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Where else can you find such day-to-day Sassiness? 

From business issues to spa nights, from rubbing elbows with politicians and business leaders to sharing poetry, wine, and chocolate... it is all covered here in our blog.

Blog from the authors of the upcoming book The Sassy Ladies' eGuide: How to be Successful in Your First Year of Business. In this blog for women entrepreneurs, you will:
  • Get a sneak preview of some of the concepts in the eGuide
  • See interviews with other women business owners
  • Read our sassy perspective on everyday business situations
  • Learn which products and resources we recommend.

Join our conversations about the challenges and victories of having your own business. We want to hear your point of view—and your questions. Click on any title, and add your comments at the bottom of the page.


August 28, 2008
Author: Michelle Girasole Created: 1/12/2007 9:43 AM
Sassy Blog for women entrepreneurs

The Sassy Ladies Support We Mean Business Expo
By Michelle Girasole on 11/28/2007 2:55 PM
On Monday, November 5th, The Sassy Ladies showed their support of small business at the We Mean Business Expo, in Lincoln, RI.  A joint partnership of the Rhode Island Secretary of State's office and the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation, this first-time event was packed with hundreds of small business owners looking for assistance from government agencies, non-profits, and small business advisors as exhibitors. 

We interviewed many of these experts throughout the day, and asked them to share some tips for our online audience.  Now you can hear their best advice for your business!   
Hear the "Ask the Expert" interviews.
 

While Wendy and I ran around the show floor lining up interviews and "producing" our podcast from the (quiet?) lounge area, Miriam stayed back at the booth, meeting with many women business owners - some launched their businesses right ...
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Mind Your Own Business: Eva Gregory - lessons from the call
By Michelle Girasole on 11/20/2007 7:37 PM

Much love and gratitude to Eva Gregory, for joining our call today.  She shared her own story of experiencing business success by applying the principles of the Law of Attraction.

If you missed the call the first time around, you can now  listen to the audio file at your leisure !


Some of the lessons learned:

* With the Law of Attraction, the emphasis is on your emotion. What you put your focus on is what you will attract.  Ask yourself, "Am I moving towards what I want, or against where I want to be?" Emotional guidance is the litmus test for how you’re doing in your business . If it feels good, do more of it, if it doesn't, stop doing it.

Practical ideas for how women can use The Law of Attraction for their business :

- “ Amp it up! ” use The Law for everythi ...

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Ode to a Burnt Pepper
By Michelle Girasole on 9/10/2007 8:21 AM
Ode to a Burnt Pepper
by Wendy Hanson
Yesterday was an ordinary day. It was filled with excitement, chaos, too much to do, business opportunity, follow-up, etc. And then there was a red pepper.
 

As an entrepreneur with a home office, I try to multitask whenever I can. An opportunity arose for me to throw some zucchini and a red pepper on the grill as a component of a soon-to-be-made dinner. The zucchini made it out alive but the red pepper needed a few more moments. That's when it happened . . .

 

burntpepperThe thought that I had to put a red pepper in the barbeque to get blackened and roasted totally l ...

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What Does It Take To Be An “Intrapreneur” In Your Company?
By Michelle Girasole on 8/1/2007 12:05 PM

What Does It Take To Be An “Intrapreneur” In Your Company?

Big and small businesses alike are full of entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs are usually the starters, the people that think outside the box, make things happen, and create change. No matter what you do within a company, you can come at that as an "intrapreneur". Using the skills and talents of entrepreneurs will help expand your personal boundaries and business possibilities.

So what are the talents that entrepreneurs bring to the table?

· Innovative and forward thinking

· Focus on execution

· Awareness of the impact their products and services have on their market

· Ability to understand areas outside of their own focus for different perspectives

· Examination of their self limiting assumptions

· Development of a diverse network that provides new perspectives

· Facility for taking calculated risks

· Skill at identifying early adopter signals in the market

There is an expansiveness that an entrepreneur brings to their own business that an intrapreneur can bring to a company. Entrepreneurial muscles need to be identified, strengthened and focused on. Perspectives need to be shifted. Paradigms need to be broken. What can you do today that takes an entrepreneurial perspective to make a difference in your organization?

And, if you are thinking about starting your own business, let your current company benefit from your entrepreneurial mindset. As you build ...

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"Five Mistakes in Establishing a Business" by Richard Streitfeld
By Michelle Girasole on 7/27/2007 7:18 AM

Five Mistakes in Establishing a Business
by Richard Streitfeld, CPA

Obtaining proper advice will save you headaches, not to mention big bucks, in the long run.

Here are five mistakes that anyone starting a business should avoid at all costs, drawn from real situations.

· Not having a plan for your business. A passionate and talented karate teacher bought the studio from its founder a year ago. He borrowed heavily to finance the deal and the studio does not generate enough revenue for him to meet his obligations. The studio’s continued existence is now in doubt and the teacher has even considered personal bankruptcy.

At a minimum, a realistic budget before he purchased the studio might have illuminated the problem and given him pause. He may have looked to delay the purchase, renegotiate the deal or look for additional investors. Many entrepreneurs love what they do but are intimidated by numbers and planning.

A small investment – mostly of time – can make it possible for you to actually succeed at what you love. You don’t need a fancy printed business plan — but you do need to address a few core questions. What are your cash needs? What are the cash needs of your potential partners? Can the business meet those needs? If it cannot, what will your partners do? What will you do? Are there any periods when the business may need to borrow money? Alternatively, if you anticipate profits, will you be able to pay the related taxes when they come due?

· Not getting it i ...

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Wendy hits the streets of Stockholm!
By Michelle Girasole on 6/30/2007 8:56 AM

In Stockholm, Wendy met with the very Sassy Pamela Mattsson. Pamela is a Life Coach who moved from the US to Sweden with her husband and three children seven months ago. She now coaches clients in both countries and has kept her business going strong! Hear an excerpt from our conversation having a latte. We'll have an interview to learn more about Pamela soon.
Pamela's website is
www.passionatelifecoach.com.

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A Day In the Life of a Work-At-Home Mom
By Michelle Girasole on 6/20/2007 8:30 PM

A Day in the Life of a Work-at-home Mom.

I work from home two days a week. When I was halfway through my pregnancy, I left my cushy corporate job to start my own company. People used to say, “Oh, how nice. You’ll get to be home with your kids while you work. That’s ideal.” I used to nod dreamily, thinking of how the baby would play with blocks quietly next to my desk as I did client work. Then, the baby was born and reality set in. Now my baby and her baby brother are 5 and 3 years old. Working from home takes on a whole new dimension!  Here is a chronicle of a typical day:

5:00 a.m. Wake up. Realize “graduation day” has arrived. Go upstairs to write thank you notes to Jessie-Kate’s pre-school teachers. While it is quiet, I also write my company's email newsletter intro and outline the articles on paper.

5:35 a.m. Finish notes, and turn on laptop to start laying it all out. Stupid Microsoft Windows startup noise wakes up my light-sleeping 3-year-old, Nicholas. I’ll have to work on the draft later. Fix him some chocolate milk, then put on “Tom & Jerry” on DVR to keep him quiet while Jessie and Rich sleep a bit longer. Read ‘Working Mother’ magazine while we cuddle on the couch.

6:20 a.m. Jessie wakes up and joins CuddleFest. Magazine down, TV off, and ...

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10 Keys To A Perfect Day At Work!
By Michelle Girasole on 6/2/2007 12:41 AM

10 Keys To A Perfect Day At Work!
1. Plan the whole week based on your peak energy levels.
2. Schedule all your activities, personal, travel, rest and breaks.
3. Select your most important job and do it first.
4. Break up very large projects into chunks.
5. Stop working and relax for five minutes after you complete a chunk.
6. Delegate any task someone else can do.
7. Adjust your schedule as required.
8. Compliment everyone who speaks to you and continue your work
.
9. When your day ends, clean your desk, update tomorrow's plan and STOP working
.

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Lessons from Our First "Let's Do Lunch" Teleclass with Tara Gross
By Michelle Girasole on 5/1/2007 4:21 PM
Many thanks to Tara for sharing the wisdom of her story and some tips for taking "the next right action" towards having the business of your dreams! 

If you missed it,
hear the full audio file now on our podcast page.

In a nutshell, Tara painted the picture of her life five years ago.  She was "a woman who: hates her job, is buried in debt, has low credit scores, lives in a basement apartment (this, ironically, is one of the few things she is proud of), has a tumultuous love life, and is deep in the throws of therapy working on strained family dynamics that run painfully deep."

Fast forward five years to today, and she "is a woman who: independently owns two rental properties (with skylights), has wonderful tenants, great credit, a restored connection with her family, is married to her soul mate, lives on 35 acres within walking distance of the ocean, and has a business of her own, doing what she loves...coaching people toward living their dreams."

Some of the key lessons from her story:
  • Stop being a victim of your circumstances.  Don't be angry, and don't blame others.  "Stay open" to the fact that your dreams are possible.
  • Determine what your "next right action"  will be towards making your dreams happen. Then take that first step! You don't know if it will be a big step or a small step until after you take it!
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Our Report from the "Love, Light, and Laughter" event
By Michelle Girasole on 4/30/2007 5:55 AM

If you ever need a day to connect with your girlfriends in a pampering environment, and you don’t want to splurge on a day at the spa, go to next year’s Love, Light and Laughter event, put on by aspire…magazine. Linda Joy and crew put on a spectacular event, which The Sassy Ladies were proud to be Passionate Parters of. Some key highlights from the day:

We had our first booth – we met dozens of current and aspiring entrepreneurs at the booth, and smiled all day as they shared their ideas, dreams, etc. Congrats to Joan Haymond for winning our raffle basket!  Thank you to Dunham Designs for some fantastic graphics!

We made new friends – our neighbor to the left was Ellie from Uplifting Connections. We were touched by the story of how she started her wellness center. We couldn’t resist bu ...

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