Elizabeth Gordon is the author of a news book that’s designed to help women entrepreneurs who want to build a profitable business go “from flats to stilettos.” The book is called: “The Chic Entrepreneur.

Here are the Five Mistakes, she says we should avoid:

1. Sales and marketing: Women fear looking like a pushy salesperson and have a resistance to charging a high price. Selling too softly, and not being willing to go after a premium niche and declare a high price for the value she is providing can handicap a business’s ability to generate revenue.

2. Planning: Business plan? What business plan? Women often go by their intuition when making decisions concerning their business instead of writing out a strategic business plan and sticking to it. While using intuition in business can be a strength, intuition should not be the only decision-making criteria.

3. Measurement and money: Women entrepreneurs often start a business because they seek a greater sense of fulfillment, meaning, connection, or flexibility. Because profit is not always the main motive, the need to put strong financial controls in place is often ignored. As a result, cash flow often becomes a critical issue. Finance is the language of business so women must get comfortable with their numbers. In addition to looking at overall revenue figures, understand fixed and variable costs, know your break-even point and growth rate. Do monthly, quarterly and yearly trend analysis. Examine expenses, and learn how to read a profit and loss statement and balance sheet.

4. Vision: Women in business often do not have a big enough vision for their company. They focus on making enough money to just get by, rather than on creating an asset of real value and maximizing their wealth. Dare to dream a larger vision. There is nothing greedy about sharing one’s business value across a larger spectrum; on the contrary, it is more generous to grow, as women can do more good this way.

5. Long Range Personal Plan: Most women start service-based organizations, but never take themselves out of the role of performing the service. Because most women start businesses with lifestyle considerations in mind, they are not willing to sacrifice their lifestyle to create an organization. It’s not impossible to do both. A woman entrepreneur can still have her desired lifestyle and the financial well-being that growing a profitable and large company can provide. The foundation of the business has to be structured properly to enable growth. A businesswoman then becomes the strategic leader of the organization.

“A flourishing business is one that grows naturally,” concludes Gordon. “Once a woman understands the critical components to running her business, her business will bloom like a flower coming out of the earth; she won’t have to push it up out of the ground. She will have built a system that perpetually works, grows, and bears fruit.”

For a free copy of Elizabeth Gordon’s 20-page Ebook, “The Secrets of My Success,” or to order “The Chic Entrepreneur,” please visit Chic Entrepreneur.com.

America’s “graying” and “browning” population driven by aging baby-boomers and a growing population of immigrants means that companies will have to look farther and try harder to attract qualified workers in the future, a demographer said.

“At the end of the day the question is, ‘Who is going to take care of you when you get old?’” says James H. Johnson Jr., a demographer and professor at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

Johnson says there are 86 million baby-boomers in the country. Every day, 12,000 of them turn 50 and 9,000 turn 60. The oldest will turn 62 this year.

“What’s going to happen in three years?” Johnson asked. “In demographic lingo, it’s called the silver tsunami, and it’s about to hit.”

The age groups coming up behind the baby-boomers are smaller, he noted. What is more, the median age of Americans has increased to above 35.

Recent immigrants, especially those from Latin American countries, tend to be younger and have larger families than baby-boomers. It is a phenomenon he called the “browning” of America, as the non-immigrant population is not having large enough families to replace themselves.  To read the entire article, click here:  Boomers and Business

• Men tend to like power, control and strength.
• Women are more emotionally driven.

• A man tends to jump in when he comes face to face with an issue and take over. He will deal with it then and there and get it over with.
• A woman asks questions first, make sure she understands the task, and then completes it to perfection.

• Men like to work alone.
• Women prefer to help each other.

What do you think?

MetLife has been recognized by Working Mother magazine as a 2008 Best Company for Multicultural Women for the third year in a row. The Working Mother Best Companies for Multicultural Women initiative celebrates employers that are establishing groundbreaking diversity policies and programs to encourage the hiring and advancement of African-American, Hispanic, Asian-American and Native American women.

Just one example of MetLife’s programs to support diverse women is its Global Women’s Leadership Forum. Launched in 2007, this forum brought together MetLife’s senior women officers and diversity leaders from across the company and the globe to promote networking and knowledge-sharing among women leaders. The forum kicked off with a discussion about how to take diversity, inclusion and women’s advancement to the next level, and will continue throughout the year with webinars, regional small group meetings and other opportunities for candid conversations.

Best Companies for Multicultural Women show a dramatic increase in the number of women of color who are senior managers and that women of color represented 13% of all new hires last year, 14% of all employees, and 7% of top 20% earners at the winning firms. The report also finds that Gen Y thinks about race and gender far differently than Gen X and Baby Boomers—and are changing the discussion about race and ethnicity in the process. Unlike their Boomer parents, Gen Y’s tend to look beyond skin color for their identity, choosing instead to define themselves by age or lifestyle. This shift is causing companies to rethink their diversity strategies so that they resonate with a group that’s eager for speedy advancement.

The 2008 Working Mother Best Companies for Multicultural Women were selected through a detailed application process that covers a wide variety of questions about a company’s workforce (such as number of women of color in top positions); culture (programs for women of color); external programs (diversity activities); and work/life programs (child care, elder care). This year the most weight was given to questions involving the representation, recruitment and retention of women of color.

As someone who spent more than 25 years in the news business, I can tell you first hand that racism and sexism play a factor in how stories get told. No journalist will ever come out and admit their bias but if you watch and listen carefully to the way stories are told, you’ll know. Some so-called journalists go as far as to purposely slant the stories told to further their own agendas. Give a listen to Rush Limbaugh and Pat Robertson sometime.

In the case of the Democratic Primary, it has been a downright shame to see the stories the media has chosen to focus on when it comes to Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.  What’s even worse is the name calling Hillary has been subjected to by so-called journalism professionals. It has gotten so bad that on May 23, The Women’s Media Center launched “Sexism Sells, But We’re Not Buying It,” a new video and online petition campaign illustrating the pervasive nature of sexism in the media’s coverage. Please take the time to watch the video and read further by clicking here: Sexism in the Media

Although women make up almost half of today’s workforce, they hold just a fraction of the jobs in certain high-earning, high-qualification fields. They constitute 20 percent of the nation’s engineers, fewer than one-third of chemists, and only about a quarter of computer and math professionals.

Over the past decade and more, scores of conferences, studies, and government hearings have been directed at understanding the gap. It has stayed in the media spotlight thanks in part to the high-profile misstep of then-Harvard president Larry Summers, whose loose comment at a Harvard conference on the topic in 2005 ultimately cost him his job.

Now two new studies by economists and social scientists have reached a perhaps startling conclusion: An important part of the explanation for the gender gap, they are finding, are the preferences of women themselves. When it comes to certain math- and science-related jobs, substantial numbers of women - highly qualified for the work - stay out of those careers because they would simply rather do something else.

One study of information-technology workers found that women’s own preferences are the single most important factor in that field’s dramatic gender imbalance. Another study followed 5,000 mathematically gifted students and found that qualified women are significantly more likely to avoid physics and the other “hard” sciences in favor of work in medicine and biosciences.

It’s important to note that these findings involve averages and do not apply to all women or men; indeed, there is wide variety within each gender. The researchers are not suggesting that sexism and cultural pressures on women don’t play a role, and they don’t yet know why women choose the way they do. One forthcoming paper in the Harvard Business Review, for instance, found that women often leave technical jobs because of rampant sexism in the workplace.

The older I get, the more I learn.  That’s one of the reasons I appreciate aging—because it comes with wisdom.  The stupid, crazy things I did 20 and 30 years ago no longer matter, but they did teach me how to grow up and move on.  Even thought these “life lessons” have been floating around cyberspace for quite a while, there are lessons I have taken to heart:

• The Lord didn’t do it all in one day. What makes me think I can?
• Money doesn’t buy class.
• The best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.
• We should be glad God doesn’t give us everything we ask for.
• It’s those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.
• Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you’re climbing it.
• Under everyone’s hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.
• I can always pray for someone when I don’t have the strength to help him in some other way.
• Sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.
• Being kind is more important than being right.
• Never say no to a gift from a child.
• Having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.
• A drive to McDonald’s with my parents when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult.
• The less time I have to work, the more things I get done.
• Life is like a roll of toilet paper.  The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.

What have you learned?

Did you know…..

• Nearly 10.4 million firms are owned by women (50% or more), employing more than 12.8 million people, and generating $1.9 trillion in sales.
• Three quarters of all women-owned businesses are majority owned by women (51% or more), for a total of 7.7 million firms, employing more than 7.1 million people, and generating $1.1 trillion in sales.
• For the past two decades, majority women-owned firms have continued to grow at around two times the rate of all firms (42% vs. 24%).
• Women-owned firms, 50% or more owned by women, account for 41% of all privately held firms.

Businesses Owned by Women of Color

• There are 2.4 million firms owned 50% or more by women of color in the U.S., employing 1.6 million people and generating nearly $230 billion in sales annually.
• Between 1997 and 2006 the number of privately held firms 51% or more owned by women of color grew five times faster than all privately held firms (120% vs. 24%).
• Women of color own 42% of all firms owned by persons of color, up from 36% in 2004.

Asian women employer firms have the highest survival rate of all women-owned firms: 77% of their businesses in operation in 1997 remained in business in 2000.

Information courtesy of the Center for Women’s Business Research

Two baby boomers in Minnesota have come up with the idea that when you die, you can still have the last word.  Nancy Bush and Sue Kruskopf have created a website called mywonderfullife.com where you can plan your own funeral BEFORE you die.  You can select your outfit, the music, any special effects and probably create a guest list.

In this picture to the left, the dearly departed chose to be laid out in his pajamas while laid out in his favorite reclining chair.  A blanket of his favorite sports team (Pittsburgh Steelers) is beside him along with a can of his favorite beverage (I’ll let you guess what that is).  What you don’t see in the picture, is a television set playing a Steelers game and a host of chairs for the guests.

Now I don’t know about you but I prefer to meet God on HIS terms and not MY own.

Next month, my husband and I will be celebrating our second wedding anniversary.  By all accounts, we’re still newlyweds but sometimes it feels like we’ve been married a LONG time.

Nevertheless, we are still very happy and very much in love.  We are still learning about each other and not trying to change the things we don’t like.  That’s because we’ve learned you can’t change another human being’s behavior.  I believe you can change YOURSELF and that will change the way your mate responds to you.

Tip Number One: Don’t Raise Your Expectations Beyond the Bar.  Thinking that someone else can make you happy, trying to read one another’s mind, wanting to do everything together, and wanting to have a perfect marriage are unrealistic expectations. They can create great barriers in your marriage. Hopefully, your expectations will include being able to lovingly resolve conflicts, to appreciate your differences as individuals, to respect and cherish one another, and to be able to discuss values and priorities.

Tip Number Two: Learn How to Listen. One of the topics I address during my seminars is on communication.  As a veteran journalist, I know how important it is to convey your message to your audience.  You must do it in such a way that they will understand you and appreciate what you have to say.  I also know it is equally important to listen to the message being conveyed in order to make sure I report the story accurately.

The same rules apply in a marriage.  You have to be an effective communicator AND a good listener.  Yelling all the time to get your point across will, more than likely, fall on deaf ears.  Also, poor communication skills can lead to a breakdown in your marriage.

There are always two points of view in a discussion or argument.  While you may be adamant about sticking to your point of view, you owe your mate the courtesy and respect to hear him/her out and appreciate their feelings.  And, by all means, PAY ATTENTION.  Eye contact is very important in making your partner feel like you really are tuned in.

Once you settle into the routine of married life, romance starts to fall on the priority list. In many relationships, it’s not intentional—it just happens. When you’ve worked all day, cooked, cleaned the house, dealt with the children and unexpected problems, you can be pretty worn out by “whoopee time.”

Who’s doing most of the talking in your bedroom? If you say the “TV”, your marriage probably has some issues.

Tip Number Three: Communicate in the Bedroom: As we settle into marriage at midlife, things become routine and that tends to include sex. Communicating with your spouse is extremely important on all levels—and yes, that includes the bedroom. If you’re someone who can’t make love without the lights off or you must always be in the bottom position, why not try stepping out of your comfort zone and exploring some new ideas.

Try reading sexy literature to each other in bed. Take turns being the narrator and if asked to re-read a particularly erotic scene, do so with a little re-enactment. Role playing can be very enticing and a lot of fun! Women, in particular, enjoy the sound of their lover’s voice as he reads steamy fiction to her in a romantic setting.

Don’t be afraid to communicate your sexual desires and try to be as open-minded as you were back then.  But don’t be afraid to let him know what you don’t like.  He shouldn’t be offended if he wants to please you.

Tip Number Four: Have a One Night Stand! Why?

• You can have time alone together without distractions.
• No meals to cook, dishes to clean.
• Conversations are not interrupted.
• Intimate moments can be spontaneous.
• No hurrying home to get the babysitter home on time.
• Romance comes more naturally.

A date night is all about spending quality “alone-time” with your mate. Don’t forget, you can only get out of your relationship what you put into it so invest wisely.

Tip Number Five: Prayer and Meditation. In my opinion, a marriage cannot survive without personal relationship with God. It is through that fellowship that you will be able to renew your strength and your faith and seek the answers to the problems and questions that may plague you at any given time.

Your prayer life should be a part of everyday living. As a matter of fact, it should grow even stronger with each passing day. Couples who pray together stay together because prayer is the lifeline that can keep you from sinking when trouble comes.

Business Boot Camp For Women Coming to Durham, NC October 11, 2008

Sylver-E Travel & Cruises
919-805-1256

Most baby boomers say they are financially unprepared for a potential disability, according to a new survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP). Baby boomers would have difficulty paying bills and many would have to tap into their retirement savings if a disability occurred.

“Baby boomers have too much debt and not enough savings to weather even a short-term disability,” said Karen Ignagni, President and CEO of AHIP.

The survey assessed how financially prepared baby boomers are if the primary wage earner in their household became disabled and was unable to work for an extended period of time. Most baby boomers (55 percent) say they are not at all or somewhat unprepared. Only 15 percent say they are very or extremely prepared if a disability occurred.

Baby boomers were also asked how long they could go without their primary wage earner’s income before they had difficulty paying all their bills. Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) would have difficulty within the first year, half (49 percent) would have difficulty in the first six months, and a third (33 percent) would have difficulty paying all their bills in just the first three months. Most baby boomers said they would have difficulty making their mortgage payments, car payments, credit card payments, and/or supporting dependents within the first year.

Almost a third (32 percent) of baby boomers say they would have to tap into their retirement savings if the primary wage earner in their household became disabled. Seventeen percent admit they do not have a retirement savings to draw upon.

Most baby boomers also admit having a significant amount of non-mortgage debt, including credit cards debt and auto or education loans. More than half of boomers (52 percent) have more than five thousand dollars in non-mortgage debt. A quarter (25 percent) of boomers have more than twenty thousand dollars in debt and nine percent have debt of more than fifty thousand dollars.

“Most baby boomers will face serious financial hardship if a disability occurs,” said Humphrey Taylor, Chairman of the Harris Poll.

Did You Know?

• 50 to 70 year-old women are about to become the richest demographic in U.S. history.

• Boomers outspend other generations by an estimated $400 billion each year on consumer goods and services.

• Women between 45 and 64 are the most likely age group to shop online for beauty products.

• The 50+ market has $2.4 trillion in annual income, which accounts for 42% of all after-tax income.

• There are now more people over 65 than there are teenagers.

• Over the next 10 years the boomer generation’s leading female edge will transform the American market in nearly every consumer product category.

• 83.2% of US Boomers will use the Internet regularly in 2011, up from 75% in 2006.

• There are 8 million Hispanic Boomers.

• There are 9.1 million African American Boomers

• More than 70% of the US Boomers report buying music in the past year, making it the most important buying segment for CDs and an increasingly important market for digital downloads.

• By 2010, adults 45 years old and older will outspend younger adults by $1 trillion annually.

• Boomers, on average, have the most discretionary income of any segment of the US population.