Family businesses in the news…

Posted on April 30th, 2009 by Sandy Reed

Here are some interesting family business statistics from American Management Services, Inc.

  • Family businesses comprise 80 to 90 percent of all business enterprises in North America (Family Business Review, Summer 1996)
  • Family owned businesses account for 60% of total U.S. employment, 78% of all new jobs, and 65% of wages paid (Financial Planning, Nov. 1999) – These percentages are probably even higher now…
  • Of the companies listed on the S&P 500, 34% are family businesses (Ronald C. Anderson and David M. Reeb, Founding-Family Ownership and Firm Performance: Evidence from the S&P 500)
  • The number of family businesses run by women have grown 37% in the past five years with an average annual revenue of $26.9 million (Boston Business Journal, September 4, 2003)
  • 52% of family firms have hired at least one female family member full-time, while 10% employ two female family members (Arthur Anderson/Mass Mutual, 2003)

Women in family businesses are becoming a dominant force in the marketplace.  It’s a sign of the times that we are becoming stronger in our abilities to provide for ourselves and our families.  No longer are we at the mercy of a male dominated society – we can make as much or as little money as we want to – if we make the decision and believe in ourselves. 

The International Association of Women in Family Enterprises was founded on the principle that women who support each other and create symbiotic strategic alliances can create an even stronger presence and positive influence in our world.

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At IAWIFE – We’re Positively on a Mission!

Posted on April 27th, 2009 by Sandy Reed

rainbowcloudsIn the September 2008 issue of Psychosomatic Medicine, the results of a study was published which concluded that adults who saw themselves as “very optimistic” had a 55% decrease in risk of death from any cause; and a 23% decrease in risk of death due to heart disease – as compared to people who were very pessimistic.  People who look for the good things in life stay healthier and live longer! 

I opened the local paper this morning and the first thing I saw was these words, “Warning the worst is yet to come, U.S. officials Sunday declared the rapid spread of swine flue to be a public health emergency…”  This is just one of the bold “hit you in the face” negative headlines in the news.  Makes me wonder why I even subscribe to the newspaper.  I keep looking for positive stuff, but it’s extremely hard to find – just look for yourselves…

At IAWIFE we’re on a mission.  Not only are we building our businesses to be healthy and valuable to the world economy, we fully intend to be part of the solution – not the problem.  The problems of the world cannot be solved with the same negative minds that created them in the first place (as Albert Einstein reminded us), so we’re looking for the positive and putting it out into the world every chance we get.  If you’re sick and tired of the negativity and pessimism in the world, come join us!

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How is your business growing?

Posted on April 24th, 2009 by Sandy Reed

women-in-business-clip-art-001I read a quote by Jim Rohn recently reminding me that there is always a planting season and a harvest season.  We have been spending thousands of marketing dollars sending direct mail in the last few months, and not seeing the results we had hoped for…  In the past our direct mailing of an introductory letter and full color brochure has kept a steady flow of new customers calling us for remodels, additions, and new homes.

  Although the calls are starting to come again, they aren’t from new customers.  They are from customers we have been cultivating relationships with over the last year.  In other words, we planted the seeds of how we can help them, and now we are beginning to reap the harvest.

Now, more than ever, it’s important for all you business owners to cultivate your own customer relationships - to give them all the help they need to make an informed decision about what you can offer them to solve whatever problem they may have or how you can make their life more comfortable, peaceful, fun, whatever…

You can never know your customers too well.  Go out of your way to talk to them and find out what they need, provide it, and your business will reap the harvest.

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IAWIFE Member Announces Passions and Priorities Workshop

Posted on April 15th, 2009 by Sandy Reed

IAWIFE Member, Karin Lubin, will be offering a Passions and Priorites Workshop on April 22, 2009 from 6-9 pm karinrandypic1in Angels Camp, California.  Karin, and her husband Randy, use The Passion Test and other powerful tools and practices that align passion, purpose, and productivity. 

In this workshop, you will identify and prioritize your top five passions, create a passion score on how much attention you are putting on what you love to do, learn seven key principles, and clarify and discover your key markers to recognize when you are living a fulfilling life. 

To attend this workshop, or to talk to Karin about attending a virtual workshop, contact her at 209-795-3127 or email quantumleapcoach@comcast.net.  Visit Karin’s website a www.quantumleapcoaching.org

.

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Escaping the Entrepreneurial Money Traps

Posted on April 7th, 2009 by Sandy Reed

April 23, 2009 at 2 pm PDTkaren-russo-green-top-pic-08

Too many smart, spiritually connected, talented entrepreneurs are blocked by anxieties, resentments, and mess in their money lives.  Karen Russo believes it’s not necessary!  Karen is an ordained minister and successful corporate trainer who studied the spirituality, beliefs and habits of conscious wealth creators and shares the principles and tools they use to build spiritual money mastery.

You’ll learn simple steps to enjoy more peace of mind, creative freedom, and the flow of prosperity right now!  

You’ll discover:

·         The spiritual context of money and what it means in your life and your business

·         How to identify (and escape from!) the 3 Money Traps , and

·         How to apply spiritual principles around money for yourself, your family, your clients, your business and the world!

Continue reading

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Breaking through the recession into a new day…

Posted on April 5th, 2009 by Sandy Reed

As I look for something going on in the world that’s positive everyday, I find it is not an easy thing to do. I look in the newspaper and see that it’s the negative “stuff” that apparently sells newspapers.  In the entire first section of the paper I found not one positive thing to help overshadow the gloom and doom on almost every page.  But in the midst of all this there’s a message to be found…

People everywhere on the planet are aware of the global financial meltdown.  It’s at the forefront of everyone’s mind right now as the unemployment figures rise, houses are lost, and businesses struggle to survive.  But all of this chaos is causing the world leaders to come together to work on a system of recovery.  One newspaper reported that they are working on a “financial new world order” .  Could it be that ultimately the world will end up better than it was when this financial meltdown started?  Could it be that in the midst of the pain and suffering that many people are experiencing they are being “rebuilt” stronger and more resilient?

I believe we are truly in the midst of creating a new day for people and businesses in the world.  We can see that after surviving the Great Depression, that began in 1929, the world came back better and stronger.  I believe this rebuilding is happening before our eyes, and it’s happening in our small businesses.  Creative ideas and solutions are being born on how to become more valuable and customer service oriented in the marketplace.  As many big businesses close, small businesses are learning how to fill the void and reach out in new ways to an ever broadening client base. 

Yes, it may seem that chaos is everywhere around us, but history has shown us that we can come out of the chaos into a new day and not just survive but thrive, better than before.  Let’s keep looking for the signs that it’s happening, because it is, because we are strong, and because it’s time to take back our power and create the world we want – today!

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Business Innovation is alive and well in the USA

Posted on April 2nd, 2009 by Sandy Reed

We have all experienced the results of the overseas workers dipping into our job market.  This begs the question, “How much better would our economy be if all the jobs being done out of the US were brought back into our country?”

One company has found a way to take the overseas work situation and turn it into a profit making machine.  Darn It!, a company based in New Bedford, Massachusets, has made a business out of repairing garments, toys, and other goods that have been shipped back to the US with defects in workmanship.

Darn It!, whose motto is “Your problem is our business!”, has grown to 100 employees and $4 million in annual revenue since the mid-1990’s.  They take lemons and make lemonade from such repair issues as re-labeling garments, re-bagging, re-boxing, removing stains. etc., etc…

This is a classic example of looking for potential business opportunities instead of relying on the old standby of critcizing, condemning, and complaining about what’s going on in the world. 

There is positive to be found – it just takes some creative thinking to find it!

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