Mission of the AWBC

The AWBC develops and strengthens a global network
of women's business centers to advance the
growth and success of women business owners.
Vision of the AWBC

The vision of AWBC is a world where economic
justice, wealth and well-being are realized through the
collective leadership and power of successful
entrepreneurial women.

The AWBC network. . .

* develops partnerships wherever possible
* makes a difference
* is flexible and responsive
* promotes equity
* strivesfor quality and excellence
* measures the impact of our successes
* believes in our clients and help them realize their potential
* provides role modeling and mentoring
* supports holistic and comprehensive intervention strategies
* innovates
* provides leadership
* promotes entrepreneurial development
* stays globally informed
* weaves a tapestry of support –financial, educational, motivational
* values inclusivity and honors diversity

For further details, visit their site : www.awbc.biz

Mission & History of AEO

Mission: AEO supports the development of strong and effective U.S. microenterprise initiatives to assist underserved entrepreneurs in starting, stabilizing, and expanding businesses.

Vision: Every entrepreneur in the U.S. has access to resources and services for creating wealth, assets and healthy communities.

History: AEO was founded on June 22, 1991 at a convening in Berkeley, California, where over 150 practitioners from over 100 microenterprise development organizations nationwide convened. Recognizing the opportunity and value of learning together, the convening participants decided AEO’s mission would be to serve as the forum and voice for individuals and organizations committed to expanding enterprise opportunity for people and communities with limited access to economic resources, and to serve as the catalyst for responsible industry growth.

Also at that time, AEO defined microenterprise development and coined the word "microentrepreneur" to describe a particular kind of business owner. Today, microenterprise is defined as a business with five or fewer employees, which requires $35,000 or less in start up capital. Microenterprise development is the provision of support to microenterprise owners (or microentrepreneurs).

The roots of U.S. microenterprise development sprung from economic programs that arose as a result of the women’s movement in the late 1960s. By the 1980s it was evident that an important new economic strategy was developing. As microenterprise development practitioner pioneers began innovative programs in scattered rural and urban areas nationwide, it became evident that an organized communication structure was needed to share knowledge, resources, challenges, and best practices among established and developing microenterprise development programs.

From 1991 to 1999, AEO was headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. During the late 1990s the microenterprise development field identified the need for stronger advocacy efforts in support of federally funded microenterprise development programs. In 1999, to have closer access to policy makers on Capitol Hill, AEO moved to its current location in Arlington, Virginia– just across the Potomac River from the Washington, DC.

Today, AEO is an exciting and flourishing organization and the only national member-based association in the microenterprise development industry. Its membership has grown to include not only practitioners, but also advocates, public agencies, funders, individuals, and others who share in AEO's mission.

More details and contact information can be found on their website www.microenterpriseworks.org

Mission & History of AEO

Mission: AEO supports the development of strong and effective U.S. microenterprise initiatives to assist underserved entrepreneurs in starting, stabilizing, and expanding businesses.

Vision: Every entrepreneur in the U.S. has access to resources and services for creating wealth, assets and healthy communities.

History: AEO was founded on June 22, 1991 at a convening in Berkeley, California, where over 150 practitioners from over 100 microenterprise development organizations nationwide convened. Recognizing the opportunity and value of learning together, the convening participants decided AEO’s mission would be to serve as the forum and voice for individuals and organizations committed to expanding enterprise opportunity for people and communities with limited access to economic resources, and to serve as the catalyst for responsible industry growth.

Also at that time, AEO defined microenterprise development and coined the word "microentrepreneur" to describe a particular kind of business owner. Today, microenterprise is defined as a business with five or fewer employees, which requires $35,000 or less in start up capital. Microenterprise development is the provision of support to microenterprise owners (or microentrepreneurs).

The roots of U.S. microenterprise development sprung from economic programs that arose as a result of the women’s movement in the late 1960s. By the 1980s it was evident that an important new economic strategy was developing. As microenterprise development practitioner pioneers began innovative programs in scattered rural and urban areas nationwide, it became evident that an organized communication structure was needed to share knowledge, resources, challenges, and best practices among established and developing microenterprise development programs.

From 1991 to 1999, AEO was headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. During the late 1990s the microenterprise development field identified the need for stronger advocacy efforts in support of federally funded microenterprise development programs. In 1999, to have closer access to policy makers on Capitol Hill, AEO moved to its current location in Arlington, Virginia– just across the Potomac River from the Washington, DC.

Today, AEO is an exciting and flourishing organization and the only national member-based association in the microenterprise development industry. Its membership has grown to include not only practitioners, but also advocates, public agencies, funders, individuals, and others who share in AEO's mission.

More details and contact information can be found on their website www.microenterpriseworks.org

This is what I found on their site, I was needed to give a glimpse of Association, so I thought no one else would be better able to describe the association other than association itself. So here goes about the ABWA :


ABWA's Mission

To bring together businesswomen of diverse occupations and to provide opportunities for them to help themselves and others grow personally and professionally through leadership; education, networking support and national recognition.

The American Business Women's Association strives to provide a quality experience for members both on a national and local level, focusing on these tenets of the mission...

Together: We believe our collective wisdom is the professional woman’s greatest untapped resource. Everyone has a skill, ability or advice that will benefit the woman next to you. It’s the ultimate networking circle.

Diversity: ABWA is all-inclusive. Here diversity is more than race, age, creed or color. It’s blue-collar, white-collar, CEOs, MBAs and telecommuters who never leave their home office. Our members own their businesses, or aspire to become the next entrepreneurs.

Leadership: In addition to assuming leadership positions within local chapters and networks, members have the opportunity to run for national office, a seat on our National Board of Directors.

Education: Lots of groups claim they offer professional development, but that’s a promise we honor. At District and National Conferences, ABWA is proud to partner with such renowned groups as the University of Kansas School of Business, FranklinCovey, and Rockhurst University.

National Recognition: By its very nature, recognition is loaded with positive reinforcement. It is an essential component of career development - whether the recognition is on the job or through your professional association. With such programs as Best Practices and the Top Ten Business Women of ABWA, members receive recognition on both the local and national level for personal and professional achievements.

History

Founded in 1949 by Hilary A. Bufton Jr., a Kansas City, Mo., businessman, ABWA has thousands of members in chapters and Express Networks nationwide. The organization provides business training and networking opportunities for women of diverse occupations and backgrounds. ABWA has dedicated more than half a century to women's education and provided workplace skills and career development training for more than 545,000 members.

Post World War II, Mr. Bufton recognized the positive impact women had on the economy. On September 22, 1949, Mr. Bufton and three Kansas City businesswomen incorporated the American Business Women’s Association, and the American workforce was changed forever.

“It was my feeling all women were seeking and deserved equal business opportunities.” He later wrote, “They had gained tremendous business knowledge during World War II, through necessity, and I felt a new organization for all businesswomen was needed. "

The Association celebrates 60 years at the 2009 ABWA National Women's Leadership Conference, Sept. 24 - 26, at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center in Kansas City.


Website : http://www.abwa.org

Stein says there are several reasons the Cumberland Gallery has been successful for 30 years.

1. The first has been an influx of clients from California and Chicago, in particular. She attends national, juried shows all over the country, and she says Nashville's image has changed over the years. "We were always known for being Music City, but the truth is it's so much more than that. We have one of the top three symphony halls in the world. It's just been quietly blossoming as a livable city," Stein says.

2. Doing the difficult thing early. "One of the smartest things I did--although financially it was tough for a while--was purchasing the building I'm in. I have always been of the mind that it's better to pay rent to oneself than to someone else."

3. Support from her husband, both emotional and financial. "I didn't have to worry about putting bread on the table, " she says. "So for the first few years I could throw everything straight back into the business."


Here is here biography from one of the entrepreneur.com sites :

Her father was a book publisher with a personal interest in fine arts book publishing, so she went with him to auctions, visited artists and art galleries, and took some courses in college. But she earned her master's degree in psychiatric nursing, and she loved the work she was doing in family therapy. "It's just that when we moved here, I didn't know what to do with myself," she says.

That's when her love for art reasserted itself. "I always had this idea about a gallery, but there weren't any contemporary galleries in Nashville."

Stein soon remedied that, opening the Cumberland Gallery in 1980.
carol-stein-headshot.jpg

"My husband had a meeting in New York, so I spent a week with him just meeting with art dealers I knew." She asked a lot of questions: How much minimum space do I need? How much minimum capitalization? Will you work with me on consignment rather than buying things outright? "When you're first starting out," she says, "not that many people want to take risk in terms of inventory."

Stein initially opened the gallery with two partners--Susan O'Neill and Susan Hammond. Within less than three months, O'Neill's husband transferred to Philadelphia, and within six months, Hammond became pregnant, so she sold out to another friend of Stein's. After five years, though, Stein was running the business alone.

At the time, women entrepreneurs were unusual. "We all had to have our husbands co-sign on everything," she says. As the wife of a physician, she was also viewed with astonishment by the other partners' wives. "They thought I was out of my gourd doing this because, you know, 'you don't have to work.' "

Even her mother was upset, asserting that Stein should stay home with her children. Stein demurs: "I really am a better mom if I meet some of my own needs."

What's more, Stein believes the business has been a good influence on her children. In addition to their exposure to fine art, "They have been exposed to all kinds of people who stay at our house over a weekend opening, either as clients or artists." She was also careful to take time to attend her kids' life cycle events and made sure she didn't bring her work home from the office.

Stein also kept the kids involved. "I had them putting labels on invitations and, when the boys were old enough [and her daughter, Lauren, too] to serve wine at openings, I employed them and paid them for that." She adds, "The kids enjoyed meeting different people; I know my husband to this day loves that."

Stein was profitable by the end of the second year: "I don't like to be in the red," she says. Today, the gallery is a 3½-person operation. A majority of works sell for $2,000 to $25,000. "There's a lot that are less, and there are some that are more. But that's my bread and butter," she says. The gallery remains, by choice, a small operation, taking in less than $1 million per year.

Stein started out slowly, using her social connections. Then she gradually built a mailing list of potential clients. "We did luncheons and did some social events that were significant," she adds.

Her initial inventory was also low-key, consisting primarily of small, limited-edition prints and show posters. "It was a low-risk way of putting my big toe in the water," Stein says. "Slowly, we moved away from prints and posters and into unique pieces. One thing I hadn't anticipated was the remarkable energy in the Southeast in terms of artists looking for outlets. So I was inundated with regional talent."

The internet has been a boon to business--much to Stein's surprise. "I have been absolutely floored with the success of our website." It has become a significant portion of her business.

The recession has had its effect on the gallery. "Art and galleries in particular are kind of like the canary in the coal mine: They're the first thing to go," Stein says. "For some of us it's an essential of life, but for most people, it can easily be put off or discarded entirely. They can live with this thing over the sofa rather than replacing it."

But there's a flip side to the coin, she notes: People are spending more time at home to save money, so they're paying a little more attention to their immediate surroundings. Stein anticipates a boomerang effect, though she acknowledges that isn't going to happen "for a while."

Stein has responded to the recession by spreading out her shows, which are expensive to produce, and sending invitations via e-mail.

She's also president of the Nashville Association of Art Dealers, which has developed a First Thursdays event from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. "It's not necessarily an opening, but it is an effort to put on something a little special, a little different, so people will want to get out to at least look," Stein says. It's meant to combat the dearth of walk-in traffic, which Stein characterizes as "nada, nothing, zippo."

Luckily, Stein says, she does some business out of state with designers, consultants and architects who have projects, and they've seen the work at her out-of-state shows.

She's also teaming up with some nonprofit organizations for some special events and shows related to a particular subculture. In August, she did a show with work done by artists using recyclable materials. It was a fundraiser for the Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation. "You try to do different things to get your name out there and remind people that you're still there," Stein says. "And you don't have to go and buy something; you can go and look. That's OK."

Her advice for starting and running a successful business:

1. Stein started her business in 1980 during a recession. She says, "There's no good time to start a business; you just have to jump in with your two feet."

2. Do your homework and make sure you're well-capitalized. Recognize that you may not see a profit for a certain number of years, so have something to fall back on.

3. Running a business requires a certain level of stubbornness. "Just kind of hanging in there, doing what I do and what I feel to be right in terms of my vision and business practices, regardless of what anybody else is doing."

4. It helps to have a supportive spouse during those days when you're spending endless hours for very little.

5. Build relationships with artists. "A lot of people treat the artist/gallery relationship as a parasitic relationship. I've always seen it as being symbiotic. If something is good for the artist, it's good for me; if it's good for me, it's good for the artist." As a result, she says, "my loyalty index is pretty high. I pay my artists very quickly, and the word gets out to other artists."

6. Know the ins and outs of your product and choose carefully in terms of a range. For example, if you're going to open up a shoe shop, what kind of shoes are you going to handle? "I have never had a desire to be all things to all people; I have a unique vision and that's what I present," Stein says.

7. Know your client base and your community.

8. Location is terrifically important. Certain businesses require a high-traffic situation and others do not.

9. You have to be prepared to constantly learn. "I read a lot; I look a lot. I do a lot of traveling, so I'm always in museums or galleries."

10. Set up a good network of people you like to work with. Stein networks with other dealers. She shows some of their artists, and they show some of hers.

11. Make sure things are in writing, and get a lawyer on your team.

12. Don't assume that it's easy. Don't think, "I get a couple of artists and I hang things on the wall and I'm a gallery." In fact, Stein says, "It's an awful lot of work, all the time."

Founder Zhena Muzyka


She shares her 10 point formula for success on a entrepreneurship site, which are as follows :

1. ONE: visualize

–a new vision; envision a new life
–day to day life vs new life vision
–figure out how to shift your world
–use a vision board

1. TWO: write

–write write very sensual: use all the senses, detail

–make that the basis of your business plan

–keep it to yourself, secret, precious

1. THREE: form

–let it start taking form

–who do you want involved

–who will let it come to fruition

1. FOUR: finance

–work with what you’ve got

–small is better to start with; lose a little gain a lot

–look at options

1. FIVE: flow

–go with the flow, the path of least resistance

–try not to have expectations

–visualize but anticipate, prepare for something else

–money flows toward strength & away from weakness

1. SIX: surround

–yourself with people further along the path

–find people you admire

–she found her mentor through SCORE

1. SEVEN: start

–no matter what just start

–just do it

–worst thing that happens is you don’t just start it

1. EIGHT: dedicate

–every minute of every day to your vision

–to make manifest

–just like making a baby

1. NINE: reward

–reward yourself when you accomplish your goals

–small and great rewards

–have to be ready and able to receive success

TEN: ask

–what do you think, get feedback

–be willing to accept in order to to continuously improve your product

–do this when you’re established, not too early.





I tried finding a lot , but could not find exact success story of tea queen, however I got this success story :

When she was a student at Cottey, friends gave Zhena Muzyka ‘95 the nickname “California.” Granted, that was her home state, but the nickname was due more to, “my point of view on wanting to save the world and being a little
‘granola’ ” said Muzyka with a laugh. Today, Muzyka does live in California, but more important, she is doing what she can to “save the world,” particularly the world that laborers live in on tea plantations. Muzyka is the president and founder of Zhena’s Gypsy Tea Company and her insistence on Fair Trade practices have improved the lives of hundreds of workers.

“The quality of life has so improved on Fair Trade estates, and it’s something simple that people can do for just pennies a cup,” said Muzyka. “It makes a world of difference.”

Interestingly enough, Muzyka was able to help others by first helping herself. She was working on a book about her grandmother, a Ukrainian Gypsy, when her son, Sage was born in 2000. (Originally, Muzyka wanted to pursue a career as a writer. She won a Pillsbury Writing Award through the Santa Barbara Foundation, and herbal medicine was just a hobby.) Although she had no health insurance, Muzyka was healthy and expected the best from her pregnancy. Within a few weeks of his birth, however, Sage was diagnosed with a serious birth defect that required immediate surgery. The surgery was successful, but because of his care requirements, Muzyka would need to find a job that would allow her to have Sage with her at work. Her search for a such a work environment was fruitless.

With a $3,000 loan from family members (sound familiar Virginia Alice Cottey fans?), Muzyka bought a tea cart with an espresso machine. She would take Sage in a baby carrier while she set up shop and sold blended tea drinks.

“I used to make these really unique lattes with an espresso machine on my cart,” she explained. “It was so much fun. I was really selling lattes and selling my teas in little corsage bags tied with a ribbon.”

Muzyka did have the right background for the tea business. Call it serendipity or fortuitous planning, but prior to her business venture Muzyka had studied herbal medicine with ethnobotanists in Peru.

“I was taking a home studies course on home remedies and medicine through the Clayton College of Natural Health,” she said. “When I got the opportunity to go to Peru, I jumped. I found a deep passion for the wonders of the natural world.”

Ethnobotanists are scientists who study the relationship between indigenous cultures
and how they use their plants. “In the rain forest, shamans use plants for all kinds of medicinal uses,” added Muzyka. Based on her experience in Peru, Muzyka found herself doing organic scent profiles for a hair care company.

About six months after she began selling blended tea drinks and small packets of loose tea from her cart, Muzyka’s business began to take off. Soon she was packaging and selling teas for local cafes.

“I put together a menu of loose teas for spas and cafes and hosted tastings,” said Muzyka. “I would put my son in his backpack and would hold tastings for chefs of four-star restaurants. I was selling tea in one-pound bags before getting into the tins we sell today.”

Soon, a Southern California buyer for the Whole Foods stores discovered Zhena’s Gypsy Teas and became interested in selling them through the chain. Muzyka put some tea blends into tins and did a presentation for Whole Foods. Once they said they were interested, Muzyka designed some packaging and went to a trade show in 2003. Today her teas are available through a number of organic and whole food chains as well as catalog outlets and her Web site: www.gypsytea.com. From $4,000 in total sales her first year, Muzyka’s business is now a multi-million dollar per year company.

Although Muzyka has a background and training in herbal remedies, she does not have a business degree. “Not having a business background has been very satisfying,” she explained. “I’ve learned everything through practical knowledge. My learning is getting my hands dirty and figuring it out.” She did add that, “I have a colleague who has an MBA and we balance each other. Finding mentors is the fastest and easiest way to learn a trade or build a career.”

Other than the quality of her products, one of the most striking elements of Zhena’s Gypsy Tea is the packaging. The tins with the unique Gypsy Tea logo are quite striking and different from other tea products on the shelf.

“The original logo was a variation of the current one,” said Muzyka. “An artist friend in Hawaii did a design of a flowing woman with a tea pot. Now it looks more modern, less abstract. I wanted the logo to be more playful. A lot of people who make tea are uptight,” Muzyka joked, “I wanted to make tea fun and approachable.”

When it was mentioned that the woman in the logo strongly resembled the founder, Muzyka admitted she was the model. “The designers wanted it to look like me,” she said. “I lifted my arms, they snapped a photo, and they used that image.”

Zhena’s Gypsy Tea is more than tasty teas in funky packaging, however. Muzyka insisted from the beginning that her company adhere to Fair Trade practices. (See sidebar article on page 1.) Muzyka is also a proponent of green initiatives and offsetting her company’s carbon footprint. Her company has eliminated almost all air freight out of its business model unless it is a special tea that has to arrive in a couple of days. They have also purchased green tags and wind power credits to offset their electric bill. They no longer print catalogs, they use recycled paper and don’t use a varnish on the tea labels. When their tins are stamped, the scraps go to a factory that makes office furniture.

“I think it’s common sense now,” said Muzyka of her environmental efforts. “It’s not political. We’re very lucky to have this planet.”

Muzyka has been recognized for her business and entrepreneurship. In 2007 she was named one of Country Living Magazine’s Women Entrepreneurs, she was featured in a 2007 Inc. Magazine article on Five Young Entrepreneurs, in an April 2007 article in Good Housekeeping Magazine, and in the Winter 2008/09 issue of GreenMoney Journal. She was also one of the featured women in the book Ladies Who Launch: Embracing Entrepreneurship and Creativity as a Lifestyle.

Despite her success, the most noteworthy things for Muzyka are her son’s health—“He is nine; he is healthy; he is beautiful,” she said—and the positive changes she has been able to affect on tea estates. (See sidebar on Fair Trade.) “My experience is it makes all of the hard work worthwhile,” Muzyka added. And what better way to relax after a day of hard work, than with a soothing cup of tea.

Below is what the official site has as bio of this fantastic women.


"

Carol M. Craig is Craig Technologies President, CEO, CFO and additionally functions as a Senior Software Engineer. As such, Carol is focused on applying her vast educational and employment experiences to give Craig Technologies the necessary edge when developing solutions to complex problems. She leads a team of consultants and engineers that stands ready to provide to customers with a wide range of services including avionics software development, project management, software systems engineering, web design, data warehousing and more.

Carol holds a BA in Computer Science from Knox College, a BS in Computer Engineering from the University of Illinois and an MS in Electrical Computer Engineering from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Carol is presently pursuing a PhD in Electrical Computer Engineering at the Florida Institute of Technology, and a PhD in Industrial Engineering at the University of Central Florida.

Carol’s achievements include over 18 years of software engineering experience along with extensive knowledge of and experience in the design, development and operation of many complex military systems. Carol served on active duty as a P-3C Orion Naval Flight Officer, specializing in Anti-Submarine and Subsurface Warfare. Prior to her service, she was a key computer engineer for Naval Air Warfare Center-Indianapolis where she concentrated on the integration of Global Positioning Systems and Cockpit Display development for several Navy and Marine Corps aircraft.

Carol has in-depth knowledge of military IT security and installation as a result of her tenure as the Automated Information Security Manager for the Strike Fighter Weapons School, Pacific in Lemoore, CA. She previously represented Craig Technologies through a contract at the Strike Fighter Weapons School, Atlantic in Virginia Beach, VA where she instructed Navy Portable Flight Planning System (N-PFPS) software and developed mission planning training courseware.

Carol also has a broad knowledge of the healthcare Insurance industry and the challenges it faces with data collection, processing and storage. She specializes in the transition from legacy reporting processes to the current standards of data warehousing. Carol’s expertise allowed Craig Technologies to provide clients such as Amerigroup Corporation and Magellan Healthcare Services with successful solutions to their data migration issues.

In 2009, Carol was selected “Small Business Person of the Year” by the Small Business Administration South Florida District, and was named "Entrepreneur of the Year" by the Society of Women Engineers in 2008. She is Chair of the Executive Board of Directors for Junior Achievement of the Space Coast. Carol currently serves as a member of the University of Central Florida College of Engineering Dean’s Advisory Board, and as a member of the Development Committee for the University of Central Florida Foundation. She is a founder and active fundraiser for the Foundation for Prader-Willi Research (FPWR), an international non-profit organization dedicated to funding research and finding treatments for Prader-Willi Syndrome. Carol is mother to Danny and Gillian Craig and wife to CAPT John W. Craig, USN.


'"