Women, Books and Business Issue No. 8

INSPIRATION

"The outer limit of your potential is determined solely by your own beliefs and your own confidence in what you think is possible."

-Brian Tracy

Women & Celebrations This Season

Making Personal and Business Holiday Celebrations Shine, Whether Hosting or Guesting

Almost every holiday season brings with it a plethora of both personal and business get-togethers to attend. Whether you are hosting the celebration, or attending as a guest, we are sharing some tips to help make you shine.

Make a list of activities you and your family like to do and add a twist to it. So, if you go to the same park all the time then during you Staycation visit a new park that offers a new feature. For example, the park you currently visit has an area for kids to play and walking trails, your new park also has those areas along with vintage airplane displays.

Hosting Tips

· Cook as much as possible ahead of time

· Use room temperature finger food / appetizers

· Stock up on pantry and bathroom items

· Create a timeline and ask for help

Guesting Tips

· Bring a gift

· Be respectful, thoughtful and helpful

· Do not bring another guest

· Say thank you and minimize cellphone use

For business events remember to balance fun with professionalism as you still want to maintain clients, a stellar reputation, or your job when the event is over. And with loved ones, it would do some of us well to adhere to grandma’s golden rule “If you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t say anything at all”. When hosting or guesting, preparation and attention to detail can help increase the success of a celebration.

At the heart of any celebration is community and connection, so it does not matter if you are hosting loved ones or business colleagues, these tips can help you have an enjoyable get-together.

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LEADERSHIP & BUSINESS

Protecting Your Small Business from Fraud, Identity Theft, and Cyberattacks This Holiday Season

The holiday season is a time of increased sales and festive cheer—but for small business owners, it is also a time of heightened risk. Cybercriminals and fraudsters know businesses are busy, making them prime targets for scams, identity theft, and cyberattacks. Small businesses, often with limited resources, are particularly vulnerable. However, protecting your business does not have to be overwhelming. With some simple steps and tools, even non-tech-savvy entrepreneurs can safeguard their businesses and maintain customer trust.

Here are 5 simple tips and a list of free resources to help you protect your business this holiday season:

1. Strengthen Passwords: Weak passwords are an open door for hackers. Ensure all accounts use strong, unique passwords that combine uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Use a password manager to securely store them and avoid reusing passwords across accounts.

2. Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Adding an extra verification step to your accounts can stop most unauthorized logins. Many platforms like Google, Microsoft, and even social media sites allow you to easily enable 2FA by linking your phone number or using an app like Authy.

3. Educate Your Team: Employee mistakes are one of the leading causes of breaches. Training your team to identify phishing emails, suspicious links, and fraudulent requests. A simple rule: always verify unusual requests, especially or file downloads, especially if they appear urgent.

4. Back Up Your Data: Imagine losing your business-critical files to a ransomware attack or data breach. Regularly back up files to an external hard drive or secure cloud storage. Automating backups can help ensure you’re always protected.

5. Update Software and Use Antivirus Tools: Outdated software is a vulnerability hackers exploit. Keep all systems up to date with the latest patches and install antivirus software to protect against malware and viruses.

Free resource list for small business owners:

1. Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA): Provides essential cybersecurity tips, tools, and resources. www.cisa.gov

2. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Small Business Security Tools: Offers step-by-step guides for fraud prevention and cybersecurity. www.ftc.gov/SmallBusiness

3. National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA): Find resources for securing your business and conducting employee training. staysafeonline.org

SBA Cybersecurity Resources: The U.S. Small Business Administration offers comprehensive cybersecurity tools. www.sba.gov/cybersecurity.

INSPIRATION

“Being challenged in life is inevitable,

being defeated is optional.”

-Roger Crawford

BOOK OF THE MONTH

“Nine Figure Mindset” by Brandon Dawson is our book of the month. This book is about helping you dig deeper and get past your stuff, to be polite, so you can achieve success again, or possibly for the first time as an entrepreneur.  

One of the most important things you need to achieve success in life and business is a good mindset. How you think will affect the results you achieve. Negative thinking and bitterness can cause you to miss the opportunities you’ve been looking for even though it’s staring you right in the face.

As entrepreneurs having a strong mindset is essential to make through the ups and downs in business, the “Nine Figure Mindset” does an excellent job giving you a formula on how to bounce back and become successful in business again.

For those of us currently dealing with failure, or some challenges, right now should read Chapter 4, Hector Sends Me Back to School, to understand how we are contributing to our negative cycle, so we can end the cycle. And remember there are always two versions of the story, yours and the other person involved. Since you are taking control of your life and rebuilding your business and reputation, possibly, improving your mindset will is a key step you must take.

Part Two is where you’ll find the golden goose you’ve probably been looking for. Chapter 10, Become an Expert on Yourself, is essential to changing your thoughts and understanding you. The questions on page 135-137 should not be skipped, you see many of us think we know ourselves, but we may be surprised by the answers because who we were and what we wanted three years ago may not be the same now.

Some readers will be delighted to learn Brandon Dawson’s four step process for building quality relationships with other so that your company can start working for you in chapter 12, “Make Your Business Work for You”. The affirmations on pages 197 and 198 in chapter 13, The Flow of Abundance, will help improve your mood and mindset so you can stay motivated. And you’ll be prepared to not just make it through but actually thrive during the next crisis, as chapter 14 “Thriving in Crisis” gives you guidance as well as a mental checklist on page 214.

Now most times, I glance over or completely skip case studies in books because they’re usually just a long and drawn-out sales letter, but this time I read the case studies, gained some valuable insights and even made notes in the pages of some of them. The insights I gained just need to be tweaked and then applied to my situation.

This book is a good read. “The Nine Figure Mindset”, by Brandon Dawson, is motivational and provides practical actions steps to help you get things right and start gaining momentum on your path back to success.

If you would like help with moving forward in your business or finances, send an email to [email protected] with the subject “clarity” and we can get on a call.

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