Are You Limited in the Corporate World?

Jennifer Jack (pictured) is currently the owner and operator of Good Fortune Soap, an all natural soap and body care company located in Athens. However, when she graduated from Cleveland State Community College, she never knew that a few years later, she’d be a business owner.

“Working in a corporate job, I did not feel like I was able to use all of my creative talents and all of my gifts. I felt very limited in the corporate world, so wanting to start my own business was an expression of artistic freedom. The freedom of being my own boss and scheduling my own hours was a big plus for me.”

So in May 2006, Jennifer gave birth to Good Fortune Soap.

“From day one I studied soap making, natural ingredients, and the natural products industry as a whole. The fearless mad scientist I knew as a child took over as I experimented by making hundreds of batches of soap, scent combinations, shapes, colors, and more. I taught myself and basically perfected the process night and day while working full-time as a graphic designer.”

Since then, her company has grown tremendously. It is currently being sold in many cities throughout Tennessee, as well as over 18 states.

As the article states:

It proves that with a sound business plan, and a quality product offered at an affordable price coupled with innovative marketing, a creative entrepreneur can not only succeed, but thrive during these times.

Are you limited in what you are doing? Escape. Start a business. Read more here.

Death of a Business: 5 Signs

My latest contribution over at the OPEN Forum, "The 5 Deadly Signs of Business Decay."

Here's one:

2. The word 'new' has been eliminated from everyone's vocabulary. If you haven't launched one new "something" - project, product, service, technology or talent, for example - in well over a year (nowadays, with technology, it's more like every week!), you're in a downward spiral toward not just mediocrity but "Dullsville," and no one will pay attention to you, let alone buy from or consult with you. Experimentation or calculated risk-taking is essential, and if it dries up, so does the business.

Find out if any of these signs are happening at your business. I sincerely hope not! If they are, do something about it!

Boring Is Out. Facebook Is In.

Steve Strauss writes an interesting post at USATODAY.com on why it's important to focus on Facebook to boost your business.

An excerpt from his Q&A:

I recently saw a story about a woman starting a new business who, prior to getting started, joined a few groups pertaining to the industry. A few months later, as she got started, she posted a request for people who would be willing to be on her virtual board of advisors. She revived more than 50 offers from top people in the field.

Learn all of Steve's great tips here.

New Wave of Entrepreneurs Called Women

How to get inspired with a little help from your friends, a kitchen table, some moxie and a few bucks scraped together to launch an idea into a business.

Take Reneé De Pew, for example:

When Reneé De Pew heard about the impending shutdown next year of NUMMI in Fremont, the car plant's executive assistant decided to flex her entrepreneurial and artistic muscles, launching www.rcdepewfineart.com to start selling her artwork.

"When you see the light at the end of the tunnel getting dimmer, you start thinking creative thoughts about how to make money so you don't lose your home," De Pew said. "I figure if I don't have another job by the time NUMMI asks me to leave, I'll start teaching art or start a home-staging business."

Read more here.

A Resource That Provides Access to Women Entrepreneurs

If ever there were a key resource to tap into and get involved with, it's Women Entrepreneurs, Inc. (WE Inc.). Its mission is pure and simple: helping women in business. Full disclosure: I know the founder, Karen Kerrigan (pictured) -- she's a dynamo (a tireless advocate to women entrepreneurs)! -- and I serve as her Global Markets Advisor.

About We Inc.:

WE Inc. is a a project of the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council) -- a prominent advocacy and research organization dedicated to protecting small business and promoting entrepreneurship. WE Inc. aims is to improve and enhance the economic climate for women's entrepreneurship. By advocating for policy solutions that encourage business ownership by women, and providing information and resources to entrepreneurs at all stages of their business development, WE Inc. works to increase economic opportunity and financial security for those seeking the rewarding and challenging path of business ownership.

You may visit SBE Council's website at this address: http://www.sbecouncil.org/

Founder
Karen Kerrigan

WE, Inc. Agenda
Click here to read more

Check out the website, become a member and be sure to sign up for WE Inc.'s Weekly Brief. They also offer a phenomenal monthly e-newsletter filled with important news items and updates concerning women business owners. It's a great way to stay on top of things and push to get ahead (including taking your business global!).

Don't miss a beat. Go visit now!

Go Get 'Em Girls For This Guide Is For You!

I received a magnificent pitch by email this week -- one too good to pass up -- from Debra Shigley, author of the new "The Go-Getter Girl's Guide: Get What You Want In Work and Life (and Look Great While You're at It)."

What struck me is this part:

I graduated from Harvard (undergrad) and Georgia State College of Law, and briefly practiced employment law before returning to a writing career (I guess I'm an escapee, too :). I've appeared on The View, CNN, ABC news and more. I have also been quoted by the Washington Post, AJC, Wall Street Journal, and Redbook. I will attach a quick release about the book [Laurel here ... which she did], and you can learn more on my website here.

So naturally I responded to Debra with a "WOW ... great pitch ... send me a copy of the book -- no guarantees on anything -- but go ahead!" And she did.

I read my copy quickly because I was curious as to what a Harvard grad-lawyer-turned author has to say about getting your career on track and staying stylish at the same time. Debra doesn't let us down. She, herself, is a smart go-getter and this quality shines through brightly on nearly every page of the book.

She guides us carefully on all sorts of office issues -- from the importance of networking to wardrobe building (which I could use a little help on) to how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. She does this through interviews with dozens of successful, stylish women -- many of them well- known (e.g., Soledad O'Brien; Tory Burch; Shoshanna Lonstein Gruss; Johnson Publishing COO Anne Ward; Spanx founder Sara Blakely, etc.) and many of them entrepreneurs that Debra claims: Escaped from Corporate America!

Here's what folks have already said about the book:

“A must read for savvy women everywhere. Debra's invaluable style and career secrets are sure to skyrocket you to success!”
- Shoshanna Lonstein Gruss

“So much more than a series of success stories . . . This kind of wisdom is priceless. With her keen understanding of today’s working girl, Debra explains how to put those street smarts into practice.”
- Carley Roney, Cofounder and Editor In Chief of The Knot Inc.

“Go-Getter Girls know that 50% of their credibility comes from how they look, 40% comes from how they sound, and 10% from what they say. Debra Shigley provides practical tools and tips for achieving 100% success at go-getter girl speed!”
- Lois P. Frankel, Ph.D., author of Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office

“Take the work place by storm! A fun step-by-step primer for getting everything you want out of your career. If you have ambition, this book will give you the confidence and tools to go out and make your dreams happen.”
- Bonnie Fuller, former editorial director of American Media

“A fast and fun read for the busy on-the-go girl who is looking for her ‘must do’ tips for success!”
- Keri Glassman, Early Show nutrition contributor and Women’s Health columnist

"If you want a fun, energetic, step-by-step guide to achieving the career of your dreams and look smashing to boot, this book is for you."
- Laurel Delaney, founder, The Official Escape From Corporate America blog

Learn more and purchase the book here.

Do What You Enjoy: An Interview With Artist Gina Signore

Gina Signore is a magnificent artist tucked away in the beautiful and peaceful area of Cassopolis, Michigan (village population estimated at 1,740) doing what she does best: artistry (shown above).

Recently, I had the great pleasure of being re-introduced to her work and ordered a few select note cards online for my own enjoyment. After receiving them in the mail and feeling like a kid in a candy store, I decided immediately that I must share the gift of knowing Gina with all of you, especially with the holidays right around corner.

To give more details, when I received my note cards, they were carefully hand-wrapped in cellophane with a delicate ribbon-tied bow; a tiny note accompanied each set with an original signature by Gina. Needless to say the cards are so beautiful that I most likely will never let them out of my sight. Instead, I might opt to frame them -- they are that gorgeous.

Gina's art work makes an ideal holiday gift for that special someone -- a colleague who made you shine through the year, a family member who's always there for you, a best friend who sticks by your side come thick or thin, that special client who thinks you are brilliant or the vendor who saves you gobs of time. Whoever it might be that is deserving of something special this year (I'll take 'em :-)!, they are sure to enjoy receiving Gina's art.

So, before I jump to where you can find her work, here's an interview I conducted with her discussing how she decided to start and grow the Gina Signore business of art.

LJD: What made you start your artistry business and please describe what it's all about?

Gina: I have been interested in art all of my life. I can remember drawing and painting when I was five years old.

I attended Aquinas College in the seventies and graduated with a Fine Arts degree.

The pursuit of my art degree exposed me to a wide variety of artistic mediums, history and theory. I majored in printmaking and painting.

After graduating from college, I became a partner in a Framing and Art shop in Grand Rapids Michigan. The frame shop connected me directly to the art community of West Michigan.

I was able to exhibit my work in a wide range of national galleries and juried art shows.

After residing in Grand Rapids for several years, my husband and I decided that we wanted to raise our children in a smaller community. The trade off to living in a smaller town is that venues for selling my art became limited.

Over the last ten years my digital camera, I-Mac computer and my access to high-speed Internet has become a strategic key for me to grow my business. Digital photography has become a centerpiece of my current artwork and five years ago I discovered the potential of selling my art online. I now have successful on-line Galleries at three websites Art.com, Zazzle.com and Etsy.com.

This was a wonderful way to get my artwork in front of many new viewers. These on-line galleries have allowed me to live in rural southwest Michigan and ship to far away locations around the globe. I am thrilled to know that my artwork has sold to individuals living as far away as Portugal and Australia.

LJD: What advice (best kept secret) can you give others that will help them unleash their potential to start a business?

Gina: When considering your career or business be sure that you are doing what you enjoy and that your work is aligned with your personal values.

I work and think about my art everyday. My parents passed their passion for art and gardening to me at an early age.

My artwork is more than a job or career to me. It's my calling, my passion, and is an expression of who I am. When I am not actively working at my art, I spend a great deal of my time planning or working in my garden. Today, I plant my garden with the things I want to paint or photograph.

I value a degree of solitude in order to do my work and I find that my home is where I get most of my inspiration.

LJD: If we lived in a perfect world, what's the one thing you might do differently if you were 21 and starting all over with your business? In other words and in hindsight, what do you wish you would have known when you started your business that for sure, now that you do know, you would do differently to make things easier?

Gina: I think I would have benefited from taking a few basic business or computer classes.

I remember that as a young artist, the signals that I was receiving from the business world were not very positive. At that time, art and creativity were viewed as radical right-brain thinking that did not impact the bottom line.

I think I would have been more inspired if I had been exposed to the creative nature of entrepreneurial thinking at an earlier age. I am intrigued by the return of creative thinking that is now being embraced by business.

Looking back, I wish that I had embraced technology a littler earlier. Traditional art is about drawing, painting, and sculpture and was not as welcoming to computer design.

I am still working on my fear of technology; I just recently bought my first cell phone and can text my daughters but I am not sure how to make a call!

Find Gina's work at the following online places:

Etsy Site

Zazzle Site

Art.com

And kick back, relax and enjoy ...
YouTube - Gina Signore Photography

Mixed media photography credit:

© 2009 Gina Signore, Winter Twilight (top)
© 2009 Gina Signore, In the Morning (middle)
© 2009 Gina Signore, Autumn Footbridge (bottom)

Push Yourself To Grow Your Business

Here's a look at Europe's perspective (from an expert -- Paula Fitzsimons, Irish national coordinator for the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor and director of Ireland-based Going for Growth, a business consultancy) on women, entrepreneurship, business ownership and growth.

An excerpt:

But if you want to make a significant contribution to economic growth, innovation and productivity, those [women-owned] businesses must become capable of growth. It's quite clear that Europe needs more 'gazelles' – i.e. companies capable of significant growth – and the point we're making is that we need to encourage women to not only be self-employed but to break the barrier to employing one or two people, or to move further if they're already significant employers.

In short, we should be pushing for them to have a growth aspiration at the earliest possible stage. They must have this initial strategic positioning.

Read the entire interview here.

Do you need to be pushed to grow your business? Do you think this is a trend indicative to the United States too?

Don't Sell Yourself Short: Break Out and Start a Business

Who are we kidding? If you act like an entrepreneur while employed at a large corporation, guess what happens? Your ideas are taken and the next thing you know, you're fired. Who needs that?

One of the single greatest lessons in life is to find out what makes you happy or come to life (passion) and oftentimes it starts with learning first what makes you miserable.

I agree with Janice Bryant Howroyd (pictured) at being the entrepreneur of your own career but if you are going to "be" than "do." Do the business. Start it.

Read more here. Within the article, be sure to focus on Ms. Howroyd's backstory:

Ms. Howroyd is an entrepreneur in the traditional sense. She said she left Tarboro, N.C., in 1976 to work for a brother-in-law’s talent agency in Los Angeles and two years later started her own small employment firm, ACT•1.At the beginning, she said, she played off the fact that “I was a minority-owned business in two ways, as an African-American and a woman.”

Boost Your Business

One way to boost your business is to look for organizations, such as Gateways to Entrepreneurial Tomorrows, Inc. (GET), who help minorities start, run and grow businesses.

Take Mabel Lopez of Poughkeepsie who is a successful protege of GET's program. Lopez is an event planner whose business is Lasting Impressions by Mabel.

Mabel Roman-Lopez has been planning events for nearly a decade.

Lasting Impressions by Mabel opened as the result of an inner desire to help people bring to vision a special event they want to mark in their lives.

Mabel has planned many memorable events, from baby showers to bridal showers, birthday parties, to festivals and corporate luncheons. From the spectacular to the simple. Mabel has the creativity and personal service for anyone wanting to create a magical event.

She launched her own business with help from GET.

Learn more here.

From Singer to Producer of Flavored Vodkas

Thirty years ago when Miyoko Yamakawa traveled from Japan to America, her dreams of becoming a singer were put on hold when she married a top Japanese chef in New York City, and moved to Rockland County to raise a family.

A year after the move, the family -- the Yamakawas -- opened Maiko 2, a New City restaurant where her husband Jiro cooked and Miyoko sang for customers on Friday nights.

Jiro created a drink and customers loved it which was a strawberry vodka that people asked for and wanted to buy it.

Slow forward 20 years in the restaurant business, the family sold Maiko 2 and began bottling Jiro's creation.

Guess who is figuring things out at this stage? Miyoko Yamakawa is along with her husband and she is seeking help from a Small Business Center -- a great place to get free advice on how to start, run and grow a business.

Here's a quick look at some of the areas where Miyoko is getting assistance:

START-UP HOW TO: Step 1: Think like an entrepreneur

STEP 2: What kind of entrepreneur are you?

STEP 3: Ways to raise money to start your small business

STEP 4: Refine you business concept, develop your pitch

STEP 5: Step 5: Keys to your success; choosing where to work from

STEP 6: Polishing your business plan; where to go to get advice

Read more here. Their launch site, Me Oko, appears to be here. Another iteration is here.

And as for help on your own business, you might check out whether you have a local Small Business Center in your area.

The Official Escape From Corporate America Blog Has a New Look

We are pleased to unveil our re-design to the official Escape From Corporate America blog (www.EscapeFromCorporateAmerica.com). Let us know what you think of it. We welcome your feedback! And be sure to check out all the resources featured on the right sidebar.

ESCAPE From Corporate America!

What It Takes To Become a High Performance Leader

Wrote this article for American Express OPEN Forum to help folks fulfill their own version of the ideal, fully developed high-performance leader.

Here's the lead:

Achieving high performance in tough times is a serious challenge small business owners face. The ultimate goal may be extraordinary business performance, but you can still get comfortable and slip into mediocrity. To obliterate status quo, do you have what it takes to become a high-performance leader? Ten traits characterize the people who do.

See what you think. Hope you get some value out of it. We will add the feature to our blog's e-library on the right sidebar.

"10 Traits of High-Performance Leaders"

Find Creative Deals To Start Your Business

This article is about how to launch a small business on a shoestring but the following excerpt particularly struck me:

Yafa Sakkejha (pictured) made a deal with her father that’s enabling her to get House of Verona, a summer health-retreat business, off the ground. He agreed to “incubate” her fledgling company by giving her rent-free use of Blue View Chalets, his winter ski-resort property in Canada’s Blue Mountains, for the first year and by fronting some of her larger initial expenses.

Ms. Sakkejha is using her savings to repay Blue View half of the expenses it incurs for her and hire health experts, a fitness trainer and caterers. If [Laurel here ... WHEN] her business takes off, both parties win. She begins to build her own business, and her father gains a summertime revenue stream from the property.

There's another example cited within the article about Christine Marchuska, who started an eco-friendly fashion label, cmarchuska LLC, in November, using $40,000 in savings and severance she got after being laid off from Wall Street.

Find out what she did along with other visionaries to strike creative deals in the rough and get their businesses going!

Making the World a Better Place

Turtle Wings is born. Let me give you the lowdown.

As senior vice president of international marketing for CitiFinancial, Elizabeth Wilmot (pictured) had traveled the world and had seen some of the huge used-electronics dumps that have been created in nations such as India. She also had experienced the difficulty of trying to recycle a computer herself. "I thought to myself, 'I would pay somebody to pick this up and recycle it and scrub my data off of it,' " she recalls. Thus the idea for her company, Turtle Wings, was born.

Back then, Elizabeth was a single mom, quit her job and used savings and home equity to start the business in 2004. The company, once run out of her kitchen, now occupies two warehouses and 12 employees serving households, corporations and government agencies.

Read more about Elizabeth's successful leap from Corporate America to business ownership here.

Yummynosh

Don't you love words that catch your attention? You must read this entire article, "Feminine Mystique: Why More Women Are Applying For MBAs" to get the drift of how the ending from one of the graduates goes like this:

'What women want is to be treated equally'

Kuldeep Brar, 35, recently finished her executive MBA at Cass Business School. She is working in marketing at the school before setting up her own business.

"I come from a marketing and sales background in the City, so for me Cass was a natural fit. It was accessible – I could walk to it from my job at St Paul's – and its reputation for evening and weekend teaching attracted me. I wanted a flexible course.

There were quite a few women on my course, from a wide range of backgrounds. We had some pregnancies, so the flexibilities of managing work and home life mattered.

Earnings? The women on the course were just as hungry as the men. I didn't notice any difference in the calibre, and the expectations reflected that.

I think what women want more than anything else is to be treated equally.

I'm hoping to start a business in a completely different direction – home-cooked, healthy, delivered foods. I'm calling it 'yummynosh'. The MBA has given me the confidence to do that."

Although I had already started my business, that is exactly how I felt after I completed my MBA: loaded with confidence and lots of great ideas.

To Kuldeep Brar, I say: "You go girl!"

One Room, 40 Employees = Poised for Growth

After working public relations for Vera Wang and Ralph Lauren, 43-year-old Tory Burch launched her first store in New York in 2004 with her then-husband, venture capitalist Christopher Burch, who remains co-chairman.

"I worked out of my apartment for the first two years. Then we went to one room with about 40 employees." ~ Tory Burch, The Wall Street Journal (9/8/09)

Her small but growing firm -- sales topping $200 million a year! -- operates 20 boutiques and sells to 450 retail locations, such as Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue.

Read more about what moves paid off for her this year and how the downturn has affected her business plans here. And don't miss the part on "Where do you see future opportunity?" (Hint: international expansion).

Being Yourself Is Back In Style

It's hard to equate music entertainers with entrepreneurship but there is a whole lot of similarity in that women entertainers, just like women entrepreneurs, are forever fighting for their right to be who they are and profit from their endeavors in the process.

Take Miranda Lambert (pictured), and the comment she made below in an interview with Whitney Pastorek, Entertainment Weekly that is oh-so-entrepreneurial:

You just rattled off the list of the men you hung out with at the ACM Honors. You seem to actually fit in pretty well with the Nashville boys’ club. How did that happen?

It is harder being a woman. This is a man’s business—it really is. Even just being the only girl on the bus. But I feel like it’s changing. We’re starting to show our colors, the girls are. I think a lot of the music I love is real music. It’s about real life. It’s about drinkin’ and cheatin’ and church—things that people really do. For a little while, I don’t know that a lot of women were singing about that. But that’s what I sing about—real life. Maybe that’s why I fit in. I think just being yourself is back in style, finally. I think Jamey Johnson’s a classic example of someone else who’s just saying, “Here I am. Like it or not, I don’t care. This is what I do.” I think it’s working because people are ready for it.

Read the entire interview here.

Paths to Success

Five successful women business leaders (not all business owners by the way) discuss their paths to success.

Eight (8) fabulous tips here:

1. "I've had to reinvent myself at my current position. Anytime you have to break out of your role, you reinvent yourself. In these economic times, reinvention is something we all have to become familiar with. As the market changes, the value we bring to the table changes as well."

2. "It's not about the degrees I have; it's about the skill set I have."

3. "Have an extensive peer network, what I call relationship capital.

4. "You have to connect with others. We spend a lot of time doing good work, but we need to take time to let others know you're doing good work. Get out of your comfort zone and get out there."

5. "Embrace your differences. We are not men -- we should celebrate that. We bring a lot of emotional intelligence."

6. "Don't be afraid to pick a field that's dominated by men."

7. "Is their balance in our life? There's no such thing."

8. "You can have it all -- just not all at the same time."

Read more here.

Beat the Recession: Do Your Own Thing

Our new economy is encouraging experimentation and the one thing (among many) that we've learned for sure when starting a business is the importance of being accessible.

Phoebe Howard (pictured), an interior designer in Atlanta and owner of four retail stores in the South, admits that clients are buying less these days, doing smaller jobs and taking their time with projects.

For Mrs. Howard, 51, that has necessitated being more aggressive and more creative, trying to make her work accessible to a larger range of people. She has started hosting more in-store parties and events and is writing a blog, www.mrshowardpersonalshopper.com, with the help of a young employee. She didn’t know what a blog was until a few months ago, but now, she says, she plans to get acquainted with Twitter and Facebook.

Read more here.

How to Achieve Double-Digit Business Growth

Just finished this article for American Express OPEN Forum on, "5 Actions for Double-Digit Business Growth."

I hope you find it useful.

Realize a Dream

Lee Anne Carmack is doing a job she loves.  She launched Yardsalefrog.com March 6th.

Giving her son’s eulogy and encouraging others to do something they always wanted to do gave Carmack the motivation and the focus to start her own business.

Read more here.

Big Boost to Women Entrepreneurs in Technology

A nice boost from Lockheed Martin to the tune of U.S. $30,000 will help a new website, Multinational Development of Women in Technology (MDWIT), become the place for women entrepreneurs to communicate and share information. It plans to use social media tools to facilitate communication between entrepreneurs and sponsors or partners that can help them.

As the MDWIT CEO says, "We're looking at the latent potential in women."

Baltimore-based MDWIT has also received some funding from Northrop Grumman, Booz Allen Hamilton, the Maryland departments of education and business and economic development, and the governor's Work Force Investment Board.

Read more here.

Additional resources for women in technology:

Women In Technology

Women In Technology International

Are You Profiled on Wikipedia?

Beat the odds. Do your Wikipedia profile now.

Study: Women and Wikipedia Don't Mix

More here.

Is Your Business Scalable?

Victoria Colligan (pictured), founder of Ladies Who Launch, argues that there is a difference between starting a "lifestyle business" and starting a business for "lifestyle reasons."

See whether you are agree or not here. And let us hear from you based on your own experience!

Recession-Proof Your Life: Start a Business

When things get tough, you don't have to stop living, rather, you can start a business and start planning -- for the future!

Read what creative and enterprising women are doing at, "Women Starting Recession Businesses."

Women entrepreneurs beating the recession and mentioned in the article referenced above:

Christina Catalano (GotSqueakers on Twitter)

Lolly O'Dorisio who plans to turn her living room into a boutique four times a year.

Mira Masukawa (her blog can be found here) with two patented products that can be found at her firm Mira Lucky.

Congratulations and best wishes to all!

Get Unstuck Program

Pursue what you are born for.

Our Get Unstuck program is off to a great start. The conference call on Friday, 8/28 at noon CDT was at maximum capacity so I tried my best to take a couple of you one-on-one to brainstorm about steps you might take to get you where you need to be with your life and your business.

For those who were on the call or a one-on-one with me, thank you for sharing. I truly enjoyed meeting you. I hope our connection was beneficial to you. I'll try to schedule a call like this once a month because I sense there is a real need amongst all our readers and, at the every least, it's a great way to realize that you are not alone with your ambitions.

Next call: September 28th at noon CDT. If you are interested in participating, email me early to ensure you make it in (ldelaney(at)laureldelaney.com). For now, happy Sunday.

Women Entrepreneurs Take The Lead

Here are some of the reasons why women entrepreneurs are taking the lead in our economy.

Get Unstuck

Stuck in a rut? Hate your boss? Hate your job? Hate your life? Every moment of being stuck is a lost opportunity.

Pursue what you are born for.

This blog serves as a resource to women who want to Escape From Corporate America and we always encourage you to move forward even when everything seems to be headed in reverse.

Need help? I am setting up a conference call for one-hour on Friday, August 28 at 12:00 p.m. (noon) CDT for the first 20 women who are interested in chatting about steps to take toward starting a business. We will discuss some of the challenges you face and how to overcome those obstacles in order to get unstuck.

If you are interested in participating (no cost to you other than the call), email me at ldelaney(at)laureldelaney.com and I will send you the call-in information. Look forward to hearing from you!

Explore Other Options: Start a Business

Whether you are based in the United States or the UK, why bother waiting it out on a promotion?

Study: Women overlooked in the UK for promotion in recession.

Don't let it happen to you. Explore other options. Get going. Start a business. Promote yourself.

Go After What You Want

Does It Take a Man to Add Star Power to Fox Business?

Would one of my female entrepreneurial readers please step up to the plate and contact Fox Business to offer your talent to increase their viewership?

Will it really take Don Imus (pictured) -- Mr. Lovable I am sure to so many women -- to lift up Fox's ratings? Oh puh-leeze.

For those unfamiliar, back story on Imus:

The talks with Mr. Imus would have been inconceivable little more than two years ago, when he was fired from CBS Radio after he was widely criticized for joking about the Rutgers women’s basketball team as “nappy-headed hos” on the air. MSNBC, which like CNBC is a unit of NBC Universal, also canceled its simulcast of the show, saying that Mr. Imus “went so far over the line that it was time.”

About six months later, he was hired by Citadel Broadcasting to resume his radio talk show.

How fast we forget and how desperate some can be. Read this to believe it.

In Pursuit of Happiness Minus Money

Keeping momentum when a business slows down is not easy, especially if cash flow starts to dwindle. Take Joanna D'Angelo, owner of Tea Together, she had this problem, but not because business was bad, rather, she merely needed a bridge loan until her next busy season.

While shopping for loans last month, Ms. D’Angelo walked into Chase, a preferred lender of loans backed by the federal Small Business Administration, and walked out a short time later — minus any money.

“We tried a few other banks, but they all had impossible conditions,” she said. “We did not qualify for an S.B.A. loan, something they were very adamant about.”

According to Ms. D’Angelo, Tea Together failed to qualify at Chase because the business was fewer than three years old, though she did not know if that was the Small Business Administration’s or Chase’s rule.

Ms. D’Angelo joins other owners of small local businesses who are finding credit hard to come by, even with the help of federal stimulus money directed to help.

Read more here.

Photo from Tea Together shop.

The Official Escape From Corporate America Makes Top 30 List

We are delighted to announce that our official Escape From Corporate America (www.escapefromCorporateAmerica.com) blog is proudly featured on:

She Takes On The World
Top 30 Business and Entrepreneurship
Blogs by Women

We are honored and humbled to be among so many gifted women entrepreneurial bloggers.

Thank you so much!

Open For Business Despite Awful Economy

What's it going to take to bring our economy back to full health? Hold up a mirror. Yes, it will be folks like us: entrepreneurs and small businesses. We are the lifeblood to innovation and getting things done.

But with the support of the Small Business Administration (SBA), things can only improve. Read more here.

Additional resources:

Women Entrepreneurs || SCORE

More inspiration here.

The Art of Bootstrapping

Sramana Mitra showcases a dozen entrepreneurs and the lessons they learned while bootstrapping their way to success in her latest book, "Bootstrapping: Weapon of Mass Reconstruction."

Find out how bootstrapped entrepreneurship is truly the weapon of mass reconstruction and how the twelve profiled entrepreneurs did things on their own terms through lots of hard work.

In a world filled with fear and uncertainty, this is surely a book that brings hope to all who aspire to run a successful business. So buck the trend, back yourself (whatever venture it may be) and read this book.

Control Your Destiny

There's so much talk about work life balance choices and how it's nearly impossible for women to get ahead (break that glass ceiling) in Corporate America when they take time off to have a family.

I chose entrepreneurship because I wanted freedom, flexibility, a creative outlet without restrictions and total control over my destiny. Part of the control is to select the stress level I am willing to handle (if I must) and balance it with the positives in my life ... family, good health and a positive attitude.

Read what Jack Welch recently told the Society for Human Resource Management at its annual conference about why "There's no such thing as work-life balance." Why Jack is talking about this and not Suzy, I don't know.

Let's turn to you. Are you able to have work-life balance as an entrepreneur? Tell us about how you juggle running a business, managing a family and nurturing your happiness factor.

Get Into Your Creative Cave and Produce

Entrepreneur Christina Aguilera (pictured) will spin tunes on her very own radio station set to debut tomorrow, July 31. The 24-hour online channel will be distributed across Clear Channel Radio’s “iheartradio” network, and will feature interviews, news, personal commentary from Aguilera as well as her favorite tunes.

The Associated Press interviews Christina and here's how she addresses the first question of how does a radio channel fit you?

Aguilera:

We moved into our new house about a year ago but since I started working on the record, I have a studio in the backyard … and it just has been so perfect for me to just wake up in the morning, put on my flip flops and sweat pants, and just go back in the studio and pretty much get into my creative cave and zone out that way, so it’s been really convenient. So the paparazzi have probably been upset with me. I know they told my husband, they’re like, “Is she every going to leave the house?”

You never know how creative entrepreneurial juices get flowing.

Read the entire article and interview here.

Close The Bedroom Door; Get To Entrepreneurship

It doesn't matter where you're based, entrepreneurship can take place anywhere at anytime.

Suzanne Kantra, who was laid off from an editing job in October, is running an online publication called Techlicious.com out of the three-bedroom apartment in Manhattan she shares with her husband and three children ages 1 to 7. When she's working in her bedroom, the door is closed. For her older children, "knowing I'm home but not available has been an adjustment for them," she said.

Sometimes the kids forget what that closed door means, and Kantra is interrupted anyway. One way Kantra tries to help them with the enforced separation is not to do any work around the time they come home from school. That way, she can give them all her attention as they tell her about their day.

Adapting to a home based business is a new way of life. Read how other women manage it and make adjustments along the way here.

Escape From Corporate America Adds New Article Resource Section

We've added a new feature to the right sidebar of our blog which highlights recently published work. Be sure to check it out from time to time for the latest information to help you grow your business. Here's a sampling of a few:

• 11 Tips to Help You Thrive After Losing Your Biggest Client
• A Business Carol
• Five People Who Live LOUD
• How To Build Trust
• How A Business Owner Can Sleep Like a Baby During Tough Times
• Turning Limes to Limeade: Entrepreneurship Can Surface in Many Ways
• Business Resilience Weathering Economic Storms

We hope you find them useful.

Women Entrepreneurs Ignore Recession

Is there an inverse relationship between the state of the economy and the number of folks looking to start their own business? Could be.

Take these Canadian women who are making the dream of owning a business a reality.

Inhee Lee, a 36-year-old recent arrival from South Korea, came looking for advice on how to take her business selling teddy bears online.

Judi Halla, a former personal trainer, decided she'd rather be outside walking other people's pets than inside getting the owners in shape; she's doing all she can to learn what resources are out there to launch her business.

And Merlinda Poon was looking for tips to take her invention to a new level. The 35-year-old computer scientist already has a business plan and a prototype for her device to assist the visually impaired scan and listen to documents. Now she needs to get patent protection, and find some funding.

Got the itch to start a business? You're not alone. Read more here.

What Talented Women Want

Journalists Claire Shipman and Katty Kay have co-authored Womenomics: Write Your Own Rules for Success. It's about what professional women want and how to chart a course to a more enriching and successful life. At the same time, it uncovers the phenomenal power that women have in today's marketplace.

If you want to take charge and change the way you live and work, read this book.

Estrogen Matters in the Real World of Work

When are folks going to stop spending money trying to prove to us that women matter in the world of work? They do. Got it?

The numbers make a compelling case. The studies Ernst & Young rounded up show that women can make the difference between economic success and failure in the developing world, between good and bad decision-making in the industrialized world, and between profit and loss in the corporate world.

Give me a break.

Their conclusion: American companies would do well with more senior women.

Does this sound a little close to home on what we have been preaching via this blog for five years? Hello Katty. Hello Claire. Hello corporate world. For goodness sakes, women, whether entrepreneurs or corporate execs = better performance all around for everyone, everywhere!

And let us not forget why women are leaving corporate America in droves:

In the interest of security, women used to be willing to channel their time, energy, and effort to the corporation's needs at the expense of fulfilling their own professional goals -- but no more. In starting their own businesses, they're seeking freedom, flexibility, recognition, more money, and opportunities to leave a legacy -- all of the things they once thought they would find within corporations. ~ Source: Escape From Corporate America (2003) by Laurel Delaney.

Read the entire article which includes reference to the Ernst & Young study: "Fixing the Economy? It's Women's Work."

Demystifying Judith Hill

Who was the mystery singer (and entrepreneur) who performed at Michael Jackson's memorial tribute? Judith Hill (pictured).

Born in Los Angeles – her mother was a Japanese immigrant and her father a member of a '70s funk band – Hill, who had planned on singing backup for Jackson's scheduled This Is It! tour at London's O2 Arena this month, was surrounded by musicians since childhood.

Another star is launched. Read more here.

Sample Judith's music here.

Be Happy. Rely On Yourself.

BusinessWeek's small business team keeps cranking out great articles, contests, resources and tips for small businesses. Here's an excerpt from a recent guest blog post, "Anatomy of An Entrepreneur," authored by the newest edition to the BW team, Emily Schmitt:

Carol Clark, who has founded four companies in her 62 years, also fits the profile of the typical entrepreneur in this study. She says she thrives on the risk involved in running her own company, which gives her the chance to earn more than a standard wage. Clark, who lives in Hattiesburg, Miss., co-founded a hang gliding school in Salt Lake City when she was 32 years old. Today she owns DigiDentist, a dental patient enducation software company that she founded when she was 55 years old. Clark is well educated. She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from San Fransisco State University and started (but did not finish) master's work in speech communication at Oregon State. She says the thought of waking up at six in the morning to pull on pantyhose and sit at a desk appalled her. "I’ve had a lot of office jobs, too, and I don’t have a problem with authority per se, but I’m too smart to really work in a situation where it doesn’t demand the most of me," said Clark. Why does she love being an entrepreneur? "I think it’s the appeal of having to rely on myself." she says.

Read the entire post here.

Meet Michael Jackson's Female Lead Guitarist

Orianthi: "Michael Jackson was amazing. He had an aura about him."

VIDEO: Watch Michael Jackson's final rehearsal here.

Orianthi entrepreneurial? You bet. As unfortunate the circumstances, a star is born.

Pictured: Orianthi and Michael Jackson (may he RIP).

Correction 11/4/09: It's Jennifer Batten in the photo -- not Orianthi (please refer to the Comments). We changed the link above too! Thanks readers.

The Official Escape From Corporate America Blog Turns 5

Celebrating birthday No. 5 for the official Escape From Corporate America Blog and No. 233 birthday for America.

Here's a reminder of where it all started. In 2003, I wrote a wildly popular article, "Escape From Corporate America," that was published by The Conference Board. It caused such a stir that the following year I decided to start a blog about it. Here's the lead paragraph to the article:

Divorce, dumping, or abandonment: Call it what you like, but many women are trading in Corporate America for entrepreneurship. According to Cheskin Research, they are starting businesses at twice the rate of men and have become a major force in both the traditional and the e-business marketplace. The Center for Women's Business Research estimates that, as of 2002, there are 6.2 million women-owned businesses, employing 9.2 million workers and generating $1.15 trillion in annual revenue.

In the interest of security, women used to be willing to channel their time, energy, and effort to the corporation's needs at the expense of fulfilling their own professional goals -- but no more. In starting their own businesses, they're seeking freedom, flexibility, recognition, more money, and opportunities to leave a legacy -- all of the things they once thought they would find within corporations.

Still sounds all too familiar, doesn't it? Since then, even more women are breaking away from what is considered "corporate prison" to start their own businesses.

So today is your day. Enjoy. Have fun. And thank you ever so much for your readership.

Go out -- escape -- to celebrate your freedom and independence!

P.S. Here are the first three posts to the official Escape From Corporate America Blog in 2004:

Post 1
Post 2
Post 3

Turn Unemployment Into a Lifelong Dream

If you can dream it, you can do it. Kim Leslie is living proof.

Today, Leslie, 38, is the owner of Kokopelli Cafe, a business she opened in May on Woodland Square Loop that is surrounded by state office buildings and looks across Huntamer Park. Her fledgling cafe has two employees and business is off to a good start, she said.

Among her customers are at least 250 who return on a regular basis to use their punch cards for future discounts, Leslie said.

“I couldn’t be happier,” she said Tuesday. “I enjoy getting up at 4:30 a.m., but I never used to.”

Read her story: No job? Create your own work.