Three Business Lessons from Shania Twain

By Sharon Hurley Hall –

Shania Twain’s been in the headlines with her recently completed series Why Not?, which aired on the Oprah Winfrey Network. The series describes her attempts to regain her voice, and therefore her singing career, by going on the road and working through her issues. It’s a gutsy approach, of which there’s evidence in some of Shania’s earlier work. In fact, some of her songs provide great lessons that can help any entrepreneur run a better business. Here are three examples.

She’s Not Just a Pretty Face
She’s–not–just a pretty face
She’s–got–everything it takes
She has a fashion line–
a journalist for “Time”
Coaches a football team
She’s a geologist–a romance novelist
She is a mother of three
She is a soldier–she is a wife
She is a surgeon–she’ll save your life

This whole song is inspirational, listing a range of jobs that women do successfully. It’s easy for entrepreneurs to get discouraged when things don’t go according to plan – and when do they in business? The lesson in these lyrics is to have confidence in your abilities and a positive self-image. Both of these qualities will help you when representing your business, whether it’s to negotiate a deal or inspire the people you work with.

In My Car
‘In my car, I’ll be the driver
In my car, I’m in control’.

The first two lines of the chorus of this song send a strong message. Shania may be talking about driving a car, but the lyrics could apply equally to running a business. The lesson here is that it’s OK to have some give and take, but the driver (or the person who’s ultimately responsible for the business) is the one in control. This is one area where some female entrepreneurs struggle, especially if they feel overwhelmed by managing finances or creating business strategy. Take Shania’s advice and stay in control, even if it means investing in some training so you have the skills you need.

Ka-Ching!
Ka-Ching! Is a rant against consumer excess:
When you’re broke go and get a loan
Take out another mortgage on your home
Consolidate so you can afford
To go and spend some more when
you get bored

Sound familiar? Sometimes it can be tempting to keep throwing money at a business idea even if it puts you in financial jeopardy – not smart! The lesson here is to avoid these mistakes and have a financial and business plan that has realistic forecasts for spending and income. And if the income doesn’t materialize as expected, scale back your plans to avoid over-indebtedness.

One Final Lesson
Of course, it’s not just Shania’s music that provides business inspiration; it’s also her life. Her TV series shows that despite all the setbacks she has had, she’s still out there trying and battling. She isn’t giving up, and isn’t that the best business lesson of all?

Life’s goin’ to kick you
It’s goin’ to kick you around
It’s goin’ to kick you down
Dust yourself off, no regrets
This is as good as it gets
Don’t expect more, or less
Just go out and give it your best

Sharon Hurley Hall has been writing professionally for almost 25 years, and she does it because she loves it. She is a word nerd, a Scrabble fiend, fanatical about grammar, and is fascinated by learning new things. Since 2005, Sharon has mentored other writers at Get Paid To Write Online to help them improve and build sustainable and successful writing careers. Sharon subscribes to the ‘fine wine’ theory of aging – getting older also means getting better! Find Sharon on her website, Twitter , and Facebook.