Small Business Wisdom From Toronto Conference
Wisdom, Advice and Inspiration for Women Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners
As I crossed the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls on my way back from Toronto from Pat Mussiuex’s “Wealth Makers” event, the view of the raging water over the falls felt like the inside of my mind filled with fresh new ideas for myself and my business. When you attend a 3 day conference, you can’t help but fill your mind with good ideas and your heart with emotions to get going on new plans. Niagara Falls it was for me and my thinking.
Today I wanted to share with my followers just a few of the business thoughts that came back with me. We learned much more than these thoughts but I believe in highlighting the ones that spoke to me the most hoping they speak to you today and inspire your entrepreneurial spirit.
* An entrepreneur must continue to develop their critical thinking skills.
* She who implements wins! Take action. Don’t just plan.
* You must have a specific Point of View (POV) to pitch yourself to the media.
* Continue to use new social media like Facebook Live and Video to reach your audience.
*Life shrinks and expands in proportion to one’s courage and so does your business.
* Raise the expectations in your life.
* Start your business day with one hour of revenue producing activities.
* You don’t always want to do business with a pulse and a dollar.
I hope some of these thoughts inspire you to dig deeper into your own plans, actions and dreams and keep implementing them. If you need some extra inspiration, check out my video blog post at https://youtu.be/RkS-xul48tA. Have a blessed business Monday.
The Dream. The Plan. The Team. – Business and Sports Wisdom
Wisdom and Inspiration for Women Entrepreneurs, Women and Female Athletes
5:30 a.m. sharp I entered the hotel exercise room for a morning run. It was in a beautiful hotel in Toronto, Canada where I was staying at a three day conference for women entrepreneurs. The event started at 8:30 a.m. and ended at 9 p.m. each day. The information Pat Mussieux shared with the audience was valuable, meeting friendly Canadian women entrepreneurs was extra special and the educational content outstanding. The only pain in the conference was my legs which were use to running every day; so I told my Women TIES and Women’s Athletic Network members about a plan to run early that morning.
One by one three women joined me in the wee hours so we could run together. First came Tracy Erwin of Rodan and Fields, then Ala Ladd a Life and Business Coach, and Linda Heeler of Live Inspired Life Coaching. They know I’m trying to keep pace with my 2017 Boston Marathon training schedule. Luckily for them, I only needed to run 3 miles that morning – not 7 – like I need to run today. Each woman gave me an added boost of energy on my treadmill as they walked in. We were make-up less, hair pulled back, and determined to be healthy as we ran together.
As I left the room, I asked my buddies if they would like to jump off their machines to take a “We are up early to run selfie,” just like their entrepreneurial spirit, they said, “yes” and this shot was taken. When I look at this photo today as I get ready to run on a very windy day by myself, I think of these thoughts:
* I wish I had these 3 ladies here to run since the run is longer and the weather rough. Having partners on a rough journey helps the mind, heart and spirit. It is one reason I love the concept of 261Fearless.org. Lesson: Surround yourself with supportive friends or business partners to make any journey easier and more enjoyable.
* Both running alone and running with others are equally beneficial to a person as long as they ultimately stick with their goal and stay on track with their athletic or exercise plans. Lesson: There are pros and cons to running alone and with partners. Make sure you do a little of both in life, business and sports and make sure many of your partners are women.
* Pick different people to accompany you on different length goals whether that is in business, sports or faith journeys. Lesson: When we surround ourselves with diverse people, talents and interests, we will have plenty of people to choose from when we need a companion.
I have learned there are many similarities between running a business and running towards a goal like the #261Fearless Boston Marathon charity team dream. It all leads back to having a dream to begin with, sticking to a solid plan to achieve the dream and having others help along the way.
Pacing Yourself Towards Your Big Business Goal
Business inspiration and wisdom for women, women entrepreneurs and small business owners
Before you start reading today’s Wednesday Wisdom and think to yourself, “There goes Tracy talking about another running experience,” I want you to purposely put yourself in my shoes today as the main character of this story; but instead of imagining yourself running in sneakers on a large training goal, put yourself in your favorite shoes as you “run” your business on your way to a new goal. Ready to imagine – here we go.
It’s a beautiful warm sunny day; the sky is clear, the wind light and nothing stormy in sight. You start off “running.” Your pace is perfect. You are advancing on time to get to your “goal,” and there is nothing stopping you. The path is smooth, the view breathtaking and your energy high. All of a sudden half way to your goal the temperature starts really warming up, you start slowing down, you stumble tripping on a large stick, stop to grab a breath and wonder what am I doing? You have already forgotten what the beginning of the “run” felt like and the goal you were heading for.
You decide to turn around to go back to the start feeling like you simply can’t hit your goal, then all of a sudden you hear a voice inside say, “Turn around you are hitting that goal no matter what.” Off you go back in the direction of your goal more determined than ever to achieve it proving you are on the right path with the right accomplishment in sight.
Then all of a sudden you are 75% towards your goal when trepidation sets in again as you realize you forgot to pack supplies, supporters and essentials to get you the rest of the way. You can’t imagine you can complete the goal without these support items. Similarly today I forgot my water and asthma medicine and my progress slowed to a crawl. I’m confident if I planned better I would have sailed to the goal much easier. But honestly I got too excited to get going and ultimately made it a much harder run than it had to be. Sound familiar with any of your new business ideas?
Today’s inspirational post is meant to enlighten your own path to a big success and motivate you to be really prepared from start to end to hit the goal. You must be confident you are ready to “take-off” and then run at a pace that makes sense. Don’t allow difficult moments in the race to turn back. Stock up on supplies, money, and supporters when the going gets tough. Maintain the right pace throughout the venture to allow yourself to finish successfully.
We can get so excited about the big entrepreneurial goal envisioning the champagne flowing, trophy by our side and confetti settling around us that we forget what it truly takes to survive the journey and accomplish the goal. Be prepared, steady, confident and determined and you’ll cross that proverbial finish line.
Making Sure You Get Your Price – The Red Pepper Reasoning
Business advice for women entrepreneurs and small business owners
The phone rings again. It is a call from my son in New York City heading to another job interview. Every time he has an interview he calls to rehearse his background, experiences and references. Always at the end of the call I say to him, “Make sure you ask about the salary and ensure you get the pay you deserve and if not ask for more.” The answer is always the same, “I know, I know, Mom.”
I’m sure I am not the only woman who gives advice and shares mistakes with others, especially life lessons like landing a first job or first client as a fresh entrepreneur. I am also positive I’m not the only person who didn’t get a larger salary in the beginning of her professional career because I didn’t ask for more. I recall my first job living in Philadelphia as an Assistant to the Corporate Vice President of an Investment Banking Firm as my “red pepper experience,” because I was only making $12,000 a year (with a $3,000 bonus promised at Christmas) and cried in a neighborhood market one day when I couldn’t afford to buy a fresh red pepper. It might be a silly story but I wanted that red pepper and I couldn’t afford it.
Honestly as a two decade entrepreneur, I still sometimes struggle with the amount I list on a contract for business services, always going back to thinking I’m asking too much. When I do, I drift back to the big red pepper sitting in the palm of my hand wishing I had more money to buy it. The vision triggers me to implore my son to make sure he gets paid well for his first job. It also forces me to make sure I am asking the right price for my services because my experience says I deserve it.
Today blog post is to invite you to think of the meaning of the red pepper when you are in the middle of pricing your services or products, preparing a proposal, asking for a raise or accepting a new job. Make sure you are getting the price you deserve for the amount of education, experience and wisdom you have to share with your customer or employer. We are responsible for what we get paid, no one else is. We must be stronger, wiser and more confident when it comes to asking for our fair wage.
I love red peppers. I love making money. I sometimes don’t like asking for money but the only way to be a truly successful entrepreneur is to ensure getting paid the right amount the first time so we can pay the bills, pay ourselves and pay for those “red pepper” items we deserve.
Use Video More Often In Business
Business advice, inspiration and wisdom for women entrepreneurs and female business owners
As you know by now if you have a Facebook account, the company loves to surprise people with memories posted from the past. The memories could be from 1, 4 years or more years ago. I’m always interested in seeing the memory because some have emotional meaning, others are business promotions and a few are inspirational posts. Every memory pulls us back in time and helps us remember.
Today’s memory was a video taken at my sister Beth’s wedding 14 years ago that I posted last year on my youngest brother’s wedding day because the video showed our father alive and dancing and our mother with Alzheimer’s very vibrant. “We are Family” was playing and the 8 siblings with our 2 parents are encircled in a family of love. Since there are 6 girls and 2 boys the favorite part of the song for a majority of us is “I got all my sisters with me.” Being the oldest of this clan prepared me emotionally and intellectually to be a leader of women entrepreneurs for 22 years. I love my “sister entrepreneurs” like I love my sisters. We are one big family. We belong together.
If you are a woman entrepreneur and not using video yet for your company, you should. Video brings the emotions, visuals, and verbiage to life. Photos are beautiful but they are one dimensional. Here are facts shared by one of our Women TIES presenters last year about video:
*Businesses don’t use enough online video, especially when they consider 90% of Internet traffic is video content and companies with video content have a 53x more likely to appear on Page 1 of Google.
*60% of visitors to a website watch a video before reading text.
*95% of people watching a video retain more than reading written copy and they stay on a website 2 minutes longer.
*Some suggestions on where to use video:
* On your website
* In your blog posts
* In emails
* In Social Media Marketing
* In product reviews
* In education and training resources
* In your LinkedIn Pages and Groups
You can also use video:
* For testimonials
* To answer “Frequently Asked Questions”
* Opt-in Offers
* About Us promotion
If you want to see a recent event video from my company’s Annual Retreat for Women Entrepreneurs, click on the video link. If you want to view a shorter video I taped yesterday about my feeling the day after another political debate, click here. Tell me how much you feel you were “inside” the event with us once you view it. I encourage you to use video more often in your company – starting today.
Silence is Sometimes Required in Life and Business
Inspiration, Wisdom and Business Advice for Women Entrepreneurs and Female Business Owners
As another Columbus Day kicks off, I greeted the sunny, cool, frosty morning with a deep heavy sigh. A sigh you say? Yes, a sigh. Even this beautiful morning couldn’t bring my energy level up to where it typically is at the start of a new work week, especially on a holiday morning. If you were like me and went to bed after watching the Election Debate last night you might have the same feeling I do this morning. My almost always optimistic, energetic self is missing. The debates drained my positive outlook on the world today.
I have always been someone who searches for the positive in life and business. I’m a half glass full girl. I spend most of my days encouraging other women to think better about their business outlook. I meditate, run, and do yoga to stay happily balanced. As the oldest of 8 kids, I have always tried to keep the “peace” in our family. But the political debates, pundits bickering, 24 hour news cycle chewing up repetitive bad perspectives on the candidates is making me feel ill. I worry about the effects this election will ultimately have on the country’s future – especially my son’s future.
So instead of starting my day listening all over again to the same critiques and negative spins on last night’s event, I choose to be silent. I didn’t turn on the TV or the radio or my iPod. I allowed the silence of the morning to envelope me and set my mind for the day. Quiet. Peace. Stillness. I suggest you do the same thing. Silence is required sometime to go back to center and focus on our own individual lives.
Here are a few activities you can do to establish a calm business day;
* Turn on relaxing music, like a meditation, or yoga music on your computer. Do not turn on the radio or television until after work hours.
* Prioritize your day with positive, work producing tasks that will bring you delight, interactions with positive people and confidence in your entrepreneurial life.
*Pick one activity like running, going for a walk, meeting a friend for coffee, talking to a relative or writing a blog post to keep yourself off maniac main street media today. Settle your mind.
* Create a list of 3 positive, new things you want to do within your business along with a timeline to accomplish them and focus on the energy of creating something new.
* Read instead of watching television or checking your phone and transport your mind into another place and time filled with new characters and circumstances.
It is okay to let the “real world” behind periodically to re-adjust our thinking, mood or insights. We all need a break from negative messages, spins and outcomes. The world isn’t as bad as everyone makes it out to be. Claim your own happiness today in your own corner of the world and be grateful for silence.
What’s Your Next Business “Chapter” Status?
Business advice and inspiration for women entrepreneurs and female business owners
Just like chapters in a book end with a story line including facts, characters and plots that intrigue readers, so does the following chapter. In fact, the next chapter can intrigue us so much we want to speed through the current narrative to get to the next one. Have you ever had to slow down, go back and re-read a piece because you realized you were so excited for the next chapter you didn’t remember what you read or the lesson in the pages?
If you have ever been around children, teenagers or young adults you probably have said this before, “Just enjoy the time you have today, find something you like to do and do it!” For me that meant no television, creating plays in our garage and being down at the dock on the lake. Adult Tracy sometimes wishes from those days again especially the part about hanging on my dock at the lake. But I couldn’t possibly let go of this time in my life and exchange it for more than one day in 1979 or I would give up being a seasoned entrepreneur with two sons and a fulfilled life.
Being happy doesn’t mean we aren’t impatient occasionally for the next new chapter to occur, for the page to flip forward and see what is beyond the horizon in terms of people, activities, goals and life. But a chapter can’t change just because we want it to change; we have to wait our time to learn the lessons, meet the people, discover talents and have setbacks to realize the next chapter is just about to appear in one more flip of the old, yellow page.
You are already aware if you are rushing the current chapter of your life away professionally or personally. Are you hurrying because you are done with “now” or simply ready to start something new? Could you be escaping a disappointment, setback or lull in the storyline? Do you just want a new view? Has your soul found a new part of yourself to explore before it’s too late? Do you have more to learn where you are trusting the page will flip, the door will open and the new adventure appear the moment it’s needed?
Today I would like you to answer a few questions. Are you at the beginning or end of a business chapter? Have you just begun to dig into the real meat of this wonderful current chapter? Are you itching to move on in one area of your life or business but feel like you can’t yet? Why should you be more patient now in this place in time? Today is the day to start figuring it out. Illuminate yourself with awareness, and then….
Flip the page. Stay on course. Begin again. Refresh your view. Revive your passion. Look back. Move forward. These are your choices because treading water won’t bring you deep satisfaction. Choose.
Monday Motivation – Having Wings in Business
Monday Motivation, Wisdom, Advice and Inspiration for Women Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners
On the walls of my exercise room are motivational posters with inspirational quotes. One of the posters is a photo of two parents and two sons standing on a mountain holding hands. The quote reads “Direction: There are two important gifts we give our children, one of these are roots and the other is wings.” Having spent the last eight years letting my sons go off to college, a master’s program and internships in New York City, I’ve had to learn to let go and let my sons fly. It has been those happy/sad moments a parent experiences.
As I ran this morning looking at the poster I realized the “Direction” quote has meaning for women entrepreneurs as we enter the end of a business year in a couple months. In order to constantly direct our businesses and ourselves as leaders to higher levels of success in a new year, we must be rooted in our past successes but willing to fly to take new chances. When we stand on the precipice of an “entrepreneurial mountain” we’ve just climbed, we must bask in the accomplishment. But sooner than later, we have to find another mountain to climb. We can’t stay on top forever. We have to tackle another milestone.
Safe feels good. Safe feels comfortable. Safe feels familiar. Jumping off a mountain, setting a new bold goal, and even watching your last child leave the house for college, is unsettling. But with the unsettled feeling comes excitement. Nothing can stay the same forever – no matter how much we want it to. We are challenged in life and in business to move forward. So we have the choice to move forward in fear or to move forward with confidence – or maybe a combination of both. But we have to keep trusting that our roots and our wings will take us to new levels.
Today’s blog is to nudge you to jump off the mountain you’ve been standing on too long. If you recently accomplished a major business feat by jumping off the mountain relish the moment and accomplishment. If you have been sitting on the mountain for awhile enjoying the view, it’s time to take off to a new vista. If you’ve just started a rigorous new climb, keep going. You’ll get there.
Go forth today with the knowledge it’s much more fun climbing to new heights than it is to sit on top forever. Life is all about change. Direct yourself and go forth with both roots and wings.
National Coffee Day, Blogging & Success Strategies
Business wisdom, insight and advice for women entrepreneurs and small businesses
Are you thinking what I’m thinking? Isn’t every day National Coffee Day? Living with a father who was a Coffee Sales Manager in Portland, Maine for a wonder company called Coffee Pause, every day in our household sure was Coffee Day. He would get up, stumble in his ‘Chevy Chase’ style humor to the coffee maker, bump it a few times, open a pack of fresh coffee and sniff it like there was no tomorrow. He would start the machine contently and then stumble again to the bathroom to begin this morning routine. When you have a father who loves coffee and has a warm sense of humor, you love coffee too and see everything in a better light.
One of the keys to my blogging success is looking at Twitter every morning to see what hash tag is trending. If I’m in a creative writing mood, I put fingers to keyboard and spend 30 minutes typing up a blog post with business success strategies for entrepreneurs in a popular Twitter theme for the day….as I drink my coffee. Many people ask me how I’m motivated to blog 2-3 times a week and I share these keys with them and today with you too:
* Take a look at Twitter in the morning and see what is trending. If there is a subject that relates to your life, business, customers, or marketplace, write a short creative blog post with some of your own insight. Every blogger should have a “personality” you can see in their writings. Write with humor, seriousness, or technically.
* Once you make writing and blogging a priority it will be something you can’t live without doing each day like sipping on your favorite cup of “Chuck” (as my family calls it since that was my Dad’s name). You must make things you don’t like to do in business habit forming like recording receipts, making sales calls, renewing customers, writing, marketing, using social media, and more.
* After you finish a morning blog, it can work for you all day long as a marketing piece shared on social media sites gaining exposure for your company as you do other entrepreneurial duties that bring in revenue. If you get “hooked” on blogging, you will make it a priority while sharing your knowledge with the world (and hopefully making connections to get together to meet new people over a cup of Chuck.)
Start today. Start right now. Go to Twitter and check out the trending hash tags. Believe you can be creative. If there aren’t any hash tags that relate to you, take a presentation, article or even client meeting materials and turn them into a short blog post. Recycle your words. Share your knowledge with the world.
When you are done, go enjoy the aroma of a hot cup of coffee on #NationalCoffeeDay.
Could You Debate Your Biggest Competitor?
Business wisdom, inspiration and advice for women entrepreneurs and small business owners
The stage was set with deep hues of red and blue with words from our constitution on the backdrop. At the podiums stood two people there to represent their views and shed light on the difference between their platforms. 84 million people were watching. If I asked you to close your eyes for one moment and envision yourself at one of the podiums, not as a politician but as a woman entrepreneur opposite your toughest competitor, how would you feel? Your heart might be pumping, your hands shaking, and the lights from above warming your head. You glance out to the moderator and a semi-friendly audience and the microphone turns on. Are you ready?
For an hour and a half would you be able to make your case for why someone should choose to do business with you over the other person? Would you talk about your strengths or their weaknesses? Could you easily pronounce your life’s mission, passion and examples of leadership? Would you be prepared to answer questions about the things you have done wrong in business over the years without being flustered. In the end, could you summarize the distinct differences between you and your opponent?
Women entrepreneurs don’t often think about competition in business like political foes facing off for the ultimate job. Often we are so busy working on our own companies we forget to look at our competition as if it would sidetrack us or crush our spirit. It’s probably because we are women and we tend to look at the positive side of business opposed to the negatives aspects. But if there is one thing that is useful as an entrepreneur, it is conducting a competitive analysis of similar businesses once a year so we know where we stand with our audience – the marketplace.
Entrepreneurship is not about having a ‘pie in the sky’ outlook thinking our way is the only way and anyone who likes us will continue to support us. It’s about having a realistic perception of who we compete against for money in order to sharpen business plans, action calendars and marketing. If there is one thing this election cycle has taught me it’s to better define the difference between my organization and others for the benefit of all.
Today’s Wednesday Wisdom should inspire you to do the same. How long has it been since you’ve prepared a S.W.O.T (strength, weakness, opportunity, threat) analysis between you and other companies like yours? Think about what you could learn and how you could shape your thinking and goals if you had to stand across from them on a stage knowing this information and then setting yourself apart. It takes “preparation” and focus but the end result could swing a customer’s vote.
I encourage you between now and Election Day, to not only register to vote and then vote, but to perform a S.W.O.T. test of your own. I hope once it’s done you win the marketplace’s vote!
Women TIES 