Women Business Owners of Montgomery County Blog

Need some help on a personal matter

Cynthia Lett — Thu, 10 May 2012 18:57:12 GMT

I am in need of some help with my almost 90 year old mother who lives in her house in Tulip Hill (Goldsboro Road/Mass Ave/Glen Echo) area of Bethesda a couple of times a week. This is really simple, quick help - she is too frail to set the lawn sprinkler, weed around her garden (there isn't much once the initial weeding is done), bring the newspaper inside, bring up the trash cans to the side of the house from the curb, bring stuff upstairs from the basement (I hate that she still goes up and down the stairs in the house). She is not sick. She doesn't want someone to sit and chat. She had a stroke 10 years ago and was left with aphasia (the inability to speak well and say what she means) and she can lose her balance if she isn't careful.

She lives in the house mostly by herself although my brother also inhabits the basement. He isn't seen much and does absolutely nothing for her around the house or outside which is why I need someone to help me. I get there several times a week most weeks but I can't get there to do this kind of stuff.

This doesn't pay much but it will pay about $20 for each trip you make based upon the schedule we set up.

If you are interested, please call me at 240-893-9469.

Golf Anyone??

Susan Potter — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 20:09:58 GMT

How many WBO members are beginning, experienced or wanna-be golfers? Having recently re-learned the game, I highly recommend it not only for business networking and forging relationships, but also for having fun and simply getting out of the office! Here is a good opportunity to enjoy some golf and support a good cause.

Be a part of Hearts and Homes for Youth's 1st Annual Girls on the Green Golf Outing FORE Women! This charity golf outing will take place on Friday, June 22, 2012 at Blue Mash Golf Course, in Laytonsville, MD. Registration begins at 12:30 pm, with a ShotGun Start at 1:30 pm. The outing will end with an enjoyable dinner and awards program. Four-time Emmy Award winning news anchor, Jan Fox, will emcee the event.

More info is at http://www.girlsonthegreen.org

Help make a difference in the lives of the children of Hearts & Homes for Youth. All proceeds from the event will support our efforts to provide programs to help the abused, neglected, homeless and troubled children in our care.

Hearts & Homes for Youth is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
All contributions are tax-deductible.

Hope to see you there!

The Power Conference -- Call for speakers

Naomi Abrams — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 14:30:16 GMT

Hi everyone,

Save the date, The Power Conference 2012 has been scheduled for Aug 30, 2012. In preperation for that day, here is the RFP for anyone who would like to put in to speak and/or run a Power Talk workshop.

Click here for more info

Pike Center Redevelopment Plan Meeting - March 14

Susan Potter — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 21:17:45 GMT

Women Business Owners are invited to join representatives from Wal-Mart, Inc. to discuss redevelopment plans for Pike Center on Rockville Pike.

The meeting will include updates on planning as well as an important opportunity to provide feedback and network with other local business owners.

Here are the details:

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

4:00pm

Original Pancake House

12224 Rockville Pike

Please RSVP that you will attend to Jamie Fontaine: Email Jamie@fontainecompany.com or

call 410-366-3940.

Rockville Business Owners - Redevelopment at Pike Center

Susan Potter — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 14:45:55 GMT

Rockville business owners are invited to join representatives from Wal-Mart, Inc. today to discuss redevelopment plans for Pike Center. The meeting will include updates on planning as well as an important opportunity to provide feedback and network with other local business owners. Here are the details:

Thursday, March 8, 2012
4:00 p.m.
Original Pancake House
12224 Rockville Pike

Please RSVP to Jamie Fontaine at 410-366-3940 or Jamie@fontainecompany.com if you plan to attend.

Legislative Alert--MD Seeks to Extend Sales Tax to Service Providers

Susan Potter — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 18:51:31 GMT

The Maryland House of Delegates held a hearing yesterday on HB1051, which seeks to extend the 6% sales tax to a wide range of services, including barber and beauty services, interior decorating services, business consulting services, physical fitness services, tax preparation services, and many more. For more information, see the Legislative Alert circulated by the Rockville Chamber of Commerce.

I'd Rather Be In Charge

Susan Potter — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 19:34:16 GMT

On my list of books to read this year is Charlotte Beers' I'd Rather Be In Charge, which is described as "a master class for women who are ready to shatter their own glass ceilings." Beers is a pioneer of women attaining leadership positions in the business and political world. She is the former CEO of Ogilvy and Mather, and served as Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy & Public Affairs under Colin Powell. She was interviewed on Morning Joe this morning and had some interesting advice for women looking to find a "warrior way of leading." For example, leave your "mommy" self and your "wife" self at home when you go to the office. And don't worry about being liked by everyone. Though it seems to be aimed more at women in management positions at large companies, her insights seem applicable to all women in business. If you've read the book or saw the interview, post your thoughts about Beers' take on women and leadership.

Don't Miss the 2012 Women's Legislative Briefing- Sunday January 29

Susan Potter — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:10:01 GMT

Want to know the latest about state and federal legislation affecting women in Maryland? Want to learn more about effective legislative advocacy? The Commissions for Women of Montgomery County and Prince George's County, along with more than 70 co-sponsoring organizations, invite you to the Women’s Legislative Briefing, January 29, 12:30-6 at the Universities at Shady Grove. Don’t miss seminars led by experts on topics ranging from women in the workforce to healthcare to safety, justice, and human rights. A VIP Panel will discuss women’s issues in the US Congress. The Women’s Legislative Briefing is the place to go for information, ideas, and networking. Register now!

We are sad to announce that Susan Hall, a former WBO MC President has passed away

Naomi Abrams — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:54:27 GMT

Susan Hlesciak Hall (who grew to prefer Susana, the Spanish version of her given name) died on January 8, 2012 in Rincon, Puerto Rico at age 65. She passed away peacefully following surgery for a massive mesenteric thrombosis. Susana was born April 10, 1946 in Jamaica, New York to Paul and Edith Hlesciak. At an early age, the Hlesciaks moved to Merrick, Long Island where their family expanded to include three siblings - Cheryl, Jeffrey and Debra. Susana excelled at school where she cultivated a lifelong passion for the written word. Her talent was honored by the publication of her poem in a national anthology of high school students' work. She continued her outstanding academic performance at the State University of New York at Albany, graduating Cum Laude with a Bachelors Degree in 1968 and later earned a Master's Degree in Public Communications Summa Cum Laude from The American University. Susana married Warren Hall in Albany, New York on April 13, 1968 where their son Adam was born in 1972. Soon after, the family moved to the Washington, DC area where son Joshua was born in 1975. Most of the family's years together were spent in Columbia, MD, where Susana encouraged her sons to excel in school and baseball (only partially to give her the opportunity to be scorekeeper for their teams). As empty nesters, Susana and Warren moved to Kensington, MD, the home base that launched their worldwide travels to experience many cultures, customs and enriching adventures. Susana turned her love of writing into a career that included positions in public communications and, most recently, establishing and directing her own consulting firm. She was also involved in writers' groups throughout her life and founded the Wednesday Writers in Bethesda, MD in 2009. A strong advocate for human rights, she also generously supported her favorite charities including the Childhood Leukemia Foundation and the Make-a-Wish Foundation. She is survived by her devoted spouse, Warren, loving children Adam (Brooke) and Joshua (Thea) of Maryland and beloved grandchildren Joseph and Tillie Hall, as well as by her mother Edith Hlesciak of New Jersey and siblings Cheryl Lachowicz of Nevada, Jeffrey Hlesciak of New Jersey, and Debra Thibault of Pennsylvania. A memorial service in celebration of Susana's life will be held at 2 p.m. on January 21 at the River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Bethesda. In accordance with her wishes, Susana's ashes will rest in sunny Puerto Rico, which she came to love as an escape from Maryland's chilly winters. Susana's family and friends will remember her as loving, compassionate, principled, and intellectually curious, and will miss her greatly.

Montgomery County's Carryout Bag Law

Susan Potter — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:07:05 GMT

Happy New Year! On January 1, the "bag tax" went into effect in Montgomery County. Those of you who shop in DC are already used to paying 5 cents per bag at the grocery store, but the Montgomery County law is much more widespread and has only limited exceptions. Here is a helpful link to FAQs for retailers. http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/mcgtmpl.asp?url=/content/pio/bag/faqs_retailers.asp

Has your business been impacted by this law?

Come learn about Transformations

Susan Potter — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 19:41:40 GMT

Every year the president of WBO and your board select one or more charitable organizations in Montgomery County to support. This we have decided to help one of our own, home-grown non-profits. Transformations, started by our very own Bethany Portner, works with low-income families in Montgomery County to improve their lives by improving their surroundings through interior design. You can learn more about Transformations at www.transformationsMC.org. Even better, come to our December luncheon on Thursday, December 15 http://www.wbo-mc.com/events?eventId=410276&EventViewMode=EventDetails , where Bethany and other Transformations board members will be on hand to describe the non-profit’s mission, and how WBO helped provide the support and the tools to turn a dream into a reality.

Partnership with icommunity

Naomi Abrams — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 14:35:11 GMT

One of the WBO member benefits is our connection to other networking organizations around the region. We have partnered with iCommunity to bring you even more networking opportunities.

Here is a message from Brandon Barr of iCommunity:

Hi from Brandon,

I wanted to extend a personal invitation to one of our upcoming business networking events that we like to call a "BLENDER Mixer" at Chima Brazilian Steakhouse on Monday November 14th, 2011 located at 8010 Towers Crescent Dr. Tysons Corner VA 22182.

The event is FREE to all individuals that use this discount code (6383903) during the registration process. Our venue sponsor will be serving a variety of complimentary heavy hors d’oeuvres, and there will be a Network Idol contest,

where the winner will receive a $50.00 Visa gift card.

To register, use this link, http://www.theicommunity.com/registerpay.cfm?eventid=245

BLENDER = Business Leaders Engaged In Developing Everlasting Relationships

It's Community Service Week in Montgomery County

Susan Potter — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 15:31:31 GMT

Join 25,000 of your neighbors October 16-22 and volunteer during Montgomery County's Community Service Week! Make a difference in your community by joining a project looking for volunteers, planning a project to meet a need in your neighborhood, or volunteering at a local nonprofit. You can also stop by the County’s volunteer engagement expos and open houses during the week to learn more about ways to get involved throughout the year.

You can register for a volunteer project here: https://volunteer.truist.com/mcvc/user/events/one.aspx?event_id=10472273654

Projects range from cleaning a stream to mulching and weeding public gardens and parks, participating in a food drive at a local grocery store, donating blood, delivering groceries to seniors and much more. Many of the projects are approved for Student Service Learning (SSL) hours, so bring the kids along!

Steve Jobs' Lessons for Entrepreneurs

Susan Potter — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 15:55:44 GMT

At the risk of contributing to the Steve Jobs information overload, I want to pass along this post on Forbes.com from contributor Eric Jackson: http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericjackson/2011/10/05/the-top-ten-lessons-steve-jobs-taught-us/

It’s worth a quick read and nicely condenses the lessons all entrepreneurs and business owners can learn from Steve Jobs and his incredible life and career. It quotes extensively from Jobs’ now-famous 2005 Stanford commencement speech, http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidewalt/2011/10/05/steve-jobs-2005-stanford-commencement-address/ which is also worth reading if you haven’t already done so.

My favorite lesson from that speech is this: You can’t connect the dots forward, only backward. Most of us would like to meticulously plan our futures through a series of well-thought out pathways, but in reality, life throws us lots of curve balls. By trusting your instincts, doing what you love and following your "inner voice," you can forge a successful future in spite of those curve balls.

Another lesson is that to achieve success, you cannot fear failure. Steve Jobs was publicly ousted by the company he started. He dealt with the humiliation and disappointment by continuing to follow his passions and taking chances. Connecting those dots backwards, he later realized that “getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again…It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.”

Jobs apparently didn’t even fear death. Jackson’s post quotes again from the Stanford commencement speech, where he so eloquently said:

“No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma undefined which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

Words of wisdom indeed!

Tonight's Open House

Susan Potter — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 15:06:48 GMT

I hope you are planning on stopping by the Rockville Hilton http://www.rockvillehotel.com tonight for WBO's annual Open House/Board Swearing-In Ceremony. Our special guest is Montgomery County Council President Valerie Ervin. The event starts at 5:30 p.m. and it's free.

It's hard to believe that an entire year has passed since WBO celebrated its 30th birthday party. Come celebrate our 31st year as Montgomery County's premier women's business group. Meet the new Board and mix and mingle with old and new friends.

See you tonight!

Online Membership Renewal is Available Now!

Susan Potter — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 14:23:49 GMT

It's that time of year again...time to renew your WBO membership. We've made it even easier this year by giving you the option to renew online. Here's how to do it: If you're not already logged in, enter your user name and password and go to your Profile Page. A page will appear that says "Membership Details" at the top. Click on the button that says "Renew until 01 Sep 2012." You will be taken to a Membership Renewal page to confirm your membership information. If it's correct, click the "Next" button in the lower right corner. Make any changes or updates to your membership information, and click the "Next" button. Select your payment method and click "Next." If you wish to pay by check, just click the "Manual" button and follow the steps requested. In order to get the early bird rate, your check must be postmarked by 9/22/11. Otherwise, fill out the credit card info and click "Submit" at the bottom. Review the payment info and click "Pay Now." You will receive an email confirmation and receipt. If you have any questions or encounter any problems renewing your membership, contact Laura Muncy (laura@letterspacecreative.com) or Vicki Porter (vicki.porter@longandfoster.com).

Visit us at Team Network

Naomi Abrams — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 21:57:18 GMT

Wednesday, July 6^th6:00 PM

Team Network is once again spearheading our now 10^th Annual Montgomery All-County Networking Extravaganza!

15 local networking organizations are cooperating this year to promote this event including 4 Chambers of Commerce, BNI, Original Third Tuesday, and 3 women’s groups including our own WBO!

As a member of the WBO (or one of the other sponsoring organizations),

you get a discount! www.teamnetwork.com/megamarty

June resources

Naomi Abrams — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 15:04:18 GMT

Our June networking event was amazing! We joined up with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Montgomery County for our last WBO networking reception of the year. Everyone was asking for the HCCMC director's contact information. You can reach Rosalinda at editor@buenagente.us.

Never fear, that doesn't mean the opportunities stop flowing out of WBO!

In July we teamed up with Team Network for their super Marty -- see the events link for details. WBO members get in at a discounted rate!

September brings out a lot of wonderful events that you must attend -- mark your calendars:

September 6, 2011 the Maryland Hispanic Business Conference at the North Bethesda Marriott Conference Center

September 7, 2011 The Power Conference: Women Doing Business! will also be at the North Bethesda Marriott Conference Center. This one is put on by a Women's Business Consortium started by WBO MC!

September 22, 2011 WBO MC kicks off another year at our annual free networking reception. More details to follow.