Blog - Happy Black Woman

8 Reasons Why You’re Not Making Any Money in Your Business (Some of These Might Make You Mad)

February 28, 2014 | By Rosetta |

As a coach, I feel like I’ve heard it all when it comes to helping people reach their business goals. I hear so many of the same excuses over and over again that I can almost finish someone’s sentence when they start down the path of self-sabotage. Given the hundreds of women I’ve worked with through my classes, courses, coaching programs and live training events, I thought it might be time for a little tough love to nudge you back into your power as a talented entrepreneur.

Here are some reasons why you might not be making the money you want in your business right now. Deep down, if you know any of these reasons are holding you back, don’t get mad, just commit to shifting your mindset and taking action.

Do You Need Your Family and Friends to Support Your Dreams? (The Answer Might Surprise You)

February 21, 2014 | By Rosetta |

“Don’t wait around for other people to be happy for you. Any happiness you get you’ve got to make yourself.” – Alice Walker

When I initially made the decision to quit my full-time job back in 2009, the first person I told was my mom. I could tell that she wasn’t 100% sold on the idea, but eventually she came around. “You can always go back,” she said.

When I told my grandmother, however, I received a more panicked reaction. All of a sudden, my typically supportive Grama turned into a shrewd news reporter. She immediately launched into this “who? what? when? where? how?” spiel, followed by a few worst-case scenarios. I think I finally ended the conversation with, “don’t worry Grama, I know what I’m doing.”

In reality, this couldn’t have been further from the truth. I was scared and anxious and all I wanted to hear was that everything was going to work out and I wouldn’t end up homeless on the streets of DC.

6 Powerful Ways to Practice Self-Love

February 14, 2014 | By Rosetta |

“You do not need to be loved, not at the cost of yourself. The single relationship that is truly central and crucial in a life is the relationship to the self. Of all the people you will know in a lifetime, you are the only one you will never lose.” – Jo Courdert

We all need gentle reminders that we deserve love, not only from others, but from ourselves. Here are a few that sparked for me during our call. I hope some of them will help you in your journey as well.

The Best Way to Waste Your Life

February 7, 2014 | By Rosetta |

In February of 2006, I probably listened to Anthony Hamilton’s “Can’t Let Go” more than a thousand times. That was the month my fiance and I split.

I knew it was the right decision, but that didn’t stop my heart from breaking in two every time that song came on. For some reason, I couldn’t stop replaying our entire relationship in my mind. It was a mental movie on repeat with two actors who love each other, but just can’t figure out how to make it work. I kept thinking: we were supposed to have our honeymoon in Bora Bora.

For the next year, I swore off any “serious” dating. I told myself I needed time to mourn, but mostly all I did was go to work, come home, cook one of his favorite meals to eat for dinner, then drink wine until I fell asleep in my clothes.

Then one day, I suddenly remembered something really important.

How to Take a Vacation (Without Feeling Guilty About It)

January 31, 2014 | By Rosetta |

One thing I hear a lot from the hard-working women in our community is how difficult it is to take a vacation. Many of us already work long hours at work or in our business, yet for some reason have trouble taking a break! If it’s been years since you’ve given yourself the gift of a proper vacation, read on for some tips to help you step away from the laptop or plot your much-needed escape from the cubicle.

Schedule Time Off from Work Far in Advance

The best way to ensure you take your vacation time is to sit down at the beginning of the year and map out the times you already know you want off. It might be useful to think in terms of seasons. Plan to take some time off during the spring, summer, winter, etc. For instance, no matter where I worked, I always took off from my job for a few days every spring so that I could attend the Virginia Festival of the Book in Charlottesville. And for the last 3 years in my business, I’ve taken off at least one full month for vacation at some point during the year for travel!

Most people want to spend extended time with their families during various holidays, so you can plan around those as well. If you’re taking time off from your business, block off time in your calendar for the dates you want to get your R&R. If you’re taking time off from your job, make sure you submit your leave request as FAR in advance as possible so your supervisor can approve it in a timely manner. That way, you can work together to make arrangements for other staff or an assistant to cover your responsibilities and take care of clients during your time away, if necessary.

10 Profitable, Passion-Based Income Streams You Can Create in Your Business This Year

January 24, 2014 | By Rosetta |

A few weeks ago, I gave a series of free webinars to help you earn more money in your business this year. Those webinars were actually my most popular and most well-attended in the history of Happy Black Woman! Stay tuned, because I’m planning to offer some more detailed premium classes for those who want to go deeper with me over the next few months.

In the meantime, I’ve put together a summary of the 10 different streams of income you can create based on your passion, skills, expertise and experience. These are all areas that I’ve actually made money in over the last six years. I hope you find them helpful as you brainstorm profitable ideas for your business!

1. Freelancing

You can earn income through offering contracted services in a specific area such as photography, web/graphic design, personal styling, copywriting, editing, social media management or personal training. You can offer your services by the hour or in a package, depending on what you offer. As a freelance writer, I was paid a monthly fee for producing several articles per week for a career website.

3 Steps to Stop Giving Away Your Power

January 17, 2014 | By Rosetta |

“The most common way people give up their power is thinking they don’t have any.” – Alice Walker

One of the most exciting (and terrifying) lessons you can learn in your life is that you can do anything you want and no one can stop you. It’s even more eye-opening to realize that the only person holding you back is yourself.

Yes, you read that right.

YOU are the only person that can hold you back from making progress on your goals. We choose – whether consciously or subconsciously – who and what we let hold us back. And it’s time to do something about it before it’s too late.

It’s time to stop giving away your power.

If you’ve been struggling to make progress on the big goals you have for your life, these steps can help you tap into the motivation you need to move forward.

10 Inspiring Happy Black Women You Should Know in 2014

January 10, 2014 | By Rosetta |

I’ve been blogging since 2007 (2006 if you count Myspace LOL), and one of my favorite things to do besides writing my own posts is reading other inspiring blogs. It’s always such a gift to discover another writer – especially a black woman writer – who has similar ideals, mindsets and experiences.

As we begin a new year, I wanted to share with you a short list of writers and bloggers within our Happy Black Woman community who are doing some great things this year. All of these women offer insight, resources and tools to help you create and live your ideal life. They keep it real when it comes to taking care of your health, embracing your inner beauty, honoring your spirituality, pursuing your goals, building your business and having the confidence to be who you really are.

Are You Sabotaging Your Success by Waiting for the “Perfect Time?”

January 7, 2014 | By Rosetta |

Every time I offer a new course, I get dozens of emails like this:

Aww man I have to work one of those nights so I won’t be able to attend all the live calls! Will you be offering the course again?
This is exactly where I am in my life right now. I NEED this course! But I don’t have the funds. When will you offer it again?
I really want to work with you in the course, but the timing of the calls is off for me since I live on the west coast/another country. When you offer the course again, can you please hold the calls at a different time of the day?

Do you notice a theme in any of these questions? Yep, they all focus on the possibility of me teaching the course in the future instead of taking advantage of the transformation that’s being offered right now.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a personal development course that could help someone change their lives or an entrepreneurship class that could help someone build their business and make more money. I’ve been teaching online courses since 2010 and I can count on one hand the number of people who actually take action if and when there is a “next time.” So if you’ve ever emailed me with one of those questions, you probably received a loving, yet direct invitation from me to shift your mindset and not count yourself out.

I can stand in a place of integrity and ask people to make empowered decisions because I’ve been there. I’ve done it myself. I’ve made the excuse of not having the money or the time or wasn’t ready or whatever. Now that I think about it, every time there’s been a life-changing opportunity placed in front of me, I honestly DID NOT have the money or the time and I certainly didn’t feel “ready.” But a few years ago, I made the decision to stop focusing on what I didn’t have and find a way to get what I needed.

This Is It! How to Make a Bold Declaration for Your Business in 2014

January 2, 2014 | By Rosetta |

I was so hyped this morning walking to my office listening to Kirk Franklin’s uplifting song, “Declaration (This Is It!).” If you’ve never heard it, it’s all about letting go of your excuses so that you can make progress on your goals. It’s about stepping out on faith and taking action. It’s about believing in yourself and the dreams you have for your life.

The song made me think about the declaration I made for my business in 2014. This year, I’ve committed to “build and grow” my business so that I can help 1,000 women create their ideal lives. I know I’m here on this earth to make a difference and my products and services are what allow me to do that on a larger scale. So “build and grow” is the declaration I’m making for my life and business in 2014. That’s the stand I’m taking and there’s nothing that can stop me from fulfilling my vision to use my gifts in service to empowering women all over the world.