The Advantages of Running in a Pack in Business
Business advice for women entrepreneurs and small business owners
As I was running shoulder to shoulder and step by step next to three women in my 5K training program, a bright light of realization engulfed me. For two decades I have been a solo entrepreneur running down a business path by myself. I have had staff periodically and other women entrepreneurs I have hired to help me but for the most part I’ve run the entrepreneurial race by myself. It’s also the way I’ve enjoyed running for ten years.
In order to continue to challenge myself athletically, I joined a popular training program with 90 other people. What I’ve learned the past 7 weeks has surprised me. When you run alongside others you derive incredible energy, better speed and inspiration. Although you are responsible for your own work, it is heightened by the beat of other runners next to you. It’s still a solo effort but highly complimented by others.
Running and competing with a group reminds me why I have surrounded myself with women entrepreneurs for two decades. No one can do my work or grow my company but by “running” in a pack of other women business owners who are all striving for the finish line, I am inspired every step of the way. If you are a runner or have competed in a race, you understand what I mean. Your success is your success; but it’s fueled by the energy of others traveling the same path at the same time with the same goals.
Today’s post is to remind you that business strength can come in both your solo effort and running alongside others. If you’ve been traveling the road of entrepreneurship too long on your own and are getting weary, consider working with more people whether that’s hiring a coach or staff, joining more organizations, or participating in more community business activities that bring you together with like minded people. While you are with others, draw off the energy, education and enthusiasm a pack can bring and take it back to fuel your solo entrepreneurial effort. Success comes by a combination of working alone and with others.
I hope you are inspired today to join a new organization or get more involved with one you are a part of, take on a new athletic challenge, travel to a new area to open up economic connections, or hire a team to support your business endeavors. I promise you that once you do, you’ll experience the same realization I did running alongside others. Step by step, shoulder by shoulder, you’ll be enlightened to keep moving forward.
Business advice for women entrepreneurs
The month of May is an exhilarating time in the Northeast when green envelops our view, the weather gets clearer and our calendars get fuller. Baptisms, Graduations, Business Tradeshows and Conference fill up our calendars. The switch from winter thinking and hibernation to summer activities dominates our minds and calendars. Our business tasks start competing with our personal responsibilities because summer is approaching.
For women entrepreneurs to continue to be successful in business, they need to keep clearing their minds to maintain focus. If more work time is becoming focused on personal items like planning vacations, logistics of school age kids, picking up college age students from school, and attending special family functions, then it’s essential to set time aside for those personal duties to keep the business mind clear.
Here are some simple ways to organize thoughts and duties to maintain a more clear business mind:
* Set specific times each day to attend to personal duties – like banking, communication with family members, vacation planning, etc. Choose one hour a day that is your least productive work time to complete personal tasks. Don’t allow social media or personal distractions to take you away from your work priorities.
*Communicate with loved ones when you can and can’t take business calls. Don’t let an unexpected call or visit take you out of your daily business plan. If you operate a home based business, set real work hours and stick to them. Save errands or personal communication for before or after work hours or during a set lunch break.
* If you truly need to address personal plans during the work week, give yourself one day of personal time, just like employees get, to work on and complete personal responsibilities. By doing this, you take away the stress of trying to balance personal thoughts with business duties.
Women are use to juggling work. It makes perfect sense women entrepreneurs need to juggle personal and business tasks more often during different seasons of the year. With foresight and planning, a businesswoman can stay on track to maintain her business while enjoying personal time.
Jumpstarting a Stalling Business
Business advice for women entrepreneurs and small business owners
After six months off the road, we tried to start an older car for my son as he returns from college. The once active, robust automobile barely made a sound as we turned on the ignition. It stalled out completely after a few attempts. How could a once vibrant car be acting this way? Did we ignore it too long? Should we have jump started the engine sooner? Was it our fault for not paying enough attention to keep it running well?
Our businesses can become like stalled cars in our garage. The once active, moving, exhilarating hum of it working can fall quiet if it is left idle too long. By the time we realize we have to start the engines and get it back on the road in roaring condition, the energy has been depleted and we have to resurrect it.
How many times as women business owners have we ignored our companies a little too long because we were tired, lost focus or interest? Maybe we needed a break so we walked away for a short time only to return to find it lifeless. A vibrant business or even one humming along at a steady pace can’t be ignored for any period of time before it becomes similar to a dead car battery which then requires new energy to get it moving again.
What I love about the speaker I am featuring at my Women TIES event on May 6th in Syracuse is the fact she recognized she had ignored her business too long and asked someone else for help and a lifeline to get her company back on track. Many of us don’t reach out to industry icons for that type of support but this woman entrepreneur did. It took humility, hard work and willingness to jumpstart her business again to bring it back to life and back to an even stronger position it was before (like a 1000% profit). We all have that ability no matter how long we’ve overlooked our business.
Today’s blog post is to remind you that if you feel like your business is like our dead car in the garage, ignored a little too long, it’s never too late to refocus, restart and rejuvenate it. It will take hard work and a willingness to review, reform and renew key components to breathe it full of life. It might also take admitting you need help and being humble enough to seek advice.
The lesson we learned in our garage was to never ignore our car that long again even if someone isn’t using it. Some parts of life and business demand attention. We know what they are. We have to believe we can return anything we’ve worked hard at possessing back to full verve and vitality.
Looking at Change Like an Upcoming Graduate
Business Advice for Women Entrpreneurs and Small Business Owners
“Holding on is believing there’s only a past; letting go is knowing there is a future,” a quote by Daphne Rose Kingma graced my morning computer screen. What an interesting quote as I prepare for my son’s graduation from college in 20 days from Boston College. You probably remember your own graduation moments when you stood in a moment of time looking back and looking forward at the same exact time.
In business we celebrate those moments too when we are standing in the threshold of change. Sometimes it’s simple adjustments that need to be made and ones we have been avoiding for awhile; other times it is dramatic transformation calling us. We sense it. We feel it. We know it. Like the morning thunder, it’s been roaring off in a distance trying to get our attention. I have always believed the hardest part of making any change is actually thinking about making the change, not the change itself. Once a decision has been made, relief sets in.
We are constantly challenged to grow as women entrepreneurs. Whether we are creating new systems, adding staff, expanding into new regions, being educated in new subjects or borrowing capital to expand, we have to nurture development within ourselves and our business walls. We have to be willing to graduate to new levels all the time.
Today’s blog post is meant to inspire you to look at change the way a graduate is looking at change – cognizant of where they have just been and enthusiastic for where they are going. Remember you can’t stand in the threshold of making small or major decisions too long. At some point you need to step backward or move forward or you risk stalling.
I hope you will be more like the graduates this spring who are full of anticipation for what lies ahead if you are going through change. Remember at any moment, you can walk through the threshold you’ve been standing in to a new way of conducting business.
The Raise Rates or Not
Business advice for women entrepreneurs
The news buzzed this week about Netflix’s plan to increase subscription prices for new customers while keeping old subscribers at current rates for a limited period of time. The company said the reason for the increase was the need for funding to expand and conduct more original content. The news also highlighted the fact Netflix’s first-quarter earnings were already very strong.
To increase rates or not is the question for many women entrepreneurs. Known for being nervous in raising prices at the expense of losing customers, women business owners tend to maintain standard pricing too long thus decreasing their opportunity for growth. It is interesting Netflix is raising rates when it’s already successful; not when it’s desperate for revenue. Women entrepreneurs should glean wisdom from this company and consider making economic moves for their business at the right time.
The other interesting fact about Netflix is how the owner of the company is not worried about competition because he believes the more players in the market, the faster the transformation within their industry leading them all to success sooner. Netflix is proud to be leading the way not only for themselves but for other companies.
Today’s blog post should inspire you to ponder two business issues. How long has it been since you raised your rates? If it’s been more than three years, it may be time to look at your business plan, your position and value in the market, and your company’s growth potential and make a decision to increase them. The second issue you should investigate is how many competitors have entered your marketplace in the past two years? How does their entrance affect your business? What should you do to embrace or work with other competitors to enhance the entire industry? By creating a stronger marketplace you also affect demand for your services and more justification for increased rates.
Once in awhile as entrepreneurs we must make strong financial moves that help our business remain vibrant and poised for growth. Take a look at our success strategies today to gain more advice on making the move to raise your rates.
Business Strong Today Women Entrepreneurs
Business Advice for Women Entrepreneurs
Boston Strong is everywhere in the news today as the 118th running of the Boston Marathon kicks-off. Not every woman entrepreneur is a runner or knows someone connected to Boston but we understand the meaning of human triumph, formidable spirit and incredible belief in one’s ability since we must have these same characteristics to survive in business.
Being with other people inspires us whether it’s in business, sports or special occasions. I know this because I’ve witnessed it at events where I gather women entrepreneurs together to market, sell, promote, connect and converse the past 19 years. We are people meant to be with others. We strive and survive because of our sisters and brothers.
I hope today – on this inspirational running day when our country’s eyes are on Boston – that you have an inspirational work day and extremely successful week ahead. We can, and should be inspired, by the spirit of so many people to run again, to stand on the sidelines and cheer on runners like my son will do from beautiful Boston College today, to raise money for charities and to live the American dream of not being afraid of what others may do to us. We live in an amazing country. We are blessed.
I hope all women entrepreneurs work strong today, to embrace life and to cheer on others when ever we can. I know I will as I run as a member of the Women’s Athletic Network in the Syracuse Fleet Feet 5K Boston Strong Run tonight. Be Strong. Be Boston Strong. Be Business Strong.
Productivity Advice for Women Entrepreneurs
Business advice for women entrepreneurs
With Spring Break starting this week in so many school districts, many women entrepreneurs are juggling business demands with their sons or daughters off of school, employees on vacation, and the business community on a bit of a hiatus. Getting use to fluctuating business energies starts now in Central New York especially with a hard winter over and our beautiful summer season set to arrive.
Staying productive when everyone else isn’t and the marketplace is slow can be difficult. Today’s post is meant to inspiration you by providing success strategies and insight to help you be more productive in your business no matter what everyone around you is doing and when the weather is calling you to finally go outside and enjoy it.
Evalutate Your Business and Personal Activities
All of us are busy and we rarely take time to evaluate and reflect on our personal and business lives. Periodically we should be analyzing what activites are energy builders, what great decisions are taking us in the right direction, what activites drain our energy, and what achievements are moving us in the wrong direction. By taking a few minutes to write down answers to these four questions, we will realize that 80 percent of our enjoyment in life and business comes from 20 percent of our activities and achievements.
Adjusting Your Attitude
How does your current attitude help you attain your highest and smallest goals? By embracing a feeling of natural productivity, optimism and a commitment to certain responsibilities, we can be more effective at our workplace. Every woman entrepreneur struggles from time to time with productivity and when we do, we must realize it and then seek guidance from a close friend or advisor who can keep us on the right track. We might also need to stop and realize we are unfocused and to regain control. Also remember to spend 20 percent of your day being positive and it will most likely impact the other 80 percent of your work and life.
Setting Time Goals
When productivity is at a low, stop and take time to list your most important goals. Block off time each day to attend to activities that move you closer to those important goals. You do not have to achieve an entire goal on one day but by simply acting on plans to move closer to the goal, you eventually will achieve it. Goal setting can produce amazing results so set some goals today when the business community around you seems silent.
I hope the upcoming week allows you an opportunity to enjoy time off with your family while balancing your business duties. Find the best times to be productive and relish in those moments.
The Importance of Share Buttons
Business Advice for Women Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners
Let’s face it, women love to share. They love sharing emotions with their loved ones, recipes with their girlfriends, clothes with their sisters, and family stories with their children. It’s no secret women love to talk, emote and converse.
Similarly business women love to share their emotional corporate ups and downs with loved ones, success strategies with their sister entrepreneurs and business stories with new people they meet. Women entrepreneurs love to talk , emote and converse. It’s what makes a room full of women entrepreneurs so vibrant. We love sharing.
I actually learned a new lesson in sharing last week. As my team put on the finishing touches to our new Women’s Athletic Network website, we realized we had forgot to put social media marketing share buttons under the events we were promoting. In fact, we realized our Women TIES websote didn’t have any share buttons under the events. I have share buttons under my blog posts but that was because WordPress automatically put them there. I had never thought of adding the share buttons to my own company websites. It took a couple days for my programmer to figure out how to code the buttons and add them to the new page but now they are there for all our events to be shared.
Sometimes in business, we need to tweak the smallest details related to our companies. We get so concerned about the overall goals, big picture, and underlying message that we forget to pay attention to adjusting or tweaking the finer points – like adding share buttons to our websites, blogs or online stores. What needs improvement in our business doesn’t just come from us looking but from thers glancing periodically. Others can see and share what is missing so we can make improvements.
Today’s blog post is to remind you to share your website, blog, marketing pieces and other visual work with a few trusted friends, advisors or family. Only with fresh eyes can we see what is missing or needs improvement. I know social media marketing buttons weren’t around 9 years ago when I created the Women TIES website or three years ago when I updated it. Once in awhile you need to pay attention to the finer details within your business to stay relevant.
I hope you “share” this business wisdom with other women you know that could use the advice. If you’re like me, you can’t wait to pick up that phone to talk about this news along with some other personal news too – that’s the great part of being a woman.
Being Strong – Boston Strong – In Business and in Life
There were 90 people standing near a gazebo listening to our Fleet Feet 5K Training Leader instruct us what to do if thunder started during our run. The air was dense with warm spring air and it felt good running for the first time in four weeks in comfortable weather.
Fifteen minutes into the training run the sky opened up with a deluge of heavy rain just as 50% of the group was running up and down steep hills. Needing to tag our partner at the end of the hill made no one slow down even if the hills were getting slick and muddy. Teamwork inspired us to keep running.
As we finished all the running stations soaked to the core, there were high-fives, smiles, and pride in the air. It triumphed over the rain, mud puddles and slippery slopes. As I walked away from the training with sneakers squishing out water, I realized the value of having teammates in running and in business. We need people who are going through the same trials, tribulations and successes to keep us pressing on.
Here’s insight from last night’s run that relates to entrepreneurial life as well:
* It is not possible to succeed in anything without hard work and perseverance. The entrepreneurial road to achievement must be filled with hills, rain and hard work to reap business rewards. There is no other way to taste triumph.
* Working alongside others towards a unique goal, business proposal or challenging time is uplifting. Entrepreneurs might not high-five each other as much as runners in a training program, but we do silently. We understand someone else’s struggles are similar to ours and their success is our success.
* We shouldn’t be content with the status quo in life or in business when we have the energy, health, mental ability and fortitude to try something new to open our horizons. We might fall down a few times along the way but in the end we win by tackling something new.
As I launch my company Women TIES adds a new Athletic Division for Women, a four month journey on the anniversary of the Boston Marathon Bombing, I cross the finish line today knowing no one or nothing can stop the drive to run, compete or run a business. Humans have tenacious spirits ready to face any challenge and so do women entrepreneurs who own businesses.
I hope any woman entrepreneur or businesswoman who loves athletics will join me in staying happy, healthy and challenged. Take a look at my company’s new division – “The Women’s Athletic Network” and be inspired to join us and to stay strong – especially Boston Strong today.
Changing Business Seasons
Business Advice for Women Entrepreneurs and Small Businesses
The struggle between winter and spring is evident in yesterday’s dropping temperatures, howling winds, and blue sky that faded to grey. Straddling between cold and warm air, our environment keeps trudging away trying to make forward progress towards a new season. There isn’t much we can do about the wait because we know everything in life has a season.
Seasons have come and gone since I opened up my business and walked through the entrepreneurial door 19 years ago. I remember being excited to check out the “yellow pages” to see my business listed for the first time in the Syracuse phone book. Ten years later, I was thrilled to leave a home based office to open a downtown office with young interns to assist me. After health issues, I returned back to my home base office after five years only to find a new abundant energy which helped grow my revenue without the expenses of a corporate environment. It has been a cycle of time to grow, time to shrink, time to grow again. It happens to women personally and professionally.
As I get ready to launch my new Athletic Division for Women, I realize I’m in another season. A season that wants to bring women together outside business walls to connect and enjoy fitness and sports together. It seems like my business sisters are all eager to enjoy a new season of their life after their children move on to college or get married. There’s space to fill – a new season to enjoy – season that comes with more time, freedom and opportunity.
Today’s blog post is to inspire you to embrace your own season of professional and personal life. Just like winter moves to spring, you are moving forward too through a new cycle and new season. What do you want that season to be? For your business, does it mean finally taking big risks you’ve been waiting to take or stepping back to relax alittle and regroup with a new vision? Are you ready to take more courses, get more certifications, change tracks, or stay the course. Not every season forces us to change dramatically; sometimes it’s subtle changes that influence our mind, spirit and body allowing us to change.
As we all await a glorious new, warm season, ponder what you can do for your own business life to make it more spectacular too. Seasons come and go. What can you do today to make the next season of your business the best one yet?
Women TIES 