Victoria Colligan, co-founder of Ladies Who Launch, stopped by the Duct Tape Marketing podcast to discuss, what else, women entrepreneurs.

Ladies Who Launch provides content and community to help women start and expand their businesses and creative ventures. Through their events, e-mail newsletter, website and in-person Incubator programs Ladies Who Launch provides a venue for motivated women to exchange products and services, ideas, and strategic relationships.

We discussed Ladies Who Launch events going now in over 45 communities, Victoria's book - Ladies Who Launch: Embracing Entrepreneurship & Creativity as a Lifestyle, and I gave my two cents on the differences between men and women in general and as entrepreneurs. (I've got four daughters so I just assume I'm qualified)

Insights:

1. Women are starting businesses a rate of twice that of men
2. Women are attracted to business ownership for the lifestyle
3. Women are more naturally suited to run a business than men
4. Women are more creative than men when it comes to defining success

Ok, Victoria only said 3 of the 4! What's you take on this list?

6:00:16 PM    

You're a talented writer, designer, speaker, consultant, coach, salesperson, but doors aren't flying open for you. Why not? Talent, I'm afraid, is assumed - a lot of people have talent. It's the price to get into the game. Talent, married with creativity, however, is how you get out of the cheap seats. (In fact, creativity will allow you to get places with lesser talent than others - oops, potential self indictment)

If you want to make your talent pay off than you've got to come up with creative ways to show people how your talent can get them more of what they want (Hint: It's not about your talent)

If you want to write for a publication, don't send them your articles, show them how you could help them sell subscriptions, introduce them to potential advertisers and generally bring them more readers - oh, and yes, write a whale of a feature too!

If you want to speak, don't send your brilliant DVD, go to an organization and show them how you can put on a workshop that will benefit their clients AND you've got another organization that wants to partner with them so it would also be a good way to meet some prospects too.

If you want partner with a large organization, don't send them your brochure, do your homework and find a way to help them partner with a non-profit agency in a way that helps everyone.

If you want another business to refer you, don't just ask, put the tools in their hands that will allow them take advantage of your talent while getting more of what they want.

Use your talent to create, teach, develop and distribute information and tools and then give it all away in creative partnership proposals. That's how you use your talent to get to the front row.

1:00:02 AM