The BOSS Network Blog

We are a little over half into 2017. What have you accomplished thus far? You still have five months left to make your vision a reality. Take a moment and think about the word, Vision.  Within the bible, there are over 100 verses relating to vision alone. We normally cast our vision  at the beginning of a year as New Year’s Resolutions. According to history.com, 75% of people  manage to keep these resolutions for one week, 71% for two weeks, and by 26 weeks, only 46%  of people are still maintaining those lofty goals. To start building your vision, you must see your path. Your path is connected to your purpose. To know your purpose you have to know yourself, and know what drives you to action  every day. You must have a clear understanding of who you are and whose you are, and what  parts of your purpose drives you to get up in the morning. Once we have established these things  firmly in your mind, we want to take the vision, the images that w...

Lakara Foster, M.Ed serves as the CEO of She Speaks! Institute For Women, Inc., whose mission is to educate, empower, and enlighten. As a speaker, author, and spiritual development expert she has appeared on several television shows including The Oprah Winfrey Show and VH1's Atlanta Exes as a Life Coach. 1. What were some obstacles that you faced in the beginning process of starting your business or career? Honestly, I was my own obstacle in the beginning. I feared asking for help and was unwilling to admit that I didn’t have all the answers I needed to be successful. I spoke to a friend who reminded me that Jesus recruited disciples because he could not do the work alone. With that one statement, I began building a team of people who believed in me and my God-given vision to empower women. Over the years they have served as friends, confidants, and my event staff at workshops, retreats, and seminars. I have also built a powerhouse mentoring team of individuals who selfles...

Whether you are interviewing for your next job or planning to meet a key business connection,  planning ahead will always add value to your journey to the finish line – securing the  opportunity. It starts by thinking about an interview as a process, and not a one-time event. While we all are familiar when it comes to going to an interview, it is imperative that we are  truly intentional when entering a competitive atmosphere. Quite often, you have less than 30  minutes to make a lasting impression…What you do before, during, and after the interview could  determine your next level on your corporate/career ladder. Before the Interview :  Prepare copies of your resume & cover letter, and bring multiple copies to the interview. Plan to arrive at least 15 minutes early. This means that you need to GPS the location, in advance and estimate time for any traffic you might encounter. Do your research – Know what you are walking into, and be a...

When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you.   African Proverb How much education do you really need to do your job well? Do you believe it is more important to either receive knowledge or apply knowledge? Is knowledge truly powerful?  These are some of the questions that ran through my mind as I contemplated purchasing yet another course that promised to make me a 6-7 figure super awesome business maven and read yet another book on living my best life.  I have 3 degrees and more certificates than I can count, but I question whether my life actually correlates with all that knowledge I have received. Then it hit me. I am a knowledge hoarder! In this article, a knowledge hoarder is defined as someone who is on a perpetual treadmill of collecting information before taking significant action to utilize the collected information.  I am a collector of knowledge but share and apply only a very small portion of it. If I am truly honest I only ...

As the CEO of WDB Marketing, Keeana Barber, focuses her day on expanding the impact her company has on small businesses.  At the core, WDB is a branding and printing company, a place over 1,000 businesses proudly call their marketing headquarters.   However, the imprint Keeana would like to have is much larger.   Our focus as a company is more than delivering a service, more than printing — it is to truly help businesses build a foundation for success. 1. What were some obstacles that you faced in the beginning process of starting your business or career? The biggest obstacle I faced at the beginning of starting my business was a lack of a business network/mentorship.  I started my business fueled by the passion to continue my brother’s legacy, who had recently passed away.  Without any investment or support I hosted an event in his honor, months within his passing. The event was surprisingly successful but from there I had a string of ...

Self-Care is so important when you are building your business. It is so easy to become consumed by meetings and late nights that you barely eat and suffer lack the proper amount of sleep.  These 10 tips are crucial not only for your physical body but for your business to thrive.  1.Your body is to be loved. Love on your big lips, freckled face, the curve of your back, the dimples in your thighs and the color of your skin. Once you can effectively love all of you, you can love other people too. 2.No more comparing yourself. Look, I know I will never be a size 2. I had to be okay with this. My neighbor is super skinny yet she has high blood pressure and cholesterol from not taking care of her body. 3. Get counseling. I shared this is a previous post. I'm sharing it again because it is that important. Stop dragging your feet. Call your insurance company to get an EAP authorization number for your free appointments. 4. Eat right! Add more green stuff to your diet. Choo...

The art of pivoting can help the business owner know when it’s time to rebrand or release a partner, the employee of 15 years that has just been laid off have the courage change fields, the college student who has just graduated with a degree in a field they no want to work in or can’t find a job in, the family who just found out they are having twins instead of a singleton, the teenager that just found out they are pregnant and even the family that just found out they may have a hard time conceiving without help. The ability to pivot, aka mental flexibility and adaptability is one of the top ten skills employers look for, according to the University of Kent, and “a critical skill that all entrepreneurs need”, according to Inc.com.  Not only is the ability to pivot critical for success in the business world it is a necessary element in being able to have the resilient mindset to flourish regardless of the situation presented, based on the book “Emotional Agility” by Susan David, Ph...