Contributor, Author at Neon Notebook

Three Things I Wish I Had Known in My 20’s: Michelle Forsythe

November 19, 2014 by Contributor in 3 Things

Setting aside the whole conundrum of “if I knew then what I know now would I still be here…” discussion, it’s pretty tough to narrow it down to three things. With the certainty of dating myself, back in my twenties the internet didn’t exist, and fax machines were considered cool. If you wanted to find out more information about anything, you got on the phone and called around, or you mailed

Three Things I Wish I Had Known in My 20’s: Candace Dannenbaum

November 4, 2014 by Contributor in 3 Things

This is an interesting topic and one my friends and I (all in our early 30’s) talk about often because if we had known what we know now, would we be the same people we are today? In other words, would we have made the same mistakes and missed out on the chance to learn and grow from those mistakes? My twenties were a period of intense growth, extreme highs and lows and to be honest, I

5 Things to Know Before Starting A Fashion Line

July 16, 2014 by Contributor in ETC.

photo via flickr user Clary Sage College

Creating your own fashion line from scratch is anything but easy or cheap. “Whether or not you went to school for fashion design, there are still many aspects of cultivating a concept into reality that can only be learned first hand,” states Jennifer Philbrook, Co-Founder of Stitch Method. “While my education has provided me with extensive insight, it was learning from my mistakes that helped me

Three Things I Wish I Had Known in My 20’s: Sandra Correia

July 1, 2014 by Contributor in 3 Things

I have always been a dreamer. As a teen, I dreamed of becoming a flight attendant, jetting around the world, discovering new places, and living what I imagined would be a glamorous life. Later I wanted to be a journalist, covering major stories across the globe. Ultimately, it was entrepreneurship that has taken me around the world – building my business, meeting new people and sharing experiences along the way.

Tips for Starting a Business from Scratch

June 23, 2014 by Contributor in ETC.

Now more than ever, women are seeing the benefits of building their own businesses and are doing just that. In a world full of complicated and contradicting start up information, consider my eight simple tips for launching a successful business as a woman. It does after all help to get advice from someone who’s been there.

Don’t quit your day job, at least not at first. While it may be tempting to jump feet first into building your business, it is wise to map out your financial needs and obligations before giving your two weeks notice. Consider working part-time as

Three Reasons Why Gen Y Employees Should Focus on Personal Branding at Work

May 23, 2014 by Contributor in ETC.

Many Millennials (aka: Gen Y) are currently finding themselves in a very challenging situation at work. The good news for Millennials is that, due to major generational shifts, they are being moved into management and leadership roles faster and sooner than generations before them were. The challenging news is that 50% of Millennials surveyed believe their organizations could do more to develop their future leaders (The 2014 Deloitte Millennial Survey).

The Deloitte survey also unveils other results

8 Tips for Positive Self-Talk to Spur Success

May 15, 2014 by Contributor in Career, ETC.

Each of us has about 50,000 thoughts each day. Most are judgments. Many are negative. All are stories. Most of them are fiction.

We find ourselves saying:

“I’m never going to get that promotion.”

“Money is not my strong suit.”

“I’m so disorganized!”

If we hear these “lies” enough, they can end up becoming truths.

Self-talk is one of the easiest ways to sabotage your business career as well as your social life, and, conversely, one of the easiest ways to

Three Things I Wish I Had Known in My 20’s: Victoria Livshitz

May 14, 2014 by Contributor in 3 Things, Career, Lifestyle

At the age of 18, I was a carefree freshman at the University in Vilnius, Lithuania, like millions of others – studying, partying and playing chess, my sport of choice. 2 years later, at the age of 20, I was married, with 3-months old baby and $500 bucks in a pocket, landing in the city of Cleveland, USA on a one-way ticket from Moscow, in search of more opportunities and better live.

Women on Business: Taking the Lead and Making a Difference

May 2, 2014 by Contributor in Career, ETC.

The balance of power is tipping toward the feminine with more women taking on the workforce by graduating en masse from higher education well and above their male counterparts as well as starting businesses and taking a leading role in how major companies around the world are run. When it comes to women on business, they are coming out on top, but there is still more that they can do to make a difference and help to

4 Critical Traits All Successful Leaders Share

April 7, 2014 by Contributor in Career, ETC.

It doesn’t matter what stage of life you’re in: everyone wants to be the best they can. When you see very successful business leaders, there can be a sort of “false aura” of unreachable success around them. If you can get beyond their paycheck, you will realize that the strategies they use can be applied by anyone. For example, when you look at the three founders of BlogHer, one of the largest publishing networks for