I am excited to announce that I’ve been asked to speak at The Dynamic Women Entrepreneurs event, Aug 7-9, 2009 at The Boardwalk Resort in Walt Disney World®.

Women today continue to start and grow entrepreneurial businesses at an unprecedented rate. The Dynamic Women Entrepreneur event announces an expert panel (including me!) and an engaging agenda slated to provide invaluable advice and resources for women entrepreneurs.

Some of the expert speakers, besides myself include:Tamara Monosoff and PR-guru Peter Shankman from Help-a-Reporter-Out fame.

In addition to the speakers, they will also have sessions that will cover legal issues in running a small business, and topics that will include marketing, taxation, and many more. There will also be plenty of time to network with other women entrepreneurs. You will walk away more informed and energized and empowered to get your business to the next level.

Women in any stage of business - please join me and take advantage of the Dynamic Women Entrepreneur event and gain insight, advice and support for nurturing and growing any type of business.

Early registration is encouraged as space is limited.

Please visit www.DynamicWomenEntrepreneurs.com or contact Janene Jaroscak at events@trendingsolutions.com with questions or to sponsor this cool event!

This weekend was one of those rare occasions when I actually sat down on a Sunday morning to read the newspaper. Ok, so I was sitting at my daughter’s lacrosse practice waiting for her and not at home in my PJ’s snuggled on the couch, but that didn’t detract from the joy and solace of it (well…not REALLY). I was captivated by an article in the Washington Post called 4 Captivating Companies and What They Share. In it, they profiled 4 companies they claim we ‘care’ about: Starbucks, Apple, Google, and Amazon. Though I’m not sure those are the four I would have picked, they had some interesting observations about what these companies do that are special that can be applied to almost any business.

Innovation. Interestingly enough, none of the companies the article talked about have done anything new. They didn’t create or invent anything, they just found a better way to do it. Their innovations came through their business model, marketing, delivery, branding…anything BUT product.  It goes back to one of my soapbox items: it isn’t about the product it’s about execution. As the article states, Starbucks didn’t invent coffee or even the coffee house – they just did it better. Goggle certainly wasn’t the first to invent a search engine nor, to my surprise, paid advertising in a search engine. They just did it better. See a theme?

The Customer. The one that struck me the most, with almost the exact words I have used time and again, talks about the companies’ focus on their customers:

“there is strong business sense in focusing maniacally on what customers want and then finding the most effective ways to deliver it.”

Maniacal – that’s what it takes. Whether you own the business or you work for someone else, would you call your focus on the customer maniacal? What does that really look like?

The Connection. The companies profiled all seem to “inspire a sense of community and an ability to create a personal brand.” People are crazy about their local Starbucks. IPods are a personal brand statement. I actually heard a newscaster talk about searching the internet using “google” as a verb. When you’re company or product becomes THE way to describe anyone’s product, you know you’ve really made it. How do you connect with your market / community / customers? How strong is your company brand and is it consistent?

None of these companies were overnight successes and have certainly had their ups and downs, but regardless of where they end up, they’ve made a significant impact on the world. Would that be such a bad BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) for your company?

My daughter is not the only one who is struggling with homework. I made a classic newbie entrepreneur mistake. I reached out to a potential client without looking at the news and made a fool of myself. What a bonehead.

In my own defense, I had just received my certification as a Woman Owned Business through WBENC and I was anxious to reconnect with some of the corporations I had previously talked with. Unfortunately one of those companies had something HUGE happen to them over the weekend and, well, almost everything within the company was ON HOLD. Ok – there is really no excuse - I know better.

For those entrepreneurs who sell to other businesses, it is critical that you do your homework before contacting them. This also goes for anyone who is approaching another company even for a partnership or other type of alliance. And I’m not just talking about the first time you talk to them.

If possible, visit your favorite news outlet like Google News, Bloomberg, or MSNBC before every conversation. Most news services provide opportunities for you to customize your news by region or even company. There are also news feeds that you can subscribe to that send the information to your inbox or Crackberry. If you have one or two specific companies that you’re working with, it may also be worth setting up a Google Alert on them to get the latest news about them.

In addition to not being caught off guard, the more you know about your customers the better you can tailor your pitches to them. They always like it, too, when you’re up on what’s going on with them. It shows your level of interest. The bottom line is that today’s technology makes being educated about your customers easier than ever and it is a smart way to set yourself apart from your competition.

Do you have any good stories about how your preparedness (or lack thereof) won or lost you the business? Please share them!

The debate that is raging around Governor Sarah Palin’s nomination as the Republican VP candidate got me thinking about a lot of things. I won’t go into them all now, but the one I want to address here is this notion of having it all.

One woman on the Working Mother Magazine’s Momblog seemed concerned that Sarah Palin can’t have it all successfully – something will have to give.

The problem I have with that notion is what the idea of having it all really means. To me, being the Vice President of the United States doesn’t rank anywhere NEAR the vision I have for myself or my family. To me, that is the anti-having-it-all, but that is my point: TO ME. I think having it all is a state of mind. An individual’s mind. That means that it is highly personal. One woman’s all is another woman’s hell.

I think the key to feeling like you have it all is in being happy with where you are and what you’ve got. Sure, I could have more this or that but I could also have less. Either way won’t make me happier. My spiritual side tells me I am right where I need to be at this very moment. To me, THAT is what having it all is.

So what does it mean to you? What’s stopping you from achieving it all?

I am incensed that the topic of work/life balance is back in the spotlight just because a woman with young children is putting her hat in the ring to take on a major leadership role. I’m mad not because work/life balance isn’t a worthy topic (it is one close to my heart) but because of the context in which it is being raised.

Did anyone ask about how much time Obama would have to spend with his young kids when he announced his candidacy?

Why the different standards for parenting between men and women? This issue has NEVER come up for a man. Just because we’re moms DOESN’T MEAN we’re not serious about our work. And just because we work DOESN’T MEAN we don’t love our kids and aren’t serious about being a good parent.

In other countries and cultures, being a parent – especially a mom – is almost a GIVEN. Family is an important part of their culture that doesn’t stop with children. Family in other cultures often includes parents, cousins, aunts, etc. Only in America do we make having family responsibilities a negative reflection on our abilities to do our job effectively.

The article on the front page of the Baltimore Sun had some good points on this topic. Some other similar questions on the table around Governor Palin’s nomination:

- Can Sarah Palin be the VP while raising a family? OF COURSE SHE CAN. Will it be easy? No! But what is? Did she jump into this without thought and conferring with her husband and family? Not likely.

- What are the key things that she needs to do to make it work? This is the not the first leadership position she has been in, though it will likely be the most demanding job she’s ever had. As most working mothers know, it takes a lot of outside support for any working mother to also raise her family.

- How will she be able to balance being VP and being a mom? Like every other working mom with a demanding job. She’ll miss some soccer games (I have!) and won’t be there for every party at school. Families come in all shapes and sizes and there are plenty of messed up kids from homes where the mom didn’t work at all. My own mom stayed at home and I get into PLENTY of trouble.

Whether you work outside the home or not is NOT a measure of your abilities or commitment as a parent. Likewise, just because you have young kids doesn’t mean you’re less committed to your job. Weren’t there Kennedy children playing around the oval office?

Let’s just get on with this and focus on the REAL issues surrounding this election: Iraq, energy independence,  health care, taxes, the economy….etc…etc…etc…