She Owns It

Celebrating, Connecting, and Supporting Women Entrepreneurs

Taking A Stand in Your Business by @HeidiDalzell

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by Heidi Dalzell

“I write for those women who do not speak, for those who do not have a voice because they were so terrified, because we are taught to respect fear more than ourselves. We’ve been taught that silence would save us, but it won’t.”

— Shirley Chisolm, first Black woman in Congress

Change has been a constant over the past weeks. I can’t believe it’s been almost two weeks since the death of George Floyd, and longer since the passing of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Aubrey and Tony McDade. This has been a time of personal reflection and change for me as well. As a business owner — and a therapist — I’ve asked myself some difficult questions about how to address racism within my business and my practice. I have considered what I am communicating to others, including clients and colleagues. My hope is that sharing these thoughts may jumpstart your thinking processes. I write this from the perspective of a White, Jewish, educated woman. Some of those statuses afford opportunities that I would not have otherwise.

When I shared my first blog for She Owns It, the topic was about embracing the changing world of Teletherapy and reinventing my business. I was thrilled to have my guest post published, and am now even more excited to be featured as a contributor on this site. None of us could have anticipate the recent examples of racism and injustice affecting our nation.

These events represent generations of violence against Black and Brown people. I stand in solidarity with the Black Community and state emphatically that Black Lives Matter. Sadness, anger and outrage are just a few of my emotions connected to the deaths of these innocent men and women. What can I do with these emotions.

Businesswoman and Advocate

Core values of my psychology practice include compassion, acceptance, tolerance and love. These values are the literal foundation on which my business is built. I have seen other women owned businesses speak out and some remain silent. Not speaking out and walking the walk would feel incongruent and inauthentic with of my mission.

I know that sharing my views may affect my business, and after a recent newsletter and blog post in which I advocated for change and racial justice, some people unsubscribed from my email list. That was ok. I do not want to be complicit in the racism that lies behind ignoring the voices of Black people.

I can use my privilege to speak out. Imagine if all people did this. When Martin Luther King led civil rights protests only 25% of Whites supported these ideals. Gloria Steinem encountered similar opposition. While many of us know Steinem, others are not as familiar feminists like Shirley Chisolm, Dorothy Pittman Hughes and Flo Kennedy. These women taught us that women should speak out.

Examining Privilege and Bias

Racism is “prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior.” Privilege refers to unearned advantage or entitlement that benefits White people over non-white people.

As business owners, it’s important to be aware of our privilege. It aids our communication with others. And systematic privilege hurts everyone, especially women in the business world. Many of us would not be reading this blog had we not dismantled the systems of patriarchy during the Women’s Right’s movement. And while it’s still an uphill battle for women, Black women face bigger challenges in the workplace.

While conscious examination of privilege is a start, it is equally important to thoroughly examine our biases.

There are three main components of bias: stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination. Stereotypes are beliefs about a group, such as the false belief that Black men are violent. Prejudice is a preconceived opinion that isn’t based on reason or actual experience. Discrimination often begins with prejudice, and involves unequal treatment of people due to the various groups they belong to (racial, ethnic, etc.). Discrimination can range from inequities in opportunity to hate crimes and violence.

We form biases at an early age based on things we see in the media and learn from parents and peers. It can be helpful to sit down and create a list of adjectives that describe your feelings about a group. Are they factual, or do they reflect stereotyping or beliefs that may not be true? If you used these adjectives in your everyday communication, would the language be seen as neutral or dehumanizing?

Be honest—this list is for you.

Don’t Allow Invisibility

How do you promote diversity and allow Blacks within your organization to be seen? This includes being sure to actively provide depictions in artwork and other items within your work setting. For example, one of our waiting room magazines is Essence. Within workplace settings, provide ways for Black men and women to take up space and to be visible. It’s also helpful to consider the additional challenges faced by those with intersectional identities, such as Black transgender women. They are a group who face significant violence, discrimination, and many kinds of disparities.

Bring It Home

Another way to work on racial justice is to bring it home —literally. Seek out places where you can genuinely and authentically interact with people of different races and ethnicities. This may include in social settings or religious settings—places where you are interacting as peers. This does not include settings where there is an imbalance of power, such as interacting with someone who is providing a service. If you have children in your life, it’s also nice to be able to volunteer. If you choose a setting in which that imbalance of power exists, such as a soup kitchen, be sure that you augment the activity with a discussion of the disparities and injustices which led to economic disadvantage.

 

 

As we continue to witness the nationwide trauma unfolding, I encourage She Owns It readers to be kind, be sensitive, be compassionate, and be part of the solution. Please use your anger and grief to work for systemic change, and dismantling institutional racism and inequality in our communities.

 

Favorite leadership tips from 7 influential women

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From Resume.io

Women face a variety of extra challenges on the road to success, but it’s heartening to know that success can be achieved.

Some indomitable women have proven that it is not only possible to become the top of their fields, but also that the priorities that motivate action can be re-defined, and goals can be transformed to match. There’s a lot to be learned from reading about their experiences, and they have plenty of advice to embolden the next wave of successful women.

So, what leadership wisdom do readers find most inspiring? To find out, the resume experts at resume.io used the ‘most highlighted’ feature in Amazon’s Kindle to find the most popular quotes in the best rated leadership books on Goodreads.

We have gathered 7 extracts from books by powerful women to share their wisdom with you. 

You can find the rest of the list here.

1. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, by Susan Cain

Cain’s book explains how the unique skills and potential of introverts is often overlooked by a society that has grown to believe in an ‘Extrovert Ideal.’ She uses strong anecdotal evidence and examples of influential speakers who are actually introverts.

2. Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, by Sheryl Sandberg

As Chief Operating Officer of Facebook and one of Time magazine’s most influential people, Sandberg has a unique insight into the external, and internal, obstacles faced by working women.

3. Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead, by Brené Brown 

This best-selling book focuses on vulnerability and dealing with difficult emotions, suggesting a transformative practice that can help us become more balanced in leadership, relationships, and parenting.

4. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Carol S. Dweck 

Carol S. Dweck PhD is a hugely influential psychologist with a simple, but powerful, argument. Whatever your field or goals, adopting a growth mindset will help you to approach it in a healthy and effective way.

5. Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person, by Shonda Rhimes

In this revealing and funny memoir, the creator of Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal explains how being open to new opportunities, having a can-do attitude, and believing in oneself, has opened doors to her undeniable success.

6. #GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amoruso

Amoruso’s journey from high-school dropout to being CEO of a successful online fashion retailer shows that the path to success isn’t always straight. This is a rallying cry for anyone who wants to chart their own course.

7. Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts by Brené Brown

The New York Times #1 best-seller uses a research-based approach to motivate readers to believe in their capabilities. What do leaders, culture shifters, and change makers have in common? They have the courage to take the lead.

These strong and influential authors each offer strong and valid perspectives on realising one’s potential and building the confidence to take control. 

Which of these quotes motivates you the most?

 

Rolf Bax, Content Specialist
Since 2018 Rolf manages Resume.io websites & content together with a dedicated team of Copywriters, Product Specialists, Designers and Developers. Rolf worked for several cross-border e-commerce businesses in the last decade helping them with managing their online appearances.

 

 

 

The Coronavirus Will Change the Future of Working from Home by @juliekminer

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by Julie K. Miner

If the last few weeks have taught us anything instructive, and may even contain a silver lining, it’s that telecommuting – working from home – is here to stay and will most likely increase in scope and frequency in the years to come as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Twenty or thirty years ago, working from home was code for not doing any work while being arms-length from a phone just in case it happened to ring. But with cell phones, email, WiFi, text messaging, facetime, Skype, and now Zoom, working remotely has become easier and more prevalent in our society as employees and employers continue to struggle with the ongoing quest to find a competitive work/life balance. It has helped employees cope with the growing demands of being on the clock at all hours of the day and has allowed employers like my partner and me to offer a competitive leg-up with little to no downside to our employees.

In 2012, Gallup reported that 39 percent of Americans worked from home during some portion of their workweek. Eight years later, that number is closer to 45 percent of the national workforce operating from places other than a traditional office space one or more days a week. In less than a decade, many have replaced water coolers for kitchen sinks and suit pants for sweatpants.

Given the impact of the last two weeks – and most likely the next few weeks or months – that trend is only likely to increase as more and more companies, regardless of size, have enacted a work from home policy at the behest of mayors, governors and the federal government. Especially now with many shelter-in-place orders and closure of non-essential businesses throughout the country, almost every job that can be done from home is being done from home.

Perhaps, just as suddenly, many CEOs have discovered their businesses keep on functioning and (with the exception of the last week) prospering, even when their employees are out of the office. Conference calls still go on as planned, meetings (the ones that couldn’t be emails, of course) are now held online, and documents are reviewed and edited just as they were two weeks ago. Business is going on as normal as it can, given the circumstances.

When we started J Strategies, a full-service communications and public affairs consulting firm, my partner and I worked exclusively from our homes. Over time, as we added staff and clients, we maintained that ability, realizing it helped financially as well as emotionally.

Even as we grew, adding more employees and leasing office space, we ensured the ability of our staff to work from home at least one day a week (more if needed) would be preserved. Now, with approximately 20 employees in New York City, Albany, and Boston, the entire firm works from home every Friday, 52 weeks a year, answering emails and phone calls, and remaining just as available to clients as we would in an office environment during business hours (and beyond).

The rest of the week, if our employees have legitimate reasons (such as a doctor’s appointment or childcare issue) that would keep them from commuting into the office, we make every attempt to comply. We have found that by saying yes to these requests, it has made our staff more responsive to the demands of the job, not less. Emails and calls from managers are answered almost immediately when employees are home and client communications are tended to just as fast.

We are living in stressful times, to be sure. With the experiences of the last 10 years working from home, our firm is at a competitive advantage when it comes to weathering the storm in which we all now find ourselves. Many will not be as lucky.

Now, thousands of American companies are finding through a kind of baptism by fire that employees working from home is more than just tenable – it’s just as productive as it could be in another environment.

One day, weeks or maybe even months from now, the American workforce will come out of this experience stronger and more resilient than ever before. Hopefully, the stereotypes about working from home will be gone and employers will have more open minds about what constitutes a productive workday – regardless of location.

 

 

 

Julie K. Miner is a Managing Partner and CEO of J Strategies, a communications and government relations firm with offices in Albany, New York City, and Boston. She previously served as a regional director to US Senator Charles E. Schumer.

Leading teams effectively in this new COVID-19 World by @LeadToInspireC1

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by Crystal Smith

Within a matter of weeks many of us have been forced to manage our teams in this new virtual world because of the COVID 19 pandemic. In just three short weeks I have witnessed teams overcome the challenges extremely well. I have also witnessed teams crumble at the core. There are many leaders in my field that I follow on social media platforms who I admire and respect. Their ability to transform and pivot their organizations ranged from phenomenal and timely, to inefficient and too late. In my first week working in this virtual environment, I had a team member who resigned, a team member who needed accommodations because they were unable to perform in the work-from-home environment, and I introduced team members to two new platforms that allowed us to stay connected. What are the biggest takeaways thus far from this forced work from home environment?

  1. Leaders are the same people in the virtual world that they are in the brick and mortar world. In other words, we cannot expect people who were poor communicators, not engaged with their teams and unapproachable, to all of a sudden become amazing at all of these skills because we are now working virtually. These areas of deficiency will actually become more evident in this new world because the curtain has been pulled back and there is no office door where they can close and hide. The lesson – leaders, like all employees, should be evaluated and have 360 assessments from their teams in order to identify their areas of strengths and areas of improvement regularly. If these things are not done, when any other disaster or emergency takes place, these inefficiencies will be more challenging to overcome for the leader and for the team.
  2. Leaders don’t have to duplicate what was done when we were in buildings and offices. In other words, just because we met every Tuesday and Thursday at a designated time, doesn’t mean we have to do the same in a virtual environment. Quite honestly, many of my face to face meetings were not productive. In this new world we can re-evaluate what meetings are important and what can be sent in an email. So many of my meetings have been cancelled in this new virtual world and people are beginning to realize that not everything is “urgent”. We can also introduce new meeting platforms that allow us to meet using technology (Zoom, Skype for Business, Microsoft 365 Team, etc.). The lesson – we can use this tragedy as an opportunity to re-imagine the way we lead and do our work that is productive for our teams, our customers and our personal lives.
  3. Leaders may want to limit the “reply all” emails and ask team members to send a message to the leader first to determine if it is “reply all” worthy. I realized within two days that some people confused this “out of sight” experience as an opportunity to lead the ship that already had a captain – that captain was me. The request to the team to send all “reply all” messages to me first allowed messaging to be streamlined. During chaos and confusion, emails are often coming from everywhere, and it is easy to have messages become lost in translation. The lesson – it is important to control some of the messaging during times of uncertainty.
  4. Leaders should identify tools/apps that are useful to help teams stay engaged and stay connected. The tool that was most helpful for me in the beginning and continues to be useful, is Slido.com. It allows me to establish a platform for questions to be asked and I can answer as the moderator. Everyone can see the questions and responses. This limits the constant back and forth emails and provides a place for team members to go for quick questions that need to be answered. It also allows me to create polls that became fun activities. I created word clouds with simple questions like “How would you describe your first week working virtually in ONE word”. It was truly a learning process to gauge how the team was doing that first week in a visual word cloud. I also used a platform called FlipGrid that allowed team members to create quick 2 minute videos and respond with fun and engaging videos. We were able to laugh and connect in ways that were similar to visiting our offices throughout the day. The lesson – people still need to see people and connect beyond meetings and emails.

The quote on my office door says “leadership is a verb”. This is true whether in a building or in this new virtual world of work where many of us currently live.

 

 

Crystal Smith is a lifelong educator who currently serves as an administrator at a community college on the east coast. Crystal is a graduate of both Hampton University and The College of William and Mary, where she received her bachelors and master’s degree in Sociology. Her area of expertise is in the fields of family and gender studies and research and development.

Crystal started her career in human resources and worked with several Fortune 500 companies, including Lockheed Martin and Arthur Anderson Consulting. This work led her to consider education and teaching as a possible career goal. After an amazing career teaching in the K-12 system for five years, she decided to pursue a career in higher education. Crystal has been a higher education professional for over 17 years and this work led her to start her own consulting firm that specializes in leadership development, strategic planning and branding development.

How Public Relations Can Benefit Your Brand by @lucyrk78

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by Lucy Render-Kaplan | Featured Contributor 

Public Relations is vital for increasing your brand’s visibility. Not only can it help more people learn about your company and services, it can strategically speak directly to your target audience. A successful PR campaign generates media coverage, builds your status as a thought leader, helps develop trust and increases your presence, which leads to more sales, new clients and even potential investors.

Develop Brand Identity

Getting the word out about who your brand is and why you exist is important! Only you can tell the unique story about your product or services and why people should choose you over other similar brands. If the public doesn’t know that you exist, you are missing out on sales and helping others via your services.

Grow Trust and Credibility

People buy from people they trust. More and more, consumers are growing wary of companies telling them who they are – they’re listening to others recommendations. When a company keeps popping up in the news or written about by a journalist people follow is not only beneficial in building trust, it can directly lead to sales. Being featured in the press – especially in this day and age, where social media outlets can distribute your articles across the entire spectrum of Internet users — allows you to leverage this attention as support for your cause. Create a press page on your company’s website so you can display your success in the press to viewers.

Thought Leader Spotlight

Your PR agency can work with the founder of your client’s brand or a spokesperson from the brand on how to best present on camera and in interviews with the press. They can then pitch them to talk as an expert in industry-related news. Having an internal spokesperson serve as an expert is a great way to grow awareness about your company and is key in growing brand awareness.

Create Buzz

A public relations campaign can help share your key messages, create or boost brand buzz and help you build an engaged following, leading to more exposure, clients and brand awareness.

Attract Donors & Increase Funding

Earned media coverage can attract donors and investors to help increase funding.  Media coverage is often vital and can be a deciding factor in how they decide to give.  A powerful PR campaign shows that you invest in your business, your reputation and have a commitment to growth, which is very attractive for funders.  The right media placements at the right times can be used to attract the attention of VCs and other investors. With the right messaging and strategy, PR increases your credibility as a stable and potentially lucrative investment target. So why do PR? If you’re an early- or mid-stage company, your next round of funding may depend on it.

If any of these reasons appeal to you, securing a publicist or signing with a PR firm may be the next step to level up your business.

Transitioning From Entrepreneurial Business To Company: Why You Need Leadership Development Now by @jenlongmore

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by Jennifer Longmore

The difference between running an entrepreneurial business and a company is significant. When you’re in the entrepreneurial stage, you’re working predominantly with contractors, you may or may not have run a team before, and your systems are likely lacking or nonexistent. A company is run differently. The systems, policies, procedures, and protocols are in place (even if they’re consistently being revamped or added to). The teams have clear leadership, and there’s a lot more structure to what you’re building.

This transition takes time, and while there’s a lot to do to make the transition successful, this is the time to put an emphasis on leadership development. Because becoming a great leader and CEO will require you to think differently, and you can either learn by trial under fire (where the burns are real) or you can learn through intentionally developing the skills you need. Here’s what leadership development will help you accomplish when you explore it intentionally.

 

Set The Tone

How your leadership team acts sets the tone for the culture and the company. Even if your leadership team is just you right now, it’s important to know exactly what makes a strong, respected leader and how to lead a conscious company into the future. The problem with putting leadership development off is it is much more difficult to change a company culture than it is to start off strong. So by diving into leadership development now and maintaining it from here on out, you’re heading off problems before they can rear their ugly heads (basically it’s the difference between playing whack-a-mole or hitting the bullseye).

 

Create Loyalty With Your Employees

If you’ve ever been afraid that your employees will run away with your secrets to a competitor or start their own business, then leadership development is something you should dive into. Leadership isn’t about effectively telling people what to do, how to do it, or getting them in line. That’s old school thinking that can make it hard to keep people on your team. When you learn effective leadership skills, you develop an understanding of what behaviors, policies, and practices keep your employees motivated and productive, while earning their loyalty. Much like trust, loyalty is something you earn from an employee—it’s not something freely given. The best leaders are the ones who hold their boundaries, while remembering that their power comes from the faith, trust, and loyalty of their people. Without it, they fall. In business, it’s no different.

 

Create a Space of Fulfillment For Your Employees

Leadership development, at its core, is about understanding and delivering on the needs of your people so that everyone is working together for a common goal or mission. When you immerse yourself in developing your leadership abilities, you learn how to become more in tune with your employees. Your emotional intelligence matures, and you create ways to check in with your team to ensure their needs are being met, pre-empting potential upsets. This allows you to create a culture that fosters inclusion, collaboration, and commitment, so that your people choose to stay and grow with the company.

 

Communicate & Make Decisions as the Leader

Leaders hold the vision, stay on mission, and emotionally enroll employees into their cause. The way you communicate and make decisions as a leader is different than when you’re in the trenches. You’re responsible for taking the information your team is sharing with you, and playing out the potential outcomes so you can make the strongest decisions for the company, with the mission in mind. For example, if there’s a choice to make an immediately profitable decision that could hurt the team or a choice to put the team first and have more of a slow burn, it’s the leader’s job to make the right decision that upholds the vision, values, and legacy of the company. Strong leaders will put their team (and clients) first consistently, showing the team that their loyalty is well placed. As the leader, you’re responsible for the legacy of the company. How you think through each challenge and decision will shape that legacy.

 

 

 

Jennifer is a high performance leadership consultant, working with organizations to create loyal, innovative, creative, and productive cultures that increase profits, using the Forensic Transformation Method™.

Jennifer’s over 15 years of experience in forensic investigation, emotional intelligence development, and team dynamics helps her create innovative solutions that organizations need to become 21st century change agents and increase their profitability.

Her genius has been featured in media outlets such as Fox News, ABC, Global News, Bustle, the LA Times, and more.

Gig – Sharing – Youpreneur – [Ec]onomy by @SBSLEducSoltns

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by SJ Barakony | Featured Contributor 

 

‘Lean in … it’s growing daily.’

 

As this blog goes live, we find ourselves on a chronological cusp; it’s not just A New Year’s Eve/Day:  it marks an entirely new decade!

The 2020’s will bring us untold innovation which’ll make us do double-takes; one trend, though, that we can better understand since it’s been growing since ~ 2008 ?

 

A > It has multiple monikers:  Gig / Sharing / Youpreneur. 

 

All = synonyms for an independent workforce which’ll continue to improve day to day life, so long as we don’t stoke fear, assume, become too comfortable, or let corporate entities dictate the narrative.

Here’s a fundamental Q:

 

How can we entrepreneurs be trailblazers for our peer generation, those older, and, yes, younger, for this economic paradigm?

 

Gigs are Great

We’ve likely heard, or know someone who’s a ‘side’ hustler; this person’s also a side ‘gigger’.  She’s pursuing gig economy income, driven not by trading units of time for currency/dollars & cents; rather, via representing a product/s, service/s, &/or sharing her specialized knowledge in/to the marketplace, earning $$ in return.

This infographic offers a flyover, showing how many ‘gigs’ are available, just via smartphone apps.

Yet, there is far more at ‘work’ here: Entire new business models have, and will continue to be formed. One recent example?  Click here.

The back to back [ ‘blue’ & ‘white’ collar ] industrial ages shall continue to be supplanted by gigs, although it will necessitate re framing, challenging 20th century assumptions, & being willing to exchange calculated risk for more time & financial flexibility.

 

For it matters not, how much we own, the cars . . . the house . . . the cash. What matters is how we live and love and how we spend our dash.

 

― Diane Mulcahy, The Gig Economy: The Complete Guide to Getting Better Work, Taking More Time Off, and Financing the Life You Want .”

 

Sharing = Collaborative = Interdependent   

‘Share & share alike ..’ – weren’t we told this by a doting parent(s), or maybe a primary school teacher at some point?

However, as we aged into adulthood, and started our business(es), we might’ve forgotten this sage advice. We either learned how to be dependent ( ‘employ’[ee] – to be used (utilized)) , and/or that we had to be a cowgirl, & do entrepreneurship all by ourselves, as an in-dependent.

Not so fast!  Sharing economic models enable us to rebuild trust with our peers, be inter-dependent, and find/leverage ways to collaborate & partner with others.

This visual is worth many words.

 

Multisided Platforms / ‘Matchmaker’ Economics

This new economic era is restoring and flat out creating new sparks of creativity that were lost in the very linear, centralized, & hierarchical industrial ages preceding it.

This terrific post will make you think; next time you grab your smartphone & search for an AirBnB, you’ll look at this research in a fresh way.

Matchmaker (‘ing) is worth trillions – it squeezes inefficiencies out of conventional producer/seller→ consumer/buyer bilateral relationships & builds bridges. It is beyond intriguing & sits squarely in this new [ec]-onomy.

 

What’s a “You” Preneur, anyway?!  

YOU ‘re worth far more than a rigid, pre-defined wage, salary, or compensation package. Shouldn’t your pay be aligned with the absolute value you deliver to your clientele, & not based on the usage of space & time ( = occupar / occupation ) ?

Most, if not all, entrepreneurial minded people reading this would say ‘absolutely!’

Thus, we’ve 2 words fused together, creating a combo which richly reflects the spirit, heart, & mindset of this new economic model:  YOU + [entre] preneur.

 

Overcoming …   

There are 5 (‘for the hand’) root issues which stand in the way of ‘giggers’ & ‘youpreneurs’ ‘sharing’ more & building a stronger entrepreneurial edifice in the 2020’s:

 

  • Our 125+ year old schooling ( not truly education ) tracks, ‘K-12’
  • Fear ( cynicism, unhealthy skepticism, & negativity )
  • A completely broken political system
  • The incumbent hierarchies

&

  • Comfort/familiarity

 

We can hurdle over the first by focusing on self-directing our education & loosening the grip of credentialed degree signaling ( esp if we have staff ); next, we can win out over fear by being faithful & focused; thirdly, how about turning towards local elections to drive grassroots transformation upwards to state/provincial &/or national/federal offices?

Fourth, be wise to what the ‘status quo’ says, and especially does. Often times, they’ll attempt to buy influence through the deeply flawed politics of today. Don’t let them; put your trust in your own small business & those of your peers. Lastly, don’t rest on your laurels or read your own press clippings. Always strive to sit in a learning zone.

 

Future = Free: IF we Choose

Many step up to ‘be their own boss’ ; yet, the promises heralded in transition tend to be lost in the haze of working harder, not smarter.

Freedom is such an overused word; for the purposes of this post, let’s frame it this way: It’s having many conscious choices always available to match with our  most irreplaceable asset, time.

The ultra flex & portability available in the gig/sharing economy is there for the taking. Lean into it!

 

Twitter ‘To-Do’s 

Youpreneur

Sharing Economy

Future Workforce

VisualCap

Suitcasepreneur

 

Let’s ‘future’ proof …

… your business(es).

Be unique & willing to unlearn what you were taught in a conventional classroom about economics & entrepreneurship.

 

A dozen things I’ve learned about …

6 Ghosts of Fear

 

… Multisided Markets

The Matchmakers 

 

Mutual Aid Societies & the Gig Economy

Rise of the Youpreneur

 

Read to Lead

25 Ideas …

 

Summing up … 

  • A major milestone is upon us!
  • A fundamental question …
  • Multiple monikers
  • Multisided & matchmaker
  • 5 challenges
  • “Free”dom
  • ‘Future’ proofing

 

Thank YOU for reading!

____________________________________________

4 Pillars of a Civil Society by @SBSLEducSoltns

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The ‘Holidays’ …

 

… offer entrepreneurs a renewed opportunity to serve, solve, & be civil, especially in hyper competitive industries.

 

With this mindset, we can ask ourselves a key question:

 

How can business owners strengthen the pillars of our civil society?

 

Please think & then brainstorm ways to turn thoughts into energy; consider this post both informative AND actionable.

 

Defining civil society

This topic echoes last month’s post, many definitions exist, leaving us with another question to ponder that’s also well worth our time. Which to pick?

 

Here’s my chosen one.

 

Yet, if you settle on another, there isn’t a ‘wrong’ answer; your choice is likely tied to your unique perspective, lens, and/or life experiences.

 

Civil societies, in the 19th century, often included a ‘sister’ term, a component, [a] mutual aid society …

 

[they] prefigure most functions of the modern state. They’re at least as old as armies, but their mission is life, not death. For millennia, people have banded together to provide each other with health care, pensions, … and livelihoods. They have also leveraged their numbers to elicit some of these same benefits from those other two institutions, business and the government. Mutual aid extends the bonds of kinship and makes individuals into citizens.

― Anya Kamenetz

 

1st pillar :  The Family   

The holidays & families often are rightfully intertwined: so, too, the first pillar of civil society is emblazoned with the word ‘family’ & it’s an earned label.

 

Maybe you’re a family business? Nearby where I live, the Conway Center is a terrific resource for them & the other businesses who seek to serve this demographic. Quite likely, there are ‘like’ organizations elsewhere in America, as family businesses are very common.

 

Perhaps some/all of your clients/customers are families?

 

No matter how we look at it, it’s rather challenging to separate family from civil society, and a civil society from entrepreneurship.

 

2nd pillar : Non Profits ( inc. social enterprise )  

As the 19th century transitioned into the 20th, mutual aid societies began to fade; previously thriving organizations were often overshadowed as America became more centralized, corporatized, & urbanized.

 

We’ve now begun (  this post offers backgrounder ) turning back, with a modern flair, to where we once were as a civil society. Rough edges & burrs on the saddle of the Gig (Sharing/Youpreneur) Economy can, without question, be ‘buffed’ by devolving & delegating societal challenges & thorny problems to non profit institutions, especially social enterprises.

 

What’s a social enterprise? As stated in this annual report, they’re ‘easy to understand’ & more necessary to renewing our nation than many might realize.

 

3rd pillar : Faith institutions 

Faith in the entrepreneurial ‘square’, our common culture, let alone civil society, often stirs up emotions & thorny debates.

 

To avoid needless arguments, I humbly encourage everyone to consider multiple definitions:

Perhaps you’ll pick ‘faith’ as defined by the venerable Napoleon Hill in his masterwork, ‘Think & Grow Rich’ , or maybe you’ll instead lean into a Judeo-Christian foundational definition, as espoused by organizations like Truth At Work.

 

No matter your decision, this pillar’s densely strong, earning its place as one of the key four; it props up each & every business owner at some point(s) in her journey from ideating a business, to launch/startup phase, thru ebb & flood tides, linear or exponential growth,  & further ahead into an as of yet unknown future.

 

How so? Faith oft times can act as the antithesis of fear; it can buttress your failures & keep you anchored to your purpose & mission.

 

4th & final pillar:  Entrepreneurs

And now, the spotlight shines brightly on Y-o-u:  The business founder/owner, the entrepreneur.

 

If by now it wasn’t crystal clear, it now will be: Entrepreneurship, in all its forms/types , is absolutely a pillar.

 

You’ve likely seen/heard statistics about small businesses’ vast importance to our nation’s vitality.

Or, maybe you’ve encouraged someone to start their own business at some point: maybe a family member?; neighbor?; a past co-worker?; or as a mentor for a future graduate or recent alumna from your alma mater?

 

Action(s) as common as keeping your business viable, including delegating task(s) to someone like Karissa , or expanding your product line, are each useful in ensuring that this fourth pillar will always be foundational for generations of Americans in the 2020’s & well beyond.

 

Further context to the first question

The first three pillars have boundless potential: leveraging 1, 2, or all 3 can enable your business(es) to morph from a pure ‘S’ [ self employed ]; to at least a hybrid ‘ S/B’, or even a straight ‘B’.  It’s the latter state where you’ve reached the nirvana of time freedom; you’re definitely working “on” & NOT “in” your venture, thereby freeing the owner to participate more actively in civil society.

 

Profiles Worth Following

NapHill.org

Social Ventures

Truth@Work

DSC

Sivers

YEA USA

Conway Center

 

Please invest further…

… in your thinking.

You’ve read & trustfully sensed the heart, soul, & spirit of this created content; now, will you commit to dig into this curated content from other valuable resources?

 

Civil Society

Mutual Aid Societies & the Gig Economy

Social Capital Primer

Root

B2C v B2B 

Working “ON” & not “IN” a Business

 

In short

  • The holidays offer a chance to reflect
  • Civil society: Quotable quote & definition[s]
  • First two:  Family & Non profits
  • Second 2 : Faith & Entrepreneurs
  • Further context
  • Follow these Social profiles
  • As always, take action: curated content from add’t resources

 

Thank YOU for reading!

____________________________________________

Stages of Success by @SBSLEducSoltns

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[ ‘S o S’ ] = Leveraging Stages to Earn Something More: Significance

 

Flying @ 35K ft

 

As entrepreneurs, we’ve often heard how important it is to be successful.

 

And, as so many of us also know, success is defined in so many different ways, through lots of different life experiences & lenses, that there could be a fairly large library filled with content on ..

 

What is success?

How to be successful?

Who is a success & Why?

Where can success be learned?

 

To be clear, the stages that will be discussed below all DO feed into this ‘black box’ known as success, however, in my reasoned view, if each is leveraged unto one another, you’ll earn something far more impactful in the long term:  Significance.

 

Success vs. Significance

It’s left to you, the reader, to decide what you seek to pursue. A quick web search returns oodles of success quotes & related content:

Click HERE , then HERE to dip a toe ever so slightly into the ocean: The video & infographic in the latter are wonderfully displayed, by the by!

 

“Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision.”

―Peter F. Drucker

 

Turning the page to significance, one of the best sources to land on?  THIS one.

Our businesses can either drive us, as their owner/founders, to a significant life, or our lives can be the spark on the embers of the business, turning it from just surviving, to a modicum of success, and perhaps significance.

 

So, the road, visualized as two lanes, does have one going in one direction, and the other in its opposite.

 

“The difference between real life and a story is that life has significance, while a story must have meaning. The former is not always apparent, while the latter always has to be, before the end.”

― Vera Nazarian

 

Breaking down the stages  

 

I contend that each stage can be swapped for another, so the order below isn’t as important as the very high level explanation of the stage. And, if you happen to have multiple business ventures, you might even leverage the 5 stages differently, if & when you choose to pursue significance in either, or more.

 

Mental 

There are miles upon miles of created content online that talks up the vast importance of an entrepreneur’s mental mindset – the ‘inner game’ between the ears, so to say.

 

To be successful, you might’ve already noticed how you might ( or already have ) had to tune out cynics, critics, and unhealthy skeptics.

 

How it is often best to replace, 1:1, the mass media’s many arms with podcasts, webinars, audio books, and the like.

 

Yes, that quote about your mind being a garden, and having to pull the weeds?  It’s quite accurate.

 

Cultural  

Your workplace culture, or the culture ( coffee shop/cafe?  Coworking space? ) in which you invest time if not at a physical location of some sort, definitely is a puzzle needing solving.

 

Culture is an amorphous term, just like success; many thought leaders come to varying conclusions.

 

Yet, if you’re the founder or owner of a business with staff on payroll, you know how crucial culture is; your customer service; turnover; &/or engagement/satisfaction are each outward signs of how healthy it is.

 

In this post from a few years ago, I opined that culture feeds into vision, then strategy, & lastly, tactics.

 

Social [ Capital ] 

Your professional network/s are immensely valuable; while it’s best understood that clientele can come from any one of many concentric circles  ( perhaps a connector led to to a center of influence to this individual ), a very important concept is that of social capital.

 

While there are many phenomenal resources out there, one of the most impactful is found in the work of Mr. Robert Putnam — linked below is his ‘primer’ website, which by itself is chock full of goodness and explains well why this is a stage of success.

 

Financial

Whether or not you believe in retaining the services of a financial advisor/planner, or otherwise, you’re definitely encouraged to embrace the vast value in understanding the financial stage.

 

In my own professional journey, which began with one business venture as a side gig/hustle, one of the most impactful stages I ever engaged in?

 

= Moving from a consumerist/W-2 to a producer/entrepreneurial view of dollars & cents.

 

Since the vast majority of conventional classrooms in our nations don’t include much, usually any, content on money/literacy, let alone wisdom on how to invest, spend, and/or save money, it is left to us, as the owner/founder, to tap into the deep rivers of resources.

 

Leader[ship] -> Legacy

This stage alone could comprise a series of volumes, if not another separate library, alongside the success.

 

In this recent post, I unpacked variants of leadership. It wasn’t all encompassing, however, feel welcome to re(read) it and combine this stage with that post, to equal greater impact.

 

An informal mentor of mine teaches that one’s influence ( Excellent podcast HERE ) flows to impact ( which we’ll intentionally define as significance, as you leverage all 5 stages ) , then the entrepreneur reaches what she needs to be a viable business:  Income.

 

Intentionally moving from leading to legacy is a topic that deserves its own post; yet, it’s included above since both seem to be deeply intertwined:

 

leaving a legacy necessitates leading, just as much as the river of influence x impact feeds the ocean of legacy.  

 

Suggested Social Follows 

 

Robert D Putnam

 

Jim Collins

 

John C. Maxwell

 

Robert Kiyosaki

 

Mindset Works

 

As always, you’re encouraged to …

 

… use this monthly post as a jumping off point; take it as the sound of the starter’s pistol in track & field:

 

Ready ( reading this  ).  Set ( click on the links ).  & …  Go!  ( invest in content, set goals, et al. )

 

Social Capital Primer

Success Magazine

Servant Leadership Institute

Great By Choice

Rich Dad Radio Show

 

In short

 

  • A high level overview
  • Comparing 2 ‘S’ words
  • The 5 Stages – one by one
  • Recommended Twitter follows
  • Additional content

 

Thank YOU for reading!

____________________________________________

10 Qualities to Look For When Hiring a Marketing Manager by @lucyrk78

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by Lucy Render-Kaplan | Featured Contributor 

In an industry where the only constant is evolution, how do you know what to look for when hiring a Marketing Manager? If you were looking for an accountant, you would know to look for someone with accounting skills and who went to school specifically aiming to work in accounting, but very rare are marketing managers who possess an actual degree in marketing. And that’s ok! Because I believe that if people have these 10 traits, they will be just as good (and usually better) than someone that spent four years or more studying what I have been focused on learning for the past 16.

  1. Boundless Enthusiasm: Great marketers have passion for what they do oozing out of them. You never doubt they love this field, and you will never hear them say “God. Work is SO boring.”
  2. Creativity: Great marketers don’t do things “the way it’s always been done.” It isn’t that we’re trying to reinvent the wheel, but I’d argue that we’re always trying to look at that wheel in a way that no one else ever has before. And we can make you look at it that way, too. Great marketers are willing to take risks with what some may call a “crazy idea.” They aren’t afraid to fail because the WIN feels so good when those ideas connect. I’m willing to bet these people have notebooks full of ideas scribbled down, and at the ready wherever they are and ideas might come.
  3. Loyalty: I might not drink the beverage that I worked on when starting my marketing career, and in fact, I actually drink their main competitor daily, but I go on auto-pilot if I hear someone say something about that first brand that isn’t true. Great marketers don’t just work for a brand, they live that brand. That brand’s products or services are part of their daily lives.
  4. Know Their Audience: I always think of the line “I’ve made a living out of reading people’s faces…” when I think about what I do. You generally only have a couple of seconds to grab someone’s attention, and great marketers need to be able to tailor their message (I hate the word ‘pitch’) to differnet people so it makes sense to THEM. For example, I’m not going to try to sell someone in their 80s on the benefits of coconut water for strenuous workouts, nor am I going to talk about why a mental focus supplement is great for students, to a mom with 2 kids in her grocery cart and a very pregnant belly.
  5. Adaptable: No matter how much you plan, or how good you are, problems arise. Plans change. New legalities pop up. A great marketer can pivot and adapt and switch their entire focus at any point in any project. They don’t get too tied into one plan.
  6. They are Great Listeners: If you marketers are anything like me, you love to watch people. Find out what they like, where they go, what they do. What their habits are, what makes them NEED a product…We know what questions to ask to help draw people out and allow us to get to them, when we begin as total strangers.
  7. They’re Great Sales People: It might be a cliché, but it’s repeated so often for a reason. Great marketers CAN truly “sell ice to an Eskimo.” And they can get that sale before the Eskimo even realizes he needs ice. If you ever come across someone in marketing that hasn’t made sales, or thinks they don’t or won’t need to, move along! If sales puts items on a shelf, it’s the marketers that take it off, and that is because they know how to communicate clearly and show people WHY they need your product or service.
  8. See The Big Picture: It’s so easy to get bogged down in details, who needs to go where, looking at analytics, becoming overly focused on wanting to attach the brand to a specific event…it can be hard to take a step back, but we need to. The overall goals of the company must always be top of mind, and our first thought when deciding what to get involved with, what can wait, and what we can pass on.
  9. Storytellling: You definitely want someone that can tell great stories that not only draw people in, but are able to relate to. To get people excited about and choose your company over any others in the same category, you need someone that can get people to FEEL deeply and emotionally connect with the stories you are telling. You want someone that can get people to see themselves already using your brand in their lives, not just thinking it might be fun to try once. You want consumers, both potential and existing, to see themselves in the brand stories you’re marketing manager is telling.
  10. Team Player: Great marketers know they don’t work alone. Marketers best work is not born out of a boardroom or silo. Sales, Finance, Logistics…marketing is dependent and must work well with all of the employees in these various divisions. Teamwork is KEY to great marketing, and great marketers are humble enough to realize this.

I wish Top 10 Lists went to 11. There are so many other qualities that great marketers possess. What are some you don’t see on this list? Tweet me @lucyrk78 and let me know!