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...

We have all heard it said at some point in our professional careers: “Everybody is replaceable.” It may be a short sentence --- only nine syllables --- and just three words in length, but this phrase can be heavy. It can carry so much weight – that it makes it difficult for any truly dedicated, conscientious worker to swallow and digest. Why?  Well, because: those three words tell an employee that no matter what value he/she brings to the table, someone else can be hired to do the same job and have the same impact. Are You Irreplaceable? Beyonce sings songs about it. Stephen Covey wrote chapters on it. We have always thought of ourselves as “irreplaceable”. As children, we were brought up to believe that we bring our own distinct value . . .  that we are special. Then we entered the workforce to learn that we were not the only  special  employees. That old adage, “one monkey don’t stop no show” was proven to be true. While we have seen employees try to “...

1. Poor Follow-Up The number one reason that small businesses fail is due to poor follow-up. How many times have you reached out to a business owner or maybe left a message,but never received a follow-up call? This has happened to me more than once and for that reason, I chose not to do business with those particular companies. This is a simple, but common mistake that cost many business owners valuable clientele. It is very important to follow-up with some for of communication. 2. Poor Customer Service Customer service can make or break a business. The phrase “The customer is always right” was created for a reason. Customer service is what drives businesses. If a person is pleased they are going to tell someone. If they are displeased, they are going to tell “EVERYONE.” Customer service is everyone in the company’s job; therefore, it is everyone’s job to go out of their way to create a positive experience to create repeat customers. 3. Not Following Through The fastest way to lo...

When social media and networking events start to build your target market, “ching ching,” you are on to something significant! Most of the time when you are looking to build your network – if you didn't already start in college – you will have to take the time to study your market and know the current shortage or need in your particular industry.  Some of you know all about the hair or jewelry industry.  It’s understandable, luxury, high style and bling are fun things in which to indulge.  But, you have to go beyond the surface.  I've noticed that most women don’t want to study their market, and usually spend more money into buying supplies, than building a team and a down line to make the money work for itself. You have to be the master of your plan, girly.  Know when to make cuts of people and habits that don’t serve you.  It’s time to get a new bag of friends when you’re working towards success and they are out party hopping.  Sometimes the ha...

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 ...

According to the SBA, one of the top reasons small businesses fail is due to poor accounting, which boils down to one thing – not looking at the numbers. Do you have a system and process in place to monitor your bottom line? If not, how will you know when you’ve achieved your financial goals? How will you know which marketing strategies and actions are paying off and which ones are not? The numbers tell all! You may be thinking all I need to grow my bottom line is get more clients. More clients alone will not solve the profitability problem. Tracking and monitoring your numbers on a monthly basis will. Below are 5 key steps to help boost your business profits and achieve your financial goals: 1. Clarity – Clarity will grow the bottom line. Get clear about where your business profits are now. Then identify what your annual profit goal is or essentially where you want to end the year. 2. Focus – Focus on what you want to create based on step #1. Remember, what you focus on be...

As of 2012, there are over one billion Facebook users. How many of them could be your next client? Chances are you have a personal Facebook account. That's great for connecting with friends, relatives, and finding new social connections. But as an entrepreneur, if your paying prospects are hanging out on Facebook, you are missing an opportunity without a Facebook Page for your business. When choosing to set up your Facebook business page, here are six ways to get it right: 1. Connect Your Page to Your Blog/Website Presumably, your business has an online presence elsewhere - a website, blog, or some such. On your site, it's a good idea to set up a link to your Facebook page and vice versa. This allows visitors to your site to easily connect to your Facebook page. And your Facebook friends can easily find your website (you can do this by adding a link to your website in the Basic Information section of your Business Page). Facebook is known as a familiar n...