May 14th, 2008
Over at Sparkplugging, the beautiful and talented Wendy Piersall is giving away a NEAT Receipts scanner and the software to one lucky reader. Entering to win is super easy: Just go to Sparkplugging for the details. And if you win, feel free to donate your booty to me. Because, you know, if I didn’t tell you about it, you wouldn’t win, so you like totally owe me.
(Okay, I’m kidding.)
(About owing me, that is.)
(Seriously, though, if you win and want to give me the prize, I’ll take it!)
(Okay, go find out how to enter! Seriously! Go!)
Tags: women and business, women in business, women, woman, business, emoms at home, sparkplugging, wendy piersall, neat receipts, scanner, software, giveaway, free, contest, biz chicks rule, kristen king
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By Kristen King -- 2 comments
May 14th, 2008
Are you a gadget girl? I am. It used to be just things that were cool or made my day go faster. But now I’ve turned into gadget-rilla, sucking up all the new, coolest gadgets available, not because I need them. But all just to say that I have them.
At the b5media Cellphone9 blog there is a cool contest going on. Win a BRAND-NEW-HASN’T-HIT-THE-MARKET-YET-ONE-OF-A-KIND-TOY-GIZMO-GADGET for your very own when you leave comments in the comment section.
Just thought I’d share it with you. But you may not want to bother with it. I’m going to win because I NEED another gadget!!! (Think I need some help?)
Good luck to all!
Tags: business-women, cell phones, cool contests, gadget contests, women-in-businessShare This
By Bridget Wright -- 0 comments
May 13th, 2008
In the comments on my post on networking tips last week, Ren asked how to deal with the inevitable lull in conversation after the initial introduction in a networking situation.
Ren Garcia
May 7, 2008 at 11:00 pm
Great pick-up lines, Kristen. Could lead to something heavier than networking.
My problem is the dead silence that comes after the entree. I always end up making up an excuse for a graceful exit.
Based on the tips we’ve already talked about, I’ll work with the assumption that you’ve got the "Hi, what’s your name? What do you do?" part covered. (If not, you should review.) But then what? Never fear — you have lots of options.
Choice #1: Break the ice with some honesty. "Ahh, don’t you just love those awkward silences at these things?" This may not work in every situation — it kind of depends on the other person — but when you say what the other person is thinking, it puts them at ease.
Choice #2: Put the ball back in their court. "So, what brings you here today?" People love to talk about themselves.
Choice #3: Pay them a compliment. "That’s a great belt/purse/business card/whatever. May I ask where you found it?" Be genuine, and make your new friend feel good.
Choice #4: Ask them a question about the organization or gathering. "This is my first time at Networking Doesn’t Have to Suck. Is there anyone you think I should meet while we’re here tonight?"
Choice #5: Ask them a question about the specific presentation you’ve seen or are about to see. "Have/had you attended a talk about making networking less sucky? What did you think about tonight? / What are you interested in about tonight’s talk?"
Choice #6: Ask them open-ended questions about their business. "I’ve never met a fill-in-the-blank before. How did you get into that field? What is your favorite part of fill-in-the-blank?"
Choice #7: Them how you think you might be able to help them. "You know, I have a colleague who’s looking for someone to do-what-you-do. Do you have a business card on you?" Important: Only use this one if you actually do know someone to whom you could make the referral.
There are dozens of other possibilities, but I don’t want to stifle your creativity by going on about this for ages. So now I’M going to put the ball in YOUR court (see #2). Was this helpful? Which of these ideas strikes you as something you could do? What ideas do you have? Leave a comment and let me know what’s on your mind.
Tags: women in business, women and business, women, woman, business, networking, awkward silence, uncomfortable, how to network, how to make conversation, how to make small talk, biz chicks rule, kristen king
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By Kristen King -- 0 comments
May 12th, 2008
That’s right. What do you do when you don’t want to do what you do? As confusing as that sentence was, that’s how most of us feel when we start our day and find that we start fizzling out perhaps even mid-morning. But no matter what, we have to keep pushing and meet deadlines or scratch two to three things off that to-do list. So…
How Do You Stay Motivated?
Any tips or tricks to share with us that can help us all finish that big project? Or does everyone except me have it all together and don’t need a little pushing from time to time?
My foremost motivation is NO MONEY coming in if I don’t work, but that’s more of a fear thing than anything else. Tell me, what do you do?
Tags: biz chicks rule business question, business-women, women-in-businessShare This
By Bridget Wright -- 6 comments
May 12th, 2008
The artistic Kristen wrote an insightful post the other day on personal branding and the importance of it. Very well written, very thought-provoking. One of the things that I found most useful is Kristen’s suggestion on finding that niche for yourself and making your name absolutely synonymous with it. Kind of like the Kentucky Fried Chicken man and the southern gentleman with the white beard. The two just go hand in hand.
What is/are your personal branding techniques? Have you found one yet? Are you searching? Or you will wait for that dreadful moment when your name becomes synonymous with something **other** than what you’d like?
What are you waiting for? Start branding!
Tags: branding techniques, business-women, personal branding, women-in-businessShare This
By Bridget Wright -- 2 comments
May 11th, 2008
When is the last time you took a professional risk? When did you last step our of your comfort zone? Are you floating along on a river of complacency, or are you challenging yourself to grow as a person and as a businesswoman?
I’m in the midst of a big professional overhaul, precipitated by the realization that I don’t really know what I do for a living. I mean, yes, I know what tasks I complete to pay the bills, but as far as answering the question, "What do you do?" I’m kind of lost. In fact, I’m so lost that I wrote a rather lengthy post about my professional identity crisis on my freelance writing blog, Inkthinker. Those who read my identity crisis post here at Biz Chicks Rule last month know what I’m talking about. (And if you haven’t read it yet, I encourage you to check it out.)
I’m in the process of saying goodbye to the familiar but unfulfilling work that allows me to distract myself from figuring out what I really want to do. And frankly, it’s terrifying! I’m a girl who likes to be in control, who likes to know what’s coming next, and with this new challenge of forcing myself to stop being numbed by the day-to-day and work more mindfully on my career brings with it a lot of uncertainty. I feel like I’m taking a big chance.
So I ask you this: When is the last time you took a chance? And what are you waiting for? Leave a comment — tell us where you are, where you’ve been and where you want to be. It’s time to shake things up. Let’s do it together.
Tags: women and business, women in business, women, woman, business, professional risk, controlled risk, taking chances, comfort zone, personal growth, professional growth, identity crisis, quarterlife crisis, biz chicks rule, kristen king
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By Kristen King -- 5 comments
May 11th, 2008
I had a wonderful Mother’s Day today! My children and husband were very wonderful to me and gave me the day off. Sort of. I only had to wash dishes is all. And clean the bathroom. And give baths. And wash a load of clothes. Only one load though. Outside of that, I didn’t do anything at all. What a wonderful Mother’s Day it was.
What is so special to me about having a particular day of celebration like this is watching how the kids get so excited about sharing. When they presented me with their cute little cards, they each wanted to be first to describe it to me and tell me what each character on the card was doing. Then when they gave me my gift (which I LOVED), they were more excited than me, squealing in anticipation of the look on my face. Treasureable moments.
Even with all the rah-rah surrounding Mother’s Day, I’m glad it only comes once a year. What with all that rest I got, and fights I refereed and the number of “no’s” and “wait-a-minutes”, once a year is all I can handle.
Got to get back to cleaning the bathrooms now. Have a great rest of your Mother’s Day!
Tags: business-women, children, children making mother's day cards, mother's day, mother's day gifts, women-in-businessShare This
By Bridget Wright -- 3 comments
May 9th, 2008
what to do with the kids once school is out! It’s almost that time for my kids here in Alabama, and with three of them, I know it’s going to an interesting (and tiresome) next couple of months around my household.
[photo: workathomemoms.com]
Now, don’t get me wrong, I do SOOOOO love my kids. It’s just that I find it quite difficult to conentrate when they’re around, and being a freelancing mom, I have to consider my flexible schedule since they’re going to be out for the summer. The entire summer. What can I do to make sure I still get my work done?
Although as freelancing moms, we are time-challenged at times like summer break, holiday breaks, spring breaks, sicknesses and other situations, I think there are some things we can do ensure that we still keep a productive schedule and the kids entertained at the same time.
I don’t know about other freelance moms, but I sure would like to read any, ANY, tips you may have on balancing summer breaks and your business at the same time. Any tips, might I add. We all need to stick together.
There are two things that I have right off the bat to suggest what might work for us all:
1. Keep the same schedule throughout the summer, no matter what.
Now I know you’re thinking, “It’s summer and they will want to sleep late.” Well, that’s fine, but try to keep the schedule as close to the school routine schedule if at all possible. This will help the kids stay on a routine, avoid crankiness and help you set some human hours to work. The second thing is to:
2. Keep something educational and entertaining for the kids to do.
This doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. It doesn’t mean a horse and pony show every day either. Structure here is the key. Keep library books checked out. Set certain times and limits for television… and gameboys. Make sure they eat their meals on a schedule and even set a schedule for their entertainment time. Instead of going to the pool for all day, plan to go from say 10:00 a.m. until lunchtime or so. They’ll know what to expect and you can set your work time schedule around it.
So freelance moms, don’t fret. Let’s brainstorm here and find some things that we can do to ensure that we ALL have a productive summer. Beginning with the two suggestions that I have listed above, what’s your suggestion?
3.
4.
5.
…
Do share.
Tags: business-women, freelance moms, freelance writers, women-in-business, work-at-home, work-from-home, work/life balanceShare This
By Bridget Wright -- 3 comments
May 7th, 2008
I’ve seen it all too often. *Betty comes to work with an attitude because she’s had a bad morning. She fought with her husband over who was going to take the kids to school. She fought with the children about getting dressed for school. She fought in traffic to get to work. She ruined her pantyhose in the car while driving to work, after she spilled her coffee on her cute little skirt. And if that’s not enough, when she does get to work, she finds the marketing reports on her desk from her boss saying they’re wrong and need to be corrected.
{::groan::}
A bad day coming? More than likely, but who wouldn’t after a start to a morning like what she’s had? What to do?
DO NOT WHINE AND COMPLAIN ABOUT YOUR MORNING TO YOUR CO-WORKERS!!!
Ladies, the place of business is simply not the place to discuss the way your morning went and all what’s wrong with the world. Women (some) have a tendency to go on and on and on about things that are insignificant to the work place but are very important to them. This is very innappropriate. Period. No one cares and no one should care about your personal life when the company is paying you to do a job. Coming in to work, whining and complaining and having a bad attitude is UG-LY. This is one of the reasons why women get such a bad rap in the business world and people prefer not to deal with them.
Do men whine and complain? Sure they do. Do they talk about their personal lives? Of course! But what sets the two apart is sometimes women who go on and on and on and on…you get the picture. Before you know it, half the day is gone and no productive work shows for it because of the recounting stories she has to tell to her co-workers.
So ladies, let it go. Check it at the door and come in to work to, well, work. That’s what they pay you for, right?
Right.
* The name Betty is only used for illustration purposes.
Tags: bad morning, business-women, drive in to work, women-in-businessShare This
By Bridget Wright -- 0 comments
May 7th, 2008
For some reason, networking has this really bad reputation as being something only used car salesmen or cutthroat politicians do to get what they want. But people, there is nothing nefarious about networking. It’s all about getting to know people with whom you have a common interest, and that, my friends, is a heck of a lot of fun.
Unless you literally never leave your house, you already have all of the skills you need to be a successful networker because you use them every day when you interact with coworkers, service providers, people standing in like at the dry cleaners — every social situation you encounter on a daily basis.
Here’s are some tips to help you get past the "I hate networking" roadblock:
- Stop telling yourself you’re bad at networking. It’s like walking down a long staircase and telling yourself you’re about to fall — just NOT a good idea. Instead, think about what you might learn by attending an event, or how interesting it might be to meet someone new. You don’t have to be all, "I’m SMART enough, I’m GOOD enough, and gosh darn it, people LIKE me," though you certainly can if you want to. Just don’t shoot yourself in the foot before you start running the race. Or something.
- Make a point to recognize those professional networking opportunities that happen in day-to-day life. I ended up exchanging business cards with a guy on my plane back from Chicago this weekend after we started chit-chatting about something in SkyMall and the conversation turned to our jobs. Turns out we’re both interested in what the other does for a living. That was networking!
- Put yourself out there. I guarantee that no matter where you live, there is SOME happening SOMEwhere nearby where you can practice your networking skills. Check with your local Chamber of Commerce. Visit the website of an organization that interests you to see what events they have coming up. Maybe the local university has a speaker you like followed by a cocktail reception. Create opportunities to meet strangers and learn about them.
- Practice your pickup line. I have three that work really well for me, and which I choose depends on the situation: "Hi, what brings you here?" (variation, depending on your perception of the other person’s sense of humor: "What’re you in for?"); "Hey there, mind if I join you? I’m Kristen, what’s your name? What do you do, NAME?"; and "Hi, I’m Kristen. I don’t think I’ve met you yet. How’s your evening/morning/day going so far?" If you noticed that they’re basically all the same, pat yourself on the back. People are so happy that someone is talking to them at these things, they don’t care what you say as long as you say something and make an effort to start the conversation.
- Set small goals. If you go into a crowded room with the idea in your head that you have to meet everyone there and speak to tons of strangers, no wonder you’re stressed out! Try breaking it down to something small: Talk to one stranger. Ask for one person’s business card. Raise your hand and ask a question if there’s a presenter. Give yourself a goal to reach, and then give yourself a reward when you get there.
I know these sound basic, but trust me, they work if you really apply these ideas. All of them.
If you stop telling yourself you’re bad at networking but then you never make any attempt to do it, it’s hard to have faith in your skills. If you attend events but refuse to talk to anyone there, it’s hard to get more comfortable with the idea.
Today, pick a FIRST STEP toward more confident networking. What do you want to do? It can be something small, even silly.
For me, I had to break a bad habit. Every time I go to an event, I always gravitate toward people I know. In when I went to SOBCon in Chicago last weekend, I didn’t know anyone there, so it wasn’t possible to fall in with my group — but I had to keep myself from clinging to the people I met the first afternoon. This was my goal going into it:
This weekend, I am going to make a point of sitting with people I don’t know every chance I get. Every meal, every presentation, every drink, every sight-seeing event. I will tell those people, "I’m trying to make a point of sitting with people I haven’t met yet so I can get to know more folks here. May I join you?" I will invite strangers to join me, especially people who look even more uncomfortable than I feel.
I’ll be honest: It was torture for the first couple of encounters, but then it got really fun. Best. Conference. Ever. And I’m so proud of myself for dong it!
What’s your step? What do you want to work on or try for the first time, or maybe for the second time and really stick with it?
Tags: women and business, women in business, business advice for women, learning how to network, professional networking, networking events, i hate networking, im scared of networking, networking is hard, tips for networking, how to network, networking, anxiety, meeting new people, how to network at conferences, SOBCon, biz chicks rule, kristen king
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By Kristen King -- 11 comments
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