Ladies Who Launch: An Inside Look at Attending an Incubator, Part 1

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Ladies Who Launch has a great incubator/network for women entrepreneurs at various cities nationwide. Recently my friend and Start Up Princess Erin Olsen bought the franchise for Salt Lake City, Utah and launched her first incubator groups. I was privileged to be a part of the second group in May.

This will be a 3 part post:

Week 1: I didn’t know what to expect regarding the incubator, just that I was supposed to come with an idea or project to discuss and develop for 4 weeks (although I had chatted a bit with Fairy Godmothers Danielle and Rachael about their experiences). I wanted to be there and absorb every bit of it, and so I felt bad that I was a tad late (babysitter was late, got lost, parking issues)…missing first impressions and introductions. I walked in the chic (closed) Beehive Tea Room (why had I never been here before? I loved the retro/elegant atmosphere, it even looked delicious) and walked towards the back where there was a velvet curtain creating privacy for the event…there they were, the “ladies” sitting in a circle…everyone looked young, between the ages of 24-36, very stylish/professional (the savvy young woman entrepreneur target audience that Ladies Who Launch attracts) and I could tell right off it was a sharp group and I was happy to participate, it felt like a private club and we were all the newest members.

First off, I had to learn that there were “rules” of what to say and not to say, etc. so I had to bite my tongue and I wasn’t very good at that. But I saw value in the rules and it seemed like a good plan. I took notes of what I wanted to say and gave them to people via email. One rule was that when people introduced their concept you aren’t supposed to give ideas, advice, or recommendations…you are just supposed to ask “find out questions” and that’s it. No suggestions at all or even, “you might visit… (a helpful website) or… you should meet…” Again, hard for me to do. I am a connector 100%.

All and all, I was blown away by the great ideas. These women had thought through their ideas and were finding opportunities. I’m around good ideas all day long, meeting and networking with entrepreneurs who are developing products and programs, etc. but I can honestly say that everyone there had an excellent product or service they wanted to work on during the 4 week program.

There was no mentoring or strategy offered that night–or any night of the incubator. No business fundamentals explained…but there were assignments to explore, connect, or self-nurture. Erin herself positioned herself as the facilitator, not as the experienced woman in business…which is smart since she’s young and just launching her own fashion camp for teens (Erin was a model for 9 years all over the world). She was able to control the group well and keep us focused, on track and out the door on time. Read more

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Featured Interview: Kellie Murkley, Manage It, Inc.

Women Business Owners historically have been in the service-oriented and retail-based industries, however, things are rapidly changing…according to research on the “How to Court Enterprising Women” pdf found on Re:Invention.com Women own 18% of all construction firms with employees, 15% of all manufacturing firms and 21% of all firms with employees in transportation, communications, and public utilities.

Women are demonstrating that they can compete with “the big boys” and make a great living at it too! Enjoy the following interview with Start Up Princess Kellie Murkley of Manage It, Inc., a commercial cleaning company in Penn Township, Pennsylvania.

Brief Summary of your Start Up: Manage It, Inc. is a referral based personalized commercial cleaning company. As innovators in technology, products and services we also are a “green company”. With our values based on helping our environment, commitment to our customers, safety in our workplace, teamwork, honesty, integrity, continuous learning, research and improvement in our services.

Company Email: ManageItInc <at> aol <dot> com

What inspired you? I was meeting people that were frustrated with the quality of cleaning companies available for hire and frustrated with the conditions of their buildings. On the other end I had friends that were moms or that didn’t have college degrees looking for work that paid well. It also gave them the flexibility of being home with their child during the day and work at night. This was the inspiration…I just wanted to help both out and in the process developed a business.

What Challenges have you faced as a women business owner? We as women in commercial cleaning have to be aggressive to get our foot in the door of a male dominated field. We have to offer more services, do better work and generally excel in our companies to be able to compete with the “big boys”. However in this business you have to first be invited to bid the jobs. One of the things as a women bidding in a male dominated industry I found that you have to work a lot harder to stand out and be noticed once you get the invitation. With this said I always wear bright colors and heels that way I stand out among the men in gray suits. It also serves as an icebreaker because the men always make comments on the clicking…it’s funny and hey it breaks the ice!

What is your ideal work day like? I work in our office Monday thru Friday from 10:00 a.m. ~ 7:00 p.m. and spend a great deal of my time between the computer, pushing paper, meetings and phone calls. My position in the company is to oversee my company as a whole, work with our employees, work with our clients changing needs, generate new growth in the company, product development, ordering, budgets, and review employee evaluations, coordinating my site supervisor on the particulars in the buildings, overseeing my office manager, public relations and advertising. Other days are busier than others as everyone knows. Read more

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We Didn’t Invite You…You’re Just Too Busy

A fellow Start Up Princess and friend wrote me recently to share that that her friends have stopped dropping by and inviting her to do things with her children saying, “We didn’t invite you…you’re just too busy!”

She writes, It is true that I am insanely busy, and truly, I can’t do those things all the time, there’s just no way! And I have to admit, it is a pain in the rear when people randomly stop by unannounced. But at the same time, I DO still want to be invited. I am still a person who needs interaction with friends. I need adult conversation in general, not to mention a break!

I wonder if this is a dilemma for a lot of mom entrepreneurs. Sometimes we exclude ourselves without even trying and before we know it, everyone thinks we are unapproachable and “too busy.” It can feel pretty lonely. We are all trying to figure out how to keep our families first, let alone keep our friends too.

Good point! Here’s my reply:

First of all, I have to say that this particular Start Up Princess is quite the “life of the party” and fun to be around…so not to worry! While she may have to decrease her party attendance, when she’s there…everyone will enjoy her company as I do!! I think it’s a matter of articulating when/how we can hang out and what the right balance will be for family-friends-life-start up. I do have to say that over the course of the last 3 years since I’ve embarked on entrepreneurship, my best friends have become fellow entrepreneurs, so usually we are all in the same boat–BUSY, but we understand and when we do get together, we make it count!!

I certainly don’t have all the answers…and one of my dear friends told me that I was “too busy for her” recently and it stung my heart deeply, so I apologized and we had a good heart to heart…I told her how much I appreciated her and wanted to spend more time with her and we are trying to schedule a lunch date soon. While I have a lot to learn still, here’s a list of what DOES seem to be working for me:

• We go on a lot of walks and I run each day around my neighborhood; if friends are outside, often I stop and chat for a moment to catch up
• While I don’t have a lot of energy/time to do scheduled playdates for my kids, we live in a neighborhood where things are casual and kids tend to come/and go a lot so I touch base with the moms of my kids’ friends (whom are also my friends)
• I am in a weekly field trip group for the summer with a good friend and her kids which assures some weekly chat time
• I make new friends/socialize with other moms at the pool, park, etc. when we are there.
• I try to plan monthly “get togethers” (many of them I see at Start Up Princess networking events!) I call my friends and schedule a dinner or have them meet me at an event and sit next to them or drive with them there when possible.
• I also call my friends while I’m driving a lot.
• Sundays also seem to be good days for visiting with family and friends
• Schedule with busy friends on email and request that you get together at a time that will work for everyone
• Once you commit to be at an event, try super hard to be there (barring injury, illness, etc.) so that they know you value and make their friendship a priority

Today’s Magic Wand: Assess a relationship this week, if you have been giving off the “I’m too busy vibe” then schedule a lunch date, call them out of the blue, bring them a flower, whatever you feel you need to do to express sincere appreciation. (And if I’ve learned anything these past months is that scheduling time for breaks, getaways, vacations, is an absolute MUST for entrepreneurs! so take the day off and go play with a friend!)

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Discover Stumble Upon.com

Many of us behind the scenes here at Start Up Princess are absolutely buzzing about Stumble Upon.com You can register on the site for free and if you have your own website, get your friends to register as well and then you can request that they “stumble upon” your site on occasion to drive your traffic through the roof! Fairy Godmother Ponn Sabra of Empower Women Now’s post about “How to Stumble Upon” is helpful for newbies (like me), you have to download a tool bar, restart your web browser and then you’re in business…it’s fun and there’s a lot of “power” in stumbling I think because you are voicing an opinion on what you like and don’t on the web…you are required to mark any site you stumble as “adult” or “not adult” which I like too so then people don’t stumble on sites they would prefer to skip. Stumble Upon will increase your traffic, so use it when you want a boost! It’s my #1 referrer besides Google. I highly recommend it!

Today’s Magic Wand: Increase your unique visitors! Learn to Stumble Upon in a few minutes and get your friends/associates to stumble your site (you get penalized for stumbling your own).

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Enrich The Quality of Your Life: Edit, Add, Appreciate

Fairy Godmothers Carrie & Danielle share their wisdom:

EDIT. ADD. APPRECIATE.

Letting go, making conscious choices, and expressing gratitude are all proven, perennial wisdoms for enriching one’s life. And wisdom loves simplicity…

Write down 3 simple things that you will edit from, add to, and appreciate more in your life. We’ve actually created “edit, add, and appreciate” columns on our own weekly to-do lists. Sticky notes are an excellent tool for this - for your fridge, your day-timer, or your dashboard.

EDIT: Let go of 1 thing this week – an object, thought, or activity that is not serving your greatness. Like an old sweater that never felt right. Or a tiring thought form, like, “I’m not as far along as I should be.” Or a small habit, like staying up too late.

ADD: Bring in to, or re-invent, one thing in your life - an object, thought, or activity that will serve your greatness. A new sweater that feels just right. Or the thought form that you are always where you’re meant to be. Or a small habit like going to bed early one night a week and letting the chores and emails wait until the next day.

APPRECIATE: More fully appreciate someone or something. Send a thank you note to a partner or friend for the simple and exquisite gift of companionship. Be extra polite to the guy who makes your latte. Get that old painting re-framed, or finally take those pants to the tailor. Spend some time admiring your own eyes.

Today’s Magic Wand:  Edit, add, and appreciate one new thing a week.
Start small and feel what happens.

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Publicity Hound’s Tips for Small Business Owners

Our *new* Start Up Princess Virtual Assistant, Lisa Callsen writes:

We all love publicity, and free publicity is the best! Publicity Hound is a great resource with wonderful ideas! When you sign up for the subscription, you’ll receive “89 Reasons to Send a News Release” and “The Publicity Hound’s Top 10 Tips for Free Publicity.”

While looking at recent tips, I found Tip number 3 - Freelancers & Inflight Magazines to be quite intriguing. They recommend the advantage of partnering or hiring a freelance writer, who works with multiple publications which could land you in an airlines inflight magazine (or other publications they are connected with). Talk about a captive audience! The story highlights Stacy DeBroff, author of “The Mom Book” whom was featured in the May issue of Airtran’s inflight magazine, Go. Since the issue released, there was a significant spike of sales on Amazon. Ms. DeBroff’s publicist also went on to note her use of a contact management tool with Press Kit 24/7 which enables you to keep track of your pitches. Want to know who to contact at the inflight magazines, Publicity Hound offers you an opportunity to purchase a copy of the extensive contact list and pitching tips, you can find it here.

Shameless plug coming up… Tip number 1 is right up my alley – Stop Doing it All Yourself. This will explain why you need a virtual assistant. Read further and it talks about how to find the right VA, (you’ll be one step ahead, I’m right here). But if you should want to find out more, comment below or contact me via Start Up Princess and I’ll be happy to answer questions for you.

Today’s Magic Wand: subscribe to Publicity Hound’s newsletter

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