”We’re in a recession.”

“Unemployment rates are up 20%.”

“Today XYZ company laid off 6,000 of their workers and are expected to strike in the next 30 days.”

These one-liners seem to gracing our economic news and headlines frequently with no relief in sight. It’s pretty scary the things that can happen when life does what it does. People are reacting in drastic ways, doing frightful things, saying what they will and won’t do and being simply bewildered.

Everyone is feeling the pinch, and I do mean EVERYONE. Whether they are middle-classers or high-paid entertainers (I mean, hey, even their hired help gets expensive too!), people are looking for ways to save money.

These YouTube videos offer some relief ideas for those of you who need some tips, quick ideas and ways just to feel some relief. Take a look, and for good measure, I’m going to throw in a few of my own. Feel free to add yours in the comments as well.

Use leftover/unfinished bottled water to water house plants or pour it into the washing machine. It’s called “recycled water.” Right, Right.

Use the back of faxed do-not-need documents to jot down notes, grocery lists or give to your four-year old to draw and color on. Nothing like the imagination!

Save all of the leftover vegetables from all week (broccoli, string beans, corn, etc.) to make a delicious stir-fry at the end of the week. Put in some shallots, bellpeppers and cubed chicken and you’ve got a hearty, tasty meal.

To conserve water, let same-sex children take their baths together. What? They have to be how old?? OK, maybe I should stop that with my boys, huh? (Just kidding. They’re still ok at 4 and 7. I think).

What tips do you have? How have you managed to save money and conserve or recycle in this time of uncertainty? Do share. Are your tips better than mine?

Post from: EveryJoe

Feeling the Cruuuunch? Money-Saving Tips You Can Use Right Away

Nah, I think I’d better get a babysitter.

[Image Source: My Personal Photos]

So, I started making my calls to my tried and true sitters, only to discover that their social lives are busier than mine. They’re all:

a)at the beach,
b) at the lake, or
c) at some body of water in a skimpy swimsuit and do not want to come back here to babysit my brood.

Oh well. I continued to look.

While I was at the gym this morning working out, I noticed a sign on the wall advertising babysitting services! Yay! And, to make it even better, she was the owner’s daughter, so I can say I kind of “know” them, so all should be well. The thing is is that although she is an official “babysitter” you know with the American Red Cross training and all, but her rate was $8 an hour. $8 an hour??!! What…

She’s 14 years old, she doesn’t drive, she’s only 3 years older than my oldest child and she’s 14 years old. Wait, oh I said that already. Anyway, it just seems to me that $8 an hour is a bit steep for a 14 year old, who doesn’t drive and has NO bills.

I don’t know. Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like just yesterday I was babysitting in high school, in high demand and commanding $5 an hour myself. And at 18 years old, (ok, I know that was a long time ago) I was pretty glad to get it, let me tell ya. But now-a-days (my age showing again, huh?) kids are working and asking for a whole lot more than what we used to get.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that babysitting is no longer just a time-passer for teens these days. It’s a business for them. It’s how they shop at The Gap, Abercrombie & Fitch and do the movies and pizza scene on the weekends. But the rates are what I attribute to good old mom and dad.

See I figure these parents are encouraging their kids to charge these exorbitant amounts of money because THEY KNOW THEY CAN. With babysitter’s being so scarce and at a premium, moms (and sometimes dads) know that if you’ll pay that, their child can actually do pretty good working for you. And at 14, you can’t convince me that the girl has enough business sense to even ask for that kind of money. Did I mention that the babysitter’s only 14?

Babysitting is a premium gig, if you ask me. I’ve actually thought about it a time or two, but decided against it since I only like my own kids. But as a business, it’s wow. At 14, a young girl with a babysitting business charging those rates can do pret-ty good for herself. I’m amazed because from what I understand, she does get business and people are paying that rate. When my daughter comes of age to babysit, I actually thought about having her start off at a modest $5 per hour. But after seeing what the market will bear, heck, I think if she charged a cool $10, she could buy her clothes from Abercrombie & Fitch, The Gap and throw in a little Ann Taylor for mom. Yep, that should work.

So needless to say, I’m back to searching for a babysitter for this weekend. I just hope I can find one for a reasonable rate, or, at least one that can drive to my house if the rate is going to be that high. Geez! I mean, come on. Pay you $8, and come to your house to pick you up? Get real!

In the meantime, maybe I’ll get Kyle his own razor so he won’t bother dad’s and my other kids can just supervise him. Think that’ll work? Probably not, huh? Well, if you know of any good, cheap babysitter’s, do send them my way. I’m willing to pay $5 bucks, provide a well-stocked junk food pantry complete with Cokes, potato chips and s’mores and three absolutely beautiful children who are just a joy to babysit…

OK, I’ll pay them $6 bucks, just get somebody here, alright?

_____________________________________

How much do you pay for your sitter’s? Does it depend on the area of the country or does it average about the same everywhere?

Would you pay $8 for a sitter? Did I mention that she was only 14?

Check out this interview of a daycare owner over at Home Biz Notes. Think she could help me out this weekend?
_____________________________________

Enter to win an iPod Shufffle! Deadline, 11:59 p.m. ET on July 13, 2008.

Post from: EveryJoe

The Commodities Exchange: When Did Babysitting Hit A Premium?

I’m (almost) never at a loss for words, but if I had been in this audience with Carly Fiorina as the speaker, I most certainly would have gasped for air. Mrs. (or Ms.?) Fiorina gave this speech to a McCain audience, outlining her reasons why she thinks she would be a great running mate for McCain. In addition to her pointed words, she also pointed out how unfair it is that some health insurance plans won’t cover some birth control methods but WILL cover Viagra. Hmmm. Good point. (excuse the pun)

Carly has a very strong and aggresive demeanor about her. I suspect that her direct and frank nature is the very reason she was such a powerful force with Hewlett-Packard and even now considered as being a running mate for McCain.

But, is being outspoken and direct really ok for women? I mean, is it really necessary? Watch your answer now because last week, James got his **unmentionables** all in a wad over our discussion on women and the things they say. But then again, Fiorina did talk about Viagra, so maybe he won’t mind, right?

What do you think?
__________________________________

Enter to win an iPod Shufffle! Deadline, 11:59 p.m. ET on July 13, 2008.

Post from: EveryJoe

Via-gra, Via-gra – - Fiorina Says the “V” Word

But I was far more interested in some of the behind-the-scenes goings on, which probably sheds some light on Hillary’s silence. My favorite quotes from today’s New York Times article about the end of Hillary Clinton’s campaign:

Mrs. Clinton’s decision to suspend her campaign, which was first reported by ABC News, was a bow to the emerging political reality. No one in her campaign — including by all reports Mrs. Clinton herself — saw a viable road to the nomination. A suspension of the campaign allows her to continue raising money and pay off millions of dollars in debt.

NO one? MILLIONS of dollars in debt? Ouch.

Representative Rahm Emanuel, the Illinois Democrat with close ties to Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton, and who had kept studiously neutral throughout the fight, said in an interview that he was “coming out from hiding under my desk” to endorse Mr. Obama. “The fact is that he is the nominee,” Mr. Emanuel said

He seemed quizzical at the slowness of Mrs. Clinton’s decision not to acknowledge this.

“You don’t answer about whether you want to be vice president unless there’s no doubt in your mind that he is the nominee,” he said, referring to Mrs. Clinton’s initial reluctance to congratulate Mr. Obama, noting that she told supporters she would be open to be his running mate if he wanted her.

Quizzical? Really? I don’t know, man, if I were the first WHATEVER to run for President, I’d be kind of reluctant to bail, too, if I had any POSSIBLE hope of making a good showing. I don’t think it was necessarily a good or bad choice, and I can’t say with any certainty that I would have done things differently. Aside from the fact that I would never run for President, that is. I mean, I don’t even vote. ANYWAY!

“We pledged to support her to the end,” Representative Charles B. Rangel, a New York Democrat who has been a patron of Mrs. Clinton since she first ran for the Senate, said in an interview. “Our problem is not being able to determine when the hell the end is.”

Sounds like that was EVERYONE’s problem here.

Most interesting to me about this article is that there’s only ONE quote from Hillary Clinton, and it wasn’t even a direct response to her losing the nomination. I find that odd. Do you?

What other articles should we be reading about the Presidential race? Leave your links in the comments.

Contents © Copyright 2008 Kristen King

Post from: EveryJoe

It’s Official: Hillary Clinton Is Out of the Race

In April, I laid into PR folks who suck at their jobs, and I stand by my complaint. Really, they have no excuse. But if you have no PR or marketing training I can understand why you would make some mistakes when you’re first getting the hang of your business. I want to help you, really, I do. But before I get into that, let me give you some context for why I’m writing this post.

I recently joined an excellent mailing list called Help a Reporter Out (HARO for short). If you’re a source, or someone with information to share, you sign up to receive daily collections of queries from individuals who are looking for people to interview, feature, whatever. If you’re a reporter, you can submit your detailed query and tell sources how to contact you. It’s a brilliant idea, and the guy who runs the joint, Peter Shankman, is smart, engaging, and very good at what he does, so I learn a lot even when I don’t have a query to post or a response to send.

But this week, I did have a query to post. Two, in fact. Here is the one I sent for sources for Biz Chicks Rule:

Summary: Chick CEOs and Business Owners
Name: Kristen King
Email: kristen@b5media.com
Title: Blog co-host
Media Outlet/Publication: http://www.bizzia.com/

“Women’s business blog Biz Chicks Rule (http://www.bizzia.com/), part of the Business Channel at global media network b5media, seeks female executives and business owners for profiles, Q&As, and guest posts. Our audience is mostly female (duh), primarily North American, and very interested in stories of real women climbing the corporate ladder and making their own way in business.

All industries are welcome. Particularly interested in women who developed an innovative product or service or succeeded in traditionally male-dominated arenas, but not a requirement.

E-mail pitches to kristen@b5media.com with ‘BCR Pitch’ in the subject line. This is an ongoing need, so lay it on me, baby.”

I did get some phenomenal pitches and I will have a ton of great content for you in the coming weeks and months as a result. But I also got a boatload of crap, and so I give you…

The Top 10 Annoying Things Respondents Have Done That Have Made My Life More Difficult Instead of Easier

1. Asking me questions that are clearly answered in the query, like “Would you consider a female entrepreneur?” Uh, yeah, that’s kind of what I meant when I said “business owners.” DELETE.
2. Failing to include “BCR Pitch” in the subject line even thought I explicitly asked that it be included. Your e-mail is NOT the only one I have to read, and this is NOT the only query I have out right now. Throw me a bone, please. It’s CALLED Help A Reporter Out, after all. And if you can’t follow simple instructions in a call for pitches, how can I trust that you’re going to facilitate the interview I want or get me the product I need to review? You’re only hurting yourself here. DELETE.
3. Using ONLY “BCR Pitch” in the subject line. Do you know how many message I have to go through that are all labeled “BCR Pitch”? I didn’t think I had to specify that it just needs to be there somewhere, not the ONLY thing there, but apparently that wasn’t as obvious as I thought. Is this my fault? I really don’t think so, but I’m open to being knocked down a few notches on this one. WOULD delete, but there are too many. Sigh.
4. Pasting a press release into the message and then hitting send. And the professional PR people are the worst offenders on this one! Did they not go over this on day one of PR school? A press release is NOT a pitch. It is a press release. DELETE.
5. Attaching a press release and saying “See the attached press release for my pitch.” See #4. DELETE.
6. Saying things like, “It’s complicated. I need to know if you’re interested before I get into it.” And I need to know what in God’s name you’re talking about before I can tell you whether I’m interested. Why are you wasting my time? DELETE.
7. Sending a novel instead of a pitch. Okay, well not literally a novel, but does it really take 1000+ words to tell me what you are telling me and why I should care? “My business/product/client is ABC. This is innovative/interesting/a perfect fit because XYZ.” I want a little more than that, but really, 300 words is more than enough. Sheesh. DELETE.
8. Using words completely wrong. I can’t give an anonymized example of this one because all of the truly awful queries that did it are too easily identifiable by the egregious errors. But when I say egregious, I mean like saying that something is chartreuse when you mean that it’s obtuse. What kind of interview will you be when you can’t even make sense when you have all the time in the world to look stuff up and craft what you’re saying? I shudder to think. DELETE.
9. Making a way bigger deal of yourself, your company, or your product than is even remotely believable in any possible reality. I get that you’re excited about whatever your thing is, but I’m pretty sure your goal is to interest me in it, not to make me think you’re totally delusional and potentially dangerous. DELETE.
10. Making me click on stuff “for more information” without giving me any information in the first place. I get that SOME is technically more than NOTHING, but you’re supposed to use links and attachments as a SUPPLEMENT to your pitch, not in place of it. (See also #5.) I don’t have time for this, dude. I asked for a PITCH, not a link, and certainly not more work to do. DELETE.

Once I simmer down, I’ll follow up with some of the BEST things folks have done in these pitches to give you a How To list. But in the meantime, I have a bazillion more pitches to read!

Oh, and if I find that you pitched me AFTER reading this list and you STILL commit one of these heinous acts against the public relations field, I will not be held responsible for my actions. Consider yourself warned.

Contents © Copyright 2008 Kristen King

(image: SXC.hu)

Post from: EveryJoe

10 Things NOT to Do When Sending a PR Pitch

Discovering Your Inner Samurai: The Entrepreneurial Woman’s Journey to Business Success

Enter to win by responding to this question in the Slacker Manager comments. The contest ends on Friday, so don’t delay!

Contents © Copyright 2008 Kristen King

Post from: EveryJoe

Contest at Slacker Manager

The 2007 Leadership Awards recognize nonprofits whose work improves the health and safety of low-income women and girls. The awards focus public attention on these programs and help them gain additional funding and grow.

Washington Area Women’s Foundation chose to focus on health and safety because the need is so great and because improving health contributes to women’s economic security. The District has the highest incidence of AIDS of any other state and a rate 10 times the national average. About 14 percent of women in the region are uninsured. In D.C., 46 percent of women did not receive prenatal care in the first trimesters of their pregnancies, more than triple the national average. And in the overall region, the infant mortality rate remains above the national rate.

The award winners are:

Ascensions Community Services
Ascensions helps children and families in D.C.’s Wards 7 and 8 rise above past and current difficulties to a place of renewed wellness, competency, and stability via holistic psychological interventions. Because Ascensions believes mental health is often overlooked, it focuses on stress, depression, and decision making. http://www.2ascend.org/

A Wider Circle
A Wider Circle empowers children and adults to break the cycles of poverty and poor health throughout the Washington metropolitan region. http://www.awidercircle.org/index-1.html

DC Abortion Fund
The DC Abortion Fund is improving the health and safety of women and girls in the Washington metropolitan region by covering the gap between what they can afford and the cost of an abortion. http://dcaf.nnaf.org/

Divine Images Network, Inc.
Divine Images, Inc. works with at-risk youth and their families living in Ward 8 to strengthen and enhance their community, and to prevent violent crime, substance abuse, and dropping out of school. http://www.divineimagesnetwork.org/

FAIR Fund
Fair Fund engages youth, especially younger women, in civic activism to prevent sexual assault, human trafficking, and domestic violence in their own lives and communities. It operates internationally and in D.C. http://www.fairfund.org/

Nueva Vida
Nueva Vida supports, informs, and empowers Latina cancer patients in Maryland, D.C., and Virginia and helps them to advocate for and access quality medical care. http://www.nueva-vida.org/index2.htmm

Pregnancy AID Center
Pregnancy AID Center serves low-income, uninsured pregnant adolescents and women in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties and in the District. The center offers counseling, support, family planning services, emergency food and adoption assistance, among other services. http://www.pregnancyaidcenter.com/html/

The Women’s Collective
The Women’s Collective in D.C. serves women and families living with or at risk for HIV/AIDS by providing case management, counseling, HIV testing, emergency financial assistance and family social activities, among other services. It is led by women with HIV and their allies. http://www.womenscollective.org/

Read more about the awards and the organization at the Women’s Foundation website.

Post from: EveryJoe

Washington Area Women’s Foundation Announces Local Nonprofit Winners of 2007 Leadership Awards

Like Bridget

I’m one of those people who are determined to get and stay organized but just have a hard time sticking with it. Two resources that have helped me get closer to following through with personal and professional organization are Declutter It! and My Organized Biz, both of which offer real-life advice and seriously practical solutions for getting things in order in the office and around the house.

And if you think your office is seriously beyond repair, this may make you feel better.

What’s your favorite organizing tip? Leave a comment.

Contents © Copyright 2008 Kristen King

Post from: EveryJoe

Organizing Your Office

My twin two-year old daughters reminded me, without words, about business and success. When you are starting a business, you need to think of it as raising a child. You start by crawling, then walking, then running.

So take heart in the following tips – they may come from very cute, very small people but they have the power to help you achieve success.

1. No matter how small you are, you can change lots of lives. No matter what you sell, your goal for business should be to change lives in one way or another. Remember this in everything you do. Once you are able to answer the question: How can I change my customers lives? You’re well on your way to providing a unique selling proposition.
2. Keep trying, even if it’s hard. My girls have had some trouble speaking, but they kept trying (and learned sign language) so we can communicate. Now, I know when they want a cookie. Remember, persistence pays off in the end. (You may be able to get more than a cookie if you keep on trying!)
3. Remember to share. We all teach our kids to share. But somehow along the way, when we get older, we get protective of what we have learned to achieve success. When you have something of value that would benefit others – share! It will come back to you.
4. Run naked every once in a while. Well ok, you don’t have to be naked but run – have fun, be free and try to be a kid again. Having kids gives you that chance again and it is incredible to relive the fun that you used to have – when you weren’t so serious about life and business. And that free time also allows you the opportunity to think outside the box – and come up with new ideas and solutions.
5. Silence is not always a good thing. If it’s too quiet in my toddler household, I know something is up. And it’s the same in business. If you find too many of your competitors are quiet or your clients are quieter than usual – figure out why! Something serious could be happening out there and you better find out what it is.

Shannon Cherry is a mompreneur, PR pro, and blogger behind Startup Spark and Mommy, Inc. She is the owner of Cherry Communications, a virtual public relations firm. Read part 2 of this series here.

Would you like to write a guest post for Biz Chicks Rule? E-mail your print-ready submissions about women and business to kristen@b5media.com.

Post from: EveryJoe

Guest Post: Lessons for small business success, from my twin toddler daughters (Part 1)

I recently competed in a speaking contest with my local speaking club, Toastmaster’s International. This contest was a vie for the World’s Greatest Speaker, as per Toastmaster’s standards, and is highly competitive in the world of professional speaking. People who compete in the contest prepare for months, some even years, to win that coveted, lusted title as the greatest speaker in the world.

I had been preparing on the club level for weeks. I had sized up my competition, tweaked my speech and confidently decided that I had this contest “in the bag.”  I had stage presence, eye contact and even humor woven into my speech to make this my chance to take this contest to a regional level. Only, I wasn’t dressed right.

As wonderful as my speech was, as powerful as I delivered it and as eloquent and articulate as I was…I lost. I came in second place to a gentlemen who was nice, but whose speech I thought was not nearly as chiseled as mine. I congratulated him, smiled and even had my photo made with him as the “runner up”. Needless to say, I am SO the sore loser. I pouted for weeks.

Weeks later, at another Toastmaster’s function, I was speaking with a fellow speaker friend of mine. I belayed to him my woes on how I had lost, how unfair the world was and how that contest should have been MINE. My friend listened carefully, nodding and graciously smiling/listening. He waited until I was finished as asked me very ‘matter-of-factly’, “what did you wear for the contest?” I thought, what does that have to do with anything? Well, being the fashionista (ha ha) that I am, I told him I wore a very smart dark olive green pantsuit with a white blouse and patent leather black pumps. I looked very corporate and business-like in my attire. Or, so I thought.

My friend replied that if I had worn a dress, perhaps I would have won.

Jim’s opinion was that females are responded to differently when they are in pants as opposed to a dress. He, being a hiring manager himself, said that all successful business-women use their femininity in business settings to work for them. He said, “Bridget, if you want to have an edge and win contests, wear a dress.”  WEAR A DRESS! At first, I was appalled at the very idea that a dress over pants make that much of a difference in the business world as far as perceived intellignece and perceptions, but it did get me thinking. Would I have in fact won that contest had I worn a dress that day?

He suggested that if my material was as good as I said and I had worn a dress, the contest would have been mine. He challenged me to try it the next time I compete for a speaking title. While I have entertained the idea, I’d like to think we’re judged on our content more than our outer appearance. And well, there is another contest coming up that I was thinking of competing in.

What you think? Does what we wear make that much of a difference?

Post from: EveryJoe

A dress…or pants?