As you consider holiday gifts for everyone on your list this year, consider, too, purchasing those gifts from other Women-Owned Businesses. There are so many benefits that can come from supporting fellow female entrepreneurs:
1. We Build Each Other Up - it's easy to look at someone else's successful business with envy. But the laws of the universe will reward those that throw away the envy and support others embarking on the same journey.
2. Networking Works - Purchasing gifts from female business owners opens the door for entrepreneurs to talk with each other, share ideas and potentially create a partnership for the future.
Below is just one example of a Women Business Owner who was able to create an event that promotes Female Entrepreneurs.
HOLIDAY SHOPPING IDEAS FROM WOMEN BUSINESS OWNERS
A Hillsborough business owner and maker of soy candles has organized a holiday-shopping event featuring products from 40 crafters, artists and retailers, all women owners of home-based businesses. The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 16 at the Days Inn, 1260 Route 22 East in Bridgewater.
Lisa Johnson, owner of Candlelicious, makes and sells soy candles and candle accessories. She created the event to showcase the products of women-owned business, especially those who donate a portion of their profits to to nonprofit organizations.
“What has intrigued me the most about the women I have met is many of them donate a portion of their proceeds to various organizations. So, not only are these women … selling at craft shows to make some extra money for their households, they are also thinking of those less fortunate,” Johnson said.
The holiday-shopping event will feature the work of crafters who donate some of their profits to a tribe in Thailand to help educate the children, Autism research and awareness and educational funds for children of underdeveloped countries. The event will also feature the work of an artist who is deaf and legally blind, who has partnered with a friend to create a clothing line featuring various sign-language symbols.
“It is a good time of the year for people to come out and support home businesses owned by women of their own communities. There are so many wonderful items that will be available, such as homemade candy, jam, jewelry, personalized gifts, clothing, home and holiday décor, just to name a few,” Johnson said.
Breakfast and lunch are available at the event.
* from the Courier News website www.c-n.com
Monday, December 11, 2006
$5,000 For Top Recipe!
I consider myself a pretty great cook and baker and one out-of-the-ordinary business idea I've been pondering and researching is Recipe Contests.
There is a contingent of very astute cooks who, as a hobby, enter recipe contests. Many of them are repeat winners. The prizes vary from cash prizes, to trips to products and services.
For those who have a knack for what's hot in the food world, entering recipe contests could prove to provide a nice side income. (Of course, you have to win, but that's just a technicality!)
The deadline for the Athens Phyllo Cup Recipe Contest is December 29, 2007. The Grand Prize is $5,000.
Give it a try, there's nothing to lose and you just might create a great recipe that your family will love for years to come.
Just click the Title Link of this post to learn more about the Athens Contest.
There is a contingent of very astute cooks who, as a hobby, enter recipe contests. Many of them are repeat winners. The prizes vary from cash prizes, to trips to products and services.
For those who have a knack for what's hot in the food world, entering recipe contests could prove to provide a nice side income. (Of course, you have to win, but that's just a technicality!)
The deadline for the Athens Phyllo Cup Recipe Contest is December 29, 2007. The Grand Prize is $5,000.
Give it a try, there's nothing to lose and you just might create a great recipe that your family will love for years to come.
Just click the Title Link of this post to learn more about the Athens Contest.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
What Is It That You Think About Everyday?
It's Holiday Shopping time and I've been going crazy searching for one of those "hard to find" items for my six year old daughter. She would love to have a digital camera to call her very own. So I began searching high and low, then decided on this Fisher-Price Kid-Tough Digital Camera. It's pink, has a LCD viewer on the back, perfect!
Only to find out that it's one of the hottest toys out there this season. Impossible to find and if you did want to buy it, you'd have to spend double the retail price to get it from ebay or another retailer.
But, as I searched the internet for the camera, I discovered a blog dedicated JUST to Digital Cameras For Kids. The author had compiled information on many of the digital cameras geared toward kids and put the information all in one place, along with Adsense and Amazon links.
"Now how come I didn't think of that!", I thought!
All the research I had done and I could have found a way to monetize that research in a small way.
So, as you go about your daily business of living life, think about what you think about! If you are thinking about a particular subject, product, process, etc. chances are there are many others who are thinking about that same exact thing.
Chronicle your information on a blog or simple web page. Create a small report to sell to internet searchers. Attach an affiliate product or Google Adsense to the information and you may just find a few extra cents (or dollars) in your bank account.
Only to find out that it's one of the hottest toys out there this season. Impossible to find and if you did want to buy it, you'd have to spend double the retail price to get it from ebay or another retailer.
But, as I searched the internet for the camera, I discovered a blog dedicated JUST to Digital Cameras For Kids. The author had compiled information on many of the digital cameras geared toward kids and put the information all in one place, along with Adsense and Amazon links.
"Now how come I didn't think of that!", I thought!
All the research I had done and I could have found a way to monetize that research in a small way.
So, as you go about your daily business of living life, think about what you think about! If you are thinking about a particular subject, product, process, etc. chances are there are many others who are thinking about that same exact thing.
Chronicle your information on a blog or simple web page. Create a small report to sell to internet searchers. Attach an affiliate product or Google Adsense to the information and you may just find a few extra cents (or dollars) in your bank account.
Friday, December 01, 2006
Smart Money Special Series On Women Business Owners
Kudos to Smart Money Magazine. They have just started a new series all about Women-Owned Businesses.
And though they may be focused on what we might consider "high power" women, it is motivational as all get-out to learn about other women who have gone down this road.
I do believe Anyone, let me say it again, Anyone can be a successful business owner.
Check out the Smart Money Series and let me know what you think. Click on the Title of the Post to go to Smart Money.
And though they may be focused on what we might consider "high power" women, it is motivational as all get-out to learn about other women who have gone down this road.
I do believe Anyone, let me say it again, Anyone can be a successful business owner.
Check out the Smart Money Series and let me know what you think. Click on the Title of the Post to go to Smart Money.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Women Owned Businesses: A Driving Force In The Economy
When I read articles like this one, my mind automatically goes to businesses that employ hundreds of people and sell millions of dollars in products and services each year.
The fact is that any one who is earning an income without being employed by someone else is a Business Owner, so if you are making a few hundred dollars each month selling your crafts at craft shows or by freelance writing, Congratulations! You are part of this "Driving Force In The Economy".
It's something to be really proud of.
*************************************
Women-Owned Firms Are Driving Force In Economy
Roger W. Schmenner, associate dean of the Kelley School of Business Indianapolis, wrote (My View, Nov. 6) that small and mid-sized businesses are "a driving force" in today's economy. I'd like to add that women-owned businesses are the leaders of that driving force. According to the Center for Women's Business Research, based on U.S. Census data, women-owned businesses account for an estimated 51.7 percent of all privately held firms in Indiana.
Of that amount, women own the majority share in an estimated 60.4 percent. Nationally, in 2006, for the past two decades, majority women-owned firms have grown at nearly twice the rate of all firms. Between 1997 and 2006 the number increased from 5.4 to 7.7 million.
Many of these women business owners receive guidance and training from one of the many women's business centers. Indiana has two: Women's Enterprise in Fort Wayne and the Central Indiana Women's Business Center, a program of the Neighborhood Self-Employment Initiative, in Indianapolis. At CIWBC, we provide training, counseling, micro loans, mentoring, and other resources and assist more than 1,500 small business owners and operators.
Of those seeking to start or grow businesses, 73 percent are women and 69 percent are African Americans. The CIWBC is one of 124 women's business centers in the country, funded in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration. For more information, please contact CIWBC at (317) 917-3266 or online at nsibiz.org.
Sharon O'Donoghue
Director, Central Indiana
Women's Business Center
Indianapolis
Copyright 2006 IndyStar.com. All rights reserved
The fact is that any one who is earning an income without being employed by someone else is a Business Owner, so if you are making a few hundred dollars each month selling your crafts at craft shows or by freelance writing, Congratulations! You are part of this "Driving Force In The Economy".
It's something to be really proud of.
*************************************
Women-Owned Firms Are Driving Force In Economy
Roger W. Schmenner, associate dean of the Kelley School of Business Indianapolis, wrote (My View, Nov. 6) that small and mid-sized businesses are "a driving force" in today's economy. I'd like to add that women-owned businesses are the leaders of that driving force. According to the Center for Women's Business Research, based on U.S. Census data, women-owned businesses account for an estimated 51.7 percent of all privately held firms in Indiana.
Of that amount, women own the majority share in an estimated 60.4 percent. Nationally, in 2006, for the past two decades, majority women-owned firms have grown at nearly twice the rate of all firms. Between 1997 and 2006 the number increased from 5.4 to 7.7 million.
Many of these women business owners receive guidance and training from one of the many women's business centers. Indiana has two: Women's Enterprise in Fort Wayne and the Central Indiana Women's Business Center, a program of the Neighborhood Self-Employment Initiative, in Indianapolis. At CIWBC, we provide training, counseling, micro loans, mentoring, and other resources and assist more than 1,500 small business owners and operators.
Of those seeking to start or grow businesses, 73 percent are women and 69 percent are African Americans. The CIWBC is one of 124 women's business centers in the country, funded in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration. For more information, please contact CIWBC at (317) 917-3266 or online at nsibiz.org.
Sharon O'Donoghue
Director, Central Indiana
Women's Business Center
Indianapolis
Copyright 2006 IndyStar.com. All rights reserved
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Someone Organize My Digital Photos Please!
So I took a bunch of digital photos of my daughters today for the infamous
Christmas Card picture. And as I began to download them, I realized there
were about 500 other photos on the memory card dating back to a vacation
we took in March of 2005.
Then there was a wedding we attended in July, a trip to visit relatives in
August, birthdays in March and July, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving,
the start of the new school year and various impromptu shots in between.
I would love to be able to spend the time organizing each set of shots
into their appropriate "event bucket." But honestly, when I download
my photos, I just grab the ones I need at the time and the others
sit on the memory card.
If you have the knack, the computer and the software to organize
photos, consider providing that service to others for either an hourly
rate or a flat fee based on the total number of photos that you are
organizing.
It's a great way to earn extra income from home and it also provides
an extremely valuable service to time-starved people who in many
cases have more money than time.
Christmas Card picture. And as I began to download them, I realized there
were about 500 other photos on the memory card dating back to a vacation
we took in March of 2005.
Then there was a wedding we attended in July, a trip to visit relatives in
August, birthdays in March and July, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving,
the start of the new school year and various impromptu shots in between.
I would love to be able to spend the time organizing each set of shots
into their appropriate "event bucket." But honestly, when I download
my photos, I just grab the ones I need at the time and the others
sit on the memory card.
If you have the knack, the computer and the software to organize
photos, consider providing that service to others for either an hourly
rate or a flat fee based on the total number of photos that you are
organizing.
It's a great way to earn extra income from home and it also provides
an extremely valuable service to time-starved people who in many
cases have more money than time.
Friday, November 24, 2006
There's Got To Be Others Out There Like Me!
As long as I can remember (at least in my adult life), I've always
known that I wanted my own business, a home based business...
a mom-owned business (that would be me!) What form that would
take, I honestly didn't know.
I've always admired those who woke one morning
with 'THE' idea and those whose business idea bloomed as the owner
took her morning shower.
For me, it just didn't happen that way. I'd known my desire, I
simply didn't know how to take that desire and turn it into a viable,
profit-making business. Taking
action is what I'm good at, but without a plan, a concept, a product,
a creation ... taking action is impossible.
To keep me motivated and on the edge of developing great ideas,
I research like crazy to stay on top of case studies, stories
and successes of other women.
I read (a lot) about how women-owned businesses are developed,
marketed, financed, etc.
I keep my eyes and ears open for great ideas started by women
in other markets who are experiencing success.
Then I began to wonder. How many other women are like me? They
know they want their own business, most likely home-based,
they just haven't identified the idea that is going to get them
there. This is how the idea for this Blog came about.
This is a place where I will chronicle those business ideas,
success stories, and home business tips that I find
motivating and absolutely doable.
And hopefully, in the process, inspire other women to remain
focused on their dream, even if they haven't yet seen the silver lining.
It's there. And waiting to be revealed at just the right moment.
known that I wanted my own business, a home based business...
a mom-owned business (that would be me!) What form that would
take, I honestly didn't know.
I've always admired those who woke one morning
with 'THE' idea and those whose business idea bloomed as the owner
took her morning shower.
For me, it just didn't happen that way. I'd known my desire, I
simply didn't know how to take that desire and turn it into a viable,
profit-making business. Taking
action is what I'm good at, but without a plan, a concept, a product,
a creation ... taking action is impossible.
To keep me motivated and on the edge of developing great ideas,
I research like crazy to stay on top of case studies, stories
and successes of other women.
I read (a lot) about how women-owned businesses are developed,
marketed, financed, etc.
I keep my eyes and ears open for great ideas started by women
in other markets who are experiencing success.
Then I began to wonder. How many other women are like me? They
know they want their own business, most likely home-based,
they just haven't identified the idea that is going to get them
there. This is how the idea for this Blog came about.
This is a place where I will chronicle those business ideas,
success stories, and home business tips that I find
motivating and absolutely doable.
And hopefully, in the process, inspire other women to remain
focused on their dream, even if they haven't yet seen the silver lining.
It's there. And waiting to be revealed at just the right moment.
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