NAWBO-Columbus Member Blog

Colleen Marshall was our inspiring speaker at the June luncheon meeting. Discussing her career from a beat reporter in the 1980’s to her position as lead anchor for WCMH news, she shared some of her award winning news segments with us.

Colleen painted the picture of when she first realized she needed a change in her life, most notably after covering September 11th from New York.  After seeing so many people possitively affecting the lives of others around them, she felt she needed to fulfil her desire to do so, as well.  She soon after enrolled in Capitol Law School, where she achieved her Juris Doctorate while working full-time at WCMH and raising her two children.  Colleen now works at Porter Wright as well as continuing as lead anchor at WCMH.

She also discussed another new role which has begun to dominate a large part of her life: caregiver.  Several years ago, Colleen’s mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, and now she, along with her siblings, are caring for their mother as they have to deal with the emotional challenges of watching their mother’s mental deterioration.

Colleen provided an inspiring glimpse into how strength, determination, and desire can really change someone’s life, and she is truly a model example of someone who can “keep it all together.”

Next week Colleen Marshall, news anchor with Channel 4 and lawyer with Porter Wright, will be the speaker at our monthly meeting.  I got the chance to speak with Colleen recently and was impressed with how easy it was to speak with her.  She seems to manage all of the different facets of her life with ease.  Yet I know as a business owner, wife, active church member, mother, chamber board member, etc,  having balance in our lives can be an elusive concept.  As the owner of an executive coaching and leadership development practice, we see this same thing with our executives.  It comes down to Self Management.  Some of us call it Time Management, but in reality we all have the same number of hours in the day so it really has to do with how we manage ourselves.  Two areas where we help our clients focus are 1) on designing and implementing a Weekly Default Calendar, and 2) instituting a “Stop Doing” list.  I personally use these tools as well.

I work on my default calendar for about 30 minutes on Friday afternoons by gathering together the action items I have for the coming week and organizing them into blocks of time for related activities.  Then I print off my Outlook calendar and slot the “blocks” into 60-90 minutes blocks of time around my other meetings. By focusing on related items for a block of time, I find that I am able to concentrate and get a LOT more accomplished than when I tick things off of an uncategorized To-Do List.

My “Stop Doing” list consists of those items that I need to start letting go of and delegating, even if someone else might not do it my way, or as quickly, the first time they do it.  I’ve also learned how important it is to say “no” to items and requests that don’t fit in with my mission, vision and goals.  In some cases, there are even things that I’ve done forever but just aren’t as critical anymore to my main goals.

Any of my friends or relatives can tell you that even though I’m constantly working to improve my Self Management, I still have days when things fall through the cracks and life is crazy.  And I know that Colleen Marshall will share some of the same with us on June 3.  As a matter of fact, I experienced it with her first hand!  Come and hear me tell that story when I introduce her!

The Ohio Women’s Business Growth Initiative is a collaboration of several womens business organizations.

Each year, three of the organizations, (NAWBO Columbus, WELD, and eWomen Network) designate two of their own events to “share” with the members of the other organizations and invite them to participate at the same prices as their own members.

So, when you see an OWBGI event sponsored by WELD or eWomen, as a NAWBO member, you are entitled to attend at their member price.  This is a great way to experience some extended pricing and share the connections of NAWBO!

If you have more questions about OWBGI, please contact NAWBO Columbus Programming Chair Jennifer Kuntz.

The following laides attended the Huddle after the May meetings.  I encourage you to take the time to reach out, introduce yourself and say….”tell me about your business.”

Courtney Carlson
Owner, Wingate Stables, LLC

Theresa Bush
Theresa Bush Ins. Agency, Inc., tate Farm

Melanie Martin-Jones, NAWBO Columbus second vice president and partner with Porter Wright Morris & Arthur, LLP, was our fantastic speaker for our May luncheon.

With a background in intellectual property law, Melanie provided a very thorough explanation of the different varieties of intellectual property protection, including patents, trade secrets, trade marks, and copyright.

What I found most useful for most businesses was the distinction between copyright and trademark.  Copyrights pertain to items such as books, websites, and certain kinds of designs.  Trademarks apply to things such as logos, and they must be used in conjunction with something being sold.  Unfortunately, the lines can be somewhat fuzzy, and items can be eligible for more than one form of protection.

In the case of both copyright and trademark, registration is not required by US law; however it is heavily encouraged because it provides you with statutory rights.

After studying this topic a fair amount on my own, and now after hearing Melanie’s presentation, it’s a bit clearer to me; however if you were ever truly interested protecting something, call an attorney like Melanie!

I attended my first NAWBO meeting last spring and was greeted so warmly and made to feel so welcome; I set a personal goal to introduce myself to every new face at each meeting. I’m an over achiever by nature. I always run out of networking time before I run out of people I want to meet.  I enjoy catching up with other NAWBO members, as well as introducing myself to new faces, learning about their business.  I have yet to make it through the entire room and connect with everyone.

Could it be I set my goal to high?  Probably.

I really enjoy meeting and getting to know new NAWBO faces, learn about their businesses, their challenges, commonalities, as well as finding ways to support them either directly or indirectly to help their business thrive.  It all starts with “Hi, I’m Karen.  Tell me about your business.”

Could it be I enjoy good conversation?  Sure.

Could it be I believe you get what your give?  Definitely!

In the past year, these introductions have helped me grow my business, develop strong business relationships and acted as a catalyst for some wonderful friendships.

With the growth of the Columbus Chapter, and the goal of doubling the chapter this year, I will never be able to reach my goal. Not at the monthly meeting.  It’s great news for the Columbus NAWBO chapter -not so good for an over achiever like me.   But there is hope!

Have you heard about the Huddle?

The Huddle was implemented late last year as a way to welcome women business owners attending their first NAWBO meeting, learn about their business, and provide information about the many benefits  NAWBO membership.  The huddle has proven to be an important aspect in relationship building, and generating new members to the Columbus chapter.

Each month the names of those who attend the Huddle will be posted on our blog and website to welcome newcomers and another way for NAWBO members to network and connect .

Hey, I might just reach my goal!

I encourage you will take the time to reach out, introduce yourself and say….”tell me about your business.”

Caroline Ma
M n R Design Studio, LLC
New Member!

Laura Sammons
A Different Direction
New Member!

Kathie Baier
Western & Southern Life
New Member!

Linda Wisler Luft
Fireball Coaching.com

Julie McAleb
Encore Meeting & Events

John O. Huston provided us with a brutally honest, yet entertaining and amusing portrayal of what he deemed the biggest mistakes any company could make.  After decades in the banking and lending industry, he has seen just about everything, and decided after years of hearing about “best practices” that perhaps it was time people heard what they shouldn’t do.  Mr. Huston was kind enough to provide this list for us to repost:

John O. Huston’s Business Worst Practices: Making Business Hard is Easy

What you sell:

1. Don’t fulfill an urgent need (Vitamin Pill vs. Aspirin)
2. Don’t differentiate your product/service (gasoline vs. Prada)
3. Avoid recurring revenue streams (transactions vs. relationships)
4. Dispel all mystery (hammer vs. Synthetic Collateralized Debt Obligations)
5. Compete on price (Cheaper vs. Better/Faster)

How you sell:

1. Push the epiphany sale (and not seizing upon an event)
2. Be a crocodile salesperson and not an elephant (all mouth, no ears)
3. Sell to anyone (instead of targeted, strategic customers)
4. Make all sales pitches binary (true/false) events (avoid consolation prizes)
5. Sell muzzles to dogs (forget about “make me look great”)

How you focus:

1. Make money, not meaning; make more dollars, not a difference
2. Be a slave to your To Do list; avoid your To Be list
3. Follow the experts’ advice, just like everyone else
4. Think that problems are the problem, instead of defining your value
5. Try to out swim others in the sea of sameness

1. Set goals, both long term and short term.
2. Get a mentor and then be a mentor.
3. Get involved in professional and charitable organizations.
4. Network.  Always make lunches count.
5. Take risks.
6. Love each stage of life, especially the one you’re currently in.
7. Never mistreat anyone.
8. Wherever you go, leave some good behind.  Appreciate your blessings.
9. Winning is not the most important thing.
10. Put your family first.

Wasn’t the February Luncheon AWESOME?

Donna Introduces the program speakers with personal anecdotes to set the stage for a wonderful presentation.

Linda Brinks and Sharon DeLay did a wonderful job speaking about using your strengths for greater success.

When I took the StrengthFinders Profile many years ago, I was just starting my Wardrobe Consulting business after spending 17 years in the pharmaceutical industry.   While none of my top 5 strengths were a huge surprise to me, seeing them in writing was very empowering!  I have learned that when I work from a position of strength I am happier, more productive and my accomplishments are much more satisfying.

I work out of a private studio located in downtown Powell, where I am able to realize my passion of ‘helping women look and feel their best.’

As a RELATOR with WOO, I am able to work well with other professional women who don’t have the time to shop, want to look beautiful and desire to build a flattering functional wardrobe at a great price!   I am so proud of the long lasting and mutually satisfying relationships that I have with my clients.

The majority of my time is spent offering personalized image consultation services that range from planning simple travel wardrobe capsules, to seasonal closet audits and complete wardrobe overhauls.

When I walk in to a client’s closet, all my strengths are utilized!  My top strength is STRATEGIC and when you throw in some MAXIMIZER, (since all closets are different), I am able to launch into action to make the time relaxing, productive and valuable to my client.

As much as most women dread the thought of allowing someone into their closet for wardrobe assessment and assistance with building a functional wardrobe, it is the part of my business that provides the most customer satisfaction!

I have been told that I have a natural ability to make others feel welcome and special – that must be the COMMUNICATION strength in action!   My communication strength is also used in a leadership capacity; I work with as a team leader to over 50 women in 15 states and in training and development; writing and facilitating workshops for the 2500+ independent consultants in the United States.

My business is thriving and I am fortunate that I LOVE what I do so, I have no intention of job hunting in the near future.  But, I always thought it would be empowering to go to a job interview, walk in and place a copy of my top 5 strengths in front of the interview and say, “This is me. If this is what you are looking for, hire me, if not, I don’t want to waste your time.”  Obviously, I wouldn’t do that but I do believe that my top five strengths as identified by StrengthFinders are a true representation of who I am as a person and as a business woman.

I look forward to next month’s meeting (at a NEW location- right, Gail?) to see you and learn what your ‘top five’ are, too!

Donna Musilli is a Wardrobe Stylist and Independent Fashion Consultant representing a fashion designer out of California for the past 6 years.  She is an active member of NAWBO Columbus, serving on the membership committee.  To learn more, please contact Donna at 614.571.4161 or dmusilli@columbus.rr.com.

As always, the Good to Great luncheon was a crowd favorite, and NAWBO-Columbus has received several compliments from participants and presenters alike.

To refresh, here were the table moderators and what the spoke of:

But despite the prescribed topics, there also was a lot of advice, support, and encouragement offered that we’d like to share with you here:

“An interesting conversation around — if you want to know your values — look at where you spend your money and time.”

“Karen [Hough] is amazing!  I know everyone got some good insight from: improving communication, facing change, elevator speech and much more.”

“TaKeysha was a wealth of information, and she genuinely seemed interested in all our businesses.  After providing us lots of information about boards of advisors, she then sought to learn from our businesses and how we could not only help each other, but how she could help us.”

Did you have a great experience at the Good to Great roundtables this year and what to put your two cents in?  Fill out the online meeting feedback form on the NAWBO-Columbus website, and your responses might be included in this blog post, too!

Thanks again to our table leaders, moderators, and all the great participants who once again made this event a success!

Would you like to see more pictures from the 2010 Good to Great Luncheon? View the slideshow!