This wild web woman is married to Beng Spies, the video master behind her stellar vlog (video + blog = vlog) and is also a new mom (congrats!)

Dani is an example of a woman who can have it all and look cute while doing it (the camera does not lie!) Enjoy the blog inspiration and Dani, thanks for a great interview!

Meet Dani Spies, Dani Spies, Vlogger and Culinary Weblebrity
If you had to describe yourself in three words, what would they be?
Curious, analytical and silly.

What online social media platform are you most addicted to? (i.e. Twitter, Facebook, Linked, etc).
Twitter.  Although I need to tweet more and stalk less.

Dani Spies, Wild Web Woman and Video Goddess

Please share a professional phobia or obsession -confession session!
This is easy -my phobia hands down is a fear of being wrong, which is SO silly because I am wrong ALL the time!

What do you believe successful wild web woman traits are?
Vision, consistency, and the ability to be wrong A LOT and keep moving forward.

How do you indulge yourself (every once in a while!) to stay healthy and balanced?
Margaritas.

What are the top three most vital marketing ingredients that have helped you become the professional you are today?
I don’t!  I always want to learn!

Where do you find inspiration to continue growing your business?
It’s my passion.  I can’t not do it I want to share what I know and learn.

When you are faced with a setback or an enormous business challenge, what do you do to keep moving forward?
Stay focused on my goals.

Who is your personal role model? What about this person do you truly admire and aspire to?
Yikes, so many.  Ellen, Oprah, Tosca Reno

What has been your biggest achievement recently that you are proud of?
Becoming a Mom.

What are your goals for this upcoming year?
To wrap my mind around social networking and marketing and use it to help reach a larger audience.

What is your ideal work outfit?  (We work in our PJs whenever we can, what about you?)
Workout clothes since I am always balancing the computer, the kitchen, a baby, and errands I like to be comfortable and mobile without having to worry about getting dirty!

What do you think is the most challenging part about being a female entrepreneur? How do you overcome this challenge?
Working alone most of the time.  I am a synergestic-kind-of-gal.  I thrive off of team work but right now most of what I am doing is solo at my desk or in my kitchen.  I know as I am able to grow my vision this will change so I try to stay focused on the bigger picture.

What is the ONE web marketing best practice that you would share with other Web Marketing Therapy readers?
Consistency, consistency, consistency.

See Dani’s Latest Video – In Web Marketing, We Call Video “Show Me to Tell Me”
Quality Videos make a BIG Difference~

Learn more about Dani Spies, get great delicious recipe ideas and get inspired with ways to rock the web – www.danispies.com.

Speaking of creativity, connectivity, authenticity and community,  Giving Tree Jewelry has earned my featured Positive Web Marketing Role Model stamp of approval because their web marketing embodies all points…and they do it with with grace, ease, fun and…….love.

I love web marketing love

Giving Tree Jewelry’s site is fun to surf (ok, maybe too much fun for a wild web woman like me!) but what gets me most is their authentic approach.  This company is the real deal.  They love what they do, they are grateful, and they are attracting goodness via their ways!

Most of you know that I loathe email, often calling it passive aggressive perpetrator and begging people to get over their passive aggressive email marketing crud, but I absolutely LOVE getting Giving Tree Jewelry’s emails because they are meaningful.

Giving Tree Jewelry (GTJ) has a great newsletter, but it’s not a boring eNewsletter, it’s creatively called a Giving Tree Weekly Love Letter.  Rachel Smith, who co-owns The Giving Tree Gallery with her wonderful Mom, Judith ooze authenticity via their authentic content in their emails, their girls of giving tree blog AND in their Facebook group community.

Creativity counts in marketing and approaching web tools as relationship building tools that reflect your brand, serve your customers, communicate your passion and help connect like minded people in a fun, fabulous way is the only way to play.

It is an absolute pleasure to get to blog about a company that is doing things right.  Follow GTJ, and learn from ladies who understand that marketing is not only an art, but needs to have heart.

Rachel and Judith, thank you for the ok to share your web wisdom!

Michael Rozbruch shares his tips for using social media marketing to educate the public while boosting your online visibility and credibility.

Michael Rozbruch was skeptical when he first heard about blogging and Twitter – and many executives in his industry still don’t get how to effectively use social media to promote their businesses. Rozbruch is the founder and CEO of Tax Resolution Services, a national firm that helps individuals and small businesses permanently resolve their IRS problems. He started the Tax Resolution University blog in 2007 and now blogs and Twitters on a daily basis. He’s found that social media not only helps him achieve higher visibility for himself and his company, but it enables him to provide much needed tax help to more people than ever before.

As a business owner, industry leader and an educator, Rozbruch uses the social media platforms (blogging, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube) to reach a nationwide audience and educate them on complicated tax codes and IRS law. These online channels also enable him to interact with the public and answer their tax debt related questions in a safe and convenient forum. This fits in to the company’s customer-driven philosophy, which has always differentiated TRS as an industry leader.

Below Rozbruch shares his tips for using new marketing and media channels to educate the public while boosting your online visibility and credibility!

Why Businesses Should integrate Social Media into Their Marketing Plans

My main reason for blogging and using Twitter and other social media channels is to educate the public -  with the current economic downturn and IRS enforcement on the rise, it’s more important than ever to educate taxpayers on important financial strategies as well as their options for tax debt relief.  I’ve been able to use Twitter to increase traffic to my web site and introduce my more readers to my blog – which offers lots of educational content for helping the taxpaying public deal with their IRS problems so they can gain a new lease on their financial futures. For example, I recently blogged about how the IRS is using social networks like Facebook to mine for tax cheats and then tweeted a link to my blog post out to the 1,600+ followers who subscribe to my Twitter updates – this strategy has really helped to increase my pageviews and further position me as an authority in my field.

How to Use Social Media to Boost PR

Social networking has been a tremendous way for me and my company to reach a wider audience, including other bloggers and key online influencers in my niche who have helped me boost my visibility on the web. These days, PR isn’t just about garnering attention from traditional media outlets and growing your online presence can really help you reach exactly the audience you are targeting. Plus, having a solid online reputation can get you more play from mainstream media as well – busy reporters are also going to the web for info and story sources!

Why Businesses Should Integrate Twitter into their Social Media Marketing Plans

Many executives in my industry still don’t get how to use Twitter to promote their business. But as an early adopter in the tax relief industry, I’ve been able use Twitter as a quick, free, and fun way to step away from the ranks of CEO and connect and share with so many people I wouldn’t otherwise know – from people who tweet me with their IRS tax problems and other entrepreneurs who enjoy sharing tips for using the web to boost their biz, to media professionals and other tax professionals with breaking industry news. I think the key is that Twitter isn’t so much about “promoting” but about sharing and connecting. I’ve even seen a competing tax resolution firm retweeting me – so I guess I must be on to something!

Connect with Michael Rozbruch at @taxresolution or on Facebook.

To find out more about how to use social media marketing to boost your business, check out WMT’s  free web marketing podcasts, ebooks and online tutorials!

Marty is the founder of Rebagz--combining eco-friendliness with style!

At, Web Marketing Therapy, we cannot get enough of successful and inspirational women whose businesses thrive off of making the world a better place.

The Wild Web Women absolutely LOVES Marty Stevens-Heebner, creator of Rebagz, which specializes in eco-chic handbags that not only look good, but are healthy for the environment too! For Marty, it’s all about “making eco- and human-friendly business the norm instead a niche.”

Stylish and sustainable shopping? I’M IN! What’s even more amazing than the eco-friendly bags is the story behind the founder, Marty Stevens-Heebner. Read on for your dose of inspiration!

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1. If you had to describe yourself in three words, what would they be?
Lively, outrageous, a cliff-leaper – though I do make sure the water’s deep enough before I leap.

2. What online social media platform are you most addicted to? (i.e. Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin…etc).
That depends on my mood and what I’m communicating.  I like how easy it is to socialize on Facebook.  It’s so much more directly interactive, at least to me.  But I also like LinkedIn for professional purposes so I can track down connections if I’m interested in approaching a certain person or company.

I have to say if I’m addicted to anything, it’s ping.fm because it’ll update everything for me. I love it when it’s easy!

3. Please share a professional phobia or obsession….confession session!
Like any designer, I live in fear of having my designs knocked off.  It’s already happened, and in all likelihood it’ll happen again.  It’s just one of the issues you have to deal with when people like what you make.

4. What is your favorite word or phrase? Why?
Plato – “Be what you wish to seem.”  In other words, walk your talk.  Life would just be so much easier if everyone did this.  I also like “A rising tide raises all ships.”  (NOTE:  I wasn’t sure who said that, so I googled it and it seems to be credited to JFK, though he said it less poetically:  “A rising tide lifts all the boats.”)  My cohorts and I believe in doing business in a cooperative rather than a competitive manner, and that’s why I like this saying.  There’s room at the table for all of us.

5. What do you believe successful “wild web woman” traits are?
Curiosity, doggedness and imagination.

6. How do you indulge yourself (every once in a while!) to stay healthy and balanced?
I get a massage every other week.  It’s my sanity!  I also believe chocolate has medicinal purposes and that a single malt Scotch with soda is almost as wonderful as watching the sun set from a sailboat.

Rebagz's wide variety of stylish and colorful bags are full of personality!

7. What are the top three most vital marketing ingredients that have helped you become the professional you are today?
I have a spectacular publicist – Lisa Elia (www.LisaEliaPR.com and www.ClearPublicist.com).  We’ve worked together since launching Rebagz and she’s been instrumental in building our brand.  She and I work in close partnership to paint a clear picture of what my company’s all about.

Being an eco- and human-friendly business is a huge part of our message and, fortunately, customers and reporters alike appreciate that.  I’d argue that what sustained us through the economic downturn was our sustainability.

We also try to make the most out of our online real estate by allowing people to sign up for our ezines on all our sites, and by using my blog and social media to keep the conversation with our audience going.

Stay tuned for Part Two of Marty’s interview!

We will pick up right where we left off to hear even more inspirational tips from an amazing man!

…..continued from part one

K.H. Where do you find inspiration to continue growing your business? Being a successful professional embodies being an excellent marketer (so that people know your name and service!), how do you reach out to your wide range of customers to build a trusting relationship?

N.J.L. I find inspiration in so many places, one of the biggest places I find inspiration is from my clients, the joy and excitement that they have when they realize their goals, when they get closer to realizing their dreams, that really inspires me to do more, to empower more. People that inspire me are Nelson Mandela and The Dalai Lama, I have some authors who’s book inspire me, Don Miguel Ruiz (The Four Agreements) and Paulo Coelho (The Alchemist). I also find inspiration from the Internet and watching YouTube videos from other speakers and coaches to see their messages.

In my perception that question, “Being a successful professional embodies being an excellent marketer (so that people know your name and service!). How do you reach out to your wide range of customers to build a trusting relationship?

The first being, how do you reach out and build your network?  I am counting to utilize the web 2.0 using social media like Facebook and I’m on Twitter and I have a website.  I’m writing a blog that I just started a few weeks ago and I’m starting to post them on my website (www.harmonyccinc.com). 2. How do you build trusting relationships? I think in building trusting relationships it is key to be very responsive. It is always my intention when people reach out to me to respond back, that I create relationships in that way. I see myself as very approachable, I like having that same approachability online as well.

K.H. When you are faced with a setback or an enormous business challenge, what do you do to keep moving forward?

N.J.L. In my world there are no mistakes, and there are hardly any challenges, there are only opportunities. So if something happens, I take a deep breath and ask what are the opportunities here? And then it’s about how do I go from here and then I break things down into little steps.  One good thing to remember for moving forward is that we tend to overestimate what we can do in a day but we underestimate what we can do in ten minutes!

K.H. What do you think is the most challenging part about being an entrepreneur? How do you overcome this challenge?

N.J.L. One of the challenges I see from  people that come to me is that when they are entrepreneurs they usually work for themselves and it is  very challenging to set up the right work structures to stay on track, to not get distracted. They tend to get overwhelmed and how to overcome that is to break it down, make sure you know the vision, be specific on what you want to create and then break it down into tangible steps.

K.H. Who is your personal role model? What about this person do you truly admire and aspire to?

N.J.L. Nelson Mandela is the first one that comes to mind. What really inspires me about him is his sense of forgiveness, and his sense that there is good in everyone. I clearly remember the time he gave a speech in Holland and he walked up on stage, he had a hard time walking he was up in his eighties, and the person that helped him was his prison guard from prison, that was so powerful to see. I read about his life and  his passion for looking for the good in people and  his belief in  equality and equal rights is just fantastic, just very noble very inspirational person, very good listener, a visionary, I think he is one of the greats of the world.

K.H. What has been your biggest achievement recently that you are proud of?

N.J.L. I think the transition from having a great career in Holland, dropping everything, leaving everything behind and coming to the U.S. and building a complete new life both professionally and personal. That’s something I’m proud of.

K.H. What are your goals for this upcoming year?

N.J.L. One of my goals for 2010 is to take a group of passionate people on a week-long intensive to South Africa. I tell you why South Africa. I had the good fortune of being in South Africa about four or five times and have gotten to travel around for four to five weeks at a time. I think when it comes to coaching, it comes to realizing your potential and with that it is really good to ground yourself and find you who are. Being in nature is such a perfect place to do that. There are so many beautiful places on this planet to do this, your backyard, a mountaintop, Yellowstone. One of my favorite places to do this is South Africa, the nature there is so pure and vibrant and so powerful and I believe a place like this will facilitate huge transitions in you’re life. If people are interested they can call me ha-ha J!

I’m also continuing to grow my business not only here in Santa Barbara and the Tri-Counties but, I am branching out. I’m already working on a seminar series in Europe.

K.H. What is the ONE best practice that you would share with others?

N.J.L. It would have to be goal setting for both your professional and personal life. To realize your goals break them down into little steps using the following START process:

1.     Specific – What exactly is the action step I can take now?

2.     Tangible – What is the result I expect upon completion of this step?

3.     Achievable – Do I have the resources needed to complete this action step?

4.     Reasonable – Can I accomplish this now?

5.     Timed – When exactly do I intend to have this action step completed?

K.H. What online social media platform are you most addicted to? (i.e. Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin…etc).

N.J.L. I use Facebook a lot but I wouldn’t say I’m addicted, it’s a fun way to stay connected, I like it.

Niels, thank you again for sharing with the Wild Web Women!! Your words are truly inspiring and motivating.