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Do you feel good enough? by Anne Day of @companyofwomen

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Do feel good enough?

by Anne Day

You’d be surprised at how many women don’t.

For the last three years I have been immersed in co-authoring a book on why women don’t feel good enough and what we can do about it.

It all started after a retreat with a group of high-functioning business owners who, after scoping out their plans for the next ten years, felt they wouldn’t achieve their goals because they weren’t good enough. They didn’t deserve success.

I was shocked. Outwardly they appeared to have their act together, but behind their masks they seemed riddled with self-doubt. Who knew?

Together with Amy Vodarek, a leadership coach, we embarked on a quest to find out why and how these feelings of inadequacy could be changed. Little did we know it would take us on a three-year journey as we talked to women and learned more about this hidden epidemic.

And we weren’t immune either. There were times when we truly questioned ourselves – who were we to be writing this book? Who did we think we were?
But we hung in there and next month we will be launching our book Good Enough.

We connected with over 350 women through one-on-one interviews, focus groups and an extensive survey. The results were startling in that over 80 percent suffered from self-doubt in one form or another.

Why? Overwhelm was a biggie. You just have to reflect on the pace of life these days; the amount women have to juggle as they climb the corporate ladder, and manage on the home front too. It is little wonder that many women feel inadequate. “ When I am at work, I am thinking about my kids, and then when I am at home, I am worrying about something at work. I feel constantly torn and not 100 percent there for anyone.” shared Annette, a business owner.

Trying to please everyone added even more pressure, and often women said yes to one more task, when in reality they weren’t managing what they already had on their plate.

Feeling judged was another major factor. And frequently the biggest culprit was ourselves. We are our own biggest critic. We compare ourselves to others and we believe we don’t measure up favourably.

Some of our self-doubt is buried and rooted in the past: a rocky childhood, dysfunctional family dynamics, challenges at school or work, abusive relationships. Needless to say, self-doubt cannot be quickly fixed.

Life situations like divorce, death of a family member, or illness can drastically impact how we feel about ourselves too. We may be managing, treading water and staying afloat, when whoosh a big wave comes along and suddenly we are not coping. Not coping at all. And this is understandable, especially when we’re close to the edge already.

By the time we’d finished gathering information, we were looking at a gloomy picture, but we knew there had to be a different way to manage. Throughout the book we have shared the stories we heard, some were gut wrenching, and the women’s courage is to be applauded. Through the stories we learn we are not alone.

So what can you do? Self-awareness is key to moving forward and so we’ve included thought-provoking questions for you to ask yourself, as well as strategies to help you take small steps towards the life you want, desire and deserve.

As one woman shared, “When women come together and expose their flaws,
share their vulnerabilities, beautiful things happen.”

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Anne Day Company of WomenAnne Day is the founder of Company of Women, and author/editor of five books on women and entrepreneurship. Published by Full Circle Publishing, Good Enough. Embrace who you are. Unleash your brilliance. By Anne Day and Amy Vodarek will be launched Spring, 2017

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Default. Delete. Decide. by Anne Day of @companyofwomen

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Default. Delete. Decide.

by Anne Day

Default. Delete. Return.

Why is that certain situations trigger the same response, regardless of whether the circumstances are totally different?

It’s almost as if our brains are in default mode, and we are suspicious of other people’s motives or actions. Our automatic response kicks in before common sense has a chance to speak, rationalize and come up with a different conclusion.

I guess the first step in changing this behaviour, is recognizing that this is how we typically react, but perhaps we could be wrong.

I recently undertook a knowledge test on how I learn and in this case, how I would likely mentor. According to the results, I tend to tap into and draw on past experiences and determine my next steps based on this information.

Interesting. This would certainly explain why the default button is permanently set. The trouble is, as I have come to realize, no situation is exactly the same, so while past experience can inform you, I believe you have to stop, think and reflect before making a final judgement or decision.

Take partnerships. I have been burned in the past and during that honeymoon stage, ignored the red flags that down the road this wasn’t going to work. So I would plough on until we’d reach a blockade and then have to bale. The moral here is to date first before you get married. Find a mutually beneficial project to work on before you get “into bed together.”

So my antenna are up. Not in automatic default, but I check more whether the person or organization shares my values and goals. When you have been taken advantage of, you’re less in a hurry to get back into the ring. It has to be win-win.

And it works both ways. Sometimes the “partner” is not sure of you and your goals. Perhaps they’ve been burned in the past and not sure who to trust. Here it is important to demonstrate and discuss your goals, so you can build trust within the relationship, otherwise it’s not going to work.

My advice – kick your default to the kerb. Yes, draw on your past experiences, but don’t let them hold you back from moving forward.

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Anne Day Company of WomenAnne Day is the editor of One Red Lipstick, a book which shares stores of 24 women entrepreneurs from across North America. The book comes out March 8, International Women’s Day – check www.oneredlipstick.com and is available on www.amazon.ca.

Why? It’s a good question to ask yourself. by Anne Day of @companyofwomen

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Why? It’s a good question to ask yourself.

by Anne Day

What is frequently the first question we ask when faced with a challenge. – As in what is the problem and how can we solve it? Many of us are quite pragmatic and just want to get the challenge solved and move on.

But at a recent workshop, I learned that perhaps this wasn’t the best way to tackle problems. While I was asking the right questions, I was doing so in the wrong order.

Instead of asking what the problem was, I need to go back and ask myself why. Why is it a problem? By probing into the why, I learn more and can generate more solutions on what to do next. The order, explained the instructor, should be why, how and then what.

To demonstrate how this works, we walked through a couple of situations, one where there was an employee that was under-performing. When we walked through our usual way of solving problems, when we asked what – the answer was that the employee was under-performing and after weighing up the odds, it was decided to let the person go.

But when we took a step back and first asked why, to which the answer was that this person’s performance was creating delays in product delivery and impacting morale within the team – the answer became even clearer – he had to go.

While the end result was the same, you could see how when you ask why, you got to the big picture and it became much easier to make and rationalize that tough decision.

It struck me that we maybe need to ask why more often, because when we know our why, it becomes easier to stay on track. Why do we want to explore a certain business avenue? Why do we want to write a book? Why are we procrastinating on getting something done or starting a new program?

I throw this last one in because in asking why we are procrastinating, we can dig deeper on what is holding us back. One answer may well be that we really don’t want to do it, and if that is the case – then don’t. Take it off your to-do list.

I remember years ago being super-hesitant about getting involved in social media. As far as I was concerned the jury was still out on whether this was an effective way to market your business, so I procrastinated on entering this particular arena.

Clearly I changed my mind, but at the time I was making all sorts of excuses – mainly that I didn’t have time. Until you see the merit of taking on something new, or you can get over your fear of stepping out of your comfort zone, nothing happens. Perhaps if I’d asked myself why, I would have stepped off the fence and started earlier

If you are hesitating on a decision, ask the question why. It may lead you to the real reason and then you can move forward or not, but you do so having thought through the implications.

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Anne Day Company of WomenAnne Day is the editor of One Red Lipstick, a book which shares stores of 24 women entrepreneurs from across North America. The book comes out March 8, International Women’s Day – check www.oneredlipstick.com and is available on www.amazon.ca.

What to do if your business is tanking? by Anne Day of @companyofwomen

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What do you do when your business is failing?

by Anne Day

The economy has changed, bringing with it a cold wind that is gusting through your industry, creating havoc wherever it goes.

Scary times. In interviewing women for the One Red Lipstick book, several had faced their share of challenges, and I observed that their strategies were similar. Here’s what they did:

Do the math
As Anastasia Valentine pointed out, often we hang on too long to a favorite project or program because we love doing it, not really crunching the numbers to see if it is in fact making us money. Track your figures. You may have to get brutal and cut that service out or find a more economical way to deliver it.

Budget
Marsha Friedman took charge of her budget to make sure that they weren’t spending more than was coming into the business. That sounds like common sense but not everyone does that and when times change, so too do your finances. Look at your cash flow. Are there times in the year when you need something else to carry you over?

Check the numbers
Do they make sense or does something not add up? As Michele Bailey found to her expense, when there are few checks and balances in place, it is all too easy for an employee to steal from you. Her key staff person put her business in serious jeopardy and was later charged with fraud and embezzlement

What do you do well?
Maybe it is time to step back and ask yourself some tough questions. Dig deep and look at what you are currently doing. Ask yourself what your niche market is? What do you do better than anyone else in your industry and what could you eliminate because it is a time and money guzzler? Wendy Buchanan found that once she’d discovered her niche and stuck to it, her business just grew in leaps and bounds.

Back to basics
Look at why you started the business in the first place. Revisit your business plan. You may have forgotten some of your big picture ideas. Andreea Ayers realized she didn’t want to build an empire, particularly not when her children were little, so she turned down a big opportunity that came her way. The timing wasn’t right.

Cut back on staffing
This is a tough one. No one likes to let people go. Check on legal requirements before you proceed. Linda Lundstrom shared how heartbreaking that was for her when she had to declare bankruptcy and let everyone go.

Talk to your suppliers
Have a conversation with your suppliers. See if you can work out a different deal with them. As Wendy Buchanan points out in the book, they are as important as your customers, it behooves you to treat them well.

Stay positive
I know easier said than done. This is a test of your tenacity and persistence.

As Harriet Beecher Stowe said:

When you get into a tight place, and everything goes against you till it seems as if you couldn’t hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for that’s just the place and time that the tide’ll turn.”

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Anne Day Company of WomenAnne Day is the editor of One Red Lipstick, a book which shares stores of 24 women entrepreneurs from across North America. The book comes out March 8, International Women’s Day – check www.oneredlipstick.com and is available on www.amazon.ca.

Not everyone is going to like you… by @companyofwomen

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Not everyone is going to like you

by Anne Day 

Hard to believe isn’t it? But that’s what my friend was telling me, and while I know she’s right, it’s a hard pill to swallow.

Yet, always the pleaser, like many women, I know that need to be liked has led me down a path that I didn’t necessarily want to travel. Because when you are anxious that everyone likes you, this can happen:

• You don’t say what you really, really think
• You agree to do something that doesn’t necessarily sit well with you
• You don’t speak up when you feel strongly about an issue for fear of alienating people
• You find yourself making overtures to or being with people you don’t actually like
• You waste energy and time trying to please everyone, rather than yourself.

Does any of this sound like you? The good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way. I’ve found as I’ve gotten older that I am a lot more outspoken. Part of it I am sure comes from confidence but it’s also a desire to be more authentic.

I value my time and don’t want to waste it on an activity that doesn’t resonate with me or where my contribution isn’t valued or respected, which means I can, and do, sometimes walk away from opportunities.

You could say that this is not a way to win friends and influence people, but being “nice” and tolerating time-wasters just doesn’t cut it for me anymore.

As a pleaser, I’ve often gone to great lengths to patch up difficulties, to diffuse difficult situations, but sometimes that doesn’t work and learning to walk away or agree to disagree is not always easy, but in reality that’s the best that can be done.

Letting go of that need to be liked by everyone is freeing and it can enable you to be more yourself – warts and all. It allows you to become more real and removes that need to be perfect all the time. Newsflash – that’s not possible.

Knowing your strengths and weaknesses helps diffuse the damage that can be done when someone hurls criticisms or attacks you personally.

Let’s face it, when you peel away the anger wrapped around the comments, there may well be a kernel of truth in what is said. It hurts less when you know that and if you are open, you can learn and grow.

But don’t stew over it either as that can be another downward spiral that can eat away at your esteem and energy. Far better to take note, learn from the experience and move on.

I know, easier said than done. That’s when you need that honest friend who will tell you to snap out of it, get over yourself and move on. We all need a friend who will perform this vital service – someone who knows you and yes, does still like you.

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Anne DayAnne Day has had a somewhat eclectic career from heading up several charities, to being the editor of a national parenting magazine, to working for government and then launching her own business.

But she found working for yourself can be isolating and so eleven years ago she started Company of Women as a way to connect and support women entrepreneurs. Today the organization has six chapters across the GTA and beyond, and over 300 members. In 2009 she received the Entrepreneur of the Year Award in Oakville and the TIAW World of Difference award for her work in supporting women internationally. Over the years she has helped thousands of women grow professionally and personally through her programs, services and personal encouragement.

She is the author of three books, the most recent being Day by Day – Tales of business,life and everything in between. She is a regular business columnist with Huffington Post, and blogs for numerous other publications.

Selling from the stage? Please stop. by @companyofwomen

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Selling from the stage? Please stop.

by Anne Day | Featured Contributor

OK. I admit this is a pet peeve, but I have a feeling I am not alone.

What is it that bugs me? Selling from the stage. Now I admit this is a strategy that is frequently taught by sales coaches and the like. But you know what? For me it negates all credibility and value in what has been said before.

Suddenly instead of the talk being about the audience, it is about the presenter and her financial goals. Suddenly I have been transferred from learner to buyer. Suddenly I feel quite uncomfortable, as the person on stage works her way through the patter.

It is too bad, because the presenters are misguided and, for me, at least, I lose respect. Because you know what, if you do a good job, share generously and wow the audience with your knowledge and expertise, they will want more.

By all means hand out business cards, so people can connect with you afterwards, as then if they will want to buy from you they can, without feeling they are being manipulated or pressured into making that purchase.

And don’t get me wrong. I’ve done it and I have bought into the hype. I’ve made the purchase. But you know what? When I get home I rarely find the time to check out the program I’ve bought. I now recognize that I get caught up in the moment, but reality is, that’s all it is for me, a moment, because I don’t follow through. Bottom line. It is a waste of money.

I urge presenters to forego this strategy. Be more authentic and real. Deliver the goods and when you impress the audience, they will be more than ready to buy more.

When Sam Horn talked recently at my Journey2Sucess conference, did she push people to buy her books, her services? No. She gave genuinely and generously. She even talked one-on-one with people afterwards. No charge. Has she built her fan base? You bet. And I am sure she’s sold more of her books without even having them there.

If you are a speaker, spend more time thinking of your audience and what they need to learn, rather than what you want to get out of the experience, because trust me – you will do so much better.

It’s about the audience. Not you.

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Anne DayAnne Day has had a somewhat eclectic career from heading up several charities, to being the editor of a national parenting magazine, to working for government and then launching her own business.

But she found working for yourself can be isolating and so eleven years ago she started Company of Women as a way to connect and support women entrepreneurs. Today the organization has six chapters across the GTA and beyond, and over 300 members. In 2009 she received the Entrepreneur of the Year Award in Oakville and the TIAW World of Difference award for her work in supporting women internationally. Over the years she has helped thousands of women grow professionally and personally through her programs, services and personal encouragement.

She is the author of three books, the most recent being Day by Day – Tales of business,life and everything in between. She is a regular business columnist with Huffington Post, and blogs for numerous other publications.

Your Attitude Determines Your Altitude by @companyofwomen

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Your attitude determines your altitude

by Anne Day | Featured Contributor

A bad attitude is like a flat tire. You don’t get anywhere until you change it.”

How true. Taking this quote literally, I have had both a flat tire and burst tire on the Highway. Each time it was a scary experience, especially the burst tire, because it happened all of a sudden. Whereas with the flat tire, I sort of knew something was wrong, but I ignored it.

Now I always drive on the outside lane for that reason, which if we were taking this analogy to relate to your business, would indicate that I like to be able to adjust quickly if necessary. Although you could also read it that I play it safe and don’t take risks or speed on the fast lane.

Personally I prefer my first definition because it speaks to how you have to be prepared to change on a dime if you want to seize an opportunity or be responsive to your customers.
It also means you are open to changing route.

As for the attitude piece, well yes. If you are demanding, aggressive or unreasonable it is much harder to win people over. In fact, it is a real turn off and in our fast-moving world, you don’t always get the second chance to reverse someone’s first opinion of you. So you don’t want to blow it.

I also think being pleasant applies to everyone, not just potential clients, but the wait staff who serve you in a restaurant, or the girl at the check out. Many a time I have witnessed boorish behavior as someone demands a certain seat, or what he wants isn’t available. It’s SO not necessary. No one deserves to be on the receiving end of your bad attitude.

Contrary to your opinion, it is not all about you, and at the end of the day, while your bad behavior may mean you win the moment, but in the long term, you lose. Big time.

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Anne DayAnne Day has had a somewhat eclectic career from heading up several charities, to being the editor of a national parenting magazine, to working for government and then launching her own business.

But she found working for yourself can be isolating and so eleven years ago she started Company of Women as a way to connect and support women entrepreneurs. Today the organization has six chapters across the GTA and beyond, and over 300 members. In 2009 she received the Entrepreneur of the Year Award in Oakville and the TIAW World of Difference award for her work in supporting women internationally. Over the years she has helped thousands of women grow professionally and personally through her programs, services and personal encouragement.

She is the author of three books, the most recent being Day by Day – Tales of business,life and everything in between. She is a regular business columnist with Huffington Post, and blogs for numerous other publications.

Take Care When You Share Your Story by @companyofwomen

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Take Care When You Share Your Story

Photo Credit: Ewan McIntosh via Compfight cc

by Anne Day | Featured Contributor

Much is written these days about storytelling as a way to make yourself or your business stand out, and it is a strategy that I strongly recommend. Yet I have witnessed ways how, as a speaker, it can backfire on you and instead of winning over your audience, can alienate the people listening to your talk. How?

As a society, women in particular, are not comfortable with “tooting our own horn” and so when someone appears to be bragging about their achievements, it is not always well received and those listening are skeptical and frankly, dismissive and annoyed by what that person has to say. This is too bad.

From my take, the speaker’s intention is often much more altruistic and it is more that they are using their stories as a way to empower others to follow their example. In other words, they are sharing, not to brag about what they have achieved but more to illustrate how their actions have worked for them, and could for you too.

It’s too bad their motives are misinterpreted, because when we take this cynical attitude, we close off our receptiveness to learn and grow. Perhaps part of it depends on the self-esteem of the individual listening, and their comfort at what they have been doing, or more to the point, not doing.
So how can we change this reaction?

Part of it is timing. To list all that you have achieved or what you have done, may not be a helpful strategy as it does lay you open to criticism. Whereas if the illustrations are spaced out, with stories to showcase each point, followed by tips on how people can achieve the same results, then the audience may be less inclined to form a poor opinion of the speaker and be more receptive to the ideas put forward.

Part of it, I think, is when the focus is on the speaker and her achievements, without any learning opportunities intertwined with the observations, people assume, rightly or wrongly, that the speaker is somewhat self-absorbed and the talk is all about him or her.

Yet showcasing what works is such an effective way to convey best practices. I guess it is all a fine line, and perhaps, as speakers, we have to ask ourselves about our motives in giving a talk in the first place. Are we doing this to project ourselves as experts and leaders, or are we more interested in helping others learn and be their best? Likely, the answer is both, because ego always has a way of sneaking in and perhaps that is what has to be dropped from this equation.

As someone who has heard and used hundreds of speakers over the years, and starting to speak myself, I am a keen observer on what works, and what doesn’t. Of course the other piece to remember is that you can never please everyone.

So often I would look at evaluation forms after an event, and question whether these people had been at the same event, as some would highly rate the speaker, while others felt she shouldn’t give up her day job.

At the end of the day, I believe as a speaker you need to know your audience, learn what will work for them, and then deliver. Forget about yourself and focus your energies on helping your audience learn, grow and yes, laugh, from what you have to say. When that happens, it is pure joy and you’ve done your job well.

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Anne DayAnne Day has had a somewhat eclectic career from heading up several charities, to being the editor of a national parenting magazine, to working for government and then launching her own business.

But she found working for yourself can be isolating and so eleven years ago she started Company of Women as a way to connect and support women entrepreneurs. Today the organization has six chapters across the GTA and beyond, and over 300 members. In 2009 she received the Entrepreneur of the Year Award in Oakville and the TIAW World of Difference award for her work in supporting women internationally. Over the years she has helped thousands of women grow professionally and personally through her programs, services and personal encouragement.

She is the author of three books, the most recent being Day by Day – Tales of business,life and everything in between. She is a regular business columnist with Huffington Post, and blogs for numerous other publications.

Do you have what it takes? by @companyofwomen

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Do you have what it takes?

by Anne Day | Featured Contributor

Do you have a business idea bubbling up inside of you, but are not sure where to start, or even if you should take this leap into the unknown?

It is an exciting and scary time. One of the first questions to ask yourself is if you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur, because it is not for the faint of heart and not everyone can make a go of it.

Here’s some questions to ask yourself:

1. Are you comfortable with ambiguity and uncertainty? There will be times in the life of your business when nothing is happening; business is slow and you are not sure if you can pay your bills. Be sure that you can live with this pressure cooker existence. It can be feast or famine, so you also want to save while you are getting the sales.

2. Do you have enough money set aside to bankroll your first six months? I ask this question, because as you will have gleaned from the first point, you may well need it. Apart from your business expenses, you will still have your day-to-day living costs to pay. Whenever you are doing anything for the first time, it takes longer than you think.

3. Why do you want to start a business? Often people, especially women, start a business because they want more control over their time and to achieve work-life balance. Be clear on why you want to do this. While you do have more control over your time, you need to be prepared to put in long hours, which yes, can be worked around your family, but bottom line, it is hard work

4. Are you a follower or a leader? Ask yourself what your role has been in the past. Are you someone used to giving instructions, coming up with ideas or are you someone who has been told what to do and then carried it out? When you start a business, often it is just you, so you have to be prepared to do everything and think it through for yourself.

5. Have you done your homework? Is there a need for what you want to do? It is important to check out your competition and the marketplace to see if what you want to do is viable. Do you have the expertise to package and sell yourself if you are becoming a consultant, for example?

6. Are your family supportive? While it is not essential that they are behind you, it sure helps if they believe in you and want you to succeed. It makes for a tougher journey if they think you are wasting your time or are constantly asking when you are going to make some money.

7. Are you realistic on what you can earn? Talking of money, I often find newbies are unrealistic about what they can earn in the first couple of years. It takes time to build a business, so unless you have a great get-rich plan, expect to see more money going out than coming in for the first year at least.

8. How well connected are you? If you are continuing to work in the same industry, be sure to keep in touch with those who can help you grow your business and perhaps give you some contracts, because they know the quality of your work. If you are entering a new industry to you, learn as much as you can. Join the industry association and start networking fast so you can build your connections.

9. How committed are you to your business idea? I’ve often found that the initial idea changes and evolves as the new entrepreneur learns more about the sector and what works, and what doesn’t. Being flexible enables you to adapt and grow as your business does.

I hope I haven’t put you off, but more caused you to reflect on why you want to embark on self-employment and entrepreneurship. Without doubt, it is one of the most rewarding journeys you can take. And one, I don’t regret it at all.

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Anne DayAnne Day has had a somewhat eclectic career from heading up several charities, to being the editor of a national parenting magazine, to working for government and then launching her own business.

But she found working for yourself can be isolating and so eleven years ago she started Company of Women as a way to connect and support women entrepreneurs. Today the organization has six chapters across the GTA and beyond, and over 300 members. In 2009 she received the Entrepreneur of the Year Award in Oakville and the TIAW World of Difference award for her work in supporting women internationally. Over the years she has helped thousands of women grow professionally and personally through her programs, services and personal encouragement.

She is the author of three books, the most recent being Day by Day – Tales of business,life and everything in between. She is a regular business columnist with Huffington Post, and blogs for numerous other publications.

Who’s Running Your Business? You Or Your Competition? by @companyofwomen

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Who’s running your business? You or your competition?

Photo Credit: loungerie via Compfight cc

by Anne Day | Featured Contributor

When you are developing your business plan, there’s this whole section on the competition – who they are, what they do and what makes your offer different and of course, unique and special.

This market research is actually a good exercise to undertake and certainly as your business evolves, you can’t take your eye off the ball – you still need to know what your competitors are up to. However it can be a fine line.

I always remember a successful entrepreneur sharing her story of how as the “David” in her industry, she ended up taking over “Goliath” because he was so busy watching what she was doing (and trying to undermine her every step of the way) that he forgot to pay attention to what was happening in his own business, and it was tanking. End result? She took it over.

I know for myself when I started Company of Women I was the only game in town, but fast forward twelve years, and a plethora of groups for women have started. Some have come and gone, but I am sure there will be just as many new ones on the horizon.

So I keep a watchful eye on what they are offering and try not to clash date-wise with their plans and sometimes, we’ve partnered and worked together. But I find it interesting to observe how the others behave.

I guess you could say all is fair game in business. And maybe I’m just old school, but I wouldn’t, for example, dream of soliciting their members and these days with the anti-spam law in effect, they need to be careful.

With more and more women starting businesses, I prefer an abundance approach and given that each group offers something unique to its members, there are more than enough people out there looking for support. How much they will pay for it, is perhaps more the deciding factor.

Where it becomes dangerous is when you let your plans be dictated by what the competition is doing. They make a special offer and you feel you need to as well. They announce registration starts on a certain date, and you feel compelled to get your stuff ready earlier, just to be first to market.

Not a good idea. Trust me, I have been tempted to do all of the above, but fact is, your energy and time needs to be spent on what you want to do in YOUR business, not letting someone else’s business call the tune.

Launching your product ahead of your schedule just to be first out the gate, may backfire on you. Perhaps you’re not ready and not all the pieces or processes are lined up and running efficiently. You could be setting your business up to fail.

No, much better to make a plan and work on your own timelines, than have someone else’s schedule dictate what and when you do what you have to do. The key is to stay strong and focused on YOUR vision, YOUR plans and YOUR ideas because then you can honestly take credit for the success of your business.

As I am learning, the competition will always be there – oh, it will be different players – but bottom line, I believe in what we are doing and why we are doing it. We are making a difference in the lives of women – and that, at the end of the day, is what matters.

What about you? How much do your competitors influence what you do? Do you care or are you too busy managing your own stuff?

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Anne DayAnne Day has had a somewhat eclectic career from heading up several charities, to being the editor of a national parenting magazine, to working for government and then launching her own business.

But she found working for yourself can be isolating and so eleven years ago she started Company of Women as a way to connect and support women entrepreneurs. Today the organization has six chapters across the GTA and beyond, and over 300 members. In 2009 she received the Entrepreneur of the Year Award in Oakville and the TIAW World of Difference award for her work in supporting women internationally. Over the years she has helped thousands of women grow professionally and personally through her programs, services and personal encouragement.

She is the author of three books, the most recent being Day by Day – Tales of business,life and everything in between. She is a regular business columnist with Huffington Post, and blogs for numerous other publications.