Tuesday, September 27, 2011

New Crop of Power Accelerators: Women Entrepreneurs

Take a good look at some new accelerator and incubator programs that focus specifically on women entrepreneurs.  Yes - that's YOU (and me too)!

Read:  Programs Increasing Number of Entrepreneurs - Forbes

Shortcut to some of the resources mentioned in the article:

Y Combinator (awful lot of guys in the photos!)

Founder Institute

Female Founder Fellowship (as shown).

Women 2.0

They are calling us to action!

Thursday, September 22, 2011

When You Start A Business, Don't Forget the "Good Heart" Theory

My friend and colleague, Steve Strauss, writes a terrific article for USA Today, "Winning businesses think about more than profit."  He covers the recent 3rd Annual SCORE Awards.  And what a wonderful story he tells.
All the winners seem to share one trait -- a secret I will share in a moment -- but all were a dynamic, visionary, difference-making group who are changing their lives and those in the communities they serve.
Get your day's dose of inspiration here.  You'll discover what I mean by the "good heart" theory. 

Shhhhhhhh ... School House, run by Rachel Weeks (pictured), is the SCORE "Outstanding Woman-Owned Small Business" winner!

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Never Surrender

I finished reading Lauren Manning's book, "Unmeasured Strength," and instead of being sad or depressed, considering what had happened to her, I was empowered to become a better human being and to accomplish more in life.  My biggest takeaway, which came from a direct quote from Lauren in the book on Page 4:  "I would never surrender."

Whether facing a divorce, death of a loved one, bankruptcy, health issue, the risk of starting a business or - as in Lauren's case, a catastrophic moment of burning alive - each requires the commitment to never surrender.  You must keep going.

Thank goodness Lauren discovered that early on after she was engulfed by the fires that brought down the twin towers of the World Trade Center.  Her long, painful (she suffered second and third-degree burns across about 85 percent of her body) yet inspiring journey imparts on each of us a new look at life, one that most certainly is worth fighting for.

This book should be read not once but several times (and passed along to others) to fully appreciate steely determination under literal fire and how even at one's darkest hours - as in the case with Lauren facing death day after day for more than three months during her recovery - she shows us the surprising strength and courage in us all.

Buy the book here.

Pay a visit to:  LaurenManning.com

Sunday, September 11, 2011

How to Turn a Negative Challenge Into a Positive Outcome

Kathrine Switzer, first woman in 1967 to run the Boston Marathon as a numbered entrant, has a thing or two to tell us about persistence.  Most of what she (now 65 years young) has to say will be helpful if you are considering starting a business. After all, when you begin, you need a whole heck of a lot of persistence to become a success.

A snippet of what took place at Switzer's first marathon:
But while many men running the event welcomed her into the pack, the race director had another idea. He chased after her, grabbed at the bib number pinned to her shirt and yelled for her to get out of the way and give him her numbers, Switzer recalled in her 2007 memoir, “Marathon Woman.”
Switzer was unbreakable (as shown).  She proved that women could endure a 26.2 mile race.  Fortunately, we have already proven we can run successful businesses.

Read more here.