How to Make A Profit Even If A Catastrophe Hits!

Hi Love!

How could we forget Hurricane Sandy? Besides being one of the scariest hurricanes to hit the east coast, Sandy destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses. While most people are still re-cooping, Deb Di Gregorio, a Maplewood resident and working mother of two decided to write "Triumph Over Toothpicks, The Essential Guide to Business in the Digital Age ". After speaking to groups of small businesses impacted by Sandy, Gregorio decided to shed light on her experience and how she was overcome the challenges she faced being a working mother during one of the biggest catastrophes in America.

Available via Amazon

To resurrect their business, business owners were expected to quickly learn new advances within technology, mobile and how to use other platforms. Those experiences led Gregorio to combine the perspectives of each business owner she came across to create a robust Kickstarter and finally her book.

Quick to consume, fun to read with straight-up advice and completely irreverent images: Blessed Virgin Mary at the Annunciation taking a selfie, anyone? That’s just one of the many off-kilter, deliberately low-tech collage illustrations that accompany the book’s uniquely clear-eyed point-of-view.

When done, readers will never see our digital world the same way again — business owners will be empowered and in charge of their digital destiny. Please pick up a copy of Gregorio's book to educate yourself and to learn the tips and tricks these business owners used to keep their companies afloat in an ever changing economy.

Please be sure to pick up your copy here:  http://www.amazon.com/Triumph-Over-Toothpicks-Essential-Business/dp/0996192808


-- Love Rae

Female Powerhouse Leading the Marine Industry

Hi Love,

Jaclyn Baumgarten is the future of the recreational marine industry.

In 2012, Jaclyn founded Cruzin, one of the first to enter the peer-to-peer boating marketplace. This summer she orchestrated a strategic merger in the male dominated marine industry with Boatsetter ­ her strong competitor ­ and is now at the helm as the new CEO of the merged company.

Peer to peer boat sharing is a highly competitive space with every player claiming to be the ³Airbnb of boats². But in this emerging market with new incumbents rushing to gain market share, Jaclyn asked herself, ³What is the most strategic way for me to accelerate the speed of innovation in the marine industry, and claim the leadership role?² Hence the idea to merge Cruzin and Boatsetter was realized. For the past three years, she has dedicated all of her energies into transforming and growing the boating industry.

In addition to merging Cruzin with Boatsetter, Jaclyn has also:

·     Worked as  the youngest and one of the few female developers in the male-dominated commercial development industry. She worked for Westfield, the world¹s leading retail commercial real estate developer, and ran one of the largest retail development projects in the city of Los Angeles.

·      She has a Stanford MBA and has held key leadership positions in Fortune 500 companies for 13 years prior to founding Cruzin.

Jaclyn is emerging as a key thought-leader in the boating industry and in the Silicon Valley start-up scene:

·      In 2014, Jaclyn pioneered the first peer-to-peer boating insurance coverage

in the business, working hand and hand with Concept Insurance for eight months to craft the policy that launched the peer-to-peer market in the marine industry.

·      She is also a key panelist at boating industry conferences speaking about how collaborative consumption is a win-win for the marine industry.

·      She was recognized by Boating Industry Magazine¹s 2014 ³Movers and Shakers² issue

·      Was one of the founding participants of Women's Startup Lab (WSL) in Silicon Valley and is now a mentor and frequent speaker at WSL.

As a major force in the boating marketplace and tech industry, Jaclyn wants to share her expertise with other women. Thankfully she shared this story with us. Take Note.

-- Love Rae

Megan Smith -- The Chief Technology Officer of America

Hi Love,

As you know, Twitter is looking to replace their current CEO Dick Costolo with a woman so I decided to look into America's top choices. Costolo has served as Twitter's CEO for 5 years but now that his position is open, it would be great to have a woman in leadership.

Meet Megan Smith -- the Chief Technology Officer of the United States. She was previous the Vice President of Google for nine years so of course she could handle Twitter with her eyes closed. Her current job entails on advising the president on patent reform, privacy issues and net neutrality.

Cool Facts:

Besides being a pretty lady, Smith has 2 children and she graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Although she is definitely a leader in technology, Smith is also very respected for creating TechHire -- a company geared toward bringing more women and minorities into the tech world. By reaching out to colleges and other training institutions, Smith is aiming to build a more diverse workforce.

For more information be sure to check out Megan Smith's TechHire initiative.

-- Love Rae