More Than WE Know

One of the key challenges of running a small business is cash flow. The opportunities abound but you don’t always have enough cash to take advantage of them:

• You have orders piling up, but not enough cash to buy raw materials
• You could be more productive if you had better equipment, but can’t afford the investment
• You could get more done if you hired an assistant, but you don’t have enough money short-term to make the payroll.

These are the challenges faced by the Women Entrepreneurs I work with. These are also the challenges faced by the entrepreneurs who come to the Kiva organization.

Kiva is a non-profit organization that connects entrepreneurs in economically depressed areas with people like you and me.

Kiva partners with local micro-finance institutions to identify entrepreneurs who would benefit from a short-term micro loan (usually $150 -$1200 USD paid back in 6 to 12 months).

These loans help the entrepreneurs grow their businesses and obtain sustainable success.

While Kiva works with both male and female entrepreneurs, microfinance investments have traditionally helped Women Entrepreneurs. Many organizations find that women are very responsible about repaying the loans and invest the profits in ensuring a better life for themselves and their children.

According to Kiva:

“Microfinance programs have generally targeted poor women. By providing access to financial services only through women—making women responsible for loans, ensuring repayment through women, maintaining savings accounts for women, providing insurance coverage through women—microfinance programs send a strong message to households as well as to communities.

Many qualitative and quantitative studies have documented how access to financial services has improved the status of women within the family and the community. Women have become more assertive and confident. In regions where women’s mobility is strictly regulated, women have become more visible and are better able to negotiate the public sphere. Women own assets, including land and housing, and play a stronger role in decision making.

In some programs that have been active over many years, there are even reports of declining levels of violence against women.” (CGAP)

The women themselves report increased confidence and levels of self-esteem as they develop control over their own lives.

Kiva accepts loans of $25 USD. You select the entrepreneur you want to help, track their repayment process and get reports on their business progress. When the loan is repaid, Kiva returns your funds or enables you to re-loan the money to another entrepreneur.

Women Entrepreneurs have the ability to change the world, More Than WE Know.

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What an interesting week it has been! Last week I decided that I had been setting my goals all wrong.

Being a naturally ambitious person, setting goals around tasks, only fed my natural inclination to pack as many “to do’s” into my day as possible.  Let’s face it, it really wasn’t much of a challenge for me to get a lot done. 

What was a challenge for me, was taking the time to take care of my health - my “to be’s” if you will.  I have a long history of “doing a lot” and sacrificing my health - sleep, eating patterns and exercise in order to get it done.

Recently, that had begun to catch up with me.  This week I tried an experiment of just assuming the “to do’s” would get done and instead setting my goals around how I wanted “to be” - which was healthier.  The results were interesting.

First, I succeeded in eating healthy foods and getting enough sleep. I’m still getting over my illness so I didn’t exercise as much as I intend to in the near future.  But still, I definitely focused on “being” first, and “doing” second.

The result? I really couldn’t see much difference in the amount that I got done when I was working around the clock and this week when I was putting more boundaries around my work hours. 

Could it have to do with Parkinson’s Law that “work expands to fill the time available for it”?

The other interesting thing was that I added two new clients this week - and they practically fell into my lap!  It makes me wonder about the power of energy.

Since I was taking better care of my health - did I give off better energy that others were drawn to?

So, I’m enjoying this experiment. I certainly feel a lot better. And I’m going to continue it into next week.

How about you? Are you putting your health first and your business second? Or the other way around? What would it take for you to make yourself a priority?  

For more on the power of energy in connecting with others, see:

Networking with Passion

Many Women Entrepreneurs I speak to shy away from networking because they think of it  as a means to an end -  a way to further a professional or personal goal. In this context, it can feel one-sided and extremely uncomfortable. I have even heard one say that networking makes her feel like a ‘user’ because her  intention  is always  to ask for something.  Similarly, other women have expressed concern that they will be rejected when approaching even those with whom they have enjoyed long-term relationships.

It is understandable that from these, as well as other, negative perspectives, many Women Entrepreneurs elect to minimize or avoid the networking process.

By contrast a friend of mine, Wendy, looks at networking very differently. In fact from her perspective, she does not focus on “networking” at all. Wendy simply gains pleasure and recognition from assisting others in overcoming what they see as insurmountable roadblocks.

(Hmmm… looked at another way, Wendy enjoys filling a need for others. This is actually a foundation principle of marketing. Provide a product or service that fills a need for your target market.)

According to Wendy she “focuses on continually creating, maintaining and expanding multidirectional, win-win relationships where she is either directly the master or the pivotal facilitator of positive outcomes. The result? A labyrinth of personal connections that would be any networker’s dream. “

This became clear to me the other day when Wendy shared the following story with me. 

“I was on the train,” she began.

“You were networking on the train!” I exclaimed.

As background, the train she was referring to was the commuter train out of New York city. Each night it is filled with exhausted and stressed passengers making their way home to a late dinner and a few more hours of work before bedtime. Like most people I work, read or doze on my commute - but apparently Wendy networks.   

“How exactly did that work?”, I asked.

“Well, I asked him if I could borrow the paper. Then we started chatting. When I heard some of the challenges he was having, I listened even more completely, focused on all that he said. I offered understanding comments throughout and saw him relax a bit as he opened up to me, a virtually complete stranger.

It made me feel great to help relieve his obvious frustration, just by the action of truly listening and acknowledging what he said. As he was about to get off the train, I offered him my card and asked him what he did for a living. It turned out that he was a perfect candidate for my consulting services. The rest, as they say, was history.”

“That’s amazing!” I replied, shaking my head in wonder.

But in reality, it wasn’t amazing. Things like this happen to Wendy all of the time. I see her as a natural networker. She sees herself as a natural connector and problem solver. She is so passionate about what she does and believes so wholeheartedly in her ability to help that she can’t resist engaging people in conversation. I don’t know how much they remember of what she says, but I know they remember her passion and her sincere interest in helping them. And that is something they know doesn’t happen very often.

I asked Wendy to give me her best networking tips. It was a challenge for her because she does it so naturally - but she did come up with some good advice:

• Really believe in the value you bring and let your enthusiasm show.
• If you can bring direct value to the person you meet, go for it! 
• If you can help that person by connecting them with someone else, don’t hesitate to do that! 
• Stay in touch. Relationships are not the same as one-night stands.       
•  Follow the “5 foot rule” – when you do speak with someone within 5 feet of you - consider how you can help them.  Also, consider that they have the potential to be a customer, refer a customer or help another customer of yours.       
• Always carry your business cards – by following the above tips, you will always need them So there you have it.

By following those tips you too can “train” yourself to network naturally, anytime and anyplace! (sorry - just couldn’t resist the pun!)

What challenges do you face in being a natural networker? How are you working to overcome them?

Please comment below or email me at Liz(at)Morethanweknow(dot)com.

 One of the fortunes of being a Woman Entrepreneur in the 21st century is that we get to have role models to inspire us.  A generation before us, women were making things up as they went along with no indication whether or not what they were doing made sense.   As intimidating as that may sound, it had a certain appeal to singular, free-spirited, strong-minded individuals.  And it is to those bold, courageous women that many of us owe our inspiration as entrepreneurs.

One such inspiration for me has always been Anita Roddick, the founder of the Body Shop. Anita was one of the orignators of the idea of doing business to do good.  Ecological principles were a foundation of her business with its philosophy of re-use, re-fill and re-cycle. Later, she expanded her social activisim to include human rights, animal rights and sustainable environmental practices. 

Anita traveled the world to gain inspiration and to give assistance.  She was an author, a speaker, a teacher, and an activist.   She was an example for Women Entrepreneurs everywhere who want to achieve success and help the world to be a better place.

Anita passed away Monday from a brain hemorrhage, at the age of 64.  She lived every day of her life as if each moment counted - daring to do all the things that most of us only dream of.

In recent years, Anita maintained a blog that espoused her personal beliefs and strong opinions as well as represented her sense of fun and enthusiasm. 

Anita was a role model for those of us who continue in her spirit. In her words:

“Join me: I want to connect with people who share my outrage over the menace of global business practices, and who, like me, are seeking solutions. But I also want to tell - and hear, from you - stories that lift our spirits, that celebrate how glorious our planet is. Outrage and celebration - let’s run this gamut together.”

In the spirit of outrage and celebration, I invite you to journey with me as we build our businesses, create success for our families, and work together to make the world a better place.

Woke up this morning to a gray, rainy day in Manhattan - my hotel room overlooking Ground Zero.  My heart goes out to the victims of that day and to their families who have had the courage to continue.   My heart goes out to all victims of violence everywhere.  May you find the courage to continue.

“The pot flower sitting on the windowsill

speaks to me in words that are green-tinged red leaves:

Flower flower flower flower

Today for the sake of all who have gone before you

Burst into flower. ”

- Muriel Ruykeyser