Women Entrepreneurs Sharing and Networking

We don't have to wait until we are famous women entrepreneurs before we could share business and success tips to help one another, right? One simple tip, when applied, could a make a big difference in our business. Sometimes we already know what to do but to act on what we know often times take a push from another who'd done it and succeeded.

I like what I read recently in a book on network marketing:
“Everyone has a dream; it often needs to be coaxed and nurtured. If people are willing to put themselves in an environment of dreamers and winners, and feed their minds with positive possibilities, they would discover their dreams.”

Let us turn PAN into that tool to put positive possibilities into the minds of women business owners. Join, contribute and benefit from our twice monthly networking and social sessions to start in June 2010.

Vice-chairman Jacqueline Goh is in-charge of the sessions, assisted by several others, for now. Come forward with your ideas so we can continue making the session better. We started it as PAN committee felt its monthly meeting, followed by social hour, offers limited scope for members to interact, bond and benefit from one another.

Networking agenda
For the session, the agenda is to start with greetings from PAN committee, followed by 15 to 20-minute expert sharing. The invited expert can be from outside or PAN members. After that, is time for one member to share her business, products or services over 10 minutes. We would schedule it so that over time all members could have her turn to share. Then it is free period for attendees to socialize, do business matching and the likes – Jacqueline shall device a method to somewhat structure this part, too. And finally, any announcement and closing remarks to end the meeting.

When?
Second Thursday and last Saturday of the month have been scheduled for the networking & social sessions. The Thursday meeting is from 2.00 – 3.30pm. The Saturday meet shall be preceded by PAN committee meeting at 11am. Then, other members can join in for lunch and continue with the networking & social session.

Venue
The most convenient place we have now is at Hotel 1926 in Georgetown. Ample parking, WiFi, comfortable seating, air-conditioning and reasonably priced food. Members can also offer their own premise as alternative.

Here's to becoming successful women entrepreneurs!

New NAWEM line-up

The NAWEM executive council elected in March 2010 is as follows:

President Sarojini Ruth Rajahser
Nor Atikah Sulaiman
Azizah Jasmin Azizul Hassan
Eliza Cherry Chong
Puan Seri Dr Susan Cheah
VP Finance Low Chooi Ping
Datin Nadzley Nordin
Jacqueline M Francis
Anusuya Krishnan
Suzanna Shahari
Audrey Catherine

Alice Tan Fonet
Ong Swe Ee

'Atta Girl' ... in conjunction with Mother's Day

'Atta Girl' by BJ Gallagher

It's so easy for women
to slip into self doubt
and feeling inadequate.
After all,
we shoulder a lot of responsibilities -
being supportive of our mates,
nurturing our children,
staying in touch with extended family,
holding down jobs
while holding down the fort at home.

No wonder we sometimes feel
anxious,
exhausted,
insecure,
second guessing ourselves.

We need to know
we're not alone.
We need to hear
that other women
share our experiences

"Atta girl" never sounded so sweet
as when coming from the lips
of another woman.
She understands,
she's been there, done that.
She gets it -
she gets me.

We take turns
encouraging,
supporting,
cheering one another on.

We learn to do it for ourselves, too.
Just reach right over your shoulder, girl,
and pat yourself on the back.

You're terrific,
and you and I both know it.

June Trade & Career Expo @ Komtar

Opportunity to showcase your business at Penang state trade & career expo scheduled for the first weekend of June 2010.

It is a 3-day expo at Komtar and booths are priced at only RM500 each. Wendy's (PAN treasurer) company Penevent is organising it jointly with the state government.

Look out for further details here as they develop - we are assuming Wendy shall keep us updated, of course :).

The story of Mary Kay Ash

Excerpt from:
The Best Way Out is Always Through
by BJ Gallagher

Mary Kay Ash banged her head on the corporate glass ceiling one too many times. Working for several direct sales companies from the 1930's until the early 1960's, she achieved considerable success. She climbed the corporate ladder to become the sole woman on the board of directors of the World Gift Company - quite an accomplishment for a woman in the 1950's.

But life wasn't rosy at the top. Even though Mary Kay had the title and the track record, she was not taken seriously by her male peers. In board meetings, her opinions and suggestions were ignored, dismissed, or even ridiculed. Male board members minced no words in their judgment - pronouncing her guilty of "thinking like a woman."

Since the sales force was almost entirely female, Mary Kay thought that thinking like a woman was an asset. But her fellow board members disagreed. Finally, in frustration, she retired in 1963, intending to write a book to assist women in the male-dominated business.

Sitting at her kitchen table, she made two lists: one list was all the good things she had seen in the companies where she'd worked, and the other list was all the things she thought could be improved. As she re-read her lists, she realized that what she had in front of her was a marketing plan for her ideal company. In just four weeks, her "book" had become a business plan, and her retirement was over.

Both her accountant and her attorney did their best to discourage her, warning that she would be throwing her money away on this venture. But Mary Kay had heard enough male nay-saying in her corporate years - she ignored her advisors.

Her husband, unlike her accountant and attorney, was very supportive. With his help, Mary Kay developed the cosmetic products, designed packaging, wrote promotional materials and recruited and trained her female sales force.