Congratulations to the Final 30 for our 7 Millionaires … In Training! ‘grand experiment’; visit 7m7y.com to see who ‘made the cut’ …

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Well, to set the record straight, as those who watched my first live show last night will know, I am definitely not a woman … but, those were the lyrics to the famous Helen Reddy song …

… and, I was amazed at the sheer number – and the relative proportion – of women of all ages who applied for my 7 Millionaires … In Training! project.

One of them was Debbie, who received a ‘good luck’ comment from ‘Janet’ … I followed the back-link and found a great site that specializes in helping women succeed on-line!

Well, that just blew me away, so I simply had to write to Janet Beckers (it turns out that she’s a fellow Aussie, bless her soul) and ask about the Power of Women Phenomena (I just made that up!):

Why is it that so many women are applying to become one of my 7 Millionaires … In Training! and what has changed (either in perception or reality) in recent years to make these women so ambitious and, well, so capable as entrepreneurs? Also, why does the Internet seemingly hold so much attraction for women and where can they go for help?

You know Adrian, I’m not surprised that most of your applicants are women. I would also be willing to bet some of your 7 million dollars that if you had offered this opportunity 2 years ago the ratio would have been very different. There have been dramatic changes in the last few years. In fact I would go so far as to say that we are experiencing a new era in Internet business and women are the pioneers. I can see 2 reasons for this. Let me share them with you:)

Visible Role Models

There have always been incredibly ambitious and successful women on the Internet. But they have traditionally flown below the radar. I think this is for a couple of reasons.

Firstly Internet marketing styles are traditionally quite sexist though not usually intentional. So successful women have been excluded by the boys club and gone unnoticed.

Secondly, they are so busy managing the many other roles a woman has, they just get on and make money instead of promoting themselves as “gurus”.

This is one of the reasons I launched Wonderful Web Women. I was searching for role models I could relate to. I couldn’t really relate to the men on stage at Internet Marketing conferences because their reality was so different to mine and that of other women who attended. When I launched, my male colleagues recommended I make it a short term project because I wouldn’t find enough successful women. I’ve been booked solid every week for a year interviewing successful women and never see it ending.

Women are so much more visible now and that gives other women (like Debbie) the confidence to push themselves beyond their boundaries.

Social Networking

Women are natural networkers. We thrive in an environment that lets us create relationships, share and create a community. The recent changes in the Internet, called Web 2.0 means there are so many ways for women to communicate with each other. We are the most effective users of blogs, forums, membership sites, facebook etc. In fact, even in the open mastermind session we hold every week after our live tele-interview, the women on the call form Joint Ventures on the spot. It is not unusual for a woman in the US to arrange to communicate and do business with a woman in Australia who she has only met on our conference calls. It is rare to see men do this.

Relationships and Joint Ventures are the best way I know to create a lasting Internet business and women have the networks in place now to know they are supported by a community of other women who wish them well. A romantic ideal but very true.

Why is the Internet attractive to women?

Well, apart from the wonderful way we can use our relationship skills, the Internet holds the same attraction for women as it does for men – except more. The Internet offers the attraction of a flexible lifestyle, the freedom to choose your hours. Women do balance so many more roles and expectations than men. An Internet business means women don’t have to choose between career and being at home with the kids. You can have both. For example, I run a successful Internet business yet I never miss a school event, sporting event or performance of my 2 children. They never rely on before and after school care and they know that Mum or Dad will be home every afternoon to hear the stories of their day. I still work hard, but when I choose to. How good is that?

So where can women get help?

At Wonderful Web Women of course! Not only do we have fantastic resources and interviews with amazing women we also have an incredibly supportive community of women from around the world. My hope is that women who join us will find at least one successful woman who really “clicks” with them. Someone who they can relate to and think “she’s not that different to me and she did it. So can I”. Our members range in age from 12 to 80 years so it is never to early or too young to become the person you want to be.

Well, there you have it … why women could be the new powerhouse on the web. This was my first guest post, and I couldn’t think of a better subject for it! Nor a better person to be writing it … thanks, Janet!

Note: Janet Beckers and The Wonderful Web Team can be found at:

www.NichePartners.biz
www.WonderfulWebWomen.com
www.WonderfulWebIdeas.com
www.WonderfulWebSeminars.com
http://wonderfulweb …..you get the idea!

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