Network With Strong Women

A Network Good Enough to Get Up Early

When your circadian rhythm doesn’t engage until after 9AM, there’s a special challenge in expanding your network with other business owners. In a 9 to 5 world where many entrepreneurs are ingesting their first dose of caffeine before the sun comes up, late risers are behind the 8-ball before they’ve even cracked their eyelids to allow a little sun to permeate their lenses.

Even in the “olden days” before everything went virtual, it was hard to find a networking group that met at a decent hour like noon instead of 8AM. And frankly, the ones who did meet at noon didn’t always have businesses that were a good fit for creative endeavors like graphic artists, writers, or designers.

But sometimes a gem drops into your lap, or in this case, inbox that gives you a reason to devote one day a month to getting up when most of the world seems to see fit. Such was the case for me when I got an invitation to a once-monthly meeting called “Strong Women, Strong Coffee”. Admittedly, they had me at “coffee” even if I had to bring my own, which I do every morning anyway. I figured I’d attend one meeting to see if it was something worth pursuing.

Women Helping Woman Succeed

To say I got a lot more than I expected is to put it mildly. The speaker talked about things I’ve been promoting for quite a while:

• Daily Self-care
• Self Awareness
• Aligning with your core values
• Giving yourself permission to have ease in your life

They also put us into breakout groups for a few minutes to give everyone some one-on-one time to network with a staff member and another businesswoman, all the while presenting an environment that was both relaxed and professional. Unlike many networking groups I’ve visited over the years, I never felt like I was there for the sole purpose of being fresh meat for someone else’s sales pitch. Instead, it was a gathering of women business owners to exchange ideas, and offer support.

The organizers, a company called WEV (Women’s Economic Ventures) is a Santa Barbara-based company aimed at helping women entrepreneurs succeed. They offer a variety of resources and courses including the monthly opportunity to network with other business owners in both English and Spanish.

Unique Challenges of Women Business Owners

Not the least of their resources is the staff themselves. The ones I met at the March meeting exuded a level of confidence I’ve rarely seen, because so many women entrepreneurs are burning their candle at both ends 24/7, and are too busy trying to keep all their balls in the air to take time for self-care.

Here are women who’ve embraced the concept you can’t pour from an empty cup. You’re stronger, smarter, and more effective when you take time to recharge, not just when your body demands it, but every, single day.

As one who learned the hard way, when you don’t take time to recharge, what you get accomplished might seem like a lot, but it takes longer, and for us creative types, is often a lot less inspired when you keep pushing yourself to keep going to the point of exhaustion. It’s amazing what something as simple as a 15-20 minute meditation, or cat nap can do for your energy and brain power. Contrary to popular belief, you can’t go on forever on caffeine and tenacity.

Overachievers and Burnout

One of the benefits I see to joining a woman-oriented group to get support, and network is how prone women are to trying to do it all. Over time, there’s a disconnect between what you think you’re accomplishing despite lack of sleep, and an off-the-charts stress level. In reality, you’re deluding yourself.

Exhaustion and excessive stress make you more prone to mistakes, and short-tempered, just for starters. You might have even convinced yourself it’s easier to do it all alone, then to train or trust others when in truth, it means you’re piling even more on your already overflowing plate.

You might not see it yourself, and heaven forbid a man tries to offer assistance. Another woman, however, can put it in a way that makes you feel supported rather than like you’re somehow lacking if you need to divvy up the work load, even temporarily. Too many women have grown accustomed to working harder than their male counterparts for less money and recognition. It’s hard to break those habits when you take full responsibility for your own company’s success.

Sure, there are plenty of reasons why you’re burning the midnight oil to keep things going, not only with your company, but your family. But for every reason you come up with to justify why you have to do it all yourself, there are at least a handful of better ones for why you need to determine what truly needs your hands-on attention, and what could be done more efficiently by either mechanizing, streamlining, or handing it off to someone else.

Focus on Core Competencies

You started your business because you are especially talented in certain areas. Unfortunately, a business needs a lot of things that don’t fall into your core competencies, and in fact, you might dread having to do in the first place. The biggest fallacy in believing you’re saving money while moving things ahead in the most effective manner by doing it all yourself completely disregards the best use of your time and skills.

I’m as guilty of that one as the next gal. I know my marketing and sales skills are better managed by someone who’s not only good at them, but enjoys doing them, leaving me alone to write and create editorial calendars for myself and my clients. I’ve told myself over and over I can’t really afford to hire someone right now, but the reality is, I’m afraid of someone who knows what they’re doing filling my calendar faster than I’m ready to run with it. By letting someone who knows marketing take those reigns away from me, I’m free to do all the things I love, and work with more amazing clients.

What tasks do you approach with more dread and less enthusiasm? How many hours could you free up to do more of what you love, and probably generate more revenue in the process if you allowed yourself to share the work? You might be surprised how much faster your business could grow, and how much time you have to spend with your family and friends if you loosened your grip a little, and focused on your core competencies.

In the meantime, check out WEV, or find a similar organization in your area. I’ll bet there are more of them out there than you realize. I know my eyes have opened considerably.

 

About the Author

Sheri Conaway is a Holistic Ghostwriter, and an advocate for cats and mental health. Sheri believes in the Laws of Attraction, but only if you are a participant rather than just an observer. Her mission is to Make Vulnerable Beautiful and help entrepreneurs touch the souls of their readers and clients so they can increase their impact and their income.

If you’d like to have her write for you, please visit her Hire Me page for more information. You can also find her on Facebook Sheri Levenstein-Conaway Author.

Be sure to watch this space for news of the upcoming releases of ” Rebuilding After Suicide” and “Sasha’s Journey”.

Take a Break from Burnout

Are you struggling to keep all your entrepreneurial balls in the air? Would you like to take a task or two off your plate? Maybe it’s content creation, or perhaps it’s getting your books in order, and creating a budget. If this sounds familiar and you’re ready to streamline your life and give your business space to grow and thrive, CONTACT ME and let’s talk!