Sister Table Talk

Attend this seminar to receive business secrets to grow your business. Really? Let’s face it; there are no secrets to doing business, just strategies. Instead of spending money and time attending seminars or workshops to find secrets, take a deep breath and revisit your purpose for going into business. Here are a few questions to think about when developing your business strategy: Who are your clients and how do they find you? What’s your strategy to deliver your product and/or service to prospective clients to meet their needs, solve their problems, or enhance their lives? Who are your ideal business clients? How well do you know your prospective and current clients? What’s your strategy to keep your clients happy and transform them to raving fans? What resources will you need to support your strategy? What’s your strategy to handle disgruntled clients and build their trust? What’s your strategy to continue moving your business forward when funds are low? What method(s) will...

Entitlements – programs (e.g., Medicare or Social Security) funded by taxpayers that supposedly benefit non-taxpayers. How can this be especially for taxpayers that worked and contributed towards these programs? And, why are Entitlement programs on the chopping block to balance the budget or reduce the deficit in an effort to stop people from riding free? Free riders are from different ethnic and economic backgrounds. They’re people who cheat on their taxes or avoid paying taxes due to tax shelters buried under complicated tax codes. They’re people who can afford to pay for healthcare, but choose not to; passing their expenses to the shoulders of people strapped with the high cost of health insurance. They're executives who receive government bailouts and bonuses, in spite of their misuse or ill investments of hard working citizens who lost their life savings. They’re also celebrities indulged with expensive gifts they can afford and may not want. What about the poor? A...

Another federal government agency was snubbed last week for allegedly wasting tax payer’s dollars (50 million) for training conferences over a three-year period. Training is a waste of time and money when its goals and objectives aren’t clearly defined and connected to an organization’s mission, and the actual value training will add when completed. Government waste didn’t start in this Administration; it has been a normal way of business to avoid a decrease in appropriation dollars for each fiscal year. When an agency learns that it has an excess in appropriation dollars towards the end of their fiscal year, many government employees reap the benefits of training, conferences, and/or new equipment. Training should never be used as a last resort to save appropriation dollars that will result in waste. This strategy decreases the value of education and training. If a government agency can operate on less money than originally appropriated, this money should be returned to Congre...

The SOFEI Group has counseled and trained many women who seem to pay more attention to what people tell them (e.g., their significant other or spouse) and not what they show them. Remember the saying Action speaks louder than words . What keeps women clinging onto the words of their loved ones while ignoring their actions? Hope for change, fear, blind love, or their religion? People normally show us their truth. However, some women second guess their intuition and what’s presented to them. Example, a man’s truth maybe sexual or financial infidelity – the woman’s reality is she’s living or in a relationship with a man who cannot be trusted. A man’s truth maybe, he’s married with children - a woman’s reality that dates him is she’s an adulterer and a person that doesn’t value the sacredness of marriage. Lastly, a man’s truth maybe physical, emotional, or verbal abuse – a woman’s reality is depression, fear; hope for change, low self-esteem or self-worth. Women have to take c...

Deuteronomy 15:11 states, For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land. The Israelites were instructed by God to help the poor when they arrived to possess the Promised Land to serve as a reminder of God's gift of freedom after their enslavement in Egypt. Some believe people that are poor brought it on themselves, and this belief makes it easy to close our hearts and hands towards them. Helping the poor demonstrates our faith in God and our country. Ignoring to care for the poor for any reason forfeits our humanitarian duty to care for our fellow citizens during their greatest time of need. The battle between Congress and the President on strategies to serve the poor isn’t simply about the rising debt, but the different attitudes towards poverty. Not extending unemployment benefits or decreasing government entitlement programs may decrease the Nat...

If you think you can’t accomplish your dreams and aspirations, renew your mind with “I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me.” (Philippians 4:13) If you think you’ve been defeated, you are “more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:37) If you think the world’s system has control over you, remember “greater is He that’s within you, than he that’s in the world.” (I John 4:4) If you think you’re not loved and no cares for you, “God cares.” (I Peter 5:6-7) If you think you’ve been cursed and nothing good will ever happen to you, “there is no good thing God will withhold from those who walk upright.” (Psalm 84:11) If you think your efforts are going in the wrong direction, “the steps of a good [wo]man are ordered by the Lord.” (Psalm 37:23) If you think your hard work is going unnoticed, “do not grow weary in well doing for in due season you shall reap!” (Galatians 6:9) If you think your spouse will not surrender his will and life to God, they can becom...

While sitting in traffic one morning, a woman looked and commented about a dirty white car in her passenger lane. To further validate, she rolled her window down and discovered the white car was clean, and her car window was dirty. This experience is a valuable example about our minds. Our minds can be as clean or dirty as car windows depending on the environment or the number of times the car or windows are cleaned. Here are a few suggestions to get a clean mind: If you're a habitual negative thinker, get real with yourself and discover the root cause(s) Separate yourself from negative people and environments - even family members Watch what you feed your mind and determine its impact Read God’s word and meditate daily Become a non-conformist to the trends of the world Eat right and exercise to exert negative energy and get proper rest Forgive people that have wronged or hurt you and realize their actions could be a result of unhealed wounds or pain When a negative though...

Now's the time to not dwell on mistakes of the past nor worry about what the future may hold. It's time to live now. Today, Relishing every beautiful moment; making the most of every opportunity to grow and to serve. Now's the time to quit wishing that things could have been different yesterday, last month, last year. Today is the day to express your best. Today is the day to express love. Today is the day to be free and happy, at peace in mind and body, successful in all you undertake. Instead of wondering how things can change, instead of wondering where you can begin, realize the time is now! You're not bound by old thoughts, old fears, or old beliefs that once held you in bondage. In Christ you can be free. In Christ you can become new. In Christ you can do all things. You can be a blessing and live joyously. You have the power to change things now. What are you waiting for? Time is ticking.

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. This idiom has been quoted by many children to indicate name calling or words will never hurt them. Proverbs 18:21 states, Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. So, words can hurt or empower! How will you use your use your tongue today? Will you speak life or death into the lives of others? What will you speak into yourself? If you choose death, why bother speaking?

When my sisters are weak, I become their strength. When my sisters are blind, I become their eyes so they can see. When my sisters cannot hear, I become their ears to help them listen. When my sisters are perplexed, I become their intuition for certainty. When my sisters are weeping, I become element that wipes their weeping eyes. When my sisters are sorrowful, I become their laughter. When my sisters are experiencing pain, I become their healer. When society puts my sisters down, I lift them up with honor and praise. When my sisters reveal their human frailties, I become their covering. When my sister's husbands or male companions approach me for temporary pleasure, I become my sister's compass to lead their loved ones back home. I’m my sister’s keeper.

At least I have a job – but it’s not rewarding, fulfilling, or impactful. At least I have a man – even though he’s married with children. At least I know dynamic, elitist people - but don’t have authentic connections. At least I go to church – but don’t have a spiritual connection to God. At least I’m liked – but you yearn for unconditional love and encouragement. At least I have a GED – but was born with potential beyond a general education. Energy exhausted striving for the least is a fast race to the bottom. If you’re going to run, strive for the top (i.e., your best). No one spends time practicing to enter a race with the intention to lose or end at the bottom.

According to Target Market News 16th annual report Buying Power of Black America , the expenditures of Blacks rose to $507 billion dollars. The top five expenditures were: Housing $203.8 billion Food $65.2 billion Cars/Trucks $29.1 billion Clothing $29.3 billion Health Care $23.6 billion Who or what is being empowered as a result of this Black Buying Power ? Is the employment gap among Blacks closing? Are the increasing numbers of disparities within the Black Community decreasing? Is the growing trend of poverty amongst low-income, women-led families being addressed? Is this buying power restoring or strengthening the Black family unit - a foundation in society? It appears the Buying Power of Blacks is generating economic stability and wealth outside of their communities. Yep! It's helping other Ethnic groups establish businesses in socially and economically disadvantaged communities (i.e., underserved Black Communities) for members of their group. And, this buying powe...

Do you pray and ask God to stop your car as you approach a stop sign or red light? We may pray if our brakes feel like they're going out. Why do we plead the blood and rebuke the Devil when the doctor tells us, our smoking will lead to lung cancer, our drinking can lead to cirrhosis of the liver, or our sexual activities will lead to a sexually transmitted disease. What do you believe is the driving force behind our payment of our own death when God sent Jesus Christ to give us life? Can the Devil or our sin nature simply be the blame? When are we going to take responsibility for our choices? The next time we're diagnosed with some type of ailment, instead of rebuking the Devil and pleading the Blood of Jesus on the symptom, plead the Blood of Jesus Christ on the force that contributes to our emotional, mental, and physical death.

Horn Tooting is the normalcy in many business environments. But when and how loud should we toot our horns? When we’ve closed the deal on a sale? Toot! When we’ve written a book? Toot! When we’ve made our first million? Toot! Appeared on TV or radio? Toot! When we’ve been embraced by an elite or exclusive group? Toot! Received a degree from an Ivy League college? Toot! Best Business of the Year Award recipient? Toot! Luke 14:11 states, For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbled himself shall be exalted . If our clients aren’t tooting our horns, is our horn tooting in vain? Who's tooting yours?

Everything we do in life involves choices. Everyday that God gives us the gift of life, we can decide how to live life. We can choose to be productive or unproductive; get out of or stay in bed; take Metro or drive to work; cook or eat out, wear red instead of blue; send our children to public or private school; eat beef or pork; eat wheat or white bread; drink tap or distilled water; stay single or get married; stay married or get a divorce; choose a new rewarding career, or remain miserable in a monotonous dead end job; serve God or not serve God; pray or not pray, show and give love or show and give hate; be an agnostic, humanist, or monotheistic; become a Muslim, Jehovah’s Witness, or Christian; attend a Baptist, African Methodist Episcopal, Non-Denominational, or a Holiness church; live or die. Hmm, choices, choices, choices!!! Life is full of so many choices. The choices we make while living on this earth, can result in life’s great gain or destruction. Our eternal destiny is...

Anger is a colorless emotion that has become a universal definition of today's Black Woman . Why are Black Women angry? Are they tired of the negative connotations associated with their identity? Did they grow up without an earthly father that never confirmed their God-given beauty when society didn’t embrace their darker hue? Are they tired of playing the role of mother and father when they only have the capacity to play one? Are they tired of lifting up others, while concurrently being torn down? Are they tired of living pretentiously, and have forgotten how to be authentic? Are they living in bondage and don’t know how to break free? Did their search for love, affection, and acceptance lead them into the arms of Mr. Wrong? Did their career pursuits bring them external wealth, while leaving their spirits depleted? Whew! There are countless reasons for women to be angry, but none can justify sinning as a result of them. Ephesians 4:26 states, Be angry, and do not si...

Prayer – Spiritual guidance from God to ensure your work will bring glory and honor to Him Passion – The enthusiasm to serve others through your business Purpose – Clear business vision, existence, and desired outcomes Perseverance – Determination to achieve success regardless of obstacles or setbacks Patience – Ability to deal with difficult people and tasks Partnership – Business relationships that strengthens your capacity to better serve your clients Publicity – Life-changing services and/or products that create excitement about your business Power – The power of God when you run out of your might to succeed Performance – Criteria to evaluate and measure the effectiveness and impact of your work Purity – Absence of activities and/or people that can taint your business existence or expansion

Okay, it’s been weeks, months, maybe a few years and you still haven’t found a J.O.B. If your job search strategy has primarily been behind a computer pushing emails and electronic resumes, your resumes are probably being added to thousands of job seekers in a virtual recruitment center being daily purged by the delete button. Which means your livelihood is somewhat in the hands of a virtual recruiter with the power to move your resume forward or prevent it from reaching your desired destination – the decision maker who can hire you. Let’s face it, unemployment can stink, but it can also be a sweet aroma when you decide to use this experience as fuel to take charge of your life in spite of the economy! You’ve heard the saying If It’s Going to Be, It’s up to Me. That’s right; it’s going to be up to you to create your own path to financial freedom. Not the government, politicians, Mama, Daddy, Pookie – You! Here are a few suggestions to make it happen: Develop a winning attitud...

Emotional Intelligence is linked to an ability to identify, assess, and control emotions. Depending on a woman’s estrogen level or her season of life, controlling her emotions can be a challenge – even in the workplace. Here are some tips to strengthen your intelligence: Get Real With Yourself - Identify and deal with the source of negative emotions because nothing positive derives from them. Suppressing or camouflaging these emotions with shopping, smoking, or eating are temporary coping mechanisms that can lead to other challenges. Know Your Role – Be clear on your purpose for working; the benefits and impact your contributions have on your employer’s bottom-line, and how your role coincides with their mission and core values. Don’t React, Get the Facts – There are many women reacting to events based on their emotions instead of facts. Feelings should never be used as a deciding factor in the workplace because they aren’t tangible and cannot be validated. Define Your Outc...

After spending nine relentless months looking for work at a local one-stop career center, an unemployed single mother regained hope to find employment when she learned how to build a career in customer-service from the results of a complimentary MAPP assessment provided by The SOFEI Group, Inc. Filled with passion to provide great customer-service to her next prospective employer, this single mother landed nine interviews within nine weeks of attending The SOFEI Group's Microsoft Office Specialist certification training program. Her hope was restored and momentum to find employment soared, but something was preventing her from getting hired - her forgiveness for being unemployed! This breakthrough came when a career development facilitator of The SOFEI Group looked her square in the eyes and said, “Your smile isn’t in harmony with the way you really feel about yourself, and maybe this spirit is resonating during your interviews - preventing you from getting hired.” Tears s...