Recently on this blog, I made an inaccurate post on Debt Man Walking author Bruce Brammall. I wrongly accused him of promoting sexual stereotypes, when he clearly does not believe in such stereotypes. I made this error because I wrongly believed that Bruce had written a sub-heading on the article in question, rather than simply the quote to which he was attributed, which was clearly not sexist. Bruce was not responsible for the headline – an unknown sub-editor wrote it. I unreservedly apologise for my words themselves and any inference that Bruce is responsible for promoting sexual stereotyping.
Archive for the ‘General’ Category
Apology – Inaccurate Post
Monday, July 13th, 2009Women and Money – Finance Expert Suze Orman
Saturday, July 4th, 2009
In the past few months I have discovered the force of finance expert Suze Orman who is regarded by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Not sure where I have been (I suspect at work) as Suze is a regular on the Oprah Show, has written books, is on radio has her own show and much more. She is definitely an inspirational women who is focused is on educating women about money. She has a top selling book ‘Women and Money’ which highlights the need for women to take financial control, not just for the dollars however also for the sense of self.
Suze advocates many sensible money practices, such as ensuring you have a cash reserve aside for emergencies, paying off your credit card and also being willing to ask for a pay rise and enter into salary negotiations. This is an area that women can really develop very easily through education and practice. Download the Free Six Figures Salary Negotiation Guide for Women to help you get started. It is never to late to start learning about negotiation.
Suze also explores financial management for women in business, and not being afraid to raise your prices. Also be willing to negotiate with service providers and paying yourself first. I myself have seen this and done this in business where you pay everyone but yourself and often you get paid last or not at all. To have a viable business and a sense of self your business must be able to pay you first. So while many of you may be thinking that given the GFC it is not the right time to look to become more financially empowered, the opposite is true. Now is the time to start your financial management plan and to start taking care of your financial present and future.
2009 Employers of Choice for Women: Whose On The List?
Monday, June 29th, 20092009 Employers of Choice for Women: The 2009 EOWA Employer of Choice for Women
The issue of pay inequality in Australia still prevails with stats showing the pay gap between 15% – 16%. Unfortunately, women still comprise the largest percentage of Australia’s poor, and it is not only older women, it is younger in their 20’s and 30’s, women who are single or single parents who are living on or just below the poverty line.
The Federal Government’s Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA) has released a list of organizations that have been recognized as an Employer of Choice for Women. You can access the list that features those organizations, from various industries and business sizes that are proactively addressing this serious problem. “Despite the minimum requirement being 6 weeks paid maternity leave, the average duration provided by these organisations is nearly 12 weeks. EOCFW organisations have an average of 46.7% female managers and the average pay gap is 10.9%, 5.1% lower than the national average.” These are great results, however clearly there is still more work to be done in regards to an increase in the number of women occupying more senior positions and the abolition of the pay gap between men and women.
Click here to view the full list of organizations that made the EOWA list visit.
Some of those employers on the list include KPMG, CITI, American Express, Rio Tinto, Alcoa, Ernst & Young, Monash University, Southern Cross University and many more.
Are there organizations that you know that have not made the list and should be there? Let us know.
Online Divas Melbourne Event
Thursday, June 25th, 2009Who can attend?
ANYONE who has a hot online business idea and wants to make money online!
If you’re just not sure how to get started, this event will help you network with inspiring mentors and companies that are focused on helping you launch your business!
Who will be attending?
As you know, all our events feature a host of dynamic divas who form a panel and Q&A session, and our Melbourne event is no exception.
We can confirm that we will have four expert Online Divas speaking at our
event:
1) Lisa Taliana from http://www.talianadesign.com.au
2) Kate McKibben from http://www.dropdeadgorgeousdaily.com
3) Kate Vandermeer from http://www.ispystyle.net
4) Amber Jones, PayPal
–PayPal offers seminar to the Diva Community–
Learn how to:
1) Make money online with PayPal’s expert advice
2) How to convert traffic to paying customers in 3 simple steps
3) How to retain customers and keep them coming back to your website
This is a very special offer ladies – Our Official Online Divas Sponsor, PayPal is hosting an exclusive ‘How to make money online seminar’ at our Melbourne event.
Cost?
$49 per ticket – this includes cocktails and canapes!
Contact us?
email:hollie@onlinedivas.com.au
or call the Pearl Office (02) 9331 1078 or
m.0416 430 385 (Hollie)
So how good do you want to be? Do you take risks or settle for mediocrity?
Monday, June 22nd, 2009
I have never been one for mediocrity and suspect that not many people aspire to it, yet for too many of us in our working lives, we accept mediocrity. I was re-inspired this week by a short book that packs a punch of inspiration called ‘It’s not how good you are, it’s how good you want to be’ by P. Arden. As this books summary states “it’s a concise guide to making the most of yourself – a pocket bible for the talented and timid to make the unthinkable thinkable and the impossible possible” which perhaps is required now more than ever! I am not sure I would categorize it as a ’self help book’ though I could be wrong. There is nothing fluffy or esoteric about it, rather it states the facts and reminds us we have choices.
This book offers obvious yet profound facts and advice that many of us need right now, be it as employers or employees. In turbulent times, where risk is avoided, uncertainty and sitting tight seem to be the order of the day, maybe it is just time to break out. Nothing great has ever happened by not taking some risks. If you think and act small, that’s what will come back to you – not a lot and its hard to feel a sense of achievement on that.
“So how good do you want to be?” a question that the book asks, have you ever thought about it? Or things like “Don’t look for the next opportunity. The one you have in your hand is the opportunity” “Getting fired can be a positive career move” and “Don’t be afraid to work with the best.”
If you aspire to succeed and want more out of your work life or business, this may be just the book you need.
If you have read this book share your thoughts here.
AN INSIGHTFUL REPORT ON MEN, THEIR CAREERS AND MIDLIFE
Friday, June 19th, 2009Rob Brandenburg has undertaken a comprehensive study on men in midlife. Through his research Rob investigates the influence of personality type on the male midlife experience. The term midlife seems to span different ages dependent on who is referencing this; from 30 years or 40 years plus. Irrespective of how you define midlife, the findings from the study are very interesting for men and women.
The study examined the impact of midlife on career and on relationships with yourself and others. “Regardless of type, a majority of the men reported a greater sense of life mastery in midlife, and felt empowered by the variety of lifestyle options they now had. Many also identified career mastery as a key factor.”
Another interesting finding was that “both groups indicated that generativity was important in their career mastery, expressing a desire to pass on their acquired knowledge and wisdom to others in the workplace.”
You can read Rob Brandenburg’s full article “A Study of Men in Midlife” online, or to find out more about Rob visit Brandenburg Consulting
Beauty products – It is all in the packaging & promises!
Sunday, June 7th, 2009
I don’t normally write about beauty products as it is clearly not my domain. My skills, expertise and experience are focused on careers and financial management. However I think the topic of beauty products does however fit with poor and good financial management!
Given the amount of businesses, websites, forums, magazines and so on focused on beauty and beauty products it is hard to ignore the subject of beauty. Particularly the amount that is spent (mainly by women) on so called miracle lotions and potions! I myself have been skeptical of expensive moisturizers and so on and stick to the basic and cost effective brands. My view being that a good diet, sleep, exercise, water and a positive outlook on life is just as likely to keep you looking good as any of the expensive creams on the market. Also, I suspect it has something to do with genetics as well, which no product can alter yet!
My view was confirmed last week when I had a great chat with a friend of a friend who worked in marketing for a pharmaceutical company that made various creams. All the scientific research seems to show that an Oil of Olay face cream for under $20 is just as good as a Lancôme face cream for $120+. It is all in the packaging and marketing of these products. The promises of younger looking skin, less wrinkles, smoother skin and the like! Expensive packing and advertising clearly works – these companies make billions making us feel inadequate about how we look.
Realistically all you can be guaranteed is that expensive lotions and positions will work no better than the cheap ones. The only difference being you will have wasted a $100+ each time you make a purchase if you opt for the more expensive option. If you total all those ‘expensive products’ you purchase up each month, if you invested this money, you can only imagine the returns on your day cream, night cream, eye wrinkle cream, cleanser and so on. You may have enough for a lovely holiday, to purchase some shares, further educate yourself or your children, or potentially over time a deposit for a house.
Clearly life is to be enjoyed, and if you gain a lot of enjoyment from expensive purchases that is also fine. However if you have big dreams and ambitions, it makes sense to be money wise, as the long term benefits will be very enjoyable and hopefully will keep on giving as you invest your money wisely. With expensive lotions and potions, the fun and giving is gone once the jar is empty!
We all fall for the lure and promises that clever marketing and advertising deliver. I myself have and no doubt will continue to, however sometimes I check myself and as a result end up saving hundreds of dollars each year, which I put to long term investments that will keep on giving!
Share your thoughts about expensive lotions and potions versus the more basic products. Are you someone who has always been skeptical of the expensive products or do you advocate them and their benefits? Perhaps you have a different view on the topic completely.
Niche Online Business Matches Top Talent with Top Jobs – Australian Businesswomen’s Network
Tuesday, May 19th, 2009
This week I was delighed to be invited to speak with Suzi Dafnis of the Australian Businesswomen’s Network about recruitment, employer branding and attracting top staff.
Some of the things we cover in the interview include:
* How to build trust with your audience through your website
* Why your online brand impacts your credibility
* How you can make your business attractive to prospective employees (even if you can’t pay the types of dollars larger companies can)
* The mistakes businesses make when hiring staff
Click the link to listen to the interview on “Niche Online Business Matches Top Talent with Top Jobs”
Find out more about the Australian Businesswomen’s network, including their resources, membership, interviews, mentoring programs and much more.
An easy way to earn more money! Salary management!
Monday, May 18th, 2009
Since my mid twenties I have always had my salary paid into two bank accounts. I am not sure how I developed this practice however it is one that I advocate. It has enabled me to grow my own financial wealth, and to become more financially astute.
I have many friends in their twenties and thirties who are intelligent women, however when it comes to financial management too many fail to invest in their futures. They, like a lot of people, spend all that they earn. Some pay off their credit cards in full so as not to attract extra interest, some have mortgages and all have the standard living expenses.
An easy way to begin investing and earning more money is to set aside a minimum of 10% of your weekly or annual salary to be paid into an interest bearing account. Ensure it is transferred before you even have a chance to see it – have it locked away.
Kick start your financial management plan today by having your employer pay your salary into two accounts with a minimum of 10% of your salary going into an interest bearing account. If they are not obliging, simply set up an automatic transfer to occur each month. You will be quite surprised at the end of a year to see how your money has grown.
Please share your wealth creation and financial management tips.
Inspiring Female Internet Entrepreneurs
Wednesday, May 13th, 2009I came across this post that I felt I just had to share. It is a list of the top 30 female internet entrepreneurs of which many are bloggers. These women have an array of exciting tech businesses and blogs that they have established, grown and made profitable which is no easy feat, particularly online. Names include Ariana Huffington, Caterina Fake, Gina Bianchini and many more. Well worth a read – very inspiring indeed.
