The United States has some of the lowest voter turnout rates of any established democracy — about 40% for midterms. And if you’re a Millennial? Well, then it’s even worse: we’ve got the lowest voter turnout of the adult generations — and yet we’re on track to be the largest voting group!

But to be the largest voting group, see, we have to actually vote.

There are all kinds of lame excuses people use to forgo voting:

It won’t make a difference.

I don’t care.

I have to work. 

Well, let me tell you: it DOES make a difference, you SHOULD care, and take advantage of early voting! Get thee to the polls. Get an absentee ballot. There are options. And while we’re at it, if you’re in a position of power — help other people vote. Give your team time off, would you? Give a neighbor a ride to the polls. Babysit, or cover a shift if you already voted. Make snacks to share while you’re in line. We are all fighting on the same team here, and though we may not agree about everything, we all must acknowledge that democracy cannot function without active voter participation. Every vote matters, every ballot matters, every voice matters.

If we all vote, we all win.

Most of you reading this are probably women. Remember last year when women weren’t allowed to vote? How much did that suck, right?

Oh, wait, no, that wasn’t last year, that was 1918. The amendment granting suffrage was passed in 1919, and ratified in 1920. Which means women haven’t even had the right to vote for a full century yet — that’s how recent all this is. In the grand scheme of history, that’s less than a blink. Women spent decades fighting for the right to vote through protests, hunger strikes, jail time, and dedicated, passionate sacrifice. They fought for you. How can you possibly say your vote doesn’t matter?

In fact, did you know women’s suffrage came down to one single vote? After the amendment passed, they needed 36 states to approve it. The last state to approve it — the 36th state — was Tennessee. Tennessee’s vote was tied 48-48. And ratification then came down to One. Single. Vote.

That last vote was Rep. Harry T. Burn, a 23-year-old Republican who had been opposed to the amendment. But then his mother wrote to him to “be a good boy,” and vote to approve it.

And Harry’s momma must have raised him right, because that’s exactly what he did.

So don’t ever say your vote doesn’t matter. One single vote granted suffrage to half the adult population of the United States! Sure, not all votes carry that much weight every time — but you never know how your vote might just tip the scale. Each and every vote matters — so never waste or neglect yours.

Incredible women made incredible sacrifices to give you the right to vote less than a century ago. Their victory — and the final vote that sealed it — shows how great a difference one person can make. It shows how essential a right this is, and how precious a responsibility.

Honor those women by exercising the right they fought for.

Don’t make excuses.

Vote.  

The post No Matter Your Party, No Matter Your Beliefs, You Have One Responsibility appeared first on HER Magazine ™.

Entrepreneurs, freelancers, and business owners often get into their field so that they have more control over their schedule. What they don’t tell you when you get started is you can often feel like you have less control; after all, you don’t have an office to leave, or a boss to tell you ‘good job, see you tomorrow!’ You just have your own long list of to-dos, and when that list gets overwhelming we want to buckle down, power through, and just. Keep. Working.

So when Halloween rolls around in the middle of the week? Well, maybe we’ll just have a pumpkin spice latte and work until 10 pm again anyway.

I’m here to tell you why that’s not a great idea. And I’m not going to talk about self-care.

Don’t get me wrong; self-care is important! But you already knew that, didn’t you? Which is why I’m going to go over something else, something you might not have thought of:

Participating in Halloween can be good for business.

And I don’t just mean participating while you’re at work. I mean actually taking a half day off, closing your computer, and getting involved in the festivities. Halloween is a community event; neighbors and kiddos will be coming to your door, someone down the street might be having a party, the community center might be having a harvest-themed bingo night — whatever it is, people are getting together! And guess who makes up 100% of your customer base?

That’s right: People.

New entrepreneurs can often get lost in that long list of to-dos, stuck at their computer or office all day (and night), probably getting piles of work done but missing out on the people they need to connect with. Getting involved in your community as a representative of your business doesn’t just build relationships, it can build customer loyalty, attract new and better talent, increase brand awareness, and more. Participating in community events isn’t just a way to relax and enjoy yourself (although it certainly is that) — it’s a way for new people to see you and your business in a positive light, build trust, and ultimately learn more about your work and product.

A lot of things we do in business are check marks: we finish something, we check it off. We know we’re making progress.

But a lot of things can’t be measured by a mark — they’re part of a long game, an investment of time and relationships that slowly but steadily builds stability for your company.

Investing in your community — even just in your own neighborhood — can ultimately make a powerful difference in your business trajectory. Those investments over time are what can make the difference between a company that’s barely getting by — and a company that’s standing profitably on it’s own two feet.

So what are you doing still reading this?

Log off. Go home! And go enjoy the festivities. Your business will be better with a little community.

The post Why Time Off For Halloween Is Good For Business appeared first on HER Magazine ™.

Fortunately, there are still games and studios out there who remind us that we are in fact making progress — that there is room for women in this industry — and Soma Games is one of those fantastic studios.

Not only did they just release “Lost Legends of Redwall: The Scout,” a beautiful stealth-adventure game based on the famed book series with a female lead character (Sly scout “Sophia” the mouse), but one of the team leads for developing this game was Art Director Erin Marantette.

Marantette was always interested in games, but never saw herself working in the industry. Though growing up she played Pokemon, Halo, Fable, League of Legends, and more, it wasn’t until an encouragement from her older brother that she started to believe she could get involved.

“When I was in middle school, we were looking at the Fable 2 art book when my brother told me, ‘You could do that.’ He planted the seed of interest — the idea that I could be more than a consumer of games, that I could influence and create them,” Marentette explains. And later, pursuing an art degree in college, it was through another branch of support that she was able to really break in. After confessing to a professor that she would love to use her art degree to make games, that professor introduced her to Chris Skaggs, the CCO/COO of Soma Games. “That connection got me an art internship after my freshman year during the summer of 2011, where I learned about the inner workings of a game company.” She kept up the relationship and now, seven years later, she’s the Art Director at the same company.

Although Marantette recognizes that sexism is a problem in the industry, it’s not something she’s experienced at Soma. “I’m lucky that my experience has been so positive, especially because I hear of so many hard and difficult [experiences]. Some are of embarrassment, shame, or harassment.

“My experience has not been that [at Soma]. I’m an outlier. I’ve felt uplifted, listened to, and given opportunities to grow as an artist and as a leader.” Soma Games, also known for “G Prime: Into The Rain,” is eager to see the industry change, and works to create a culture to reflect that. Marantette explains that part of the reason for choosing a female lead in the new Redwall series stemmed from that goal.

“As a company we felt that this decision was important,” she says. “We wanted to bring female representation to the front of our game. It was, in part, a response to the GamerGate harassment movement within the state of the gaming industry.”

Soma Games provides an artistic home for Marantette, where her responsibilities range from creative direction — she’s behind most of the character design of the Redwall games — to managing and leading a team of artists. “The art style is…my responsibility,” she explains. “As a a team we spent a month sifting through previous work to help nail down our design guidelines and terminology [for the Redwall game]. As we create new assets and bring in more people to the team, it is my responsibility to make sure the new members are up to date with our style guides and that the new art meets our standards.”

While Soma Games has been an enthusiastic support for Marantette’s career, she says outside support is helpful for navigating the industry as a whole. She cites her husband with this support, as well as a team of fellow gamer women. “I have found support in a community of women who work in Game Development. When I have questions or frustrations that are related to gender specific issues, they have been wonderful in giving advice and support. We give feedback on art pieces, listen to soundtracks made by each other, and help each other with career specific issues.”

That support is essential because, as Marantette explains, there’s really no clear path to break into the gaming industry. “Everyone’s story is different,” she says. “A lot of people go from their relevant university degree to an internship or junior position in a company. That’s what happened for me. However, I know plenty of people who came from separate careers, are self-taught, or entered the game industry through one job and then switched departments to where they are now.”

If gaming is a career dream for you, there might not be one clear entry point — but finding a supportive company like Soma is an excellent start. Add that with a community of like-minded peers (maybe a mastermind?) helping you grow, and you’ll be well on your way.

Plus, if Marantette and Soma have their way, each new generation of women will find the industry exponentially more supportive than the last.

“My hope is to see the industry change,” Marantette says. “I hope that by being apart of it, I can help change perspectives and lay a solid foundation for women in the future.”

The post “Lost Legends Of Redwall” Boosts Female Representation in Gaming — Both On and Off The Camera appeared first on HER Magazine ™.

Much of the focus on #backtoschool, whether it’s a share on Facebook or a targeted marketing campaign, tends to focus on students and parents of students. They’re going through a big change; they’re kissing their summer breaks good-bye and either mournfully or enthusiastically marching into the school year. But there’s another group undergoing that same transition, and I’d venture to say they might need a little more of your support: Teachers.

Teachers, at most schools, have already been back at work for at least a week or so, and now they’re finally welcoming students back into their classrooms. Teachers are saying good-bye to their own summer vacay, which often for teachers isn’t a vacation at all but simply a time for their own professional education. They are prepping their classrooms and their lesson plans, getting to know 40-100 new students (give or take, depending on the school), and doing their best to establish a healthy classroom culture with the sea of new faces before them. Teachers aren’t just educators, after all — they’re mentors, supporters, coaches, cheerleaders, counselors, and crisis managers. Teachers are the ones who raise a generation of educated citizens, who provide support for adult students, who make arguably one of the biggest differences in our culture through their generosity.

The problem is, teaching is a profoundly difficult career path for even the most passionate, dedicated among us. This time of year is an opportunity to remind teachers that you’ve got their back — that you appreciate them and, more importantly, that you’re ready to support them. How, exactly?

We’re glad you asked. Here’s a few ways to get started:

1. Donate. Many teachers use sites like Donors Choose to fund various classroom projects, because the majority of anything beyond the most rudimentary supplies often comes out of teachers’ pockets. They’re given little to no budget to work with, and their salaries (as we all know) are extremely limited. Ask your teacher if they have a Donors Choose page, or another site where you could donate to help with supplies. Or, barring that, simply ask them — is their anything you could pick up? Extra points if you include chocolate and/or alcohol in this ‘donation’; they probably won’t ask for that, but experience tells us they’ll appreciate it.
2. Be Aware of Their Time. Listen, we know that involved parents are an important part of a child’s education — but time is a limited resource. Teachers are normally not — I repeat, NOT — paid for overtime, so every email you send asking to change a grade or schedule a meeting eats directly into their paycheck. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t ever make requests, of course — just be aware you are one parent or student of many, and save the emails and extra meetings for essentials. Remember, teachers care about you, your student, and their work — they’re obviously not in this for the money — and if they could, they’d spend all their one-on-one time with EVERYONE. But they can’t, so don’t expect them to. Protect their overtime, because it can be difficult for them to protect it themselves.
3. Volunteer. If you really want to get some face time with the teacher, offer to help rather than continually asking for more. Do they need a classroom aide? Help grading papers? Coordinating an event? Consider what you might be able to contribute and then offer accordingly. You can volunteer for one-off events, if your schedule is limited, or on a weekly/daily basis if you have more wiggle room. You’ll build a great relationship, and probably learn a lot in the process.
4. Express Gratitude. You’d be surprised how far a kind word, email, or thank-you card can go. Teaching is often a hugely thankless job; teachers are in it for love, not for acclaim, and as such often miss out on the recognition they so deserve. Just letting a teacher know how much you appreciate their work can make a world of difference. For that matter, don’t forget to reach out to teachers from years past! We all have that one (or five) teacher that made a lifelong difference in our own little world; why not send them a letter, letting them know how they changed you for the better? Back-to-school can be a fantastic reminder of all the teachers who’ve poured into us; take it as an opportunity and let them know how much it meant to you.

September can be an equally joyful and stressful time for teachers, and as the job gets more and more difficult, less and less people are diving into the career. If we want more generations of great teachers, we need to support them in their work. It’s too important a burden to expect them to bear alone — our future quite literally  depends on their success. So this year, every time you see a reminder for back-to-school festivities, remember your teachers — and find a way to make their lives easier.

The post 4 Ways to Support Teachers During #BackToSchool appeared first on HER Magazine ™.

It’s a video that splices together a simple scene of Serena Williams practicing tennis as a child with her father — with shot after amazing shot of some of her most epic and iconic games.

“Very good, Serena Williams.” 

It’s that last line that gets me. The very last line of the video — don’t worry, no spoilers — and it’s just her dad, reassuring her that she did a good job, and reassuring us, the viewers, that yes indeed, this is Serena Williams. She really was once a wee little thing practicing her serve on the neighborhood tennis courts.

And she became the best tennis player in the world.

The #inspo part of this video is clear — and powerful. We all have to start somewhere, whether that’s a young girl practicing tennis, or a new mom starting her first business in between naps, or an office temp angling to be the first female CEO of her company someday.

We all gotta start somewhere, and it’s okay to dream big. Serena’s dad specifically says: “This is you, at the U.S. Open.” Talk about getting your hopes up! But then there — a shot of Serena actually at the U.S. Open, and you think, Huh — maybe big dreams aren’t so crazy after all. 

But as fantastic as that message is, that’s not why I cried. Wanna know what really struck me about this video? What really pulled out the ol’ tissue box?

The power of parenting.

Personally, I am a complete sucker for dad-daughter relationships, and this was a beautiful one — but it absolutely speaks to the power of any kind of parent, or parent figure. How we talk to our kids, how we teach our kids, and how we believe in our kids makes a difference. The voices we use, the time we spend, the encouragement we give time and time again — that matters. And in the grand scheme of things, good parenting can mean the difference between a natural talent —

And a world champion.

So thanks, Serena’s dad, for showing us what a great parent can be. And thanks, Serena, for inspiring us to keep pursuing our dreams, especially while rocking a tutu.

Now just watch this ad, and try not to cry — I dare you:

The post I’m Not Crying, You’re Crying! (re: That new Serena Williams Nike ad) appeared first on HER Magazine ™.

Talkin’ about S. 770: The NIST Small Business Cyber Security Act.

See? ‘Small business’ is right there in the title. That’s you!

But it’s really the other part of the title I want to discuss today: Cyber Security.

Small businesses are often targets for hackers — that’s why this bill was introduced in the first place. Small businesses do, after all, make up about half of all American jobs, so it’s pretty economically important that we protect those jobs from attack.

So let me ask you, small business owner: Do you have a cybersecurity plan in place?

I’m going to hazard a guess and say ‘probably not.’ Because the reason small businesses are so often the target of attacks is exactly that: most of them don’t have a cybersecurity plan in place!

That’s what this bill aims to change.

To give you a quick overview, this bill basically charges NIST, or the National Institute of Standards and Technology (a government agency within the Department of Commerce), to provide continual ‘resources’ for small businesses to help them protect themselves from cyber threats. In this case, ‘resources’ means “guidelines, tools, best practices, standards, methodologies, and other ways of providing information.”

Note: “Resources” does not mean ‘funding.’ That’s still your responsibility, of course — but it does seem like this will provide a lot of educational tools designed for small businesses. That’s great, and I’m definitely glad we’re doing this, but I can’t help but wonder:

NIST has a year, according to the bill, to implement this new policy. So…what are you going to do in the meantime?

I sure hope your answer wasn’t “wait for NIST to fix everything.” If you don’t have a cybersecurity plan in place, it’s time to get one — as in, today. Cyber attacks are a very real risk these days; you can lose finances, sensitive company data, or even the use of your computer — a hack can completely shut down your business, and if you don’t have a plan in place, that shut-down could be permanent.

Too often, new business owners ignore cyber threats because it feels like a distant, ‘only-happens-to-someone-else’ kind of risk. But someone else is always someone, and if you’re not prepared, that someone could be you.

There are a few basic steps you should include in any cybersecurity plan: Don’t use the same password for everything. Don’t access public Wifi without a VPN. Never click on links you don’t recognize. And, most importantly, make sure your team is following these steps, too.

But there’s going to be more to it than that for every individual business — more than could probably fit in one article. NIST will be providing a lot of tips and tools coming soon, but even when that happens, it will be up to you to access and implement those tools. In the meantime, get started — make your own solution. Educate yourself. That’s what running a startup is all about, right?

Find out what’s best for YOUR business, find out what YOUR team is doing, and make a plan — together. Then, when NIST provides a whole new set of tools, you won’t be grasping for a lifeline — you’ll be strengthening an already powerful system. 

What do you think of S. 770? Does your business have a cybersecurity plan in place? Let us know in the comments!

The post The Small Business Cyber Security Act is LIVE appeared first on HER Magazine ™.

34% of bosses consider lunch breaks when evaluating work performance, and 38% of employees don’t feel encouraged to take a lunch break. Of course they don’t; not when nearly a quarter of bosses out there think of it as a sign of laziness!

Come on, bosses — you’re better than this. A well-rested employee is a much more productive one; employees who push through and work their lunch break are less happy, experience more turnover, and burn out faster. There’s nothing productive about that. More importantly — don’t you want your employees to be healthy? Don’t you want them to lead balanced lives? Or do you just want robots who will input your data mechanically for fifteen hours a day before imploding in stress and despair?

If you want your employees to be productive, creative, and proactive, then you need to make sure they’re taking breaks. YOU, their leader/boss/manager, need to encourage them to take care of themselves — and that includes lunch breaks! It has to come from you, because (as this study clearly shows) if they don’t hear it from you, they don’t know whether they’ll be punished for taking that lunch break. You’ve got to lead the way.

You need to say it

Don’t just think it, don’t just smile when they take a lunch break — use your words and specifically tell your team that you expect them to take lunch breaks. If you see someone working through lunch, encourage them to stop. Make announcements at team meetings. Send memos. Give your team positive encouragement to take breaks — don’t expect them to read your mind. Remember, they’ve probably had a boss in the past who looked down on them for taking breaks, so they have no way of knowing that’s not what you’ll do, too.

You need to show it

You’re a part of this team — are you taking a lunch break? Leaving the office for a walk? Maybe inviting an employee out to eat? You’re the creator of your team’s culture, and your team is going to emulate what you do, even more than what you say. Show them you really do value a healthy balance, and enforce your own daily lunch break.

You need to create it

If your team is so overworked they don’t have the time or the capacity to take lunch breaks, it won’t matter what you say, or how many breaks you take. In fact, encouraging them to take lunch breaks when they just don’t feel like they can will probably make things worse and cause resentment. Be aware of your team’s workload, and make sure that workload allows for a healthy work-life balance. They should have space for lunch. Not only is this the right thing to do as their leader, in the long run this is going to be waaaay better for your bottom line.

That’s a much higher value to your business than an overworked office drone who’s stress levels keep them from truly succeeding.

Don’t be like the bosses in that survey. We live in a world where too many employers look at the short-term, and work to milk every last ounce of energy from their team, rather than building a healthy group that can do more and go further. It’s short-sighted and it’s cruel, neither of which describes a good leader. Your team culture is up to you — so set the standard of health and wellness. If you do that, then you’ll be able to sit back and enjoy the results: a happier team, and a more profitable bottom line.

The post Why Bosses Need To Set The Standard for Lunch Breaks appeared first on HER Magazine ™.

Every year, CNBC completes an expansive study of all 50 states, ranking them on 60 different ‘measures of competitiveness’ and condensing that into 10 weighted categories, including things like quality of life, business friendliness, and access to capital. Using these categories, CNBC gave each of the states an overall rank, and the result is your go-to source for where to launch your next LLC.

But, be aware, the rankings might surprise you. California, which has the fifth largest economy in the world, was not in the top ten — not even the top twenty! Neither was New York, even though the two states are what typically comes to mind when it comes to industrious states. Texas topped the list, which is understandable considering its own booming economy and low cost of doing business. Washington state came in second, and this magazine’s home base of Utah took the prize for third.

That being said, there are some factors the study fails to consider — namely, the gender pay gap. Our editor was quick to remind us that Utah currently has the worst pay gap in the country, with women only making about 70 cents on the dollar compared to men, and California and New York have the best pay for women. We’d certainly like to see a chart that took this into consideration. Next year, CNBC?

In the meantime, this list serves as an excellent guidepost if you’re considering a business-based relocation. Or perhaps, if you find your own state high on this list, you’ll discover that you’re already right where you need to be.

Check out the full chart here. Where does your state rank?

The post Study Reveals Best States To Do Business — With Surprising Results appeared first on HER Magazine ™.

In other words, Robbins is definitely our kind of woman.

One thread throughout all of Robbins’ work? Authenticity. She is herself, through and through, no matter what she’s doing. In fact, a fellow law professional gave her some advice to that end when she first got into media. We’re talking about none other than the Judge Judy. “Don’t ever change who you are,” the T.V. judge told her. “If somebody asks you to do something that makes you uncomfortable, always say ‘no,’ no matter what the consequences are.”

Robbins doesn’t shy away from being herself — and that includes some very strong opinions. Although politics is a topic that many coaches and business owners are told to avoid, Robbins is not just a coach and business owner — she’s a CNN commentator. She has to share her opinions, even if it’s not what her target audience wants to hear. “With my work with CNN, I don’t hold anything back in my articles and commentary,” says Robbins. “I’m proud of my pieces for CNN and strive to keep them smart, science-backed, and thoughtful – not just political rants. For that reason, I truly believe that someone on any side of the political spectrum could read one of my articles and find something to agree with. I try to find a common theme across all people.”

That being said, she is careful not to cross-pollinate with her business brand. “For my media and speaking business, I don’t aim to make it political. I actually don’t post links to my CNN articles on any of my personal or business social media accounts, my newsletter, or in my courses. If people want to find the CNN articles, that’s awesome. But I don’t specifically push them out to my audience.” A strategy that’s doubtless difficult to master, but Robbins does so with grace to spare.

Check out Mel in our Summer Issue HERE!

Clearly, there’s a method to balancing so many different pursuits. As entrepreneurs, we all can fall prey to burnout syndrome, so we were eager to hear not only how Robbins stays so successful, but how she stays so sane. Of course, she has a team who supports her; delegating tasks is a hallmark of any effective leader. “Everyone that I’ve hired has incredible skills that fill in my gaps,” she says. “It’s important to know your strengths and focus on them, and when you’re ready to hire, hire people who are good at the things that are your weaknesses.”

But what about the daily demands? How do you maintain a schedule with some semblance of normalcy when any number of wildly influential, international projects demand your attention? Well, as it turns out, while Robbins’ ‘average’ day is anything but, there are a few habits she never neglects.

“First, I always wake up and pop right out of bed,” she explains. “I never hit the snooze button. I also never sleep near my phone or check my phone after waking up. Next, while getting ready, I think about my major priorities for the day ahead. What do I want to accomplish that will move the ball forward in meaningful ways?

“After this, I take 30 minutes to plan my day. This means choosing my top priorities and then starting to make progress on at least one of them. Not until after this do I check my phone or email. Sometimes this means waking up really early, especially when I’ve got a morning tech check!

“My other daily habits? I always plan my quitting time, which is when I will stop working. This forces me to put a deadline on my work and spend quality time with my family.” The mother of three children, Robbins makes sure to build that time into her schedule so she can be present with her family in the midst of building an expansive career. But she doesn’t have patience for anyone who suggests that those two things might be mutually exclusive:

“I often get asked questions by women struggling with the guilt they feel when they start needing time away from family to pursue their own dreams. Consider this perspective: the two most important things we can do for kids is to love them inside and out, and to teach our kids how to be confident, courageous, and compassionate enough to pursue their own dreams. We want that for our children, don’t we? And the best way to teach these things: BE THESE THINGS. As a woman, pursue your dreams. Be courageous. Don’t feel guilty about it. Feel proud of your pursuits. You are an example to girls everywhere of what a woman in action looks like — I believe it is the most powerful gift you can give to your children and to yourself.”

Robbins recently released a daily journal, full of journaling strategies and beautifully hand crafted by artisans in New York. “This is something that I’m really pumped about,” Robbins says of the project. “It’s the exact same journaling method that I’ve been using for years to keep myself productive – and I’ve created a daily journal that outlines the exact process that I use.”

With a talk show soon to be released on Audible and another book coming out later this year, it certainly doesn’t look like she’ll be slowing down anytime soon — but she will be shifting her focus.

“Speaking so much also involves a ton of traveling, and I want to be home more,” Robbins explains of her upcoming career shift. “So, I’m now pivoting into a new part of my career: being the CEO of a media company. I love speaking, but what I love most is connecting with people and sharing inspiring messages. Through my media platforms, we’re now creating courses, content, and more that are reaching and helping even more people.”

Reaching and helping people could arguably be Robbins’ tagline, as everything she does seems to come from that place of generosity. When asked what her favorite part of her varied career is, Robbins’ points to one of those courses she created, The Power of You. “It’s this incredible supportive online community,” she explains of the course. “Interacting with all of the students and seeing their transformations has been such a great experience. We just finished our second session of the course and it’s inspiring me and the turn that I want to take with my business to include more coaching.”

As a woman who knows what she wants, and has a proven track record of helping other people know what they want, no interview with Robbins would be complete without this question: For those who want to grow their career, what advice can you share?

“Stop focusing on WHAT you do, and pay more attention to HOW you do it,” she says. “And how you leave people around you feeling.”

The post Mel Robbins Does It All — And Tells Us How appeared first on HER Magazine ™.

Now, on the one hand, we all kind of get this. We see it happen. Women are less likely to negotiate raises, too; we have a history of not asking for what we need in business, mostly because we’re often shot down or judged as ‘demanding’ or ‘abrasive’ when we do. Case in point, this study also found that, of the people who do seek financing, men are more likely to actually get it — 38% of men receive financing, versus only 31% of women. Women have more barriers to finding funding, it’s true — but if this study is to be believed, the biggest barrier is, in fact, ourselves.

You can’t receive what you never ask for.

If we’re going to start breaking though those other barriers, we have to start putting ourselves out there. If you’re a HER reader, there’s a good chance you’ve at least thought about starting a business, if you aren’t running one already. Have you ever sought out funding? Have you ever met with an investor? Do you have a pitch ready for when you do?

Or have you decided that you’re just going to figure it out for yourself, and never take the risk of asking?

The problem is, so many of us don’t just not ask, we consider asking to be paramount to leaping off a cliff and expecting to fly. It sounds outlandish, foreign, ridiculous, impossible — and so we never even consider it. We never even start a casual research process to figure out what ‘finding an investor’ might entail. We simply drain our savings and scrape by in the hopes that it will be enough. And sometimes, sure, that works. But sometimes, oftentimes, it doesn’t — because businesses take money to run. So the business either fails, or succeeds at such a great personal cost, it may as well have been a failure.

You don’t have to run your business that way. If you’ve got an idea for a great business, it’s absolutely possible to find funding for it. But you’ll never find it if you don’t try — you’ve got to put yourself out there. Find an investor. Find a mentor. Find support. Find funding.

Let’s move that needle for the next study, shall we? You can’t receive what you never ask for.

So start asking.

The post Find Your Funding: It’s Time For Women To Ask For More appeared first on HER Magazine ™.