Women's Business Blog

Women's Business Coach: TIP OF THE WEEK: Speak

Women entrepreneurs must learn that speaking up and speaking out is critical to their business success. You may have been told as a young child that "making too much noise" was what boys did and that a young lady, like yourself, was meant to look pretty and keep quiet. But that advice will not get you ahead in business and if you haven't started already to find your voice this blog will get you started. Learning how to speak well whether to one person, a group or to an audience of hundreds is something every businesswoman must master. When I was about five years old my Dad would ask me to get up and speak to whatever crowd was gathered. I never understood why everyone wanting to hear from me, but if my Dad wanted me to speak I did. Regardless of what I said I always got applause and learned at an early age I had something others wanted to hear. What a great lesson to learn at an early age. As I got older I continue to speak out and spent more time perfecting my message. I learned to speak with authority and conviction and others would take away substance from my talks. Now, I know what you are thinking - speaking in front of an audience is at the top of the list of most people's greatest fears. But you are never too old to learn how to do it well and particularly how to use speaking as a method of getting business. People like to do business with people who aren't afraid to speak out about what they believe - of course, in business you want to stay away from the controversial subjects of religion and politics. Start today by speaking to yourself in the mirror and expressing the reasons your business separates itself from the competition. Watch how your expressions can put an accent on the important points you want potential customers to pay attention to. Yes, how you are perceived when you speak is what separates the successful credible speakers from the "what the heck is she talking about" speakers. Finally, start speaking up at every event you attend. Ask questions of the speaker or make comments about the topics. Let others know that you have a voice and know how to use it. It won't take long before you will be seen as a person of substance. You see the majority still believes that they have nothing to say or that someone else can say something better than they can. You must, and will, become that someone and take the floor. Speak up. Speak out. People WILL listen.

 

HIRE VICKI TO SPEAK AT YOUR NEXT EVENT

Women's Business Coach Tells Women To "Pay It Forward"

I’m excited that my advice was selected for The 2010 Woman’s Advantage Calendar  www.WomansAdvantage.biz/calendar . Check out the top of the right corner of the page at Entrepreneur Magazine’s www.WomenEntrepreneur.com  and now let me explain why this is so important to do. Women entrepreneurs  identify isolation as their number one problem in running their businesses. The knawing feeling that they are somehow in it alone can reek havoc on what can and should be a focused attention to grow a thriving business. Of course, entrepreneurs of both genders have days when their confidence level is not at its highest, but women tend to point to these moments more often than men as major road blocks to their success. Some of the reasons for this are simple. First, women have been brought up to be the nurturers in our culture and that doesn't stop just because they enter into business. As natural caretakers, women tend to take the emotional interests of their employees, vendors, customers and competitors more to heart and although this can more often be a strength than a weakness it also can leave them feeling spent. Second, the very people who the woman entrepreneur selects to support her in her business decisions - lawyer, accountant, banker, investment advisor, business partner or VC - are the same people who view their role as a supporter of the business and not the women entrepreneur. This reality can often allow the woman entrepreneur to feel all alone. Therefore, the small act of paying it forward gives women in business an opportunity to reach out to others who find themselves in the same predicament. Just think how it would feel to start off your day getting an email from a fellow woman in business expressing her gratefulness for your product/service/friendship/support. This is one small effort women in business can do to support each other. Changing one woman entrepreneur's feeling of isolation into a feeling of advocacy can be the beginning of alteringthe confidence of all women in business. So, take time today to pay it forward.

Women Entrepreneurs Must Celebrate National Entrepreneurship Week

Yes, it is National Entrepreneurship Week - February 20 through February 27, 2010. In 2006, the U.S. Congress passed a resolution to celebrate American entrepreneurs and the lifelong educational programs in elementary, secondary and higher educational institutions that prepare the business leaders of the future. As an entrepreneur, like many of you reading this blog, I appreciate the government's interest in entrepreneurship and remind them it not only needs to be celebrated, but encouraged so that the next generation sees starting their own business not as just an option but as the answer to what still is the America dream. Women entrepreneurs must particularly take note that choosing entrepreneurship means having greater flexibility over what other careers still provide. First, taking your ideas and putting them to work in a way that works for you and your family. Choosing entrepreneurship means working smarter not harder. Throughout our history, entrepreneurs have been responsible for improving our environment, our communities and our economy through innovation and creativity. America needs entrepreneurs more than ever now to create jobs and expand economic growth. Second, today's women entrepreneurs are important role models for the next generation of women thinking about making their mark in the world of business. Women will continue to be more than 50% of the American workforce and women entrepreneurs will continue to move ahead into the ranks of businesses with more than $1M in revenues. Entrepreneurship education programs have proven to have better attendance records and lower drop out rates than other educational programs. Perhaps it is because entrepreneurs have never been defined by race, creed, color, religion or gender...only by the desire to create, innovate, succeed and make the world a better place.Home

Women Entrepreneurs: WATCH OUT - Here They Come Again..

I have been writing about, profiling, speaking about and spreading the news about women entrepreneurs for more than 20 years and yet not a day goes by that I don't read an article somewhere that suggests women have just begun their entrance into entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurial women have been around since the beginning of time... better said the beginning of owning/starting one's own business. However, it is only in the last 30 years that they have begun to gain media attention. Why? The media is fixated on defining roles for genders, for ethnicities, for age and even religion. Anytime one of these groups seems to act out in a way that doesn't follow their definition, the media enters into expose mode to uncover the oddity. Of course, there really is nothing odd about extraordinary people acting in "get out of my way" mode (I believe I can do it my way and create a better life.). The mantra in the media now is that women are starting businesses at three times the rate of others (presumably that means men - your guess is as good as mine). The most important take away for women entrepreneurs is that they are not alone. They are following a long line of sisters that have thrown out stereotypes generations ago and focused on getting what they want in business and in their career. So, if you are a women entrepreneur and you feel isolated --- by the way, isolation continues to be the number one issue concerning women in business -- combat that feeling daily by checking back on this blog and with other links that I will make available to you regularly where you can follow other entrepreneurial women like yourself. Check out Forbeswoman/entrepreneurs/