Did you know it was TAX time?! I'm sure you're just as surprised as I am. It seems to sneak up on me every year. I mean as soon as I'm done and don't have to stress about it, here comes another round. Will it ever end?!

Probably not, sadly enough. Taxes are here for a reason and I don't even want to start THAT firestorm of a discussion, but I wanted to share some tax savings ideas that I've come across (both good and bad).

1) Avoid them, completely. Don't pay them. Positive: NO…

Hello, Small Business Owners, Managers and Mompreneurs!

I just had an impromptu conversation with a great friend of mine who works at a high end shoe store. She oversees the Community Outreach department and works with various groups in her city as well as organizes events throughout the year to promote the store and it's products.

I'm guessing that you will be able to relate to her situation!!

I just HAD to share it with you, so keep…

Most of us are using testimonials from happy clients in our marketing. If you’re not – you absolutely should be. Implement a system to ask customers for a few words about you and your business – as soon as possible after you’ve provided the service. You want to ask when you’re still fresh in their mind. Make it as…

My guest today is Dr. Elizabeth Jackson, one of the psychologists from Orenstein Solutions in Cary, North Carolina. Dr. Jackson has some great advice for those of us who are concerned about a parent, spouse or other family member who is showing signs of memory loss.

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Everyone’s memory begins to slip as they get older, but for some, the loss encompasses…

One of my clients used an expression today that I haven’t heard in a while. Speaking about one of his employees, he said: “She has a Cadillac appetite on a Chevrolet budget.” That was especially interesting, because we’d just been talking about the range of quality in his particular product, and there’s definitely a Cadillac version and a Chevy version, and they’re priced accordingly. His product is up toward the Cadillac end of the spectrum, and he’s constantly fighting the battle that…

Searching for cures through holistic healing

(NOTE: This is the first in a series about the writer’s experiences with promoting health.)

Breech born with bronchitis on a cold day in February six decades ago I struggled with health issues even as a baby. While I was growing in the womb my mother Ruby Lett was suffering with various illnesses, including continuous colds, anemia, and…

Podcast Interview by John O'Connor of Tim Moore

Listen while You Work! "Unraveling the Mystery of Gen X"

Click here to Listen to Podcast:…

Team Nimbus All-Star of the Week

Gary Vance is the owner of Vance Comfort Zone & Refrigeration LLC.

Nature of Business:

Vance Comfort…

Thank you to Dave Baldwin for posting a comment on my recent blog about FaceBook.

Although this social network supplies a platform for 500 million active users around the world with 206.2 million in the U.S. alone and growing, you do not get all of this service for free.

Here is a little poll I posted in case anyone…

Self-esteem, relationships, weight, health, career, money…these are some of the things that bring us all challenges in our life. For many of us there is always more than one area in our lives that we have difficulty. We are successful and fulfilled in our career, but our…

Learning from a prominent motivational speaker, Anthony Robbins.

Tony Robbins gives us a quick review of his challenging start in life when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. At that time he realized he had to 'feed his mind' in order to heal and move to a better place. Tony shares a few tips on how we can all  succeed to reach our goals using what he learned helped him move forward during a dark time in his…

Raleigh, NC – The medical homes coalition of North Carolina, First in Health, has launched its new website with the help from the Raleigh web design and internet marketing agency, TheeDesign Studio. First in Health is a collaborative, pioneering effort to bring the benefits of patient-centered medical homes to more North Carolinians.

Their new website (www.firstinhealth.org) was built in the search engine friendly WordPress…

It's Home Show Time Again!

A number of my clients have asked about the upcoming Raleigh Home Show at the Raleigh convention Center sponsored by ACS (American Consumer Services).

The ACS Raleigh Home Show will be on February 24, 25 and 26th, 2012.  The focus of this particular home show is:

• Home Improvement
• Hot…

Had a good massage lately?

Ahhh, what a wonderful feeling after a relaxing massage. Whether you are an athlete looking to reduce muscle pain and stiffness, a driver wanting to reduce pain of injuries following an accident, or an individual who wants to reduce everyday stress, a licensed massage therapist can be invaluable.

What is Massage Therapy?

Massage therapy is recognized as one of the oldest methods…

I am definitely not a green thumb, so you may need to confirm that this idea would work...

This suggestion falls into the category of giving a place of honor to a treasured item that you can't delete from your space. Often this can occur if you can find a new purpose for the item. I once saw a picture of a pair of boots serving as pots for plants. Yes, you would have to poke holes in the bottoms and you would need to find out if the material they are made out of is conducive to…

Connecting holistic healing and “Wholistic Work”

Since being injured in a car accident on November 22nd my life has centered around health appointments and therapeutic treatments to relieve the pain and to promote wellness. Recently I wrote in this column that the accident was my wake-up call...a collision between an old way of life…

How do Prospects view you?

Are you bringing value or just trying to make a sale?

Do you care about my business and my future or only if you close me? Do you strive for the one call close or do you want to build a relationship? Have you given any thought to the sales process or the profile…

Kudos to all of you early filers out there!  You most likely filed early because you were expecting a refund (or just wanted to check this off your massive “spring cleaning” list).  Now you may be asking “where the heck is my refund”?  Great question!  I don’t have a crystal ball to tell you exactly when you should receive your refund; however, I do have some great tools to help you track your refunds.

This …

In my role as a professional organizer, I have the privilege of working with other professionals from many different fields. One of the people I’m pleased to have in my network is Brooke Daly, who is an incredibly resourceful College Planning Consultant. I’ve invited her here today to share a few strategies to help high school students and their parents successfully navigate the many steps involved in applying for college.

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We had an awesome networking group this morning at the new Common Grounds in Downtown Apex! Yepper, new... Mark has put a brand new bar and the beer will flow soon. It is good to see strategy and alliance grow on Salem Street!

Vanessa Vendola, Katie Dixon, Teresa Robinson, Andy Hamilton, Kelli Peele, Gaynor Fries, Fred Gruber, Betty Ann Crump, Heather O'Sullivan, Terri Klein, and Stacey Shanahan among others all took advantage of that awesome 99 cent coffee.

March 15 we will…