Building a Professional Network

We always hear that building professional networks is vital to success, but it should also be noted that your network should reach beyond family and friends.

Family and friends are great, and most of us would be lost without them. They create a great support system in a wide variety of situations—including helping you fulfill your dreams. However, if you’re talking business, you really need to expand your network. Most women rely on family members as their primary network, but these individuals don’t always have access to meaningful business information—like new leads, business experts or financial advice.

Your contacts should be people who will help you develop your competitive advantage. You need diversity of opinions and backgrounds, so as you build your network, try to include individuals with varying backgrounds and expertise. Ideally, it should be people who don’t work for you. That way you can benefit from different perspectives and ideas. You can begin by joining and participating in social media sites and joining local professional networking groups. So, get out there and start reaching out.

Finding a Balance that Works for You

Women continually struggle with work-life balance. There are many women who believe there is this set, generic and ideal form of balance. However, that is just not the case. Balance differs for everyone. What works for your co-worker may not work for you. And what works for you may not work for your neighbor. Everyone is different and has a different job and your work-life balance should reflect that. Also, many women believe that their personal and business life should be completely different. But instead hear this: Your business is your personal life.

By that I mean if you develop your business around your personal brand essence, then the real you will rise to the surface. You’re a package. Your values, personality—even your passions—they all come together to create a personal brand that defines you. Now take it one step further and incorporate that brand into your business.

There are steps for accomplishing this goal, and I talk about them in great detail in my book, but the basic concept remains the same: Make your personal brand and your business brand one. And don’t forget that it all has to happen within the guidelines of authenticity. Don’t be a fake. Stay genuine and true to your passions and your ideals. Balance is only achieved if and when you stay true to your passions—and you refuse to separate your business brand from your personal brand.

Mastering Phone Interviews

So, you’ve scored your first interview with a reporter. Woohoo! I know that feeling. It’s exhilarating the first minute; the next is filled with panic. Don’t worry. It’s time to get serious and start preparing.

• Do your homework. Check out the reporter. What beat do they cover? What’s their style? What companies have they covered in your industry?

• Nail down the key messages you want to get across. Put together your talking points. What are your three main points and supporting facts?

• Consider all questions you may be asked. What’s the worst-case scenario question? Make sure to do a mock interview with a teammate to help you get comfortable.

• Stand up during the interview. It sounds odd, and people walking by might chuckle, but it helps you get focused. You’re less likely to go off on a tangent in this power stance.

• Nix distractions. Shut down your computer and turn off your phone. The less distractions, the easier it is to deliver a clear, concise message. Speaking of phones, use a landline instead of your cell phone if possible.

• Don’t market yourself through the interview. Journalists despise this, and being overly promotional may ruin your chances of getting interview No. 2.

• If you don’t know the answer, don’t guess. Be frank and tell the reporter you’ll get back to them with the information.

• Remember, there is no such thing as “off the record.” End of story.

• Post-interview, feel free to thank the journalist via email. But don’t send them gifts. They’re not allowed to accept them, and they’ll just wind up in a closet somewhere.

Follow these tips, and you’ll be prepared for a knock-out interview. Go get ‘em!

Of fortune cookies and creative business for times like these

Here is what’s great about Twitter. Yesterday I tweeted about my fortune cookie message: Look for the dream that keeps coming back. It is your destiny. About three hours later, FortuneKookie Crew from Chicago followed me on Twitter. Their goal: “We like to follow people who tweet fortune messages!” Works for me!

Where else but Twitter? On a more serious business note, I was followed by the founders of www.UrbanInterns.com. Lauren Porat and her partner, Cari Sommer, created a company—beta testing in NYC right now—to connect small business owners with college educated assistants, on a paid or unpaid basis. I love hiring interns at our company. We always learn from them, and hopefully the feeling is mutual. And sometimes, when it’s possible and the fit is right, these intern positions turn into full time employment. And everybody’s a winner. In today’s tough economic environment, which is about to see an influx of college grads, interning is a great solution.

Who else have I “met” on Twitter? So many great folks! It’ll be fun to make this a regular feature of my blog. And, just like an intern, I learn something everyday! And that’s fortunate.

Kaira Rouda is an entrepreneur and author of Real You Incorporated: 8 Essentials for Women Entrepreneurs. Sign up for a weekly dose of inspiration!

Lessons from spring break

It's great to take a break, especially a spring break with your kids. I'm blessed that all four of mine were together this year, for our last family spring break. I say the last, because my oldest is headed to college next year and the breaks don't line up. To say that having him around for 17 spring breaks and then thinking about his impending absence put an added poignancy to this break, would be an understatement. I have found myself sighing a lot more than usual, that's for sure.

His future is exciting. The roots we've provided have given him the wings he needs to select a university across the country from home. And that's what parents give their children - roots and wings.

In business, it's much the same. We nurture our employees and their dreams, and when they decide to move on, we applaud. We nurture our services and products and then release them to the world. The future success of our businesses - and the true happiness in our lives - comes from our ability to let go in order to grow.

And it's much the same with our children. It's not easy, but when they are ready it becomes our time to let go and watch them grow.