When I first — tentatively– launched what would later become Women Who WOW, I was “forcefully” cheered on by one woman in particular. An impressive, strong and accomplished woman entrepreneur who convinced me that women entrepreneurs NEEDED each other, NEEDED a place to gather…. NEEDED to no longer feel lonely… NEEDED a place where they fit.

I created such a place, and launched WOW (for my own accountability) with live, MONTHLY events. If you’ve ever put on a LIVE monthly event… well, you know what it takes. It’s NOT for the faint of heart.

This woman attended a couple times,
but even as the group grew and began attracting women from multiple states…
she stopped coming.
Always had a reason, of course.
But stopped coming.

And my VERY BEST local friend who is also an entrepreneur… NEVER CAME EVEN ONCE. Not ONCE, and this friend was an event attender… I mean, she’s ALWAYS attending SOMETHING. =) Just not WOW.

Do i sound like I’m bitter?
Oh, friend… I hope not.
I’m still friends with these two today.

Do I harbor even a DROP of bitterness or regret?
Not a drop.

Because the truth is…
Without the woman who was SOOOOO (supposedly) wanting a group like Women Who WOW? It may not exist today… So, I’m beyond grateful that she gave me that push.

But mainly…
I always do what i can’t NOT do.
It’s never been about public applause or outside support for me. I do what I NEED to do… whether anyone likes it or shows up or even READS it.

I started writing when NO ONE was reading.
I started speaking, using Audio Acrobat to record (if you can remember that far back) when NO ONE was listening.
I started launching events / products / memberships BEFORE Facebook could offer me a chorus of likes or love hearts.

Every day, I get up and unleash the crazy in me, with absolutely no regard for — or attachment to — public attendance… or opinion.

I am a creator.
And I have always been confident standing alone.
But, as I close out 2017,
and look back at the deep and intimate bonds formed within the walls of Women Who WOW…
I am DEEPLY grateful…
that i no longer HAVE to stand alone.
I am infinitely grateful that I have an international alliance of women who GET IT…
who get ME…
who get — and support — each other.

We will soon open our doors again to the sisterhood called Women Who WOW. I cannot wait to get to know the new women who will contribute to the exquisite tapestry of women who WOW. If you want in… or know someone who should join us… PM me.

The post For Women Entrepreneurs Who CAN Stand Alone, But No Longer Have To…. appeared first on b. michelle pippin.

But, every once in a while…
every blue moon…
I stumble upon “the others.”

I hear them bemoaning the work or complaining about clients.

These “others” think sequentially instead of simultaneously. “Let me finish this program, put a nice bow on it, tidy it up and then I’ll look at what’s next.” (Yuck.)

They not only come UP with excuses — for why they’ll be ready NEXT YEAR, but not this one (of course)… or for why they’re NOT selling anything or for why they’re STILL not ready. They not only come up with this nonsense, but they actually BELIEVE it.

Every once in a while I’ll run into a truly VISIONARY leader…
who is delaying her launch,
as she learns social media or podcasting or some other technology.

Or — worse — as she waits for better timing.

O
M
G.

Newsflash, you don’t need to KNOW the ins and outs of a technology or platform to be able to USE it for profit. And there’s NO SUCH THING as perfect timing. The only PERFECT timing is RIGHT NOW.

Uggg…..

Bring on the brave, people.
Bring on the courageous.
Bring on the audacious.

Because anything else bores me to tears,
but also…
mainly,
It drives me FREAKING mad with frustration.

I want to shake them.
I want to wake them up.

I want to show them how SLOW, SEQUENTIAL, SAFE
is a PROVEN, TIME TESTED recipe
for mediocrity and failure.

But, honestly, how can they not already see it?
What could I POSSIBLY say that would allow them to “get it?”

When, they are living it, already.
Mediocre,
Repetitive,
Disappointment…
They’re living it already…
day in and day out…
Nothing much changing from year to year.
Despite learning new skills,
or hiring a new coach,
or launching a new brand.

They are LIVING it…
mediocre increase year to year…
constant derailments, fits and starts…
consistent “feast and famine” cycles.

What could I POSSIBLY say that would be more compelling or clear than the REALITY they endure every single day?

What could I SAY that would allow them to see it is THEM… it is their DESIRE for slow, sequential and safe… it is their unwillingness to get messy, to dive deep, to get in over their head?

All of this — the desire for slow, sequential, safe — seems reasonable. I’ll give them that.

But, industries aren’t disrupted,
Movements aren’t created,
Fortunes aren’t made,
Empires aren’t built,
Lives aren’t changed,
Fame isn’t created…

by the reasonable ones.

So bring me the BRAVE,
The courageous.
Hell, bring me the CRAZY.
So we can DO and DISRUPT and CREATE.

And let the others go celebrate groundhog day someplace else.

The future and the fortune STILL favors the bold, friend. If you’d like to plan 2018 in a way that you’ve NEVER planned before. If you’d like to get some 1:1 accountability — with me — for all of 2018. If you’d like to CUT THROUGH YOUR OWN CHAOS, and CLUTTER and — yes — even excuses… there is time to join me in my proprietary program, “Plan, Promote & PUSH 2018.” You can join here: bmichellepippin.com/PLan2018or you can PM me any questions you may have. We get started on Monday, December 19th.

The post Bring me the BRAVE Women Entrepreneurs, Or None at All. appeared first on b. michelle pippin.

5 STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO PRESS RESET…
at absolutely ANY TIME you’d like. 

There are VERY FEW people who know the gory details of my personal October and November 2017. Bottom-line: Health, heart and home were all hit hard, multiple times, and in ways that were completely out of my control.

It felt chaotic and exhausting and demoralizing.
There were a few days when I literally didn’t want to get out of bed. And OF COURSE feeling this way impacts my business.

HOW COULD IT NOT, right?

Anyway, I found myself OFTEN thinking:
I NEED A RESET BUTTON.
A DO-OVER.
PERHAPS EVEN AN ALTERNATE REALITY,  =)
a business realm I could travel to where there was no fear and no heartache and no devastation…
a business realm with no “personal junk” to contend with…

Of course, this is not OUR reality.
In addition to being women entrepreneurs, we’re also:

Mothers
Wives
Friends
Women
Daughters
Sisters
Volunteers, etc.

And, when we’re “doing it right,” we’re bringing ALL of ourselves to our work. So, how do you PRESS RESET when you feel the least empowered and need a re-set the most???

Well, friend… you’re in the right place.
Unfortunately, I happen to have developed a certain proven, battle-tested (and tested and tested) expertise in this matter.   =) So, here goes:

Step 1: Write out your short term goal.

Maybe for the day, maybe for the week.. but DEFINITELY not for the month of longer. Write it out as done:

I will ____________.
I choose to ____________.
I’m excited to _______________.

Short term.
Specific.
Simple.

Step 2: Write out your HONEST BELIEFS about that short term goal.

I know that when you are struggling like I have been lately, there are times it feels like EVERYTHING you touch turns to crap. I’d write out a goal that — under normal circumstances — would be a GIVEN, but I’d feel like it was ABSOLUTELY insurmountable.

So, write out your honest beliefs about that goal. Now, I’m not talking about what you would LIKE to believe… i’m talking raw honesty here. What you BELIEVE about a goal is HUGELY important to how you approach it and how likely you are to achieve it.

To give you an idea of what I’m talking about, here’s a “snap shot” of my own thoughts in recent weeks, specifically related to certain “short term” goals I needed to accomplish:

• “I am afraid I won’t have the time. Every time I start, something happens and I need to leave.”
• “I feel like no one is listening any more. I just don’t have it in me right now to show up, let alone lead.”
• “I’m pissed because this should be EASY and I can’t even THINK straight let alone strategize or sell.”

Don’t be concerned about the negative “tint” of these initial beliefs. Just acknowledge them. Write them out… give them their due, friend.

They ARE real for you when you need a reset because they FEEL real to you. So, let’s drag them out from under the bed and expose them to some (healing) light. Don’t worry, i won’t leave you here.

Step 3: Now, RE-WRITE each negative belief. Re-frame it, and re-write it.

Again, from my own journal of “hard times,” lol… See how I RE-FRAMED the negative belief in a way that was TRUE and also FELT true to me in those moments:

• “I have all the time I need to do what’s most important. If I get interrupted, I’ll take a break, do what needs to be done, and come back to it with an energy of completion. Interruptions are part of life and business… and I am well equipped and determined to bob and weave around them for now.”
• “My people are still listening, which makes it even more important for me to keep showing up and adding value. Showing up in times like this is EXACTLY what a leader DOES. I am a leader… I lead the top women entrepreneurs in the world, and I will show up and SERVE, because it is what I do…. it is who I am, regardless.”
• “I’m so fortunate that so much of business comes easy to me. Right now it feels hard, but I know better. I am equipped, I am empowered, I am ready. I know what to do, and I am committed to my art, to my message, to my people.”

Step 4: WRITE DOWN WHAT MUST BE DONE.

Goal achievement will be found at the intersection of BELIEFS and ACTIONS. So, once you’ve worked through and re-framed your beliefs, it’s time to write out your actions.

Given your short term goal / goals AND your NEW thoughts, what must be done?
What next?
And what after that?

Be specific.

Now, friend… you have a plan. Your thinking can stop and your do-ing can start. This is a GREAT place to be… it’s where procrastination and excuses END.

Step 5: Do this as many times as necessary.

I swear, I was day to day for a while there…. and I hope not to be there again any time soon.

BUT, should another series of storms head my way,
THIS plan, this Goal — Belief — Belief — Action strategy is how I will get to the other side.

Again.
And without losing ground.

If you have NOT signed up for our Plan, Promote & PUSH 2018 program, please reconsider. Not because I need your money.  =)

But because this program will FULLY EQUIP you to go into 2018 better prepared, more excited, more committed than ever before. And because YOUR GOALS deserve the hard-core success strategies and accountability this program delivers. And because you know that 2018 will be a big one for you…
And because you don’t want to risk being DE-RAILED by AnYTHING next year…
And because you LOVE free fun goodies in the mail…
And because you WANT a partner to crack the whip on you JUST A LITTLE BIT…

Seriously, take a look
There are still spots in our top 30.
BmichellePIppin.com/Plan2018

The post Confessions of a Woman Entrepreneur In Desperate Need of a Reset appeared first on b. michelle pippin.

• The notes you took at that last conference, but never took action on.
• That project that — once upon a time — you had such confidence in, but never brought to fruition.
• That book you wrote that you never finished, or that you finished but never published. 
• That idea that you JUST KNEW was going to change the trajectory or momentum of your business… but — for some reason — you never took action on.

The post What Have You Left Unfinished? Issue #2017 appeared first on b. michelle pippin.

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.