FamousAshleyGrant

Got an email today that put something in perspective for me, and confirmed a thought I’ve had for a while….you can’t rely on a SINGLE source for your business to succeed AND maintain success.

The email I got was from a lady I’ve been following for a bit…her Youtube channel was randomly deleted by Google and she is fighting to get it back. There was nothing she did that caused it, it was a legitimate glitch that caused it to be deleted. And, the reality is it may be gone forever with no recourse, or anything she can actually do about it.

This happened with a website of mine years ago – I didn’t own it completely and it randomly got deleted after a hack from a hacker in a foreign county. Still hurts thinking about that loss honestly, but back to the Youtube gal.

The problem? She has built a significant portion of her business via Youtube. She receives most of her leads and hence makes most of her business income thanks to Youtube.

Where are your promotions at online?

This is similar to something I’ve seen other business owners doing – building nearly all of their business on Facebook, or Twitter or Linkedin.

Building your brand across multiple platforms is great, but you must make sure that no matter how you’re promoting yourself that you’re not relying on JUST ONE platform. If at any given moment it vanishes, it could cripple your business.

Now, this lady is pretty resourceful, and I’m sure she’s collected many email addresses and will ultimately be fine. However, the difference is she has been doing this 6 years and may be able to recover faster than other people who are still new in business.

I’m not 100% sure what will happen for her, but obviously I’m wishing her the very best.

Don’t focus all your promo efforts on one platform!

The bottom line is, don’t rest all your business plans on one platform. Especially one you don’t own. You must realize that when you do that if the platform ever vanishes or your account is randomly deleted, it can cripple you.

In all honesty, this is why I’m a huge fan of cross posting. I’ll take the same piece of content and use it in multiple ways so that no single platform is ever getting all of the focus. Some people have called me crazy for doing this and have said I could build my business faster if I would just focus on ONE.

But to them I say this – if Facebook vanishes tomorrow, I’ve still got Twitter. If Twitter vanishes, I’ve still got Linkedin, and if they all vanish, I’ve still got my website and my personal database of contacts. I won’t quit, and hopefully it means I won’t fail.

I felt compelled to share this, and I hope it gets you thinking about how you’re promoting yourself. I also hope that you avoid focusing all of your energy on a single platform you don’t own. Happy Monday my fellow entrepreneurs!

Thanks to my membership in the Tampa Bay Bloggers and their partnership with the Straz Center I received two complimentary tickets for the purposes of review to the Book of Mormon. This has not impacted my review and all opinions below are my own.

The Book of Mormon – My Review

I confess that upon entering the theater for The Book of Mormon I didn’t know what to expect. But, by the end of the show I was incredibly grateful that I didn’t know what to expect. Every single song, every single act, thrilled and excited me and away I couldn’t have imagined. Because of that fact, I will intentionally not share a single spoiler in this review. (If you want spoilers, however, I recommend you read Run DMT’s review).

Instead, I will focus on telling you why you should or should not see the show. If you are a very religious person who is easily offended by jokes about religion – don’t see this show. If you’re a person who is easily offended by curse words, crude humor, and incredibly explicit content – don’t see this show. If you’re a person who believes that the show South Park was invented by the seed of Satan – don’t see this show. However, if your fan of inappropriate humor, religious puns and jokes, and clever musical numbers that poke fun at religion at every turn –  GO SEE THE SHOW!

I have to say that I am recovering churchgoer. I became disheartened by the business of “the church,” and I’ve got to say that that is part of the reason I liked this show so much. There were some very clever statements made throughout the show that actually speak to how religion can in fact make a person feel better about whatever situation they’re dealing with in their life may be.

By that same token, I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that it felt to me as though the people who wrote this show do not exactly have respect for religion. That doesn’t change the fact though, that I laughed harder in those two hours watching The Book of Mormon than I have laughed in a very long time.

From the very first musical number to the last hilarious dig at the religion of Mormonism, and all of the terribly non-politically correct humor in between, I thoroughly enjoyed every single bit of it. I must admit I thought for sure there would be at least one or two jokes about Scientology somewhere in the play. But, maybe reading between the lines to find those jokes for myself was what the playwrights “were going for.” (<- that’s a joke from the show and the closest I’ll get to a spoiler!)

I will warn you that if you’re like me, and have a lot of friends who have very religious views, you will find it incredibly difficult to tell them about the show you just watched if you go and see Book of Mormon. I personally went with a girlfriend of mine to watch this, and after it ended we both looked at each other and kind of knew that we would not be able to tell many of the people in our lives about what we had just witnessed. What’s funny though is now that gives us something to bond over, and laugh about at events we’ll attend in the future.

I can’t say enough about how much I enjoyed the show, and just how funny I found it to be. Perhaps it’s because I grew up in a Southern Baptist Christian home, but I could see extra humor that was unique to myself. Then again, I think it’s safe to say anyone who saw this that has any kind of religious background probably interpreted some jokes in their own way that made the show that much funnier than it may be to other people witnessing the same material.

Bottom line – I would see the show again in a heartbeat. And, I have a funny feeling that if I were to watch it again I would laugh that much harder the second time around even though now I know what to expect. I can now completely understand why critics have raved about the show, and I concur wholeheartedly with every positive review that I have read about it.

The Book of Mormon is playing at the Straz Center through December 10. To see all the shows playing at the Straz, click HERE!

In our business lives, we hear the saying all the time. “Work smarter, not harder.” But, how many of us do it? Or for that matter, how many of us know what working smarter actually even means. The problem is knowing something and implementing it are two very different things. If you are facing this problem of knowing that you could be working smarter rather than harder, try the pointers below to help you get more productive with your time and create more profits overall.

Now you may not get to implement all of these ideas, particularly not all in one go. However, if you start with one and build on that, then you are at least moving forward.

Work on what is relevant and most profitable.

This may seem obvious, but what seems obvious is not always easy to implement. Do a self diagnostic test to see what takes up the most of your time, and you will likely find it is the part of your business that is the least profitable. It may be time to outsource that element, so it costs less time and resources and moves it off your plate. Or, you may just need a better system in place for getting it done faster giving you time to focus on the more profitable projects or components of your business.

Manage your projects more efficiently.

Once again, easier said than done. Still, you should try to build structure into what you are doing. Many people have so much going on in their day-to-day, that they are continuously jumping from project to project with little focus. What you should do instead is finish a task completely before starting another.

No, this doesn’t mean completing entire projects in one time period. I’m a realist and I understand that this isn’t possible for every project. What I do mean though is that you should chunk your projects down and complete an entire chunk at a time before moving on to the next chunk of whatever project you want to move forward on. Bonus points if you document where you left off on every project so that you don’t come back to it wondering what’s next!

Set deadlines for everything.

How many times do you set a deadline to get something done and make sure it is done? You have client deadlines I’m sure, but have you ever created self-imposed deadlines for yourself to ensure things get done in a timely manner? Doing this triggers a sense of need to get it done now, rather than allowing ourselves the “luxury” of putting it off until tomorrow. Just knowing you have a deadline regardless of who set it will inspire your brain to complete it now, not when it’s actually due.

We all know how much we can get done the day before we go on leave or a nice well earned vacation. Apply the same principle to what you do on a daily basis.

A simple starting point is to chunk down your top 5 tasks and create the deadlines you can set around these. The deadlines must be realistic, however. Otherwise you are going to burn yourself out trying to reach them, or you’ll do a piss poor job of accomplishing the tasks to the best of your ability.

Employ people that have strengths where you have weaknesses.

This is really about leveraging your time. If you are not good at doing something, but you still need it in your business, get someone else that is an expert in that area to do it. Then, let yourself get on with the next task in your business. You can either do this by hiring virtual assistants part time or full time, or by hiring contractors for one off tasks as frequently or infrequently as needed.

Manage time interruptions.

Think about the number of times you are trying to get something done that will help with the profitability of your business, when your phone rings or someone knocks on your door for a “quick catch up.” It’s imperative you become more structured in managing these interruptions. Let the phone go to voicemail and set aside time to return all the calls, for example. Ask people to book in time for you so you can manage your day, and not have their interruption mess up your entire schedule.

Remember, time management is not about trying to manage time; there are only 24 hours in a day. It is about managing yourself, your sanity, and the moving parts in your business. For some people time management is easy and effortless, but for many of us it’s a daily struggle. As you work on it though, you’ll build habits for better efficiency in your life.

Additional ideas for getting more done in your day include:

Activity Logs: If you often wonder at the end of the day where your day went, create an activity log to start logging how much time you spend on your various activities. Only once you know where your time went can you change anything.

To Do List: Yes, having a to-do list is important, but if you’re spending too much time on creating lists, you’re not going to get anything done. Keep them short and simple with your top 3-5 things you HAVE to get done each day, and then try to do them before you do anything else.

Create a schedule, and actually plan your day: Unimportant, but time-consuming tasks can end up consuming a lot of your time. Schedule your most important things first, and leave plenty of buffer time for each item. Prioritizing enables you to focus your time and energy on the important things. You can’t successfully manage and grow your business if you can’t successfully manage your time.

Today my dad would have been 58. 🙁 I’m still so upset that he has already missed so much since the last time we spoke in November 2015, we’ll never reconcile, and he’ll miss out on so much more in the coming years than he should have. Wishing and hoping for things to be different won’t make it so.

However, I do want to remind everyone that if you’re unhappy in your life you CAN change it. You don’t have to live in misery. As much as people may disagree with me, at the end of the day YOU DO HAVE A CHOICE! We all do!

You can choose how you react to the cards your dealt. In some ways, you can even choose some of the cards. I wish my dad could have seen that he had so many choices, and I’m still devastated that he made the ultimate bad one by leaving this earth too soon nearly a year ago.

I know everyone has been telling me this year that he took his life because he saw no other way out. And, yes…I believe by the time he let that much darkness take over…he did believe that. But, I also know that there were so many times he could have chosen to step out of the darkness, but instead opted to shun the light.

Looking Back, We Did All We Could

Nothing I or my family could have said or done could have changed his choice to repeatedly choose the darkness. You can only show someone a different path so many times before letting go, and ultimately letting them decide which path they want to take. Looking back I see how many times we did try to intervene.

No, we never hospitalized him, but we did try everything we knew how to do to make him happy and show him how to be happy within himself. We did the best we could, and it was actually never our choice of how he would move forward after each intervention. There is a saying that you can’t save someone who doesn’t want to be saved, and I feel like at the end of the day, as much as it hurts, he didn’t want to be saved.

I forgive him for taking his own life, and am saddened at how much I understand now what he did and even why he did it. I just will never accept it was the right choice, or that he couldn’t have found another way. Happy birthday dad. I guess you finally found your peace, I’m just so sorry for you that you never found the light.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Call 1-800-273-8255

Warning! This is not a warm and fuzzy blog post. If you are looking for warm and fuzzy go google sweet cat pics or something. This is me being sick and tired of writers (and all artists for that matter) being asked to work for free. I’m over it! This trend of websites popping up all over posting job openings for unpaid positions ticks me off!! In my opinion they should not be allowed on job boards because unpaid= not a job in my book!

What prompted this angry blog post from me? Welp, I’ve been trying to get more writing work because my husband is planning on going back to school in the fall and I am going to need to take over more of the money making responsibilities. I’ve been filling out lots of applications and stumbled onto a website similar to one I’m already getting paid to write for. So, I sent an email to this writing website because I heard they too are seeking new writers. In the email I listed my credentials, how long I’ve been writing and ended with an inquiry about compensation. Was promptly emailed this:

“Right now, we are only inviting people to join our writers community, which offers a link and Google+ authorship, but they are not paid positions. It’s a steadily growing group of writers who want a bit more exposure with their work. If you’re interested in that, you can read more and sign up at (website redacted).”

Below is the response I WANTED to send back to the company but instead opted to not respond at all.

Dear evil company that plans to make money off the backs of unpaid writers,

Most writers don’t need exposure. For the most part, we all get plenty of exposure by excitedly sharing what we write with friends, family and our social networks via facebook, twitter, LinkedIn and more.

What most writers DO need is rent money, food money, gas money and money to pay the rest of our bills. Would you expect your dentist, your plumber, your landlord/ mortgage loan officer, your doctor or any other service provider to be paid in word of mouth advertising? I highly doubt it, so why can’t you pay a writer for their services?


No, I’m not interested in working for your company and I sincerely hope other writers will refrain from writing for your company for free as well. Continuing to make websites and publications think it is okay to not pay us is unacceptable and needs to be stopped. However, as I’m not a jerk, I do wish you good luck in your future ventures.


All the best,
Ashley Grant

In the television show Revenge– Fauxmanda aka the “real” Emily Thorne makes a drink called The Black Dahlia. In it she puts 3 oz. Vodka, 1 oz. Creme de Cassis and a little Blackberry Liqueur. She then puts it in a martini shaker with ice, shakes it and strains it into a martini glass.

I figured- Since I was at a blogging conference…and could not check in until an hour later, I was bored and my bartender Vince was nice- what better time to try it?!?

Vince added some flair by garnishing the drink with some raspberries and voila! I had my Black Dahlia.

Verdict of this cocktail? Sooooo good! Somewhat sweet with a kick and very smooth. Would definitely order it again!!!

This post may contain a link to an affiliate. See my disclosure policy for more information.

I'm a brand ambassador for Citrus Magic, and though this post is sponsored, all opinions and images below are my own.

I can’t stand a stinky space. I’ve got an incredibly sensitive nose, and when I walk into a space I don’t want it to smell bad. I don’t want to smell your pets, or your garbage, and certainly not last nights dinner. This is why I LOVE Citrus Magic Solid Air Fresheners. They absorb odors and stop the stink. My favorite two fragrances so far have been Pure Linen and Lavender.

Here are 8 spaces that I feel NEED a Citrus Magic Solid Air Freshener:

1. Under the seat in your car and/or your RV – I’ve got the New Car scent in mine right now!

2. On the back of your toilet in the bathroom – You know why.

3. The floor of your walk-in closet – It smells nice while you’re picking out your clothes.

4. Inside your home office – Though NOT scientifically proven, I feel like a nicer smelling space makes you more productive.

5. Laundry room – Come on now, you know darn well you don’t wash and dry all of your clothes every night. Absorb the odors that come with piled up dirty laundry. You’re welcome!

6. The garbage can – I put one in the bottom of mine and place the bag over it. It keeps odors out of my can surprisingly well!

7. In the pet area – I know my furbabies can stink a good stink, and Citrus Magic stops it before they can say woof!

8. In the garage – I don’t have a garage right now, but I remember the odors that came out of my parent’s garage after dad mowed the lawn. This space could have benefited big time from the odor absorbing magic of Citrus Magic Solid Air Fresheners.

BONUS – if you live in a state that has basements, I’d recommend adding one there too! Heck, put one in every room, because friends don’t let friends have stinky spaces!

Do you want to get some of the Citrus Magic Solid Air Fresheners for yourself? They are on sale at select Lowe’s, Wal-Mart, Publix, Winn Dixies, and here on Amazon.

This post may contain a link to an affiliate. See my disclosure policy for more information.