Wondering whether to participate in that live event? Become a sponsor or exhibitor? Is it worth it? What should you consider? Publisher Cathy Alessandra shares her tips on making the decision whether your participation is a windfall or a total waste of time and money!

Spring has sprung! It’s officially here! Things are blooming, the birds are chirping, the grass is getting greener and the first quarter is nearing it’s end. Where do you stand?

If the first quarter of 2012 hasn’t been “green” enough for you (meaning you aren’t making the money you anticipated so far), NOW is the time to do something about it.

• Step 1 – Review your marketing plan! What were you supposed to do? Did you do it? Was it successful? Did it attract the number of clients you’d hoped for?
• Step 2 – Now that you know what worked and what didn’t, tweak your plan. Where should you spend more of your time? And what should you drop!
• Step 3 – DO IT! NO excuses!

During the first quarter, I surveyed the readers of my What’s Up For Kids magazine. I asked them where they saw the magazine, did they read it online or in print, how did they interacted with us (social media, ezines, etc), and what was important to them!  And their answers confirmed my beliefs!

• Some who read my ezine, never picked up a copy of the print magazine.
• Some who read my print magazine, never visited our website.
• Some who attended our events only attended our events!
• And even some who visited our website regularly, never connected with us on social media.

Do you know what that means? It means…..

• You can optimize your site all day long, but if your potential client isn’t searching online, they won’t find you!
• It means you can “tweet” and post on your social media pages multiple times a day, but if they aren’t connected to your social media, you’ll miss them!
• It means if you aren’t out from behind your computer at the events where they are, you will not be able to connect and create that relationship!

BINGO! It’s confirmed! To reach your prospective clients and customers, you MUST be seen in a variety of ways! It’s a FACT!

So I have two easy to implement ideas for you!

1. Attend an event! Connect with like-minded women business owners who are not only your prospective client or customer, but who are potential Joint Ventures partners, affiliates, referrers, and possibly even associates that become mentors or mastermind partners! To make money, you need to do more then be behind your computer! And spring is the perfect time to get out!  In fact, you can connect with exactly this type of woman business owner at SUCCESS Summit in Dallas on May 18th and Los Angeles on October 5th!
2.  Get yourself seen in Today’s Innovative Woman! Our print magazine is seen by 10,000 women entrepreneurs! Our website and weekly e-magazine is visited by 1000’s. Submit a guest article, or better yet, place an ad. You get exposure online and offline! We are the most highly affordable, cost-effective national marketing to women business owners you will find.  And for my spring fling, I’m going to offer that print advertising to you at 40% off the standard 1x rate! Which means NO EXCUSES ladies! $75/month gets you a ¼ page ad for 2 months seen by 1000’s!!!  That’s about the cost of a fancy cup of coffee a day! You can take advantage of that offer on our Cyber Sale page!

April 1st is around the corner! Don’t be a fool! Review, make adjustments and get to work on your successful 2nd quarter of 2012!

Do you know where your ideal clients are? Joy Chudacoff does and she did over $10,000 in business from connecting with them in one place!!

Joy is a Featured Writer for Today’s Innovative Woman!  She is heralded as “The Coach for Women” in the millenniumand has x-ray vision when it comes to helping women discover their Big Ideas, Dreams and Goals! Joy draws on both her personal life and entrepreneurial experiences to support women in achieving better ways of living. It’s her passion, her purpose and her business. She is a Professional Certified Coach, highly skilled group leader, motivational speaker and a gifted communicator.

I’ve worked with Joy over the last few years to help grow my business. When I was considering a next step, she asked me one question that opened the flood gates and allowed me to move past what I didn’t’ want and step into what I did.

I am certainly one of her ideal clients and in this short video message, Joy shares with you where your ideal clients are too!

Joy is speaking at this years SUCCESS Summits in Dallas and Los Angeles! She is also facilitating the Accelerate SUCCESS Workshops on day 2 in each location!  You don’t want to miss working with Joy – and our other amazing speakers!  Join us May 18th & 19th in Dallas and October 5th & 6th in Los Angeles!  Click here to grab your ticket before they are all gone!

Ali Brown has been a mentor of mine for a few years now.  I began by following her on social media and reading her ezine (after all, she was the “Ezine Queen”) and then I attended SHINE in 2010.

I spent 3 days in Las Vegas learning from experts and connecting with like-minded women. It was amazing – being in a space filled with women entrepreneurs – all wanting to grow their business yet live the lifestyle they desired.  I watched Ali closely on the stage and even when she presented the Platinum Excellence Awards, and I decided at that moment that I wanted to be there the next year!

So, I joined Ali’s mastermind group in 2011. And what a group of women they were! Amazing women – full of energy and life, full of commitment and support. The best part were the 3 LIVE masterminds we shared together – connecting in person, sharing successes and struggles and supporting one another.  During that year with Ali and her MPC group, I learned and grew exponentially – and I made it to that stage at SHINE in Dallas Texas in 2011 as a finalist in the Platinum Excellence Awards.

One of the things I learned, and am reminded of over and over again, is that we must get out of our comfort zone.  And for some of us, that means out from behind our computers!  It’s easy to sit behind the desk and chat or post on Facebook, tweet about a teleclass, post a blog article. But until you walk into a room of like-minded, successful, supportive women entrepreneurs, you are missing the boat!

For those of you who have ventured out to an event like SHINE, you know what I’m talking about! If you’ve attended one of my SUCCESS Summit’s, you know what I’m talking about too! And if you haven’t, I encourage you to take that step and join me in Dallas in May 2012 or Los Angeles in October.  And by the way – you’re not just joining me! You are joining over 100 other women entrepreneurs who are looking to make that supportive, inspirational connection just like you! And surprise, surprise – that live connection creates opportunities you’d never even imagined!  By attending events like Ali’s and others, it not only supports you in learning and growing in business principles, but more importantly it skyrockets and re-energizes your inspiration and excitement for your business! Solo-entrepreneurs unite!

Announcing SUCCESS Summit 2012!  Dallas Texas on May 18th and 19th and Los Angeles on October 5th and 6th!  Amazing speakers, awesome attendees and endless possibilities!

P.S. In case you hadn’t heard, Ali is not hosting SHINE this year.  So what are you waiting for? Grab a ticket now and join us!