(www.bizchicksrule.com) — One of the challenging things about being a business owner is making the tough choices. Where will you cut costs? Where will you make sacrifices? Where will you invest your time and money? After 13 months as co-host of Biz Chicks Rule, it’s time for me to move on to new and different things. I don’t say bigger and better things because I don’t think there’s anything small or inadequate about this blog. But that aside, my time here has come to an end, and I will be leaving you in Bridget’s very capable hands. For those who’d like to keep in touch, I hope you’ll come visit me at my freelance writing blog, Inkthinker, and my pet blog, meow/bark/blog. I also have a general... [Read more]

(www.bizchicksrule.com) — Over the summer, I had the pleasure of speaking with Allison Atsiknoudas, the 42-year-old co-founder and CEO of Investment Instruments Corporation (IIC), while she was on a carriage ride with her then-8-month-old son, Teddy, near their Boston-area home (which she and her husband share with a weimaraner, who, sadly, was not on our call). Here’s what she had to say about business and life. Kristen, Biz Chicks Rule: Allison, tell me about your company. How did you get started? Allison Atsiknoudas: We started the ball rolling in 2004 and incorporated in 2006. I had formed a business incubator with a couple of other folks and that was actually how the idea for our company came about. So unlike other companies, where... [Read more]

This summer, I got to talk with two super-cool chicks who have launched their own clothing line, LTDChix, which stands for "Living the Dream." These ladies are near and dear to my heart because not only are they Jersey girls, but they’re based out of the town where I worked summers during college as co-manager of a now-defunct ice cream parlor: Sparta, New Jersey. Cindi Schmitzer, 44, is a former CPA and a mom of 4, and Nina Frye, 45, is a former Fortune 100 account executive and mom of 3. Kristen, Biz Chicks Rule: Tell me about LTDChix and your line of tees. Cindi Schmitzer: We had the idea and we really kicked that around for a few months, and then we went to a local free seminar for start your own business held by SCORE. We... [Read more]

(www.bizchicksrule.com) — Patricia Handschiegel has done more at 36 than many businesswomen do in a lifetime. She sold social media company Stylediary.net in 2007 and is currently working on selling a television show. Patricia spilled the beans on her past ventures and lessons learned for her future business efforts. Kristen, Biz Chicks Rule: You’re a self-described serial entrepreneur. When were you bitten with the entrepreneur bug, and how did you pick a winner the first time out of the gate? Patricia Handschiegel: I think I’ve always had it in me. I used to invent play businesses and companies as a little girl with my sister and friends, and started creating my first entrepreneurial projects very early in my life. I was... [Read more]

(www.bizchicksrule.com) — Who says "environmentally friendly" and "fashionable" can’t go hand in hand? Not Marci Zaroff, founder and president of green clothing line Under the Canopy. She shares the ins and outs of being an eco-responsible fashionista in the following interview. Kristen, Biz Chicks Rule: Tell me about Under the Canopy and your products. When was the company founded? How long did it take you to get rolling? Marci Zaroff, Under the Canopy: I founded lifestyle brand "Under the Canopy" in 1996 with a mission to fuse style and sustainability, while transforming the fashion industry. The goal was to design, manufacture and market apparel and home products that would offer consumers what... [Read more]