Atlanta's 100 Most Influential African American Women

SUMMER 2009 Vol. 17 No. 4 $3.95

LISA NICOLE CLOUD

CEO of Elite Marketing Strategies, Inc.

A Multi-Level Marketing Success Story

Travel:

Vacationing on Hilton Head Island

Atlanta's Mayoral Candidates

Health:

Elderly Healthcare Initiatives

Family:

Family Reunions with Meaning and Purpose

[ COVER STORY ]

Dare to Dream...
ecording artist Vernessa Mitchell sang at the White House, signed with Motown records and performed with groups such as High Inergy, been nominated for Grammys, Dove Awards, Stellar Awards until her life fell apart when her mother died. Thats when she dropped off the music scene and out of sight. That is until she met the CEO of Elite Marketing Strategies and 5LINX platinum senior vice president Lisa Nicole Cloud. I had traveled all over the world with my music, but things just didnt seem the same. People always wondered how I could just walk away from a career that had been so good to me, but I was lost, said Mitchell. Then Lisa showed me how to use my talents to build an organization that would support me nancially and develop what I had been doing for so many years. Have you ever wanted to start your own business but you had no idea where to begin? Have you let your dreams of entrepreneurship lay dormant as you chase the paycheck? Many Americans nd themselves in that position today as we face a climate of constant economic change and

Lisa Nicole Cloud, Owner Elite Marketing Strategies, Inc.

By Sidmel K. Estes

uncertainty. Heres the reality checkWhat is your Plan B if your Plan A lets you down? The days of a promising 30-year career with a particular company seem to be fading away. Have you yet realized that the US work world is shifting from a W-2 economy to a 1099 economy? says Cloud. Lisa Nicole Cloud inspires people across the globe to capitalize on a hot, new emerging technology that is forecasted to be the next shift in wealth. What if you could have been on the ground oor of companies like Microsoft, Google, MCI Where would you be today? she asks. Lisa Nicole believes entrepreneurship is the path to the American Dream. Having multiple streams of income insures that you will grow in a climate where others are shrinking. Most people are not doing what they were put on this earth to do because they are too busy living paycheck to paycheck. When Lisa Nicole Cloud was a child, she dreamed about being someone. She wanted the best out of life and knew that she could make it happen. Today Lisa has made that dream come true as a multi-millionaire businesswoman, motivator and coach. A mentor once told Lisa, You can lease your life or buy and own your life. If you want to own your life tomorrow, you have to take the

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steps that forge that future today. Those words of wisdom changed Lisas life. Five years ago, Lisa was on the same road of corporate uncertainty and instability, as most Americans, in her career in pharmaceutical sales. She faced each day wondering if and when she would fall victim to corporate reorganizing. She knew that the security she once felt in her corporate job was gone and that she had to do something different. Lisa began exploring different businesses she could start and learned of a new venture in the VoIP/direct sales space. Due to the low start up investment and her intrigue with the Videophone VoIP technology Lisa decided to start her own VoIP telecom business in the direct sales industry. Not only has Lisa been able to create unbelievable success for herself, she has helped train and develop tens of thousands of people around the world to do the same thing with success. Lisa shows people with a desire to explore entrepreneurship how to turn potential into performance and develop the traits of successful people who live their dreams no matter what is going on around them. Her message of Becoming Your Own Boss in a home business is being received now more than ever before. Americans today are realizing more than ever their need for diversification and multiple streams of income. Newsweek Magazine reports that 50% of the households in the US are involved in a home based business. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that there are now more than 18.3 million home based businesses in the United States.

Shes also a devoted wife and mother who believes that her success enhances her familys life. She is free to make choices that benefit her entire family. In fact, her husband, Dr. Darren Naugles, who is an emergency room physician, is able to choose when he wants to work at the hospital and when he wants to spend time with his family. Most of the time he is Lisas chief advisor and supporter. Lisa was motivated to succeed by the desire to be with her husband and two young children, son D.J. and daughter Amira Faith. Its liberating, she says of her decision to fire her previous boss and go on her own. I never did expect to build a business that would generate more income in three months than I made in a year. Lisa now shares her knowledge and experience with others to help them realize the power of dreams and how to turn those dreams into reality. Your attitude in life determines your altitude in life is Lisas mantra. Everyone can achieve it by staying focused and living your dream. Shes produced several audio training series and a unique coaching system entitled Live Your DreamsIts Possible. Lisas inspiration comes from her mother, Bette. She is my role model and really put the entrepreneurial spirit in me, Lisa proclaims proudly. Lisa would push me to a place where I could only find the way of achievement, adds Debbie Russ who is now a national director with the telecommunications company. She really has a heart for what she does in helping people have success.

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everything you need to live the life of your dreams all lies within and the 8th and nal principle is Never Ever Quit and Give Up on Your Dreams. Lisa proclaims with vigor and passion throughout her book and coaching, All that I am and all that I haveI owe to God. Her strong work ethic and desire has paid off handsomely. Lisa does the majority of her work from her personal ofce located in her million-dollar, 8,000 square foot mansion. Thats not a small accomplishment for a woman who is only in her mid-thirties. She also operates several other satellite ofces and a studio. The success of her business has allowed her to purchase three homes and several luxury vehicles. She was recently awarded a new Bentley by 5LINX because of her achievements in the telecommunications industry. But she hasnt stopped there. She knows it is her mission to help others achieve the same level of success and she has the stories to prove it. 5LINX National Director Christine Bowen says Lisas support and advice helped save her business. After a few months in the business, we encountered a stall in our business. On a whim, I approached Ms. Cloud and asked her if she could become my coach/mentor and she graciously accepted. Within a few months of mentoring with Lisa, we hit our next earned position and we are now top producing national directors. Thats the beauty of Lisa Nicole Clouds message. Everything that she has achieved can be achieved by anyone who believes in his or her dream.

Lisas work has impacted businesses and organizations across the spectrum including healthcare, sports entertainment, information systems, pharmaceuticals, Christian ministries as well as telecommunications. She brings her charismatic and passionate style to every seminar, workshop or training session she does. She has developed a revolutionary system that applies management, psychology, personal development and leadership principles. She now trains thousands of entrepreneurs and is in great demand for appearances all over the world. She developed her foundation for this work as a psychology/pre-med major at Emory University and later completed the prestigious Leadership Development Program at Johns Hopkins University. Shes worked with several Fortune 100 companies and built a dynamic direct sales business in the telecommunications industry. Lisas most recent accomplishment is the release of her rst book and executive coaching system entitled Live Your Dreams Its Possible. The principles of Lisas book and coaching system are 1-Develop A Strong Relationship with God, 2Create a paradigm shift in your mindset, 3-Develop a goal of Joy, Peace and Contentment, 4-Be Mentored and Mentor Others, 5-Release the pains of your past to Open Yourself to receive blessings of the future, 6-Embrace Your God Given Talents and gifts and do what you love, 7-Recognize that

Elite Marketing Strategies, Inc. 3235 Satellite Boulevard Building 400, Suite 300 Duluth, Georgia 30096 877.486.4774 For additional information on Lisa Cloud and her company, Elite Marketing Strategies, Inc. visit: www.lisanicolecloud.com www.elitemarketingstrategies.com
About the writer: Sidmel K. Estes is the former executive producer at Fox 5 Atlanta/Good Day Atlanta. She now is the President and CEO of her own media consulting company, BreakThrough Inc.

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