Women Unlimited Inspiration, lnnovation, Collaboration

The one thing above all else that successful businesses do, is to add value so that their clients keep coming back for more. It doesn’t have to be unique, but giving your clients something that they really want, and doing so more effectively than your competitors, is a powerful asset for any business.  So how do you know if your services or products are adding the right kind of value to your existing and prospective clients? What does value mean to your clients? The first thing you need to do ... Read More »

Have you ever caught yourself having the same daydream over and over again?  I’m not talking so much about a ‘diet coke break’ daydream, as the “someday I’ll….” daydream. Someday I’ll… start that business Someday I’ll… train and compete in the marathon Someday I’ll… open my own coffee shop What’s yours?  And how long have you been day-dreaming about it?  Can I be frank?  If you’re day-dreaming and NOT taking any action, you may as well kiss goodbye to ever making it a reality.  No business.  No marathon medal.  No ... Read More »

In previous articles, I’ve touched on the power of scent. Smell has such a profound impact on us in ways that often act below the conscious to evoke strong emotions and memories. It’s one of the most under-utilised and poorly understood tools that we can use for branding, including space and experience design. When I thought about writing an article for Women Unlimited to illustrate the power of scent in business, my immediate thought was of Nicola Pozzani, world expert in scent and mood and founder of SSense. Nicola is ... Read More »

There are certain moves you have to take to protect your brand. Most are second nature, such as copyrighting and identifying authorship of content, checking for plagiarism, monitoring reputation, social media engagement, etc. It’s all just par for the course, and we don’t blink an eye when attending to each one. Yet, so many people miss out on one of the most obvious (and easy) ways of protection from the very beginning. I am speaking, of course, about domain variants. It might not seem like a big deal, but if your ... Read More »

“Twitter is boring, is it dying out?” I heard someone ask this about Twitter recently. It was like an arrow through my heart (I bleed little blue birds). I knew it not to be true, but when there are exciting, younger social media models gaining momentum, then it would be easy for some to draw this conclusion. After my initial allergic reaction to this comment (it didn’t last long), I felt a fire in my belly that gave way to an eruption of goosebumps as I excitedly delivered my response. I ... Read More »

As we nudge closer to the end of the series, the emphasis shifts from the being – the foundations you’ve created – to the doing – making it happen. Before you embark on this step, take a moment to reflect on what you’ve already created. Your DREAM that provides the impetus and meaning behind all you do, your renewed FOCUS  which allows you to stay connected to that meaning and concentrate your time and energy towards achieving it and the STRUCTURE  that will take you seamlessly from where you are ... Read More »

This week we hear from Tina C. Hines, founder of My Sister Friends. In business for a little over one year, My Sister Friends’ mission is to strive to educate, empower and enlighten women as they embark on their own personal journeys. They encourage women to realize their passions, achieve their goals and connect with their true selves. 1. What drove you to start your own business?  What was the turning point?  My personal “epiphany” began when I started a book club with my friends. Although we fully intended to discuss books, ... Read More »

There is a simple mistake that I see small business owners making with their marketing and they do it all the time. The mistake is that their  ‘marketing’, whether an email newsletter, social media, or an advertisement, has no call to action. The Call To Action (CTA) is the most important part of your marketing, because at it’s heart, marketing is about eliciting a physical and measurable response from your audience, and the CTA is how you get that response. It’s not just any response though – the response should move ... Read More »

There are so many ways to get your message across these days, but there’s still nothing better than having someone else tell everyone how wonderful you are. If it comes from someone with influence in your market, or a trusted expert, the message can be all the more powerful and persuasive. That’s where good media relations can come in handy. The media can play an important part in helping you to get the word out there, so it’s important to have a good relationship with the contacts that can make ... Read More »

To expand your business you need help. There’s only so much you can do on your own, and only so far your own skills will take you. What’s more, moving to a new level often means taking a big step: starting a new project, changing how you operate or opening up a new market. That means you have to bring in support, whether it’s the occasional freelancer or full-time staff. And that’s a huge block for many entrepreneurs and can stop you from growing your business. Learning how to find, ... Read More »