Women Entrepreneurs
Women Branching Out: Amber McCue
I’m very happy to have Amber McCue of AmberMcCue.com here on the blog today as part of the Women Branching Out interview series.
Amber is a business coach who brings her corporate business background, experience running her own photography boutique, and high energy to the table to help entrepreneurs optimize their business operations and outsourcing.
Her new group program for entrepreneurs, How to Clone Yourself, starts October 14.
Here’s Amber…
Q: Tell me about your business. Who do you love to help and why?
I am crazy about helping small business owners and solo entrepreneurs run their businesses better. When I talk about running the business, I’m talking business planning, financials, building a team, systems, process, training, hiring, difficult conversations, leverage, client engagement, pricing strategies,and team building.
In my experience not only do small business owners have a passion for making big change, but they are the most well equipped to do it because they are not encumbered by the same challenges as big-business. Entrepreneurship is increasing at the highest rates in 16 years. Small business owners and entrepreneurs have the opportunity to fuel unprecedented change.
By starting with a strong foundation in terms of business operations and organizational structures, the potential impact one can have on their person tribe as well as the extended ripple effect that can be made is astounding. Not to mentioned the personal satisfaction and fulfillment that follows.
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Q: You have lots of experience running business operations for big and small businesses. When did you first start to recognize the impact outsourcing could have in your own business?
I first started to outsource in a bigger way when I realized I was in way too deep and I stopped enjoying my business, my passion. I quickly went back to what I did in corporate and realized I could apply the same concepts – in a much different way – to get better leverage in my business.
It is a highly personal process, however. I like to go into the deep end of the pool myself to make sure I fully understand what is happening before I hand off and train or outsource activities to someone else. For me, this helps me understand and appreciate what is happening as I hand off.
When you are starting up, you might not want to outsource everything right from the start. Or maybe you do – I admire people who do that. Either way, you’ll want to set up strong systems and process so when you are ready to outsource it is a more seamless transition.
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Q: Why do you think women entrepreneurs fall into the trap of trying to do it all themselves? and What do you tell your clients to help them start to see the potential of outsourcing?
I personally fall into the “do it all” myself trap because I’m immensely curious to know how things work. It takes time to outsource and get someone else up to speed. Often times in any business I have found people believe it is faster to “do it myself” than to train or teach someone else to help.
It’s true, it will take a little extra time to train someone else in the short term. But in the long run, you’ll better be able to leverage your skills, play in your zone of genius, and in the end reap the benefits in terms of increase income.
I recently heard both Erika Lyremark of the DailyWhip and Fabienne Fredrickson of Client Attraction say that every time they delegate, they make more money.
By letting someone else do what you do not like to, but they truly enjoy and are skilled at doing, you will level up and you’ll be bringing people with you (how cool is that?).
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Q: Are there business tasks that everyone should outsource, or is deciding what to outsource an individual decision?
Start with repeatable tasks. Anything you do again and again can likely be outsourced, systematized, or delegated.
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What is your favorite aspect of your running your own business?
I love personalizing solutions and ensuring my clients get exactly the right strategy and action plan they need to grow their business.
I get turned on by a challenge. I love problem solving in my business and with my clients.
Notice I did not say it is the systems or the process I love — Those are a means to an end for me.
A really good ending. 🙂
I also love building a budget and a financial forecast. Not because I love math or numbers. I hate math in fact. What I love about a budget and a financial forecast is that it is the one place a business owner can bring all of their dreams, plans, and strategies together in one place to see how it will really work. It is where the rubber meets the road so to speak.
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Q: Who are your business role models and why?
Erika Lyremark – Erika kindly kicks your butt, sees your potential, she won’t let you give less than your all, and she shares.
Danielle Laporte – I had a 90 minute strategy session with her and felt like I had meditated for 90 minutes when it ended. She is a killer business strategist and does it with soul. I only hope my clients feel as good as with me as I did after working with her.
Erin Giles – Erin is the walking billboard for how businesses can do good.
Morgan Day Cecil – She reminds me that slow and steady wins the race.
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Q: What did 7 year old Amber say she wanted to be when she grew up?
7 year old Amber wanted to speak. At the time I thought I wanted speak to a group of students in the role of teacher. As I grew and was exposed to more, I knew I wanted to speak to entertain and teach adults how to good things in the world through, with, and for other people. I was obsessed with how to be a better person, how to run a better student council meeting, make a better newsletter that people will actually read, more efficiently get my homework done, be more positive, etc.
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Q: What does “The Art of Spreading Yourself Thickly” look like in the McCue household?
This question makes me smile. I love this stuff so I practice it all with my family – I am lucky to have a husband and two daughters that play a long. For example, our household budget that looks much like a business profit and loss statement.
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Q: Is there anything else you’d like us to know?
Take a leadership role to run your business. It all becomes so much easier and richer when you do.
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Amber McCue is an entrepreneurial business coach and small business consultant, teaching leaders how to run a business that increases their bottom line and fuels change. Not only has Amber coached business leaders running up to $30 million dollar budgets, but she has experience running her own business as the cofounder of a photography boutique. Amber consults with entrepreneurs and small business owners one-on-one and in in her group program called How to Clone Yourself. You can sign up for a free consult and cloning session here. Amber can also be found at: ambermccue.com on Twitter and Facebook.
Please give Amber some comment love below and share her story!
Women Branching Out: Sammi Johnson
I’m very happy to have Sammi Johnson of Sammi Is Social here on the blog today as part of the Women Branching Out interview series.
Sammi rocks social media with a fun, just do it attitude and straight forward advice for both online entrepreneurs and brick-and-mortar businesses.
Her new Kickstart service helps businesses grow their online presences with custom social media content.
Here’s Sammi…
Tell me about Sammi Is Social. Who do you love to help and why?
Sammi is Social is about teaching, inspiring and encouraging. I love to support people and see that little light bulb go off when I teach an entrepreneur something new. I mostly work with women who have an amazing message, and the drive to get it out in the world, but they just aren’t sure what steps to take. I have an uncanny ability to come up with marketing strategies that aren’t always mainstream.
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When did you first start to recognize the impact social media could play in your own business?
Years ago, about six or seven, I used Myspace to blog and post pictures for family and friends. Then I became the social events director for a singles group at my church. Immediately I put up a website but I quickly learned I had to direct my audience to the website pretty frequently or they would forget to check out the upcoming events. I started using a newsletter and yahoo groups to keep everyone involved and to get feedback — and a crazy seed was planted inside me for all things social media!
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I’ve seen you vlog in pink curlers and talk about social media while putting your makeup on and you always seem so at ease. What advice do you have for women just starting out in their online businesses about putting their “real” selves out in the world for everyone to see?
I was not born with that self-conscious gene I see so many women have. I love to be on camera to share my message and I’m always trying to think of ways I can relate to the women I’m trying to reach. Sometimes a crazy marketing stunt can be just what you need to help your message reach more people.
If you really have trouble with being on camera I always tell my clients: Here’s the deal! (I say that a lot!) People in your life see you all the time. This is not a big deal – it’s only new to you! No one else sees that weird zit on your forehead or that your right eye is bigger than your left. If you are really passionate about your business and helping as many people as possible – use video.
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What is the biggest stumbling block you see women having with incorporating social media easily into their businesses?
When it comes to social media I see a lot of women sweating the small stuff. They worry about saying the wrong thing at the wrong time and somehow ‘messing up’ – although there are some general guidelines with social media – it all moves VERY fast and one post or tweet is not going to make or break your biz. Keep learning from other people in your industry (just by checking out their social media) and ASK your clients! They will tell you exactly what they need from you. Maybe they love inspirational quotes or tutorials or contests. Don’t guess – ask!
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What is your favorite social media management tool?
I’m a huge huge fan of Hootsuite! I use it to bulk schedule promotions and my friends promotions – it’s been a huge time saver and stress reliever. I always know I can stay offline for a day or so and I still have messages scheduled to reach my peeps!
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Where do you tell social media newbies to start first? Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest?
I’m a huge Twitter fan but I know it can be super overwhelming and confusing to a lot of people. Most everyone already has a personal Facebook account and generally know what’s going on over there. So start with that! You can even start by telling friends and family about your biz if you don’t want to open a business page. Don’t stress about content or wording or timing – just tell people – hey I am selling sports memorabilia – anyone interested!
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What is your favorite aspect of your running your own business?
I love, love, love being home when my kids are home. I can meet them for lunch at school and drive them to the bus stop when it’s raining. The whole reason I work from home is so that I am home. It’s unbelievable to have the freedom to set my own schedule.
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Who are your business role models and why?
My most recent inspirational business role model is Leonie Dawson. I’ve only just started following her a few months ago but she has helped me so much with encouraging me to build my own business model and not just copying someone else. She also seems to have started working from home for many of the same reasons as me – freedom to raise my kids and be there for them when they need me – not just when I can schedule time off work.
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What did 7 year old Sammi say she wanted to be when she grew up?
I always said I wanted to be a school teacher. I would make my sister play “school” all the time. She was super smart by the time I was finished with her but I think I was pretty bossy which she didn’t like. I also remember laying in my bed at night fantasizing that there was a secret door in my closet that led to an underground office where I ran a company. Seriously? What kid wants to sit in an office? I think from a really early age I knew I would run my own business – it just took me a few decades to have the guts.
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Is there anything else you’ve like us to know about kickstarting social media for our businesses?
The best thing I’m finding out by working with so many women entrepreneurs – is that they just need a plan. I’ve been writing 30 days of content for the past month or so, and the relief and excitement about receiving pre-written Facebook posts is unbelievable! Once they see it all, the whole marketing thing seems a lot less cumbersome, and maybe a little bit FUN! Although I would be more than happy to help you with taking that first step, it really is something you can do on your own by creating a spreadsheet and just filling it in with links to your blog posts, quotes from your own writing or someone you find inspirational, links to your products, and questions to your audience. You can do this, start creating your biz buzz now!
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Sammi Johnson is in love with mind maps, launching, and strategizing social media coups. She lives in Middle America with her three kids but travels all the time. When she’s not working to help entrepreneurs grow their biz, you can find her with a plate of Mexican food or at the soccer fields screaming her head off! Right now she is creating custom social media content so head on over to Kickstart! You can find her at Sammi Is Social, on Twitter, and Facebook.
Women Branching Out: Alethea Cheng Fitzpatrick
I’m very happy to have Alethea Cheng Fitzpatrick of nestingNYC and Photosanity here on the blog today to start up another session of the Women Branching Out interview series. Alethea is a family photographer and photography coach. She’s offering a free workshop Quickstart your Photosanity on September 18th, 2012, at 9 p.m. Eastern. You can sign-up for a replay of the workshop, if you’re reading this after that date! Her fall workshop begins on September 25, 2012.
Here’s Alethea…
Tell me about nestingNYC and Photosanity. Who do you love to serve and why?
I’m a family photographer and photography coach for parents and I’m on a mission to help parents more fully experience the precious fleeting moments of their children’s lives through photography. nestingNYC is my family photography business. I also teach an online photography workshop for parents and offer customized one-on-one photography coaching for parents through Photosanity.
I like to say that I help parents who want amazing photos of their kids – taken for them or by them!
I love working with parents of young kids and their families to create beautiful portrait artwork that captures everything they love about their lives and what they want to remember about this time. As a mom myself, I know that the cliche is true – the time really does pass by quickly, and without photography, it’s so easy for the special, every day moments to fade into a blur and be lost for ever.
But more than that, I love to show parents how seeing like a photographer (which anyone can learn to do by the way) can heighten their emotions and memories, keep them in the moment and bring them closer to their kids. Photography does this for me daily and I get such joy and delight from it, I want every parent to experience this!
Photo by workshop participant Susan Malat.
When did you first pick up a camera?
Back in the day, cameras were not as ubiquitous as they are today, but my father was an avid amateur photographer so I’m pretty sure it was at a fairly young age. Certainly my sister and I would “help” out in the darkroom we had in one of the bathrooms of the house. I first got my own camera when I was around 14 years old.
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When did photography turn from hobby to business for you?
Although I went to art school (for architecture – I’m a former architect and interior designer) and took photography classes in college, it absolutely did not occur me to pursue it professionally until I had my first son, Liam, who is now 3.5 yrs old. Although I shot with an SLR many years ago, I actually didn’t get a DSLR until just before he was born… and I fell in love with photography all over again. And when my maternity leave was over, I decided to pursue it professionally rather than return to my career as an architect. I wanted to have my own business and the flexibility it would give me to spend some time at home with my son, and I also wanted a career where being a mom would be an advantage rather than a conflict.
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In your workshops you help parents capture precious moments in their children’s lives. What’s a precious moment you recently captured of your kids?
Liam and my second son Jack (9 months) are at this really fun stage where they can actually kind of play together now, with a lot of supervision and yelling at Liam to be “GENTLE!!!” Actually, I realized that when Liam is a little rough, really all he’s trying to do is get Jack to laugh, which he absolutely loves to do. The other day at the park, I captured this moment where he succeeded – Jack is laughing and looking up at Liam, and Liam is responding, and I just love how this photo captures the very best of their relationship right now. Parents often struggle with sibling photos I think because they are hoping to capture their kids with their arms around each other, smiling and looking at the camera – and if that doesn’t actually ever happen in real life, you’re only going to frustrate everyone trying to make it happen for a photo! So I encourage parents to look for natural interactions and emotions to capture, not only because it’s more likely to happen, but because those photos will be more meaningful.
How has the experience of photographing your own children influenced how you teach your photography workshops?
My experience of photographing my own children is a MAJOR influence in how I teach my photography workshops – I draw heavily from my experience as a mom. It’s one of the things that my workshop participants really like and what makes the strategies I teach accessible and achievable for moms. Most workshops are taught from the perspective of a professional photographer, which is not what my participants are looking for as beginners. Of course, I draw from my experience as a professional photographer as well, particularly for the technical aspects and it’s also given me experience working with kids of all ages, personalities, skin tones etc. But I downplay that aspect because Photosanity is NOT about becoming a professional photographer, or being trained as one. It really is about photographing your own kids.
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In a recent blog post on Photosanity.com you gave some really great tips on “How to turn your iPhone photos from “blah” to “wow”! What’s one tip you can share that parents reading this interview can use right now to start taking better photos of their kids?
As I mentioned above, I think a lot of parents think that they need to get their kids to smile and look at the camera for photos, which generates a frustrating experience for everyone. Your kids don’t want to stop what they’re doing to pose, and you can’t get a good photo. Instead, think about what you most want to remember about this time that your kids naturally do every day and capture that. Shoot first and foremost from your emotions and the technical stuff can follow.
Photo by workshop participant Karine Baczynski.
You’ve worked as an architect and interior designer, how are those experiences reflected in your approach to photography?
I use my background as an architect and interior designer to show parents how they can best display their photos in their home – most parents have no idea where to even begin figuring out the location, size, type of frame, and which images to use. Having photos in your home that show your family naturally interacting at their best can bring such daily joy and pride, not to mention a confidence boost for parents and kids alike.
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What’s your favorite aspect of running your own business?
I love being able to create a business that reflects how I most love to help people.
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Who are your biggest supporters in life and biz and what does their support allow you to do?
First and foremost my husband is my biggest supporter in life and biz! His support has allowed me to create the life I want – running my own business and also spending time at home with my kids. The rest of my family, especially my parents, plus my entire network of friends from various parts of my life have also been big supporters, especially all my mom friends and my growing group of entrepreneur friends. Running your own business and being a mom can be lonely if you don’t reach out and find those connections and support.
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What did 7-year old Alethea say she wanted to be when she grew up?
The funny things is, I never knew what I wanted to be when I grew up – I was too interested in too many things! It’s why I ended up studying architecture, which is a really broad and open subject. Becoming a mom was what really enabled me to focus.
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Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Actually, I’m offering a FREE live online workshop – Quickstart your Photosanity on September 18th at 9pm EDT and anyone is welcome to join. I’ll be giving away tips and strategies on taking better photos AND more fully experiencing your children’s lives through photography. If you can’t make the live call, there will be a recording available afterwards, but you do have to sign up to get access.
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Alethea Cheng Fitzpatrick is a family photographer and photography coach for parents. She is on a mission to help parents more fully experience the precious fleeting moments of their children’s lives through photography. She is also an entrepreneur, mom of two adorable if rambunctious boys, Liam (aged 3.5 yrs) and Jack (aged 9 months) and a former architect and interior designer. Born in the UK, she went to Pratt Institute, where she studied architecture, and now resides in NYC.. She is founder and owner of nestingNYC, which specializes in baby photography as interior design, and Photosanity, where she offers online workshops and private coaching. You can find her on Facebook at http://facebook.com/nestingNYC and http://facebook.com/photosanity, on Twitter at http://twitter.com/nestingNYC, YouTube http://youtube.com/photosanity, and Pinterest http://pinterest.com/aletheafitz.