I concede... Women entrepreneurs are superior beings and I have decided to fold my tent and make men@pause a women-only club!

Just kidding on the close men@pause down part, but positive there is so much we as men entrepreneurs can learn from women entrepreneurs.

I just returned from participating in the Microsoft Small Business Summit Vision to Venture for 450 women entrepreneurs at Microsoft Campus. 

Others participating included, Susan Wilson Solovic, Founder, SBTV.com; Rich Sloan, Chief Startupologist, Startup Nation.com; and John Jantsch, Founder and Author of Duct Tape Marketing. 

All of these people were great and motivating speakers.

For me, it was interesting to be maybe one of four other men in the room with such talented women entrepreneurs, such as Whitney Keyes. Since my men@pause coaching focus is exclusively for entrepreneurial men, I was curious of the questions I would receive during the breakout sessions and also the dynamics of this meeting compared to a gender neutral meeting.

Just a few comments and observations:

1. Susan Wilson Solovic, Founder of SBTV.com offered valuable Susan Says guidance. She commented that for women starting a company is not the problem, growing is the issue with women. Women are starting companies 2x rate of men, yet only 3% of those women owned business have revenues over $1m per year.

men@pause says:  Fewer men are starting businesses compared to women because our self-identity is more readily attached to job-title and work than women, thereby making us less risk adverse to starting over again and perhaps re-inventing ourselves.

Susan advised women in audience to not fall victim to the vixen or villain trap, but rather think of themselves as evangelists not afraid of making money by offering the best product or service.

Susan said, "women will talk about the most intimate details about themselves, yet will not talk about money and revenue." 

She warned the audience of the "we can do it all" syndrome and how women really struggle with the word-->NO.

Susan says, "Be a superstar vs. superman." 

men@pause says:  Same guidance applies to us men--be a superstar vs. superman. I will say that many men will relate to the word NO in business by convincing themselves to overcompensate by working harder and not giving up. I have come to realize the most successful entrepreneurs of any gender can handle YES & handle NO, but really struggle with the "I want to think it over" or "I just can't decide."

The "I want to think it overs" will really mess with your confidence. The YES & NO response your psyche will handle closure just fine. 

So, build a process in business and life to figure out the next mutually agreed upon step -- even if that is a NO! we have no use for one another.

Susan declared "success for one of us is success for all of us" referring to women entrepreneurs supporting one another vs. competition.

I noticed this statement raised the "Ya-Ya Sisterhood" & "I am women hear me roar" meter with those in attendance.

men@pause says:  Whitney, the really cool entrepreneur I mentioned earlier asked me my opinion on the difference between men and women networking during the meeting and I responded, "I believe most entrepreneur men are more purpose driven in networking situations. We seem to be less interested in building personal and supporting relationships rather than make a quick, and often wrong, assessment of what the other person can do for us professionally. It does not mean men do not want to find cool relationships with the person who happens to be a proctologist, it just means we tend to focus first on what can this relationship do for me, and then maybe some of us are open to other benefits of networking.

Rich Sloan, Chief Startupologist at Startup Nation.com also gave a tremendous presentation. I particularly like his example of the importance of asking for and receiving guidance and professional coaching in business.

men@pause says:  We all know the analogy of a dude driving in a car with his lady and getting lost. Generations of men will not pull over and ask for directions.

John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing was brilliant as usual in delivering the 7 Steps to Small Business Marketing Success presentation.

If you would like a free download of the 7 Steps to Small Business Marketing Success e-book just provide your first name and primary email and I will be happy to send to you.