Doorganize Your Life

It’s Monday again!  And if you’re like us, you were running around at the last minute this morning juggling and shoving into your bag all sorts of important “must-remember-to-take-today” things – all the while knowing deep down you were forgetting something. 

Ready for an easier way to pull some of those loose ends of your busy lifestyle together?  Enter the Doorganizer. 

The Doorganizer is a brilliantly designed pocketed doorknob hanger in unavoidable red or blend-in-nicely beige. It’s perfectly stylish and the very best way to keep track of things you otherwise might forget:  like your car keys, the book you borrowed from your boss last month, and the delicious dessert recipe you promised weeks ago to give to a girlfriend. 

And the backside even has a handy pouch big enough for newspapers and mail.  Very useful for those over-due bills you must drop directly at the post office so they get there in time.

So hang it up – your Doorganizer, not your busy lifestyle – and breathe a little easier tomorrow morning. 

How to Elevate Confidence in Two Minutes or Less

You have an important call scheduled in two minutes. You want to be productive during that that tiny time gap.  Here are some options:

A) tidy up your desk (ho-hum)
B) re-read congratulatory emails on your latest success (sounds fun)
C) get smarter about what’s happening on the business news front  (takes way too much time)

But then again, smarter is always better.  So let’s get smarter about business news.  It’s easier than you think. 

Simply go to www.BusinessWeek.com and in the lower left corner of the home page you’ll see Breaking News from the AP – full of the latest info on things like media, innovation, technology and branding. 

Find a headline on a subject you know nothing about but everyone’s been talking about.  Click, skim, you’re in the know. Confidence seriously elevated.

Although your desk is still a mess, you’ve got a bead on what’s happening elsewhere in the world of business.

All that new confidence will surely result in more success and more congratulatory emails.  And you’ll need way more than two minutes to read all of those!

A Hiring Hand

Dear Career Diary,

Monday: I was feeling so down about my future until a friend sent me a link to her fa-vorite career advice website www.womenforhire.com. She says it just may change my life. Things are looking up.

Tuesday: Did major schmoozing at a networking event tonight, thanks to a tip on the Women For Hire website. I learned I could earn free entry to a swanky networking event by volunteering to help prepare, set-up, clean up -- whatever. I offered to man the check in desk, and meet and greet attendees. Which made it oh so easy to track down a couple of very interesting prospects later inside. Am I a genius or what?!

Wednesday: I have always dreaded writing cover letters, but managed to whip up a fabulous one using a Women For Hire cover letter template. It must have worked like a charm, because I have an interview tomorrow. Definitely genius.

Thursday: Job interviews. Yuck! Nearly had to resign my genius label when caught off guard by "So what is your greatest weakness?" question. Recovered nicely though when I remembered I had read a post on the Women For Hire blog about those tough in-terview questions. The blog said: Never answer a question with a confession. So instead of saying "At times I'm almost too conscientious," I said "I have learned over the years there are times for extreme attention to detail, and times when that skill is not productive for the given task." Maybe it's Women For Hire that deserves the genius title.

Friday: Great week. Off to dinner and a movie. And, for once, actually looking forward to Monday now that I have Women For Hire in my life.

To join the free Women For Hire Network or to find the Women For Hire career expo near you, visit www.womenforhire.com.

Move Over, Emily Post

Honesty. Authenticity. Passion.

No, we're not talking about Mr. Right. We're talking about Ms.Diva Marketing Blog.

Yes, blogs, once conceptualized to be personal online diaries, are now everywhere in the professional world. And with this new trend comes new rules.

So move over Emily Post. DivaMarketingBlog.com is here to teach you some blogging p's and q's..

Diva believes in the power of blogs in business – their ability to humanize an organization, extend brand awareness, lift search engine rankings, and help you lose 10 pounds. Okay, maybe not that last part, but she does explain how they are otherwise extremely useful!

Diva has built relationships galore, as is evidenced by the many links to helpful marketing resources and organizations – just click Links.

With Diva's help, soon the only tough question you'll have when you sit down to blog will be whether to have coffee or latte.

For one of our favorite Diva Marketing Blog posts, visit What Social Marketing Gives Back to You.

Be a Mover and a Shaker

Socrates once said, "To move the world, we must first move ourselves".

We say, "To move the world, we must first have on a fantastic outfit." And no outfit this Spring is complete without one of fashion's most popular icons, the trench coat.

Relevant for more than one hundred years, the trench coat is a popular choice for rain – but also makes a perfect choice for shine. Why? The trench silhouette, very simply, flatters all body types and has a splendid make-you-chic-in-an-instant functionality.

Our favorite trench designs this Spring? Everyone is buzzing, and we are too, about Madonna's soft creamy, belted affair, available at H&M, the popular Swedish fashion house. And for an old fifties Hepburn-esque appeal, Banana Republic's beautifully classic black trench is a charming choice with its double-breasted front and tortoise shell buckle. Dana Buchman's elegantly casual sand-colored eyelet trench is a fave as well.

So go ahead and make a move this weekend – to your favorite store that is. Your hip and trendy look at the office next week will be sure to shake up the world – especially yours.

A Little Love Note Goes A Long Way

It's Monday, so let's begin by reviewing our calendars for this week. Plenty of meetings. The perfect amount of client lunch dates. And adequate time set aside to work on those projects with looming deadlines.

Now, let's review from the family perspective. We know — no review required. No matter how you cut it, there is never enough time with the kids in our lives. And is it possible to spend more time with them and still get all this work done?

Well, hello Love-U-Grams! This clever ensemble of 10 postcards, 20 lunch notes, and 20 kid coupons offers enough recognition, gratitude and affection to last for weeks.

Going on the road? Leave behind "Traveling for work... and missing you." Want to brighten up a lunch box? Use "Great job on your homework!" Won't be home before bedtime? Try slipping "This coupon is good for a trip to the zoo" under your little one's pillow.

Love-U-Grams. Finally, a way to be there — even when you're not.

Marketing Know-It-Alls

Every woman these days, regardless of what job you're in, is marketing something. Maybe it's your company. Maybe it's your product. Maybe it's even you.

And for those of us who never learned how to craft and stitch together Ivy League B School style marketing plans, there's MarketingProfs.com.

Need to put together a direct-marketing campaign on a shoestring budget? Launch a new product? Craft some knock-their-socks-off copy for your Web site? Not a problem. MarketingProfs delivers the goods, in the form of short, easy-to-digest weekly articles. Once you get going, you won't want to miss a single story.

And since we know you're a fast learner, you'll soon be itching to join the MarketingProfs Book Club, so you can talk shop with other marketing mavens. Every two months, you'll hear what buzzed-about book is up for discussion. The first 30 people to sign up for each segment receive a free, author-signed book.

Free advice, free-flowing discussions, free books. Hmmm... free, free, free could mean more money for other business essentials — like shoes, shoes, shoes.

The Secret to Success

What is the secret to success?  Can someone out there please give us a model to follow?   

Yes, and we like supermodel turned super business woman, Tyra Banks.

It’s widely known that in 1997 Tyra Banks became the first ever black model to make the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue.  But here’s a fact that is little known.

Tyra’s mother recently appeared on Tyra’s hit talk show and shared this information:  Tyra was under contract with Victoria’s Secret for 10 years.  During that time Tyra was notably heavier than industry standards, and certainly heavier than any other Victoria’s Secret model.  But in spite of her unconventional figure, Tyra sold more bras and panties than any other of the retailer’s models during that time.   

The way we see it, Tyra Banks became one of the most successful models in the world NOT because the industry saw her as a supermodel.  Tyra became wildly successful because of the way she saw herself – as having the unique ability to showcase a designer’s fashions in a way that no other model could. 

Today, that mindset of leveraging her unique differences has helped Tyra Banks become one of the most successful businesswomen in the world. 

Ah yes, the secret to success is simply this:  you must first succeed at being yourself. 

So beginning today, let us all spend lots more time focusing on our unique abilities – and assume we will be wildly successful, in spite of our imperfections. 

Now that’s a model worth following.

Always Looking SPECtacular

Eyeglasses may have meant "four-eyes" when you were in middle school, but these days reading glasses are the must-have accessory when you're trying to send out an irrefutable message of credibility and confidence.

And for you girls always on the prowl for more business, you'll love Amy Sacks Eyewear and their selection of professional, yet chic cat-eye-shaped reading glasses.

Created by famed tile and stone designer Ann Sacks, we love the Katarina in Blush, sure to making any working girl's eyes "pop". And the Niki in Cherry offers a perfect way to lift and flatter. For that strong but feminine look, you'll need the Gretta in Ocean — just right for boardroom meetings, but hip enough for drinks with the girls.

With a variety of shapes and shades sure to add flair to your office wear, you certainly won't be hearing "four eyes" any time soon. Though there may be a few cat-calls in your near future!

P.S. - a portion of all Ann Sacks Eyewear profits are donated to The Pixie Project — a foundation built by Ann and daughter Amy to provide veterinary services for low income families. Now that brings new definition to "the cat's meow"!

bareMinerals

You have only seconds to spare before you're to be out the door and down the street on your way to the big presentation. Oh darn, if only you had more time to put on your makeup.

Here's a lovely time saver: try bareMinerals in place of your regular foundation.

Easily and quickly applied with a brush, bareMinerals foundation looks like a loose powder but actually has a creamy consistency like a liquid moisturizing foundation. Originally from California and made from 100% pure minerals crushed from the earth, this is one makeup that is actually good for your skin - totally free of preservatives, fragrance and other potential skin irritants.

Visit www.bareminerals.com or a Bare Escentuals boutiques.  For extra convenience, join the bareMinerals Club and every 60 days you’ll receive two jars of foundation plus one jar of Mineral Veil finishing powder, just when you need it.   

As a woman constantly pressed for time, you'll be delighted to know bareMinerals is so pure you can sleep in it. Perfect when you're wiped out from a long day and need to go straight to bed!