by Debi Auger
Hello everyone!
I have a surprise for you today!!!
I FINALLY received my copy of Natalie MacNeil's book
"She Takes on the World: A Guide to Being Your Own Boss, Working Happy and Living on Purpose" and I'm so excited!!
I can't wait to start reading it... which I'll do tonight :) And I'll review the book here once I finish it.
But right now, I have an interview with Natalie that I'd like to share with you!!
Natalie is an EMMY Award-winning media entrepreneur, influential blogger, and thought leader in the sphere of entrepreneurship and personal branding for women.
She is best known as the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of She Takes On The World, one of the top blogs in the world for entrepreneurial women. She Takes on the World appeared on the Forbes list, “Top 10 Entrepreneurial Sites for Women” and on the ForbesWoman list, “Top 100 Websites for Women.” It is also the 2010 winner of Blog of the Year at the Stevie Awards, dubbed “the Oscar’s of business awards.”
Natalie is the Co-founder of Imaginarius, an award winning digital media company known for its groundbreaking work in interactive innovations and creative online marketing strategies. The company’s most recent production is the Emmy award winning Out My Window, the world’s first 360 degree, full feature documentary which was developed with the National Film Board (NFB).
Her book was released on March 27, 2012. Packed with powerful business and life lessons, a savvy plan for success in our digital age, and the engaging real-life experiences of successful women entrepreneurs, "She Takes on World: A Guide to Being Your Own Boss, Working Happy, and Living on Purpose" is a business book like no other. With sparkling clarity, honesty and humor, Natalie MacNeil provides the perfect balance of inspiration and practical strategies to build your business, smartly tailored for the times.
I've had the honor and pleasure of getting to know Natalie since last September, and, since she's such a wonderful and inspirational woman, I thought you'd enjoy hearing from Natalie herself!
Q&A with the Awesome Natalie MacNeil.....
Natalie, tell us a little bit about She Takes on the World, both the website and the book.
She Takes on the World is all about supporting, inspiring, and bringing together entrepreneurial women.
She Takes on the World: A Guide to Being Your Own Boss, Working Happy, and Living on Purpose is a different kind of business book geared towards solo entrepreneurs, social entrepreneurs, and small business owners who want to make a big impact with their small businesses. It's packed with powerful business and life lessons, a savvy plan for success in our digital age, and the engaging real-life experiences of successful women entrepreneurs from around the world -told in their own words! These stories are actually one of my favorite things about the book because everyone's journey to success is different.
What's your advice for entrepreneurial spirits who haven't pursued their ideas because they are afraid?
I have heard at least a hundred different reasons why someone with an idea hasn't actually turned it into a business. 99% of these reasons are excuses. It's really tough to start a business and it's definitely not for everyone. Do you know what's harder though? Seeing someone else turn your idea into a business and wondering "what if" for the rest of your life. When I'm having fear-based thoughts I like to write my fear on a piece of paper and then burn it to release the negative thinking. It brings me a real sense of calm and inner peace. You can also cut the piece of paper up instead.
What's the biggest mistake women entrepreneurs make?
I see too many women work in -instead of on -their businesses and that's a big mistake. We women can be incredible multi-taskers but we can't do everything ourselves. If you are doing your own bookkeeping, paperwork, customer service, product development, marketing, website updates, etc. you are probably spending so much time just staying afloat that you have no extra time -or energy -to grow your business.
What's your number one tip for women running small businesses from home, a coffee shop, or virtual location?
Working virtually or from home doesn't mean working alone. You still need a team and systems in place if you're going to achieve success and most importantly, work happy.
What is this whole concept of "working happy?" I want that!
Working happy means you are following your passion and doing work that fulfills you. If you're doing what you love it usually doesn't feel like work! The other key concept that lays the foundation for working happy is playing to your strengths and hiring help for the tasks that feel like work for you. For example, if you absolutely hate dealing with customer service through email and it's taking up a lot of your time, hire someone else to answer questions, deal with customer service issues, and tag the emails that you have to deal with so you can save time.
For new entrepreneurs, is there a critical checklist that people should start with when trying to promote a new business online... For example, a website, or social media accounts or blog?
In terms of building a foundation, you need a website you can manage yourself using a platform like Wordpress. Your website should have a blog built into it and you should have a mailing list for email marketing. Those are my essentials and then I recommend picking 5 social media sites to use on a regular basis to gain exposure and increase awareness for your brand.
Is having an online presence necessary for entrepreneurs who don't want to sell their products or services online?
Yes, it’s important because that’s where people are! Even for local businesses I think it’s something like 82% of people use SEARCH to look for local businesses. Your customers are online so you need to be online too. You’ll also be able to reach a wider audience online for less money. Yes, because it still allows you to build pre-eminence in your field. Whether or not you’re selling online, people will still visit your website and connect with you online so you want to make sure that your online presence reflects the personal brand or business brand you are trying to build. It’s huge for your credibility
What are some of your best tips for marketing a product or service with little to no money?
If you have no money you need more time. To build a solid brand you’ll have to invest a lot of time in building a readership for your blog and building a customer base by tweeting valuable content and resources that your audience finds useful, posting promotions and offering customer service and advice through Facebook, connecting on a more personal level with your audience through YouTube and the list goes on. You can build your brand online with no money for sure but having a marketing budget is always better and even just a few hundred dollars spent on Facebook Ads or StumbleUpon Ads can go a long way to give your brand a boost.
How do you live on purpose?
I live on purpose by doing work that serves a greater good and makes me feel fulfilled. Giving back and serving the world is woven into every aspect of my business. In the book I talk about a few organizations I love like She's the First, White Ribbon Alliance, and Kiva. Kiva is one of my favorite platforms for giving back because you can give entrepreneurs in developing countries a loan which I like better than a donation because you are empowering them to change their own lives. I lead a She Takes on the World lending team at http://www.kiva.org/team/shetakesontheworld if you're interested in joining me in empowering women entrepreneurs globally!
How can people connect with you?
Visit SheTakesOnTheWorld.net, my Facebook page at facebook.com/shetakesontheworld and come follow me on Twitter @nataliemacneil. Talk to you soon! :)
Thank you Natalie!
Wonderful! If you've never seen her work, visit her at She Takes on the World. You can even download the first chapter of her new book FREE!! Here's where to go to do that... http://shetakesontheworld.net/book. That's also where you can find the link to buy the book ;) Enjoy!
Much success,
But right now, I have an interview with Natalie that I'd like to share with you!!
Natalie is an EMMY Award-winning media entrepreneur, influential blogger, and thought leader in the sphere of entrepreneurship and personal branding for women.
Natalie is the Co-founder of Imaginarius, an award winning digital media company known for its groundbreaking work in interactive innovations and creative online marketing strategies. The company’s most recent production is the Emmy award winning Out My Window, the world’s first 360 degree, full feature documentary which was developed with the National Film Board (NFB).
Her book was released on March 27, 2012. Packed with powerful business and life lessons, a savvy plan for success in our digital age, and the engaging real-life experiences of successful women entrepreneurs, "She Takes on World: A Guide to Being Your Own Boss, Working Happy, and Living on Purpose" is a business book like no other. With sparkling clarity, honesty and humor, Natalie MacNeil provides the perfect balance of inspiration and practical strategies to build your business, smartly tailored for the times.
I've had the honor and pleasure of getting to know Natalie since last September, and, since she's such a wonderful and inspirational woman, I thought you'd enjoy hearing from Natalie herself!
Q&A with the Awesome Natalie MacNeil.....
Natalie, tell us a little bit about She Takes on the World, both the website and the book.
She Takes on the World is all about supporting, inspiring, and bringing together entrepreneurial women.
She Takes on the World: A Guide to Being Your Own Boss, Working Happy, and Living on Purpose is a different kind of business book geared towards solo entrepreneurs, social entrepreneurs, and small business owners who want to make a big impact with their small businesses. It's packed with powerful business and life lessons, a savvy plan for success in our digital age, and the engaging real-life experiences of successful women entrepreneurs from around the world -told in their own words! These stories are actually one of my favorite things about the book because everyone's journey to success is different.
What's your advice for entrepreneurial spirits who haven't pursued their ideas because they are afraid?
I have heard at least a hundred different reasons why someone with an idea hasn't actually turned it into a business. 99% of these reasons are excuses. It's really tough to start a business and it's definitely not for everyone. Do you know what's harder though? Seeing someone else turn your idea into a business and wondering "what if" for the rest of your life. When I'm having fear-based thoughts I like to write my fear on a piece of paper and then burn it to release the negative thinking. It brings me a real sense of calm and inner peace. You can also cut the piece of paper up instead.
What's the biggest mistake women entrepreneurs make?
I see too many women work in -instead of on -their businesses and that's a big mistake. We women can be incredible multi-taskers but we can't do everything ourselves. If you are doing your own bookkeeping, paperwork, customer service, product development, marketing, website updates, etc. you are probably spending so much time just staying afloat that you have no extra time -or energy -to grow your business.
What's your number one tip for women running small businesses from home, a coffee shop, or virtual location?
Working virtually or from home doesn't mean working alone. You still need a team and systems in place if you're going to achieve success and most importantly, work happy.
What is this whole concept of "working happy?" I want that!
Working happy means you are following your passion and doing work that fulfills you. If you're doing what you love it usually doesn't feel like work! The other key concept that lays the foundation for working happy is playing to your strengths and hiring help for the tasks that feel like work for you. For example, if you absolutely hate dealing with customer service through email and it's taking up a lot of your time, hire someone else to answer questions, deal with customer service issues, and tag the emails that you have to deal with so you can save time.
For new entrepreneurs, is there a critical checklist that people should start with when trying to promote a new business online... For example, a website, or social media accounts or blog?
In terms of building a foundation, you need a website you can manage yourself using a platform like Wordpress. Your website should have a blog built into it and you should have a mailing list for email marketing. Those are my essentials and then I recommend picking 5 social media sites to use on a regular basis to gain exposure and increase awareness for your brand.
Is having an online presence necessary for entrepreneurs who don't want to sell their products or services online?
Yes, it’s important because that’s where people are! Even for local businesses I think it’s something like 82% of people use SEARCH to look for local businesses. Your customers are online so you need to be online too. You’ll also be able to reach a wider audience online for less money. Yes, because it still allows you to build pre-eminence in your field. Whether or not you’re selling online, people will still visit your website and connect with you online so you want to make sure that your online presence reflects the personal brand or business brand you are trying to build. It’s huge for your credibility
What are some of your best tips for marketing a product or service with little to no money?
If you have no money you need more time. To build a solid brand you’ll have to invest a lot of time in building a readership for your blog and building a customer base by tweeting valuable content and resources that your audience finds useful, posting promotions and offering customer service and advice through Facebook, connecting on a more personal level with your audience through YouTube and the list goes on. You can build your brand online with no money for sure but having a marketing budget is always better and even just a few hundred dollars spent on Facebook Ads or StumbleUpon Ads can go a long way to give your brand a boost.
How do you live on purpose?
I live on purpose by doing work that serves a greater good and makes me feel fulfilled. Giving back and serving the world is woven into every aspect of my business. In the book I talk about a few organizations I love like She's the First, White Ribbon Alliance, and Kiva. Kiva is one of my favorite platforms for giving back because you can give entrepreneurs in developing countries a loan which I like better than a donation because you are empowering them to change their own lives. I lead a She Takes on the World lending team at http://www.kiva.org/team/shetakesontheworld if you're interested in joining me in empowering women entrepreneurs globally!
How can people connect with you?
Visit SheTakesOnTheWorld.net, my Facebook page at facebook.com/shetakesontheworld and come follow me on Twitter @nataliemacneil. Talk to you soon! :)
Thank you Natalie!
Wonderful! If you've never seen her work, visit her at She Takes on the World. You can even download the first chapter of her new book FREE!! Here's where to go to do that... http://shetakesontheworld.net/book. That's also where you can find the link to buy the book ;) Enjoy!
Much success,
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