Saturday, July 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 Maria Gonzalez, VP of Content Development, EduCel, LLC/Willitfly.com (Emeryville, CA).
about EduCel/Willitfly.com
Willitfly.com, for small-to-medium business professionals, is a 100% owned subsidiary of EduCel, a pioneer and a leader in technology that accelerates learning and supports performance at the time of need. Willitfly.com's mission is to make it easier to avoid the failure that frequently accompanies new undertakings. With expert prep modules designed to speed up knowledge transfer and support users at their time of need, Willitfly.com provides a quick way to find out if you are ready to perform according to best practices for important business tasks. Based on the cognitive sciences and the methodology used by experts for their own prep, the core technology on Willitfly.com (the Will-it-Fly? DKTS) was also developed by EduCel. The Will-it-Fly? DKTS technology is consistently rated by users as easier to use and more useful than other knowledge transfer tools - making life easier for enterprising minds everywhere. Gonzalez comes to EduCel with 14 years of experience in biotech, which included scientific research, manufacturing processes and the building of business infrastructure. Her last job included setting up the foundation for a corporate university at Chiron Corporation (Novartis) in Emeryville. Her quality management expertise and degree in molecular and cell biology from UC Berkeley ensures a quality approach to content development that is difficult to find.
CLICK HERE TO READ MARIA'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 entrepreneurs business saturday marketing Maria Gonzalez
Friday, July 28, 2006
RE: Women Biz Owner Performance and State-Level Policies.
Now this is fascinating. Women entrepreneurs' success appears to be significantly impacted by state-level policies. Yesterday The National Women's Business Council (NWBC) released a new study, "Explaining State-Level Differences in Women-Owned Business Performance." The study suggests that the success of women-owned businesses is impacted by particular state-level factors, such as the availability of technology infrastructure and an educated workforce. Study findings indicate that state-level discrepancies can be partially explained by differences in the woman business owner's education level, the size of the business, and a state's "knowledge economy level." New York and Connecticut have the highest WBO survival rates (74%). The lowest? Tennessee (60%).
The research study is one of the first attempts to systematically evaluate the influence of factors that underlie state differences in women owned business performance.
The full study will be available later today on the NWBC website.
Earlier in July, NWBC announced the launch of a redesigned web site - www.womenbiz.gov - to assist women-owned businesses with federal government contracting.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
RE: Revisiting Business Rituals.
Earlier this year, we began a weekly series titled "Business Rituals" here on re:invention's blog. We believe business owners should consider the business of rituals an intriguing, sacred ingredient for enduring business success. Business rituals are not rocket science. They are far from revolutionary and new. But they can have profound impact as they touch head, heart and soul...and busy business owners often overlook them. We are in the process of reviving the re:invention rituals series.
Listing the Rituals we've written about to date below. We invite you to add a comment about your favorite or least favorite business ritual....
- Cost Cutting
- Office Gossip
- Exchanging Business Cards
- Coffee Breaks
- Goal Setting and Business Planning
- Team Meetings
- Expressing Appreciations
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
RE: Babes On Boards - Marla Gottschalk.
Congratulations and well wishes to Marla Gottschalk, CEO of The Pampered Chef. GATX Corporation, headquartered in Illinois, appointed Marla Gottschalk to its Board of Directors. Marla, a Northwestern MBA and Indiana B.A., also serves on the board of Visteon Corporation.
Congrats, Marla!
The Pampered Chef was founded by Doris Christopher in the basement of her Chicago home in 1980. Earlier this year, Doris was inducted as a lifetime member of The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, reserved for individuals who have overcome humble beginnings to achieve extraordinary success.
RE: Angels with Angles.
Women Angels, a group of women investors that focuses on women-owned businesses in the Midwest, graces the pages of BusinessWeek SmallBiz Summer edition. The group's 22 members are getting ready to make their first investments: $150,000 to $500,000 to 2 companies (1 biotech, 1 transportation). There are at least six women-focused angel groups in the U.S., with an additional dozen or so just getting started, according to a recent report from the Kauffman Foundation. Stephanie Hanbury-Brown, fearless leader of Golden Seeds, is also noted in the article.
READ the full BusinessWeek SmallBiz article.
Carl Peterson, President of Jobs for America, takes issue with the BusinessWeek article in online reader comments. Carl posts a passionate diatribe suggesting angels should be more open minded about investments and less concerned about gender. A few kind words for Carl? Many niche angel groups have angles: 12 Angels (they invest in entrepreneurs recovering from addiction and alcoholism), The Minority Angel Investor Network (they invest in minority-owned businesses), The Tribe of Angels (Jewish investors doling out dollars to Jewish-owned businesses). Gender is just another - apparently lucrative - angle for angels.
According to the Center for Venture Research, women-owned ventures now account for 9 percent of the entrepreneurs that are seeking angel capital, up from 4.7 percent in 2004. (Source).
related re:invention articles:
- Women and Angel Investing
- Angel Capital Association Paper on Women Angel Investors
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
RE: Ode to Thomas "Never Say You Are Cool" Mucha.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I dig Thomas "never say you are cool" Mucha. Mucha is a mucha cool writer with a flair for jeu d'esprit. There Mr. Mucha - I said it for you. In his Crain's Chicago Business Small Talk column today, Mucha answers the age old question: how do you spend marketing dollars? He features a fearless interview with peerless father of modern marketing Philip Kotler, the S.C. Johnson Distinguished Professor of International Marketing at the Kellogg School of Management.
Damn fine read.
Sidebar: That's a mug shot of Mucha, not Kotler.
Heads up! Wanna appear in Mucha's Crain's Small Talk column? Ask him a question: smalltalk@crain.com. Can't believe more PR types aren't on top of this already.
Technorati tags: Osolind entrepeneurs business marketing Thomas Mucha
RE: Women Still Powerless. Film at Eleven.
From Carol Hymowitz's article in yesterday's Wall Street Journal:
Last year, women held 16.4% of Fortune 500 corporate officer jobs -- the titles of at least vice president and positions that require board approval -- an increase of just 0.7% from 2002, according to the latest study of executive women by Catalyst, the New York research group. The survey also found women comprised just 6.4% of the top five earners among corporate officers, a 1.2% rise in the same period. - MORE (Subscription Required)
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Carol might as well have "cut, pasted, and tweaked"
her 2004 article, titled "
Through the Glass Ceiling." Same old story. It's all old news to me.
Saturday, July 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 Friedman, President of Karen Friedman Enterprises (Bluebell, PA).
about Karen Friedman Enterprises, Inc.
Karen Friedman Enterprises, Inc. is passionate about helping you discover creative and practical ways to better communicate with reporters, peers, employees, clients, and other important audiences so you can get the results you want. For nearly a decade, the company has put their skills as journalists and professional coaches to work helping executives, managers, government agencies, professionals, politicians, Olympic athletes and international celebrities improve their communication skills. The company has conducted workshops and provided counsel to countless individuals across the globe in Romania, Venezuela, Argentina, Asia and provided media and message training at First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton's "Vital Voices" conference in Uruguay. President Karen Friedman is one of the leading communication coaches in today's business world. An award-winning television news anchor and reporter who has interviewed thousands of people, she teaches others how to make the most of every interview, appearance and presentation. Her breaking coverage of local and national events has aired on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, the Today Show, Good Morning America and Nightline.
CLICK HERE TO READ KAREN'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 entrepreneurs business saturday marketing Karen Friedman
Friday, July 21, 2006
RE: Manzullo to Hold Hearing on IRS Rule Impact on Small Businesses.
Blogging from the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) National Leadership Retreat in beautiful Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Breaking news today...
Back in February, the IRS and Treasury Department released proposed regulations that substantially change the rules governing taxation of escrow accounts, trusts, and other funds used during deferred exchanges of like-kind property under section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code.
This coming Tuesday, House Small Business Committee Chairman Don Manzullo will hold a hearing to explore the devastating impact this proposed IRS rule would have on hundreds of small "qualified intermediary" businesses in America. The full committee hearing will begin at 2 p.m. Tuesday, July 25, in Room 2360 of the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington D.C.
Even if you are not able to attend the hearing, you still can make a difference!
How?
You can provide written testimony to the committee. Contact the House Small Business Committtee staff office directly and ask the parameters for providing written testimony - they will either allow you to provide testimony the day of the hearing or provide a window of opportunity for submitting your written testimony in advance. You can also contact the office for a copy of the hearing transcript.
Phone: 202.225.5821
E-mail: smbiz@mail.house.gov
Friday, July 14, 2006
RE: activists - advocates - and agents.
Last weekend, a formidable mentor told me that companies do not want to hire activists. He forecast a shadowy gloom upon my career should I ever desire to go back to Corporate America. "Companies particularly dislike women activists and you are an activist," he chided me.
My kind response: "P'shaw. There's a remarkable difference between an activist, an advocate, and an agent."
an activist is a warrior:
By definition, an activist is an individual who uses direct, confrontational action such as a demonstration or a strike in support of opposition of a cause. Activists often have exaggerated and overly negative qualities that make them less credible. They attack rather than portray the positive. Activists willingly burn bras, mark time with hunger strikes, sleep in the rain, and break fingernails. Nothing wrong with that. They have their place in this world.
an advocate is a voice:
By definition, an advocate is someone who speaks, pleads for a cause or on another's behalf. Advocates are interested in pursuing equity and have a clear value base of social justice. Advocacy can change community attitudes and misconceptions, providing a voice for those who have gone unheard.
an agent is a professional representative:
By definition, an agent is someone who is empowered to act as a representative on behalf of another. They have specific professional experience, knowledge, contacts, and training that they can put to work for you to help you achieve your goals. An agent is proactive; they do not simply act in response to their environment, they exhibit goal-directed behavior and take initiative to examine and explore opportunities for others.
My personal mission: leveraging women's credibility. For the record: I am simply a hard-working professional agent with traditional southern values, who quietly and occasionally leans towards advocacy. Leaving the activism to others.
Thursday, July 13, 2006
RE: eWomen's Network Femtor Bizwoman of the Year Named.
Laura Silsby, Founder and CEO of Personal Shopper.com, a premiere shopping site for women, has been named the 2006 International Femtor Businesswoman of the Year by eWomenNetwork, an international membership based women's business network. The word Femtor is a registered trademark of eWomenNetwork, and it means to "help a woman succeed and thrive by investing one's knowledge, skills, time, resources and insights."
eWomenNetwork recently announced 2 new national magazine partnerships with Pink Magazine and Worthwhile Magazine.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
RE: Hunting for Women CFOs.
Solo Cup Co.'s chief financial officer Susan Marks resigned Tuesday, leaving for "personal reasons to pursue other interests," said officials at the Highland Park, Illinois company. Solo Cup has hired executive search firm Hedrick & Struggles to search for a new CFO.
- MORE.
According to a June issue CFO Magazine article, although women outnumber men in undergrad and grad accounting programs, fewer than 10 percent of CFOs in either the Fortune 500 or the Fortune 1,000 are women. The numbers increase to 20 percent at the controller, treasurer, and tax director level. CFO's recent survey revealed that one-third of women in finance believe they have been denied a promotion in the past five years at least partly because of gender. Twenty-five percent of both male and female survey respondents suggested women fail on the fast track to CFO because they are unwilling to sacrifice their personal lives for work.
Women CFOs at Fortune 50 companies include Citigroup's Sallie Krawcheck (the highest-ranking female CFO in the Fortune 500), Carol Tome at Home Depot, Doreen Toben at Verizon, Janet Clark at Marathon Oil, and JoAnn Reed at Medco Health Solutions.
The most controversial quote in the CFO Magazine article? Why, this one:
"People talk about having it all, and I always want to tell them I don't. What I have are two things that are very important to me: my children and my career," says Citigroup's Krawcheck. "But if you walk along Third Avenue on a summer's evening, you'll never see me out drinking wine with my six closest friends. You won't see me doing a lot of charity work. I'm not very nice to my siblings. I don't see as much of my husband as I'd like. There are many women who would not make the choices I have made."
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
RE: Deb Fine's 10 Tips for 10 Million Women -- On Tuesday.
From News On Women:
Deborah Fine has been appointed President of NBCUniversal's IVillage, reporting to Beth Comstock, NBCU Digital Media President. Deborah had been CEO of Victoria Secret's Pink Brand.
It didn't happen overnight; Deborah toiled 28 years to achieve this level of authority. Deborah was the genius behind the launch of Avon's Mark Brand (during her tenure as President of Avon's Teen Business Unit). She has also served as VP/Publisher of Glamour Magazine and Publisher of Brides Magazine.
During
a recent speech at University of Pennsylvania, Deborah offered 10 Guiding Principles for Success:
- Do something you love. Deborah's biggest fear is a J-O-B. She feels that her jobs have been part of her hobby that she is paid for. She believes you need to get up in the morning and have a passion for what you do.
- Do it with people you love. You spend more time with colleagues than with your family and friends. You need to give respect to earn respect.
- Hire top talent - they are an asset, not a threat. They will be your fastest path to growth.
- Find a unique selling position for your business and communicate it and drive it 360 degrees.
- Add immediate value in a new position. Try to sell yourself/develop your own brand voice.
- Network - everyone is a contact. This will pay you back in spades.
- Ask questions, but more importantly - listen to the answers.
- Be open and honest about what you know and don't know.
- Know the rules of your office and live by them vigilantly.
- Even in today's high tech climate, politeness is still the most important quality.
Consider this a Tuesday edition replacement for this past weekend's wayward 10 Tips for 10 Million Women feature.
RE: Baby On Board.
Companies are desperately seeking women who want to serve on boards. Women represent 16% of the directors of the top 200 Standard & Poor's 500 companies (Source: Spencer Stuart 2006 Board Diversity Report). Admittedly not all women dream of serving on a corporate board. Indeed, some women are content to run "hobby businesses" and burn through their rich husband's portfolio, put their head in the sand like an Ostrich, "do lunch as they launch" and sing kumbaya with other women, and skip writing a business plan altogether. Bully for those women.
Those women probably dream of their next shopping spree at Neiman Marcus.
A good "go to the mattresses" article for the rest of us women who work hard and dream big: "So You Wanna Be A Director," BusinessWeek, July 10.
The article includes tips for prospective corporate board candidates from Susan Stautberg and Carolyn Chin, co-founders of OnBoard Bootcamp:
- Enhance your "Google-bility." (K.O.'s NOTE: a search of my name returns 25,000 results)
- Hone your elevator pitch.
- If you don't have board experience, serve on an advisory or not-for-profit board.
- Be an interviewer as well as an interviewee.
- Make sure you are protected with a director insurance policy.
The benefits of serving on a corporate board? Intellectual challenge, camaraderie, attractive pay (up to $160,000 for the top 1,000 companies), and professional growth.
Related re:invention blog posts:
- Board, Board, Board
Sunday, July 09, 2006
RE: Silenced.
Haven't blogged for nearly a week. I've been pensive and reflective. Today's post departs from business banter as I share a personal story.
For nearly a month, I had been living as a guest with a friend. Budgets had been tight and I was unable to afford a downpayment on a new place. My friend's stately Chicago Museum District 4-story townhome became my safe haven -- each floor austerely appointed, a common rooftop balcony shared with the townhome next door. He travelled frequently and I rarely saw him. I was especially grateful to him for his kindness and open door safety net. I nested in a temporal, transient, third floor guest bedroom -- amidst clear plastic boxes containing shoes, disshelved stacks of clothes, and battered, black suitcases.
Last weekend, while my host was away vacationing at his Michigan lakehouse and I was delicately saw-snoring in the guestroom, robbers broke into the house via the top floor.
I could hear the home invaders opening doors to the entertainment console and talking in low gruff voices. They began to proceed down the staircase towards the third floor, the sound of their heavy feet nearing my temporary repose bedroom door. In those few terrifying moments, I failed at fearless. I pictured them at the foot of my bed, two burly men peering at me from behind black masks and drawn guns. I felt small, naked, and defenseless -- holding my breath and clutching the white bedsheets with my white knuckles behind the closed bedroom door.
To my surprise, the robbers turned on their heels and proceeded back up the stairs and out the balcony door. They never crossed my path. I never saw the whites of their eyes, cowered to their stature, felt the roughness of their hands.
A kind stranger placed a 911 suspicious person call, and the Chicago police soon responded. The police found a soiled, moldy old mop thrust into the fire escape door, and proceeded up to the garden balcony, entering my host's townhome from the top floor.
"Chicago Police. Permission to enter!" I could hear them calling down the stairs. It was only then that I mustered voice and could speak. Bewildered and wrapped in only a white robe, I slowly clutched the bedroom doorknob and drew open the door.
I silently watched as the police searched the house, room to room, with guns drawn. Eventually they departed, leaving me behind with despondent dark rooms, stifled spirits, and a violated house.
I slept with all the lights on. Budget did not permit me to rent a hotel room and the late hour did not allow me to sojourn to another friend's home for refuge. Early morning, I called 3 people - my host, my ex, and my dearest friend, Anna.
Anna listened and sympathized as women do, from her hotel in Kentucky. My host did not return my call until late the following day - "cell phone access is limited at the Lake." Too busy for a call, my most recent ex sent a gracious, stilted text message. And while their consolation -- well-intentioned if delayed or distant -- provided some semblance of comfort, I cannot feel anything more or less than what I feel. I somehow longed for something more. My head and my heart are filled with apprehension. I fear turning my head, as if I am a child who scares easily.
I finally moved into a much smaller new place this week -- a 1-bedroom condo on the fifth floor of a mid-rise building. There is no street access to my modest unit. I have no furniture or possessions of value to fiercely protect. Yet I've bolted all my doors, and I check the locks each night twice before heading to bed. Tonite I lie in my own bed musing about this fortuitious week, which culminated with a Friday night accident and a near totalled rental car. It's been a pretty rough year.
Sleep is scarce and restless...
Saturday, July 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 or executive is Eva Rosenberg, CEO of TaxAnxiety Inc. (Northridge, CA).
about TaxAnxiety, Inc.
TaxAnxiety Inc. teaches businesses and tax professionals to succeed via live, online courses, newsletters, and workshops. The IRS Exam Review course trains tax professionals to pass IRS's rigorous license examination. And TaxMama's Tax BootCamp teaches businesses to cut their taxes, cut their operating costs, enhance family quality of life - and to build a wealthy, tax-free or tax-deferred retirement. Eva Rosenberg and TaxMama are regularly quoted in publications like the Wall Street Journal, US News & World Report, USA Today and more. You can hear Eva on the radio on CNN, Jim Blasingame's Small Business Advocate show, Brent Clanton, and more. Entrepreneur Magazine named Eva's latest book, Small Business Taxes Made Easy, one of the top tax books of 2005. And LIFE Magazine recently selected TaxMama.com as their Editor's Choice. With over 14,000 pages of free tax advice and information on TaxMama.com, and the new sister site TaxTwist.com, you can see why.
CLICK HERE TO READ EVA'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 entrepreneurs business saturday marketing Eva Rosenberg
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