Does Entrepreneurship Fulfill you Emotionally and Creatively?

According to a FreshBooks survey, 88 percent of entrepreneurs accept the challenges to running their own business because entrepreneurship fulfills them emotionally and creatively.

“Being an entrepreneur is not always an easy path, but with the right opportunity, hard work, and a supportive community, it can be very rewarding,” explains Jenny Hienrich of Herbalife Nutrition in a media statement.

And here's the big surprise:  there's been an unexpected positive effect the pandemic is having on women business owners – from having their own hours, workload, wages and output.

A Semblance of Normalcy Offered by Women Entrepreneurs

With summer plans upended for many families, some programs led by women entrepreneurs try to offer a semblance of normalcy.

Whether teaching kids robotics, pottery or reading and math skills, some summer programs are doing what they can to provide families with a camp-like experience — even if that means going virtual.

Check out these women-owned camps that are helping kids make the most of summer.  Plus, they've made major adjustment to ensure safety for both their staff and young charges.

Love to Do Exceptional Things For Others? Floracracy Is For You!

I [Laurel Delaney] take such delight when I connect with fellow-Chicagoans, especially when its a female business owner such as Sarah-Eva Marchese, founder and CEO of Floracracy, a premium, quality florist offering a meaningful memory.

One of her colleagues, Meagan Elliott, had reached out to me by email in the kindest way to introduce herself and the company.  I responded with a couple of questions for Sarah and the next thing I know I am on a Google Meet chat with her!  What a delight!

Sarah claims that her business is for the person that loves to do exceptional things for others.

What's unique about Floracracy?  It's the only company where you can:

• Order flowers personalized by style or a symbolic message
• Include a beautiful letter that shares the message
• Deliver cooled flowers across the lower 48 states

Why not give them a try?  They are OPEN for business during beta summer 2020 with a risk free offer that guarantees 100% Happiness.   They even say, "If this isn’t your most meaningful experience, we’ll give you your money back."

In the age of COVID-19, this is a perfect time to make people feel good, appreciated and connected.  Why not do it through Floracracy?

I suspect there will be many hosts of online gatherings who will be using Floracracy to send that special something to a speaker, employee, vendor or colleague.

Screenshot courtesy Floracracy's website.  

EFCA Wishes You a Happy Fourth of July!

Are You In a City Where You Can Earn the Most?

According to Bloomberg, median earnings for women entrepreneurs vary widely across the U.S., according to a new analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data by Volusion, an e-commerce store service.

Entrepreneurs make up 7.7% of the total female workforce in the United States, earning a median annual income of $40,000. 

Women running their own businesses are making the most in Denver and Alaska.

Read more at Bloomberg.

Illustration credit Bloomberg.  Source:  Volusion.

What Is Your Company's Core Reason for Being?

What is your company's core reason for being, and where can you have a unique, positive impact on society?  Now more than ever, you need good answers to these questions.  You need to shift from why to how.

Find out what McKinsey & Company has to offer in terms of determining where do we go from here?

Make Father's Day Personal, Priceless and Meaningful

With millions of Americans out of a job, this may not be the best time to splurge on a present for that special father in your life. What to do instead? Below are some meaningful ways you can honor Dad this year.  Because during the coronavirus outbreak, the best Father’s Day gifts should be personal and priceless, in every sense of the word.

Celebrating Dad in a creative and meaningful way.

Lead with Solidarity for Black Lives Matter

Native Women Lead (NWL) stands in solidarity with their Black relatives. We all should.  Black lives matter.

The sadness and pain of the unjust killing of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery and the countless others before, has become too common for too long. 

Native Women Lead vehemently condemns racialized violence that terrorizes Black, Brown, Immigrant, Indigenous and Communities of Color everywhere.

How to Reveal What Matters in Your Life

We love this piece by Kim McGaw, founder of Uniquely Human | Practical Creativity that starts with:

Using creativity exercises is a powerful and even fun way to bypass the resistance of the most guarded and impenetrable people, and get them to reveal what really matters.

Read more here – so inspiring!  Here's Kim's LinkedIn profile.

The COVID-19 Small Business Resource Guide

We are very familiar with the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Chicago.  They've put together a good resource guide for small businesses as we navigate the coronavirus – from covering financial and logistical support, to seeking grants, to capturing information support.  It's all here.

Women Entrepreneurs Navigate COVID-19 and Prepare for the Future

Women entrepreneurs have been forced to adapt to remote workplaces, the fluctuating economy, and an unpredictable future due to the challenges brought about by COVID-19.

Glamour magazine editor in chief Samantha Barry recently hosted a roundtable with CNBC's restaurant and small business reporter Kate Rogers and three female small business owners to discuss how they've overcome unpredictable obstacles while running their businesses and are planning for a post-COVID-19 landscape.

Here's some applicable advice shared during their one-hour discussion, which you can watch in full, here.

Hugs and Kisses to All Moms from EFCA!

Women Entrepreneurs Make Quick Financial Decisions Grounded in Data

The COVID-19 crisis has caused quite an upheaval for women entrepreneurs – from managing families, to working virtually, to slashing workforces.  These challenges require women to make quick financial decisions grounded in data.  Below are some of the key archetypes, including an assumption on how each small business female entrepreneur is handling tough financial decisions during the pandemic.

See whether you find yourself in any of these archetypes.

A Coloring Book for Shut-Ins

Well this is creativity at its best!  The author says, "Let’s Have Fun With Sequestration! A Coloring Book For Shut-ins."

Download pages and print on 8 1/2 x 11 paper
New pages will be available daily.  Get coloring :-)!

How Can I Help More People?

How can I help more people?  That's a question we should all be asking ourselves – more than ever right now due to the COVID-19.

Women in the business world often talk about the importance and benefits of supporting each other. The women of the Young Entrepreneur Council share how they tap into the right resources and lift up other female leaders in the process.

Here's how they've achieved their own success, and helped their fellow female entrepreneurs do the same.

What Can We Learn from the Coronavirus

We are big fan of Bill George, Harvard Business School Professor, former Medtronic CEO, and best-selling author.  He says:

As the Jewish people celebrate Passover this week, and Christians reexperience the death of Jesus on the cross on Good Friday, people throughout the world are suffering from Coronavirus.  This is a good time to reflect on what we can learn from these experiences, and how we can learn new ways of living and working.

See what else Professor George has to say about the deeper meaning of the Coronavirus.

Embracing the New Dress Code

With all of us sequestered at home due to COVID-19, it's time to think about dressing like you are going to work, that is, if you need to work from home!  Yes, I said that.  This practice is good for your brain, signals you are in work mode, and it might even better for the people you live with to take what you are doing seriously.

What does dressing for work really mean now?

And don't forget, every Tuesday at 4PM CT, I'm hosting a wegg® Virtual Cafe to chat about anything you want to chat about. Come as you are. No dress code required :-).

Perfecting Your Online Video Meetings (Join Ours)

Hello everyone from my home to yours!  I hope you are staying healthy, safe and optimistic during this unprecedented crisis we are in.  That's all you can do.  And if you are like me, you have transitioned all your in-person business and personal meetings over to virtual until the COVID-19 virus is well behind us.

That said, I found a nifty article below that will help you set a clear agenda for your next gathering and even test your tech setup.  Hopefully the tips offered will enable you to make video calls more tolerable for you and your colleagues.

The Dos and Don'ts of Online Video Meetings

Speaking of online video meetings, I am hosting a wegg® Virtual Cafe gathering for anyone to join every Tuesday for 40 minutes at 4PM CT starting 3/31.  You are welcome to hop on.  We can share tips, tools and resources to ward off cabin fever and stay productive.  Join the chat at https://zoom.us/j/746553873, Meeting ID#: 746-553-873.  All you need is an internet connection, so tune in as you are :) Talk soon!

Resonant Breathing For Managing Anxiety During the COVID-19 Outbreak

Indian-American author and alternative-medicine advocate Deepak Chopra says, “Manage stress. Good sleep. Taking a little time to meditate … and paying attention to loved ones and making sure we are in communication.”  This is the advice Chopra provides during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Chopra put emphasis on resonant breathing, which helps relax the body. Watch!

Unplanned Confinement at Home? Make More Time for Sex

With the new mandate on how to contain COVID-19, we will be spending unprecedented amounts of time at home. This is the most effective way to slow the spread of this highly contagious new illness. It will certainly have negative effects on the economy (women entrepreneurs included), especially for some people who are really going to suffer. We can all hope that nipping this in the bud will get all of us back to normal life soon.

Meanwhile, perhaps we can take advantage of this unplanned confinement at home to make more time for the sex that most of us would like more of. Especially for busy, long-term couples, sex is often one of the first things to go, as is spending some quality time together that doesn’t involve cleaning the kitchen or discussing the business of family life.

Read more about how to use the extended time at home to benefit your sex life.