As exciting as that is, we are now helping women & men all over the world starting with “Empowering the Women of Pakistan” to stand and be counted among the independent business people of the world. When a business woman in Pakistan looks on the Internet and finds Gia Heller and The National Business Experts, you know you’ve put your kite in to the right wind!

There are so many networking groups to choose from in every city. We all need the feeling of connection and validation that comes from long-term real world relationships found only in being a part of something bigger than ourselves.

TNBE is the catalyst that has allowed those of us who are serious about our passions, like Becky Feola owner ofAssisted Living Advantage who helps people transition in to an assisted care home, Cynthia Knight, the East Phoenix Valley realty expert for “first time home buyers” and Christina Wagner, Marketing Director for KFNX 1100 Newstalk Radio , grow.

That is just a small sample of the varied group members & businesses that have learned how to shine through social media, like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn under the careful tutelage of Gia & her social media team of experts Social Media Masters, including Heather Dopson & Patti Knoles. It is all a part of making yourself over from a small business, to one that people seek out and follow on a daily basis.

One of our newest members, Kimberley & Brett Noe of AngryBadger Studios w/Brett Noe Productions, researched all the networking options in the Phoenix area and landed with Gia & TNBE. Listening to her and following all the instructions she gave them, they have been able to gain 35 new customers in less than 45 days. That is absolutely incredible for a video/film company. But they did listen – they did learn – they did grow.

You owe it to yourself & your business to check out at The National Business Experts!

You’ve heard the expression, “We’re creatures of habit”, and habits serve us well when it comes to tasks like brushing our teeth and tying our shoes. They’re so deeply ingrained in our unconscious mind, it’s the reason why we don’t remember if we closed the garage door on our way to work, only to go back and find that we did.

Networking Event Teaches Entrepreneurs How to Attract More Business by Leveraging Social Media and Internet Marketing

- Launch event will teach business owners how social media paired with Internet marketing can revolutionize the way they find new customers

- The group is helping entrepreneurs get funded, connected and make a difference

MINNEAPOLIS and ST. PAUL, Minn., Feb. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — On March 10, 2011, Minneapolis-St.Paul-based entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to join an exclusive group of business professionals: The Minnesota Business Experts. The group’s mission is to leverage the power of social media and Internet marketing for the purpose of creating and expanding business opportunities.
“I didn’t see anything like this in the Twin Cities area and wanted to bring this economical solution to our home state,” says Troy Klein, a mortgage banker and president of The Minnesota Business Experts. “These entrepreneurs can become recognized community-wide as leaders in their professions, save their marketing dollars and go from ‘zero’ to ‘hero’ in less than 12 months.”
The Minnesota Business Experts encourages professionals in every industry across the Twin Cities looking to grow their businesses to attend the March 10 event. This free informational seminar and networking event—which will take place at 6 p.m. at Poor Richard’s Commonhouse in Bloomington—will offer best practices on how to use social media to capture your target audience.
“The Minnesota Business Experts is based on the same principles as its successful sister market, www.The ArizonaBusinessExperts.com,” says Gia Heller, CEO of the parent company, www.TheNational BusinessExperts.com. “Statistics show that prospective clients will choose from service providers they are connected to in their social media profiles, such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.”
For more information on the launch of  The Minnesota Business Experts, visit www.facebook.com/theminnesotabusinessexperts or get the podcast at http://michellecorr.podomatic.com/entry/2011-02-22T11_54_53-08_00. For more information about the launch party, e-mail Troy@TheMinnesotaBusinessExperts.com.

For more information about expanding The National Business Experts in your state, e-mail Gia@TheNationalBusinessExperts.com.
Media Contact
Gia Heller
The National Business Experts
602.295.1627
Gia@TheNationalBusinessExperts.com

In a weird way, the everyday of Social Media can be seen this way. Never before in the history of communications have there been so many owners and producers. Everyday people log on to sites like Facebook, Twitter, and other sites, and everyday there is something new for them to explore and possibly produce.It might be for selfish reasons to see how popular they are. It might be to share pictures. It might be to produce a video. And yes, we may make money from it. Whatever their reasons, people are participating and adding their own content to the world, however big or small. That content is needed in order for Social Media to even exist. All users have their own level of creativity and reasons for why they participate in social media, and the numbers show that people from all walks of life are doing it, because, I think, people have, and will always have, that need to connect and feel a part of something.

Those who participate are allowing their own words, their own production, and their own piece of history to be documented. Yes, they may be contributing to what is seen as the evils of capitalism; however we do that outside of Social Media. Within Social Media, creativity can blossom and change how we connect and communicate.

There is some evidence in how Social Media has effect and transformed everyday practices, but it will be years before researchers can fully and accurately determine social media in what ways social media has changed us. The research maybe based off soon to be outdated websites, social networks, and tools because how rapidly the medium is changing. But the main ideals and concepts will be able to emerge, and give a better understanding.
What can be determined at this time is the there is a market and audience who use Social Media and networks on a daily basis. The numbers, as well as the interactions, can not be denied, but rather should be embraced.

Users are now creating content and sharing it, which has changed the ways in which communications is currently being conducted. It is no longer simply the broadcast model of yesterday. There is still a sender with a message, but now there are multiple receivers who are also the many senders of content.

As of now there is no set model, and if Social Media continues in the same direction as it is, there will be no set model. There is no need for one. This trend may be beneficial for a diverse group of users for the various social networks because it does not appeal to simply one person or group. Social Media as a whole can reach millions of people because it can fit to anyone’s needs and/or wants, and become a part of its everyday practices. It has been shown to help people being stay in contact while still building meaningful relationships. And at the same time, it will give into what seems to be the need and want for instant gratification and distraction.

Where Social Media will go, and what its capabilities will be, is still unknown. As the technology grows, and more information emerges, the more society as a whole will know and understand Social Media and its everyday practices. In fact research of Social Media is being created by its users more than researchers because users document is growth and use just by logging on. It helps create a history of our communications, and with it, it will help create evidence for its present and future impact in the next coming years. It will be at this time when Social Media’s impact can be truly measured.

When I first interviewed with the ladies at Arizona Women Networking I wasn’t convinced I could even do the whole “networking” thing.  But in just a few short minutes, in a very easy interview process, I was “in”.  I am so glad that I made the application to join, that Gia Heller called me for that interview, that I picked up the phone, and that my hair stylist and Fashion Bug threw me together for that interview in 1 hour…Now, that’s collaboration!

With more than 100 full-time networking women, AWN is focused on learning more about each other so we can best refer people within our group – This is specially important when meeting members from companies outside our realm of knowledge.

You can easily go to  www.ArizonaWomenNetworking.com,  and its counterpart  www.arizonamennetworking.com and find a local person to help with any of your needs – from residential and commercial real estate, to make-up & skin care systems –not to mention the massage therapist, facial care, a store filled with the most beautiful treasures…all at fraction of what you’d pay others.

I have met some of the most incredible women – We, not only act independently but we also work collectively. The social media spider-web network that Gia has created  brings us great success. Arizona Women Networking is more than a networking group, it is a family and a community filled with heart, soul, purpose & ultimately success!

Thank you to Gia Heller for putting us all together!

Glenda Pitts from Distinct Inspirations.

It started long ago…
I was the FIRST, a spoiled grandchild raised by 6 – yes 6 – very strong Italian/America females in New York. They raised me to believe I was special – that I would achieve great things in the world. Because of that, I have lived my life with an extreme drive to succeed. And, why not? I couldn’t fail.
Shortly after making the 21st spot out of 1,000,000 video auditions for The Apprentice, Season III in 2005, I realized that if I had the ability to make it to the top 21 out of 1,000,000 people, I had the ability to create the exact reality and life I craved. I decided I wanted to live life on my own terms, shed myself of corporate handcuffs and live a life that was unique, dynamic and diversified.
In 2005 I moved to Puerto Penasco, Mexico as a single mother with 8- and 11-year old daughters. This was after 6 years of service at CB Richard Ellis and The Staubach Company where I received the President’s Award for my innovations and leadership. This was a “secure” position for life where I would be able to comfortably make a 6-figure income (but not much more) forever. But I knew that was the fate of someone less courageous!
Armed with moxie, my daughters, my life savings and an abundance of courage, I said BUH-BYE to corporate America and set out on a journey that would prove to be one of the most financially rewarding and emotionally lucrative endeavors I had ever taken on!
In 2005, I was TOP PRODUCER for Century 21 Rocky Point. This was #7 in all of Mexico and followed that up with TOP PRODUCER at The Sonoran Resorts in 2006 and 2007. I sold over $20-million in properties in less than three years. And I put my money where my mouth was and invested that into real estate. I then took the bath of a lifetime. The only solace was that I had some pretty good company. Little did I know then that fate had MUCH BIGGER things in store for me!

Back to the states…
Humbled, broke and wondering what the heck it was going to take in this NEW ECONOMY to create abundance again I took about 90 days to mourn the fabulous life that was now in shambles. How does one look into the eyes of the daughters that remember the “poor” days as $100-k a year and tell them there is no money left for school clothes, accessories or anything else? Fortunately, my daughters had experienced a third world country from the perspective of some of their best friends for three years. During that experience they had witnessed families living on dirt floors with their six brothers, sisters, parents and grandparents. With their own eyes, they still saw the LOVE and JOY that existed in these modest homes. I believe this experience made the next two years of financial devastation more palatable for the girls. But as a protective momma bear, this lifestyle was UNACCEPTABLE – unless I was using the time to BUILD something GREATER!

Back to Commercial Real Estate…
As one of the world’s longest sales incubation pipelines, commercial real estate means that you work your butt off building a pipeline for at least 18 months and not see a dime! The good news is the checks are big after that incubation period. But ONLY if you have a LOT of clients that you have won over during that “canvassing” period. I was a good girl; I did what my broker told me to do. I made 125 in person door-to-door knocks a week on tenant’s doors and built a database of tenants for over the next six months. In addition to the door-to-door effort, I made 125 phone calls weekly. E-mailers, direct mail, radio and hosted learning lunches and other methods where used so we could teach tenants how to arm themselves against the landlord. ALL THIS WORK for a few measly new clients a month? Surely, there had to be a better, faster and more effective way. Cold calling was for the birds! I persisted.
After much research on search engine optimization (the art & science of getting to the TOP of Google), I realized that Google was important, however I was intrigued by the new kid on the block – Social Networking/Media. I figured social media was like the proverbial underdog, ROCKY and it would soon be kicking Google’s butt to the curb.

Social Networking…
So I created an all women’s networking/business directory/referral group called www.ArizonaWomenNetworking.com, spending only $9.95 for a minimal web site. My concept was that I would have one expert for each industry in each geographical area. I knew that collectively we would RULE the Valley of the Sun by means of a term I have lovingly coined – “Electronic Community Management.” This spider web network would use Social Media (Primarily FaceBook!!) as its platform for expansion and market domination!
I convinced a small group of powerful women with diverse backgrounds (Lawyer, Doctor, Accountant, Psychic, Architect, etc…) to join me on what I promised to be a fun, rich and lucrative ride! I am still so grateful they believed me! When I announced FaceBook as a platform early on, a marketing “guru” at the time laughed and walked out on us. She thought it was unprofessional and ridiculous to try to attract business on something as juvenile as a social network. Back then FaceBook had less than 300-million members, now we are well over 500M. I say we, because I am part of that collective.

Social Media…
The question isn’t whether or not we DO social media – it’s HOW WELL WE DO IT
Please watch this 2-minute video for statistics that will BLOW you away.
http://www.arizonawomennetworking.com/about-arizona-business-women
Now I knew what I needed to do was find the EXTREME EXPERT in social media. This proved one of the more difficult tasks as 3,000 new social media “so-called” experts erupted, especially since many could no longer make money in their old jobs. So I fished and I spent 90 days researching, interviewing, and vetting these companies to find my REAL SHINING STAR. It was on FACEBOOK that I found Todd Newman who introduced me to his LOVELY wife Donna Newman, who were partners with Jim Lupkin at www.WeBuildYourSocialMedia.com. It was akin to meeting your soul mate and “knowing” this is the one. It was that clear for me! Here was the team of experts that were going to lead and coach me and my ladies to prosperity by means of FaceBook!
Ya, ya…No one believed me! People still chuckled, doubting this was the way to go – until I started cashing the checks. It was juicy to send copies of those checks to the naysayers. It was piling-on when we got the nod from ABC News Channel 3 www.arizonawomennetworking.com (Please click on the News 3 video link on front page to watch for this portion of “The Story”) and we were featured in the INNOVATOR section of the Arizona Republic (See article here: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/business/articles/2010/06/03/20100603biz-azwomen0603.html )

My companies…
I used FaceBook as my primary tool for gaining new clients. I took that database of clients and STOPPED COLD CALLING, STOPPED KNOCKING ON DOORS and STARTED adding the CEOS and President’s of those companies into my FACEBOOK and LinkedIn. I found that 80-percent of these CEOs would ACCEPT my FRIENDSHIP on FACEBOOK. Starting with about 200 “Friends” in 2009, between my personal page and my business fan pages, I now have over 12,000 direct followers in my local area. Mind you that my reach also extends to ALL the FRIENDS of those 12,000 followers, so the reach is quite strong. I now host events for AWN and www.ArizonaMenNetworking.com that are standing room only – and ONLY advertised on FACEBOOK. 56% of all the leads come in come from FACEBOOK/Google. The others come from the members themselves, which are usually derived from FACEBOOK. We have women in the group who JUST MOVED HERE, knew NO ONE who are already super busy with work. They are now extremely popular because they were dropped into the plug and play Electronic Spider Web network we have created.
Both AWN/AMN started with two $9.95 websites in ‘09 to a nearly 300-member organization a year later, with members paying $50 per month in membership fees. Do the math…it’s a great ROI and growing everyday And, the best part is, I ONLY USED FACEBOOK, Twitter and LinkedIn to promote – with most of the emphasis on FACEBOOK. It works!
Gia The Marketing Guru is another company I created for $9.95 – because of the relationships I have made in the community that were nurtured on FaceBookI This past election I was hired by two leading political candidates – our new Maricopa County Attorney and Arizona District 7 House Representative. Both won their campaigns, both came to work with me and my companies because of the social media and internet publicity I could generate for them.
My commercial real estate business grew so busy I had to get a partner! Within another few months, I had to take on a second partner to keep up with the busy demands. Since June, 2010, in only 5 months, we have added over $1 million dollars in potential commissions to our sales pipeline using only Facebook coupled with Face2Face networking.

Corporate testimony…
UPS corporate stores (All 138 branches in the Valley) were pitched this STORY last month. After hearing the opportunity, there was a loud burst of applause and a UNANIMOUS vote to accept our proposal. UPS agreed this was a NO BRAINER for company-wide implementation. Again, my geographical reach expanded with an expert on nearly every important corner valley-wide!

But wait, there’s more…
I can teach you how to do exactly THIS for your businesses though a comprehensive marketing strategy/branding session.
AND, I am looking for GREAT Leaders in other cities, states, countries, continents to grow this GLOBALLY! I will be selling licensing agreements as well.

• Email Gia@ArizonaWomenNetworking.com for more information!

Blog Edited by Professional Editor/Copywriter: Steve Kellogg

Let me explain, I was told that it was going to be critical to be active on the social networking sites for my business as a Chandler REALTOR. I didn’t believe it but thought I had better check it out to see what all of the fuss was about. This was in May 2010. I started actively WATCHING what was going on in my site and lo and behold Phoenix Commercial Real Estate, Gia Heller and Arizona Women Networking kept popping into conversations everywhere. I had to find out who this person was and what was going on. I started to like some of the comments and then I actually started responding to comments. Gia actually responded to me WOW…….and then business started happening right before my eyes. A comment was posted that someone was in need for a credit card server….5,6,7, responses Alyssa Flores with Maximum Financial Solutions can help you. This was totally amazing to me. The women of Arizona Women Networking are more like a family and will do everything in their power to ensure success for one of their fellow member’s. Needless to say I rushed to their next meeting, interviewed with Gia and secured my position.

It didn’t end there. I had a few struggles with the best way to approach people on Facebook without sounding like a sales person. I attended a class presented by Donna Newman with We Build Your Social Media Network. I improved my skills and just by simple conversations going strong within the member’s of Arizona Women Networking, I received 3 clients not by direct referrals but by friends of friends of friends watching the conversations. This is how Arizona Women Networking is so different. It is all about get to know me, get to know my business and I will assist your business by introducing you to my friends and business associates. This is by far the absolute BEST networking group that I have been involved with and I have been in many. So who is GIA HELLER, a SOCIAL MEDIA GURU, a PHOENIX COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE ADVISOR, BUSINESS OWNER, a mother, a sister, a daughter, a friend to many and the most determined business woman that I have had the pleasure of meeting. What is Arizona Women Networking, Gia’s dream coming to fruition.

-Cynthia Knight