EntrepreneuretteBlog

Making a difference to our future leaders

Would you like to make a positive difference to our next generation of women leaders?

You might like to consider becoming a mentor on the Future Leaders Programme run by the YWCA in Auckland and Northland.

The goal of the programme is to help young women achieve their goals and reach their potential and become leaders in the community. The programme provides mentoring, practical support and skills development to young women who show leadership potential.

The YWCA works closely with local schools. Interested students nominate themselves for the programme and the School Dean and the Future Leaders Staff make the final selection of students accepted for the programme. The young women enter the programme in Year 10 and remain on it for up to five years.

The programme involves mentoring as well as physical or artistic activity days, leadership workshops and community activities. The students are monitored on a points system and have a number of responsibilities to the programme and to their mentor and they must attain a minimum number of points to remain on the programme.

At the beginning of the programme students are assigned a mentor. Mentors are volunteers, who act as a ‘community parent’ providing support and assistance as the student works through the programme. Mentors are screened by police and given full training.

I am one of those Mentors. I believe the programme is a fabulous initiative to make a difference in our young women’s lives and I was thrilled when I moved to Auckland and I could finally sign up to become a mentor. After waiting for the next ‘intake ‘of mentors, I passed the application process, attended the mentor training… and was matched with my mentee, Eva.

Almost a year into the programme and there's been lots of organised activity days; I’ve been surfing, attended a ‘clown’ workshop and visited the girls on camp. Eva and I aim to meet up face-to-face once a month and together we’ve walked the dogs, been to the movies, completed the Round the Bays, set goals and generally hung out and talked. We regularly text or Bebo each other to keep in touch between meeting up.

As a mentor I have requirements to meet for the programme as well, and these help develop the mentor/mentee relationship and provide feedback to the Future Leaders Staff.

I also really enjoy being part of a meaningful, well run and well designed and structured programme. There’s lots of support for mentors with a coordinator at the YWCA just a phone call away and regular mentor meetings provide a great opportunity for support and advice from other experienced and inspirational mentors.

The Future Leaders programme is offering Eva a valuable opportunity to develop her leadership skills and achieve at a higher level all round and as her mentor I am thrilled to be there, beside her, on the journey. Nothing beats getting a jubilant text from Eva out of the blue to share with me that she has passed a dreaded exam.

If you want to make a difference in a young woman’s life, the YWCA Future Leaders Programme has regular intakes of mentors throughout the year and you can submit your interest for becoming a mentor online.

When people knock your ideas

... remember these famous quotes:

“I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.” – Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943

“There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.” – Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Crop, 1977

“This ‘telephone’ has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us.” – Western Union internal memo, 1876

“Everything that can be invented has been invented.” – Charles H Duell, Commissioner, US office of Patents, 1899

Be alert

Why waste time googling your company's name to see what's been said about you, when you can set up google alerts (it's free and easy to set up) and receive email updates (on time, daily or weekly) based on your search terms.

Google alerts are a great way to keep track of any mention in the media of your company, your product... your service description... your industry, your own name...the book you wrote... your heroine.... kind of like your own media clipping service - very cool!

Need funding for making your dream happen?

Check out these two sources:

The Max Foundation for New Zealand Women

In the spirit of truly believing every single woman should have the opportunity to be the very best they can be, Max has created the Max Foundation for New Zealand Women. The aim is to support women – or groups of women – whose actions enhance the wellbeing and advancement of New Zealand women.

It’s not about being famous or world class; it’s about everyone having the opportunity for support in fulfilling a personal dream or goal, whatever that may be.

If you think you have what it takes and need some financial support, you can apply to the Max Foundation for New Zealand Women.

The Winter round of funding is currently open: June 1st – August 31st

Funding per round is likely to be around New Zealand $20k and Max aims to disburse these funds amongst 4 – 6 recipients depending on the nature of the applications and the level of funds available at that time.

For info go to the Max Foundation site here.

The AMP Scholarship Programme

The AMP Scholarship Programmewas established in 1998 and since that time over 70 Scholarships have been awarded to ordinary New Zealanders who are achieving extraordinary things.

Previous recipients range from glass artists and scientists to ballet dancers and actors. However, the one thing each of these individuals has in common is a determination to turn their dreams into reality.

The AMP Scholarship Programme rewards those with courage, passion, determination and commitment – those who aspire to live life to the full. They must not only have the ability, but also the ambition to achieve their chosen goal no matter what obstacles may be in their path.

This year 12 AMP Scholarships of up to $10,000 will be awarded and a further fund of up to $80,000 will be shared amongst those who are selected as AMP Premium Scholarship winners. Premium Scholarship winners are selected from the AMP Scholarship recipients.

Applications close midnight 30 June 2008

Making it happen

A couple of weeks ago I was down in the stunning Nelson/Marlborough area speaking to the Nelson and then the Blenheim Her Business networks – a wonderful bunch of women in business, led by the dynamic coordinator Kate Webb.

(me, Kate, Sue Morton coordinator of the Oamaru HerBusiness Network and Cheryl Keene, sponsor of the evening from Zeald.com)

As well as sharing the ‘Her Business story’ and a little about entrepreneurette.com, I was championing all things web 2.0 – blogging, online communities and virtual worlds…

That meant I didn’t have time to share some valuable nuggets of advice that have helped me over the years… so here they are:

Fiona’s 7 tips for women in business for making your dreams happen

1.Take time to just think!
Create a vacuum in your life; don’t be tempted to fill it with ‘busyness’! Your most powerful ideas and creativeness will come from these times when you’re quietly thinking.

2. Find role models
Be inspired by other people’s success and let it open your mind to the possibilities that await you! Read about, and listen to, and even meet people whom you admire.

3. Believe in yourself. Make your dreams bigger than your fears
Realise your fears are just excuses and that you do have choices. You create your own reality so ‘put out there’ the future you choose to have.

4. Have an undying commitment towards your dreams/goals
Be very clear about what your dream/goal is. What will it feel like? What will it look like? What’s the first action you’ll take? How will you get around the obstacles?

5. Focus on your core business activities/ core values and passions
Think of Kiri te Kanawa, the singer. She doesn’t set up the stage or sell tickets to her concerts; her passion and her expertise is singing – so that’s what she focuses on. Determine what activities in your business are goal orientated and passionate activities and which activities can be delegated or outsourced – and begin to delegate! The result: you spend your time doing things you love for the most amount of money and get to go home early!

6. Ask for help/get support
Set up your own focus group or brainstorming group. Meet every three weeks and take turns discussing issues within your business (and even personal) life. Or enlist your own informal board of directors, each with a specific area of expertise.

7. Commit to living an extraordinary life
What other sort of life would you want to have? But until you choose to live it that way, and consciously plan your life, it may never happen. Enjoy the process of the journey –because when you get ‘there’ it will become ‘here’ and then you will have another ‘there’.

"When you do the thing you can do you'll find the way and the way will find you." (Winnie The Pooh)

What does your business aspire to be?

At entrepreneurette we’re running a business mission / purpose competition… tell us in six words (yes six words, no more, no less!) what your business is all about. Go here to find out details how you can share your mission with the world!

What is a mission statement?
A mission statement is your business' reason for being, a proclamation of why it exists, a clarification of who it serves, and an expression of what it hopes to achieve in the future. A carefully crafted mission statement accurately describes the business and inspires the people who contribute to its success.
It should be clear, short, understandable and memorable. Think of the famous mission statement in the 1960s to 'put a man on the moon, and bring him back safely, by the end of the decade.' This mission staement was clear, powerful and visionary. Unfortunately stirring mission statements are the exception, and the very term itself has become demeaned by many mission statements that are long-winded, incomprehensible and definitely forgettable. Often, the larger the organisation the worse the mission statement.

Dreaming up your mission statement:
Just as important as the mission statement itself is the process of writing the statement. Thinking and writing up your mission statement will help you clarify questions such as:
• What business are we really in?
• What type of business do we want to be?
• What is our target market?
• What inspires us?
The writing process and the statement itself both provide clarity of purpose and motivation for business success.

A mission statement has the following key characteristics:
• Visionary: Above all else a mission statement offers a vision of what a business aspires to be. A visionary mission statement helps people understand what the business is about and how they can contribute to the achievement of the vision.
• Broad: A company cannot be all things to all people, but a mission statement should not limit a company's area of service or expertise too narrowly. A mission statement should be broad enough to allow the company to meet those needs without annual revisions of the statement.
• Realistic: The broad vision needs to be tempered with realism, to be both practical and workable. Mission statements that include everything or over promise will not give a clear indication of what the business is about. A lofty, unrealistic mission statement will not have great credibility. Instead the best statements are direct and powerful.
• Motivational: The statement should be written in such a way that it inspires commitment among employees, customers, partners, and shareholders about what this company will do or produce. Some organisations emphasise the inspirational value of their mission statement above all else, using it to express the company's philosophy and values.
• Short and concise: The mission statement should be no longer than 25 words; short enough that an employee can easily remember it and readily repeat it or as management guru Peter Drucker suggests, it should be able to fit on a t-shirt.
• Easily understood: The statement should use plain language that is convincing and easy to understand. For example, a technology company's mission statement should not include jargon or technology concepts that are unfamiliar to people outside the area. Consider using the "grandmother test" on your mission statement -- would your grandmother understand what your company is about if she read your mission statement?

Here are some examples of famous mission statements:

Ford Motor Company (early 1900's):
"Ford will democratize the automobile"

Sony (early 1950's):
"Become the company most known for changing the worldwide poor-quality image of Japanese products"

Boeing (1950):
"Become the dominant player in commercial aircraft and bring the world into the jet age"

Wal-Mart (1990):
"Become a $125 billion company by the year 2000"

3M:
"To solve unsolved problems innovatively"

Mary Kay Cosmetics:
"To give unlimited opportunity to women."

Merck:
"To preserve and improve human life."

Wal-Mart:
"To give ordinary folk the chance to buy the same thing as rich people."

Walt Disney:
"To make people happy."

Skype:
“Call anyone on any phone anywhere in the world at local rates”

McDonalds:
"McDonald's vision is to be the world's best quick service restaurant experience. Being the best means providing outstanding quality, service, cleanliness, and value, so that we make every customer in every restaurant smile."

Levi-Strauss:
"We will market the most appealing and widely worn casual clothing in the world. We will clothe the world."

Microsoft:
Was: “A Computer on Every Desk and In Every Home”
Now: “To enable people and businesses throughout the world to realize their full potential".

Revlon:
"In the factory, we make cosmetics; in the store, we sell hope."

:::: we'd love to read your mission statement!

getting 25 hours out of your day

Managing time is the one of the biggest challenges for any business owner… the ‘to do’ list is infinite… and there are lots of different hats to wear if you’re just starting out or if you’re a solo-preneur.

Over the years I’ve searched for a ‘magical’ solution to give me more hours in a day, but I’ve discovered there is no magic answer and the best solutions are the simplest.

The system that works for me is ‘chunking’ my activities together in an organised way. When I stray from using the system, my days become full of ‘busyness’ but with no tangible outcome or advancement toward my business goals.

I take the week ahead in my diary and break my days into different activities and colour code the day accordingly. For example;

Green days; these are the days I spend on the money making activities – making sales. These activities create today’s money. When you’re starting out in business there’s lots of green days!

Blue days; these days are spent ‘clearing’ up stuff– activities that have to be done as part of running a business; paying bills, administration, compliance, staff reviews, meetings and so on. Blue days create a clear space to allow me to focus on the other days without interruption.

Red days; these days are more strategic; they’re spent planning and working on future income. Tomorrow’s dollars. As your business matures, red days should increase as you delegate green and blue activities to your team.

I keep three different notebooks; one for each of these activity days. So when I’m in the middle of something and remember I need to query an account, I make a note in my ‘blue’ notebook and on a blue clearing day (or blue half-day) I refer to my blue notebook and attend to it then.

The most important day of all though, is the ‘yellow’ day. These are my days off! No work, thinking about work, or carrying around work. A yellow day is for rest, relaxing and rejuvenation – building up my energy for the week ahead!

Getting your press release published

Over the years as editor of various magazines I’ve seen heaps (and heaps) of press releases. Some work and some don’t. The releases that work get followed up, and possibly published, and the ones that don’t work end up in the bin.

So what makes a press release work?
The writers of press releases that work put themselves in my shoes; I’m a busy editor working to deadlines. I have readers who want to know about stuff that matters to them; that is interesting and will add value or help them in some way.
I’m looking for press releases that give me valuable information that I can clearly see will benefit my readers. The writers have done their homework and have figured out the angle or link that will make their news interesting to my readers. These press releases back up their blurb with facts and figures, that I (a time-poor editor or writer) can draw upon or flesh out further.
And they’re relevant. There’s no use sending off a press release about eco-wool insulation to a small business magazine (unless you can make the connection obvious!).
A good release will always include all the basics too; if it’s embargoed or the release date, appropriate contact details and background details. 

Press releases that don’t work are the ones from people firmly in their own shoes, so to speak. They just tell me how wonderful they are (and they probably are wonderful) but don’t tell me what they offer my readers. And I usually don’t have the time to figure out what that is.
So you’ve started a business, you have plush offices in the city, three lovely employees and you offer your first appointment free? Great! But that’s an ad for your business, not a press release. Tell me about the 84 percent of small business owners who don’t back up their computers to secure offsite data storage and the latest invention that makes it really easy for them to back-up (or whatever).

Should you send press releases?
Editors are busy people, and a good press release will bring something news worthy to our attention – and we’re always looking for good content for our publications. So yes, do your research, put yourself in the editor’s shoes (ask yourself would this be of interest to the readers of the publication; how can I make it of interest?), tailor each press release to each publication, cull out any overt self-promotion and send it off!

sound familiar?

• nYou’re considering getting up three hours earlier each day to squeeze in extra work
• Saturday and Sunday are just another work day
• You spent your last free time drumming up business
• You know some of the kids in the back garden are yours, you’re just not sure which
• You start sleeping in the office to save time
• Reading your email is the only recreation you have
• You don’t recognize a single story on the cover of the women’s magazines at the supermarket checkout
• Your dog doesn’t recognize you
• You gave up trying to make a to-do list because you know you’ll never complete it
• Your pile of unread books, papers and magazines threatened to brain you if it ever falls over

Yes, business can get crazy... but this quote puts it all into perspective:
“The work will wait while you show the child the rainbow.
But the rainbow won’t wait while you finish the work.”

So here's some ways to manage you and your time!

• Sit down for 15 minutes at the start of each day;
• List what you want to fit into the day
• Prioritise the list
• Get real about what you know you can fit in and then
• Just get on with it
• Do the stuff YOU want to do
• Delegate out everything you possibly can
• Say no to distractions
• And bin the rest

time to reflect?

The start of a new year is also a valuable time to reflect... what's working? what's not working?... here are some great questions to really get you thinking about you and your business...

• Why are you in business?
• Do you have a positive attitude most days?
• Does your work energise you?
• Is your purpose shared by others?
• Do you love what you’re doing?
• Do you find it easy to go to work most days?
• Do work and leisure time sometimes seem the same?
• At times when you’re frustrated or irritated with a particular aspect of your job, do you maintain a deep feeling that what you’re doing is still right and worthwhile?
• Do you feel there’s no other business you’d rather be in?
• Do you feel satisfied with what you have achieved?
• What is the one business goal, which when achieved, will make the most difference?