The BOSS Network Blog

“ I’m  the BOSS!” Sounds pretty cool, right? For me it is. I can tell you that as the Founder and CEO of  The BOSS Network , one of the fastest-growing women business communities, and as CEO and Principal Event Producer of  City Global Events , my Chicago-based event planning, marketing and production company, I have heard countless stories from women who share their dreams of starting their own business. The idea of starting a business can be very appealing—especially for women. The 2017  American Express OPEN "State of Women-Owned Businesses" report states: “As of January 2017, there are an estimated 11.6 million (11,615,600) women-owned businesses in the United States that employ nearly 9 million (8,985,200) people and generate more than $1.7 trillion ($1,663,991,700,000) in revenues.” The reasons why some women desire to become entrepreneurs vary. Some are frustrated with their career trajectory and feel restricted. Others are tired of the glass...

Cozette M. White, i nspires individuals to live in purpose, embrace passion and achieve personal greatness through a balance in work and life. She is the Founder and CEO of My Financial  Home Enterprises, a financial management firm helping entrepreneurs and organizations  develop solutions that fuel business growth and transform products into accelerating profits. A  leading authority on personal finances and business strategies, White’s advice has been called  upon by ABC and FOX television stations. She has been featured on the radio, Black Enterprise, Women of Wealth Magazine, Upscale Magazine, The Huffington Post and countless newspapers across the country. Women of Wealth dubbed White, “Wealth Builders Extraordinaire” and she is a recipient of The President’s Lifetime Achievement Award under Barack Obama. TheBOSSNetowrk: What were some obstacles that you faced in the beginning process of starting your business or career?   Cozette M. White:...

I made it home from Miami and let me tell you Chicago, baby it's  COLD ! I always like to share takeaways from any new experience I have. The Hispanicize conference was such a great experience and full of knowledge. Here are a few tips I learned: 1.  Don't be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone. opportunity is everywhere and the world is a GLOBAL stage. That means there is opportunity everywhere. 2.  Your network determines your net-worth. I live by this motto and this weekend it was even made more evident. Start nurturing relationships instead of just meeting people. 3.  Your personal brand should be a reflection of your professional brand. With social media now, the world is about 1 degree of separation and people you do business with are WATCHING. 4.  Know your MONEY. If you don't manage your finances chances are you won't have any. Get with a Financial Planner  (we love Prudential)  that can help you ca...

What I've learned from falling down a few times...I have the band aids to prove it! LOL. For as long as I can remember, I battled with low self-esteem and a longing to feel accepted by others, not knowing that I had to first love and accept myself and embrace the FACT, that I was created in God's image. I thought titles, degrees, fake friendships, and designer labels would make me feel good. Guess what, I'm sure you figured it out, that it didn't. Ok, let's fast forward some years... Then, through a close relationship with God, I realized how special I was. I mean, I'm really special! LOL. Then, I learned that all my gifts, talents, and strengths were for others. I'm here to shine brighter than the sun and in doing so, empower others to shine bright as well. Yes and yes to women collectively walking in their purpose. Then, it gets good you guys...I learned the difference between living a good life and a GREAT life. A good life settles in relationships,...

Dr. Brandi, CEO of You Advise Me, Helps millennial  professionals  increase their performance by teaching and inspiring them to become leaders  whether  they have the title or not. She's witty, high energy, and authentically "real" in her delivery of motivational and  practical strategies to help professionals increase their impact.  TheBOSSNetwork:  What were some obstacles that you faced in the beginning process of starting your business or career? BR : When I first branched out as an entrepreneur I really struggled with the loneliness of working from home. It's important to network and stay as connected as possible to real people. That's how business deals get made-- in person!  BN: What inspired you to break into your particular industry? BR: I was promoted to my first leadership position at 21 years old and was in charge of a 749-bed student housing facility. That's when I got the "bug" for leadership. Now,...

Under-charging is a big problem in the entrepreneurial community, especially among women.  It’s like a chronic illness that stops you from running your business at the highest levels.  It can also cause you to feel like an employee in your own company. So how do you stop the epidemic of under-charging and under-earning?  First, let’s acknowledge the most common myths that exist within the entrepreneurial community: Myth #1: You have to work from sun up until sun down to make your business grow.  This is such a lie.  Sure some sweat equity is required to get going, but if you’ve been in business for 3 years, you should have processes and systems in place that allow your business to operate smoothly even in your absence. Myth #2: If you’re a service professional, you have to charge by the hour or if you sell products, you have to have the lowest prices.  Another lie. If you are charging by the hour for your services, you are cheating yourself. If yo...

In times past and even presently, being a boss has negative connotations more than positive. If you ever had a boss then you know exactly what I'm talking about. In today's society being a boss is more about what you have materialistically. That’s a pretty arrogant and shallow perception… I could give a long list of what a boss is not but I’d rather talk about what a boss really is and let you measure where you may be against where you should be. You see a Boss has character. A  Boss  has integrity, he or she does what they say they are going to do when they said they will do it. They Know what is right and they are faithful to what is right even when no one else is around. A  Boss   is humble, approachable, treats people with kindness, and compassion, the way they would want to be treated. A boss also knows when and how to be firm. They build people up and sow into the lives of those around them which is why they tend to have a faithful team. A...

The 4 types of people who will always attract money, no matter what the economy! What do most of us hear when the topic of money comes up in conversation or in the media?  Usually it’s statements like this: “Money is tight…” “I’m broke…” “I gotta count my pennies…” “The ‘sluggish’ economy…” “My money is funny…” “I can’t afford it…” “I’m living paycheck to paycheck…” “Can I get a hook up…” How many of these sound familiar?  Which ones of these have you used recently?  Be honest! Listen, I’m guilty of repeating some of these same phrases as well but no more.  It’s time to put a stop to this kind of language once and for all—especially among brilliant entrepreneurs like you. Don’t get me wrong, I totally understand that unexpected things happen that can cause a temporary lack of funds.  Trust me, I’ve been there. However, prolonged “broke-a$$-ness” among brilliant entrepreneurs is a direct result of two things: 1.) making sub-conscious choice...

Another month ends, and you feel a little more behind than you did a month ago. Invoices need to be prepared, quarterly reports need to be compiled and proofed, numerous leads need to be followed-up on, and then you realize you haven’t tweeted in 17 days. Does this sound familiar? Running a small business is no small task, and even the best multitaskers can’t do it all alone. You know you need to delegate, but who has the time? Richard Branson, famous billionaire and Virgin CEO, knew the importance of delegation from the beginning, and it set him up for long term success. “Virgin’s ability to grow and diversify successfully was set in the company’s early days, with my learning how to delegate and let go,” he shared in his  Entrepreneur.com  column. Regardless of whether you aspire to running a multi-billion dollar business or want to stay local, all entrepreneurs can take Branson’s advice on delegation. If you are wondering where to begin, below are three basic ...

It’s not uncommon to experience the lack of support from those who are closet to you. In fact we have all experienced it at some point in our career.  Whenever you started your business endeavors you were excited and wanted your loved ones to be also. It doesn’t take long to realize who is truly there to cheer you on. This can be very difficult to accept. The disappointment of support exceptions can become extremely over whelming.  So what do you do? Once you have discovered your non-supportive family and friends, it’s challenging to prevent it from affecting your relationship with them. Being around them can feel dreadfully awkward. Wherever you’re passionate about your career it’s easy to take offense when others don’t understand your vison. Avoiding these people may seem like the easiest solution, however it may further strain the relationship. I know some of us can cut off relationships rather quickly instead of revaluating where we have placed them in our lives...

Teamwork makes the dream work, who hasn't heard that saying before? Well, research shows that it's true. According to numerous studies, work done in a team is done much more efficiently. As entrepreneurs, a lot of us make the mistake of thinking that we can do everything by ourselves when it actuality, there many benefits to working in a team.  Creativity One benefit of teamwork is the creativity that it provides. Having multiple people on your team to give and receive feedback always makes for great brainstorming. When a team has members of different backgrounds and experiences, it fuels creativity. This produces great ideas and optimal solutions; innovation can skyrocket with a successful team.  Balance  Every individual has strengths and weaknesses. When working with the right team, it is easy to camouflage your weaknesses if a person on the team is strong in that particular area. When teams of people with skills that compliment one another are fo...

One of the biggest misconceptions about going into business for yourself is that, “if you build it, they will come.” So many of us have great ideas, amazing talent, and innovative products that we want to bring to the marketplace. And like many entrepreneurs before us, we roll up our sleeves and get busy doing the nitty-gritty work of developing our product line, workshop curricula, widgets, gizmos, or gadgets. Finally, the day comes when we excitedly announce to the world that we are officially “open for business.” And THEN… nothing…crickets. Sure, you may get a few inquiries, “What are you doing?” “What is this about?” “What exactly is this supposed to do?” But no one is actually BUYING. The dreams you had for creating a more financially secure life for yourself and your loved ones start to fade and self doubt starts to creep in. “Did I do the right thing?” “Should I have started this business?”  “How am I going to recoup the money I’ve already invested to get this thing ...

Nothing gets done when you don't do what the picture says huh? Every now and then we all need to slow down and focus on one aspect of what we want to accomplish.  In the PR and media world, it's easy to get burned out over a short period of time and then nothing gets done at all!  I am notorious for working on campaign projects, driving straight forward until they are complete.  I have several jobs to juggle and all of them require tons of attention, or they fall to the wayside. I see a PR opportunity in EVERYTHING! I laugh to myself, because it's pretty sickening actually.  I am a born business hustler and I cut straight to the chase, sometimes to the chagrin of some of my business partners. In the end, they know I am trustworthy and use a values-driven approach, so I guess you can say I get a pass.  As women in communications, we don’t always have to be sweet as pie, but we must be professional.  ...