Management | thesofiamagazine

Top 10 Recommendations for Women Business Owners

by admin | Oct 28, 2021 | Asheville, Business, Leadership, Management, Women

By Susan Clark Muntean

As a consultant, mentor, and advisor to entrepreneurs over the past two decades, I have identified patterns, principles, and paths for entrepreneurs to follow. My passion is to support women as entrepreneurs and my expertise is in how to connect women with the resources they need to succeed. These are my top ten pieces of advice and words of wisdom to support you on your journey. You’ve got this!

Seek Mentorship
Seek out inspirational role models and establish a mentoring relationship with them. Establish yourself with mentors who will be honest with you and who will respect you. Seek well-connected members of your community to advocate on your behalf and who will offer to connect you with important stakeholders. Don’t forget to seek mentors of the opposite sex as well.

Find Your Tribe
Find a supportive community that will nurture your soul, feed your ambitions, sell your expertise and creative genius, and help you to market yourself and your business. Leverage both formal and informal networks to spread the word about you and your business. Connect and support others and pay it forward.

Secure Sensible Funding
Seek low interest loans, SBA loan guarantees, forgivable and/or flexible low interest loans, and government or non-profit sources of funds for launching and growing your business. In addition, consider equity investment, especially among family and friends as well as crowdfunding campaigns. Avoid high interest credit card debt at all costs.

Listen to Your Customers
Design your product or service around the needs and wants of your target market. Solicit frequent and honest feedback. Get a minimally viable product into their hands early on and use the beta version of what you offer to improve what you produce. The customer is queen and should be an integral part of the development of your business model, product lines, service delivery and customer relationship management strategies.

Use Weak Ties
Research shows that women tend to rely on close connections, family members and close friends when networking to generate new business and when seeking financing, partnerships, and support while men tend to use distant connections and engage in transactional networking using so-called “weak ties”. In the business world weak ties—those expansive loose connections of friends of friends who know people—are critical to scaling your business and selling more products and services. Get on LinkedIn and connect with second and third level weak ties.

Find Support Organizations
Entrepreneurship is a significant driver of economic development and local, regional, state, and federal governments allocate taxpayer dollars to supporting inclusive entrepreneurship as a means to economic growth. There are so many free and low-cost resources to take advantage of as an emerging entrepreneur or as an established business owner. Seek out the assistance of small business centers, women’s business centers and networking groups, business incubators, accelerator programs, community colleges that offer instructional programming for entrepreneurs, and shared co-working spaces that support entrepreneurs.

Manage Bias
Gender bias is a well-documented all-to-common experience that women face, especially when seeking equity financing and the support of resources critical for success. Don’t gaslight yourself if you experience very subtle forms of discrimination or exclusion or if the services you are receiving feel in any way disrespectful. Manage systemic bias by preparing responses to it in advance. You are not alone on your journey, and you are inherently powerful, capable, intelligent, and worthy of support and the respect you deserve. Don’t forget it!

Differentiate Yourself
Small business owners need to compete on specialization, uniqueness, customization, and delightful experiences that customers rave about relative to existing offerings. How are you better than the competition? Why are you special? Communicate how you are above and beyond the rest with crystal clarity. Own and exude your unique, amazing brand and be consistently clear in communicating that to your target market.

Expand Your Entrepreneurial Mindset
Work on your capacities to identify opportunities, take calculated risks, empathize with your customers, and execute on your ideas. Successful entrepreneurs have a future focus, are optimistic, persistent, and self-confident. Activate your passion and apply your ambition towards continuous self-improvement. Dedicate time to developing your entrepreneurial mindset daily.

Orient Yourself Towards the Future
Too many small business owners are trapped in the cycle of putting out fires and reacting to the immediate, daily, urgent needs of the business. Take time and space away from the daily grind to put your feelers out to the external environment. What is the competition doing? What are shifts in the regulatory environment? How are customer tastes changing? What are groundbreaking emergent technologies and how will they impact your business model? Today’s marketplace requires constant innovation and that requires understanding changes impacting your business model as well as creating future opportunities. By orienting yourself towards the future, you position yourself to take advantage of emerging opportunities that can secure your success over the long haul.

Susan Clark Muntean is an Associate Professor of Management at the University of North Carolina, Asheville. In addition to being an author of Entrepreneurial Ecosystems: A Gender Perspective published by Cambridge University Press, she serves as an advisor, mentor, board member and advocate supporting women entrepreneurs in Western North Carolina.

When Only The Best will do

by Natasha Kubis | May 29, 2021 | Asheville, Business, Management, Women Empowerment, Women in Business

Biltmore Executive Support Team (B.E.S.T) is a dream come true for entrepreneurs, high-level executives, affluent individuals, as well as big and small businesses alike. More than just your average professional organizer, B.E.S.T is your proud partner in business management, bookkeeping, professional organization, and customized business support services. They help your business thrive in the most efficient way possible to “get you where you need to grow!”

Their team of professional organizers is specialized in office systems and design and they collaborate with their clients to create a highly functional and peaceful work environment. They are Asheville’s only professional organizers who are certified by the American Society of Professional Organizers AND specialize in accounting. B.E.S.T is certified in QuickBooks and payroll, and they offer professional bookkeeping through their sister
company Accounting Office Management, Inc.

Not only do they help you organize and declutter your physical environment, but they also help create functional paper management, organize emails and digital files, and maintain bookkeeping systems. They do every tedious and overwhelming task that you can think of such as organizing medical records, financial statements, and setting up bill payment schedules. Even CPAs love B.E.S.T because they streamline end-of-the-year tax preparation, saving time for accountants, and reducing hefty fees for clients. They also help executives who are relocating or downsizing by acting as compassionate coaches in the purging and decluttering process.

Linne Warner has always had a clear passion for business and a thirst for creativity, which makes her a hugely successful boss-babe and the multi-talented founder of B.E.S.T. Her story began on a ranch in Chino, CA where she was riding horses before she even learned to walk. This perhaps, is what helped spark her love of adventure in life and business, and her entrepreneurial spirit.

Linne began working at the Coca-Cola Company in her early twenties, where she first became acquainted with the corporate world. Armed with a more refined sense of business, she left the company at age 22 (during the later stages of her first pregnancy) and started her first small business called, Linne’s of Palm Springs, in Santa Barbara, CA, where she produced and sold her own line of hand-painted clothing.

Linne diversified her education by completing her studies in multimedia arts and technology, which allowed her to have a focus on graphic design and marketing. Linne juggled a great deal while accomplishing her educational goals, raising two small children, having her own businesses, including maintaining the accounting and administrative needs of her family’s electrical contracting business, and eventually working full time as a marketing director for a national wholesale floral producer. Her 10-year experience as a director helped her analytical skills and creativity flourish. It also tapped into her adventurous spirit and allowed her to travel to Hong Kong and China several times a year.

The next door on her career path opened while traveling home from one of these business trips. A man sitting next to her on the flight observed her as she worked and was impressed by her keen focus and drive. He recruited her to work at Select Staffing, where she excelled as the Santa Barbara branch manager. She became educated on staff and client management, accounting, and was a devoted student of Steven Covey (author of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People).

The next stop along her career path was working as the Vice President of Marketing for the Third Age Foundation. This non-profit organization was developed to help elders in the third stage of life to have longer, happier, and more fulfilled lives. Linne loves helping disadvantaged people find their direction by supporting their personal development. This is why B.E.S.T loves working with elderly executives that need help getting organized, especially if there is any cognitive decline or chronic illness.

Linne is also fierce when it comes to empowering her team members.
Because of her staffing experience, she has learned to look beyond the face value of the resume and encourages people to exceed all expectations. Her team is the foundation of her business and she loves to showcase their many talents. Her executive assistant, Olivia, is even certified in Feng Shui! Linne also does her best to support the local economy by using and recommending businesses here in town. Even her own office is outfitted in art and décor from local shops.

Linne says, “We don’t need to bring others down to succeed! There is enough to go around in this life. God gives us everything we need, including ALL the gifts and blessings that should be used to assist and elevate others whenever possible!”

Linne has two amazing children. Her daughter, Lindsay Rae, is a successful hair and makeup artist, who has worked in Beverly Hills for the past 12 years. Her son, Lucas, will be taking over the family electrical contracting business in C.A. She gets to see her children often because B.E.S.T also caters to clients in the Beverly Hills and Santa Barbara areas.

Linne married the love of her life, Chris Warner, in 2011. The two are wildly adventurous and madly in love. “He supports me 120% in every crazy idea I have or adventure I suggest. I am so grateful that he has been blessed with some sort of divine resilience, and an extraordinary amount of patience, to put up with my never-ending flow of wild ideas!” The two love to explore together, which is how they ended up in Asheville. They sold all of their belongings and hopped into their RV for a 10-month long road trip from C.A. to N.C. They purchased 17.5 acres of land in Candler, N.C., and built their dream home where they’ve had a horse, a pig, goats, chickens, two tortoises, two dogs, and a cat!

In Linne’s spare time, she loves to ride her horse and is an annual pass equestrian member at the Biltmore Estate and Asheville’s Adult Riding Club. Linne says her source for everything is her faith in God. She is an ordained minister, an Officer of the Court of the Catholic Daughters of America, and a child and hospitality minister for St. Joan
of Arc Church in Candler.

B.E.S.T

Biltmore Executive Support Team

asheville-oms.com/best

828-785-2695

79 Woodfin Place, Suite 205A
Asheville, NC 28801

Special thanks to Jim & Barbara Whitmer, Owners of Encore Stables, for graciously granting us access to their farm, encorestablesinc.com

3 Practices to GET AHEAD at Work

by Cheri Torres | Oct 31, 2019 | Asheville, Conversation, Management

By Cheri Torres

No matter where you are in your organization, you can make a difference and get noticed. If you’re in management, you can fuel productivity and meaningful engagement. If you’re on the front line, you can inspire teamwork and creativity. You can even address issues with your boss effectively. You can do all of this through conversation.

We forget how powerful our conversations are. They influence our wellbeing, relationships, and ability to succeed. Become a conversation change agent and you will become a valued member of your organization. There are three simple practices that will help you catalyze conversations worth having.

#1: Pause, Breathe, Get Curious

How often do you feel defensive, annoyed, or critical of your colleagues or boss? They do something and you get triggered. This natural response to stress or threat is normal, but not helpful. This first practice is: PAUSE before reacting. Take a deep breath. And get curious: Why are you defensive? Have you made assumptions? Are you sure what you think is true? Absolutely sure?

Example: you’re walking down the hallway toward your boss. As you pass by, you smile and say, “Hi!” She says nothing; she is scowling. You feel rejected, and think, “She’s arrogant.” Fear creeps: What if she didn’t like the report you just turned in. You’re starting to make up stories.

Let’s apply Practice #1. Pause. Breathe and recognize that you just got triggered. Then get curious:

1. What are the facts? You said “Hi!” She didn’t answer. Her face had an unhappy-kind-of-expression. She didn’t say anything. You got triggered. That’s it. Everything else is made up.

2. What else might explain those facts? She was lost in thought and didn’t hear you. She just heard bad news. She was headed to a meeting she was worried about. She’s not feeling well.

3. Question assumptions. Has she even read your report yet? Is she an arrogant person?

Just asking yourself these few questions can shift your thinking and feeling. Genuine curiosity emerges: Is she okay? Is there anything you can do to support her?

You can use this practice to help you shift from self-protection to connection. You can also use it to shift meeting dynamics. Imagine your team is arguing. You might say, “Let’s pause. Can we take a moment to get the facts up on the board and begin to see what we know and don’t know?” Once that’s done, you might say, “I’m not as clear as I thought I was. What outcome are we hoping for?” Just these simple questions can shift the tone and direction of the original conversation.

#2: Ask Generative Questions

Generative questions shift the way people think. In the above examples, your thinking about your boss and your team’s thinking shifted because of the nature of the questions. Generative questions also create compelling images that inspire action. Once all the facts are on the whiteboard and you have a shared understanding of the outcome, you might ask a question that creates compelling images such as, “How might we move towards our desired outcome?”

Generative questions typically result in:

1. Stronger relationships because people take time to ask one another questions that create connection, inclusion, and understanding.

2. New information and new knowledge because asking questions has surfaced facts, challenged assumptions, and brought forth collective wisdom.

3. Possibilities for solutions and actions because people ask questions that enable divergent and creative thinking.

4. Images of the future because people ask questions about desired outcomes.

#3: Create a Positive Frame

The last practice is to talk about what you want instead of what you don’t want. When there are problems or complaints, flip the focus to desired outcomes. For example, if your staff is complaining, instead of asking them, “What’s wrong?” Ask them, “What would you like to see change? What might we do to improve things?”

If you need to address a problem with your boss, you are not likely to point out what he is doing wrong. Instead, create a positive frame for the conversation and ask generative questions. Example: Imagine you keep getting last minute assignments at the end of the day. You might frame a conversation with your boss around wanting to excel in the job. You might ask generative questions like, “What ideas do you have to help me be successful when you give me assignments?” and “If I have questions I want to ask to make sure we’re on the same page about the outcome of my work, when is the best time for me to ask?” Then engage in a conversation that ensures you are able to meet or exceed his expectations.

No matter what is happening in your organization or where you sit hierarchically, you can make a positive difference simply by fostering conversations worth having. And when you do, you will be noticed!

Cheri Torres is Lead Catalyst for positive change and organization consultant with Collaborative by Design. Visit ConversationsWorthHaving.today to download a free Conversation Toolkit, or visit cheritorres.com.