Here are the pics I promised!

Check out the snapshots from the Women in Business conference last week; there are more I will add later. I ran out of room (silly me, I forgot to resize the pictures for the web before uploading) But check these out in the meantime!

Photos from the conference coming soon.....

Check back in a few days and I should have some of those photos ready from the conference on Thursday. If you find yourself in one, I'd love it if you would identify it for us; if we use that photo in the next issue, we will be able to identify you! Have a wonderful holiday weekend everyone!

Quick Informal Survey Pretty Please!

Hello ladies!

Can you please respond for a quick survey? You can just email me using the form on the right side of the blog page.

Please tell me 1) if you are currently a member of any of our local Chambers of Commerce and 2) if you were aware that there was a Women in Business organization available to you locally (well, before you read this blog that is!)

If you really are in the mood to write, I'd love for you to expand on the subject; i.e., what do you like about your CofC or why haven't you joined; same for the WIB organization (hint: Provo/Orem Chamber & the AF/North Utah County Chambers both sponsor a WIB group)

Thank you for sharing your insights with me! Feel free to post on the blog or privately through email, whichever you prefer.

WINNER of a FREE AD in our Summer Issue!

We had a drawing for a FREE AD at the Women in Business conference yesterday and the winner is...........................................

Melanie Ashby of Brower Creek-Architectural Artwork. It is an engraving business and we'll be designing an ad for her. Watch for it and if you need that service, be sure to support your fellow Utah County business woman! You can contact her at mel.ashby@browercreek.com

Women in Busines Conference -- was FABULOUS!

The Women in Business conference that was held yesterday was great - inspirational speakers, friendly vendors with fabulous products and of course, local business women from all over the county. If you missed it this year, watch for it next year -- one way to be sure to be aware of these activities is to join your local chamber - the North Utah County Women in Business Organization sponsored it but all of the Utah County chambers participated and promoted it. We encourage you to join this fabulous organization and reap the benefits they have to offer. Contact Rose Klingonsmith at crenterprises@live.com for information about joining! And watch this blog for upcoming events!

Women in Business of Utah County Conference!

Join us at the conference this Thursday the 21st of May at the Tahitian Noni building in Provo; the conference lasts from 9am to 1pm and includes a fabulous lunch, great speakers and endless opportunities to socialize and network with fabulous women, just like you!

Women in Business magazine will have a drawing for a free ad in our Summer issue so don't miss out!

Website updated!

Go visit our new super cool webpage at www.wbmagazine.org

All of the magazine issues are ready for you to browse or download in PDF format. Come back here and tell me what you think and don't forget to complete the survey while you're there because you could win 2 day passes to Seven Peaks Water Park - a day of FUN IN THE SUN!

Recipes from Dream Dinners

Personally, I am dying to try the Banana Empanadas; I love banana treats! If you try any of these, tell us how it turned out for you.

Hawaiian Sunrise
Orange Juice
Pineapple Juice
Grenadine Syrup
Maraschino Cherries for garnish

Fill desired glass 1/2 way with orange juice. Add pineapple juice until 3/4 full. Finish with a dash of grenadine. Add garnish and serve immediately.


Avocado & Goat Cheese on Crostini
1 large avocado
2/3 cup fresh goat cheese
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 T of olive oil
salt, Tabasco
Crostini (recipe follows)

Place avocado, cheese, zest, juice, and oil in a food processor. Pulse until smooth. Add salt and Tabasco to taste. Spoon over each crostini. Garnish with 1/2 cherry tomato and cilantro sprig.
serve at room temperature.

Crostini-
20 slices (1/2 inch thick) day-old baguette
4 T Olive Oil

Preheat oven 350F. Place baguette slices on a baking sheet. Brush with olive oil. Bake until crisp and lightly golden (about 10 min.)

Chocolate Banana Empanadas
4 large ripe bananas
2 T sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
prepared pie crust
4 oz. semisweet chocolate (broken to chunks)
confectioners sugar (for dusting)
Mash bananas, sugar and cinnamon together in a mixing bowl until creamy, but not completely smooth. Spoon generous tablespoon into center of pastry circles (you need 10 4" circles). Leave 1/2-inch border and stick a piece of chocolate on top. Brush edges with egg wash and fold dough in half to form a semi circle. Seal the edges by crimping with fork. Let chill 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 375F. Place empanadas on buttered baking sheet, brush tops with additional egg wash. Sprinkle confectioners

Welcome to my blog!

Yay! It's a bouncing baby blog! Now all we have to do is get people to visit. So come on and join the fun!

Jill Grammer Interview --

I have to tell you that Jill motivates me with her "can do" attitude and her grass roots beginnings. My recorder "hiccupped" for some reason during our interview, so this is only part of our interview -.

Kathy: You started this business right?
Jill: Yes. And the one sister that you just saw walk in, she’s my youngest sister, little sister; she was my first employee and so then I hired another sister and my mother worked with me for many years until she passed away.

K: How did you start out? Did you start in your home? What was the business concept? How did it evolve?
J: Actually I probably first, I think technically the story goes that I started in my home; but truly I have to take a step back behind to my mother’s office; I actually started in my apartment where my washer and dryer would have gone, if I’d had one and I operated in my kitchen. I stayed in the four plex and then just went my apartment and then finally got an office I actually got out of my home environment and then when the bedroom that was an office got maxed out; my sisters office was the kitchen table, that’s when we started realizing that we could use more space
K: So you were gathering and selling mailing lists?
J: Gathering – they were actually other people’s; it wasn’t something that we were actually compiling; we would go and find companies that had databases that they wanted to manage; it was their data and we would just kind of rent it out and be their representative and they would contact us. Or if a company wanted to go out and find potential customers, we would help them
K: A lot of people start mailing lists, buying lists from government agencies but you went to the private sector, right?
J: Yes the private sector with the understanding that the private sector is also the public sector; there’s a lot of private companies that go to the public lists and build large databases; so it’s a little bit of both but mostly it’s in the private area
K: And you compensate the companies
J: Right, they get; there’s a rental for the data
K: How many hours do you work a week?
J: I have other businesses
K: Other people or your own?
J: For myself,
K: It said in here you were a “serial entrepreneur” I like that. What kind of other businesses are you involved in?
J: We have garbage, we do construction removal on construction sites and then we also have properties; so we just kind of tried to diversify [recorder hiccup; this may have transcribed weird--but I think it's the "gist" of it....KM]
K: So you buy into other companies that you think have potential?
J: Yes, in those ways, yeah; and I’m writing my book and that is
K: I saw that; that’s exciting; so do you have a title yet
J: The first name we came up with is “ “ While I know from a marketing standpoint, that sells books at the same time my story in my book, I really try to focus on the bigger picture. [major hiccup here - and the name of that book was so cool; maybe if Jill reads this she will fill us in; it was just temporary name until it's finished and somebody comes up with the final name]
..... also I talk to the reader a fair amount of my book identifying what is success and that you can’t just look at one piece of it.
If you were looking at retiring, it can be very troubling, try to identify the bigger relationships that I have ...; I’m able to employ my family, that makes me really happy – It’s where we find our dreams individually; the walls we put up, we need to knock them down; now there is great opportunity... I want to dispel all of those myths; the time is now, it is right now; during crisis.

I was raised to always do something to bring in some money, always. There was never a time that we were not contributing in some way and I talk about this story ; father would bring product home from his company, we would sell them door to door or hold a sale in the parking lot; [major recorder hiccups here too; sorry; again, very cool story that was interrupted]
Lot of opportunity for women – they can be part of the solution;

K: So your book is directed particularly to women?
J: I would say that some of the concepts would apply to both men and women, but it is focused toward women mostly

K: Women have different perspectives, challenges
J: Absolutely

......Abusive relationship; I got out with my life basically; wrapped up in it
People look at me and say how on earth did this happen to you? I was in therapy and counseling all through my divorce so that I didn’t repeat the same pattern; I did not want [to repeat..]; my therapist would say go talk to these women who are in these situations; they want to categorize themselves a certain category of women;[therapist would say] I want them to see you; you tell them that is all women, it is all categories not just a couple over here and it’s true, it’s very true;
[Jill is explaining that women of all walks of life, in any situation at all, can be victims of abuse; no one is immune; no one should be ashamed-KM]
K: It feeds to the idea that they deserved it
J: I went through therapy and learned why it was happening, why I accepted it and once I recognized it, I realized I needed to work on Jill; I’m a human being, you don’t deserve it, it’s not your fault;

K: Is there a group locally?
J: There’s a bunch of little ones but not really a big group; there’s one called the chain breakers

K: So you work with a cancer organization as well?
J: My mother died of breast cancer; my goal, my foundation...; it’s not structurally complete yet; it’s going to be a place for the family to be supported once they have been diagnosed with terminal cancer. She got diagnosed and died six months later and it was like we’d been hit by a train and there wasn’t time to even know what was happening to us. Realizing that there are just no places to talk about it – have a place to have resources to understand what’s going on

K: A support group?
J: A support group

K: Really? There are none?
J: There are none. There are groups that you can go meet like around table through some of the cancer centers but really, there isn’t that much support until you get to the Hospice, then there’s cancer in the body tissue so it’s everywhere, they have more services; but as far as any kind of in house help; stories of what people have been through ; stories of treatment; treatment stories that have been positive, treatment stories that haven’t been positive; all of that;

K: I think you will be very successful with that; that’s definitely a need.
J: I believe that not only needs to be met; if you don’t have the relationship

[Re: Hiring people to work for her...KM]; don’t want them to be resentful and hate coming to work; relationships and balance; as a mom I have two little girls 4 and 6 with my 2nd husband; I was pregnant with my other employees, I was ten years older than they were ; me as a boss understanding; I understood; you’re not making them feel like they have to work more than they can; those things are important [hiccup, hiccup, hiccup throughout this section-KM]

K: What are the 3 Cs in your book - [see bottom of this blog entry/Jill's own words]Looking confident and speaking confidently is 99% of the battle;
K: If you believe in yourself
S: Absolutely ; and I’ve been in some meetings with CEOs you have to got to recognize that you are nervous but you’ve got to recognize the nervousness, recognize what you’re dealing with and that is the confidence that people need to see ; now walking into a business meeting, you want this account and you come in walking slowly slouching in your seat; what is that telling these people? People are now making an opinion about you; these guys want you on their team; when you think about the team you think about contributing to this team; is confidence about walking in, getting in, having a great conversation, being a contributor; in many ways the presentation of who you are can be your first step in the door. In incorporate them not only into my business but in my personal life too

K: With the technology these days, how has that changed; how does that affect your business now? What’s the most important to you:

J: Technology – we’ve evolved into a successful technology company; my abilities, my knowledge but at the same time – when technology evolved, if I had not evolved with it, my business would have been dead; developed their own software; talking to their clients; large databases; years ago I never even touched data, I didn’t have the ability to touch it: only dealt with the customers; I couldn’t do anything with the data if I wanted to; I was just the director of traffic, go here, go there; eventually the clients said the campaign is in Australia, so we had to figure out how to get them what they needed, how to build the software and identify and determine it’s availability;

K: So you had to have employees that could actually write software.
J: Write software and build the system;

That’s our competitive edge in the industry is our technology;

K: It’s not an out of the box kind of software that every mailing list company can have.
J; As it relates to Utah county, we have lots of resources here because of the large number of software companies that have been located here and as some left the area, many of their people who developed their software decided to stay here; so we have a great wealth of software engineers here. The business would not be alive today without that.

K: How are your customers finding you? How important is your website:
J: We have a lot of word of mouth because we specialize; we don’t deliver products online; our website is more of a billboard; our products are unique and have to be created on demand;

K: Marketing strategies to share?
J: In the beginning [I was reading the]“gorilla marketing” book – I needed to rent data; I needed sizeable (25,000 records) lists; bought all these publications; gourmet foods, crafts & notions magazines, I understood that industry; they sent out newsletters; I understood this customer; I was the consumer here; I went through the magazines and I sent out a letter to 30 companies that were selling quilting, or gourmet food and I got their data and one was a toll painting, decorative painting company but they were very unique; so these kind of methods didn’t cost me a ton of money but what I did ;..... When I wrote the letter, I have the original letter, it wasn’t the best letter but it was effective; I wrote I want to manage your data, I know there’s a lot of quilters and in a month; there was this company who was struggling financially and I was able to help them earn an extra $1000 a month

J: I would get a percentage of whatever money I would make her; they were thrilled; they could control what they shared

J: People look at list rental and they say “oooh” you’re selling my name, you know, we are but you know what? There’s a lot of good that comes from it; now are you a quilter and you receive a catalog with products in it that you might not be able to get if you live on the outskirts of town, you’re not; you actually appreciate it; at some point if you do become offended by it, let me know and [I take you off the list]

J: It doesn’t mean just one phone call, it means you may call them once a month for six months; following up with a letter; eventually they will take your phone call; that’s what you have to keep doing

K: Are you still specialized or can anybody call you for a list?
J: Yes, we can provide pretty much anything; we’re also going to give them some marketing advice too; you know because for me when their business is going really well, that is satisfying to me; every once in awhile, we don’t have a list but we need to put something at the top of our white paper “the top ten craziest list requests” but we need to keep it PG because I know some of them are out there.

The following are some written responses that Jill was kind enough to provide prior to our meeting:

1 –Jill is Director of American Name Services
Tell us about your organization –
American Name Services is a full service mailing list and data processing company.
When I began 13 years ago I was primarily an advertising service provider focusing on selling data. Today we are a technology resource that manages databases of all shapes and sizes. We also, train many companies on data management efficiencies and implementation.
How long have you been there? What are your responsibilities?
The company was founded in 1995. My main responsibilities is to stay abreast of the direct mail advertising industry and keep my clients on the cutting edge of this advertising medium. I am involved in guiding the innovation in our technology that keeps us competitive and consistently adding value to our services.
Do you belong to any professional associations?
I have been a member of the Direct Marketing Association and NAWBO for over ten years.
How did you get to this point in your career?

Can you share some suggestions for marketing/sales strategies with our readers?
Target your customers. Learn and study who your most potential customer is and then go out and find those people or businesses. When you can target your audience you can minimize the shot gun approach which sprays advertising dollars in directions that are not applicable. Create a dominant presence in a small locale first then grow from there.
2—Personal background
Where are you from? What brought you here? Family?
I was raised in southern California but graduated High School in Orem.
What do you want people to know about you? How would you describe yourself?
I am a serial entrepreneur. I love to be on the ground floor of business creations, which I feel I am doing almost every day. I am highly energetic and passionate about life and all the opportunities that are right within our reach.
3 – Insights
What do you think is necessary for success?
I am writing a book about this s you will have to wait for the 250 page answer to this question. But I will say:
My three components to success—the three “C” ‘s are Communication, Consistency and confidence. These three components are critical to incorporate into your life for maximum success and happiness
How does success in the home compare to success in business?
They are really one in the same. Success in either place builds confidence that will continue to build within you exponentially. Being a great Mom helps me to be a great Boss, I wear both titles proudly.
How do you relax/renew?
I travel and Golf
Why did you get into sales & Marketing? Does it take a certain type of “personality”?
Sales and marketing takes quite a bit of creativity. But my personality is not entirely creative. I am very ananytical and I know that the combination of these two has contributed to my long term success and my clients. We must be result oriented. You cannot get emotional about a creative direction if it does not deliver the response.

Karie Huzzey Interview ---

If you prefer to browse through the Q & A interview format, this is for you - Plus you might see a few extra tidbits of information about Karie. She is a fabulous, enthusiastic lady that makes you want to work harder and achieve more --- just to keep up with her!

1 -Karie is President of the Women in Business organization of North Utah County
Tell us about the organization – Our organization was established April 2006 through the North Utah County Chambers of Commerce. Mountain America Credit Union has been our dedicated charter sponsor.
When was it organized? It’s function/purpose/goals? Our vision is to create relationships through networking, educate through topical seminars, mentor youth and support our local and regional charities.
When do you holding meetings/activities (for calendar)? Our organization holds a luncheon on the fourth Wednesday of every month. We meet at a variety of locations throughout North Utah County with the intention to support our local businesses. Our annual Women’s Business & Wellness Conference is coming up in May. We will be hosting this event at the Tahitian Noni Corporate Headquarters. We will have incredible speakers, a delicious lunch, give-aways and much more. We anticipate having over 350 women to attend this fabulous event! Feel free to email me at karieh@opsmanaged.com for more details.
How many members do you have? We currently have a little over 50 members. However it is not required to be a member to attend the luncheons. If you are interested in attending, please just come and enjoy yourself!
How do you become a member? Benefits/Costs of membership. If you are currently a member of the Chamber of Commerce, the cost of membership, annually is $20. For non-members the cost is $50. To become a member you can contact the American Fork or Lehi Chamber of Commerce.
How long have you belonged to the organization? Been president? My term as President is April 2008 to April 2009. However, I am proud to say that I had the opportunity to be involved with the organization when it was just a vision. The title “President” sounds great and everything, but this organization has so many incredible, talented and dedicated women involved that I am inspired to do my best because of their example.
Other women leading the organization? (any of them recommended for future interviews)
President Elect; Cookie Conrad, Business owner for Custom Tailoring
Lunch Coordinator; Rose Klingonsmith, Director of Lehi Chamber of Commerce
Lunch locations; Gayla Bell, Mountain America Credit Union
Speaker Coordinator; Amy Morgan, Morgan Law Firm
Treasurer; Debby Lauret, Director of American Fork Chamber of Commerce
Membership; Allison Yeager, Real Time Advertising

2 – Karie is VP of Sales & Marketing
How did you get to this point in your career? Hard work, hard work and more hard work!
Education? Previous positions leading to this? To most people’s surprise, I have no college education. I have my high school diploma and a vision of being the best salesperson on the planet! I have been involved in sales for a little over 5 years, what some might call a very short period of time. However, I have been in the business of developing relationships for over 20 years…and that is what has taken me to the next level in my career. I believe that by understanding my customer…..what my customers needs are, spending the necessary time to get to know them….earning their trust, and then delivering impeccable customer service, I will have the success I desire.
What are your responsibilities in your present position? I create, develop and implement both the sales and marketing strategy. I work with the inside/outside sales team on developing our existing customers, research and identify companies that need our services, and then create a strategy to approach these companies with a solution to their printing, manufacturing and distribution needs. As part of that research, I oversee the development of our website, company brochures….all the marketing materials used in marketing Elite Ops to our future customers.
How would you describe your leadership style? I lead by example. I do not expect my team do anything I am not willing to do.
How many women are in executive positions in your company? Anna Hainsworth, VP of Manufacturing
Insights about women executives in predominantly male dominated companies - I feel that because traditionally the man is the bread winner in the family, men have dominated the workforce in most industries. Times are changing and more and more women are realizing that they can have both a family and a successful career. Women owned businesses are the fastest growing minority in the US economy today. And more and more resources are being offered specifically to women owned businesses because of the impact they have on the economy.
How do women approach job responsibilities (sales/mgmt/etc) differently than men? I prefer not to separate by gender. I know that every individual has their strengths and weaknesses. How we choose to use our strengths and improve on our weaknesses is what sets us apart as a business professional.

3—Personal background
Where are you from? Payson, Utah
What brought you here? Family? (Marital status, children, etc) I have been married for 16 years this August. I have four children, three girls and a boy.
What do you want people to know about you? I am just as aggressive in my personal life as I am in my professional life.
How would you describe yourself? I am someone who loves to live life.
What do you give up (for your career) in terms of social life? Family life? Working full time, I do sacrifice some family time. I miss being home when my children get home from school. However, I do feel that my knowledge and the experiences I gain from my career can also help my children learn life-long principals and develop additional skills.
4 – Insights
What do you think is necessary for success? My version of success can be described in three words….Vision, passion and persistence. You have to have a vision, something you are striving for. You must have a passion for what you do. Without a vision, without passion, you won’t have the desire to be persistent. Life is full of set-backs…..passion is what keeps you moving forward.
How does success in the home compare to success in business? No difference what so ever. I apply the same principals. I try to learn about the people I surround myself with, including my children and husband.
Lesson (s) you have learned that every woman should know. Remember to devote time to yourself.
What are your priorities in life & how do you achieve balance? My family is my main priority. They are the reason I strive to be successful in my professional life. I want to be a good example to them, teach them what I learn and have the financial freedom to have the ability to travel and enjoy the time we spend together. Balancing both professional and personal can be very tricky at times. Thankfully I have a husband that fully supports me and we both share in the responsibilities of sick kids, doctors appointments, meetings with teachers, all the fun things that come along with kids.
How do you relax/renew? I love motorcycles, dirt bikes specifically. I have a passion for Motocross. All year round, if the weather will allow it, I am out riding with my family!
Why did you get into sales & Marketing? I never imagined myself as a salesperson. But over time as I worked for various companies I realized my strengths are with the customer. So I decided to learn how to use my natural ability to my advantage and the success I have had in my career is a byproduct of what I have learned and implemented.
Do you have any pet peeves? No. I try to be patient with others, as I am not perfect either.
Any favorite causes? I believe in service. That is what drives me to be a part of Women in Business. I am also a member of the American Fork Rotary Club. I have enjoyed all the service projects and fund raisers our club has been a part of. My favorite service project is the Backpack Attack. At the end of the school year we work with the local schools, elementary, junior and high schools, in gathering the back packs the kids would otherwise throw away. Once we have gathered the back packs we work with local businesses that have donated school supplies and we place these supplies in the back packs and ship them overseas to children who cannot always afford them. Even my children participate with this event.
Do you have a favorite quote or inspirational message? “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at time of challenge and controversy.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

The May/June issue is in the mail!!!

Woo Hoo! You're all gonna LOVE this one! I'll get it on the blog if I can. You can see a picture of the cover on the link to the regular Women in Business magazine website (right side of the blog, down, down, down; yep, the one with the bright pink background and Karie Huzzey's photo)
You'll find the last three issues on the website if you'd like to browse through those and I'll let you know when the newest one is uploaded there.

If you don't get a copy in the mail, let me know. If you know someone who wants to be added to our mailing list, let me know that too! Remember, for now it is FREE and is mailed to 10,000 women throughout this beautiful county of ours.