Last month, we introduced a new "Ask the Experts" series, featuring women entrepreneurs in Rhode Island. This month we learn about the marketing challenges of some of our local artists and their businesses.



We are pleased to interview Gail Ahlers from Ahlers Designs. Gail founded Ahlers Designs (www.ahlersgifts.com) in 1989 and is a RISD graduate. She has a collection of 1500 designs, and has had success growing her business through gift shows and relationships with stores, galleries and boutiques. Her company is located in the Hope Artiste Village in Pawtucket. Gail is also President of the Foundry Artists Association and is busy with their upcoming Holiday Show, which features 65 local artists (www.foundryshow.com), December 6th - 16th. (This is a great opportunity to do some holiday shopping, and support local small businesses!)Hear our interview with Gail now.



Also, at a recent CWE Networking event (www.cweonline.org) The Sassy Ladies met Micki Whelan (www.mickiwhelan.com). Micki has had a one of a kind and limited edition jewelry business and recently came up with a fantastic idea: “eyecatchers”. Listen and learn how Micki is positioning and marketing this new product.                                     Hear our interview with Micki now.These interviews were brought to you by The Sassy Ladies (www.TheSassyLadies.com), an online resource for women entrepreneurs, and Every Company Counts, an initiative of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation (www.everycompanycounts.com).

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As entrepreneurs, we always have to be looking at business models and how to think more expansively. Jean DiGiovanna, a fantastic coach has done just that! Jean's main company is www.thinkpeople.com  She offers many different workshops and coaching.

The Sassy Ladies made an appearance at RIWN on 1/10/08. What a great group! Wendy Hanson spoke to the group on "Five Ways to Lead a Passionate Life."  Her advice was to 1) create rituals, 2) play to your strengths, 3) reach for a thought that feels better, 4) visualize your ideal life, and 5) write it down, make it happen.

To download the handout, containing this worksheet and a list of references for each of the above five steps, click here.

Finding FundingIn January's edition of the "Ask the Experts" podcast series, featuring women entrepreneurs in Rhode Island, we hear the story of Nancy Faella, of Violet's Products.  Nancy is working to build a global coffee enterprise from Rhode Island.  She has tapped into many of the resources within Rhode Island for help, including the Rhode Island Small Business Development Center (RISBDC), who assisted her in the process of finding investors for her patent-pending, Colombian coffee cube import/export start-up business. Hear Nancy's interview.Great RI Resource!To compliment this podcast, we're also featuring one of our early podcasts with Sixcia Divine, from RISBDC, who discussed some of the ways RISBDC can help area small businesses to succeed. Get some ideas to help your business! Hear Sixcia's interview.Coming in FebruaryNext month, please listen in to our fabulous interview with Lisa VanAllsberg. Lisa owns Forgotten Judaica (www.forgottenjudaica.com). Check out her website which will give you great insight into this business prior to our podcast next month.Ask The Expert "Archive"Last month, we interviewed Gail Ahler and Micki Whelan, two jewelry designers who have created viable businesses out of their creativity. If you missed it, visit our podcast page to listen in.These interviews were brought to you by The Sassy Ladies (www.TheSassyLadies.com), an online resource for women entrepreneurs, and Every Company Counts, an initiative of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation (www.everycompanycounts.com)....

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On Saturday, January 5, Jen Huntley-Corbin, the famous foodie and talk show host of “Jen’s Dish”( http://jensdish.blogspot.com) cooked, interviewed and celebrated with Jarvis Green of the New England Patriots. Jen is a member of The Sassy Ladies Coaching Group and we were all so proud of this big event.  I went to help out with filming--and to watch Jen in action!

Jarvis Green is an amazing man. Of course he is an incredible football player on a team with a perfect record—heading towards the Super Bowl! But—he is kind, gentle, smart, curious and quite an entrepreneur himself! Jarvis is opening his own restaurant in Louisiana and has spent time at Prime and The Oyster Bar on Atwells Ave in Providence learning about the business.

He is also a man of action. Jarvis has set up his own foundation, the Jarvis Green Foundation, a non-for-profit 501(c)3 organization. His mission is to provide support to single working mothers in disadvantaged, low-income areas. Please check out his website www.jarvisgreen.com/foundation.asp and buy one of those T Shirts to wear during the game! There will be at least ONE SASSY LADY with that shirt on, besides Jen! Please support such a wonderful cause……

If you've been feeling like a workaholic in your business lately, then add this interview to your "must-do today" list!

Abundance coach Jeanna Gabellini shares some ideas on how to have abundance in your business using the Law of Attraction.  She reminds us that we don't have to work that hard to be financially prosperous.

In this session of our "Ask the Experts" podcast, Jeanna flew across the country to join Wendy, Michelle and Miriam at the studio (Wendy's kitchen table!) to have a discussions about many topics - taking time off, setting goals, pricing our products, and allowing our own success.

Hear the interview with Jeanna

Connect with Jeanna on www.MasterPeaceCoaching.com

“Women’s Business: Speaking Frankly with MaryAnn and... Wendy?!”We were recently delighted to accept an invitation from our good friend, Mary Ann Shallcross Smith to appear on her local cable TV show, Women's Business.  We are hoping to put a copy of the video on the site soon, but it is currently running on Wednesday afternoons at 12:30pm on RI Cox channels 13 or 18 (depending on where you live).After the show, an interesting conversation took place in which Mary Ann shared that she was looking for a new co-host for the show, and - what do you know - Wendy is going to be a TV star!  We're so excited for this opportunity to work closely with Mary Ann in her efforts to educate young women about business matters.  Stay tuned for more news, and here's more on the show:About the ShowMary Ann Shallcross Smith has a doctorate in education and is the owner of Child Care Connection, Kids Klub and Comprehensive Child Care Services Network of RI. She also is the President of the Rhode Island Foster Parent Association Board and a CASA volunteer. Wendy Hanson is a Business Coach, co-founder of The Sassy Ladies (www.thesassyladies.com) and President of Corley Hanson Associates (www.corleyhanson.com ), an executive coaching and consulting organization.



Our combined experiences have taught us that our community is in need of more resources geared to preparing young women for their chosen professions as well as enhancing skills for the seasoned professional woman. It has been our experience that young girls have to unlearn many unconscious behaviors taught in early childhood that might be counter-productive to their careers. These behaviors are often subtle yet sabotaging. For example, some stereotypical learned behaviors for girls include being polite, soft-spoken and compliant. And while these behaviors are rewarded in childhood, they can prove to have negative consequences in their professional lives.

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Writing Down Your Goals: Our Winter Solstice CelebrationLast summer, Miriam shared a book with Wendy and I called “Write It Down, Make It Happen”, by Henriette Anne Klauser. She felt that it offered great stories and ideas to help you ritualize and realize your goals. Miriam read it first, then Wendy and at a lunch discussion soon after, I couldn’t help but share their enthusiasm toward one chapter in particular. Of course, I skipped right to this chapter when it was my turn to read the book!

The author shared the story about a woman who adapted an old Indian ritual, which took place during the winter solstice, in which they declared what they wanted to usher out of their lives and what they wanted to usher into their lives. I couldn’t wait to do this with “my sassy sistahs”, but suggested we wait for the symbolic Winter Solstice on December 21st. We agreed to calendarize it, and worry about the details later.

If you read the book, you will see the elaborate details of the author’s ceremony with her daughters and friends. Let’s just say it included rising before dawn, hiking to highlands and lowlands, and burning stuff outside in the cold of winter. We laughed at the way we chose to simplify, yet honor this ancient tradition. We did what any Sassy Lady would do – we took ourselves to dinner.

While we feasted on sushi, sake, and seaweed salad, we shared our wishes that we’d written on slips of paper. Some were things we wanted to “say goodbye to” from 2007 and beyond. Many more were things we wanted to “say hello to” in 2008 and beyond. Needless to say, we laughed, we cried. It was a precious event that brought all three of us even closer together. Miriam took the “goodbye slips” home in a paper bag, and threw them into the wood stove (not as ceremonious as burning them at dawn in the lowlands, but at least we didn’t burn the restaurant down!)

We carefully tucked our “wish slips” into (ironically identical) prayer boxes that Wendy and Miriam had each picked out for the occasion. We eagerly anticipate reviewing these intentions together at future gatherings. We left with such peace and calm, with renewed appreciation for each other’s dreams.

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