Covid has been the ultimate disrupter to the global economy. Fortune 500 companies and small start-ups alike have felt the blow, but it’s the small businesses that have suffered the most.

Small businesses are the backbone of the U.S. economy. According to the World Economic Forum, small businesses are responsible for employing nearly half of the private sector workforce. However, during these volatile times where social distancing measures have been put in place and mandatory shut-downs have happened, many small businesses have not been able to survive.   

In September, Yelp released its latest Economic Impact Report revealing business closures across the U.S. are increasing as a result of Covid. According to Yelp data, permanent closures have reached 97,966, representing 60 percent of closed businesses that won’t be reopening.

“Overall, Yelp’s data shows that business closures have continued to rise with a 34 percent increase in permanent closures since our last report in mid-July,” Justin Norman, Vice President of Data Science at Yelp, told CNBC.

These reports can give everyone a feeling of doom and gloom, but here are five ways to help your small business survive the pandemic. 

(CONTINUE ARTICLE) 

The post 5 Ways To Help Your Small Business Survive During The Pandemic appeared first on Michelle Rivera Lifestyle.

It’s 2020 and we’re in a pandemic. Many people are furloughed or permanently out of work.  Now to make matters worse the IRS has not sent you your Refund or Stimulus check yet. 

You have been to the IRS.gov website and you have called all of the phone numbers from it. This has only led you down a path of an endless cycle of automated, useless messages that still have not answered your burning question, “Where is my money?”

Fed-Up

Chances are that if you are reading this right now then you are fed up. My husband and I filed our taxes electronically with our Accountant this year on March 30th, 2020. Now it is 6 months later and we still have not seen one penny of our tax refund. We are owed quite a big refund too, but since April our Refund Status Results on the IRS website has read, “Your Tax Return is still being processed.” So frustrating!

Not a Normal Tax Year

It is definitely not a normal year, let alone a normal tax year. Like many Americans, IRS employees have been furloughed too. This has led to a tremendous backlog on everyone’s tax refunds or Stimulus checks. However, this doesn’t change the fact that people still need their money, especially in today’s economic climate. Also, people may need to talk to someone in regards to other specific tax issues as well. It is so discouraging when you really need to speak to a human being, but instead all you get is caught inside a web of phone automations.

Here’s The Phone Number That Finally Worked For Me

After months and months of combing through the IRS website, and reading countless articles on who to contact at the IRS, I finally found a phone number that led me to an actual human being. Hallelujah! Miracles do happen. I want to share this phone number with all of you, in hopes that it will help you with finally getting in touch with a human being at the IRS as well.  

The phone # is 1-800-829-0582,  press prompt #1, and then Ext 652. It said it would be a 15-30 minutes wait, but it took about 35 minutes for the Agent to answer. I called on a Wednesday afternoon at 1:30pm. I have heard early morning calls do have lesser wait times though. However, I didn’t find the wait time to be that bad and was thrilled to finally speak to a live person.

I have also included a link to tax advocates that you can locate in your state to help you resolve your tax issues. Click HERE.

Good luck everyone! I hope this helps you.  

Disclaimer: Although these results worked for me (Michelle), I am not a tax professional and can not guarantee everyone’s results will be the same as mine. 

The post How To Speak To A Real Person At The IRS appeared first on Michelle Rivera Lifestyle.

Don’t Be Silent

Don’t be silent. Get out and vote.

Elections are won by narrower margins, and politicians change the rules to make it harder for younger generations and people of color to vote.

It’s more important now than ever that you let your voice be heard and the way to do that is to vote.

Get Registered 

If you’re not already registered then you can Register here at:  https://register.rockthevote.com/registrants/new?partner=37610&source=michelleriveralifestyle.

Don’t let important decisions be made without you. Your power comes from your vote. 

You can follow Michelle Rivera at @MichelleRiveraLifestyle 

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For More Information Email Michelle at MichelleRivera@MichelleRivera.net 

Follow Michelle on Instagram at @MichelleRiveraLifestyle

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My heart is full with all of the amazing women I had the opportunity to spend time with at the ConnectHer17 Media Conference. This year the conference was held at the SLS Las Vegas Hotel and it was an absolutely beautiful venue for this very special event. I was honored this year to be asked by the Founder of ConnectHer17, Laura Filipowicz, to be the Master of Ceremony’s and of course I had to say “YES!” to that fabulous invitation.

In addition, I also had the wonderful opportunity to host a Roundtable where I taught about Authentic Branding. I enjoyed all of the intelligent and inspirational women I was able to meet both at the conference throughout the weekend, as well at at my Roundtable on both Saturday and Sunday.

If you are not familiar with the ConnectHer17 Media Conference, then allow me to give you the scoop on what it is.

Here is an overview on what the ConnectHer Media Conference is all about, directly from the ConnectHer media website itself:

“The ConnectHER Media Conference is a unique and exclusive event that is designed to deliver rich content and facilitate direct interaction for those in attendance.  #ConnectHER17 guests include writers, influencers, bloggers, moms, PR, marketing, entrepreneurs and brands looking to learn and engage in conversation. Our focus is on providing quality content and a unique environment where our guests are able to take the information from our event, straight to their projects. The ConnectHER Media Conference is more than just another conference, it’s an experience!

We always aims to bridge the gap between influencers, brands, PR, marketing and entrepreneurs and focuses on direct interaction by providing plenty of opportunities for business growth.  We are focused on creating an interactive environment and providing our guests with unique experiences. Big on the agenda for ConnectHER17 is ensuring that guests leave the event with actual take-away information about business development, branding, social media and to also facilitate the interaction between influencers, brands and PR.”

So all I can say is “YES!” and “YES!” to all of this. ConnectHer17 delivered on all of this and so much more! The Keynote Speakers for starter were AMAZING: Nicole Feliciano of Mom Boss and Katie Ann Rosen Kitchens of FabFitFun.

I had the honor of getting to introduce Nicole Feliciano on the 2nd day of the conference!

Our Keynote Speakers spoke about many important topics for women in business. Specifically, letting go of fears and self-doubt, as well as learning how to maintain a healthy Life/Work Balance. Both Keynotes were very inspiring for me, to say the least.

Now let’s talk about the Sponsors, our VERY AWESOME sponsors!  Giordano’s featuring Deutsch Family wines sponsored a dinner the first night. The food and wine were FABULOUS and the Giordano’s Ambassador who was presenting the pizzas was quite a cutie too. LOL! Oh come on ladies, you all chimed in about him with me on my Instagram. 😉

The next night was at Johnny Rockets. The burgers, the milkshakes, and the tater tots and fries were to die for!!

Okay, let’s talk about the SWAG at this conference too from all of the amazing Vendors who were there sharing about their fabulous products:  We were gifted by FabFitFun, IASO, Shea Moisture, Johnny Rockets, Primal Kitchen, Silc Skin, Genexa, Graffiti Gloss, Eppa Sangria, Argan Oil,and Got Milk. 

Xcaret Mexico, Venice Child, Total Mom Makeover, and YaYa’s Sweet Surprise can not be forgotten as well.

On a more personal note now, I also must mention my amazing friend and one of the Roundtable Speakers Yvonne Heimann of Ask Yvi for her Impressive planner she gifted me with. It is truly one of the best planners I have ever had! Thank you so much Yvonne! I also must mention some other fabulous women who I crossed paths with that weekend: Carolyn West of This Talk Aint Cheap, Dr. Elise Cohen Ho, Lisa Brambilla, Survivor Eyes, Kristin Cruz of The Mom Show, Saarah Samadani of New Bloom media, Natasha Olson of Stay Posi Lifestyle, and Dana Zucker at Moms Good Eats.

I really wish I could list off all of the wonderful women I spent that amazing weekend with, but I think of them often and their individual stories inspire me daily.

And one special woman, I spent that awesome weekend with too is my mom Carmen! It was her birthday weekend and she too thouroughly enjoyed the ConnectHer17 Media Conference.

You don’t want to miss next year’s ConnectHer17 Media Conference. It will be at the SLS in Las Vegas again. Get your tickets here : https://connecther18.eventbrite.com. 

The post #CONNECTHER17 MEDIA CONFERENCE WAS AMAZING! DON’T MISS OUT ON THE NEXT ONE appeared first on Michelle Rivera Lifestyle.

If you are like me, then you have been doing what most women have been doing over the span of their adulthood. You have been smashing your expensive bras into tight drawers or hanging them by their straps on a hanger in your closet. Both of these options have been ruining your bras, by making them lose their shape, stretch their bands, or contribute to other issues like having the underwires quickly poke holes through your bra due to the way in which they have been incorrectly stored. Ladies, there is a better way, a much better way and it’s called Hanging Secrets!

Check out this video below about Hanging Secrets on HSN!

httpv://youtu.be/1TcCovA8UWk

What I personally love about Hanging Secrets is that I can store 3 to 4 bras within each bra pocket. I adore the fact that I can also store my matching panties along with the bras. The hanger truly is beautiful and well made. It easily fits in my closet and it has also freed up drawer space for me too. Every woman should have this product.

I deeply admire the CEO, Frances Prado for what she has created here, along with the mission of her company. Not only has she identified and filled a previously unmet need for the storage of women’s intimate apparel in a convenient and practical way, but Frances’ company has also participated in multiple charitable acts as well.

Here is what Frances has to say about her mission:

“HANGING SECRETS is all about The Cause. We are committed to supporting organizations that assist breast cancer survivors and we donate a percentage of our sales to the Virginia Ann Scheunemann Memorial Fund, which started in 2003 to assist women who are low income and/or uninsured by providing free products and service.

On September 24, 2015, HANGING SECRETS teamed with beauticians to provide complete makeovers for 12 breast cancer survivors at our product launch event in San Diego, California. Our idea was to have the first 12 recipients of HANGING SECRETS be breast cancer survivors.

And I am passionate about my business because it has allowed me the satisfaction of contributing to both the U.S. economy and to women’s charitable causes, which is, for me, the true meaning of living the American Dream.”

Thank you to Frances for inspiring women and future inventors everywhere! And thank you for saving our bras too! 😉

You can purchase your Hanging Secrets on HSN or at http://hangingsecrets.com/products.

Get Social with Hanging Secrets on Social Media too!

https://www.facebook.com/hangingsecrets/

https://twitter.com/hangingsecrets

https://www.pinterest.com/hangingsecrets1/

https://www.instagram.com/hangingsecrets/

The post Hanging Secrets: The Unmentionables Organizer Worth Mentioning! #HangingSecrets appeared first on Michelle Rivera Lifestyle.

Have you ever been listening to the radio and wondered who that sassy woman trying to sell you on the latest weight loss drug was? You would think to yourself, “Wow, despite the fact that she is trying to make me succumb to the ridiculous societal pressure for women to be stick thin, I kind of like her.”

Or what about the guy advertising the latest and greatest hardware store that somehow reminded you of your great-grandpappy? Don’t fool yourself, the people belonging to these incredible voices aren’t all kicking up their feet in ritzy mansions in Hollywood, they’re everyday people like you and me.

One of the people belonging to those voices is a woman named Carly Kraemer, a dedicated stay-at-home mother of two. She works part-time as a voice actor from her home in the Midwest while also homeschooling her two small children. 

Now, I myself am not yet a mother, but if my niece and nephew are any indication of how much attention toddlers need, I was particularly interested to learn what kind of magic she works at home to find a balance between family and work life. Turns out, she is a master of time management! Her trick? Making the most of small increments of time, which in her words is usually all moms get! Carly will sneak into the studio and audition for jobs several times per day and if offered a job, will find time later in the evening to record. Her biggest advice? Don’t fight the flow of the day; i.e. don’t fight your kids for quiet time! Trust me you will get tired of editing out the phrase “quiet please” yelled out the door of the studio. 😉

To make both worlds mesh, she works hard to manage her time and follow a schedule that accommodates her commitments. Her day typically revolves around her children. They do school work in the morning and if they’re working quietly, she’ll sneak in some editing or record an audition for a job that piques her interest. If it’s not a “work quietly” kind of day, she’ll wait until nap time to really focus on her work. Lately she’s taken on more projects that are longer in length with later deadlines, such as audiobooks. Projects like this are great because she can record at night when the house is quiet and edit during the day whenever she gets the chance.

So where did Carly learn the art of voice-acting? Like any specialized skill, she practised! Carly has been working in radio since her high school days. She would pre-record skits for radio bits (say that 10 times fast) and worked as an on-air personality. She also spent a lot of time in the production room cutting commercials. These experiences all helped her get the practice required to make it in the voice acting world.

I was curious to learn how Carly is able to record her audio with no background noise in a home with two small children. Would you believe me if we told you that she started out recording in her closet? A common misconception is that you have to spend a lot of money soundproofing a home studio. For a long time, Carly was using a walk-in closet. The clothes provided natural sound absorption and the tone was great! She now has a nook that she has closed off and hung blankets around for soundproofing. The point is, anything will work. Remember, it’s not TV. It doesn’t have to look amazing…just sound amazing.

I know what you’re thinking, this all sounds too good to be true, so what’s the catch? There has to be challenges. I’m with you, I needed the dirt. The truth? Of course there are challenges to working as a voice-actor, while being a stay-at-home mom, but they may not be what you’d guess.

Carly’s biggest challenge is knowing when to quit. She has a passion for voice acting and finds the work enjoyable. As with anything, it’s not easy for her to divide her time between working and making herself available to her children. Being the savvy business woman and loving mother that she is, she found a loophole:

“This field of work is unique in that there are several Voice Acting jobs for kids. These kind of auditions are great because the kids are always excited to “work” with me and it greatly benefits their communication, reading, and comprehension skills. And watching me edit their recording for them and play it back is something they enjoy. So one of the other benefits of working as a voice actor from home is being able to incorporate my kids in my job and show them what it looks like to run a business out of your home.”

Seriously, what can’t this woman do? Carly found her passion in voice-acting. I like the freedom and the control: if I want to make more money, I work harder. How great is that?! Carly is an awesome example of what can happen when you mix a strong work ethic, drive and a love of what you do.

Think you may be interested in having a career in Voice-Over work like Carly? Well here’s your chance! Voices.com has been helping businesses find their voice since 2004. Founded by a husband and wife team with a passion for the industry and a vision that there was a better way to find, hire, and pay voice talent. Today Voices.com is the world’s largest online voice-over marketplace. 125,000 talent from around the globe, speaking over 100 languages and dialects, are connected daily to the job opportunities posted by 125,000 clients. Projects range from broadcast TV spots to audio books to e-learning videos, and everything in between. And here’s some more exciting news! Mommyhood to Hollywood is giving away to one of its readers a free Membership that’s worth $400.00 USD! Here are the details for the Give Away!

GiveAway Deets: Go to www.Facebook.com/MommyhoodtoHollywood and LIKE the page. Then type a message that says, “I want to win a Voices.com Membership.” It’s as simple as that and you’re in. The Giveaway will be announced on the Mommyhood to Hollywood Facebook page on Friday, August 8th, 2016.

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