Receiving the Learn How to Sell Anything Udemy Certificate

Hey everyone! I am starting my morning off right by receiving my Learn to Sell Anything Udemy course! I highly recommend this course because Grant Cardone teaches you new ways how to sell. I have paused the videos numerous times to take notes. I have also started implementing some of these ideas and started seeing results. Moreover, what I have learned from this course is the mentality shift that you must have in order to be a successful saleswoman. Even though I have finished Learn to Sell Anything, I am going to retake it to get even more jewels. I highly recommend it!

 Check it out here: https://www.udemy.com/the-fundamentals-of-selling-by-grant-cardone

eBay Adventure - Planting the Seeds, Reaping the Harvest

I awake this morning and do my normal routine: morning walk, breakfast, etc, etc. However, my routine is disrupted with an eBay offer. I check my account and see it along with a ‘pay ship now’ alert. I click on it and see that one of my dresses sold last night while I was asleep. I hit the roof because this transaction more than compensated for the open case I had against someone who hasn’t paid (more on that later!). I submit a counteroffer to the low offer. The buyer meets me halfway and because she is a repeat customer, I accept. All of a sudden, that’s two sales; but, it doesn’t stop there. The buyer with the open case buys the shoes making it three; and, there is even more because I have received a fourth sale! It is like the floodgates are open. How has this all happen at the same time?

I have laid the groundwork. This past Monday, after seeing one of my favorite YouTube channels post a video the day before the Fourth of July, I bossed up and did my eBay livestream! I didn’t stop there writing not one but two blog posts which I circulated on Twitter and loaded up onto HootSuite. It didn’t stop there! On the Fourth of July, I wrote 12 Things I Learned During My First Year on eBay on my personal site. Finally, I reduced my prices according to the eBay recommendations, relisted some more inventory and kept resharing my eBay inventory every day at noon and 9pm EST. After diligently planting the seeds, I have reaped the harvest. These three extra sales are due to hard work! I haven’t stopped because I have listed a new item, taken some more photos which I will upload tomorrow and kept resharing my inventory on my Twitter account. I am not stopped because I am having all of these sales. I have hacked my process, double downed and am ready to reload with more new merchandise on the way!

Shop my eBay store: www.ebay.com/usr/carljenkin_6

Watch my latest eBay YouTube livestream showcasing tall women’s affordable luxury.

If She Can Do It, So Can I!

It is the day before Independence Day and I am chilling. I am still putting my brand out there (I know that people will take off by noon EST if they haven’t already) but haven’t looked at actually  doing hard. Yet, when I see somewhere whom I follow on YouTube put out a business video the day before a holiday, then it is high time for me to BOSS up and schedule this eBay YouTube Livestream and get to this money!

Moreover, I have done four Facebook Live videos discussing my July goals which I will upload on YouTube because people are watching them and I have a responsibility to provide my Facebook community to keep them updated. I mean I have written my July goals on July 1st. It is Monday and this is the first business day of July. My Facebook community is conditioned to the weekly Monday livestreams regardless of holiday except Christmas and New Year’s.

XD30 - Day 30 - Crossing the Finish Line

I have done it! I have written a consecutive 30 days as a part of this XD30 June challenge! I am very proud that through warts and all, I have written. Some days, money has been funny, while others they haven’t; but, I will say that right now, I am in the best space ever and will keep this ball rolling. Furthermore, I will NOT act as if my receiving my fourth certification is not the singular reasonperson why I am happy. June has ended much better than it started. I am grateful for this.

I am better not  just personally but professionally. Now I have my entire July editorial calendar written, will promote my certification and keep pushing well into July. I do think that July being the third quarter and second half of 2017 will get a lot more traction. I do think that a whole lot of great things await me.

One thing I will do is to keep writing every day because it is a great way to document my journey but also blow some steam. I do feel another book coming after participating in this daily writing challenge. Of course, I will keep everyone posted.

Until next time….

XD30 – Day 25 – Irregardless

I passed my third certification exam on the first try! I am very proud of myself especially after the morning that I had. I didn’t know that Metro changed its service hours so now on Sundays, it opened at 8am instead of 7am. I walked from home to McPherson, back to Farragut West (where some Asian man asked me if I had $5 in hashish at Farragut Square. Geesh! Drug dealers were NOW wearing hot pink t-shirts?! Who knew!). I then crossed the Square back to Farragut North only to learn the K Street entrance still had the gate up but the L street entrance was open (You had only ONE job!). Once I saw the 16-minute wait, I climbed the escalator back to McPherson where I waited another 19 minutes to roll to Reston. I arrived at the testing center at 9:30am. The instructor said that he just got started teaching. Oh vey!

This was NOT my first weird certification experience. I passed my PMP exam the day of the earthquake in 2011. The scrum test system crashed the day of the test from too many users and the Lyft driver missed the Vienna metro exit yet I still passed the Certified Scrum Master exam. I refused to be rattled over such nonsense. Not even that irritating broad whose favorite pastime was sitting in on certification workshop but not taking the exams then complaining about how backed up she felt. Girl, bye! She wasn’t the only one who made it a sport of sitting in these certification workshops but not taking the exam immediately afterward. There was another lady and gentleman in my training class who did the same thing. They acted as if it was nothing. I couldn’t waste that type of time sitting there which was why I now had three certifications and they didn’t. That’s what Udemy was for! Udemy out there giving away certification courses on the cheap for $10 (I scored mine for that much!). I bet they spent more of food and liquor than their own self-improvement! That lady was just the most annoying of the bunch.

I was happy that it was nice (not dripping humidity) outside because I walked to blow off steam (and stupidity!). It took me 30 minutes to register for the exam because it was onsite registration and another person who openly admitted that this was his second time sitting in on a computer language course and he didn’t think that he would pass (Are you serious?! You held my registration up for that?!). Anyway, I completed mine, went to the testing area, grabbed my headphones, prayed and got to work. I passed my certification exam on the first exam. I received my printout and certificate of completion and rolled back home happy knowing that I got what I came for. 

XD30 – Day 22 – Eyes on the Prize

                I am focused on preparing for the next phase of my career. Yes, there is a whole lot of negative things swirling around me; but, I refuse to let them distract me from my goal. Actually, I am glad that I am away from my cell right now because I get focused. I can hone in on what I need to do.

                Confession: I have received assistance for training and there’s a 90%+ passage rate; but, I am still doing my part to adequately prepare for the training. I always want to walk into the training center knowing what the topic is. I have never walked in cold without knowing anything. I own my learning and feel that although I am receiving assistance, it is still my responsibility to learn as much as possible.

                I have never told anybody anything about it because I only care about outcomes not steps. I never broadcast everything that is going on because when I do announce it. I am very general about discussing certain things especially when they haven’t come to fruition yet. Personally, I dislike people broadcasting every move you make. Focus on outcomes, not impressing people with the whole ‘look at me’ thing. Be productive not busy!

XD30 – Day 19 – New Week, New Me

                I am back at it full of vim and vigor ready for this week. I created 18-20 daily tip videos to bolster my expertise. I post my first one on social media and am happy with the result. People actually miss my series. Also I have done my weekly livestream show (regardless of how tired I feel) because 1) I love it and 2) there is a void in my profession. I am glad to have kept my promise to myself to do the show because people are watching. I also upload it to my blog to generate more traffic. 

XD30 – Day 18 – Content Generation

On this Father’s Day, I celebrate my Daddy and generate a whole lot of content! I have shot over 18 videos. My tip series is returning Monday and I will post a screenshot on social media promoting its return. I love creating content because I love to communicate and share what I know. That’s why I love being a blogger and doing livestream. I get to share my information and insights on topics.

                I have hammered out 18-20 videos for my daily tip Instagram series. I am all about teaching people and positioning myself as the expert. I just am sick of the paralysis of analysis so I have just done filming all of my tips and converting these videos onto YouTube. I will release one a day starting tomorrow. It will also give me way more content and things to promote on my project management blog. 

XD30 - Day 9 – Coming through

Finally! My security clearance has come through. I don’t know why it has taken this long but I am very happy that today is Friday and it has caps off my week on a high note! This is the best thing ever because now I also know that I qualify for a whole lot more stuff which is great. In addition, I have had someone watching my How to S.W.O.T. Away the Competition webinar which is a major feat in my book. Someone is interested in my material which is great. Furthermore, I am going to use this as a tripwire for my book! I do think that this will be great. Lastly, I am very happy that my Cavs have bounced back from the brink of extinction to win big at home. Go Cleveland!

Lessons from Attending the First Periscope Community Summit

This week was the inaugural Periscope Community Summit. It was held in New York City. Periscope is a livestreaming application available on iPhone and Android. I managed to score a ticket and a room at the Yotel (the conference hotel) for this event. Below were the lessons learned that I culminated while attending. These 5 tips would help maximize your conference experience.

1.       Develop a personal marketing plan

I drafted mine while on the plan because I wanted to capitalize upon the opportunity of attending the first Periscope Community Summit; and this demands focus. My marketing plan contained the 4ps: product, place, price and promotion. These four constituted the marketing mix. Here was mine for the Periscope Summit:

·         Product: me

·         Place: Periscope Summit in New York City

·         Price: varies depending on product or service

·         Promotion: My Periscope feed and YouTube channel

Periscope is only available for 24 hours so many users either subscribe to Katch or upload their videos onto YouTube. The Katch website is katch.me. You could also upload your Periscope to YouTube. YouTube would increase your search engine optimization (SEO).

2.       Attend the meetups

I had the benefit of staying at the Summit’s conference hotel where there were many meetups occurring. These allowed me to network with other scopers (people who use Periscope). Sometimes these meetups were more important than the sponsored events because you saw people in their raw element without pretense. These unofficial group settings made networking easier.

3.       Practice your elevator pitch

Your elevator pitch was indispensable towards introducing yourself especially during a livestream event. The Periscope Summit was a livestream event with many broadcasters and someone could film you. You wanted to look professional just in case your video went viral. Be known for the right reason by staying prepared and practicing your elevator pitch!

4.       Have fun and explore

Take advantage of downtime to recharge yourself. Since the conference hotel was in Times Square, I explored the area. I also traveled to Midtown and Fashion Avenue. These excursions gave me a more well-rounded experience by merging the conference with the city.

5.       Have a post-conference action plan

Though it was nice that you’ve attended the conference, created your personal media plan, practiced your elevator pitch and networked all of the events, all of those things would be for naught without implementing a post-conference action plan. Creating one is essential because once the hype and enthusiasm wore off, you don’t want to be disappointed. Follow-up with thank you letters and emails mentioning the event you both attended and you’re interested in establishing a connection in the future. The recipient would remember that simple goodwill gesture. The letter would also establish your brand as one with integrity. The post-conference action plan enabled me to never squander a conference opportunity!

Check me out on Periscope at https://www.periscope.tv/missphenom

Check me out on YouTube at http://bit.ly/1OxtUqi

Something New Comes This Way

            I have learned that I can leave my apartment for another one if I have a good reason. For a time, I’ve been in escrow. Here I’m thinking that I need to go straight to homeownership but there are other available options. I love it because I will move out by Labor Day. I’ve been here for six years. I’ve arrived as a GS-09 and will leave as a GS-14. Not too many people can say that he or she has received a grade increase every year.

            My goal is to manage my money better especially since I’m earning more than the DC median income. After everything that has transpired, I am better off than most. At least I have some options versus others. Since I am making more money, I know that I can save an enormous down payment and stay in midtown DC. However, having earned my PMP I know that I’m capable of making more money so I’ll start looking for consultancy work. I know that I can earn more money. If I can go from GS-09 to GS-14 then certainly I can move up the same. If I truly want something, I just assemble a plan and execute it.

Not Waiting on Forever

I’ve just learned that the DC Fashion Incubator has delayed its pattern making course from June 22^nd to July 6^th. Immediately I pay Bits of Thread $30 for its pattern making tutorial because I am not waiting around for the Incubator to learn as much as possible of the fashion industry. It’s bad enough that the organization has delayed the textile class two weeks because no one has any money during the middle of the month. I do and arrived there last Saturday on the 18^th. On top of this I receive an email saying that the June 1^st textile museum plan has been nixed and that we’ll meet back at the classroom. Correction: The newbies will be meeting in the classroom because I’ve already attended orientation.  Besides I live near DuPont Circle and the Textile Museum is right there. The museum has a free day and I will partake in all of the demonstrations to learn more about clothing. In addition, the X2 bus that I board will be full on the 1^st of the month.  While riding the bus back from the classroom home, someone says that the homeless man smells like ‘cold piss’ which is one for the record books! I refuse to subject myself to that tomfoolery until June 8^th. Moreover, until all of the other classmates, I have the book and will have at least ½ of it read by the eighth. Also I’ll get the textile kit this week since I’ve budgeted for it.  I’m not waiting for non-paying people and the DC Fashion Incubator to straighten themselves out, I am going for dolo! And it doesn’t stop with purchasing the materials and attending the pattern making tutorial.

            This Tuesday evening I will attend the Nana clothing summer event at Bits of Thread.  Until seeing this announcement in the DC Scout newsletter, I didn’t know that Bits of Thread sewing fashion line clothes. Well, why am I learning how to sew if Bits of Thread can do it for me?!  I draw my stuff and throw them a couple of bucks and be done with it!  Next week I’ll attend a Georgetown fashion show accumulating more exposure plus ask Bits of Thread more questions about its rates because it they’re reasonable then I’ll have them sew my designs for 2014 Cleveland fashion week because this is business. My clothes will be at the tenth annual fashion show just you watch; and no one is getting in the way of that!

One-Third of 2013 Is Gone. Now What?

The best news of today: I’ve stepped out on faith submitting my PMP.  I thank God that I had the presence of mind to keep my old 2011 PMP application with all of the old reference names and numbers in it else I’d be scrambling.  I pray that PMI approves it either Friday or Monday because I want to board the United plane for Cleveland knowing that I’m approved.  I arrive at this decision because 1/3 of this year is gone and I need to do something; therefore, I apply to sit for the PMP certification exam.  Now it becomes real.  I’ve put it all on the line!

            Earlier this morning I gave our secretary my updated PMP verification spreadsheet because this is what the instructor has used in his course.  Her thanking me makes me realize how much I’ve done on my own.  While she is sitting in a classroom learning from an instructor first, I jumped feet first into the online ed2go project management courses. I took every one then enrolled in the USDA Graduate School PMP exam prep twice in order to pass the CAPM. Now I’ve re-enrolled in the PMP Certification 1 and 2 courses to prepare for the exam. Furthermore, I’ve developed my own certification project summary form streamlining the process.  I’m adamant about making a way out of no way because I won’t be denied anything just because I haven’t tried.

I’m not stopping at PMP either because I’ve been studying for the Project Management Institute- Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) certification test for over one year. I work in disaster management. Agile fits perfectly. I have the Rita Mulachy (RMC) ACP study guide, Fast track software, and several other practice exams.  After resting from the PMP a wee bit, I’ll restart studying for the PMI-ACP by accumulating the 21 credit hours needed to apply for certification.  Since (PMI) is keeping the fourth PMBOK for this test, that’s an added incentive because I don’t have to master the fifth edition. Another bonus is that no one in workplace has PMI-ACP.  The one who does is a contractor and not in the applicant pool. Since this certification is less than 2 years old, I can position myself to be the subject matter expert. I think that I can complete this certification before October 1^st.

Finally, I’m considering the business analysis certification because it’s an up-and-coming certification and I possess over 10 years’ experience.  Since it’s gaining currency, I might as well, earn it in order to enhance my competitive advantage. I know that I will complete this around February 2014.

Back to Studying for my Project Management Professional Certification with a Bang!

            I have hunkered down completing all 407 Rita Mulachy Project Management Professional (PMP) study guide today because I will pass the exam on my first try.  Tomorrow I will score it.  My baseline is scoring at least 75%.  If I score this high, then I will cut my timetable from late June to early June.  Earning my PMP certification enhances my competitive advantage against all other competitors.  Though I am working full-time with a promotion on the horizon, I am taking full advantage of this government sequester to increase my personal stock.  Though I may’ve entered without a PMP, once it’s lifted I will have it.  Combining my newly acquired certification with my MBA and 10 years of business experience and I’ll blow the competition out of the water!

            Adding to the camaraderie, one of my former bosses, comment on Facebook that she’s going for her PMP, too.  I love when people better themselves.  I feel that when people go to school or apply themselves, they want to do better.  The same with one of my high school friend’s nephew who is a second year medical student enrolled at Meharry Medical College.  He will graduate next year then start his residency. These stories motivate me to keep grinding working towards my certification because I will get it! 

Fashionably Late?...Never

            Initially I was against going to the final GWFCC fashion design 101 class but since I bought the Erin Fetherston lipstick jeans especially for the finale, I might as well sashay in there.  Though I made a pitstop at CVS for more posterboard and McDonalds for cinnabon for breakfast (who knew McDonald’s sold them at Union Station) and arrived at 11am (class started at 10am), I arrive.  Reading the fashion business book and cutting out more dresses have accelerated my progress because I am not that far behind the other classmates.  Though I haven’t carried a pencil due to my downsizing to one bag and leaving my purse at home, my instructor has mechanical ones.  When sketching, the instructor says that I should have multiple tops to a bottom.  I start sketching four different kinds of blouses and collars.  Next I ask her if I can replicate these collars on my dresses for my capsule collection and she says ‘absolutely’.  Though no one knows when patternmaking is happening, I have 6 sewing classes starting tomorrow.  I might not even be able to enroll in patternmaking due to my being booked the entire month for sewing.  I simply cannot wait for the organization to open classes when I have a vision and need to acquire the requisite skills to be bring it fruition.  Bits of Thread has a patternmaking class which I’ll enroll in April.  It all seems to be coming together.