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Boomer Diva Nation is looking for the woman who inspires herself and others to greatness.  She could be your girlfriend, someone you met on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter, your mom or other relative. She could even be YOU!

Boomer Diva Nation wants to recognize an Inspiring Boomer Woman who is on the move and making a difference in her professional and personal life—as well as the lives of others.  BDN Founder and President Beverly Mahone says, “We are not interested in Hollywood celebrities—we want real women who look aren’t caught up in their looks or obsessed about weight. We want women who go out of their way to help others in some form or fashion.”

The nominees will be named following the November 29 deadline for submission.  Final winner will be selected by most votes cast and will received a $100 Visa Gift card and other prizes.

Mahone adds, “We want women who are D-ivine, I-nspired, V-ivacious and A-nointed. If that’s you or someone you know, you’re encouraged to enter. There can only be one grand prize winner but all of the finalists will be recognized.”

Nominations are being accepted here:  Inspiring Boomer Woman

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Nearly 40 years after women first started pouring into the labor force–and trying to be more like men in every way, from wearing power suits to picking up golf clubs–new research is showing that men ought to be the ones doing more of the imitating. In fact, after years of analyzing what makes leaders most effective and figuring out who’s got the right stuff, management gurus now know how to boost the odds of getting a great executive: Hire a female.

That’s the essential finding of a growing number of comprehensive management studies conducted by consultants across the country for companies ranging from high-tech to manufacturing to consumer services. By and large, the studies show that women executives, when rated by their peers, underlings, and bosses, score higher than their male counterparts on a wide variety of measures–from producing high-quality work to goal-setting to
mentoring employees. Using elaborate performance evaluations of execs, researchers found that women got higher ratings than men on almost every skill measured.

But if women are so great, why aren’t more of them running the big companies? Thousands of talented women now graduate from business schools and hold substantive middle-management jobs at major corporations–that’s because most women get stuck in jobs that involve human resources or public relations–posts that rarely lead to the top. At the same time, female managers’ strengths have long been undervalued, and their contributions in the workplace have gone largely unnoticed and unrewarded. Companies are now saying they want the skills women typically bring to the job, but such rhetoric doesn’t always translate into reality. Some businesses view women only as workhorses, well-suited for demanding careers in middle management but not for prime jobs.

We here at Boomer Diva Nation recognize the obstacles women face—especially as she ages–and that’s why we have banded together to pool our resources and talents and support each other in our endeavors. We are women on the move and making a difference. Won’t you join us?  Join BDN

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Special Guest post by Anjana Ahuja, Ph.D for Psychology Today

What makes a powerful woman?  Check her birthdate.

There’s something that unites the female chief executives, politicians and policymakers on Forbes magazine’s 2010 list of the most powerful women in the world.

• Irene Rosenfeld, Kraft CEO, aged 57
• Angela Merkel, German Chancellor, 56
• Hillary Clinton, 63
• Indra Nooyi, PepsiCo CEO, 55
• Gail Kelly, Westpac CEO, 54
• Nancy Pelosi, 70.

Of course, it’s in the numbers. These women are in what we might call their business prime, which is rather different from their biological prime. Where are the female equivalents of Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, a mere stripling at 26, or David Cameron, the 44-year-old British Prime Minister who, while in office, has become a father for the fourth time? Scanning the magazine’s separate list of top-paid young CEOs reveals a similar age profile: not a single female appears. The gentler sex is also, once she gets into the boardroom or the voting chamber, the older sex.

Whoever heard of a “career man”?

Of course, it might simply be that, because of discrimination, women take longer to ascend to positions of power and are therefore older once they take the throne. But look at the sexism evident in media coverage whenever a young woman takes a prominent business position. When was the last time you read of a male appointee being quizzed about his childcare arrangements? And have you noticed how we don’t have the term career man, only career woman? So often, the term is used to denigrate women who step into the boardroom, to reflect an unspoken belief that their families are shunted into second place. The exceptions to the Forbes list are celebrities, such as Beyonce and Lady Ga Ga – but youth and beauty are especially prized in the worlds of music and fashion.

Once a woman reaches menopause or once her children are grown up, women seem to be taken much more seriously in the boardroom.  This might explain the very noticeable presence of post-menopausal women in the Forbes list. Is it possible that older women not just have the advantage of experience and authority, but also are taken more seriously once they are no longer perceived as biologically necessary for group survival?

To learn more about this subject, check out a book Dr. Ahuja co-authored, titled: Naturally Selected: The Evolutionary Science of Leadership, which goes some way to explaining the underrepresentation of young and middle-aged women in positions of power. While there has been decades of discussion whether social conditioning is to blame, Ahuja and her co-author believe the origins of male domination in public life stretch right back to our evolutionary beginnings, two million years ago.

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Feb 02, 2011 – Baby Boomer men who are making a difference will be honored throughout 2011 by the women of Boomer Diva Nation, LLC.  The men selected were nominated by family, friends and people they’ve connected with via social media, according to Boomer Diva Nation President and Founder, Beverly Mahone.  “We were looking for baby boomer hunks,” says Mahone.  H.U.N.K. stands for:  H-helpful, U-understanding, N-noble, K-kind and S-sincere.  She adds, “We were looking for men of distinction who possess outstanding character and integrity.”

This is the second year in a row that Boomer Diva Nation is recognizing the contributions of baby boomer men.  Anyone could submit a nominee to Boomer Diva Nation, LLC, along with an explanation of why they felt their selection deserved to be honored.  ”This year most of our honorees are from North Carolina,” explains Mahone.

The Top Baby Boomer men for 2011 are:

Martin Brossman— Success Coach, Speaker, Trainer, and Author from North Carolina
Dave Carpenter— Author, well-known consultant and recognized humanitarian from Massachusetts
Roger Madison—Entrepreneur from Ohio
Roy Montero—Search Engine Optimization Expert from California
Diogenes Ruiz—Composer and Musician from North Carolina
Dan Scala—Entrepreneur from North Carolina
Marlon West—Professional Musician and Arranger from North Carolina
Jim Vogel—Businessman from North Carolina

Mahone says, “These are boomer men who deserve to be admired for being all-around decent guys and Boomer Diva Nation, LLC wants to honor them and let the rest of the world know how much we respect and appreciate them for who they are and what they offer to the world.”

To learn more about each man, visit:
http://www.boomerdivanation.org/top-baby-boomer-men-2011/

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Male entrepreneurs are outselling female entrepreneurs online by an average of $7,735 in 2010, revealed a survey of 25,000 North American businesses by the small business website company CityMax.com. Released to mark Global Entrepreneurship Week, the study also found that Americans are outselling Canadians (by almost $8 per sale).

–Male entrepreneurs, on average, had earned 2010 online revenues of $17,791.94 (as of November 1) compared to $10,056.09 earned by women.

–American entrepreneurs averaged $114.37 per online sale, beating out their Canadian counterparts ($106.76 average).

–Entrepreneurs under 30 years of age averaged 50% more revenue ($152.58) per online sale than 50+ year olds ($102.43) and 30-49 year olds ($101.23).

Other findings:

–The average American entrepreneur online is 46 years old.

–The average “serial entrepreneur” owns three online businesses.

–Repeat online customers average three purchases annually.

–After getting online, entrepreneurs took just under 6 months to make their first sale – a surprising 182 days on average (which was worth $229.43).

About CityMax.com
CityMax.com is an easy-to-use online business website builder company that empowers entrepreneurs by providing them with the tools and education to achieve their dreams. Since 1999, hundreds of thousands of websites have been built using our technology. With our all-in-one website builder solution, customers can create a complete online store without ever having to learn design or computer programming. In 2010, CityMax.com awarded the 1st annual Homepreneur of the Year award to Marco Barberini for the top home-based business in North America. CityMax.com is built on an award-winning culture, employing 32 staff and two directors of greetings (DOGs) named Jack and Farley. Visit: http://www.CityMax.com.

About Global Entrepreneurship Week
With the goal to inspire young people to embrace innovation, imagination and creativity, Global Entrepreneurship Week will encourage youth to think big and turn their ideas into reality. From November 15-21, 2010, millions of young people around the world will join a growing movement to generate new ideas and seek better ways of doing things. Tens of thousands of activities are being planned in dozens of countries. Global Entrepreneurship Week is founded by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and Enterprise UK.

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A mentor is good to have if you’re in business.  But a new study suggests that a good business advocate is more likely to help men advance than women.

Overall, Catalyst researchers found, women in general are not “scaling the corporate ladder” in greater numbers. As whole, they’re stuck in a rut, so to speak.

The 2010 Catalyst census of women in business leadership roles found that women held only 15 percent of board seats and 14 percent of executive officer jobs.

Two years ago, a Catalyst survey of more than 4,000 full-time-employed men and women showed that women are paid $4,600 less in their first post-MBA jobs, occupy lower-level management positions, and have significantly less career satisfaction than their male counterparts with the same education. That’s also the case when we take into account factors such as their industry, prior work experience, aspirations, and whether they have children.

Ironically, more women than men reported having mentors. If that’s the case then how does one explain why aren’t they moving into higher management positions?

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When it comes to the competition, how does your business measure up? Do you know what makes your business different and unique? Do you know what your strengths and weaknesses are, relative to that of your competitors?

And – most importantly – do you know how your clients perceive your business, in relation to the competition?

If not, you may be operating under a major liability, for a number of reasons. Number one, if you don’t know what your unique strengths are you’re not giving your market any compelling reason to choose you over the competition. Number two, if you don’t know what your competitors’ weaknesses are you may not be able to take advantage of an important available and/or underserved niche within your market. And three, if you’re not aware of your own weaknesses you may be driving customers away from your door.

Brand marketing is all about creating a unique, memorable identity for your business that emphasizes not just your strengths, but the strengths that make you different and unique within your market. You may think you already know what your strengths are, but in order to really get a handle on where you want to position your business you’re going to need to find out how the major brands within your market are positioned, and how to position your brand in relation to them.

So how exactly do you check out the competition, directly – short of posing as an actual customer?

Websites are a great place to start, since almost every business has one these days. Your search-engine criteria might be simply the type of product and/or services you offer (i.e., “office supplies”, or “web design”) constrained by region, area or type of market you serve (“Greater St. Louis area”, “Arizona”, “nationwide”, “online.”)

Once you’ve found the websites of a few of your most important competitors, look closely at them. What impression do you get about this business? For example, do the images, copy and headlines convey a no-nonsense “we’ll save you money” approach? Or is the emphasis more on the company’s experience and expertise? Write down a list of impressions you get about this business, based on its website. Also, pay close attention to whether your competitors are clearly targeting only one sector of the market, creating a niche you might be able to fill.

Now, take a look at your own website. Try to look at it from an outside point of view, the same way you did with your competitors. How does this business (yours) measure up? Is it distinct in terms of look and feel? Do the images, copy and headlines convey an emphasis unique and different from that of your competitors? Is it oriented towards a niche in the market you might be seeking to fill?

It sounds simple, I know, but you’d be amazed how many small business owners never take the time to visit the websites of their competitors. Or, if they do, it is simply to compare prices, services and payment options – without really looking at where their business stands in terms of brand identity within the market as a whole. This type of “website window-shopping” can be a gold-mine of invaluable information in terms of positioning your business for success.

If you’re interested in taking the concept further, you might consider a Do-It-Yourself version of the kind of brand comparison surveys major corporations pay market research firms to conduct. In order to be cost-effective for most small businesses, this would mean working with marketing students from a local college or institute to create a brief survey rating your brand against that of your competitors in a few key areas – price, convenience and customer service, to name just a few – add that to overall perceptions concerning strengths and weaknesses. However this survey gets distributed and completed, what’s most important is that your respondents don’t know it’s you conducting the research. Otherwise, results could wind up skewed.

Once you have specific information concerning your own strengths, weaknesses and unique attributes – as well as those of your competitors – you’ll have the information you need to create a unique brand identity that positions your business for success.

About the Author

Michele DeKinder-Smith is the founder of Jane Out of the Box, an online resource dedicated to the woman’s entrepreneur community. Discover information, networking and marketing opportunities for women small business owners by joining Jane Out of the Box for free at http://www.JaneOutoftheBox.com

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