I wanted to address this topic because it’s often a question I get asked “How did I become a Powerful Women of Influence” and it’s the goal I have for my clients given my mission is to empower women business owners.
What I’ll do is share my story, while integrating the lesson and some action steps you can follow to jumpstart your own journey.
I didn’t start out as a women of influence, or a leader, but I will always remember it’s at the root of my beginnings. I started my first company at the age of 19 in 1985, a software company, in a time where very few women were in technology, let alone starting their own business.
A professor pulled me aside, as I was soon to graduate as a computer programmer, and asked me what I planned to do. My obvious answer was “Get a job as a programmer.” He said no way – stating I was dynamic, outgoing, a true leader, powerful, and an Influencer – he said you are an entrepreneur.
I had never heard those words before, and it never dawned on me to become my own boss. I asked how does one do that and he said “You find a need and fill the gap.” Those are the words I follow today, and they have kept me in business now for over 32 years.
I entered into a business field that was dominated by men, and for my presentations and offerings I was going against teams of men from Coopers Lybrand, IBM, Ward Mallette and the likes. Giants in the industry, with major history and power behind them.
This is where I learned the value of branding, and unique selling propositions. You can’t compete against a giant head to head, so you have to find out what does the client really WANT, that your competition can’t do. The answer for me at that time was personal, responsive service, and the fact that it was always a woman being trained on the computer and software, and that I would be the perfect person to help transition them and hold their hand through this challenging time. Especially if those being trained had a say, they picked me EVERY time.
From here, I found myself engaging in tasks that positioned me as a leader, but not because I was seeking it, but because it had to be done.
As part of my offerings, and the fact I was always going up against large accounting houses for bids, I got my Certified Management Accountants designation. Again this was a field that few women were in. This brings up 2 points I want you to consider when you are looking for opportunities and advantages to position yourself as an influence.
The first was I got a professional designation so that despite my small company size, I had the professional status they were looking for. So what can you add to your skill set to ensure you remove any major disadvantages?
The second was status and authority. I went on to became the youngest female to be nominated and win in election to the Certified Management Accountants board of directors for 2 terms – and I did it because a woman’s voice needed to be represented and it gave me the brand positioning I needed to be seen and heard.
In 1992, when the world wide web first emerged, I knew it would change everything. We jumped on that technology rapidly, while others tested the waters, putting us at the forefront of web development, design, and transactions using this new technology. Soon I was winning contracts with the Government, non profits, fortune 500s and even the lottery corporation. This of course raised the profile of our company to be a major player online.
So what technology or opportunity is on your radar that nobody else has mastered yet?
Then came the big risk and the big reward. I decided to move from Canada to the USA to get into the internet marketing field in 2006. We sold everything and started from scratch in a new country. It was at my first seminar when I saw there were 16 men and no women on the worlds largest stage. I set a goal right then that I would be on the World Internet Summit stage within one year. I had no idea how, I was completely unknown in that field, but I knew someone had to be there.
So what is something you need to do, because it needs to be done?
What influence do you need build so that you can accomplish your next goal, and even better, break barriers or open doors that need to be broken open?
So from that desire, I went back to what my teacher told me and that was to find a need and fill the gap. So I did that with my first book ’31 Days to Millionaire Marketing Miracles. There was no A-Z of internet marketing – just pieces. When it went to #1 in 2007, before social media, people started to contact me and asked if I could coach them through the book. I did, and from there I made 6 figures in a few months, and then the call came from the World Internet Summit – you have won new internet marketing success of the year, and with that they gave me an all expense paid trip from California to Singapore to appear on my first stage in front of 3400 people. I was the first woman to hit that stage and I was such a hit, that I spent the next 5 years circumventing the globe with 15 men, and from it I became the #1 Woman Speaker in the World for Internet Marketing.
So what goal can you launch, even when you don’t know the how, so you can make the influence you need?
Now you have seen that your actions need to move you towards a desired outcome, I want to give you some practical steps to increase your influence.
1. Establish a clear brand and message across all platforms
2. Be where your market is and position yourself as the authority
3. Build an online web presence that supports this position
4. Actively build a list and email marketing strategy to leverage your influence so you can create raving fans that catapult your cash flow
5. Provide great content on your blog, in social media and in articles. I’ve been published in Forbes 17 times, this can help you with your status, authority and influence
6. Connect with other influencers and flow power to them, and they in turn will reciprocate
7. Raise your rates and get paid what you are worth. This allows you to increase your philanthropic activities and flow attention and resources to organizations that need it
8. Be brave, daring, believe in yourself and go all in. This is not a journey for the faint at heart, but you are needed in this journey to make the world a better place in whatever way you do that
So where am I now when it comes to influence? Always reaching for new heights.
I garner my influence by appearing on TV, publishing books, appearing on stages as a speaker and growing my social media influence.It’s the 4 steps approach I use to #ReachMillions with my message, and help others to do the same.
In short, I empower women to build thriving businesses, to charge what you are worth, and position yourself as a leader in your field and I do this by branding and creating an online profile that elevates your status, authority and credibility and streamline your sales and lead conversion process so you can create raving fans that catapult your sales
Becoming a woman of influence is an important part of not just your success, or the success and empowerment of women, but it is part of the divine destiny that needs to happen in order to recover the state of the planet and restore humanity. Like it said, it will take some courage, my journey was not an easy one, but it will be worth it as there is more at stake here than just you and me.
I hope you got some key information about Becoming a Powerful Women of Influence and take a moment to share this post.
Until next time – be sure to join my community if you haven’t already –http://fastactionresults.com/ and grab my free gift for you.
Tracy Repchuk
I Help You Get Seen – Be Heard – Make More – and #ReachMillions
#1 International Best Selling Author of 31 Days to Millionaire Marketing Miracles
PS – Remember to share this post with your friends. Thanks in advance
