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Archive for the ‘Networking’ Category

EVENT: Bring on the Holidays: Connect, Collaborate, Celebrate!

Tuesday, November 16th, 2010
TEM Logo Color xSm H EVENT: Bring on the Holidays: Connect, Collaborate, Celebrate! Connect113 Logo EVENT: Bring on the Holidays: Connect, Collaborate, Celebrate!

The Enterprising Moms and Connect 113 are teaming up to bring you a holiday networking event sure to mix things up: Bring on the Holidays: Connect, Collaborate, Celebrate!

The holiday season is full of wonderful opportunities to develop and deepen relationships with new and existing clients, colleagues, partners and friends. And, we’re providing a rich and engaging environment in which to do so.

Join us for a fun and festive networking event where you’ll have the opportunity to extend beyond the thriving culture of The Enterprising Moms and connect with other business-minded individuals from all strands.

When: Thursday, December 2nd  |  7pm – 9pm (Yes, an evening out!)
Where: Connect 113, 113 South Columbus Street, Alexandria, VA 22314

Tell Us Who You Want to Meet

The Enterprising Moms is all about facilitating connections! So, tell us who you want to add to your network and we’ll do our best to help facilitate a connection before, during or after the event.

Spread the Word

It’s the holiday season — the more the merrier! Non-TEM members and non-moms are encouraged to attend, so bring a friend or two and spread the word!

Register today and save!

Bring a friend who’s a first time attendee at a TEM event and each of you can take $5 off the registration fee!

About Connect113

Special thanks to our host, ‘Connect113, ‘Alexandria’s new co-work working space. Explore first-hand the fabulous facilities and learn about the services offered at Connect113, and why many Enterprising Moms have already signed on!

So, join us for an evening of food and fun, and bring a friend or two! Register today!

Carolyn
Chief Enterprising Mom & Work-Life Integration Coach & Consultant
@EnterprisingMom | @ApplyWithin
The Enterprising MomsApply Within

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Event: Connect & Collaborate with The Enterprising Moms

Monday, October 4th, 2010

Join us for a networking event where you’ll also have the opportunity to engage in rich discussions on two hot topics in The Enterprising Moms community: work-life balance/integration and social media.

Come connect with fellow entrepreneurial moms and share you struggles and celebrate your triumphs with women who really get it. You’ll participate in creative and collaborative problem-solving with a group of highly talented and resourceful women with a broad range of experiences and who are eager to share. We’ll have two sets of ’round table’ discussions and you’ll have the opportunity to swap tables mid-way through so that you have an opportunity to connect with all attendees.

This event is once again hosted by Alexandria’s new co-work working space, ‘Connect113.’ Explore first-hand the fabulous facilities and learn about the services offered at Connect113, and why five Enterprising Moms have signed on since our last event!

What is a co-working space? Learn more about Connect113 and why TEM members Jennifer Folsom, of Momentum Resources and Stephanie Greenwald of Greenwald Design say co-working works for them (Jennifer | Stephanie).

Register today and save!
Bring a friend who’s a first time attendee at a TEM event, and each of you can take $5 off the registration fee. Just use enter your friend’s name in the comment field and have your friend do the same when they register. Then select the ‘bring-a-friend’ discount rate and complete the process. Each party must include the name of the other at the time of registration for discount to be honored.

Please register by Sunday, October 10th to be sure to be included on our Connect & Collaborate list, which will be distributed electronically to all registered event participants prior to the event.

Carolyn
Chief Enterprising Mom
@EnterprisingMom | @ApplyWithin

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Detours & OnRamps Forum: Flexible Work Solutions

Thursday, September 30th, 2010

Are you …

  • Planning to go back to work?
  • Looking for flexibility, or to shift careers?
  • Got an idea to start your own company?

Join us for a one-day event on the issues facing working moms (and dads)…great sessions, networking, and companies who care: The OnRamps Forum, October 25, 2010 in Fairfax, VA.

This is a great event to attend if you are planning to go back to work in 6 days, 6 months, or even a year…if you’re looking for flexibility, for career options, for resources, or for help building your own business.

Detours&OnRamps is for anyone who wants to make work, work for them–not a job fair, but a day of hands-on sessions and practical advice that will get you ready to land that job.

Register and mention The Enterprising Moms and you can receive $30 off the day’s $125 price, which covers a goody bag, meals, and the full day of sessions. Bring a friend or two, and get up to an additional $20 off!

Get details and register at OnRamps Forum.

Carolyn
Chief Enterprising Mom
@EnterprisingMom | @ApplyWithin

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EVENT: Making Profitable Connections – 9/14/10

Monday, August 30th, 2010

Summer is winding down. School is back in session for some and soon will be for others. For many moms, the start of the school year also presents an opportunity to start fresh! New routines and schedules, new ways of working, and new opportunities. So, let’s seize this opportunity as a time to engage with The Enterprising Moms and grow connections that will help your business flourish!

  • Who do you need to meet?
  • What do you need to help your business grow?
  • How can The Enterprising Moms help your business reach it’s goals?

Join us for a networking event with a focus on forming meaningful connections and lasting relationships that will have a positive impact on your business life, your personal life, and your bottom line!

The Enterprising Moms is teaming up with the new co-work working space, ‘Connect113‘ in Alexandria, VA to bring you an event you won’t want to miss. In addition to exploring first-hand the fabulous facilities and learning about the services offered at Connect113, you’ll have the opportunity to connect with Connect113 members, along with members of the TEM community (including a couple of members who are already working out of Connect113).

Leading up to this event, we’ll share tips, tools and resources for managing the shift from networking to relationship building on the discussion list and blog.  And, as a registered attendee, you’ll have the opportunity to let us know who it is you want or need to connect with, and we’ll do our best to help facilitate those connections.

Register today and take advantage of two opportunities to save (including a bring-a-friend discount)!

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30 Hours of Weekly Leisure Time? Washington Post’s Brigid Schulte’s Controversial Time Study

Tuesday, June 1st, 2010

Where: Busboys and Poets – Arlington, VA
Date: Tue Jun 8 – Tue Jun 8
Time:
09:30 AM – 11:30 AM
Event description:

For many Enterprising Moms, and moms in general, it’s a constant struggle … finding enough time to meet the numerous demands of daily life, never mind the quest for a little professional fulfillment and personal joy along the way. Is there time for it all?

According to one study, there’s plenty! John Robinson, a time researcher who’s often referred to as the father of time, says that working moms have 30 hours of leisure time per week. So, where’s the disconnect?

Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and mother of two, Brigid Schulte, like many of us didn’t believe it. So, she did a study of her own time and shared her findings in the February 17th Sunday Washington Post Magazine article, “The Test of Time: A busy working mother tries to figure out where all her time is going.” The controversial article kicked up storm of discussion on the subject of moms and leisure time, how we define it, and how we spend it.

At this June 8th event, Brigid will share her experience in researching and reporting the piece and the conversations that ensued as the topic exploded in print, on the web and even lead to an appearance by Brigid on the Dr. Phil Show!

Opening with a talk by Brigid about her experience, the event will feature an interactive discussion and exploration of time, work, leisure and how we define and experience them all.

Do you have 30 hours of leisure time per week? Tell us about it below and join us on Tuesday, June 8th

About Brigid

b schulte sm 30 Hours of Weekly Leisure Time? Washington Post’s Brigid Schultes Controversial Time StudyBrigid Schulte is a reporter on the Washington Post’s Local Enterprise Team, a group of narrative writers that look for compelling and insightful stories that help explain how we live now. She came to the Post in 1999 to cover education, winning a top National Education Writers’ Association award for a series exploring the achievement gap. She has since written human interest, narrative and feature stories on everything from dying bats and the way the healthcare debate feels on the street to a lost jar of marbles and the plight of struggling Iraqi refugees in America for virtually all sections of the newspaper and Washington Post magazine.

She has won a number of journalism and writing awards, including the National Association of Black Journalist’s award for sports writing for a four-part series on a high school basketball team comprised almost entirely of immigrants or the sons of immigrants. She was also part of the team that won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for covering the Virginia Tech massacre.

Schulte wrote about national politics and national affairs for Knight-Ridder Newspapers’ Washington Bureau before joining the Post. She also wrote about southern politics as the Washington correspondent for the State Newspaper in South Carolina and covered the environment and the Pacific Northwest for the Seattle Times and other western papers in the Washington Bureau of States News Service. She has worked at newspapers in South Carolina and Wyoming, written for national magazines like The Washington Monthly and trade publications like The Harvard Education Review and taught English in Japan for two   years. An Oregon native, she graduated with a degree in English from the University of Portland and later obtained a master’s degree from the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism in New York.

Door Prize

Special thanks to Jenna Caudillo of JA Creative, provider award winning marketing and creative services to businesses and nonprofit organizations, for the following door prize:

We Grew It–Let’s Eat It! 30 Hours of Weekly Leisure Time? Washington Post’s Brigid Schultes Controversial Time Study
DC twins Annie and Veda learn about the White House veggie garden and want to grow fruits and vegetables, too. But how, if you live in an apartment? Watch the twins and senior gardener Ida work and play their way through planting, tending, and harvesting in a neighborhood Community Garden. Then comes the fun of preparing and eating simple, tasty, homegrown food!

A picture book for young readers (ages 3-8 — Pre-K- Grade 4)
By Annie and Veda as told to Justine Kenin
Full-color photos by Becky Lettenberger
Designed by J.A. Creative
56 pages, soft cover 8.5” x 11”, with recipes and books for further reading

This is the third book they have collaborated on with Tenley Circle Press.

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EVENT: Doing Well While Doing Good: Demystifying CSR

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010

FCP 2COLOR 150x150 EVENT: Doing Well While Doing Good: Demystifying CSRDoing Well While Doing Good: Demystifying Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
Tuesday, May 11 @ 9:30am
Busboys and Poets @ Shirlington

Corporate Social Responsibility … What is it? And why should you care? Simply put, it’s creating business value by incorporating your values.

If you donate a portion of your proceeds to a worthy cause, you’re integrating CSR. If you partner with an organization-in-need to collect food, books, clothing, etc. on their behalf, your integrating CSR. If you sponsor an event for a non-profit, if you donate your products or services to an under-served population, you’re integrating CSR.

While many of us are already doing some level of CSR, is it being done in a planned and strategic way?

Whether your already integrating CSR or would like to do so, you’ll want to be at this event where you’ll learn about:

  • The business case for CSR—why it’s important &  why you should do it
  • Considerations for developing a CSR aspect to your business
  • How to align your CSR goals with your business mission
  • How to market & communicate CSR—and why marketing is crucial
  • Self-Assessment for your business—what are you doing & ways to align business with CSR

The event will feature Jane Meier of Full Circle Partnerships, a marketing consultant who loves helping businesses integrate marketing with Corporate Social Responsibility.  Whether seeking to build partnerships with non-profits, developing marketing strategy, or planning or implementing special events, clients hire Jane for her skills in partnership building, her attention to detail and passionate commitment to corporate social responsibility.

Jane previously worked for Whole Foods Market for four years as a marketing & community liaison.  While at Whole Foods Market, she created successful partnerships resulting in positive publicity, business growth, and awards for the company.  She has a B.S. Family & Consumer Sciences Education and a M.S. in Housing and Consumer Economics.

Door prizes: A choice of a communications review (assess your current communications and provide recommendations for ways to articulate your commitments) or a partnership assessment (whether refining existing partnerships or starting new ones, we’ll take a look at your business model, mission, and partnership goals and make recommendations). Each valued at $300!

Early bird rate ends on April 30th. Get details and register at http://events.theenterprisingmoms.com.

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DC Volunteer Event: Casserole Cook-Off to Benefit S.O.M.E.

Tuesday, April 20th, 2010

As busy entrepreneurial moms, sometimes it’s a challenge to find the time to grow our businesses, maintain our relationships, and give back to the community. Want a fun and easy way to do all three? Then join us for another networking event with a twist … A Casserole Cook-Off!

On Wednesday, April 28, members of The Enterprising Moms will come together to support So That Others Might Eat (SOME), a non-profit organization that has helped thousands of people get off the streets, transform their lives and learn to live independently. Moms will prepare casseroles assembly-line style, and then volunteers and staff from SOME will distribute the casseroles to those in need.

We did this event last November, and it was a blast! It was great to connect with fellow business-owner moms and build relationships in a fun way while contributing to the greater good.

Steering Committee Member Marilyn Nowalk of Intelligent by Design has made it incredibly easy to give back to the community this way:

Nothing to buy. Nothing to bring. Three easy ways to get involved:

  1. Donate & Participate (Contribute funds for food and supplies AND join in the fun!)
  2. Donate (Can’t participate? Contributions for food and supplies are welcome.)
  3. Participate (Can’t donate? Come on out to provide hands-on support!)

However you plan to get involved, register and/or donate today!

If you participated last fall, please chime in and share your experience. Testimonials go a long way in encouraging others to do the same.

Speaking of giving back, also check out our May 11 event, “Doing Well While Doing Good: Demystifying Corporate Social Responsibility.” Get details and register at the early bird rate!

Carolyn
Chief Enterprising Mom  |  @EnterprisingMom@ApplyWithin

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Speak Your Way to the Top: Three Elements of a Memorable Elevator Speech

Friday, April 9th, 2010

clapp sm Speak Your Way to the Top: Three Elements of a Memorable Elevator Speech
This is the second installment in a two-part series on developing an effective elevator pitch, by Christine Clapp, of Spoken with Authority. Christine will be presenting at our upcoming workshop, ‘Say It Like You Mean It: Communicating More Effectively with Your Clients, Community and Clan!’ on Tuesday, April 13th. Get details and register at The Enterprising Moms web site.


If you read my last post, Speak your way to the top: Don’t give short shrift to your elevator pitch, you already know what an elevator speech is and why it’s important to prepare one.  You also may have signed up for The Enterprising Mom’s monthly networking event on April 13, 2010, which will give you a change to practice your elevator speech while learning tips to speak with confidence and avoid common pitfalls of women speakers.  (If you haven’t registered yet, you can register now. Only a few spaces remain.)

But before you can share your elevator speech with fellow Enterprising Moms on April 13, you need to prepare one.  As you craft yours, remember to include these three key elements of a memorable elevator speech:

1.  Describe yourself as a solution to a problem.

The most important part of your elevator speech is the first sentence.  It’s important because when you don’t have much time, this sentence becomes the short version of your elevator speech.  And even when you do have a minute or two for your elevator speech, this sentence is vital because it will determine whether the person or people you’re talking to will continue listening or if they’ll tune you out.

For that important first sentence then, make sure you describe yourself as a solution to a problem faced by your clients or customers.  People don’t necessarily care what your job title is or how your industry describes the work you do.  They do care about how you can help them solve a problem.

Rather than calling myself a presentation-skills trainer or a public-speaking coach, which leaves listeners wondering, I tell new people I meet, “I unlock the potential of talented professionals by giving them confidence as speakers.”  Notice the use of clear, simple language that avoids jargon and overused buzzwords.

2.  Tell an anecdote

After you describe how you solve a problem for the people you work with, tell a short story to explain your motivation for doing what you do.  This anecdote should be a “signature story” – one that reveals the ah-ha moment when you realized you wanted to do what you do or an example that shows that how exceptional you are at your craft.

For me, I always tell the story of how I realized the importance of strong speaking skills:

“As a college freshman, I opted to participate in two debate tournaments rather than suffer through a semester-long course in public speaking to fulfill a requirement of my major.  During my first debate — a humiliating defeat to a top team from Pacific Lutheran University — I realized that I needed to be as articulate and confident as my opponents to excel academically and professionally.

That’s when I dedicated myself to becoming a great speaker and empowering others with communication skills.” The value of telling an anecdote is that people love listening to stories (just think of your kids at bedtime), they are more memorable than highlights from your resume (people at networking events don’t always remember my name, but they can tell you I was drubbed in my first college debate) and they build rapport with your listeners (we get a better sense of someone we just met when they open up and share a personal story).

Remember that your anecdote must be brief – your entire elevator speech is just one to two minutes long.  It should have a few specific details, such as the school my opponents represented, because it makes the story more interesting and colorful.  And it should include vivid language that makes the ears of your listeners perk up, like I did with the words “suffer,” “humiliating defeat,” “excel” and “empowering.”

3.  Ask an open-ended questions

Lastly, end by asking a question that can’t be answered with a simple “yes” or “no.”  The ultimate goal of an elevator speech is to start a dialogue.  After all, you can’t learn about someone you just met when your lips are moving.  You have to let your ears do the work.

The question you ask can be as simple as, “And what is it that you do?”  Or you can make it more specific to your field of work.  I’ll often ask a question along the lines of, “What kind of experience do you have with public speaking?”  Or, “What kind of speaking do you do in the course of your work?”

The content of a memorable elevator speech should be brief, should position you as a solution to a problem, should share a personal anecdote that explains why you do what you do, and should transform your introduction from a monologue to a dialogue.  If you can make the networking event on April 13, I look forward to giving you feedback on your elevator speech and helping you deliver it with confidence.

Christine Clapp is the president of Spoken with Authority.  You can sign up for her monthly e-newsletter, Speaking of Speaking

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Speak your way to the top: Don’t give short shrift to your elevator pitch

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

By Christine Clapp, of Spoken with Authority

You’ve probably heard that you should have a minute long “elevator pitch” or “elevator speech” ready in case you hop on an elevator with that prospective client you’ve been trying to land or that potential investor you’ve been dying to meet.

Maybe you’ve even given some thought to how you’d introduce yourself if you ever have that once-in-a-lifetime chance meeting in the elevator.  Or maybe you think you’ll never encounter that sort of situation, so you haven’t worried about preparing an elevator pitch.

You’re probably right about never needing to pitch yourself in an elevator.  But as an entrepreneur, you’ll certainly need to introduce yourself at networking events, conferences, social functions, and anywhere you’re asked: “What do you do?”  If you’re not approaching these everyday situations as opportunities to give your carefully crafted elevator pitch, you’re missing opportunities to land new clients and grow your business.

Don’t fall into the trap of all too many professionals who think that because they’re meeting potential clients in informal situations or small-group settings, they don’t have to take time to carefully prepare and rehearse what they say.  In fact, you should treat your introduction to one potential client at a networking event with as much care as you would an address to a room full of industry experts at a conference.

When you approach the crafting of your elevator pitch as you would a formal speech, it means that you need to prepare strategically, rehearse thoroughly, receive feedback and rework material if it’s not getting you the results you want.  (It doesn’t mean your elevator pitch should sound or come across like a formal speech!)

Are you ready to win clients and grow your business with your elevator pitch?

Sign up for The Enterprising Moms’ monthly networking event on Tuesday, April 13, 2010, at 9:30 a.m. at Busboys and Poets in Shirlington.  The featured interactive program, “Say It Like You Mean It: Communicate More Effectively with Your Clients, Community and Clan!” will teach you how to speak with confidence and avoid common pitfalls of women speakers.

At the event, you’ll get a chance to share with fellow Enterprising Moms the elevator pitch you will craft in advance and you’ll receive personalized feedback in person and afterward via e-mail on the content and delivery of your introduction.  And before the event, you’ll get specific advice on how to prepare your elevator pitch strategically so that it is memorable and establishes rapport.

Stay tuned for the next post, which will get you started on the crafting of your elevator pitch before the April 13 program!   Meantime, register online for the space-limited event.

clapp sm Speak your way to the top: Don’t give short shrift to your elevator pitch Christine Clapp, president of Spoken with Authority, unlocks the potential of young professionals by giving them confidence as speakers. Follow her on Twitter: www.twitter.com/christineclapp

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EVENT: Say It Like You Mean It: Communicate More Effectively …

Sunday, March 21st, 2010

Say It Like You Mean It:
Communicate More Effectively with Your Clients, Community and Clan!

Where: Busboys and Poets – Arlington, VA
Date: Tue Apr 13 @ 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM
Fees: $15 Early Bird (through April 6th)  |  $20 after April 6th
Register: The Enterprising Moms

Join us for an interactive workshop with Christine Clapp, of Spoke with Authority, who will share strategies for communicating more effectively in all areas of your life.

Many of people aren’t fully aware of how much of an impact the manner in which they communicate their messages has on how their message is received. Some are aware of the impact, but don’t know how to communicate more effectively.

Enter Christine, who offers small-group classes and intensive coaching sessions that develop the speaking skills professionals need to advance their careers.  She also provides interactive workshops and keynote addresses to companies and organizations that want to unlock the potential of their employees or members. Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, Christine customizes training and coaching to meet the needs of each client.

During this interactive workshop, participants will learn:

  • The importance of speaking with confidence in professional and personal interactions
  • How to speak effectively to an audience of one or 1,000
  • Mistakes women speakers make that undermine their credibility

What you’ll gain:

  • Confidence as a communicator, especially in high-stakes situations
  • An inventory of your speaking strengths and areas needing improvement
  • A more polished elevator pitch (your introduction in networking situations)

As an attendee, you’ll receive:

  • Personalized feedback after the event from Christine
  • Contact Connector – list of event participants to facilitate networking during and after the event

About Christine

Christine Clapp is a presentation skills expert who unlocks the potential of talented professionals by giving them confidence as speakers. As president of Spoken with Authority, she conducts small-group classes, intensive coaching sessions, interactive workshops, and keynote addresses that give participants polish whether they’re speaking to an audience of one or 1,000.

Christine previously worked on Capitol Hill for five years in communications and has been teaching public speaking to undergraduates at The George Washington University for seven years. She holds two degrees in communication: a bachelor’s degree from Willamette University, and a master’s degree from the University of Maryland, College Park.

DOOR PRIZES
Compliments of Christine and Spoken with Authority
Door Prize #1
Two hours of one-on-one presentation skills coaching ($300 value)
Door Prize #2
Enrollment for one participant in my six-session, speaking success series, which is an intensive, small-group class of no more than 12 participants ($700 value)

Space for this event is limited, so register today!

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