At our first Members meeting we had a very informative presentation by Nancy Swift preceded by the completion of our first survey.

Ray Dawn was introduced as new Secretary of the Board but unfortunately that was the shortest term ever as Ray Dawn had to resign due to her heavy workload. We thank Ray Dawn for the time she spent in assisting us and wish her great success in her growing business.

Our New Secretary of the Board is Marilyn Taylor. We all look forward serving with her on the Board and all the other meetings and organizational events we are scheduling to bring order to this wonderful organization.

The New Year Celebration was a great Success! I wish to thank Amore for helping me as much as she could during her busy schedule! A tremendous appreciation goes also to Jane Prestergard and Jane Seely, for washing the dishes, to Noorah Hansen, Alloou Guthmiller, Ray Dawn and her boy friend for helping set up and clean up, to Marguerite and John for the great pictures, to all of you who brought the wonderful food, wine and refreshments and to all who attended. We had great fun! Thank you Lesa for opening your Gallery to us as a free gift of love and for all your assistance in making this event so happy.

Once again I have to mention that we have a wonderful group of Women who are making a great difference in this community.

A warm Welcome goes to our newest members: Haruko Sasaki, Joie De Fond, Maryam Rumi and Wanda Welbourn.

As you read on today’s announcement, the Best Western has increased the fee for the buffet breakfast from $5.00 to $6.50. The good news is that now we are not obligated to pay for every person who sits in the room but only for those who eat breakfast. They have also included just drinks such as coffee, tea and juices for $2.50. Your presence at our meetings, your ideas, and comments are a very important contribution to the development of Women in Business Network and to your personal business.

Finally I wish to thank Danielle Signor for her commitment and professional behavior in her position as Web Chairwoman. We can all notice the difference and while I am retrieving all the information that has not been included on the Web for several months, she quickly helps me in improving it every day. She just gets it done. Great job Danielle!

I request that you notify me by e-mail if you see any discrepancy, if you are a paid member and your name is not on the directory, if you wish to post a special announcement for your business or if you have any questions about your business and WIBN.

Please make sure you read the minutes of our last meeting to be able to approve and discuss them. They are posted under Members Area. You can make a copy to bring to the meeting if you prefer.

I wish you Joy and Prosperity and look forward to seeing you at our breakfast meeting on February 1st .
Matilde

The next WIBN Monthly Breakfast Meeting is this WEDNESDAY February 1, 2012 at 8:30am at the Tree House in Mount Shasta. We look forward to seeing all of you! Guests are welcome – anyone may attend one time before joining.

The Tree House has just informed us of changes. Breakfast is now $6.50 per person, or you may purchase a beverage for $2.50. Please note: You are not obliged to purchase anything if you do not wish to do so. We will be discussing these changes at the meeting.

The results from our first Survey are back! We are happy to report that we received wonderful feedback from the members who attended the January meeting and look forward to discussing this with you as we work together to create an exciting new year for Women in Business Network!

Another reminder: WIBN Support also meets the same day – February 1st – at 5:30PM at Allou Guthmuller’s home 521 Spruce Street in Mount Shasta.

We look forward to seeing many of our members and share this invaluable time together!

Announcement to all WIBN Members!

Our WIBN Support Meeting date HAS BEEN CHANGED because of weather.

We will be meeting WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1st at our NEW LOCATION, 512 B Spruce Street in Mount Shasta (Allou Guthmiller’s home).

Meeting will start at 5:30PM and end at approximately 7:30PM. Snacks and tea will be provided.

Hope you will join us! WIBN Support is a great opportunity to meet and share on a deeper level with other women in business.

NOTE: There will be no January Meeting. The next WIBN Support meeting is on the SAME DAY as the February 1st Membership Breakfast Meeting (8:30AM at the Tree House).

Questions / More Info Marguerite 530-926-1088 Allou 530-926-4555

WIBN Support is a solution-oriented support and mentoring forum open to all Women in Business Network members who are interested in exchanging ideas, celebrating successes, supporting and receiving support from other women in business. Meetings, which last approximately 2 hours, are confidential and free to all members.

We will inform you of the new dates. Thank you for your support!

Remember to bring something to contribute to the potluck… and bring a friend – colleague – significant other! Hope you can come!

You are cordially invited to attend the next WOMEN IN BUSINESS NETWORK Membership Breakfast Meeting on Wednesday, January 4th at 8:30AM at the Best Western Tree House in Mount Shasta.

We are very excited to announce that NANCY SWIFT, beloved Founder-Executive Director of JEDI (Jefferson Economic Development Institute, now in Mount Shasta and Yreka), will be our Guest Speaker!

Nancy Swift has been a dedicated advocate of economic equity for women in Siskiyou County and around the globe for over 25 years. A respected leader in the nonprofit and microenterprise fields, Ms Swift will share reflections and generate conversation about women’s leadership roles:

“AS A WOMEN IN BUSINESS, ARE YOU THE LEADER YOU’D LIKE TO BE?”
- Practical Reflections on Women as Leaders in our Community

This will be a GREAT MEETING! Not to be missed! Bring a friend!

• WOMEN IN BUSINESS MONTHLY MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS are open to all WIBN members.

• ANYONE may attend ONE meeting before becoming a member. There is no pressure to join our organization.

• Meetings START at 8:30AM and END at approximately 10:00AM.

• SEATING IS LIMITED, so please come a little early to help yourself to a sumptuous buffet breakfast, put out your marketing materials, and find a seat before the meeting starts.

• Meetings are held at THE BEST WESTERN TREE HOUSE, located at at 111 Morgan Way in Mount Shasta, California.

• The hotel charges $5.00 PER PERSON, whether or not you choose to have breakfast.

This is a great way to start the year! Women connecting with Women… the possibilities are endless!

For more information contact WIBN President Matilde De Franchis Unruh at matilde {at} biancasgourmet.com or WIBN VP Marguerite Lorimer at marguerite {at} earthalive.com

We hope to see you there!

I want to take this opportunity to wish you a Great Holiday Season and a Prosperous New Year. 2011 has gone by us fast but there is a lot that has been accomplished.

In January I registered WIBN as an Un-incorporated Non Profit Association and started a bank account in WIBN name. Being a non-profit organization gave us the freedom to give back to the community and to the members without being taxed.

In May the first Grant was awarded to three members: Atara Melo who received $300.00 to help her pay some of her business expenses, Kelly Samuelson who received a membership to the Chambers of Commerce for$145.00 from WIBN and Sandy Patterson who also received a matching $145.00 membership to the Chamber by the Chamber.

A support meeting was started with the help of Marguerite Lorimer who accepted to be the chairwoman. It is a great success and members truly enjoy participating.

For the past six months we have been working on developing a more professional website and finally with the help of Danielle Signor we are reaching the goal of offering the membership a more professional website with valuable information you will enjoy. More changes are on the making and we will be discussing them at the next membership meeting in January.

With your support, professionalism and enthusiasm we plan to build a strong network of business women who achieve their business goals through support inspiration and mentoring, helping those women who are starting a business.

Following the tradition of the past few years in December we completed the Adopt A Family project. This year we were able to help two families thanks to your generosity. This gives me the opportunity to express my appreciation to Lesa Michel for chairing this committee and Connie Marmet for carrying through and finding the needy families.
We still have a lot to iron out before we can say that this network is well organized and running smoothly and again I am counting on your knowledge and cooperation to make this Siskiyou County Women in Business Network a great organization where women can shine and have real successful businesses.

Enjoy the Holidays and always remember to be happy and smile.
Matilde

Three Principles of Emotional Engagement, by Nikolas Allen

WIBN Guest Speaker Nikolas Allen of BAM! Small Biz Consulting - photo © Skye Kinkade

Studies have proven that humans make decisions based on emotions, then use their rational mind to justify decisions. In the battle of the heart vs. the mind, the heart often wins, therefore, in order to earn the attention of your audience, you need to hook them emotionally.

When you talk about building small business brands that matter, that means you make a consistent effort to create an emotional engagement at every touchpoint consumers experience related to your company.
The following three principles are easy, yet powerful ways to help you do just that.

Principle 1) Infuse your company with your own unique personality.

All great companies reflect the passion of their leader. There is nobody who is You-er than YOU! Your passion for your topic is palpable and it’s contagious, and people respond to authenticity.

Too many small business owners settle for weak, shallow, unremarkable, cookie-cutter advertising that doesn’t differentiate, doesn’t intrigue, doesn’t excite.

Instead, aim to infuse your company and your marketing with your own unique personality, and let your remarkable, passionate, brave, strong, intelligent attributes shine.

Principle 2) Appeal to the values of your target audience

Having a strong set of personal values is important, and it’s even more important to know what your target audience values. Ideally, there will be common values shared between you and them, which is a solid building block for any relationship.

There’s a great saying that I try to remember at all times, “Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.”

If you care about your audience, you make the effort to find out what’s important to them, and you appeal to those values. That’s going to attract people of like minds, and it may repel or alienate the rest. But that’s okay, because you’re not trying to appeal to everyone.

Appealing to the values of your target audience ensures that you are attracting the most appropriate customers for your business.

Principle 3) Speak the Language of Results

One of the easiest, most effective ways to improve your marketing message is by articulating the end results customers derive from your offering, YET it’s the most common violation I see with small business advertising.

So many entrepreneurs are marketing the “WHAT” of their business: What they sell, what their product is, what their service is – instead of marketing the “WHY?” As in, why should consumers care?

Your marketing materials need to paint a beautiful picture of how much better your customer’s lives are going to be after purchasing your offering. This is similar to touting the benefits of your product or service, but in our hyper-connected, instant-gratification society, consumers want more than benefits, they want results – and they want ‘em now!

So go beyond the “Stuff” of your business, and speak the language of results. I promise you, this language is music to the ears of your audience.

By implementing these three principles you will create marketing messages that bypass the logic center of the brain, and plant themselves firmly in the soft, squishy landscape of the heart, which is where relationships blossom between consumers and the small business brands that matter to them.

***
Heavyweight Marketing Champion, Nikolas Allen, runs BAM! Small Biz Consulting, where he helps small business owners attract more loyal customers and grow their business through creative branding and marketing strategies. If you’re ready to step in the ring with BAM!, contact Nikolas Allen for your FREE 30-Minute Needs Assessment. Phone: (530) 859-5454 • Email: bamsbc@gmail.com

Attention WIBN Members!

We are excited to announce that Noorah Hansen will be making another of her interactive presentations, “New Conscious Languaging to Increase Business (and Personal) Success” at the next Women in Business Network Support Meeting. Noorah presented this in October and we had such an amazing time that we asked her to do it again.

If you were one of the people who were unable to come to that meeting, you won’t want to miss this one!

WHEN: Wednesday November 30th (5PM to 7PM)

WHERE: A Melo Place 412 South Mount Shasta Blvd in Mount Shasta

WHAT: Tea and snacks and the opportunity to experience transformational information in a supportive, confidential environment

COST: WIBN Support is FREE to all WIBN Members!

Marguerite Lorimer, WIBN VP and WIBN Support Chair
Questions / More Info 926-1088 marguerite@earthalive.com

Women In Business Network welcomes Heavyweight Marketing Champion, Nikolas Allen of BAM! Small Biz Consulting, to speak at their December 7^th members meeting at the Best Western Tree House Inn located in Mt. Shasta.

Allen will present, “Emotional Marketing – Building Small Business Brands That Matter,” which he hopes will inspire entrepreneurs to dig deeper and create meaningful marketing messages that connect with consumers emotionally, rather than just intellectually.

“Studies have shown that consumers make buying decisions based on emotions,” says Allen, “then use rationale to justify their decisions. Therefore, marketers must bypass the logical mind of their audience and aim straight for their hearts.”

Allen promises to impart valuable, actionable insights entrepreneurs can apply to improve the effectiveness of their marketing.

WIB member Stephanie Hoffman, business consultant with Small Business Development Center, says “Nikolas Allen’s presentation style is outstanding because he combines wit, intelligence, and creativity with real-world ideas and applications for the serious entrepreneur.”

The meeting takes place on Wednesday, December 7, 8:30am to 10:00am at Best Western Tree House Inn located at 111 Morgan Way in Mt. Shasta. Non-members are invited to attend their first meeting for free, with no obligation to join, providing they are female entrepreneurs, business owners or managers.

For free branding and marketing tips to help grow your business, visit bamsmallbizconsulting.com