By Susan Wareham McGrath

Along with your personal New Year’s resolutions, did you make any career resolutions for 2012? If you’re suffering from workplace woes, here are five resolutions to help you make your career work for you this year!

1. Give your Career a Health Check

Just as you need to look after your own health, you need to look after your career’s health to make it work for you. The start of the year is a great time to review your progress towards your career goals and make plans for the rest of the year.

Consider setting aside some time to think about:

• where you are now
• where you would like to be
• what you need to do to get there

and write a simple career management plan to help you keep on track over the next twelve months.

Remember to include SMART goals and milestones; and don’t be afraid to change the plan as your circumstances change – just like strategic plans, career management plans should be living documents with built-in flexibility to be adaptable to changing circumstances.

2. Update your Résumé

Have you ever missed out on a job opportunity because you didn’t have a current résumé at the ready? Don’t let that happen again – spend some time this weekend getting your résumé up to date!

Some tips for a competitive résumé:

• Make it achievement focused, rather than a list of duties taken directly from your job description
• Consider carefully whether including a career objective is adding value – even résumé writing professionals disagree on this issue
• Try and keep it to 3 or 4 pages
• Use keywords liberally throughout your résumé
• Keep the format clean, simple and professional (no funny or suggestive email addresses please!)  and
• Proofread and check it carefully

Also, remember that résumés need to be targeted to specific jobs, so always review your résumé from the employer’s perspective before submitting it, to ensure its content is specific to the job in question – recent research has found that employers take less than 20 seconds to decide whether a résumé is worth consideration, so it’s important that you showcase your suitability for the role from the start.

3. Review your Social Media Profiles

Be very careful how you present yourself on social media. It can be your best friend or your worst foe in terms of career branding, as increasing numbers of employers check candidates’ social media profiles when considering their employment application.

How would your social media profiles shape up against employer scrutiny?

When you’re engaged in a job search, it’s well worth looking through the eyes of a prospective employer at the image you present to the online world. Does your Facebook page contain content that might work against you in a job search?  If so, you could consider making it private (at least temporarily).

Is your LinkedIn profile up to date and keyword rich so it comes up in searches for people in your industry? Have you used LinkedIn to connect strategically, join groups and build up your profile as an expert in your field?

Do you have an online CV?

If not, it’s never too late to start – even spending a little time on developing a professional social media profile will provide you with a very positive return.

4. Access the Hidden Job Market

It’s been estimated that up to 85% of Australian jobs are not advertised publicly; constituting Australia’s “hidden job market”. And these jobs come with an added bonus. Industry estimates indicate that only 5% – 10% of candidates know of them, so there is much less competition for them – a real bonus for savvy jobseekers!

So how do you break into the hidden job market?

There are a number of strategies you can use.

One of the most effective strategies is networking – making connections with people who can advise you of potential or current job opportunities, or who can introduce you to people who are aware of those opportunities. Personal and online networking are both very effective ways of gaining leads and introductions.  In the online space, LinkedIn in particular is a great networking resource for people who are looking for a new job, especially when you approach your LinkedIn job search campaign in a focused and strategic way.

A second strategy to break into the hidden job market is to undertake industry research to identify organisations you would like to work for; then either cold call the HR department, or if you find cold calling daunting, introduce yourself in writing, advising you’ll follow up with a phone call. Prepare what you’re going to say in advance, ensuring you highlight the ways in which you can add value to the organisation. Follow up by sending a short letter or email to the person you spoke to, thanking them for their time and reiterating your interest in working for the organisation – a small gesture that has a lot of impact!

Registering with recruitment agencies is another effective strategy to access the hidden job market. Not only do professional recruitment consultants often know of jobs that aren’t advertised elsewhere, but they are skilled at promoting their candidates and can give you invaluable advice about presentation, branding and interview skills to assist you through the job application process.

5. Define and Promote your Personal Brand

In career terms, your personal brand is the way you present yourself and your unique value proposition to everyone you come into contact with who has the potential to impact on your career. This includes work colleagues, your employer, clients, recruiters, professional networks, friends and people you meet through your professional social media networks.

You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression

… so it’s important that you promote your personal brand professionally from the start. When you’re applying for a job, you start building your brand with your résumé and application letter and your performance at interview is also part of your branding – whether you dress appropriately, your body language, your confidence and mannerisms.

As an employee, having a good, strong brand that clearly and consistently indicates your value to an employer in the ways they need the most will ensure you stand out from the crowd and have a head start in the competition to move up the career ladder.

A final note – value congruence is an important part of branding, so don’t force yourself to apply for a position that offends your values, or in an organisation that clashes with your ethics – it won’t work – you’ll feel fake, make yourself unhappy and your brand will eventually fall apart.

So there you have them – your career management plan,  a targeted, updated résumé , a great social media presence, the hidden job market and personal branding – five career tools you can use this year to banish your workplace woes for good!

MORE GREAT POSTS BY SUSAN WAREHAM MCGRATH:

• Is it time to ditch the pitch? ‘Elevator speeches’ in a world of social media.
• Serving on non-profit boards – good for you, good for the community!
• How to write a winning application letter

Australian Businesswomen’s Network Member and Owner of Tribe Research, Kate Tribe is featured in the October 2011 issue of Dynamic Business Magazine. She writes an article entitled, The Old Fashioned Things that Make a Big Difference. Kate discusses five things that you can do to help stand out and stay front of mind in your customers’ minds:

1. Identify a core market and a unique way for them to remember you
2. Slightly change marketing that can be lost in a seasonal flood
3. Think laterally about your brand messages and fun ways to communicate them
4. Word of mouth isn’t just through your customers
5. Supporting businesses that are in your market

Kate Tribe says:

New technology and social media are great but maintaining some old fashioned thoughtful gestures can make a real difference to the way customers view your business and its brand.

Read the full article here.

Kate Tribe has also been featured in a recent new.com.au article, Business slow on the uptake of mobile web and in Smarter Business Ideas on how to network like a pro.

How Google’s Social Network Changes Everything

Every week, millions more people sign up for Google+. Suddenly, it’s today’s hottest new social network. A new book – Google+ for Business – reveals why Google+ offers business opportunities available nowhere else — and helps you grab those opportunities now, before your competitors do.

Top social media professional speaker and business advisor Chris Brogan shows how to get great results fast, without wasting time –and without wasting a dime.

Join us on 2 November when Chris Brogan is our guest on BOOKED for Lunch – Free webinars with the world’s leading business book authors and thinkers.

Register now for this complimentary webinar.

In this webinar, we’ll look at:

• The opportunity that Google+ presents for businesses
• How to make the right first moves after you’ve signed up for Google+
• Ways to take advantage of links between Google+ and Google search
• Define the best Google+ strategy and tactics for your business
• How to integrate Google+ into your current online/digital strategies
• Ways to master warm selling on Google+
• A look at how to create a business page that attracts new paying customers
• Build a simple, low-cost content strategy around Google+

BOOKED for Lunch Details:

Google+ for Business: How Google’s Social Network Changes Everything - National Webinar

Date:	Wednesday, 2 November 2011
Time:	12.00pm to 1.00pm AEDT (Check your timezone.)
Venue:	Webinar, from your home or office
Price:	FREE

Not able to attend? Complete your registration and a recording of the webinar will be sent to you after the live event.

Note: You will need internet access to participate in this GoToWebinar. Call costs may apply if you do not use VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)

Learn more about GoToWebinar.

About the Author:

Chris Brogan, Human Business Works  Chris Brogan consults and speaks professionally with Fortune 100 and 500 companies like PepsiCo, General Motors, Microsoft, and more, on the future of business communications, and social software technologies. He is a New York Times bestselling co-author of Trust Agents, and a featured monthly columnist at Entrepreneur Magazine. Chris’s blog is in the Top 5 of the Advertising Age Power150. He has over 11 years experience in online community, social media, and related technologies. Read more about Chris Brogan.

About the Book:

What is a webinar?

A webinar is a web-based seminar. To participate you need internet access. Instructions will be sent to you on receipt of your registration. This webinar is brought to you by GoToWebinar, Web events made easy. Visit GoToWebinar and start your free 30 day trial today.

IMPORTANT – LIMITED SPACES ON THE DAY

Your registration today indicates your intention to attend. This event is a free event. We therefore expect a percentage of those that register to not attend on the day. With this in mind, the ABN/Citrix GotoMeeting will oversell the event. We recommend you login early on the day (lines will open approximately 15 minutes before the webinar commences) for the best chance of securing your place. In the event that you arrive at a time when the capacity has been reached you will not be able to attend the live session. You will however be sent a link to the recording of the webinar.

Facilitated Session for Growth Members

Australian Businesswomen’s Network Growth Members are invited to attend the next quarterly Entrepreneurs’ Roundtable. This facilitated session is an opportunity for women to address and discuss business issues and to focus the direction of their business development.

The Entrepreneurs’ Roundtables are facilitated to bring to light key issues to be brainstormed and are forums for business brainstorming, collaboration and shared experiences.

We believe that nobody understands the issues faced by business owners more than others that ‘walk in their shoes.’ Meeting content focuses on strategic input into the member businesses and varies depending upon their interests and needs between Roundtables. You’ll have the opportunity to bring up ‘burning’ issues to be discussed.

The Roundtables provide a confidential, non-competitive environment. Participation is on a first-come, first-served basis and places are limited.

Want to Attend the Roundtables? Not a Growth Member?

Learn more and sign up for Growth Membership.

What current Growth Members have to say…

Watch some of the ABN’s Growth Members talk about the benefits they have received from Growth Membership in this testimonials video, recorded at our May 2011 session in Sydney.

Event Details:

Entrepreneurs’ Roundtables – Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne

DATES:	Brisbane – 14 November 2011 Melbourne – 15 November 2011 Sydney – 17 November 2011
PRICE:	There is no cost to attend. Bookings are essential. Limited places.  (*Growth members: login to register for this event.)

These events are open to Growth Members Only. Learn more about Growth Membership.

To register, contact our office on 1300 720 120 or check your inbox for an e-invitation.

We look forward to having you attend and to your sharing in the giving and receiving of inspiration, knowledge and the sharing of experiences.

About Your Facilitator:

Networking continues to be one of the best ways to raise your profile, bring in new business and meet future clients, prospects, partners and suppliers. Networking HAS changed over the years, but how? What are the latest and greatest ways to network and to make the most of networking opportunities?

Join us on 12 October when Sue Henry of Business StickyBeak is our guest on Networking Essentials for Business Success.

Register now.

In this one-hour webinar we’ll cover:

Understanding Networking and your business

• Why networking is a valuable tool in business and why do it
• Methods of Networking
• Where and when to network

Planning and preparing for networking

• Planning Time, Working to a Budget, Using Systems and Tools that support success
• Working with your preferred style and situations

Taking Action for Results

• Action taking versus action thinking
• Continually learning and improving

Event Details:

Networking Essentials for Business Success – National Webinar

Date:	Wednesday, 12 October 2011
Time:	10.15am for 10.30am – 11.30am AEST  (Check your timezone.)
Venue:	Webinar, from your home or office
Price:	Growth Members: FREE
	StartUp Members: FREE
	CommunityPlus Members: $35
	Community Members: $39
	Non-Members: $39

Members – Login to get your discount. Not a member? Join today and save over $390 in webinars each year!

Not able to attend? Complete your registration and a recording of the webinar will be sent to you after the live event.

Note: You will need internet access to participate in this Webinar. Call costs may apply if you do not use VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol).

Guest Speaker:

What is a webinar?

A webinar is a web-based seminar. To participate you will need high-speed internet and a USB headset (with microphone). Instructions will be sent to you on receipt of your registration.

Not a member?

Join today and you save hundreds of dollars each year on workshops designed to help you be more successful as a businesswoman. Membership is less than $1 a day! Learn More about Membership Now.

Is this event right for you?

This event is suitable for women in all stages of business.

The StartUp Success Webinar Series

What’s Next?

Register below through our secure online shopping system. Upon registration you’ll receive confirmation of your attendance. If you have any questions you can send us an email or, call 1300 720 120. If you are a member, remember to login to get free entry.

By Julie Wise, The Silver Owl

Networking is a concept most people don’t give serious thought to — but in today’s economic climate, it can and should be an important part of your business plan.

When we think about networking, the tendency is to think about it in the realm of forging relationships in order to promote new positions for ourselves or new business for our company. There is nothing wrong with that outlook, but it just has to be said… there is plenty wrong with the way many business women think of and conduct their networking. (Business card anyone?)

You may recall, my New Year resolution was to improve the ROI on my networking, here is how my understanding of networking has evolved so far:

There’s our operational network

These are the people and groups that help you do your day-to-day work. This group is not necessary in order to do your work, but it is important to work together with this group. In my business, I consider those in my operational network as “collaborators” in the best sense. For example, I recently brought in a graphic designer as the client required a brand new logo and colour scheme for their business and by doing this, I could offer a fully integrated service.

In other words, we work together for the overall success of the client’s objectives, which in turn promotes our individual success.

There’s a developmental network

Those in your developmental network are your trusted advisors, mentors, friends and those you go to for advice and use as a professional sounding board. We become members of associations to gain access to educational resources.

I know that in my world, those in my developmental network have definitely helped me grow as a manager and leader.

And, finally our strategic network

While the first two networks aren’t necessary to growing your success, people we place into our strategic network definitely are.

The strategic network involves those you gather around you as you develop your future business objectives. These are the forward-thinkers who will assist you as you tackle new frontiers. These are the people who will challenge you, but they will also back you and ensure that you step confidently. These are the ones who will say why not try…

Understanding these three parts of networking means I now organise my development and strategic networks primarily through web, podcasts, iTunes, skype, email and voice calls with my mentors. And of course, the coffee catch-up. I don’t need live events for these networks. Have a good look at the quality of information available through many business associations in their online resources. Yes, often you need to become a member, but many are under $500pa  (these costs generally are a valid tax deduction).

As for live events, I have even reduced my time there too! Yes – its not a typo, I have reduced the live events I attend for business and at the same time have grown my business. How?

Being selective about the functions to attend. I really look at the timing of the event, the agenda and sounding out the event through my network. When I do attend, I have far more focus on the connections I want to make, what it is that we have in common and what to discuss with them.  The  four areas I now focus on in an event are:

1. Quality over quantity

   Taking the time to get to know the person sitting across from me.  I have found that the other person will learn a lot more about me too, and will now know what will be a good relationship or partner for my business.

2. A Giving Attitude

3. Attending events with the intention of offering whatever help I can

   This has led to more than one venture. Also, the recipocal is that I must be prepared to share what help it is that I’m looking for in life and/or business.

4. Everyone has a business card — highly successful business people have two!

   You can’t attend an event these days without doing the business card shuffle.   But, I found that spending the time sincerely talking to people I now receive the ‘other’ card – the one that has their direct contact details.

5. Networking reinforces your personal brand

   You undoubtedly recognise that a big part of your job is to be an ambassador for your company and your personal brand — both inside and outside the office.  A savvy entrepreneur gets clear on the reputation and values she wants to cultivate and then works hard to demonstrate them every day.

I know that as a woman business leader and entrepreneur, I must network… if you are committed to being successful, then understanding networking and doing it well is essential.

MORE GREAT POSTS BY JULIE WISE

• Build your Business: Steve Jobs Style
• Mobile Devices : Is your slip still showing?
• Carbon Pricing – Australia’s Future. The impact on you and your business.

By Cheryl Hayman, Hayman Strategy

In developing and managing your personal brand, the most basic marketing principles apply.

In today’s job-hunting environment, the most successful job-seekers are those who understand the value of marketing and apply to themselves those principles that companies have used for years to successfully sell their products.

Those principles are:

• What brand are you; how do you present?
• What do you want to be known for; what reputation elements are you wishing to display?
• How do you build awareness of yourself, and then reinforce that awareness so you become more top-of-mind versus other candidates?
• Where do you voice your brand (you)? What ‘media’ channels?
• How do you measure your success?
• Are you willing to change/evolve according to the reception and success you’re achieving?

There are 3 key things to consider before you begin the personal branding journey:

1. Are you willing to be yourself – to put who you are into what you do and how you do it?
2. Personal branding is based in authenticity, not in creating an image for the outside world – can you be authentic?
3. Can you bring yourself – your best self to every interview or career experience?

Building a strong personal brand isn’t about telling people how great you are, it’s about showing people how great you are.

Messaging – Tone/Personality/Style

If you are a brand, then your clothing is your logo. What impression is your wardrobe giving to those around you?

Consider how you present yourself. Think about what impresses you when you meet people for the first time. Things such as Personal Style, Colour Choices, Casual vs Corporate Attire, Hair and Make-up. How do the individual components represent your personality and the impression you wish to convey?

They say ‘first impressions count’ well, it is a well documented fact that the way your present yourself creates an impression is the first 7 seconds!

Do you…

• shake hands (top & tail)
• smile
• come prepared with questions
• demonstrate your enthusiasm of the job through prior research
• retain eye contact
• answer questions properly
• know when to stop talking  ???

Distribution channels – how to initiate contact

There are numerous ways to initiate an approach when seeking to further your career:

• Job Postings & Recruitment Advertising – watch and select
• Cold Calling – tough for most people, but sometimes you get lucky this way
• Networking – again, tough for some people, but an absolute ‘must’ at any stage of career progression
• Job-hunting on the Web
• University Career Centers & Alumni Offices
• Headhunters/Recruiters/Executive Search Firms/Employment Agencies – all viable and well known routes to employment. Just remember to treat these people the same way you would treat the actual company you’re interviewing with. Never assume you’ll pass this phase and go straight into an interview with a company.

Which is the most important distribution channel?

Most career experts agree that networking is crucial to a successful job search. Networking means developing a broad list of contacts – people you’ve met through various social and business functions – and using them to your advantage when you look for a job.

Building an online presence

Today, no personal brand can be built without acknowledging and understanding how to utilise the online space that surrounds our every day lives.

One of the first things you can do is to create an online portfolio. Find out if your personal domain name is available. If it is, purchase it!

I recommend building and designing your online portfolio using a free content management system, such as WordPress. On the homepage, include a welcome message to visitors which can be a similar, more generic version of your cover letter. Then, include separate pages for your resume, portfolio, contact information and a link to your professional blog (if you feel comfortable with this).

What are the biggest personal branding mistakes job seekers make?

1. Not controlling content. Many sites—such as Facebook or Twitter—have ‘private’ settings for personal information. If your future employer won’t think it’s appropriate, take the content down or make your profile private.
2. Not knowing what makes you unique. Show employers how you will fit with their company and why you will be an asset.
3. Not taking advantage of technology. Along with LinkedIn, Twitter and other sites for networking, you should also create an online portfolio. Sites such as VisualCV or webs.com allow you to compile your work and show them to others.

I like to remind people that Google is not a search engine. It is a reputation management system.

Online, your reputation is quantifiable, findable and totally unavoidable.

LinkedIn is a:

• Professional social network
• Way to research business and individuals
• Professional “Branding” opportunity

Facebook advice:

• Watch the photos you upload
• Create a business page and a friends site separately
• Watch wall posts
• Join relevant Groups
• Publish anything you write, any article written about you and any links to relevant industry pieces. It is about building a profile and enhancing awareness of you out in the larger world.

Online is one of modern day’s networking tools. Never underestimate its power or its influence and the impression it leaves. It has become part of your “grooming”… as important as the clothes you wear!

If you follow these tips and remember you are the brand, then you will find that over time you will do all these things as part of your second nature, and there is actually no major effort required, other than being conscious of how you continually reinforce “brand YOU”!

Check back tomorrow for the next blog post in 30 Days to a Great Career! 1-30 September 2011

MOST RECENT 30 DAYS TO A GREAT CAREER POSTS

• Get Organised for Better Productivity: Design a Productivity Ritual
• Putting your best foot forward in an interview
• Staying Positive Through Your Job Search Process

By Suzi Dafnis, Australian Businesswomen’s Network

So, you’ve decided to leave the boardroom (or cubicle) so that you can run your own show, set your own rules, achieve a long-time dream of being your own boss. Good for you.

Almost 50% of the Australian Businesswomen’s Network’s 20,000-strong community is women who are women working full or part-time for others, while operating, or planning to establish, their own businesses.

I started my first business (and my transition from boardroom), in my spare bedroom. That makes me kind-of normal as far as many small business startups.

While one blog post is certainly not enough to tell you what to do to get started in your own business what I can do in this post is share the three guiding principles that have helped me to start and grow businesses.

I bring it down to three key areas: education, inspiration and networking.

A younger, less experienced me

EDUCATION

Like many, I entered the world of business ownership with just a few of the skills that I would ultimately need. My skills were marketing and events which I’d gained in roles with small and large companies since the age of 18. I didn’t have business training nor did I have a nice big bank balance to fund my startup.

The skills to run a business, manage a team, communicate, write, collaborate, negotiate, sell, etc. are all skills that I’ve learned through study and trial and error.

17 years since I started my first business, I continue to study every day (including taking myself overseas every year to attend workshops with experts in the areas that I want to master).

• What skills/education do you have?
• What skills/education do you need to acquire?

INSPIRATION

I remember walking into our accountant’s office with our business plan – which we’d taken every effort to make pretty. He looked at it and smiled and congratulated us on the impressive document and then asked: “But, how are you going to make money?”.

He was telling us that we need to

1. find a market and customers
2. develop a product that was needed and wanted and
3. start selling (nothing happens until you sell something!)

And we did. He remains one of our most important advisors and mentors. Many more mentors, role models and teachers have provided inspiration over the years. I find inspiration through not only creating a big vision and a game for what I want to do in business, but also through the people who share my journey. Mentors and role models are a key part of being successful in any business.

One of the things I’m passionate about doing with the Australian Businesswomen’s Network is to demonstrate role models through our speaker and guests, articles and mentoring programs. Success has so many faces and I think it’s important to show a variety of ways and means to get to the end goal of business success.

• Who inspires you and why?
• Would a mentor be a good option for you to get guidance and support?

NETWORKING

While sometimes a reluctant networker (I’m much better at dinner parties than networking events) I value relationships and contacts and have spent a lot of time building long-term relationships with business colleagues and contacts.

And, networking for me is not about shuffling business cards at events, it’s about maintaining contact with people I like. I find that by offering support and being generous with helping others my network seems to grow and become more powerful.

I don’t try too hard. Quality is definitely the winner over quantity for me.

• Who would you like to connect with or reconnect with?
• What can you do each week to make your relationships stronger?

THE INSPIRATION TO GET STARTED

I didn’t have a big dream to grow a business (or many, as it turns out). I simply wanted to be my own boss. And, I didn’t take the leap voluntarily.

Here’s how it worked for me. Made redundant from a job and unsure what to do next I started offering my marketing skills as a consultant through my network. This worked out okay (though hardly bought in riches) for a number of months before my partner and I decided we’d have a go at starting an events business. His background was in radio and sales, mine in marketing and both of us had about three years experience in events.

I’ve spoken on many occasions about the ups and downs of our first three years working from our spare room (a very small room in a Sydney apartment) and losing $40k – or was it $60K – on our first major deal and having to crawl out of that debt over two years.

I hesitate to retell the story when it’s documented well in other articles.

Here’s a link to one article in Grow Your Business Magazine.

The beginning days, months and years were really tough. I don’t look back at them with any sort of reminiscence. (When I speak to our StartUp members I can totally appreciate the love/hate relationship that they often have with their business. The picture they had hasnt quite manifested and they are stuck, stressed and sometimes desperate to make it work but need support.)

We didn’t have enough clients, money, skills, confidence. But, we did have guts and determination to keep going for the goal. I learned to love was the excitement that comes with entrepreneurship and creating your own future in a the unique way that being your own boss allows.

Entrepreneurship is my love and that’s why I do the work that I do. Helping people transition from employee to self-employed is very close to my heart. But, it’s only right if it works to give you the goals you ultimately have.

(In future blog posts and through articles and webinars give you tips on how to make the leap from boardroom to bedroom.)

Check back tomorrow for the next blog post in 30 Days to a Great Career! 1-30 September 2011

MOST RECENT 30 DAYS TO A GREAT CAREER POSTS

• Top Questions for Job Seekers to Ask at Interview
• Standing out from the Crowd
• Equal Pay Day 2011

By Johanna Baker-Dowdell, Strawberry Communications

When you think about female entrepreneurs such as Janine Allis and Naomi Simson, do you think about the women first, or the brands Boost Juice and Red Balloon?

I would be fairly confident in saying you thought first about the inspirational woman and second about the brand they built. The reason you put the name before the business is personal branding. Both these women have worked very hard on their personal PR efforts to ensure their names are synonymous with the idea of successful business women.

So now think about your personal PR efforts. Is it all about your business or do you promote yourself as the woman behind the name? If the latter is true (and that is likely as women are brilliant at putting themselves last), start by spreading the word about you, the entrepreneur.

Here are some suggestions to get you thinking about how you can step out from behind your brand and show your customers or clients who is running the show:

• Blog about your area of expertise – make sure your blog covers the same ideas as your USP (unique selling proposition), but use it to cement you as the expert on that topic. Once you are considered the expert, the media will approach you to comment on issues in your industry.
• Networking – get yourself known offline in person at business events, but also online via social media platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and communities like the ABN.
• Become a speaker – extending from the expert and networking themes, you can use these platforms to organise speaking opportunities at business events, on webinars or in podcasts where you can share your expertise with a wider audience.

Start close to home by sending media releases to the outlets in your area with a local take on a national issue (for example, show how your boutique can help women dress for Melbourne Cup with some fashion tips timed just before the November event), or offer yourself as a speaker at the Chamber of Commerce and go from there.

People buy from people, not brands (unless your brand is Apple), so make it about you for a change.

MORE GREAT POSTS BY JOHANNA BAKER-DOWDELL

• How Can Blogging Promote My Business?
• How to Hook the Media With Your Story

“It’s great for women to go into business when they have a passion for something,” says Michelle Madhok. “I’ve come across a lot of women who go into business because they know the market, whether it’s children’s products or make-up. And that’s great! I used to love to shop. I still love to shop! So I went into a business I was interested in.”

Michelle is the CEO of SheFinds Media: “We run websites that help busy women shop online. We have shefinds.com, which is fashion; momfinds.com, which is stuff for busy moms; and bridefinds.com for brides.”

I had the pleasure of chatting with Michelle at the Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network Conference in Rio de Janeiro. She said, “It’s just so inspiring to be around all these women. I’ve even become closer friends with some of my contacts from New York on this trip because we’re together in this new environment all the time. It has been a really good time to sit and think about our business.”

When Michelle first started her business, there wasn’t competition, but now the competition grows larger every day.

“I really have to be strategically thinking all the time, ‘What is my value-add?’” Michelle said. “You have to keep changing and improving your business so you can keep serving your customers.”

Michelle also suggests carving out an online presence for yourself in a specifc niche: “If you Google ‘online shopping expert,’ I’m number one and two on the search engine result page. Whatever you want to be, make yourself available in that space for SEO [search engine optimization]. Using online media is a way of meeting customers wherever they want you to be.”

Enjoy this interview with Michelle Madhok at the Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network 2011 event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Michelle Madhok – SheFinds Media Online shopping expert Michelle Madhok has been a pioneer in women’s online content for over a decade. Following positions overseeing online content at CBS and AOL, Madhok founded SheFinds.com in 2004, and MomFinds.com two years later. SheFinds and MomFinds are editorial websites that aim to make shopping online easy and fun for busy women, highlighting only the best products with independent reviews and links to buy. The sites aim to find people deals like this complete list of online same sales. Madhok is currently CEO of SheFinds Media, which operates both properties. Website: www.michelle-madhok.com Facebook: michellemadhok Twitter: @shefinds Linkedin: michellemadhok

Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network 2011

From June 5-7 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, more than 120 female business leaders from around the world gathered with Dell to learn about technology, marketing, brand, social media and raising capital while building relationships and sharing insights. It was an impressive group of participants, including Moira Forbes, Arianna Huffington and Luiza Helena Trajano, the founder of the third largest retail chain in Brazil. Over the course of two days, the conference participants explored and learned that women entrepreneurs truly share a unique perspective and approach to business.

Building on Dell’s entrepreneurial heritage and recognising the unique challenges and rocky journeys entrepreneurs can face led to the inception of the Dell’s Women Powering Business Initiatives, including Dell’s Women Entrepreneurs’ Network (DWEN). DWEN strives to help women entrepreneurs expand their networks, innovate and grow their businesses. The DWEN event and LinkedIn community supply a social network to grow B2B and exchange ideas to help build confidence. Dell’s believes never in the history of the world has the entrepreneurial spirit been more alive or in a more favourable position to drive global growth.

Australian women business leaders are invited to join in the conversation and share who and what inspires and motivates them as entrepreneurs and leaders via the Women Powering Business Network group on LinkedIn.