Mogul Chix® Chat Podcast

Stop standing in the way of your own growth. Often times CEOs of fast growing companies are reluctant to hire. They may not be ready to delegate yet, fear they can't afford to hire, or are just plain stubborn about bringing outsiders into what they've built over time. But the reality is if you want to grow, you have to hire AND get comfortable delegating. In this episode I talk about getting ready to take the leap into hiring.

When you're a woman of color in the business world, you have to be twice as good, twice as professional and half as visible. Yeah, even today. In these times. In this podcast I give you some tips to navigate meetings and make sure you are respected and acknowledged for your magic. 

The entire world is caught up in the COVID 19 pandemic. Everything has shut down and business has come to a grinding halt. If you are a planner, you're probably in good shape for the short term. But what if you didn't plan? In this podcast, I'll talk about alternative ways to generate revenue and things you can do to ensure you don't lose it all during the pandemic, and come out stronger when it's all over.

Angel investing can be part wealth building vehicle, part philanthropic endeavor. Many women entrepreneurs are seeking investment dollars, but find themselves coming up against brick walls. Many women investors want to help fund women entrepreneurs, but also want to build a wealth vehicle that will give them investments into thriving high growth potential companies. Without angel investing, both objectives would be harder to meet for women. Today my guest and I will talk about the benefits and challenges, the options available, and the smart ways to make angel investing work for you and help up and coming entrepreneurs.

You're past the startup phase and now it's time to shift into high gear. So why are you still functioning and making decisions as  if you're in startup mode? Many high growth companies end up stalling out because they remain stuck in startup mode. There are a variety of factors that keep entrepreneurs from growth from the mental to the financial. What they often lack is solid strategy and execution. At each level, there are new requirements that replace previous requirements. What worked when you began may not work in year two or year five, or even year 10. So what's holding you back from growth? Well today it’s all about the strategy, baby. Today’s topic is all about making that transition from startup to focusing on long term growth strategies and the importance of conscious awareness of each level of growth. My guest Janis Collins and I will talk about some of the roadblocks to growth, how to condition your mind (and your team) for growth, address some tips about handling growth at different levels and helping you set your path to rewarding growth for your business.

The slippery maze of Government Contracting is fraught with red tape, paperwork, and roadblocks. Although each administration says they seek to minimize the bloat in the process, it somehow remains frustrating. Between the amount of paperwork to the criteria for filing, to the waiting period, it can be enough to make you want to pull your hair out. Well today, we're going to talk about some strategies to make the contracting process less intimidating. Tune in today to find out what documentation you should always have, how to prepare for the process, and how to avoid mistakes that will cause delays in the process. Our guest Stacy Vaughn will share her inside tips and cautionary tales to help put you on teh right path to succesfully getting government contracts for your business. Listen live or catch the podcast replay on our Show page.

Many companies make the mistake of adopting the "business as usual" approach. Although they may have great success, eventually the new car smell wears off. Remaining popular, in demand or a top favorite brand with customers is not easy. So the savvy CEO knows that it's critical to always be evolving AND paying attention to external signals. Some of you favorite brands have miscalculated their longevity, misjudged market trends, and made assumptions that ultimately killed their business. Will you be like them? I hope not. Tune in today to find out what brand killers to avoid, how to keep your company in the front of customers minds, and how to avoid becoming obsolete.. We'll also talk about several headline makers about companies who were once viewed as promising rising stars, who experienced very real wake up calls, and how you can avoid the same fate for your company with smart decisions, careful planning and getting help where needed. Listen live or catch the podcast replay on our Show page.

There’s an old saying that goes “don’t try to reinvent the wheel” meaning once you know what it is you want to do/sell/produce, find a company already doing it successfully, and try to improve upon it. Well, that can work for some. Look at companies like AirBNB who took on the hotel industry. Or Uber who took on the cab industry. In some cases, you can disrupt or improve on a product. But in worse case scenario, you end up with a company that’s a copycat “me too” in the eyes of customers. Your company ends up so commoditized that you’re seen as an option instead of the prize pick. Because so many playing fields have been mowed, raised and leveled thanks to technology and globalization, business owners have to constantly ponder how to make themselves stand out as the go to in their industry. Ask yourself 2 questions: - What are you doing better than your competitors? - Why should customers choose your company over others that offer the same thing? In this episode of Mogul Chix Chat I share my top tips on differentiating your company and keeping from becoming irrelevant.

Everyone wants to dominate a niche, because after all, if you’re the go to authority in a specific niche, you can literally write your own ticket. The sky really is the limit. The problem is, there are so many “me too” brands out there that it becomes frustrating for consumers and clients to make selections when they’re in a crunch. So they tend to go with convenience (ie who’s cheaper, closer, faster, easier). And sometimes an entrepreneur will talk themselves out of a niche for the opposite reason. They hear the chatter that nobody else is doing it, the time to educate consumers on a product or service presents challenges, or people may shy away from it because it’s untested or too new. But if we all sat back and let all of that gloom and doom talk get into our heads, we’d never innovate let alone launch anything. Business is a great deal of trial and error, and the only way to learn if something will be a it is to get out and test the market. Entrepreneurs put themselves out on a limb every day. Those that try and fail AND learn, live to fight another day and introduce another product. Look at Elon Musk of Tesla. People thought he was insane trying to build these electric cars. Well guess what, there’s now a market for it. He never gave up even as competition joined the field. My guest Marilyn Smolenski of Nickel and Lace and I talk about how to strategically bring your idea to market, set the standard for the category, and dominate your niche.

People often think once you’re known for something, you’re beholden to it forever. Actors are pigeonholed into characters they play. Restaurant patrons prefer their favorite eateries serve only what they’re used to and never deviate too far from that. Car buyers lean more towards their favorite model of car (like my mother who will never buy anything other than a Dodge minivan, but I digress). You don’t have to go too far back into history to see how ugly things get when brands make drastic changes without easing their core target into it (hello, Crystal Pepsi, New Coke, anyone remember those fiascos?). Well change is the only thing that’s certain in the world. And as you grow and expand your company, you have to learn how to strategically switch gears and refine your brand. You may lose some people, you may gain a lot more than you lose. But as the head of your company, you must make these decision if you plan to grow. Join my guest Amanda Littlejohn and I as we talk about allowing your brand to shift without losing your core message or audience.

Unless you're a money or numbers person, managing the financials for your company isn't fun nor sexy. Let's get real. If you plan on growing and seeking funding to fuel that growth, investors want to know that you have it all together. In order to be in business, the financials always need to be in discussion. If your company isn't generating enough revenue, struggling with expenses, can't meet payroll, and worse, can't attract funding to grow, you will soon find yourself out of business. While the sexy fast paced world of the startup scene requires you to build fast and get to market, once the honeymoon phase is over, investors want to know that they have put their money into a company that has their stuff together. They want to be assured their investment isn't burning through money at a fast pace with no viable results or improvements. Today we'll talk about several headline makers about companied who were once viewed as promising rising stars, to their fast crash landings. And how you can avoid the same fate for your company with smart decisions, careful planning and getting help where needed.

Retaining sound legal counsel for your company isn’t just for creating and filing documents or getting people out of trouble. The time to seek counsel, as you’ll soon hear, is before you actually need it. And it's a smart, strategic business move. When you ask the average person about seeking legal counsel, the first thought that comes to their mind is “well I haven’t done anything wrong to need an attorney”. Or of course the obvious, “attorneys cost too much money and there are plenty of DIY sites where I can download documents and DIY”. Next to hiring your employees, finding great legal counsel is an important piece of growing a great company. Those large companies with an entire legal team were once the smallest companies that started out with at least one attorney. And having that protective ally enabled them to make crucial decisions and take vital steps to grow and scale their companies.  In this episode, my guest and I talk about how to plan a legal strategy for your growing company. 

Although the internet is a vital component for many companies to compete and succeed in the global economy, there's something to be said for having a bricks and mortar to give you face to face interaction with your customer. Pop up shops, while not a new concept, has seen a resurgence for a variety of businesses. A smart business, branding and marketing move, small businesses are taking adavantage of this strategy to build momentum for their companies. Today my guest, Melissa Gonzalez who is the founder of The Lionesque Group and author of "The Pop-Up Paradigm" will discuss ways to leverage pop ups and key tips to make them successful.

Failure isn't fatal or final. Failure doesn't make you less of a businesswoman. In fact, just the opposite applies. It is only through our failures that you can learn the skills that will change you and your company at pivitol moments. There's a stigma that anyone who fails at something, must not be very capable. But even the most successful business people have experienced a failure or two or twenty that set them on the path of being the great business leader they are today. In today's show, we'll talk with guest Angela Stalcup and break down how to turn a failure into a comeback.

Success and ambition don't take summer vacations. Look around you. Companies are being acquired for obscene amounts of money. (Some) startups are earning ridiculously high valuations. The most unsuspecting brands are dominating in their industries and public consciousness. Yet, you can't quite find your stride. What are you creating? How are you REINVENTING yourself, your brand, your company? Adrienne Graham (Founder of Mogul Chix, CEO of Empower Me! Corporation and former hostess of Views From the Top Radio Show) is back on the air. Tune in to hear her break down her 3 tips for owning your power & reinventing on your own terms, the latest in business news, what's to come for Mogul Chix, what she's been up to during her hiatus, and what #FemaleFounders and #WomenEntrepreneurs can do to open up more opportunities for themselves.