How Women Presidents Are Using and Leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI is emerging as a powerful tool to level the playing field for women entrepreneurs. From enabling informed decisions to streamlining business operations, AI is proving to be a game-changer for women entrepreneurs in terms of running and growing their businesses.

AI has the potential to disrupt barriers and open up new pathways to success. Women business owners can use AI-powered tools to save time and money, an invaluable commodity when juggling a business and family life.  

Read the entire article on how women business owners and women Presidents, like WPO members, are using artificial intelligence (AI).

Giving Thanks to all the Mom Entrepreneurs and Presidents

With Mother’s Day yesterday, it’s a perfect time to give thanks for all that moms have done. There are plenty of moms who have made a huge mark on the business world as well.

Here are some successful mom entrepreneurs and presidents who might provide some inspiration for others the day after Mother's Day.

21 Successful Mom Entrepreneurs to Inspire You

Article of Interest: Lessons Learned From 2012

Photo credit:  Samasource.org

Fast Company asks an array of thought-leaders what they learned in 2012.  Here are three from innovative women:

"The best way to make employees happy is to set realistic goals and achieve them." ~ Leila Janah, CEO, Samasource

"We've launched "To Get Her There" to give girls skills they need to be leaders in 25 years." ~ Anna Maria Chavez, CEO, Girl Scouts of the U.S.A.

"We have to think about everything that goes on in our members' lives, beyond just what they're doing in the club." ~ Sarah Robb O'Hagan, President, Equinox

What did you learn in 2012?  Let us know and we'll publish your best lesson here.

Meanwhile, get your own dose of business wisdom here.

Resource of Interest: shatterbox

For young people who love what they do, this site's for you: 

Shatterbox wants you to wake up in the morning and love what you do. So we’re going to introduce you to lots of people who do and help you find how to get there yourself.

And as you grow your business well beyond the million dollar mark, we want you.  Only women presidents and CEOs need apply:  Women Presidents' Organization.

Illustration credit here.

Posted by:  Women Presidents' Organization Chicago

News of Interest: A High Five to the WPO High Fliers

Just returned from the WPO Annual Conference in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida at The Westin Beach Resort and I feel good -- inspired and ready to take on the world! What about you? Share your successes, powerful moments and learning lessons with us. How do you plan to use the information you received at the conference to grow your business? We welcome hearing from you.

In the meantime, check out some of the amazing media coverage we received during the conference:

The Wall Street Journal
High Fliers: Top Women-Led Companies

Snippet:

Marsha Firestone, WPO's founder and president, says the group began compiling the rankings three years ago in an effort to dispel the notion that female-led companies are primarily mom-and-pop operations in "retail, cookie-making or crafts." Most on the list are business-to-business companies, many in traditionally male-dominated fields such as transportation, construction, manufacturing and distributing, she says.

SmartMoney.com
Trailblazing Women Business Owners Achieve Rapid Growth Despite Challenging Economy

Snippet:

"The Top 50 list exemplifies the vital role women business owners have on boosting the economy and enhancing job growth overall," says Marsha Firestone, Ph. D., president and founder of the WPO. "We are pleased to partner with American Express OPEN to honor these powerful women and recognize their triumphs."

MiamiHerald.com
Female Executives Share Secrets of Success

Snippet:

A woman CEO may not want to ask for help to be successful, but the Women Presidents' Organization breaks that mindset in order to take women-owned businesses to the next level.And one more! "There's a perception out there that women grow and run very small mom-and-pop operations and that they are mostly crafts or retail or cookies, and that's not true at all,'' said WPO founder and President Marsha Firestone.

Firestone said some of the fastest-growing women-owned companies are in industries that aren't traditionally women dominated.

Catch us if you can! And if you'd like more information about WPO, please contact our headquarter office at 212-688-4114 or email info@womenpresidentsorg.com. In Chicago, call 773-381-1700 or email ldelaney(at)globetrade.com.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Photo credit: Starwood Hotels, The Westin Beach Resort, Fort Lauderdale, Sky Terrace where we had our "dessert" reception on the last evening of the conference.

Added 4/27/10 at 9:39 CDT -- WomenEntrepreneur.com
WPO Conference: 90+ Guru & Salsa Dancing, Too (hat tip to Karen Barnett for the info).

Resource of Interest: Google AdWords: Keyword Tool

We recently had Internet Marketing Consultant Amanda Bury from ReachLocal give a talk at our WPO Chicago downtown I chapter meeting and she did a very good job educating us on what SEO (search engine optimization) and SEM (search engine marketing) do for your online business, what the difference is between the two and how to use both effectively to bring greater attention to your business on the Internet.

One tool I always use for my business, and this is outside of the bounds of what Amanda spoke about, is Google AdWords: Keyword Tool. It's a free resource that lets you see what folks are typing into Google. I access great competitive information from it, use it to determine the best choice of words for blog titles and even determine the name(s) of new businesses that require a catchy domain name.

Tips for using Keyword Tool:

• Find keywords based on your site content. Instead of entering your own keywords, try using the Website Content option. It lets you enter the URL of your business website, or of any site related to your business. The AdWords system will then scan your page and then suggest relevant keywords.


• Create new, separate ad groups with similar keywords. We recommend creating several ad groups in each campaign, each with a small, narrowly-focused set of similar keywords. Use the Keyword Tool to discover relevant keywords, then divide them into lists of 5 to 20 similar terms. See examples of ad groups promoting a single product or service and multiple products or services.


• Identify negative keywords. The Keyword Tool can help you identify off-topic keywords that users may be thinking about. Suppose you sell cut flowers and you give the Keyword Tool the keyword 'flowers.' It may suggest the related term 'gardens,' and you may want to add that term to your ad group as a negative keyword. That will keep your ad from showing on searches for 'flower gardens' or similar terms. This helps make sure only interested customers see your ads.


• Specify a language and location. If you're using the Keyword Tool while signed in to your account, you can modify your keyword search with advanced settings and tailor results to a particular location and language. If you happen to be targeting Spanish speakers who live in France, make sure you set the Keyword Tool to that language and location.


• Start broad and then get specific. Try broad terms like 'flowers' in the Keyword Tool first. Then try specific terms like 'red roses' or 'miniature cactus.'

On our own, we did a test (as illustrated above) using keywords: 'women presidents' (clicked the box to use synonyms) and found these keywords related to the term(s) we entered that were searched regularly:

women college presidents
women presidents in the world
women university

What does that mean? You have to factor it in when you create, for example, blog post titles or designate choice paid search listings with keywords for your business. There's so much more -- so spend some time reviewing and learning about how you can use this tool to grow your business.

Give it a whirl here:
Google AdWords: Keyword Tool

Stuck? There's always an online classroom.

News of Interest: Annual Economic Survey by the Women Presidents' Organization

According to the annual economic survey by the Women Presidents’ Organization (WPO), the premier peer advisory organization for women entrepreneurs, WPO membership indicate 55% of women presidents and CEOs of multi-million dollar companies have maintained or grown their employee base.

Bottom line: Women presidents have shown they can adjust to the changing economic climate.

Other Key Findings:

Relative to 2008, regarding financial performance in 2009

• 31% of companies have grown
• 21% are stable and have neutral performance

Optimism for 2010

• 82% are optimistic about business performance in 2010

Environmental Sustainability

• 54% have made their business environmentally friendly
• 35% are interested in making their business environmentally friendly

Greatest threat to the bottom line and factors affecting business

• Economic Conditions
• Customer retention
• Competition
• Human Resources

Employees

• 55% plan to increase number of employees or keep the same amount
• 53% have kept employee salaries the same; 15% have increased employee salaries

Future Role

• 44% will continue full-time management
• 20% plan hands-off oversight, with presence in the office 1-3 days per week

WPO

• 61% Believe their business has grown since joining
• 65% Believe the WPO has contributed to economic success
• 81% Believe the WPO helps manage business concerns in the current economic climate

“These statistics are evidence of the versatility and strength of companies owned by women entrepreneurs in the face of adversity,” said Marsha Firestone Ph.D. president and founder of the WPO. “Our survey indicates that WPO members have found ways to adapt to the changing economic climate. To succeed as a small business is tougher than ever, yet 56% have indicated that their businesses are growing or stable in 2009. I sincerely believe that the members of the WPO are models of perseverance of small businesses globally.”

Additional references:

Woman-Owned Businesses Retaining Their Employees in Tough Economy, The Institute for Economic Empowerment for Women

Women-Owned Businesses Retain Employees in Tough Economy | EHS Today

Women-Owned Businesses Retaining Their Employees in Tough Economy | Forbes

Event of Interest: WPO Chicago Summit Report

Our WPO Chicago Summit -- sponsored by Harris N.A. and IBM -- was a huge success. It began with Mary Lyons, Manager of the IBM Innovation Center (Chicago) welcoming everyone. We are always delighted when Mary shares her valuable time and enthusiasm with us. IBM is a national sponsor to the Women Presidents' Organization which we value tremendously.

In the morning segment, Supplier Diversity Professionals (SDPs) and WPO Chicago members discussed how to work more efficiently together during tough economic times. We will continue to nurture this vibrant conversation over the coming months.

First up in the afternoon, Emilia DiMenco, Executive V.P., Harris, presented, “Retrench, Renew, and Reset: Navigating the current environment and positioning your business for success," which helped WPO Chicago members re-evaluate their business objectives and financial well-being in light of the current economy and economic forecast. She instilled in us that it is not too late to get your business in financial order. She was accompanied by Janice Zimmerman, Sr. Commercial Relationship Manager, Harris, who fielded questions that arose by members.

Rick Murray, President, Edelman Worldwide Digital, followed with a presentation, “The Engagement Imperative: Communications Strategies for a Connected World,” that painted the big picture on social media and word-of-mouth marketing. And we were delighted to hear insights from Janet Cabot, President, Central Region, Edelman as well (shhhhh ... we are wooing Janet into becoming a WPO Chicago member -- will keep you posted).

The highlight of our event was at the end of our program when we had a special guest visit by our very own WPO Chair, International Board of Directors, Margery Kraus (pictured center in red; she is also president and chief executive officer of APCO Worldwide), who gave a wonderful "impromptu" talk about how she started and grew her business into a major global player.

Here's what people said about our Summit:

I just wanted to say that last week was very beneficial to me. I am glad that I took the time out of my day to listen to the speakers and presentations. I also was able to meet and connect with other members that are in the other chapters. I am really going to start going forward with Social Media with our company since that pep talk was a real eye opener. I am so glad that I joined this group and would have never been exposed to the different topics if I had not joined. -- WPO Chicago member (downtown III)

Thank you again for allowing us to host this year’s Summit meeting. I enjoyed the social media presentation and discussion and continue to be awed and impressed by the dynamic, high energy business owners that are involved in the WPO. -- Summit Sponsor

The summit energized and refocused me. -- WPO Chicago member (downtown II)

Thank you for inviting me and for continuing to try and address the gaps between WBEs and supplier diversity representatives. -- Supplier Diversity Professional

It was excellent. I am amazed at how much I get from the Summit. It's like you have to take a step back and then rethink all of the fabulous information you were given in a period of a few hours. Then sort and take away what is relevant to your business needs. -- WPO Chicago member (downtown I)

I wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you so much for inviting me to the Summit today. I was very interested in the topic this morning and very impressed with the membership as a whole. It's always nice to see first hand that an organization that my firm sponsors is really doing wonderful and valuable things. -- WPO National Sponsor

Special thanks to Harris N.A. and IBM for making this year's Summit more relevant than ever. Thanks to our national sponsors who help make the WPO program possible.

We are already preparing for next year's Summit. Mark your calendars now: August 12, 2010. Send your ideas my way at ldelaney(at)globetrade.com.

Photo credit: Laurel Delaney, Women Presidents' Organization Chicago

Interview of Interest: Alice Krause Chats With Dr. Marsha Firestone

Friend and colleague Alice Krause, author of the News on Women blog, interviews our founder Dr. Marsha Firestone, Women Presidents' Organization, about entrepreneurship and women business ownership. Here are the four questions addressed:

1. What inspired you to start your organization?

2. What steps do you think are necessary for an entrepreneur who wants to move her business to the next level?

3. What can entrepreneurs do in the current economic climate?

4. What advice do you have for women who are just starting out?

Go here for the interview and to learn what Dr. Firestone has to say.

News of Interest: WPO Boston Conference Update

What a great post about our conference here. Many thanks to Athena Schindelheim at Inc.com's blog for covering our event so meticulously!

News of Interest: WPO Chicago Growth Survey 2007

Women Presidents' Organization Chicago Survey Predicts Business Growth in 2007 for 86% of Members: Group Leadership Guides $400 Million in Regional and Global Business

Chicago-area women presidents of multimillion-dollar businesses predict growth in 2007. A recent survey of the Women Presidents' Organization Chicago revealed that 86% of members predict growth in 2007. While overall growth predictions averaged up to 70% for some companies, the majority of growth was predicted to be in the 1-20% range.

Read press release here; catch the Small Business Trends blog entry under Women Business Owners Part of Social Entrepreneurship Trend; and, read WPO headquarter offices' blog entry here.