Women in Business

A friend posted a funny picture cartoon on my Facebook page.  Curious about its' owner I clicked through to find a witty and warm website created by a mom (Amber Dusick) who started her blog because she "needed to vent." I spent an hour on her site -- an hour I should have spent doing something dutiful.  But her blog is a truly guilty pleasure for anyone who has kids and I was sucked into the laughing vortex reading hysterically funny and poignant posts about life with Crappy Dad,  Crappy Boy and Crappy Baby ("crappy" is in reference to her drawing skills, not a statement about her family.)

Her simple ("crappy" pictures) and simple posts are enjoyable and would stand on their own, but when combined, create a powerful "she-gets-it!" experience for the reader.  Although the anecdotes are uniquely hers, they portray mommy moments that will resonate with most parents who have had to deal with sick kids, diapers, potty training, and, of course, those wonderful moments when our children either delight or humiliate us with their antics.

Amber Dusick is a great example of how women can take something close to the heart and turn it into an entrepreneurial venture.  Her website, CrappyPictures.com, won Parent's 2011 Funniest Mom Blog Award, and, she takes sponsors.

Here is a sample from her blog:

"It is wrong to compare your kids and stuff. You know what I mean. Saying "little Johnny is a being good but little Timmy is being bad today" type comparing. I never make this mistake. In fact, I have never even thought this.

But that is because my kids' names aren't Johnny and Timmy."

She then goes on to humorously explain how her she is convinced that children disagree (one wants pizza and the other does not) because they tag team.

Visit CrappyPictures.com

Want to compare the best frequent flyer miles deals? Analyze the cost of employee turnover, or salary packages?  Figure taxes, or, how much money you need to start a business? To help you calculate everything from net worth to mark-up, I searched the web and created a list of one hundred free online business tools to help you do the math, run your business and your personal finances.

Index Of 100 Best Free Online Business Calculators

• Online Calculators Part 1 - Calculate 15 Year vs. 30 Year Mortgage, Bi-Weekly Mortgage, Acid Test Ratio, 1040 Tax Calculator, Balance Sheet, Balloon Payments, Breakeven Analysis, Business Valuation, Carbon Footprint, Cash Flow, Checkbook, Compound Interest, Conversion Rate, Convert Annual Salary to Hourly Wage, Cost Of Living, Cost-Per-Hire, Credit Card Balance Transfer.

• Online Calculators Part 2 - Calculate Budgets, Discounted Cash Flow, Direct Mail ROI, Early Loan Pay-Off, Education Costs, Email ROI, Employee Turnover Costs, Buy vs Lease, Financial Calendar Dates, Financial Ratios, Frequent Flyer Miles Comparison, Fuel Consumption, Hours in The Day, HR Investment, Inflation, International Salary, Inventory Analysis, Investments,and more.

• Online Calculators Part 3 - Calculate IRS Withholding, Landscape Materials, Leases, Life Insurance, Loan Amortization, Loan Comparison / Reduction, Marketing ROI, Markup, Molecular Weight, Mortgage Loans, Net Worth, Nutrition and Weight, Pay-Per-Click ROI, Payroll Tax Withholding, Percent of Change, Investment Portfolio, Profit / Loss, Pressure, Refinance Breakeven and more.

• Online Calculators Part 4 - Calculate Rent vs. Buy, mark-Up/mark-Down, Retirement Planner, Roth vs Traditional IRA, Roth Conversion, Salary Ranges, Salary Calculator Facebook App, Salary Package Value, Savings Plan, Scientific, Simple Budget, Small Business Tax Credit, Social Security, Sports, Start-Up Costs, Superannuation, Time, Transaction Profit/Loss, Unit/Volume/Weight Conversion, Working Capital Needs, World Time.

A USA Today/Gallup poll released this week found that more than 60 percent of women under 50 in 12 battleground states support Obama. Overall, Obama leads Romney 54 percent to 36 percent among women voters in these key states. -- Jennifer Epstein. Politico.com. Obama touts record on women's issues. April 16, 2012

With so many women supporting President Obama, I thought it only fair to present some information about the opposition for the undecided.  It is important to note, that although Romney has flip-flopped on significant issues from original key political positions, where he "landed" he has remained fairly true to his word in recent years (he is currently platforming as pro-life, anti-gay rights regarding same-sex marriage and civil unions, and is against gun control.)

Whether or not his past record of making promises and statements only to change his mind later is any indication he might do this on other issues is anyone's guess.  Whether you see his current positions as part of the "war on women" is a personal opinion, but the articles below share observations and public records to help you decide what Mitt stands for, and if elected, would he remain true to his word.

• Where Does Mitt Romney Stand On Women's Issues? Historical Look At Romney On Women's Rights
• Examples Of Mitt Romneys's Flip Flops, Changes, And Contradictions: From Pro-Choice To Pro-Life, Pro-Gay To Anti-Gay Rights, And Gun Control

Happy Mother's to all moms everywhere:  to working moms, stay-at-home-moms, and moms-to-be and a special advance happy Mother's Day to women who someday hope to become moms but have not yet had success.

I also wish the very best to mother's whose sons and daughters are in far away places serving our country and to all mothers everywhere who have felt the tragic loss of a child.

And, for moms, like myself, who grew their family through adoption, I want to share a poem you certainly have heard a thousand times before on this special day and it still makes me feel warm inside:

Not flesh of my flesh, nor bone of my own, but still miraculously my own.
Never forget for a single minute -- you didn't grow under my heart, but in it.

To women who chose not to become a mom, I wish you a peaceful Mother's Day and that no well-intended person tries to guilt you with "you don't know what you're missing" today.

And, a silent, reverent happy mother's day to moms who are no longer with us in body, but still in spirit and love.  To my own mother, whom I still think of and miss every day, Happy Mother's Day Mom.

Lahle Wolfe,
Your Guide to Women in Business

Benita Tyler, Founder and Lead Advisor at TBS USA Accounting & Tax Advisors shared this on her Facebook page, this morning. It was too good not to pass along.

"Don't wish it was easier, wish you were better. Don't wish for less problems, wish for more skills. Don't wish for less challenges, wish for more wisdom." ~ Jim Rohn

In a 52-45 vote, Republican Senators blocked further work on the "Stop the Student Loan Interest Rate Hike Act of 2012," a Democrat-sponsored bill that would extend low interest rates on federally subsidized student loans for another year.   Without an extension, the rate on new loans for undergraduates will increase from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent this July.

Despite support from Mitt Romney for Republican's to vote in favor of the bill, the sixty votes needed to advance the bill to debate were not cast.

Would you want to order something online, print out the order, and then drive to the store to pay for the order -- in cash only -- after standing in line at the register like other customers and then still not have purchases in hand when you left?

Walmart thinks you will.  According to Walmart officials, only 15% of their shoppers use credit cards to make in-store purchases.  Walmart marketers interpret this to mean that 85% of people using cash in the store will be willing to also go online and "pay" cash.  The assumption is that many people who use cash do so because they do not have credit cards or even a bank account.  Walmart wants to "open" the world of online shop to those who only have cash to spend.

If you have not heard the latest on Walmart's crazy idea read, "Bad Marketing Ideas: Walmart's Cash-Only Online Marketing Campaign: The Problem With Walmart's No Bank Account No Problem Marketing Campaign."

American Express OPEN and Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP) are offering a free one-hour educational webinar on Wednesday, May 9 on the formal certification process for the Small Business Administration's 8(a) Business Development Program - a nine year program designed to assist in the development of small companies owned and operated by individuals who are socially and economically disadvantaged. The program provides participants with access to a variety of business development services, including the opportunity to receive federal contracts on a sole-source or limited competition basis, and has been an important driver of growth for thousands of minority entrepreneurs over the past few years.

Taught by Give Me 5 instructor Gloria Larkin, participating business owners will learn in detail what to do before, during and after 8(a) certification. This session will clearly define the eligibility criteria, the program's timeline, tips to market your certification effectively, the secret of 8a sole source contracts, and teaming to leverage the 8(a) certification after graduation. This webinar is part of Give Me 5, a national program created by American Express OPEN and WIPP to help women business owners get a leg up on selling to the world's largest customer: the U.S. government.

Additional Information can be found below:

Give Me 5 190: Understanding the 8(a) Program

Date: Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Time: 3 PM ET/12 PM PT

Where: Virtual

Business owners who are interested in participating can register for free here.

If you are looking for color ideas for web design or anything else that involves coordinating color themes in a design, try http://www.color-hex.com.  The site lists colors by color family and has a search box for any hex dec code (three to six numbers, but much more.

For each color, the site shows:

• Triadic Colors
• Monochromatic Colors
• Analogous Colors
• Complementary Color
• Hue Chart
• RGB Color Chart
• HSV, RGB, HSL, and CMYK information.

But wait, there's more.  The site also includes for each color sample CSS for background, font color, border color, table color, and sample HTML button and text box.

The Brain Yard (on Information Week): Heavy name; heavy on social networking and information for branding/rebranding your business.  Offers news, commentaries, white papers, and more.  A small, but powerful business resource, The Brain Yard is a diverse company that truly seems to value business women with strong opinions.