Happy Holidays From Escape From Corporate America: Indulge and Enjoy

Wishing you all the happiest of holidays and joy (success) throughout the new year.

Photo credit:  Laurel Delaney, downtown Chicago, retail window dressing

Posted by:  Laurel Delaney, Escape From Corporate America

Are you a Chic CEO?

There's a new website in town:  CHIC CEO.  It is designed give female entrepreneurs the how-to information they need to get started in launching a business.

Chic CEO (http://www.chic-ceo.com) believes that women should have the business knowledge and support they need right at their polished fingertips. They need easy-to-understand, easy-to-implement instruction in its most basic form. By providing this valuable information, Chic CEO hopes to eliminate the guesswork for women trying to start businesses.

Learn more here.

Illustration credit here.

Posted by:  Escape From Corporate America blog (established 2004)

Start a Business Part-Time or Full-Time?

Starting a business can be awfully scary from the standpoint of answering these two critical questions:  How will I make money?  What happens if I don't?

Oftentimes, to minimize risks, people start a business gradually -- with one foot in the new business and the other in a full time job that offers a steady stream of income.

Yet, the part-time path also comes with its own set of challenges.  Here's a look at why.

Starting a Part-Time Vs. Full-Time Business

Where Is The Highest Percentage of Women-Owned Businesses in the Nation?

Maryland and the District of Columbia have the highest percentages of women-owned businesses in the nation.

Women in D.C. own more than 34 percent of businesses, ranking first, according to newly released 2007 Census Bureau figures. Following the District, Maryland women own more than 32 percent of businesses, placing second, according to the 2002 census. Virginia came in 10th, at 30 percent, with the entire region trumping the nation's 29 percent rate.

Read more here to learn why this is happening.

Start Small, Work Hard

Two Westport female entrepreneurs are celebrating their thirty-second anniversary at the locations where they started, Top Drawer on the Post Road and Pathfinders Travel on Riverside Avenue.

Two local women, Janet Bangser at Pathfinders and Joan Rotman at Top Drawer, find themselves in this happy position.  Conversations with both tend to indicate three fundamental ingredients to success.  There is always the so-called X factor but basically for these women it came down to a familiarity with the business going in, an affinity for detail, a pretty good idea of their customer base, and service, service, service.

Read the entire article here.

Illustration credit:  Pathfinders Travel

Next Step In Life: Launch a Business

The president of the Women’s National Basketball Association, Donna Orender (pictured), resigned to launch an independent marketing company named Orender Unlimited.

After five years ...

“It was simply time for me to take this step in my life,” Orender said in the statement. “My work on behalf of women and girls around the world will only deepen as will my ongoing engagement in sports.” 

Learn more here.

Photo credit here.

Quit Working For Someone Else and Start a Business

Two women in Sand Springs, Oklahoma, U.S.A. are sharing their experiences after starting their own small businesses.

For both Stephany Christensen (photographer) and Kelli Fry (massage therapy business), they are not only the owners and boss, they are the only employees.  The two women are just some of the millions of Americans who own their own business.

Read more about this here.

Happy Thanksgiving 2010

Enjoy the day and be grateful for the abundance in your life.  Get inspired ... check out "I'm thankful for ..." -- hat tip to Bob Marovich at The Black Gospel Blog for turning me on to the piece.

And thank you for your readership!  It means the world to me.

Charming Bellabeads 925

Dina Amico- Kriescher, is the founder and CEO of Bellabeads 925, a stylish new line of customized charm bracelets (pictured) that sells through home parties.

Bellabeads 925 now has over 2,000 consultants throughout the country and is growing rapidly. Bellabeads 925 Charm Consultants are business women who strive to be their own bosses, and many are moms realizing the dream of a happy work/life balance- thanks to the direct sales industry.

Bellabeads Charming Story

While traveling through Europe with her family, founder Dina Amico-Kriescher was looking for a way to bring a touch of the old world charm home. Inspired by the beauty of the Italian glass, and high quality jewelry she found in quaint seaside villages throughout Italy, she instantly fell in love with the custom charm jewelry and brought back a unique collection to share with family and friends. Her intrigue for the concept and natural entrepreneurial spirit soon gave birth to Bellabeads 925, making jewelry design a party!

Bellabeads 925 is part of the Noah’s Ark Animal Workshop Corporation founded by Amico-Kriescher in 2004, and is a family-owned, US-based company headquartered in the Chicago suburbs with distribution globally. Bellabeads 925 jewelry is sold through independent Charm Consultants within the direct-sales format throughout the US and Canada.

Learn more here.

How Cloud Computing Works

As you contemplate starting a business or if you currently run one, cloud computing will be a serious consideration to grow your business.

Here you can learn everything there is to know about cloud computing in one clean swoop.

Why Cloud Computing Will Change the Way We Work

Photo credit: Laurel Delaney, for the Escape From Corporate America blog

Want Access to Capital? Get a Male Partner.

Natalie Macneil writes "Women Entrepreneurs:  Does Your Business Need a Man?" for Forbes.

Read it and let me know what you think.

Why Laurie Johnson Quit Her Corporate Gig to Tap Dance

Laurie Johnson (above tap dancing in video -- love the shoes and adore her talent) had it all:

A six figure income, a flashy new car, full health benefits, company travel and dining expenses and many other perks. I was good at my job, got along well with colleagues and knew I could move up in the company. Everything was picture perfect on the outside, but on the inside I was dying a slow, miserable death.

Read her story here.

See all her wonderful tap-dancing videos here.

Keep on dancing Laurie!

Posted by:  Laurel Delaney for the Escape From Corporate America blog

More Tools for Your Entrepreneurship Toolbox

From business tools to expert insights, find simple ways to manage your cash flow and streamline everyday operations.  It's all brought to you by Yahoo! Small Business and sponsored by OPEN from American Express.

Go here to get your Business Solution tool.

Note:  The interview featuring Richard Branson cracks me up because I never hear the interviewer, Seth Godin, say one word or ask one question!  Branson discusses -- all in one long breath -- how there is no difference between an artist and an entrepreneur (totally agree).  

Pictured:  Diane Von Furstenberg who is featured on the Business Solution site.

Photo credit here.

A World Where Women Are the Dominant Force

Lots of good things cooking over at Intuit on the topic we are so passionate about:  women.  When you have time, be sure to check out the following:

1. Read the press release:  Intuit Empowers the 'She-conomy' at The Women's Conference 2010 
2. Visit She-conomy for tips on starting and running your own business.
3. Join the conversation at Intuit's Women's Resource Center
4. Review the latest research report:  The Intuit 2020 Report

Bottom line:  You matter ladies! 

Illustration credit:  Intuit Small Business Blog

Ms. Burch Supports Women Entrepreneurs

We wrote about Tory Burch September 28, 2009 and her great sense of entrepreneurial style here.  Now she's launched the Tory Burch Foundation with the goal of economically empowering women.

With Accion USA, our microlending partner, we provide women with the financial support they need to start and grow businesses through microfinance. The average loan is $8,000 and creates or saves 2.4 jobs.

Read all about it here.

Illustration credit here.

Glass Ceiling Not An Obstacle?

According to "Glass ceiling not the obstacle it was" by Joyce Lobeck, provided you operate with resourcefulness, perseverance and downright stubbornness, there is less of a barrier in the workplace.  She goes on further to state:

Over the last several years, the number of women business owners in the U.S. has increased significantly, doubling from 5 million to 10 million between 1992 and 2006, she said.

“Without a doubt, women have been very courageous and entrepreneurial in charting their own destiny,” Davis said.

The question is:  If there is less of a barrier in Corporate America for women, why are so many turning to business ownership?

Read the article here.

Climb Your Way to the Top

Laura Schwartz (pictured) has written a nifty little book, "Eat, Drink and Succeed."

Background:

Laura Schwartz was 19 when she arrived at the White House in January of 1993.  With no political connections, she landed a volunteer position answering phones in the press office.  But that was just the beginning.  She climbed her way up the ranks of the Clinton Administration, as the Midwest Press Secretary, Director of Television and ultimately, Director of Events, where she produced the President's event on the world stage.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg.  She's now running her own business:  White House Strategies.

If you wish to kick up your business and your life a notch, this is a must-read book.  Congrats to Laura on her achievements.  We are very proud of her.

Wake Up, World! Change Your Attitude About Women Entrepreneurs

As it applies to Bangladesh or anywhere in the world for that matter:

Social attitude towards the operation of women entrepreneurs needs to be changed. Sometimes rigid social norms, values and attitude act as a barrier to rural women entrepreneurship development. 

Read more here.

Related resource:

Building Women in Business:
A Situation Analysis of Women Entrepreneurs in Bangladesh

Photo credit here.

Learn to Be a Calculated Risk Taker

Women business owners need additional support and it's essential for the economy to give them that support. Why?

Quick snippet before we get to the meat of the post:

According to the report entitled "Women Owned Businesses in the 21st Century," put together by the Department of Commerce, while women own about 30 percent of privately-held businesses, they account for only 11 percent of sales and 13 percent of employment, but the numbers of women striking out on their own are increasing and could well be the key to turning our country's economy around if women can get the kind of financial support that men-owned businesses typically have.

Learn more here.

Photo (pictured, Valerie Jarrett) credit here.   Visit Council on Women and Girls | The White House as mentioned in article.

5 Ways to Increase Your Web Traffic

Hello ladies! Here are five (5) SEO tips that will help you increase your Web traffic:

5 SEO Tips

And while we've got your attention, there's more. We've added a "Share" button at the bottom of each post. Now you can forward our entries to your Facebook and Twitter accounts with a mere click of a button. Be the first to hit the Buzz button or email a post to someone you know who might benefit from the information.

Many thanks for your readership!

Posted by: the Official Escape From Corporate America Blog