What's Your Dream by Cheryl Cage

Cheryl Cage of MyCore is a contributor to our newsletter and blog.  She is an expert about the benefits world, an educator, and loves who people are.

Do you have a dream? Maybe it is to open a salon, an automotive center, a flooring company, or a boutique. This country is the best place for those dreams to manifest! 

Sadly, many freeze their dreams right there. They go to their job to provide for their family every day and keep their dream a dream. 

People are afraid of all the moving parts it takes coming together to keep their business flourishing. Payroll, Benefits, HR, Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Taxes. Scary words when you have NO clue where to even begin! 

Dreamers get stuck on those six verticals, afraid if they fail in those, they will lose their business and the time and money they spent to start it. 

If I told you there was a solution, would you relight the fire within you to consider starting that dream business? 

Pictures tell so many stories. Can you see your business name on a sign above the door? Greeting customers in the waiting room? Being your own boss, doing things your way, and serving the community the way you want to? 

Imagine the pictures in your marketing and on your social media of the smiles you helped to create. 

Megan with Honey Bee Photography takes pride with her customers by really getting to know who they are and the image they want to convey. She will bring light to your dreams and tell the world your story. 

I can’t wait to see the pictures of your dream. Well, here is the best news...

Launch by MyCORE was developed for the dreamers! 

We will lock arms and help you get the LLC or INC. for $145 plus state filing fees, then for $300 a month provide you with all your Payroll, Benefits, HR, Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Taxes needs for one year! This allows you to walk through your fear and dream BIG, and keep that dream thriving! Call me, let’s talk about it!

Thank you for your service! 

Best Regards,

Cheryl

Cheryl.cage@leadwithmycore.com!

        

CHERYL CAGE

Head of Business Development

443-481-8027

leadwithmycore.com

Show Them You're an Expert by Cheryl Cage

Cheryl Cage of MyCore is a contributor to our newsletter and blog.  She is an expert about the benefits world, an educator, and loves who people are.

Do people see you as an expert in your field? Does everyone who knows you know who you are, why you exist and what your business does? Can everyone who works with you speak like an expert about your company? These things are super important! I’d love to share what I have recently learned. 

Over the quarantine I took so many classes to develop my perfect practice. 

Sarah Gretzinger of The Savvy Networker Global shared with me this amazing piece of advice: The Expert Positioning Statement. If you can remember these simple phrases you can always sound professional in your delivery. 

I am............

I help..........

So that.......

By...............

If I was to share mine it would sound like this: 

I am Cheryl Cage with the Business Development team at MyCORE. 

I help businesses with 1-100 employees.

So that the employer can spend less time running their business and have the time and security to build their business. 

By offering an All-In Subscription of Payroll, Benefits, HR, Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Taxes.

Use this in networking, marketing and all social media.

Having an Expert Positioning Statement and professional pictures provided by Megan Martineau and Honey Bee Photography is a perfect way to showcase your position in the community. The combination of both are sure to keep you memorable. 

At MyCORE we aim to serve the backbone of this country, small businesses. This month I want to feature Veteran-Owned companies. We thank you for your service and want to serve you now. We offer a nice monthly reduction in our subscription to Veterans when you Shield Up your company with the MyCORE All-In and All-In Plus Subscriptions. 

Thank you for your service! 

Best Regards,

Cheryl

Cheryl.cage@leadwithmycore.com!

Protect and Empower the Children

Children, unless taught to do otherwise, only know how to love.  It's innate.

Children are taught by the generations in their families.

The teachings of those older generations are the legacy the children are left with, and will pass down as a legacy, when they are the oldest generation in their futures.

That's a compelling way to view things, isn't it?

We learn certain things that are passed down from generation to generation.  Family feuds happen; look at the Hatfields and the McCoys.  It wasn't until 2003 that they finally created a truce between the two families.  I can't imagine that there aren't still remnants of that feud that linger, despite the publicity of the truce. Generations of hateful family members, holding onto something that happened between ancestors they hadn't even met, continued to fester in undue anger.

However, those three cousins empowered themselves because it was the right thing to do, to end that feud.  They empowered themselves to protect and empower their children.

What have you been taught in your past, by your ancestors, that you would love to unlearn right now, so that your children will learn the right things?  So that you can protect and empower them, so that when they reach adulthood, they don't have to bear the burden of generations of hate.

Instead, they will be able to pass down a legacy of respect for those who did it, of forgiveness for old, hurtful wrongs, of changing habits, of changing perceptions, and of bringing peace by learning to compromise.  They will pass down a legacy of protecting and empowering future generations of people you'll never meet, but they will know of you because you changed a pattern.

Protect and empower your children.  That way, they will pass that down.  And so on, and so on.

Discovering the World

I'm at a friend's house today, social distancing, of course.  I'm sitting in her dining room, and looking around for inspiration.  She loves maps.  She has a wooden cut out of the contiguous US and one of the Chesapeake Bay.

It got me to thinking.  How in the world did explorers in the 1400s make maps?  It isn't like they were able to see the land and the terrain from above.  Compare to today's maps, they aren't perfect, but they were pretty darn close.

I found an article found on Discover Magazine's website, where writer Julie Rehmer interviewed John Hessler, a curator at the Library of Congress, where one of his duties is maintaining the vault that holds the institution’s most rare and important maps.

He studied a map of the Mediterranean Sea and it's ports, and discovered that it is really close to a modern map.  Between sailing around the edges of the sea, using a compass, mathematics, triangulation, etc, an explorer/cartographer was able to create a very detailed map.  For the first time, between 1290 and 1350, sailors and sea captains were able to sail in this sea with accuracy.

I think he must have really paid attention to details, and spoken to people, asking them questions, especially those working at the docks in the ports.  Questions like, when that ship came around the bend, which angle was it coming from?  How fast was it coming in?  What was the weather like?

I think he must have asked a lot of questions to a lot of people, to get a clear picture of what the Mediterranean looked like accurately, so he could produce a map that helped thousands of sea-faring captains and crews.

This is a map of the Mediterranean Sea from the 15th century.  Look how accurate it is.

It's kind of like what I do.  I want to discover wonderful things about my clients and their families.  I want to create a map, so to speak, of their relationships, triangulate their moments, use a compass to help them follow their hearts.  Then I plan their session, using special details, to make it perfect.

The details lie in the decor of the home, the colors used, their lifestyle, and most importantly, their emotions and what the love about each other.

What does your family map look like?  Let's find out with a discovery call!

Bee in love with the heartwork of your life.

Your Dog is Your Best Friend

Dogs are a human's best friend.

I mean, I have cats and I love them.  But once upon a time, I had Lukey Bear.

He's been gone for 3 1/2 years, and I still miss him every day.  He was a Great Pyrenees, who loved us with everything he had.  His drool.  His fur.  His magnificent, plumy tail.  His "Pyr paw".  His incessant nose boops.  His snuggles. His eyes.

Oh, his eyes.  So soulful, especially as he grew older.  When I looked into those deep brown eyes, as he grew older, the more he communicated with them.  Like the time we put reindeer antlers on him.  

When he would lay down in a huff, on his belly, with his arms and legs tucked under him, and his long nose resting on his front paws, he looked like a snow covered mountain.  When he was sleepy, his face would squish and his closed eyes looked so cute, like he was squeezing them shut to focus on sleeping; yet he was always on alert.  

If I said his name, though... he'd continue to lay just like that, but peek with his eyes to estimate the importance of my getting his attention.  If he thought that it was important enough to open his eyes wider, he would.  More often than not, I would tell him, "Who's a good boy?  Lukey's a good boy".  And he'd smile, and go back to sleep.

Great Pyrenees are independent thinkers.  They are for guarding sheep, and they know how to do their jobs.  As much as they love their human pack members, if they decide something else is more important, they will go do that, and not obey the command, "come".  However, as they joyfully run ahead of you, they'll glance back and see if you're playing along in the run.

He went on "adventures" many, MANY times.  And he'd come back, eventually, with that excited look on his face, like he had just had the best time of his life.  Even though he couldn't tell me all of the things he got to do on his adventures, his eyes told me everything I needed to know, and that was, "I wanna do it again!"  

About a month before he passed, at the old man age of 11, he had gone on his final adventure around our neighborhood.  Even though he wasn't running quite as fast as before, and his woofs weren't as loud as before, he had the best time.  I know, because I was running after him.  His eyes were shining from the fun, and I could see the puppy still in those eyes.

The day before he passed, he had come up to me by my desk in my camera room, his eyes so hopeful, so loving, and I hold onto that memory so tightly.  He laid at my feet, with a huff, his chin and nose resting on his paws.  Without moving his head, he looked up at me with love and a "thank you for being my muzzy-wuzzy".

The next day, he was gone.

When I work with my clients' dogs, they often realize that their dog is so old, that they now have to have family photographs of everyone together.  I love that.  However, I do encourage people to include their beloved pets in their sessions early on because they are definitely a part of the family.  

Bee in love with the heartwork of your life.

Time is Sweet

Welcome to Honey Bee Photography!

Have you ever noticed how sweet time is, when you get to spend time with your loved ones?  No matter if you have young children, tweens and teens, or college-age kids, you miss them when they aren’t around.

When they are around, there are certain things that they do that you love, and wish that it would never change.  The way your 9 year old daughter pushes her long hair over her left shoulder. The way your 13 year old son bites his lip when he’s focusing on a math problem, then looks up and grins when he figures it out.  How poised your 18 year old twins are, on the brink of adulthood, but still so very young, and when you hear them giggle, it takes you back to when they were 3 and giggled.

In your mind, you promise yourself that you’ll always remember these things, but our brains are funny in that way.  Ten years down the road, who was once your 9 year old daughter, is now 19, a sophomore in college, and wears her hair in a pixie cut.  Your 23 year old just graduated from college, and is thinking about getting married!  Your twins are now moms themselves, and it’s hard to believe that you are a grandma!

What would it mean to you to hold onto these memories and emotions forever?  To hear the giggles, to brush the long hair, to see confidence appear on your child’s face?  It’s the stuff of emotions that we really want to hold onto.

Here at Honey Bee Photography, we believe that family photography, women’s photography, and professional’s photography, can be absolutely beautiful, meaningful, and help people to reconnect with themselves and their loved ones.  The unique experience that we offer our clients is bespoke, meaning, we tailor every experience to the clients with whom we work.

Considered to be one of Maryland’s best photographers, especially in Anne Arundel county and Prince George’s county, we pride ourselves in creating family portraits that symbolize and celebrate each family member individually, and as a whole.  We take into consideration your lifestyle, your home décor, and your favorite colors, and plan you session so that your family photos are displayed in your living room where everyone can see them!

Wouldn’t it be amazing to walk past your photographs every day, and feel your heart burst with love, pride, or nostalgia every time you looked at them?  How do you think a beautiful photograph of your children all together, loving on each other, help them on those rough days as siblings sometimes have?  What would it mean to you to have a photograph of you and your partner, holding each other, when he or she travels often for work?

It’s the little moments, that you want to treasure, that we want to explore with you, and create artwork for your home that will bring back those beautiful emotions for you every time you see them.

When we work with women and professionals, we offer a similar experience that is also bespoke.  Here is where you can see our work, read some testimonials, and discover what resonates with you.  We take boudoir and headshots to a completely different level with your experience and artwork.

Bee in love with the heartwork of your life.

Three Secrets That Your Photographer May Not Be Sharing With You

I've been photographing families since 1989.

I KNOW.

I'm old.

In 30 years, I've seen all kinds of trends come and go.  Stirrup pants, and lips with dark liner and pale lipstick, fluffy eyelashes, and heels that raise you up about 6 inches.

Amongst other things.

What hasn't changed is posing, lighting, and emotion.

I'm about to share with you three secrets that your photographer probably isn't telling you...

1.  Posing
It's true... some lenses are short and will put 10 pounds on a person.  Other lenses are long, and will take off 10 pounds.  But a sure fire thing to help anyone look better is great posing.

Typically, when you are with your kids, and you hand your cell phone to your girlfriend and ask her to take a photo, because you're never in photos with your kids, you're trying to wrangle your kids in the photo.  Because you're trying to keep them in one spot, your arms look double their size, your shirt is hiked up making you look pregnant, and the ketchup stains from little fingers that wiped on your jeans is showing.  You just never look good, no matter what, in photos.

Unfortunately, sometimes your photographs done by a new photographer, might end up looking very similar, and that is where the belief is cemented, that you just never look good in photographs.

Good posing will help you look like you've lost 10 pounds.  Good, directed posing will help you to look great in a photograph with your kids when wrangling them.  Good, directed posing will look natural and help you feel confident during your session, as well as make you feel great every time you see your photographs.






2.  Good lighting
There's something to be said about natural light and using it well.   And then there's not using it well.

Typically, when out and about with your kids on your favorite trail, and you want to get a quick photo, and you are under a tree, with the sunbeams filtering through, it looks so pretty. Surely that will look pretty in a photo.  Instead, you get shadows of branches and trees all across your children's bodies and it looks weird.

The secret to good lighting outside is being in open shade with the sun behind your subject.  This creates all kinds of wonderful effects by photographers who know how to manipulate light.

Good lighting can make you look 10 pounds lighter, too.

3.  Emotion
Something I heard a lot from moms in the late 90s and early 2000s was "I don't want my daughter smiling like that.  Her eyes get squinty and I want to see her beautiful eyes."

This was disheartening to hear.  Usually, the daughters looked natural and smiley, and happy, when I spoke with them and helped them to feel confident in front of the camera, while entertaining them, to get the natural, reactive smiles.  What these moms were looking for were photo smiles, where there was no emotion in the eyes, but you sure got to see their irises.

What this also said was "Your smile makes you look ugly".  I also heard a lot from moms was, "I don't want her looking angry, either".  Trying to get a young teenage girl to look happy without actually smiling, took a lot of work.  I often got in trouble for my sessions going over the time limit we were given.  I didn't care.  I wanted these kids to feel comfortable in their own skins, and with their emotions.

A reactive smile (a smile that is a reaction to something funny) is natural, and emotion is carried up into the eyes.  Squinty or not, genes play a big part, and Mom is probably saying the same thing that her mother said to her.  Just let me help you smile.  Let me help you feel during your session.  We'll get the best emotion if you let me.

And there you have it.  Three secrets that your photographer may not be sharing with you.

Bee in love with the heartwork of your life.