Handling Criticism without Losing Your Cool

January 28, 2011 – 11:10 am

Welcome to the Weekly Wrap Up!

I have to apologize for not being around much this month. I’ve been hard at work on a new project that I hope to share with you soon. As can happen sometimes, I set some really high goals for myself, and found that something had to give. But that doesn’t mean that connecting with you wasn’t always on the forefront of my mind. But I’m back! And happy to bring you a new Weekly Wrap Up.

At some point in your life, you have been the recipient of criticism. It’s one thing, if that criticism is constructive in nature. It’s not any fun, when it is negative. So what’s a girl to do, when facing a harsh review?

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 how to keep your cool when the heat is on. Enjoy! Continue reading →

By Dr. Shannon Reece | Posted in Weekly Wrap Up | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (1)

What makes you come alive?

January 27, 2011 – 7:45 am

From communications expert, Laura Petrolino, of Flying Pig Communications, a great post on the importance of infusing your marketing and sales plan with your passion.  This approach is essential to sharing the best of who you are with your audience.  (originally published on FlyingPigCommunications.com)

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” -Howard Thurmond

This quote sums up the essence of a successful business (and marketing plan for that matter) in my opinion. As important as it is to look at customer trends, know your market, cater to your customer’s needs and desires and work within their worldview…in the end, if you aren’t doing what you are passionate about, why are you doing it?

The best, most organic marketing for your business is your personal passion for it. When a customer is able to easily see your excitement and passion about the service/product you offer, they are instantly able to trust your ‘sales’ pitch better.

Formulating a business around your personal strengths and passions also help you distinguish yourself from the crowd. You are a unique individual, that should shine through. If it doesn’t you are just like every other knife in the drawer.

….instead, be a steak knife, or a tomato knife…..even better- be chopsticks!

Laura Petrolino is Managing Director of Flying Pig Communications, a communications and business consulting firm which focuses on the needs of startups, small business and non-profits. She also serves as Chief Communications Officer at Ignite Venture Partners, which brings together consulting, capital, and concept incubation to build value in businesses of all sizes and stages, and across industries.. Find her on twitter @lkpetrolino and @365startups
By Dr. Shannon Reece | Posted in Guest Posts | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Tip of the Week – Jan 26, 2011

January 26, 2011 – 12:33 pm

The Power of the Space Between Your Ears



You are what you think, and…

You have the choice to think what you want, so…

Be sure to want what you think.

It’s that simple.

Continue reading →

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Question of the Week – Jan 24, 2011

January 24, 2011 – 1:00 pm

This week’s question is –

What single person has had the greatest impact on your

business success to date, and why?

Why should I join the discussion?

Because this online forum is a great place for us to exchange ideas, learn from each other and network. My goal is to unite successful women entrepreneurs to share our insights and solutions to the challenges we most commonly face in our businesses.

How do I get involved?

Every Monday I will post a new Question of the Week. This is a great opportunity for you to bring your expertise to the table. Using the NEW link below, please submit a one paragraph response by Saturday, and the following week I will share our community responses on my blog.
To submit your response CLICK HERE

I look forward to your response to this week’s question! If you have any questions you know where to find me. Have a great week!

By Dr. Shannon Reece | Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

Turning Your “Oops!” Into Opportunity

January 24, 2011 – 11:00 am

Failure is a big part of learning to be successful in business.  Some of the most valuable lessons are learned when we stumble, fall, get back up, dust ourselves off, and ask, “What can I do better next time?”

As I talked about in my post on the importance of transparency, this week I wanted to ask the experts what they could share about their greatest start-up lessons, and posed the following question –

What was your biggest start-up mistake, and the valuable lesson you learned from it?

We received 16 outstanding and enlightening responses last week — Thank you, everyone!!  This group of generous experts represent the fact that we all make mistakes, but that doesn’t make us failures.  The comments and stories shared are a wealth of knowledge about mistakes to avoid when starting-up.  If you encounter any of these scenarios, or are in a pickle at the moment, I hope you will be inspired to find a solution or discover the lesson you were meant to learn from your struggle by reading these stories.  Enjoy!
Continue reading →

By Dr. Shannon Reece | Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (3)

Dethroning the Queen of Procrastination

January 21, 2011 – 6:00 am

This post was originally published on 365 Days of Startups.

Ahhh..effective time management.  A life-long dream for someone like me who has spent her life on the procrastination highway.  But something happened as I traversed from my third decade to my fourth.  Was it some sort of internal alarm, genetically set by my parents’ genes?  If that’s true, I am sure they’ve been wondering if my clock was in desperate need of a new battery.  Frankly, I have simply become less tolerant of adding unnecessary stress to my life.

The cost of procrastination –

If I had a rewind button I would love to go back and recapture the months of time I wasted.  After all, if I had applied myself more diligently every moment of my life I could have been the one to invent velcro!  Okay maybe not velcro, but something great.  Since I can’t go back, I just push forward…

To read the rest of this fun post, and catch my tips for kicking your procrastination to the curb visit 365 Days of Startups.

To your business success!

By Dr. Shannon Reece | Posted in Guest Posts | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (3)

Don’t Let a Layoff Be a Let Down

January 20, 2011 – 10:00 am

Layoffs can be hard to take, personally, emotionally, and most often financially.  But instead of seeing it as a disaster, you can choose to find the opportunity within.  Today, on 365 Days of Startups I share my 4 tips on how you can change your perspective about a layoff and get moving in a new direction.

To read this post, please visit 365 Days of Startups

To your business success!

By Dr. Shannon Reece | Posted in Guest Posts | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)