Kelly Douglas and Family

Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do professionally. Prior to founding Itzy Ritzy, I lived in New York City where I wrote a screenplay and worked on the feature films Margot at the Wedding starring Nicole Kidman and Funny Games starring Naomi Watts. I began my career as a strategy and technology consultant with Accenture in Chicago and New York City. At the age of 25, I served as the youngest Executive Director at Sunrise Assisted Living of Lincoln Park and Naperville and was a top 10 female finalist for season two of The Apprentice. I received my BS in Economics, Cum Laude, from Vanderbilt University in 1998.

I reside in Naperville, Illinois with my husband and two young daughters.

What do you enjoy most about your profession and why did you choose it in the first place? I love to create products that help busy parents (like me!) and have fun at the same time!

Tell us about the organizations your company supports and why? We support a variety of charities particularly in the mid-west where the effects of the economy of felt most.

What is the biggest risk you ever took professionally and/or the biggest obstacle you have overcome? I have made my career out of calculated risks such as starting Itzy Ritzy. The biggest obstacle for me was the self doubt and fear of failure. I overcame it by facing it head-on and with the love and support of friends and family.

From where do you draw inspiration? Who have been your role models, mentors, etc? I am constantly inspired by my husband Brian. He is my source of strength, encouragement and a constant role model.

How is the current economic situation affecting your company? Despite the economic down turn, Itzy Ritzy experiences a 25% growth rate, continues to penetrate international markets, manufactures products at two Chicago factories, introduces new products, and launched a lower priced sub brand that hit Target.com and Costco.com in Summer 2009. My work with has generated national and local media attention including “The Big Idea” with Donny Deutsch.

What one thing would you like to learn this year? I would love to learn to ballroom dance!

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Right here!

What do you do for fun/relaxation/entertainment? I love the arts! Going to the theater or a live music performance is for me both entertaining and relaxing.

Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers? Live your dreams!

Find and connect with Kelly on Twitter (@itzyritzy) and visit her WEBSITE at www.itzyritzy.com

Tell us about your business.

Website: http://www.choicemktg.com/

Tell us about your business.
After working and succeeding in a predominantly male environment (semiconductor engineering), I decided to help other women struggling with the same issues I started with 40 years ago. I wrote a book called Winning in a Man’s World and teach seminars to companies and organizations to help men and women work together more effectively. In some ways, I also fit the “women with a mission” category as I have really turned my retirement into helping others.

Please tell us what being a business owner means to you and why you became an entrepreneur in the first place?  As one of the few women “role models” I found myself doing a large amount of mentoring and coaching, to both men and women, throughout my engineering career. Often when they left my office, they’d comment,” I wish I knew that earlier”.  Then my children went into business and had the same issues, and as I advised them, they kept telling me to “Write it down”.  So I did and started my own business to share what I learned the hard way.

What or who has been your greatest influence in business and why?
Hmm, that’s tough. Originally I wanted to model myself after Marie Curie and went into science.  My mother was a strong influence as she worked throughout my childhood. My husband encouraged my career regardless of how difficult a burden I placed on him. Many managers and mentors helped me and I tried to emulate the best of them.

What would you say is your greatest professional accomplishment to date? 
Watching young women I mentored and advised becoming the next generation of leaders.

What’s the best advice you have received in business that you wish to pass on to our readers?
It is possible- if you want it enough.

What has been the most effective marketing initiatives or programs you have used to promote your business?
My network has been phenomenal and often my seminars lead to book sales which lead to more seminars. And of course, the internet. I write articles for excelle.monster.com and our local newspaper and numerous other ezines which attract visits to my website. One article had over 240,000 visits….

What one thing have you learned as a small business owner that has served you well over the years?
Love what you do. You will work more hours and harder than you did working for others so it had better be something you believe in.

Are there any resources or tools you’d like to share with other small business owners that have helped you run your business?
Free software for telephone conferencing, webmeetings, email lists. You can start small for free and then upgrade as you find you need more. Also you must have an interactive website where people can leave comments or messages. facebook and twitter are great for publicizing new articles and events.

What do you do for fun/relaxation?  
Garden, bicycle, play with my grandchildren (3)

What is Number One Business Goal you plan to accomplish over the next year?
My “big hairy” goal which is he one you want to strive for even if it is beyond anything you think you can achieve, is to be interviewed by a major TV show to get my message out.

I wrote a book, called Winning in a Man’s World and an ebook which is a collection of articles I wrote for ezines called 5 Ways to Get a Man to Listen.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Women have made great strides but we still have a long way to go. By knowing what holds you back, you can speed up the pace of your career.

For more information about Renee Weisman visit: www.winning-at-work.net

Tell us about your business.

We teach licensed estheticians about cancer, the side effects of cancer therapies on the skin and other side effects, and how to provide SAFE spa treatments on people currently undergoing cancer therapies and during their
recovery.

Please tell us what being a business owner means to you and why you became an entrepreneur in the first place?

I always see opportunities that can benefit others, and since no-one else was teaching estheticians how to treat this client group safely decided to pursue writing a text book and training.

What or who has been your greatest influence in business and why?

Some of my girlfriends who meet me intellectually and support what I do.

What would you say is your greatest professional accomplishment to date?

Completing the text book “Oncology Esthetics: A Practitioner’s Guide” with Allured Publishers – due to be published next month and providing advanced training with an Oncology RN in a medical setting.

What’s the best advice you have received in business that you wish to pass on to our readers?

That everyone in this world wants to be touched. And this is sadly lacking for most. Touch is so important to the human psyche.

What has been the most effective marketing initiatives or programs you have used to promote your business?

Word of mouth from cancer survivors, and students (licensed estheticians) who have seen the rewards of compassionate touch.

What one thing have you learned as a small business owner that has served you well over the years?

Every business provides something to someone. In other words, you can have 10 spas offering the same services, but each spa attracts it’s own clients due to a number of reasons. I have also learned that there is abundance for
all business to survive if managed properly.

Are there any resources or tools you’d like to share with other small business owners that have helped you run your business?

Having a website is very necessary.

What do you do for fun/relaxation?

Horse ride and play with my horses.

What is Number One Business Goal you plan to accomplish over the next year?

To encourage school owners and boards of cosmetology/esthetics to include this modality in their school curriculums and make it a mandatory training.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

All spa goers sending friends and family members with cancer to spas to find out if the spa practitioners have been trained specifically in working with cancer survivors so they have an effective, SAFE treatment.

For now, the website is the best until I figure out the blogging thing….. http://www.touchforcanceronline.com/board.html

Tell us about your business.

Smoke Signal Marketing assists solo-entrepreneurs build an income generating website by using the latest online marketing techniques.

My service includes: opt-in pages, sales pages, article writing, press release statements, and e-mail campaigns.

I work best with solo professionals who are in need of great copywritten material for their tele-seminar, webinar, product launch, or press release.

Please tell us what being a business owner means to you and why you became an entrepreneur in the first place?

I am in business for myself because I do not like the idea of working for another person so they can afford a “high quality” lifestyle while I work for minimum wage.

I am also a stay at home mom and need the freedom to be available for my family for sick days, doctor visits, teacher conferences, and the rearing of my children.

Plus, it’s a challenge to generate income for my family – I like it.

What or who has been your greatest influence in business and why?

First, my partner has been the greatest influence in pursing my own business.  He needed help writing some his websites and suggested that I help him do so.  I was then introduced to sales pages and copywriting.  I instantly fell in love because writing sales pages allows me to write in a conversational tone (which comes easy for me).  I’ve been writing since 2007 and follow great internet marketers like Armand Morin, Jim Edwards, Frank Kern, and Ali Brown.

What would you say is your greatest professional accomplishment to date?

There are several things that come to mind.

1.       Helping my partner generate an online income that helps to support our family

2.       The courage to start my own company especially when I didn’t have the greatest confidence in my ability to write

3.       Working with The Fearless PR Coach – Carey Powell and helping her to accomplish her vision by writing her websites

4.       Learning how to use Dreamweaver to create sites.  It was a huge learning curve, but the greatest challenge.

What’s the best advice you have received in business that you wish to pass on to our readers?

Give yourself permission to succeed.  Before I put myself “out there,” I was completely hung up on the thought of “what if I’m not good enough?”

When I was told that I had to give myself permission . . . I totally took that to heart and ran with it.  That’s not to say that I don’t have “bad” days or doubt in my ability, but I know that I’m on the right path because my passion for writing is my purpose – I wake up happy and ready to work.  I’m giving myself permission to succeed.

What has been the most effective marketing initiatives or programs you have used to promote your business?

To date, the best marketing method I’ve used is writing articles and writing a free report for those interested in my services.  Not only do I want to garner new customers, but I also want to share easy-to-use copywriting tips for any person writing their own copy.
 
What one thing have you learned as a small business owner that has served you well over the years?

Prioritize and organize.  Not everything needs your immediate attention and organization is key to getting everything done.

Are there any resources or tools you’d like to share with other small business owners that have helped you run your business?

www.the30minutepublicist.com

yahoo groups

What do you do for fun/relaxation?

I spend time with my family and read!

What is Number One Business Goal you plan to accomplish over the next year?

Growth. 

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

It doesn’t take brains nor braun to own your own company.  I honestly believe it takes desire, passion and purpose to succeed.  Any person can be the cause of something and it takes courage to see it through to the end.

Tell us about your business.
Allergiesandme.com is an online store that provides products and resources to those battling Food Allergies, Food Intolerances and people with other dietary restrictions.

Please tell us what being a business owner means to you and why you became an entrepreneur in the first place?
My very dear friends, here in the Tampa area, have a son with life threatening multiple food allergies. We have seen what an impact this has had on his life, as well as his parents. There are over 12 million people in North America that suffer from food allergies and that number is growing.

After witnessing the difficulty in finding safe food for this child, I started researching and determined there were very few retail locations offering a variety of healthy choices. It is difficult enough to find “allergy friendly” foods in a large urban area like Tampa, can you imagine how difficult it must be in more rural towns? This started my journey to create a company that would provide a stress-free on-line shopping experience for those suffering from not only Food Allergies, but Food Intolerance issues or those with special dietary needs.

What or who has been your greatest influence in business and why? 
Specific to this business, I would have to say the people I have met that deal with food restrictions every day. I have spoken and met many mothers with food allergic children and their stories are very compelling. I believe that in order to be successful in any business venture, you first have to feel passionate about what you are doing. In addition to providing an online resource for safe foods, my company also gives a portion of our profits to the non-profit organizations that are helping these kids and adults.

What would you say is your greatest professional accomplishment to date?
E-commerce is a totally new world to me and I don’t think you ever “master it”, but I feel confident in my abilities thus far to understand the big picture and take the necessary steps in action and learning to make my company successful.

What’s the best advice you have received in business that you wish to pass on to our readers?
I have to say that for me, my favorite quotation has always put the hectic schedule of launching a new business in perspective. It is by Ursula K. Le Guin, “ It is good to have an end to journey toward, but is the journey that matters, in the end”. To me, you have to maintain a balance between your personal and your business life. When you are 80 years old, it doesn’t matter what was in your in-tray, just that you enjoyed your life and made the lives of others better for knowing you (that’s my own quote!).

What has been the most effective marketing initiatives or programs you have used to promote your business?
It is still an ongoing process to determine the best promotion methods, but I believe for my niche market, being found on search engines is critical. This can only be accomplished by having a solid website and networking with other online business to “co-market” through sites links and promotional support.
 
What one thing have you learned as a small business owner that has served you well over the years? Patience and Perspective. That’s two, but they really go well together!

Are there any resources or tools you’d like to share with other small business owners that have helped you run your business?
There is no one source to share. For online store entrepreneurs, you must keep up with the world of search engines through reading all you can get your hands on. Exposing yourself to many different points of view provides some great “nuggets” of knowledge that you can successfully implement…and never rest on your laurels because it is a rapidly changing world out there.

What do you do for fun/relaxation?
I live in Florida and most of the time we are on or near the water. It has a wonderful way of putting things in perspective and reminding you how small you ,and your issues, really are.

What is Number One Business Goal you plan to accomplish over the next year?
Being on the first page of Google Searches!

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I want to wish everyone a healthy and prosperous 2010. I have great respect for women who take the plunge and make their own way in the business world…I am honored to now be one of the group.

In addition to your website, how else can our readers connect with you online?
My website is www.Allergiesandme.com with my Tasty Tidbits blog. I also have a separate recipe blog at www.allergyfreerecipe.com .

My social media contacts are www.twitter.com/allergiesandm, www.facebook.com/allergiesandme and www.linkedin.com/in/allergiesandme