This week has been a blur of promotions for the Lance Armstrong interview and I’ve begun to wonder, how do you protect the image of your company when your company is you? There is an old adage that says ‘you are the company you keep’, but in this increasingly global marketplace how realistic is that? Is it reasonable to assume we can manage all of our partnerships and alliances … [Read more...]
Women CEOs and the State of Female Executives [Infographic]
What's really happening to women executives in the business world? According to Catalyst, women held just 2% of Fortune 500 CEO positions in 2011. Jump ahead to 2012 and women held a record 20 Fortune 500 CEO positions. That means only 4% of Fortune 500 CEOs are currently women. Motif Investing put together an infographic that visually explains the stage of female executive. … [Read more...]
IP is the New Black
Last night I learned the best business information that I have heard in quite a while from Oliff & Berridge, PLC wait for it-Intellectual Property Rights. In building our empires we are so caught up in success and growth that we don’t think about risk. After you have spent years building your brand recognition and customer base, how easy is it for someone to come along and … [Read more...]
The Expert is In
As a consultant I am constantly cast in an expert role and for the most part that’s okay, but I want to be clear….I don’t know everything and that’s what makes me an expert. I know a lot about my specialty but when it comes to taking my own advice, I could do a little better. So here’s the best advice that I can give myself and hopefully it will work for you as well. Be still … [Read more...]
The Power of Perception
As a small business there is a perception that the quality of the service we provide is directly linked to our size. The question is whether that perception is true and if it is, are we actually the ones creating that perception? Here’s what I have learned to consider when projecting your business image. Perception trumps ability I’ve noticed that small businesses have a … [Read more...]
Exercise Your Mind and Body to the Top of the Ladder
Being Healthy and Exercise Helps Women Executives Apparently not only are we fighting for equal pay, recognition and all the other things that come with trying to break through that glass ceiling, but now we also have to find even more time to exercise! In an article by Lisa Quast on Forbes.com, she talks about a study done that shows the percentage of overweight top female … [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...]
What’s a “GUTSY CHICK”?
When I was working on the cover for my new book, “GUTSY: How Women Leaders Make Change”, I spent time with the designer looking at all the overt and subtle meanings of the word "GUTSY". Karrie, www.karrieross.com, asked me what the smallest visual I could think of to demonstrate what "GUTSY" means. I sat with closed eyes and saw a hand with elegant long fingers and well … [Read more...]
Is it time to stop running your business?
There are things in life that are inevitable, love, death, taxes and the failure of a business. Knowing that doesn’t make the pain any easier to deal with so if you are facing the decision of when to quit and when to hang on, I have four pearls of wisdom (ahem, at least in my mind) for you to consider. Did you give it your best shot? Hindsight is 20/20 and when making the … [Read more...]
Questions of Greatness
Many people think that entrepreneurs have delusions of grandeur, but the truth is that many of us are running on fear. The fear that we may fail, the fear that we may be a success or the fear that we may find out that entrepreneurship is not for us. As I was going over the usual suspects for an article topic this morning, it dawned on me that there are specific … [Read more...]