What’s a job-by? It’s what I call a hobby business or a lifestyle business. A job-by is a business that let’s you do something you love and make a little (emphasis on little) money doing it. I was recently involved in a discussion with a group of women and I asked, are you running a serious business or do you have a job-by? And, boy-oh-boy did I get an earful! “It can be both!” they … Read more
If you know me, odds are you’ve heard me say “every minute we take away from our business is an investment, so spend it wisely.” As I’ve been speaking with groups about my book, “Lunching with Lions: Strategies for the Networking-Averse” there’s one part of my presentation that creates an interesting deer-in-the-headlights look from audience members. It’s the part of my talk where I ask them how much their time is worth. See, when we … Read more
This week, I presented my talk “Lunching with Lions: How to Survive and Thrive at Networking” (based on my new book) to one of my favorite women’s groups. Before I took the stage, everyone was asked what their greatest networking challenge happened to be. Out of nearly 100 responses, two things stuck out as common conundrums: Dislike/discomfort of small talk and the desire to connect more deeply from the get-go; and The question of what … Read more
Have you ever heard of Dunbar’s Number? It’s the number of people with whom we (as humans) can maintain “stable social relationships”. Relationships in which we know who each person is and how they relate to every other person. That number is 150. How many LinkedIn contacts do you have? Facebook friends? Names on your oh-so-important email list? I’m going to bet it’s way beyond Dunbar’s 150. As business owners, we are challenged to maintain … Read more
When I graduated from college with my shiny new degree in Journalism and Marketing (Texas A&M class of 1990, Whoop!), I had dreams of getting a job in an advertising agency. In these dreams, the other girls on the account team and I would spend hours in creative meetings, brainstorming and exchanging brilliant concepts; present our design to clients who were awed and humbled by our creative genius; and rise quickly up the corporate ladder … Read more