My Vision for Tomorrow + How I'm Making It a Reality

Last night, the Centre for Social Innovation hosted its annual fundraiser. The theme was Make Tomorrow | Create a Better World.The CSI community consists of over 250 social entrepreneurs working to make our dreams of a better world come to life.

Here is a photo of me with our Agents of Change cohort at the fundraiser.

The public lobby of the IAC Building has two tiled video walls that provide an interactive experience of imagery display. Capitalizing on this innovative feature, CSI asked all of its members to describe our vision for tomorrow and how our social innovation is making that vision a reality. Our impact number (some metric or outcome measure of our work) along with a headshot and collage of pictures were displayed on the video wall during the event.

This is a phone capture of my headshot on the video wall.

I thought you might like to read my responses to the questions for my Social Impact Innovator Profile. I answered from the perspective of Start Within Coaching, the new brand umbrella that encompasses my coaching, EFT work, and public events/workshops for women.

My Organization Mission:

Start Within Coaching seeks to disrupt the conversation around self-worth and self-esteem for women of color. Motivated by Sustainable Development Goal # 3.4, we promote women's mental health and wellbeing via live and virtual workshops, events, and coaching programs. 

My Vision of Tomorrow:

To reduce the percentage of black women who live with feelings of sadness, hopelessness, worthlessness, and/or that everything is an effort all of the time. For the last point, nearly twice as many non-Hispanic Black women felt this way in 2014, compared to their non-Hispanic White counterparts (9.9% vs. 5.8%). More than just the absence of a disorder, true mental health is a state of wellbeing in which a woman can realize her own potential, cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively, and make a contribution to the community. "Tomorrow," women of color will feel a sense of worthiness; they will know that their dreams, their health, and their overall lives matter. Start Within to Finish Strong!

My Social Impact:

In 2017, we hosted 10 New Moon Circles at CSI designed for women to create supportive relationships with other women, and to receive rejuvenation and support (via Guided Heart Meditations, Intention-Setting Rituals, and other wellness activities). Other public workshops and events focus on topics including Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT-Tapping), Self-Care Strategies, and Stress Management. Through private coaching, we map out personalized strategies for women to enhance their interpersonal communication, leadership style, and personal wellbeing.

When I Joined CSI:

October, 2016

Impact of CSI on Me / My Organization:

Since joining, I've become an Agents of Change Fellow, which has connected with more female founders who are committed to improving the status of women and girls globally. I've also been a founding member of the Women's Lab at CSI, an experiment in creating a safe haven space for female founders and their mission-driven organizations. I have hosted my New Moon Circles at CSI.

What is YOUR Vision for Tomorrow?
How are YOU Making it a Reality?

Startup Founders Get Lean in Sydney

The past few months, I've had the pleasure of planning, organizing, and launching the second Lean Startup Machine Workshop in Sydney, Australia! The 3-day workshop was held 19-21 April at Fishburners, a local co-working and tech start-up space.

Now that I've recovered from my jet lag, I thought I'd share an inside perspective on what it can take to truly test your start-up or business idea BEFORE writing a line of code, or buying any inventory, or hiring your first person, or ... you get the idea. Here's a sample of what went down ... down under!

The Stats

• 56 entrepreneurs
• 20 mentors
• 10 ideas
• 5 speakers
• 5 judges 
• 2 winning teams who benefited from over $2,500 in prizes

The Story

We started on Friday evening with the high energy of ideas being pitched and teams being formed -- 20 app, product, and service ideas were culled down to 10 teams based on group voting. 

Natasha, Pascale & Coach Colette

Lessons from launching successful start-ups were shared in our Fireside Chat by Sydney entrepreneurs Pascale Helyar-Moray (founder StyleRocks) and Natasha Rawlings (co-founder StreetHawk App & Springboard Australia member).

Teams spent the remainder of Friday night beginning to define their problem and customer hypotheses, and initial customer assumptions using the Validation Board.

By Saturday morning, 10 teams had become 9 as one team of three people disbanded because a team member decided not to return to the workshop. Just like in the real world, when you think you've got everyone on board, someone jumps overboard; and then you have to either reiterate, pivot, or (in this case) abandon ship.

We encouraged teams to spend the majority of Saturday 'getting out of the building' to have real conversations with real potential customers. Teams begin to learn that their ideas are essentially useless until they're validated (or invalidated) by customers who are actually living/dealing with the problem. 

My 'Saturday-tough-love' coaching to any team who was resisting going out and yet still struggling to find "the 'right' answer" was: "You're not going to find it in here standing in front of the board, talking to yourselves. Get out there and ask some more people some more questions!"

Sebastien Eckserley-Maslin on Customer Dvpt

Hamish Barney on MVPs

Shihab Hamid on Landing Pages

Lean Sydney 2013 Mentors

In addition to hands-on coaching from me and our 20 mentors, teams heard relevant presentations on customer development, building MVPs, and launching landing pages to solidify their understanding of Lean methodology.

The Breakthrough

On Saturday night, the energy was much lower as many teams seemed frustrated by the feedback they were receiving from target customers. Perhaps their perceived problem wasn't really a problem at all, or maybe it wasn't an urgent problem that their proposed customers cared enough about to solve. These are not uncommon experiences for an entrepreneur -- it just doesn't often happen in a 24-hour period!

How an entrepreneur responds to this feedback is crucial: do you continue to hold onto your idea (e.g., it's such a great idea, and did I tell you how I came up with it) or do you listen to your customers? We witnessed this struggle through Sunday morning, until some of the teams had the breakthrough as described below:

".. we stopped trying to change the customer to fit [our] solution (wasting time), and started ACTUALLY looking for [their] pain points." 

The Finale
On Sunday, it was all about making last iterations and pivots; and collecting data from online MVPs and landing pages to find out how much validation (e.g., signups, pledges, and/or letters of intent) each team had gained.

We told the teams how they could win Lean Sydney 2013 -- by sharing their findings in a short, yet compelling presentation that demonstrated how they apply the methodology and validated (or invalidated) their key assumptions.

Tom Frazier on Pitching Tips

Our Lean Sydney 2013 judging panel included renowned Sydney entrepreneurs Jodie Fox (founder Shoes of Prey) and Matt Barrie (founder Freelancer.com), and Lean Sydney 2012 founder James Nathan (Food Orbit).

And, the winners were .... @pixcapp (helping online retailers create better images) and GoTix (helping business travelers find last-minute tickets to shows and sporting events). The grand prize included a cloud hosting package from Ninefold, marketing plan consultation, and free desk space at The Hive (co-working space at Pollenizer).

To practice what I'm preaching, here's feedback from one of the attendees to validate the value of the Lean Startup Machine workshop experience:

"It teaches you really good techniques for validating business ideas, so you can see if you have a valid business before wasting lots of money on it building a solution."

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Sydney -- getting to know the start-up ecosystem there, and seeing a bit of the city. I'll share more about my personal adventures in Oz soon!

Why Female Founders Should Speak Up

As a Female Founder, Why Should You Speak Your Mind?

Otherwise, nothing will get done; deals will pass you by; you won’t get what you want or what you need. Perhaps it would be better to answer the question with the words of an old African-American proverb: “A closed mouth don’t get fed.” If you don’t speak up, speak your mind, and ask for what you need for yourself and for your business, you run the risk of being malnourished … possibly, in a profound, life-altering way.

Believe it or not, I didn't always recognize the importance of speaking my mind. There have been many times in my past when I have held myself back, dimmed my light, and silenced my voice. Very early on … when I was in Kindergarten and the first grade … I began to perceive messages that it wasn't always OK to speak up. I was a stronger reader than some children in my grade. The teachers did their best to keep me occupied and motivated with the resources they had at their disposal. Yet, my childlike mind couldn't help but wonder:

“Maybe it would be better if I just read at the same level as everyone else. Then, no one would have to make a fuss over finding more books and I wouldn't need any special treatment. Maybe I should just keep quiet and read what books are available at school.”

This message to “keep quiet” continued into my adolescence; when, in middle school, I was occasionally picked on for being smart. I share this part of my story not to blame the other children; more to reveal how much I’d (unknowingly) internalized the “keep quiet” messages, which had a significant impact on my willingness to let my light shine. When I was a senior in high school, I won a national writing award. My English teacher appeared to be more excited than I was – she couldn't wait to announce my accomplishment to the class. I can picture her actually jumping up and down with the notification letter in her hand.

And, all I could think was: “What will they think of me now? ‘There goes Colette, showing off and bragging about how smart she is.’” I had adopted the habit of keeping my wins a secret (keeping my mouth closed) so that fewer people would notice me or make a big deal about my accomplishments. 

Perhaps it’s from those early experiences of holding myself back that I've developed my passion to empower other women to speak their minds, even when others tell them “it can’t be done!” or “that will never work!” Now, I proactively seek out compelling, innovative ways to share what I've learned with other women who can benefit from my lessons to improve their lives and their businesses.

I believe you can develop a positive and strategic mindset to achieve your biggest dreams and be more fulfilled. It’s a matter of “flipping your script” to counteract any negative self-talk, and replacing those thoughts with more inspiring messages. You must give yourself permission to reveal your positive mindset; first to yourself, and then to others if you so choose. On your founder's journey, you may encounter a few pessimists or “Debbie Downers” that will want to share their negative outlook or try to distract you from your purpose. Yet, I believe you can choose how you respond, and choose whether you will allow their perspective to hold you back from speaking your mind.

So, now, as the woman who coaches other women to tap away their stress and communicate for impact, when I hear my own negative self-talk and begin to doubt whether I should speak my mind, I can flip my own script:

"If I’m not willing to speak up, speak my mind, and ask for what I need, how can I ask others to do the same? It’s time to get my voice on, because this mouth needs to get fed!”

What do you think? Are there times you hold yourself back or silence your voice? What has that cost you? Share your comments here or tweet me your thoughts on Twitter.

Coach Colette Schools 'Preneurs on How to Communicate for Impact

In this video interview with Melissa Wildstein, I share more tips to Communicate for Impact in advance of my upcoming class for women entrepreneurs on March 27 at Wix Lounge. Get "schooled" here!



By the way, 'PRENEUR is a rockstar membership community created for business owners by business owners who do what we do everyday: hustle! Katie, Melissa and Sabina have designed a fun, interactive community to skyrocket your business growth in four key ways: Get Press, Get Exposure, Get Support & Get Schooled!

Since joining 'PRENEUR, I've been so glad to have these 3 PR and SEO dynamos as part of my team! Because another key component to communicate for impact is having connected, raving supporters who proactively create a buzz about you and what you have to offer.

Communicate for Impact: Our Differences Do Matter

Did you know that 75% of the people who are critical to your happiness and success are DIFFERENT from you in SEVEN key ways?

Communicate for Impact: Video Intro

More PowerPoint presentations from Colette

To find out why it matters and how you can still be successful in business, join me as I share tips with  savvy women entrepreneurs and founders on Tuesday, March 27th at Wix Lounge.
 
BTW, a People Style assessment is included in your registration for my Communicate for Impact interactive workshop.

Assertive Communication: Not Just Good for the Bottom Line

To succeed as a woman entrepreneur or startup founder in today's New Normal requires strong communication skills -- whether you're seeking to raise capital, find partners, hire employees or create a buzz about your brand.

While communication isn't an exact science, it IS possible to adjust your communication habits and behaviors to jumpstart your business interactions and relationships.

Think about the business interactions in which you engage on a regular basis. Do you communicate confidently and assertively when you:

• Propose a new idea or business solution
• Ask for cooperation or help from a business partner
• Say 'no' to a request of your time when your plate is already full

To make it easier, I suggest you think of being assertive as a communication dial or knob that you can turn up or turn down to boost your confidence in critical business conversations. For example, you can tweak your body language and nonverbal responses based on the cues you receive from the other person.

• Increase your eye contact or lean forward to let him/her know that you're fully engaged in the conversation and attentive to his/her needs
• Raise the volume of your voice (breathe from your diaphragm) to emphasize your key words and points to keep the other person engaged -- use his/her name at crucial points in the discussion when you really want to capture their attention

Did you know that learning to be more assertive is actually good for your health? Being more assertive and confident in your business interactions is not only good for your bottom line! It helps to boost your self-esteem and gain more respect from others -- both of which can reduce and alleviate your stress and anxiety.

For more tips on how to assertively communicate in business, join me on Tuesday, March 27 for my Communicate for Impact class for women entrepreneurs at Wix Lounge in New York.

NEW Podcast: Clear Your Clutter – Why It’s OK to Let Go Now

In our New Normal of rapid change and 24/7 technology, it's important that you find ways to be more centered and focus on what's most important. That can be challenging if your living or working space is cluttered or disorganized.

The good news is I've just released a new podcast with my friend and professional organizer, Juli Oliver: Clear Your Clutter: Why It's OK to Let Go Now!

As founder of OrganizeNY, Juli specializes in helping clients with home and office projects such as: how to balance household and home office areas; how to create inviting living and working spaces that take full advantage of every last inch of space -- really crucial in cities like New York!

Clearing clutter can go a long way to creating space for you to receive new ideas and new opportunities -- just by changing your line of sight (i.e., the things you see - or don't see) when you walk into a room can refresh your energy, open your mindset, and change your outlook on your situation. Letting go of old items also can help you release emotional ties to negative or non-productive aspects of your past. I started off the year by clearing out old TV's and phones, a printer and other bulk items. It truly lightened my load and made me feel better about my living space. [Now, to get rid of that old air conditioner ...]

In addition to sharing her TOP 3 Tips on How to Be More Organized to Find Greater Balance, Juli also describes her entrepreneurial background -- which seems to run in her family!

And, that's really appropriate since this podcast is the second in a series of shows featuring women entrepreneurs you really need to know -- featured along with me in the CRAVE New York City Guide, an urban girl's manifesto of the most chic, savvy, and vibrant business owners this city has to offer.

HOT Off the Presses! CRAVE New York Guide

You've heard the rumors, and yes it's true. There is a NEW guide to the HOTTEST women entrepreneurs in New York City -- the CRAVE New York Guide is here!

Check out these pics from the June 16 Launch Party of the CRAVE New York Guide held at the beautiful home of  Joan Hornig, founder of Philanthropy is Beautiful. Merging women's passions for jewelry and giving back, her company's unique model leverages the "power of the purse." With 100% of the profit on every sale donated to the charity of the purchaser's choice, women are empowered to use beauty and fashion for the benefit of others.

And, Joan is just ONE example of the savvy businesswomen in this guide!

None of this would have been possible without the vision and tenacity of Melody Biringer, founder of The CRAVE Company. A self-professed startup junkie with more than 20 businesses to her credit, Melody understands that when encouraged to thrive, local businesses enhance communities and provide rich experiences not usually found in more mass-market enterprises.

She believes that being an entrepreneur can be the most rewarding and thrilling choice a woman can make in her career. If you'd like a peek into this sister's entrepreneur mind, check out her NEW book: CRAVING SUCCESS for the up and down lessons of being an adventurous, independent businesswoman!

Back to the celebration! Believe it or not, this is NOT a stack of CRAVE New York Guides! If you had tried to turn these pages at the party, you would have received a very sweet surprise! This is the fantastic celebration cake for our launch party created by Miriam Milord of BCakeNY, a custom cake-design studio dedicated to creating specialty cakes for any occasion. By bringing special attention to your celebration and causing everyone to say WOW!, Miriam believes anything can BCake!

And, by participating in this launch, I've realized that anything can be possible -- by leveraging the expertise, resources, and talents of like-minded people.

In the guide, when asked: What business mistake have you made that you will not repeat? My answer was: "Thinking I could do it all by myself." In 2011, I've really learned that asking for help (and also sharing what I'm up to ... or would like to be up to) does show strength and it allows others to contribute their talents to create even BIGGER, better possibilities!

So, get ready to explore the hidden gems, new hot spots, and familiar favorites in this exciting new book. CRAVE New York City the Urban Girl's Manifesto 1st Ed is now available on Amazon.com!

Plus, stay tuned for my upcoming book signings and events on my BookTour.com page!

NEW Podcast: Find a Business Partner Who Won't BLEEP You

So, you've probably figured out that in today's New Normal you can't do it all alone. Whether you're seeking to advance your professional career, expand your business, or launch your new "side hustle," building relationships is crucial to your future success and sustainability. Your ability to develop strategic alliances and identify new partners will determine how well you're able to enter new markets and industries, find new opportunities, and really stay afloat.

In business (as in life), relationship building can be a tricky process. We know when it works, you can't wait for the next project or opportunity to work together! And, when it doesn't work, you can't wait for the project to end - hoping never to work with that person again! We've all been there - it all sounded great in the beginning ... but somehow, things changed and what you THOUGHT was going to happen, didn't. And, now you're left wondering how you got there in the first [*!#] place.

The trick with business relationships: How can you find a partner who won't [BLEEP] you?! 

In this podcast, you'll hear my discussion with Nina Kaufman, owner of Ask the Business Lawyer, and author of The Entrepreneur's Prenup: How to Choose a Business Partner Who Won't [BLEEP] You. Nina is an award-winning business attorney, sought-after professional speaker and online columnist for Entrepreneur Magazine.

From our conversation, you'll learn how to select the right alliance partners, and when you should have written agreements. You'll also gain some tips on how to avoid the emotional and financial pitfalls of doing business with a friend or family member. In the end, ideally, you each want to be able to benefit from the other's skills, talents, resources and connections. In life, there are no guarantees; but we hope this podcast may help you save some time and aggravation.

Take a listen, and let me know what you think. Have YOU ever been [BLEEPED] by a business/alliance partner? Share your comments and BLEEP experiences here -- or tweet me on Twitter.

Be Fearless About Your Goals: TV Interview of Coach Colette

In case you missed watching it live, you can still see the interview of Coach Colette on Fearless Business TV by show host, Valerie Gurka. The segment is about setting SMART Goals for 2010.

The other guest expert on the show is Jake Matthews from 10e20 - who offers strategies to leverage Social Media to market your business or side hustle.

The last segment is the ULTRA LIGHT LAUNCH with Graham Lawlor from Ultra Light Startups - who provides practical tips on how to pitch to business investors. This segment also features Jennifer Takaki from The Pickle Club - who dellivers a 1-minute pitch for her online community.

Hope you enjoy the show! Let us know what is your favorite part.

Get Tips to Launch Your New Business: TOMORROW in NYC

Have you considered starting your own business, or making your 'side hustle' a legitimate venture? Then, join me TOMORROW from 5:30 PM at The Entrepreneurs' Circle: Interactive Discovery Workshop Series.

If you think that entrepreneurship might be your NEW path, sign up for The Entrepreneurs' Circle. You'll hear success stories from business owners who have made it, and gain tips to avoid the isolation many entrepreneurs often feel.

The Entrepeneurs' Circle Workshop will feature four groupings that are tailored to your' stage of business development:

1. Pre-Idea
2. Initial Development
3. Development
4. Established Business

Each group will be led by a trained and specialized executive, small business or life coach. I will be there to lead participants in the Pre-Idea phase through discussion and 'laser coaching' activities to help explore the transition, identify their unique 'competent advantage' in business, and create a buzz about their upcoming new venture.

Jump out of your comfort zone and SIGN UP TODAY! Space for this event is limited due to the individualized attention being provided by the coaches.

Bring your pad, pen, paper, or laptop -- This is a working session! See YOU TOMORROW!"

Coach Colette LIVE on Strictly Business Radio, 3 PM EST

Today at 3:00 PM EST, I'll be having an on-air conversation with Anna Banks, host of Strictly Business Radio, a program designed to create awareness about entrepreneurs of small to mid-sized businesses and to promote employment and business opportunities nationally.

In the month of November, the program has focused on Social Enterprise -- the New Heroes. Today, I'll be chatting with Anna about the challenges, opportunities, successes, missteps and motivations of this passionate group of leaders and the organizations that they create and grow.

Listen ONLINE today at 3:00 PM EST, and call in with your questions to: (718) 766-4021.

Talk to you later today!

Refresh, Review and Renew your Career in May!

Spring is finally here -- time to shake off the winter cobwebs and refresh, review and renew! We kicked it off in March with an FUN anniversary party at Mannahatta -- thanks to all who came out to support! We're going to continue with three upcoming Competent Advantage TM seminars.

On Wednesday, May 3, I'll be helping Brooklyn's best and brightest graduating seniors from 14 colleges and universities market themselves to prospective employers. The Brooklyn College to Career Expo at the New York Marriott at Brooklyn Bridge will host 75-100 actively recruiting employers. The Competent Advantage TM seminar, at 9:30 AM in Salon A, will focus on practical strategies to develop a personal marketing pitch and enhance your job search portfolio.

On Wednesday, May 17, the Manhattan Chapter of National Coalition of 100 Black Women is hosting a Competent Advantage TM seminar to educate members and the wider community on career advancement and leadership development. At 6:30 PM, we'll be discussing practical ways to leverage your strengths and succeed in the workplace. The Manhattan Chapter of NCBW is dedicated to advocacy, leadership, and gender equity. This is accomplished through mentorship and a series of conferences, networking and special events. I'm excited to be part of their spring professional development programming!

On Tuesday, May 23, I'll be chatting with women entrepreneurs at the Network Enterprise, hosted at the Grace Institute. From 6-7:00 PM, we'll be talking shop about marketing and expanding small business enterprises. Like me, the Grace Institute believes in building a base for continuous professional and personal growth. I can't wait to meet all of you fabulous entrepreneurs!

How will YOU refresh, review and renew YOUR career this spring?