Member/Community News

Central Bucks Chamber of Commerce
2012 Business Growth Series

Brought to You By National Penn
www.nationalpenn.com
Presented by: Entrepreneurial Assistance Committee
FREE to attend

Taming Social Media: It Starts with a Marketing Plan
Tuesday, May 22, 2012, 8:30-10 a.m.

Social media pros, Natalie Wi of Allure West Studios, and Eric Jacobson, of IQnection web services, will share the latest information on:

How to create a social media marketing plan

Which social media is best for which audiences

When you should post

What you should post

How you know if your message is getting through

Everyone will be able to walk out of the session with a social media plan for their business.

And if you want to serve as the live example that morning, email [email protected].

Sponsor National Penn has donated a gift card to be raffled to one lucky participant.

Moderated by Maria Evans of Martino Evans Communications.

Registration is requested. The seminar is free to attend, but seating is limited.

To register:
http://centralbuckschamber.com/calendar.htm

Central Bucks Chamber of Commerce
Bailiwick Corporate Center, Suite 23
252 West Swamp Road
Doylestown, PA 18901

The inspirational story of the Hepatitis B Foundation of Doylestown, Pa., has been chronicled in a new book, “Einstein’s Table: The Search to Find a Cure for Chronic Hepatitis B,” authored by Kimberly Jungkind, a Foundation board member. The book’s release comes during May which is National Hepatitis Awareness Month. There will be a book signing offered during the Foundation’s “B Informed” Parent Conference, a free event for parents of children with hepatitis B, to be held on May 19, 2012 at Holiday Inn Express Midtown in Philadelphia. The only national nonprofit organization dedicated solely to finding a cure for hepatitis B and improving the quality of life for those affected worldwide, the Hepatitis B Foundation began its journey more than 20 years ago. Founders Paul and Janine Witte and Dr. Timothy and Joan Block were moved by the plight of a young family affected by hepatitis B. Dismayed that the affected family had nowhere to turn for support, the Wittes and Blocks gathered at Albert Einstein’s guest cottage in Bucks County, Pa., for a brainstorming session, and the Hepatitis B Foundation was born. “If the strength and commitment of a community can make a difference in one person’s life in Pennsylvania, imagine what it can do for people across the nation and around the world,” said Jungkind. “I, too, share the dream of the Hepatitis B Foundation’s founders that this disease will be cured and eliminated in our lifetime.” Jungkind is a nurse clinician and healthcare marketer with nearly 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry. She has lectured nationally on chronic diseases and disease management, and authored more than 15 articles and texts addressing disease management, clinical topics and information technology. Jungkind is the recipient of the Aster Award for Medical Marketing, two Healthcare Advertising Awards, a Dorland Health People Award, a Web Marketing Association Award, Merck’s Most Amazing Woman award and Wyeth’s President’s Golden Circle Award. “Einstein’s Table: The Search to Find a Cure for Chronic Hepatitis B” is available in soft and hard back editions through Amazon.com, with all proceeds benefitting the Hepatitis B Foundation. To learn more, go to http://hepb.org/einsteins_table.htm. “We are grateful to Kim for telling the story of the Hepatitis B Foundation and raising awareness of this deadly disease,” said Foundation Executive Director and Co-founder Joan Block. “We are also indebted to her for the 15 years of dedicated service to our Board of Directors. Kim has been a valuable resource to our organization and we look forward to continuing our work together.” Hepatitis B is the most common serious liver infection and the major cause of liver cancer worldwide. Nearly 2 billion people have been infected with the hepatitis B virus (1 out of 3) and 400 million are chronically infected. Each year, 1 million people die prematurely from hepatitis B-related liver disease and liver cancer. In the U.S., an estimated 2 million Americans are chronically infected with hepatitis B – that is 1 in 20. The good news is that hepatitis B is preventable and treatable. However, for the 400 million people living with chronic hepatitis B infections, there is still no complete cure. About the Hepatitis B Foundation: The Hepatitis B Foundation is the only national nonprofit organization solely dedicated to finding a cure for hepatitis B and improving the quality of life for those affected worldwide through research, education and patient advocacy. To learn more, go to www.hepb.org, read our blog at http://wp.hepb.org, follow us on Twitter @HepBFoundation, find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/hepbfoundation or call (215) 489-4900.

Join Audrey Cupo, professional organizer and owner of A BETTER SPACE on Monday, April 30th at 8:00 p.m. EST as she presents "Getting Organized The ADD Friendly Way". Mark your calendar and call in to this free webinar. http://instantteleseminar.com/?eventid=27300261 Looking forward to seeing you on the call.

Furia Rubel, a Doylestown, Pa. strategic planning, marketing and public relations agency, is joining the Bucks County Housing Group (www.bchg.org) in kicking off the social service organization’s annual “Hunger Doesn’t Take A Vacation” food collection program. The primary goal of the food drive is to keep local food pantries stocked during July and August, months when donations are lean, but need continues unabated. Celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2012 with a “10 for 10” Community Service Campaign, Furia Rubel is hosting its own food drive in support of the Housing Group’s summer program and is distributing branded grocery bags to clients, colleagues, family and friends during April and May to collect non-perishable food items. “While many of us look forward to our summer vacations, hunger, unfortunately, does not take a vacation,” said Furia Rubel founder and CEO Gina F. Rubel, Esq. “In an effort to stop hunger in our area, we are asking our friends to join us in supporting the Bucks County Housing Group’s summer food drive. Gifts of non-perishable items, monetary donations and gift cards to local Bucks County grocery stores will help keep the county’s food pantries stocked for those who might otherwise go hungry this summer.” Some of the needed non-perishable items include canned fruit, chunky soups, healthy kids’ snacks, instant coffee, peanut butter, jelly, juice boxes, kids’ cereals, powdered milk, spaghetti sauce, sugar and tuna. Organizations interested in supporting the “Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation” food drive may contact Furia Rubel at (215) 340-0480 or the Housing Group at (215) 598-3566. The Housing Group is also gratefully accepting monetary donations and/or gift cards to Acme Markets, Bottom Dollar Food, Giant, Kmart, Landis Super Markets, Target, Trader Joe’s, Walmart, Wegmans or Whole Foods Market. Furia Rubel’s “10 for 10” campaign began with a free self-defense event in January 2012. Additional “10 for 10” efforts include providing pro bono public relations services in support of the United Way of Bucks County Women’s Initiative Power of the Purse event; working with Doylestown Township to spearhead and participate in an Adopt-A-Road Program; serving as the Italian-American community liaison for The James A. Michener Art Museum’s Offering of the Angels: Treasures from the Uffizi Museum Exhibition and the "Night at the Uffizi" gala; providing strategic planning support and participation in Deep Run Mennonite Church East’s Strides for Mission 5K; and volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House in Philadelphia. About Furia Rubel: Celebrating its 10th year in business in 2012, the woman-owned certified agency consists of specialists who provide strategic planning, marketing, public relations, graphic design, websites, social media and media relations to a wide array of professional clients. Furia Rubel represents law firms, technology companies, educational and religious organizations, financial service, accounting and tax providers, nonprofits, pharmaceutical, manufacturing and elder care companies. To watch the company’s 10th anniversary corporate video, visit http://www.furiarubel.com/corporate-video.php. For more information about the company, visit www.furiarubel.com. Connect with us on social media, on Twitter @Furiarubel, and on Facebook. About Bucks County Housing Group: Bucks County Housing Group is a private, nonprofit social service organization which provides a wide range of housing and related social services to homeless and low-income families. The organization’s primary goal is to assist families in attaining permanent housing and financial security. For more information, visit www.bchg.org.

THE ECONOMY The first quarter was welcome relief for investors, but as markets climb higher, questions inevitably arise about the sustainability of the rally. Though growth is slowing in much of the emerging world and the Eurozone’s periphery, the recovery in the U.S. appears to be on increasingly solid footing, which may help support asset prices. Risks clearly remain, but overall, the optimism of the first quarter appears to be warranted. U.S. companies are sitting on roughly $2 trillion in cash. Inflation remains well within the Fed’s “comfort zone.” The Fed anticipates exceptionally low short rates beyond 2013. The private sector has added 1.2 million jobs over the past six months. Leading indicators for job creation are positive, including the average work week in the manufacturing sector recently hitting a record high. The global credit taps are open. In China and India, central banks continue their attempt to manage a soft landing for their slowing economies. Despite the progress and U.S. consumers’ remarkable resilience, public sentiment still reflects disappointment with the overall rate of economic improvement. With U.S. households on average still reducing their debts rather than accelerating their borrowing, as we typically have after recessions, growth has been frustratingly slow. Congress risks taking the nation over a self-imposed “massive fiscal cliff” by year end. A compromise that balances some tax hikes with some spending cuts is likely in the offing. Election year animosity and rising prices are also intensifying the general gloom. In addition, European policymakers continue to buy time for fiscal adjustments and bank earnings to strengthen balance sheets, but ending the crisis depends on finding political resolutions that will not be forthcoming in 2012. Without denying that the markets and the economy face serious issues, investors are cautiously focusing on improving trends, with the hope of being able to see opportunity through that gloom. THE CAPITAL MARKETS U.S. stocks continued to rally in the first quarter, as domestic growth prospects improved, and the most severe risks associated with the European sovereign debt crisis began to abate. The DJIA and S&P500; were up 8.8% and 12.6% for the quarter, while the NASDAQ was up 18.7%. Developed international markets rose in the first quarter, buoyed by better U.S. economic performance and moderating fears related to the Eurozone crisis. Emerging markets outperformed those of the developed markets as investors grew more willing to take on risk. The MSCI EAFE (developed markets) and MSCI Emerging Markets indices rose 10.0% and 13.7% for the quarter. Oil and gold prices were up for the quarter, as well as REITS. The Goldman Sachs Natural Resources index rose 4.2%, while the DJ U.S. Select REIT index gained 10.8% for the quarter. The dollar weakened as fears over the Eurozone debt crisis abated somewhat. Meanwhile the fixed income markets enjoyed positive returns, with high yield bonds and senior loans outperforming treasuries. The Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index rose o.3% for the quarter. As we progress into 2012, the big question remains whether U.S. equities can continue to advance given that it may take several quarters (or even several years) to settle the Eurozone’s sovereign debt crisis. 215 491-4346 for financial advice,questions ,or review

Do you feel you’ve built a body of knowledge that others would pay money to learn – and that you have the charisma and skills to share it successfully with lecture hall audiences? Come to the Women’s Business Forum’s free Wednesday morning meeting on May 2 and learn from a seasoned speaker how you can take your polished presentation on the road for a re- imagined career as a professional speaker.

Beginning in 1995 with AIDS awareness presentations, Elaine Pasqua combined her life experience, passion and enthusiasm to become one of the premier school and college campus speakers on the consequences of high-risk behaviors. Along with transforming the lives of hundreds of thousands of students, she has recently parleyed her growing skills and renown into an expanded career speaking to professional athletes and corporations as an advocate for responsible choices.

On May 2, Pasqua will provide pointers on developing your speaking career, covering such key steps as

developing a terrific speech that makes them want you back

marketing yourself to the audiences you want to reach

crafting or revising contracts that cover you suffiently

opening yourself to see opportunities that can keep your career fresh and exciting and take it in directions you’d never imagined

Pasqua is a four-time nominee for Best Speaker of the Year for Campus Activities Magazine Reader’s Choice Awards. She is a contributing columnist for the magazine’s “Real Life on Campus” and a contributing author of Dr. Will Keim’s book, Welcome to the Time of Your Life. She has been featured in USA Today, NY1 News, Time Warner TV and Knight Ridder News Service. Pasqua co-wrote, directed and produced the video “Be Aware of the Risks of Date Rape Drugs,” which has been viewed more than 561,000 times on YouTube. www.ElainePasqua.com

Who inspires you to live green? Here's your chance to recognize and commend that person, and win eco-cool prizes for both of you. Entries are now being accepted for the Harmony Clean 3rd annual Green Inspiration Contest. Details and entry form are online at www.tinyurl.com/GreenInspiration2012. Deadline is midnight, Earth Day, April 22nd. Entries also accepted at the Green Collaboration's Earth Day celebration, 10am - 4pm at Bucks Country Gardens. See Lyn Hick's post below.

The Green Collaboration in celebrating Earth Day on April 22nd from 10-4pm at Bucks Country Gardens. Kids activities, Local Green Business Vendors, Goodie Bags for the first 200 customers, Raffle Prizes and Short Educational workshops on Green Living Choices and Nutrition for Health. Join us in celebration Wellness through Greening Our Community!

Savor the Sweetness with Dr. Lauren Nappen! It’s never too early, nor too late to claim our innate ability to create as the Spring season reminds us to awaken; to yawn and stretch with conviction, to wipe the sleepiness from our hearts and eyes and delight in the magic of new beginnings. Dr. Lauren will bring her special magic and insight about the season, its essence, and its joy! Join her and Lyn Hicks of Harmony Hill Gardens for a beautiful night of celebration around a bondfire in the wonder of nature! Thursday, March 22nd, 7pm at Harmony Hill Gardens. 1341 Mill Rd. Sellersville, PA 18960 $20 Bring a light snack to share. Followed by music with Valerie Hopkins RSVP 215-997-5005 or email [email protected]

THE U.S. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION,

SCORE MONTGOMERY COUNTY, &
NBC 10, PRESENT:

When: Tuesday April 17, 2012 8:30 a.m. until 3:00pm
Where: Radisson Hotel Valley Forge, Independence Ballroom
1160 1st Avenue, King of Prussia, PA 19406

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Business Borrower - Lender Matchmaking Event

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Representatives of over 40 banks, Certified Development Companies, Microlenders, and alternative lenders will be on hand to meet with business owners entrepreneurs to discuss funding for:

Business start-up

Working capital

Business expansion

Refinancing

Business modernization

Commercial Real Estate

What: A one-stop forum for business owners and entrepreneurs to:

Pitch financing needs to a variety of the regionǁs top small business lenders in one-on-one meetings;

Learn more about lending requirements;

Access business advisory services available through the U;S; SBAǁs resource partner network

Supporting Materials >

By Dana Baedke

Even if a business hires someone to do graphic design, business owners should know how certain graphic design elements can affect the message, graphic designer Ernie Valtri told dozens of members of the Women’s Business Forum™ in March.

Specifically:

Typeface alone can evoke feelings about your brand and influence your message. "The affect can be negative so be careful," said Valtri. Decorative typefaces should be used for large type only, whereas simple “sans serif” typefaces ("without flags" or the curly-cues on the letters) should be used for smaller type that is more legible.

Page composition –the copy, the shapes that make up the design and the relationships between them – is very important. There are three basic “eye pattern” movements that represent how people view pages: “circular,” which is good because it keeps the viewer engaged longer; “centric,” which draws attention to the content in the middle of the page; and “capital F,” which reflects how people view websites – viewers look across the top left to right, then down the page, spending just seconds to find the content they are interested in.

“Photoshop,” or editing photos to enhance their appearance, change colors or add elements, also helps convey just the right message. However, he cautions, be careful not to misrepresent the product.

Valtri, who created Object Design, a complete graphics design studio for the print world, in 1999, has a 35-year background in the design industry. He holds a degree in Art Education from Penn State and has studied abroad at Durham University in England. He is also an accomplished fine artist in sculpture, printmaking and woodworking.

The Women’s Business Forum™ (www.WomensBusinessForum.org, 267.337.6073) is a non-profit organization that educates, mentors and inspires women business leaders and entrepreneurs in building successful businesses. It offers free group meetings and Mastermind sessions, special educational sessions throughout the year, one-on-one mentoring opportunities and valuable business resources.

The AARP Foundation has announced a call for entries for its sixth annual Women's Scholarship Program. The program provides funds to low-income women age 50 and older who are seeking new job skills, training, and educational opportunities to support themselves and their families. The application deadline is Friday, March 30, 2012. To be eligible for a scholarship, applicants must be a U.S. citizen, be able to demonstrate financial need, and be enrolled in an accredited school or technical training program within six months of the scholarship award date. The program will give priority to women raising the family members of others, to women that have been out of the workforce for more than a year, and to older women veterans. The application and additional information are available at http://www.aarp.org/aarp-foundation/scholarships.html?cmp=RDRCT-WSCHP_JAN26_012. We encourage you to provide this valuable information to your partners, clients, and business associates. The County of Bucks Business Development Department provides business start-up assistance and also helps companies sustain, expand, or enter the Bucks County market. Our free services include resource provision, workshop education, and networking opportunities. Sonia R. Smith Economic & Business Development Program Administrator County of Bucks 215-345-3839 [email protected] Twitter: @BucksCountyGovt

Thanks to all who bowled this month at Thunderbird Lanes in Warminster to benefit the Karen Walsh Women's Business Forum™ Grant Program, giving back to women entrepreneurs with a dream of a starting a business.

Karen Walsh was WBF founder Chanin Walsh's mom and helped her launch her business.

Thanks to all who participated, the program raised more than $3,000.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2012, WBF -- a nonprofit -- educates, mentors and inspires women to build and sustain successful businesses. All programs are free and open to the public. www.womensbusinessforum.org

Photos by Terree Yeagle of The Moment Photography Check out the complete album at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2888394242905.236267.1051660953&type;=3

Thursday, March 1st at 7pm, The Lotus Project hosts a worldwide teacher in Feminine Knowledge. In this transition time where woman are making their way in business and life creating a new way things are getting done based on collaboration and connection versus the male competitive model, Maria offers insight as to how to bring our femininity to all areas. Grounding into ourselves, our bodies, allowing our nurturing spirit to unfold in the world in a way that has not yet been done before by woman. As we create our impact to bring a stronger community of support through all areas of our lives, we can learn ways of connecting to our essence that help us come from a place of authenticity, getting to the core of our issues and resistance . Learning to empower, know and love ourselves deeply allows our gifts to flow forth into the world! $30

By Susan Richard

In an example-laden and lively presentation, trade show expert Sue McManus, owner of Expos, Events, Etc., (www.expos-events-etc.com) told more than 50 local businesswomen at the Women’s Business Forum™ last week how to better exhibit their wares, their services -- and themselves.

“You only have 3.5 seconds to capture someone’s attention,” she said. So how do you get them to talk with you? Use:

Color

Pictures

Large fonts (Can you read them 10 feet away?)

Short phrases (no more than four words)

Sound – used considerately

Light – use LED and specialty lighting, especially in dark corners of trade show

Action – people are drawn to activity or crowds having fun

Once they stop, how do you draw people in?

Ask open-ended questions (What is your business? Why are you here?)

Step outside your booth, where people gather

Be prepared

Smile!

Before you commit to a show, commit to a plan. Know your goal, and make sure your message reflects that goal. For instance, are you introducing a new product or increasing brand awareness?

Next, train your team, invite key clients and prospects, alert the media and prepared a toolkit to cover minor emergencies (duct tape, double-sided tape, Velcro, Swiss army knife, extra pens, business cards, mints, eye drops, Band-Aids, hand cream and sanitizer). Invest in thick carpet and good shoes.

Then, enjoy meeting your customers face-to-face.

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.

Several members continued the conversation after last week's WBF Mastermind in Abington. Join the discussion on WBF's LinkedIn Group!

Happy New Year! I want to introduce a new book. Clarity Wisdom Harmony, written by Cheyenne Mease, was just released and offers readers a down to earth practical and concise way to see life with vision and honesty. It gives readers a way to take an inventory of their life and begin to live the life they want! It offers simple strategies for improving communication, relationships, and overall quality of life and is presented in a way that’s easy to read and understand. This book provides tools to apply immediately to all life’s challenges, big and small, offering a new insight on how to live “in the now”, with joy. Bernie Siegel, MD, author of Faith, Hope & Healing and a Book of Miracles said, "Cheyenne's book contains the wisdom of the sages. These are age-old lessons that teach us how to survive and thrive.” Cheyenne Mease, RPP, RPE, is the founder of Health Heart Soul LLC and the author of Clarity Wisdom and Harmony. She brings 25 years of experience as a respected energy healer, teacher, speaker and Intuitive Life Advisor. Cheyenne is available for interviews and can be reached at [email protected] 610-346-9566. http://www.amazon.com/Clarity-Wisdom-Harmony-Simple-Concise/dp/1466357797/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie;=UTF8&qid;=1325022762&sr;=1-1

Local green home cleaning company Harmony Clean, has been awarded the prestigious ARCSI Residential Cleaning Seal of Excellence by the Association of Residential Cleaning Services International (ARCSI). In addition to adhering to a strict code of ethics, cleaning services that receive the Residential Seal of Excellence must also provide documentation that they are insured and bonded, conduct background checks & drug testing for employees, participate in ongoing industry continuing education programs, and have been in business at least two years. Harmony Clean is owned WBF Founding Member, Debi Sarandrea and her sister, Vicki Brown. They have received Best of Bucks awards six years and also the Best of Philly for house cleaning in 2009.

We meet the third Friday of each month in Abington to help one another brainstorm solutions to our most pressing business challenges. Our discussions are often very heavily weighted on social media; one way we thought of to help one another is to get out there and connect, follow, like and share away for each other. So... we have started a public Google document where everyone in the Abington group can add their links for easy sharing. Please check back often for updates. Start one for your WBF Mastermind today!

Starting in November, Susie is providing free videos to help entrepreneurs take their businesses to the next level by improving how they fuel their bodies with food and other health practices. Anyone is welcome to receive these videos. Be the first to get access to these short and sweet Exuberant Health Morsels videos at http://www.SusieBeiler.com/blog