Breakthrough

It's the start of a new year and the sky is NOT the limit! (was that cheesy enough of a start for you ?) It's two and a half weeks into January and I've been a busy bee with both my internet and makeup businesses. There are some new and exciting things that I want to share involving the latter, but first I'd like to take a moment and share two things, insecurities or flaws if you will, that I have dealt with and how I have overcome them. I only hope that in sharing these I'll be able to help someone else move forward as well.

First: Fear of Failure. I think it is something that everyone deals with at some point in their life and is something that used to paralyze my growth. Whenever presented with a new opportunity, I would doubt myself to the point of almost not taking the job. With my internet business, I would fret so much about talking to someone on the phone that I wouldn't even pick it up. A person who thrives in a social environment afraid to pick up the phone. Funny right? I've been told though that the most successful people are those who have failed the most and CEO and Entrepreneur J.R. Ridinger is known to say "Hurry up and fail so you can succeed". This is what I had to do. I researched, I read, and I developed posture. I accepted that I'm not going to know everything, but I can learn anything. If there was a makeup look that I didn't know or a problem on location that I couldn't troubleshoot myself, I got help! No one thought less of me and probably weren't even the wiser. Surprisingly, most people don't expect you to know it all, but the humility and willingness to learn or find out the answer is what will attract others to you. Did I sound like a fool the first time I talked to someone on the phone about my vision or my business? Probably. But I found out what worked and what didn't and never made the same mistake twice. You can't say the right thing to the wrong person and the wrong thing to the right person. Go ahead and put yourself out there! The sooner you do the sooner that insecurity will disappear.

Second: Being a "Yes man". The Jim Carrey movie, while funny, can carry some serious repercussions in the business world. I am still dealing with this problem today because I am a people pleaser and love to yes to anyone and everyone. I'll get so excited about a project or event that I'll say yes before I even know what the commitment is! The problem with this is that I often find myself over-stretched with serious time management problems. I don't like to do anything I can't do 100% and yet this is exactly what I've been setting myself up for. I find myself saying yes to projects I don't have the time for and I end up letting people down. Don't do this to yourself! I am sure that someone would rather you be honest and say no (for whatever reason) than have you say yes and not be able to deliver. No matter how excited I am about a project I need to take a step back, see what other commitments I have going on (events, business, family, etc.) and then make a decision based on what is best for the person or project asking. Also, learn to prioritize and rearrange. What's more important? Your mother's, second cousin's baby dog's birthday or a charity networking event raising money for breast cancer awareness. That's for you to decide.

Now onto the fun stuff! I have a brand new partner Yvette who is becoming a skincare consultant and who will help me focus on helping salons. I'm excited to have someone to bounce ideas off of and also someone to help handle the workload for maximum efficiency. We hosted a kickoff event at her house yesterday to a wonderful turnout! We had many women interested in makeup and skincare, as well as other products, and I even got to test out my new brush set with some makeovers :) A salon owner was there so I can only hope that she was impressed. I think the makeup speaks for itself and she would be a wonderful person to test market the salon audience with. You can check out my new 15 piece, professional brush set at the link below. Firm but soft bristles allow for great layering and the angled eye liner brush is sensational!


Motives® Cosmetics by Loren Ridinger

I already have the subjects for my next few blog posts including more events, a new movie, and a trip to MIAMI!!!!

Have a wonderful and productive week!

Cheers!

Maleeva xoxo

New Year's Resolution

It's January 2nd, so of course everyone has been busy thinking about (and hopefully writing down) their New Year's Resolutions. Mine probably mirror some of yours: get healthy, exercise more, procrastinate less, be more tolerant ;) etc,. But instead of just focusing on my career and self-growth, I'm going to focus on helping other people realize their dreams and become successful. In my line of work I have found that I've had the most fun when I am sharing the experience with others and it's about time young entrepreneurs make a move in this economy. I firmly believe that we are going to be the push that begins to right the world and there's no better time to start than the present.

This blog is going to follow me along the way. It will not only be a place to find my adventures in beauty with the latest trends, products, and tips, and pictures, but also a place for individuals to learn about becoming successful and achieving their dreams. I'd like for it to incorporate a little bit of everything! Call it The Diary of a Young Entrepreneur: Ups, Downs, and Everything in Between. I'm laying myself open to the world, are you ready for an adventure?

I'm making the promise to myself to be able to look back on 2011 and say "Wow, what a fantastic year!".

What are your New Year's Resolutions?

Light and Love,

Maleeva xoxo

P.S. Updating regularly is a part of this resolution ;)

Haydenfilms Institute's Red Carpet Gala: Eugene Byrd (from "Bones"), myself (on the right), and some Kutztown Highschoolers (including my sister in the purple). The exciting story, and hopefully more pictures, to come in my next post :)