The women panelists at the NAWBO conference this past weekend all talked about "joining all the nutcases up here", and being unstoppable entrepreneurs that "don't have enough seense to just go out and get a job." Dany Levy of DailyCandy.com talked about leaving her job as an editor at a major metro magazine, where she had a comfy 8 hour day, expense accounts from Conde Nast, and a very stable environment, but she still felt like she needed to grow her own daily subscription list (now profitable in 10 locations with 1.5 million subscribers).
Most of the women, who are approaching revenue targets they never dreamed were possible and in Levy's case "make her blush," spoke about how important it was for them to find more experienced mentors to keep them on track.
Two issues that all of them mentioned: cash flow and staffing. Adrienne Simpson of Smooth Moove said "If you don't have the right people, it's not going to work," and Denise Houseberg of MarketExpo believes that "self-investment," or her equity in the business, was a challenge, but "if I don't go there, I can't own that place I'm going to."
So, just like approaching any challenge, my recommendation is to:
1) assess your current position
2) target where you want to go
3) make a plan for how to get there
4) find the people who will help you make it happen!
Go out there and shine, baby!
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