WomenandBiz.com

I first met Andrea Nierenberg in 2003, at an Employee ROI breakfast event where she gave a presentation on networking strategies. We kept in touch, and she has been one of womenandbiz.com’s contributors since the beginning. I still remember and practice a few things she talked about at that event, such as:

Andrea Nierenberg

* When you meet people at a networking event, find out how you can help that person, instead of only talking about yourself.
* Write notes on a pad that you carry – not the back of his or her business card, so you can remember this person and follow up later.
* Do follow up, and no matter what, always send handwritten thank you notes. If that person refers you to someone else, and you do business with her, send a thank you note to the person who originated the contact; people like to know they were helpful and kept in the loop.
* At a networking event, have an exit strategy – when you feel it is time to move on Andrea mentions that you could say that you would like to allow that person to meet more people and to enjoy their evening, day, etc.

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* What was your education experience? Was it helpful?

Yvonne Burton

I have a BA in International Business and Economics and one year at Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka, Japan as an exchange student. That one year of course was not enough to gain a strong fundamental understanding of the culture so after graduating from university I went back to Japan on my own to live and work for an additional six years.

* What was your professional experience?

In my years after university in Japan, I taught in language schools but always tried to move more into the business area. I taught in several companies (banks, electronics firms and pharmaceutical firms) in the areas of business communications and negotiations and then started doing freelance consulting work with small Japanese firms in the area of Import/Export often times searching out new products and negotiating contracts for them because many didn’t speak any English. When I returned to New York, I worked in a Japanese trading company and then moved into the technology arena. I worked as a Project Manager for the largest online job site in their Online Marketing and Advertising division and then moved into the technology consulting field as a Business Analyst in a firm that created customized software solutions for the Pharmaceutical industry. As a business analyst, I was in charge of the gathering and documenting requirements for the systems, creating detailed design documents, communicating the requirements and design to programmers and software engineers to build and then perform integration testing to ensure that the software fulfilled all requirements. I became a document specialist as these documents had to meet regulated standards. Read more

Leslie Yerman

The first interview of the year is with the self-employed communications consultant and writer Leslie J. Yerman. Her vast experience working in public, private and nonprofit sectors, as well as her life experience, have helped Leslie to build her business and a solid clientele base, and have given her the confidence she needs to follow her dreams -combining her skills with her passion.

Leslie J. Yerman has worked in a wide variety of positions and sectors. She worked as press assistant on Capitol Hill and for the government in Washington D.C., writing press materials, testimonies, and speeches. Then she moved on to work with nonprofit organizations in a variety of communications capacities. She also was vice president of a D.C. special events firm that did museum art show openings for corporate underwriters, as well as other events and benefits. She was a communication consultant in Washington, before returning to New York, where she was a senior executive in her family’s graphic arts business until her father closed it 1991. She also started a nonprofit organization in New Jersey to provide education and training to school dropouts of ages ranging from 18 to 24. Read more

It is hard not to feel inspired by Carolyn Gable’s experience and achievements. A mother of seven children and founder of New Age Transportation, Distribution & Warehousing Inc., Carolyn has an interesting message to pass on. Her faith and the passion for what she does, for her team and her clients contribute to her company growth.

Carolyn Gable

Not having gone to college never stopped Carolyn Gable from thriving in her life and business. She opted to become a beautician and worked as a waitress for 15 years before lending a job in the trucking industry. She mentioned that her people skills came in handy to provide the best customer service, and she soon became a sales representative. The owner of the third company she worked for in the freight business encouraged her to work on commission. In 1989, Carolyn Gable found New Age Transportation in the basement of her home, as an independent commission representative for trucking companies.

Even though trucking was a mainly male dominated industry, and many people were skeptical she could succeed, Carolyn Gable kept going and realized her clients were happy to deal with a woman, and were pleased with the quality of services she was providing. It didn’t take long for her to move out of the basement into a bigger location, and the business has continued to grow since. Read more

Her vast experience working in different yet related fields helps Jude Gorgopa create the resourceful blend called Clout Et Cetera. This

Jude Gorgopa

interview shows us the importance of being versatile, of trying new things and being able to thrive when faced with life’s adversities. Jude is from Vancouver and she recalls that in her early years in New York, she had many ups and downs, dealing on her own with major setbacks and controversy. She inspires us with this message: “Looking back, I can see that a tremendous faith, tenacity, and optimism carried me through the really rough spots and still does to this day. It’s truly amazing, and even inspiring what we are capable of when faced with adversity in our lives. And what we come to value because of it!” Jude Gorgopa is the founder and president of Clout Et Cetera Inc. Read more

Laura Allen

If you have been dreaming about starting your own business, and being your own boss, but have no idea what you should be doing, one solution is to keep your eyes open. Laura Allen shares with us how her partner and her came up with the idea to start 15SecondPitch and how the business has grown in the last couple of years.

Laura Allen got her bachelor’s degree at Eugene Lang College and her masters in Media Studies from The New School. In 1993 she took computer classes and it made all the difference in her career, as it brought to light her interest in technology. In September 2001 Laura started freelancing as a marketer and a consultant. On Valentine’s Day, February 14th 2002, Laura and James (Jim) Convery founded 15SecondPitch.

Laura and Jim were at a technology-networking event in Los Angeles, California, when they first came up with the 15SecondPitch idea. They realized how hard it was for IT professionals to communicate what they did for a living to a non-technical person, and thought of an easier way to do it. According to Laura, the main idea of having a 15-second pitch is being able to “lock the other person in since the very beginning, so that he or she wants to learn more”. Laura and Jim are a couple and co-founders of 15SecondPitch. They live and work together, but they have distinct roles. Jim is responsible for the technology part of the business, while Laura markets it. They share the same vision for the company, which helps them stay focused. Read more

Marian Banker, President of Prime Strategies, is an admirable example of someone who drew from her previous professional

Marian Banker

experience to create a successful entrepreneurial formula, which she continues to modify and evolve. Her background includes being an executive in large organizations, an educator, an entrepreneur and a mentor.

Eight years ago, during a life transition, Marian found the coaching profession, which was at that time in its formative stages. She was attracted to coaching because it offered her something she would enjoy doing on a regular basis, would find personally satisfying and would make an effective difference in people’s lives. The opportunity to make her own decisions, write her own rules, and be in control, also motivated Marian to start her coaching business. The hardest part was to make people aware of the new concept and methodology of coaching. Marian also acknowledges that it took time and practice to master the way she presents her services.

Today Marian calls herself a Business Leadership Coach and utilizes strategic alliances to offer comprehensive services to entrepreneurs and small business owners across the country. She is always looking for professionals with whom she has synergy to co-create workshops and complement the services Prime Strategies provides to its growing client base. Read more

Only if you meet these two sisters from Cape Cod, MA, Amy and Lisa Cole, do you notice the synergy between them and understand the power of their business. They have an incredible ability to make anybody feel at ease immediately. In this article you will learn how their experience in the corporate world helped them open their business, how the business has grown and changed, and how their knowledge of New York and their natural capacity to help others are their business core competences. We also contacted one of Amy and Lisa clients to find out her experience with Acquaint New York.

Lisa and Amy Cole

Background
Amy Cole, while pursuing her degree in physical therapy in Boston, had an internship in fashion. After she graduated, she moved to New York to work in the swimwear industry. Lisa Cole was an English major in college in Los Angeles, and when Amy was in L.A. for shows with the swimwear company, Lisa would help her. After she graduated, the president of the company Amy was working for asked if Lisa would like to work for him, and she accepted and moved to New York. The company was mainly the president, Amy and Lisa. Read more

Bridgette Raes really is an inspiring entrepreneur, and I think this interview teaches valuable lessons. She went through the process of finding what she was meant to be doing with her life, and later opened and developed her business. She learned the importance of believing in herself, identifying the things she needed help with, getting help and learning how to sell the service she provides. I hope you enjoy reading and learning more about Bridgette and her business as I did interviewing her.

Bridgette Raes

Background

Bridgette Raes embarked on a career in fashion design after obtaining her degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology. Despite the glamorous trappings of her career, from her participation in important events to trips to Europe, Bridgette wasn’t completely satisfied with her work. After a few years in the industry Bridgette realized she wanted more from life, and set out to find a way to combine her love for fashion and style with her interest in making a difference. She found what she was looking for in the field of personal style consultation. She recently went back to FIT to study image consulting, and in September 2002, after ten years as a fashion designer, founded Bridgette Raes Style Group. Read more

One of the good things of being an entrepreneur and networking is that we can learn so much from each other’s experiences. This interview will walk you through the ways to start and grow a business from the point of view of a woman who also raised a family at the same time. Kristina Kossi talked to us about her experience, opening the Zinc Bar in partnership with her brother, finding the right place, creating a concept and a style, being a single mother and working unconventional hours. Kristina is certainly a role model to many women who want to open their own businesses at home or outside in any profession, raise a family and enjoy every moment.

Kristina Kossi

Starting a Business

Kristina and her brother Alex realized they would like to open a business together. She had been working full time at Estee Lauder for Clinique for several years as a consumer marketing professional, and always liked to figure out how to generate more businesses. Wondering how to do it for themselves, they first considered opening a place similar to Dean & Deluca and later a coffee bar. In their search to find a place, they found a location they realized would make a great bar. Opening a bar, Zinc Bar, became the new business concept.

While considering the name of the bar, Kristina remembered when she was in Paris and noticed that all bars had zinc tops. In addition, reading Ernest Hemingway, who would tell his friends to meet at the Zinc, which meant “at the bar” Kristina thought Zinc Bar would be perfect in representing Hemingway’s gathering place. Read more