Sylvia Taylor is a women's career coach focusing on transition.  She helps women in transition with either a new "position, company, or country" with a special focus on Americans going overseas and foreigners coming to the US to work.  Because Sylvia has the education and personal experience, she is a huge resource to women facing these changes.

Check out her Victory Central blog to learn more about transitions.

Sylvia attended my Blogging University class in April and since then has created a fantastic website and blog to reflect her warm, engaging style of coaching.  You can check out her upcoming seminar on "A GPS Guide to Transitions: How to Successfully Shift from Going Nowhere to Full Speed Ahead."  I have taken this class and was surprised at how it played out in my life afterward - a very powerful experience!

Are you interested in seeing how blogging can help your business grow?  Check out my upcoming 8-week teleseminar series starting in July.  For $99 you can learn how to reach the customers you want with the information they need, all from the comfort of your own home or office.  I'm even including the 39-page workbook in this price - I must be crazy!

Another Blogging University graduate has made her mark!  Lorayne Ham, the Longevity Goddess, has a fantastic new blog at www.longevitygoddess.com.  Lorayne has a fun, healthy approach to living a long life, and you can feel her enthusiasm in her blog. 

Check out Lorayne's advice on everything from DNA damage to the importance of water for living a long, healthy life.   You can also see how Lorayne's blog functions as a website with an "about me" page, a home page, and a media page.  Lorayne is ready to quantum leap her business with this approach, and you can do this, too.

Lorayne took the live version of the Blogging University class and absorbed a ton of information in one day, but you can get the same benefits from the comfort of your own office through my new 8-week Blogging University Teleseminar.  All you need is a phone line and a computer to learn all you need to know about:

• Defining your expertise
• Identifying your target market
• Speaking to your clients' pain
• Using your blog as a sales and marketing tool
• How to promote your blog

Blogging University is $99, which includes the 39-page e-workbook and all 8 online classes.  Classes start in July, and all sessions are recorded if you can't make the live class.  It is the easiest possible way for you to learn how to get your blog started.  "See" you in class!
 

Last month I held a live class on blogging.  It was a lot of information in a short period of time, but the students were like sponges, soaking up every fact and recommendation. 

At the end of the class, each person knew specifically why she was an expert, what target market would appreciate her expertise the most, and what types of articles to write for them.

Today I'd like to introduce you to The Travel Teacher, aka Sharon Emerson, who writes on travel-related topics.  Sharon has been in the travel business for years, and she was one of the smart ones who diversified into cruise and group travel planning when everyone else who depended on airline commissions went under. Sharon has a wealth of information for the domestic and international traveler, and I've learned a lot from her already.

Check out Sharon's blog here.  If you have a travel-related question, I'm sure she can answer it.  

And if you are interested in duplicating Sharon's success, let me know.  Blogging University will be evolving into an 8-week online course starting in July, which gives you plenty of support after you launch your blog to make it your own.  I'd love to "see" you in class!
 

"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page."

~ St. Augustine

This week I became the Seattle Women and Business Blogger for Examiner.com, one of the fastest-growing websites for local news and information with over 2 million unique monthly visitors.  It serves 57 local markets, with Seattle being one of the major markets.

Is this big news?  You betcha!   This is great exposure for my business and for my message of challenging women entrepreneurs to think big about their small businesses.  It is also just one more piece of evidence that using social media can propel your business to new heights, and I love being a walking, talking example of this for my clients.  

Check out my Examiner.com blog  - better yet, why don't you subscribe?  I will still be blogging here several times a week on business for women, and the Examiner blog will have more information specific to the Seattle area.  It would be great to see you at both places - it will definitely be worth your time.

If you have not already done so, check out this post on using a feed reader to make blog reading faster and easier.  Keeping up with your industry and business news should be a regular part of your day, and I always read my blogs with the morning coffee.  This makes it easy to do.

Looking forward to seeing you at the Seattle Women & Business Examiner!

Are you using LinkedIn to find customers, business partners, and joint venture opportunities?  I've been a member for several years now, and it has helped me connect with former coworkers, research potential business venture partners, and find the experts I need.

If you are not familiar with LinkedIn, you basically enter your resume information online and then add people to your network.  You can then access other professionals through your network to find jobs, employees, business deals, and even to ask questions.  The way you build your network is by sending LinkedIn invitations to people you know.

Yesterday I received an invitation from someone I met a few months ago and have been keeping up with online.  Instead of the usual canned invitation of "I'd like to add you to my business network on LinkedIn" he took it one step further.  He has written an article on how to use LinkedIn (he is a social media expert), and he included the link to this article in his invitation to me.  (Check out Barry Hurd's article by clicking here.)

Because he took the extra time to give me something of benefit and at the same time demonstrate his expertise, I will definitely accept his invitation.  He likely sent this to several people, and I'll bet his connection rate is 100%.  This is an excellent way to show value to your network as you build it.

Do you have information of value to offer your customers and colleagues?  Why not share it with them as a way to start a dialogue about how you can help them or their customers?  Whether you do it as an invitation to join your subscription list, blog, or social networking invitations, you will never go wrong by offering something of value before asking for something in return.

Happy Networking!