As many of you know, last week I attended Ali Brown’s SHINE business conference for women entrepreneurs held at the glorious Venetian-Palazzo Hotel-Resort-Casino. For three days non-stop, we listened, learned, asked questions, noshed, networked, chiseled out business blueprints and—for those who could still stand in their stilettos—danced the Las Vegas nights away.
I went because I wanted to profitably influence the earnings for my business.
And for the chance to meet in person the undeniably savvy idea woman Anne McKevitt.
You may have heard of the interior designer/business entrepreneur whose passion for making things started when she was two years old. At seven she started her first job, delivering milk early in the morning before going to school. Aged nine she took on a second job with a paper round to earn pocket money.
Aged twelve she created her own jewelry business selling items to school friends. At age fifteen, Anne dropped out of school. Within a year, Anne McKevitt was on her way to becoming a serial entrepreneur. And recently she sold a ‘few’ of her companies for $988 million. Yes, you heard right!
Anne’s SHINE message was loud and clear, “Successful people understand they don’t need to make things complicated.” Aha! Before I attended SHINE I sent my fellow attendees this flyer called 3 Things Not to Take to SHINE (or any business conference).
In it, I show women that influencing success can be easy…being cool, having fun and providing value are what make you attractive. And that there’s absolutely no room for self doubt. As Anne resonated at SHINE, self doubt only serves to muck things up.
What’s more, according to the design diva, being focused on you is “spot-on.” Knowing the business you love, the style you love and the lifestyle you love is what pulls it all together. These three things are powerful motivators. Be clear about what you know and tell the world.
She was right about knowing your brand and making sure everyone else knows what you do from your brand. Find a niche that resonates with your passion and learn everything there is to know about it. What is it women are paying attention to? What are women buying for themselves? (Did you know women are the world’s most powerful consumers?)
What’s more, as my Influence Your Social Capital flyer says, can you differentiate yourself to be the only one?
Anne wrapped up her edge-of-your-seat presentation with this bit of advice: “If you do anything in a tiny way, you’ll get tiny results.” As I said pre-SHINE, being “Just Enough” will hurt you. You have to think big, dream big and DO big to get the BIG results. Nothing replaces hard, focused and powerful work.
Now, I may not be on the brink of making an almost-billion-dollar sale. But I do know I’ve got what it takes.
Thanks, Anne. Your message means the business world to me.
I’ve decided to Influence It! this way:
K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Sweetie.
What about you? What are your takeaways from SHINE? What have you implemented already?
