Interview
Questions for the Woman in Leadership Featured Success Story
What
are your thoughts on self acceptance being essential for achievement
with our personal and business life?
Without
self-acceptance as well as self-respect, you are lost in the
multitude of other entrepreneurs, as well as your own business.
What
are the important steps to developing our leadership as women?
Belief
in one’s self; elimination of thoughts that support the ‘only men
can be leaders’ line of thinking;
and a mentor
to help you along your leadership path
What
did you do before launching Gemma & Bixley?
Before
Gemma & Bixley, which is a parent of New
Directions
(my formerly named business) I was presenting personal development
workshops; prior to that I was a real estate broker in California
with my own office.
What’s the biggest thing you struggle with as an
entrepreneur?
Being
alone, without others to bounce off ideas with. Although, being alone
is what most entrepreneurs do, as they need the time to be
creative.
Looking
back, what’s one thing you wish you understood about
entrepreneurship before you ever got started?
That
it is lonely unless you start off with a partner; which I would not
have done anyway. Wish I had way more capital for the startup. Wish I
knew how important continuing education was.
It
is an honor to have you as our featured success story. Please tell us
about yourself and your journey as an entrepreneur.
My
start as an entrepreneur was out of need. I no longer wanted to be
told what to do by anyone and wanted to make income that was not
determined by someone else. My first venture into entrepreneurship
was as real estate sales person. There were blocks along the way. The
real estate market was in a slump; no one would hire me; however, I
needed to feed and shelter my children. I never gave up. I was
referred to someone who managed a branch office of an international
firm. The area manager did not want to hire me; the branch manager
knew I would work hard because I was ‘hungry’. He helped me a
great deal. Within my first year of real estate, even though there
was a recession, I reached my goal. I worked as a sales person for a
short while, then, when I was successful, the agencies that would not
formerly hire me as a newbie, were after me to manage one of their
branches. I chose a firm that worked for me, started out as a manager
and was a success, both profit wise and people wise, in less than 60
days.
What has been your
biggest business struggle as a ______?
How have your
entrepreneurial motivations changed since you first started?
Who
was your inspiration growing up in and who is your inspiration now?
Mostly
spiritual teachers inspire me. I admire people like Richard Branson,
owner of Virgin
everything! He is doing what he loves, helps others, makes money and
appears to be happy. As for spiritual teachers, there are many
including the Dalai Lama.
What
has been your most effective marketing tactic or technique?
My most effective marketing technique is to be persistent and consistent in whatever approach I take.
What three pieces of advice would you offer entrepreneurs starting out today?
!. Have a plan.
2. Hire a coach, first!
3. Have a team or at least include a team in your plan.
What is your best advice for women?
Forget
you are a woman in the business world; remember you are a spiritual
being in the form of a woman on this planet. Women in business are
different and we should realize this as an important attribute.
How
would you define your personal success?
Everyone
defines success in their own way. What does success mean to you?
Success
to me means peace, the ability to choose what I want to do, when I
want to do it, and unending passive income.
What
advice would you give to women taking the leap to go after their
entrepreneurial dreams?
Plan
a little, not too much; get together a great team including an
attorney and accountant, be clear about your people, process and
product, and give it a go. Do not wait nor listen to others
negativity.
What
ignited the spark in you to start a new business venture or to make
significant changes in an existing business?
How do you find
people to bring into your organization?
What three pieces of
advice would you give to women who want to become entrepreneurs?
If
you had the chance to start your career over again, what would you do
differently?
Create
a great team from the start; have more investment/capital funds,
…
What have your
learned from your personal failures and business fail?
Regroup;
nothing is really a failure. It is all about learning who you are
and your limits.
How
has building you own business affected your family life?
What
people, places, or things motivate you?
How do you generate
new ideas?
I
meditate, I read, and stay quiet and wait for inspiration.
How
far are you willing to go to succeed in your life and in your
business?
What is your greatest fear, and how do you manage
fear?
What are your ideals?
How do you define
success?
What is the best way to achieve long-term
success?
Is your company profitable or what is your profit for
last year?
How do you build a successful customer base?
How
did you decide on the location for your business?
Do you
believe there is some sort of pattern or formula to becoming a
successful entrepreneur?
If you could talk to one person from
history, who would it be and why?
Who has been your greatest
inspiration?
What book has inspired you the most? (OR What is
your favorite book?)
What is your favorite aspect of being an
entrepreneur?
What would say are the five key elements for
starting and running a successful business?
What has been your
most satisfying moment in business?
What do you feel is the
major difference between entrepreneurs and those who work for someone
else?
How do you go about marketing your business?
What
has been your most successful form of marketing?
In one word,
characterize your life as an entrepreneur.
Dramatic
When
your business was fairly new, what where some of your biggest
mistakes?
How did you prevent those mistakes?
What are
your hobbies unrelated to work?
I
read a lot: mysteries, biographies
What
brings you the most happiness in your personal life?
What
sacrifices have you made to reach your current level of success as an
entrepreneur?
Too
many to even count. Although, what appeared as sacrifices may have
just been the steps I needed to take to get where I am now.
Where
you see yourself and your business in the next 15-20 years?
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