Canadian Small Business Women

Connection, Synergy, Community

Mind Your Copy

 

Copy, like photocopy or copy paper? Not exactly. The type of copy I’m referring to is the written words used for the purpose of advertising and other forms of marketing. An individual who specializes in this field of work is called a copywriter, and the product they produce is called copy.

As a small business it can be difficult to land new clients especially when you’re just starting out. You literally have seconds to make a good first impression. Any type of content you put out into the world, should have the intention to persuade potential customers as to why they should try out your business as an option.

The AIDA Marketing Model

The AIDA or AIDAR model is one of the best-known marketing models used by copywriters. AIDA(R) is an acronym for the buyer stages of Awareness, Interest, Desire, Action and sometimes Retention. This system can be used as the basis for a marketing plan as it outlines the steps that a buyer goes through when deciding to purchase a product or even to simply subscribe or follow a brand on social media. A buyer can go through all of these steps within minutes or they may take months or even years to convert.

The funnel illustration is generally the same for any kind of sales related tasks. The data that you need to be paying attention to for any campaign you implement are your conversion rates. How many of those aware at the top of the funnel actually went through the stages in their head and made a decision to take an action? The conversion rate is really a jump off point. From there, you keep tweaking and testing to see what you can do to increase those conversion rates and get more buyers.

In the case of copywriters they must make sure that their copy is clear rather than clever, and has the ability to take readers through all of these steps very quickly. The rule is, if you try to write to everybody, you’re really speaking to nobody. Always write to appeal to your ideal customer. Create a persona for them complete with their demographics, interests, and the kind of lifestyle they have. Research to see where your ideal client is most likely to hangout online. Find out their pain points and use the same language that they use to market to them. They’ll feel like you’re talking to them directly, and will be like a moth to a flame.

Areas for Improvement

Can you pinpoint a few areas in your business that could use a copy facelift? I hope your response is, everywhere. If you haven’t already done so, take your USP and your ideal customer avatar and go through all of your copy. Does it speak to that person directly? Is the call to action strong enough, have you told them exactly why they need what you’re offering and what they should do next?

Your website is full of copy, but if the copy doesn’t convert, what good is it? People go on websites these days to get contact information, addresses, and maybe see the services or prices being offered and they’re gone. What are they supposed to do there if it’s a static website and it’s not an online shopping portal? Instead of boring websites, think landing pages that direct visitors to take a specific action.

How’s your email marketing conversion rates? Effective copy starts from the top: the subject line. The body of your email doesn’t exist if you can’t even get the recipients to open the email from the subject line and preview. Do you even have an email list? What do people get for opting into your email list? Email is still king regardless of what people say. That’s why now when you checkout at certain brick and mortar locations, also known as “offline shopping”, your cashier may ask you to input your email into their system. Coincidence, I think not! This is how you stay in the face and top of mind of your customers.

How’s your social? This is a game changer, if you’re not on social media, you’re missing out. This is how you build that know, like, and trust factor with individuals. Interact with them and be active. Figure out what platform your ideal client uses and get in their faces. Don’t try to be on too many platforms, focus on the ones where your customers would most likely hang out. Do it, and do it well.

The list can go on and on. Think print advertisement, the copy on your product descriptions, radio ads, and tv commercials. The work professionals do in this growing field is very important. It’s not about having academic literary skills, as those ones actually find copywriting difficult. It’s about writing words that appeal to and attract your target buyers.

What will grab their attention and speak to their innermost emotions and desires and make them feel like the words written are for them directly and will have them jumping at whatever offer you’re making. You need to SLAP them. Yes, it’s aggressive I know, but you need to have your copy slap them in the face. They need to stop, look/listen, act, and purchase. Please, don’t actually ever slap your customer though. Thanks.

Key Takeaways

As a small business woman, you need to make your moves strategically and make them count. Learn about copywriting for each individual platform. If you’re able, get help from a freelancer or seek an intern who is knowledgeable in regards to digital marketing.

Make a swipe file for yourself. A swipe file is just a collection of content that you pull inspiration from. If you receive an email that prompted you to make an action, save it. Learn from it and see how you can implement the same things in your emails. Take pictures of any ads you see, or screenshot any webpages or social media posts that grabbed your attention. Use this to fine tune your own content.

The whole point of this goes back to AIDA. We need to start using our words to attract and build awareness about our brands, our products or our causes. You want viewers to be so interested that they want to share it with the people they know, have them ready to pull out their wallets and are ready to take action. And once they’ve made that decision, you’ll retain them and keep reminding them why you and your business is awesome, and why they should continue to ride with you.

 

Chadene Mbouogno is an Ontario Mortgage Agent with The Mortgage Coach, the lead Lending Specialist at her company CM Lending, and also manages the Blog BelleChavel.com. She is passionate about helping small business owners get the funding they need to propel their business forward through alternative lending. She has worked closely with start-ups, transportation and logistics companies, manufacturing and staffing agencies to manage their cashflow issues.

Instagram : @ChadeneM   https://www.instagram.com/chadeneM/  //

@CMLending https://www.instagram.com/cmlending/

Email: chadene@themortgagecoach.ca

CM Lending Website : www.cmlending.ca

Mortgage Website : www.chadenembouogno.ca

Does Brand Reputation Even Matter Anymore?

Brand reputation will matter in any year as long as businesses rely on customers to be successful (so… always).

Consumers are more opinionated than ever before and it’s because they are armed with so much more information (whether it’s true or not). Everyone is facing increasingly aggressive dialogue about discrimination and social ideologies, and the mob mentality that comes with empowered social media users. As a result, consumers are questioning every move that brands make. Really, people are looking for complete honesty and transparency and to support brands that share the same values and ethics that they do. Over 80% of consumers want to trust the brands that they buy from.

That is why your brand reputation matters more than ever in 2020.

What is brand reputation?

Brand reputation is a fancy term for how other people see your brand. It’s their opinion of you. Brands with a great reputation are generally seen as trustworthy, which leads to larger communities of loyal customers. On the other hand, a bad reputation will negatively affect your sales and you will find that your customers are always looking for the next best thing because they aren’t loyal to your brand at all.

What will negatively affect your brand reputation?

The biggest mistake you can make is thinking you can pull the wool over your target audience’s eyes. Here are six things that will hurt your brand reputation:

  1. Buying fake followers and/or fake engagement on social media – bots can also be the end of you.
  2. Creating a social responsibility program as a response to a rumor.
  3. Trying to cover up or “spin” a story so it just goes away rather than dealing with the issue at the core of your brand or business.
  4. Partnering with influencers or other brands that you haven’t vetted or that you know aren’t fully aligned with your own brand values.
  5. Not taking a stand against hatred and bigotry.
  6. Taking a sales-first or a me-first mentality.

How do you get a better brand reputation?

With all of the security breaches and secret data collection being reported what seems like almost daily, it is going to take more than a flashy marketing campaign to get your target audience to see your brand in a different light. There are five things that you need to do to make sure you have a great brand reputation:

  1. Continuously think of how you can offer more value to your target audience – whether it’s through great content, a better product, or a better customer experience.
  2. Build transparency into your core communication strategy – you never want to lie to your customers, and omitting information is also not great.
  3. Build a brand and stay true to yourself rather than changing to fit what you think others want to hear.
  4. Align yourself with a cause that is meaningful to both you as a brand, but also your target audience.
  5. Partner with influencers that your audience trusts – 63% of consumers trust them more than they do you as a brand.

Have you really looked at how your audience sees you versus how you see yourself as a brand?

Candace Huntly is Founding Partner at SongBird Marketing Communications, an award-winning agency working to take organizational and individual brands to the next level. With a passion for all things related to creativity and strategy, she specializes in business intelligence, marketing & branding, content strategy & development, media & influencer relations, and social media. Basically, if you need to put your brand, product, or cause in the public eye, she will find a way to do it, while making the approach unique to you.

Connect with Candace

Sign up for our free 20-minute consultation and we’ll help you figure things out.

A version of this article was originally posted to the SongBird Marketing Communications blog.

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Do you implement customer service?

As business owners are you providing great customer service to your clients or future clients? If you are sitting their pondering, well its understandable. As business owners we sometimes customer service is overshadowed by our extremely busy schedules.

As business owners are you providing great customer service to your clients or future clients? If you are sitting their pondering, well its understandable. Sometimes customer service is overshadowed by our extremely busy schedules.

Let’s not forget that we need our customers, no customers no business so we should treat them the best. Your customer/clients are working with you because they love your product or services.

When you have customer loyalty, you will have ongoing relationships with customers that generates. The quicker you can deliver value, the more likely you are to build trust and loyalty with customers.

 

Customer Service Represents Your Brand!

You may know what your brand represents, but when it comes to customers, they cannot read minds. An assumption will be made based on what you provide or show on social media, advertisements and other marketing strategies. Customer service is your connection to your clients/customers. As an owner this lays your responsibility of representing your brand, with customer service theirs direct communication.

 

Great Customer Service Equals Happy Customers.

Let’s be real for a second. We are all customers before anything, we all want to have amazing service. As a customer I am influenced by every single experience with a brand/business. Once it is a positive experience I will be raving and spreading the word.

Whereas a horrid experience not a peep, I would go to your business competitor. When customers experience wonderful service, they’re more likely to spread the good word of your business. Customers will be your best and cheapest form of advertising.

There are hundreds of comparisons, the importance is what your business/brand brings to the table. So, by providing a stellar customer service experience your brand/business can most definitely be differentiated by customers. Remember that loyalty is rooted in trust, this ensures a life-long relationship with your business.

 

What Is Your CLV (Customer Lifetime Value)?

This one is very important for business owners. CLV is the total revenue expected from one customer. Once this grows it signifies that customers are purchasing from your business frequently. Therefore, it is imperative to invest in your customers experience.

Once you have this practice down, new customers are more trustworthy of your business which results in up-selling or cross-selling of additional products. It is all about trust in this game, customers will surely recommend your products that truly reflects their needs. Which will create a smoother purchasing experience.

 

Having Great Customer Service Is An Advantage When Owning A Business.

It’s only natural that we want to stand out, it doesn’t matter the industry we are in we want to be the best. After all nobody strives to be “just ok” at something. You want to be better and better than every other company, even your competitors. And of course, you want your customers to know, that’s the key to keeping customers loyal and ensuring they interact with your brand/business.

Customer service is an excellent way for your company to be distinguished as mention prior. In fact, customers are willing to stop doing business with one poor customer service experience. If the customer issues are resolved during the first mishappens, there is a chance they will return.

By providing excellent customer service, you will retain your customers. It’s indisputable that, positive customer service can make your company the best version of itself. The ability to communicate directly with customers can totally revolutionize your company and grow your brand.

 

                 About Jan “La-la” Dale

My name is Jan “La-La” Dale, I am a photographer, web and graphic designer. I own a photography and videography company called (Rue Studios). With my experience in the corporate world for 10+ years, I was training employees and employers in customer service and client relations.

After opening Rue Studios, I realised that as entrepreneurs and business owners we forget the importance of customer service and client relations. I hope you all take something from my experiences and implement it in your growing business.

Social media links @itslaladale
Email: jan.dale369@gmail.com

5 ways to start 2020 off right with your customers

2020 is right around the corner. It’s a fresh start for some business owners who almost want to wipe the slate clean and a means to kick up existing strategies to the next level for others who think what they are doing is working well. Regardless, you should absolutely review your current strategy to make sure that what you are doing is working for you in the best way possible.

For 2020, think about your customer relationships and how you can start things off right with them in the new year. Here are 5 ways to do customer relationships right in 2020.

#1: Real talk

There is a reason why influencers are throwing out the carefully curated images they have worked so hard to cultivate… Your audience is looking for real interactions with real people. Just because you are using your brand voice doesn’t mean you can’t be genuine in your interactions with your audience. Show your human side – it’s ok to be flawed as long as you own up to it.

#2: Stand for something

We live in a really divided world and chances are your customers are not sitting on the fence. Find a cause that is meaningful to both you and your audience and take a stand. Cause marketing gives you many fun opportunities to integrate messaging that resonates with your audience into your own strategy. Your customers will appreciate you for taking their values into consideration.

#3: Match your customer, not industry trends

Be a trend setter – but do it because you have adjusted your approach to match your customers. Maybe your niche doesn’t really fit the mold, or perhaps YOU don’t fit the industry mold. Standing out among your competitors will only help you, not hurt you. Plus, your audience will appreciate that you are connecting with them in a way they understand. This could mean making changes to your product or service offerings, how you deliver value to your customers, the language you use, your brand’s tone of voice, the marketing channels you communicate with, etc.

#4: Thank your customers more often

A simple thank you goes a long way. Showing you appreciate your customers is important because you want to build relationships based on mutual loyalty. Your customers want to know they can rely on you for great products and services and you want to know you can rely on them to keep coming back. Beyond saying thank you to them in emails, social media, and other marketing, consider starting a loyalty program that rewards them for sticking by your side.

#5: See 2020 as a fresh start

Overhaul your customer experience by finding out what’s not working. You can do this in a number of different ways. Internally, identify all touch points (any time they interact with your brand passively or actively) with your customers from the time they first discover your brand, to their first purchase, to their tenth purchase. Are you missing out on any opportunities? Are there any ways you can increase the number of touch points with them without feeling like you are pressuring them too much? Consider tactics like grassroots, boots on the ground marketing like flyering and experiential events, getting your product into brick and mortar stores, creating more VALUABLE content, and so much more. The key is figuring out what will resonate most with your audience.

A new year means new challenges and new wins ahead of you. It all starts with your customers and that means you need to take special care how you are building your relationships with them.

 

Candace Huntly is Founding Partner at SongBird Marketing Communications, an award-winning agency working to take organizational and individual brands to the next level. With a passion for all things related to creativity and strategy, she specializes in business intelligence, marketing & branding, content strategy & development, media & influencer relations, and social media. Basically, if you need to put your brand, product, or cause in the public eye, she will find a way to do it, while making the approach unique to you.

Connect with Candace

Sign up for our free 20-minute consultation and we’ll help you figure things out.

A version of this article was originally posted to the SongBird Marketing Communications blog.

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7 Ways To Create A Memorable Brand

 

Think of some of your most memorable brand experiences… Were they experiential? Was it something the said? Something they did? Now think of your brand. Do you know how to leave a great brand impression? Are you connecting with your target audience in a way that will help you grow a community of loyal customers?

Here are 7 ways to create a memorable brand and help you connect with your customers in a meaningful way.

1: Develop a strong value proposition

Figuring out who you are targeting and exactly what you have to offer them will be key to figuring out how to create a memorable brand!

2: Put some effort into your brand name

There are a lot of different ways you can come up with a brand name. You can use an existing word, combine words together, come up with a new word altogether, or use an acronym. Regardless of your approach, make sure you think it through and consider these things:

  • Make it personal. Your brand should mean something to you.
  • Keep it simple. Making up new words might sound unique, but you need to educate people more to help them remember it and how to spell it, which takes more resources. Not everyone can come up with a new word and make it stick…

Key Consideration: Brainstorm among your team or with a group of friends or fellow entrepreneurs to help get you on the right track.

3: Think through your visual identity

Your brand is more than just your logo. Before creating any sort of visual identity, you need to figure out what your audience will respond to. Get to know what they like and dislike through market research, social listening, and competitor research. Then you can use your findings to select your brand colours, fonts, and create an impactful logo and wordmark. Once you have your basic brand identity in place, figure out how you want people to see your brand by identifying the types of imagery you want to use and your social media presets (filters, colours, etc).

Key Considerations: Try to step outside of what your competitors are doing when possible to help differentiate yourself.

4: Create your brand personality

Even though you are a company, there is still a person behind the brand – and you are marketing yourself to other people. So think of your brand as a person who has a personality. Your brand personality has everything to do with how you make people feel, how others see you, and the impact you have on your industry, community, and important causes. Are you fun-loving and care-free, using a flippant, conversational tone? Or are you more serious with a professional tone? Regardless of your answer, the only right answer is one that will help you to connect on a deeper level to your customers.

Key Considerations: Take this brand quiz to figure out your brand personality.

5: Consider how your target audience sees you and how you make them feel.

You really should listen when your customers give any sort of feedback related to your brand, customer experience, and overall business dealings. It’s one thing to have an idea of how you want to come across, but it’s a totally different thing when you talk about how you ACTUALLY come across to your target audience.

Key Consideration: Introduce audience listening into your overall strategy.

6: Get comfortable telling your story, not what you do

People relate to and remember stories, but there are likely hundreds or thousands of other businesses who offer the exact same product/service that you do. That is why you should answer “why” instead of “what” when you talk about what you do. Focus on the benefits of your product/service offering rather than the features of what you have to offer.

Key considerations: Figure out the difference between your features and benefits to make a difference in how you talk about your brand.

7: Talk about your brand… a lot

When it comes to marketing your brand, if you want to have a memorable brand you can’t be shy and just hope people discover you. You have to engage with your target audience regularly and consistently. Stay on brand message so you don’t try to be all things to all people. You invested in developing a memorable brand, now let people get to know who you are.

Creating a memorable brand doesn’t have to be difficult, but you do need to put the work in to make sure you have a great business and brand foundation set up.

 

Candace Huntly is Founding Partner at SongBird Marketing Communications, an award-winning agency working to take organizational and individual brands to the next level. With a passion for all things related to creativity and strategy, she specializes in business intelligence, marketing & branding, content strategy & development, media & influencer relations, and social media. Basically, if you need to put your brand, product, or cause in the public eye, she will find a way to do it, while making the approach unique to you.

Connect with Candace

Sign up for our free 20-minute consultation and we’ll help you figure things out.

A version of this article was originally posted to the SongBird Marketing Communications blog.

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How To Grow Your Side Hustle: Four Top Tips

According to new research, the Canadian side hustle is on the rise.

The study by Vistaprint revealed that almost one-quarter (22%) of Canadians have already turned a creative hobby into a side hustle, while a further 60 percent aspire to do so in the future.

Despite many of these side hustles starting out small as a creative interest or hobby, they don’t have to stay small. In fact, of the respondents surveyed, over one-third (38%) hope to grow their business in the coming year.

But where do you begin if you are trying to grow your side hustle? Vistaprint asked successful side business owners for their top tips:

 

Identify growth opportunities

The side hustlers surveyed suggest focusing on the tasks that generate the most cash, as well as setting long-term goals. Looking ahead will help you take your business to the next level, as well as providing perspective on what products or strategies really bring in the most revenue.

You can start by focusing on the tasks that require the least effort but provide the most impact. This might mean scheduling social media posts which drive new sales, rather than responding to low-priority emails, or attending a networking event instead of redesigning a webpage which doesn’t get many visits. Working this way means that you’re less likely to get bogged down by tasks that don’t translate into revenue.

If your ultimate goal is to take your side hustle full-time, identify how much money you will need to be making each month to make that a reality, and brainstorm ideas for reaching that goal. Whether it’s expanding your product line or setting time aside to create a marketing plan, getting a clear idea of ways to grow your revenue will help create a realistic growth timeline.

If taking on more work isn’t a reality right now, creating long-term goals will still push your business into the next stage of growth. Whether you’re hoping to hire your first employee or redesign your website, having these objectives in mind will keep you focused on growth opportunities. Setting challenging, yet achievable goals will also help you feel motivated as you track your progress.

 

Get social media savvy

Social channels like Facebook and Instagram create great opportunities for growing your client base, so building a social media presence for your business is key.

It’s not just about promoting your products online, though. Make sure you create authentic two-way conversations with your customers and share content that they find engaging. A great way to test this is by monitoring your likes and comments on different posts to identify those that get the best response and engagement from your audience, then adapting your social media strategy accordingly.

If you’re not sure about what to share on social media, consider launching a blog where you can answer your customer’s questions. Quality is key here – focus on creating helpful, relevant posts rather than just writing several blog posts a week. If you’re not a natural writer, consider vlogging. You can create short videos about day-to-day life at your business, helping customers connect with your brand.

Facebook is also a great place to build a bank of positive reviews. Most customers are happy to leave a social media review if they are happy with your service – the key is asking for them!

 

Network with like-minded business owners

Networking with other successful business owners is a great way to motivate yourself and build a community to reach out to when you need advice.

Check out networking events in your local area you can attend, and have your business pitch ready, just in case! Brush up on your business card etiquette and be ready to hand out as many business cards as possible. After the event, go through all the business cards you collected and connect with people you met on LinkedIn, or email them to arrange another meet-up.

Keep in mind that networking is a two-way street – ensure you’re willing to help others as well as getting advice and support yourself.

 

Make sure it’s something you enjoy

A side hustle is the perfect opportunity to turn your passion into an income stream, and with more than one-third (38%) of Canadians reporting being unable to find a job related to their interests, it’s no surprise that more and more Canadians are turning a creative hobby into a business.

That said, there’s no denying that having a side hustle means putting in extra hours. In fact, the average Canadian side hustler spends 14 hours per week working on their business. This means that it’s especially important that you enjoy what you’re doing. Late night emailing, after hours brainstorming and cutting into your free time for work events won’t feel like such a chore if you’re truly passionate about what you’re building.

Your customers will respond to this passion for what you do – whether it’s spending more time curating your product line, or providing outstanding customer care, it won’t go unnoticed. Your enthusiasm will encourage customers not only to come back to your business in the future, but also to recommend your products or services to friends and family.

 

By scaling up your side hustle and taking steps to build your online and offline presence, you’ll find it easier to reach long term goals and transition from side hustler to full-time entrepreneur.

By Erin Shea, North American Market Lead at Vistaprint.

Vistaprint is the leading provider of customizable printed and digital marketing materials, empowering millions of Canadian small businesses of any kind to market themselves professionally and affordably.

In Praise of Women Entrepreneurs

 

Entrepreneurs have incredibly full lives. This is even more true for women entrepreneurs with familial responsibilities. Taking care of a home and family takes up more time than our society will ever acknowledge, and then there is the business we gave birth to that occupies most of our waking hours and keeps us up many nights!

I don’t know about you, but despite the many systems put in place over twenty-two years in business, there is always something I remember just as I start dozing off or before I even open my eyes in the morning. Something that needs to be attended to immediately and involves a customer, a supplier, or a team member! And holidays are never 100% holidays, because our business is in our phone and continues to cry for attention all year—and it usually cries harder when you say you are out of range!

Most of us wouldn’t dream of giving up our business for a soul-deadening J-O-B, but sometimes, just sometimes, a little voice asks us if it’s worth it. The voice is loud on days when you feel sick and can’t call in sick. It’s louder on a sunny Sunday when you would rather be out enjoying a stroll like everybody else but must work on a business plan, crunch numbers or develop a client proposal. It’s tinged with guilt on the days when you arrive late to the school activity or stay out for a business dinner and miss the bedtime routine. It’s heavy on the heart on evenings when you are alone in a sterile hotel room instead of snuggled up to a loved one. And it’s loudest of all when despite all your efforts, the bottom line is nothing to smile about and you have to explain to your family and friends why you refuse to hang up your shingle and go work for the government!

And yet, there is a pull to create that enterprise that carries your DNA, that has the potential to make a better life for yourself and your family. In our heart, we know we can make a difference in our community or even the world. There is the excitement of venturing into new territory. There is the challenge and opportunity of learning something new each day. There is the never-ending variety of the work. There is the victory dance when you win big and the thrill of hearing prospects saying yes again and again. There is the warmth of a customer conveying her appreciation and detailing the impact on her life. We entrepreneurs have the power to truly create our life and reinvent ourselves time and time again. What a blessing!

For those of us who are very stubborn like me and decide there is nothing like being your own boss, take heart! We are part of a growing community of women who work for themselves, work from home, work within structures created by us for us. We are shaping the future economy and setting the example for numerous young women following in our footsteps, who will be creating tracks of their own.

We have to remember that ours is not the lonely road we sometimes think it is. We have to know that whatever problem, obstacles, dilemma we have, other businesswomen have experienced and resolved. We have to realize that we all experience the same fears and learn to move forward anyway. I have found other businesswomen to be generous in their coaching and support. I have also never hesitated to take time to share a coffee and ideas with another woman entrepreneur. Maybe it’s a reflection of how women have been socialized, but we thrive in groups and networks where we give and also receive.

As difficult as it is to be a woman entrepreneur, keeping the home fires and the night oil burning, I wouldn’t trade my career for anything. And I know the same is true for most of you. I’m grateful to know so many women are out there making a difference with their passion and hard work, grateful to be a part of this dynamic and supportive community.

I want to thank Canadian Small Business Women for the opportunity to contribute to this blog for the last 6 months. I hope you will continue to reach out to each other and won’t hesitate to reach out to me, if I can be of service.

 

Dominique Dennery

Dennery Resources Inc.

Dominique Dennery is a bilingual coach, facilitator, and management consultant with over twenty years of experience. She has worked with everyone from young adults seeking direction, to mid-career executives looking to become more effective leaders, to high-level boards of directors and executive teams.

 

Co-Author A Book With Us!

Co-Author With Us

Share Your Inspirational Story in A Collaborative Book

ABOUT THE BOOKS
Book 1:
This book is all about inspiration and about changing the narrative of immigrant women world-wide. Learn about these women and how they overcame obstacles, paved pathways and found the courage to do what some thought was the impossible. The goal of this publication is to inspire women all over the world who thrive to become entrepreneurs.
Book 2:
This book is all about inspiration and about changing the narrative of all female entrepreneurs world-wide. Learn about these women and how they overcame obstacles, paved pathways and found the courage to do what some thought was the impossible. The goal of this publication is to inspire women all over the world who thrive to become entrepreneurs.
ABOUT YOUR LEAD AUTHOR
Dwania Peele is the Owner and Executive Director of Canadian Small Business Women. A lover of entrepreneurship, volunteering and networking, Dwania strives to inspire aspiring and current entrepreneurs in Canada. While having a Chemistry and Political Science training and education, Dwania is an entrepreneur at heart and has started 2 successful businesses since 2008. In 2013, Canadian Small Business Women began serving as a platform for aspiring and current small business women of Canada. Through e-courses, blogs, online chats, Seminars and Expos, CSBW provides avenues for entrepreneurs to showcase their expertise. Dwania continues to make an impact by appearing as guest speakers at various entrepreneur events and by guest appearances on Panels across the GTA to provide valuable insight to those in need.
WHY YOU?
If you are a woman who runs a successful business and have a story that is sure to inspire, then we would love to hear your story. So, you don’t think you are an author, not to worry. Just write your story. We have an editor on deck who will make it all seamless.
HOW WILL THIS WORK?
Requirements:
  • Submission Length: 15 – 20 pages, single spaced, Arial, 12pt
  • Material: 3 photographs – one being a headshot
  • Submission Deadline:
    • Book 1 Immigrant Women: September 30th, 2019
    • Book 2 Female Entrepreneurs: January 15, 2020
  • Submission Medium: Word Document
  • Investment: (to cover marketing materials and initial print costs): $100
  • Submit all requirements to info@canadiansmallbusinesswomen.ca
MARKETING:
  • Launch Date:
    • Book 1: Christmas Season 2019
    • Book 2: March 2020
  • Launch will include exclusive book signing and presentation
  • Author expectations
    • Promotions to your network leading up to book launch date for both Amazon online sales and in person book launch. Our goal is to build interest for an *Amazon 1 day selling rally to make it to the Amazon Best Selling List
    • Social media promotions, email promotions to your network encouraging them to come and see you and your co-authors at the Immigrant Women’s *Small Business Expo to take part in the exclusive book signing
  • We will provide all promotion and marketing material for the book which includes author specific marketing material
  • You will be able to purchase copies of the book at cost to sell to your network
Join us for this unique opportunity to tell your story.
Email us at info@canadiansmallbusinesswomen.ca for more details!

Mentorship: a Predictor of Success

During the summer, Diana Davies-Harju, the CMO of Magnifi asked me to talk about the benefits of working with a coach, and mentorship as part of strategic planning at SparkFest. Sparkfest was an evening of networking, learning and inspiration for young tech entrepreneurs.

I was happy to give the talk. Not only because talking to young entrepreneurs is a satisfying experience, but because I’m excited about the potential of Magnifi, too. Magnifi is an app for iPhone that connects people to expert mentors, on demand (the Android version is launching soon!). It’s like Skype or FaceTime, with a built-in meter, and it ties into what I wanted to say about mentorship.

Although these remarks were made to a young audience of high school and university students, the ideas apply to a broader audience so I’m putting it in writing and expanding upon it here.

Hard Knock (Business) Life

Anyone who has been following my blog over the past four or five years knows that I am an advocate for self-employment and entrepreneurship.

Recently, my brother reminded me of something our uncle used to say. “Whatever you do, make it your business,” he’d say, in his deep voice and a super-cool Jamaican accent. He was ahead of his time with his idea about doing what you’re good at and enjoy, knowing that the money will follow. He also appreciated the value of remaining in control of one’s destiny and livelihood.

In my opinion, it’s exciting and impressive to start or run your own business, at any age. But when you’re in high school or university, you don’t have as much education from the school of hard knocks as older entrepreneurs do. This means that you have your work cut out for you. Similarly, when you’re in the earlier stages of your career, there are lots of hidden obstacles that you only see in hindsight.

Thankfully, and especially currently, you really don’t have to learn everything the hard way. That’s a dangerous and expensive way to learn and grow a business or make progress in your career. It’s much smarter, safer, and cheaper, to learn as much as you can from others.

This is where I want to come back to Magnifi. One of the best qualities of the Magnifi app and community is it provides access to advisors and experts, across a range of domains. For instance, on the Magnifi platform, you can get career advice (from yours truly), dating and relationship advice (check out Susan Winter), or guidance on making the most of your media exposure (with support from Amber Nasrulla).

Magnifi gives you access to expertise and mentorship-by-the-minute when you need it. You can use it once, or you can use it once a day if you want to. Because you pay by the minute, it doesn’t have to be costly to bounce an idea off an expert. This also means that you don’t need to commit to a long-term arrangement or contract to get high-quality information or advice.

Mentorship is for Protégés

Some people are reluctant to ask for help because they think it’s a sign of weakness. In the world of entrepreneurship, weakness is a quality that most people avoid. I don’t consider participation in mentorship a weakness. Here’s why. In any mentorship relationship, there’s a mentor and a mentee or protégé. I prefer the term protégé because protégés are known for their talent and potential.

According to Walter Isaacson’s 2011 biography of Steve Jobs, Jobs had seven mentors. Yes, Steve Jobs was a protégé to no less than seven actual mentors. When I first learned this, I found it surprising, since Jobs had a reputation for being an independent thinking “tech cowboy.”

The folklore around Jobs was that he did what he thought was appropriate regardless of what others said or the trends of the day. The reality was different. He had several mentors for different stages and aspects of his life. One of his mentors was Robert Friedland whom he met while auditing university courses. Friedland taught Jobs about selling and persuasion, two skills that Jobs mastered and used throughout his life. Friedland also owned an apple orchard – that influence is obvious.

Bob Noyce was another of Jobs’ mentors. Noyce is credited with inventing the microchip and giving Jobs’ a tremendous insider’s perspective in the early days of the tech industry. A third mentor was a Zen Master named Kobun Chino Otagawa. Otagawa officiated at Jobs’ wedding. A more public and pervasive example of Otagawa’s impact is the minimalist design aesthetic that’s now one of the qualities for which Apple is known.

Clearly, the impact of these mentors is seen all over the business strategy that was so vital to the success of Apple. What’s also clear to me is that although much of the mythology around Jobs is his independent-tech-cowboy reputation for doing what he liked and not following others, he was influenced by his mentors.

Eventually, later in his career, Jobs evolved from being the protégé who received advice from several mentors to becoming a mentor to Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, and Sergey Brin and Larry Page, co-founders of Google.

One takeaway idea that comes from these examples of mentorship is that receiving mentorship shouldn’t be viewed as a sign of weakness, it should be seen as a predictor of greatness. So, whether you’re just starting your career or your business or you’ve been at it for a while, find ways to learn from mentors, formally and informally. We can all have multiple mentors and we can learn different things from different people.

 

Actions Speak Louder than Words

A second message that I shared with the young tech entrepreneurs is a lesson that I learned from an incidental mentor whom I met early on in my journey as a self-employed person. He said:

 “How you do something is how you do everything.”

In other words, how you do one thing is an indication of how you do everything. For example, a typo in an email, blog post, or a printed letter can easily be interpreted as a sign of carelessness. Failing to call or send an email that you promised to send is a signal that you’re unreliable.

On the surface, this is unusual advice to share with young tech entrepreneurs. Most people would focus on technology or business plans, and overlook this important detail. In my experience, this simple advice is very impactful. Not understanding and executing on this one notion can undermine the success of your product or service.

 

If you’re curious about mentorship and you’re not sure where to start, I invite you to contact me by email or book a free initial phone call. If you prefer messaging via social media, then send me a direct message on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.

Of course, I’m also on Magnifi.

More than career coaching, it’s career psychology®.

I/O Advisory Services – Building Resilient Careers and Organizations.

4 ways you might be getting too personal with your business social media

In an age of “authentic” marketing, it can be easy to see where brands might accidentally blur the lines between business and personal – especially if you’re a smaller business with a smaller team. When it comes to social media, because it’s supposed to be social and you are interacting with other humans, a personal touch is nice – but you have to remember you are still interacting as your brand and not you. You need to stick to your brand voice and your brand personality.

 

Here are four ways that you might be getting too personal with your business social media and why it might not work in your favour.

 

#1: Your brand is on a particular social media platform because you like it, not because your audience does

When you launch your business – and all of the decisions leading up to that moment – everything has to be about your customer. Your business can’t thrive if it doesn’t have customers. All of your marketing choices should be made based on your audience behaviour. If you are too focused on doing things just because you want to rather than listening to what they want, then you are likely missing the mark. If you have selected your social media platforms because you personally like them but you haven’t taken into account where your audience likes to hang out on social media, then you might be finding it hard to connect with them.

Perhaps you know how to use one specific social media platform but not the one you should actually be on. In that case, make sure you educate yourself or hire someone to do it for you!

#2: Every other photo on your brand account is of you, your friends, your baby, or your dog

It’s great to show the human side behind your brand, but if the majority of our content is TOO personal, then your audience won’t really get to know your brand. They will only get to know you as a person. People want to hear about your brand and what you have to offer, not what you did with your family on the weekend. You can absolutely do some behind the scenes shots of the day-to-day of your business, but make sure they are carefully curated and inserted into your content strategy.

#3: You use your business accounts to regularly post political rants

We live in a very politically charged climate. Politics are one of those things that is extremely polarizing, and this can have a negative effect on your brand if you are too focused on your political views and not enough on your business and what you have to offer. Its ok to take a stand for something, but it’s not ok to position your brand as that crazy person no one wants to be locked in a room with.

#4: Not everyone will think you’re funny

It’s great to have a sense of humour as a brand, but it’s not great to use it when it alienates your audience. Make sure that before you launch into your next joke you won’t be offending the people who would buy from you. If you’re the only one laughing, it’s going to make it tough to successfully reach your potential customers.

While you should have fun with your business social media – and be social – you also need to make sure that you aren’t crossing the line and becoming too personal with your strategy. You need to step back every-so-often and remind yourself that your business social media strategy is there to help you market your business.

Candace Huntly is Founding Partner at SongBird Marketing Communications, an award-winning agency working to take organizational and individual brands to the next level. With a passion for all things related to creativity and strategy, she specializes in business intelligence, marketing & branding, content strategy & development, media & influencer relations, and social media. Basically, if you need to put your brand, product, or cause in the public eye, she will find a way to do it, while making the approach unique to you.

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A version of this article was originally posted to the SongBird Marketing Communications blog.

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A Tale of Two Banks: Why Service Still Rules

There are many courses available on client service, but we can never hear too often the importance of delivering on your promise of excellent service. As entrepreneurs it’s vital we make people feel welcome and respected.

I recently had to deal with two different banks within an hour of each other. Bank A and Bank B both have very similar branding and advertising. They’re on the customer’s side; they’re friendly and willing to help; they care about small businesses, seniors, and young people just starting out. Their advertising is warm and welcoming, not cold or corporate.

One bank lived up to these promises; one definitely did not.

 

Bank A: Scolding and Cold

If you’re actually visiting a bank, it’s because you’ve already tried to do what you need to do online; you finally tried live chat support; then you called the customer service centre. Most of us avoid banks like the plague, and going in person is a last resort for when we’re confused or frustrated by a banking issue.

As I stood in line at Bank A, my stomach sank. Just watching other customers deal with their issues let me know how my complicated banking requests were going to be received. A young woman was being scolded for not having activated her bank card yet; someone else was being admonished for wanting to withdraw large amounts of cash to pay tradespeople rather than accepting a money order. When I finally approached the counter, the teller was immediately irritated at the complexity of my question. She went to get someone else, who arrived without having been briefed, so I had to start all over again. Even though their entire job was to assist clients, I felt like I was bothering them with my requests.

Think about your business. Do you tell people they’re asking for your services wrong? If they don’t follow a set procedure, do you let them know you’re not interested in working with them? Set processes are important to a streamlined business, but we can become too attached to our own processes at the expense of our clients’ comfort.

 

Bank B: Humane and Warm

Oh, what a difference a good bank makes!

I entered Bank B exhausted and upset from my dealings with Bank A. But from the moment I walked in, I knew this bank lived up to its marketing. The line to the tellers was short; the tellers and the clients were smiling and chatting. The person in front of me was treated with kid gloves; while I was waiting the woman beside me was treated very well too. When my teller returned after she went to get help from a supervisor with my complicated request, she chatted with me about soccer rather than staring at her computer and ignoring me as the teller at Bank A had done.

The details of my banking don’t matter, but it’s important to note that I was asking for some perks to be grandfathered in even though it was going to be applied to what was technically a new account. The benefits I was asking for are no longer offered and shouldn’t have been applied to this “new” product, yet the supervisor smiled and said she understood why I was asking and said that it was okay with her for my request to go through. They did everything they could to accommodate me, including making exceptions to their own rules, making me feel valued as a customer and respected as a person.

Clients need to feel empowered, not belittled; in control, not dominated by a company’s Byzantine rules.

 

Be Bank B!

Those two experiences, separated only by an hour and a few minutes of driving, were such a clear reminder of the importance of respecting and honouring my clients. When clients want to change something in their contract or spend a longer time on a piece of work, understand that they have their reasons and shouldn’t be shamed for wanting to adjust something. Bank A would say, “No, we have our contract and you can’t change it now.” Bank B would say “Let’s see how we can help.” I let clients know that there will be extra cost for extra work, but I also look for other areas I can trim to make their budget work for them.  There’s no need to be condescending about it!

How you treat people matters just as much as, if not more than, what you do for them. As a solopreneur or small business, how are you treating people? How are you making them feel? Do you insist on following your own processes and procedures to the letter, or do you bend your rules to accommodate your clients’ special circumstances and desires?

 

 

Dominique Dennery is a bilingual coach, facilitator, and management consultant with over twenty years of experience. She has worked with everyone from young adults seeking direction, to mid-career executives looking to become more effective leaders, to high-level boards of directors and executive teams.

 

Dominique’s main focus is on connections: connecting people with their purpose, connecting team members with each other, connecting all of us with the world so that our lives are as meaningful and impactful as possible.  Sign up for monthly blogs & podcasts.

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We All Need a Cheering Section

Give me a “T”, give me an “E”, give me an “A”, give me an “M” … you get the message, you and your virtual assistant are a TEAM!  And teams work together, support each other, and grow together. That’s what this blog is about – growing together.

I talked about hiring the skillset you need. It is really important that you hire someone who has the knowledge and skills to support you. I’m going to be a bit contradictory here and say that it is also important that you allow for growth and learning.

Let’s face it, we don’t all know everything and especially with technology, change is constant. So as much as you want to be structured and have someone with the knowledge of your current systems, you also want to be open to having someone learn. Learning makes us better, makes us smarter, keeps us enticed and energized.

Growth is a huge part of our success. Just as you are learning new ways to manage your business, your VA is learning new ways to support that. What is so important in any team and growth opportunity is being patient, being open to new ideas, and sharing thoughts and opinions.

I had an experience recently that frustrated me. I had a prospective client who I shared an image with – a stock photo for an event she was planning. It was very different than what she was looking for. The image caught my attention because it reflected to me what would draw me to her event as an attendee. She was so offended by the image and that I would suggest it to her. I had no intention of offending this person, her brand, or her image. I apologized and explained why I shared it as an idea. I just wanted to share a different viewpoint. She could not see that and was very upset with me. Needless to say, we are not a good fit to work together.

For me, it’s truly important that both the client and the VA can share openly and continue to learn. In the situation above, having learned that this client did not want to go in that direction, I would have never shared such an image again. That, to me, is part of growing together. Experiencing and sharing different viewpoints and different avenues so that we either narrow down the business strategy or we expand the business strategy – either is okay.

Grow together as a team and be cheerleaders for each other! Because who doesn’t like a cheering section!

 

 

Marianne D’Alessandro is a virtual assistant and owner of TimeFlies-Admin Services. With over 30+ years as an executive assistant, Marianne works in partnership with her clients. She offers consulting for entrepreneurs looking to hire the right virtual assistant as well as productivity and time-saving workshops. Sign up for monthly Tips & App Features.

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Important Announcement

Dwania McLarty- Peele, founder and Executive Director of Canadian Small Business Woman took to social media to apologize after cancelling her scheduled annual Immigrant Women Small Business Expo in Toronto .

 A couple of  months prior to the scheduled event, Dwania was diagnosed with breast cancer after discovering lumps in her right breast. The tumors have since been removed and she is now undergoing various tests to assess what measures will be taken next.  “This decision was made with a heavy heart,” said Dwania Peele. “I wouldn’t host an event if I couldn’t do it at my absolute best. Right now I have to focus on my health and well being.” Ms.Peele is in good spirits stating

“This is out of my control. I am alive, able bodied and I’m spending a great deal of time with my family and friends. I’m not going to say that cancer has changed my life for the better. However; this disease made me far more patient, and gave me yet another cause to fight for.”

Dwania has been in communication to those who have been a part of Canadian Small Business Women throughout the years. She sends her deepest apologies to all the supporters of Canadian Small Business Women for any inconvenience this might cause. She is heart-broken to have to cancel this Expo. She sends her gratitude to participating vendors, sponsors, speakers, special guests, staff, attendees, and those who’ve helped behind the scenes with putting this event together.

 Candian Small Business Women will continue to operate as a hub for women to support, network, and grow together. Dwania Peele looks forward to a speedy recovery and being back on the conference floor for 2020.

In support of changing the future of Breast Cancer and Breast Cancer Research,  Canadian Small Business Women invites you to support CIBC Run For The Cure. We invite you to run or walk with us on October 6th, 2019 in Toronto. With 1 in 8 Canadian women expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, your support matters more than ever.

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  1. Race Location: Toronto
  2. Team Name: October’s Finest Boobs
  3. Fee: $40
  4. Race Date: October 6th, 2019

 

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9 Ways to Create a Beautiful Instagram Feed

Are you on Instagram for business? Part of your Instagram strategy is to determine the look and feel of your profile. You want to create a cohesive and consistent visual experience for your community that enhances your brand and what it has to offer. This can be challenging because it requires a keen eye and a little planning ahead on your part, but here are 9 tips to help you create the best possible Instagram feed for your brand.

  1. Set your Instagram goals: Why are you even on Instagram? Do you want to create a community of engaged followers? Do you want to sell products? Do you want to educate your followers? The reasons you are on Instagram will drive you to create certain aesthetics on your feed.
  2. Find inspiration from other brands and influencers: There are a number of brands who are killing it on Instagram. If others have found the magic formula, it’s ok to get inspired by them for your own account. If it isn’t brands, make sure you are connecting with and following some of your favourite influencers. Instagram influencers have such strong aesthetics that you can tell who they are immediately.
  3. Get inspired by your surroundings: You don’t want to be something you’re not. For example, if you don’t have a dedicated office and you choose to work in coffee shops, co-working spaces, and at home, you should create an aesthetic that mirrors that. Look out the window, check out the people around you, and try to convey the general feel of your everyday brand through the photos you post on Instagram. It’s easier to work with what you know.
  4. Define your look: Set guidelines for yourself related to the filters you use to edit your images, fonts used for overlays, your colour palette (also known as colour story), shooting perspective, etc. Like you put together your brand guidelines in the beginning to create consistency across channels, you create these guidelines (sometimes called presets) to create consistency on your Instagram feed.
  5. Be flexible: While it’s good to have guidelines to follow, make sure you aren’t being TOO rigid. Remember, there is a beauty to a little spontaneity. Social media is about being social and you need to be driven by feel as much as you are driven by the details.
  6. Plan ahead: Social media should feel spontaneous, but that doesn’t mean you have to sit down each day to think about what to post. You need to think about the bigger picture and create a content strategy that will drive your activity each day. If you plan at least a week ahead with your posts, you can focus on engaging directly with your followers more organically each day.
  7. Create a library of images: This is about more than just planning ahead, it’s about working smarter, not harder. You should consider creating a library of images you can choose from. Most people do this to get images to use in marketing materials and on their website. But you have to think beyond those channels and apply the same process to your social media. If you put together a month’s worth of images in one photo shoot, you can easily plan out your colour story by coordinating outfit changes, backgrounds, lighting, etc.
  8. Use Instagram stories for spontaneous moments: Instagram stories provide a unique opportunity to showcase the day-to-day life of your brand as well as live events and your product/service offerings. Be sure to create highlights of your best Instagram stories to keep that content living on your profile permanently.
  9. Invest in photography: Consider hiring a professional photographer to help you get the look and feel you want for your Instagram feed. Taking photos for social media might seem easy – your cousin’s son’s friend does it all the time! But when it comes to carefully curating your brand’s social media, you want to take extra care to present a cohesive look that helps to connect people to your brand in a meaningful way.

Creating the perfect Instagram feed for your brand profile can be challenging, but if you approach it in the right way you can have a lot of fun with it.

Candace Huntly is Founding Partner at SongBird Marketing Communications, an award-winning agency working to take organizational and individual brands to the next level. With a passion for all things related to creativity and strategy, she specializes in business intelligence, marketing & branding, content strategy & development, media & influencer relations, and social media. Basically, if you need to put your brand, product, or cause in the public eye, she will find a way to do it, while making the approach unique to you.

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A version of this article was originally posted to the SongBird Marketing Communications blog.

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PERSEVERANCE

Portrait of Dominique Dennery

What makes someone an effective entrepreneur? I found one piece of the puzzle in an unlikely place recently: a series of airports.

THE DEPARTURE, DAY ONE

My beloved niece was getting married in Philadelphia, and I was flying direct from Ottawa. Unfortunately, the day of the flight there was a huge thunderstorm, in Philadelphia, bordering on a hurricane, and when I arrived early for my flight on Thursday, I was told the plane was delayed because we wouldn’t be able to land in Philadelphia.

Hours later, the storm moved out of Philadelphia and we boarded the plane. But by the time we were on the tarmac, there was a thunderstorm in Ottawa. We were told not to worry, as the tires were rubber, but it was genuinely terrifying to be sitting in a metal capsule surrounded by lightning. Of course, the ground crew couldn’t work during those conditions, and they waited until the final drops of rain had stopped. Finally, we could be on our way! Except…by then a second wave of the enormous almost-hurricane had hit Philadelphia, so even though Ottawa was clear, we couldn’t fly out.

We were deplaned and told us to see if we could be rerouted. I went to join the very long line at the counter; it was by now the end of the day, and there was not a single flight left to be found leaving Ottawa, Montreal, or Toronto the next day, Friday. There was a rehearsal dinner on Friday and the wedding itself was on Saturday, and we really, really wanted to make it—but it wasn’t looking good.

To make matters worse, my son had taken an indirect flight on Thursday, stopping in Toronto. His flight couldn’t get to Philadelphia either, and he couldn’t get back to Ottawa on the airline he’d taken to Toronto, so he changed airlines, retrieved all his luggage, and finally flew back to Ottawa at 2 a.m., two hours after I did. We’d each spent twelve hours on fruitless “travel” and we were exhausted.

The airline agent told us that if we could get to Watertown, New York, we could get a flight to Philadelphia on Friday. So I started calling around to find transportation to Watertown. We couldn’t rent a car in Canada and leave it in the US (we were still flying back from Philadelphia), and we couldn’t get a bus. I couldn’t figure out how I’d get my car back if I took my own. Eventually a friend of a friend of a friend who was a taxi driver agreed to take us (for $300 Canadian, plus gas. Desperate times!).

THE DEPARTURE, DAY TWO

I texted my son to say I’d pick him up at 7:15 a.m. to catch an 11:00 a.m. flight in Watertown. On Friday, we got to Watertown in pouring rain but no lightning—we were finally on our way! We boarded the plane and started to taxi to the runway when the plane started making a loud clicking, clunking sound. The pilot tells us we have to go back to the airport due to a mechanical problem.

So we headed back to the airport, and I was first in line for rerouting. They told us the mechanic would be there soon and we should leave by 2 p.m., but there were no other flights to Philadelphia that day, and I wasn’t taking any chances! I told the airline to get us in a taxi to Syracuse, and to get us on a flight to Philadelphia from Syracuse. They agreed.

Just before we got the taxi, I looked at the documents the airline has just given me and I realize they didn’t give me a boarding pass. My son jumped out to get us boarding passes. We were about to leave again when I checked and realized they had put me on the wrong flight, so he went back to the airline and got me another boarding pass—for the right flight this time.

THE ARRIVAL!

Two hours later, we were finally at the Airbnb my sister had rented, and had just enough time to shower and get to the rehearsal dinner. The wedding on Saturday was beautiful, and we were both so glad to have made it. Those many hours of travel were worth it!

THE STUBBORNNESS

If it’s tiring to read about, it was absolutely ridiculous to live. I know that most people would’ve given up a long time before I did, and I have been trying to figure out what made me hang in there for so long. What character trait makes someone decide that nothing will stop them from their goal?

My son is a very persistent, self-made businessman doing very well for himself. He’s intelligent and hardworking. And even he was ready to give up entirely on the trip after the first-day debacle. So what’s the difference, what make someone so stubborn that they’ll only move forward?

Knowing when to let go is an important skill, knowing when you’ve learned a lesson and need to stop investing in a project because it’s time to move on. But there are also times when you need to stick with your idea and goal and make something happen no matter what. What’s the difference between the two? When do you stop being stubborn and realize that there’s another path, a better way, and when do you refuse to rest until you’ve reached your goal?

For me, I think it depends on the ultimate goal. In the case of this ridiculous travel adventure, my wonderful niece was having a once-in-a-lifetime occasion, and I wanted desperately to be there with her and the rest of my family.

IF THE GOAL IS BIG ENOUGH, PERSEVERANCE KICKS IN

So maybe if your goal is bigger, if what you aspire to is big, then you will make the sacrifices to get there. If your goal is to change your part of the world and to give opportunities to people or help people become better versions of themselves or help resolve conflict or make sure that art is an agent of transformation in your city or create a business that will make people’s lives easier—if you have that bigger goal—then you will stop at nothing to make it happen.

If the goal is smaller and doesn’t come from a fire in the belly, then it’s easier (and appropriate) to let go.

Right after I started out on the road to entrepreneurship, my husband got extremely sick. I looked at my husband in the ICU, my ten-hear-old son, and my mortgage, and thought hmm, maybe this isn’t the best time to go out on my own. When my old company found out about what had happened, they even offered me my old job back. But I couldn’t ignore the fire in my belly. I had a vision for how I wanted to affect the world, and I knew I had to see it through. With great support at home and with the business, especially from one wonderful sister, I moved forward with my plan. That was 23 years ago and I’ve never regretted it.

WHAT’S YOUR PHILADELPHIA?

Check in with your own belly. What fire burns there? What makes you want to do it no matter what? What makes you come alive when you think about it? Which goal would you persevere to obtain no matter what? Whatever your answer, start doing that.

As Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said, “If your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough.”

What’s the big dream you’d go to absurd lengths to achieve?

And what’s the longest it’s ever taken you to get to somewhere?

https://dominiquedennery.com/perseverance/perseverance/

 

Dominique Dennery has had her own HR consulting business for over twenty years. She is also an award-winning facilitator, coach, and sculptor.

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