I had to take a break from social media. All those mindless platitudes and quotes to show how clever you can be were getting on my nerves. I like information I can use. Facebook may be the 300 pound gorilla in the room but it isn't paying my bills. The endless changes are making it a job just to stay current without the resulting cash flow.
Notice how everyone's a social media expert these days. I'm in the beta group for everything Google rolls out. Yet, when I talk to these experts, they know less than I do. I'm almost getting to the point I don't want to go to networking events here in Arizona because most of the people who come are one of three professions, ie real estate, social media or a consultant. Notice none of them are producing anything. Although I did recently meet a charming young attorney whose practicing immigration and bankruptcy law which is near and dear to my heart as that's how I started out. I suggested she add business and go obtain certification in immigration by the American Bar Assocation. I hope she takes that free advice to heart.
I network like most people breathe, its second nature for me. You tell me you interested in turning waste into fuel, my mind will immediately go to sources for you to obtain the product as well as potential buyer. I had a woman once tell me I knew you were ill when you told me "I don't know". She went on to state she had never asked me a question I couldn't give her a resource for. I never thought about it until she told me that. Her comment made me realize what a resource person I am. I love knowledge for the sake of knowledge, an a voracious reader and information gather. I've prepped folks for encounters with other cultures both in the US and while they were overseas. More importantly my background in law and research makes me keep checking until I've confirmed the info to my satisfaction.
So now I'm setting down and putting pen to paper to monetize this skill as the new catch phrase goes. I'm not getting any younger and can't keep giving the info away. Smile
I haven't added any pictures because B'girl wasted nail polish remover on the laptop keyboard. Now I have to go buy another computer, a process I put up there with going to the dentist or the auto repair shop. That's what I'll be doing this weekend. Smile
Hope you have a great weekend.
Michelle
I feature my works, other artists and international news. http://wirequeenjewelry.com
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Today is B'Girls Birthday She Turns 13
Today my baby girl turns 13, where did the time go. It seems like just yesterday I was laughing at her as she went from room to room playing in each room and then coming to see what Mommy was doing. She liked to play under the diningroom and then she became too tall for that. She took a while to realize she couldn't stand up without bumping her head. She has always had her own sense of style and fashion. I believe in letting kids take baby steps in making decisions. I started my girls off letting them pick and outfit to wear and by the expression on my face daring anyone to make a negative comment to them. Baby girl has never had her hair permed although I did let her get a press and curl once. She has a strong ego and self esteem many times setting the standard for her class. The kids in her kindergarten class started calling her "rock star". I didn't get it, so I asked the kid I heard say it why. He stated it was her. If you knew my daughter then you would understand my confusion. She would not immediately join in play or other activities. She would sit back observe the activity and then decide if she wanted to participate. Go figure.
Now its parties and she had her first limousine ride this weekend. Little Miss socialite had a luncheon birthday party to attend and that afternoon the parents of the second birthday girl treated the kids to a limo ride before they had the party. Thank goodness she has not gone gaga over boys yet. I've been talking that issue and whispering abstain from sex until she's married in her ear since she was born.
I give thanks for being blessed with her wit, intelligence and love these 13 years. May I be blessed to see her through the many transitions she still has will undergo before she reaches adulthood.
Michelle
Now its parties and she had her first limousine ride this weekend. Little Miss socialite had a luncheon birthday party to attend and that afternoon the parents of the second birthday girl treated the kids to a limo ride before they had the party. Thank goodness she has not gone gaga over boys yet. I've been talking that issue and whispering abstain from sex until she's married in her ear since she was born.
I give thanks for being blessed with her wit, intelligence and love these 13 years. May I be blessed to see her through the many transitions she still has will undergo before she reaches adulthood.
Michelle
Friday, September 23, 2011
Save the Date November 15 2011
Hi All
Save the date November 15, 2011 from 11:30-1p.m. I wlll conduct a seminar on "Going International". More details will be forthcoming. Sign my email list to get details sent directly to you.
If you in the Valley and interested in international trade you want to be here.
That's all for now.
Michelle
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Today is my Older Brother's Birthday
Today is my older brother's birthday. He would have been 60 years old. I was a sickly child and wasn't allowed to run and play. When he could have been off playing, my brother would put me in his wagon and ride me around the neighborhood so I could get some fresh air and see things.
Big Brother had a big heart. When he went to his cleaners the owner seemed sad. Mike asked her what was wrong. She told him her Mother was hospitalized and she couldn't close the cleaners to go be with her. Mike got her Mother's name and the hospital she was in. He took her Mother flowers and sat with her a couple of hours making her laugh and talking with her. He then went on to work.
Big Brother could dance. You could show him any dance no matter how intricate and he could do it. He was a graduate of Cranbrook Academy in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and attended U of Michigan on a dance scholarship but didn't graduate. He just plain got tired of school and dropped out.
Big Brother was gay. He would take me to restaurants and tell me to pick out the gay men. A lot of the time I got it wrong. I knew about the "down low" before there was a term for it. Mike wanted to make sure I avoided these kind of "men".
Big Brother was very protective of me and I of him. He could never see the negative in people and always would try and find the good. Most people were crazy about him, this earned him a lot of "haters" who would smile in his face and pretend to be his friend so they could bask in his light. We would try and warn him, but Mike would smile and say they couldn't hurt him.
As I stated earlier Mike could dance. When we would go out there were women who knew he was gay who would try and sleep with him. I didn't get it. I asked one woman why she say she thought it would be great because of the way he moved. Another stated she wanted to help him go straight. Go figure.
I miss my brother and pray that he rests peacefully until the day of judgement. Love you Mike.
Michelle
Big Brother had a big heart. When he went to his cleaners the owner seemed sad. Mike asked her what was wrong. She told him her Mother was hospitalized and she couldn't close the cleaners to go be with her. Mike got her Mother's name and the hospital she was in. He took her Mother flowers and sat with her a couple of hours making her laugh and talking with her. He then went on to work.
Big Brother could dance. You could show him any dance no matter how intricate and he could do it. He was a graduate of Cranbrook Academy in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and attended U of Michigan on a dance scholarship but didn't graduate. He just plain got tired of school and dropped out.
Big Brother was gay. He would take me to restaurants and tell me to pick out the gay men. A lot of the time I got it wrong. I knew about the "down low" before there was a term for it. Mike wanted to make sure I avoided these kind of "men".
Big Brother was very protective of me and I of him. He could never see the negative in people and always would try and find the good. Most people were crazy about him, this earned him a lot of "haters" who would smile in his face and pretend to be his friend so they could bask in his light. We would try and warn him, but Mike would smile and say they couldn't hurt him.
As I stated earlier Mike could dance. When we would go out there were women who knew he was gay who would try and sleep with him. I didn't get it. I asked one woman why she say she thought it would be great because of the way he moved. Another stated she wanted to help him go straight. Go figure.
I miss my brother and pray that he rests peacefully until the day of judgement. Love you Mike.
Michelle
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
You can find business anywhere if you keep an Open Mind.
I thought you would enjoy this story. I have counseled and represented many traders who got their start this way.
It all started with her being seized by the simple whim to pack her suitcases and head off to whatever European city entered her mind, for a few weeks. It was, after all, mid-summer and she needed to get away for a while. A major monkey-wrench was thrown into her very simple plan, when she was told by every travel agent in the city that she should have booked during the spring, when seats were still available.
She was left with no choice but to change her travel plans in the end. Instead of going to the destination of her choice, she ended up heading to the only one with seats that were available. Being the plucky individual that she was, it did not deter her in the slightest that it happened to be the capital city of a minuscule country that neither she, nor her travel agent, had ever head of before. She threw a pile of warm clothes and skirts, plus a few unmentionables, into her suitcase and headed off into the wild blue yonder.
To put it in a nutshell, she wound up in the middle of a country where nobody, not one soul, could speak her language. This resulted in something of a heart-stopping moment when the customs agent examining her bags suddenly gave her the strangest of looks. He gestured towards her and began jabbering excitedly in his own language. At first she thought that she must have violated a local regulation by wearing them, but through some rudimentary sign language and crudely drawn pictures depicting stick-figures carrying guns being chased by other stick figures in police uniforms, the agent was able to communicate that he was only warning her about local thieves.
As she got out of the airport, it occurred to her that she may have made a dreadful mistake. It was not warm and sunny in the least. In fact, in no time at all a frigid blast that could have blown in directly from the North Pole, had caught her skirts and blown them up over her head, much to the delight of the waiting cab-drivers. Gathering them in one hand to prevent further rude actions by the wind, she dragged her luggage to the nearest cab.
Luck was with her at last. The cab’s driver had been the only one to discretely look away during the wind’s antics. And, though he could not understand a single thing she said, he immediately recognized the name of her hotel when she pulled out her booking confirmation and waved around it in front of his face. After a twenty-plus minute ride that seemed more like a practice run for a Formula One event, she arrived safely, if somewhat shaken, at the hotel.
Undaunted, she arose the next morning and set out for the city-center. What awaited her there was one of those rare, life-changing moments, for everywhere she turned, in every shop window, were the most ornately designed, absolutely exquisite men wedding bands. When she whipped out her pocket calculator and did the math, she discovered that she could easily resell them at a five hundred percent profit margin back home. A new business was born that day, on that street in the middle of nowhere. The local population still does not speak any language other than their own. But, that is not a problem for our heroine, who keeps the source of her supply a closely guarded secret.
She has learned theirs.
The moral of this little story is that when you’re traveling either for business or pleasure abroad, always look for deals on things that could be bought or sold, then imported or exported. Many an import / export business has been started this way.
This may be an obvious tip, but because of the economic situation worldwide, some things are not always available some countries, and there is a growing market for all kinds of things.
Just keep your eyes open, and you could be well on your way to starting a new enterprise idea
It all started with her being seized by the simple whim to pack her suitcases and head off to whatever European city entered her mind, for a few weeks. It was, after all, mid-summer and she needed to get away for a while. A major monkey-wrench was thrown into her very simple plan, when she was told by every travel agent in the city that she should have booked during the spring, when seats were still available.
She was left with no choice but to change her travel plans in the end. Instead of going to the destination of her choice, she ended up heading to the only one with seats that were available. Being the plucky individual that she was, it did not deter her in the slightest that it happened to be the capital city of a minuscule country that neither she, nor her travel agent, had ever head of before. She threw a pile of warm clothes and skirts, plus a few unmentionables, into her suitcase and headed off into the wild blue yonder.
To put it in a nutshell, she wound up in the middle of a country where nobody, not one soul, could speak her language. This resulted in something of a heart-stopping moment when the customs agent examining her bags suddenly gave her the strangest of looks. He gestured towards her and began jabbering excitedly in his own language. At first she thought that she must have violated a local regulation by wearing them, but through some rudimentary sign language and crudely drawn pictures depicting stick-figures carrying guns being chased by other stick figures in police uniforms, the agent was able to communicate that he was only warning her about local thieves.
As she got out of the airport, it occurred to her that she may have made a dreadful mistake. It was not warm and sunny in the least. In fact, in no time at all a frigid blast that could have blown in directly from the North Pole, had caught her skirts and blown them up over her head, much to the delight of the waiting cab-drivers. Gathering them in one hand to prevent further rude actions by the wind, she dragged her luggage to the nearest cab.
Luck was with her at last. The cab’s driver had been the only one to discretely look away during the wind’s antics. And, though he could not understand a single thing she said, he immediately recognized the name of her hotel when she pulled out her booking confirmation and waved around it in front of his face. After a twenty-plus minute ride that seemed more like a practice run for a Formula One event, she arrived safely, if somewhat shaken, at the hotel.
Undaunted, she arose the next morning and set out for the city-center. What awaited her there was one of those rare, life-changing moments, for everywhere she turned, in every shop window, were the most ornately designed, absolutely exquisite men wedding bands. When she whipped out her pocket calculator and did the math, she discovered that she could easily resell them at a five hundred percent profit margin back home. A new business was born that day, on that street in the middle of nowhere. The local population still does not speak any language other than their own. But, that is not a problem for our heroine, who keeps the source of her supply a closely guarded secret.
She has learned theirs.
The moral of this little story is that when you’re traveling either for business or pleasure abroad, always look for deals on things that could be bought or sold, then imported or exported. Many an import / export business has been started this way.
This may be an obvious tip, but because of the economic situation worldwide, some things are not always available some countries, and there is a growing market for all kinds of things.
Just keep your eyes open, and you could be well on your way to starting a new enterprise idea
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Remembering September 11
I think all Americans are taking time to reflect on what September 11 and the events that occurred that day. I think what you were doing is burned into our collective psyche. Why? This was the first time war and the destruction which insures was brought home. We had never before faced an enemy on our own turf. I believe that Americans considered the destructive we wrote in other countries like a video game or a movie. People were being killed over there but it wasn't really real for us. They were the "Other" and everyday Americans had no frame of reference other than the movies. We had no emotional tie ends. You might see a Mother wailing over the loss of her loved ones after a missile went awry, but there was no emotional response from Americans. We are not a heartless people just the opposite. Yet the average American had no frame of reference for the scale of destruction a single missile or airplane could cause. We just didn't get it.
Until September 11. We the Average American was forever changed by what we saw. We were shaken in our collective boots. I think until 9/11 we considered ourselves invincible and untouchable, after all We are Americans. That was our collective psyche because we had no other frame of reference until September 11 brought us into the real world. This generation of America will forever be changed by the events of 9/11 and its aftermath.
The question is did we learn ANYTHING from it?
God Bless America may she forever be strong and compassionate.
Until September 11. We the Average American was forever changed by what we saw. We were shaken in our collective boots. I think until 9/11 we considered ourselves invincible and untouchable, after all We are Americans. That was our collective psyche because we had no other frame of reference until September 11 brought us into the real world. This generation of America will forever be changed by the events of 9/11 and its aftermath.
The question is did we learn ANYTHING from it?
God Bless America may she forever be strong and compassionate.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Interesting Article on Marketing to the Chinese
Marketing to the Affluent Chinese: Target the event, not the individual !
Targeting a specific type of consumer or client when designing a product for China can cause serious headaches. Indeed, it is common knowledge that there is no single « Chinese Consumer », but rather a multitude of Chinese consumer types. The Northern Chinese may be opposed to Southern Chinese, East Coast Chinese to Chinese from the backward central regions, New Money to Old Money, “hard-earned” money to “dirty” money. Is there a key to targeting potential clients in this extremely fragmented market?
For over six years, we have been interviewing affluent Chinese of all sorts about their lifestyle and associated product purchases, and this has convinced us of the following: there IS a common denominator among all the affluent Chinese. For all of them, social events in China are extremely codified and require the display of specific categories of luxury products.
For example:
Rich Chinese often display numerous, expensive luxury watches, which makes us smile and think that the Chinese are avid watch collectors. In fact, during our interviews, the Chinese explain (quite logically) that each watch fits a specific event and therefore multiple watches are necessary: one for the workday, which will be common / low profile i.e. a Rolex or a simple Omega; one for the Board or Communist Party meeting i.e. a premium watch such as a Patek Philippe with complications or an Audemars Piguet ; one for sports activities – a Tag Heuer or a diving watch like the Omega Submariner ; one for parties with sophisticated friends – a diamond watch from Piaget or Cartier… And as people get richer, the events subdivide, specific sports will require specific watches i.e. a diving watch for diving, a Jaeger Lecoultre Reverso for Polo, etc …
The same pattern exists in the women’s universe, clothing for example: at work (all the women work in China) a skirt and a sophisticated top, for shopping a casual outfit which may include trousers, for an evening event a evening gown, for a Charity lunch among women a very sophisticated but this time short dress, for sports – sportswear, for golf – golf apparel, for yoga an indoor outfit made of expensive fabric such as single thread cashmere…
Events are codified and the Chinese are very formal. While it is difficult to describe a « typical » Chinese, all the Chinese across the country will agree on the same attributes to wear at the same types of events. This flows from the strong influence of Confucianism, which dictates what is called Chinese « good taste », or rather the importance, as taught by Confucius, of behaving in the appropriate manner in each specific circumstance. What the Chinese call « Good Taste » today is nothing more than what Confucius called the « virtue of the gentleman ».
The key to marketing a luxury brand or product in China, therefore, is to find the related event, rather than to determine the type of client or consumer. Once you’ve identified the event, you will be able to roll out a lifestyle-marketing plan that will be simple, effective – and very lucrative.
The site can be reached by clicking on the title.
Targeting a specific type of consumer or client when designing a product for China can cause serious headaches. Indeed, it is common knowledge that there is no single « Chinese Consumer », but rather a multitude of Chinese consumer types. The Northern Chinese may be opposed to Southern Chinese, East Coast Chinese to Chinese from the backward central regions, New Money to Old Money, “hard-earned” money to “dirty” money. Is there a key to targeting potential clients in this extremely fragmented market?
For over six years, we have been interviewing affluent Chinese of all sorts about their lifestyle and associated product purchases, and this has convinced us of the following: there IS a common denominator among all the affluent Chinese. For all of them, social events in China are extremely codified and require the display of specific categories of luxury products.
For example:
Rich Chinese often display numerous, expensive luxury watches, which makes us smile and think that the Chinese are avid watch collectors. In fact, during our interviews, the Chinese explain (quite logically) that each watch fits a specific event and therefore multiple watches are necessary: one for the workday, which will be common / low profile i.e. a Rolex or a simple Omega; one for the Board or Communist Party meeting i.e. a premium watch such as a Patek Philippe with complications or an Audemars Piguet ; one for sports activities – a Tag Heuer or a diving watch like the Omega Submariner ; one for parties with sophisticated friends – a diamond watch from Piaget or Cartier… And as people get richer, the events subdivide, specific sports will require specific watches i.e. a diving watch for diving, a Jaeger Lecoultre Reverso for Polo, etc …
The same pattern exists in the women’s universe, clothing for example: at work (all the women work in China) a skirt and a sophisticated top, for shopping a casual outfit which may include trousers, for an evening event a evening gown, for a Charity lunch among women a very sophisticated but this time short dress, for sports – sportswear, for golf – golf apparel, for yoga an indoor outfit made of expensive fabric such as single thread cashmere…
Events are codified and the Chinese are very formal. While it is difficult to describe a « typical » Chinese, all the Chinese across the country will agree on the same attributes to wear at the same types of events. This flows from the strong influence of Confucianism, which dictates what is called Chinese « good taste », or rather the importance, as taught by Confucius, of behaving in the appropriate manner in each specific circumstance. What the Chinese call « Good Taste » today is nothing more than what Confucius called the « virtue of the gentleman ».
The key to marketing a luxury brand or product in China, therefore, is to find the related event, rather than to determine the type of client or consumer. Once you’ve identified the event, you will be able to roll out a lifestyle-marketing plan that will be simple, effective – and very lucrative.
The site can be reached by clicking on the title.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Review of of the movie "Colombiana"
I took b'girl to see ""Colombiana" starring Zoe Saldana. I guess Zoe is the new female action heroine. The movie was quite an adrenaline rush. Yes, it was a drug related movie, so it was bloody. B'girl covered her eyes in certain parts.
Yes, I covered my eyes too in some scenes. I loved the movie's action scenes. I've always joked about women being deadlier than the male. This movie put that into play. Saldana was excellent in her single mindedness.
Go, it was a good way too sped a Sunday afternoon after walking the mall. B'girl's actual favorite way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
As always you click on the title go to my site to purchase a "pretty".
Smile
Yes, I covered my eyes too in some scenes. I loved the movie's action scenes. I've always joked about women being deadlier than the male. This movie put that into play. Saldana was excellent in her single mindedness.
Go, it was a good way too sped a Sunday afternoon after walking the mall. B'girl's actual favorite way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
As always you click on the title go to my site to purchase a "pretty".
Smile
Monday, September 5, 2011
Social Media is helping TV. Do you Agree With His Statement?
quoted from gary
It’s not “television versus social media”, it’s “social media is helping television
Gary V seems to be going against what all the other social media gurus's are touting. Namely that television is dead.
Do you agree with him ? Why or Why Not?
Thursday, September 1, 2011
VIP Preview of the DEBT
I had VIP passes to see THE DEBT Tuesday at Harkins Theatre. We normally end the Eid by going to a movie. I took my neighbor.I was not sure what to expect even after reading the little write up they have at check in. I don't understand how a movie made in Israel, with a Jewish cast could hit so many stereotypes of Jews. I thought the movie was insulting to those who had lost their lives in the Holocaust. I like Helen Mirren but until the last 10 minutes of the movie she was not a sympathetic character.
I must have completely missed the point of this movie. I hope it was to show that we are all human and do stupid things we regret. I hope the purpose was to show that it is never to late to redeem ourselves.
Your thoughts on the movie?
I must have completely missed the point of this movie. I hope it was to show that we are all human and do stupid things we regret. I hope the purpose was to show that it is never to late to redeem ourselves.
Your thoughts on the movie?
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