Image via Wikipedia

I defy anyone to not join in with “9 to 5” – loudly. It is music that is made for sharing and you can pick up the tunes.   “Islands in the Stream” with Kenny Rogers is one of my favourites which always gets me feeling great afterwards.

 The words make sense.  Her songs cover life, death, work sex and all the lovin’ and leavin’ that country music is renowned for with added thinking.  I doubt that the words of Jolene where she begs another woman not to take her man express her true thoughts, but she’s experienced the passive role with the rest of us and has great compassion.

Dolly’s appearance has been – and still is even now – a big focus.  Hourglass figure with a tiny waist and massive blonde hair.  Drama Drama all the way.  She could be the bar owner with a heart of gold in a wild west comic from the 50’s.  There is some fascination that she is actually real underneath it all, and that I – who have no intention of looking like that – am grateful that she is carrying the unlived exotic life so I don’t have to.

The razor sharp honesty and wit.  “It takes a lot of money to look this cheap”, and “If you want to have rainbows you gotta have rain”

“I modelled my looks on the town tramp.”

“I’m not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I’m not dumb… and I also know that I’m not blonde. “

“I never let a rhinestone go unturned”

She has a wonderful sense of rhythm and comic timing and can laugh at herself which is unexpected in someone with her looks.
Sense of values.  Dolly Parton is married and has been so for a long time.  She has kept her private life private which is refreshingly professional and must have been tough to accomplish.  Her childhood was poor not rich so nothing has been handed to her.

“I still close my eyes and go home – I can always draw from that. “

Business woman.Dolly Parton has sold 100m records but she is also a business woman and has used her celebrity to create a bricks and mortar asset called Dollywood.   This must be a bigger challenge than the more obvious choices for female entrepreneurs and singers of selling a line of fashion items or makeup.

Dollywood is a 150 acre site in Texas where children and families can have fun.

She has a hard-work ethic.   “I have always been a firm believer in working hard for what is right and for making your own breaks if you want things to change.”

Dolly Parton is a woman who inspires me with her glamour, sense of fun, talent, humanity and strong values. An excellent role model for International Women’s Day.

Related posts:

1. International Women’s Day – Women who inspire “I W D 2012 Theme: Connecting girls, inspiring futures. Each...
2. Which women inspire you? I have asked numerous women around the time of International...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Each year around the world, International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated on March 8. Thousands of events occur not just on this day but throughout March to mark the economic, political and social achievements of women.

If every International Women’s Day event held in 2012 includes girls in some way, then thousands of minds will be inspired globally.”

The most powerful role models are often in the public eye, but the ones who make the most difference are often the mothers, grandmothers, sisters, aunts, daughters or neighbours we know. Becoming inspired to do be or have what you want is much easier when you have a role model to show the way.

This year I will share my top ten women who inspire me, and hope you will contribute with your own thoughts.

The first is Mary Portas. What inspires me about her?

Her appearance and style.  She wears clothes which accentuate her long lean appearance rather than playing safe and looking more “normal.”  She wears mildly crazy things  – I remember a pair of absolutely killer boots in Mary Queen of Shops.  She dares to look strong.

In all her TV appearances you see her driving herself (in a nice sports car) rather than being taxied about.  She seems to get her hands dirty and do things.

She is not afraid of letting her weaker side be seen.  She has been in tears on TV (I can think of an occasion in the charity shop), and when the sales targets for the House of Fraser were going higher by the minute she was quite obviously alarmed and not afraid to show it.

She is realistic about what can be achieved.  Some of the smaller shopkeepers she visited were a far cry from her work with Harvey Nichols but you felt she understood that even small changes could make a big difference.

Mary has a team to get the creative ideas into reality.  It is her own company, so she walks the talk about having an idea and making it happen. ( A lot of consultants can spot the problem but then walk away without fixing it.)

She stands up for small businesses… and small businesses on high streets which contribute to the community we live in.   (Definitely good in my book!) It is not where the power and the media attention usually goes.

I want to put the heart back into the centre of our High Streets, re-imagined as destinations for socialising, culture, health, wellbeing, creativity and learning. Places that will develop and sustain new and existing markets and businesses. The new High Streets won’t just be about selling goods. The mix will include shops but could also include housing, offices, sport, schools or other social, commercial and cultural enterprises and meeting places. They should become places where we go to engage with other people in our communities, where shopping is just one small part of a rich mix of activities.”

See more on The Portas Report either in full or her 28 recommendations.

She has a business brain as well as a heart.  Before each of the Mary Queen of Shops programmes there was information on the size of the market, the closures of that type of shop, so you realised the business side.

Best of all she seems to be a real person with personal boundaries. We see photos of her on holiday on her Facebook page, she has come out about being gay, about her childhood, but there is never any sense that she is using any aspect of her life to make herself look better.

So she has style + personality (authentic brand) plus passion and a can-do approach.

An excellent role model not straight out of the box!

Related posts:

1. Women who inspire me – Dolly Parton on International Women’s Day Dolly Parton has sung some fantastic songs.  How do I...
2. Which women inspire you? I have asked numerous women around the time of International...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Self employed women in business gain from support

The survey by the Institute of Leadership and Management was asking about  ambition and gender at work. Some of the findings indicated that women are holding themselves back…and not a glass ceiling created by a male-dominated culture.

Obviously what the survey could not validate was whether feeling less confident equated with a poor performance in reality. But this has to be the question.  Maybe those who are aware of self doubt simply have higher standards?

People with more imagination can imagine things going wrong, while those with less do not anticipate problems.  In fact the fear can be part of the experience.  The really scary thing can be what is important.  To quote uber marketer and thinker Seth Godin “if it scares you that is the signal that you should do it” on David Siteman Garland’s interview

I find that many female small business owners are honest enough to admit to feelings of lack of self confidence.

Sometimes they cannot see what is special about themselves, sometimes those qualities have not yet been validated with money and status so seem unimportant, and sometimes they need inspiration or challenge.

However once they get support and validation, they go on to take risks and realise their potential.

And of course the great advantage of being self employed is that nobody else is making the rules about the priorities between work and home life.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

I love blogging, giving credit and sharing in a community so I was very interested when I found the information.  But as for finding a woman who has inspired me .. that is a completely different matter.  Firstly the only woman scientist I have really heard of (which is the point of the whole thing!) is Marie Curie .. and she has never interested me, so it would be wrong to wheel her out.

Then I asked a friend who is a professor of Acoustics and he talked about a woman who is president of the Royal Society  and some others ..but using them would be like doing homework.  I wanted to find someone who was amazing, that I had heard of but had forgotten.  Even after some online research nobody jumped out at me.  I don’t have to do this for homework – it is real, so it better be real for me.

Next I thought about women who inspired me where there was some scientific quality.  Mary Wollestonecraft Shelley who wrote Frankenstein which is a bit scientific, George Eliot who I know was very interested in phrenology (the bumps on your head), Beatrix Potter with her interest in anatomy and botany.  None seemed quite good enough.  I love the paintings of Joseph Wright of Derby – lots of early scientific experiments and racked my brains to see if there were any women in the Lunar Society which was all about using science as a way of understanding life, rather than religion .. but there were none.

Then I thought about my own education.  Was there an enthusiastic woman teacher of this stuff ever in my life?  Maths was taught by men, (goodness – that is a strong subliminal message, isn’t it) the Biology teacher was incompetent and we used to mess around, chemistry was taught by a blue stocking spinster type – I remember finding her dull and a bit scary. Who taught Physics?                                                                                                                 That was the subject that I liked the most but I have absolutely no idea who taught me!  No one comes to mind at all.

Until I started this thought process I hadn’t quite realised how badly science was represented by teachers.  But in fact, we were very short-changed by inspirational teachers … one taught French and was fantastic, and while I was doing A level English we had two excellent teachers.  But by that time I had made up my mind about which subjects I liked best.  If there had been a lively science teacher somewhere in my past I think it would have made a huge difference.

Perhaps I should ask myself whether this is hopeless.  Am I capable of being excited by science and technology? Am I meant to be doing this Ada Lovelace Day at all?

The answer is yes!  My father describing the solar system using apples and oranges from the fruit bowl at supper, my boyfriend years ago talking about motherboards, the principles of database design and so on had me completely hooked even if I didn’t understand it all.  I am fascinated today by using technology in websites .. but I have never been inspired by a woman.  I think it has been more that it was a land I couldn’t enter.

If I am really honest the only people who have inspired me are my three daughters.  They took to computer games like ducks to water, and are all technically competent even if not particularly interested.  The finer details of CAD, Powerpoint, computer hardware or making films are no problem to them.  They just assume they can do it, that there is no reason why not. So although I started by looking for some kind of heroine, I have ended up with the people I know best in my own life!  Perfect.

They have a mother who supports them to do it, which was the hallmark of Ada Lovelace’s education.  Her father (Byron) though a charismatic person was totally absent from Ada’s life, but her mother educated her about numbers and science.  Probably the best kind of inspiration.

I must stop now and get to grips with my new Joomla site which was explained to me on Skype last night in a friendly hour and a half call with – yes -  a geek in the US. Knowing who inspires me gives me more confidence that I can understand it all and make it work the way I want.

The fact that I have done this blog at all has been inspirational as I can see more clearly the influences on my life.   I will read others’ blogs on Ada Lovelace Day about the women who inspire them, and, who knows,  maybe by next year a real whole person who inspires me will have come into my life.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Having a great business is the aim but not at the expense of lonliness, of missing bathtime, the late night teenage conversation, or the quality time with husband, partner, friends and family.

Modern marketing which plays to women’s natural strengths has made the goal more achievable.

The increasing importance of networking face to face suits women’s natural way of doing business.  Dr Ivan Misner has spearheaded this change through BNI over the last 10 years internationally followed by many networking groups for women only including Athena.  BNI’s motto:  ” Givers Gain” (if I give you business you will want to give me business in return) has made a big change in the way men do business, but is part of how most women operate.

When we meet up for one to one meetings we ask about each other.  We want to find links between us, and help each other.  We are just as likely to give a compliment about shoes or a jacket as a laptop presentation, and we are just as likely to choose to work with somebody based on their past or their personal style.  After all, it is the so-called non-critical variables that often end up being the most important.

The shoe or handbag compliment is not fundamentally about shoes or handbags but about values, about style, and the way of seeing the world.  When we respond positively to something about somebody else, we  are more receptive to developing a business relationship, to working together, recommending each other and investing our hard-earned money.

As women we have many many ways of demonstrating our brand values, and helping others to know like and trust us.  Face to face networking where we are our own brochure, direct mail letter and exhibition provides a powerful marketing tool.  Many businesses find all their clients through face to face networking.

The internet marketing explosion of recent times also suits women.  Women in their late thirties are the most frequent users of facebook.  which only a few years ago was simply the place for university students.  To be trusted these days, and have an authentic brand,  you have to reveal something about yourself.  This comes naturally to women – even online – but in my experience men find it much harder.

Women are still responsible for more of the domestic tasks in the home, so working at home reduces the hassle-factor.  No more travelling out to work which involves military-precision organisation for childcare.  The washing machine can be filled, or the family meal prepared without having to replace yourself at the heart of the home.  Setting up a sequence of emails for an autoresponder for your information product can be more satisfying than coping with lengthy meetings and office politics.

Even better – blogging about your day and the ups and downs of home life can be turned into a business.  The office becomes redundant in every sense.  Heather Armstrong of Dooce in the US was one of the first examples of mommy blogging.  She genuinely and naturally wrote about her day – which was of interest to women in a similar situation – leading to massive traffic on her site.  Advertisers lured by the size and responsiveness of her audience appeared bearing gifts with monetary value.

As women we enjoy relationships and getting to know people and it is refreshing that we can now build a business from this place.  Perhaps it will be the unsung heroines who will be the real contributors to the economy in the coming year.

Old business is dead.  Long live new business and national women’s enterprise day!

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Was the bootcamp different because the audience was women and the presenters were women?

The aim of the weekend was to empower women to make money.  It was the brain-child of Stephanie Hale who started a project to interview 12 women millionaires so she could leave a legacy if her brain tumour diagnosis was accurate.  Luckily it was not, and the millionaire bootcamp for women became a spin-off reality a year later with the help of Mark Anastasi.  The big idea was that the support and the strategies are available for women for millionaire-dom.

Both women and men speak with passion, both can be self-made millionaires, both can hold the stage, and both can want to spend more time with the people they love. So what was different about this weekend?

I found it unusual and inspirational to have women as presenters. Internet marketing was the most-frequently cited route to riches and there are direct comparisons to be made with most internet marketing events which are dominated by men.

More variety in presentation styles. Women have more choice over what to wear than men, but there was a very rich variety of presenting styles, too. From  walk-around or stationary, glammed up or unmadeup, entertaining or serious,  polished or disorganised I did indeed feel empowered to be what I wanted to be, and that making lots of money could be easy.  The internet marketing world in particular is dominated by charismatic entrepreneurial men, and what they offer seems like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.  I had not realised that something was missing until I saw these speakers.

The importance of vision in the making of money was an integral part of most presentations.. This is not exclusively the territory of women, of course, particularly as Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich (written by a man interviewing men) was often cited as inspiration.  However the presenters felt as though they were in permanent relationship with a vision, rather than using the vision-as-project.

Tracy Repchuk was on first.  She has made squillions in a very short time on the internet, and was already retired as a millionaire before she started.  Her initial focus was on dreaming the dream, (and you got the very strong impression that she really cares) as well as explaining the mechanism for money production.  Jennifer Hough, the second speaker, spoke about energy and less effort.  I was in awe by lunch time – this was my kind of conference  – spiritual values and money. Not one at the expense of the other… and I have not experienced this so vividly before.

More value expressed to the people who matter.  Men in internet marketing refer to those around them, but I have not seen it done with such a sense of gratitude.  Nearly all the women mentioned the people closest to them with pride and gratitude: parents, partners children, friends. The fact that these women are millionaires of course made the message stronger: you can be happy and be rich.  You don’t have to be a bitch to earn a lot of money.  You can be successful and be loved. You can get the support of those who love you.

Real confidence expressed in tone of voice and body language.  The cars, the toys, the houses and the dream travel are often included in presentations to give credibility to the speaker, and it happened here, too.  But it was inspiring to be with successful women who are “on message”, enjoying their wealth (Jennie Amato has a red helicopter to match her red shoes), happy to talk about their lifestyle, and wish this same freedom for other women from a position of strength not battling against a male enemy.

More generosity about being part of the event. Many of the speakers were around and able to talk over the two days, which gave a fantastic opportunity to get to know them before making up your mind if you wanted them as a mentor.  Jo Martin, who gave the most memorable virtuoso performance of the event, also referenced previous speakers, and in particular Gill Fielding who had spoken the day before.  Yes, men do this too, but the women felt more accessible. It was especially good that Stephanie (organiser of the whole thing) was around and very easy to talk to, and not remotely self-important.

Less drama in the “rags” part of the rags to riches story. Male internet marketers often tell dramatic stories about the low points in their lives:  in fact as you are listening you can almost wish that you had experienced being shot at, being homeless, or bankrupt as that seems to be the pre-requisite for riches later.

The women told their stories differently: less “out there” and more of an “in here” realisation at a moment of breakthrough.  In fact speakers wanted the break through not to have to come through ill health or some dramatic story but a willingness to change attitude and change their life.

And was the audience different because they were women? It did not seem like a “female-only audience” – but of course the queues for the Ladies was longer, and offered more opportunity for the casual meeting and greeting which can lead to relationships! I suspect also that the female audience was more intent on giving back having received inpsiration and strategies for free.

Entrance was free which is in accordance with the law of reciprocity as outlined in Robert Cialdini’s book “Influence” which is a handbook for the internet marketing world.  The principle is that you receive something and want to give back.  Of course this is a key part of many religions and philosophies and is also  networking.  Congratulations to Mark Anastasi for having enabled this to happen.

I imagine that there were many sign-ups, but I am absolutely convinced that the spark of empowerment and inspiration will be paid back many times over.  I was already booked in with Jo Martin and Ed Dale in November, and didn’t feel I had the mind-space to take on another course.  Do I know who I want to work with in the future?  Certainly do.

The Millionaire Bootcamp for women was inspired by Stephanie Hale and the event was organised by Mark Anastasi.  Speakers were: Jennie Amato, Joanna Martin, Leili McKinley, Gill Fielding, Heather Seitz, Naomi Sassaye, Jennifer Hough, Lynda Dyer, Tracy Repchuck, and Maria Davies.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.