PWBN Magazine 2017 Spring Issue

P
PWBN Magazine Spring Issue
March/April 2017
W
B
N
Are You Indispensable?
Capturing Your Family Legacy
Visionary Revives the Chuck
Taylor Classic
Bringing Women Together
One Meeting at a Time

Are You Indispensable?
By Melony Oestreich
Perhaps you’re frequently told—
by colleagues at work, family
members, or friends—that they
don’t know what they’d do without
you. Of course, it makes you feel
important. But perhaps you’re
being given a bit of a back-handed
compliment. Any good manager
can tell you that the secret to a
smooth running and successful
operation is delegating authority.
Maybe you make the world’s
best lemon pie. And after you’re
gone, your kids will sit around for
decades, reminiscing about what
a great pie Mom used to make.
But wouldn’t it be even better if
you had given them the recipe,
and they could continue making it
for themselves instead of simply
dreaming about it?
How much more important
are your financial records!
Whether you are the only adult
in your household, or share
responsibilities, think for a
moment. If someone had to take
over for you in an emergency,
would they be able to keep your
affairs running smoothly? Here are
some points to consider:
• Identify your “backup team.”
In most households, there’s a
division of labor. While that’s
an efficient system for day-today
operations, cross-training is
important as well. Your spouse
or partner should know what you
know, and vice versa. If you are
the only adult in your household,
enlist a trusted family member
or friend with the necessary
information. If you share a
home with a roommate, an
elderly parent, or another
person unwilling or unable to
handle your finances, you might
also need to go outside of your
household to find your “backup
team.”
• List your bills. Start with rent
or mortgage, utilities, minimum
payments on credit cards, car
payments, and anything else
you pay on a regular monthly
basis. Then add bills you pay less
frequently, such as a yearly trash
fee, car insurance, or association
dues. Also list items
you pay on an asneeded
basis, like
snowplowing, repairs
or yard cleanup.
• Create a calendar.
Mark down the
deadlines for each
bill, and when you
usually pay them.
• Create a notation.
Mark down how you usually
pay each bill: by check,
cash, credit or debit
card? In person, by mail,
electronically?
• Provide physical access. Do you
have files kept in a desk or filing
cabinet? Your backup person will
need to know where these are
located. Do you have a safety
deposit box? Ditto for the keys.
Are you the only account holder
for your bank accounts? Consider
adding your backup person so
that check-writing and other
transactions may be performed
by him or her. Do you keep the
business cards of preferred
service people? Are they all in
one place, and is it clear who
does what?
• Prioritize. If money were tight,
which bills would get paid
before others? Consider this
question, and talk it over with
your backup person. Also think
about what you would do with
an unexpected windfall: save it,
invest it, donate it to charity, or
pay off a debt?
• Practice. Don’t just talk about
dealing with your finances. You
may think you know how to do
a thing, but actually having to
do it flushes out all the possible
problems. So guide your family
member or friend through the
process. With your assistance,
have him or her sign onto your
online accounts. Go to the bank
together and open the safety
deposit box. Make sure the bill
statements are understandable
to both of you.
And remember, turnabout is fair
play. If your partner or spouse
handles all or some of the bills,
then perhaps you are the one who
needs training. If handling the
finances is not your regular job,
but suddenly fell to you, would
you know what to do?
This month, vow to share
information, and step through
the process of handling your
financial business with someone
you trust. Even if you go back
to your routine division of labor,
you’ll undoubtedly have become
more organized in the process,
and you’ll have gained peace of
mind, knowing that in unexpected
circumstances, your affairs can be
managed smoothly. That’s better
than being indispensable any day.
Making Finances Indispensable
While completing this process, you
may come to recognize a newfound
appreciation of the intricacies
involved with managing your
financial affairs. Now may be a
good time to take a second look at
your finances and long term plans
and involve your backup in the
process. Guidance from a qualified
financial professional can help you
think about the best ways to plan
for the future and manage your
money. To learn more or access
helpful materials, speak with a
local financial professional or visit
www.massmutual.com/women.
© 2014 Massachusetts Mutual Life
Insurance Company, Springfield,
MA 01111-0001
Provided by Melony Oestreich, a
representative with MassMutual
Eastern Pennsylvania; courtesy
of Massachusetts Mutual Life
Insurance Company (MassMutual).
Local sales agencies are not
subsidiaries of MassMutual or its
affiliated companies.
CRN201603-178526

Capturing Your Family Legacy
By Deb Hallisey
When my mom’s father was
in his mid-80’s I sat him
down with his brother and
sisters and got them to talk
about their lives. Everyone
had vivid memories of WWII,
the Great Depression, and
where they were when they
heard President Kennedy
had been shot. Life got busy
and I finished writing the
family history for Gramps 90 th
birthday. When I presented
him with the bound copy, I said
“I finally got it finished.” To
which he replied in a soft voice
“And now it’s done.” He died
less than 6 months later. I still
get chills when I think of that
conversation but it was not
until I read the book “How to
Communicate with Seniors” by
David Solie, M.S., P. A., that I
felt like understood it.
In his book,” Solie discusses
some of the frustrating
behaviors of our seniors:
repeating stories, fretting over
unimportant details and abruptly
ending conversations when we
are trying to resolve issues. He
doesn’t believe this behavior is
just “old age”. Solie explains
this behavior by outlining two
critical needs of our seniors:
Control: “To maintain control
is a primary driver for the
elderly, because each day,
they feel losses – of strength,
health, peers, and authority
that are staggering”.
Developmental work: The
developmental work of our
elderly is to look “backward,
not forward to reflect on what
their lives have meant to
themselves, their loved ones and
the world at large.” What Solie
calls “legacy work”. As Solie
says, “Facilitating legacy works
requires nothing more than our
time, attention and willingness
to engage the older person.”
This need for reflection,
translates into the need to be
“remembered for their time
here on earth and cherished
by succeeding generations.”
And it comes at a time when
elders are losing control of
so many thinks in their life –
health, mobility, the death of
the people that knew them
best. This recontextualization
as described by Rabbi Zalman
Schachter-Shalomi is the
”process of remembering long
ago events, people, places
and relationships and assigning
new meaning or importance to
these events.”
You can help your senior in their
legacy work by documenting
family history. It is not just a
gift to your senior, it’s a gift to
yourself. Sit down with your
senior, tape the conversation
or have a notebook at the
ready. Give them this gift while
they still have the mental and
emotional capacity to do it. Our
seniors
need to
tell you
their
story
and
there is
joy and
passion
in the
process.
And
don’t be surprised by how much
this helps you understand who
you are, or, how it will bond the
family in new ways.
Getting Started:
• Get you senior settled and
relaxed, maybe involved
in something they love like
knitting
• Engage in small talk
before asking open ended
questions like:
• Tell me about growing
up
• Who was your favorite
teacher?
• How did you meet your
spouse?
• Tell me about your
hobbies
• Don’t rush pauses and
respect any conversational
tangents
• Have photographs
available to jump start the
conversation. Write on the
back, the who and where
for each photo.
Deb Hallisey, Owner of
Advocate for Mom and
Dad, writes on caring for
aging loved ones at www.
advocateformomanddad.com.
Deb Hallisey
Free advice to care for aging loved ones
Go to: www.advocateformomanddad.com

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Visionary Revives the Chuck Taylor Classic
By Lynda Dell
Sometimes it’s enough just to
appear on ABC-TV’s “Shark Tank”
to get a nibble. The exposure
alone has ramifications that can’t
even be fathomed.
This was the case for long-time
owner of Baggins Shoes, Glen
Lynch, the largest retailer of
Converse and Vans in the world,
in Victoria, of B.C., Canada, when
four years ago, he caught an
episode that featured Nick Romero,
a California-based entrepreneur
and owner of The Ave Venice, who
had developed the technology to
print on Converse shoes.
Although Romero didn’t catch any
sharks that day, he did reel in the
“King of Converse,” explained Tara
Savrtka, director of operations
at Baggins Shoes. Visionary Lynch
suddenly saw the possibilities
for taking his business in a new
direction.
“Immediately the owner called
him up and they started working
on a deal right away,” noted
Savrtka. “He was really excited
that we could now print on
Converse shoes.”
Lynch invested in direct-togarment
printing technology,
Converse molds, licensing, and
training. Romero’s platent, a
specially designed clamp, flattens
the Chucks and Vans so they can be
printed on without damaging them
or the machine, explained Savrtka.
Custom printing has quickly grown
to become 25 percent of their
business. Since then Baggins has
partnered with local cartoonist
Gareth Gaudin, of Legends Comics
and Books, famous well-known
celebrities, local businesses, and
most recently their first artist
from the U.S., Lori Felt.
“We love being part of the
process!” said Savrtka. “Part of
our goal as well, even though we
have been around for 47 years, is
to be known world-wide for what
we do, so working alongside artists
like Lori who expand themselves
internationally and get brand
recognition works in tangent with
what we are trying to do.”
Rolling Out New Technology Changed
the Landscape for Designers
Eight years ago Felt began custom
designing sneakers, at first just
for relatives and friends. As word
quickly spread several moms
commissioned her to create handpainted
pairs for themselves
and their daughters, which led
to designing sneakers for party
planner’s record hops.
“The reason I love wearing
Converse so much is because they
are so comfortable that you almost
feel barefoot,” explains designer
Felt. “As I get older my feet tend
to hurt so badly by the end of the
evening that I can barely walk.”
After Felt’s double hip
replacement surgery, at age 42,
she could no longer wear heels.
She opted to wear sneakers just
about everywhere and began
designing them for every occasion.
New technology made it possible
for fashion innovators like Felt’s
company, (LoriDiamondArt.com),
to reach new markets and flourish.
That’s what led her to create a
line of bridal sneakers for brides
who hate wearing heels, but love
the comfort of happy feet.
She fully expected to sell her line
to the party planner Uncommon
Events, but didn’t expect the
biggest break of her career the
day that she was asked to design
hip-hop sneaker center pieces to
coincide with the dance troupe
Antic’s premiere East Coast
performance of Sneaker Suites
at the Philadelphia International
Festival of the Arts Gala (PIFA).
Given only four days to find a printer
to produce gold sneakers, she was
running out of options, and wondered
if she could create the illusion of
gold. After reaching out to Baggins
Shoes, Tessa Hinz, their senior graphic
designer, was able to find creative
ways to mimic the look of gold. Hinz’
full mock-up of Felt’s design printed
on canvas was approved.
Last spring they were featured at
the PIFA Gala at the Kimmel Center
and now those gold sneakers and
two other custom designs, Bride
with Soul and NY, are featured on
Bagginsshoes.com’s front page.
Think Big, Think Global
“My underlining goal is to become
an internationally-known artist,”
Felt said, “to raise even more
money through my designs for
causes that have touched my life
and extend my reach.”
Lynda Dell is a professional
writer who can tell your business
story. Read her blog at https://
daretodream2016blog.wordpress.
com/

Sales Success is Not Easy
By Phyllis Smith
While many salespeople know
the fundamentals of sales, many
do not know how to a) qualify
a potential customer; b) negotiate
and c) close the sale. In
addition, many salespeople are
eager to sell their products/
services and have a hard time
listening for buying signals from
their prospect. In other words,
they don’t know how to stop
talking. Could be out of nervousness
or fear. After all, it
was hard enough getting a prospect
to even listen to an opening
pitch, let alone schedule a
meeting or conference call.
Secondly, it is important for a
salesperson to research the company
and person they are selling
in advance. Understand who they
are and what they do so that you
can ask intelligent questions.
The worst thing is to ask a prospective
customer 1) What does
your business do? (you should
know this before you even engage
with the person); 2) Try to
close the sale before getting the
customer to a) agree that they
need your service or product; b)
see the value of your proposition
and; c) state that they have a
budget to pay for your product
or service. It’s also important to
know if the prospect has been
getting competitive pricing.
You need to find out if they are
considering other offers for the
same products or services.
There are so many factors that
can destroy a sales opportunity.
Make sure that you build an
introductory relationship with
your prospect before you start
selling anything. If you don’t
take the
time to
know your
prospective
client and
build a rapport
- you
will never
sell them
anything.
Phyllis
Smith is
the CEO of
EZIA Enterprises,
Inc.
and the
Founder of
the Professional
Women’s
Business
Network –
info@ezia1.
com

6 Tips To Overcoming Presentation Anxiety
By Kelli Rose
While some people are afraid
of spiders and others are
petrified of heights, the fear
of public speaking is one of the
most commonly experienced
phobias. Even the most
seasoned business professionals
can get a bit nervous when it
comes to public speaking.
While a certain degree of
presentation anxiety can be
beneficial in elevating your
performance, some people may
experience a crippling panic.
What is important to remember
is that this phobia is all in your
head. Interestingly enough,
research has shown that most
audiences are typically unable
to determine if a speaker is
even nervous during a business
presentation.
6 Tips To Overcoming
Presentation Jitters.
1. Know What You Are
Talking About: Performing
rigorous research before
a presentation is critical.
Thorough preparation will
not only improve your
presentation, it will instill
in you the confidence to
overcome any anxiety
you might have about the
presentation -- plus it will
go a long way to settle your
nerves and impress your
audience.
2. Use A Clean, Distraction-
Free Visual Presentation:
If you are using visual
presentation aids such
as Microsoft PowerPoint,
always remember that your
presented copy and graphics
are there to enhance the
audience’s understanding of
your presentation.
Another key point, don’t
cram too many words on the
screen as it will detract from
your presentation. Each slide
should contain a short list of
bullet points instead of long
sentences and/or paragraphs.
Your duty as presenter is to
provide your audience with
the necessary information to
supplement the slides.
3. Manage Your Q&A: Typically,
a Q&A session follows
the presentation, and it
provides a moment where
you turn over control to an
audience. It is possible that
an audience member can
ask something irrelevant
or something that requires
more research, knowledge,
or follow-up on your behalf.
Be flexible enough to
redirect the question by
letting the person who asked
the question know that
you will follow up with an
answer later.
4. Speak In A Slow, Steady
Pace: Nervous presenters
have the tendency to talk
too quickly. Remember, your
audience needs a moment
to absorb your message and
speaking too fast will cause
them to miss important
information. To remedy
this common problem,
include “stop signs” in your
personal presentation notes
to remind yourself to pause,
assess audience response,
and take a breath.
5. Move With Purpose: If
appropriate for the setting,
moving with purpose
throughout the room while
presenting can further
engage your audience.
Doing so can help you build
credibility but you don’t
want to move constantly.
Pacing back and forth may
convey nervousness.
6. Provide Handouts BEFORE
Your Presentation: Pass out
any supplemental documents
pertaining to your
presentation before getting
started. This will keep
your audience engaged and
will avoid any distracting
situations. You will be able
to focus on doing what you
need to do without having to
re-engage your audience.
Executive Summary: Many
people have anxiety about
speaking in public and
delivering presentations.
Overcoming presentation
anxiety requires equal parts
topic knowledge, preparation,
and enthusiasm. These
elements all contribute to
building your confidence
and keeping your audience
engaged.
Kelli Rose is a Corporate
Training Consultant with Dale
Carnegie Training of Central &
Southern New Jersey. 609-631-
0500 x110

Women & Our Relationships:
Compelling Financial Considerations
By Lisa Strohm
Oftentimes our fondness and sense
of responsibility for our loved ones
compels us to take actions or make
decisions that are not in our own
financial best interests. This is the
topic of a great book written by
Janice Goldman, entitled, “Let’s
Talk About Money: The Girlfriends’
Guide to Protecting Her ASSets”.
Here are some recommendations
from Janice’s book around
handling your relationships with
your partner, adult children, and
parents in ways that protect your
bottom line:
Your Partner. Since money is the
number one cause of divorce,
it’s in your best interest to get
“financially naked” with your
partner as early as possible, and
before you get married. You need
to make sure your partner is
creditworthy and financially stable
before you commit to spending the
rest of your life with him or her.
Also, strong relationships are built
on financial compatibility, so make
sure you and your partner have
similar goals and values when it
comes to money.
Here are some other tips regarding
your partner and money:
• “Pre-nup”: While the
prenuptial agreement gets a
“bad rap” as a sign of lack of
confidence in a relationship, it
in fact allows a married couple
to start their life together with
a solid foundation. This offers
a clear financial picture of
both parties before marriage
so there aren’t any financial
surprises once married.
• Second Marriage: If yours
would be a second marriage
for your partner, get a copy
of their divorce decree and/
or custody arrangements so
you’re aware of their financial
responsibilities pertaining to
the previous marriage.
Your Adult Children. While you may
feel it’s your duty as a parent to do
so, continuing to financially support
your adult children can delay or
compromise the quality of your
retirement. Your kids will likely
have a lifetime of employment
ahead of them, but there’s no
financial aid in retirement. You
should also remember that love
is not money, and money is not
love! Instead of giving your adult
kids money, teach them how to
be financially independent. For
example, help them set up a
budget, and encourage them to
save from each paycheck, even if
just a little bit at first.
The following are a couple
additional considerations
regarding adult children:
• Moving Back Home: If your
adult child needs to move back
home, consider having them
sign an agreement clearly
outlining your expectations
around their financial
contributions, length of stay,
household responsibilities, and
your house rules.
• It’s a Loan: Consider any
money requested by your adult
child to be a loan. Draw up a
loan agreement with interest
rates comparable to what
banks charge, complete with a
repayment schedule and late
fees.
Your Parents. Contrary to what
many of us think or feel, it is
not greedy to talk with your
parents about their estate plan!
Initiating that conversation
shows that you’re responsible,
and want to assure your parents’
end of life wishes are followed.
Planning ahead makes it easier for
everyone. If you don’t, you may
find yourself scrambling to get
your parents’ affairs in order at a
time when you’re grieving.
Encourage your parents to have
all of the basic estate planning
documents in place– wills, durable
powers of attorney for financial
and health care decisions, and
advanced medical directives
(living wills). They should also
ensure that the beneficiary
designations on insurance and
retirement accounts are up-todate
and reflect their current
wishes. Make sure you have
access to copies of all of these
documents.
Investment advice and financial
planning offered through Good
Life Advisors, LLC, a registered
investment advisor. The Athena
Network and Good Life Advisors
are separate entities.
Lisa Strohm is the Founder and
CEO of The Athena Network –
https://the-athena-network.com.
Investment advice and financial planning offered
through Good Life Advisors, LLC, a registered
investment advisor. The Athena Network and Good
Life Advisors, LLC are separate entities.

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