Everyday Livin’

As some of you know, B Boards isn’t my only gig. I also own & run a restaurant with my family. Between the two B Businesses, sometimes it’s hard to find time to sit & unwind. But it’s a life of adventure and as they say “when it rains, it pours.”

 

Clear Your Head

I don’t wake up too early, but not too late. There is a time that is just right after working on your feet for 12 hours the day before. A hot kitchen in the summer is brutal on your body. Kudos to all the chefs out there that do it day in & day out. But getting up and making time for yourself is important. Yes, your overall health is crucial in maintaining a balanced lifestyle, but your mental health is what will get you through the day. Sometimes, a little cardio session to kick off the day is just what your mind needs to allow it to be able to become the problem master later in the day.

Here’s a great article on the correlation between mental health and exercise. HelpGuide.Org

 

Make a List

This works best if you start the night before. Jot down a few things that need to be done the next day. Keep it in a planner, a binder, a journal or even on a piece of paper on your desk. In the morning, read the list and start to accomplish your mini-tasks for the day. The thrill of crossing something off is enough of a reward for getting it done.

 

 

Evernote is a great resource for those who like to keep their “To Do Lists” with them on the go. It hooks up to all of your devices & syncs in the cloud.

 

 

Get it Done

Sometimes it is best to start with the project you are most avoiding in efforts to make your progress move along a little quicker. I usually start by prepping most of my boards because that isn’t the creative part of my craft. I then move on to the projects that spark joy. My to-do list dwindles much faster doing it this way. Then once I reach the end of my list, I sit down and make a new one for tomorrow.

 

Priorities: Boniello’s

If I follow this routine during the day, during the evening my time is devoted to Boniello’s. This week, in particular, we are involved with St. Mary’s Church’s Carnival. We have been delivering pies about twice a night every night since Monday. I have been checking in, making sure the staff has coin change, the proper tools they need for their shift & handling catering orders. Then I retreat back home where I unwind, discuss ideas & issues with my business partners who just so happen to be my parents and then reset for the day coming.

Finding time.

If something means something to you, you will find time for it. Whether it be taking time to go to the gym, catching up with an old friend or even just a quick date to the movies, I appreciate my time off from my businesses. I also appreciate the quote, “Work Hard, Play Harder.” After all, we deserve it.

Support Your Local Anything

As I’ve gotten older (I’m 24), and as I’ve started two small businesses, I’ve realized the importance of shopping local.  It’s not because I disagree with the ways in which big corporations are run but because I now understand the benefits to the community of shopping small. Do the local big box stores help lower taxes? Yes (well, to some extent). Do they often contribute to their community’s sponsored events? Yes. Do they provide convenience, low prices and peace of mind? Yes. But shopping small can produce something that’s maybe just a little ‘bigger’ than that.

When you support a corporation, you could be supporting some your town’s residents who work there who use the income to support their families & so on. But mostly, you are supporting the ‘higher-ups’ in the company. I understand, they are people too, but their salaries are no where near to what the small business owners’ income could amount to. Studies have shown that if you support a local business, for each dollar spent there, about half of that dollar is put back into circulation. That money could be used to support maybe another local business, or even the community itself (i.e. Dine to Donates*). Most of the time, the local business is run by a local residents who have an invested interest in the betterment of the community because well, they live there too. Giving back is on the top of their list, especially if their kids are still in the school system & participate in the town-run extracurricular activities.

When you support a small local business you are supporting a family. You are allowing their youngest daughter experience her senior year to its fullest participating in all of the celebratory extracurricular events. You are contributing to their center child’s college tuition, facilitating her potential to succeed in becoming a well-established pharmacist. You are supporting their oldest child’s dream of running a business. You are ensuring food on the table, a roof over their heads, light, warmth & comfort. You are allowing them to be a family just like yours. You are supporting one of your own. You are supporting someone just like you.

The next time you’re having trouble deciding where to get your produce, where to get a birthday gift, or where to eat dinner, shop small, shop local.

Have a good day everyone!
Love,
B

Websites referenced:
https://ilsr.org/key-studies-why-local-matters/
http://www.amiba.net/resources/localhero/

*Dine to Donate: Most local stores host “Dine to Donates” to help a local cause. Boniello’s in Riverdale hosts Dine to Donates for causes like PLRYO, PLRLL, PLEF, Autism Speaks, Cure to Cancer…etc. Boniello’s will donate 15% of it’s sales to the cause & promote the event & the cause on their Facebook, Instagram & Twitter outlets. If you are interested in a Dine to Donate please email theboniellofamily@gmail.com.

Rose Colored Glasses

I laugh every time someone asks me how I am so happy all of the time. I guess that right there just proves the point. I never understood my attitude or my perspective on life until I started to work in the “people” business. You know, the type of business in which you are constantly surrounded by people all day long. So I guess you could say it all started with my  waitressing gig at a local Irish pub. I would work mostly weekday & weekend nights & apparently I would always be accompanied with a smile.

Well, if you have never worked in the restaurant business, let me tell you, you learn a lot about people. The good, the bad and the ugly, but apparently I only see the good in everything. Some might say, I have on an invisible pair of rose colored glasses.

Table five needs more water, the float is gluten free, there are five people waiting by the front door, a lady has called three times asking how long the wait is, and all you can see is a smile on my face because we are busy. My car’s engine could be flooded and I am just thankful I have good car insurance. I just got a car wash but it’s raining and I’m so happy because maybe my headache will finally go away. I guess you can say I do not dwell on the bad but look forward to the good. I don’t sit and complain, I just find the positive.

It’s not so much my perspective as it is my attitude. I am happy-go-lucky, and my glass is always half full. I am not sure that it can be taught, but I do know that it’s definitely a certain mindset.

Do I want to pull my hair out some days & just want to quit? Of course! But then I ground myself and pull myself back together thinking of how far I’ve come and just how far I have yet to go. If it’s a negative comment on Yelp!, or a misspelling on one of my boards, I think of each as a learning experience. I take what I can from each situation and apply it to my future. I take the feedback and implement change for good reviews & I remind myself to spell check & proofread every time before I give boards to my clients.

Would you like a pair of rose colored glasses? I’ll do my best throughout this blog to help you acquire your very own! Maybe B Boards can help me out 😉

Until next time,
Be. you.tiful.

Love, B

Make Passion Your Paycheck

I have my hands in a little of everything. If you read my story you know what I am talking about. I was a high school graduate who was accepted into college, who was going to classes to graduate while building a resume to ultimately go and work for someone else (that was a mouthful). I was on that path. Life has a funny way of working out…and not working out. That is why I am here writing to you today.

You take what you can get, right? Well, I wasn’t getting anything. No call-backs, no interviews, no job opportunities (none of which excited me). Maybe I wasn’t going about it in the right way. Maybe my heart wasn’t really into that whole game. Maybe it was my subconscious mind. That’s how I ended up here. Throughout my journey (and still to this day) I read books of which provide me with the tools, the skills, and the mindset I need to succeed in anything I do. I dived into the renowned audio of Jim Rohn, Tony Robbins, Darren Hardy and plenty more, I began to understand that there is a different way: Entrepreneurship.

Henry Ford taught me that whether I think I can or I can’t I am right 100% of the time. I have the power to do whatever it is I set my heart to, whatever it is I act to get accomplished. I was lead to the book 10X Rule by Grant Cardone to which I attribute the formation and execution of my business B Boards. Entrepreneurs do not have a set path. You work for yourself for whatever cause or need you desire to resolve or fill. Lori Greiner once said, “Entrepreneurs rather work 80 hours a week to avoid working 40 hours a week” and that encapsulates the passion behind almost every entrepreneur’s business. Entrepreneurs are driven by their ideas, desire and motivation. They visualize more often than most. They can see, feel, taste the moment of which their goals will come to fruition.

B Boards is a business that fills a void. Commercialization is so overrated. Everyone now-a-days appreciates a hand-made, personalized gift. Everyone wants a little touch of home, creativity and human sense of community wherever they go. Luckily for me, chalkboards made a comeback and I found my strength. I love that my business can help other local businesses stand out amongst the vast competition from franchises or chain competitors. I’ve always been an advocate for small businesses. B Boards’ little touch of home is what may keep their customers from straying into the robotic and systematic feel of the franchise restaurant down the street. Put your money into the pockets of your community. Keep your money where you can see it. Help build the rapport, the relationships and the strength in your own community.

When I look at it that way, B Boards was bound to happen. Unfortunately, we live in a country with an economic system that has been doing the same thing over and over again expecting to get a different result. Generations have proven to fight the system and come out on top. My generation’s obligation is to revamp and revive the economy. That means, to do something different to get a different result. Our parents and our parents’ parents worked in the corporate world. Starting at the bottom, working their way up the ladder. Now, we see no movement, lay-offs, high unemployment and depression. Now is the time for change. Now is the time for entrepreneurs to shine.

Whether it’s a little business or big business, if you find a niche, fill a void, or find a need, your business will survive. More importantly, if you find something that you are passionate about, you will survive. If you find something you love to do, you will never work a day in your life. Find yourself & your passions. Understand your journey. Learn from your mistakes and persevere until all of your goals are expected and realized. Entrepreneurs jump & build their wings on the way down. If you’ve jumped always remember: passion never fails. 

Always Be.You.Tiful.

Love B

10X Rule by Grant Cardone http://www.grantcardone.com/the-10x-rule/
B Boards: @byBboards  https://www.facebook.com/ByBBoards   http://biancaboniello.wix.com/bboards
Lori Greiner: http://www.lorigreiner.com/

That’s Just the Way It Is; Everything Happens All at Once or Nothing Happens at All.

Overwhelmed? Exhausted? Mentally drained. Everything is coming at you at once. Whether it may be bills, estimates, jobs, homework assignments, tests, events, it will either all come at you at once or nothing will happen at all. It’s the give and take part of life. You take what you can get and sometimes there is a little bit more than you are able to grab. You find yourself saying “there aren’t enought hours in the day” or “I wish there was a day between Saturday and Sunday.” You are tired and that’s ok. You are testing yourself, bringing yourself to your limits and stretching them. So what do you do when everything happens at once? Well, it’s really very simple. You take it, one-step-at-a-time.

What about those times when someone asks what’s new and you have no response. Nothing is new. Most people respond with “same s*** different day” (excuse my asterisks). It’s an up and down ride. Some people find it frustrating. I secretly find it thrilling. I know you know what I am talking about. I know you know how it feels. Why stress? When it’s good, embrace the good. When it’s bad, learn from it and move on. When there is nothing at all, find something you are grateful for and appreciate it’s part it plays in your life. If you don’t have enough going on in your life, it may be time to take up a hobby, reconnect with friends, find new friends, take up reading. Do something that is going to help you find balance rather than an empty bucket.

There is always something going on or something for you to do whether you see it or not. Likewise, there is always time for moments of clarity. Take a deep breath and tell yourself, “I can do this.”

What do you do when nothing happens at all? You live-in-the-moment and use your free time to find clarity to prepare you for when a hurricane of bills come in or a tornado of tests are coming up the next week. When all of this happens at once, you take a deep breath, maybe a step back and get ready to take a plunge into the unknown. You can do this. You can handle this. That is, if you say and truly believe you can. Life isn’t about the things that happen, life is about how you react to things that occur. Find your balance, even if that means its lopsided. Do what makes you happy and realize the beauty in busy and the clarity in calmness.

This was inspired by the author of The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho “Life has many ways of testing a person’s will, either by having nothing happen at all or by having everything happen at once.”

Be.You.Tiful.

Love B

Beauty Starts from Within

I read an article every morning. After I read, I look for another article that will inspire the people I work with. I have reached the point where I am attracting articles I need to read and articles others have a need for. This article entitled, “8 Qualities That Make Her Gorgeous That Have Nothing To Do With Looks” just came to me today. This article, written by Dan Scotti gives insight that there are qualities you possess that make you beautiful without referencing your physical appearance. He states that if you have clear goals, know what you like, make mistakes and are an all around real person, you are attractive.

Who wants to go on a date where someone just orders a salad? Who wants to go out with someone who needs to cake on makeup for hours before they can even step foot out the door. (Who wants to do that by the way?) Relinquish your need to be perfect on the outside. Acquire the desire to become a beautiful person on the inside. Well-rounded, up-to-snuff on the news and the important current events, even reading for pleasure gives you much more experience and perspective than those who use their books to collect dust. You are beautiful because of your interests. You are beautiful because of your perspective. You are beautiful because of everything on the inside. A happy person on the inside, can illuminate an entire room.

Why waste your time on meaningless activities? Spend more time doing what makes you a better person. Sit down with yourself and map out your future. I am talking to all of you, regardless of you age, we all have time to become beautiful human beings. Find your passion, set your goals and work every day to improve yourself.

To become beautiful? That’s easy! Find yourself, your passion and just be.you.

I hope this article brought value to you all. Stay Be.you.tiful.

Love B

http://elitedaily.com/dating/8-non-superficial-qualities-women-attractive-men/799995/

10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know about B

Let’s get a little personal. Dive down into what makes me me and see if you have any secrets or characteristics that are the same. 10 things you probably don’t know about me…Let the games begin.

1. I have a keen sense of smell. I can smell something before it’s done cooking. If it’s a terrble smell, don’t worry I will be the first to let you know. Tell me if this has happened to you before. You walk into a restaurant and you are seated next to a couple who’s perfume smells stronger than all the food that restaurant has made that night. Sometimes it can become nauseating and difficult to enjoy your food.

2. I don’t drink water while I eat. I never noticed this until my friends pointed it out, but I can go through a whole meal without taking a sip of any beverage. Most people think I am crazy, and this thought is amplified especially after I eat a spicy dish. I never have water with dinner and milk with dinner seems outrageously weird for me. I have to remind myself to drink water daily in order to stay healthy.

3. I love the water. I have an obsession with the beach, lakes, watching the waves of the ocean. It is calming and reminds me of all the cities I have traveled to in Europe. When you look out on a body of water it looks endless like it goes on forever and ever. The calm, peaceful waves and even the sound of the ocean is calming to me. I have decided that I will live by the water. I like to wake up to that sight and go to bed watching the waves crash against the shore.

4. I secretly love the winter but complain about how cold I am all year round. Yup, I’m one of those. I love the progression of the seasons. As depressing as it may seem, I love when the leaves fall, the trees become bare, and snow begins to glisten our roadways. I secretly obsess over Thanksgiving and Christmas because I love decorations, the spirit of the holidays and the concept of family coming together. Ironic, considering this is the opposite for my mother.

5. I am a Pinterest addict. If Pinterest would pay me to pin and repin and create pins I would be set for life. But that’s not how it works. I love to see and be able to learn from and expand upon other people’s ideas. I love that I can have a vision board right on my laptop. I love that everything is in one spot and the tutorials, and materials I need are just a click away.

6. I am an organization-a-holic. I like to know where everything is. I have a different binder for all of the activities I partake in. My taxes could be a little more organized but they have files too. Even things that I find that aren’t mine are filed away in a folder. I think it is important to have all of your things squared away before you can go out there and try to help someone else.

7. I run my own business B Boards. It started by just being bored at my job. I started to rewrite the draft boards at the bar and boom! A business formed. I now have my own website, have been featured in online magazines with the help of my dear friend Louis Garbarini, Illumination PR & JWoww. I make custom gifts for weddings, bridal showers, baby showers, birthday, housewarming & even go into restaurants and update their boards. It has turned into quite the little at-home business. 

8. Family over everything. My family comes first. Always. They have always been there for me. I will always be there for them. Our bond is a little different than others but that’s the beauty of it. I have four friends I can always run to in times of need and in times of joy.

9. I would love to learn another language. It is fun to learn not only a language but also the culture of the language and how their minds work and the different perspectives people can have just from living in a certain area.

10. I didn’t like reading in elementary school, middle school or even high school. In fact, it wasn’t until the end of college til I realized that reading allows you to either escape your reality for a brief moment, or gives you an opportunity to learn, practice and apply values and tools into your own life. I have read more books this year than I have in my entire life.

I hope you learned a little something about me. I would love to learn more about you. Regardless of your age, you can live the life you always imagined. Learn about yourself. See what it can do for you. Try new things. Learn new things. Talk to new people. Life is about finding yourself. Who are you? What kind of life do you want to live?

Always Be.You.Tiful

Love B

B Boards Featured Articles for JWoww’s Bridesmaid Boxes

Daily Mail

Cosmopolitan

E! Online 

OK! Magazine

Wet Paint

Too Fab

MTV

How to Be Inspiring

You want to inspire others don’t you? Well that all begins and ends with you. In order to inspire others you must first be you. Genuinely being yourself. Genuinely seeking out your interests. Genuinely being happy. We have all heard you should love yourself before you can love another. Well, the same goes for inspiration. You should inspire yourself first and then look to inspire others.

Make a change. Start something new. Join a club. Find a new hobby. Read. Step out of your comfort zone. Do something you’ve never done before. This life is all about you and how you act and react to situations. You can be whoever you want to be. You can do whatever you want to do. Find out a little about yourself. Do a little soul-searching. Make a list of 10 things someone might not know about you. Make a list of things you like, things you don’t like. Mine is saved in the notepad of my phone. I always know when I go to a certain sushi restaurant that I don’t like their miso soup. Simple things like that will make everything else clear. Understand your likes, understand your dislikes. Pay attention to how you react in certain situations. Learn from your experiences and your mistakes and teach the world how you have overcome the hurdle or have mastered a skill. That is how you inspire.

You inspire by being you, full-heartedly you. Your little quirks could become your most treasured features. Your mistakes could teach thousands on how to handle a situation. Your mistakes will become your greatest successes. Your voice will be heard because you are simply speaking from your heart. Life isn’t a dress rehearsal. You are living the full performance day in and day out. Do you. Have fun with yourself. Laugh a little bit. If you fall. pick yourself up and then share with the world about it.

When you are putting out not only positivity but you are genuine in the things you talk about, post about, even blog about, people will feel a connection. This connection is how people formulate trust. If they connect, they like the feeling of your words after you have left, they will look to you as a person of inspiration. If you prove to be good at what you love and who you are, people will come to you for advice, people will look to you for wisdom and even sometimes you will inspire thousands without even knowing.

You being you in a world that tells you differently is beyond inspiration. It is real. It is something most people wish they had the power to do. But guess what…they already have the power, they simply have to harness it and use it. By you being you, you will allow others to be themselves, a world of different people does a whole lot more good than a world of duplicates, replicas, unoriginal copies.

To inspire you must first inspire yourself. To inspire yourself, you must learn about yourself. To learn about yourself you must commit to being you. To be you is genuinely be.you.tiful.

Have a wonderful day committing yourself to being you.

Stay positive & be.you.tiful ❤

B

It All Comes Full Circle with Squares (B Boards)

Tell me if this sounds familiar. I attended school, received good grades, went to college. Sounds pretty standard right? How about this… I was accepted to college, attended my classes, received good grades, studied abroad. I applied for internships. I applied for jobs. I applied for the status quo. I never understood that there was a different way. I thought and truly believed I was heading in the right direction. I never knew that there was a different way to make it in the world.

After studying abroad to over 10 countries and 35 cities, I came home feeling like I could do more. I could be more. The world was so vast and the opportunities and experiences are limitless. I did what every college student would do. I tested my boundaries. I tried something completely unfamiliar. I became an affiliate for a health and wellness company. This was a great start into the major and a way for me meet new people. Boy, is that an understatement. I met well over hundreds of people, all working on themselves towards one goal: a better future. We are the most socially connected age demographic living in the worst economy since the great depression. It is our turn to take the wheel and turn this economy around and make a name for ourselves. If it’s not broke, don’t fix it, but if you keep doing the same thing over and over expecting to get a different result, that is insanity. I have learned to channel my own strengths. My affiliate marketing business not only made me aware of my surroundings, the media, the news, the current events but also led me to a countless books I attribute my success and growth upon. 10x Rule by Grant Cardone gave me the fuel to fire up and start my own business, B Boards. Here’s how:

I work at an Irish Pub in my hometown. I got the job because my mom kept pestering the owners saying that I would be a great addition. Little did I know that a trip to grab some take-out turned into an interview. This wasn’t any interview. I was in sweats and ready for bed and before I knew it I was expo-ing in the kitchen. It was a test to see if I could take the heat (pun intended). Sweating, confused but determined to make a good first impression I stuck it out and impressed the boss.

A few months go by and I started to help out a little more. I started changing the menu boards around the bar. I received so many compliments on my work. I started to write on the free standing chalkboards outside. I would post a few and receive such great feedback. I learned new skills to act upon and built a following, a sense of identity, and branded myself well. I continued to design these boards and took pictures to show my family my work. My father later gave me the idea to turn it into a business and to call it B Boards. Grant Cardone gave me the idea that I could do such a thing.

B Boards started off by rewriting chalkboard draft lists while working my part time job. I decide to do more (10 times more). I branched out. I started to style and letter chalkboards in surrounding restaurants. I then gained a following from my home town and participated in a local fair. I exposed B Boards to my community and the response has been great ever since. I continue to put forth ten times the amount of effort I believe necessary to grow this business and sustain it.

As the business grew I juggled college classes, a part time job, my affiliate marketing business and a growing start-up. I got through this was because of the affiliate marketing program and the skills and mentorship I received because of it. I learned to become a mentor. I learned to have confidence in myself and that my actions would lead others to do the same: to conquer their fears and fulfill their dreams. My dream was to be successful. My plan was interrupted, but I was redirected and accelerated on a better path.

I like what I do. I like that I style and design and write on boards. I like that I can help make someone’s business better. I like that I have turned a hobby into a source of income. I like that this source of income has the potential if I see it has the potential and that it is solely dependent upon my efforts, my thoughts, and my actions.

I am passionate about taking every experience, every opportunity, every event that occurs in my life and learning from it and applying it to my life. I believe that everything comes into your life for a reason and your life can benefit from each and every obstacle if you strive to find the silver lining in everything. If you strive to find one thing you can learn, one thing you can apply, you have already succeeded. I can create the life I have always wanted. I have the power in me to do whatever it is I set my mind to. I have the ability to make it happen for me.

If you would like to follow my business B Boards my Instagram & Twitter are @byBboards.

I hope you enjoyed my story. I would love your feedback & to hear yours!

Be.You.Tiful

-B

Feel Good & Be.You.Tiful.

Maybe I didn’t say it loud and clear the first time. Who am I? Who is be.you.tiful? Well, you are in for a surprise. Look in the mirror. Yup, that’s right, this blog is about you. It about the thoughts that may pop into your head and even those that should be paying you rent. It is about life, love, passion, business, tips, tools & insight towards a positive, meaningful life. I catch wind of a thought trending throughout my friends, family, society, even the media and write about a way for people to cope, understand and learn from the experience that which provoked it. Simple enough right?

I blog for you. I blog to promote positivity. I blog to instill in our minds that the power to turn any situation around is ours and how we need to stop asking for permission and just take it. This blog is to also inspire young professionals who are taking a risk, taking a stand and building their own dreams. In life there is no win or lose: It’s win or learn. A setback is just a set up for something better. Take something from every experience, shed a little bit of light and add a little bit glitter, grow, shine and succeed from it.

That is exactly what I have done, and what I am currently doing. I am growing. I am growing my business to become something I have always wanted. I am working on expanding my handwritten creativity business and becoming more official in every sense of the word. I am tapping and entering into new markets. I am challenging myself to accomplish tasks and projects I never thought I could accomplish. I am utilizing my positive mindset to get me there.

The message I wish to convey to you all is one of “the good life,” la dolce vita, positive vibes (you feel me?). I will ‘feel good’ blogging, sharing my experiences and inspiring while you will ‘feel good’ reading, grasping a better understanding of your thoughts and actions and attaining knowledge that can help you live a positive life.

Feel Good, Be You, Be.You.Tiful.

This Blog was inspired by Alex Beadon’s Feel Good Blogging Challenge. #feelgoodblogging

Photo credit: http://www.mactoons.com/create-a-life-that-feels-good-on-the-inside/