I am happy to announce today that I will be launching a SmartWoman Store. It’s in the design stage but I need YOUR help in designing i!

Yesterday, I met with a business coach who recommended I open up the idea to my wider audience sooner rather than later. So, that’s what I’m doing. Would you help?

The basic idea is that I want an online store that allows me to create and sell products to support female entrepreneurs. I want to maintain the integrity of my blog conversation, so as I have tried in the past (and rejected), I won’t be weaving affiliate products within my blog posts. I want you to know that when I recommend a software tool or book or person, that I do so because I believe in it, not because I get any kind of kickback. To me, that is basically “nickle and dime-ing” you and I don’t want to conduct business that way. It’s much more delicious to me to involve you in the selection of the products, the creation of the products, and the way the whole thing is put together. I envision a unique, custom made approach that lets us all add to the commerce conversation.

Here are some of the ideas floating around already in my head, on the drawing board (and maybe the chopping block?)  – please add to them as you see fit.

Ideas for some potential items for the store:

• Message and graphic t-shirts (empowerment, beautiful, fun)
• Other graphic & logo items – mouse pads, coffee mugs, calendars, posters, etc to build solidarity between SmartWomen everywhere (as well as put an encouraged, confident and empowered smile on your face)
• Digital How-To Products to help you live a passionate life doing meaningful work (entrepreneur training, software apps, coaching, business building and systems)
• Items from the international marketplace of women entrepreneurs (to provide a wider customer base and market place to sell these goods). This could include jewelry, fabrics, pottery, artword/photography etc.
• Whatever you want me to stock – insert your desires in the comments below!

Some of the business process techniques include the following:

• A daily or weekly offering, like Woot or Groupon, for a special, limited time great price
• Open up the vendor opportunity to any SmartWoman entrepreneur who wishes to participate – a virtual trade show and marketplace of  fabulous women entrepreneurs’ goods
• Voting on T-shirt designs by the community, a la Threadless, and carry the stock on the winner. This could also include design contests where the community votes up your design and the winning design gets manufactured.
• Subscription service for the digital goods so you pay one monthly price to have access to the library of training products
• A portion of the proceeds go to a women’s empowerment charity – microlending organization like Kiva, or education organization like WomenForWomen. This could change monthly.

I don’t want to suck the oxygen out of this conversation by stating all the crazy ideas me and my coach talked about yesterday – I’d rather hear what YOU have to say, so sound off in the comments below. And, thank you in advance for your help. I am excited about this new adventure!

Together, we are stronger!
Vicki Flaugher, CEO

p.s. Follow the newest @SmartWomanStore twitter account to help get me going! (please, pretty please, with sugar on top?)

Embrace your flaws as a marketing strategy? Yes, that’s what I said.

If you feel confused by social media, or get overwhelmed by your business tasks, or maybe yearn for the good ‘ol days when people wrote letters and didn’t know what a crackberry was, then here’s a thought – you aren’t the only one. And, if you’re not the only one, there’s probably a market that needs your help dealing with that very same struggle.

When you identify a flaw in yourself – maybe you see it as a barrier or maybe an old fashioned badge of honor for how things “should” be done – then remember that there are others out there like you. Use the feelings you have to dig deeper into the emotional triggers of your potential clients. Use the coping tools and solutions you find as an example for others. Use your viewpoint, even if you feel it’s something you need to shift, as a starting point for better understanding the needs and work flow of your customer.

Process is everything. By fully embracing your own growth and discovery process and sharing the results (and yes, the struggles and failures) through your online persona, you allow people a bird’s eye look into how you think. Demonstrating your values, becoming one of us instead of a stand offish always right guru allows for others to fall in love with what you do. And, they will even fall in love with those flaws.

Go on, now….go give yourself and all your beautifully imperfect flaws a big, juicy hug. If that feels silly or someone sees you with a funny look on your face, just tell them you’re tweeting. They’ll leave you alone!

As a professional entrepreneur, it’s important to hear what your market is telling you. Even if it hurts your feelings, or is an unexpected reaction, or you don’t quite understand it, you have to listen and respond as appropriate. Your audience knows what they want and you must respect that.

For the last week or so, I added an opt-in gift report for female entrepreneurs. Many clicked on the link to see it yet very few downloaded it. Several women who did have told me they enjoyed it very much, but I feel disappointed that so many didn’t even try it. 

For the record, I believe in a zero tolerance SPAM policy. I do not share, sell, or rent my contacts. I am a die hard advocate for permission-only based marketing. I do not want you to feel anything other than confidence, joy and anticipation when you visit this community.

So, why did my report not get downloaded?

• It could be a matter of trust–perhaps I have not built enough trust yet with my audience for them to believe I would not mishandle their personal information.
• It could be a matter of value–perhaps the perceived value of the offered gift was not sufficient to compensate my audience for what they felt were giving.
• It could be a matter of relevance–perhaps what I was writing wasn’t pertinent to those visiting.
• It could be….something else that I have not identified.

Truth is, I don’t know for sure. But, I know I need to do something to fix it. And, I would highly recommend that, if you have a product, service, or offer that hasn’t worked out like you’d hoped, that you take a moment to adapt to what your market is telling you and fix it as well.

To be successful as an entrepreneur, you have to be willing to ask the tough questions. Even as painful as it might be to see something you created fail, you have to be willing to respond to the feedback you receive. You are doing yourself and your clients a great disservice if you don’t.

In the spirit of building trust and providing value, I have made my report available without having to provide your name and email, in case that was a contributing factor. Simply click on the link below to read the report.

The Emerging Woman Entrepreneurs Top 10 Questions to Ask (and Answer) Today 

I hope you enjoy it. I intended it to be useful. I sincerely hope it adds value to your experience, but you’ll have to decide that for yourself. I am open to hearing all feedback. Let me know what you think so I can grow, ok? I’d be grateful for your help.

Thank you for visiting here. I could not do what I do without you.

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

p.s. If any of the readers here went to the report page and decided not to sign up, I’d be delighted to know why. You can email me privately or post here. It’s important to me that I provide trust, value, and relevance here. Your feedback is welcomed and encouraged.

I am an admitted “foodie”. I love eating yummy food, I love cooking it, and I watch all the cable TV shows too. I don’t care for brussel spouts but overall, I am game for just about anything.

As I was watching Iron Chef Morimoto battle today, it occurred to me that the Iron Chef challenge is a lot like being an entrepreneur. You get to choose your challenger, normally someone who is experienced and ahead of you in the market. Much like identifying your competition in your niche, you can be very strategic about who you choose to go head to head with in battle. You size them up, identify their strengths and weaknesses, and pick where you feel you can excel. You rise to the challenge of their quality as you face a worthy adversary.

Next, the secret ingredient! You don’t know what’s getting thrown at you but you are required to work with it and make spectacular dishes with it.  For an entrepreneur,  your secret ingredient is your client’s needs and wants. Once you know what those needs and wants are, you have the basic information you need to develop the products and services that satisfy them. You have to apply your creativity, walking the fine line between traditional presentation and forward thinking inspiration, offering innovation that your clients can relate to as well as be lifted up by.

Don’t forget that 60 minute clock! You probably have more time than a mere hour to develop your products, but truth is, fresh is good and action is even better. Implementation to market is one of the biggest challenges of entrepreneurs. Set a mental clock and plate your dishes–your market is waiting so set a deadline and meet it. Doing your best is enough, even if it’s not perfect.

At last you get to the judges. Your market place and clients tell you what they think and they vote with their dollars. They admire uniqueness but be careful making trout ice cream unless your market is trout ice cream lovers (pretty small market, I think). Your clients will appreciate new twists on classic standards and they want to see that you really considered their situation in your solution.

A winner is scored for taste, plating, and originality, so focus on all three. Make sure the substance of your offering is on point, but don’t forget about presentation. Put your personal flair into it, developing your unique selling proposition, always focusing on your clients rather than just being different. Different may be just what your market needs, so it’s not that you can’t be wildly innovative.  Just be sure that you are focused on giving your clients what they are seeking rather than fulfilling a personal ego desire.

Lastly, you get to be applauded and celebrate. Even if you don’t win, you gain experience, notoriety and popularity and you continue to build your reputation of excellence. So, enjoy your win and begin again tomorrow. Everyone knows that even the best chefs are only as good as their last meal. Continue to be challenged by the changing desires of your market, keep your knife sharpened, and love what you do. Bon apetite!

Vicki Flaugher

p.s. By the way–Iron Chefs all have 2 sous chefs. Get the help you need, people whose skill and integrity you trust, and you will get everything done. No one does it alone, so don’t pretend you can. Teamwork is a sign of a true professional.