Article of Interest: It's The Pure Entrepreneur Who Often Leads The Way

In Boston.com

It's that time of year for expressing gratitude and this article is for all you pure-blooded entrepreneurs. Before you read it, are you curious as to how the author defines pure entrepreneur? Pure entrepreneurship, by author Scott Kirsner's definition, is often driven by a belief that a major shift is coming -- and thus it's hard to find customers who already understand that they need the product a pure entrepreneur is developing.

Click here to read the rest on what Scott has to say: It's the pure entrepreneur who often leads the way

Top Ten Strategies Women Business Owners Will Use in 2005

In Press Trust

Women business owners are always looking for an edge to make their businesses more successful. With more than 70 percent of businesses failing at the five-year mark, taking inventory of how others achieve success can save your company. Dr. Letitia Wright, D.C. from the Wright Place TV Show has been interviewing show guests with this specific question in mind. Here are two of the top ten strategies she has found.

1. Blog -- blogs are easy to use (that's why we launched the WPO Chicago blog in 2004!) and maintain and give you the freedom of updating as little or as much as you want. You can have blogs where you write, create audio or even video if you want.

10. Mastermind -- having a group of peers (that's what WPO is all about!) that you can brainstorm with, or try ideas out on is great. Your mastermind (WPO) group needs to be functioning at the level you aspire to. Everyone working together to help each other grow their business. Have a set meeting time that cannot be changed.

To find out the other eight, visit:
Top 10 Strategies Women Business Owners Will Use in 2005

The Executives' Club of Chicago Women's Leadership Breakfast January 19, 2005

The Women Presidents' Organization is a proud co-sponsor of The Executives' Club of Chicago Women's Leadership Breakfast Series. The next one is January 19, 2005 and is on, "Thanks, But No Thanks: You Are My Role Model, But I Don't Want You To Be." Sign up information can be found here:
The Executives' Club Women's Leadership Breakfast January 19, 2005

Please let me know if you plan to attend. I will be there. What a great way to start the new year! I look forward to seeing you.

Cheers,
Laurel

The First Fast Company and Women Presidents' Organization Awards (Deadline 1/15/05)

Fast Company, in partnership with our Women Presidents' Organization, is pleased to announce the first annual awards competition for women entrepreneurs. Entitled, "Playing by Their Own Rules: 25 Women Who Are Changing the Game," these awards seek to identify and celebrate women business owners who are innovating new business models and leading the organizations that are redefining the way we all live and work. Already, two out of every three new businesses are started by women, and women-owned businesses employ more than 19 million people nationwide. Women-owned firms grow at twice the rate of other companies and these awards will allow their leaders to stand up and be recognized.

Finalists for the awards (the winners need not be WPO members) will be selected through an open application process and vetted by the editorial staff of Fast Company magazine. A panel of accomplished judges will then help select the 25 winners, who will be featured in a special section of the May 2005 issue of Fast Company and honored at the annual Women Presidents' Organization conference, to be held in Toronto, Canada in April 2005.

To apply for the Fast Company/WPO Awards, enter online here. All applications must be received by Friday, January 15, 2005.

Article of Interest

In Wisconsin's Business News Source

Who is Henry Ford? Why do they call it Disneyland? What did Mary Kay do? Virtually everyone knows that these dreamers turned their ideas into realities through good, old-fashioned entrepreneurship.

To find out more, visit:
Entrepreneurship: More than Fame and Money

Partner: The National Women's Business Council

We are proud to announce another new "national" partner to the Women Presidents' Organization Chicago chapter community: The National Women's Business Council (NWBC).

The National Women's Business Council is a bi-partisan Federal advisory council created to serve as an independent source of advice and policy recommendations to the President, Congress, and the U.S. Small Business Administration on economic issues of importance to women business owners. The Council's mission is to promote bold initiatives, policies and programs designed to support women's business enterprises at all stages of development in the public and private sector marketplaces, from start-up to success to significance.

Our very own Women Presidents' Organization founder, Dr. Marsha Firestone, serves as a council member of the NWBC.

Articles of Interest

Two excellent articles, one on succession planning for a business and the other on the importance of vision:

1. Sudden Death of An Executive May Test How Well A Business Has Planned

2. Have A Vision, Make A Difference

Entrepreneur magazine and other WPO Chicago chapter partners

We are pleased to add Entrepreneur magazine to our "national" WPO Chicago partner roster. Entrepreneur magazine is the definitive magazine for helping entrepreneurs and small businesses grow. But did you know this? They recently launched Exchange, the magzine for entrepreneurial women! I am so excited to learn about it and it fits in so nicely with the mission of WPO: Sharing ideas with some of the world's most successful women. If you cannot find a copy, let me know. Alternatively, check with the Women's Business Development Center in your area or look for it at an upcoming WPO or Women's Leadership Exchange event.

In addition to the folks at Entrepreneur magazine, we have added many other important organizations who are keen advocates of entrepreneurial women, including the Midwest Entrepreneurs' Forum, Women's Leadership Exchange and Women Entrepreneurs, Inc.

Keep a look out for more partners over the coming weeks. We are on a mission to let you and the world-at-large know more about the Women Presidents' Organization and its windy-city Chicago chapter.