Brand Storytelling and Social Media at #WFFS13

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Today I spoke at the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco. This event is essentially paradise for foodies. The exhibit hall has thousands of gourmet finds from all over the world. If you have a gourmet specialty foods product, this is where people come to show it off. I saw a tweet flying around from Thomas Keller yesterday! The #WFFS13 is THE place to be.

When I started my own consulting practice, one of my first clients was a local Bay Area favorite Sukhis. Since then I worked with some other food and retail brands, and found a group I really love working with–foodies!

Today I gave the following presentation on Brand Storytelling and Social Media. I hope you like it! I have included some photos as well.

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Joan Rivers “I Hate Everyone, Starting With Me”

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I have to admit I bought Joan Rivers’ new book I Hate Everyone, Starting With Me. Perhaps it was an impulse buy, like tropical trident or People Magazine.

Anyway, I bought her book.

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There’s something about Joan Rivers. Most people hate her but I find her fascinating. I saw a documentary on her and since then I’ve captivated by her tenacity, her vulnerability and her prickly jokes. She’s been through the ringer in her life. She struggled with her husband’s suicide, bulimia, the criticism of a lifetime and workaholism. Some of this is explored in a documentary made about her life called Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work.

There’s something about Joan.

She’s got so much fight in her. And she can laugh at herself. I see her as one of the women who paved the way for other women who wanted a voice and a piece of the boy’s fun. Joan has struggled with life–but she uses her energy (perhaps from anger) for motivation. And she’s created a full career with that. While she is very controversial, and she does things we don’t all agree with (plastic surgery, attacking women on that stupid show on E!), she’s quite a little person. She’s a little woman with a big voice, and unapologetic one at that.

Here’s an excerpt from her book:

“For those of you thinking, Geez, Joan seems a little angry, you’re half right. I am angry. I’m also fed up….Being fed up and angry is better than being depressed. Psychologists tell us that depression is just anger toward inward, but I say, why waste your time? It is what it is and quite frankly I’d rather be angry than depressed. Why? ..I’m tired of people saying to me, ‘Joan, could you please try to be nice to Harry? He’s depressed.’ No! Why should I have to work like a pack animal trying to be nice to Harry because that a@#*^#@ is having a bad day?’ Introverted, depressed people suck the life out of a good party; angry, hateful people liven things up. You give me one person who is still angry the Third Reich was toppled, and I’ll give you a great dinner party.”

What books do you secretly have on Kindle you want to tell me about?

Here’s a great interview with Joan on Fresh Air.

Las Vegas, Sex, Technology, You

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I walk by a hologram woman with fake looking breasts and the face of a young girl. She’s facing a table full of gamblers. They are middle aged women.

I’m in Las Vegas, and like so many moments spent here, I find this moment surreal–weird–meta. So far from anything I generally encounter in my daily life in the Bay Area.

Here women walk around in mini skirts and heels so high they look like stilts. Women adorn themselves in clothes and jewelry as shiny as the slot machines calling to you from the casino.

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A photo I took at #CES. This company sells speakers and described the sound in the post as “deep” and used other sexually explicit adjectives.

You walk through hotels next to scantily clad women and you wonder, are you a “normal” woman or are you paid to work here and look like that? Are your tips determined by your clothes–or are you just here visiting from Ohio or Indiana or North Dakota? Are you pretending to have a different life for a night in Las Vegas? Will my boyfriend think I’m sexy next to you?

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One night I was at a dinner with a handful of influential people. A CEO from Israel was seated next to me. He told me out of the blue he thought the way women were depicted in Las Vegas was “disgusting.”

That night he hit me right through the heart with his words. I was shocked and moved.  I didn’t realize any of these business men noticed. Here is a spiritual person–not from the U.S.–with daughters–who can clearly see how bizarre our culture is.

You forget that there are people out there–men specifically–who are not happy with a culture that puts women up for sale. There are men out there who get it.

This was one of the highlights of my entire trip–meeting this person who could so clearly see the nonsense that happens in our culture.

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The truth is you have very little control of what’s happening out there, and so much of it is just plain awful. You need to work very hard to make sure the show that’s running inside of you is a pleasant one. If you are a woman, you need to constantly nurture and feed yourself messages of worthiness. You need to do this because no one will do it for you. It’s a matter of survival. And that way, Vegas will always stay in Vegas.

If you have to cry go outside, and other things your mother never told you, a book review

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I admit I read “If you have to cry go outside, and other things your mother never told you” in 24 hours.

When I have my totally unfair stereotyping hat on, I believe there are two types of women in this world. One type is the group that feeds into and believes the narratives we’re taught as little girls–intense conditioning about the pretty angelic princesses who get the hot prince and all the diamonds. Then there are women like Kelly Cutrone.

The former spend their childhoods making perfect resumes. They apply their type A personality to everything they do. Unfortunately many of these women never make it past the entry level jobs they start at because the rules of the game are actually much different than what Disney taught them. Just look at the statistics.

Today, 53% of corporate entry-level jobs are held by women, a percentage that drops to 37% for mid-management roles and 26% for vice presidents and senior managers, according to McKinsey research. Men are twice as likely as women to advance at each career transition stage.

Why is this happening?

While some of this might be attributed to women dropping out when they start to have children, I believe there’s something else going on here that I can’t quite name. I need your help. I want to know what your experiences are (those of you who are Gen Y). What have been your biggest work challenges? I want to get your challenges addressed.

I believe we need women who have been through the ranks like Kelly Cutrone to step up and provide some much needed sisterly wisdom.

Kelly who?

Kelly is successful in her own right. The daughter of a marine, she moved from Syracuse NY to the big apple with $2,000 dollars to her name. Through resourcefulness she secured a job working for Susan Blond, a successful PR executive. Before she knew it she was escorting Michael Jackson through a night club in NYC working with the who-is-who of fashion and music. She struggled through two divorces, a bad drug problem and single motherhood–but she seems to be thriving. She runs her own PR agency People’s Revolution out of her home in New York City. You might catch Kelly on the reality show The Hills (as the employer of Lauren Conrad) or if you saw her reality show on bravo “Kell On Earth.”

In this excerpt from her book she talks about tribes–and what we call mentoring. Here’s what she had to say:

“There’s a reason human beings once lived in tribes: it’s useful. (In fact, I believe the breakdown of the tribal system is responsible for much of the sickness in the world today). Start by identifying people in your community you look up to and them, graciously and with their blessing, use their hard work and experience to your advantage. Pick their brains. I can’t imagine anyone refusing to be a mentor if they’re asked in a spirit of sincerity and humility….beware: triblal relationships are a two-way street. As you forge your own tribe, you’ll become a member of other tribes and ultimiately, if you’re lucky, a tribal elder yourself. Now that my days as an ingenue couch-surfer are behind me I maintain several floors of live/work space and my home has become a temple for an international cast of souls and tribal members needing advice or just a warm meal as they traverse the bumpy roads of their dreams. Lately, these include an Argentinean male supermodel and a friend from an ashram in India…I have cosigned leases when my assistants are transitioning from their parents’ place to their own apartment; I invite interns to my country house for the weekend; I rush to the bedside of friends ailing children in the middle of fashion week, I even buy my girls the right lingerie just as Pat Field did years ago for me. You never know who will end up being your family or where you will find them.”

I find this endearing because I don’t see this happening very often out here. Perhaps this is just my own experience, but why isn’t this female camaraderie happening? Where is it happening?

I particularly like what Cutrone has to say about religion. She encourages young women to get to know themselves–and get real about spirituality. She writes, “I’m not asking you to own your own company, or to do things my way, or to be a CEO of anything except your own journey in this world. I’m asking you to start the church of you. I want you to refuse to pray or play at places that won’t let you speak or where your gender has no power….I want you to fearlessly pursue your dreams and your destiny, conscious that you are not what you do, listening to your inner voice, refusing to let superficial things define you, asking yourself the hard questions about what you believe and what you will serve, fighting the fears in your own mind and finally, loving other women in the process.”

Kelly’s stance on her team is very much like a mama bear. She sees herself as the protector of the young women who come into her office trying to break into the fast-paced world of fashion pr.

“Even though I am sometimes perceived as a bitch or a witch, the office atmosphere I cultivate is nothing like the cultural stereotype of striving women clawing each other to death to get the queen bee’s job. Women have been taught that, in order to get ahead, we have to be secretive and plotting and manipulative, because a straightforward route to the top has always existed for us, and in many industries it still doesn’t.”

I completely agree with Kelly’s statement. I feel there’s still myths that are perpetuated about scarcity that make women un-trusting and competitive with each other when they should be lifting each other up.

“When we’re young we’re taught to compete with other women for what we need to survive: money, or a husband. But if you’re going to be ruthless to another woman, you’d better make sure that your intent is pure and doesn’t come from jealousy or bitterness or any of the other problematic feelings and fears were taught to have about each other (“she’s a home-wrecker,” “she’s going to steal your husband,” “she’s younger than you and wants your job” and so on).”

I agree. We need to end this insecurity and cat fight nonsense and start lifting each other up. I’m starting a sisterhood. Join me.

Bringing More Of What You Want By Letting Go

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I don’t have the stomach for fear based media that tells us everything we care about in life could disappear (just after this commercial break). As a result of our rush rush rush culture, we rush through life sprinting from one milestone to the next.

We are not encouraged to think long-term. We are encouraged to grab at whatever comes our way–a reactive attitude toward our careers. Everything in our culture moves us along quick quick quick.

Do you feel you are in charge of your career decisions? Would you walk away from an offer right now if it came with a caveat that was hard to stomach? Are you so consumed by the day to day you feel like you have to do the tasks in your life you hate? Sometimes we forget that everything in life is a choice. To bring change, we need to slow down. Looking at the unfavorable occurrences of 2012 brings valuable insight into what needs to be done differently. If I do X, then I will get Y. I’m trying to live this practice myself. It takes patience and calm–not an easy thing during the holidays.

Don’t be afraid to walk away from the people or activities in your life that leave you where you know you don’t want to be. The events and people you do want to attract will come to you, but first you need to identify what you don’t want in your life. Have faith that the path you’re walking is the right one. Don’t lose faith and make knee jerk reactions for the short term.

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Sometimes opportunities will come your way that come with an unfavorable caveat that’s hard to ignore. Do you take the job, client, lateral move just because in the short term it seems like a good move? Or do you take time to step back and think about where you want to be in one year’s time?

Three Very Honest Career Tips For the Younger Version of Myself

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If you are reading this and you are in your first job out of school—things are going to happen that you are not prepared to deal with. We don’t prepare you for this, and we need to so you have tools at your disposal when stuff gets weird. I’m working on this one..for now I just have my little blog below.

I have a lot of stories, and I know better than to publicly blog about them. I don’t have regrets, but I do have some hard lessons learned. I hope you don’t make some of the mistakes that I did, but if you do–let them make you stronger. Here are some of my tips. Share yours in the comments section below.

1. It’s not worth it.  If someone does cross the line–in a major way–you need to stand up for yourself. But sometimes we take small stuff personally. Whatever you are upset about right now is a small in the scheme of things. Learn to breathe deep, take some space and let it go. Learn to back down. Learn to walk away. You will be the bigger person in the end. Sometimes it’s just better to walk away–that means find a new company, new colleagues or new business contacts. Starting over is better than fighting over scraps.

2. Learn to close one eye. Sometimes you need to learn how to close one eye when you see things at work that you don’t like–or qualities in people that you find unattractive. This kind of sucks, and you should make sure you have friends you can meet up with after work–you two can grab Pinot Grigios and laugh about how the real world is so crazy–you can’t even make this stuff up. Whatever you do don’t gossip at work and don’t fight with people. Get yourself a supportive, hilarious, accepting group of girlfriends. Laugh it off. Cry it off. Then go back to work the next day and keep it in til you see them again. Every woman needs good girlfriends. And don’t get rid of them when you get a boyfriend.

3. Men. Do not confuse your relationships with older men. There will be men that are mentors, and there will be men that are not mentors. Some of them are in unhappy marriages. Have compassion, but stay away. If you find you have what is known as “older daddy issues” don’t worry about it–but get a therapist. Don’t let unresolved childhood stuff ruin your professional life. If you didn’t notice this in Mad Men and countless tv and movies, older men like younger women. Young women tend to seem/be naive. That doesn’t mean you need to engage in that trend. Become known for your mind and your work, not for being flirty or short skirts and high heels. There is no shame in needing a male figure in your life, but do not confuse your needs, and under no circumstances should you date your boss (I never did this, but I feel compelled to remind you not to do it).

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When you learn to ignore what you don’t like, you’ll find yourself attracting more people that inspire you and make you light up. As you progress in your career you will find more people who share your values. At the same time manage your expectations of other people. Don’t idolize people just because of their titles. Respect their knowledge but understand they are human too.

When you see the way people behave, let it go, have compassion. Forgive but don’t forget. You can always leave and join someone else’s camp or even build your own camp. Who wants to write a guidebook with me for Peggy Olsen?

Managing Holiday Stress

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Every American was affected by the Newtown tragedy.

Many of us feel snowed in by the maelstrom of fear-based media that didn’t let the children, the families or any of us really process what happened. I think most of us are walking around shell-shocked. I’m personally broken hearted for those babies who thought they were going to school one day and walked into someone else’s nightmare.

How can we make ourselves feel safe in a world that feels just really unsafe? We are all grieving in our own way. That grief on top of the standard pressure of the holiday season and it’s easy to lose it.

My best advice for you these next two weeks–in considering the often overwhelming holiday stress–is to take some quiet time for yourself. That quiet time can include a nice walk, jog, meditation or related activity. The place in our hearts where compassion, love and spirituality live is a place that can be accessed through quiet.

These next few weeks–to reduce holiday stress–I encourage you to give yourself the option to opt out. No one is judging your level of “holiday spirit.” There is nothing wrong with being spiritual in your own way–a way that doesn’t involve going to Target at midnight on Christmas Eve or spending every night out at holiday parties drinking a bottle of wine and losing yourself in a platter of broken Christmas cookies.

Feel free to turn off the soundtrack of Christmas consumerism and take some time. That means the song “White Christmas” [actually written by someone who was Jewish named   Israel Isidore Baline--known as Irving Berlin].

It’s ok to opt out. It’s ok to take quiet time for yourself. It’s ok not to spend all your money on gifts. It’s ok to skip the holiday parties because you don’t want to be around social stress, alcohol and sugar. It’s really ok. And you are going to be more than ok. Remember, we’re all going through this stuff together. You’re not alone, and you don’t need to try and be everything to everyone. I will always accept you just as you are.

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7 Tools to Set Yourself Free From Your Inner Critic

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Many people, for whatever reason, have trouble turning off the critic. It runs its mouth all day never letting you get a moment of peace. From the moment you wake up in the morning until you close your eyes at night this critic sabotages your day.

Sometimes the root of this is childhood trauma, sometimes it’s chemical and other times it’s just how we’re used to living in the world–with someone hovering over us with a close eye. Eventually that someone becomes you. While you can’t always just decide to make the critic go back in its whole, there are some things you can do to calm down and relax your mind. I have a few of my own tools that I personally use, and I’d like to share them with you. I hope some of these tools bring you calm so you can live a happy life, and truly live life to the fullest.

1. Move. No matter what, I do something every day. If everyone in the world did Zumba, Latin or African dance every day–there would be no war in the world. I love these classes (offered by the YMCA) because in my interpretation these dance moves are a celebration of life–the movements accentuates the moves of a woman. You’re encouraged to shake and move your hips. You’re encouraged to embrace your femininity with “ladies styling” as they call it in latin dance class. With all the pressure to be thin, small and frail these classes encourage you to take up space and celebrate the womanly parts of yourself. While the weight room or the cardio machines are nice at times, it’s nice to get away from what can feel like an aggressive or testosterone driven environment. Go to those eccentric sounding dance classes at your gym–you won’t be sorry!

2. Learn to laugh. There’s nothing the critic likes less than when you learn to laugh in its face. Learn to laugh at what you’re judging about yourself. Make it light hearted. Say “so what.” Learn how to let it go. I’m X, honor it, embrace it, let it go. Learn to say so what, or “fuck it.”

3. When you look in the mirror, look at what you like most about yourself first.
With the insane pressure to look perfect, it’s easy to feel ashamed when you look in the mirror. See discussions on Project Enough here. Instead of looking in the mirror and seeing something you don’t like, learn to choose one thing you DO like about yourself and look at that first. Examples include, “I have nice eyes” or “I have a nice nose” or “I am so strong looking”…you get the idea.

4. Learn to breathe. Getting oxygen into your body is very critical when you’re feeling down. If possible take five deep breaths into your belly. If possible do some meditation with guided visual imagery–imagine a beautiful beach or imagine laying underneath a tree in a forest. If it’s bad, let yourself cry. Call a friend. If you’re crying (yes adults cry too)–breathe too! Get all those toxins out of your system. Breathing gives you strength and takes away strength from the critic.

5. Learn to walk away from your laptop. If you’re feeling vulnerable you’re not in a good state to be faking your way through work. Sometimes one bad day–where the critic has a hold over you–can sabotage months of good work. If you’re feeling vulnerable you’re not going to respond to people in the way you would when your head is clear. Sometimes it’s important to just take a break from working. If you don’t have this option and you work in an office go take a walk around the office or even go into the bathroom and take a few breaths. This can be the difference between a flare up in the office or taking a few moments for yourself. You don’t want your colleagues to see you getting overly emotional at work–take space if you can and when you come back you’ll fully rested and clear.

6. Learn to ask for help. I always say this but learning to ask for help is one of the most important factors determining your success. You can’t always do everything on your own. Don’t let the critic win by being too proud. Calling a friend, a loved one or even a coach or therapist can be the most critical factor in your resilience. Don’t try to be the brave cowboy who does everything alone. That’s a myth. Successful people get a lot of help and they know where to get it. Ask for help. People will love you more for opening up to them. They’ll be happy to help you.

7. Know this too shall pass. Being sensitive is a business advantage. It makes you intuitive and empathetic and all the characteristics that can make you a charismatic leader. At the same time you need to learn to manage yourself. This will wash over you like a wave. You will feel better tomorrow. Figure out how to get yourself what you need to help quiet the critic. That way when it passes you’re ready to get back on the horse.

 

Seven Lessons In Business and Life From 2012

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It’s the holiday season and I’m contemplating the year behind me and the year ahead. While the season is the busiest time of year, juggling holiday parties, work and family, it’s important to take time to contemplate the milestones of 2012 and how you’d like to grow in 2013. I’ve certainly had a year of unexpected twists and turns. I’d like to share my lessons with you.

Business and Life Lessons From 2012

1. Not all that glitters is gold.
While in theory we generally know that what mainstream culture upholds as valuable–isn’t actually that important–sometimes it’s harder to remember that. Even people who are famous and rich have their own problems. Sometimes they seem even more unsatisfied with life than others who have less. When you see the beauty and richness in the mundane around you, your whole perspective changes. Turn on the television and you’re told that you need a fancy car, perfect body and expensive jewelry to be happy. The truth is you have everything you need right now to be happy. It REALLY IS all in your mind. Can you appreciate what you have? Can you let go of the critic who tells you you’re not enough, you don’t have enough and all that garbage? Let it go, learn to laugh, see all the wealth around you.


2. Don’t fall in love with being famous, fall in love with the work.
Perhaps due to the internet, everyone seems to be interested in getting famous. After all that seems to be the ultimate life achievement–that old trope of moving out to hollywood to be discovered. With the blurring of scripted television and reality television–and YouTube discovered stars like Justin Bieber anyone can be an overnight celebrity. At the same time in the Bay Area it feels like more attention is being paid to this area of the country. With social media it’s easy to become addicted to checking that stardom in the form of how many people endorse what we say or do–retweets, likes and views–without any thought if this even is helping us with our high level business goals. Generally one can tell the difference between someone who wants to be famous for being famous, and someone who falls in love with their craft, and word quickly spreads because the product, ideas or work is just really that special.

3. Learn to let go and let it go. Sometimes you learn things about yourself because other people tell you they’re true. Successful people who are try to control everything are sometimes called “Type A.” They are successful because they get a challenge and take it by the reins. At the same time I’ve realized this can be an unattractive quality when it’s too much–and I’m guilty of this as well. I’ve learned how to reframe my thinking and loosen my hold on the world. I try to not have so many expectations of how things should play out. People who are controlling have a hard time moving through the world because no one can control the world’s order. The harder you try to control everything around you the more life becomes out of whack–rebelling against you. Let’s take a lesson from financial expert Suze Orman who says, “let it go.” She’s referring to goods people can’t afford. The single biggest lesson for me this year was learning how to let things go, and let IT GO.

LET IT GO.

It’s simple but I love it.

4. It will get better, but it’s going to get worse before it gets better.
This year I had some frustrating surprises in my career. I am an entrepreneur so it is expected things don’t go as planned. Some of the unforseen events that happened this year through me for a loop. I wasn’t prepared for this curveball and I lost myself for a little while. I had to dig down in my soul to get back on the course. What I couldn’t see was these un-forseen events that left me flailing (and feeling totally out of control) were tests of strength and character. This one particular experience made me a lot stronger–but no one could have told me at the time that this curveball was actually a gift. It’s hard to tell someone who is going through a hard time, it will get better–but it’s going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better. We are so blinded by our own monkey mind, we can’t see at all. It takes an “incident” to remind us of the truth.

5. If you don’t appreciate what you have, it will go away.
This one can be related to number 2 about wanting celebrity. If you don’t appreciate the projects, people and resources that you do have, it is likely they will disappear. It can be that in pursuit of what we deem to be “greatness” we lose site of our biggest fans, the clients we’ve generated or the opportunities on our plate. It’s that American “MORE MORE MORE” mentality. We are literally programmed to not appreciate what’s in front of us. If you focus on the relationships, work and opportunities you do have, they will grow and multiply. It’s not by fantasizing that we generate more of what we want. It’s by appreciating what we have that we multiply and grow what we want.

6. If you say it will be hard, then it will be hard.
What you say out-loud comes true. If you believe that getting what you want will be a long arduous journey paved with hindering blocks, that’s exactly what you’ll get. In fact you’ll sabatoge yourself to make it feel hard. If you tell yourself you can have what you want and it will be easy–that will also come true. When I say “easy” I don’t mean overnight. I mean that when you are positive and encouraging to yourself–when you pat yourself on the back and celebrate every accomplishment no matter how small, you will feel happier–lighter, and carry less of a load. What story are you saying outloud?

7. When you learn to control what comes out of your mouth, you become truly powerful.
The word is powerful. People don’t realize their affect on the people in their lives. Some of the most influential people don’t realize how influential they are–and they say things outloud that are hurtful to others. Sometimes saying nothing is very powerful. Sometimes taking space from others who are trying to bate you (even unknowingly) is powerful. When you can learn to go inside and get quiet–when you can learn to delay confrontation and cease from judging others–you gain true strength.

Thank you for your readership this year. I’ve enjoyed writing for you on this blog and look forward to much more writing in 2013. What are your own lessons from 2012? Please feel free to share them with me in the blog section below.

 

How Self Confidence Helps Small Business Owners

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There’s something about Mad Men’s Don Draper—while on the inside he might be an emotionally torn man with a dark past, you never see him sweat. His personal challenges never get in the way of his advertising meetings or a-list affairs. He exudes charm, charisma and competence.

His former secretary and now only female copy editor Peggy Olsen said it best:

“I want what you have, you seem to have everything.” What Don does have is confidence–a lot of it.

Confidence can be the chicken and the egg–when you need it most you feel the least confident, and when you need it least you feel the most confident. You can’t hide behind your computer–you must get out into the world and represent yourself and your business. In my tips below I give you some suggestions on how you can work on building your own confidence and watch your business grow as a result.

Here are my ten questions and answers for you. Tell me your own confidence building story in the comments section below.

1. Why is self-confidence important for a small business owner?

If you are not confident in yourself, would you expect others to have confidence in your abilities? As a small business owner you are the face of your company. You need to exude confidence so people get the feeling you are a capable person to do business with.

2. What are the attributes of a confident person?

A confident small business person makes eye contact. They do what they say they’re going to do. They give a strong handshake. They don’t say the filler works in their sentences “like,” “um,” “ah,” or “you know.” They take good care of themselves physically. They don’t apologize too much without reason. They have boundaries in their lives, and they don’t feel bad about notifying someone when they’ve crossed that boundary. They can take negative feedback without having it crumple them. They smile frequently and easily. They exude a glow when they talk about their company and services.

3. What are activities that can help improve confidence in small business owners?

Doing your homework can greatly improve your confidence. When you’re prepared for meetings, you will exude power because you know what you’re talking about. Challenging yourself with achievable tasks will improve your confidence in yourself, but piling on too many challenges too fast can be a confidence killer. Keep a network of supportive people around you–especially other small business owners. Having community and relationships will improve confidence. Having a coach to provide feedback is a confidence booster. Everyone needs someone unbiased to bounce ideas off of, to help them through hard times, and give encouragement when it’s needed. Continuing education and training can also help build confidence as you become more savvy in different areas of your business.

4. Is it possible to improve confidence by changing your thoughts?

“Thinking positive” is a powerful way to change your thinking. Tony Robbins says “change your state, change your life.” If we can learn to control our mind, we can completely change the landscape of ourselves and our lives.

5. Is there anything a small business owner can do to improve their impact on others?

By standing tall you will greatly improve your posture and how others see you. Body language is a hugely important factor with regard to how others perceive you. By improving your posture you will change this.

6. Do looks really matter that much for a small business owner?

If you dress nicely, you’ll feel good about yourself. You’ll feel successful and presentable and ready to tackle the world. By showing up groomed, you will feel more confident. Additionally you are an extension of your products and services. If you are not personally well put together, it’s possible your prospects will assume you don’t take care with your offering either.

7. Does gratitude help confidence?

This one is related to humility. By being grateful for what you have in life and what others have given to you you will change your entire outlook. It can improve your self-image and your overall mood. The universe rewards those who are thankful. “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
― Melody Beattie

8. Does exercise really improve confidence?

Exercise is very important for any small business owner. While sometimes it feels like there aren’t enough hours in the day, exercise can improve mood. It also helps with focus and makes us more calm. Many of us get our best ideas when we are exercising. Not only are the mental and spiritual side effects important, but it will help you feel better physically, and you’ll look better too!

9. How do small business owners avoid feeling overwhelmed, insecure and anxious with all the tasks that are required to run the business?

Don’t forget to start small. You don’t want to stress yourself out by biting off more than you can chew. Learn to break off small chunks and work in short bursts. Small tasks that you succeed in will help your overall sense of happiness and confidence.

10. Does a cleaner business person feel more confident?

Keeping organized and clean will greatly impact the amount of clutter in your mind. When your environment is cleaner you’ll find you can think clearly. Clear your desk. If your desk gets messy the world can quickly turn to chaos. Having an organized desk will help maintain a calm environment so you can think clearly (and stay organized).

11. Will relaxation help my confidence? Should I be working instead of relaxing?

We all need scheduled white space in our calendars. That means a little “me-time” every day. This “me-time” is your opportunity to recalibrate so you can continue to be an amazing creator. Relaxing can include a 5 minute meditation, a massage, a bath or even a walk with some nice music.

12. Should I celebrate my own achievements?

Absolutely. Celebrating your small wins is a hugely important aspect of having your own business. If you don’t make time to enjoy your success, you might end up feeling burned out. Feel free to make a list of all that you’ve accomplished even on a daily basis. Since you’re your own boss, you’re your own coach. Make sure to pick yourself up frequently with pats on the back.

Do you feel like Don Draper yet? Let me know your own journey to a more confident you in the comments section below. There are no judgements on this blog.