6 successful business owners to watch in 2013

It’s no secret that I’m all about empowering, growing and mentoring inspiring women.

I get inspired by inspiring women, especially when they’re entrepreneurs or aspiring entrepreneurs.

When I get behind the scenes and really get to see what’s going on “under the hood” of their businesses, well, the inspiration is exponential.

There are so many women like this in my life. I could write a blog article and easily fill the year.

For today, though, I’ll highlight six.

Some are making six and seven figures in their businesses and others are not – intentionally.

All are inspiring to me and after getting behind the scenes, I know they all walk their talk.

They’re all doing their work, pushing through fear and growing themselves and their businesses.

Simply put, they’re the real deal.

Here’s a peek into the worlds of six women to watch in 2013 – in alphabetical order:

1. Claire Steichen – Clear Strategy Coaching, USA

Claire owns a coaching business in Manhattan and is a certified professional coach. She has an MBA from Columbia Business School and a wealth of corporate business experience. Her focus is coaching executive women leaders in the corporate world of New York City. There’s much to love about Claire. What stands out for me is she intentionally works part-time in her business to spend two days each week with her young children. It’s expensive to live in Manhattan and that comes with intense pressure to “keep up with the Joneses”, so to speak. While it’s important to Claire to build a successful, profitable business – and she’s definitely doing that – I respect the fact she’s honouring her values while she’s doing it, even while living in an aggressive city. Raising happy, self-sufficient kids is deeply important to her and while it’s not always easy to find the balance of entrepreneurship and family life, Claire’s an example of someone who’s growing a business on her terms.

2. Florence Grunfelder – Money with Flo, Canada

Florence is a ray of shining light for women entrepreneurs. She’s a former starving artist, turned multi-million dollar mutual funds account manager, turned relationship coach for women and their relationship with money. She works with ambitious, heart-centered entrepreneurs who are tired of undercharging, under earning, and undermining their revenue goals. She asks a great question, “If your money could talk, what would it say about you?” About her own life she says, “There was a time in my life when my money (what little I had) wouldn’t have said very flattering things about me. My money might have said that I neglected it. My money might have said that I was afraid of it. My money might have said that I used it for the wrong reasons. And my money would have been right.” I love that Florence is a HUGE cheerleader for all the women out there ready to master the secrets of spiritual and financial prosperity. It’s not just about the rah-rah, either. Florence has the tough love that goes with it. When I need a boost, I call her.

3. Kim Page Gluckie – MPowered Marketing, Canada

I first met Kim on August 21, 2004 on my wedding day in the gorgeous Canadian Rocky Mountains. Kim was our photographer and so perfect for us – she captured our essence and made the entire experience fun and memorable. Back then, I knew something was special about her. Fast forward to today and Kim is a full-time mother and part-time entrepreneur, specializing in marketing for women business owners. Before her mini-career as a photographer, she had a marketing career of 15 years as the solo-marketing expert at exciting small tech start-ups and big corporations. She leveraged that experience into intentionally building her business at her own pace, to focus on her primary goal of raising her three daughters. Don’t let her part-time status fool you. Kim has some high profile clients, and has taught hundreds of women through the workshops and presentations she has created and delivered, with many more to come. She’s a true advocate for women in business, with a tell-it-like-it-is style, infusing honesty, practicality and sincerity in every lesson she teaches.

4. Kirsten Wreggitt – Let’s Start Organizing, Canada

Kirsten is simply fabulous. She’s a professional organizer who helps families be organized and find space and time in their lives for what matters, e.g. family, relationships, memories and community. By reducing stress and opening up space, she hopes her clients will experience more of the joys of life. She believes people should get organized for the simplicity of managing their homes so they can focus on the people in their lives and not the stuff, not for the picture perfect pantry, matching boxes and bins, or colour coded filing system. Kirsten built me a beautiful, custom shelving and filing drawer unit in my office, organized my book collection and other business resources, and purged what I no longer needed. She created beauty, ease of flow and spaciousness. She made me feel better about myself – lighter and happier. My family and clients benefit from all these things. I’m proud to share Kirsten here as a woman to watch in 2013.

5. Lisa Cherney – Conscious Marketing, USA

Lisa is the Juicy Marketing Expert and my personal business mentor for 2013. This lovely lady exudes infectious enthusiasm and grace. In 2012, she hosted a three-day live event focused on making six figures in a part-time business. She’s actually at the seven-figure mark and no, she’s not an overnight sensation. She has taken one step at a time, including the scariest of scary leaps when needed. In 2009, she invested $20,000 in a business mentorship program which eventually catapulted her business from under six figures in 2009 to seven figures today. Lisa embraces failure, invests in herself, makes conscious decisions, sees focus as the key to freedom, stays outside her comfort zone and always follows her intuition. What I love the most is her commitment to spending massive time with her six-year-old daughter. While her daughter grows up, I’m confident Lisa will have no regrets because she chose to structure her business in a way that gave her prosperity in multiple ways – most importantly the prosperity of much free time with her family. I know the real deal when I see her and Lisa is definitely that kind of person.

6. Vanessa Anstee – Authentic Leadership, UK

Vanessa is a certified professional coach living just south of London, England. Her corporate experience prior to owning her own business is exemplary and respected by many. She’s highly educated, skilled and credentialed – and most importantly in my opinion – is a true heart-centered entrepreneur. What I love the most about Vanessa is her talent and true leadership in bringing out the absolute best in her entrepreneurial clients. She takes a stand for them and their greatness, without settling for anything less than their soul’s true calling. She’s fierce, warm, loving and sassy, all wrapped into one. Vanessa is another who walks her talk – her own personal leadership is unfolding right in front of her and she’s not afraid to talk about it. Vanessa is truly one to watch in 2013, a woman I know will make huge strides for the betterment of entrepreneurs around the world.

These are six of the many women inspiring me in 2013, and after reading their stories, my hunch is they inspired you too.

It’s Your Turn.

Who’s on your own “women to watch in 2013” list – and why? Make a comment below and highlight one person who comes to mind, share her website (if she has one) and a few sentences about why she inspires you.

P.S. Get clarity on what’s next in your business with a complimentary 15-minute strategy call with me. My promise is you’ll walk away knowing your exact next step to LEAP your business forward.