April 9: Key Relationships #3 – Sponsors & Supporters

On April 9, 2019, Kasie and Shennice welcomed Stephanie Kirkland into the studio. Here are the show notes: 

Introductions:

Kasie Whitener, Clemson Road Consulting, DMSB

Shennice Cleckley, Smart Cookie Coaching

Stephanie Kirkland, In Pursuit of Me

Theme for the day:

Key Relationships #3: Sponsors & Supporters

Agenda review:

• Learn more about Stephanie & In Pursuit of Me
• Women entrepreneurs and the confidence key
• Key relationships: sponsors & supporters

Segment 1:

Stephanie Kirkland and I met back in January when she came to an event with the Women’s Business Center. Her company, In Pursuit of Me, helps women re-discover their passion and purpose. 

Your work has at its heart a specific mission. Share with our listeners your target market, how you reach them, and what you do for them.

From the IPOM website:

• DISCOVER: knowing who you are as a UNIQUE individual (true self),
• DEVELOP: being clear on your truth, values and ethics (belief system),
• BECOME: understanding what you want (goals and vision), 
• EMPOWER: making the choices that get you where you want to be, 
• Create effective IMPACT on those your life is “called” to touch.

The Self Leadership Center for Women has multiple “tracks”: self awareness, self development, self knowledge, self management, self wellbeing, self goal setting, and self efficacy. I think of this a little bit like methodology, or the “how” you help women. You are a facilitator, instructor, and coach. You work with groups, pairs, and one-on-one. How do you determine the way to deliver services? How do you craft engagement plans for your clients?

Segment 2

We work with a lot of women who start services businesses, who share what they know in exchange for compensation. Both Clemson Road Creative and Smart Cookie Coaching are services businesses. 

Women are particularly drawn to services businesses, why? 

Here are 17 women entrepreneurs who have made their success in services businesses.

What has entrepreneurship been like for you? What surprised you the most about becoming a business owner?

One of the biggest gaps, according to SCORE, for women entrepreneurs, is in confidence. In fact, the more developed the country (and economy), the lower the confidence in female entrepreneurs. 

Some advice from women entrepreneurs to women who are thinking of starting their own business:

• Tell everyone about your business.
• Network with other women business owners.
• Solve something meaningful.
• Be decisive.
• Identify and understand your audience.
• Have concrete goals.
• Don’t let imposter syndrome stop you.
• Don’t be afraid of pursuing an unfamiliar path.
• Find a mentor.

Segment 3

Last week we talked with Cynthia Hardy and Melissa about Mentor MatchUp, a program that connects women entrepreneurs with mentors to help shepherd them through the experience. 

This week, with Stephanie, we wanted to look at sponsors and supporters. Those people who lift you up, invest in your success, and put your forward for opportunities.

Sometimes we get so pulled into networking and promoting our business, that we alienate these simple relationships in pursuit of more advantageous ones. So let’s break down the categories again and talk about how we can forge and foster these relationships:

• Friends
• Supporters
• Peers
• Sponsors
• Mentors
• Coaches 

Here’s an article about recognizing the value of different kinds of relationships.

There are a ton of places for entrepreneurs to go but you have to be intentional about the kinds of connections you plan to make there.

Networking tips & tricks to help you be intentional at networking events

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