NAWBO-Columbus Member Blog

I attended the NAWBO-Columbus Roundtable Launch Meeting this morning, and, can I just say WOW!

I learned so much this morning about some of our members, and I’m blown away with these phenomenal, dynamic women!

• We have members who have…
• Run in 26 marathons and a triathlon
• Played basketball for The Ohio State University
• Traveled the world 28 days out of the month for five years with a prior employer
• Is starting their third business
• Lived in Paris and Berlin
• Adopted children from around the world

And this is just a small sampling of what came out of a “things you might not know about me” activities!

Our members are AMAZING!

Want to get to know more about our members?  Attend our next monthly meeting on June 3rd or the Visionary Awards event on July 15th!

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 was invited to attend the NAWBO Board Retreat recently at the Inn at Cedar Falls.  It was a great experience for me!  As a non-board member (I was there representing the Membership Committee), I got a much better big picture of the vision that our local leaders have for the coming years.  During the weekend, I participated in setting direction,  and participated in giving feedback on what has gone well with our Chapter and what we need to do to be more successful.  Several board members contributed great insights and ideas from a NAWBO meeting they had recently attended at the Indianapolis chapter, a chapter who is growing quickly and attracting larger businesses both as members and sponsors.

I guess you could say I drank the kool-aid and got caught in the excitement of being part of a group of passionate women business owners who handle our individual businesses with devotion and commitment. I decided after the weekend to step up as Chairperson of the Roundtable Committee, an area that I’m passionate about.  Until this time, I had been holding back on making that commitment; but seeing in person the direction that our local chapter is going, I am very excited to be part of leadership in NAWBO.

The NAWBO Board met Friday, April 23, until mid-day on the 24th at the Inn at Cedar Falls in Hocking Hills. We prioritized the goals for NAWBO-Columbus for the next four years and focused on how to make those goals happen. Being away from phones and busy schedules focuses all energy on NAWBO and its future. The retreat is important to the entire Chapter because the attending members of the board collaborated to develop creative ideas for implementation.

It has been almost a week since we have been back from our 2010 Board Retreat at the Inn at Cedar Falls and the positive energy from being around this dynamic group of women is still with me.  As a new member of the board and of NAWBO (I joined during last year’s spring membership drive), I continue to the impressed with the professionalism in which the organization is run.

I’m also thrilled about the long-term vision that has been chartered for the organization.  Look for more specifics soon.  The good news is that the membership should soon see some new and refreshed elements to their NAWBO experience that will assist them in building, maintaining and possibly selling a robust and successful business.  NAWBO Columbus is committed to helping each of us reach our business goals.  This should be a very exciting next couple of years!

This year’s NAWBO board retreat was the best!  The setting was terrific – the Inn at Cedar Falls is lovely this time of year. Ellen and her staff were warm, welcoming and helpful. It was the third time I have been to the Inn and I like it more each time I go. The NAWBO Columbus board of directors met there April 23-24 to review the goals of this past year and discuss whether to continue or change direction for the year ending March 31, 2011. Thanks to Andrea’s leadership skills, we stayed on target both days of the retreat. It was a time to reflect on the past year’s accomplishments, learn more about the retreat participants and decide what our focus for the chapter should be in the coming year.  We worked hard on Friday afternoon, enjoyed dinner together Friday night and gathered on Saturday to discuss and agree upon the main areas of focus in order to achieve our goals of growth, visibility and enhanced value to the members.  As a tax accountant, and Treasurer of NAWBO Columbus chapter,  I am usually more comfortable with details and action plans rather than brainstorming sessions. However, I am always interested in learning from others. And what a great group of ladies to learn from!  I would encourage all members of NAWBO to actively participate in as many NAWBO events as possible. The NAWBO members I’ve met have been fun, warm and open to helping others in their various business pursuits.