WomenOnTheFence.com » Career

Wordless Wednesday: A Dream Meeting With Arianna Huffington

Erica Diamond — Wed, 23 May 2012 17:04:46 +0000

Yes, today I got to meet and interview someone on my short list of “People I’d Like To Have Dinner With” Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post (others on my list include… Oprah Winfrey, Martha Stewart, Maya Angelou, Phil Knight, Richard Branson, Anthony Robbins, BIll Gates, Steven Spielberg, Madonna). As a Huffington Post contributor and an entrepreneur myself since the age of 24, it never grows tired when I have the opportunity to meet incredible visionaries and pioneers who have mastered their craft. It’s what turns me on. I’m still juiced.

I give you, the brains behind The Huffington Post, Arianna Huffington, et moi a Montreal.

Me and Arianna

What Arianna Huffington has recently created, will blow your socks off. My video interview with Arianna to follow.

I’d also love to know, who is on YOUR list of people you’d like to meet?

xoxEDxox

Why It’s Good To Fail (VIDEO)

Erica Diamond — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:05:19 +0000

I have just come off of a great run of speaking engagements from the past few weeks. Most recently, this weekend I was the closing Keynote Speaker for the Women’s Entrepreneurship Conference in Saskatchewan, and yesterday, I spoke at the famous 140 / State of Now Conference (Social Media Twitter Conference that travels around the world). My topic: Why it’s Good To Fail.

I encourage you to watch my talk. It is only 10 minutes.

Have you ever failed?

No one likes to talk about failure, but what I know as truth, is that it’s a prerequisite for success. It’s homework for living.

xoxEDxox

The Disillusionment of an Entrepreneur

Erica Diamond — Fri, 04 May 2012 14:00:59 +0000

By Guest Blogger Prerna Gupta

When I became an entrepreneur at the age of twenty-three, I began in earnest, as do all entrepreneurs, chasing a dream. My dream was clear. I would build a consumer technology company that reached ten million people and sell the company for millions of dollars, before the age of thirty. Then, as the dream went, I would retire to an oceanfront house on a warm Pacific beach and learn how to surf.

I recently had the fortune of celebrating a year in which I saw that lofty goal fulfilled. My company’s iPhone apps had over ten million downloads, and a competitor paid a large sum of money to acquire what we had built, just a week before my thirtieth birthday. Dream had become reality.

I took a trip soon after to a secluded surf beach on the Pacific coast of Nicaragua. Sandy-bottom beach break. White sand. House so close to water that the sound of crashing waves made it hard to sleep. This was it. I had made it.

Yet, as I sat dangling my feet off a seven-foot surfboard, missing wave after perfect wave, I saw an unmistakable truth. I was terrible at surfing, and all I really cared about anymore was launching another hit app. Far from retiring, I found myself more in the thrall of ambition than ever before.

Having risked my career in order to escape, at all costs, the Great American Rat Race, this was disconcerting to me. My entrepreneurial intentions had, after all, been pure at the outset. I was drawn to entrepreneurship by the lure of freedom: control of my time, the ability to work on my own creations, no boss, and, of course, the potential for independent wealth. But the purpose of the money was never to buy fancy cars and houses, or to be richer than my peers. I viewed the money simply as a lifelong guarantee of these freedoms. When I had enough wealth to live modestly for the rest of my life without working another day, I would quit. I would stop chasing the dream. And yet here I am, still slaving away. How could this be? I am not one of those miserable over-achieving types who are satisfied with nothing less than better-than-everyone-else. Really. I’m not.

Am I?

You see, a funny thing seems to have happened just before I reached the ten million users mark. That goal of mine nefariously shifted by just a bit, a decimal point to be precise. I have a new goal now. It’s 100 million.

This is the disillusionment of the entrepreneur. There is no such thing as success. It is a moving target. A mirage. By the time you attain what you thought was your wildest dream, reality has moved on and left your dreams in the dust. And the desire for success grows stronger still.

I do not like being enslaved, by anything. There are times when I can feel ambition, that greatest of American virtues, imposing its power over me. There are times when I succumb, for a short while. But to allow myself to be driven by ambition alone would be the ultimate failure. I strive for happiness. Not happiness when I am sixty, but happiness now, and tomorrow, and the day after. And although ambition and happiness can coexist, I have found that the first much more readily thrives without the other. I understand this now, as I understood it at twenty-three, and my values are unchanged. What can then explain the control ambition has over me today?

Many who run in entrepreneurial circles would say that my dream was insufficient in the first place. Indeed, Silicon Valley frowns upon such middling goals as selling one’s company for mere millions. We should aim for billions, we are told, or not aim at all. I am loath to admit that I have let that over-achiever’s ethos influence my own thinking, but I suppose it is at least partially true.

That’s not the only reason though. While my values have not changed, what has changed is this: work is more fun than it used to be when I was twenty-three. Work actually makes me happy. I always enjoyed entrepreneurship, even though I had many setbacks and failures along the way, but it is infinitely more fun now that I have had some tangible success. This is the real reason I continue. Success builds upon itself, and in so doing, makes the journey more fun. That is not to say I won’t still have failures, in abundance; I am certain I will. Yet underlying the day-to-day failures is the knowledge that I can never truly fail again, because if success does not exist, neither does failure. I am finally free. I am free of the fear of failure. Perhaps that was my dream all along.

I’ll still learn how to surf one day, as soon as I reach that 100 million.

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About Prerna Gupta…

Prerna Gupta is CEO of Khush, a start-up that develops intelligent music apps, like the #1 hit app Songify, which turns speech into music. Prerna led her start-up to profitability, with her company’s apps receiving over 10 million downloads and 200 songs created to date. She is also responsible for producing viral videos for her products that have reached over 180 million views. Khush was recently acquired by Smule, the leading developer of social music apps. Prior to her foray into entrepreneurship, Prerna worked in consulting at Monitor Group and early-stage venture capital at Summit Partners. She studied Economics and Computer Science at Stanford University. Prerna was voted one of FastCompany’s Most Influential Women in Technology 2011, and her writing has been featured in the New York Times and TechCrunch. She is also a budding angel investor and Resident Mentor at 500 Startups. You can follow her on Twitter @prernagupta

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Would love to know your thoughts. This is easily one of my Top 5 favorite blog posts. Have a beautiful weekend.

xoxEDxox

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This post was previously published on TechCrunch. We received permission from TechCrunch and Prerna Gupta to re-publish it on WomenOnTheFence.com.

Wednesday Words Of Wisdom

Erica Diamond — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:01:28 +0000

These really spoke to me today, on this rainy Wednesday, at my desk, in my pj’s, coffee in hand. I hope they will speak to you too.

I’d love to know your thoughts.

xoxEDxox

Amen.

The Liz Lange Interview: Her Maternity Empire, Motherhood, and More

Erica Diamond — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 14:35:15 +0000

Liz, I’m thrilled to have you, a savvy entrepreneur and mom grace our blog. I don’t think Liz Lange Maternity needs much introduction– most of our mom readers know this well-known, fantastic brand. I loved my Liz Lange Maternity clothes when I was pregnant- comfort, style, affordability. Please tell us the story of how Liz Lange Maternity was born.

I never intended to be a fashion designer or an entrepreneur. I graduated from Brown with a BA in Comparative Literature. And after working at Vogue for a few years, I left to go work for a struggling fashion designer whose work I admired. While there, and in my 20s, my friends started to get pregnant (I myself was not pregnant, but I was newly married and it was that time in my life.) They all had the same complaint– that they couldn’t find anything that they liked to wear while pregnant (This was 1996 – maternity apparel landscape was very, very different!)

I noticed 2 things that led to my aha moment: my friends were spending (they had no choice, nothing in their closets fit!) So I knew that pregnant women were definitely spending on their maternity wardrobes, and they were spending on items they didn’t like. And two, that they looked much better when squeezed into a stretch tight non-maternity outfit than in an oversized traditional maternity outfit. So I thought, “I get it, maternity clothing needs to be fitted and stretchy and women will buy it because they will like it and they will actually look great.”

Believe it or not, stretch fabric was new to the market place in the mid 90s, so my idea was to create a line based entirely on stretch fabrics. Today we take it for granted that everything from our jeans to our jackets stretches, but back then only sweaters and tee shirts stretched.

Liz Lange Maternity

I didn’t consider myself a designer, so I excitedly told the fashion designer I was working for at the time, that I had the idea that would save his business. He didn’t get it (actually no one did, because maternity clothing as fashion wasn’t even a category back then.) I couldn’t get the idea out of my mind and finally realized that I had to do it. I left and started a tiny made-to-order business mostly for friend. But word spread quickly, and the business grew beyond my wildest dreams.

Liz Lange Maternity

Was it something you knew early on would take off? What pitfalls did you encounter along the way. What were the challenges and how did you overcome them? And for a woman thinking of starting her own business, what would be some advice you would give her?

I did believe it was a good idea but no, I never expected that one day I would have Liz Lange flagship stores on Madison Avenue, in Beverly Hills and in Long Island. Or that I would dress every pregnant celebrity or that I would partner with Nike to make Liz Lange for Swoosh maternity athletic apparel and then partner with Target (Liz Lange for Target is and has been the exclusive maternity offerings at every Target location and Target.com for the past decade.)

But of course there were challenges along the way. The greatest was just having the courage to start my own business! What I now know that I didn’t know then, was that before someone does something new, no one ever thinks it’s a good idea. You need to have the strength to shut out the naysayers, and proceed with your idea in the face of a lot of negativity. That is just the plight of the entrepreneur since you are seeing the invisible. The other challenge is that the negative forces are not just external. As women, we seem hardwired sometimes to doubt ourselves and be overly critical of ourselves. You need to be your own best friend and cheerleader. Seek out advice.

Before I started Liz Lange Maternity, I reached out to anyone and everyone whom I could think of that I thought could be helpful in any way. I offered to come to their office, take them to coffee, lunch, dinner, whatever just for the chance to pick their brains. Don’t be shy, people are for the most part happy to help. I know that I am always thrilled if I can offer advice to a new entrepreneur in the making.

Get the word out about your new business. This is not the time to be shy or extravagant. You can’t afford a marketing person/Publicity agent at the beginning. You need to call the magazines, editors, writers, etc. to try to get press on what you are doing (no one can tell your story more compellingly than you can), and with social media today, there is no excuse not to be out there shouting about your new company from the rooftops!

Many mompreneurs wrestle with the decision of partner, or no partner. The idea of having another person to share the rewards with, but also the burdens with, can be very helpful. Do you suggest women should find a partner when starting their own business?

To have a partner or not to have one is an extremely personal decision. I decided to go it alone as I felt the idea was mine and I wanted full ownership and control. That said, the RIGHT partner, someone who has a skill set complementary to yours can be fantastic.

What were some of the highs and fun moments in your life and career? What were some of those highlights and the moments where you really got to enjoy your success?

Personally, of course the birth of my son (now 13) and my daughter (now 11) were the happiest days of my life. I have loved every second of being an entrepreneur. Steve Jobs once said “There is no greater rush than being in the small boat. You feel every wave and every bump, and you can change course on a dime.” I have loved feeling every bump.

I guess some of my favorite moments in no particular order, were the first write up about my new business, which was in the NY Times when I was still just making clothing to order out of a closet sized office. And when Nike called and said they wanted to partner with me on a line of maternity athletic apparel. And then when Target asked me to be their maternity design partner. Of course opening my first flagship boutique in my hometown of NYC on our most famous shopping street, Madison Avenue was incredible. And doing the first ever maternity fashion show at Bryant Park during NY’s fashion week back in 2001 was a real high. Doing the Oprah show as amazing. And then having offers to sell my brand and ultimately selling it in 2007 felt like a big accomplishment.

Liz Lange on The Oprah Show

How do you balance career and womanhood? Any tricks you care to share with our readers on how to manage the juggle?

I am always juggling and it is never easy. I try to prioritize and be as present as I can be, wherever I am. So if I’m with my children, I try to really be with them (and not on my blackberry or thinking about work) and when I am at work, I try to just focus on that.

Believe me, I am often on my Blackberry when I shouldn’t be, or dashing out of a meeting late to pick up the kids somewhere. My best time saving trick is to plan what I am going to wear to work the evening before (kind of like how we lay out our kids’ clothes to avoid stress in the morning.) I also try and keep my top beauty products out on my bathroom vanity so that everything is in sight, and very streamlined.

I know I wrestled with the right moment to sell my company. When did you know? How did you know? Was there a defining moment?

Selling a business is a bit like starting a business– I am not sure that you will ever feel that the time is right! You just have to follow your gut and do what feels right. For me, it was getting an offer that made sense to me at the time, and that would allow me to monetize the success of the brand. I also felt that my children were getting older and I wanted to be able to spend more time with them. These decisions are so personal.

Selling a business is very bittersweet. At least for me it was. The business was my baby (actually my first baby as I started it before my children were born.) I can’t imagine not being involved with it, so although I sold it, I stayed on, and remain the face of the brand and the Creative Director.

Tell us about your latest venture Shopafrolic.com. Do you ever stop creating, Liz?

One of the nice things about selling my business, was that it did free up some of my time and allow me to pursue some other creative ventures. Working with my talented, beautiful and chic sister had always been a dream of mine and now I could. Together we started a fun shopping e-newsletter called Shopafrolic.com.

Each day, we email a clothing, accessory or beauty item that we love and we do a ‘she said, she said’ on how to wear it, why we like it, etc… We link to where you can buy it and we often do a “separated at worth,” where we pair the item with one that looks just like it but is either much more or much less expensive.

I also started my first ever NON maternity clothing line, Completely Me by Liz Lange, which I sell exclusively on air and online at the Home Shopping Network, HSN.com.

I love to ask my interviewees.. What are the top 3 things on your Bucket List?

Hmm, bucket list, so much I still want to do!

1. Travel as much as possible with my children, I want them to see everything! I am a ‘life is a buffet’ type person.

2. Write a book about my story and entrepreneurism in general.

3. Start a jewelry line. I LOVE jewelry…

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I would love to know your thoughts. Isn’t Liz a dynamo? I think she also gave us some sage advice on business startup. Feel free to leave Liz a comment or question… she’ll be reading!

Have a wonderful weekend, my friends.

xoxEDxox

23 Secrets To Improve Your Life

Erica Diamond — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 10:55:32 +0000

I don’t even know where to begin. I am still on a high after a magnificent weekend with my mom in Toronto attending Oprah’s Lifeclass Tour. So many of you have tweeted me and Facebooked me asking for all the juicy details. So today will be a mixed bowl of those details, life lessons, and what I learned. Hold on tight, and come along with me on a ride of fun and education…

It all started Sunday. My husband was leaving on a business trip, and I was leaving for Toronto. We kissed our two boys goodbye, and headed to the airport for our respective flights. Walking in, I had to laugh. My mom and I showed up at the airport in the exact same outfit, completely unplanned. Quite typical of us. We were excited, and off on our first mother-daughter trip in almost a decade!

Mom and I at the airport en route to our mother-daughter getaway

After being delayed 2 1/2 hours, we finally touched down in Toronto. No kids for two days. Only one person to care for- myself. I gotta admit, it was nice. I missed afternoon tea with the OWN Network. They had graciously invited me, but my delayed flight prevented me from attending.

Mom and I had dinner, went to bed early Sunday night, knowing that the doors opened at 7am.

We woke up Monday morning EXCITED! We were goin’ to Oprah baby!! I tweeted to Miss O that morning.

“Show day! Out of the shower and getting ready for #OinTO at 7:30! Woo hoo!! @Oprah @IyanlaVanzant @tonyrobbins @DeepakChopra exciting!” – @WomenOnTheFence

If I tell you, I tweet Oprah ALL.THE.TIME to no reply. But all of a sudden, BING, Twitter reply.

OPRAH TWEETED ME!!

And with that tweet, we were off to the convention center. It was 6:50 in the morning, and we walked down the street to Starbucks for a quick breakfast to go. It was as if Oprah Winfrey owned Front Street. Women EVERYWHERE, all going to see Oprah.

At Starbucks before Lifeclass

After a lineup around MANY blocks, we were inside. My mom was immediately snapping pictures. She couldn’t get enough.

We then entered the auditorium. 8,500 women in one room is nothing to sneeze about. We were guided to our seats- 4th row center. GULP!

The electricity, the synergy, the buzz in the room was palpable. Everyone was there by choice, not out of necessity, to learn and to self-improve. It felt as if this was a sacred place, a place to be your authentic self. That was the bond that connected all of us. And you could feel it. 8,500 women thirsty for a better life. Thirsty for transformation and change. How cool.

And with that feeling, the day began. They called the first speaker to the stage– a great Canadian entrepreneur and philanthropist, and star of the hit show, Dragon’s Den. Low and behold, it was my buddy Brett Wilson! I had no idea he was going to be there, so when he took the stage, I waved to him. Next thing I know, he called out in front of the entire crowd, “Oh wow, there’s Erica Diamond!” In the words of Fifty Shades of Grey, I flushed scarlet. I ducked in my seat.

Next we heard from four incredible teachers, for about thirty minutes each: Tony Robbins, Deepak Chopra, Iyanla Vanzant and Bishop TJ Jakes. Alright, I expected Tony Robbins to be like a used car salesman. But if I tell you, HIS TALK WAS LIFE CHANGING. He was by far my favorite speaker. If you haven’t read his books or attended his conferences, I urge you to do so. This guy is the real deal.

The set

All four speakers taught us some incredible life lessons. I wanted to share them with you. Here they are in no particular order:

“We’re all born with infinite potential and creativity. We all have it in us. Each and every one of us. That’s the only truth”- Deepak Chopra
“The 3 things you can offer your children to change them: attention, appreciation and affection.” – Deepak Chopra
“None of us are imprisoned emotional or mentally unless we allow ourselves to be.” -Iyanla Vanzant
“Trade your expectation for appreciation and the world changes for you.” – Tony Robbins
“Change your state, change your happiness. We use drugs, sex, eating, smoking, drinking to change our state. You don’t need to this.” – Tony Robbins
“Wanna keep your marriage in that same state of bliss you felt at the beginning? Then, DO you what you did at the beginning of your relationship -you gave everything to this person. Do those things again and you will see the change and the reconnection with your partner.” -Tony Robbins
“Your story is what blocks you from your breakthrough. We believe the stories we tell ourself over and over again.” -Tony Robbins
“We all have our own story. And we stay attached to our story. This can stop us from growing and living. You wanna make your life better? Change your story, change your life.” -Tony Robbins
“When you fail at something, you say you’ve tried everything cuz that makes you feel better. How have you really tried everything? If you had, you woulda found a solution. Bullshit!” – Tony Robbins
“You get what you tolerate.” -Tony Robbins (ONE OF MY FAVORITES OF THE DAY!)
“Success leaves clues. Go figure out what someone who was successful did, and model it. Improve it, but learn their steps. They have knowledge.” – Tony Robbins
“No one talks about failure. Let’s talk about it. Why did you fail? I always hear “resources” as the excuse- not enough time, money, energy, technology. People blame resources as the excuse for failure. It’s not the lack of resources that cause failure, it’s the lack of resourcefulness that causes failure. Resourcefulness is the cure to failure. Successful people are resourceful and find a way to make it work.” -Tony Robbins (MY SECOND FAVORITE OF THE DAY).
“Decisions and not conditions determine your destiny. Your biography is NOT your destiny. Rather it’s your DECISIONS that create your destiny.” – Tony Robbins (And he used Oprah as a powerful example that her past, her story, did not get in the way of her destiny. Rather it was her life choices that changed her course. ANOTHER ONE OF MY FAVORITES).
“The path of least resistance is the path with no joy, no growth.” -Tony Robbins
“Common sense is not common. If you’re not doing it, it’s not common.” -Tony Robbins (SO TRUE).
“Leap and the net will appear.” – Oh I so believe this!!
“How well you manage problems determines how far you go.” – Bishop TJ Jakes
“It’s the things that go wrong that make you better.” - Bishop TJ Jakes
“Act like you know you’re golden.” ~ Iyanla Vanzant. (as she danced down the aisles. Loved her).
“Embrace the truth. Speak the truth. Be the truth. When we welcome the truth, we live our lives like it’s golden.” -Iyanla Vanzant
“Tell the truth to yourself, about yourself. No one ever died from telling the truth. We often don’t tell the truth. You gotta tell the truth as soon as you know it. -Iyanla Vanzant
“Tell the truth in a way that’s kind.” -Iyanla Vanzant
“Challenges are there to make you more aware of your inner purpose.” -Deepak Chopra

And after 2 hours of incredible learning, my Oprah took the stage. Chills. Goosebumps. Tears.

She began telling us how thankful she was for all her fans, how she had been reading all the tweets and Facebook postings. She then said, “One girl wrote to me this morning that she just got out of the shower and was excited for Lifeclass.” I don’t know what made me blurt out, and LOUD, “THAT WAS ME!!!!!” Oprah then laughed and said, ”Are you serious? WAIT, YES, IT WAS YOU! And you look just like your picture!” Again, I flushed scarlet.

And then, my Twitter was a buzzing… “Did Oprah just call you out from the stage?” Or “Was Oprah just talking to you?” Then Adam Glassman, creative director of Oprah Magazine tweeted me “Was that just YOU xoxo?” Andrea Wishom, EVP of Harpo Studios wrote, ”Hey! Just saw your cute moment with @Oprah just now! “You look JUST like your picture!” Have fun!”" or “Saw you on the live streaming of Lifeclass. So cool!!! Is it as great as it seems?” Or “Oprah is talking to Erica Diamond. She must be on cloud 9!” They kept coming in.

All fun stuff.

Then, it was time to film Lifeclass. Our episode of Lifeclass on Gratitude was about to be broadcasted live around the world. The curtain went up, and there they appeared.

From left to right: Iyanla Vanzant, Deepak Chopra, Tony Robbins, Bishop TJ Jakes, Oprah Winfrey

It was a brilliant hour. Our episode will be the season finale, and will air on April 30th.

Here were some other great highlights of the day….

Me and Maya Watson, Marketing Manager of Harpo

The brilliant Tony Robbins

Iyanla Vanzant dancing!

Deepak Chopra

Erik Logan and one of my favorites, Sheri Salata sharing some OWN news

This photo was shot was 1 minute after I met Oprah. Hello Bucket List!

By the stage.

On stage, flashing one of my tweets

Oprah talking' to us

This woman's story had everyone in tears

People Skyping in to speak to the experts

Me and mom in the audience

Oprah in my row watching the stage

Thank you all for tuning in!

So after a heavy 6 hours of learning, my mom and I walked back to our hotel, put on our running shoes, and explored Toronto. It was almost 90 degrees, and we ended up at a great Italian restaurant outside- wine, pasta, and lots of conversation and reflections about the day. About our lives. About expectations, disappointments, celebrations, breakthroughs, and challenges.

We walked back to our hotel, showered, and there we were- both in our own beds, on our own Macs watching Lifeclass, in our matching hotel bathrobes. It was quite the sight.

As I laid in my bed, I came to two real realizations… Those experts today were really just preaching to the converted. It’s funny, I find in life that the people who don’t subscribe to spirituality or self-improvement, are usually the ones who need it the most. So, I urge you, if you are suffering in any way, to stop complaining, and take action. Movement no matter how small, in the right direction, is game changing.

And second, Tony Robbins’ concept is really one to embrace. There are really no excuses to failure. Resourcefulness and tenacity will win, every time. I speak from experience. You want something? Stop making excuses why you can’t have it, and start getting resourceful. You’d be surprised just how resourceful and resilient women are.

When we arrived home yesterday, as I got out of the car to run in and see my boys for the first time in 48 hours, my mom took my hand, kissed it gently, and said to me, “These last two days were magical.”

And they really were.

Tell me, I’d love to know if any of the 23 lessons hit home, or if you have any of your own secrets that have improved your life. This is a broad community of women, always looking to get off the fence, and take the jump to their happiness. Share your tips and thoughts.

xoxEDxox

Wisdom Wednesday: The Root To Success

Erica Diamond — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 10:39:47 +0000

By Guest Blogger Jon Gordon

There once was a tree that produced an abundant supply of fruit.
Everyone marveled at its ability to produce a record harvest each year.
The owner who sold his fruit at the local market had become one of the wealthiest men in town and he was the envy of all who knew him.

However, as the years passed the owner spent so much of his time counting and selling his fruit that he forgot to nourish the root.
He became so prideful and focused on results that he neglected to see the signs that the tree was dying.
Then one day when the owner went to pick fruit from his tree he was shocked to discover that the tree was barren.
“How could this be,” he asked?
But when he inspected the root he found his answer.
The root had dried up.

He was so focused on the fruit that he neglected the root.
He wished there was something he could do but it was too late.
It was a lesson he would never forget.

How about you? Do you focus on the numbers, the outcomes and the fruit? Or do you focus on the purpose, people, innovation, culture and root of your success.

Always remember the amount of fruit we produce is just an outcome and measurement of how well we are nurturing our root.
If we take care of our root we’ll always have an abundant supply of fruit.
Ignore the root and say goodbye to the fruit.

What is the root of your success? What do the root and fruit mean to you? Has this made you reassess your priorities in any way? Share your thoughts below.

-Jon

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About Jon Gordon:

Jon is the Wall Street Journal and international bestselling author of a number of books including The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work and Team with Positive Energy, and his latest, The Seed: Finding Purpose and Happiness in Life and Work. Learn more at www.JonGordon.com. Follow Jon on Twitter @JonGordon11 or Facebook www.facebook.com/jongordonpage.

This is Jon’s second blog post on WomenOnTheFence.com. To read his first, click here.

WomenOnTheFence.com » Career

Wordless Wednesday: A Dream Meeting With Arianna Huffington

Other articles you might enjoy:

Why It’s Good To Fail (VIDEO)

Other articles you might enjoy:

The Disillusionment of an Entrepreneur

This post was previously published on TechCrunch. We received permission from TechCrunch and Prerna Gupta to re-publish it on WomenOnTheFence.com.

Other articles you might enjoy:

Wednesday Words Of Wisdom

Other articles you might enjoy:

The Liz Lange Interview: Her Maternity Empire, Motherhood, and More

Other articles you might enjoy:

23 Secrets To Improve Your Life

Other articles you might enjoy:

Wisdom Wednesday: The Root To Success

Other articles you might enjoy: