Entrepreneurs Create Their Own Circumstances

Posted on January 24, 2015 by MarleneMB

Many people dream about starting their own businesses, but they haven’t started planning for theses dreams to become a reality. Others are stuck in the planning stage. They keep waiting for the right situation or hoping for the right person(s) to come along and help them. My son, Tarik, and his friend, Daniel decided not to wait on others or for the perfect situation.

Instead they started from where they are with what they have. Tarik and Daniel met at the University at Miami during freshmen year. They bonded right away. Tarik attended school for acting, but he also loves writing and directing. Daniel went to school for film production and editing. They are now living in LA working hard to get into the entertainment business.

As most of us know, it is a very difficult industry to break into. The competition is very strong. Here is the interesting thing. Daniel and Tarik isn’t waiting to be discovered. They are not sitting around hoping that someone will give them an opportunity to act or to produce movies. They started their own business on a shoestring budget. They enlist the assistance of their friends who are fellow budding actors.

This cuts down on the need to spend large sums of money for actors. This gives the others opportunities to showcase their skills in these mini-videos that Daniel and Tarik create. Working with their small budget, Tarik and Daniel also learned to film in areas such as their apartment, public places, etc. I’m happy to see that these young entrepreneurs are creating their own opportunities. They are not waiting for the right circumstance, they are creating their own.

Do you dream of starting your own business? Learn from my son and his friend. Don’t get stuck on dreaming or planning. Create your own circumstances. Give it a try. Here are some suggestions to get started:

1) Create a Business Plan – Yes. Although it is not a most, it is recommended that you put together a business plan. It doesn’t have to be complicated. The business plan should help you

figure out what it is you will be offering
what are your costs
what will you charge for your product or service
how you want to market your product or service
who is your target audience
who are your competitors

2) Create a name for you business. Purchase the URL for the business name. The fee is low of this. You don’t have to establish a website right away. Yet there are lots of free sights such as WordPress that you can utilize to establish a website.

3) Marketing Materials – You can have someone create marketing materials for you on websites such as fiverr.com or elance.com for relatively low cost.

4) Network with Complementary Businesses – In my speaking business I reach out to event planners or organizers as a part of my networking circles. They are a great lead source for my speaking business. I also provide them with names of speakers for their events. Always work to have it become a win-win relationship. If you are constantly taking and not giving you will lose your contacts.

5) Tell everyone (not necessarily your boss; if you are still working a full-time job) what you are doing. Word of mouth is still one of the greatest way to get the news out about your new endeavor. My friends and family are my biggest advocates. I get referrals from them. They also send me leads and give me great suggestions for making improvements in my business.

Starting a business can be scary and exciting at the same time. Yet as I observe my son and his friend in their pursuit of building their business, I’m proud of their efforts. Although they are both working jobs to fund their business, they continue to work at making their dream a success. My son called me the other day to tell me he is working three jobs. I said: “Great! Now you are a true Jamaican! Your grandmother will be proud of you.”

Both he and Daniel wants to succeed and they are doing the things that will bring them closer to achieving this. Here is the latest video they made. I hope you enjoy it.

The Girl:

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Timeless Tuesday – Make Them Proud

Posted on October 7, 2014 by MarleneMB

As parents, we are expected to be proud of our children as they accomplish different milestones in their lives. The first day of school, the various graduation levels (pre-K, kindergarten, etc.) and pursuing their dreams. I’m no exception. I am proud of my son as he pursue his dreams of being a screenwriter, director, actor and model (click on his picture to see one of his mini movies). I am proud of my niece and nephews who are now loving and responsible parents. I’m glad to see that I didn’t mess up the parenting thing that much!

The other day, the table was turned on me. My son sent me a text that he was proud of me! Imagine that. He said he appreciates me as his mom. He also encourages me in the pursuit of my dreams. That gave me such a boost. Funny thing is, I shouldn’t be surprised, because I’m very proud of my mom and her accomplishments. I guess part of being a parent is making our kids proud of us also. I will cherish that text I received from my son, because he makes me proud and happy to be his mom!

Happy Timeless Tuesday. Keep Living a Diamond Life. Live a Life of Purpose.

Get your copy of Live a Diamond Life, Live a Life of Purpose: Diamond Cutters, today. Find out how my parents helped me to be a better person and parent, and how apply these principles to your life.

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Fun Facet Friday – Tazzle’s Twizzlers

Posted on August 15, 2014 by MarleneMB

Generally, Fun Facet Friday involves me sharing an upbeat music video to start the weekend off on a positive note. Today, I decided to share the latest mini movie my son, Tarik, is in. He is the roommate Parker. It is a lighthearted flick that will give you a chuckle.

Enjoy your Fun Facet Friday and Keep Living a Diamond Life. Live a Life of Purpose!

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Spreading His Wings to Reach New Levels

Posted on April 1, 2014 by MarleneMB

Tarik Woodbine Writing and Directing Debut with Daniel Beldy Editing

“Mommy, I want to be an actor.” Like so many parents, my reaction was: “Whaaaatttt?” Emotions flooded in. Disbelief, apprehension, fear and hoping that you didn’t hear what your child just said. Let’s be honest most of us dread when a child tells us he or she wants to pursue a career that is so challenging, filled with pitfalls and saturated with so many people that want the same thing. My reaction to my then 12-year-old son’s, Tarik’s, declaration of his career choice was boardline panic.

After a few minutes of reflection, I realized that it was not about me. It had nothing to do with me. It was about his dreams and aspirations. Before he was born, I promised to be his dream enabler and not to stifle his song. There are lots of young black men in the grave and in jail not living their dreams. Here it is, a dream that I didn’t expect. But one he wanted and I decided to support him in living.

To validate that it truly was his dream I told him to do some research. Find out about it, what it takes to become and actor? Where can he go to practice? What does it cost? How will it fit in my schedule to be able to support him getting back and forth? Within a week he gave me his report. It was thorough. I waited a month to see if his desire would lessen. It didn’t. His wings were beginning to stretch out for flight.

This began his journey into the acting world. He rehearsed lines, had doubts, disappointments, didn’t get some call backs, got small parts, but he never quit. He refused to give up. He won acting awards in high school. He also fulfilled my request that he finished college. He graduated Magna Cum Laude with a GPA of 3.85 from the University of Miami. Then he told me he was of to Los Angeles. Even now it hasn’t been easy. He had to get a job as a waiter to accommodate the schedule of auditions, acting classes, etc. He is flapping his wings. They are getting stronger.

He called me one day and said: “Mom, I am writing screenplays. I’m going to create some movies with my friends. Beldy (his friend from UM) is partnering up with me.” I was impressed with his Chutzpah. Instead of waiting for circumstances to come his way, he decided to make his own circumstances. He connected with others in the same situation and they began to create mini movies. Here is the first one Tarik wrote and directed with Beldy working on camera and editing. He is spreading his wings wider to be able to soar higher to new LEVELS.

It is said it takes a Village to raise a child. My heartfelt thanks go out to all of you that have already shared and send words of encouragement. Watch him in action. He is in the black and white top. Please share this with others; if you enjoyed watching it.