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You don’t have to be a college student or grad to benefit from the advice in this revised edition of Lindsey’s book. Lindsey, for those of you who don’t know, is my daughter.
She used to come to me for career advice, but the tables have turned. She’s my go-to person for all things electronic and social media related when it comes to business. When I was considering linking sites with a particular organization recently, and I sought her wisdom, I told her I wasn’t sure I understood exactly what was required of me or what the benefits would be. But it sounded kind of good from the pitch I received. “Mom, if you don’t understand it and aren’t highly motivated to participate, say no.” I followed that advice with no regrets.
Please, buy a copy of her book for yourself or someone you love who’s looking for work. She’s a trustworthy guide and will be truly grateful for your purchase.
There were 500 attendees to hear David Gergen speak yesterday morning at the WBDC’s Business Breakfast entitled: Power, Politics & Purse Strings (giving it the female slant). Besides great networking, the spirit of the room and the opportunity to re-connect with longtime colleagues, Gergen’s talk was excellent.
Everyone who listens to the news and reads the paper (er, tablet) knows that the economy is still in deep trouble and that the business opportunities of yesteryear have severely diminished. This political consultant and presidential advisor put it in these words: “It’s like flying a 747 at 200 mph–stall speed. There’s the danger of free-fall at any time.”
What he found hopeful, and why the presentation was actually positive, is that he recognized and credited women business owners with the ability to shape the future. As he put it, he was very happy and energized to be in an environment that was as optimistic and vital as a large gathering of women business owners.
I’ve always felt that particular energy among female entrepreneurs. Unlike our employed counterparts, we are the ultimate decision makers, the buck-stops-here personalities and the visionaries who take risks and reap rewards. There’s a no-nonsense, I-am-responsible vibe that’s palpable in the room. It’s where I want to be.
Gergen predicted a bumpy ride for the next 3-5 years saying it won’t be easy. But, the statistics for women owned businesses contributing to the economic growth is staggering–8.1 million women-owned businesses in the US, 123,000 in CT alone. In state we contribute $26 billion to the economy and add hundreds of jobs each year. Despite the gloomy national picture, women are shaping the future.
I walked out, not depressed, but inspired to continue making the contribution I make and helping other women entrepreneurs to stay the course.
I’ve been a fan of Susan Keane Baker since we first met at an NSA-NY Chapter meeting in NYC at least 15 years ago. Class acts have a way of being class acts from the get-go. Susan’s brand experience is excellence, depth and connection and she’s delivered that consistently in our friendship and professional relationship since day one.
It was from Susan that I learned how important the personal touch is. She’s been sending out a print newsletter for over a decade. She mails several thousand at a time and hand writes a message to each recipient. Who does that anymore?!
Every newsletter I receive from Susan is packed with valuable content on her subject: improving the patient/health care practitioner relationship. Of course, substitute the word “client” for patient and “service provider” for health care practitioner and her advice resonates loud and clear.
Each time I open one of Susan’s mailings, and they come quarterly, I think to myself, will there be a message in this one? Is it really possible for her to do this repeatedly?
I was not surprised then, but ever delighted, when I opened up her most recently mailed newsletter and found not “Happy Fall!” or “Hope to see you soon!” but a truly personal, hand-written note acknowledging my new webinar launch. That’s the Susan experience.
What’s your brand experience, and when was the last time your client/patient/customer had a taste of it?
I’m thrilled to report that my first free webinar last week attracted over 50 participants and that every space available for my upcoming program sold.
In my own business and the businesses of my colleagues, and what I see in the world at large, we must keep trying out different offerings and seeing what works.
We’re throwing spaghetti against the wall to see what sticks. Boiling that water. Dropping in the pasta. Tossing it at the wall. Noticing what happens, then rinsing and repeating. This is the new normal.
When money was more plentiful, there were resources to try everything. But now, everyone is more conservative, so businesses are out there looking for the sweet spot for their audience.
Groupon is an example. A woman in the business-building course I took last spring offered her services at a fraction of their cost using that method. She got dozens of takers to try out her feng shui talents. Whether or not they ‘stuck’ as real clients at full fee was yet to be seen.
My son told me that Bonobos, a retail clothing site he loves, offers deals on twitter for limited time periods.
My sponsors for last week’s lunch talk experimented in their contract with me so that the risk was divided up amongst all of us. It paid off, and we all walked away satisfied. This is an era of experimentation, re-creation and re-defining success.
I’m still offering 1:1 coaching, Mastermind Groups, my Remarkable Women’s Network events and speaking engagements. Using the metaphor of the slot machine, these are coming up with two dollar signs and a cherry. The results of my first webinar offer created the ding-ding-ding jackpot I’d been striving for. I’ll continue to have the other pieces of my business model, but my attention will be on expanding the webinar classes in the near future.
Photo permission Katie Settel Photography
“Oh, hello Oprah. Yes, can I call you back? I’m in the middle of my Come As You’ll Be event.”
I explained to the assembled superstars at my networking event that now, in the year 2016, I have limited my coaching practice to the most successful women entrepreneurs in the country–Oprah, Michelle Obama (now operating her global organic gardening business), and Lady Gaga who wanted a Mastermind Group to support her in her continuing meteoric rise to the top–to name a few. Oops, I shouldn’t be breaking their anonymity…
The event that took place at Denise DiGrigoli’s Troy Fine Art was a blast into the future. As each woman business owner walked into 2016, the paparazzi flashed her picture, and she was welcomed into that year. As we went around the room and introduced ourselves, the smiles got broader. I asked the prominent lawyer in attendance to not be so shy about her cover article for Time magazine, or that our retreat leader at least tell us a tidbit about her event with the Dalai Lama.
We broke up into smaller, more intimate groups to bring the evening to a more meaningful level of conversation. I asked the women to talk about what steps they had taken to achieve their great success, what advice they would give their younger selves (say, in the year 2011) and what was the most important thing they learned on the journey. The responses were uplifting, informative, and in one particular case hysterically funny. I wish you could’ve been there.
Sandy Sergeant, owner of CT Caring Solutions, has been leading mission trips to third world countries for many years. At my Come As You’ll Be evening, we celebrated Sandy’s Nobel Prize win. You can see her response. She summed up the night in a beautiful testimonial she’s allowing me to share:
I would like to thank you for that innovative meeting on Wednesday, both Sandra and I enjoyed it immensely, it was like actually living out your dream, in a moment of time. How fascinating, It made everything so real, and breaking up in the small groups was even more effective. Being there was truly a blessing. Looking, forward to participating in your upcoming mastermind group.
Our Nobel Prize Winner (photo by Katie Settel Photography)
My friend Joanne Kabak, a colleague and member of my former writers group, lent me her copy of Life by Keith Richards, the audio version. It’s 19 CD’s plus a bonus extra with visuals. When I entitled this post ‘living with Keith Richards,’ I meant it. I’ve been listening in my car, on walks and while preparing meals for the better part of this month. I feel like I’m a member of his inside circle, it’s that intimate.
I’m fascinated by the detailed scoop of how he and the Rolling Stones rose to fame and the impact of that on him and the group. His tales of drug abuse are riveting, and I love how he re-connected with his father after a 20-year gap in their relationship.
I recommend this book as pure entertainment, but also for its instructional value to business owners as well. There is one outstanding detail that I shared with a colleague who was having a learning experience with a client. I told her that the Rolling Stones do not collect royalties on Satisfaction, the most memorable business-related fact from the book. Richards went into some detail about how that came to be. But, with a sigh, said, “It was an education.”
I frequently tell my coaching clients who have been burned by not having a contractual detail in writing, “Consider it tuition.” Now I can say, “Hey, the Rolling Stones missed their piece of Satisfaction. This is not so bad.”
Remember the 401 courses you took in college–the advanced seminars vs. the elementary level 101 courses? I felt like that’s where I was last Thursday night when I walked into the Four Seasons Boardroom in NYC for, of all things, the Boardroom–publishers of Bottom Line–networking dinner I’d been invited to. This was the second one I’ve been privileged to attend. I still feel wide-eyed about how exquisitely it’s done.
I go to many networking events each month, but none quite like this in style or content. Marty Edelston, who founded Boardroom Inc., instituted these high level get-togethers many years ago. He invites experts who have already contributed to Bottom Line newsletters, the product of Boardroom Inc., as well as professionals whom he would like to have as contributors. He provides a lavish setting and sumptuous dinner for all involved–no fee is charged for the honor of being in this prestigious group.
Marjory Abrams, the President of the Bottom Line and daughter of Marty, met me at the entrance to our private area and began introducing me to other attendees. Because the list is well-culled, meaningful conversations began instantly. As soon as we were seated and the first course was being served, Marjory and her sister Sarah Hiner (Publisher and COO of Bottom Line Publications), microphone in hand, began reading the bios of all assembled so that we got to know who was in the room.
After everyone had stopped chewing (!), Marty addressed specific questions to each expert regarding his/her industry. At the table were men in women in the arts, medicine, finance, academia, law, wellness, coaching and more. We were each given about 5 minutes to address a current area of interest to the group at large. In between the introductory bios and the longer Q+A, we had time to learn more about our seat-mates, all of whom were fascinating.
I had many takeaways, including a beautiful bouquet that had been part of the centerpiece. I have three dates on my calendar to meet with contacts I made that night. I don’t know where any one of these connections will lead me. But, I’ve learned over my career that these kinds of relationships often lay the groundwork for whatever is coming next for me (and them).
It’s not what happens at these events that’s as important as what you do with what happens. I’m grateful to Marjory, Sarah and Marty for providing an evening with so many advantages.
Mary Ellroy, owner of Gamebird, is a game and toy inventor as well as a consultant to those wishing to bring their products to market. She’s also a member of my nearly 20-year old mastermind group and a dear friend. I take what she says seriously.
Slight digression: I remember my father trekking into NYC with me in the late 60′s carrying a perpetual calendar I had designed as a college project, which he thought was worthy of manufacture. My point here is that pretty much everyone I know at some point thinks they’re an inventor. Since you know some things about me already, one is that I didn’t get rich (or even sell anything) from that product.
Consulting to this audience proves tricky for Mary as most would-be inventions are as well-intentioned but un-salesworthy as mine. How do you kindly educate your audience, save them years of frustration and disappointment and take a small chunk of change in the process? Our mastermind group is an ideal place for her to share this challenge and develop strategies for making each appointment a win-win.
One not-so-easily rejected client of hers, after Mary thoroughly assessed her game idea, shot my friend an email the day after her disappointing evaluation. She wanted an explanation of what Mary meant when she said, “It’s all about the WOW factor.”
Mary is one of the most kind-hearted people I know. She doesn’t enjoy rejecting ideas, but also needs to respect and teach the wisdom of her industry and honor her own expertise in marketability. “That question had me go to UrbanDictionary.com to look up WOW Factor. They nail it down,” Mary told our group.
I’ll let you look it up yourself, but the more important take-away from our session was a retort Mary learned from Hasbro to whom she’s been selling for years. “The WOW factor–we know it when we see it. If we knew how to achieve it every time, we wouldn’t need you.”
It can be a tough world out there. The truth hurts. But it’s a time saver and may move you to the track you belong on rather than the one you may wish for.
Q – What do getting a massage, reading about Newt Gingrich and pottery have in common?
A – A seed for a blog post planted, watered by an article in the NY Times and then fertilized by an analogy for both.
I received a wonderful massage yesterday afternoon from a young woman in Black Rock. As we were chatting afterwards, she mentioned two things. One, that she and her husband were planning a four-month sabbatical to India. Possibly six months. And, two, what did I think of the idea of her starting an improvisational dance program between now and then. BTW, she has a successful and growing massage practice.
I told her about a lesson I learned from reading The Work of Craft. It’s about a person who loves doing things with her hands. This person takes up pottery and masters centering clay on the wheel in about a week. She begins to raise the walls of the pot and creates many bowls and vases for friends and family; maybe even sells a bunch. Then it begins to get harder. To create those beautiful thin-walled pots and vases is difficult. It may takes months or years to perfect this, so why not take up macrame or weaving where the learning curve to competence will again be fast?
It’s the staying in the learning times that brings mastery. It’s easy and rewarding to jump ship and try something else. You can say, “I know how to throw pots and warp a loom.” But what do you really want? My massage therapist friend got it immediately. “It’s a distraction, isn’t it?”
This morning, reading about Newt Gingrich and his departed band of strategists I saw these quotes:
“[They're - referring to Mr. and Mrs. Gingrich] not doing enough to dedicate themselves to the hard work and the unglamorous aspects [of the campaign]“
and
His strategists demanded that he “curtail distractions like screenings of his documentaries.”
It’s the dailiness of entrepreneurship (and life) and sticking to it no matter what that gets the big results. Do you have any unglamorous aspects to attend to today? I wish you a distraction-free day.
I just finished reading Onward by Howard Schultz, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Starbucks–lower case letters used by his example. The subtitle of the book is How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul. You may remember the closing of many Starbucks stores a few years ago and the looming possible demise of the company. Howard Schultz took back his leadership position and turned the company around. Onward is the tale he tells about this journey. I was mesmerized.
I’m sure every reader is familiar with Starbucks as it is, according to this book, the most frequented retailer in the world. What a gift to read this account of the good, the bad and the ugly of that journey back to profitability well written by his co-author Joanne Gordon.
What, you may ask, can I, a sole/soul proprietor, gain from this corporate giant? Let me count the ways! Here are just a few of the nuggets I highlighted in my edition:
- “Third Place” concept created by Starbucks – a social yet personal environment between one’s house and job (or home office). ~Raise your hands if you’ve met a client or colleague at this “third place.”
- Starbucks is intensely personal. p. 23 ~Isn’t your business, when you really come down to it?
- If coffee and people are our core, the overall experience is our soul. p. 25
- Moving forward became more important than laying blame. p. 28
- We needed to rediscover who we were and imagine who we could be. p. 73 ~Even big companies need to do vision work.
- We will transform the company internally by being true to our coffee core and by doing what will be best for customers. p. 90
- People inside the company needed to see and connect with me. Often. I had to be accessible, almost ubiquitous, more than I’d ever been. p. 99
- Anyone can ask questions with no fear of retribution. p. 99
- When we relegate responsibility to our partners and give them the right tools and resources, they will exceed expectations. p. 110
- Starbucks mission: To inspire and nurture the human spirit one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time. p. 112 ~Is your mission as simple and straightforward as this?
- Partners mission: We always treat each other with respect and dignity. p. 113
- Emotional connections our true value proposition. p. 117
- At its core, I believe leadership is about instilling confidence in others. p. 308
Is any of this relatable for you?
