May 2022

May 29 2022

Winning as a Woman in Business: Using Google Ads as a Profitable Source of Leads

SayHiLBI@gmail.com Boss Blog, Business #askanexpert, Business Advice, Google Ads, Women in Business 0

Article written by Tiffany K Borruso

At a time when more women than ever are turning to entrepreneurship as a way to make a living, Google Ads can be an important key to success.

Google Ads is one of the most powerful advertising platforms in the history of the Internet. There’s an excellent chance that you’re aware of this, and that as a woman business owner you’ve already given it a try.

If you are on the fence about using Google Ads for your business, complete this quiz and find out if Google Ads is right for you.

Why Google Ads needs the feminine energy to succeed

When you first check out Google Ads, it comes across as intimidating, data heavy, technical and confusing. In fact, the majority of technical marketing roles such as Pay-Per-Click (includes Google Ads) are taken up by men. (source: https://www.b2bmarketing.net/en-gb/resources/news/news-double-number-men-women-working-digital)

However, in my experience, I have seen women in Pay-Per-Click get far better results. Why?

Because women bring the yin to the yang. The feminine energy, intuition and creativity to the yang, technical, linear, rigidity.

When running an advertising campaign you need to immerse yourself in the prospects’ life, heart and mind to really understand how to connect with them at their various stages of engagement with your business.

Now that you have perhaps warmed up to the idea of Google Ads and how you can use it for your business, let’s see if Google Ads is the right channel to invest your hard earned dollars to get more leads.

Are Google Ads Worth It Nowadays?

Google is by far the world’s most popular and widely used search network, with over 3.5 billion daily users and over 1.2 trillion searches per year.

Each second, Google processes an additional 40,000 searches, each of them associated with a person who is possibly searching for your products or services.

So, are Google ads worth it?

That is the case even now in 2022, and it will not change in the near future. That is why you should include them in your marketing campaigns as well.

Google Ads has several benefits. Here are some of them:

1. Possibilities are endless

2. Quick results

3. Connect with your customers at the right time

4. You can target highly specific markets

5. There’s more than one way to level the playing field

6. You can seamlessly reconnect with former website visitors

1. Possibilities are endless

Because millions of new keywords are put up for bidding every day, a well-crafted Google Ads campaign is about as scalable as it gets.

So, whether you want to break into a new market or strengthen your bonds with a specific niche, all you have to do with Google Ads is add some new search terms to your campaign.

If you have the funds, you can boost your bids (what you want to pay) on your most profitable keywords to raise your chances of receiving clicks even more.

And, because you always have complete control over your campaign, you may pause and resume it at any time with no consequences.

2. Quick results

Those who dislike the concept of pay-per-click advertising generally argue that it isn’t worth it because SEO can drive traffic just as effectively.

And, yes, SEO is undeniably important and should be a key component of any well-rounded marketing campaign. However, pay-per-click options such as Google Ads produce results much faster.

In fact, you’ll start seeing serious results almost immediately, whereas SEO takes months to yield a good return on your initial investment.

A wise marketer would employ both for this reason. Consider Google Ads PPC as a way to get the ball rolling while you continue to play the long game with SEO.

3. Connect with your customers at the right time

Think about the last time you were in the market for a specific product or service.

You were already primed and ready to buy by the time you got to the point where you were Googling the possibilities.

Guaranteed, your future customers will be in the same frame of mind.

Because your Google ads will appear ahead of even the best organic search results, you’ll reach your target audience when it matters most: when they’re ready to make a purchase.

In other words, Google ads keep your product in front of the right people at the right time.

4. You can target highly specific markets

Every business owner has broad plans for their marketing campaign as well as specific goals for who they want to reach.

For example, a local business may be interested in establishing authority in their industry as a whole, as well as in attracting more local customers through the front door.

Google Ads makes it simple to target your advertising to whomever you want to reach in almost any context you can think of.

Do you want to limit the geographical range of your ad to attract more local customers? No worries. Looking to dominate a specific niche market? You can do it, as well as anything else you can think of.

5. There’s more than one way to level the playing field

Of course, increasing your bids on important keywords is one way to potentially improve your ad ranking, but it isn’t the only one.

Quality and relevancy are critical to Google, so a savvy marketer who intuitively knows what their audience is searching for and what mental state they’re in when they are searching can translate that into ads and the planning of the campaigns. Gaining a significant advantage over their competitors.

If you do a good enough job of creating quality ads and optimizing them to perfection, you can easily outperform less relevant advertisements with higher bids.

Your quality score is determined by the relevancy and positive user experience of your ads.

The combination of your quality score and your maximum bid per click determines where you appear in the search results.

6. You can seamlessly reconnect with former website visitors

When looking for the best solution to your problems, you may visit a number of different websites before deciding on the best option for you.

Your customers are the same way, and unless they are exceptionally diligent about bookmarking options they want to remember, it’s easy for them to forget where they saw something promising.

Google Ads has several features that make it simple to remind people of your best offerings if they’ve previously visited your site.

If a visitor does not complete an action, such as downloading a lead magnet or getting in contact with you, a remarketing campaign may show your brand and services through advertising interfaces on other websites as well as across the Google display network.

A person who has previously visited your website is far more likely to convert if shown your brand and service again in the future.

Wrap Up: Thorough Marketing Campaigns Are Your Best Bet As A Woman in Business.

Traditionally, the most successful marketing campaigns are those that are well-rounded and make innovative use of a variety of practical solutions.

Of course, SEO has always been an important part of a company’s overall success, and it will continue to be so in 2022.

However, Google Ads has a place in a woman’s business campaign plans.

Consulting with the right experts is another dependable way to ensure that your 2022 marketing campaign is everything it should be.

Hopefully, you now feel a sense of empowerment when it comes to Google Ads. In that way, this post was not only meant to help you, but also to inspire you. Regardless of your gender, a good business idea and some hard work should be rewarded with success.

Find Tiffany Here:

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Tiffany K Borruso is an entrepreneur, mom and nerd helping female CEOs and owners; smart ambitious people who are working their butts off to grow their businesses using data and intuition led Google Ads, Analytics and Web Optimization strategies.

May 26 2022

How to Go From Frazzled to Freedom

SayHiLBI@gmail.com Boss Blog, Business collaboration, Women in Business 0

Article written by Kylie Clark

Do you feel like you are constantly teetering between the role of CEO and Employee in your business?

I can feel your head shake from here.

As entrepreneurs we are very passionate about our business. We have broken the mindset of the 9-5 mentality and found a better way!

We have created the thing that we are passionate about, I mean, do we even call it work!?

And then comes the things we aren’t so passionate about.

The must haves that come with owning a business that you REALLY don’t want to do but seem to pop up on the daily.

Those are the ones that you hire out for first!

It has been engrained in us women as children that delegating is a cop out. We are supposed to take on all the new while keeping up with the old while standing on our heads and doing it all with a smile.

How many times have we had conversations specifically about being overwhelmed, over-tired, burned out, READY TO BURN IT ALL DOWN!!

All because we feel like we are failing if we delegate the things that drain us. We wear our overpacked, over-demanding, never-ending to-dos and schedules like a badge of honor. Until we can’t, until we wake the heck up and realize that we are doing it all wrong. This is not how we pictured our life or our business. Matter of fact, we literally started our business with visions of some R&R, some girl time, vacations, more time with our family.

So, what do we do? We hire a team and take a deep breath and wait for all that extra time and money to make its arrival! That’s how it works right? We see it on social media all the time! It works for everyone else… why not you?

But now you find yourself even more overwhelmed. You have people waiting for you to give them direction, you are answering questions from multiple people.

How do you want these tasks completed?

When do you want them completed?

Can you help me with XYZ?

And the list goes on and on.

What do we do?

It’s fine, I’ll handle it! Before you know it, you are right back to doing the things you don’t want to do, and you have added Team Lead, Project Manager, and Fire (putter outer) < totally a word! To your job description.

This is usually where I make my grand entrance (Insert Applause here!).

Hey there!

My Name is Kylie Clark, I am a Certified Director of Operations and Founder of Frazzled to Freedom Consulting.

I have made it my life’s mission to drag successful women like yourself out of the everlasting loop of the CEO/Employee teetering and giving them the time and financial planning that you so desperately want.

I come from a long line of strong-minded women who have built very successful businesses and names for themselves.

Even watching the entrepreneurs and business owners in my family, I never once considered that I may join the club one day.

Until the night before I started my online business that is.

I never knew what I wanted to be when I grew up…. Matter of fact, I avoided the question like the plague!

I never knew how to respond and would just rattle off something that I felt may appease the person asking. I have always been multi-passionate to an extent (runs in the family), my problem was being put in society’s box of “how” to perform that profession and “what” was expected when entering it.

I didn’t want to live on someone else’s schedule or get paid someone else’s opinion of what my skill and time was worth or to have to ask for a day off in my own dang life!

What I wanted was to be FREE.

I remember shortly after starting my online business I joined a networking event, and would you believe that “What did you want to be when you grew up?” was the Ice breaker question!?

My luck, right?

I panicked, the sweating started and of course we were picked at random which made the torment worse! Lol

My name was called… And I half shouted FREE!! I just wanted to be FREE!

Silence… complete SILENCE!!

Yep, that’s it… Business closed; I’m done.

And one of the ladies responded, I’m sorry. Did you say FREE?

Ummm… yes, I guess I did. (I’m just as surprised as you are!)

And everyone started responding with positive feedback. They had never heard my response before, which didn’t surprise me at all considering I hadn’t either!

Confidence slowly started creeping back in…

And, that my friends, is where I picked up and ran with Frazzled to Freedom!

I already offered business planning and strategy which I loved! But of course, there is always more that can be done!

So, I reached out to a biz bestie of mine (Shannon) and gave her the news of a new collaborative venture we were doing together! Lol I offer business strategy and planning and she offers financial planning. The same exact services that we have specialized in for years… just with a few added personal touches and perks that makes us just as happy to do as our clients are to receive them!

Frazzled to Freedom is for online service providers and coaches that are ready to move into that work less earn more lifestyle that we have daydreamed about for so long.

It starts with your vision, your goals, and what works for you and your business only! Cookie- cutter is not in our vocabulary. We create a plan around your life rather than try to fit “our” plan into your life.

We find solutions for your problems, break your ideas and goals into projects, we pull needs and options for future hires and then give you the step-by-step strategy and plan that gets you closer to your vision by giving you the clarity you need, the direction you lack, and the plan that’s going to get you there!

I’ll let Shannon give ya the deets on her financial plan process… but I can tell you that she actually takes a cringe worthy topic and turns it into something that makes you excited to talk about and dare I say, the future!

I have literally built my life around the vision that I had all those years ago working in the brick-and-mortar world- you know, the one I said I didn’t want to do?

It hits me almost daily while I take a break and lay in the pool, while I’m at a school event with my children, or while I spend the afternoons with my grandpa and dad. I once talked about this life every single day during lunch… or while staring out my office window. Back then it was a pipe dream.

Now it’s my reality!

And I’m not done yet! I’m bringing more women with me!

I’m a giver by nature. So, I can’t leave here without knowing you have some concrete value that you can take and implement (*cough*cough) have your team implement for you today that will make your life a little easier.

So here are a few small tweaks that can make a BIG Impact in your business and give you a little more FREEDOM in your business.

1. Make sure you have an SOP for everything. Update them often. And make sure that the SOP is up to your standards of service aka how you would do it yourself.

2. Make your project management tool (if you don’t have one, get one- you can thank me later) your central hub. This is where your business lives and where ALL communication should live. All client information, links, instructions/request, EVERYTHING should be here.

3. Get to know your team… Get your team to know each other… HAVE FUN, reward them, acknowledge the good they do for you! A team that feels valued and knows who they are working with is going to be just as excited for your goals as you are AND be more likely to come to you with any bottle necks or suggestions that can improve your business.

4. Remember tip 1 & 2? Do that x 100! OVER DOCUMENT everything. No task is too small. If your team member checked an email for a client- have them document that they checked an email for said client. It saves so much time for all involved.

Quick example of “how” it can save you time (a lotta panic).

Ex 1: You (or your Project Manager/Team Lead) are checking in on a team members progress on a clients task/project.

You get two versions

1. You see Notta… Zilch… Blank EMPTY page. (You panicked just reading that, didn’t you?) Just a lonely due date (which is close) and a client wanting an update. You reach out to your team member… dang! It’s outside their working hours and now you have to wait until tomorrow.

You either “do it yourself” or stress and get zero sleep until you get their response of… Oh, yes! It’s all done! Just haven’t hit complete in the PM tool yet!

And you say *JKH&ST%!$%^RYDGug* under your breath for wasting precious time.

And my personal favorite

2. You see a complete time stamped outline of each action taken to complete this task/project for this client. You see that everything is running like clockwork and the client is going to be ecstatic paying for your services again. You do not have to reach out to your team member because you see their last time stamped note of: Final walk through completed and task/project is now complete.

Did this hit a little too close to home? Do you have a lot of back-and-forth communication with your team daily to ask questions that could be answered with a simple timestamped update?

You think these are good? These aren’t even our main focus points in Frazzled to Freedom!

Just a couple of teeny tiny fixes to some major pain in the butt issues.

Let me know if any of these tips helped you in your business in the comments!

Find Kylie Here:

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Facebook | Website

Hi! I’m Kylie. I am a Certified Director of Operations and Founder of Frazzled to Freedom. I help online service providers and coaches create the time and financial freedom they are looking for by being certified and licensed to deliver Strategic Mapping along with 15+ years experience in business strategy and planning. I help create the work less earn more lifestyle by giving the clarity you want, the direction you need, and the plan that tells you how you are going to get there.

May 25 2022

Why Diversity Is One Of Our Core Values

Rose Kaz Boss Blog, Core Values Diversity 0

From the desk of our Founder, Rose Kaz

When I set out to lead a team to build the LBI Backstage Pass last May of 2021, I wasn’t exactly sure how we were going to create a social media platform built by women in business for women in business but I was clear on why this type of social experience needed to be created.

I’ve worked in leadership roles of production for most of my professional career and whilst the great covid pivot has shed light on doing more business online, it has also exposed even brighter sore spots in our structures of power, the ways we organize ourselves, money and ultimately, who holds the keys to the purse.

In preparing to take our in person conversations series with women in business that we launched in 2017, Ladyboss International, to an online forum, I pulled inspiration from these raw moments of 2020: the killing of George Floyd and many, many other unarmed people of color, the situation at our borders, and of course, the pandemic itself.

I became more aware of the glaring need to share wealth in more inclusive and generous ways than the patriarchy has historically done. I set out to do that through building a new, woman lead brand that is based fully on this concept of leveling the playing field. Because if the powers that be won’t do it for us, well then, I’ll lead the way my own damn self.

I have been a student of political science for many years. I hold a degree with a Bachelor of Arts in the subject with a focus on global politics. And whilst I don’t ‘technically’ work in politics at the moment, I believe wholeheartedly that all of our work is political. That is to say, I see how we structure our businesses, our access to resources and how we spend our time to be very political. Even a choice to be a- political is a choice.

In writing this article about diversity, I don’t want to simply drop some #BLM insights from my seat of white privilege. I do, however, want to dig into how and why we can all do at least 5% more to actually lean into diversity. After all, we all have accents, we all have been born from a mother and we all have the same color blood. These are a few of the long list of things that make being a human both the same AND diverse. We can be many things at once. And that’s ok.

In drafting the business plan for the launch of the LBI Backstage Pass platform, I remembered a dream I’d had about 5 years ago where I was walking down a busy city street, somewhere like NYC, Chicago or LA. As I was attempting to cross the street, a woman of color in her mid to late 40’s told me in no uncertain terms: ‘STOP WALKING!!!’ And she said it again 2-3 times at even louder decibels to be sure that me and all people attempting to cross the street were acutely aware that we better stop or be met with extreme harm from passing cars. And then moments later, that same crossing guard was assisted by another guardian of the street, also a woman of color, similarly aged and escorting other pedestrians to quickly: “WALK!! GO ON!! HURRY UP AND CROSS THE STREET”; making sure that the safety of all crossing was her chief priority. And in my dream, I absolutely listened, stopped and then began to walk quickly to obey the boss of the cross walk.

When I woke up, I began to think about this notion: What if women of color hold the power innately to move us forward into a better and safer world?? This is likely why these women have been historically marginalized in ways far deeper than other groups because that power is a direct threat to the status quo of the white, patriarchally order.

And if women of color were more embraced for their innate power and for that matter the buzz word of diversity actually became an action item and not a forced inclusion theory to ‘get numbers up’ or make the optics of a business appear to support black, brown and indigenous women, then we would absolutely see a new world that is, in fact, both a better place FOR ALL and with opportunities for each and every human being to live to their fullest potential.

My point in sharing this dream here in a blog entry written by a woman in business about diversity is not just to have a paragraph to drop into my (sub)conscious thoughts about women of color or to show how I dream my life and the world around me to be. Sure, yea, a peek into my bizarro brain may provide a good laugh or two but my point in sharing this vision is to direct our attention to the bigger picture that when more women are at the helm of business, leadership and ultimately where our money goes, more people will have a better quality of life.

And if the majority of those women in business are darker skinned than I am, even better. I am not advocating for men to have less power. I am calling for women, specifically women of color to have the same amount of power in business, in roles of leadership as men do. Period.

May 20 2022

The Impact of Loss and Renewal

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Article written by Kerri Lewis

Editors Note: This article is a bit of a departure from our normal content, but one so many of us can relate too. We chose to publish this submission because loss and heartache, and the struggle to battle the darkness that comes with them is something we can all relate too. This article deals with miscarriage and suicidal ideation.

I awoke Mother’s Day morning knowing something was wrong. The spotting that had started the previous day persisted and my lower abdomen started to throb. Despite my inner knowing, I pretended that everything was alright and proceeded to go about my day as if nothing was wrong.

I kissed my love, gave big hugs and kisses to my children and forced myself to get ready for brunch with the family. I thought to myself, if I just stay positive, everything will be just fine…. Sadly this was not the case.

After barely making it through brunch with the family, I headed home, feigning the need for rest. Not wanting to alarm my loved ones, I sent them off to continue on with our Mother’s Day celebration plans. As I watched my family leave, I continued to pray, begging the universe to protect my unborn child.

As the hours ticked by, the blood continued to flow and I knew that my miracle baby was not going to make the appearance I had hoped he would in this world.

After praying for hours, I finally gave my baby permission to let go and within 45 minutes, I was passing his body through me. Oh how I envisioned meeting him differently. Blood all over the floor, the remains of his body in my hand. All I could think to do was to capture the experience with pictures and let my child’s father know our baby was gone. What a tough message to deliver to one of the people you most want to protect in the world.

The days following the loss of my baby proved to be some of the most difficult days I had to face in many years. Alongside the fact that my hopes and dreams for raising my baby were gone, I had to contend with immediate hormonal changes within my body.

I experienced moments of extreme sadness and moments of surrender. All to be expected after what I had just been through. What I did not anticipate was the quick onset of dark thoughts and suicidal ideation. Talk about getting walloped!

Given that I have been studying psychology for years, I knew that the thoughts I was having were not real. I knew that once my hormones subsided, my mind would quiet and I would once again be able to navigate life joyfully and with gratitude.

Still, when these thoughts came up, it took every inch of self control I had not to feed into the darkness. At one point the thoughts came so quickly and often that I spent 36 hours in between sleep just watching movies so that I could keep my mind off my thoughts….. I never thought I would say this but, thank god for T.V.!

Five days out from my miscarriage my hormones started to subside and I was able to come up for air. The bleeding had lessened and I opted to go for a run hoping that the fresh air and endorphins would do me good. As my feet hit the pavement, I shed tears of sorrow for the loss of my baby, tears of gratitude for the ability to handle the insanity that came with my hormonal imbalance and tears of joy for having had the opportunity to carry life within me, even if only for a little while.

As I ran I realized I had a choice. I could wallow in sadness for what didn’t come to fruition or I could celebrate with joy the fact that I get to experience the fullness of life. Carrying and losing life, feeling deep joy and sorrow and knowing that it is the whole of our experiences that makes our life well lived. And while I still mourn the loss of a dream, I welcome the blessings that I know will inevitably come from my loss.

If nothing else, this experience has reinforced my connection to spirit. By surrendering to what is rather than holding on to what I wanted to be, I’ve gained new insights and reinforced my belief that all is just as it should be.

I’ve learned that loss brings renewal, my daily self care practice saved me and that how I show up in the world does in fact make a difference. Most importantly I am reminded that no matter what life throws my way, I am equipped with the tools to weather any storm.

If you are experiencing loss, know that you are not alone. That it will get easier and that it is ok to be gentle with yourself. Loss doesn’t just have to mean the end of something, it can also mean the beginning of something even brighter…..

Find Kerri Here:

Facebook | Instagram

May 19 2022

Managing Distractions as Women in Business

SayHiLBI@gmail.com Boss Blog, Business Productivity, Women in Business 2

Article written by Tiffany Ghrist

Have you ever imagined why your workdays spiral out of control? Do you plan your day sometimes and notice that you are distracted within just a few hours? Do you find yourself procrastinating or find it difficult to concentrate on your tasks? Does that sound like what usually happens to you?

Now, imagine yourself at the end of the day, breathing a sigh of relief, knowing that you’ve accomplished everything you need to. Again, how will you feel knowing that you are on top of all your activities while executing them effectively? Of course, you will probably sleep well at night with your mind at rest.

Did you know that you can be more productive, and effective in executing whatever task you set out to do, rather than being tired behind your office desk with piles of unfinished projects? There are several ways in which you can improve your productivity and effectiveness on tasks. Yes, it is possible, and that is what I plan to share with you today.

For two reasons, many people are not as productive as they wish, or think they are. The first reason is that the default setting or our mind is in a scattered state, and we are reactive about it, instead of being proactive. The second reason is that many bad habits interfere with our productivity. These two reasons are what keep drawing people back from their goals and prevent them from being productive.

The importance of being productive can’t be ignored, both in our personal and professional lives. If you run a business or are responsible for a team, you will want to ensure that everything goes according to plan without ignoring your productivity level. This is because your level of productivity is what will determine your level of success.

As we go through life, a lot of distractions and factors will inevitably want to contribute to why we can’t be productive. However, if you are aware of how to tackle these distractions, you can easily shield yourself from them, and become more effective and organized in your tasks.

Now the question: how can we become more productive, focused and regain control? Please understand that there is no one-size-fits-all approach, as only a systematic approach will work. However, it starts with putting our minds in order and substituting some reactive habits with good ones.

Do you want to know how to put your scattered mind in order and be able to focus better? Do you want to learn how to substitute those habits that keep you from being productive for the ones that will increase your productivity? It starts with understanding the real reason we are distracted.

Why we get distracted:

We have got things inside-out when it comes to how to be more focused. Even though our Facebook, Instagram, thousands of notifications, phone calls, WhatsApp, and what have you constitute the majority of what distracts us today, they are not the real reasons for our distractions.

What if I told you that our mind is responsible for the majority of our distractions, according to research conducted by two Harvard psychologists. Psychologists Daniel Gilbert and Matthew Killingsworth discovered that the human mind is wired to be continually distracted.

These two psychologists researched with 2,250 adults, and it was concluded that we spend around 47 percent of every waking hour “mind wandering.” This is also known as “stimulus-independent thought.” When our mind wanders, we don’t even notice it because it is so natural and ordinary to us.

Mind-wandering is fantasizing about that dream company or position you hope to have in a few years, or waiting at the gate for your plane. It is driving in your car thinking about how you forgot to reply to some emails in the morning. It is picturing yourself in a conference call sitting on a bench in Bali with a cocktail. We can all recognize this state because it is mostly the default mode of the brain.

Tips for Managing Distractions as Women in Business

Try to identify the top 5 things that keep you distracted when you are trying to work on important tasks. We all have our vices. We, therefore, have to design a no-distraction strategy for ourselves. You may consider these few ideas.

· If you are always distracted by your boss, family members or colleagues: You can approach this scenario this way. Have them agree on a “no distraction” time with you. Encourage them to use coffee breaks and lunch to talk things with you and agree on which questions are classified urgent. An example is the time someone is entirely blocked to continue with a work that needs urgent attention. Also, agree on the topics to be discussed in your weekly meetings.

· If you get lost in YouTube binges or distracted by social media: Tools like OFFTIME and StayFocusd can help you limit the time you spend on certain apps or sites.

· When you feel the urge to usually reply to every mail the moment you see them: You need to schedule a time slot for replying to your emails, and systematically work through them all at once. Turn off your email for the rest of the day or install a tool such as IFTTT to send you a mail when you receive an email from your investor, priority clients, or boss, for example.

Employ the Pomodoro Technique

This is one of the most powerful techniques that can help you focus on a task at a time. This is how it works: split your tasks into 25 minutes’ intervals. Then set a timer and shut off all your distractions. Take 5 minutes to break after your Pomodoro, before starting another one.

This technique works effectively because of its gamification. There are even apps that can help you using this technique such as Focus Booster, Focus Keeper.

Take Care of your Body

A pain-ridden, tired, sleep-deprived body is a great recipe for killing your productivity because it leads to an increased level of stress hormones, impaired memory, and decreased mental ability to focus.

Talk about distractions! Therefore, prioritize proper nutrition, exercise, sleep, and off-time to recharge your battery if getting stuff done is important to you.

Increase your Mental Focus Through Mindfulness

Taking care of your body is as important as taking care of your mind because an inspired, focused, and calm mind is the basis for working distraction-free. Calm your monkey mind with journaling, yoga, meditation, and getting out of your head every week by enjoying nature, and taking time away from the screen, and spending time with your loved ones.

Conclusion

Being unfocused comes with a price. You need to get clear on what you want and focus your time, attention, and energy if you want to be ultra-successful. If you want to achieve your goals, live a successful, and happy life, you need to learn how to put your mind in order and focus on your tasks. The mind has the natural tendency to be loaded with both important and unimportant activities, thus bring about continuous distractions and waste of time.

To effectively handle the situation of putting the mind in order and focus, we have to take proactive steps and be deliberate about the approaches that will be employed. With these techniques, my goal is to help you maximize your time, and help you achieve more with less. You will be glad you did.

Find Tiffany Here:

Facebook | Instagram | Website

About Tiffany: After spending years in Corporate America as a Process Improvement and Implementation Director, I now help Female business owners get out of their heads and into action by providing coaching, personalized project plans, and accountability that allows them to regain control of their business and give them time back in their day to focus on gaining clients and growing their businesses.

May 13 2022

Why Having a Business Plan Will Set You Up for Success

SayHiLBI@gmail.com Boss Blog, Business Business Must Haves, Entrepreneurs, Women in Business 0

Article written by Suzy Wraines

Every business needs a roadmap of some kind to stay on track no matter how big or small.

A business plan makes the perfect map: keeping you on track with your vision and goals, making everyday decisions easier and positioning even the smallest companies for growth. You may be thinking, but writing a business plan is overwhelming. I agree it’s a big task to write out the specifics of your business. The benefit of taking the time upfront will save you from stress, decision fatigue, and overwhelm with running your business later.

This article will show you real life examples of how having a business plan will reduce overwhelm and ultimately lead you to a successful sustainable business.

The traditional business plan isn’t used as frequently with entrepreneurs these days and some don’t use any business plan tool at all. In my research I have found there are many large corporations, even billion dollar companies that didn’t start with a traditional business plan. They did however, have lists, ideas on paper, project deadlines, and goals they wanted to achieve.

In my opinion no matter the size of the business, they will be successful utilizing a well written business plan. These are the reasons I feel a business plan sets you up for success.

You get serious about your business.
Shows you how much money you need.
You will set milestones.
It allows you to stay on track with your business.
It gives you insight to where you need help.
You will be able to measure progress.
Business success will be obvious as it is happening.

Now that you know the reasons to have a business plan I’m going to ask you some hard questions.

Do you know how much money you need to start your business?
Do you know who will be responsible for the following now and in the future?
- Sales & marketing
- Bookkeeping
- Product development
- Customer satisfaction
- Technology within your business.
Do you know how much income your business will earn in the next month, quarter, or year?
Do you know how your products and services will be created and sold?
How serious are you about your business?

Those are not easy questions to answer. For some of you they might be easier because you are the only person in your business right now and need to have all the answers. But, what happens when your business starts to grow? Will you be able to keep up on your own?

Keep these questions in mind as I walk you through real life stories of two women entrepreneurs with similar businesses, one who started with a business plan and one who didn’t. Their names have been changed for this article.

Kathy’s Story (no business plan):

Kathy is a stay at home mom with adult children and a loving supportive husband. She decided to start a business now since she has time. Before kids she earned a degree in Human Services. Her passion for helping others is what motivated her to become a life coach.

After graduating from coaching school she jumped right in without a business plan and started taking clients. Most of her clients came to her through referral or people who she met networking. Her coaching practice took off and she was making more money than she ever thought she would. Even though the income was there her focus remained on coaching. She would deal with the business side of things later. When it came to business income she didn’t have a plan on what to do with the income to benefit the business.

On paper this looked like a successful business. What was happening for Kathy in reality was very stressful. She never knew when or if she would have any new clients. This created a sense of fear around how she would keep the business going.

Things started to change when her client load was growing and she was becoming physically and mentally exhausted from coaching, marketing, and running all aspects of her business. If only, she could just coach that was what she enjoyed the most. This is when emotions took over. Maybe if she hired a coach to help her automate some of her marketing that would free up some of her time.

Keep in mind, Kathy doesn’t have a business plan or timeline to follow. She is making these decisions based on the feelings of stress and overwhelm. When she hired a 1:1 marketing coach for $10,000 she knew this had to solve her problem. Halfway through the coaching program she realized this wasn’t what she needed at this moment. They were coaching her on how to purchase ads. Kathy didn’t want to pay for advertising. She wanted her coaching business to be smaller word of mouth and referral based. The business decision she made didn’t line up with the vision (in her mind) of the business she wanted.

How could she create a business model that allowed her to have more time while still making the income she was used to having with her 1:1 clients?

She went back to working the way she did before with referral clients and struggling with time, stress, and having sleepless nights because she didn’t know how to create her business the way she was envisioning it to be.

While still struggling she came across a book that would change everything. It promised if she followed the steps she could have the business she was dreaming of. Small boutique, referral only coaching practice. Because this spoke directly to the emotions tied to her business she jumped without research and joined the training program to become a licensed professional for the organization that supported the book.

Being a licensed professional would allow Kathy to use the tools provided for her coaching program. It included workbooks and training materials that all she had to do was put her logo on them. This seemed to be the answer she was looking for.

Of course this comes at a price. It was a steep cost without a guarantee of return on investment. She ended up signing a contract to pay licensing fees for twelve months without a way to cancel before the contract ended. All of these business decisions were not from a plan but rather emotional decisions made based on the “promise” they would fix the problem.

Within the first six months of being a licensed professional with this organization she finished working with all her current clients with no new clients in her pipeline. No new income coming in. She was trying to incorporate the new training she received from the license she held but didn’t have a plan created to follow how she would implement this into her current coaching practice. She was quickly realizing being licensed with this organization wasn’t inline with the vision she had for her business either. Now she felt hopeless.

Sally’s Story (started with a business plan):

Sally is a working mom and wife. She works full time but longs to have more time for her family. She has seen working mom’s successfully start coaching practices and leave their day job. This is what she wants to do. Her passion is writing so naturally she has decided being a writing coach is how she wants to start.

Since she has never started a business before Sally researches business plan writing. She finds a business plan workbook and dives in. With each page she turns Sally quickly realizes all the moving parts involved in creating a business. Remember all the questions at the beginning of the article? Sally was finding the answers as she built her business vision through the help of the business plan workbook.

By writing down the ideas she had for her business and seeing how they all fit together she was able to feel confident that her business coaching idea will work. Like a puzzle she was putting the pieces together as she filled out her plan. She was getting excited about all the possibilities for her business as she filled out her plan.

At one point, the overwhelm started setting in. Sally was seeing how much went into creating a business and it’s not easy. She was approached by a marketing company during this stressful time. She had a discovery call with them that sounded like a good fit. She knew her business needed marketing. Before she made the business decision to hire the marketing company she went back to the marketing plan section of the workbook.

Seeing her plan before her in writing made it crystal clear her business wasn’t ready for the type of marketing that was offered. Yes, at some point down the road Sally wanted to invest in paid ads not right now. Had she made the decision to hire the marketing professional without a plan that would have been money gone prematurely. This was a wake up call to her to stick to the plan.

Sally is still in the very early stages of building her business. Taking time to complete her business plan before making major business decisions she is off to a great start. As she worked through each business category she started feeling more and more confident her business will be successful. Having a business plan gives her a roadmap to the steps necessary to build and grow a business. Sally’s business decisions are not made with emotions. They are well thought out and the risks are weighed against the investments.

Having a business plan created the perfect map for Sally to stay on track with her vision and goals. While not having a business plan stifled growth for Kathy due to emotional decisions that ultimately stunted success.

The common thread between these two business owners is stress and overwhelm. Creating and running a business is not easy. There will be stress and overwhelm. How you handle these situations can be traced back to having a business plan as a guide. Having a business plan allows you to know exactly where your business should be at any given time. It gives you the power to make changes as needed ultimately leading to success.

I understand how overwhelming starting a business really is. My experience as an entrepreneur I know first hand how difficult it is to create a business out of an idea. When I researched the business plan templates and books that were out there. I realized there wasn’t one, at least that I could find that walked through the steps giving room for brainstorming and developing ideas. I had to share my process of creating a plan step by step. This is how the Simple Steps Business Plan workbook was born.

No matter what your process is, I encourage you to seriously consider writing a business plan to have your own roadmap to success.

Find Suzy Here:

Website || Facebook

About Suzy:

Hi, I’m Suzy Wraines!
I’m a business development specialist with over 20 years’ experience helping businesses succeed. I have worked with every kind of company, from startups to large corporations, and have boots-on-the-ground experience launching small businesses of my own. I’m passionate about sharing what I’ve learned!

May 11 2022

Overcoming Coaching Stereotypes Through Diversity

SayHiLBI@gmail.com Boss Blog, Business Diversity, Women in Business 0

… and how it increases opportunities for all.

Article written by Kitty Kistler

If you’re a coach, influencer or social marketer who’s been paying attention, you already know that coaching has been reinvigorated, or even revolutionized, by the growing obsession over self improvement and personal wellness.

Over the past two decades, the industry has massively shifted into the online space, allowing the average person a backstage pass to tools and techniques, as well as real people, to lead them to a better life experience.

After decades of coaches being somewhat hidden in plain sight, known more by those in the high ranking positions of business, wealth, and fame, the term “coaching” is now showing the world it should belong in the lower ranks as well. Because the terminology is becoming more mainstream, the industry is cashing in on becoming more accessible and available to all people. However, it appears the self-inflating cyber bubble has begun receiving kickback because of, what can be classified as, “perceived detachment” from the struggles of the real world.

And right now, the real world is on fire.

Real Pain. Real Suffering. Real Life.

Which is why more people are tuning in, watching, eager to tap into easy to obtain wealth, beauty, and freedom all at the shift of their mindset. But this same ease has prompted industry speculations that the integrity of coaching’s propaganda is potentially harmful, even at times, toxic.

Now, more than ever, inclusion and diversity matter.

And they look more like ethics, integrity, and acceptance.

As the idea of living by your own rules becomes more normalized, it also demands change in how coaches take up space, and make room for others at the table.

During these past few years, the fight for equity is one that can’t be denied. From postgenderism, women’s rights, racial inclusion, cultural acceptance, and religious apostasy, coaches must learn to witness others without assumption or the desire for creating uniformed conformity.

And as a coach, helping to bridge the gap between where a human is, in their current reality, to where they want to transition into, you’re asked to provide safe spaces for the broken, the exhausted, the lost, the scared, and the humbled–ones that look more like giant hugs, meadows to frolic, and wilderness to wander.

The world is full of asylum seekers whose homes, offices, churches, schools, communities, and minds are not safe. When they can’t find this safety, they assume they are too different to survive it, too poor to afford it, and too broken to deserve it which has created the need for diversity and inclusion to become a major talking point around clarifying your values, solidifying your core message, breaking the industry trends, and reshaping the landscape to welcome those desperately seeking change.

To accommodate social consciousness, corporations specifically, are changing the way they hire, promote, and market. As a coach, you’re also a business owner and should begin embracing similar concepts to create healthy standards and develop a company culture.

Here are 3 ways you can weave these principles into your business:

Truly know and understand your client and potential client. Knowing who you serve and who you are as a person allows you to include those who will benefit most from your message and align with your values. Your clients deserve a safe, empathic space that accepts and welcomes them as they are.
Be sure to create offers, products, and systems that align with your mission and core values. Knowing what you stand for and what doesn’t fit your value guidelines will eliminate confusion, frustration, and assumptive risk when signing a new client or inviting them into your community.
Understand the reality of your audience. Pricing and service offers depend on who you choose to work with. While it’s in your company’s best interest to charge for the value of your work, the time you invest, and the sustainability of your business, grossly over (or under) charging will leave a gap in the trust / expectation between you and your audience.

It’s essential, as an entrepreneur, to create a business that’s sustainable and profitable to carry out your mission of serving others, but as a coach it’s imperative to know who you are as a person, who you serve best, and the values base of your company. All 3 of these guidelines will help you to present your programs as true service offers and eliminate the need for harmful marketing.

Being a diverse and inclusive leader demands an open mind and a softer understanding of the needs of others, which allows you to meet them where they are to create a safer harbor.

The landscape of the industry, and the world, is changing and this is your opportunity to create a heart-led business that embraces real people, equally, with integrity.

Find Kitty here:

Facebook // www.facebook.com/groups/howtolifecoach

Instagram // @ kitty_kistler

LinkedIn // @ kittykistler

Kitty Kistler is an experienced Life Coach + Business Mentor.

Driven by a desire to see integrity within the coaching community she created Ready, Set, Coach Academy to teach aspiring coaches, course creators, influencers, and social marketers how to coach professionally and build sustainable heart + values centered businesses. Her goal is to expand and diversify the industry while helping more coaches become successful, profitable business owners as well.

May 9 2022

From Struggles to Triumph: Empowering Other Women Business Owners

SayHiLBI@gmail.com Boss Blog, Career Diversity, Women in Business 0

Article written by Christina Hernandez

“If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, If you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

I was raised in a very traditional hispanic home. Growing up and going to college was not something that was talked about. Not because I was a woman and it was frowned upon, simply put, opportunities like that were never shared.

My dad’s first job in America was in a factory. He worked hard to provide for his family, but we still lived paycheck to paycheck.

My family’s origin to America began with my grandfather. He came to America alone from Puerto Rico to find work. He worked in fields picking produce, working hard until he saved enough money to bring his family here and start a better life. Like so many others, he wanted to offer a better life for his loved ones.

Humble beginnings to say the least. And when I became a single parent more than a decade ago (2010), I absolutely understood the path my grandfather took when coming to America. To start from the bottom and work hard to get to a better place and a better future.

So I did what most single parents do when life hits hard; I started my life all over again and I went back to school to get a degree.

I worked insanely hard to complete my degree, all while working a minimum wage job and raising my son with the help of my parents.

I finally started my new career in 2018 thinking that my life would be better now that I had a better income, but that was simply not the case. On the one hand I did have a better structured schedule, but the long hours kept me away from my son. I had to work on Sundays, and some Saturdays as well… I did not get the freedom I thought I would have.

And just when I thought I had things sort of figured out, my son was diagnosed with ADHD. With all of the struggles that ADHD children deal with, traditional schooling was not an ideal fit for him. So, I realized I had to homeschool him.

It wasn’t long after that I realized working a 9-to-5, homeschooling, and the single parent life was too much work to ask of one person.

So I had to figure out how I was going to be able to manage it all…

Most people view failure and loss as a negative thing, but I’ve turned it into my superpower.

It’s so much easier to give up on life and quit when things get hard. And honestly, I struggled with that myself. I thank God everyday for helping me focus moment by moment because that was the only thing that helped me press on.

I’m so grateful for my past struggles because they led me to create my marketing business, Selah Marketing. I decided to start my own business to help other business owners with their marketing journey, and have the flexibility that I needed with my son.

I’ve been in the marketing industry for almost 5 years and since then I’ve learned, grown, advanced, and improved.

I built a business designed to help course creators and coaches build a sustainable online business without sacrificing family and personal time. Using automated sales funnels and FB ads.

So much of my story comes from my upbringing and struggles. It has shaped my drive, personality and work ethic. I’m proud that I’m the first generation, born and raised in America and first generation to graduate college in my family.

Today I’m a Latin woman with a small business. All because of my grandfather, who came to America to provide a better life for his family. I’m truly grateful for my family’s hard work and I’m so very proud of our family’s journey and progress.

My mission at Selah Marketing is to empower a diverse group of women and come alongside them to assist them to pursue their dreams and not have to limit their family time in the process. By helping them generate automated sales leads, to grow their business. Because we can be present as mothers for our family and become successful CEOs.

If you’re in a difficult place like I found myself in, don’t give up! Like Dr. King said, “whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.”

Let’s do it for the ones we love!

Find Christina Here:

Instagram | Website | Facebook

Christina Hernandez is a single parent to an amazing teenage son. She graduated with a music and composition degree at MBI. She has also studied digital marketing and Facebook ads. And is an influencer and business educator.

May 6 2022

How I Learned to Love Small Business Marketing

SayHiLBI@gmail.com Boss Blog, Business Marketing, Small Business, Women in Business 1

When I started my current business, I thought I had a clear picture of who my audience was, where to find them and what they needed. As soon as I went to market, I learned I was dead wrong.

I failed to be specific enough about who I wanted to reach. I didn’t understand how they saw the problem I was trying to solve. And I tried to find them in places where there was more noise than signal.

I was stunned by how off I was, but I quickly got to work revising and testing how I sold my services. Over the last year of running this business, I’ve come a long way in how I talk to my potential customers. I learned how to test my audiences, messages, channels and offers. Learn from my mistakes and use my Marketing Recipes framework when you’re building awareness for your new business.

Where I Started with Small Business Marketing

Part of the reason I started my business was to do more work locally. I figured after a global pandemic when so many small businesses weren’t prepared, shop owners would already be interested in selling and growing online. I thought there might be some businesses who still weren’t online or who wanted to grow their business online but didn’t have a great local digital marketer.

My starting assumptions about my customer were as follows:

Audiences: Brick and mortar small business owners (restaurants, coffee shops, indie retail, automotive) and independent professionals who need websites
Messages: Easy websites, easy marketing coaching, all inclusive digital help, on demand marketing help
Channels: Door to door, cold calling, cold emailing, local markets, Chamber of Commerces, direct mail postcards, Instagram

Since I was creating digital marketing from scratch, I knew that for them to be my customer, they likely weren’t online much. Anyone who already had a website and robust social media presence probably didn’t need me. So I hit the streets, the phones and the mailboxes to get in touch with these business owners.

I knew I’d have to refine “brick and mortar small business owners” but I wasn’t sure in which direction so I left that open early on. I also created a service offering that was somewhat generic as I thought business owners might want an all-in-one digital marketing solution. Staying broad early felt right at the time but it did not help me reach prospective customers. By targeting everyone, I was targeting no one.

Testing My Market Assumptions

One of the best decisions I made was to get to market fast. I knew from my days in Silicon Valley that the longer you work with assumptions you haven’t tested, the more you invest in the wrong solutions. Entrepreneurs are often wrong about a lot when they launch. Getting to profitability requires testing and iteration. I spent about a month preparing my offers, packing and online channels and then, I began putting it out there!

My first test: I ordered 100 postcards and I hand wrote messages to businesses I wanted to work with who either didn’t have an online presence or they weren’t maintaining it. I heard nothing back from any of them.

My most memorable test: I walked into a coffee shop and offered the owner what I thought was a fantastic deal. Truly a bargain for the value. She said to me “nothing is cheaper than me doing it myself.” It really verbalized what I was learning going door to door. Many businesses didn’t see the value in growing online and they weren’t responding to my offer.

My most hilarious test: I was particularly interested in working with pizzerias as I love pizza culture and I know a lot of pizza shops that have a larger-than-their-product brand. I thought some of them may have bigger goals for their business. I took out an ad in a magazine called “Pizza Today” and offered a pizzeria specific website creation deal. The problem was a company called Slice beat me to it. They managed to sign up the bulk of pizza shops for digital ordering. I found that pizzeria owners weren’t interested in more than that and didn’t get even one lead.

My most labor-intensive test: I got a booth at the local farmers market. Then I created a special time limited deal. I set up a raffle, brought a portfolio book and made stickers, magnets and postcards to give away. I knew it was a longshot but boy was it! A few people stopped by but after trying the farmers market and a craft market, no one even got to a lead stage afterwards. I love working with neighbors and really wanted this to work but I couldn’t justify the level of effort for the return.

My most successful test: I was lucky that some of my friends were my earliest clients and supporters. I created a formal Affiliate Program early on that several people joined. Referrals remain my most successful channel. Creating a formal program has helped me keep everyone up to date with what I offer and it’s encouraged affiliates to recommend me as they get a small fee for every sale.

I spent a lot of time in the early days assuming my target audience was sold on needing a solution for digital marketing, but they weren’t. Brick and mortar businesses that I approached were still not that interested in the money they could make online. Whether they needed my solution or not was irrelevant because they weren’t looking to solve the problem.

Developing a Small Business Marketing Framework

In my past life, I was a growth practitioner in Silicon Valley. Companies would bring me or my team in to help them get through a blocker to growth. I led many an effort to identify what was going wrong in their product or service that was preventing people from buying or sticking around. So when I hit a similar roadblock myself, I turned to my growth toolkit.

I set up a big foam board in my office and I put the following columns on it:

Audience
Messaging
Channel
Offer
Price

Under each of these columns, I listed the things I had tried or wanted to try on post-it notes. Each post-it note was one discrete assumption. For example:

Audience: New brick and mortar entrepreneurs starting their first business
Messaging: Unsure where to turn for help with your online presence? Get support spinning up your website, social media and search engine presence anytime you need it.
Channel: Direct mail postcards
Offer: Anytime you need it digital helpdesk for all things web, social and search
Price: $75/mo

Each post-it was an option to experiment around. Ingredients of a recipe if you will. When I tried the above recipe, if it didn’t work, I could keep some of the ingredients the same and change one or more of them. Maybe I had the right message and offer but I was wrong about the audience. This allowed me to identify the one ingredient that was working and ditch ingredients that weren’t drawing my audience in. It also helped me generate a ton of ideas on how to refine my audience persona and how to reach them with a compelling offer.

Learn From My Mistakes

If you are hitting roadblocks marketing your small business, learn from my lessons! Try these tips to get unstuck:

Start your experiment board first: Create a list of audiences, messages, channels, offers and prices. Isolate them as ingredients and remix them into different recipes. I have a free Marketing Recipes worksheet you can use to get started.
Focus on *really* understanding your audience: A lot of entrepreneurs (myself included!) gloss over this step thinking people will be as excited about your business as you are. Spend the time to talk with potential customers. Ask open ended questions. Listen more than you talk. Learn what’s top of mind for them and see if what you’re solving or offering is important to them. Reflect on whether you are solving the right problem or whether they may not be your best audience.
Invest in highly targeted channels early: When you’re just getting going, you don’t want to cast a broad net because you’ll spend money and time reaching people who will never buy from you. Focus in on the most likely channels where you’ll find just your customers (or mostly your customers). These include word of mouth/referrals, conferences, events, podcasts, media, partnership webinars, forums/networking groups and industry targeted ads.

It’s really easy to think search and social will solve all your business awareness problems, but for small business owners, that’s rarely true. Both search and social take a ton of effort due to the fact that you’re competing with many businesses who have bigger budgets and bigger teams. They are not quick wins for marketing your business early on. They are longer plays that might be worth investing in, but you won’t see that return for a while.

I learned this the hard way with my own business. It wasn’t until I started breaking down my marketing experiments that I could really see where I should spend my marketing time and dollars. It wasn’t on Instagram. It was in building out an affiliate program. It wasn’t on TikTok. It was in guesting on highly targeted podcasts.

Ignore what you think everyone else is doing and instead, pay attention to the channels that yield value for you early. Double down on those to build your business in the early days and once you’ve got a pipeline of leads, add in more long play marketing efforts like content creation or search engine marketing.

Entrepreneurs who keep iterating and improving are the ones who create sustainable businesses. Experiment often and find your ideal marketing recipes. We’re all wrong about some of our business assumptions in the beginning. The real secret to success is learning fast, ditching what’s wasting your time, and investing in what brings results.

What lessons have you learned when it comes to your small business?

Find Lex Here:
Instagram | Website

May 4 2022

Diversity in Action: How our community members engage in diveristy

SayHiLBI@gmail.com Boss Blog, Core Values Core Values, Diversity, Women in Business 0

When we talk about our core values, we don’t want to just highlight them from the LBI team side of things. We also want to share and include the perspective of our community members and how each value shows up and impacts their business.

Recently we shared a definition of diversity that we really resonated with and asked for feedback from our community with a few specific questions.

The definition we shared was this:

A mix of differences in any particular setting to include but not necessarily limited to race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, age, or generation, and job function.
from Inclusive Conversations by Mary Frances Winters

The first question we asked is if our community members had any additions to this definition and what they might change based on how they do business.

Pamela Jarrin, from Bien Box, had this to say: “I think diversity should include the varieties of neurodivergent women, if they are introverted or extroverted since that affects how people show up in their business.”

When we asked what diversity looks like in their businesses, the women who responded had this to say:

Martine Stefanovic shared “I have the amazing opportunity to serve businesses with a beautiful mix of backgrounds and experiences. This has allowed me to learn so much from each business and it has really helped shape the businesswoman I am becoming.”

And Lakeisha Muhummad said, “In my business diversity looks like attracting who I am seeking and it’s not a limited thought connected to their color, race, creed, sexuality, or religion. Being able to service those who seek what I have to offer them.”

Pamela added, “I am a Latina owned business that welcomes everybody as a client. My main focus is to bring diversity with my vendors since I find that many small business are misrepresented or lack representation in other companies. Hence, I have chosen to purchase my products from Latinx, BIPOC, women owned businesses.”

When we asked about a time that they advocated for diversity, our community members had this to share –

Lakeshia: “I speak about diversity through my own personal story and how me and my siblings were raised, but also through other experiences I’ve had in life with other people. Including speaking about systems and how they look different for people.”

Martine added: “2020 was the year where many faced the relating that diversity was not always a top priority for many businesses. In the summer of 2020, I was involved in creating a Black Caucus for the Black women in the company I worked for. It was wonderful to work with a company that was willing to listen, learn and implement plans to make a space for their Black publishers to be heard and seen.”

We continued on with the conversation to ask who our community members integrate diverse perspectives into their businesses.

Pam shared: “Making sure that people know my business is Latina owned and bringing a mix of entrepreneurs from different backgrounds.”

Lakeshia had this to say: “By being open minded and also being honest that no we don’t all have to look alike sound alike or do things alike to share space or even potentially work together. I focus on purpose and intentions which have aligned me with meeting all kinds of people.”

And Martine added, “As a community manager, I often have the opportunity to help plan content with my clients. As a content creator, I believe there is a responsibility to help bring forth diversity wherever I see it may be lacking. Everyone deserves to be seen and recognized.”

We absolutely loved hearing from the members of our LBI Backstage Pass community about their thoughts and perspectives on diversity and how it shows up in their businesses. We can’t wait to continue our community conversations and sharing insights as we continue to share more about our core values and how they impact the community we’re building and the mission we’re on!

Find Pamela here: website | instagram

Find Lakeshia here: published articles on our LBI Boss Blog | instagram

Find Martine here: website | instagram