Nessa's Notes

I got the line "PR's Do Work" from a client who is also a dear friend. This is the caption she used to share her success when she was featured in a newspaper article. About three weeks ago I got a call from a reporter for one of the local TV stations. She wanted to do a news story about using Twitter for business. She said that when she did a search for local businesses on Twitter, my name came up first. So I agreed to talk with her. The story aired three times - on the 10pm news, the late night repeat, and on the early morning edition the next day. I have helped a few clients in the past with publicity, but those were print media. The results were always fairly good, but never spectacular or overwhelming. That is how I'd have to describe what has happened for me in the time since the story appeared. I started getting emails that night and after the peice appeared again in the morning, my phone started ringing. I was surprised that so many people were not only paying ...

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...

This post is an article written by my friend Debbie Barth of NC Women's Network . Debbie would like you to visit http://www.sharethecause.com/healthline Life Lesson: My Bowling Epiphany Who knew going bowling could teach me another life lesson! My husband bowls once a month with some of his co-workers, and suggested recently that I should go with him to meet them, and also to visit with those that I already knew. It was the day of the event that he let me know that I would also be bowling. Now, most know that I am an avid football fan. However, few know that I don't bowl...nada...zilch....forget about it. Being the trooper I am (ok, actually I knew I could use this to my advantage later), I stepped up to the challenge. While we played three games, my "focus" will remain on the first game; which, the day after, has been deemed "the highlight of the evening". Needless to say, by the middle of the first game it was evident that I would be helping the team t...

Ryze is my favorite networking site. Yes, everyone is crazy about Twitter , and I do enjoy and profit from it. I also use LinkedIn, Biznik, Black Planet and Front Porch Folks, as well as several others from time to time. Recently I heard a Ryze forum leader comment that she wondered why anyone is still on Ryze since Twitter is "where the action is". In fact, several prominent folks have either downgraded or canceled their membership and participation seems to be slacking off. A few weeks ago I met a guy who told me he belongs to 89 different networking sites. Personally I think that's a bit excessive - who has that kind of time? But using only one or two sites doesn't seem to make much sense either. Especially when you consider that each site is just a bit different. Some, like twitter are more entertaining with quick bits of information flying around. Some, like Ryze are more in depth with room for fully exploring and connecting. It all depends on your objectives, y...

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.

So I joined twitter a couple of months ago. It took a while to get the hang of it, but now it's rather fun. And it's all anyone can see to talk about - online or off. There really are interesting things happening in the twittersphere. In the past couple of weeks I have witnessed two marriage proposals and laughed at countless witty blog posts. I've also gotten plenty of article ideas, learned a time-saving tip for my business operations and found a new client. All in spare moments when I pop in to check on the tweethearts. All very pleasant, entertaining or useful, right? Not quite. The endless debates about the possibilities of twitter and the character of those who use it are becoming a bit dull. Some swear it's the best thing that ever happened to their businesses. Others claim you have to be a complete narcissist with severe ADD to participate in it. As with any public forum, you find a complete range of personalities, cultures, assumptions and behaviors. I've...