Stiletto Woman Magazine, published by Stiletto Woman, Inc. (www.StilettoWoman.com), is a publication that celebrates the accomplishments of women who have a presence on the web, and are doing amazing things in business, online, and in communities around the world!
They are launching their premiere issue this summer with their Amazing Women edition, where they rank the Top 50 Women on the Web!
“We set out to find women who were innovative, showed great leadership, and had a desire to help others both locally and nationwide! We want to inspire women in your online community by spreading our mission and highlighting the winning top 50!”
I had a chance to ask the women in charge a few questions:
What inspired the creation of Stiletto Women Magazine?
We love to answer this question! The idea came from a few places.
Often times, when you hear about the accomplishments of women, particularly in business, you’ll read stories of those who worked in renowned companies…you know, the Microsoft’s of the world, and how they used their astounding experience, know-how, and stellar contacts to launch a business. This is great because we can all learn from these trailblazing ladies, but what about women who have the passion, the gut instincts, and the capacity to learn fast, but lack information, support, and capital? You don’t hear about them in many major market magazines.
It can be discouraging trying to accomplish something so challenging, when you don’t see others doing what you aspire to do. Many want to see others who have been in their shoes take the same risks, and make it! When developing Stiletto Woman, we would frequently read about women accomplishing so much. However, it wasn’t relatable.
Of course, one can be successful with investors, an extensive bank loan, or business strategist at your fingertips. We want to say to other females and to the world (in business and in life) “Hey, there really are regular women, doing brilliant things every day, and they’re doing it their way.”
We also want to give the common woman a voice by addressing every side of us. It’s important to read of our successes and failures, because life is full of them! We intend to inspire in a real way. Yes, we approach things in a stylish manner, but our focal point is not a pair of $800 high heels! Particularly in the magazine, we will talk about fashion and other hip topics in a well-rounded, comprehensive kind of way—not carelessly. To us, there was a lack of that. So you’ll find an open and receptive way of discussing what really happens in our lives.
What topics are covered in the magazine?
Our editorial vision is to empower today’s modern woman. Our intent is to tell real stories, provide real inspiration, and impact real life! Therefore, each edition we publish has a defined purpose with targeted content.
We aim to publish work that has substance—that is relevant to most. Next year, Stiletto Woman Magazine will be published tri-annually, where two issues will be dedicated to real life circumstances of every day women.
For our premiere 2009 Amazing Women issue, you will find the ranking of the Top 50 Most Amazing Women on the Web. In addition, you can read articles about time management, living sensibly in this economy, how to be a better leader in the workplace, and more.
Our next release will be the Winter Edition, Women’s Health issue, where we learn more about how to live healthier lives from experts. You’ll find stories of women who have had health challenges—some of them have overcome, while others battle daily to conquer their medical conditions.
Subsequent to that, the Fall Edition, College Mom’s issue, will address concerns specifically related to adult education. You’ll find stories of challenge and triumph. We’ll look at issues from various perspectives, again with expert opinions to help guide and enlighten the discussion.
How did you choose the top 50 women?
We started with over 100 women. Each was diverse and inspiring in her own way. We couldn’t believe the range of talent and level of commitment the women had. We knew it would be a tough task to narrow it down. Therefore, we didn’t review the candidates based on a single idea or site alone. We evaluated them on the following criteria:
1) Idea Innovation. We looked at originality, how imaginative they were, how creative they were in executing their ideas, and communicating the brand.
2) Professional Leadership. We assessed their background, their ability to lead, the ethics they upheld, and sense of character.
3) Supportive Community. We wanted to see their desire to help others. We looked at their social impact, and sense of community.
4) Site Design. Being that we’re looking at women who have a presence online, the web site or blog site had to exhibit professionalism. It needed to be effective in delivery, with good layout and design.
Our panel of eight professional women then used a scoring system to select the top 50! It was important for the magazine to exhibit diversity—not solely in the range of women featured, but also in the types of businesses, web sites, and blog sites showcased. You won’t find many large corporations or illustrious personalities mentioned. We deliberately profiled authentic women you might not hear about every day.
How often is the magazine published and can it be subscribed to?
We launched with our Amazing Woman issue this year. However, next year the magazine will be published in the Winter, Spr/Summer, and Fall. Each year two issues will be dedicated to a particular topic, and each summer we’ll release our Amazing Women of the year.
We will begin accepting subscriptions for our 2010 editions later this year. So stay tuned to stilettowoman.com to find out when you can get the magazine automatically delivered to your mailbox!
How can one apply to be considered as an Amazing Woman for 2010?
We are already gearing up for next year! Our application process is simple. You go to our website at stilettowoman.com, and click on the magazine link. You will see information about submitting your entry. We will begin accepting submissions later in the year. However, due to demand, we may accept them sooner.
Submissions will be sent through on our site, and can come in from a variety of ways:
· They can come from the candidates themselves· They can come from suggestions of other people
· They can come from our research, and those we seek out
The assessment process takes a good amount of time. Therefore if you or someone you know is interested, we recommend getting your site in tip-top shape, ensure your message positively impact others, and don’t forget to show your creativity. We have several months left to the open submission period, so take that time to decipher how you’re going to give us your best pitch! When you’re ready, log on to our website, and submit!
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