By Design Inc

It is hard to know how to use Social Media in your recruiting efforts. Here is a guide from Inc.  http://www.inc.com/guides/2010/04/social-media-recruiting.html

Graph Words is a visual online thesaurus that is so much fun you will forget you are actually trying to find a word!

Creating a Facebook tab for Mailchimp is possible but only if you follow these instructions to the letter.  http://ow.ly/5p98u

A good project management system can grow your business by making you efficient and able to track your profit.  Here are 7 tips for finding the right one for you.

1) It allows you to track time and expenses against a project estimate.

2) It thinks the way you do, no reinventing the wheel.

3) It can be accessed anywhere, anytime.

4) You can attach project files, like Word and Excel documents.

5) Great customer service and clear training guides/videos.

6) The reporting is customizable and flexible.

7) It gets used by everyone, without fail!

Watch for reviews of some of the systems available.

In May 2011, I took a second Women’s Quest trip to Costa Rica.  I learned to surf and practice yoga.  (Yes, learning to surf at 46 – crazy.) Colleen Cannon owns this wonderful company.  She challenges all women with trips that nurture the mind, body and spirit.  Bennison Sherrod Lopez led this trip.  Her incredibly sweet nature, passion for both surfing and Costa Rica made this trip life changing! This is just one of the lessons I learned…  thanks guys for continuing to inspire!

Third day home from Costa Rica and I am realizing several things. This trip, instead of being in awe of people like Colleen and Bennie who are purposely creating their life and truly believe they can chose it, I am thrilled that I am one of them.  It seems what launched within me on that first Women’s Quest trip (horseback riding in Colorado)  took hold deep within.  Here are some of the things I learned…

• It is essential to get away from your life every once in a while. But it needs to be the “right” kind of way for you. Mine was a mixture of adventure, strong inspiring women, physical challenges and complete downtime.  I came backed renewed in my purpose to help small businesses and entrepreneurs thrive and completely in love with my personal life.
• I learned that physically, I can do things I never thought possible and really do have stamina. I will use that knowledge daily now that I am home. But more important to me, I learned that I don’t have to do everything and I don’t have to do it well. It is okay to dabble sometimes, to just have fun… and sometimes it is even more fun to sit on the beach and cheer others on.
• I have new challenges. This trip highlighted how much I live in my head and not my heart. Systems, procedures and hard work are all terrific for what I do professionally. And those come naturally. But sometimes, you need to forget the system and the practice. I need to take most things less seriously.
• In surfing, you just need to stand up and point to the beach… A good lesson for all of us driven women. Stop preparing and instead, move forward with your gut in the direction you want to go.

So, thanks again Colleen.  Once again, your vision and the people you gather to help create it have catapulted me forward!