Product Review: New Zealand’s Best Dumplings – Sunshine Food
Do you LOVE Asian style dumplings? Whether they’re steamed, boiled or pan fried, dumplings always deliver, with that beautiful combination of doughy dumpling casing and tasty filling, a favourite in many restaurants world wide! But what does it take to have that same delicious experience at home?
Introducing Sunshine Foods Juicy Chinese Dumplings!
Sunshine Foods is a 100% NZ owned and popular brand of authentic frozen dumplings sold in over 100 local supermarkets and restaurants, including Pak’n Save and New World stores. But the story behind this brand is TRULY AMAZING!
How did Sunshine Food begin?
Judy Liu, Founder of Sunshine Food Manufacturing Limited, came from China as an International student. Her background was as an English teacher and logistics operator. She graduated from Unitec with a New Zealand Diploma in Business and soon after her honeymoon, Judy and her new husband, Shawn, opened a small restaurant in New Lynn.
Judy’s mum, Rose, was the main Chef as she had the experience of running restaurants back in the family’s hometown, Qingdao, and very quickly, news of these tasty new dumplings drew people to the restaurant from all areas of Auckland.
It became apparent that people not only wanted the restaurant experience, but they also wanted to be able to create that experience in their own homes, creating demand for take away packs of fresh and frozen dumplings.
Jump forward a few years and Rose’s secret family recipe is now becoming a favourite in the frozen food section of many supermarkets up and down New Zealand with convenient 28 piece packs available across the country.
Supporting locally sourced businesses
Using premium locally sourced ingredients, no preservatives, artificial colours or flavours and Halal certified chicken, these dumplings are tasty, delicious and nutritious, guaranteed to fill hungriest tummies and for those busy parents or time poor business people, you can take your dumplings straight from the freezer and know that dinner is cooked in just 8-10 minutes! It doesn’t get much easier than that!
How to cook Juicy Chinese Dumplings
There are many different ways to cook your Juicy Chinese Dumplings, but pan fried has to be the most popular! And it’s certainly a lot easier than you’d think! In this video, TV presenter and dedicated foodie Monique Bradley shares how easy it is to cook dumplings and some serving suggestions. Take a look!
Instructions
Here’s how easy it is to cook your Juicy Chinese Dumplings:
Grab a nonstick pan with a lid and add four teaspoons of cooking oil.
Take your dumplings straight from the freezer and place them in the pan.
Add enough cold water up to a third of the height of the dumplings.
Set your pan onto a high heat and leave to cook for around seven to eight minutes.
When you hear them start to sizzle and your water is almost gone, reduce the heat and turn your dumplings over.
Once the water has completely evaporated in the bottom of the pan, and the dumplings are golden, they are done!
We love these dumplings and know you will too, so look for them in your local supermarket and ask for them by name: Juicy Chinese Dumplings from Sunshine Food. You’ll love them too!
Click the links below to learn more about the products and where you can find them near you.
Here in the States, we’re in the middle of summer – in fact, the temperature outside right now is at a high 91°F (which is around 33°C). As restrictions are being lifted and more and more people are getting their COVID vaccines, I can finally dust off my summer closet and put together some cute outfits for get-togethers. Here are some of my favorite go-to looks that’ll hopefully help inspire you this summer:
Before we dive into each individual look, many of the pieces are from YesStyle or Amazon, or are thrifted or hand-me-downs. I linked all the pieces I bought online for you to check out!
Look 1: Girly
This first outfit is a rather girly look. I’m wearing a blue cropped cardigan over a plaid tank top and a white skirt. I channeled the monochrome trend as inspiration for the top portion of my outfit and highlighted that blue by keeping the rest of the outfit a neutral white. If you take a closer look at the skirt, you’ll find that it has a subtle moon and star pattern as a fun detail. I accessorized with pearl hair clips, matching pearl earrings, and a pair of white kitten-heel sandals.
The second look pulls inspiration from the “Cottagecore” aesthetic. It consists of a flowy, floral dress that’s perfect for hot days layered over a black t-shirt. I’m a big fan of layering shirts under spaghetti strap dresses, as it allows you to wear the dress without showing off too much skin. To accessorize, I wore some flower earrings to match the floral dress, a silver heart locket necklace, and a bandana scarf to add to the “Cottagecore” feel of the outfit. The final touch for my look was to put on some black heeled boots.
This next outfit is for when you want a cute, but slightly more dressed-up outfit. I paired a black cropped cardigan with some tan, high-waisted dress pants. I love that the end of the cropped cardigan perfectly hits the top of the pants because then I don’t have to go through the hassle of making sure my top is properly tucked in. I’m also wearing some rectangular black sunglasses and put my hair up into a twist updo with a tortoiseshell claw clip to give this look a 90s vibe. I added some simple thread earrings and finished off the look with some classic black loafers.
My fourth look is a light, neutral-colored ensemble that keeps your entire body covered while still allowing you to stay cool on hot summer days. I put on cream slacks and a crochet, almond cardigan with a white tank top underneath. The crochet top contains a lot of holes, making it very breathable despite being a long-sleeve. The slacks are thin and loose but give enough coverage to not be see-through. I tied a scarf to my half-up, half-down hairstyle to add interest, added some gold heart earrings, and put on the same cream sandals I wore in the first look.
So far, my outfits have consisted of mainly neutral colors, such as whites, blacks, blues, and tans. My final look adds a fun pop-of-color to the mix. I’m wearing a bright green top and some denim shorts with a denim bucket hat to match. I love the ruffles on the top and the ribbing creates a flattering look on my body. Since the bucket hat contains colorful lettering, I decided to continue the theme with some rainbow rings and a bracelet. Fun fact: I actually made the rings myself! I added some bold silver earrings and some chunky white sneakers to finish off this trendy look.
Billie Razors Review – The Subscription Razor Brand Made Just for Women
Razors always seem to be an item that I forget to replace. Once I buy one, I tend to just stick with it even after the blades start to dull. I know it’s not a good practice, especially since dull blades can cause razor bumps and skin irritation, but in the busyness of my day-to-day, replacing the blades on my razor falls low on my list of priorities. That’s why when I heard about Billie, it seemed like a no-brainer to make the purchase.
What is Billie?
Billie is a subscription razor brand that also offers other beauty basics for your nighttime routine. If you’re anything like me and tend to forget to add razor blades to your shopping list, this is perfect for you because replaceable blades will be sent right to your door. What’s even better is that you get to choose how often those replacements get sent to you. When ordering, Billie will ask you how often you shave in a week, and depending on your answer, they’ll send you a delivery every month, two months, or three months.
The Razor Starter Kit:
So, what’s in their popular Razor Starter Kit? Their starter kit consists of a handle in the color of your choosing, two blades, and a magnetic holder. I spent more time than I’d like to admit trying to pick which color handle I wanted, but I ultimately chose to go with the “Cool Blue” shade. They also offer “DreamPop” (a multicolor option), “Coral”, “Blush”, and “Periwinkle”. The razor has five nickel-free, rust-free, sharp blades that are enveloped by a charcoal shave soap. The sharp blades give you a really close shave and the charcoal soap means your skin is getting a deep clean as you shave.
Now, I really want to rave about their magnetic holder for a moment because I love the fact that my razor doesn’t have to take up precious real estate in my shower. The holder simply mounts to the wall and your razor easily snaps on and off it. So, that’s what you get with your initial order, and every subsequent delivery includes four replaceable blades.
The Pink Tax:
Something I love about Billie is how strong their stance against the Pink Tax is. What is the Pink Tax? Well, it’s essentially the fact products, especially razors, that are marketed towards women tend to be more expensive than the ones that are marketed towards men, even if there isn’t a difference in the actual product. Billie saw that this was happening and said “Nuh-uh!”, which is why their starter kit, and every subsequent shipment, is only $9 with free shipping. So now, you can peacefully buy a razor in a cute color knowing that you’re not being charged more just because it’s in a cute color.
What else does Billie offer?
One other thing that really stood out to me about Billie was the fact that, unlike most razor brands, they don’t shy away from putting real women with real body hair on their promotional videos and photos. In fact, they’re proud to celebrate women’s body hair and are all for women being able to do whatever they please with their hair. This may seem counterintuitive for a company that sells razors, but that’s why they offer a variety of other products, such as body wash, body lotion, dry shampoo,and makeup wipes.
If you do prefer to shave, they offer a shaving creamthat helps your razor glide smoothly across your skin and a travel case that stores and airs out your razor. All of their products are vegan, cruelty-free, and overall made with really clean ingredients. Along with the Razor Starter Kit, I bought the travel case, which I, unfortunately, haven’t gotten to use yet, and the shaving cream, which contains aloe, shea butter, olive oil, and sage to soothe, moisturize, and soften my skin.
My Final Thoughts:
Billie is the perfect intersection of a good quality product at a good price made by a good brand. It gives me a close shave every time I use it and leaves my skin feeling soft and smooth. Their packaging is also very colorful and fun, so it really felt like receiving a gift when I got it in the mail. I love how convenient it is that I no longer have to go to the store to buy new razor blades. I also love how good I feel when I buy their products because I know I’m supporting an ethical brand that gives back to its community.
If you want to try Billie out, you can check out their products and more information on their website here: Billie.
Hi everyone! I’m Cindy and, personally, it’s been a struggle to find a skincare routine that really works for me. The overwhelming amount of skincare brands and products out in the market made it really hard to know where to start.
As I searched for different products to help clear up my skin, I kept hearing about this brand called Curology through YouTube videos and Instagram posts, so I decided to check it out and WOW was it a game-changer. To save you some of your precious time, I’m going to lay out all of the information for you right here.
What is Curology?
Curology is a subscription skincare brand that creates a custom formula for your specific skin concerns. Whether you struggle with acne, acne scarring, breakouts/pimples, clogged pores, pigmentation, wrinkles, or skin texture issues, Curology creates a bottle to help you combat whatever it is you need.
How does it work?
The process is super quick and easy. All you have to do is go on Curology’s website and take a quiz on your skin history and skin concerns. You can choose up to three problem areas you want to target and for me, my main skin concerns were skin texture, clogged pores, and pimples. Then, you snap a couple of pictures, front and side, of what your skin is like at the moment and a professional, licensed dermatologist will create your custom formula. My favorite thing about the whole process, aside from how easy and personalized it is, is the open communication that’s available to you. If you find that the formula isn’t working how you hoped, you can contact the very dermatologist that created your bottle and talk to them about any changes you’d like to make.
The skincare routine:
Curology provides you a simple skincare routine to follow. Their three-part skincare set consists of a cleanser, your custom formula, and a moisturizer. In the mornings, you simply cleanse and moisturize, and in the evenings, you cleanse, use your custom formula, and moisturize. Just two or three steps in the AM and the PM to get that clear skin you’ve always wanted – much easier than the 10-step skincare routines you see online.
Now, you’re probably thinking:Curology sounds fantastic and all, but skincare is just a luxury I can’t really afford right now. And as a university student, I get it. But one of the best parts about Curology is how affordable it is. It’s under $30 a month for the whole three-part skincare set, or if you only want your custom formula, it’s just $19.95 a month. While personally using my custom formula, I have found that a bottle will last me much longer than a month. It actually will carry me through about 3 months, and Curology makes it super easy for you to delay shipments. If you misjudged how long a bottle will last and find yourself running low on your formula, they’ll send you a bottle before your scheduled date with a push of a button.
My final thoughts:
Curology really cleared up the skin texture issues I had on my forehead in about a month or two. Ever since then, my skin has been a lot smoother and my breakouts have, for the most part, stopped. My clear skin has boosted my confidence and allowed me to feel comfortable enough to go makeup-free in public, which was something I struggled with a lot prior. Not only does going makeup-free let my skin breathe more, but it also saves me precious sleep time in the morning. Of course, I’m only one person, so don’t just take my word for it. Curology has so many reviews on their website that show photographic proof of how people’s skin has changed after using their custom formula.
If you still have any hesitations, Curology offers a free trial of their skincare set so you can test it out and see if your custom formula actually works for you. They’re so confident you’ll love their product that they offer a 90-day money-back guarantee, so there is no risk at all.
You can check out more information on their website here: Curology.
Among the factors that will guarantee the success of a business, marketing is a significant aspect. Marketing increases brand cognizance hence intensifying the consumers of a given product in the market, only because that marketing was sufficiently and effectively done.
However, the harsh reality is that marketing is not always effective as there are instances when it will not render the benefits as you wish. There are numerous ways to market your business to become futile, thus falling short of expectations.
Such is when your out-put scale is not growing yet there are loads of funds in marketing. Scenarios of futile marketing efforts are discouraging and demoralizing; hence it is vital to learn why marketing initiatives sometimes fail to achieve their objectives.
Below are possible reasons why your marketing is not paying off regardless of your investment in that sector. Once you are familiar with these reasons, you can easily avoid them and ensure the success of your business.
Lack of Strategy
If you do not mind how marketing blends with the general goals of your business, you are going down the road of futile marketing efforts. It is essential to harmonize your marketing objectives with the long-term goals of your business.
While considering both aspects, you can then come up with a marketing plan that reflects the goals of your business and operates within your objectives of marketing.
Lack of Sufficient Knowledge of your Customers
Marketing is often not in constant connection with the target audience. Primarily, marketing focuses on selling your product rather than what the feedback and wants of your target audience are.
Due to this, there is a gap, and you cannot deliver adequately as per the needs of your target audience. Therefore it is essential to evaluate your audience and get to learn about their concerns.
Using ux metrics with Userzoom, you can ascertain the satisfaction level of your customers via your business website. Knowledge about your customers will help you improve your marketing model and, consequently, your business.
Use of Wrong Channels
Before embarking on a channel to use in marketing your business, it is vital to understand your customers. Potential clients will not receive your news if you use a communication medium they do not use.
Owing to that, take a market patrol and learn the best channel to employ and use it effectively to attract your customers.
Under-appropriation of Marketing Funds
If you allocate insufficient funds to marketing, you are preparing to fail. Therefore, it would be best to consider appropriating a budget that will comfortably cater to the marketing of your business. Once you invest in quality marketing, you will reap high quality and quantity from the market.
Conclusively, you need to understand your target audience to the core when making marketing decisions. Additionally, it is essential to keep track of your marketing progress to realize any derailing early.
This way, you will deal with issues before they spread or get out of hand. If your plan fails to render the results you expect, that is the right time to sit down and re-evaluate your working scheme.
When you want to lose weight, you might think that cardio exercise is the best way to do it. You know you can burn a lot of calories that way and get your heart rate up. However, strength training can also be an excellent way to start dropping some pounds. Lifting weights is great for burning calories and can be an effective way to lose the weight that you want to lose. You might be scared that lifting weights will actually mean you put on weight, due to gaining bigger muscles, but it could actually get you to your weight loss goal faster.
Can lifting weights help you lose weight?
When you think about exercising to lose weight, you probably think about getting sweaty by running or doing other cardio exercises. However, lifting weights can help you to lose weight too. Lifting burns calories and fat because it’s a form of exercise just like any other. In fact, lifting weights can be even better for you because it helps you to build muscle at the same time as you lose fat. You don’t have to bulk up if you choose to lift and as you gain muscle, you’ll burn more calories because muscle is more metabolically active than fat.
Combining Lifting and Other Exercise
You might not choose to only lift weights if you’re trying to drop some pounds. It’s a good idea to combine different types of exercise so that you can keep fit in different ways. Cardio exercise helps you to build your endurance and stamina and can help to make you faster too. Strength training is a good idea to help you get stronger and build muscle. Both types of exercise will help you to burn fat and lose weight. You could reach your goals more effectively by exercising in different ways.
Before you start lifting, you should learn how to do it safely. It’s important that you know how to lift weights in a safe way, from how much you should lift to what position you should be in. You can read a guide to dumbbell flyes or find out how to do different types of curls to learn about how to use free weights. Weightlifting machines can also take some time to get used to. You might want to ask someone to help you learn or you could have a personal trainer to guide you.
How to get started
If you want to start lifting weights, you might be unsure of where to begin. One option is to join a gym, if you haven’t already, where you can learn how to use the weights there. You could also buy a set of weights of your own. This can be a good option if you like to exercise at home or want to save some money. However, it’s important to learn how to use the weights properly for the best results and to avoid injury.
Lifting weights can be a great way to lose weight. Try adding some weightlifting to your exercise routine.
Cheesy, crunchy and bread like, these cheesy keto puffs are full of flavour, totally satisfying and with a dash of paprika leave you with a warming and delicious after taste. Even more importantly, they are possible the easiest keto and low carb recipe I’ve tried yet!
Ingredients
2 eggs
1/2 cup grated mozarella
1/2 cup grated tasty cheese
1/2 cup almond meal
1/2 tsp of baking powder
1/4 tsp paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Heat oven to 180 degrees c
Add eggs to a bowl and whisk
Add cheese and mix through
Add almond meal, baking powder, paprika, salt and pepper and combine
Spoon mixture evenly into 6 muffin tins
Cook for around 12 – 15 minutes or until the top of your keto cheese puffs goes golden brown
Remove from oven leave to cool slightly then remove from muffin tins, split open and serve with butter!
Additional:
You may also like to add chopped herbs, jalapeños or chopped spring onions to the mix to change up the flavour. Give it a go and let me know what works for you!
Hey! It’s Monique Bradley here. As someone who has always struggled with the weight loss / weight gain / weight loss yoyo cycle, I’m always looking at the bigger picture of what I’m trying to achieve…..which is primarily, stability, more energy and overall a better quality of life.
I’ve lost over 40 kilos in weight and I’ve tried almost every diet in the market.
Low carb has worked really well for me over the last couple of years, but there is a profound difference between keto, low carb and other calorie controlled diet plans.
If you’re new to keto and low carb, keto promotes a higher intake of fatty foods, particularly plant and animal fats and oils. However, most low-carb diets are focused on a higher intake of protein and fibre, including many plant products such as raw or cooked leafy greens and vegetables, many nuts and seeds, and even some fruit. Most people crave to have a well-balanced diet that allows them to eat a wide variety of foods without damaging their health and others thrive on the higher fat diets.
A new way to approach this style of eating is more of a top-down approach linked to understanding your Glycemic Index, known to trigger change in eating behaviours, mood and wellness. It’s not a change in the amount of food you eat, but changes the way your body digests and metabolizes foods, so that you lose fat not muscle.
The method of achieving this fat weight loss is introduced by Dr. David Ludwig, a professor of Nutrition and differs from traditional diets in the sense that it focuses on one food item, in this case carbohydrates, as an important influence on your weight gain or weight loss. Dieting by restricting calories alone, he points out, will lead to short-term weight loss, but long-term weight gain.
For most people who are non-obese, the recommended daily consumption of carbohydrates should be somewhere around 100 grams per day. Medical experts have, for a long time, suggested this amount of carbohydrate for good health, especially fat loss, however during the last decade, a study has shown that a restriction in carbohydrates causes substantial weight loss without a corresponding loss in muscle, a result that has not been generalised to other studies.
Ludwig suggests liberal amounts of carbohydrates should be avoided in non-endurance sports athletes, because they can lead to both increased hunger and reduced performance. In endurance sports, high carbohydrate levels can be good, because the muscles are nourished with blood-rich carbohydrates that help them repair quickly and wake up quickly.
On the other hand, in cases of non-endurance athletes, high carbohydrate diets may reduce performance because the adaptations the body has to make to consume and metabolize blood-rich carbohydrates become too complicated for the body to execute efficiently. In fact, this specific diet can even lower your endurance level as well and may lead to decreased muscle mass, development of ketone deposits (ferment of fat into ketones), osteoporosis, and heart disease in endurance athletes. If you’ve ever had a carb-coma after a high carbohydrate lunch, then you’re experiencing exactly this.
To be honest, there is no such thing as the perfect diet. All fats, carbohydrates, and proteins result in a different number of calories, and your diet should depend on your ability to maximise the number of calories you get. It’s also important to understand your genetics and what your own genetic makeup requires for fuel. If you’re thinking low carb is the way to go, consider reducing your carbohydrates by approximately 75%, but still ensuring you get essential nutrients to keep your body nourished. It’s also important to remember that when you only consume one food group, you make it more difficult for your body to obtain enough vitamins, minerals, and fibre to function optimally, so don’t just live off low carb cakes and treats! A reduction in carbohydrates is effective only with adequate nutrition.
Before considering any kind of diet program for fat loss, it’s important to speak to a health professional as well as trying a few options and really looking at your current health situation. A health professional, naturopath or nutritionist can perform a general physical check up and determine your base metabolic rate or BMR, then, establish your nutrient needs. It is necessary to know what vitamins and minerals you are going to take and which food groups will support your objectives. A failure to achieve these objectives will leave you without adequate energy and nutrients to live well, and you may start to notice a variety of unusual symptoms as a result of deficiency of some vitamins and minerals that are essential to keep you healthy.
Moreover, because of our hectic modern lifestyles, many people are only aware of calories and calorie content! While people on a low carb diet know very well about the importance of good nutritions for the body, the average person does not understand the significance of adequate consumption of key vitamins, minerals and fibre and their role in maintaining health and stamina.
For most people the reason why they fall ill when they try keto or low carb is because they do not have the necessary surplus of a certain minerals and nutrients essential in the control of blood sugar levels, or are lacking in electrolytes or even hydration!
If you’ve spent most of your life filling up on carbs and starches, you have to remember that reducing carbs can result in effectively re-training your body to search for other fuel sources. In this instance, you’re encouraging your body to use it’s own fat stores for fuel and this may result in hormonal changes particularly because the control of blood sugar comes into play affecting insulin and cortisol levels.
It is crucial that you check in daily and become more aware of your health and nutritional consciousness to enable you to understand these changes and at the early stages of trying low carb, it’s worth using a food tracker or food diary to track exactly what you’re eating, why and how you felt. This will enable you to get through what some refer to as ‘The Keto Flu’, which presents similarly to traditional flu symptoms.
By being present with your body and what it’s telling you, you’ll learn what to do and notice you start to recover quicker from your health challenges…..well that’s my experience!
The most important thing I really want the world to understand is that low carb is no longer a diet. It’s a lifestyle.
For those of you who are entrepreneurial minded like me, I thought I would share this little insight into some of the web stuff I’ve learned over the years to help myself in my own business.
Right now, increasing numbers of people are setting up their own businesses and are, consequently, setting up their own websites. This is understandable. The coronavirus and Covid-19 pandemic has seen many people lose their work and wanting to take control of their own careers. Some people are simply creating their own businesses alongside their current work while they may be taking time off furloughed. Now, maximising engagement with your site isn’t exactly easy, but it is essential if you want to make profit. Here are a few steps to take to help yourself along the way!
Getting People Onto Your Site
The first thing you need to do to maximise engagement with your company is to actually get people onto your website. With millions of websites out there, you’re going to have to work hard to let people know you exist and to encourage them to pick your page. This is where SEO comes into play. SEO stands for “search engine optimisation” and involves getting your page to rank at the top of search engine results when people type in keywords related to what you sell. There are a number of effective SEO agencies out there who can help you to achieve this quickly and easily.
Making Sales
Of course, getting people onto your website is just one step in the journey. Once they land on your website, you still need to work hard to learn more about improving conversion rates and actively encouraging sales. A huge part of this journey is making sure that your site looks great and works well. To achieve this, you can work with specialist agencies who can advise on web design as well as user experience. A huge number of factors will play a major role in whether people buy or not. Some include:
Graphic design – this can help to create a sense of brand across your pages and can make the pages look appealing.
Copy – the words on your website can sell. Collaborate with a professional copywriter who can describe your products in the best way possible. You may also want them to work on blog posts and additional content!
Product photography – remember photos are all your customers have to go by when determining if they like the look of what you’re selling. So, show your products off in their best light with professional product photography.
Getting Feedback
We can all learn a lot from feedback. So, once your site is up and running, why not request feedback from your customers and users? They’ll be able to give you an honest opinion about what works, what can be improved upon and what could be added. Of course, you may need to give some incentive – perhaps a free product, a discount code or something else – to encourage people to spend their time helping you out. But in general, this is more than worth the investment!
These steps are relatively simple with the right help. However, simple can still be extremely effective. They really can maximise engagement with your website, which, in turn, could maximise sales and profits too!
So there you have it! If you’ve found this article helpful, please feel free to share it with your entrepreneurial friends too!
One of the biggest challenges for most people trying to live a low carb or keto lifestyle is BREAD. To be honest, while I LOVE fathead dough and have used it as a bread substitute before, too much of it upsets my stomach. The high fat content from the cheese in fathead dough is too heavy for me, so this bread is a lovely option, particularly if you’re looking for something to go with a couple of poached eggs.
It’s a lovely recipe, pretty easy to make and just uses all the standard low carb / keto staple ingredients. Give it a go and let me know your thoughts!
Ingredients
2 cups almond flour
3/4 cup coconut flour
2 tablespoons psyllium husk powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 tablespoons warm water
2 teaspoons coconut sugar
1 tablespoon grass-fed beef gelatin
3 tablespoons boiling water
1 cup egg whites at room temperature (This worked out to be 7 egg whites from size 7 eggs)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
5 drops liquid stevia (I used half a teaspoon of Natvia as I didn’t have any liquid stevia)
6 tablespoons grass-fed clarified butter ghee, melted and cooled slightly (I replaced this with Olive Oil as that’s all I had in the cupboard)
3/4 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon sesame seeds (optional)
Making your keto bread
Preheat oven to 350F. Line the inside of a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper
Whisk together the almond flour, coconut flour, psyllium husk powder, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl. NOTE:My almond flour / almond meal was quite grainy so I blended the ingredients to make them finer so I could get a better quality of bread.
Stir together the yeast, 2 tablespoons warm water, and coconut sugar in a small bowl and let it sit 10 minutes until foamy. NOTE:It’s only a small amount of coconut sugar and the yeast actually eats up all the sugar content anyway!
Stir together the gelatin and 3 tablespoons boiling water in a small bowl until fully dissolved.
Stir together the dissolved yeast, dissolved beef gelatin, egg whites, vinegar, liquid stevia, and melted ghee / oil in a medium bowl. NOTE:As I’m lazy, I actually blended the gelatin, vinegar and oil together. Don’t blend the egg whites though as they’ll start to whip. I also didn’t blend the yeast because I didn’t want to do that to the yeast. I like yeast and really like to treat it well. I also like to say nice things to the yeast and put happy thoughts into my food.
Stir the egg white mixture and any liquids into the dry ingredients, and then beat in the 3/4 cup boiling water. NOTE:I used a bench top mixer, mostly because I’m lazy.
Immediately pour the dough into the prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top. It may be quite ‘liquidy’, but don’t be alarmed. Smile and think happy thoughts. Let it rest for 3 minutes. Sprinkle the sesame seeds on top if you want.
Bake until a wooden pick inserted in the centre comes out clean, about 1 hour or 1 hour and 15 minutes – depending on your oven. You may need to cover the top with foil to prevent over-browning if necessary so basically once you hit the one hour mark, keep an eye on it. The loaf is done when it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
Turn off the oven, leave the door ajar, and let the bread cool for 30 minutes in the warm oven.
Transfer the bread to a rack to finish cooling before slicing. Serve with butter and enjoy!
10 Ways To Bring A Little Edge To Your Every Day Look
Are you tired of feeling drab in everything you wear? Having fun with your outfits can have a huge positive impact on how you feel every day, but you need to know how to do this before you dive in head first and start experimenting. Below, you’ll find 10 ways to bring a little edge to your everyday look. Take a look and see what you can do:
Experiment With Jewellery
Start by experimenting with jewelery. Jewelery is such a fun way to switch up your outfits and add a little edginess. However, first you need a decent collection of pieces to experiment with. For example:
Different types of bracelets to layer and create an ‘arm party’.
Various necklaces and lengths to layer up, or just to enhance what you are wearing with one piece.
Rings, both statement and stacking rings.
Earrings and ear cuffs.
Jewellery can either enhance an outfit subtly or add a lot of edge to your look, depending on how many pieces you decide to wear and layer. Don’t be afraid to mix different styles and metals, as this can look great. Ignore the ‘rules’ that say you can’t do this.
One of my favourite brands that you can have a lot of fun with and try out this mix and match concept is the brilliant NZ company, Kagi. I love their styles which are a fusion of classic styles and chunky design.
One of the key features is that their unique ‘mix and match’ interchangeable range of components means that once you have your key base necklace or bracelet, you can simply add different pendants to completely transform your look! This makes it a super cost effective and versatile style option, suited to every mood and every style!
Wear Glasses
You don’t ‘need’ glasses to wear them and rock them. Sunglasses are great for protecting your eyes all throughout the year, while reading glasses and blue light glasses can actually add an edge to any look. Even glasses with clear frames can look great.
You can find glasses that look similar to those in fashion magazines online – just make sure you know the kind of shapes you believe suit your face and current style. A pair of bold glasses can work great – just look at Iris Apfel! All you need is confidence to rock a bold accessory.
Switch Up Your Colour Palette
Perhaps your colour palette is a little old. Why not incorporate a brand new colour? If you’ve never really considered defining your colour palette, try doing this now.
Which colours do you enjoy wearing most?
Which do you think suits you the most?
Can you pair most of these colours?
This can make shopping and dressing much less stressful, and you’ll create somewhat of a signature look.
Try A New Hairstyle
It could be time to try a new hairstyle. If you’ve had the same style for a while, why not make a small change, such as a parting on the opposite side, or adding a fringe? The shaggy look is quite in right now, but there are all kinds of ways you can try out new styles without committing to a huge change. Your hair will always grow back if you don’t like it!
Have Fun With Accessories
There are lots of ways you can have fun with accessories, too. Shoes are a great way to experiment with patterns, especially if you’re not used to incorporating them with your clothes.
Scarves are a nice accessory to have on hand, as you can wear them in your hair, tie them to your bags, or around your neck.
Hats can keep you cosy but add a little edge if you need it, and then there are an abundance of hair accessories.
Slides, headbands, and other accessories could be just what you need to add interest to an outfit and make you feel good.
Test Out Something You Wouldn’t Usually Wear
Why not experiment by testing out something that you wouldn’t usually wear? This might be a brand new style, a vintage piece, or something that intrigues you, but you’re just not sure if you would like it.
You can avoid too much commitment by renting an item rather than buying it to see how you feel about it, or you could borrow a piece off a friend before investing in your own.
You can also experiment with new styles by hosting clothes swaps with friends. This way, you both get to try out new pieces without spending a penny, and you get rid of pieces that you’ve probably had enough off.
Find Your Own Unique Style
Finding your own unique style takes time and effort, but it’s always worth it. Forget trends – they come and go far too quickly. Instead, try to figure out what you like wearing the most.
When do you feel your best?
When do you feel most like ‘you’?
This is usually an indicator of the clothes you should be wearing most of all. See if you can come up with some descriptive words for yourself and then apply them to your style. Remember, just because you like a piece of clothing on somebody else, doesn’t mean it’s something you should own or wear. Knowing your own unique style is one of the most powerful things you can do.
Try A Wash In Wash Out Color
A wash in, wash out color could be a good choice if you want to try something a little crazy without paying for it for a long time. Maybe you could add a hint of pink or blue to blonde hair and see how you feel. You only live once!
Make sure you look for a reputable brand and follow the instructions to avoid ruining your hair. Many of these colours don’t work on dark hair, unfortunately, which is why you should check the instructions to be sure.
Use Different Textures In Your Outfits
See how you can include different textures in each of your outfits. This is especially important if you’re partial to wearing neutral outfits, or all black outfits. They can begin to look boring if you don’t incorporate enough texture! Consider this when shopping for new pieces and you’ll look professionally put together in no time.
Layer Your Pieces
Layering is a great way to make the most of the pieces you own year round. It helps you to create a variety of looks and ensure you’re not buying pieces you’re only going to wear once and then forget about. It also helps to add texture! For example, an oversized jumper worn over a nice dress, or a high neck top underneath a t-shirt.
What’s your favourite way to dress up or transform your look? Would love to hear from you on my social media pages, so connect and share what works for you!
What IS keto? What are keto diets? For those who don’t know or aren’t familiar, a keto diet – which is short for ketogenic – is a vary low-carb based diet or way of eating, including moderate protein meals with higher fat content.
This meal is designed for you to get more calories from protein and fat and less from carbohydrates and can be a real challenge to get your head around when you get started. It seems like everything we were once taught about the traditional food pyramid is wrong! Or is it?
What I’ve learned over my 25 year weight loss and wellness journey is that it all comes down to our own unique chemical makeup and that starts with our DNA.
For me, I’ve learned that I don’t produce high levels of something called the AMY1 gene. This gene is responsible for creating AMYLASE: the enzyme in our saliva that is responsible for breaking down carbohydrates before they hit the blood stream. As I don’t break down carbs as efficiently as others, it means that carbohydrates create inflammation in my gut and in my body and aren’t converted into fuel so are stored instead as fat.
Learning about this and why a low carb or keto diet can be effective for some people has been a game changer for me! It’s not for everyone, however if you are looking at trying low carb or keto, I would always recommend that you check in with a doctor or health professional to see if this way of eating could suit you.
The keto diet is an interesting way to effectively burn fat. Living on a keto diet or lifestyle has more benefits than just burning fat effectively however and I’ve been amazed at all the other benefits that go with it!
It may also help improve the general overall well-being of your body including better sleep, less brain fog, better digestion and a sense of elevated mood.
Most importantly, I love the Keto way of life as it is a way of reducing fat without going through a series of hunger strikes! You get to eat real, tasty food and still get to stay in shape! It almost seems crazy, but I love it!
So, what is Keto, and how does it work in the body?
Keto is short for ketogenic. It is the word used to describe a diet of low levels of carbohydrates which causes the body to produce ketones, which act as an artificial energy source for the body. Once your glucose levels slow, the body will resort to using the ketones to make up for the energy needed.
Ketones are alternative energy molecules that are produced in the liver from fats. Ketones are produced when we eat low-carb foods.
When the body needs energy, and the glucose level is low (since the food has low calories, which means lesser glucose will be produced), the ketone is used for running all the body parts in need of energy, including the brain.
When you switch to a keto diet, your body will run on ketones produced directly from fats when the glucose level in the body is low. This means the body will end up turning all forms of existing fat into ketones. If this process continues for awhile, most of your fat residues will end up being converted to ketones.
This may result in you losing weight. Most people notice a steady supply of energy to their body, lesser hunger periods, and no more fluctuating sugar level periods that result from eating high carb foods.
This can help you remain focused and alert throughout the day.
There are a few different versions of Keto diets and it’s worth taking a look and seeing what may work best for you.
The different types of keto diets
In starting a keto diet, you have to pick the type of keto diet you want:
1. High protein ketogenic diet: This is the type of keto diet which includes a lot more protein with the ratio becoming a 35% protein, 60% fats, and 5% carb meal.
2. Standard ketogenic diet (SKD): This is the most popular type of low carb diet and is ideal for beginners. It is a 20% protein, 70% fat, and 10% carb based meal. In this instance it would be advisable to get your carbs from foods such as non-starch vegetables such as cauliflower and broccoli.
3. Cyclical ketogenic diet (CKD): This is a scheduled ketogenic diet, where for five days a week, you use the standard keto diet plan, and for the other 2 days eat your standard meal plan including carbs. For some people this suits their lifestyle particularly if they are catering for a hungry family as well and not wanting to cook separate meals for themselves.
4. Targeted ketogenic diet (TKD): This is the kind of keto dieting that allows the user to slot in high carb food during workouts. Both the cyclical and targeted keto diet is mostly used by bodybuilders and athletes.
5. Lazy Keto: This is a more flexible version of keto and focuses on the user being more low carb. Generally, lazy keto followers limit their carb intake to between 20 and 50 grams but don’t need to rigidly track their consumption of macros or calories.
6. Dirty Keto: There are two ways most people approach keto – clean keto and dirty keto. The key difference between clean and dirty keto is that clean keto is focused on whole, natural foods. Dirty keto refers to a diet of less wholesome, more processed or factory-farmed keto – friendly foods and ingredients. For most people it comes down to time, budget and convenience.
And the way I see it is do what works for you. If you try it and it works, BOOM. If it doesn’t, make a change and try something else.
Have a look through this shopping list and see what changes you can start making today!
Have you ever seen the adverts that state: “What if you could look younger and improve your skins appearance in just 15 minutes? Look 10 – 15 years younger in just 7 days. All with No Plastic Surgery, No Doctors visits, and No Painful Injections.”
Yes, they’re everywhere and at Guide To Better Shopping, our goal is to test, review and share the real benefits of products, to help you make the best buying decision possible!
The Rejuderm 5-In-1 Ultra Skin Rejuvenator recently was recommended to us as the ‘new 3-in-1 Ultrasonic must have device’, so we got product tester and TV presenter Monique Bradley to go ‘au naturale’ on camera and get her to demonstrate the product in real time on our Youtube Channel. Sharing with you her thoughts on both products, the benefits and features, Monique shared her experience in the video below. Is it the new replacement for the 3-in-1 Ultrasonic? Watch the video to find out!
To start with, Rejuderm combines 5 different technologies into one, easy to use device and uses some of the same technology that Dermatologists and beauty therapists use on their patients or clients.
Some sites claim that with Rejuderm, you can look up to 10-15 years younger in just 7 days!
What is the difference between the Ultrasonic 3-in-1 device and the Rejuderm Skin Rejuvenation device?
The Ultrasonic 3-in-1 device has a large dome at the top which uses ultrasonic radio frequency to penetrate the skin, agitate the deeper dermal layers which, as a response, produce more collagen. More collagen production may give the appearance of fuller, more youthful looking skin.
The Ultrasonic 3-in-1 device also may help with breaking down of stubborn fat deposits and cellulite. The device also includes infrared light which may help with healing and repair of the skin, and it also has an EMS (electronic muscle stimulation) function and 2 electrodes which, when placed on muscles, are designed to stimulate muscle contractions and assist with fat burning and muscle firming.
The Rejuderm is quite different. Firstly, the metal plate at the top delivers a micro current – which is similar to the EMS technology and electrodes in the Ultrasonic 3-in-1 device. Micro-current technology is another type of treatment often used by beauty therapists and delivers low frequency electricity via the plate to the skin. The micro-current then stimulates the muscles, effectively giving your face a gym workout!
The plate on the Rejuderm is smaller, meaning it can work more easily into the finer areas of the face, such as beside the eyes where fine lines and wrinkles appear. It’s interesting to note that unlike the Ultrasonic 3-in-1 device, no conducting gel or oil is required to use the dome as the technology is different. In fact it is recommended that the Rejuderm is used after a facial treatment or mask to help the active ingredients penetrate more deeply into the skin.
The Rejuderm also includes some other important functions:
Photon lights: This machine emits 3 different lights – infrared, yellow and blue. It states in the manual that comes with the machine that each light delivers a different wavelength to help penetrate the epidermis layer of the skin and deliver nutrition and increase cell healing. Photo-rejuvenation, as it’s sometimes called, may help reduce the appearance of skin conditions such as sun/age spots, broken capillaries, and also improve signs of wrinkles. Some users claim that their pore size is also reduced and observe long-lasting improvements in skin quality and texture. In the manual it states that the infrared light assists in stimulating blood flow and skin firming, the yellow light is suited for the breaking down of melasma or pigmentation and the blue light may assist with the cleansing of the skin and skin conditions such as acne.
Galvanic IONS: If you’ve ever heard of a ‘galvanic spa’ experience, this machine also claims to offer something similar. Galvanic IONS deeply cleanse the skin of impurities to help restore shine and glow. This process happens when negatively charged IONS attract and encapsulate toxins, preparing them to be removed. Positive IONS work to attract the encapsulated impurities from the skin leaving the face thoroughly cleaned and promotes cellular health to save off free-radical damage and premature ageing.
Vibration: Another difference between the machines is the vibration function. The Ultrasonic 3-in-1 device does not have any vibration unit built in leaving many people wondering ‘if it’s actually doing anything.’ Long term, regular usage is the best way to see any results and of course, results do vary based on the quality of your skin and its unique needs. The Rejuderm utilises micro vibrations at 12,000 rpm to deeply massage each layer of skin to increase circulation while stimulating your facial muscles to further stimulate collagen and elastin production.
Something the Ultrasonic 3-in-1 device has as an advantage is that it is more designed to be used on the face as well as the body, due to the size of the Ultrasonic Dome at the top. So if you’re looking for a device that will help with your face, your turkey neck, under your arms, your belly, muffin top or cellulite on your legs, the Ultrasonic 3-in-1 device is for you.
However, if you’re face, skin firming and anti ageing is your greatest need, the Rejuderm seems to provide a slightly more intense treatment and a greater range of options, so it’s best to choose what suits your needs.
Guide To Better Shopping: TLM Colour Changing Foundation Review with Monique Bradley. Does it work?
You may have seen social media posts around an ‘Amazing, Flawless Colour Changing Foundation’ with many sites claiming that it is a revolutionary new liquid foundation to match every skin tone! But, does it actually work?
In this video review hosted by Monique Bradley, Monique delivers a real time test of the product to show you how and if it works. What you’ll learn from this video:
It goes on white and self-adjusts to match your EXACT skin tone
Aside from it’s unique colour-matching formula, it also protects and moisturises the skin
It works to even out your complexion
This foundation contain SPF 15 sun protection to shield your skin from harmful UVA and UVB rays
This product is designed for daily use and seems suitable for sensitive skin (which our presenter has) and will give your skin an illuminating silky finish
The foundation is mildly fragranced, lightweight and quickly absorbs into the skin without any dryness or caking
Many websites state that ‘As the makeup is thoroughly blended into skin, it intuitively transforms to your skin tone for all day, natural looking colour in your perfect shade.’ This is due to the exclusive technology used during the development of the product which contains shade-sensing beads which are encapsulated pigments that deliver perfect shade transformation upon blending into skin.
Essentially this product is great as a base, primer or for anyone who doesn’t like a heavy foundation and is great when used with a pigment or mineral powder over the top.
For anyone with pigmentation or heavy freckling, it would be recommended that you also use a concealer for extra coverage.
Feel free to ask questions below and we’re more than happy to reply with our presenters thoughts and experience with the product.
Also: remember to SUBSCRIBE to our Youtube channel for more REAL product demonstrations and reviews and like and share the video so we can help people make better buying decisions!
That’s what Guide To Better Shopping is all about!
Love pizza but hate the way it makes you feel? Well now it’s time to upgrade to THE BEST cauliflower pizza base recipe. The great thing is that this recipe is super easy and made in just a few minutes. PLUS this recipe can be used to make cauliflower hash browns, cauliflower tater tots and cauliflower waffles, so it’s super versatile and it freezes well.
How to make a low carb cauliflower pizza base
To be honest, I’m really lazy so I prefer to buy bags of cauliflower rice and use that. This also means that the price stays relatively consistent because when cauliflower is out of season, I’ve seen it selling for $12.99. NO DEAL!!
At Countdown, a supermarket here in New Zealand, they sell bags of cauliflower rice for around $3.99 and there’s a version which also comes with Periperi seasoning which I really enjoy.
If you’re using a bag of cauliflower rice, be aware that it’s usually quite watery.
If you’re making your own cauliflower rice, it’s important to make sure that you wring out any excess water to enable the base to stick together more easily. If you’re using a bag of the cauliflower – if it’s plain with no flavour added, you can easily use a piece of muslin or clean tea towel to wring the excess water out of the cauliflower. This will allow your base to stick together more easily. With the flavoured version, I don’t want to wring out the flavour, so just cook the base for slightly longer.
Ingredients
1 bag of cauliflower rice or 4 cups of cooked / steamed cauliflower rice
2 eggs
1 cup of grated mozzarella
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius
Place all ingredients into a bowl and mix until combined
Pour ingredients onto a baking tray covered with baking paper
Flatten by covering with baking paper and rolling out the mixture until it’s as thin as possible without holes
Bake for around 20 minutes or until golden
Remove from oven and flip to cook the underside of base. THIS IS VITALLY IMPORTANT OTHERWISE YOU END UP WITH A REALLY SOGGY BASE!
Once golden, remove from oven and add toppings
Place under grill and bake till all topping cheese is melted and golden
To make Tater Tots, Cauliflower Hash Browns or Cauliflower Waffles
Oven
Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius
Place spoonfuls of mixture (either tot sized or hash brown size) onto a baking tray covered with baking paper and cook till golden. With the hash browns, you will need to flatten the mix
Stovetop
Preheat a frying pan with oil: 1-2 tbsp’s for hash browns or more if you’re deep frying your tots
Cook till golden.
Waffles
Preheat waffle iron
Spray with cooking spray
Place 1 -2 large spoonfuls of mix into the centre of the waffle iron (depending on the size)
Cook roughly 5 mins or until golden
Devour and enjoy.
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Love coffee? Love desserts?? ME TOO! Luckily, this recipe I did in association with De’Longhi New Zealand is totally transferrable into a low carb / keto version.
The recipe is really simple. Ingredients listed below.
Cookie crumbs – I recommend using a low carb / keto cookie like this recipe for Keto Chocolate Chips recipe
A scoop of low carb / keto Ice cream. I really enjoy Isocream, but find one that’s available in your part of the world.
A shot of coffee, freshly brewed
Whipped cream to top and a few extra cookie crumbs.
The method for making this low carb keto affogato is super simple. It’s just a case of arranging the ingredients and enjoying!! It’s totally decadent and delicious and the beauty of this is that it’s restaurant quality and you don’t have to feel like you’re missing out!! Enjoy X
Are you a chocolate lover? ME TOO!! Do you miss a good fudgey, chocolate brownie? I did too!!! Up till now…… This little beauty is one of my favourite recipes yet! It takes about 2 minutes to make and 20 mins to cook! Give it a try and let me know what you think.
Ingredients
Pre-heat your oven to 175 degree celsius. Cover a small slab tin baking tray with baking paper.
2 eggs
1/2 cup of your preferred sweetener (Must be a spoon for spoon sugar alternative)
1/3 cup of cocoa
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup of almond meal
1/2 cup of oil
1 cup of walnut pieces
Method
To make this keto chocolate walnut brownie, throw everything in a mixer and mix till combined. OR throw it all in a bowl and mix through with a fork. This is a really low maintenance recipe so literally just slam it together.
Pour all the mix onto the baking tray and bake for 20 minutes.
Serve hot with whipped cream or cold. It’s sooooooooo good either way!!
If you love chaffles, but you’re tired of the usual cheesy flavour or you’re looking for an alternative which is lower in fat but still technically low carb, this is the option for you! You can also add a little sweetener and cinnamon to give it a french toast flavour!
Ingredients
1 egg
3 tbsp almond meal
1 tbsp mayonnaise, sour cream or cream cheese
1 tbsp water
1/8 tsp baking powder
Method
Pre-heat waffle iron
Mix all ingredients in a bowl
Pour into waffle iron and cook to your preferred length of time / darkness.
You can serve these bad boys sweet or savoury. Serve as a bread alternative with meats and cheeses or top with bacon, sugar free maple syrup and keto or protein ice cream or whipped cream and berries! They work out at around 150 calories each, and 5-6 grams of carbs per serving. They’re around 100 calories less than the chaffles made with mozzarella cheese (RECIPE HERE), but I suggest you try both recipes and see which one suits your dietary needs best.
One of the most common questions I get asked in my work as a digital coach and mentor is ‘Which platform should I use’. The real challenge is that the word PLATFORM – in my world – can actually mean 3 different things! Let me explain.
Platform Version 1: Network Marketing Platforms
I have many clients who are in Network Marketing, direct sales or affiliate marketing. For them the word ‘platform’ is defined as the base functional site or infrastructure, products and promotional training and support provided by the company that they sign up with. Some companies will provide you with a replicated site that you can use straight away, promoting products from that site to your social pages, sharing testimonials and demonstration or results videos, driving people to your site to make their purchase. You make a profit from every sale and as everything is tracked via your unique affiliate code to your replicated site, it’s really transparent. I’ve been involved with a couple of network marketing companies over the years so know implicitly what works and doesn’t work.
Some things you should know:
You’re selling a business.
It doesn’t matter how you frame it: when you’re selling products, the key to success is to remember you’re building a BUSINESS. Repeat clients keep some wheels turning and start you off earning some pocket money, but there is bigger money to be made. Your greatest success generally comes from growing a team and nurturing them to fulfil their greatest potential as business owners or entrepreneurs – and you make commissions off their sales as well. Sharing WHY you love the products is great, but to really grow in the ranks and to create the passive income these companies talk about, sharing WHY you love the business and growing a team is the way to do it. Every company is usually very clear when you start out about their compensation plan and while results vary, I know a number of people who have been incredibly successful in network marketing.
It’s easy to get started.
These companies are great for anyone venturing into entrepreneurship, wanting to add a side gig, start a part time gig from home or to add a product range to your business, which is what I did previously. As soon as you sign up, you can literally scale as fast as you want (as fast as you have time to commit to it) and normally the person who ‘sponsors you’ into the business will give you tools or coaching to support you on your pathway to success.
It usually costs.
Yes, there’s usually a fee up front, however it normally comes with some product or the platform to sell the product if you’re already a fan. It should also come with training, support, marketing tools and usually weekly or monthly training calls to help you take your business to the next level! You may have to invest in a training kit or products to demonstrate, so when you’re shopping around to find a company that could work for you, ask as many questions as possible.
It’s important to grow your own identity.
Network or affiliate marketing is all based on the strength of your connections and your community. As a network marketer, you’re actually working as an influencer! That’s right! However, an influencer is more than just a young thing in a bikini talking about ‘living your best life’. Influencers can range from 5 to millions of followers or connections as you’re basically ‘influencing’ someone’s buying decision through your recommendation. Because of this, it’s important to be aware of some of the guidelines around promoting particular products, making health claims and personal transformation guarantees. Normally your company will give you a breakdown of these guidelines. It’s also important to create your ‘niche’ as an influencer. What’s your story? My niche is about personal empowerment and covers weight loss, wellness, making positive choices, mindset, personal development and entrepreneurship. Sounds pretty broad right? I’ve worked really hard to combine all these elements into one story, enabling people to come into my world from whichever angle attracts them in and giving them a reason to connect with me. FYI: I’m not a network marketer, but I am an expert in growing brands. Read on further to learn more.
Platform Version 2: Social Media Platforms
In the digital world, we discuss ‘social platforms’ a lot, which are literally the channels we use to leverage ourselves into the global market. There are different reasons for using these platforms. Facebook started as a dating and rating site where University students would rate each other. Now it’s become a core part of billions of people’s lives, enabling us to stay in touch with family and friends, share funny things, advertise jobs, sell products, share business tips, advertise, promote events AND still rate and date others.
So which digital platform is best for entrepreneurs and business owners? Here’s my thoughts from my professional experience.
LinkedIn
Most business owners and entrepreneurs that I coach never fully understand just how valuable LinkedIn is. My partner Pete Ward who is the Digital Strategist of our communications company often shares in training sessions that “LinkedIn is seen as an authority site, commanding more respect. Firstly, it has great SEO, meaning when someone Googles you, it will show your LinkedIn profile quite high up in the search feed”. This often ranks higher than some people’s websites, so it’s worth having a fully completed profile with links for people to get in touch with you. “Secondly, LinkedIn is the online confirmation that who you SAY you are is actually WHO YOU ARE. It shows your work or project history, people you’re connected to or have worked with and enables you to grow yourself as a thought leader in your specialist area.’ LinkedIn is all about validation and respect. In my opinion, anyone in business or on an entrepreneurial journey should be using this platform and even if you’re in a B2C business (business to consumer), you never know when someone you’re connected with may want to buy something you’re selling. Remember: the platform is full of people with needs too. If you want to connect on linked in, HERE IS A LINK TO MY PROFILE.
Facebook
The primary use of Facebook has always been about connecting with family and friends, sharing funny cat videos etc. As the Facebook suite has grown, so have the opportunities and functionalities and with the evolution of Business Pages, Business Manager and the cost effective Advertising opportunities available in the platform, it’s no surprise that more business owners and entrepreneurs have flocked to the site. Best practices: Create a business page and start by re-sharing content to your personal profile. This should help you grow organic followers who support you on your journey. Don’t invite people to an empty page. Add a bit of content first! DON’T always flog product! Give value, build trust and engagement, then flog products or share links to your services. Giving value shows how you can make your followers’ lives easier, meaning you’re more likely to generate authentic business or sales leads.
Youtube
If you love to talk like me, get on Youtube IMMEDIATELY. In India, 50% of consumers buying decisions are influenced by Youtube videos. Over the last few years, I’ve utilised Youtube videos to drive leads to my e-commerce store. New sales arrived literally every day and now I’m just waiting to hear if I’ve qualified as a Youtube partner, meaning I can earn revenue from ad injections before, in the middle and at the end of my videos. My biggest tip: be helpful and keep to the point! The traditional ‘vlogger’ video is changing as people’s attention spans shorten. Don’t muck around: give VALUE.
Instagram
This platform is growing more and more as a leader for e-commerce leads. Because Instagram is primarily based on attractive imagery mixed with hashtags for searchability, it’s great for any brand or business with products. Not the primary site for bloggers, but great to share a thought and an inspirational quote, with a link in your bio to your blog. FYI: If this is all starting to sound a bit overwhelming, it’s ok. Over on www.yourfixcommunications.com we do full social media training which enables you to understand which platform is best suited for you and your clients and shows you the best way to create and share engaging content FAST. It’s super simple once you know the rules of the game.
Twitter
It’s still pretty big in the states, not used so much here in NZ. It’s a great platform for giving your opinion of something trending or including relevant news events and talking about how it affects you or your thoughts on the issue. We call that ‘news jacking’. Good to grow your identity and grow your voice.
Platform Version 3: Pageant Platforms
Over the years, I’ve had the great honour of coaching many amazing women for regional, national and global beauty pageants, as well as judging several local ones, and ‘platform’ is an important word they use too. According to the dictionary, platform means ‘a raised level surface on which people or things can stand’ and it’s two fold in the pageant world. Firstly, it’s what you STAND for. Pageant competitors are often asked ‘what is your platform?’ meaning, what is the cause or topic that you would like to draw attention to? For some it’s diversity or domestic violence. We’ve heard a lot about women’s rights over the years, loads about poverty and then there’s the much laughed about ‘World Peace’. On a serious note, your platform should come from something you’re personally passionate about. It connects to your WHY and is the driver of any personal brand. For me, my platform is about giving people a voice, or empowering people to find theirs, use it authentically and with confidence.
Leah Ward, Pete Ward and me – a Judge for Mrs New Zealand.
Secondly, once you’ve done well regionally, nationally or internationally, the pageant then provides you an opportunity to leverage off their platform (brand name, brand equity, following and media) growing your identity and extending your message and your reach to a greater audience. So you effectively leverage their platform to promote your platform. Make sense?
The key takeaway from this blog is that it doesn’t matter whether you’re leveraging off someone elses’ platform, utilising existing digital platforms or joining a company that will give you a platform to grow your own business, you need to start with growing your own identity FIRST.
You need to be able to know the value you have, the values you live your life by and the value you give others to make their lives better. Once you can clearly and simply articulate that, that’s where the magic begins and when you’re WHY turns into your KA-CHING! Sadly too many business owners and entrepreneurs who contact me have a burning desire to live a life of passion and ‘that will pay somehow as they’ve put their heart and soul into it, and it feels like their life’s purpose…..’ That may be the case, but being a success in business is so much more than that. I speak from 25 years of experience here……
SO: If you’re ready to discover your WHY, grow yourself, grow your platform and authentically use that to create a business or grow the flow of money into your existing gig, head on over to my company site: www.yourfixcommunications.com
We have a heap of workshops, online training and coaching or mentoring options that will literally set your brand on fire, so if you’re ready to grow your impact, let’s do this!
Turning The Big Picture Into Action Steps – FREE DOWNLOAD
Do you ever struggle with being TOO creative? A million ideas run through your head but you literally have failure to launch ANY OF THEM? Similarly, I talk to a lot of people who have a really clear idea of where they want to go with their life or their business, but no idea how to get there……If either of those sound familiar, then this tool is something that could be super helpful for you!
There’s 3 key ways that we think and function in the business or management space: Strategically, tactically or operationally.
Strategic thinking is about broad, long-term goals; tactical covers the big projects or activities that move you toward achieving those goals; and operational activities are the day-to-day processes that achieve the tactical objectives.
Creative personality types often get lost in thoughts ( I speak from experience here ) and can literally have ‘paralysis by over analysis’. Similarly, strategic thinkers can often see the big picture but struggle to create a path to get there – because that’s the job of a tactician like me. On the flipside, operational people who often call themselves ‘the doer’s’ end up just ‘DOING’ lots of activities, always seeming super busy, but never quite making any progress at all!
This download / planner that I’ve created gives you a framework to help you create a plan of where you want to go in your business or your life and can be done weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly. It caters for the strategists to really clarify that big picture, then it’s easy to chat with someone who’s a great problem solver and look at the elements required to get there.
Following that, there’s a section that helps you define action steps to get started AND a timetable to schedule your actions for the coming week.
Download it and try it for yourself! It’s really helped me and many of my clients find clarity and direction and can be done while you’re having a coffee.
