Welcome to the monthly newsletter for the National Association of Women Business Owners® (NAWBO®) San Francisco Bay Area Chapter. This is the newsletter for December 2012.
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Member News
Welcome New and Renewing Members!
Message from the President
Members in the News & Member Spotlight
Member Benefits & Opportunities
Ideas, Inspiration and Opportunities
Procurement Programs
NAWBO SFBA Events
NAWBO®-SFBA Networking Breakfast - Oakland: December 6 (first Thursday of each month)
NAWBO®-SFBA Monthly Dinner Event- San Francisco: December 13 (second Thursday of each month
NAWBO®-SFBA Networking Breakfast - Walnut Creek: December 18 (third Tuesday of each month)
NAWBO®-SFBA Networking Breakfast - San Francisco: No Breakfast in December (third Wednesday of each month)
NAWBO®-SFBA Networking Breakfast - Marin: No Breakfast in December. Happy Holidays! (fourth Tuesday of each month)
NAWBO®-SFBA Networking Breakfast - Marin: No Breakfast in December (fourth Tuesday of each month)
NAWBO®-SFBA Networking Breakfast - Oakland: January 3 (first Thursday of each month)
Calendar View
Welcome to New and Renewing Members of NAWBO®-SFBA!
New Member Reception is now quarterly. All members are welcome!
TBD 5:30 PM - 7 PM Press Club, 20 Yerba Buena Lane, San Francisco
*Sponsored by Manzar Azari, Azari Property Management
Have you recently decided to join our NAWBO community? Are you a member and would like to meet the new members? Don't miss this very unique opportunity to meet each other and enjoy a conversation. This is a members only event, focused on getting new members off to the right track!
Pre-register for this Free Event. Members only.
New Members
Julie Baeder, with Morgan Stanley in San Francisco, has joined our chapter as an Established Business Owner.
Shelley Cordes, Owner of Embroidery Stitch Nitch in Hercules, has joined our chapter as an Established Business Owner.
Kelly Elizabeth Goins, with NuGenuity in Hayward, has joined our chapter as an Emerging Business Owner.
Margie Lewis, with Legal Shield in San Francisco, has joined our chapter as an Emerging Business Owner.
Caroline Stevens, Attorney with Leydig, Voit & Mayer, Ltd. Walnut Creek, has joined our chapter as an Established Business Owner.
Re-Joining Members
Cara Hale Alter, owner of Speechskills in San Francisco, has re-joined our chapter as an Established Business Owner.
Renewing Members
Robin Azevedo, President of McRoskey Mattress Company in San Francisco, has renewed her membership as an Established Business Owner. Robin has been a SFBA member since 2008.
Ruth Stroup, Owner of Ruth Stroup Farmer's Insurance Agency in Oakland, has renewed her membership as an Established Business Owner. Ruth has been a NAWBO SFBA member since 2010.
Katherine Stickley, Partner with Arterra Landscape Architects in San Francisco, has renewed her membership as an Established Business Owner. Katherine has been a NAWBO SFBA member since 2008.
Time to Join, Re-Join or Renew your membership? Simply register online www.nawbo.org
Thank you for your membership. We look forward to seeing you at upcoming events, and to the opportunity to grow, thrive, and lead together!
Message from the President
 I hope that all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and I am very excited to be ending 2012 on a high note. In the words of Sheryl Sandburg, COO of Facebook, “If there was a war on women, it looks like the women are winning.” One of the ways that women are winning is through meeting and connecting with other women in business. A primary goal of the NAWBO board this year, as well as offering great programs, was to create an organization where women lift up and support one another. Yesterday in a breakfast meeting one woman said she joined NAWBO because she saw this happening. She said NAWBO was a place where she could talk with other women who truly understood what she was going through as a business owner and juggling her other life responsibilities. She also mentioned that the programs have been instrumental in helping her look at herself and her business differently. Another member mentioned that in addition to other women having her back, it has been a place to gain tools to more effectively run her business, acknowledge and enhance her leadership skills. Andrea Mitchell, newsperson for CNN said: “Women cannot be pushed aside. We need to be judged not by our gender but by out ability to do the job.” Women in NAWBO are examples of what Ms. Mitchell is referring to as you show up daily as a business owner, support one another and through sheer determination succeed, grow, and evolve within the ever-changing business climate. You inspire me to be the best I can be. You encourage me to follow my passion and you help me think far beyond my view of the world. I want to thank all of you for an incredible 2012 and I’m excited to meet more of you, to listen to your ideas for improving NAWBO and will be delighted to help you become more involved so that you can get more out of this incredible organization. Thank you for your support and your presence in NAWBO. Happy Holidays from all of us at NAWBO. Please join us on December 13 5:30 pm at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel as we hear from Cara Hale Alter, author of The Credibility Code. Warm regards, Kathleen Thurmond
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Warm regards,
Kathleen Thurmond, President, NAWBO SF Bay Area
Members in the News & Member Spotlights
 Member Spotlight Kate Stickley, Arterra Landscape Architects
"We have given them a meadow in the sky.”
Meet Kate Stickley, co-founder of Arterra Landscape Architects. The 'meadow in the sky' is a 2,000-sq-ft living roof that her company designed for a client. “It was on a site that didn’t have a lot of flat, usable ground area, so the second story now looks out over the green roof. We even gave them a patio so they can enjoy the view.”
A member of NAWBO SF Bay Area since 2007, Kate started Arterra Landscape Architects with fellow principal Vera Gates in 2003. They've spent a lot time reinvigorating their business with extensive research, education, and networking over the past four years during a slow economy. Now a Certified Green Building Professional, Kate helps her clients understand how they can be more eco-friendly in their architecture and landscaping choices. It’s not always about a big, 2,000-sq-ft living roof, though: Arterra emphasizes creating beautiful designs that fit with a client’s goals and budget, even if that just means getting the most from passive sunlight. For Kate, her goal to make her business "smarter, faster, better, and stronger" has really paid off. Arterra recently had one of their most profitable months ever, and Kate foresees another "huge uptick" in business over the next year.
Originally from Delaware, Kate cites a four-year stint in France as the biggest influence on her aesthetic tastes and love for architecture. She is passionate about positively impacting her community. Her local projects include the redesign of the grounds at Coit Tower as well as educational schoolyard gardens in San Francisco. Kate values NAWBO SF Bay Area because of the invaluable connections and personal relationships she's built with small business owners from diverse industries. She says NAWBO is "a great resource for anybody running a business," and looks forward to her continuing involvement in our Bay Area chapter.
Thank you so much for sharing your story, Kate, and congratulations to Arterra for its incredible, ongoing success!
Members in the News
 Syndi Seid
Congratulations to past president and board member, Syndi Seid, who appeared in the news twice this past month, discussing her expertise in the world of etiquette. Check them out.
USA Today - Bizarre foods pose etiquette dilemma: To eat, or offend? http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/2012/11/05/business-travel-bizarre-foods/1684153/
National NPR Radio: Marketplace with Guy Ryssdal http://www.marketplace.org/topics/elections/campaign-trail/yea-or-nay-whether-talk-politics-work
Norma LaRosa Norma's company, Roozt.com, a socially responsible company, was featured for a second time on the Today Show. Take a look. Norma is also a member of the NAWBO SF Bay Area Board of Directors.
Are you a member who has news about your business? Please send your news to NAWBO SF Bay Area info@nawbo-sfba.org. "News" refers to recognition your company has received in the press, awards you or your company have won, or events that have happened. This space is not used for promotion of products or upcoming events. Thanks!
Let us know about your business NAWBO SFBA members may bring a promotion item to display on our Member Information Table at each Monthly Dinner.. info@nawbo-sfba.org
Member Benefits & Opportunities
 A New Partner and Member Benefits with Constant Contact
NAWBO SF Bay Area has become a partner with Constant Contact to provide a benefit to our members.
A discount on Constant Contact products is available to members who sign-up for Constant Contact products through our partner portal and pre-pay for 6 months (20% discount) or 12 months (25% discount).
To sign-up and receive this member discount click on our partner portal.
If you are already a Constant Contact user just give us your username and you will be eligible for the discount as well. If you have a question or would like to provide your username contact, Wendi a info@nawbo-sfba.org
Promote Your Business
- NAWBO SFBA members may bring promotional brochures or flyers to display on our members' information table.
- Attendees have the opportunity to showcase their products/services with a marketing table. Cost for members is $50, non-members is $250. Contact Wendi info@nawbo-sfba.org to arrange.
- Submit your event to our online calendar. Click here to suggest an event.
San Francisco Business Times - NAWBO Member Subscription Discount.
Get Involved!
The best way to benefit from your membership in NAWBO®-SFBA is to get involved! You'll also continue to enhance your leadership skills and gain increased visibility for your business.
- Attend events (monthly mixers, networking breakfasts and special events)
- Give feedback & share your thoughts
- Join the board
- Chair or join a working group (working groups information)
- Marketing, Social Media, Public Policy, Affiliates, Programs & Membership
- Become a program facilitator (breakfasts or brown bag lunches)
- You can select your own location!
- Offer your time and your talent in anyway you can imagine
- Social Media maven, E-publications editor, Breakfast Co-Coordinator Walnut Creek
Grow, Thrive and Lead!
Contact info@nawbo-sfba.org to share your interest in being an active volunteer member of NAWBO SFBA!
Second Thursday
Location: Sir Francis Drake Hotel
December 13 Networking Dinner 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM
PROJECTING CONFIDENCE AND CREDIBILITY WHEN IT MATTERS MOST
Today, just being credible isn't enough. You have to look credible. Alter shows exactly how with 25 explicit cues. She makes credibility tangible and actionable-a skill set that anyone can learn.
You will learn useful strategies and insights about using "behavioral cues" in becoming more persuasive and perceived as someone to do business with. You may likely use these cues for the rest of your life.
Come for networking, excellent content and lasting friendships over wine and dinner with like-minded women business owners! Click here for more details or Click here for flyer.
Pre-register for the networking dinner by December 13 and save.
NEW NAWBO COMMUNITY SERVICE RAFFLE
Beginning next month, through 2013, NAWBO is proud to announce a new monthly community service raffle to benefit one organization annually. This year the board has chosen Girls, Inc.
Calling all donations: Mark a donation. Win a raffle prize.
Most immediately for December and each month to follow we invite NAWBO members to donate a raffle prize that has a value of $25* or greater that will be given away to people who buy raffle tickets. Tickets will be sold each month at $5 for one ticket and $20 for five chances to win. Cash donations are also accepted to benefit Girls, Inc. through our NAWBO foundation, EEI (Entrepreneurs Economic Institute) which is our non-profit 501c(3) entity. More information.
Let’s grow NAWBO-SFBA and we’ll grow our own businesses in the process.
Third Tuesday 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM
Il Fornaio, 1430 Mount Diablo Boulevard, Walnut Creek
Free parking at rear of building
Next Networking Breakfast Forum: December 18
 KeAloha Couch, owner Couch & Associates
Important Tax Issues for Business Owners
We will review important tax concepts and strategies for small business owners need to know, including:
-
Self Employment Tax
- Retirement Accounts
- Medical Insurance
- Important tax changes for 2012 & 2013
KeAloha began her career in a fast -paced NYC fashion advertising firm servicing Donna Karan, Lifetime Network and RayBan as the Vice President of Finance. She took these 14 years of business experience and founded Couch & Associates, an accounting and tax firm based on the female principles of communication, collaboration, and intuition.
Our morning breakfast forums provide a comfortable place for businesswomen and entrepreneurs to gather monthly, exchange ideas and discuss business challenges. The Networking Breakfast Forums are a dynamic, informative and productive way to start your day!
Cost:
Members registered by Friday: $12; at the door $15
Non-Members registered by Friday: $20; at the door $25
First time guests: same as members for first three months.
Pre-Register by December 14.
Please share the word with your friends and colleagues!
Third Wednesday 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM
Boudin Bakery, 619 Market Street, SF (right off Montgomery Bart Station)
No Networking Breakfast in December. Next breakfast is January16
 Meaningful Social Media: How to Share Your Authentic Voice Online
Here's the beauty of social media: you are your own content executive, and the tools to share your brand are literally at your fingertips. Still, getting your foot in the door can be overwhelming and time consuming.
Come to this NAWBO breakfast to learn about how to build a manageable and meaningful social media presence, as well as practical tips for navigating the 'noise.' We'll focus on guiding principles for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and blogs, and talk about cross-platform management tools for experienced social posters. Bring your handles and hashtags if you have 'em, and we'll grow your audience and social media confidence together!
Stephanie Murphy, founder of Smurk Media, believes in fostering healthy communities with new technologies. Stephanie works with forward-thinking local businesses to plan and write high-quality social media campaigns. By prioritizing authentic messaging and genuine relationships, Smurk takes social beyond the shouting and into meaningful conversation.
Our morning breakfast forums provide a comfortable place for businesswomen and entrepreneurs to gather monthly, exchange ideas and discuss business challenges. The Networking Breakfast Forums are a dynamic, informative and productive way to start your day!
Cost:
Members registered by Monday: $12; at the door $15
Non-Members registered by Monday: $20; at the door $25
First time guests: same as members for first three months.
Please share the word with your friends and colleagues!
Learn more and register online by Monday, January 14
Fourth Tuesday 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM
Il Fornaio Corte Madera Town Center, Corte Madera
No networking breakfast forum in December.
Next Networking Breakfast Forum is January 22
 Optimal Health for a Successful New Year
The beginning of the new year is an excellent time to assess the state of our health. As busy women, we often get used to feeling just "okay" and we put off the need for our regular physical exams, blood tests and other evaluations of our health.
Even when we do take time for these appointments, we are often told that our test results are "normal" and that we are "perfectly fine" even though we suspect otherwise. Alternative methods of interpreting symptoms and test results can often reveal subtle imbalances that are at the root cause of our diminished vitality.
Join Dr. Brent as she discusses the ways that naturopathic and Chinese medicine can diagnose and treat the obstacles to our optimum health. Women business owners, especially, will benefit from her suggestions for managing stress and maintaining sanity through the hormonal changes of mid-life.
Our morning breakfast meetings provide a comfortable forum for business women and entrepreneurs to meet monthly, exchange ideas and discuss business challenges. The Networking Breakfasts are a dynamic, informative and productive way to start your day!
Cost:
Members registered by Friday before: $12
Non-Members registered by Friday before: $15
Members & Non-Members at the door: $20
Please share the word with your friends and colleagues!
Learn more and register online by 11:59 PM Friday, January 18
First Thursday 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM
Oliveto Restaurant & Cafe 5655 College Avenue, Oakland
December 6 A Holiday Bazaar
As December is Holiday Season, our meeting will be a Holiday Bazaar.
Please join us as a Bazaar Vendor. Plan to present to the group your service or product (approximately 5 minutes per attendee) and supplement with take-away materials that support your business.
Members will have the unique opportunity to SELL their service or product to the group. You will have table space to set up your display if you wish. See you at the Bazaar on December 6th!
Our morning breakfast forums provide a comfortable place for businesswomen and entrepreneurs to gather monthly, exchange ideas and discuss business challenges. The Networking Breakfast Forums are a dynamic, informative and productive way to start your day!
Cost:
Members registered by Friday: $12; at the door $15
Non-Members registered by Friday: $20; at the door $25
First time guests: same as members for first three months.
Learn more and register online by Tuesday, December 4
Please share the word with your friends and colleagues!
NAWBO National & NAWBO CA
NAWBO National - CEO Update
NAWBO® is proud to be a part of the large role that women business owners are playing in jump-starting our economy. Women are expected to generate more than HALF of the 9.72 MILLION new small business jobs expected by 2018, accounting for nearly ONE-THIRD of the total projected 15.3 million TOTAL new jobs and ONE-THIRD of the total new small business jobs in the next 7 years. Read more.
NAWBO CA About NAWBO California - NAWBO California represents the issues and interests of more than 1.3 million women business owners in the state. California ranks no. 1 nationally in the number of woman-owned firms, number of employees (1.9 million) and revenues generated ($318.2 billion annually). NAWBO California provides support to the nine California chapters and multiple satellite groups of the National Association of Women Business Owners, which are located in Sacramento Valley, Silicon Valley, San Francisco Bay Area, Santa Barbara, Ventura County, Los Angeles, Inland Empire, Orange County and San Diego. For more information, visit http://www.nawbo-ca.org.
 Corporate Partners: Low-income Business Women Get a Hand Up, Thanks to US Bank
150 low-income women business owners from the Bay Area will attend business educational programs provided by NAWBO SF Bay Area, thanks to valuable scholarships from US Bank.
The business educational programs will be in effect through June, 2013.
150 women from vital, non-profit, community programs will be selected through partners of NAWBO SF Bay Area, including the Renaissance Center, Women’s Initiative and Working Solutions.
US Bank recognizes that an investment in women is an investment in the communities around them. US Bank’s scholarships help ensure that women have the tools they need to be entrepreneurial leaders who will develop financial stability and stimulate the economy in their communities.
Affiliates and Partners
Women's Initiative - A New Partner
NAWBO SF Bay Area is pleased to announce a new partnership with Women's Initiative in support of women business owners.
For nearly 25 years, Women's Initiative for Self Employment has provided high-potential, low-income women with the training, funding and ongoing support to start their own businesses and become financially self-sufficient. The women who go through our program significantly increase their income and assets while launching businesses, stimulating the local economy and creating jobs. In 2011, recent graduates of the program created and retained more than 5,500 jobs in the Bay Area!
Graduates of Women's Initiative are attending NAWBO SF Bay Area events thanks to valuable scholarships from US Bank.
Procurement Programs
Supplier Diversity Programs in corporations are a way for women owned businesses to secure contracts.
The first step is to become a certified Women Business Enterprise. Contact Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) to begin the process of being certified. http://www.wbenc.org/
Public Policy
Congress and the Fiscal Cliff
We have all been hearing about the Fiscal Cliff for some time now. The “Fiscal Cliff” is a combination of expiring tax cuts and across-the-board government spending cuts scheduled to become effective Dec. 31, 2012. The concept of the fiscal cliff is that if the federal government allows these two events to occur, they will have a detrimental effect on an already shaky economy, perhaps sending it back into an official recession. At the same time, it has been predicted that going over the fiscal cliff would significantly reduce the federal budget deficit.
Because 2012 was a presidential election year, Congress delayed dealing with the fiscal cliff issue, leading to much speculation about how the scheduled tax and spending changes would play out and the potentially negative consequences of letting both occur without modifications. While the term "cliff" implies that the changes would have immediate, destructive and final consequences, some policy and economic analysts have said that the consequences would be gradual and that negative outcomes like tax increases could be undone.
While the nation watches and waits during this “lame duck” session of congress one thing is clear, Congress and the administration must work together to protect the nation's economy in an equitable manner for all taxpayers.
Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57553946/fiscal-cliff-looms-as-congress-and-lobbyists-return-to-work/
 Join Deborah Lardie, NAWBO SFBA Public Policy Chair, in informing and advocating for our members.
NAWBO Advocacy Partners provide NAWBO with more opportunity to speak to decision makers on behalf of our members and all women business owners in general on issues that are most important to women entrepreneurs today. These issues include health care, procurement opportunities, access to capital, fair and equitable tax treatment for small businesses and more. For details on NAWBO’s public policy platform and legislative highlights—and to get involved to make sure your voice is heard—please visit our site’s Legislative Action Center. We invite you to get involved and make your voice heard.
Key Dates: Mark Your Calendar
Suggest an event to be added to our calendar.Suggest An Event
If you would like to submit stories, news, events, or happenings for the next issue of NAWBO®-SFBA's e-news, please send to info@nawbo-sfba.org.
We invite anyone who is not already a member to join NAWBO®SF Bay Area. Take advantage of a growing package of member benefits and activities. To learn more, visit our website: www.nawbo-sfba.org/membership.php.
To subscribe to (or unsubscribe from) this newsletter, contact Wendi Moradian at 415.333.2130, or email: info@nawbo-sfba.org.
© 2010 The National Association of Women Business Owners® - San Francisco Bay Area Chapter (NAWBO®-SFBA). All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of NAWBO®-SFBA is prohibited. |
