hopefully be a spirit to the women

Small Towns and Big States

For evidence of the double standard, we need look no farther than Arlington, Oregon, where Mayor Carmen Kontur-Gronquist was recalled in a 142-139 vote after the town's denizens discovered that the mayor's MySpace page featured photos of her in lingerie. Although Kontur-Gronquist is alleging election fraud and challenging the returns, and even though the mayoral position was unpaid, no one is arguing that her MySpace page did her in.

Contrast her situation with that of David Paterson, New York's new governor. After Governor Eliot Spitzer resigned amid allegations of engaging the services of a prostitute, Paterson was sworn in and admitted that he had engaged in extramarital affairs and that he had experimented with both cocaine and marijuana while he was in his twenties. It seems odd that the mayor of a small town in Oregon is being held to a higher standard than the governor of New York.

With Computers, Private Can Go Public

The moral (so to speak) of the story is that, as women, our behavior must be impeccable – both on and off the job. Yes, we can have private lives, but we unwittingly make those private lives public when we boot up a computer, use email, or go online.

To protect yourself in the workplace, the first rule of thumb is never to conduct personal business using your employer's equipment. You have no right to privacy, and your employer can have total access to your record of computer usage, your Internet history, and your email. Resist the temptation to shop online, check the news, or surf the Internet while you're at work. Don't forward that joke or motivational email to your colleagues. And don't email your friends or family members.

The second thing to keep in mind is that the niche of the Internet you've carved out for yourself using your home computer is also visible to your employer. Increasingly, potential employers use tools to screen job candidates' presence on the Internet. That hysterical YouTube video of you dancing with a lampshade on your head at your best friend's bridal shower may prevent you from landing the job of your dreams. Before making a bold rant on your blog or uploading a questionable picture to a social networking site, think about the impact it might have on your career.

Final Thoughts

There's no arguing that computers enrich our lives and provide us with options our mothers never dreamed of. As women, though, computers can also be our downfall at work. It may be acceptable for men to check out the Sports Illustrated website while they're at work (even the swimsuit edition!), but women are held to a higher standard… Just ask Carmen Kontur-Gronquist.

 Marriages and close friendships marked by negativity, such as conflict and adverse exchanges, boost the risk of heart disease. In a shelter for abused women, you will see different faces of physically and emotionally battered women who have similar stories to tell. Some had lived through harrowing physical abuse from their husband or lover. Others had to bear a life of verbal assaults. For these women, survival meant to just accept everything and keep their mouths shut until they had mustered enough guts to escape.

A new study on marriage, communication, and death appeared in the July-August edition of the Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine and featured the finding that women who don't express themselves during disagreements with their husbands are four times more likely to die compared with women who express themselves freely. According to Dr. Elaine Eaker, author of the 10-year study, it is the first to look at the effect of marital strain in relationship to the development of heart disease and death. The study also confirmed that marriage is good for men's health, but that unmarried men were twice as likely to die as married men.

Dr. Eaker cannot exactly tell why it is so hard for some women to speak up. It may be some type of protection mechanism. There is a general notion that women are taught not to deal directly with their feelings.  On the other hand, men are raised to express their anger openly.   During domestic quarrels, women are usually afraid of showing their anger towards their husbands for fear of its consequence. Either due to the threat of physical violence, or fear of losing their husbands as well as financial security. And when anger builds up like stress, it can damage the heart. A case in point is the story of Vinnie, whose husband left her for a younger woman. When the new wife asked the husband to get all the kitchen wares, she allowed him without saying a word. After “self-censoring” for so long, Vinnie lost the ability to express anger. She died from heart disease.

While taking into account other factors that could contribute to heart disease, such as depression, men and women with negative aspects in relationships are prone to a high risk of heart disease, married or unmarried, notwithstanding. And for women who are used to “self-silencing”, Dr. Eaker advises that they need to learn how to express themselves more constructively and out themselves in an environment where they feel safe to do so.

1. Money. Pure and simple, we all could use a more of it. Whether it’s to get out of debt, build a retirement, or just simply make ends meet. With the right guidance, an internet business can start generating income almost immediately.

2. Family. Let’s face it Moms, a lot of you want to be home with your kids. A work at home job is great for just that reason…unless you have to leave home for appointments, parties, or sales calls. Then you’re right back to babysitters and being away from your kids. An internet business truly lets you run it from home.

3. Self Esteem. Many of us are so busy being Moms, and wives, and community members, we forget to forge something in our lives that reflects our inner selves. Starting (and becoming successful) in your own business can boost your feelings of self worth, and that makes everyone in your life a winner!

4. Community. Our communities that we live in are better off for us having started businesses. It provides good role modeling for our children, provides tax base for necessary programs such as police and fire, and a community where people exhibit pride and hard work is a better place to live for us all. Perhaps you will inspire more women in your community to start a business!

5. Tax Benefits. Most women who start a business at home are going to be able to take large tax deductions for their home business. Less taxes means more money in your pocket, and that’s a good thing!

6. Work at Home Household Savings.Working at home means no expensive wardrobes. The average professional suit for a woman can cost over$150! Can you imagine NOT having to buy expensive work clothes anymore, and how much money a year you can save your families budget? Also, how much do you think a work at home mom uses expensive convenience foods and restaurant take out?

7. Flexibility. Because I work at home, I can arrange my schedule to be available when a child is home sick or heartbroken, for a field trip at school, or to just take a mental health day once in awhile and sit at a park and read. How many bosses would give you the day off to read?

8. Being in charge of your own business means you are no longer at the mercy of layoffs. Don’t get me wrong, a home business can crash too…but at least YOU hold the reins and make the decisions, not someone else.

9. You determine how much you work, and how much you make. No more being paid less than you are worth, no more begging for a raise. If you educate yourself right, you can pretty much combine hard work + persistence=unlimited income.

10. You can sell your business later on down the line…it’s an investment! Build it large enough and successful enough, and many website owners have sold their sites for hundreds of thousands of dollars…and started out knowing very little about building an internet business.

One reason NOT to start an internet business…

DO NOT start a business to please anyone else. There is so much pressure on women today to do it all….many times we feel we are not successful unless we make a lot of money, are perfect moms, never gain a pound…you get the idea. Start a business for you, and your dreams, not to convince the world, or the mother in law, or your next door neighbor…that you can do it all. Running a business is not for everyone, but if you want to follow your dreams, work at home, and make a good income, starting an internet business is a great place to start.

Women business owners spend more than 3.5 hours per week in household activities than employed women more than men and six hours, the study found.

“Previous studies have shown that women entering self-employment for reasons other than the potential earnings and lifestyle factors that influence their decision,” acting Shawn McGibbon, chief counsel for advocacy at the SBA, said in a statement. “This study shows that the use of a pattern of self-employed women are in fact different from that of a female wage and salary. Self-employed women spend less time on work-related activities and more time on household chores and childcare.
Men Vs. Women Business Owners

Women 57 percent less likely to become entrepreneurs than men, with the lowest rates among black women as independent and foreign born. Women business owners make less than seven percent of women in the workforce, compared with over 12 percent of people who work alone, the SBA said.

The biggest difference between male and female entrepreneurs are found in secondary child care when a parent is the same location as a child, but especially doing Other activities. Women business owners spend more than 6.4 hours per week than men in secondary care.

Independent women work about 10 hours less per week and three hours to spend in primary care for children with respect to independent men, the researchers said.

Married have the opposite effect on how men and women entrepreneurs spend their time, the study found. Self-employed married women worked 4.5 fewer hours than their counterparts who were not married, while married men worked almost independent four hours more per week than men, unmarried working alone.
Women Entrepreneur Vs. Salary Employees

Women business owners spend less than wage and salary workers – both men and women – in work-related activities and more time on household activities. But the women had to spend two hours a week more in childcare than their male counterparts.

Each additional child in the household results in 2.4 hours less per week for self-employed women and 1.5 fewer hours per week for women employed by another organization, the study found.
Which a separate activity?

higher-earning women are more likely to enter self-employment is less productive than their counterparts. Women with advanced degrees are often business owners, particularly in finance, education and health care and other service jobs, the study.

The authors say their findings support the policies that improving work-life balance, offset racial differences in education and encouraging entrepreneurship as a way to encourage more women to enter self-employment to family life with a desire or need for a living.

Papers on women business owners was written by Tami Gurley-Calvez University of West Virginia, Katherine Harper of the University of Tennessee and Amelia Biehl of the University of Michigan-Flint. This is based on data from the American Time Use Survey 2003-2006, sponsored by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The amount of women endemic businesses in the US added by 43 per cent amid 1997 and 2006, about bifold that of all businesses. In the UK, about 20,500 new businesses were started by women in the aboriginal division of 2006, an access of added than 30 per cent from the aforementioned division endure year. The ascent trend in women starting their businesses is a common phenomenon.

According to a study by three prominent women’s business organizations the National Foundation for Women Business Owners (NFWBO), Catalyst, and The Committee of 200, women who launch their businesses are primarily inspired by an entrepreneurial idea. Entrepreneurship offers the opportunities to implement entrepreneurial ideas and gives women a sense of recognition since they work for themselves.

Other reasons for women starting their own business are the flexibility to dictate their own working hours, spend more time with the family and to escape the corporate glass ceiling.

How do you come up with an idea that can be transformed into a business? Here are four tips on brainstorming for business ideas.

Your passion and interests

What are you interested in? What do you do best? If you like to bake, then you may want to start a business in baking. If you are passionate about cooking, how about starting a catering business? When you build your business around your interests or passion, you are more likely to focus and persist when faced with challenges and obstacles.

Therefore, think about the things you like to do, or even if it is something new, what you want to learn about. Make a list of all these things and then go through the list to determine which ones are realistic and feasible.

Will you sell a product or service?

When deciding whether to sell a service or product you need to consider some of several factors. What is your business about? Do you have the ability to offer that product or service? Are you crafty? Can you make your own product? Do you want to sell someone else’s product by becoming an independent distributor? What is your budget?

Problems and solutions

People are always searching for solutions to problems. Look around you. Ask your friends, family and neighbors. There may already be existing products or services to solve a particular problem. Can you improve on these products or services? In the case where there is no solution, can you come up with one? Generally, a solution helps to save time, money or stress.

Hobbies

Consider what you like to do in your spare time, and see if it could be turned into a business venture. If your hobby is painting, you could sell paintings or create custom paintings. Crafts and collectibles are some of the most sought after items in the consumer world.

Without aural sexist, I started Tan Envy; a aggregation that speaks primarily to women. My ambition was to empower women; giving them an befalling to apart accomplish money while accepting the adaptability to yield on their added responsibilities. In my case, that was adopting a family. I capital women to adore the achievement of active their own company, authoritative their own rules and alive the hours they decide, all the while accept time to do what was a lot of important in their lives. As I “grow up” I am starting to accept the all-inclusive bulk of tasks that are served to us, women, daily. The hats we abrasion throughout our lifetime are abounding and I would like to advice add “successful entrepreneur” to that list.

True Story: I founded a Tan Envy, LLC.; a custom aerosol tanning business that allows the befalling for others to become aerosol tanning experts themselves befitting 100% of the profits and in aspect active and owning their own business. I active with a arch civic benefactor to backpack our articles and advertise them nationally to salons. This civic benefactor has a alarm centermost in the Midwest and bare training on my artefact and how to advertise it. My bedmate has been alive with my aggregation allowance me with annihilation and everything. Long adventure short—I was bypassed for the training and he was asked to do all of the training for the sales team! I couldn’t accept that even admitting I created the kit and accomplish it a success everyday, my bedmate was the one they trusted to carryout the training. They didn’t apperceive either one of us actual well, so I accept it was because he was macho and accordingly they anticipation he accept to be the expert.

Although that was the aboriginal time I acquainted discriminated adjoin as a changeable business owner, I’m abiding it won’t be the last. Women accompany a altered aspect to the table and I absolutely accept that woman accept a absolute drive to be acknowledged in all administration roles. We should strive to accept the aplomb of a peacock, proudly announcement all of our qualities, blame ourselves to footfall out of our abundance area so others don’t just see a woman, but anyone able of success and leadership. Other’s don’t consistently apprehend that women can do what men do; appropriately as well.

It is actual affective to plan with an outstanding accumulation of woman who has abutting my business to accomplish money of course, but to aswell accretion ability and cocky worth. It feels acceptable to accord to our families and to association from a budgetary standpoint. Not demography abroad from the accent of the acceptable woman’s role; but how admirable it is to accomplish an banner in the business world, abacus “entrepreneur” to a woman’s armory of expertise.

In closing: I accomplished the Midwest alarm centermost on affairs my product, the training went well, and I accept I acquired their account and assurance in our product. As an entrepreneur, we face abounding obstacles everyday; and I plan harder to not let getting a woman become an obstacle. With so abundant to give, teach, and gain… the women in my aggregation advice to empower added woman to chase their dreams and become berserk acknowledged in the captious apple of entrepreneurism.