On Monday, Wendy and I had the opportunity to participate in a working lunch with RI Congressman Patrick Kennedy, at an event hosted by the RI Small Business Development Center. The following entry is a letter reiterating the excellent point that Wendy made during the lunch: not all small businesses need venture funding, or acheive sales over $1 million; but we are an important part of our community, not to be forgotten by our legislators!
August 28, 2006
Dear Mr. Kennedy:
It was a pleasure to be at the Johnson & Wales/SBDC working lunch and I enjoyed hearing your comments. As I explained in my remarks, I came to Rhode Island five years ago from Massachusetts and I am an Executive Coach. The real estate prices and the airport originally brought us to Rhode Island as we travel around the country for our work. Fifty percent of our work is with Google and we coach executives and teams all over the United States.
John Cronin talked about having an Economic Summit with an outcome of developing some legislation to help all the organizations within Rhode Island work closer together for the sake of small business. I have been a volunteer counselor for SCORE and have continued to volunteer with the Center for Women and Enterprise since I came to Rhode Island. I have met many start up businesses and also had the opportunity through the Center for Women and Enterprise to initiate their GROW Program which is a program for women in business 3 years or more. As you know it’s a different set of challenges after 3 years, but still challenging.
My company, co-founded by my husband and I back in 1998, is a great example of a Rhode Island business. Our target market is corporate clients. We have had a long standing relationship with AiPSO, an insurance company in Rhode Island and would love to be able to do more business within Rhode Island and not always look outside Rhode Island’s borders for clients.
From my perspective as a business owner, I don’t need funding opportunities as much as I need business opportunities. There are many service/consultant businesses all around Rhode Island with revenues less than one million. We’re not building retail stores – we deal in education, training coaching whether in IT, Business, Marketing, Web Design etc. We all just need more business, networks and a clear vision of where we can go and request assistance.
So—legislation to clear up the confusion would be great. The SBDC and its’ fabulous team led by John is a great organization to be a focal point. Rhode Island is like the Cheers Pub---everybody knows your name. But---if you are a new kid on the block—you won’t know where the door is.
Thank you very much for your assistance on this matter.
Sincerely,
Wendy Hanson
President
Corley Hanson Associates
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Oceans of Opportunity
For the 3rd year in a row, the Center for Women & Enterprise - Rhode Island annual "Oceans of Opportunity" fundraiser event was a warm, inspiring event. Held at the beautiful Squantum Club on the Providence waterfront, the event drew support from banks, law & accounting firms, politicians, and scores of women who have started or want to start their own businesses.
Wendy, who coordinated the Center's Client Expo was delightful in her skit with Bethany Mascena Tracy, owner of Potential Invitations & Greeting Cards. The two demonstrated the value of CWE-assigned coaching on a woman's business. With Wendy's help, Bethany has grown her business by connecting with wholesale markets and outsourcing operations and sales.
I was invited to participate in the client Expo, as I was a client of CWE in the start-up phase of my business. We displayed the woman-owned client websites that Precision has helped to market online. We shared a table with the charming and talented Jen Bostick from Watermark Designs, who donated her graphic design services to produce the look-and-feel for the event material and signage. Great job, Jen! Everything you touch turns wonderful.
With Laura covering Precision's booth, I was able to place winning bids on two great silent auction items - an inspiring women's plaque and book set, and a "business event celebration" - most likely, we'll use this for The Sassy Ladies eGuide... book launch!
Miriam, Wendy & I also coordinated the donation of another silent auction item - a basket filled with all kinds of things a woman would need when starting her own business - calculators, journals, aspirin, networking luncheons - and, of course, wine and chocolate! We also coordinated a panel of seven experts to gather for a "Business Makeover dinner". We envision a Queer-Eye-for-the-Straight-Guy format, but instead of changing hairstyles and home decor, we'll be dishing out advice for improving this woman's business or business idea. We look forward to finding out who the lucky winner is!
In the end, lots of money was raised for a Center whose mission is at the heart of our passion - empowering women to become self-sufficient through business. Congratulations to Carol Malysz, CWE-RI's director, and the event committee for another fabulous evening!
Wendy, who coordinated the Center's Client Expo was delightful in her skit with Bethany Mascena Tracy, owner of Potential Invitations & Greeting Cards. The two demonstrated the value of CWE-assigned coaching on a woman's business. With Wendy's help, Bethany has grown her business by connecting with wholesale markets and outsourcing operations and sales.
I was invited to participate in the client Expo, as I was a client of CWE in the start-up phase of my business. We displayed the woman-owned client websites that Precision has helped to market online. We shared a table with the charming and talented Jen Bostick from Watermark Designs, who donated her graphic design services to produce the look-and-feel for the event material and signage. Great job, Jen! Everything you touch turns wonderful.
With Laura covering Precision's booth, I was able to place winning bids on two great silent auction items - an inspiring women's plaque and book set, and a "business event celebration" - most likely, we'll use this for The Sassy Ladies eGuide... book launch!
Miriam, Wendy & I also coordinated the donation of another silent auction item - a basket filled with all kinds of things a woman would need when starting her own business - calculators, journals, aspirin, networking luncheons - and, of course, wine and chocolate! We also coordinated a panel of seven experts to gather for a "Business Makeover dinner". We envision a Queer-Eye-for-the-Straight-Guy format, but instead of changing hairstyles and home decor, we'll be dishing out advice for improving this woman's business or business idea. We look forward to finding out who the lucky winner is!
In the end, lots of money was raised for a Center whose mission is at the heart of our passion - empowering women to become self-sufficient through business. Congratulations to Carol Malysz, CWE-RI's director, and the event committee for another fabulous evening!
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
A Brand Is Born
After four months, two brainstorm sessions, lots of wine and so many great ideas, we have finally birthed our brand, The Sassy Ladies' eGuide: How to Be Successful in your First Year of Business! (Learn more.)
Wendy, Miriam and I - with help from our friends Donna Mac and Maureen Maloney, and feedback from many others - have found the perfect name. A name for the brand. For the book. For the website. For this blog. We wanted a name that captured the essence of it all. Feminine. Fun. Smart. Daring. Entrepreneurial. Sassy!
Maybe someday, we'll add another post listing all the runners up - some brilliant, some sophisticated, some... well, some might just be unmentionable.
Nonetheless, we're all very happy with the brand name, with the pink Curlz font that Linda Siniscal suggested, and with the progress on the ebook that we are in the process of writing. We look forward to getting together tomorrow to finalize the promotional basket and Business Makeover event material that we are using to pre-launch this eGuide at the Center for Women & Enterprise Providence
Annual Oceans of Opportunity Fundraiser on Thursday night.
Wendy, Miriam and I - with help from our friends Donna Mac and Maureen Maloney, and feedback from many others - have found the perfect name. A name for the brand. For the book. For the website. For this blog. We wanted a name that captured the essence of it all. Feminine. Fun. Smart. Daring. Entrepreneurial. Sassy!
Maybe someday, we'll add another post listing all the runners up - some brilliant, some sophisticated, some... well, some might just be unmentionable.
Nonetheless, we're all very happy with the brand name, with the pink Curlz font that Linda Siniscal suggested, and with the progress on the ebook that we are in the process of writing. We look forward to getting together tomorrow to finalize the promotional basket and Business Makeover event material that we are using to pre-launch this eGuide at the Center for Women & Enterprise Providence
Annual Oceans of Opportunity Fundraiser on Thursday night.
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