- Column by Janet E Leach -

I think it’s only fair that I admit to being an imposter, of sorts. A woman in business I am, but an institutionalised education in business I do not hold. 

Whilst I feel the need to come clean with this straight off the bat, I’m quite happy to sit in this realm of ‘organically gathered’ knowledge as the sum of the other parts adds up to an interesting, anarchic cocktail. 

There is more than one way to skin a cat, so the medieval expression goes.

The most critical element that seems to differentiate us a little further down the track in life is something that wasn’t so evident when we were all in Senior choosing our degrees and weighing up our career options. 

For me, being an entrepreneur is more a recognition that my personality type needs to ‘create’. ‘Business’, and I use the term loosely, is merely a vehicle for this.

I believe it is congenital, the drive needed to sustain the interest to create. It’s a pivotal part of who you are, and the most important part of being an entrepreneur.

We are not all going to want to be businesswomen, and we are not all going to be able to be businesswomen. And, whilst business qualifications are wonderful, they are not essential, as it will be your personality that determines whether or not you love what you do and yearn for it. The same principle can be applied to anything you do in life.

As it turns out, my BA (Hum) with Film and Media Studies and Film Production, is not wasted in the slightest as an entrepreneur. Nor my Certificate abroad in Retail Display and Presentation, nor my Visual Arts studies.

They have all been added to the melting pot of experience and give added depth and perspective to my business eye.

With that in mind, and the introductions/explanations out of the way, I must also warn you that my approach to business is atypical.

When I think of the Retail environment in Australia (my primary industry), I hear loud guitars, the blood pumps faster in my veins until my teeth clench with determination to lead a revolution of anarchy. I channel my personality into my business and give it attitude.

Your path will have been different to mine. Your goals, ambitions and perceptions, different to each other’s even.

But, we’ve at least one thing in common in this minority we fall into. It’s that seed in the pit of your stomach, that something that enables you to find the ‘want’ to get out there and make it happen, however it manifests itself, guitars or other.

We possess the ability to create, the courage to compete, and the strength to possibly fail. We stand alone outside the historically traditional home zone that females have occupied in most societies.

And to that, Sister, I tip my hat to you.

Later,
Janet.

About the Author

Janet E. Leach is an entrepreneur and owner/director of ArteryStore.com.

She has fingers in a couple of other pies, namely Health, and Property Development and is a well travelled mother of three, with a full bodied life story and a rock 'n' roll approach to business. Read more.

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I attended TEDx Brisbane on Saturday - that's where I found out about An Awesome Book.

TEDx are independently organised conferences based on the wildly inspiring conferences of the same name. Find out more about TED here.

One of the most touching of the presentations was this little video by Dallas Clayton

Dallas wrote An Awesome Book for his son. It's about your wildest fantasies and hopes and aspirations - it's about dreaming big.

He put the book up for sale online and they got so popular they kept selling out.

This video tells his inspiring story.

Awesome Book Tour from Dallas Clayton on Vimeo.

Find out more or purchase the book.

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I want to let everyone know about a new networking group called Social Media Women that launched yesterday.

Social media and women is a match made in heaven. The group aims to encourage and assist women to participate more promintently in social media to support each other and build a community using this powerful channel.

Co-founder of Social Media Women, Catriona Pollard says, “Social media comes naturally to women. We are networkers, nurturers, gatherers, builders of villages and communicators.”

“Women want inspiration and collaboration, support and confidence. They don’t want self proclaimed social media guru’s pushing them to the sidelines.”

“With Social Media Women we have created a safe place for women to gain experience and confidence to ask questions, learn and challenge themselves to grow, evolve and aspire.”

“It’s a strategic group. It’s more than just talking about social media tools. It's about taking a step back and seeing the big picture. It’s about collaboration and nurturing of ideas and creating change from them,” said Ms Pollard.

The founding members are Nancy Georges (Magnolia Solutions), Catriona Pollard (CP Communications) and Kristin Rohan (Sassy SEO).

Social Media Women is both online and in person, with meetings taking place on the second Tuesday of every month at 6:30pm in Sydney.  

Social Media Women welcomes all women whether working on their own or in an existing company, business, organisation or still studying. It’s for women that are interested in media, networking, communications and exploring the new ways people are communicating.

At the meeting along with social media discussions, public speaking and networking opportunities, an open forum will also be held to toss around ideas for speaking topics as conferences arise.  This will lend to the group’s lobbying efforts to secure more female speakers at social media conferences.

It's a bit short notice but the first meeting is tonight - Tuesday 9 March at Blues Point Hotel, 116 Blues Point Rd, McMahons Point 2060.

To register go to http://socialmediawomen.eventbrite.com.

Unfortunately I'll be missing out on this one as the event is in Sydney but I encourage anyone with an interest in social media to attend - it's a revolutionary new communication channel that will enhance your life - professionally and personally. Plus the founders are lovely too!

Find out more about Social Media Women on their blog, Linkedin Group, Facebook and Twitter.

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BE...UNIQUE
My mother always told me, even if a song has been done a thousand times, you can still bring something of your own to it. I'd like to think I did that.
Etta James

BE...GUTSY
I'm not funny. What I am is brave.
Lucille Ball

BE...A SUCCESS IN YOUR OWN TERMS
There are people who have money and people who are rich.
Coco Chanel

BE...FAITHFUL
Over the past decade, ... while many businesses have pursued what I call 'business as usual,' I have been part of a different, smaller business movement, one that tried to put idealism back on the agenda.
Anita Roddick

Wishing all the women who see this today the power of belief in yourself and what you can achieve.

Use your power to make a positive difference - to change your world for the better.

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One of my favourite Australian SEOs has published his presentation notes on SEO for Smart People.

Good, practical advice you can implement yourself.

View more presentations from Glenn Murray or check out his eBook "SEO Secrets".

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Love this letterpress print from I Love Typography! It's funny because it's true.

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Great little video that shows a movement happen - start to finish in under 3 minutes and dissects some important lessons about leadership. 

Lessons:

• Be easy to follow
• The first follower has crucial role
• Leader embraces him as an equal
• First follower calls to his friends to join in
• Second follower creates a "crowd"
• Movement must be public
• Everyone needs to see the followers, because new followers emulate followers not the leader
• If people were on the fence before, there's no reason not to join in once they see the movement gain momentum
• They will feel part of the "in crowd"
• Then eventually everyone joins in because they don't want to miss out.
• Make everything about the movement - not you

Found via The Templar Group

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The latest profile I have for you is from Jo Klima, freelance designer and founder of The Darling Tree.

Jo is based on the Gold Coast – we met through Twitter and worked on a redesign project together in early '09.

Working with Jo was an absolute pleasure – she was easy to work with and always delivered on her responsibilities quickly and professionally – so I thought I’d introduce you all to her today!

Her specialty is smart, feminine design – if you’re in the market for a website design or redesign it would pay to have a chat to Jo.

Q) How long have you been working online as a designer?

I graduated from a Bachelor of Design (Graphic Design) at QCA in 2004 and over the following 4 years worked with companies producing designs for online software and web development.

Although my Uni degree focused on print design the work involved at the companies allowed me to venture into online design, however I think the principles of typography and layout I was taught at Uni definitely helped me become a better web designer.

After many months of planning, at the end of 2008 I made the move to full time freelancing by creating The Darling Tree, and 2009 has seen steady growth in the business and many new and wonderful clients.

Q) As a freelance designer, what are your top tips to keeping multiple projects organised and on schedule?

• Regularly updating your clients on your progress is a good way of keeping track yourself.
• If you have promised to deliver work at a certain time, it becomes a priority to have it done by that time.
• I also allow for some leverage on when I complete the work, that way if urgent requests arise I still have sufficient time to deliver the work, and if they don’t then I can provide the work earlier than expected – happy clients either way!
• My main organisational tool is the good old daily and weekly To-Do List.

Q) Good web design is an essential ingredient to a brand’s success online. What are three elements that every well designed website should have?

1. A clear focus and goal for the website, whether it be sales, inquiries or members. The website must be planned accordingly to succeed in that area.
2. A well-built site is important so a client can easily update it, or refresh the design as the business grows or changes.
3. A beautiful design which is not only functional but also represents your company and it’s personality.

Q) Do you have any online projects that you’ve created for yourself?

I’ve always had a long list of side projects I’d like to do, and while it is growing I have found some time recently to launch a few small projects.

Chandeliera was launched in early May and was inspired by my love for chandeliers.

I also started a mini blog at Gold Coast Designer to showcase new work to the local market.

A while ago I started Miss Jo which I have plans to develop further later this year, among other exciting ideas!

Q) Are you available for hire?

Yes, I’d love to hear from anyone looking to improve their branding or online presence, simply send me an email at jo@thedarlingtree.com or visit The Darling Tree.

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Practical blogging tips from Phoebe Montague (Lady Melbourne)

Phoebe is a freelance journalist with a background in fashion design. She's from Melbourne but has traveled the world and lived in Sydney and London. After running her own label for 7 years, she now focuses her time on her blog http://ladymelbourne.blogspot.com/ and freelance writing assignments.

In this video she reveals her advice when asked that question we all love to hear the answer to - "How do I create a successful blog and get more exposure?"

Highlights

• Phoebe has been blogging for 4 years - it wasn't an "overnight success"
• Growing a successful blog takes hard work, good original content. If you look at successful blogs they will have a unique point of difference and good quality content.
• Learn how to communicate online
• Make your paragraphs short
• Keep your posts concise - around 200 words
• Be clear about what you're doing - it will help your audience understand and come back
• Must be consistent and persistent for a blog to grow - the quickest way to lose an audience is to stop posting
• You have to be consistent and keep to a regular schedule
• What if you're blogging part time? In your profile tell people when you'll be updating - once a week or twice a week etc. be open with your readers and let them know where you're at
• People invest their time in you when they come and read your pages - make it worth their while and keep them involved and engaged in what you're doing
• Look at networking with other bloggers - commenting and getting involved in social media - Twitter, Facebook and niche communities is crucial to exposing people to what you're doing
• Successful bloggers started with a couple of visitors too - so don't lose heart.

Phoebe makes some great points here.

You'll notice that none of them were having the prettiest blog or the slickest website. Some of the most successful blogs are still hosted on free blog service - Blogger.

The real message is find a subject you'll be able to write original content about at least twice weekly for the foreseeable future, learn how to communicate online, get to know your community and get involved with them.

It won't happen overnight but the sooner you start the sooner you'll be on your way to growing a successful blog. 

Visit Lady Melbourne to read more.

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