Ita Buttrose is a bit of a hero of mine. She’s tenacious, successful and a woman who seems to ‘know herself’ well. Watching a re-run of the ABC TV show Australian Story recently, Ita talked about being a tough boss and what that means. For Ita it means she ‘won’t suffer fools lightly’ and wants her staff to ‘give her the absolute best they can’. She stated that “being tough doesn’t make you mean” and “doesn’t make you a difficult person to work for. It just means that within your makeup there is a certain resilience”. How fantastic is that? Ita is a great example of someone who knows how to ‘be tough’ but hasn’t lost the ability to care or ‘be nice’. It seems that many women in business struggle with that tension. They think they need to be one or the other, without understanding that to be an effective manager of people, both are required. This is not to say that men don’t struggle with similar tensions related to gender expectations (for example, not wanting to be seen as too ‘soft’). But for entrepreneurial women, there does seem to be mixed messages about what it takes to be successful. What expectations do you encounter as a female boss? Do you let those expectations shape how you operate your business and relate to staff and customers? If other people have an opinion about how women should ‘be’, you need to ignore those assumptions. It’s vital to learn to deal effectively with people (and by that I mean women often do have to learn to be ‘tougher’) but it’s also important not to be swayed by how others think you should behave.

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

So you’ve been running your business by the old saying ‘the customer is always right’. This might be appropriate in the realm of customer service – although even then, there are limitations to this. But in the area of future planning, your business will benefit greatly from NOT listening to your customers.

Many business owners consult a range of stakeholders when making decisions about the future of their business. While this may elicit some useful information, this is where another old saying comes into play: ‘they don’t know what they don’t know’.

For example, if you surveyed your customers asking them what improvements could be made to your business, their responses are going to be limited to their experience of your business (or industry). If they are happy with your level of service, they are likely to say ‘no improvements required, we love XYZ business just the way it is’. This doesn’t help you to grow and improve, and it gives your competitors a much greater opportunity to move ahead in leaps and bounds.

Imagine if, instead of asking your customers what they wanted, you had a vision for ways that your business could be done differently (and better). Even at this point, if you consulted your customers about these new ideas, they are unlikely to see the value or need: they don’t know what they don’t know.

Ultra successful businesses are those who lead their industries and invest resources and brainpower into innovative and new ways of doing things. Continue to ask your customers to let you know when something isn’t working and what will make them happy. But don’t rely on them to dictate your future goals and direction.

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

Everyone is familiar with the phrase: ‘you get what you pay for’. This isn’t true in all situations, but there are many for which it definitely is. For example: • Nappies – buy the cheapest nappies and you generally make up the cost in washing wet clothes, bed sheets and anything else your child comes in to contact with • Tea Bags – if you are buying no name tea bags, you need to seriously consider if you are actually a tea lover or just someone who might as well drink dish water. The same applies in business. There are some aspects of running a business that you may be able to do ‘on the cheap’ (marketing is a great example: if you can find cheap or free ways to advertise your business, that doesn’t impact negatively on your business brand, then go for it!). But there are some areas you shouldn’t skimp on: • Domain Registration – you would choose the cheapest, right? Wrong. When you need to make changes to your domain you are likely to find out that the ‘cheap’ registration didn’t include access to all the areas it should. You either end up paying more than the ‘expensive’ option OR you can’t access your domain registration at all. • Graphic design – your neighbour’s cousin’s girlfriend loves drawing and has completed a 6 wk introduction to graphic design course. She’s only charging $100 for a logo – bargain! And yes, you may be lucky and get a great product. But more likely, you will find that you don’t get what you asked for and/or don’t receive the professional branding your business really needs. • Insurance – this is not something for which we like paying any more than necessary. However, finding the cheapest possible business insurance (or ‘cutting corners’) is a dangerous game to play. Make sure you are fully insured for all areas relevant to your business (including loss of income).

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

Did you know that women make up just over 50% of bloggers (depending on which list you look at!). Are you one of them? If not, why not? Many women in business view blogs as too hard and too much work. But if you haven’t investigated the positives of blogs for your business, you could be missing out on an avenue to easily and affordably interact with your customers.

 Here are some advantages:

• Blogs can create ‘evangelists’: blogs humanise your business and give customers a reason to follow you and tell others about you.
• Blogs facilitate ‘buzz’: informative and thought-provoking posts tend to be shared and spread, thereby creating communication with customers and potential customers you otherwise would never have.
• Blogs can showcase your industry knowledge: helpful tips, personal perspectives on a topic that you are passionate about, sharing new innovations, and so on, can establish you as a leader in your industry.

Blogs should not be an exercise in marketing or branding. No-one is going to visit your blog (or subscribe to it) if you simply promote yourself and try to ‘sell’ your latest product or service. You need to post a variety of content: humour, customer stories, latest research and so on.

So should you write your blog posts yourself? There are those who say emphatically YES, to ensure that it’s your ‘voice’ coming through clearly. But there are some great copywriters who, once you establish rapport, will have the ability to capture what you’re trying to achieve.

Best of all, blogs are generally free. You can set up a blog via Wordpress or Blogger in a few minutes and be posting your first article today!

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

Did you know there’s more than one type of “business woman”? Oh you did? Unfortunately, many business women encounter attitudes and reactions based on some fairly tired stereotypes and generalisations.

Here are some of them:

• All business women have children and juggle their business around their children
• Business women operate on intuition and ‘gut feelings’ to make decisions
• Business women are ‘soft’ when it comes to dealing with difficult clients
• Business women are no good at sales because they are too sympathetic with the potential buyer
• Business women are no good with financials or information technology

So what’s wrong with these assumptions? We all know that stereotypes come from ‘somewhere’– that is, they are generally based on a proportion of business women fitting these characteristics.

 The problem is not whether there’s any truth to these generalisations for each business woman. The problem is when the people they encounter make judgements or decisions based on those assumptions, particularly when there is a negative impact.

Most business women that I know do two important things:

1. They embrace the stereotype if it’s relevant to them and positive for their business (eg my gut feelings are often a much better indication of a good decision than a seemingly ‘logical’ argument!) 
2. They ignore and rise above any stereotypes that would otherwise be harmful for them and the perception of their business.

If you are NOT a female business owner and you are reading this, consider that the stereotypes you may have about business women may not only be unfair on them, but you are most likely missing out on their expertise and skills if you make incorrect assumptions. And to my fellow women in business: you know who you are and what your strengths are – use them!

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

Women are leading the way when it comes to finding new ways of working. The traditional workplace that is designed by men, usually with stay-at-home spouses, isn’t working for many women – or men for that matter.

Women are finding that many workplaces are inflexible (and unrealistic) when it comes to catering for family needs and living a life outside the office.   In the US, women are starting companies at more than twice the rate of men. And in doing so, they are rewriting the workplace rules and changing culture. This is particularly evident in relation to when, where and how work gets done – gone are the expectations that work can only be done 9-5 Monday to Friday. Flexible workplaces are beginning to emerge that focus on the best way to achieve results while allowing staff to maintain a more balanced life.

Many female business owners (myself included!) list flexibility as one of their main reasons for starting a business. Being able to work around family commitments is highly valued by most women and a great motivator for finding a way to create a workplace that has flexible work hours and ways of getting work done.

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

If you’re not using social media in your business, you’re probably sick of hearing that you should be. And I’m not going to be the exception! There are very few businesses who couldn’t benefit from interacting with customers and potential customers via this medium. In case you’re not sure what ‘social media’ refers to, it is websites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Digg, Google+ and so on. These websites allow you to create business pages or profiles where you can post messages and interact with your ‘likers’ or ‘followers’. Many businesses fall into the trap of thinking social media is just another advertising avenue and try a ‘hard sell’ approach. This works in very few cases. A successful ‘social media campaign’ involves building relationships and rapport with those who’ve chosen to follow you. This might include, posting articles you’ve written, sharing relevant links to articles or websites, providing community information or offering free advice. It is also acceptable to include in the mix, announcements of your events, sales or offers. But if that’s all your messages entail, your followers will soon tune out or stop following you. Social media can also be a great tool for business owners. You can ask your followers to give you feedback about your service. Or ask them to fill in a survey on a particular topic you are researching. Recently I asked my followers to comment on some logos I’d designed for a client – they were really happy to give their two cents worth, and my client was thrilled by the feedback (it made his decision so much easier). The great thing about social media is that its free to setup and use, and you can start slowly as you get to understand how it works. So get yourself on social media so you can start posting and tweeting!

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

Why on earth would I be telling you to encourage complaints? Shouldn’t women in business be doing everything they can to discourage complaints? Short answer: no! I’m not suggesting that you should purposely create scenarios where customers are justified to complain. But I am encouraging you to create a culture in your business where customers feel comfortable to complain in the event that something does go wrong.

There are a number of key ways to do this:

• Have a written and highly visible complaints process

• Use encouraging, friendly language (“we want to hear about your experience with our business!”) • Contact the complainant within 24 hrs.

• Wherever possible, contact the complainant initially by phone and ask them to explain the situation to you, providing assurances that your aim is improve the outcome for them. You can then follow this up with written correspondence (although you may need to obtain legal advice before putting anything in writing to avoid legal implications in cases of possible negligence)

• You don’t necessarily need to admit any wrongdoing (especially if there wasn’t any!) and you may need to obtain legal advice in some situations. But the initial contact should be to simply acknowledge the complainant’s concerns and really listen to (and record) what they have to say.

• Don’t promise something you can’t deliver (i.e. you won’t always be able to give the complainant exactly what they want)

• Wherever possible (and appropriate), offer them something (a gift, a free or discounted consultation, etc) to say thank you for taking the time to provide feedback.

And most importantly, you then need to use your customers’ feedback to improve your services and ensure that the same scenario doesn’t occur again. This might involve training your staff to approach the situation differently or changing procedures so that particular situations don’t arise.

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

Are entrepreneurs born with innate qualities? Or can anyone become an entrepreneur if they work at it hard enough? Many psychologists and researchers believe that you need to be a certain type of person to be truly entrepreneurial, with some even going so far as to say you’re wasting your time if you’re not that type.

A US study by the Northeastern University's School of Technological Entrepreneurship showed that “nearly two-thirds of entrepreneurs claim they were inspired to start their own companies by their innate desire and determination, rather than by their education or work experience”. What this suggests is that while many people have the ability to learn the required skills to be an entrepreneur, they also need an insatiable curiosity, a sense of adventure, a love of learning and the ability to spot opportunities and make a business out of them.

But does that mean you won’t enjoy success if you don’t seem to have all these qualities? There are qualities of successful people which can be learned and honed over time, including being:

• Visionary (forward looking, dreams and aspirations)
• Passionate (spurs on hard work and motivation)
• Courageous (no rewards without risk)
• Unstoppable (unwilling to quit despite failures)
• Willing to grow (change and growth is needed to reach goals – no one has all the answers straight away!)

So are you an entrepreneur? If so, how much of your success is from innate qualities, learned skills or just good old hard work?

In the words of Richard Branson: “I wanted to be an editor or a journalist, I wasn't really interested in being an entrepreneur, but I soon found I had to become an entrepreneur in order to keep my magazine going.”

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

“I admit it's tempting to wish for the perfect boss - the perfect parent - or the perfect outfit. But maybe the best any of us can do is not quit, play the hand we've been dealt, and accessorize what we've got.” So says Carrie in Sex and the City, during one of her many musings on life.

Being a business owner is no different. Most of us have grand plans for our business – and so we should. But it’s easy to get bogged down in what we don’t have (yet) instead of focusing on the strengths and resources that already exist in our business.

Waiting until everything is “perfect” can often mean that an opportunity is lost. As business owners, we need to always strive to do things in the best way we can. But sometimes, “accessorising” what we’ve already got is the best way to start moving forward.

We should have long term goals, but while you are working towards those, look at ways that you can utilise the staff you have now, or ways that you can improve the systems you already have in place. Find ways to repackage products or services that you know are valuable for your customers. Team up with another business owner to get that exciting project off the ground.

Work with what you’ve got rather than looking for the “perfect outfit” – because it might already be hanging in your office, waiting for a great accessory to make it work.

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

Technology has advanced quickly over the past 10 years. Who would have thought we would be checking emails on our phones, recruiting staff via social media or witnessing the phenomenon that is Facebook?

Ask any teenager what they think of email. They are highly likely to answer that it is only for "old people". Instead they communicate via social media, chat, SMS and other online avenues. What does this have to do with your business? One reason to think about this change in communication style is that one day soon, this age bracket will be in your target market (if they aren't already). Another reason is that many businesses have made the shift and frankly, you are being left behind if you don't investigate the possibilities ASAP.

So that leads to the next question: what are you doing about it in your business? You have three choices:

1.  Learn about social media and other current communication mediums and the way they can benefit your business
2. Find someone else to manage it for you
3. "Do nothing" - that is, continue to use only traditional methods of communication with clients and potential clients - which will ultimately lead to a rapid decline in your customer base

Obviously you know the correct choice is either 1 or 2. But it is big ask for those of you who have a technology "phobia". But when you consider that a recent SENSIS report showed that 86% of people search online before contacting a business directly, you can't afford not to investigate social media and emerging technologies. So talk to someone who you know is "technology savvy" and start investigating the ways that you can harness current (and future) communication mediums in your marketing strategies.

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

Change is a process that many people resist. As business owners, we are generally more adept at dealing with change in order to run a successful business. However, managing an effective change process with your staff is another thing entirely. And a big part of a successful change process is creating a workplace that fosters a positive culture of change.

What does this mean? It means that communication between you and your staff should be open – staff should feel they can approach you about concerns and feel that their opinions are heard. This is not to say you must take into account all staff concerns and opinions when making decisions. But the opportunity to be “heard’ is powerful.

A golden rule of managing a change process is to make sure that rumours and half truths about impending changes do not circulate. Staff become nervous about what this means for them, morale decreases and productivity suffers.

Resistance to change comes from a fear of the unknown so it is important to:

• Define clearly what the change will be
• Help your staff understand why the change is necessary (highlighting the benefits for the company as a whole, and the positives for staff) - Give updates as the process develops
• Be clear with staff about what will happen
• Ask staff for their suggestions - Be prepared to understand reasons for resistance and reluctance Above all, be supportive of your staff and lead by example. Being positive about changes, along with a realistic attitude to what those changes mean for individuals, will allow th change process to be much smoother.

In the words of Nido Qubein: “Change brings opportunity”

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

Most women in business are juggling many things, and despite our best intentions, it can feel quite chaotic at times.

Last year, I set a goal with my business coach: to be content with the chaos. This wasn’t something I was particularly keen on doing. Yes, I wanted to do something to improve the “balancing act”, but navel gazing is not generally my thing. Anyone who knows me well would agree that I'm a very pragmatic, task oriented, "get on with it/over it" kind of person.

But despite my misgivings, we started out by observing what felt chaotic. Amazingly, the very act of writing down those things began a process of feeling okay about the chaos. I began to pinpoint areas that really triggered those feelings of chaos and working out "is it me or my environment?". I began to approach “chaos” with a bit more clarity and sanity!

It was interesting that a really simple exercise resulted in small but significant changes in my perception and therefore outlook.

And often it is small changes that can make all the difference: making time for a 15 minute walk during the day; getting to bed 30 minutes earlier; getting up before the kids so you’re ready for their morning routine; taking time for small celebrations (eg clearing your inbox!).

In the words of Frank A. Clark: “Everyone is trying to accomplish something big, not realizing that life is made up of little things”

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

Most of us rave to everyone in ear shot when we receive exceptional service from a business. I recently dined at a restaurant that exemplified this and not only am I extremely keen to go there again, but I’m also telling all my friends about it! So what did they do that was so exceptional? - Attention to customers was balanced (always available but not hovering or checking in every 2 mins) - Appealed to my senses (instead of a dessert menu, they brought out a tray of amazing desserts to choose from – how can you resist that?!) - Showed passion and knowledge about the food - Always polite and helpful Really none of those things SHOULD be exceptional. In my opinion they should be the norm. But so many businesses don’t hold customers in such high esteem – when really, where would a business be without them? I challenge you to think about ways you can “be the exception”. Find ways to treat your customers like gold. It’s generally the “little things” (like sending a thank you card or a personal letter) that cost you very little in time and energy, but go a long way to being exceptional in the eyes of your customers. Aim for excellence with every customer. Not only will you create customers for life, you’ll also reap the benefits of word of mouth that spreads like wild fire! In the words of Aristotle, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.”

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

Have you got a website? If so, does anyone visit it?

Many businesses seem to operate their website on the old adage “build it and they will come” – unfortunately for those business owners, they will be wondering why they spent money developing a site because “no-one seems to know it’s there”.

Unlike a shopfront, which at least potentially has passing trade, there is no “passing trade” on the internet unless you create it! You need to market your website:

• Directly: advertising your website address in various places (other websites, online directories, printed materials, etc)
• Indirectly: improving your ranking in search engines (eg Google) so that when people search for a type of business your website comes up in the results

And the only way visitors are going to return to your website, is if the content is regularly updated. Provide new information, give updates, change images, and so on. Put yourself in the shoes of your potential visitors – why should they return to your website (or visit it in the first place)?

In short, if you’re going to have a website (and if you don’t, you should!), you need to be committed to the ongoing task of making your website known (whether that’s done by you or you pay someone else to do it). There is a great deal of potential business you can gain from your website, but you have to be serious about making it work.

In the words of Natalie Sequera, “If you have a web site, it makes your small business look big.”

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

I've been realising more and more that business relationships have many comparisons to personal relationships - and are often as complicated! I've come up with a list of "relationship questions" to work out if your business is a "good catch":

• what first impression does my business make? Does it catch the eye of potential clients or does it blend in with the crowd?
• is my business attractive to potential clients? Is it "well dressed"/well presented?
• what values does my business project to potential clients? Are those values consistent across all my business activities? Does my business express those values clearly from the outset in all it does?
• how well does my business "woo" potential clients? Does it give an impression of confidence and trust?
• how does my business foster ongoing relationships? Does my business communicate regularly?
• are all my clients treated with respect? Does this show in all the ways my business interacts with clients?
• how are "relationship problems" dealt with (i.e. complaints)? Am I committed to solving issues in a timely and sensitive manner?
• are “anniversaries”/milestones celebrated with clients?

Just like in personal relationships, it can be difficult to objectively answer these questions, because we can have an impression of ourselves (good or bad!) that may not be entirely accurate. What we THINK we are projecting might be very different to how people perceive us.

A savvy woman would ask her girlfriends to give her honest feedback about how she "comes across" - not always an easy thing to do but for anyone who really wants to improve their chances of "relationship success", it can be a fruitful exercise. So too in business, asking for objective opinions about your business is extremely valuable, even if it may be hard to hear!

My suggestion: ask a range of people the above questions about your business. Choose people who know your business well and some who have little knowledge of your business. Although not everyone can answer all the questions, you'll get some really interesting and valuable feedback.

And in the words of Zig Ziglar: “You cannot perform in a manner inconsistent with the way you see yourself.”

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

Is everyone around you talking about blogging? Are you wondering whether you should be doing it too? The term is actually “weblogs” which boomed in 1999 when some easy to use blogging software was released. Since 1999, the number of blogs on the Internet has gone from a few thousand to over 100 million. Here are some advantages of blogging:

• If you don’t yet have a website, blogging is a low-cost alternative.
• Blog software is easy to use. Some common (free) blogging tools are: WordPress and Blogger.com
• Business blogs give you the opportunity to share your expertise and knowledge with a larger audience.
• Blogging can result in worldwide exposure
• It’s possible to make money via a blog (via advertising, affiliate programs, and so on)
• There can be satisfaction that comes with inspiring, educating or helping others And here are some downsides:
• Blogging does not provide the functionality of a website and has limited e-commerce capacity (i.e. if you want to sell online)
• If you do not have the time to dedicate to making frequent posts, your blog could go undetected on the Internet. When you decide to start a blog, it’s important to work out why you are blogging. That is, do you want to make money from it? Simply write about what you love? Provide expert opinion? Showcase your work? Get people to take action? Answering those questions will make it much easier to work out what you should write about. It’s also highly advisable to subscribe to some successful blogs before you start, so that you can better understand how it all works. One of Australia’s most popular blogs is Problogger (http://www.problogger.net/blog/). You can also find a list of the Top 100 Australia blogs at: http://blogpond.com.au/top-100-australian-blogs-index/ And in the words of Brian Clark: “Don’t focus on having a great blog. Focus on producing a blog that’s great for your readers.”

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender