Leslie Flowers, Business Mentor and rare female authority on the principles of success mentors women by teaching using a special focus on “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill. Flowers uses principles drawn from the best of Napoleon Hill’s 100 year old text with up-to-date examples specifically modeled for women. She provides a trusted network for women to develop confidence in business through consistent and predictable business achievement.
When asked what women really want in business, Flowers laughs, saying, “They want the same things men want– achievement and more money.”
Women find themselves relatively new entrants into the business world, now almost fully financially responsible for their families, with a fire at their heels to be successful. That fire is so often putting food on the table for their families, preparing for the education of their children, or having sufficient savings for retirement.
When asked about the most common questions from women in business about being successful, Flowers says, “They ask me: ‘What am I doing wrong?’; ‘What else can I do?’ and ‘Why can’t I earn what others are earning?’ ”
She adds, “The truth is that what women in business are already doing yields little, if any real, palpable success.” According to Flowers, “These activities not only waste valuable time; they deplete bank accounts. Worse yet, these activities diminish rather than increase confidence in being in business as successful business players.”
Success for women in business starts with giving up activities that do not yield measurable results. Some of them include:
1. Buying books we never read or finish reading. We’ve invested the money, but not the time required to understand and apply.
2. Attending seminar after workshop after program, seeking the answer, yet never allowing time to review, understand and apply what we learned. Because we learn in spaced intervals over time, it is critical that we make time to review and practice the new material until it becomes a ‘habit’.
3. Following successful people in droves, instead of taking action on our own behalf. Merely rubbing elbows with the very successful does not move business forward. There are thousands of women who invest time in ‘following’ instead of taking their own road and carving their own path.
4. Investing time in networking activities with no clear focus or intention. Before walking into a networking event, set your intention. Who would be an ideal partner? Ask about themselves and how you can help them. Meet one or two people rather than dealing ‘business cards’ like a Ninja, passing your card to everyone and anyone whether they are interested in what you do or not.
Business women can improve their ‘shot at success’ by learning the age-old business principles that men have inherently leveraged over the centuries.
Three things men do automatically that women would could intentionally employ to begin building self confidence, include:
1. Speak in bullet points. Men know what they are going to say before they say it. When they do speak it is objective, not emotional, and to the point.
2. Dress simply to match the environment. What men wear is not the focus of doing business. It does not distract from the conversation.
3. Accept all criticism as constructive and not personal. Men take criticism straight on and get into immediate action to influence improved results.
Success for women in business starts with small changes that can make a significant difference in our business success.
Flowers shares 5 things women can do right now to build new habits of success.
1. Read the book you buy, one chapter every day or two, and note your insights and ideas. Statistics show most people never read another book after high school. Investing in books that are never read or applied is a waste of money.
2. Attend only seminars that move you toward your business goal. First be sure you have a clear and focused goal and then ask this question when a seminar or workshop appeals to you: “If I take this seminar, will it take me toward my goal, or further away?” If the answer is further away, don’t invest time or money.
3. Schedule appointments with yourself for review and reflection of what you are learning. Treat yourself like your best client. You don’t short change clients; don’t short change yourself.
4. Appreciate the greats in your industry. Remember they were once where you are now. Look for the lessons they learned the hard way and shortcut your own success by applying them.
5. Network with a clear intention and plan, with a focus on adding key connections that can help you move your business forward.
Can women really achieve success and more money in business regardless of the fact that they are new to the business world? Can they overcome the ‘habits’ that are a mismatch for business success? Can they achieve enough successes to build confidence quickly?
By learning ancient principles of success that make up business success today, and then applying them every day, women can not only meet with success, they can excel beyond their male counterparts in record time.
You can find more about Leslie Flowers, her programs and masterminds for women at http://www.leslie-flowers.com.