Happily Growin’ our Businesses!
Greetings to my fellow NAWBO-OC members, affiliates and admirers! As we make our way through the first half of this year we realize the impact that our outlook can have on our success. Our business opportunities sprouting in May are proof of this success.
Based on an informal survey of our members and guests at our May dinner meeting, most owners are seeing an increase in their businesses and in the number of connections that have been made. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that U.S. employers added 244K new jobs in April – the highest one month increase since March 2006. This creates more momentum for all our businesses. Over 70% of the members who I have had the pleasure of talking to said that their businesses are happily growin’ and are goin’ in the right direction!
At our May dinner meeting we were honored to hear the amazing Zappos story from Jenn Lim, CEO and Chief Happiness Officer of Delivering Happiness, a company she and Tony Hsieh (CEO of Zappos) co-created to inspire happiness in work, community and everyday life. She touched on some key culture points of how to grow your business while hiring people who fit. One strategy that Zappos uses is to offer 5 weeks of training to any new hire, followed by an offer of $4,000.00 to leave if they think they cannot be happy long term. Paying people to leave is a very interesting strategy, isn’t it? And it works! In addition, Jenn took us on a virtual ride on her Happiness Bus across America. It was truly inspirational to see the good work they are doing by spreading the happiness bug.
With the recent global events, one has to wonder how to create happiness in their world. One way I do it is by creating my own positive influences in my daily life. I believe that the more negative you allow into your world, the harder it is to remain positive. I don’t allow myself to listen to negative reports more than 1 time a day for 15 minutes. The rest is all positive. One way to do this is to read motivational quotes of the day. Here is one that works for me: Success is the ability to live your life the way you want to live it, doing what you most enjoy, surrounded by people who you admire and respect.” That’s how I feel everyday when I wake up – lucky to be living in California doing the things that I love to do!
Speaking of happiness, we have a slate of women running for our 2011/2012 NAWBO-OC Executive Board that is sure to put a smile on your face! When you receive your voting email, be sure to cast your ballot for this dedicated group of professional women who are ready and willing to represent your interests on our board:
- Dr. Maureen Rhyne, Heritage & Associates – President
- Loreen Gilbert, WealthWise Financial Service – President Elect
- Trina Flemming, Women Helping Women – Vice President, Membership
- Peggy Fu, Focus Business Law Group – Co-Vice President, Corporate Partners
- Kennie Sheehas, Allianz Merchant Services – Co-Vice P resident, Corporate Partners
- Kathleen Urquidez, Bezich, Rose & Urquidez – Treasurer
- Sheila Ivary, S Ivary Consulting – Secretary
Our June speaker is Sam Horn, an award-winning communication strategist with a 20-year track record. I had the pleasure of meeting her personally at the NAWBO National Conference last year in Washington, DC. She is currently speaking around the world teaching people just like us how to leave a lasting impression. I saw firsthand how she was able to teach a crowd of over 200 people to do this in 30 minutes while being entertaining and intelligent at the same time! Her topic, “Can You Communicate Your Competitive Edge?” is full of fool proof examples and creative ideas that will help you present your services in a memorable way. She says that we have a minute, at most, to get people interested in whom we are and what we have to offer. She will show you how to win buy-in to your business, products or services in 60 seconds! She has a proven track record of international clientele including Intel, Fortune 500 Forum, NASA, Amgen, Booz-Allen-Hamilton, KPMG and Capital One. She is an accomplished speaker and author of six books. She has been interviewed by ABC, CBS, NBC and more. You won’t want to miss this event. It is sure to be a sellout crowd so reserve your spot now by going to our website www.nawbo-oc.org.
I look forward to serving you for these next few months as we share in the ride to success. It has been great for me to get to know you and your business needs. May your happiness be obvious to all those fortunate to know you! YOUR success is our success as you are the future of NAWBO-OC. Remember – no women stands alone!