NETWORK - Find other female entrepreneurs to network with and turn to as role models. See who they are following on networks such as Twitter and follow them too to expand your networks. Join a co-working environment with other female entrepreneurs.
Recent research by iCIMS polled more than 400 job seekers to find out what they look for when seeking a job. Here’s some of what they discovered about how to attract the best employees to your small business. The study defined four main types of corporate culture: clan, adhocracy, hierarchy and market:
1. PRACTICE - Here are some ideas to get started:
Go to events business events, book clubs, anything you’re interested in. Don’t pressure yourself to do anything but attend and listen at first, but once you’re comfortable, speak up, ask questions, participate in the discussions.
Volunteer. Find something to do that involves a lot of interaction with other people, if not public speaking. This helps break down your self-consciousness.
Start small. Offer to make a presentation to your team at work on how to improve efficiency. Help your sister host her child’s birthday party. Offer to present at a small business event.
1. - Overprepare: Before entering any kind of negotiation, take the time to organize yourself from an informational standpoint. Write out why you are negotiating for whatever it is and the reasons for it. When you're clear on your rationale, assemble any research that supports your argument.... If you want to ask for an assistant, for example, examine the standard criteria for hiring an assistant within your company. How many people does an assistant typically support? What kind of revenue does a department have to produce in order to justify having an assistant? Most of all, be ready to convey how an assistant could add new value for your organization.
1. - Hootsuite - You can respond to people contacting you through individual platforms, post out to one or more platforms at once and schedule posts well into the future. Cost: Hootsuite, free.
2. - TripIt - Forward your travel confirmation emails to TripIt and the app will collage a handy file for each trip’s itinerary and it will keep itself up to date – so if the flight is delayed or the gate changed, TripIt will let you know. If your business takes you away from home a lot it`s definitely worth investing in the Pro version. Cost: TripIt, free.
1. - Listen carefully (sometimes what you want will be said between the lines)
What is actually most important to the person you are negotiating with? The more information you have the more likely you will be able to make a successful deal. Understand most people start at a price that is more than they think they can get.
