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5 Things Feminism Isn’t.

Back in the day women were told how to catch and keep a man, how to breastfeed, how to raise a family, etc. These women were told how to be a housewife because that was all they were “supposedly” capable of doing. When women in the 1950’s found out that this was the way men actually, truly thought, they just weren’t outraged; they did something about it: and that is how the true feminism movement started. When women got together to talk, the words, “career” or “inferior to men” never were part of the discussion simply because they found themselves embarrassed to even mention it. The question then beckons, “Were feminists back in the 50’s and 60’s really the true definition of a rebel or were they just seen as troublemakers?”

Feminism is NOT the journey to find your true self. Even though there are writers, feminists, and even professors who will try and make you believe this but trust me, this concept is nothing but hogwash.

Feminist is just a word. It’s a word that conjures up hate, resentment, and setbacks. And Feminism does NOT make all our lives better as some will argue. You can demand the world take you seriously without it.

The truth is, only when people make extreme and take extreme measures, so movements get the attention they deserve. And with social media today, it’s a lot easier than you can imagine.

There is ample evidence that the more mainstream media girls consume, the more importance they place on being pretty and sexy. A 2006 survey of 2,000 girls showed that they repeatedly described the pressures of being perfect- thin, please everyone, and dress correctly. So instead of feeling that they have a choice in how to be a woman they want to be, they feel that they must not only have it all but be it all. ( Be smart and stunning and wear a tiara and a cape)

Here’s the lowdown:
1- Feminism will not help you find the right partner.

2- Feminism will do nothing for your sex life. The only thing it can be counted for is the fact that women now have the right to use birth control. But it doesn’t make your sex life better or worse.

3- Shaving or waxing your privates will not make you more feminine and it has nothing to do with feminism.

4-Those women who have plastic surgery to make themselves look better, due so because feminism beckons that they look perfect. Get a nose job so you can function, not so you can look perfect.

5- Feminists argue that dieting isn’t about being skinny, but that is it about having power.

It’s the way a women competes with a man in a “man’s world,” is nothing but hogwash. Dieting should be about health, not about competing against a man or for a man.

Equality.

If we keep saying that one sex is better than the other, how can we actually be equal?

Everyone, male or female deserve to be treated with respect. Everyone deserves love and everyone deserves a chance to be who they want to be.  That was the initial goal of feminism back in the day until the man-bashing women took over the movement. Just like I have learned that not all men are the same, the same can be said about women. All women aren’t into this man-bashing thing. Some of us are goodhearted, sweet, kind and understanding. So to all those men who have given up on finding someone who wants to give you the world, don’t. She is out there, I swear.

Everyone deserves true, real love that is given from the heart. Don’t ever doubt that you deserve it.

Life can be hectic, confusing, painful, unpredictable and who knows what may be around the next corner. But eventually you learn that the human spirit prevails, hearts open and love surprises-–often when we least expect it. And we don’t need “feminism” in order to know that.

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I Still Don’t Support The Women’s March

Last year I laid out as to why I did not support the Women’s March and this year my position still has not changed. ( Click here for last year’s article)

A march of angry women in every city won’t change anything.

The Women’s March a year ago aimed to start a movement of women who would continue their activism long after they had packed up their silly little hats and went home.
The #WomensMarch took place in January 2017, but the #MeToo started in October 2017.
For all women who will claim it’s a part of the March, it’s not.
If those “brave” women came out the night of the March, it would have made it dynamic. But they failed to correlate one and the other.

The March last year were all women who were reeling from Hillary Clinton’s loss to President Trump in the 2016 presidential election. Some black women felt betrayed that 53% of white women voted for Trump, while 94% of black women voted for Clinton, yet some underrepresented women felt their issues such as racism, discrimination, police brutality, LGBTQ inclusion, and immigration, were relegated in favor of issues that matter most to straight, white, middle-class women. (Source: The New York Times.)

Many groups felt that they were not welcomed in the March. One of women groups who felt silenced in the march were those who are anti-abortion. The Women’s March partnered with groups like Planned Parenthood, and refused to partner with anti-abortion organizations.
The head of the Women’s March was quoted as saying, “We’re not looking for folks to fall in line with the Women’s March agenda,” she said. “We understand that every organization and every individual will approach their strategy for how they engage in the movement in their own way. “

The Women’s March is “an attempt” at unity, but it failed last year and has again this year. All these protests do is separate us even more, they don’t bond us together.
The Constitution recognizes a number of inalienable human rights, including freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion, the right to keep and bear arms, freedom from cruel and unusual punishment, and the right to a fair trial by jury. Next year why don’t they all buy airline tickets to Egypt, Turkey, Afghanistan, Iran, and any other Muslim country to fight for their sisters rights over there?

FACT: If it hadn’t been for the Republican Congress of 1920 that voted for it. The Democrats would’ve taken longer for you to have that right! The 19th Amendment to the Constitution, of course, gave women the right to vote. It was passed by Congress on June 4, 1919, and ratified on Aug. 18, 1920. Go and tell that to all your liberal friends, I dare you.

My self-worth is not tied to what society says I should wear, how I should speak, who I can date, and what I do for a living. I’m a strong, independent adult, capable of taking care of myself. As a woman living in 2018, I am not oppressed, neither is any other woman today living in the USA. What right has President Trump taken from women? The answer: none

In the age where actual action is the only way to make change, every person that has held a picket sign in 2017 and now, still hasn’t caught on to that. Picketing and protesting is the old way things were done. By actually standing up and being the one to make a change is the only way in 2018 anything can change.

Instead of taking that job that dictates how much money you will earn based on gender, stand up and demand equality.

Instead of feeling the need to sleep with the boss to make it to the top, work hard to earn it.

Instead of “crying wolf” and looking for pity, stand up and be that example.

That is how change occurs.  Not by posting quotes on social media, marching or putting on a self-pity show.

Change is never easy. Adults have a hard time with it- kids are easier to adapt at it. But if you want to evolve, you need to actually take that step towards it, not backwards steps.

Celebrities can be put on their pedestals to give the most profound speeches. But again, that does nothing because they aren’t taking action, physical step by step action. They are just listening to hear themselves talk. It looks good for their publicity.

The bottom line is this: You can talk the talk all you want. But when you don’t walk the talk all it is in the end is just a lot of noise.

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3 Ways to Ax The Ex in less than 24 hours

2018 is upon us and the most important cleanse we can’t buy in any stores is the toxic relationships cleanse.  To start the new year off on the right foot, and perform a relationship detox, here are 3 ways to do just that.

Race to Erase Toxic Relationships ( Boyfriends, Girlfriends, Friends, Lovers, Co-Workers, etc)

Step 1: Block and Delete EVERY ex-boyfriend, ex-girlfriend, friend, family member, lover or anyone that brings negativity to your life on social media.

There is NO reason to watch them on social media. Splitting up is tough enough without having to figure out what their social media posts mean.  Even if you haven’t seen this person in years, you still should not be online creeping or watching their every move online. And of course,  the other unhealthy reason to delete and block – deliberately dropping selfies to show them what they’re missing out on. Trust me, if they really wanted to be with you, they would be. NO selfie is going to make them want to stay.

Step 2: Affirm your worth.

Toxic emotions lead to toxic relationships. How you feel about yourself and your self perception, is key to lasting relationships.

Condition your mind to accept nothing less than respect and gratitude from others. Every morning remind yourself of the following: I am worthy. I am valuable. I am capable. I am proud of me.

 

Step 3: Get into a new routine.

What ever your routine is, change it up.  Change is good, it’s also hard. Change is hard because you brain is wired to do the same thing over and over. When you get out of your comfort zone, you tend to find things you never thought you would find. That includes finding love in places you never thought were possible.  Change helps you grow, and if you are not growing, you are not living. If you’re open to learning new ways of approaching problems, you may find you learn something new about yourself, about others, and about the world.  Finally, change lets you keep your mind active and doesn’t stay put in a negative zone. 

Embracing change takes some practice. Getting rid of people in your life that cause you to be stressed, negative or constantly hurt, will make your life more fulfilling.  Life is short.  Instead of looking back, look forward. And with a relationship detox you will be on your way to living a better life.  Happy New Year!

 

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Sex, Lies, and Abuse: How the #MeToo Won’t Change Anything

If you ever read my review on “Fifty Shades of Grey,” then you know where I will be going with this article. If you never did read it, let me paraphrase it here for you: “Christian Grey has sadistic sex that leaves Anastasia sometimes bleeding and too bruised to move. The fact that Fifty Shades has taken eroticism violence against women and re-branded it as romance, is something of complete irony. Love is not abuse, and abuse is not love. Just because our society today have erased the shame of hooking up and joke openly about adult entertainment, doesn’t mean that we should fall for what Christian Grey truly is: an abuser. What the movie “Fifty Shades” wants women to believe is that women can fix violent, controlling men by being obedient and loving. That in a nutshell is false. It’s not okay for a man to use sex to control, manipulate and introduce pain to a woman. Christian Grey believes the physical pain a man would inflict on a woman is not as bad as the pain of losing him. Not cool. Not cool at all.”

I can tell you that Fifty Shades of Grey grossed $166.2 million in North America and $404.8 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $571 million, against a budget of $40 million! And most of the women who went to see this movie, bought merchandise and the book, NEVER complained about sexual harassment, sexual abuse or sexual assault. They were also part of this #MeToo movement, which is hypocrisy at it’s finest.

The #MeToo movement has gone from bad to worse. It doesn’t help women at all. Instead it takes the core part of what true feminism is; equality in the workplace, and make it even harder for women. What man in his right mind is going to now want to hire a woman, let alone be left alone with a woman in his office? And what is worse is the fact that some women are taking advantage of the situation by using their sexual relationships they have had in the past with men they worked with, relationships that were consented. Not to mention that sleeping with a boss or co-worker, didn’t get them to where they wanted in the workplace or that the relationship ended badly, they now turn around and say that they were sexually assaulted. Some have also been proven to have falsified evidence to say that they were abused forty years ago.

That’s another thing. If you are abused, you don’t wait forty years and then turn around and say, “Oh, I was afraid for my career at the time, or that I didn’t think people would believe me.” And I am supposed to believe you now? The woman’s health and mental state should ALWAYS come before career. And in that forty years that you wait, you let the guy develop a pattern of behavior. Besides the fact that people do change over that amount of time as well. I can personally tell you that I am not the same woman I was twenty years ago. I can only imagine how these men must feel who are being accused of this, forty years later. I don’t care if it was five years ago, either. Time to come out and say something is the moment it happens, not when the “best opportunity” for the woman to come forward.

That is wrong on so many levels.

Also, has it ever occurred to some people, that willingly sleeping with a boss or co-worker is not assault? The only time it is assault is if you are blackmailed to do so. Then it’s classified as rape. When it is not consented sex, and the man continues to do so, that is considered rape. Rape is, never okay. I repeat, rape is never okay. Now we as society are still dealing with rape, as being one of the highest percentage of crimes year after year, but the media doesn’t talk about it. You hear stories on the news, but there is never a discussion on any talk show of how to curb this crime. Rape kits are also to blame for why most guys “get away with it”

Last week in my of my hockey groups, this guy posted a picture of a woman in the front row behind the bench, wearing a low cut white shirt, along with her coat, opened, and a hat on. You can bet that there were sexist comments, as you would think there would be, on a post like that. The bottom line of why I bring it up is simply this:

This girl wore that shirt on purpose. It’s obvious. But the funny thing is, she’ll wear that shirt, be noticed for all the wrong reasons, and then turn around and sue guys for sexual harassment. (I’m making a point, not saying that this girl in the photo will do that.) That’s what’s wrong with it. Not the fact that she set guys up to even look at her. She totally knew the deal. The sad part is she used her body for that attention instead of her mind. When women stop falling for the “Let’s dress a certain way to be noticed,” crap, then maybe a woman can be appreciated for her brains, not her boobs.

On WFAN’s Facebook page, which is totally being bombarded with negative posts about it’s new afternoon show. I saw a few very sexists comments that talked about how women do’t know how to talk about sports. That women have no place in that category. See; double standard is still alive. Men think they know “everything” and that women are “dumb, stupid, out of touch, or belong elsewhere.”  Maybe when men’s perceptions of women change, women will change. After all, both sexes tend to do things to please the other instead of doing things that please themselves.  We try so hard to make everyone else around us happy, that we forget that the most important person’s happiness is our own.

If that is the one lesson that we all can learn from #MeToo, then I hope most learn it. Remember, respect is earned, not a given.  You need to respect yourself first and foremost if you ever want someone else to reciprocate that respect.  I hope in 2018, the media makes a woman famous for expanding her mind, not her breasts.

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7 Ways To Score Dates For Christmas

According to data analyzed from Facebook posts, two weeks before Christmas is one of the two most popular times for couples to break up. However, Christmas Day is the least favorite day for breakups. So, if you are on the rebound or looking for love this Christmas, waiting under the mistletoe isn’t going to help.

Here are The Seven Ways to Score Dates at Christmas:

1) Holiday Parties are happening from tonight all the way thru the end of the year. Remember, there is definitely a balance when it comes to being flirty, if you are too flirty you can come across as easy or sleazy and nobody wants that.

2) When you decide you are serious about finding someone to share your life with be serious about looking your best. Looking good makes you feel good, and when you feel good, you carry yourself with a positive glow

3) It’s no secret that if you keep going to the same places you won’t meet anyone different.

During the Christmas period there are a lot of people out and about. This time of year, I would say you have a good chance of meeting genuine people in bars because there are more people out and about for work Christmas parties and end of year drinks.

 

4) Watch your alcohol intake at this time of the year. We’re all partial to one too many mulled wines over the Christmas period, but if you’re looking to find someone special before you have to kiss at midnight, it’s important to stay in control and confident. No one is attracted to a slurring mess.

5) Be open to new people. Don’t worry about age, race, size, money, and all that stuff that SHOULD NOT matter. It’s such an important thing when looking for love because sometimes (and usually) the best partners are the ones you wouldn’t have normally chosen, which is why you might still be single.

6) With that said though, DON’T flock over to online dating sites just out of pure desperation! Instead of finding love, you will indeed find a nightmare in the making!

7) There’s nothing worse than someone who uses the phrase “bah humbug” over the Christmas season or has a negative attitude about their life or life in general. Life is not going to be a beach every day, there are going to be ups and downs no matter what time of year it is. Go into finding love with a positive attitude on life and you will attract someone who is worth it.

Remember, if you are still single at Christmas, it’s OKAY. Besides, 2018, is right around the corner!

We all don’t need to be in a relationship at the holiday time, even though society may tell us as well as the holiday movies, that we need to be “in love” at this time.

It’s always better to be single then to be in a relationship that doesn’t suit us; holiday time or any time.

May the Christmas season fill your home with family and friends, your heart with love & your life with laughter.

Merry Christmas to all my readers.

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5 Online Dating Tips for Women

The dating scene these days just isn’t what it’s cracked up to be! All I constantly hear are women complaining that they, “Can’t find a good man!”  That’s mostly because they choose to use online dating as the ONLY way to meet guys. They have given up on the traditional ways; join a club, volunteer, networking meet-ups, join a sports league, or even a freaking bar! Not all relationships start online as online dating sites claim!

So, if you still want to prowl the online dating world, there are things you need to know first.Remember, even though you are sitting at home in your PJ’s hiding behind a keyboard, you need to still be careful of whom and who you eventually decide to meet. Here are some straight forward tips to do just that!

1. Only arrange a meeting with someone you have been getting to know for a while now. If you feel that you are at the point where you want to meet someone, always meet them in a public place, away from your home and be sure to tell someone where you are going.
2. Do not tell him where you live. Never give out your address, until you feel safe to do so. This should be after a month of dating and also doing a background check. Once they know where you live, there is no going back.
3. Do not accept a ride on the first date. Use your own method of transportation. Even if they seem like a great guy, you should not get in a car with them. Especially if you are alone with them.
4.  Do not go to any secluded areas- including a his place, a hotel, and so forth. Even if you want to be alone, remember that you are on a date with someone you have no idea about. Yeah he tells you what he does for a living and blah.. blah… blah.. , but how do you really know? Give yourself a chance to really get to know  him out before you take his word for everything and before he takes you to his parents house on the beach.
5. Pay attention to your gut feeling. You don’t want to be kicking yourself later on if you didn’t listen to it when it told you that this guy was no good, and now you are stuck in a big complete mess.

Always put your safety above and beyond everything and everyone! There’s no turning back once you go ahead and let someone know all about your private life.  Always find out his first.  Remember, Google is your friend.  Google him. Find out who he is before you find yourself in a situation that you could have been avoided.

Join Stephanie Dolce on her talk show, “Ax the Ex” which will air this September on Facebook Live. Click here to follow and be a part of the show!

 

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Jealousy and the Ex

If you ever have joined the, “I love knowing that my mans ex hates me” club, then you know where I am going with this. There are many single women who date men who have been separated or divorced. Some women even date those men while they are going through the process of divorce and some of those men have children.

This is when sometimes things can get dicey. Things may start off as quiet and as calm as can be, until one day jealousy rears her ugly head. The soon-to-be- ex-wife has become jealous and a little upset that he has moved on and before her,* gasp* like it’s some competition.

It’s sad when a mom loves child support more than her children; what makes it worse is when she tries to keep the child away from a loving father who wants them, and use that manipulation to get him to stop the developing relationship with the new woman! She now as become obsessed and has begun feeling possessive towards the same man with whom she is legally separated from. What is worse that this is the fact that she will start to play, “the victim” to gain support and make him out to be the “bad guy” when in fact he did nothing wrong at all.
Guilt. This is now used to reel him back in because like I mentioned earlier, she is using the children as bait to keep him away from whomever he wants to be with. Some may say that she is “protecting” the children, but I say that if she wanted to really protect her children she wouldn’t be using them in her sick game.

Did you know the people who exhibit the most kindness are the first to get mistreated? This is true with anyone who cares deeply about someone and this rings true for all the men out there who are great dads and are going through the divorce process today. My advice to all of you guys out there is to never settle too quickly, don’t be cheap where you don’t get a lawyer and try to handle all of it on your own. Simply because you don’t know all the nooks and crannies of the legal system, there are ways of getting what you want and deserve in a divorce, and just giving her, “What she wants” sends the wrong message.

To those single women who are dating a man who is going through this crap, here’s my advice:

I have learned now that while those who speak about one’s miseries usually hurt, those who keep silent hurt more. As much as you can help, support and care for someone, it’s up to them to make the first move. Feeling helpless isn’t a great feeling, but the only thing you can do is tell him that you still care, tell him that you are here for him and hope to God he gets the courage to reach out.

To the guys who are stuck in this situation:

Men have this stupid idea that they can handle everything on their own but, you can’t take care of anyone else, until you take care of yourself. Let the woman with whom you are dating be there for you. Don’t let your Ex win. Legally she can’t take your kids away from you because you are dating someone else. The legal system doesn’t work that way. Since kids are involved, these exes often feel it’s their right to meddle in your relationships, no matter what. Maybe you should set up a meeting with your ex and your new partner, depending on how serious the relationship is, and iron out whatever feelings and problems have risen.

Remember, you have every right to be happy. And that sets an example to your kids.

And finally, to the all the soon-to-be Ex wives everywhere: Just because you aren’t called on your BS doesn’t mean people don’t know you’re full of it. If you’re so happy with your life why are you so worried about your ex-husband’s new love? Think of your kids and how your jealousy is affecting them. Everyone has the right and deserves to be happy. One day it’s going to be you, dating someone new. What goes around comes around, all I can say is, remember that.

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Dating After Divorce: What to do and what not to do

These days, it’s not uncommon to hear that someone is going through a divorce. In 2016, The median length for a marriage in the US is 8 years with 90% of all divorces being settled out of court.60 percent of second marriages end in divorce and 73 percent of all third marriages end in divorce.

Currently, the divorce rate per 1000 married women is 16.9. Many experts feel that this is a much more accurate measure of true divorce rate than the crude rate. The divorce rate per 1000 married women is nearly double that of 1960, but down from the all time high of 22.6 in the early 1980s. Here are some more interesting facts on divorce:

Every 13 seconds, there is one divorce in America. That equates to 277 divorces per hour, 6,646 divorces per day, 46,523 divorces per week, and 2,419,196 divorces per year. That means there are 9 divorces in the time it takes for a couple to recite their wedding vows (2 minutes.) More than 554 divorces occur during your typical romantic comedy movie (2 hours) And 1,385 divorces happen during the average wedding reception (5 hours).

So, if you are divorced and reading this, now what?

You might be hearing from friends and family, “You need to get out there.” But what you’re probably feeling is either, “I don’t think I’m ready,” or “How do I even begin to start dating again?” Since I’ve seen so many friends go through it, I’m a big believer in, what I like to call, “The Take 2 System.”

The Take 2 System is quite simple:

The first step is to realize that you should wait about a year before seriously dating anyone. Yes, that is a long time, but when you end a relationship, a marriage, the healing process takes time. If you are still in love with your ex, you will probably compare everyone you date to him or her. Rebound love always turns out to be a disaster. Take time to learn to love yourself and enjoy the small moments of everyday life.

The second step is to think about what you want, what you don’t want, and identified the deal-breakers.

After that, the next step is to be open-minded to the possibility of finding someone new. This is how you know you are ready. It’s also best to become friends with someone first, not just jump head first into dating someone with all the “fringe” benefits. By that I mean, having sex. Sex is part of dating, but if you are seriously looking for a relationship then you might want to pass on sex for at least six months while trying to get to know someone for who they truly are, and not for what they “claim” to be. Don’t date anyone that you aren’t comfortable with and don’t date someone that is “forced” on you because your friends and family think they found the “perfect” relationship for you.

There’s a difference between who we love, who we settle with, and who we’re meant for.

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Don’t Do These 4 Things If You Want Your Business To Grow

In business, as in life, some of the best advice I learned early on was not to try to be all things to all people, because it typically means you are only trying to please everyone, but yourself.  Most of the time we  jeopardize our true strength to focus on what we may not be successful at and create overall pressures for ourselves, our budget, and our company as a whole.  We tend to not focus on the tasks at hand, and place our focus on things that are not going to help in making our business better, but weaker. I have seen a number of very smart people get into business only to ultimately fail because they didn’t look at their business through the eyes of how to have success, but instead focused solely on having the “build it and they will come” mentality.

The first thing I have seen business owners do that will not help their business grow is take things personally when things don’t go their way.  What I mean by this is simply this; they think the world is out to want them fail.  That couldn’t be further from the truth! The world is not out to get you. The world wants you to succeed.  The saying, “It’s business, not personal,” strikes a cord with me. If business is going to continue, someone has to be held accountable. The purpose of business is to make a profit, change the world, let your voice be heard, and that other things, such as personal feelings, must not be allowed to prevent this.  Now, that doesn’t mean you can’t develop personal relationships with co-workers, team members, clients, etc. It just means that you can’t let that fog your brain when you need to make an important decision about your brand.

The second thing I have seen business owners do that will not help their business grow is that they don’t take their bills seriously and they are always looking to save money, by cutting corners. First off, the saying, “You need to spend money to make money,” is true to its core. You can’t expect to make money when you are afraid to take risks. You need to market yourself and your brand. You need office supplies. You need money for insurance, rent, stamps, staff, etc.  Cutting corners and trying to save a buck or two, usually never works out. (This depends on the corners you are trying to cut. There is a thing called the Internet that can help you save time and possibly money. But use it wisely.)   There are the companies that don’t understand that when you hire someone to help you succeed, or purchase a different service, you are paying for that service.  Therefore, you need to treat every invoice as you would want your customers to treat your invoices. You have to remember that everyone has bills to pay, not just you. Always pay your invoices on time.  When you don’t, that is a reflection on you and your character, not the company’s.(From which you are paying)

Thirdly, it takes a combination of strategic planning and creative thinking to ensure that a brand or business is successful. Going into a business without a plan is never a smart move.  I wouldn’t want to start a business if I didn’t know if I had opportunities for it to grow, how long it will take to get it off the ground, and what effort and amount of energy I need to put into the business for it to grow.  A lot of times people don’t realize that the location, location, location,  of your business is going to have the most effect on if you are going to succeed or fail.   For example, opening a deli on a street with no foot traffic isn’t a good idea.  But at the same time, today, social media is the only thing that is going to either make you or break you.  And most companies hire “big” name companies that whisk them off their feet to handle their social media instead of hiring local social media experts to handle the gig. If you don’t hire the right people to help spread the word on your brand, you mostly are heading for failure. And not to mention, you are headed for sleepless nights!

Finally, the most important thing NOT to do, is to give up on your business too early. In today’s world, everyone wants instant gratification. But with patience, perseverance and determination, you can have your business grow.  Remember, Facebook wasn’t making any money for a very long time, and it was considered a billion dollar business. Stick to the fundamentals.  Good things, sometimes, take time.

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5 DIY Ideas For Planning A Wedding

Planning a wedding can totally consume you with excitement, yet it can very quickly become very stressful. Any way you look at it, DIY (Do It Yourself) started way before someone came up with the actual concept and marketed it. Today, DIY weddings are all the rage and the main purpose of doing a DIY wedding, is to add some beauty without breaking the bank. Here are 5 things that you can do on your own,instead of spending money on.

5. Framed Blackboard Wedding Program

One of the reasons to do this is because paper programs are often thrown away. Having a chalkboard in the lobby, at the door of the church, or reception, adds fun, charm, and it’s a great communication tool.

4. Ribbon-Tied Chairs

You don’t need to break the bank on having all the chairs in the reception or ceremony decorated. With the selection at a craft store to chose from, all you need to do is purchase colors that your bridal party of wearing and tie the ribbon to each chair where the ribbon will flow in the back of each chair.

3. Place Cards

Today, place cards don’t need to be so fancy. You create the template, and you create the style in which you would like to use. For example, it can be as simple as a cardstock piece of paper, or as creative as using Instagram photos of your guests. The point is, it’s up to you to get creative and you can save money on this part of the budget.

2. Welcome Bags

Whether you have out of townees or family/bridal party staying over at the hotel, the welcome bags are easy to make and won’t cost you an arm and a leg to make either! You can chose from paper gift bags, to cloth bags, to even plastic tote bags, the choices are endless. With dollar stores springing up everywhere, picking up soap, shampoo, advil, etc, to fill the bags won’t cost you a bunch either.

1. Photo Albums

There is no need for you to have photographer put together the photo albums for your parents, in-laws, and your memories anymore. With sites online such as, Shutterfly, Smugmug, and Snapfish, putting together the priceless moments, has become easy, painless, and less costly.