Nessa's Notes

We're up to number 23 in the 30 days of blogging , and although I have missed some days this has still been the best thing that could ever happen to this journal. Prompt 23 is an especially fun one; make a wish! When I was a teenager and going through some difficulties, my school couselor would often ask me what I would wish for if I had the proverbial three wishes. Back then it all seemed so simple. I would always answer that I only needed one wish: for everybody in the world to have all they needed and be happy. In my mind then, that meant that everybody would have all their wishes granted! I suppose that now I should have a more practical view of real life. And in some ways that earlier wish seems simplistic and unrealistic. There are some people who never have "enough" and some who refuse to be happy. So as I grew older my wishes stayed generally the same became more specific. My wish is that everyone could be well nourished and healthy. That no one would ever...

I missed a few days in the 30 days of blogging , but the nice thing about this project is that it's so easy to jump back in. :) Prompt 20 is to share a childhood memory. When thinking about what would make a good recollection to share here, I reminded myself that the topic of this blog is wealth creation. That led to thoughts of Carolina Florist, the business my grandparents owned. "The Shop" as we called it was one of my favorite places to be and there are so many fond memories to recall. Grandpa's whispery whistle as he worked, creating his beautiful arrangements Grandma V teaching me how to update customer files when payments came in Watering and dusting the potted plants and "dish gardens" kept in the window displays Making endless boquets and corsages for Mother's day, and hundreds of palm crosses for Easter The elation when after countless tries, I finally learned to make a bow-ribbon pompom It was a good place and a good way to learn about busines...

All the cooking and feasting seems to have put me a day behind in this adventure. But that's ok, I'll catch up. After all, it's a journey - not a race. :) Prompt 13 in 30 days of blogging is to write about strengths and what brings joy. This is an important topic that everyone should explore occasionally. The two subjects are closely connected since we usually like to do those things we do well, and we tend to do well that which we like. I believe that I have three main strengths: The first is something that I have always loved; reading and writing. Books have been my friends since before I can remember. (A trait I inherited from my English teacher/librarian mother) And I have a good ear for languages. The next would be that I am a caretaker. In addition to being a mom and foster parent, I've been an emergency medic, a doula and a group home manager for disabled adults and children. Helping support people as they develop towards their personal or business goals just com...

We're now one third of the way through the 30 days of blogging . This has been such a great experience for me that I'm already thinking about 'what happens next'. I'm wondering what I'll do after the thirty days are over. Today's topic is to remember a dream and talk about it's significance. One thing I've always had is a rich dream life - both awake and asleep. Here is one: I dream about collective as well as individual wealth, which is the main reason for this blog. I don't mean wealth as in a gazillion dollars; that type is illusory at best and when gained suddenly usually doesn't last. Although a certain variable amount of transferable currency is necessary that doesn't always have to mean money. I've written about this in this blog and elsewhere but for now suffice it to say that the wealth I dream about means everyone has enough, and just a little more to share with others. In this ideal (dream) world many of our societal ills w...

Yep, I missed another day but that's OK. Participating in the 30 days of blogging has been a wonderful boost - to my blog, my habits and my perceptions of why and what I want to accomplish. #7 is to Ask A Question . Being told to ask a question naturally makes you wonder what it is that you want or need to know. So, remembering my purpose for this blog and thinking about the assignment, here's my question: How do you define wealth, and does that definition sometimes seem to contradict itself? For example, everyone has heard the adage "don't put all your eggs in one basket", and most business "coaches" and internet "gurus" talk about multiple streams of income. One of the more popular pieces of advice is to create and sell e-books based on your main business offering, articles and other content. I think this is a great idea and I'm working on several of my own . But the how and why matters fully as much as the what. Do you think it's rig...

Day 5 of this exercise sounded simple at first: make a list . Of ten things that are important to me. My first thought was if I could narrow it down to only 10. So, I started thinking about what is truly important to me. According to my friend Mr. Webster, important means: marked by or indicative of significant worth or consequence : valuable in content or relationship. Significant worth. Valuable content. Relationship. My next thought was if there were 10 things that were worthy of such a list. 1. God and Them. 2. My children, steps, their friends, my neices, Godchildren, granddaughter, and all those wonderful folks who call me Mama-V or Auntie-V. 3. Books, words, reading, libraries, literacy and books 4. Pictures, letters to and from and special memories of number 2 5. Music 6. Friends. The ones who have fun with and make fun of me. The ones who come and go, and come back again. And especially the ones who love me and show me the way. 7. Grace 8. Beauty I think that's enough. Thi...

They say a picture is worth a thousand words - and photographs can speak especially loud. A photograph captures a moment in time, for all time. And yet, a photo can still be open to interpretation. First, I started to post a few photos of my kids and granddaughter (as they are the subjects of most of my favorite photos). I have several of those posted around the web. And I'm trying to stay in the neighborhood of what this blog is supposed to be about: entrepreneurship and wealth creation. But I believe children and family are the most important reasons for entrepreneurship and wealth creation. I'm not trying to ramble here, but there are times when bouncing thoughts around really is the best way to find your own truth. :) My grandfather was illiterate. He could read and write his name, but that was about it. As one of the oldest of (I think) 15, it had to be that way back then. But he raised 7 children who all graduated high school - and at least two who loved books and readin...

The answer to this question is the third concept to understand. No matter what the income source is, all money is made by selling something. This is true even with investments. You buy stock and wait for the price to increase. Or you buy a house and make improvements to increase its value. This is also true of income from a job. You are selling the company your time and skills. When you make deposits to a savings account you are selling the use of your money and are paid interest. Even non-profit organizations and charities must sell. They sell the idea of helping others to the people and companies who contribute to their cause. Think of yourself and your financial goals like a business. Businesses do not make any money until they make a sale. And their sales (income) must be greater than their expenses in order to make a profit (wealth). It is the same for you. To increase your wealth, you must find ways to decrease expenses, increase income or, the best solution - do both! This post ...

There are two kinds of savings. The first involves accumulating money and storing it - setting it aside to allow it to grow in value. This is what you are doing when you make regular deposits into a savings or money market account or when you buy and hold savings bonds. The importance of saving cannot be stressed too much. It is critical that you develop the habit of saving regularly if you are going to improve your financial situation. "Pay yourself first." This means setting aside a regular amount out of every paycheck before you pay any other bills. Now obviously this is difficult to do if you are struggling every month just to pay your regular household bills. But with planning, discipline and some extra effort, it is possible. You may have to begin with a smaller percentage, or you may have to start with every other check. You can even start with $10 (or $5 or even $1 and the change in your pocket) in a jar or envelope. Label it with a goal or dream that you'd like t...

I recently realized I was doing a ridiculous thing by not publicizing my blog. It's quite silly, but I've been waiting until I got it right. But it'll never be "right" so I may as well quit erasing entries and let someone have a look. Otherwise, what's the point? In my imagination I'm witty and clever. I can always come up with lots of useful and interesting things to write about. And I'm not shy about letting the world read my every word. But in reality, I haven't been writing regularly because I fear no one will read it. Or maybe because I fear someone will read it. There is no place for fear. I already know that my writing is fabulous because my clients tell me so. So, this is my public declaration. I will post. And I will leave the posts posted.

"Networking" is the business buzzword these days. So many folks want and try to do it, even when they aren't quite sure what it is or how to do it. It comes very naturally for some, and others have to work at it dilligently. This should be no surprise - all of life's talents and activities are like that. No one is good at everything. Now I am by no means an expert when it comes to social skills - business networking included. But I am good with my relationships. Few they may be but quality has always been better than quantity. And relationships are the point and purpose of networking. In my personal life, this means I'm fiercely loyal, loving and protective. (I am a Leo after all.) In my business, it means I make an effort to get to know my clients as people and not just as accounts. Of course not every relationship has to turn into a close friendship. (That's just a bonus.) But relationship marketing means just that - FORM RELATIONSHIPS. If you want to kn...

Today is Independence Day. Happy Fourth of July! What better way to celebrate than to free your dreams? Dreams and dreamers are the beginning of everything. It takes a plan to achieve a goal, but it takes a dream to create a goal. Dare to imagine your best life. Write it down - in detail. Review it regularly, make it a part of you. Your dreams will not only define your goals, they will provide the passion, energy and enthusiasm to help you reach those goals. Now go celebrate. Watch some fireworks and get inspired. Never give up your dreams! PS. When you dream of your own business, visit me at http://www.vanessasdesk.com to help you start right and grow big.