first thing we do? We create a logo, business cards, and possibly a web site. We do need all of these things to run a business, however, if we don’t accurately communicate the right “message”, then we have wasted valuable time and dollars with no success. Our ideal client must be able to understand how we can help to solve their problems with our product or service. It’s essential that you develop your “message” first. Let them know how your product or service can solve the problem they are having. 
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