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THROWBACK THURSDAY . 23 years ago, I set a goal of $THROWBACK THURSDAY . 23 years ago, I set a goal of becoming a published author. I started by self-publishing the first version of this book. I marketed it via email. When an order arrived by mail, I deposited the check, waited for it to clear, copied the manuscript at Kinko's Copies (which @fedex purchased in 2004), waited an hour to have it spiral bound, bought a mailing packet, created a mailing label, went to the post office and mailed the book. The whole process took about two hours. . After doing this for a year or so, I got a call from @storeypub. One of their editors, who had come into possession of one of my self-published books, casually asked me if I was interested in having Storey publish my book. . While swinging from a chandelier in my head, I put the phone on mute and screamed at the top of my lungs. Then, I unmuted and calmly said that I was interested. A month or so later, I received a publishing contract and an author's advance for $2,000. . This was a fraction of what I was paid almost weekly at the time as an attorney, but to me, it was like a million bucks. It was the next step in the direction of my new life. Somehow, I knew the book would lead to opportunities to inspire and empower women entrepreneurs all over the world. . And it has. . (Funny side story: when I showed my book to my brother, @jeffcoles, his first words were not "Congratulations!" They were, "Who and where is the girl on the cover?") . This experience further proves the point I made in yesterday's post about keeping your head down. I never concerned myself with how many books I sold. I never counted. I set a goal, put my head down, kept my head down, and made it happen. . . . #donnamariaceo #happybeforehustle #books #aromatherapy #selfpublishing #everydaydm #ceolife #author #entrepreneur #makeithappen #throwback$

KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN ... . I recently had a great c

KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN ...
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I recently had a great conversation with @mcilwainspeedsystem.
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Kamaal Mcilwain is an accomplished athlete and a former NFL superstar who, among other things, trains athletes to increase their speed. I asked him how a person who wants to run faster should track his progress.
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His answer surprised me. Of course, I am paraphrasing, but in essence, he said that tracking speed is not his biggest concern when training a client. His biggest concern is that his client keeps his head down. Why? Because lifting your head up to track anything automatically distracts and slows you down.
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I thought about all of the analytics reviews and tracking entrepreneurs do to check such things as how many followers they have, or how many views a video has, or when the best times are to post on social media.
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Listening to Kamaal, I realized that I have never been heavy into any of that. Of course, I know general numbers, but they do not sway me one way or the other in terms of what I should or should not do next. After all, results (sales) outweigh those numbers anyway.
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In my 21 years of business, my approach has been to simply decide on a strategy, put my head down, keep my head down, and execute. Over and over and over and over again. That is all.
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Know who your best buyers are. Aim your message squarely and succinctly in their direction. Keep your head down. And run.
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#mcilwainspeedsystem #donnamariaceo #everydaydm #entrepreneurs #entrepreneurship #entrepreneur #marketing #onlinemarketing #socialmedia #focus #speed #keepyourheaddown #onlineentrepreneur #entrepreneurmentor #womanentrepreneur #happybeforehustle #ceolife #lifestyleceo #businessgrowth #businesssuccess #womeninbusiness #womenentrepreneurs #entrepreneurlife #businessowner #businesstips #businessadvice #successmindset #creativebusiness

Mentor Moment: My Entrepreneurial Philosophy. Beli

Mentor Moment: My Entrepreneurial Philosophy. Believe it or not, my entire entrepreneurial philosophy boils down to 9 words and 40 characters.
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#lifestyleceo #donnamariaceo #everydaydm #entrepreneurmentor #smallbusiness #haveyourway #buildyourbusiness #happybeforehustle #entrepreneurlife #entrepreneur #entrepreneurship #entrepreneur #entrepreneurphilosophy #enjoyyourlife #onlinebusiness #businesssuccess #businessmentor #businessmentoring #makermastermind #keepitsimplestupid #simpleisbest #simplicitywins #simpleisbetter #lessismore

Hey friends! . The Maker Mastermind is about to re

Hey friends!
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The Maker Mastermind is about to return, better than ever, and also, physical and 100% local!
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Here are some pictures from our new mastermind meeting venue. Take a look and picture yourself masterminding under my leadership, with other local entrepreneurs in this quaint coffeehouse.
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I cannot wait to share more.
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If your are local to me, Charlotte, North Carolina, raise your hand if you want to hear more about how you can join me for ongoing in-person appropriately socially distant masterminding, accountability, support and growth for your business!
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#makermastermind #charlottenc #charlottemakers #charlotteentrepreneurs #madeincharlotte #waxhawnc #monroenc #southcharlotte #lifestyleceo #donnamariaceo #everydaydm #entrepreneurship #entrepreneurs #entrepreneur #charlotteentrepreneur #cltblackowned #businesscoach #cltbusinesscoach #businesscoach #femalefounder #femalefounders #mastermindgroup #localbusiness #actlocally #thoughtleader #thoughtleaders #queencityentrepreneur

Mentor Moment: brick and mortar + click and order.

Mentor Moment: brick and mortar + click and order. If you think you have an online business, think again. If you think you have a brick and mortar business, think again.

In a manner of speaking, actually, we all have both. I explain why in this video
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(Crazy blooper at the end.)
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#lifestyleceo #donnamariaceo #everydaydm #entrepreneurmentor #smallbusiness #brickandmortar #clickandorder #buyingexperience #buyingexperiences #entrepreneurlife #entrepreneur #entrepreneurship #postpandemic #postpandemiclife #postpandemicentrepreneur #postpandemicbusiness #onlinebuyer #onlinebusiness #businesssuccess #businessmentor #businessmentoring #makermastermind

This is me and my Open Mouth Face of Fun. . I know

This is me and my Open Mouth Face of Fun.
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I know this probably seems a little over the top, but, oh well. This is not quite the "me" you see in most of my entrepreneurial training videos or on the physical or virtual stage speaking somewhere.
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But this is definitely me. Ask anyone who knows me, including my children who still forbid me from tagging them on Instagram for the very reason that their friends might be more likely to see me post something like this that shows how crazy their mother is. And ask my husband too. He'll tell you that this is what he has become used to over the past two decades. (And he loves it of course, don't you, @dbjdigital ...)
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It doesn't take much to make me happy, and only a little bit more to push me over the top.
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If you are my friend, you probably know this look. It's that, "OMG, I am so happy to see you that my head has exploded my phone away from my ear."
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That's how I feel when I see the people I love, and if I've ever spent more than a few minutes with you before, then you probably fall in that category.
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So happy spring y'all. And let's get together soon. Bonus points for over the top greetings like this.
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#everydaydm #donnamariaceo #happyspring #firstdayofspring #springequinox #lifestyleceo #openmouthfaceoffun #joy #happiness #happybefore hustle #hello #hithere #springhassprung #happyhappyjoyjoy #welcomespring #happytoseeyou #crazyhappy #letsgettogether #letsdothis #happyday #choosehappy #happiness #imexcited #makermastermind

So easy and so good! Hat tip: @healthywholealive 💕
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Savory Sweet Potato, Spinach and Caramelized Onion
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Bake the Sweet potato 🍠. While it is baking, sauté sliced red onion in vegetable oil until it is caramelized. Add a crushed garlic clove, if desired. Remove from heat. Add the spinach greens 🥬 and toss to soften and coat with flavor.
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Make a dressing with the juice from 1/2 🍋 , a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, a dash of garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir well to combine.
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Once the sweet potato is thoroughly baked, peel back the skin and smash in the vegetables. Then, top it all with the dressing.
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#sogood #donnamariaceo #lifestyleceo #everydaydm #food #dinner #lemonjuice #spicyfood #makersgonnamake #cookingathome #cooking #foodporn #tasty #spinach #delicious #deliciousfood #deliciousness #homemadedressing #sweetpotato #dressing #nomnom #getinmybelly #nofilter

I just finished amazing myself. This is a tofu dis

I just finished amazing myself. This is a tofu dish. The first one I ever made and liked!
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The method is in my stories.
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Tofu
Garlic
Habanero pepper
Broccolini
Rice noodles
Sauce: dark soy, tamari, oyster, fish sauce
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#sogood #donnamariaceo #lifestyleceo #everydaydm #food #dinner #broccolini #spicyfood #makersgonnamake #cookingathome #cooking #foodporn #tasty #ricenoodles #oystersauce #fishsauce #nomnom #getinmybelly

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