The Rise of the Homepreneur

A new study suggests that more than half of all US businesses are now home-based, and with the current economy, that number is only expected to rise. There are also other factors effecting this trend, including advances in technology and social demographics of the workforce.

Click here to read the full list of Homepreneur trends for 2010 from Small Biz Trends.

WPO Chicago Downtown II Chapter

WPO Chicago Downtown II Chapter Holiday Party!

The Impact of Women-Owned Firms on the US Economy

A study done by the Center for Women's Business Research estimates that women-owned businesses produce jobs for 16% of the US workforce, contribute nearly $3 trillion to the economy, and create or maintain roughly 23 million jobs! This proves the huge significance that women-owned firms have on our economy, even during a downturn. Some other interesting findings include:

> if women-owned firms were their own country, they would have the 5th largest GDP in the world, ahead of France, the UK and Italy.

> if women-owned firms were their own country, they would have a GDP greater than Canada, India, and Vietnam combined.

Click here to read more from the Center for Women's Business Research.

WPO and Thrive Time for Teens

WPO members teach financial literacy to local girls' organizations in Secaucus, NJ at Sam's Club on September 17th.

"Striking It Rich"

WPO Columbus I Chapter "Striking it Rich"

Using Facebook to Market Your Business

This month, there was an article in the New York Times about how to market your business with Facebook. Many of us have started to use Facebook to connect with old friends, or business connections, but now you can actually use Facebook to gain new customers as well!

A great place to start would be to make a Facebook page for your business. This way, people can become "fans," you can post new product promotions or specials, and you can create a presence for your business while connecting with customers. Creating a Facebook page is also free!

You can also advertise on Facebook, and choose the people you want to see the ad. In other words, if there was a WPO ad, we would chose to have our ad show up on the pages of women Presidents and CEOs. You can be specific as choosing an age range, location, marital status and more. You design your ad, and choose the demographics you want to target. This will cost money, but may be less expensive than other forms of advertising.

Click here to read more from the New York Times.

Study Finds Despite Tough Economy, Employee Confidence Remains Strong

A recent study conducted by APCO Worldwide in partnership with Gagen MacDonald, found that U.S. workers express high degrees of optimism and loyalty toward their companies, despite the economic environment. Employees overall are very confident about the direction of their companies currently and in the future. Only 15% of employees believed their company was headed in the wrong direction. Also, nearly nine in 10 employees believe conditions will be better or the same in one year. Some other interesting findings from the study include:

> nearly 3/4 of respondents are highly confident in their CEO and immediate supervisor's abilities to effectively lead their organizations

>32% believe their CEOs are compensated too highly, and just 11% think their immediate supervisors are compensated too highly

>four in 10 respondents do not believe they are compensated sufficiently

To read more from APCO's study, click here.

Think and Grow Rich - Three Feet From Gold

A regional seminar in Dallas with author Sharon Lechter

November 12, 2009

8:30-11:30 am

Click here to register.

The WPO announces the third regional seminar with Sharon Lechter, a member of the President's Advisory Council on Financial Literacy and founder of Pay Your Family First. The Dallas seminar will take place on November 12, 2009 and will be sponsored by IBM. This program will include a keynote address from Sharon Lechter where she will answer some of the questions she poses in the new motivational book she has co-authored, Think and Grow Rich- Three Feet from Gold. All attendees will receive a copy of the book.

WPO Regional Seminar in Charlotte, NC

Last week, the WPO held a regional seminar in North Carolina, Growing Green: Sustainability and Your Business, with keynote speaker Marci Zaroff and a WPO member panel. The WPO panel had so many great insights to share with the audience about their "green" business practices. We want to thank Sam's Club for sponsoring the program, and share some points from the panelists on our blog.

"We were encouraged that several attendees recognized ways they could go back and get going green righ away! For TSC, our "recycled, repurposed" call center truly gives meaning to a purpose by helping people in need, creating new jobs and conserving the eath's resources," said Carolyn Sawyer, Tom Sawyer Company, WPO Charlotte member.

"I love sharing my green experiences at Something Classic with other women! There is nothing better than digging in the soil, planting seeds, harvesting your bounty and bringing those literally to the table to share with others," said Jill Marcus, Something Classic, WPO Charlotte member.

"I was delighted with the whole Going Green seminar and it offered me a chance to show how the new Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design designation can keep so much out of our ladnfills; as I showed our group that just my company alone keeps and avereage PER DAY of 22.5 tons of construciton materials out of the landfills and the materials get recycled instead," said Linda Holden, The Linda Construction Co., Inc., WPO Charlotte member.

Ernst & Young Entrepreneurial Winning Women Competition Winners

Ernst & Young has announced the winners of their 2009 Winning Women Competition. This competitive award is designed to connect a select group of women entrepreneurs with the resources they need to become market leaders. This year, three WPO members were selected to participate in the E&Y Winning Women Program:

• Jennifer Scully, Clinical Resources, LLC
• Talia Mashiach, Eved Services, Inc.
• Sherry Stewart Deutschmann, LetterLogic Inc.

For more information on the Ernst & Young Winning Women Competition, click here.

For a complete list of this year's winners, click here.