How QTips Inspired Me to Become an Entrepreneur

QTips inspired me on my entrepreneurial journey not because they are an amazing, useful invention, but because in 2004 I was so broke I couldn’t afford them and I had a complete emotional meltdown. Really.

At the time I was working 25 hrs a week as a volunteer with One Heart Bulgaria organizing a container shipment of humanitarian aid and school supplies to send to orphans plus going to graduate school in Theatre for Young Audiences. My husband was working in a startup and we were seriously struggling financially, living mostly off student loans. I had 4 garage sales that Summer to buy gas. We were getting help with our groceries from our church. I remember desperately wanting 2 things- rubberbands for my baby’s hair and QTips for myself. Thinking back now on this experience really is a shocker to me because these items are under $5 and I can afford to buy them in bulk without any stress. It was a pathetic time for me. I felt so out of control and hated my situation. I was humiliated that we were so poor, I couldn’t even donate anything to the container I was collecting items for the children in Bulgaria. I realized that either I needed to get a real job or I needed to start my own business. I had worked previously in marketing and as a publicist and considered doing that again but it wasn’t right so I explored some other options and within a couple months I had my a-ha moment that I would start a Princess Dress up & Party Store for little girls. Of course I needed funding so I started looking into loans and found out about the BYU Business Plan Competition at my university which was giving away $25,000 so I decided to apply even though I had never taken a business class and didn’t know what I was doing.

I worked hard and did well at BYU, making it to the top 10 and then was invited to global competitions and won 2nd place nationally at the Wake Forest Elevator Pitch Competition (76 MBA schools) and 12th at the Rice  competition  (160 MBA schools). I caught an intense passion for entrepreneurship and never looked back. I just KNEW I had to move forward in this field. While I didn’t ever get the funding for my Princess store (thank goodness, it wasn’t the right fit for me) I did discover that when I take responsibility for my own life and build my own dreams instead of waiting for life to happen to me I’m a lot happier and enjoy life more fully. Startup Princess evolved because I saw a need for women in startups to connect, learn, and share and I wouldn’t have ever figured this out if I continued to complain about my situation and stay apathetic.

There are women all around me that inspire me because they are out there creating their lives. I hope you’re creating yours. If not, ask yourself, Why am I settling for life to ‘happen to me’ instead of choosing differently? I know your power to create is infinite and that you have passion burning inside you to realize your dreams. What is your dream? Don’t Wait. Wayne Dyer said, “I don’t want to die with my music still in me” I feel the same way and the power of entrepreneurship is that it’s all about- creating your path, your vision, your way of doing business and the money will follow. It has for me. Now, six years later I don’t have garage sales anymore- I donate to charities and contribute substantially to my family’s income. I run Startup Princess, am successful in other business ventures and couldn’t be happier with being an entrepreneur. It feels so beautiful to be in my power and celebrate it. Thank you, God for stretching me and showing me how I can be co-creator of my life.

Tell us about your a-ha moment to be an entrepreneur, we’d love to hear about it.

Make a Wish, Make it Happen!

Kelly King Anderson, Founder of Startup Princess

Single Mom Marketing

By Lisa Karen Cohen, Director of Creative Parties For Kids

I have owned my own business for over 20 years; and for 17 of those years I depended upon and struggled to pay for my monthly print advertising in a local children’s publication.  At one point, I could not afford it, and put my focus on internet and referral marketing. It was survival. I had to make it work, and I did. The world is a changing and as business owners, we need to change our marketing style to keep up! I have noticed that the print publications are now adopting the methods I used without them; email newsletters, blogs, facebook and twitter. The most powerful marketing tool is still referrals. Two years ago a successful Dutch business consultant visiting our family said to me, “every happy customer is worth 5 more happy customers, every disappointed customer has an infinite number of negative effects on your business.

Newsletters offer valuable information to your client base. Give something to them and they will give back to you. Don’t just “sell, sell, sell”…that gets tiresome. I make a point of informing clients of local children’s events that may be of interest to them, whether my company is involved or not. I write a little article on parenting or education, I praise an outstanding member of our entertainment staff on something they did well, and then I make the customer feel special by giving them a big discount on our services if they book an event by a certain date. It always works.

Facebook, Twitter, and other social media marketing tools are also great. It takes time to nurture and update these accounts. I recently offered a promotion on Twitter of a free “StoryLady” DVD to the first 50 people who added me to their Twitter list. It has yielded around 4 new followers.  These marketing tools are like a garden, they need tending. Honestly, as a small business owner, I am often over-whelmed with this task. As a solution, I am considering delegating this aspect of the marketing to a younger, savvy “stay at home” mom, who I just hired as a princess. Princesses have to support each other!

Of course, your website is very important. I finally hired a professional web designer, and worked with him closely to create our current site. It still needs updating, work and constant attention. They have been very kind to me and I would certainly recommend OC WEBLOGIC to any business owner!

There is no substitute for the old fashioned face to face contact.

I also google search mom’s clubs, pre-schools and local charities and then offer to come and perform for free in exchange for their support in “getting the word” out about CreativePartiesForKids.com. They love the free service, and I love the contacts and great energy it produces. These concepts can be adapted to any business. There are always creative ways to approach finding potential clients, and then offering them something of your service or product. Once I have made that contact I bring flyers, email sign up sheets, cards and give away a CD or DVD. If I am going to give of my time, knowledge and energy, all I ask is for them to give me their information to “stay in touch” and send them my newsletter. They become a potential client.

Community events that pertain to your line of work are also a great way to connect with potential customers. I volunteer at family oriented events, and always bring my marketing materials. A great way to get leads at these events is to have a little box where people can sign up for a “free”something or other….they then give you their info, and you can add them to your email list.

I have a degree in Theatre, not business or marketing. Many of these ideas I learned along the way. The tenacious follow-up and sales techniques I learned working for a health club when I was right out of college! My acting degree in hand, I found I had a knack for sales and marketing. There have been times that I have walked the streets putting flyers on doorsteps, or have dressed up in my StoryLady dress and crashed a family oriented street market. I let the kids pet the bunny while I hand out flyers to the parents. Marketing is fun! I love it!

Lisa Karen Cohen, Director of Creative Arts & Parties For Kids has a BA in Theatre and Dance from University of Colorado Boulder, has studied acting at American Conservatory Theatre and performed with The Denver Center Theatre Company, and was working on her Masters in Educational Administration with an emphasis in arts education. She has been teaching and performing with and for children for 30 years. She also has her own children’s television show called “The StoryLadys Magic Book” which airs on Time Warner Public Access, has a DVD called The StoryLady and The ABC’s, and two children’s CD’s. For more information please visit her websites  www.CreativePartiesForKids.com and www.thestoryladysmagicbook.com. Connect with Lisa on twitter.

Three Critical Strategies for Effective Life Planning

By, Karen Pool

A study of the responses of 4,000 retired executives over the age of 70 by Dr. Gerald Bell revealed a common regret: They wished they had done more life planning. “I would have carved out life goals and owned my life.” I should have taken charge of my life through goal setting.” “I would have spent more time on my personal development.” If we want to start on the path of life planning, we must listen to our hearts. The truest answers for what we want come from our hearts. The three critical strategies for effective creative life planning include brainstorming, going for detail, and setting plans in time.

Brainstorming

Brainstorming helps us expand our thinking to include dreams, goals, and aspirations that can be integrated into our daily lives. Our imagination unlocks possibilities and options. We can invent the future in our imagination before creating it tangibly to discover possibilities—moving ideas from vision into form. Use the following open-ended sentences to generate 8-10 new ideas: • If I could do, be, or having anything, what would my heart say? • What would I do if I could do anything without training? • What would I do for fun?

Brainstorming helps you get past the surface to the deeper levels of knowing and thinking where insight and the best ideas originate.

Go for Detail

When we create dreams without the particulars, what we want is usually too large in our heads. Our desires need to be broken down into smaller tasks or amounts, just as we make smaller monthly payments to pay off a large loan, for example. Identify the smallest piece that you can bring into the current week to move your idea forward

Set Plans in Time

Creating a structure, framework, or blueprint offers a view of what lies ahead before you move forward. Follow through is essential; it includes creating timelines and dated action plans for managing the details of dreams to ensure continued progress. Once we have specific detail, we can clarify the priorities and identify the smallest action that fits into our weekly and monthly schedules. We begin to bring our dreams into reality.

Choosing to develop your creative imagination and engage in life planning will transform your life. As your thoughts and dreams become visible, you will discover pathways leading to their fulfillment . . . and a life free of regret.

Karen W. Pool, M.S., a former university and teacher educator, presents workshops that encourage the development of creativity and imagination. She is President of lifemagination and works as an instructional writer. For more than two decades she has taught a Life Creation Process and encouraged individuals to invent their lives by creating a flexible 20-year plan. She is the author of Transformation Thinking, Celebrating Women’s Voices, and Designing Your Life Vision. You can follow her on www.karenpoolblog.com.

Meet Personal Consultant Susan Bock

Hometown: Fort Collins, Colorado

Current Residence (City, State): Huntington Beach, CA

Education: Ph.D., Business (2007), Certified Executive Coach (2001), Masters in Org. Mgnt. (1990)

Professional Background: Most of my corporate career was with international advertising agencies. After 15 years, I said good-bye to the corner office, all the company perks and walked away with no idea what would be next.  Within months, I started my business.  That was in 2000.

What you wanted to be when you grew up: Pre-teen years – a cow girl.  Dale Evans was my star! Teenage years I had no idea – I was uncomfortable with myself – awkward, very self-conscious. Simply stated, I had no idea who I was.

What you are: My purpose in life and in business is guide women through the gap that exists between where they are and where they want to be…. to believe in them until they believe in themselves.

Brief Summary of your Start Up: While ‘wondering’ what would be next in 2000, colleagues contacted me to work as a consultant with them ‘until I decided what I wanted to do.’  Before long, I had a business.  I had no idea what to do and that was the beginning.  In the past 10 years, I refined my target, developed programs and material specifically for my target and have combined my consulting and coaching skillset.

Company Website? www.SusanBock.com

What inspired you? Over the years, I am blessed to have numerous inspiring people in my life.  My parents encouraged, inspired and instilled in me the ‘yes, you can’ belief – most significantly when I believed I couldn’t. They also ‘lived’ their belief in the importance of life-long learning.

In business, it would be Mike Roche. He saw my potential and under his guidance, I went from a secretary to Sr. VP of an international ad agency in just 7 years.

In life, it would be my husband whom I love, cherish and admire.

How long have you been in business? 10 years

How did you fund it? Personal savings

Do you have a Fairy Godmother (or Mentor)? Oprah, although Mentor would be a stretch because I don’t know her personally.

Do you belong to any Business Organization or Networking Groups? National Association of Professional Women, International Speakers Network, Women and Co.

Current Business Challenge? Being patient!

What are you doing about it? Acknowledge its presence, accept that its part of my discovery and take action by channeling my energy into something that will provide immediate gratification, satisfaction and sense of accomplishment.

Favorite motivational quote: I love motivational quotes – they are all over my office – I even created an eBook of quotes for women.

“Take chances, make mistakes.  That’s how you grow…you have to fail in order to practice being brave.”  Mary Tyler Moore

Family? I am a Baby Boomer with aging parents.  Husband, Marc, of 24 years. Aunt to 3, Great Aunt to 5.

If so, how do you balance family and business? In my corporate days, I did not manage it well at all.  Since starting my business, I actually work fewer hours and have more time for ‘life.’

Balance has been achieved by making a conscious effort to stay ‘on schedule’.  Exceptions to the schedule occur – that’s life.  However, exceptions remain exceptions – otherwise that would become the norm.

Favorite book? That’s difficult as I have several – Life Safari by John Strelecky, The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

What do you do to relax? Reading, walking on the beach, and color childrens’ story books.

What do you want to change most about your world? That is a great question.  Can I borrow it?

Change about my world – my external world suits me well. My ‘internal’ world continues to be an area that needs improvement, refinement and growth.  An example – I would like to tame my inner voice of criticism and harshness.

What are you most proud of?

1. Being a ‘feature’ in Entrepreneur magazine in 2005…starting over after 50.
2. Being an inspiration to women to take charge of their future.

What advice would you like to offer other Start Up Princesses?

1. Know what your passion is and turn it into profit.
2. Have a business plan – the power is in the plan!
3. Seek advice from experts rather than friends and family.
4. Have a trusted mentor, advisor, coach; someone to hold you accountable.
5. Accept the presence of doubt and take action anyway.
6. Hire experts when you need to.  Consider it an investment in your business education.  You can’t be great in every aspect of running a business.  The more you try to do it all yourself, the more you put your success at risk.

Favorite Magic Wand (tool/resource)? Internet

If you could design a tiara, what precious stones would you use? Diamonds –every color of diamond there is!

What to Know to Reach Your Business Goals

It’s not easy being an entrepreneur…

After all, over 90% of new businesses fail (or fail to succeed) within five years, a statistic that would not be accepted for any other profession. And, many business owners waste their precious time, money and energy because they don’t know how to evaluate the risks and rewards of being an entrepreneur – and how to stack the odds of business success in their favor.

Carol Roth has written a new book, The Entrepreneur Equation, to help reverse the failure rates and increase the success rates of entrepreneurs and small business owners like you.

Carol has an amazing background in not only helping entrepreneurs like you, but she’s helped companies raise over $1 billion in capital. She knows her stuff, which is why MSNBC, FOX Business and many other business outlets consistently feature Carol’s advice.

http://theentrepreneurequation.com/special-offers/

By clicking on the link above, you’ll see some of the amazing bonus offers that Carol is giving away to readers who buy the book this week, including an exclusive 3-part Audio Series: Strategies for Getting Your Company, Your Product or Yourself on TV & Other Free Press! with Emmy award winners, TV anchors and PR veterans. And, you’ll get the scoop on the generous prizes offered by entrepreneurs you respect and admire, including Les McKeown, Liz Strauss, Michael Port and many more.

And, here’s the best part. For every book purchased this week, Carol will be donating one book to SCORE, the national business non-profit, as a way to help as many entrepreneurs as possible to succeed.

By the way, if you want to donate the books to SCORE, you can still keep the entries and other bonuses for yourself, so be sure to check out the list of bonuses by clicking on the link above.

To Your Success!

P.S. Carol’s contest expires on Friday, Feb 18 at 11:59 pm ET so go ahead and grab your bonuses today

Why You Need to Drop the Guilt

By, Cindy W. Morrison

As I sat at my daughter’s rehearsal, I should have been all smiles and full of pride. But I wasn’t it. I wasn’t watching her steps and enjoying her smile. No… instead I was tense, preoccupied and frantically answering emails on my iPhone. Why? Well, I really didn’t have a clue that anything was the matter until the lights came up and all the other mother’s were applauding. (What?! Did I really just miss EVERYTHING! Oops…). As my eyes began to adjust to the bright auditorium, only one thing came to mind: Guilt. Yep, I felt guilty for working when I should have been playing. But hey, maybe I was working BECAUSE I felt guilty for playing when I should have been working. Did I lose you? Welcome to the world of GUILT.

This feeling is nothing new to me. I mean, I grew up in the South, where there is plenty of guilt to spread around! Let’s see… where should I start? Leave the house without lipstick? Guilt! (If you doubt that? Ask my Mom! Speaking of my Mom…) If I don’t call my parents in Texas enough. Guilt! Since I’m a People Pleaser, I can’t say no and I generally end up over-scheduling my schedule. Guilt! After all the stress of reinventing myself, I’m too tired for a little something-something with my husband. Guilt! But I thought my guilt of being a working mom would go away when I could “work the schedule around my kids” after my lay-off. Ha!

For 20 years, I worked morning until night as a TV news anchor and investigative reporter. At a moment’s notice I was ready to leave because of breaking news and always had a bag packed. I’d spent nights at the station when major storms rolled in. And I thought I always had to be reachable 24/7. Uffda. (That’s a hat tip to my great Minnesota friends…) Being ready to leave meant a babysitter on-call. Spending nights at the station meant a fab husband. And being reachable 24/7? That meant I wasn’t always there for my kids. Was I a journalist or a Mother? Oh dear… more GUILT!!

That’s why I thought things would change when the economy took a turn and I got laid off. As an entrepreneur, I could structure my work around my kids, right? Seriously… How hard could it be? I’d be working from home, for goodness sake! Lol! I soon learned, beginning my “work” after they went to school and then stopping by the time they got home didn’t leave much time to write a book, create a business and market the whole dang thing by myself. Even my hubby (God bless him) wondered why I hadn’t cleaned house since I was working from home. Seriously?! DOUBLE GUILT!!!

What I finally realized today? We CAN’T do it all! Superwoman is a GREAT idea but that’s why she’s a cartoon character! The fact is, we are REAL women who are trying to do all the right things while going in a thousand different directions. So, let’s STOP the guilt, take a deep breath and try to do one good thing at a time. Hmmmm… maybe we could even enjoy that one thing while we do it! What a concept!

I vote we take an oath right now:
WE ARE *NOT* GOING TO FEEL GUILTY JUST TRYING TO DO THE RIGHT THING!!!!
Let’s say that all together…
WE ARE *NOT* GOING TO FEEL GUILTY JUST TRYING TO DO THE RIGHT THING!!!!

Yes, feel guilty when you do something you shouldn’t. Feel guilty if you screwed up. But DON’T feel guilty for trying to do it all, Girlfriend! Sometimes our personal lives and work collide. But as much as you can, give yourself permission to ENJOY life! For me? How awesome that my new “situation” means I can set my own hours! That’s right, I can enjoy spending time at my daughter’s rehearsal, even if it means staying up later to get work done. I don’t have to feel guilty because I’m not working during traditional work hours. Sure… I might get less sleep.. but it doesn’t mean I have to feel guilty! Create the life that works best for YOU!!

So, shed the guilt and live your life the way you want to live it! It doesn’t mean you have to do it the way your neighbor does it or the way your mother did it. Chart a new course and ditch the guilt! As long as you’re living life fully and trying to do what’s right for you, the word guilt shouldn’t even be a part of your vocabulary. I can promise you… the next rehearsal I won’t be checking my iPhone for work emails. Instead I’ll be using that cool gadget to take pictures because work will always be there. I now know there should be no guilt for doing what I need to do but also I’ll have no guilt for living in the moment.

Cindy W. Morrison is the Emmy award winning TV Broadcaster who has successfully reinvented herself after the economy lead to corporate downsizing. Leaving a 20 year news career behind, Cindy wrote a book called, “Girlfriends 2.0”  hit the speaking circuit and created her own consulting business. She now teaches people how to reboot, upgrade and reinvent through networking, social media and branding so they can make more money and live a better life. As a consultant, Cindy’s clients range from TV stations to major universities to heavy hitting corporations. Twitter @CindyWMorrison

Segment 3: Reuse, Recycle, Repurpose – Let Your Content Go Green!

By, Bonnie Andrews

As a startup princess, fairy godmother, or anywhere in between, good, consistent content can be a powerful tool in your business growth plan. Generating good content can be time consuming and sometimes overwhelming, but just like reusing & recycling benefits the environment we live in, it can also empower the businesses we run.

So let’s cut to the chase and discuss right now the ways ‘going green’ can boost your business, build your brand and generate leads.

1. Increases Your Value

Value is everything. Building your brand online allows you to position yourself as an expert in your own market. As you expand your communication to varied types of online media, your influence will grow and so will your audience.

2. Saves Energy & Produces Quality

Creating good content can take time. Repurposing content – as long as it’s good solid information – takes less energy and increases the content quality. Instead of aimlessly writing and exhausting yourself trying to come up with hot, relevant topics, focus on one or two topics a week. Write a killer article or two and then move your inspiring content through the web with the increasingly diverse mediums available: text, audio, photo and video.

3. Empowers You to Get More Done

Once you write a fabulous article, the repurposing can be done by anyone – get a virtual assistant involved or a team like va4mom. They can go to work using your content, with your personality and voice, and diversify it. The best part is, you have time to do other things! You don’t have to be tied up writing, re-writing, video editing or podcasting. Someone else can do it for you.

Now You Know the ‘Why,’ Let’s Talk About the ‘How’

There are numberless ways you can repurpose your content. Some of the most popular and more effective mediums are things like how to articles, video, press releases, email newsletters, podcasts and other web 2.0 properties.

Articles – a blog post can be easily turned into an article to generate traffic. We suggest you put the initial content on your own blog and then generate summaries and revisions for other mediums. The most important thing is making sue that each submission is unique. Don’t go posting the same article everywhere or you will jeopardize your website ranking – see Google’s duplicate content rule for more info.

Your revisions can then be posted to article directories like EzineArticles and other popular submission sites.

Video – turning your content into video can be a simple process. Take the content you have and put it into a Powerpoint presentation where you can add effects, voice over and music. Then post it to your YouTube channel and any other video network accounts you have. Make sure when you post you optimize the descriptions with keywords and a link back to your main website.

Press Releases – this medium is as old as the news, but it can still be very effective whether you have a localized business or worldwide audience. Repurposing into a press release and submitting to sites like PRWeb can be very effective for SEO and also for generating news stories too.

Email Newsletters – email newsletters play an important role in ‘re-marketing’ the clients and potential clients on your list. Using the main content you have you can break it down into quick bullet points, images and ‘must do’s for the clients on your newsletter email list.

Podcasts & Other Web 2.0 Properties – audio can be generated from text and posted on iTunes and a myriad of other places. The main content can also be posted on the hosts of social networking sites and other places like Squidoo.

There are numberless ways to repurpose a single piece of great content. Don’t be overwhelmed, find a system that works for you and stay the course. It’s important to remember that your content is queen and it will build you a kingdom if you are providing it on a regular basis. Make a plan, and stick to it!

Bonnie Andrews, Marketing Director at va4mom, is a mom who loves all the ‘hats.’ She is best known for managing a virtual assistant marketing team to generate killer content for others who have the title Mom, CEO, Doc, Chef, Taxi, Teacher, Coach . . . aka mompreneurs, and help them effectively grow and maximize their business opportunities. Follow Bonnie on Twitter @va4mom or hire her affordable virtual assistant team atwww.MomEntrepreneurVA.com.

Are You Building Blocks or Knocking Them Down?

Here we go. Deep breath.

Ironically I used to write posts easily and swiftly every single day on StartupPrincess.com and then I got really super burned out. I solicited the help of multiple guest bloggers to keep up the pace and wore different tiaras for a while (planning events, working on PR, etc.) and wrote occasionally here and there and then last year it became rare for me to write at all. I realized recently how I miss being a teacher through my writing. I missed sharing what’s in my heart and what I’m learning. I interact with you via email, phone, twitter and facebook all the time, but here- the blog where it all began in 2006, I have not been present lately and I apologize.

I decided to look at my business blocks last week in a coaching call with Heather Madder. It was a brave moment to acknowledge to myself and to our group that I have blocks in an area where “I’m supposed to be an expert”. Of course I have blocks! I’m human. We all do! We are all here on a path of learning. So as I opened up deeper and wider I realized what I really wanted. I wanted to create. I wanted to share in this capacity again but there was fear. Big fear with a capital “F” especially surrounding the biz book I started a couple years ago that still nudges me to finish. I had to be very introspective to consider why I lost my desire to write. I realized that my first draft was trashed by an editor and I lost my momentum to refine, rewrite and try again, so I not only stopped the book, I basically stopped creating all together, including blogging. But tonight as I thought about what I’ve been learning about myself and my creative block I was given a gift, a desire to share and be honest so I seized the moment and now I’m here in the trenches again and it feels good to call myself a blogger tonight. And not only a blogger, but a creator. I am a creative being and so are you.

I used to do Tae Kwon Do and my instructor who was an international champion used to say, ‘”every time I step onto the mat to fight (full contact) I am scared, but I feel the fear and do it anyway.” Not that blogging is scary for me but whenever we put ourselves out there to do something where people will have an opinion it requires confidence. Will I have anything of value to share? Hasn’t everything in business already been said? What more can I do to contribute? I’m not enough. I’m not qualified, blah, blah, blah.  Maybe you’ve felt this way… you allow others’ opinions of you shape your decisions or define you. We must breakthrough the block of caring/worrying what others think of us so we can truly have influence and be a leader.

Being a creative genius requires faith and confidence (thanks Seth for Linchpin), A LOT of it. Doing a teleseminar requires confidence. Trusting your gut and giving feedback to a graphic designer requires confidence. Being a business owner requires a TON of confidence. Don’t you agree? And, isn’t it awesome? Isn’t that why we’re HERE? Feel the fear and do it anyway…that’s the first step in knocking down the blocks. And prayer, that’s a big part of it for me. Seriously. I love to pray through all parts of my life, including business, especially business. When I don’t know what’s next, I ask. And when I humble myself to ask, I receive Godly confidence (giving credit to heaven) because He provides me with the answers. I am clear that is precisely the ONLY type of confidence that will result in success longterm…because anything that doesn’t look, feel or act like Godly confidence  is Ego and well, there’s no love in that. My deepest desire is to support and cheer others onto success and that my creative efforts will benefit them on their journey. I’m committed to this mission so I know what I need to do next. CREATE. I will listen and the words will flow through me. I am confident that it will happen when I trust and give faith to the process.

I realize the task of tearing down the blocks boulders won’t be easy and will require time, sacrifice, and humility. I’m up for confronting the fears, what about you? Are you in?  How do you knock down your blocks? Let’s inspire each other.

-Kelly King Anderson, Founder of Startup Princess

Infusing Personal Style To Professional Attire in 2011

By Sarah Ward

When you think of professional attire, is a traditional navy blue pantsuit with a predictable white collared dress shirt the first thing that comes to mind? It very well may be! As an image consultant, I’m happy to tell you that dressing professionally doesn’t need to be boring or predictable. For 2011, let’s infuse personal style into your business attire.

There are several things you can do to bring personal style into your professional attire. In the photo sequence below, we’ve shown you five different ways to style a versatile black blazer, infusing personal style into each. From left to right:

1. A traditional black suit gets an infusion of personality with a red top and matching obi belt, providing drama and pizzazz with the color contrast and unique styling.
2. A black skirt suit can be easily paired with a vibrant teal turtleneck. When you take the jacket off, you have an attractive hourglass silhouette.
3. A satin empire waist blouse with abstract shapes blends beautifully with the black blazer and the brown pulls out the color of her eyes. As an unmatched suit with white pants, the look is professional, yet accessible. (My black kitten, in the bottom left corner of the image, matches perfectly!)
4. Rolling up the sleeves on the black blazer gives this traditional staple a trendy, relaxed look. Combine that with dangly earrings and a billowy silk blouse in a floral floral print and the look becomes more informal.
5. With the rolled up sleeves, the jacket is right on trend with on the boyfriend blazer look and is a fun combination with the vintage tunic and dark wash skinny jeans. The look is youthful and decidedly creative.

As you can see, it’s not just what you wear, it’s how you wear it.

Here are some ways that you can add personal style into your professional attire in 2011:

• If you’re required to wear a suit jacket but you feel overwhelmed wearing the traditional style jacket, look for one with a curved collar instead of the standard angular lapel. The rounder shapes will soften the look for you.
• To spice up your suit jacket, try accessorizing. A brooch, matching belt, or colorful scarf will go a long way in adding some flair.
• To soften the professional look, trade in your collared shirts for blouses in colors that complement your personal coloring. For example, if you have brown hair, blues will look great on you.

• Wear a vest. The vest has made a major comeback recently. Buttoned up, a vest can emphasize a great waistline, or be left unbuttoned for a more relaxed look. Vests even look terrific over Tees.
• Try a cardigan. The softer version of the suit jacket, a cardigan will provide you an extra layer to help you look more capable, but can also give you added warmth and coverage to hide any figure variations like a full bust or leftover baby weight.

Do you still feel clueless about personal style? If you’re dying to discover your personal style, I have an easy exercise for you.

One thing I recommend for my clients to do is go through fashion magazines, pulling out pictures of clothes, accessories, and looks they love, then start a Personal Style file. This simply exercise is a great way to help you recognize what your unique personal style embodies. Starting a Personal Style file will allow you to identify your personal style preferences and give you ideas for items you can add into your wardrobe this year.

Nobody said business attire has to be boring. Add some personal style to your work wardrobe and create a look that’s that uniquely yours!

Images & Text Copyright 2011 Sarah Ward & Cable Car Couture

Sarah Ward is the owner of Cable Car Couture Image Consulting and is passionate about making you magnificent! She enjoys working with business owners, brides, entrepreneurs, work-at-home moms, and teenagers alike.

Sarah received her formal image consulting training from the Conselle Institute of Image Management, the nation’s premiere image institute, and is an active member of AICI, the Association of Image Consultants International. She has been featured on Good Things Utah, Bride Access TV, and Job Talk Radio.

At Cable Car Couture, we help you flatter your figure, express your one-of-a-kind personal style and be your best self. We’ve got you covered. Email: sarah@cablecarcouture.com

Owning Your Role as CEO

By Kim Flynn

I want you to consider the three most powerful letters in business: CEO. And next to those three powerful letters, I want you to consider the most powerful word in your experience: your name. So many women struggle with owning those three powerful letters next to their name. Let’s talk about owning our role as CEO.

I learned this lesson the hard way. I started my first business when I was 24 years old, and have started a new company about every 2 years since. I currently have four active businesses and one in development, I have been in business for 11 years, I employ about 30 people, and I still have had to learn many, many times that I need to step up and own my role as CEO.

Why do you need to own your role as CEO, you ask? Let me tell you what will happen if you don’t. Many of you are married or in a close relationship (whether that is with a boyfriend, or even with your mom). If you are in a relationship, there WILL come a time in your business life when you need to step into the dark and do something new.

So let’s say you need to learn how to set up an autoresponder drip email sequence in aweber, and you are freaking out. Even the name sounds intimidating. And your dear sweet hubby sees you struggling, and you are happy to have the help, so you bring him on to help you with your autoresponder drip sequence. That isn’t the problem. Having hubby help you is a wonderful thing, and you are not giving away your power by getting help.

The problem is when you have one way you want to do it, and your dear hubby has another way that he thinks would be better. You might say to yourself, “Well, I really like my way, but my husband is a smart man and makes a good income for our family, so I am going to trust his judgment above my own and follow his direction.” In that moment, you just gave away your power. You are no longer CEO of your company.

Now this is totally different from him having a great idea and you liking that idea and changing your mind to go with his. That is just called using other people’s great ideas. I have no problem with that and do that all of the time! What I do have a problem with is when you choose his idea over your own great idea because you trust him over yourself.

The problem with you giving away your power is your company now has two heads. You have one idea of where the company should head, and he has another idea of where the company should head, and it ends up getting pulled in two different directions. It results in you feeling frustrated that you don’t have ownership, and him feeling unvalued because you aren’t listening to his advice.

If you haven’t hit your head on this problem yet, it is time to hit your head on it. It is time to draw a line in the sand (and you may have to redraw this line every month for the next six years) and say, “Darlin’, I love you, but this is my company. I would like to make my own mistakes.” And then give yourself permission to jump in, standing on your own two feet, not needing permission from anyone, and start making some GREAT mistakes.

Kim Flynn is a devoted wife and mother of four, as well as a business coach, a speaker, and the passionate founder of five businesses. If you have an established business and are struggling to take it to the next level, she can help you design an organized business that aligns with your life. Visit her website at www.KimFlynn.com