A sponsor knows your accomplishments well and will sell you to others that do not know you in your organization and beyond. Your sponsor puts her (or his) reputation on the line for you and gives you a professional endorsement that gives you clout and credibility. You may actually spend more contact time with your mentor discussing your innermost doubts and issues but your sponsor is willing to put her name out there for you in order to help you advance.

It’s important to keep your sponsor well informed about your accomplishments so she can go to bat for you and recommend you for key projects that will help you distinguish yourself in the organization. Is it possible to have a sponsor and a mentor? Yes, and you should look for both.

Finding a sponsor is a more delicate task. You should seek out someone in your organization that is well respected and influential. Once you identify a potential sponsor, introduce yourself, earn her trust and respect, and then begin to share your value-add with strategic information about your accomplishments and goals within the organization.

You must be courageous in developing new relationships while searching for a sponsor. Reach across generational, gender, and racial boundaries to develop new and meaningful professional relationships. Your sponsor will most likely be a stretch relationship while your mentor may be a personal confidant with whom you already share a lot in common.

Securing a sponsor also focuses on the need to develop professional relationships internally and externally in your career field. You should be innovative in managing up and getting to know people beyond your rank and pay grade in your organization as this is the most likely talent pool for a sponsor. Someone who is a lateral counterpart will not have the clout you need to help you move upwards and serve as a sponsor.

Another strategy is to become more visible by volunteering to work on key projects that prospective sponsors will also be involved in. Distinguish yourself, be a consummate professional, and make your potential sponsor also look good, and you will earn the opportunity to ask a sponsor to consider you as a protégé.

Remember, sponsorship must be earned so it’s imperative to build a relationship with respect so you can demonstrate your worth and value to the organization. A sponsor won’t put their reputation on the line by endorsing you unless they are confident in your abilities to go above and beyond.

While research supports that women do prefer positions with flexibility, it’s also important for women to ask for what they want in a work environment. Men are 58% more likely to ask for a higher starting salary when an offer is made while most women just take the job, as is.  Women who do reach the pinnacle of C-level or executive positions are often considered oddities referred to as the female doctor, or female CEO. I’ve never heard a single reference about a male CEO. I find it unsettling that in 2010 women have not advanced significantly in the equality arena and are still openly discriminated against in the workforce similar to conditions decades ago.

But, my take-away optimistic hope from Wiethoff is that from here on out we need to redefine equality. Women should be encouraged to seek out male mentors and role models (in addition to women!) to integrate in the male dominated work environments. When men and women both take advantage of flex time, maternity/paternity and family leave, we will move closer to this not being something that only women have to do in order to take care of their families. I look forward to the day when telecommuting and utilizing technology to accomplish the job virtually are acceptable options for all and not special dispensations for a limited few.

Lastly, Wiethoff shared that the generation of young women entering the workforce now are more focused than their predecessors on work/life balance and choose careers that empower them to raise families and lead quality lives out of the office. Once again it all comes down to values and what you prioritize and cheers to these women for knowing what they want. All women and especially those who consciously choose the path of the C-level executive because it fits their values and provides gratification, should ask for more money and you will probably get it! The book It’s Not a Glass Ceiling, It’s a Sticky Floor by Rebecca Shambaugh is worth checking out.

It Pays to Experiment

Her physician admitted her to the hospital and prescribed a battery of steroids, physical therapy and medications along with the grim prediction that even with the meds, Rebecca would become wheelchair bound, experience deterioration of her motor skills and possibly even blindness in a matter of years as the disease progressed.  Rebecca was a tenacious patient with many questions and the desire to take control of her own health. After intense research, she discovered a connection between MS and other diseases that respond well to dietary change. She figured she had nothing to lose because the best medicine available only offered a 30% efficacy rate so she was determined to find a more holistic approach to healing. Against her Doctor’s wishes, she refused the medications and started the healing process with diet.

In the beginning she eliminated dairy, wheat/gluten, red meat and sugar from her diet and although she still felt weak – she was functional. After viewing an episode of Diet Wars on television, Rebecca learned about the concept of raw foods. She started eating raw foods that same day because of the claims of increased energy, but much to her surprise within 5 days of beginning the “raw experiment” Rebecca regained her energy and her health. All of her MS symptoms had vanished. She was blown away with the results and is now a firm believer that our bodies can heal naturally if cared for properly – they were designed this way.

Be Part of the Solution

Aware that her former “normal” American Diet was filled with refined carbohydrates, sugars, animal protein, caffeine, alcohol, artificial sweeteners, sodas, and fats, Rebecca was feeling incredibly energized with her new clean eating regimen with foods such as raw fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, sprouts, grains, healthy oils (olive and coconut) and superfoods like raw chocolate and goji berries. She was also amazed that she was able to lose 38 pounds effortlessly in the process, something she had been previously unable to do.

She found that she was telling anyone who would listen and people were amazed at her story and wanted to know more. So she committed to spreading the word and being a part of the solution rather than adding to the problem. Rebecca used her newfound energy and amazing health turnaround to co-found the business 123Raw.com and is also the publisher of Purely Delicious magazine.  Both are founded on the principle of taking baby steps towards a healthier body, planet and community. Both the online store and magazine feature healthy and gourmet raw food recipes, organic and earth-friendly products for pet, home and body, fitness tips and articles about the growing raw foods movement. Nothing extreme, just regular people looking to live a little better.

It’s Ok to be Afraid

Rebecca had the idea of starting a raw magazine before the online store, but was a little overwhelmed and intimidated by the idea because she wasn’t sure how to get it off the ground by herself. She decided to start out with an online store first because it was something she could do from home and the hope was that it would provide the necessary funds to eventually start the magazine. Since stress exacerbates MS symptoms, she really wanted a low stress work-from-home business plan. The magazine opportunity came quite out of the blue in October of 2008. The previous publisher Anna Tipps was experiencing a medical emergency and contacted her to see if she was interested in taking over the publication.

According to Rebecca:

“The lesson I learned from this is, it’s ok to feel fear (it’s normal) but don’t let it stop you in your tracks. Say yes and keep moving forward. The amazing part is that as soon as I said yes and got off the fence, people started coming out of the woodwork offering to help. Resources came to me – as they were needed.”

Determined to build a business with a conscience, 123Raw.com contributes 5% of its profits to charities including: Habitat for Humanity and The Arbor Day Foundation and offers one page in each magazine to a charity to bring awareness to their cause. Rebecca utilizes her skills from the advertising arena in her new businesses including project management,  hiring freelance talent, organizing photo shoots, designing, negotiations, brainstorming, client relations, writing, meeting tight deadlines, pitching ideas, radio, television, press checks, etc.

Support comes from all sides and so did opportunity. She spoke the desire of starting a raw food magazine and Purely Delicious “…literally fell in her lap.” according to Rebecca, which re-affirmed that this was meant to be.

Set Practical Goals

It all sounds great but what about the challenges of starting a new business venture? Rebecca underestimated the cost and time of starting a business, the state and local fees, the cost of filing for a trademark, web design, advertising, opening a merchant account, etc. She thought she was prepared but in reality knew nothing about the business end of starting a business. It was extremely difficult financially, not so much in the beginning but as months dragged on and money was going out but nothing was coming in. She used up her savings, utilized her credit cards to get 123RAW started and then even dipped into her already dwindling 401K to pay for the first issue of Purely Delicious.

Her main mistake was assuming that as soon as they were open for business that customers would flock to the door. It takes time to build a brand and attract a loyal customer base. She assumed that since she had a large following on chat sites and her blog that those would automatically translate to sales. And for a large part they did, but not in the large consistent volume that was needed. With Purely Delicious, the problem was a little different, because she took over an existing publication and therefore was responsible for fulfilling all of the subscriptions that she didn’t receive payment for, so she was starting out well in the red. Luckily, the magazine has been extremely popular and well-received and sales have increased by 25% since October 2008.

Looking back, Rebecca would make some adjustments in her business launching plan.

“I think I would have searched for a business mentor to help guide me through the start-up process. I would have set more money aside and sought an open line of credit instead of relying on my personal credit. Most importantly I would have trusted my gut instinct more. Each time I have gotten off track has been when I’ve ignored that “I don’t think this is right” feeling. It is a very humbling experience to realize how little you know but exhilarating to be in a constant state of learning and growth. Growth is rarely comfortable, but necessary. I wish I would have understood this earlier.”

I’m happy to report that Rebecca is thriving, feeling fit and healthy and 123Raw and Purely Delicious are gaining momentum and solvency. This little raw food experiment not only provided her a healthier life but a new and exciting career.

Rebecca’s Advice and Action Steps:

• Fear can be good if you realize it’s normal. Move beyond your comfort zone and test your strengths. Have courage acknowledge the fear and then take a small step forward anyway.
• Give yourself practical, attainable, daily goals. Baby steps are important in the long run journey. Try not to let yourself get overwhelmed by the enormity of the task. To climb a mountain you first have to take one step.
• Exercise random acts of kindness and pay-it-forward! Look for ways to give daily, this act also opens you up to receive.
• Consider giving back in some way with your business in your community.

Quotes: “When you are willing to try, amazing things can happen.” Rebecca Carlson

“It takes a lot of courage to show your dreams to someone else.” ~ Erma Bombeck

Resources:

123 Raw and Purely Delicious Magazine  www.123Raw.com

Savor the Success  www.savorthesuccess.com

Organic Consumers Organization www.organicconsumers.org