We Have Millions of Women Presidents

Today at Bloomberg.com you can read, "New York Senator Hillary Clinton is planning to concede the race for the Democratic presidential nomination and announce her support for Illinois Senator Barack Obama, her campaign said."

I'm not worried that little girls do not have a role model because even if Mrs. Clinton had become president, she would not have been first. Remember, there are about 10 million women in this country who are the president of their own company.

Much of the excitement surrounding her candidacy was that it was significant from both historical and role model perspectives. Indeed, it is no small thing that for the first time in our history, Americans were placing a woman in a position to become president. But what the public frenzy about Mrs. Clinton misses is that even if she had become president, she would not have been first. Our daughters—and sons—already have women presidential role models in the 10 million women in this country who are the president of their own company.

That’s why I was shocked to read in a USA Today article published in May 2008 that "Only 43 women have climbed the traditional ladder to become CEOs of Fortune 1000 companies in the last 35 years." It’s hard to imagine why so many women have successfully tackled the real issues of leadership in their own business—managing people, making payroll, tracking inventory, and keeping their taxpaying customers happy—yet aren’t seen as capable of successfully running America’s large businesses. This tells me that if you want to shatter glass, you should start by busting through the ceiling you built for yourself as has Vicky Carlson .

So when I read about the ‘tragedy’ of Hillary’s defeat, the last thing I feel is discouraged. The real business of keeping this country and economy strong is happening very nicely every day thanks to the hard work of women business owners and CEOs who know far more about leadership than Mrs. Clinton will ever know. She is irrelevant to the success or failure of our companies.

The Chief Happiness Officer

The past few weeks have given us all plenty of reasons to be unhappy. None of us is without sadness over the devastating natural disasters in Burma and the earthquake in China. At the same time, so many nations and people are just plain angry about current events. The Arabs are mad because Israel is celebrating its 60th birthday. The U.N. is mad because the U.S. is delivering aid to Burma. Obama and many in the media and Democrat party are angry because Hillary will not give up the race for her party's nomination for president.

Regardless of the reason, being sad or mad is not the way to go to work everyday.

As business owners we set the tone of the workplace and we can make or break the attitude of those around us. And with all of the news making so many people sad or mad, it is harder than ever to stay upbeat and enthusiastic.

Anne Beiler, the founder of Auntie Anne's Pretzels, hired her replacement and promoted herself to the position of Chief Happiness Officer. She doesn't really call herself that but when I asked her how she spends her time now that she is no longer responsible for the day-to-day operations, she said that her job is to make sure everyone is happy.

Another owner of a very large small business told me the same thing. Cathie Jao of Bridgecreek, a property development and management company, told me that her main job is to ensure the happiness of others.

My friends who are psychotherapists would say that Anne and Cathie have set themselves up for failure because none of us can make another person happy. I think the reason these women are multi-millionaires is that they have succeeded at doing the impossible.

Partner Power

Our study of successful companies has taught us that founders who find the right partner find power. Without exception, partners tell us they never could have done what they have done alone. The thriving partnerships are like marriages. The partners admire and respect each other and defer to each other quickly, especially when someone wants to know about an area where the other partner is the expert.

Thriving partners know that the other guy is better at some things than he is. That's the whole point. You never want to be the partner of a guy who sees you as the sou chef. You want to partner with a person who knows you are better than he is at some things. You also want your partner to know that you know your own weaknesses so well that there is no way you could build a business alone.

In his book, The Illusions of Entrepreneurship, Scott Shane points out that the companies founded by more than one person have a greater chance at success than companies launched by an individual.

One of our favorite partnerships is Dave Young and Jodi Johnson who have built their business, Oberon, into a 500-person company in a few fast years! In past work together, they found out that their management styles and philosophies were almost identical. Marry that with complementary areas of expertise and profound trust and respect for the other, you have the makings of a powerful and extremely successful partnership.

The Internet Can Be Your Best Friend

Since 1994 we have been talking about the Web and the importance of it to every small business. We have preached the theory that we all need to be on the Web and allow our customers to deal with us the way they want to deal with us. This means you probably have customers who want to email you, some that want to call you and some that want to come see you in person. The trick is to spend enough money for Web functionality but not too much.

I want to suggest to you that there will be a day when you can truly go paperless.

In today's New York Times I read that the publishers of Computerworld, InfoWorld, PC World, Macworld and CIO are gradually moving away from printing on paper. This strategy has already increased their profits.

Many of the owners in our library have leveraged technology to increase profits. While you might guess that it is young men who are making these moves, learn how a woman owner who is over 90 years old today was an early adopter.

Bumps in the Road Don't Stop Us

Today even William Dunkelberg, the chief economist at the National Federation of Independent Business, is saying that times are getting a bit tough. The price of gas and food are up and with the world market for oil only growing, this trend may continue. So what is a small business owner to do?

For most of us the cost of labor is the biggest expense we face every month so sometimes we solve cash flow problems by not paying ourselves or we ask employees to cut back their hours and sometimes we have to cut our staff.

Running an open-book office is an excellent way to engage employees in the hard decisions so that there are no surprises, even when times get tough. Employees should see numbers for the business and understand how those numbers relate to running the business day-to-day. Moreover, sharing the information is a way to challenge employees to make changes to reduce overhead, improve efficiency and customer service or increase sales. Lorraine Miller is just one of the owners we know who believes in sharing information to celebrate success, improve operations and to prepare for the bumps in the road.

Business is Color Blind

Barack Obama made a speech and some say it was transcending and instructive. I read it and it brought me to tears although I can't vote for him because I don't agree with his approach to solving this nation's problems. He believes government and a host of expensive government-run and taxpayer-funded programs can solve all the ills of society. That's why I found it interesting in his speech that he acknowledges that the real solution lies in "taking full responsibility for our own lives - by demanding more from our fathers, and spending more time with our children...they must always believe they can write their own destiny."

We've had the privilege of getting to know two very successful business men who have transcended racial barriers and epitomize the meaning of creating their own destiny. Arnold Joseff and George Hill didn't need a lecture from any candidate to tell them how to treat, interact, hire or fire another precious human being that I believe was created by God. These two men have been buddies since childhood. They are the perfect example of how business people think in terms of talent, performance and service. If you are a business owner who has problems with people who are different from you, you are leaving money on the table. All of the rich owners we know are color blind and they enjoy a wealthy life that includes more than just a healthy bank account.

All You Need is Love

When Bruce and I arrived at church this Easter morning, the band was playing that great Beatles song, "All You Need is Love," and the pastor’s sermon echoed that sentiment. As Christians we consider Easter the most important day of the year and it is always a celebration of love. This made me think about so many of our friends who are business owners and who have "All You Need is Love" as the theme of their lives.

When Gary Walls was told that his kidney disease meant he could no longer teach and coach in a high school, he launched a company called, Trailblazer Foods. We met him as he was being recognized as small business person of the year from the state of Oregon and he changed us all completely. In the midst of battling an insidious disease, this exceptional man decided to start a business because he needed something to do while living through the difficult and terrifying treatment.

Time with Gary revealed that the foundation of his life was love. He loved walking in the fields to watch the berries ripen and loved turning them into delicious jams, jellies and syrups so that others could enjoy his beloved Oregon berries. However, more than anything he loved people and especially his family, customers and employees. He is in a better place now and we are still here to tell you that he built a multi-million dollar company while in great pain but with great love in his heart.