Press Release: Startup Princess Announces 4th Touchpoint Event For Women Entrepreneurs

For Immediate Release

Startup Princess Announces 4^th Touchpoint Event For Women Entrepreneurs

International Networking Community Event Sept. 23-24 in South Jordan, Utah

Salt Lake City – July 28 – Startup Princess, an international networking community focused on providing connection, coaching and resources for women entrepreneurs, has scheduled its 4^th annual Touchpoint event for Sept. 23 and 24, 2010 at Noah’s in South Jordan, Utah.  Touchpoint fosters collaboration for women who seek fruitful networking and insights into starting and growing a successful business.

“Touchpoint brings women together from all backgrounds that help each other find their way to success,” said Kelly King Anderson, Startup Princess founder, business coach and one of the top 30 women entrepreneurs Forbes Magazine recommends following on Twitter.  “These women inspire each other and know the opportunities that this event has to offer.  We look forward to learning from this year’s speakers and from each other as we all strive to build better businesses.”

Pre-Conference Schedule

The pre-conference festivities begin at 4 p.m. Sept. 23 with a 2-hour “Image & Media Workshop” presented by Anderson and celebrity makeup artist Tara Starling, followed by a networking party for speakers, attendees and sponsors from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Conference Schedule

In addition to Anderson, other keynote speakers during the Sept. 24 conference include:

• Danielle Laporte, inspirational speaker, business strategist and creator of WhiteHotTruth.com.  Laporte’s new digital book, “The Fire Starter Session,” helps entrepreneurs “rock their career according to their truest strengths.” From social media to social responsibility, branding to creativity, Laporte is known for her philosophical and candid take on doing meaningful work. She is the lead author of the Amazon bestseller, Style Statement: Live By Your Own Design, and has been featured in Elle, Vogue Australia, Body + Soul, The National Post, Entertainment Tonight, and The Huffington Post.

• Vickie Walker, owner of d’lish Confections and a non-profit venture called Circle the Wagons. Walker’s’ husband Jeff was killed, and her 16-year old son, AJ, was critically injured, during the Trolley Square shooting rampage on February 12, 2007, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Wanting to give back to the community, she formed a cause-related candy company called “D’Lish” that allows her to provide funds for “Circle the Wagons,” which in part provides a 96-Hour Survival Guide to victims of violent crime.  Walker received the 2009 Humanitarian Award from the Salt Lake Police Department and has become a frequent speaker on finding the courage to move forward.

-more-

Breakout sessions outlining the various paths to success in business and finding balance in life include:

• Growing a Business While Raising a Family, presented by Saren Eyre of Power of Moms,
• Core Business Principles, presented by Kim Flynn of Tutoring Connection,
• How to Increase Online Sales, by Jana Francis of Baby Steals, Sarah Jane Wright of Sara Jane Studios
• Life Balancing Tract: A Story of Courage with RaNelle Wallace
• How to Find and Secure Sponsors for Blogs, Events and More, with Jyl Pattee, Mom It Forward
• Branding Your Business, with Rebecca Servoss, Persnickety Graphic Design and
• How Shirley J Changed their Branding to Grow Their Business, a Case Study by Becky Olsen

There will also be a media panel featuring several public relations and business professionals, including LaPorte, Kim Christofferson of DIY Dish and Cheryl Snapp Conner of Snapp ConnerPR.

Video Marketing Competition

For the second consecutive year, the event will also give visitors a chance to participate in a Video Marketing Competition.  It is an opportunity for women to show off their talents, earn exposure for their venture and win prizes including free admission.  The deadline to enter this competition is August 15, with five finalists being announced on August 31.

Exhibitor and sponsorship opportunities are available for this event at http://startupprincess.com/touchpoint/sponsor.html

About Startup Princess:

Kelly King Anderson launched Startup Princess in 2006 with the hope of creating an ideal network for women entrepreneurs, providing them with connections, coaching and resources to help grow their businesses. This organization has inspired thousands of women locally, nationally and internationally, with success stories reaching as far as Pakistan and London.

For complete information concerning the event go to http://startupprincess.com/touchpoint.  For details about registration or sponsorship, please visit the same site or contact Michelle McCullough at 801.592.1101 or michelle@startupprincess.com.

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Meet Danielle LaPorte, Creator of White Hot Truth, Author and Business Consultant

This September all you Startup Princesses out there will have the privilege of hearing from Danielle LaPorte, Author and  Business Consultant speak at this year’s Touchpoint Conference. She will be rockin’ the mic as she helps you move your business, your dreams and yourself forward. If you don’t already know who Danielle LaPorte is, you should. Book a flight and register for the event. This woman will knock your socks off. She’s that awesome. Plus, Danielle’s been a Fairy Godmother for Startup Princess since 2006 so she’s especially amazing and generous. We love her! Don’t miss her keynote!

Hometown: Windsor, Ontario

Current Residence: Vancouver, British Columbia 

Education: Life

Professional Background: I’m the creator of WhiteHotTruth.com, which has been called “the best place on-line for kick-ass spirituality.” I’m a former think tank exec, news show commentator, motivational speaker, and lead author of Style Statement, I’ve  been featured in Elle,Vogue, Entertainment Tonight, and the Huffington Post. My latest online book is The Fire Starter Sessions: A Digital Experience for Entrepreneurs. You can find me on Twitter @daniellelaporte

What you wanted to be when you grew up: A poet, a social worker, Wonder Woman. In that order. Seriously.

What you are: A poet, a social worker, Wonder Woman.

Brief Summary of your Start Up:

it’s all here:
http://whitehottruth.com/about/
and here:
http://whitehottruth.com/want-more-faq/

Company Website? www.whitehottruth.com and Twitter: @DanielleLaporte

What inspired you? A burning desire for creative liberation.

How long have you been in business? My whole life.

How did you fund it? Credit cards and midnight oil.

Do you belong to any Business Organization or Networking Groups? No. I’m an introvert. That said, Twitter is a phenomenal space for connecting.

Current Business Challenge? What challenges? I only see opportunities. I’m not being coy; I’ve been doing it long enough to not take it too seriously.

Favorite motivational quote: “The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.” – Joseph Campbell

Family? I have a six year old amazing son.

If so, how do you balance family and business? I don’t. I believe life balance is a myth.

Favorite book? To Kill A Mocking Bird. And the book I’m about to write.

What do you do to relax? Snuggling. Buddhist meditation. Kitchen disco. Lemon water. 

What do you want to change most about your world? The faulty premise that being well-rounded will get you the approval you seek. Fughet it.

What are you most proud of? That my son is gentle, hilarious and loves to rock out.

What advice would you like to offer other Startup Princesses? You know. That’s it. You know what you want, you know the answer. Don’t second guess your desires — they are your most accurate compass.

Favorite Magic Wand (tool/resource)? My sense of humour, and a capacity for very deep listening.

If you could design a tiara, what precious stones would you use? Just pure solid gold for me, baby.

Time Is Money

Fairy Godmother, Heather Allard writes:

A few weeks ago, I received 3 of the same fortune in 1 fortune cookie. It said: “Time is money”

I found it mildly amusing and wondered if that might be my “theme” for 2010. And then yesterday, “time is money” really hit home for me.

I arrived 5 minutes early for my 9am hair appointment and sat in the waiting area. I could see that my stylist was already busy and frankly, she looked panicked when I arrived.

15 minutes went by and she said, “I’ll be right with you, Heath.” So I waited.

Another 15 minutes went by and she said, “I just have to rinse this lady’s color off and I’ll be right with you.” So I waited.Another 15 minutes went by and she said, “I just have to dry this woman’s hair and I’ll be all yours.” So I waited.

At 10am, she called me over. 1 hour later than my scheduled appointment. But it gets better.

For the next 4 hours, my stylist flew around the salon between me and about 6 other clients like a chicken with her head cut off. I did not leave the salon until 2pm.

I had been there for a total of 5 hours. That’s right, 5 hours.

“Heather with the hair” so they know to block out double the time it takes to do a normal person.”

I have very thick hair and a ton of it – it does take a long time to do my hair, but not 5 hours.

I really like my stylist – she’s funny and gives great hair. She’s also 5 minutes from my home and charges about half the price of the salon I used to go to.

But I’ll tell ya, sitting there for 5 hours on Saturday really got me thinking about how true “Time is money” really is – and, I think, doubly so for mom entrepreneurs.

For mom entrepreneurs, our time is usually divided two ways – precious, priceless time spent with our children and productive, profitable time spent building our business.

(PRECIOUS PRICELESS PRODUCTIVE PROFITABLE) TIME IS MONEY

I was then reminded of Danielle LaPorte’s recent “Stop Doing List” and thought, man, this “time is money” thing could even be reworked to:

“Time and energy is money”

And then I flipped “time is money” on its head and made it:

“Money is time”

Because MONEY paid to someone else to do things for you gives you TIME to do the things you love doing, whether it’s reading a story with your kids, going to dinner with your husband or dreaming up a new design for your clothing line.

So, I decided to make a list of all the things that I could STOP doing or START paying someone else to do to free up my time – precious, priceless time to spend with my 3 amazing children (and 1 amazing dog, The Dude and 1 amazing husband) OR productive, profitable time spent building The Mogul Mom (look out – 2010 is going to be huge!).

Here’s my list so far:

1. Instead of spending 2-3 hours grocery shopping each weekend, I’m going to use PeaPod and Alice to

do it for me. Cost: $10 PeaPod delivery charge Time saved: 156 hours or 6.5 days per year

2. Instead of spending hours, even days sometimes, on writing sales copy, I hired someone to do it for me. Cost: $250 Time Saved: 12 hours (a modest estimate)

3. Instead of spending hours each day frantically checking new email that arrived in my inbox, I uninstalled Gmail Notifier and freed myself from the false sense of urgency it creates. Cost: $0 Time Saved: 2 hours each day

4. Instead of manually replying to each email I receive asking me for referrals to manufacturers, I created a Gmail “Canned Response” with all the information prepared and ready to send. If I wanted to get super-duper efficient, I could create a Gmail Filter that looks for the words “can you please recommend a manufacturer” and automatically sends the Canned Response I created. Cost: $0 Time Saved: 30 minutes each time I receive one of these requests.

5. Instead of spending 30 minutes here, 2 hours there on email and social media, I’ve set office hours to bring structure to my day and more white space to my schedule. Cost: $0 Time Saved: minimum of 2 hours per day or 730 hours per year.

Now, Danielle suggested that women stop dying their hair but I’m not quite ready for that. BUT – what I could do is schedule the FIRST appointment at my hair salon so I know she won’t be behind

schedule OR find a new salon that doesn’t overbook or multitask.

I want YOU to examine your daily and weekly activities and find at least ONE thing you could STOP doing or START paying someone else to do and then post it in the comments below. Be sure to tell us how much time you’ll save doing it.

Time is money and money is time. How much is yours worth?

Heather Allard, The Mogul Mom, Heather Allard is a mother of three and a “Renaissance mom entrepreneur” who has developed products, offered a service and built a blog since 2001. She blogs at http://www.TheMogulMom.com and offers email coaching for mom entrepreneurs. Heather’s products have been seen on Access Hollywood & Pregnancy Magazine and are a best-seller in One Step Ahead. She’s been featured in Working Mother, Entrepreneur and The Well-Fed Writer: Back for Seconds. Contact her via Twitter: @themogulmom or through her site.

3 simple questions to simplify success

1. What do you do (that gives you joy, because why bother if it doesn’t bring you joy)?

2. Who cares about what you do?

3. How do you get to who cares?

That’s it – three essential, monumental questions for every entrepreneur. Whether you’re a hairstylist or a blogger, a lawyer or a widget seller, it’s the simplest questions that will illuminate the way. I’ve been using this inquiry strategy for years to build businesses and it never fails to light up what the top priorities are.

Like most simple things, you have to examine each question from every angle to fully glean its elegance and power. No matter what stage of growth your company is in, the answers to these questions should drive your daily actions.

Let’s use a hairstylist for example. {I happen to think hair stylists are seriously powerful citizens. You want to firmly plant an idea in the minds of thousands of people? Tell a hairdresser. He or she has the rapt attention of dozens of people a week. Salons are hotbeds of news and inspiration.} Back to success…

ROLE PLAY WITH A HAIR STYLIST

YOUR PRODUCTS + SERVICES. Most entrepreneurs actually “do” more than they perceive. Examine the benefits and the unintended positive consequences of what you give or make. Look for the deeper meaning of the result of your work.

1. What do you do (that gives you joy)?

Stylist says: “I cut hair.”

Me: No, really, what do you do?

Stylist: “I make people feel beautiful.”

Me: Uh huh. You’re getting it.

Stylist: “I’m a healer who happens to give highlights.”

Me: If you say so, then BINGO!

YOUR MARKET. Pay careful attention to who you actually attract … how do the people who buy your services or use your content/product see the world, what do they read, where do they shop, who do they listen to, what are their values?

2. Who cares about what you do?

Stylist: “Humans with hair.”

Me: Could you be more specific?

Stylist: “Women…People who want to look great…Women between 20 and 50 who want the best possible cut and colour for under $100 … and like to talk about personal growth and baking.”

Me: Excellent. That is YOUR market. And the only market you need to care about is your own.

MARKETING TO YOUR MARKET. Effectively accessing your audience means that you’re reaching as much of your market with the least amount of effort. Quality + Quantity + Leverage. Repeat that to yourself before you spend a dime on marketing. Look for leverage points, vocalizers, mavens, influencers to spread the word for you … from the right trade show or celebrity, to the local socialite or class president.

3. How do you access who cares?

Stylist: “With business cards and an ad in the yellow pages.”

Me: Is that how the majority of YOUR market comes to you?

Stylist: “I get my very best clients by word of mouth referrals.”

Me: Whose word brings you YOUR market?

Stylist: “Becky the Realtor tells everyone. Janice is a total maven, she’s sent me at least ten clients. And Josie with the bakery and the flaming red bob … she’s so well connected.”

Me: Great. Give them each a free hair cut and a stack of business cards.

The formula for success is usually so simple it takes some time to really see it. The answers may take a while to find. Keep peeling back the layers until you come to the most elegant truth. Because the truth is what works. Simple.

Danielle is the creator of WhiteHotTruth.com, a motivational speaker, CBC TV commentator, and lead author of Style Statement. She helps entrepreneurs rock their career with her signature Fire Starter Sessions.You can find her on Twitter @daniellelaporte.

15 Activities That Will Free Your Time and Your Mind

Fairy Godmother, Danielle LaPorte gives these great tips:

1. Stop checking email obsessively. Have you heard? If you’re checking email every five minutes, you’re checking it 24,00 times a year. Unclutterer.com has some good e-ddiction perspectives.

2. Stop paying everyone else before you pay yourself. It will ease your stress and less stress = more time. (Disclaimer: I have, more than once, paid my staff when there wasn’t enough cash flow to pay me as well. That’s just leadership.)

3. Stop lugging. Double up on tools. I have two sets of: power cords, mice, earphones, and makeup kits.

4. Stop last minute. HAVE IT DELIVERED. Get a food delivery service for your organics, set up direct bank deposits and auto payments, get DVDs by mail.

5. Stop doing the tasks that are not in your natural skill set, or suck time from doing what you do best that earns the moula. OUTSOURCE. The upspringing of Virtual Assistants is a phenomenon that enables you to get anything done for anywhere from $4 to $70/an hour, from India to Nebraska, from Twitter pages to legal docs. Invest in your freedom.

6. Stop going out of your way to get to a computer. This may sound contradictory on a time-save list but, I think i-Phones can save time and create space. The “I don’t want people to think they can get a hold of me anytime” argument is weak. Master your domain and give yourself the POWER OF MOBILITY.

7. Stop shopping for and buying gifts that need to be wrapped. It’s a rule that means you buy experiences and gift certificates for things like, concert and conference tickets, magazine subscriptions, MP3s.

8. Stop cleaning your house yourself. I seethe with resentment when I’m cleaning my stove because I could be doing something I love that makes me money. I did the math: in the three hours it takes to really clean the house, I could do a Fire Starter Session or write an article that would bring me $300 to $3000. Or nap.

9. Stop with the perfectionism. Give people a chance to rise to the occasion. My kid can dress himself (rubber boots and surf shorts look great!) Staff can figure out most things (mistakes are useful).

10. Stop doing it alone. Team with experts. A great coach, designer, consultant, can create quantum leaps.

11. Stop subscribing. Rather than just hitting delete, go through the steps (too many steps too often) to keep your inbox squeaky clean.

12. Stop taking home “free” stuff - pens, kitsch-filled gift bags from networking events, ugly volunteer t-shirts. You will spend time moving it around or pawning it off at your neighbour’s yard sale.

13. Stop forcing yourself to finish every book you pick up because you think the ghost of your English teacher is watching.

14. Stop dying your hair. At least consider it. For that matter, examine all of your beauty synthetics and waxes and plucks and extensions and wonder how hot and less-stressed you’d be without all that maintenance.

15. As for time-sucking fears and neuroses, maybe you need the 5 minute shrink appointment: (click to view video)

Danielle is the creator of WhiteHotTruth.com, a motivational speaker, CBC TV commentator, and lead author of Style Statement. She helps entrepreneurs rock their career with her signature Fire Starter Sessions.You can find her on Twitter @daniellelaporte.

Fear Management vs. Fear Leadership

Fairy Godmother, Danielle LaPorte writes:

The song of an entrepreneur…

Secretly, I’m afraid we won’t raise the money. But it’s okay. I can plow through that fear. We’ll raise the money, and everything will be okay. We’ll raise the money and stand the business up. We’ll have to hit our targets, get the customers in the door, run hard with the marketing plan. Yeah, it’s scary. What if they don’t come? What if they come but don’t buy? What if they buy, but not enough? It’s okay, I can manage that fear. It’ll work. I’ll make it work and everything will be okay. We’ll do this.

What if you don’t do it? What if you, say, “fail”? Does that mean that fear wins? How much do you need to be more than “okay”?

While we’re busy managing fear, fear can be managing us. It’s still creeping in, grabbing at our pant leg, begging to be paid attention to. And fear can always find a reason to get your attention – that’s it’s job – to get you to feed it. But what about the flu? (feed me!) But what about the market? (feed me!) But what about ten years from now? (feed me!) But what will they think? (feed me!)

Beyond coping with fear there is fearlessness. Because, here’s the white hot truth: if you go bankrupt, you’ll still be okay. If you lose the gig, the lover, the house, you’ll still be okay. If you sing off key, get beat by the competition, have to hand in the keys, you will still be okay. Ask anyone who’s been through it. They’re more than okay. People survive and they learn to thrive. It’s life. It’s business.

Don’t manage your fear. Lead your fear. Take charge. When fear climbs on your shoulder and starts nattering in your ear, here’s what you do: You stand as a master. You tell Scaredy Cat where you’re going, risks and all, and you convert Scaredy into a champion to help you get there. You say, lovingly but firmly (because ultimately the Scaredy Cat in you just wants some love and you’ve got plenty of it to give,) “Yep, we may fail, it’s possible. This is risky. But we’ll still be okay. Because that’s who we are. We’re the kind of people that are okay, no matter what. So remember that invincibility and let’s get to work. There’s a new land to discover and the only way to find it is to keep going – cliffs, cash flow, agony, adulation and all. If you keep your mouth shut and your eyes wide open, we’ll get there sooner. We’re doing this. We’re doing this because we want to. Because this is what it means to do life.”

And then watch what Scaredy Cat does. She’ll look perplexed for a minute. She’ll nuzzle up, as if to say thank you. And then she’ll strut down the street to help you recruit some new business.

Danielle is the creator of WhiteHotTruth.com, a motivational speaker, CBC TV commentator, and lead author of Style Statement. She helps entrepreneurs rock their career with her signature Fire Starter Sessions.You can find her on Twitter @daniellelaporte.

Love Local: An Extra-Special Message for Anyone Trying to Save the World

Hello, my name is Danielle and I’m a recovering Savior of the World. I used to think that my self-worth depended on my vegetarianism, my activism, futurism, my pro-this and anti-that. Had halo, would preach. Had ‘isms, would teach.

I still wrestle with issues of spheres of influence (like one might wrestle a greased boa constrictor while wearing a bikini – with great difficulty), but my circle of devotion has gotten decidedly more focused, or at least more proportioned. My a-ha on this came like a bolt of lighting, at a swanky event, in which I cried an ugly cry that I’ll never forget.

I was at a weekend retreat in the Catsklills for thinkers thinking global-size thoughts. We fancied ourselves as change agents. And we were. The group of us was made up of economists, UN officials, socially responsible CEOs, media personalities, and bonafide spiritual leaders. Conversations were deeply meaningful and our love for our individual and shared causes cohered into a whole lotta serious inspiration. One of the afternoons was allotted for individual silent time and we were encouraged to reflect in solitude and then reconvene.

I spent some of my time in a dilapidated tree house in the woods. I journaled. I laid on the grass and cloud-watched. I thought about my “causes” and how much I poured into saving the world from all the things I thought it needed to be saved from. And my thoughts brought me home. Literally.

A few weeks before, my man and I got engaged. I was deep into thought about what commitment to a life together meant. The enormity of it, the sweetness of it, the terror of it….I thought of all that was required to be poured into it. And something in me cracked open that overcast day: I realized that most of my love was being poured outward, not homeward. It felt more noble to help people in far off countries and in future generations than it did to – simply – love the one I was with and love him well – the way he deserved to be loved.

We reconvened, sat in our fancy chairs in a circle, preparing to discuss our world- enhancing thoughts that had surfaced in our silent solitude. I wasn’t aware of it for a few moments, but I was crying.

(Now, before I go any further with this story, it’s essential that I tell you that I’m not a public crier. I don’t even really like groups. I’ve done too many group workshops and those moments when sister gets up and bawls her eyes out about family of origin stuff or mister breaks down about his mean mother… well, I appreciate it. I feel deep compassion. Sometimes I admire those group-shared collapses. But I don’t do it. My snot-gobbing heaving cries are sacred and best had in my bathtub or day bed. Except on this day, in front of the dignitaries and laureates.)

The facilitator noticed me quietly whimpering. “Danielle, clearly you’re moved. Would you like to share?” People were looking concerned and then I started to feel concerned because I noticed that I was really crying, like, my body was crying for me and there was no stopping it. For some reason, I grabbed the mic and I let ‘er rip: “I, I, I just realized…” I was sobbing now, “I’ve been so fixated on the global, that, that, that… I’ve missed the love in my own home. I’ve, you know… I’ve missed the…the center of my circle.” People nodded. I don’t know if they related or thought I was pathetic. The silence was deafening.

And then I blew my nose and whimpered, “We can move on now.” It was gross. And so we did. We talked about the layers of service and devotion and where we chose to put our energies. It was awkward and then beautiful and then powerful.

Everyone was really uncomfortably nice to me after that. I felt like they’d all seen my underpants, and I wasn’t wearing any.

Am I happy that I slobbered all over my white shirt and blew my cover as a cool cucumber in front of those agents of change? Nope, not really. I’m just not that ego-less and evolved. I could have done without the high-exposure blubber fest. But it happened. And it put the world crises into perspective for me. And I went home. And for probably the first time, I was really home when I got there.

Danielle is the creator of WhiteHotTruth.com, a motivational speaker, CBC TV commentator, and lead author of Style Statement. She helps entrepreneurs rock their career with her signature Fire Starter Sessions. You can find her on Twitter @daniellelaporte.

Defining What to Stop, What to Start, and What’s Possible for 2010

This month on Startup Princess we’re focusing on PLANNING: How to Plan EVERYTHING, so you’re equipped to Make LOTS of Wishes and Make them Happen in 2010. Watch for lots of posts in our Startup & Grow and Life Balance categories on the subject. Here’s my personal strategy for how I define what to stop, what to start, and what’s possible. Read more

Startup Princess Image & Media Academy – ROCKED. SNOWED. SHINED.

Wow! What a weekend! Many thanks to everyone who attended, taught, and sponsored- APX Alarm, ELF, TIMEX, Russ Dixon Photography and Infusionsoft. Read more

5 Blessings Emerging from Embracing Burnout

You’ve been there before…”burned out”.  Loved ones might warn, “you shouldn’t do so much” or “you should get to bed earlier”, etc. yet no matter what people say, you keep moving forward Read more

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