I feel the earth move, under my feet ...

A woman activist begging to be discovered!

And as she puts it ... "I'm a work in progress."

Separately and from the book "Women Who Changed The World"

Chapter 2
Mary Magdalene

Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached through the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of as a memorial of her. ~ Mark 14, 9

Women Who Changed The World

A couple of months ago I was making my usual weekly visit to Barnes & Noble and Border's bookstores to see what's new and different both on the periodical stands and bookshelves.

As I was heading out of the store, I stumbled across "Women Who Changed The World" and flipped through it quickly. Typically I don't buy books like this because there's just no need. I hang out with a lot of fascinating women (and men too!) but for some reason, WWCTW caught my eye. Plus the price was right -- U.S. $7.00 instead of what looked like a $25-30 priced book. How could I pass it up? I didn't it.

I bought the book, took it home and within an evening, finished it off. I thought it was so inspiring that I was going to journey back to the store and buy additional copies for my Mom, my sister, my nieces and my bestfriend but after I came to my senses, I just left it that I would enjoy it for what I learned (I'll let you read it to find out for yourself) and would share insights if the opportunity came up.

However, what I have decided to do here is ... over the next fifty blog entries, I will feature a quote from the book. There are so many good ones in it that I don't want to miss any. I hope you enjoy these as much as I did.

Here's a look at the book if you are interested. I noticed there are some good deals online as well. See what you think.

Women Who Changed The World: Fifty Inspirational Women Who Shaped History.

Chapter 1
Cleopatra

"Had Cleopatra's nose been shorter, the whole face of the earth would have been different." ~ Blaise Pascal

Better the Lives of Women Across the Globe

Nest is a nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the lives of women in developing countries. Its mission is to support WOMEN artists and artisans in the developing world by helping them create sustainable entrepreneurial businesses.

Nest will do this by providing micro-credit loans to be used for the purchase of the supplies and materials necessary to begin and/or maintain art or craft-based businesses.

When you buy from Nest, you have not only have purchased a unique and beautiful item for yourself or your home, you have participated in a proven effort to better the lives of women all across the globe.

In the spirit of entrepreneurship, go there now.

Corporate America: Don't Even Go There

You are never too young to become an entrepreneur. Read the inspiring story of a teen fulfilling her version of the American dream.

Tech-savvy teen is CEO of $200k podcasting website.

Visit website here: Switchpod

Leaving Jet-Set Lifestyle To Found Company

A great example of leaving corporate America to found an inspiring company. And since I know John, admire his work and my best friend served on his Chicago fund-raising committee, I felt it important to feature his work.

Back in the mid-1990s, John Wood was living large. As Microsoft's director of business development in China and director of marketing for the Asia-Pacific region, he was Bill Gate's point man in Asia. He traveled the world, was shuttled to meetings in chauffeured cars and wheeled, dealed and dined at four-star restaurants.

These days, Wood's meetings are held in developing countries over cups of tea with heads of villages. He left his jet-set lifestyle in 1999 to found Room to Read, a nonprofit that builds schools and libraries in developing nations.

Read more here: New Wealth, New Priorities

Get it done. Entrepreneurship starts today.

Dig deep within this new site. There are how-to guides featuring 1,000 business topics, ranging from start-up basics to advanced management techniques.

Each guide provides:

• An overview of the task.
• Step-by-step directions for accomplishing the task.
• Deep links to the Web sites recommended by the Guide’s author/expert as the Web’s best resources for getting the task done.

Read the news of the launch here: Work.com Launches to Help Small Businesses Tackle Their Most Important Business Tasks

Shortcut to getting something done with a new or existing business: Work.com

Home-Based Businesses On The Rise, Especially Women's

Half of U.S. businesses are home-based and almost two-thirds are self-financed, according to a pair of new Census Bureau reports.

Nearly 2.5 million firms were interviewed for the two reports, which were released Wednesday as part of the bureau's ongoing 2002 Survey of Business Owners.

Home-based businesses collectively generated a remarkable amount of economic activity, especially for women and minorities, Louis Kincannon, the Census Bureau's director, said in a statement.

Read more here >> Most Small Businesses Start Without Outside Capital

It's Easier To Run Your Own Business Than Climb Corporate America

That's what this article states and I agree. This week I attended the Women's Business Development Center conference in Chicago and had the pleasure of sitting in on Oprah's very amazing and inspiring keynote luncheon talk.

But after so much success in business, do women, including Oprah, still need special encouragement?

Find out what people think here: Women's Conference Still Relevant, Attendees Say.

Self-Employed Are a Major But Underappreciated Force

A new study from Massachusetts makes an important point about the 21st century American economy: the self-employed are a major but underappreciated economic force. While most people recognize that self-employment is growing, they don’t know that many measures of state or local employment don’t count sole proprietors. Instead, they simply track those workers who are paid as employees.

The report, by Salem State College’s Laurence Goss, details the numbers for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Within the state, there were more than 472,000 sole proprietors in 2004. This total accounts for 17% of Massachusetts’ total employment.

The report concludes that policymakers need to better understand the importance of this sector of the economy. They should also take steps to provide better support and encouragement to sole proprietors and other micro-business owners.

Data and analysis on sole proprietors in Massachusetts are available from the Enterprise Center at Salem State College. The Sole Proprietor Research Information Pack can be accessed here.

[Forgot to mention ... please let me know what you think of our new look, thanks!]

Women in Business Newsletter

Women in Business Newsletter published by IFC -- designed to keep global women entrepreneurs in touch with key events, relevant research and, most importantly, each other.

This month's spotlight: Fatima Wali, Nigerian Entrepreneur.

Glass Ceiling Is Due To Intelligence, Not Discrimination?

You have got to read this to believe it! Here's the lead:

A recent study proves it is "very likely" that the reason women have difficulty rising to the top in their careers is because they are less intelligent than men (by 4 -- 3.63 to be exact -- IQ points), according to controversial University of Western Ontario psychologist J. Philippe Rushton.

To fully understand and appreciate the source of the material, read on:

The professor -- criticized for claiming whites are intellectually superior to blacks, and that higher AIDS rates in Africa are due to a more insatiable sexual appetite in the black community -- believes the "glass ceiling" phenomenon is probably due to innate ability rather than discrimination.

Read more here: Men smarter than women, prof claims and Sex differences in general mental ability.

By the way, when I watched Professor Rushton on CNBC moments ago, he was sweating terribly on his upper lip.

Babson Blogging Live At ...

9th Annual Women's Leadership Conference
Accomplishment for Women.
Advantage for Organizations.

Friday, September 15, 2006
Babson College

Presented by the Center for Women’s Leadership
in association with the Babson Association of Women MBAs

Featuring Keynote Speakers:Carly Fiorina (shown above)
Former CEO
Hewlett-Packard (1999-2005)
+
Addie Swartz
Principal Creator and CEO
B*Tween Productions

Catch the LIVE blogging here.

[Talk about escape ... ]

Corporate America Without Dunn on HP's Board

I don't know if you have been tracking the Hewlett-Parkard debacle. I have -- every last little word because I wanted to see how the poor little powerful rich boy -- Tom Perkins -- got his ball (no pun intended) taken away during a board game and got very, very mad. In reaction, he quit the HP board (fully not expecting the board to accept his resignation). But he didn't stop short there. He went after Dunn on all legal fronts to take her down from the position of nonexecutive board Chairman of HP. And take her down he did. She will step down effective January, 2007 although she will remain an HP director.

In case you are not up to speed, Dunn led an investigation (see below) that led to the possible illegal procurement of phone records for board members and several journalists. Tom Perkins did not like the process. It's no wonder. His records were accessed.

Despite what appears to be a sneaky method to access those records, what we cannot overlook here is the fact that Dunn achieved results: She found the leaker. As the following article states, "Meanwhile director George Keyworth, who acknowledged that he was the source of news leaks that started the scandal last year, resigned from HP's board." I might add that George Keyworth is a very good friend of Tom Perkins.

And here's what Dunn said yesterday about her actions ... "These leaks had the potential to affect not only the stock price of HP but also that of other publicly traded companies."

If Dunn had to lose her chairwomanship on the HP board to find the leaker -- so be it. I just don't understand why it seems to always be a woman who steps up to the plate, faces reality and ends up paying a pretty severe price for watching out for the good of company shareholders. Need I bring up Enron?

Read more here >> HP After Dunn

Backstories:

MSNBC

The Smoking Gun

CNET

USATODAY.com

Leadership and Women Entrepreneurs

What does it take to be a leader? Six questions are addressed in this interview with Sheila Murray Bethel, author of four books, including the best-selling "Making a Difference: 12 Qualities That Make You a Leader."

Here's a glimpse at the first question and answer:

Q: When you were a child, what did you dream of becoming?

A: There wasn't a specific thing I wanted to do when I was a child but be very independent ... because that's what my mother always encouraged me to do.

Read the entire interview >> here.

Tips for Women Seeking To Start a Business

How do you begin? Find out >> here.

Small Business, Big Opportunities

Women-owned businesses continue to grow at an amazing rate. According to the Center for Women's Business Research, the estimated growth rate in the number of women-owned firms was nearly twice that of all firms (17 percent vs. 9 percent). Nearly half of all privately held U.S. firms are women-owned. That means 10.6 million firms are at least half owned by women. These firms employ 19.1 million people and generate nearly $2.5 trillion in sales.

So what does this mean for women entrepreneurs, especially when it comes to using technology to grow a business?

Read more >>here.

Happy Labor Day

Labor Day is a celebration and a tribute to the contributions of workers who have made our country stronger. That's us. Enjoy.

P.S. This photo is taken a block from where I live.

Escape From Corporate World!

International entrepreneurship at its finest!

I just love this site and plan to order a couple of global handicrafts as holiday gifts for people this year. Check it out.

PEOPLink

Women are capable of leading companies ...

One of my favorite sister bloggers, Jory Des Jardines of BlogHer, wrote this excellent commentary relating to postings made here on August 7 and 15. I know you will appreciate it.

Women in Technology or Entrepreneurship?

I could not help but think that these same skills (below) for a career in IT are applicable to women in entrepreneurship!

What skills would you look for in young people that want a career in IT (or entrepreneurship)?

CB: I'd look for someone prepared to keep an open mind about the possibilities and with passion to make a difference through information technology.

AB: Understanding what the technology can do. It isn't an end in itself.

CE: Successful business is all about teamwork. As a result, when building a team I look to hire people who combine intellect and passion for their chosen field. BlackBerry is successful because of our people's energy, enthusiasm and commitment.

AJ: Energy, curiosity, dynamism, self-starter, eager to stretch themselves, intellect, emotional intelligence.

Read this interesting dialog between women executives who are enthusiastic advocates of women in business in the Women in Technology: ITWales Interview.