Welcome to the monthly newsletter for the National Association of Women Business Owners® (NAWBO®) San Francisco Bay Area Chapter. This is the newsletter for September 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: September 6 (first Thursday of each month)
NAWBO®-SFBA Monthly Dinner Event- San Francisco: September 13 (second Thursday of each month
NAWBO®-SFBA Networking Breakfast - San Francisco: September 19 (third Wednesday of each month)
NAWBO®-SFBA Networking Breakfast - Marin: September 25 (fourth Tuesday of each month)
NAWBO®-SFBA New Member Reception: San Francisco September 27 5:30 PM - 7 PM (fourth Thursday of each month)
NAWBO®-SFBA Networking Breakfast - Walnut Creek: October 16 (third Tuesday of each month) - Begins again in October
Calendar View
Make Note
Public Policy: Local, State & National
Key Dates: Mark Your Calendar
Welcome to New and Renewing Members of NAWBO®-SFBA!
New Member Reception Fourth Thursday of Each Monday
Next reception is September 27 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 and are a new member? Don't miss this very unique opportunity to learn how to get the most out of your membership and meet board members,. 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
Blake Landeau, consultant with Artemis in Oakland, has joined our chapter as an Established Business Owner.
Karly Kaplan, owner of Noe Valley Therapy in San Francisco, has joined our chapter as an Emerging Business Owner.
Julie Craft, Regional Development Director for Infusionsoft in Belmont, has joined our chapter as an Emerging Business Owner.
Lynn Paringer, Certified Financial Planner with Prime Wealth Management in Berkeley, has renewed her membership as an Emerging Business Owner. Lynn has been a NAWBO SFBA member since 2011.
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 enjoyed a wonderful summer. There have been so many highlights over the past month including the incredible young women in the Olympics who were skilled, poised and powerful. Prior to the 2012 Olympics in London, some countries had never before sent a female athlete. Also, the U.S. women's gymnastics team excelled and took the GOLD. You may be wondering what this has to do with women in business.
I would like to suggest that by participating as Olympians, young women are empowered and encouraged to be their best. The Olympic Games are an incredible training ground for women entrepreneurs, young women who may aspire at some point to be their own boss or may coach other girls and young women to be all that they can be. Every time we see women in powerful roles with a strong presence, more girls and women will follow that example of leadership. This is a time for all of us to be proud and visible and BOLD as women.
Also in the news, there lurks a different message that makes us vulnerable again. There are some members of our national congress who would like to hold women back, put them in their place and send them back home where they belong without choice or a say over our own bodies. I won’t reiterate what has been splashed all over the news, yet I would suggest that when anyone begins telling women what we can and cannot do with our bodies and whether or not we have a right to manage our own reproductive lives, we are hovering on dangerous ground.
Where does this belief about the need to control women come from? What area of our lives will others want to control next? Will our right to sign a loan without a co-signer or our right to equal pay disappear or will they decide that women owned business certification is unnecessary? Why is it that some people want to focus on our bodies and controlling the lives of women at a time when so many other important issues face our country such as unemployment, high gas prices, children who go hungry…
As women business owners, it is critical that we pay attention, stay informed and speak out so that our daughters and granddaughters continue to have the right to make their own choices and live in a country where they believe anything is possible and they can live the lives that they choose. It is all about choice!
Please join us on September 13, from 5:30 – 8:00 pm at the Sir Francis Drake as we welcome Women Trailblazers in the Wine Industry: Business Strategies from Inspiring Women.
“The simple act of voicing your opinion on an issue can ultimately contribute to a real shift in culture.” Miss Representation Team
Kathleen Thurmond, President, NAWBO SFBA
Members in the News & Member Spotlights
Member Spotlight DeeDee Towery, ProActive Solutions
DeeDee Towery of ProActive Business Solutions, Inc. and a current member of NAWBO SF Bay Area Leaders' Circle. DeeDee has been named Woman Entrepreneur of the Year by Women's Initiative, a non-profit that helps low-income, high potential women start their own businesses. Every year Women's Initiative recognizes successful women entrepreneurs throughout the Bay Area, and this year they've chosen DeeDee for her business success, commitment to her employees, and support for her local community. She will receive her award at a luncheon on October 12th.
Though her company specializes in IT support services, DeeDee started out her career in the hotel industry. She worked her way up from cashier to front office manager, teaching herself about technology systems along the way. Computers fascinated her, and she was determined to learn as much as she could, even if it meant disassembling and reassembling the entire machine. “I did anything [tech-related] that no one else wanted to do.”
DeeDee’s interest in computers took her to Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia for a later job with a software company. Eventually she decided to go back and earn her Bachelor’s Degree, something she had forgone in favor of valuable work experience.
“People were talking a lot about the ‘glass ceiling’ then [in the late ‘80s],” she remembers. “I realized I needed to get a degree if I wanted to move past a certain level.” The decision came after being told to train a male replacement for her job, and finding out he would get a higher salary. “I never wanted to be treated that way again,” she remembers. She started with classes at a community college, and was recruited to attend the University of California, Berkeley.
Later in her career during a specialized technology systems move for another company, she realized she could do the work better: with better communication, a more cohesive team, and a much higher level of efficiency. Since starting her business in 1998, DeeDee has earned a slew of awards for her work. Proactive Business Solutions was named one of the 100 Fastest Growing Private Companies in the Bay Area by the San Francisco Business Times, one of the 100 Largest Women-Owned Businesses in the Bay Area, and one of the 25 Largest Women-Owned Businesses in the East Bay. DeeDee also received an award from the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce as Woman-Owned Business of the Year, and a Woman of Distinction (technology field) award by the San Francisco Business Times.
Thanks for taking some time to talk with us, DeeDee. We’re thrilled to have you as a member of NAWBO-SF Bay Area, and we look forward to watching your success continue to grow!
Members in the News
If you are a member and have news about your company please let us know at info@nawbo-sfba.org.
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 promotions 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 Mixer. info@nawbo-sfba.org
Member Benefits & Opportunities
NAWBO National's Affinity Partners
NAWBO Affinity Partners provide exclusive member-only discounts and benefits that help our members increase their bottom line. Through these alliances, affinity partners reach out and influence decision makers, elevating their status as the "brand of choice" in delivering workplace and at-home solutions for women business owners. List of Partners
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
September 13 Networking Dinner 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM
WOMEN TRAILBLAZERS IN THE WINE INDUSTRY
BUSINESS STRATEGIES FROM INSPIRING WOMEN
Mark your calendar and register early. You will not want to miss our upcoming panel of intriguing women trailblazers in the wine industry.
While each woman’s story is sure to inform and inspire, you will learn their unique strategies for success in what typically has been a male-dominated industry.
From word-of-mouth marketing to overcoming challenges in reaching a target audience of female consumers, you will gain best practices which may be applied to any industry.
Click for more details
Pre-register for the networking dinner by September 11 and save.
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: October 16
Our morning breakfast meetings provide a comfortable forum for businesswomen 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
Pre-Register by 11:59 PM October 12.
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)
!!NEW LOCATION!!
September 19 - Become A Sought After Speaker and Make Your Business THRIVE!
Would you like to walk out of your house in the morning, go to a place where you know no one and leave with new clients? If so this info. packed session is for you. You will:
- Understand all the reasons why public speaking is the best business building strategy
- Gain clarity on what talk you can give to gain immediate clients
- How to get started to position yourself as a speaker and easily get booked
- What to do before during and after your presentation to ensure you come home with clients
When you apply what we discuss in this interactive and thought provoking session your business will THRIVE!
Caterina Rando’s life work is showing women entrepreneurs how to be loud and proud about who they are and the value they bring. She share ways to build a thriving businesses with public speaking, building your expert status and being strategic in all you do. Caterina is a native San Franciscan, a master certified coach, business strategist, creator of the Sought After Speaker Summit and author of “Learn to Power Think” now published abroad in 11 languages.
Cost:
Members registered by Monday before: $12
Non-Members registered by Monday 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 Monday, September 17
Fourth Tuesday 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM
Il Fornaio Corte Madera Town Center, Corte Madera
 September 25 - LEARN WHAT EVERY WOMAN MUST DO TO PROTECT HER WEALTH AND HER FAMILY
Concerned about losing control of your assets?
Learn 3 easy steps to keep control of your wealth.
Worried about your kids and what would happen if you were not here? Learn the best simple way to protect your family.
Frustrated about high fees and costs? Identify 5 essential aspects of a solid estate plan to make sure your kids get your asses, not lawyers and courts.
YOU WILL LEARN:
*The pitfalls of the Living Trust- when they work and when they don't
*How a Dynasty Trust can protect your assets- and the 3 biggest mistakes people make
*The #1 way to protect your assets from your child's divorce.
Practicing law for over 24 years, Michelle C. Lerman specializes in custom legacy planning for individuals and families. She and her husband, well-known real estate attorney Jeffrey H. Lerman, founded Lerman Law Partners, LLP, which now has offices throughout California. Ms. Lerman was selected for inclusion in the 2009 and 2010 California Super Lawyers, an honor that only 5% of the lawyers in our state share and was voted the #1 Favorite Lawyer for Marin/Sonoma by the "J. Weekly" Newsmagazine Readers' Choice Award 2007.
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, September 21.
First Thursday 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM
Oliveto Restaurant & Cafe 5655 College Avenue, Oakland
Kay Robinson
September 6, 2012 Intuition in Sales: It makes all the difference
We all know a great deal about sales. This presentation is meant to add to that body of knowledge. Learn specific intuitive techniques you can use in sales and increase your success.
Your clients and potential clients are intuitive. What are they picking up from you that gets in the way of them buying your product or service and what you can do about that?
Learn intuitive techniques to set the energy for sales calls and meetings in a way that supports your success.
Kay Robinson,owner InSight Intuitive Consulting, has been working with business owners and professionals to achieve their vision of success for over 20 years. She is a thought leader in the area of intuition in business.
Kay also co-owns GRANTAVE PRODUCTIONS AND CASTING, with her husband, Michael Ching. Kay is president elect of NAWBO SF Bay Area. She believes that nothing is impossible and whatever can be imagined is being created.
Our morning breakfast meetings provide a comfortable forum for businesswomen 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 Tuesday before: $12
Non-Members registered by Tuesday before: $15
Please share the word with your friends and colleagues!
Learn more and register online by 11:59 PM Tuesday, September 4
NAWBO National & NAWBO CA
NAWBO National
Q&A with New NAWBO® National Chair Laura Yamanaka
Entrepreneurship runs in Laura Yamanaka's family. Her great grandmother became a business owner by chance when she immigrated from Japan to the United States with her husband and five young children and her husband passed away. At the time, she was a housewife with no formal training, but she knew how to cook well. Laura's great grandmother parlayed that skill into a business, first a food cart and then a storefront and later a store that still exists. "She stressed that even if you are female, you need to be able to support yourself in the lifestyle you want to live because you never know what is going to happen," says Laura. "My mother ground that into my head and I ground it into my daughters' heads. With independence, you have choices and anything is possible." Read more.
NAWBO Women's Business Conference October 4-5, 2012 Louisville Marriott Downtown * Louisville, Kentucky
This year's theme celebrates the entrepreneurial, innovative and adventurous spirit of women business owners. They are starting businesses at record rates and running these businesses on their own terms. They refuse to sit idle, waiting and watching. They have confidence and power to shake things up, take smart risks and do things differently to move forward. They are impacting positive change at every turn, speaking out on issues of public policy, lightening their environmental footprint and creating jobs that fuel the economy. They are part of something much greater than themselves-a grassroots movement of women business owners and their community of supporters all dedicated to helping one another grow, thrive, give back and leave a legacy. They are starting something on their own, together and as part of NAWBO®. More Information and register.
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.
Affiliates & Partners
US Bank Provides Scholarships for NAWBO SF Bay Area Educational Programs
US Bank is sponsoring scholarships for 150 low-income women business owners to attend educational programs presented by NAWBO SF Bay Area through June 2013. In turn, NAWBO SF Bay Area has partnered with community programs to select women to benefit from these scholarships including Renaissance Center, Women's Initiative and Working Solutions.
US Bank has a long history of developing Community Partnerships to support women to create successful businesses. We are pleased to be one of those Community Partners.
Procurement Programs
When and how to register your business as a Small Business
When you register your business in SAM, you can self-identify yourself as belonging to one ... actually need to certify your business as small? For most small businesses, the answer is no. ... for these “set-asides,” certification is a must. So how do you go about certifying your small business to qualify. Read more.
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
The Affordable Care Act Increases Choices for Small Businesses
The Affordable Care Act signed into law by President Obama in 2010 will mean big changes for many small businesses. While the legislation expands access to health insurance it still leaves millions of Americans without coverage. Though it lacks reliable, system-wide cost control it contains guidelines to reduce costs and improve coordination of care. The legislation does not create a new system but fills in some gaps in the existing system. On average, small businesses pay about 18% more than large firms for the same policy. The law provides tax credits and the ability to shop for insurance in state-based Exchanges that will help close this gap for small businesses.
Provisions already in place include rebates to the policyholder if the insurer spends less than the required percentage of the premium on medical and health quality improvements. In addition most plans require coverage for preventive services for everyone without cost sharing. Employers must provide consumers with a Summary of Benefits and Coverage.
Beginning in 2013 employers with 250 employees or more must report the total cost of each employeeÕs medical insurance premiums for the year on Form W-2 for 2012. Tax deductions will include medical expenses and Medicare tax. In 2014 states are required to establish and implement Health Insurance Exchanges, a new marketplace for affordable plans, through which individuals and small businesses with up to 100 employers can purchase coverage.
These are just a few of the many changes in the Affordable Care Act. Business owners and individuals can use these resources and many others on the Internet to learn more about the features of the health care law:
http://www.healthcare.gov/news/factsheets/2011/08/small-business.html
http://healthreform.kff.org/Timeline.aspx
http://www.healthcare.gov/law/timeline/
http://www.shargel.com/wp-blog/
 Join Deborah Lardie, NAWBO SFBA Public Policy Chair, in informing and advocating for our members.
At the Public Policy Summit in Sacramento last month, Gov. Brown's Appointments Secretary, Mona Pasquil, encouraged women business owners to apply for appointments to state commissions and boards stating that women are underrepresented in both arenas. If interested please apply at: www.gov.ca.gov then click on appointments.
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. |
