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

Undeniable Fun and Relaxation

Hi Love!

I am ready for a vacation. As a woman on the move, I seem to find inspiration in taking time off to relax and simply enjoy the fruits of your labor. So to find out where to take your next vacation why not check out  a YouTube vlog for a little inspiration.

3 Top Picks:

Honolulu - the capital of Hawaii which allows visitors to get a great view of the volcanic outcrop called Diamond Head.

Greece - Travel to Santorini and overlook the clear Aegean and beaches made up of mixed lava pebbles.

 

Bora Bora - the turquoise lagoon 

Just remember no woman is ever truly happy without a great vacation.

-- Love Rae

Mini Drug Tests? Elizabeth Holmes Is Saving Lives

Hi Love!

Elizabeth Holmes is the youngest self-made female billionaire of our time. With an aim to provide blood tests at drugstores around the world for an extremely reduced cost, she has successfully transformed the healthcare industry with her innovative ideas. She is compared to Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, she doesn't own a television and she dropped out of Stanford University at 19 years old. She is worth 4.6 billion.

Theranos is her unique biotech company that she began in 2003. Her strategy is to completely focus on her business by spending most of her time at her own company. She created Theranos for the people not to become wealthy however her idea was so advanced every health care official wanted to invest into her way of thinking. Every test that she created is a simple prick to the finger which can be used to check for issues such as cancer and cholesterol etc. Theranos is valued at 10 billion dollars and probably much more by 2016. 

She believes that " healthcare is the leading cause of bankruptcy" no one should have to ever have to suffer financially to better their health. Her idea is simple: Make healthcare affordable for everyone.

To learn more about Elizabeth please check out the video below:

In agreement with her ideas and her dynamic company lets support her mission. 

--Love Rae 

Paid Maternity Leave -- Nationwide

Hi Love!

Susan Wojcicki is the CEO of YouTube, a 40 billion dollar video sharing website that is a subset of Google. Wojciciki is 47, she has 5 children and still is able to manage motherhood and a top position at work. When she graduated from college the internet didn't even exist yet however over the course of her life she took in two of her friends who soon created Google in her garage in 1998. By 1999, she was Google's first marketing manager and is now credited with having an active role in the creation of Google Images, Google Books and the acquisition of YouTube.

YouTube has 1 billion users worldwide and Wojciciki oversees the entire corporation. With YouTube producing numerous videos daily, Wojciciki almost never saw maternity leave especially when she was pregnant with her fifth child. Now she is on a mission to get the government to create a law that provides paid maternity leave and family benefits nationwide.Currently, only 5% of U.S employers offer maternity leave which is absolutely absurd. Accordingly, as a way to support her mission, I wanted to share this amazing story with you.

Check out her profile below:

If she was able to run a company with five children without any excuses we shouldn't have any either. Let's get to work!

-- 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

October is National Women's Small Business Month!

Hi Love,

Today we are celebrating all of the phenomenal female entrepreneurs in our areas. Please email me if you would like to be included in this lineup.



First on this empowering lineup:

Jakki Liberman, as a single mom of four kids she wanted items for her children that promoted a healthier lifestyle while still being fun. She founded Bumkins Finer Baby Products to do so, and has since partnered with Disney, DC Comics, and Dr. Seuss for designer prints.

Following in her father’s footsteps, Debbie Melnick started her own wildly successful stationery line Debbie Lynn, Inc. But on top of balancing her professional success with the challenges of motherhood, she’s done it all while also battling Multiple Sclerosis and being confined to a wheelchair.

Staci Ericson has learned to take challenges and turn them into creative outlets. That’s how she came up with Golly Gee-pers, a company that promotes and teaches children social skills and manners.

An aunt and niece from New England, both named Sally, had long talked about starting a line of jewelry that had an inspiring message. Then, niece Sally Jane Waite, was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer while 7-months pregnant. It was then, their message- “Bee Courageous, Bee Bold, Bee a Survivor, Just Bee” to coincide with the bee designs, was born. (www.sallyjane.net).  

Cara Cerutti Holmes realized the need for a fashionable way to carry necessary items while staying hands-free. So she created Füchsin Ave, a company that provides high-style hands-free bags to carry necessities. Her star item, the SmarterGarter, fastens around the thigh or boot, and comes in a variety of colors, styles, and fabrics.

Susanna Lee wanted to make sure her young boys were safe during bath time. She launched Peachy® in 2010 with theAqueduck® – the first faucet extender in the market. The line now includes the Single Handle Extender, Double Handle Extender, and the Bath Spout Extender, each designed to keep kids safe in the bathroom.

Maia Haag is the owner and founder of the multi-million dollar company I See Me!, the original online hub providing kids with personalized books and gifts. Haag has created, written, and executed dozens of unique titles allowing children to star in their storybooks.

Michele Welsh was overwhelmed when she took her kids to an amusement park, and decided to write her cell phone number on their arms. That day, SafetyTat was born. The child tattoos feature a space to write a phone number, and come in many styles.

Olga Cohen is the founder of Olga’s Secret—the makers of safe and natural products for women. Olga’s Secret specializes in providing an effective solution for vaginal dryness, a symptom that often comes along with menopause. 

Please support these amazing women for National Women's Small Business Month. 

-- Love Rae

The National Association of Women MBAs Hosts 2015 Annual Conference & Career Fair

Hi Love!

Just wanted to put a women-in-business/MBA event on your radar. The National Association of Women MBAs has announced that the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University will serve as one of NAWMBA’s Co-Lead Academic Sponsors for the 2015 Annual Conference & Career Fair, which will be held Oct. 15-17 at the Westin Galleria in Houston, Texas. The partnership is key to fulfilling the organization’s central mission and its purpose for the annual conference: to empower aspiring female business professionals as they move into leadership positions in business.

The Jones School offers a range of scholarships, events and mentoring opportunities that are designed for women students. In addition to sponsoring the NAWMBA Conference & Career Fair, the school is an academic partner of the Forté Foundation, an international consortium of organizations that works to empower women in the workplace. The Jones School also was one of 46 other U.S. business schools that signed an open letter to express their commitment to ensure that students are trained to lead in the 21^st century and to expand opportunities for women in business. The Council on Women and Girls and the Council of Economic Advisers hosted this meeting at the White House with business schools deans and the business community working together.

As Co-Lead Academic Sponsor, the Jones School has arranged for alumna Subha Barry, vice president and general manager at Working Mother Media, to deliver a keynote address. The school also will hold an alumnae reception and have a presence at the career expo.

"We are committed to supporting women MBA students, so it is an honor to serve as one of NAWMBA’s academic sponsors," Bill Glick, Dean of the Jones School, said. "Being part of this event will help us meet our goals of attracting and advancing more women in business careers."

Rice University is proud to support women MBAs in the following ways:

• 90 percent of Rice’s full-time, female MBA students are awarded a merit-based scholarship
• 50 percent of Rice’s MBA student clubs are led by women presidents
• 35 percent of Rice’s full-time students in the MBA program are women
• 26 percent of Rice’s MBA faculty are women

Through the strategic partnership with NAWMBA, Rice MBA students will enjoy complimentary NAWMBA membership, event invitations and free conference registration. For more information about the 2015 Conference & Career Fair, visit nawmba.org/event.

Please be sure to check out this amazing event for the best networking and educational opportunities. 

-- Love Rae