Million Dollar Sales: Is it Reachable?
It was Spring Break 1985 when I traveled to Florida with my cousin and his friends to enjoy some winter sun. It wasn’t the ocean breezes and warmth I remember from that trip but my conversation with my Aunt who was also vacationing there at the time. One evening my Aunt and I had an interesting conversation. She surprised me by telling me she had just sold enough real estate properties and produced enough restaurant sales to make her first million dollars. I remember the word “million” sticking in my mind. I had always admired my aunt’s entrepreneurial drive but I didn’t think she had reached that level of success.
This million dollar moment really reasonated with me. I remember thinking “I want to be like my Aunt someday.” Although I always admired her for the wonderful, positive caring woman she was, I was impressed that she could take a high school education, learn about the real estate industry, flip houses, invest in restaurants and make that kind of money. She was industrious, smart and a risk taker. At the time I was in college studying business and the entrepreneurial bug had not hit me yet, but when I did become an entrepreneur 10 years later I remembered that million dollar conversation.
Like 97% of women entrepreneurs today, I make less than a million in sales annually. It’s most likely based on the type of service and product I offer, not my lack of sales, passion or enthusaism for my business. As Sierra Sullivan of LifeStylized said at my Women TIES event yesterday, “Could you service a thousand clients if you really wanted to after conducting excellent marketing and sales?” I know the answer is no because of the way my corporate structure, financing, and staff support I have set up now. It would take a whole new approach to running my business if I wanted to be an emerging business striving for the million dollar sales mark.
Today’s inspirational blog post is to encourage you to start thinking about what it will take for you to earn a million in sales with your business. Do you have the interest, drive and desire? If so, do you know what you need to make the dream a reality? What structure and plans do you need to start planning for your million dollar in sales moment?
If this monetary benchmark is something you strive for, join us next week at the Women TIES event in Syracuse featuring a woman who will hit a million dollar in sales in her first year in business. Find out what her million dollar marketing and sales secret is and ask yourself “Could it become mine?”
Business Advice for Women Enterpreneurs and Small Business Owners
Aldous Huxley, a British author, most famous for his novel Brave New World, once stated this quote about perception, “There are things known and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors of perception.” As I sat reading an article on business in America today it stated the fact that 99% of United States entrepreneurs are running small businesses.
The statistic shocked me. When I think of business in America, I think of corporate giants ranging from Wal-Mart to the Ford Motor Company, McDonald’s to Starbucks, and ESPN to the Weather Channel. They signify what I perceive most people think successful businesses looks like. Having run two companies with less than 2 employees, my perception has always been I’m running a pretty small operation.
But after listening to the facts about business in America today, my perception changed. No longer did I feel running a small business was too small. It was exactly what 99% of all other American entrepreneurs are running too. The big corporate giants are the minority not the norm.
Being average is sometimes good. We might not be seen as a large company in the eyes of the world but it’s heartening to know we are what business looks like in America today. We aren’t small after all; we are large – part of a very large pool of women entrepreneurs.
Today’s blog post is to remind you that if you are feeling like you are too small to be running your company or to keep going with your entrepreneurial dream, you are wrong. You are like most business owners so stand in the truth and be okay with where you are right now. It doesn’t mean you can rest on your laurels but you can be satisfied knowing you aren’t too small you are actually just right the way you are.
Continue to believe in the strength of the company you have created. Acknowledge your successes. Keep striving for bigger goals. You have accomplished a lot. Your efforts have been large not small.
Why Failure is Important
It was one of those moments you don’t experience that often – a pure failure moment – which took me off guard. Unable to complete a race I had started due to an asthma attack, I walked back to the start line with a dampened spirit. No words frrom my friends, my coach or my family could make me feel better. It’s been a long time since I failed at something so miserably. It’s funny how one unsuccessful situation can make you feel like nothing is succeeding in your life.
As I retreated to my pool after the race with some Dave Matthews Band soothing my soul – the only remedy for the day – I asked myself, “Am I succeeding in my business mission or failing at that too?” I decided to make sure in the next month I wasn’t letting any women entrepreneurs down by not helping them enough or making sure they had all the PR tools they needed to market themselves extensively through our organization.
As I asked myself the question “What else can I do to succeed the next time I run to make sure the same thing doesn’t happen,” (which includes taking my inhaler with me and taking allergy medicine before I run), I decided I needed to ask that same question to the women I serve – “Am I doing all I can to help you? If not, what else can I do?”
It makes no sense to be running a race or running a business and not asking oneself periodically if we are doing the best we can to prepare for and accomplish what we set out to do. It doesn’t need to be a failing moment, a business loss or a personal setback to have us questioning our intentions. We should be making sure we are doing all we can to succeed by asking ourselves those questions in advance or throughout the year.
Today I hope you ask yourself the question, “What else can I be doing to be more successful in any area of my personal or business life?” and then make sure you are. There’s always another start line and race to win in your personal and businenss life.
Let Yourself Be Alive
This is not a business blog post although it’s message most certainly lends itself to women entrepreneurs. It is a personal post to share with two women who have inspired me to run today in my first 5K run after a 10 week 5K training period. The inspiration is from my favorite book “Journey to the Heart” by Melody Beattie. I hope it inspires our readers today.
In Sedona, as I drove from the sweat lodge back to the room I was renting, I felt exhilarated. My excitement wasn’t only about the experience I had just been through. For so long, I had limited my choices, limited my freedom. I was thrilled that I was finally giving myself permission to live more fully.
Have you been limiting your choices, telling yourself there are only a few options available? Have you been limiting your choices saying you’ve seen and done everything you can in this world? Have you been limiting yourself and your life, then wondering why life is so limiting?
Set yourself free. Give yourself permission to experience and taste more of life. You are here to live your life – fully, richly, passionately. The journey has been about more than cleansing, healing and spiritual growth. You have a body, emotions, passion, and thought. You are here to bring all parts of life, to connect the parts, and to fully live your life.”
Partake of the abundance of the universe.
You’re sitting at a banquet table. Let yourself feast.
Move on from monitoring, watching, limiting.
Experience all of life that you can.
Thank you Ann Sageer of Ciao Chow Bambina and Linda Fake of Uniquely Yours – Interior Design for joining me in today’s adventure and goal. To all the women entrepreneurs out there reading this post today, live both your personal and business life with new adventure, passion and excitement. There is so much more to enjoy and experience.
Renewing Business Goals Mid-Year
It doesn’t take more than looking out the window to see we are in a different time of year. It seems like ages agowhen the crystal ball dropped on Times Square, revelers were celebrating and millions of people took up new resolutions. January 1st seems like a century ago in the busy world we live in. Most women entrepreneurs started the New Year with a re-commitment to succeed, added new products or service lines to their companies, and revised their business plans. They promised themselves 2014 was going to be a different year – a better business year. New beginnings in life always have a positive energy that emanates joy and hope. Whether it’s falling in love, meeting a new friend, discovering a new talent or starting a new year, it feels good to start anew.
As June 1st rolls in this week, I wonder if you feel the same way about your business as you did on January 1st. Do you still have the spark ignited within you? Are you sticking with your resolutions, promises and plans? Or do you find yourself six months into the year doubting what you are trying to accomplish in 2014?
It’s important to take time mid-year to re-evaluate your goals, plans and expectations for the rest of the year so you still accomplish what you intended. Time has a way of slipping away. Disappointments can turn a positive attitude sour. Broken customer relationships can unsettle the mind. Sometimes we just don’t know we are slipping away from our big goals until we stop and take notice.
Today’s post is to encourage you to take a break sometime this week to review the status of your New Year’s business goals to see if you are still on track with them. If not, ask yourself “Could June 1st be my second New Year?” Reviewing, reworking and creating a new six month plan in marketing, sales and management might be what you need to refocus on your ambitions. It’s not too late.
I’m glad it’s not a cold, snowy New Year’s Day since I prefer muggy summer weather but I do wish I had the snap of that crisp January 1st attitude. I plan on making June 1st my second new beginning in order to make the next six months in business better than the first. Will you be joining me? It’s the perfect time.
Business advice for women entrepreneurs
Today’s blog post is a message to graduating students and women entrepreneurs everywhere. It is from a speech I delivered at SUNY Oswego in April to their honors students. I believe it is applicable to professionals as well.
Not too long ago, I was like the students graduating today – a happy, college student enjoying everything about – my friends, my major and my social life. 3 decades later I used the excellent education I received from my alma mater SUNY Oswego and the leadership positions I held both in college and throughout my career to make calculated professional decisions that lead me to developing a strong personal and professional mission statement – a mission statement that’s been critical in guiding me forward in my career and life. I believe all graduates have a personal mission statement inside you that’s ready to be discovered.
So you might be saying, “How do I discover my unique personal mission statement and when will I realize it?” It’s a great question and one I didn’t have the answer to until I was 30. It took until then to embark on challenging employment opportunities that utilized my skills education and interests; while also focusing on what societal issues really motivated me over that time period which eventually lead to me creating a company called Women TIES that helps women entrepreneurs promote, market and connect with other women all over New York State.
I never studied Women’s Studies in college but my desire to help women developed as I matured personally and professionally, and realized how many strong female role models influenced my life including a number of them from this college. I was also being recognized consistently for my “feminist belief” within entrepreneurship and a strong support for women in business.
My mother once said, “Someday you’ll be able to look back at your professional career and see a stony path. Each stone represents a step in your professional journey. You don’t know where the path is leading you but when you look back over your shoulder at the job opportunities and decisions you’ve made in your career, you’ll see a path leading right up to where you are today.” It’s true. You all have a stone path awaiting you. You might even have laid some of the stones in your path from the decisions you’ve already made in college.
So as you go forth when you graduate pay attention to “the path you are naturally creating for yourself.” – What are your true interests? What moves you, what motivates your decisions? What brings you happiness? What feels unjust in society that you want to change? What allows you to make a positive contribution in society? The answers to these questions will guide you forward and help you make the best decisions.
My entrepreneurial desire to be an advocate, promoter and supporter of women entrepreneurs was because of a societal issue. When I heard women only earned 77 cents on the dollar for what a man earns, I was moved by the injustice and decided to make a difference by creating my company Women TIES and utilizing my expertise in event planning, marketing and business to bring NYS women entrepreneurs together online, through social media and regional events, so they can make more money by doing more business with each other and increasing their revenue potential. This personal mission developed along the stony pathway of my career from the time I graduated until today.
My words of wisdom for you is to continue to strive for what brought you here today – the strong traits you possess, the dedication you display and the academic excellence you pursue and use them to move forward when you graduate…..when you get your first job….when you have to make career or life decisions 5, 10,
20 or 30 years from now. I suggest you:
1. Be a Leader – Raise your hand. Keep raising it. Raise it as often as you can. Say yes to challenging opportunities. Say yes to leadership roles. Become a leader early in your professional career and in your community. By stepping up – you step out – into unlimited
connections, possibilities and opportunities that open doors.
2. Continue to Learn – Education is the key to success in one’s professional career. Learn more by obtaining your masters or doctorate in your chosen field, securing certification in your profession that makes you more valuable to your employer, and learning from others. I provide education to women all year long. Our programs don’t just educate 1,400 women annually – they also teach me something all the time. I couldn’t be the success I am today without constantly learning.
3. Give Back – It is the most important thing you can do – not only for others – but for yourself. My favorite quote on my desk reads, “What we are is God’s gift to us. What we become is our gift to God.” I live by that. I want my life to count for something when it’s over.
There is too much to do in this world, too many people to help, too many causes to be a part of – to NOT do something!
Personal happiness comes from helping others so I encourage you to think about what interests you, what stirs your heart, what injustice or cause resonates with you and then dedicate your time and leadership skills. We each have a unique calling in life – it’s up to us to hear it and do something about it.
My wish for you is that you continue to take steps forward in your educational and professional journey and look back once in awhile to see where the stony path has lead you. Make note of it. See if along the journey you have developed a strong personal mission that fuels you. Stay in touch with who you are, who you are becoming and go out and make that difference in the world using your brains, heart and spirit. You are a gift. You have so much to learn and share.
Go forth and live with purpose and a deep personal mission.
Trust in Transformation
Today’s post is a throwback from May 2011 since social media marketing has encouraged fans to show throwback photos on Thursdays. I thought this inspirational throwback post was worth reposting. I hope it inspires someone today.
I was sitting outside finally enjoying the warm spring air when hundreds of maple tree whirlybirds started falling from the sky. The last couple times I sat outside it was either white snow or grey raindrops falling. Today it was bright green maple seeds. As I took in the beauty I was thrilled with the transformation of winter’s brown and grey hues to the brilliant shades of greens and yellows surrounding me.
I speak to a lot of women going through transformations with their businesses. Some seek advice on surviving bleak economic periods. Others call with celebratory news. Periodically it is women asking advice on how to run their businesses while coping with personal difficulties. We all want a say in transforming our lives, our businesses, our direction; but many times our lives, businesses and direction are transformed for us without our approval.
As you look at my new photo or see me at a future event, you’ll notice a change in my appearance. Short curly hair has taken over long hair after a year and a half of dealing with a persistent auto immune disease called Alopecia. But two weeks ago, I felt confident enough to walk away from the wig I have been wearing for nine months and embrace the transformation publically as I accepted the 2011 SBA Women in Business Champion Award.
I decided to write about this today because I have a public persona and I look different; and I wanted to inspire women to embrace transformation in their lives no matter what it is. In the depths of transformation there are lessons – really good lessons. My lesson came February 2010 when my specialist told me I would probably be bald for the rest of my life. As a woman and as a leader of a company that requires a lot of public speaking, I couldn’t imagine it. But in depths of that bad news, I realized I could lose my hair but never lose my heart for helping women entrepreneurs. All I could do was embrace the transformation and trust in the outcome.
Today’s blog post is to remind you that no matter what you are going through – personally or professionally – trust in tomorrow. Trust in transformation whatever that means. I am confident you’ll find it holds valuable lessons and new strength to inspire you forward.
If you doubt it, sit outside today and take in the sights of this beautiful time of year. Don’t worry about your troubles instead trust in your future. I promise it will happen just like winter changes to spring.
For more information on Alopecia visit the Alopecia Foundation If you are a woman suffering with alopecia, feel free to contact me personally at 315-708-4288. I would be happy to speak with you.
The Pursuit of Excellence in Business
Business Advice for Women Entrepreneurs and Business Owners
As the bald eagle flew majestically over the stadium crowd of 20,000 people to the beautiful sounds of the national anthem sung by a choir of angelic voices, the beauty of the moment symbolized the excellence of our four year experience at our son’s college. Perfectly timed, this awestruck moment captured every experience we had from our first visit to our last moment. Perfection and excellence are the best words to express what we experienced at every event and in every communication at Boston College.
As my family joked that I would miss this special institution more than my son, I explained why. Never in my life have I seen or experienced a business or organization that impressed me from the first moment I landed on their grounds to the last time I left it. As an experienced entrepreneur and woman, I’ve been in contact with hundreds of companies, institutions and associations but none who exemplified excellence in every experience. Besides its mission to have its graduates leave the school to “set the world on fire with their dedication to helping others,” it was the way they communicated and treated their constituents and delivered their mission.
In 1986 when I graduated from college, I purchased a number of business books including “In Search of Excellence,” by Tom Peters and Bob Waterman to inspire me as I started my first professional job in the financial industry in Philadelphia. I wanted to be the best young leader I could be to advance my career quickly. By being excellent in my thoughts and actions I could set myself apart from others. It worked and I had many opportunities given to me. I have tried to deliver excellence in my career ever since and especially in my entrepreneurial endeavors.
Excellence is fineness, brilliance, quality in action. People understand and appreciate excellence in music, art, and work. As women entrepreneurs we must try to instill excellence in all we do so our customers, the marketplace and the world are touched by our merit and distinction. To demonstrate and communicate excellence in business, we will rise to the top and our companies will be remembered.
Today’s post is to inspire you to be excellent in all you do through written word, with your business policies, with your community participation, and in the services and products you create and deliver. Make sure you excel in communicating with the public igniting their spirit with your passion and mission. Spark conversation. Instill belief. Create followers. Make a lasting impression. Change the marketplace because of your level of perfection in business.
To soar like the eagle above a captivated crowd, we must as business owners strive for excellence in all we do. We must also “set the world a fire” by our passion in our corporate mission and purpose in life by our dedication to helping others. If we do, we will be remembered and we will excel.
Business Advice For Women Entrepreneurs and Small Business
As we uncovered our 14 year old pool on a warm spring morning, we were greeted by a loud noise as our pool liner split. Knowing this occurred at the start of the busy pool sales season, we immediately reached out to the company we bought our pool from and have used for 14 years. A long three days later they evaluated the liner and told us they would get back to us within 24 hours with a quote. They also informed us it would take at least 4 weeks to have the work done. After not receiving the quote after four follow-up phone calls, I picked up the phone and called another company. Our trusted vendor had forced our decision.
Within two hours two men from the second pool company showed up, one with an ear phone on talking non-stop to other customers, and his side-kick, an extremely goofy man who kept forgetting to bring down the right materials to assess the pool. I wish I had a videotape of these two guys because I would have won money sending it to “Funniest Home Videos.” They left promising a 7 day turnaround at a low price. I’m not sure if they thought I was desperate or stupid to think I would hire them after their visit.
Not confident by the second company’s visit, I called one more company hoping I’d have a quick and professional response. Within one hour, a staff member appeared at my house with the right materials to measure the pool with a price estimate and time period of installation less than the first company but more than the second company. The company emailed us an official quote and invited me to the store to pick out liners the same day. I was greeted by another employee who spent 20 minutes with me answering all my questions.
As I discussed the three companies with my husband, a corporate operations director for a major building materials company that demands excellent customer service with a proactive approach to sales, we easily choose the third company. Below you’ll find the reasons why we did and how you can take what I witnessed to approach sales better for your company:
* Answer this question – Do you want existing customers to have to call you multiple times to get a response for a quote or business problem or do you feel it’s your responsibility as the business owner to make the calls to service your customers? If your repeat sales are down this year, maybe you need to be the type of company that makes the follow-up calls.
* Deliver what you verbally promise. If you promise a customer or prospect a sales quote or additional materials to hire your company, deliver when you say and do it professionally. Repeat customers may give you some leeway with timing but not forever. If you can’t deliver a sales quote or services in a timely manner, be honest so the customer can make the best decision for themselves.
*You will be judged by your sales force whether it’s you or others that work for you. Make sure you or your staff has the right appearance and behavior to represent your company. It counts. It could be money lost if you are represented poorly.
*There are many factors that go into someone choosing a company to do business with – price, customer service, timeliness, reputation, and even your Better Business Bureau rating (which we considered as well in hiring the third company). Be attentive to all factors to land your customer’s business.
I’ll let you know if the third company ends up doing the job they promise on time. I sure hope they do. I also hope you take a look at your sales strategy and team to make sure you are doing all you can to keep or land more sales. It is up to you not your customer.
The Flow of a Productive Business Day
Business advice for women entrepreneurs and small business owners
Yesterday mid-day my energy drained and I struggled to accomplish the most important duties on my to-do-list. As I stopped to look at my list, I felt myself wanting to create easier tasks or work on quick or less important ones. As I started to complete one of the tasks, I realized I was avoiding some pressing issues and forced myself to get away from my desk to refocus. Does your business day flow this way too sometimes?
In business when we have so many things to do, we often tend to gravitate away from the most important tasks. Sometimes certain days of the week or times of the day are easier to focus on pressing matters but other times our focus fades and we find ourselves needing to get it back.
I’ve learned to stop when I naturally feel a tendency to avoid. I take a 15 or 30 minute break. I change rooms. I run an errand. I grab some food or drink. I get up and get away from my desk and allow myself to stop thinking and restore clear thinking. If you ever tried to do something repeatedly without it succeeding you know you have to stop and restart because you’ll keep failing.
As this spring starts flooding with social events and a more active business calendar, it is essential to focus on the most important work in front of us every day. We must also realize when we are off-kilter and not performing at our peak during the workday so we can regroup and refocus and get back to business.
Today’s blog post is to inspire you to start every work day with the top three-five most important, pressing and revenue generating or deadline-focused work first. No matter what, promise yourself to stick to these vital duties. As the day unfolds, remember to take a break outside, enjoy lunch with a business associate, or exercise to regain your spirit. Go back to work and focus on another three to five tasks that can be easily accomplished the second half of your day. You will end your day energized and proud of what you have accomplished.
By breaking our business days down into manageable duties that are prioritized and then lacing them with important periods of rejuvenation, we can tackle and accomplish so much more. Let today be the start of a new way of organizing your business day so you can be more successful and with a sense of well-being.
Women TIES 