After55:

“Six in 10 women business owners anticipate their organizations’ revenues will grow in 2009, according to the 2008 Business Risk Survey conducted by the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies and the Women Presidents’ Organization.”

You know my wariness of statistics, but this one is so welcome I have decided to let down my guard. My holiday gift to you is optimism. Yes, Virginia, we will get through this.  Let’s anticipate the best and then make it come true.  Happy holidays!

Who knows?  I talked to my financial person today and the word is that the market and economy will probably be choppy for at least another six to nine months. Yuck. Given that the vast majority of women-owned businesses generate less that $50,000 in revenue annually, the outlook is not bright right now.

But what if we all took a look at the positioning of our businesses and started to focus on the opportunities that will be coming? Assuming you are reading this blog and website because your business is not just for pin money or to keep you out of trouble, you want your business to still be standing at the inevitable end of this recession. Here is the question to explore this week: How can your business be focused to take part in the promising changes that are on the horizon–changes in health care, energy, education and not-for-profits?  What are the inherent talents in your business that can be repurposed to take your business to another place or level?

Keep in touch and let me know what you come up with.  Within this community there is a lot of wisdom and support.

I received an e-mail late last week from a woman I met at an event last year.  You know, the kind of meeting where you think the other person is really interesting, and you exchange cards and never do anything about it.  Here is what her e-mail said:

Following a periodic review of my business contacts, I noticed that you aren’t subscribed to my quarterly newsletter, Smart Business Matters. Please take a moment to subscribe at the following link so that you can receive helpful information on topics ranging from networking to travel through business and employee management.

http://www.kmcenteeassoc.com/site/newsletter.html

The most recent newsletter is provided below for your easy reference.”

You can believe that I checked out her website, read the newsletter and signed up.  This is one of the best, absolutely no-cost business builders I have seen in a very long time.  Yes, Kathy had to spend some time to put it together and to identify who among her contacts had not signed up, but in precious dollars and cents it costs nothing, and the potential payoff is huge.

What could you do to build your business visibility?

History was made last night. Barack Obama’s stirring speech was breathtaking. As we watched the rapt faces, many with tears running down their cheeks, I, too, took it personally. I have been thinking about us–Women of a Certain Age. We, too, are finally coming into our own.

Certainly when Obama was born, women who were After 55 didn’t look at this stage of their lives with the eager anticipation that many of us do. Do you remember your mother thinking about starting a business after you got married/left home/went away to school? Mine sure didn’t. My mom retired at about 60 because my stepfather did, and neither had any idea what to do with the rest of their lives, which stretched nearly another 20 years.

You and I are changing that! We keep our businesses going as long as we wish–married, unmarried, widowed or in partnership. We step out and use the entrepreneurship vehicle to expand our horizons and fuel our passions. Like Obama, we don’t have much interest in the way things have always been, and we’re part of the change. And every day we say, “Yes, we can!” Wow! How cool is this–we’re at the forefront!

We are in print! The hot-off-the-presses issue of Entrepreneur magazine , page 8, features After 55 and our colleague Lena West of Tech Forward! Thank you to Eve Gumpel, our delightful editor, for making this happen and our original editor, Francine Krizner, for bringing me on board.

For those who are anxious about stepping into their dreams–visualize the fun of seeing your face in print or the delight in hearing your daughter’s voice on the phone saying, “Mom! You are in the latest issue of Entrepreneur! You’re a celebrity!” Prior to writing for WomenEntrepreneur.com I had never had a regular column and barely knew what blogging was. Was I nervous ? You bet! But I was also excited by the challenge. The last 15 months have not always been easy: I have struggled with articles and learning to blog, and I am having a ball meeting readers, meeting After 55 women and learning about their businesses, and always learning to be a better columnist. So today’s advice comes from Nike:

JUST DO IT!

OK, we are at the halfway mark of the year, and it’s time to do an assessment of how we are doing on the goals and benchmarks we set for this year. If you’re not where you’d like to be, there’s still time to make some adjustments in your marketing or manufacturing to get back on track, but you’d better be quick about it! If you are ahead of plan, now’s the time to raise the bar for the last six months.

As if this weren’t enough, it really is time to start planning for your success in 2009. Many businesses slow down in summer. That doesn’t mean you get to slough off, too–it means you have some time to really step back and think about your business: What’s working, what isn’t and what you would like to change, add or drop. Reconnect with your vision for your business. Dreaming, visioning and planning–what a wonderful way to spend the summer!

Remember–dream big!

A lot will be written this weekend about celebrating the freedom we have been given. We are truly fortunate. No matter how challenging the enconomy may be or how high gas prices may soar, this is still the best place in the world to find the opportunities amid the difficulties and to build on them. That’s exactly why you and I are in this space. We are entrepreneurs–we see more than problems; we see potential solutions. And we exhibit the courage to endeavor to bring the solutions to fruition. Good for us!

We see that owning our own business frees us from organizations that don’t appreciate their employees–and for true entrepreneurs, our business never leaves us. It’s always sitting at the edges of our mind. What can we do better? How can we improve a situation? Is there a way to control costs? Improve a design? Reach a new market?

I love the concept that in our freedom to start and grow a business, we find ourselves immersed in some of the most fascinating questions we can think of. Always occupied, but still free.

Hope the fireworks set off lots of great connections! Happy Fourth of July!

The lessons I learned from attending the JWT LiveWire conference continue to stay with me. I have written before about the content of the conference, but the overall value of getting out among people I didn’t know was even more worthwhile.

I want to encourage all of you to make firm plans to “step out” and meet new people on a regular–if not continual–basis. You’ll hear yourself talk about your business and might be surprised by what you’re saying or how you’re saying it. As you watch people’s reactions to your comments, you can learn a lot!

• What points do you emphasize?
• Are there areas you tend to minimize or glide over because you are not happy with them?
• Are others responding to something you hadn’t thought of?
• Do you like the responses you are getting?
• What would you change?
• How could you generate more interest or enthusiasm?

As you look ahead to the remainder of 2008, make it a point to broaden your horizons and spread the word about your business. You will be pleasantly surprised at the positive feedback (a welcome memory on those days when nothing is going the way you would like!) and unexpected connections and benefits.

Last weekend I read the book Going Gray by Anne Kreamer, and I’m still trying to figure out what I think about it. She turned a decision about whether to stop dying her hair into a year-long process, national survey and a book. One concern was her style of dress and gray hair might cause her to appear old (she was 49!). Now that is something I have an opinion about. Everyone knows my passion is “burnishing the image of Women of a Certain Age.” Particularly as businesswomen over age 55, it is so important to pay attention to the packaging of our most important marketing tool–ourselves.

I look so much better since I put myself in the hands of a great makeup woman at the Bobbie Brown counter at Nordstrom. My eyes definitely look brighter. Getting a really good haircut–which doesn’t necessarily mean expensive–that I can manage gives me confidence and tells those I meet that I value who I am. I may not have the size tag I wish for in my clothes, but wearing the size I want would indicate I have trouble with reality or my vision.

Bottom line–excuse the pun–take the time to look your best always. Add the best free accessory, a smile. Now you are ready to really make a mark with everyone you meet.

During this season of thanksgiving, it is important to remember that not all entrepreneurial endeavors are for profit. Last week I had the pleasure of interviewing Jane Albanese, a serial entrepreneur whose latest venture is a response to a deeply felt need to give back. A year ago, while watching Oprah, Jane “knew� she was to start a charity based on the Pay It Forward concept. Using the drive and passion that are so familiar to all of us After 55 entrepreneurs, she founded Giants of Generosity. Within a month she was incorporated, and within three months she had single-handedly filed for and received the 501c3 status. Her first fundraiser was four months after that, and Giants of Generosity has already made its first grant.

Using our skills of vision, determination, planning, organization and heart we not only can build a profitable business, we can bring comfort, support those in need, and even change our world. That is an ROI we aspire to. Have a happy and meaningful Thanksgiving.

Over the months I have been writing for WomenEntrepreneur as both a columnist and a blogger, I have been on the same personal journey that many of my readers are traveling. My short bio at the end of my column says I am a lifelong entrepreneur. I am in the throes of it again! I have written here about finding what would make your life easier or more fun and filling the need. Yep. I did that too. Remember the one about thinking like a young techie? That has been an important component too. So what on earth have I been doing?

In June I remarried after eight years on my own. Seismic shift. My new husband is semi-retired and accustomed to wintering in Scottsdale. Seismic shift. One of my daughters and her family, who I am used to seeing at least 6-8 times a year moved out of the country. Seismic shift. How could I reconfigure my life to maintain the professional part of my life that I so love and yet totally uproot it?

I knew I could have a totally mobile business, because I had co-owned a direct selling business that I ran my part from my laptop, but my current business had been structured on relationships in the Chicagoland area. So I looked at what I had. For the last two years I have had a cute little, do-nothing website that I couldn’t figure out how to describe what I wanted it to be, though I had built two corporate websites before and two since! I would spruce it up from time to time, but couldn’t find the vocabulary to move it forward. In early May, Lena West, the Tech Forward columnist, and I had occasion to talk about it. She gave me the vocabulary!

I used the process from my IT’S REINVENTION workshop and looked at my strengths (ugh! my weaknesses, too) and what I love to do. One of my very strongest qualities is that I am a connector. I am fortunate to meet someone interesting everywhere I go and somehow we are connected or I know someone who has been looking for them. (Last week in the airline lounge in Hong Kong a Chinese woman looked at me and asked if I was a writer because she is looking for a woman to write a book with her! Why me? But it happened I know a good resource for her). I love telling peoples’ stories. I love to laugh. I love business. I have friends who are experts in their fields. I love to share information I learn. I love to give dinner parties. I love color. I like to learn new things. I love to travel. I’m independent, rather fiercely I’m afraid. I think I’m smart and I like to be around intelligent accomplishing women. These are not unique, rocket science kinds of qualities, but they add up to me. So what did I do with this? I designed an online community for women over 55!

As I just typed the above qualities, I am astonished at how many of them are visible in the site (I’ll let you know when it goes live - SOON!). It not only meets my needs to meet women like me, but it also meets my need to be mobile. Over the last 5 weeks I have been in Italy, Israel, England, Hong Kong, Macao and Vancouver — and you didn’t know it. We have been connected though you may have been travelling too. How cool is that?

Just you know — your columnist is actively using the same processes she suggests for you.  Stay tuned.

Remember when your mom told you to write your thank you notes?

The quickest way to “stand out in a crowd” is the handwritten note. Do you remember the last time you received one? Neither does your client, potential client or colleague. I admit to being a notecard and fun pen junkie. I can hardly walk by a display of colorful papers and pens, but that is part of the fun.

A quick thank you note takes about two minutes to write and one minute to address and stamp. The best part is you can even develop a formula if you like:

Dear ____,

Thank you for ___________ (taking the time to see me, your order, your help). It was a ______ (pleasure, very helpful, very interesting) to __________ (meet, learn more about your company). I look forward to ____________ (meeting again, working together).

________________ (Warm regards, Yours, truly),

See? That was easy. You’ll feel good, and the recipient will be shocked and will definitely remember you. Huge rewards for a small amount of time. Mom was right — it is a good thing to do.