See the pretty lady over my left shoulder? That’s Carol Roth make sure you check out her book for more business tips! Be sure to follow her on her Twitter @caroljsroth.

Want more advice from startup junkie Melody Biringer? Check out her book here.

Have you hit that nerve yet? What are you known for?

Can you answer this question quickly and easily?

If so, congratulations – you’re one of the few. If not, don’t worry I’m going to help you figure it out.

The benefits of being clear about what separates you from everyone else is that you’re able to grow faster, develop expert status, and increase the amount of referrals you get. And I know you want some of that!

Of course you deliver outstanding results, that’s a given. But you need to identify what sets you apart from your competitors.

Besides your industry or you niche, what are you specifically known for?

What do people say about doing business with you that is truly unique?

Why do people choose you? Here are some possibilities to get you thinking.

Are you known for:

- Speed, quick results

- Consistency

- Extreme trust

- Amazing new ideas

- Your broad and diverse network

Take a few minutes right now and make a list of all of the things that make you stand out.

In addition, look through your testimonials and recommendations and see if you can find a common theme.

Once you’ve got your list, go through it and identify the core benefit that differentiates you.

If you’re not sure what makes you special, you can ask clients and colleagues. You can do this on the telephone, via e-mail, or you can send an anonymous survey (http://www.surveymonkey.com is a great resource and it’s free).

When you’ve made the decision about what you want to be known for, you need to share that in every aspect of your business. Don’t be shy about promoting this in all forms of communication.

Think about your:

1. Website

2. Business Cards

3. E-mail Signature

4. Voice mail message

5. Social Media Profiles

Are you starting to see how powerful it is to know, and communicate, what distinguishes your business from the rest?

Take action to identify and share what makes you remarkable and watch your business transform.

Stephanie Ward is the Marketing Coach for Entrepreneurs who want to set their profits on fire! Grab your FREE copy of the special report ’7 Steps to Attract More Clients in Less Time’ plus business building tips, at: http://fireflycoaching.com.

Who strives to be mediocre? Maybe some people, but we’re guessing CRAVE entreprenesses aspire to be better than “good enough.” This takes work… You have to know to get out when the getting’s good and to strike when the iron’s hot. Learn what makes you special and work it like there’s no tomorrow while letting go of ideas that just don’t make the cut, even if they’re near and dear to your heart. It’s not easy being great, but it’s definitely doable with hard work and a savvy business sense.

Can you remember where you were the moment you “Hit a Nerve” and had your “ah ha” moment? July is all about hitting a nerve and sharing the moments when you realized your passions and what you should be doing in business!

A few years ago only 30% of Twitter users were still tweeting a month after sign-up. Last statistics I saw said that number was at 60%. That’s a large number of people who jump in, can’t figure out what all the fuss is about, and give-up. Not even mentioning how many people I know who still haven’t even given the popular social media platform a try, claiming it to be a waste of time.

In interviews with media, I am often asked how I feel about social media since my business is helping women connect for friendship offline. Reporters assume I’ll start ranting on how social media is hurting our relationships. While no application or website can replace face-to-face friendships, I never cease to sing the praises of online technology.

Twitter has benefitted my business by helping me:

1. Find Like-Minded Users: I am now connected to authors, reporters, bloggers and business owners who are passionate about female friendship. For those of us whose industries aren’t tangible and local, we can instantly find a community that speaks our language and cares about our causes.

2. Network in Easy Ways: Networking, among other things, is all about finding out who someone is and how you can help each other. On Twitter, I can do in one minute what it would take me ten minutes to do if I had to shake hands and exchange pleasantries at an event. I can scan their feed to get to know them and re-tweet their valuable comments to immediately promote them to my followers.

3. Increase my Blog Traffic: Every blog I mention in a tweet attracts different readers and is re-tweeted, reaching a wider audience than simply posting my blog and hoping I’m found. Twitter is like a community bulletin board where I can invite those who are interested to read whatever content of mine they value.

4. Track News in my Industry: This is no small thing! I have a column on my tweetdeck with the word “friend” set up in the search. That means that when someone I am following mentions that word their tweet will show up in that column helping me easily find research, blogs, testimonies and trends on the subject. This includes the big names like New York Times, Huffington Post and Good Morning America, but it also helps me find poignant musings by new bloggers and users in other industries.

5. Keep Tabs on my Competition: I can easily see what kind of media attention, events and ideas my competitors are promoting. No spying necessary! It helps me gauge my own success, inspire me to grow, and be more clear on what my unique advantage is that they don’t offer.

6. Promote my Brand: I tend to tweet three different kinds of tweets: general content on friendship (i.e. Did you know women replace ½ their friends every 7 years?), specific company information (i.e. Still 2 more spots in Chicago for this weekend’s event!) and interaction with others (Re-tweeting, introducing myself, swapping ideas). All my tweets stay on my topic in some way.

7. Stay Connected to My Community: One of my tweetdeck columns is for the women in my local business-networking group that I attend. Being able to quickly see what they’re tweeting in the weeks between our get-togethers, I have a good sense of what’s important to them, what they’re doing and how I might be able to partner with them in meaningful ways.

If you’re on Twitter, follow me at @girlfrndcircles and be sure to say hi!

Shasta Nelson, M.Div., life strategist & CEO of GirlFriendCircles.com (find local female friends) writes weekly on Shasta’s Friendship Blog and at Huffington Post.

Chances are if you run a business you’re constantly scheduling appointments, meetings and conferences throughout your week. You of course want to make sure you’re maximizing productivity and making the most of each and everyday. Keeping track of your schedule and setting appointment reminders are things that can useful in managing your time effectively.

Google Calendar- is a helpful time management and productivity tool that is FREE for anyone to use. You can set up weekly, monthly or even daily reminders for your appointments. You can access Google Calendar on your smart phone, iPad or computer!

Tungle- another free application you can download to your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch that allows you to schedule meetings and share your appointments with others.

OmniFocus- a highly intuitive task management application that can be used on your computer, or smartphone device. OmniFocus allows you to categorize tasks as well as organize your tasks and to do list in order of importance.

Productivity as defined by the dictionary is, productiveness: the quality of being productive or having the power to produce. Having a great and reliable scheduling and task management application for your business will surely allow you to maximize your time and productivity. So what are you waiting for? Go out and get your girly geek on with a great new calendar application!

Videos are a great tool in business and marketing. A video allows others to get a real life view in real time to see what you and your business are all about. A video is personal and can in turn lead to increased website traffic and sales. Making a video may seem like a daunting task but with the wonders of technology today like the Flip Camera you can capture video anytime, anywhere. Once you’ve decided to take the step in making a video, pat yourself on the back because you’ve made an exciting decision, then map out your goals and plans for your video.

There are a couple things to consider when getting started-

Know your audience- ask yourself “who will be watching my video?”
Have a clear message- what do you hope your audience will walk away from after watching this video?
Where will you be uploading this video to? Do you have a YouTube Channel or maybe Vimeo? YouTube is one of the most visited websites in the world with a huge audience to offer, so there is benefit in creating a branded channel for yourself there.
What kind of video are you creating? Is this a “how to” instructional video? Are you selling a product?
Try and keep your video between 2-3 minutes, a short and sweet message is most effective!

Now go out and get your girly geek on by make a great video to share with the world!

Tech Savvy Superwomen!

As Christina Aguilera’s song goes: “what a girl wants, what a girl needs…” is her technology! The women of our times are no longer perceived as too frail but independent individuals. We are the SUPERWOMEN of this generation and rightfully so! It’s doesn’t come as a shocker to be walking down the street and seeing a well-suited woman with an iPad and iPhone in one hand and a child in the other. Technology is the new helping hand and luxury, making our world and lives a much happier place! How so? Allow me to demonstrate, with one click: a dinner party is planned, a trip is booked, and your children’s classes are registered, all accomplished in a snap while on a conference call!

Nowadays, we take technology for granted and sometimes forget to appreciate what it has done for every household. It is so integrated in our daily lives we tend to forget what life would be without it…? It’s frightening to even imagine! To further demonstrate this, here are a few applications I use and cannot live without, enjoy:

Hashable: the ultimate networking app. which allows the capability to exchange business cards, make easy intros, and ‘check-ins’ with people to track meetings and calls. Let’s not forget… GO GREEN! Not only will you be killing fewer trees, cutting cost, but will be feeling good too!

Bump: Want to share something with a friend or someone you just met? It allows you to text them for free!!!! You read it, FREE! Now that is what I call a sweet-deal!

Date Saver Platinum: Ever been on a date and needed to use the bathroom but felt embarrassed? Well, no more because the Date Saver is here to help! Phew! You can say goodbye to turning on faucets, wasting water and electricity.

Square: Start accepting credit cards today. It transforms your iPhone or iPad into an elegant point of sale. Whether you are having a garage sale or have started a small business, Square has made it easier to accept Credit Card payments on the go. WOW!

So, next time you feel like bringing out that “geeky-ness” and discover new ways to improve your life… take a tour of an App Store and see what you’ll find!

Click here to lean more about Sepideh visit her blog and check out her Twitter.

CRAVE is all about women business owners. At CRAVE, we believe in acknowledging, celebrating and passionately supporting locally owned businesses. We know that when encouraged to thrive, neighborhood establishments enhance communities. As a business focused on supporting female entrepreneurs, and also founded and owned by a female entrepreneur, CRAVE feels a special connection with the goals of FITE. CRAVE has been fortunate to support female entrepreneurs in over 30 cities across North America and Europe and are excited for the opportunity to support female entrepreneurs through FITE in regions where our traditional channels would not be able to reach.

Join CRAVE’s FITE Lending Team and get started in making a microloan; you can help fund a microloan for as little as $25.00! You are able to select the woman and business of your choice that you would like to issue your loan to, you’re also able to read more about where they are from, their business and what they will be using the money for. You too can be apart of this global movement and help empower women worldwide.

Here is how simple it is:

Step 1: Go to joinFITE.org

Step 2: Click Teams

Step 3: Type in and search ‘CRAVE’

Step 4: Select make a microloan and your loan will go toward the CRAVE teams effort!

We love trying new recipes, new cooking techniques, and new ideas. We do NOT love heading into the kitchen prepared to create a gourmet meal only to find that we are seriously lacking the tools and supplies. Prevent this horrible letdown by participating in a fabulous contest created exclusively for CRAVE followers. In honor of the re-issue of Nina Simonds award winning cookbook, Spoonful of Ginger, she has created fabulous Chinese Cooking Starter Kits. Win one of ten kits that include Spoonful of Ginger and all of the tools necessary to prepare her famous healthy and delicious dishes. All you have to do to enter is follow your CRAVE city of choice and Nina at @SpicesofLife then tweet us a message using the hashtag #SpoonfulContest. Win the contest and your kitchen will be fully stocked so that you can head in on a whim and whip up any of Nina’s healthy and delicious recipes. Still unsure about your skills in the kitchen? Check out this  video of Nina demonstrating just how to use every tool in the kit.

Each winner (there will be 10!) will receive the following prize pack:

· A 14-inch rolled steel, heavy-gauge wok with wooden handles

· A dome lid that fits perfectly in the wok, transforming it into a steamer or braising pan

· A Chinese shovel that is designed to conform to the sides of the wok, making tossing food in the pan a breeze

· A traditional Chinese handled strainer with a mesh wire basket which is used to scoop food out of a pan or hot oil or water and is excellent for holding food to drain

· A steamer rack that fits perfectly in the bottom of a wok or any pan to hold a heatproof plate or bowl that contains the food to be steamed.

· A set of handsome wooden chopsticks

· An autographed copy of the newly reissued, best-selling cookbook Spoonful of Ginger, which won both the James Beard and IACP cookbook award for health
To enter follow CRAVE and @SpicesofLife on Twitter, then tweet us a message using #SpoonfulContest to win! Check out spicesoflife.com to learn more.

3 top technology timesavers

A confession: I really like paper and pens. I track my billable hours in a pretty notebook and I hang a hand-written to-do list by my desk at the beginning of each week. I write notes on a calendar in the kitchen. So if I have favorite, paper-replacing, time-saving technology, it’s because it worked hard to win my heart.

For invoicing
Blinksale – I used to create all my estimates and invoices manually, using a pretty template I’d made in Word. One of the best things I ever did for myself was sign up with Blinksale, a web-based invoicing tool. It lets clients pay by PayPal if they like (so you get paid more quickly). It provides different reports so I know how much tax I owe the government each quarter without pulling out a calculator. From the dashboard I can see at a glance who owes what, and writing new estimates and invoices takes three minutes at most. The templates are beautiful and you can send fun thank-you notes through the system as well. It has saved me hours and hours and hours!

For automatic info product delivery
e-Junkie.com – Everybody and their dog is selling info products on their sites these days. (Me, I just launched my first e-marketing workbook for solo-entrepreneurs, How to Write a Lovable Homepage.) E-junkie.com looks daunting at first, but once you get in, it’s pretty easy. You upload your PDF (or audio file, etc), set the price, and it’ll spit out a link to add to your site. Voila, you’re in business! And once you’re done, you’re done. Everything is automated.
For e-newsletters

Mad Mimi – I ghost-write and design newsletters for clients so I’ve worked with several different e-newsletter providers. Hands down, Mad Mimi is the prettiest and the easiest. And their tech support is super friendly. Also, they’re worth checking out just for their charming Facebook posts.
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Carrie Klassen is a green tea enthusiast, amateur poet, fine point pen aficionado, INFJ Scorpio, and president of Pink Elephant Communications, a writing and design boutique for inspired entrepreneurs across North America. She also teaches workshops and writes marketing workbooks at the brand new Pink Elephant Academy for Entrepreneurs .Visit Pink Elephant Academy for a free homepage assessment quiz.