I got a nuclear powered phone today. Ok, not really, but this thing is phenomenal. It’s the Instinct, the Sprint version of the Iphone, and it does nearly everything except make you coffee. It has a camera and huge picture storage, I can store hundreds of audios on it, it has texting, internet surfing, GPS navigation that talks to me, and I can even watch TV on the thing. Oh, and of course I can talk on the phone too. WOW!

I admit I am a bit of a gadget freak. Maybe you’re not. If you are the type to completely shun new technology, I am suggesting that you drop that approach. You may not go full force right away, but technology is an amazing tool that can help make your life easier. Yes, you might have to read a manual, or call tech support, or even surf some forums to learn some of this stuff, but it’s so worth it!

Some women I know tell me that they are completely overwhelmed. What worries me most is when I hear them say things like “I’ve never been good at that kind of stuff” or “Girls were never allowed to play with machines in my family” or “I am just not smart enough to learn all that”. You could literally hear my heart breaking if you were sitting next to me when I hear these reasons.

These reasons are completely not workable. Being an entrepreneur means growth. Being an entrepreneur means asking for and accepting help. Being an entrepreneur means stretching your comfort zones. Growing pains are natural and healthy. They make you stronger and better.

I do understand your trepidation, though. My sweetheart is not completely comfortable with technology. He’s a smart guy, too, but it frustrates him, especially initially. But, usually, in no time at all, he’s up and going and loving it. He get’s over it quickly. He commits to learning it and asks me for help when he gets stuck and he overcomes. You have to do this too.

So, today’s challenge is for you to complete a high tech task you’ve been putting off. Remember: one of the tools of a successful entrepreneur is delegation. If you can’t do it, ask the high school kid down the block—she can probably do it in her sleep. Just don’t keep putting it off because you think you have to learn it but “can’t”. There is power in using all the tools available to you and you deserve to be in full command of that power. Use it!

Together, we are stronger.
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman

p.s. Be sure to sign up for Wednesday’s June 25th teleseminar with Lynn Pierce about turning your passion into cash. SmartWoman Guides with Lynn Pierce Teleseminar Signup

UPDATE: I regret to inform the SmartWoman Community that I ran into a technical snag with the recording of my interview with Lynn Pierce. The actual recording replay of Lynn and I talking cannot be made available. I am so sorry.

Although it is not specifically me and Lynn together, Lynn has created a series of teleseminar broadcasts, the first of which is on the topic we discussed, turning your passion into cash. It really is very valuable information and if you sign up, you can get many other interviews in addition to that topic. This is the only alternative I have to offer you so that you get the information I had promised you.

I would highly recommend that you afford yourself of Lynn’s generosity and go sign up to hear the interviews. It doesn’t cost a thing and it’s so worth it!

Register at: Business Empowerment Summit Pre-session Teleseminars

______________________________________________________________________________

Lynn Pierce, creator of the Women’s Business Empowerment Summit, has agreed to a SmartWoman Guides exclusive 60 minute tele-seminar event on Wednesday, June 25th at 5:00 PM PST.

Lynn will be discussing how she created the Women’s Business Empowerment Summit and what the theme and focus will be for this year’s event. She’ll be telling us about her 7 step approach to turning your passion and expertise into cash. She’ll be giving us her unique perspective about effective product creation, and share with us some very convincing statistics about why women fail and succeed in business.

As a member of SmartWomanGuides.com, you can attend the Women’s Business Empowerment Summit at a deeply discounted tuition of $497 for all 3 days.That’s a 50% savings off the publically advertised lowest price. SmartWomanGuides.com was one of only five websites authorized to make this offer, so if you don’t win the free tickets, you will still have the opportunity to take part in this at a great price.

For more information about the event, go to

Women’s Business Empowerment Summit Info
(Be sure to return back here to actually sign up, though, or you will pay a whole lot more!)

To sign up for this event at the discounted rate of $497 Women’s Business Empowerment Summit Signup

I need to know: What kind of female entrepreneur are you?

• Do you create physical products? If so, what are they?
• Do you own a service or consulting business? If so, what service do you provide?
• Do you have a MLM (multi-level marketing) business like Airbonne or a distribution business of some sort? Tell us all about what you promote.
• Do you own a manufacturing facility? What do you make?
• Are you an internet business woman, using affiliate revenues and internet marketing to build revenue streams?
• Are you a celebrity or author or speaker building her brand? What’s your message?
• Are you a stay-at-home mompreneur or WAHM?
• Have you taken leadership of the family business? What does it do in the market place?
• Are you a Dilberta in cubicle nation, secretly planning her escape, whose entrepreneur’s heart is full of hope and promise?
• Are you an advocate or activist or politician?
• Are you an inventor or artist or something else I haven’t mentioned yet?

Here’s your chance to sign on, get a link from our site leading back to yours, and share with us what you do.

The reason I want input is, one, I am curious and two, I recognize that women entrepreneurs are not a monolithic demographic. Although we have many similarities, the sub-segments of us all have different needs and goals. I, for example, do not have children. Although I can try to imagine the needs and concerns of a parent, I don’t truly know. I don’t have to make those sacrifices, nor do I get to experience those joys. I haven’t ever lived there.

I am a true believer that together we are stronger. It’s not just my motto, it’s my mantra. I find our differences interesting because I am a constant learner. I need other people, and specifically other women entrepreneurs, to understand my own entrepreneur’s journey. It gives me context and new ideas. So I am asking for your help for a selfish reason. I need you. I need you present to understand myself. My rewards in life are only complete if they are shared.

So, what do you say? Post a comment about what you do. I know you’re out there. Would you share with me and with all of us? I’d love it if you would.

Together, we are stronger.
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman

One of my heroes is gone. Tim Russert, NBC News’ Washington Bureau Chief and journalist extraordinaire, passed suddenly from a heart attack Friday while he was preparing for his weekend show. A good man is gone and I am sad.

Recently, at an event in LA, I heard Mark Victor Hansen (another one of my heroes) speak. He talked about creating your “Top 200″ list. He suggested that you should create a list of the top 200 people you want to work with, play with, travel with, do philanthropy with, and grow old with. He further said to find a picture of them and write out next to their picture what you will say to them when you see them, even if these people were kings and celebrities you haven’t even met yet.

Mark’s point was to build your dream team and to begin living your life at that higher vibration. Identify who you admire and are aligned with. Want peace? Put the Dalai Lama on your list. Want social revolution? Put Nelson Mandala on your list. Want business acumen? Put Donald Trump on your list. The idea isn’t to celebrity stalk but to begin to realize that you can count yourself among those people.

Tim Russert is on my list. He is on my list because I admired his journalistic integrity. I liked how he could patiently ask probing and important questions (more than once, if he had to) rather than let it slide or to let the spin get out of control. He called it “persistent but civil”. I regret that I didn’t get to say in person to him what I had planned.

Tim was passionate about the contribution our fathers made. He believed in the silent good. He believed that our nation is purple, not red or blue. He could make you laugh about ridiculousness. He was an expert at politely highlighting inconsistent behavior. Common sense was his standard.

I sometimes am discouraged by the state of mainstream media but I always looked to Tim for steadfastness. I watched Meet the Press because of him, not in spite of him. I have been watching him for decades and I have been touched by his point of view.

What, as entrepreneurs, can we learn from his life and his passing?

• Life is short, so live it well while you have it. Tim  was only 58 years old.
• Living a life rich in experience and open to others’ points of view builds you fans. Even if you disagreed with him, it was hard not to admire his style.
• Laughter can soothe even the most vicious of beasts. Many an adversary chuckled on Tim’s show.
• Gratitude and recognition of meaning contributes to all of us.  Tim would glow when he spoke about the lessons his father taught him. He saw the full meaning of his dad’s life and his dad’s role in his life. He knew what to notice.
• Heroes persist in our hearts even after they are gone. Be a hero. Make a difference.

As we move into Father’s Day, in honor and celebration of Tim Russert’s life, go out and buy one of his books for your dad. It’s a great gift to put into words what you want and need to say.

Wisdom of Our Fathers: Lessons and Letters from Daughters and Sons
Surprised by the overwhelming and heartfelt reception to Big Russ and Me(2004), Russert follows that memoir of his relationship with his father with a collection of letters he received recounting relationships between fathers and their sons and daughters, excerpts from which comprise this book. Tim said that he has left a blank page in the front of this book so that you can write a personal letter to your father. Based on Tim’s sudden passing, I encourage you to do it now, today.

Big Russ and Me: Father and Son: Lessons of Life
Meet the newsman’s father in this stupendously entertaining book. The senior Tim Russert served in WWII, married and settled in South Buffalo, N.Y., worked days for the Sanitation Department, drove a night truck for the local evening paper and raised four kids. The younger Russert’s memoir begins as a tribute to his dad and the lessons he taught through the years, but also takes ample time to tell how Russert junior grew up and became the moderator of Meet the Press.

Tim,  I miss you already. May you rest in peace and may your family find comfort.

Together, we are stronger.
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman

Lynn Pierce, creator of the Women’s Business Empowerment Summit, has generously provided SmartWomanGuides.com free scholarships to attend this awesome event.

Update 6/27: THE WINNERS HAVE BEEN CHOSEN AND THE CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. If you would still like to attend the event at a discounted price, see below.

As a member of SmartWomanGuides.com, you can attend this event at a deeply discounted tuition of $497 for all 3 days.That’s a 50% savings off the publically advertised lowest price. SmartWomanGuides.com was one of only five websites authorized to make this offer, so if you don’t win the free tickets, you will still have the opportunity to take part in this at a great price.

For more information about the event, go to

Enjoy this 15 minute interview with mega-entrepreneur Evan Carmichael.

As my loyal readers know, I am a huge fan of EvanCarmichael.com. Since my first day of finding Evan’s entrepreneur resource site, I am been enamoured. It’s thoughtful, it’s jam-packed with helpful and relevant information, and it has the best interviews of historical and current day mega-entrepreneurs available. If you need inspiration and know-how, it’s a must see.

Imagine my excitement when the company’s founder, Evan Carmichael, agreed to an interview!

Evan is a down-to-earth, well-rounded man with big dreams and the smarts to make those dreams come true. We discussed his beginnings as an entrepreneur and how he has built his business to where it is today. He shared how he approached the development of the software company he grew, the marketing research methods he applied, and then how EvanCarmichael.com blossomed out of his original personal website.

I also asked Evan to be frank with my readers about the specific challenges and opportunities that affect female entrepreneurs today. Evan has interviewed dozens of successful women and I felt he would give us a fresh perspective. We discussed finding inspirational role models, and the value of leadership and high self-esteem. We discussed the need to share and support each other in the entrepreneurial community. And he also told me where he hopes to take his business next.

Enjoy the interview and go visit Evan’s site. You won’t be disappointed!

Together, we are stronger.
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman

Kiss those superstitions about Friday the 13th being unlucky goodbye! Friday may be the luckiest day in your month!

Today I received final confirmation that I have been gifted several free scholarships (value $1497 each) for an upcoming 3-day Female Empowerment and Education Conference. I will be giving these scholarships away and also unveiling an amazing SmartWoman exclusive offer to receive deeply discounted tuition if you buy at our website.

Why did this website receive these great gifts? Apparently our community is getting noticed! SmartWoman Guides is one of only 5 female entrepreneur support sites that are being gifted these scholarships. We are being recognized as a source of inspiration and support for women and the conference creator wants our community to be rewarded for what we do. How cool is that, right?

The countdown has begun. Mark this site and return to us on Friday at 10 AM CST. The full details will be launched at that time. We have to confirm the winners by July 1st, so this will be a whirlwind. It won’t be hard and some very deserving and wonderful women will be going for 3 days of education, networking, and fun.

In the meantime, I want you to gather together your best, most passionate and thoughtful response to the following question (hint: it’s how the winners will get picked…)

The entry question: What inspires you to be an entrepreneur?

Okay, be sure to come back on Friday and get the full details. I can’t wait!

Together, we are stronger.
Vicki Flaugher,  the original SmartWoman

It’s essential, as the lead visionary entrepreneur of your business, to review the impact of what you are spending your time on and then prioritize the most leveraged activities first. Here are some suggestions to help you make some shifts to improve your business:

1.  Do an inventory of your highest use skills: Does it make sense, if you are an expert at business consulting, for you to be programming websites? No. Does it seem a smart use of resources for you to learn how to program websites from scratch when the genius high school kid down the street can already program circles around you and needs a summer job? No, no, no.

Start releasing your need to have your fingers in everything. Build a team of  people you can rely on. Trust people who know better than you. There is nothing wrong with outsourcing your weaknesses. Your lesser skills are not a disease. They don’t need to be cured. Play to your strengths only. Those skills are your specialty–insist on utilizing your highest skill.

2.  Reduce your availability: It’s a myth that human beings are capable of multi-tasking. If you are having to apply your creativity to create a proposal that has a looming deadline, it doesn’t help for you to hear every ding from emails coming into your inbox, your cell phone ringing, your pager going off, and your latest training seminar flowing out of your computer speakers.

You need to shut it all down and focus. Check your email mid-morning after you’ve had a few hours to get some work done. Let your calls go to voicemail (with the ringer turned to mute) and return calls at specified, limited times of the time. Chunk your time so that you can focus on one important task at a time. One of your chunks might be “miscellaneous to-do’s” so you can catch up on all your loose ends, but don’t intertwine them all together. It negatively impacts the quality of all of your work.

3.  Know your rhythms: If you struggle to do analytical thinking first thing in the morning (or at least until you’ve had 2 cups of coffee), don’t. You will make more mistakes and your task will take twice as long. If you are sharp as a tac in the morning but at 2-4 pm you can’t focus anymore, don’t plan meetings where you have to be “on” during that time. Be honest in your evaluation of yourself and your preferences. You didn’t choose to be an entrepreneur to limit your choices. Live and work the way that fits your personality best.

4.  Dump the meetings: Traditionally, face-to-face meetings have been a requirement. Salespeople would go to cold calls where they had no clue if they were even welcome to be there at all, let alone could hope for a sale to close. But go they would. It’s very old-school and it is not automatically the only way to do business. It’s often the least productive way.

Same goes for employee meetings.  Ask yourself if a face-to-face is really the only and best way. If it’s not, do something else. Don’t let travel and perceived tradition restrict your productivity. Try webinars, tele-conferences, phone calls, video conferencing, IM and maybe even don’t have any “check-in” at all. Let your employees impress you with their initiative rather than report in on their compliance.

5. Systematize and automate: If you are doing the same task over and over, the same way, in the same circumstance, figure out a way to systematize or automate that task. Computers totally shine in these circumstances. Email autoresponders, automatic downloads, sales scripts, order entry checklists, outsourced virtual assistants, website FAQ’s (frequently asked questions) and interns work great. Use them. It’s fun once you make the adjustments.

I know I might sound harsh. I also realize that these suggestions fly in the face of traditional approaches.  I can own that. But, there is a method to my madness.

Why do I feel so strongly about this? It’s because I know what you are capable of, the  brilliance that is there to be tapped. Playing small does no one any good. Fully stepping into the best use of your best skills can literally revolutionize your world. And my world. Our world. Start today examining what you can leverage so that we can all enjoy the wonderful fruits of your labor. Please? Pretty please? 

Together, we are stronger.
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman

My Favorite Books About Leveraging and Outsourcing

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity

This book made a huge difference for me in organizing my office, desk top, filing system and my focus. It’s an gentle read with practical, step-by-step processes to help you get going and keep going more productively.

 
The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich

I’ve recommended this book before–it has changed my entire work philosophy. Don’t let your skepticism stop you from embracing the idea that you can design and live the life of your dreams, with time to do as you will and deep job satisfaction too. 

                                       Be sure to check out Tim’s blog entry about “Time Bind”

Fairy tales are very seductive and attractive. So are magical wand techniques. Most compelling are the fairy Godmother “save the day” answers. Although I do hold a personal belief in magic, I don’t rely on it as my only tool. I witness it when I see it and celebrate it when it touches me, but I don’t build my business on it. But, there’s something else I believe in even less and that’s hard work.

Most coaches will tell you it’s hard work that brings success, but I don’t think so. You see, I think that approach is even more shakey than relying on magic. Yes, as a woman entrepreneur, you are going to spend time and effort working on and in your business. But, if you are having to work harder and harder in your business to get anywhere, you are doing something wrong.

If there is no joy in the time you spend, you are wasting your opportunity. If there is no deep rooted passion in your purpose for being an entrepreneur in the first place, you might as well pack it up and go home. Throwing more hours at it won’t make an uninspired and heartless approach any better. Drudgery doesn’t equal profit.

Working a lot of hours doesn’t equal results either. One of the biggest challenges I see women entrepreneurs facing is the reluctance to delegate, to take the role of leader rather than worker bee. If you are not concentrating your time and effort on the most leveraged activity in building your business and creating reliable revenue streams, you are throwing good time and money after bad. Stop that today. Get help, make room in your plan for people to take up some tasks for you, and focus every day on freeing yourself up from the day to day work. Today is the day to transform yourself into a visionary. Work less to make more.

I can hear some of you screaming “But you have to work hard to make it!” or “But I ‘love’ my work, what do you mean do less?”.  I am suggesting you are better off  using your creativity rather than your sweat. I am encouraging you to stop doing tasks that you are not amazingly great at doing. Get rid of the busy work, the distracting filler material and the low return activities. These types of activities do not move you forward. It’s a fallacy that the level of difficulty you “conquer” is a badge of honor.

Tomorrow we will discuss how to cut out time wasters and work less to make more. Until then, sprinkle fairy dust when you can and work smarter, not harder. Be inspired and get back in touch with what you truly hope to accomplish with your work. The practical stuff can be delegated. The passion is yours alone.

Together, we are stronger.
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman

In our modern times, you could make the argument that people are becoming a consumable commodity. ATMs, self-checkout lines and more point to the idea that less human interaction, with less ”please” and “thank you”, is occurring. How do clients feel about this apparent trend?

To some, they feel devalued. To others, they’d rather do things themselves. But, even the DIY crowd still appreciates a sincere smile and greeting. Why does a huge warehouse discount store like a Super Walmart’s have door greeters? They know the value of making you feel appreciated, so they compensate for the lower level of service in the aisles themselves with a human hello. They want you to remain their customer.

How do you do it? Do you treat your customers like a slab of beef? Or, do your customers feel special when they interact with your business? What do you do to make your clients (and visitors) feel special? Does what you do actually make a person feel special or do you just think it does?

If you aren’t sure of how to solve this issue, here are a few suggestions that might help:

1.  Ask for feedback. Asking is the best way to find out an answer to a question. Be sure that your clients can answer anonymously so they will feel comfortable giving you bad news if you need to hear it. Try sending a survey in the mail so they see you took the extra step instead of sending of an email. And, do something about the problems they point out. Learn and change from it. Respond.

2.  Use courtesy. Say please, thank you, and use their name when you can (and when it’s appropriate). You don’t need to be overly friendly or artificially intimate. We’ve all had the used car salesperson experience where they say your name every two seconds and call you “buddy” or “my good friend”. Not good. But, a thank you letter (or email or phone call) for a purchase  (without ANY additional sales pitch in it) really speaks volumes.

3.  Train your staff (and yourself) to see your clients as people, not prospects. Value what and who people are, not just what they can do for you. The customer already knows you want to make a sale—heck, they want to buy!–but it’s a shift in mindset to see the person first and the action second. You will behave differently if you do this. Eliminate language that denegrates a person down to commodity level–prospect, lead, mark, for example. Who wants to be a mark? No one, so don’t use that language. Quota talk and numbers games do not respect people. Your staff will follow your lead so do a reality check of yourself and how you communicate sales level expectation throughout your company. Think people not targets.

4.  Give the pitch a rest already! Every email you send should not contain a direct sales pitch. It’s called the breathe technique and living things breathe. Breathe in (relax, don’t push, provide value) and breath out (provide an offer). Depending upon your audience, it might be a 1:1 ratio or it might be 3:1 but, give your clients a rest from pushing to buy. Give them something of value to demonstrate your respect and appreciation for them. It can be educational, or a gift (with no strings attached, including an opt-in) or just a hello, we appreciate you email. If you always act like all they ever do for you is buy, you will lose. They will opt-out, they will go somewhere else, or worse, they will ignore your message. Regardless, you just lost your chance.

It’s not the Golden Rule you need to apply, but the Platinum Rule–treat others how they want to be treated. If you do, you will succeed. And, in the spirit of this post, thank you for stopping by. I am glad you came.

Together, we are stronger.
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman