Stamping Is My Business!

You're Getting Too Smart When It Comes To Openings!

Today is the day I usually send out my e-mail with next month's 1-on-1 and Small Group Coaching openings.

This month has been an interesting one, though.

Over the last several days, many of you have contacted ME about the openings and, basically, filled almost all of them up.

So, congratulations for getting wise to the system and taking control of it!  As they say, the early bird gets
the worm.

When I asked a couple of my new clients what prompted them to step up, they told me it was the numbers I published in last month's e-mail.

If you missed them, here they are again:

THE 2009 RESULTS for SIMB Group and 1-on-1 Coaching clients:

• 39% of them made Cruise!
• Their sales INCREASED an average of 12% over 2008!
• Their recruiting was UP an average of 14% over 2008!
• Their profit was UP an average of 28% over 2008!

Once again, although these numbers were DOWN company-wide, they were UP for SIMB Coaching Clients! 

• If these are the kinds of results YOU'D like to achieve...
• If you'd like to step into a program with a PROVEN TRACK RECORD!
• If you'd like to work with a CERTIFIED COACH with TEN YEARS EXPERIENCE HELPING STAMPING BUSINESS OWNERS...
• NOT another Demo trying to prop up their own, shrinking bottom line by charging for business advice they used to give you for free.

I invite you to step into one of the SIMB Coaching Programs.

As I said, we have a VERY limited number of openings.

We currently have JUST ONE 1-ON 1 AND TWO GROUP OPENINGS beginning in March:

GROUP COACHING

- Tuesday mornings at 9:00 a.m. Eastern -         CLOSED
- Wednesday evenings at 10:00 p.m. Eastern -   1 space available
- Thursday mornings at 10:00 a.m. Eastern -      1 space available
- Thursday evenings at 10:00 p.m. Eastern -   CLOSED

To learn more, or sign up for Group Coaching, you can go to http://www.stampingismybusiness.com/GroupCoaching.htm

1-ON-1 COACHING:

At this time, we have ONE opening available for a WEEKLY OR BI-WEEKLY 1-on-1 Coaching client. If you'd like to be placed on a Waiting List for the next available opening, please e-mail me

To learn more, or sign up for 1-on-1 Coaching, you can go to http://www.stampingismybusiness.com/OneOnOne.htm

THE BUSINESS STAMPERS COACHING GROUP

High-tech Coaching at a low-tech price.  If you want to plug into a community of business-minded stamping business owners, who are focused on creating and growing a long-term, sustainable, profitable business, but you don't feel up to the intensity of the other two options, I would invite you to take the 7-day free trial of the Business Stampers Coaching Group.

To learn more or sign up for the BSCG Free Trial, you can go to http;//www.stampingismybusiness.com/BusinessStampers.htm

 

The Small Groups meet via conference call once per week. On the call, each member has time to talk about their personal business and receive personal coaching from me, as well as helpful guidance from the other Group members. Following that, I then cover our topic of the month.

1-on-1 Coaching is a more intense Coaching model. It's for those stamping professionals who would like to see speedier progress, or feel like they would benefit more from the individual format.

All openings are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Once a slot if full, I will start a waiting list for future openings.

To learn more, or sign up for Group Coaching, you can go to http://www.stampingismybusiness.com/GroupCoaching.htm

To learn more, or sign up for 1-on-1 Coaching, you can go to http://www.stampingismybusiness.com/OneOnOne.htm

To learn more or sign up for the BSCG Free Trial, you can go to http;//www.stampingismybusiness.com/BusinessStampers.htm

If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me.

Digital Studio Profits Boot Camp - 30 Hours Left For Early Birds AND A Name Change

First, after receiving several questions from you, I've decided to change the name of the upcoming Boot Camp.

The new name is:

THE DIGITAL STUDIO PROFITS BOOT CAMP!

The original name of the Boot Camp led some people to believe I would actually be teaching digital scrapbooking!

Well, you can all breathe a collective SIGH OF RELIEF!

What I'm going to teach you is how to take your Digital Studio product and actually make money with it!

I won't be teaching the craft. Just the business!

30 HOURS LEFT FOR EARLY BIRDS!

The $10 Early Bird Discount expires at the end of the day tomorrow (Wednesday). You'll still be able to register. You just won't save the $10.

For more information, or to sign up, visit:

http://www.stampingismybusiness.com/2010digitalboot01.htm

Hope to see you on the calls!

Quote of the Week - What Kind of Business...

"What kind of business did you plan on starting?  A mediocre one, or one that kicks ass?"

 - Gary Vaynerchuk

PERSONAL FINANCE - How To Avoid The New Credit Card Fee Traps

Starting tomorrow (Monday), the new Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act goes into effect.

This new law eliminates several of the strategies credit card issuers have used over the years to increase their bottom line... and decrease yours.

However, there are a couple of old... and several new strategies these companies will begin using that you should be aware of.

Robin Sidel wrote a great article in yesterday's Wall St. Journal detailing some of these new tactics.

Take a moment to read it.  The money you save could be your own!

To read the full article, click here.

PHOTOGRAPHY - Memory Card Maintenance Tips

Has your camera's memory card ever failed on you? 

It doesn't happen often, but, over time, memory card failure will strike just about everyone.

There are a few things you can to, however, to keep your memory card in tip-top shape and minimize the chances of card failure.

Dave Johnson, of PC World, shares the following tips:

1. Don't delete photos with your camera
2. Format your card regularly
3. Have a spare
4. Know your card's life expectancy

And if you would permit me to add another:

     5.  Don't buy cheap cards!  There are reasons why some 4GB cards are $9.99 and others are $19.99.  If your photos are important to you, this is NOT the place to save a few dollars!

To read the full PC World article, click here.

THE DIGITAL SCRAPBOOKING BOOT CAMP – How To Make Money With Your Digital Studio Product will take place March 9th thru 30th, 2010.

This Boot Camp is designed for stamping business owners who are having a tough time figuring out how to make money with their Digital Studio product and/or would like to make digital scrapbooking a bigger part of their business.

This Boot Camp will NOT teach you how to make different types of projects.

It WILL teach you how to take that knowledge and expertise, and turn it into increased revenue and profitability in your stamping business.

The Boot Camp begins March 9th, and we're currently in the Early Bird Registration period.

For more information, or to sign up, click here.

Quicken Tutorial DVD Sample (Pre-Order Special Ends Sunday)

I'm happy to announce the release of the first in a series of DVD Tutorials.

These are step-by-step video tutorials that you view on your computer or DVD player. You can view the entire tutorial, or, as with any other DVD, watch specific chapters as you need to. 

Each DVD focuses on a different computer program or process, and shows you, step-by-step, how to install, set-up, incorporate and maintain it, and the associated system, for your stamping business!

The first DVD:  The Quicken Tutorial, will focus on using this program to establish and maintain a financial management system for your stamping business.

And believe me when I tell you, just having and using a financial management system will make you more profitable!

Some of the topics we'll cover include:

•     Why Quicken?
•     Installing Quicken
•     Setting Up Your Business Account
•     Income & Expense Categories You'll Need and How To Set Them Up
•     Entering Income and Expenses
•     Splitting Entries
•     How To Enter Your Numbers for Stamping-Specific Situations
•     The Reports You'll Need For Your Stamping Business and How To Run Them
•     How To Incorporate and Maintain This System
•     ... and more!

If you'd like to view a short sample of the DVD, click the video player below:
 

PRE-ORDER SPECIAL

When the Quicken Tutorial DVD is released later this month, it will cost $24.99, plus $5.00 shipping and handling.

However, if you order by February 20th, you'll receive FREE SHIPPING!   That's almost 20% off!

To take advantage of the Pre-Order Special, click here to reserve your copy now.

DVDs will ship around February 21st.

SIMB CLIENTS IN THE NEWS - Ann Clemmer on Sacramento's Fox 40 Live!

Ann Clemmer, SU Demonstrator and long-time Coaching & SIMB PR Client, recently made a return appearance on Sacramento's Fox-40 Live!

Ann did a fantastic job with her Valentine's project.  She was able to show just how easy is (even the host could do it!).  AND she was able to promote Stampin' Up's Haiti Relief fundraiser, as well as her own business! 

For those of you who don't know, SIMB PR is the press release distribution and follow-up service we offer to a limited number of Coaching Clients, on a market-exclusive basis. 

If you're interested in learning more about this service, as well as any openings we may have, click here. 

To view Ann's TV appearance, click on the player above.

To see examples of other SIMB PR Clients in the news, click here.

 

Quote of the Week - Running A Business

"Running a business is like running a race -- but you don't win a race by constantly looking over your shoulder"

 - Christine Mason McCaull

Happy Valentine's Day!

Wishing you all a very Happy Valentine's Day.  Hope it's a great one.

And to my wife, Liz, I love you more than words can say, and I couldn't ask for a better partner.  In a nutshell, you rock!  :-)

PERSONAL FINANCE - Getting The Most Bang For Your Airline Miles

Thinking about cashing in your airline miles for that trip to Convention or Leadership?  How do you know when you should be paying cash, instead.

Use this simple formula - Take the price of the ticket and divide it by the number of airline miles you have to exchange.

If you're not getting at least $.01 for each mile, you're better off paying cash.

For example

 - 25,000 miles for a $225 ticket = $.009 per mile.  Not worth it.

 - 25,000 miles for a $350 ticket = $.014 per mile.  Worth it!

PHOTOGRAPHY FRIDAY - Fuzzy photos? Here's How To Sharpen Them...

Have you ever taken a picture that looked great when you previewed it on the little screen in your camera, but was actually a little blurry or out of focus when you saw it on your computer screen at home?

It happens all the time, and (for me) it's one of the more annoying aspects of photography.

The truth is, everything looks good on that little screen!  The larger you make an image, though, in a print or on a larger screen, the more the imperfections will come out.

If you have trouble with sharpness in your photos, here are some tips for to help bring your pictures into focus:

1. Go manual - If you're relying on your camera's auto-focus, it's possible the lens is just slightly off.  Use the manual focus, instead, and you'll know your taking the sharpest picture possible.

2. Use a tripod - Most people don't realize our bodies are in constant motion.  Even when we think we're standing completely still, the beating of our hearts (and the resulting pulse in our hands and arms) move the camera.  So does the motion we have to make to press the button to take the picture.  Putting your camera on a tripod is the only way to really get your camera to a motionless state.  I took the photo below with a a tripod.  Given the composition, there's no way I would have gotten the sharpness without one:

3. Watch your shutter speed - The slower your shutter speed, the harder it is to capture a sharp image.  So, if you have to hold the camera when taking the picture, choose a fast shutter speed (1/500th of a second or higher) to freeze motion.

4. Watch your aperture - the smaller your f-stop, the more likely you'll get a sharp picture.  Try to set your f-stop to f/16 or f/22.

5. Use post-processing tools - finally, you're going to find, in some cases, you'll get a little blur or a fuzzy edge.  Sometimes, the conditions you're taking the pictures in doesn't allow for the steps above.  And, sometimes, a lens just takes fuzzy pictures.  If that's the case, use a program like Photoshop Elements and employ the Sharpen tool.  You can't overdo it.  It won't make a truly out of focus picture suddenly sharp.  It will, however, fix smaller focus issues.

If there's an aspect of photography you'd like to hear more about, e-mail me with a suggestion.

And, if you'd like to see more photography tips, click here.

TECH TIP - How To Create A System Restore Point

Whenever you're about to install a new piece of software or an update, or one is going to be automatically installed for you, it's always a good idea to manually create a System Restore Point.

Luckily, creating a System Restore Point is easy:

1. Click on the Start or Windows button (usually in the lower-left corner of your screen)
2. In the Start Search box, type 'System Restore'
3. You should see the 'System Restore' function come up.  Click on it.
4. You should see a box asking you if you want to Restore your computer to a previous point, or Create A Restore Point.  Click Create A Restore Point (this may also be labeled, "Open System Protection").
5. Select the drives you'd like to create a Restore Point for (usually just the C drive)
6. Click the 'Create' button
7. Name the Restore Point (usually the day and time you're creating it)
8. Click the 'Create' button

You'll now see a dialog box informing you the Restore Point is being created.

After a minute or so, you should see a dialog box letting you know the Restore Point was created successfully!

It's a simple task, and the payoff is peace of mind!

What Was The Busiest Online Shopping Day In 2009?

According to ComScore, the busiest online shopping day in 2009 was December 15th.

It was actually the busiest online shopping day in history, with Americans spending $913 million that day!

ComScore also reports that U.S. e-Commerce spending reached $39 billion in the fourth quarter of 2009.  That's up 3% from 2008.

So, mark your calendars for December 15th, 2010!  Think about how you're going to capitalize on the biggest online shopping day next holiday season!

SIMB Clients In The News - Heather Hildebrant Returns To Seattle's KING-TV!

One of the nice things about getting our SIMB PR clients on TV is that we can almost always expect a return invitation!

Case in point, Heather Hildebrant, SU! Demonstrator from Seattle, recently made her SECOND appearance on KING-TV 5, NBC's Seattle affiliate! 

Imagine having a regular segment on a television show watched by a hundred thousand people!  You can't buy that kind of exposure. 

Well... you could, but you wouldn't have any money left for food.  :-)

 

For those of you who don't know, SIMB PR is the press release distribution and follow-up service we offer to a limited number of Coaching Clients, on a market-exclusive basis. 

If you're interested in learning more about this service, as well as any openings we may have, click here. 

To view Heather's TV appearance, click on the image below.

To see examples of other SIMB PR Clients in the news, click here.