Write On ~ Creative Writing Services

By: Lisa Manyon www.writeoncreative.com

Okay, so people may not openly ask me this question for the sake of manners but I do get a lot of raised eyebrows when I mention I’m not available on certain nights because I have monthly sorority meetings.

I have been a member of Beta Sigma Phi ~ Iota Chapter in Lewiston, Idaho for approximately 10 years. This organization is a non-academic based women’s sorority. So, to answer the question about being too old to be in a sorority, that really doesn’t apply here. Once women join and experience the sisterhood, they rarely leave and members generally range in age of 18 – 90+.

Our group is community minded and we are dedicated to supporting great causes and doing what we can to help. Each month we coordinate a service project. Some of the projects we’ve recently coordinated include, providing flowers for hospice patients, donating items to a local pregnancy care center, supporting the animal shelter and each holiday season we do something special for seniors or a family in need. It truly is rewarding giving back to others and doing so collectively with friends.

Plus, we have a lot of fun with social gatherings. I host an annual wine tasting for the group and we have various other theme parties throughout the year. After all, all work and no play makes for very dull women!

Best of all, we support one another through good times and bad times. For example when a member’s mother became ill with cancer, we all went to work preparing meals so the family could focus on other things.

It really is the simple things in life that count and Beta Sigma Phi symbolizes life, learning and friendship. If this sounds good to you, read on to learn more. (more…)

By: Lisa Manyon, www.writeoncreative.com

I must admit this book review is one of the hardest I’ve written. Usually, there are only a handful of golden nuggets I can easily bullet point in a review for one book. With Dan Kennedy’s No B.S. Business ~ Success - The Ultimate No Holds Barred, Kick Butt, Take No Prisoners, Tough & Spirited Guide, I found something tangible and applicable to entrepreneurialism in each chapter.

As I read books, I keep a highlighter and sticky note pad close at hand to flag points to ponder or implement. You should see the numerous sticky notes poking out of this book. I’ll share the most poignant ideas and encourage you to read the book to find out what speaks to you.

My absolute favorite passage from the book is found on page 11 and if you are a true, spirited entrepreneur, I imagine it will speak to you as well. Here it is “The fact- and it is fact-the line between “work” and “play” is thoroughly blurred for the true entrepreneur and the corollary fact that entrepreneur’s business life is often, frankly, bluntly, more important to him (her)than his (her) personal and social life are a huge source of befuddlement, annoyance, and tension for those around him (her).” (note I have inserted the reference to “her” because I don’t want it to be overlooked by the “good ole boys club” that this applies to many women entrepreneurs as well.

Kennedy counters this statement with sage advice pointing out that you don’t want to marry your business, but rather marry the goals of the business. His point being, you own the business, don’t let it own you. Throughout the book he shares ways to delegate and systematically reduce the dependency of your business on you. In order to truly experience wealth, security and freedom, you must embrace this notion and it’s one of the hardest for entrepreneurs to do. The key, align yourself with sharp team members so you don’t have lose sleep because you think if you don’t do it, it won’t be done right.

Here are a handful of the nuggets that spoke to me (and trust me there are many more).

• Hire support people to help with marketing but be careful who you hire and always check references.
• Sell yourself on selling. It’s one of the most important skills an entrepreneur needs to succeed.
• Believe in your own abilities. You are probably a lot farther along than you would have guessed and you can be a success in your field.
• Never rely on only one person to fill one critical, key role in your businesses. Always have support or a backup plan.
• Don’t become so absorbed in your success that affects other aspects of your life.

Again, these are nuggets that really spoke to me. Kennedy gives sound advice and applicable strategies throughout including how to deal with legal aspects of business, how to stay sane in an insane world, how to manage cash flow, how to achieve peak productivity, how to attract good luck and more. This book is well worth the read.

Technorati Tags: Dan Kennedy, No BS Business Success, sales, marketing, entrepreneur, business book, business books, book review, book reviews

By: Lisa Manyon www.writeoncreative.com

Seth Godin has an amazing mind and it’s probably not going to surprise anyone that his book Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable is one of my absolute favorites (and no, not just because I love purple, although it really is a remarkable color).

Recently Michael Port interviewed Seth about his new book The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick). The call was content-rich and provided a message about new opportunities and quitting (specifically when to hang on and when to let go).

The recording is posted here and I encourage you to check it out.

I also realized that I forgot to post a link to an interview that featured none other than ME (I cannot help it, these things excite me). Thanks to John Easton for featuring my thoughts on creating copy that sells. I was quite flattered when he tracked me down after reading a post I crafted regarding non-profit advertising on Joan Stewart’s (AKA The Publicity Hound) blog. Sorry for the delay in posting but doing things one-handedly (not single-handedly mind you but literally with one hand after surgery on my finger) is a tad challenging. Better late than never, I now say quite regularly. Read the inteview here.

Enjoy!~~

Technorati Tags: Seth Godin, The Dip, Purple Cow, Michael Port, Joan Stewart, John Easton, Lisa Manyon, Interview, blogs 

By: Lisa Manyon www.writeoncreative.com

In light of my recent hand injury, I have to admit that I’m very cognizant of the pains of others. We take our precious lives for granted and we assume that we will be fully functioning humans, on every level, all of the time.

That is until an accident occurs.

Admit it, you probably cannot imagine going one day without your right hand (or left if you are a southpaw). I dare you to try it (I’m going on 7 weeks).

Because I am somewhat limited to what I can do at this time (no lifting, typing, and writing with my right hand) I’ve become pretty adept in working with voice recognition tools (thank you Dragon NaturallySpeaking) so I can still keep in touch and work on select writing projects.

I’m also diving into my reading which really is a treat. Reading helps keep my mind off the pain and I’m trying not to become too dependant on pain medicine. Of course I’m thinking positive thoughts to speed the healing process, but a process it is. The cast is off and now I alternate between a brace and a joint jack to try and straighten out my finger. At this point it’s still bent at about a 45° angle.

Anyway. I’ve been reading No B.S. Business Success, the Ultimate No Holds Barred Take No Prisoners Tough and Spirited Guide by Dan Kennedy and (more…)