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Browse every published article connected to Joy Chudacoff, with exact attribution and full-archive search.
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Browse every published article connected to Joy Chudacoff, or search within this exact expert archive.
My 8 year-old daughter Jenna never met a sport she couldn’t master - until last week. Whether it’s soccer, baseball, basketball or skateboarding, Jenna typically does well right away. Yesterday was a very different story.
When you begin your journey as a woman entrepreneur, your most important action step is to get clients and create a “buzz” about your product or service so you can keep the business alive and get on a path to profitability. With effective marketing, your business will grow and over time, word will spread about the results people are getting when they work with you. If becoming a leader in your industry is a goal for you, now will be the time to consider an updated look in your business – a new brand image - both personally and professionally.
Recently, we hosted our daughter Jenna’s 6th birthday party at Tumbleweed Day Camp. Tumbleweed Day Camp is this secure, natural haven above West Los Angeles that makes you feel as if you are out in the wilde ess instead of 10 minutes from one of the largest cities in the world. It is a rustic, ...
As I was unpacking a box in our new house the other day, I found a beautiful drawing that my son Jack had done when he was in Kindergarten last year, in the spring. It’s 4 pieces of paper layered together with drawings and these 4 words: seed, roots, stem, flower. There is a lot of ...
Last week, I had the good fortune to speak to an amazing group of smart women at the Success Summit and Expo here in Los Angeles. As a speaker, you hope to present an idea or concept that will provide value to a group, although you never really know until you actually see how the audience reacts if you've chosen something worthwhile. Well, I'll share with you that one of my points hit home with many of the women in the room. I could see eyes wide open and heads nodding. Are you curious about what it might be? It's called Imposter Syndrome.
Recently, my family attended a western-themed fundraiser to benefit our children’s elementary school. It was a fun-filled afte oon with various booths for the children and adults to participate in. Each booth had a different activity where you could try your skills. Walking around the event, I ...
One of the best action steps you can take in your business is to create a biography that showcases your expertise and gives you the credibility you need to stand out from the crowd. It will boost your business in so many ways. You want to have your biography on your website and all of your marketing materials. If you desire to do more speaking to grow your business, you'll want a killer biography for the event host to read before you step onto the stage.
A few days ago, my husband Greg and I had dinner with my good friend and smart woman, Diane Elander and her family. (http://www.dianeelander.com) Diane is a "food stylist." She is an artist who creates that appetizing, desirous emotion that you feel when you see her creations in cookbooks, magazines, and product packaging. When she pulled up her web site and we took a "tour" of her food creations, each photo made your mouth water and "crave" each dish.
This past weekend, our family went out to Palm Desert to visit my in-laws for Mothers Day. I had the opportunity to spend some quality time with Greg’s father, Lowell. I enjoy my “chats” with him. He loves business and marketing and always has great ideas. One of the topics we landed on was ...
Recently my son Jack, who’s in 3rd grade, had to do a book report and I spent some time guiding him through the process. His teacher had asked the report to consist of 6 elements: Title, Setting, Main Characters, Plot, Problem, and Solution. This got me thinking about how Smart Women could use this exercise to create a clear and focused plan for their business and entrepreneurial dreams. Having a firm foundation is essential for any business to have sustainable growth and long-term success. What do you need in order to create a firm foundation for your Big Idea, Dream, or Goal?
Last week, I was having a conversation with another smart woman and we found ourselves on a familiar topic to many people with children: schools and education. This woman has children in middle school and high school and she was sharing with me that the schools have two tracks in which to ...
Recently my children’s little league baseball team was defeated---badly. At one point, I looked at another mom and said, “Please let the bloodshed end!” After the game, the coach brought the team into the dugout to review what worked and what didn’t work. He began with a review of the other team’s performance.
Yesterday, as I was on my way to pick up my kids from school, it occurred to me that I was feeling exhausted—I mean really tired. As I made a mental scan of my day, I realized that I had been in a “reactive” mode most of the day rather than a “proactive” mode. We do need to react to situations that occur in our lives as best we can at that moment, however, Smart Women know that living a “proactive” life where you plan, prepare, and practice conscious living is clearly more rewarding.
While on our way to school listening to a solo piano CD this morning, (it's a great tool that I use to calm everyone down after a hectic morning rushing to get out the door!) my 5 year old daughter Jenna asked me, "Mom, how do you make music?" It reminded me of when I was a little girl and my ...
Every day as I leave my house, I am drawn to a large tree across the street, with beautiful branches and leaves. For awhile now, it has been shedding its leaves. Yesterday I noticed for the first time that all of the leaves have fallen off, leaving the tree bare. Nature has a way of making room ...
Recently, our family took a trip to the "happiest place on earth"---Disneyland! As we made our way to the Magic Kingdom, I noticed a large sign hanging over the entrance that read, "Where old friends meet for the very first time." I began to smile. This got me thinking about how Smart Women take ...
One morning last week, I was helping my 11 year-old son, Jack, get ready for a day of skiing during our family vacation. It was sunny, 55 degrees and gorgeous outside. I handed my son his face mask and he looked at me puzzled and said,<cite> "Mom, there is no way I'm going to need this today--have you looked outside?"</cite>
Like millions of people all over the world, my family watched the Academy Awards on Sunday night. People watch “the Oscars” for different reasons. Some people watch because they enjoy the fashion show and like to see the costume choices. Some people watch because they can’t wait to see who won ...
Recently, I was having a conversation with a woman when she asked me a crucial question: “What are the steps I need to take in order to live a life filled with passion and purpose?” It’s really a 3 part process. When a woman is ready to create her own extraordinary life, she needs to first ...
I was sitting in a park recently watching my children play with their grandparents and all at once I heard this deep, booming voice from a distance say, “You must make contact if you want to stay in the game.” I turned to my left and saw a coach working with a girl’s softball team – instructing them on their swing and explaining the importance of making contact between the bat and ball at just the right moment. This made me think about the idea of contact. For me, contact is about making connections in the relationships I care about – both personally and professionally.
There’s one slight shift you can make in your daily habits that could reap BIG rewards. In fact, this habit has been linked to better decision-making, creativity, health and even weight-loss. Do you know what it is? Sleep.
A few weeks ago, I took some time to evaluate where most of my clients come from and the two areas where I consistently receive highly qualified clients are referrals from happy clients and public speaking. It’s essential that you spend your valuable time doing the things that consistently bring you the clients that you love to work with. This week, I’m going to focus on public speaking as I get many questions from Smart Women on this topic.
Last week, on two separate occasions, I had the topic of what I refer to as “nutritious” people come up. I was speaking at a women’s convention and I asked them to write down at least 3 “nutritious” people” they have in their life right now. I also had a conversation with a woman in my Success Circle about the difference between “nutritious” people versus those that can drain you and zap your energy level. You know the relationships I’m talking about-- right?
Last week, on two separate occasions, I had the topic of what I refer to as “nutritious” people come up. I was speaking at a women’s convention and I asked them to write down at least 3 “nutritious” people” they have in their life right now. I also had a conversation with a woman in my Success ...
A few weeks ago, while vacationing with my family in Park City, I injured my low back ice-skating with my daughter Jenna. It was quite painful and required me to lay low for a couple of days. I watched a few movies, did some reading and caught up on emails. Some of the email promotions really “pulled me in” and got my full attention, while I found others far less interesting, causing me to leave the promotion quickly. What was the difference? What caused me to “linger” or “leave”? This got me thinking about how Smart Women have a clear marketing message.
I am fortunate to spend time with a lot of Smart Women. A topic that comes up on a regular basis is this idea of a job vs. a "calling." What's the difference? How do you know what a "calling" is? Jobs are something that we do in our lives to keep ourselves and our families together. A "calling" ...
Our family went to the Santa Barbara Zoo this past weekend. I love this zoo because it’s not overwhelming (you can see everything in about 2 hours) and Santa Barbara is a favorite spot of mine to relax. When we entered the exotic birds area, a sign on the door read, “For the safety of our birds, please close the inner door before opening the outer door.” That really made me chuckle. I thought, “Well, I don’t think the women will have too much trouble remembering this!”
The month of March is a very important month if you are a basketball fan. It’s “March Madness” and there are games from every team around the country participating in playoffs and finals all month. We are big basketball fans at our house. I was watching a game this week with my ...
Last week, the Women’s Club in my community celebrated men and women over the age of 90 by hosting a dinner and entertainment event in their honor. I read about this event in the local paper and was struck by one interview with a woman who was born in 1912 (she’s 96!). Her photo depicted a woman ...
As I was getting ready for a day of skiing on a recent family ski trip, I had one goal in mind: Stay warm! I knew it was going to be cold and windy that day, and I wanted to make sure that I kept my body heat inside. This got me thinking about how Smart Women who are living a life filled with ...
With everything that's going on in the world right now, I hesitated to write this article. However, I felt called to share my reflections with you. There has been so much despair and devastation in the world lately that when something happens to us personally, we can try to shrug it off because "compared to what's going on in the world, this is minor." (This has been my "mantra" over the past week.) Although I believe this to be true, when something happens to you personally, it feels real and challenging. It can paralyze you and keep you from moving forward.
Remember Lucy Van Pelt in the comic strip Charlie Brown? I woke this morning thinking about one of her famous lines, “I told you so, you blockhead!” Lucy was known for setting up a psychiatric booth in the neighborhood offering advice to her friends for five cents per person. Clearly she caught the entrepreneurial bug early but I’m not sure I’d want to get my business direction from her. : -) This got me thinking about how women entrepreneurs need to be cautious when seeking advice, coaching and mentoring on their road to success.
At the end of each year, I take an inventory of my life and business to shine a light on what proved to be most effective for me. Here are my top nine timely tips for women entrepreneurs who are ready to make a Big Leap in 2014: 1. Exercise Empathy - If you have a dream of making a difference in the world or desire a leadership role, empathy is a valuable tool you'll need along the way. As the great leader Stephan Covey said, "Seek first to understand." Understanding and acknowledging someone else's situation is the foundation to change.
I'm sure you're aware of the old term, "spring cleaning"? Mother nature reminds us that before you add more to your life, it's always a good idea to let go of what no longer serves you. Like the leaves that fall from trees in autumn, room is made for the new growth that occurs every spring. I'm finding many women entrepreneurs feeling this way right now (including yours truly : -)). Evaluating your business is a smart move, as long as you're willing to ask yourself the right questions and give yourself honest answers:
Over the last few days, I’ve spent some time with women entrepreneurs who are all having the same challenge—the race against time or “time management.” Whether you are an atto ey, a fitness professional or a business coach, time is the like the elusive lover—you can never get enough! Here are a few comments I heard over the last few days: -- “I’m never able to get it all done.”rn-- “I can’t figure out which “to-do” should be done first.”rn-- “It only takes 10 minutes.” One woman entrepreneur is multi-tasking all day long.
As I write this, I'm 690 miles from my office in Los Angeles. Actually, I'm in Park City, Utah enjoying a glass of Pinot and writing to you. I'm here on a family vacation getting some much needed rest and a modified digital detox.
Remember the Alice Cooper song, "School's Out"? The lyrics are running through my mind as I write this article. The last bell rang, the kids are running through the house at all hours of the day and their summer camps are spread all across town. My schedule has become a mere shadow of the nice, tidy, organized days I experience September through May. Sound familiar? I'm finding this is true for many women entrepreneurs so today's article offers a few coping strategies when summer arrives and suddenly it feels like your schedule has been hijacked.
This week I'm writing to you from my childhood home in Charleston, West Virginia where I'm caring for my aging parents who are health challenged at the moment. Today, I'm going to share my best tips for running a business when traveling. With all the new gadgets and apps available to entrepreneurs today, business on the go is a snap.
A few days ago, my 7 year old daughter came home with what I thought was a challenging school project---designing and creating her own game from scratch. Jenna was stumped at first. She came up with a few ideas but then quickly gave up as she found some “glitches” in her plan. This got me thinking about Smart Women and the game of entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship can be fun, exciting, challenging and risky all at the same time—just like any other game we play.
I was feeling a bit out of sorts. My creative self felt like it was moving at a crawl and my decision-making at a snails pace. Something was off but I couldn't put my finger on it until I started to reflect over the last eight weeks. I had traveled two times in 30 days to the East Coast to see my father who's ailing and followed that with a week-long business trip. I realized that our home never fully recovered from the holidays. There were "loose ends" in many places which left me feeling unsettled.
I was driving dow Pacific Coast Highway at 4:30 in the afte oon just a few days before Christmas. My cell phone rang and it was the principal from my daughter's elementary school. My first thought?<cite> "Wow, this must be pretty serious if she's calling me during school winter break!"</cite> I answered the phone (a little nervously I might add).
This past weekend, I was sitting in the bleachers at our local park watching my children play little league baseball when I heard the weekly mantra from their coach as each child took their position at bat: “Wait for the one that’s right for you!” “Don’t swing at every pitch!” “Good Eye!” This got me thinking about how smart women choose opportunities that are “right” for the mission and growth of their business. As your business begins to grow and you develop a following in your industry, opportunities will come your way.
One of the biggest challenges I see people struggle with is making decisions. There's this burning need inside of us to avoid making a mistake when it comes to choosing one over the other. They key is to know when a decision really matters ("should I marry this guy?") or is it a mere blip on the screen of your life ("What should I have for dinner?"). I, too, have had my share of sleepless nights over the "yes or no" of life, however over the years, I've developed a process that I take myself through when it's time to ground myself in a decision:
When I travel, the first thing I do when I reach my destination is scope out the coffee situation. I’m an early morning gal and I enjoy a hot cup of strong black coffee when I wake up to greet the day. When we arrived in Park City for our family vacation, I noticed the coffee pot in the kitchen was ancient but my thought was <cite>“at least I’ll have coffee tomorrow morning.”</cite> I stopped by the local Starbucks, picked up my favorite brew, “Komodo Dragon” and marked it off my to-do list.
The one questio I get asked over and over from women entrepreneurs is, <cite>"How do you know what to delegate to an assistant?"</cite> I love this question because it tells me you realize that you can't (and shouldn't) try to do it all in your business and your ready to get the support you need.
Over Memorial Day weekend, I unplugged completely from the online world and left the office behind. Even though I work out of my home, I made a conscious decision not to enter the office or think about anything having to do with business. I do this periodically because I know the dangers of staying "on" all the time can cause burnout, loss of motivation and derail creative thinking.
In my work with women, one bad habit that I see creeping into their daily lives is Procrastination. This one bad habit can create a struggle in your business and wreak havoc on your personal life too. I have a bad habit of procrastinating on making timely doctor appointments. The result? My "aches and pains" increase and treatment time takes a lot longer - not fun and not smart.
A few days ago, I made a visit to my dermatologist for a checkup and as soon as I entered the office, I could feel a "vibe." The office is spotless, clean, light and bright. The staff is friendly and organized. The dermatologist has a nice personality and is both thorough and fast. I felt both safe and secure while being in that space and would definitely make future referrals to this doctor. I like the vibe of the office.
Do you know what one of the most effective list building tools might be? Your email signature line. The area where you can add your name and other details below email messages is valuable marketing real estate that you can use to create awareness about your business and attract potential clients.
A few weeks ago, our family took a trip to the Califo ia Science Center for their “family lab day.” It was a fun and educational experience. There was one experiment that had to do with the difference between solids and fluids, and it got me thinking about Smart Women entrepreneurs and their businesses. Does your business need to be solid or fluid? Actually, both. When you first make the decision to become a business owner, you as an entrepreneur are very “fluid.” After all, you’re probably a solo-entrepreneur trying to do everything yourself!