Bizzywomen.com had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Chandlee Bryan, career management consultant and the founder of  Best Fit Forward.

Can you tell us about yourself?   

I am a career management consultant and the founder of Best Fit Forward (www.bestfitforward.com), a boutique provider of resume writing and career coaching. I currently serve as the “resume specialist” for Microsoft Office Live’s My Resume Talks program (www.officelivestudent.com), and facilitates programming for New York City Job Seekers Meet-up (www.meetup.com/nycjobseekers).

Prior to founding Best Fit Forward, I worked in Career Services at Ivy League schools for eight years, serving as Director of Career Services at Dartmouth College’s Thayer School of Engineering. I have also worked as a recruiter. I write and speak about a diverse range of topics, from resume writing and interviewing skills to using social media in the job search.

There are a lot of coaches out there. What do you feel separates  you from everyone else? 

Like many coaches, I have a diverse set of skills and experiences that help inform my work with clients. As I spent over eight years working in Career Services at Ivy League schools, I would say that my personal “nitch” is entry-level career management strategies, and that my “secondary” differentiators are my experience in working with professional development of scientists and engineers as well as my experience in teaching others to use social media.

Do you think that there is value in using social media sites such  as Twitter and Linkedin to get a job? 

I feel that there is enormous value in utilizing social networking sites such as LinkedIn and Twitter to find a position, and that–in fact–the use of such sites has become virtually essential in the current job market. Consider the RiseSmart statistic that job seekers spend an average of 50 hours a month online as part of their search, and the perennial wisdom that 60 to 80% of job offers are the direct result of networking–clearly any technique you can use to increase personal one-to-one exposure and interaction is enormously helpful.

Social networking sites facilitate these connections and can be incredibly powerful when used with intention. (A key element to position yourself for success is to communicate interests and experience in a consistent, concise manner across social networking platforms and to demonstrate willingness to help others.) 

In today’s situation of high unemployment, what would you tell job seekers to focus on in order to get a job? 

In today’s market, you have to “lean forward” to approach the market rather than “lean back,”  apply and wait for an offer to happen. 

Be clear about what you can do, and what value you offer others before you jump into the market. Research trends, employer needs, and demonstrate your knowledge of a position/industry throughout the application process. Ask questions to determine how your skills fit organizational needs, and articulate the impact that you can offer. 

Strive to be less than “an anonymous applicant.” When possible, identify hiring managers and stakeholders in advance of applying for positions…and let your contacts within an organization know that you’ve applied for a job with their company.

Be willing to consider contract work as a way inside the door. Many employers can make short-term commitments before they can make long-term ones.

Thank you.

Bizzy Women Interviews Shann Vander Leek – Professional Coach, Yogi and Best Selling Author

1. You are a Coach and a co-author in a new best selling book – Wake Up Women.  What is Wake Up Women?

Yes, I am a professional coach and the founder of True Balance Life Coaching.  I coach women in transition to set big goals, achieve extraordinary results and create balance in their lives through coaching, yoga and creative expression.

Wake Up Women Be Happy, Healthy & Wealthy is the first best selling inspirational guidebook written by women for women.  Fifty expert authors contributing to one book – filled with great stories and golden nuggets of wisdom.  I am happy to report that we soared to the top of the Barnes and Noble best seller list, topping the charts for Women, Women’s Career and Women’s Health and shared the top ten spotlight with President Obama and John Grisham!

Women are busy. 

Like your network for women, they are balancing work, family, activities, volunteering.  Wake Up Women is divided into sections that deal with everything from our emotional well being to career, money and relationships. 

It’s full of great stories you can read in bite sized pieces and it is also a guide book.  And you are getting the insights from 50 different and diverse women experts.

2. You say the time for women is now?  What do you mean?

I think too often we as women put everyone and everything first.  We will start a new business when the mortgage is paid off.  We will take yoga or art classes once the kids finish school.  Get healthy or fit when we have more time.  

My goal is to inspire as many women as possible to be willing to put themselves first, take care of their bodies, nurture their dreams, make the best use of their talents.

We forget that we can give the most when we are living lives we love.  We can be the best mothers, wives, business owners or colleagues when we are feeling nurtured, fulfilled, inspired and self expressed.

We can have the biggest impact on social and community changes when we are feeling confident and powerful. 

What I want to remind the Bizzy Women network of women to do is – to take care of themselves, find ways to express themselves and to live their dreams.

3. How is this book different from other inspirational books like Chicken Soup For the Soul?

What is unique about Wake Up is, like books like Chicken Soup For the Soul, there are these amazing and moving inspirational stories from women across the globe.  The difference is each author is an expert – a coach, a professional or an outstanding business executive, and each inspirational story includes 2 – 3 tools, techniques or strategies they can implement in their life immediately.  So it is both great stories and a guidebook to life.

4. How else are you helping women – wake up?

I earned my yoga teaching certification to create and conduct luscious living playshops involving yoga, guided meditation and creative expression.  The first two playshops sold out quickly with the attendees wanting more … Women are ready for extreme self care.

5. What’s special about the growing community of Wake Up Women?

I am blown away by my co-author community.  This group of women have become part of my professional network.  We support each other, share ideas, collaborate and dialog about how we can make a difference for women across the globe.

Each author is partnering with not for profit organizations by offering book signings and fund raising events.  I chose to partner with my local Women’s Resource Center and will be donating 10% of my 2009 book proceeds to them. 

6. What is the vision that drives Wake Up Women

Each of us in our own way believes in the power of women.  We believe the world is hungry and in need of the vision, leadership and compassion of women.  I became a coach because I am committed to inspiring women in transition and employees who want to become entrepreneurs. So, Wake Up Women is one more way that I can make and impact and a difference in peoples lives.  And it is a way I can reach out to thousands of women I would not normally be able to reach.

7.    How would you explain to our network how it’s different working with women?

As women – I think we are naturally about community, about something greater than ourselves.  But we have not always had the mechanisms to come together.  The business environments were based on old models of competition and scarcity.  Wake Up Women is a mechanism for bringing us together and creating visibility and excitement.  A business model based on abundance and community.

8.            Don’t you feel competitive with the other authors?

No, we don’t feel competition at all – we are working in collaboration.  We all believe that there is an abundance of clients and customers.  And we know if we come together, work together, and merge our individual audiences we are all reaching thousands and thousands of people who would not hear our stories or know about our work. 

9.            You are a professional coach – Lots of people are talking about having a career coach, a life coach.  What is the value of having a coach?

              You learn to value yourself more.

            You stop tolerating the things that are dragging you down.

            You and your coach create a momentum so you get results easier and quicker.

            You set better goals and achieve them easier.

            You take action immediately.

            You have a partner whose only purpose is your success.

            Your self confidence increases.

            You have a deeper sense of well-being.

10.         What is your unique approach to coaching?

True Balance was created because it is my observation that healthy personal development, as well as the success of a small business, absolutely depends on aligning your business goals with your lifestyle choices and grounding them in your core values.

We will always focus where you need me most.

You will begin by strengthening your personal foundation, setting realistic goals based on your values, and eliminating some of the stressors in your life. You then will have fewer problems and can focus on what is going to make you more successful.

11.         What can people do right now to start changing their lives?

The one tool I would like to give your network is to take inventory of what you deem to be truly important in your life and begin eliminating the things that bring you down.  Bizzy Women members are welcome to sign up for a free life balance e-Course at my website. www.truebalancelifecoaching.com

12.         How can people buy the book and find out about your services or contact you?

The Bizzy Women community of women can buy the books at my website www.truebalancelifecoaching.com

Shann’s bio

Unconventional, spirited and delightfully curious, Shann Vander Leek is a fresh new voice in the arena of mindfulness and extreme self care.  As the Founder of True Balance Life Coaching, Shann inspires women in career transition to set big goals, achieve extraordinary results and create balance in their lives. Telephone and email consultations make Shann accessible to clients all over the world: 231.668.1111  or www.truebalancelifecoaching.com 

As part of a new feature featuring female entrepreneurs, BizzyWomen had the chance to sit down with Hazel Walker, networking expert and  mother of 3.

Tell us about yourself? 
Hazel Walker:I am a mother of 3 adult children, I have owned my own businesses for 20 years now and I am always seeking new opportunities and challenges.  I own 3 businesses and a fourth possibility on the horizon. I believe that my purpose in this life is to be a contribution.  So everything I do I  ask myself, “Will this be a positive contribution to others.”  I love my life, it has not been an easy life, but I have learned and gained so much from each adversity.  Each one has come together to create the person I am today. 

What made you become an entrepreneur?
HW: It had never been my intention to be a business owner.  In my late twenties I found myself suddenly a single mother of 2 little girls and a go nowhere job with a bank.  When I asked my boss at that time for a raise and promotion, she said no and made this comment “No, and you need to get use to doing what you don’t like; you have two kids to feed.”  I gave my notice and left the job, went on welfare, got into a training program for Word Processing, (using a WANG) and completed the class early and number one!  I went to work for an entrepreneur and ran his office while he was starting a new telephone equipment business.  I was fascinated by the start up process, being your own boss…wow.  

I later married a man who owned an insurance agency and became a stay at home mom with 3 kids.  One evening after going with my daughter to a Girl Scout banquet, I came home to a missing husband and son.  After some phone calls, I found my husband in the hospital with a brain hemorrhage.  Our 4-year-old son had saved his life after a fall down the stairs.  My husband could no longer work and someone needed to learn to run that Agency.  

I had to get my insurance licenses, learn how to SELL insurance, learn how to underwrite insurance, learn how to run a business, learn how to network and how to manage my family at the same time.  It was truly trial by fire.  At this point, it was important for me to learn how to network to find more potential clients.  So I read everything I could get my hands on and about this time I was introduced to this small organization called “The Network” now called BNI.  I started a chapter and learned everything, then became an assistant director to the director of “The Network” and in 1998 bought the BNI Franchise (The Network) from her.   In 2000 I sold my agency, by the time I sold it, it had become ‘By Referral Only.’  

You see, adversity creates opportunity; I never ever would have become a business owner if my husband had not had such a tragic accident, (he later went on to find a job in the insurance industry, but nothing was ever the same for him.)  Adversity can make you or break you. Look for those opportunities that are often hidden in the smoke of the fire. 

Once I became a business owner, I found a passion for it.  I am a natural thrill seeker, and being an entrepreneur is a thrill.  Learning new things, new ways of doing things, and implementing them then teaching them to others is a thrill.    

Tell us about your business? 
HW: Today, I do many different things, all tied together.  I own and run a very successful award winning BNI Franchise in Central and Southern Indiana. I took a mortgage on my home and a loan from family members to buy the franchise, it was a very scary moment, but I acknowledged the fear and I did it anyway.  BNI is a referral organization allowing one person per profession in any individual chapter.  The purpose of the group is to build credibility with fellow members and pass referrals to one another in a non-competitive structured manner.  I learn a lot from BNI.  I became a Toastmaster to learn to be a better speaker, in becoming a better speaker I have become a better writer. 

I started training, speaking and consulting company called Crystal Synergies.  In this organization I began to develop programs to teach others. I joined the National Speakers Association to build my speaking and training business.  I speak at conferences around the world, write, coach women around starting and running their businesses so they become business owners and not just self-employed. 

Three years ago another opportunity came along with the Referral Institute.  Dr. Ivan Misner, founder of BNI and the world’s foremost authority on Networking, created the Referral Institute as a way of teaching others the value of networking well, with a system so that they could build businesses they love.  I bought that franchise; Referral Institute is only a few years old and has been voted a top franchise to own.   I will put 200 students through our Referral Dynamics Program here in Indiana this year, so I took another leap and opened my own training center.  

I am also working on a book with Dr. Misner and Frank DeRaffele called “Networking and Sex” looking at how the different genders build their networks.  In fact your readers can participate in the book by taking a quick survey at, http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=204762616512 

How do you juggle the work/life balance issues? 
HW: I really do not try to balance them instead I work on having harmony in all areas of my life.  When you are a business owner, it is hard sometimes to find balance.  I was always trying to figure it out and felt like a failure when I could not make it happen, I could balance my check book but I could not balance my life.  The idea behind harmony is understanding that sometimes life is all about the family, and other times I have to really focus on the business to take it to a new place, and not feel guilty about what I am doing.  I have learned to weave my business, my family, my physical and spiritual life together, creating flow between them and accepting that there will never be perfect balance but there can be harmony.  When I gave up being guilty, when I gave up being perfect, I found harmony.  Today, I no longer have kids at home so it has become easier but family still requires attention, I have a mother, two grandmothers and 6 grandchildren who need to also fit into my life. 

Are there any obstacles that you face, in the fact that you are a woman? 
HW: Stress and Guilt.  When you are a female business owner and you have family, you tend to stress out over everything because you are seeking that elusive work life balance.  When I gave up the Balance and went for the Harmony, my stress and guilt lessened.  I have learned and I am still learning to be present in the moment.  If you are with your kids BE with the kids, not thinking about all the other things at work, when you are working, BE present with your task at hand, and when you are with your spouse BE 100% there in the moment, not being stressed and guilty.  Create Flow, manage a healthy calendar and run the business, don’t let the business run you. 

Otherwise, I would say that being a woman I have had to learn some of the techniques of men.  Like how to ask for the business, how to leverage my time and my network, how to delegate to others and how to toot my own horn. Women tend to wait for the business, we hope that our network will help us but we don’t ask or set clear expectation, we believe that we can do it all so we are not good at delegating to others or saying No, and we never ever toot our own horns we have to learn how to do that well.   Ask any guy about his accomplishments and he will rattle them off, ask a woman and she will have to think about it.  

What advice do you have for women thinking about starting their own businesses?
HW: 1.   Find your passion, if you start a business that you are passionate about you will be amazed at how much that will come across to others. People are attracted to people who are passionate who have energy. 

2.  Never ever stop learning always be willing to go to seminars, travel to conferences, ask someone to mentor your, pay a coach to help you be accountable.  Women don’t spend money on their success, they think they need to figure it out.  If you learn one thing at a seminar, or meet one person at a conference or a coach helps you be accountable to one important goal, it will make a difference in your life and your business. 

3.  Be Present, be in the moment.  Don’t let your mind wonder to other places and things, embrace what you are doing right now, take it in and rejoice in the now.  When you go to the next place or thing, start over and be present with that moment. 

4.  Mentor someone else.  You learn what you teach; when you are mentoring someone else, you will learn too.  Grow by helping others grow. 

5.  Have gratitude at the end of every day, journal all the things you are grateful for, the good, the bad and the impossible. 

I have an affirmation that I say every day, many times a day, “Today, I create wealth and prosperity for myself and others.”   

Thanks.

As part of a terrific 30-day, 1 interview/day series over at The Mom Entrepreneur. Check them all out — all are inspiring, great stories to read about certain women making lemonade out of lemons.

In this current economy there is one thing we can be certain of…change. It may be good change or bad change, but we can expect to experience lots of changes. Mom entrepreneur Rebecca Rodskog is the owner of Rodskog Change Consulting. Established in 2007, the company helps people grow through change.

As part of a terrific 30-day, 1 interview/day series over at The Mom Entrepreneur. Check them all out — all are inspiring, great stories to read about certain women making lemonade out of lemons.

Stacey Corbett, mother of twins, and owner of One Tiny Suitcase, is confident that she can survive this recession if she thinks creatively and continues to look for new opportunities.

As part of a terrific 30-day, 1 interview/day series over at The Mom Entrepreneur.  Check them all out — all are inspiring, great stories to read about certain women making lemonade out of lemons.

******************

Amy Adams, mother of three – ages 21, 19 and 10, is a partner in the professional junk removal company 1-800-GOT-JUNK? Atlanta South franchise. Amy and her husband started their franchise along with Amy’s father, Jerry Grayson, in May of 2006. Since then they have been helping people remove junk from their homes to ensure that it does not end up in landfills. Items that are reusable are donated to Atlanta local charities such as Clothes Less Traveled and Blessings Thrift Store for Haven House. Any other recyclables go to Dell Walker’s Enviro Recyclers, including plastic, glass, cardboard, metal, wood, concrete, soil and e-waste. Amy admits that tough economic times means people are less willing to pay her to take away their junk. Here is her story…

How has this economy affected you, your business and your family?
I realize I had a pretty easy ride when I first opened my business and now I’m really learning what it’s like to find new residential customers and commercial clients. This has undoubtedly put some strain on me and ultimately my family – I’m working harder than ever before – but this experience is also making me a more confident entrepreneur.

How are you making lemonade from lemons?
I’ve really had to reevaluate who my customers are in down times – there’s always business to be found you just have to recognize new market needs. I decided to focus on two key areas that did not require much financial investment but helped me capture a relevant market:

Barrington, NH: The down-turned economy has left many small business owners wondering what the future holds for them.  The fear of losing their business has encouraged several mom entrepreneurs to look for opportunity while others cut spending and layoff employees.

Thirty inspirational women will be highlighted over a period of 30 days on The Mom Entrepreneur blog <http://www.themomentrepreneur.blogspot.com> , which offers tips, advice and resources for balancing motherhood with running a company. These mom entrepreneurs’ stories demonstrate how these amazing women have decided to make “lemonade from lemons” using a little creative ingenuity.

“I have received dozens of emails from mom entrepreneurs all over the country telling me their “glass is half-full” stories,” said Traci Bisson, owner and founder of The Mom Entrepreneur <http://www.themomentrepreneur.com> .  ”From Misty Gibbs, owner of My
Inspiration Lounge whose vision is to “help women feel empowered, especially during this time, so they can take control of their lives and become better prepared for future downturns,” to Sarah Laufer, owner of Play Outdoors whose business launched in 2008. Laufer has decided to focus on “being who we are and continuing with our goal of creating a place where parents and kids are encouraged to get outdoors”.

These women and 28 more will be featured in a 30-day inspirational story marathon starting November 15 and concluding on December 14.

Mike Michalowicz <http://www.toiletpaperentrepreneur.com/author/index.php> , author of “The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur” (Obsidian Launch, LLC, 2008), in a guest post for The Mom Entrepreneur said “so here we sit, as entrepreneurs, on an economy that sucks. It will either revive over the next year or two or even perhaps die. But one thing for sure, it will get worse before it gets better. And it is now, right in this moment, that it is the best time to
start a business.”

The 30 stories in 30 days marathon will highlight mom entrepreneurs who also feel that now is the best time to start or grow a business because even in a sour economy lies optimism, promise and positive change.

To learn more about The Mom Entrepreneur and to follow the 30-day inspirational story marathon, visit www.themomentrepreneur.com.

About The Mom Entrepreneur:
Traci Bisson has been a mom since February 2000 and an entrepreneur since August 2000. Eight weeks after she returned from maternity leave, the company where she had been employed for five years went out of business. She decided to try doing her own thing and failed miserably. After another year of working for two different companies (the first laid off the department she worked in and the other was showing signs of going under), Bisson
decided to try entrepreneurship again.

Raising her two children and growing her first company, Bisson Barcelona <http://www.bissonbarcelona.com/> , an image management and high visibility PR firm, have been both challenging and rewarding.

Bisson started The Mom Entrepreneur in April 2008 as more of a hobby. She began blogging about her challenges and successes. That same month, she sent a query out through two news channels looking for tips on balancing family and business in order to generate some additional content for her blog. Bisson anticipated she would connect with a few other mom entrepreneurs, interview them and post their stories on her blog. In less then 48 hours she had received 400 emails with more then 1,000 tips from mom entrepreneurs all over the world.

From that point, The Mom Entrepreneur started to grow. The company added The Mom Entrepreneur Support Group
<http://themomentrepreneur.wordpress.com/support-group/>  in June, which now
has over 225 members who discuss everything from potty training to how to use Twitter.

Bisson’s story has been told in dozens of publications, including the Associated Press <http://www.bissonbarcelona.com/PDFs/WP_press.pdf> , National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB.com)
<http://www.nfib.com/object/IO_32411.html> , Women’s Business Boston Journal
<http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080427/BIZ/80427
0319/-1/rss50> , Plan Ahead Get Ahead (cover story), Union Leader
<http://www.bissonbarcelona.com/PDFs/UL_press.pdf> , The Portsmouth Herald
<http://archive.seacoastonline.com/2005news/12022005/business/75996.htm> ,
Our Times <http://portsmouthnhemployment.com/2002ourtimes/6_1k_ot.htm>  and
Seacoast Ventures
<http://www.seacoastventures.net/entrepreneur/0107ent.html> .

Please tell us about Xenia?
Anat Segal, CEO: Xenia is an investment firm founded in mid-2003 by a group of entrepreneurs with the vision of being an incubation powerhouse, engaged in the initiation and building of successful high-tech companies in the areas of IT and medical devices. I would say that there are two main similarities we share with traditional Venture Capital (VC) firms.  We invest in startups in return for equity, and the terms of our deals are similar.

What are the differences?
AS: One of the differences is that our investments are in really, really early stage companies. What are   typically referred to as seed and pre-seed stage deals. We establish the company alongside the entrepreneur. Our money is typically the first money in the firm. Sometimes there is friend-and-family round.  We are first and foremost an investment firm. We base ourselves on the unique structure of the Israeli incubator model.

Our business model is to transform an idea into a business and provide these companies with all the services, mentoring, systems, etc. that they need. We provide all the layers that our companies need: the physical layer (office space, whatever they need to operate), basic services layer (financial, legal, bookkeeping/accounting), and the people layer (most important in transforming ideas into viable business).  There are definitely advantages of scale in this model.

If you look at our website (www.xenia.co.il ) you will find that within our core team and board, most of them are successful entrepreneurs themselves. Thus, we can provide real experience and know-how to our portfolio companies. We have invested in 18 portfolio companies of which 9 have graduated from the incubator structure — of these, 8 have raised additional funds and the 9th is in deal mode.

Another unique difference is that we are a publicly-traded company on the Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE). We just recently completed a rights offering where most of our shareholders participated. The fact that we are publicly traded provides a model where we can raise additional funds and follow-on offerings.

Given the fact that you’re publicly traded, how do investors profit?
AS: Investors benefit from an increase in the value of our portfolio with upside for exits. For foreign investors, the fact that we are publicly traded means that they can access local Israeli hi-tech early stage companies via a public market investment.

You mentioned the Israeli incubator model. Can you explain how it works?
AS: From a financial model, 15 years ago, the State of Israel created an incubator model, which was ultimately privatized about 4 years ago. The franchise provided the ability for us to get monies in the form of loans from the Chief Scientist. Our obligation is to operate the incubator but the main benefit is that these funds are granted as loans with all the equity of the upside. Non-recourse loans mean that our upside is leveraged.

Which spaces are you looking to invest in?
AS: We are focused on traditional IT (ie. Internet, software, communications) as well as medical devices and related industries. I must stress that we are not focused on biotech, but instead look for the intersection between devices and drugs, like drug delivery platforms.

What about Cleantech which is so hot right now?
AS: We certainly have a lot of deal flow in the Cleantech space, but we don’t have special expertise in this space.  Given that our investments are really opportunistic, we are looking at everything.  There are other specific funds focused on Cleantech.

Can you tell us about some of your portfolio companies?
AS: We have a company called NeatStitch. Their medical device has FDA approval for internal suturing for laparoscopic procedures. They have developed a patented automated suturing technology primarily targeting the Port & Vessel Closure markets. The device is of small dimensions, easy to use and fast to deploy.  NeatStitch has leading surgeons on its advisory board. Our holdings are worth more than 20x what we invested after only 4 years.

Another company we are invested in is BioProtect. They produce biodegradable balloons for tissue separation. It’s really a platform technology used for a couple of things: radiation treatment for prostate treatments and treatment of rotator cuffs (bringing immediate relief). The company has additional applications as well. With their balloons, radiation can be doubled and tripled without damaging adjacent tissue, as the balloon separates the healthy tissue from the unhealthy. Clinical trials have started in Israel, with US trials expected to begin shortly.  They have submitted an application to the FDA, and expect approval by end of 2008.

Another example of a company we are incubating in Link-it. They are developing a visual search engine. Their technology can search using photos, enables identification of objects/faces, and is able to generate exact matches even among large databases. They are starting pilots with various ecommerce sites and raising funds in the U.S.

How is your portfolio valued as you are publicly traded?
AS: Especially since the market is depressed, the market may not accurately value our holdings. Our rights offering gives investors a way to participate when prices are depressed. Net Asset Value (NAV) is typically calculated on the last stage of financing while other investments are calculated at cost, tangible assets.

Since your model is different than traditional VC’s, where do you profit?
AS: The goal is for our stock holdings to appreciate. I am shareholder myself and we gain from exits and dividend distributions. Our goal is to grow a large investment portfolio.

Very interesting. Thanks.