Ladies Who Launch

Is Your Advice Worth Some Money? Amazon Says It Is.

Since many of us Ladies are website-oriented, I wanted to pass along some techie news about a new service from Amazon. You may already have an Amazon Associates account, which allows you to cash in on the purchase of any Amazon item simply by recommending it through a link on your own website.

That's just the start of what you can do with an Associates account, though. Amazon now has a beta feature called "aStore" that gives you the ability to setup a customized page full of items you recommend. To get an idea of what it looks like, you can look at my aStore, "Your Business Writing Coach Recommends."

aStore gives you the code for anything from a simple link on your website or  blog that leads to your store, to a customized frame full of your product recommendations that you can insert easily into a page on your site or a sidebar in your blog template. I've inserted a frame into the code for this blog post to show you what it can look like.

You could use aStore like I do, to give visitors and potential customers advice about great books to read in your industry, but the applications of it are only limited by your imagination.  You could recommend yarn in your knitting website, silver cleaner on your jewelry design site, running shoes on your fitness support group site, etc.

The best thing about it for me is that it's a reciprocal gesture: you offer free advice in an area about which you are passionate as a gift to your site visitors, and you get a little money from Amazon for your trouble. Look at you, building a bridge between your customers and some great products! You're a connector.

--Rachel Carroll Whalley, Seattle-based Business and Blog Writing Coach
www.writewithmeaning.com

Women-owned Firms Increase Nearly 20 Percent

Women-owned firms increased nearly 20 percent over the latest period studied, according to a report released last week by the Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration. Between 1997 and 2002, women-owned firms grew by 19.8 percent while all US firms grew by seven percent. A significant portion of those firms were in professional, scientific, and technical services, and in health care and social assistance. Women in Business: A Demographic Review of Women’s Business Ownership, using newly released Census and other data, also finds that:

· In 2002, women owned 6.5 million (28.2 percent) nonfarm US firms with 7.1 million employees and $173.7 billion in annual payroll.

· Women-owned firms accounted for 6.5 percent of total employment in U.S. firms in 2002 and 4.2 percent of total receipts.

· Of all women business owners in 2002, 85.95 percent were White, 8.43 percent African American, 8.33 percent of Hispanic heritage, 5.25 percent Asian, 1.23 percent American Indian and Alaska Native, and 0.18 percent Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander (total does not add to 100 due to some double counting across ethnic groups).

Women in Business: A Demographic Review of Women’s Business Ownership, written by Office of Advocacy senior economist Dr. Ying Lowrey, is available at www.sba.gov/advo/research/rs280tot.pdf. 

 

Grammar--the basis for flame wars

I was recently referred to an article on Digg about software documentation. The subject of the article wasn't nearly as interesting, however, as the posted comments to it. People online LOVE to use poor grammar as evidence that someone's argument is fallacious. It amazes me how venomously folks will attack each other on bulletin boards and in chat rooms for the smallest typo, or, god forbid, error.

I am a raving grammarian, it's true, but I can't help but think this stigma, this...treating a misuse of "you're" as equivalent to showing up to school on the short bus, is the reason that those who aren't great writers will feel shame and hide their lack of skill as if they were track marks.

Folks, not knowing grammar isn't the sin that it seems to be. Is it a skill that most people should be better at? I think so, but not being very good at writing isn't something to be ashamed of, it's something to work on.

The moment you decide to face your shortcomings is the moment they lose power over you. Don't run from your writing issues; face them. Seek out answers and practice as much as possible. If you need someone to bolster you through the process or to give you the answers you can't find, that's when you call me.

--Rachel Carroll Whalley, Seattle-based Business Writing Coach
www.writewithmeaning.com

Dining Is About More Than The Food

Come on ladies are we really going out to eat just for the food? No way!
In a perfect world we want to meet the man of our dreams, or have the perfect evening, or be blown away by some celeb spotting. Dining is much more about the "total package" than just another meal.

Going out has become about the overall experience we judge a place on how it makes us feel; from the people, the lighting, the music, even the temperature, this is what creates a good experience. And last but not least, yes gals the service. I have had some ok meals but if the service
is great then all is forgiven. The best way to find out about the latest and greatest places? Do your research, word-of-mouth, a trusted website, a good friend these are ways you can ensure your money and more importantly your time is well spent on your evening out.

Some diva-worthy spots to check out? We know plenty. In Miami our fave place is Casa Tua, in New York City we are huge fans of Sapa, and in the dirty south we love Crescent Moon. Want more scoop? Check out Social Diva's "real reviews" on dining experiences www.socialdiva.com/blog

Give It Up!

 

Excerpt from Give it Up! My Year of Learning to Live Better with Less by Mary Carlomagno

Published by HarperCollins/William Morrow Copyright 2006

Like most people, Mary Carlomagno was stressed out, overscheduled, and tripping over the clutter of her days—until she decided to take control and simplify her life.  Each month she renounced one thing: alcohol, shopping, elevators, newspapers, cell phones, dining out, television, taxis, coffee, cursing, chocolate and multitasking.  During the course of the year, Mary took stock of her life, discovered what was really important, and gained a deeper appreciation for the world around her. 

Give it Up! chronicles Mary’s life-changing experiences and provides a commonsense blueprint for anyone looking for a fresh start and a new outlook.  It’s about simplifying your life, cherishing every moment of it, and celebrating what is truly important.

We must be the change we wish in the world.

--Mahatma Ghandi

When I set out to write this book, my intention was to eliminate unnecessary facets of life; in essence to determine what I could live without.  Accustomed to the frantic pace of the world around me, I had a nagging feeling that something was missing.  Each day was much the same, providing the everyday routines all dependent on the same rituals.  Reading the entire newspaper was out of habit, not out of need.  Habitually checking voicemail and cell phone was more than just a convenience, it had become an obsession.   Shopping had reached an all time high, where multiple versions of the same item were purchased again and again without my realizing that that item already hung in my closet at home in other colors.

I was in need of a change.

One morning, while trying to decide which pair of shoes to wear, I was behind schedule and was clearly going to be late for work.  To make matters worse, while reaching for my black sling backs, an avalanche of designer shoe boxes hit me squarely on the head.  For some people, a subtle signal can lead to a change in life; others need a stronger message.  In my case, it was being literally hit over the head with my own shoes. 

This was my wake up call. 

Later that morning, I plunked down $4.20 for a mocha grande at my local coffee shop.  I reached for my cell phone to check voice mail and made a mental note of the meetings planned for that day; I wondered how my life got so complicated, with too many distractions; too much stuff and too much technology demanding my attention and taking my focus.

Would it be possible to live without the designer coffee, the Kate Spade bags, the technology that were a part of my everyday existence?  Could stripping away some of those items and habits make me appreciate what I have?  I created a plan.  Each month for one year, I would choose one of my favorite things and give it up, cold turkey, for one month.  This would become my year of learning to live better with less.

Tired of Your Job?

Hate your job? Maybe you just need a nap. A recent study by the University of Florida for the Journal of Management found that lack of sleep has a significant effect on job satisfaction, especially for women.

Study participants reported much lower rates of job satisfaction after a night of insufficient sleep. Women were more likely to report insomnia on any given night and sleep deprivation also seemed to have more impact on women’s levels of fatigue, attentiveness, and joviality.

These study results provide yet another argument that overworking employees and ignoring work/life balance issues can have a negative impact on companies’ bottom lines. Bitter, sleepy employees rarely perform well.

If you’re suffering from a severe case of job burnout, consider that things might look better after a good night’s sleep. Turn off the Blackberry, tuck in the kids, and catch a few Zs. This is especially true for entrepreneurs, who often work themselves harder than even the most ruthless boss.

If things still look grim after you catch up on your sleep, it may be time to get serious about updating that resume.

-- Pamela Skillings, Escape from Corporate America

New Venture - LetsMeetOut.com

I'd like to introduce my new venture LetsMeetOut.com, a new web site based on groups of friends meeting other groups of friends.  The idea came about because that's how my husband and I met, I was out with a group of my friends and he was out with a group of is friends.  It was such a casual and natural way to meet – no expectations for anybody and a lot easier to get to know each other since it was a group setting.  After our groups got together a few more times, the interest between Ed and I sparked and as they say, the rest is history.  I realized that this is the new wave of “social networking,” actually meeting in person.

LetsMeetOut.com isn't focused on dating; it's about having fun and expanding your social network – in real life.  We want to give New Yorkers an alternative to making virtual friends through online social networking site and awkward one-on-one meetings from blind or online dating.

As an added bonus to our members, we've partnered with bars around NYC where members receive their 2nd round of drinks on the house when they make plans to be at one of the bars through the web site.

The site just launched, so right now you can sign up at LetsMeetOut.com and become a member for free!  Please tell me your stories of meeting out...friendships, employees or even romantic relationships.

Cupcakes Take The Cake

Vons, party cupcakes 4 days later (2)
Originally uploaded by jleighb.

My friends and I have a blog that is all about cupcakes.
Cupcakes Take The Cake is where we share our passion for cupcakes with pictures, recipes, and interviews with bakery owners and assorted cupcake lovers.

One of our favorite cupcake bakeries is Sugar Sweet Sunshine which is located at Rivington St.  They provided the cupcakes last year for Ladies Who Launch Live here in New York. 

Other cupcake bakeries In New York include:
Babycakes
Billy's Bakery
Buttercup Cafe
Happy Happy Happy
Two Little Red Hens

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

Or a thousand dollars, if you have use Slide. Slide is a free web application that lets eBay Inc. sellers advertise their wares, and buyers keep track of favorite listings. From an article in Information Week,
"The tool lets eBay sellers take pictures of products and create a custom slide show of photos, news and other digital content to feature on eBay, blogs, wikis, Web sites, MySpace pages and more. Slideshow creators can incorporate photos from their collection, as well as feeds from other sites."

You can sign up here at Slide.com. The application is free and the slide show can be added to your eBay listings.