FIERCE & FABULOUS FESTIVAL COMING TO NYC:
MAMAPALOOZA Outdoor Extravaganza

Mamapalooza, headed by mom rocker Joy Rose, is a national force that is hosting a weekend packed full of fantastic events from May 17th-18th in NYC. Join in this unique opportunity!

MAMAPALOOZA Workshop Events
A day of Love, Life Coaching, Health, Music, Autobiographical Storytelling Workshops and Panels.
WHEN: Sat, May 17th, 11-4pm
WHERE: NOLA STUDIOS250 West 54th St
TO REGISTER: CLICK HERE
** Includes presentation by IGC Member Jen Edwards of Relaxation on the Go!**

MAMAPALOOZA Outdoor Extravaganza
Full Day of Kid's Activities, Mom Rock Bands, Face-Painting, Food, Vendors, Shopping, Maternal Dance and Families rocking out together; featuring Audra Rox, Swingset Mamas, Housewives On Prozac, Catholic Girls, Annie Sidley and Lunatic Fringe.

WHEN: SUNDAY, MAY 18th: 12PM-5PM
WHERE: Riverside Park South on The Pier(Entrance at 68th St West Side)
SHOW UP AND GET YOUR GROOVE ON! FREE FOR ALL!

SUGAR SYNC!

I learned of this amazing resource through IGC Member Rossanna Figuera. SugarSync allows you to access all of the documents on your computer remotely, and sync documents from mulplie computers. Far cheaper and easier than getting your own server. It has already made a huge difference in my productivity and flexibility! Great for those who work from multiple locations...hint hint.

STUNNING SEAMSTRESS SHOW!

Wow. We are so excited about the new art exhibit at IGC. Photographer Sam Lamb came all the way from Oklahoma to bring us: The Sea, The Surge, and The Seamstress; A Story about Salt & Morning Light. The pictures, presentation, and story are absolutely enchanting, as is Sam herself. We will be celebrating the Official Opening on Friday, April 25th, 7-9pm, so please join us for drinks and snacks.
You can see Sam's work online at:
http://www.samanthalambphotography.com/

WE LOVE OUR PRODUCTS, BUT DO THEY LOVE US?

I am a product lover. Once I have found a product that I like, I will usually stick with it for years. I have a stocked supply of the same face wash, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, perfume, lotion, etc. Recently, I have been replacing some of my tried-and-trues with newer organic and all natural products. Before, products really only had to pass the "smell-test" in order to get selected. Then, thanks to the influence of Marta Edmisten, owner of green cleaning business, Plain Jane's, I began instituting new criteria into the selection process...such as the "can I pronounce all the ingredients?" test, and the "do I see the word paraben anywhere on here?"

Today, however, I learned of a new way to evaluate products: Skin Deep: Cosmetic Safety Database (referred by Marta again, of course). Skin Deep catalogs and rates thousands of products based on toxicity levels. It is easy to use, extremely comprehensive, and has managed to capture my attention for the last hour or so. I am thrilled that several of the items that I use have received lower toxicity scores, and am a bit surprised and horrified by those that didn't - silly me to assume that things I buy at WholeFoods are A-Ok.

You can use Skin Deep to see each category's worst offenders and best performers. Perhaps the best feature however is the comparison factor, which allows you to see how your product of choice compares to other products in the same category. For example, my deodorant has a toxicity score of 4 out of 10 (not bad), but reportedly 52% of other deodorants are better for you (hummmm). Unfortunately my face wash scored as an 8 out of 10 (yikes) and is bested by 82% of other face washes (get to the store STAT). I am thrilled to report however that my body soap received a toxicity score of 0 and is only beat by 2% of other cleansers. At least I am doing one thing right...

As an FYI, you can learn more about the toxicity of products and other things in your home at Marta's upcoming seminar:

Spring Greening: Detoxify Your Home
Marta Edmisten, founder of plain jane’s green cleaning products will discuss the hidden (and not-so-hidden) toxins found in the home and simple, healthy alternatives. Ms. Edmisten will teach you how to clean “smarter, not harder” and how to make your home safer for your family, your pets and yourself! Topics covered will include: “How we got here” - the history of chemical production in America, non-toxic house cleaning, laundry alternatives, cosmetics, safer food storage, reducing household waste and easy ways to “go green”. www.plainjanes.biz

WHEN: Wednesday, April 23 12:30-2:00
WHERE: In Good Company, Large Conference Room

REGISTER: Email Adelaide at Adelaide@ingoodcmpny.com to secure your spot. Free for members

JOIN THE MOVEMENT - HELP A REPORTER OUT

Some of you may know that Help A Reporter Out started as a facebook group, but has recently launched as it's own website. It is a FREE service that helps to connect reporters with sources and experts. If you sign up you will receive three emails a day with a list of reporter requests. Peter Shankman, the founder, has gotten tons of press recently and is attracting of reporters and readers. This is a potentially great way to connect with press prospects. I have thought of many IGC members as I have read the listings over the last couple weeks.

If you can stand to get just 3 more emails a day - I highly recommend it. However, please heed Peter's warnings! As tempting as it might be to reply to as many queries as possible, it is important to reply only to those queries for which you are qualified. Read the reporters requests closely and follow the directions!

VERY YOUNG GIRLS: A GEMS BENEFIT


I have known of GEMS (which stands for Girls Educational and Mentoring Services) for sometime and respect the work they do a great deal. Rachel, their executive director, recently sent me information about a special screening of a documentary, Very Young Girls, they produced and are showing at the Tribeca Grand Hotel this Thursday (April 10th).

Very Young Girls is a Showtime documentary that highlights the experiences of the girls that GEMS serves. This compelling film provides an opportunity to hear the girls’ tell their own stories in their own words.
Help support the cause to end commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking by joining GEMS for cocktails and hors d'oeuvres at 6:00pm and for the screening which begins promptly at 7:00pm.

To purchase a ticket, visit http://www.gems-girls.org/donation.html, follow the link to Network for Good, and designate your $300 or $500 donation for the Very Young Girls screening.

All proceeds benefit GIRLS EDUCATIONAL & MENTORING SERVICES.

LESS ABOUT WHO, MORE ABOUT WHY

Often when Amy and I are working with our female entrepreneur clients, we talk about the importance of understanding 'why' you are starting a business. What is the motivating factor or goal? Financial stability, earning power, flexibility, autonomy, filling a social need, engagement...etc. Understanding this why will not only help you to set your business infrastructure and determine appropriate offerings and products, but will also help you to solicit and find advice and resources that are relevant to the kind of business that you want to create!

It is frustrating when the variety of reasons that women have for starting businesses are not properly recognized, especially when women's businesses are compared to men's. People start businesses for very different reasons, and therefore very different results will determine success! I was heartened to see a blurb on a study in Business Week Small Business Magazine, which not only acknowledges the variety of reasons that businesses are started, but also shows men's and women's businesses perform equally well when compared to the business owners expectations for the business.

Gender Non-Gap
It's often said that men make better entrepreneurs than women. Not so. Companies founded by men and those started by women are equally profitable, according to research commissioned by the Small Business Administration. What matters isn't gender, but a founder's motivations and expectations.
The study, by Scott Shane, a professor of economics, and Case Western Reserve University graduate Erin Keppler, examined data from the Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics, the first national collection of information on why people started businesses. The survey tracked 685 entrepreneurs who were launching a venture and followed them for four years, compiling financial data as well as information on how founders expected their businesses to do.
When comparing the performance of a business with its founder's expectations, "there is little evidence of differences between male and female entrepreneurs on either effort or performance," says Shane. What's more, the data offered clues to why some people perceive women-owned companies as underperforming those owned by men. More women started businesses with the goal of flexibility, not, as most men did, with the goal of making a lot of money. And more women started companies in service industries where profitability and growth tend to trail those of male-dominated industries such as technology. The perception that women are less skilled reflects a lack of understanding of why many became entrepreneurs in the first place.
—By James Mehring

THINKING BIG, CHANGING THE WORLD, CREATING MEANING

Last night I attended my first NYSWE (New York Social Women Entrepreneurs) meeting, and lucky for me it was held at in good company! NYSWE is a newly re-launched chapter of the national organization YWSE (Young Women Social Entrepreneurs). The women were terrific, not all entrepreneurs, in fact there were many intrapreneurs as well!

The speakers were just phenomenal though. Lara Galinsky from Echoing Green and Ruth DeGolia from Mercado Global. Ruth is one of Echoing Green's fellow and she spoke so passionately about her company, the work she is doing, and her involvement with Echoing Green.

I was most struck by the level of integrity that was present in what both Lara and Ruth had to share. Ruth has clearly thought so much about the absolute best ways to run her organization, the best ways to meet her goals, and the best ways to employ the practices of social entrepreneurship.

Lara was able to speak so clearly about the importance of Echoing Green's role in the funding process, what they look for in fellows, and about the incredible value associated with mentoring and support network in the Echoing Green Platform.

They both highlighted some of my favorite key lessons that I hear again and again from the entrepreneurs I admire most.

* You must ask for help!

* You can't do everything yourself. instead surround yourself with great talent who are motivated to help realize the mission of the company.

* It is important not to grow too fast and to maintain the integrity of your purpose and brand in order to build an innovative and truly sustainable organization.

A new thing that I left thinking about was how to dig down to the 'root cause' of the problem that you are trying to solve. In Ruth's case she has found creative, meaningful, and sustainable ways to employ women in Guatemala, but what Mercado Global is ultimately addressing is poverty, and how do they measure success? school attendance rates in their partner communities. fascinating, and smart. if you had met Ruth, you'd expect nothing less.

Much of this thinking and behavior is reflected in a book that Lara co-authored called Be Bold! Create a Career with Impact. It emphasizes the "Gall to Think Big" in addition to 3 other key characteristics.

I feel sufficiently challenged, inspired, and motivated!

ALPHA DOGS AND SMALL GIANTS

ok, so Small Giants has been my favorite book for years. It is written by Bo Burlingham from Inc Magazine who decided to profile companies who choose to be great instead of big. I admire and am inspired by this principle. I also learned a whole heck of a lot from this book. I think that it is extremely helpful to hear the inside experiences of growing successful entrepreneurs...what were the critical decisions...the best decisions...the things they would do differently. Anyway, I have been known to obsess over this book and this approach.

So imagine my delight when I was introduced to Alpha Dogs by Donna Fenn, who profiles companies who are 'leaders of the pack' in a similar 'small giants' style. This book includes another dozen inside looks to interesting, innovative, and growing companies.

life lessons by osmosis, i love them!

RESCUED PAPER NOTEBOOK!

green and cute simultaneously. this notebook is composed of discarded paper. perfect for notes, journaling, and to do lists.