Do You Have to Limit Your Entrepreneurial Ambitions to Be a Good Mom?

Wow, that's a bold, gutsy question. What do you think? According to Geri Stengel's, "Want to Grow the Economy? Change Four Attitudes About Women Entrepreneurs," (Forbes) she challenges us by posing that question and more. But the short answer:

The first order of cultural change, is to debunk the idea that to be a good mom, you have to limit your ambition. “If you want to have a family and run a business, you can — and a growing number of us do,” says Liz Etling, CEO and co-founder of Transperfect, the largest privately owned language services provider, with offices in 75 cities worldwide, and a good example of eluding the barriers to success. She started her business with a fellow student in a dorm room 19 years ago.

Key factors holding women back?

1. Women self-limit their ambitions.
2. Their assertiveness is perceived as ”bitchiness.”
3. Men need to change.
4. Women need to network.

Agree? Disagree? I welcome hearing from you and so would other readers of this blog. So please comment based on your opinion and/or first-hand experience.

Read the entire fabulous article here.

Posted by:  the official Escape From Corporate America blog
 

This Is Why You Should Start a Business

Bluster or Blowhard?

Another thought-provoking piece by Karen E. Klein and published by Bloomberg Businessweek:

Must Women Entrepreneurs Learn to Bluster?

Truth be it, I had to look up the word to figure out what it meant in the context in which it was being used because I only thought of bluster as "a fierce wind blowing!"  But take a look at the definition above, especially how the two examples referenced are from "men."  And don't miss the word "blowhard" either because they might be interchangeable.

Great article by Karen -- definitely worth a read -- and how refreshing to catch Camile Alcasid's insights:

Camille Alcasid, a software engineer who runs Santa Monica, Calif., new media consultancy Westside Websites, says she routinely experiences the double standard. "Men can get away with bluster because it is more accepted or expected in society and in the workforce, while bluster is sometimes confused as noise when not properly executed or received," she says. Working in a male-dominated field, she says, "I've come to learn some of the tricks men do to cover up for what they don't know and how they expose or conceal their flaws and strengths, depending on the situation."

Ladies ... What do you think?  Can you muster up the bluster?  Or should you bother?

Illustration credit:  Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Posted by:  Laurel Delaney, Escape From Corporate America blog

Animate Out of the Gate with Your Business: Here's How

These wonderful user-friendly animation tools make it easy to set your business apart from others by expressing yourself in a distinctive, fun-loving way.  Check them out and see how you can use them to bring positive attention to your business.

1. GoAnimate
2. Animasher
3. Xtranormal

Illustration credit here.

Posted by:  The official Escape From Corporate America blog

Alicia Morga, Look No Further: Women Entrepreneurs Can Be Found Right Here!

Hi, Alicia,

In response to your commentary, "Where Are the Women Entrepreneurs?," over at the Huffington Post, you can find women entrepreneurs right here and at the Women Presidents' Organization (WPO)!  You and VCs just need to look harder.

Thanks for your interest.

Best,
Laurel Delaney

Illustration credit here.
Note:  Full disclosure:  I serve as the Chicago Chapter Chair for WPO.

Happy 2011 Escape From Corporate America Fans, Colleagues and Friends!

May this be your best year ever.  Start that business.  Set realistic goals.  Attain a few.  Finish what you start.  Grow.  Be happy!

Best wishes for a successful 2011!

Posted by:  Laurel Delaney, the official Escape From Corporate America blog

Glass Ceiling Not An Obstacle?

According to "Glass ceiling not the obstacle it was" by Joyce Lobeck, provided you operate with resourcefulness, perseverance and downright stubbornness, there is less of a barrier in the workplace.  She goes on further to state:

Over the last several years, the number of women business owners in the U.S. has increased significantly, doubling from 5 million to 10 million between 1992 and 2006, she said.

“Without a doubt, women have been very courageous and entrepreneurial in charting their own destiny,” Davis said.

The question is:  If there is less of a barrier in Corporate America for women, why are so many turning to business ownership?

Read the article here.

5 Ways to Increase Your Web Traffic

Hello ladies! Here are five (5) SEO tips that will help you increase your Web traffic:

5 SEO Tips

And while we've got your attention, there's more. We've added a "Share" button at the bottom of each post. Now you can forward our entries to your Facebook and Twitter accounts with a mere click of a button. Be the first to hit the Buzz button or email a post to someone you know who might benefit from the information.

Many thanks for your readership!

Posted by: the Official Escape From Corporate America Blog

True Female Leadership

While in Border's this past weekend, I discovered the July/August 2010 edition of Ode Magazine and caught, "The Female Way of Leadership" (shown below).
Really interesting commentary and it's based on the book (as featured at the top), "Female Leadership," by the same author: Karin Jironet. For me, I always think of female leadership as a bent for entrepreneurship.

Karin is a theologian and Jungian psychoanalyst working with executive leadership development, both individually and in groups. She offers psycho-spiritual retreats in The Hague, Rome, Zurich and New Delhi.

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like Ode magazine is making Karin's excellent contribution available to everybody. You have to subscribe to the magazine first to read it (or go out and pick up a copy at your local bookstore). You might also consider ordering her book and paying a visit to the Jung Arena that features her work.

The F Word: Failure

One of the single biggest stumbling blocks to business owners is the 'F' word: Failure.

It's not so much what it is but rather what to do about it should it occur. Some call it resiliency, others refer to it as bounce or lessons learned. However you define it, failure is a necessary ingredient to running a healthy business.

Find out why here:

American Express OPEN Forum
Making the Most of Failure by Laurel Delaney

I Vote for Ginny Rometty to Run IBM

Sometimes you just have to put yourself out there and support a woman to advance in corporate America!

Read more here.

Pictured: Ginny Rometty, IBM

Posted by: Official Escape From Corporate America blog

We Interrupt This Blog to Bring You a Male CEO: Mark Palmer

Here's one male CEO's takeaway on a session he attended, "The Power of the Purse" about women leaders in our world, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

The two-hour session was like an intellectual popcorn popper; one profound observation shot up after another, and I frantically took notes. The conversation ricocheted between social, sexual, business, and emotional topics. So rather than present them as one thought, I thought I’d list the tastiest kernels.

Read the entire commentary here.

Agree or disagree with his insights and observations? As always, we welcome your comments.

Illustration credit here.

Related resource(s) here.

Happy Birthday No. 234 to America and No. 6 to the official Escape From Corporate America blog!

Freedom comes in many forms -- the best is when you choose it for yourself. We wish you a Happy Independence Day United States and a Happy Birthday No. 6 for the official Escape From Corporate America blog! Refresh your memory in terms of how it all began for us here.

In celebration of both birthdays, our gift to you is twofold:

1. A hearty thanks for your continued support and loyal readership. Without you, this blog would not be nearly as much fun to produce. We love what we do here (can't you tell?!), so we just keep doing it. Yet we never lose sight of the fact, we do it for you! Thanks for listening, for commenting from time to time and for reading our blog.

2. We just compiled a new (FREE!) e-book, "Entrepreneurial Obsession: 13 ways to a brighter future for your business." It's yours to do what you wish with. We hope it inspires you to escape from corporate America to start your own business.

Best wishes,
Laurel
July 4, 2010

Posted by: The Escape From Corporate America blog

There's the Official Escape From Corporate America Blog. Now, There's Corporate Mom Dropouts

We've seen and heard it all ... first by getting wind that there was a book out by the same name as our blog, "Escape From Corporate America" (hey -- we warned them well in advance that there might be confusion or a potential conflict but there's no stopping people who think they have a good idea at the time). Anyway, we started our escape blog way back on July 2, 2004 -- nobody can claim that idea! It was tied to an article I wrote for The Conference Board (2003).

Now there's a new blog, "Corporate Mom Dropouts" launched earlier this year (2010). Check it out here.

Best wishes and congratulations to all who support women interested in creating their own destinies! There can never be enough of us around helping other women achieve their dreams.

Posted by: The official Escape From Corporate America blog

For Women Entrepreneurs Who Just Stepped Out of a Cave and Established An Internet Connection

Hello world. Well my goodness me-oh-my, look at this fantastic new idea. It's a blog for and about women who own businesses (gee, think there's more than one out there already on the Internet?). And this brilliant idea is the brainchild of ... drum roll please ... The New York Times.

They finally get it. Let's bring our hands together and applaud them for their incredible foresight :-) that women want to read about and learn from fellow women business owners.

Pay a visit:

She Owns It

And while you are at it, you might also enjoy learning about the Women Presidents' Organization -- they've been supporting women business owners for more than a decade. WPO blog established 2004 is here.

Posted by: The Official Escape From Corporate America blog

Something You Already Know: In Corporate America, Women Have a Tough Path to the Top

I can't believe I've been sitting on this since January -- goes to show you how buried I am in work (productive work)!

A study shows a large gap in perceptions among the sexes in who has more opportunities for advancement -- men or women?

Do we care?

I mean ... isn't that part of why we started a business in the first place -- to escape from these ridiculous perceptions (realities!) in the workplace?

Gosh ... I bet this is something that bores you to tears (or -- if you are living and breathing it in Corporate America -- frustrates the daylights out of you):

In reality, women represent a much smaller portion of leadership roles in business.

When you run your own show, you are the leader in business. Am I missing something?

Read the entire article: "Study Asks: Who Has an Easier Way to the Top?"

Posted by: The official Escape From Corporate America blog

We Interrupt This Blog To Bring You a Male Entrepreneur: Jeff Brown

Why Jeff Brown? You probably don't know him but when you read this post you'll understand why I decided to feature his work.

He tells a great story -- nonfiction -- and one that we can all learn from. Here's a snippet:

Lots of people think about leaving the mother ship and striking out on their own. Many never do, and spend their lives wondering what might have happened if they had. Some do, and fail. Others think jumping ship was the best thing they ever did. I'm in that group.

What does it take? After three years of full-time freelancing - or, as I prefer to think of it, running my own business (with a profit margin putting all newspapers to shame) - I think there are three key issues: psychological, financial and professional.

Resonate with you? Then read on here. This is thoughtful piece. When it comes to jumping ship or escaping from corporate America, you can tell he's lived it, breathed it, survived it and is now on to the thriving part of his life.

Best wishes to Jeff for continued success!

How to Bring a Lot of Attention to Yourself and Your Business

Apparently, and according to a good number of people, give bad advice.

You have to read this to experience a healthy eye-roll ... many readers were pretty perturbed:

The Terrible Career Advice Women Give Each Other
by Penelope Trunk (pictured).

All the more reason to create your own destiny. Follow your path. Go do it.

[Added 4/14/10 at 2:52 p.m. CDT: "The Great Career Advice I've Gotten From Women" by one of our favorite female entrepreneurs: Margaret Heffernan]

10 Ways to Transform Your Website

Through your website, are you serving your own interests or your customer's?

I've put together 10 ways to transform your web site into a dynamic two-way communication tool. Here's a snippet of the points:

1. Keep content current, accurate and relevant.

2. Express yourself but don’t give your life story on your Web site.

3. Spruce up your Web site so it looks beautiful and works beautifully, too.

4. See that every Web site page has a unique keyword message.

5. Focus on the needs of your visitors first, even if it’s before meeting the needs of your own organization.

6. Care about your customer in a way that is evident on your site!

7. Start a blog to share knowledge and reflect your personality.

8. Cater to a global audience.

9. Make your “contact” area so BIG that it hits visitors on the head like a hammer on a nail.

10. Breed visitor participation.

Read the entire article here.

How to Make a Date to Innovate

As busy as we are running our companies, we still have to set aside time for our personal lives to ensure we nurture and cultivate the relationships that matter. But let me ask you this: Do you set aside time from your business to innovate?

Well this article I authored for the American Express OPEN Forum may help you with that. It begins with ...

Turn off your smart phone. Shut down your e-mail (or at least turn off the ping noise that sounds when you get a message). Put on something comfy. Squirrel yourself away with your laptop in tow where nobody, I mean nobody, can disturb you, because this is your time to make a date to innovate. This is my fourth installment on innovation.

Read the entire article: Make a Date to Innovate

What do you do to inspire innovation at your firm?