Book: “Girl, Get Your Money Straight!” by Glinda BridgforthWebsite: www.thefourcups.comEvery year in celebration of the new beginnings, it is Southern tradition to prepare a special meal to usher in a prosperous new year.  So we pull out Aunt Bea’s secret recipe for what we think will help us gain financial prosperity.  It is legend that this special meal of black-eyed peas and cabbage greens provides good luck to help us see more clear...

A sales message designed for one situation will not necessarily work well in another. For example, you may have perfected your 30-second elevator speech (or “30-second commercial,” as it’s often called). This works great if you are actually in an elevator and have someone’s complete attention. But it will get you those glazed looks if you try to work 30 seconds of monologue into a conversation in the buffet line at a networking event. Live, spur-...

Life is all about a healthy balance, the positive force to balance the negative, an equal give and take. In our lifetimes on this earth, we are only given a finite amount of energy in a finite amount of time, and how we use this energy is up to us. In the words of Dr. Maya Angelou, it is our duty to “if we get-give, and if we learn-teach”, and if I may be bold to add - if we imagine-create. We can only do so much in a given period of time-a day, ...

Traditionally, pearls are considered the gemstone for 30th anniversaries, and at WBDCelebrate on November 15 at Chicago’s Wintrust Great Banking Hall, the pearls flowed. Nearly 500 guests broke out their pearls for the 30th anniversary evening reception in honor of the Women’s Business Development Center. Successful business owners smilingly exchanged pearls of wisdom with each other in a festive atmosphere decorated with floral and pearl centerp...

Enterprising Women readers, this is your year, the year to focus on YOU! Your dreams, your goals, your aspirations! Every year for the past few years, I have noticed a central theme to manifest itself in my life throughout that year. This same theme manifested itself in the lives of many women in my circle as well. For 2017 it will be the year of YOU—the year of empowerment! What is this thing called empowerment? Empowerment is defined as the sta...

San Diego, CA – December 8, 2016. Carlsbad, CA-based Jazzercise Inc., has been recognized for their international success and local influence by the San Diego Business Journal, the county’s premier business publication. Last month, the dance fitness brand earned the #3 slot for Women-Owned Businesses and was tapped for the SD 500, a list of top influential business leaders in San Diego County. Leading the operation is CEO and Founder, Judi Sheppa...

A U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report revealed nearly half of all small businesses fail within the first four years of their existence. While there are many proven causes, including owner incompetence, inexperience, fraud and neglect, one killer culprit often flies under the radar: stagnation. Indeed, losing momentum—with respect to revenues, market share and other mission critical indicators—is one sure fire sign that an entrepreneurial endea...

While beekeeping is often thought of as a hobby in the United States, in many countries around the world, beekeeping is an important livelihood that can provide income to a family in need and place them on the path toward sustained economic success. In addition to providing nutritious honey, beehives provide beeswax that can be used in the production of candles. Bees also help pollinate and grow healthier crops, extending the benefits of beekeepi...

San Diego, CA – November, 23, 2016. The team at Jazzercise, Inc. is honored to announce that CEO and Founder, Judi Sheppard Missett has won the San Diego Business Journal’s ‘Women Who Mean Business’ Award on November 9th, 2016. This will be Sheppard Missett’s second time winning the award.Per the San Diego Business Journal, “This is the city’s biggest and most anticipated reception and awards program of the year honoring the region’s most success...

Women Business Owner Highlights. Noteworthy women business owner highlights are as follows:100% feel confident that they can access the funding they need to grow their business during the holidays87% feel this year’s holiday sales will be the same or stronger than last year (vs. 90% of men and 88% overall)Seventy-seven percent plan to grow their businesses (vs. 72% of men and 74% of businesses overall)The biggest challenge they face as they prepa...

New survey data from CloudNOW reveals that women working in tech still face a significant amount of sexism in the workplace. CloudNOW, the executive consortium for the leading women in cloud and converging technologies, today released the results of its Women in Tech survey. The survey, conducted by global consultancy Kantar TNS, discovered that women in tech are generally satisfied with their careers but are subject to a significant amount of se...

Ah, the Holiday season. A time to be nice to your fellow humans, a time to reflect on the accomplishments of the past year, and to look forward to the excitement that the New Year brings. Or, from a more Scrooge-like perspective, a time when team members slack off, the company throws expensive parties where certain people drink too much and do things everyone wants to forget, team members gather to exchange awkward Secret Santa gifts that no one ...