Author: Sara

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Sara's Interview - Podcast with Small Business Consultant

On January 5th I had the wonderful opportunity to be interviewed by small business consultant, Sue Whitaker, owner of the The Business Lovemaker and talk show host. Sue and I worked together on her branding and new Business Lovemaker website. During the project, she asked if I would be a guest on her radio show knowing her nationwide listener base would receive some business insight since they are generally entrepreneurs.

Sue interviewed me for 1 hour asking me about my background, my inspiration, how I balance my right and left brain with the type of work I do, tips for business owners and web development, and more. Take a moment to listen to my podcast about business* and keep your ears peeled for a little gift for you at the end. If you have some feedback, please comment below (this is my first interview since being on NPR and CNN for my women's surf shop in 1997, so I was a little nervous).

*If you are having problems playing the audio file, you can right click on the link to download and play on your computer.

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Raffle to support My Nephew With Leukemia

My nephew, 4 year old Max Zimmerman, was diagnosed with Leukemia this New Year's. Max is a fighter and after many weeks in the hospital, he was released. He and is family are commuting back and forth from their home to receive his chemo treatments.

To help Max and his family with hospital bills, I am raffling off 4 of my paintings, a fine art photo from A Day in Your Life Photography, a painting by artist Sara Dube and other prizes. Raffle tickets are only $5 each and are available online, payable by Visa or MC. Please note that the raffle tickets are your receipt. The raffle winners will be notified on Valentine's Day (Feb 14th) 2012. If you want to follow along with his progress, you can visit Max's parents' journal on Caring Bridge. Thanks for your help and support!

For only $5 per ticket, you can help Max and have a chance to win:

• "Early Snow" a canvas wrapped giclee reproduction (artist proof) at 24" x 18" ready to hang, by Sara Zimmerman, valued at $190
• "Spring in Martis Valley" a canvas wrapped giclee reproduction at 24" x 18" ready to hang, by Sara Zimmerman, valued at $260
• "Japan" original mixed media artwork by Sara Zimmerman, Carole Sesko and Eve Werner, 16" x 20", valued at $600
• "Russia" original mixed media artwork by Sara Zimmerman, Carole Sesko and Eve Werner, 16" x 20", valued at $600
• "Dancing Trees" a 24" x 18" mixed media on canvas original artwork by Truckee artist Sara Dube, valued at $300
• A Structural Integration Bodywork session (a form of rolfing) by Jared Power, Movement4Life (available to Tahoe and Truckee residents only), valued at $160
• A 90 minute distant or in office session with Shamanic Practitioner, Jill Annacenturia, annacenturia.com/, valued at $100
• A $100 gift certificate for pottery from Truckee artist Alanna Hughes from Riverside Studios
• "Sunrise at Lake Tahoe" an 11" x 14" photo print on rag paper by Scotts Shots Photography, valued at $97.95
• A distant or in office session with acupuncturist and healing coach, Michelle Turley, L.Ac michelleturleylac.com
• "Oscar" an 8" x 12" metal print, photo by A Day in Your Life Photography, valued at $78

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Replacing Mystery Man with your Mug Shot

So you have a blog and you are all giddy about writing your first blog post. Or perhaps you've mustered up some courage to comment on a colleague's post. You finish up, hit send and WHAT the? What is that little mystery man showing by your name? Introducing the avatar.

An avatar is a little icon that helps identify your posts and comments on forums and blogs. Instead of creating a new avatar per each place you post, you can now create a globally recognized avatar, called a gravatar. To do this, you go to Gravatar.com and create a free account. From this account, you can change your image or your byline. It is all managed here, linking your account to your email address. As you change your gravatar or byline on your Gravatar.com account, it will change everywhere you have posted. It's that easy.

So take 5 minutes and replace that mystery man with your stunning smile or a fun gravatar so readers get to know you.

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Lion Heart Fundraising art for High Fives

High Fives Foundation is a Tahoe-based non-profit organization dedicated to raising money and awareness for athletes who have suffered a life-altering injury while pursuing their dream in the winter action sports community. The Lion Heart Fundraiser is an event where regional artist create art to benefit High Fives. The Lion Heart fundraiser for the High Fives Foundation starts February 3rd and is on display throughout the month of February at Riverside Studios in Truckee. I have two of my artworks there where 100% of the proceeds will be donated to High Fives. Check them out!  

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Sara's art at Humane Society Black Ties and Tails event

I love the Humane Society of Truckee Tahoe (HSTT). In fact, that is where I adopted my late malamute from. On Feburary 18th the HSTT are having a Black Ties and Tails Gala as a fundraiser. Donated to this event is a Party of 3 artwork called "Libby" by myself, Carole Sesko, and Eve Werner. Look for it in the fun silent auction along with so many other great items.

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Sara on the Air - 8:10PST to Toginet.com January 5th

Sue Whitaker, The Business Lovemaker, will be interviewing me live tomorrow (January 5th) at around 8:10 am PST on Toginet.com . Here's what will be going on:

"Starting off 2012 with a bang! My new website goes live Thursday and I interview my website designer Sara Zimmerman on “The Business Lovemaker.” Sara is an award winning artist as well as a website designer and marketing expert. Be prepared to hear great ideas from Sara on what you can do to draw people to your website and increase your business. Tune in Thursday, January 5th to “The Business Lovemaker” on toginet.com at 11:00am EST." ~ Sue Whitaker, The Business Lovemaker

I am launching Sue's website in the next day or two so you can learn more about Sue and The Business Lovemaker. In the meantime, please tune in to listen to this fun radio interview about web ideas, business growth, and learn a little more about me.

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10 Ways to Help Your Business This Year - Resolutions for your Business

Happy New Year!

Many people have mentioned that they are planning to work on their business after the New Year. So, the time has come and many are wondering what to do. Below is your business' New Year's resolution in 10 ways to help grow your business this new year:

1. Get organized: Have receipts flying around and file folders everywhere on your desktop? Create a system to help streamline your paperwork and information. It will streamline your day down the road.
2. Get clear: Get very clear on your messaging, your price structure, and your services. Carve out 2 hours per week to get these three done. This will not only streamline your day, but will also help you clearly get your word out to customers.
3. Establish your goals for the year: What is it you really want? How many more clients do you want or products do you want to sell each month? Sit down and create realistic goals for the year, then break them down per month. Then reflect on what is realistic in terms of your current workforce, hours per week, etc. If your goals exceed your fulfillment, then your goals need to also include growing your fulfillment side of your business.
4. Create a plan based on those goals: How are you going to reach those goals? Create a plan for marketing, advertising, promotions, R&D, etc. Create an overall plan for the year, then break them down per month, and even by week. Assign tasks to employees, coworkers, or even to yourself on your calendar. As much as it seems like a good idea, do not just throw a contest, do not just have a sale, do not just have a newsletter, do not just make a video, etc. You NEED a plan so your efforts invoke a call to action that you WANT to have happen.
5. Create a ToDo Calendar: Finally have some time to work on your business but can't prioritize, let alone remember what you were supposed to work on? Create a to-do list that links to your calendar and assign these new tasks you made from your plan above. Create a system so you constantly return to this list throughout the day so you get in the habit of seeing what is next on the list AND get the successful feeling of crossing your tasks off.
6. Reiterate your message: Let the world know about your message and services by reiterating them on all marketing materials, including your website.
7. Make time for YOU: You are not a machine and you do your best work once you are rested. So schedule some time for you during your busy week. It sounds counterintuitive, but scheduling an hour for a walk, yoga, massage, run, or just some reading time that is strictly for you, will help reenergize you and get you working more efficiently.
8. Get realistic: Does your task list have 40+ things on it each day? Maybe it is time to hire someone? Can a professional help you get something done right in 2 hours that would take you 10 hours to do just okay? Wouldn't it be worth having that professional help you with that task each month so you can spend those 10 hours making money? Or perhaps hiring a mom or high school student who needs some filler work a few hours per month to organize your office or do some errands for you? No need to hire someone to do your main tasks of your business. Just someone to help with the small tasks. Make your life easier and in doing so, you may be helping someone else out who needs some extra work.
9. Learn some more: Stay on top of your industry by subscribing to blogs or Linked In groups that pertain to your business. No need to enroll in hours or hours of classes (unless mandatory for your licensing). Just subscribe to the endless feeds of information on the internet. You will not only stay up to date on new technology and tips, but will also learn about ways to become more competitive in your market.
10. Get real help: Totally confused with what you are doing? There are thousands of professionals who can help you get streamlined in your business and in your day to day living. Spending a few hundred dollars here or there to get you on track may most likely help you earn thousands down the road. it IS worth the investment. If you don't know what to blog about, what or when to be posting to your social networks, how to properly create a newsletter that drives traffic, how to properly hold a contest or sale, how to make a video that converts, or if it all feels overwhelming, contact me or another professional and we can create a plan to make this work for you.

Above are just a few ways to help you get your business on the right rack for the year. Taking the time to help your business grow will prove both profitable and rewarding.

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Healing art exhibit and art opening

After a year in the making, my "Healing" art series will be on display at Riverside Studios starting Thursday, January 5th through the end of February 2012. An opening reception will be taking place on Friday, January 6th from 4 to 6pm at Riverside Studios in downtown Truckee, CA at 10060 Donner Pass Road. It is free and open to the public.

About My "Healing" Art series:

My Healing art reflects my path of trying to find emotional, spiritual and physical healing through art, many alternative healing modalities, and mindfulness. Through these works, I experiment with what a certain thought or feeling truly feels like. I then paint those first thoughts/feelings in colorful, textured layers. It is a very abstract process that requires a lot of quiet and inner exploration so I can "see" what colors and shapes really come to mind when thinking of a particular issue.

Second, I paint what I feel I need to help me heal by adding other colors and textures that evoke a healing thought. Finally, I add the last layers. These layers are my visual reminders of what I need to see to remember what it feels like to feel healed and whole. Included in this series are the more abstract pieces called "Strength," "Voice," "The Royal Feminine," and "Soul” that show this layered, healing technique.

Also included in this series are some still life and animals artworks including “Arctic Owl,"  “Love My Bike," “Abundance,” “Harmony,” “Peace,” and “Love.”  These depict my healing connection to different power animals (owls and falcons) and fun toys, (such as my mountain bike) as well as some cups I painted when I felt like I was in need of something.

View my portfolio to see more of these Healing artworks or click to purchase prints and cards (with FREE shipping online) to send to a loved one or friend.

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New Lake Tahoe and Truckee Snow Art

Despite the lack of snow in Truckee and Lake Tahoe so far this winter of 2011-2012, I have recently painted four new Truckee and Lake Tahoe snow scenes:

• Squaw Powder Day
• Squaw Sunset
• Perfect Ski Day
• Frosty Mornings

If you are needing a little snow in your life, all are available as greeting cards and prints through my online store.

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Video | Sara Makes Santa a Website

Never thought I would get such a gig, but Santa called and needed some help getting his website up to date. His website was an old html site built on web 1.0 standards, his social media presence was next to nil, and his workshop was in desperate need for some efficiency assistance. Here's a little video about how it all went down. Happy holidays!