pinkMOXIE

Women Entrepreneur's Small Business Boot Camp

I enjoy conferences and networking events that bring women together to share knowledge and gain new contacts that ultimately grow ourselves personally and professionally. So over the weekend I attended the third annual Women Entrepreneur's Small Business Boot Camp in Scottsdale, AZ.

What I loved about this event is that there were so many women who had left corporate America and ventured out on their own and are now doing what they love and living life on their own terms, which is something that I encourage every woman to do. Life is much too short to stay in a job that you hate or live a life that you're not in love with.

If you have already stepped out on your own, events such as this one are great for connecting with other women to help you further grow your business. But if you're still trapped in cubicle life and want out, these events are an excellent way to find mentors and gather information that will help you explore your options and ultimately lead to developing your Corporate America-exit strategy and a game plan for your new venture.

I want to highlight a few great women from the conference and hope you check them out, because I think they have words of wisdom for us all...

Eileen Proctor of Top Dog Business Boosters and owner of It's A Ruff Life
Eileen was my absolute favorite. Wow! What a dynamic speaker. She's a woman who lives life to the fullest, and has contagious energy that keeps you wanting more. Her session covered the Essentials Elements of a Successful Marketing Program, which almost every business has, but what so many lack are personality and uniqueness -- two vital elements that are key to standing out from the crowd and getting your company noticed.

Eileen not only gets the importance of these two factors, but she has mastered them. Her company It's A Ruff Life has become somewhat of a media darling and her employees, customers and partners are all evangelists for It's a Ruff Life. Why? Because Eileen gets it! She is a savvy marketer, businesswoman and networker who loves what she does and knows how to get others to jump on the bandwagon with her.

She had way too many great ideas and tips for me to share them all here, but if you want to learn how to become a savvy marketer and top dog in your field, check out Top Dog Business Boosters. And if you ever get the chance to see her speak, go. You'll learn, laugh, and love it.

And if you're a dog lover and owner (in the Greater Phoenix area) and in need of doggy daycare, you must take your pup to It's A Ruff Life. You're puppy will thank you!

Laura C. Browne of Women Unlimited
Laura's session was on How to Talk so Your Customers Will Hear. She has a new twist on the old Myers-Briggs personality type. Identifying your own personality type and communication style, as well as those who you communicate with, is key to communicating effectively, especially when it comes to those who are opposite of you. Knowing this can literally transform your bad relationships into good ones, simply by adjusting your communication style to match theirs.

I loved Laura's refreshing approach and breakdown of the four personality types and how to communicate with each. The four are:

1) BOSSY TYPE: Takes action, focuses on facts, fast-paced, results-oriented, direct...
(I don't see myself as the bossy type, but I fall into this category occasionally, especially when deadlines are approaching.)

2) BUBBLY TYPE: Takes action, shows feelings, enthusiastic, past-paced, creative...
(This is definitely me, but I had better work on not interrupting others. Laura said that Bubbly-types tend to interrupt a lot. Us “Bubbly-types” certainly don't mean to be rude by interrupting, it's just that we are excited about the project/topic that we can't help but interrupt.)

3) BUDDY TYPE: Takes time to think before taking action, shows feelings, friendly, patient, team-player...

4) BRAINY TYPE: Takes time to think before taking action, focuses on facts, logical, structured, detail-oriented...
(Definitely my husband)

If you want to find out all the characteristics in each category and which category you fit into, and how to utilize them to improve your communications with customers and others, contact Laura.

Victoria Trafton of Work By Design.
Victoria session focused on Doubling Sales through Word of Mouth Marketing and the importance of developing "Strategic Partners" and "Power Partners" from your network. Strategic Partners are those who offer a complementary product/service, and together you bring more value to each other's customers. Power Partners are people who you have a mutually-beneficial relationship with because you have a common bond, respect and believe in each other's work, and are continually referring work to each other.

Victoria had a lot of great tips and nuggets of information, so contact her if you want to learn them all, but I will leave you with four that I liked:

1) Your database is not your network; your network comes from those you have relationships with.

2) Referrals are not leads, it's deeper than that. Referrals come from your network of Power Partners and have a higher chance of turning into new business than a lead would.

3) Don't treat prospects like a customer, because then it's a single transaction. Treat them as part of your referral network and it will increase your chances of them developing as part of your referral network. It takes time, but worth the effort.

4) Don't be a single transaction yourself. Be referable by referring business to others first, bringing value to others, and letting others know the value and benefits that you offer.

What is pinkMOXIE?

pinkMOXIE is my personal blog where I share my personal thoughts, opinions and rants on career, culture, community, motherhood, dance, music, health, beauty, spas, and other musings. The idea is to keep it informative and fun, with the occasional rant of course; but at the same time I want to also share experiences that people can learn from and products that make life just a little sweeter and easier.

The “pink” in pinkMOXIE is symbolic for fun and playfulness, and the “moxie” in pinkMOXIE is because we as women have faced difficulty and demands in an unforgiving and challenging world with dignity, grace, spirit and courage. Sometimes we get it right and other times we fall flat on our faces, but we get up, dust ourselves off and forge ahead.

I know I can't be alone in feeling that life is moving at a dizzying pace. Because when I talk with my friends and other women who I meet at conferences, events and parties, at some point in the conversation it segues into discussing how difficult it is to juggle all the demands of career, motherhood, relationships and all the other tugging-for-attention demands placed upon us.

By the time we reach 40 years young (or are fast-approaching 40), we have so much on our plates that it’s difficult to find time for ourselves. I think many of us have lost a sense of self and unknowingly have morphed into someone who is not our authentic self, is highly stressed much of the day, and has no time to connect with others in a meaningful way.

Our once carefree lives have turned into a life of running the kids to their ever-growing list of activities, homework and school events, feeling the increasing pressure from the never-ending deadlines at work, feeling like we never have quality time with our significant other, and we are tired of the household to-do list that just grows longer with every passing day.

Of course diving into the blogosphere with my own personal blog is adding one more item to my ever-growing to-do list, but I think it will be worth the time invested. I've sat on the sidelines of the blogosphere for far too long now and feel that it's time for me to take the plunge.

Blogging, social networking, and other technologies, such as instant messaging (IM), are great ways to connect with other other women (okay, and men too) in a meaningful way and engage in conversations on topics of common interest without having to take the time to meet in person for coffee, dinner or at an event (not that I don't love to do these things, because I do; but sometimes I find it difficult to find the time).

With all of our daily demands and juggling kids and career, at the end of the day we are tired and spent. I think it’s time to stop the avalanche of demands and take back our lives. My goal for pinkMOXIE is to make it a blog where other women can discover new ideas, people, products, and tips that make life a little sweeter. It's also about learning to create harmony in our homes, satisfaction in our jobs, and ultimately to be in love with our lives everyday.

I'm sure there are women out there who feel that they have it all, juggle it all perfectly and have mastered the balancing act between work and home life. If this is you, then pinkMOXIE is probably not the place for you, because for me it's a challenge every day. Of course, I welcome any helpful tips you want to share with those of us who find the juggling act sometimes difficult and stressful, and who just want to holler as loud as we can when we hit our boiling point!

But, if you're a woman with moxie and feel like I used to in that you have little time for yourself, have unknowingly morphed into someone who is not your authentic self, is highly stressed much of the day, and has no time to connect with others in a meaningful way, then I invite you to take this journey with me. It took me some time to realize the importance of taking "me time" on a daily basis so I can have peace and balance in my life. And finding balance in my life was the best gift I could have given myself. And I invite you to do the same.

Together, let's take back our lives, or at minimum, seize a moment in the day to connect with others and our authentic self, and remember what it feels like to be carefree and spontaneous. Let’s help each other find time to take a moment to relax, or pamper ourselves with a day at the spa, or guide and support each other in finding the dream job/career (or turning your current job into one), or just having a little more peace and balance in your daily life.

If you’re still reading this far down, I’m touched. I know this first post is lengthy, but moving forward, I hope to keep most posts somewhat shorter and to the point, because I don't want this blog to be a time-consuming thing for me or anyone else. And I'm sure I'll have a typo, a grammatical error, or a misspelling on occasion, so feel free to point them out, or better yet, say to yourself "I know what she meant" and let it go.

More importantly, I invite you to share your comments, advice or just vent. I only ask that you respect me and others who participate. You don’t have to agree with me or what others write, and you can say so, just don’t hate on us. This is not a place for haters, or as my good friend Sherri says, “no fun-haters” please.

If you want to know more about me, go to the “About” page and scroll down to the bottom of that page. And I would love to know more about you. Feel free to introduce yourself now or in the days, weeks, months, or years ahead. I look forward to meeting you and sharing thoughts, ideas and helpful tips with each other.

Carpe Diem!