Posted on Thursday, February 23, 2017

Bossed Up: 100 Truths to Becoming Your Own Boss God’s Way – NEW BOOK ALERT!!!

Hello World,

I have yet to visit Canada, but it is definitely one of my list of countries to visit in the not-so-distant future! But in the mean time, in between time, I’m taking us to Canada today via my interview with Tamar Huggins, a Canadian-based and award-winning serial entrepreneur who has been featured exclusively in media outlets around the world including Black Entertainment Television, Canadian Living, and The Huffington Post! Tamar is also the author of “Bossed Up: 100 Truths to Becoming Your Own Boss God’s Way,” which is available TODAY! Check out my interview with Tamar about “Bossed Up.”

1. Why did you decide to write “Bossed Up: 100 Truths to Becoming Your Own Boss God’s Way?”

Seven years ago, my spiritual mother prophesied to me that God wanted me to write a book about business to help other women achieve success. I wrote “Bossed Up” as a guide for entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs alike – to help them navigate the challenges and successes they would encounter on their journey.

2. Your book incorporates biblical stories and how they relate to modern day entrepreneurship. What is your favorite biblical story in your book and how does it relate to modern day entrepreneurship?

In the God chapter, I referenced 2 Kings 3 – the story of King Jehoshaphat and his army digging ditches in the desert. As they marched for seven days to get to Moab, they became tired and thirsty. King Jehoshaphat went to the Prophet Elisha to ask for guidance. The Lord spoke and said ‘Make this valley full of ditches.’ For thus says the Lord: ‘You shall not see wind, nor shall you see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, so that you, your cattle, and your animals may drink. And this is a simple matter in the sight of the Lord; He will also deliver the Moabites into your hand.’

As entrepreneurs, we must prepare ourselves to receive God’s blessings before they arrive, even if the blessing doesn’t make sense to us. In the case of 2 Kings 3, it didn’t make sense for the men to see rain in the desert – but it’s what they needed – and it was easy for God to do. If you ask God to increase your finances, for example, you need to take the necessary steps to prepare yourself to receive the blessing, otherwise you may risk losing your opportunity.

3. Your book addresses business challenges that entrepreneurs may face such as family time management. How do you address this challenge in your book and in your own life?

In the Balance chapter, I provide several references for work-life balance. My favorite is Boss Truth #85 – Prioritize Your Family. 1 Timothy 5:8 tells us that if we don’t provide for our families, we are worse than an unbeliever. Our #1 ministry as entrepreneurs isn’t our business – it’s our families. It is with that mindset that I prioritize spending time and pouring into my husband and my daughter because at the end of the day, I am building my legacy for them. I tell myself I am not an ER doctor, I am an entrepreneur, so I can afford to take time away from work to be with my family.

4. Tell me about the writing process for “Bossed Up.” How long did it take for you to write the book? Was it easy or difficult to write the book? Did you learn anything from writing the book?

God planted the seed to write “Bossed Up” within me 7 years ago, but it only took me 9 months to complete the manuscript in 2016. Spiritually, I grew a lot and my perseverance definitely increased. I truly experienced how creative the Holy Spirit really is when we allow Him to work through us.

5. Many adult entrepreneurs show an interest in business as children. Tell me about your interest in business as a child and how it led to officially becoming an entrepreneur at 23 years old.

I always loved the idea of being a boss and that’s probably why I was a bossy child! My teachers always told my parents that I was a natural leader, independent, and charismatic. God built me this way because He knew what He wanted me to become. As a result, I naturally gravitated to opportunities that allowed me to operate in my gifts. It wasn’t until I lost my advertising job during the recession of 2009 that I accepted my calling as an entrepreneur. I was fearful of the unknown, yet optimistic about the freedom and possibilities that entrepreneurship was able to provide, especially during such a chaotic time.

6. You live in Canada. Tell me a little about living life in Canada as a black woman and how it may differ from living in the United States as a black woman.

There is something to admire about the black business community in the United States – something that we just don’t have here in Canada. The level of support that black female entrepreneurs have in the States, whether financial or community-based, is much stronger than it is here. I believe this is due to a difference in our cultural mindsets. I always admired the black business communities in Atlanta and desperately wish people in Toronto had the same collaborative and supportive mindset.

7. Finally, how and when did you become a Christian and how has it impacted your life?

I was christened as a Catholic and went to Catholic school, so Christianity was always a part of my life. It wasn’t until about 15 or 16 years old that I gave my life to the Lord, and I was baptized in the Pentecostal church in my early 20s. I wouldn’t be where I am today without God as an active part of my life. I cannot take credit for any of my ideas or accomplishments because they all came from Him. God is truly the CEO of my business and my life. When you have the Creator in control, you can expect nothing but success and happiness.

For more information about Tamar, go to her website, tamarhuggins.com, and to buy “Bossed Up: 100 Truths to Becoming Your Own Boss God’s Way,” go to Amazon.com.

Any thoughts?

Posted on Sunday, January 10, 2016

How To Achieve Your Goals, Dreams & Resolutions in One Year…

Hello World,

It’s been a while since I’ve gotten really personal on this space but since it is a New Year, the time of the year that many of us reserve to reassess our personal and professional goals, dreams, resolutions, etc., I have decided to let you into my head…

I have LOTS of dreams, but two are most important to me….one is personal and one is professional and only God and my husband know all about them right now and they will remain that way for now…

However, back in 2008, I also had LOTS of dreams and similarly to what is going on in my life now, two of them – (one was personal and one was professional) surpassed the rest…As I shared in a previous post in 2013, but did not share then, “I wanted to meet and get married to the man God kept for me, and I wanted to be a published author.” In 2008, it seemed nothing I did got me any closer to my dreams, but as I look back, God was leading me to the realization of my dreams…I just couldn’t see it then…

So let me take you back to 2007-2008…I was 34 years old and had gotten reacquainted with a man I dated in college. We had a lot a fun when we dated in college but we just didn’t work out as a couple. However, we had kept in touch here and there over the years, and we decided to give it a try again. Being the storyteller that I am, it seemed like the perfect ending to a long and winding story. College fun turns into lasting love…But that is not what happened…For all of the things we had in common and all of the fun we still had, he was not a churchgoing Christian man and that was a deal breaker for me…He was not an atheist, but he just didn’t think it was necessary to go to church…Nothing I did, said or prayed changed that so we broke up, and I was heartbroken…

So I did what made sense for me to do right then…I turned my pain into profit and pitched an article to UPSCALE magazine about why black men don’t go to church…An editor liked and approved the idea, and I happily tracked down sources for the article…One of those sources was Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu, the author of book “Adam! Where Are You?: Why Most Black Men Don’t Go to Church” Now, here is where the story gets kinda spooky or super spiritual depending on how you look at it. I read his book before I interviewed him, and I was shocked to read one of the illustrations in his book about someone who was looking for a black man in church. This illustration featured a woman named Jackie who was 34 years old and had made all of the “right moves” but was still unable to meet the right churchgoing man…Hello, my name was (is) Jackie, I was 34 and I had felt I had made all of the “right moves” and still hadn’t met the churchgoing man of my dreams…I knew then that the interview was one of those pebbles that God throws down on your path to let you know that you are moving in the right direction…After I interviewed Dr. Kunjufu, I told him I was a lot like the “Jackie” in his book and even he was surprised that we shared some of the exact same qualities…In fact, he later e-mailed these words to me – “I enjoyed our interview, and I believe God has your husband waiting for you!” By the way, my article was published in the August 2008 issue of UPSCALE magazine…

Meanwhile, I also felt stalled in my professional life…I mean I had some wonderful things going on…I had secured freelance writing opportunities that made it possible for me not to have the traditional 9 to 5 gig and I was profoundly grateful, but I had wanted to be a published book author since I was a little girl…And it seemed that every door I tried to walk through to make it happen was eventually slammed in my face…In 2007, I had gone to a writers conference in Philadelphia and had attracted the attention of the senior acquisitions editor of my DREAM publishing company…He enthusiastically took my book proposal and promised he would be in touch soon…He kept his promise and within a couple of weeks, he e-mailed me…I thought it had to be good news because only good news comes that fast…but it wasn’t…He e-mailed these words to me – “I read over your book proposal, My Journey, but my marketing department tells me that this is a hard kind of book for them to sell nationally, and so I have to reject it. Sorry.” I bet he wasn’t as sorry as I was…I was salty about that…

But I also realized that if I had gotten the attention of the senior acquisitions editor, I had something to offer even if it wasn’t quite right yet…At that same conference, I had pitched my book “My Journey” (which is what the book was called then…What a boring title!) to someone else in the publishing industry, and I had used the words “after the altar call” in the pitch…She told me I should rename my book “After the Altar Call.” Also, at that same conference, I learned about having a “platform” and why every nonfiction author had to have one…By the following year, I decided I was going to be the next blogger who turned it into a book…After the Altar Call was born in September 2008…

It would take TWO MORE YEARS before these two dreams would come into fruition… By 2010, I had dated more men but those relationships hadn’t worked out either…But there was a guy at my church who I knew I had a crush on me, but he wasn’t my usual type so I never took him seriously…by then, I thought well, I will give him a chance…That guy revealed himself to be my husband in 2010…Also, after two years of blogging, it occurred to me that if my story and platform weren’t enough by themselves maybe I should include the stories and platforms of other women in a new book proposal for After the Altar Call: The Sisters’ Guide to Developing a Personal Relationship With God…That was the key that unlocked a door that had been previously slammed in my face…I secured a book deal that year…

So how do you achieve your goals, dreams & resolutions in one year?

Well, there is good news and bad news…In my experience, some of the best goals, dreams and resolutions can be achieved in one year, but it usually takes years to get there…But the good news is if you trust in God and in His timing, you will receive God’s best for you…It goes back to my favorite verse:

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Any thoughts?

Posted on Friday, October 16, 2015

Online Book Promotion Expert LaShaunda Hoffman Pens Promotion Guide for Authors!

Hello World,

If you’re an author, want to be an author or know someone who is an author or wants to be an author, today’s online book promotion post is for YOU! Today, I have the pleasure of spotlighting LaShaunda Hoffman, founder of the popular SORMAG (Shades of Romance magazine), an online literary magazine for multicultural readers and writers. LaShaunda, who has helped to launch and sustain the career of many authors, recently penned her FIRST BOOK – Building Online Relationships: One Reader At A Time! Below is a synopsis of “Building Online Relationships – One Reader At A Time” followed by my interview with her…

Readers buy from writers they know and trust. This means, dear author, you have to find ways for new readers to get to know you and to want to create a relationship with you. Building Online Relationships – One Reader At A Time is your one-stop online promotion guide. Award-winning publisher of Shades of Romance Magazine, LaShaunda C. Hoffman, has consolidated over 14 years of expertise in online promotion into this how-to guide. By reading, and applying what you learn in this book, you will promote like a pro and build trust with your readers so they become loyal buyers. Every chapter includes an action plan you can implement immediately to learn:

What promotion is all about in this digital age.

A proven goal setting strategy for getting your book in the hands of the reader who is looking for it.

Step-by step actions you can take to get in front of new readers every day.

How you can begin creating relationships with new readers TODAY.

1. What inspired you to write your book “Building Online Relationships – One Reader At A Time?”

I was at a conference talking to Sylvia Hubbard, Pat Simmons and Renee Daniel Flager, and they told me I should write a book about online promotion. I let it simmer inside for a while, and then I realized I’d had part of my book when I did two online series, one on creating your web presence and creating your online promotion plan. I took that information and added more to it and finished the book.

2. What is the most common problem for writers who are promoting their books, and how can your book help?

The biggest problem for writers is knowing how to promote. Most don’t have a clue about what to do or where to start. This book shares how to get started and what to do. It helps you create a plan so you not running around with your head cut off.

3. What is the most powerful chapter in the book and why?

For me, the most powerful chapter is the database/email list because if you are doing all this promotion and have no way to capture the readers you are meeting you working for nothing. Many writers start their mailing list after they have 3 or 4 books under the belt. I say start creating your mailing list as soon as the idea for the book comes to mind. You want readers to be interested in your upcoming book and when it releases you want readers to which you can promote. It’s hard to sell books to people who don’t have a clue who you are. When you have a mailing list, they know who you are, and they are waiting for your book to release so they can support you.

4. What has been the response to your book thus far?

The book has been well received. I received my first fan letter which blew me away. I’ve been asked to speak to a writers group, and I’ve met a few of the readers who purchased copies because I offer a 30-minute Virtual Tea session (personalized online training program for authors) if you purchase a copy. It has been amazing to see the book help writers with their promotion.

5. As a former member of the Navy and as someone who still works for the U.S. government, how did you learn about promotion?

I actually started learning about promotion when I created my online magazine – Shades Of Romance – SORMAG. I didn’t have a clue and there weren’t many books about online promotion back then because the Internet was so new. Everything I learned about promoting the magazine are the steps I share in the book. I had to get out there in front of readers daily.

6. You are probably best known for creating Shades of Romance Magazine, an online magazine promoting authors and books that attracted 18,000 visitors and was named in Writer’s Digest’s “101 Best Writing Sites” just after it launched in 2000. How did you come up with this name, and did you expect your magazine to generate as much buzz as it did and still does today? Do you anticipate writing a romance one day?

To be honest, I never dreamed I would still be publishing the magazine. It started as a hobby. I’m an avid reader, and I loved romance books. When they started publishing African-American romances, I was in heaven. I wanted to help readers find out about these amazing books and help the authors promote the books. The name came from me thinking romance comes in many shades. I wish I’d named it Shades Of Reading because over the years we’ve evolved and no longer just focus on romance books. I tried to change the name, but the readers weren’t having it.

I think the reason it generated buzz was because we didn’t have a magazine like this that catered to the multicultural community. We were looking for our books and couldn’t find them. One of the reasons I continue to publish the magazine is because the need is still there.

When I started SORMAG I was an aspiring romance writer. I still write romance but with an inspirational slant to them. I’m currently working on a historical.

7. You have interviewed many, many authors over the years. What has been your favorite interview, and what is your dream interview that you have yet to do and why?

That’s a hard question to answer. I enjoy all the interviews and don’t have a favorite. If I had to choose it wouldn’t be one, it would be the debut author interviews. I love introducing a new author to the community. I know how hard it is to get your book in front of readers, so I enjoy introducing new writers.

Right now my dream interview would be with Shonda Rhimes, only I would want it to be in person instead of an email interview. I want to sit at her feet and ask a million questions.

I’ve always loved the game “20 Questions” so below are LaShaunda’s answers to 20 of my random questions in no particular order.

For reading today, LaShaunda is offering a freebie for writers – 31 Promotion Tips. You can receive a different tip for 31 days or download the ebook that features all 31 tips – lashaundahoffman.com/digital-goodies/ You’re welcome 🙂

LaShaunda C. Hoffman took her love for books and turned it into an award-winning online magazine, Shades of Romance Magazine. Her mission in life is to introduce as many books as she can to readers. She’s happily married mother of three who believes in dreams and working hard to achieve them. She started a coaching program – Virtual Tea With LaShaunda to train writers on promoting their books online. Contact her at lchwriter@gmail.com or check her out at sormag.blogspot.com, lashaundahoffman.com , Facebook or on Twitter @lashaundaH.

Any thoughts?