Why You SHOULD Work With Friends

The Friends That Create Together, Stay Together! 

Pictured in photo, left, Darlene Foster, right Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta

URGH! A few days ago I overheard someone utter that dreadful cliche, “You shouldn’t work with friends.” Yeah, say that to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards!

Like the Glitter Twins, I’m here to prove that silly saying wrong. Hear me out…

I’ve found my magical “glitter twin” in not only my husband, but in many friends! But before I share the magic, here are my top reasons why it’s best to work with friends/lovers:

• You already like/love each other, so you are off to a good start. There’s no tension, no “breaking the ice,” and the competitiveness is healthy — you want each other to succeed.
• True friends/true lovers are NOT jealous of each other.
• You thrive off of your creative differences.
• You move ahead faster because you know each other well.
• Celebrations of success are that much sweeter.

Working with someone you don’t know very well (or don’t like) never brings a project to fruition. Countless times I’ve stopped editing or ghost writing a book because I couldn’t stand the person I was working with. I’ve had dream jobs I’ve quit because my co-workers were the pits (and came out ahead of the game with the next job or project – go me!)

So, if someone tells you it’s not a good idea to work with a friend or a lover, I’m here to prove them wrong. Of the hundreds of friend/lover collaborations I’ve done over the years, here are a handful of my random favorites (in no particular order).

The Hounds of Winter “Come On Christmas”  

The above video was made possible by people in my circle who are all forever connected, Ric Pink; vocals; Tom DiPaolo: guitars; Dennis Mistretta (my husband): bass; Tom Corea: drums; and I did backing vocals at the last minute. Oh, and my good friend Darlene Foster (long-time girlfriend of the guitarist Tom DiPaolo) created the cover art. The CD was made in 2012. Note, sometimes Tom Corea’s wife Carol plays instruments on the CDs too.

Seltzer’s Rainbow Heart 

Editing “Seltzer’s Rainbow Heart” for my good friend Jayne DiGregorio, was super fun. It was the beginning of many projects we have done together. I’ve helped her promote the book, wrote about her Care Bear non-profit for newspapers, and we worked together on other projects too. Working together was never a problem, it only brought us closer.

Darlene Foster 

Ten years ago I modeled for my artist/photographer friend Darlene Foster. And some of the photos sold too! Since then she’s designed two of my book covers, and is a current participant in my upcoming book, “Fantastic without Plastic” (a book about positive, attractive women who look/feel amazing while shunning plastic surgery and Botox).

And while my husband is a humble person who doesn’t like to be called out in blogs or on Facebook, I have to override him this time to say that he’s the one person I can count on who ALWAYS (and I do mean ALWAYS) reads my articles. He comes to as many of my speaking engagements as he can (and gives me rides too!) and cheers me on when I come up with new ideas. When I’m feeling down, he’s the one I can count on to remind me, I’ve got a name.

Can you get all that from a mere acquaintance or someone in an office you barely know?! ABSOLUTELY NOT!

And all that said, if I need to work with someone, I will call on a my husband or a friend first! I know they are reliable, fun, hard-working, and creative. It’s a joyful existence for sure!

Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta can be reached at: maryannechristiano@gmail.com.

She is available for blogging, ghost writing, writing. She is also available for book signings and motivational speaking engagements. She is the author of the following books :

“Be (Extra)Ordinary: 10 Ways to Become Your Own Hero” is available on Amazon. To get your paperback or Kindle version, visit: https://www.amazon.com/Be-Extra-Ordinary-Ways-Become/dp/1733546227

“I Don’t Want to Be Like You” is available on Amazon. To get your paperback, Kindle or audio copy, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Want-Be-Like-You/dp/1726273261

“The Gypsy Smiled” is available on Amazon. To get your paperback or Kindle version, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Gypsy-Smiled-Maryanne-Christiano-Mistretta-ebook/dp/B074VC7MT9

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Latest Book in Barnes & Noble!

Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta, author of

“Be (Extra)Ordinary: 10 Ways to Become Your Own Hero”

Being a 5x author, I’m no stranger to seeing my books on Barnes & Noble online, but this is the first time I ever saw one of my books in a Barnes & Noble bookstore. Friends have purchased my books from Barnes & Noble bookstores and showed me photos of the books in the stores. But it’s definitely a first for me, and it was a thrill!

Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta can be reached at: maryannechristiano@gmail.com.

She is available for blogging, ghost writing, writing. She is also available for book signings and motivational speaking engagements. She is the author of the following books :

“Be (Extra)Ordinary: 10 Ways to Become Your Own Hero” is available on Amazon. To get your paperback or Kindle version, visit: https://www.amazon.com/Be-Extra-Ordinary-Ways-Become/dp/1733546227

“I Don’t Want to Be Like You” is available on Amazon. To get your paperback, Kindle or audio copy, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Want-Be-Like-You/dp/1726273261

“The Gypsy Smiled” is available on Amazon. To get your paperback or Kindle version, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Gypsy-Smiled-Maryanne-Christiano-Mistretta-ebook/dp/B074VC7MT9

How to Spot a Scam on Facebook

Before I get into it, first I want to say that both Facebook and Craig’s List are great tools for people who work for themselves. As an author, ghost writer, blogger, editor, and public speaker, I’ve been successfully self-employed since 2008, in part thanks to Facebook and Craig’s List.

From time to time, I’ll post an ad on a Facebook community page seeking work as a ghost writer or editor. I’ve met many clients this way and it gets my name/info out there for referrals.

The other day I was thinking about posting in a local community again and I saw something suspicious. It was an ad offering a large sum of money for a simple task of posting real estate ads on to Craig’s List. After some investigation, I realized it was a scam. A person in real estate “hires” someone to do their busy work posting ads on Craig’s List. But then they don’t pay their hired help for doing the work (which is promised after a two-week period). The person makes all kinds of excuses why they can’t/won’t pay. If you Google “Craig’s List Real Estate Scam” you will find many stories about this scam.

Now, what makes victims fall prey to these scams is that the scam artist will create a beautiful Facebook page. They will steal photos of an attractive, approachable looking woman (or man) and create a fake page, with a fake name. The person will be featured in various photos taken over the years, on glamorous vacations, with a cute pet, with friends or a lover. The punchline is — LOOK CLOSER — there will only be a few “likes” for each photo and hardly any engagement with so-called friends/family. This is the dead giveaway! Do not walk away, RUN!

As we know, the majority of successful people on Facebook have reached their friend limit and engage with their friends/fans/family on a regular basis. For real accounts you’ll see hundreds of comments.

Scam artists can never have enough time to create a seemingly true picture because they are too busy scamming. This particular page I saw was one of the more elaborate ones I’ve seen. Others are the more obvious type of fake with just simply a few photos (of a very good looking female or male) with limited engagement. But those are the types that seem to want fake love and fake relationships, not necessarily money (or your time to work for them at no pay).

With what I already knew, and some further investigation, I exposed a scam artist and he/she was banned from the job hunting community!

It breaks my heart reading real stories about people in vulnerable situations (the one I read yesterday was home bound in a wheel chair) getting scammed.

If you’re self-employed, or seeking work in between jobs, or just need some extra cash, here are ways to avoid being scammed:

1. Ask for a phone number and an email address. Do not EVER work directly from Facebook Messenger and/or Craig’s List addresses.
2. When you get a phone number, call it at least once for any reason. Make up a dumb question. You need to make that verbal connection to know the person is real.
3. Over the years I’ve worked with clients all over the country and in other countries. But I’d suggest if you first start working for yourself, remotely, stay as local as possible. Unless you know for sure the person you’ll be working with is honest and sincere.
4. If you’re asked to create a fake Gmail account — DON’T DO IT! The person can use this to find out your passwords and get information to your other important stuff like bank accounts.
5. Do not provide a social security number over the internet. Only send a W-9 form to a legitimate email address that belongs to a legitimate company/organization.

If you have anti-scam tips or stories you’d like to share, feel free to comment below! 

Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta can be reached at: maryannechristiano@gmail.com.

She is available for blogging, ghost writing, writing. She is also available for book signings and motivational speaking engagements. She is the author of the following books :

“Be (Extra)Ordinary: 10 Ways to Become Your Own Hero” is available on Amazon. To get your paperback or Kindle version, visit: https://www.amazon.com/Be-Extra-Ordinary-Ways-Become/dp/1733546227

“I Don’t Want to Be Like You” is available on Amazon. To get your paperback, Kindle or audio copy, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Want-Be-Like-You/dp/1726273261

“The Gypsy Smiled” is available on Amazon. To get your paperback or Kindle version, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Gypsy-Smiled-Maryanne-Christiano-Mistretta-ebook/dp/B074VC7MT9