wbo magazine march 2010 issue

COMPUTER FILE MANAGEMENT TIPS

Mar $3.99U SD

SUB SCRIBE

TODAY!

ORGANIZATION

PROVIDING

EMPOWERMENT

EDUCATION AND

ENRICHMENT FOR

WOMEN BUSINESS

LEADERS

THROUGHOUT THE

WORLD

Soar to New Heights in Your Business with a

Strategic Plan of Action

www.womenbizowners.org

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

Wendy VanHatten, Copy Editor

Ginger Marks, Production Coordinator

Delaine Ulmer, Art Editor

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

Tunisia Jones, Sponsor Coordinator

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

All rights r eserved.

Mar 2010 | 3

must read Ask Yak 30 Cambridge Beer Festival…in May 14

Computer File Management Tips 16 Free Financial Ed Comes to Houston 13 Soar to New Heights in Your Business with a

Strategic Plan of Action g Turning on Your Money Taps 20

every issue About WBO 38 Authors Corner 12

New WBO Members 7 Presidents Message 4 Quote of the Month 18

Welcome from our WBO Magazine Staff 10 WBO Staff & Volunteer Members 37

WBO Member of the Month 25 WBO Volunteer of the Month 23


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

March for me, means w e are one month closer to Spring, my favorite

season. Here in Connecticut w e may still get snow but it doesn’t last as long,

the days are getting longer and the temperature is rising.

Did you review your goals during February? Do you know w here you are?

Setting monthly goals, rather than long-term goals, means reaching goals

sooner, feeling a sense of accomplishment and that you are one step

closer to your long-term goals.

Our March issue is chock full of business tips: How to create a strategic plan of action and soar to new heights; computer f ile management t ips; and money t ips. Last month, w e introduced a

new benefit to our members: mailing (in the US mail, not email) a t ip sheet created by another

member to each our members. This has been w ell received and w e will continue to provide this

service, for all of members, no matter w hat level you join us on. If you w ould like to provide a

tips sheet, please email me for information on w hat needs to be included: cindy@w omenbizow ners.org. If you did not receive your tips sheet, please let me know .

If you haven’t taken advantage of your membership benefits, I encourage you to do so. You

will f ind them listed on our w ebsite under “Join WBO” as w ell as on the last page of this

magazine. At WBO w e are striving to provide the best experience for our members. Please

watch as new and exciting happenings w ill be revealed over the coming months.

The information on our WBO National Business Conference w ill has been slow in coming out

and I apologize. Many people have been asking for it and patiently w aiting and w e very much

appreciate that. All information, including the conference website and registration forms are

being f inalized and w ill be published very soon, but I can give you the dates and location:

September 30-October 2, 2010 at The Napa Valley Marriott Hotel & Spa, Napa, California –

Save the dates! We are very thrilled and excited about this!

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

cindy@w omenbizow ners.org. I love to hear from you! Until next month…

Fondly,

Cindy Clark

WBO President

“Starting a new month is like receiving a brand new opportunity for

success and adventure in our journey of life and business ownership.” Anna Campbell , Founder of WBO

President’s Message

Ci ndy Clark

Pr esi dent

Mar 2010 | 5

of special note 2010 Annual Charity 31 Feature Author 34

First Quarter Charity 27 Gift Shop 6 Hot Pick Movie of the Month 18

Online Article Library 18 Open Staff Volunteer Positions 24

Volunteers Needed 12 WBO Monthly Tip 23


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 .


Mar 2010 | 7

New WBO Members

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

www.mylifethesequel.com

Join WBO today and connect to other like-minded business owners.


Soar to New Heights in Your Business with a

Strategic Plan of Action by Sherry Lynn Simoes

Soaring…what do you think of when you think of the word soaring?


Mar 2010 | 9

So, how do y ou create a Strategic Plan of Action?

1 – Create a Marketing Plan

2 – Get Organized

3 – Manage Your Time

Creating a Marketing Plan

Working on a marketing plan can be a daunting task. You may need to seek help on this if it is not y our area of exper-tise. Making sure y ou hav e chosen the right methods that will for y ou and a plan to carry them out are key . Your chosen methods should be ones y ou can handle or be able to afford to pay for. Once y ou hav e a plan, I recommend one day per week to spend on y our marketing which includes connecting with y our existing clients.

Getting Organized

Some people are just organized by nature and some hav e to really work on it. It really depends on the extent of help y ou need to determine if y ou need a professional to come in and help y ou get a sy stem set up. There are a ton of resources out there on the internet y ou can read and implement them y our-self or if y ou can afford it have someone in to help. Hav ing an organized working area with sy stems set up helps y ou to be efficient and just plain feel better!

Managing Your Time

Time can fly by so fast and as a business owner y ou need to make sure y ou make the best of the time y ou hav e to work on y our business each day. A simple way to manage y our time is to start by filling out a monthly calendar with the current and ong oing ev ents and appointments y ou have. Then look at the time left. Book in hours y ou will work in y our business and hours y ou will work on y our business. Working in y our busi-ness is the billable time that y ou spend and working on is y our marketing and follow-up. Use color coding - a different color for each aspect and y ou will ea sily be able to plan y our time accordingly . Don’t forget y our marketing day !

When y ou hav e completed these 3 tasks y ou will be organized and ready to w ork efficiently in and on y our bu siness and be-gin y our journey soaring to new heights!

Sherry Lynn Sim oes has a pass ion for supporting entrepreneurs success -fully mark et their bus inesses . She w orks w ith you not for you as she believes that every bus iness owner mus t hav e a hand in their marketing. Her new Action Plan Coaching Program is quickly gaining popularity w ith entrepreneurs worldwide. Vis it her at www .sherrylynnsim oes .com .

SHERRY SIMOES

An eagle, an airplane, a glider, success?

The dictionary definition is “To rise, fly, or glide high and with little apparent effort.”

Soaring to new heights in your business does take effort but with a strategic plan of action it can be achieved with less effort!

Mar 2010 | 9


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, Wendy VanHatten at [email protected] for approval. WBO Magazine reserves the right to modify submitted articles. Each author will be credited by name in publication.

Clark Marks Ulmer VanHatten

Mar 2010 | 11

Women Business Owners National

Organization Celebrates Six

Years of Sharing!

Founded in 2004, Women Business Owners (WBO) organization, a 501(c)3 has been educating, empowering and enriching the lives of women business leaders throughout the world. Now in its sixth year, the WBO has

started 2010 with a bang! Newly elected President, Cindy Clark of Business Coaching by Cindy Clark has announced some exciting changes to begin this year. Members can expect more teleseminars, networking events and an even more informative magazine than ever before. Members are already getting pumped for the Women’s Business Convention to be held in Napa, California this fall.

The WBO started with one woman’s dream to bring women entrepreneurs to the forefront of the business world through education and empowerment. Anna Campbell, owner of My Business Journal founded WBO in 2004 with only a handful of members. Today, WBO has grown to hundreds of successful business owners from all over the globe. The WBO is expecting an even greater number of members to join this year with the addition of many new events and benefits!

Perhaps the most exciting addition to this year’s WBO events schedule is the monthly WBO Business Coffee Clubs, an opportunity for women business owners to come together for an hour a month and enhance their business through networking, business goal creation and achievement. The WBO is currently looking for members to host their own WBO Coffee Clubs in their area, giving women business owners the opportunity to reach out to their neighboring women entrepreneurs.

If y ou’re a woman business owner and would like to find out more about the Women Business Owners Organization, stop by the WBO website: http://www.womenbizowners.org or call 1 - 877 -209-9461.


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

Mar 2010 | 13

Money Week Houston prov ides another year of free financial educational programs to the residents in and around Houston, Texas. This years events will be during April 18-24, 2010.

WHO WE ARE We are Houston’s largest city-wide financial education event. The event is organized each April during National Financial Literacy Month. The April 09 event provided financial education information to more than 160,000 Houston area consumers. Visit our events section for upcoming classes in y our area.

WHAT WE DO We provide financial education seminars throughout Greater Houston. The 2009 ev ent offered 160 FREE financial education seminars to help individuals create household budgets, initiate savings plans, manage debt, and make strategic investment decisions for retirement.

HOW WE WORK We work closely with financial institutions, gov ernment agencies, corporations, colleges & universities, small businesses, and community and faith based organizations to provide consumers with a vast array of financial education topics during our weeklong activities each April.

Learn more about volunteering, teaching, or attending an upcoming Money Week Houston ev ent at moneyweekhouston.org/.

Money Week Houston Launches Free Financial Education Program

Mar 2010 | 13


What am I, a wine drinker, doing here… heading

off to a BEER festival?

Cambridge, England, proudly hosts the oldest

beer festival in the country. Last May it celebrated the 800th anniversary of the University of Cam-

bridge. Beers, Real Ales, Laagered Beers, Keg

Beer, Bitter, Mild, Stout, Porter, Barely Wines,

Golden Ales, Pilsner, Helles, Trappist, Sour

Brown Ale…must I go on?

Deciding to tag along to this

large, really large festival, I’ll take photos of beers. After all,

for blocks around and from across the rugby green, football-

field sized tents beckon ev en

the non -beer drinkers to check out the festiv ities. With a tent of

this size, there must be a good time waiting to happen.

H o sp i t a b l e v ol u n t e e r s

encourage festiv al goer s to come on in, buy a beer glass

Cambridge Beer F

Mar 2010 | 15

and wake up their taste buds. The

“Festival Programme” is more like a sh ort n ov el with 59 pages of beer s, ales,

ads, etc. Wait…they hav e wine glasses, too. Just where would the wine be?

Wooden plank make-shift bars line all

av ailable sides of this gigantic tent sy stem. Stacked behind, kegs of v ary ing

sizes await their turn to be tapped. Remember the program? With ov er 280

beers, ales, and hard ciders listed getting

started is n ot a pr oblem. Deciding where

to start...now that’s the problem.

Tastes are av ailable before y ou fill y our glass. If y ou’re not sure, ask for a couple

of tastes. One beer-drinker’s glass was filled with one dark as molasses, the next

on e light as weak tea. Another one was

as red as crushed strawberries y et had a strong malt smell. Consult y our

pr ogram or y our neighbor…and find a new fav orite or two.

(Continued on page 33)

…in May by Wendy VanHatten Festival

16 | womenbizowners.org 16 | womenbizowners.org

TIP

S Computer File

Management

Rob

in M

atuk

, Dig

ital C

oach

Is your email inbox a mess? I learn a lot

about a person from a glance at their email inbox or f ile management system. I recently w orked

with a client w hose email inbox w as, quite frankly, a

mess. I define ‘mess’ by one or both of the follow-

ing: too many unread messages and/or messages

that are never deleted. If you fall into either of these categories, you are not alone. How ever, failure to

delete your emails or at least create and move them

into folders puts you at risk of missing out on poten-

tial new business. Worse, if you allow your mes-

sages to pile up w ithout review ing them, a lack of response may signal to existing customers that

you've forgotten about them. It is not uncommon to

receive 100 or more emails in your inbox in the

course of a day’s work.


Mar 2010 | 17

Here are tw o simple rules that

can help you manage the high

volume of emails.

RULE #1: Read the email

once and file, flag, delete or

reply.

RULE #2: Delete emails that

do not contain important information

Are you bew ildered about f ile

management? It’s equally

important to keep the f iles on

your computer organized and up-to-date. The goal of

computer f ile management is

to ensure that you can alw ays

f ind w hat you’re looking for,

even years after its creation. What good is all your hard

work if you can't f ind w here

you stored your f ile?

These f ile management tips

will help you keep your f iles

accessible:

1. Organize by file

t y p e s . M a k e

applications easier to f ind by creating a

folder called Program Files on your drive and

keep ing al l your

applications there. For

i n s t a n c e , t h e

executables for Word, P o w e r P o i n t ,

Quic kB oo ks , a nd

WinZip should all

reside in the Program

Files folder.

2. One place for all. Place all documents in

the My Documents

folder and now here

else. Whether it’s a

s p r e a d s h e e t , a

business letter or a P o w e r P o i n t


A Place for Everything &

Everything In Its Place!

One place for all. NOWHERE ELSE!

18 | womenbizowners.org 18 | womenbizowners.org

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

If y ou don 't hav e integrity, y ou hav e nothing. You can 't buy it. You can have

all the money in the world, but if y ou are not a moral and ethical person, y ou

really have n othing. -Henry Krav is

Hubble 3D

Release Date: Mar 19, 2010 Starring: Leonardo DiCapr io

(Narrator)

Genre: Documentary

Official Site: www.imax.com/

hubble/ Rated: G

The IMAX 3D camera, which flew onboard

the Space Shuttle Atlantis, captured

stunning 3D images of the intricate

spacewalks required to service the

telescope during the most recent mission

last May. Shot by the STS-125 astronauts,

this intimate look at the complexities of

repairing the telescope will put IMAX

audiences right there along-side the

spacewalking astronauts. Hubble 3D will

combine this awe-inspiring IMAX footage

with breathtaking up-close imagery of

distant galaxies, the birth of stars and

planets, and more - revealing the cosmos as

never before.

www.vanhattenwritingservices.com

Mar 2010 | 19

presentation, make sure to save it there. This w ill make it easier to locate

your f iles and to run backups.

3. Create folders in My Documents.

Having trouble naming your folders?

Envision your folders as the draw ers of your computer’s f iling cabinet. Use

plain language to name your folders.

Otherw ise, you may be looking at this

list of folders in the future and wonder

what “rtm” or some other invented abbreviation means. Create f ile and

folder names that are meaningful to

you. Keep business and personal

folders separate.

4. Nest folders w ithin folders. Create

other folders w ithin these main folders

as need arises. For instance, a folder called “invoices” might contain folders

called “2007”, and “2008”. A folder

named for a client might include the

f olders “cus tomer data” and

“correspondence”. The goal is to have every f ile in a folder rather than having

a bunch of orphan f iles listed.

5. Follow the file naming conventions.

Do not use spaces in f ile names, keep

f ile names under 27 characters, and use all low er case. So a f ile named for

a client should be “susansmith” rather

(Continued fro m page 17)



Turning on Your Money

Taps by Alicia M Forest, MBA

One of the things I've been working on for several years is cleaning up my money issues. That includes everything from thinking I have to work really hard to make a lot of money, to taking care of old debt, to having a plan for paying down new debt, to plugging even the slightest money leak.

The truth for me is that I tend to not pay attention to my money as much as I should, so inevitably something happens where money MAKES me pay attention. It's not usually a positive experience. ;-)

I've made some big strides in this area, and along the way I discovered that once I started really paying attention to my money, it started showing up a lot more in a lot more positive ways.

Here are 4 tips that have helped me immensely to turn on the flow of money into my business and my life that I know can help you too.

TIP 1. Keep a daily tracking sheet of what comes in...

I learned this direct from my million-dollar mentor Kendall SummerHawk. I track every penny that comes in on one simple sheet each day. When I first started doing this, I had days where I didn't have any


Mar 2010 | 21


Sherry has been volunteering for WBO for just over two years with a few different positions including magazine marketing assistant has just taken on a position on the board as Assistant Marketing Director and also the Panel of Experts Coordinator. She enjoys keeping involved with WBO both to meet and grow relationships with the members and to have the reward of knowing that has a part in helping to grow an organization that has so much to offer Women in Business.

She is also the Networking Expert on the WBO Panel of Experts and is happy to have the chance to help you improve your networking skills and answer any questions you have on networking!

She is a work at home entrepreneur who lives on their 50 acre goat farm with her husband and 15 year old son. As a family business they raise pure bred Boer goats for breeding and showing.

She has a passion for supporting women entrepreneurs market their business and coaches them to implement marketing action plans. She also thoroughly enjoys ideas coaching when someone needs help to fine tune and bring their ideas to life. Sherry prefers to work with her clients, not for them as she believes every entrepreneur needs to have a hand in their marketing efforts and coaches in a manor so that her clients learn the techniques and can implement them on an ongoing basis. Her website is www.sherrylynnsimoes.com.

She is the Author of Networking for Women Made Easy and is working on her 2nd book in the series–Social Networking for Women Made Easy as well as Daily Journal for Success to be launched in 2010.

She looks forward in getting to know each member and is here to help with any questions you have on WBO advertising options. If you would like to connect with Sherry join her WBO Advertising Support Group on the WBO Ning site.

Contact Info e-mail: [email protected] • www.sherrylynnsimoes.com

WBO Volunteer of the Month

Sherry Lynn Simoes

WBO Volunteer of the Month

Sherry Lynn Simoes


Mar 2010 | 23

0

Tip

Tips for Effective Marketing Tips for Effective Marketing

MaterialsMaterials When writing your marketing materials: press releases, articles, ads,

brochures, etc., keep these tips in mind:

Who is your audience?

What are your audience’s needs or problems?

How can your product/service fill that need or solve that problem?

Remember when writing your materials to focus on customer benefits

first and your product or service features second. Keep these tips in

mind and you will stand out from the rest!

This month’s tip pr ov ided by Andrea Okrentowich; Pr ofessional Copywriter and Business consultant [email protected] (860) 417 -8304

WBO

Monthly


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 Coordinator JoAnne Barton [email protected]

Mar 2010 | 25

WBO Member of the Month Fran Brocstein, J.D.

Contact Information:

Law office of Fran Brochstein Holistic Attorney, Counselor at Law & Mediator

8978 Kirby Drive Houston, TX 77054 713-847-6000 office 832-415-0139 fax

www.Family Law4U.com

[email protected]

Read my answers to people's questions at www.lawguru.com or www.avvvo.com

Read my blog at www.txfamilylaw4u.blogspot.com

ran Brocstein found WBO approx. 1-1/2 years ago. She w anted to meet other

women business ow ners and to have fun! After reading their w ebsite, she felt drawn

to join this group. “It seemed like a friendly and fun group. As a divorce law yer, I need to laugh as

often as I can.”

I am an active family law volunteer at Houston Volunteer Law yers Program and the Dispute Resolution Center (DRC) in Houston w here I do free mediations. I am also mentoring 2 new ly licensed family law attorneys.

Lastly, I am helping my mom, dad and step-dad as they age. My step-dad has 2 sons and no daughters. My sister lives in Dallas and comes to tow n regularly to help me. My dad has been living in a personal care home for over 8 years. He has severe dementia. My mom almost died in fall, 2008 after she broke her hip and then her femur w ithin a 3 week period.

I am a 5-year breast cancer survivor. I underw ent 2 surgeries, chemo and radiation. I did not w ork for a year during the treatments. I suffered a pulmonary embolism after my f irst chemo treatment.

In 2010, it is my goal to f inish a project that I've been working on for the past couple of year. I want to do a presentation for engaged couples, hopefully through local churches. I w ant to encourage the couple to really make sure they understand the commitment of marriage and to make sure that the person they are marrying is the right person for so that they never need to hire me!

F

Mar 2010 | 25


money coming in, but within just one month, it's rare if there's even one day that doesn't have some sum attached to it.

TIP 2. Have a purpose for each income stream

I've always done this without really thinking about it, but once I started getting crystal clear about the 'what' and the 'why' for each and every one of my income streams, they turned from trickles to rivers.

TIP 3. Take care of any outstanding money issues

Just yesterday I sat down with files and phone numbers in hand to cancel some memberships I wasn't utilizing, get a refund on an erroneous charge to my bank account, and asked my assistant to send reminders for two overdue invoices. In that day's mail, I received checks totally almost $3000. See, money likes being paid attention to.

TIP 4. Find and plug those money leaks

In every business, there are places where money is leaking out. It could be the webmaster who charges by the hour and takes too long to complete a tas k. It cou ld be a m onth ly subscription that you either don't utilize at all or that you aren't clear on its return on investment to be sure it's actually a good one to make. It could be paying monthly for a service you use all year in your business, and that



Mar 2010 | 27

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 Assistant Marketing Director

Sherry Lynn Simoes sherry @womenbizowners.org

Author Corner Leader

Kathy Allen

[email protected]

Mar 2010 | 29

you could save 10% on if you chose the annual payment plan instead.

When you start to pay attention to your money, it will immediately open up the flow of it into your business and your life.

Which one of these tips are you going to start doing today?

Alicia M Forest, MBA, 6-Figure Business Breakthrough Mentor, t e a c h e s s e l f - e m p l o y e d professionals how to attract more clients, create profit-making products and services, make more sales, and ultimately live the life they desire and deserve. For FREE tips on how to create wild abundance in your b u s i n e s s , v i s i t h t t p : / /www.ClientAbundance.com

(Continued from page 26)

ALICIA M FOREST, MBA

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

than “Susan Smith”. If you break any of these rules, be consistent about it.

6. Be specific. Give f iles logical, specif ic

names and include dates in f ile names if

possible. The goal w hen naming f iles is to

be able to tell w hat the f ile is about w ithout having to open it and review . So if the

document is a letter to a customer

reminding him that payment is overdue, call

it “overdue091207” rather than “letter”. This

allow s you to know to w hom the letter w as written w ithout opening it.

7. File as you go. The best time to f ile a

document is w hen you f irst create it. So get

in the habit of using the “Save As” dialogue

box to f ile and name your document. Put it in the right place in the f irst place.

8. Order your files for your convenience. If

there are folders or f iles that you use a lot,

force them to the top of the f ile list by

renaming them w ith a “1” or an “aa” at the beginning of the f ile name.

9. Clear out your files regularly. Sometimes

what’s old is obvious as in the example of

the folder named “invoices” above. If it ’s

not, keep your folders uncluttered by clearing out the old f iles. Do NOT delete




Wendy Okkema with Yak’s Healthy Lifesty les has found a way to reach her clients throughout the world, through the internet. She is able to lead indiv idual and group exercise and wellness

sessions through her webcam! Being a business owner in the 21st century means stay ing current with the tools available. This includes the Internet, computers, webcams, and so much more.

Wendy has chosen 10 recommendations that she feels are necessary to live each day w ith energy and enthusiasm.

1 . Drink plenty of water. Especially in the afternoon. If y ou’re feeling a little sluggish y ou may be somewhat dehy drated. After two or

three glasses of water y ou might just be surprised how much better y ou feel. For an extra boost of energy in the afternoon, try a v egetable cocktail. Most contain approximately 60 calories per glass.

2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar. I per sonally find it difficult to eat breakfast. I do like to hav e an egg with a piece of whole grain toast (which I find v ery filling) and it holds me for the entire morning. Remember, lots of fruits and v eggies in between. If y ou’re too busy in the morning to make y ourself breakfast, put a piece of whole grain toast in the toaster, grab a banana and/or a y ogurt. Then y ou will be good to go.

3. Eat more food that grows on trees and plants. The closer to nature the more v itamins and nutrients y ou will get from y our food.

4. Sit in silence for at lea st 10 m inutes each day and incorporate som e relaxing stretches before or after y our quiet time. You will feel great.

5 . Seep for at lea st 7 hours each night. Good luck with this one if y our sleeping habits are anything like mine. Apparently it is v ery common to hav e difficulty sleeping as we get older.

6. Find y ourself an exercise program that y ou have fun with. Also, when y ou are walking and it (Continued on page 36)

Q&E Ask Yak by Wendy Okkema

Ask Yak is made up of questions from readers and clients. If you have a question that you would like answ ered please e-mail me at [email protected]

Mar 2010 | 31

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

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:


Mar 2010 | 33

Directions were giv en to me…

possibly the only wine drinker…fr om the nice men at the entrance.

They pr obably had a bet that I

couldn’t ev en find the lone wine counter. “ Enter the large tent, take

a left, and g o all the way to the back. The wine guy (y es, just one) will be

on y our left, clear back in the corner

after y ou get to the back.” Word for word…these were the direction s.

Sure enough, there he was with his

two tall slim green bottles almost disappearing among all the hefty

beer kegs. This probably was n ot a g ood time to get picky on ch oices…it

is a beer festival, after all. Imagine

my delight when he asked if I like really dry , crisp white Austrian

wines. One of my all time fav orite

wines, I knew this was the beer festiv al for me. With liquid g old in

my glass, my taste buds were in heav en among the heavy malt and

barley smells.

Need food? Billed a s “the famous cheese counter”, cheeses fr om cow

to g oa t to ew e w er e w ell

represented. Creamy in texture the robust flav or of a local Camembert

paired nicely with the citrus flav ors in my wine glass.

Try the Flower Marie with its pale

pink-tinged rind and soft middle or the g oat cheese coated in ash. And

y es, y ou do eat the rind. The

combination of mild soot followed by a strong goat cheese really

challenges the palette no matter what y ou’re drinking. Pair all these

(Continued fro m page 15) with a chunk of crusty bread, tender rosemary spiced

lamb and sweet grilled peppers. Follow up with sizzling hot, melt-in-y our-mouth, cinnamon sprinkled donut

bites and y ou ju st had a g ourmet meal among the stars.

Complete the ev ening with one more gla ss. The wine

pourer and I were becoming good friends, since I seemed

to be his only customer.

Far too soon it was time to maneuv er our tired, sated bodies back home. It ’s easy to see why this was the 36 th Cambridge Beer Festiv al. I know there will be a 37 th. If y ou go away thirsty or hungry …it’s y our own fault. Ev en for a wine drinker.

W EN DY VAN HATTEN

business related f iles unless you are absolutely certain that you w ill never need the f ile again.

Instead, in your main collection of folders in My

Documents, create a folder called "old" or "inactive"

and move old f iles into it as you come across them.

10. Back up your files regularly. Whether you’re copying your f iles onto a f lash drive, a disk, or an

online storage site, it ’s important to set up and

follow a regular back up regimen. Protect your f iles

from loss due to viruses, hackers, and damage.

Save often but know where you're saving. There is a place for everything and everything in its place.

Robin Matuk founded My Digital Coach to help w omen

reach their true potential by using technology to start a new

venture, grow their business or expedite their personal dreams. She can be reached at [email protected]

or 415-898-5830.



Featured Author LuAnn Stevenson

Luanne Stevenson is the Managing Editor, Moderator and Writer for Divine Moms, at

Pandoraspantry.com Previously, Luanne worked for the Boston Examiner, as a “special-kids-and–special-education” contributor, writing content for the Education and Parenting Section. She owns and operates writers1 stop.com, a fully licensed small business, offering professional writing services.

She is a freelance writer for Ellechor Publishing House and teaches virtual writing workshops on line for Ellechor Publishing House, as well. She has a book project forthcoming. She has been a ghost writer for a children series, and recently helped to develop and edit web content for a site sponsored by Boston University, that will launch in June 2010. She will be a writer for this site owned by Richard Wainwright, a published children author. His site, Like a Drop of Water, is focused on teaching children about global warming. Luanne will be a blogger, editor and contributor to Like a Drop of Water beginning this June.

Originally from Cape Cod, MA, she graduated from Boston College with a BA in education and later earned her MED from Curry College, and received Master Certificates in literacy and special education. She joined CABF, the Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation, in 2004, after her 10 year old son was diagnosed with the disorder that same year.

In 2004, she was recognized and included in Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers, 9th ed.vol.2, honoring our nation’s top 5% of teachers annually. In 2009, she left teaching, after a rewarding 15 year career. You can find more of Lu's writing on her blog; http://essenceoflifechronicles.com

Mar 2010 | 35

New Board Members Arrive in 2010 to the Women Business Owners Organization

The Women Business Owners (WBO) organization announced today the addi-tion of sev eral new board members, complimenting the addition of a new Pr esident and Vice President earlier this month. The Women Business Owners organization has seen continuous success with the continuous gr owth in new membership, an informativ e and anticipated monthly magazine and y early conferences.

WBO was excited to announce the addition of the following women business owners to the board:

Andrea Okrentowich – Grant Writer and Executiv e Assistant with CreativeNonProfitSolu-tions.org JoAnne Barton – Volunteer Organizer with Self-CareEssentials.com Ginger Marks – Magazine Pr oduction Coordinator w ith DocUmeantDesigns.com Sherry Simoes – A ssistant Marketing Director with WomenofTodayinc.ca

Our existing board members that will carry ov er into 2010 are Lisa Guarino with Lisa’s Art & Horses, Patricia Boes with Memories in Pastel, and Tracy Collin s with Fabulous Frugal Web-sites.

We would like to thank Diane Tegarden, Michelle Suman, Kathy Allen and Susanne Mariga for their dedicated serv ice to our board ov er the past few y ears. Their commitment to our organi-zation prov ided our members with a group of women that were eager to share their knowledge and commitment to all women.

The growth of the board is in respon se to the increase in membership ov er the past y ear. Women business owners are finding a place to connect with one another, discuss pressing is-sues, find support and friendship a s well as network and grow their businesses through WBO. It is n o wonder WBO has doubled in membership ov er the past y ear. With the addition of the four new board members, WBO expects to see tremendous growth and new opportunities arise in 2010.

For more information on WBO, or to become a member today , log onto: http://womenbizowners.org/


doesn’t matter where, walk with a spring in y our step and a smile on y our face.

7. Dr eam more while y ou’re awake. Life is too short n ot to.

8. Realize that life is a school and y ou are here to learn. Pr oblems are part of the curriculum that appear and fade away, like algebra.

9. Keep in touch with y our friends and family. They really are worth the effort.

10. Try to make 3 people smile each day . Number 4 will be y ou for doing so.

She is sure there are things on this list that y ou already do. Try to incorporate what y ou’re not doing and see if they can actually make y our day better. She for one plans to make some changes and if y ou do as well, she would lov e to hear about the results.

Website: http://www.yakshealthylifesty les.brav ehost.com

Wendy is a personal trainer/lifesty le coach and author. Her g oal is to help women get off the diet rollercoaster and find their own exercise pr ogram that fits into their own busy lifesty le. Wendy will help y ou implement an exercise program that will put y our exercise equipment to g ood use (n one is necessary though) and will also take into consideration any phy sical injuries or phy sical limitations y ou may hav e.

To work one on one with Wendy in y our home or in her liv e v ideo chat room call 519 484 1120 or e-mail [email protected]


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

Mar 2010 | 37

Anna Campbell with My Business Journals

www.mybusinessjournals.com

Andrea Okrentowich with Creative Nonprofit

Solutions

www.creativenonprofitsolutions.org

Cindy Clark with Cindy Clark Business Coaching

Services www.CindyClarkBizCoaching.com

Diane Tegarden with Firewalker Publications

FirewalkerPublications.com

Donna Crav otta with Virtual Management Concepts, LLC

www.virtualmanagementconceptsllc.com

Delaine Ulmer with Ultimate Design VA

www.UltimateDesignVA.com

Deneen Wilson with The Typing Bug

www.TypingBug.com

Ginger Marks with DocUmeant Designs

DocUmeantDesigns.com

JoAnne Barton with Self Care Essential

http://www.selfcareessentials.com

Jylian Sy with InterPlay Communications

[email protected]

Julie-Marie Christin with Julie-Marie

Julie-Marie.com

Kathy Allen with Accents of Home

Accents ofHome.com

Laura Wheeler with Firelight Web Studio

FirelightWebStudio.com

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

Lisa Wald-Guarino with Lisa's Art & Horses

LisasArt.com

Patricia Boes with Memories in Pastel

MemoriesInPastel.com

Patricia Garrison with Gifts N’ More

ryze.com/go/GiftsNMore

Sherry Lynn Simoes with Creative Concepts

Design www.creativeconceptsonline.net/

Stacey Virgo with ShagoUSA

www.shargo.us

Tracy Collins with Collins Administrative

Services

Collins-Admin.com

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!

WE’RE ON T HE WEB WWW.WOMENBIZOWNERS.ORG

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

Premier Level II Membership: Thi s member ship i s for our l adies who are focused on r eciprocati on for business gr owth and being featur ed speak ers in W BO r elated semi nar s, conventions, and other non-W BO rel ated events. $30 monthly .

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

Premier Level III Membership: Thi s member ship i s for our l adies who are focused on empowering other w omen thr ough health and wealth philoso-phies. $50 monthly.

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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