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.

Get Over Your Obsession with Your IP & Build a Community

Is intellectual property ("IP") the only "product" we create now in America?  Before I get a barrage of emails from US manufacturers, that is a rhetorical question. I ask it primarily to get your attention and because sometimes I feel the focus on IP and its value is extreme. I suspect this is because people don't truly understand it. So, they "err on the side of caution" and preclude others from using anything they think is "theirs." It may be a color, a shape, a word, or an idea. It may even be something that the alleged owner blasted via email. 

An author I know recently hit me with such a preclusion. I used to subscribe to her email newsletter because I thought she had good business insight that might be valuable to my clients. I have promoted her openly and at no charge for several months. I have even given her books as gifts at times. Needless to say, she has gotten a lot more value from me than the $15.00 or so I spent on her book. That's why I was surprised to see her request to remove my blog posts referencing her book and newsletter. I included links to her website, her book and her contact information, intending to help her drive more traffic. I mistakenly thought she, too, was a believer in the power of collaboration and connection. 

I am saddened by her attitude, but I again chalk this up to misunderstanding of IP law. I presume she believes I have plagiarized her work and worries this somehow reduces the value of her purported IP. She apparently forgot her days of writing term papers and why we use citations in our writing. Still, considering the bulk of bad information in the world, I can understand. I will follow The Four Agreements and take nothing personally. (By the way, Don Miguel Ruiz, I hope you don't mind me referencing your book and promoting you FOR FREE.) 

In short, if you're obsessing over excluding others from sharing your work with potential customers you might not otherwise reach, perhaps you should reconsider. Exclusivity excludes, and you may exclude someone who would otherwise be among your greatest fans and advertisers. I know one author who has lost me.

Ladies Who Launch Live Events

Ladies Who Launch has several one-day conferences coming up several cities this fall.  It's a great way to meet people and market your business!

September 20, 2007	Ladies Who Launch LIVE-Detroit, MI	Detroit, MI
September 29, 2007	Ladies Who Launch LIVE- Toronto, CANADA	Toronto, CANADA
October 18, 2007	Ladies Who Launch LIVE-New York, NY	New York, NY
October 25, 2007	Ladies Who Launch LIVE-Portland, OR	Portland, OR
October 26, 2007	Ladies Who Launch LIVE-San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
November 1, 2007	Ladies Who Launch LIVE-Washington, DC	Washington, DC
November 8, 2007	Ladies Who Launch LIVE-Atlanta, GA	Atlanta, GA

Build It Before You Need It

It's August and many people are away for vacation. This is actually an excellent time to build up your contacts. You will meet other vacationers on the plane, in the hotel lobby or on the beach.  Everyone is relaxed so conversations flow freely. Sometimes you meet people that may not be immediately helpful for your business, but are good to people to know because they be an asset in the future for you or your friends. Since some leave business cards at home, then put their information on your mobile phone or even on cocktail napkin and organize things later like when you are on the plane on the way back.