It's almost a new year! Put the Real You in your business in 2008!

There are many firsts in life: the first day of school, the first day on the job and the first of the year, as in January 1—or New Year’s Day. All of these firsts represent a chance to make a change in your life. Sort of a line in the sand kind of thing. Once, crossed, you can never go back. (Since I love beaches, I always try to work in the sand analogy, fyi.)

Anyway, back to the opportunity of a New Year. Make 2008 exactly the way you imagined it for yourself and your business – or the one you’re about to begin even while toiling away for someone else. Because when it comes to running a business, turning over the calendar to a new year often means taking a closer look at what’s working and what’s not. Depending on your situation, it may be an opportunity to adopt new behaviors and activities. So, before the days get longer and the New Year is long forgotten, consider these tips for embracing a first in your life!
- Start slowly. Change isn’t likely to happen overnight. Begin by setting smaller, attainable goals. That way you won’t be discouraged, and you’ll reap the benefits of small, but measurable, success.
- Get help. Bring a team of friends or workers together to collectively achieve a goal. Together, you’ll not only make it happen. You’ll cheer each other on throughout the process.
- Stay positive. If something doesn’t work out like planned, it may be beyond your control. Instead of letting it get you down, stay focused. Remember, you learn more from the negative experiences than you do from the positive ones, as I highlight in my about to be released book Real You Incorporated: 8 Essentials for Women Entrepreneurs. (Available now for pre-order online - hint, hint.)

The New Year is a time for reflection. Keep these tips in mind as you go about putting the real you in your business. Remember, if you had some hiccups on your way to the life or business you imagined in 2007, a whole new year is just around the corner. For more inspiration, a chance to share your favorite New Year Realism, and sign up to receive an enewsletter full of inspiration visit http://RealYouIncorporated.com

The waiting game . . .

In the last post I wrote about what it's like to write a book. It was an amazing process. For more, check that post.

What stage am I in now? The big waiting stage. Since submitting my final galley proofs to Wiley, my publisher, I'm pretty much on hold until Real You Incorporated http://realyouincorporated.com/ is out in mid-February. My publisher is busy, though. They are doing all of the work of producing the book, and told me it should ship from the warehouse in New Jersey on January 25th. From there, booksellers who have ordered copies of the book should find it arriving in their stores. Online retailers - amazon.com, borders.com, bn.com, and booksamillion.com, could receive copies sooner.

Hopefully, your favorite online and/or real world bookstore will have the book available February 15th. It's also being distributed to Canada, the UK and Singapore, which I find very exciting. The power of women entrepreneurs is growing all around the world.

So this part of the process is similar to waiting for Christmas morning - just ask one of my kids. They'll tell you: the waiting is the hardest part! But hopefully, for them, and for me, and ultimately for you, it's worth it!

Merry Christmas!

It's almost 2008

It's important to make time for yourself, because your future starts now. As you are eagerly awaiting the launch of Real You Incorporated available for pre-order online now and in stores February 15th, consider grabbing a favorite book from your past and just relax.

One of my personal book treasures is Gift From the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. What's yours? Pick it up, relax your mind and get inspired. Inspiration is key to the best New Year ever. Visit my Web site for more Realisms.

What's it like to write a book?

That's the biggest question I've been asked lately, and with the book now in production with the publishing folks at Wiley, my answer is a lot different than what I would've said all last year!

Writing a book is tough. It's time consuming. Start with the pitch. For business books, you need a compelling proposal. It's almost like writing your book because all of the thoughts and content need a map and gameplan. I'd say that was the toughest part, really.

I knew what I was passionate about: the power of women in business and otherwise. I'd also just spent the past five years building what's one of the fastest-growing, progressive brand in real estate: Real Living. And, I knew my personal story as a brand marketer, a writer and woman in business for the last 25 plus years.

There was a lot to say! After a few months of drafts and revisions and the like, all of those thoughts ended up becoming 8 chapters, Real Facts, women entrepreneurs (and men, too) should consider as they build their careers or their own businesses. That was the first step. Then each of the chapters had to have an outline of the content, and most publishers want to see a sample chapter, too.

Ok, the proposal is finished. Next, you need an agent. That's tough, but if you've done your research, you know your competition and what agents work on what types of books. So that's the next step. Your agent finds a publisher.

And then, you work with the editor at the publishing company, change your outline again, and start writing. I had five months until the manuscript was due.

That part was very fun. I love to write. The rest was an adventure.

At the end, I'm proud of Real You Incorporated. Visit my Real You Incorporated Web site. Join the community. I'd love to hear from you.