Tuesday, August 19, 2008
This week's featured woman entrepreneur or executive is Lisa Nirell, Chief Energy Officer of EnergizeGrowth™ LLC (Sunriver, OR).
about Lisa and EnergizeGrowth™ LLC
Lisa and her team work with services leaders who want to eventually exit or sell their company, but lack a steady stream of profitable clients. Through her research, 24 years of experience, strategy workshops, and highly interactive learning programs, Lisa helped clients secure $84M in new business within just three years. Lisa was the first global account manager in Siebel Systems' (now Oracle's) history to lead, design and implement a formal account strategy for Microsoft Corporation. Within two years, revenues grew from $2M to $11M. Her clients walk away with new ways to grow and eventually exit their business wealthier and healthier.
Lisa has designed dozens of multimedia programs around the results of a one-year study of high performing business owners, and from exclusive interviews with leaders such as Dr. Stephen Covey and Marshall Goldsmith. One of her greatest publishing adventures was contributing to Guy Kawasaki's hottest new book, "The Art of the Start." She authored the upcoming book, "EnergizeGrowth™ NOW: The Marketing Guide to A Wealthy Company and a Healthy Life." In addition, she is an award winning business columnist for several magazines--including The San Diego Transcript, Vistage (formerly TEC International), AFSMI's SBusiness Journal, Women in Technology, and Renaissance Executive Forums. Today Lisa helps entrepreneurial companies implement her acclaimed EnergizeGrowth™ LLC marketing and planning programs. She is also a licensed Action Plan Marketing consultant and a member of the Million Dollar Consulting College with Alan Weiss. Lisa's community and mentors keep her sane and energized. She is actively involved in the Institute for Management Consultants, The Bend Chamber of Commerce, and Central OR Builders Association. A portion of the EnergizeGrowth™ LLC revenues support Room To Read, The Deschutes Basin Land Trust, and The Central OR Humane Society.
Lisa's Top 10 Tips.
1. Keep your mindset 'in check.' What limiting beliefs do you have about your talents and skills that stop you? Find a way to catch yourself and manage that situation when it arises.
2. Develop select sets of relationships with executives in companies that you admire. Make yourself visible. Ask if you can interview their top executive and then publish your results. This will increase your visibility.
3. Write a growth plan for your business. Most entrepreneurs keep their marketing and growth plans in their heads. They get easily distracted. In turn, results may never happen - or if they do, they take much longer to attain.
4. Celebrate small successes. Put away your inner critic who wants you to do things perfectly. As I say to my clients, "Perfect is the enemy of done."
5. Repeat after me: "I am in the marketing business." Change your perspective about marketing being something you do when you need clients. Everything you say, do and wear reflects your company's brand. Embrace marketing and demand generation as an integral piece of what you do.
6. Build a supportive environment. Who do you spend time with? Are they lifelong learners? Do they have fun in their business? Are they profitable? DO they genuinely care about your success? Are they emotionally wealthy? Your success is a direct result of the expectations of your peers.
7. Upgrade your skills. Are your communication skills weak? Are you struggling to manage your cash flow? Go find an expert to help you grow in these areas.
8. Know where you're going. Write down (or create a vision board) of the business and life you want to attain. Include images of the experiences you envision. Put it prominently in your work space. Tell all of your allies and partners.
9. Strategize your actions. It's one thing to envision what you want your business to look like in three years. It's as equally important to have a written action plan for how you are going to get there. Pick just one or two strategies and write a plan. Stick to it. (I write about this in my upcoming book, "EnergizeGrowth™ NOW: The Marketing Guide to A Wealthy Company and a Healthy Life.")
10. Stay on the FUN channel. Allocate at least one to two hours for fun into your day. Find time to exercise, garden, dance, watch a comedy, sing or whatever make you feel lighter. Life is too short.
Contact Information
Lisa NirellChief Energy Officer (CEO) of EnergizeGrowth™ LLC.Web:
http://energizegrowth.com/Email: lisa@energizegrowth.com
541.593.8787
Many appreciations to Lisa for her wise words!
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Monday, July 07, 2008
This week's featured woman entrepreneur or executive is Jen Groover, CEO and president of Jen Groover Productions LLC, Butler Bag LLC and Jenuine Concepts LLC.
About Jen Groover: 
Tagged by Success Magazine as a "One Woman Brand" and a leading "Serial Entrepreneur" by Entrepreneur Magazine, Jen Groover masterminded and built her own companies and has assisted in the launch of more than 50 other companies.
Jen's most notable triumph to date is the creation and success of the Butler Bag company, which due to her business strategy and concept has become a multi-million dollar company in under two years - and without the use of any paid advertising. Butler Bag's success has spawned a recent licensing deal with industry leader The Accessory Network Group and the launching of a much anticipated line on QVC this summer.
Jen has also recently signed a major licensing deal with the brand management company, Earthbound, which will allow the Jen Groover brand to fully emerge at major retailers thereby introducing to the world her breadth of products ranging from children's development-based toys and games to apparel and household products.
Jen's personal and business mantras "Have more fear of regret than failure" and "What if...? Why not...?"will be furthered in the near future with the release of her interactive Web site Launcher's Cafe. Coupling the incredible capabilities of social networking with an innovative approach to teaching, Launcher's Cafe will be a beneficial addition to the way entrepreneurs and launchers learn, share information, do business and accelerate business growth.
Jen's Top 10 Tips
1. Ignore the naysayers. When someone challenges your ideas, respond back with wondering "what if...?" and "why not...?" Historically, the best ideas are always challenged and doubted from the beginning.
2. Have more "fear of regret" than you have "fear of failure." In school, we get conditioned to fear those red marks. We see them as a sign of failure and we are conditioned to fear failure but the feeling of regret is often a worse emotion than diving in an trying something. When you're risking, you're giving it your all, which should give you a great sense of pride. Plus, even if you fail, you're gaining wisdom. Your goal should always be to focus on learning and figuring out how to be a better navigator towards success.
3. Discomfort brings growth. We innately try to stay in our 'comfort zone' but growth and forward progression happen outside of that zone. Challenge yourself to do things you may feel uncomfortable doing - this is when you truly grow and evolve.
4. Do not judge, be inspired. Try not to be so quick to judge everyone and everything - this closes off your ability to see opportunity. Instead, condition yourself to be inspired by the unusual, different, contrarian. If you keep a creative, open mind, many opportunities will come to you.
5. Seek wisdom over knowledge. People become paralyzed by new dreams because they don't have enough text book knowledge. But some of the most successful people have not even finished high school or college. You truly gain your needed wisdom by doing. So don't keep saying 'one more course and I'll be ready to go.' Dive in. Get your hands dirty.
6. Stop complaining and start doing. This rule applies to everyone in a company from CEOs to employees. Always focus on solutions.
7. You're entitled to nothing until you earn it. Many people walk around with a false sense of entitlement. Remember: You're not entitled to it until you've rolled up your sleeves, put in the hard work and earned it.
8. Don't fear a lack of work/life balance. Let your personal life inspire and re-energize your professional life and vise versa. Compartmentalizing them can often create more stress and sense of failure.
9. Collaboration is crucial to success. So often business ventures fail not for lack of a good idea or concept, but because an individual is trying to do everything herself. Collaboration allows you to diversify, expand and grow more quickly.
10. Failures are an opportunity to learn and grow. Failures happen - it's inevitable. Instead of getting hung up on them or bogged down by them, evaluate the circumstances and then learn and grow from them. This healthy outlook on failing allows you to move on and evolve.
Big thanks to Jen Groover for her words of wisdom! Are you inspired by Jen's 10 Tips? Leave a kind comment about what you think.
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Saturday, October 07, 2006
This week's featured woman entrepreneur or executive is Janet Christy, Founder and President of Leverage & Development, LLC (Los Angeles, CA).
about Leverage & Development
Leverage & Development, LLC works with woman and minority-owned businesses to develop plans that will help them capitalize on being woman or minority-owned. Client services include marketing research and planning, certification assistance and sales guidance. The company conducts workshops for woman and minority-owned businesses on such topics as: "Capitalizing On Being Woman/Minority Owned," "The Government Bidding Process," and "Should My Business Be Certified?" Leverage & Development Founder Janet Christy has spent the majority of her professional career in marketing, sales and public relations positions. Today she uses that experience to help small, woman and minority-owned businesses maximize and profit from their opportunities. In September 2006, Janet's book "Capitalizing On Being Woman Owned," was published by Career Press of Franklin Lakes, NJ. Janet has worked on both sides of the procurement process. Her experience includes both preparing RFPs (Request for Proposal) and RFIs (Request for Information) and responding to them.
Janet's Top 10 Tips.
1. There are no magic marketing formulas. Real Marketing takes planning and work.
2. You cannot know too much about your customer, client or prospect. Especially remember that they are people and treat them accordingly.
3. Make sure your vendors and suppliers see you as a person, not just a client/customer. It makes it easier to get what you want when you want it. It also makes business more pleasant.
4. Give yourself permission to be successful and accept the compliments and attention that accompany it.
5. Don't assume that when bosses, co-workers, organization chairs, etc. need you that they also value you. Don't let your need to be needed or your sense of nurture override your common sense or sixth sense.
6. Don't confuse praise with advocacy, endorsement or support.
7. Be very careful not to automatically take negative comments and reactions personally. Consider that there may be outside circumstances, history or any number of other things that could be the true motivation. For example: Once I was in a required training class (when I worked in the telecom industry) and the instructor was being quite obnoxious to me and just me. About half way through the weeklong class someone who had known the instructor for a long time said, "It is amazing how much you look like (instructor name's) ex-wife." His problem was personal, but not because of anything I had done.
8. If you join a chamber, committee, networking group or anything else be sure you work it and that it does not work you. It's good to be involved and to volunteer, but remember that the reason you joined was to "get business." The requests for your time and money will be numerous. Evaluate each individually and be sure that you get something of business value in return. I'm certainly not saying don't participate, just use your business sense to appraise each opportunity/request.
9. Keep CDs in your car and/or office that provide you an antidote to things that bother you. My current list includes:
- "The Authority Song" by John Mellencamp (the song gives the impression that he fights authority and even though authority always wins; he doesn't care!!)
- "The Southern Belle Primer" (it helps me laugh at the Southern Belle rules I was taught while growing up).
- a CD of original Memphis Blues songs
- Humor CDs from Bill Cosby and Lewis Grizzard
- Elvis songs from the 50s
10. When the going gets tough, remember that you are paving the way for your daughters, sisters, nieces, granddaughters, etc.
Contact Information
Janet Christy
President of Leverage & Development, LLC
Web:
www.leverageanddevelopment.comEmail:
janet@leverageanddevelopment.com 864.244.4117
Many appreciations to Janet for her wise words.
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Saturday, September 23, 2006
This week's featured woman entrepreneur or executive is Jessica Duquette, President of In Perfect Order Organizing Solutions (Los Angeles, CA).
about In Perfect Order Organizing Solutions
In Perfect Order offers organizing solutions for your life and home. From telephone decluttering to closet, garage, and whole house organizing, In Perfect Order has a solution custom-fit for your needs. In Perfect Order Founder, Jessica Duquette, is passionate about helping clients and blog visitors get a unique blend of down-to-earth life lessons, "pattern interrupt" strategies for their bad habits and a home or office that flows smoothly. She has found that once people reconnect with their outrageous and fearless True Self they can more easily release the mental and physical clutter that stands in the way of achieving their life purpose. She works in person with clients in the Los Angeles area, as well as by phone all over the world. Jessica has appeared as guest organizing expert on the Emmy Award winning show Starting Over and her blog has been featured in the Wall St. Journal's prestigious Blog Watch column.
Jessica's Top 10 Tips.
1. Get Yourself Ready.
Letting go is a personal journey that can only be undertaken when you are ready. If this is about pleasing someone else, or because you think you "should", be kind to yourself and wait until you feel a clear 'YES!' before you get started. Listen to your inner voice.
2. Take a photograph
If there is something that you are sentimentally attached to because of the memory or person it reminds you of but you don't love the item, take a photograph and then give away or toss the object.
3. Pick a number, it's easier!
Before you begin, set a numerical standard for your environment, such as, "I will only keep things that I consider more that an '8'." [or whatever number feels right for you]. As you sort through your things, assign them a number, and stick to your policy. It is amazing how well this works for some people!
4. Do I LOVE it?
As you have your hands on the item, simply ask yourself, "do I LOVE it?" If not, let it go. Most people never ask themselves that question, and end up surrounded with things they don't even want, need or care for.
5. Set the parameters.
Make a policy for your collections, such as magazines, i.e. 'I will only keep the issues from the previous three months', or 'I will donate or give away any clothing that I haven't worn in the last year'.
6. Treasure your treasures and let go of the rest.
Create a "memorabilia box", and keep only your most prized treasures there. This way, you can consciously choose the things you love the most and let go of the rest.
7. Use a mantra (or theme song) for freedom.
Use the mantra, "I can keep the memory, and let go of the thing."
8. Remember, nature abhors a vacuum.
Find the joy in letting go. You are not depriving yourself, you are making room for what you really love and need. It gets easier as you go along, I promise!
9. Take the charge off the item.
Create a "decompression chamber" - a shelf or drawer near where you are working, for the "maybe" items. Tell yourself that this chamber can remove the emotional charge you have on the item from the item itself. In a few hours, go back to the item and see if you still want to keep it, once it has been "de-charged". It's amazing how effective this can be!
10. Kiss your clutter goodbye!
Literally KISS the item goodbye. If you used to love something, try giving it a goodbye kiss just before letting it go. Somehow, this closes an energetic door with the item, while acknowledging your feelings about it.
Contact Information
Jessica Duquette
In Perfect Order, Inc.
415 S. Topanga Cyn Blvd #127
Topanga, CA 90290
Web:
www.inperfectorder.comBlog:
www.its-not-about-your-stuff.comEmail:
jessica@inperfectorder.com 
Many appreciations to Jessica for her wise words.
Share your expertise! Submit A REQUEST to have your company featured along with your 10 Tips For 10 Million Women.RETURN TO TODAY'S RE:INVENTION BLOG POST.ARCHIVED FEATURESClick
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Saturday, September 16, 2006
This week's featured woman entrepreneur or executive is Kathy Dimmick, Co-founder and CEO of United Imaging Partners (Austin, TX).
about United Imaging Partners
Kathy Dimmick is the co-founder and CEO of United Imaging Partners, the largest, fastest growing 3D/4D prenatal ultrasound providers in the United States. 
With more than 90 locations nationwide, United Imaging Partners offers expectant parents a way to bring images of their unborn baby to life. United Imaging Partner's network of partners has accounted for more than 80% of the industry's growth in the past year alone. 3D & 4D ultrasound technology represents one of the hottest new business opportunities in the country today and are recognized as a leader in the industry. Under Kathy's leadership, United Imaging Partners has become part of the 3% of all women-led businesses that has grossed over a million dollars in annual revenues.
Kathy's Top 10 Tips.
1. Gather insight and knowledge from people in the know so you can build a business as rewarding as it is profitable.
2. Be in business for yourself, not by yourself.
3. Control your business and your destiny, but don't lose sight of the fact that you'll need help along the way.
4. Surround yourself with people who have drive, determination, persistence, perseverance and an entrepreneurial spirit.
5. Discover your strengths and be passionate about what you do.
6. Set long term goals.
7. Take risks.
8. Be direct - say what you mean.
9. Lead by example. Inspire, motivate and coach employees to be their best.
10. Have a sense of humor - and use it often.
Contact Information
Kathy Dimmick
Co-Founder and CEO
United Imaging Partners
www.unitedimagingpartners.comPh: 877-502-4636
eMail: info@unitedimagingpartners.com
Many appreciations to Kathy for her wise words.
Share your expertise! Submit A REQUEST to have your company featured along with your 10 Tips For 10 Million Women.RETURN TO TODAY'S RE:INVENTION BLOG POST.ARCHIVED FEATURESClick
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Saturday, September 09, 2006
This week's featured woman entrepreneur or executive is Jody DeVere is President of AskPatty.com (Sarasota, FL).
about AskPatty.com
Shopping for and buying a car can be a challenge for women. AskPatty.com, Inc. is a safe place for women to get advice on car purchases, maintenance and other automotive related topics. Women can submit their automotive questions online via AskPatty.com's website and blog and get answers from a panel of automotive women experts. AskPatty.com's President, Jody DeVere has more than twenty five years of sales and marketing experience. Her leadership roles include President of the Woman's Automotive Association International, (www.waai.com) the premier women's organization for women automotive professionals, member of the Women's Board of the Car Care Council, and member of the SEMA Businesswomen's Networking Association (www.sema.org/sbn). During Jody's career she has served as National Director of Sales for the Automotive Division of CallSource; National Director of Sales and Marketing for HemaCare; Director of Sales and Marketing for RiverOne, Inc., a subsidiary of I2; founder and Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Memory Network, a division of MediaGrif Interactive, Inc.; and National Director of OEM Sales and Marketing for Packard Bell, CalABCO division.
Jody's Top 10 Tips.
1. Be technology savvy! Learn to utilize all the technology tools available to automate and optimize your business and provide a rich seamless online experience for your customers.
2. Have a heart! Chose a genuine heart felt cause related program for your consumer women to participate in as well as your employees.
3. Specialize! Find a unique unfilled niche as a business solution and fill it, be narrow in your product offering rather than wide. Find an unfilled need and fill it!
4. Hire smart! Hire key employees that are smarter than you and have expertise that complements you. Don't hire clones of yourself.
5. Do the math! Understand how to manage the financial aspects of your business independent of your financial planners, CPA's and bookkeepers. Manage your business by the numbers, understand cash flow and how to manage forecasts and cash flow analytics. Keep a watchful eye on expenses.
6. Use strategy! Research the market you are entering to understand the dynamics, culture and nuances and who the big players are and create a short and long term sales and marketing strategy to capture a percent of that niche market.
7. Beta Test! Do beta test your products and get user feedback BEFORE you launch, let these beta testers help define the best product offering in a live setting.
8. Promote! Be fearless about promoting your business and services by meeting with the most sought after customers in your niche market early on and gain their buy in and endorsement. At the least, their immediate feedback on your offering will help define the obstacles of entry. Build a brand name not just a product or service offering.
9. Customer First! Listen to your customers, they will tell you the 'what and how' of marketing and selling to them ....if you listen closely. Make the customer experience your #1 priority.
10. Have fun! Building a new business is a roller coaster experience. The stress, working long hours and many ups and downs can overtax even the most experienced entrepreneur. Take a pause each day to have some fun and celebrate with your team. ( We do the Ask Patty Dance!)
Contact Information
Jody DeVere
President
Ask Patty, Inc.
www.askpatty.com Ph: 888 854 9929
eMail: jdevere@askpatty.com
Many appreciations to Jody for her wise words.
Share your expertise! Submit A REQUEST to have your company featured along with your 10 Tips For 10 Million Women.RETURN TO TODAY'S RE:INVENTION BLOG POST.ARCHIVED FEATURESClick
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Saturday, September 02, 2006
This week's featured woman entrepreneur or executive is Mary Hunt, former ad agency and business marketing executive turned author.
Mary is re:invention's 40th featured 10 Tips For 10 Million Women Expert! That amounts to 400 success tips for working women available 24/7 in re:invention's toolbox - pass it on!
about Mary Hunt
Mary Hunt writes to encourage social change through better consumer business. After 30 years experience as an ad agency executive, marketer and consumer, she has seen trust erode under the weight of mass marketing and big box stores. In her book, In Women We Trust, Mary looks at the growing movement of women-helping-women, what bonds those friendships and what can business learn from them (and apply). The book takes 9 intangible traits of friendship and translates them into 90 tangible trust points. As companies struggle to find their footing in a mixed media world, it's going to take a lot of trust from both sides of the buyer/seller equation.
Mary's Top 10 Tips.
1. Be a canary of commerce. Women finally have the money, position and "voice" to change how business is conducted. Let the world know when a product, service or working relationship is going well (or not). It only takes a few canaries to get the blogosphere singing a new song and show what you stand for.
2. Trust your gut, and then live it loud. If you dropped out of corporate to start your own business, most likely you did so because that structure didn't work for you. Don't repeat the pattern only this time with you at the top - do it differently, do it better. Trust those feelings that made you leave and create a structure that makes them go away for yourself and all who you employ or sell to.
3. Have "Sincerity of Purpose" in all that you do. You'll be exposed a thousand different ways on the web, especially if you have a blog. Know your message and internalize it for good cyber karma - remember, what goes around, stays around.
4. Go for asymmetrical balance. Think equitable, not equal. An equitable relationship is built on recognizing each other's gifts, and equal one has everyone constantly sizing up the pieces. Asymmetrical balance is more in tune with how women relate to one another.
5. Give yourself a trust point check up. Encourage your customers tell you what they trust about you, your product or your service. Ask them tell you what they trust about other companies product, service or sales force and ask them what they don't trust as well. They might be more honest giving negative attributes about someone else and you'll learn the same lesson.
6. Look for tangible ways to express the intangible trust points your customers just gave you. "We trust you because you always answer the phone." Translation: add more people to the phone, increase its hours of operation and increase the training in customer service.
7. How's your reciprocal currency rate? B.P. (Before Power, through economics or position) women had to rely on trusted relationships to get anything done. Be sensitive to women's more giving nature. Don't give services away; just be more open to the "give" and less to the "take." If the rate of exchange is one sided in either direction, you don't have a trusted friendship that can help sustain repeat business or word-of-mouth recommendations.
8. Activate your customer's voice. They came to you for inspiration, direction, and context on top of the product or service. Encourage them talk as much as they want to about how they are going to use your offering in their life. Help them express themselves. It's not a tactic to close a sale, it's being civilized and certainly friendlier.
9. Collect friends, mentors and customers who "get" what it is to be female-friendly and slide by those who aren't there yet. You don't have time to fight the gender wars, let it go and do what works for you and yours. There are plenty of women (and men) in already your group who appreciate the new direction.
10. Give back to yourself, your employees and to the world. The very act of giving sets off an internal recognition that you have enough - enough time, enough money and enough energy. Working from a "point of advantage" puts life in perspective and makes you less greedy. You become the kind of person or business that others trust and want to hang around.
Contact Information
Mary Hunt
Author and Former Ad Agency Executive
www.inwomenwetrust.comemail: mary@inwomenwetrust.com
Many appreciations to Mary for her wise words.
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