Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Joy to the World



May the joys of the season
shed light, hope and fill our hearts with peace.

Happy Holidays to you and yours.

Enjoy, be safe and back with you in the new year!

Monday, December 22, 2008

Sound Advice: Best Business Books in 2008

It's not too late to finish off the list of the best business books in 2008. Strategy & Business does this feature every year around this time.

Find it here and best wishes for a very Happy Holiday season.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Article of Interest: Savor the Success

Just as we revealed a long time ago through the Women Presidents' Organization (WPO), other female entrepreneurs are also discovering that there are strength in the numbers when it comes to building online relationships.
Thanks to social networking, they are sharing ideas and contacts, collaborating on projects and opening business doors for each other. More and more female business owners are recognizing the benefits of working together, and social networking makes it more convenient.

Now, Angela Jia Kim, a New York businesswoman, hopes to bring like-minded female entrepreneurs together through her new boutique social networking site, SavortheSuccess.com.
We, at WPO, have always believed in the power of social networking. Find us (request an invitation) at LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

Read more of our posts on social networking here, here, here and here.

Happy Social Networking!

Saturday, December 06, 2008

Event Update: 1st WPO Chicago Town Resource Meeting

With the generous assistance of WPO Chicago member Mary Bahr, we hosted our first ever WPO Chicago Town Resource Meeting December 2nd from 2:00-4:00 p.m. at the offices of MAB Advertising.

We invited more than 50 Supplier Diversity Professionals from government/corporations and WPO Chicago members spanning across all three chapters. The program was a HUGE success -- to the point that we have agreed to host one every year from hereon in.

The purpose of our meeting:

To meet and explore ways in which to do business together.

Agenda:

1. Warm Welcomes and Introductions.

a. Each WPO Chicago member gives a one-minute elevator pitch on their business and emphasizes what sets it apart from others.

b. Each Supplier Diversity Professional (SDP) gives a 3-5 minute overview of their role within organization.

2. Q&A (with two specific questions addressed first).

a. How can WPO Chicago members take advantage of diversity programs in corporate/governmental sectors?

b. What is the best way (is there a secret or tip) to "break in" to an organization through diversity/compliance programs?

c. Q&A (general).

3. Networking (exchange of business cards/brochures).

Here's what a WPO Chicago member said about our meeting:
It was a great meeting and I also felt that the women that represented CDW, RR Donnelley, Chicago Park District and the University of Chicago, to name just a few, provided very honest answers and comments regarding their diversity programs and how to "get in" to these organizations.

They provided insight as to how the purchasing departments are structured and what their processes are. They also took the time to network with us and take our information.

I personally feel that when I contact these women for an appointment (if I do it the proper way) they will take the time to meet with me.

It was also great to meet women from the other WPO chapters in Chicago and hear about their businesses.
Mission accomplished!

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Sound Advice: Books Worth a Read

If you are contemplating what book to read next to help build your business, you might try one of these on for size over at Tom Peter's (a keynote speaker at our 2009 conference in San Diego) blog entry, "Books, Books, Books ..."

I read "The Knack" and am getting ready to buy Seth Godin's "Tribes: We Need You To Lead Us" -- both on the list.

Have you read any of the books mentioned or others that have provided new insights? Let us know! We welcome your contributions.

Monday, November 24, 2008

Monday, November 17, 2008

Event of Interest: Global Entrepreneurship Week

Marsha Firestone, President & Founder, Women Presidents' Organization, will join IBM and more than 75 countries around the world in launching the first ever Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW), November 17-23, 2008.

Marsha will be on IBM's WomenSpeak Webcast November 19th at 10:15 am EST sharing what you should know about starting, managing, and growing a business.

The brainchild of the Kauffman Foundation, Global Entrepreneurship Week is an international initiative designed to inspire, inform, mentor, connect and engage entrepreneurs and to encourage them to "unleash" their ideas and solutions on a global, connected marketplace.

Find out more here, join in on the discussions, especially the Women's Entrepreneurship Day and spread the good global word.

Note: WPO members and partners -- contact headquarter office for log-in information.

Sunday, November 09, 2008

Sound Advice: Are You Being Used?

What a curious way to approach this. Still wondering how social media works? So are we. But expert Peter Kim has it figured out in a very thought-provoking and comprehensive manner at his blog Being Peter Kim.

In a recent blog entry he provides a list of social media marketing examples of companies using and being used by social media marketing -- from OPEN Forum by American Express to Coca Cola's Sprite Sips (must be a Facebook user for full access) to Dunkin Donuts's microblogging Twitter (must be Twitter user for full access).

Is your company featured? We hope so. Check it out at A List of Social Media Marketing Examples. Don't be left behind.

Full disclosure: I blog about global small business for the OPEN Forum by American Express.

Monday, November 03, 2008

Sound Advice: The Knack

I breeze through a business book a week and this week I finished the latest creation from authors Norm Brodsky and Bo Burlingham called The Knack: How Street-Smart Entrepreneurs Learn to Handle Whatever Comes Up. Messrs. Brodsky and Birlingham are two of my favorite columnists at our media partner Inc. magazine. Full disclosure: I did not buy the book. Their publicist sent me a complimentary copy.

The Knack is a great book for anyone who yearns for brilliant common sense advice from Norm Brodsky that grew out of years of experience as a serial entrepreneur. He's seen and done it all -- made mistakes, fell down, picked himself up, and figured out how not to do it again -- and it shows throughout this book. One of my favorite quotes is, "You can't succeed without trying." Simple but so true and oftentimes we need to hear that message over and over again to get us going. And Brodsky will get you going.

In the October 2008 issue of Inc. magazine, Brodsky writes "Street Smarts: Secrets of a $110 Million Man." In it, he talks about ten lessons he learned over the past 29-plus years of running businesses, the lessons that he still relies on today and that I think are absolutely spot-on. Here's a glimpse at Important Lesson No. 1:
1. Numbers run a business. If you don't know how to read them, you are flying blind.

When I started out, I thought that CEOs ran businesses with the help of their top executives. What I didn't realize is that a business is a living entity with needs of its own, and unless the leaders pay attention to those needs, the business will fail. So how do you know what those needs are? There's only one way: by looking at the numbers and understanding the relationships between them. They will tell you how good your sales are, whether you can afford to hire a new salesperson or office manager, how much cash you will need to deal with new business coming in, how your market is changing, and on and on. You can't afford to wait until your accountant tells you these things. Nor do you have to become an accountant. You do have to know enough accounting, however, to figure out which numbers are most important in your particular business, and then you should develop the habit of watching them like a hawk.
To find out about the other nine lessons, visit "Street Smarts: Secrets of a $110 Million Man," and if you like what you see, buy The Knack. Small price to pay for a zoom lens into Brodsky's mind.

Monday, October 27, 2008

Sound Advice: 50 Steps to Establishing a Consistent Social Media Practice

One of the topics that continues to come up during our WPO Chicago chapter sessions is social media. Some of the questions are: What is it? Why do I need it? Who uses it? How do I develop a strategy around it?

All great questions and oftentimes unanswerable because the platform is still so very new.

One individual I have been following for a long time is Chris Brogan. He writes an amazing blog that extensively covers how to use social media and social networks to build relationships and deliver value. You don't want to miss it.

And this post, 50 Steps to Establishing a Consistent Social Media Practice, is one of my all-time favorites. It serves as a primer to getting your arms around social media.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Sound Advice: How To Minimize Risks of Hiring Outside Stars

How many times have you heard people say, "I only want star players on my team!" Well that's called talent and whether in good times or bad, companies compete for the best, the brightest and the hardest-working stars who outshine the merely competent.

But hiring top talent is not without risk.

Read more here at MIT Sloan Management Review about how to minimize the risks of hiring outside stars. You'll also learn that there are some positions for which talent can be imported and others that are better filled from within.

Need more? Access these accompanying articles online:

Rethinking the "War for Talent"


Making People Decisions in the New Global Environment

Getting the Right People at the Top

And let us know what you are doing at your company to nurture and keep people at the top.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Sound Advice: A Time To Lead

Great quote from Seth Godin:
Everyone isn’t going to be a leader. But everyone isn’t going to be successful, either.

Success is now the domain of people who lead. That doesn’t mean they’re in charge, it doesn’t mean they are the CEO, it merely means that for a group, even a small group, they show the way, they spread ideas, they make change. Those people are the only successful people we’ve got.
More here on where the quote came from.

Are you a leader? Let us know why. We want to share the good news with others who can benefit.

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Sound Advice: 1,000 Tips To A Brighter Future

Chad Moutray, Chief Economist & Director of Economic Research at the U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Advocacy poses the following question through Linked In:

What measures should small businesses take to weather this economic downturn?

The responses -- more than 1,000! -- are worth reading here.

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

News of Interest: To Blog, Or Not to Blog?

According to Technorati's amazing report, State of the Blogosphere 2008, you better blog! It's a global phenomenon.

If you have a blog, tell us about it. If you don't, let us know when you plan to launch!

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Monday, September 22, 2008

Survey of Interest: What Do You Think of Different Generations?

A recent survey by Harris Interactive conducted for Charles Schwab and Age Wave asked almost 4,000 Americans aged 21 to 83 what they thought of different generations.

Specifically, they were asked about people aged 13 to 31 or Generation Y; those aged 32 to 43 or Generation X, Baby Boomers, aged 44 to 62; the "Silent Generation," aged 63 to 83; and the "Greatest Generation," aged 84 or older.

The results show how very differently people view the different generations, with many people holding strong positive and negative opinions about them.

Here's a look at Table 1:Fascinating results. See whether you agree or disagree. Find out more here. And, as always, weigh in with your two cents. We're ready!

Monday, September 15, 2008

Event of Interest: 2008 PINK Conference Series

PINK magazine has a fabulous conference coming up on September 24 at the InterContinental Hotel downtown Chicago.

For more information and to register, visit here (look for Chicago).

Line up includes:

MODERATOR: Mary Lou Quinlan, founder and CEO, Just Ask a Woman

Candace Bushnell, author, Sex and the City and Lipstick Jungle

Carol B. Tome, chief financial officer and executive vice president of corporate services, The Home Depot

Carol L. Bernick, chairman of the board, Alberto-Culver

Mary Dillon, executive vice president and global chief marketing officer, McDonald's

Christie Hefner, chairman and CEO, Playboy Enterprises

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Website of Interest: ecorner

Browse the ecorner: Stanford University's Entrepreneurship Corner brought to you by Stanford Technology Ventures Program and discover popular videos, podcasts and speakers -- all on the subject of building a business. Find something that suits your needs.

Try this video on for size:

Tips for Entrepreneurs (by Larry Page and Eric Schmidt, Google -- 2002).

Tip #1: Just don't settle. Especially with employees, it is very important to find great people you are compatible with.

Do you find this to be true? Google sure has.

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

Event: WBDC Chicago Annual Conference

We had the wonderful opportunity to exhibit at the Women's Business Development Center Chicago 22nd Annual Entrepreneurial Woman's Conference where the Women Presidents' Organization has been a longstanding partner for many years.

Several WPO Chicago members attended, networked, shared ideas, brainstormed, served as workshop experts and had some good old-fashioned fun.

In case you missed us (Booth No. 519), feel free to give us a call or send us an email to let us know how we can help you. Information can be found on the right sidebar of our blog.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Article of Interest: A Time to Innovate

The September issue of Entrepreneur magazine has a special focus on the Women Presidents' Organization talking about how some of the business world's most influential women get together to take on the future.

Catch it here!

Monday, August 25, 2008

Blog Post of Interest: Coaching Lessons For Business Owners Inspired by the Olympics

Watching the Olympics, I could not help but think of the similarity between Olympic gold medal winners and business owners who brave it out to grow a business successfully.

This blog post touches on many aspects of my thoughts. See whether you agree.

Photo: Left is Sanya Richards. Her team captured the USA gold in the 4x400 relay.

Monday, August 18, 2008

News of Interest: 5th Annual WPO Chicago Summit Wins Gold Medal For Quality

Our 5th Annual WPO Chicago Summit and No-Host Dinner on August 14th was a huge success thanks to our two key sponsors, Harris and IBM, who generously underwrote our program content and continue to bring us greater insights and connections.

Summit speakers Susan Hed from IBM, Jack Stack from SRC Holdings Corporation and Holly Hunt from HOLLY HUNT, demonstrated how to become an influential leader, inspire employees to think and act like CEOs, and continue to build a business up to a thriving $120 million enterprise.

As we said in our program, everyday we face business challenges head-on and inspire others with a sense of hope and purpose. But on August 14th we asked that all attendees (largest turnout ever) kick back, relax, get to know someone they had never met before and brainstorm about how to use the knowledge they gained to develop themselves, their business, their community, and their world tomorrow. We are proud to say that everyone walked away renewed, refreshed and empowered, because they realize the best is yet to come.

Thank you all for attending. We value your membership and sponsorship. Without it, the Women Presidents’ Organization would not be where it is today.

And special thanks to our national sponsors who help to make the WPO program possible.

See you August 13, 2009 at our 6th Annual WPO Chicago Summit and No Host Dinner!

Monday, August 11, 2008

Article of Interest: In Search of Growth Leaders

How do you find managers who can turbocharge organic growth -- that is, internally generated growth -- for your company? How do you nurture them?

That's the trick and this article, "In Search of Growth Leaders," addresses how to put entrepreneurial skills to work in your company to achieve breakout results.

Have you experienced a similar situation? We'd welcome a chance to hear from you. Please share your ideas to ldelaney(at)globetrade(dot)com and we will blog about your advice here so everyone benefits.

Monday, August 04, 2008

Article of Interest: Hiring a CEO From the Outside Is More Expensive

A new study by Equilar Inc. found that external hires for a CEO position recruited from outside a company earn more in their first year than those promoted from within.

The study looked at CEOs hired during fiscal years ended between April 30, 2007, and March 31, 2008. Its results can be found here. Outside hires tend to be paid more to offset the risks and expenses of leaving one company for another, including lost perks and equity.

Failing to plan for leader succession can be costly all around.

Monday, July 28, 2008

Articles of Interest: Using Innovation To Transform Your Business

Two great articles about small business innovation were featured recently in The Wall Street Journal and we wanted to make sure you saw them:

Tapping the Creativity of Downtime

Productive Brainstorms Take The Right Mix of Elements

If you have a story to share relative to how you use innovation to speed ahead of the curve with your business and are close to a million in annual revenue, we'll take it.

Send us an email (ldelaneyatglobetrade.com) describing what you did and how it has made a difference transforming your business. We'll feature you on this blog as a soon-to-be WPO Chicago member!

Monday, July 21, 2008

News of Interest: Eved Services Wins Stevie Award

Eved Services won a Stevie Award for Best Overall Company under 100 employees in The 2008 American Business Awards.

In accepting the Stevie, WPO Chicago member Talia Mashiach (pictured at microphone) said, "This is for the entire Eved team in Chicago who has worked so hard to make Eved Services the #1 Event Services company.”

Stevie Awards were presented in over 40 categories including Best Overall Company, Best Executive, and Best Corporate Social Responsibility Program. More than 2,600 entries from companies of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted for consideration.

This award means an incredible amount to Eved Services. At only four years old, the company has grown 1200% and continues to redefine the event space with new technology and exceptional service quality.

Videoclips of the award presentations are available online here (look for Eved Services under 8 p.m. ceremony -- in order of presentation).

We congratulate Talia and are extremely proud of her!

Monday, July 14, 2008

Article of Interest: Would You Hire Your Husband?

Are you comfortable running your own show and having your "life partner" work for you?

If you are, then you don't need to go any further. If you are not or are seriously considering it, read this interesting article to see if you have what it takes to delineate respective roles that play to each others' strengths and keep a relationship happy over the long haul.

Monday, July 07, 2008

Event of Interest: 5th Annual WPO Chicago Summit and No-Host Dinner

Thursday, August 14, 2008
11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

IBM Innovation Center
71 South Wacker Drive, 6th Floor
Chicago, IL 60606

Sponsored By:








We are in the final stages of planning our Summit -- sponsored by Harris N.A. and IBM -- and are proud to announce our lineup of keynote speakers:

Jack Stack (generously underwritten by Harris N.A.): Jack Stack will talk about what it really takes to build a business of business people by harnessing the most powerful management tool a company has.

He is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of SRC Holdings Corporation, an award-winning, employee-owned organization based in Springfield, Missouri. Under Jack’s stewardship, SRC has experienced phenomenal growth, spawning more than 40 new business ventures—and creating hundreds of new jobs—in only 22 years. Today SRC employs 1,200 people and generates annual revenue of $230 million.

Jack is the co-author of the best-selling business books The Great Game of Business (Doubleday/Currency, 1992) and A Stake in the Outcome (Doubleday/Currency, 2002). As a regular columnist for Inc. magazine, he writes about the business world, entrepreneurship, authentic leadership, employee ownership, and what it takes to succeed in today’s ever-changing marketplace.

Susan Hed, VP General Business, Oracle Alliance, IBM Corporation: Sue Hed will speak to us about the influence of leadership.

She is currently Vice President, General Business, Global Oracle Alliance. She is responsible for strategic growth of IBM Hardware, Software and Services business associated with Oracle’s application software in General Business. In this role she works closely with our Oracle and IBM Business partners to deliver best of breed solutions to midsize clients.

Sue brings more than twenty years of global leadership expertise in alliances and software solution sales to her current position. Prior to this position she was VP Global ISV Solution Sales in NE EMEA, responsible sales with strategic global ISV partners and IBM technology and services. She joined IBM in 1998, with prior sales experience in business consulting services with a specialization in CRM.

Holly Hunt: Inspiring design entrepreneur Holly Hunt will talk about what it takes to build a successful enterprise.

Holly runs an upscale design house that makes and markets home and office furnishings, fabrics, and lighting fixtures. The company has showrooms in Chicago, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC. It also shows its products in other selected furniture stores.

Holly's introduction of French designer, Christian Liaigre, helped to secure the company's position in the furniture-with-flair niche. Other showcased furniture designers include Alison Berger, John Hutton, and Studio H. Holly Hunt founded the design firm as a single store in 1984.

Learn more about her company here.

We have three (3) WPO Chicago members sponsoring our reception immediately following our program and dinner is pre-arranged too.

This is a for-members-only event but it is not too late to join provided you pre-qualify and we have space in a chapter. Contact Laurel Delaney at the email address shown on our blog (right sidebar) or call 773-381-1700 for further information.

Special thanks to Harris N.A. and IBM for helping us make this year's event the best ever.

We look forward to seeing you or hearing from you soon!

P.S. WPO Chicago private wiki members register here.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

News of Interest: Shelly Sun Is Living Her Dream

Find out how WPO Chicago member Shelly Sun (pictured), President, BrightStar Healthcare is living and doing her dream here. Be inspired to make a difference.

Congratulations Shelly for such great work and media coverage. We are very proud of you!

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

News of Interest: Angelika Coghlan Named NAWBO Chicago President

WPO Chicago suburban member Angelika Coghlan, President (pictured), Catwalk Consulting, takes home the additional title of President, NAWBO Chicago.

We wish her continued success in her new role and are very proud of her.

Friday, June 06, 2008

News of Interest: Michelle Hayward Seals S.H.E. Deal

Congratulations to WPO Chicago member Michelle Hayward, President of Bluedog Design (pictured with flowers from her WPO Chicago sisters), for being awarded 2008 Business of the Year through the ATHENA Power Link program at the S.H.E. reception last night.

We are very proud of Michelle who has worked hard to earn this wonderful achievement and wish her continued success growing Bluedog Design.

Learn more about ATHENA Power Link, here.

Note: The executives pictured (excluding Jasmine and Cheryl) all served on Michelle's award winning panel (L-R): Jasmine Moore, Program Director for CEC and manager of the ATHENA Power Link program, Mary Lou Wattman of Brightsocks, Michelle Hayward of Bluedog Design (award winner), David Houle of David Houle & Associates, Karen Hale of National City Bank, Dara Griffith of RSM McGladrey (look closely behind Scott), Scott Issen of the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center, Bess Gallanis of Bess Gallanis, Inc. and off to the right in the back is guest Cheryl Cryer, Marketing Services Director for RSM McGladrey who manages our WPO chapter meetings in the suburbs. Not shown is Susan Sentell of The Sentell Group.

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Event of Interest: S.H.E. Reception 6/5

As a proud partner, join us Thursday, June 5, at the CEC as we celebrate the value that business advisors provide to entrepreneurs. The S.H.E. Reception connects successful women business owners with seasoned entrepreneurs and professionals. Both men and women are encouraged to attend.

Register today and find out who the 2008 Business of the Year and Advisory Panel of the Year awards go to.

Learn more about ATHENA Power Link, here.

See you there!

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

News of Interest: Enter 2008 Entrepreneur of the Year Award

The UPS Store and Entrepreneur announced Entrepreneur magazine's 2008 Entrepreneur of the Year award. There are two awards: one for an emerging business (less than five years in business with fewer that five employees) and one for an established business owner. Candidates will be judged based on the positive impact they've had on their industries, customers, employees and communities.

Winners will be featured in Entrepreneur magazine and honored at a luncheon in Long Beach, CA, in December 2008.

For more information and to enter (deadline is 6/30/08) go here.

Monday, May 19, 2008

News of Interest: Next Level Learning

More often than not during WPO chapter sessions members claim when running their businesses that they just need to get out of their own way to move the company ahead.

Is that you, too? If it is, you might find the new initiatives offered by the Women's Entrepreneurship Institute (WEI) and the New York Times Knowledge Network of value.

For more information, read the press release here.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Article of Interest: New Breed of Business Gurus Rises

On May 6th, we sent out the following message privately to all WPO Chicago members:
Many of you participated in the WPO annual conference in Chicago 2006 when we had Gary Hamel as our keynote speaker. According to yesterday's WSJ article he continues to be ranked No. 1 as an author, consultant and key influential business thinker.

And for those who had the opportunity to attend this year's conference in Boston with Malcolm Gladwell, he's featured as No. 4 on the list.

The question becomes and the article points this out ... where are the women?
Afterwards, I followed up with the author of the article, Erin White, and mentioned how I had the great privilege of listening to Gary Hamel, Jim Collins and Malcolm Gladwell at WPO annual conferences over the past three years and that I am glad she asked the question, where are the women? I ended my message with "please remember my name" for perhaps some day I might be a part of the list (gutsy, I know).

I think we should all strive to make the A-list of business gurus, don't you?

This morning (5/10), I received an email from the top publicist at Babson College asking me if I care to comment on a professor's post regarding the same article.

Anyone else care to weigh in?

P.S. Rosabeth M. Kanter (pictured) is the only woman who made the list in 2003.

NOTE: Added 5/19/08:
The Dearth of Female "Management Gurus"

Monday, May 05, 2008

News of Interest: WPO Boston Conference Update

More, more, more on our fabulous Boston conference.

Pictured is Marc Lautenbach, General Manager of the Americas, IBM, addressing attendees in the America Ballroom at the Westin Copley Place on the changing nature of innovation for a globalized economy. He sees new technologies leading to the connectedness of everything.

My notes from one of his presentation slides indicates:
"Global integration is the new playing field ... and innovation is the way you win the game."

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

News of Interest: WPO Boston Conference Update

Speaker, blogger, author and entrepreneur-extraordinaire Marilynn Mobley, Senior Vice President, Strategic Counsel at Edelman, considered the absolute best public relations firm on the face of the earth, gave a knock'm dead presentation at our conference on how to generate great ideas that drive innovation.

Marilynn continues to achieve standing-room only audiences (this is her third talk for WPO) because she has a way of captivating the audience with her knowledge and presentation skills. People arrive early to ensure they get in and they never seem to get enough of her despite the fact she's usually on for a good hour or two. Even I return to hear her presentations not once but twice (hence the very poor photo I took of her) because I know I will always miss a golden nugget of wisdom from her.

She really WOW'd us. Here's a post from Kristin Chessman at WomenEntrepreneur.com telling all about Marilynn's talk (scan to: Innovative Ideas to Reach Your Audience) and take a glimpse at some of the marvelous things Marilynn had to say (much nicer picture of her here I might add) about her WPO experience.

And rest assure that I am going to do everything in my power to see that Marilynn gets a main stage act at our 2009 conference in San Diego April 23-25th so everyone can be comfortably seated and experience her brilliance. She's worth it.

News of Interest: WPO Boston Conference Update

Were it not for our WPO founder, Dr. Marsha Firestone (pictured), none of this would be made possible.

Our thanks to Marsha and her team for putting on an absolutely amazing conference.

Read about the chat WomenEntrepreneur.com blogger Kristen Chessman had with Marsha under the title of Chatting With Marsha Firestone.

Stay tuned ... more still coming on our WPO conference in Boston!

Monday, April 28, 2008

News of Interest: WPO Boston Conference Update

We have returned from an exhilarating conference and will continue to blog about it.

Ms. Sung-Joo Kim (pictured), Chairperson & CEO, Sungjoo Group/MCM Group (provider of our fashionable conference bag), gave a very inspiring keynote on "Women's Strengths: 21st Century Competitiveness."

Her success is largely attributed to her ability to innovate -- as a designer, as a businesswoman, and as the re-inventor of world-renowned brands including Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Sonia Rykiel and Marks & Spencer.

We learned her secrets on how to think and innovate in the midst of our ever-changing and highly competitive global marketplace in order to build a successful empire.

Friday, April 25, 2008

News of Interest: WPO Boston Conference Update

Yesterday was magnificent listening to Malcolm Gladwell's presentation on, "Learning From Picasso and Cezanne: Ways of Understanding Creativity," covering two great creative geniuses who may seem similar but are really quite different in terms of how long it took them (approach) to become great masters of work.

Gladwell described conceptual innovators as individuals with one BIG, bold revolutionary idea, offering a brand new way of doing something and who are more than capable of executing on it. These innovators, as Gladwell pointed out, "know how to express something easily. BOOM! They are a success."

What a wonderful presentation -- giving us much to think about in terms of how we grow our businesses.

Read more about our conference here.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

News of Interest: In Boston Attending WPO Conference!

Our conference is set to begin shortly with our founder, Dr. Marsha Firestone, giving opening remarks and keynote speaker Malcolm Gladwell (pictured) is up first to address a crowd that is expected to be more than 600 members, sponsors, supporters and facilitators of the Women Presidents' Organization.

Will be reporting more, later. Stay tuned. And check out WomenEntrepreneur.com who is reporting (blogging) live about our conference.

Monday, April 21, 2008

News of Interest: Innovate in '08 (Boston)!

We are getting ready to head to Boston to take in all our WPO conference has to offer. If time permits, I will try to blog about what's happening. After all, with so many great keynote speakers -- from Malcolm Gladwell to Sung-Joo Kim to Marc Lautenbach -- there will be much to learn and talk about.

Here's what one Chicago member said about last year's annual conference:

"The WPO Conference provides a unique combination of inspiration and revelation. I have been truly inspired by the various journeys to success of the membership, and the thought-provoking conversations reveal new and innovative ideas and strategies to implement in my business."

I totally agree.

Until then, enjoy Spring -- a long time coming -- in Chicago. Back with you soon from Boston!

Monday, April 07, 2008

News of Interest: Innovate in '08

Our annual conference held in Boston this year is just around the corner: April 23-26. Have you signed up yet? If not, don't wait a second longer.

Read more about it at our WPO headquarter office blog.

Hope to see you there!

Monday, March 31, 2008

News of Interest: Ann Sachs Takes Home the Coveted Award!

Our very own Ann Sachs (pictured), President & CEO, Sachs Morgan Studio, Theatre Design Specialists, earns the distinction of the 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award Winner. Each year, the Signature Awards (photos available for viewing here) recognizes women who best exemplify the commitment, determination and endurance that it takes to create a successful, long-term business.

Congratulations to Ann who is a WPO NY chapter member and facilitator of two WPO Chapters in NYC! We are very proud of her. She is an inspiration and role model for us all.

Monday, March 24, 2008

Article of Interest: Flowers, via Social Work

This is a wonderfully inspiring entrepreneurial story by Jim McCann, founder of 1-800-Flowers.com, as told to Patricia R. Olsen, at The New York Times (3/16/08). There are many important lessons in it for all of us who run a business. Why just look at how observant (sensitive) Jim was when he remembered this about his grandmother:
MY father was a painting contractor who ran the business out of my grandmother’s house. His father died when Dad was 19, and my grandmother had to continue the business. For a long time she made believe that my father was running it, but we all knew it was she, in the background.
So many twists and turns his career took but as he says in the end:
If you look at highly successful people, they make the same number of mistakes as others, but they recover quickly. They don’t sit around moaning about what they’ve done wrong.
Now isn't that the truth? Read the entire article here.

Saturday, March 15, 2008

News of Interest: Sandye Lerner Honored

WPO Chicago downtown I chapter member Sandye Lerner, President of Comprehensive Therapeutics, is inducted into the Chicago Area Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame by the University of Illinois at Chicago Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies.

Congratulations to Sandye (pictured). We are very proud of her and wish the best for continued success.

Read more about it here.

Monday, March 10, 2008

Article of Interest: Traits for Top Women Entrepreneurs

In 2007, the Women Presidents’ Organization (WPO) celebrated ten years of helping women presidents of multimillion dollar companies achieve even greater success. Over the course of those ten years, President and founder Dr. Marsha Firestone learned a lot about fast-growth businesses and has had first-hand exposure to their leaders.

In this article, "Traits of Top Women Entrepreneurs," she highlights the characteristics and trends of accomplished women entrepreneurs.