successful

Seven Questions to Think About When It Comes to . . .  Things that May be Holding You Back from Advancing Professionally.


Sometimes we’re doing the best we know how but career opportunities are not presenting themselves and we seem stuck in a similar or perhaps even the same place. Here are seven questions to guide you to understand and then make minor changes in how you approach, view, and do things.


1. How well do you think on your feet?
You don’t have to be the person who talks simply to hear themselves speak, nor to say things simply because that’s what you think others expect. However, you need to practice and learn how to come up with AN idea or feedback when put on the spot. Being quick with your thoughts and solutions to problems will help make you appear as a credible expert and therefore a valuable asset in any industry or field.

2. Do you think happiness is a right or a choice?
If you said choice, you’re correct. Experts have actually proven that feeling happy when it comes to our work life is a skill that must be cultivated. Yes, stuff happens but through meditation and mindfulness you can slowly learn how to keep things focused.

3. How do you strike and engage in a conversation?
I once had a client who was extremely well educated, read and traveled. He was a nice guy often put his foot in his mouth or said really inappropriate comments in an attempt to be witty. Create “pick up” lines to engage potential influencers and professional contacts.

4. Are you a problem solver?
I learned a very important lesson at my first job out of school – that if you bring a problem to your boss you must also bring a possible solution. This is one thing that separates the average janes/joes from the true professionals. Whether it’s your current coworker or boss, always have a potential way to address whatever you are expecting/asking someone else to solve.

5. How do you blow off steam and stress?
Everyone needs healthy outlets to process and deal with stress. Without them - you can be your own worst enemy – and with them a great motivator. Take 30 minutes a day to walk, exercise or do a variety of things to feel more positive to rise and grind another day.

6. What do you do to be memorable?
Imagine 100 people applying for the same job; statistics prove that less than 20 will stand out and/or be remembered. Find little ways to break through the clutter and differentiate yourself from competitors. Ask that great question or establish rapport by mentioning a shared friend or associate.

7. What are you willing to do without until you’re able to do the things you love?
Embrace the fact that anything worth having takes effort and requires time. Which sacrifices are you willing to make? Dream big but work even bigger to do whatever is required to fulfill your dreams.


When we know better we do better. Now that you are aware of these small things you have (or have not) been doing – the more prepared you are not to let them hold you back the next time.

August 3, 2016 Seven Things to Think About When It Comes to . . . Asking for a Promotion/Raise

You’re working hard doing not only your job, but also half of your co-worker’s who left 10 months ago. It’s seems you’re doing everything to prove yourself but still haven’t gotten a raise or a promotion.

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Often people only receive work-related financial reward when they ask for it. So, here are seven steps to help you negotiate a promotion or raise.



1. Lay down the promotion foundation:

Approximately six-to-eight months after starting a new job, initiate a promotion conversation with your supervisor. Express your love for both the company and the job, and ask him/her to share what is required to make it to the next level. Take a moment to recap your conversation in a brief email. If you haven’t had this talk soon after starting your current position, it’s not too late - have it today.



2. Master the unwritten requirements:

Every organization, regardless of size, has unwritten expectations for advancing. It’s your job to observe and have informal conversations with colleagues at all levels to find out what it really takes to get promoted. For example, some companies have an unspoken rule that you must work for at least two years at the corporate headquarters. In other organizations it’s only those who’ve worked in a particular area who are able to take that next step on the corporate ladder. You’ll easily learn who gets promoted and why from what your company actually does, not from what the HR manual says.



3. Consistently over deliver:

One way to create an air-tight argument for why you deserve a raise is to demonstrate and document how you’ve been exceeding the expectations of your job for the past 9-12 months. Identify 5-7 major responsibilities that extend beyond your current job description or that were previously handled by someone in a more senior position.

4. Expand your kudos file:

You should be keeping a file of all of the kudos and positive feedback that you receive internally or externally. Every “great job” email or note expressing a project well executed should go into the file. Remember, it’s your job to ensure the file is as big as possible, so when someone verbally praises you for “doing an amazing job on a recent project,” kindly ask them if they would send a brief email or memo so that you can show it to your boss.



5. Leverage your performance evaluation:

Your annual performance review can be a great tool to support your promotion negotiations. Take note of all of the areas where you have exceeded expectations and identify specific verbatim quotes that speak to your greatest accomplishments.



6. Draft a well written promotion memo:

Now that you are armed with tons of information, scour through your kudos file, performance evaluation, and extra responsibilities summary to select your top 10-12 accomplishments to include in your formal written request. Draft a memo that highlights these career accomplishments, and include metrics and numbers to support each accomplishment, if possible. For example, if you are responsible for getting patients to participate in a research program, list how many people you’ve signed up in the past year. If that number is greater than your predecessor, highlight the percentage increase.



7. Make the promotion pitch:

Schedule a meeting with your supervisor to formally present your promotion request. Give him/her your memo and attach a copy of your kudos file. Be sure to practice what you will say to ensure that you present your accomplishments in a compelling way. At the end of the meeting, ask for specifics regarding when your boss will respond to your request.


The best way to get a raise or promotion is to gather overwhelming data to support that you deserve it, not to whine or complain. Understand the unspoken requirements, document your accomplishments, and build a strong written case. This week, begin to map out your promotion plan and start developing and gathering these and other docs.

Seven Simple Steps to Create a Successful Business by Meeting an Untapped Need

In celebration of Women’s History month, here are seven amazing female entrepreneurs whose practical solutions to everyday “problems” have enabled them to create successful ventures.

Hopefully their stories might inspire you to pursue your own path, fill some untapped need, and one day make “history” yourself.

Jessica Billingsley - MJ Freeway

Jessica Billingsley saw free trade of cannabis as good for the economy and the right thing for people needing medical access. After investing in one of Boulder, CO’s first dispensaries and joining forces with local web developer Amy Poinsett, she decided to fill that niche herself, creating MJ Freeway. The first cannabis-specific software company to enter the market, MJ Freeway includes tracking and reporting systems that help businesses account for products at every stage of production and sales.

Ina Garten - Barefoot Contessa

Chef Ina Garten was a “military wife” who first began cooking to pass the time and as an outlet to elevate stress. Soon, she became famous for hosting dinner parties for family and friends. She used the money she had saved from flipping houses to purchase the Barefoot Contessa Specialty Foods Store in the Hamptons. This led to her Barefoot Contessa cook books and eventually a show on Food Network.

Alexa Hirschfeld - Paperless Post

When Alexa agreed to help her brother (frustrated by the current limited options) create a way to send formal invitations online – Paperless Post was born. They wanted to, “bring back the beauty of receiving and sending mail by combining it with the modern-day efficiency of the web.” They succeeded and created a beautiful alternative to Evite.

Payal Kadakia - Class Pass

Payal Kadakia tried unsuccessfully to find a ballet class in New York City that she could attend. In that moment, she realized that others must be having similar challenges staying connected to their hobbies and passions. She soon created ClassPass, a startup that gives customers access to thousands of boutique fitness classes in their area for a monthly fee. Her company has booked more than 7 million fitness class reservations at gyms and studios across the U.S., Canada, and the UK over the past two years.

Sheila Liorio Marcelo - Care.com

Immigrant Sheila Liorio Marcelo needed to find childcare options while attending school, raising two children, and caring for her ill father. Today Care.com connects 17.8 members (and growing) in 16 countries with the qualified care givers.

Michelle Phan - Ipsy

Michelle Phan’s You Tube makeup demonstrations and tutorials made her a popular star and Vlogger. After expanding her popularity and “brand” to different social media platforms, she established deals with large corporations like L’Oreal where she featured their products in her tutorials. Her most recent spin off project, Ipsy, is a monthly box service (similar to Birchbox) that provides customers with samples of different beauty products. Ipsy, however, offers heavy discounts “full size” product purchases.

Anne Wojcicki - 23andMe

Biologist and Co-Founder/CEO of 23andMe, graduated from Yale and worked on the business side of healthcare as a consultant and investment analyst. Anne had a passion to help others change the way they approached health care, while also knowing the value of genetic data to treat and prevent disease. She’s built 23andMe, a genomics company that produces personal genetic testing kits. Her company has one of the world’s largest DNA databases, with over 1million consumers worldwide.

Today think of one thing that you could offer to each of these seven companies. Consider everything from applying for a applying for a position, pitching them as a potential client, referring a friend and sharing their info with others, or simply or volunteering your time and talent in some way.

Career Confidence :“Will the real (fill in the blank) please stand up?”

Some days I feel like a fraud. Don’t you? The shoes I’m supposed to fill are too big even for me. I’m doing my best to be and act like the given or chosen “title” I’m wearing at the moment – parent/child – CEO or currently unemployed – self-employed/working for “the man” – whatever it may be.  It doesn’t matter. At times, I’m hanging on by a thread getting everything done, and I simply feel like I don’t measure up.

Starting this blog is an amazing lesson that is continually unfolding. There have been many days when many things have gone wrong or someone has “passed” on the opportunity to participate. Of course, I’ve asked myself many times, what the heck do I know about writing a blog and book about anything, let alone living life doing what you love and exploring meaning and purpose?  I’ve gone there, and then some.

But at the end of the day, I’m doing this for me. I am confident in myself and my vision, and desire to make a difference in the world (let alone in my life) – in this particular way. That’s it!

I’ve been asked many times, and in many different ways, where does my or anyone’s confidence come from? Truth is, I don’t know. But I do know all things being equal – ability, opportunity and support (in my opinion the three pillars to successfully doing what you love) – the one thing that makes the difference in who swims and who sinks, is confidence.

Confidence is not to be mistaken with arrogance. Arrogant people are insecure and overcompensate, not to mention project how they feel about themselves unto others. Sure, some arrogant and even narcissistic people are very successful.

What I am proposing here is that confident people simply know and are excited about the great things that make you, you. What are the skills (no matter how random) or the talents and abilities you bring to whatever you do in some unique way that creates value?

And, if you don’t know what these things are, you’d better figure them out, and soon – because life and career requires not only knowing it, but also the confidence “to make things happen.”

I know many talented, bright, energetic people who don’t know their professional or personal self-worth. They lack confidence. They are looking to others to give them some 10-point roadmap on how to have a successful career in (fill in the blank). It’s a map that simply doesn’t exist.

Here’s a question for you. If you don’t know what makes you special (i.e., what is your point of differentiation), then how in the heck (not to mention why) is the person you want to work for or with supposed to figure that out for you?

And here’s another. If you can’t point to at least one thing you’re good (and interested in), then how can someone else believe great things about who you are and what you can do for them? That’s where it all comes down to: a mental game that’s rooted in your self-confidence.

We all need to restore and, at times, simply find confidence in ourselves.  Sometimes we fake it to make it, and at other times we hold onto the tiny bit we have and just run. Like all skills – confidence comes easier for some but takes practice for us all to really get it right. And as some food for thought, here are my top three “how-to” ideas.

1. Listen to people who genuinely compliment you, and take it in. I can recite many things my nursery school teacher Ms. Guida said to and about me that made me believe to this day that I can do almost anything I set my mind to, including, “Patrice may be the only two year old I’ve met who could be dropped in the middle of the woods and somehow figure a way out.”

2. Think of the times you thought you would never get through XYZ but somehow did anyway.

This (especially for you analytical types) means you actually have a greater statistical probability of being successful in the future, because you previously succeeded. So what the heck, try it – the odds are in your favor.

3. Find one thing you are really good at it and bring that “thing” to others.

This third and perhaps most important/difficult point is first realizing that your “thing” can be the smallest thing. It could be that you make one darn good cookie or pretzel. Perhaps you’re magnificent at managing egos and music careers. Or like me, maybe you’re simply good at talking (especially on your feet) and have a way of getting others to listen in a way that connects you to them, and them to others.

We all know the stories of the Beyoncé, Benjamin Franklin (my favorite person from history) and Beethoven. For us mere mortals, don’t expect big abilities and talents because they must likely won’t appear in that form. Instead, our “it” will be a series of many “little” things about us or just things that we do very well. I love Josh Quittner’s line: “The things we are good at, are the things we tend to do.” In themselves our “things” are not huge, but some have huge “potential value” for others. You may think one thing, what’s the big deal, how is that one thing going to change anything? Well here’s a newsflash … one thing can change everything.  

Let’s say you find something you’re confident you do really well. I can’t promise that it will lead you to a life and career full of purpose and passion. But I can guarantee you that if do just one thing really, really well – people will ask what else you can do well, too. It’s basic economics and supply and demand. Build great demand for one thing (i.e. your business “cash cow” that supports the largest segment of market share/profit) and then it will be very easy to convince people you can deliver when they need something else that you might “be just perfect for.”

Start today by exploring and ultimately being clear about one thing you do well and can bring to any table with confidence. But do the whole process with confidence as well. Next we’ll figure out ways to find or create opportunities, not to mention that actual “table(s)” for you to bring your confidence to.

I confidently know some days I don’t know what the heck I am doing and figure it out as I go.  But instead of fearing what I don’t know, I claim this fact with as much confidence and exclamation as I can muster.  

Confidence is that turn on the path that leads many of us to the very thing we’re supposed to do or enables us to do the current jobs or careers that aren’t going anywhere with greater sense of purpose.

When you really think about it, it’s not that hard because at its core confidence is simply knowing who you are and who you’re not – and being ok with both. All it means is doing something you’re really good at that makes you feel proud and happy with a sense of accomplishment. Be confident in being yourself because it’s the one thing at which you can never fail.