"We are always creating, so create success!" ~ Michelle Christie

Happiness is a choice and your attitude is instrumental as to how you will attain happiness no matter what’s happening around you at the moment.  It is like a domino effect wherein the way you think affects the way you feel, the way you feel then affects your happiness and your happiness affects your performance, whether it be in your personal life or your business.  

As a business woman, this also means paying attention to and eliminating the following negative attitudes like:  

 Blaming other people for your failures or mistakes.  As a small business owner, you should be on top of everything.  You should know what is going on in your business especially with major decisions or situations that could affect your business performance.  A responsible female entrepreneur knows that she is accountable of her own actions and decisions.  So, if a staff presented you with a business plan and you gave your go signal for its implementation but it failed, it is not the fault of your staff.  Assess the situation by asking yourself the following: 

•  Did I scrutinize or study every pro and con or every side of the coin to ensure that the plan would be effective? 

• Did I make the necessary follow ups and monitoring that would have helped me ensure its success? 

• Did I give my staff enough support to make sure that the plans were carried out accordingly and smoothly? 

• Did you make your staff capable and well-equipped in terms of skills, know-how and even guts to implement the plan?

You can think of other questions to help you assess and you will be surprised to know that you lacked in certain aspects that led to the failure of your plan.  If you stop the habit of blaming others, you open yourself to learn from inevitable failures or mistakes.  So the next time you will implement another plan, you will be assured that you will reap success and happiness. 

Stop being superficial and materialistic. Being a consumer takes its toll on your attitude and the way you live your life.  To put it simply, some of us will want more and more material things to measure our success and happiness.  If you do this, do you think you will be truly happy?  Yes, it is absolutely true that you are ecstatic from buying the latest trends of a popular and elite brand.  You will get the attention and other will even like and admire your new things but not necessarily you.  Try developing a sense of gratitude even in the simplest of things and forms like nature, a smile, an interesting rock, vibrant colors, the aroma of a freshly brewed coffee, your family and close friends, then and only then you will find lasting happiness and fulfillment, which is priceless.  

Stop being insecure. If you are running your own small business, then there is no room for insecurity.  If you are living by it, then you won’t be able to complete devising a plan and pushing for its implementation.  A female entrepreneur must not be afraid to take risks and being insecure will definitely get you nowhere. 

Stop Whining.  If you are the type who is always find something to whine about, then it will be hard for you to develop a sense of appreciation.  You will feel badly for always finding something or someone to fault and whine about.  And actually, this could be irritating to some people and will not in any way help you create a good relationship with your staff or your clientele. 

Stop being a control freak. Being the small business owner does not mean that you should be a tyrant. Yes, we have seen the stereotypical female boss who is always bossing orders. You will only maximize the potential and talents of your staff if you let them think, brain storm and present ideas rather than feeding them every bit of detail based on what YOU conceptualized.  Remember that a good leader is a good follower too and this includes knowing how to listen and accept other people’s ideas.  I happily share: “Team Work, Makes the Dream Work!”. 

There are always areas of improvement to work on, whether they are being too critical, being too preachy, dwelling too much on the past or what happened, and living in fear.  If you happen to counter, conquer and bring to a stop at least one of these negative traits then you will not only be happier with your personal life but you could also find business success right at your doorstep.  Remember ladies, "We are always creating, so create success!"~ Michelle Christie

When your online business peaks up, multi-tasking may not be enough to help you organize the time.  Operating a virtual office effectively is an increasing concern for business owners who are busy balancing business and their personal life as well; you are not the only female entrepreneur who is stuck in this often crazy situation.  Meetings are coming in, customer’s inquiries are coming in and you need to take the kids out for baseball practice and get dinner on the table at a decent hour. Rather than wish for a genie in a bottle or pull your hair out, let’s take a look at how mobile applications can help you organize your to-do list.  

Voice Messaging.  No kidding, Dragon Dictation is a mobile app that allows female entrepreneurs to just speak instead of typing text messages. Well, this is the 21st century technology and sharing and storing information with this app will just be a breeze.  You can also update your status on social media networks and even make notes to remind yourself of important things.  This app is indeed helpful for small business owners who are always on the go. 

Faster Payments.  Small business owners who are multi-tasking between family and business matters will be glad to received payments via their mobile phones.   Square – a small swipe gadget allows any female entrepreneurs and professional women to take payments even when travelling to seminars and other business engagements.  Square is a free item but requires minimal fee from other vendors.  With Square, small business owners can easily take payments from clients while being mobile, with only a 2.7% fee per transaction.

No More Same Outfit.  With your crazy schedule, it would be no surprise if you wore the same outfit to an event or a meeting with the same people multiple times.  You can avoid this by using a mobile app called Outfit Diary.  The app will help you keep track of what you wear and when you wore it. Simple and vital for women on the go, you will simply love this app.  

Mobile Fax Machine. Simply turn your mobile phone into a fax machine with Faxburner.  Entrepreneurs who are always on the go or who do not use a standard fax machine in your home office will find this app useful.  The app allows you to receive faxes right on your mobile phone which you can also opt to have sent to your email.  Whether you are on the road or in the middle of a business transaction, the app enables you to receive and send fax, you can have all important information right at your finger tips.

UberConference. UberConference is a multi-platform app that lets you record, save and also share your meetings and documents with your team or staff.  The app is free to use for Android or Apple gadgets and even lets you save up to 1,000 minutes in your UberConference account.  Another cool feature of this app is that it transcribe audio recordings easily.  

There are still a lot of mobile applications that can help you organize your small business.  Like many female entrepreneur on the go or even in their home office, being on the lookout for the latest apps will allow you to set up systems to help you operate more efficiently. You can download apps for free or purchase them at very reasonable subscription rates.  These apps are easy to operate too.  


If there are apps that you are currently using that you find helpful in operating your business, feel free to share them with everyone in our comments box below. 

Life is full of lessons and even social media can offer starts ups and professional women situations that will and can become philosophical encounters.  Gaining personal realization with online business marketing keeps female entrepreneurs inspired and motivated. Hence, those running an online business need to be sensitive and observant since learning these life lessons are vital just as knowing the strategies of social media marketing. 

Giving Away is Getting Back.  With online business marketing, the more you give or share  content, the more your chances of getting feedback and inquiries.  Sharing leads to increased online traffic, hence the need for well written and effective content.  If you lack the skills to write sensational and original web content, you can always hire a professional.  Recognizing your need in this area is a step towards empowering yourself and consequently strengthening your online presence. 

Be yourself.  For sure, you have heard this many times, whether you are in a social setting or a business gathering like our MACsWomen Success Summit, be yourself.  Similarly with your online marketing, being yourself should not be taken for granted since being you connotes originality in creating unique blogs and distinct websites that will eventually stand out among the rest. Just as your personality is reflected in the product or services that you are offering, there is no reason why it should not be reflected in your web content or other online campaigns.   

People above all.   Start ups and small business owners have the tendency to refer to prospects and buyers as data; numbers and email addresses. They forget that behind these addresses and account names are real people with different needs and distinct personalities.  Consequently, you need to look at your prospects more than just graphs and statistics when making your online marketing decisions.

Listening is Power.  Brilliant strategies can be achieved by just listening.  Reassessing your online business through customer’s feedback, comments and inquiries is positioning your brand according to the buyer’s needs.  Even your employees can provide creative suggestions; it is no wonder why large brands depend on online users responses to online polls or surveys.  Netizens want to be heard and by offering opportunities and platforms for feedback, you are empowering your clientele and you are empowering your business as well.  The data that you will gather will serve as an important tool in further improving your products and services.   

You Are Your Biggest Competitor.  You are your greatest competitor. Staying focused and consistent are a couple keys to your social media marketing success.  If you are not strong enough, you will succumb to procrastination, laziness and other marketing blunders. However, logical analysis, creativity and the drive to succeed will keep you on course, you can also employ the right support.

These are but a few of the many life lessons women business owners can derive from working on their social media marketing.  Navigating the jungles of social media marketing can be confusing but these tips can help you navigate your way towards achieving success. If you need support with using social media marketing to improve your visibility and create profits, schedule a discovery session with me, here. 

Everybody ought to know, including start ups and professional women that a blog needs to be updated regularly to boost your online presence.  As an online visibility coach, I recommend that business women should be updating their blogs as many as 4 times per week.  However, some female entrepreneurs rarely find the time to write and post. Some of the reasons include, poor time management, lack of know-how and just plain old procrastination. Needless to say, some business women are not professional writers; I hear this time and time again here at MACsWomen from my clients.  So, the fun and excitement of social media marketing withers as you contemplate your already busy days operating your business and to top-it-off, now you must make time to write and post articles to your blog consistently…this could be the time to employ someone to write your web content.  

Available Options.  Invite guest posts or guest bloggers to contribute to your blog.  Professional friends and colleagues can be invited for a start.  As the need arises, female entrepreneurs and small business owners can decide to get official and regular blog contributors by hiring a professional or service.  You should still contribute your insight and your own personality to the articles being written and posted to your site. 

Set Your Writing Guidelines.   Business women who have successfully hired blog writers or have regular blog contributors should set editorial guidelines. Now, this is necessary so that contributing bloggers will have an idea of what topics are best for your blog, what titles are effective and what format works well with your audience. Furthermore, setting editorial guidelines save time for both the business owner and contributing bloggers. It actually empowers the writers to work more efficiently. 

Taking Charge.  Realize that you are still in total control of the situation.  This is where giving deadlines, reviewing submissions before posting, revising and even not accepting a write up are still your responsibility, unless an official blog editor enters the scene. 

Give Tips.  Giving tips to contributing bloggers on how to create an appealing headline, what kind of pictures accompanies the writing and what writing style is effective for your  audience. These tips will save time when it comes to editing and future optimizing your web content. 

Editorial Calendar.   A solid editorial calendar can solve confusion and can clear up questions for it includes deadlines, guidelines, assigned topics and corresponding dates of publication. These and a lot more info like which email addresses should be used for submission,  etc. are necessary to keep your blogging activities in order.   

Take Time To Edit.  At times, editing and revising submitted blogs can be both stressful for the contributor as well as the blog owner. If you are the business owner doing the revising, make sure to edit things according to your style. Don’t limit your editing. Blog contributors are usually professional women who are used into this kind of work.  Yet, it is best to inform them, if there is a major revision. And better yet to let them submit articles earlier so that revising and editing does not affect your calendar of activities. 

Finally, explaining to the contributors your process of coordination, submission, editing, formatting, style and even your own personal expectations will set things in order.  Any professional blog contributor will understand that revisions are made to ensure the highest quality content relevant to your audience.  Over time you will learn how to work with writers while maintaining a blog to drives an online business with the right content for your ideal audience.  Need content writing support? Contact MACsWomen by completing our contact us form.

Using the right words to communicate is always a crucial factor and more so in business communication; whether one-on-one or when speaking to a large audience. A good speaker, an excellent conversationalist, or a presenter uses words that audiences can relate to. The words you use are often a reflection of your training, vocabulary, and skill.  When the audience is average, a good communicator tends to speak using words that they can relate to. If the audiences are professionals, your words take on a higher notch, and when speaking to highly educated guests, you use highfalutin or technical terms. As you can see, being a good conversationalist or a speaker requires you to improve and expand your vocabulary. 

In a nutshell, reading more and using the right words can improve your vocabulary and confidence, as opposed to simply relying on what you already know. For example, your signature word is helpful. There are many substitutes for the word helpful like supportive, caring, or even essential, or useful. Yes, some words may have different meanings, still, vocabulary building is essential in order to increase your confidence when speaking professionally. 

Using the Right Words 

While using the most effective words can enthrall your audience, using the most expressive words can allow the listeners to visualize your message more clearly and create a deeper connection and understanding. The most important thing is to get your message across to your audience in the most effective way. However, when in doubt, speak using ordinary words so that everybody can understand.  Words are important, and how you use them in every conversation is a reflection of your confidence as well. 

To develop an even stronger level of confidence, ask your friends for feedback. Asking for feedback is an important step towards becoming a more confident communicator. It allows you to improve on certain points like interjecting humor, your tone, how fast you talk, and even your body language. If you are unsatisfied, ask another friend or consider seeking the advice of a coach. The guidance of speaking coaches could deliver highly respectable results. But whichever route your choose, it is important to always cultivate an attitude of growth and learning.   

Good conversationalists are prepared to engage on any topic.  This is where becoming an avid reader will help your versatility.  So read, and read some more, so you can engage confidently in conversations. If you don’t know the topic, sure you should just listen attentively and express your interest. However, it is a no-no to act like you know everything.  There is always something new to learn and no one can know EVERYTHING; a good conversationalist knows a lot of things but knows when to listen too.  While reading a book recently, the author wrote about the power of the “I already know that” response and how it is wise to listen and have another look at familiar information with an attitude of “I am hearing this again in a new way”. Therefore, don’t be too quick to say, “I already know that!”

Lastly, to become an effective conversationalist, increasing your knowledge base is vital; however, listen intently, so that you can comment or ask the right questions pertaining to the topic. As a woman business owner, learning how to effectively relate and communicate does not only reflect how confident you are but it will definitely help you win clients too.  

Facebook’s LIKE button was once a simple icon that allow netizens to send positive remarks to their families and friends.  Today, the LIKE button means a lot to small business owners since it can be used as a tool to gauge the number of fans, supporters or prospective clienteles. This is the very reason why small business owners are eager to start a Facebook campaign that could generate LIKES.  Hitting the LIKE button could keep your contacts in the loop which enables them to view your business updates, promos or online campaigns.  Hence, increasing your Facebook likes will make your brand rank better.  Aside from this, your start up business will enjoy other benefits like: 

Ø  LIKE works like magic. Professional women who are veterans at online business marketing are aware that when a customer likes your business, your post can show up in that customer’s news feed.  Also, your posts can show up in the feeds of the customer who hits the like button and when a friend of the said customer hits like, his or her own circle or network of friends will also see your news feed.  The opportunity of connecting to lots of people is basically endless and you could just imagine how many people you can reach with just one person liking your Facebook page. 

Ø  Please LIKE me. You can simply start your like campaign by messaging your Facebook friends and asking them to like your business. You can also email people you personally know and do the same, also include a “please click the like button” link or icon.   Send out emails that will also add benefit to your prospects.  This keeps your email campaign smooth sailing and beneficial to others.

Ø  LIKE and get something free. One interesting approach is to send “like – gate” emails while including a link to an irresistible offer such as freebies or deep discounts.  “Like gates” allow a customer to click the like button first so that they can get access to the free offer or discount.  Surely, everybody wanted to have some free items so it is more likely that more people will be tempted to click that magic button.

Ø  Appealing contents generates LIKE. Posting videos, pictures and blog articles that will be of great interest to customers will of course increase your chances of getting more likes.  And so, start ups are often advised to be ready with relevant content on a regular basis. Uploading interesting content will also result in people following your social media marketing and in turn contributes to a much bigger chances of increasing your Facebook likes and the overall popularity of your Facebook page.  In fact, women’s organizations like MACsWomen’s group specialize in uploading quality content. 

Ø  LIKE misconception. Some female entrepreneurs have the misconception that asking others to like their business is some kind of a desperate marketing measure. Asking  your prospects to “like” your page on Facebook is  a rather fast and easy, non committal way of connecting and staying connected, even more so than asking for people’s mobile numbers and email addresses.  Also, liking is actually an introduction to your business online.

Finally, getting engaged with other people and making friends with those who share the same interest as you will most likely increase your likes.  Social media marketing is all about connecting and engaging. So, believe in your brand, and consider the value you have to share with your customers.  The challenge is to remind them to click that magic button.  LIKE MACs WOMEN on Facebook by clicking HERE!

Visuals including pictures and videos exude a tempting effect to the buying audience.  That is why Pinterest, now tagged as the virtual scrapbook network, is gaining attention that equals those of other leading, top social media marketing sites.  So, what is Pinterest is all about and how will it help small business owners is only one of the many questions swimming through the minds of female entrepreneurs who want to give their business that competitive only presence.  To know more about Pinterest and know how it can help you reach a wider network for your business online, continue reading.

Ø  Just pin it.  Pinterest lets users pin images and videos from almost any virtual source.  Businesses can also pin pictures and videos that links to their websites.  Along with pinning there are tools that allow small business owners promote their brand.  Now, this may seem a cliché idea since social media websites like Facebook and Twitter have a more established popularity.  However, Pinterest has a well-defined system that can make professional women sigh in delight.

Ø  Women’s world.   Women make up the majority of Pinterest users.  In fact, most married and working women have Pinterest accounts.  Judging from this information, any small business can immediately come up with a simple strategy that can make use of Pinterest to hit the right buyers and boost their social media marketing.

Ø  Defined Categories. Small business owners and even those managing women’s organizations, online marketers, will be excited to know that Pinterest has defined creative and visual categories.  This places female entrepreneurs who are doing business in clothing, photography, jewellery, and furniture at an advantage.  Even those who are selling vintage goods can attach their businesses on one of these arty sorting.

Ø  Pics and Vids. If pictures and videos play an important role in your online business, then Pinterest can surely highlight your company, especially if your business is into landscaping, kitchen remodelling, art, and gourmet meals.  Moreover, if your visuals have links to your products and services, Pinterest allow buyers to follow that link where they can eventually make a purchase. 

Ø  Virtual Boards. Opening a Pinterest account is easy but bringing your products closer to your customers is another story.  Pinterest’s unique marketing approach will surely turn curiosity into a need.  For example, users can create specific panels that emphasize their products and services, so if you sell women’s clothes, you can create virtual boards with names like “Blouses” or “Beach Wear” including prices and even promos.  This is like having a virtual booth that allows buyers to get and engage with your products right away.

Ø  Added Features.   Like any social media website, professional women can link their website addresses, Facebook, and Twitter account to their Pinterest profile.  While pinning a “follow” and “pin it” button to every product or services; this increases a brand’s following and highlights its online business.  So, start ups and online social media managers will find joy in this darling social media site. 

Finally, Pinterest works best with businesses that heavily invest in visuals.  If you would like to include more visual content into your social media marketing, complete our contact form here and we are happy to discuss options based on your goals and needs.  As long as you have pictures and videos to post, Pinterest will always give back positive results.  With more social media platforms concentrating on content sharing, consider Pinterest as an essential social media site to boost your online presence.   

How can you make your site visitors read your blog post?  This is a dilemma of many bloggers since not all web contents are getting the attention that you expect or deserve.  There are ways to make netizens go back to your site and you can do this by understanding why many social media platforms are emerging in this day and age.  The reason for the emergent of different social media platforms is to cater to different types of clientele—there are those who are more interested in looking at pretty photos, some are more interested in reading helpful contents, some would prefer listening to what your company offers via audio, while there are those who are fond of watching videos.  Knowing and understanding this will help you and other female entrepreneurs create a blog that will interest and excite a different mix of target clients.  Part of this understanding is the knowledge that netizens are presented with so much information that they will only browse or skim your blog post first and continue reading if they see a topic or keyword that they are interested in.  So, what blog post appeals to your target clientele?

Ø  Visuals are more appealing to some site visitors. There are site visitors who are non-readers and would much prefer looking at photos or watching videos.  As the adage says, a picture is worth a thousand words, and that it has its own story to tell. But if non-readers indeed read your blog, short captions or descriptions of 100 words or less will do the trick.  If you are writing long web content, try using subtitles to make each point shorter.

Ø   Reading from cover to cover.  There are site visitors who will read and understand each word that you’ve written.  However, to capture the interest of the said type of reader, your content should be informative, helpful and interesting which could convince them that what your site or your company offers is right for them.  Female entrepreneurs must understand that some readers will look for every what ifs, how tos, and what abouts to be answered or addressed, they will be convinced and satisfied.   If these types of visitors look at photos or watch videos, they do so only to supplement what they read.   

Ø  Some readers skim or browse than read the whole blog post.  There are readers who will skim your web content to look for keywords that appeal to them.  Once they find them, then they will continue reading.  It’s like reading the blurb or the description at the back of the book in which a short review from a reputable media agency or publication was highlighted like ”Interesting and highly entertaining. The work of a virtuoso as he transports your senses to reality and daydream” – New York Post.  Skimmers want to get a sense of what you are telling in your content and this actually appeals to both voracious readers and non-readers. So, make use of bullet points or sub-topics that can be interchangeable.  Bold or highlight main points to attract the attention of skimmers and start your paragraphs and sub-topics with appealing sentences.


In a nutshell, good web contents are those that appeal to different types of site visitors and not alienating one type.  If you understood this, then you as a female entrepreneur can and will find ways of how to incorporate the mix of photos, videos and text properly.  So, writing a good lengthy copy will not ensure a successful blog. It is not enough that you are an expert of a topic like a female entrepreneur writing about small business for women.  Rather, you need to understand how to present your topic that it will appeal to different types of site visitors.  However, if writing appealing web content seems daunting, complete our contact us form here: contact MACs Women’s Group and we will discuss our content writing options with you.

Start ups or small business owners need to get inspiration from lots of sources.  Whether you read, watch or hear about it, inspiration will rush in.  From conceptualizing your business to formulating your plans, right up to its implementation, you learned and you were inspired by how other female entrepreneurs do it.  There are also times when you need someone to talk to that is like-minded, to share ideas, to ask questions and advice or to be simply with another female entrepreneur, whether in face-to-face or online.  With that said, belonging to a group with the same interests as yours, like a women’s entrepreneurs organization, will keep the fire of inspiration burning.  Aside from this, here are some other benefits you will get from joining a women’s organization: 

• Expanding your circle of influence.  If you are a small business owner or running a start up business, you need lots of contacts; as many as possible.  Members of women’s groups run their own businesses and some of those businesses may be complimentary to yours.  For example, if your business is about the designing and production of wedding giveaways, then you might want to get to know other female entrepreneurs who are designing and baking cakes, producing invitation cards, managing an events company or perhaps getting in touch with a wedding dress designer.  You can ask for their help or referrals from their own clients or they could be your clients too.  Still, try not to limit your circle to only complimentary businesses, think broadly and engage with other entrepreneurs even though their business may not be complimentary to yours.  Fact is, your referral client could come from an unexpected source.   
  

• Getting inspiration from other business owners.  Start up businesses, no matter how you plan for it and implement it accordingly, you will still encounter unexpected hurdles along the way.  Therefore, meeting other female entrepreneurs who are further along their entrepreneurial journey will help you figure out how to move through some of those problems and how to formulate possible solutions.  You will hear a ‘been there, done that’ sharing of ideas and experiences and you, being new in business, will surely pick practical, invaluable business tips to help you face and move forward through similar hurdles. 

• Enjoying their company.   Women Entrepreneurs are faced with making serious business decisions daily and making time to enjoy what we do is oh, so important.  In fact, many articles would say that you should enjoy your work and we have heard the “love what you do and you would have never worked a day in your life” quote.   We champion that here at Motivators and Creators Women’s Group, we recommend that every woman entrepreneur find time to share some hearty laughter and join different fun activities.   

• Helping you cope up with your new role in business.  Being in business is not always a picnic in the park.  You, especially start ups, need lots of patience and heart especially understanding and appreciating that you will encounter many challenges along the way.  Being in a group could help you boost your confidence and help you with maintaining focus; which leads to you being successful.  
  

There are lots of benefits to be gained from being a member of an entrepreneurial group of women with the same interests.  You will basically reap the benefits mentioned above and at the same time discover other possible benefits that could help you boost your business performance and accelerate your success.