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"There are two types of people. Those who come into a room and say, 'Well, here I am!' and those who come in and say, 'Ah, there you are.'"
- Frederick L. Collins
In this Issue: |
Put the South Shore Women's Business Network to work for you. There are exceptional people and businesses waiting to meet you.
Our regionally located luncheon events are developed to give you lots of opportunity to get connected on the South Shore. Enjoy great food, introductions from everyone attending and facilitated networking. Increase your visibility to prospective clients and referral sources by participating in any of our events. All luncheons run from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m.
Randolph LuncheonBeginning in February the Network will be hosting a third luncheon each month at LaScala in Randolph. Be sure to mark your calendar for these upcoming dates: February 6, March 6 and April 3, 2006. Hingham Luncheon - January 10, 2006Rustic Kitchen Meal: Salmon over Greens and Asparagus; or Grilled Chicken Pianni Plymouth Luncheon - January 18, 2006East Bay Grill Meal: Baked Scrod; or Chicken, Ziti and Broccoli Attention New Members!! Come to our SSWBN Orientation and Networking Learn more about how the Network works and how to maximize your benefits! January 24 Register by January 17, 2006 Breakfast Meeting - January 26, 20067:30 - 9:30a.m. Coaching Yourself to Leadership: Five Key Strategies for Becoming
an Integrated Leader Ginny’s Passion, Insight and Knowledge have inspired thousands of women. Her strategies for becoming an integrated leader demonstrate how to combine masculine and feminine energies to get the best possible kind of leadership. In this presentation and in her book by the same title she offers tools and techniques for implementing the five key strategies - leading with authenticity, creating vision and strategic thinking, building emotional intelligence, communicating assertively, and developing strategic relationships - that are essential for becoming an integrated leader. |
NOTE: The cost for Lunch and Breakfast is Pre-registration $25.00 members, $40.00 nonmembers. At the door $30.00 members, $45.00 nonmembers.
First Time Attendees are invited to take advantage of our member rate prior to joining the Network.
Keep in mind that each new member that joins the South Shore Women’s Business Network earns someone a free lunch. It could be you. Here’s your chance to help your network grow its membership. Bring a guest at the member rate! You can extend this offer to just about anyone: colleagues, friends, family and even clients. If your guest joins the network and gives you credit we will give you a coupon to attend one of our regularly scheduled events for free. We all know that SSWBN is a great place for coaching, contacts and collaboration, so why not share that with your acquaintances. We want to help grow their businesses. There is no limit to the number of guests you can introduce to the Network. So start spreading the word today.
| NOTE: REGISTRATION POLICY |
Cancellation Policy: Must be received 2 business days prior to 5:00 p.m. for credit to alternate meetings.
SSWBN Visionaries Series - #1
Established in 1982, Professional Bookkeeping Services specializes in bookkeeping and accounting services for sole proprietorships and small businesses. A native of Quincy, Veva learned to overcome dyslexia to get her degree from Bentley. "Reading and studying was always difficult for me," Veva recalls. "I was kept back in the second grade for reading…it wasn’t until I had a client years later - a psychotherapist - who guessed I had dyslexia. By that time I was already married and an established business owner." While she was at Bentley, Veva worked part-time as an admin for an eight-person CPA firm, doing bookkeeping for their internal clientele. When she realized what the firm charged these clients, Veva decided to branch out on her own, taking clients on a part-time basis until she was able to grow her own clientele, a process which took about three years. "It took me a long time to get clients," Veva says, "because at that time [the early 1980s] there were no formal networking groups, especially not for women, and especially not outside the trades or professions." It was through her own informal networking with CPAs that led her to SSWBN in 1991. Since Professional Bookkeeping Services is geared to small area businesses, SSWBN has been a perfect fit for Veva. "About 90% of my clients are SSWBN people," Veva says, "so the network works!" In order to get the most from your SSWBN membership, Veva suggests you become involved in a committee. In order to get referrals and grow your business, "You have to earn your stripes, and to do that, you have to join teams, which help you build a basis of friendships through teamwork," Veva says. "And teams are great because you can try different skill sets." Veva strongly recommends small business owners and people going through job transitions - women and men alike - join SSWBN for its support system and for the perspective of its members. "We’re willing to help you and give you valuable advice that you could never pay for," she says. "It’s really priceless for people just starting out. We also celebrate when people grow and move on and away from SSWBN, because we’ve helped you grow to a point where you can move on," she explains. What Veva would like to see in SSWBN’s future is more of these successful members giving back to the network through increased sponsorship and attendance in more events. Veva also believes in giving back to SSWBN, serving on the Board of Directors and as a sponsor for several years. "This is my sixth year as a sponsor [$3,000 donor to SSWBN]. SSWBN members are my prime market, and as a sponsor, I am on every piece of SSWBN marketing, which gives me more visibility," she explains. Veva suggests that, in lieu of becoming an SSWBN sponsor, members give $1 for every client they get from SSWBN; "it’s very powerful and if you do that every year, it really adds up," she says. Veva also points to SSWBN’s training and educational opportunities as an additional benefit that joining the network provides. "SSWBN’s seminars and workshops are useful, affordable, they get me and my staff out of the office for a day; and they provide us with a valuable chance to network with other business owners," she says. Veva has signed up her staff with their own SSWBN memberships, saying it gives her business a powerful way to gain even more contacts. It is also a more efficient and effective way for her to grow her business network. "My team and I participate in several SSWBN events a month," she says. "When we go to breakfasts or lunches, for example, we split ourselves up and work different parts of the room. At first my staff liked sticking together in their own little comfort zone," Veva laughs. "But now they are much better at networking themselves - which has been a definite win-win for everyone." In addition to her own hard work and vision, Veva credits the SSWBN network for the phenomenal growth of her business. "Thanks to (SSWBN), I’ve doubled my gross income this past year," she says. She gives credit to Cathy Manning, an SSWBN member and professional coach, for helping her this past year. Cathy offered a "The Bigger Game" seminar through the network, which helped Veva identify and target her services to seniors, a new and underserved market for specialized accounting services on the South Shore. The future continues to look bright for Veva and her business. She currently is on staff at Massasoit Community College teaching a QuickBooks course and is planning to offer a similar course to SSWBN members this year. In addition, she is actively involved in the network’s Board of Directors, as well as its Educational Foundation and Finance Committee, continuing to grow and evolve her symbiotic relationship with SSWBN. |
Veva Johnson, President
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