An easy money management
app that keeps you in the pink
and in the black. Building wealth
has never been so easy!
LEANNE & ASCEND ARE FINALISTS AT an INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MODEL COMPETITION for WOMEN OWNED TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES
January 26, 2012
In November 2011 the Company was nominated for the Women 2.0 international Business Model Competition. Out of 1000 companies, across 16 countries, and 63 cities Ascend was selected as 1 of 8 finalists for their business model & potential to be a disruptive technology. Finalists have been selected to pitch their business model to a conference full of Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists. The goal of Women 2.0 is to empower and connect women founders of emerging technologies to the funding community so they can grow and scale quickly. LeAnne and Ascend will be participating in the Pitch Conference sponsored by Women 2.0 in February 2012. The Company is raising $1 million dollars.
About Ascend Live:
Ascend Live is a private label of our small business budgeting software found at SpendonPurpose.com The software was created for non-accountant types, and then tailored for the Mary Kay professional’s unique business needs. Ascend Live helps Mary Kay community reduce overspending, keep more of what they make, and sparkle at tax time. The software excels in her simplicity and use of a web-based “envelope system.” Unbeknownst to the user, Ascend is a full blown dual-entry accounting system—hidden by intuitive features and language. Ascend Live helps the Mary Kay sales force see how much money they have “left to spend” on everything from stamps to office supplies. The Company is highly personable, with an approachable go-to-team for financial questions. Their ancillary services, including courses, webinars, expert calls, coaching, virtual bookkeeping, blogs, and newsletters, have become a virtual oasis for Solopreneurs. 23,000 Solopreneurs are subscribed to the Company’s e-newsletter & video training center.
About LeAnne Ozaine-Smith
LeAnne is one sassy redhead whose “real job” is/was Financial Planning with a Mass Mutual Financial Group. Additionally she is a Financial Coach & infectious speaker on “all things money” in a Solo-entrepreneur’s business. As President of Ascend, she spearheaded 4 software applications, along with hosting thousands of webinars, working the speaking circuit, creating a video training center, and a newsletter list of 26,000 Solopreneurs. Under her leadership, the Company has increased sales by 330% from its 1st year to its 3rd, and turned a profit in its third year. Within months of releasing Ascend she brokered the Company’s first white label for Mary Kay, Inc.; she is Mary Kay’s active money management expert to their worldwide sales force. LeAnne has published financial classes for strategic partners, an online university, & continuing Ed classes for Realtors.
Posted in In the News, Uncategorized
Happy Holidays from Ascend! (change in Live Chat hours)
We will not have Live Chat available on Friday, December 23rd, Monday, December 26th or Monday, January 2nd. We will have normal business hours including Live Chat on December 27th, 28th, 29th and 30th.
From all of us on the Ascend Team, we would like to wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Posted in Using Ascend
Your Holiday System is More Important than Sales Ideas
I recently completed my 1st half marathon. I took the time to research training programs and found one that fit into my busy schedule, discussed the time commitment with my family and found a buddy to train with. I had a solid PLAN. I had a solid SYSTEM for training. The day of the race I felt ready, and because I trained properly, the days after the race I felt great. You see, I had trained for 18 weeks prior to the race and my body was ready for 13.1 miles (of hills!). I spoke to many runners that day who hadn’t finish their training, or didn’t have a program they were following to train. They randomly selected a program and didn’t develop a system to make them successful. On the day of the race, those 13.1 miles were grueling for those people.
It came down to they had a clear goal (running the marathon) but didn’t have a plan for training so that they would succeed. As the Holiday selling season rolls around, it’s easy to get lost in the plethora of ideas to help you succeed. But sales ideas (Holiday Trunk Shows, Secret Santa, MK Bucks, Holiday Open House) are not nearly as important as your System for success. You need a Plan you believe in, a Plan you can and will execute with a profit intention, and a way to measure your progress. Otherwise, you’ll end up like those runners who didn’t have a System for preparation, which swayed their success on race day.
Four Little Steps toward a Profit Plan
Step 1: First thing you need to do is come up with your ideas. How do you want to try to make extra Mary Kay income this holiday season? Take a few minutes to come up with a BIG list of ideas you’ve collected (need some, write me!). Take a little time, do a little research, ask successful consultants and directors what has worked for them in the past. Soak up their tips and knowledge. No Idea is too “out of the box” at this point. Write a huge list of ideas.
Step 2: Filter these ideas. DON’T skip this step!!! Evaluate each idea and see if it fits for YOU! The difference between those who are wildly successful and those who are trying everything and not getting results is… the ones who have a system can see which ideas will work BEFORE they spend the time on it. Does it excite you? If so you CAN sell the sizzle! Does it make you want to throw up? If so you’re probably not going to do it (at least long enough to see the results). Has this method worked for you in the past? How can you modernize it for 2011? Does it fit into your time frame (both time you have and effort you are willing to put in)? Do you have the resources you need (i.e. lots of gift wrapping/basket/gift supplies, product on hand for cash & carry, list of contacts, etc.) If it doesn’t excite you, or you don’t have what you need to make it work, go to the next one on your list of ideas.
Remember, you don’t want to have to put a ton of money out to make an “idea” work! That directly decreases your PROFIT.
Step 3: Once you have selected the BEST idea for YOU… go test it out! Find 3 people to Book, or 3 companies to sell corporate gifts to, etc. Give it your ALL! Figure out your non negotiable schedule of INCOME producing activity toward this idea. Figure out your overhead cost (and try to keep it to a minimum!). Figure out your best contacts and start contacting them right away. ACTION! Action is the key. If you are giving it a lot of time and there is no monetary results… move on! You will have a list of 50+ ideas… go to the NEXT best idea for you on the list and repeat steps 2 and 3! Once you get the hang of it you will be able to recognize your hot buttons and your hold back items more quickly.
Step 4: Measure your results with the numbers, not just your feelings. What was your monetary goal? Use Ascend Live to track your extra income in a separate envelope. Evaluate the income vs. expense to see if this was a great idea for you or just a good one. Then intentionally spend that extra income with purpose! Dare I say plan what you will do with it BEFORE you earn it?
Pep Talk
Everyone loves ideas and “tricks” to the trade… but be aware! All the tips in the world are useless if you don’t USE them! Don’t buy into your own fear based excuses. Don’t stop before you start! If you find yourself making excuses, ask yourself, why you haven’t already tried this idea? What are you afraid of? Then feel the fear and do it anyway, but with a PLAN you can measure!
The Holidays don’t have to be a time of frenzy and feeling overwhelmed. If you take the time to PLAN and develop a system you can make that extra income and ENJOY the holidays all at the same time!
Be sure to visit us on our Facebook page and share what worked for you and what didn’t. We can’t wait to hear about your fabulous results!
Posted in Your MK Biz
What in the World Happened while you were at Seminar?
People from all over the MK Community have been reaching out to us asking for some help in interpreting the news of the last week. I love that y’all trust Ascend on money stuff; you made me blush with delight! Alright all you savvy business women, let’s dig in.
The hoopla that went down around here while you were at Seminar will affect you both directly and indirectly. Here are the highlights in plain English:
· The Debt Deal: Congress and the President reached an agreement to RAISE the debt ceiling so that we didn’t default on our debt. (Need the 5 min crash course on the debt ceiling? Click here) This allows the government to borrow more money to make minimum payments on past loans. Double ugh.
· Strings Attached: The Debt Deal has strings attached. The government promises that it will cut spending over 10 years—the spending cuts will be will be felt in places that are considered “negotiable” (like Defense and Education) because that no politician is willing to go elbow deep in REFORM in the months leading up to an election year.
· Time for Vacation: Once the Debt Deal was brokered, and a congressional committee was appointed to figure out how exactly to exercise the Plan, they decided they needed a vacation. Off they went on “recess” against the express wishes of the President. Needless to say, the President isn’t keen on their choice and has asked them to come back to Washington.
· Kicked While Down: Days later, the sovereign USA got kicked in the gut while it was down: credit rating hit and the stock markets fell.
· AA+ Isn’t Good? Even though we met our deadline to pay the creditors, the rating agencies downgraded USA’s credit score. (more on why below) The credit score for government and business is based on how many big A’s you have next to your name. AAA is the best.
· Before You Say Who Cares: A worse credit score means the government will need more money for the same bills! That affects everything. Remember, your Income is the collateral the Government put up to borrow (more) money.
· The Double Whammy: The GDP (gross domestic product) and Unemployment/Jobs Report came out the day after the Debt Deal was brokered. It looked and smelled rotten. So Wall Street freaked out and dropped 10.8% late last week! Imagine 10.8% of the money in your checking account just disappearing. That’s exactly what happened to most of our IRAs and investments.
Holy Stinky Election Year
Look, there’s no pretty way to say it. As the world watched our government play politics until 11:59p something became very clear: The United States of America cannot make a decision to save its economic life… especially not with the 2012 elections just around the corner. Republicans are standing firm on not raising taxes, so they won’t vote on anything that smells of tax increase. Democrats are standing firmly on their commitment to not touching Social Security, Medicare as a way to decrease government spending. Impasse.
Be careful dear entrepreneur that you don’t bury your head in the sand, or throw up your hands in the air. Nothing is more important to our economy than the work you do in your business. You still have a fantastic business model to work with—so do the best you can with what you’ve got. Don’t wait for things to happen around you or for reform, do it yourself. You are in control of your Income and Expenses. Nobody is going to do it for you. And with high levels of unemployment, many people need leaders they can follow into starting their own business. Are you that leader?
If you want your voice heard in Washington use your liberty to make phone calls. Tell your Senators and Congressmen to go back to work and to courageously embrace reform. Tell them how you feel about the things you learned here today. If you have investments (or your spouse does) that are in the stock market, call your financial advisor with questions and ask if changes need to be done to your portfolio.
Most of all be diligent, work hard, be a good steward of your finances, and keep on keeping on!
LeAnne
PS: For the record I’m not an economist… I’m a professional financial advisor who just happens to own Ascend Live, which helps the Mary Kay professional keep more of what she makes. Sign up for Ascend at AscendLive.com
Posted in In the News, Uncategorized, Your MK Biz