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A Study in Success: Lisa McComb of Legal XtraNet Inc.

September 7, 2010

Filed under: Big Fish Business Boot Camp, Big Fish eStory, Women Leadership, success — Tags: , , , , , , — Lorin Beller Blake @ 12:57 pm

“I look back on my Big Fish application last December and I’m not the same person — nor is my company (yeah)!”

- Lisa McComb, President and Chief Operating Officer of Legal XtraNet Inc. (LXI).

One of the favorite parts of my work is the chance to watch the success of Big Fish Nation members, and to see their stories grow and change through the course of the program.  This week I have the honor of sharing Lisa Mc Comb’s story with you.

Lisa is one of our Star Fish members, a new Big Fish program this year that has morphed into the Big Fish Boot Camp for next year.   She is President and COO of Legal XtraNet Inc., a multi-million dollar firm providing a powerful  eDiscovery solution for corporate legal departments including customized discovery software and partnerships with professional litigation support teams.

Legal Xtranet Inc.

Lisa joined Star Fish because she “liked the idea of Big Fish — working on you and your business. I have an MBA. I have gone through Business Development courses with the leaders in my company.  It was all academia based and I was ready for more.”

So how has the Star Fish program worked for Lisa? Let’s hear it in her own words:

“I have beaten my head against the wall for several years trying to get my team to do what I want them to do using the methods I learned in graduate school and other courses. Big Fish provides a new perspective for me which was immediately noticed by my employees — a different energy.

I look back on my Big Fish application last December and I’m not the same person nor is my company (yeah)!  Big Fish provided me with the tools and motivation to set goals and actually reach them along with BOLD actions — thinking big.”

Bottom Line Impact for LXI?

  • We are on target to increase our sales by 50% this year.
  • Profits are up 45% from December 2009.
  • We have added two new clients to our portfolio.
  • We are hiring employees.

Lisa explains, “This year, I focused specifically on goals that were going to impact both my bottom line and developing my team and me to be better leaders.

I wanted to create a more sustainable company that functioned well without me so much of the time.  I also wanted to establish a marketing plan that exponentially grew our company.

We have done that, we have created a very clear marketing strategy that works for us.  Our marketing strategy has directly impacted our bottom-line positively and I expect next year we will have another amazing growth year.”

So what about the Star Fish program made such a difference for Lisa (and therefore her company)?  She says,

  1. Setting measurable goals and learning a process to obtain them
  2. Having support from great women
  3. Gaining “quiet” in my mind.   I’m trying to say “don’t worry about stuff you can’t
    change” … and it’s actually working!  I don’t wake up at 3:00 a.m. and worry
    about “stuff” now.   Big  fish has helped me change the energy in myself, my employees, business partner/husband, etc.  I think that helped me get “quiet.”

To learn more about Lisa’s company, visit the Legal Xtranet Inc. website at http://www.legalxtranet.com, and feel free to email Lisa (click here) to connect directly.

Lisa, thank you for being an inspiring example for women entrepreneurs!

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Turn Up the Volume!

August 17, 2010

Filed under: goals, success, vision — Tags: , , , , , , , — Lorin Beller Blake @ 8:29 am

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Summer can be a tough time to make progress on our goals.

 

Summer vacations mean we are often travelling, schedules are inconsistent, and our attention is more naturally focused on things other than goals.   Don’t get me wrong – it is definitely important (critical!) to take these breaks… but we still must remember  to return to our goals.   

We have a little more than one quarter of the year remaining, so we really need to energetically pick up speed so we can reach the goals we set for 2010.  Or to put it another way, if your goals were a sound system, let’s get back up to surround sound, then turn up the volume for WILD success!   

Here are some tips to help you “dial it up” to ACHIEVE  your goals: 

  • Change your exercise routine:  If you are in a rut with your exercise, or not exercising at all, your energy may be low.  Try changing it up a little to bring up your energy levels and give you more excitement toward achieving your goals.  The body/mind connection is important.
  •  Take a realistic inventory of your goals and adjust (or not) accordingly:  Do you have enough time left in the year to achieve each goal?  Are each of your goals still important toward making your vision a reality?  If so, fantastic – keep moving forward!  If not, consider revising goals to make them achievable this year and in line with your current vision.   Just make sure your revised goals keep you stretching to accomplish what will make you proud and successful! 
  • Post your written goals where you can see them each day:      If you stop noticing your goals after a while, move them to a different spot whWhen we keep our goals visible, it is easier to remember what we are working towards.ere they will catch your attention again. 
  • Read your vision story every Monday morning:  Our vision story is meant to be a motivating tool, not just something we write then put away.  Many Big Fish (myself included!) report getting energized by reading their vision story because it reminds them of the exciting big picture of their future.   When our vision is fresh in our minds, each goal feels more meaningful and reachable. 
  • Tell someone else your goals:  Accountability is an amazing motivator – just ask any Big Fish!   Sharing our goals with someone else makes it a lot harder to ignore those “stretch” goals, and helps hold our “feet to the fire.”   It also gives us someone else to celebrate with when we reach each goal! 
  • Sign up for a Big Fish program:  If you are struggling to set and reach your goals each year, you might need the extra learning, support, accountability, and energy you can get from the Big Fish programs.  Plan to attend the annual goal-setting teleclass in December, and read about the available Big Fish programs to see which one might fit you best for next year.    We are here to help!

Are you ready to turn up the volume??? 

Let us know in a comment below! 

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Finding Less “Solo” in “Solopreneur”

August 10, 2010

Filed under: Power of Intention, Uncategorized, interdependence, success — Tags: , , , , — Starla J King @ 8:49 am

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(post by guest-blogger Starla J. King, Big Fish 2009-10)

I usually love being a solopreneur.    

Except for those times when the solo feels more like alone and less like independent, strong, on my own, and free.

I’m in one of those times right now.   After longing  for more alone time to focus on the work of my heart/soul, I finally have it… and I feel… well… alone. 

Quick background:  I co-created, co-own, and co-manage a small-scale landscaping business with my business/life partner.  This year, she and I also worked side by side (literally!) for 5 months, fulltime.  Now that it’s summer season, a slow time for landscaping, I have switched my focus to my solopreneur work and business, and my partner is back to consulting in the corporate world. 

This is what I wanted… really really wanted… so why am I not bursting-at-the-seams energized??

Part of it is that I physically spend most of my day alone. (The cats, in this case, don’t count.  Their respect for my entrepreneurial vision is lacking, to say the least. )   As a writer (and borderline introvert), I often need to have alone time, but at some point the solitude becomes a risk of diminishing returns. 

Part of it is that the vision for my new business, OutWrite Living, is still being formed so it’s mostly my vision – not a shared vision yet.

Part of it is that I get lost in To Do list tasks, hoping to find satisfaction and validation in checking off “accomplishments”  while my collaborative thirst stays unquenched.

So… what to do? 

If I had a session with my Big Fish business coach (Nancy Duncan) scheduled for this week, I’d talk this through with her.  Coaches are wonderful for things like this!  But since we aren’t scheduled until next week, I’ve done some self-coaching instead.  The results?  It’s time for me to: 

  1. Write this blog post so I have to address the issue head on (thanks for the space, Lorin!).
  2. Change my DBR (Daily Business Ritual) to meet my new “connection” needs.  This week instead of having my second cup of coffee at home each day while mentally/emotionally preparing for the day, I will go to a nearby Starbucks (or Panera or Caribou Coffee, etc.).  Just being around other people (even if not interacting) usually helps jump-start my energy, so it’s time to be intentional about that.  Now if I can just avoid the baked goods…
  3. Expand my networking to include potential intellectual and visionary collaborators – not just potential clients or “do”ers.   I have always gotten energy from somewhat cerebral conversations, so I need to bring that back into my work life.  For example, I’ve recently been enthralled by Arnold Mindell’s writings around process-oriented psychology… and possible inclusion of some of those ideas in my new business vision /services.  It’s time to get connected to the “process work” world for possible collaborative insights and “brain work” with like-minded individuals.   And who knows, I might find a member of my Dream Team through this.  (See Lorin’s recent blog post for more about creating your Dream Team).
  4. Re-commit to monthly face-to-face and weekly phone meetings with a colleague / friend / co-conspirator.  (Rebecca, are you reading this??). 
  5. This week, make my daily intention the same for the entire week : Connected.  Surrounding myself with the expectation of being connected in everything I do will keep me open to attracting and seeing those opportunities.  It’s like one of my favorite Big Fish principles:  “Give energy to that which we want to grow.”  So as of this moment, I shift my attention away from Alone and toward Connection.  (See Lorin’s blog post about setting daily intentions.)

You see, this whole solopreneur thing (or any entrepreneur venture) isn’t about how much any one of us can do alone.  It’s about starting something on our own then sustaining and building it with a myriad of help, support, connection, collaboration.  

True, solos can be beautiful, AND so can duets, trios, quartets, and an entire choir.  Who will your business “sing” with?

(post by guest-blogger Starla J. King, Big Fish 2009-10)

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Leading the Family Business: Andrea Russo of Crisafulli Brothers

August 3, 2010

Filed under: Women Leadership, interdependence, success — Tags: , , , , , — Lorin Beller Blake @ 5:36 pm

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“I accept that I can’t be the best at everything, but I can have the best around me.”

- Andrea Russo, President of Crisafulli Brothers

Andrea Russo As founder and CEO of Big Fish Nation, I get to work with many brilliant women entrepreneurs, each of them leaders in their own unique ways.  Andrea Russo, President and Owner of Crisafulli Brothers Plumbing and Heating Contractors, Inc. (Albany, NY), is one of those amazing women. 

In a typically male-dominated business, Andrea was the first female on the company’s management team and continues to successfully lead this third-generation family business. 

A quick look at the Awards page of the company website confirms this success!  Notice also that the Awards page includes a thank you note to the community, and a photo of the Crisafulli Brothers “Extreme Team” that volunteered services during an Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.    Andrea’s business clearly is about more than just profit, it’s also about making a difference!

So how does she do it?  I asked her about her key leadership tactics and she shared the following:

  • I surround myself with GREAT people, not good people, great people…..  I accept that I can’t be the best at everything, but I can have the best around me – in front of, in back of, and beside me….  in each department necessary to run my organization.
  • I hire right, no matter how long it takes….  “fit” is everything.
  • I “walk the tracks” daily….  get a feel for staff and how they are doing, what there challenges are…  and to keep the climate positive
  • I do what I believe to be right for my employees, the company and the community!
  • Following the chain of command is important, but my door is always open.
  • I listen and communicate honestly and ask the same in return….  my management team knows I do not want “yes men” around me….  challenge me, disagree, make your point.
  • I believe in my people and they know this.
  • I am fair and reasonable and model this behavior.

Then in true Andrea fashion, she adds “keep in mind, I have a list of things I could do a whole lot better too!”   

Even though we each have our own leadership methods, we can always learn from other leaders like Andrea!  Which of her points made the most impression on you?  How can you add that into your own leadership toolkit? 

Use this inspiration from Andrea and take some time this week to write down the unique ways you lead, and to ask other leaders around you for their “secrets.”  

Thank you Andrea!
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Click here for Crisafulli Brothers website.
Click here for  WNYT’s Women in Business article featuring Andrea.

Crisafulli Brothers

Crisafulli Brothers

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More Lessons from My West Coast Move: Building an Advisory Team

July 27, 2010

Filed under: Adventure, Women Leadership, success — Tags: , , , , , , — Lorin Beller Blake @ 8:17 am

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In last week’s blog post, I talked about our move to San Diego, and the importance of asking for help during all phases of the move. 

One of my travelling team members :)

We had friends supporting us with meals and encouragement before the trip, packers and loaders and movers working during the trip while my husband, daughter, fish, dog, and I were a travelling team across country, then in San Diego more support from our new nanny, all the businesses providing what we can purchase in order to help create our lives here, and still more from our friends by phone and online.

I cannot imagine making such a huge move (or even a smaller one!) without the help of each and every person along the way.  Maybe we could have done it ourselves, but why would we even want to??

That is the question we business owners need to start asking ourselves more often.  The “I can do this myself!” attitude that helped us become successful business owners can also be what gets us stuck in doing too much ourselves and stressing ourselves out so much that we lose our effectiveness. 

I love this quote by Napoleon Hill, from his book Think and Grow Rich:

“Ally yourself with a group of as many people as you many need for the creation, and carrying out of your plan, or plans… Compliance with this instruction is absolutely essential.  Do not neglect it.”

We entrepreneurs MUST have help!  Not just with carrying out plans we’ve already created, but also in creating and expanding our plans, and helping keep us on track (or go off the original track if necessary).

Consider creating an Advisory Board or Board of Directors … or if that feels too formal, call it a Dream Team.  These are the people who believe in your overall vision and believe in YOU, but not necessarily people who all think alike and agree on everything. 

Although very important, creating an Advisory Board does not need to be a stressful process.  Remember when you were in grade school and had to choose teams for kickball?  What did you do then?  You didn’t say, “No, I don’t want any other players,” you went ahead and started picking the best people available to give you a better chance of success.  

So start choosing your Advisory Board / Board of Directors / Dream Team members today.  You simply need four things:

  1. Business Current State:  Where is your business now in terms of accomplishing your goals, making your vision a reality?
  2. Business Future State: Where do you want your business to be in the near future?
  3. List of Needs: What talents and skills are needed in order to get your business to the desired future state?
  4. List of People: Who do you know (or need to know!) in order to provide those talents and skills?

Then the next, most important step is:  ASK!  Ask them to be a part of your advisory team.  You will be surprised at the abundance in number of YES’s especially if you tell them up front what the role is that you want them to play for you because most of the time it is not very time intensive.

I’m currently putting together an advisory board for Lorin Beller Blake & Company, and would love to hear your real-life experiences:

Do you already have an advisory team in place?  How it is working for you?

Are you in the process of creating an advisory team and know your needs but don’t have the people?  Let us know what you need! One of our readers might be a great contact for you.

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Remember, if you need a network of strong, innovative and successful women to meet and learn with regularly, consider joining one of Big Fish Nation’s programs.

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Best Practices for Building & Leading Tribes

June 22, 2010

Filed under: Thought Leader, Uncategorized, Women Leadership, success, vision — Tags: , , , , , , , , — Lorin Beller Blake @ 7:48 am

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Seth Godin, TribesIn a recent blog post, I shared some important ideas about tribes based on Seth Godin’s must-read book, “Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us.” 

This week, I will add some practical tactics so you can get started right away with building and leading your own tribes.  I will use one of my tribes, Big Fish Nation, as an example. 

Last week, I had a wonderful teleconference with one of the Big Fish “sub-tribes,” the Mastery group, as we discussed our favorite parts of Godin’s book (hard to narrow down!), then shared our own tribe-building best practices.  This is what I love about spending time with my tribe members…  I always learn and get motivated just by being in the same space with them (virtually or face-to-face)! 

It is important that we share information and inspiration across tribes, so here are some of my (our!) tribe’s  learnings from last week’s teleconference:      

BEST PRACTICES* for Leading & Building Tribes:

  • Create and Communicate a Clear Vision:  If you don’t know where you’re going, your tribe won’t either.  Create your vision of, as Godin says, “something that could happen but hasn’t (yet),” and communicate it regularly to your tribe.  Then have faith in the vision.   Believe it. Plan for it. Lead to it!
  • Set the Beat:  Lead by example…  be organized, meet your deadlines, speak and act with integrity, be accountable, turn work around quickly and professionally, show your enjoyment, etc. Show your tribe how to reach the vision! 
  • Lean In:  Commit to the vision and “lean into it” with passion, confidence and fearlessness.  We don’t always need to plunge forward (although sometimes that’s how we get started!), and a steady forward-leaning attitude keeps us moving ahead and thinking ahead. 
  • Lean Back:  Each tribe also needs followers.  Sometimes the most effective thing a tribe leader can do is to lean back and allow someone else to lead.  Each tribe member has different strengths and all are needed to make the vision a reality.  Just remember to follow eagerly and continue “leaning in”!
  • Just Do It:  Godin says, “The largest enemy of change and leadership isn’t a ‘no.’  It’s a ‘not yet.’”  If you sense that NOW could be the time for you and/or your tribe to act, then JUST DO IT.   Don’t miss your opportunity. 

These are just a few of the ways we can build and lead our own tribes.  

What are some of your Best Practices?

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*A special thank you to Big Fish tribe members Gail Benmosche, Peg Calvario, Amy Cotter, Amy Hart, Starla King, Sonya Mittleman, Andrea Russo,  and PJ Sparks for these Best Practices!

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Are You Leading or Following?

June 8, 2010

Filed under: Thought Leader, Women Leadership, success — Tags: , , , , , — Lorin Beller Blake @ 8:24 am

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Without leaders there are no followers.
You’re a leader
We need you.
- Seth Godin

Seth Godin, TribesThis month in the Big Fish Mastery program, we are reading Seth Godin’s book, “Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us.”  – another “must read” for all women business owners as we continue to find new ways to connect powerfully with each other!

The concept of creating a tribe or belonging to a tribe might seem like a foreign idea, but it’s actually a simple – and absolutely important — way for us to think about and do business. 

Godin’s definition of “tribe” is “…a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea.”   

For example,  Big Fish Nation is a tribe:  we are all women business owners, connected to the idea that women business owners can have it all …  that we can be wildly successful in our businesses without giving up the rest of our lives.   

All Big Fish tribe members also have access to online conferencing tools, conference calls, Facebook groups, etc.  to stay connected with me, each other, and the Big Fish concepts. 

As the Big Fish tribe grows, so does the energy around the original Big Fish idea, and attracts other potential tribe members… which ultimately positively affects the bottom line! 

Think about your own business… have you created a group of people connected to you, each other,  and the primary idea of your business?   Do the people in your organization care deeply about you and your work?  Do they have a shared vision that they have faith in?  

If so, congratulations — you are leading a tribe!

If not, you can start building your tribe today. 

How?  Godin says it “takes only two things to turn a group of people into a tribe:  a shared interest and a way to communicate.”  

The shared interest can come directly from the goals and vision of your business, and you can use the social media tools available now (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, blogs, etc.), to provide a variety of ways for your tribe members to communicate – globally! — around that shared interest.

We can make an even bigger impact in the world when we intentionally connect our individual tribes into larger tribes.  For example, I’m a member of NAWBO (National Association of Women Business Owners), and am attending the NAWBO conference this week to interact with those tribe members.  

Some other tribes to visit (and become members of) are:  

I am convinced that tribal membership and leadership need to become part of EVERY business leadership toolkit. 

Are they in yours? 

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Tapping into our Richest Resources

June 1, 2010

Filed under: Thought Leader, Women Leadership, success — Tags: , , , , , — Starla J King @ 8:19 am

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[blog post by Starla J. King, Big Fish 2009-10]

I was intrigued to see the flood of responses to Lorin’s blog post last week and responses to the referenced WSJ article (by Sharon Hadary) about the topic of women business owners taking their businesses to the next level(s). (Click here to read full blog post).

Apparently we women entrepreneurs are hungry.

Hungry to feed the success of our businesses… …hungry to create flourishing businesses that we can be proud of AND be recognized for… and hungry for the tools to do all of this without overwhelming our lives.

I’m certainly one of those hungry women. I’m ready to sidle up to a buffet of resources and connections and best practices that every one of us women entrepreneurs have.

I keep thinking about that buffet (or maybe it’s more like a full-fledged banquet) — the incredible skills and knowledge in each woman business owner – and wondering, how can we better leverage those resources in and for each other?

What if, for example, every one of us made an intentional effort EACH DAY to do ONE THING to help advance another woman in her business? Such as:

  1. Make powerful introductions between potential business collaborators – powerful because you’ve sensed shared values and goals between these women, not just a similar business line.
  2. Contact (call, email, even text) a woman business owner asking “what one thing can I do for you today?” And mean it.
  3. Share information and inspiration (both are critically important) tailored specifically to the recipient. Become one of the people whose emails always get read because each email is that impactful.
  4. Ask other women business owners for specific assistance. If another woman business owner might be able to fill a specific gap in your skill set, knowledge base, or even a certain type of motivational energy, ASK her for help, or even negotiate a mutually beneficial business deal. Chances are, the collaboration will further her business every bit as much as yours. 
  5. Ask each other the tough questions. Many of us women entrepreneurs have business or life coaches who ask those questions that require digging deep internally and doing clarifying research externally. If we’ve been coached, we know how to ask those questions of each other. And if we haven’t been coached, we can still ask open honest clarifying questions of each other. Questions ignite discovery – the fuel for taking ourselves and our businesses to the next level.
  6. Be someone else’s microphone. When another woman business owner impresses you or inspires you, let other people know. I suspect we’re all pretty good at personally congratulating or thanking that person, but how often do we publicize someone else’s successes? Let’s each start doing that regularly – TODAY.

Just one more thing here – the part about not overwhelming our lives. Yes, I’m asking each of us (myself included) to add something to each day. And believe me, I know we are all busy enough that we struggle to find space in our schedules for even the priorities. But I am not asking us to add a tedious To Do to our list.

I’m suggesting instead that with a little practice, we can make showing up for each other consistently just another part of the unique and highly effective way we women do business.

Are you with me??

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Big Fish Nation is an incredible program for connecting women entrepreneurs with each other and invaluable tools. If you want to hear about my Big Fish experience, email me directly at starlaking@comcast.net.

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Taking Women’s Businesses to the Next Level

May 25, 2010

Filed under: Thought Leader, Women Leadership, goals, success — Tags: , , , , , — Lorin Beller Blake @ 7:08 am

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I read a terrific Wall Street Journal article last week (by Sharon G. Hadary), called “Why Are Women-Owned Companies Smaller Than Men-Owned Companies?”.   I recommend it as a “must read” for all of us!

It’s fascinating to me that even though statistics show that women can own and run businesses with million and multi-million dollar annual revenues, the average revenues of majority women-owned businesses are still smaller than (only 27 % of!) the average revenues of majority men-owned businesses. 

Why is that??  

According to this article, part of the answer has to do with “women’s own self-limiting views” and the other part is “the stereotypes, perceptions and expectations of business and government leaders.”  

 This article does a great job of describing ways to strengthen our internal and external perceptions and beliefs, many of which apply directly to the Big Fish concepts we learn about and practice daily.    For example,

- “Change the Mind-Set”:  We need to ‘think big’ (BIG, BOLD ACTIONS and GOALS) from the very beginning.  Even if we don’t plan to grow a multi-million dollar business, we need to plan for growth, learn more about business finance, and start believing that we will get business capital if we ask for it.

- “Women Learn From Women”: This is not about male-bashing or right or wrong ways of leading.  Women simply lead in different ways than men do, so women need other women to relate to.  We need to support each other in growing our strengths and finding new ways of doing business that feel more natural to us.  Natural = Best Self = Highly Effective!

- “Start with the Goals”:  Hadary says, “Research shows that the only statistically significant  predictor of business growth is not the industry, size of business or length of time in business. It is the entrepreneur’s goal for growth.”  We must set our goals and we must set them for SUCCESS.  The higher our goals, the higher our beliefs, and the higher our successes.  (See other blog posts about goals).

 I would also add a couple key points from my experience:

- It’s Our Choice:   One of the response comments to this article pointed out that not all women entrepreneurs want a multi-million dollar business … that some women specifically choose NOT to grow their business beyond a certain point in order to avoid the potential stressors and demands of a “big” business.   There is no right or wrong size for a woman’s business – the important thing is that we intentionally choose the size of our business and set our goals based on that choice.   When we are “at choice,” we are creating our lives, leaving no room for self-limiting beliefs.

- Publicize Our Success:  If we are to change stereotypes about the capabilities of women leaders, we must share our success stories.  We must celebrate our successes publicly, using a variety of avenues to showcase our successes.   Tell the media about your achievements, join organizations that provide networks to give you additional visibility, and always be aware of ways you can market yourself and your successes.   It’s up to us to change the stereotypes one success story at a time.

I’ll leave you with a quote from the article, something for you to print and post as a reminder to take it to the next level:

 “We have to show women how to embrace change; to be trend-setters rather than simply react; to innovate beyond expectations; to develop global integration; and to practice social responsibility.  We need to help them identify ways to make their enterprises scalable and to build teams of talented people for where the enterprise should be in five years, not just today.”  - Sharon Hadary

See you at the next level!

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Support Works! Julia Rhodes of KleenSlate Concepts

May 18, 2010

Filed under: Women Leadership, success, vision — Tags: , , , , , , , , — Lorin Beller Blake @ 9:08 am

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“At the end on the day, it’s about the relationships.”
- Julia Rhodes, owner of KleenSlate Concepts

In last week’s blog post, I talked about the global similarities of successful business women, and one of those is a strong support system. 

I got an exciting email a couple weeks ago from a wonderful Big Fish, Julia Rhodes, owner of KleenSlate Concepts.  She was celebrating the news that she had been selected as the Central California 2010 Small Business Person of the Year!  (Click here to see the full Press Release on Julia’s blog).

Julia founded KleenSlate Concepts in 2001 without even having a product — just with the idea for a product to solve the common problem of “the missing white board eraser” (click here to read more about that). 

Yet now, less than 8 years later, KleenSlate Concepts is a highly successful international product development company!

What was it that made Julia’s company so successful?

In her announcement email, she says that her success “is in no small part due to the support that I have received from all of you.”   So I asked her to share more about that for this blog post.  

Julia explained that:

 “Having a support team is essential!  As I built my business,  so I built my relationships.

From day one I sought out women role models- in both business and  inventing.  It was the women that opened the doors and helped make things happen.

Anne-Marie Richards and Shari Francis from Office Depot  walked me through the intricacies of doing business with corporate America and mass market distribution. What I learned from them I have been able to use in all my business dealings. 

Diane McClelland from WBENC affiliate Astra  made sure I received the help I needed when seeking certification and encouraged me to sit on boards and  give back to other women in business.

Lorin Beller Blake, founder of  Big Fish Nation, reached out and encouraged me to dream big, create a vision and them take bold actions in my life! 

Now I show up, participate and give back- since that is what I learned along the way. I take my female role models with me wherever I go and lend a hand when I can. 

At the end on the day, it’s about the relationships.”

Whether our business is Dry-Erase Paddles or financial consulting or something completely different, the importance of relationships is exactly the same. 

Every business owner needs a strong support system, and we can all learn from Julia’s example of building a business through building relationships!

Thank you, Julia! 

*************

Click here to see the full Press Release on Julia’s blog

Click here for KleenSlate Concepts website

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