Sunday, April 30, 2006
RE: Your Chance to Change the World.
From Forbes (and David Ewalt): a special online report about re:invention. The report compiles expert opinions about how to change things that work, but just barely - pharmaceuticals, the school system, sports, reality, prison, life, intelligence, personal creativity, design. 
Ewalt begins with the evocative question: "What if you could pick one thing and start over from scratch?"
We're working to change the world at re:invention inc., educating corporations about the profitable potential for doing business with enterprising women and connecting the dots for them. We believe re:invention is a continual process.
If you had a chance to change the world, where would you begin? Worthy read.
Technorati tags: Osolind re:invention marketing business Forbes Ewalt
Saturday, April 29, 2006
RE: Our Saturday Feature - 10 Tips for 10 Million WomenTM.
Welcome to the re:invention 10 Tips for 10 Million WomenTM Saturday Feature. Every Saturday we feature a woman entrepreneur or executive and her personal 10 tips for success. We believe that women can be experts. They have valuable knowledge to share. re:invention's site traffic includes corporate executives, VCs, women business owners, and members of the media. We offer media access to women story sources and inspire future story ideas - serving as a public relations, marketing, and distribution channel for enterprising women. We're on a mission to move women from the lifestyle pages to the business section of the News. Our goal: a wisely-stocked toolbox for and about enterprising women. We hope this feature will be a powerful example of "women helping women win."
This week's featured woman entrepreneur or executive is Tatiana Byron, President of 4PM Events and The Wedding Salon (New York, NY), a full-service special events company.
about 4PM Events
Boasting $5 million in annual revenues, 4PM Events is a dynamic, full service special events company, concentrating on high-end charity fundraisers, private parties, fashion shows, corporate functions, and luxury bridal shows. 4PM Events has produced numerous high-quality events for celebrities such as P. Diddy and Britney Spears; noteworthy charities including the Elizabeth Glazier Foundation and the Tommy Hilfiger Corporate Foundation; and events overseas at the Cannes Film Festival. Prior to starting her own company in special events, Tatiana Byron was the Vice President of a trade show company and had produced over 300 shows nationwide.
CLICK HERE FOR TATIANA'S 10 TIPS.
Share YOUR knowledge, WISE WOMEN! Submit A REQUEST to have your company featured along with your 10 Tips For 10 Million Women.
Click HERE to visit the 10 Tips for 10 Million Women Archives.
Technorati tags: Osolind women entrepeneurs business saturday marketing
Friday, April 28, 2006
RE: It's All A Numbers Game.
Been busy today, but bear with me for babe-alicious news before the nightcap...
- Rosie bests me and becomes Meredith Vieira's replacement on the View. Her BLOG baffles me, but I toast her. Bet I have better (and more bountiful) shoes.
- Patricia Woertz switches from oil and gas to agribusiness as she takes the helm as Archer Daniels Midland's 8th CEO. Her new role makes her the highest ranking woman CEO in terms of company size. Woertz's father was also an executive -- a CFO of a large home-construction and development company. Woertz, the former EVP of Chevron Texaco, began her career as an accountant. A single mom with kids, she's been described as "dynamic, but never flashy" and "gender-neutral." 2006 will mark the 8th year Woertz will appear on Fortune Magazine's list of the 50 Most Powerful Women in American Business. She serves on the Board of Directors of the American Petroleum Institute, the Board of Trustees of the University of San Diego in California, and on Penn State's Smeal College of Business Board of Visitors. Know anything about the number 8?
Meaning of the Number 8 in Numerology:
power, authority, big creations and enterprise, also the number of karma (what you sow, you reap)
- Speaking of numbers...according to
Jennifer Myers (Canadian Business Online), there are
4 myths of women entrepreneurship:
(1) You need money (not true, suggests Jennifer -- get divorced or use your VISA)
(2) Entrepreneurs are lone wolves (hiring staff is fun, Jennifer says)
(3) Entrepreneurs are born, not made (many began their careers in corporate America)
(4) Entrepreneurs are risk takers (Jennifer consults with others first, & does her homework).
Four is the only number in the English language for which the number of letters in its name is equal to the number itself (
Source: Wikipedia).
Be sure to drop by Saturday for our
10 Tips for 10 Million Women Featured Expert!
Thursday, April 27, 2006
RE: Blimy, Bridget. Admit It. Babes Bite.
Recently quoted in Dawn Klingensmith's fine Chicago Tribune article titled, "Marketing Gurus Try to Read Women's Minds..."
"For women, the point of life is to make connections. They'd rather cooperate than compete. They want everyone to cross the finish line at the same time, preferably holding hands."
- Bridget Brennan, managing director of Speaking Female, a marketing company owned by Zeno Public Relations in Chicago.
Blimey, Bridget! Kindly remove your rose-colored glasses and quit quaffing kumbaya. Now I love women, but I respectfully have to disagree with you. Corporations targeting women deserve to know the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Women, particularly enterprising women, are as competitive if not more competitive than men. Two key differences:
- Women are competitive with women over who they are. Men are competitive with men over what they do.
- Many women sugar-coat their spite and feign cooperation.
Others who agree with me:
- While researching her book, The Transparency Edge, author Barbara Pagano conducted surveys with women. Women were asked: "who would be more likely to sabotage your reputation - a man or another woman?" More than half of the women said it would definitely be another woman. They wrote notes to the researchers in the survey margins: "Women are catty." "It's in our blood." "We don't trust one another." Barbara herself has concluded, "women don't trust other women."
- "In The Company of Women" author Pat Heim wrote: "women's worst enemies at work are other women."
- "Newsflash," says Big Arm Woman blogger. "Women can be evil!"
- Women are loyal to their friends, dastardly to other women.
- More on women acting catty in the workplace.
- How to Seduce A Woman By Baiting Her Friends, compliments of "The Traveler"
- Art Carney, Philly News Reporter, says it all in his April 9 article titled: "Sugar and Spite: What Rivalry's Made Of."
- "Catfight: Women and Competition" author Leora Tanenbaum has written, "sisterhood be dammed."
- Introspectre Blogger Jill muses: "women are batty b*****s..."
- "Most of us women are competitive, even though we try to pretend not to be," says Kristina Schmidt, founding president of the Lillooet Ladies Recreational Ice Hockey League.
- Ever heard of the Bully Model? Women managers aggressively keep competent women from rising through the ranks at work.
- Kathleen DeBoer, author of "Gender and Competition," reviews the statistics.
- Women admit to being competitive drivers.
- This concept has graced re:invention's blog before: "women kill their strong, while men kill their weak."
Is all this unsettling? I'm a former Economics student. My contention: in business,
competition is good. Staying on your toes makes you work harder.
RE: ACA Expected to Release New Paper About Women As Investors At 3:45 Press Conference Today.
The Angel Capital Association (ACA) hosts its 2006 Summit at the Westin in New York this week (Wednesday - Friday). A gathering of 120 angel groups representing 5,000 individual angel investors, Summit attendees will share angel group investing best practices and discuss cutting-edge operations and leadership trends. Keynote Summit speakers include: Ian Patrick Sobieski, Susan Preston, John May, and Bill Payne.
Word on the street: the ACA is expected to release a new research paper, Women and Angel Investing: An Untapped Pool of Equity for Entrepreneurs, at a 3:45 p.m. press conference at the Harvard Club NYC.
I always like to reflect back on the past upon receiving new news. Modern historians infrequently acknowledge that women played an active role as investors before the 20th Century. So compliments of our historical Wayback Machine...important investing principles (recommending a top-down portfolio approach), which appeared in a 1908 pamphlet for women titled, Women as Investors:
- "spread the capital over a number of concerns, and do not keep to one class of investment, so that if one or more are failures, there may remain others which are not."
- "do not invest more than about one tenth of the capital in any one concern, unless personally occupied in its management and control."
Intrigued? Read this remarkable report: "
Women Investors in England, 1830-1914."
Technorati tags:
Osolind women entrepeneurs angels capital ACA
RE: Mentoring Before It Was "In"
Hi. I'm Melissa and I write re:invention's Thursday blog feature -- Business Shoulder Story Bag -- stories about mentors and people in business that have received or offered a shoulder of support.
Today, I want to highlight a great woman who never had a website and wasn't really deemed a "true" business woman. But in her day, she stood out, turned heads, and accomplished many things whether she was aware of it or not.
Margaret Lessel was a mother of two children, married to a policeman turned airforce pilot. While her husband was away, as many husbands were, during wartime, Margaret ran the household (and then some). When her son did not have a little league baseball coach, she volunteered, and set a precedent as the first "woman" in the area to coach a boy's baseball league. That didn't ruffle her feathers. She just wanted to make sure her son was able to play!
Upon return from the war, she and her husband ran a local bar, and then eventually opened a supperclub. Her husband was called to active duty again, and Margaret was left to run the business, their primary family income, alone. She didn't shy away or turn to other men for support. She solicited her sister-in-law, and together, they succeeded in efficiently running the business while her husband was at war.
In her spare time, she started a knitting club, The Happy Hookers :), to give her and her peers (those who also had husbands at war) a community for support and social opportunities.
What did I get out of this story -- never give up, believe in yourself, do not let other people's short-sighted views and opinions stop you if you have a dream, surround yourself with people who believe in you, have fun! Thanks Margaret for the inspiration!
SHARE YOUR MENTOR STORIES WITH MELISSA ON THURSDAYS!
Want to share your Business Shoulder Story with re:invention blog readers next Thursday? Send me your personal business stories - we prefer stories about someone who offered a hand, renewed your faith, or helped you overcome a business obstacle. Do you need a business shoulder for support? Ask us a question and we'll try to give you an answer or find someone who can. Click here to send me an EMAIL.
Technorati tags: Reinert women leadership mentors
Monday, April 24, 2006
RE: Advocating Dads.
The fellow I admire most (outside of my own dad) is a board member of the Illinois Fatherhood Initiative. The mission of Illinois Fatherhood Initiative is to end father absence by connecting children and fathers and promoting responsible fatherhood by equipping men to be better father and father figures. Honorary IFI members include: Richard Daley, Richard Durbin, and Barack Obama.
To frame scale and scope: there are an estimated 24.7 million children in the U.S. who live absent their fathers. A study of men accused of rape showed that 60% grew up without their biological fathers.
While there are a growing number of stay-at-home dads, working superdads (just as working supermoms) struggle to balance career and family responsibilities.
Margaret Atwood once wrote, "...Fathers are invisible in daytime; daytime is ruled by mothers and fathers come out at night. Darkness brings home fathers, with their real, unspeakable power. There is more to fathers than meets the eye."
So today, we honor good dads. IFI depends on the generous support of friends and members. CLICK HERE to donate.
Sunday, April 23, 2006
RE: Who Should Replace Meredith Vieira on The View?
Time for some Sunday Silliness. Or is it? My top 10 reasons why I want to replace Meredith Vieira on ABC's daytime talk show, The View....
- For the past 4 years, I've led re:invention, a marketing company for enterprising women and the companies that are interested in doing business with them. I celebrate cool chicks and their victories nearly every day. Leveraging women's credibility is my life's passion. The View would allow me to do that on a much larger scale.
- Hiring a woman entrepreneur show host is a great way to represent the modern woman. With more than 1600 new business starts a day, women-owned businesses represent the fastest growing business segment in the economy. Prior to launching my own business, I toiled for 15 years in corporate America, working for Big Boy marketing leaders (P&G, Coke, General Mills, and Whole Foods). Women dreaming of launching a business may be inspired by my story.
- The View needs someone who can banter about both business and fashion (I've been known to fawn over Stilettos).
- I'm kinda irreverent, quirky, and cheeky - which makes me a good talk show host candidate. But I promise I would never try to outjoke The View's co-host, Joy Behar. I prefer the role of "resident bad girl" (like Erica Kane, I'm devilishly mad about re:invention).
- With a little soap and water, I clean up well and I'm not hard on the eyes. But who wouldn't look better with a personal wardrobe consultant and hairstylist? On a double dog dare, I might even revert from bottled blonde to my natural brunette hair color. That could make for one fun show episode.
- As a woman who is fast approaching 40 (ahem, I'm like Dorian Gray), I appeal to The View's viewing audience.
- Like Meredith, I could headline news and offer substance (that $70K Duke MBA shure wussnt for nothin'!). As a woman blogger, I also could guide The View as they cautiously dip their pedicured toes into the blogosphere.
- I may seem worldly but in my heart I'm still just a small town girl. Although I've lived in over 15 cities to date, I grew up in small towns (Kalamazoo, MI and Florence, SC). Like Gretchen Wilson, I'm one proud redneck broad. My momma's still my biggest fan (she even works part-time for re:invention). Although I currently reside in Chicago (land of Oprah), I'd fearlessly relocate to NYC.
- My speaking reviews ain't too shabby. And I'm already media trained (I was even a monthly columnist for a National Magazine).
- If all else fails, I'm pretty sure I could "take" The View's show co-host, Elisabeth Hasselbeck. There's no better entertainment than two blondes in a cat fight. It worked for Miller Lite!
So whatdayathink? Yeah - it's pretty much a pipe dream.
CLICK HERE to give a shout to The View's executive producer, Barbara Walters.
Consider this an open invite. Cast a stone, throw me a bone by posting your comments below!
kindly,
kirsten
Technorati tags:
Osolind women entrepreneurs The View Vieira ABC self-promotion
Saturday, April 22, 2006
RE: Our Saturday Feature - 10 Tips for 10 Million WomenTM.
Welcome to the re:invention 10 Tips for 10 Million WomenTM Saturday Feature. Every Saturday we feature a woman entrepreneur or executive and her personal 10 tips for success. We believe that women can be experts. They have valuable knowledge to share. re:invention's site traffic includes corporate executives, VCs, women business owners, and members of the media. We offer media access to women story sources and inspire future story ideas - serving as a public relations, marketing, and distribution channel for enterprising women. We're on a mission to move women from the lifestyle pages to the business section of the News. Our goal: a wisely-stocked toolbox for and about enterprising women. We hope this feature will be a powerful example of "women helping women win."
This week's featured woman entrepreneur or executive is Karen Leland, CEO of Sterling Consulting Group (Sausalito, CA), a company that specializes in helping organizations become more customer-focused.
about Sterling Consulting Group
Founded in 1986, Sterling Consulting Group is an international management consulting firm, the first American consulting company to win a major contract for service and communication training within the British government. Today, Sterling's clients include American Express, Apple, Marriott Hotels, Johnson and Johnson, Microsoft and many others. Since 1993, Inc. Magazine has chosen Karen and Sterling co-founder Keith as the primary judges for the Inc. Positive Performer Award, an award program that honors companies that have achieved an outstanding level of quality service. Each year, Karen and Keith are responsible for selecting the winning finalists from among 500 applicants.
CLICK HERE FOR KAREN'S 10 TIPS FOR DEALING WITH CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS
Share YOUR knowledge, WISE WOMEN! Submit A REQUEST to have your company featured along with your 10 Tips For 10 Million Women.
Click HERE to visit the 10 Tips for 10 Million Women Archives.
Technorati tags: Osolind women entrepeneurs business saturday marketing
Thursday, April 20, 2006
RE: Buy My Shoes, And Give Me Liberty.
After watching Caitlin Flanagan (New Yorker writer) on The Colbert Report last night, I've decided to vehemently turn over a new leaf. Back to the kitchen for me - although I think the time has come for nudity in the kitchen. No more feminism, date nights, or working for me. Let me just be a wife. Buy my shoes for me, and give me liberty. I want to stay at home whenever possible, put out, and be taken care of.
I'm smart, I have a Duke MBA, and I'll breed well...
Any takers?
RE: CWIP Presentation.
The speaker reviews are in from my presentation last night at the Chicago Women in Publishing event.
"The speaker was very knowledgeable and personable."
"Kirsten was very relaxed and engaging."
"Kirsten is an excellent speaker, very engaging, very funny, which is refreshing."
And in answer to the question: "how could this program have been improved?" one attendee summed it up with this: "Excellent! Can't think of a thing!"
Were these good folks really in the audience? I'm blushing! Color me PINK - I just stand at the podium and tab thru Powerpoint presentations. The second someone yawns, I close my Powerbook.
By popular request, here's my presentation for download.
RE: Mentoring Each Other
Hi. I'm Melissa and I write re:invention's Thursday blog feature -- Business Shoulder Story Bag -- stories about mentors and people in business that have received or offer a shoulder of support.
Victoria Rock of Victoria Court Reporting, Inc., and Cindy Burrell, of Boardroom Bound, mentor each other. Vickie found herself unable to figure out how to grow her business. With Cindy's counsel, she formed an advisory board to develop new leads and gain expertise. "Now my Advisors are part of my sales force."
Cindy also feels mentoring "can go both ways -- (based) on the different strengths of people." Even though she has helped Victoria with the Advisory Board concept, she views Victoria as a mentor as well.
Cindy's viewpoint is spreading... I think it is a great concept. All entrepreneurs serious about growth should establish an Advisory-Only Board of MENTORS.
SHARE YOUR MENTOR STORIES WITH MELISSA ON THURSDAYS!
Want to share your Business Shoulder Story with re:invention blog readers next Thursday? Send me your personal business stories - we prefer stories about someone who offered a hand, renewed your faith, or helped you overcome a business obstacle. Do you need a business shoulder for support? Ask us a question and we'll try to give you an answer or find someone who can. Click here to send me an EMAIL.
Technorati tags: Reinert women leadership mentors
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
RE: Soap Operas and Women's Culture.
(A soap opera)...is defined as a drama for women about women and watched by women...From a critical perspective, we ask: What are the limits and the possibilities of this dramatic form? We analyze the ways in which representations of women in soap opera reproduce/reinforce the subordination of women in contemporary society. We explore possible strategies for those women directors and women writers who struggle against the prevailing sexism of the media.
- Dyer, Lovell, and McCrindle (1977)
Gloria Monty, producer of the ABC daytime drama "General Hospital," passed away earlier this month at age 84. She began her career in 1954 as director of the CBS daytime drama "Secret Storm." When she hired a woman as her assistant director on "Secret Storm," she was told it wouldn't work. Naysayers asked: "How were those wearing earphones supposed to distinguish between two female voices?"
Ms. Monty agreed that was a problem, until she stopped to think and said, "Nobody has any trouble telling the difference between two male voices."
Way to go, Ms. Monty. Women will miss you.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
RE: Sex and Sommeliers
"Women are sometimes shunned when it comes to ordering wine, tasting it and picking up the check for it while at a business lunch or dinner...The wine list goes to the man, the check goes to the man -- even if I order the wine."
- Laura DePasquale, Master Sommelier and Palm Bay Imports national wine director
According to
a new survey conducted by Mirassou Winery with the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) -- 90 percent of women conduct business over a meal at least once each month and 84 percent personally taste and approve the wine that is ordered for the table.
Leslie Sbrocco, Wine Educator, Mirassou Winery, will lead
a wine business ettiquette seminar at the National NAWBO Conference this June. Uncork and quaff up!
Monday, April 17, 2006
RE: Why I've Stopped Using Linkedin.
An example of why I've stopped using Linkedin - see below. Linkedin is riddled with SPAM, hostile trolls (like Hans van Eck-Casteel, who seems to think I owe him something even though I've never met him and he has never contacted me personally via phone or email to introduce himself), and ridiculous requests for introductions to your Alpha-level contacts without any justification or explanation.
Hans originally sent me an unsolicited SPAM request through Linkedin demanding that I introduce him to my contact, Sergio Zyman. Now I do not know Hans. Nor did he provide me with any detail to justify my making the SPAM introduction. And although I'm known for opening my network to good people and connecting the dots, SPAMMERS and strangers who make demands don't always deserve support.
HANS' ORIGINAL "SPAM" LINKEDIN MESSAGE, DEMANDING TO BE INTRODUCED TO SERGIO ZYMAN (W/ ZERO DETAIL):
Details:
From: Hans van Eck-Casteels
Request for Introduction to: Sergio Zyman
Sent on: March 19, 2006
Category: Get Back in Touch
Request for Connection
Hello, I had hoped to connect
---------------------------
Now take a look at Hans' message to me when I didn't forward along his original inquiry. Hostile, disrespectful, and inappropriate. Linkedin and blog comments sure inspire certain people to take liberties and wrongly assume familiarity. As an author, Hans should know better. You want me to forward your request, Hans? Begin by giving me some background and some more information. Introduce yourself to me first, before you ask me to blindly endorse you to my network. And you might also learn how to spell check.
HANS' HOSTILE LINKEDIN RETORT WHEN I DECLINED TO FORWARD HIS UNQUALIFIED REQUEST:
Subject: RE: request for connection
From: "LinkedIn Requests"
Date: Mon, April 17, 2006 7:05 pm
To: "Kirsten Osolind"
Introduction Withdrawn
Dear Kirsten,
Hans van Eck-Casteels's request for an introduction to sergio zyman was withdrawn.
Hans van Eck-Casteel included the following comment:
Thanks but no thanks - if this is indicative on how you treat your clints, I'll have plenty of choices
Sincerely,
-The LinkedIn Team
https://www.linkedin.com
---------------------------
This is indeed why I no longer use Linkedin.
P.S. So here you go, Hans, here's your introduction.
Technorati tags: Osolind rude www.linkedin.com Eck-Casteels Web3.0
Saturday, April 15, 2006
RE: Our Saturday Feature - 10 Tips for 10 Million WomenTM.
Welcome to the re:invention 10 Tips for 10 Million WomenTM Saturday Feature. Every Saturday we feature a woman entrepreneur or executive and her personal 10 tips for success. We believe that women can be experts. They have valuable knowledge to share. re:invention's site traffic includes corporate executives, VCs, women business owners, and members of the media. We offer media access to women story sources and inspire future story ideas - serving as a public relations, marketing, and distribution channel for enterprising women. We're on a mission to move women from the lifestyle pages to the business section of the News. Our goal: a wisely-stocked toolbox for and about enterprising women. We hope this feature will be a powerful example of "women helping women win."
This week's featured woman entrepreneur or executive is Claire Guthrie Castanaga, National VP of NAWBO Public Policy, founder and Principal of CG2 Consulting (Richmond, VA), a company that specializes in public policy advocacy.
about CG2 Consulting
CG2 Consulting brings big ideas and strategic thinking to business and public policy advocacy for women and minority-owned businesses, trade associations and grass roots organizations, and to the political campaigns of women candidates. The company's client services include business advocacy, government relations, and political consulting. Ms. Gastanaga currently serves as National Vice President for Public Policy of the National Association of Women Business Owners. She was selected by the Small Business Administration as the Virginia Women in Business Advocate of the Year in 2003 and received the NAWBO Chapter Public Policy Advocate of the Year award in 2004.
CLICK HERE FOR CLAIRE'S 10 ADVOCACY TIPS
Share YOUR knowledge, WISE WOMEN! Submit A REQUEST to have your company featured along with your 10 Tips For 10 Million Women.
Click HERE to visit the 10 Tips for 10 Million Women Archives.
Technorati tags: Osolind women entrepeneurs business saturday marketing
Thursday, April 13, 2006
RE: Mentor of a Strong Woman
Hi. I'm Melissa and I write re:invention's Thursday blog feature -- Business Shoulder Story Bag -- stories about mentors and people in business that have received or offer a shoulder of support.
Oprah Winfrey has openly recognized Maya Angelou as her mentor and friend. "When I am with Maya, unimportant matters melt away - her presence feels like a warm bath after an exhausting day."
Oprah said her bond with Maya was immediate. "We talked as if we had known each other our entire lives; and throughout my twenties and in the years beyond, Maya brought clarity to my life lessons. Now we have what I call a mother-sister-friend relationship. She's the woman who can share my triumphs, chide me with hard truth and soothe me with words of comfort when I call her in my deepest pain."
Sometimes the best mentor is one where you can feel comfortable and you have an immediate connection. Intuition is key to identifying a personal mentor, who may or may not be a business mentor. The philosophy of a mentor , in my opinion, is crucial to your personal and business success. They may be the best person to go to for matters of the heart, business ethics or employee relations.
I hope we all can find our own version of Maya!
SHARE YOUR MENTOR STORIES WITH MELISSA ON THURSDAYS!
Want to share your Business Shoulder Story with re:invention blog readers next Thursday? Send me your personal business stories - we prefer stories about someone who offered a hand, renewed your faith, or helped you overcome a business obstacle. Do you need a business shoulder for support? Ask us a question and we'll try to give you an answer or find someone who can. Click here to send me an EMAIL.
Technorati tags: Reinert women leadership mentors
RE: Tupperware Women, Whispers and Burps.
From Wednesday's L.A. Daily News...
"With her in-home wine tasting business, Judi Finneran (Director of 65 Team Women networking chapters, founder of Dharma Entities and INsight Workz, and member of Women-CEO Network) calls herself the equivalent of the Tupperware lady from the 1970s."
Hmm. A Tupperware lady? There's a difference, Judi: most Tupperware ladies never imagined themselves as businesswomen (
their words, not mine). They were working FOR someone not FORGING their own dreams. They were selling to themselves. YOU sound like a seriously capable business woman to me.
In 1951, a Detroit divorcee named Brownie Wise caught inventor Earl Tupper's attention. To pay for her young son's medical costs, Wise sold consumer goods, including Tupperware, to women. Her high sales figures were striking. Tupper summoned her to his Massachusetts office, where she divulged her secret - what she called "the Tupperware Party" - and suggested Tupper withdraw his products from retail venues and sell them exclusively at gatherings for women. He followed her suggestion and made Wise, a single mother with no corporate experience, general sales manager of a newly formed subsidiary, Tupperware House Parties. In her new role, Wise trained middle- and lower-middle-class women, many of whom were not formally educated, to start their own home-based Tupperware businesses and to recruit others to do the same. Within just a few years, for women of a certain social stratum, it was all the rage to be a "Tupperware Lady," and Tupperware became a multimillion dollar company.
-
MORE.
-
The Tupperware PBS Show Transcript
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
RE: Hillary Hails Rich Republicans with Bi-Partisan Words, Candidate-Worthy Speech.
"(Hillary Clinton) is in a strange position. She is running for re- election, but she is also the front-runner for the Democratic nomination in 2008. She has to move along two tracks and she has to lay down markers for the next campaign. The Economic Club of Chicago is a good forum for that."
- David Axelrod, a Democratic strategist based in Chicago. More.
Hillary addressed a crowd of 2800 at last night's Economic Club of Chicago dinner. With the exception of her candid words about education (let's encourage and underwrite science and tech students, academics, and standards), her message was uncharacteristically bi-partisan. Alternating between metaphors about knitting and railroad tracks, she paid homage to Republican leaders including Bush, Gingrich, Reagan, and Frist.
Headlines:-
HILLARY WANTS to strengthen our country's physical and virtual infrastructure funding transportation and information highway initiatives.
HILLARY SUGGESTED technology could be the solution to making the U.S. less dependent on international oil companies.
HILLARY SAID the U.S. is outflanked in technology versus other countries.
UHH...NOTE TO HILLARY: according to the World Economic Forum (3.28.06), the U.S. has regained top position in the 2005 information technology rankings after slipping to fifth place in 2004.
- She recommended creation of a National Energy Council, funded by the private sector and U.S. oil companies (currently capitalizing on rising oil prices and subsidies). Setting a target goal of $20 million dollars to fund this Council, Hillary drew parallels to the $20 million a day the U.S. currently pays in interest on our country's debt. She called on the private sector to explore alternative fuel and energy initiatives.
- Although Scott Fornek, Chicago Sun Times political reporter,
reported that Hillary feels we have let down the middle class, I'll be much more specific. Hillary suggested that wealthy Americans enabled the creation of the middle class and it is the responsibility of the "rich" to now provide the middle class with jobs, opportunities for advancement, and consistent minimum wage increases to keep hard working folks above the poverty level, motivated and productive. For Hillary, tax cuts are not enough.
- Hillary's "Iraq and Iran" (or early 80s Russia) is apparently China. Hillary pointed out that we give China the ability to control our economy when we allow China to "manage" our debt (via U.S. treasury bonds). She challenged each of us to negotiate with China to level out trade and the rate of currency. And today in the news,
China has pledged to the U.S. to open markets and enforce rules. You ask, Hillary, you get.
The best part? Hillary quipped: "as Americans, we have the opportunity to reinvent ourselves." She mentioned re:invention repeatedly. U.S. auto manufacturers should reinvent themselves. Our U.S. education system should reinvent itself. Gee Hillary. We agree. We're all about re:invention!
Technorati tags:
Osolind economics Chicago Hillary republicans technology energy politics
Monday, April 10, 2006
RE: Heralding Good Deeds and Light Thunks On the Head.
Back in March, I suggested: "Many cavalier, small-minded men (and women) are threatened by women high achievers with strong conviction (women "pot-bangers") and they will try to thwart her efforts and marginalize her character. There are quite a few people in this world who really hate strong women."
My words ring true today and I have a few more words to say about that...
We are equal opportunists here on re:invention's blog - we herald progressive men and women and lightly thunk folks on the head when necessary. It's all in good nature and it's all about calling out the obvious.
A few soundbytes for new readers:
- Dina Dublon, JP Morgan/Bank One, for saying she was "lucky" in her career "because men granted her power."
- Ladies Who Launch, for suggesting business plans are folly.
- A woman entrepreneur "who played dumb" to get in the WSJ.
- And much to Om Malik's dismay, I think "Ed Whitacre rules!"
We invite you to explore our blog -- from the cheeky to the incisive-- from the posts to the resources. Our client base includes corporations, organizations, women, and men. In the end, women have to back it up with talent, connections, community, practical street smarts, E.Q., and I.Q.
Women have so far to go before we steal "men's thunder." The world needs more women media spokespersons. New research from The Global Media Monitoring Project shows that women constitute 52% of the world's population and only make up 21% of people featured in the news. Men are the majority of news subjects in all story topics. Even when women do feature in the news, they are more likely to be found in 'soft' stories such as celebrity and arts and least likely to be found in 'hard' news stories about politics, government, and the economy. Men dominate as spokespersons and experts: 86% of all people featured in new stories as spokespeople are men. Men also make up 83% of all experts.
We're on a mission to change this at re:invention and move women from lifestyle news to business news. Our blog traffic includes VCs, media, corporate executives, and women business owners. We are working hard to connect the dots between them and in our own little way, change the world.
We welcome your feedback! That's what our comments are for. Post your comment below. And thank you as always, for reading!
kindly,
kirsten
RE: Recognition, Appreciations, and Smart Discussions.
I want to thank Mr. May for recognizing re:invention in his personal email newsletter today, referencing our recent online discussion with Matt McCall (Portage Ventures) on his VC Confidential blog. My light-hearted back-and-forth banter with Matt sure has been interesting -- we both shared our different takes on Eric Schmidt's presentation to the Economic Club of Chicago. Matt and I kinda know the same people, though we've never met. I think Matt might make a good mentor for me, as I'm a newly elected Economic Club of Chicago member and he is a former Crain's 40 Under 40 honoree. All in good fun! Appreciate the compliments, idea sharing, and smart discussion!
Kindly,
Kirsten
Saturday, April 08, 2006
RE: Our Saturday Feature - 10 Tips for 10 Million WomenTM.
Welcome to the re:invention 10 Tips for 10 Million WomenTM Saturday Feature. Every Saturday we feature a woman entrepreneur or executive and her personal 10 tips for success. We believe that women can be experts. They have valuable knowledge to share. re:invention's site traffic includes corporate executives, VCs, women business owners, and members of the media. We offer media access to women story sources and inspire future story ideas - serving as a public relations, marketing, and distribution channel for enterprising women. We're on a mission to move women from the lifestyle pages to the business section of the News. Our goal: a wisely-stocked toolbox for and about enterprising women. We hope this feature will be a powerful example of "women helping women win."
This week's featured woman entrepreneur is Jill Blashack, founder and CEO of Tastefully Simple (Alexandra, MN), a company that offers easy-to-prepare gourmet foods for people who like to eat - even if they don't necessarily like to cook.
about Tastefully Simple
Founded in 1995 by Jill Blashack, Tastefully Simple was the first company to market its line through home taste-testing parties hosted by consultants nationwide. The company achieved $110 million in sales last year and was ranked #44 on the 2004 Inc. 500 list - the fourth consecutive year the company has occupied a spot in the top 10% of the list of the fastest-growing private companies in America. Tastefully Simple offers more than 30 upscale, easy-to-prepare gourmet foods from appetizers to desserts and everything in between, including the company's top seller, Bountiful Beer Bread MixT. The products are open-and-enjoy or require only one or two ingredients to prepare. Company CEO Jill Blashack was named one of the 25 Top Women Business Builders in the U.S. and Canada by the Women Presidents' Organization and Fast Company magazine in 2005.
CLICK HERE FOR JILL'S "TASTEFUL & SIMPLE" 10 TIPS
Share YOUR knowledge, WISE WOMEN! Submit A REQUEST to have your company featured along with your 10 Tips For 10 Million Women.
Click HERE to visit the 10 Tips for 10 Million Women Archives.
Technorati tags: Osolind women entrepeneurs business saturday marketing
RE: Pink and Blue Lines, Plus and Minus Signs.
Only one in three employed California women who qualify for pregnancy leave actually takes it, according to a recently released study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health and the California Department of Health Services. The women who took the pregnancy leave did so because of stress, tiredness, medical conditions or the need to mother young children already in the house. MORE.
Actual paid "maternity leave" is atypical in the U.S., although some companies offer new parents up to 6 weeks paid time off.
Resources:
- BabyCenter Maternity Leave Basics
- Pregnancy Protection Laws (Family and Medical Leave Act, Pregnancy Discrimination Act)
- How VCs Apparently Deal With the Pregnancy Phenomenon
Friday, April 07, 2006
RE: Google's Mad Mission: Making Communications Meaningful, Seamless & Ubiquitous
At last night's Economic Club of Chicago dinner, Google's CEO Eric Schmidt spoke about the company's plans to provide free Muni WiFi to San Francisco in partnership with Earthlink. San Fran has the greatest number of WiFi hotspots of any US city squeezed into their 49 square miles. Google will install more than 300 access points/network nodes, mounted on streetlamp poles throughout the city. It's a 5-year contract and "a test," said Schmidt. Google plans to subsidize the test with profitable, promixity-based targeted advertising (the U.S. Patent office recently published Google's patent application for ad targeting to wireless users and WAP ad revenue sharing; which has some tech pedagogues buzzing about how this could skirt GPS patents). Google will soon be able to deliver these local-based ads based on their ability to track local users to within 100-200 feet of their exact location. Think about the possibilities: an ad from Joe's Hamburgers right around the corner from where you are standing delivered to your computer, pda, and cell phone via free WiFi access (paid for in part by the local business and in part by the WAP). And Google has already tested mobile web ads in Japan.
Wonder what this will mean for the old adage: Men are From Google and Women are from Yahoo? Cuz most of us chicks kinda dig talkin' on the phone.
Although grassroots Wi-Fi has failed before (ever hear of Joltage?), Google seems to be on a mission to make communications meaningful when mobile, seamless and ubiquitous.
On the horizon, a NEW Google Talk is also in test. You can download it now (although there's been no public hype).
And much more is to come, said Schmidt, this brave new world is coming -- expect it to arrive in less than 18 months. It's a new world that flies in the face of "continuous partial attention."
Google's goal is much broader than its company mission statement to organize information - to wit, Schmidt slyly admitted Google is now creating searchable content (ala Google Finance, in beta) and top box answering search questions - and Ad Sense simply doesn't fit (it's just a way for advertisers, publishers, and Google to make money). Google's unwritten mad mission is to contextually change the world of communications.
Check out the weather today in Chicago according to Google. Google answers with its own voice.
Yeah. I'm guessing Tech Memeorandum already knows.
Editor's Update: Today (4.12), Google announces voice search (Patent #7,027,987). Did I not tell ya, Google is aiming to contextually change the world of communications and they will be progressively tweaking telephony.
Technorati tags: Osolind marketing Google tech.memeorandum ubiquitous WiFi WiMax advertising
RE: Wise Enterprising Women Want Affordable HealthCare Insurance.
Yesterday, Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP), the nation's largest bi-partisan women's business group, released their "What Business Women Want" national survey of women business owners. The rising costs of health care and energy ranked as women business owner's top two concerns. MORE.
Nearly 60% of the nation's 45 million uninsured Americans are employed by small businesses.
Healthcare was also identified as the most critical business concern in WIPP's 2005 survey. This year's survey indicates Small Business Health Plan (SBHP) popularity is growing -- a full 75% now believe that SBHPs would decrease healthcare costs. An SBHP bill is scheduled for a full U.S. Senate vote in early May and has already passed the House of Representatives. Although both Hillary and Kerry have been talking healthcare, this is a bipartisan issue. According to a NAR Report, 93% of Republicans and 86% of Democrats favor the small business health plan concept.
MORE about last year's WIPP report.
Hillary will keynote Tuesday's Economic Club of Chicago dinner. I can't wait!
Technorati tags: Osolind marketing women entrepreneurs healthcare insurance WIPP
Thursday, April 06, 2006
RE: Blog Schmawg Basics.
Yesterday I presented an introduction to the world of blogging to a full-house at the Society for Professional Consultants dinner in Chicago. Smart consultants can use blogs to "brand their brillance" - cutting through the Clutter, creating client Conversations, cultivating Community, and confirming Credibility.
For those who are interested, here is a link to my presentation.
More good links:
- RSS: What, Where, Why, How
- A Smart Blog Submission and RSS Directory
- Technorati
- Google Page Ranking: An explanation
Technorati tags: Osolind marketing consultants technorati RSS blogging community
RE: Working With Your Mentor
Hi. I'm Melissa and I write re:invention's Thursday blog feature -- Business Shoulder Story Bag -- stories about mentors and people in business that have received or offer a shoulder of support.
Kristi Kelley from The Image Studios is pleased to be working with her mentor, Kali Evans-Raoul. Kali holds a chemical engineering degree and managed to use her degree to pursue her true passion... styling hair. "She really is an inspiration to me as a person as well as a business woman and partner." Kristi believes that working with her mentor has improved her outlook on life and business. "the vision she holds... she has a great story to tell!"
I know re:invention's team views me as a mentor because "I got it all, right?" Oh, gotta go, I just burned the bacon, the pancakes are "too crispy", my daughters are whining that they are hungry and we're all still in our nighties and school starts in 35 minutes! Yeah life is grand and I can share so much about life-balance... once I balance it!
SHARE YOUR MENTOR STORIES WITH MELISSA ON THURSDAYS!
Want to share your Business Shoulder Story with re:invention blog readers next Thursday? Send me your personal business stories - we prefer stories about someone who offered a hand, renewed your faith, or helped you overcome a business obstacle. Do you need a business shoulder for support? Ask us a question and we'll try to give you an answer or find someone who can. Click here to send me an EMAIL.
Technorati tags: Reinert women leadership mentors
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
RE: It's Not Always About the Money.
On her 15th anniversary on "Today," Katie Couric told viewers Wednesday she's leaving to join CBS and become the first woman to solely anchor a network evening newscast. She spurned a more lucrative offer -- about $20 million a year -- to remain at NBC and accept CBS' bid at a salary near her current range of $13 million to $15 million, according to a non-network person close to negotiations who spoke on condition of anonymity.
It's not always about the stinkin' money. It's about the fame (
right, Shirky?) and the allure of the brass ring title!
MORE.
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
RE: Starbucks: One Too Many Tattooed Indian Kings and Self-Absorbed Tribal Pride.
Ken Lombard, SVP and President of Starbucks Entertainment, as quoted in the March 26 ed. of Hollywood Reporter: "I think it's important to start with our overall strategy: What we're trying to do is really build Starbucks into a destination for our customers...We've started our (entertainment) strategy with music, and we were able to come in and get a tremendous amount of support from the labels, as they recognized that what we are doing is providing artists an opportunity to expose our customers to music in a way that's already part of their daily routine..."
Kirsten's COMMENT ONE: As a woman entrepreneur who once considered Starbucks my portal to the small biz community and personal office, I absolutely LOATHE your music strategy. I can no longer do ANY work at Starbucks. I get my coffee and I skeedaddle. Welcome suggestions about where a roadwarrier biz gal can work without a soundtrack booming in the background! Your media bars are equally unimpressive. Why are you still "officially upbeat?"More from Lombard: "...With "Akeelah and the Bee," you won't see one trailer in our store, (and) you won't see one one-sheet. Our marketing group has come up with a very elegant way to go about exposing our customers: It's all about attempting to build awareness. We're going to take advantage of opportunities that we have in terms of leveraging our assets to really monetize the environment we have and the exposure that we can provide...That's our model going forward."
Kirsten's COMMENT TWO: What a garbled load of marketing bunk. Upon today's noisy sojourn into Starbucks, I met with cash register ad slicks and hundreds of waste-of-perfectly-good-trees lime green one-sheets promoting Akeelah and the Bee (with the word P-U-L-C-H-R-I-T-U-D-E spelled out with definition on the second side). This is elegant? You SAID "no one-sheets". When I asked the Barista about the movie promo, she rolled her eyes and nodded. She also rolled her eyes and nodded when I commented on the nasty new Blackberry Green Tea Frappuccinos. A big creamy blend of ick."We're helping our customers discover great movies." - Starbucks website.
Kirsten's COMMENT THREE: By jamming movies down our throats before we've had our first cup of morning coffee? Hmm. Jackie Huba (over at Customer Evangelists Blog) first reported on this looming Starbucks brand reversioning national disaster in January. Alas, her greatest fears have come true.And you're
pushing out Starbucks Music Chief, Don MacKinnon? What's next? Starbucks, stop! Or John Moore will need to retitle his pending "
Starbucks Tribal Knowledge" book. This is a great example of one too many
Tattooed Indian Kings and extremely self-absorbed tribal pride.
h-e-b-e-t-u-d-i-n-o-u-shebe-tudi-nous (tdn-s, -tyd-) adj.
Lacking in intelligence; blockheaded, dense, doltish, obtuse, lethargic. Dull and stupid.
Monday, April 03, 2006
RE: Crain's On Chicago Corporations and Blogging Policies.
Many thanks to Mark Scheffler for noting re:invention in today's Crain's Chicago Business story titled, "I Am @ Work Now" about corporate blogging (subscription required). Blogs are a credibility, conversation, clutter-cutting, and community building tool for corporations.
Mark's article explores blogging policies among Chicago corporations -- "to guide those who might disparage - or, at the very least, embarrass - the corporate name." It's hard to control your employees' blogging content...if you don't have standards in place. A few of my thoughts that didn't appear in the article:
Smart corporations provide blogging guidelines to employee bloggers - much like they communicate employee visions and values. Guidelines will vary by company, based on that company's approach to defining and communicating employee visions and values. A few starter guidelines to offer employees: (1) make it clear that the views expressed in the blog are yours alone and do not necessarily represent the views of your employer (2) please respect company confidentiality and proprietary information - certain topics should not be discussed for legal compliance reasons (3) ask your manager if you have any questions about what is appropriate to include in your blog (4) be respectful to the company, employees, customers, partners, and competitors (5) please don't let blogging activity interfere with your work commitments.
In the end, if your corporation is committed to exceptional customer AND employee experiences, your employees will enthusiastically articulate your company vision and values in their external community activities (be it blogging, brunch with neighbors, or volunteering).
We have two company blogging policies here at re:invention: 1. "Feel free to get naked." 2. "Blog, and apologize later." We encourage our team to share their authentic voices. It's part of our culture, vision, and values - and it will continue to be so as we grow. I even encourage Melissa to take pot shots at me. It keeps me humble.
This policy likely wouldn't fly with the head frenchfries at McDonald's. But McDonald's visions and values also aren't brand anchored by "corporate social responsibility." Instead of serving up blogs in faux or corporate voice, McDonald's might explore opportunities to share their employee visions and values (family, diversity, youth empowerment, making moms champions to their kids, and inclusion) on the Web. What a potential community! This is what McDonald's is missing in their takes to date on blogging.
Interested in learning more? I'll be speaking about blogging and new media at the Midwest Society of Professional Consultants dinner this Wednesday at the Ramada Plaza Hotel (5616 N. Cumberland Ave.) and the Chicago Women In Publishing event on April 19 at the Chicago Athletic Association.
Technorati tags: Osolind re:invention McDonalds corporations blogs policy vision+values
Sunday, April 02, 2006
RE: When I Stop Laughing, I Just Might Move to Cincinnati.
From today's Cinci Enquirer...
"One of the last bastions of male leadership is the world of fine arts. Despite noticeable gains made by women, few hold the top job in theater companies, performing arts centers, symphony orchestras, opera companies or art museums. Of the nation's 25 big-budget orchestras, only six have female executive directors. Only one orchestra - the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra - has a female music director-designate: Marin Alsop. Just 35 percent of the Association of Art Museum Directors are women. Theaters fare slightly better: 22 of 47 theater companies with a budget of more than $5 million have women artistic or managing directors. But in Cincinnati, three of the city's eight major arts institutions have women at the helm, and with the directorships of the Cincinnati Art Museum and Taft Museum of Art open, that number could grow."
One of the LAST bastions of male leadership? Cuz women Corporate CEOs and Corporate Board Directors are SOOOOO very commonplace (
8 ain't great). And we're just making a mountain out of a molehile about that
8-25% pay gap between women and men corporate executives. Don't get me started about all of those other "bastions" we women still need to conquer.
Apologies to
Janelle Gelfand, Enquirer reporter, for the gentle ribbing. Some good stuff and good news in your article. Let us know if we can ever connect you with a story source. And when I stop laughing, I just might move to Cincinnati....
Technorati tags:
Osolind women entrepeneurs Gelfand Cincinnati arts corporations
Saturday, April 01, 2006
RE: Our Saturday Feature - 10 Tips for 10 Million WomenTM.
Welcome to the re:invention 10 Tips for 10 Million WomenTM Saturday Feature. Every Saturday we feature a woman entrepreneur or executive and her personal 10 tips for success. We believe that women can be experts. They have valuable knowledge to share. re:invention's site traffic includes corporate executives, VCs, women business owners, and members of the media. We offer media access to women story sources and inspire future story ideas - serving as a public relations, marketing, and distribution channel for enterprising women. We're on a mission to move women from the lifestyle pages to the business section of the News. Our goal: a wisely-stocked toolbox for and about enterprising women. We hope this feature will be a powerful example of "women helping women win."
This week's featured woman entrepreneur is Carol Frohlinger, Esq., co-founder of Negotiating Women (NYC, NY), a company that offers negotiation training for women.
about Negotiating Women
Negotiating Women, Inc. offers negotiation training for women including the only e-learning courses on negotiation (either online or CD ROM) designed especially for women. Based on award-winning research, Negotiating Women focuses on special negotiation challenges women face that are unlikely to affect men. Co-founder Carol Frohlinger is an attorney and consultant to corporations on the retention and advancement of women. Her book, Her Place at the Table: A Woman's Guide to Negotiating Five Key Challenges to Leadership Success (co-authored with Judith Williams, Jossey-Bass/John Wiley, 2004), examines the challenges women face when they assume leadership positions and how negotiation skills help them to meet those challenges.
CLICK HERE FOR CAROL'S 10 TIPS
Share YOUR knowledge, WISE WOMEN! Submit A REQUEST to have your company featured along with your 10 Tips For 10 Million Women.
Click HERE to visit the 10 Tips for 10 Million Women Archives.
Technorati tags: Osolind women entrepeneurs business saturday marketing
Click on the badge above to learn more. On Saturdays, we showcase wise women entrepreneurs. SHARE your 10 tips!
