So What? Right?

Well the week is so full of great things that you just have to know about them!  I’m one of those people who believes that you should always celebrate your birthday and that if you want to have a good party…throw one for yourself.  However, this year, three great folks are having terrific events during my birthday week.  And you know what?  They really have almost nothing to do with me and absolutely everything to do with you guys.  Both of the following events are so good that you won’t want to miss them!

2nd Annual Next Generation Work Flexibility Event

The 2nd Annual Next Generation Work Flexibility Event on November 3 consists of networking and a panel discusion.  The  event features a keynote address by Holly G. Green and a panel including industry leaders in the work flexibility.  See more details at Flex Work Connection’s website.  This is a Six Figure Moms Club sponsored event.   We also sponsored the inaugural event in Orange county last year.  Flex Work Connection has offered a special $25 rate for Six Figure Moms Club readers if you purchase via this post by clicking here.  You must purchase by Friday to take advantage of this terrific offer of $20 off the published rate! So hurry and buy your tickets! SEE YOU THERE!

Gary Vaynerchuck Wine Tasting and “Crush It!” Book Signing

Gary Vaynerchuk is one of my favorite icons in the social media industry.  He’s a personal branding expert with a passion like no one you’ve lively heard before.  He’s a social media strategist who not only represents the New York Giants but wants to buy them one day!  Every time I hear Gary speak, I can’t stop thinking about him because he’s just so inspiring and infectious!  Don’t miss this opportunity to meet him in person and hear him chat up his new book.

Excerpt from the Meetup.com:

Join @DowntownRob at the phenomenal Vin De Syrah Spirit & Wine Parlor (@SyrahWineParlor) for a Wine Tasting and Crush It! book signing on Wednesday November 4th!

** Everyone attending receives a copy of Gary’s just released book, Crush It! **

This is the wine event not to be missed as Gary’s first claim to fame was his internet TV series Wine Library.TV.  If you aren’t convinced yet, check out this post I wrote after the last time I heard Gary speak at Gravity Summit!  He’s truly on the mark and infectious!

Hope to see you all there so sign up today!

SAVE THE DATES:

NOVEMBER 19: Networking & Group Status Update

JANUARY 19: 4th Annual Making the Most of Your Personal Strategy New Year KickOff

Vision Boarding Event featuring fabulous catering by Dining Details!

FEBRUARY 22: Special Event Hosted by Birch Aquarium!

Check out the links above and read more about Kim at her oh-so-cool blog I Work in My Pajamas. Her blog has great information about how affiliate marketing works and also fits right in with our Six Figure Moms Club mantra, “Where Women Meet to Create Their Best Lives”.  I’m hoping she’ll join us when our social network launches in the next few weeks.  How about it Kim?

Next week, when you’re working on your vision boards at our January 22 event (or virtually from home), consider putting an affiliate marketing shoe selling strategy in one of your corners.  Getting free shoes sure does sound like a nice fringe benefit to me!

The industry has its own magazine, FeedFront, and the cover feature story is, “The Women of Affiliate Marketing”.  The conference has a mentor program.  Because I’m so new to this industry, I signed up for a mentor.  My mentor just happens to be, Lisa Picarille, editor of Revenue magazine and so far she’s been terrificly helpful and teaching me about the Affiliate Marketing conference.  I’m looking forward to meeting her face-to-face this weekend.  We introduced ourselves via phonecall earlier this week.

Lisa told me a handfull of stories of six figure moms who had left their corporate careers to pursue successful careers in affiliate marketing positions.  Many of these career changes were forced due to a family health situation but the end result seems to always be a happier mom with a more cohesive family unit.  I’m hoping to meet some of these women in person this weekend and to interview them so that I can share their stories with you.

Likely the most interesting thing that Lisa talked to me about is the personality of the Affiliate Marketers and this conference.  She said, “This weekend is not about explaining your business to people and striking deals.  It’s about hanging out, getting to know people and forming relationships.  People in this industry want to know you and they do business with people they like and feel a connection with.  Business deals will likely happen after the conference.”  How refreshing is that?  It is the classic Know, Like and Trust, but a whole room full of 3,000 that actually GET that is going to be amazing. 

Some of the big players in social media are already in Las Vegas for CES (Consumer Electronics Show) and will be staying around for Affiliate Summit.  I read yesterday that Chris Brogran, Warren Whitlock and Dave Taylor all attended Social Media Jungle.  Sorry to be repetitive, but Gary Vaynerchuk (@Garyvee) is the keynote speaker at Affiliate Summit and you know I can’t wait to hear him speak again!

What is Affiliate Marketing you ask?  Here’s a link to a great site with the Top 10 Affiliate Marketing programs which also has some interesting articles which tells you more about the Affiliate Marketing industry.  If you have a specific question about Affiliate Marketing this weekend, send me a message on Twitter @aaswartz or email me and I’ll do my best to find out!

If you’ve been following along, you know that my love affair with Twitter has been going on for a few months now. This past weekend, I had the great pleasure of meeting the author of The Twitter Revolution, Warren Whitlock…again. Not only did I meet Warren but I also had the honor of joining him at TwitCastRadio when he interviewed Adaptive Blue about Glue, a cool new tool that enhances your web browsing experience.  Can you imagine what I asked when it came to my turn for an interview question?  Of course, you’re right!  I asked how the new tool could interface with twitter!  You’ll also hear Mari Smith stepping in for a few seconds too.  (You can hear our interview by clicking on the links above.)

I so enjoyed spending time with Warren this weekend and I could write this whole post about him.  However, that’s not what’s important for you.  Here is what I want you working mothers to hear about my experience and to put to use for reengineering your own lives if it’s helpful for you:

There are successful (and sometimes famous) people around waiting to help you with whatever you need and they are within your grasp.  All you need to do is reach out to them.

Coaches, editors and publishers have been advising me that famous people are much more within our grasp than we think and that they are much more willing to help you than you would imagine.  It’s not a natural thing for us to pick up the phone and call someone like Oprah, but hey, who knows? I just might someday soon and you should too.

When I left for this conference, I jokingly said to my husband, “Warren Whitlock is broadcasting his radio show live from the hotel and I’m going to join him”.  My husband laughed and said, “OK, Angie” with a skeptic tone.  I did know that Warren was broadcasting his show because I had invited him to dinner and I knew he had a time conflict.  I didn’t, however, expect to be interviewing his guest along side him.  Like just about everyone else that I’ve met in the social media space.  I found Warren delightful, open and so willing to reach out a helping hand (Oh, and very funny too).  Thank you Warren!

And by the way, thanks to @sugarjones for taking this great picture below of Warren and I and uploading it to Twitpics just before the interview started.  Don’t we look like a great broadcast journalist team?

“If you only get to give one answer, what ONE thing are you most grateful for?” 

My answer is STRUGGLE.  I’m so thankful for the struggle I have in my life and for so many reasons.

• Struggle makes me continue to grow and think about things from a multitude of perspectives.
• Struggle reminds me that I’m alive.
• Struggle highlights that if things are always easy that I’m not stepping up enough and that I’ve become complacent.  That’s not who I am.  I should be struggling with something.  I’m a change agent and that means that there should be struggle in my life…in every aspect.  That means there will be struggle in my relationships, my career, inside me.
• Struggle is my friend and my ally. If I forget that and let it make me feel down, then that is a sign that I’m not taking good care of myself.
• Struggle is my daughter’s friend too.  She is a lot like her mother.  I must remember who she is and how she is wired and remember that she will struggle with me and that it’s not personal.  It is her path too.

So, yes, my answer my seem a bit strange to you and that’s okay with me.  I want you to think about YOU at your CORE.  What are you truly grateful for about YOU?

YES, I’m grateful for so many other things too.  My daughter, my husband, my family, my friends, my strength, my health, my good fortune, my business, flexible work, work life balance, social media, all the inspiring entrepreneurs I’ve met, and the list goes on and on.  I’m a very, very lucky girl and with a friend like struggle, it’s important for me to stop, sit and remember all these things on a regular basis.

And lastly, let us not forget the comedic one:  TWITTER.  I’m thankful for my affair with twitter.  Yes, it’s still on and it’s hot and heavy.  I’m still in love with twitter and our relationship continues to blossom.

I wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving.  I hope you will take a few moments and reflect upon your own struggles, how purposeful they are for you and the wonderful treasures they bring to you in the end.  Be well. Be safe.

If for some reason, you happen to spending this Thanksgiving season alone or in a sad spot or if you are outside of the United States, visit my friend Gail Goodwin’s site at Inspire Me Today.  She’s always got something uplifting to say  

(P.S. Gail is about to make a huge global annoucement about an initiative we’re working on together. Stay tuned and SHHHHH until then.)

I’m truly amazed at feedback I’ve received in response to my post on Proposition 8: Why Should the Majority Get to Choose How the Minority Lives?. In addition to the 16 comments on the blogpost itself, I’ve received emails, phone calls, twitter tweets & direct messages, facebook messages, phonecalls and people walking up to me to chat. It’s been so enlightening. Below are some demographics about the folks that have reached out to me:

• 90% of the group voted no for Prop 8.
• Most of them have someone in their family that is gay and therefore directly affected by the law.
• Most were frustrated that a Utah constituency directly contributed money to the passing of a California law.
• A small % felt that the church should decide who was “married”.
• Many mentioned their concern that our children would be taught to hate minorities as a result of this law passage.
• Some didn’t have any direct ties to anyone Gay but were a minority and related to minority causes. Thus, wanted freedom for all.
• Everyone wants to know if I think there’s anything they can still do now to make a difference.

As for me, I’m disappointed that I didn’t write my post a month earlier and that I didn’t do more to influence the defeat of this proposition. Why? Because I think the public was miseducated, scared and that it passed for all the wrong reasons.

I am a straight, married, white female. So, why am I so impassioned about this topic? I want my daughter to grow up understanding equality and love for all…not hate and I feel that discrimination teaches hate. I grew up in a small town where very few black families lived. My grandparents had very racist views that just never sat well with me. I wish that bias could be erased for my daughter’s children. Additionally, focusing our energy on topics like this takes our focus away from solving what I see as more important topics like promoting flexible work for all of you.

There are things you can still do if you’re interested in being a Proponent of No on Proposition 8.

1. See this great blog at After Ellen which contains some great celebrity pictures and stories.
2. This Saturday is National Protest Day. Check out JointheImpact.com for more information about how you can participate in this national event.
3. Join the When/If Prop 8 Passes, We’ll Do Something About It Facebook group.

Lastly, I think this video says everything there is to know about this topic. Please take the short 4 minutes it takes to watch it.

Refuse to Hate from Refuse to Hate on Vimeo.

President Obama’s ability to reach out and connect with Voters, specifically Generation Y is due to the fact that he embraced their language: texting and communicating with social media tools. Compare this to John McCain, clearly a novice, and it’s easy to see how a younger generation might feel they have only one clear choice for President. They just can’t relate to someone who can’t communicate with the tools of today. It’s a text book example of the generation gap.

So you say, interesting enough but how does this impact me, the working mother?

Think about it for a minute. If Barrack Obama can use Social Media to have a landslide competitive advantage over his competition, then why can’t you? If you’re an entrepreneur or you’ve been thinking about starting a venture, what can you learn from this recent presidential election? What can you implement for your own business? What can you plagiarize from Barack Obama’s presidential campaign? If our President used Linked In, Facebook, My Space, Twitter, why wouldn’t you? After all, he did spend millions on his campaign, likely the largest budget for market research this year. Why wouldn’t you maximize the research that he’s already done and copy that for your own business?

Clearly, I am a Social Media evangelist. I believe that Social Media is the path for working mothers to flexible work. In fact, I believe that it’s the path for not only working mothers but for anyone looking to lead a more independent lifestyle. Think about it. For the first time in history, the playing field has been equalized by the internet. We’ve all got the power to step up to the plate and hit a home run. Why shouldn’t it be you?

So, go see what your new President did to get elected and copy, copy, copy. Working moms, the man just showed you exactly how to do it. All we have to do is watch, listen and implement for our own businesses. How lucky are we to be living in these times?

Got examples of things you’ve already done? Love to hear from you so that other moms can learn! Leave a comment and if you like this post. Please stumble it!

Here are a few other interesting articles covering our new President’s Social Media success and predictions about how he might continue to use it moving forward:

Mashable: How Will President Obama Use His Massive Social Media Influence?

Search Marketing Gurus: Barack Obama: The First Social Media President?

Advertising Age: Obama’s Rivals Should Steal From His Social Playbook

Read Write Web: Obama’s Social Media Advantage

As I drove to the event that evening, I was having a phone conversation with a friend who couldn’t understand as I explained that winning wasn’t important to me. My friend was coaching me that the only reason I wouldn’t win was because I hadn’t set my intention to. I was laughing and trying to explain that I was already a winner and that getting a trophy just wasn’t that important to me. I was in a very calm state of mind with no expectations for the evening.

I hung up the phone and revisited the following as I prepared to enter the ceremony:

• The day Six Figure Moms Club chose me (and believe me, it chose me long before I ever embraced it), i started winning because I’ve been so inspired by every working mother I’ve ever met.
• Knowing that another working mom has the confidence in me to nominate me for an esteemed award like this already makes me feel like a winner.
• The members of the Six Figure Moms Club tribe and the commentors on my blog are the awards that drive me to push harder.

I’m different today now that I own my own businesses than I was in the competitive, corporate world and I’m proud of my transformation. I was pretty competitive in my old self. I still am but I have to say I like my self actualized self a lot better. I’m putting this out there because I know there are some of you that need to cross the same bridge that I have and it’s a bit scary. Believe me, I know. But let me tell you…it’s so worth it. Take it from a loser. You might not win a trophy…but you’ll win much more.

Just so you know, the winners were really phenomenal, here are just a few examples:

• Barbara Bry, Founder of Athena and Proflowers.com and Producer and co-host of Radio Show, “I’m There for You Baby:The Entrepreneur’s Guide to the Galaxy” et al
• Pat Brown, NBC 7/39 Emmy Award Winning Journalist and community servant
• Midge Constanza, Women’s Rights Advocate and Assistant to President for Public Liaison to President Jimmy Carter
• Debra Emerson, Executive Director, St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center, Adult Developmental Disabilities Center]
• Ruby Randall, COO Vistage International, and past CEO of Anthony Robbins Companies

I’m not offended. I’m actually quite flattered. You see, I perceive bloggers as cutting edge and I’m happy to consider myself as part of a new and upcoming industry. However, uninformed people don’t take me serious as a blogger. They think I’m playing. It’s so entertaining to me how people react to things they don’t understand.

You see, blogging is just another form of media like TV, Radio, Magazines, Newspapers, Outdoor Advertising. You can make money with blogging similarly to how Dr. Phil or Oprah make money with TV. It’s all about personal branding and having a consistent, authentic message. Not only is it another form of media, it’s the newest form and it’s GROWING…while other mediums are decreasing.

A career in blogging is a huge, personal commitment. I spend at least 20 hours per week on my blog/internet presence. That includes writing, marketing, programming, search engine optimization, strategy, research, benchmarking, making friends in the blogosphere, monetization, researching, helping friends in the blogosphere and much more. And get this, 20 hours doesn’t seem like nearly enough. (This doesn’t even include my torrid relationship with Twitter. Remember that from my previous posts? And, by the way, if you aren’t already, follow me @aaswartz on Twitter)

So, why am I sharing this and why is important to you? A couple of reasons:

1. I want you to open your minds to the outside-of-the-box career options that you might not have considered yet as a working mother. Perhaps there is something right there that could make a huge difference in your happy factor.
2. The Tipping Point for the Web 2.0 world is getting closer every day. Given the current economic situation and where the stock market is, might you want to consider investments in Web 2.0 space when you are thinking about reinvesting your money??? I will be. If you are skeptic about the Web 2.0 Tipping point. Check out my recent comment at Harvard Business Publications.
3. The Social Media community is fresh and inspiring. They have a lot to teach us. Go meet them and see what you can learn. The industry is fast paced, upbeat, positive and so inspirational. Why wouldn’t you?

Yesterday, it was my great pleasure to attend Social Media Simplified in Ventura, Ca with some of the brightest and most successful people in the industry. Make sure to stop back later this week when I’ll be talking more about what I learned from Mari Smith (The Pied Piper of Facebook), Deb Michek(Twitter Evangelist Coach Deb), Denise Wakeman (The Blog Squad), Linda P Taylor (”Insider Secrets”), Nancy Marmelejo (Viva Visability) and Simon Leung (Google SEO expert).

Hint Hint: If you can’t wait to read my post and you’re feeling twitventurous, go to http://www.search.twitter.comand search on #smsv and you’ll see all the tweets related to this wonderful event. Pretty sweet huh? And you wonder why I’m having an affair with Twitter?

As some of you may remember, I have been salivating over tickets to Maria Shriver’s Women’s Conference since it went on sale and then subsequently sold out in less than three hours earlier this summer. I even wrote a post about it hoping Maria Shriver herself might read the post and provide a few lucky Six Figure Moms Club members with tickets. Nothing happened.

Last week, my head hung low as I was conceding to the fact that I just wasn’t going to this fabulous event when one of my co-sponsors at the flexible work event offered up an option. I could volunteer on Monday and work the conference as a way to attend. Had I known about this earlier, I would have jumped on the opportunity, but I had commitments Monday that I couldn’t move. Regretfully, I couldn’t make this work.

On Monday morning, my phone started ringing and texts started pouring into my cell phone. By the end of the day, I had access to seven tickets to the conference. Crazy huh? Thank you Universe.

I’m writing this post in haste as I pack my things to run out the door to the conference. I likely won’t have a chance to write any other blog posts until the weekend but I wanted to let you all know how powerful we are. It’s always worth pursuing every little thing you want because the world really is here to help you! If this isn’t proof enough for you, I’m not sure what is!

If everything works out, I’ll be attending the Women’s Conference as a member of the media today. I hope to be standing next to Bono of U2 sometime in the next 24 hours. Universe, did you hear that one?

Of course, my love affair with Twitter continues and if I have a chance, I’ll be tweeting under hash code #miverva as will the other tweeps that attend. If you’re interested, go to www.search.twitter.com and search for “minerva”. There is also a live webcast of this event at the Women’s Conference webcast and I believe at Oprah.com. Sorry, you’ll have to search for the link…because I’ve gotta drive to Long Beach