Personal And Professional Leadership Development Plan – Ponn Sabra Of ‘Empower Women Now’

My guest today is Ponn Sabra of ‘Empower Women Now.com’. Her business helps women owned businesses to gain online visibility and achieve profitability. Prior to starting her current business, Ponn had a varied and interesting career. In every business Ponn was involved in she reached great heights and achieved great success. Ponn attributes her successes partly to her strong networking skills. She has even authored a book about power networking for women entrepreneurs.

Ponn is also a columnist for WomenEntrepreneur.com.Ponn’s website has interesting articles and resources for women – both for personal and professional development. She shares information about branding a business online plus there are also some interviews with industry players.

In 2004 Ponn experienced a near-death car accident. This accident left her with partial paralysis of her hands and feet. This however has not stopped Ponn from pursuing her business ventures. If anything it seems to have pushed her further to achieve more business success. Read and be inspired by the business success interview of Ponn Sabra…

How did you come up with the idea for your business?

At the age of 25, upon completion of my Masters in Public Health, I was appointed the youngest public health official in the United States . A high-profile, 24-7 on-call position, I left my post six-months after my first daughter was born. I started freelance writing in the public health field, having authored in the nation’s most prestigious public health journal twice.

Then, I started to travel cross-country and throughout the MiddleEast with my growing family. My family finally settled in Toledo , Ohio where I presently reside, and although I was 6-months pregnant and had a one and two-year old, I opened my home real estate office for foreclosures and short sales. Within, six-months I became a Top Producer.

Again, I attribute my success to applying my Power Network principles. Tragically, in July 2004 I experienced a near-death car accident, which forced me in bed-rest for three weeks.

Finally, at the request of one publisher, I chronicled all my tips, tools and resources to write “Empowering Women to Power Network” especially for women entrepreneurs in 3-days while in bed. This is the very first networking book that challenges women to start building a power network from the beginning to the end, and I motivate you every step of the way.

I came online January 2005 and developed my website/blog as a resource center for women entrepreneurs, primarily to promote my debut book “Empowering Women to Power Network”. On August 11, 2005, by applying my offline Power Network principles online, I became an instant best-seller on this debut date. EmpowerWomenNow.com was and still is an extension of my book.

With my recent hospitalization in early July, again causing me to be on bedrest for nearly 2 months, and now being diagnosed as disabled (due to my rare brain disorder), EmpowerWomenNow.com is a therpeutic tool and resource for any woman entrepreneur determined to succeed through action!

You have an amazing website. There is heaps of information on the site. Maintaining this site obviously involves a lot of time and effort. You are a mother of three and your kids are all home schooled. How do you find the time? Can you please share with us your time management tips?

Sandy, thanks for the kind words. I’ve worked very hard over the past 3 years to get my website/blog to where it is today; so thank you for noticing.Everyone asks me these questions. More so now that I am disabled as well.I’m a Systems-Chick Here’s an example of my Time Management System.

By capitolizing on my biggest assest (time), I seek (a) the assistance of my business mentor to help me develop more systems to automate my online business, (b) now a business coach to keep me accountable each and every week, and (c) I live by the 80/20. I delegate and outsource everything that is humanly possible, so I can work as little as possible on the most productive duties and responsibilities (the activities that give me the highest Return On Investment (ROI) of my time).

What advice do you have for women who want to start a home based business but lack the confidence to take the plunge or are not sure as to what business to start ?

Just do it! hee hee :-

• Find a capable mentor who is already in the industry you want to be in, and follow their lead.
• Seek colleagues to network with.
• Immediate delegate and outsource work that you don’t know how to do, would rather not want to do, are not interested in doing, because the biggest factor in succeeding in business is sustainability. The only way to sustain is to build a foundation as a “business structure”, so you are not merely creating a “job” in which you are your own “boss” working all aspects of your business, even the things you disliked most in your regular 9-5 job.

Be determined to business a “business”, *not* a “start-up”. 95% of Start-Ups fail !

Business mothers often find networking tough due to family commitments. Any tips on how a business mother can network and manage family commitments ?

Set time limitations with your family and children. Involve your children in your business so they have an invested interest in your business success as well; thereby allowing you the flexibility to ask for their support when you most need it.

What is your number one stress relief tactic ?

Prayer.

Is writing a business plan essential before starting a business ?

I recommend writing a formal business plan if you plan to seek investors, angel funders.A simple goals, mission, organizational lay-out of staff, colleagues and mentors, etc. is critical for sound time management. A sample of a “loose” business plan is my About page, where I say what EmpowerWomenNow.com is, our goals, what we do, and how we can help you–our clients, partners.

Add that to my Advertise Page for statistics to show potential advertisers, sponsors and joint ventures, how exposure on EmpowerWomenNow.com is critical to targeting women entrepreneurs, home based entrepreneurs and small business owners. Any home based mother can duplicate my format, edit, or adjust their needs they see fit.

Finally, your five keys to business success?

I actually just wrote an article entitled, “Seven Success Strategies for your Business and Life”.

1. Sound Leadership Skills.
2. Set Systems.
3. Strategic Planning & Execution.
4. Search You! Sell You! See You!
5. Be a Saavy Networker.
6. Share!
7. Self-actualization and Empowerment.

My most popular Chapter of my best-selling book, entitled “The Empowerment Equation for Success”, states:

Desire + Action = Success

Action = 5 A’s: Acquisition, Affirmative Attitude, Accountability, Asking, and Accomplish.

Sites Of Interest

http://www.empowerwomennow.com/




Visit Ponn’s business website and read more about how she helps women in their personal development and professional development…

This interview was published on 2nd Decmeber 2007

To read more stories about women in the service industry click networking-for-women-professionals.