5 Tips for Women Entrepreneurs

Recently I’ve been reading Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandburg, COO of a little company called Facebook, and I’ve been blown away by the premise and assertions she makes in the book. I won’t spoil the book for you, but I will tell you that Sandburg believes that even in 2013, women face an uphill battle when striving for success in business today due in large part to unfair societal expectations placed on women from childhood through adulthood. I’m forever an optimist and believe the best in people, so I hate to think that Sandburg is right. However, her argument is so compelling, and her resume so impressive, that I can’t help but set aside my own preconceived notions of what hurdles women face today when trying to succeed in business.

With all that said, I have a few tips I would share with women on how to succeed as an entrepreneur and small business owner.  First, in the spirit of full disclosure, I am not a woman. I have never been a woman, nor do I plan to ever be a woman. So in no way do I pretend to be an expert in the area of women. Just ask any of my exes, and they will speak at length to just how much I am not an expert on women. However, I do know business and have worked with some amazing women, and over the years they’ve shared with me these five tips to be successful in business.

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Coffee Shops: Embrace Mobile and Make More Money

One of the great loves of my life is coffee. I love everything about that beautiful mahogany elixir. From the ritual of walking into my local coffee shop and being encased in the aroma of fresh roasted beans, to the sweet bitter taste when it first hits my lips, I love everything about coffee. If coffee was a lady, I would make her a mixtape. That’s how much I love my coffee. When I travel around the country I always like to visit local coffee shops to get a taste of the local flavor on both their espresso and community; however, I see a huge opportunity missed in practically every coffee shop I visit—increasing profits by embracing mobile technology.

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15 Tips for Hiring an Employee

Hiring people to work for your business is an exciting step in the growth of your company. You want to insure that you make the right decision so your business runs smoothly. If you’re not careful, things can be overlooked when you are interviewing someone, and if you make the wrong decision, the wrong person may slip in and be completely wrong for the job—putting you right back at square one. It’s important to me that your business succeeds so I put together 15 tips from current business owners who have hired people for their companies. Have a tip to share? Would love to hear it!

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5 Ways to Make More Money in 2013

By connecting with your customers through multiple channels, those customers can bring you up to 125% more value than those you reach via one channel (Direct Marketing Association).  So, if you want to make more money this year than you did last year, you need to reach out to your customers through multiple channels.

By taking the following steps, your business has a great chance of increasing revenue:

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Own Your Idea: How I Invented the iPad

Young EntrepreneurWe all have ideas. Ideas are fairly cheap and easy to come by; it’s what you do with the idea that ushers you into greatness. For every Steve Jobs and Thomas Edison there’s a Lenny Washington and Adam Bronson. You know the first two guys because they had an idea and acted on it. You’ve had ideas that could have made you millions or (even cooler) billions, but you didn’t act on them; we all have. I had an idea once in 1988 that has made Apple Inc. billions of dollars—only I didn’t act on it. Now in my defense, I was eight years old, but listen to my story and tell me what you think.

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PhoneSwipe in 4 Easy Steps

Sure, there are other mobile payment apps out there, but why would you use them? The simplicity of PhoneSwipe changes the game and makes all other competitors seem cumbersome. A transaction is literally a four-step process. One click, two touches, and a swipe.

You’re probably thinking to yourself, “There is no way PhoneSwipe is that simple. (Insert sarcasm here.) Four steps? Right!”

Well knock off the sarcasm because it’s true and the folks at Moblized have documented it for you in this video.

Enjoy!

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