Best Leadership Advice? It's Not What You Think

Contrary to what you might think, leadership is not mysterious. As leadership expert Adam Grant says:

If you understand how people and organizations behave, you'll have a pretty good idea how to maximize the performance of both. Fortunately, we're sitting on about a century's worth of research that reveals how leaders should manage, motivate, and develop employees, and how to improve their own decision making. There's no good reason to get this stuff wrong.

Got it?  Well let's find out what we can do right.  Here are seven important leadership insights.

Badass Entrepreneurial Women Share Their Top Tips for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

I just love these tips.  Be sure to read them all.  Bottom line: Obsession matters.  That is, when it comes to your brand.  Here are the five tips.

1. Don’t just listen to your customers, act on what they tell you.
2. Just because you fill a void in the market, doesn’t mean others can’t, too.
3. Admit when you need help—and get it.
4. Live and breathe your brand.
5. Don’t underestimate your customer’s intelligence.

Read more here.

In Business, Complexity Kills

Effective strategic guidelines get three things right. They link to the corporate vision, identify critical vulnerabilities, and focus on what matters most.

This MIT Sloane Management Review article states:

Strategy is not about choice, it’s about choices. Few companies succeed based on a single big bet. They win through a series of trade-offs — about target customers, product, scope, and resources — that reinforce one another to create value. Attempting to describe every important choice in detail, however, leads to information overload. 

What do you need to know?  When it comes to execution, complexity kills.  Keep it simple.

Read the article to find out the three things you should focus on that matter concerning strategy and execution for your business.

Giving Women Resources To Succeed

While determination can fuel a company’s growth, other resources can aid women business owners: Programs aimed at women business owners.

Since 2014, Sonabank’s POWER (Potential of Women Entrepreneurs Realized) program has focused on connecting women entrepreneurs and giving them resources to succeed in a male-dominated field.

While the POWER program is run by a bank, helping with loans and other financings, the program has more to offer: A female-focused support system made up of more than 800 other women.

“She [Michelle Simon, senior vice president of Sonabank] told me about the bank and how they supported women,” Brumfield [Michelle Brumfield, CEO of BedCrafters] said. “I know how difficult it can be to run a business and run a house.”

Read more how women lift each other up.

Meet the Microloan Modernization Act

United States Senator, Kirsten Gillibrand, announced the Microloan Modernization Act, a new bill to help minorities and women start small businesses and succeed.

She says the bill will help provide loans and technical assistance to women and minority business owners who face problems getting loans from banks to start or improve their small businesses.

More good news. Gillibrand says the Small Business Administration will set more money aside as an extension of their Microloan Program.

Read more about the new bill to help small businesses start businesses.

The Future is Female

Women march on.

More than 120,000 protesters attended the march in New York on Saturday, according to a senior adviser to Mayor Bill de Blasio, who cited the figure as the official count but did not explain the methodology behind it. Thousands also turned out in Washington, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Rome and hundreds of other cities and towns.

Read more about how a year after millions of people turned out for the Women's March and took the streets en masse in a variety of USA cities to make herstory.

Corporate America Must Examine Its Hiring and Promotion Policies for Gender Bias

Love this post by Jeanne Shaheen, United States Senator, Ranking Member, U.S. Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship.  In it, she talks about the barriers that keep women entrepreneurs from achieving their best in growing a business.  One of her findings is this:

Corporate America must examine its hiring and promotion policies for gender bias. Investors, company leaders and human resources departments must also have zero tolerance for sexual harassment and discrimination that hurts qualified women.

In "Tackling the Gender Gap:  What Women Entrepreneurs Need to Thrive," Senator Shaheen claims that women are the center of the American economy.  I personally feel women [entrepreneurs] are the center of the universe.

She ends with, "Let’s lift up the stories of successful women-led businesses and inspire the next generation of women entrepreneurs. There is nothing women can’t achieve if given an equal opportunity to compete."

Thank you Senator Shaheen.  We salute you for putting the wind behind our sails!  

Keep Up With Trends in 2018

I trust you are off to a great start in the New Year!  May it be your best year yet.

I am presenting a WEGGinar™ on Wednesday, January 10 at 11:00 a.m. Central time on "Laurel Delaney's Global Trade Trends Report 2018."  I would love for you to participate and my gift to you is that it is FREE!  All you have to do is register and even if you get busy, you can listen to it later, at your convenience.

I"ll cover artificial intelligence, micro-learning, wearables, quantum computing and more -- technology advancements that we need to know about to run our businesses successfully.

Register here: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/1940601026277957634  Connect then!

Shine Bright Like a Star in 2018

©2017 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

Joy.  Healthy.  Prosperous.  Inspire. Dare.  New business.

May Your Dream Business Come True in 2018

©2017 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

Happy Holidays

May Your Dream Business Come True in 2018

Dip Your Toes Into the Gig Economy

One of the best ways to eventually start a business is to dip your toes into the gig economy first. Clueless on ideas?  I've got it covered. USA Today author Jenny Knizner offers a little inspiration for what you can do with your talents. Here are some personal business ideas to help get you going.

Read more about eight personal business ideas that might lead to starting your own business.

Support Women Entrepreneurs This Holiday Season

©2017 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

Tis the season to be jolly and support businesses that employ, empower, and bolster women entrepreneurs around the world.

Here are companies led by visionary women who are using their businesses to employ more people and create planet-friendly products.

Learn more about the ultimate holiday gift guide for women, and by women entrepreneurs.

It's a Magical Moment When a Ladybug Lands On You

©2017 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

According to Mom.me:

Some cultures believe seeing a ladybug brings good luck. The person may then succeed in love, have good weather, experience financial success or simply receive some other desired wish. Other cultures presume having a ladybug land on you brings good luck, or that whatever a ladybug lands on will be replaced with an improved version.

So, I had a ladybug land on me and the first thing I did was take a photo!  Now it's up to me to make it magical for a lifetime.

Never Let Obstacles Get In the Way of Starting Your Dream Business

For a person with a disability, it can be very hard to get a job or take care of others.  That's what prompted Hattie Allen to start Helping Hands For Homemaking And Companionship. Hattie is blind and takes care of her ailing husband and elderly mother. She also watches her grandkids on an as-needed basis.

So far, Allen has one employee at her business, but she hopes to expand. Her goal is to hire other people with disabilities because she knows how difficult it can be for them to find work.

Allen says:  “I do not let any obstacles get in my way or stop me from doing what I have to do.” She goes on to say:  “I keep on pressing.”

Good advice for all of us.

I Wanted You to be the First To Know: I Am Launching an E-Commerce Site

Like you, I've been contemplating whether to start a new business, this one e-commerce.  I hosted an amazing Global Small Business Forum in Chicago in October and the theme was e-commerce.  I was so inspired by the stories business owners shared about running successful e-commerce businesses that I decided to start one myself.

So, again like you, I must take it one step at a time, minimize risks and only focus on upside potential.  First, I had to come up with a name that makes sense for what I am about to do, and second, I had to reserve a domain name.  I've done both today (11/18/17).

I figure if Tory Burch and Rebecca Minkoff can do it.  So can I!

I'll keep you posted on developments because I want you to be the first to see the site when it's all done.  Wish me luck!

How to Maintain and Surpass Your Dad's Legacy Running a Business

The West Philadelphia-based minority business enterprise, Watts Facility Solutions, specializes in providing commercial janitorial services, window cleaning, carpet and upholstery cleaning and post construction cleaning. The company serves corporations, educational institutions, government agencies and medical facilities.

Theartis Watts started the business in 1956 by offering window cleaning services.  Yvette Watts (pictured) Theartis's daughter, joined the company in 1989 as a part-time supervisor while she was in college and subsequently took on advanced managerial duties.

Watts and her father worked together for 10 years and when he passed in 1999 she assumed the responsibility of becoming CEO and running the business.

Watts said networking through entities such as The Enterprise Center, the African American Chamber of Commerce of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware and the Women’s Business Enterprise Council has been a key aspect of helping expand her client base.

Learn more about what else has propelled her to the top of her game in running a business.

Leverage Social Media to Grow Your Business

I use LinkedIn to strategically connect with people who can help me grow my business and I write articles every once in a while about importing and exporting.  I use Twitter to post events, articles and helpful tips about anything to do with taking a business global (oh, and on the weekend, when I run, I post pictures of areas I run by).  On Facebook, it depends on my mood, but I typically post fabulous Chicago pictures, Like a lot of other friend's Pages and post an occasional article or event I am hosting on international trade.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg.  My goal when I post on social media, is to create value for people in the global trade space.  See what other social media platforms I leverage to become a savvy global marketer.  I even share a few tools for monitoring your competitors.

Here you go ... access a few tools and tips for savvy global marketers.

Women Business Owners Are an Impressive Economic Force

Women are an impressive economic force, now. Imagine what they could achieve with some help from lawmakers.

October is National Women’s Small Business Month. There’s big news happening every day, so why should we focus on women small business owners?

Because women business owners—the vast majority of whom own small businesses—make up more than a third of our economy. And women start businesses at a rate five times higher than the national average. Clearly, women are driving economic growth, making it more important than ever that we recognize and supercharge their economic might.

Let's celebrate women small business owners!

Her Dream Come True

The love of creating and crafting initially led Joyce Stinnett to craft shows and launch Little Red Rooster, a unique home decor store featuring candles, craft items, jewelry, purses and more.

“I make a lot of my stuff,” she said. “My future daughter-in-law helps me, and my son cuts items out for me. My husband helps me also. I want to provide unique gifts; I strive to have different items in my store that one wouldn’t find elsewhere.”

Stinnett has made her dream come true by starting her own business.

Hurry! Only 6 Days Left to Register for our Chicago Forum on 10/20

©2017 GSBB Media LLC.  All rights reserved.

If you are thinking about setting up an e-commerce business or want to grow what you have already started, you should attend this event held in Chicago on Friday, October 20, 2017.

Name:  Global E-Commerce Explosion (GEE)!

Why:  Four (4) reasons why you should attend:

1. Network with entrepreneurs, business leaders, business owners, top executives, young professionals and students.
2. Enjoy and learn from experienced business owners who run multimillion dollar e-commerce companies as they share their perspectives and stories on expanding their businesses internationally.
3. Connect with seasoned international trade experts who can help you grow your business globally.
4. Be eligible to enter an exciting raffle for a chance to win special prizes donated by the speakers' companies.

Time:  7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Central time

Location:  The John and Kathy Schreiber Center, Loyola University Chicago, 16 East Pearson Street, 9th floor, Chicago.

A big shout-out to our sponsor:  MB Financial and event host Loyola University Chicago, Center for International Business, Quinlan School of Business.  Without them, this program would not be possible.

To learn more (full lineup of speakers) and to register, visit: http://www.globalsmallbusinessforum.com.  For my Escape followers :-), use code GSBF25OFF to receive a 25% discount.  I'll be there.  See you there!