Ladies Who Launch

Will The Real You Please Stand Up!

By Coach Joelle Prochera, professional life coach, fellow launcher and creator of the MAKE YOUR LIFE PROGRAM where you get to experience the magic of your life lived on purpose!  To hear more from Coach Joelle subscribe to the Livloud! Newsletter or read the coach joelle blog.   

Do you ever…
1. Spend hours strategizing and rehearsing before you talk to people about your business?
2. Have that feeling like you are a fake, afraid that everyone is going to find you out?
3. Try to be that person you “think” you should be to get respect, to be good enough, or to make the sale?

If any of this sounds familiar then I have good news for you.  With the new LWL profiles, we all have an opportunity to dig deep down inside and share who we really are.  For some this seems fun and easy, for others it may be an arduous quest for the perfect words, the right “spin” and putting out a professional image so people take you seriously.  If you are willing to take a look inside and find the “real you”, your version of authentic entrepreneurship, then writing that profile and living your life is about to get a heck of a lot easier and 10 times more fun.

What is Authentic Entrepreneurship?
Authentic entrepreneurship is running your business as a true expression of who you are, in total alignment with your beliefs, values and natural talents.  It means first identifying the real you and then living and acting from that you. 

When you are acting as an authentic entrepreneur, when you know who you are and own it, a whole new world becomes available:

• You are able to show up at any situation with confidence and ease.
• You become intimately acquainted with who you are and what you stand for and you boldly allow that real you to shine through in every action taken and word spoken.
• You become free from the fear of being “found out” and the burden of having to “look good” and “do it right”.
• It means no more fake, stuffy profiles. No more talking heads. No more “status quo” and a lot more joy and ease!

Sound good?  Well then let’s get down to it! Let’s find the authentic entrepreneur inside of you.

To create your profile, start by asking these authentic entrepreneur questions:

A) What do you value and how are these values expressed in your business?
B) What are your favorite things about you? What makes you – you?
C) Why do you love your business/service?  What do you love about your business/service?
D) How does your business make a difference for people? What does it serve in the world?

Now sit down with your answers in front of you and clear your mind.  Forget everything that you think you “should be”, throw out your concern of looking silly or being “too much” and write your profile allowing these truths to shine through.  Dare to say what you really feel.  Push the limits of “normal” and “appropriate” and let the world of Ladies Who Launch know who you are, who needs to know you and why.

Why be normal when you can be extraordinary? Why be like everyone else when you can be YOU.  To dare to be your very own authentic entrepreneur is a step down the path to greatness. Have fun – I’ll see you at the top!

With love, joy and authenticity,

Coach Joelle

DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION FOR COACH JOELLE?:  I am looking for the opportunity to fully serve each of you on your personal adventure.  If you have a life or business challenge that you would like a coaching perspective on, please share your comments below or email me at Joelle@coachjoelle.com.

Make your life a work of art a joyful dance a grand adventure!

Positively eBay from Robyn Volker

From New York Incubator Member and eBay seller Robyn Volker of Chiquelife.

I am a long-time, full-time eBay merchant with more than 25,000 transactions completed. For anyone that is a newer or small-time seller, you should also know that the fees are generally irrelevant to most serious business owners -- eBay is a pretty good bargain even with the new fee structure! It's a retail venue with an unimaginable amount of traffic.

While I am not a fan of anything that eats into my already slim eBay margins, the fee bite only affects a portion of sales. A smart business owner adapts selling strategy and pricing accordingly.

The REAL issue is a major change to the eBay community structure -- Feedback. Effective on 2/20, sellers can only leave POSITIVE feedback for buyers, no matter how the transaction goes.

It seems to be a part of a new CEO's efforts to put his own mark on the company, and I can tell you that small to medium volume sellers are in an uproar. The big ones -- not so much right now, but they
should also be concerned.  Myself -- I'm taking a wait-and-see attitude, adjusting my business
plan, and exploring additional venues. And that is actually what I should have been doing anyway!

So if you are on eBay already, or are thinking about it -- it's still a good place to do business but there are also other options. You can check out the Seller Central message board for lots of info (and
plenty of emotion...)

Editor's Note:  There are alternatives to eBay, namely eCrater and Etsy .

Incubator Advice: How To Ship Perishable Food Easily?

Danielle Buell of My Sweet Nostalgia is from the Long Island Incubator Group asks:
I have a cookies/cakes business that is frozen items shipped. I am having issue with the shipping ice packs and was wondering if there were other LWL members out there with experience in shipping perishables. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

Incubator Advice: How To Find PR For My Market?

One of our new regular blog posts will be questions from fellow Incubators about to grow their business. Feel free to leave suggestions in the comments. Thanks!

Margaret of BeauLily who is from the Chicago Ladies Who Launch Incubator asks:
I am looking to get a PR firm/person to generate more opportunities to get my product in front of women in their 40's to 60's.  How do I find the person who has the best access to media, credibility and a desire to promote my product?