You've Gotta Hustle to Turn Your Passion into Small Biz Profit

I had such a great time attending yesterday's Spark & Hustle Conference. I met some fantastic fempreneurs including Cassandra Droogan -- who's about to launch an exciting new boot called Pysis, designed to help you "protect your shoes in style!" -- and Donna Casali with Stella and Dot.

Plus, there were great, actionable messages on how to grow and scale your business from fellow CRAVE New York City entreprenesses including host Tory Johnson, Sarah Caplan from Footzyrolls, Laura Geller, and Liz Lange. And, I cannot forget to mention the awesome finale by real estate "Shark" Barbara Corcoran.

The best tips I learned to put some more spark into my hustle were:

• People will buy from you if YOU are telling your story. You are the best spokesperson for your own brand.
• Don't get comfortable in business -- always be seeking out what's NEXT, what's NEW. Stay current!
• Stay in touch with your customers -- especially when there's a service issue. Your response/follow-up can turn product or service "haters" into your best evangelists.
• When you get too busy doing things -- and it can be a detriment to your business -- ask for HELP!
• Be great at failure -- don't feel sorry for yourself too long when things don't pan out as you had planned. Be resilient and keep moving forward!

Coach Colette Schools 'Preneurs on How to Communicate for Impact

In this video interview with Melissa Wildstein, I share more tips to Communicate for Impact in advance of my upcoming class for women entrepreneurs on March 27 at Wix Lounge. Get "schooled" here!



By the way, 'PRENEUR is a rockstar membership community created for business owners by business owners who do what we do everyday: hustle! Katie, Melissa and Sabina have designed a fun, interactive community to skyrocket your business growth in four key ways: Get Press, Get Exposure, Get Support & Get Schooled!

Since joining 'PRENEUR, I've been so glad to have these 3 PR and SEO dynamos as part of my team! Because another key component to communicate for impact is having connected, raving supporters who proactively create a buzz about you and what you have to offer.

Communicate for Impact: Our Differences Do Matter

Did you know that 75% of the people who are critical to your happiness and success are DIFFERENT from you in SEVEN key ways?

Communicate for Impact: Video Intro

More PowerPoint presentations from Colette

To find out why it matters and how you can still be successful in business, join me as I share tips with  savvy women entrepreneurs and founders on Tuesday, March 27th at Wix Lounge.
 
BTW, a People Style assessment is included in your registration for my Communicate for Impact interactive workshop.

Assertive Communication: Not Just Good for the Bottom Line

To succeed as a woman entrepreneur or startup founder in today's New Normal requires strong communication skills -- whether you're seeking to raise capital, find partners, hire employees or create a buzz about your brand.

While communication isn't an exact science, it IS possible to adjust your communication habits and behaviors to jumpstart your business interactions and relationships.

Think about the business interactions in which you engage on a regular basis. Do you communicate confidently and assertively when you:

• Propose a new idea or business solution
• Ask for cooperation or help from a business partner
• Say 'no' to a request of your time when your plate is already full

To make it easier, I suggest you think of being assertive as a communication dial or knob that you can turn up or turn down to boost your confidence in critical business conversations. For example, you can tweak your body language and nonverbal responses based on the cues you receive from the other person.

• Increase your eye contact or lean forward to let him/her know that you're fully engaged in the conversation and attentive to his/her needs
• Raise the volume of your voice (breathe from your diaphragm) to emphasize your key words and points to keep the other person engaged -- use his/her name at crucial points in the discussion when you really want to capture their attention

Did you know that learning to be more assertive is actually good for your health? Being more assertive and confident in your business interactions is not only good for your bottom line! It helps to boost your self-esteem and gain more respect from others -- both of which can reduce and alleviate your stress and anxiety.

For more tips on how to assertively communicate in business, join me on Tuesday, March 27 for my Communicate for Impact class for women entrepreneurs at Wix Lounge in New York.

What eBook Are You Reading This Week?

What eBooks will you read during eBook Week?

Or, perhaps I should ask: on which device will you be reading those eBooks? Have you upgraded to the Kindle Fire, or are you awaiting the release of the new iPad?

To celebrate eBook Week, I'm offering a 50% discount on my Focus on Your Vision eBook through midnight (PST) on Saturday, March 10th. To participate in this offer, visit my Smashwords publishing site HERE and enter code REW50 at checkout.

After you've download and read my eBook, it would be great if you took a moment to write a review and share what you learned/gained on the Smashwords or Amazon site.

FUN Fact: You probably won't be surprised to learn that The Help is the most downloaded eBook from libraries (in adult fiction) -- it's been on the list for 32 months!

Communicate for Impact: Video Tips

Here's a video I recorded with one of my favorite quotes from Marianne Williamson about how to release your fears and confidently communicate your ideas and opinions -- through your throat chakra.



This video is a quick preview of my communication philosophy -- more of which I'll be sharing with women entrepreneurs on Tuesday, March 27th at the Communicate for Impact class at Wix Lounge. Learn more and sign up HERE!

Does Your Facebook Business Page Have a Theme Song?

Ours does! Sorry if that sounds a little like a taunt from the school-playground, LOL! I'm just really excited about the new landing page on our InStep Consulting Facebook page. Here's a sneak peek:

When you click on the pink horn icon in the upper right hand corner, a funky tune will play as you navigate on our page. How did we do it? By using the FREE publishing platform provided by Wix.com!

Wix.com offers cutting-edge web technology that allows you to customize your Facebook or mobile website regardless of your technical skills or knowledge. It's an online tool that guides you through building your site without having to code. I was literally able to drag and drop different image and text elements to update our Facebook page by starting with one of their many free templates.

My tips for using the Wix platform would be to:

1. Plan ahead and decide what aspects of your business want to feature (will help with choosing template layout and tabs)
2. Think about what message and image you want to convey to your audience (will help with choosing template themes)
3. SAVE YOUR WORK as you go (yes, I did have to rebuild it from scratch once when Internet Explorer had a hiccup and stopped responding)
4. Have FUN -- you can customize and update your site whenever you want

The Wix support team is friendly and helpful (true story -- I actually called them and got advice on how to optimize the page). Stop by and "like" our Facebook page when you have the chance, and tell us what you think on our Wall!

You'll also see info on my upcoming Communicate for Impact seminar for women entrepreneurs on Tuesday, March 27 -- which is being held in NYC at Wix Lounge!