Rare Opportunity for Entrepreneurs

For everyone who runs their own business or is considering it, you may want to check this out.

Over the past year, Rick Schefren and Jay Abraham have been putting together an expert panel interview series for entrepreneurs. They have called it The League of Extraordinary Minds and its focus is to bring together a collection of the world's finest leading-edge business experts on highly specialized subjects to help entrepreneurs attain more success.

In actual fact, they have managed to gather 53 different influential business experts to provide this panel. From marketing experts to business building, productivity and leadership, all manner of topics will be covered. Tony Robbins, Stephen Covey, Fran Tarkenton and Michael Gerber are just a few of the many people involved.

What makes this an interesting premise is the fact that there is no selling involved. No pitching there next book or anything what-so-ever. All you will gain is advice from leading experts. Advice that many others pay hundreds and thousands for dollars for. I mean, even if you're not an entrepreneur, who couldn't benefit from these sessions!

As an added bonus, it's free. The entire 6 week series doesn't cost anything. Of course there is a limit to the number of seats available, but all you have to do is head over to their website and sign up. While there, you can also get more information on who is going to be involved and what they are going to be talking about.

For the rare chance to learn from the best, why not head over to The League of Extraordinary Minds site and grab your free spot?

Writer Resources ...

Did I mention they were free?

For whatever reason, last week seemed to be all about getting e-mails of online writer resources. Plenty of them I knew about, many were duplicated, but there were still a bunch left over that have come in pretty handy. That being said, I thought I would share them with you.

Here are the two lists I found the most helpful (especially the links on starting your own writing business on the 73 writers resource list and all the e-books on the 45 list).

73 Resources for Online Freelance Writers

45 Free Things for Writers

I hope you find something too.

Free Teleclass - Plant the Seed of Your Blog Business

It's that time of the month again and Your Web Coaches are hosting their monthly free teleclass. This month, they have a special guest speaker joining them, Meredith Curtain.

From the information I received from them about this conference call, I thought that a number of you on PNN would find it particularly important. Meredith specialises in integrating Nature into everything she does, including business and she is presenting "What Does My Blog Have to Do with Nature?"

For any of you who have worried about your relationship with our amazing Earth, or wondered if there was an easier way to work that will let you do your thing and have a life, Meredith is going to share her technique, which she has coined "conferencing with Nature."

During the call, she is going to share what it's like to collaborate with Nature on a business project, as well as some of her 10+ years of experience she has had working with Nature.

This is sure to be a fascinating call, so the details are:

Date: Thursday, September 24, 2009
Time: 10am Pacific (11am Mountain, 12pm Central, 1pm Eastern)
Dial-in Number: (712) 432-1680
Access Code: 180566#
...or Listen Live Online: TalkShoe

If you can't make the call, they are going to be recording it, so you can listen to it later. I know I will.

$200 Article Writing Contest

Health Fitness How To, a new health, fitness and nutrition article directory, is holding an article writing contest. As this is a new directory, they are holding the contest to get some good articles on their site. The contest is open to anyone and the topics of the articles must be health, fitness or nutrition.

The overall winner of the contest will be paid $200 by PayPal, but all articles will remain on the site. This in itself is worth writing an article or two as you can include links to blogs, websites or products you already have. Any traffic is better than no traffic!

The one small downside is that the contest has a very short deadline (I just discovered it myself). Articles can be submitted until Wednesday, July 15. The winner will be announced on July 20.

For further details and to submit articles, go to the Health Fitness How To post about the contest.

Launched!

This week has been pretty exciting around here, as the magazine that I am Managing Editor of has finally launched!

And I know I have a bit of a bias, but I think it looks great. If you would like to preview a sample, check it out here. Also, this weekend, you can get the electronic version for a reduced rate. If you like the feel of the glossy pages in your hands, you can order a hard copy also. For both options, and to learn a bit more about the magazine, click here.

Finally, over the next couple of months, we are doing a blog tour. If you would like to meet some of the people in the magazine, you can follow the tour starting tomorrow. The list of stops can be found on the Stiletto Woman site. If you have a blog and would like to be included, you can fill in the form at the bottom of the tour schedule.

Sorry for the blatant promo, but I just had to share!

An Unconventional Writing Contest

One of the writers/bloggers/just cool guys I follow is Chris Guillebeau, who writes The Art of Non-Conformity site. Basically, he writes about how he lives his life, works and travels, but in a non-conforming manner. He has decided to live his life to the fullest, in the most authentic way and to travel as much (and for as cheaply) as he can. I find he looks at things from an interesting angle and presents unique ways to get things done. Ok, enough about him and onto his writing contest ...

How It Works

You write a short essay of 500-1200 words describing an unconventional life topic of your choice. A panel of judges will review the entries and select a short list of finalists for Chris' review. Chris will choose the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners. The winning essays will be posted on the site for all to see, and there will also be some great prizes. Essays will be judged on content and original ideas.

Theme

This is an unconventional writing contest and the site is called the Art of Nonconformity - do what you want; just make it excellent. Think about these principles (they are guidelines, not rules):

* Essays should be helpful in nature and seek to explore provocative issues. Don't be boring.

* How have you or someone you know successfully challenged authority or overcome adversity?

* How can other people make unconventional choices? How can people
overcome the fear of change?

* Highly practical, interesting lifestyle design content is also welcome.

The Deadline

You have until Saturday, July 11th to submit your entry. Don't wait too long!

How to Submit

Include your essay in the body of the e-mail (not as an attachment!) and include the following info at the top:

1. Your Name
2. The Title of the Essay
3. Your Web Site (if you have one)
4. A Two-Sentence Biography

Send the info to: Chris+Guillebeau-00295206349877514898-Bqdpd7wx@prod.writely.com

Alternatively, if you use Google Docs, you can upload the file to your own account and then share it with aonc.contest@gmail.com. Either way
works just fine.

The Exposure

The site is currently ranked in the top 10,000 blogs by Technorati and slowly inching towards the next 5k benchmark. For the past three months there have been more than one million pageviews each month.

After it's posted, the winning essay will go into the AONC archives for the foreseeable future. The posts will include a link back to the writer's site, and they will also be promoted through Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.

Grand Prize Winner: Complimentary Business-Class upgrade on any American Airlines flight. Depending on how you use the upgrade, it's worth anywhere from $500-2,000. 

(Alternative prize: If the winner has no current plans to travel, the winner will be given 25,000 Frequent Flyer Miles on American, Air Canada, Delta, or United, which they can use for a round-trip domestic ticket anytime in the next two years. If the winner lives outside of the U.S. or Canada, no problem - we can use the miles to book a
codeshare flight on British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Qantas, or almost any major airline.)

The Grand Prize Winner will also receive:

The "I Want it All" combo pack that contains the complete versions of all the Unconventional Guides. This currently sells for $197.

A new journal from Piccadilly Journal.

Second Prize Winner: *The "I Want it All" combo pack that contains the complete versions of all the Unconventional Guides.

Third Prize Winner: A free copy of the complete version of any one Unconventional Guide (winner's choice).

For full details, including the fine print, you can read Chris' post by clicking here.

Call for Submissions - Stiletto Woman Magazine

Stiletto Woman Magazine is currently doing a call for submissions for articles for supplementary publications they are releasing. Specifically, they are producing a Women's Health Edition in Winter 2010, which will be followed by a College Moms Edition later that year.

What they are looking for are personal stories and essays on each subject (from their site):

Women's Health - If you have a challenging, inspiring, life-changing or otherwise educational health-related story to share, don't hesitate to let us know. If you are an expert or leader in health or wellness and want to contribute an article or would be open for an interview, please contact us.

College Moms - If you are re-entering college, want to go to college, have never been to college, had a non-traditional college experience and are a mom, we want to hear from you! If you are an expert or leader in higher education for adults, and want to contribute an article or would be open for an interview, please contact us.

I work for Stiletto Woman as the Fashion & Beauty Editor and the Managing Editor of their magazine and I think that many of the PNN writers definitely have something to offer to Stiletto. The Stiletto Woman site and magazine are a sassy, yet sophisticated inspirational new media communications and empowerment network exclusively for women. It is for the women who want to be in sync with their careers, business, family, money, the way they look and the way they feel. It's all about empowerment — a woman’s way of saying . . . “I’m here,” “I’m worth it,” “I can do it,” “I’m innovative,” and “I’m strong!”

For further information and to submit your work, visit the Stiletto Woman website.

Free Web Coaching Business Calls

I've just had details of free teleconference calls this week provided by Your Web Coaches. If you are running a small business online, or are thinking about it, you can get some great tips from these calls. I find them quite helpful, although not all topics are for me.

This week, instead of just one call, they are actually running two (today and Friday):

June 9 - Learn to Get Paid Online with Paypal - 9am Pacific

June 12 - Map the Small Business Tree onto Your Business - 9am Pacific

They are currently working with The Messenger Network and have developed these tele-conferences, plus a 2 week workshop on technology practices. Each call belongs to a different workshop. Included in the workshops are two live calls and a workbook, plus the PayPal workshop also includes video walkthroughs.

If you go to the Your Web Coaches website and register for either (or both) of the calls, you can also join the workshop at a discounted price. Instead of paying $72, you can join for $50.

For both calls, the dial-in information is the same:

Phone number: 712-432-1600
Access code: 128903#

First Date Prep Victoria Style

(or how not to prepare for a first date)

Last summer, at the last minute, I agreed to meet a guy for a drink at a pub near my place. We had been chatting for some time (and I mean really talking to each other, not instant messaging), but this was to be our first date. I am not one of those play games "The Rules" people, so when he called me up and we were both free, I agreed to go. It's probably just as well, as I get nervous about making a first impression, so with less time to fret, I wouldn't be as much of a nervous wreck.

It was a lovely, warm summer day in Montreal, so how could I say no, but my fatal mistake was the time. He actually suggested a time and I moved it forward by an hour, without even looking at the clock. This turned into a huge mistake when I hung up, looked at the clock and realized I had less than three hours to get ready ... and I mean really get ready ... shower, figure out what to wear, do hair / make up / etc. and try and grab something to eat so I didn't end up a drunk on my first date.

All was going swimmingly until I decided that to be able to dry and straighten my hair and eat, salad seemed like a good idea. Yes, I was chopping up vegetables and trying to get dressed at the same time. Not a pretty site really, and it got much worse. While rushing to cut up some cucumber, I managed to cut my finger, and I mean CUT my finger - sliced through the nail and took the end off.

I quickly wrapped my hand in a bunch of paper towels, wiped up the blood from the kitchen and went to find some band aids. I am kind of klutzy so I usually keep a whole stock of them, but for whatever reason, I had none! I couldn't believe it, plus the paper towels were quickly becoming blood soaked. I was down to two choices ... cancel the date and go and get stitches or continue with plan A.

After pausing for about half a second I continued with plan A. Not only did I go on the date, I actually texted the guy and asked him to bring me some band aids. Should I have gone to the ER, maybe, but he was smart and good looking, why would I pass that up?

Free ebooks - Today only

The Hay Festival has teamed with Sony Reader to give away three ebooks. If you have a Sony Reader, you can download and read all three. If you don't, the first book is in pdf format, so accessible to everyone. The second two books are in epub file format.

The three books they are giving are (descriptions from amazon):

Twenty Thousand Saints by Fflur Dafydd - Archaeologist Deian returns to the island of his childhood, where his mother disappeared without a trace. Sister Viv, closet heretic and host of the annual conference of hermits, has erected a gold plaque in her memory, declaring her official sainthood. Meanwhile, documentary-maker Leri is keen to portray the island's inhabitants as anything but saintly, pursuing a story that has less to do with birds and saints' bones than with real bloodshed. During this hot August week, a writer-in-residence observes lives colliding, as Bardsey Island twirls once more for the cameras...A black comedy about finds, losses, secrets, privacy and intrusion, and how the most important things always happen off-camera.

Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi by Geoff Dyer (first half only) - Every two years the international art world descends on Venice for the opening of the Biennale. Among them is Jeff Atman—a jaded, dissolutely resolute journalist—whose dedication to the cause of Bellini-fuelled party-going is only intermittently disturbed by the obligation to file a story. When he meets Laura, he is rejuvenated, ecstatic. Their romance blossoms quickly but is it destined to disappear just as rapidly?

Every day thousands of pilgrims head to the banks of the Ganges at Varanasi, the holiest Hindu city in India. Among their number is a narrator who may or may not be the Atman previously seen in Venice. Intending to visit only for a few days he ends up staying for months, and finds—or should that be loses?—a hitherto unexamined idea of himself, the self. In a romance he can only observe, he sees a reflection of the kind of pleasures that, willingly or not, he has renounced. In the process, two ancient and watery cities become versions of each other. Could two stories, in two different cities, actually be one and the same story?

Nothing Geoff Dyer has written before is as wonderfully unbridled, as dead-on in evocation of place, longing, and the possibility of neurotic enlightenment, as irrepressibly entertaining as Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi.

Love and Honor and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice by Nam Le - A short story that can also be read on Zoetrope.

There are also a whole load of ebook "tasters", which means they torture us with a few chapters!

Anyway, if you are interested, they can be downloaded from the download page at the Hay Festival site, but they are only available today. Also, they are on GMT time so 5 hours ahead of Eastern. I don't know how strict they will be in the timing, but I wouldn't risk it and would grab them before 7pm EST tonight.

By the way, The Hay Festival is one of the best literary festivals. They get all kinds of amazing people to speak at it. When I lived in England, I would go each year. Now that I don't live in the UK anymore, I can still keep up with their listen again feature, plus they keep an archive full of videos and audio from the festival. If you're interested, head on over (click here).

Christian Lacroix Files for Bankruptcy!

Yes, it's true.

As I was trolling through the random blogs and fashion magazines doing some research for an article (yes, I do get paid to write about fashion and beauty, ha ha ha), I came across this surprising headline on the LouLou site.

It's a sad day in the fashion world as Christian Lacroix has filed for bankruptcy. Yes, this does make it a bit more likely that I can actually own something from Christian Lacroix if they start selling off items. But still, is the first in a long line of dominoes? Or, is the recession a way of clearing out the old for new, even more creative lines?

(The full article can be read on the NY Times site.)

Empowering Women, One Website at a Time

I'm a freelance writer / editor so I'm all about getting stuff for free. I have even been called the Queen of Free and Rewards programs ... hey if they're giving it away, why not.

Anyway, today I want to share my freebie with all of you. At 1pm EST (10 am Pacific, 11 am Mountain and 12 Central), Your Web Coaches is going to be holding a free Q&A session by teleconference.

So what is Your Web Coaches, I can hear you asking. YWC is run by Mynde Mayfield and Wendy Cholbi. Their goal is to help coaches and small business owners build online businesses. By helping with all the technology, etc., they make it fun and less terrifying. Also making you feel smart and empowered in the end.

Believe me, they have a lot of great information on their site. They also run workshops on top of the coaching side. If you are even a little interested or considering going online (for whatever reason), I suggest you listen in. Finally, if you can't make the call today, they do record them, so you can listen later.

The information for the teleconference today is:

Dial-in Number: (712) 432-1680
Access Code: 180566#

Or, you can go to their site and sign up yourself. (And, no I am not selling anything. I have been following both Myndy and Wendy on Twitter for ages, and have learned loads from them, especially about social media and running a small business.)

Family: Can't Live With Them, Can't Shoot Them

So, I've had a banner Wednesday. It's been pissing it down with rain all day (and forecast for tomorrow and Friday) and, of course, today was the day that I was looking at apartments. I have the joy of trying to find a new apartment in a city that has -0.08% vacancy rate - that means that for all the people wanting to rent, we are almost 1% short of apartments. I mean WTF!

To make my day just that little bit better, my parents (yes I live in the same city as them ... ugh) came with me to view an apartment and then we were going to go for lunch.

After looking at 1 (yes 1) aparment, Mr. Negativity (read, my Dad) manages to reduce me from a confident, relatively happy, if slightly insane, mid-30s woman to feeling like a 10 year old failure. Needless to say, lunch was then off the cards. Nothing like the support of family...

I just don't get it. Why do people who we are related to think that it's ok to be complete wankers to us? I mean, just because we're related doesn't mean I have to like you ... I didn't choose you ... I don't choose to hang with people who are jackasses. No one is entitled to my company or to being a part of my life!

Argh!

Delusional?

On May 11, I decided to take part in the 30 hubs in 30 days challenge. In a nutshell, as the name implies, I was going to write a hub each day for 30 days. And to begin with, I was doing pretty well ... although, coming up with a topic each day was not easy.

But then, the weekend happened and I actually had things to do, so I missed those two days. And now, it's Tuesday and I'm still catching up on all my other work from not working at all this weekend, so I'm four articles behind.

What to do? Do I write extra articles so that I get to 30 in the end? Do I do as many articles as I can in the 30 days? Or do I just admit that this was not the best idea. That I should be writing real things that actually pay me, or that I enjoy (like on here). It seems everything has taken a hit ... my writing, my reading and research and it's just adding stress for nothing.

Maybe I was delusional to even think about doing this ...

What Not to Wear

Well, it's Friday. The sun is trying to break through the clouds, I have a bunch of (boring) copywriting to do and my motivation is at an all time low. I just cannot get focussed on what I'm supposed to be doing, no matter how hard I try.

So, under the guise of researching an article (read surfing the Net), I went to my latest favourite site ... the Glamour GlamCam. If you haven't heard about this yet, it's a new feature on Glamour.com (the online site for the magazine of the same name). And instead of the normal celebrity fashion dos and don'ts that most other sites provide, this one gives us a look at what real women are wearing. Anyone can upload a photo of any other person ... whether it's someone they know or someone they see on the street. The style can be good or bad. Also, you can browse the galleries of what others have uploaded and comment on what you think is good, bad and let's face it, bloody ugly.

I have to admit, I did go there initially to check out the good, but like with any car crash, found myself dragged over to the bad and then the worst. I just couldn't help myself.

Anyway, in the spirit of Friday afternoon slacking ... http://glamcam.glamour.com/

Mommy Fashion?

A number of weeks ago, a client sent me a long list of suggested topics that I could write blog posts or articles about. While scanning through the list, I came across one that I really didn't have a clue about ... Mommy Fashion.

To this day, I'm still not entirely sure what she was asking me. I mean, what is mommy fashion? When someone becomes a mommy, do they all of a sudden learn about some new fashion trend (I'm not a mommy, so this could be true and no one has let me in yet). Mind you, if that is the case, I don't want people to know I'm a mom because of the clothes I'm wearing, I want them to figure it out by the child (or, eek, children) I have in tow.

Maybe she's referring to those women that seem to give up all fashion and sytle when they become moms. And then ... they actually use being a mom as an excuse for letting themselves go. We all know these women. Now fair enough, I can understand being tired and the rest of it, but at the same time, your style gene doesn't die once your parenting begins!

On the flip side, maybe she wants me to advise on how to stay fashionable when you are a mom. There are women out there who have children and still look great, so this is not an impossible feat. And, believe me, the group of women from the last paragraph definitely need this advice! But then, this style and fashion advice applies to any woman, whether a mom or not. I really don't see me giving style tips that are any different to a woman who has children than a woman who doesn't. In the end, we are all WOMEN!

Needless to say, I have kind of dodged this bullet and worked on the other items in her list (plus come up with loads more). Maybe, should I become a mommy, then I will be enlightened about mommy fashion, but until that day, I don't see me hanging up my stilettos (and I know plenty of moms who still wear them while toting their kids around!).

Am I Invisible?

I am definitely having one of those days - when I wonder if I'm invisible.

Now you may or may not know what I mean, but in a nutshell... people bump into you, or even walk right into you, they step directly in front of you, they grab something you are looking at (and even reaching for sometimes), etc. This actually happens to me quite often, to the point that family and friends find it kind of comical, but today really does take the cake. Here's the story...

Just after lunch time, I headed out to my local grocery store (giant bonus of working freelance - avoiding stores, banks, anything at lunch time). I only had to get a few things, but even still slapped on a little make-up (lip gloss and mascara) and did a once over in the mirror before heading out the door. Luckily (and I use the term lightly), it was snowing, again, so I could wear a cute hat over my unruly hair. Oh, and by the way, yes I am that girl. I may sit at home and work in my pjs or yoga pants, but I never leave my apartment looking like that!

Anyway, as I was standing perusing the Hot Cross Buns (a little treat for Easter weekend), a woman walked up to the woman beside me to offer her a free membership to the gym attached to the grocery store. It's actually in the grocery store, but that's a whole different story. The woman politely declined and walked away. Now, you would think that if you are handing out free memberships to a ladies gym, you would hit up every woman you could see, but clearly I am mistaken.

I continued with my shopping, waiting for my turn to be asked about the free membership ... but it never came. The woman actually walked around me and went to talk to another lady shopping on the other side of the section! So, I don't get it ... do I look like I go to there gym ... do I look like I don't need or want a free membership ... does she not want me at her gym ... I was actually quite confused and a little miffed. I even checked out what I was wearing to see if I looked a mess!

Why didn't she ask me?

The funny thing is I have no desire for a free membership and we all know it's never free anyway, I was just astounded that she walked past me ... huh, guess I'll never know why.

User Friendly (AKA Dumbed Down)

A few months ago, I watched a barely watchable film called Idiocracy. It had been recommended as amusing so I persevered through it to the bitter end. Although this was not exactly a great film, the initial premise was kind of frightening .... basically, due to current reproductive trends, the human race as a whole was going to get dumber and dumber.

Since then, I've had this on my mind and have talked about it with family and friends. It seems that even though we are becoming technologically more advanced, everything is made so user friendly that we don't actually have to know anything anymore. Basic reading, spelling, math skills are going out the window. How many people can remember telephone numbers any more or don't pull out their cell phone use the calculator?

And god forbid you are an intelligent, cultured woman ... that's pretty much equal to being a social leper ... believe me, I know. I've recently been single and trying dating again. Now I used to enjoy dating, meeting new guys, the butterflies in your stomach feeling, etc. But lately, I'm starting to really wonder what all the fuss was about. Being in your mid 30s, well travelled and well educated is not a great combo. I actually had a male friend tell me I was intimidating, even to strangers. I had another dinner date tell me I was articulate to the nth degree when I asked him how I could seem intimidating. What the hell does that mean! When I pointed out that I was told I was intimidating to people who hadn't spoken to me, he said it was the way I carried myself and entered a room.

So, what it boils down to is I have to grow my blonde hair long and learn to flick it over my shoulders, get breast implants and speak in single syllable words as I slouch into a room in a too short skirt and too low top .... what do you think?