One of our members, Keith Bundy is going to work out the details with Lori and Jeff concerning them speaking at this year's convention.  So what does this mean for BOSS?  Well it means a great deal because it will be our second biggest promotion.  Our first promotion was when we were getting ready to start BOSS, and I sent out e-mails to all the chapters of ACB, and NFB.

Going to this year's convention in Orlando will be a huge milestone for the BOSS program, provided that everything works out like we want it to.  However, this is all still in the works, so we're not sure if it is even going to happen just yet.  There are many details that must be worked out until everything is finalized.

However, in the meantime, our 2009 promotional campaign is still going on.  I plan to give each and every BOSS member a copy of our promotional CD so that they too can become a vital part of the promotion.  There's lots of work to be done in this promotion, and that's my job to insure that this promotional campaign goes as smooth as possible, and that our program gets the recognition that it deserves.

As Jeff and Lori do their part in promoting the BOSS program, I too will do my duties in this as well.  My job in this is to locate other organizations that cater to the blind and visually impaired.  I have crafted a basic e-mail that I use for e-mail promotion to these agencies, and it seams to work pretty well.  I have gotten a few responses from it, so I will continue to use it.

What makes this entire promotion thing so exciting is our brand new membership site which the BOSS program is so dependent upon.  Without this new site, the BOSS program as it is known today wouldn't be in existance.  We needed this site to make the managing of the program that much easier for those who are responsible for running and managing it.

Not only that, but this new site makes the program look that much more professional than our first site did.  Our first site, though it was quite simplified, had its purpose, but it was time to advance further and use something that was more reliable and more professional.

Now when I promote the program, I am pleased to take people to our information page which is on our site.  The new site is what prompted me to create our promotional package in the first place.  So now that we have our promotional package, it can be used to spread the word about our program.  This promotional package alone makes the promotion of BOSS much easier.

Of course, there's lots of work to be done when it comes to promoting a program such as this.  All those e-mails to send, promotional packages to send, and live promotion such as what Jeff, Lori and myself will be doing in Orlando, provided that it all works according to plan.

These are very exciting times because this is our second year this coming July.  That's right, BOSS will be 2 years old.  HOwever, from all that we have learned, you would think that we're actually much older than that, but it is all due to the fact that our members work so hard, and they're focused and determined to make their successes work.

We're moving fast and we will continue to do so so as long as there are people who are willing to take action and do what is required of them.  By going to Orlando this year, we will be able to show people just what our program is all about.  Hopefully we will get people excited and want to learn more about what we do.  Ultimately, we would love to get even more members into our program.  Isn't that the reason why we plan to go to Orlando in the first place?

If you're a BOSS member reading this, then picture this in your mind.  Imagine that it is Monday morning, the first day of the convention, and the general session has already begun.  You listen to a couple of speakers from other agencies and companies, and then the president of the American Council gets on the microphone and announces the next speakers, Jeff Wark, Lori Steffen and Donald Brown who are going to talk about their exciting program called the Blind Online Success System.

Ok, now imagine you sitting there in the audience and listening to what we have to tell you about our program.  You sit there on the edge of your seat, hanging on every word because you're excited aboutt this brand new opportunity that will help the blind and visually impaired become successful business owners.  The more you hear, the more you want to join the program.

Does this sound like something that you would feel if you were there at the convention?  Well it could happen, provided that everything falls into place.  However, I can't promise that this will happen, but since we started quite early, I feel that we stand a chance at speaking there.  I will definitely keep everyone posted as what is going on behind the scenes in the planning of this monumental event for BOSS.

Anyway, today I would like to let everyone know that we have begun our promotion in earnest!  Currently at the ttime of this writing, we're doing promotion in two areas.  One is the Matilda Ziegler Magazine, which is a publication for the blind and visually impaired that turns 101 this year.  BOSS will be featured in the February issue.  The magazine comes in several formats such as Braille, E-mail, Podcast, 4 Track cassette, digital Braille, and on the Internet.  Click here below to visit the site of the Matilda Ziegler Magazine.

http://www.matildaziegler.org/

 
The other area of promotion is being done through a web site called, Work At Home Truth, which can be found at;

http://www.workathometruth.com

This site deals with work at home opportunities that are honest and ethical, and BOSS is located in the work at home opportunities section for disabled individuals,and underneath the section that deals with the blind and visually impaired.  If you go there, you will see BOSS on the site, along with some of our member web sites shown as examples.

This is only the beginning of  what I hope to be a very prosperous year for the BOSS program.  Prosperous in that our members make money with their businesses, an prosperous in that we gain new membership into our program.  The more that the program is promoted and the word gets out, the more members we will have, and the more successful businesses will be run and managed by blind and visually impaired people.

Let's make 2009 our most profitable year yet!

This is a milestone because this site gets a lot of traffic, and with that, we could end up with even more members, and even more successful business owners as a result.  Like I had stated in the last post, my goal for 2009 is to heavily promote the BOSS program.  Doing that will take a lot of work on my part, but it is more than worth it.

I plan to give each and every member of the program copies of our promotional CD so that they too can help to spread the word about BOSS, plus I plan to contact other web sites and other agencies for and by the blind.  The more that BOSS is promoted and put out there, the more members we will get and the more members that we have could possibly mean more successful business owners as a result, and that's what I am aiming for in 2009.

With the help of each and every BOSS member, we can definitely make this happen.  Who knows where all this promotion may lead us, but I can assure you of this, and that is; wherever it leads, it will definitely be good for BOSS, and all of its members.

We have covered a lot of ground this past year, and we're looking forward to 2009 with even more expectation than ever before.  We have high hopes that BOSS will grow even more this next year because we're getting ready to heavily promote our program.

As I write this post, I am preparing to launch a massive promotional campaign which will include every BOSS member.  I plan to send each and every BOSS member two of our promotional CD's that they can use to spread the word out about the Blind Online Success System.

These promotional CD's were created some time back, but this next year, they will be used for some rather major promotion.  I have already started this campaign by emailing many agencies for the blind, and I have already recieved some responses.  However, this campaign will go even further during 2009.

Promotion of the Blind Online Success System is a must.  We need to get the word out and we need to expand and get more blind and visually impaired people starting their own online businesses through our unique program.

Anybody who is interested in assisting us to promote our program is more than welcome to assist in any way possible.  We strongly urge the public to get involved if at all possible.  The more that this is promoted, the better it will become.  We have already reached some milestones, and we plan to reach even more during 2009.

Let's make 2009 a year of new horizons and greater expansion all throughout our entire program.  Let's see how far we can take this, and let's see just how many new members we can get to join us.  2009 will definitely be a grand business-building year for the BOSS program.  I would like to see many new businesses started and I would like to see many new happy business owners.  These are my personal goals for the BOSS program, and that's what I plan to work on this new year.

It is amazing at how many people just give up on things just because they're faced with a little bit of frustration.  However, what Zoe and I have learned was that if you persist, and continue with your efforts, you'll eventually get there.

Now I can honestly say that for myself, as well as for Zoe, we have both reached some important milestones in our marketing careers online.  Sure, we work hard, and we should, but there are times when setbacks come our way, and we have to deal with them before we can move onward.  That's the valuable lesson that Zoe and I have learned throughout our marketing careers.

You see, you can't give up just because something isn't going the way that it should go for you.  You have to be persistant and willing to continue no matter what happens.  After all, this business does have its uncertanties, and its mishaps from time to time, but all of these can be overcome, and success could be knocking at your door at any time.

Who knows, maybe you will create that winning product that will bring you out of a slump, or you might land a joint venture that could catipult your business to the next level, or you could get some insight that can mean the difference in throwing in the towl to making it big online.

The fact is; you should not give up on yourself and your efforts.  Just keep pushing forward and keep on thinking about the end result because that's what you're working towards.  That is the goal that you are trying to reach.

Don't let your limitations, whatever they might be, be the thing that ruins you and your business forever.  Use those things to your advantage and come out a winner instead.

This just goes to show the daredevil in many blind and visually impaired people who want to do something that usually requires a lot of vision.  Who knows, maybe some day, blind people may fly airplanes, and spaceships.

Blind people sometimes don't get enough credit for what they do because the sighted world seams to think that they can't do something until they're proven wrong by the blind themselves, and this situation is no acception.  Ok, so he can't drive on a busy highway, that that still doesn't discredit the fact that he did drive a car, and very fast I might add.  After all, blind people ski, go cannooing, and much much more than what the sighted world wants to acknowledge.

Some of us are indeed daredevils, and that's really good because it pushes us  out of our comfort zones and it lets us really explore our world and experience it to the fullest.

Summary: Blind/visually impaired computer users

Category: Technology

Name: Shirley Cheng

Email: letters AT shirleycheng.com 

If you decide to investigate further or to participate, put the word "Haro" at the beginning of the subject line of your email to Shirley.

Title: Blind & physically disabled award-winning author, motivational speaker, advocate

Media Outlet/Publication: Dance with Your Heart!

Wanted: personal experience stories from blind or visually impaired computer users who use special software (i.e. screen reader JAWS) to help them use computers. How does the software help you personally and professionally? Please include the software used. Please include words of encouragement to those who have not tried the software because they either feel hopeless or fearful of any challenges. Please make the stories less than 200 words, and I'll post it on my page called "Use a Computer without Eyesight!" You may include your name or be anonymous. Please paste your story within the body of an e-mail, not as an attachment. You have copyrights to your work, but I have permission to post it on my site. This is ongoing. Thank you!

Donald rode out the strom at his parent's place in Beaumont, Texas and is doing well. Unfortunately, there is still no power at Donald's home and so he has been unable to return to his place yet.

Members of the BOSS program also know Donald's fiance Zoe. She evacuated to western Texas for the storm and is also doing well. However, she lives in the same apartment complex as Donald and since there is no power there, she is staying at her dad's house for the time being.

BOSS members can reach Donald on his cell phone if they need to talk with him. And co-founders Lori and Jeff are also available for members.

If you are a member of the BOSS program and have not signed up for the new membership site, please signup by visiting the Blind Online Success System Info Page and complete the application/registration form. The BOSS program will be using the new membership site from now on for access to all membership recordings and other information. Since the old server has been down due to the hurricane we will use this opportunity to completely move to the new BOSS membership site.

We appreciate all our members and are excited by their continued progress and success.

If you are blind or visually impaired and are not yet a member of the BOSS program, please check out the program and see if you would be interested in discovering how to market online and work from home.

Best wishes,

Lori and Jeff

Not only that, but Christopher is ahead of the game as well because he already has a product in hand.  He has written a book about guide dogs that he plans to educate children with.  The book is about his guide dog named Pasco.  Pasco is the narator of the book, and he takes the children on a true guide dog adventure, plus he explains what it is like to be a guide dog, and what it takes to become a guide dog.

Christopher's willingness to succeed and become profitable at his own business is the very quality that we are seeking in a new member of our program because if we can get more like him, then we know that we're doing the right thing.

It really motivates me to see people just like Christopher because that lets me know that the BOSS program is really needed.

I have actually had people tell me that this program is a long time in coming, and it just goes to show that those that are taking action are proving that this program really does work.  If we can get more members who are taking action like Christopher Banks, then we will be turning some heads because it is very unusual to have a program such as ours that can churn out so many successful people like that.

You see, most coaching and apprenticeships don't have the number of successful people that we have because for the most part, most of the people in those groups aren't getting the support and help that they really need to succeed.  I guess that's what really sets us far apart from the other coaching programs out there.

I myself am totally dedicated to BOSS and it's membership because I want this entire program to be successful.  We have only been in existance since July of 2007, and look where we are right now.  We have come a very very long way, but the road is long and we have a lot more of it to travel down yet.

I honestly belive that in combination with our new membership site and the more successful people that we have, we should be in the media pretty soon, and those spotlights will be shining upon us.  People will be taking notice, and we will be talked about.  We really want people to take notice of  BOSS because it will show them that the blind and the visually impaired can run and manage their own online businesses, and that they really can become successful at it.

Myself along with Jeff and Lori are making sure that each and every member of our program gets exactly what they need, especially in the way of support and backing.  You see, I honestly believe that's what sets us apart from other coaching programs.  It is that winning support, friendliness and the willingness to see someone though that makes all the difference in the world.

We stick with our members through thick and thin, and it shows.  We don't just talk the talk, or walk the walk, but we do what we teach, and we practice exactly what we preach.  We follow our own advice and we do all the things that our members do.  We don't just sit behind the scenes acting like some untouchable gurus.  No, we get out there in the trenches and we lend a helping hand when it is needed.  We're not afraid to get our hands dirty, and we're not afraid to help someone when it is really needed.

That's why I am available from 9 in the morning until midnight because that's how dedicated I am.  As co-Founder of this program, the members are my responsibility, and the program itself is my responsibility.  Myself along with Jeff and Lori make up what I think is a pretty good team.  Between the three of us, you have the best in the business because we truly believe in you and what you're capable of.

I am going to borrow a quote that one really great marketer by the name of Cindi Dawson says, and that is, "You can do this!"  She's absolutely right in saying that too because you can do this, there's no question about that.  As Christopher Banks is already proving as a brand new member, there's no reason why you can't take affirmative action and create your own business online through our program.

Wouldn't it be nice if there was a way to incorporate speech into many of these devices, or make the print large enough for those with some sight to read?  Take for example, microwave ovens.  Many of them today have those flat pannels with printed words and numbers on them.  In order for somebody who is totally blind to use them, they need the assistance of someone who is sighted just to place the Braille labels where they belong.  What about cell phones?  Sheesh!  That one is really a tough cookie.  Many of us, sighted or blind have cell phones, and they're a great addition to our personal lives, but even these devices have their limitations when it comes to blind and visually impaired people.

I think that technology is great, but sometimes I wish that laws were passed that would force companies to make their devices more blind-friendly.  Of course, some cellular companies are doing this with their phones, but other companies really don't care about doing it.

So how do you feel about technology today?  Do you feel that there are some changes that need to be made to make technology more blind-friendly?  In a world of touch screens, and other visual electronic devices, it is becoming really difficult for those that are blind, or visually impaired to cope with the changes.  Please give me your comments on this and your thoughts on this subject.  I would really like to know how you honestly feel.