There will Be a Recession Skills Meeting Today
Posted on June 24, 2008
Filed Under Recession, Recession Skills, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
I suggest that you begin your recession skills training by having a meeting with yourself.
Agenda
1. Write your fears on a piece of paper; put them in terror order. How many are rational; how many are self inflicted? Fear is much bigger hiding in the back of your mind than it is out in the open. What is the source of the fear? Not paying bills? Disgrace for losing your business? Losing the business that gives joy to your life?
Fear about money is incredibly debilitating; this fear is real.
The causes of the recession whether fate, global forces or engineered by power for profit are beyond your control. I saw so many becoming smaller people unable to shake the feeling that they must have failed in some way. This guilt will sap the energy and creativity you need.
Entrepreneurs enjoy their daily work life. Watching it slip away is very hard. Of all the fears the one that was hardest for me to deal with was boredom. At your meeting ask yourself what you enjoy about your business. Then try to figure out where you can get the same feelings outside of the business.
I did it by volunteering. If my community is suffering it will affect me. Volunteer for innovative leading issue groups. The issues they have chosen indicate that they know “that the way it should be” must be replaced by “the way it could be”. I met many brilliant recession bored people. Contacts that proved invaluable when the economy recovered.
2. Make a list of ways to cut back your work and personal lifestyle. List necessities and priorities.
What is necessary by our standards would astound most of the world. Last week a news clip showed an interview with a woman who stated that in order to pay for gas to get to work she had to give up one meal a day. Very disturbing until they followed her to her car carrying bottled water. Bottled (unregulated) water is not a necessity in most areas. If priorities elude you pretend that you return to your home this evening and the house has been emptied. While you are waiting for the insurance claim to be paid what would you buy with your on hand funds to prepare for tomorrow? These are your necessities and priorities!
3. Consider the products and services your business provides. Are they vulnerable ? Recession proof?
Everyone says the same thing in a recession-”I can’t afford it”. In truth they do buy things and often things that are not practical. Perhaps they should have had a meeting with themselves. I learned this in my first recession while facilitating women’s artisan shows in shopping malls. People would look at a practical item and recite the mantra “I can’t afford it” then they would move to a booth featuring hand puppets and buy one for the same amount as they practical item. They wanted to take it to work to give everyone a laugh for a few minutes then the puppet would disappear into a desk drawer forever. The jeweler found that big pieces attracted people to the booth but did not sell. She did very well with inexpensive silver rings that provided a lift for stressed out people. A recent news article pointed out that pet owners cut back on their own food , lifestyle services and grooming but continued to buy the best for their companion animal.
My grandmother owned a plumbing and heating business during the Great Depression. She said people gave up many things but when the toilet broke– she always got paid but often it was in food, sweaters, labor etc.
4. Conceive an action plan to protect your career/life.
In my first recession I met with myself and decided to keep my office and give up the beautiful townhouse that I loved. I moved into a small apartment where the queen sized bed would not go up the stairs. I cried every night but my office ran as usual. This was both positive and negative. On the positive side I appeared to be financially sound so people who owed me money paid. I watched as people backed away from those in trouble. If they went under clients would not have to pay at all. On the negative side an appearance of financial strength brought distraught angry people to my office to srceam their pain at me.
Keeping up appearances is sound business and sometimes funny. The Woman Like Me Directory was very strong in the recession as it it gave entrepreneurs an inexpensive way to promote their business. I had my photo taken for the cover in my one new suit. Weeks later just before the launch party I lamented to my assistant that I would have to wear the same outfit and everyone would know as they had the cover to look at (sorry to puzzle the men reading this; its a woman thing). Many people came to me at the launch to tell me that I was brilliant, never missed a detail etc because I had worn the book cover outfit so everyone could find me to talk to! So if you keep up appearances people will believe it.
When I met with myself in my board room before the next recession I decided to start my plan with a different approach. I gave up the office and kept my home. It was a shock. I had not made my own lunch on a workday for many years. When I looked in the fridge there was nothing very lunchy. It was very different from having an office community where the morning conversation revolved around what do you want to eat today. Have you tried the new—. Then the afternoon chat would be did you like it ; should we go back?
My idea of excitement changed. Our office in an old church was the location for many Hollywood shoots. I had coffee or chatted with some famous actors and joked around with others who I failed to recognize as they were much older and shorter than the camera revealed. The big moment of the home office day came when I noticed that the cardinal had brought his mate to the bird feeder.
I am afraid I whimpered a bit to my network. This resulted in my being hired to judge a homepreneur award. When the sponsors backed out claiming that home office people are just unemployed and won’t admit it I called the media and launched a new and timely seminar niche for my company.
This time at my meeting with myself and my life partner we made our first decision. We turned in our Honda Accord Hybrid and leased a Prius.
My grandmother raised me with what she had learned; famine follows feast and feast follows famine. Good economic times will return but they will not be the same and you will not be the same. How it changes you is a matter of choice. My grandmother was generous, kind and loved to entertain. She always looked ahead and bought the newest gadgets. She met every month with the women entrepreneurs she had had gone through the depression with. My parents, children of the depression were fearful, unhappy and cheap.
Meeting Adjourned.
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How to Survive a Recession
Posted on April 29, 2008
Filed Under How to, Recession, Recession Skills | 2 Comments
Another recession- been there, done that; couldn’t afford the T Shirt. If you can think of surviving a recession as a skill it may help to lower the small panic you feel after each frightening newscast. If this one comes to pass it will be my third. I am not happy about it but I think I am better at it.
I would like to offer this blog series as a how to for new business owners about to survive their first recession and as a refresher course for those with recession experience.
As an entrepreneurial speaker I have had a front row seat to watch how people react, who survives, who does well in a recession and what the major mistakes are.
In the early nineties the recession began just like this time. The economy had been very good giving people the idea that this was normal. People were affluent and used money instead of effort for everything. Houses were selling for sums way beyond their value following bidding wars. Forty-five per cent of all meals were eaten in restaurants.
Stories of layoffs in the news did not alarm middle class people as they thought of themselves as career people. Job instability was a traditional blue collar problem. The short amount of time it took for the recession to move from the front page to your front door was startling.
Many told me that business did not slow down; it just stopped. Store doors did not open; phones did not ring.
2008 has more potential for a rapid recession. The middle class has been under attack for a decade. The fallout from the mortgage horror has only just begun to bring a nuclear winter to the economy. Plus we appear to have a generation that does not know how to grocery shop or cook. The cashier in my food store often asks me to identify vegetables for her so she can look up its code.
Many do not prepare by changing their thinking to suit a leaner time.
The $600.00 handout in the US intended to save the floundering economy brought this reaction from one woman-
I will buy new summer clothes.
It reminded me of an interview from the last time with a young professional couple. They outlined their suffering this way-
“we have been forced to waste our time on comparison shopping and we have to re heel shoes rather than just getting new ones”.
I hope this series will make you solidly and comfortably prepared.
Here are the titles for the blogs for the next few weeks.
Have a staff planning meeting with yourself
The Two Biggest Mistakes
Tighten Your Belt -It Will Look Good
Looking Okay
How People React
Taking Care of the Company Asset-You!
The Bank
What Will Sell? Never Mind the Logic!
Handling Long Term Stress
Who Will Not Make It?
Your Image Make Cutting Back Cool
Dress for Success on no Budget
Sidewalk Advice
A Few Surprises
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Allergic to Technology
Posted on March 26, 2008
Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
I am more aware every day that we are living in a divided business culture. The rapidly moving technology -did you just stop reading the blog? That’s my point. When I say the word to people many become tense and evasive.
There is a whole new business world lived in by those who have embraced what is happening. Some recent studies indicate that the younger technology citizens actually have different hard wiring in their brains created by their new thinking patterns.
What will become of the luddites? A survey last year asked Americans about internet use. An amazing 45% said they never used it as there was nothing of interest to them “on it”.
Am I technically savvy? No, but I am learning and relearning and learning again. I would like to have a program on womanradio.org to outline what current technology can do to solve business problems and create opportunities for women.
I offer as an example. A few years ago if we hauled our huge monitors and computers to the cottage we could have the luxury of longer weekends. Dial up meant only one person could work at a time and no one could phone us.
It was slooow.
Two summers ago it all changed. We got satellite web; almost high speed in the north of Ontario. I got VOIP in the office in Toronto. The messages came up on my computer at the cottage. Then I got Skype. Excellent quality in free calls to everywhere. What it had done for me became very clear one early June morning. I had peddled a few miles on my bike, cell phone in my pocket in case of an accident miles from anywhere and stopped to look at a sparkling lake with baby ducks going by and one quiet sail boat cutting the ripples. The sound of KD Lang’s Hallelujah in my ears from tiny buds that held enough music for hours of biking. A perfect moment. It came to me that the technology had made the great shift in my life style possible. I stay at the cottage nearly all summer. What happened if a meeting was required? It was not difficult to tempt people to come for a swim and dinner.
Would you listen to a program about technology? Should you be the host of the show? Let me know.
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The Pet Food Recall 1 Year Later - Special WomanRadio.org Program
Posted on March 14, 2008
Filed Under Pet Food, Woman Radio | 9 Comments
Life changed for all pet guardians with the announcement of the initial tainted pet food recall on March the 16th last year. The announcement was not the beginning of the story and it certainly wasn’t the end.
Many people have commented on the blogs we have all come to know so well that something should be done in rememberance on this sad anniversary. This special programming on WomanRadio.org is our contribution for the companion friends lost.
Why is this travesty a woman’s issue? In the $40 billion dollar U.S. pet food industry, the average customer is a 40 year old woman. We brought the deadly pet food into our pet’s homes.
On PETitionz.org, over the last year, 94% of the people commenting, voting and contributing were women. Many women viewed the pet victims as “canaries in the global coal mine”. It is a warning that our children could be the next sacrifice.
Please join us starting at 2 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (11 a.m. Pacific) in honor of friends lost. See the announcement below for details.
On Saturday March 16 web radio station Womanradio.org will present special programming for the first anniversary of the initial pet food recall of 2007. It will begin at 2 p.m. EDT with the premiere of “Make a Change”, a song for the friends lost and hurt. We thank noted musicians Karen Phillips and Yohanna Vanderkley of Webbils and Songs for their contribution.
We begin with a frank conversation with Don Earl. He will tell the story of the killing of his cat Chuckles and his determined quest for justice over the past year.
Lawyer Ted Charney of Toronto Canada will outline class action lawsuits versus Menu Foods.
Elliott Haplem Executive Producer of Pet Food: A Dog’s Breakfast will discuss the making of the documentary.
Dr. Ernest Lykissa co-owner of Expertox Laboratories will look back at an interesting year at the lab.
Ron Smith creator of PETitionz.org will comment on the reactions of site visitors from 143 countries to events as they unfolded following that first recall.
Karen Fraser and personal chef Tabitha Chapman will chat about the launch of their new Trust Pet Cuisine on Monday, March 18th. Chef cooked in a kitchen with all fresh human ingredients delivered to your home or office. Trust makes the food you would cook for your pets if you had the time and knowledge. Trust was the response to the recalls of frightened pet guardian Karen Fraser.
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Last Saturday, This Saturday
Posted on March 12, 2008
Filed Under Woman Radio | 1 Comment
Womanradio.org
The reaction to the first day of Womanradio.org was amazing. One woman said she made goodies and she and a group of friends listened to it all. Women emailed just to say thank you. The station had media coverage from the Caribbean to Sudbury, Ontario. We are now looking for suggestions for interview topics, musicians and singers. If you have a program idea please send an outline.
Please join us for special programming on March 16th the first anniversary of the initial tainted pet food recall of 2007. The day that Menu Foods acknowledged what customers had been saying for months.
At 2 p.m. programming begins with a song for the companion animals lost “Make a Change” written by well known composers Karen Phillips and Yohanna Vanderkley of Webbils and Songs. There will be an interview with a lawyer involved with the first class action law suits versus Menu Foods, pet owners one year later, pet food testing labs and people working to make a change.
Why is this a women’s issue? In the 40 billion dollar US pet industry the average consumer is a 40 year old woman. They bought the food that killed or permanently injured thousands of companion animals. On PETitionz.org 94% of the visitors are women. Plus many women viewed the dead pets as canaries in the global coal mine: a warning that our children could be the next sacrifice.
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Woman Radio - So Good We Were Hacked in Just 1 Day!
Posted on March 10, 2008
Filed Under Woman Radio | Leave a Comment
Just how much better can this get? We were only up for 1 day before the WomanRadio.org site was attacked and no one could get access. We were rolling along nicely until then with more and more listeners tuning in by the hour.
So the site is being rebuilt and we expect it to be back online by Tuesday March 11.
In the meantime you will be able to listen here to the station and Founder Karen Fraser will update us shortly on how she hopes Woman Radio will evolve by inviting participation by fascinating women from around the world.
We apologize for any inconvenience.
FYI 
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This hack1 
Websters New 20th Century Dictionary
- to chop in a bungling or aimless manner.
- an old worn-out horse.
- a person hired to do routine, often dull work.
- stale; trite; hackneyed.
- a horse for all sorts of work.
- in rugby football a kick on the shin.
- a dry broken cough.
Nicole Moore / Station Manager / Woman Radio
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WomanRadio.org Launching on International Women’s Day
Posted on March 6, 2008
Filed Under Woman Radio | 1 Comment
Karen Fraser, President of Women Like Me is pleased to announce the birth of an internet radio station for women. Starting at 9 a.m. eastern standard time Saturday March 8th Womanradio.org will offer programming and music about women’s realities and perspectives. It will cover issues, interests and successes too often diluted or neglected by traditional media.
Why web radio? It is worldwide and ideally suited for multitasking. It is there when you want it; just type in www.womanradio.org on your computer to listen, learn and laugh while doing several tasks.
Intended for? The station is for women at all ages and stages. Launch Day interviews will feature outstanding achievers such as Dr. Andrea O’Reilly of York University. The Association for Research on Mothering she founded and now directs was a first and now has members in 20 countries.
Equally inspiring is the interview with recent MBA graduate Natalie Chinsam working simultaneously at her first and second careers and volunteering to organize a Literacy Camp for Grade Four students in Jamaica each summer.
Womanradio.org was created by the generosity of many and women and men. Overly busy women made the time to be interviewed between appointments, family illnesses, travel commitments and the ongoing Toronto 2008 snowstorms. Real estate agent Raynu Khaneja of Urbanopolis.ca, global medical transfer specialist Gail Courneyea of Angels of Flight and Personal Chef Tabitha Chapman of Enjoy Not Cooking enthusiastically sponsored a brand new idea.
“Like International Women’s Day the internet is global enabling Womanradio to celebrate Women’s Day all year”, states Karen Fraser, “Perhaps the www should stand for worldwide women or even better it should stand for the world we want.
For further information-
Contact Karen Fraser
Visit www.wlmnetwork.com and www.womanradio.org (from Saturday on)
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Women Like Me - A Thousand Possibilities
Posted on January 23, 2008
Filed Under Web Radio | Leave a Comment
Women Like me is now on web radio. The profiles of innovative achievers on the blog will now be in their own words.
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Women Like Me on Web Radio
Posted on January 22, 2008
Filed Under Web Radio | Leave a Comment
Women Like Me : A 1000 possibilities
Each Wednesday morning from 11 a.m. to noon (Toronto time) I have the pleasure of hosting
Women Like Me on ThatRadio.com
Just like Women Like Me, The Women’s Business & Networking Directory the show will meet your needs on your schedule.
The show is live on Wednesday morning, repeated on Wednesday and Sunday and available in the podcast archive 24/7. On each show you will meet successful, innovative women who are profiles of today’s Do It Yourself Success.
Their interviews highlight the skills, trends and networking opportunities you need to Do It! Each week we promote a member of Women Like Me, The Women’s Business & Networking Directory with an in depth interview.
To be in the Women Like Me Directory visit www.womenlikeme.ca and click on Be Listed.
For behind the scenes perspectives and observations visit www.karenfraser.org.
Wednesday January 16
Theme Work
Host Karen Fraser chats with two fascinating entrepreneurs.
Web designer Karen Phillips www.phillipswebdesign.ca is also a classically trained musician and currently plays key board for The Gypsygrass Band.
Yohanna Vanderkley musician, singer, lyricist and composer writes for film and TV. Her songs have appeared on Billboard’s Dance Chart and Britain’s High Energy Chart. She has sung backup for Patti Labelle and Rita MacNeil.
The two have played together for years but just recently they established Webbils and Songs www.webbilsandsongs.ca. The new venture creates sound bytes for your web site or any other promotionfor your business. The company is at the leading edge of current interest in music for web sites.
They will bring examples of their work which includes the theme for Women Like Me “A Thousand Possibilities”
January 23, 2008
“Something’s Happening Here”- What Can You Do About It?
(I beg forgiveness from Buffalo Springfield)
A community threat attacks your neighbourhood, you are outraged, indignant, on the moral high ground, Commendable but not effective. Host Karen Fraser’s first guest Margot Boyd got to work. Learn about her neighbourhood threat www.moorepark.org, how they organized and how they are doing.
Ben Bull is our second guest. He is a contributor to Raise the Hammer, an online community of highly skilled activists in many sectors www.raisethehoammer.org. He will comment on Ms. Boyd’s situation, tell us about Raise the Hammer and discuss community protection skills.
Listeners are getting great advice and the energizing confidence of innovative entrepreneurs. Please join us for an hour of energizing and entertaining conversation.
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Women Like Me Opportunity - Toronto Startup Weekend 2
Posted on September 10, 2007
Filed Under Opportunity | Leave a Comment
The first Toronto Startup Weekend, September 14-16, brings all the basics of business innovation together for an intense 52 hours to create and launch a web based company.
Weekend Innovation= information+inspiration+informal exchange+ investors
If you have a web business idea and if the group of 100 highly skilled and experienced IT professionals votes to work on your concept you could be in business by Monday morning.
Everyone participating has shares in the new venture. There is no cost to participate; you pay for some of your meals (and accommodations if you are not from the Toronto area).
The first Startup Weekend “sold out” in 3 days. There are a few places open on the waiting list for Weekend 2 that will benefit from “lessons learned” in Weekend 1.
Please visit Toronto Startup Weekend for details.
A journalist is flying in from Dallas to cover the adventure. I wish she would be meeting more women presenting their ideas. The web, particularly the social networking, suits women’s entrepreneurial skills. Hope to see you and hear your ideas at Weekend 2.
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