Is Your Income and Success Glass Ceiling-Proof?

Glass ceilings are rarely invisible.

Here's a thought: Have you ever truly mistaken a glass ceiling for the sky? I haven't.

Have you ever thought about income, success, and why some women are trapped under a glass ceiling and others seem to shatter the notion of a glass ceiling effortlessly?

Although there are many, many aspects to a topic like this, the one recurring thought in my head has to do with how we disseminate our knowledge and create income and success for ourselves. There appears to be three main ways:

• Sell the knowledge we have to employers. We become an employee, work for them, and they and their clients/customers then benefit from our knowledge. This includes the teaching profession.
• Sell the knowledge we have directly to clients/customers as an independent consultant or business owner (i.e., we become the “employer”). As consultants, we are cutting out the middlemen and profit directly from the knowledge instead of giving them a cut. As employers ourselves, we also profit directly from our knowledge as well as the knowledge of our staff.
• Package and sell the knowledge we have directly to clients/customers as a product.

The first option is the surest way to run into a glass-ceiling issue. When you are working for someone else, you have little influence over your earnings or level of public achievement, even if it feels like you’re totally in control. You are in control until someone says, “No,” right? You will be paid as much as someone is willing to pay you, and no more. You will advance to levels that someone is willing to advance you to, and no further.

The second option is a better option in terms of getting out from under a glass ceiling, but it is no piece of cake. It is closer to being glass ceiling-proof than the first option. In some industries, though, female consultants  may continue to earn less than their male counterparts – and I’ll be the first to say that it’s a multi-faceted issue, because it involves a number of intangibles like personal preference, asking price, negotiation skills, and culture.

The third option is virtually glass ceiling-proof. The road to success with it is not easy, though. However, for me personally, I believe it’s a road worth traveling down. I have already checked option 1 off my list and can label the experience a success. Option 2 is in progress and going well. This third option is on the horizon.

My thoughts on creating products and limitless income potential

• I don’t really believe in limitless income potential. But that is for another post on another day.
• We as women always have the “glass ceiling” hanging over our head. In every case of that, though, it’s dealing with working for someone else. When creating your own business and brand through products, you can never truly be under that “glass ceiling.”
• While it’s possible to make billions with products, I’m not holding my breath. Instead, for me, it’s just about making the most of the knowledge that I have – finding all of the ways it can turn into profit and be in much more control of my earnings.
• Product creation takes time. I figure, if my knowledge consists of seven years experience in a certain area or three years experience in another area, how can I possibly assume that I can package all of that overnight?
• I personally do not want to go into the “product” business. Rather, I see this as a supplement to my business, and not the primary way that I make money (that’s just me, though).
• Successful product marketing could translate into longer vacations every year.

What are your thoughts on maximizing your earnings and making more money with products? Do you think this kind of income is glass ceiling-proof?