Get Packing with American Airlines® and Real You Incorporated

Have you ever been to Sicily? How about Arizona’s Red Rock Country or the Golden Gate Bridge? Well here’s your opportunity to travel to that destination of you’ve been dreaming of.

Consider this limited time promotion with American Airlines. If you purchase my new book, Real You Incorporated: 8 Essentials for Women Entrepreneurs, by June 6, our partner, American Airlines, will give you 10% off any domestic or international flight. What a great deal! For terms and conditions, click here.

If you can’t decide where to travel, check out “2007 World’s Best Cities,” at Travel + Leisure.

Bon voyage!

It’s never too soon to start preparing for your future as an entrepreneur.

Even if you’re working for someone else, you can begin preparing for entrepreneurship down the road. First, learn to speak up and voice your opinion. That’s why they hired you, and that’s what will help you become a great business person. Next, learn to love meetings. Determine the good and the bad about how the meetings are run. If you see a way that’s more efficient, take that knowledge with you when you start your own venture. Next, find a mentor and learn to network. You never know who could help you move up or help you move on. And finally, take credit for your work—just not in a snarky way.

Graduation is upon us, and graduates everywhere are embarking on exciting, new careers. However, a study from the Center for Women’s Leadership at Babson College shows that very few college graduates—especially women—start their own business right after college. In fact, national estimates are somewhere around 2 percent. Instead, women are launching businesses about five to eight years after graduation—and after they’ve spent time in the workforce. What does that mean for you? If you’re about to graduate and you have plans to run your own business sometime in the future, start preparing now. A copy of Real You Incorporated can help.

Know someone who’s about to graduate? Real You Incorporated: 8 Essentials for Women Entrepreneurs is the ideal graduation gift. Pick up copies at your local bookstore, go to Amazon.com or visit http://www.realyouincorporated.com/. They’ll be thanking you for years to come!

Love who you are, and what you do. Do it all as a proudly passionate real female entrepreneur.

Make a list of the characteristics people most admire about you. You’ll need to solicit the help of your family and friends for this one. The process will help define who you are—and what you do. Remember, these are the characteristics that make you real. Let them shine in a real way.

Linda Alvarado is an American entrepreneur who started her own construction company in 1976 with a $2,500 loan from her parents. Alvarado Construction, based in Denver, has become one of the fastest growing commercial general contracting firms in the country. In fact, it was one of three firms that built the new stadium for the Denver Broncos, and it was also part of the construction of the Denver International Airport and the Colorado Convention Center. Still, people really noticed Alvarado in 1991. That’s the year she became the first Hispanic to own a major baseball franchise--the Colorado Rockies. In addition to being the recipient of numerous awards, she also served on President Clinton’s Advisory Commission of Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans. Clearly, Alvarado loves what she does—and she does it as a proudly passionate female entrepreneur.

How about you? Do you love who you are—and what you do? Leave a comment!

For more inspiration, check out my recent article about expressing your unique personal brand as a marketable business brand on WomenEntrepreneur.com.

Wow! Congrats girlfriend!

That's just the type of email I love to receive in my inbox! My friend, Jackie, sent it responding to the great news Real You Incorporated has been named to the list of the Top 25 Books Coroporate America is Reading. That's exciting! And, it's the only book focused on women in business on the list!It's amazing to be on the same list as Jack Welsh and Blue Ocean Strategy!

It has also been exciting to watch our rank on Amazon's women and business bestseller list! We're there!

We're breaking through, girlfriends! In speeches across the country our message of embracing your personal brand with authenticity is making a difference in women's lives! And I'd love to hear your feedback. Drop me a note, join my community, send me your story of inspiration. One happy email a day makes the entire inbox bearable. Much like a smile confuses an approaching frown. Write me at Kaira@RealYouIncorporated.com

Thank you to all of you who are supporting me and reading the book! We are being noticed!

If your significant other is your partner, the stakes are higher all around.

But when it works, there’s a unique reward in being part of a power couple.

Before you jump into a partnership with your husband or other family member, create some clear expectations for each person’s role within the company. Write them down. But even before you do, be realistic about your own strengths and weaknesses. Can your partner enhance or complement your skills? Who’s the strategist? Who’s the deal maker? Outline each person’s roles and responsibilities up front—before you get started.

Lucille Ball, determined to be a successful actress, struggled for years to achieve stardom. After marrying Cuban band leader Desi Arnaz in 1940, the couple’s private life had its ups and downs. But in 1950, Ball was offered her own televisions series, an offer she refused to accept—that is, unless her husband was hired to co-star. From 1951 to 1957, I Love Lucy evolved as the most popular show on television, and it enjoyed unprecedented success. While Ball shined in her role as the zany Lucy Ricardo, Arnaz uncovered his own talents as a television executive, and he called the shots throughout the duration of the show. This power couple learned firsthand the unique rewards associated with working as a husband-and-wife team.

The truth is, between 80 and 90 percent of all businesses are family owned. If you’re considering a business partnership, first read Life Lesson 5 in Real You Incorporated: Don’t go it alone.

Do you have insight about making business partnerships work? Leave a comment!

Girlfriends and Gabbing and Mother's Day

On this Mother's Day I, of course, am so thankful for my four kids and for my own great mom, and my mother-in-law, and the rest of my family. But I'm also thankful for all the great moms who I'm honored to call my friend. Without these women in my life, I just don't know what I'd do. Girlfriendology celebrates that amazing bond. It's a wonderful site, and the founder, Debba Haupert, embraces her inner daisy as much as I do. (See her website, and the cover of my book.) We just did a podcast talking about the importance of friends, and much much more.

And why do we need girlfriends so desperately, especially in these frightening economic times? As I learned during the recent Marketing to Women conference, we women personalize and internalize stress. And when we worry, we connect. (Men isolate.) And one of our favorite forms of connection? Talking. Women say 20,000 words a day, while men speak 7,000 words. And that's just out loud!! Add in email and well, you've got the picture.

So if you're feeling stressed, gab with a friend. It's the best therapy. Happy Mother's Day to all of you great friends out there.

Do what you love.

Find out what makes you wake up in the morning and smile. Start by listing the activities that you are most passionate about during a typical day at work or home. These are probably the daily tasks that you look forward to—the items on your to-do list that get checked off first. Once you’ve uncovered your passions, it’s easier to make them come to life in your real brand.

I think that Kim Ades, president of Opening Doors and Frame of Mind Coaching , chose this as one of her favorite tips for women entrepreneurs because it has made such a difference in her life. As a business owner, she specializes in thought management, and her goal is to help people attain the opportunities they are seeking in life. She “opens doors” to people, to thoughts, to greatness—and to self-actualization. And she “opens the doors” that stand in the way of great fulfillment—of doing what a person truly loves.

How about you? Are you passionate about what you do in life? Is there a spring in your step? A sparkle in your eye? Start opening the doors to your passion by reading Real You Incorporated.

And don’t forget to share your success stories with the RYI Community!

Personal Branding - it's all in what it means to you

I'm president of a residential real estate franchise, Real Living. In the real estate industry, it has been common practice to use a photo as the centerpiece of an agent's personal brand. That's just the way it is. In most other businesses, the visualization of your personal brand is your name and title on the company's business card. The company's name and logo has been the visualization of both the corporate brand and yours.

Times are changing though. Today's employees come to the workplace expecting the ability to more thoroughly express their personal brands. That's because they've been doing it online since middle school through the social networking sites. It's truly part of who they are. To expect them to come into your workplace and inhabit a sterile cubicle is crazy. Allowing enough room for personal expression not only makes for a happier employer - but a more creative, productive work environment. Get some inspiration.

So embrace creativity in your office. Celebrate when an employee pins a special photo on her wall. Taking the time to know the personal side of the people you work with makes working together all the more worthwhile.

In today’s 24/7 world, women make over 80% of all consumer purchases across every product category

In fact, there’s a whole conference designed to inform marketers on various topics concerning the female consumer. The fourth annual The Marketing to Women Conference will be held May 8-9 at the Chicago Cultural Center, and I’m so excited to be attending this year. I’ll be speaking along with some of the most well-known experts in women’s marketing, like author Marti Barletta and the founding publisher of PINK magazine, Genevieve Bos.

In my presentation, Home is Where the Purse is, I’ll be explaining the immense buying power women have around the real estate transaction. Women are buying during life stages, so there's a huge opportunity to reach them during these moments. Marriage, the birth of a child, a growing family--these are opportune times to market to women. Since women also increase spending by 200 percent in the first year of home ownership, savvy marketers can capitalize on these life transitions. Today's woman is buying more than just a home; she's buying a lifestyle.