Elisa Balabram

An Interview with Elisa Balabram: Author, Publisher, Business Coach & Speaker

Sylvia: Elisa, welcome! Please tell us a little about yourself?

Elisa: Sylvia, thank you.  My name is Elisa Balabram, founder and editor of WomenandBiz.com, an online magazine for women business owners established in 2003.  Womenandbiz.com’s vision is to be a part of the worldwide change in the entrepreneurial landscape, by inspiring and educating aspiring female entrepreneurs to start their businesses, and by giving women in business the encouragement and resources needed to take their business to the next level.  I am a business coach, speaker and author of “Ask Others, Trust Yourself: The Entrepreneurial Woman’s Key to Success.” I was named the U.S. Small Business Administration New York District 2008 Women in Business Champion of the Year, “For significant contributions to, and dedicated support of, small businesses.” Prior to moving to New York, I assisted in running my family’s business (Coffee shop and chocolate business) in Brazil. I also manage the Women’s Brooklyn Enterprise Center at the LDC of East New York. I have an MBA in Entrepreneurship Management from Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College, CUNY, and a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering.

Ask Others, Trust Yourself is a self-help business book for women in business. It encourages women to ask for help in any stage of their business, while always trusting themselves and their intuition.

Sylvia: What inspired you to write your first book?

Elisa: I grew up in a family of entrepreneurs, and I’ve been a business coach and speaker for the last 6 years. I also started WomenandBiz.com in 2003. As a coach, I got a chance assist many women who hadn’t found the support they needed to grow their business, and that made them stuck. I wanted to write a book that showed women that they can trust themselves when following their passion, that there are places (such as the SBA resource partners) they can go to for free or low cost business assistance and that it is OK to ask help. The book explains how, when, where, why and what to ask.

Sylvia: Is there a message in your novel that you want your readers to grasp?

Elisa: The book is a non-fiction self help book, and the main messages are to ask for business help, and to always check in with oneself before taking business actions.

Sylvia: Do you have any advice for other writers?

Elisa: You need to commit to writing your book, and you need to commit to promoting it as well. Make sure you create a plan of action and follow it, once the book comes out, or even before it is published.

Sylvia: Why should we buy your book?

Elisa: You should buy Ask Others, Trust Yourself if you are a woman business owner, because it will help you to realize your goals, understand your passion and the compromises you need to make in order to actually grow your business, it will give you the tools you need to ask for business help, and it will show you how to trust yourself through it all.

Sylvia: How do my readers contact you as well as buy your book?

Elisa: For more information about the book and to read testimonials, please visit www.askotherstrustyourself.com.
Website:  www.WomenandBiz.com and http://www.askotherstrustyourself.com
Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/womenandbiz