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10 Things You Need To Know About Mentorship

October 31, 2011 by Mollie | Comments (0)

There was a wealth of valuable information at October’s New York CRAVE chat about our theme “Mentors Move Mountains”. Here are the top ten things you need to know about mentorship:

1. A mentor relationship happens when you are ready and willing to ask.
2. Many people in our lives serve as informal mentors.
3. Having separate mentors for different areas of your life is like having a board of directors for your life.
4. Top 3 points for staying on top of your game: 1. Take care of self. 2. Maintain relationships. 3. Stay abreast of industry related knowledge.
5. It is imperative to find your niche and be fully aligned with your own values.
6. Many entrepreneurs believe they are a jack of all trades because of everything they must do to run their own business. However, you may not be the best person for every job. Focus on what you do best and have a team that compliments your skill-set.
7. In building a team, they must be aligned with your vision and share your passion, which will make it easier to trust them with tasks.
8. Hiring apprentices is a great way to get help.
9. It is important to value your apprentices. Even if they are not compensated financially, the relationship must benefit both parties. Investing in their professional growth can happen through mentorship, recommendations, etc.

Recommended Entrepreneur Communities:

In Good Company
‘Preneur
Ladies Who Launch
Embarkability
Marie Forleo
85 Broads

Big thanks to Colette Ellis of InStep Consulting and Nicole Letelier of She Creates Change for sharing such great information! To learn when the next CRAVE Chat is near you visit the events calendar on our website.

Guidelines for Mentorship

October 31, 2011 by Mollie | Comments (0)

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

CRAVE had the opportunity to visit with the soon to be founder of a new mentoring organization, SheDreams. Ramona Wessel is the brains behind SheDreams, she wanted to form a group where young women could seek guidance and mentorship from other like minded women.

Ramona’s Guidelines for Mentorship

1.       A mentor is someone who inspires you professionally and personally

2.      A mentor is available to you, they give their time to you willingly and joyfully

3.      A mentor challenges you without criticism

4.      A mentor celebrates your successes, but more importantly is there to pick you up when you fall

To learn more about SheDreams visit SheDreams.net.

CRAVE Partner Spotlight: Jan McCarthy

October 24, 2011 by Mollie | Comments (0)

We would like to introduce you to our new city partner in Los Angeles, CA, Jan McCarthy.

A little bit about Jan

Jan McCarthy is our new city parter for CRAVE LA. She is an entrepreneurial guru: a wise person on the sidelines that helps with advice and counsel. She is the Owner/Market Director for the Ladies Who Launch LA & OC Market, Co-founder of Back 2 Our Roots, Professor of Entrepreneurship at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM), Guest Host for “Our Town Pasadena”, Mom to 2 Entrepreneurial daughters, and married to a multi–preneur that owns an online travel company and is a real estate developer and builder for a commercial industrial office park.

Tell us what you CRAVE

WHAT do I CRAVE? Traveling, painting, hiking, and planning fun events with my family and friends. Getting involved with the CRAVE community lets me do what I love, helping women promote their businesses while having fun and bonding with other fascinating and dynamite entrepreneurs.

We are currently working on the 2nd edition of our CRAVEguide for CRAVE LA. CRAVEguides are your go-to resource for the best women-owned businesses in your city. From restaurants to boutiques to marketing firms, we celebrate all of the gutsy, creative, local proprietors you need to know. To learn more about being in the book click here.

We’re excited to have Jan join CRAVE! Find Jan at @CRAVEla and on Facebook.

5 Tips to Help You Identify Your Mentor

October 21, 2011 by CRAVE Blogger | Comments (3)

A fantastic way to round out your entrepreneurial vision is by identifying one or several mentors to help you blaze your path to success.  A mentor is typically a professional who has already earned the same type of accomplishments you aspire to yourself.  Ideally, this person agrees to act as a mentor for you and provides you with insights and guidance on your own career strategy and journey.  Keep in mind that sometimes people can act as mentors without even knowing.  Here are 5 tips to help you identify your mentor (s):

1) Determine Your Mentor Needs

It is mission critical that you get crystal clear with what your general aspirations are, so that you are also aware of what you are hoping to gain from your mentor relationship. Begin by examining what facet of your particular industry or expertise it is that you want to expand or develop.  Then, consider what area of this focus might be the most challenging for you and therein might be your area of mentor needs.

2) Think Local AND Global

It is ideal if you can find a local mentor whom you can actually spend time with as well as someone who is or has made their mark globally to further enhance your perspective and points of view.  The best way to identify both these people is to engage with in-person and online trade/business organizations.  Begin with a simple Google search and also ask your social network community where they network and have fun with your community building.

3) Expand Your Horizons

Just because you are a woman, does not mean that your mentors always have to be women.  Men can be just as powerful mentors.  Don’t narrow your search to necessarily your particular area of work or even your country.  Be flexible and open minded about whom might best appeal to you.  For example, I am a Leadership Coach and Consultant who plans to expand into media and the television industry over the next few years, so I have mentors who are media personalities but have nothing to do with my core coaching work.

4) Optimize Your Current Network

This exercise can best be accomplished by building up your LinkedIn profile.  Begin collecting contacts from your hometown, high school, college, graduate school, previous and current jobs, friends, friends of friends, family, contacts from your place of worship/hobbies/sports organizations etc.  No contact is too abstract! You never know who might be able to put you in contact with the perfect mentor.

5) Don’t Be Afraid to Ask

You’ve made it this far, don’t get shy on us now!  The beauty of social media is that it takes the laborious efforts of networking and makes strategic connecting easy and efficient.  Keep in mind, you always want to be professional and polished on the networks where you are representing yourself professionally and personally.  Finally, put your specific mentor request out to your universe and follow up on all suggestions and offers to connect you with the right people.

Now go for it!

Katie C. Kelley specializes in igniting and emboldening women to become more effective, inspired business leaders.  She primarily partners with directors, managers and entrepreneurs as a Corporate and Private Coach, a Seminar Producer and as a Motivational Speaker.   Ms. Kelley is also a regular expert adviser on Portland’s top rated morning television talk show, ABC’s “AM Northwest”.  Influenced by her experience in psychotherapy and business, Katie’s approach combines an innate understanding of her clients’ needs with fresh perspective on risk-taking. www.LegacyBuilderCoaching.com

Mentorship is Valuable Throughout Your Career

October 19, 2011 by Melody Biringer | Comments (0)

Mentors Move Mountains- Learning from the successes, failures and life lessons of others is invaluable to any entrepreneur’s career.

It was a sold out night of inspiration and talk of mentorship at our CRAVE Amsterdam chat. CRAVE founder Melody Biringer spoke along with Nicolette Lazarus of L FOR LAZARUS, and Blanca Vergara of Blanca Vergara MBA. Below are some highlights from the evening.

• Mentors can appear in any area of your life, not just your business, and you will recognize them from the connection that they make with you.
• Mentorship is in all of us. It’s about connecting, generosity and value what you have to give or want to take. -Isrid van Geuns, IS WORKS
• There are good mentors everywhere – parents, friends, colleagues, strangers and also your own intuition. We just have to be open to listening to them.
• “If someone helps you by mentoring you, be sure to pay it forward and help someone else.” -Stephanie Ward, Firefly Coaching
• “Your greatest mentor is your intuition”. -CALIFORNIA GIRL
• It’s about how to make decisions (and well, isn’t the whole life about decision making), having conviction means saying yes and having the courage to say no.
• “Mentorship is valuable throughout your career, not just during the start up”. -Laura de Wilde

Thank you to everyone for attending our chat. If you’re interested in learning about upcoming chats in your area be sure to check out our calendar of events.

Family, Friends and Money Do NOT Mix

October 17, 2011 by CRAVE Blogger | Comments (1)

As the “Most Interesting Man In The World” so eloquently describes career choice, “Find that one thing you do not do well, and then don’t do it.”

This is one of the more valuable lessons the clever ad campaign teaches us. I can’t tell you how important it is to recognize areas that aren’t your strengths and ask for help. This is just one of the many things I’ve learned from my mentors in business and in life.

The “Most Interesting Man” campaign for Dos Equis has been wildly popular with audiences and has shown us something crucial about success: We need people to admire, to ignite our creative passion, people to emulate.

Whether it’s a character, a teacher, a peer, a boss, we can probably all name at least one person who was integral to our current success.

So what IS a mentor exactly? Standard definition will tell you it’s a “wise and trusted counselor or teacher,” but I prefer a little more break down–the Greek “mentos” is synonymous with “intent, purpose, spirit, passion.”

Mentors not only teach but also inspire. Especially as an entrepreneur, I’ve learned many important lessons from those more experienced than I.

Here are just a handful of those lessons:

1. Become skilled at understanding what motivates others

In a leadership position in particular, it’s important to know how other people work. What do they require to do their best? Is it money? Is it recognition and encouragement? Knowing this will allow you to motivate your team to produce superior results

2. Family, Friends & Money do NOT mix.

But we’re SUCH great friends! But it’s my family, so I feel obligated.  No matter the reason, when it comes to family and friends, steer clear of any endeavor where they become your client or vice versa.  It is a rare exception when it ends well.

3. The Power of No: When to Say it & When NOT to accept it

When you should say it? When you’re being taken advantage of. Yes, you should cater to your clients, but when they cross a line, you need to stand firm.  When not to accept it? When you believe in your business, idea, creation, whatever. Show some moxie and you’ll persuade people.

4. Give your best, no matter what the task

Whether you’re facing the challenge of developing a business plan or simply organizing your files, the same amount of effort should be exerted. If you’re not going to give 100 percent, don’t bother.

5. Positivity, Always.

More than just “rolling with the punches,” being positive is a mindset for approaching life.  People will flock to you for your encouraging attitude and enjoy doing business with you.

Maria Orozova is the President & Creative Director of The MOD Studio in Austin, Texas. MOD is a boutique design studio and the creative powerhouse behind many local and national brands, and our 16 ADDYS and 19 GDUSA awards prove it. For more information visit www.themodstudio.com or follow us on facebook.com/theMODstudio and twitter.com/theMODstudio

Learn Why Mentors are Vital to Your Business

October 13, 2011 by Mollie | Comments (0)

“Mentoring starts with self recognition of personal needs. Who and how you connect to learn is a transformational process of time and opportunity” -Athalie Stegeman, The Innovationbroker and co-curator of the first edition of CRAVE Amsterdam. Learn more about how to find a great mentor and about the importance of having a mentor at our upcoming CRAVE Chats. Join CRAVE and our speakers to learn all about their individual experiences and how a mentor can enrich your career.

SEATTLE CRAVE Chat
Topic: Mentors Move Mountains
Monday, Oct 17th
7–9pm
Buy your tickets here

DENVER CRAVE Chat
Topic: Mentors Move Mountains
Wednesday, Oct 19th
7–9pm
Buy your tickets here

VANCOUVER CRAVE Chat
Topic: Mentors Move Mountains
Thursday, Oct 20th
6–8pm
Buy your tickets here

ATLANTA CRAVE Chat
Topic: Mentors Move Mountains
Thursday, Oct 27th
6:30–8:30pm
Buy your tickets here

TORONTO CRAVE Chat
October Topic: Mentors Move Mountains
Thursday, Oct 27th
7–9pm
Buy your tickets here

Don’t miss out on this great CRAVE Chat! Who knows, maybe you will even meet your mentor!

Do You Need a Food Guru?

October 12, 2011 by CRAVE Blogger | Comments (0)

Do you need a food guru?

Food seems like the simplest thing in the world, doesn’t it?  We all know it’s the fuel that keeps up alive so we just need to eat it, right??  Wrong!  What to eat and how to eat it might be the two most difficult questions facing a busy business owner.  Yes, even more difficult than how to market yourself or price your services because if you don’t eat, and particularly don’t eat well, you aren’t going to last long enough to enjoy your beautifully built business.  Follow me?

What to eat constantly changes depending on the newest edition of Shape magazine or current topic on Dr. Oz.  This bombardment of conflicting food information quickly become overwhelming and makes us want to throw up our hands and say, FORGET IT!  Add to this the already consuming stress of being a CRAVE-able business lady and (despite your best intentions) by 3 pm your right hand is deep in a bag of M&M’s and a latte or diet coke sits in your left.  Don’t worry my dear, we’ve all been there.  You try your hardest to eat well and do right by your body but you can only do so much when being pulled in 15 different directions.  I totally get it!  So how do you begin to weed through the murky mess of food info and learn how to balance what to eat with your busy day?

Find a food guru! Just as mentorship is imperative to creating a strong business, so too is a food guru in helping you build a thriving and beautiful body.  Though it may seem simple enough, food (and our eating habits and emotions around it) is complicated stuff and not easy to figure out alone.  Here are 5 ways to know if you need a food guru:

1. Food shopping makes you break out in a cold sweat- A good food guru will help you lay out a shopping plan to make going to the grocery store a cinch.  Seriously, food shopping should not insight a panic attack but be something you look forward to as a way of taking care of yourself.
2. You avoid your kitchen- You don’t have to be on TOP CHEF to make delicious food but often we avoid cooking because we think we can’t do it.  FYI: Everyone can cook.  All you need is the right person to help lay out an eating plan and inspire your food creativity.
3. You set food and lifestyle goals that are never accomplished- We all do this!  However the beauty of a food guru is they first help you lay out your goals then (without judgment) hold you accountable to all you want to accomplish.  I’ve said it once and I will say it again, amazing things happen with the right support.
4. Sugar is your primary source of comfort- Particularly when we are stressed and overworked, sugar easily becomes our comfort blankie that makes us feel warm and cuddly inside…that is, until we come down off our sugar high and feel guilty for eating crap that hurts our body.  The right food guru will gently show you how to a) find sweetness in alternative forms, b) decode your cravings and c) find sweet things that comfort you without going into your mouth.  Yes, it is possible!
5. You talk smack about your body- Most women think body smack-talking is just part of being a woman.  Well, guess what…it’s not!  Talking trash to ourselves everyday breaks down our self-esteem and keep us from achieving what we want and feeling amazing.  If you’ve ever told yourself you are too fat to wear that, not thin enough to do this, or simply not good enough because your thighs touch, it is time to call in some food guru reinforcements.

In these eating on-the-go, too much sugar and quick-fix diet days, it is extremely important to get support around your food and lifestyle concerns.  If any of these questions spoke to you, it is seriously time to find yourself a food guru.  With the right one, you will be amazing with all you accomplish!

Jamie G. Dougherty is the owner and founder of Jamie Living, Health and Lifestyle Coaching and food guru extraordinaire!  She is a certified Holistic Nutrition Coach with a private and corporate practice that offers assistance nationwide. She is the author of the wildly popular e-cookbook, Spring Forward to the New You: 30 Delicious and Cleansing Recipes for your Fabulous Figure and is the food guru to busy, frustrated women ready to let go and become healthy, fun and fabulous!

Join Jamie on Facebook and Twitter and get your free 5-STEP GUIDE TO FABULOUS at JAMIELIVING.

CRAVE Partner Spotlight: Camille Hollingsworth

October 10, 2011 by Mollie | Comments (0)

CRAVE Portland – Camille Hollingsworth

Camille Hollingsworth, a native of Atlanta, Georgia, joined CRAVE as the Portland Partner this September. Camille’s favorite quote is: “Well-behaved women seldom make history” by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich.

Camille is a 15 year veteran in the accounting and finance industry, serving as a Controller and Senior Credit Analyst for over a decade. Camille has had the privilege of supporting the most innovative Real Estate Development and Finance leaders on the East Coast and in the Great Northwest. She is incredibly thankful for her journey.

In early 2009, Camille launched her consulting firm, serving as a Business Manager to an array of independently owned businesses in Portland. Her specialty not only includes sound accounting and cash flow management but also encompasses the cultivation of business plans, marketing strategies, and web integration products that directly enhance revenue growth for her client base. Camille is an organizational leader primarily recognized for her resourceful business ideas and tenacious implementation. It was these  fresh ideas that led her to meet Melody Biringer, CRAVE’s founder and Camille’s IDOL!

Camille is honored to represent The CRAVE Company in Oregon and SW Washington.  Camille believes that “CRAVE is an incredible resource for any business owner to have in their corner.” She is dedicated to supporting the most incredible, most creative women business owners in Portland through the CRAVE network and its endless supply of resources.

Camille is driven by her mission to “Be the Change” in her community during these tough economic times. She is committed to investing and networking resources LOCALLY which positively and directly impacts the recovery of our local economy. “It works if you work it” Camille says. “Get Involved!”

Camille’s favorite pastime is—Bikram Hot Yoga. Camille tells us “Oh Yes, I CRAVE 90-minutes in a 108 degree room with a Yogi yelling at me: “LOCK YOUR KNEE!” It’s my favorite thing to do!” Her favorite “Helping Others” ventures – Be the Gift Now and The Joy Team!

Camille says…..”Lead by Example! Be the Change! Eat More Chicken!……Gosh I miss Chic-fil-A!”

Find Camille at @CRAVEPortland and on Facebook.

Inspiring Mentor Quotes at W.I.N 2011

October 7, 2011 by Mollie | Comments (2)

CRAVE Founder Melody Biringer is currently in Rome, Italy attending the 2011 W.I.N Conference (Women International Networking). Since being at the conference she has spotted these inspiring mentor quotes. Do you have a favorite quote about mentorship? If so, we want to know! Share with us!

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