The Female Insight Zone

The social media revolution continues to grow and change the way we do business, and marketing in the virtual world requires a different approach. Today’s guest argues that true innovation requires collaboration, and the best way to navigate this new territory is by connecting to share best practices.

Ekaterina Walter is the Global Evangelist for Sprinklr, a social media management infrastructure that allows top brands to create community online. The company provides technology to manage and enhance the customer experience, allowing businesses to do marketing, care and research by way of social platforms. Walter’s job entails sharing Sprinklr’s mission with the world.

Walter is recognized as a leading industry innovator, receiving the SoMe Marketer of the Year award in 2013. She was number three on Forbes’ 2014 list of The World’s Top 40 Social Marketing Talent, and named by Fortune magazine as one of the most impactful business people on social media. Walter’s impressive resume includes a run as Social Media Strategist and Innovator at Intel, where she led the brand to international recognition as an early social marketing leader. She went on to co-found BRANDERATI, a marketing platform for advocacy and influencer relations; Walter served as a catalyst for the startup’s acquisition by Sprinklr in 2014.

Walter is an international speaker and author of the bestseller Think Like Zuck: The Five Business Secrets of Facebook’s Improbably Brilliant CEO Mark Zuckerberg. She is also the co-author of The Power of Visual Storytelling: How to Use Visuals, Videos, and Social Media to Market Your Brand and a frequent contributor to principal print and online publications including Fast Company, Huffington Post, Entrepreneur and Forbes. Today she shares the significance of building a network, how collaboration has contributed to her success, and the evolution of marketing strategy in the digital age. Listen in to understand why you should never eat lunch alone!

Key Interview Takeaways

There is no such thing as a self-made woman. Walter counts the network she has built as her most significant accomplishment.

True innovation requires collaboration. Walter suggests reaching out to smart people to share best practices.

Don’t have lunch alone. Leverage opportunities to provide value to and learn from others.

Everything you ever wanted is on the other side of fear. Yes, rejection is difficult, but remember that you are no worse off.

Smart people are open to new connections. Highlight shared passion points, and you might be surprised how many people are willing to share their experience with you.

Businesses must evolve in light of digital transformation, taking the community-building model of social channels and building that customer-centric focus into the fabric of business intelligence.

With changing customer expectations, businesses have an obligation to develop a unified customer ID that every department can work from to personalize customer experience in real time.

Connect with Ekaterina Walter

ekaterinawalter.com

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Connect on LinkedIn

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We’ve all heard the phrase ‘go big or go home,’ but the sad truth is that many female entrepreneurs end up choosing the latter. Women are two times more likely to shut down their businesses due to a lack of capital, and despite the fact that there are 10 million female entrepreneurs in the US generating $1.4 trillion in revenue, only 3% of women-owned businesses hit the $1M mark.

These are the statistics that inspired Julia Pimsleur to start the Million Dollar Women Movement, a venture dedicated to helping one million female entrepreneurs reach $1M in revenue by 2020. The movement encompasses an annual summit for high-growth women entrepreneurs, the Million Dollar Women Masterclass, as well as her book, Million Dollar Women: The Essential Guide for Female Entrepreneurs Who Want to Go Big.

Pimsleur’s work with Million Dollar Women stems from her experience as the founder and CEO of Little Pim, a foreign language learning program for young children and one of the few women-led venture capital backed companies in the US. The movement leverages the lessons she learned while scaling up Little Pim, and affords Pimsleur a platform to inspire and educate other women entrepreneurs in the areas of fundraising, sales and developing the ‘go big’ mindset.

Pimsleur is also an award-winning filmmaker, a trained NLP master practitioner coach and mother of two. When she isn’t speaking or coaching Million Dollar Women, she can be found kicking a soccer ball in Central Park with her boys. Today she explains the vast gender gap in the entrepreneurial space and explores the reasons why women tend to downplay their strengths. Listen in to learn the benefits of networking and how to develop a ‘go big’ mindset.

Key Interview Takeaways

There is a vast gender gap in the entrepreneurial space. Pimsleur was inspired to start the Million Dollar Women Movement when she learned that only 1.8% of women-run companies were getting to $1M in revenue in 2014, and only 4% of venture capital goes to businesses run by women.

Pimsleur’s big goal is to get one million women to $1M in revenue by the year 2020 by way of her book, Million Dollar Women, as well as the Masterclass and annual Million Dollar Women Summit.

The three things you need to ‘go big’ are mindset, skill set and network. Develop resilience, celebrate your strengths and get in the right rooms with the right people – and it’s much easier to get to $1M.

Women are socialized to downplay their gifts, but we must promote ourselves and offer our credentials right up front. If you have a PhD from Harvard, lead with that!

Networking is key in making it to the next level. Though successful women are often fiercely independent, we must get outside our comfort zone and develop relationships with the right people – and that might mean attending Entrepreneurs’ Organization events rather than having margaritas with our girlfriends.

Develop a ‘go big’ mindset. Visualize yourself running a multimillion-dollar company and know that it is possible.

Connect with Julia Pimsleur

juliapimsleur.com

Million Dollar Women Masterclass

Million Dollar Women Summit

Resources

Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg

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‘When I have the money, I’ll work with a financial planner.’

There is a lot of fear and stress around money, and a disproportionate number of women are intimidated by the prospect of working with a financial planner. It’s never fun to be judged, and many of us operate under the mistaken notion that financial planning is reserved for the rich. Today’s guest would argue that financial planners can help people in any income bracket, at any stage of their lives.

Brittney Castro is the founder and CEO of Financially Wise Women, a financial planning firm that seeks to teach women and couples the art of managing their money the fun and simple way. She created the firm in an effort to help women get their financial lives in order, using an approach that is smart, compassionate and nonjudgmental. Castro is a Certified Financial Planner, Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor, Accredited Asset Management Specialist, and a sought-after speaker and resource for national media outlets such as CNN, CNBC, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Entrepreneur.

Castro also serves as the Chase Financial Education Ambassador to promote financial literacy, and a CFP Pro spokeswoman on the CFP Board campaign to educate more women and minorities about the career of financial planning. Today she shares how working with female clients allows her to be more authentic in a male-dominated profession, why a career in financial planning is a good fit for women, and the benefits of getting your financial life in order regardless of the size of your bank account.

Key Interview Takeaways

Because women speak differently about their financial goals, it may be beneficial for female clients to work with a female financial planner. Castro finds that she can be more authentic with her female clients, approaching the topic of money from a uniquely female perspective.

The CFP campaign to foster diversity in the profession seeks to educate women and minorities about financial planning as a viable career option. As a spokesperson for the campaign, Castro leverages her own journey, inspiring the next generation to consider a career in financial planning.

The benefits of being a financial planner include a flexible work schedule as well as the opportunity to make a significant impact in people’s lives. Castro sees the career as a good fit for women, and hopes to change the bleak statistic that less than 20% of CFPs are female.

The process of sitting down with a financial planner involves three major components: 1) An initial consultation call, 2) Data, strategy and implementation meetings to build a budget and educate clients about their options, and 3) Review meetings to assess progress and address changes.

Financial planners can help people in any income bracket, at any stage of their lives. You don’t have to be a millionaire to benefit from the advice of a professional.

Designing a financial plan and implementing systems around your money provides freedom, stability, clarity and peace of mind.

Connect with Brittney Castro

financiallywisewomen.com

Follow on Twitter

Resources

Financial Planning Demystified Blog Post

Free Discovery Session

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We all do a certain amount of code switching, acting and speaking the way we’re ‘supposed to’ for the sake of others, as opposed to truly being ourselves. And though we may understand the benefits of a ‘to thine own self be true’ philosophy, it is easier said than done in a world where your authentic self may or may not be accepted. Today’s guest has spent her career providing a safe space where lesbians have the freedom to be out and authentic as they vacation in locales all over the world.

Jill Cruse has been with Olivia Travel for the past 28 years, serving as the Vice President of Guest Experience. Olivia trips have afforded her the opportunity to see the world, and she has served as Cruise Director for more than 280 excursions and visited all seven continents. The company began as Olivia Records, a label exclusively for women. In 1990, it shifted its focus to the travel industry, and since then Olivia has served nearly 200,000 women on cruise, resort, adventure and riverboat vacations all over the world. The first cruises featured entertainment by artists from the Olivia record label, and they continue to deliver elite speakers and performers, including Patti LaBelle, Lili Tomlin and Billie Jean King.

Cruse pursues photography as a hobby, and she has received much recognition for her work, including a first-place win in a national competition for InterContinental Hotels/National Geographic. She also serves as an OWN Ambassador, promoting the Oprah network via social media and attending several shows with Oprah herself. Cruse appeared as a special guest on Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday, and worked on the promo team for the Belief series. Today she shares why it is essential to have a community where you are empowered to be your authentic self, how Olivia Travel is changing global attitudes toward lesbians, and the necessity for activism in the current political climate.

Key Interview Takeaways

Being part of a community in which you feel comfortable enough to be completely who you are is an incredibly empowering experience. Olivia Travel affords lesbians the freedom to be their authentic selves as they travel the world.

The best way to change perceptions of the LGBT community is to share your authentic selves as a community. Cruse explains that people from all over the world have a new attitude toward lesbians as a result of working with Olivia travelers.

Cruse is a proponent of living with intention and gratitude, as your authentic self. These principles led her to work as an OWN Ambassador, promoting the Oprah Winfrey Network and programming she believes in like Super Soul Sunday and the Belief series.

Though many young women feel comfortable traveling with the general population and don’t see a need for the safe space provided by companies like Olivia Travel, Cruse feels that the service is as necessary as ever in the current political climate.

What the world needs is kindness – and activism. Olivia Travel has incorporated an element of political engagement in its travel experiences, holding a leadership summit on its last cruise to discuss the current political landscape and what women can accomplish together.

Connect with Jill Cruse

Olivia Travel

Olivia Travel on Twitter

Olivia Travel on Instagram

1-800-631-6277

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You’ve been taught to dream big, empowered to believe that you can accomplish absolutely anything. And then you get to work, and they’ve got you pushing paper. It’s no surprise that companies struggle to retain Millennials who are uninspired and don’t feel as if their work matters.

The CEO of Double Forte PR & Digital Marketing, Lee Caraher is a lauded communication strategist, known for her practical solutions to difficult problems. She is a recognized expert in building high-performing intergenerational teams, and her work as a speaker and author seeks to demonstrate how businesses can shift the definition of company loyalty and embrace the qualities of different generations.

Caraher gained this expertise the hard way, failing to retain newly hired Millennials at Double Forte when they entered the workforce in 2011. Unwilling to buy into the negative stereotypes associated with Millennials in the workplace, she created a culture where Millennials, Xers and Boomers could thrive together, and she shares this method in the book Millennials & Management. Caraher’s next venture, The Boomerang Principle, hit bookshelves in April 2017. Today she discusses how the concept of loyalty has shifted in the current corporate climate and the five principles at the heart of her strategy to retain Millennials.

Key Interview Takeaways

Articulate your company’s rally cry. Millennials need to understand why you exist as a company and what they will learn from working with you.

Provide context for each new project and ask for input. Address why the work is important and discuss each person’s role.

Establish a culture of appreciation. Teams who receive meaningful positive feedback outperform those who don’t.

Millennials anticipate having up to six careers. What an Xer or Boomer might see as job-hopping, Millennials see as career-building.

Loyalty to a particular company is an antiquated idea. Rather than worrying about employees leaving, focus on how to make them as productive as possible while they are there.

Work to inspire loyalty after an employee has moved on. The most impactful person in a recruiting situation is the former employee who posts a positive review of your company.

Connect with Lee Caraher

leecaraher.com

Follow on Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

Resources

The Boomerang Principle: Inspiring Lifetime Loyalty from Your Employees by Lee Caraher

Millennials & Management: The Essential Guide to Making It Work at Work by Lee Caraher

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Chances are you’ve been there, watching someone else get the promotion or the study abroad opportunity or the picture with Jay Leno that you really wanted, but didn’t have the courage to ask. Perhaps you don’t want to be seen as greedy or aggressive… But the truth is that making the big ask builds relationships and establishes trust. Today’s guest is ready to help you ‘get your ask in gear’ and make those outrageous requests.

Linda Swindling is a ‘recovering’ employment attorney who spent more than a decade honing her skills in negotiation, mediation and dispute resolution before founding the executive development company Journey On in 2000. She has spent the last 17 years working with business professionals to create better working relationships. A recognized expert in negotiation and strategic consulting, Swindling has worked with prominent organizations such as MetLife, the American Heart Association, and the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts.

A Board-Certified Coach as well as a Certified Speaking Professional, Swindling often serves as a keynote speaker and breakout presenter at regional and international conferences. She brought her expertise to the TEDxSMU stage, where she shared the principles of her latest book, Ask Outrageously: The Secret to Getting What You Really Want. Today she explains how to practice the big ask, the best approach to negotiating a raise, and how to deal with being seen as ‘aggressive.’ Learn to get into the habit of asking, even when you are afraid, and start capitalizing on opportunities to get what you want.

Key Interview Takeaways

Listen to what people say you do well and capitalize on it. It took 22 years of feedback for Swindling to realize that teaching people to ‘ask outrageously’ was her talent.

Get into the habit of asking. Practice negotiation at garage sales and flea markets. You’ll be surprised how often it works!

Determine who is the decision-maker. Go into a situation (e.g.: at the department store) seeking out the person who can say ‘yes.’

If you’re not hearing ‘no,’ you’re not asking for enough. When you are told, ‘No, I really can’t do that,’ ask one more time. Practice until you are bullet proof to the word ‘no.’

When asking for a raise, talk about what you bring to the table moving forward. Rather than listing past accomplishments, explain the value you provide now and how you will continue to generate revenue and make the boss look good.

If you are labeled as ‘aggressive’ for making the big ask, rephrase the comment. ‘Did it sound aggressive, or did it sound like leadership?’ We sabotage ourselves when we don’t use the right language.

Speak your strengths. Remind your colleagues – out loud – about the skills you bring to the table and the role you play in the organization.

Ask for forgiveness rather than permission. If you feel you must clear you actions with a supervisor, articulate your plan and ask if you’re missing anything.

Courageous people feel the fear, but ask anyway. 33% of people who want something big but don’t ask for it watch their opportunity go to someone else, so work through your fear and go for it!

Connect with Linda Swindling

lindaswindling.com

Text ‘ASK’ to 42828

 Resources

Linda’s TED X Talk

Ask Outrageously: The Secret to Getting What You Really Want by Linda Byars Swindling

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It is true that money can’t buy happiness… But if you’ve ever felt the stress of struggling to pay the bills, you might argue that having enough cash on hand to cover baseline expenses can, in fact, buy you the freedom to pursue happiness.

Makaylah Rogers has always been a little bit of a rebel. When it came time to follow the rules and choose a career path, Rogers felt trapped by the idea of going to college. She took a gap year to consider her options and ultimately decided that no university had a degree plan for her true passion – humanitarianism. This led her to forge her own path to achieve success and financial freedom, and she has pursued a diverse career that includes entrepreneurship, real estate sales and keynote speaking.

A thought leader for her generation, Rogers has launched a number of startups. Her current venture is MindShift.money, an online platform that is changing the way we think about money. As Co-Founder and CEO, Makaylah is on a mission to educate the public through MindShift.money’s free content and training programs, shaking things up with a no-BS approach to finances and establishing a new normal. Listen in as she shares her philosophy around money, the two keys to financial freedom, and how MindShift.money can help you get out of the rat race. Learn to see your financial situation in a new way and design a fulfilling life – that isn’t about money.

Key Interview Takeaways

 MindShift.money is a movement that seeks to create a new financial normal. Rogers questions why we are so driven by money, yet afraid to talk about it, and she is on a mission to offer the public financial literacy and rewrite the rules about life and money.

Life should not be about money. Life should be about finding fulfillment, and money should simply be handled by the systems we’ve put in place.

Financial freedom is a number. If you need $5,000 a month to cover baseline expenses, you should have a source of income that provides $5,000 a month – that you are not trading for your time.

Financial freedom is about cashflow. Net worth is less important than how much money you have working for you, so that you can do what truly inspires you.

MindSet.money employs a multi-tiered approach to getting out of the rat race. 96% of people never reach financial security, so Rogers’ site provides 1) free content to help them think differently about money, and 2) training programs to guide them through a customized step-by-step process within a private community.

Entrepreneurs must create financial freedom outside of their business. Too many business owners don’t have a consistent personal income from their business, so MindShift.money requires them to start with the end in mind, and create a plan tailored to their notion of financial freedom.

Connect with Makaylah

MindShift.money

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Quick, what’s the first word that comes to mind when you hear the words tax office?

I’m going to take a wild guess and assume that you didn’t say fun. But there is one unique retail tax preparation firm that was founded on the idea of creating an atmosphere of fun in its franchises, and the creative marketing campaign they employ complements this idea – while establishing brand recognition that outshines the competition.

Martha O’Gorman has been in the retail tax business for over 25 years. She spent seven years as the Director of Communications for Jackson Hewitt before co-founding Liberty Tax in 1997. She has served as the CMO for the past 18 years, leading their unique, community-minded marketing strategy to build Liberty’s customer base and recruit new franchisees. O’Gorman mentors franchise owners to market their small business on a budget, and the Liberty Tax wavers appear not just on busy streets during tax season, but also at community events like fairs and festivals to keep the brand in the public eye throughout the year.

Liberty Tax has 4,000 offices in the United States and Canada, and they prepare more than two million tax returns annually. The company’s distinct approach to franchising offers a time-tested system of best practices to ensure the success of its franchisees and the satisfaction of its customers. Liberty has been ranked as one of the top franchises on Entrepreneur magazine’s annual Franchise 500 list every year since 1998, earning a Best of the Best distinction in 2016. Today O’Gorman explains the shared philosophy of fun of the Liberty Tax founders and how it led to the company’s continued success. She also covers the details of the Liberty Tax creative marketing strategy, why its franchise model is ideal for moms and husband-wife teams, and how it supports its franchisees via a roadmap of proven systems.

Key Interview Takeaways

 Find something that you love to do and throw passion at it. O’Gorman attributes the success of Liberty Tax to this tenant of its founders.

The best marketing tactics often happen by mistake. The Liberty Tax wavers originated when a franchisee asked to borrow the Statue of Liberty costume used in a commercial to attract customers. The wavers are an integral part of the Liberty Tax marketing strategy, bringing in one customer every two hours!

Liberty Tax seeks to put the fun back in taxes. Customers respond to the image of the startup as a comfortable place to get your taxes done in an environment less intimidating than the traditional tax office.

The Liberty Tax franchisee model is ideal for moms and husband-wife teams. The flexibility afforded by the model along with the seasonal nature of the work allows franchisees to work very hard from January through April (while children are in school), then spend time with their families in the summer.

Being a franchisee gives entrepreneurs a roadmap. Liberty Tax eliminates the guesswork for its franchisees, providing the systems necessary to be successful.

The creative marketing campaign employed by Liberty Tax keeps the company in the public eye all year long and contributes to its brand recognition. The Liberty Tax wavers do appearances at fairs, festivals and even schools, giving presentations about the Statue of Liberty.

Connect with Martha O’Gorman

Liberty Tax

Liberty Tax Franchise Site

LinkedIn Profile

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We work very hard to make the world think we have it all together. From the outside looking in, a successful woman with a good corporate job and a solid network of friends and family seems to be living the dream. It is possible, however, to have your ducks in a row – yet still feel like something is missing. What if you could create a business of your own, doing work that inspires you?

Jessica Nazarali had the perfect life. She had just gotten engaged, and she had a great job in business development for an IT company, selling reward and recognition software. But as sat in her kitchen chatting with her best friend, Jessica had to admit that something was missing. She didn’t feel as if her work made a difference, and though she genuinely liked her colleagues, the prospect of spending another 20 or 30 years at the company was downright depressing.

In 2011, Nazarali started a blog to share her passion for health, wellness, and personal development with an online audience. She gained traction quickly, and after 18 months, health professionals who followed her blog were asking for advice about developing an online presence to attract clients. Nazarali leveraged her understanding how to grow a following in the online space to launch a consulting business, and seven months in, she was making enough money to quit her corporate job and build a business of her own, doing the work she truly loves. Today she explains the offerings available through It Girl Academy, including the Coaching and Business Mastery Certifications. Listen in to learn how Nazareli became an entrepreneur, and how she can help you develop a marketing plan for your online business or become a coach yourself!

Key Interview Takeaways

If your life looks perfect from the outside, but you still feel like something is missing, it’s time for self-reflection. While she was still working a corporate job, Nazarali started her blog to focus on health, wellness and personal development. Her experience in the online space introduced her to entrepreneurship and coaching – and eventually led to her current work with It Girl Academy.

If you’re leaving a dependable corporate job to become an entrepreneur, build your business as a side hustle before taking the full-time plunge into self-employment. Nazarali wrote her blog for 18 months before consulting opportunities began to present themselves. She maintained her full-time job for another seven months and didn’t walk away from the corporate world until she was consistently making $3,000 to $7,000 a month through her consulting business.

The It Girl offerings include a coaching certification, a business development program, and a personal development package. While the coaching certification program focuses on interpersonal skills, the business development coaching package emphasizes evergreen marketing and offers entrepreneurs a method for attracting consistent clients without the stress of a big launch.

When people approach you for advice, PAY ATTENTION. Nazarali had gained traction quickly as a blogger, and 18 months in she had two people (in a two-week period) ask for help setting up a blog of their own to attract clients. She took this a sign and offered consulting services in her newsletter, selling 21 packages in eight weeks!

Connect with Jessica Nazarali

JessicaNazarali.com

It Girl Academy

It Girl Radio

Jessica on Facebook

Jessica on Twitter

Jessica on…

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In a perfect world, we love the work we do. We find a career that affords us the opportunity to succeed, to be happy, to make a significant social impact. Today’s guest argues that this kind of serendipity is possible for every one of us, and the secret lies in clarifying your purpose and designing a business model in alignment with that purpose.

Nicola Grace, the Mission Mentor, is an award-winning strategist and bestselling author. She helps entrepreneurs, professionals and visionaries monetize their life’s purpose to transform the world and build their legacy. Grace leverages her skill as an intuitive visionary to support business owners, social entrepreneurs and thought leaders in defining their mission and making a lasting impact.

Grace credits her own mission with seeing her through a number of obstacles: She has overcome cancer and saved New Zealand’s billion-dollar natural health industry from ruin. Today she shares her secret sauce with the Female Insight Zone audience, explaining the benefits of an inside-out approach to business, how mindset can prevent us from realizing our true purpose, and why the business model comes before marketing. Listen in and learn how to monetize your mission and make a meaningful contribution to humanity.

Key Interview Takeaways

 You must clarify (and then monetize) your purpose to contribute to humanity. Everyone has something they are here to do, and if you can clearly define your mission, Grace contends that passion will lead to the success of your business.

Take an inside-out approach to business. In the 1950’s, a business was 48% likely to fail. Today, a business is 90% likely to fail, despite the fact that we know more than ever before. At issue is the business model. Start with the idea of how you will contribute to the planet, and that calling will keep you moving forward when things get difficult.

Monetization is bigger than the exchange of products and services for money. Consider the legacy you want to leave behind, and leverage that to diversify—and stand the test of time.

If you’re struggling to define your purpose, examine the options you are discounting. Grace argues that our minds often prevent us from discovering our mission by acting as a baseball bat, whacking away ideas because we can’t imagine we’re capable.

Define your business model first, market yourself second. Too many people start marketing before they have really ironed out their purpose. Grace suggests that you can’t gain traction without a clear foundation in place.

Connect with Nicola Grace

NicolaGrace.com

MonetizeYourLifeMission.com

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