Introducing Katreina and Kimberly Eden, Owners of Organiwic, LLC

Meet the dynamic sister duo, Katreina (left) and Kimberly Eden of  candle company Organiwic. Connect with them on their twitter and facebook page. Enjoy!

Hometown: Continental USA (Moved constantly)

Current Residence: Levan, Utah

Education:

Katreina: JD

Kimberly: MLitt in Creative Writing

Professional Background:

Katreina: Katreina Eden Attorney Private Office, International Sales Director Cedar Fort Publishing

Kimberly: Writer/Poet

What you wanted to be when you grew up:

Katreina: Indiana Jones (Archeologist) or Professional Dancer

Indiana Jones (Archeologist) or gardener

What you are:

Katreina and Kimberly: Ambitious Business Owner, world traveler and Sister

Brief Summary of your Start Up:

Katreina: All natural handmade candles, incense and aromatherapy with candle holders and jewelry made by various artists.

Company Website? www.organiwic.com

What inspired you?

Katreina and Kimberly: I love candles and everything organic. I also love to run my own business

How long have you been in business? 2 months

How did you fund it? Personal savings

Do you have a Fairy Godmother (or Mentor)?

Katreina and Kimberly: Danielle Lower

Do you belong to any Business Organization or Networking Groups? Not yet

Current Business Challenge? Marketing

What are you doing about it? Networking

Favorite motivational quote:

Katreina and Kimberly: Pablo Picasso- I am always doing that which I cannot do in order that I may learn how to do it.

Family?

Katreina and Kimberly: Sister

If so, how do you balance family and business?

Katreina and Kimberly: My sister is my partner

Favorite book?

Katreina: Tamara Pierce series

Kimberly: North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

What do you do to relax?

Katreina and Kimberly: Play Settler’s of Catan

What do you want to change most about your world?

Katreina: Speak 11 languages and live in Europe

Kimberly: Speak 11 languages and live in a magnificent garden

What are you most proud of?

Katreina: Passing the California Bar the first time.

Kimberly: My sister

What advice would you like to offer other Start Up Princesses?

Katreina and Kimberly: Persistence is the key

Favorite Magic Wand (tool/resource)?

Katreina and Kimberly: My sister

If you could design a tiara, what precious stones would you use?

Katreina: Sapphire

Kimberly: Anything brown

The Top 3 Priorities of Leaders

Written by Guest Author AmyK Hutchens

Leaders can’t do it all and shouldn’t. You lead the company. You don’t manage it. This fact implies we all know the difference between leadership and management. Truth is, we often don’t. Leadership seems fuzzier than it should be because those that managed us throughout our careers didn’t have it clarified for them either. While there are indeed a multitude of tasks leaders participate in, when it comes to leading a company, there are three critical items that should top every leader’s To Do list.

Job #1 for a leader:
Inspire and influence three specific areas: people, operations and strategy.
Without your inspiration, without your influence, the ship remains rudderless. Notice too, that my order is specific. People come first. Without humans, the right humans, being lead by you, nothing will get executed and your strategy will become obsolete. People are the backbone of your business. Strength trainers talk about building up muscle, fighting the aging process, and staying at your optimum health levels when you focus on your core, i.e. your back muscles, your abdominal muscles – all the muscles that keep you upright. People are your core. Strengthen them, build them, and they’ll keep your business upright and currently competitive.

Specifics:
1. Role model good thinking. Share your thought process. Ask questions that get your direct reports to think.
2. Coach. Spend time in one-to-ones, asking questions, solving complex issues, and getting your direct reports to engage in dialogue with you.
3. Share your vision. Clearly. Repeatedly. In detail. Enthusiastically. Share it again next week.
4. Conduct less formal performance reviews every quarter. Why wait until the end of the season to tell a player to change his motion?!

Job #2 for a leader:
Delegate.
A leader does not have time to set the compass for the organization’s direction, sit at the helm and scout the horizon, and go down to the galley to make tuna fish sandwiches for the crew. In all fairness, having lunch with the crew, is a great idea, making it for them is just not a good use of your time. 
Specifics:
1. What is your job? Inspiring and influencing people, operations, and strategy. Write down everything you currently are doing. Categorize it, prioritize it, and decide which tasks can be delegated immediately and which tasks need to be taught/coached more thoroughly so they can be fully delegated one month, two months, or three months from now.
2. Assess every task you complete to determine if it’s necessary and aligned with your 4 focus areas and goals.

Job #3 for a leader:
Embody values.
What do you believe in and stand for? If the almighty dollar is your God, then hire people who embrace this value and get ready to ride the consequences.  If healthy results through good, thoughtful decisions, respect and integrity are the path you want your folks to walk, then walk the talk yourself. Influence and inspire through praise of good behaviors, role-model your values, interview for values, correct when you see the opposite, and keep your values ever present and visible. The brain thrives on visuals and imitates what it sees.
Specifics:
1. Conduct a values assessment and determine your top 5. (These tools exist in many places). Have your executive team conduct the same assessment. Where do you all align and where do you differ? How can the similarities and differences be utilized to create an even stronger, valued based executive team?
2. Praise your employees for thoughtful, values based decisions.
3. Fire those who don’t foster, nor contribute, to your culture of values.

A leader does many things, and must do many things well to be successful, but those “many things” should be leadership tasks, not management tasks. And the first thing to do is to get focused on being a leader.

AmyK Hutchens, Founder and Intelligence Activist, AmyK Inc., is a speaker, trainer and business strategist. She is best known for helping business leaders capitalize on how the brain and human perception filters work to help them be more effective in business and their personal lives. Follow AmyK on Twitter @AmyKinc or visit at www.amyk.com.

Shift from Scattered To Focused Results

Written by, Fairy Godmother Laura West

As entrepreneurs, we wear many hats, juggle many balls, and any other crazy-busy metaphor you can come up with. You write website copy and ezine articles, work with clients, speaking, design new programs, create a product, hire people, fire people, bookkeeping, professional development… Even when you aren’t doing it all and you have a team, you still have to manage them as well as do the creative work of your business.

With all these tasks and things pulling at you, it creates scattered energy. Your energy is here…. and here…. and over here.

When you have scattered energy, you get scattered results. You’re not concentrating on any one thing, and even when you are working on one business task, in the back of your mind, you’re probably thinking about the other 27 things on your to-do list.

What you need is focused energy. With focused energy, you get focused results.

So how do you keep your energy from being scattered everywhere?

1. Figure out what your most important goals are this month. Get your website done? Get five new clients? Enroll in a program? Fill a new teleclass? List all your goals, and then pick your top three.

And, yes, that can be the hard part, because all your goals are important, right? However, if you try to do all the goals, you’re back to that scattered energy place. Concentrate on the top three goals. One suggestion is to pull one goal from bringing in revenue/clients, another from marketing, and a third in the “Other” category (delivering a workshop or designing a new program).

2. Once you have your three goals for the month, then EVERY day do three things toward those goals. Now you’re focusing your energy, both BEING energy and DOING energy.

Being energy is how grounded are you, how present, right here, right now are you? You can only create and get things done from that right here, right now place. If you’re worrying about the future or stuck in the past, you aren’t creating right here, right now.

Every day this week, start out by focusing your BEING energy: meditate, journal, mindmap, read something inspirational, walk, have coffee with birdsong, connect to spirit and to yourself.

When you *are* creating from that right here, right now place, then your DOING energy is focused. You have focused energy, focused goals, and focused energy. And you can’t help but get focused results. And you’re moving faster toward your goals, your dream, and your vision.

Again, this week at the start of each day, focus your BEING energy and focus your DOING energy. Then pay attention to what shifts for you. What’s different? What’s working?

Laura West, Center for Joyful Business, Laura West is a certified professional coach, writer, speaker and the President and Chief Creative Officer of The Center for Joyful Business. She is the creator of the Joyful Business Guide, a business attraction system blending law of attraction principles with smart business designed for solo-entrepreneurs and business owners. Laura is also a contributing author to the book, Spirit of Women Entrepreneurs, and has been a contributing writer for Motto magazine, Inside Gwinnett newspaper, and Connections, a publication for image consultants. Laura also publishes an award winning blog, Cafe Entrepreneur, and a bi-monthly ezine, Joyful Business.

Introducing Chantal Bevilacqua & Allyson Freeman, Owners and Product Designers of Studio Bijoux

Meet Chantal Bevilacqua (left) and Allyson Freeman from Studio Bijoux and learn how they started their beautiful hand-tufted area rug business. Enjoy!

Hometown: Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

Current Residence: Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

Education: Chantal: The Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale – Bachelors’ degree in Interior Design/ Allyson: Florida State University – Bachelors’ degree in Interior Design

Professional Background: Chantal: 8 years experience as an FF&E designer in high-end hospitality design / Allyson: 5 years combined international and domestic high-end hospitality and residential design

What you wanted to be when you grew up: Chantal: When I was younger I always wanted to work with animals but I also loved arts and crafts and helping my mom decorate our house. I always knew I would be in a creative field. / Allyson: The majority of my life was spent dancing and painting which has come to heavily influenced my relationship with color and rhythm in design. It was once I realized that all of the arts are interdependent that I began to see design as my true passion.

What you are: We are both equally Owners and Product Designers of Studio Bijoux

Brief Summary of your Start Up: In a sentence, we are a boutique company that designs and sells an exclusive line of custom luxury hand-tufted area rugs. We began the creative process of endlessly designing ideas and once we felt that we had a clear vision for our company we proceeded to take the necessary steps to operate as such. We have had extraordinary media exposure from very early on which has proven to be absolutely priceless. Even though we consider ourselves to still be in the “start up” process, a solid plan and excitement for the future keeps us motivated everyday!

Company Website? www.studiobijouxdesign.com

What inspired you? We are greatly inspired by our natural surroundings. Living in South Florida, we have always been in love with the resort lifestyle and bright saturated colors. Fashion is also a major influence in our designs with regards to mixing texture and color. We are continually inspired by the relaxed bohemian island style but are known for putting our own refreshing twist on things.

The concept for our “Floor Jewels” emerged from a void we experienced in the marketplace. We felt it was time for art to be taken to the floor and featured just as reverently as wall art. Why not dress your floors as strikingly as you would dress the other parts of your room?

How long have you been in business? Since January 2010

How did you fund it? By choice, we have personally funded 100% of our start up costs.

Do you have a Fairy Godmother (or Mentor)? We would say our “Fairy Godmothers” or mentors would be the amazing women making strides in our field as well as in fashion. Style wise, we love Amanda Brooks and her unconventional bohemian sense of effortless luxury. Businesswise, we really admire Rachel Zoe for the lifestyle brand that she has created for herself.

Do you belong to any Business Organization or Networking Groups? Not at the moment

Current Business Challenge? Presently, our biggest challenge is simply existing as a start up company in the current economy.

What are you doing about it? We are a very self-sufficient company at the moment. We have conceptualized and designed all of our products from beginning to end as well as built our own website. Every aspect of the business has been managed by us through research and careful decision making. Positive attitude make all the difference in the world. Creative marketing and free press always help as well!

Favorite motivational quote: Chantal: “In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different.” -Coco Chanel

Allyson: “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve imagined.” -Thoreau

Family? Loving families surround both of us but no children yet.

If so, how do you balance family and business? Owning a business is a team effort. Support, understanding and encouragement goes a long way.

Favorite book? The Girl’s Guide to Starting Your Own Business: Candid Advice, Frank Talk, and True Stories for the Successful Entrepreneur. The Girls’ Guide to Building a Million-Dollar Business.

What do you do to relax? We like to spend our free time with our families and our dogs. We also like to go treasure hunting in the fabulous vintage and antique shops in and around the Palm Beaches.

What do you want to change most about your world? We would love to see the world experience more joy from their surroundings and it would certainly help to have more hours in the day too!

What are you most proud of? We are very proud of the fact that we have seen our vision for this company through thus far. There have been many sleepless nights and obstacles thrown upon us but when you believe in something enough the drive to succeed simply won’t let you quit.

What advice would you like to offer other Start Up Princesses? Never Never Never Give Up

Favorite Magic Wand (tool/resource)? Photoshop and great communication!

If you could design a tiara, what precious stones would you use? Diamonds and more diamonds, of course! With some turquoise, coral and shell accents.

Five Steps to a Stronger Start Up

Guest Author Joan Koerber-Walker shares the following startup advice:

Whether you are starting a business for the very first time, or a seasoned serial entrepreneur, start ups can be tricky.  There is an art to the process of starting a business.  Over the years, in counseling hundreds of start ups, I have found that there are five essential steps in laying the foundation for a stronger startup.

Step one:  Write it Down

Get your vision for your startup down on paper.  This allows you better share it with your team, potential partners and ultimately your customers.  Your vision for your startu should be complete, laying out what you will accomplish, how you will do it and the path you will  take to get there.

Step Two:  Assess Your Opportunities

Be clear and brutally honest with yourself as you assess your opportunities.  As much as we love our idea, there has yet to be a product that EVERYBODY needs.  Focus in on the customers who benefit the most from what you have to offer and work out plan to let them know you have it.  When others benefit greatly from what you have to offer, they share the good news with their friends and the business grows.

Step Three:  Know Your Strengths

Know what you and your company are best at and surround yourself with others who can strengthen your team with skills and talents that compliment yours.  When building your team, take advantage of team building tools like the Kolbe A to accurately assess how you and your team can best get things done.  A strength is called a strength because we are better at it.  Play to your strengths and partner with others to do the rest.

Step Four:  Select Your Partners

No one succeeds alone.  We all need partners and it is important to choose them wisely.  Whether you are hiring employees, choosing a business partner, or courting an investor or supply chain partner, do you homework and choose wisely.  The wrong partner can break a business just as a strong partner can make a business.

Step Five:  Manage Your Resources

Last, but never least, keep an eye on your resources.  Rarely do we have the luxury of staring a business with everything we could want or need.  Managing your resources well, be they contacts and connections, finances, inventory, intellectual property, or the reputation of your brand.  Companies with the right resources go the distance.  The path of a startup is an exciting and rewarding journey; the last thing you want to do is run out of gas and miss all the fun.

Joan Koerber-Walker is a two time Stevie Award National Finalist and Chairman of the Board of CorePurpose, Inc, and the Opportunity Through Entrepreneurship Foundation.  She also serves as Executive in Residence for Callaman Ventures and on the boards of for profit and nonprofit organizations.  As the former CEO of the Arizona Small Business Association and a past member of the Board of Trustees of the National Small Business Association she has worked with hundreds of small businesses and on behalf of thousands.  Chat with her on Twitter as @joankw, @JKWgrowth, @JKWinnovation, @JKWleadership and @CorePurpose or at her blog at www.JoanKoerber-Walker.com.

All I Want for Christmas is Some PEACE: Tips for a *Happy* Holiday

Fairy Godmother and Success Coach, Tara McCausland imparts some timely advice for this holiday season:

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year…” says a popular Christmas song. Yet for far too many, the holiday season is a time of stress, worry, and contention. Party planning, gift shopping, card sending, and meal making gives some of us the holiday blues. To avoid the seasonal slump, consider some of these tips to truly make it one of the “happiest seasons of the all.”

1. Simplify where you can. Instead of stuffing and addressing dozens of greeting cards, try an online holiday letter or email template and send that to family and friends. They can still print them off and proudly display them on their fridge and it saves you oodles of time and cash. And of course, it’s much greener if you’re concerned about the rain forests.

2. Shop online. If you despise fighting the holiday crowds and traffic, consider shopping online. You can find some of the best deals on the internet and instead of going from store to store to find the cheapest price, you can compare and contrast items with the click of a mouse. You can complete most if not all of your holiday shopping without even stepping out your front door.

3. Focus on relationships. It’s easy to get distracted by all the trivial details of the season. Instead of fretting about dressing up the house with mountains of decorations or finding that perfect gift, focus on just being with and enjoying friends and family. Stop scurrying around for a few minutes and have a long conversation with Aunt Susie or play a game of Candy Land with Billy and Jane. The best memories are always made when we slow down and make time for the people we love.

4. Help someone in need. It’s easy to lose the spirit of the season in the fog of all the commercialism. You may not be able to afford every gift on those wish lists, but helping someone less fortunate always puts things back into perspective and fills hearts with gratitude for the blessings of life.

Wishing you a happy and peaceful holiday season. Make it your best yet!

Tara McCausland is a speaker, author, and the owner of her own success coaching business at www.taramccausland.com. As a coach, Tara specializes in helping her clients become masters of their minds, their time, and their lives – building prosperity from the inside out. She’s also the happy mommy of two little boys and has been married to her high school sweetheart for 5 years. Best way to contact Tara is by email at tara@taramccausland.com or by phone at (435)680-2901. Twitter @myjoyquest

Introducing Nellie Akalp, Founder and CEO of CorpNet

We are pleased to introduce Nellie Akalp, Founder and CEO of CorpNet, a document filing service for startup businesses.  Startup Princesses readers can receive $29 off any services at CorpNet with the discount code: StartUpPrincess. Read below to learn more about Nellie and her business. Enjoy!

Hometown: Westlake Village, CA

Current Residence: Westlake Village, CA

Education: •Juris Doctorate Degree, University of LaVerne, College of Law •BS Degree, California State University-Northridge

Professional Background: Nellie Akalp graduated magna cum laude from the University of La Verne, College of Law in 1999 where she obtained her Juris Doctorate Degree. She also served on the school’s Law Review for three consecutive years. Mrs. Akalp brings significant experience to the legal document filing industry, having founded several document filing companies in the past, including MyCorporation.com, which was sold to Intuit back in 2005. Her past companies combined have been responsible for helping more than one hundred thousand Corporations and LLC’s get their start.

Currently, Mrs. Akalp is the CEO & Founder of CorpNet, Incorporated, her second incorporation filing service company based on the simple philosophy of truth in business and her strong passion to assist small business owners and entrepreneurs. As CEO of CorpNet, she is a strong advocate in educating small business owners and entrepreneurs about the importance of protecting their assets and is responsible for overseeing and managing the daily operations of the business. Mrs. Akalp also frequently authors much of the content published at www.CorpNet.com and her work frequently appears in a variety of publications.

What you wanted to be when you grew up: An actress/singer/dancer

What you are: A law school graduate who does not practice law, but is a passionate entrepreneur who loves helping others in starting their own business and turning their dreams into reality

Brief Summary of your Start Up: CorpNet® through its website www.corpnet.com , provides business filing services required for a variety of business needs such as forming a Corporation or Limited Liability Company (LLC), filing a DBA/Fictitious Business Name, Trademark Search and Registration services, conducting business in multiple states (Foreign Qualification Filings), modifying a business name or address (Amendments), Closing a Business (Dissolutions), Registered Agent Services, Corporate Compliance services and supplies in all 50 states.

Company Website? http://www.corpnet.com/

What inspired you? I started CorpNet, my second incorporation filing service, because I felt the completion was not offering what the consumer needs and because of my strong passion to assist small business owners and entrepreneurs to start their own business.  I am a strong advocate in educating small business owners and entrepreneurs about the importance of protecting their assets

How long have you been in business? CorpNet has been in business since July 1, 2009, but I have been in this industry for over 13 years.

How did you fund it? CorpNet was funded by myself and my husband with our money that we had in our savings.

Do you have a Fairy Godmother (or Mentor)? Yes, my mentor is my husband of over 13 years; he inspires me each and every day and always challenges me to better myself.

Do you belong to any Business Organization or Networking Groups? Yes,  I have my own twitter account @CorpNetNetNellie and belong to several business start-up organizations and mommy organizations

Current Business Challenge? Increasing traffic to our website and getting more brand recognition while remaining profitable

What are you doing about it? Heavy marketing through social media networks, networking and blog posts in addition to featured radio interviews.

Favorite motivational quote: Do what you love and love what you do each and every day…you only live once!

Family? Yes, I have been married to my best friend and business partner for over 13 years Phil Akalp and we have three children: 9 year old boy girl twins and a 6 year old little boy and we are expecting our 4^th in May of 2011.

If so, how do you balance family and business? I am extremely well organized and always plan ahead which is the key in my opinion to balancing life, marriage and raising 3 children in addition to being an expectant mom.  In addition, even if it’s a matter of 5-10 minutes a day (prefer at least an hour)  I try to take time out just for myself and reflect.

Favorite book? “Delivering Happiness”…by Tony Hsieh.

What do you do to relax? I take a ballet class at least 3-4 times a week at Richard Giorla’s Cardio Barre.

What do you want to change most about your world? To encourage more people to deliver what they promise to deliver and stop being so greedy!

What are you most proud of? I am proud of being married to my best friend and business partner of 13 years and enjoy every minute of my life with him and our accomplishments to date; having had the opportunity to have sold a company at a very young age and being able to start it all over again with him  and a team that I love is an absolute true blessing

What advice would you like to offer other Start Up Princesses? Trust your instincts and use your strengths and  go for it without any hesitation. It is the most gratifying feeling to be able to work for yourself, earn a living and do what you love and believe in each and every day…but you have to love what you do and believe in it!

My instincts are my most valuable asset; I have learned to rely on my instincts more from this point forward which was something I failed to do in the past and by failing to do so have been burned and hurt in the process.  Now I am more careful.

Favorite Magic Wand (tool/resource)? HARO is my favorite resource and bitly is my favorite tool.

If you could design a tiara, what precious stones would you use? White, Pink and Yellow flawless diamonds with Emeralds.

Your Website is Live! Now What?

Guest Author Bonnie Andrews of va4mom writes the following:

You started a business, congratulations!

One thing you will quickly find is that even if you have the greatest product or service on the face of this living planet, unless you package it correctly, it’s not going to profit you.So today we are going to talk about packaging your business in the form of a website – sound strange? Read on . . .

In this day and age if you have a business, you had better have a website. A website isn’t necessarily about selling things – it’s about positioning you and your new brand. It’s about developing a voice and an expertise in your market. It’s about building relationships through media and technology. Ultimately, it’s about your bottom line.

So how can you package your business on your website in a way that will boost your brand, grow your clients and sustain profitability? It’s all about content.

Content is queen!

I am sure you have heard this before, and rightly so because it truly is what propels your online presence.

Content is like that perfect pair of shoes that are fit for any occasion and style. You can dress them up or dress them down and no matter what you do, someone is always commenting on how fabulous they are – they always get attention.

And as we know from the famous fairytale when the shoe fits . . . it’s all about happily ever after. Good content on your website will always get attention for your business.

Content, when created thoughtfully can be applied to unlimited numbers of media channels, networks and streams. It can become a facebook update, a tweet, a blog post a comment on a blog or forum, a marketing slogan and outline for advertising materials.

So now that your website is up, don’t let it sit static. Just like you love that favorite pair of shoes, love the website that represents you and use it often. Try it out with different styles of content, and open up to additional streams of communication.

Use your website to propel your business. It will bring in clients and help you sell and market your brand successfully.

Are you stumped on where to begin and how to organize it? Here are a few good tips to keep things rolling smoothly.

Know what the hot topics in your niche market are. Pick out the two or three most common questions that are asked and create your own editorial calendar.

Answer the questions with your view point and expertise. Try and back things up with others opinions and good research too, it adds to your credibility.

Focus on 250 – 300 word articles at first. Keep it to the point and engaging.

Give your readers tools, tips and tricks within your article that help solve the problem.

Ask for feedback and invite them to come back for more.

Don’t let your website go un-noticed. Your presence online will directly correlate to the business that comes offline.

Bonnie Andrews, Marketing Director at va4mom, is a mom who loves all the ‘hats.’ She is best known for managing a virtual assistant marketing team to generate killer content for others who have the title Mom, CEO, Doc, Chef, Taxi, Teacher, Coach . . . aka mompreneurs, and help them effectively grow and maximize their business opportunities. Follow Bonnie on Twitter @va4mom or hire her affordable virtual assistant team at www.MomEntrepreneurVA.com.

Is Technology Killing Our Friendships

Guest Author Dena Patton of Chat, Chew & Chocolate shares the following:

Ask yourself this, how many times did I spend face-to-face time with my friends this month? Then ask, how many times did I text or email them? If you are a normal, busy woman you’ll say that you had two or less face-to-face downtime interactions with your girlfriends. Which validates my opinion that the more technology comes into our lives the more we will need the friendship movement from Chat, Chew and Chocolate (CCC). I created CCC to bring back that crucial girlfriend time and me time that we need in our lives.Through meeting with women in our local CCC chapters we get loaded up with me time and friend time, and for some women it’s the only time they get to enjoy it. When women feel supported, connected and empowered they are unstoppable and that’s the mission of CCC. It’s our monthly dose of 3 hours that are free from roles and responsibilities and filled with face-to-face time with fabulous women. Most of us have experienced isolation or feeling disconnected from our friends, and in many research studies they have proven that isolation from me time and friend time is a major source of stress, unhappiness and/or anxiety. I’ve pulled a few results from studies that show that me time and friend time are both healthy and crucial for our lives. 

According to CNN’s article on Friends enhances people’s satisfaction with life: Women across all strata of society feel overwhelmed with the insatiable demands on them. When asked what they want they answered “peace and time”. Princeton University’s research found that that women socialize less than they did 40 years ago which plays into account for our rising dissatisfaction. Surveys show the number 1 complaint American women have is that they don’t have enough time for themselves. Yet research proves being good to yourself is crucial to maintaining physical and emotional well-being, according to Alan Seibert, PhD.

Leading a balanced life means including your happiness, your well being, your friends and your ‘me time’ in your busy schedule. We are hard-wired to gather and to support each other, but it seems like life and technology are getting in the way of that. According to UCLA landmark Study On Friendship Among Women suggests friendships between women are special. They shape who we are and who we are yet to be. They soothe our tumultuous inner world, fill the emotional gaps in our marriage, and help us remember who we really are. By the way, they may do even more. Scientists now suspect that hanging out with our friends can actually counteract the kind of stomach-quivering stress most of us experience on a daily basis. A landmark UCLA study suggests that women respond to stress with a cascade of brain chemicals that cause us to make and maintain friendships with other women. It’s a stunning find that has turned five decades of stress research—most of it on men—upside down. Until this study was published, scientists generally believed that when people experience stress, they trigger a hormonal cascade that revs the body to either stand and fight or flee as fast as possible, explains Laura Cousin Klein, Ph.D., now an Assistant Professor of Biobehavioral Health at Penn State University and one of the study’s authors. It’s an ancient survival mechanism left over from the time we were chased across the planet by saber-toothed tigers. Now the researchers suspect that women have a larger behavioral repertoire than just fight or flight; In fact, says Dr. Klein, it seems that when the hormone oxytocin is released as part of the stress responses in a woman, it buffers the fight or flight response and encourages her to tend children and gather with other women instead. When she actually engages in this tending or befriending, studies suggest that more oxytocin is released, which further counters stress and produces a calming effect. This calming response does not occur in men, says Dr. Klein, because testosterone—which men produce in high levels when they’re under stress—seems to reduce the effects of oxytocin. Estrogen, she adds, seems to enhance it.

In the five years of running CCC I have hosted hundreds of events for thousands of women plus connected with thousands of our eclub online members, and my conclusions are the same as five years ago; 1) women need a support circle of other women 2) women need a regular break from roles and responsibilities to come back to center 3) as long as there is more technology than face-time, our relationships will suffer 4) women need to give themselves permission to have more me time, friend time and a self care plan so they can lead happy balanced lives.

Today, the noise levels in our heads are at an all time high. With invasive, 24/7 technology it’s hard to uphold boundaries, instead we give in to late night texting and facebook updates. But what’s at stake? Our well-being, our alone time, our friendships, and our relationships as we knew them? Cristin Norine is one journalist who took the experiment to reality. She decided to eat, sleep, cook and live in full view of a busy Portland street on the ground floor of a glass-front apartment for 30 days. During this time she will only have technology interactions. No more meeting friends for drinks or listening to live music or even fresh air. Instead Cristin is communicating through twitter and facebook updates and loads of texting, plus passerby’s are leaving notes on the glass on their way to work. To me this experiment only proves that technology is important, and always will be, but it will never take the place of the human touch, a hug, a coffee with your best friend, dinner with your spouse, a family walk in the park or simply being alone in nature.

What boundaries are you willing to put on your technology knowing that your life, your friends, your family, your well-being are waiting for you?

Dena Patton is a Life/Business Coach, retreat facilitator and Speaker. Read the rest of her articles by clicking her name (top/right of this page). She is also the founder of ChatChewandChocolate.com, which helps busy women lead balanced and fun lives. Info on her programs, speaking, retreats and coaching click here. Find her on Twitter @chatchew.

Introducing Bonnie Andrews, Founder of Virtual Assistants for Mom

Have you ever  wished you had two pairs of hands? Or perhaps someone you could delegate a task to? If so, Bonnie Andrews has just made it easier for you to manage your business with affordable help at her company Virtual Assistants for Mom. Read below to find out what inspired Bonnie to start her business and how it can help you with yours!

Hometown: Chesapeake, VA

Current Residence: Chesapeake, VA

Education: Public Relations, Brigham Young University

Professional Background: Looks something like Mary Poppins’ boundless bag . . . random, varied and full of adventures.

What you wanted to be when you grew up: In my fairytale ages all I cared about was marrying Michael Jackson! Then entered reality – and a far greater dream – I looked forward everyday to being a mother, a wife and positively influencing the lives of the people around me.

What you are: I am a mother, I am a wife, and I work everyday to positively influence the people around me. I am a product of my passions and the influence of good family and friends. I am simply me.

Brief Summary of your Start Up: I am a mom, a wife and an entrepreneur and I finally found my sanity in virtual assistants! So of course, it was natural for me to want to share that. There will always be ‘more to do’ and never enough time to do it. I love helping women entrepreneurs focus on doing what they love and getting everything else done with a managed virtual assistant team.

Company Website? www.MomEntrepreneurVA.com

What inspired you? Life and its everyday experiences. I am a natural starter. I jump on the opportunity to start projects, put an idea into practice and bring dreams to fruition, but I have learned the only way I can effectively execute something is with the help of virtual assistants – they are great finishers – and by focusing on what I do best I can work with strategic teams and partnerships to get the rest done, start to finish!

How long have you been in business? Since I was old enough to know what ‘sales’ were. . . I would sale anything door to door, you name it I sold it. I thought I was providing a great service to our neighbors and I liked earning the money – they were patient and always supportive! My first real business I started at age 12 – a candy stand, fitting for the sweet tooth I have! I earned a great summer income and followed it up with kid’s camps and anything else I could dream up. I hired my siblings and friends to help. I have always loved business. It’s not a necessary for me; it’s a hobby that I truly enjoy learning about and tackling one principle at a time.

How did you fund it? One sale at a time . . . Partnering for funding is just not a gamble I am willing to take. I do what I can with the resources I have at hand. Remember that it doesn’t take a million to test a good product. Invest slowly, make a sale, then two then three and invest again. If your product or service is good it will pay for itself.

Do you have a Fairy Godmother (or Mentor)? I have a very supportive family – they are my most powerful mentors. (I also love business books too)

Do you belong to any Business Organization or Networking Groups? I have joined a few, and know that you reap what you sow. It’s important to be a consistent voice wherever you are.

Current Business Challenge? Streamlining a way to assess the needs of client’s business practices, goals and purposes – and of course have it all done yesterday! I deal with very unique strategies. Not everyone needs the same virtual assistant skills, and so I am currently trying to refine how I approach the consultation and follow-up process so that I can quickly fill the needs and wants of my clients and their businesses.

What are you doing about it? Asking for feedback; for me, client feedback is one of the most powerful tools we have.

Favorite motivational quote: “Crying is all right in its own way while it lasts. But you have to stop sooner or later, and then you still have to decide what to do.”  — C.S. Lewis

Family? I have a very supportive and encouraging husband and a three-year-old who brings smiles to my face and laughter to our home everyday.

If so, how do you balance family and business? One day at a time. A wise woman admonished that I learn to separate what’s essential, necessary and nice to do and then work through my tasks each day in that order. That has become one of the biggest parts of our business, challenging women to stick to what’s essential – the things they are best at – and then have our outsourcing team take care of the necessary and nice to do.

Favorite book? I have a lot of favorites. Anything CS Lewis, and I am hooked. Right now I am loving Tony Hsieh’s ‘Delivering Happiness – A Path to Profits, Passion and Purpose’

What do you do to relax? It depends on the day. Some days my little girl and I love going to the park and that is relaxing for both of us. Other times it’s watching a college football game with my husband. Mostly it’s anything I get to do with my favorite people: walks, talks, games, etc. I’m a pretty old fashioned social bug. . . and that’s relaxing.

What do you want to change most about your world? Sincerely, not much. I have learned that always yearning for change creates chaos in my life and ingratitude for what I do have. Change for me mostly comes in the form of goals and working one day at a time to reach them.

What are you most proud of? I have learned how to keep going. To set a goal and see it through the end no matter what adventures I have along the way.

What advice would you like to offer other Start Up Princesses? Stay the course and surround yourself with positive people. Make sure you fill your life and business with things that have positive influence and impact. You are only as good as your weakest link – sometimes, more often than not, it’s ourselves and our own weaknesses. Don’t be afraid of them – face them and overcome them with supportive teams and influences.

Favorite Magic Wand (tool/resource)? That’s a loaded question . . . there are so many incredible resources available to us all. The one that has helped me the most, as I have said before, is the ability to outsource what I am not good or great at.

If you could design a tiara, what precious stones would you use? Diamonds – they originate from coal deep inside the earth, where the temperatures and pressures are very high. People find it difficult to believe something as ugly as coal can be transformed into something as beautiful as diamonds. It’s possible, not easy, but possible.

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