Have
you ever wondered what the real secret to success is? Do you ever read articles about women entrepreneurs who’ve accomplished their dreams and think, “Now how did she do that?” I know I have. I’m always in search of better, more effective ways to achieve my goals both personally and professionally and I look to women who’ve walked the path of entrepreneurship before me. The good news is success leaves clues and if you’re open to hearing what other successful women entrepreneurs share about their journey, you can save yourself a lot of time (& money).
Smart Women Know Success Leaves Clues
Smart Women Are In Control Of Their Ride
Last week,
our family went to an amusement park in Park City, Utah, for a day of fun. When you take the chairlift up to the top of the mountain, one of the rides offered is the Alpine Slider. The Alpine Slider is a bobsled track that runs for about 3,000 feet down the mountain. As we approached the starting gate, there was a very large sign that read: WARNING! YOU ARE IN CONTROL OF YOUR RIDE. I laughed out loud! My immediate thought? “Well, I should hope so!” As my 7 year-old daughter and I got buckled in for our ride, I started thinking about how Smart Women are in control of their ride—I’m referring to the ride called a passionate, energy-filled and purposeful life.
Smart Women Make It Happen
A few days ago,
I happened to get caught in the typical bumper to bumper LA traffic near the location of my last “job” before I began my journey as a woman entrepreneur. I had some time to reflect on where I was back then and where I am today. As the images of my life passed through my mind much like the scenes in a movie, I asked myself, “How did I go from where I was back then to where I am today?” The answer popped into my mind almost immediately: I took action. Smart Women make their Big Ideas, Dreams and Goals happen.
Smart Women Understand “Life is an Occasion”
A few nights ago, we watched
“Mr. Magorium’s Magical Emporium” with Dustin Hoffman and Natalie Portman. It’s a fun and light family movie with a wonderful message. I won’t give away the plot or ending, however at one point in the movie, Dustin Hoffman (Mr. Magorium) smiled and said to Natalie (who at the time was going through a big life transition) “Your life is an occasion; rise to it.” This got me thinking about how Smart Women know this well.
Smart Women and the Six Feminine Energies™
Are you a woman who wants to have it all? Do you have a desire to experience your life and business on your own terms? I’ve certainly felt that way in the past, however I’ve come to realize that I have to choose what’s most important to me right now in my life. I know that over time, my “energy” for different interests will change and grow into new areas. It’s essential for Smart Women to recognize and embrace new passions that may develop over time.
Smart Women Have a Winning Offense
Recently my children’s
little league baseball team was defeated—badly. At one point, I looked at another mom and said, “Please let the bloodshed end!” After the game, the coach brought the team into the dugout to review what worked and what didn’t work. He began with a review of the other team’s performance. One boy piped in, “They sure hit well when they were at bat.” Another boy said, “And they were good at stealing bases!” This got me thinking about how Smart Women need a good offense to win this game we call entrepreneurship.
Smart Women Know Who to Ask
Have you ever had a Big Idea that you
were over the moon about only to have your hopes dashed because you shared it with someone who you trusted and they told you (typically in a very flat tone) “that will never work.” I’ve had this unfortunate experience happen to me on more than one occasion over the last two decades as an entrepreneur. It’s painful isn’t it? You get all excited about the possibility of living your passionate life and someone pops the air in your dream balloon!
Smart Women Entrepreneurs Can Learn a Lot from the Olympics
Over the past few weeks, I’ve enjoyed watching the Winter Olympics with my family
. I find the Winter Olympic Sports exciting and I’m in awe of the skill and determination of the athletes. As I watched the closing ceremonies and listened to interviews with those athletes who were taking home the “gold,” I was reminded how Smart Women entrepreneurs could learn a lot from Olympic athletes.
Smart Women Can Learn a Lot About Business from a 3rd Grader
Recently my son Jack, who’s in 3rd grade, had to do a book report and I spent some time guiding
him through the process. His teacher had asked the report to consist of 6 elements: Title, Setting, Main Characters, Plot, Problem, and Solution. This got me thinking about how Smart Women could use this exercise to create a clear and focused plan for their business and entrepreneurial dreams.
Having a firm foundation is essential for any business to have sustainable growth and long-term success. What do you need in order to create a firm foundation for your Big Idea, Dream, or Goal? You need the same 6 elements that my son Jack used in his book report:
Smart Women, Halloween and Attracting Your Ideal Client
Last weekend, we took our kids trick or treating
in our neighborhood and it was exciting. I enjoyed watching Jack and Jenna’s faces light up when they saw a friend from school or someone dressed as their favorite character. One observation from the evening that intrigued me was watching which houses the children gravitated to most often. The houses that were adorned with lights, decorations and an irresistible “come visit me” feeling were the ones the children ran to first. They would actually skip over homes that had little or no “invitation.” They would stand in long lines at homes that had that welcome feeling, waiting for one piece of candy rather than use that time to visit two or three homes that had less of a welcome presence. This got me thinking about how Smart Women entrepreneurs could learn a lot from Halloween when it comes to attracting their ideal client.
Having a business is one thing; creating a successful plan to attract your ideal client to your business is another. With all of the choices that people have today when searching for products and services, it’s essential that you create that “welcome” feeling or “I have exactly what you need” feeling so that when they arrive at your web site or meet you in person, there’s no question that you and your business are exactly what they need to solve their problem. Marketing is about solving problems for people. You need to quickly and effectively let your ideal client know that you have what they need and want. The people in our neighborhood that went the extra mile to create a true trick or treat “experience” were the ones whose homes were visited the most.
Are you going the extra mile for your ideal client? In my Women’s Success Circles, we spend a lot of time creating marketing plans that will generate more ideal clients for each woman’s business. What “experience” are you creating so they want to return to you again and again for your product or service?
Smart Women Find Their “Flow”
Yesterday, when I picked my daughter Jenna up from tennis camp, she rushed over and handed me her uneaten snack and her nearly full water bottle, with a big smile on her face. I was surprised she hadn’t eaten her snack (after all, Goldfish is her favorite) and I couldn’t imagine her not drinking a gallon of
water on this hot summer day! When I asked her about it, she exclaimed, “Mommy, I was having so much fun playing tennis I forgot to eat or drink!” Jenna was doing something that energized her. She found an activity that caused her to forget about everything. She was in her “flow.” This got me thinking about how Smart Women find their “flow” and live energetic, passionate lives.
When I was studying to become a Professional Certified Coach, I was required to read lots of books that were essential to my growth as a coach. I found one book in particular, Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life (Masterminds Series) by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (“chick-Sent-me-high”) to be quite thought-provoking. Csikszentmihalyi believes that many people walk through their lives without ever becoming aware of what energizes them or where they find themselves in the “flow.” Athletes sometimes refer to this as being “in the zone.” “Flow” is the place where you lose yourself and all track of time. You know when you are in the “flow” when you finish a task or project and you feel more energized than when you began. Have you ever done something and forgotten to look at the clock or stopped to take a break for lunch or even go to the bathroom? I personally find my “flow” in my work with women, watching my children play sports and listening to solo piano.
teleclass with social media expert, Amber Mac where she shared a few tips to help your business become more visible online. In order to achieve ultimate success, you need both an online and offline presence. In my article last week, I offered some tips and solutions on the value of an offline presence. Today, I’m sharing some key online presence tips.
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