The Heart of Business Success
Business advice for women entrepreneurs and small business owners
The door would open and my sister and I would race to the coffee maker to pour a cup of coffee for the ski customers entering my parents ski shop. Once they left, we played beneath the hundreds of skies that created a tepee on the ski rack. The smell of hot wax drifted upstairs from the waxing room where skies were prepped for different types of ski conditions. Later at night my sister and I would head downstairs to watch exciting ski jumping movies with the guys who worked for our parents. We usually made ourselves our own coffee – with much more sugar and cream than coffee – as our treat.
I believe my entrepreneurial and athletic spirit was born during the late 1960s and early 1970s when my parents were entrepreneurs during the winter months in Upstate New York in the heart of my parent’s ski shop. There was something exciting about the cash register drawer opening, watching my father laugh with his clients, and the comfort created in the shop making staff and clients feel like family. In my eyes, mind and spirit, entrepreneurship meant creating a welcoming environment for everyone and making them feel like family.
I have tried to remember that spirit when I greet women entrepreneurs at 40 events a year, when I host athletic events for women, when I’m helping a member with a business problem or when I am greeting sponsors who support my programs. I want them to feel the same warmth and comfort my father showed his customers during a windy, cold day when they entered his establishment. Sometimes we don’t know what lifetime experiences mold us but I know for certainty those “ski shop” days molded me.
Today as I recognize the ninth year of my father’s passing and stare at the original Larry Van Alystyne painting of a skier that represented him and his entrepreneurial spirit, I will be very grateful for his presence in my life; for not only teaching me how to be a good human being, a loving parent to two wonderful sons, but for also teaching me how to be a kind and generous entrepreneur to my clients.
As I work today, I celebrate the man who gave life to me, loved me and showed me how to be a warm and caring entrepreneur. I’ll make sure to start my day with a coffee filled with alot of cream and sugar to toast his memory. I hope you have one too and cheer to the people in your life that made you who you are.
Yesterday was a thrilling day for spectators like Andrea von Witt, a Numerologist & Spiritual Coach from California, who attended the game, and other adoring fans who turned on their television sets, computers or phones to watch the World Cup Finals featuring the United States and Japan. What made the game so meaningful for me wasn’t the victorious women’s team with their spectacular team work and performance but the pure number of fans in the stands and around the world cheering on women.
High school and collegiate women’s sporting teams around America wish they had the same fan support as men. They play their hearts out every game in sports like lacrosse, soccer, and basketball to empty stadiums and gyms compared to men’s teams. I believe the more people who witness women at the top of their game in sports will soon rally behind them in all aspects of life – business, elections and equal pay.
Every single woman’s victory is a victory for other women. Together we must continue to strive for justice, equality and fans in the stands. My hope is that every person who watched the World Cup games in person, turned on their television sets, or watched Twitter for updates, remembers to support women in every single aspect of life. I also hope they decide to show up for local girl’s athletic events in their own community.
Let’s start a movement. Let’s create more sporting opportunities for girls and women. I am proud of the efforts of people I know to support my 2 year old Women’s Athletic Network because “united in sports means we are united in spirit.” Let’s keep the cheering and winning going.
Independence Day Inspiration for Entrepreneurs
Business inspiration for American women entrepreneurs and small businesses
The American flag has been a symbol of American freedom since July 4, 1776. According to historians, the recognizable colors and symbols have meaning. The white in the flag’s design signified purity and innocence, the red stripes represented hardiness and valor and the blue signified vigilance, perseverance and justice. The stars are a symbol of the heavens and the divine goal to which humankind was aspired from time immemorial; the stripes are symbolic of the rays of light emanating from the sun. As I pondered these colors and symbols, I feel they have meaning for women entrepreneurs as well.
Our entrepreneurial goal began as a pure light beam connecting our mind and heart. We are inspired to start something new, to take a fresh idea and breathe life into it. The red is the color that penetrates our entrepreneurial journey as we struggle through disappointments and setbacks. Blue is the shade we rest in when we have persevered to a new level of success for what we’ve accomplished.
Throughout our business journey we are led by the stars and divine goals to set the world on fire with our passion and purpose. Individually blessed and gifted we bring a significant meaning to what we do and who we help. The stripes of entrepreneurship are the rays of hope we rest our eyes on knowing with hard work and valiant effort we will achieve the financial rewards we seek.
Today’s blog post is to reignite the entrepreneurial spirit within you that was created from a pure light and purpose, which has stood the test of time and tribulation and has been rewarded for perseverance and vigilance. On July 4th in 1776, not only did we gain independence from the British, we ultimately gained freedom of choice.
I hope you look at the beautiful symbol of freedom flying high everywhere during Independence Day celebrations and see how it reflects on the career path you have chosen for your life. May you remember the purity of your deepest goals, the hardships you’ve been through and the peace that comes from all the big and small success you have achieved over the years. We are blessed to be Americans and we are blessed to be business owners in this beautiful, free country of ours.
Business Success: Monthly Measurements
Business advice for women entrepreneurs and small businesses
As the rain continues to stream down my window pane, I hear the Weather Channel announce “This June is the third rainiest on record in Syracuse.” Somehow my flooded pond, overflowing pool, and saturated lawn hinted at that truth. In our beautiful New York world of deep, rich green lawns and leaves with knee high corn, we have been living with water abundance as our friends to the west wish for it.
I typically analyze my company’s progress annually but rarely monthly. I do not focus on which business month is my best revenue producing one or the highest amount of event attendees or the most hits on my social media. I tend to review my business quarterly or semi-annually. This morning’s weather report made me think I should pay more attention to comparing months to each other.
If we critiqued each month before another one started, we would have a better idea where we stand in our business. If we knew we had the best sales period, the most hits to our blog or landed more PR than we have before, we would praise our efforts. If we discovered instead that we had the slowest revenue producing month, our phones rang 50% less than the month before and our website hits were decreasing, we would feel compelled to analyze why and implement changes.
Today’s post is to inspire you to commit to analyzing the past month, three months or first half of your year in business. Is your company on track with your goals? If not, what needs to happen to get it on track? Are there outside factors, like a super soggy forecast, ruining your business this summer? If so, what else can you do to turn your sales around? If June was the most successful month you had than celebrate and decide to duplicate your efforts with higher goals for July.
My aspiration is to start analyzing my company’s progress every 30th of the month keeping track of its challenges and opportunities. There is no way to critique your success if you don’t monitor it frequently. If you need extra inspiration, turn on the Weather Channel for an update. My hope is for you to create your own sunny business forecast the rest of the year.
Business Advice: Stretch More Than You Can Reach
Business advice for women entrepreneurs and small businesses
“Stretch more than you can reach” was the theme of this morning’s podcast message. As a runner, I always have to stretch before I start. I also have to stretch in the middle of my day when I’ve been sitting at my computer promoting women entrepreneurs. But this morning’s podcast wasn’t about stretching in those two circumstances; it was about stretching higher in your business life.
Every dawn of a new day allows us the chance to stretch beyond our comfort area by making cold calls, asking investors for money, hiring new staff, planning future events and pitching media to cover our story. Stretching might mean implementing new services or products, expanding our territory or meeting with an industry leader for advice. I know the days I stretch, rather than shrink in opportunities I try to attain, the better I feel at the end of the day – no matter whether the outcomes are positive or negative. It is about risk. It is about stretching.
When you prepare for a race or an exercise, you know stretching truly makes the experience more enjoyable, its true in business too. Aiming higher and risking takes us to a different emotional state – a better one – especially when the outcome is positive. Today, I hope you stretch more than you shrink back from risks, duties and new projects. Push forward. Reach for something you haven’t reached for in awhile. Turn a fear into a possibility. Stretch.
Celebrating Today’s Rainbow Decision
Today’s Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage throughout the United States is being celebrated by many people on my Facebook and Twitter feeds. I am one of them and I will tell you why.
When my cousin, who was like my brother and only a year apart in age, was in his twenties two decades ago he confided in my mother that he was gay. He wanted my mother to tell my sister and I in fear we might not understand. When my mother told me my reaction was, “I am so happy for him knowing that and being able to tell people.” When he called me a short time later to ask me how I felt about his revelation I said “I love you. I have always loved you and I will always love you. Nothing will change that.” It was simply the truth and how I hoped everyone would have reacted, but not everyone did because it was twenty years ago not 2015.
I have always wanted to protect my cousin from people who would not or could not understand. I was so thankful when the world started becoming more accepting of gay and lesbian people. I have wanted it for him and others I have met. People I have respected and loved. No one in my opinion should ever suffer due to other people’s opinions of them.
I have loved the symbol of the rainbow since I was born. I have always thought I loved it because it was a symbol of hope. I now look at the rainbow knowing it will always be a sign of hope, love and the Supreme Court making the right decision for the people we love in our lives.
Business advice for small business and women entrepreneurs
As I watched the NBA draft last night, I couldn’t help but notice the excitement, nervousness and trepidation on the faces of the college basketball players waiting to be drafted. I reminded me back to when my son was trying out for an important basketball team with the same look and feeling. It was interesting that when he was not chosen to play for a team he had dreamed about, he questioned his abilities.
Two weeks later he had a chance to try out for another team and was selected to play for them. Little did he know, the coach of that team and the style of the team that suited him perfectly. A few months later when he won the most valuable player award for one of the tournaments, I rejoiced knowing that he was playing for exactly the team he needed to play with. When he became captain of the team and took on a leadership role the sentiment remained.
I have always loved basketball especially since my father was an avid player in high school and then played a year in college. He later became a basketball coach and I was next to him cheering on his teams. We later watched our favorite team the Boston Celtics play with Larry Bird and the gang. When my son decided to go to college at Boston College, he wasn’t big enough to play for a Division One school but he became their manager for four years and loved every minute of it. He also visited the Boston Garden to watch his mother’s and grandfather’s favorite team. I was with him and his grandfather was there in spirit. He was once again given an opportunity to be around the sport he loved but in a different capacity than he envisioned.
Today’s sports inspiration is to remind small business owners and women entrepreneurs we must remain open to similar situations in our lives. We don’t always get chosen to land the biggest business contracts. Sometimes losing one proposal provides an even better client opportunity we wouldn’t have gotten if we were selected by the first one. When in doubt we must trust that as long as we have passion and pride in what we do and what we offer, we will always be exactly where we need to be.
I hope the new NBA players remember that as they embark to their new destinations today whether they are playing for the team of their dreams or not. I also hope all entrepreneurs remember the lesson to. What counts is what we put into every opportunity we are given.
Your Business Needs A Creative Spin Cycle
Business advice for women entrepreneurs and small businesses
I never thought of my washing machine as an inspirational business object until yesterday’s presentation from a woman running a national million dollar company. Her success started when she was challenged to think creatively to resurrect her business after a failure. She decided to put every aspect of her business into a “creative spin cycle.” Three years later she is a “rock star in her industry” with a nationally recognized business.
Women entrepreneurs are faced with the ups and downs of business 365 days a year. Just when we think things are going great, something happens to challenge the progress. Other times, we are flying high because everything is working well. Every small business owner I know has been faced with a scenario when they ask themselves, “Should I quit or keep going on?”
What the business owner said yesterday is to realize when something needs to change you must look at the pieces of your business putting them into a “creative spin cycle” to see what comes out. What can you change about what you offer? How can you look at your services or products in a different way? How can you change a “cookie cutter” business philosophy into something new and dynamic?
Today’s post is to motivate you if you are feeling like your company needs fresh ideas to revitalize it by bringing every piece of what you offer into the light and shaking them up to spin our fresh new ideas. Like our speaker, you might need to have meaningful conversations with some trusted partners, discover creative collaborations, focus on what your customers love and test the market.
As Janet Lutz of Calico Gals said yesterday, “Take what is good about your business and put it through the spin cycle” to churn out more success. If you need some inspiration today, turn on your washing machine mentally throwing your business into it and see what churns out. It might just make you and your company a new industry rock star.
Moved to Make a Million in Sales
Business advice for women entrepreneurs and small businesses
The first time I heard the word “million dollars” I remember exactly where I was. I was in Florida on vacation in 1985 staying with my aunt in one of the two condos she owned. She was a self schooled entrepreneur who wisely learned to invest the money my Uncle made as a doctor into more money. She would buy up properties, restore them and flip them. She had houses all over Florida. My favorite one was on a beach in Daytona Beach with all glass fronts looking out on the ocean. She held onto that one as high rises were going up around the house on the beach. She finally sold it for a half million dollar profit.
My aunt was the first person who applauded me when I started my business ten years later. She told me I had to work hard. I had to take risks. I had to be skeptical and trusting at the same time. I must admit, I have not hit the million dollar sales mark, most likely because I have never sold products or services that were highly expensive like real estate. I’m like 97% of small businesses that don’t earn a million in sales. I have been a service business moved by passion and a mission to help other women make money which I have done successfully for 20 years.
So I am always fascinated in listen to women who have hit the lofty million dollar mark to learn how they did it. Was it the price of what they sell? Is it the pure number of customers they services? Were they in the right place at the right time? Did they invest wisely? What is the “key” to their success? We know their key to success could be ours some day if we really want it.
For 20 years I have planned finance programs between the marketing, sales, accounting and law programs and they are never as well attended. It must be that women either don’t want to be millionaires, don’t think they can become one or are running their companies on their own terms keeping them small.
I have no doubt every woman entrepreneur is where she needs to be but I am always hoping to inspire them to higher levels of financial success through Women TIES programs and services and putting them in front of successful million dollar in sales entrepreneurs. I hope you step your sales game up a notch today and envision that house in Florida someday when you are inspiring a younger generation.
What Business Owners Owe Their Customers
Business Advice for for women entrepreneurs and small businesses
When two unplanned essential decisions popped up before 8 a.m. this morning in the midst of a full plate of business duties in front of me, I did what most people would do – I focused on the problems, searched my mind for solutions, and reached out to professionals that could help. Makes sense right? I was using logic to overcome a couple sudden emotional situations in order to fix the unexpected scenarios.
I had an immediate solution to the first case due to an understanding party who did not know me who helped create a resolution. I was hopeful the second situation could be resolved the same way. Unfortunately the person I reached about the second situation reacted totally opposite. The conversation went wrong the instant the person on the phone demanded I do something I couldn’t do because it depended on someone else’s immediate input.
The more I tried to explain I couldn’t fix the situation the way they demanded, the longer they stayed on the phone trying to force me to change my mind. With the phone extended out from my ear as far as I could make it, I listened for 10 minutes before they realized I wasn’t responding anymore. I don’t believe in hanging up on anyone so my arm just got tired.
When I got off the phone I wondered when this vendor who has received business from me for 5 years forgot who they were talking to – a valued client. When the situation couldn’t resolve itself to their liking, putting their interests first, I gave up on the call and on that vendor for the future. Two phone calls later I was able to find someone who didn’t know me who could resolve the issue by simply agreeing to help me on the terms I had to deal with.
As women entrepreneurs or small businesses, we must never forget the customer is right. We must strive to take the problem off their plate to the best of our abilities. We must be flexible with our time in a problem situation. We must be understanding and go beyond our own agenda to resolve an issue. We must listen. We must remember we aren’t right – the customer is right – pure and simple.
Women TIES 