When you’re bootstrapping a startup, it’s normal to have times when you feel stuck. Discouraged. And in way over your head.

Which is probably why so many startups fail in the early years. It’s hard to predict the bumps and roadblocks you’ll hit along the way, or which ones you’ll lose the most sleep over. Simple things like embracing the low-code software development platform “MODELO” from VANTIQ will help your startup to be efficient and productive.

Of course, you’re willing to do whatever it takes to make things happen. Start and run your business lean. Hustle hard until you hit your stride. Study and learn from smart entrepreneurs who’ve gone before. Long have you asked the question, “what is the net worth of Kevin David?” and upon learning the answer, you yearned to achieve the same level of success for yourself.

But you’re up against a lot of challenges, too.

Maybe you’ve got great ideas but you’re lacking the specific business know-how. Money is probably tight. Your time is stretched thin. You’re bombarded with information but not sure who to listen to or what to do next.

You want to do things right and to do that, you need to learn from the best.

And that’s why the Ultimate Startup Bundle was created.

It’s a complete library of business and startup resources on all the topics you need to round out your business and avoid crucial mistakes along the way.

It contains 58 eBooks and 12 eCourses, all created by experienced business owners who’ve been there, done that, and really know their stuff.

These hand-picked resources are designed to address each part of your startup journey with all the right tactics, tools, strategies and business helps to guide you on the road to success.

Including resources like Hooked (Nir Eyal), The Growth Hacker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Jeff Goldenberg and Mark Hayes), The Lean Brand (Jeremiah Gardner), Born to Win (Zig Ziglar), and Booked (Josh Turner), it covers everything you need to know about:

• Getting Started
• Lead Generation
• Mindset
• Marketing
• Getting Sales
• Copywriting
• Product Creation Finance
• Productivity
• Scaling

With a product value of over $3,300, it’s the full meal deal and was carefully curated to give entrepreneurs like you an edge as you build your business.

In fact, it’s the sort of thing I only wish had been around when I launched my first startup.

At just $97 for the entire bundle, it’s a far cry less than you’ll pay for many monthly membership sites (often $50-$100 per month), online business courses (typically $999-$5,000), and let’s not even talk about the tens or hundreds of thousands you can spend on a traditional business degree.

With content from over 60 top authors, it’s a robust library of business resources that covers the A to Z of creating, marketing and scaling a successful startup.

But you’ve got to act now because the Ultimate Startup Bundle is only around for a few days, and then the team that created it loses their license to make this incredible library available.

Many of the authors and publishers have taken a big risk to make this happen for you, and in return they’ve agreed to keep it to just 6 days.

As an added bonus, along with the products in the bundle you’ll receive free access to premium online software services to support your business, like ConvertKit, ClickFunnels, SamCart, and Thinkific, worth over $900, which makes the small investment of $97 even more of a no-brainer.

Don’t just survive the startup journey. Get the roadmap and guidance you need to make your business thrive. Click here to get your Ultimate Startup Bundle or learn more about what’s included by scrolling down.

What’s in the Ultimate Startup Bundle?

So very glad you asked! Here is just some of the content that is included broken down by category:

Copywriting

• Content Warfare: How to find your audience, tell your story and win the battle for attention online by Ryan Hanley at RyanHanley.com ($2.99)
• Hi-Leverage Conversion Tweaks Crash Course by D. Bnonn Tennant at Information Highway ($68.00)
• May I Have Your Attention, Please?: Your Guide to Business Writing That Charms, Captivates and Converts by Mish Slade at Mortified Cow ($3.99)
• Powerful Words: Discover Your Secret Language for Personal Success and Maximizing Impact Through Emotional Connections by Clark Gaither at Dr. Burnout ($9.97)
• You Are a Writer (So Start Acting Like One) by Jeff Goins at Goins Writer ($0.99)

Finance

• Founder’s Pocket Guide: Friends and Family Funding: Complete Answers for Entrepren by Stephen Poland at 1×1 Media ($7.99)
• Founder’s Pocket Guide: Raising Angel Capital (From Amazon: Startup Crash Course: Angel Funding) by Stephen Poland at 1×1 Media ($6.15)
• Launch Your Dream 1st Steps Bundle by Natalie Joy at Defining Your Joy ($300.00)

Getting Sales

• 6 Months to 6 Figures: The Fastest Way to Go From Where You Are to Where You Want to be Regardless of the Economy by Peter Voogd at Game Changer’s Academy ($9.97)
• Buy Your Own Island: The Ultimate Guide to Breaking Free and Making Your Dreams Reality by Danny Flood at Open World ($9.99)
• Customer Manipulation: How to Influence Your Customers to Buy More & Why an Ethical Approach will Always Win! by Chloe Thomas at Chloe Thomas ($0.99)
• eCommerce Delivery: How your Delivery Strategy can Increase your Sales by Chloe Thomas at Chloe Thomas ($4.99)
• eCommerce Marketing: How to Drive Traffic that BUYS to your Website by Chloe Thomas at Chloe Thomas ($8.70)
• eCommerce MasterPlan 1.8: Your 3 Steps to Successful Online Selling by Chloe Thomas at Chloe Thomas ($6.99)
• Lifestyle Entrepreneur: Live Your Dreams, Ignite Your Passions and Run Your Business From Anywhere in The World by Jesse Krieger at Jesse Krieger ($7.99)
• QuitN6 Internet Business Course by Steve Reed at QuitN6 ($300.00)
• Selling Among Wolves Audio Coaching Program by Michael Pink at MichaelPink.com ($147.00)
• Twitter Marketing That Sells: How to Convert Your Twitter Followers into Business Dollars by Mike Kawula at Social Quant ($99.00)

Getting Started

• Create, Automate, Accelerate: A Radical New Blueprint To Building A Business (And Life) That’s Exciting, Has Purpose And Gives You The Freedom You Want by Leon Jay at Leon Jay ($6.95)
• How To Plan Your Entire Year On One Sheet Of Paper: The Simple Plan For Doubling Your Sales And Profits by Laura Posey at Simple Success Plans ($5.95)
• Job Escape Plan: The 7 Steps to Build a Home Business, Quit your Job and Enjoy the Freedom: Includes Interviews of John Lee Dumas, Nick Loper, Rob Cubbon, Steve Scott, Stefan Pylarinos & others! by Jyotsna Ramachandran at Happy Self Publishing ($2.99)
• Launch Your Business: The 5 Step Solution to Do What You Love, Quit Your Job and Have the Freedom to Travel and Live Life on Your Own Terms by Rosetta Thurman at Happy Black Woman ($7.97)
• Mastermind Course by Dan Miller at 48 Days ($20.00)
• Plan Twice, Build Once: Lessons learned from over 100 conversations with extrodinary entrepreneurs by Michael Sacca at Rocketship ($39.99)
• The Simple Strategic Plan by Laura Posey at Simple Success Plans ($47.00)
• The Invisible Organization: How Ingenious CEOs are Creating Thriving, Virtual Companies by Mitch Russo at Mitch Russo ($9.99)
• The Juicy Guide to Entrepreneurship: Advice on How to Energize your Brand and Squeeze More Soul Into Your Business by Maria Ross at Red Slice ($0.99)
• The Small Business Life Cycle: The No-Fluff Guide to Navigating the Five Stages of Small Business Growth by Charlie Gilkey at Productive Flourishing ($5.99)

Lead Generation

• Booked: The digital marketing and social media appointment setting system for anyone looking for a steady stream of leads, appointments, and new clients by Josh Turner at Josh Turner ($2.99)
• Internet Prophets Masterclass by Steve Olsher at SteveOlsher.com ($997.00)
• Moving From Blog to Business by Caz and Craig Makepeace at yTravel ($67.00)
• Stop Thinking Like a Freelancer: The Evolution of a $1M Web Designer by Liam Veitch at Freelance Lift ($8.99)
• The Key to More Customers by Brian Lofrumento at Brian Lofrumento ($497.00)
• Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur: What You Really Need to Know to Start Your First Business by Brian Lofrumento at Brian Lofrumento ($9.95)

Marketing

• Brand Identity Breakthrough: How to Craft Your Company’s Unique Story to Make Your Products Irresistible by Gregory Diehl at Brand Identity Breakthrough ($4.99)
• Email Marketing Demystified: Build a Massive Mailing List, Write Copy that Converts and Generate More Sales by Matt Paulson at Matthew Paulson ($2.99)
• Email Persuasion: Captivate and Engage Your Audience, Build Authority and Generate More Sales With Email Marketing by Ian Brodie at Ian Brodie ($6.49)
• Entrepreneur’s Guide To The Lean Brand: How Brand Innovation Builds Passion, Transforms Organizations and Creates Value by Jeremiah Gardner at Jeremiah Gardner ($9.99)
• Facebook Ads Manual: Everything You Need to Know to Get Started by Mojca Mars at Super Spicy Media ($29.00)
• Networking Is Not Working: Stop Collecting Business Cards and Start Making Meaningful Connections by Derek Coburn at Derek Coburn ($2.99)
• Storytelling for Startups: How Fast-Growing Companies Can Embrace the Power of Story-Driven Marketing by Mark Evans at Mark Evans Consulting ($24.99)
• The 1-Page Marketing Plan: Get New Customers, Make More Money, And Stand out From The Crowd by Allan Dib at Successwise ($2.99)
• The Connection Algorithm: Take Risks, Defy the Status Quo, and Live Your Passions by Jesse Tevelow at Jtev ($2.99)
• “The Power of Personality for Your Small Business: How to Use Personality to
  Capture the Attention, Hearts and Wallets of Customers” by Jessica Drury at Heartlines copywriting studio ($3.99)

Mindset

• Born to Win: Find Your Success Code by Zig Ziglar at Ziglar ($8.99)
• From Burnout to Balance: A Small Business Owner’s Journey Through Personal and Business Growth by Paul Redmond at RDA Accountants ($9.99)
• How to Deal with Irrational People: What to do When Common Sense Fails and “Crazy” Behavior Prevails by Paul Colaianni at The overwhelmed brain ($3.49)
• Project: Success: How to Break barriers & Bring Your Ideas to Life by Mark Sieverkropp at Sieverkropp ($9.99)
• The End of Jobs: Money, Meaning and Freedom Without the 9-to-5 by Taylor Pearson at Taylor Pearson ($3.99)
• The Juicy Guide to Entrepreneurial Inspiration: Advice on How to Spark Your Creativity and Activate Your Inner Fire by Maria Ross at Red Slice ($2.99)
• The Successful Mistake:How 163 of The World’s Greatest Entrepreneurs Transform Failure Into Success by Matthew Turner at TurnDog ($9.99)
• Train Your BrainTrain Your Brain: How to Build a Million Dollar Business in Record Time by Dana Wilde at The Mind Aware ($7.99)
• When Millennials Take Over: Preparing for the Ridiculously Optimistic Future of Business by Jamie Notter & Maddie Grant at Work XO ($7.99)

Product Creation

• Collaborate: The Modern Playbook for Leading a Small Team to Create, Market, and Sell Digital Products Online + Online Course by Tom Morkes at TomMorkes.com ($297.00)
• Evolved Enterprise: How to Re-Think, Re-Imagine, and Re-Invent Your Business to Deliver Meaningful Impact and Even Greater Profits by Yanik Silver at Evolved Enterprise ($19.00)
• Hooked: Workbook (Amazon says: Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products), doesn’t mention a workbook. by Nir Eyal at Nir and Far ($12.99)
• Non Obvious 2016 Edition: How To Think Different, Curate Ideas & Predict The Future by Rohit Bhargava at Idea Press Publishing ($3.99)

Productivity

• Automate Your Routines, Guarantee Your Results by Kathryn Jones at Kathryn Jones ($3.99)
• How I Automate Everything with Zapier by Brian Keith at Red Beard Consulting ($50.00)
• The Healthy Habit Revolution: Create Better Habits in 5 Minutes a Day by Derek Doepker at Excuse Proof Fitness ($2.99)
• The Juicy Guide to Brand Building: Advice on How to Attract Loyal Fans and Amplify Your Message by Maria Ross at Red Slice ($2.99)
• The Juicy Guide to Time Management and Goal Setting: Advice on How to Wrangle Your Calendar and Slay Overwhelm by Maria Ross at Red Slice ($2.99)
• The Personal Productivity Handbook: A Step-by-Step Program to Supercharge Your Productivity by Paul Minors at Paul Minors ($19.00)
• Work Smarter: 500+ Online Resources Today’s Top Entrepreneurs Use To Increase Productivity and Achieve Their Goals: Updated and Expanded for 2015 by Nick Loper at Side Hustle Nation ($2.99)
• Yes Yes Hell No: The Little Book for Making Big Decisions by Brian Whetten at Core Coaching ($9.95)

Scaling

• Feed a Starving Crowd: More than 200 Hot and Fresh Marketing Strategies to Help You Find Hungry Customers by Robert Coorey at Feed a starving crowd ($0.99)
• Online Sales Formula: a Six Step Model to Grow Your Impact and Income Online by Brian Dixon at Dixon Agency ($12.99)
• Scale: How to Grow Your Business by Working Less by Frank Bria at FrankBria.com ($8.99)
• The Growth Hacker’s Guide to the Galaxy: 100 Proven Growth Hacks for the Digital Marketer by Mark Hayes & Jeff Goldenberg at Rocketshp ($9.99)
• The Virtual Assistant Solution by Michael Hyatt at MichaelHyatt.com ($2.99)

Click HERE to get your Ultimate Startup Bundle!

***I’m an affiliate for Ultimate Bundles. Clicking on any of the links above will re-direct you to a sales page whereby if you purchase one of the company’s products I will earn a commission. This costs you nothing, but helps support my blog. Thanks in advance for your support!!!***

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Sometimes the roller coaster of life has too many ups and downs…or does it? Could it actually just be the Universe teaching you lessons? Perhaps…the ups and downs I’ve faced throughout the last few days have definitely been…well…educational…

It’s certainly been a crazy roller coaster this life has had me on the past few days. So, where do I even begin? Let’s start here….

Down: Sunday I decided to accompany my mom for a family emergency trip out of town. Up: I can work from anywhere that has an internet connection and I got to spend time with my mom.

Down: Monday, the family emergency got bad. Tuesday it got worse and Wednesday-Thursday it hit the peak of crazy.

Ups: – I got interviewed to be featured on a podcast for my ghostwriting business
– I got a lot of work done albeit under weird circumstances
– I got to watch the Tony Robbins Netflix special – highly recommend it
– I had a fabulous phone chat with a client to take create an exciting project for her business
– I rewrote a lot of goodies on this blog and got INSANELY clear on what I want to do with it.
– I finalized the workflow for what I want on my writer-for-hire website

Coasting: Today…the family emergency settled down enough that I was able to just breathe and know that it should be better for at least the next 45 days (hopefully). As I began to calm down this morning I had more big ups

Ups: – Passed my Hubspot Inbound certification
– I had an article go live on Medium and
– I came to the GLORIOUS realization that I don’t need nearly as much money as I thought I did for my road trip that’s happening next week.

Through all of these ups and downs I’ve been trying to keep a positive attitude and though I had a lot of slips in the positive Ashley department,  I’ve learned a lot about myself and what I really want in my life right now. I’m very much looking forward to my road trip next week and can’t wait to share all of my adventures here on this site! Here’s to more ups and far less downs in the future! xoxo bloggy friends!

 

 

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I was asked if I would be interested in accepting sponsorships on my Instagram account as I drive from Tampa to California and back for the BlogHer 2016 road trip. I am absolutely willing to do that as it will definitely offset some of the expenses and be a huge help! So, I’ve set up a system to do just that.

Step 1

Log into Paypal and click “Send & Request”

Step 2

Click the button “Send money to friends and family”

Step 3

From here, you will type in the email address you wish to send the money to. If you are sponsoring an Instagram post on my Famous Ashley Grant page, you will type in [email protected] as the email address and then click Next.

Step 4
Enter $5.00 into the amount area in USD

 

Step 5
Click the “Write a note” button

 

Step 6
Write what you would like in your Instagram post starting with the phrase
“I would like you to post the following to Instagram:”

Step 7
I will receive the funds and the note and I’ll post your text to the Famous Ashley Grant Instagram account from wherever I am in the United States at the time. Note: The FCC requires I add a note that makes it clear I was compensated for the post so I will be adding hashtags #sponsored and #ad to my post to be FCC compliant. Below is a screenshot example of what your post will look like. The image will vary based on where I am in the US. Please let me know in your note if you would like me to add a selfie or if you are okay with me simply posting an image from the state I’m in at the time… thanks!

Step 8
The post will also have hashtags #bloggerlife, #roadtrip and #BlogHer16
Because of this, I have set up an IFTTT to share the Instagram post to my Facebook page as well. So, for just $5 you are getting a social share on two platforms!!!

This is how it will share to Facebook based on the example above:

 

Important notes to note:
– There will be one social media post per $5 donation.
– Paypal donor is responsible for all incurred fees
– The social share will be posted within 8 hours of receipt of the funds and note.

To donate to the trip without requiring I share anything to Instragram, please click here. Thanks in advance for ALL of your support.

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Hi bloggy friends! So, CK Mondavi sent me some wine for a fun promotion they are doing right now titled It’s 5 O’Clock Anywhere, and as part of the promotion they asked me to come up with some fun cocktails for their CK Mondavi Moscato, CK Mondavi Blonde Five and the CK Mondavi Sauvignon Blanc. Below are the three cocktails I created. Each one was delicious and although I’m the type of gal that likes wine straight from the bottle, I know these drinks will be created and consumed again and again and again! So yummy. p.s. to please them FTC peeps – some of the links below are in fact affiliate links. By clicking them you’ll be redirected to a sales page where if you purchase the item I’ll receive a small commission. Thank you in advance for supporting this blog!

The CK Mondavi MosCosmo

For my first drink I played with the CK Mondavi Moscato. It just so happened that the day I decided to play mixologist was the Fourth of July. Perfect! It was hot as could be and I wanted something refreshing and on ice. After thinking about what went into a traditional cosmo. The original recipe calls for vodka, triple sec, lime juice and cranberry juice. I thought it would be interesting to swap the moscato for the triple sec and see how it tasted. Needless to say, it was a hit! Everyone loved it and the bottle was gone before I could even ask “Do you want one more?”

Here’s how I made it:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup CK Mondavi Moscato
• 1 cup cranberry juice
• 1/4 cup vodka
• 1 tbs Rose’s lime juice

Prep:

• Mix ingredients in a large shaker. I used a 45 oz protein shake shaker bottle.
• Pour over ice into a glass. I used three old fashioned scotch glasses

Makes approximately three drinks.

CK Mondavi Summer Sauvignon Sangria

For my next drink I thought a refreshing summer sangria would be lovely. So, that’s just what I decided to do, albeit with a slight twist from “traditional” sangria. Most sangria features a red wine and fruit. Some people add brandy, others add sprite. Here’s what I did:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups CK Mondavi Sauvignon Blanc
• 2 cans of Del Monte Mixed Fruit – I used the cans that featured mixed fruit in an extra light syrup with pineapples, peaches and pears. They also happened to be 50 cals each, but you could use bigger cans or ones with heavy syrup/fruit juice if you want your sangria to be sweeter and/or have more fruit in it.
• 1/4 cup vodka – optional, but I wanted a little more kick to my adult fruit punch.

Prep:

• Pour ingredients into a large pitcher. Stir with a wooden spoon
• Refrigerate for 2-8 hours.
• Pour over ice into a glass.

Makes between two and three drinks depending on how big your glasses are.

CK Mondavi California Sunset

For my final drink I used the CK Mondavi Blonde Five and decided to do a spin on a tequila sunrise type drink. I named it California Sunset as homage to the fact that CK Mondavi is based in California. This drink out of all three I made was by far my favorite. Refreshing and delicious? YES and HELL YES!!

Ingredients:

• 1 bottle CK Mondavi Blonde
• Rose’s Grenadine Syrup
• 1 cup pineapple juice

Prep:

• Chill the wine, the pineapple juice and the grenadine – you want these ingredients as cold as possible. Not frozen, but the colder the better!
• Grab a chilled martini glass– this can be done by freezing the glass
• Fill 1/3 of the glass with the CK Mondavi Blonde.
• Fill the second 1/3 of the glass with pineapple juice
• Finally, slowly pour in the grenadine onto the side of the glass and watch as it pools into the bottom of the glass. Fill about a quarter of an inch to an inch depending on how much of the “sun” you would like to see or how sweet you would like the drink to taste
• Drink the sunset and enjoy!
• Repeat until you run out of pineapple juice and then finish the CK Mondavi Blonde by itself. Fret not, it’s refreshingly delicious by itself!

Well, there you have it, my three CK Mondavi Summer Cocktails. It’s 5 O’Clock Anywhere, so I hope you will enjoy these liquid concoctions I have created. And, when you do, please drink responsibly!

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I am doing the Ultimate Blogging Challenge for the month of July 2016, and one of the cool things about the challenge is reading the fabulous posts from other people in the challenge. One such post inspired what I’m writing here today. I found it on a site called Alphabet Salad and the post was called The 50X50 Project and featured 50 of the author’s goals that she plans to complete in 2016. To say it revved me up would be an understatement. Realizing that we’re now more than half way through 2016 I decided I’ll create my own list of my goals for the second half of this year and have named my list the 25X25 Project as my list features 25 things I want to accomplish over the next 25 weeks. Below the graphic you’ll find my list 😀

My 25 Goals for the Next 25 Weeks:

1. Publish another eBook or two under my own name
2. Drop 2 dress sizes or more by the end of the year
3. Workout three days or more per week now through the end of the year
4. Purchase 6 (i.e., one per month) items from friends with online shops.  (This one and the next one are ripped almost verbatim from the inspiration list because a lot of my friends own small businesses and I think it’s a beyond brilliant idea!)
5. Promote 6 (i.e., one per month) friends’ online shops on social media.
6. Go through every magazine I own and either use it, recycle it or donate it. This is part of a much bigger goal of being more paperless in my home.
7. Complete the updates to my writer for hire website
8. Design, complete and launch at least two niche sites
9. Finish at least the placeholder page for every domain I own and create the PBN page on each domain as well
10. Organize my living room – finished my kitchen and closet finally. Next, gotta get my living room under control. De-clutter and get rid of excess.
11. After my writer for hire site is done pitch at least 10 podcasts to try to be a guest on them
12. Meditate 10-20 minutes every day for the rest of the year
13. Successfully complete a road trip to California and back – planned for July 28-August 21 😀 Can’t wait to update this one with our progress!!!
14. Organize my dining room too. Again, de-clutter and get rid of excess
15. Become financially free from debt
16. Learn some Spanish already
17. Read 5 books – I do so much reading of blogs and articles for my day job that this is a lofty goal, but I’m starting with The Code of the Extraordinary Mind by Vishen Lakhiani 
18. Transfer all of the posts I want to keep from my old Famous Ashley site to this one. I know- I could have done this an easier way, but no- I chose the hard way of one at a time…
19. Organize my photographs on my computer
20. Re-size all the images on my external hard drive
21. Create and load 5 Youtube Videos per month through the end of the year
22. Do the one week no eating out challenge
23. Do the one week no spending money challenge
24. Set the plans in motion for a trip to Europe – create the timeline for saving the money, decide on a deadline for when we’re going to book the flight, perhaps even book the flight, etc… Yes, I just made a goal to make a plan. LOL
25. Make the gifts and cards I give for Christmas this year

I encourage you to consider your goals for the rest of the year too. And, if you are brave enough, share them publicly as I’m doing here. Perhaps doing so will be the public accountability you have been seeking. Happy goal setting and dream chasing!

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Reposting from the Crooked Table

I wrote this in August 2008 and it still rings true!

How bad do you want your dreams to come true?

This was a question asked of me recently and it actually freaked me out. I didn’t really know how to answer the question. It made me think about what the question really meant. Here’s what I came up with.

Because of what my dreams and goals are…

How bad do you want to be published? If you don’t want it bad enough it simply will not happen. Sitting on your ass talking about a book idea, a screenplay or even an article will get you nowhere fast! To make it happen you gotta get your butt in the chair, write it, edit it and shop it. You have to WANT to eat, breathe and sleep it to make it. Don’t want it bad enough? Then move on. Half assing anything is not worth it.

How bad do you want to be known? Once the book is written and edited you have to market the crap out of it! There is no excuse to not turn yourself into a brand that you are trying to advertise! Steven King is a brand, Danielle Steele is a brand, JK Rowling is a brand and without a successful marketing plan, they never would have gotten to be household names!

How bad do you want to retire/be financially independent? You have to decide now how much you need to retire or to be financially independent and then set all tracks towards that goal. Just like everything else though, if you don’t eat, breathe and sleep it, it’s over.

In case you haven’t figured it out 🙂 My goals are to be well known, get books published and be financially independent. If I don’t want it bad enough I know it’s not going to happen. Other people telling me to make it happen won’t help! I have to pump myself up and make it happen.

So, figure out what you want and decide if you want it bad enough to make your desires come to fruition!

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Saw this on Facebook and had the urge to fill it out… So, below the image are 26 things about me.

Twenty six things about me….
A- Age: Rude to ask
B- Biggest fear: Dying without completing everything I want to complete
C- Current time: 3:12p.m.
D- Drink you last had: Water
E- Every day starts with: A trip to the bathroom, LOL!
F- Favorite song: Too many favorites to pick one. Besides, it changes with my mood.
G- Ghosts are: Real. Boo!
H- Hometown: somewhere in Kentucky
I- In love: With life
J- Jealous of? Working on re-framing jealousy as if I want it and someone has it I can do it too because they just proved it’s possible
K- Killed someone? With kindness, sure.
L- Last time you cried? Yesterday
M- Middle name: what if it’s a secret I don’t share with just anyone? LOL
N- Number of siblings: 2
O- Something you wish for: To make $10,000 a month
Q- Question you’re always asked: Everything okay?
R- Reason to smile: I’m breathing
S- Song last sang: Can’t Keep My Hands to Myself
T- Time you woke up: The first time? 9 a.m. Actually got up? 11 a.m.
U- Underwear color: Green
V- Vacation destination: This summer LA and several states along the way. Dream destination is still a London and France combo trip
W- Worst habit: Unhealthy foods
X- X-Rays you have had: At one point or another – my entire body
Y- Your favorite food: Depends on the day, but I can pretty much eat Chipotle any time.
Z- Zodiac sign: Leo
Copy, paste and complete. Have fun!!!

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On June 11, 2016 I had the amazing opportunity to check out bd’s Mongolian Grill in Lakeland, Fla. Although they gave me and my husband a free meal, and gave me $25 to give away on my site, this did not impact my review. All opinions are my own.

I was already planning on coming to Lakeland on June 11 for the Florida Festival of Flavor & Fire at the Lakeland Center. So, when bd’s reached out and asked if I would be interested in checking out their restaurant I jumped at the chance! I invited my father-in-law and my husband and off we went to Lakeland to stuff our faces with yummy foods.

Around noon on that Saturday we stopped by bd’s and since we had a reservation we were seated right away. Speaking of which… I highly recommend a reservation if you plan on stopping by Friday or Saturday evening for dinner or for lunch on Saturday or Sunday.

After looking over the menu both my husband and I agreed that the best value would be the unlimited create your own bowls which included unlimited bowls of stir-fry and unlimited salad and unlimited soup from their homemade soup bar. This option is served with your choice of white or brown rice, flour tortillas or lettuce wraps.

I almost immediately went for green peppers, onions, white rice, steak, pork and a variety of spices.

After I chose what I wanted I walked over to the largest wok I’ve EVER seen where the fab staff cooked up my goodies and then delivered it:

As they cooked they sang funny parodies and entertained the crowd and delivered my meal to me with a smile. So fun! I took a video of the fun singing, but unfortunately, in true #bloggerfail form accidentally deleted it while I instagrammed the images of my experience…sigh…

Of course, at this point the pictures stopped while I stuffed my face just enough to leave room for a second helping.

The best part? If you’re not 100% sure what to order, there are cards at the front of the salad and meat bars that give you recipes that can help you decide what to put on your plate for the staff to cook up:

Check out the recipes, pick your favorite and order up! Then, once you have tried it, go back for round two.

You can stack your plate as high as you want as long as it won’t fall on the floor. LOL! Then, head back to the wok and have it cooked up again!

My only complaint? The room we sat in had too many tables in chairs. My group repeatedly complained about how little wiggle room there was and whether or not this was a fire code violation. Nonetheless, all of us enjoyed what we ate thoroughly!

Sadly, the weekend we went the beer and wine license had not yet been approved, so we didn’t get to try their adult beverages. Then again, this was probably for the best since it was only stop 1 of 2 for our Lakeland adventures.

Bottom line: Lunch at bd’s Mongolian is a fabulous value, and if you leave hungry you did something wrong. I highly recommend eating here. If I’m ever in Lakeland again, you can bet I’ll be eating at bd’s once more! It was so good!!!

 

 

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So, I’ve been doing the #livemorechallenge with the incredible Sarah Jenks. Today, is day 5 and she released video 2 in her free training as she gets closer to the doors opening for her program. Today’s video was about love and body and she asked two critical questions that I’m going to share below along with my answers that I gave in the challenge.

The first half of the video was about love and how you would show up more on your dates if you’re single or in your relationship if you’re wifed up.  The second half was about falling in love with your body even if it doesn’t look the way you want it to right now.  So, here’s the questions that she asked at the end of the video and my answers to them:

1. How are YOU going to show up more in your relationship? I’m going to stop simply throwing on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I’m going to wear dresses because they make me feel sexy regardless of how I look to others. When I feel sexy my husband feels those good vibes and treats me better. I’m also going to get in my feminine flow like your example from the video- take a moment to turn off work Ashley, take a shower, light a candle and calm the hell down because calm and feminine Ashley is much more loving and enjoyable to be around.

2. What action are you going to take to start building a relationship with your body? I’m going to give her manicures and pedicures. She writes all day in her ghost writing business and her hands deserve a rest. She also deserves pedicures because she has foot problems and they would make her feel way more luxurious.

I’m putting it out into the Universe now that I hope I’m one of the winners of this challenge because I’d love to have a seat in the program. I’m all about body empowerment and am ready to stop waiting on the weight to live a life I love. I’m looking forward to participating in the rest of this challenge and then ultimately exploring all the exciting challenges that await me in the program. I’m ready to live more and weigh less!