Ladies Who Launch

Governor Spitzer Expected to Cut Vital Funding for Women

This is from my mentor, Sheri Mooney:

As you may know, the Everywoman Opportunity Center has been assisting women in obtaining and maintaining employment in WNY for over 30 years.  Remember - this program returns money to the state via taxes on earnings of individuals helped into viable jobs and it is the ONLY safety net for women in transition in the state. www.everywoman.org

The vast majority of their funding is from NYS and the current budget from the Governor has cut ALL funding for these vital services. 

Consequently, Everywoman and the other displaced homemaker centers across the State are reaching out with their Purple Postcard campaign and asking its supporters to send these cards directly into the Governor.  I have these postcards and will make them available to you.  Just send me an email or call and I will get as many to you as you need.  If you are attending a meeting or any event where you would like to pass these out, please advise so I can get you a bulk amount in advance.

Please feel free to forward this email to anyone that you believe would support Everywoman and would like a postcard. 

Correspondence on this issue may also be sent directly to The Hon. Eliot Spitzer, Governor of New York, State Capital, Albany, NY 12224.  Time is essential as we need to get this completed during the 30 day waiting period.

Thanks in advance for all of your support on this critical issue for women in New York.  We can and will make a difference.

Tomboy Trades

From Springwise,  which is a website about new business ideas, comes news about a Canadian company that specializes in tool belts and work boots for women. Here's some information about Tomboy Trades.

After leaving a corporate job at IBM, Tomboy Trades' founder Marissa McTasney enrolled in a skilled-trades course for women, with the aim of starting her own construction company. She spotted a gap in the market on her first day of school. When she and her classmates went out to buy work boots, she was surprised to find they only came in tan and black: men’s shoes in female sizes. According to salespeople, McTasney wasn't the only one disappointed in the limited choice of working gear for women. Not one to pass up an entrepreneurial opportunity, she found a manufacturer in China and developed steel-toe boots in pink, green, blue and red. Matching tool belts, safety glasses and hard hats soon followed, as did retail partnerships with Home Depot and Zellers, a Canadian department store.

Tomboy Trades is now looking for retailers outside Canada, and also mentions that franchising plans are in the works. In a wider context, professional female construction workers and amateur handywomen are still an underserved market. Which means interesting opportunities for entrepreneurs who know how to cater to them. More on creating products and services for women in trendwatching.com's Female Fever briefing.

 

Thanks to LWL HARDWARE handbags has new business partners and a promising future.

Thank you Ladies Who Launch!

I never knew just by being a LWL member that we would be here today with new business partners, a new website and huge opportunity to build our brand nationwide. I attended a LWL Live event in Seattle which in a roundabout way put me in touch with another LWL member in New York who put me in touch with our new business partners in San Francisco. What happened after that was pure serendipity! Three people I didn't know 'from Adam' took the chance on my start-up and invested a good portion of money to produce and market our line of HARDWARE handbags.

Thanks to our SF partners we just shipped our first big production run to our distribution facility, launched our new website and are now hitting the press through their connections in the fashion and beauty markets.

Our vision at HARDWARE Handbags, is focused on making more durable, more eco-friendly, cruelty-free bags that help industrious women Get A Handle On Sustainable Style. You can check us out here:

www.hardwarehandbags.com

While we aren't where we ultimately hope to be, we believe that the use of ultra-durable, cruelty-free synthetic and recycled materials are a start. Additionally, we are proud to make our bags in a small factory in Seattle, Washington, giving us oversight of the product and confidence our bags are made in an environment where workers are treated fairly.

Our bags will look good for a long time. And if life demands it, they can even handle a turn in the washing machine (though we prefer gentler methods first), making it a great choice for moms. Our signature feature is our recycled stainless steel handles. We hear from our early fans that our handles' look, flexibility and light weight body really make it stand out.

Also, to celebrate our launch (and thank LWL members) we'll be giving $30 off all orders through an unadvertised Friends and Family offer (code: HH3) through November 30th, which you should feel free to share with your friends and family as well. Click on the offer here for more info.

Thank you Ladies Who Launch, for literally taking my business to a new frontier!

Sincerely,

Lori Naon

HARDWARE handbags

URBAN LEGEND: Dial *77 if an Unmarked Police Car Directs You to Pull Over

The claim, which has a few variations, but is basically as follows:

A friend's daughter was traveling alone at night on a highway when an unmarked police car pulled up behind her and put its lights on.  The friend had told her to dial *77 if this ever happened, so she did.  The dispatcher couldn't confirm the police car was where she reported.  The dispatcher sent several marked police cars to the scene.  The driver of the unmarked car was a convicted rapist.

The truth, according to Snopes.com:

http://www.snopes.com/horrors/mayhem/fakecop.asp

The short summary of the truth is this. Women are assaulted by fake cops. Women driving alone at night should be cautious if an unmarked car attempts to pull them over. Rather than guess which code connects you to the highway patrol in a given state, dial 911—a number that is universal and valid in all 50 states (unlike *77 or #77). Tell the 911 operator what is going on and that you intend to pull over as soon as you reach a well-lighted and populated area.

Congress Still Considering Internet Taxes

From the Austin Business Journal:

Congress must decide soon whether to extend the moratorium on Internet access taxes, but eBay is more concerned about legislation that would force Web merchants to collect sales taxes on out-of-state purchases.

The moratorium, which prohibits states and localities from taxing Internet access, expires Nov. 1. It went into effect in 1998. Many business groups are lobbying Congress to make the moratorium permanent, but the National Governors Association favors a four-year extension, so that Congress can revisit the issue and "review any unintended consequences for consumers, industry or the states"...

Under current law, sales taxes are charged only if the Internet retailer has a physical presence in the purchaser's state...

"Brick-and-mortar retailers are currently required to collect sales taxes while many online and catalog retailers are not," the federation wrote Congress. "This is not only fundamentally unfair to Main Street retailers, but it is costing states and localities billions in lost revenue."

Ted Cohen, an eBay vice president who led the company's lobbying day on Capitol Hill, says small brick-and-mortar stores are being hurt by big-box retailers, not Internet sellers.

"It's not eBay that put them out of business," Cohen says.

The push to require Internet sales tax collections is "about large retailers who want to crush small business," he says...

In short, share your views on Internet taxes with your Congressional representatives.  After all, they are supposed to represent YOU.

URBAN LEGEND: Put Your Pin # in Reverse if You're Held Up at an ATM

The claim:

If you should ever be forced by a robber to withdraw money from an ATM machine, you can notify the police by entering your Pin # in reverse.  For example if your pin number is 1234 then you would put in 4321. The ATM recognizes that your pin number is backwards from the ATM card you placed in the machine.  The machine will still give you the money you requested, but unknown to the robber, the police will be immediately dispatched to help you.  This information was recently broadcast on FOX TV and it states that it is seldom used because people don't know it exists.

The

The truth, according to Snopes.com:

This does NOT summons to police.  A Chicago businessman patented a similar system, but he was unsuccessful in getting banks to purchase it.  Bills that would mandate panic systems such as this have been introduced in several states, but none have been passed.  For the complete story, click here.

So,

If you’re held up at an ATM, give up the money and keep yourself safe.  Money can be replaced.  You cannot.

Conversation on Linked In about Ladies Who Lanch Incubators

Hi everyone, we love when conversations start about Ladies Who Launch, especially by men.  Go here to comment http://www.linkedin.com/answers/startups-small-businesses/starting-up/STR_STP/94547-2202532