The Downtown Women's Club womensDISH blog

When H*ll Freezes Over

It’s official. Massachusetts elects a Republican and H*ll is literally freezing over. At least it is for DC. So, for my Mid-Atlantic readers, I thought I would re-run a column that has become a yearly standard up here in Boston. Ironically, it first ran the year the Red Sox won the World Series ... Hmmmm. Could this be even more fodder for the folks who refer to Boston as the Hub of the Universe?

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As I look out my window -- the one that isn’t blocked by a snowdrift -- I find myself trapped in a scene from The Day After Tomorrow. Note to Dennis Quaid: If you’re trekking around in the snow somewhere in the vicinity, please feel free to rescue me from spending yet another snow day with my 5-year old. While I sit here and daydream of Dennis, between never-ending bouts of shoveling, I’ve noticed that when it comes to snow days we all have our own individual way of dealing with them.

The Survivalist (A/K/A “The Panicked Parent”). If there ever were two words that cause normally rational parents to panic - besides “head lice” and “slumber party” - it’s “snow day.” Snow days mean no child care (backup, emergency or otherwise) and the sudden need to come up with activities for children who, while surrounded by hundreds of toys, still have the nerve to proclaim, “I’m bored.” It means holding conference calls while wearing a clown nose and juggling oranges. Yes, it’s possible if you have one of those nifty headsets.

It also means that right after your preschooler is appropriately bundled to go sledding in 10 degree weather, he will inevitably have to go to the bathroom; and that on your second attempt to go to the sledding hill, he will then get stuck in a snowdrift from which you will pull him out, only to leave behind a boot. After you dig out the boot (shaking as much snow out of it as possible) you will try to replace it on your child’s now frozen foot only to have him cry and scream at you for trying to freeze his foot off. Finally, in your third attempt to go sledding, you will leave the house with extra socks, mittens, hats and a large dose of Kahlua in your king-sized travel mug of coffee.

The Always Essential Employee. This is the employee who deems him or herself so essential that a blizzard, a declared citywide snow emergency, and even a 2-hour E! Television special report on “Why Brad and Jen Broke Up ... 10 years later,” will not keep them away from the office. To quote Brian McGrory of the Boston Globe this week, “The more essential you regard yourself, the less you probably are.” Generally, I’ve noticed that the individuals who deem themselves the most essential are those with small children at home. Who could blame them? More Kahlua, please!

The Fearless Four-Wheeler. What’s two feet of snow to someone who finally gets to use their four-wheel drive SUV that they find so essential for city living? Of course, most “city-road” warriors have no idea how to drive in bad weather; but that’s not going to stop them because they apparently have superpowers. However, these powers do not also include the ability see through whiteouts like Superman, or sprout spikes on ice patches like the Batmobile. Unfortunately, they seemed to have neglected to put this in the manuals.

The Parking Space Tyrant. These are the folks who live by the motto: “I shoveled it, therefore I own it.” Now, I can understand that after spending six hours shoveling out your car, there is a certain pride of ownership and a feeling of entitlement to that parking space. But, it doesn’t matter what sort of marker you put there – milk crates, folding chairs, your Great Aunt Edna – you do not own the space, and I guarantee you that your Fearless Four-Wheeling neighbor has his eye on it.

The Snow Lover. This is your perennially chipper neighbor (whose kids have long since gone off to college), who walks by with his dog and comments, “Don’t you think this is beautiful?” To which I have to stop myself from replying, “As a barely surviving parent who lost the essential employee argument and is in my fifth hour of shoveling and still have yet to locate my non-four wheel drive vehicle under this eight-foot tall snow drift, don’t you think I should whack you upside your head with my shovel?”

Instead, I smile pleasantly, remind myself that this is the most I’ve seen of my neighbors since last winter and then I offer him what’s left of my Kahlua.

P.S. If, by chance, anyone happens to bump into Dennis, please ask him to stop by the liquor store on his way over. I seem to be out of Kahlua.

Entrepreneurship: Do you have the spirit? Guest Post by Nicole Williams

Nicole Williams is the author of Girl on Top: You Guide to Turning Dating Rules into Career Success, and provides us with three things you need to be a successful entrepreneur.

To go it alone or not to go it alone? That is the question. Actually the real question is: Are entrepreneurs born or made?  This one has been making the rounds for years and there are no definitive answers.  I grew up with a father who’s an entrepreneur so I’m not entirely sure what I was born with and what trickled down from watching him bust his ass, but I’m going to guess there’s more born than made. If you’re not able to grasp (or able to grow into) what I’m talking about below, you’re asking for trouble.  

• The belief that rules are written for other people:  I was speaking at a television industry conference and before everyone was let into the room, I listened to a guy tell us how hard it is to sell a TV show, “the chances are one in a million”.  After sharing my story of selling 13 episodes of a show concept upon first pitch, the guy came up to me and asked how it happened.  I didn’t say it aloud, but in my mind I’m thinking…because I’m not you…or the 999,999 others out pitching their show.  

It may sound egotistical (and maybe it is) but to be an entrepreneur you need to believe that the odds, the statistics and the rules don’t apply to you. Nine out of ten start-up businesses fail in the first five years. You’d be screwed walking into this reality not believing you’ll be the one who will defy the odds. This rules-are-for-others concept is also essential from the perspective of looking for new ways of doing things. The name of the game is innovation and some of the best businesses have been built around taking a tried-and-true idea or rule and turning it on its ass. Are rules for you or not?   

• A sense of fearlessness:   Leaving the comfort of the warm, comfortable cocoon of ‘the man’ is not for the faint of heart. As I actually think about it here, it’s not that as an entrepreneur you don’t feel fear – you do – but you become not only immune to it, you learn to actually thrive off it. If your idea of being out on the limb is ordering pork rather than chicken, you’re in for a rude awakening. To put your name, money, reputation on the line is a big, fat, exhilarating deal. You’re going to be scared, and the question you need to ask yourself repeatedly is: Can you handle it? I’ve met a lot of failed business owners and one thing that most have in common is that they become paralyzed in the face of the fear.  

• A refusal to lose:   I’m not just saying this for the sake of bravado and it’s not that I don’t question myself or want to give up, but at the end of the day I know I will not let myself lose. There’s a certain kind of stubbornness that comes with entrepreneurship. On the outside it might look like you’re crazy to be holding on for dear life when other sane, rational people would have walked away. As an entrepreneur you have to be willing to fail (trust me, you will make mistakes—embarrassing ones) but you can’t let yourself lose – huge difference. One of my very favorite business books is called Many Miles to Go by Brian Tracy. His message is one of perseverance and dedication and I use it as a constant reminder that the greater your vision, the longer it will take to build.  

For more about Nicole, visit: http://www.nicolewilliams.com/.

Book Review: Networkers are Connectors

I’m reviewing The Connectors: How the World’s Most Successful Businesspeople Build Relationships and Win Clients for Fife by Maribeth Kuzemeski, for two reasons:

1. I liked the idea that it’s not about “networking” but about “connecting.”   2010 is a decade where connecting and engaging will be far more important than collecting names (see my 2010 Networking Ins and Outs list).
2. The request to review this book was such a good example of PR done well that I just couldn’t say no.

But to get to the book:  The focus of The Connectors is on getting referrals. In the introduction, the author sets out her model for getting referrals.

1. Delight clients.
2. Acquire referrals.
3. Invite referrals to educational workshops.
4. Acquire clients.
5. Repeat process from No. 1.

Kuzmeski claims that it’s a simple process, but not easy.  In fact, the key to the whole system is to “delight clients.”  And you do this by truly “connecting.”   This concept especially rang true to me as we are moving out of the era of mass marketing and broadcasting to engagement and cultivation.

I enjoyed the first chapter:  The Common Denominator of Greatness and Success: It’s not money, it’s people!  I loved that it was not something I expected to be covered in a book that I assumed was going to be another standard networking book.  She sums it up as greatness is measured by “the impact we’ve made on others, by the way we’ve connected with them, touched them personally, brought them along with us and perhaps inspired their best contributions.”‘

I also like her “Connecter IQ Assessment.”  I took the test and ended up as an “Energy Connector.”  This is completely accurate.  Most people would likely assume that as the founder of a women’s networking group that I would be a Power Networker.  But an Energy Connector is someone who: “reaches out ot others, but probably not on a daily basis.  . . .  others reach out to connect with you as frequently as or more than you reach out to them.”  It goes on to talk about how I get the importance of connecting but I don’t focus on it every day.  This differs from a power connector, whose whole focus is making connections.

Continue reading review at http://topshelf.entrepreneur.com/2010/01/02/connectors-are-the-best-networkers/.

Are You Engaging - Or Just Chattering?

Social media is a great business tool. It allows you to connect with your customers and clients in a very friendly, personal way, even if they are located thousands of miles away from you.

If you are using Facebook and Twitter and aren't seeing any results - either in the number of fans, followers,or sales, it's important to ask yourself "Are you engaging - or just chattering?"

How can you tell the difference? When you are engaging people, they are responding to you. They are commenting on your Facebook updates and links, they are replying to you, as well as retweeting on Twitter, and that leads them to visit your site more often and follow your blog more closely. 

You may notice an increase in the subscribers of your RSS feed and that people are leaving more blog comments. The number of your email newsletter subscribers should be increasing, too (assuming that your opt-in box is clearly displayed on your site or blog).

If these things aren't happening, take a look at the information you are posting on Facebook and Twitter. The information should be interesting to your target market, as well as something that relates to your site. Not everything you post has to be business-related, of course. You want to be personable and form relationships. But there is a fine line. You don't want to be so personable that you never mention your business!

If your Twitter feed is comprised of all ads, remember that no one wants to follow an ad feed! If it's full of tweets letting people know you ran out of dog food or that you're glad it's sunny outside, some people may get a little bored of that and un-follow you. It's time to tweet about relevant information.

The next time you log into Twitter, take a look at your profile and read through your latest tweets. Be objective! Would you want to follow yourself?

Things To Do Now, Before You Forget

There are lots of little things that pop up during the year -- usually when you're busy and can easily forget those "little things." Taking care of them now before they pop up can help make this an easier year.

Domain Renewals - You don't have to wait until your domain is about to expire to renew it for the year. You can log in to your domain registrar and renew all of your domains now. This way, you don't have to worry about forgetting to renew them and have them expire. If that happens, and someone else swoops in, you may not be able to get your domain back.

Hosting Fees - Some people pay monthly for their website hosting, but paying for a full year can save you money, as many hosts offer a discount on yearly payments. Plus, you won't have to worry about making monthly payments, or forgetting payments and having your site unexpectedly taken down.

Email Newsletters - If you use evergreen content for your newsletter - as in information that is not time-related, you could take a weekend and load your autoresponder with several months worth of newsletters and schedule them to go out in advance.

Some other quick tips include scheduling things on your Google calendar and having reminders emailed to you in advance, jotting down blog post ideas in your blog and saving the post as a draft - you can always work on it later, and hiring a virtual assistant to help take care of administrative duties. This will free up your mind, allowing you to focus on the projects that require more of your attention.

What are some of the things you do to keep things running smoothly in your work or daily life?

(For free weekly biz tips sent directly to your email, visit my website, IndieBizChicks.com and sign up for The Weekly Biz Tips.)

Three Tips to Create a 140-Character Pitch That Gets Results

We all know that to successfully market any product, image is everything. We decide what to buy based on the impression we have about a product’s quality and reputation. If you are involved in a job search or seeking to advance in your industry, you are engaging in self-marketing. And, the product is YOU!

It's important to leverage social media tools and platforms to create a buzz about you and your accomplishments. Here's a twist on the "30-second elevator pitch" - a 140-Character Pitch that can help expand your online presence, particularly on Twitter. Read on to learn Three (3) Tips to Create Your 140-Character Pitch for the Twitterverse.

1. Determine your target audience: Your message will be different depending on whether you're aiming to reach potential employers (job seeker) vs. potential "champions" or supporters (career builder/changer) vs. potential clients (business owner).

**NOTE:** There are many companion sites to Twitter that can help you to do research, and even gain more visibility. To find people to follow in your target industry or geography, consider a site such as wefollow. You can search this directory via "Top Cities" or "Top Tags" (keywords that are relevant to you/your industry). You can even find the "Top Twitter Users" (lots of celebrities), and decide if it would be relevant for you to follow any of them. For 9 more ideas on how to find people on Twitter, check out this Mashable article.

2. Consider your desired outcome: Your message will vary depending on the action you're hoping the person will take. Will this pitch help you prove your expertise (perhaps via an article you've written), or will it highlight your accomplishments (perhaps via a link to one of your online profiles)?

**NOTE:** Remember, as with all networking platforms (live and online), Twitter is about sharing valuable, relevant information. Be sure to balance your "pitch" tweets with objective, non-promotional tweets that will provoke your followers to think. This helps you become to be seen as a helpful person who is interested in other people's interests in addition to your own.

3. Craft and refine your primary message: Your initial message may not fit the 140-character limit right away. But, don't let that stop you -- it may help to do some brainstorming and free writing first to get your creative juices flowing.

Start with your target audience: What do you know/can you offer that they care about? What keyword or phrase will get their attention? What skills or accomplishments would generate their interest in you or your brand?

Then, return to the desired outcome: What action do you want them to take?

Once you have come up with your initial pitch, use the "Word Count" feature in MS Word to determine how long it is (including spaces), and begin editing to take out words that won't diminish meaning. Also, you can use symbols for words like "and" to reduce space. If you are linking to an article or your online profile, shorten the URL link also to reduce space.

Want a sample 140-Character Pitch? Here is a pitch I've created: "Coach Colette helps team leaders define their 2010 vision and motivate members via helpful tools and seminars: http://bit.ly/6fRJsF"

What do you think? Share your comments here on the blog or tweet me your pitch on Twitter for feedback: @Coach_Colette

Colette Ellis, Founder & Head Coach
InStep Consulting LLC
Creator - Competent Advantage Community

Networking etiquette

It's a new year and time for a new start.  Perhaps you're looking for a new job or perhaps you want to be meeting more people.  Building relationships through networking is a great way to achieve those goals.  

I thought these tips were obvious but recent experiences have proven otherwise.  I'm always happy to help others, but some actions have me shaking my head.

Here are my tips for networking etiquette.

1.  Say thank you.

Say it at the end of the meeting and then follow-up with an email.  Send the email as soon as you can after the meeting.  Sure you're busy, but the other person took time out of their busy day to help you.  It's the least you can do.

2.  Pay for the other person's coffee or meal.

If you're out of work and money is tight, offer to meet for coffee, rather than a meal.  Surely the $3.00 you spend on the coffee is worth it.

3.  Be on time.

If you're running late, call to let the person know.  People are busy, so respect their time.

4.  Come prepared.

What is your goal for the meeting?  Is it to get job advice?  A resume critique?  Contact names? Clearly articulate your goal at the start of the meeting.

5.  Confirm the meeting date and time.

This is especially important if you set up the meeting a few weeks prior.

6.  Ask what you can do for the other person.

Networking is about developing relationships, which means give and take.  You may be surprised at how you can help the other person.

7.  Follow-up after the meeting.

Let the  person know what happened with the advice he gave.  For example, did you have a meeting with a contact they suggested?  Did you research that company they offered?

This is also a great way to keep your name fresh in the other person's mind.  They may just have learned of a job opening that is perfect for you and if they see your email, they'll be prompted to send it to you.

What will happen if these tips aren't followed? For me, I would be very reluctant to offer introductions to any of my contacts.  I would also not recommend them for any job openings that cross my desk.

Networking can be nerve-wracking and we all have off days.  It's not about being perfect, but about being thankful and respectful.

What other tips do you have for networking etiquette?

Nancy Loderick

Tap your passion for your career: Guest Author Post by Allison Maslan

Ever wonder how you can incorporate a passion into your career?  Check out the Blast Off! Dream Career Questionnaire based on my new book, Blast Off! The Surefire Success Plan To Launch Your Dreams Into Reality.

 1. As a child, what did you dream of being when you grew up? It’s helpful to get in touch with your earlier fascinations. In early childhood, it was easier to live from our imagination without all of the interference from our adopted limiting beliefs.

2. What are some of your favorite hobbies or activities—in the present and in the past—and why? Wouldn’t it be great if you could turn your favorite pastime into your dream career? We choose hobbies and activities that most likely resonate with our unique personality as well as our physical, mental and emotional nature. They are an extension of our inner voice and a blast off to your dream career.

3. What do you do or have you done in your life that makes you the happiest? What is it about this that you enjoy so much? What does it mean to you? When you are in a state of joy or bliss, you are in complete alignment with your purpose. And when you’re in complete alignment with your passions, intention and actions, success is sure to follow.

4. What things have you always wanted to do, but were afraid to try? These could be activities or ideas related to your personal life or career that you have seen on television, in books, or heard of others experiencing. List anything that comes to mind that seems interesting, stimulating, exciting, meaningful or fun. Many people self-impose limiting choices and circumstances on themselves and their lives. Once those obstacles are removed, the possibilities are boundless! People often fear change, even if their current circumstances are not up to par with their capabilities. The hardest part of change is the first step. Once you get through that, creating your new and successful career becomes so much easier. The fear will be released the more you practice taking action.

5. What is a cause that you could get behind? Is there a cause or charity that you’re passionate about? There may be some career ideas that will support and reflect the charities or causes that have meaning to you.

6. What values do you hold most important in your life? If you can incorporate some of the most important values of your character and your life into your work, you will be truly living a life of value and purpose. For example, I have always felt a calling to help people in need. At some point, I finally reconnected with my deeper values and life purpose to support and inspire others on their path. Life coaching was a natural evolvement because it matched my inner values and purpose.

7. What are your strengths and talents? By tapping into the special abilities that you were born with, you can consider translating them into your dream career.

8. What movies and books have inspired you over the years, and why? We are often drawn to books and movies that reflect our personalities and interests. For example, history books may reflect your interest in travel or research. Action/adventure books and movies may mirror your desire for a career in an outdoor setting rather than being office-bound.

9. What does success mean to you? Success can have many different connotations and can represent different things to different people. What does the picture of success look like to you?

10. If you had plenty of money at your disposal to invest in your own dream career, what kind of business would you start? Often the fear of not having enough capital, or an inheritance, or just-accepting-poverty thinking can dissuade people from reaching for their dreams. By putting your dreams on paper, sending your strong intention out into the world and following up with action, the necessary avenues to remove these supposed limitations will appear. This is intention in action.

Don’t let the financial aspect stop you, because there will always be a solution if you actively look for it. The secret is to profess your dream, and then start taking action toward it today. You may even begin to receive checks in the mail. Stranger things have happened!

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Upon completion of Blast Off! Dream Career Questionnaire look at each of your answers. Do you see a common theme throughout? This is a very good clue for your winning dream career. For instance, if all your answers have to do with creative activities, you may fit with a career in the arts, such as landscape design, interior design, fine art or graphic design. If you see travel dominating your answers, a career as a travel agent, excursion director, or editor of a travel magazine may be the fuel for your inner passion. These answers will reflect your inner purpose. A dream career that expresses your values, hopes, loves and dreams is a winning recipe for life of passion and meaning.

Allison Maslan, HHP, CCH is the president of The Blast Off Life and Business Coaching. www.myblastoff.com and author of Blast Off! The Surefire Success Plan To Launch Your Dreams Into Reality.

Email address discrimination?

A few of my favorite marketing and social media pals were twittering about a good lifehacker.com article re: how your email address affects your personal brand.

• The username you select is vastly more important than the provider you use. Firstname.lastname@aol.com is preferred to and more respectable than sexkitten2010@aol.com—cutesy, offensive, or unprofessional nicknames are big mistakes.
• Domains are important, especially in technology-related fields. An AOL address might be just as serviceable as any other address when it comes to sending and receiving mail but to most people in tech fields it says "Hi. I'm from 1996. What is this internet you speak of?"
• More concerning than people using inappropriate emails handles on their resumes? Businesses that don't have their own domain and personalized email. SomeCompany@sbcglobal.net or SomeDude2049@yahoo.com were huge turn offs to readers and many expressed that they would question the professionalism of a company with such an unpolished image and do business elsewhere.

Click here to read the full article.

This is something we covered in The Savvy Gal's Guide to Online Networking (or What Would Jane Austen Do?) and I would add one factor the article didn't discuss with regard to using an AOL address: it could lead to subtle age discrimination, especially for job-seekers.  Using an AOL address sets off flags that not only does the person have minimal technology skills, they are likely a BabyBoomer requiring extra training in technology, especially if the HR person receiving your information is under 40.  

Yes, it is a hassle to switch over to something new and I'm personally not a huge fan of gmail (but I use it).  However, I recommend that job hunters do the same to put yourself on equal footing. We all know it's a tough job market out there, so don't put yourself out of the running with your "from" line.

Violence against women is never funny

The following column is solely the writer's opinion and not that of the Downtown Women's Club.

I was going to refrain from writing about the current Massachusetts special election until after Tuesday (and even then it would be limited to discussions about the role of social media), because the Downtown Women's Club is a nonpartisan group and I am proud of all our members, advisors and supporters who are involved in politics on BOTH sides of tomorrow's election and in other political campaigns across the country. The more women get involved, the more likely issues affecting women will be decided by people who have actually had the experience of being a woman.  Besides, we'd probably get a whole lot more done on behalf of the whole country.

That being said.  After going to bed last night keeping my personal pledge to not write anything critical of Scott Brown, I woke up this morning with a guilty conscience and asked myself: if the following situation occurred at a corporate rally or retreat, would I stay quiet?  The answer is clearly, no. 

The following is a Huffington Post report of an incident occurring at a Brown rally in Worcester yesterday.

The most jarring moment, however, came during a rally Brown held with a cadre of famous Massachusetts athletes in which one attendee called for Coakley to have a "curling iron" shoved "up her butt."

The reference was to an assault case that Coakley's office oversaw, in which she was late to press charges against a man who had raped a toddler (Coakley later won grand jury indictments charging rape and assault and battery).

Democratic Party officials were quick to jump on reports of the comment as evidence of "bullying tactics" by Brown himself. Usually, tying a candidate to the angry screams of his or her crowd can be a difficult proposition. But on Sunday night, video emerged that seemed to show the state senator acknowledging the curling iron remark as it transpired. Hotline On Call was the first to post the footage but the Huffington Post obtained it separately as well.

[Click here to see the video].

I agree with the writer's statement that, in general, we cannot tie angry screams to a speaker. But, this was not the first "rape" joke I've heard/read during this campaign.  In fact, I never even knew there were such things as "rape jokes."  I'm not even sure how anyone can find them amusing because violence against women, or anyone for that matter, is never funny.  While this clearly does not reflect the opinion of all of Brown's supporters, or, I'm sure Brown himself, corporate executives are called to the carpet for encouraging locker room antics and I think politicians should be as well - regardless of party.

Please note, I did not like the negative campaigning that took place in ads and online from either candidate or their supporters during this election.  I don't believe it was helpful in encouraging women and younger generations to get more involved in politics.  The US has dropped to 31st in the world when it comes to the Global Gender Gap. The two main reasons are the lack of women in higher office in politics and in corporations. This is a trend I would like to see reversed.

Looking back over the past few months, I feel like I have been told by both sides of the political spectrum that women's issues are not important right now (i.e. "this is about health care and taxes, not about women").  As a woman and a representative of 50% of the population, I reserve my right to wholeheartedly disagree that women's issues are separate from those two hot-button issues, or that they need to take a "back seat."  This is why I'm asking everyone (men and women):

• Get informed; 
  
• Vote whenever you have a chance; and
  
• Get involved so that you can help politicians run campaigns that are inclusive and of which we all can be proud.