(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 …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 …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 …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, …read more

(www.bizchicksrule.com) — Lucky Me Tee is a new line of tanks, tees, and sweatshirts geared ust for moms. President and creator Marlo Moleski is both a savvy business woman and a proud mom. We sat down to get to the heart of her company, and her life.
Kristen, Biz Chicks Rule: Tell us about your background.
Marlo Moleski, Lucky Me Tee: From when I was a young girl I always loved fashion and I would always look through fashion magazines. I graduated from High School a year early so with that extra year I took classes in New York City at F.I.T …read more

(www.bizchicksrule.com) — You know how you just look at some products and say, "Why didn’t I think of that?" Well, Katie Johnson did think of that with her brilliant product to get rid of the annoying heel wedgies that plague us all. Here, she dishes on the company and her life as an inventor and entrepreneur.
Kristen, Biz Chicks Rule: Tell me about your company and your products. When was the company founded? How long did it take you to get rolling?
Katie Johnson, Kix by Katie: I started my company Katie, Inc. about a year and a half ago. I invented …read more

(www.bizchicksrule.com) — When I heard about CEO Lori Evans’ work to help business owners in Africa — while running two successful companies in the US! — I had to learn more about this amazing woman. Lori was kind enough to answer a slew of questions about her life, her experience, and her contributions to improving the global economy.
Kristen King, Biz Chicks Rule: Tell me about Abrige Corp. C-Secure Systems. What do they do? When was each founded?
Lori Evans, Abrige & C-Secure: Kristen, thanks for asking. Abrige Corp. was born in 2003 as the consultancy I founded, Sagacity, grew to include …read more

(www.bizchickrule.com) — Cathy Lanyard is the award-winning executive director of The American Friends of ALYN Hospital, a renowned pediatric and adolescent rehabilitation center in Jersulaem, Israel. Cathy shared with me some of her background and the important work she’s doing both as a female executive and a mom.
Kristen, Biz Chicks Rule: Please tell us about your professional background.
Cathy Lanyard, American Friend of ALYN Hospital: Undergraduate and graduate work at Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, [then] 1st career: Actress, model; 2nd career: Lobbyist; 3rd career: Founded and ran interior design firm; 4th career: Director of Development for the Reform Movement of Judaism …read more

(www.bizchicksrule.com) — If this isn’t perfect for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I don’t know what is!
About the Biz Chick
Leslie Haywood’s first introduction to Breast Cancer was in 1988 when she and her sisters were sat down for "the talk." Her mother was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer, and at the time, it was a little more than her 16-year-old brain could comprehend. Says Leslie, "I knew it was serious and that over the next few years, my mom would be in a fight for her life but it was only after my own diagnosis 18 years later, that I …read more

(www.bizchicksrule.com) — Today, we’re talking with Cathinka Chandler, inventor of Kush Support and CEO of Kush Co.
Kristen @ BCR: Tell me about your company and the Kush product. When was the company founded? How long did it take you to get rolling?
Cathinka @ Kush: Kush Support is a sleep accessory that supports the weight of a woman’s breasts while she sleeps on her side. Kush Support is an outstanding product for any woman with breast implants as it helps alleviate the lower neck/upper back pain they have when they wake up. It’s also a great product for women with natural …read more