The Strategy Specialist

Prioritizing and Time Management are KEY!  In fact... it's the ONLY way you can get ahead of the pack.  It's literally the make or break. Anyone who works with me knows I am driven by metrics, time, productivity, and accuracy.  Literally, my day is mapped out in increments of time from most important to least important. I have a full time job, a family, a social life (sort-of.... it's more like my husband's personal cheerleader and back-up dancer) - I give a great deal of my time to others i.e. strategizing operations, consulting, etc.  I'm a personal bookkeeper and personal assistant to a few of my dear friends LOL.... But the ONE thing I know for sure.... rain or shine... no matter what I have going on in my personal life or with my side hustle...... I BETTER DELIVER IN MY POSITION THAT FEEDS ME!  No matter how exciting of a project I have, no matter the next million $ idea I come up with.... THE MINUTE I STOP PRODUCING WILL BE THE MOMENT I FAIL. I l...

I have to get something off my chest.... recently I've been finding my voice... and using it (yikes).  I'm not good at it yet - some responses come out quite humble and respectful... others not so much.  I've heard from a few people including some that are VERY close to me say, "You think you're all that" or "You think you're smarter than everyone else" when I respond passionately about a subject that I am confident in. Let me set the record straight (Exhibit A) LOL I'm just going to let you marinate on this for a minute. My SAT scores from 1993 - Thank GOD UNLV didn't have admission requirements back then! Those of you who have kids headed off to college would be mortified if they came home with this.... That being said... I learned early on that I was going to have to work harder and get creative in order to survive... so that's what I did. I actually get a little irritated when someone says... 'Oh, she was able to...

Within the next few weeks, this blog will have evolved from Amber's Story (How It All Began) to practical and inspiring accounts of what's happening now, what's the plan for the next 15 years, and a strategic shift toward the mentoring/consulting projects that truly feed my soul. Earlier in the year, I was doing some consulting for a dear friend who owns a nail salon.  She's been in the business for 20 years, recently broke away from the family business and started her own, is a single mother of two, has a heart of gold, is incredibly talented at her craft, works 18 hours a day - every day, because that's what you do when you start a business... even if you are 40 yrs old or have been doing it for 20 years.... Her gift is on the artistic side and because she is a one woman show, it's difficult for her to manage all of the components of a small business.  For starters, it doesn't come naturally to her: Advertising, Inventory, Acquiring New Talent, Quality...

This one is for anyone who has a million excuses as to why they aren't succeeding in life and/or anyone who hasn't strengthened their mind to believe in themselves! Let me set the stage - It's 2006 - I'm several years into 'taking over the family business' and I am fighting an uphill battle in my personal and professional life.  Without going into too much detail ~ I was married in an extremely toxic relationship Was raising 3 step daughters on and off throughout the years Was the sole income earner in the household Had DRAMA with my son's father - court/custody battle - I believe the quote was "I am an unfit mother because I work on the weekends" - PS - Zero child support was coming my direction Was trying to prove to my mother that she had not made a wrong decision in placing me in charge Was fighting my mother's long term business associates tooth and nail to grow the business even to the point where I almost quit (I gave my mothe...

If you've met my mother, you know that she is one of the kindest, giving, forgiving women on the planet.  Having lived my life and being able to reflect on personal experiences,  I really do believe that my mother was quite fortunate to have lived in a bubble.  My friends and I have an inside joke that she truly IS Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz (just click your heels in those ruby slippers and all will be well). Though she worked and lived abroad when she left the house at 18 to pursue her professional career, and lived in Sin City for over 35 years... she only thought the best of people and believed what she was told.  I, on the other hand, who am quite the opposite, always needed proof.  Though I do hope for the best, I am not disillusioned.   Human beings are fallible and it is human nature to be self-serving. For those of you who are not familiar with the dance competition industry, It is our goal to have 500 acts per weekend (Fri, Sat, Sun Competit...

I'm probably dating myself with this title.  But for you youngin's.... a direct translation  - Always keep the power to determine how your money will be spent! As I began immersing myself in all aspects of Rainbow, I saw several things crystal clear. There were too many staff traveling for the actual needs of the show. When a show is only two days, staff stay for an extra 1 or 2 days at the company's expense. Everyone had their own room. Fancy lunch and dinners are provided by the company with no real limitations on cost. Events were scheduled in some cities based on 'vacation opportunities' vs. actual opportunity to build a profitable competition. I'm adding up all of the numbers... not on a spreadsheet because.... how could we possibly afford a laptop (something we actually needed to run the business more efficiently) when we are paying for extra flights and rooms? I mean I'm no rocket scientist but HELLO!  Am I the only one seeing this?...

I'm pretty self-aware.... the sad part is, I am slow to change in a few areas of my life.  I don't know if it's because I'm a Cancer, an Enabler, or if it's because I HATE conflict.... As I wrote my last post, it reminded me how for so many years I have been in a constant state of insanity (doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result). In business... that is a no no!  Course Correction..... Immediate Course Correction is necessary to stay alive in this game of life - and when you have a team that just refuses to listen to logic.... OMG.... It's so frustrating. I'm not good at many things... God gave me a few very specific gifts in certain areas where I am able to excel and shine.  I also DO NOT GET PAID TO GUESS .  So when I am making a proposal in business... trust and believe I have done my due diligence and have researched it through every lens I can possibly think of, have a power point, a few spreadsheets sorted any which way y...

Before accepting the offer to run the family business, I had already spent a few weeks and many hours, staying up all night vetting through the financials.  I bought the Quick Books software, my mother gave me all of the bank statements and cancelled checks for the year and I classified every single expense and matched them up with their respective invoices to really get a feel for the the day to day financial operations.  Remember, I am about 26 years old, never taken a business class or accounting class, have no idea about operations or management in a formal setting, however, going through each expense, each source of revenue line by line gave me incredible insight and discipline that I still apply to this day.  In order to fix something, you have to cut through the smoke and mirrors to discover the truth. 'Men Lie, Women Lie, Numbers Don't' Jay Z I immediately identified the problems and presented thorough and logical solutions however there was a small proble...

So there I was... 25 yrs old, brand new baby boy, still estranged from my family (my doing), relationship with my son's father in shambles.... The only thing going right for me (as per usual) was my professional career.  I had a great shift, making prevailing wages, worked well with management, had a great time with my co-workers making them laugh with my customer service tactics aka schmoozing LOL (we worked in the county jail with inmates and their frustrated family members who had to bail them out). I mean... life was good - I didn't have very high standards back then... but somehow I was able to pay the mortgage, daycare, car note, and still make my minimum payment on my JC Penney card (oh how simple life was).  My son and I had healthcare (huge deal), my son had a big boy race car bed in his Elmo room.... what more could I have asked for? My mother was running the dance competition Rainbow Connection - I didn't know much about it, other than I knew her gross annual...

As I stated in my intro, this blog is less about me and more about celebrating and contributing to the greatness of others.  I serve only to share my experiences and knowledge in hopes that I can have a positive impact in someone else's life. Today's Special Guest I'd like to introduce is  Kurtis Colamonico - Pro Skater and Founder of  weareskatekids.com A few years ago I had this crazy idea on how I was going to expand the skate competition industry all in support of my son's dream of becoming a Pro Skater.  I said to myself.... 'I've made an impact in the dance competition industry... I can surely add value to the skate competition industry.' Of course I consulted with my son and used him as a sounding board and we came up with ideas for this event.  I remember him being so concerned that I wouldn't be able to pull it off... I mean what do I know about the skate industry.  I asked my son.... what skater(s) needs to be there in order for y...

It's fascinating to me how people evolve over time. What isn't acceptable or respected at one point in time becomes the 'new craze' that everyone is aspiring to be. I come from humble beginnings. My father was an independent contractor who built our home from the ground up and my mother, a singer, dancer, actress, teacher who made more sacrifices to take care of others than any one woman should. I learned early on after watching my parents work every day of the week, every hour of the day as small business owners and still didn't have health insurance or a savings account for a rainy day much less retirement, that I wanted NO part of that. My God Parents were both government employees and they were stable, home paid for, retirement on the horizon, with great dental insurance LOL.... That was going to be my path! I have always been a strong willed person and during my teenage years I had strong opinions on everything. My parents were going through changes w...

At 35 I left Las Vegas, ended a 10 year relationship, entered into a business partnership and rented a shack in Laguna Beach thinking I would be the next Vicky of Orange County Housewives if I played my cards right. Here's what really happened... I was stressed out feeling like a fish out of water, was having difficulty acclimating to my new partnership, and incredibly fearful. ~Fear Kills More Dreams Than Failure Ever Will ~ One night when I was feeling desperate to regain control, I thought it would be a good idea to prove once again to myself that I was worthy (an ongoing theme in my life) and I applied for the MBA program at UCI. First off, I wasn't sure I'd be accepted because my undergrad GPA was less than desirable, as I was a single mom working 2 jobs at the time. Second, I had NO idea how much it would cost (they didn't put that info in the fancy brochure) LOL. I submitted my application, transcripts, personal statement, etc. right before the deadli...

For those of you how have not seen my growth over the past 20 years, it's hard to imagine the struggle that I remember as if it were yesterday. Today my life is filled with opportunities and experiences I could never have imagined. Truth be told, not only did I never dream of living the life I live now, but more importantly, I didn't believe I was worthy. Please don't misunderstand me... my success pales in comparison to others, however, when I compare Me to Me, I am incredibly proud of how far I've come. There have been far more failures than successes and for those of you who know me... I have it ALL illustrated on a spreadsheet LOL. In addition... for those who have wondered how I turned nothing into something (myself included), I put my life, strategy, and milestones on a timeline/spreadsheet as well to quantitatively illustrate the sacrifice, consistency, perseverance, and honest truth that it wasn't luck... and it didn't happen overnight: It was...