Monday, July 27, 2015

Weight Loss Supplements - What The Manufacturers Don't Tell You


Too much of anything is not healthy. Even things that are good for you are best when enjoyed in moderation. Drinking too much water is not healthy. Too much fiber can wreak havoc on your gastrointestinal system. Too much exercise does not allow your body to rest and repair. With that being said, losing weight too quickly is not healthy. There are so many miracle weight lose drugs, pills, and potions that claim dramatic results in a short amount of time. The marketing is very tempting for us to try them but the reality is the results achieved by these supplements are not good for the body and usually are not long-lasting.

For true weight loss and maintaining your ideal weight you need a lifestyle change. If your diet and activity level causes weight gain, a fad diet or magic pill is not going to help. In this culture of instant gratification, advertising weight loss in a way that boasts of quick results without exercise and/or adjusting the types of food we eat is creates a false sense of accomplishment and is not in the best interest of your health. The reality is, making up your mind to completely change your lifestyle is really the only way to lose weight and keep it off. It's that simple.

The goal of marketing these unhealthy products is to get you to buy. After you buy, the results may vary based on body type and metabolism. When reading the fine print, you will see that a lot of these supplements do not offer guarantees or refunds if you do not see your desired results with in a certain amount of time."Results may vary" is the go to disclaimer.

If you are on your journey to a healthier lifestyle that will result in weight loss. Look for nutritional supplements that suit your needs and lifestyle. In most cases, healthy lifestyle habits result in weight loss. Supplements can fill in nutritional gaps to make sure your body gets everything it needs to work properly. Not only will you see a decrease in cravings or appetite suppression, which results in weight loss, you will also see a decrease in risks of health problems associated with being over weight and malnutrition.

Don't be fooled by marketing of fast weight loss. It's not healthy and it's not sustainable. These market products in a way to boost sales. As a customer, your best interest is not what the company has in mind. Instead of just losing weight, set a goal to live a healthier lifestyle. Weight loss and other health benefits will come along with the change in lifestyle. Look for nutritional supplements to decrease cravings and to make sure your body is getting all the nutrients it needs to function properly and repair itself.

Fancy Free LLC. finds joy in helping new people reach their financial as well as personal goals in all areas of life. Call us at (410) 929-0302 to schedule your complimentary consultation.

Monday, July 20, 2015

Business Ethics - Maintaining The Mindset Of An Ethical Business Owner


Business owners are ambitious and hard-working people. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing a vision come to reality and getting paid from pursuing a passion. However, the road to success is full of challenges that may push the entrepreneur to the point of giving up or worse, doing something that is not in line with an established set of morals. It may seem like the someone in the practice of underhanded dealings is getting ahead faster and even more bountiful than someone who is not, but it never lasts. Those who violate a set code of business ethics always end up losing more than they gained. Here are some tips to prevent you from falling into that trap.

1. Trust the process.
Having a business mentor to bounce ideas off is very helpful. If your mentor confirms that you are on the right path with your actions, trust that you will have great success. Look at the challenges as learning opportunities. Usually, there is something that you need to learn before you see huge success.

2. There are no shortcuts to the top. You have to put in the work.
Ambitious people always want more and are open to different types of challenges. Success looks very different to different people. It is so easy to want what someone else has and more. The question is, are you willing to do what they did to get that? An opportunity to take part in unethical dealings may tempt someone to take a shortcut that presents as very lucrative. Don't fall prey to that trap. Stand firm in your own version of success and don't try to take shortcuts to get there.

3. Be someone who you want to do business with.
Let's be honest. If someone has a history of crooked dealings and wants to do business with you, most likely, you will decline their proposal. Sacrificing ethics usually means that someone is getting the short end of the stick. That may not register when you are benefiting from it but it's only a matter of time before the tables will turn. Will you still want to do business with someone who is getting over on you? Will your customers want to do business with you after you've short-changed them? Make business decisions that are in line with someone whom you would want to do business with.

4. Stay in touch with your accountability partners.
When no one is around, you feel like no one see's you in the act of making a poor judgement call. If you feel like something you're about to do isn't right, it usually isn't. It's natural to want to go against your gut feeling when you think you will profit in the end. Ask your accountability partner for insight before you make your final decision. Usually, they will confirm what you originally thought and talk some sense in to you.

5. All money isn't good money.
In 2008, the largest Ponzi scheme in the history of the United States all came falling down. Bernie Madoff promised investors an unheard of return on investment in an unheard of amount of time, conning investors out of $65 billion. It took a large team of people to pull a scheme of this proportion off. They all made lots of money over a short time. They also all went to jail. Every dollar earned goes farther than dollars "given".

When you aren't progressing as quickly as you think you should, don't take easy ways out that will violate business ethics. Trust the process and learn from it. There are no shortcuts to successful business. You have to put in the work to make it last. Behave like a business person that you would want to do business with. Have your accountability partners hold you accountable. Stay away from deals that are too good to believe because all money is not good money.

Fancy Free LLC. specializes in wealth building techniques with personal development coaching. Call us at (410) 929-0302 for your complimentary consultation.

Big Hair Problems

Big Hair is all fun and games until.....


1. You close your hair in your car door.
When my hair was long and straight, I thought getting my hair caught under my purse or bookbag straps was a nuisance. Nope. Closing my car door and turning to look for my phone in my purse, only to get yanked back cuz my hair is still outside. SMH

Yes. This is an actual bug that I
found in my hair. :-(
2. Wash day
I've got a pretty simple and effective routine but....you still have to mentally prepare. No one ever feels like tackling that alladat hair. Even the shampoo girl at the salon rolls her eyes when I walk in the door. Sorry. Not sorry.

3. Finding bugs in your hair.
You finally get yo mind right to comb your hair only to feel something crunchy in the back of your head. You think "No. My fairy knots are towards my ends. Is that popcorn? We haven't had popcorn. No. Wait! It's a bug!" Aaaahhhhh!!!
Big hair is no different than "grass" to bugs. You have been warned.

4. You can't be cute at the pool.
Pool day swag. I don't care. I don't care. I don't care.
I mean you can be cute. But be prepared for the "post swimming" detangling struggle, which is way worse than the regular "wash day" detangling struggle. I'd rather not. So, I detangle and plait before hitting the pool. I look ugly but my post swimming life is way more convenient.

5. You gotta master the duck and move Matrix type back bend.
For whatever reason, people are fascinated with big hair. They want to touch it. They wanna feel if it's soft. They wanna feel if it's a weave. But no. Get yo nassey hands away from my hair. This is not a petting zoo. I do not want to hurt you by doing the karate chop hand block, so I duck and move like the Matrix to avoid the scalp assault.

On a serious note, I love my hair. The good. The bad. The ugly. We work well together. LOL! At Fancy Free Natural Consults, I specialize in helping women get through their big hair struggles and embrace it, the way I have. Check out our Fancy Free Shea Pomade for Hair & Skin at www.fancyfreehair.com.

We care about your big hair. You should too. 

Monday, July 13, 2015

Email Etiquette - Something To Keep In Mind Before You Click Send

In any professional setting, email is a very effective way to communicate. Email is efficient and fast. It is traceable and allows for time stamped documentation. It is also permanent. Although some email providers allow the sender to recall a message, recovering a sent email is not guaranteed. Therefor, careful consideration of email content is necessary to support integrity within your business and professional relationships.

1. Am I writing this email like a text?
Just like emailing in business, text messaging and instant messaging have become a primary mode of communication. Period. Most people use slang, abbreviated words and do not check spelling in texts and instant messages, as it is a casual way to communicate with your personal contacts. However, when it comes to business, proper grammar and spelling is necessary. It's easy to slip into casual style conversation because you are typing and you probably type texts or instant messages more often than professional emails. Remember that any email for business purposes is usually regarded as official communication. Use spell check tools before sending.

2. Does everyone in the email need to see your response?
The "Reply All" option is a gift and a curse. Think twice before selecting that option. Replying to all recipients of an email can imply that every recipient needs to see your response. Replying to all unnecessarily can imply lack of discretion. If you see that you are blind copied on an email, replying to all is probably not advised. When replying to an email that has multiple recipients and all recipients need to see your response, by all means, select "reply all". One on one conversations between two people do not need everyone's inclusion.

3. Would you want your comments "on the record"?
There have been many top executives and political leaders coming under scrutiny for off colored comments sent in emails. Some of the comments are very unsettling and are now coming back to haunt them. If you don't want the world to know how you really feel, do not send any offensive remarks in an email. Remember, emails are official documents and admissible as evidence in a court of law.

Email is one of the most efficient way to send and document dissemination of information. Keep in mind a few things before sending a business email or emails in a professional setting. Avoid using the same abbreviations and slang you would use in a text message or instant message. Use the "Reply All" function with caution. Avoid sending offensive commentary in an email, it may come back to haunt you.

Fancy Free LLC. helps people discover new ways to reach their personal as well as financial goals through personal growth and leadership training. Call us at (410) 929-0203 to schedule your complimentary consultation.

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Personal Branding - How You Dress Speaks Volumes

Building your personal brand is not reserved only for business owners and entertainers. You are always selling yourself. If you're in business and selling a product or service. People do business with people they like and trust, so you're selling yourself first. If you are not in business, you are selling yourself to a potential employer, future mate or new friend. Everyone should take care in building and maintaining their own personal brand. The impression you make starts with how others view you. The way you dress says more about you and your brand than you ever can communicate through conversation.

Here are some questions to ask yourself when you're getting dressed to make sure you are dressing in line with the brand you are building.

1. What Am I Selling?
If you are going to a job interview, you are selling yourself. What you wear communicates you are ready for the job and are competent. Wearing sneakers to a job interview may communicate that you are laid back and not necessarily a good fit for the team, even if you are. If you are offering a service, you should dress as a person qualified to do the service. Wearing jeans and dirty work boots may communicate that you can adequately give a service in construction or landscaping even if you are a computer systems engineer.

2. Where Am I Going?
As the old saying goes, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. If you are unsure of the dress code for the event or the culture of the environment you'll be entering, it's usually better to lean toward over dressing than under dressing. Some companies adhere to a strict business casual dress code, while others do not. If a company does not express a dress code when they set up the interview, it's best to over dress in a suit and tie or dress than to wear khakis. Another example, wearing a bikini top and extremely short shorts to an inner city shopping mall could be viewed as inappropriate compared to if you're wearing the same thing on the beach or at a pool or to a shopping mall in a beach town.

3. Am I Dressing For Where I Want To Be?
If you are building your brand as a fashion guru, being fashionable is imperative. If you are an intern but intend to work your way up the corporate ladder, you should dress like the CEO of that company dresses. If you are an entrepreneur and your goal is to become an international mogul, your clothes should show that.

Building your personal brand is important for your profession and personal life. What you wear communicates a multitude of things about you. Individuality makes the world go around. Incorporating your personal style in your wardrobe is a huge part of building your brand and what it represents. Make sure your style is communicating what you want it to. Ask yourself what am I selling, where am I going, and am I dressing for where I am going to make sure you are dressing with intention.

Fancy Free LLC. finds great joy in helping people reach their financial and personal goals in all areas of life. Call us at (410) 929-0302 to schedule your complimentary consultation.