Women (458)
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Are you a sistapreneur, entrepreneur, mompreneur?
Of course you are! Check out my new site:womenpreneurs.info
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Are you a sistapreneur, entrepreneur, mompreneur?
Of course you are! Check out my new site:womenpreneurs.info
I have had the distinct pleasure of seeing this grow by over a thousand members in the space of only a few months. In looking throughmy blog posts I noticed that I posted an article about ‘creating relationshipsonline’ and how important it is do so, especially if yours is a strictly onlinebusiness.
Because the group has grown so much in such a short time, I wanted to reiterate some of the points that I wrote about in the blog post.Perhaps this is the first online group that you have joined or you’re an oldonline veteran (like me, lol). Either way, we can all still gain something fromeach other, but only if you’re willing to get in and participate.
Many people join online groups, create a page in this group and expect the dollars to roll in, because of course, your product or service isso irresistible that all you have to do is “be” and folks will come to you. I’mreally sorry to burst your bubble, but, sor-ry – it just ain’t so. You have towork much harder at creating relationships online because you do not have theforce of your physical presence (in person/on phone) to back up your salespitch.
I would like to provide you with a few pointers to find and foster relationships (read network) online.
Form a relationship based on what you can give, rather than what you can get.
A lot of people have the attitude "I'm not going to do anything for anyone ifthere's nothing in it for me." We all remember our high schoolliterature, right? "No man is an island". Although you may not beworking side by side with other entrepreneurs/business women, we are allconnected in one way or another. Now I'm not saying talk up someoneelse's product over your own, but there's no harm in giving out the name of asistapreneur who you know can help someone. For example, someone postedon this board about needing a lawyer. I replied that one of the sisterson the board was a representative for Pre-Paid Legal Services - hopefullythese two sisters were able to connect and both benefit from my"introduction".Don't wait for people to come to you
Cruise around BBWO and get the lay of the land. Run a search for yourkeywords or check out a few profiles at random. Leave a comment (yourcalling card) on profiles that interest you. For example, as a naturalbath and body maker, I looked for other bath and body makers. Then Ilooked for holistic/natural practitioners, then I looked for natural haircare. As I ran this search, I found a few sisters who shared my samevision or with whom I could connect with on another level. Reach out,leave a comment!Personalize your approach
Please, please, do not leave a generic comment on 20 profiles. "I've gota great automated business that will generate multiple streams of incomethrough affiliate marketing." You've heard it, I've heard it, we've allheard it. Take the time to come up with something original, likeactually reading the person's profile and asking a question about what theydo.Read the boards.
LaShanda has said this all ready but I'll say it again. Read! Iwas fortunate enough to be interviewed by a lovely lady from Canada AND Ilearned about a trend called New Urbanism. How? If I can't doanything else, I read the front page of BBWO from top to bottom at least threetimes a week. Even if I don't post, I check the newsfeed. Sistersare asking for advice, for information, for guest bloggers, samples for goodybags, article content - there's plenty going on.Be professional
Maybe I'm a prude, but nothing turns me off more than foul language on abusiness board. If I'm on a personal board, hey, I know that anythingpretty much goes. But when I'm reading your blog post request for guestbloggers which used profanity, I'm not sure I want to be associated with yoursite. Save the profanity for your friends, please! You never knowhow people will react to your choice of language.
For more pointers on finding your way around BBWO, see LaShanda's post andmy original post on this topic.
CeeCee WoolardDry Skin? Eczema? Try our Megamix Whip!
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Join us on www.blogtalkradio.com/musicwomanAug 13 - Renaissance Woman Suzanne BrooksAug 30 - Two B3 Organ Women, Linda Dachtyl and Trudy PittsShow runs from 6 - 8 p.m. ESTCall in on 347-677-0782. To talk hit #1To Chat, you must register with blogtalkradio.comIf you miss it, listen to our archiveswww.blogtalkradio.com/musicwoman
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This is a reprint of an EZine article. I thought it might inspire you a bit today!Cathy Hughes' Advice to Black Women in Business
By Bedford E.
Meet one of the greatest entrepreneurs of all time!
Cathy Hughes is the founder and chairperson of Radio One, Inc., the largest African American owned and operated broadcast-company in the nation. Radio One is the first African American company in radio history to dominate several major markets simultaneously and possesses the first woman-owned radio station to rank #1 in any major market.
Cathy Hughes knows what it takes to overcome major hurdles in the male dominated arena of business and entrepreneurship.
I recently interviewed Ms. Hughes for her perspective on black entrepreneurship and specifically asked her to give her advice to black women considering business.
Bro. Bedford: What advice would you give Black Women about going into business?
Cathy Hughes: The most important aspect of a woman going into business I think is really identifying and forming a support group. So often people who love us feel a need to protect us and they sometimes over protect us and make us squeamish and afraid to be adventurous.
You have to be BOLD and ADVENTUROUS if you are a woman going into business. Even though more and more women are going into business, it is still a male dominated game.
In my case it was my mother, I can’t tell you…my mother would cry, she would beg me, “Please get a government job, you’re in Washington D.C. You’re smart and people like you, Give Up! You’re sleeping on a floor in a sleeping bag. Cathy, people think you’ve lost your mind; they think you’ve had a nervous breakdown, what’s wrong with you. Go get a good Government job and stop trying…”
My mother was not trying to stop me from being a successful Entrepreneur, she was worried about me, and she was scared for me. I had lost everything to try to hold on to this business and she was ready for me to throw in the towel out of love and protection. But guess what? It was also so discouraging.
So I started lying to my mother. When she would call and ask have you turned it around? I would say, “Oh yeah momma things are just great!”
Guess what? In lying to my mother about my business turning around and doing great, I started to believe it myself. And once I started to believe it myself, guess what? It started to happen! (Laugh)
I tell women so often, your husbands, your brothers, your sisters, your mothers, your fathers, your neighbors, sometimes even your financial advisors and your lawyers are the first to want to protect you.
There is still this thing…its so interesting because Black Women don’t get a lot of help, but we get a lot of protection “allegedly”. A lot of advice on what we should be doing, which discourages us, because Black women are full of PASSION and EMOTION. So if someone tells us we’re making a mistake most of us, unless we’re just knuckleheads, we stop and analyze it.
Am I really acting crazy…I am sleeping in a sleeping bag and cooking on a hot plate like my momma said. Maybe I am not really realizing…
So you have to put on blinders you have to be myopic, you have to keep your eye on the prize you cannot sometimes share with people; you’ve got to lie.
When people say how’s it going? They may be getting ready to foreclose on your underwear, but you’ve got to say, “I can’t tell you, today was just Fabulous!” (Laugh)
Bro. Bedford: Best day I’ve had
Cathy Hughes: Best day I’ve had since I’ve been in business (Both Laugh)
You say it enough the first person that you’re going to convince is yourself, because who is hearing it more than anybody else, YOU!
Your attitude really does determine your altitude.
With women we normally can’t get a lot of financial or other help. Sometimes you don’t need the finance you just need someone to give you a helping hand. But Lord have mercy do people give us advise under the guise of I’m just trying to protect you; I’m just trying to look out for you.
Well if you’re trying to look out for me loan me that $10,000 I need to make payroll. (Laugh) I don’t need you discouraging me.
It’s funny because people want to be politically correct, they don’t say to you point blank you shouldn’t be doing this. They’ll say, “Do you think it’s really worth it? Do you think that maybe you’re sacrificing too much? What about you? What about your personal life?” I’m trying to build a business right now. My business is my personal life.
So I tell women don’t get discouraged and try to find somebody in a comparable situation if not maybe the same situation, but a comparable situation.
People are amazed, Entrepreneurs call me frequently and they’re like, “you took my call”. Yeah, because I can’t tell you how lonely it was for me when no one would take my call. It may have taken me a few weeks and sometimes if I get backlogged maybe a couple of months.
I’ve called people back and they’re like, “I forgot I called you Ms. Hughes”, I will return your call you’ve just got to be patient because sometimes its just a word of encouragement that we need to get over the hump.
(Note: the website merely is a sales page for his book.)For the full interview with Cathy Hughes and other Black Millionaire Entrepreneurs Log onto http://www.conversationswithblackmillionaires.com
Bro. Bedford is founder of http://www.howtobeablackentrepreneur.com a FREE e-zine dedicated to Black Entrepreneurship. He is also the author of My Conversations with Black Millionaire Entrepreneurs http://www.conversationswithblackmillionaires.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bedford_E.
http://EzineArticles.com/?Cathy-Hughes-Advice-to-Black-Women-in-Business&id=629961
