The Five Types of Smart Women by Sheri McConnell

Creating the Five Types of Smart Women is important and personal work to me because as women, we each have a huge responsibility to inspire younger generations to “practice awareness”. As you read through the five types of smart women below, hopefully you will see a little or even a lot of yourself in each type.  My goal with the Smart Women Types is twofold: one, you can use them as a tool for self growth and two, you can use them to have a better understanding of how to market to each of these types of women in your own businesses.

Type One “Encourager”

The first type of Smart Woman is the encourager. She spends most of her time helping others accomplish their goals. She loves to share resources and actually refuels the more she shares them. The encourager also feels validated each time someone experiences growth from her help. She needs to be cautious of burn out and propping others up too much.

Type Two “The Big Thinker”

The second type of Smart Woman is the big thinker. She spends most of her time thinking and planning the big picture. She offers inspiration to those who are detail oriented and loves to be part of a movement. She is extremely productive when she takes time to see the moving parts. She needs to be cautious of overwhelm and not following through on her ideas.

Type Three “The Manager”

The third type of Smart Woman is the manager. She spends most of her time managing projects and people. She is in the zone when she can pull all the right resources together to complete a project on time and in an efficient manner.  She needs to be cautious of micromanaging her team and not empowering them to come up with better solutions on their own.  She should also be cautious of burnout.

Type Four “The Implementer”

The fourth type of Smart Woman is the implementer.  The implementer is at her best when she can hop from one project to another and be a part of the end results.  She would rather be in the fast moving thick of things than in start up.  She needs to be cautious of not forgetting about low hanging fruit in her business before moving onto next project. She also needs to make sure she enjoys the journey.

Type Five “The Connector”

The fifth type of Smart Woman is the connector.  The connector is at her best when she can bring people together and match strengths with other peoples weaknesses. She thrives when she is able to be social and resourceful at the same time. She is often looked at as the go to “people” person.  She, like the encourager needs to be cautious that the majority of her time is not spent propping others up.  She struggles when others disapprove of her.

To read about the five types in detail including all the red flags to look out for and how to grow into balancing all the types within yourself, make sure to pick up a copy of Smart Women Know Their Why at http://www.smartwomenwhy.com

Want To Use This Article In Your Ezine or Website? You have my permission, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Sheri McConnell is the CEO of Sheri McConnell Companies, Inc. and the president and founder of two global organizations, the Smart Women’s Institute of Entrepreneurial Learning (formerly the National Assn of Women Writers-2001) and the Global Institute of Associations-GIA. You can visit Sheri, access her free article archive, and grab lots of free stuff at http://www.smartwomeninstitute.com or http://www.giaconnect.com. Sheri lives in San Antonio, Texas with her husband, their four children, a weenie dog, and three hermit crabs.

3 Ways Women Can Embody Male Energy In Their Businesses And Increase Their Profits
by Sheri McConnell

One of the best things about starting and growing a business is how much you get to grow as a person.  Taking a business from start-up to six-figures and way beyond requires a lot of energy–specifically female and male energy. As with all things in the universe, balance is again the key.  In business, you will reach profits faster when you can embody both female and male energy in your business.

As a married women with four children and the coach to hundreds of women and men over the last decade, I have been observing the differences between men and women (and boys and girls too) and I love asking the question: What is different and how did it affect their results? There is so much we can learn from each other, you only need to have the intention to do so.  And even though this article is directed toward women, men only need to read and flip the lessons to grow their businesses too.

Here are three ways women can embody male energy in their business and increase their profits:

One- Men Ask Themselves “How Will I Make Money Today?”

The first main difference I notice between male and female business owners is that men move faster and are more focused on answering this question: “How will I make money today?” whereas women tend to be too shy or take way too long to get to this question.  Since men often have their identities connected to this question, they get right to business figuring it out and thus are profitable sooner.  Women on the other hand have multiple identities (no joke intended!) and wear so many hats that they hardly have time to get focused enough on one identity.  And because women are known for this, we often have to prove ourselves far longer to men before they will support us. Sound familiar?

What I have witnessed: When women are able to clear away the clutter (see the next two points below) and focus on the answers to this question, they are unstoppable.  Because they naturally embody the female energy of connection, trust, and empathy; they are able to move at lightning speed in their business because they focus on “How to make meaningful money today?”.  I am smart and lucky enough to surround myself with women who balance their male and female energy well and their businesses as does mine bypassed many of our male counterparts a long time ago.  All men have to do is put some of that female “meaningful” energy into their work and they will experience the same results.

Two- Men Delegate Effortlessly

The second difference I see between women and men is the way they delegate. I often say that men come out of the womb delegating while women are naturally caretakers. Since I was lucky enough to have a little boy almost four years ago after three girls, I can say with experience that I think delegating is a male dominate trait.  And yes, I definitely get my husband better after all these years now that I understand he was was just born that way.   Seriously though, balance is what you should strive for in life and in business.  My own struggles were in this area as were many of my clients.

What I have witnessed: The more I delegated and relied on others to reach my life and business goals, the more abundant my life became.  Stephen Covey talks about the difference between being interdependent and independent. Interdependence is the sweet spot because you are able to experience the brilliance of others instead of trying to do everything yourself.  Men get this. They would never try to do all the things a woman tries to do in a single day.  As my clients and I delegated in our businesses over the years, we were able to reach goals that would have never been possible otherwise.

And yes, we girls did have to give up some of our female energy to delegate more.  We had to do less caretaking and not feel guilty about it. Very hard. We had to rely on the “community” to help us raise our children. Hilary Clinton said “It takes a village to raise a child”. I totally agree. I couldn’t run successful businesses without great neighbors to rely on. And if you don’t have children, then know it also takes a virtual village to raise a business too!  Everyone wins when you delegate.  My business is far more successful because there is brilliance pouring into it that I am not capable of producing. And on the home front, my husband is far closer to my children because he is given the opportunity to be their sole caretaker when I travel.

Three- Men So “No” With Ease

The third main difference is how men and women say “no”.  The ease at which men are able to say no is simply astonishing to me.  I think they just process it through one filter: Do I want to do this?

On the flip side, women process the decision through at least half a dozen filters that are something similar to this:

• Can I do it?
• Who will be mad at me if I do it?
• Do I have time to do it?
• I don’t have the right outfit to do it!
• Maybe I shouldn’t even be thinking of doing it?

And the filtering goes on and on until we simply say, YES because it is much easier than saying no.

What I have witnessed: As my clients and I began to say “no” and say it often, we empowered the people we love to step up and say yes and play with us in a meaningful way.  When we began to say no to those things that didn’t bring us and the world as a whole more inner peace, we began to use our new attained free time in smarter ways. We began to create passive income opportunities that allowed us to then delegate more and be able to focus on the question that should be at the tip of every entrepreneur’s lips:  “How will I make meaningful money today?”

Want To Use This Article In Your Ezine or Website?You have my permission, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Sheri McConnell is the CEO of Sheri McConnell Companies, Inc. and the president and founder of two global organizations, the Smart Women’s Institute of Entrepreneurial Learning (formerly the National Assn of Women Writers-2001) and the Global Institute of Associations-GIA. You can visit Sheri, access her free article archive, and grab lots of free stuff at http://www.smartwomeninstitute.com or http://www.giaconnect.com. Sheri lives in San Antonio, Texas with her husband, their four children, a weenie dog, and three hermit crabs.

Watch Your Language: 7 Tips for Big Results
by Christine Kane

A few years ago, I was in a car with the promoter of one of my performances. He had picked me up at the airport and was driving me to my hotel. On the way, we talked guitars. We got onto the subject of Olson Guitars, arguably the best guitar in the whole world. At one point, the promoter said, “Yea, well, in my entire life I’ll never own an Olson guitar.”

There was a time when I’d let a remark like this slide on by, even adding my own “me either” to the mix.

Now, I can’t. Yoda steps into my head and says, (in his Yoda voice) “So certain are you. Always with you it cannot be done.”

So, I turned to the promoter and said, “You are NOT allowed to say that!”

This is because I know the power of language. When you know that words become things, it’s hard to let language slide.

I can’t help it. I have a rule:
Friends don’t let friends speak crappily.

Language is powerful. Words can create reality. Even if my promoter friend doesn’t know how on earth he’d ever get his guitar, it doesn’t mean he should cut off the possibility with his own words.

If you’re wondering how to begin watching your words, here are 7 practical language principles for becoming a better creator of your life.

1 – Eliminate “never” and “always.”
Never and always are words of hysteria. “I always mess everything up!” “I’ll never figure this out!” “I’ll never get an Olson Guitar.”

First off, it’s not true. If you always messed everything up, you wouldn’t have made it out of the womb.

And second off, extreme words are designed to hook you. It’s just your emotions taking a joyride. You’re more powerful than that.

2 – Use AND instead of BUT.
“But” dismisses the statement before it. “And” includes it. For instance, “That’s a good article, but it needs some editing” isn’t nearly as encouraging as “That’s a good article, AND it needs some editing.”

“I love you, but…” is another great example of the dismissive power of “but.”

3 – Avoid “Should.”
Should is a heinous word for many reasons. It is victim-speak. It disempowers its object. It negates desires, thereby making it harder to make choices. It adds a nebulous energy to the decision making process. Use empowered language instead: “I could…” “I would…” “I am choosing to,” “I would like to,” “I don’t want to,” or “You might consider…”

4 – Stop calling yourself depressed.
Also stop allowing anyone to tell you that you are depressed. When you call yourself “depressed” or “obsessive compulsive” or “ADHD” or whatever – you’re claiming this thing. You’re calling it forth with the most powerful two words in our language: “I am.” That creates very little option for the transformation of this condition.

5 – Delete the word “hate” from your vocabulary.
“Hate” has lots of energy. When you use it, you send lots of energy out into the very thing you “hate.” Even if it’s negative energy, it’s still a powerful force, adding its charge to that thing. You’re also depleting this energy from your own spirit as you say it.

6 – Be “great.” Or “wonderful.”
A disease of the creative temperament is a belief that we must be authentic at all costs. So we can’t answer a simple “How are you?” without delving into an in-depth scan of our emotional temperature.

Try this instead: When people ask you how you’re doing, just say, “I’m great!”

I used to think if I said this, then I better have a good reason for saying it, like I just won the lottery or something. I thought it would make me look suspicious, and people would start to wonder if something was wrong with me. But then I did it. And you know what? Most people don’t care why you’re great. You’re saying it for you.

7 – Pay attention to the music of your speech.
You know how some people? They talk in question marks? And you have no idea why? But it makes you think you shouldn’t really rely on them? And it makes you not want to hire them?
The music of your language says a lot about you. If you let your sentences droop like Eeyore, (“Thanks for noticing me.”) or if you do the uncertain question mark language, take note of what attitudes are causing this. These patterns are created for a reason. Even if it feels like faking it at first, generate confidence as you speak.

About the Author:
Performer, songwriter, and creativity consultant Christine Kane publishes her ‘LiveCreative’ weekly ezine with more than 8,000 subscribers. If you want to be the artist of your life and create authentic and lasting success, you can sign up for a FRE*E subscription to LiveCreative at www.christinekane.com.

Lessons Learned During A Year Full of “Growth Opportunities” by Sheri McConnell

This year was an amazing year full of growth opportunities. I know many of you expected me to say challenges, but that truly wasn’t my experience at all. Although I experienced more lessons this year than in some of my previous years online, I welcomed them all as they were coming because I knew my willingness to learn this year would mean I would move even faster once the economy recovered.

Here is a quick inventory of some of the “growth opportunities” I experienced in 2009.

1.  Your Perception of the Economy Is What Matters

Awareness is everything. Your awareness of how you literally have so much potential right inside of you will take you through all economic climates. Sadly, most people just don’t have this awareness yet. All the external factors (our health, our economy, our financial situation) can be perceived in such a way that you can move through them no matter what. It is about being positive and about being aware of the energy and thoughts inside you at any given moment. If in “your world” you perceive you have choices to quit “if this” and “if that” happen, then guess what, you might as well not get started.

I learned this year that if you really want it, you won’t have excuses. And trust me, they are all excuses. We don’t say no to an opportunity because of lack of money, or too much travel, or lack of time… we say no simply because we just don’t want to move forward. And here is the thing. In my opinion, is it OK to not move forward all the time. Nature tells us that we all must go dormant for a period of time to truly flourish again in the future. Being aware that you are choosing to go dormant is OK.  Having the perception that the external things are the reasons not to grow is not OK. Just know when you are ready to flourish, external reasons are not of your concern and you only need to be “aware” and then commit to be able succeed.

2.  Your Boundaries Help Others Grow

They have to test your boundaries to grow. Did you get that? People don’t test your boundaries to hurt you or to take advantage of you. They test them because they are still growing. And they never stop growing. As you can imagine, if you are a coach or consultant or a “coachsultant”, then be prepared to constantly have your boundaries tested.

How do you grow? Your keep working through your own boundaries and tweaking them until you are happy. Yep, it is that easy to be happy. Here are a few areas that I have found having good boundaries will move you forward the fastest:

• Your physical and mental space
• Advice you take
• Access you give
• Problems you take on
• Results of others that you absorb

3.  Your Customers Want YOU–Mind, Body, and Soul

They want balance. This year I really understood at a deep level how to expand and grow past my comfort zone even more. In the previous ten years, I had spent so much time mastering the mind and soul parts of myself and my business that I had in some ways neglected the body. (Sidenote: I had instead given my body to my four children, but that is another article!) This year I realized I had a been subconsciously telling the people I inspire that you can be successful, but you can’t be balanced. I was “showing” them that you can’t have it all when I wasn’t in shape. Once I began to become more balanced in the “Body” area of my life this year by hiring a trainer and paying better attention to what I ate, my clients literally “felt better” too and began to thank me for my hard work.

Here are just a few ways your customers need you to be balanced:

Mind
They need you to provide good content that helps them detect patterns and learn quickly.

Body
They need you to breathe, move gracefully through struggle, and most of all take care of yourself.

Soul
They need you to help them connect their work to the passions of others so they can experience their own “true meaning”.

4.  Your Customers Are a Part of YOU

We are truly all one.  This year I was able to watch how when we take part in “negativity” at all it shrinks us. Even if we react to negativity as a way to decompress or vent, it shrinks us. Even if we don’t participate in the negativity, but allow the energy of it to fill the air we are breathing, it shrinks us. This year I learned that the only way to run a business and to experience a truly amazing life is to live moment-by-moment in the essence that “we are all one”.

Want To Use This Article In Your Ezine or Website? You have my permission, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Sheri McConnell is the CEO of Sheri McConnell Companies, Inc. and the president and founder of two global organizations, the Smart Women’s Institute of Entrepreneurial Learning (formerly the National Assn of Women Writers-2001) and the Global Institute of Associations-GIA. You can visit Sheri, access her free article archive, and grab lots of free stuff at http://www.smartwomeninstitute.com or http://www.giaconnect.com. Sheri lives in San Antonio, Texas with her husband, their four children, a weenie dog, and three hermit crabs.

How To Think Big and Lead With Authenticity by Sheri McConnell

Here are six “ways of being” that all authentic and visionary leaders practice. These are leaders that lead with purpose and are strategically creating positive change in the world. These leaders don’t have to focus on the bottom line all the time because their results are so powerful that their business bank account just grows as a result of how attractive their business energy is. Let me explain:

1) Always Be Positive and Grateful

This behavior or this way of being is so powerful and allows you to anchor all lessons and grow from them.  Your ability to see forward movement in every part of your business at every stage is exactly what attracts more success, more money, more exciting experiences, and more amazing people into your world.  No matter what your business or your life looks like today, you must see the lesson in it all and be grateful and welcome it. Genuinely welcome it in. And when you do, you will be rewarded with innovatiive ideas and a ha’s from the universe. On the flip side, if you aren’t positive, you will struggle more just to stand still. Life and business can be effortless or it can be a constant struggle. Know this: You are the core reason whatever you are experiencing right now is happening. Good or bad. Being positive and grateful allows you to see what works and what decisions have been made from ego vs. from the universe that flows through you.

(more…)

The Two Most Important Intentions You Can Set In Your Life and Business by Sheri McConnell

Setting intentions is a conscious way of keeping yourself from going through life on autopilot. You can set an intention each morning, before a meeting or appointment, or even before you go to bed to guide your dreams. Marcia Weider defines intention this way: “to have in mind a purpose or plan, to direct the mind, to aim.” By practicing intention setting you can change your behaviors and eventually accomplish all of your goals. Some changes can happen in a moment, like a changed mindset for an instance and other growth requires the continuous practice of intention setting.

I believe that there are two primary intentions you can set that will dramatically affect your life and your business. These intentions can literally create A New Way of Being in your life.

(more…)

Pay Attention to the Two M’s and Your Business Will Soar

After ten years of running a 7 figure online business, I have concluded that success can be narrowed down to two specific areas of mastery.

I call them the two M’s — Mindsets and Marketing

And I want to make a BOLD statement here and say that if you can focus your efforts on mastering the Mindsets and the Marketing in your business, you will be successful!

First, let’s discuss the Mindsets…

After years of learning and growing and accomplishing many goals I have set for myself, I decided that no matter what you decide to do in and with your life, your mindsets matters most.

(more…)

Three Healthy Money Mindsets That Will Help You Grow Your Business

Your relationship with money and how your feel about it determines your success. Period. If you feel shame when you have debt or if you are paralyzed when making a certain investment because of a relative number, then your money mindsets are affecting your results. To be successful, it is crucial that you begin a lifelong study of healthy mindsets and behaviors you should have where your money is concerned. Mindsets are energy just as money is energy. And you can literally attract money by learning how to experience money in a healthy way. Here are three money mindsets that you can learn that will help you grow your business.

1) Customers Want To See You Invest In Your Business Before They Are Willing To Invest In You

Have you ever visited a website and subconsciously decided this website wasn’t worth your time or money? Of course you have! Internet visitors do it everyday. Yet, many business owners think that they can convert visitors to members without putting there best foot forward on their website. They expect visitors to invest in them when they aren’t willing to find a way to even invest in themselves (their website) first. Trust me, I get cash flow issues. But if you can understand just the basic rule of “invest in your website and your customers will invest in you faster” then you are ahead of at least 75% of the businesses that exist on the Internet today. And it doesn’t cost as much as you would think at all. The costs have come down substantially over the last five years as innovative new companies have popped up to serve online businesses. There are three core areas I have my clients invest in to have the highest ROI (return on investment) on their websites. They are:

- Invest in the latest technologies such as Wordpress.org that allow you to integrate multiple innovative plugins and blogging software.
- Invest in professional copywriting or invest in learning the skill yourself
- Invest in a good designer that understands how to convert visitors to paid customers or members
(more…)

Three Ways To Use The Most Important Business Strategy That Exists

Did you know that there is a under the radar strategy that exists that you can take advantage of right now and it can immediately catapult your success.

That strategy is positioning.

Positioning is the process by which marketers try to create an image or identity in the minds of their target market for its product, brand, or organization.

Re-positioning involves changing the identity of a product, relative to the identity of competing products, in the collective minds of the target market.

At its core, positioning empowers you to take control of your business and use leverage exponentially by leveraging others expertise. The following are three ways you can start changing the way people relate to your company.

(more…)

Three Ways To Use The Most Important Business Strategy That Exists

Did you know that there is a under the radar strategy that exists that you can take advantage of right now and it can immediately catapult your success.

That strategy is positioning.

Positioning is the process by which marketers try to create an image or identity in the minds of their target market for its product, brand, or organization.

Re-positioning involves changing the identity of a product, relative to the identity of competing products, in the collective minds of the target market.

At its core, positioning empowers you to take control of your business and use leverage exponentially by leveraging others expertise. The following are three ways you can start changing the way people relate to your company.

One-Use a Powerful Business Model

Before you choose your target market, before you build your website, before you learn the latest online marketing strategies; you must choose an equitable and passive business model that allows your customers to see you as a leader in your industry. Not as a player, but as a leader. Most entrepreneurs start businesses without ever considering their business model and then they spin their wheels for years working a service-based business where they start over each day and have nothing to show for their previous work. Some examples of powerful business models are:

(more…)