Member/Community News

Margaret Mead member Maria Evans of Martino Evans Communications will be part of a forum for moms re-entering the workforce, part of the Central Bucks' Chamber's Women's Empowerment Series on Thursday, October 17, 2013, from 8:30-10 a.m. Free and open to all and with financial analyst Roberta Kessler and psychologist Pamela Ginsberg.

A new website has just been launched to connect and promote speakers, internet business coaches and affiliates. According to a number of sources, this new website is called JV ATTRACTION. Basically, JV ATTRACTION is an online community that gives you insightful tips and pointers on how to promote products, attract ideal joint venture partnerships, and create a profitable coaching product from scratch. This latest development is by far good news for struggling affiliates and authors, as they can now get relevant and information from experienced and established authors, affiliates and coaches. On top of that, with JV ATTRACTION, they get a chance to connect with the most established professionals in their industry with ease. If you want to join and participate in the conversions in this new online community, visit their official website at http://www.jvattraction.com. Since its advent, a lot of established coaches, speakers, authors, mentors and affiliates have joined JV ATTRACTION. As a matter of fact, even New York Times best sellers have joined this new online community. Word has it that these people join JV ATTRACTION to grow their list and find new partners for their latest products, campaigns, launches, and sold out events. Aside from established authors and mentors, newcomers in their respective industry can benefit from using this new online community as well. With JV ATTRACTION, you get an opportunity to build strong relationships and good connections by helping the bestselling authors, product developers, online entrepreneurs, superstar marketers, and personal development gurus promote their next hit. In other words, JV ATTRACTION gives you a venue to be a service to your industry leaders and peers. In exchange for your help, your industry leaders and peers will provide tips and pointers that will greatly benefit your job or business. This new online community is expected to bring joys to many affiliates, marketers, authors and coaches. Johan Peterson, an author from California, said “I’ve been an author for years, and I have never found a free online community where I can network and promote my events.” This new development is truly good news for all of us. If you are a speaker, coach, mentor or author that you want to promote for free, I suggest that you take advantage of JV ATTRACTION. JV ATTRACTION was developed a Ruth Anne Wood, who also happens to be an author. In JV ATTRACTION’s official website, Ruth Anne Wood posted a comment saying “I loved to Joint Venture with Authors, Speakers, Mentors and Coaches but was fed up with the “Pay to Play” “Insider Secret” model. So I created a JV community that is free to network, attract generous members and dream come true JV ATTRACTION sponsors!” The best thing about JV ATTRACTION is that you can take advantage of its services without having to spend a dime. According to the representatives of the company, JV ATTRACTION is offered to everyone for free. In addition to that, this free online community gives free product reviews to all new JV ATTRACTION in the first 90 days. That said, the JV ATTRACTION community is truly a great opportunity that authors, affiliates, marketers and coaches cannot miss. CONTACT: JV ATTRACTION Founder Ruth Anne Wood at: [email protected], 215-872-5035 Available for interviews PENNSYLVANIA and Nationwide

The Women’s Business Forum is proud to announce that John La Sala has joined its Advisory Board, established this spring to provide strategic direction for our organization, such as ensuring that resources are available to meet the mission of supporting women business owners while providing oversight in budgetary and planning initiatives. John is the owner of Green Box 123, LLC, provides consulting services targeting residential, commercial and non-profit organizations with the aim of lowering their utility costs. Under the umbrella of minimizing the environmental impact of renovations and building operations, he strives to work in a cost-effective manner while improving indoor environment quality. With 25 years in information management with Johnson and Johnson, John left the corporate world to focus on building ties to the Doylestown area community. He is actively involved in promoting a healthy, vibrant local community through his volunteer activities which include Board Member of the Doylestown Food Co-op; Steering Committee Member of Buy Fresh, Buy Local Bucks County; and the Heritage Conservancy. John was best friends, and dance partner, with Karen Walsh, the mother of WBF founder Chanin Milnazik. “After Karen’s death, Chanin conceived the Karen Walsh Fund, to support aspiring women entrepreneurs,” John says. “I donated in her honor and started attending WBF meetings. It quickly became clear that WBF offered a community atmosphere to women business owners where they could learn, network and grow. It didn’t take much to convince me that this was an organization deserving of my time and efforts.” John feels WBF “offers it members a community of support in establishing and growing a sustainable business, providing education, networking, social events and workshops. “WBF provides inspiration and a safe place to stretch your wings and fly.”

Cathy Fishman, president of CMF Small Business Accounting, a consulting firm in Newtown that provides high-level accounting and planning to businesses, has been appointed to the new Advisory Board of the Women’s Business Forum™ (WBF). WBF is a nonprofit organization that educates, mentors and inspires women to build and grow successful businesses. In its 11th year, WBF established an Advisory Council of six leading business owners to provide strategic direction for the 1,000-member organization. Formerly a VP of Finance at CIGNA, Fishman holds an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin and is a certified QB Pro Advisor. She has a history of volunteerism on the boards of various local non-profits, including Twilight Wish and Kids with Food Allergies. Her business evolution mirrors the goals of WBF: “The company where I worked was sold. I became unemployed and rather lost. Someone suggested I attend a WBF meeting and see what it had to offer. I began attending meetings, even though I had no company to promote. It was an inspiration to learn that other women had successfully made career changes, and were successful and happy. WBF gave me the confidence and determination to start my own company.” Fishman joined the Advisory Board because she wanted to give back to an organization that had helped her. She is also interested in helping develop strategies to ensure its continued success for the future. “There is no other organization which allows you to just show up at meetings, pay no fees and have discussions with a wide variety of people who are solely interested in helping you,” she says.

Locally-headquartered national nonprofit, Twilight Wish Foundation, recently received a donation from The Dominion Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Dominion, one of the nation’s largest energy companies. Robert Sauer, Station Director of Fairless Works, one of Dominion’s generating stations, presented a check for $5,000 to the staff of Twilight Wish Foundation. Founded in Doylestown in 2003, Twilight Wish Foundation is the first national wish granting organization for the elderly. Since its founding ten years ago, Twilight Wish has granted the wishes of over 1,930 seniors throughout the U.S. The funding received from The Dominion Foundation will be used to grant simple needs wishes for deserving, low-income elderly. “Twilight Wish is proud to receive this grant from Dominion towards our simple needs wish granting program,” said Forkin, founder and chairman of the board of Twilight Wish Foundation. “Many more seniors will have their wishes granted, thanks to the generosity of Dominion.” Twilight Wish Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization whose mission is to honor and enrich the lives of deserving seniors through wish granting celebrations that connect generations. Since our founding in 2003, Twilight Wish has granted over 1,730 individual wishes to deserving, low-income seniors, thanks to volunteers, corporate and community involvement, and donations. For more information on Twilight Wish Foundation, visit our website at www.twilightwish.org or call 1-215-230-8777 ext. 100. The Dominion Foundation is dedicated to improving the physical, social and economic well-being of the communities served by Dominion companies. Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers and transporters of energy, with a portfolio of approximately 28,200 megawatts of generation, 11,000 miles of natural gas transmission, gathering and storage pipeline and 6,300 miles of electric transmission lines. Dominion operates the nation's largest natural gas storage system with 947 billion cubic feet of storage capacity and serves retail energy customers in 15 states. For more information about Dominion, visit the company’s website at www.dom.com.

Leah Ingram, founder of the Suddenly Frugal blog and New Hope resident, will talk about media training for small businesses at the next meeting of the Women’s Business Forum on Wednesday, July 3, from 8 to 9 a.m., at 132 N. Main Street, Doylestown. All are welcome, and the meeting is free. Media-trained while an editor at Woman’s Day Special Interest Publications, Ingram became the go-to expert for on-air demonstrations of family-related topics, including gift tips, etiquette advice and shopping suggestions. She does monthly frugal segments on "The 10! Show" on NBC 10 in Philadelphia, and she's appeared on "The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric" and “Good Morning America.”

By Maria Evans Kimberle Levin -- an award-winning serial entrepreneur who created several companies and piloted them from start-up phase to multi-million-dollar businesses -- wants all women (and men) to experience a similar fortune. To that end, she shared with nearly 70 members of the Women’s Business Forum (WBF) her guidelines for leading a successful company earlier this month. “The most important thing you can do is find your culture,” she said. Kimberle was a secretary at the accounting firm Arthur Anderson before starting her first business and found that its more rigid culture did not work for her new venture. She prefers to hire people who want to be creative, fun and ambitious. “I give my employees my idea of ‘done,’ and let them figure out how to get there.” She also makes it a point to get to know each hire personally by having lunch with them within two weeks of joining her company. Other ways business owners lead effectively, she said, is to: • Engage and navigate: “Great leader is excellent at articulating what done looks like. Be definitive.” • Show appreciation: In person. Ask people how they approached a task. “Make time and give time,” she added. • Use competitions and contests to incentivize people to achieve. • Be accessible 24/7. • Trust your gut. • Hire show; fire fast. • Hire personalities, not skills. • Find a rock star. Kimberle has received many honors including being ranked on the Inc. 500 list of fastest growing companies, Best CEO Under 40, Philadelphia 100 Inaugural Hall of Fame, and more. She has appeared as a guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show and has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Cosmopolitan, Success Magazine, and many others.

Two local senior citizens helped kick off Doylestown Airport’s 10th annual “Celebration of Flight” open house by taking off into the wide blue yonder as passengers in an airplane on Saturday, June 1, 2013. Their flights were arranged by Twilight Wish Foundation, a locally-based nonprofit that grants wishes to low-income deserving senior citizens. This year’s open house included free airplane rides, music, food and radio-controlled aircraft demonstrations. Priscilla Weir and Betty Costello are both residents of Wesley Enhanced Living in Doylestown, PA. Both Weir and Costello thoroughly enjoyed the experience, according to Cathy DeChellis of Wesley Enhanced Living, but for different reasons. As a teenager, Weir volunteered as a plane spotter in western New York during World War II. Armed with silhouettes of planes, both friendly and enemy, Weir and her friend would sit on a hill watching for planes. If they saw anything suspicious, they were to report it, but fortunately, they never did. Costello, a resident at Wesley Enhanced Living for just over a year, recently lost her husband so the plane ride was a much-appreciated fun experience after a very difficult time. Sandy Guinan of Twilight Wish was on-hand to present Costello and Weir with certificates honoring them for all they have done for others throughout their lives. Twilight Wish Foundation is a national nonprofit charitable organization headquartered in Doylestown. The mission of Twilight Wish is to honor and enrich the lives of deserving elders through wish granting celebrations that connect generations. Founded in 2003, Twilight Wish is about to celebrate our 10th anniversary of granting wishes. To date, Twilight Wish has granted over 1,920 individual wishes to seniors throughout the U.S. If you would like to help make a senior’s heartfelt wish or lifelong dream come true, visit www.twilightwish.org or call 215-230-8777 ext. 104.

When she was a child, Aviva Meyrowitz was so shy she didn't open her mouth. Then at 9, she had the opportunity to sing "Part of my World" from The Little Mermaid at camp. "That was my first taste of what theater had to offer us as a whole person," she said. She parlayed that love into her company, Lights, Camera, Acting!, where she teaches 400 children and adults life skills through acting. Aviva shared her journey, life lessons and her philosophy to a packed house at the April Women's Business Forum meeting. She also helped attendees to deliver their 10-second intro more confidently so others will fall in love with their business. Aviva started her company four years ago with a table at Del Val's A-Days, where 60 kids signed up for her brand-new classes. (She is proud to say nearly 70 percent of her students take additional classes.) Aviva received a B.A. in theater arts and an M.A. in education from Rutgers, worked in New York and acted in small theaters and independent films before starting her own business. She attributes her success to her "Improv Rules": •Always say yes •Trust your own judgment •You're not being loud enough •Work as a team - it's not about you •Keep doing it everyday •Fake it 'til you make it Aviva did an exercise with the attendees in which they introduced themselves to the person beside them. Then she asked them to look away and see if they remembered that person's eye color. Most didn't. "Focus on the other person," she said. "Look them in the eye. Know their eye color. "Be a great listener. The best actors are the best listeners."

What would you do with your time and money saved if your house was cleaned for you every other week for a full year for FREE?

Harmony Clean, Inc. of Doylestown, Pa., is celebrating their 10 Year Anniversary with a free Facebook Giveaway - 10 Years 10 Cheers. Ten lucky local winners will pick from 10 local green prizes including:

1 A YEAR of FREE green house cleaning by Harmony Clean, $3,000
2 Doylestown Food Co-op membership, $360
3 Eden Organic Spa Oxygen Facial, $155
4 Harmony Hill Gardens bouquet & The Lotus Project, $110
5 Doylestown Bike Works gift certificate, $100
6 None Such Farm Market gift certificate, $75
7 Doc Bakers juice bar, gift certificate, $50
8 Peace Valley Lavender Farm gift certificate, $50
9 Crossroads Bake Shop gift certificate, $50
10 oWowCow Creamery gift certificate, $50

Visit Harmony Clean on Facebook and click on the '10 Years 10 Cheers' tab on the Timeline for a quick and easy online entry. You'll earn bonus entries for sharing with your friends afterward.

Harmony Clean has been an enthusiastic member of the Women's Business Forum for ten years and attributes much of its early and continued success to fellow WBF members and to the speaker presentations. The support and education provided, and the relationships made over the years have had a huge impact on our business. We are pleased to be able to give back and support other local and green businesses and engage the community in some 'good clean fun' in celebration of 10 wonderful years.

Thank you for your support and let us know if there is anything we can do to help support you and your business!
Warmly,
Vicki Brown & Debi Sarandrea
[email protected]

Laura Kremp Key Account Specialist at Kremp Florist in Willow Grove, told 50 members of the Women’s Business Forum how she took risks to move ahead. After 12 years in the marketing field and much contemplation, she joined the family business and noted the importance of taking baby steps when faced with a big decision. . -- highlighted the company history and the key elements which led to their ability to weather industry changes. Laura emphasized that the realization that ‘no one can do it all’ and Kremp Florist began in the 1930s and expanded in the 1960s, acquiring both regional floral shops and greenhouses. Unfortunately, this period proved unwieldy and ultimately led to the family business separating in 1982. At this time, the four sons of Charles F. Kremp III, took on an active role in the business. They each focused on key elements of the business development: general management, grower, retail store management and IT. Kremp Florist faced a bigger challenge as the walk-in sales diminished as both big box stores and demand for internet orders increased. At this stage Charles F. Kremp III developed a broader reputation within the floral industry as an advisor and by participating in a key industry association, Society of American Florists At this stage, the company stopped buying retail stores and bought customer phone lists and accounts instead. This came with its own set of adjustments. To meet local expectations they provided: a lower delivery rate, a discount incentive and expanded the delivery range by adding both an additional driver and eco-friendly vans. Like Laura Kremp, Kemp Florist knows how to embrace change. And when faced with a big decision, she advised her audience to: ¨ Go out of your comfort zone ¨ Step outside of the box ¨ Ask for what you want ¨ Learn from your failures ¨ Don’t worry about what anybody thinks -- as evident by the initial criticism Kremp received on its website and now its site competes with Teleflora and FTD.

Kremp Florist is a Philadelphia area tradition – family-owned and operated, it has been a leader in the region’s floral industry for 57 years.

Kremp Florist key account specialist Laura Kremp will present “Taking Risks to Move Ahead” and share the story of her family’s business at the regular FREE monthly morning meeting of the Women’s Business Forum, 8-9:00am on Wednesday, April 3, at the James Lorah House, 132 N. Main Street, Doylestown, PA 18901.

Focusing on tips and techniques that anyone can use to step out of her comfort zone and move ahead, Laura will talk about the strategy and calculated risks the award-winning, full-service florist used to weather bumps in the economy, deal with changes in the industry and navigate management transition.

Laura Kremp represents the third generation of Kremps involved in the family floral business that has been serving the Philadelphia region since 1936. She consults with sales, marketing and human resources departments from a wide range of industries to create custom designs for individuals and special events in the greater Philadelphia area.

All State Insurance Expert Bruce Jones presented the program Navigating the Insurance Maze—What Works for You and Your Business to members of the Women’s Business Forum of Bucks County on March 6th at the James Lorah House in Doylestown, PA, during the organization’s 8 AM monthly meeting.

Jones, owner of The Jones Insurance Group and an 18 year veteran of the insurance industry, offered encouragement to audience members, noting, “You, as small business owners, will help us grow as a country, but you have to ask yourself one question: Are you protected?” Recognizing that the needs of small businesses differ from those of corporations, Jones suggested business owners examine their liability limits and their exposure, particularly if they conduct business from their homes.

“If everything is in your name,” the agent advised, “everything is exposed. And Pennsylvania is the most litigious state in the nation, so it’s important to protect yourself and what you’ve worked so hard for.”

Policies can be crafted to protect “gray areas” where coverage may be lacking, while umbrella policies can provide broad spectrum coverage of the home, business and personal property. “Key man” policies will also help small businesses survive the loss of key employees or business partners.

“There are many ways an insurance expert can help you protect your business,” Jones concluded. “The important thing is to talk to a professional and let them create a policy that works for you.”

The next Doylestown morning meeting of the WBF takes place on April 3rd, 2013, at 8 AM at the James Lorah House.

The Women’s Business Forum™ www.WomensBusinessForum.org, 267.337.6073) is a nonprofit organization that educates, mentors and inspires women to build and sustain successful businesses. It offers free group meetings and Mastermind sessions, special educational sessions throughout the year, one-on-one mentoring opportunities and other valuable business resources.

SMALL BUSINESS PLANS Still available through tax filing 2012: SEP IRAs are special IRAs that accept company contributions on behalf of the IRA holder. A business may establish the SEP plan by completing IRS form 5305-SEP. After the plan is in place, employees of that business that meet specific age, work experience, and earnings requirements may establish SEP IRA accounts that can accept company SEP contributions. SEP IRA features: • Only a business owner can establish a SEP plan. • 2012 contribution limit is the lesser of $50,000 or 25% of eligible compensation. Special calculations apply to sole proprietors, partners and LLC members. • SEP contributions are discretionary and flexible. • SEP plans are 100% vested. • SEP contributions may be deductible for the business and are not taxable to the participant. • SEP plans may be established and funded up to the employer’s income tax filing deadline plus extensions. SIMPLE IRAs are special IRAs that accept both company and employee contributions. To be eligible for a SIMPLE plan, a business must not have more than one employee. Once a SIMPLE plan is active, employees of that business that meet work experience and earnings requirements may establish SIMPLE IRA accounts that can accept company and employee SIMPLE contributions. SIMPLE IRA features: • Only a business owner can establish a SIMPLE plan. • SIMPLE plans may be established using the 5304-SIMPLE plan. • 2012 employee contribution limit $12,500 + match • Employees 50 years old and older may make a $2500 catch-up contribution. • Company SIMPLE contributions are mandatory and may be either a matching or non-elective formula. • Matching formula: Lesser of 100% of the employee contribution or 3% of annual salary (May reduce match to 1% in two out of five years) Non-elective formula: 2% of annual salary of covered compensation limit is $245,000 in 2010 for all eligible participants Employer contributions are tax deductible Self Employed SOLO 401k Are you looking for a way to maximize your retirement savings by the end of 2013? If you are a business owner with new or part-time employees, other than your spouse, the Solo 401(k) plan may be the right plan to help you do just that. With this low cost product, you have the potential to contribute up to $51,000 annually to your personal retirement account through a combination of salary deferral and profit sharing contributions. And contributions are discretionary, so that you the flexibility to consider both the financial needs of your business and your personal retirement goals. The Solo 401k is available using a great variety of investment vehicles including our “all star” recommendations of underlying investments to better optimize returns, through peer and benchmark research. You may choose from a wide spectrum of funds, ranging from aggressive to conservative, depending on your specific investment goals. contact : Brenda Bagonis-Cooke 215 491 4346

Women’s Business Forum Presents
Winning with an ‘I Can’t…Yet’ Attitude

Are you tired of motivational speakers who tell you if you just believe in yourself, the rest is easy?

Mark Gibson of High Bar Performance isn’t going to promise you that a difficult or “impossible” challenge can be made easy. But he will show you how to marshal your resources and skills to empower yourself to succeed. Whether your “impossible” is a business accomplishment, a fitness goal or some other endeavor, Gibson will explain his simple “aim, believe, commit” approach and how it can work for you as you take your business and your life into the new year ahead.

Gibson will present “Winning with an ‘I Can’t…Yet’ Attitude” at the regular FREE monthly morning meeting of the Women’s Business Forum, 8-9:00am on Wednesday, February 6, at the James Lorah House, 132 N. Main Street, Doylestown, PA 18901.

Women’s Business Forum Offers Monthly Program

to Improve Speaking Skills

Is this the year you’ve promised yourself to engage more directly and effectively with your audience? The new Women’s Business Forum public speaking program, “Professionally Speaking,” will help you develop the skills that will build your confidence as a speaker, get more comfortable in front of a group and become a more polished presenter.

“Professionally Speaking” will be facilitated by Esther Hughes, accomplished motivational speaker and author who coaches individuals to enhance their communication skills. The program brings participants together on the third Wednesday of each month – starting January 16, 9-10:30am – for 90-minute meetings in the Doylestown area during which participants

• practice presentations
• try new approaches
• conquer fears and become more comfortable speaking to a group
• receive valuable feedback from coach and peers

“Strong public speaking skills can help you communicate your other talents to prospective clients, build confidence in the products or services you offer, and bring lots of positive attention to you and your brand,” says Hughes, who is well- known to the Women’s Business Forum community through her presentations at monthly meetings and area business expos.

Participant must be a Women’s Business Forum supporting member to take advantage of this business-building program. Fees, to be paid monthly, are $30/month for a six-month commitment, $35/month for a three-month commitment, or $50/month as a drop-in. More than half of the proceeds directly support the Women’s Business Forum mission to educate, mentor and inspire women to build and sustain viable businesses.

To register or for more information: Myra Frick, [email protected] or 215.880.0867.

Free Program with Local Children’s Best-selling Author
Bailey Street School Kids’ writer Debbie Dadey
introduces her latest Mermaid Tales book at Doylestown Library

Doylestown (January 2013) – Great white sharks are attacking the Doylestown Library on January 26th!

Learn about why we need great whites in our ocean as children’s author Debbie Dadey celebrates the release of her newest book, Danger in the Deep Blue Sea from Simon and Schuster.

She is the first speaker in a series of free programs for the community from the Friends of the Library – Doylestown. The programs are financed by the Friends’ annual book sale, which raised more than $9,000 this fall – despite being closed for three days due to Superstorm Sandy.

Check out all the Friends activities by clicking on newsletter at http://doylestownlibraryfriends.org

About Debbie Dadey:

Debbie Dadey is the author and co-author of 152 children’s books, including The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids series and the new series, Mermaid Tales.

http://www.debbiedadey.com/

Born in Kentucky where she got in trouble for talking too much in school, Debbie now lives in Furlong, with her husband, three children, and dogs Bailey, Skip and Shadow.

The program will be from 1 to 2 p.m. on Saturday, January 26, in the Pearl Buck Room of the Library Center, Pine St., Doylestown, PA.

Light refreshments will be served, and the entire family is welcome!

Doylestown, PA (January 2013) -- The Hepatitis B Foundation, in Doylestown, has partnered with Spark Nonprofit Consulting, LLC, of Warminster, for strategic planning and major gift program development. “Long-term strategic planning is one of the most important responsibilities of a nonprofit Board, so working with an outstanding professional like Kathy makes the process more efficient, productive, and frankly more fun,” says Joan M. Block, RN, BSN, Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Hepatitis B Foundation. The Hepatitis B Foundation is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to finding a cure for hepatitis B and helping to improve the lives of those affected worldwide through research, education and patient advocacy. For more, go to www.hepb.org About Spark Nonprofit Consulting, LLC Spark ignites nonprofit effectiveness and financial sustainability by supporting nonprofit leaders in their fund development, strategy setting, community engagement, and board building efforts. Led by Kathleen Welsh Beveridge, Spark Nonprofit Consulting, LLC is registered as a professional fundraising counsel with the Department of State’s Bureau of Charitable Organizations, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Kathy has nearly 20 years of experience in fundraising and leadership in the nonprofit sector. As Executive Director of the Bucks County Women’s Fund, she quickly and dramatically expanded the reputation of the Fund, engaging hundreds of new volunteers and donors and established the Bucks County Women’s Advocacy Coalition: a groundbreaking nonpartisan coalition of Bucks County women and more than 20 nonprofit organizations that serve them. At Temple University, Kathy increased Ambler’s annual fundraising from $50,000 per year to more than $1 million. At the University of Pennsylvania, Kathy managed all aspects of corporate and foundation relationships for the School of Nursing, resulting in $2 million in grants each year. Kathy holds a master’s degree in nonprofit administration from the Mendoza College of Business, University of Notre Dame. She also holds a certificate from the Wharton Management Program and undergraduate degrees in Government and Philosophy from the University of Notre Dame. She is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. For more, see www.sparknpc.com.

Author and humorist, Mary Fran Bontempo, offered 11 commandments to help women navigate the challenges of creating productive and fulfilling personal and professional lives. “Intentionally forget about anything that is not moving you forward so you can clear space in your head for more important things,” she told nearly 50 women at the monthly free meeting of the Women’s Business Forum in Doylestown earlier this month. “Mother Nature will help you increasingly as you age!” With directives such as "Thou Shalt Fuggheddaboudit," "Thou Shalt Scare Thyself" and "Thou Shalt Stop 'Shoulding' Thyself," attendees learned how to minimize life's distractions and overcome fear while focusing on their goals and personal fulfillment as priorities. “Ignore more,” too, especially as your kids grow. And let yourself lose control. “Being a control freak can be exhausting – you can’t do it all – and you’re not supposed to! Turn things over to people who should be doing them anyway,” she explained. Make a mistake – or many “Do the wrong thing on purpose,” said Bontempo, who recently got a tattoo (henna) on a dare. “Have more fun – it’s liberating. Say no. Stop being so nice. That will free space and time to do what you need.” Other advice: • Thou shalt scare thyself: She advocates singing karaoke to overcome your fear of looking foolish. • Thou shalt regress: “it’s essential for our creativity to play,” she said. • Thou shalt not wear elastic-waist pants: “Don’t give up on yourself.” • Thou shalt not “should” yourself: “Turn those should into ‘musts’ and ‘wants’ instead.” • Thou shalt be conspicuous: “We all conform to our group of assignment of choice, or we’d be let out of the group,” she explained. Her conspicuous act? Wearing red heels. ”Say I am here, world, and I have something to say!” Bontempo is an author, teacher and speaker, who writes with humor and insight about the lives of women, especially as they journey through life’s various phases. A former newspaper columnist, Mary Fran’s new book, Not Ready For Granny Panties--The 11 Commandments for Avoiding Granny Panties, was published in fall 2012. Her first book, Everyday Adventures or, As My Husband Says, “Lies, Lies and More Lies,” was published in 2007. Her work has won numerous awards, including notable mention by the Erma Bombeck Writer’s Workshop and Humor Press. She writes for her blog, Not Ready For Granny Panties (www.notreadyforgrannypanties.com), and Technorati Media.

On Jan. 3, WBF members, Susan Richard of Richard Associates Marketing Consulting and Maria Martino Evans of Martino Evans Communications, teamed up to present "How to Target Your Market and Promote Your Business" at the Central Bucks Chamber's Women in Business committee meeting. The marketing experts discussed target marketing and promotional strategies with over 40 small business owners and professionals. Susan Richard has over 20 years' experience in marketing, communications, and client services. As a marketing consultant, she works with businesses like yours on marketing solutions, business consulting, personal branding, marketing program execution, and professional seminars. Susan also teaches Marketing at Bucks County Community College. Maria Evans helps clients get their message to the audiences they need to reach so they can do more business. She develops and executes their PR and marketing plans. Maria also teaches management communications at Wharton and marketing in the MBA program at Del Val. She’ll help you communicate better so you can focus on your business.