Small Business Saturday

Today is Small Business Saturday.  Are you out and about supporting fellow business owners in your local community by purchasing their products or services?  I hope so!

Go here to learn more.  And tomorrow, expand accordingly:  ShopPlanet (Global Small Business Sunday)!

I wonder if those boots (as shown) are available in my -- or your -- neighborhood!

Illustration credit:  American Express homepage

Business Reboot

Steve Case, the chairman and CEO of Revolution and cofounder of AOL explains below why small, high-growth companies are the secret to economic vitality and job creation and how large companies could benefit from them.

He also dispels four myths about small businesses.  Here's the first one:

Myth #1. All small businesses want to grow.

Not all owners of small businesses want them to grow; many “mom and pop” enterprises are happy to stay small. It is really a subset of young businesses—those less than five years old—that do want to grow and that create the majority of jobs: 40 million over the last 25 years. This represents 20 percent of total gross job creation and total net new job creation in the United States over this time period.

Read:  Restarting the U.S. small-business growth engine

How to Go Beyond Running a One-Woman Show

Here's how to activate your leadership skills to move beyond running a one-woman show.

6 keys to Moving Startup Leaders From Good to Great

Illustration credit:  Good to Great by Jim Collins

Stay On Top Of Your Game Gals

How to Turn Your Business Into a Reality Show

As a startup, how do you get noticed when you are just a small fish in a big pond?  Two young women have a most unique marketing strategy for getting gobs of attention.  They have teamed up to create a reality TV show about their business.

Now the pair are trying to raise money to turn it into a series on crowd-funding broadcast site Mobcaster. The pilot, Startup: NYC, chronicles a day in the life of PA for a Day owner Charell Star and Morgan Gantt, owner of the online wig-sales site, Swigchd.

Think it will work?  Learn more here and start to track it.  Is this an idea that will work for you and your business?

Photo credit: Swigchd Facebook page.

Grassroots Marketing Works: Pinterest Proves It

Laurel Delaney on Pinterest (www.Pinterest.com/LaurelDelaney)

Pinterest, a virtual pinboard, lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web.  But did you know this?

The way Pinterest grew had little to do with Silicon Valley wisdom. It was about marketing — mostly grassroots marketing — not better algorithms.

Find out what they did here.

And remember, there are many ways to success with your business.  Leave no stone unturned.

By the way, find me on Pinterest (www.pinterest.com/laureldelaney)  Are you on Pinterest?  If so, let me know and I'll follow you!

No Entrepreneurs Are Born Successful

According to Patrick Daniel, "Finding Your Road to Success," he outlines six rationales on why some entrepreneurs undermine their own success. Are you guilty of any of these?

1. Success will lead to loneliness.  Some entrepreneurs believe that success will mean working long hours, neglecting their spouse and children, which in turn could result in divorce. Women, in particular, sometimes believe that success will make them unlovable and intimidating to men.
2. Success will lead to envy. Many people want what others have, and the more success a person achieves, the more envious are that person’s friends, neighbors, and colleagues.
3. I’m not good enough for success. This belief can result from many things, such as having negative parents and not having a college degree.
4. Success will change my lifestyle. Some entrepreneurs fear that the changes that come with success will actually make life less enjoyable.
5. Success is too expensive. There is a cost to everything, and success is not an exception.
6. I won’t be able to control everything that happens. If you fear all the things you can’t control, you should never step into the entrepreneur lifestyle.

Read the entire article here.  Related article:  Fear of Success

Oh Let's Move On: Start a Business!

How many times are we going to write about this and never get a solution?

14 percent: Why are women under represented in the C-suites of corporate America?

Four decades after the feminist revolution, why are there so few women at the top of big companies across America ...

And yet, this is why we started this blog:

More women have started their own businesses. Data this year from U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Business Owners shows that, over the past 15 years, the number of women-owned companies nationwide has grown 54 percent compared with 37 percent growth in the number of businesses overall.

Read the entire article:

14 Percent:  Why Are Women Under Represented in the C-Suites of Corporate America?

Illustration credit:  Catalyst

Stop Being a Slave to the Corporate World

Jackie Greene started selling as a hobby on eBay in 1999, selling items her children had outgrown. Her business, The Steinsburg Store, now focuses on collectibles and children’s items, and her profits have grown to cover her family’s monthly expenses.

I've heard that Jackie often mentors other sellers new to eBay and is an eBay Top Rated Seller who takes pride in her excellent customer service.

Jackie has managed to turn her eBay business into a source of income for her family.  You can too.  Anyone can start a part-time business for supplemental income that can eventually turn into a full-time occupation that allows you to live more of your life rather than being a slave to the corporate world.

Pay a visit to her store here.  You'll get plenty of ideas on how to succeed.  Plus, you might find an item or two you didn't know you wanted.

Meet the Apple App Ladies

What do Amanda Wixted (1), Cathy Edwards (2), Lisa Bettany (3), Monisha Perkash (4) and Prerna Gupta (5) all have in common?

They are women entrepreneurs who build apps for the Apple store. 

1. Meteor Grove
2. Chomp
3. Camera+
4. Lumoback
5. Khush

Read the entire article here.

Illustration credit:  No. 5

Don't Be a Wimp: Show Courage Under Fire

Four years ago I wrote and cross-posted here at Escape From Corporate America the article below for the American Express OPEN Forum.  Has much changed since then?  Not really.  Especially my last point:  Don't be a wimp.  Show courage under fire.

Read:  16 Ways to Dodge an Economic Crisis

Brush Up on Business With a World Class Online Education

Lately, have you been thinking that perhaps you don't know everything there is to know about running a business?  Join the crowd.  We all feel that way from time to time.  But many of us, including me, do something about it.

Why not take a time out to pursue knowledge that will better equip you as you grow your business?  And I've got just the place.  Two Stanford computer science professors -- Daphne Koller and Andrew Ng -- are offering higher-level online education courses for FREE at Coursera. The beauty in this new education that you don't have to leave your home or office, you learn a whole lot and you don't spend a dime.

I'm already signed up for a course in January 2013.  Check it out for yourself.  You may find one or two courses you like as well.

Coursera

At the Helm of HER Own Company

Arminda "Mindy" Figueroa

After 25 years of experience in the corporate world, beginning with a marketing position at Anheuser-Busch, Arminda "Mindy" Figueroa (pictured) made her dream come true.

In 2007, she founded Latin2Latin Marketing+Communications, LLC, targeting the growing Latino market in the United States, and initially operating her new business out of her home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Learn more about what it took to get started and where she's headed next - here.

Never Give Up For Quitting Lasts Forever

©Laurel Delaney 2012, "Comeback 2.0"

As you run your business, if ever there is a lesson to learn, it's from Lance Armstrong.  And in this case, it's to do the opposite of what he has decided to do:  quit.

Yes, Lance Armstrong has decided not to fight the doping charges.

The reason I am writing about this here is because the following quote referenced in the blog post by Michael Specter for The New Yorker really stood out for me:

(My favorite Lance quote about pain, clearly applicable to the accusations, is, “Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.”)

Yes, quitting lasts forever.

Read the entire blog post by Michael Specter:  And now he is nothing (The New Yorker) 

Never, ever quit.  No ands, ifs or buts.  Just don't.

Photo credit:  ©Laurel Delaney 2012, front cover of "Comeback 2.0:  Up Close and Personal"

Giving It Your Best: What's Your Story?

My trusty Clinique collection (as shown)

Following up on our "Women Rule" theme ... Clinique has a wonderful campaign taking place on Celebrating Personal Best stories.  Have a look.

What's your best accomplishment? Have you started that business?

Visit Clinique.

Full disclosure: Sponsored ad.  Photo reflects Clinique products used by author.

Women Rule

U.S. Artistic Gymnasts -- Gold Medal Winners 2012 Summer Olympics

I am featuring this recent article published in The Wall Street Journal only because I absolutely loved the third point.

3.  Women Rule

Thanks in part to its population, and its progressive policies toward girls' and women's athletics (see: Title IX, the 1972 federal legislation that guarantees women equal support for sports at public institutions) the U.S. produces the best female sports team on the planet.  

I suspect that stat holds up on female entrepreneurs too.

Congratulations to all the women Olympians who exceeded everyone's expectations on greatness.  You are a role model for us all.

Entire article can be found here.

Related article (added 8/22/12).

Just Start Something in Your Life

Whatever it may be -- running a race, taking a photograph or starting a business -- confidence is key.

According to the article below:

... women actually develop confidence through the process of launching a business, which in turn helps their endeavors grow. "Just start something in your life … you will have a happier life, you will feel more confident, and that's what it's all about" ...

Read the entire article:

Women Starting Businesses - Oprah.com

Photo:  Jean Chatzky

Gifted Gabby Gets Gold!

Congrats to artistic gymnast Gabby Douglas (pictured - wins two golds!) and all the Olympic champs!  Gabby is an example of an American dream come true -- similar to entrepreneurship in that one goes after their calling and passion in life, deals with the unknown, works hard to achieve something great and then creates a destiny of her own.

Read more here.

And while I have you, I'm going for my own little gold with the Small Business Influencer Award.  Please take a moment to vote for me - thanks!

How to Get Sensational Media Coverage on the Cheap

Say you just started a business and you don't know anybody or who to contact to get media attention.  Where do you start?  Celestine Chua (pictured) is founder of the site Personal Excellence.  Below she provides excellent tips on how to get media coverage.  Hint:  It all begins by being pro-active!

One example she provides:

Example:  One of the story angles which I brainstormed when I started my business (2008) was the fact that I had quit a prestigious, well-paying job to pursue my passion - from nothing. This was considered unconventional in the context of the Singapore society (at that time, at least) because most locals conformed to the view that one should stay in a stable job with financial security and an iron rice bowl —the complete opposite of what I did. Hence, I used that as the angle for one of my press releases, and it was eventually picked up by several media outlets (Today, OMY, Lianhe Zaobao, AsiaOne, among a few other sites).

Read:  How to Get Media Coverage for Your Business, Blog, or Startup 

Illustration credit here.

Negotiating a Commercial Property Lease

Are you about to sign on a commercial property lease for your new business?  Or perhaps you simply need more space.

... the abundance of choice and favorable market conditions for potential tenants can prove an enticing prospect for budding entrepreneurs and small business owners. However, even in a buyer’s market, negotiating a commercial lease is a daunting and complex process that requires research and due diligence.

Below are some helpful tips for leasing a space for your small business.  If you've got more, please let us know!

6 Tips for Negotiating a Commercial Property Lease without Getting Burned