Posted by Amy on October 18, 2010
The internet is a fabulous world and most of us are highly involved in utilizing this lovely world of fun, but it is very important to manage your online presence carefully. If you aren’t using Google Alerts to keep up-to-date on what is being said about you and your business online, I highly recommend you start now.
Google Alert is simply a tool that alerts you anytime something is added online with the words you decide to monitor. This is a great way to monitor the web for new content ideas, positive or negative things that may be said about you and/or your company, and keep up to date with your niche. All you need to do is enter the search terms you’re interested in following and how often you want updates and you can monitor any word or phrase. You should set up Google Alerts on your company, your brands, keywords, any key employees, and influencers in your industry. You can get updates via e-mail or add the RSS feed of your Google Alerts to your RSS reader.
I personally use it for my business to keep up on my keywords and/or niche for my business, my name and my business name. I also use it for personal use and have alerts for the City I live in and some of my personal interest.
It is very easy to set-up and get going. All you have to do is go to www.google.com/alerts, sign in to your Google account (if you don’t have a Google email address, you can create an account with your regular email address easily) and follow these steps:
1. Type in what search terms you want to be alerted about (personal name, business name, news items, keywords in your market, etc).
2. Choose what sections of Google you want searched for these terms (i.e. News, Blogs, Video, Discussion or Everything…I recommend everything).
3. Decide how often you want to be alerted (once a week, once a day or as it happens).
4. Choose how many results you want to have sent to you (“up to 20″ or “up to 50″).
5. Enter the email address you want these alerts sent to.
Voila… you will start getting updates on the words you selected… Have fun with it!
Amy Robertson is the Founder of the Girlfriend's Alliance, a women's entrepreneur resource. She is also President of the Girlfriend's Biz Assistant. Amy uses her own experiences of being an entrepreneur to help inspire, empower and connect women entrepreneurs. She is someone who talks her walk... and is able to teach what works because she has done it herself.
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Posted by Amy on October 11, 2010
Creating and living your life dream takes a clear vision, steady focus, having your “why” defined, goals set and an action plan to execute and keep you on track. “Our daily lives are full of excitement and challenge” says Amy Robertson, “It can be easy to get off track and lose site of the big picture.”
In today’s world many women are running from one thing to the next and wearing many different hats. It is not uncommon for women to put themselves at the bottom of their own list. Unfortunately, in doing so, it makes it very easy to lose track of who they are and even experience a loss of daily enjoyment because of it. There are steps women can take to manage their busy schedule, be organized, take joy in their daily lives, make them self a priority and actively pursue their dreams.
Amy’s company, Girlfriend’s Alliance, offers a planner that helps women manage their Life. The Girlfriend’s Day Planner helps women balance different parts of daily life and reminds them to actively put themselves first. The lifestyle planner was created to be convenient and versatile. It’s an all-in-one monthly, weekly and daily planner for women with room to create your life vision, goals, task lists, monthly why, weekly intention, weekly journaling section to set your intention for the week, give gratitude, celebrate accomplishments and reflect. It also includes space for your appointments, no matter what section for each day, girlfriend/me time, water tracker, notes, messages and a place to record a weekly affirmation or quote to inspire you.
Amy Robertson explains, “I developed the planner to be versatile and life inspiring. The woman who is an entrepreneur, in the work force, going to school or a stay-at-home mom will benefit from using the planner. Each can utilize the different sections in a different way.” The versatility of the planner allows women to be organized in the way that best fulfills her goals and lifestyle.
The Girlfriend’s Day Planner is now offering the November-December 2010/2011 edition and comes with two covers, allowing individuals to choose a cover that best suits their personality. It is available at http://www.girlfriendsdayplanner.com and is expected to empower and inspire women to live the life of their dreams.
Amy Robertson is the Founder of the Girlfriend's Alliance, a women's entrepreneur resource. She is also President of the Girlfriend's Biz Assistant. Amy uses her own experiences of being an entrepreneur to help inspire, empower and connect women entrepreneurs. She is someone who talks her walk... and is able to teach what works because she has done it herself.
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Posted by Amy on October 6, 2010
Hi, my name is Amy and I am Superwoman or should I say I suffer from Superwoman Syndrome. I have suffered from this my entire life. I would rather practically kill myself trying to do something on my own than ask for help. This for the most part has always worked for me or maybe it hasn’t… but now that I am a single mom, I am finding that I sometimes I have no choice but to ask for help “uuuuggghhhh”. And let me jus say… I knew being a single mom was hard and have always had compassion for those amazing women who were single and doing it on their own, but I am going to keep it real and let you know it completely sucks and I had no idea… I just thought I did! I am not looking for any sympathy, but just want to say to my girlfriend’s who are single moms… I feel ya!
The truth is whether we are married, single, have kids or dont… many of us suffer from Superwoman Syndrome! We are all still trying to balance work with out personal life, make time for ourselves, make time for your partner or girlfriends, deal with the resonsibilities of running a household and the list goes on! You may find it difficult to juggle so many responsibilities, and feel that you’re falling short all the time, which in turn can lead to unhappiness and even ill health.
So how do we take back control and stop ourselves from coming up “short” all the time? Here are a few tips to help you stay sane and avoid these negative feelings:
Avoid Superwoman Syndrome – There’s a negative trend in our society for women to be “superwomen” – you know, the do it all types who juggle a thriving business or career with baking cookies, being active in charities, being active on the school PTA AND still have time to work out and look great. You may be surprised to hear the word “negative” when the description listed sounds so positive, but the reality is that people weren’t really cut out to handle so much at any one time.
Many women are stressed and overworked as a result. They end up feeling depressed when they can’t meet an ideal which quite frankly set them up for failure in the first place. Wouldn’t it be nice to see a different trend? One where women are cut a bit of slack and not expected to achieve this image of “perfection” at all times.
You can start this trend within yourself. Give yourself a break and realize your situation is unique to you. Don’t compare yourself to your girlfriend’s or the people next door – no one is the same. Do the best with what you’ve got and stamp out the guilt. Guilt used inappropriately is a negative emotion that stops us from moving forward by keeping us cemented in the past.
Say NO – No is not a dirty word; in fact, it’s a word that can help you stay sane and feeling more human. You couldn’t possibly do it all if you tried. The more you say “no” the more empowered you’ll feel. Don’t worry about what people will think, instead prioritize what’s important to you and say no to anything that does not fit the bill.
Guilt is a dirty word – Used properly, guilt helps us to do the right thing and be productive, rule-following members of society. But if you don’t have a sociopath issue to deal with then over-use of guilt becomes a negative emotion. And many of us, particularly women, get too caught up in the guilt trap.
Although some guilt does come as standard with the package of being a woman, avoid feeling too guilty at all times. You’re juggling a lot of balls which means you’re going to drop some once in a while; don’t feel guilty and instead see this as a fact of life – what goes up must come down. If you juggle too much, some things will come thumping down once in a while.
Don’t compare – This is one of the worst things you can do. We don’t really know what goes on behind the closed doors of anyone’s life. The “perfect” woman who seems to breezily get through her days while doing it all, may in reality be struggling or having a really hard time keeping up. Whatever the case, comparison only leads to feeling inadequate – particularly when we compare ourselves to the unrealistic.
Instead, be happy with yourself and don’t worry about anything else going on around you. Perhaps Jane can do it all, great for her, but you’d prefer to only do ten things instead of twenty. It doesn’t really matter who does what; what matters most is that you don’t compare yourself to anyone else because no two situations are ever the same. And who knows, Jane may have a gardener or part-time nanny you’re unaware of.
Juggling a family, being an entrepreneur or a thriving career isn’t easy, but these strategies can help you overcome the feelings of having to do it all and help you stay sane in the process. These are things that emotionally you can do right now to change your situation. Couple these tips with good organizational skills, getting and asking for help, building a support structure around you, and having a clear routine. This will go a long, long way to helping you achieve that ever-important balance between life and work. Good luck!
Amy Robertson is the Founder of the Girlfriend's Alliance, a women's entrepreneur resource. She is also President of the Girlfriend's Biz Assistant. Amy uses her own experiences of being an entrepreneur to help inspire, empower and connect women entrepreneurs. She is someone who talks her walk... and is able to teach what works because she has done it herself.
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Posted by Amy on September 30, 2010
A friend called me yesterday and described what I like to call the business blues. Everyone can get the business blues for many different reasons! You likely won’t here your girlfriend talking about how she is bored in her business, or maybe she is exhausted from working so hard and not reaping the rewards she thought she would and is ready to walk away, or maybe she is tired of making ALL the decisions ALL of the time… the list really goes on!
The truth is we ALL get the business blues from time to time and those who say they don’t are lying! Running a business is no different than life! You have your ups, your downs and your status quo periods.
So, today I thought it would be fun to share some ideas on how to get re-excited about your business, so you can snap out of the business blues.
• Do something crafty… yes crafty! Even if you don’t consider yourself to be creative, you are! Spend some time painting, doodling, coloring, taking pictures or create a new dream/vision board. Whatever you enjoy doing, do it! You might be surprised at the inspiration you receive while doing it!
• Find something new to work on! This is one of my favorites… we usually all have something sitting in the back of our heads that we want to do or try in our business and just haven’t done it. Now is the time to do it! Simply having something new to work on in your business can give you that inner fire you are looking for!
• Revamp your work space. Just working in the same place with the same look and feel can get boring! Or maybe your office needs a little tidying up… organize those file and get those papers put away. Add some new color to the walls or frame some new pictures and put them up. Revamping your workspace can breathe new energy into the area and leave you feeling re-energized and ready to conquer the world!
• Totally unplug! You just might be working too much! Trust me I am an expert in this area! If you are living, eating, breathing, sleeping your business, it might be time to unplug and step away for a few. Take a day off! I mean no phone calls, no emails… nothing!
Don’t let the business blues get you down! Remember that they are perfectly normal and we all get them. The trick is getting yourself back on track, so you can do the most important thing… have fun and just be you!
Amy Robertson is the Founder of the Girlfriend's Alliance, a women's entrepreneur resource. She is also President of the Girlfriend's Biz Assistant. Amy uses her own experiences of being an entrepreneur to help inspire, empower and connect women entrepreneurs. She is someone who talks her walk... and is able to teach what works because she has done it herself.
Website - More Posts
Posted by Amy on June 4, 2010
Maybe your thinking that blogging is nothing more than an online journal? And if that is the case than how can there be mistakes? Well, no one likes to make mistakes and of couse you want to know how to avoid them, right? Well, since most people want someone to read their blog and maybe even capitalize a bit on their readership, there is a formula for success.
So what are the top 3 blogging mistakes and how can you avoid them? Pull up a chair, girlfriend, and I’ll tell you all about it.
1. Not using your own domain is the number one mistake that a blogger can make. It just sends the message that the blog is amateur and that the owner is too cheap to buy a domain. Not that this is true by any means, but it is the way it seems. You know appearance can be everything, so be a professional and buy a domain.
2. Focusing on traffic rather than building loyal readers. Sure you can write a blog post about some hot celebrity happening and get your page ranked really high on Google for a day or two, but what about all the other days? Providing quality content all the time will build you a fan base that is much more loyal than all those people who Googled Kim Kardashian.
3. Cluttering up your blog with “stuff.” Stuff includes buttons, widgets, gadgets and all the other things that seem really shiny and fun but in reality it detracts from the blog posts you are sharing. Keep a clean page and keep your readers.
To keep it sweet and to the point, purchase a domain, choose a layout, and provide consistent, neat, entertaining content that either informs, challenges, or inquires about your chosen subject. This will lead you to not only loyal readers, but also word of mouth (or blogroll fame) as your blog is passed around and becomes the “go to” location for your niche topic.
Have Fun Blogging Girlfriend!
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Amy Robertson, your Entrepreneur Girlfriend, is founder of the Girlfriend’s Biz Alliance and Girlfriend’s Biz Assistant, a Girlpreneur community of like-minded women. Get the mindset, support, guidance and connection you need to be a successful entrepreneur at www.GirlfriendsBizAlliance.com.
Amy Robertson is the Founder of the Girlfriend's Alliance, a women's entrepreneur resource. She is also President of the Girlfriend's Biz Assistant. Amy uses her own experiences of being an entrepreneur to help inspire, empower and connect women entrepreneurs. She is someone who talks her walk... and is able to teach what works because she has done it herself.
Website - More Posts
How to Stay Up-To-Date on What is Being Said About You and Your Company
The internet is a fabulous world and most of us are highly involved in utilizing this lovely world of fun, but it is very important to manage your online presence carefully. If you aren’t using Google Alerts to keep up-to-date on what is being said about you and your business online, I highly recommend you start now.
