Gloria Robbins has a simple recipe for business success: hard work.
That's the main ingredient, insists the founder and CEO of
SMS, an Irvine,
California-based direct-response marketing and fulfillment company. "Success
doesn't come easy. As we grew, I was putting in 20-hour days. You have to put in
time to keep your business growing successfully."
Robbins was one of three panelists who disclosed their secrets of success to
members of the Orange County
chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners on January 8.
Business consultant and NAWBO-OC President Barri Carian moderated the panel. All
three panelists, honored as Remarkable Women by NAWBO-OC in 2007, gave up
high-level corporate positions to become entrepreneurs.
Robbins believes it's important for entrepreneurs to show employees their
dedication to the business. "You have to make sure they know you're willing to
do the same things they are willing to do," she said.
Coralee Newman, founder and CEO of
Government Solutions, said
she's been successful because she refuses to accept the word "no." Government
Solutions is a governmental relations firm specializing in development projects that
require government approval and residential acceptance. Newman said persistence
can change "no" to "maybe," to "I'll think about it" and then to "yes." She
insists on pushing against rules and regulations that set unnecessary roadblocks
in her path.
Sue Parks said relationships spurred her new company,
Walkstyles, to a fast
start. Networking helped open doors for her brainchild, a company that provides
products and services that help people incorporate walking into their daily
lives.
Among the questions posed to the threesome:
Have you ever had an "aha" moment when you realized that you were the
obstacle to your company's continued growth?
Newman said she had to alter her attitude when she became a CEO. "When you're
the leader in an organization, there are people looking up to you. They expect
you to show up as a leader. I realized, I'm leading an organization, I'm not
just doing a job."
Robbins struggles with control issues. "There are a lot of people out there
smarter in certain areas than I am. I have to take the steps to hire them--and
then I need to let them do their jobs."
How do you achieve balance between your work and your home life?
Robbins is unequivocal. "There is no life-work balance when you are a
business owner."
Newman has achieved a balance by focusing on work and family. "If you do want
to have it all, some of the social stuff has to go," she said.
Parks more easily incorporates balance into her business lifestyle. "I walk
for balance," said the woman who turned her passion for walking into an
entrepreneurial enterprise.
All three take risks to achieve their goals. When Parks has a decision to
make, she asks herself, "What is the worst thing that can happen?"
Robbins agreed. "I always ask myself, 'What's the worst-case scenario, and
can I live with it?' If I can, then I do it." Robbins said she likes to go with
her gut, rather than wait three weeks while her staff balances the pros and
cons.
Newman has a unique way to put the consequences of a decision into
perspective. She remembers the advice of her uncle when she was upset about the
possibility of losing a corporate promotion. He asked her, "If you don't get
this promotion, is there really anything that will keep you from feeding your
children?"
What's the most important thing an entrepreneur can do for her company?
"Show up," said Newman. Leadership is all about "being there, being genuine
and being real."