Making the brand

It's Only Money

Making the brand

By Shayla Shrieves

WILL SHILLING PHOTO

Author Kaira Sturdivant Rouda, who wrote Real You Incorporated: Eight Essentials for Women Entrepreneurs, admits she's getting a little tired of the word "real." In fact, she's recently been swapping in "authentic" and "true" when speaking to audiences.

But Rouda insists being real — to yourself and your clients — is the secret to becoming a successful businesswoman.

Rouda is president of Real Living, what used to be known in Columbus as HER Realtors. She's been in the marketing biz for years, and has taken her personal experiences and turned them into a clearly focused guide to creating your own brand and achieving entrepreneurship success.

"We keep facing challenges. It's not easy being a woman in business," Rouda said. But "I tend to have a very upbeat outlook on life. There's no purpose in wallowing in the bad."

Her new book, in stores now, tells readers that the key to having a rewarding business is finding something that speaks to your inner strengths and passions.

If you haven't learned enough lessons from entrepreneurship classes at school, it might be worthwhile to work at an established business and gain experience — it's possible to start building your own brand even while working for someone else, Rouda said.

"It's never too early or too late to start a business, it depends on the person," she said. "I love the people who get out of school and know [they want to start a business]. But some people really benefit from working for someone else."

And even if you don't stay with the company for long, don't consider it wasted time. Rouda's book suggests that learning from past negative experiences is just as beneficial as having positive ones.

"Entry-level jobs are meant to be a bummer!" Rouda said. "You're learning. It's so important that you picture where you want to go. The journey is so important."

Rouda believes good entrepreneurs share a few key qualities, like being able to take a leap of faith and being able to see inspiration anywhere. And women businesswomen tend to have another beneficial quality, she said — they're natural networkers.

Whether you're in school or out, Rouda suggests joining a local businesswomen's networking group. "You just need to network," she said. But "if you're going to join, participate."

According to the Center for Women's Business Research, as of 2006, more than 350,000 privately held firms in Ohio boasted at least 50 percent ownership by women. Those businesses generated nearly $58 billion in sales and employed more than 400,000 people.

"It's a really great time for women as consumers and the power of women starting businesses," Rouda said. These days, "it's not the good ol' boys network — it's just the network."

April 3, 2008