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7/31/2019 Women With Know How May 2012
1/58
Celebrating
Legal services for people facing difcult family challenges
May 2012
Krusch & SellersAtorneys, P.A.
Say Sito 5 de Mayo!
and
Building YourBusiness
on RelationshipMarketing
Top Stories
Planning for
Retirement as aSmall Business Owner
Exercise YouCan Do AbsolutelyAnywhere
7/31/2019 Women With Know How May 2012
2/58Connect And Grow With Women In Our Community2
Mimi ZelmanPublisher
Dear Readers,May brings many celebrations. It has Cinco de Mayo, Moth-
ers Day, and Memorial Day. Here is some history on Mother
Day. Many o us dont actually know how it began.Mothers Day began: In 1858, when Anna Jarvis, a young Ap-
palachian homemaker, organized Mothers Work Days to im-
prove the sanitation and avert deaths rom disease-bearing
insects and seepage o polluted water.
In 1872, when Boston poet, pacist and womens su-
ragist Julia Ward Howe established a special day
or mothers --and or peace-- not long ater the bloody Franco-
Prussian War. In 1905, when Anna Jarvis died. Her daughter,
also named Anna, decided to memorialize her mothers lie-
long activism, and began a campaign that culminated in 1914
when Congress passed a Mothers Day resolution.
Also lets honor women on Memorial Day!
Beginning with the American Revolution and continuing to
the present, women have always volunteered in deense o
our nation. Many o their contributions have been orgotten
and are not recorded in todays history books
The Womens Memorial at Arlington Cemetery is chang-ing this omission through a massive oral history and research
project. Foundation Ofce o History & Collections collect
ofcial and personal records, oral histories, photographs, and
other memorabilia to help portray womens record o service
and citizenship. Growing collections include a library o nearly
1,000 books by and about military women, photograph and
document archives, personal and military-issue artiacts, mem-
oirs and oral histories. These considerable resources serve as a
leading educational resource on Women in US Military History.
The team at Women With Know wishes all mothers a
wonderul Mothers Day and thanks all the women
serving our country and protecting us. Enjoy thiss months is-
sue and be sure to share it with co-workers, amily and riends!!
Mimi
7/31/2019 Women With Know How May 2012
3/58www.womanwithknowhow.com MAY 2012 3
C o n t e n t sPublisher/President
Mimi L. Zelman
Vice President Marketing
Wendy Whitehurst
Account Executive
Kim Hu
Creative Director
Juliana Lievano
www.JulianaCreativeDesigns.com
Contributing Writers
Terri BennettSabrina Winters
Robyn Crigger
Cover Photography
by Cover Photoghraphy by Benny
Dawkins o New Day Productions
For more advertising inormation
call Mimi at 704-491-1207
or email her at:
Copyright 2012
52
4
30
10Building YourBusiness onRelationship Marketing
14Planning orRetirement as a SmallBusiness Owner
18 Increasing Loyaltyby Enhancing EmployeeBenet Oerings, Not Costs
20FutureEmployment Trends
24Prepare orthe Unexpected!
26Technology Tips -7 Tips or Successul SEO
42Exercise You Can DoAbsolutely Anywhere (Part 1)
46 Top 5 easiestoods to grow at home
48Are Little WhiteLies Really Harmul toYour Business?
On thecoverKrusch& Sellers
Attorneys,P.A.
7/31/2019 Women With Know How May 2012
4/58Connect And Grow With Women In Our Community4
profe
ssionalspotlig
ht
How did you get
started in this business?
Health and Wellness have alwaysbeenconcerns in our amily, like Im
sure they are in most amilies. We
have allergies, physical and mental
stress o type A personalities and
stresses rom the changes that lie
always brings nothing o major
concern, but things that interere with
our amily members perorming at
their best.
When my husband was in a job transi-
tion, it seemed like the perect time to
ocus on a business that could not only
have a positive impact on our amily
heath but also on the health o those
in our community. Massage had been
therapeutic in the past and would cer-
tainly be benecial in the uture.
What is your background
-what were you doing beore
this business?I have enjoyed positions rom man-
aging a Customer Service Dept. and
a Computer Programming Dept. to
Group Lie and Health Insurance Sales
- wonderul experiences and learn-
ing processes. But the love o my lie
has always been music. There has
never been a time in my lie when I
was not involved in music playing,
directing and teaching at churches
and schools. I am still currently the
DonnaPetersonBy Mimi ZelmanOWNER LA VIDA MASSAGE
7/31/2019 Women With Know How May 2012
5/58www.womanwithknowhow.com MAY 2012 5
Director o Music Ministries at Messiah
Lutheran Church in Charlotte.
What is a good early
story about your business?When you jump in with both eet, as
my husband and I did, you expect to
be able to swim. We have so many
wonderul stories o the people who
have helped keep us buoyant. Unex-
pected and wonderul relationships
have ormed in the making o LaVida.
Our very rst receptionist was actu-
ally watching our acility build-out in
anticipation o seeking a position. So
over qualied, we would have never
thought to bring her into the
team, she has become one o our
most valuable assets and a dear, dear
riend. She immediately became in-
volved helping to hang pictures and
introducing us to her dear riend who
has been an incredible marketing
guru. Its incredible to see how
connections are made and how they
lead to so many more connections.
It has been like living in a real-lie
Facebook with the connection pro-
Far from ordinary, yet close to everything.Located in one of Charlottes mostprestigious and historic neighborhoods,
The Duke Mansion offers you
exceptional hospitality with all the
conveniences of a modern hotel. With
our Four Diamond service and the
beauty of our 4.5 acre historic estate,
your stay at The Duke Mansion will be
unlike any other.
with private baths and wireless
delicious continental breakfasts to go
theatre and stores
For Reservations, call 704-714-4400
400 Hermitage Road | Charlotte, North Carolina704.714-4400 or 1-800-202-1009 | www.dukemansion.org
The Duke Mansion, listed on the National Register of Historic Places,is a nonprofit supported by its patrons, donors and neighbors.
Photography: Paul Purser
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6/58Connect And Grow With Women In Our Community6
cess in overdrive. We have been very
ortunate to have such a collection o
wonderul riends in our sta, in our
clients and in our business relation-
ships. By accident, I was sending
pictures and news o upcoming am-
ily trips to jpeterson@_______, in-
tending them to go to my son. Well I
didnt have the email quite right and it
wasnt my son at all, but because
o the alse connection that was
made, a real connection was estab-lished. We email on a airly regular
basis and keep each other inormed
o how our amilies are doing,
exchanging pictures intentionally.
And because o that unexpected
relationship, I have been more open
to possibility thinking. Guess who
my Google rep is! J Peterson! No, not
the same one as the other J Peterson
who is not my son, but we also have
shared un amily stories and it does
make work so much easier.
What is unusual or unique
about your business, in
comparison to your competitors
or similar businesses?Although our treatments are therapeu-
tic, you wont eel like youre coming
into a clinic when you enter LaVida
Massage o Foxcrot/Southpark or
LaVida Massage o Toringdon Circle/
Ballantyne. Step across the threshold
into a totally relaxing environment
the sights, the sounds, the smells, the
touch, the taste all designed to begin
the process o total relaxation which is
to take place in the massage session.
Our therapists are the nest, chosen
because o their knowledge, their
skill and their passion or healing the
body. At LaVida, it is our goal to pro-
vide relie rom muscle pain, improvedcirculation, increased exibility and all
the other benets o massage. But it
is also our goal to educate our clients
in ways that they can improve their
conditions at home, through exercise
or stretches or avoidance o misuse.
Education is really a big deal with us, somuch so, that we want our clients to
be the people who want to learn how
to help themselves. Its the old adage
o Give a man a sh and hell eat or a
day but teach a man to sh and hell
eat or a lietime. We want to take care
o you but we also want to give you
the wisdom to manage certain aspects
o your health on your own.
Is there a customer experience
you are most proud o?Yes, absolutely! A woman brought
her ather in, an older veteran, seek-
ing any relie possible or his ongoing
7/31/2019 Women With Know How May 2012
7/58www.womanwithknowhow.com MAY 2012 7
2nd Annual Power Walk to benefit Dress for Success
Charlotte Saturday, May 12, 2012 at Freedom Park
Check in at 8:00 am with a Warm Up with Nettie Reeves
Walk at 9 am
Register online
www.dfspowerwalk.org
A 5k Family Friendly event Walkers, Walk
Teams and Sponsors needed!
pain. He was stooped, shufed with a
cane, and was visibly uncomortable
with head down. He needed help
getting on the massage table and
was unable to lay on his ront or back
only on his side. One o our miracle
working therapists was able to work
with this man on a regular basis or
several months gradually working
out the muscle tension and knots,
improving his circulation, decreas-
ing his chronic pain and providing anincredible boost in his emotional and
physical wellbeing and his sel-
esteem as he transitioned rom barely
mobile to walking around the block
with head held high. One o the piec-
es o art in our Toringdon oce shows
a man breaking ree rom a stone into
a dance. That is similar to the transor-
mation that took place with this man.
It takes my breath away.
Do you do any charity
or non prot work?We do. We are privileged to be in-
volved with several charity organiza-tions as they provide events to raise
money. As massage therapists, we are
able to take our portable massage
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8/58Connect And Grow With Women In Our Community8
chairs to events, indoors and out-
doors, and provide ree chair massage
to the participants o the events.
We were at the inaugural Stiletto Sprint
or Ovarian Cancer Research in South-
park and returned or the 2nd Annual
Stiletto Sprint in April. We provide mas-
sage to golers who are in tournaments
raising money or the Lupus Foundation,
UMAR a oundation which provides
assistance and housing to adult dis-abled members o our society, and other
similar organizations. We have provided
services or the Charlotte Mecklenburg
Police Thin Blue Line Ride, Kinder Mourn,
the KristenFoundation or Missing Adults,
the Crohns and Colitis Foundation, Susan
G Komen Breast Cancer Research, and
several other non-prots.
Our sta requested the opportunity to
provide healing touch to the women in
the Battered Womens Shelter. Its when
your work is so appreciated that you
eel like youre getting so much more
than youre giving. Each o the events
we participate in allows us to better
understand the world around us and tocontribute, i only in a small way, to the
betterment o our world.
Who are some o your
most notable clients?We cant name any names but we
certainly do have people rom all walks
o lie. Movie and Television Stars, Physical
Laborers, Proessional and College Ath-
letes, Nurses, Politicians, Teachers, Doc-
tors, Retirees, Lawyers, Disabled Veterans,
Psychologists and Counselors, Ministers,
People like You and Me. We have clients
with names you would recognize and
clients with names you wouldnt recog-
nize, but once they come through our
doors, they are all notable.
What is an interesting
story about a client
interaction you had?Its not very oten you have a business
like ours where the client response
is so emotional, so heart-elt and so
passionate. You can tell by the way
conversation goes prior to the
massage which are the persons who
really need that session. And to see
the change in posture, the change in
attitude, the smile that was not there
beore it makes our work so reward-
ing. Although I dont have stories or
each o these, I believe we have saved
projects, jobs, relationships and may-
be even lives. You can see words ogratitude rom our clients in the
books we keep at the ront desk.
What are some o your greatest
challenges in your business?Live and learn is awully time con-
7/31/2019 Women With Know How May 2012
9/58www.womanwithknowhow.com MAY 2012 9
suming. As a new business, I cant
really aord to buy all the inormation
thats out there, so making proession-
al contacts with people who will
share their expertise is key. Since its
pretty much all new, the learning
curve has been a long one. Knowing
when to seek help and discerning
whose advice will actually help also
takes some eort.
What would you most likethe reader to know aboutyour journey in business?It has been incredible! Like the rst
time I ew a plane or the rst (only)
time I bungee jumped or the rst
time I walked on the ocean oor or
the rst time I (you know what I want
to say but Im not going to). All o
those experiences take you some-
where youve never been nor even
dreamed o experiencing because
you cant imagine it. Its like that. You
never know what the next day will
hold, what you will learn, who you will
meet, because you cant even imag-
ine something so wonderul. And
moving through this journey with my
husband and my daughter makes it ajourney o a lietime!
Donna Peterson/ La Vida [email protected]
CLICKONADTOVIEWO
URVIDEO
http://www.kaiskookies.com/7/31/2019 Women With Know How May 2012
10/58Connect And Grow With Women In Our Community10
by Terri Bennett
m
arketi
ng
Building Your Businesson Relaionship Markeing
W
hen growing a busi-
ness it takes a lot o
time and dedication
to commit to yourdream. A business cannot grow nor
sustain without clients or customers
who like, love and know about your
product. Thereore, building a business
based on relationships is key to the
survival these days with all o the social
media and the premise that it is based
on RELATIONSHIPS. As a business
owner Relationship Marketing mustbe a part o your marketing strategy in
order to maintain customer retention.
Relationship Marketing is the organi-
zational commitment to developing
and enhancing long-term mutually
benecial relationships with prot-
able or potentially protable custom-ers. As in the past businesses were
determining the value o their cus-
tomers based on their most recent
transaction or purchase. This transac-
tion could be one time or it could be
multiple times but the relationship
was not cultivated and the exchange
was the ocus. Today, it has become
more important or companies to
ocus their eorts on building long-term relationships that are mutually
benecial and potentially protable
or protable customers. The primary
goal or creating customer relation-
ships is to increase your customer
loyalty and retention. It is a long-term
thinking process that should be un-
derstood and not limited.
As statistics show:
A company could lose up to 50% of
its customers over a ve year period.
Just a small increase in customer
retention rates can have a proound
impact on a businesss bottom line.
It costs 6-7 times more to recruit or
obtain a new customer than it does
to retain your existing customers.
It has been stated that to dierenti-
ate yoursel rom the crowd there are
three major things: (1) your core busi-
by Elysha Brooks
7/31/2019 Women With Know How May 2012
11/58www.womanwithknowhow.com MAY 2012 11
ness model, (2) price, (3) your total
relationship and customer experi-
ence. These three things are unique to
you and you have to know what that
looks like or you and your business.
As the business environment and
the competition gets more competi-
tive, the importance becomes how
strong is your relationships with your
customers and what does it require
to maintain that relationship. As I saidrelationships are so important to busi-
nesss bottom line prot.
When you begin to look at relation-
ship marketing there must be a com-
mitted eort on your part that is on-
going and consistent. A relationship
requires authenticity, dedication and
a commitment to getting to know
your customer including their wants,
needs, desires, likes and dislikes to say
the least. It is more about investing
time and energy to cultivating a long
lasting relationship that will create
brand loyalty and satisaction.
We all seek to establish a businesscommunity with loyal customers,
brand awareness and prot. This re-
quires a long-term plan and the prop-
er investment to build a strong brand
that potential clients can recognize
and keep aithul to.
As you grow your business based
on relationships, it is important that
(1) your customers understand the
benets that you oer; (2) the advan-
tages o working with you and (3) the
construction o building brand loyalty
program. Loyalty is the ultimate goal
o relationship marketing and can be
comparable to inuence o satisac-
tion o customers who are not only
loyal, but also would not mind posi-
tive word-o-mouth advertising.
With deepened relationships and
greater eorts o retention custom-
ers will stay with the company longer
and creates an opportunity or a better
basis o providing quality and value.
Begin, i you are not implementing
relationship marketing into your mar-
keting strategy because with how
social media is the new normal, you
are missing out on a great deal o
business. Stay tuned to next months
article on ROI o Social Media.
About Elyshia Brooks-CarrElyshia Brooks International, Inc. and KreativeGroup, Inc. is a consulting, coaching and trainingcompany that works with heart-elt, consciousentrepreneurs and service-based [email protected] / 800.511.5410www.ElyshiaBrooks.comwww.KreativeGroupInc.com
7/31/2019 Women With Know How May 2012
12/58
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Hours: Thursday & Friday: 10:00am - 5:00pm Saturday & Sunday: 1:00-5:00pm
Venue rentals and guided tours are available every day by appointment.
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nan
ce
Planning or Reiremenas a Small Business Owner
I
youre a small business owner,
protecting yoursel and your
business goes beyond secur-
ing proper insurance agree-ments and building an emergency
nancial cushion it also means
ensuring that your savings will sustain
you throughout retirement.
Most o those anticipating retirement
have savings plans sponsored by their
company, and though you are likely
expecting to retire at some point, theprocess may be more complex in the
absence o such a plan. You must
determine how to keep your income
owing ater retirement or how to
capitalize by selling your business and
creating a nest egg.
Its never too early to begin planningor retirement and there are several
things you can do as a small business
owner to prepare. Make saving a prior-
ity. As other nancial goals arise, saving
or retirement may get overlooked. Its
tempting to re-invest a large portion
o your prot into your business, but
you may regret not socking away more
savings or your personal nancial se-
curity especially i retirement comesalong aster than you expected. I you
dont have an established retirement
savings plan, consider contributing to
an IRA or other qualied investment
plan. Its less tempting to pull money
rom accounts that are earmarked or a
specic goal.
Develop a succession plan. Its im-portant to think about the uture o
the business that youve put so many
resources into. Research the legal
procedures or transerring ownership
(to a amily member or employee) and
document in writing who you intend
to take over your business ater youve
retired. There may be tax ramicationswhen you sell or transer your business,
so be aware o these so you can pre-
pare or the nancial impact.
Prepare to sell. I you intend to sell your
business, be realistic about its value.
Its dicult to consider accepting less
by Diane Davis
7/31/2019 Women With Know How May 2012
15/58www.womanwithknowhow.com MAY 2012 15
than you believe its worth, but i you
retire in a down market or sooner
than youd planned, you may need
to compromise on an oer. Keep in
mind that selling your business may
be emotional. Having knowledge
about the process beore you con-
sider oers may make it less stressul
and ensure the decisions you make
are nancially sound.
Retirement can be especially conus-ing and complicated or small business
owners, so consider working with a
proessional nancial advisor who can
help you balance your business needs
with your personal ones. Everyone has
dierent priorities and values, but it is
up to each individual to prepare or her
own retirement. The earlier you begin
planning, the easier it will be to ulll
your long-term nancial goals and
avoid dicult trade-os.
Diane S. Davis, CFP, CLUCERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERAmeriprise Financial5200 Park Rd, Ste 117, Charlotte, NC [email protected]/diane.s.davis704.522.6565
Our expertise ismanaging change
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insura
ncean
dnan
ce
T
odays small business
owner aces a number ochallenges including a
slow economic recovery
and volatile investment markets. In ad-
dition to those, according to MetLies
9th Annual Study o Employee Benet
Trends, many may also be acing em-
ployee retention issues as employee
loyalty has signicantly declined in the
last few years. Only 44% of employeesreported a strong sense o loyalty to
their current employer a sharp con-
trast from 2008 where 62% of those
surveyed elt a great sense o loyalty.
Though small businesses may be ac-
ing some hurdles, todays environment
may present opportunities or employ-ers to help retain and recruit employ-
ees by improving benet oerings
while maintaining the line on costs.
Voluntary BeneftsThough benets such as medical, pre-
scription drugs, dental, lie, disability,
and vision coverage, are considered bymany employees important to have,
about one-third o small business do
not oer one or all o these. Among
employees, however, interest is still very
strong. The study shows that approxi-
mately hal o employees nd it impor-
tant to have benets like lie, dental, and
disability insurance available to them
through the workplace even i theyhave to pay all o the cost themselves.
Thereore, voluntary benets are an-
other option or small business em-
ployers seeking a cost-eective way to
increase their benets oerings while
improving employee retention. When
aced with a choice o either paying orsome benets or losing them entirely,
many employees indicated that they
would choose to pay or them.
Retirement SolutionsFor individuals today, saving or retire-
Increasing Loyaly byEnhancing EmployeeBene Oferings, No Coss
by Andrea J. Buschur
7/31/2019 Women With Know How May 2012
19/58www.womanwithknowhow.com MAY 2012 19
ment has become a daunting task. It
is sae to say that a majority o indi-
viduals today eel that they have not
saved enough or retirement, and the
anemic economic recovery has not
assuaged those ears and concerns.
One way small businesses may be
able to help employees with their
retirement savings goals is to oer
educational programs. 75% of small
business employees (those who work
or employers with ewer than 500
workers) who report taking time o to
deal with, or spend more time at work
thinking about personal nancial is-
sues than they think they should, said
they would be interested in receiving
advice and guidance through their
employer. Employers are somewhatreluctant to do so, understandable
giving these challenging times. But
there are clearly some productivity
and loyalty implications or an em-
ployers decision not to address the -
nancial worries o employees. Overall,
many nancial advice and guidance
programs and tools can be imple-
mented with minimal cost and eort.
OpportunitiesTo the small business owner, the
question o whether or not to oer
employee benets is more a question
o how to spend more eectively versus
spending more. Many employee ben-
et solutions can be implemented by a
small business owner at a minimal cost,
and the rewards can be quite substan-
tial as these benets oster a sense o
loyalty among employees. Company
loyalty, in turn, may lead to a more posi-
tive work environment, a place where
employees eel they have a network o
support and greater job satisaction.
Thereore, to help prevent small busi-
nesses suer employee productivity
losses rom losing talented sta or rom
having dissatised employees, they
should be encouraged to work with
their brokers to ensure that their ben-
ets program is meeting the needs o
employees and that the benet oer-
ings remain relevant and competitive.
A well-designed, cost-eective benets
program can help small business em-
ployers attract, retain, reward and moti-
vate those who make the business run
eectively and eciently.
Andrea J. BuschurFinancial Services Representative,Investment Adviser RepresentativeRegistered Representative. MetLie4410 Mint Hill Village Lane,Suite 201, Mint Hill, NC 28227Direct: 704-248-9620 Fax: 704-248-9621
email: [email protected]
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20/58Connect And Grow With Women In Our Community20
business
M
any employees in past
generations worked
or one company/
organization or theirentire working lietime. In more recent
years many Baby Boomers worked or
one company or 10-20 years, but then
transitioned into another position or
career. The younger and current gener-
ations o employees are changing their
employers an average o 4 times in their
work lives. So what other changes are
in the uture o employment?
As children o the Baby Boomers saw
their parents downsized, many be-
came disheartened or disillusioned
about the lack o loyalty rom em-
ployers. O course, what was hard or
many to understand was that most o
these employers regretted having todownsize, but only did it to keep their
businesses alive. Still, the impact on
the younger generation occurred.
The economy has also caused other
changes to employment practices
as well. As businesses activities de-
creased, a large number o employers
have chosen to outsource some as-
pects o their work, which could causemore to lose their employee status.
However, many employers just turned
around and hired that person as a
consultant. O course, that means the
consultant no longer receives health
benets, a steady paycheck, etc.
For some people, their desires to work
rom home is not only important or pre-
erred, but is being accomplished. Em-
ployers are establishing more positions
with exible hours and arrangements.
Though these people may not be go-
ing into the oce every day, they may
nd themselves working longer hours
via email, skype, etc. Plus working rom
home can also include more interrup-tions than in a business oce setting.
When working rom home, one might
eel that they are always at work.
In a recent survey o 20s, and 30-year
olds, many have indicated that these
Fuure Employmen Trends
by Robyn Crigger
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21/58www.womanwithknowhow.com MAY 2012 21
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22/5822
people expect to change jobs about
every 18-24 months. Many also dont
want to be tied to a job in an oce andplan to seek more project-type work.
However, all o these people value
growth opportunities and want to
continue learning new skills and talents.
Another priority or this group is having
more ree time to be with amily.
How will employers manage this chang-
ing workorce? With our changing anddiverse workorce, as the aging leader-
ship retires and younger decision makers
step up, we will probably see even more
changes. One big challenge currently is
or employers to make immediate eorts
at retaining their best employees. As
indicated in the previous paragraph, all
employees today seek to receive moretraining and development opportunities.
A survey o the Social Media noted that
over 53% of working employees are cur-
rently seeking new job opportunities. As
these people leave, who will employers
be let with? Could it be their mediocre
and low achieving employees?
Future Employment TrendsThe Baby Boomer employees will
gradually leave the workorce, and
this is beginning to happen but will
take about two more years to see the
bulk exiting. This will leave a void in
many companies, who havent been
providing ongoing skill and leadership
development. Many companies havent
even begun selecting their uture lead-ership successors. This lack o strategic
planning could hurt those companies/
organizations, who keep putting this o.
Continuing actors that will impact
the employment trend includes the
economy and changes in technol-
ogy and energy. The idea or a shorter
work week has been discussed oryears, but the time may be coming to
help with energy consumption to have
a 4-day work week (with longer days).
The energy industry is changing, too,
so there are lots o unknowns: i.e. Tech-
nology is always changing.
The question is how many employersare taking steps to research and plan
or this changing business world, and
how many are actually putting ideas
into action? It is important to be
investigating possible ideas/options
and coming up with a possible plan.
Change is inevitable. Other transi-
tions will be coming. How many o
our employers are being proactive?
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spiritu
alforcast
I
have mentioned beore and
will continue on the theme that
there is much change aoot. I
encourage you to allow yourselto really examine your eelings and
then intentionally move rom ear to
love. Love heals everything!
As I pulled the cards or the month o
May my sense is that there will be many
events happening around the globe
that may seem or eel rightening andother events that will warm your heart.
Please know that everything that we
are experiencing is clearing the way or
a beautiul and peaceul world. That in-
cludes things you may be clearing and
changing on a personal level.
Each month I pull three divination cards
and share their meaning with you. Myintention when I pull these cards is that
they will have a loving and peaceul
message or each person that reads this
article. This months cards are rom Do-
reen Virtues Archangel Michael deck be-
cause it is time to call in the movers and
shakers. KNOW that each one o you
does have a voice and that our Creator
hears your voice and knows your heart.
The First Card is Be
Gentle With YourselOne o the happenings that I have
noticed in every part o my world is
that people all around me are opening
up to their own intuition and spiritual
sensitivity. It is very important that you
honor this in yoursel and an excellentway to do that is to allow this git o
awakening to happen gently and at a
pace that you are comortable with.
As you look at your lie and world
begin to ask yoursel how each item,
event or person makes you eel?
What about your diet, sleep patterns
and especially how to talk to yoursel?Are each o the things in your lie and
world bringing you joy and love? I
not, what can you do to change that?
The Second Card is
Shield Yoursel
Prepare or he Unexpeced!
by Rev. Marcie Williams-Browning
7/31/2019 Women With Know How May 2012
25/58www.womanwithknowhow.com MAY 2012 25
It looks like the theme o sensitivity
and awakening is continued. This
card asks you to use wise judgment in
your dealings with others and in thecircumstances that you expose your-
sel to. This includes television, ood,
drink, conversations with others and
any other stimuli.
The second part is to ask or divine
protection in all o your dealings with
others and any where you may go that
may not eel sae or protected. This isnot exclusive to danger and is more in-
clusive o your emotional, mental and
spiritual awareness and awakening.
The Third Card is Pay
Attention to your DreamsOne o the ew times that you are
ully relaxed and not using your con-scious mind is when you sleep. This
is the perect time or your spiritual
guidance to communicate with you
and one o the ways they do that is
through your dreams.
I you do not keep a dream journal by
your bedside, now would be a great
time to start that practice. Because
your dreams generally only stay in the
conscious mind or a short time ater
waking, jotting down your dreams
right away helps you to recall them
later when you have more time to
process them.
Final Thoughts and MessagesIn the midst o all o the changes hap-
pening around us, this month says to
ocus on your own journey and spiritu-al evolution. It is time to increase your
own awareness o your intuition and to
act on the messages that you receive.
In the process o awakening intuitive-
ly, you can eel vulnerable and unpro-
tected. The message this month re-
minds you to ask or divine protection
and accept it when it is given. You
are the master creator o your lie and
destiny. The most divine creations
also include your spiritual guidance as
your co-creator. That guidance is only
a thought or prayer away. Yours with
much love and joy.
The Spiritual CoachChrysalis Hypnosis Center5200 Park Road, Suite 111, Charlotte, NC 28209704-631-9540 Voice Mail803-493-0332 Cellhttp://the-spiritual-coach.inowww.MindBodySpiritBiz.com
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te
chnolo
gy
I
am thrilled to be able to bring
some Technology Tips to you rom
MiSyte.com. We strive to make
sure our clients are able to under-stand and get the most out o technol-
ogy. We are going to start with inorma-
tion about SEO and how to make it work
or you. For questions or uture tips youd
like us to write about, please email me
at [email protected]. I want to thank
Jacquie Gonzalez, CDMC/PIM, and SEO
Specialist MiSyte.com or putting these
tips together or this month.
S.E.O... As a business owner, you may
have heard those three little letters as
you delve into the vast world o digi-
tal marketing. SEO, or Search Engine
Optimization, is basically taking the
necessary steps to ensure that your
website is visible to the search engineslike Google, Bing, Yahoo, Ask, and AOL.
The ultimate goal is to be at the top o
those rankings, and in most circum-
stances, with the right cultivation local
businesses can actually accomplish
that goal.
In the month o February, Google made
over 40 changes to their algorithms (as
they normally do to keep the playing
eld air or all). One o those changesinvolved making searches by subject
and city more relevant to local busi-
nesses. The majority o people search
terms using the subject and the city
name. Google knows that. But did
you? Here are some tips and services
that can get your SEO in order and help
you garner more market share in your
local area. Ater all, with most o thepopulation using laptops, tablets, and
mobile devices to search businesses,
being at the top o your local searches
should be a priority.
1. SEO is about doing the right thingsconsistently over time. Trying to get to
the top o a search engine overnight isan unrealistic goal. It can take weeks
and months-- even when you are do-
ing all the right things. So, the rst tip
is being consistent. When you plant a
crop, you dont dig it up ater a couple
o weeks and plant it somewhere else
Technology Tips -7 Tips or Successul SEO
by Jamie Gilleland
7/31/2019 Women With Know How May 2012
27/58www.womanwithknowhow.com MAY 2012 27
just because you do not see plants
above the soil. You water it. You er-
tilize it, All the while; germination istaking place underneath that soil.
Giving it your best consistent eorts
will eventually reap a ne crop! So, be
consistent, and dont expect immedi-
ate results rom an SEO campaign.
2.Make sure your website is well- op-
timized. This basically means that youneed to get your website visible in the
eyes o the search engines. Search
engine bots will crawl your site con-
tent looking or keywords, themes, and
inbound links, not only in the visible
content, but also in areas that we do notsee, such as those techy areas like title
tags and ALT image attributes. A well-
structured SEO campaign should include
optimization o your current website.
3. Blog oten. Consider adding a blogto your website or at least creating one
and linking it to your website. Blogrequently, at least weekly, using as
much compelling, keyword-rich con-
tent as possible throughout the blog
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article. Blogs are easily and quickly
picked up by the search engines, and by
blogging, you are creating the oppor-
tunity to build more organic in-bound
links to your website over time. What
does THAT mean? Basically, people
love to read and share interesting blog
articles, and as they share and post your
blogs, they are creating inbound links to
your website rom other websites.
4.This brings us to In-Bound Linking.Build your Inbound Links GRADUALLY
over time. Building links too ast can get
you kicked o a search engine, as search
engines pick up on suspicious behavior.
I your site has not had any inbound
links or months or years, and all o a
sudden, you add 20 in one month that
might be suspicious! Rather, building
links to your website rom other more
popular websites is more o a relation-
ship building thing.
Contact the webmasters o various busi-
ness aliations, civic organizations, tradeassociations or organizations, and busi-
ness partner companies that you belong
to or work with, and gradually have them
add a link rom their site to yours (and
reciprocate). Over time, building strong
link partners helps your rankings. Con-
sider it popularity by association.
5. Get going on your social mediamarketing! Your business doesnt have
a business acebook an page? Well, it
should. Use social media as a platorm
to get people talking about your busi-
ness in a positive way.
Social media is not a sales platorm, but
rather an opportunity to get your busi-ness in someones personal conversation.
Social media is also a great place to oer
loyal customer incentives and giveaways.
What does this have to do with your SEO
eorts? A lot. Search engines weigh
heavily on your social media presence
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these days. Get your business linked in
to social media or better rankings!
6. Make sure your domain name ornames contain keywords. Remem-
ber: a keyword is not just one word.
A keyword can consist o up to 5
words and 50 characters in a domain
without being considered suspicious.
Your keywords should consist o your
main prot centers and your main
cities. It should consist o the exactwords that you think people would
type into Google to nd your type o
business. For example, i you own an
HVAC company in Neverland, USA,
your domain should be
www.hvaccompaniesneverland.com.
7. Submission is a big part o SEO.Your proessional SEO consultant
should get you listed with several
directories, such as the open directory
project, DMOZ.org. Human submis-
sion o your website to directories and
to search engines consistently will help
you rank higher over time.
These are just some o the strategies
you should be employing in a well-
planned SEO campaign. Beware that
there are many companies that prom-
ise a certain level o results with your
SEO campaign, and those companies
are usually using black hat techniques
that could get you black-listed rom
the search engines. Good SEO comes
rom doing the right things consistent-
ly, and the results will come in time.
Jamie GillelandMisyte.com President/[email protected] - 843-263-5478Toll Free - 855 Misyte1 (647-9831) ext. 1
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30/5830
This months article is a little dierent than
our usual eatured one. I wanted to ocus
on the 3 emales at Krusch and Sellers or
a ew reasons. The biggest reason is or
our readers who may be going through a
dicult time, either by a dicult divorce
or child custody; this article will help
make them aware that women need to
protect themselves legally. Also Claire
Krusch the practice client advocate is a
remarkable woman who does so much
help homeless children in our city!
7/31/2019 Women With Know How May 2012
31/58www.womanwithknowhow.com MAY 2012
Krusch& Sellers
Atorneys, P.A.Featuring Claire Krusch Client Advocate,
Leigh Ballenger Sellers Attorney, & Re-becca Kathleen Watts Attorney
By Mimi Zelman
7/31/2019 Women With Know How May 2012
32/58Connect And Grow With Women In Our Community32
A little background on the rmKrusch & Sellers, P.A., is committed to pro-
viding experienced, knowledgeable, and
compassionate legal services or people
acing dicult amily challenges. Based
in Charlotte, North Carolina. They oer a
ull-service amily law practice or clients
throughout the Charlotte metro area.
Some o the amily law matters han-
dled include divorce, collaborative
divorce, child custody and visitation,child support, prenuptial agreements,
legal separations, property distribu-
tion and stepparent adoption.
Claire Krusch Client AdvocateClaire serves as a liaison between you
and your attorney.
The client advocate is
a support service that
is available to you.
She is not an attorney
and thereore cannot
answer any legal questions It has been
an honor or me to know Claire!
Her heart is so huge and she is mak-
ing such a dierence helping homeless
children!Claire is also a MecklenburgTimes 50 Most Inuential Women honor-
ee by the Mecklenburg Times 2011-2012.
How did you get
started in the business?In 2000, the law rm o Alan R. Krusch,
C
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Attorney at Law, became a reality. Alan
Krusch, the senior and ounding part-
ner o Krusch & Sellers, P.A., Attorneys
at Family Law, is not only a colleague,
by also my spouse of almost 36 years.
In the rms inancy, I played a minor
role o assisting the sta with client
support and meeting with vendors.
The vision or expansion o not only
oce space, but or additional amily
law attorneys and support sta cameto ruition a ew years later. Thus, my
role as the rms ull-time Director o
Marketing, Human Resources and Cli-
ent Advocacy was established.
What is your background and
what were you doing beore this?
Without even realizing it, my prior em-ployment opportunities prepared me or
where I am today. Ive worked or two
major airlines; headed two non-prots;
worked in public relations at a small col-
lege and also at a 450-bed hospital.
Later, I was promoted to the position as
patient advocate at the same hospital.
Do you do any charityor non-prot work?As a law rm, we give back to our
community by delivering Friendship
Trays to homebound individuals
on at least a monthly basis. Our law
rm ounded and hosted the rst an-
nual Sharing With Shoes event and
shoe drive in 2010. The Sharing With
Shoes event, which is invitation only,
helps collect new shoes or young
homeless students currently attend-
ing Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools.
We partner with the local non-prot
organization A Childs Place, who then
distributes the new sneakers to the
over 4,711 homeless children living in
our community.
Our organization is now called Queen
City Soles, and the annual event will
continue to be known as SharingWith Shoes. This year, our goal is col-
lect over 500 pairs o new sneakers
or Charlottes homeless children, and
help ease the impact that homeless-
ness has on this vulnerable and inno-
cent portion o our community.
33
7/31/2019 Women With Know How May 2012
34/58Connect And Grow With Women In Our Community34
What are some o the greatest
challenges in your business?Our job is to help you get through
one o the most dicult and chal-
lenging periods o your lie. A mar-
riage is ending or has come to an end.
Helping a client ease some o the pain
is tough. Even though I am not an
attorney, it is my mission to give sup-
port and to provide a sense o calm
when someone walks through our
oce door.
What would you like
the reader to know about
your journey in business?I continue to enrich my lie with learn-
ing as much as I can.
I you could stand up and de-end anything, what would it be?I believe it is my calling to put new
sneakers on homeless childrens pre-
cious eet in our town. Imagine what
it must be like not to have the basic
necessities to simply go to school
every day while lacking basic human
essentials, like having warm clothesand shoes. Thats why my work with
Queen City Soles is such a large part
o my heart and soul.
Leigh Ballanger Sellers AttorneyLeigh Ballenger Sellers has been a
student o divorce
her entire lie. She
experienced di-
vorce as a child and
later watched as high
school riends en-
dured their parents divorces.
As an adult, Leigh listened to her adult
riends and some close amily mem-
bers as they went through separa-
tions and divorces. She understandshow the process o separation and
divorce can consume and eat away
at the lives o the participants. She
also knows that the decisions made
by parents during their divorce have
a tremendous eect on the children,
and can shape their relationships with
their parents or the rest o their lie.
Leigh is a trained Mediator who is
certied by the North Carolina Bar.
She also joined the Mecklenburg Col-
laborative Law Practice Group in 2003.
She makes it a point to work with
you to determine the best method o
resolving the specic issues that are
relevant to your personal situation, inaddition to assisting you resolve the
matter in a manner that works or you
Why did you choose to
become an attorney?I argued a lot. I loved history and poli-
7/31/2019 Women With Know How May 2012
35/58www.womanwithknowhow.com MAY 2012
tics and being a lawyer seemed to com-
bine my interests and my strengths.
What is your background
-what were you doing
beore this proession?I grew up in South Carolina, and
started practicing law right ater law
school. Since I went straight rom col-
lege to law school, I didnt really have
another proession other than tend-
ing bar and waiting tables. But I wasortunate enough to travel extensively
while in college.
What is a good early story
about your practice?I was a member o the sta attorneys
oce o the SC Supreme Court right
ater law school. I joined a rm whenthat job ended originally to handle
appellate matters. The amily law at-
torney there let a post it note on his
chair one night that said I quit. Since
I was the newest hire and had the
least to do, I inherited a le cabinet
ull o cases and a amily law practice.
That is how I got started.
What are some interesting sta-
tistics about your business?We dont keep statistics in this busi-
ness. Every marriage is unique which
makes every divorce or separation
unique. As similar as general issues
are, it is the details that make each
case dierent rom all o the others.
What is unusual or
unique about your practice, in
comparison to your competitors
or similar businesses?Our rm is strictly a amily law rm.
We are about the people, not just
their cases, and we try to stay in touch
with them throughout illness, deaths
in their amily, a work crisis and any-thing else that aects them during
an already stressul period o time. I
am proud that we take the time to
engage with our clients about some-
thing other than their case. Also, we
try to be a resource or whatever they
may need during this time and we
keep an extensive list o counselors,tax experts, realtors, and nancial ad-
visors or our clients.
Is there a client experience you
are most proud o?Most clients are happy to be done
with attorneys when their case is com-
pleted. So I am always pleased when
someone take the time to send a note
or ollow up with me about something
positive in their lives post-divorce.
Do you do any
charity or nonprot work?I stay active in my church community
35
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at Sardis Presbyterian through vari-
ous committees and with the PTSO
boards o my childrens middle and
high school. I am a ormer member o
the Junior League o Charlotte. I nd
working through other organizations
is a great way to connect to commu-
nity needs in a variety o areas ranging
rom eeding and clothing the home-
less to tutoring and gathering sup-
plies or local schools in need.
What are some o your greatest
challenges in your business?Our clients are always in pain and
scared no matter their circumstances.
Educating people about the legal pro-
cedures and processes during such
an emotional time is always a chal-
lenge. What seems air to our clientsis not always represented in the law
concerning divorce or what we can
achieve within the law.
What would you most
like the reader to know
about your journey in business?There is great satisaction in operating
your own business and it is worth theeort that you put into building your
own rm where you can put your per-
sonal philosophy and stamp on the
way things are handled. Considering
how much time we all spend working,
which is a very positive thing.
I you could stand up
and deend anything,
what would it be?Funding or our Family Court systemin North Carolina. This is being cut
rom the proposed budget and unless
we can have this reversed beore the
Budget is approved and nal, all liti-
gants in amily court districts, includ-
ing Mecklenburg and Union counties
will ace diculties in having their
case resolved in a timely and orga-nized ashion. It will denitely impact
my clients. For more inormation,
click: http://www.justiceinitiatives.org/
courtactsheets.php
Rebecca Kathleen Watts AttorneyRebecca Kathleen
Watts wanted to bea lawyer beore she
even knew what it
really meant to be
a lawyer. With only
the knowledge she had gleaned rom
watching television shows and mov-
ies about lawyers, Rebecca entered
law school without an idea o what
type o law she wanted to practice.In her second year o law school Re-
becca took her rst amily law course,
and rom that moment orward she
knew that amily law was the area
o practice she wanted to ocus on.
Since she began practicing, Rebecca
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has made a commitment to high stan-
dards, and in that pursuit she was certied
as a Family Law Specialist in 2005 and as a
Family Financial Mediator in 2007.
Why did you choose
to become an attorney?I do not remember making the choice
to become an attorney; it is just some-
thing that I always knew I was going to
do. When I went to law school, I did not
know in which area o the law I was go-ing to practice, but I gravitated toward
the amily law classes and so practicing
amily law sort o chose me.
What is your background-
what were you doing
beore this proession?
Ater I graduated rom College in 1992, Itook a 3 year break rom school to move
to Texas with my husband who was in
the military at that time and I worked
as a substitute high school teacher until
we moved to North Carolina in 1995 or
me to attend law school. I graduated
rom law school on 1998 and have been
practicing since that time.
What is a good early s
tory about your practice?I remember one conversation on the
phone with an older, much more ex-
perienced attorney who I had not met
ace-to-ace beore. It happened that
I knew something about the acts o
the case that he did not know and the
position I presented to him about the
case was inormed in part by the acts
that I knew that he did not know. He
listened to my oer and said he would
talk with his client. Well, it got back to
me through my client that this attorney
had gone to his client and talked about
how I did not know what I was doing
and that I was a green, young, woman
attorney or thinking that things weregoing to go a certain way and that ater
he told his client how wrong I was, his
client disclosed the acts to him that he
did not know and the attorney then had
to admit that I was correct.
That attorney was very polite and re-
spectul to me rom that point on even
though I never disclosed to him that I
had heard what he told his client about
me. That was when I learned that other
attorneys, especially male attorneys who
had been in practice or a long time,
might tend to underestimate me due to
my age and gender.
What is unusual or uniqueabout your practice, in
comparison to your competitors
or similar businesses?I am a very hands-on attorney. Many
attorneys will delegate day-to-day ac-
tivities to junior attorneys or paralegals
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and then will jump in or the big
things like trials or depositions. I pre-
er to keep a smaller caseload so that I
have the time to be involved with my
clients throughout the case and not
just or the big events.
I am also very involved with the pro-
ession at the State level. I was elect-
ed to serve a three year term on the
North Carolina Bar Associations Fam-
ily Law Section Council where I alsoserve as the Chair o the Domestic
Violence Committee. I am a requent
speaker at continuing legal education
seminars and I write reviews o Ap-
pellate Court decisions or the Family
Law Sections newsletter.
Is there a client experience
you are most proud o?I have been involved in one clients
case or 10 years now. It is a custody
case and early on it was apparent that
the ather had been abusive toward
the children, although he denied it.
Mother had limited income and was
not able to pay my regular hourly rateor working on her case, but I believed
so strongly in her case that I agreed to
represent her pro bono. Through a lot
o time and attention and advocacy in
the courtroom, we were able to dem-
onstrate to the court that ather had
abused the children and that it was
best or them to not have any contact
with him unless he sought help or his
abusive tendencies.
Every 2 years or so, ather would at-
tempt through the court to reinstate
visitation with the children, but we
were able to keep that rom happen-
ing. These children have grown up to
be healthy, happy children who have
done well in school and I am proudthat I was able to help mother deend
athers motions so that the children
would have the opportunity to grow
up without his abuse.
Do you do any charity
or nonprot work?
For several years, I worked with VictimAssistance in Mecklenburg County to
represent women in court when they
were trying to obtain domestic vio-
lence protective orders against abu-
sive spouses or boyriends.
What are some o your greatest
challenges in your business?
Early on, it was dicult or me to betaken seriously as a young woman
who was new to practice. Now the
greatest challenge is balancing my
work lie with my home lie so that
I make sure that I get to spend time
with my husband and my son.
39
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What would you most
like the reader to know about
your journey in business?I have learned that it is OK to practiceamily law without being a complete
jerk. A lot o attorneys who practice in
this area will approach this as a war, but
over the years I have realized that when
I take that approach, I eel bad about
mysel and it does nothing or my cli-
ents. You catch more ies with honey
than you do with vinegar may be aclich, but that does not mean it is not
true. I can be an advocate or my client
and get them good results while also
being true to mysel.
I you could stand up and deend
anything, what would it be?Children. Children do not have a choice
in their parents break-up and so oten
the parents will get so caught up in what
they want or how angry they are at their
spouse, that they lose sight o what is
best or the children or how the divorce is
aecting the children. In any case I have
where children are involved; I work hard
to remind everyone that the children are
what really matter and that we need toapproach the case with that in mind.
Ofce Location Krusch & Sellers, P.A.5950 Fairview Rd., Suite 808, Charlotte, NC 28210Toll-free: 866-267-6809/ Local: 704-315-2452Fax: 704-553-7824
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health
I
always have clients asking me i
they really have to do their ull
45 minute workout to get the
best results. They hear peoplesay that doing little things through-
out the day is just as good. My answer
disappoints, as I have to honestly
reply - or best results, you need to do
your ull workout all at one time. See,
getting the heart rate up and keeping
it up, or raising and dropping it such
as in interval training over a period o
time is going to give them the bestat burning results. However, muscle
conditioning gets a little more leeway.
So, Ive developed a series o muscle
conditioning exercises that can be
done practically anywhere, anytime.
Remember that beore a strength
training program, it is vital to warmup, in order to prevent injury and get
the body ready or weight bearing
loads. However, this Travel Pack rou-
tine can be done without any warm-
ing up, due to the lack o load on the
participating muscles.
Muscles need to contract in order to
become tight. The more practice they
get contracting, the tighter they be-
come. So, why not practice contractingdierent muscles all day long? Good
question. Its super easy to contract
and release your major muscle groups,
and the best part is, you dont need a
single thread o equipment. First start
with the glutes, because who doesnt
need tighter buns? This one can be
done sitting or standing, but is proba-
bly best to reserve or those times youdont have a spying audience.
Glutes: When sitting on any surace,
simply tighten both cheeks, hold or
one second and release. Repeat as
many times as you are able. You will
notice a rising and alling o your
torso as you do this, which makes itmore obvious than kegels. This is a
good one to do at stop lights, watch-
ing TV, or in your cube or oce at
work. You can do this multiple times
daily, it just takes seconds, and you
will see results quicker than you think!
Exercise You Can DoAbsoluely Anywhere (Par 1)
by Sunny Ayala
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43/58www.womanwithknowhow.com MAY 2012 43
Legs: While sitting with your eet at
on the oor, simply squeeze your legs
as tightly as you can - contracting the
top part o your leg (quadriceps) and
the back part o your leg (hamstrings).
You will notice a little a little move-
ment, but could still be something
you could do in a doctors oce chair.
Do as many tightening/releasing
repetitions as you can beore they
atigue. Rest and repeat. This will tone
up the tops o your legs and again,you can do this anytime.
Hips and Inner Thighs: Ater your
glute and leg exercises, stay sitting
and put one hand on the outside
o each knee, as i youre trying to
sandwich your legs together with
your hands. Then push your hands
together while you try to pull your
legs away rom each other. This works
to strengthen the outer part o your
legs (saddle bags). There are not re-
ally repetitions; so much as a constant
tension you are trying to create withyour knees and your hands.
Licensed in NC & SC
704-556-0707(Located in Southpark) kruschlaw.com
5950 Fairview Road, Suite 808 Charlotte, North Carolina 28210
(licensed in NC/SC)
N.C. Bar Certified Specialist
Certified Superior Court Mediator
Mediation Certified Financial Mediator Post-Separation Support
C A N I S U R V I V ED I V O R C E ?
A B S O L U T E L Y !
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Then, move your hands to the inside o
your knees as i you were pushing your
legs apart with your hands, but resist
it by trying to push your legs together.
This works the inner thigh. Again, you
are not really tightening and releasing
as much as keeping a good tension
going. You can do it until you cant
hold it any longer. Rest and repeat.
Calves: This one you can do sitting or
standing. Simple cal raises are a greatway to tighten up the lower legs! I
youre standing, all you have to do
is move up onto your toes as i you
were reaching or something almost
out o reach above your head. Come
back down to at eet, and repeat. Try
it while youre brushing your teeth.
Caution: you may not eel like they
are working while youre doing these,
but your calves will be the loudest
screamer o all the lower body mus-
cles a couple days later ater this one.
I you are sitting, just do the same
movement, by raising your knees up
and squeezing your cal muscles and
dropping back down again. Some-
times I do this while sitting reading. I
people are around, you can just raise
them and hold the squeeze - it makes
it less noticeable and still gives them a
nice conditioning.
Next time youre in the grocery store
line, waiting in your vehicle or car pool,
sitting in the doctors oce wonder-ing why they tell you to be there teen
minutes early when they are thirty ve
minutes late, you can whip out your little
list and make up or lost time. Be watch-
ing in the next issue or Exercise You Can
Do Absolutely Anywhere (Part 2) where
we will learn some similar things to do
or your upper body - including abs!
When Im standing in line at Harris
Teeter buying my organic peanut but-
ter and see a woman in line squeez-
ing her glutes, I will smile and know
that I am not alone, and someone out
there is joining me!
Sunny AyalaOwner o Fitness Instruction Today8041 Corporate Center Drive Suite 100Charlotte, North Carolina [email protected]: (704) 763-5662
44 Connect And Grow With Women In Our Community
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goinggre
en by Terri Bennett
W
ant to join the grow-
your-own ood move-
ment but just dont
know where to start?Dont ear. Spring is here and its the
perect time to start growing deli-
cious oods right where you live. Why
not begin with oods that are nearly
ail-proo? Here are my top 5 oods
to grow at home whether you have a
lot o space or just a sunny window.
A spot with six hours or more o sun-
light is all you need to Do Your Part orresher oods.
1) Tomatoes
Did you know that tomatoes are the
most popular piece o produce to grow
at home? Besides being delicious, to-
matoes are airly simple to grow. There
are thousands o varieties to chooserom. You can grow tomatoes in con-
tainers, raised garden bed, upside
down, or in a traditional garden.
2) Herbs
Talk about instant gratication! Herbs
are ast growing so you can experience
their avors in no time. Herbs such as
parsley, mint, basil, chives, and more
can be grown in a sunny windowindoors. They also thrive outdoors in
containers and are attractive when
mixed with potted owers.
3) Lettuce
Lettuce will get you the biggest bang
or your buck plus its super simple to
grow. Think about it. I you spend a
couple bucks to plant lettuce, youllmake that money back the rst time
you make a salad rom your garden.
Lettuce is a cool season crop and
needs just six inches o soil to grow.
4) Strawberries
Strawberries are the perect ruit to
grow at home and will return yearater year without a whole lot o work.
Just remember a ew things with
strawberries. They need regular wa-
tering and resh ertilizer every ew
weeks. Strawberries grow best in the
spring or late all.
Top 5 easies oods o grow a home
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4) Peas & Beans
There are many options when it comes
to peas and beans. Think green beans,
snow peas, sugar peas, wax beans, and
so many more. Peas are a cool season
crop and most bean varieties are warm
season crops but both grow on vines.
This makes them perect or a small
space because you can train them to
grow up a trellis, stakes and string, or a
ence. There are many reasons to grow
oods at home. Youll know exactly what
went into growing them and youll be
saving money - all at the same time. But
best o all are the tasty rewards enjoyed
with amily and riends.
Terri BennettA veteran TV meteorologist, eco-expert and authoro Do Your Part: A practical guide or everydaygreen living available at DoYourPart.com.Send questions to [email protected]
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48/58Connect And Grow With Women In Our Community48
C
ristina
sCorn
er
by H. Cristina Cassidy
M
ost o us have prob-
ably told a little white
lie or two rom time
to time. The phrasewhite lies reers to those lies we tell
that are not intended to be evil. Some
dictionaries reer to them as benign
alsehoods. They all into the category
o harmless. But are they really? Lets
take a look at how a little white lie
could turn into a big ugly one in a
matter o minutes.
Suppose you have a business lun-
cheon to attend, but really dont eel
like going. When a colleague who is
expecting you to be there calls, you
cough a bit dramatically and say, Oh,
Im so sorry! I seem to have come
down with a cold. Im going to have to
raincheck. Later you post on Facebookthat you had a great time having co-
ee with a riend...at the same time the
luncheon was taking place. Oops!
Or you tell a client that a project is
arther along than it actually is. Theres
no problem until you discover that a
particular material you need to com-
plete the project is not available. You
have already told the client that youare beyond that point in the process.
You either have to make up a new
white lie to cover the one youre al-
ready told, or ace your client with the
truth. The hot water youve gotten
yoursel into is getting hotter!
Maybe you havent been 100 percentaccurate in determining the deduc-
tions you should be taking or, say,
your home oce. You udge a little
about some o the items youve pur-
chased to decorate it. Out o the blue
you get a notice rom the IRS saying
that you are going to be audited. That
little white lie just got very expensive!
These are just a ew examples o how
white lies can get you into trouble.
Not only do you end up embarrassed
i you happen to get caught in your
lie, but rst and oremost, you also
are being untrue to yoursel. Truth be
Are Litle Whie Lies ReallyHarmul o Your Business?
7/31/2019 Women With Know How May 2012
49/58
If you or a loved one needs help
or you want to help save lives,
contact us today at 704.705.1850
or visit www.lls.org/nc
Photoby
NigelParry/CPi
Dessa G.non-Hodgkinlymphoma survivor
Since 1949, the survival rate for many blood
cancer patients has tripled. In some cases
quadrupled. Whats one more survivor?
Beautiful.
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told, a business that isnt established
on honesty, trust, and your good
name, may not last very long.
I you nd yoursel slipping into the
habit o this sel-deeating behavior,
start thinking o way