February

Mentoring for Women Entrepreneurs and Leaders

Why Do I Need a Mentor?
by
Robyn McKay, PhD

Since my undergraduate years, I had longed for the perfect mentor – but had yet to find him or her. Finally during my third year of graduate school at the University of Kansas, I had a single thought that, as it turns out, made all the difference.

The thought went something like this:
“Gee, everyone else in my program has a “thing” – a project that they’re passionate about. But I don’t. I know I’m here for a reason, but I don’t know what it is.”

The unspoken intention behind my thought had to do with finding my purpose.
The next thing I knew, a famous psychologist came to interview for a high-level, distinguished chair position at the university. She was an author; an amazing researcher…and studied positive positive psychology, intuition and creativity.

My friend and fellow student, Lindsay, was on the search committee. After meeting the professor, Lindsay called me, excited, “Robyn you have to come to the student interview. Dr. Kerr is amazing and she’s just like you!”

Four months later, Dr. Barbara Kerr started her tenure at KU, and I became her research assistant. Within days, we decided to begin a coaching laboratory for creative people.
Within weeks, I began uncovering my purpose – to help talented people align with their own mission and purpose.

All of the coaching and mentoring that I do with women entrepreneurs and leaders is based in the early foundations that I discovered with Barbara.

Here are a few of the keys to mentoring that I learned from Barbara.

A good mentor will:

Open doors for you
Guide you without actually telling you what to do
Let you find your own way and make your own mistakes
Offer a new perspective and help you see things in a new way
Believe in you when you don’t quite believe in yourself
Model key values and strengths
Respect your professional growth and transition from mentor to colleague

Do you (really) need a mentor?

Talented women often believe that they can (and should) do everything on their own. I value independence – but taking a do-it-yourself attitude with your career and work can be a costly mistake. Not just for you, but for the people that you were designed to serve. Do yourself and your community a big service: decide to find a mentor who can help you take your work to the next level.

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February

Women Entrepreneurs in the Spotlight on Channel 12 Phoenix

by admin

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January

When a Woman Entrepreneur Fails

by robyn

I failed.

Any form of the word “fail” is hard to say out loud, much less to write in a blog post. Yet, that’s exactly what happened.

On Saturday, I took a team of young women entrepreneurs to Trapeze U in Chandler, AZ.

What’s trapeze got to do with entrepreneurship?

Quite a lot, as it turns out.

It wasn’t my first time flying. I’d learned almost 10 years ago; it’s been a while since I climbed 20-plus feet to willingly swing through the air. The experience left such an impression on me that I’ve decided that trapeze must be an integral part of my coaching programs.

As a coach, I’m never one to ask my clients to do something that I wouldn’t do myself…and I love to fly.

Until Saturday, I had never learned how to perform a “catch”.

The catch basically involves this: the “flyer” (that’s me) takes off from the platform, transitions to a “knee hang” position on the bar, lets go of the bar with her hands and extends her reach toward the waiting “catcher” whose job it is to literally catch her. You can see the knee hang and extension to reach for the catcher in the picture, below.

My first attempt at the catch was a #fail.

Why?

I had spent a lot of time imagining the completed catch. I knew I could do it. And perhaps more importantly, I knew I would. I could feel the success of a completed catch my bones.

So what was the problem?

I botched my take-off from the platform. To no great surprise, the take-off affects your entire flight. In my case, my departure from the platform made it impossible for me to connect with the catcher.

After I tumbled gently to the net, trapeze coach Dylan pulled me aside and helped me practice my take-off from the ground.

10 minutes later, I ascended the ladder once more.

30 seconds later: #success!

What did I learn?

There’s a passage in the i-Ching that reads (paraphrased) something like,
“as it begins, so it ends“.

Which begs the question, where else in my life could a botched take-off affect the outcome?

Where else in your life, too?

Posted in Coaching, Intuition & Business, Lifestyle | 2 Comments

December

Happy Solstice Brilliant Women Entrepreneurs

by robyn

Happy Solstice,

The winter solstice is my very favorite night. In years past, I have celebrated it quletly beside the fire with twinkling Christmas tree lights sparkling.
When I lived on the Kansas prairie, I would step outside for a moment and witness the crisp, winter cold and my own frosty breath curl out and into the dark night.

I recall a winter solstice 5 years ago, a time when I had ended a relationship and felt very much in an in-between-place. It was a bittersweet night, filled with sadness for what had already passed, and a profound longing for something more, something new, something different. At the time, I couldn’t put my finger on the pulse of my desire. I only knew that there was more, much more to come.

Just as surely as winter turns to spring so too do transitions of the heart lead us to the certain place of our deepest desires.

This year, I write from my beautiful restored dining table in my spacious, vibrant Scottsdale condo. Talk about up-leveling my life!

Five years later, I find myself once again alone on the longest night. Alone, but without sorrow. Tonight I smile. I am joyful, filled with excitement and curiousity abou the coming year.

In 2006, I couldn’t have guessed or even imagined that I would be living in the Sonoran desert of Arizona. I didn’t dream that I would have a thriving coaching business and ever-increasing income and visability on a global stage. Yet here I am. And I know with utter certainty that everything I want is coming to me.

Which leads me to my confession.

One year ago, I hired an entrepreneur coach to help me build my business. An expensive coach. A coach whose fees I thought were out of my league. And I will never forget hitting the SEND button to make my first payment.

My confession?

I was at once scared out of my mind and elated beyond compare.

And my decision felt exactly right.

Saying YES to myself is the very best thing I could have done.
Working with my coach has accelerated my business.
She holds me accountable and challenges my fears. She also gently guides me to become my highest and best self.

In 2012, there are a lot of exciting changes coming in my coaching business.
At the end of January, I’m debuting the fr.ee weekly Intuitive Woman Entrepreneur Coaching Series.

In March, my new on-line class Brand Your Feminine Brilliance will begin.

And I’m only offering 2 more 1-day, private coaching intensives for the current price of $5000.

When I offer intensives later this spring, the price will have increased to $6500.

I’m not telling this to scare you.
I just want you to have all of the information you need to say YES to your life right now.
Now is the best time to take action and begin creating the life you want for yourself.

Are you ready to say YES to your life?
Are you ready to say YES to creating a life you love?
Enroll in your private coaching intensive here:

http://robynmckay.com/1-day-intensives/

(Say yes. You are worth it.)

Happy winter,

PS: if you’re seriously considering enrolling in a private, 1-day intensive, email me at robyn@robynmckay.com to set up a free 20-minute strategy session that will help you decide.

Posted in Entrepreneurship, Money | 1 Comment

November

Brand Your Feminine Brilliance: Tip #4 for Women Entrepreneurs

by robyn

Last Friday, I gave the keynote address to the Maricopa College System Women in Leadership Conference in Phoenix. These women entrepreneurs and leaders gave me a warm welcome and enthusiastically participated in my keynote. (If you haven’t heard me speak before, you find that I’m very interactive with my audiences – we have great fun!)

(Here’s a photo of the amazing leadership group, waving hello to you!)

The keynote was video recorded and will be available soon.

In the meantime, here’s a snapshot of what we talked about.

1. A blurry brand is confusing and forgettable.

Question: Why would you want to be forgettable when you could be brilliant?

The rational answer, of course, is that you wouldn’t.

Yet, many women entrepreneurs struggle with this very issue. Admittedly, it can be difficult to land on a product, or a message, or even a target market. But until you do, your brand will be blurry. Blurry brands are broke brands.

The most successful women entrepreneurs are clear about their niche, their message, and their products. Here a some examples of my favorite brilliant feminine brands: Kendra Thornbury (Wealth from Within), Gina DeVee (Money & Men), and Jen Sincero (Live Your Damn Life/Write Your Damn Book).

2. To create a brilliant brand for yourself you have to be willing to do two things:

Stand Up
Stand Out

Today’s tip #4 for women entrepreneurs addresses both of these facets of a brilliant brand. These are the topics that I’ll cover in my new 4-week course: Brand Your Feminine Brilliance (Starts in late November).

Stand Up

To stand up means you’ve got to take a stand. You’ve got to decide what’s important enough for you to focus your time, energy, and creativity. In other words, you’ve got to know your calling.

Tips for standing up:

Use your intuition
Know your passion
Fall in love…with an idea
Seek your vision

Stand Out

If I could bottle Kim Kardashian’s sparkle and shine, I would. Not because I agree with her choices, but because she’s one woman who isn’t afraid to stand out.

Being visible as an entrepreneur is essential. You can have an awesome message and terrific, life-changing products. If you’ve got issues with visibility, chances are you’re not connecting with your own vibrancy and personal power.

Tips for Standing Out

Overcome your fears about being seen (visibility)
Maximize your personal power
Know your strengths
Cultivate happiness
Develop wealth consciousness

Posted in Entrepreneurship, Money | Tagged brand, women entrepreneurs | 4 Comments

October

Branding Your Feminine Brilliance: Tips #2 & #3 for Women Entrepreneurs

by robyn

For a woman entrepreneur, branding is more than your logo or the colors you choose for your website.

Your brand is what people can count on you to deliver.

It’s the symbol of your spirit.

As a positive psychologist, I focus on what you bring to your brand – your intuition, strengths, positive emotions, your vision…and your VALUES (and YOUR value).

In today’s Tip#2 & Tip #3 for women entrepreneurs, I’m talking values (and your value).

A value (used as a verb) is an idea or a concept that you cherish; a value is something that you hold precious and dear.
Your value (used as a noun) is the monetary worth of your products and/or services.

Tip #2: Your Values

Your values are your touchstone.

Your values are your WHY.

Why are you in this business? Why aren’t you working at the M.A.C. counter at Nordstrom instead? Why aren’t you satisfied with a 9-5, M-F corporate job in cube-ville?

It’s easy for women entrepreneurs to get caught in the day-to-day busy-ness of business.

Days when you’re frustrated, discouraged, or tired are days when you have to remember your WHY.

When you’re clear about what you value, you can make clear and concise decisions.

For example, my client Sarah*, an engineer, realized recently that, in addition to valuing how things work, she also values beauty and aesthetics. Now she’s made it her mission to make finely engineered products beautiful as well.

Tip #3: Your Value

Your value is the monetary worth of your products and/or services.

Your value (in this case, how much money you make) is a tangible indicator of your success and ability to impact the world.

Women entrepreneurs, especially those in service-based professions and STEM fields, often have a difficult time placing a price on their products and services. They say, more often than not, “the money doesn’t matter”.

Except the money does matter. Very much.

Money is an indicator of success and impact.

Money touches every aspect of life.

As one service-based woman entrepreneur put it, “it’s hard to be the light of the world when you can’t pay your light bill.”

Your value depends on your confidence and sincere belief that what you offer the world is worthwhile. Your value also depends on your ability and willingness to connect with those who possess financial resources (think: Investors and Sponsors; i.e. www.astia.org).

Here’s what I think:

As a group, women entrepreneurs need to get comfortable with every aspect of money. Making it. Asking for it. Talking about it. Spending it.

As a group, women entrepreneurs need to learn to genuinely value money so that they can know their true value.

*Her name has been changed.

Posted in Entrepreneurship, Money | Tagged branding, Entrepreneurship, Money, positive psychology, STEM, woman entrepreneur | 28 Comments

September

Branding Your Feminine Brilliance: Tip #1 for Women Entrepreneurs

by robyn

“Being an entrepreneur means bringing something new into the world”

~Kryslen Holt

Last night, I taught the first session of Branding Your Feminine Brilliance to a team of young women entrepreneurs. Their enthusiasm is magnificent!

My intention for this class is to build strong feminine brands that:

Magnify your strengths, abilities, creativity
Harness the power of your positive emotions and your intuition
Launch you toward making an impact on a global scale

I’m working with these women in-person over the course of the next 12 weeks, and I thought that I’d blog about what we’re doing so that you can follow along – and apply some of my tips and strategies to your own business.

Class #1 focuses your personal strengths, which happens to be my first tip for you.

Tip #1: Know Your Strengths

That seems like such an easy one, right?

But I’m not talking about non-specific platitudes like “I’m a people person” or “I’m a leader”. No, I’m talking about very specific, powerful words that capture and magnify your specific talents and abilities.

Check this: according to the folks at the Gallup Organization, a strength is the capacity to produce a near-perfect performance in a given domain of talent.

For example, in my coaching practice, I’ve noticed that successful women entrepreneurs possess strengths that center on their ability to influence others in positive and powerful ways. They’re also strong in their innovative and strategic thinking abilities. They are visionaries, future-minded, and always pushing the boundaries of what’s next for their clients, and their businesses.

Next step: If you haven’t clarified and articulated your specific talents yet, it’s time to do just that. Once you do, your brand will reflect your clarity.

See you next time,

PS: Did you like this blog post? Leave your comments below and let me know what you think.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged branding, positive psychology, women entrepreneurs | 6 Comments

September

Is Your Brand Your Beacon?

by robyn

With entrepreneurship on the rise among talented and creative women, developing a personal brand has become increasingly important.

If you don’t clearly communicate who you are and what you offer, your target audience doesn’t know you exist.

And when your audience doesn’t know you exist, they can’t buy from you. Without customers, what you have is a really expensive hobby, not a business.

As an intuitive psychologist, I’ve closely studied some of my very favorite personal brands – and the women behind the brands.

You might think that you have to have the perfect tag line or the most extraordinary offering to “get” people to notice you. And, yes, those things do help draw people to your business. But if your emotions about your business aren’t of the highest quality, then your brand will fall flat: a light house with no light.

A woman entrepreneur’s brand is her emotional container. A woman entrepreneur’s positive, authentic emotions are what I like to call her “Mojo”
Your mojo is the fire that enlivens, engages, and draws people to you.

Successful women entrepreneurs use authentic, positive emotions (remember: Mojo?!) to drive their brands. Their brands convey genuine enthusiasm and excitement for their purpose, as well as sincere confidence that their offerings will have a positive, helpful effect for their clients and customers. The result?

A magnetic brand cuts through the fog of confusion and lights the way for your target market.

Research in positive psychology reveals that positive emotion and financial success are closely linked: happy people make more money than unhappy people. Positive emotions about your business are the key ingredient to bringing your brand to life. If you’re feeling frustrated, scared, worried, or lonely – these emotions will effect your mojo and your brand’s magnetism.

My advice?

Pay attention to how you feel. Not just about your business, but how you feel from moment to moment. Ask yourself, “what do I need to feel better?”

Take a walk. Organize your office. Clear your clutter. Buy new, feminine underwear:)
Do what you can to feel better, and you will automatically pour your positive mojo into your brand.

Posted in Uncategorized | 7 Comments