Women With Know How Magazine

TM

5 ways to

generate cash

Quickly

Professional Spotlight

Susie Sheftel

Attracting & Maintaining Prosperity

Adding some

‘Pep’ to your

Business Step

From the publisher To all my Women With Know How Readers,

Mimi Zelman

September 2009 | The premier women’s business resource guide

Publisher

I just finished an amazing class, called Leading With Charisma, given by Dawn Leitner of Coach U2 Lead.

It has inspired me and helped me beyond belief! One of the areas we studied was the Disc Assessment.

We took it to understand our own personalities, but most importantly to understand the people on our teams, people we come into contact with in all areas of our lives. Using this can help increase your teams production, and in sales to help you use the right style and wording when you are in front of a prospective buyer. You numbers will go up! Dawn will be holding a workshop on this, and I strongly recommend, if you are a business owner or manager to attend this workshop. Look for her ad in this issue.

Now is also the time of year to start planning your goals for next year! It is hard to believe that we are already half into 2009. Things you may want to start planning early is your marketing and advertising, updating your website, and reevaluate some of the things you do for your business.

Be ready for 2010, it will be here before you know it! Please keep sending me your feedback! Also, send us listings of your events, and any news worthy happenings in your careers and business.

Email to mimi@womenwithknowhow.com Have a great September!

Mimi Zelman Thank you,

Mimi Zelman, Publisher

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Contents 4 6 Creative Director, Graphic Design SPARK Publications Editor Christina Cassidy Sales Representatives Kim Hughes kim@womenwithknowhow.com Contributing Writers Dawn Leitner of Couch You 2Lead Janet Anderson of Anderson PC Solutions Kim Hughes of Women With Know How Charleston Cindy Jenkins owner/manager For more advertising information call Mimi at 704-491-1207 or email her at: mimi@womenwithknowhow.com Copyright ©2009

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5 Ways to Generate Cash Quickly Are You Winging it As a Leader PROFESSIONAL SPOTLIGHT

Susie Sheftel

of Susie Sheftel Designs and Rodan and Fields

14 16 18 22 26 30 32 34

Stre-e-tchYour Health Insurance Dollars Attracting and Maintaining Prosperity Fine Design Improve your yard with hardscaping

Adding Some ‘Pep’ to Your Business Step Are You Ready for Some Football?

Is Self Employment a Valid Career Option?

Roots Have It…

September 2009 | The premier women’s business resource guide

Publisher/President Mimi L. Zelman mimi@womenwithknowhow.com

Before You Hit Send Think!

Part 2

Grill Once Dine Twice

3

Communication

Janet Anderson Anderson PC Solutions

Before you hit send Part 2

September 2009 | The premier women’s business resource guide

Think!

4

Last month I addressed some issues around e-mail etiquette in general. This month’s installment will address things to think about when composing your E-MAIL. Some ideas revolve around Outlook specifically, but all can be applied when you know the e-mail client you are using.

One message one e-mail When you are creating e-mail to communicate to anyone – coworkers, family, friends- only have ONE idea/message per e-mail message. For example, have one message that has to do with a compliance that must be met and a separate one to the same person inviting them to lunch. Yes, they will have more messages in their inbox, but it will be MUCH easier to locate that information. If you looked at a list of messages in your inbox and the message had the subject of “Annual Project Compliance”, you would not think to look at that for the directions for your lunch date. However, if you have a

Composing E-mails Effectively

separate one with the subject heading “Lunch next week” or “June 30th Lunch”, you would know to look at that one first.

To that idea, remember to be clear on the subject line.

Not only do you want to be specific as to what this message is about, but you might even create codes with your team to identify and organize messages that have to do with a particular project or idea. For example, if your team is working on planning an Annual Meeting you might ask everyone on your team to start the subject of any message with AM09. Then you can create a rule that will send all of these messages to a particular folder. That way ALL of the messages are in ONE location and easy to

manage. I will discuss rules a little later.

Using distribution lists.

You can create a list of recipients that remains a constant list you might want to send information to. For example, you might have a team working on the Annual Meeting. You could create a list of all of the e-mail addresses for the people on your team. Each time you want to address an e-mail to the group you simply type the name of the group in the To line and each person receives the message.

The department that manages your Exchange Server or E-mail Server has each profile listed in the main list, but they may also have created their own groups..i.e. (marketing managers). See the HOW TO section below on the steps to create a distribution list.

To use, just type in the name of the group on the TO line of your message. If you are using Outlook, and you want to address it to only some of

Create a distribution list in Outlook

1. Click on File/New – Distribution List.

2. Give the group a name, then 3. Click on Select Names to choose from those folks in the global address book and your contact list. On the upper right corner you can click on the down arrow to select your contacts to display YOUR contact list.

4. Simply double click each name you want to add. You can use the Shift key to select contiguous names and Ctrl to select noncontiguous names, then click on the Members button to add them.

To add a name that is not in your company list or your contact list.

1. Click on Add new button in the distribution list window and type in an outside address, i.e., president@whitehouse.gov. You have the choice to add this name to your contacts in this window.

2. Choose OK when you are ready.

3. To save the distribution list, choose the save and close button to save the list. This group is now listed in your contacts.

the members of the group you can click on the plus next to the name to expand the group. However, you cannot regroup it for this message.

Address and sign messages My personal idea about this is that you address your e-mails as you might a handwritten letter. Start with Hi Bill, or Hi Team. You would not come up to someone in the hall and just start talking to them about an issue. You would say something like “ Hi, Bill.

How are you?” Send the same courtesy to your e-mail recipient. This is not necessary for a reply to a message.

assign one to all outgoing e-mails and one to any replies. You can also change your mind on the fly while you are creating a message.

Use buttons for quick response When you need a quick answer to a question and don’t need a lot of fluff, use the voting buttons. In the message (Outlook 2007) click on the Options tab, then the launcher button for the More Options group. In the voting and tracking options, click on the down arrow next to the voting buttons and choose from the list OR type in your own. For example, you could have buttons for which training session your recipients would Be sure to ‘sign’ your e-mail. like to attend…Session 1, You can use signatures to Session 2, Session 3, etc. automatically place your Each of these will become name at the bottom of your buttons at the top of their outgoing e-mail. You could have several types – business, message. When they receive it, they can simply click on a casual, reply. Then you can

button and send or click on the button and add a note to the message and then send.

When you receive the response you can see it in the subject line of the e-mail.

You don’t even have to open it. Also, the original message you sent will contain tracking information.

Always read before sending. (This one is a biggy!!)

Even though I mentioned this last month, it bears repeating.

NEVER send a message without reading it through with the “ears” of your recipient. If you type it in a hurry or when you are tired, you can sound angry or harsh. Remember that you lose 93% of your communication skills with words alone.

Always end with a sentence that reflects the feeling you want to leave them with; such as “As always, thank you for your efforts on this project.”

Once your message is sent, it is VERY difficult to get it back. It’s like when you say something you shouldn’t say…you cannot put the words back in your mouth.

So, be careful out there!

Next month In the third installment of this series, I will share with you some techniques of receiving and organizing your e-mail.

September 2009 | The premier women’s business resource guide

HOW TO

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September 2009 | The premier women’s business resource guide

Income Strategy

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5

by Sherese Duncan President & CEO of Efficio, Inc.

Ways to Generate Cash Quickly

1. Start your ‘stay in touch’ campaign. If you’ve built a list of contacts, take the time to organize that list into categories; one for prospects, one for business colleagues, and one for potential alliance partners. Let’s start with prospects. Create a schedule to call at least five per day over the next two weeks.

The only thing you’re calling about is to see how business is doing and confirm that they want to stay connected via your list.

2. Combine Content and Sell It. If you’ve been sharing articles or tips on your website, in your newsletter or on your blog then you have a viable product right in front of you!

Take the time to package up your best tips into a nice formatted document with a title page, index page, the articles, and a brief sales page at the end promoting a higher end product or service. Use a free service to convert your word document to pdf (just do a search on Google). Price the product between $10-$20 and post a link on your site, your social networks, or even print it out and sell it at networking events. If you don’t have a merchant account, get a PayPal account (free) and begin selling!

Even those of you who’ve been in business for a while can do this. Maybe it’s time to add a new product to your collection.

3. Finally Complete Your Internet Strategy: Since there are so many people using the Internet and Social Media, it’s beneficial to plan your Internet activities strategically. A website expands your business’s reach, helping you execute your business and marketing goals. An Internet Strategy will help you plan, implement, promote, and use your site to build a community, sell products or services, share content, or some combination of these things.

There are seven steps in creating and implementing an Internet Strategy, some of them include determining internet goals and use based on the business goals, picking your web site structure, deciding on marketing and promotion, tracking and measuring Results. These may seem like common knowledge, but have you created a good Internet strategy that you can follow, track, and change as necessary?

4. Pick One Solution and Build a Marketing Campaign Around It. Sometimes the best thing to do is pick ONE solution that you offer that represents your business as a whole and build a marketing campaign around that one

solution. Next, market that solution over the next six months starting with the big announcement. This is an easy way to build cash flow over the summer. Or, just think about where the pain is right now for your target market. Pick the solution that relieves that pain and begin the campaign.

5. Take a Break and Forget About it All. Another option, take a break and come back rejuvenated. Relaxation and rejuvenation can work wonders for profits. Why? It allows you to clear out the clutter in your brain so that all those creative juices can come alive. It’s also healthy.

Maybe you remember the article I wrote a while back about how I didn’t realize how exhausted I was and I woke up and could not see! I was completely drained and didn’t know it. So taking a vacation from the business can force you to be healthier and work on yourself vs. the business. In turn, you will feel motivated, refreshed, relaxed and rejuvenated – basically ready to take on the world!

These are some quick ideas to get you started. They have worked for me time and time again to bring in quick cash.

September 2009 | The premier women’s business resource guide

This is not a sales call; this is a stay in touch call. If you only have their email address, look up their name on Google or go to their website and get their phone number. Reaching out and speaking live with your list is the best way to re-connect and possibly generate some cash.

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Leadership

by Dawn Leitner

September 2009 | The premier women’s business resource guide

President & CTA Certified Coach Coach U2 Lead

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A personal reflection from a wanna be…

Are you winging it as a

It’s May 1997 and here I am sitting in a week-long class in Atlanta, Georgia called “Improving Your Managerial Effectiveness”. I’ve been working at my company for eight years in various management positions in our NY and NJ offices. This is the first time I’ve been

Leader? given the opportunity to take management training classes either inside or outside the company.

So, what brought me to the class now? A little history…I was transferred six months earlier to the IT group after successfully setting

up a graphics department with new procedures that kept the projects running smoothly for our clients.

Although I was successful at setting standards, I found myself getting ousted by the very team I built. I couldn’t understand why they went around me with grievances

all have a communication style that opens the door to talk the same language without judgment. That was SO powerful for me. It also allowed me to start to learn about letting go of my high expectations based on my sense of quality, and instead find out about what motivates others to A few months later I found reach their own success. I myself running into conflict came out of the class with again with my new team a whole new mindset of when my new boss Curt how I was going to “work offered me a gift. He said, with” my team instead of “Dawn, I think you need just managing their tasks. to get some management That was the start of my training. If you don’t turn leadership journey that led around your relationships me to other promotions and in the team you will not get projects that took me to very far in your career.” That Malaysia and now Charlotte, was the best advice and gift NC, until I finally reach a six I could have received and to figure role as an IT Service this day I am so thankful!

Director in 2006.

Little did I know what I needed was to awaken to what management and leadership traits really are.

I learned from “on the job” training all these years from watching my bosses and others around me on what they did and figured micromanaging was important to get results. There was so much more I would learn in one short week in this training class about who I was and wanted to become.

The training class was amazing and helped me realize, through a communication assessment tool called DISCTM , that we

“Dawn, I think you need to get some management training. If you don’t turn around your relationships in the team you will not get very far in your career.”

True leadership is what I got from my manager back in 1997. I wouldn’t be where I am today without Curt’s guidance and support. Not only did he confront me about the problems I was having with the team with my demanding style, but he also went one step further

than anyone did all the years before – he believed enough in me to send me for management training that was offered only to senior level executives. I now coin this as the Leadership Circle of LifeTM, which starts from getting the self development you need, putting into action what you learn, and then giving back to others so they can grow too in their own personal leadership style.

This is also what inspired me to start my own company in 2007 that focuses on leadership development, especially for women using the DISC model (that I continue to believe in). I created a program that launched January 2009 called “Leading with Charisma” as my way of giving back to the women who also want to be their best as a leader in their own right. It’s been a humbling experience to see the transformations of the amazing women who attended the program.

It’s a reminder, just as my boss showed me back in 1997, that we have so much power to influence others! When we see their potential and use our experience, ongoing selfdevelopment and tools to assist them, they too can soar to amazing heights. I am content knowing I am no longer winging it as a leader, are you?

September 2009 | The premier women’s business resource guide

instead of talking to me directly. I was now losing sleep and feeling like everyone was out to get me. The opening in the IT group came available and the media services manager was very quick to let me move to another department… I was too!

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Professional Spotlight

Susie Sheftel

September 2009 | The premier women’s business resource guide

photo credit Diana Deaver.com

of Susie Sheftel Designs and Rodan and Fields Compiled by Kimberly Hughes

We heard that you are multi-faceted with your business and your passions – Tell us what you do!

I was born with a gift...the creative process is in my blood...I draw, paint, design and make jewelry, cook, work with fabric....it never ends! The wheels are always turning...Several years ago I channeled that energy into creating a character and wanted to use it to MAKE A DIFFERENCE. As an art teacher in the 70’s I taught my students that we needed to conserve resources and not be wasteful. I guess you could say I’m a tree hugger!

Out of those passions Schneblies® were born and are all about being eco minded and earth loving...

They’re the mascot for the SC Green Fair in Charleston and Myrtle Beach this fall!

Susie Sheftel Susie Sheftel Designs and Rodan and Fields

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It not only is a catchy name, but it also serves a big purpose.

Tell us about Schneblies®.

During my first trip to Sedona, AZ, I learned that the first man to settle there was a man named Mr Schnebly...

It struck me as a funny name! About the same time, I painted a frog that was based What motto or credo on my love of Oaxacan do you live by? carvings in Mexico...everyone There’s more than one... loved it and the combo was hope that’s okay! I believe born...I sold so many originals that everything happens for a that it was suggested that reason...It’s the signature on I trademark and copyright my email! My life’s been an it...I always told everyone interesting journey...and I know that someday Schneblies(r) beyond a shadow of a doubt would be famous...I just that its made me who I am needed to find my reason. today...it’s all good ! The other When I learned that frogs one is to be true to yourself. are the fastest disappearing Never compromise on who species on earth I knew I had you are...be real…take care of my reason. I have always yourself...eat right and...learn believed we need a universal from your decisions. symbol that is happy and

whimsical to remind us about something that isn’t funny at all...

I took my marketing skills and went to work...10 years later...we are on our way!

You say that painting inspires your creativity. Most of us don’t seem to make time to be creative! Any tips to get the creative juices flowing?

It saddens me when people don’t think they can be creative...I think most everyone has the ability in some way, shape or form...I think people generalize and think you have to draw to be creative...l can’t tell you how many times someone’s said...”I can’t draw a stick figure!” But nine times out of ten I discover they have other creative gifts. My advice? Let your

September 2009 | The premier women’s business resource guide

Back in December I was introduced to a business opportunity to partner with the doctors who created Proactiv® Solution. They had started a direct sales company with new regimens for Sun Damage and aging skin and it was brand new... ground floor! Estee Lauder, who owns most of the skincare giants, came on as financial partners...Knowing I have business in my blood, I’m well networked, had plenty of sun damage ( never went out without makeup) and needed extra income to fund my other passion, I became one of the first independent consultants with Rodan and Fields Dermatologists. Less than a year later, it’s been the best decision I have ever made, hands down!

It’s changed my life and I’m foundation free!

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September 2009 | The premier women’s business resource guide

mind wander...Imagine...

It’s important to relax your mind...almost like a vacation for the brain...get in touch with your surroundings... get outdoors...do what makes you happy...think,.. and for goodness sakes, don’t be afraid to pick up a paint brush and get some paints…What’s the worst that could happen? Can you say abstract?…These are the things that have worked for me.

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Is there a cause or Non-Profit that you are most passionate about and why?

I’m a huge supporter of the National MS Society. When my daughter Carlyn was 19, she was diagnosed with MS. Not knowing where to turn, we connected with the MS Society in Charlotte....

They were amazing...and still are! I am in the process of planning a fundraiser/event that will take place here in Charleston called Women on the Move... I’ll keep you posted!

My other passion is the environment...A healthy water supply is very important to me. Right now I am working on identifying environmental organizations to support with Schneblies ®...Stay tuned!

From Massachusetts to Charleston – What brought you here?

Way back in 1978 my (ex)

husband was presented with a good business opportunity in Greenville ,SC. That meant leaving the comfort of the Boston area and the coast behind...and with our sixmonth-old daughter and our dog...We packed it up and ventured to the unknown. It was an experience for this city girl to suddenly find herself in culture shock.

Greenville grew on me and the South did too! Years later, we divorced, my daughter and son grew into adults and I knew I wanted to return to the coast. Charleston was, and is the perfect choice ! I love it here!

want to take art workshops... maybe become a certified gemologist…learn to make fine jewelry and not just design it. I want to write a cook book and do volunteer work...No question that more travel is in that plan...There are still many places in and out of the US that I’ve yet to visit…Rodan and Fields has brought amazing people into my life and it’s probably too soon to say what we might do together in the future to make a difference..It’s all part of the journey.

Let’s fast-forward to Susie in 5 years.

Where do you see yourself?

Alive, I hope ...and I see myself spending time with my children, Carlyn and David... and my friends who live everywhere...while enjoying the rewards of my passions...

My daughter and I talk about creating programs for people with physical challenges. I

Of course I am already on my way to having an amazing team of Rodan and Fields consultants here in Charleston and around the country and know I will be expanding internationally next year. The company has identified me as a Leader in the company!..As an executive independent consultant I am always seeking savvy, business-

What is one of your current business goals you would like to achieve in the next six months?

To be on the verge of a national launch with my Schneblies ( I am working with Olivia Pool, of Art Pimp in Charleston, and a national PR person, Romi Neustadt - Strategy Mavensin Bozeman , MT, who loves my idea and took me on as a client!)

“I’d like to be remembered for genuinely caring about those in my life.. and being remembered for creating a symbol for a happier planet”

What is your suggested hot spot in Charleston?

There are so many great options here...For getting together with friends I love to go to Pearlz on E Bay and in W Ashley, or Taco Boys...I love the art walks downtown, Shem Creek at sunset....the beaches....

What legacy do you want to leave behind or what do you want to be known for?

I probably should pick one thing...but that’s hard for me...Other than having boundless energy and a positive outlook.,.I’d like to be remembered for genuinely caring about those in my life...and being remembered for creating a symbol for a happier planet…and that I was one of the first to change people’s lives with Rodan and Fields...I won’t be remembered for being a mathematician, I can tell you that!

When healthy hair care is your concern, Alan Daniels Salon is your choice. At ADS we specialize in revitalizing damaged manes, enhancing your personal brand with vibrant color and hi-lites, chic cuts and Extensions by SO. Cap USA trained stylists. Luxury and Premium Hair Care Products: Pureology, Redken and Joico

September 2009 | The premier women’s business resource guide

minded, goal-oriented, likemindeds to join me in my business. What continues to impress me is the unique business model, integrity of the company, the success these regimens enjoyed when they were originally in high end retail. (They were the #1 selling clinical skin care line in Nordstrom’s nationally! ) The training and corporate support phenomenal...and?

IT’S A BLAST!

Website: www.alandanielssalon.com

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Insurance

by Sharon T. Nuttall, M.Ed. Owner Health Insurance Solutions

September 2009 | The premier women’s business resource guide

Stre-e-etch Your Health Insurance Dollars

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Whether you’re a small business owner picking up the full cost of your health insurance or an employee with an employer partnering with you to share the premium, getting full value from your health plan just makes good sense. Does this mean you should run out and get frivolous tests done just because you can? Of course not!

But knowing how to choose a plan and use its benefits effectively can save you time, money, and aggravation as well as help you to stay healthier. Here are a few tips for maximizing your healthcare dollars: Know when to get approval. Read the fine print on your plan to know which tests and procedures require referrals and pre-

certification. This is often something the health care provider will handle, but it’s a good idea for you to follow up and be sure that has been done. Let’s face it, when the bill comes in, the ultimate responsibility to pay it will fall to you.

Juggle family coverage. Family togetherness is a great thing, but not necessarily on a health insurance plan. More and more employers are reducing or eliminating their contribution to the dependents’ portion of the premium. Quite often, you can find individual coverage for your family members at a lower price than the group plan offers.

Even when the whole family is already on an individual plan, separating out one or

When less is more. Don’t buy a Cadillac plan when a Chevy will do just fine.

Remember, the purpose of insurance is to protect against major out-of-pocket costs, not to cover every little thing. Think how much you would pay a year for homeowner’s insurance if you insisted it cover everything from stopped-up pipes to your heating and air conditioning system.

Know your wellness benefits.

This was driven home to me recently. I did a little homework and found out that my insurer will cover 100% of the cost of a colonoscopy if it’s performed in-office; I would have had to pay the full cost of the procedure if I’d used an outpatient surgery center.

By the same token, know the limits for preventive care. Most health plans (and most doctors) use standardized guidelines for screening tests outlined by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force which makes recommendation based on recent research. Extra tests could end up costing you.

Challenge unpaid claims.

Claims can be denied for all sorts of reasons, from rational to totally erroneous.

Never just shrug your shoulders at an unpaid claim and assume the insurance company knows best.

There’s potential for errors at any point in the process, from an error on your initial insurance application to the wrong diagnostic code at the doctor’s office to human error by the insurer.

(or call Customer Service) and see if there is either a generic (Tier 1) alternative or another, alternative brand name drug that’s a Tier 2 instead. Different carriers set their tiers differently, so you can’t expect your doctor to know the best choice for your particular plan.

Know you plan’s perks.

Almost all carriers now offer pharmaceuticals via mail order at a reduced rate. Now, more and more carriers are One quick call to Customer offering other extras, from Service can often uncover and health club subsidies to even correct the reason for discounts on vitamins. Your non-payment. If it still seems policy packet should contain unclear, a 3-way call including information about these you, your agent, and the programs, or call your carrier insurer may be in line. or visit their website.

Use the calendar to your benefit. You might call this gaming the system, but it just makes sense to bundle as many needed procedures into the same deductible year. Doctor recommending a hysterectomy? If you broke your foot this year and already met some or all of your out-of-pocket costs, go ahead and get your surgery out of the way before the end of the year. Your pocketbook will thank you.

Talk to your doctor about your prescriptions. If your doctor prescribes a Tier 3 drug, do a little homework on your health plan’s website

MORE Sharon T. Nuttall, M.Ed. is the owner of Health Insurance Solutions, an independent agency specializing in Individual and Family Health Insurance in the Carolinas. You can email her at sharon@ ehealthinsurancesolutions. com, call her at 704366-4977, or visit her website at www. ehealthinsurancesolutions. com where you can sign up for her free monthly newsletter featuring health and money-saving tips.

September 2009 | The premier women’s business resource guide

more family members can sometimes make sense when a particular plan type or deductible isn’t needed by everyone.

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Easy Health & Fitness

by Marcie Williams-Browning Owner Chrysalis Hypnosis Center

September 2009 | The premier women’s business resource guide

Attracting & maintaining prosperity

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Metaphysics, mysticism, spirituality, prosperity, abundance. What do all of these words mean and how do they relate to you and your present life?

Metaphysics investigates principles of reality transcending those of any particular science. It is concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of “being” and the world. The word is derived from the Greek words metá meaning “beyond” or “after” and physiká meaning “physical.”

Mysticism is from the Greek word mystikos, which is the pursuit of communion with, identity with, or conscious awareness of an ultimate reality, divinity, spiritual truth, or God through direct experience, intuition, instinct or insight.

Spirituality is matters of the spirit. Spiritual matters regard humankind’s ultimate nature and purpose, not as material biological organisms, but as spirits or energy

• Live, think and act in ways that say you are already prosperous.

• Associate with people who have a positive attitude about prosperity and especially money.

• We were intended to be prosperous. Don’t associate with people who believe otherwise.

• Frequent places where there is affluence and let yourself be influenced by positive prosperity vibrations.

• Don’t accept negative thoughts into your mind that say you are lacking in anything. Cancel them immediately and replace them with thoughts of abundance.

• Be open to all possibilities of how prosperity may reach you. We receive prosperity through many means including your income, gifts or trading.

• Keep active so that you will be in the right place at the right time for your prosperity.

• Meditate daily, even if it only for five minutes.

• Use affirmations daily to build a strong prosperity foundation.

must adopt a mental attitude that works with prosperity rather than against it. When we consider ourselves prosperous in love but not in finances or career we are not fully prosperous.

The real question here is how do we attract and maintain prosperity?

The answer is repetition.

Repetition is how we obtain knowledge and retain it with an eternal relationship Prosperity is a state of mind! over periods of time. One beyond the bodily senses, A prosperous state of mind of the easiest ways to begin time and the material world. is one that holds happiness to attract prosperity is by and peace within it. There using affirmations daily.

Prosperity is the state of are people in this world who Affirmations should be flourishing, thriving, success, have little or no money but positive and present tense, or good fortune. Prosperity feel extremely prosperous, as if you have already often encompasses while others have millions achieved them. For example, wealth, but also includes and do not consider if you desire better health others factors which are themselves prosperous. your affirmation may look independent of wealth to Prosperity is not just like this: I am in perfect varying degrees, such as financial. It encompasses all health and make healthy happiness and health. areas of our lives including choices for my body each love, health, spirituality, and every day. If you desire Abundance is an overflowing education, relationships, better sleep you might say: “I fullness or ample sufficiency, careers and much more. sleep deeply, peacefully and profusion, copious supply, restfully through the night superfluity or wealth.

Prosperity is also a state of and awaken refreshed and soul. This is where the above ready for the day.” You get As we look beyond the definitions come into play. If the idea. physical world, identifying you are prosperous in your with intuition, as a spirit mind but are not making that To align the soul with or energy with an eternal metaphysical and mystical prosperity and abundance, relationship with divinity, connection, you may not be meditate daily. Most of us we find prosperity and prosperous in your soul. understand how to ask for abundance. How do we do the things we desire, but that, you ask? We’ll get to Now we can look at the how. very few understand how to that, but first you’ll need a Prosperity is usually thought listen for the answers. Those few more explanations. of in terms of finances, but in answers come when we order to be truly prosperous quiet the human mind and Prosperity is a state of the mind must feel wealth Continued on page 21 mind. Read that line again. in all areas. To do that we

September 2009 | The premier women’s business resource guide

Below are some rules to live by when adopting the right mental attitude to attract prosperity.

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Home Improvement

Family Features

Landscaping not only makes your home more beautiful it can also make it more valuable. In fact, a Michigan State University study found that, depend ing on where the house is located, high-quality landscaping adds between five and 11 percent to its price.

September 2009 | The premier women’s business resource guide

However, good landscaping is about more than just plants. Paths, benches, walls, water features — they’re all part of hardscaping and can make or break the look of your yard and garden landscape.

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Fine Design Improving your yard with hardscaping

In the competitive housing market, every feature of a home is crucial in attracting potential buyers. The home’s exterior makes the first impression, and hardscapes, as important elements of landscaping, play a critical role gaining a return on value. Along with helping a property stand out in buyers’ minds, a carefully thought-out landscape using hardscapes allows homeowners to express their creativity and personality through the variety of options available.

Create your own path A well-made concrete walkway or garden path not only stands up to years of hard use, it enhances the natural landscape and complements a home’s exterior features.

Traditional walkway materials such as brick and stone can be pricey and often difficult to install. As an easy and inexpensive alternative, you can build a new concrete path using manufactured molds, such as the Quikrete WalkMaker build ing forms.

The result is a beautiful pathway that mirrors the texture and appear ance of brick or natural stone with all the durability and economy of poured concrete.

Project how-to

Here is a simple, step-by-step process for making your own beautiful pathway. This is a weekend project one person can easily complete for a minimal cost. Typically, the cost to install a 10-foot-long concrete path is about $50 to $60 for materials.

Materials • concrete mix or crack-resistant concrete mix • liquid cement color • polymer-modified jointing sand (optional)

Tools • excavation and site preparation tools • building form • wheelbarrow or mixing box • shovel • level • margin trowel or finishing trowel

Step 1: Prepare the project site by leveling the ground, removing sod or soil as needed.

Step 3: Promptly remove the form and then smooth the edges of the section with a trowel to create the desired finish (it may help to wet the trowel in water). For a nonslip surface, broom the section or brush it with a stiff brush. Rotate the form one-quarter turn (90 degrees) with each section to vary the pattern. Place the form against the finished section and repeat steps 2 and 3 to complete the next section.

Step 4: Repeat until the path is finished. With a variety of form patterns available (Basket Weave Brick, European Block Brick, Country Stone and Running Bond Brick), you can create a pathway, patio or walkway that matches your home’s style. When you’re finished, damp cure concrete by spraying periodically with a fine water mister or cover with plastic sheeting for five to seven days. Curing concrete is a process that maintains ideal moisture and temperature conditions so that the concrete will be durable, stable and watertight. Allow 24 hours before foot traffic.

Colorful choices Coloring gives molded concrete a more natural looking finish and is great for blending your path or walkway into your landscape design. Adding colorant to the concrete mix is the easiest method and produces consistent results.

For every two 60- or 80-pound bags of dry concrete mix, blend one 10-ounce bottle of liquid cement color with five quarts clean water. Mix the liquid into the dry concrete until the color is uniform. Add more clean water as needed to achieve the desired consistency.

After placing and finishing the path sections, cure the concrete carefully to produce the best color quality. If curing conditions are less than ideal, apply concrete cure and seal to ensure even curing and consistent color.

For more project ideas, step-by-step instructions and a quantity calculator, visit www.quikrete.com.

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Step 2: Mix a batch of concrete for the first section, following the product directions. Place the form at the start of your path and level it. Use a shovel or trowel to fill each cavity of the mold with wet concrete. Consolidate and smooth the surface of the form using a concrete margin trowel.

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A well-made concrete walkway or garden path not only stands up to years of hard use, it enhances the natural landscape and complements a home’s exterior features.

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September 2009 | The premier women’s business resource guide

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Easyways to add extra appeal For other ways to add interest to your home’s exterior, think about incorporating hardscaping elements such as stone, rock and sand in your yard and garden landscape. They’re available in an almost limitless range of colors, sizes and textures.

For example, the new HardScapes by Quikrete line includes an assortment of landscaping stones, pebbles, rocks and sands.

• For a natural look, create a path way out of decorative pebbles and walks. They take on a whole new beauty when they get wet, either from the rain or a nearby water feature.

• Create a rock garden with different types of gravel, pebble and stone arrangements. Add a few foliage plants and a small water feature for interest.

• Give an overlooked area definition with crisp white marble chips or all-purpose stone and flowers in brightly colored planters.

allow our divine guidance to communicate with us. That communication is intuition and it is reached through meditation.

If you believe in your soul that you are prosperous then it will be easier to believe it in the mind. If you believe in the mind that you are prosperous it is easier to believe it in the soul. When you combine the two your prosperity is unlimited!

One last suggestion. Choose one item from the above list and incorporate it into

your daily routine. When it has become your new habit then add another and then another until you feel prosperous and abundant in every area of your life, mind, body and spirit. Remember, repetition is the key to change.

I have included an affirmation for the coming month. Use is in prosperity as you move toward your dreams and desires.

“I radiate out vibrations of prosperity and well-being to everyone and everything around me, which in turn returns to me multiplied and blessed.”

MORE Marcie Williams-Browning is the owner of Chrysalis Hypnosis Center. She is a certified hypnotist and past life regression specialist with the National Guild of Hypnotists. Also, she is an intuitive and uses that gift for the greatest and highest good of everyone she meets. She is committed to helping others achieve optimal health through her experience and knowledge of the techniques she has learned and mastered.

Live The Life You WANT. Back by popular demand! Leadership workshops for today’s business savvy women who are expected to do it all.

Next Workshop:

“Are You a Lion or a Lamb? A Breakthru Behavior Workshop” Friday, September 18th, 8am - 4pm. Ballantyne Country Club, Charlotte, NC Join Dawn Leitner, President of CoachU2Lead, for a full day workshop filled with fun and interactive exercises to help you discover real ways to tackle the most challenging people in your life. The workshop includes the infamous DISC tool ($100 value) that reveals your natural behavioral style.

Ideal for entrepreneurs, managers and teams. Men are also welcome to attend this one day event.

Limited Spaces available. To learn more and to register, go to

www.coachu2lead.com/behaviorworkshop 704.543.1564

September 2009 | The premier women’s business resource guide

Continued from page 17

21

September 2009 | The premier women’s business resource guide

Adding Some

‘Pep’ to your Business Step!

By Kimberly Hughes

22

You need to have confidence in yourself and your product, and it is like being in business for yourself and you have to be prepared to build your base for the first few months.

over a year of a downturn, the excuses have to end. Not everyone is suffering; there are people who are surviving and thriving because they have found a way to make do with the cards they have been dealt or they have found a way to capitalize in a down ‘e’.

Often during times of strife in business, the first budget Perseverance – That can in commission only sales, that is cut is marketing and mean a myriad of things something that most people advertising, as it seems to be truthfully, but in the context of avoid like the plague the most expendable way to this article, it is perseverance because, well, you are on “trim the fat,” but marketing in sales and making your your own and there is no is more crucial than most own way, as many of us have salary to back you up. “You people realize. Advertising to do today. earn what you are worth and and marketing not only you earn what you are willing attracts new clients, but also Case in point: Ann to be put into it. If things don’t lets your current clients know Marie Robertson. start happening for you within that you are lively, moving Ann Marie Robertson, owner a short amount of time, then forward and in times like this, of Red Pepper Graphics and you are probably not meant still IN business.

Red Pepper Promotional to be selling that product or Products, has been in sales selling at all. It is up to you “Marketing is your frontline most of her adult life. From how much you make and sales person and it truly does auspicious beginnings in how much you work. You no good to have a string Tupperware through real are in charge,” states Ann of sales people if you do estate sales and Excel Marie. “You need to have not have a marketing plan Telecommunications to confidence in yourself and in place because potential marketing solutions, Ann your product, and it is like clients will forget about Marie credits the start of her being in business for yourself you the second you walk sales career to working as a and you have to be prepared out their door,” says Anne server in her 20s. You may to build your base for the first Marie. “You need to have a wonder why being a server few months.” marketing plan to back your would give you an edge in salespeople up. You can sales, but Ann Marie says that Plain and simple and to the send out materials before by simply remembering her point – you just have to make your salesperson (or you) clients’ names and orders, your own way. I know that enters a prospective client’s she established an element everyone is sick of hearing office and follow-up with of trust and began creating a the ‘e’ word (economy; and I a phone call and/or more rapport with her customers. am included in this scenario, printed marketing materials. so to save a lot of eye-rolling, The venue of marketing is Ann Marie has spent economy will now just be Continued on next page most of her working life written as ‘e’) and after well

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As business professionals, we know that we need to stand out from our competition to be successful, whether that entails how we brand ourselves, how we interact with people, our product and service options, or our levels of client and customer service. There has to be something that makes us uniquely us!

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Continued from previous page

September 2009 | The premier women’s business resource guide

different for everyone.” The bit question, according to Ann Marie is, “What is going to make the biggest difference for YOU and your clients?”

Given the cost of what a salesperson earns per year and depending on your demographics and reach, effective marketing could be a fraction of what a salesperson is paid.

Red Pepper Graphics understands the confusion its clients face and offers complementary marketing consultants to help its clients maximize their marketing bucks. “Most people don’t budget for marketing,“ says Ann Marie. “Marketing is sales. It is an extension of a salesperson that you have.

People need to start off the year with a marketing plan and get tactics into place.”

Red Pepper Graphics offers turn-key solutions for its clients’ branding needs – from banners to interior and exterior signage, yard

signs, vehicle wraps, store signage and more, with all processes done in-house. For clients’ promotional needs, Red Pepper Promotional Products offers clients items from pencils to wearable’s that will keep them foremost in the minds of their clients and potential clients. The professionals at Red Pepper Promotional Products pride themselves in researching and finding just the right product for clients’ needs and businesses.

If effective marketing and advertising will make our lives easier, why should we deny that?

Red Pepper Graphics and Red Pepper Promotional Products opened their doors ten years ago this month, on September 29, 1999. The name, “Red Pepper” came about purely by accident. Ann Marie grew cayenne peppers at her home and as they

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24

were drying on the kitchen counter, her husband began doodling and thinking about red peppers as a part of a business name and entity.

They thought the idea would be catchy and created sample logos and signs with the name “Red Pepper Graphics” on them and pasted them all over and around their home to see if they would tire of the name, but they liked the ring of Red Pepper Graphics more and more.

One of the most devastating events that Red Pepper Graphics experienced was a major flood in September of last year that shut down one of their major presses for a month causing tens of thousands of dollars of damage, not including lost revenue. But in a typical Women With Know How, positive rallying way, Anne Marie Robertson is not standing on the sidelines complaining. “If it goes bad, then you have to get up and face the next day and to be honest, I put a lot faith in God. I am doing all I can do and that is the best I can do. I do my part and He does his part.

I truly believe that if you do that, it will come back to you.

Plus, you can never let your customers see you sweat!”

In this ‘e’, Red Pepper Graphics is holding its own.

Some clients have scaled back their accounts, but business has stayed relatively

The purpose of this article is to inspire women to push through the rough patches, prepare ourselves for the good times and to let everyone know that you (we) can do anything that we set our minds to. The only thing that is holding us back from grasping the things that we want is ourselves and our state of mind. Marketing and

advertising is necessary, if not mandatory and as Anne Marie states, it is the silent salesperson that is needed when your salespeople are not personally touching potential clients. If effective marketing and advertising will make our lives easier, why should we deny that? If we have the perseverance and the drive to be all that we set out to be each day, our powers of success, regardless of what each of us defines as success, are limitless!

MORE For more information about Ann Marie Robertson and Red Pepper Graphics, please visit http://www. redpeppergraphics. com. To schedule an appointment with Ann Marie for a marketing plan consultation or to inquire about a commission only sales position (Red Pepper Graphics is hiring!), please call 704.373.1020.

September 2009 | The premier women’s business resource guide

consistent because of the education and planning with which Red Pepper Graphics assists its clients.

25

Football Time

Mimi Zelman

September 2009 | The premier women’s business resource guide

This article is for the women out there who have a significant other, and with the basics can join them and watch football. Can you really enjoy football if you don’t understand every rule, know what every position does, or memorize every team’s statistics?

Of course you can—if you just understand some of the basics.

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Are you ready for some

Football Starting the Game

Before each game, the captains from each team and the referee meet at the center of the field for the coin toss.

• The winner of the coin toss has the option of starting the game by kicking the ball to the other team or receiving the kickoff from the other team.

• The game begins when one of the teams kicks off to the other.

• The receiving team must catch the ball and try to advance it as far forward toward the kicking team as possible.

• The play ends when the player with the ball is knocked to the ground

the football down the field towards the end zone. There are two ways to move the football: running or passing.

The offensive team has four attempts, or chances, to move the ball ten yards.

These attempts are called downs. Once the ball has moved ten yards or more from the starting point of play, the team gets four new downs to try to move t he ball another ten yards.

If the ball doesn’t move ten yards forward in four downs, the other team gets possession of the ball (the Offense offense also has the option The offense is the team that of kicking – punting – the ball has possession of the ball and to the other team on the is trying to score by moving fourth down).

(tackled), runs out of bounds, or makes it all the way to the kicking team’s end zone (touchdown).

• The spot where the kick returner was tackled becomes the line of scrimmage. The line of scrimmage is a term for the place the ball is spotted before a play is run.

• Once this starting point is established, the offensive squad of the receiving team will come in and try to move the ball toward the opposition’s end zone.

The offensive team has several players in different key positions: Quarterback

The quarterback is the team leader who really gets the offense moving. He is the only player who touches the ball on every offensive play, regardless of running or passing strategy. He throws the ball for a pass or hands it off for a running play. Sometimes the quarterback will even run with the ball himself.

Wide Receiver

This position is mostly used to catch passes from the quarterback. They don’t need to be big, but they definitely need to be fast.

Running Back

Running backs take the hand

off from the quarterback and run as far as they can before getting tackled by the thugs on the other team’s defense.

Their goal is to gain yardage and they take a beating doing it.

Full Back

These guys are crucial to a good running game. They can run like a running back, or block for the running back, giving him a chance to get further down the field. running Tight End

To clear up a common female misperception, this position has nothing to do with the fit of the uniform.

Tight ends are multi-talented players who block, catch passes and provide protection for the quarterback.

Offensive Line

There are usually five players on the offensive line. The typical offensive line has a center in the middle who hands the ball through his legs to the quarterback at the start of each play. There are two guards, one on each side of the center, and two tackles who play on the outer edges of the offensive line and are usually the biggest players. The offensive line’s mission is to block for the running back on a running play or protect the quarterback from the defense on a passing play. These are the big guys on the offensive

team who usually weigh in at around 300 pounds.

Learn the basics of the game.

Each team has a goal to defend and one where they score points. They have to get at least 10 yards in four downs to advance down the field toward the other team’s goal. If they cannot obtain the 10 yards in 3 tries, they must either try one more play or punt the ball to the other team and then they must defend their goal. There are four quarters in each game lasting 15 minutes. Scores are obtained either by making a touchdown with an extra point or a two-point conversion for a TD (6 + 1 or 2), a field goal (3), and a safety (2 - where the opposing team tackles you in your own end zone the points go to them).

The Offense The Very Basics

The Offense consists of the linemen, running back, receivers, tight end, and the quarterback. There are two basic types of plays: the run and the pass. There are two terms that are commonly used when discussing the running play. The Draw where the quarterback drops back like he is going to pass and instead hands the ball off to the running back. The other term is called the Quarterback Sneak where the quarterback fakes a play then falls forward

September 2009 | The premier women’s business resource guide

There are two ways to score points while on the offensive side of the ball. One is to kick the ball through the goal posts at the back of the other team’s end zone, which is called a field goal, and the other is to run or throw the ball into the end zone, which is called a touchdown. A field goal is worth three points and a touchdown is worth six points. Immediately following a touchdown, the team gets to attempt a kick for an extra point. This is similar to a very short field goal. Following the kick, the possession of the ball moves to the other team.

Continued on next page

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Continued from previous page

to obtain a small amount of yardage. Terms often mentioned when discussing passing are the slant pass where a receiver takes two steps forward then cuts across the field. The other is the play action pass where the quarterback fakes a handoff to a running back and then passes the ball instead.

September 2009 | The premier women’s business resource guide

The Defense - The Basics

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There are two basic schemes for defense which are 3-4 Scheme - 3 down linemen and 4 linebackers on the line with 2 cornerbacks on each side of the field to cover wide receivers and there are 2 safeties and their position depends on the pass they are covering. The 4-3 Scheme - Involves 4 down lineman and 3 linebackers in the front, behind the line there

are 2 corner backs to cover wide receivers and 2 safeties whose position depends on the pass coverage. A team will either be a 3-4 or a 4-3 defense.

the defense or the offense.

Penalties - The Most Common

• Holding - when a player keeps another from advancing by holding on to him.

There are four main types • Personal Foul - usually of defensive plays. The rush fighting. is where the defense reads • False Start - (offensive call) the play and pushes pass someone on the line moves the line to stop or sack the before the ball is snapped quarterback to stop the pass or in motion /Encroachment or the run. The Blitz is where (same but for the defense). a specific defensive player • Roughing the Kicker or will head for a quarterback Quarterback sack to disrupt the play and • Encroachment (same, but for rhythm. Man-to-man defense the Defense) is where every receiver is covered. Finally, Zone defense • Unnecessary Roughness - called for late hits, flying is where defensive players are elbows. responsible for a specific area of the field for pass coverage. • Delay of Game - the quarterback does not start Special Teams the play before the play Special teams are the part of clock runs out. the team that returns kick offs • Face Mask or Hands to and punts. Some players on the Face - a player is not special teams will also play on allowed to touch the face or

The Field

A football field is 100 yards (300 feet) long. The middle of the field is marked with a 50, and the numbers go down toward each end. The end is called the ‘end zone.’ Each end zone ‘belongs’ to one of the teams that are playing.

In fact, that whole side of the field, from 50 down to 0, belongs to that team. A ‘goal post,’ which looks like the letter ‘U,’ is mounted on each goal line. The lines on the sides of the field, or the ‘side lines,’ are out of bounds.

Downs

throw the ball to someone (a receiver) a few yards down the field. If the guy catches it, great! If not, you have 2nd Down and still 10 yards to go, or 2nd and ten.

4th and Ten

zone to get a touchdown.

Touchdowns are worth six points. A touchdown can be scored either by a player running with the ball across the goal line or by catching the ball in the end zone.

If the team fails to go ten yards in three plays, then 4th down comes up. The team now has a choice. They can kick it to the other side of the field (punt), try for a field goal, or try to go the rest of the ten yards for a new set of tries (first down).

The Point After

Getting first downs is very important, because that is how you keep possession (allowing your team to score), moving the ball towards the other team’s end zone so you can score. The game is played for four 15-minute quarters. The game clock stops a lot, and there is a 15-minute half time, so games usually last about three hours.

A field goal is worth three points. The ball is placed at the appropriate spot where the kicker then kicks the ball through the goal posts. A field goal is usually attempted on a 4th down.

How to Score Touchdowns

Following each touchdown, the ball is placed on the 20yard line, and the kicker tries to kick the ball through the goal posts. This is called the ‘point after,’ and the kicker usually makes it.

Field Goal

I hope this helps those of you who want to watch football and understand it better.

When you do, it’s a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon (or Monday evening) with friends and loved ones.

When a team first gets Players try to cross the goal the ball, they get four tries line leading into the end (downs) to move the ball ten yards. They can do this either by passing or running with the Debbie Winchester Designs ball. Eleven players are trying earth e le me nts j ewe lr y to stop this from happening.

1st and Ten

On the first down, everybody is optimistic and ten yards doesn’t seem all that far. The quarterback (the guy who the gets ball first) may decide to

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September 2009 | The premier women’s business resource guide

pull on the facemask.

• Horse Collar - a defensive player cannot pull another player down by the collar of his pads.

• Pass Interference - offense or defense cannot touch or push off each other prior to the ball being caught.

• Illegal Block to the Back - a player cannot be blocked from behind

704-607-0678

29

Company Health

Is

By Robyn Crigger, CEO Compass Career Management Solutions-Oi Partners Inc.

Self

Employment

a Valid Career Option?

Interested in becoming

September 2009 | The premier women’s business resource guide

self-employed? Frustrated with

30

your current career path or non-existent career path?

More and more job search candidates are saying to me that “I’m thinking of becoming a consultant” OR “Maybe I’ll start my own business!” Are you sure that is what you want to do? If so, where do you begin in deciding if “self employment” is a real option for you?

Research time!

Talk to some business entrepreneurs who you know will be honest with you about this career path. You need some facts. Of course, it is bound to make a difference what kind of business you choose. Could work actually be fun? Well, it could be more pleasant, but it is still WORK! Selecting a business in which you are familiar or for which you are talented or have a strong passion would better position you to be successful. There

Some cities have better success rates for new businesses than others, and Charlotte ranks in the top 20 in the United States. This is encouraging. Study a business that has been successful and find out how long it took to “make money”. What made it successful? The better your selection of business, the stronger your chance for success.

Many business owners get into their business based on emotions - something that tugs on your heart or lights a fire under your feet. That doesn’t necessarily help or hurt your chances. If you believe strongly in your business/product/ service, this will come across when talking to others. There are several positive points like this, but it still comes down to “dollars and cents”. Can you make enough money from the business to make a living and pay your business bills?

There are multiple factors in building a successful business including a) a solid business plan, b) a strong financial base, c) good accounting practices, d) an effective marketing plan, e) all legal papers and licenses, etc., in place, f) people

with the appropriate skills to manage all areas, etc. There are many businesses that are managed out of homes, but also be prepared for growth and be ready to make changes as this occurs. Keeping your overhead expenses down from the start is very wise! Obviously, one person may not be able to manage all of these areas, at which time you will need to seek out assistance. Hiring employees involves a large scale of issues in itself! What expert or resource can help you with that?

It is also very important that you carefully select vendors to assist you with the running of your business. There are a multitude of insurance brokers, as well as bankers, etc. Since you should research all or the topmost credible vendors for each area, you would be wise to develop a grid or spread sheet listing all important aspects of each area by each vendor. Otherwise, it could be confusing which vendor has more good points.

Should you decide that you need office or store space for your business, be aware that each commercial real estate broker promotes only their own spaces. First think about where you would like to have your business. Considering your customer base or focus, what would be convenient for most of them? Also, be aware that most cities have parts of their town known as “A Space”, “B Space”, and “C Space”. “A Space”

would be the premium space and would cost more per square foot, and so on. Will you need furniture? Electronic equipment?

Security system? Etc. Owning a business is a huge responsibility, but it can also be very rewarding. If integrity has been a concern of yours while working for “Corporate America”, self-employment is one way that you can have more impact or control, though with each vendor and employee, there are more areas to watch.

There are places where you can receive support as a business owner. For women, there is the NAWBO organization (National Association of Women Business Owners) --- www. nawbocharlotte.org. Participating in a strong supportive organization through the process of starting a business is another wise decision. Meet and talk to other business owners and exchange “best practices”.

The more organized you are, the better. Becoming a small business owner places you in the fastest growing segment of business in our nation, BUT it is NOT easy! Good luck!

MORE For More Information Contact Robyn Crigger, Ceo, Compass Career Management SolutionsOi Partners Inc. At 704-849-2500.

September 2009 | The premier women’s business resource guide

are also resources like the Small Business Association, who can give you some insight and guidance. Still, there is the possibility of failure – so be honest with yourself as you research this option.

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A d v e r t o r i a l

September 2009 | The premier women’s business resource guide

Roots Have It

32

By Kim Smith

Roots have it…

At the root of all things growing are the nutrients. Nutrients provide the essential foods to provide strength, tolerance, and durability.

What does this have to do with “HAIR”? Your hair needs to be fed. From the moment of conception processes are operating at

lightning speed to ensure that your follicles are formed by week 22. Phenomenal isn’t it?

It is equally important to know that follicles are not added during your lifetime. Of the five million or so follicles found on the human

A d v e r t o r i a l

services. When a professional stylist looks at your hair, they can see the beauty or rearranging your strands, working with your features to create a unique look… all your At the base of the follicle are own. You can pick a style from tiny bumps called papilla a magazine, another person containing capillaries (tiny blood and get the same cut, color, vessels) that feed the cells. highlights, but you will look This is the only area where the differently. Your unique genes follicles are fed. These cells rule. A stylist knows how to divide every one to three days. manipulate, speed up, slow So the old adage, “You are down, put on the brakes or rev what you eat” is not a stretch. the motor using products to Once your follicles are formed, transform your inherited strands. nutrients aid in the quality and That is a phenomenal talent durability of your hair. and gift. I enjoy challenging my stylist or my look with products Understanding your hair is the designed to protect your hair key to healthy grooming from daily dangerous

elements, while changing the make-up, ph and versatility of my hair. Bald is sexy…Hair is glamorous! Be glamorous at Alan Daniels Salon. All our stylists are impeccably trained, take their craft seriously and value their clients’ look with even more dedication.

At Alan Daniels Salon, our stylists have special talents with certain hair types, but they are all equally trained on all hair types, needs and styling options.

Alan Daniels Salon 4100 Carmel Rd # E Charlotte, NC 28226 (704) 544-7655

Our expertise is managing change and cultivating talent

Executive Search Executive Coaching Outplacement Succession Planning

Search & Recruiting Leadership Development Retirement Workshop Individual Career Counseling Assessments Plant Closings For information call 704-849-2500 www.compasscareer.com

8509 Crown Crescent Court Charlotte, NC 28227

Change is constant but never easy!

September 2009 | The premier women’s business resource guide

body, one million are located on the head with about 100,000 on the scalp. Age and body size contribute to the decreased density of the hair follicles.

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Grilling

Family Features

September 2009 | The premier women’s business resource guide

A sizzling steak hot off the grill and a glass of wine make a sensational pairing for steak house dining at home. Savor the warm weather with al fresco entertaining and create a restaurant experience in your own backyard for less.

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Grill Once Dine Twice Lemon-Oregano Rubbed Steaks

Serving size: Makes about 3 tablespoons rub 2 pounds beef tenderloin, top loin, ribeye or top sirloin steaks, cut 1 inch thick OR 2 pounds top blade (flat iron) steaks (about 8 ounces each) OR 4 pounds T-bone or porterhouse steaks, cut 1 inch thick

Rub:

1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano or 1 tablespoon dried oregano leaves 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon peel 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon pepper

Simple rub and marinade recipes start you off on a double duty dinner — grill once and dine twice for even more savings, using remaining steak slices to top fresh salads and sandwiches.

Delight your friends and family with flavorful beef recipes served with your favorite Sutter Home wine.

Combine rub ingredients; press evenly onto beef steaks. Place steaks on grid over medium, ash-covered coals or over medium heat on preheated gas grill. Grill according to the chart for medium rare (145°F) to medium (160°F) doneness, turning occasionally. Serve half of steaks immediately, as desired. Cover and refrigerate remaining steaks for later use.

Before serving, carve steaks into slices; season with salt and pepper, as desired.

Lemon-Oregano Marinated Steaks

Serving size: Makes about 1/2 cup marinade

Continued on next page

2 pounds beef flank or skirt steaks OR 2 pounds top round steaks, cut 1 inch thick

Marinade:

1/3 cup olive oil 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano or 1 tablespoon dried oregano leaves 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon peel 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon pepper

Combine marinade ingredients in medium bowl.

Place beef steak(s) and marinade in food-safe plastic bag; turn steak(s) to coat.

Close bag securely and marinate in refrigerator 6

Wine pairing: Sutter Home Cabernet Sauvignon

FAMILY FEATURES

A

Mediterranean Steak Pita Spread pita or flatbread with hum mus. Top with sliced cucum bers and tomatoes, chopped Kalamata olives, crumbled feta cheese and grilled steak slices. Serve with plain yogurt combined with finely diced cucumber and minced garlic.

Wine pairing: Sutter Home Merlot

hours or as long as overnight, turning occasionally.

Remove steak(s) from bag; discard marinade. Place steak(s) on grid over medium, ash-covered coals or over medium heat on preheated gas grill. Grill according to the chart for medium rare (145°F) to medium (160°F) doneness, turning occasionally. Grill top round steaks to medium rare (145°F) doneness.

Serve half of steak(s) immediately, as desired. Cover and refrigerate remaining steak(s) for later use. Before serving, carve steaks(s) into thin slices; season with salt

andpepper, as desired.

sizzling steak hot off the grill and a glass of wineMango make a sensational pairing for steakSteak, house dining at home. Savor the warm and Salad and create a weatherAvocado with al fresco entertaining restaurant experience your own backyard for less.

Top mixed babyinsalad greens Simple rub and marinade recipessliced start you with cubed fresh mango, off on a double duty dinner — grill once and dine avocado and red onion, toasted twice for even more savings, using remaining steak pumpkin or sunflower seeds, slices to top fresh salads and sandwiches.

Delight yourqueso friends and familycheese with flavorful crumbled fresco and beef recipes served with your favorite Sutter Home grilled steak slices.

Drizzle salad wine. The same wines served with the steaks make with lime vinaigrette. excellent companions to the “planned-over” recipes as well. pairing: Wine Visit BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com Sutter Home Zinfandel for beef grilling guidelines, safety tips and additional recipes.

For more information on wine choices and pairings, visit SutterHome.com.

Wine Tips

Offer aand selection of red, white and blush varietals Steak Asian so your guests can sample more than one.

Noodle Salad One 750 ml bottle of wine will yield approximately Combine cooked five 4-ounce glasses.whole wheat or Serve thin red wines at 55° to with 65°F. White regular spaghetti sugarwines are peas, best well-chilled at 45°carrots to 55°F. Avoid snap shredded and overchilling — it subdues the wine’s aromas and thinly sliced red bell peppers. flavors.

Combine equal amounts Asian Steak Preparation vinaigrette and hoisin sauce.

For naturally tender steaks, a simple rub using Drizzle over anda depth vegetables; fresh herbs andpasta garlic adds of flavor. For less tender steaks, a basic incorporating toss to combine.

Topmarinade with grilled acidic slices ingredients tenderizes andsesame adds flavor. steak and toasted Marinate the steaks at least six hours, but no more seeds. than 24 Wine hours to pairing: help achieveSutter perfect results.

Home Chardonnay

Beef Steak Grilling Guidelines WEIGHT/ THICKNESS

CHARCOAL GRILLING (uncovered)

GAS GRILLING (covered)

Tenderloin Steak

1 inch thick

13 to 15 minutes

11 to 15 minutes

Top Loin (Strip) Steak, boneless

1 inch thick

15 to 18 minutes

11 to 15 minutes

Ribeye Steak

1 inch thick

11 to 14 minutes

9 to 14 minutes

Top Blade Steak (Flat Iron)

8 ounces

10 to 14 minutes (grill covered)

12 to 16 minutes

Top Sirloin Steak, boneless

1 inch thick

17 to 21 minutes

13 to 16 minutes

T-Bone/ Porterhouse Steak

1 inch thick

14 to 16 minutes

15 to 19 minutes

Top Round Steak (marinate)

1 inch thick

16 to 18 minutes

16 to 19 minutes

Flank Steak (marinate)

1-1/2 to 2 pounds

17 to 21 minutes

16 to 21 minutes

Skirt Steak (marinate)

1-1/2 to 2 pounds

10 to 13 minutes

8 to 12 minutes

BEEF CUT Tender Cuts

Less Tender Cuts

Steaks should be cooked at a medium heat setting. For charcoal grills, cautiously hold the palm of your hand at cooking height above the ash-covered coals. Count the number of seconds you can hold your hand in that position; approximately 4 seconds is medium heat. All cook times are approximate for medium rare (145°F) to medium (160°F) doneness. Use an instant-read thermometer inserted horizontally into the side of steaks to check doneness.

Allow 10 to 15 seconds for the thermometer to register the internal temperature. Always use tongs to turn steaks.

Lemon-Oregano Rubbed Steaks

Makes about 3 tables 2 pounds beef tenderloin ribeye or top sirloin cut 1 inch OR 2 pounds top b (flat iron) (about 8 ou each) OR 4 pounds T-bo porterhous cut 1 inch Rub: 1/4 cup chopped oregano or 1 tablespoo dried oreg 1 tablespoon f grated lem 4 cloves garlic 1 teaspoon pe Combine rub ingredie evenly onto beef stea Place steaks on gri medium, ash-covered over medium heat on gas grill. Grill accord chart for medium rare to medium (160°F) d turning occasionally.

Serve half of steak ately, as desired. Cov refrigerate remaining later use. Before serv steaks into slices; sea salt and pepper, as de

September 2009 | The premier women’s business resource guide

Lemon-Oregano Rubbed Top Loin Steaks

Lemon-Oregano Marinated Steak

Makes about 1/2 cup 2 pounds beef skirt steak OR 2 pounds top r steaks, cut thick Marinade: 1/3 cup olive oil 1/4 cup fresh lem 1/4 cup chopped oregano or dried oreg 1 tablespoon f lemon peel 4 cloves garlic 1 teaspoon pe Combine marinade in medium bowl. Place

35

Our apologies to Lea Ann Meech.

Her phone number was listed incorrectly in her profile last month.

Continued from previous page

The same wines served with the steaks make excellent companions to the “planned-over” recipes as well.

Visit BeefItsWhatsForDinner. com for beef grilling guidelines, safety tips and additional recipes.

September 2009 | The premier women’s business resource guide

For more information on wine choices and pairings, visit SutterHome.com.

Wine Tips • Offer a selection of red, white and blush varietals so your guests can sample more than one.

• One 750 ml bottle of wine will yield approximately five 4-ounce glasses.

• Serve red wines at 55° to 65°F. White wines are best well-chilled at 45° to 55°F. Avoid overchilling— it subdues the wine’s aromas and flavors.

Steak Preparation For naturally tender steaks, a simple rub using fresh herbs and garlic adds a depth of flavor. For less tender steaks, a basic marinade incorporating acidic ingredients tenderizes and adds flavor. susie sheftel designs 843•330•9551 www.susieart.com susie@susieart.com

36

Marinate the steaks at least six hours, but no more than 24 hours to help achieve perfect results.

Metropolitan Business & Professional Women of Charlotte W h a t : 5 K -- Walk ‘n Run When : Saturday, November 7, 2009 Where : McMullen Creek Greenway Cost : $25 Advance Registration $30 Day of Race DIRECTIONS: I-485 to Hwy. 51(Pineville-Matthews Rd.) Go East on Hwy. 51 for approx. 1 mile.

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September 2009 | The premier women’s business resource guide

MBPW

Proceeds to benefit the mission of Metropolitan business & Professional women’s organization of charlotte

37

your idea

your partner

your dream

March – April 2008 LPportal.com

Stacey’s kitchen, which is bound to make you feel so much better about your own culinary skills. A fun, helpful, and yummy read!

Sheri Lynch

Bob & Sheri co-host and best-selling author of “Hello, My Name is Mommy”

Featuring The Collection of Kroghie Andresen

GuNNIN’ BIrDs

22

your stomach happy; it’ll help your heart, since all the profits go to help the millions of kids with juvenile diabetes.”

Jeff Glor

The Early Show National Correspondent, CBS News

Reasons Employees

“This is the first cookbook I’ve seen in all my years of reading them like novels (and

writing a few myself) that is for everybody, Stacey delivers a delightful, entertaining,

But I Know Someone Who Can

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I Can’t Cook,

About the Author

and useful repertoire of recipes in the same wonderful manner she gives us ‘news we can use’ each morning.”

Barbara McKay Media Personality

HATE their

Jobs

have to live the rest of their lives with diabetes. Thank you, Stacey for all that you do to help find a cure and improve the lives of so many.”

and what companies can do about it

by Denise Altman, MBA, CPA, CPBA

a collection of essays, recipes and culinary tips.

I Can’t

It’s a tell-all collaboration between twenty-five

Stacey Simms, co-host of Charlotte’s Morning side of her own kitchen: the roasted but still half-

Reading, writing and diversity at Trinity Episcopal School

frozen holiday turkey, the emergency visit from the local fire department, and the just-cooked soup poured down the drain. Her stories are as honest

Breach!

as they are humorous. But Stacey isn’t ready to hang up her oven mitts just yet.

She has somehow convinced the best restaurants

An LP Approach to Information Security

in town to share their favorite recipes for this book.

Many of the featured chefs have generously

offered practical advice, along with their recipes, to help both serious foodies and hopeless home cooks like Stacey.

Daniel Stowe in Full Bloom

For founder of real estate firm, priorities are about more than finances

Mooresville’s Artistic Side

Self-taught topiary artist’s yard is a cut above

and Cucumber Soup … to White Chocolate Bread Pudding, Yam Soufflé, and New Zealand Lamb. Some of the recipes are easy, others more complicated, but all of them yield delicious results.

This book also has another purpose—to raise awareness and funds to help in the fight against type 1 (juvenile) diabetes. Stacey’s son has type 1, and by purchasing this book you are helping to support the work of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation of Charlotte.

Forward by

Carolina Panthers Coach John Fox

Good food, good stories, good cause.

Bon Appétit!

George Winston Welcomes Spring in Davidson LNC 0309 Cover Sig.indd 1

Man on a

VOL. 2 NUMBER

MARCH 2009

3

WWW.LNCURRENTS.COM

2/18/09 2:49 PM

mission

Richard ‘Stick’ Williams, who’ll be the YMCA’s first black chairperson in 2010, makes community involvement his business

PM0609-FINAL.indd 1

MAGAZINES

Your time to self-publish SPARK Publications serves as your consultant and creative department to put your published dream into the hands of your future clients. Imagine your own book published...and you maintain all the rights and all the profits. Imagine your products

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But I Know Someone Who Can

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of Charlotte’s greatest chefs and one of our city’s worst cooks.

Cook,

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this isn’t your typical cookbook.

I Can’t Cook, But I Know Someone Who Can is

& Recipes Advice From s Charlotte’ s Top Chef

When her two year old son was diagnosed, she immediately went from advocate to fully committed volunteer. She is not willing to accept that her son and millions of others may

JDRF International Board Member

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Recipes range from Albóndigas, Bruschetta,

“Stacey has been a long time advocate for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Altman Initiative Group, Inc.

Kroghie Andresen has enjoyed hunting and the outdoors since his early teens in eastern North Carolina. His waterfowl hunting experiences began when he shot two lesser scaup from a stake blind in the mouth of Bath Creek at the age of fifteen. since then his passion for hunting has grown and flourished.

Kroghie worked as a banker for First union National Bank, now Wachovia, for thirty three years before retiring in 2004.

Though his work had no connection with hunting, he continued to pursue his hobby during spare time away from work. While living in raleigh in 1979, his wife ross, bought him his first decoy to decorate their new den. This started a collection that has grown into over 1,100 North Carolina decoys. An early decision to limit his collection to Back Bay, Virginia, and North Carolina decoys led to a very specialized collection. Kroghie always tried to document the history and provenance of his decoys. The lack of information on many North Carolina decoys led him to research many previously unidentified carvers as well as those that are well known. This research and thirty years of collecting decoys have culminated with this book.

Kroghie received a B.s. degree in Civil Engineering from The Citadel in 1966 and an MBA from East Carolina university www.altmaninitiative.com in 1971. He and his wife currently704.708.6700 reside in Charlotte, N.C. They have two grown children, Clark and Hailey.

22 Reasons Employees Hate their Jobs

Kroghie, with Maggie, after a successful duck hunt at Lake Mattamuskeet, N.C. in 2004.

– even dazzling – meals made by you – yes, you! Plus, the fire department has had to visit

PRIDE May-June 2009

V7.2

“If you love to eat, but fear the kitchen, follow Stacey Simms to the stove. Imagine delicious

Denise Altman has spent the past 25 years observing how companies manage and utilize their employees.

Her observations have made her a valued consultant to businesses large and small.

She is the President of Altman Initiative Group, Inc., a behavioral Stacey Simms is the award-winning and strategic consulting firm near Charlotte,Morning North News Carolina. In co-host of Charlotte’s addition to working with individual with Al Gardner and Stacey Simms and companies, she is a frequent speaker at on the subjects Health conferences Headlines: Thenationwide Show, both heard of communication, leadership, hiring, on NewsTalk 1110 WBT. Stacey started employee development and retention.

Her practical information and humorous her broadcasting career as a TV news insights get rave reviews from her anchor and reporter, first in upstate New audiences.

She the author two compact discs York, then in is Charlotte at CBSofaffiliate on behavioral communication entitled WBTV.“Help, She’s a these graduate of Syracuse people are driving me crazy!” and “Help, my husband is driving me University’s Newhouse School of Public crazy!” She has also written a variety Communications.

Stacey lives in Davidson, of articles that have been published in newspapers, magazines and newsletters NC with her family. She tries not to set off around the country. the smoke detectors Denise holdstoo a often.

Masters in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Professional Behavior Analyst.

Learn more about Denise Altman and her work at www.altmaninitiative.com.

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