Turning “What If?” into a Multimillion Dollar Business

Persistence, time and energy. That’s the difference between “what if” and product success, and Lori Greiner has all three. After years of having ideas for products and even books and sitting on the sidelines, she grew tired of thinking about what might happen. So when she had a promising idea for an earring organizer, she immediately got to work. Read more

Reinventing Your Career: Success Tips from Debra Cohen

Women switch careers or start businesses for any number of reasons. For Debra Cohen, president of Home Remedies of NY, becoming a mother marked the turning point that took her from employee to stay-at-home mom to entrepreneur. Here, she shares some of the secrets to her success.

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Building a Strong Future

It’s easy for Debra Cohen to remember when she started her business; she marks time by her oldest daughter’s birthday. Cohen launched Home Remedies of NY, her home-based home-remodeling referral business 13 years ago, when her oldest daughter was 6 months old. A need to earn extra cash for her family combined with boredom that set in when she transitioned from full-time employee to stay-at-home mom made starting a business somewhat of a necessity. But determining exactly what type of business—and what business model to use—was a process. Read more

Yes, You Can Build a Business or Launch a Product… Even in This Economy!

On the journey to launch a product idea, the very first step is often the most difficult to take. Why is that? Because you have to know what the first step is. Most people who have never run a business have absolutely no clue what to do with their great idea. Instead of focusing on only step No. 1, they start to paint a big picture, get overwhelmed mentally, and tuck the idea back into their head.

Sound familiar?

Well, maybe it’s finally time to take action. Yes, even in a sluggish economy. Read more

From Minimum Wage to Rooftop Gardens

Teresa Carleo’s client roster reads like a who’s who in New York real estate development. But her success started with the question, “What am I going to do with my life?”
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It Pays to Shop Around

Health insurance is a must. Here’s how to get the best deal on the right plan for you.

Medical expenses can add up quickly. In fact, health-related costs are a leading cause of bankruptcy in America today. That makes adequate health insurance a must. But health insurance can be a tricky thing for entrepreneurs. Without the benefit of an employer-sponsored plan, self-employed individuals are left to fend for their own health insurance needs. That dilemma alone is often a major obstacle for people who want to take the plunge into business ownership. On the other side of the equation are small-business owners searching for affordable benefits so they can attract and retain quality people. 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.”

Make an Impression

One of the most common misconceptions about searching for a job is that the person with the most or best experience is the one who gets hired. The truth is: You’re more likely to be hired for a job based on your connection with the interviewer than on your qualifications. And the best way to forge an instant, powerful connection with your interviewer is to define and communicate a strong job-seeker personal brand. Read more

See a Need. Do a Good Deed.

To those who think you can’t have it all, woman entrepreneur Kim Lim says, “Watch me.”

As a single mother, owner of two businesses and recipient of three academic degrees, Lim has had her hands full during the past few years. But following painful divorce, and with the creation of two new and starkly different career paths, Lim forges ahead. She says today, she’s doing everything she’s wanted in life, all at the same time. Read more

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