The BOSS Network Blog

In times past and even presently, being a boss has negative connotations more than positive. If you ever had a boss then you know exactly what I'm talking about. In today's society being a boss is more about what you have materialistically. That’s a pretty arrogant and shallow perception… I could give a long list of what a boss is not but I’d rather talk about what a boss really is and let you measure where you may be against where you should be. You see a Boss has character. A  Boss  has integrity, he or she does what they say they are going to do when they said they will do it. They Know what is right and they are faithful to what is right even when no one else is around. A  Boss   is humble, approachable, treats people with kindness, and compassion, the way they would want to be treated. A boss also knows when and how to be firm. They build people up and sow into the lives of those around them which is why they tend to have a faithful team. After all sowing and reapin

The 4 types of people who will always attract money, no matter what the economy! What do most of us hear when the topic of money comes up in conversation or in the media?  Usually it’s statements like this: “Money is tight…” “I’m broke…” “I gotta count my pennies…” “The ‘sluggish’ economy…” “My money is funny…” “I can’t afford it…” “I’m living paycheck to paycheck…” “Can I get a hook up…” How many of these sound familiar?  Which ones of these have you used recently?  Be honest! Listen, I’m guilty of repeating some of these same phrases as well but no more.  It’s time to put a stop to this kind of language once and for all—especially among brilliant entrepreneurs like you. Don’t get me wrong, I totally understand that unexpected things happen that can cause a temporary lack of funds.  Trust me, I’ve been there. However, prolonged “broke-a$$-ness” among brilliant entrepreneurs is a direct result of two things: 1.) making sub-conscious choices rooted in fear and 2.)

Fear knocked, faith answered; no one was there. This powerful quote continuously inspires me. I often wrestle with fear. I come up with all sorts of reasons of why not to do something. I imagine all of the bad endings, what could go wrong, how I could be embarrassed. But I have learned that this kind of thinking can kill my dreams. If I choose to pay attention to those fears, I won’t begin the work, and nothing will be done. Many of us are standing in front of unlocked doors, but we're afraid to open them because we are imagining our fears standing on the other side. We think that as soon as we open the door, what we fear will smack us in our face and cause us harm. We have already pictured our defeat, so we stand still instead of moving forward. It's funny though. Those times when we decide to face our fears (often because we have no choice), we open up the door and often find nothing there. In fact, instead of what terrorized us, we find courage, we find accomplish

Another month ends, and you feel a little more behind than you did a month ago. Invoices need to be prepared, quarterly reports need to be compiled and proofed, numerous leads need to be followed-up on, and then you realize you haven’t tweeted in 17 days. Does this sound familiar? Running a small business is no small task, and even the best multitaskers can’t do it all alone. You know you need to delegate, but who has the time? Richard Branson, famous billionaire and Virgin CEO, knew the importance of delegation from the beginning, and it set him up for long term success. “Virgin’s ability to grow and diversify successfully was set in the company’s early days, with my learning how to delegate and let go,” he shared in his  Entrepreneur.com  column. Regardless of whether you aspire to running a multi-billion dollar business or want to stay local, all entrepreneurs can take Branson’s advice on delegation. If you are wondering where to begin, below are three basic pieces of

    Elder Vikki Johnson is sought after Speaker, Author, Mentor, Sisterhood Advocate, Living Kidney Donor and a “proud Mom”.  Her daughter is her inspiration for living a life of impact!  A thought provoking speaker, Vikki has influenced thousands of women over the last 20 years and has been featured as a Keynote Speaker for TEDx Women, The Pentagon, Department of Commerce, various women’s conferences, retreats, and workshops.  Her Soul Wealth VIP Mentoring Program supports women through their journey of transformation providing insight into soul calling, clarity, and connection.  Vikki says, “ As a result of working with me women break up with the status quo in their life. They no longer live from survival mode but live a life of undeniable purpose. Unstuck, they move through the world with clarity, confidence and self-worth. Adventure becomes their calling card and they’re filled with joy about what’s coming next.”   She is the visionary of Authentic Living Enterprises

For many of the women entrepreneurs I’ve talked to recently, this was their number one resolution.  Some  had survived really tough times last year while others just wanted to take their money up a notch.  Either way, change is good.  So here are 6 simple yet powerful money habits that can make a big difference in your bottom line in 2015: Automate your savings.  Don’t just take your spare change to the bank on any given Saturday.  That’s what teenagers do.  Instead, have your bank auto-debit your savings at least once a month.  This takes one more thing off your to-do list and before you know it you’ll have a nice chunk of cash put away.  If saving automatically is already a habit, I challenge you to increase what you save each month by twenty-five percent.  I’m a huge fan of CapitalOne360’s online savings program.  It makes saving easy and fun.  Try it here. Track your income regularly.  Most people advise you to track your expenses – and that’s cool too, but I find it

Only recently have I embraced the entire dream that’s been in my heart for quite some time. Before then, I was taking some steps to walk in my purpose.  I had worked through the process of following my passion to identify my purpose. I had researched, studied, and written out ideas and plans. I started a small project to hold myself accountable, I was enrolled in school, and I was more than willing to walk out my dream among family and friends. But I knew that I had to reach higher and work toward more ambitious goals to fulfill what was really in my heart. Everything that I was doing was “safe”. They were comfortable options for me and didn’t require much from me to do. Yet, in order for me to achieve my full vision, I knew I would have to come out of my comfort zone. Part of the issue of embracing my full dream in life stemmed from fear. I was afraid of criticism, of making a mistake, of not being successful, of someone thinking I was trying to imitate someone else, of not re

  I've  been doing a lot of networking the past five months and it’s been really fun. I’ve met interesting people and the quality of their character has been quite refreshing at times. It’s always a joy to meet people who are determined to live beyond the norm and who genuinely have a passion for helping others in one way or another. One of the common traits that I've found in some of these really awesome people is that they are not completely sold on their passion and how prosperous it could be for them and others. They have ideas, hopes, and a good ol’ job. Their jobs bring them good money and benefits (sense of security). But they are mentally stressed out, the job keeps them away from their families, and their jobs don’t speak much to what they have a passion for.  When I ask them what their next step is in fulfilling their passion, they can’t tell me because they don’t really have a plan. An idea will be just that if you never put a plan of action together. I want t

Lauren Maillian Bias is the author of the instant Amazon bestselling business memoir, The Path Redefined: Getting To the Top On Your Own Terms and a serial entrepreneur; she is the Founder and CEO of Luxury Market Branding, a strategic marketing company, and is a Founding Partner at Gen Y Capital Partners, an early stage venture firm focused on investments in mobile and consumer facing technology enabled companies.  At age 19, Lauren cofounded a boutique winery that quickly became an internationally recognized award-winning wine brand, making her the youngest self-made winery owner in the country. She served as the Chief Operating Officer of the company from inception through the brand’s acquisition in 2011.  Lauren’s passionate about marrying marketing, branding, strategy and technology. She is known to spearhead the development of communication concepts to help others build, inspire, engage and connect. Lauren is a marketer at heart, who loves to build brands and devise busi

Multi-faceted television personality, Lauren Lake, is a certified Renaissance woman who doesn't just talk the talk when it comes to life, love, law and living. She simultaneously balances a diverse career as a licensed attorney, television host, relationship expert, life coach and motivational speaker. As the judge on the nationally syndicated daytime show, "Lauren Lake's Paternity Court," which premiered in fall 2013 and premiering in it's second season Monday, September 22nd, 2014. The sharp-witted, opinionated Lake helps litigants resolve legal issues involving paternity by rendering incisive judgments using DNA evidence. A spot-on blend of feisty and fair, her dynamic yet down-to-earth persona resonates with audiences. Join The BOSS Network  ( @ thebossnetwork) and Lauren Lake ( @LaurenLakeEnt)  for a live #BOSSChat  Friday, September 19th at 7/8PM ET Live on Twitter

Life can be overwhelming sometimes and you could fall into depression if you lack daily encouragement. It’s easier to stay encouraged than to pull yourself out from depression. Most of us agree that preventive maintenance is better than digging yourself out from being depressed or discouraged. There are many benefits to having a positive attitude and being encouraged especially when you’re experiencing hard times. Lack of encouragement can cause some women to feel rejected, insignificant, and under-appreciated. I must inform you that if you’re seeking outside validation then you may become disappointed each time. You have to search within yourself and pull out that inner strength of knowing your worth and value. It’s dangerous to sit around and wait for other people to affirm you. What if no one takes the time to encourage you? When you chose to hand over that control to someone else, your happiness is placed in the palm of their hand and you become the victim if they fail to mee

As some of you may know we have recently rebranded our company from Curl Kitchen to truly Natural Boutique. With rebranding comes realization. You should use your past experiences to dictate where your dollars go. Being a small business owner means making ever dollar count but how can you make every review your business receives via the various platform (Google +, Facebook, Yelp…) count? Lets examine one very popular platform that has been in the news recently – Yelp.  Yelp was recently accused of extortion to drive businesses to pay for advertising services http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-yelp-ratings-20140905-story.html . During the process of rebranding I looked back to our Yelp page. In doing so I noticed out of the 9 reviews that we have received since our soft opening March 28, 2014 only 4 of them are recommended. You might be asking yourself the question how in the world do you have so many reviews in such a short period of time. We used what is called a “call to

The WHO question is fundamental to your vision’s implementation schedule. While everyone is not ready to  hear about your vision, there is someone, there are people WHO are definitely ready to buy into you. This statement may seem contemptuous, while not meant to be, it is the truth. There will be people WHO pick up the phone when you call. There will be people WHO will not answer the phone when you call (the trick is to not leave a voice message so you can call back, I am being facetious).       The point is someone is willing to listen. Many times, as it pertains to our visions, all we need is a listening ear or someone WHO will challenge us to think deeper. The process to determine what person or which people to call should be strategic. WHEN you decide to call you should be prepared with WHAT you are going to say and HOW you are going to say it.       It is true… you only have one opportunity to make a first impression. Therefore, make sure you have vetted wisely the i

When you look yourself in the mirror, what do you see?  Do you see someone who came from a broken home of little success and very little money?  Do you see yourself as the ugly duckling always comparing herself to the next beautiful swan that comes her way?  Or, do you see yourself as this middle income business person who makes just enough to pay her bills and live a little bit?  Now the next question….Are you happy with what you see in the mirror?  If not, what are you going to do about it? One thing that we need to learn early on is….WE ARE A DIRECT RESULT OF WHAT WE REFLECT. What you see in the mirror is exactly what you are going to reflect out to the world. Does it matter that you grew up in a house with very little success when it comes to being faith based, family oriented or financially successful?  So what if you’re not as pretty as Halle Berry….you are still beautiful right?  Why be content with one level of  income when you know it doesn't depict how talented you a

Lisa Nicole Bell is an award-winning writer, producer, on camera talent and entrepreneur. She currently hosts a weekly podcast, Behind the Brilliance , where she interviews accomplished  creative people about their lives and work. Lisa created, directed, and produced The American Dream Revised, a docuseries that follows a diverse group of young entrepreneurs. The series was licensed to Procter & Gamble as a part of their multi-platform . Rising Tide campaign with Russell Simmons. Lisa is also the creator, editor, and executive producer of The Legacy Letters, an anthology featuring 30 women writing letters to their younger selves. The letters were adopted as monologues and performed to a sold out crowd. She previously earned a NAACP Theatre award nomination for the stage play Deal Breakers, which she wrote, directed, co-starred in and co-produced. Praised as a masterful communicator, Lisa is the author of Divine Inspirations and a contributo to books such as End