Trust The Process
June 19, 2007
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Today’s Magic Wand: Start Up Princess Karyn Grant of Cherishing Place sent us this quote from one of my very favorite books, The Hiding Place:
When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer. -Corrie Ten Boom
Featured Interview: Liz Galloway, Lotus Effects Spa Consultant
June 18, 2007
Meet our new friend Start Up Princess, Liz Galloway. I met Liz 
at my recent Ladies Who Launch incubator in Salt Lake City and found her to be very intriguing and ambitious! She’s already an established entrepreneur as a Spa Consultant, with her company Lotus Effects having lived in Costa Rica for several years training spa owners to develop and run excellent businesses. Now she’s busy creating a training system to serve the industry. She’s also married and has a teenage son. I wanted an excuse to get to know Liz, so I asked her for an interview…enjoy!
Liz, you’ve had a successful career in spa consulting, how did you break into that industry? I began in the hospitality industry with hotels, and added on training as a licensed massage therapist. I had a sports clinic that focused on athletes, and enjoyed the industry, so I worked my way up to management in spas and resorts, training for different facilities, and then with my education in Business and Hospitality Management I sought out opportunities to consult people on operations, start up etc. It worked well, and I continually look for new alliances to leverage and gain more experience. That puts me where I am today with my consulting company in spa and wellness.
What do you love most about your job? Being an entrepreneurial personality, I don’t think I could ever go back to working for someone else in a traditional manner. I love the flexibility and making the choice for direction, of course you also assume most of the work.
What challenges do you face? Continually growing, and getting my brand out there. When I relocated to Salt Lake, my home town, after working in spa development in Central America for years, I essentially had to re-start, re-brand, and re-invent myself and my company. Staying positive and motivated on a certain goal can also be a challenge.
From our incubator in Ladies Who Launch in SLC, you shared that you are starting a new company and product that will serve the spa industry…what made you want to start another venture? Yes, I’m pursuing development of an innovative training system that will increase the effectiveness and lower costs of the existing training systems out there. It is utilizing a fast growing technology, and I decided to pursue it when working on international sites and not finding anything like it, or the resources and tools I needed to progress.
How will you balance your current role as spa consultant with the start of this new company? I’d love to say we’ll deal with that when we get there, but most likely I will cut back on my consulting role, taking maybe two clients a year for long term projects. I will need a lot of focus to develop this project correctly and negotiate in ways that can make it valuable to everyone.
Have you finished your business plan yet? What has been helpful in planning and strategy? Yes, I have. The business plan has been a living document for some time, with continuous improvement. It’s taken lots of research and speaking with experts in the industry to prepare me for what I will be doing, along with industry surveys of what people are using and what their feeling is on new systems etc. It’s also been great to increase my business acumen on company valuation and creating in depth financials.
How much funding will you need to launch? We can grow rapidly by meeting some modest milestones, but for full launch we are seeking $500,000 -600,000
Do you have a partner? I’ve created a valuable advisory board to aid in content and strategic development, but am still open to a business partner.
What are your long term goals with this new company? I’d like to make a widely used tool for people to get the training and information they need, maybe developing in other industries, giving an alternative to repetitive and regurgitated systems. I’d like to have it grow to a point that I’m able to exit the venture and go on to the next entrepreneurial venture, or leverage it for more growth.
Anything else you want to say? I just have to say that the past year of involvement with women’s business groups like ladies who launch, have provided great connections and support. It’s truly an amazing thing to find genuine people to offer support, and I look forward to doing the same for others in all start up phases and growth. My goal is to work hard to have a free life to enjoy my family, the world cultures and perpetually learn and share. I am excited for my future. KAIZEN - A Japanese business term meaning, continuous improvement. That is my goal!
Make Friends With Your Business Competitor!
June 15, 2007
Start Up Princess Jamie Lentzer of Jamie’s Painting & Design recently wrote to tell us an interesting development in her busi
ness… she’s developed a friendship with a competitor in her industry. She wrote about it at length on her blog. Jamie says, “The difference is our friendship is like a coach/mentor/support group/partner all wrapped into one, and as a woman she is my LIFE line for sure.” Wow, good for you!! Instead of being threatened, keeping resources to yourselves, etc. you are doing the opposite, you are embracing each other and cheering for each other…congrats on making a new path in business! I love this, THIS is what I want Start Up Princess to be. Jamie says it all started with the competitor, London Edwards of My Little Dish emailing her and complimenting her on on her site and blog, that it made her laugh out loud, they were instant friends. Everyone loves a compliment…a friendship was born! They had a LOT in common…they began to help each other and the rest continues to be a happy business fairytale.
Thank you Jamie for showing us by your example.
Today’s Magic Wand: Who do you admire in your industry? Send them a happy, friendly email, you never know what will happen.
Meet Erika, a Teen Making a Difference in the World
June 14, 2007
Continuing our discussion about teaching business and mentoring high school students in business, I have found this very rewarding and exciting. In the past year I’ve had a couple of memorable experiences, one in particular was at the Utah HOBY conference recently where I met Erika. I took a moment to interview this lovely inspiring young woman recently. You’ll have hope in our future after hearing what Erika has to say:
What difference do you want to make in the world?
There are so many things I want to accomplish and improve in my life. I can’t pin-point ONE difference that I want to make in the world. I think it’s the little things we do in our daily lives that help us make a difference in society. At the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Conference, each of us were challenged to complete 100 hours of service by next year.
Although it has only been a few weeks since the conference, I have already started logging hours of service. With my church youth group, we are frequently serving others. I am tutoring elementary school students and visiting elderly people at the Murray Care Center. I try to get involved with as much service as I can! These small and seemingly insignificant acts of service are my way of giving back to the community. Although these things may not be affecting everyone in the world, like I said, it’s the little things that make the biggest difference. If everyone in this world
would take the time each day to do some act of service, our world would be a much better place. In my leadership positions at school, I try to encourage other students to reach out and serve! If enough people are striving to do good things, together…we can change the world.
What are you learning that will help you make that difference?
Attending the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Conference has really motivated me to become my personal best. I would highly recommend that all sophomore students try to get in. There is a great quote by Mahatma Gandi that reads,“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” The most important thing that I’ve learned so far in my life is in order to make a difference, you have to decide to make a change within yourself. Everyone can make a
difference, and everyone has something to give…it is our responsibility to use our abilities to accomplish this task. If we lead by example, others will follow. I have also learned that you can’t be afraid or embarrassed to
stand up and change things. Another quote I love is by Eleanor Roosevelt, she says, “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” I think a lot of teenagers today believe that they can’t make a difference, so they don’t even try. As a result, many do not reach their full potential. None of us should ever have that attitude. If we put forth the effort, we can accomplish anything.
Do you want to be an entrepreneur? Why?
I would love to be an entrepreneur…I would love to do a lot of things. I haven’t quite decided what I want to be. I don’t think you can just “want to be an entrepreneur.” At HOBY, I learned that before you can become an
entrepreneur, you must have a good idea that will be supported. Something that will improve society or something that others will want. As I understand, entrepreneurship is risky! I hope I can learn more about business in the next couple of years so that if the opportunity presents itself, I would be prepared to become an entrepreneur. Until then, I plan to continue working hard in school and participating in my extra-curricular activities. Regardless of the profession I choose, I believe it’s very important that I’m involved in my community and always trying to improve it. After all, that is what entrepreneurship is all about…making a difference in the world.
What Would You Teach High School Entrepeneurs?
June 13, 2007
I’ve been considering this question ever since Seth Godin answered it at his recent Salt Lake City presentation of “The Dip” He said,
1. Teach them to Tell a Good Story (because that will serve them the rest of their lives and in every single industry you have to be able to express yourself and be compelling)
2. Have them Start Selling on eBay (hands down the easiest way to get yourself some income and experience business–practicing good customer service, the law of supply and demand, etc.)
3. Have them read the book, Before and After Page Design (because in about 2 hours they can develop basic design skills that will serve them in their emails, blogs, websites, etc. the rest of their lives to help them tell their printed story better.)
Here is what I would add to Seth’s list:
4. Start a Blog about what they are learning about business while they are selling on eBay because it’s FREE and will help them build their eBay business as people start to follow their success/failures
5. Find a Mentor, Friend, Example of someone who they respect in Business and have them do an internship for a week or longer with this person
6. Teach them QuickbooksÂ
7. Have them Plan an Event as a Group as a Fundraiser for Charity this will teach them to give back and also team building skills
Fairy Godmother, Rachael Herrscher of Today’s Mama wrote a post about Seth’s answer with a twist, calling it What should I teach my children about entrepreneurship?
Today’s Magic Wand:Â What high school students do you know that you can mentor? Maybe you could volunteer in the Fall at your local school to speak and share ideas about how to start a business. Be a role model! 
Start Up Princess Interviews Liz Rosenbaum about Selling Scrapbooks.com
June 12, 2007
Start Up Princess.com started in part because of my friend and member, Liz Rosenbaum. Last summer we met at swim lessons and I interviewed her for 2 weeks about how she managed life as mom/business owner and eventually within a week or so our daily emails became this site/vision for Start Up Princess. She was the first person to comment on the blog and about a month later I convinced her to start her own and she’s been a great blogger ever since! We awarded Liz and her mother, Marielen Christensen our very first “Glass Slipper Award” last summer for their contributions as founders of the scrapbooking industry as we know it today 25 years ago!
I have known for a year that Liz and her husband Matt wanted to sell their business and move on to other dreams. In January she told me in confidence that they would be selling and she asked me if I had any leads for her to sell her business and while I didn’t really know of anyone, I told her I would hope and pray she’d find the right buyer. We have kept in touch about the sale of the business and I tried to give her a few pep talks about being patient to find the right buyer so it was very exciting to me when I got her email a couple of months ago that it was finalized…and she was so happy with the new owners! Scrapbooks.com has already transferred over to the new owners (whom also own scrapbook.com) and there is a new look over there as well. Liz will remain on the design team and collaborate with them on design projects and she’s thrilled to also keep up her scrapbooks.com blog too.
I wanted to ask Liz questions and details and share with you all, she was happy to contribute:
How long did you own your business (or when did you purchase it) from your parents?
Keeping Memories Alive was founded by my parents, Anthony and Marielen Christensen 26 years ago. My husband and I became co-owners of the company in 1999. In 2004, we purchased a larger amount of the business and at that time took over the daily operations of the company.
What was the most enjoyable for you?
I loved being part of a company that encouraged such a worthwhile activity. I also enjoyed the times I could be creative and help in the process of manufacturing products, making idea pages for our customers and authoring idea books.
What was the most challenging?
Realizing that some people in business are not trustworthy and being taken advantage of by those you had put your trust in.
Why did you and your family decide to sell the business? What was that like to admit that it was time to move on?
There were several reasons why we decided to sell the business, but the main reason was simply that we were ready for change. After managing the company together for so long, my husband felt ready to move onto other dreams and I was ready for a little less stress in my life.
When we first started to wonder if it was time for us to move on, it was such a crazy thought! This business had been in our family for so long and since my mother was the one who founded the modern day scrapbook industry, the thought of selling the business to someone outside the family seemed so strange. However, we couldn’t change the strong feelings we had of following new dreams and deep down, we knew we were doing the right thing. My parents were supportive of our decision and from that point on, our goal was to find a buyer that would be the best fit for our company.
How did you find a buyer?
We contacted various people in the industry who we thought may have an interest in purchasing our company. Several were quite interested, but for one reason or another, it never worked out. Then, when we were beginning to get frustrated, my husband remembered a company who had approached us a few years earlier to ask if we would be interested in merging or selling out to them. We weren’t interested at the time they originally contacted us, but figured we might as well get in contact with them again to see if there was still an interest in acquiring our company. They were still interested and the rest is history!
How long did it take from deciding to sell to transfer the business over to the new owners?
From the time we decided to sell the company to the time we actually sold was about two years. However, we were not very aggressive in finding a buyer during the first year.
How did you negotiate your role with the new company?
Basically, they just asked me if I would be interested in continuing on with the company in creative capacities, by writing e-books and staying on the design team and in their words, “being the face of the companyâ€. Those are all things that I love doing and things I can do right from home so there was no negotiating needed. I jumped at the chance!
What changes will the new company make?
They are going to be offering many new and exciting services to our customers. People will be able to have their own blog on the site and will be able to purchase digital scrapbook products online.
What do you get to continue doing with them?
I will actually get to do the things that I love! I am already working on an e-book and will be able to participate as an active design team member among other things.
What will you take with you to your next business opportunity?
The knowledge that I can do whatever it is I want to do in life. All I have to do is believe I can do whatever it is I want to do, work hard at it, visualize myself doing it, not allow fear to creep into my mind and just go for it. Everything is possible! You just have to believe!
Thanks Liz!! CONGRATS!! 
“Damsels in Success” Launches Website for Women in Business
June 11, 2007
New Start Up Princess, Founder Harleen Kahlon of Damsels in Success contacted us to share their great news…they launched their site to support business women, check it out! Forbes recently featured the sites for its innovative take on meeting the needs of women in business who are seeking answers for how to progress in their careers. Good luck to Harleen and her “Damsels.”
Ladies Who Launch: An Inside Look at Attending an Incubator, Part 3
June 11, 2007
Here’s the last part…
Week 4: This week was the same as Memorial Day so I think a lot of us didn’t do our homework or didn’t do it until late but we did email each other and there were many connections being developed within the group. The 5 action items helped people to see what each other needed/wanted and gave each person an opportunity to jump in and say “I can help with that request” building bonds and support….we’re not alone on the journey! At the event it was more social and light…relaxed. We were finally getting to know each other better and it was great. This time we were supposed to bring a gift and or food to share with the group…previously all of the events had bottled water, so this was a celebration (although I’m all about party food and it would have been fun to have had more food at the other events too). I knew when this was over that we would keep in touch and pitch in to help each other grow our businesses.
During the final event we read our “future” press releases to each other and it was powerful to see what each woman wanted to create. We CAN create anything we want in this life…I know that for certain, (and of course, there are trade-offs) and the other thing I know for certain is that any dream you create is not really YOU creating it at all…it’s because you have friends (and I add: mentors and board of advisors) to help you breathe life into that dream.
We were all invited to participate in the ongoing program ($250 lifetime membership) to have advertising on the Ladies Who Launch website, profile section, have our profile/connect via email to 7000 other women entrepreneurs, and hear about PR opportunities and be invited to local events. I think our whole group did the ongoing program…at least I hope so. If not, I have their emails and I’ll be seeing them at YOGA soon at Angela Martinsdale’s studio.
Here’s a brief review of what to expect and not expect if you do a Ladies Who Launch Incubator in your area:
- Expect to attend 4 times; 4 weeks in a row
- Expect to meet ambitious, talented women who have big dreams and are serious about making them happen
- Expect to do homework and assignments each week
- Expect to join a network of enterprising women not only locally, but nationally (if you join the ongoing program)
- Expect to ponder, reflect, and think more deeply about what your company/project vision is and to hear others’ visions for you as well
- Expect to do something nice for yourself everyday
- Expect to feel supported in your dreams
- Expect that it will cost $250 to join the incubator and more for the ongoing program following (this ranges between locations from $100-$500, but it’s a lifetime membership)
- Expect that part of the homework will be to assist others with their business visions and action items, forming a community among the group
- Don’t Expect to get opinions, mentoring, advice, or guidance from Ladies Who Launch as a company, you may be lucky to get it from members who attend, but it’s only at your request and isn’t a part of the program
- Don’t Expect to spend time getting to know each other on a personal level very much…unless you take the initiative outside of the incubator or via email
- Don’t Expect to write a business plan or strategy during the 4 week session
- Don’t Expect to find funding or financing of any kind for your business
- Don’t Expect to sell (or be sold) your products or services to the group during the incubator, it’s not about that.
- Do Expect to Enjoy yourself and Make New Friends who have similar interests as you
Ladies Who Launch: An Inside Look at Attending an Incubator, Part 2
June 11, 2007
As promised, here is Part 2:
Week 2: To be honest it was a crazy week (much more than usual) I had inventory at a boutique, stayed overnight in Park City with my husband, we had painters working on our living room and our landscaping was being worked on…so a lot going on at our house. It was hard to remember to do assignment (2) “do something nice for myself everyday” but I appreciated the challenge…I desperately needed more sleep so I took a few extra naps, slept in late, and went to bed early once (before midnight) Ha! assignment (1) to dejunk or organize something physical was already happening with getting some new energy going in our house with our beautiful brown painted living room. Assignment (3) was the vision statements that I already referred too…they were a struggle for me but at the same time, I really was excited to hear what others’ visions were for me and Start Up Princess. I did get a couple of emails from the group this week someone asking for a graphic designer reference and another person asking for a company name vote. The group was still a little timid to jump in with emails at this point.
Back at the Tea Room on Wednesday we all took a turn sitting at the “hot spot” and each person went around and said what their visions were for that person’s company. It was pretty intense and most everyone took it very seriously. The possibilities were all over the place and BIG. The receiver was only allowed to say “thank you” at the end of the group’s visions for them. Then they were able to say how it “felt” or their reaction. I think everyone was very pleased with the range of ideas and dreams we had for each other. When it was my turn I was very happy to hear many of the ideas ranging from a Start Up Princess magazine, being on Oprah, having our own “holiday” with mandated funding within 48 hours by govt officials (this was a funny one), to networking tea parties in every city (this is my goal)…it was a lot of fun to hear and participate in! I also felt validated that this whole group loved Start Up Princess and what it could become/ what it is becoming…
Our next assignment was to keep doing something nice for ourselves everyday (still sleeping for me!) contact 5 people from Ladies Who Launch via email (no problem here! I received a couple of emails this week from the group) and also writing a few key words in a sentence for describing each person’s “voice” as we perceived them. This was a fun activity that we all emailed each other and again, was very nice and complimentary yet, I would have liked to have seen this activity at the end of the 4 weeks because I really didn’t feel that I knew the ladies well enough. At the end of the night I was kicking myself that I hadn’t suggested to the group that we do something afterwards because when it was over the same thing happened…everyone left, not a lot of lingering or socializing.
Sadly I had to miss week 3 because of another event, but this is where they read their “voices” to each other, such as, Self-assured * Experienced * Supportive.
This week there was a major shift in the group it seemed because everyone started emailing more often. We were reaching out to each other and helping each other…it was nice! The homework assignment for week 3 was: keep doing something nice for yourself everyday, tell the group what your “secret weapon was” (such as I’m a power networker or I exercise regularly…) create 5 action items for the group to help you out with and email to the group, and write a press release of your “vision” for yourself.
I can honestly say that I missed out not attending Week 3. It was a bit difficult to jump back into the group since I felt that I had missed some of the conversation, but all in all the emails buzzing around the group with the action items helped me to still feel included and I appreciated that.
Gold Crown Awards to Newspaper Grl, eMom, and Phil801
June 9, 2007
Late last night I called Newspapergrl Fairy Godmother Janet Meiners to see if she could help me with adding Text Link Ads to Start Up Princess since I couldn’t figure out how to install the code and she was so great to help me out but we ran into an issue with the code and it shut down my site! Aaah! We emailed eMom, Fairy Godmother Wendy Piersall and she offered some ideas and a great resource for help. We were still stuck and so Janet sent an SOS on Twitter and our good friend and HERO Phil Burns responded at 11pm to save the site and literally restored everything! We were so happy…elated…overjoyed. We thought for a moment that we may have lost everything added to the site after May 7th (Bluehost last backed it up on May 7th.) I feel very loved and blessed this morning.
Special thanks and Gold Crowns go to Newspapergrl, eMom, and Phil801!!! I’m also on my way to deliver frozen fruit for smoothies to Phil and his family.
Today’s Magic Wand Tip: Figure out a way to back up your website more frequently!! Any ideas??? I don’t want this to happen again.
