Women Entrepreneurs Can Achieve Greater Success By Tapping Into Their Inner Glow
By Sandra Yancey, Founder of the eWomenNetwork Foundation

Women are starting businesses at a rate of more than 2 to 1 over their male counterparts. Just in the U.S alone, there are 10.4 million women-owned businesses. Women are scrambling up the corporate ladder and if the promotions don’t come fast enough, women are leaving their jobs and becoming the bosses in record numbers.

I've always been curious what differentiates the women who are wildly successful from those who struggle. The truth is, all women have the same number of hours in a day, yet some are able to accomplish so much more. What is it that they do so differently? What is it that they possess that is unique? What is it that makes them stand out?

I believe the difference is their ability to reach down inside and stoke the fire that's burning inside every woman. You can't buy it. It's not something you win. It's an essence. It's your "GLOW.”

I wanted to find women who have learned to tap into their GLOW and harness this extraordinary essence. We interviewed more than a dozen entrepreneurs and corporate achievers including Sheila Johnson, the co-founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET) and Cathie Black, the publisher of Oprah's O Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping and a dozen other women's magazines. Here are just a few of the lessons I learned from these remarkable women:

Get an Attitude of Gratitude
You can't GLOW if you are constantly sweating the small stuff. For instance, when you're stuck in traffic and find yourself cursing the situation, try being grateful instead. Simply tell yourself, “This traffic jam isn't a problem. It gives me a rare chance to get centered.” Most of us are so caught up in the rat race that we forget that even if we win, we are still a rat! We forget what it's like to slow down and be alone with our thoughts.

Often times, as traffic begins to move, you discover that the reason for the back-up was a wreck. While the traffic jam may have caused you to be late for an appointment, you should be grateful for the fact that you're driving by a wreck rather than being the person involved in it.

Setbacks are Opportunities in Disguise
How many times have you found yourself saying, "Why me?" Perhaps the reason you're going through this situation is to strengthen you for something you will face later in life. One of the women we profiled in the movie, Marion Luna Brem, overcame incredible odds. She was married at 17 and a mother by 18. In her early 20s, her life fell apart. She developed breast cancer and lost her husband because the marriage couldn't survive the stress.

It was only when she tapped into her GLOW that she was able to pick herself up and move forward. She went from a housewife, without even so much as a resume, to convincing a car dealer to take a chance on her and let her sell cars. She used life's stumbling blocks as stairs to climb the male-dominated car business. Living life with a sense of urgency, she rose from “salesman” to sales manager to owning her own dealership. Marion now consistently ranks among the 100 most influential Hispanic business owners in the country. Last year her business generated over $55 million! You GLOW, girl!

Share Your Light with Others
GLOW is like a candle. When you see someone who is out of GLOW, give them some of yours. When you are burning bright, everything else will be drawn to you. I believe you can't truly GLOW unless you are constantly passing it along to others. You have to live in a spirit of abundance—knowing that when you share your GLOW and light another woman's candle, you lose nothing. When you pull your candle back, you haven’t lost any of your own flame. Yet you've made the other person's world a brighter place. Together we create a light more brilliant than the Sun!

How about you? Are you GLOWing right now? Or do you feel like your flame is about to go out? Maybe it's time to reach inside and rediscover your essence. When realized, nurtured and expanded, GLOW becomes the key to true happiness and success. I invite you to join me and countless other women who are consciously and deliberately creating a movement to embrace and expand GLOW. HBM

Sandra Yancey has been featured in Chicken Soup for the Entrepreneur’s Soul and has received numerous awards and honors. Sandra created the eWomenNetwork Foundation to support the financial and emotional health of women and children in need. She helped produce the “Glow Project” movie to inspire women to greatness and to support the work of several non-profits dedicated to changing the lives of women and children. To join the GLOW movement or to see the movie trailer, visit: www.glowproject.org

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