May 2012 Meeting: Member Showcase
Thursday, May 3, 2012
11:30 am to 1:00 p.m.
Leonardo's / La Gondola, 700 E. War Memorial, Peoria

At our next meeting, attorney Jonathan Phillips, an associate at Shay Law Group, will speak to us about legal issues of interest to freelancers. After presenting a quick primer on business entities and intellectual property, he'll take our questions. Don't miss this rare opportunity to learn from an expert!

Please RSVP to kathy@carteredit.com by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 2.

April 2012 Meeting: Your Business Checkup
Monday, April 9, 2012
6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
Leonardo's/La Gondola, 700 E. War Memorial, Peoria

At the April Spark meeting, we'll discuss how to give your freelance business a "checkup." If the only aspect of your business that you measure is earnings, you may be missing out on valuable information. Join us to learn about other "diagnostic tests" that can help you assess your freelancing fitness and improve the prognosis for long-term business health. In addition, we'll try to leave some time at the end of the meeting for open discussion and networking.

Please RSVP to kathy@carteredit.com by 5 p.m. on Friday, April 6.

March 2012 Meeting: Member Showcase
Thursday, March 1, 2012
11:30 am to 1:00 p.m.
Leonardo's / La Gondola, 700 E. War Memorial, Peoria

At the next meeting, up to six Spark members will have the opportunity to speak for up to 10 minutes each. (RSVP to reserve a spot -- see below.) This is your chance to highlight your work and your professionalism. For example, you might want to:
* Briefly summarize your skills and specialties.
* Tell us about your qualifications and experience.
* Describe your ideal clients, so we'll recognize them if we meet them.
* Share a success story.
* Display samples of your work.
* Distribute brochures, business cards, etc.

Please RSVP to kathy@carteredit.com by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, February 29.

February 2012 Meeting: Collaborating for Success
Thursday, February 2, 2012
6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
Leonardo's / La Gondola, 700 E. War Memorial, Peoria

There are many ways freelancers can work together, ranging from planning a cooperative marketing effort to actually teaming up on a project. At this month's Spark meeting, we'll discuss the wide range of possibilities and share best practices for collaborating effectively.

Look for us in the meeting room (to your right as you enter the restaurant). No charge for the meeting. Food and beverages may be ordered from the menu.

Please RSVP to kathy@carteredit.com by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, February 1.

December 2011 Meeting: Crafting Contracts
Thursday, December 1, 2011
6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
Leonardo's/La Gondola, 700 E. War Memorial, Peoria

Whether you call it a contract, a letter of agreement, a signed proposal, or any other name, a written agreement is essential for protecting your interests—especially when working with a new client. At this "share & learn" meeting, we'll discuss the ingredients of a well-crafted contract.

Look for us in the meeting room (to your right as you enter the restaurant). No charge to attend the meeting. Food and beverages may be ordered from the menu.

Please RSVP to kathy@carteredit.com by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, November 30. (If you don't RSVP you can still come, but it helps to know how many people we're expecting.)

November 2011 Meeting: Marketing Your Freelance Business
Thursday, November 3, 2011
11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Leonardo's/La Gondola, 700 E. War Memorial, Peoria
Presenter: Gary Chatham of Breakthrough Entrepreneur and Business Coaching

Gary helps entrepreneurs tap into their passion, purpose, and expertise to create thriving businesses. With over 20 years experience in marketing and coaching, including special expertise in Internet marketing and social media, Gary offers advice that is both inspiring and practical.

Look for us in the meeting room (to your right as you enter the restaurant). No charge to attend the meeting. Food and beverages may be ordered from the menu.

Please RSVP to kathy@carteredit.com by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, November 2. (If you don't RSVP you can still come, but it helps to know how many people we're expecting.)

October 2011 Meeting: Fall Kickoff
Monday, October 10, 2011
6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
Leonardo's/La Gondola, 700 E. War Memorial, Peoria
Look for us in the meeting room (to your right as you enter the restaurant).

Come reconnect with longtime colleagues and meet new ones as we get started on another great year of Spark activities! You'll have an opportunity to:

• Describe what you've been working on lately
• Tell us what your biggest business challenges are
• Share ideas to help each other
• Suggest topics you'd like to see addressed at future meetings

Food and drink: If there's enough interest, we'll order pizza(s) to share and split the cost. Otherwise, you can order whatever you want from the menu. Besides pizza, choices include sandwiches, pasta, and side salads.

Please RSVP to kathy@carteredit.com by 5 p.m. on Friday, October 7. (If you don't RSVP you can still come, but it helps to know how many people we're expecting.)

February Meeting
Date & Time: Eating and chatting begin at 6:30 p.m. (optional). The meeting officially runs on Thursday, February 17, 2011 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Place: Leonardo's/La Gondola, 700 E. War Memorial in Peoria. Look for us in the meeting room (to your right as you enter the restaurant).

Topic:  "Freelancers Helping Each Other" (group discussion). Do you have a specific question, dilemma, or challenge in your freelance life right now? Could you use the advice of your fellow Spark members? Maybe you'd like to use this group as a sounding board for a new business idea. Whatever the case, the next Spark meeting will give you the opportunity to bring up whatever's on your mind. We'll give each person a few minutes to share a concern or idea and ask for feedback from the group. If you don't have an issue you need help with, please come to offer your advice to your fellow freelancers, or just to listen and learn.

Food and drink: We'll each order what we want from the menu. Choices include sandwiches, pizza, pasta, and side salads.

January Meeting
The next meeting of Spark: Peoria Area Freelance Professionals will be Wednesday, January 19, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Leonardo's/La Gondola, 700 E. War Memorial in Peoria. Look for us in the back meeting room.

Topic: "Setting Goals for Your Freelance Business" (group discussion). January is always a great time to think about what you want to achieve in the coming year. Have you set goals for your business for 2011? Take this opportunity to share your ideas and learn from your fellow freelancers. Here are some discussion starters for our conversation:

• What types of goals might freelancers want to set? (Dollars? Number of new clients? Types of projects?) What are their pros and cons?
• How can we keep our goals "front and center" all through the year?
• What have you learned from your past goal-setting efforts? What worked for you? What tripped you up?
• What resources related to setting and achieving goals (books, articles, websites, workshops, etc.) have you found helpful?

If you're feeling brave, you may want to go on record by stating your business goal(s) for 2011. Tap into the motivating power of group support and accountability!

Food and drink: We'll each order what we want from the menu. Choices include sandwiches, pizza, pasta, and side salads. (The room will be available starting at 11:15 if you want to order before the meeting begins.)

RSVP: Please RSVP by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, January 18. (If you don't RSVP you can still come, but it helps to know how many people we're expecting.)

A note about the date/time: We're varying our meeting days and times, since not everyone can come to evening meetings. If you can't be there right at 11:30 or need to leave before 1:00, that's okay -- just come when you can. (In February we'll probably go back to a Thursday evening meeting.)

September Spark Meeting
posted Sep 7, 2010
Our next meeting will be Thursday, September 9th from 7 to 8:30 pm at Leonardo’s on War Memorial Drive in Peoria. We will each order what we want to eat or drink from the menu. Our focus will be where we’re at and where we want to go. We’ll start with ourselves; for example, describe the type of freelance work we do, how our year has been, our plans, etc. Then we will talk about how the group can best support your efforts.

April Meeting: Spark Potpourri
posted Mar 31, 2010
Our next Spark meeting will be Tuesday, April 20, from 6:30 pm to about 8:30 pm at Leonardo’s on War Memorial Drive in Peoria. As usual, bring $8 for pizza or you can order from the menu.

RSVP/CANCELLATION: Please RSVP by Monday, April 19 at 5:00 pm to dbaxter@baxterwrite.com
TOPIC: A mix of things you might want to share:

Something you have learned and applied from one of meetings in the last year or so—Tammy Finch (Social Networking), Robin Albright (Marketing from a Coach’s Point of View), Debbie Delgado (Creating Abundance for Your Business), or a tip from a fellow freelancer.

Time management tips for freelancers. Other tips for freelancers. This may be our last meeting until fall, so I hope to see as many of you as possible! (We may go to lunch during the summer. )

February Meeting
posted Jan 28, 2010
Spark will meet Thursday, February 18 from 11 am to 1 pm at Leonardo’s on War Memorial Drive in Peoria, IL. Robin Albright, coach with ZingerZanger, will share marketing tips As before, bring $8 for pizza or you can order from the menu.

Please RSVP by 5:00 pm on February 17 to dbaxter@baxterwrite.com. Thanks!

Debra Baxter

March Meeting
posted Jan 28, 2010
Tuesday, March 16 from 11:00 am to 1 pm at Leonardo's on War Memorial Drive in Peoria, Illinois. RSVP to dbaxter@baxterwrite.com by Friday, March 12 at 12 noon. Our speaker is Debbie Delgado, IdealLife Coach.

Create True Abundance in Your Business!

Are you ready to join the many entrepreneurs who are THRIVING even while others see only an economic downturn and lowered profits? Our current economic situation has separated those who create from those who react, resulting in some people doing very well right now – financially and emotionally – while others are acting as if the world is coming to an end! Would you like to know the secrets of creating abundance in your business? Join us for this powerful workshop!

Debbie Delgado, IPEC Certified Empowerment Coach and owner of IdealLife Coach in Bloomington, Illinois, is on a mission to help entrepreneurs reach higher levels of service and abundance! Debbie serves her clients through private coaching, group coaching & masterminding, workshops, keynotes, recorded programs, and her IdealLife Lessons e-zine.

January Meeting
posted Jan 7, 2010
Our next meeting will be Tuesday, January26 at 6:30 pm at Leonardo’s on War Memorial Drive in Peoria.

FOOD: If you would like to join in for pizza, the cost will be $8. You will need to order a drink separately. You can also order food separately from the menu.

AGENDA: Mainly we’ll catch up on what everyone is working on. I would also like to talk about CI Creative to see if we might want to join forces with them.

RSVP/CANCELLATION: Please RSVP to dbaxter@baxterwrite.com by Monday, January 25. If the weather is bad, I’ll send out a message ASAP to our distribution list on Tuesday to cancel the meeting. Nicole Yugovich is my backup. (Contact me if you'd like to be added to the list.)

Debra Baxter
dbaxter@baxterwrite.com

October Meeting
posted Oct 6, 2009
The next meeting of Spark: Peoria Area Freelance Professionals will be Tuesday, October 20, from 6:30 to 8:30, at Leonardo's Pizza on War Memorial Drive in Peoria. The cost is $5.00 for pizza or you can order from the menu. Our topic will be sharing networking tips for finding clients. Please bring an idea, a resource (such as a book or Web site), a method that works for you, etc. Please RSVP by Monday, October 19 to dbaxter@baxterwrite.com.

September Meeting
posted Aug 4, 2009
Network with fellow freelancers at the September meeting of Spark: Peoria Area Freelance Professionals. Tammy Finch from Web Tech Services will present information about using social media to find clients and build your business.

Where: Leonardo’s Pizza on War Memorial Drive in Peoria, Illinois
When: Thursday, September 10, from 6:-8:00 p.m.
Cost: Bring $5.00 for pizza or you may order from the menu. Soda and beer are also available on the menu.

Please RSVP by Tuesday, September 8 to dbaxter@baxterwrite.com.

Debra Baxter

Meeting Update
posted Jun 29, 2009
We're taking the summer off and plan to meet again in September. Please check back! Debra