Tips for Surviving the Recession

Please check out my friend Liz Bywater's new blog for her insights on weathering the stress of the economic downturn. She is a talented writer, successful consultant, powerful speaker and aspiring author. http://bywatercareersuccess.blogspot.com

Collaboration at its best

Tonight's Mother Daughter Empowerment of Girls event had great energy. The collaboration of so many Network Now members was truly something to be proud of.

Thank you to the presenters Vikki Carrel & Shelley Ashby of Two Balance Inc http://www.2balanceinc.com/,

to the non-profit partners Child Home & Community http://www.chcinfo.org/, Buckingham Friends School http://www.bfs.org/, the Pajama Program http://www.pajamaprogram.org/, and the Soroptomists,

to Mary Elizabeth Van Everbroeck for sponsoring the fabulous cupcakes by Shirley Weigl http://www.perfectcakebyshirley.com,

to Mary Gastineau of Monkey Business http://www.monkeybusinesskids.com/ for donating the goody bags,

to the numerous members that donated goody bag stuffers,

and to Jenny Childs of Arbonne for the dozens of mini makeovers she & her daughter did for the girls http://www.jennychilds.myarbonne.com/.

Top 10 Traits of a Master Networker

Susan Richard of Richard Associates slammed her Effective Networking workshop on Thursday. Her insights included this excerpt from 'The 29% Solution: 52 Weekly Networking Success Strategies':
1. Follow up on referrals
2. Positive attitude
3. Enthusiasm and motivation
4. Trustworthiness
5. Good listening skills
6. Commitment to networking always
7. Gratitude
8. Helpfulness
9. Sincerity
10. Dedicated to working one's network

Twilight Wish partnering with Michael Port event

The Twilight Wish Foundation is a non-profit partner of Network Now. They will be honored as a sponsor at the Michael Port book launch on April 28th. The theme of his new book, 'The Think Big Manifesto', is to think bigger about what you offer the world. We thought that Cass Forkin, the founder of Twilight Wish, did just that when she grew her organization nationwide. For tix, www.bucksnetworking.com/event_calendar.

Local Bakers to Donate to IDEAS Expo

Jodi Schad of J Scones and Heather Kunkel of Simply Delicious, both from Doylestown, will be giving back to the community by donating their baked goods to the IDEAS Conference & Expo on April 21st at the Spring Mill Manor. You can enjoy Jodi's scones during the networking coffee in the morning. Heather's cookies, decorated like the Network Now logo polka dots, will be offered during the Expo.

Two Balance Selects Girl Scouts as Donation Recipient

To celebrate Mother's Day, Vikki Carrel & Shelley Ashby will be leading two Mother Daughter Empowerment of Girls seminars in May - the first in Perkasie on May 7th and the second in Doylestown on May 11th. (Info on speakers at http://www.2balanceinc.com/.) They have selected the Girl Scouts, one of Network Now's non-profit partners, to receive a percentage of their book sales. The Girl Scouts provides girls with an accepting and nurturing environment to build character and develop qualities such as leadership, strong values, social conscience, and conviction about their own potential and self-worth. To find out more, go to http://www.gsep.org/.

Good Things Happen to Good People

I recently attended the fund development meeting at the Twilight Wish Foundation, one of Network Now's nonprofit partners, to find out more about their mission. This charitable organization gives the elderly gifts they cannot afford themselves. The founder, Cass Forkin, was surprised and inspired by the emotion and gratitude she received after paying for the meals of a group of elderly women at a diner. She realized a small gesture made with a big heart can mean a lot. Since that time the Twilight Wish Foundation has granted thousands of wishes across the country. Their goal is to make people happy. It's never too late to make a difference. For more information, go to http://www.twilightwishfoundation.org/.

Network Now to Co-Sponsor Bucks County Designer House event

Save May 6th on your calendar for what's sure to be an amazing networking event at the Bucks County Designer House. 250 women entrepreneurs are expected to come together outdoors underneath huge tents for heavy appetizers and networking with Network Now and four other networking groups. Gina Rubel of Furia Rubel Communications will be the emcee for the evening and Neen James will be the keynote speaker. If that isn't enough, the ticket price will include the house tour. Discounts for members of any of the five hosting networking organizations.

Michael Port is Back!!

I am excited to announce that Michael Port, mega best-selling author, has agreed to speak for Network Now again! He'll be back at the James Lorah Auditorium from 7-9 on Tuesday, April 28th, to inspire us to think bigger about who we are and what we offer the world. Networking, seminar, door prizes and book signing all for $20 ($15 for Network Now members). We are also offering you $5 back for every friend you refer to the event. We challenge you to fill those seats and make this a fantastic event!

Support Network Now members

Make it a habit to check the Member News webpage on Network Now's website. There are seminars, parties, fundraisers, adventure outings, sales, and more. All members can have their events posted for free. A nice value added benefit if I do say so myself. To see what's on the calendar, go to www.bucksnetworking.com/member_news.

Increase Your Sales

Take advantage of the power of the internet and start selling your products or services on your website. Join us for an eCommerce seminar on Wednesday, March 25th, from 9:30 - 11:30 at the Boy Scout Council building in Doylestown. Learn about shopping cart software, online payment processing and customer loyalty programs.

April is a Busy Month

Get those tax returns filed so you can join us for our upcoming events in April:
* April 2nd 9:30 - 11:30 at Saxby's - Effective Networking w/ Susan Richard
* April 16th 9:30 - 11:30 at Saxby's - Branding & Marketing w/ Chanin Walsh
* April 21st 9-4 at Spring Mill Manor - IDEAS Expo co-sponsored with WBF
* April 28th 7 - 9 at James Lorah House - Think Big event with author Michael Port

Empowerment of Girls event back by popular demand

The Mother Daughter Empowerment of Girls event will be held on Thursday, May 7th, in Perkasie and again on Monday, May 11th, in Doylestown. This seminar is targeted to girls ages 8-12 and teaches healthy body image, labels, choices and accountability, self esteem, positive thinking, balanced lifestyle and leadership skills. Tickets are $35 per family (mother and daughter(s) combined). Early bird discount of $5 if register and pay by March 15. For more information, go to www.bucksnetworking.com/charity__community_events.

Local Author Making the Rounds

Claudine Wolk entertained and inspired the MOMS Clubs of Buckingham North & South this morning at their combined general membership meeting. Claudine self-published a book called "It Gets Easier! And Other Lies We Tell New Mothers" under her publishing company, New Buck Press. It is being re-released this June by a large national publishing company. She is making the rounds to all the local MOMS Clubs to introduce herself and her upcoming book. Claudine is witty, smart and extremely personable. The MOMS Club President told me this was the best meeting they've had in a long time. To find out more, go to www.help4newmoms.com.

Speed Networking

On Tuesday night, Network Now had a Speed Networking event at Paint n' Pottery in Doylestown. We had 22 people attend. I was loud and fast and a lot of fun. Everyone made connections with 21 other women entrepreneurs. Many thanks to Cyndi Ringenary, owner of Paint n' Pottery, for hosting the event - the sangria and refreshments were delicious!

The Great Sprout Tuck-In

Katelin Matecki of Independence Financial Associates emailed me today to tell me about a wonderful collaboration that she heard about. She was excited to see one of Network Now's non-profit partners featured in a video on the Learning Channel. Sprout, a new 24 hour preschool tv channel, and the Pajama Program have launched 'The Great Sprout Tuck-In'. In the evenings, the characters in the shows will be promoting the Pajama Program and encouraging viewers to donate new pajamas and new books for foster children who may not otherwise have the opportunity to experience a normal bedtime routine. To view the video, go to http://uk.truveo.com/sprout-and-the-pajama-program-launch-the-great/id/288230387294909432

See What Sticks

Throw it all against the wall and see what sticks. That was my motto when I first started out and the advice I give to new entrepreneurs that aren't sure what exactly they will offer or to who. You do not start in your final destination. You don't have to have everything figured out. Just start. There are a lot of supportive women that are ready to lead you in the right direction.

How to Improve Your Memory

Yesterday, we had a brief introduction on how to improve our memory at the networking coffee. I thought I would expand on that and provide some more helpful information:
Memory is the mental activity of recalling information that you have learned or experienced. Short term memory is meant to be fragile. Your brain retains the information just long enough for you to use it. You only need to remember something like the prices of items in a store for a few minutes.
Long term memory involves information you make an effort (concious or unconcioius) to retain because it is meaningful to you, you need it, or it made an emotional impression.
Step 1 - Convince yourself that you do have a good memory that will improve. It is hard to be motivated when you convince yourself that your memory is bad.
Step 2 - Keep your brain active. Regularly exercising your brain keeps it growing and spurs the development of new nerve connections that can help improve memory. By developing new mental skills, especially complex ones like learning a new language or how to play a musical instrument, and challenging your brain to puzzles, you can improve your brains physiological functioning.
Step 3 - Exercise daily. Regular aerobic exercise improves circulation throughout the body including the brain and can help ward off memory loss that comes with aging. Exercise also makes you more alert and relaxed, thereby improving your memory uptake.
Step 4 - Reduce stress. Chronic stress can make remembering more difficult. Prolonged stress can damage your brain, affect your health and your memory. Relax, breathe, practice yoga or introduce stretching exercises into your routine.
Step 5 - Eat well and eat right. A healthy diet contributes to a healthy brain. Foods containing antioxidants (broccoli, blueberries, spinich) and Omega-3 fatty acids appear to promote healthy brain functioning.
Step 6 - Take better pictures. Often we forget things not because our memory is bad, but rather because our observational skills need work. If you concentrate and make a concious effort to remember things, you'll do much better.
Step 7 - Give yourself time to form a memory. Memories are very fragile in the short term and distractions can make you quickly forget something as simple as a phone number. The key to avoid losing memories before you can even form them is to be able to focus on the thing to be remembered for a while without thinking about other things. Avoid distractions and complicated tasks and just focus on what you want to remember.
Step 8 - Create vivid, memorable images. You remember information more easily if you can visualize it. To keep the association strong, make the images shocking or emotional rather than too simple.
Step 9 - Repeat things you need to learn. The more times you hear, see or think about something, the more surely you'll remember it. Repeat is out loud or silently. Write it down. Think about it.
Step 10 - Group things you need to remember. Random lists of things such as a shopping list can be difficult to remember. To make it easier, categorize the individual things form the list. If you remember that you wanted to buy four kinds of vegetables, you'll fin it easier to remember all four.
Step 11 - Organize your life. Keep items that you frequently need such as keys in the same place every time. Use a planner to keep track of appointments and due dates. Keep phone numbers in one address book or cell phone. Improved organization can help free up your powers of concentration so you can remember less routine things.
Step 12 - Try meditation. People who practice mindfulness are able to focus better. Researchers believe regular meditation thickens the cerebral cortex in the brain, increases the blood flow to that region, and enhances attention span, focus and memory.
Step 13 - Sleep well. A good night's sleep affect's the brain's ability to recall recently learned information.
Step 14 - Learn mnemonics. These are memory aids that increase your ability to quickly learn and recall anything. Techniques include: Visual images (a microphone to remember the name Mike); Acronyms (initials of words you are trying to remember that spell out a real word such as FACE for figs, apples, celery, eggplant); Loci (to remember a speech, associate each part of the speech with a landmark in a route you know well, such as your commute to work).
Step 15 - Learn a new poem each week. It doesn't have to be long and simply learning it by heart will improve your memory hugely. You should soon find it becomes easier as you do it more and more.

Body Balance Workshop Getting Rave Reviews

I have been receiving phone calls and emails (and reading Claudine Wolk's hysterical blog posting http://www.hybridmom.com/blog/ about the wonderful experience everyone had at the Body Balance workshop this morning. Shelley Ashby had everyone up on their feet dancing, working on their posture, trying out some exercises, practicing visualization, and listening to her recommended steps towards attaining balance. We also learned how flexible my assistant, Amy, is! If you haven't heard Shelley speak, try to rearrange your schedule and attend the Women Empowerment event on Thursday night. She is sure to dazzle again!

Network Now to co-sponsor IDEAS Expo '09

Network Now is co-sponsoring the IDEAS Expo '09 with the Women's Business Forum on April 21, 2009, at the Spring Mill Manor in Ivyland, PA. Everyone should attend in some capacity! This will be a huge opportunity to network, connect with media personalities, and take a class with big time authors.

The event, now in it's third year, has been expanded to include a morning conference from 9 a.m.- noon.. The event will begin with a networking coffee, followed by two business workshops and a media discussion panel.

After a one hour networking lunch, the Expo will open to the public from 1-4 p.m. Exhibitors will include professional services, health and beauty products, fashion and jewelry, crafts and home accessories, food and meal preparation, and publications and networking groups dedicated to supporting women.

The fee to attend the conference is $35. The fee to exhibit is $275 (less $100 for paid members of Network Now or Women's Business Forum). For more information, go to http://www.lifetimeexpos.com/IDEAS09.html.