Sometimes we have to act like a 20 year old.

We trade the ignorance of youth for the wisdom we get through the passage of time and experiences… which often times brings (appropriate) thought and caution. But sometimes we also lose the courage that youth brings. Have you ever seen a young skater or a young tennis player?  They soar to the top in their youthful bliss … but then as they become aware of the pressures … there inhibition become apparent and they often fall under the pressure that youth and excitement protected them from … few make it through the paradox.

Today as I move towards my quest of my dream coming true …. I realize I need the free spirit of my youth bundled with the wisdom I have obtained the past twenty years. I am determined not to let anything stop progress. It’s gonna happen!!!

Until next time …

Jowanna

 

I must fully embrace this quest we call life as I set out to discover the WHOLE of who I am.

To do so, I must have the courage to take chances.

I must be willing to know that some of the decisions

I make may turn out to be the wrong.

I cannot be rigid.

I must accept and adapt to the fact that the rules and the players will change along the way.

I must remember that God put me here to serve your local, national and global communities. At times it will be a blast and at times a chore.

I’ve got to be willing to stand alone in the crowd and accept the jeers along with the praises and accolades.

I must seek to find opportunity in the face of adversity.

For I believe that if I have this courage, my life will have been the best roller coaster ride …. ever!!!

At the same time I will continue to impact the world in such a way that I will leave it a better place than it was when I first started.

This is my purpose and may God grant me the courage to fulfill it.

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God Grant me the Strength to Fulfill my Purpose

Last year, my trials with Lupus exposed the core of my inner soul. I was humbled as I faced issues that I did not even know I had. There were times that I wondered if I would even survive.  However; like other times, I look forward to the growth I would experience at the end of that trial. I wrote my first version of my life statement about a year ago. I then wrote it in a form of a letter for that. Now I thank God for speaking through my words – because it is truly words to live by. I feel that I am right around the corner to fulfilling my destiny … because adversities are trying to hinder progress. But I know I am just there! I refuse to give in! I will recite this at the beginning of every day, every difficult conversation and at night before I go to bed. Because I am moving forward and it will take a lot more than some bullies to stop me!

Life Statement

I must fully embrace this quest we call life as I set out to discover the WHOLE of who I am. To do so, I must have the courage to take chances. I must be willing to know that some of the decisions I make may turn out to be the wrong. I cannot be rigid. I must accept and adapt to the fact that the rules and the players will change along the way. I must remember that God put me here to serve your local, national and global communities. At times it will be a blast and at times a chore. I’ve got to be willing to stand alone in the crowd and accept the jeers along with the praises and accolades. I must seek to find opportunity in the face of adversity.

For I believe that if I have this courage, my life will have been the best roller coaster ride …. ever!!! At the same time I will continue to impact the world in such a way that I will leave it a better place than it was when I first started. This is my purpose and may God grant me the courage to fulfill it.

In loving memory of my mother, Dorothy Icinta Parris-Allen.

Until next time …

 

Jowanna

Customer Service Frustrations Lead me to Take Control!

So I spent way more time with Dell than I wanted to yesterday! I was happy about starting my day – getting refocused and BAM! I get stopped at my 2^nd task of 20 for the day. Anyway Dell has made me see how important my technology skills are to my business. It also reminds me that I am not part of a big corporate infrastructure anymore and that my goal to stay out the big jumbled mess we called Corporate America – means giving up the idea that paying a couple hundred dollars for support means that I will get the support I am paying for.

My frustrations??? Paying for a system that should increase my productivity; but instead, it has decreased it dramatically. Anyway have work to do – too much to tell you or it will overwhelm me today! I have summed up my day yesterday through FB posting and this picture (Michael Dell your folks are choosing to ignore me! I paid for a Lexus and it is running like a Pinto!).

Link on FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30396253&id=1515024174&comments#/photo.php?pid=410990&id=1542444091&ref=mf 

Anyway – back to the grind – but I did make some progress – I finished one assessment that puts me closer to becoming a small business specialist.

Until tomorrow ….

Jowanna

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Refocus!!

The last few days have been filled with more children & dogs! I have to refocus. Not because of the children or the extra dog, but because of the brain scramble! I am having a slight flare but between you and me – I think some of the procedures that have had for my female issues may have uh um … made me premenopausal so I really have to be on my game!!! So I am back to my list! I have to complete at least 5 each day for the business and 2 for the household items.

I have to refocus. Not because of the children or the extra dog, but because of the brain scramble! I am having a slight flare but between you and me – I think some of the procedures that have had for my female issues may have uh um … made me premenopausal so I really have to be on my game!!! So I am back to my list! I have to complete at least 5 each day for the business and 2 for the household items.

Though we lost some focus, don’t think work has not been done! Rob finally made his breakthrough with the logos for both Jpreneur ^SM and DDM Productions. I also had an epiphany as far as my service offerings! I finally found a way to keep the intimacy I enjoy with one-on-one service and a pricing model that won’t break the bank. I was also inspired by a woman who was baking cakes to save her home …and did it! Back to the wall and EVERYTHING! You go girl! My goodness! This explains why my attitude did not match the grim of the economy. I have a 5-month lead and this business is 15 years in the making! We cannot do anything but succeed!

Oh last thing … I was able to leverage my MBA lessons on bootstrapping in so many ways. So many exciting things coming! If you are new to the blog and see the scramble mess it is … just understand that this is not my typical blog … I am documenting the countdown to launching my business which is excitement and nervousness mixed up with a whole bunch of tasks and a VERY limited budget.

Til’ tomorrow!

Jowanna

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Pushing Toward a Dream

Yesterday I worked from about 4:00 in the morning until Midnight, breaking only to cook dinner for the kids. Of course, while working, I worked on a video for my son Jordan and counseled my oldest … oh and also gave my youngest son, Casey tips on his tennis games … and fed my nephews and monitored some testy arguments between them. Did I forget class? Yes I managed to respond to a few postings and give feedback on some of my team’s business proposal.

I went through a cocktail mix of emotions as I worked on our family business plans. Mainly I was determined and excited. As I watched the News talk about Georgia’s grave unemployment numbers (now above 10%), I wondered if I was crazy for not being worried … so yes, I found a reason for concern … concerned about not being overly concerned. The good thing is that I have honed the ability to separate my feelings from logic – logic prevailed with this dilemma. I am a constant bookworm learning and watching trends. With my certifications in place and constant training a part of my daily regimen, I know that I have skills in demand and still remain to be top of my field. My worst case scenarios are returning back to the dreaded non-fulfilling land of Corporate America where politics seemed to prevail over progress.

We made decision to launch jPreneur™ first. I am pushing for August 15 (my birthday) – it is a very aggressive push (for a well-thought out business). A couple of my quandaries included whether I should launch on an independent level (jowanna Inc ™) or an enterprise look and feel (jPreneur™) and if we should conduct business as a dba under our current company JAHEI, LLC so that we could reap the benefits of an established firm. We have even thought about launching all three. We are still not there on the decision but it is not at a critical point yet.

I will launch as an independent consultant but know that I have to be ready to reach out to partners, independent consultants and possibly employees as early as end of year 200. I also spent time yesterday aligning my product line, marketing plan and my strategic partnerships. I have not packaged my offering yet – but I see that my core product offerings need to include a mix of business plan writing, web design and consulting services. I am also looking to boost sales by 30% with peripheral offerings. I will capitalize on my Microsoft Partnership and look at offering training products. As I look at the items critical to my success as an entrepreneur I think training and education. My natural aptitude for business would not have been realized if I had not (and continue to) constantly immerse myself in constant education regarding business and technology. Of course, laying out the site is an also a dilemma – how do I offer my services without overwhelming my audience.

If this blog is cluttered then so be it – it portrays just a section of things that an (small or large) enterprise has to think about. One thing I know is that once I decide my offering – I have to ensure a systematic process is in place so that we can measure performance and identify areas of improvements. The more I think about and solve these issues – the smoother my start will be the easier it will be for future employees and partners to fulfill their role. However; at the end of the day, I have to set a deadline. While I want everything in place before I launch, I realize at some point you have to call it and start.

I am excited about my future. I am excited about the future of small businesses in America. My hope is that I fire up the confidence in our communities so that we can increase the success rate of small business owners. Until next time!

Jowanna