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Smart Women Know Who to Ask

Guest post by: Joy Chudacoff

Article Overview: This article is about making sure that you ask the right people when you have an idea for your business. It’s essential that you get your advice, mentoring and coaching from the right people. People who are successful, positive and inspirational. Get advice from people who’ve accomplished the kinds of goals that matter to you.

Smart Women Know Who to Ask

Have you ever had a Big Idea that you were over the moon about only to have your hopes dashed because you shared it with someone who you trusted and they told you (typically in a very flat tone) "that will never work." I've had this unfortunate experience happen to me on more than one occasion over the last two decades as an entrepreneur. It's painful isn't it? You get all excited about the possibility of living your passionate life and someone pops the air in your dream balloon!

Women are the most creative beings on earth and I want to make sure when you have these awesome, amazing, wonderful ideas, you ask the "right" person before you give up on your Big Ideas, Dreams and Goals. By the way, I don't think people intentionally want to hurt your feelings when you share a great idea. I think it's because few people are visionary-- they aren't looking through the same lens on life as you are. Many people see the world as black and white. Entrepreneurs have a lot of gray in their thinking. Entrepreneurs are unusual. We are not ordinary people. We think differently.

When I first decided to birth my Women's Success Circles, I was very excited. I could hardly sleep at night as I was up thinking about all of the ideas and possibilities of how I could support women using this concept. I was at an event one evening with my husband and I decided to share my Big Idea with a woman there and she flat out took the wind out of my sails when I told her about it. She laughed and said, (and I quote) "That will never work. Women will never pay for that." Can you imagine the embarrassment I felt? Thankfully on the way home as I licked my wounds, my husband Greg reminded me that not everyone will like my ideas but that doesn't mean they won't work. He said a lot more than that but I only have room for so much!

When you've got a really Big Idea and you feel like you're going to burst at the seams if you don't share it with someone, ask yourself a couple of questions:

1. Is this person where I want to be in terms of how I define success and achievement? I've found that people who've achieved success are willing to listen patiently to ideas and ask very wise questions to help you flush out your idea more fully. Having mentors and coaches in my life who've achieved the success I desire has been a key ingredient to the growth in my business. People who've had success in their lives are typically more open to possibility.

2. Is this person a positive, nutritious person? Is the person you are about to speak with, someone who you admire for their positive outlook on life? Do they inspire and motivate you? I have a "core" group of people in my life who I turn to when I have a Big Idea, Dream or Goal that I'd like to accomplish. These people are successful, positive, creative, and most of all, they inspire me to be great.

I invite you to think about the people you are surrounding yourself with when you are brainstorming your next Big Idea. It can make the difference between achieving your goals or giving up too soon when success may be just around the corner.

One last thought: As coincidence would have it, I ran across a quote the morning after I wrote this article and it feels like the "perfect" ending: "The girl doesn't, it seems to me, have a special perception or feeling which would lift that book above the "curiosity" level." From the rejection slip for "The Diary of Anne Frank."

Anything is possible. Everything is waiting for you.

*****

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Article Tags: business, Coaching, Dream, Entrepreneur, mentoring, success, Women



Related Forum Posts
Re: History of Women in Business in the United States - Yes. Women have increasingly made positive economic contributions to society and their position is being recognized more and more as seen on the Forbes List of Executive Women. In general, women can be a bit more practical in their approach as entrepreneurs too.
A ton of Great Women - You might want to profile Teresa Cascioli of LakePort Brewery. She has an amazing story! I met her at at the celebratory luncheon for the Profit/Chatelaine Top 100 Women Business Owners. The Top 100 list is also a great resource for inspirational stories of Women Entrepreneurs.
Re: Are entrepreneur women more organized than men? - Women are generally more organised than men. They have good instincts more than men. Women are generally aggressive when it come to business. You don't want to mess up with them.
Re: Are entrepreneur women more organized than men? - The issue of women being more organized than men is true, start from you home, just see how messy the boys are. Women are also very cautious, unlike men who take any risk, a woman will analyze the risk first. Women are also go getter when it comes to business, once they make their mind, then they go for it.
Re: Why aren't there more women entrepreneurs? - My opinion on this (being a women, and being disabled), is; Women in general like security. Women are the caretakers, in general. In the work environment we are the one to have children. We are the ones who leave work to do this. We deal with a stigma that we are bad mothers if we work, but we are a bad mother if we do not work. I feel there is no way a man could ever understand this. Sure they can try, and some do a good job of it, however they truly do not understand. How could they?? Being a entrepreneur is throwing cation to the wind. It takes believing in yourself. It takes a women who can have someone say no, put us down or just plan old negativity and for us to turn it around. Women who can do this are called names, while men in the business world are just expected to have a thick skin. Studies show in the work environment that women are more apt to be bullies. Women are more apt to turn on each other. We expect more out of each other. Many women also use the work environment to socialize and to find a mate. Men and women are not created equal. Once we understand this and take what we are and "run" with it; the better all of us will be. Women business owners, women entrepreneurs are still considered a minority. Since there are more women then men in this world, some day this will turn around. This too is why men need to protect themselves and keep us under some kind of control. What bothers me to no end is when women give in to the mans world using sex as a selling tool. We need strong women leaders, not those who use their bodies as a step up. This is just my opinion on this subject.


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