In my forays into the world via the internet and in my desire to learn more about business and entrepreneurship, I run across fascinating websites.  Just this week I have come across three that feature and spotlight women entrepreneurs…and these are all new-to-me.  Also, as is the way with things sometimes, finding one led to the second which led to the third.  I love the internet!

1. The Women’s Conference – according to their website: “…The Women’s Conference is the nation’s premier forum for women, and its mission is to empower women to be Artchitects of Change in their homes, their workplaces, their communities and the world around them….” I came across this site while looking at another.  Again, borrowing from the website:

• “…The Women’s Conference event was originally established in 1985 by Governor George Deukmejian as The California Governor & First Lady’s Conference on Women, a nonpartisan forum for women small business owners. At that time, women-owned businesses were failing at a high rate and the conference was created to provide support to this growing sector of the economy and help women access funding and resources…Since 2004, under California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver’s leadership, the event has  grown into the largest one-day conference for women in the nation and has become an iconic destination for world opinion leaders, entrepreneurs, visionaries, tastemakers, spiritual figures, authors, journalists, artists, and women from all walks of life to share perspectives, find common ground, undergo transformative experiences and create lasting legacies….”

Wow.  This looks like a great resource for entrepreneurial women.

2.  Maria Shriver, the First Lady of California [my home state] has a major part of The Women’s Conference and this led me to her own website, MariaShriver.com.   There are a great many initiatives on this site from education to Alzheimer’s Disease [my own mother-in-law has this disease so I am painfully and intimately aware of the need for awareness...and indeed a cure.]   From this website:

• “…Shriver has organized these initiatives under a banner called WE. The WE programs have been successful in motivating people to get involved and unite across gender, economic, and party lines. Shriver’s message to all Californians is to look within and find out what “WE can do together when WE come together….” [I would advocate that this is a message not limited to California...rather this is global.]

3.  I went back and forth between The Women’s Conference site and Maria Shriver’s site exploring and reading.  Then I discovered on The Women’s Conference site a story about Kiva.   This caught my attention as I had mentioned Kiva in a post I did on my business blog back in July of 2008, so I read further.  This current story talked about how a young woman in California used a micro-loan from a Kiva lending group to start her business.  That lending group was Maria Shriver’s Conference Lending Team.  Thoughts of “small world” and “connecting dots” ran through my mind.  So I looked up Kiva again and found the Maria Shriver’s Conference Lending Team.  It’s strange, isn’t it, that sometimes it takes more than one exposure to something worthwhile before you become involved?  I’d read about Kiva previously, I’d even mentioned it in a blog post, but did not commit to helping at that time.  This time I did.  Although the economy has not been a friend in my household this year, I believe that a micro-loan of $25 is something I can do to help women entrepreneurs in another part of the world.  What is Kiva?  From their website:

• “…Kiva’s mission is to connect people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty…Kiva is the world’s first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend to unique entrepreneurs around the globe….”

Entrepreneurship is certainly not something only in the purview of women; however, I feel deeply encouraged that the world is opening up to women of vision; opening up to women who do wish to be “Architects of Change” as The Women’s Conference website highlights; and opening up to the idea that women are also thought leaders.

In 2006 I began an intensive coaching process with Rob Seidenspinner of Sage Circle Coaching. Rob is a personal and professional coach and I was looking for specific insights into how my personal “story” was influencing my business outcomes.

The benefits I’ve seen are as follows. Not all of these are directly attributable to coaching, but I would say that the business-related items are attributable to my own personal goals, which the coaching relationship helped me clarify.

1. Development of a mission statement to help me formalize my thinking about what I am hear to do.

2. An increase in the quality and types of referrals who we serve in my primary business.

3. A quadrupling of the typical amount of our new business account (from approximately $1000 – $2000 per account to $5000 – $10,000 per account)

4. Professionalization — such as getting a toll-free number and fax line, reaching out to increase our subcontractor availability, thinking like a leader of a team instead of just as one individual

5. Publication of my first and second book (in my initial coaching session, I envisioned that the book was a key “turning point”)

6. A move to another state (California to Hawaii)

7. Birth of a second child (obviously, this is not attributable to coaching, but the fact that the child was born at home and is raised in an environment that is much more conducive to one-on-one parenting *is* attributable to coaching)

8. Development of three additional projects to reflect my interest

9. An introduction and acknowledgement of my personal “gremlin” who always wants to bring me backwards when I am moving forwards.

10. More prioritized time to focus on personal development

11. More focus on intuition as a guiding force in all my decision-making

12. Deeper focus on relationship-building in my business (meaning, not focusing so much on the quantity, but focusing on the quality of my professional relationships and making sure that all our efforts are beneficial to all parties involved)

I wouldn’t say coaching is for everyone, but it has definitely helped me put my goals into a framework of being accountable to them (on a weekly basis) and breaking down my big “high dream” lofty aspirations into specific actionable items that I feel like I can accomplish.

image credt: littleman

Sharifah: I am a single mother of two and began my online experience as a way to provide for my children. After surviving several crushing disappointments including two failed marriages, being laid off six times, homelessness, the death of a close friend and the struggle to provide childcare for my children while I worked, I was determined to succeed.

Kristin: What are some of the projects you are involved with currently?

Sharifah: I am currently host of “Ask Sharifah Radio” at www.blogtalkradio.com/sharifah and the new television show, “Business Basics” going into production November 2009.

Kristin: How do you keep yourself motivated?  What tricks can you give the readers of this magazine to keep themselves focused?

Sharifah: I keep myself motivated by realizing that there are a lot of business owners who need help and assistance in growing their businesses. Sometimes providing advice can be daunting but when I see the change in the attitudes of my clients, when I recognize the difference I am making it is all worth it.

In order to keep focused understand that what might seem impossible at first in any aspect of a company is done every day on a multitude of different levels. Where there is a will there’s a way. If you need marketing, funding, guidance, employees, it’s out there. You just have to be willing and open enough to go out there and seek whatever may be lacking currently within your business.

Kristin: What has been the biggest obstacle you’ve overcome to date?  How did you handle the struggle or hardship?

Sharifah: The biggest struggle that I’ve experienced is the “Nay Sayers.” People who have told me that I couldn’t do it. People who have told me that I was lazy for working at home regardless of the money I generated. For a long time people who worked for themselves were not taken seriously because it’s not a “real job” unless you have a commute, a boss and your hours are 9-5. I had to prove myself and my success before anybody would begin to take me seriously.

Kristin: How did you start the Ask Sharifah Radio Show?

Sharifah: Ask Sharifah Radio was started as an answer to a cry for help from many business owners. The Internet and online marketing was relatively new to many business owners and I wanted to provide an outlet where business owners are able to learn from the stories, strategies, successes, histories and lives of other business owners. After that it just seemed to take on a life of it’s own.

Kristin: What are your plans over the next 12 to 18 months for the Ask Sharifah Radio Show?

Sharifah: I plan to increase the radio show exposure with the creation of the new television show.

Kristin: Can you us tell a little bit about this new TV show?

Sharifah: The new television show is scheduled to launch January 2010. The show will provide examples and true stories of how business owners are thriving in today’s economy. We will spotlight their techniques and examine how effectively success can be created.

 Numerous studies and articles are focusing in on the positive effects of Vitamin D and its correlating preventative action against colds and flu viruses.  One of the studies reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine examined the vitamin D levels of close to 19,000 people and their respiratory infections.  They found that the individuals with the lowest vitamin D levels were over 1/3 more likely to state having a recent respiratory infection than those with higher levels of vitamin D.

 We are told as young children to drink milk because it is good for our bones.  Because of this, we learn early on that vitamin D is good for our bones, and while this is certainly true, it is far from expressing all of the attributes this vitamin has for our body.  Vitamin D helps to regulate our immune system as well as the neuromuscular system. 

So how much vitamin D do you need and how can you get it? 

 According to the Vitamin D Council, it is recommended to get between 1,000-2,000 IU of vitamin D daily for healthy adults.  Of course, you may want to consult with your physician if you have any questions or concerns about your own health and vitamin D levels (which can be checked by your doctor’s office as well).

 The Today Show health section reported certain foods which contain vitamin D:

 vitamin D-rich food  

• Wild salmon   3 oz = 420 IU            
• Atlantic mackerel    3 oz = 320 IU
• Sardines 1 can = 250 IU
• Shrimp  3 oz = 150 IU
• Skim and 1% low-fat milk  1 cup = 100 IU
• Shittake mushrooms  4 items = 260 IU
• Fortified yogurts like Dannon Light & Fit  1 cup = 80 IU           
• Fortified cereals:Multigrain Cheerios 1 cup = 40 IU; Post Bran Flakes 1 cup = 40 IU; Kashi Vive 1¼ cup = 80

 There are supplements available for vitamin D as well, since it is not in as many food varieties.  Go to your local health store, vitamin store or pharmacy and make another step towards a healthy you this fall/winter!

Last week I had you ask yourself, How many powerful business relationships do I have?

If you haven’t already considered this question, I encourage you to consider it now. Creating a clear list of the people you need to connect with will give you a clear path as to where you should focus your time and energy. This is the critical foundation to the relationships you are beginning to establish and grow.

Create your current and future Powerful Connections list. Set a goal to increase your list of important business connections from five to 100-plus. Once you’ve compiled your list of current and future Powerful Connections, reach out to each of them. You might be thinking, That seems easier said than done. Well, here’s how! First, pinpoint people you already know (even if only slightly) who might become important business contacts. Then, consider what other relationships you’ll need in order to build a successful business. Ask yourself: With whom do I need to be able to connect in order to create loyal clients, find the best vendors, and when necessary, hire the best employees? Next, consider the best ways to reach out to those you’ve included on your Powerful Connections list.

Seek out people you know who may be able to introduce you to people on your list. Write a note or letter, and follow up with a call complimenting something your “Powerful Connection” has recently written or said. Or find a connection point based on something you have in common. Then reach out regularly through phone and email, or try a social networking avenue like asking to connect through LinkedIn. Using social media outlets such as LinkedIn and Twitter, or even a blog can be a great way to informally introduce yourself to someone. Through direct messages, retweets, comments, etc, you can let someone know that you value them and what they have to say. These outlets also allow you to learn more about your Powerful Connections. Being able to show them that you know something about them is a great way to make a connection.

Next Tuesday I’ll share with you a great way to connect with those on your Powerful Connections list by Becoming the Media.

Many theories have been tossed around; some related to the failure of feminism. These theories suggest that the more a woman’s sphere of existence expands and diversifies, the more she  has to be unhappy about. In other words, increased opportunities for women raise the level of expectations and these expectations are not fulfilled causing unhappiness. I don’t see how feminism has failed. What I do see is how society has fallen short of supporting women.

What has become apparent with the release of Maria Shriver’s report, “A Women’s Nation Changes Everything”, is that women have not made significant progress in many key areas. For instance, women still earn 73 cents to every man’s dollar. Women pay more for health insurance. Old gender stereotypes do still exist to some degree and this forces women into lower paying professions. And most importantly, no matter how many hours women work, we still do most of the care-taking and housekeeping at home.

Is this all changing? Yes. In fact, many more men are now sharing the load at home. But until there is more progress toward gender equality, I don’t think you will see many women jumping up and down with joy.

How do you feel about this issue? I would love to hear your comments.

I am an avid reader of online edition of Forbes magazine, where I regularly read the Forbes Woman column. The column features everything from latest tips for women entrepreneurs to latest trends in management.  However, this weeks’ story, written by Heidi Brown, focuses on struggles and fight for basic rights that women experience every day in Iraq.

The article is based on extracts from Christina Asquith’s (an American journalist reporting from Baghdad) book, Sisters in War, which presents the story of the U.S. invasion through the experiences of four women and their hopes for more empowerment and basic freedom.

Christina’s story touched my heart. I realized the power women living in developed and advanced economies have — power which many of us may take for granted and don’t think of everyday, if at all. This led me to deeper reflection on my priorities.

To make matter worse, I wondered how many of us stop ourselves from reaching our potential?

How many of have make excuses to explain our failures? I know I have.

How many of us dream of building our own companies or pursuing top management jobs or simply establishing careers that will meet our needs?

Aren’t many of us failing at that because we are more concerned with outside pressure, may it be from our family or society?

Don’t we all sometimes follow a way that is widely and socially acceptable?

I know pursuing our desires requires courage and persistence, but I also firmly believe we are equipped with every tool we absolutely need to succeed.

About the Author

Anna Dworaczynska is a Polish freelance journalist and editor currently on a short term contract in Moscow, Russia teaching English. She can be reached at ania.dworaczynska@gmail.com.

As of right now in 2009, women have a larger presence in the workforce than men. It is partly due to the economy, partly due to progress. While there is still a lot of change that has to take place for true equality it is important to understand and honor the differences between us and find the roots of stereotypes, both male and female.

Ever wonder how women got the stereotype that we talk too much? Maybe there is some deep truth here we need to explore. Going back to cave times we know that men were the hunters and women the gatherers. Women would gather the herbs and grasses in groups. And they would talk. Not just to gossip, it was also for safety. They talked to keep the big bears and cheetahs away. They would also share their intuitions about weather changes or where they “felt” the new berry patches were. So “Chatty Cathy” was probably a revered gatherer in her day.

Now, let’s see how this ancient role of gatherer is still embedded in us today. Research shows that men speak approximately 4000 words a day, women 7000. Translate this to the work world and here is what you get. If you want to meet with your male colleagues at work, do so in the morning. Know that conflict resolution has a better chance of success before two o’clock. And don’t get so aggravated when close to closing time all you get are four word sentences. By late afternoon they have most likely used up their quota of words!

And in your  home life, if you want to talk to your male partner or a son, you really need to have a heart to heart and you want it to be successful, consider Saturday morning as an optimum time.

Well, maybe that’s a bit over-simplistic, but at the core of survival is selfishness…as it should be.  And how we go about getting what we want is where we, as humans, have become extremely resourceful.  We don masks, we wear hats; we exude personae.

The word persona comes from the Greeks and literally means, “mask.”  Persona is a term given to describe the versions of self that all individuals possess.  When I read that definition, I sat back and tried to count the many masks of me…it’s enlightening to see who I have become and how I protected when that survival instinct kicked in.

I reflect on the many costumes I have worn in my life.  For Halloween at least I’ve been a doctor, a warrior and a clown for Halloween one time or another and as I think about it, they are all outward expressions of the fixer, fighter and fool within.  I can honestly say that every mask I wear in the workplace, whether it’s flattering or not is a part of who I am as well.  What mask are you wearing at work right now?  The negotiator or the bully?  The pacifist or the blow hard?  The counselor or the gossiper?

The amount of energy it takes to be a positive character over a negative one is the same, so why are there so many witches and grim reaper’s lingering around? Chances are it boils down to the basic needs of that person, their primal instinct. More than likely their insecurities run so deep that their only protection is to ward people off with their hexes and spells. When we can look at negative people from that perspective; you can almost have compassion for them where there once was none. But like the Rolling Stones sang, you can’t always get what you WANT, but you DO get what you need. In this case, it is survive, the need to get by.

So next time you run across one of those characters at the office, outfitted in an invisible mask of doom with matching cloak of gloom, take a moment to find out what their basic need might be.  Look behind their mask to what they’re avoiding and chances are you will find a frightened, self-doubting person who only owns one “survival” costume.

This caring persona will allow you to peer at them through the eyes of your new mask of kindness.

October is also a bit scary because there are only two months left to the year and this year could prove to be a difficult one for retail businesses everywhere.  I read in my newspaper’s business section this week that retailers will be stocking less for the holiday season so that they aren’t left with large inventories.  Anne D’Innocenzio, AP Retail Writer’s story, “Recession-stung stores plan old-fashioned holidays,” kind of tells you that even the ‘big boys’ out there have to think creatively this year, hoping to lure in customers.

But what about those of us who are solo-preneurs?  We who are home-based business owners?  Sometimes the Fall of the year is a time of stalled activity.  The economy this year has many people – including me – thinking more than twice about every purchase.  I know people who are in such financial distress that they are putting off health care issues – delaying tests because they can’t afford the copay.  I relate.  I recently had a scan done as a preventive measure but the copay was a whopping $500.  Can’t imagine what my choice would have been had my husband been without work at the time.  Many in his company were laid off this year…in fact, his company had two rounds of layoffs.  For some of us with home-based businesses, the economy’s ills are our ills.

So let’s ask the question: if your business is stalled, what could you be doing that you aren’t doing now?  Now is indeed the time to think out-of-the-box.  Here’s an idea.  Let’s pretend you’re an artist with an online gallery [any business market niche can utilize this type of example-vitamin sales, business consulting, virtual assistant, etc].  Sales are very slow.  “Art,” unfortunately, is one of those items that people put in the “luxury” category when money is tight.  However, artists need to eat, too.  What could you do to better promote your gallery site and drive more traffic specifically for the purpose of generating holiday sales?

• Are you advertising the gallery website?  Maybe you have your site listed as a destination on your social media profiles, but are you also advertising the site?  Maybe you could invest in Google Adwords ads for the holidays; or perhaps you could put out some classified ads on something like Backpage?
• Have you put out any press releases lately?  I came across a great article by Janet Meiners Thaeler, “Five Killer Press Release Tips for Small Business.”  Janet has some awesome ideas that just might get you some traffic.
• What about doing something really bizarre? What about setting up an account at an online business that offers customers prints?  All you have to do is upload the images of your paintings and you get a percentage of print sales.  It’s income and exposure.  What about offering prints yourself through your gallery site?  PayPal has a shopping widget that allows you to sell right from the widget.  Or what about signing on with an online company that offers customers your images on everything from coffee mugs to tee-shirts?  Again, it is income and exposure.

The idea is to consider what you could be doing that you aren’t.  Being stalled is one thing, staying stalled is killer.