WHO: Alyson Hoag
WHAT: Authentic Beauty
WHEN: 2008
WHERE: Atlanta, GA
HOW: As a department store makeup artist, Alyson Hoag saw beautiful women come to her counter each day. They’d look in a mirror, after having makeup put on, and start talking about eye lifts and nose jobs… things that Hoag didn’t like to hear at all. “I had been sitting on an idea I had that could transform the way the beauty industry does business,” says Hoag. From where makeup is sold to the environmental impact of an eye shadow, Hoag developed an idea for a beauty business that would encourage women to use makeup to enhance their features – not cover them up.
Fully aware that she was far from business-savvy, Hoag began to educate herself using as many resources as possible. After taking seminars, meeting with business coaches and potential investors, Hoag developed a plan – and began executing it. More…
What’s your definition of great customer service – the kind of customer service that would lead you to recommend the business to your friends, not to mention give it additional work yourself? Mine, if I defined it a week ago, would have been something like this: Make sure the customer has what she needs, when she needs it, with as little hassle as humanly possible. Now it includes a postscript: And, when possible, throw in a little surprise.
Let me explain. I just returned from a week’s vacation – a little tanned, a lot rested – ready to tackle the list of things that come with taking a week off: grocery shopping, many loads of laundry, opening and answering the pile of real mail that seems to be shrinking every year and opening and answering the stack of e-mails that seems to be growing. Oh, and I had to follow up on the car.
The week before I left, I hopped into my relatively new Volvo wagon to drive my kids to school. We’d gotten some snow, but the roads were cleared, the white stuff piled on the side. As I rounded the corner from my street to the next, I hit the curb on the passenger side. More…
Established in 1996, the annual New York City – Southern New York Chapter of the National MS Society’s Books for a Better Life Awards highlight the top self-improvement books in 10 categories, to raise money and awareness for Multiple Sclerosis research. Last night, during the awards ceremony at the Millennium Broadway Hotel in New York City, my book The Difference: How Anyone Can Prosper In Even The Toughest Times was honored as the 2009 Book for a Better Life in the Personal Finance category.
I am so glad that The Difference has helped so many see the steps we can take in our lives to make ourselves financially healthy and happy. More than that, I’m happy to report that — to date — the Books for A Better Life Awards has raised $1.6 million for MS research. MS awareness is so pertinent and crucial today – over 400,000 Americans alone live with this disease.
If you’d like more information about MS — and how you can help, click here.
If you’d like more information about The Difference, click here.
“My husband and I have been the victims of 8 fraudulent credit cards, embezzlement and forgery committed by his former secretary and her family. We are in dire need of your help. The bank that allowed her to get away with this has now put us in collections for a fraudulent credit card.” - Jean, New Hampshire
I’m so sorry you’re dealing with this – many people don’t realize, but about a third of identity theft cases are committed by friends or family members of the victim, making your situation all the more common. The first thing you need to do, if you haven’t already, is file a police report. This is important, because you may need a copy of a police report to legitimize your claims. You should take that to the FTC to file a complaint there — which can then be used to make debt collectors stop collecting on those fraudulent debts. More…
If you have a child either in or about to enter college, you likely know that we’re in the midst of FAFSA season. This one form – the Free Application for Federal Student Aid – gets the ball rolling on any financial aid your child may receive for school. In order to qualify for Pell grants, Stafford loans, PLUS loans, and work-study programs, you must fill it out.
Unfortunately, it’s also a form that has many parents pulling out their hair, year after year. If that’s you, I’ve compiled the top five ways to simplify the process. Much like doing your taxes, it’s never going to be painless, but these tips will certainly make it easier: More…
