Laser Focus... keep your eye on the prize!!!

TGIM SEASON EPISODE 12 - SEASON FINALE



Tell us below, who you rep????



Is your Event a Hot Spot? A Black Folk Hot Spot that is- {CLICK HERE} to join our exclusive community FOR BUSINESS BUILDING CONNECTIONS!
Follow BFHS on Twitter for exclusive twitter offers on to followers {Follow BFHS Network}
7,500+ have already joined in the BFHS Exclusive Facebook madness {LIKE US}
Raise your credit score today
Listen to our Latest Radio Show {LISTEN}

Follow these steps and a career as a paid speaker could be yours
Hollis: Be comfortable with your authentic voice and always deliver memorable content.

Have you ever thought of getting paid for all the professional advice you dish out to professional colleagues, family and friends?

A professional speaker is one who connects with their audience, while sharing their skills and showcasing their authenticity and expertise on a subject matter.
Although it may sound lucrative, a career as a professional speaker will require work, time, money, and possibly a booking agent.

“One becomes a professional expert speaker when they create content with outstanding platform skills (connecting with the audience)," says Norma Hollis, a professional speaker strategist and CEO of  Norma Thompson Hollis Inc. To be a successful speaker, Hollis adds you should offer the following: know and be comfortable with your authentic voice and always deliver good and memorable content.

Becoming an expert speaker is a strategic opportunity to leverage/enhance your brand. Each time you connect with your audience, which will ultimately elevate business persona and provide free advertising via impressions to a wider audience.   “It provides one with more exposure, additional revenue, and an opportunity to showcase their magic by taking a boring topic and transforming it into one of extreme engagement," says Hollis.

Expert status as a speaker does not happen overnight. Hollis’ company offers authentic development training services/workshops for speakers; message development coaching; and marketing services to assist clients with securing paid bookings for their respective topic/passion. She also runs a speakers agency that books professional speakers.

Keep in mind that a legitimate speakers agency will charge an upfront fee for their services. Most agencies will ask you to pay a monthly retainer and an agreed commission for confirmed speaking engagements.

Norma Hollis’ Tips To Becoming An Expert Speaker:
1. Know your message
2. Tap into your experience, expertise, and passion
3. Know and be your authentic self at all time
4. Listen to your inner voice
5. Be clear on your values
6. Know and use your experience to motivate others
7. Treat yourself as a brand and negotiate wisely

I would love to know what you are an expert in and if you are ready to become a professional speaker?

Karen Taylor Bass, The PR Expert, provides entrepreneurs, corporations, and mompreneurs with essential branding, marketing, and public relations coaching; www.karentaylorbass.com and www.taylormademediapr.com. Follow her on twitter @PREXPERT to read her daily tips on boosting your brand and @TheBrandNewMom for strategies on renewing and re-defining.
View the original article here

Women are handling their business when it comes to household money management
More women are making financial decisions, but lack confidence in their ability.

I recently attended a seminar on women and money. The presentation, moderated by personal finance expert Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, discussed the findings of Prudential Financial’s 10th anniversary study on women and their financial behaviors. In the past, when it came to household finances, women often let their spouses or significant others take the lead. They traditionally had little, if any, say in the way money was handled. But times are changing. This recent Prudential study shows that women are taking the reins and stepping up to the plate.

Here’s a breakdown of some of the findings:
• The study found that 95% of the 1,250 women polled, who were between the ages 25 and 64, are actively involved in financial decisions that affect their household.
• About 25% of women are the primary financial decision makers, and 15% are the sole financial decision makers.
• Approximately 4 in 10 women are making an effort to educate themselves about financial products.
• 65% of women know how much money they’ll need to retire.
But the news wasn’t all good.
• About 64% of the women surveyed admit they have to do more work when it comes to actually planning for retirement. Only 1/3 of the study participants said they had a financial plan in place for retirement. And among those age 25 to 34, only 1 in 10 had a financial plan in place.
• Women of color are less likely to have pensions, and they were found to have less income. Black women were least likely to have a plan for retirement.
• 20% of the women weren’t sure if they would be able to retire on time.
• More women are taking part in financial decisions but say they lack confidence in their ability. They also admit to a lack of knowledge about financial products. Only about 2 in 10 women surveyed said they felt “very prepared” to make financial decisions. Consequently, this confidence gap has led some women to seek financial advice from family and friends.

The study's findings were mixed. More women are making financial decisions, but lack confidence in their ability. If you fall into this category, there are ways that you can boost your financial confidence:
1. Educate yourself. Read financial magazines and books, attend seminars, and take classes on basic financial topics.
2. Build savings. Knowing that you have a safety net will give you peace of mind and help you move forward.
3. Schedule an appointment with a financial planner. Know where you stand with your finances and learn how to manage it.

For more on this topic, check out our three-part series on Women and Money.

Sheiresa Ngo is the consumer affairs editor at Black Enterprise.

View the original article here

I would like to say... this is what BFHS is all about- and it's funny that we came across this piece that we wanted to share...


The more content you put out there and the more value you add (don't confuse spam with value) to the community, the stronger your social reputation becomes. Reputation is a key currency in social media marketing, and it increases everything from click-through rates to on-site conversions.


Although reputation can't always be directly correlated to (online or offline) profits, it is a vital type of social media ROI. Your reputation is built by providing a superior customer experience and a great product service. It's also built by your behavior as others observe the value you put in the internets as George W Bush coined it


One book that I recommend for you to pick up and read as you plan to increase your social media campaign is Guerrilla Social Media Marketing by Jay Conrad Levinson.


Continue to use BFHS to increase your value!

BFHS Ceo
Join our community today!



Thanks for stopping by...  Post your EVENT(S) or BUSINESS... Post it here. Got 5 minutes - Watch this video and get a Free Website for your Business Follow BFHS on Twitter Black Folk Hot Spots is now on FaceBook- Be a FAN Thanks again!!!



Ry Swint, "The Other Side of 30"

The Other Side of 30

About the book "The Other Side of 30"...