WBO Magazine February 2010 Issue

www.womenbizowners.org

LIKEABLE LEADERS

Feb $3.99U SD

SUB SCRIBE

TODAY!

ORGANIZATION

PROVIDING

EMPOWERMENT

FOR WOMEN

BUSINESS OWNERS

AND EDUCATION

FOR FUTURE

ENTREPRENEURS

Managing People –Not Things!

Increase Your

Future Income with Gratitude

Article Writing—Write Like

a PRO!

2 | womenbizowners.org

Women Business Owners (WBO) is a 501c3 non

profit organization, founded in February 2004,

with the mission to empower, educate, and enrich the lives

of women business leaders

throughout the world.

*Women Business Owners (WBO) announces their

newest initiative: Jr Apprentice US Program.

This educational apprentice

program is for children 10-18 in age, within the United

States that are interested in being business owners.

WBO Podcast, listen to amazing women from around

the world covering all areas of business and personal life for

women. Available on our group website.

www.womenbizowners.org

WOMEN BUSINESS OWNERS Magazine

Magazine Team:

Cindy Clark, President

Rebekah Jones, Copy Editor

Ginger Marks, Production Coordinator

Kristine Sheehan, Art Editor

Luanne Stevenson, Production Assistant

Executive Board:

Anna Campbell, Founder

Cindy Clark, President

Wendy VanHatten, Vice President

Lisa Wald-Guarino, Secretary

OPEN POSITION, Member at Large

OPEN POSITION, Treasurer

WBO Leaders:

JoAnne Barton, Volunteer Organizer

Cindy Clark, Marketing Director

Patricia Boes, Membership Director

Tracy Collins, Technical Director

Ginger Marks, Managing Editor

WBO Staff:

Andrea Okrentowich, Exec Asst/Grant Writing Coordinator

Sherry Simoes, Mkg Asst and Panel of Experts Coordinator

Donna Crav otta, Marketing Assistant

Stacey Virgo, Charity Coordinator

Kathy Allen, Author's Corner Coordinator Agnes Ikotun, Marketing Assistant

Patricia Garrison, Butterfly Coordinator

Laura Wheeler, Technical Assistant

Deneen Wilson, Technical Assistant

© Copyri ght 201 0 W omenBi zOw ner s.or g

All rights r eserved.

Feb 2010 | 3

must read Article Writing-Write Like a Pro 17 Increase Your Future Income with Gratitude 9

Leadership is Important in Business 13 Likable Leaders 15 Managing People – Not Things! 11

Be Prepared 14

every issue About WBO 34 Authors Corner 12

New WBO Members 7 Presidents Message 4 Quote of the Month 10

Welcome from our WBO Magazine Staff 8 WBO Staff & Volunteer Members 33

WBO Volunteer of the Month 18


Visit our group website for more information: www.womenbizowners.org

Well the first month of 2010 is over. We all set goals for ourselves

and worked hard through January on those goals. Some goals may

still be on track; some may not be. The important thing is to

recognize where you are, what you need to do to get back on track,

do it and stay there. Maybe you decided to change some of your

goals – add some new ones and take away some you felt were not in line with where

you want to go. And that’s okay. It’s important to remember to acknowledge yourself

and celebrate your successes along the way.

During February, make some decisions on your goals. I recommend revisiting and

revising your goals once a month. Do you need to add some details to those goals?

Keep on top of your goals and decide how you are going to accomplish them.

February’s issue is about People. “People” to me, means connections. We are making

some exciting changes to our website. Now you can connect and follow us on Twitter,

Facebook and LinkedIn. We also have a link to our Social Networking Ning site. If you

are not on our Ning Site, I invite you to join. This is another great way to connect with

others. You will find all of this on the WBO Home page under “Connections”.

We have also made some changes to your Profile section on the WBO website. You

can now go into your profile and under Profile book, then Networking you can add your

Twitter, Facebook, Blog information and other contact information. This way other

members can find you and connect with you. If you haven’t been in your profile for a

while, I encourage you to update it, and connect with other members.

Information on our WBO National Business Conference will be coming out by the end

of this week. We hope you are making plans to attend. It’s going to be very exciting!

As always, if you have ideas, suggestions or thoughts please feel free to email me at

anytime, [email protected]. I love to hear from you! Until next month

Fondly,

Cindy Clark

WBO President

President’s Message

Ci ndy Clark

Pr esi dent

Feb 2010 | 5

of special note 2010 Annual Charity 26 Feature Author 30

First Quarter Charity 21 Gift Shop 6 Hot Pick Movie of the Month 10

Online Article Library 10 Open Staff Volunteer Positions 24

Volunteers Needed 12 WBO Member of the Month 19


Shop from a wide variety of items created by our members to help you with your business or personal needs. Each item is donating 30% or more back to WBO.

Elizabeth Tote ~ Handcrafted by Jennifer Hudson with Mimsi Bags. This tote is perfect for the Bu siness Woman-on -the-Go! Originally designed with the

Women Business Owner, Realtor ®, Mortgage Lender or Attorney in mind, this tote will carry ev erything y ou need, and make sure y ou arriv e in sty le!

At 18 " wide and 12" tall, it is large enough to carry legal-sized folder s, plus y our

pens, palm, calculator, wallet, checkbook... y ou get the idea! We can also add a key fob so y ou don 't lose them in the roominess. Price: $125

Java Jammie ~ Handcrafted by Julie-Marie with Julie-Marie Bags

This cute and fun Java Jammie has a pink background with white polka dots and white daisies. A matching daisy button makes it irresistable! This Jav a Jammie is ex -tra special because all pr ofits benefit Women Business Owners. Price $7 .00 Women Business Owners prov ides education and support for more than 3,000 women business owners throughout the world with online and offline resources. WBO's mission is to help more women succeed in business.

Pawnut - Apple Biscotti ~ Handmade by The Gourmet Dog Bakery Let y our canine di g hi s teeth into our crisp on the outsi de but soft on the insi de Paw nut Butter - Apple Bi scotti . Made with: stone ground

organic w hole wheat fl our , or ganic peanut butter , milk , unsweetened applesauce and cinnamon.

As alway s, The Gour met Dog Bakery only uses the best i ngredi ents w hen baking our goods. Our Pawnut Butter - Appl e Biscotti is sol d i n quantities of 1 /2 dozen. Price: $5.99

http://www.womenbizowners.org

Sh ow Case Your Product in the WBO Gift Sh op:

Star and Premier members are encouraged to participate in our WBO Gift Sh op by choosing one product or serv ice they will donate 30% or more back to Women

Business Owners. Contact [email protected] for more information about our Dr op Ship Policy .


Feb 2010 | 7

New WBO Members

Pam Brooks

Arizona Pottery www.ArizonaPottery.com

Deneen Wilson

Typing Bug VA Services www.typingbug.com

Tracey Delcamp

Tracey Delcamp & Associates

www.TraceyDelCamp.com

Luanne Stevenson

Writers 1 Stop writers1stop.com

Need time for You? Order your copy today to get started… Contact Wendy VanHatten at [email protected]

www.mylifethesequel.com


Welcome from our WBO Magazine Staff Area

All articles must provide useful and high integrity information that is helpful to women in business. We accept topics related to business, marketing, integrating home and family with business, and much more relating to women in business. We ask that you provide unique, well-written, informative articles. We reserve the right to refuse any article for any reason.

All written content that you submit to this site must be writing that you have the legal rights to post to our site. By posting your article to our site, you are granting us Non-Exclusive Copyrights - which means you are giving us the legal right to use it, but you are NOT surrendering your right to use it elsewhere. WBO does not own or retain any rights to the articles written...we are merely privileged to read and grow from them. WBO Magazine reserves the right to edit submitted articles. Each author will be credited by name in publication.

The number of articles to be written is decided by each article writer herself. We encourage members of the WBO News Magazine Writers Team to submit at least one (1) article a month, however we do understand the flow of creativity is different for everyone and we do not want this to become a chore. Therefore the final decision will be yours.

Each article must be publication ready (edited) and submitted to our WBO Magazine Editor Rebekah Jones @ [email protected] for approval. WBO Magazine reserves the right to modify submitted articles. Each author will be credited by name in publication.

Clark Marks Sheehan Jones

Feb 2010 | 9

As we head into the season of giving, now is a great time to show appreciation to your clients and customers. Taking the time to give thanks to your clients will set you apart, increase loyalty, improve retention, inspire more sales, and deepen relationships that last long after the initial sale. Here are 10 easy ways you can say thank you to your clients:

1. Greeting Cards My husband often teases me that I should ow n stock in Hallmark for the amount of money I spend a year on cards. I love to send cards; for a specif ic reason or for no reason at all. For business, you've probably heard of SendOutCards (and no, I'm not an aff iliate or a distributor). I get a lot of cards this way from colleagues, and it definitely deepens the relationship for me. And it is a super-easy way for you to do that w ith your customers too.

2. Personal Notes I love to send personal notes too. I have specially designed note cards that I send w hen I just w ant to connect w ith someone after a particularly pow erful coaching call, when someone makes an investment in Platinum, w hen I've made a special connection w ith someone in person, or w hen a client just needs a little cheer.

3. Invitations One of the things you can do for your top clients is to invite them to a special

(Continued on page 29)

Increase Your Future Income

with Gratitude by Alicia M. Forest, MBA,


WBO Online Article WBO Online Article WBO Online Article LibraryLibraryLibrary

Our Article Library has been created for the use of our members. It is for women

who would like to learn how to start a business, grow a business, maintain a

business, and lead the life they are search-ing for. You will find a variety of catego-ries below that are filled with articles, re-corded classes, and other informational

type documents just waiting to be opened and explored.

We are alway s looking for additional resources to add to our directory . Please feel free to con-tact us with any articles, business documents,

and other business related items that y ou would like to see added to this directory . You

may contact us v ia email [email protected].

Visit Today: http://www.womenbizowners.org

(Under RESOURCE AREA)

Quote of the Month

Remember the difference between a boss and a leader; a

boss says "Go!" - a leader says

"Let's go!"~E.M. Kelly

Dear John

Release Date: Feb 05, 2010 Starring: Channing Tatum,

Amanda Seyfried, Henry Thomas,

Richard Jenkins, Keith Robinson

Genre: Romance / Drama

Official Site: dearjohn-movie.com/ Rated: PG –13 (For some sensuality and

violence.)

Directed by Lasse Halstrom and based on

the novel by best-selling author Nicholas

Sparks, "Dear John" tells story of John

Tyree (Channing Tatum), a young soldier

home on leave, and Savannah Curtis

(Amanda Seyfried), the idealistic college

student he falls in love with during her spring

vacation. Over the next seven tumultuous

years, the couple is separated by John's

increasingly dangerous deployments. While

meeting only sporadically, they stay in touch

by sending a continuous stream of love

letters overseas--correspondence that

eventually triggers fateful consequences.

www.vanhattenwritingservices.com

WBO Business Coffee Club February 2010 Meetings:

Friday, February 19, 2010 at 10:00 AM Coffee Society next to Cupertino Library

10300 Torre Avenue, Cupertino, CA 95014 Organizer: Anna Campbell

(925) 399-1629

Feb 2010 | 11

anaging People –Not Things! by Sherry Simoes

There is a huge difference in leadership between managing people and managing things. Managing people is a very personal job, and one must have certain qualities to be able to be a good leader. Managing people takes much patience, understanding, and mentoring.

Just because you can perform well in a certain industry does not make you an expert in leadership. It is a role where you need to respect, listen, understand, and tread lightly in some circumstances. As a leader, you're expected to bring you and your team to success. As a leader, your team looks up to you for guidance and support.

It involves passing responsibility and delegating tasks that you may

normally have control over, and for some that is not easy.

There is no magic to leadership. Great leaders are not born great leaders. They are simply people who are passionate about being a great leader, and they are willing to do the little things that matter.

Leaders can make or break a business. While some people are adept at knowing what needs to be accomplished and how to

do their job, the majority need a leader to implement some structure and order in the workplace in order to be effective in what they do.

Good leaders create a vision, a picture of the future, of where they want to take their organizations and then get their team involved in these visions and inspire everyone in the company to get on board and be passionate about what they do.



Volunteers needed for the WBO WBO Board Positions:

Treasurer and Member at Large Assistant for the Membership Department

WBO Staff Positions: Teleseminar Organizer Social Networking Administrator Department Administrator Assistant for the Volunteer Organizer Ev ent Organizer Visit http://www.womenbizowners.org and submit a volunteer form to [email protected] NOTE: Please be aware that the Treasurers position is one that requires the person to be a CPA and requires us to perform a background check on you.

This team of publishing companies, authors, writers, and marketers; network, mentor and promote each other. We believe that by working together, we will suc-ceed in our individual goals.

Authors Corner Leader: Kathy Allen with Accents of Home Authors: Diane Tegarden with FireWalker Publications, Inc Ga zelle Simmons with Admin Services Ginger Marks with DocUmeantDesigns.com Lisa A. Fredette with Passionate About Life Coaching Sabrina Schleicher, Ph.D, ACC with Tap The Potential Sherri Walker with Poems by Daughter of the King Writer's: Lisa A. Fredette with Passionate About Life Coaching

Visit the Authors Corner and learn

about the amazing books these

members have published and are

currently working on.

This group is open to all Star &

Premier Members.

http://www.womenbizowners.org

(Under Resource Area)

WBO Authors Corner

Feb 2010 | 13

W hether you are in direct sales and have a dow n line or you ow n a business

where you have people you w ork w ith, leadership is important. Without it, you w on’t have success. You can be a coach, a virtual assistant, or a marketing strategist and have the need for leadership. When you ow n one of these types of businesses, you have the need to lead people in the direction they need and want to go. Leadership is defined as the activity of leading. This means you lead and guide people in the direction you w ant them to go. You teach them and do things for them that will get them going in this direction. When you have the perfect leadership in your business, you’ll grow in w ays you never thought w ere possible. You’ll do things you

never imagined, and you’ll do things you were scared to do because you have the right leadership for it. Finding a leader is hard to do if you don’t know what you are looking for in a person. The best thing to do is research the person. One of the best w ays to research a person is to see if they have written any articles. Usually a person in the leadership role w ill

write articles as a means of showing they are an expert in their f ield. Once you f ind a person that you think w ill be able to help you, read their site, ask for testimonies, and ask around to see if anyone has heard of them or used them. This w ill help you even more w ith your decision. When you f ind the right person, you’ll have the leadership you need to grow your business. They w ill help you do things in

your business that you’ve wanted to do but didn’t have the guidance to do or you didn’t know how to do correctly. Leadership is important in any business. Sometimes it’s hard to f ind the encouragement and support that you need in your business. When you f ind a coach, VA, or marketing strategist that has the leadership skills you need, you’ll f ind favor in everything w ithin your business. Corrie Petersen runs a successful Virtual Assistant business. She enjoys helping others spend more t ime w ith their families w hile grow ing their business. Check out her w ebsite at http://www.virtualfreedom4you.com.

Leadership is Important in Business by Corrie Petersen

CORRIE PETERSEN

14 | womenbizowners.org 14 | womenbizowners.org

Be Prepared by Wendy Van Hatten

What do dive instructors teach you? Always be prepared. Always. We should have been…and we weren’t.

Our six-person dive boat left Key Largo for a 45 minute ride to the dive site, North Dry Rocks.

Sun was shining brightly…water was clear…waves were under one foot…visibility was over 50 feet…this was a great day for diving. Our boat was skimming along when suddenly our captain cut the motor and motioned animatedly to 8 or 10 fins in the water about 20 feet off the side of the boat. He quietly told us to put on only our snorkel gear and slide quietly into the water. In return he was rewarded with “deer in the headlights” looks from all six of us!

What were those fins attached to? They certainly didn’t leap out of the water or race our boat like the playful dolphins do. Sea turtles here can be large but usually don’t swim in groups so close

to the boat. And our captain didn’t seem to be overly alarmed at seeing that many fins in the water.

As soon as he figured out we had no idea what these creatures were, he

explained. This was the largest school of spotted eagle rays he had ever seen. They were gracefully gliding in the water beside our boat. When he stopped the boat, they stopped. It was if they were waiting for us.

Quietly we slipped into the water. We counted nine of these magnificent creatures swimming in a diamond shaped pattern. Each one of the rays was easily six feet from wing tip to wing tip. White dots speckled across their dark

topsides, earning them their names. Their undersides were light gray, allowing them to glide right over the top of their prey without being detected.

These were no doubt the most graceful things we had ever seen. It was if they were suspended in the clear turquoise water. With a flick of a wing tip, they all moved in formation. No group of fighter pilots or Olympic synchronized swimmers could come close to their precision swimming.

Even though they were within touching distance we respected their space. In turn they let us “swim with them” for about 20 minutes. Every once in a while the lead ray would turn slightly, the others


Feb 2010 | 15

by Melissa Foster

Many of us aspire to climb a corporate ladder or even a social ladder. Neither is done easily, and they both require a modicum of grace and know-how . We all know some leaders w ho are a bit harsh, and if you’re like me, you hope that you don’t become that person. Here are a few tips on becoming a likable leader.

Making Your Mark

Whether it’s a corporate or a social ladder that you are trying to scale, it’s something that should be done tactfully. Making your mark in a corporate structure takes hard work and dedication. You have to reach beyond w hat your coworkers are doing and show your supervisor that you are not afraid to take a few risks. Social structures are a little different. Social rungs of the ladder are also earned based on your social skills and oftentimes your corporate skills as w ell. Whichever one you are striving to scale, be sure to do your best and take the extra steps required to get noticed.

Confidence and Appreciation

Taking extra steps to get noticed goes hand-in-hand w ith not belittling others. By doing your job better, you might make others look a little w orse, and that should never be your goal. Find w ays to appreciate your peers and coworkers; point out to your supervisor how great of a job they are doing rather than focusing on patting yourself on the back. Confidence can come across as arrogance if others are not appreciated. After all, it takes many steps to get to the top, and stepping on toes w ill never keep you at the top. If you’ve moved up socially, take a friend along w ith you. Confidence in yourself w ill help your friend’s confidence bloom, too—and that’s alw ays a good thing.

Delegation with Tact

When you move up to a more senior position, oftentimes it also means


Likable Leaders


Feb 2010 | 17

Article Writing-Write

Like a Pro by Luanne Stevenson

How to begin?

I’m a writer and I still have to

spend time scratching my ideas on

scrap paper before I sit down at

my lap top. I’m not an expert on

“how to” but I do know what

works for me. This article will out-

line how I write an article. If y ou

feel the task of writing an article is

daunting, then maybe some of

these suggestions will help.

Things to consider:

Who’s your audience?

Know who your reader is and

speak to him in his language. In

other words, if you are posting

on a blog, y ou should write in a

casual style. If it is a business

newsletter, then it should be

more formal and straight to the

point. If it’s a news article, don’t

write in first person; leave the

word “I” out and don’t share

your own experiences; keep it

subjective and factual; no opinions should be included if it is news related.



Kristine Sheehan came across a group called Women Business Owners a few years ago, while surfing the net. It was a chat network that opened doors to new women business owners and offered entrepreneurial "threads". She found that it was such a pleasure to read about the growing pains and progressive steps that each woman made in their own business that she could not do anything but participate. WBO opened up a dialog which was helpful in finding what made business good, bad and unusual. It is with this group that women quickly could relate to each other as business women, mothers and catalysts for each others growth. She stuck with the group through the years and volunteered as an Art Editor for the online WBO Magazine. She enjoys working with the magazine team and finds it a stimulating experience that has helped her business The Merry Bird Designs as well as her personal growth.

The Merry Bird Designs company of Trumbull, Connecticut has officially been in business since March 2006. Kristine Sheehan, the owner, began working in the design/art industry because her passion is drawing with pen and ink, painting and photography and computer graphics. Her company offers Logo Development, Book Cover Creation, Ad Design and a line of pen and ink motifs on note cards, holiday Tags and invitations. The Merry Bird Designs is ever changing and adding more beautiful ideas to choose from, come take a peek at a local arts festival or Fly in!

The Merry Bird Designs • www.themerrybird.com • 203-551-1155 [email protected] • skype: themerrybird • twitter.com/themerrybird

WBO Volunteer of the Month

Kristine Sheehan

WBO Volunteer of the Month

Kristine Sheehan


Feb 2010 | 19 Feb 2010 | 19

WBO Member of the Month LORRAINE LEGASSE

Contact Information:

Forever Your Keepsake www.forevery ourkeepsake.com 888-894-0636 ext 103 [email protected]

orraine joined WBO because my Marketing Mentor is a member and she advised me that it w ould be a great place to connect w ith women across the

globe and advertise my business. I have met some very interesting women and made some great connections to help build my business. My business allows people to journal online and have their special occasions turned into lasting memories in the form of professionally edited and designed books that are bound by hand, not glued. They include artists renderings that make each book a w ork of art and one-of-a-kind treasure that can be handed dow n from generation to generation. I started this business as I have a passion to help people preserve special life moments.

L


Good leaders are committed to results. They thrive on facts, figures, numbers, and data and also share the results of their efforts with their team.

Good leaders are focused and achieve what they set out to do before launching new initiatives and do not set more than one goal or initiative at one time.

Good leaders speak from their hearts. They motivate by persuasion rather than intimidation. They are truthful and honest.

Good leaders can make decisions quickly and are decisive. A good leader must know how to act swiftly and must encourage quick thinking among his or her people.

Good leaders share responsibility and the credit for a job well done. They create a win-win situation where everyone benefits from a team effort.

Good leaders are direct and straightforward. They set clear performance expectations and hold people accountable.

Good leaders are open and seek feedback about their performance and leadership skills.

Before taking on a leadership role, study and access yourself and your skills and make sure you know what is expected of you so you can effectively be a good leader.

(Continued fro m page 11)

SHERRY SIMOES

Feb 2010 | 21

AllowAllow our independent WBO Design Team to our independent WBO Design Team to create your business’ Ad.create your business’ Ad.

See our WBO designer discounted prices below.See our WBO designer discounted prices below.

Member Price

Business Card Ad: $25

1/2 Page Ad: $50

Full Page Ad: $100

Non-Member Price

Business Card Ad: $45

1/2 Page Ad: $75

Full Page Ad: $125

(All WBO designers are paid independently from WBO and directly from the cus tomer. Ass igned des igners are s olely respons ible for the referred WBO ad cus tomer and w ill w ork with clients on an indiv idual and contract bas is .)

WBO First Quarter Charity Since its founding in 2007 by visionary leaders Bobby and Sharon Bailey, The True Vine Community Organization has touched the lives by meeting the needs of many in emergency response and by the distribution of food and clothing through our “Barrels for the Harvest Program.” As ministers of the gospel we saw not only a spiritual need but also the emotional physical needs of the people. With the support of other ministries and contributors we were able to send many barrels to the Caribbean in the islands of Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago. These barrels were able to be a blessing to many churches, children homes, and local communities.

The True Vine believes, practices, and respects the needs of an individual and the family. We have trained diverse staff which is culturally competent and understands cultural differences and special needs regardless of the populations of different races, religions, ethnicity, gender, physical disability, or other characteristics are identified and addressed.

The True Vine needs assistance with clothes, food and supplies for children.

http://www.true-vinecommunity.org/ P.O. Box 953212 Lake Mary, FL 32795 Phone: 407-365-2982 Email: [email protected]


For all your creative & Technical Business Solutions.

Web Design & Hosti ng Solutions,

Live Sound Sol uti ons, and

HomeBased Business Sol uti ons

Michelle Suman

[email protected] http://www.jamsum.com

WBO Marketing Assistant

Sherry Lynn Simoes sherry @womenbizowners.org

Author Corner Leader

Kathy Allen

[email protected]

would follow and so would we.

Apparently finished with the game, the lead ray flicked his wing tip one last time and…they literally vanished! That sounds impossible, but it’s how they left us. One second they were gliding slowly along and the next there was nothing but a ripple in the water. We didn’t even really “see” them leave. They just did!

Silently we all swam back to our boat, each with memories of those special rays. This was a swim worth remembering.

I’m sure the dive was good, too.


Feb 2010 | 23

supervising others, letting go of former responsibilit ies, and taking on new ones. If you get bogged dow n by trying to do it all, failure w ill be close behind. Appreciate the skills of your team members, delegate w ith kindness, and set them up to succeed. Their success will mean you are doing your job w ell. Jealousy w ill slow ly fray your ability to lead.

Staying On Top

All too often, those that climb ladders miss a step or tw o and have trouble staying on top. Staying on top means continuing to reach beyond your current capabilit ies and continually proving yourself. Hoping that your prior success will keep you on top w ill quickly br ing you dow n. After all, w hat you’ve done yesterday is gone. What you do today and tomorrow are the things that count.

Want to go a step further? Once you reach the rung of the ladder that you have been striving for, reach beyond it. What’s your

(Continued from page 15)

next goal?

Do you have a personal or business issue you need help tackling? E-mail me and I’ll try to accommodate your request in an upcoming issue: thinkhappy(@)live(dot)com. Come back next month for more Monthly Motivations !

Melissa Foster is the author of Megan’s Way, a w ork of literary f iction (www.megansw ay.com), and the Founder of The Women’s Nest (www.thewomensnest.com), a free on-line social and support community for women. Connect w ith other women like yourself - Share a laugh, gain advice, friendship, and fun. Daily at-home exercises and motivations, monthly healthy challenges, book club, scrapbook club, forums, blogs, and free medical, f inancial, and relationship advice.

Is Your Website Meeting Your Expectations?

Are y ou getting the traff ic you need?

Is it selling as much as it should?

If not, you need to know WHY!

It doesn’t cost a thing to learn what to do to

improv e y our website. Call or e-mail for y our f ree

website rev iew. No catch, no pressure, just

helpf ul information that lets y ou know where to

go f rom here!

Firelight Web Studio—Ask for Laura!

http://www.f irelightwebstudio.com

webtech@f irelighwebstudio.com—307-379-2502

MELISSA FOSTER


WBO Open Staff Volunteer Positions

National Building Project Team

Marketing Hound: Spread the word about this project to national and local media re-

sources interested in promoting or joining the project. Needs to have marketing experience and

capacity to create marketing materials to draw in the needed participants for a project of this

nature. Must have time to participate on this National Building Team. This team will be build-

ing the foundation for local models around the world. 1-4 hours weekly (We meet online

monthly)

Sponsor Recruiter, Events Department: Willing to devote a few hours a

week to recruiting sponsors for our Fall 2010 Confrence. This position involves researching

potential sponsors, sending an already prepared letter to the potential sponsor and following up

with them. It also involves documenting the requests sent and the responses in a spreadsheet.

Overall Group Positions Available

Project Coordinator: Is responsible for overseeing projects by building a team of the

necessary member for the particular project. Task and member types will necessarily change

according to the particular project. Also responsible for establishing timeline and deadline for

each project.

Jr. Apprentice US Coordinator: creates team of individuals to set-up program,

maintain program, run program, focus on improving the program, assist with fundraising for

program, and submit information to Project Director Monthly. May create an assistant position

to help with duties.

Visit our group site to apply for these positions. www.WomenBizOwners.org Volunteer Director: Kathy Allen [email protected]

Feb 2010 | 25

What is your topic?

Be an expert on the topic. Know what it is y ou are writing about. Why should the

reader believe y ou? For example, I’m a writer. I blog and I used to write for the Exam-

iner and Associated Content. Now, I’m helping out with the WBO magazine. Writing is

what I do. Am I an expert? Nope. But that’s okay, you know y ou can trust me because

I’v e studied the craft of writing and have experience on the subject.

The reader needs to buy into the idea that what y ou have written is trustworthy and re-

liable and you are giving them something they need.

Once I know the topic, understand who my reader is, I then ask myself: “Who cares?”

I’m not being glib. I’m asking myself, “Why would someone want to read this? What

will it give them?” Remember, the reader wants to receive. If y ou have nothing they

want, y ou’ll lose them. That brings about the question; “How do I hook and reel them

in?” I want to grab their attention and keep them interested so they won’t click away.

I’v e got only 20 seconds to let them know why they should park on my page and receive

what I’m giving. How do y ou do that? Good question; I’ll tell y ou how I try to accom-

plish this.

Before I think of a hook; an opening statement to grab my reader’s attention, I map out



an outline on scrap paper. I call this the bones of the story. I make sure the outline has

a Heading, Introduction, Body, Conclusion, and Resources are listed at the end of the

article or within the body.

Stay focused. If my outline is written correctly, then there is only one topic and a few

sub topics. If the outline is too long, then I’m trying to do too much all in one swoop.

There might be two or three articles that are hiding inside the outline. This tells me I

need to remove some of the bones; they don’t belong with this body. Focus is the key.

The keywords for the search should be in the heading. When y ou think about the head-

ing, ask y ourself “What are the key words that someone would use to search for this in-

formation?” If I’m writing a lov e story and I call it Stepping on Toes, the title is creative

but the WebCrawler’s will never find my page on Google.

Then try to come up with a catchy heading or clearly stated heading for each category

and sub category. On the internet, the reader usually scans. If the first heading sounds

interesting or clearly states the purpose for the article and

it’s on the topic they want, then you caught them for

the first 4 seconds. Now keep them with y ou.

Write clearly, av oid clichés. Sometimes simply

stated is best. Creative writing is wonderful, but

if it’s too wordy your reader will lose interest.

He’ll think you’re trying too hard. Remember;

the reader stopped for a reason. They spotted

something (the title or first heading) that

caught their attention. They now want to

quickly know what it is you are giving them and

if it is worth their time to receive it. Make your

writing clearly understood.

This is where I sound like your high school Eng-

lish teacher;

“Check for grammar children! Watch out for

spelling mistakes, repeated words, redundancy

and be sure you write in complete sentences!”


“Check for grammar children! Watch out for

spelling mistakes,

repeated words, redundancy and be sure

you write in complete

sentences!”

Feb 2010 | 27

WBO Annual Charity


WBO Chosen Charities Each year WBO selects 501c3 groups to be their one (1) annual charity, and four (4)

quarterly charities to receive physical and monetary donations from members and

the general public.

● 2010 Annual charity is Girls For A Change http://www.girlsforachange.org/

● 2010 First quarter charity is True Vine Community Organization www.true-vinecommunityoutreach.org

Napa Valley

Information coming soon!

http://www.womenbizowners.org/conference

Feb 2010 | 28

WBO Annual Awards Nominations

N omination Guidelines: The recipients of these awards are required to be present at the WBO National Business Con-ference in October 2010 in Napa, CA to receive their award. All nominated women will receive a $50 vou cher that may

be used towards their 2010 WBO National Conference ticket. All WBO A ward Recipients will receive one (1) com-plimentary 2010 WBO National Conference ticket. N ominations will be accepted until August 15, 2010.

Volunteering Heart:

N ominate a woman you know that has volunteered within

your local or online community and has impacted those she has worked with through her volunteering heart. Share with us her story and where she has volunteered. 2009 Award Recipient: Patri cia Boes 2010 N ominations:

Leading Business Woman of the Year: N ominate a woman within your local or online community that has proven to be a leading business woman by growing her business, mentoring those she surrounds hersel f with and helping her community grow through her own business

su ccess. Share with u s information abou t her and her busi-ness. 2009 Award Recipient: Regina Baker 2010 N ominations:

Persevering Business Woman of the Year: N ominate a woman within your local or online community

that has continued to build her business through personal or economic struggles and has denied defeat through times of real trials. Share with us her story of determination and her triumph.

2009 Award Recipient: Kathy Allen 2010 N ominations:

Networking Woman of the Year: N ominate a woman within your local or online community that knows how to get around and meet other people within

her community and build lasting business relationships with those she meets. Share with us how she networks and how she is able to maintain the business relationships. 2009 Award Recipient: Mary B. Rel otto 2010 N ominations:

Woman of Courage: N ominate a woman within your local or online community that has truly shown courage throughou t her life or at a spe-ci fic time in her life. Share with us how she maintained her courage and the results it brou ght to her life. 2009 Award Recipient: Leyla Hur

2010 N ominations:

Empowering Woman of the Year: N ominate a woman within your local or online community that has empowered the people within her life and those within her community. Share with us how she has impacted those around her by empowering them.

2009 Award Recipient: Stephanie Brehm 2010 N ominations:

Feb 2010 | 29

event just for them. It can be a lunch or dinner at an event you'll all be at, or carve out a portion of your own live event to spend time just w ith them. You can also invite them to special teleseminar or w ebinar where you offer them free content just for being your top clients.

4. Small Gifts Flow ers, books, a mug, or something more specif ic are all thoughtful gifts for clients. They can be sent for certain occasions or just because (that's actually my favorite way to send a gift).

5. Gift Cards These days you can get gift cards for almost any product or service. Some companies, like Starbucks, offer having your logo or business name imprinted on them. Other ideas besides coffee include restaurants, movies, bookstores, off ice supplies, and online vendors like Amazon.

6. Referral and Affiliate Rewards Even if your referral or aff iliate programs offer a commission on each referral, sending a personalized note along w ith it w ill go further in encouraging your netw ork to continue to promote your offers into the future.

7. Reverse Referrals Whenever appropriate, refer your clients and customers to others

(Continued fro m page 9) whom they w ill benefit from. Making this a part of the way you run your business w ill come back to you ten-fold as it shows the universe your belief in abundance.

8. Customer Appreciation Days Pick one day a year to designate as a Customer Appreciation Day to celebrate your clients. Make a special offer only to them and make a lasting impression.

9. Host Events Host a gathering at the next event w here your clients and customers are likely to gather. A Tw eetup is a popular w ay to connect w ith both current and prospective clients, and they are super-simple to set up and cost you nothing but a bit of time. You can also hold a virtual event anytime you w ant to bring your clients and customers together.

10. Life Events Weddings, baby show ers, major moves, book contracts, big speaking gigs, TV spots, or any other major event warrants an acknow ledgment. A nice card or personal note, or even a quick phone call, w ill make you memorable for sure. Alicia M. Forest, MBA, 6-Figure Business Breakthrough Mentor, teaches self-employed professionals how to attract more clients, create profit-making products and services, make more sales, and ult imately live the life they desire and deserve. For FREE tips on how to create w ild abundance in your business, visit http://www.ClientAbundance.com

ALICIA M FOREST, MBA


Featured Author Ginger Marks

2010 Weird & Wacky Holiday Marketing Guide This second edition calendar of marketing ideas is fast becoming the hottest marketing tool for business owners both online and offline.

“I just glanced at the content and WOW what a phenomenal marketing tool. Love the info presented, and because I am a Small Business Developmental Specialist, I see potential sharing this info with other small business owners throughout my community. It’s a treasure chest of marketing ideas. I love it. It is laid out so well and for me, a person who is also thinking of doing something different, I find the book a most excellent resource guide. -Sandra Lynch The One Page Business Plan Consultant, bookkeeper and tax preparer Available in three formats: Kindle, PDF and MobiPocket, for your convenience. www.HolidayMarketingGuide.com eBook $ 19.97

Feb 2010 | 31

Never plagiarize. If y ou are reporting from a source, paraphrase and be sure to include

the bibliography/footnote at the bottom. If you want to add a photo, be sure there is no

copy right. Go to I stock or any one of those companies where y ou can purchase a photo

and not worry about any copyright infringes. Be original. You have y our own style that

should shine through. Speak in y our own v oice. Never try to imitate an author you lov e

because it won’t be real to the reader. Be authentic; dare to be different!

If y ou are writing about how to create the best clam chowder in New England, then

don’t put the ingredients in the middle of the body. Capech? The paragraphs should

transition smoothly and make sense. Think of a story map. Every book has a beginning,

middle, and ending. Make sure your ideas flow and move in correct sequence.



Quitting Time

My job is done. I hope you can use some of the ideas I

listed to help y ou create y our own article. These are only

suggestions that have worked for me, and y ou will find

your own method for putting it together. But there are in-

gredients y ou can never leave out or skimp on if y our arti-

cle is to be published. Here’s the list to keep in mind:

All articles have to have a Heading, Introduction, Body,

and Conclusion and list y our resources.

A Resource Box is optional. This is where you can provide

links to more information y our audience would find useful

or link to y our website, etc.

All articles should be original work.

Check grammar, spelling, format.

Hope this helped you., Good luck!

“Those who write clearly

have readers;

those who write

obscurely have commentators.”

~ Albert Camus.

Luanne Stevenson is the managing editor and writer for pandoraspantry.com and the writer, edi-

tor and moderator for Divine Moms, a blog for mothers raising children with disabilities.

Advertising Options

Our Women Business Owners (WBO) 501(c)(3) organization currently works with more than 41 ,000 women entrepreneurs worldwide. We also work with y outh, y oung adults, and seniors.Our v isitor s are from ev ery walk of life and fr om all ov er the world.

The people we are reaching are primarily women from 18-78 y ears of age, are in-terested in owning a business, currently own a business, are affiliated with non-

pr ofit organizations, corporations, and are in a position of power for local or na-

tional decision making.

Current Advertising Opportunities: http://www.womenbizowners.org/adrate

Feb 2010 | 33

Anna Campbell with My Business Journals

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Solutions

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Cindy Clark with Cindy Clark Business Coaching

Services www.CindyClarkBizCoaching.com

Diane Tegarden with Firewalker Publications

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Ginger Marks with DocUmeant Designs

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Kristine Sheehan with TheMerryBird.com

Laura Wheeler with Firelight Web Studio

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We are honored to introduce our esteemed Premier Members, Volunteers and Staff Members.

Luanne Stevenson with Writers 1 Stop

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Lisa Wald-Guarino with Lisa's Art & Horses

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Michelle Suman with JamSum Limited

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Patricia Boes with Memories in Pastel

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Patricia Garrison with Gifts N’ More

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Sherry Lynn Simoes with Creative Concepts

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Stacey Virgo with ShagoUSA

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Tracy Collins with Collins Administrative

Services

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Wendy VanHatten with Vanhatten Writing

Services www.vanhattenwritingservices.com


Join Us Next Month…

Thank y ou for allowing us to be apart of the journey you are on with y our business. This i s an amazing jour -ney with ups and downs. Remember that we are here to help you l ear n about all areas of y our business and we are cheering y ou on for success! We l ook forwar d to w orking with each and every one of you over the next year to buil d your business. Having a gr oup that believes in y ou and supports you i s an opportunity that y ou can share with friends and family. Sharing infor mation i s an amazi ng fr eedom and we are thankful to share this fr eedom with you. We believe in y ou and we believe in y our success!

Join us online: Women Business Owners http://www.womenbizowners.org

Become a WBO Member Today!

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This membership is for our ladies who are focused on their primary business and are looking for educational support, networking opportunities, promotional advantages, and real time business success. Memberships starting at only $10 a month or $100 for a whole year! Premier Level I Membership: Thi s member ship i s for our l adies who are focused on products or services they are selling. $1 0 monthly . Benefits:

- N ew Members announced in W BO Magazine - Compli mentary i nvitation to attend all of our W BO pr oduced classes, w ork shops and teleseminar s - Receive Monthly W BO Magazi ne - Di scounted adverti sing r ates for W BO Magazine and W BO Website - N ew Members Welcome E-Book - Annual Member Directory with your single business listing - Li sted in online Business Directory - Authors Cor ner - Access to entire or ganizati on w ebsite

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Benefits:

Includes Level I Benefits - One (1 ) Seat on Panel of Experts - Invited to speak at a mi ni mum of two (2) w bo pr oduced teleseminar s, receive complimentary recor ding for your busi ness marketing use. - Half (1 /2) Page ad i n each i ssue of the W BO Magazine for length of active member ship - W BO National Conference attendee di scount and ability to regi ster early

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Benefits:

- Includes Lev el I & II Benefits - One (1 ) Seat on N ational Advi sory Boar d - Private Level III bi -annual retr eats - Full Page ad i n each issue of the W BO Magazine for length of active member ship - W BO National Conference speaker invitati on

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WBO Magazine February 2010 Issue