News of Interest: Google+

Laurel Delaney, Google+

Are you on Google+? I am (https://profiles.google.com/laureldelaney). Currently, Google+ is in a "beta trial period," meaning it is an invitation-only product and will be available globally (hopefully) later.

Here's how Google defines Google+:

The Google+ (http://plus.google.com/ ) project aims to make sharing on the web more like sharing in real life. Check out Circles, Sparks, and Hangouts, just a few of the things we've ...

To get up to speed fast, read:

Google+:  What Is It, and How Do I Get It?

... but the big difference (between Facebook and Google+) is that with Google+, you can choose who you want to share these things with. ~ Source:  Geek.com

Google Takes on Facebook With New Social Network Google+

Is Google+ Really Google Buzz 2.0?

A Review of Google+

Illustration credit:  Google+ Project

I like Google+ because it will give us, as business owners, a chance to share the right stuff with the right people to grow strategically.  Take a tour here.

Hope we connect on Google+ soon.  

Posted by:  Women Presidents' Organization Chicago

Article of Interest: How to Breed a Management Rebel

Good stuff from our friend and colleague Gary Hamel (pictured). 

Inventing Management 2.0

In it, he talks about busting bureaucratic practices and discovering new ways of motivating, organizing, compensating and goal setting.  For example, does this sound anything close to how you currently run your business?

... the management model found in your organization most likely over-weights the views of senior executives, undervalues unconventional thinking, discourages full transparency, deters initiative, frustrates experimentation and encourages an entirely unwarranted reverence for precedence. In so doing, Management 1.0 squanders the leadership talents of just about everyone apart from the CEO.

Find out how you might become a management (Presidential) rebel here.  Go ahead:  shake it up! 

Note:  Gary Hamel was the keynote speaker for our WPO Conference 2006 in Chicago.

Posted by:  Women Presidents' Organization Chicago

Case Study of Interest: Firing Your Best Friend

With business revenue drying up, Susan Southerland, owner and President of Just Marry, was cutting expenses everywhere (sound familiar?).  But could she really fire her best friend?

When things get tough, the tough get going.  See what she does here:

Case Study
Nothing Personal
Inc. Magazine
Should This Wedding Planner Fire Her Best Friend?

Have you ever had a similar experience?  What did you do?

News of Interest: Happy 4th of July from WPO Chicago!

We wish you a safe, happy and productive Independence Day.

Posted by:  Women Presidents' Organization Chicago

Photo credit:  ©Laurel Delaney 2011.  All rights reserved.  Michigan Avenue, facing West, Chicago River.

Article of Interest: Characteristics of Second-Stage Growth Companies

Are you experiencing second-stage growth pains? Many Women Presidents' Organization members are. The signs are usually very telling. According to our partner, Edward Lowe Foundation, the characteristics are as follows:

1. Many people are not aware of what others are doing.
2. People lack an understanding of the firm's ultimate goals.
3. A precipitous drop in product quality occurs for unknown reasons.
4. Turnover increases sharply, just when the company needs more personnel.
5. You wake up worrying about operational tasks that someone else ought to be handling.
6. All your customers want to meet with you, but finding the time to do so seems impossible.

Learn more about second-stage growth for a business and what to do about it.

Characteristics of Second-Stage Growth Business Owners

Posted by:  Women Presidents' Organization Chicago 

Event of Interest: 8th Annual WPO Chicago Summit 2011

Article of Interest: What's the Difference Between a Boss and a Leader?

As a business owner, you may be clear with your sense of purpose and direction, but when you command with a position of power, does that mean you are acting like a leader or a boss?

Find out more here.

Article of Interest: How To Embed Anything on Your Blog or Website

First, you have to find out what embedding means.  Next, you have to figure out how to do it.  Lastly, you must understand the 'why' behind it.

It's all here.

Illustration credit:  embed.ly

Article of Interest: How to Create a Handheld Device Strategy for Your Business

How to create and keep customers on mobile phones?  In his time, Theodore Leavitt would have a field day with this issue.  After all, he is the founding father of coining the term 'globalization' and defining corporate purpose:  Rather than merely making money, it is to create and keep a customer.  Oh how I wish he were with us today to provide his two cents on what we should be doing to leverage the mobile market.

But Inc. magazine does a good job with whetting our appetite on the topic:

How to Create a Mobile Strategy for Your Business.

Short clip:

Let's face it. Mobile devices have drastically shifted the online landscape to the point that in 2010 more than 50 percent of all Internet access was being done via handhelds of some sort. About 45 percent of mobile owners are using their devices to download social networking apps. In fact, 35 percent of Android and iPhone owners in the U.S. use apps such as Facebook before getting out of bed, according to a recent survey conducted by telecommunications equipment vendor Ericsson.

Your strategy should be based on how your customers use handheld devices in their everyday lives.  Do you know how they use their devices?  Better start asking.

Read the entire article here.

Posted by:  Women Presidents' Organization Chicago

Article of Interest: Seven Social Media Marketing Essentials

Are you trying to make a difference with your social media marketing?  As you grow your business, here are seven key areas where you should be spending all your time.

The 7 Social Media Marketing Essentials

Posted by:  Women Presidents' Organization Chicago

Article of Interest: Becoming a Disruptive Innovator

Photo credit: Kheng Guan Toh

If you can't beat them, disrupt them!  That's the call to action on this nifty little article by Matthew May for the American Express OPEN Forum.  Not only does he cover that, but how to do it -- create the disruptive business model. 

Read the entire article here.

Photo of Interest: Dedicated WPO Sponsor Foley & Lardner LLP

Photo taken at our WPO Vancouver international conference April 29, 2011.  Pictured (L-R), Foley & Lardner partners Miki V. Tesija and Mary Kay Matire (wo)maning their booth.  For more information, visit Foley & Lardner LLP.

Photo credit Laurel Delaney

Posted by:  Women Presidents' Organization Chicago

Article of Interest: How to Take Content Marketing to the Next Level

If you are stuck on how to kick it up a notch with your business relative to your content marketing strategy, this article offers some good advice (short case studies) on how three companies -- Mint, Hubspot and America Express OPEN Forum (one of our favorites!) -- attained success.

Read the entire article here.

Illustration credit here.

Article of Interest: The Sharing Economy

Thanks to the Internet (which includes social media and social networking platforms), you can now share anything with anyone anywhere in the world.

Embrace it for your business and start using the communal assets to your advantage.

Read:  "The Sharing Economy" by Danielle Sacks, Fast Company

Posted by:  Women Presidents' Organization Chicago

News of Interest: WPO Chicago Member Featured On Undercover Boss

Tune in to Undercover Boss tonight (April 17th) at 8:00 p.m. CDT to watch our very own WPO Chicago member Shelly Sun, CEO and co-founder of BrightStar.

Play the preview clip here. 

Best wishes Shelly!  We are very proud of you.

Article of Interest: Social Media Efforts Pay Off

According to Courtney Rubin for Inc., "Social Media Worth the Time."  Her opinion is based on the 2011 Social Media Marketing Report which highlights how important social media is to the success of a business.

Small businesses and the self-employed are most likely to close new business deals and find partnerships thanks to their efforts on Facebook, Twitter, et al.

Read the entire article here.

And let us know if you agree or disagree.  Have your efforts on social media paid off handsomely for your business?  We welcome hearing from you!

Posted by:  Women Presidents' Organization Chicago

Tip of the Week: Gogobot

Plan a trip with great travel recommendations from friends, business colleagues and people who travel like you. Collect and share where you've been in your Gogobot passport.  Gogobot says:

Whether it is a week's vacation, a business trip or a weekend getaway, we believe planning your trip should be almost as fun as the trip itself. We believe the best advice comes from people you trust - people like you - and not from anonymous strangers on the internet. We believe sharing your experiences should be as simple as touching the screen on your phone. We are passionate about technology and design and their power to reshape our world for the better.

Visit Gogobot.  See if it helps plan your next business trip which might include one day of fun to clear your head.

Illustration credit:  Gogobot hompage

Video of Interest: Follow Your Interest

As a business owner, what do you care about?  Who do you follow?  What do you want to know?

Follow your interests (e.g., @WomenPresidents).   Keep discovering and growing.

Posted by:  Women Presidents' Organization Chicago

Commentary of Interest: The Power of Persuasion; Does It Sell Anything?

Are you advertising with your business?  Yes, remember that good old-fashioned way of getting the word out to a large number of people about your brand via television, print or radio?

Or maybe you've switched to heavy use of social media platforms like Linked In, Twitter and Facebook to boost the star marketing power of your business.  Have these platforms rewarded you in some fashion with having the most number of fans -- say with new business?

Clearly, as business owners, we need to revisit the whole point of social media and social networking:  to sell a product or service.

Read:  Just How Influential Is Your Social-Media Program if It Isn't Helping To Sell Product? ~ by Rance Crain

Posted by:  Women Presidents' Organization Chicago

Article of Interest: How Reframing Behavior Can Lead To Organizational Change

When business owners talk about change, they usually have a desired result in mind:  wake people up a bit (change the company culture), a better approach or relationship to clients, a focus on profit instead of just revenue.

Sometimes a given situation merely calls for new behaviors and a change in practice.  Learn the secrets on how to make it happen:

"That's the Way We (Used to) Do Things Around Here"