I can’t tell you how excited I was to finally find a blog out there that deals with the topic of finances from a lesbian point of view. Finances are one key part of everyone’s life (remember the life wheel?) and basically “Money Makes the World Go ‘Round” in many ways.

Queercents is a blog written by Dawn, Caitlin, and Nina. Their tagline “We’re here, we’re queer, and we’re not going shopping without coupons” is catchy and a great lead in to their articles on finances, frugality, and how it all relates to us as lesbians. Because we can’t marry our partners the financial maze is even more complex and fraught with gotcha’s than our straight counterparts. That’s just ripe for added stress, especially in our relationships (where money is always a hotbed of power, emotion, and potential conflict).

These ladies have a very accessible and personal writing style. And hurrah to a bunch of folks willing to come out from behind that pseudonym mask to talk about the real issues! I, for one, can’t wait to read more of what they have to say as it has quickly become one of my favorite blogs to read.

Everyone knows that follow-up and automated systems are crucial to business success. And, let’s face it, you can’t do everything and be everywhere at the same time or you’d be burned out and stressed to the max.

That’s where an autoresponder system for generating and following up with customer prospects comes in handy. I’ve been using AWeber for over a year now and I can say it has made things SO MUCH EASIER.

What is an autoresponder system? It is a way to automatically send e-mails to specified customer leads (or new prospects who sign up for something on your website) at pre-determined time intervals. It is also a way to broadcast e-mails to all or a segment of your customers at one time in a way that maximizes your chance that the e-mail gets to the recipient and is not tossed as SPAM (Nothing is 100%, but AWeber does a good job checking all e-mails against SPAM assasin ratings which indicates the probability a given e-mail will be considered SPAM). It is like having a friend sending follow-up e-mails to your customers and prospects at given intervals while you’re off doing something else.

I use it to capture leads for my Free Report, Newsletter Sign-Up, Product (eCourse) payment and delivery, and broadcasting my eZine monthly. AWeber offers easy to use sign-up forms and a robust administration panel so I could give up struggling with doing it manually and spend that time doing something more productive — from marketing to down-time. I know I don’t even begin to tap some of the power of their features such as split testing and customer segmentation yet either.

Their live chat, e-mail, and telephone support has so far been superb. Pleasant people who care that you get your questions answered and more.

If you’re looking for a way to automate these necessary tasks and communicate with your customers even when you’re not available, take AWeber for a free trial.

Blogwild! Small Business Book Hits Bookstores Today

Today’s the day! Andy Wibbels’ new book just came out: Blogwild! A Guide for Small Business Blogging. As part of the book launch promotion, if you purchase the book on April 6th through Amazon.com (only $12.97), you’ll receive $50 off your choice of Six Figure Blogging, Easy Bake Weblogs, RSS Essentials or Business Blog Basics. This is a great opportunity to grab this hot new book as well as an online course to ensure your success. Buy the book now over at www.GOblogwild.com.

Besides being a great guy, Andy is an expert blogger. I took his Six Figure Blogging course last fall and it was his enthusiasm that propelled me into launching this blog. No one knows the ins and outs of blogging like he does. And in this book he provides both theory, concepts, and practical application of blogging for businesses in easy to understand, approachable language.

I recently talked about the quality of information you allow yourself to digest each day as being a key ingredient of success and avoiding burnout. One fabulous and entirely free way you can add more soul-full high quality information to your daily diet is by listening to some of the shows on Hay House Radio.

Some of the world’s best spiritual leaders, medical intuitives, coaches, holistic healers, and others are available to you each week free of charge streaming over the internet or downloadble to your MP3 player. And, if you listen live, many shows allow you to call in and speak personally with the show host to have your questions answered.

I personally am a huge fan of Debbie Ford, Cheryl Richardson, and Caroline Myss and have been listening to their shows faithfully since Day 1.

I highly recommend taking a peek and a listen to Hay House Radio. Listen for a while and just notice if your spirit feels a little more uplifted. All these shows are great introductions to becoming more self-aware and making positive changes in your life.

Post a comment and let me know what you think …

A thriving relationship is one of life’s most satisfying experiences. As someone who has been in a committed relationship for over 14 years I can honestly say it is one of the cornerstones of my life. And, after all these years I can still say that we are crazy about one another!

What I know for sure is that a relationship does not complete me. While that whole “you complete me” nonsense sounds great in movies and love songs, it doesn’t work in real life. I am whole plain and simple, with or without a relationship. And, until you can become more aware of who you are and what you really want from another person in a relationship, you will kiss a lot of frogs and experience a lot of heartaches and hard lessons.

That is why I am so psyched about Barb Elgin’s (Coach Sappho) new Programs for Singles. In her program she breaks it down to the fundamentals — getting real clear on:

• Who you are
• What you want from a relationship
• How to go about finding it

She takes a holistic and intentional approach to singles and is passionate about giving you the support you need to make your relationship dreams come true.