Friday Focus: Pre-Weekend Advice for Entrepreneurs
Friday’s are a feel good day – aren’t they? They feel good because they signify the end of a hard worked business week or the end of a less than productive work week. Anyway you look at it, Fridays are great business days.
As a two decade entrepreneur, I have learned to love Fridays because they are a motivational day to address tasks or projects that got lost in the shuffle. Friday’s have become my most productive day of the week. If you are less likely to accomplish tasks on Friday, I hope my list of Friday Focus items help stimulate business ideas for you today so when Happy Hour arrives for the start of St. Patrick’s Day Weekend you are ready and proud to give up the work week and begin the weekend.
Top Friday business tasks:
* Start the day by making of a list of the top 5 tasks you never did during the week. This is your time to make those tasks a priority. Go straight down the list without skipping any of them. If you are really efficient you can add more tasks or stop work early, it’s your choice. I think you’ll end up feeling more energized to keep accomplishing items.
* Make some sales calls. I have learned people are more amenable to taking sales calls on Fridays. I think people are more relaxed on Fridays and willing to listen longer to someone calling them. Friday’s have always been my best sales day. If you are in the mood, remember to create a small script before you begin on ways your business fills a need for the customer. Start the conversation by asking them for ten minutes of their time, ask about their business first, and then explain how your business can help them. Follow the call up with action – a bill, a thank you email, or making a list of people to call back next week.
* Friday’s are a great day to handle social media marketing items you’ve neglected during the week. Write a blog post and promote it on Facebook and Twitter. Research new people to follow on Twitter and start a conversation with them. Reach out and communicate with friends on Facebook. Remember social media marketing works best if there is a dialog and conversation happening between parties.
* Look at your calendar and book a couple appointments you’ve been neglecting to book for next week or schedule attendance at one or more networking or business events in the next two weeks to jumpstart some new sales. We must get out of our offices periodically to make new economic connections. Book them now when you feel you have the time.
I hope you have a productive and enjoyable business day. After it’s over make sure you pat yourself on the back and enjoy the weekend.
Wednesday Advice For Women Entrepreneurs – “Redemption”
I was excited to read a gift given to me by one of my mentors. The book was Martha Stewart’s “The Martha Rules: 10 Essentials for Achieving Success as You Start, Build, or Manage a Business.” It was a book inspired during her 2004 federal prison camp period. I couldn’t wait to read it because I have always been inspired by redemption.
During Martha’s lowest period in her life behind bars, she found herself answering questions about entrepreneurship within the prison gates from incarcerated young women who had dreams of opening a business after jail. From those conversations, Martha created the outline for the book and arranged a time to speak to women interested in entrepreneurship outside the jail’s chapel. She spoke of dreams, passion, vision statements and business plans. She encouraged planning, investing, partnering and careful thoughtful research. She inspired from within.
There’s a quote that says, “It’s not how hard we are knocked down, but how quickly we stand back up again.” Martha Stewart is a good example of this quotation and so are so many women entrepreneurs I have met along my 19 year entrepreneurial journey all over the great state of New York. Sometimes entrepreneurship requires the 3 R’s – redemption, rescue and recovery especially in the face of difficulty, doubt and despair. No one, no business, no life well lived is ever free from pain and persecution. It is always, always part of the journey.
What I have always loved about women entrepreneurs is their tenacity and strength when they hit the lowest of lows. They might be down for the count for an instant, a day, a month…but they aren’t down forever. Their fighting spirit, intellect, core beliefs and pure will to do better always rises to the surface and makes them survivors.
Today’s post is to remind you that when you are living in the midst of difficulty, recovering from a major mistake, or experiencing a low point in your business life, that redemption, rescue and recovery are on their way. If women who have made major mistakes like Martha Stewart can live through the darkest days and come out fighting, we can too.
The darkest days always teach us the most important lessons about ourselves. They shape and form us and our future; so embrace them and learn from the wisdom they grant you and then move on to the next brighter period awaiting you
Lifting Ideas From Other Companies
Business lessons can come from unlikely sources. For me it occurred yesterday at a ski resort while enjoying a late winter ski day with my sons. Although I was enjoying the beauty of the mountain views from my chairlift, the exhilarating runs down the steep mountains and the freshness of the snow beneath my skis, I also learned some valuable entrepreneurial lessons to bring back to my business today.
Entrepreneurs don’t only gain wisdom, education and success strategies from national experts, at industry conventions or by reading books; they can find wisdom simply by visiting other businesses. Entrepreneurial inspiration can be found anywhere at any time if business owners keep their eyes and ears open.
Here are a few great business reminders I took away from my adventures at the ski slope:
* Watching your bottom line in business is always important. As I waited for my son to get rental equipment, the woman ahead of us asked the rental technician if the ski resort was closing early for the season. She noticed less skiers on the slopes as March progressed. The technician said,” The owner always is weighing the daily cost of staying open as the number of people paying to ski decreases as the season draws to an end. He is always looking at the numbers to make that decision.” Lesson: Entrepreneurs should always be paying attention to the bottom line in making decisions.
* Offer the Best Even if Sales are Low. Lunch time arrived and we decided to buy soup to get warm. The woman working the counter described how they make their soup homemade daily. I said to her, “Even when you are expecting a slow business day, you still make the soup from scratch?” She said, “It doesn’t matter how many customers we expect, we always offer a high quality homemade soup to give our clients the best.” Lesson: Entrepreneurs should always be putting their best product forward on a daily basis no matter how many people are buying it.
* Make Sure Every Single Employee is Friendly – All the Time. The woman at the ticket counter, the man in the rental office and the kitchen counter woman were all very friendly. I expected the same from the ski lift operators. But to no avail, could we get the super grumpy ski lift operator to smile as 3 of us bumbled our way onto a fast moving chair. I made it a quest every time we arrived at the lift to get this guy to laugh by saying, “Here come your favorite riders.” No smile ever came. My comedic comments never shook the cold out of him. After awhile I stopped trying. Lesson: Entrepreneurs remember every employee represents your business and making your clients happy is important. Make sure you know who needs some “lifting” of their personalities within your organization to keep clients content.
Causing A Movement
As the skies become brighter, the snow slowly shrinks and the birds start returning, we witness movement – the movement from winter to spring. The rhythm of changing weather starts awakening our spirit, brightening our days, shrinking our need to stay inside and returning us to a more active life. What has been dormant starts stirring again.
March is one of my favorite months because it symbolizes the end of cold days, the energy of the NCAA March Madness and a reminder of the Women’s Rights Movement. As humans we are moved by a lot of different things. For me, I’m moved by the beautiful season of spring, watching basketball and following the footsteps of brave women before me who fought for women’s equality. At this age in life, most women know what moves them personally and professionally.
As a woman entrepreneur, we have the ability to create a movement within our business. Movement can be defined as “the thing that somebody does and the places to which she goes, noted over a period of time.” Business owners start companies one day, by themselves, and then work tirelessly to move their idea to the marketplace and attract a following. Our businesses are always moving. Our customers join us. We move together producing a symbiotic relationship. Two, five or even eight years later we can look back and see how our company has created a unique movement within our industry.
Women TIES celebrated its 8th Anniversary on March 3rd. I joyously celebrated this important day that opened up a whole new world for me and the women who have joined me since its creation. As my company has evolved, so has my mission. Getting clearer every day as my customers came onboard, made stronger economic connections and shared their experiences with others.
Author Seth Godin states in his book Tribes, “At the heart of the matter, every leader cares for and supports a movement.” Women entrepreneurs aren’t just starting businesses; they are truly starting micro-movements.
Today’s post is to encourage you to analyze the movement your business has created for your clients, customers, and the general marketplace. Start by looking back over the time you’ve been an entrepreneur and acknowledge on paper the changes you’ve brought to your clients and your industry. It’s apparent to others. Is it apparent to you? You might create an “aha” moment for yourself when you conduct this exercise.
As March continues to unfold, I hope you allow this time to unfold the significance you and your company play in this world. It’s important to know what movement we are causing and passionately living within. You’ll love yourself for it.
Life Hinges on Small Moments
Business Advice for Women Entrepreneurs
Every woman starts her business for a reason. We become so passionate about something, we are moved to produce a service, sell a product or create an improved way of doing something. Just like every woman entrepreneur is unique, so is her passion for what she creates, produces and sells.
I don’t really know where my deep rooted belief in helping women entrepreneurs make more money stems from. I know I come from a lineage of feisty, independent women who had their own companies; but the discussion of equal pay for women never came up in conversations.
When I worked at my first job at a large investment brokerage firm in Philadelphia right after college, 99% of the stock brokers were men; only 1% were women. I worked for a Vice President who had a very rich, older male client who liked me. He called me “sweet hips” and invited me to go to Spain with him even though he was married. My very spirited 22 year old self would storm into my boss’ office and complain about the advances only to get the response, “Tracy, he is my largest client, you will treat him with respect. Don’t offend him.” I never offended him but I certainly stood my ground.
They say “Life hinges on small decisions,” I say, “Life hinges on single moments.” In those difficult moments, I swore I would stop working for the firm as soon as my annual bonus arrived and I would stay very true to who I was and say what I wanted to any man who made inappropriate comments. I’m sure these were the “moments” my feministic spirit sprouted.
Tomorrow at my Alma mater, SUNY Oswego, Lilly Ledbetter who fought to close the gap between women’s and men’s wages and had the “Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act” signed into law by President Obama on January 29, 2009 will speak. I can’t wait to listen to her because she represents a tenacious, fearless woman who fought not only for her own rights, but for a generation of women to follow.
Today’s blog is to inspire you to keep sticking true to your passion. Don’t get side tracked. Don’t let anyone say you can’t achieve what you are trying to achieve. Focus on the core beliefs inside you and work smart, diligently and hard to make a difference in this world through your own spirit and your entrepreneurial venture. If you do, success will greet you and you’ll love yourself for it.
We all need female examples like Lilly Ledbetter to remind us how being strong, focused women with a mission and purpose will change the world for the better.
Sunny Day Sales Advice
Business Advice for Women Entrepreneurs in New York State
The sun is shining in Central New York and the antsy sales soul in me feels like today is the day to make four hours of sales calls. I’ve always felt the sunny, blue skies that appear in Syracuse put potential customers and repeat clients in more positive moods. I’m not sure if it’s true but it makes me more optimistic!
What I’ve also learned about making sales calls might help you today. Here are some practical sales tips the next time you are placing cold/warm calls:
* Revisit the reason why your company can truly help your client. What need do you fix? What pain do you take away? What options do you offer that assist and help them? Make a list before you call each customer or prospect so you are prepared to share how you can help them if they buy your services or products.
* Start your sales calls asking your customer or the prospect about their business first, and then lead into what your business offers and how it can help them.
* Creating a short script and practicing it a few times before you call someone is a great way to get in the mood to sell. You’ll work out any stammering you might have when you begin your calls. If you are like me, practicing the script a few times makes you more comfortable and relaxed to begin the process.
* Remember if calls aren’t going well and people are declining your offer, it’s better to take the “no” and move onto the next call with positivity. One smart entrepreneur I know actually “Goes for the No’s” instead of going for the yes. She knows that eventually the “Yes” will come. So she tells herself to plan for 10 no responses before she gets to a yes. It’s a great way to turn your thinking around when making sales calls.
Good luck. As my father who loved sales would say every morning he left for work, “Go get ‘em!”
The “Old Time” Benefits of Traditional Marketing to Promote a Business
Business Advice for Women Entrepreneurs
There was a great commercial a couple years ago that showed a domino effect of innovation over decades. Each old product was knocked down by one that replaced it. For example, the ad showed a cart driven by a horse knocked down by an automobile, a record player knocked down by an walkman, an old fashion phone that hung on the wall eventually knocked down by today’s cell phone; and a large bulky computer replaced by smaller versions eventually leading to a laptop.
As we speak, we are witnessing the revolution of how we obtain information and mail. Gone are the days when we received daily editions of a local newspaper at our doorstep instead we find the news on our computers or I-phones. Also disappearing fast are the days of having mail delivered on Saturdays.
How women entrepreneurs market their companies has changed substantially too. When I started Women TIES in 2005, Facebook didn’t exist yet. I used old fashion press releases, print flyers, mailed invitations and email communication to market events. Today’s social media marketing has commandeered some of the old ways but I know “traditional” marketing is still a viable way to promote a business.
Just like we haven’t given up cars fueled by gasoline for electric cars or replaced our home phones for only cell phones or stopped picking up print publications at the newsstands, we also shouldn’t depend solely on social media marketing to promote, market and advertise what we sell. There are many “old” practices that can still help a business owner gain exposure.
Today’s post is to encourage you to revisit the methods you use to promote your company. Are you relying solely on social media marketing? If so, is it really working all time for you? If not, re-educate yourself on traditional forms of marketing like drafting and sending press releases, advertising in magazines that target your demographic or producing an open house event to entice a new crowd to visit your store? Just because there are new ways to do business doesn’t mean we have to forget the old ways.
I hope you spend some time this week reviewing other marketing methods that could be vital to your business in 2013. Definitely use social media marketing but open yourself back up to considering other forms of advertising that could also be effective. It might cause a positive domino effect for your business.
Finding Your Sweet Spot
Business Advice for Women Entrepreneurs from Helene Chaika Fausold of Chaika Unlimited
It’s Valentine’s week and it seemed appropriate to discuss the Sweet Spot. You know, that place where you’re doing what you love to do and you do it well. It’s enjoyable, fun and feels easy. You are able to complete items on your ‘to do’ list with remarkable ease and new ideas are emerging.
The Sweet Spot sounds like it a destination; the end point of a long journey. Rather, in and of itself, it is a process. It is being in a place where you feel that you are successfully working at achieving goals and continuously reaching for more.
How do you know if you’ve reached your Sweet Spot? Here are guidelines:
Revisit your vision: Your vision serves as a guide for where you want to go and how you will get there. It should be all encompassing. Take time to write it down; get it down on paper and out of your head. You may realize that you are already well on your way to living the way you would like to.
Consider your values: Your values serve as the guideposts by which you make your decisions. Write those down as well. The way you reach your goals will be influenced by the values you maintain. Adhering to your values will lend itself to a more satisfied, well-balanced life.
Promote your brand: Begin living your life according to what you want to be known for. Your future is now. Communicate and present yourself in a manner consistent with your vision and values. Doing so affect how others perceive you and will influence the feedback you receive.
Embrace change: It’s not easy stepping out of your comfort zone. Recognize that you will feel resistance and that it will seem remarkably easy to talk yourself out making any changes. It involves risk and will feel unfamiliar. Those feelings will subside over time and you will find yourself comfortably living your vision.
Know your customers: We are greatly influenced by the people we surround ourselves with. Who are the people you can serve, in both your personal and professional life, that support your vision and the steps you need to take to achieve your goals? Embrace your relationship with those individuals; recognize and minimize the influence of naysayers.
Finding your Sweet Spot and living the life you want may not be as far away as you think. You probably have most of the steps in place already. Your job is embrace the responsibility for putting those steps into action. The sooner you move forward, the sooner you will reach your Sweet Spot.
Women TIES is dedicated to showcasing some of the business advice from our 300 members. We “love” promoting their work. Today we featured Helene Chaika Fausold of Chaika Unlimited.
Business Love Letters
Valentine’s Day Advice for Women Entrepreneurs
By the middle of the 18th century, Valentine’s Day was a customary day for friends and lovers of all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes. Handwritten notes and sentimental thoughts were converted over time to a billion dollar industry. According to today’s statistics, Valentine’s Day has become the second largest card sending holiday with an estimated 2.6 billion cards sent.
As I review these statistics, I wonder how a simple idea like creating Valentine’s Day cards could translate over time to a billion dollar industry. Is love what really fuels business success?
It’s hard to be innovative in a world of a billion business success stories. I’m sure most women entrepreneurs wish they were creating the next best concept to launch them into the ultimate success stratosphere. But original ideas are hard to come by. If you just figure we are living in the 21st century and it took 3 centuries for the Valentine’s Day card industry to become a billion dollar enterprise, you’ll see how challenging it can be for an idea to really take hold.
So the lesson today isn’t so much about what it takes to create the next best ground-breaking concept because honestly the fruition time for success could outlast an entrepreneur’s lifetime. The lesson is about love. Yes, love.
People love to know other people care. Customers in particular love to know their vendors care about them. In the automated, super technical world we live in, a simple gesture of affection – a card, a flower, a gift, a thank you note can have more impact on your current customer base than a new splashy ad campaign can do to attract new clients. Business is about love isn’t it?
Today’s post is meant to have you stop and think about the most important people who make your business successful. Who are they – vendors, partners, sponsors, advisors or friends? Have you taken time lately to tell them they matter? Can you find 30 minutes this week to send a few handwritten “love letters,” like they use to pen in the 18th century, to a few really important people connected with your business?
I think you’ll find as corny as it sounds, displaying love and affection in your entrepreneurial life will reap you a billion seconds of clients remembering who you are.
A Forest of Women Entrepreneurs
Business Wisdom for Women Entrepreneurs in New York State
Moments of clarity sometimes occur in unexpected places. After last week’s East Coast Blizzard which dumped 6 inches of fresh powder through New York State, I ventured out early Saturday morning to cross country ski in the woods of Beaver Lake Nature Center. I greeted the crisp, white, fresh forest laden with snow with an open mind and energetic spirit.
In the middle of the beautiful ski, I stopped for a moment and noticed individual, towering trees standing side by side to make the forest. Always looking for wisdom, I noticed the tall trees reminded me of every woman entrepreneur I’ve met who stand tall in their dreams, actions and beliefs to grow their companies. Rooted in a mission, striving for higher heights, the women entrepreneurs I know stand strong and resilient like the individual pines in the forest.
Although they are alone in their own growth, they stand next to other women entrepreneurs striving for similar heights. Together side-by-side they don’t look lonely or out of place, instead they belong together producing a massive, beautiful forest that envelopes what would be barren ground. They grow both individually and together every day.
The National Association of Women Business Owners distributed a press release yesterday saying, “The State of Women-Owned Businesses survey found that 81% of WBOs were optimistic about their business’ overall performance for the year ahead. 74% were also optimistic about the broader economic outlook in 2013.” I second their opinion. In our first 3 events of the year, we have sold-out each venue, witnessed overwhelming amounts of optimism by women entrepreneurs for the year ahead, and believe this is the year for women entrepreneurs to truly achieve greater heights.
Today’s blog post is to inspire you to think of your business as a tall, sturdy, growing tree striving for higher altitude and to remind you to look around and see you are in the company of thousands of other women entrepreneurs standing next to you creating a forest of beauty and mass. I know we have a brilliant future ahead of us. Not because we are smart, engaging, creative women but because we understand and benefit from the power of being in the midst of other women just like us.
I continue to hope this year is the best business year for you. I feel it. I see it. I sense it everywhere I go from Albany to Rochester, Watertown to Binghamton, Ithaca and the Mohawk Valley and right here in the heart of New York in Syracuse. I know you will hit the heights you strive for. You’ll do it with a combination of your own individual strength and in the company of other amazing women business owners. A forest we are. A larger forest we will become.
Women TIES 