Event of Interest: Women's Leadership Breakfast 1/28/09

Happy New Year! Be the change you want to see in 2009.

The Executives' Club of Chicago's "Women Setting the Leadership Paradigm" breakfast will be held Wednesday, January 28, 2009 at the The Fairmont Chicago, Imperial Ballroom, Level B2 (200 North Columbus Drive, Chicago, Illinois). WPO Chicago is a proud partner of this empowering high-level women's program.

Registration is 7:00 a.m. Seated Breakfast, 7:30 a.m. Panel Discussion, 8:00 a.m. For more information and to register, visit here.

See you there!

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!

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.

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!

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!

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.

Article of Interest: Innovate or Evaporate

In global marketing and branding, sticking out like a giraffe is not necessarily a bad thing.

Differentiation matters. Find out why here.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

Sound Advice: CEO Survival Guide

Here is an abundant amount of unconventional wisdom for succeeding in a downturn and how behavior matters.

Discover it at Harvard Business Online Guide.

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!

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

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.

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.