The Girls' Guide To Building A Million-Dollar Business Book

CONTENTS

Foreword by Michael E. Gerber xi

Preface xiii

Acknowledgments xv

Introduction xvii

PART ONE LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR A MILLION-DOLLAR BUSINESS

1 Start the Million-Dollar Journey 3

You Look Like a Million 3

Revealing a Well-Kept Secret: Knowing Where to Look 4

If You Don’t Believe in You, No One Else Can 8

You’ve Seen and Conquered Before 12

Grit Your Teeth and Go for It 16

2 Think Big and Bold 19

Shout It Out 20

Mind Over Money 22

Bigger Can Be Better 26

Take Action: Make It Happen 27

If at First You Don’t Succeed. . . 29

3 Get Ready, Get Set, Grow 33

Get Your House in Order 33

Relationships May Change: Be Prepared 37

Create a Peer Support Network 41

Mentors Can Guide Your Growth 43

PART TWO USING THE FOUR STRATEGIC KEYS TO GROWING YOUR BUSINESS

4 Create the Vision 49

Define the Vision of Your Company 49

Articulate Your Mission 51

Communicate the Core Values 52

Create the Right Business Plan 55

Focus, Focus, Focus 59

Invest in Professional Resources and Advisors 60

Step Up to the Role of CEO 63

Build an Advisory Board 65

5 Develop the Right Team 69

Let Go to Grow 70

Take Action Every Day 72

Hire the Right People 73

Hire the Best Candidate, Not the Best Job Seeker 75

Invest in Retention: Get Started on the Right Foot 77

Identify Your Company’s Pink Cadillac 79

Attract the Best and the Brightest

Through Innovation and Creativity 82

Take Emotions Out of the Workplace 83

Tap into Hidden Talents 85

Create Systems to Ensure Consistent Results 86

Learn from Resignations to Help You Grow 87

6 Implement Key Marketing Strategies 91

Create a Killer Brand 91

Shake Things Up: Create a Unique Value Proposition 94

Cultivate and Connect with Customers and Clients 97

Create a Customer Advisory Board 99

Know Your Competition 100

Touch Your Customers in Unique Ways 102

Become a Media Maven 106

Apply for Awards 109

Enjoy the Rewards of Networking 112

Go for the Gold 114

Bag the Big Business Deals 116

Don’t Put All Your Eggs into One Basket 120

7 Fund Your Business Growth 123

Obtain the Funding 126

Begin the Money Hunt 128

Get Credit When You Don’t Need It 131

Get to Know People in the Investment Community 132

Perfect Your Pitch 134

Angel Investors 136

Venture Capital 137

Overcome Gender Bias 140

Develop an Exit Strategy 144

Leave a Legacy 147

PART THREE ACCELERATING YOUR BUSINESS GROWTH

8 Develop Growth Strategies 153

Control the Growth 153

Build Together Through Strategic Alliances 155

Develop Smart Partnerships 156

Think Globally for Growth 159

Think Franchising for Fast Growth 162

Reap the Benefits of Direct Sales 164

9 The Rest of the Story 169

You’ve Gotta Love It 170

Define Success for Yourself 170

Stay True to Yourself 172

Cherish Yourself 173

Pay Yourself What You Are Worth 176

Be an Unintentional Mentor 178

Choose Your Battles Wisely 179

Expect the Unexpected 181

Reap the Ultimate Reward: Giving Back 183

You Can Do It 187

10 Great Resources 189

Appendix: Celebrating Our Successes 197

Notes 203

Index 205