Strategies and Tactics for Women by Dr. Shannon Reece

Merry Christmas Eve! I can’t believe that Santa will begin his journey around the world tonight, making Christmas wishes come true, far and wide. Delivery has probably been much easier since the invention of GPS navigation.

Father Christmas has become the entrepreneur of note this season. This jolly man definitely has style and some serious business sense. How many CEO’s do you know who can manage the logistics of running a world-wide organization with a single delivery date each year, and a staff composed of elves and flying livestock? I think it must have something to do with his sugar intake and the invigorating climate of the North Pole.

This weekly wrap up was designed to share the blogs, websites and/or businesswomen that I found particularly helpful this week.  My top blog picks this week center around the top business tips we can learn from Santa Claus. Since today is the last day you can snap it up, wrap it up and get it under the tree before dawn, let’s get right to it. Enjoy!


Top Blog Picks

25 Days of Cheer – Day #11, Be Santa

What a festive way to start things off! It this series on cheer, Day 11 is all about the life lessons we can learn from Santa, the jolliest person on the planet by far. These tips from Melissa Galt (@ProsperByDesign), can be applied to your business and your life, but are a prescription for being at your best from the inside out. Gift giving is my love language, so I am partial to tip #2.

Santa’s Secret to Staying Ahead of Market Trends

With a very creative flair, 365 Days of Startups’ CEO, Laura Petrolino (@365Startups) featured Santa as the expert of the week. In this informative interview, Santa reveals his best business strategies, including employment issues, utilizing social media, and trademark violations. You’ll even get the low-down on Rudolph.

Business Tips from Father Christmas: The Festive Entrepreneur Pops into Smarta HQ for a Little Chat

In a video interview at Smarta HQ across the ocean (@SmartaHQ), Father Christmas reveals some of his most trusted strategies for pulling off Christmas without a hitch. Modern technology has certainly streamlined his operations, but as always, the “old chap” has some tricks and tips up his sleeve — 3 to be exact. Corny, but quite fun!

5 Tips from Santa for Building Great Customer Relations

Humorist, Stan Sinberg, apparently crossed paths with Santa this month and got the 4-1-1 on how to build strong customer relationships. While his techniques may work exceedingly well with 5 year olds, you may want to think twice before breaking into houses or asking your best customer to sit on your lap, without excellent legal representation. My thanks to Zendesk (@Zendesk) for bringing some levity to my busy week.

Small Business Strategies: A Business Plan for Santa

The end of the year is the time when all business owners evaluate the year gone by, and begin to revise their business plans for the future. Even Santa goes through this annual exercise. USAToday columnist, Rhonda Abrams (@RhondaAbrams) gives us a glimpse of what the business plan looks like for our beloved bundle of joy in a red suit. You might learn a thing or two you can apply to your own plans this coming year.


Featured Site
For the first time, the site I wish to feature this week was chosen because of a story that really touched my heart. I have tweeted about it and shared in on Facebook, but in honor of the real meaning of Christmas, I wanted to share it with you one more time.

This week I am honored to feature the amazing owner of The Bridal Salon of San Antonio, Amy Wells. I recently “met” Amy on Twitter after learning about the precious gift she gave a bride and her dying father. Amy is a woman who makes women’s fairytales come true every day. But on one particular day, she didn’t focus on customer service, she led from her heart. Amy is an inspiration to all businesswomen who want to be known for going that extra mile, or three or ten for the people they strive to serve. To find out more about Amy and her business, you can find her on Twitter @AmyWells.


Woman of Excellence
I am happy to present this week’s Woman of Excellence Award to best-selling author, international speaker, and mentor, Dondi Scumaci. I had the opportunity to share a bit of my heart with Dondi when she tweeted the story I referenced above. I always find the moments that bring people together utterly fascinating, and am very grateful to have connected with such a gifted woman.

If you haven’t had the pleasure of reading her posts, visit Dondi’s blog and be inspired. She has an incredible way of weaving words together with beauty and power, to educate and motivate professional women. Dondi has published three impressive books, so take a look. I have some serious reading to do, and look forward to learning from this impressive businesswoman. To find out more about Dondi Scumaci, you can follow her on Twitter @DondiScumaci.


That wraps up this post. I hope you enjoyed my picks for the week.

In case you were wondering, I have no affiliate relationship with anyone I call to your attention on this blog. This is simply my way of spreading the news about information and individuals I have found particularly helpful.

Until next week, keep reading, keep learning, keep growing!

Luke 2:8-14 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.  And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.