SOWBO Magazine 2nd edition
About Our Magazine Society of Women Business Owners is an organization that brings together women business owners and women aspiring to become entrepreneurs. We have more than 15 years of experience in the industry. Our organization consists of professionals who are well rounded in different industries and businesses.SOWBO Magazine is the publication and news extension of our organization. The magazine uses a holistic focus (mind, body, spiritual, and financial) to reach women worldwide.
About Our Magazine
Society of Women Business Owners is an organization that brings together women business owners and women aspiring to become entrepreneurs. We have more than 15 years of experience in the industry. Our organization consists of professionals who are well rounded in different industries and businesses.SOWBO Magazine is the publication and news extension of our organization. The magazine uses a holistic focus (mind, body, spiritual, and financial) to reach women worldwide.
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Editors Corner<br />
Tonya?s Talk-Determined to Succeed<br />
Readers?Comments & Questions<br />
Financial Facts<br />
Three-Legged Stool<br />
Disability Insurance<br />
Trailblazers in Business<br />
Featured Story<br />
The Barbershop Talk<br />
Supporting His Queen<br />
Healthy Her<br />
Own Your Different<br />
Healthy Heart<br />
Author?s Spotlight<br />
FEATURED STORY<br />
Ursule Martin<br />
Divine Helping Hands<br />
Transitioning for Change<br />
Changing Relationships<br />
Business Beauty<br />
Events<br />
Fashion Beauty & Tips<br />
Business Directory<br />
Edit or-in- Chief Tonya D. Lat ney<br />
Graph Designer Andrea Smith, SAS Web & Graphic Design<br />
Editorial Assistant - Tammy Keitt<br />
Photographer Cover - Danielle Bodony-Lapresa<br />
Cont ribut ing Writ ers<br />
Ursule Martin, Colena Brown, Karen Southhall-Watts, Andrea Smith,<br />
Florence Norville-Cheek, Stephen H. Goldstein, Ty Hodges<br />
GETTING CONNECTED<br />
<strong>SOWBO</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> Society of Women Business Owners<br />
Em ails: sowbomag@gmail.com<br />
Websit e: www.societyofwomenbusinessowners.com www.sowbomagazine.org<br />
Telephone: 1-888- 702-7428
From t he Edit or<br />
from the editor<br />
T O N YA<br />
L AT N EY<br />
One afternoon I was having lunch with a friend, and we<br />
were discussing being successful. My friend asked me if I<br />
had experienced trauma as a child. I asked why they were<br />
asking me that. They responded, ?Because people like you,<br />
an overachiever, usually had some type of trauma as a<br />
child.?<br />
?People like me?? I asked. They replied, ?Yes, determined<br />
and driven.?<br />
Later that evening, I pondered our conversation and did<br />
some self-evaluating. I have never viewed myself as<br />
determined and driven, though I have set goals for myself.<br />
But I had to admit that I did have a determined and driven<br />
attitude. And, yes, I did have a traumatic experience as a<br />
child. I was a teenage mother at age fifteen, which was<br />
very traumatizing.<br />
I do not know where my determined mindset came from,<br />
but if I had to take a guess, I would say fear: fear of failure<br />
for myself and my child. I would challenge the expected<br />
outcome for a teenage mother from the projects.<br />
Unintentionally, I turned my trauma into determination. I<br />
was determined that my child and I would succeed and<br />
not be a statistic.<br />
You must have a determined mindset and attitude if you<br />
are going to win at this thing called life and to live your<br />
DETERMINED TO SUCCEED<br />
dreams. No matter how much you feel like you are not<br />
progressing toward your life goals,know that every small<br />
step is a step toward the larger goal.<br />
Watch out for the negative twins, discouragement and<br />
doubt. They are the enemies of a positive mindset.<br />
Replace them with the positive twins, determination and<br />
destiny. Learn to say out loud, daily, ?I will not be<br />
defeated!?<br />
Daily devotions and affirmations are necessary weapons<br />
on your journey to succeed. You have to feed your mind<br />
positive thoughts daily. This will help you stay focused on<br />
this journey.<br />
On the highway to success, you will encounter many<br />
detours, including struggle, loneliness, confusion,<br />
frustration, fatigue, worry, and ?out of gas.? Keep<br />
moving? because if you stop, you will never reach your<br />
destination, ?I made it!?<br />
No matter what, never give up. Be determined to win.<br />
Tonya Lat ney, MS, BSN, RN, CWP<br />
I would love to receive your comments and/or questions.<br />
Email: sowbo12@gmail.com<br />
Twitter: @sowbo12<br />
Instagram: sowbo12<br />
3
Three-Legged Stool<br />
The Ideal Ret irem ent Model?<br />
Florence Norville-Cheek, MBA<br />
4
With people living longer than ever, it?s<br />
important to make sure the money you have set<br />
aside will last the rest of your life. While Social<br />
Security provides a lifetime supply of income, it<br />
may not be enough to support your desired<br />
lifestyle. If you think you?ll need additional<br />
income and do not have a pension, a lifetime<br />
income annuity can be an excellent way to make<br />
up the difference.<br />
Florence Norville-Cheek<br />
Have you ever heard of the ?three-legged stool?<br />
of retirement? If you have, it probably was a<br />
while ago. Once considered the ideal retirement<br />
model, the three-legged stool has fallen out of<br />
favor because one of the legs? defined benefit<br />
pensions? is not as stable as it once was, and<br />
the future of Social Security is often wound up in<br />
political maneuvering in Washington. Consider<br />
the following:<br />
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, just<br />
48% of private sector employers offer defined<br />
contribution or defined benefit pension plans,<br />
and only 8% offer traditional defined benefit<br />
plans,1 thereby eliminating a guaranteed source<br />
of lifetime income.<br />
? Social Security benefits replace about 40% of<br />
the average worker?s salary.2 What?s more, the<br />
Social Security trust fund is expected to deplete<br />
its reserves by 2034, and will be able to fund<br />
approximately 75% of benefits after that.3<br />
Fortunately, there are ways to reinforce the third<br />
leg of the stool? retirement savings and other<br />
personal assets? so that you can still enjoy a<br />
long and fulfilling retirement. Here are two<br />
proven funding sources you may want to<br />
consider if you need to compensate for any<br />
shortcomings:<br />
Although the primary purpose of life insurance<br />
is to deliver death benefit protection, many<br />
permanent life policies accumulate cash value. If<br />
your need for protection decreases over time,<br />
you can borrow against this cash value? tax-free<br />
in most cases? and use the money to<br />
supplement your retirement lifestyle. (Loans<br />
against your policy accrue interest and decrease<br />
the death benefit and cash value by the amount<br />
of the outstanding loan and interest.)<br />
While the three-legged stool of retirement may<br />
be a bit wobbly, the good news is that a secure<br />
future is still within reach. The main difference<br />
these days is that you will most likely have to<br />
build it yourself.<br />
Florence Norville-Cheek, MBA Agent /<br />
Regist ered Represent at ive, New York Life<br />
Insurance Company/NYLIFE Securities 555 East<br />
City Avenue, Bala Cynwyd, Suite 800, PA 19004<br />
1 ?Employee Benefits Survey: Retirement<br />
Benefits,? Bureau of Labor Statistics, March<br />
2017.<br />
2 ?Retirement Planner: Learn About Social<br />
Security Programs,? Social Security.<br />
3 ?Status of the Social Security and Medicare<br />
Programs: A Summary of the 2017 Annual<br />
Reports.? U.S. Department of the Treasury.<br />
5
Vanessa Jackson, Owner<br />
The Cheesecake Lady<br />
Telephone: 267.575.3952<br />
Facebook @cheesecakelady.org<br />
Inst agram @philacheesecake<br />
6
Do You Need Disabilit y Insurance?<br />
More than seven out of 10 working Americans believe<br />
that most people need disability insurance, yet only one<br />
out of three actually has disability insurance protection.<br />
1 This disconnect suggests the importance of assessing<br />
your own situation and determining whether you have<br />
appropriate financial backup in the event that you<br />
cannot work due to a disability or injury.<br />
Preparing for an Emergency<br />
Only 63% of U.S. households report having enough<br />
emergency savings to cover unexpected expenses such<br />
as a car repair or medical bill. 2 But even if you do,<br />
consider whether you have enough resources to<br />
weather months or even years of lost income. Statistics<br />
indicate that the average worker has a 30% chance of a<br />
job loss due to a disability lasting 90 days or longer. 3<br />
Your ability to earn an income may be your most<br />
valuable asset. A 35-year- old worker who earns$60,000<br />
a year could potentially lose $300,000 in wages during a<br />
five-year disability and $1.5 million or more if<br />
permanently disabled. Workers with higher salaries not<br />
only stand to lose much more but often have higher<br />
living expenses. How long could you and your family live<br />
comfortably without your income?<br />
STEPHEN H. GOLDSTEIN<br />
7
Port able Personal Coverage<br />
Your employer may offer long-term disability coverage, but you<br />
could lose your subsidized coverage if you change jobs. Even if<br />
you remain covered through your job, group plans typically<br />
don't replace as large a percentage of income as an<br />
individual plan could, and disability benefits from employer-paid<br />
plans are taxable if the premiums were paid by the employer.<br />
An individual disability income policy could help replace a<br />
percentage of your income (up to the policy limits) if you're<br />
unable to work as a result of an illness or injury. Depending on<br />
the policy, benefits may be paid for a specified number of years<br />
or until you reach retirement age. Some policies pay benefits if<br />
you cannot work in your current occupation; others might pay<br />
only if you cannot work in any type of job. If you pay the<br />
premiums yourself, disability benefits are usually free of income<br />
tax. And the policy will stay in force regardless of your<br />
employment situation as long as you pay the premiums.<br />
Social Security might offer some disability protection, but the<br />
$1,171 average monthly benefit would not provide substantial<br />
income replacement for most workers. And qualifying for Social<br />
Security disability benefits can be a long and difficult process ?<br />
about two out of three applications are initially denied. 4<br />
Even if you qualify for employer-based or Social Security<br />
disability benefits, having individual disability coverage in place<br />
could make the difference between being comfortable and living<br />
on the edge. You may be glad you had a backup plan to help<br />
provide for you and your family.<br />
The information is not intended as tax, legal, investment,<br />
or retirement advice or recommendations, and it may not<br />
be relied on for the purpose of avoiding any federal tax<br />
penalties. You are encouraged to seek advice from an<br />
independent professional advisor. The content is derived<br />
from sources believed to be accurate. Neither the<br />
information presented nor any opinion expressed<br />
constitutes a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any<br />
security. This material was written and prepared by<br />
Broadridge Advisor Solutions. © 2017 Broadridge Investor<br />
Communication Solutions, Inc.<br />
St ephen H. Goldst ein<br />
Evolut ion Financial Group<br />
1400 N Providence Rd<br />
Suit e 117<br />
Media, PA 19063<br />
P 610-891- 9700<br />
C 267-273- 5273 - F 610-892- 2900<br />
Goldst ein_St ephen@evolut ionfinancialgroupm ail.com<br />
w w w.evolut ionfinancialgroup.net<br />
1, 3) LIMRA, 2016<br />
2) Consumer Federation of America, 2016<br />
4) Social Security Administration, 2016<br />
8
9
Featured Story<br />
Ursule Martin<br />
Divine Helping Hands<br />
Our local mission in regard of<br />
community education support is to be involved<br />
in the development of the community by<br />
offering free educational classes, workshops<br />
and seminars, partner with local charity<br />
organizations to offer assistance and give away<br />
scholarships to youth to further their<br />
education.<br />
What m ot ivat ed you t o st art your business?<br />
I am Ursule Mart in, I have been living in US for<br />
12 years, Hailed From for West Africa, Republic<br />
of Benin. I started the nonprofit organization<br />
Divine Helping Hands INC, a 501c3 in 2013.<br />
The international mission of this organization is<br />
to support the education of abandoned and<br />
less privileged children in Africa by paying their<br />
school tuition and providing them with school<br />
supplies.<br />
My motivation came from the community<br />
surrounding me when I was living in Africa, I<br />
was privileged from coming from a comfortable<br />
home and I didn't have any difficulties to get to<br />
any level of education I wished. When I came to<br />
the US and settled finally I wanted to give back<br />
to my community. I wanted to give a chance to<br />
the future generation about getting education<br />
in all forms. Like late South African<br />
President Nelson Mandela ?Education is the<br />
most powerful weapon that can be used to<br />
change the world." As far as I am concerned a<br />
child?s mind is an open book and it is all about<br />
what we write in that note book that gets to be<br />
reproduced. Please check out<br />
www.divinehelpinghands.org<br />
10
Discuss som e inform at ion on how you got<br />
st art ed?<br />
I got started by sending money to my mother in<br />
Benin to use it to assist families and children in<br />
depressed situation in our community back<br />
home. One day she stumbled on a case that<br />
connected with saving the life of a young boy<br />
named Ezekiel who was discovered in the forest<br />
after spending 5 days without food and water<br />
and exposed to unsafe conditions. The money I<br />
sent that time was used to save his life by<br />
paying for his medical bills and from then I<br />
started sending money to take care of him<br />
particularly and investing in his education. That<br />
was the birth of this organization. The video is<br />
on the website.<br />
When did you st art your business and<br />
w here?<br />
I started in 2013 and apply for the tax exempt<br />
status in 2015 in Tampa Fl.<br />
Why do you t hink having your ow n business<br />
is im port ant ?<br />
It maybe your life?s calling and I think my<br />
business was my calling.<br />
How do you st ay focused and balanced w it h<br />
your business and everyday life?<br />
I stay focused and balanced by investing in<br />
taking care of myself. I realize that as a decision<br />
maker, therefore the driver of my organization I<br />
have to have great energy. To be able to<br />
produce great, positive and confident energy<br />
and influence people I have to have a healthy<br />
life style. I exercise, eat right and I make sure I<br />
laugh and have fun. My mind, body and spirit<br />
are priorities. In the course of impacting lives<br />
positively through my nonprofit, I have a very<br />
organized and elaborated agenda for every<br />
year. Our website is an online tool to receive<br />
application in order to qualify international<br />
organization to receive assistance from us. The<br />
students also go through an eligibility<br />
requirement system. We have only one annual<br />
fundraiser and committees are designed to<br />
perform particular tasks. This organization<br />
system and team work help me to focus and<br />
balanced my duties as the founder and acting<br />
chairman of this organization.<br />
What is one w ord t hat sum s you up?<br />
I think one word is not enough to sum me up. I<br />
am passionate and I am an executive. I get<br />
things done in an efficient manner. I am a<br />
wealth creator and I love to help people, lift<br />
them up, empower them and bring people<br />
vision into reality.<br />
11
Women protect your Heart. Women on a mission are super busy and at times we do not<br />
take proper care of our vessel. Remember smart business women take care of the mindspirit-<br />
and the body!<br />
Signs & sym pt om s of heart disease:<br />
Unusual fatigue<br />
Shortness of breath<br />
Nausea or dizziness<br />
Habits that could damage your heart<br />
Lack of Sleep<br />
Sitting too long<br />
Too much Alcohol<br />
Stress<br />
Too much salt<br />
Read m ore at :<br />
https://www.everydayhealth.com/heart-health/common- habits-damaging- heart/<br />
https://www.everydayhealth.com/heart-health/five- vital-heart- health-tips- for-women-<br />
3582.aspx<br />
12
13
Supporting His<br />
Q U EEN<br />
14
Barbershop Talk<br />
Coach Ty Hodges<br />
Joy Dallah-Hodges<br />
How do you support your w ife physically and<br />
em ot ionally?<br />
Physically I do whatever is needed to support<br />
her vision from modeling, to carry equipment, to<br />
taking pictures. Emotionally I try to be a<br />
constructive voice on projects but also an ear<br />
when she needs me to just listen.<br />
What m ot ivat ed your w ife t o st art her<br />
business and how did you support her vision?<br />
Photography and videography was always a<br />
passion of hers. With the passing of her mom a<br />
few years back I think it made it her take that<br />
leap of faith and start her business. I am her first<br />
client so she records the girls?basketball games I<br />
coach and takes pictures as needed.<br />
Why do you support her?<br />
I support her because I know what it feels like to<br />
be passionate about something. Seeing her grow<br />
as a photographer, videographer and social<br />
media content producer brings joy to her life in<br />
which she even takes over my desktop at times<br />
to complete projects.<br />
Are t here any challenges being m arried t o a<br />
w om an t hat has an ent repreneur m indset ?<br />
No challenge because as she has her own<br />
entrepreneur mindset, it also helps me to know<br />
as I begin my own ventures, I have her support<br />
and knowledge to assist in my growth.<br />
How do you help your w ife t o st ay focused<br />
and balanced w it h her business and her<br />
everyday life?<br />
I always have something I need her to work on<br />
(smiling). Whether it is the videography piece of<br />
producing the video portion of my HoopsCircle<br />
Podcast or taking pictures of my players during<br />
their high school season. I am always bouncing<br />
some ideas off her as ways to expand the<br />
business or I listen and advise on her ideas.<br />
How w ould you describe your w ife?<br />
Hardworking, dedicated, passionate, supportive<br />
and caring.<br />
Coach<br />
Ty Hodges<br />
646-305-9414<br />
Tw it t er/ Inst agram @IAMCOACHTY<br />
15
16
Author's Spotlight<br />
Diana Jenkins, Author<br />
Hello, out t here brave world!<br />
My name is Anad? a pen name? and this is how I came to be.<br />
If asked, I can say that my journey to writing began long before I<br />
knew what a writer was. My mother gave me books of all types as a<br />
child, some of which I still have.vI?ve been reading for as long as I can<br />
remember and I guess I made an unconscious decision when I was<br />
eleven that I was going to create fantastic stories like the ones I was<br />
reading. I asked for a typewriter for my twelfth birthday. At fifteen I<br />
took a typing class. ll along I wrote poems and kept a journal, never<br />
really taking any of it seriously. If you?d have asked me then, I<br />
would?ve told you I was going to be a journalist.<br />
But somewhere along the way, I got distracted, as teenagers do,<br />
and I chose nursing, which didn?t turn out to be a bad idea because<br />
one career can be the fuel for another.<br />
So, fast forward to 2007 when I got a laptop for Christmas (again<br />
with the intention to follow recipes online while I cooked) while<br />
simultaneously, I was looking for a good romance book to read.<br />
About people who looked like me. Maybe with some adventure and a<br />
hero who?s handsome and rich, and looks like those movie stars we<br />
all moon over. I don?t know about the rest of you, but I couldn?t find<br />
one. Unbeknownst to me at the time, Toni Morrison had already said:<br />
?If t here is a book t hat you want t o read, but it hasn't been<br />
writ t en yet , you must be t he one t o writ e it .?<br />
I had no clue what I was doing, but I started a story with a<br />
paragraph. A month later I had a four hundred page book. Wow!<br />
With a little time and attention, I discovered that I could whip up<br />
characters, with unique personalities and write in witty conversations<br />
and then send them on adventures! With just my mind?s eye, I could<br />
create a world that didn?t exist, with people in it! How empowering!<br />
Needless to say, this new skill? which wasn?t really new at all, I just<br />
hadn?t done it often enough to respect it?s potential? was addictive.<br />
In no time at all, I could leave my home without ever getting dressed<br />
and be in a faraway place, enjoying the adventures of someone else<br />
from the perch of my kitchen chair.<br />
Of course, for me, the next step was to quit my job so I could<br />
keep writing without the distraction of work. Which didn?t turn out to<br />
be such a good idea. After a few shut-off notices, I had to get back out<br />
there and feed the bill monster. No tears here though. I learned to<br />
write in whatever spare time I had.<br />
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consetetur sadipscing elitr.
I had no clue<br />
what I was doing,<br />
but I star ted a<br />
stor y with a<br />
par agr aph. A<br />
month later , I had<br />
a four hundr ed<br />
page book.<br />
WOW!<br />
-Anad Trebolt<br />
It used to be that I worried that I was too late to be a successful<br />
writer. After all, I?m over fifty and sometimes wonder if my time has<br />
passed me by. If you watch a lot of television, all the hopes for future<br />
successes are pinned on children and teenagers. Are we all to assume<br />
that people my age have no new discoveries to contribute?<br />
Not true! Mary Anne Evans, an English Novelist, born in 1819, who<br />
wrote under the pen name George Eliot, is famous for saying ?Its<br />
never too late to be what you might have been.? I live by this quote<br />
and am refueled by it almost every day.<br />
I invested more time and money than I care to recall and I<br />
self-published. It turned out that I had more angst and determination<br />
than even I thought. I also had a ton of support in family, friends and<br />
like-minded writers, editors, and cover artists, for whom I am grateful,<br />
every day.<br />
Over the years, one thing I?ve learned is that Practice makes the<br />
Master, so I keep on writing. I continue to people watch? which is a<br />
natural habit that all writers have? and I refute all naysayers, as all<br />
creatives must.<br />
By this point, I can honestly say, that we all are who we were born<br />
to be. Each of us has a gift to offer the world, we just have to figure out<br />
what it is and hone it.<br />
Find something that you love doing, as I have (there?s a saying out<br />
there somewhere, that if you love your job, you never have to work a<br />
day in your life) and keep doing it. Sure, you may have to wait tables,<br />
or drive a bus, or give out a few pills, so youcan have money to buy<br />
books, pens, or paint brushes or whatever it is that you need, but so<br />
what? Is not your sacrifice for a worthy cause?<br />
Writing is my passion and I?m so thankful for it. Outside of the<br />
people that I love,writing gives me a reason to go out and greet the<br />
world with excitement and the anticipation of finding a new story.<br />
What gets you up out of bed?<br />
Anad Trebolt<br />
Facebook:: www.fb.com/ PHILLYWRITER<br />
Websit e: erot icaforever.com<br />
Twit t er: ht t ps:/ / t wit t er.com/ anadwrit es<br />
Pint erest : www.pint rest .com/ creat iveroopint rem<br />
Inst agram: www.inst agram.com/ anad124.<br />
?If t here is a book t hat you want t o<br />
read, but it hasn't been writ t en yet ,<br />
you must be t he one t o writ e it .?
Be encouraged and inspired by the thought<br />
provoking writings of these Authors.<br />
TONYA LATNEY VALENCIA GRIFFIN WALLACE KAREN SOUTHALL WATTS<br />
ANDREA M. SMITH<br />
FRANNE MCNEAL
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TRANSITIONING FOR CHANGE<br />
Changing<br />
Relationships<br />
As entrepreneurs and women we<br />
don?t live in a bubble all alone. Relationships<br />
make our lives more enjoyable and our<br />
businesses more productive. They can also<br />
challenge our abilities and test our patience.<br />
Like everything else in life, relationships are<br />
prone to change, often these changes happen<br />
when we?ve become comfortable and settled<br />
into a routine. During these times, new people<br />
come into our lives, and others transition out.<br />
Our task is learning to handle these untidy<br />
transitions with wisdom and grace.<br />
Beginnings are filled with the rush of adrenaline,<br />
the thrill of potential and sometimes the fear of<br />
failure. Starting a new relationship is typically a<br />
high energy and positive time in our lives. As<br />
entrepreneurs, even new additions in our social<br />
lives can impact the business part of our lives. In<br />
fact, many women entrepreneurs start mission<br />
based businesses or organizations, so there?s<br />
less of a hard boundary between work and<br />
home. The people you welcome into your life<br />
must understand your passion projects and be<br />
willing to support you.<br />
Adding a romantic partner to your life can be<br />
tricky, especially if you?re a driven entrepreneur.<br />
Potential dates need to understand your wacky<br />
schedule. Possible spouses need to recognize<br />
your need to succeed, take risks, and think in<br />
non-conventional ways. While it?s important for<br />
all couples who are considering a long-term<br />
relationship to have talks about money,<br />
children, and values, it?s can be even more<br />
crucial for couples where one or both partners<br />
are entrepreneurs. If you, or your new partner,<br />
are running a business or non-profit you may<br />
not be able to fall back on traditional<br />
assumptions about household duties or money<br />
rules. When one, or both of you, will be<br />
spending time growing and managing a<br />
business it is essential that you?ve spelling out<br />
the ground rules. Surprises can lead to<br />
arguments, dysfunction and even divorce.<br />
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consetetur sadipscing elitr.<br />
21
Som e im port ant discussions t o have include:<br />
How are we going to handle money? Do we have<br />
compatible spender/saver styles? Who will be<br />
responsible for the household bookkeeping? The<br />
business books? Do we share the same values<br />
around needs vs. wants when discussing<br />
purchases? Any one of these loaded money<br />
questions can derail a relationship if it goes<br />
unaddressed. The time to hash out money issues<br />
is before any big ticket purchases or the first<br />
financial emergency. And yes, there?s always a<br />
financial emergency.<br />
Who runs the household? Who runs the<br />
business? Where do we find the time to get<br />
everything done? How a couple divides up the<br />
tasks of life is very unique to each family.<br />
Everything from spiritual values to personal<br />
preferences and physical abilities can be thrown<br />
into the mix when trying to decide who does<br />
what around the house or office. Problems arise<br />
when you start a new relationship without trying<br />
to define the roles and responsibilities. Once<br />
again, it?s best to have these discussions early on<br />
before something slips through the cracks. It<br />
might not be a big deal if both partners assume<br />
the other is going to take out the trash. However,<br />
you don?t want important things like childcare or<br />
paying the bills to be left to chance.<br />
Taking on a new business partner can sometimes<br />
feel as worrying as a marriage. After all, there are<br />
some weeks when you?ll be spending more time<br />
with this person than your family. A business<br />
partner needs to not only share your goals, but<br />
also needs to accept your values and vision for<br />
your company. For example, you not only want a<br />
new partner who sees the same market<br />
opportunities, they need to agree with you on<br />
the ethical way to get there.<br />
When you audition new business partners, feel<br />
free to be thorough. Unlike a romance, when we<br />
look for business partners we aren?t looking for<br />
spark and chemistry, though it?s great if we<br />
?click?, we are looking for complementary<br />
skills? a way to fill the gaps in our management<br />
structure. If you love to do research, but don?t<br />
enjoy socializing, then seek a partner with the gift<br />
of gab. Likewise, a dynamic speaker who hates<br />
financial strategy sessions should consider a<br />
partner who understands the magic of numbers.<br />
Work your new business partner into your life<br />
carefully. Discuss expectations in the beginning<br />
and have frequent check-ins to make sure you<br />
are moving forward as a team. Never surprise<br />
your new partner by publicly discussing aspects<br />
of your business that you haven?t already<br />
hashed-out behind closed doors. Finally, make it<br />
legal. Once you?ve found the right partner or<br />
partners, then hire a lawyer to get the proper<br />
paperwork done. Proper documentation does<br />
NOT indicate a lack of trust, but rather a needed<br />
level of professionalism. Don?t let any potential<br />
partners try to sweet talk you into thinking<br />
otherwise.<br />
Life is fluid and sometimes painfully challenging,<br />
and so we inevitably have to deal with the<br />
endings of relationships. Even those that seem at<br />
first glance to be personal, death and divorce,<br />
impact the overall reality of a businesswoman?s<br />
life. It?s important to put as much energy into<br />
coping with the endings as we do with the<br />
beginnings.<br />
The end of a family relationship, even if that<br />
relationship wasn?t perfect, can be painful. While<br />
mourning after an unexpected tragedy might<br />
seem obvious, we also need time to mourn for<br />
deaths we knew were coming and divorces that<br />
were for the best. When something is over, we<br />
need time to adjust. Of course you can still<br />
power through and handle your survival needs.<br />
Yet, expecting that you?re going to excel as<br />
business owner while you?re healing personal<br />
wounds is unreasonable, and not fair to you or<br />
those with whom you work.<br />
?The beginnings and endings of all human<br />
undertakings are untidy.?<br />
John Galsworthy, Nobel Prize in Literature<br />
1932<br />
22
Reach out to your personal support network.<br />
These people want you to be happy and<br />
succeed, and they are a natural place to start<br />
your healing process. Consider professional<br />
help. It?s always shocking to me to find out that<br />
women who will go for a spa treatment, buy the<br />
?good wine,? or use expensive retail therapy<br />
(often in the form of shoes), will not pay for<br />
doctors, therapists, or other professional help to<br />
deal with grief. Those slogans about how you<br />
deserve the best are not just about<br />
cosmetics? you deserve quality support for<br />
mental health too.<br />
Just like all marriages don?t turn out to have<br />
been ?made in heaven? all business partnerships<br />
were not meant to be, or to be forever. Whether<br />
it?s a positive split around new greater<br />
opportunities for one or both of you, or a<br />
negative parting fueled by toxicity, business<br />
partnerships end all the time. If you did your<br />
homework at the beginning, the dissolution<br />
should be easier. Wise business partners discuss<br />
at the beginning the likely what if situations like<br />
retirement, relocation, financial or life events<br />
happening to either partner. In cases like this,<br />
there will be an adjustment period, but you?ve<br />
just got to follow your Plan B ideas and legal<br />
documents through to conclusion.<br />
If there wasn?t a plan or if the ending happens<br />
around some issue you never considered, then<br />
calm conversations are the remedy. These<br />
conversations should probably include legal<br />
counsel for each partner. Now is not the time to<br />
wing it or carelessly trust things will somehow<br />
work out on their own. The future health and<br />
reputation of your business could be on the line.<br />
No matter what type of ending you?re facing, a<br />
key element to coming out on the other side<br />
whole is time. It takes time to mourn, heal and<br />
recover. It also takes time to evaluate, plan and<br />
execute your next business steps. Relationship<br />
transitions, personal and professional, are<br />
unavoidable. Yet they don?t have to derail your<br />
business or squash your spirit. Accepting that<br />
these beginnings and endings will be messy and<br />
sometimes raw, is the first step to handling them<br />
like a pro.<br />
About the author:Karen Sout hall Wat t s has<br />
transitioned many times in life. From east coast<br />
to west coast, from employee to stay-athome-mom,<br />
to academic and entrepreneur.<br />
Karen lives in Vancouver, BC where she is a<br />
business coach, college instructor, author and<br />
speaker. She is the author of, Messenger: The<br />
Entrepreneur?s Guide to Communication, and<br />
Ask and Achieve: Questions in the middle of a<br />
woman?s life.<br />
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2 0 1 8<br />
SPECI AL EVENTS
25
M usic Spo t l ig ht<br />
Patrice And The Show<br />
www.patriceandtheshow.com<br />
26
OWN<br />
YOUR DIFFERENT<br />
Andrea M. Smith, the process coach<br />
As I entered into this new year and preparing to<br />
Speak, Coach, and write my 4th book, I decided to<br />
embrace ?my different?. My different is the<br />
uniqueness of who I am. It?s the distinction that God<br />
has made between me and everyone else in the<br />
world.<br />
Started my day as I usually do with prayer, reading a<br />
scripture, and then going through the to-do list. I<br />
logged onto my social media account and as I am<br />
reading posts on my timeline, I notice a pattern. It<br />
was the focus being placed on the ?crafting? of the<br />
message being shared, as opposed to owning it?s<br />
?uniqueness? and the help it can give to those they<br />
are attempting to reach. I thought about this and in<br />
reflecting on what I believe I am called to do and who<br />
I have been equipped to help, I realized, the message<br />
I share has already been crafted. It was crafted out of<br />
the challenges, struggles, and triumphs I have faced.<br />
How far it will reach, its impact on those it is meant to<br />
help, will not be determined by how I package it, but<br />
by my willingness to embrace it, while not fearing the<br />
transparency and exposure it requires.<br />
As Entrepreneurs, Speakers, Coaches, or whatever<br />
way you use your gift or talent to impact the life of<br />
someone else, don?t allow the packing (self-created<br />
or suggested) to diminish the message that your<br />
intended audience needs. Housed in the packing of<br />
your message, is the support, encouragement, and<br />
wisdom someone is waiting to hear and is in much<br />
need of.<br />
Don?t get stuck on the packaging, because the core of<br />
who you are is in the message. I challenge you to take<br />
a moment to explore if your packaging is covering<br />
your message. Is it hiding you or is it revealing you to<br />
your audience in a way that is transparent. Are you<br />
conveying your unique message in a way that<br />
provokes the hearer to say "me too", and crave what's<br />
next.<br />
There is something unique and special about YOU<br />
and you should OWN it. Your different is God created<br />
and inspired, it is what makes your story, journey,<br />
and purpose so powerful. Be courageous, very<br />
courageous, and embrace your different, this is what<br />
the world is waiting for, not another pretty packaged<br />
message.<br />
IT'S TIME TO OWN YOUR DIFFERENT!<br />
t he process coach<br />
w w w.andream sm it h.com<br />
Andrea M. Smith, is Personal Development Expert,<br />
Speaker & Coach, who empowers others through the<br />
promotion of self-love and personal development. As<br />
The Process Coach she helps others to walk out their<br />
process and move forward in confidence towards<br />
their purpose. She believes it is not the validation of<br />
others you should crave, just give yourself the<br />
permission to succeed.<br />
27
28
SWES Cleaning Co.<br />
Commercial Cleaning With A Unique Touch<br />
MONICA ROBINSON, OWNER/AYINDE ROBINSON, OWNER<br />
Office: 215-995-1478<br />
Women Owned/Minority Owned<br />
swescleaningco@outlook.com<br />
29
It ?s t im e t o t ake flight t o your dream<br />
St eps t o st art ing a journey t o your dream<br />
1. Believe & trust in your dream<br />
2. Visualize your dream<br />
3. Write your dream down<br />
4. Set long term & short term goals with deadline/target dates<br />
5. Connect with like-minded people<br />
6. Start your Business Binder<br />
7. Anticipate the changes that may need to change to reach<br />
your dream<br />
www.tdlcoaching.com<br />
30
Business Directory<br />
The Debra Tucker Agency<br />
Destiny Tours & Travel<br />
CRYSTAL PEURIFOY, OWNER<br />
Life Home Auto Commercial Specialty<br />
225 Berlin Rd. Suite 2, Cherry Hill, NJ 08025<br />
Office: 856-429-0288 Cell: 856-630-9141<br />
Email: dtucker1@farmersagent.com<br />
Travel To The Destination You Always Dreamed Of<br />
45 E. City Line Ave. #318<br />
Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004<br />
Office: 215-873-73124 Fax: 856-668-5838<br />
Phlembotomy Healthcare , LLC<br />
Dawn A. Huling, OWNER<br />
Phlembotomy Healthcare<br />
Leading The Way On Stick At A Time<br />
Office: 267-230-9919<br />
Cell: 267-900-2610<br />
phlembotomyhealthcare@aol.com<br />
Stephanie Hill, Associate<br />
Independent Associate Representing Aflac<br />
1020 N. Delaware Ave, 4th Flr.<br />
Philadelphia, PA 19125<br />
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CONQUER THE WORLD!