I believe my blog readers are the most intelligent, creative and business-savvy people on the web.

For that reason, I’m asking you to help me make an “executive decision” and choose a logo for my latest venture—LIFT.

• LIFT stands for Legal, Insurance, Financial and Tax. And the LIFT program will help micro business owners get excited about building their business with a LIFT Foundation.

• Millions of small business owners each year lose money or face serious setbacks in their businesses because of lawsuits, conflicts, audits, bookkeeping issues, unnecessary tax bills and having the wrong type and amount of insurance in place.

• Lack of knowledge about these issues personally cost me nearly $750,000.  Combine that with my law school and undergraduate education and I’ve got a million dollar education to share with you about these topics.

I’m really excited about the launch of LIFT, but of course I can go no further until this logo is chosen.

So here are your choices below (double- click on the image to enlarge it if you’re having a hard time viewing the designs):

Please leave me a comment letting me know your preferred font choice (each column has it’s own font) as well as your preferred color scheme (each row has it’s own color). Also, and this is very important, please let me know whether you are a current business owner or an aspiring business owner. And, of course, if you have any other thoughts/feelings, please let me know that too.

Based on your feedback I’ll make my final decision!  Thank you so much in advance.  I can’t wait to hear what you think.

It’s now 11:00p at night (although only 8:00p to my body– which is still on Maui time) and despite running around like a mad woman all day taking care of my dog (who lost use of his back legs while I was gone) and my kids (my daughter had her first solo presentation at school and had no costume ready) and the fact that I’m totally exhausted, I’m compelled to document my awakenings and awarenesses from the trip.

The sooner I get it all down, the more likely it is that I will keep the promises I’ve made to myself.

Writing down your commitments (the more publicly the better too by the way) makes it far more likely that you will honor them and bring yourself infinitely closer to creating your life on your terms.

I was in Maui for the diamond mastermind meeting with my mentor Ali Brown.  It’s so interesting to look back at the post I wrote when I invested 6-figures to have Ali as my mentor and see how my thinking has grown and evolved and know that it will grow even more tremendously over the next 6 months.

Playing in a Mastermind at this level is absolutely transformative and what’s completely mind blowing to me is that rather than it pulling me into a whole new level of busyness and work, it’s bringing me to a place of almost stillness.  Absolutely mind blowing.

Ok, so stillness may be going a bit too far.    But, definitely a massive shift from the “it’s all dependent on me and I have to do all of it” mentality into an “I can’t do it all and why the heck would I want to anyway?” mindset.

Big shift and one that I’d embraced mentally for the past couple of years, but wasn’t truly embodying.

Okay, maybe now I realize that’s not true either.

Over the past several years, as I’ve been building my businesses, I’ve become very good at admitting I can’t do it all … at home.  I’ve gotten very good at delegating there (I haven’t cooked a meal in years and yet we always have family dinner together) whereas in my business I’m still hanging on to too many things that don’t really need me.  Things that I now realize are taking away from my family and what I really love.

This week in Maui I confronted an old demon of mine (my experience as a mother) and discovered what I’ve known all along but couldn’t allow to happen because my businesses were not ready … I really, really, really want to be a hands-on mom.

Not a full time stay at home mom. But a business owning, money-making, empire building hands -on mom.

I want to be the one to pass on values to my kids.  I want to be the one who teaches them how to be in the world.  I want to be the one to guide them towards their passions in life.

The only way to do this is to spend a whole lot more focused one on one time with them.

So, that means I need to work less hours.  The fact of the matter is there’s only so many hours in the day and I’ve got a lot of vision that wants to be created and brought into being.

I’ve finally realized that the way for me to work less (thereby having more time for my family while still being the visionary in my business) is to become the leader; not the manager and not the doer.

It’s time for me to embody this, not just know it to be true.

Looking back at what I wrote 6 months ago when I joined Ali’s diamond mastermind, I can see some interesting things:

1.  Now I REALLY Need to Give Up My Private Email.  This time, I have a plan that will work, I think.

6 months ago, I tried to give up my email utilizing the Tim Ferris Four Hour Work Week method, but that completely failed for me.  For a while I beat myself up, but then I worked through it and discovered that Tim and I are very different and what works for him and his relationship with his customers, won’t work for me and mine.  I needed to create a personalized system using the same concepts, but fitting my personality, character and way of being.  I’ll share my system with you and how you can create your own once I get it fully implemented and tested in my life.

2.  Still not a mommy blogger.

While I do write the intrepid mompreneur blog and I am a mommy, I’m still not a mommy blogger.  I’m a Mommy Business Blogger.  I’d have to say the biggest difference is that I have no qualms whatsoever about earning a fabulous amount of money from the work I do at home while I raise my kids.  The mommy blogger crowd seems to be a wee bit (or more) concerned about ruining their personal brand by actually making money.

For me, having it all means raising my kids as a hands-on mom while running a business from home and making oodles of money, loving what I do and changing the world. A Mommy Business Blogger!

3.  Twitter

My whole philosophy about Twitter has changed.  I don’t feel chained to it at all.  And because I’ve set up groups using Tweetdeck and can keep an eye on the streams of people who uplift me, I love, love, love that I can pop in when I can, connect with the peeps who want to connect with me, ask for support when I need it, give support when I can and I don’t have to feel any sort of obligation to do it or like I’m missing something if I don’t do it.

Oh, and by the way, if you are on Twitter, you may want to check out some hashtags I’ve started.  #mommybiz is for when I’m writing about and talking about Mommy Business type things and #values is for when I’m struggling with how to handle something with the kids.  If you love my spirituality, you’ll love my #agape tweets live from the Agape Int’l Spiritual Center on Sundays too.

I could go on and on about these little things, but the real big shift is that I am going to be way more hands-on with my kids than I have been up until now.

It feels so funny to say that out loud because I feel as if I have been incredibly hands on for a working mom.

But I can no longer deny that my kids need more than “hands-on for a working mom.”  My kids need 3-5 hours a day of my time, consistently and fairly focused.  Wowzer!  That’s a lot of time for someone who works like I do and supports her family and has 10 people counting on her for a paycheck.

Ok, let’s see how we can make this a reality.

I’ve spent hours wondering how it is that other moms can sit in front of their computers 12-14 hours a day and their kids seem to be able to stay with nannies, do okay in school, etc., and why it doesn’t seem to be working for us.  I’ve spent days wondering how I could make sure my kids needs would be met by someone else.

Finally, finally, finally, I’ve realized that I’m not really having it all if I’m not spending a significant enough amount of time every day with my kids to really feel like I am raising them to be the kind of people I want to hang out with.

I’ve been leading my businesses for the last 6 years and thanks to the work I put in, the learning I put in, the investment of time, money and tremendous effort, I can now turn more over to my amazing business teams and relax into the role of being a hands-on mom.

As I allow myself to sink into the possibility, I begin to discover that it’s what I’ve been working for all along.  I’ve been working so freakin’ hard so I could spend more time with my kids right now at this moment when they need more of me the absolute most.

I’m reminded that it’s all perfect and that source, the Universe, God, spirit (insert your term for it here) has a divine plan for my life.

So, with that very long introduction, I want to welcome you behind the scenes into my life running a mommy business and raising kids all at the same time and  in the same place … my home.

Through this video blog series I’m launching right away, you’ll get to see what it’s like to lead a business and a family at the same time.  I can promise you this – it’s not always pretty, but it’s almost always at least entertaining and I believe you’ll find it enlightening as you enter a whole new world where you really can create life on your terms.

PS – if you are wondering what happened to my big 40 days commitments, I’m no longer attending the daily meditations and I fell quite a bit off the eating wagon in Maui.  I’m not beating myself up for it in anyway shape or form though.  I’m so aware of the perfection of it.  It was exactly what I needed to prepare me for Maui so that I could be available to what it held for me.   WOOHOO!

Photo courtesey of rhettmaxwell

We have a winner! Or actually – we have two winners.

Thank you so much for everyone who helped me to come up with a tag line for my Kids Protection Planning Kit.

I was humbled and honored to have so many responses, and so many great    suggestions, and I would like to thank everyone for participating.

I chose two winners,  Jessica Smith and Allison Ellis.

I chose the following tag line:
“Life Doesn’t Come with a Crystal Ball – Make a Plan” by Jessica Smith.

And I also liked the idea of having a rotating banner and as you can see above, I chose the rotating banner text according to Allison’s idea.

“What Would Happen to Your Kids”
“If Something Happened to You”
“Life Doesn’t Come With A Crystal Ball. Make a Plan.”

Congrats to both Jessica and Allison, you each will receive a Kids Protection Planning Kit, which has a retail value of $497!

For the rest of ya, keep an eye on your inbox, your twitter account, and everywhere else you go for info on November 6 because we’re having a very special launch of the Kids Protection Planning Kit on that day.

Thanks again everyone!

]]> http://www.alexismartinneely.com/winners-of-the-kids-protection-planning-kit-tag-line-contest/feed/ 0 http://www.alexismartinneely.com/i-showed-you-mine-now-you-show-me-yours/ http://www.alexismartinneely.com/i-showed-you-mine-now-you-show-me-yours/#comments Thu, 18 Sep 2008 14:18:12 +0000 Alexis Martin Neely http://alexismartinneely.wordpress.com/?p=222 A few days ago, I laid it all on the line.  My hopes, my dreams, my fears. I heard from many of you about how inspired you were and how much you liked what I wrote.

But, what about you?

I can’t be the only one with big hairy audacious goals, can I?  What are your dreams?  Are you taking action on them?  How?

I want to hear from you!  To incentivize you to let it all hang out, let’s make it a contest!

Lots of people ask me if I’m still doing coaching or email me for help and guidance.  When I was doing it one on one, they paid $1,000/hour.  I don’t offer it anymore because I’m too busy building my businesses, publishing books and getting on TV.

But, I miss the feeling of being there, guiding someone and truly knowing I’m making a life-changing difference when that big a-ha comes along!  TV is great, but it’s kind of impersonal, ya know?

One tip from the right coach can save you months, if not years, of going down the wrong path.

So, post a comment about your big dreams and how you are taking action on them and I’ll pick the one that most inspires me for a one-on-one personal coaching session with me.

It can be around pinpointing your purpose, publishing a book, getting publicity or media, being a mompreneur, balancing work/life and still making your dreams come true, having it all, manifesting what you want, moving through fear or building your business. You pick.

So, let’s hear it!

PS – while you’re here, why not subscribe so you don’t miss anything?  Choose the subscribe by email option.  It’s in the upper right hand corner.  And, if you use OtherInbox, a super cool new service to help you take back your inbox, it won’t clutter up your inbox, but you’ll still stay up to date.

[googlevideo=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5707540400141371803&hl=en]

Yes, I was incredibly nervous the morning before I appeared on the Today Show for the first time.

I had gotten into NYC the night before and met Dave at our hotel, Le Parker Meridien. Good hotel, great location, and best price I could find on Hotels.com. ONLY $379/night compared to $600 plus for every other decent place in town.

Went to bed at a reasonable hour and woke up at 1:30a thinking it was time to get up. You know how it is when you have to get up early for something important, you are anxious about it and so wake up every hour thinking it’s time to get up? It was like that. Dave laughed at me and told me to go back to sleep.

Finally, it really was time to get up. 6am. Did my makeup and headed over to J Sisters International to get my hair done.

Although they don’t open until 9am, they open early for me and Vincent, my stylist, is there waiting. It’s so New York – a walk up four flights up and no elevator. At the top, an opulent salon with Italian fresco everywhere. (I don’t even know what Italian fresco is, but that’s what it seems like I should say about it – I’ll have video posted for you soon and you can tell me if I’m right).

Vincent makes my hair perfect and we are off to the studio.

Somehow, I lose track of time and we decide to stop for breakfast. Right before we get our food, I look at my watch and realize I need to be there in 10 minutes. Luckily, it’s just down the street. We get our food to go and walk over to 47th Street, where we are to enter through a non-descript office building.

As we near, I see all the tourists with their signs vying to get the camera to notice them outside the Today Show studios. It’s really happening.

We tell the security guards our names and then we’re in. Matt Lauer is standing by the elevator and says good morning to me. Wow, it’s real. I’m at the Today Show. We enter the Green Room, which isn’t green and a page whisks me away to hair and makeup and suddenly I’m nervous as hell.

I meet Elizabeth Mayhew, lifestyle contributor on the Today Show, who will be doing a segment about pillows, and she and I talk about book writing. She’s got a book coming out and tells me I should meet her agent. I’ve finally decided on the next topic for my book. I’d like to sell it before I write it, so that’s perfect. She gives me her email address.

Back to the green room where I see the drop dead gorgeous Natalie Morales, who seems to be as nice as she is pretty. And then, I wait.

At 9:30a, I’m whisked upstairs to the studio where Ann Curry and I will be taping the segment. It’s right next to where they tape the cooking segments. It’s freezing. I chat up the camera guys. I wait. I pace. Yes, I’m anxious. I review my points in my head. I never do that. But, today it’s Ann Curry and the Today Show. I never do that either.

Then, she’s walking in and we are rushing to get everything set before we go on. I mention her tribute to her dad and how it made me cry. She apologizes. I tell her no, thank you. I wish I could have done something like that for my dad when he died.

And then we have 30 seconds and it’s happening – Ann Curry is interviewing me.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YWRO7E56XI]

It’s over before I know it.

Amanda, the producer of my segment, takes me down to the control room where I see the Senior Producer, who tells me I was great and invites me to submit more segment ideas. I have to hold myself back from submitting them to him right then and there.

Then, we’re back out on the street and it’s over. Nearly all the feedback I get is great, except …

Apparently, I looked as if I was wearing a maternity shirt.

Dave’s ex-wife is the first to mention it in a text to him. Before I can dismiss it as the mean comments of a hurt ex, Laura Lee, my Executive VP at FWPI says the same thing, so I know it’s true.

For the record, I’m not preggo and it wasn’t a maternity shirt. It was a very expensive shirt from BCBG with what I thought was a flattering silhouette. I can see now that it wasn’t the best choice, but if that’s the only error I made, then I did good. And, next time, I’ll work out a little before going on the Today Show.

I fly to NYC in the morning so I can tape the Today Show on Tuesday am. The 9am hour. Not sure yet who’s interviewing me, but does it really matter???

As you can imagine, I’m beyond excited.

And, Laura Lee called me today to tell me, I’m on the TV Guide! Check it out … there I am! Someone call my grandma and tell her to Tivo it, in case I forget! Oh, and I’ll be video blogging the whole thing with this new little flip camera thing I got.

Stay tuned for pictures from my pre-Today Show styling session. My friend Sunita is a stylist and we spent a few hours picking out my outfit for the Today Show and for my Better TV segments. It was fun and I thought you’d like a little narrative of what we picked and how. It turns out I have an actual style that carries through everything I wear and now that I’ve broken free of the conservative lawyer’s suit, it’s shining through and the only word I can come up with for it is, unexpected. You’ll just have to tune in to see what I mean.

More coming soon ….

It was super fun, but exhausting. Up at 8am for hair and makeup, then off to the airport. My friend, Alicia Dunams, creator of the Wealthy Girl Summit, picked me up and we had lunch at a super yummy, hip San Fran restaurant and then off to the studio.

Immediately afterwards, we picked up Alicia’s daughter, Isabelle, and then headed to the airport where my flight was delayed about 45 minutes and I finally rolled back into my house about 8p.

Of course, I came home to 500 emails in my inbox, which I’ve only partially gone through. Alas, I’ve increased my comfort limit on unanswered emails to 250 at any one time. Oy.

What I can tell you – I’m not complaining about any of it! I’ll do it everyday if someone will let me. It would be great if I could get some local TV though, that’s for sure.

There’s plenty of TV here. I’ll make that a goal this summer.

And, if all goes well, you’ll be seeing me on the Today Show!!! in a couple of weeks. Cross your fingers for me. I’ll keep you posted!