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Greetings Fellow Entrepreneurial Women,
Happy New Year! It is winter; it is
Michigan, and there
is SNOW! Lots of SNOW! But let's think
forward to a
new awakening for ourselves and for our
businesses.
I am thrilled to be serving as President of
Women
Business Owners of Southeastern Michigan this
year.
I am excited about working with the dedicated
women
who have stepped forward to serve the
organization
on the Board of Directors and Steering
Committee. I
am pleased Carlyle's Grill has stepped
forward to be
our host this year.
Consistent with our mission of education,
networking,
referral, and support, we have planned an
outstanding
year of programming to help you improve and grow
your business:
- outstanding speakers
- relevant topics
- usable tools
- networking opportunities
- member referrals
- encouragement and support
This year's educational program is built on the
principal components of a business growth plan.
Each month we will address a different aspect of
owning a small business. From feasibility to
finance,
management to marketing, product to people,
we will
explore best practices. Knowledgeable
speakers will
enlighten and challenge. Meetings will bring
current
information you can use to make you better
for your
business.
And something new: each month there will be
homework - yes that's right - homework! And,
by the
end of the year, using the tools we will
provide and
faithfully doing the homework, you will have
created a
business plan to grow your business! Or,
just come,
listen to the speakers, learn from the
topics, and enjoy
the camaraderie of the members. This is your
group,
and it is what you make it. I encourage you
to make
the best use of your membership, for you.
Best Regards,
Jan
| In This Issue |
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| Setting SMART Goals |
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by Turner Thompson, Financial Architects of
Farmington Hills.
In an encore engagement, Mr. Turner Thompson
spoke at our January General Meeting presenting an
inspiring start to the new year reminding of us that
success is no accident. "People spend more
time planning their vacation than they do planning
their lives and their businesses." A sobering
thought; sad but true.
Mr. Thompson points out that in our struggling
economy, it is more important than ever to plan for a
secure future. Many people unknowingly transfer
wealth to others by failing to carefully plan and
manage their resources. "Failing to plan is
planning to fail", Mr. Thompson said.
Knowing how to move forward effectively means
examining our current thinking and habits about
money, planning for wealth, setting SMART
goals to support the plan, and summoning the
discipline to execute the objectives that support the
goals. Simple strategies, like creating an
emergency "rainy day" fund, contribute to financial
stability.
Seeking expert advice in the process, helps us
broaden our view of the possibilities. Mr. Turner asks,
"If we always do what we've always done, why
are we surprised when we get the same results we've
always gotten?"
.As Steven Covey said, "Begin with the end in mind."
Prioritize those things of importance in your life:
- family,
- occupation,
- recreation,
- money,
- respect,
- etc.
Engage people to support your quest.: build a
team of experts. Looking in from the outside can
help us make different choices that have the potential
to produce more favorable outcomes. Analyze your
current situation, and begin setting SMART
goals that will help you arrive at your destination.
Setting SMART goals means insuring the goals
you choose are specific, measurable, attainable,
realistic and timely. Like the roadmap you create
to go on vacation, this plan guides your life journey
Mr. Thompson reminds us that although the
destination is important, we should not ignore the
richness of the journey. As we travel down the road
we planned, their may be bumps in the road or
detours along the way. "How we conduct
ourselves on that journey determines what brings
richness to life," he said. "Our
committment to represent ourselves and our
businesses in a positive light happens every second
of everyday in everything we say and do. People do
business with people who they know, who they like,
and who they trust. And, they like and trust people
who commit to a purposeful life planned to achieve
success and prosperity enriched with servant
leadership through community service."
We thank Turner Thompson for encouraging us to
begin now to get 2009 off to a good start with purpose
and a plan on the way to prosperity.
Summary respectfully submitted,
Gail Nicklowitz, Secretary
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| Upcoming WBO Events |
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February General Meeting, Tuesday,
February 10,
2009
Pat Salo, Associate Regional Director, SBTDC
Your Business Idea: Fabulous! Feasible?
Not an accountant? Not many entrepreneurs are
accounting experts, but understanding the numbers
can set you free. Determining feasibility, break even,
and understanding cash flow can be confusing.
Learn how to make sense of the numbers in this
clear, concise, interactive session.
March General Meeting, Tuesday, March
10,
2009
Debra Power, President, Power Marketing
Marketing Your Product or Service: How Do I Hit a
Moving Target?
Not a marketing expert? Not many entrepreneurs
have a marketing degree, but understanding basic
components of marketing concepts can help you
design a more effective, targeted marketing plan.
Over the next several months, we will strive to better
understand the marketing process. We begin in
March with Market Research: The Customer? The
Competition?
April General Meeting, Tuesday, April 14,
2009
Janet Muhleman, Founder, re:group, inc.
Building Your Brand: How Do I Create the Image I
Want for My Product or Service?
Still not a marketing expert? In April we'll learn more
about the
importance of market research: understanding our
target market, and identifying our competition. Then,
we're
ready to build OUR brand using OUR competitive
advantage to create awareness of the value
proposition of OUR product or service. We continue
to strive to better understand the marketing process in
April with Branding: Who Am I? What Makes Me
Special? Why Should A Customer Select Me?
May General Meeting, Tuesday, May 12,
2009
Still not a marketing expert? In May we'll continue our
journey toward a comprehensive marketing plan.
Watch this space for our expert speaker for May.
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| Opportunities |
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Our strategic partnership with NAWBO allows us
to attend NAWBO events at member prices. Please
check out their upcoming events and satellite
meetings at www.nawbogd.org
The 17th Annual Networking Event of Women's
Organizations will be held at Petruzello's in Troy on
Thursday, February 19, 2009 from 4:30 - 7:30 p.m.
WBO will have a booth and be represented by Hillary
Handwerger of TLCI Website Solutions, our
Webmistress and Ana Skidmore of TooFoot Creative,
our Special Events Chair.
Save the date for Thursday, March 19, 2009 Annual
Top 10 Luncheon and Awards
Join us as NAWBO honors Michigan's Top 10 Women
in Business.
Personalize the WBO Website
On the new WBO website, every member can have
a photo and logo on the site. Please send
copies of your picture and/or logo, in a gif
or jpg format, preferably no larger than
200px on a side, to hillaryh@ix.netcom.com.
Hillary is willing to resize these images if
you can't. While you are at it, for our
records, please let us know the year you
started your business and if it is a sole
proprietorship, Partnership, LLC/LLP, C Corp,
or S Corp. Thank you!
The OPPORTUNITES section of this
newsletter
provides you, the membership, with the chance
to announce opportunities that support you as
a business or benefit our members. See the
Newsletter page for more information and feel
free to send Opportunity information to
info@wbo-mich.org.
SPREAD THE WORD is the opportunity WBO
gives
you describe your business and services to
the WBO mailing list and beyond. Cost: $25
to sponsor the Newsletter.
Michigan Women's Marketplace offers all
women owned businesses the opportunity to have a
free listing. Join today at www.miwomen.com
to have your business represented and please
use the MWM whenever the opportunity arises.
The Michigan Classifieds is a new website is
yet another opportunity for internet presence at no cost
to you. Find them at
www.themichiganclassifieds.com
Women Making Connection event at Kerrytown,
Wednesday, April 1, 2009, 4:30 - 7:30. Networking,
food, fun, information about resources. Pre-register,
charge at the door. See
www.womenmakingconnections.com
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| Spread the Word - TLCI Website Design |
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Our Webmistress, Hillary Handwerger, offered these
internet marketing tips in a previous issue of WBO
News. As we approach the Marketing Plan sessions
of our 2009 Educational Series, it is worth revisining
some of Hillary's words of wisdom. Remember
TLCI in selecting a vendor to help you get
improved rankings.
Search engine marketing involves using
keywords and meta tags appropriately so you
go to the top of the first page,
keeping you
content fresh, and obtaining as many
links to
your site from other websites as possible.Search
engines love updated
content.
What can you do to update your site?
There are the obvious things-seasonal
information, new product announcements,
testimonials.
Then there are newsletters, blogs, articles,
surveys and more which add to your
credibility, contribute positively to your
image, and all should point back to your website.
E-Newsletters can be very effective in
building credibility and establishing expertise.
Sending E-Newsletters regularly keeps
your name and message in front of your
customers and prospects, which is a critical
component in triggering buy-events, building
your brand, and driving sales. They help
build loyalty,
reinforce your marketing message and
provide you with an opportunity to stay in
touch with customers and let them know about
special offers, new products, or company news.
How does this benefit your business? Because
the next time your customers need to make a
purchase, you want them to think of you
FIRST! I can help you set up a newsletter
that matches you image. And posting or
archiving your newsletters adds new
content to you site.
Blogs (a contraction of the term "Web
log") are simple Web sites, usually
maintained by an
individual with regular entries of
commentary, descriptions of events, or other
material such as graphics or video. Entries
are commonly displayed in
reverse-chronological order.
In 2007 50% of U.S. Internet population read
blogs on regular basis.
Many blogs provide commentary or news on a
particular subject; others function as more
personal online diaries. A typical blog
combines text, images, and links, and other
media related to its topic. The ability for
readers to leave comments in an interactive
format is an important, but not necessary,
part of many blogs.
A blog helps you build awareness, establish
your expertise, better communicate with
customers. In building awareness, blogs are
search
engine friendly so they can help improve
visibility in organic results. In
establishing your expertise, you set youself
apart from a competitor who is not blogging.
I can help select and set up the right
blog for you, based on what you want it to
do. I can design the blog so it matches your
website and so your image is maintained- the
rest is up to you.
Articles
You can write an article or series of
articles and post them on your site.
Providing information through articles posted
on your website is a sure way to increase
traffic and credibility.
Think about it:
· All you need in writing article is your
thoughts, your computer, and your hands.
· You can get noticed in a short period of
time.
· And you obtain back links automatically.
· You can improve your reputation.
I can be of some help here, directing you in
terms of where articles might be placed both
in terms of directories and on your website.
Other things that add to your web presence:
Your web presence is your online footprint.
Every public profile you own on MySpace,
Facebook, or anywhere else is considered as
part of your web presence. All these should
contribute positively to your image, and all
should point back to your website. Having
quality pages pointing towards your site can
dramatically increase your chances of being
ranked highly in all the important search
engines. More importantly than that though
is the credibility such a web presence creates.
When you have links to your website in other
sources, you are adding to your off-site links.
Contact Hillary at TLCI (www.tlc-i.com) to see what we
can do
for you. This is not the time to dig in,
this is the time to stand out!
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| Business Challenge |
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January's homework challenges you to take time to re-
evaluate your business:
- re-read your mission statement - Is it still relevant?
Is it your guide?
- re-examine your products/services - Do they meet
customer needs? Are you keeping pace with trends in
your industry?
- re-visit your financial performance for the past 3
years in critical areas - Revenue? Gross Profit? Pre-
tax Profit? Current Assets? Current Liabilities? Total
Debt? Net Worth? # Employees?
- re-consider a line of credit - Do you have one
available if needed? Highest credit used last year? %?
- re-evaluate your management team - Name key
people? Position? Age? Years with you? Salary?
Performance? Ownership stake?
- remind yourself of significant business
accomplishments in 2008
- re-determine decisions you would change if you
could
- re-imagine - if $s were not a factor and you were
the ultimate risk taker, what is the one thing you would
do in your company to make it more successful?
- re-identify the most important strategic (long
range) and tactical (short range) issues you face in
2008 & specify greatest obstacles to achievement.
- re-examine your network - determine those who
can be helpful in achieving your goals
Imagine what your company will look like in 5 years
and begin to set goals to achieve this image of what
you dream.
January's homework also challenges you to take time
to re-evaluate your personal life. AMake three columns
to consider your time allotment (use %) in each of the
following areas:
- Career/Financial,
- Relationships (spouse, children, etc.),
- Well Being (physical & mental health),
- Spiritual,
- Financial,
- Personal Growth, and
- Leisure
In the second column, rate your satisfaction with your
time allotment in each of the above catagories.
(Excellent, good, average, or poor)
In the third column, use a +, -, or = to determine your
desire to make change in each of the catagories.
Finally, re-evaluate your life balance by looking at the
following questions:
- When was your last vacation? Length? Where?
- When is your next vacation? Length? Where?
- Last Medical Physical? Next Medical Physical?
- Personal goals for weight? exercise? habit
change?
To complete January's homework, set goals in the
following areas on the colored sheet (remember to
make them SMART goals):
- Career/Financial,
- Relationships,
- Well Being,
- Spiritual,
- Personal, and
- Wild Card
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| New WBO Members - Welcome! |
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| 2008 Member-to-Member Discounts |
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15% off room rates at Davies House in
Georgetown Bed and Breakfast. Have friends
and family coming to town to visit or for family
celebrations? No space at your place? Send them to
mine! Contact Jan Davies McDermott, owner and
innkeeper at 734 973 1722 or via email:
daviesbb@yahoo.com
1-800-GOT-JUNK- 10% off any junk
removal
service. Contact Casey Stark at
(734) 904-1992 or by email
casey.stark@1800gotjunk.com
American Laser Centers- Members
recieve an additional 20% off all services,
as well as free treatments for referrals.
Contact Jennifer Schaefer at (734)
971-9800 or by email jschaefer@alcpartner.com
Amy's Elegance by Design- 10% off
alterations. Contact Amy L. Cattell
at (517) 851-4627 or by email catt@cablespeed.com
Cafe Marie of Ann Arbor -
Breakfast/Lunch Cafe; 20% off. Show up with
your membership card to get your discount.
Creative Memories- Bonus Host
Gift with scheduled Home Event Contact Nan
Carter
at (734) 930-6516 or by email
nanpotmedic@comcast.net
DOLEV LLC - Food Coach- 25%
discount on a
complete series of 10 private coaching
sessions, 15% discount on a short term series
of 4 private coaching sessions, 10% discount
on a one time session of private counseling,
10% discount on workshops or seminars in
workplaces Contact Yael Dolev at
(734) 276-1317 or by email
yael@dolevfoodcoach.com
Denise Held, RN, Certified
Reflexologist- 20% discount for an
hour session. With the
discount, it is $36. Contact Denise Held at
(734) 973-8290 or by email deniseheld@aol.com
Dynamic Edge Consulting LLC-
$10.00 off QuickBooks/Peachtree Red Phone Help
Desk
Subscription Plan. Contact Lucy Rogers at
(734) 975-0460 or by email lrogers@dynedge.com
Friends 4 Paws LLC- 10% off all
services for WBO members Contact Trully A.
Luke at (734) 328-6035 or by email
taluke@allpawsforward.com
Healing In Motion, PLLC- JB
Myofacial
Release; 25% off. Contact Sandra Hilton at
(734) 913-4816 or by email
sandyhilton@gmail.com
I Sold It- Ann Arbor- 5% off on the
first $500. Contact Carol Kamm at
(734) 761-6187 or by email isolditaa@gmail.com
Inforum- $125 professional (regular)
level memberships are available to all WBO
members. Contact Leslie Herrick at
313.578.3244 or by email
lherrick@inforummichigan.org
Instant Imprints- 10% discount.
Contact Cheri Dunn at (734) 929-0577
or by email instantimprints@tds.net
J and T Ultimate Cleaning Inc-
Offering
10% and more off to WBO members Contact
Jaime Villarreal at (517) 651-5891
or by email jaimesempire@aol.com
J'spaa- 10% discount on all
services.
Contact Jacqueline Jackson at (734)
827-9775 or by email jspaa@att.net
Juice Plus - One free canister of
Complete Shake with order of capsules or
gummies. Contact Sara Brintnall at
(734) 369-8893 or by email
sarabrintnall@hotmail.com
Kimberly Watt, LLC- 25% to any
member
who refers me for keynote speaker or workshop
facilitor Contact Kim Watt at
(734) 341-5007 or by email kim@kimberlywatt.com
Language Link- 10% off all
language and test preparation classes
Contact Caroline
Wojan at (734) 821-0311 or by email
lasses@languagelink.us
Managing Your Mind Coaching &
Seminars-
20% discount on all services and products.
Contact Geraldine
Markel at (734) 761-6498 or by email
geri@managingyourmind.com
Mary Kay Inc- 10% off Mary Kay
products
Contact Ginger Winter at (734)
429-2433 or by email gingerwinter@comcast.net
Merle Norman Cosmetics- 10%
discount on
regular priced products at Nan's Merle
Norman. Plus a complementary paraffin
treatment with a manicure or pedicure ($10
value). Contact Nan Carter at
(734) 930-6516 or by email
nanphotomedic@comcast.net
Nourish Your Life- 10% off life
coaching Contact Janet Simpson at
(810) 231-1743 or by email
janet@nourishyourlife.com
NuSkin/Pharmanex- selling my
products to members at wholesale Contact
Joyce Ranney at 734-878-9991 or by
email joyce.ranney@yahoo.com
Personalized Gift Baskets- 10% off
all orders. Contact Becky Grasshoffer at
734-222-4697 or by email
sales@personalizedwrappers.com
Rubenfeld Synergy: Mind-Body
Healing-
Complimentary Introductory Session. Contact
Peggy Bennett at (734) 994-3719 or
by email pegben@umich.edu
SKO Enterprise, LLC-
Complimentary
Website
Critique, valued at $100. Contact Sandra
O'Brien at (734) 426-3613 or by
email obrien@skoenterprise.com
Shaklee- Free Customer
Membership, or
membership pricing on all products Contact
Theresia Radtke at (734) 646-0793 or
by email TheresiaAnne@yahoo.com
Staging & Design Solutions, LLC-
10% discount
on a consultation. Contact Cynthia Hagan
at (734) 929-5061 or by email
cynthia@staginganddesign.net
TLCI Website Solutions-
Website Design, Development, Consulting, SEO,
Marketing and Promotion; 10% off. Contact
Hillary Handwerger at (734) 668-6585
or by email hhandwerger@yahoo.com
TouchPoint Promotions- 10%
Discount on
product offers Contact Dale Long at
734.769.8268 or by email daslong@comcast.net
Town and Country Errands- 10%
discount on all
their services. Contact Lynn
Liston at (734) 761-8431 or by email
lynn@townandcountry-errands.com
TwoFoot Creative LLC- 15% off
wedding
event planning services Contact Ana G.
Skidmore at (734) 709-6656 or by
email ana@twofootcreative.com
AFFILIATE OF
NAWBO
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WBO meets on the second
Tuesday of the month, starting in January at
Carlyle Grill on Jackson Road. Please join
us! Meeting time is
6-8pm and finger food is provided.
Find out more....
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