Media Room at Coaching Coach

A driving force in her business.
"Mandie has been a valuable partner for my coaching needs. I can always count on Mandie to provide innovative coaching methods to bring out my creativity and help me put my ideas into action.
Tara DeBruin

Relaxed confidence leads to business success

---Melissa Hancock

A woman's emotions can help lead her into the business world with passion. But they can also sometimes get in the way of concrete success. It's all about balance, according Roaring Women's Mandie Crawford.

"Most people aren't honest with themselves," says Crawford. "Women don't know how to blow their own horns."

And women need to feel and express confidence without feeling embarrassed to do so, she noted.

Focusing on small businesses, and mainly with a goal to empower women, Crawford is president of Roaring Women Ltd. As part of a country-wide initiative, she made a stop in Cambridge this week to offer free advice on how to succeed. Sitting in the Staples parking lot on Pinebush Road, a large RV - dubbed Crawford's "Coaching Coach" - played host to a few groups of women on Tuesday who sat inside to ask questions and hear Crawford's words of business wisdom.

And she knows a thing or two about success. A former police officer, a published author and speaker, Crawford's list of achievements and awards is a long one.

According to Crawford, the No. 1 mistake made by many small business owners is ineffective or poorly timed marketing. And while rough patches on the road to success can be upsetting, it's important to look past the negatives, she maintains.

"It's just a moment in time," she said, adding that people need to identify the problems, relax, find a solution and carry on.

Sheri Leisemer, general manager of Cambridge's Staples store, was also on hand and offered some networking tips to two women - owners of small businesses in Waterloo Region - who attended the coaching session. In association with Staples Business Depot, Crawford's coaching sessions are free. Leisemer told the women that she is even spearheading a networking initiative within the Cambridge store, where local small businesses will have an opportunity to showcase what they do.

Through Roaring Women Ltd., Crawford also holds larger-scale business gatherings. There is one held once a month in Cambridge.

For more information about Roaring Women or the Coaching Coach, visit www.roaringwomen.com or www.thecoachingcoach.com.

Question:

How do I build a team?

Answer:

All businesses as they grow require that you build a team of dedicated and talented people around you. The best way to do that is to first work on your own personal development.

Learning about what makes you tick and what makes others tick can help you to become a very good manager. I highly recommend that you become trained in personality styles and learn to identiify what drives people and what interests them.

In addition becoming the best you can be and working on your own self development makes you a better person - and people will want to work with you. "How to win friends and influence people" by Dale Carnegie is still a great book and I try to read it once a year.

Good leaders attract good team mates and so that should be your goal!

Finally - write down just what you want from a team - what kind of people you want to work with and what their jobs will be. This will help you to visualize and to see who they will be - and this will assist you in atrtacting them. This also will help you to identify the right people when they present themselves to you.

SPECIAL NOTE for direct sales and MLM industries.
When you are building a tema - be sure to have an application process for your team members. Do not just take anyone. They may very well become clients or distributors in your business - but be selective about your team.

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