Welcome to the August 2008 issue of the monthly newsletter
for the National Association of Women Business Owners® (NAWBO®) San Francisco Bay Area Chapter.

August 2008 News Summary

Member News

–– Welcome New Members!

–– President's Letter from Barbara Mark, Ph.D., NAWBO®-SF President 2008-2009

–– Member of the Month: Mary Janaitis, MSJ Consulting

–– Members in the News

–– Member Outreach Announcements


Ideas, Inspiration and Opportunities

–– MasterMind Series: Sign Up Now for September 2008 Session

–– NAWBO and Women Entrepreneurs on KPIX-TV!

–– NAWBO®-SF Hosts Successful Leaders’ Circle Quarterly Session: Build an Effective Sales Team with the Courage to Compete and the Skill to Win

–– New Legislation Improves Options for San Francisco Business Tax Credits


NAWBO®-SF Events

–– Please note: There is no Monthly Dinner Meeting in August. Enjoy your summer vacation!

–– Walnut Creek Relationships and Referrals Breakfast Meeting: Tuesday, August 19

–– San Francisco Relationships and Referrals Breakfast Meeting: Wednesday, August 20

–– Marin Relationships and Referrals Breakfast Meeting: Tuesday, August 26 in Corte Madera

Welcome to New Members of NAWBO®-SF!

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome the following new members:

-- Sherry Potter, Essential Business Services, San Francisco
-- Eleanor Mason Ramsey, Mason Tillman Associates, Oakland
-- Sandi Smith, Brainways Training & Development, Santa Clara

Thank you to all of you - we look forward to seeing you at upcoming events, and to the opportunity to grow, thrive, and lead together!

Barbara Mark, Ph.D., NAWBO®-SF President

President's Letter from Barbara Mark, Ph.D.

Dear Friends,

I hope you are enjoying a rejuvenating summer, and spending some extra time with family and friends. Our new board is gearing up for fall. During a day-long retreat this month, we will develop strategies for making our organization even more vibrant and strong for our growing membership.

Since we don't have a dinner meeting this month (a long-standing NAWBO®-SF tradition for August) this might be a good time for you to check out one of our breakfast meetings in Walnut Creek, San Francisco, or San Rafael.

Also, don't forget to register now for our MasterMind
Group, which will begin in September.

If you are a new member, consider joining us a little early at our next dinner meeting for an orientation to learn more about NAWBO-SF and how to make the most of your membership. The membership committee is also looking for volunteers, which is a great way to get visibility within NAWBO-SF and meet other knowledgeable business owners.

I look forward to seeing you again at summer's end.

Warm regards,
Barbara Mark, Ph.D.
President NAWBO®-SF

Member of the Month - August 2008

Mary Janaitis, owner of MSJ Consulting
Located at 349 42nd St. in Oakland
(510) 655 1009
Email Mary

Mary Janaitis spent years working for several major corporations and consulting firms. In the spring of
1999 she was returning from a job in Tokyo, deciding whether to stay with this consulting firm or start her own business. Her daughter introduced her to the president of NAWBO and suggested that she attend the
Women Entrepreneurs Benefit (now known as Leaders
and Legends). Mary was so inspired by the women at
this event that she decided then and there to become not only a business owner but also a NAWBO member, jumping right onto the membership committee.

MJS Consulting was in full operation by April 2000. Her firm supports small businesses in the area of human resources, including setting up HR departments, teaching the basics of HR to management, developing policies, defining performance expectations, assisting businesses in solving employee- related issues, putting IT systems in place, determining compensation packages, and more.

Mary states that the two most common mistakes business owners make are,
1. Not knowing what they need in the long term and then hiring someone who can meet those needs, and 2. Not moving employees out of positions in which they are failing, either by firing them or changing their position.

MSJ Consulting is unique in the industry because they are willing to “get into the trenches” with a business. They do hands-on work with the staff - training and setting up the basics of an HR department. Mary's goal is for a business to handle the basics of HR on their own and use MSJ Consulting ongoing for more complicated employee issues.

Mary started her business because she had a vast knowledge base from her years of experience, and wanted to be out of bureaucracies travel less for a while. Besides, she always knew she would have her own business. Being a business owner gives her the flexibility she wants, the ability to spend time with family and grandkids, and allows her to have a home office.

The challenges she faces are the same as all business owners - managing cash flow and marketing, while at the same time delivering. Mary feels that to be a business owner you have to have a huge tolerance for the unknown. She also says she hates to be bored!

Being a business owner is a balancing act for her. “There are really busy times and slow times. You don’t know what your income will be in any given month and must be prepared for three months of no income.” She notices the more she relaxes about all of this “the more good stuff comes her way." She believes you can’t force work to come to you. Be visible. Her perspective: “Work comes when it comes so I don’t worry about it any more.” Mary uses the slower times to create and develop products that she can use with her clients, so the slow times ultimately benefit her business.

Her advice for new business owners? Join NAWBO. The women of NAWBO are a high caliber of business owner and we all benefit from our associations with each other. NAWBO is not for “leads”, rather a place to learn from and support other business owners. Her advice to new NAWBO members is to ask lots of questions. Ask good questions because there is a wealth of information in NAWBO’s membership. Next she says “Get involved! Give as much as you can. Give freely. Let yourself be seen as capable as a member of NAWBO and it will come back to you in ways that are good for you and your business.”

Flea St. Cafe, owned by 2008 NAWBO-SF Leader and Legend Trailblazer Jesse Ziff Cool, was featured on a new television series Renovation Nation, hosted by Steve Thomas, former host of This Old House. The segment aired on the Discovery Network, Planet Green, in July.

NAWBO-SF members Jill Lublin of Promising Promotion and Helen Russell of Equator Estate Coffees & Teas were featured in articles in the July 2008 issue of Bay Area Business Woman. Jill Lublin's recently released new book, Get Noticed...Get Referrals, was reviewed by BABW Publisher & CEO, Debra Costner. Helen Russell was mentioned in the article, Cooking up Successful Specialty Food Businesses, tracking her start in a garage to becoming a global wholesale enterprise.

NAWBO-SF member Laura Van Galen, Bleu Marketing Solutions, was featured in the Entrepreneur Profile column of the San Francisco Business Times, June 27-July 3 issue.

New or Prospective Member?
Join us each month for an orientation to NAWBO, from 5:30pm to 6:00pm, right before the monthly dinner meeting. The best way to benefit from NAWBO is to know how it all works. This is an informal orientation designed to answer your questions and tell you how to get started as a NAWBO Member, and make the most of your membership.

Get Involved!
The Membership Committee is looking for members who will enjoy meeting and speaking to current, new, and potential members. You can spend as much time communicating with members as fits your schedule. The key to membership is communication - so join us! This is a great way to meet business owners while you learn more about NAWBO.

If you have any questions about membership or the membership committee just contact Membership Co-Chairs:

Kay Robinson: 925-284-5677
Anna Scott: 510-465-4095

NAWBO®-SF Mastermind Groups
Leverage the brilliance, strengths, insights and support of others to propel your success!

Don't miss out on this great opportunity.
Sign up now to confirm your spot for the
September 2008 Session.

NAWBO®-SF is pleased to announce the
start of our next MasterMind series: September 3rd, 2008, from 4:30 pm to 6:30pm. The session will run for
six months, until February, 2009. The price for the full session is $300.

Thanks to our long-time NAWBO® member, Heather Sager, who has once again made her firm's premises
available to us, the meetings will be held in the law offices of Drinker Biddle & Reath, at 50 Fremont Street, San Francisco. The offices are on the corner of Market and Fremont, mid-way between Montgomery and Embarcadero BART stations, and are easily accessible from all around the greater San Francisco area.

Our facilitator is Julnar Rizk, a certified coach specializing in supporting clients to successfully manage and empower change and transition in their personal and professional lives. She is as excited about working with NAWBO®-SF as we are to be working with her.

We have made the registration process even easier for you! Register now via the NAWBO®-SF Master Calendar and Online Registration tool.

NAWBO®-SF is a proud partner of CBS 5 (KPIX TV)
in the “Her Vision – Her Company,” campaign which began airing on Monday August 4th.

With 42% of all privately held firms in California owned by women, CBS 5 decided it was time to tell the stories of the women behind these amazing statistics, and created a first-of-its-kind advertising salute to women- owned businesses and their owners in the Bay Area.

To date, thirteen Bay Area women business owners have signed on to have their stories featured across
a variety of CBS 5 programming, including a number
of local CBS 5 newscasts, and also on CBS5.com. These vignette stories will air over 800 sixty-second, thirty-second and fifteen-second commercial mentions over six weeks.

NAWBO®, as a partner in the campaign, will air its own spots featuring President Barbara Mark, Ph.D., welcoming women entrepreneurs to join NAWBO.

Please watch for those spots scheduled to begin airing on August 11th.

If you are interested in being a part of the CBS 5, “Her Vision – Her Company,” advertising, please contact Tom Matheson.

NAWBO®-SF corporate partner, City National Bank is the title sponsor for the campaign.

On July 17th, NAWBO®-SF was proud to host a Leaders’ Circle Quarterly Session at the downtown campus of San Francisco State University at Westfield Center. The guest speaker, Chip Doyle of Sandler Sales Institute shared his innovative methods with the audience on how to get salespeople and consultants to take charge of the selling situation.
In his talk, he covered the following topics:

--The 5 Elements of a Successful Sales Hiring Process
--The Cost of Hiring “Ghosts”
--Can Sell vs. Will Sell
--Recognizing Undermining Beliefs of Salespeople
--Managing Expectations

For more information on Chip and his techniques, visit: http://www.train2improvesales.com/.

Leaders’ Circle is NAWBO®’s peer-to-peer advisory group for women entrepreneurs with businesses in the $2M+ range. Women business owners in non-competitive industries meet monthly in a confidential professional facilitated setting to discuss their business goals, successes, issues and problems.

Once a quarter, Leaders’ Circle hosts a special session and invites a guest speaker on a topic that is of interest to women business owners. In addition to the regular Leaders’ Circle member, outside women entrepreneurs who fit the Leaders’ Circle criteria are invited to attend the Quarterly session as a way to introduce them to the Leaders’ Circle experience.

Sponsored by Wells Fargo, Leaders’ Circle is now in its third year of development. The next Leaders’ Circle Quarterly session is scheduled for November 12th. If you are interested in attending or joining Leaders’ Circle, please contact Diana Kimbrell at: [email protected] or (415)331-1334.

On June 24th the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed legislation making it easier for businesses to qualify for the local Enterprise Zone Payroll Tax Credit. The newly passed ordinances make the local program more consistent with the California Enterprise Zone Program, extending eligibility for the Payroll Tax Credit to thousands of additional San Francisco businesses, jobs, and workers, effective immediately.

The local Enterprise Zone Payroll Tax Credit was created to encourage businesses in specified geographic areas to hire and retain workers from targeted groups. Administered by the Office of the Treasurer and Tax Collector, the tax credit offsets the payroll tax a business would have paid by hiring new
qualified employees and can be claimed over a period
of ten years.

Changes to the program are summarized below:

• Previously limited to new hires in newly created jobs, the San Francisco Enterprise Zone Payroll Tax Credit can now apply to any new hires, if the business and worker meet other eligibility criteria.

• The geographic boundaries of San Francisco’s Enterprise Zone were expanded and now include Chinatown, South of Market, Mission Bay, Embarcadero, Potrero Hill, Tenderloin, Civic Center, Western Addition, Japantown, Financial District, Bayview, Hunters Point and Parts of Visitacion Valley. view a map of the new zone

• Eligibility criteria for workers have been expanded consistent with the California Enterprise Zone Program, excepting the state provision regarding an employee’s residence.

• San Francisco’s program requires that eligible workers be residents of the City.

For more information about whether your business qualifies, and for help understanding and processing hiring tax credits, please contact Paige Buck at SF Works at (415) 217-5182 or [email protected].

Walnut Creek Relationships and Referrals Breakfast
Meeting: Tuesday, August 19

NAWBO®-SF - Walnut Creek Relationships
and Referrals Breakfast Meeting
Tuesday, August 19
7:30am to 9:00am
Il Fornaio, 1430 Mount Diablo Boulevard,
Walnut Creek
Free parking at rear of building

Bart Gragg, President of Maverick Business Advisors
and Board Member of NAWBO®-SF, is currently
finishing his manuscript entitled "Managing or Mangling - A Brief Plea To Executives For Sanity In Management". Join us at Il Fornaio restaurant in Walnut Creek as
Bart generates a discussion of the One Page Plan. Sometimes we feel that our business is scattered.
We focus on fighting fires and financials and don't think we have the time or capacity to look at the big picture. We may not even know how to start. If this sounds like you, meet us for breakfast and let's talk about the "Five Questions That Simplify Your Business". We'll see how to reduce business brain cutter into a simple One Page Plan.

Our morning breakfast meetings provide a comfortable forum for business women and entrepreneurs to meet monthly, exchange ideas and discuss business challenges. The Relationships and Referrals Breakfasts are a dynamic, informative and productive way to spend your breakfast!

Pre-registration is required as space as limited and our group has been larger these days than ever! We want to ensure that there is enough wonderful food and beverage to satisfy all. The cost, if you register by the Friday before each meeting, is $16 for members and $20 for non-members. After the Friday before each meeting, the price is $20.

Please share the word with your friends and colleagues!

Learn more and register online here.

San Francisco Relationships and Referrals Breakfast
Meeting: Wednesday, August 20

NAWBO®-SF - San Francisco Relationships and Referrals Breakfast Meeting
Wednesday, August 20
7:30am to 9:00am
55 2nd Street at Market - Harvest & Rowe
Introductions begin at 7:45 sharp.

Directions from San Francisco:
1: Start out going NORTHWEST on 11TH ST toward MARKET ST.
2: Turn RIGHT onto MARKET ST.
3: Turn RIGHT onto 2ND ST.
4: End at 55 2nd St

There is parking in the building

The San Francisco Relationships and Referrals Networking Breakfast is NAWBO®-SF's newest venue for building business connections between local women business owners. Meetings are held at 7:30am on the third Wednesday of each month at Harvest & Rowe , 55 2nd Street in San Francisco. Bring business cards and come prepared to meet other women business owners, make friends, exchange ideas, share leads, lend support and recommend resources.

Pre-registration is required as space as limited and our group has been larger these days than ever! We want to ensure that there is enough wonderful food and beverage to satisfy all. The cost, if you register by the Friday before each meeting, is $12 for members and $15 for non-members. After the Friday before each meeting, the price is $15 for members and $18 for non-members.

Please share the word with your friends and colleagues!

Learn more and register online here.

Marin Relationships and Referrals Breakfast Meeting: Tuesday, August 26 in Corte Madera

NAWBO®-SF - Marin Relationships and Referrals Breakfast Meeting
Tuesday, August 26
7:30am to 9:00am
Il Fornaio
Corte Madera Town Center, Corte Madera

Get your morning off to a great start with our monthly NAWBO®-SF Marin Breakfast Meeting. Our group continues to grow and evolve - become a part of this unique networking opportunity now! Our monthly forum for business women to exchange ideas and discuss business challenges is a dynamic, informative and productive way to spend your breakfast.

· Join a supportive group of business women with similar experiences
· Give and receive professional support, input and advice
· Gain access to a wide array of business resources
· Discover possible collaborations and alliances
· Meet new friends who share common interests and values

Pre-registration is required as space as limited and our group has been larger these days than ever! We want to ensure that there is enough wonderful food and beverage to satisfy all. The cost, if you register by the Friday before each meeting, is $12 for members and $15 for non-members. After the Friday before each meeting, the price is $15 for members and $18 for non-members.

Please share the word with your friends and colleagues!

Learn more and Register online here.

Key Dates: Mark Your Calendar

–– August 19: Walnut Creek Relationships and Referrals Breakfast Meeting

–– August 20: San Francisco Relationships and Referrals Breakfast Meeting

–– August 26: Marin Relationships and Referrals Breakfast Meeting in Corte Madera

Thank you to our Corporate Partners:

If you would like to submit stories, news, events, or happenings for the next issue of NAWBO®-SF's e-news, please send to the newsletter editor,
Jennifer Donahue, at [email protected]. Copy submission deadline is the 20th of the current month for the next month's newsletter (e-mailed out the first week of the month).

We invite anyone who is not already a member to join NAWBO®-SF. Take advantage of a growing package of member benefits and activities. To find out more, visit our website: www.middleastwomen.org/membership.html.

To subscribe to (or unsubscribe from) this newsletter, contact Wendi Moradian at 415.333.2130, or email: [email protected].

The NAWBO®-SF Monthly Newsletter is designed and edited by NAWBO®-SF member
Jennifer Donahue Communications.

© 2008 The National Association of Women Business Owners® - San Francisco Bay Area Chapter (NAWBO®-SF). All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of NAWBO®-SF is prohibited.

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