10 Reasons Why You Should Attend a Conference in Person
September 30, 2007
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I just completed a full weekend of conferences and I’m feeling recharged, motivated, and inspired. I went to the Smart Women Smart Money conference on Thursday and then to a 2-day Women’s Conference which was one of the highlights of my year.
Today’s Magic Wand: Here’s 10 Reasons Why You Should Attend a Conference (in Person, not tele-seminars)
1. You may meet people with similar interests and experiences who may help you expand your network and circle of influence
2. Your mind may be open to new opportunities
3. Your mind may be challenged to consider new ideas and theories
4. Your heart may be inspired and encouraged
5. You may have an opportunity to exhibit, demonstrate, or share your product or service
6. You may have an opportunity to build potential partnerships and relationships that will help you personally or professionally
7. You might be inspired to write or create something new–a new product, expand an idea, develop a thought
8. You may receive answers to difficult or challenging questions that you have been considering
9. You may meet members of the media and establish new possible PR opportunities (this happened to me–2 radio and 1 TV producer who gave me their cards and want to do features ;))
10. You may realize how completely amazing your life is and be grateful for the mentors who wish to support you in your journey ahead
As you know, we’re busy preparing for The Startup Princess Make a Wish, Make it Happen conference in Utah. I wish you could all come… and if you’re local, I really hope you design your schedule to be there with us. We’re confirming the vendors, preparing the name tags, designing the decor and making the last finishing touches on our presentations because we hope that we can provide an event and experience that will propel women business owners into a higher level of purpose, life balance, strategic planning, and increase their support and network so they can increase their potential to succeed. We look forward to the opportunity to serve and share our resources and ideas with creative, bright, ambitious women who are courageous enough to follow their passions and dreams in business. I want to meet you, and give you a hug!
Enjoy an audio message from Becca Levie, Keynote Speaker of the conference. 
I realize that isn’t possible for everyone to be there so we’re recording the entire Startup Princess conference in video and audio, so you can still get the content. We’re pleased we can offer this opportunity! The video and audio will be available November 15.
Make your plans now…Make a wish, Make it happen!
Watch Video Lecture of Kelly King Anderson Teaching Women Entrepreneurs at BYU
September 27, 2007
On Wednesday I had the pleasure of presenting at BYU, my favorite University (my alma mater). I shared my vision for Startup Princess as well as told my entrepreneur experiences that led to creating the concept of Startup Princess–the business plan competitions and networking experiences that have led me here. Watch the video here.
Building A Brand that Builds a Community
September 26, 2007
Today’s post was written by Fairy Godmother Rachael Herrscher, Co-Founder of Today’s Mama and CEO.
Before we dive into Rachael’s post about branding, we wanted to share the exciting news that TodaysMama, a leading developer of personal, professional and parenting resources for women and mothers everywhere, recently formed strategic partnerships with the League of Women Voters and SitterCity.com to develop the MamaVote initiative. MamaVote initiative was created to empower and inspire women and mothers to increase their awareness of and involvement in the political process. League of Women Voters will contribute content, perspective, and SitterCity will provide free election-day 2008 childcare in select cities.Â
Rachael’s an expert in designing and forming strategic partnerships so we invited her to present at our upcoming October 12th conference on “How to Create Strategic Partnerships.” To meet Rachael and hear her present, please register today.Â
Now on with the post!
There is a reason that Dove launched the campaign for Real Beauty, there is a reason that Keen shoes launched an entirely separate website called Hybrid Life that tells stories about people and their shoes, there is a reason that your local outdoor gear shop offers workshops, guest speakers and parking lot sales – why? To keep in touch with you. To make you part of their community. To make you part of their brand. After all – these days – you are their number one target. If they can get you to tell your friends and family or to post on your blog about them – they have begun the whole chain of viral marketing and that’s the best kind of marketing of all.
Well, if there are all of these businesses going to such great lengths to get to you, why aren’t you going to these great lengths to get to your customers? I know I’m overusing the italics here to emphasize the YOU, but YOU are the important factor in both scenarios.
Let’s take our business, Todays Mama for example – and we’ll call it a working example because I cannot profess that we have done it the best, or even better than most companies out there. But the bottom line is that we have one core product. It’s a reference guide for moms and families in their communities covering places to go and things to do, sports leagues, music lessons, community services etc. etc. etc. It’s 25 chapters and 500 + pages of local community information and the back is full of coupons. Let’s face it – this is a product that most people will buy every other year. Of course the easy answer is diversify your product line – bring them more (which we are doing) — BUT what do you do in the mean time while you’re hard at work servicing new clients and working on new product development? What do I have to offer them aside from a one-time purchase?
The answer is simple – and it’s building a community. But in order to build a community – in order to convince people that my business has staying power and that they should stick around I’ve got to show them that we have something there for them in the first place to keep them engaged and build a relationship of trust. I’ve also got to inspire the type of confidence in the quality of my company through the logos, design, quality of products and clarity of messages that I send them so that it is natural for them to want to keep in touch. But they also have to know that it’s genuine. They need to know that I’m not just doing it to get the next sale and that my/our actions truly reflect our desire to make a difference and build a community that fits their needs.
So we host “Mama’s Night Out” in our local markets, we send a weekly newsletter letting them know what’s going on in their community, we hook them up with ongoing discounts and perks, we’ve tried to create a place online where they’d like to hang out and spend their time whether they’ve all ready bought the book and are waiting for the next big thing from TodaysMama or whether they’re just getting acquainted with us. We hope that they’ll join our community – call themselves a Mama, and profess their love for our company to their friends.
There are so many ways that you can do these types of things in your business. Look into your community and you’ll see dozens of great examples. Off the top of my head I can think of the wine bar that hosts Salsa classes every week, the outdoor gear shop that runs a program called “Babes in the Backcountry” a program for women to improve their skills and meet others with similar interests, the bread store that hosts a community pancake breakfast. All of these “side jobs†are not necessarily big money makers but it brings them all the closer to their main objective: They want to be your friends – and they want you to tell your friends. You can do the same!
Fairy Godmother Kate Maloney, CEO of Costume Craze Makes INC 500 List!
September 25, 2007
If you saw Kate Maloney you’d never expect that she’s the CEO of a company who will do $7M in reven
ues this year…or that she made the INC 500 list. Why? Because she’s only 26! She’s simply amazing! So is her company–they increased 700% in revenues between 2003 ($654,064) and 2006 ($5.2M)! Kate’s team and co-founders are her mom, Kathleen, and brother Matthew. They have 95 employees right now because Costume Craze is CRAZY this time of year! On their busiest day they ship 6,000 packages! Click here to listen her interview with INC 500. Kate says one of their most popular items is the Ghostbuster costume. I need to check and see if they have any Fairy Godmother costumes, I know they have hundreds of costumes for Princesses, my daughter was browsing the site the other day dreaming of which one she wants next!
We’re delighted that Kate is one of our speakers for The Startup Princess Make a Wish, Make it Happen conference on October 12th at Utah Valley State University. She will be speaking about “Funding Your Business Idea.” She knows the full spectrum of options well–they used credit cards, loans, investors, and even her parents’ mortgage to fund inventory! She’ll offer excellent perspective on the good, bad, and ugly of what your options are and what it takes–a bit of faith and a ton of guts!
If you’re in Utah on October 12th, register to hear Kate and 13 other fabulous presenters!
Listen to Marketing Guru SETH GODIN Live on Thursday for FR*EE
September 24, 2007
Today’s Magic Wand: Here’s a super opportunity to listen to SETH GODIN for FR*EE on Thursday presented by Fairy Godmother Christine Kloser! Seth will be discussing principles from his latest book, The Dip.
Here’s how to register: http://www.loveyourlife.com/sethgodin
You’ll enjoy his style, his passion, and his excellent strategies. I heard Seth in person in May–he’s amazing. He’ll discuss “when to quit and when to stick” in business, principles you can apply to any industry! Christine says, On the call Seth will be talking about why quitting may be the best thing you can do for your business and your life. In fact, the most successful people in the world are all quitters–they get out of dead-end situations fast, so they can refocus their energies on areas where they can be the best in the world.
DON’T MISS IT!
Congrats to Fairy Godmother Deborah Gardner, Winner of BYU Distinguished Alumni Award 2007
September 22, 2007
We have outsta
nding Fairy Godmothers here at Startup Princess!! I couldn’t be more pleased with the level of expertise and experience we have with our Fairy Godmother mentors. They are continually striving for excellence and are often receiving recognition for their success.
Deborah Dushku Gardner Executive Director and Co-Founder of One Heart Bulgaria was just honored with the Distinguished Service to Family Award from BYU this weekend during Homecoming week. The award is among the highest honors the university offers. It is interesting to note that Gardner was the only woman to be honored this year and is one of the youngest to receive the award. Most of the honorees were well over 50 years old.
I had the pleasure of writing a recommendation for Deborah’s award as a Trustee of One Heart and as a close friend who served along with her in Bulgaria from 1994-95 and here in the USA over the last few years. Here is an excerpt from the letter that I wrote the University:
On a subsequent trip in September 2003, I traveled to Bulgaria with Deborah and Heidi Brown Barker to assess some infant orphanages and establish relationships for additional sponsorships there. We were all stunned and horrified by the babies suffering with hydrocephalus, a disease that is treatable with surgery, however, due to lack of funding and resources, in Bulgaria many children die before the age of three because of this painful disease. As we held the hands of babies whose heads were too large to lift and bodies too weak, we looked into their eyes and prayed for them…that their suffering would end quickly. Deborah did more. She went home and created a strategy to give life to these children!! She recruited sponsors and surgeons…and now is raising funds for a medical clinic. Several children NOW have a future because of Deborah’s incredible efforts.
Tears streamed down my cheeks when I saw her receive the award on Friday handing off her 5th baby, 5 week old Milla (which means “Sweetie” In Bulgarian) to her husband, walked up to the stage with confidence and stood at the podium to address the audience filled with distinguished individuals and other honorees. What is so amazing about Deborah is that the award was never (and has never been) about her. It’s about the children she and One Heart Bulgaria serve. She was quick to introduce her co-Founder, Heidi Brown Barker in the audience and to share the moment with her, she thanked God for moving mountains and preparing the way for their work and she conveyed the love and passion behind her work for the children…naming several of them individually–they aren’t just orphans, they have names! And thanks to Deborah and the One Heart Bulgaria team they have a hopeful future ahead…
I’m pleased that I can still serve as a Trustee for the organization and for a few years I was able to take an active seat on the Board–I enjoyed working professionally with Deborah when we didn’t even know how to build a non-profit or how we were going to execute our ideas…we just kept moving forward with faith and worked hard as a team–and it has paid off. Now there’s college internship programs and incredible support for many educational and medical programs. Just last week 30 dentists from the USA gave 500 orphans dental treatment in Bulgaria! And the story continues…can’t wait to hear what’s next, Deborah! To get involved or contribute, please visit One Heart Bulgaria.
Meet Deborah at The Startup Princess Conference, Oct 12, at UVSC.
Meet Keynote Speaker and Fairy Godmother, Becca Levie
September 20, 2007
Only 3 Weeks until The Startup Princess Make a Wish, Make it Happen! conference at UVSC in Orem, Utah!
Over the next few weeks we’ll dedicate a post to each of our speakers and get you even MORE EXCITED to join us! And there’s great news for those who are out of state/country! We’re filming and recording the entire conference and will make them available for purchase.
Our morning keynote speaker is Becca Levie, one of our fabulous Fairy Godmothers. Becca’s life story is a triumph, you’ll find her experiences to be both heart-breaking and astonishing, keep reading!
She served as Mrs. Utah US Continental 2005-2006. Becca is also the author of the well known blog Life on Purpose www.beccalevie.com Becca is the author of the books Victim or Victorious and Remember Who You Are, Born for Greatness. She is an ambassador for The Power in You program founded by Utah’s First Lady, Mrs. Mary Kay Huntsman. She also has been appointed to the National Honorary Advisory Council for the Statue of Responsibility which is scheduled to be dedicated in 2010 on the West Coast. She and her husband own Big Kahuna Native Naturals, Lip Notes, and Hold to the Rod Designs. She is the proud mom of four children.
Becca was born with five holes in her heart and was not expected to live. Her mother was a drug addict, unable to cope with her sick child. To silence Becca’s cries, her mother would beat her on the head with a wooden spoon. That was only the beginning. When she was eight years old, her mom dumped Becca and her sisters in a Mexican barrio in the middle of the California desert. Pointing to some puppies, her mother said, “Look girls! Play with the puppies, and I will see you in a few hours.” That was over 30 years ago. Becca never saw her Mom again.
After hearing this, most people’s mouths drop open and they ask, “What happened next?” Within a year, Becca and her sisters were found, starving, covered with lice and wearing only their underwear. They were eventually returned to their father. Life continued to offer extremely difficult challenges. Ultimately, Becca was placed in foster care.
At age 13, Becca attempted suicide, but a fellow student stopped her, and she got help through a school counselor. The counselor told her that everyone experiences challenges, but they will pass. She asked Becca if she had a dream for her life and told her that the future is yours if you will choose it. Becca said, “When I heard the counselor say that, something inside of me told me it was true.”
But, that was only the beginning of a long journey overcoming years of abuse and abandonment. The hardest things to overcome were the mental tapes that played over and over in her head: “You’re stupid.” “You’re ugly.” “Nobody can love you. Even your own mother left you.”
Once tall, gangly, and uncoordinated, Becca now jokes about wearing high water pants, having bushy eyebrows that would give Godzilla a run for his money, and wearing thick, bottleneck glasses. She states, “For years, it really seemed to me that there was no purpose for my life and that I was basically wasting space on this planet. But somewhere deep inside, there was a tiny voice or feeling that I must not give up, and I must believe that my life had a purpose.” Now, Becca teaches and encourages others to search out and listen to their own inner voice that whispers greatness lies within.
Becca shares her story because everyone will face some sort of challenge in their life. “But, the good news is,” she says, “We are not a product of our circumstances. We are a product of our choices. Everyday we must remind ourselves that we were born for greatness and take daily actions to live lives of greatness.” One of her favorite quotes is from Martin Luther King: “Everyone was born with a potential for greatness, not necessarily for fame but for greatness, because greatness is determined by service.”
Becca looks forward to sharing her keys to living “life on purpose” at the conference, we are all looking forward to it!
If you haven’t already registered for the conference, featuring Becca as a keynote speaker, here is the post with the paypal link.
Get The Support You Need to Get Your Book Done, Published, and Delivered!
September 18, 2007
Over the Summer I met our fabulous Fairy Godmother, Christine Kloser. Christine told me about her “Get Your Book Done” coaching program and I was completely intrigued.
In her own words, Listen to what Christine says about her “Get Your Book Done” coaching program:
Since I haven’t done the program yet I wanted to hear from one of Christine’s students, Liz Pabon whom is also a new Startup Princess.
Meet The Branding Maven, Liz Pabon!
How long have you been the “Branding Maven�
I am in my fifth year of business.
How did you hear about the program and what made you interested in doing it?
Christine and I knew one another through a Mastermind group we both belonged to. When she made the announcement that she was launching the Get Your Book Done program, I thought it was brilliant and signed up right away! I had co-authored two books that Christine published and was terribly impressed with her process and the quality of the production. Having a publishing background myself, I was **very** skeptical about the end product. From the cutting of the book pages, to a strong sturdy spine, and well laid out book, she didn’t skip a beat. Everything was done meticulously and the process of turning in the manuscript for my chapter contributions were a breeze. Having had such a wonderful experience with Christine in my contribution to Inspiration to Realization II and Power & Soul, I knew I could trust her to get my solo book published.
What is your weekly commitment to the program like?
Christine follows a process one might not expect. When you’re writing a book, you expect to immediately start writing. Instead, she first takes you through a discovery process to help you get clarity on your audience, your message, and your objective, which grounds you for the research and writing to come. I’ve known several people who dream of writing a book and begin writing immediately. Unfortunately, they have a difficult time getting the book read and promoted in large part because they didn’t clearly articulate who they were writing the book for **before** they wrote it. Sounds like an obvious first step for an author. However, writing a book you want to get out of you is one thing. If you can’t connect that message to a specific audience…that’s a marketing nightmare! And let’s be honest, if you can’t get anyone to pick up your book, your message will forever go unread and unheard.
Each week, Christine takes you by the hand and gets you further and further into the process, preparing you fully before you begin to write. I liken it to marathon running…you can’t just suit up and run the race. There is a process of training, stretching, visualizing, etc. that comes into play before the athlete ever makes it to the track. Christine’s process honors the fact that like an athlete about to prepare for a big race, there is a certain amount of stretching, and training that happens before the writing ever begins. No one want’s a charlie horse on the big day 
Read more
Announcing The Startup Princess Make a Wish, Make it Happen Conference for Women Entrepreneurs October 12, 2007 Utah Valley State College
September 17, 2007
WISH GRANTED.
We’ve heard your startup dreams—now, let us help make them a reality.
Your attendance is requested at the Startup Princess Make a Wish, Make it Happen! Conference for Women Entrepreneurs. Please join us for an enjoyable day of inspiration, networking, and high level business training taught by 14 of Top Women Entrepreneurs, your Fairy Godmothers.
October 12, 2007
Utah Valley State College “Center Stage”
Orem, Utah
9am-3pm
Keynote Speakers, Breakout Sessions, Small Group Networking, Exhibitor Tables,
Participant Demo Tables and Lunch!
$65
MEET YOUR FAIRY GODMOTHERS
Keynote Speakers:
Kelly King Anderson, Startup Princess
Barbara Vineyard, Wasatch Woman Magazine
Breakout Session Speakers:
Katie Maloney, Costume Craze
Melissa Chappell, “Raw Melissaâ€
Tracey Christensen, nowican.org
Melissa DeMordaunt, SnugaBug Baby
Lori Harris, Mary Jane’s Shoes
Nancy Cadjan, Sign Babies
Carrie Dunn, XO Marketing Group
Erika Wilde, Wilde Mats and Matting Inc.
Liz Galloway, Lotus Effects LLC
Cydni Tetro, NEXTpage
Rachael Herrscher, Today’s Mama
Please DOWNLOAD STARTUP PRINCESS CONFERENCE 2007 Agenda and Registration information here.
Can’t Join us?? Great News! We’re filming and recording the entire conference and creating a “Best of DVD” ($25) and “Best of Audio MP3″ ($15). These items will be available November 15. pre-order your copies today. Prices will increase after October 31.
Best of DVD
Best of Audio
Meeting Dan Clark, Speaker/Author/Songwriter/Former Professional Football Player
September 15, 2007
I just returned from a fabulous couple of days at Snowbird with my family. My husband, Matt was participating at The Corporate Alliance Reunion for business owners (200 people) and we joined him for the last day and to hang out up there as a family after it concluded. We’re both members of Corporate Alliance and have generated a stronger network because of it. Excellent people! Excellent programs!
I attended the closing event with guest speaker, Dan Clark and we were privileged to sit at his table for dinner. I told Dan about Startup Princess and he said he loved our tagline, Make a Wish, Make it Happen and that he’d love to speak to our group…that would be awesome someday!
I’ve heard many, many speakers in my life and while Dan doesn’t really like to be called a “motivational speaker” (he prefers to say he’s a speaker who helps you “remember” because he doesn’t really teach you anything new), I would say that Dan is in my top 10 favorites of all time…he’s really great! Dan used to play football professionally, has had a successful music songwriting career, and now he’s an author (one of the “Chicken Soup for The Soul” writers) and speaker–he spoke in 51 cities and over 20 countries last year. He’s upbeat, funny, and encourages you to think that sometimes the answers “are in the box.” He reminded us that music only has 12 notes (with sharps and flats) yet think of the vast differences of compositions and styles–there are core elements and yet with creativity and effort you can make it yours. He said there’s a reason that there are basics and core principles of success…they are tried and tested over and over.
Today’s Magic Wand: One story he shared that was very interesting was the difference between one year’s last place (Florida ?) football team and first place Dallas Cowboys football team was in how they answered 1 question. He asked each member of the team “Why are you here?” The losing team all said, “To play football.” but the winning team replied, “To Win the Super Bowl.” They were both “teams” but one had a purpose, a mission. Its not enough to just “do what you do”, you have to have a vision for why it is you’re doing “what you do.”
