eWomenNetwork is a complete success system for women entrepreneurs. We offer live, face-to-face events monthly across North America and have members around the world.
We offer one of the largest business women's Conferences in North America.
Our goal is to help 1 million women make 1 million dollars in annual revenue.
We hope you’ve left the office behind to enjoy good food with family and
friends, but as you grab some hot cocoa and settle in for a marathon of
holiday classics, be on the lookout for some outstanding business
lessons hidden right inside these Christmas movie favorites.
The Santa Clause
A recently divorced single Dad has the adventure of a lifetime on
Christmas Eve, when the real Santa falls off his roof leaving him and
his son to take over for a magical night in Santa’s Sleigh.
Unfortunately for Scott Calvin (played by Tim Allen), putting on Santa’s
suit constituted a binding contract that was outlined in the laughably
fine print on Santa’s business card. Chaos ensues when Scott’s career
and custody of his child are jeopardized by the meddlesome North Pole
calling Scott to fulfill his destiny as Santa. While most standard
business contracts won’t go north pole small in their font, the lesson
is an important one. Always read the fine print.
In 1940s Illinois, 9-year-old Ralphie spends the holiday season praying
and plotting to receive a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas. He lays it on
thick with his mother, his teacher, and even Santa in an effort to make
sure Red Ryder will be under the tree on Christmas morning. While
Ralphie’s laser focus is admirable, the harder he sells, the more
obstacles get in his way. A Christmas Story teaches us to never give up, but just as important: sometimes it’s important to stop selling to get what you want. Also, be careful with BB guns and icicles. And always have a pair of backup glasses.
Reasons Joining a Mastermind Should be Your Top Priority for 2022
“A mastermind group is a
peer-to-peer mentoring group used to help members solve their problems
with input and advice from the other group members.”
Have
you ever wondered why Pixar movies are so consistently good? It’s
because in the mid-90s they shucked the standard model of movie making
from traditional studios where all the ideas come from the top and
created a collaborative environment where everyone had room to share
their ideas and receive feedback. And while that seemed revolutionary
at the time for the movie-making business, the idea itself wasn’t new at
all.
Famous minds throughout history have utilized the Mastermind process to
go from a person with an idea to someone who children study in school
over a hundred years later. Andrew Carnegie, Ben Franklin, Henry Ford,
Thomas Edison, the list goes on. And that’s just from 50+ years ago.
Now of course, we live in a world where women entrepreneurs are no
longer an anomaly and if there’s anything we’ve learned from our three
masterminds of 2021, it’s that stepping into a Mastermind should be a
key goal for all entrepreneurs in 2022.
Here’s why:
Collaboration and synergy.
Masterminds aren’t just about getting advice from like-minded
professionals, when you mastermind with people they are just as invested
in your business as you are. These fresh eyes don’t just skim a
business plan and say what comes to their minds. A Mastermind is a
place to look at every angle with the benefit of diverse backgrounds and
expertise behind you.
I often refer to goals as the dreaded “G” word. Why? Well, because most people groan at the idea of them. So change what you call them – bucket list items, life plans, or whatever feels good to you. What’s important is that you have them because without meaningful plans, you rely on others and circumstances to run your life. It’s time for you to be the captain of your life!
If you have a business, setting goals is critical to achieving success. Unfortunately not many people do it. According to the 4th Annual Staples National Small Business Survey, more than 80 percent of the 300 small business owners said that they don’t keep track of their business goals, and 77 percent have yet to achieve their vision for their company.
Setting Goals is Simple
No matter what goal you want to reach, whether it’s business or in life, achieving it can start with simply making a list. A list of the things you want to accomplish in the next year, 5 years, 10 years, or in your life. Think about what is important to you? What, if you were to accomplish them, would make you feel fulfilled and give your life meaning and joy? Don’t judge. Just list those items.
How a broken, single, teenage Mom of a handicapped child turned DIY facials into the business of her dreams
Entrepreneurs are a unique breed if you haven't figured that out for yourself, and if you are truly one at heart you are a chronic visionary. You're always looking for new ways to solve problems through innovative products and services. Ava Young did just that. She began her adult life as a teenage, single mother of a mentally and physically handicapped child. Ava was literally broke and broken as she tried to raise her daughter on a minimum wage salary, doing whatever it took to survive.
Ava had a passion for facials, so to salvage what little pleasure she had in her life, She created her own DIY facials. Today, she is launching her own business of skin care products with the help of her daughter's special needs work program. Her company, Self Spa Skin, has the tagline, "Great skin has special needs."
Ava is one special woman. Watch the video of her interview on the eWN Podcast Network show, Spotlight on eWomenNetwork, with Host, Phyllis Smith and get ready to get inspired (and maybe shed a tear or two!).
A Difficult Beginning
PHYLLIS SMITH: So, you've created your own skin care product years ago really out of necessity. You were broke, you were a single mother of a mentally and physically handicapped child. So, before we get into the success of your business please tell us about your daughter’s condition and what that experience was like for you as a parent.
AVA YOUNG: Oh, let’s see ... my daughter was born very early. She was 2 pounds 7 ounces, and we're talking, my daughter is very fully grown, so we're talking a long time back when they were just introducing new intensive care units for infants. She was actually the first survivor in the Ventura General Hospital Neonatal Clinic. So yeah, it has just coincidentally been built and opened the week before. So, um ... she was very, very tiny and she had a lot of problems. She came out of the hospital, she finally came home when she was 2 months old and 5 pounds.
So she was very, very tiny, and I was told that there would be problems like with her teeth and with her eyes and although that came to be true there was a whole lot more that they didn't tell me about. Turned out that, um ... as she grew there was developmental delays so she did turn out to be autistic. Very high functioning though. Um ... a touch of Cerebral Palsy and of course all the eye problems that you would encounter, that they used to encounter all the time giving too much oxygen and it distorted the inside of the eyes.
I was barely 18 when I had her. So, although I had been married I found myself a single parent very, very, very, very quickly, and I was just overwhelmed. Yeah, [laughter] it's funny to go back to that time because it's so long ago and there's so many things that happened in the meantime, but remembering that, um ... it's funny. It's funny looking back on that, and if I wanted, if I could ... myself sitting here tell my younger self then, “It’s okay, you'll get through it”. It's gonna be a lot of years, but it'll be fine.
Megan O’Grady, of Cape Coral, Florida, is not your average teenager.
Instead of being preoccupied with boys, friends and other teenage
distractions, she is spending time helping children cope with the
tragedy of losing a parent in the line of duty. She's doing this one
bear at a time.
A Child Helping Children Cope with Losing a Parent
The Humanitarian of the Year Award recognizes a powerful change that one individual can make in the lives of others.” ~Sandra Yancey -CEO, eWomenNetwork
Megan O’Grady
sews custom hand-made toy bears that are clothed in the uniform of a
fallen officer and delivers them to the officer’s children. She calls
her organization, Blue Line Bears.
Megan’s goal is to help the children cope with the devastating loss of a
parent by providing a lasting keepsake to help keep the memory of the
officer alive.
The daughter of a Police Officer, Megan’s inspiration for her bears came from watching the news reports of the Dallas ambush attack in July 2016 that left 5 officers dead. It was the deadliest single incident for U.S. law enforcement since September 11, 2001.
“It was probably one of the saddest
days of my life, because I realized how terrifying it is that my Dad
could die. I wanted to step up and try to end what’s happening against what my Dad does.” ~Megan O’Grady, Founder, Blue Line Bears – Cape Coral, Florida
To date, Megan has delivered 103 custom hand-sewn bears to families in 23 states. She is the youngest recipient of the WomenNetwork Foundation Humanitarian Award, which is given each year at the annual conference in Dallas.
It’s a very special time of year, my friends! In addition to wrapping up what we hope was a wonderful 2021 for you AND being in the thick of the holidays, we thought we’d take a moment to talk about Sandra’s Favorite Things.
Red Leaf Home Candles
When you walk into the eWN office and it smells like Citrus, Cedar, and a hint of ambition, it’s probably because Sandra was burning a Red Lead candle. Made with essential oils and packaged with a wooden top for convenient travel (because let’s face it, hotels during business trips just don’t smell like home), Red Leaf candles come in a variety of scents and styles. They even have a pet collection that keeps your home from smelling too much like your beloved fur babies! CHECK THEM OUT HERE.
Dell Latitude 9520
It’s no secret we love DELL at eWomenNetwork, but the Latitude 9520 is off the charts amazing. It’s sleek, it’s fast, it charges quickly, and has outstanding battery life. What’s not to love? Plus, it has optimized sound and microphone quality so it’s easier to have video conferences no matter where you are! CHECK IT OUT HERE! And BONUS, eWomenNetwork Members get a special discount! Get your Discount Code HERE.
’Tis the season of giving, and with that comes the long lists of gifts you need to get for those dear to you. What seems easy at the beginning of your shopping trip can become a little tricky when you realize that every gift idea you had wasn’t the best. We’re here to make it a bit easier on you — if a female entrepreneur is on your list. These gifts were curated to be both practical and thoughtful for any woman working hard to make their dreams a reality.
Whether she is an organization fanatic or aesthetic addict, these folders are perfect for your lady boss. They are functional for documents and the feminine touch will bring a pleasant pop of color to any workspace. It’s subtle enough for a minimalist taste, yet bold for those fierce ladies who are making strides in their entrepreneurial journey.
Planners are a necessity for any entrepreneur. Add in hair appointments, nail sessions and spa days, and you need one that does it ALL. Give the gift of organization with this 2019 lady boss planner that does just that. It contains a budget log, hand-lettered quotes, habit tracker pages, note space, weekly priorities list, grocery list, sketchbook pages, and more. You can even get it custom made with the receiver’s name in calligraphy on the front for a few more dollars.
A meaningful print in neutral tones is a fresh and fun way to lighten up any workspace. There’s endless quotes or phrases that you can create as a print. Choosing one with a motivational meaning behind it adds a sensation of purpose to the atmosphere. Plus, it acts as a daily reminder to lady bosses that they are doing something great no matter how tough the journey may seem.
Have you ever wondered how the Walt Disney World Resort® continues to produce a dynamic model on Business Excellence, Leadership, Working Environment and Customer Service? What does Disney have that you don’t have? Besides a gazillion-dollar empire, you can create a business model like Disney and bring the Wow! Magic of Disney to your business.
Tell us about your Disney Wow! experience and how that applies to your business?
How to Bring the WOW! Magic of Disney to Your Business!
Imagine if you could create a customer focused culture like Disney. What would it look like? Picture your businesses finally having a plan to attract more businesses, customers, visitors, life-long brand loyalty and then stand out from the rest. Do you think people will visit, purchase more and refer others? ABSOLUTELY! They will think your business is magical! In this eWomen Success Institute webinar, you will learn from a former Disney executive How to Bring the WOW! Magic of Disney to Your Business!
eWomenNetwork member,
Julia Sutton, shares her heart-breaking journey about the challenges of
being a caregiver to family members who suffer from mental illness,
including her brother and her son. It has consumed her, and now she is
on a mission to eradicate the stigma around childhood mental illness
through a children’s book she wrote and the help of a local hospital.
PHYLLIS SMITH: Hello
and welcome to Spotlight on eWomenNetwork, I’m Phyllis Smith. Today is a
pretty serious topic. We’re going to be talking about, taking a deeper
look into mental illness. So, listen to these statistics: according to
the National Alliance on Mental Illness or NAOMI:
1
in 5 adults in the US, that’s about 44 million people (nearly 20% of
the population), experience mental illness in a given year.
1
in 25 adults in the United States, that’s about 10 million people
(about 4% of the population), experience a serious mental illness in a
given year that substantially interferes with or limits one or more
major life activity.
These
numbers are staggering and joining me today is a woman who has
experience with mental illness first hand. She is an author, an
illustrator, and philanthropist. Now she’s featured on this
eWomenNetwork “Member Spotlight” series. I’m so honored to have her
here. Please welcome Julia Sutton.
JULIA SUTTON: Thank you so much for having me.
PHYLLIS SMITH: And
we’re so happy to have you here. So, you’ve just written your first
book. This is a dream come true, a 20-year dream come true called, The Other Mermaid.
It’s a children’s book. Before we do talk about that - mental illness
has been in your family - your brother and then your son. So, can you
tell us first about your brother and what his diagnosis was, and how it
manifested in your family and your experience growing up?
JULIA SUTTON: Let’s
see, this was in the early to mid-70’s and there wasn’t a lot of
information about mental illness. So, my brother has been diagnosed with
a plethora of different illnesses and I don’t know if they ever got it
right. It’s schizophrenia. He has been on medication, mostly he’s
self-medicated, and that’s a huge issue with mental illness, because a
lot of the medications that are used for the person taking them it feels
like it’s taking their soul away. It takes away who they are.
So
as a young person growing up it was embarrassing, it was a secret, it
was confusing because I would talk to my brother and I couldn’t tell who
knows maybe he saw something that the rest of us really didn’t see and
it was there. How do you know? My brother and I remain very close to
this day. I love him and I support him in his own ventures. What he has
done, mostly has lived in outskirts areas. He doesn’t really do well in
cities. So, he lives in Alaska. Right now, he’s in Colorado and that’s
how he’s dealt with it.
eWomenNetwork Spotlight: Sharon Ballantine's tips on getting your teens to talk to you
eWomenNetwork member, Sharon Ballantine, The Premier Parenting Coach,
learned the hard way that parenting-by-demand wasn’t going to cut it.
Faced with teenagers who grunted instead of speaking to her, she knew
something had to change. Finally, an “aha” moment brought her to her
senses that changed everything. Watch and learn how you can change your
relationship with your child that can last a lifetime. After you watch
the video or listen to the podcast, read Sharon Ballantine's article below on How to Use Business Skills to Succeed as a Parent.
How to Use Business Skills to Help You Succeed as a Parent - by Sharon Ballantine
Raising the Happy Quotient at Home
Does
it sometimes feel overwhelming and stressful to be managing your own
business and also raising a teen or two? It can easily feel like you
have two full time jobs! As a business owner and a parent, I have often
felt like I needed to cultivate the “people” skills that I use in the
world of business, on my own family. Skills such as attentive listening,
non-judgment, the tone of voice I use, etc. At times, it was a struggle
to use these skills at home if I was being reactive with my teens.
As
I was navigating the teen years, I wanted to be more responsive and
less reactive to my teens and also have them be less reactive with me.
Being reactive was standing in the way of good communication and
undermining the quality of our relationship. I came to realize that if I
truly wanted these things, I was going to have to slow down and take
control of my own wellbeing, which meant making my happiness a priority.
I knew that if I wasn’t happy, I couldn’t approach any situation with
my teens in a clear way and be the supportive parent that I wanted to
be.
This
also meant that allowing my teen’s moods and behavior to dictate my own
mood and behavior would never serve me. I came to realize how crucial
it was to also pay attention to what was truly going on within my
teenagers, which seemed to often dictate their behavior. This took
practice- on both counts and a constant reminder to myself- to not take
things personally.
Getting
along with your teen and raising the happiness quotient in your home,
starts first with better understanding what is happening with them- in
their minds and in their bodies. We know how stressed we can feel, but
do we realize how stressed our teens are too? Are we giving them the
benefit of the doubt as their find their way?
Step into Headquarters for a Day with eWN's Newest Full-time Employee
It’s now been sixth months since I started my journey with eWN. Prior
to eWomenNetwork I spent 10 years in Business Development at Barnes
& Noble, where I focused heavily on live events for major authors,
book festivals, and more. In addition to that, I also have backgrounds
in theater, creative writing, visual arts, STEM, and Public Relations.
While I’m usually a little embarrassed by how bizarrely diversified my
background is, one of the things Kym told me back in July was that it
was a perfect fit for eWN. He assured me that every skill I’ve acquired
as I trekked across the world could be put to good use here. And as it
turns out, he was right.
Morning
I get up at the same time
every morning. Even if I weren’t a creature of habit, which I am, my
dog wouldn’t allow for anything else. I feed him, take him out, brush my
teeth, then sit on the couch to do my makeup while watching Schitt’s Creek. When I collect my things to leave, Bailey sits on the couch with a look of resentment as I head out the door.
I’m
very lucky I only live 4 miles from the office. Even without the
tollway (like Sandra said at conference, I too hate taking the tollway
when it’s not necessary), it only takes 11 minutes.
Our building is lovely and in a great part of town. I park in the underground parking garage and head up the elevator to eWN.
I
settle in, catch up on email, and get into the groove for the day.
Three days a week, we all have a slack call at 9am. The entire team
from top to bottom goes over the main things they’re focusing on. It’s a
nice change from other jobs I’ve had in that the team has excellent
focus and does a pretty great job at staying on topic, so the meetings
are quick, efficient, and informative.
LESSON: Quick and focused debriefs are the best.
I have an hour before our
first zoom meeting and I take that time to confirm details for some
upcoming Celebrity Science Photoshoots. By the time I reach out to the
photographers, makeup and hair teams, stylists, and studios for each
shoot, I’m pretty sure they all think I’m crazy because I have a
tendency to over confirm, but better safe than sorry.
Our
first zoom meeting of the day is an internal creative strategy session
for a Break the Stale client. This is where the whole team (i.e. Kym,
Briana, Graphic Designers, Copywriters, Web Designers, etc.) comes
together after having read the client’s intake form and we have a deep
dive strategy session on where we’re going with the project. These are
always fun and it’s exciting to see how the before and afters turn out.
These meetings last at least an hour, but often go much longer when the
creative juices flowing.
In her 2016 commencement speech to the graduates at the University of California at Berkley, Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, spoke in public for the first time about the loss of her husband since his death just over a year prior to that day. She spoke of what she learned about death and survival and reiterated advice from her Rabbi to “Lean into the suck.”
Entrepreneurs Lean Into the Suck
As entrepreneurs, there is no doubt that you will face many obstacles. People you love will doubt you and your intentions. People you don’t know will question your decisions. Competitors will outperform you, and you will fail. In business failure IS an option, because it’s the best way to learn. There are no mistakes, only lessons.
What lessons have you learned from your failures? Comment below.
Plan-Do-Review
Founder & CEO of eWomenNetwork, Sandra Yancey, offers a technique to help you make the best of those failures called, “Plan-Do-Review.” It is in the review that we learn what worked and what didn’t. It is a necessary process without which we can not improve and grow.
Sandra says, “Things don’t happen to you, they happen for you.” She explains that the universe is granting you obstacles to groom you for when it happens again in the future. When it does you will be ready and able to handle it with ease and grace.
There's no point in starting a social media campaign without a goal in mind. After all, would you start a business without a goal? Would the U.S. Olympic Gymnastic team win all of their medals without a goal in mind? Here are 3 Ways to Practice Social Media Like an Olympic Champion.
3 Ways to Practice Social Media Like an Olympic Champion
Social Media Strategy
You can't just throw out a wide net on social media platforms and hope for the best. You need a strategy in place. Here's a quick overview of how to create a social media marketing plan for best results:
Click here to find out if your social media strategy is working for you.
#1 Define Your Goals
Here are some examples of Social Media goals you should consider from Troels Kjems at Think Digital:
New followers
Clicks on link in update
Online purchases
Filled out contact form
Signups for newsletter
Downloads of .PDF file
Time spent on important webpage
#2 Track Your Goals
Google Analytics is how most companies track their online progress these days. It's easy and takes you through steps to help you track your investment. Sprout Social says if your goal is conversion from a destination page, you need to make sure the URL is not indexed in Google, so that the only way for someone to land on it is by going through your email signup process. Otherwise you could potentially mess up your data.
Let’s face it, walking into a room of strange people and trying to figure out who to talk to, how to talk to them and what to say is not for the faint of heart.
To learn how to converse, connect, collaborate and create relationships, watch Sandra Yancey’s video to get your start on what the 3 key “X” words are to spark a conversation at your next networking event. This short video can be the beginning of a new approach to networking for you, which could lead to lasting connections with future customers and clients.
What is Inbound Marketing? Think of it as you’re the basketball net and your customer is the ball. In real terms, inbound marketing has been described as anything that provides a tremendous amount of value to your target customer without asking anything from them in return. We’re talking about content here.
So you’ve invested oodles of money and time preparing, attending, meeting and cultivating relationships at a networking event like the eWomenNetwork International Conference and Business Expo. You say your good-byes. You get home feeling full and satisfied that your experience was everything you hoped for and more. Now what?
Follow Up! Follow Up! Follow Up!
This next part is the 2nd most important part of your investment. Successful networking is all about the follow-up, which should start right after your event.
Here are some tips on what you should do immediately following your event:
Send an invitation on LinkedIN with a personal note. Don’t just invite everyone you met to connect with you on LinkedIN and call it a day.
Send an “SS” (Short & Sweet) email to each person saying how nice it was to meet them at the conference, a personal comment you remember like, “Hope your daughter’s soccer game goes well,” and then suggest a day/time in the near future for you to get together for coffee. Simple, sweet, personal.
Organize yourself with a reminder that will pop up in your calendar for you to follow up with each person.
Follow each person on their social media platforms.
Social media, like Facebook, will tell you what your contact is up to, when they have a birthday and other celebrations that can present you with a good reason for a follow-up.
