Gambling on a Calculated Risk Roll the dice...and trust that the odds will be in your favor and if they aren't "May the odds be ever in your favor" (sorry I couldn't help myself), you have to be willing to do what it takes to turn the tables. Sometimes you just have to go for it. The one thing all entrepreneurs have in common...they took a risk. If they hadn't, they … [Read more...]
Money, Friendship and Business
Inevitably in the life of an entrepreneur there comes a time where friendship, money and business collide. Sometimes the collision is disastrous, sometimes it is a saving grace but the one thing that is certain is that it is never easy. I recently encountered a situation where all three of these things collided and here is what I learned. Be specific and be sure Communication … [Read more...]
Help My Balls Are On Fire!
We all have the proverbial "balls in the air". As business executives, entrepreneurs, business owners and people we are busy! There are usually multiple things going on during a day. With deadlines to meet, clients to call, proposals to finish, sales to close, team meetings, conference calls, emails, texts, voice mails, traffic, kids, dinner, sports, facebook, friends ... … [Read more...]
Love What You Do
Love is the Missing Piece No, this isn’t an ad for a dating site, although maybe it should be.... I was in the process of writing on a different subject when I found myself in a conversation with a client (who shall remain nameless but will likely know its them when they read this ;) ) We were discussing their business and a particularly rough couple of weeks they have … [Read more...]
The view from the top
Let’s face it, we all went in to business because we were really good at something and thought we could do it better. A couple of years later, we have learned some new things and are a little less willing to listen to someone else’s advice. But what if that advice is coming from a client? I recently had a situation where some unwanted advice led to a deeper understanding of my … [Read more...]
What we can learn from the US Women’s Soccer team
Reporters from all over have had some type of sound bite regarding the t-shirts the US Women’s soccer team. The shirts said ‘Greatness has been found’ and sports writers and enthusiasts are lining up to take aim at the perceived lack of humility. As a woman operating in a male dominated industry I have to say ‘Why should they be humble’? Here’s what I have been able to take … [Read more...]
Why are you important?
As we create our businesses more often than not we get caught up in the day to day firefighting strategies. What we don’t do because there isn’t enough time in the day, no one has figured out how to clone ourselves and/or we don’t see the immediate value is define a future strategy. It’s easy to spend so much time in our businesses that we don’t work on them, so here are a few … [Read more...]
Don’t Worry, Be Happy, Be Productive: Lessons From My Dad
Don't Worry Be Happy and Be Productive A simple phrase, or lyrics as it may be. My father uttered these words to me on a regular basis as a child, and occasionally still does today. I remember listening to that song in my dad’s old den, and not really getting it. I lived with my dad, and to his credit I think he raised a me to be a pretty awesome woman with a strong sense … [Read more...]
The Gospel of Sales
As an entrepreneur I know that sales are the lifeblood of my business, so when I am approached with a sales pitch I tend to take an analytical view. Recently I was searching for a vendor to complete my website overhaul and some of the pitches that I received…well they were interesting. In reviewing the pitches, I learned five most important points if you are not a marketing … [Read more...]
Let Your Business Grow
We all need a little help along the way. Making the decision to go out on your own is difficult but a ton of fun if you do it correctly and have the right pieces to the puzzle. Women are becoming more prevalent as entrepreneurs, it can be a very empowering thing to have your own business and be successful at it. It doesn't matter what your business is, you can make it work, … [Read more...]