Thank you so much for all the incredible responses about my “dilemma” of whether to move forward with another Inner Circle group or restructure it.  I was thrilled to see how many smart & empathetic people are out there – and wow – all on my list.  That was so great – awesome advice for any business owner going through the same thing.  I suggest you do a quick read.  It may very well help you in your business.  Click Here

I was shocked though at not only the time many people put into their posts to me but how many people, even those who desperately want to re-new the mastermind this year, were telling me it would be sad for them, but they would support me if I closed it down as they want what is BEST for ME.

Wow.

I am humble person to begin with, but that greatly impacted me.  How often do we hear that from people?  I know I must be doing something right in my business to garner that reaction from people.  I am used to adopting that attitude for you but I have never expected it returned.  How amazing.

In order for so many of you to say that to me, it just proved to me that I AM making an impact with people and you have no idea how great that  made me feel.  After all, I do what I do to HOPE to affect other lives but this was one way you reflected it back to me.  I, like you want to serve others, and I get my motivation to continue when I get feedback that my purpose IS making an impact.

I THANK YOU for that.  Thank you. Thank you.

So you being so gracious to me, you helped me to find a way, find room in my life to HANDS DOWN keep helping and working with my special Inner Circle group.    You are like family to me!   I would MISS you if you weren’t there.

Now I am laughing as I write this cause you guys are either the most brilliant sales people to me (with your sneaky reverse marketing technique) Ha Ha. Or you just opened up my heart and once again REMINDED me of WHY I chose to do this work.

Either way…you guys are so cool!  How blessed I am to be able to know you and work with you.

So here’s what I did…

I am going to work on both…move forward with my ‘capture the big market’ plans (but it may just take an extra few months) and part of that is next year to work on a program where I can train new TEACHERS to carry on my message.  So if you are interested in teaching what I teach – let me know.

As far as the inner circle – I have way too much fun at the live events to give that up – so I streamlined my one-on-one time to what you ‘really use anyway – cut out the fat’ (so you still get that special time working with me solo – and it’s a generous amount – not skimpy) and I will be on majority (if not all) of the mastermind calls but I found an awesome person to step in on the rare occasion I am travelling or something.  But again, it will be rare and feedback from my mastermind partner has been people falling in LOVE with him – so you may want him more than me – Ha Ha.  And of course I will be there full force at the live events.

Plus I added NEW features for this year – that will knock your socks off.

And drum roll please…..I still am keeping it affordable – because as much as I admire others business style to sell less for triple the price I still feel weird about that choice for myself.

Anyways, check it out, see what you think, I feel you will be THRILLED with the NEW design.  And yes it will take up ‘my time’ – so I’m going to require a strong group – so make sure YOU my friend, STEP up and make it worth it for both our lives and time!!!

So it’s on your shoulders now – Ha Ha (that was my attempted evil laugh).

We’re in this together!  I’m not showing up next year – if you show up half-way – so only apply if you’re ready to shine!!!!

PS – for those of you who asked for the private 1 x 1 FULL day for me – go for the Platinum as it’s CHEAPER to buy this package than buy my time separately.  Or don’t – hey my time is the same and I earn more if you book it separately – so I won’t mind if you don’t’ go for it now.  Just PLEASE don’t pass on it now and complain to me later – ok. I seriously have to have a deadline on the Platinum & Gold packages as they begin in the New Year.

I am so excited to hear what you think.

Oh – here’s the link: http://www.hartofsuccess.com/circle

Jeez. Almost forgot that!

Have a GREAT weekend and I’ll be looking over applications next week.

I expect we’ll close the offer by week’s end, judging from last year (which was 2 days).  So please act now if you want this – I can’t bring stragglers in after the teams have been assembled (even really cool stragglers).  Logistically it looks bad for us.  So please check it out.

THANK YOU again for all your comments – you are so amazing!!!

Much love,

Stefanie

I found this article that I wanted to share with you.

Alexei Oreskovic of Thompson Reuters has written an article about a Joint Venture you should know about.

Microsoft Corp and Google Inc have sealed separate agreements to access real-time content from Web phenomenon Twitter, intensifying their battle for a search market that Google now dominates.

Google and Microsoft’s five-month-old Bing search engine, which hopes to take on the current leader, both won access to Twitter’s store of public data in real time, executives at the two companies said on Wednesday.

The long-expected deals are expected to ramp up the efficacy and lure of search results, by allowing users to scan real-time Tweets: 140-character stream-of-consciousness messages that Twitter hosts on its vastly popular website.

But Microsoft appeared to one-up its rival Google, which controls 65% of the search market, with a deal also to include content from social networking site Facebook, one of the Internet’s most visited addresses.

Terms of the deals – which were non-exclusive – were not disclosed.

“In the past few years, an entirely new type of data has emerged – real-time updates like those on Twitter,” said Marissa Mayer, Google’s vice president of search products.

“We have reached an agreement with Twitter to include their updates in our search results. We believe that our search results and user experience will greatly benefit from the inclusion of this up-to-the-minute data.”

Twitter, the three-year-old Web start-up that has become an Internet sensation popularized by celebrities and government, attracts tens of millions of visitors every month.

Qi Lu, president of online services at Microsoft, said data from Twitter could provide “signals” about which content on the Web is most popular and most relevant to search queries.

“You can use those to augment today’s search experience,” Mr. Lu told a San Francisco Internet conference.

From Wednesday, Twitter search results will be accessible on a special section of Bing as a beta, or test product. Microsoft plans to present the most popular Tweets of the moment, while allowing Web surfers to view Twitter messages that contain links to other Web content. Microsoft will filter out spam and other extraneous data.

Conversely, Bing’s Facebook deal encompasses only messages that its 300 million-plus users have flagged as viewable to the public, a practice that is relatively new and not as widespread on the social network, where users typically send messages to groups of friends.

“This is one of the first times that a search engine will be differentiated through access to content. We think Bing will benefit from the right to index and display the tweets almost as soon as they are posted,” JPMorgan said in a research note before Google announced its own agreement.

“As searchers are looking for more and more real-time Web results, we think this partnership will help Bing to improve its user experience.”

Microsoft also inked a deal this year to entwine its search efforts with Yahoo’s.

Yahoo’s chief technology officer, Ari Balogh, told reporters that, generally speaking, any data Microsoft’s search engine has access to would also be accessible to Yahoo under the terms of their partnership.

Yahoo already has been testing the limited inclusion of Twitter messages within Yahoo search results to certain users, he added.

“All content on the Web is relevant to search,” Mr. Balogh said. He thought people would not want to go to three or four sites to access different types of data, such as Twitter results.

Article found at: The Financial Post

OK. What happened this month?  August was fun, then for some reason everyone I know practically contacted me or is doing something this month. Typically we promote maybe 2-4 events per year for others, so if its weirding you out that this past week we’ve sent 3 – then don’t worry its weirding me out too.    Bu the good news is they are all REALLY cool events that I just wanted to make you aware of (as personally I hate missing out on stuff).

Here’s some things that we are going too:

Will I see you at any of them?  If so, please let me know or find me at the events so I can meet you and make powerful introductions for you.

September 25th – 27th – My Mastermind Group meets in Vancouver – we’re all EXCITED about it. This is a CLOSED event. You can’t even peek into our windows.

Monday Sept 28th – I am speaking at Dov Baron’s $5,000 person event (which I got you 80% off which is amazing) in Richmond so take advantage of it. www.tinyurl.com/qwm-stefanie

Sept 30th – Oct 4th – Engage Now event (see below) in Calgary Alberta. I’ve been invited to dine with Branson, which is hard to pass up, but I am not sure I can do so much traveling in this time, I will have to decide tomorrow.  But if you want to attend you should go as this sounds like a really unique event. See below for details but the Dali Lama, Richard Branson and other mega authors will be there. www.stefaniehartman.com/recommendation/engagenow

October 10/11 – I will have a booth at a San Diego Social Media Conference. Should be interesting.  It’s been awhile since I was a “booth babe”.  But my partner and I are showing off and pre-viewing our social media set up and marketing package there (which we’re not making public till Oct/Nov).

October 30/31 – I will have booth & will be speaking at Rick Frishman’s Author 101 event in Vegas. It’s a smaller more intimate event – will be cool to meet people. PLUS it’s Halloween so I may be partying in Vegas (without my husband which is funny – well not funny for him) or I will have a quiet dinner with my business partner and maybe clients and cool people. www.stefaniehartman.com/recommendation/author101  Either way that’s probably what I’ll tell him I’m doing- oops, I think he’s on this mailing list too.

Today, let me tell you about the Engage Now event:

My friend Gail is putting this together and as a favor to her and Jill who’s also helping out, I wanted to let you know about it.  It certainly is an unusual event that may not come around again.

As I said, the Dali Lama, Richard Branson and other mega authors will be there including Dr. Steven Covey, Barbara DeAngelis, the CEO of Zappos (who just sold for over $900 Million to Amazon). Read more here: www.stefaniehartman.com/recommendation/engagenow

Maybe I will see you at some of these places, if not , I’ll be thinking of you and will bring you any tips I find.

Warmest regards,
Stefanie

Wow!  Who says Monday’s are boring?   This is so exciting!

Today is FINALLY the day I can REVEAL the proud winners of the Private JV Club Contest.

Here’s the story:

A few months ago, I asked several of my famous friends to participate in a joint venture contest to help unknowns get a big break.  Many agreed and the JV Club Contest was born.  After 6 weeks of coaching JV Members on how to write a proposal Continue Reading

“Are you ready to become the big fish in a small pond?” asks Scott Gerber of Entrepreneur Magazine. “From aquatic sporting goods for dogs to Michelle Obama-inspired fashion websites, niche products and services have the potential to generate big bucks if they capture the hearts, minds and wallets of a dedicated consumer base.”

As you know, I’m a huge believer in setting aside that “get the numbers -beat the competition” approach to business.   As our population ages — people aged forty and older now make up the largest adult population in North America — more and more entrepreneurs are looking for opportunities that are not only profitable, but meaningful.  This often leads to niche businesses — businesses that are tailored to specific markets that are often overlooked by the large franchises.

Mr. Gerber’s article, “Five Steps to Building a Successful Niche Business,” gives a terrific example of how the internet has changed the world, creating endless possibilities for entrepreneurs who are following their passion instead of the dollars.  He mentioned Google as an example of how niche businesses can find tremendous success by providing a simple service — a search engine ranked by backlinks — and doing it well.

So how can you profit by serving your specific niche?  Mr. Gerber says:

• Create a Simple Service. Rather than trying to be all things to all people, choose a specific market that has a specific, unmet need and meet that need.
• Become the leading expert of your niche.
• Be Specific, Distinctive and Relevant.
• Copy, Past and Repeat. Keep hammering that message home.

It’s a new era in business.  Consumers have lost interest in corporations that treat them as numbers or a prize to be won.  If you know what your customers want and set about delivering it with a customer service attitude, they will be drawn to you.  If you approach other entrepreneurs with an eye toward finding win-win ideas, you’ll both grow your business.  Thanks to the internet, you can do both of these in a way that hasn’t been possible before.

If you still wonder whether putting people above profit will dampen your success, remember Google’s declared Code of Conduct:  “Don’t be evil.”  The Google prospectus notes:  “We believe strongly that in the long term, we will be better served — as shareholders and in all other ways — by a company that does good things for the world even if we forgo some short term gains.”

Empower yourself and grow your business by learning more about the changing landscape of business.  Download your FREE copy of The Hartman Report now.

In the U.S. in July, employers cut 250,000 jobs and retailers saw a decline in sales for the eleventh straight month.    Wall Street is withering in the economic drought, and optimism for recovery anytime soon is low.  If you’re thinking about starting a small business right now, you might be thinking twice.  If you’ve already started your business, you might be listening to all the bleak predictions on the business news and wondering if you’re doomed before you even get started.

Does your business stand a chance?    Continue Reading

Quick note…

I’m on my way to New York City for a few days.  I LOVE this city.

Going to this event as Rick Frishman’s personal guest (thank you Rick): CLICK HERE

Come find me if you’ll be there!   I’m the tall blonde hanging around the speakers.

I’m excited to be meeting with my publisher as well as my friends Mark Victor Hansen, Jill Lublin, and David Hancock.

I will also be attending the Book Expo on Friday, along with 30,000 attendees – wow that’s BIG.

I’m flying there to put together something REALLY BIG for YOU that I may be able to reveal this fall.

Hope to see you there!

Stefanie

This Mother’s Day many people celebrated and honored their Mother’s by treating them to brunch, lunch or a relaxing day off.  A card, along with some flowers can also part of the day.

In fact, consider that across the USA alone,  people will spend over $15 billion dollars on gifts and flowers for Mother’s Day.  That’s big business, especially since in the week leading up to Mother’s Day, $76 million of that was sold on the internet alone.

That’s a huge amount of money for just 7 days!  Imagine what YOU could earn using the same kind of marketing that many of those very online flower sites used to bring in those kinds of sales numbers.

Imagine being teamed up with a business that could help you reach the kinds of sales you’ve always wanted. And now picture that this could all come with virtually zero risk or cost to you!

I’m talking about Joint Venture partnerships.  They can be the source of amazing opportunity as (when well matched) those businesses that have entered into the agreement benefit from shared resources such as advanced technology and new markets for their common goal, increased profit and market strength.

The key is that perfect match and now you have an opportunity to have that perfect match done for you!

You still have time to enter to win the Joint Venture Partnership of your dreams.

Anyone with an idea can WIN!

Yes, it’s true – Mark Victor Hansen, the man who co-created nothing short of a phenomenon, the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” book series,

…IS looking to work with an unknown….could it be you?

You may have seen him on Oprah, Times Magazine, or CNN.

He’s sold more than 120 million books and built into a $1.3 billion dollar empire – does that sound like someone you’d like to partner with?

How life changing would it be to be working with:

• Several NY Times Best-selling Authors & Entrepreneurial Celebrities!
• Highly Successful Publicity Expert!
• The man who has worked with President Jimmy Carter, Howard Stern, John Grisham & Harvey Mackay!
• A self-made Mom Millionaire!
• The Newest Financial Expert for a $350 Million/yr Company!
• Author & Celebrity from ‘The Secret’ Phenomenon!
• Person who has co-branded with American Idol®, Coke®, NASCAR®, Marriott®, Campbell’s®, Arby’s®, Golf Digest® and others!
• Oprah & CNN regular Guests!

They want to PROMOTE you for FREE!

While the actual agreement itself is important, the most essential step in a Joint Venture is in fact the ‘matchmaking’ step.  Pairing the right entrepreneur, business, and/or product with its perfect, complimentary match is absolutely essential.

The Private JV Club takes care of this most critical aspect, but if you’re not a member (you should be!) by entering this contest you have the possibility of winning the ultimate Joint Venture Partner for you.

Register for Free here to find out how you can partner up with these Magnates.

Last week I was thrilled at the number of people who took advantage of joining in on the fre.e teleseminar to hear all about how they could apply the magic of Joint Venture Partnerships to their business
 
Opportunity does indeed knock a second time!
 
Anyone with an idea can WIN!

You still have time to enter to win the Joint Venture Partnership of your dreams.

Yes, it’s true – Mark Victor Hansen, the man who co-created nothing short of a phenomenon, the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” book series,

…IS looking to work with an unknown….could it be you?

You may have seen him on Oprah, Times Magazine, or CNN.

He’s sold more than 120 million books and built into a $1.3 billion dollar empire – does that sound like someone you’d like to partner with?

How life changing would it be to be working with:

• Several NY Times Best-selling Authors & Entrepreneurial Celebrities!
• Highly Successful Publicity Expert!
• The man who has worked with President Jimmy Carter, Howard Stern, John Grisham & Harvey Mackay!
• A self-made Mom Millionaire!
• The Newest Financial Expert for a $350 Million/yr Company!
• Author & Celebrity from ‘The Secret’ Phenomenon!
• Person who has co-branded with American Idol®, Coke®, NASCAR®, Marriott®, Campbell’s®, Arby’s®, Golf Digest® and others!
• Oprah & CNN regular Guests!

They want to PROMOTE you for FREE!

While the actual agreement itself is important, the most essential step in a Joint Venture is in fact the ‘matchmaking’ step.  Pairing the right entrepreneur, business, and/or product with its perfect, complimentary match is absolutely essential.

The Private JV Club takes care of this most critical aspect, but if you’re not a member (you should be!) by entering this contest you have the possibility of winning the ultimate Joint Venture Partner for you.
 
Register for Free here to find out how you can partner up with these Magnates.

Have You Read Anything Good Lately?

What was the last good book you read? Leading up to summer you often hear people talking of the best book picks for summer, for reading by the pool or while on vacation.   There are books on all type of topics from fiction, to memoirs to business text books.

What will you select to read this Spring-Summer 2009?

• Will what you choose to read help you gain massive exposure for your business or product?
• Will it assist you in finding international Marketing Partners?

Over the years, I have noted that the successful and savvy entrepreneurs, CEO’s and Business executives I have encountered all have one thing in common.  They are driven and passionate about what they do.  And as such they are eager to soak up as much information about the world of business as possible.

That said, I urge you to make YOUR Summer/Spring 2009 selection The Hartman Report.  When I wrote it, I knew that The Hartman Report contained information that would be transformative to those who were looking for ways to get their businesses off the ground or expand their growing empire.

The Hartman Report details the ins and outs of Joint Venture Marketing, which has literally built mega-empires.   Joint Venture Marketing is quite simply the surest way to improve the bottom line of your online business.

You can learn how to:

• increase business by 20%
• gain access to new customer markets
• partner with the right Joint Venture Partner

The tips inside also include how you can start to apply this system to your business or venture even if you don’t have a product to sell.  You may have a marketing idea or access to a client base that could be effective for another entrepreneur in a similar niche.

Even if you are already applying this marketing tool to your business, there may be uses or ideas that you have not yet applied or thought of.

Whether you have an internet based business, a book to sell, targeted or niche marketing goals, Joint Venture Marketing can facilitate those goals with virtually no risk.  Given all those advantages, I hate to say it, but you have to be crazy if you don’t take a look!

I hope you will jump at this opportunity to download and read the report.

I invite you to post comments to let me know how it has changed your perceptions of marketing and where you can see it’s already one of the most prevalent business phenomenons going on right now.

At 50 pages and with zero fluff, The Hartman report is 100% concentrated essential marketing and industry information.

Since it is chalk full of info, just sit back, relax and read it a few times while ideas on how you can apply this to your business start to percolate!

Inside the report are details on how you can learn the no-cost, no-risk marketing strategy that you can learn and put into practice simply.

Take advantage now and download, for FR.EE, your copy of The Hartman Report for your early summer reading and watch your business bloom!