Hybrid Entrepreneurship: The Best of Both Worlds

There’s a gold mine sitting under the rough crags and crevices of the economic quake we’ve all been worried about for the past year: the opportunity to be inspired, excited, creative and profitable as hybrid entrepreneurs. Read more

Eight Hours Can Change Your Life

As the editor of SUCCESS for Women, I want to extend a special invitation to you to attend the 2009 SUCCESS Symposium in Dallas on Saturday, March 28.

The symposium will highlight legendary personal-development speakers, including Stedman Graham, a New York Times best-selling author; John C. Maxwell, America’s foremost authority on leadership; John Addison, CEO of the $2 billion company Primerica Financial Services and motivational expert; Connie Podesta, best-selling author, humorist and behavior expert; Chris Widener, best-selling author and influence expert; Mel Robbins, syndicated female radio show host and respected life coach; and Darren Hardy, publisher of SUCCESS magazine. Read more

Save Money Enjoying an Evening with Friends

Dinner out is, well… out. Throw a fun, inexpensive dinner party instead.

The doorbell rings, and a smile sweeps across your face. Music is playing, candles are flickering, the table is set and your home smells wonderful. You open the door to let your friends in, relaxed and ready to enjoy a delicious dinner and an evening of fun.

OK, so maybe you haven’t thrown a dinner party in years. (Does watching Food Network in your sweat pants count?) But even if your life is consumed by a busy schedule, throwing a fabulous dinner party can be a reality. Read more

Who Says You Can’t?

Author writes about go-getting women

Susan Casey’s list of “friends” is extensive. Some were born in the 1800s, while others haven’t graduated from high school yet. And many, she never met. But an avid researcher and lover of “detective work,” as she calls it, Casey combed through libraries across the country, hungry to meet women inventors. She now knows so much about them that she calls most—dead or alive—friends. “I feel like I know them,” she says.

Her far-reaching memory harkens back to a “brilliant” woman who came to the United States in the 1920s and built the first solar-heated house. She jumps to the story of the hardworking secretary Bette Graham, who secretly invented Liquid Paper in the 1950s to cover up her typewriting mistakes. Casey’s research was published in Women Invent!, a book about female pioneers of their time.

“These women were pursuing their interests in a very intelligent way—and following through,” Casey says. “They say, I’ll figure out a way to do it. I’m gonna make this happen. It’s inspiring.”

Casey talks about her favorite women inventors, unable to pick just one. She tells the story of Rose Totino, of the famous brand of frozen pizzas, like she’s a long-lost friend: “Rose settled in Minneapolis, and nobody there knew a thing about pizza,” she explains. “Rose would take pizza to the PTA when they were asked to do a potluck. And people thought, Wow, this is great! And it caught on!”

Casey’s book was published in 1997—just before the advent of the Internet and online search engines. She spent nearly 18 months in a Los Angeles library, “zipping” through microfiche and making notes for her book. “It was really fun. For a lot of these women, I had to search in books and call historical societies to find anything about them,” she says. “Now, I Google their name and five biographies pop up.”

Still, the lengthy research process is what Casey found fascinating. “Spending several years talking and researching about optimistic people is inspiring,” she says. “There’s a model of every kind of person in this book: chemists, balloonists, secretaries. When I speak, I teach girls and boys that anyone can use their ideas and create something terrific.”

Creating Job Security by Becoming the Boss

I recently received an e-mail from a business owner and new author whose book release has been delayed by the publisher. She says the book explains how to turn a product idea into a profitable business, but the publisher and booksellers are telling her people simply aren’t taking “risks” right now.

Undoubtedly, it’s more important than ever to be cautious with our income and assets. But starting a business can be a very wise investment of your time and money — if you do it right. And with the uncertainty of the economy and fewer “secure” jobs available, becoming an entrepreneur or independent professional is an option many women are examining more closely. In our recent poll, more than half of you said you were either starting a business or taking on freelance or contract work in an effort to create financial security in your life. Read more