You embody this very special power as the creator of your business; you are the director, visionary, and specialist all in one.This lends itself to some pretty amazing success stories if you let yourself tap into what it is you already do really well.  I encourage you to keep learning whatever it is you enjoy learning, but I also encourage you to bring what you already love in life to your business. This is where your personality can really shine!Your quirks make for great business strategy because they are a part of who you are--much easier to sell from a place you know than one you don’t. Think about the things you have always been drawn to, the types of books you pick up, the blogs you enjoy browsing, and even the kinds of traits friends often come to you for or associate you with. How can you bring more of this to your business? Use your personality in your marketing ideas and promotions, new product development, and most importantly your single focus.Focus looks like this--being known for one idea, one innovation, and one expertise. You can get really good at one thing and still have plenty to do in your business!  Here are 3 tips for bringing your personality to your business:Tip #1: Be Your Own Personal BestYour personal best is all about you outdoing yourself. Forget other’s successes for a moment, or all together if you can and shine that spotlight back on you. Where in your business can you get better, even great? What would happen if you went after that greatness every single day? I can tell you that only good things will come from you taking action on the things that mean the most to you. Set yourself up to be the absolute best at your craft and a master in your industry. If you aren’t willing to then the only person who loses is you.Tip #2: Focus Your QuirksWe all have quirks that make up who we are--it’s in what we are drawn to and the kinds of traits friends associate with us. Write out what you are already known for and see how it can positively impact your business.When I did this exercise I found something very helpful--I have for many years been the friend others call on when they need a slight push in taking a leap of faith or trying a new adventure. That is a quality I get to use in my work--what personal qualities are there you never gave much thought to before?Tip #3: You Will Do Best What You Already LoveSome, even many, of us think we will gain the most when we have to go further to attain it. I want to squash that as a myth here and now! You will go the farthest in the things you already enjoy doing and get to do more of. If you don’t love blogging, you will not “learn” to love blogging. If you don’t love taking photos of your work, the same applies. Now there are parts to business that have to get done, and if it’s not you let it be someone else! Then allow all that energy to go towards being really great at your design, your marketing, and your innovation.Don’t work so hard, work smart and let yourself be yourself!Andrea Mansfield is the owner of Brand & Bloom where she guides creative women using clarity about their purpose and passion for a successful business.Main image courtesy of JD Hancock

[Read the rest of this article...]

Free Christmas Tree Ornaments, Gift Tags, Greeting Card, Word Search Puzzle. Download now...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to check out the amazing new books from the crafty superstar, Secret Agent Josephine. She has come out with 3 amazing new books just for kids. And each with a super cool spy theme, helping kids love to learn! There’s one all about the ABC’s, Colors, [...]

[Read the rest of this article...]

Download and print.

[Read the rest of this article...]

I’ve been a writer — poems, short stories, articles, memoir pieces — for over 40 years. More...

[Read the rest of this article...]

In the next year, I will continue writing poems. Also, I intend to interview Barry Barkan, a visionary about aging in our society, for The Sun magazine. More...

[Read the rest of this article...]

The 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway is back and this year is better than ever!  Meylah has partnered with Tango Card to giveaway $25 every day to one lucky winner for the next 12 days!Have you heard of Tango Card?  It’s the best gift card yet…it’s a versatile gift card where the recipient can select from top-name brands like Amazon, iTunes, Starbucks, Target, Groupon, Zappos and so many more!  Or you can donate it to charity or even redeem your Tango Card for cash…making it the perfect gift!How Do You Win?Every day for the next 12 days, Meylah will share a few 12 Days of Christmas messages on Facebook and Twitter and all you need to do is share or re-tweet one of those messages to enter the giveaway!  That’s not all…if you refer your friends to sign up for a Meylah storefront or sign up for your own Meylah storefront, you’re also entered into the giveaway!As you can see there are a several ways you can enter and you can maximize your chances of winning each day by doing all them…here are the details:1 entry for re-tweeting Meylah’s 12 Days of Christmas Message on Twitter (1 entry per person per day)1 entry for sharing Meylah’s 12 Days of Christmas Message on Facebook (1 entry per person per day)1 entry for signing up for your own Meylah storefront (it’s free!)Unlimited entries for referring a friend to sign up for a Meylah storefront (it’s free, just make sure they enter your email address or Meylah username in the referral area during sign up)We will use RANDOM.ORG to select 1 winner each day from the individual entries and we will contact the winner to let them know they’ve won!What Do You Win?Get ready to jump up and down!  Each day of the giveaway, we are going to give a $25 Tango Card to one lucky winner which they can use at top-name brands like Amazon.com, iTunes, Starbucks, Target, Nike, REI, Zappos, Pottery Barn, Groupon and many more! This giveaway will end at 12PM (PST) on Friday, December 23rd, 2011 and winners will be announced daily.Thank you Tango Card for partnering with Meylah to provide these awesome Tango Cards and good luck everyone! Get your first entries in today simply by tweeting this post or sharing it on Facebook...and remember to tag @meylah in your entries on Twitter and Facebook so we can track all of them!Main image courtesy of TwistedNerve

[Read the rest of this article...]

And other creativity prompts about the shape of things.

[Read the rest of this article...]

Looking for a fun project to make with your kids this Hanukkah? Here’s a sparkly Star of David made from craft sticks, yarn and glitter they will love to create and display! All dressed up in shiny blue and white, this pretty ornament is perfect for your front door. Supplies you will need for this [...]

[Read the rest of this article...]

Sometimes the sales slow down, that's just the nature of being a small business owner.  If your sales are slow, don't worry...there are a few things you can do to get your business back on track.Here are 4 things for you to try when your sales slow down:1. Step away from your office or studio for a day to explore and experiment with something other than your business.  Sometimes fixating on the issue of slow sales can often make it worse.2. Touch up your product photos...delete the bad ones and crop and brighten the good ones.  This will take some work, but it makes a world of difference in your online selling success.3. Take time to network and form friendships with fellow sellers.  Reach out to your favorite bloggers and join local groups as well as online communities to build new relationships.  You will be amazed at just how valuable your friendships are for growing your business and making sales.4. Mix things up...keep your business activities varied throughout the day to eliminate burnout and attract new customers. For example:Spend a 1/2 hour on Facebook and TwitterTake an hour to create a new productWrite thank you cards for a 1/2 hourTry learning a new technique for an hourWhat are the things you do when your sales slow down?  Share your tips and we'll add them to our list!Main image courtesy of margaretshear

[Read the rest of this article...]