Guest Post: Having it all – An Inspirational Journey to Becoming a Superwoman by Ritu Sethi

Featured Photo: Ritu Sethi

Every decision we make leads us down a different path – it is up to you to decide which one. 

You may not be able to change your circumstances, but you can enact change within yourself if you are willing to accept personal responsibility and guidance.

Ritu Sethi – Author “Having it all – An Inspirational Journey to Becoming A Superwoman”

There is an age-old question that plagues so many young women today and it is not a new one. It is one that has been around for decades; ever since women in the workplace became a common sight. However, as increasing demands continue to beg on everyone’s time, this ever-evolving question proceeds to grow.

The question began from whether there was really such a notion as a happy work-life balance for women. This meant addressing the conversation that women often had to choose between their personal responsibilities vs going to work and being the financial provider for their family. 

In this current society, the spectrum of technological advancements accessible to us at our fingertips has meant that women are finding it increasingly hard to merely switch between each area of life unscathed. On top of this, Social Media apps do a great job of constantly reminding us of this presented requirement to have an enviable social life going spare to feel accepted, or to download the newest fitness apps as a pre-requisite for reaching a peak state of health, digital banking apps that must be mandatory if you want for a healthy bank account, or meditation as a spiritual reminder to encourage time out, self-care, and mental health awareness. Not to mention searching for added space and time dedicated to intimate relationships and family time too. No wonder so many women are exhausted all the time!

As a Lawyer, Entrepreneur, Mother, and Wife, I share my strategy for ‘having it all’. It is based on the idea of compartmentalizing all areas of your life into eight accessible sectors and understanding how to balance all these areas. My suggestions are a guide to self-improvement and I want the experience to be a personal journey for you and to encompass all there is in life, as a working woman.

‘Having It All Now’: An Inspirational Journey to Becoming Superwoman’ is my own interpretation of advisory and solution-orientated guidance for women. 

You will feel empowered and equipped  to take charge of each area of your life, including:

1} Self-development. Are you truly happy in yourself or should you step away for a moment and re-evaluate life objectively, just for you.

2} Finance and wealth. How much money do you need to reach financial security and increased financial freedom? How will you do this? One small saving every day (even skipping each morning’s coffee on the way to work) will help you save.

3} Have you experienced the power of intimacy and love? The passion that comes when you least expect it, one that consumes your senses? If you need a bit of guidance here, this book explores the reasons why you are good enough, the uniqueness and qualities within yourself and how to best bring them out and how to be seen. 

4} Stuck in your career? After all, how do you break through an invisible glass ceiling within your professional life? You have the ability to make a conscious decision to break with the imaginary boundaries that are products of years of false conditioning and then the rewards are yours to be had.  We guide you on how to exude the confidence to make it to the next promotion and reap those rewards.

5} You are your own definition of health and beauty.  There cannot be just one definition of beauty in a world so vast and different, but we do know that there is a plan to enjoying total peak health. That one does not just happen on its own.

6} Love is all that a child really wants from their parents, so take 5 minutes to hug them every day, to feel the heartbeat of your child puts the world back into perspective. That support and nurturing is also a steadfast way to encourage them to embrace the world. Remember, there is no such thing as a perfect parent, so why strive to be one?

7} Your social life can only be a reflection of the choices you make, on how you choose to spend your free time, and your ability to be a good friend. We explore how you can surround yourself with like-minded friends who will boost you in your search for balance and happiness.

8} Lastly, spirituality and creativity are your subjective choice, and once you have read through how to dispel many of the demons you may now face, there will be one important light and eye-opener that will be your guide. 

The results you will get is an insight into NOT putting off the  ‘luxuries’ that life has to offer you for another day, and instead to make today the day to stop and reflect on your life balance and Life choices resting in the realization that you can make the subtle changes you need so you too will begin the journey to ‘having it all now’. 

About the author

Ritu Sethi is the Founder and Senior Partner of The Sethi Partnership Solicitors, recently winning the Lifetime Achievement Award in Law 2019. She is also a public speaker, and her book ‘A Woman’s Guide to Having it All now’ was voted ‘Best Inspirational Book’ by IBBF. For further information and to order your copy; visit www.ritusethi.com   Or www.sethi.co.uk 

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Is Your Business Set Up To Receive Money, Honey?

Featured Photo by: Pixabay from Pexels

Last summer, God blessed me to become a solopreneur and while it was liberating to finally get my business off the ground. The blazing trails to making my first 6 figures (Yes, I’m a big dreamer!) have been filled with rocks, turbulence, and strong winds to say the least. Being a business owner is hard work, and that’s saying it lightly. There are a lot of things that you have to do to get your business UP off the ground and running. Now, I have to be honest, you’re not going to have every “i” dotted and every “t” crossed when you open up for business. Most things you’ll learn as you go – but the basics should already be set in stone.

And one of those “basic” things is…….drumroll, please……taking payments! Yessss, now that you’re open for business this is one of the “main” things on your to-do-list that you should have figured out. However, you’ll be surprised that most businesses “DON’T!!” I know, I see your shocked face and trust me – I’m quite a bit shocked myself!

Things we’re not taking out time to implement today, Is Business Lost Tomorrow!

Roshonda N. Blackmon

So, you might ask – Well, what sort of payment system should be set up? I mean, taking cash is good enough, right? And while I’m so inclined to say yes, I have to give you a hard nod in the NO direction. With technology being as BOOMING as it is, I would suggest that every business owner (whether you’re brick and mortar or doing it from the house) you need more than ONE payment system set up to get your hard-earned dough.

After all – you put in the work to get your baby up and running and the last thing you want or need, is to lose money in the process. As Sweet Brown states:

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And you’re right Sweet, nobody has time for that, not even you Business Parent!! So, I’m going to give you 3 suggested payment options that you should have, just in case your ideal client – Doesn’t have CASH on hand.

#1 PAYPAL

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PayPal – Available at the Playstore of Apple store

I absolutely love PayPal and had it set-up for my business before it even got off the ground. PayPal allows you to send invoices to your clients and you can also set up recurring invoices for bigger jobs. Let’s say a project of yours cost $500 and the client doesn’t have all the money at once ( I would suggest always getting a down payment on anything) you can set up your invoices to be sent to them at certain times.

Such as the 1st, 15th or the 30th of the month – this way you don’t have to get into your computer every time and send it manually. PayPal can do it for you! You can also set up taxes and it let’s you create a drop-down list for your most popular services, so that way you’re not inputting the same information every time. Be aware that PayPal does charge taxes for money that comes in, so if you’re charging $15.00 for something – just know that it will take a percentage of it. If your client does pay the invoice, you can ask that they take care of the tax on their end before sending it back. You can also download PayPal for your phone as well, which makes it even simpler.

#2 SQUARE

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Square Reader – Available at the Playstore or Apple Store

Square is a card read that allows you to take credit and debit card payments on the spot. I’ve seen business parents use this system whether they had a brick and mortar or if they’re running their business out of their house. I love square as well – it came in handy when I did a vendor event last year selling my book “Billy Wolf & The Kids of Heavenly Hills Elementary”

Not everyone had cash on hand, so it was nice to be able to pull out my square reader and take a payment instead. With square (which you can download through the playstore on Android or the Apple store for iPhone) you’ll also be able to setup an invoice for your most popular or frequently purchased items. Click on it, put in the amount of the item and ask the client to swipe! and Viola, there your money is – going straight to your bank account! (Of course this depends on how you set it up) You can also send your client a receipt on the spot after they sign for their purchase. And to put a little more cherry on top, if you download the square reader app, you can sign up to get the reader for FREE!!

#3 CASH APP

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Cashapp – Available at the Playstore or Apple Store

Okay, so out of the 3. Cashapp is my all time favorite, I love easy and with cashapp, it’s just that! Once you download it on your phone and set-up your back account information, you’re ready to rock-and-roll! especially if your client has cashapp as well. You can even get your very own Visa/Debit card specifically for the app.

This card came in handy for me when my regular bank card had issues with it’s chip. It was embarrassing holding up the grocery line while I went through the dreaded “three inserts and a swipe method!” However, having the cashapp debit card made it easier because all I did was complete the info to move cash from my bank card to the cashapp card and there you go, it did it immediately (no waiting, no holds) and no headache from me. It was a WIN-WIN! & If your client has cash app, it’ll be a win-win for you as well because you’ll get your money INSTANTLY!

We can’t expect our client to always have cash and if your business doesn’t’ have more than one payment system set up. We run the risk of not only losing money but a potential client whom now will think of your business as….well….not quite put together. Even if we do the right things, we can’t help what people will say, However – we don’t want to give them any ammunition to hold “thoughts like that” against us!

The hardest part with any of the tips above is setting it all up, but let’s not be lazy business parent, as what we don’t take out time to do today, Is money lost for us tomorrow. Remember what Sweet Brown says? Now you might say, I know about ALL these things, but in business? It’s not about what you know – but what you IMPLEMENT!

I don’t know what business you may want to start in 2020 but I pray these tips get you going in the right direction towards getting your “dollars and cents” in order!

Let’s get it right today, So we can be better business parents tomorrow!

I am not sponsored and did not receive any compensation for my statements. Every opinion above is 100% my own, based solely on my own experience with using these apps.

It’s Your Business. So Set The Tone!

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So you want to be a boss, already a boss or thinking about becoming your own boss – No matter where you are in this process, let me be the first to say “CONGRATULATIONS!!” and now my little celebratory business dance…

Okay, just wanted to celebrate you a little bit because whether you’ve been a boss or thinking about stepping out on faith to become one – it’s a celebrated moment. You should give yourself a BIG pat on the back for making what some call THE BIG LEAP!!

However, while becoming your own boss is exhilarating – it can also be very scary and you’ll doubt yourself many times during and going through the process “Can I really do this?” “Why am I doing this?” or “Do I really have the skills to do it!” and I will say “YES! YOU DO!!” otherwise why would the thought even come to your mind..

These were all thoughts I had when I ventured out into blogging and now/recently into my own writing and creative design publication business, happily entitled “RoshondaBCreative” – I create flyers, social handles, brochures, newsletters, resumes and so forth for others. I even can write up blog posts, content and copy-write as well. As a matter of fact, just last week I received my very first customer whom wanted me to create a flyer, she loved it! and for the first time in history outside of doing everything for “free” (more on that in a jiffy). I got my very first payment!!!! I was elated, excited and it gave me that extra push to confirm, I was in my right lane.


Photo by Juan Pablo Arenas from Pexels

But before that happened, I had to get my business etiquette together. After-all, I had never ran a business before and had no idea as to what it really detailed. The only thing I knew is that I had to be professional because “first” impressions are lasting impressions and I’m a firm believer in “How you start” will definitely set the tone for how everything else in your business will run. Over the years, I’ve worked alongside some good and not so good business owners. Even if the business owner was not that great, there are still lessons that I took from them because in business everything won’t be rosy, there will be shortcomings and mistakes made but it’s how you handle those grey areas that will determine it’s success whether your business is BIG or small.

Listed below are a couple of “Tone Setters” I believe every business should have:

1st Tone: Get Your Paperwork Together


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When I first learned that I wanted to turn my passion into a business, the first thing I did was get my paperwork together. What I mean by this is – I looked for contract templates, proposal templates and business card designs. I even took a free business class to find out what my business would be registered as, either an LLC or if I’d be considered a Sole Proprietor. If you’re just starting out I would suggest going ahead and getting your name registered at least as the cost is minimal. Once your business takes off, then I would go deeper into getting it trademarked and so forth. While you’re in the process, don’t forget to come up with a BOMB slogan! Something that identifies your business characteristic.

However; the main thing is making sure you have your contract, prices, proposals and business cards ready because when you announce “Open for Business?” you may not have time to get those things prepared because no one likes a messy business man or woman.

2nd Tone: Communicate Properly


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Oh gosh! I’ve seen some really messy communicators in business. If you say you’ll get back to someone in 24 hours, please make sure you do that. If you tell someone you’ll have their product ready in a week, please make sure you hit the deadline on the head or before. If someone sends you a message, please answer them and if you don’t answer within a specified period of time, just say “I apologize for the delay in getting back to you” first before you go into what their need may be.

Having good communication skills in business is a TOP priority and very essential to your business. Good communication can build your business, Bad communication can and will tear it apart before it gets off the ground good. Remember: Words travel faster than lighting!!

3rd Tone: No Freebies!

Photo by Bing/Empty Wallet

You’re going to always have that person that wants you to do something for free! However, you have to set the tone and let them know that you’re running a business and this time, you need to get paid. I remember accepting a job from a person that I knew very well. They needed me to update a resume they’d gotten from someone whom they stated “Didn’t do a good job” – they asked how much I would charge because they were going out for a job and desperately needed it the following day. I told them $5.00 and that evening I put everything aside just to get their work done. I sent it promptly the next day as suggested and after that…..silence….

I get an email about a week later telling me they ended up not using the resume and therefore because they didn’t use it, they figured they didn’t have to pay me my $5.00! Now don’t get me wrong, I know you might say that’s nothing but my TIME was everything! It was then that I decided to put a stipulation on payments. Anything $50.00 or less, I need the full payment unless we discussed you giving half down first. Value your time and your business enough to get your money upfront because your business doesn’t run off of “non-payments”

4th Tone: Don’t Be Afraid to Say No or Be Intimidated to Sell Yourself Short

Photo by Bing/Intimidation

When you first start out in business you may want to say YES to everyone and while that’s great in a rainbow world, you’re going to have to exercise your right and say NO! Only you know how much time and effort it’ll take you to complete a project. Think about that when you take on jobs, don’t allow someone to come into your business space and tell you what they want and what they need you to do. You’re the BOSS, you set the rules and tell them what YOU need them to do in order to complete their work.

Most times when this happens we feel as if we’re going to lose clients based off of our demands for our time and craft but that’s not the case. Don’t succumb to selling yourself or your product short, I mean you have to make a living as well…..what you start out doing for that one client will set the tone for what you do with other clients. If one client feels as though they can get over, guess what! That spirit will soon surround your business and the next thing you know, you’ll have other clients coming along wanting a handout or for you to sell yourself short & your response to that should always render a BIG NOOO!!

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These are just a couple of experiences I’ve experienced with “finally” starting my own business. Your business is like a newborn child in which you want to protect, nourish and watch it grow and grow and grow. Remember to stick to your guns and set the right tone because your business is depending upon you to shape and feed it. How you start is definitely how you’ll finish…

Do you have any business tips or stories? Share them below in the comments!