Posts

Discipline = Success :: Especially for Women Owned Firms

Success can be defined in so many ways and the journey to obtain a certain level of success is subjective. One of the keys to success that I hear from many of those that have reached a high level of success is the fact that they have to remain disciplined in their daily routines. You will often hear people that are successful say that they do the same thing in their morning routines day in and day out. They may have coffee, workout, read the news on their preferred device, but it is the same routine day in and day out.

I have since learned that the reason for this is because when you implement something as simple as a morning routine, you now do not have to use ‘brain power’ (for lack of a better term) on something that really does not matter. Something like what you must do in the morning to get your day started is not as important as developing the strategy to grow your business or deciding the steps you need to take today to keep the country safe. In one of their final interviews as President and First Lady, First Lady Michelle Obama stated that President Obama has so many of the same exact suits, shoes, and accessories that he does not have to think about what he is putting on in the morning. He can at any time grab one of the suits and put it on and not have to deal with the minute detail of what he needs to wear for the day. As President, he also had to be conscious of the fact that he had to be politically correct in what he decided to wear.

I am someone that gets bored easily. A doctor may call it ADD, but my attention span is lost quickly. Doing the same routine day in and day out seems impossible to me. But, I am going to try to make it a habit for 1 month and see what it may change in my level of productivity. One of the first steps to creating this discipline in your own life is to make sure you are organized. Successful people tend to keep their home and office very neat. They do not have to spend time finding something because everything has a place. This is sometimes easier said than done when you work from home. Depending on how much space you have in your home will determine how organized you can truly be (in my opinion). When you must mix kids’ stuff with office stuff, you are in for a real challenge (unless you live in a large home). Hopefully, by getting as organized as you can, you can then obtain the level of success that will allow you to buy a home or office that will be spacious enough for all of your needs. Some of you already have plenty of space, but may need to throw out some items that you do not need (junk). Take this opportunity to give items away to the less fortunate. Someone else would find your junk to be their treasure.

When running a business of any size, if you cannot elevate your productivity, you will lose this ever-changing game of entrepreneurship. What is interesting to me is the variety of ways that people work to achieve the first 1 million dollars in revenue. This tells you beyond a reasonable doubt that there is no one right way to reach above average goals. I have listened to financially successful people state that it was a challenge making their first million, but once they got it down to a system, making the next million was not so hard.  From the outside of the million-dollar circle club, that seems to be a daunting task. But, if you are a student of success, one could glean some elements of similarities amongst peers that are making a million or more.

Traits of millionaires:

  1. Most millionaires are self-made. Meaning that they did not become a millionaire by working for someone else. According to BMO Private Bank in 2013 67% of millionaires in the US did not inherit their wealth. They found ways to acquire it.
  2. Millionaires are not afraid to take risk. Playing it safe does not land you in the wealthy category. Like CEO Elon Musk, with his company Tesla Motors, was told his concept would not work. He was continuously told that he was not going to be able to compete with the Detroit manufacturers. Today, he is proving his naysayers wrong and trending toward one of the biggest disruptions in the automotive industry.
  3. “The rich invest in time. The poor invest in money.” This statement was said by Warren Buffett and it exemplifies my next point. The wealthy understand the value of time.
  4. Self-made millionaires live within their means. They do not splurge outside of their budget and often, they will work diligently to stay under budget.

If you are a data person like I am, then at this point you must be interested in some numbers. I have a strong affinity for women owned businesses. So, let’s look at data as it relates to women owned business.

  1. More than 9.4 million firms are owned by women.
  2. The 9.4 million firms employ nearly 7.9 million people and generate $1.5 trillion in sales as of 2015.
  3. 9 million firms are majority-owned by women of color in the U.S.
  4. 2% of all women-owned firms have revenues of 1 million or more.

Source: Statistics from Womenable report commissioned by American Express “OPEN State of Women-Owned Businesses  2015” for full report click here.

So, what needs to be done to improve these numbers for more women owned business to reach a level of success that includes generating at least 1 million dollars in revenue. Does discipline play a role in the level of success that women are seeing? Partially, but there are so many other factors that go into success. And one thing that none of us should get into the habit of doing is making excuses. We all have to deal with our own realities and accept our starting points. What we can change is where we end up. We can put in the work to not only reach our goal but to exceed it.

In this blog series, we are going to dive deeper into success, the role discipline plays, and what all of this means for women business owners. One thing we know is true and that is if you are male or female, discipline is an important factor to achieving your goals. No one can really tell you where you need to increase your level of discipline, but you will have to get systematic in your efforts. Start with small changes, be patient, but remain consistent with your eyes on the goals you hope to achieve.

 

Blogging and Vlogging – Just Do It!

 

As I speak with potential clients from around the world, it is amazing how similar we all are in the desires that we have to grow our businesses. One of the biggest challenges we see our entrepreneurs struggle with is deciding on the content that is appropriate for them to share. Generally speaking, there is always great content around you as it relates to your business. You simply have to bring that in to a format that others can consume as well.

Easy for us to say, right? We eat, breathe, and sleep content.

I think that you can acquire this skill in some part too. Create an avatar that is the ideal client for your business. Define everything that you can….age, life style, income, likes and dislikes. And then speak directly to this avatar. Think about how you bring this person value. How what your share could help them get past a pain point in their business or personal endeavors.

Then, start blogging and vlogging. Yes, blogging and vlogging. It doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be consistent.

Here are some interesting stats:

  1. 47% of buyers viewed 3-5 pieces of content before engaging with a sales rep.
  2. The average word count of top-ranking content (in Google) is between 1,140-1,285 words.
  3. Marketers who prioritize blogging are 13x more likely to achieve a positive ROI on their efforts.

We are living in an era where your customers want to see you. They do not want to see your logo or your pushy, salesy content all of the time. You have to earn the right to sell to your customers in today’s marketplace. Blogging and vlogging will help in so many ways. Not only does it help you to keep current information out in the universe, but it also allows you to get seen as an expert by media.  If you continue to prove that you know what you are talking about, then you will start to see the fruits of your labor.

It is a marathon not a sprint! Start today and take a look at the results that come in month over month.

 

 

 

Take-A-Ways From Attending DIGSOUTH

This was my first time attending the DIGSOUTH conference in Charleston, South Carolina.  I have attended many conferences and I have to say that this is now one of my favorites.  Because I was selected to live tweet some of the sessions, I have the perspective of an attendee and staff.

This is the 4th year of the DIGSOUTH Conference and on day one, the conference opened with upwards of 1500 people in attendance. The stage was beautifully designed and the music playing in the background always kept the atmosphere fun.

DIG Stage

POWER

The theme of the conference this year was POWER.  I saw the concept weaved in and I love the idea of the power that we all posses with the support of technology, collaboration, and innovation. This is a great time to be an entrepreneur.  At your fingertips, you now have access to the world.

The Venue: The Galliard Center

The Galliard Center is a new facility located in the heart of the historic district of Charleston. I was able to easily walk to King Street for lunch, catch a trolley that drove around the historic district, and find a nice hotel to stay that was within 2 miles of the venue.

The inside of the venue is what made the conference. From a ping pong table to rooms properly equipped for presentations, this venue was perfect for this style of conference.  The only negative was the fact that the sponsors that participated in the Trade Show were kind of tucked away from the main elements of the conference.  Because they were off the beaten path, many did not think to go visit the sponsor area.

As a side note, I was impressed with the number of sponsors that supported the conference. It may be worth considering to have a lot of small sponsors as opposed to going for just the bigger sponsors. As I put together conferences in the future, I now have a few ideas of how to add in some benefits to some sponsors that may not be able to shell out the big bucks.

Networking

Almost every person that I chatted with stated that they loved meeting the great people that are in #DIGNATION.  People were exchanging information in each of the sessions that I was in, at spaces in the hall ways, and sitting outside on the benches.  Those that attended this conference were a special group of start-ups, seasoned entrepreneurs, techies, e-gamers, and so much more.

Content

The comment that I heard most from attendees was, “I am now even more inspired to go after my dreams.” People left DIGSOUTH with information that they could apply to their businesses today.  Many of the speakers talked about situations that they really implemented on a limited budget. All of the speakers were approachable and willing to share everything that they experienced.

Top Business Take-A-Ways from DIGSOUTH

  1. It’s all about the story you tell about your brand that will encourage people to want to do business with you.
  2. Pay close attention to the e-Gaming industry. It sold out Madison Square Garden in 9 minutes.
  3. Don’t look at social media as a marketing tool, but as a medium to connect.
  4. Focus on the voice of your brand and post good content.
  5. 70% of social videos are watched without audio. – @Shonduras
  6. Humans’ attention span is now less than a goldfish.
  7. Innovation does not care about your feelings. -@GaryVee
  8. Don’t be afraid to use plain text emails. It’s a great way to stay out of the promotions tab on Gmail.
  9. If your demo is 30 and under spend 50% of your budget on Snapchat. -@GaryVee
  10. If pitching an investor, be sure to build necessary relationships first so they will be inclined to pay attention to your pitch.

Periscope Summit Will Be Here Very Soon

periscope speaker adjustedThe Periscope Community Summit will be here very soon. If you are not familiar with this event, take a moment to look at their website by clicking here. This event will bring together many of the top Periscopers from all around the world. Although the programming is sure to be interesting, I am most excited about connecting with other individuals that are as passionate about live streaming as I am. If you are passionate about what live streaming can do for your brand, I hope that you will join me in San Francisco.

PURCHASE TICKETS BY CLICKING HERE

Be sure that you are following me on Periscope to catch all of the latest news and information on live streaming and how to #GetNoticed in your business. @Selsi_Ent

Periscope Summit Recap

periscope-logo-1920

New York Scope Week (AKA Periscope Summit) was one of the best “conferences” that I have attended in a long time. For a first time event, this by far exceeded my expectations. Here are my top take-a-ways from the event:

  1. Community – The supportive nature of the Periscope community is almost hard to believe. Everyone was exchanging contact information and business tips every day of the event. The authentic networking at this event is probably the top reason to attend in person. This is more than just exchanging a business card.
  2. Location – MIST Harlem turned out to be an AWESOME location. The stadium style seating was great and made it easy for everyone to see the presenters. New York City, although an expensive city to travel to, is full of a variety of activities to do outside of the conference. That was great for those of us that had family with us on the trip. Having a conference in a city with great public transportation is also a WIN.
  3. Presenters and Panelist – Everyone that spoke provided gems of information that we could all take back and apply to our business immediately.  Take the time to go to each of the speakers Katch.me sites to see if they saved their presentations. For the speakers that did, it will be well worth the time to watch the presentations in their entirety.
  4. Attending the next Periscope Summit is a must – If you were like me at the Summit, it was difficult to get to speak with all of the people you may have wanted to speak with that were in attendance. The beauty of attending in person is that you could pick up with conversations right off the bat that you may have started on Periscope.  Many people made connections that they will be able to call on if they visit that persons city.  The presenters were also very approachable and stayed around for the entire conference. I can’t imagine how AWESOME the next conference will be as more people are taking about attending.

If you attended the conference, please put your thoughts in the comments below. Many people have asked me why you should attend in person if you can see everything on Scope.  The answer is simple…..the in real life connections are invaluable.  They are worth way more then the price of the ticket. This is a conference that you want to attend in person!

Top 14 Industries that Can Benefit from Live-streaming

Friends making selfie. Two beautiful young women making selfie

Live-streaming is all the rage now in social media. In our opinion, it is a true game changer.  Live-streaming give you the ability to have your own television station in the palm of your hands. Right now, there are two live-streaming apps that are garnering a lot of attention – Periscope and Meerkat. Each of the apps have great features. Currently, our preference is Periscope and we will write about that in another post.

Today, we want to share with you 14 industries that could really move the needle on anything from raising brand awareness to increasing sales by using one of the live-streaming apps regularly. Here is our list in no particular order:

14. Consultants

13. Musicians

12. Retail store owners

11. Restaurant owners and chefs

10. Travel

9. Realtors

8. Health and wellness

7. Photographers

6. Fashion & beauty stylist

5. Authors

4. Journalist

3. Actors

2. Event planners

1. Educators

What industries would you add or delete? Leave us a comment below to share your top industries that could benefit from live-streaming. We will be diving a little deeper in to this topic on our upcoming scopes this week. Follow us on Periscope and Meerkat at @Selsi_Ent .