Thanks to a partnership with the Women’s Entrepreneurship Institute (WEI) of the Northern Kentucky University and the New York Times Knowledge Network, we are now able to offer you a wide portfolio of online seminars.  Check out the “Partners” and “Seminars” pages of this Blog for more information.

VIEW ARTICLE

Event Description:

Date: 6/25/2008
Time: 6:30 PM TO 8:00 PM

LIVE INTERACTIVE WEBCAST

Why do companies started by men tend to grow bigger than those started by women? A look at the challenges faced by female entrepreneurs in a Webcast featuring Andrew Ross Sorkin, business reporter for The New York Times, Margaret Mankin Barton, executive director of the National Women’s Business Council, and Rebecca White, professor of business and entrepreneurship at Northern Kentucky University.

More Information

They’re the people smiling back at you from color photos that accompany their profile story in the morning paper. Turn on the radio and there they are again, chatting away on a local talk show. Two months later, they show up on the cover of your trade journal. Then they’re being interviewed on the 11 o’clock news. While you’re buying expensive advertising to deliver your message, they’re doing it for free.

During my 22 years as a newspaper editor and reporter, I have seen well-meaning people fail repeatedly in their attempts to beg and cajole the media to pay attention to them. That’s because media relations is a sophisticated game with its own etiquette, protocol and rules. Today, as a media relations consultant, professional speaker and ezine publisher, I teach people how to create free publicity to sell a product or service, champion a cause, create an image and establish their expertise.

1. Send news releases about new products and services, contests, awards, open houses, speaking engagements to the media, and post them online where consumers can find them.

2. Write “how-to” articles for newspapers, magazines, trade publications and newsletters, and for online article directories, and offer lots of free advice.

3. Get onto the speaking circuit. Speaking to community groups and trade associations is a wonderful way to “create the buzz” about your business.

4. Create a website chock full of free advice, articles by and about you, story ideas about your business, and an electronic media kit…..

View Full Article

Please contact Wende Powell, Classified Sales Manager at the Business Courier today to reserve your space.

Ph: 513.337-9454; email: wpowell@bizjournals.com

We need your help finding the best and the brightest young women entrepreneur community leaders to apply for the next class of the Elizabeth Dole Young Entrepreneur Scholarship. The scholarship is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to gain knowledge, skills and guidance from successful women business owners – as well as have a chance to receive a cash award to help grow their business!

The Elizabeth Dole Young Entrepreneur Scholarship is a bi-partisan effort, established to recognize high potential young women business owners who are leaders in their community, with resources and guidance to excel their businesses and personal success.

Here are the qualifications you will be looking for:

At least 51% woman-owned
Entrepreneur between the ages of 21-35
U.S. Citizen
Business 5 years old or less
Revenue of $500, 000 or less for service industries OR $1milion or less for manufacturing industries
The business has capacity to assume more debt
Owner has a satisfactory personal credit history

We are also pleased to invite you to join us as a sponsor of this important effort. Sponsorship opportunities are available for as low as $50.00 and all sponsors will be recognized along with the program and at the 2008 WIPP Annual Conference in Washington, DC. Sponsorship of the Elizabeth Dole Young Entrepreneur Scholarship sends a powerful message of women business owners helping women business owners.

If you have any questions on the application or sponsorship, please do not hesitate to contact Jason Lalak at the WIPP office at JLalak@wipp.org or via 415-434-4314. Remember, applications are due June 30th, so there is no time to waste!

We look forward to an exciting 2008!

Application Form
letter of recomendation

The chat will increase awareness of government contracting opportunities, encourage more small business participation in SBA’s government contracting programs and educate the small business community on the SBA’s newly developed tools aimed at helping small businesses get their fair share of contracting opportunities.

Ott will answer questions from chat participants on Thursday, May 29, 2008, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., EDT, on how small businesses can gain access to the more than $400 billion federal marketplace, how to navigate the federal marketplace and understand the procurement process and register their small business profile in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database—a necessary step for doing business with the federal government. She will also answer questions on how small businesses can develop their companies through SBA’s 8(a) Business Development program and HUBZone programs and leverage their Small Disadvantaged Business certification.

U.S. Small Business Administration
Release Date: May 23, 2008 Contact: Tiffani Clements (202) 401-0035
Release Number: 08-56 Internet Address: http://www.sba.gov/news

Find your own management style
“To be a good manager and leader, you have to dig deep to find your own voice and style,” says Sandy Chilewich, founder HUE and Chilewich. “Imitating what business society presents as ‘winning’ does not work.”

Set boundaries
“Delegate things out,” advises Kim Kleeman of Shakespeare Squared, who sticks to 40- to 50-hour workweeks. “Women tend to be control freaks. You really have to let that go.”…..

View Article

2. Great networkers follow up those they meet. If you tell people you are going to call, do it. There may be some months where you are so busy extra business is not a priority so, if this is the case when you meet people, simply say “It was great to meet you. I would like to find out more about your business so let’s catch up at the next month’s networking event”. It’ about having manners.

3. Switch on networkers don’t attend events based on who’s guest speaking they know it’s all about who else is in the room. Anyway, from even the worst speaker, if you can’t gain one tip to take home and implement you need to either re-evaluate how you are judging others or start listening with a more open frame of mind.

4. The savvy networker is never prejudice against those in the room based on their own agenda. A good example of this would be a corporate attending a networking event where on the surface all attendees appear to be from the small or home-based business sector. They feel they have nothing in common and, worse still, the people in the room are of no use to their business agenda. They are completely missing the fact that every attendee in the room has at least 300 networking contacts many of which are exactly the people the corporate is seeking introductions to.

The facts are that not everyone can see the big picture of networking. If you’re not willing to put in the hard yards and build relationships, you will spend most of your time attending numerous networking events in the hope that one day what you view as a potential client will be coincidently placed at your table, hand over their credit card and say run up what you want. I can absolutely guarantee the true cost of networking to you personally goes well beyond purchasing your ticket to attend an event.

View This Article

Women Owner’s Roundtable – May 9th @ 7:30 a.m. at ACI, 3 Kovach Dr. Cincinnati, OH 45215

Women Project Administrators Roundtable – May 14th @ 6:00 p.m. at ACI, 3 Kovack Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45215

Women Project Manager’s Roundtable – May 15th @ 5:30 p.m. at ACI, 3 Kovach Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45215

Women’s Financial Roundtable – May 20th @ 6:30 p.m. at Megen Construction, 11130 Ahsburn Road, Cincinnati, OH 45240

NAWIC has established this series of Roundtables that are open to any woman in the construction industry. These Roundtables are FREE of charge and membership in NAWIC is not required, but it is our hope that you would consider membership. The purpose of these Roundtables is to allow women working in similar positions in the construction industry the opportunity to discuss like issues, problem solve and to arrive at ‘best practices’ in a comfortable and non threatening environment. Additionally, it is our desire that you will meet and build relationships with fellow women in the industry. These Roundtables, though sponsored by NAWIC, will be self governing. If you have any questions or would like to enroll please contact Pat Popp at (513) 221-8020.