Tag Archives: women entrepreneurs

Top 5 Tips to Create a LinkedIn Profile that Gets Noticed!

Posted on Monday, 23 July
by Dr. Pamela Williamson

Are you a woman business owner looking to expand your business? Well, one important way is to create a dynamic LinkedIn profile as part of your key marketing strategy.

You may be pleasantly surprised how quick online networking can help get you more business.

Here are some of the strategies that will give your business a stellar presence on social media:

  1. Start with your punch line

Readers browsing through a LinkedIn profile are generally skimming for “what’s in it for them.” In order to capture their attention and engage them to read what your business is offering it is a good idea to start with a catchy punch line – make it about your end client and what you can offer them.

  1. Market your brand’s commitment

Corporations, contractors and end users alike are interested in knowing the values your business upholds and organizations that your business supports. Keeping this in mind, when you introduce your brand also talk about the mission and vision of your business.

  1. Showcase Pages

Showcase pages are subpages created to specifically sell your products and services. Use caution not to create a “hard sell” page. Rather make them as a marketing page that lists the benefits and unique highlights of your product and service. To make it more visual and appealing add a product logo and banner for each product description.

  1. Active presence

As with any social media website the more active your presence the more visibility it gets. It is good practice to share not only the reviews and feedback of your product or service  offerings but also relevant content or knowledgeable information related to your services. This prompts the visitor to frequent your site and will also engage the reader to learn more about your product and give you increased conversions.

  1. Boost your connectivity

As your visibility increases it is also important to involve your employees. Firstly, make sure that all your company associates have connected to your LinkedIn company page. Secondly, ensure that the content promoted related to your industry has a call to action that will capture your viewers.

As you put all these tips together remember to also add a “Follow us on LinkedIn button” on your company website. With that, you are well on your way to get a Linked company profile page that gets noticed!

Five Daily Habits of Successful Women in Business

Posted on Friday, 22 June
by Dr. Pamela Williamson

As the old adage goes “humans are creatures of habit,” the same principle also applies in business, and women worldwide have successfully incorporated this to bag huge success in their business endeavors.

Here are 5 habits that successful women in business incorporate almost daily:

  1. Networking

Networking not only helps women entrepreneurs become part of a community but also helps in advancing the business by strategic associations that can greatly benefit in generating new business. Networking gives the necessary boost that helps open doors of opportunity by exposing your business to a wider range of potential customers.

Women business owners know and understand that this habit needs work on a continuous basis in order to maintain relationships and develop new ones. After an initial introduction it is best to e-mail, connect over coffee, via LinkedIn, or attend networking events like WBE2WBE Connections, to keep in touch. Networking is a give and take relationship and needs to be maintained by giving referrals, and regular communication.

  1. Goal setting

As is true for any personal or professional achievement, goal setting is the key for successful women business owners. They maintain their short term as well as long term business goals and work on them on a regular basis. Women business owners ensure that the goals they set are specific, measurable, accurate, realistic and time bound. This helps them to take their business to the next level.

  1. Continuous learning

The business world is continuously changing and adapting to the customer’s needs. This makes it inevitable for the women business owner to continuous keep herself updated by taking online courses, brushing up executive skills and obtaining the necessary certifications that are required for the business to maintain a competitive edge in the market.

  1. Time management

One of the top skills of any business owner is how well they manage their time. Women business owners understand this equally well and make sure that they are in total charge of their time.

  1. Creative thinking

The root of great success lies in creative ideas. Women entrepreneurs make time to relax, rejuvenate and work in solitude to generate creative solutions and ideas to enhance their business. They also ensure that they take time to maintain a healthy mind, body and spirit, and meditate, visualize and affirm on their immediate and future decisions and steps to enhance their business.

In order to keep growing, it is important to keep abreast with new technology, latest trends in your business space, and finding creative solutions that will keep women successful in their business endeavors.

TOP 5 REASONS TO PARTNER WITH A CERTIFIED WOMAN-OWNED BUSINESS

Posted on Tuesday, 20 March
by Dr. Pamela Williamson

A certified woman-owned business is not a feat that is achieved overnight! Women-owned businesses undergo a thorough formal documentation and site visit from a third-party certifier (such as WBEC-West) before they are accredited.

The business is highly scrutinized and may take up to 6 months  just to complete the paperwork and receive certification. If that justifies the importance of being a certified woman-owned business, there are more advantages to partner with one. The top reasons are:

  1. Opportunities

This would be the primary and most important reason to partner with a certified woman-owned business.  The federal government sets aside opportunities (contracts) every year for qualifying women owned small businesses.  The number and size of these contracts varies by industry based on how well women are represented.  As you’d expect,  there are more opportunities available in industries  that are underrepresented in women business owners.

  1. Drives Competition

After partnering with a woman-certified business your company has access to other multiple avenues for goods and services. This allows you to compare prices with your existing vendors and service providers and drive them to offer you more competitive prices. This opens up channels to build new supplier alliances.

  1. Taps Women Customers

Apart from women being a growing economic force for the nation and in the world, women themselves have a great buying power. Women customers not only drive sales up by their purchasing power but also market the services and products they like by speaking about it to friends, family and colleagues. This no-cost word of mouth marketing can lead to spiking profits for the partnering company.

  1. Showcases Diversity

Diversity positively impacts the bottom line of any business. Working with woman-owned businesses sends a message to vendors, investors and potential customers that your company supports diversity. This in turn, enhances economic growth in local communities.

  1. Promotes Innovation

Woman-owned businesses, normally being smaller companies, are aware of the tough competition and hence try to bring more innovative and creative solutions to the table. Partnering with a smaller team provides the advantage of getting prompt customer service. They are also able to assist by making quicker course corrections and provide much faster turn-around times than their larger competitors.

As woman-owned businesses grow, it will boost the nation’s economy. Moreover, it will leave a lasting impression on your company profile, by being one which has assisted economic growth by partnering with local, diverse and minority communities.

3 Ways Women in Business Can Overcome Challenges and Get Ahead

Posted on Friday, 21 July
by Dr. Pamela Williamson

Did you know that more than 9 million firms in the United States are women-owned? In fact women business owners have close to 8 million employees and generate over $1.5 trillion in sales, as per the National Association of Women Business Owners.

Although more and more women are venturing into entrepreneurship the challenges they face are often not the same as their male counterparts entering the business world.

Here are 3 ways women in business can overcome challenges and get ahead:

1.Get over social stigma

When you walk into a crowded networking seminar and you can count the number of women there on your fingertips it can get intimidating. However, you’ve made it this far so being true to who you are and believing in what you have to offer and what you bring to the table can give you the boost of confidence you need to find your voice in situations where you might feel singled out. Also, understanding that if you don’t speak up for your business and make it known, no one else will.

Build a support system.

According to Inc. close to fifty percent of all women entrepreneurs don’t have mentors that can help propel their business growth. When you’re trying to blaze your way in the world of male-dominated businesses, having the advice of a woman mentor who has ‘been there and done that’ can be extremely helpful. But the challenge is in finding a reliable support system. Certifying your business as woman-owned can not only help you get found by procurement officials but also directly enroll you to attend conferences designed to get you networking with other like-minded women owned businesses and find promising mentorship opportunities.

Find work/life balance

Whether you’re a man or a woman, finding work-life balance is no doubt hard, however in the case of women and especially mothers who venture into entrepreneurship most would agree that dealing with the business would get a lot easier if you didn’t have the kids to deal with! The key is to not beat yourself up or sweat the small stuff and come to terms with the fact that you got into this knowing that your responsibilities will be shared between the family and the business.

WBEC-West provides an excellent platform for your business to grow, connect with other businesses in both your local community and nationwide, and be a mentor to other women businesses. Learn more.

 

Are you a Woman with an Entrepreneurial Spirit? Top 11 Questions to Ask Yourself!

Posted on Thursday, 23 March
by Dr. Pamela Williamson

Do you consider yourself to be a successful woman entrepreneur? Today’s women business owners are highly skilled, talented, sharp and technologically savvy.

But more than that, they all share one common denominator – they have an unstoppable entrepreneurial drive and spirit that keeps them going!

There’s no doubt that more women are entering the business world today than ever before – there are those venturing in after years of child-rearing, multi-taskers who are balancing both business and family life and women with a strong entrepreneurial drive ready to take on the world.

It can be said that women are wired for juggling business and family and multi-tasking, but do all women have what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur?

Here are top 10 questions to ask yourself to assess if you make the grade to be a successful entrepreneur:

  1. Have I always wanted to be my own boss?
  2. Do I take direction well from others,­ or have a mind of my own and want to live on my own terms?
  3. Am I ambitious?
  4. Is money a motivating factor for me? Do I want to build wealth?
  5. Can I take calculated risks?
  6. Do I like to be in control?
  7. Can I handle failure? Can I fail and start again?
  8. Am I passionate about what I am doing?
  9. Do I make decisions quickly and can set things in motion?
  10. Do I like to get things done and not procrastinate?
  11. Do I look at the big picture, can plan and start things with the end in mind?

How many did you check off? Even if you picked a few and have the motivation and drive to pursue your dreams, you have an entrepreneurial spirit waiting to emerge.

If you really want to take the step to starting your own business do your research and be prepared. The journey ahead is going to be exciting, but certainly not easy. Talk to women in business. Find a mentor. Join a community.

At WBEC-West we support women business owners to get more business, grow and be successful. Getting certified could be an excellent step to connect with like-minded women,­ discover game-changing mentorship opportunities and join a vibrant WBE community. Learn more.