Women Contribute to “A Dazzling Hue of Pink”
Business inspiration, wisdom and advice for women entrepreneurs
As another Christmas Eve approaches in a week and visions of Saint Nicholas on his sled flying above Mother Earth start crystallizing in my mind, I witness him glancing down at a world that looks different than last year. A brilliant pink hue illuminates the atmosphere when he circles above countries and regions that have women making a difference.
A rose colored hue radiates the air from the passion of Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan, a 17-year-old student and education activist and youngest-ever Nobel Prize winner who was shot in the head by the Taliban gunman two years ago for insisting girls also have the right to an education.
A watermelon shade shines above tennis pro Serena Williams who was named Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year, an honor that an individual woman has not received since 1983. Serena, a 21 time grand slam champion battled racism and sexism to dominate her sport.
A deep raspberry tone emanates from Hillary Clinton running for President of the United States with her strong educational, professional and foreign affairs background who is trying to make the world better for her daughter, granddaughter and a generation of women.
If Saint Nicholas looks hard enough he will also notice the zeal of women entrepreneurs all over the globe who every day wake up to produce a product or service to their local community that makes life easier, better or more meaningful. Pink light shines everywhere – around, above and throughout the entire globe. He soon realizes how the powerful works these women make contribute to a kinder, smarter and better place for all.
Today’s blog post is to thank women entrepreneurs for their individual contribution to your community, the marketplace and the world that makes our globe glow with more energy and hope. Do not diminish the impact of your passion and hard work as the year draws to an end. Sip your favorite warm or cold drink near the glow from your tree or window lights in the quiet evening or morning this holiday and recount your business blessings and the people who adorned your path in 2015. I hope you envision your own pink light shining brightly.
Seeing Your Name in Print More Often in 2016
Business advice for women entrepreneurs and small businesses
No matter how hard technology tries, there will always be people holding and reading a book, newspaper or magazine during their day at some point. Reading a print publication is still a transformative occasion when readers are carried into another world or dissolve into the expertise of another person.
Many women entrepreneurs, with years of proven business expertise, contemplate whether 2016 is the year for them to see their name in print more often. Decades of business wisdom and personal knowledge is the groundwork needed to write or contribute to a book, newspaper or magazine. Copies of written work become a calling card for speaking opportunities locally, nationally and internationally.
Recently a few women entrepreneurs shared advice on the topic at an event. Their advice was too valuable to not share with my blog readers. I hope their inspires you to open up a new marketing avenue for you and your company.
* Self publishing has become a popular way to print an individual’s book. Judith Shenouda, Owner of Shenouda Associates Inc. explained self publishing is not rocket science. It is a very doable process anyone can follow. Using a program like CreateSpace.com provides easy guidelines.
* Judith also shared the fact self published books are not picked up in traditional book stores; they are sold online at places like Amazon and Barnes and Nobel. If you want to land a book in a brick and mortar store, use a traditional publisher but expect needing to submit a formal proposal and a longer timeline to see your work published.
* If you would like to see your name in regional or national print publications, like Natural Awakenings of Rochester, publisher Kelly Klein explained entrepreneurs might contribute to editorials by submitting press releases, purchasing display advertisements or obtaining advertorials (promotional or educational and are articles that accompany purchased advertisements) to promote themselves.
* Kelly shared before you select a publication to submit information to, make sure you know your niche and the targeted publications niche and be original in your writing. Always end with tips.
*Christine Krahling, award winning writer and blogger and author of “CeliacSavvy” blog, recommends those interested in publishing essays or personal stories contact a company called Nothing But the Truth Publishing who is currently searching for authors for their next edition.
* Christine also shared one of the best resources for writers might involve hiring an agent. One of the best resources for writers is Writer’s Digest. Realize any agent worth her salt will ask a writer if they have a “platform,” meaning do you have a Facebook page (how many followers?); a Twitter account, an Instagram account, etc. and do you have you written/published articles on your book’s subject matter, etc. It is highly recommended a writer have a platform before pitching to an agent.
After reading these print pointers, I hope you add “Seeing My Name in Print” to your 2016 New Year’s Resolutions. Let us know where to find you once you get published.
Monday Motivation: Commit to the Change Ahead
Business Advice for Women Entrepreneurs and Small Businesses
The quote, “The hardest part about making a decision is the time leading up to the decision,” has always been something I’ve said to those I’ve loved or counseled when they had a big decision in front of them. The “knowing” of needing to make a change festers in our soul ready to escape the moment we give in to a resolution. Whether in life or in business, decisions can be difficult.
For a couple months I have pondered making some changes within my business. When the uneasiness or the “knowing” struck me late summer, I knew I needed to give myself enough time to ruminate about it, speak with a few trusted people and then when the time was right to begin the change. I think we all wish change could occur at the snap of our fingers but meaningful change takes introspection, time, and commitment.
So yesterday when I finally committed to doing something concrete about a positive move forward, I felt extremely confident about the decision. The months of wavering dissipated and a sense of calm took its place. A confident “I have a lot of work to do” kind-of-calm enveloped me. Change is always going to keep happening so we have to decide if we want a “say” in what’s changing.
Entrepreneurship is always about change. Nothing about running a business ever stays the same. It isn’t a permanent, concrete structure that doesn’t bend because to be successful we must be flexible over time to thrive. Sometimes we need to change our brand look, mission, business plan, target market, pricing or policies. Other times we need to be innovative or decisive about ridding our company of wasted resources. Periodically we need education and inspiration to change our own minds to take things to a higher level.
Today’s post is to remind you that you must be willing to keep changing to survive happily in business. Ask yourself “What have I been stubbornly holding onto for too long that needs a change – my sales skills, my pricing strategy, my staff, or maybe my own attitude?” Get help if you need help. We can stay stuck spinning our wheels in the same place for too long and waste valuable time we can’t retrieve. Move forward. Decide. Commit. Feel better.
Remember in the end any decision you make that doesn’t work out, can always be changed again. You are never permanently wed to anything you do; but you must constantly try to transform and revolutionize your business and at times your life.
Business advice for women entrepreneurs and small business owners
December is a month of wonderful colors spotted in holiday displays, festive house decorations, burning candlesticks and fragrant evergreen trees. The last month of the year is a kaleidoscope of red, green, blue, yellow and purple tones in typical darken streets, windows and rooms which warms our eyes and spirits.
December should also be viewed from a different hue if you are a woman business owner. The twelfth month of the year needs to be seen in black and white too. By looking at your company’s finances, customer opinions, market share and other tangible statistics you gain clear conclusions to help you evaluate your enterprises’ current standings in order to aid you in vital future planning.
Often our female emotions influence how we think and feel about our company. One fantastic compliment from a client makes us feel we have 100% customer satisfaction and a few poor critiques have us convinced we are doing a poor job. Sometimes those assumptions stick with us over time coloring the truth of the reality of our company’s strength or weakness because we allow what we feel, hear or see to tell the full story.
After instituting a survey of our loyal followers last week I discovered the black and white statistics and perspectives from those we serve. The results painted a pragmatic picture on our current standing with customers and immediately helped frame a defined plan for the future. Without the concrete data, opinions and statements we would have continued forward without a tangible view from the women we serve.
I hope this blog post inspires you today to set time this month to look at your business from a black and white vantage point. Consider revisiting your business plan, surveying your members, analyzing your financials and documenting your successes and failures in 2015. Only by seeing your company from a monochromatic viewpoint can you take the guesswork out of the equation so you can accurately see your business as it is and make changes to better it in the New Year.
During this month save the beautiful hues of the season for your personal viewing but look at your business in a black and white perspective to give you the realistic information you need to move forward successfully as a woman entrepreneur.
Is it Time to Shake Up Your Business Brand?
Business advice for women entrepreneurs and small businesses
News flashes recently highlighted shake ups in a couple popular brands. If you crave pancakes at lunch, you might have noticed McDonald’s offers their breakfast menu all day after thousands of consumers demanded it on social media and after McDonald’s sales had declined significantly. If Starbucks is your coffee of choice, you couldn’t miss the controversy over their new holiday red cups without traditional festive symbols on them which caused an uproar on social media about the corporation being overly correct and “aiming to destroy Christmas.”
Isn’t it true an essential part of business to not only establishing a strong brand but also tweaking it once in awhile to stay relevant? The brand we created a year or sometimes ten years ago might not be the same one our customers sense today or the marketplace demands now.
The lessons from the McDonald s and Starbucks changes indicate that sometimes customers will love the changes you make while others might revolt. Ultimately any modifications to your brand, services or products must be carefully planned from many perspectives including financial, marketing, publicity and customer relations. If you want to shake up your brand with large or subtle changes make sure you understand the positive and negative implications that could occur.
In McDonald’s case they were trying to answer declining sales and their decision to add an all breakfast menu has worked. The company has grown 4 percent since making the breakfast change. Starbucks ultimately decided to stick with their plain red cups and in the meantime, without spending one dime on extra marketing, became the conversation of nearly every American. The truth is “Any PR is Good PR” for a company.
Today’s post is meant to inspire you to consider ways to shake up your brand name, services or products based on your own desires, consumer demands or marketplace ideas. As you begin to plan for the New Year, consider making changes and putting a timeline together to implement them well. If you aren’t already hearing from your customers on desired changes, create a survey and ask them. You can also conduct a brain storming session with your employees or close associates for ideas. If you create new concepts make sure to update your business and marketing plans to roll it out successfully.
Shaking things up in a company for the most part is a great way to bring attention to your business, increase sales and answer client demands. Is today the day you need to eat breakfast at noon and stop by Starbucks for a cup of coffee in a red cup to think more about what you could do to shake things up for your enterprise in 2016?
Giving Tuesday and Hash Tags Significance for Entrepreneurs
Business advice for women entrepreneurs and small businesses
I remember a skit on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon when Jimmy and his guest Justin Timberlake were sitting on a couch having a normal conversation but using their hands to make the hash tag sign every time they came across a key word during the dialogue. It was hysterical but I wasn’t sure how hash tags worked at the time. Now I understand how a word or phrase preceded by a hash tag can identify messages on specific topics and I use it often in my business promotions.
One way I have also embraced using hash tags as an entrepreneur are on days like today #GivingTuesday when I can promote four non-for-profits started by or run by amazing women entrepreneurs who are my clients. When #GivingTuesday became the hash tag of the day today, I decided to promote each of my clients throughout the day bringing awareness, and hopefully donations or people who might need their services, to these non-for-profits.
If you are a business owner with a short or long list of community organizations, non-profit companies or causes close to your heart, on this #GivingTuesday you can:
* Embrace the hash tag or at least your marketing power and share the news about your favorite non-for-profits with your audience through social media marketing.
* Donate a certain proceeds of your day’s sales to your favorite organization and challenge your employees or associates to join you in donating to your favorite cause or their own.
* Commit to creating a corporate giving policy for 2016, with input from your team, so next year on #GivingTuesday your company can also benefit from the good deeds you perform year round for a special mission.
Whether you embrace using hash tags or not today make sure #GivingTuesday is a day of relevance for you as an entrepreneur. Share your wealth with the world and receive more back than you can imagine.
Cyber Monday Marketing Advice for Women Entrepreneurs and Small Business
Business Advice for Women Entrepreneurs and Small Businesses on Cyber Monday
As I entered my office on a crisp sunny Monday in Central New York, I decided to create a simple Cyber Monday special and market them to my customers and the public. I love running a business where I have the ability to create a positive, brighter atmosphere for myself and my constituents quickly. I also love the ability to establish marketing specials and use social media to broadcast them.
In case you didn’t know, Cyber Monday was created as a marketing strategy the Monday after the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. The term “Cyber Monday” was created by marketing companies to persuade people to shop online. The term made its debut on November 28, 2005 and it’s quickly become one of the biggest online shopping days of the year.
Today’s blog post offer simple tips on how to create and market a Cyber Monday Special today even if you haven’t thought about doing it until this moment. I hope these easy suggestions help you:
* Review the list of your business services or product offerings. Decide which you’d like to post as a special – maybe one of your most popular ones or perhaps one you’d like to have more customers consuming.
* Create the “offering” by deciding on a certain percentage discount off the regular price or giving 2 items away for the price of 1. You could also offer a bonus product or service if someone buys from you today.
* Market the Cyber Monday Special on your social media sites – Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, your blog, etc. and share it with your friends and hopefully theirs.
* Market your Cyber Monday Special through a personal email blast to your current customers making sure they are aware of the deal.
* Most importantly, follow through on what you offer by: making sure you grant the discount, billing properly or mailing the bonus item immediately. You want to be honest, fast and successful in delivering what you market on Cyber Monday.
If you are waking up today not knowing what kind of marketing you should be doing, take my advice and bring some light into your business by creating and marketing a cool Cyber Monday Special for the customers you love and the new people you want to attract to your company.
NOTE: If you are a woman entrepreneur (women only) interested in my company’s Cyber Monday membership deal, simply visit http://www.womenties.com/join.cfm and join at the premium level and receive 3 months membership for free to your annual membership. It’s that easy! We’d love to have you brighten up our growing New York State organization too.
“A Tapestry of Thanksgiving” – Inspiration for Women Entrepreneurs
Business inspiration and wisdom for women entrepreneurs
“There is something in every season, in every day, to celebrate with Thanksgiving,” is the quote by Gloria Gaither on my daily inspirational calendar this morning. As I glance out beyond my computer screen to the beautiful view out my large window that invites the indoors inside with me as I work, I am mindful of what Thanksgiving means to me as a woman entrepreneur within the morning’s quote and shimmering light.
Every day I celebrate my independence, intelligence and spirit by opening up my own business doors to a world of opportunity where I can share my knowledge, words and events with a community of amazing. smart and brave women entrepreneurs. I believe every morning for a grateful woman entrepreneur begins with being thankful for the professional path we have chosen – at times not easy or perfect or pleasant – but always rewarding in ways beyond what a corporate position can offer us.
Oh how my life has been positively enhanced by the people I have met, the places I have gone and the group I belong to because I chose to live a life of entrepreneurship. I hope you awake this beautiful new morning with the same feelings.
We have much to celebrate in every season of our business lives – the start of our companies, the growing stages when revenue is finally steady and during expansion when we move beyond thinking small to living large.
We also rejoice when we have come through a rough patch with finances, lost customers, epic fails and times when we have lost our spirit, only to rise again in thanksgiving for the gift of being women business owners. In every season, in every day, we can choose to celebrate our position in life and business.
Today as you get ready to celebrate the holiday of Thanksgiving, be mindful of the daily gifts you receive as a woman entrepreneur and what running your own business has brought to your life. If it has been like mine for the past 20 years, it has been a colorful, joyful tapestry of people, places and blessings that have made life rich and worthwhile beyond words.
I wish you and the ones you love a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration.
Women Entrepreneurs: Live Your Life Well Today
Business advice and inspiration for women entrepreneurs and small businesses
As I drove from Syracuse through Auburn towards Ithaca at 6:15 a.m. yesterday, the most beautiful dawn accompanied me. The dark black color of the night sky evaporated into shades of dark blue, light blue and pale yellow. The hillsides were glistening with frost and farmers were already up and working on their land. As the large sun rose over my left shoulder, its perimeter was etched with black birds greeting the dawn. It was a breathtaking drive I would have missed if I didn’t plan a breakfast seminar an hour away from home base.
My days typically unfold as yours do – in a hurry with little time to glance out the window to view the sunrise. I work hard like most woman entrepreneurs until darkness strikes at 5 p.m. wiping away another glorious autumn day. As I sit looking out my window right now the sun is setting and a golden hue hushes the bright lines of the day. The calendar on my desk reads, “Success is not about how fast you get through your day, it is about how well you live your day.” How true. I know I had a successful day yesterday because I lived it well taking in the beauty of the morning ride to Ithaca and a wonderful breakfast with 20 special women entrepreneurs.
Next week we will gather with loved ones around a harvest table as we celebrate our special national holiday of Thanksgiving. Excitement starts brewing as we imagine the people we will be with, the faces around the table, the dishes we will share and in my house filled with men – the football games we will watch. I will rise early to run off calories before the day begins. I will be thankful for my health and my love for running, I will also count my blessings especially the ones I treasure every day which is living in an amazing community of businesswomen.
Today’s post is to encourage you to think about what is most important in your personal and business life and acknowledge it today. If it is a special client, a long distance friend, a trusted advisor, a supportive spouse or partner, take time to thank them before next week arrives. I also hope you write down what a successful day means to you – how does it begin, who is in it and what is the outcome when night settles around it? Even when life hands us less than perfect moments, we have the choice to find something good that surrounds it.
Next Thursday I will be grateful for many special people including all the women who touched my life this year at events, as members, through social media and as readers of this blog. You all matter to me. I also hope you remember to pay attention to the small subtle extraordinary moments of each and every day so you can say you “lived your day well.”
Life After The Perceived Fail
Inspiration for women entrepreneurs, women and small businesses
I received a heart filled letter from a woman entrepreneur who made a painful decision to change her business mission after a couple major setbacks. Understanding her pain and wanting to make her feel better, I sent her the following words:
“There have been many times over the past 20 years when women entrepreneurs have told me about their heart wrenching decision to make a positive change in their lives because the businesses they started did not work out the way they intended them to. I hope you find inspiration from my personal business mantra which is, “If you don’t try, you can’t fail; and if you fail, you get right back up and try again.” My dear friend, you are living proof that life exists after the perceived ‘fail.’ You join me in the moments when my own business journey failed and I had to start again. Please keep in mind you are not alone in the pain and decisions you had to make. You are never alone when you have another woman – and especially a woman entrepreneur – as your friend. I admire your efforts in trying so hard. I admire your efforts in stopping and realizing your business wasn’t working. I admire your positive efforts to start again.”
Although most women entrepreneurs become members of my company Women TIES to receive marketing, promotion and state-wide economic connections, they always receive personal advice from me when they ask or need it. I have dedicated the last 20 years of my life to supporting women especially women entrepreneurs. I have walked their path and understand the language they speak.
In any time of failure – especial business failure – we must remember that the best way to know the direction to head in next, when we come out of a dark place we have been residing in because the proof of decline was evident over time, is to simply start anew and move forward. We must remain proud of hard decisions we make to start anew whether that’s related to a health challenge, personal life hardship, athletic goal not achieved or business difficulty.
Today remember life exists, and sometimes begins again with more light and purpose, after the perceived fail.
Women TIES 