Here are Women Who WOW’s top predictions for women entrepreneurs in 2018.

WARNING: If you read ANY of this, please read ALL of this. There is some “good news” I’ll share first… but even the BEST of the news ushers in some challenges that you must FIRST acknowledge — and then leverage– if you’d like to squeeze ALL of the potential out of 2018.

So, first…. the statistics, which the NFIB says is the best we’ve seen in the United States in over a decade. The bottom line is that RAW OPTIMISM in business is UP. There are more people becoming business owners, more business owners confident about the future, and more business owners investing in their business.

Good news?

Certainly. SOARING consumer confidence intersecting with SOARING entrepreneurial confidence is exciting. But, there are VERY FEW things in life that are either ALL good… or ALL bad.

In fact, this incredible statistic is EXACTLY what will lead to some small business struggle in 2018. We’ll get there, but first…

I want to BEG you to read these trends and predictions and consider HOW they may impact YOU… and how you could LEVERAGE them to create your best year yet.

Ponder them.
Mull them over.
Get curious.
Brainstorm.
Think critically.
Don’t “just” read them.

btw, these predictions are listed in NO particular order.

Prediction #1: Big ANYTHING will become even MORE distrusted in 2018. This goes for big pharma, big medicine (people and pets), big government, big education, big “food” even. No longer will the big, established brands and conglomerates feel “safer” or more trustworthy than the small, lesser-known entities.

In fact, the opposite will continue to be true. Small will become MORE trustworthy, just because they’re not “big.”

This will make room for small businesses to come in and take some pretty massive market share. So look for your MOMENTS to slide in and present yourself as a BETTER option than the “big names” in your industry.

PREDICTION #2: Convenience will become even MORE huge… more expected… and more in DEMAND. Amazon is moving into the food delivery “business,” with their Amazon Restaurants. There’s also Uber and Uber Food, Grub Hub, Amazon Lockers and doctors who are no longer requiring you to go through the hassle of making an appointment.

Convenience, convenience, convenience. Be sure you’re constantly questioning how you can do what you do but make it MORE convenient for your market. OR that you are SO well positioned and well-branded that they will wait for two days in the rain with no tent for the opportunity to buy a ticket to work with you.

Or maybe, do BOTH. =)

PREDICTION #3: Small business confidence will bring in MORE competition. Combine this SOARING confidence with the continuing GIG economy and what we’re left with… is more competition. This has the potential to drive prices (and profit) down, so pay very close attention to how your POSITIONED (as the preferred voice, the preferred option) in your industry.

PREDICTION #4: The market will become even NOISIER than ever before. This is due to not only the INCREASED # of business owners and their ZEAL with their soaring confidence… but also due to the growing number of ways they can reach us… with ease and — in many cases — for free.

Books.
Podcasts.
Live streams.
Stories.
Social Media.

If you think it’s noisy today, it is.
But it’s getting noisier.

Consider going where it’s MUCH quieter. (Like Direct — snail — mail.) And also, find/create BRAND AMBASSADORS… real life, real people, in the real world who naturally endorse your brand.

PREDICTION # 5: The B.S. will increase, start to pile up and STINK…but it isn’t going anywhere. An opinion will continue to be paraded as fact. The public — it seems — PREFERS hearing their own opinions echoed back to them over fact and so VERY FEW people are demanding an end to the madness.

It will continue.

Your industry — and mine — will have to deal with the B.S. peddlers.

The solution? BE the truth teller in your industry. Point out the B.S. Call out the lies. Shine LIGHT on common sense, battle-tested, true today and true tomorrow TRUTHS that YOUR business is built on.

Tell the truth always.
Become KNOWN for it.

In 2017… being “authentic” was enough to allow you to stand out. In 2018, being authentic is expected. Your market actually doesn’t want you all glossed up and corporate-ized. So, show up authentic, yes… and also show up with the unfiltered TRUTH. Show up DAILY as the truth teller, if you want to SOAR past your goals in 2018.

So, that’s that people… My predictions for 2018. If you’d like to lock arms with me in 2018… If you’d like me to walk with you and hold you accountable in 2018… join us at WomenWhoWOW.com

Don’t forget to check out my Facebook Page to stay up to date with all my content.

The post 5 Predictions for Women Doing Business in 2018 appeared first on b. michelle pippin.

…ARE TO YOUR LUNGS.

WARNING: This article refers to topics you likely find “heated,” and trigger worthy. I hope you read anyway. Because the “secret” to successful selling is also the secret to successful LIVING, successful EVANGELISM, successful ACTIVISM. And there is a common “sin” that kills them all.

Ask any marketer (me, included) and they’ll tell you that the FIRST thing you have to do is GET THEIR ATTENTION. TRUE!! But, friend…

1) NOT at any cost; and
2) you can’t stop there. Attention is JUST the first glance… it is NOT the end goal.

Because I’m a Christ-follower, let me start with stories of “my own kind.” It GRIEVES me greatly to see Christians “evangelizing” with what used to be referred to as “fire, hell, and brimstone.”

I see them on Facebook… NOT ONLY does my stomach turn, but I immediately look away and keep scrolling. I KNOW that they are turning people away from “our” faith… creating, EVEN MORE, stumbling blocks for people to come to know the Jesus I know.

And as an aside, I roll my eyes thinking about how foolishly they’ve cherry-picked their Bible reading.

SURE, they get my attention…
But at what cost????

With their poorly thought out attempt to get attention (at any cost) they are turning people off, closing minds — perhaps with cement — and actually LOSING INFLUENCE over people whose attention and a relationship they ALREADY had. I’m sure there are a handful of other “Christians” who applaud what they’re doing, but I can say this: I hope to never meet them.

These posts turn my stomach… because I know how much damage they are doing.

Consider the professional athletes not standing for our national anthem. In effect, they’re doing something similar…. getting attention, SURE… but at WHAT cost?

And this, also, grieves me.

Because NOW, instead of social injustice, we’re talking about advertising dollars and NFL viewership…. Imagine the OTHER conversations we COULD have had… the open dialogue… the TRUE and EFFECTUAL collective activism… something creating REAL change….

Yes, FIRST… you must get attention. I give you that.

BUT, you must do so in a way that DOES NOT IMMEDIATELY shut minds and cement them closed AGAINST your cause. You CANNOT do so in a way that instigates an INSTANT argument.

Because when you OPEN with a comment, conversation or gesture that incites INSTANT argument… you lose.

In evangelism.
In activism.
And, of course, in selling.

I’ll never forget the vacuum sales person who came to my home — unannounced — to sell me a vacuum. I let them in because they were giving away a free snuggie as a gift. The entire pitch was wrong, but it started with them vacuuming a portion of my floor and then shaking their heads in sadness and disgust over the FILTH of my carpet.

Now, keep in mind, my husband keeps a VERY clean house… and always has. There may be times when the kitchen is cluttered with dishes or my books and notebooks are scattered around, but there is NO FILTH in my home. (I wrote about it back in 2010, and it is a pretty hilarious read)

These “salespeople” even USED the word “filthy” to describe my carpet — or at least the 2-foot section they were “cleaning” for demonstration purposes.

Anyway, needless to say….
they opened in a way that made me immediately want to defend my home’s cleanliness… AND get them OUT of my filthy home.

In other words, they killed the sale…
right at the beginning.
They got my attention alright,
but to what END?

Here’s my point… if you want to influence people (for your faith, your cause OR your brand) you will HAVE to do so in a way that DRAWS PEOPLE in…

If you get their attention — but in a way that SHUTS them DOWN or gets them in DEFENSIVE mode — you’ve lost. And if you BELIEVE in what you’re selling… whether it be your faith, your cause OR your product… you’ve just done THEM a disservice.

So, yes.
Get their attention.
BUT do so in a way that invites MORE and further and deeper dialogue.

Otherwise, you’re dead in the water.

P.S. If you’ve ever wanted one of my programs that teach experts how to dramatically INCREASE their own influence and impact and — of course — income… stay tuned for our CYBER MONDAY gift.

You’ll be able to get ANY program you want at PENNIES on the dollar.

The Cash Copy Clinic…
Profitably Speaking, The Speaking for DOLLARS intensive… The Betting on YOU program about Mental Toughness….
The Advanced Training for Enterprising Experts…. or
the Blogging for Bucks program.

Any or ALL for PENNIES on the dollar.

More Later… but for today…
Enjoy Small Business Saturday by Shopping SMALL.

Don’t forget to check out my Facebook Page to stay up to date with all my content.

The post This is More Dangerous to your Sales Than Cigarettes appeared first on b. michelle pippin.

I’M SOOOOO FAR BEHIND: THE WEIGHT OF UNFINISHED BUSINESS FOR WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS.

There’s a certain energy inherent in women who are “natural born hustlers.” The women who have a lot of balls in the air, those who are pushing PLAY on multiple fronts, the DO-ERS who have multiple projects, unlimited ideas and quite simply THRIVE on life.

These women…
like me…
don’t seek ESCAPE from life very often.
I don’t LIVE for my vacations.
In fact, most of my travel is truly DREADED….
Because it requires me to push pause,
it requires me to LEAVE,
And I actually quite LOVE the hustle life…
the life, the pace, the push, the STRIVING
of my daily life.

I love the pursuit.
Of happiness.
Of excellence.
Of the next level.
Of the unreasonable…
Of the impossible.

I’ve never quite resonated with the whole “take it easy” mantra. YAWN… Some people move at a pace that I swear MUST bore even themselves to tears. I wrote yesterday about my rejection of “reasonable goals” and I’ve written multiple articles about the topic of hustle and pursuit, the joy of the “hunt” over the past 10 years.

So, it’s nothing new for me. But I remember the EXACT moment I fully embraced the “hustle life.” I remember embracing the knowledge that I’d die one day with a messy desk and in mid-pursuit of some lofty goal.

Until then, though, I intend to play full OUT.
I intend to suck the marrow out of this ONE life of mine.
I am ruthlessly committed to STRAINING my potential,
to testing the limits,
to seeing what is REALLY possible for a small town country girl like me.

But there’s ONE thing that can really slow me down,
weigh me down,
have me feeling TIRED,
and OVERWHELMED…

And not just in a “how I feel personally” way…
But this ONE thing can also slow my cash flow,
stall my income,
block my progress,
and GUNK UP this whole growing empire of mine.

This one thing is…
UNFINISHED BUSINESS.

Half-finished projects.
Half-written books.
Half-cocked (but really SO full of potential) plans, left unimplemented.

This WEIGHT on my business is THE REASON I began my “working pajama parties.” I had this thought… All year we travel to this conference and that conference. We have notebooks full of ideas….

BUT WHERE IS THE BUSINESS CONFERENCE THAT IS FOCUSED ONLY ON ALLOWING YOU TO CATCH UP AND TAKE ACTION ON THESE IDEAS?

My very first PJ party was JUST ME.

I rented a hotel room.
I arranged for amazing food to be brought in.
And I pulled the grown-up version of a “college all-nighter.”
But for a woman entrepreneur.

I loved it.
And so I did it again… and invited a few friends.
I said I’ve got two adjoining rooms, and all the food is paid for.
Come… or not.

Well, they came, and a Women Who WOW tradition was BORN.

The Women Who WOW Pajama Parties are legendary and BOY do we have stories to tell… Once we were locked in while Hurricane Sandy tore into the area around us. The Women Who WOW official drink was created. One year, we even sipped our own private label wine.

But mainly,
a lot of new ground was taken.
Unfinished business was FINISHED, IMPLEMENTED, and MONETIZED.
And DEEP friendships were born and deepened.

The Working Pajama Party has ALWAYS been a pay your own way event. Meaning, I only charge what it costs me to host the event. It’s really for our community.

If you would like to know more about this, message me. I have 3 spots left.

One quick note: This will be the LAST “Hustle HOUSE” event…. as our numbers will demand a Hustle HOTEL next year, just to keep it “fair.”

SO, what is INCLUDED in your Working Pajama Party?

— Of course, a PARENS from your daily life… a time that is carved out and protected to plot and plan, dream and do. No distractions. No speakers. No excuses. A time to LASER FOCUS on your own agenda.
— Yoga on the beach, if you are so inclined.
— A sunset surprise….
— Gourmet food prepared and cleaned up for us.
— Hot seats and roundtables… if you want.
— Wine, of course.
— Goodies and sponsor gifts.
— An intimate weekend with your WOW sisters.

Our location?

The BEAUTIFUL OBX of NC.

Dates? December 7th from 11 AM EST – December 9th at 11 AM EST.

What’s Included in your “ticket” to the PJ Party?
Everything, of course.
ALL meals and snacks from lunch on December 7th to Breakfast on December 9th.
Accommodations for your entire time in the Hustle House.
Extras, bonuses, and surprises.

You want IN?
PM me on Facebook and let me know…

The post The Weight of Unfinished Business appeared first on b. michelle pippin.

One of the things I hear a lot — especially when I talk about how my BUSINESS looks right now — is “Well, you know it’s not that easy.” (More on how “it” looks NOW here.)

OH, don’t I know it’s not that EASY…

You see, I didn’t have a backup plan or a slush fund. I didn’t EASE into this business of mine. I had exactly NO room for error, I dove in and started swimming… FAST. I wasn’t husband funded or left an inheritance and I don’t come from money.

I grew what I have now with SWEAT EQUITY, friend.
A lot of hustle.
A boatload of prayer.
A ROARING fire in my belly.
And a DO OR DIE mentality.

And — in the beginning years — I “funded” my business growth with GIFTS. For Christmas, I asked for books or office supplies. Birthday, same thing.

So, I’m sorry if you misunderstood me. You are SO right…. I NEVER said it’d be easy. What I DID say was that you could do it.

I said YOU could make it happen.
I said it was SIMPLE.
I said it was leverageable.

I DID NOT say it was EASY.

And, c’mon…. Are you a man or a mouse? Do you NEED easy? Of course not.

Can we assume for a minute that building a business that FUNDS your ENTIRE lifestyle WHILE allowing you the freedom to actually LOVE your life, to actually LIVE your life according to YOUR priorities… was going to be HARD. Let’s assume THAT for a minute.

You do hard all the time…. so let me keep going.

WHAT if building a business that FUNDS your ENTIRE lifestyle WHILE allowing you the freedom to actually LOVE your life, to actually LIVE your life according to YOUR priorities… was going to be HARD? Would it not be worth the effort??????

I’ll tell you this. Creating WILD success, COMPLETELY ON YOUR OWN TERMS isn’t for the faint of heart. Acquiescing to public expectations, bowing to public opinion, fitting in to “entrepreneurial norms” and shrinking back into your comfort zone… THESE things are way TOO easy.

But, it is worth the effort. Next… it will take ALL of you.

Building a business that FUNDS your ENTIRE lifestyle WHILE allowing you the freedom to actually LOVE your life, to actually LIVE your life according to YOUR priorities… THIS, will take ALL of you.

BUT…. what is taking ALL of you right now? A business that sucks the very LIFE out of you? A business that leaves you drained and burnt out? A friggin OUTlANDISH commute to a job you hate? What, friend, is taking ALL of you right now??

You’re already giving SOMETHING your all. So….. I guess the real question to ask is… Is it worth it? If not, please keep reading.

Building a business that FUNDS your ENTIRE lifestyle WHILE allowing you the freedom to actually LOVE your life, to actually LIVE your life according to YOUR priorities… THIS, will take COURAGE and FAITH and a willingness to SHOW UP ruthlessly, unapologetically YOU. It will take a LEAP, and it will take an IRON CLAD commitment from you.

Quick note about the iron clad commitment…two things: 1) You’re already demonstrating an iron clad commitment RIGHT NOW. It may be to maintaining the status quo…. but you DO know what that iron clad commitment LOOKS LIKE. and 2) It is SO worth it.

Bottom line: I never said it was EASY. But I never said it was hard either…. In fact, it gets easier and less hectic and more flow-based EACH AND EVERY DAY.

Because i have no tolerance for being ankle chained to a success I don’t LIKE.

PM ME about my new program, “The Membership Miracle” if you are interested in creating a business that FUNDS your ENTIRE lifestyle WHILE allowing you the freedom to actually LOVE your life, to actually LIVE your life according to YOUR priorities…

Because it isn’t easy.
But it’s not exactly HARD either.
And, yes… you can do it.

Want to know more? Keep up with my posts, videos, and tutorials on my Facebook page.

The post Quick Rant: I Never Said It Would Be Easy appeared first on b. michelle pippin.

Productivity is today’s hottest buzz word. I know this because I received not one, but FOUR different emails suggesting any number of productivity hacks I should implement TODAY. =)

They ranged from the simple “Drink water immediately upon waking.” to specific strategies about when we should cut on our “vacation, out of the office” autoresponder.

I admit I read through nearly all of the articles/emails. Like you, I’m a sucker for productivity posts. =) And who can blame us, right? We’ve got a lot to do and a finite amount of time to do it in.

About halfway into an article promising 40 productivity hacks, I stopped.

Listen, FULL DISCLOSURE HERE… I’ve written about time hacking for a long time… multiple times. 5 Steps to Time Hacking Like a Boss.

The EXTREME Productivity Hack We all Have Used.

What’s Wrong with Time Management.

BUT, C’MON…. Do we REALLY need all of these steps to operate at PEAK productivity? Honestly, I don’t think so.

No… I’m sure we don’t.

PEAK performance, PEAK productivity is simpler than that. It’s not about the mushroom coffee I drink every morning. (Although I’m convinced that helps.) It’s not about when I wake up, although I”m convinced that matters too. It’s also not about the apps I have — or don’t have — on my phone.

PEAK productivity is about BOLDNESS and VISION. When the vision of what you’re up to is CLEAR, it’s easy to say NO to a whole BUNCH of “less than” tasks. After all, PEAK productivity is more about what you choose NOT to do than how you do something or which tool you use.

So, Productivity Hack #1: Do less stuff. And leverage what you DO choose to do for maximum results. In other words, don’t think you have to do it all. Have the COURAGE, the BOLDNESS to quit something cold turkey that you don’t love and/or isn’t producing results.

Productivity Hack #2: Create habits around what creates the most impact in your business. For me, this is CONTENT. It is my marketing engine. It is what calls out to seriously driven woman entrepreneurs all over the world. (You one of them? JOIN US: womenwhowow.com.) It is also what I DELIVER via paid programs. Content, content, content. So, I have content creation habits. (MEMBERS: see Creating Content that FLOWS training in the bonus wow training of the member site: http://www.womenwhowow.com/bonus-wow-programs/)

I have built habits — now firmly engrained into my day, my routine, my heart — that support the easy creation of compelling content. If it’s important, build a routine around it. Make it a habit… so there’s less friction in getting it done.

Productivity Hack #3: Remove the emotion. Listen, you know what you need to do to grow this empire of yours. Don’t complicate it. Just remove the emotion, the fear, the uncertainty and all of that and DO THE WORK. Do it. Release YOUR WORK into the world. Let it impact people. Let it influence your market. And your INCOME will naturally (and dramatically) increase.

Visit my Facebook page to find my post,

IF A CONSTRUCTION COMPANY CREATE A MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM, SO CAN AN ATTORNEY, A SPEAKER, A THERAPIST, A PERSONAL TRAINER. SO CAN YOU.

The post 3 Productivity Hacks for Women Entrepreneurs appeared first on b. michelle pippin.