Wednesday Wisdom: For Working Mothers
Wednesday Wisdom, Inspiration, Motivation for Women Entrepreneurs, Mothers, Female Business Owners
| The phone was ringing. I noticed it was my oldest son calling. “Guess What?” he started. “What?” I answered. “I get six weeks of paid paternity leave once the baby is born. “Wow!” I exclaimed, “That’s a great amount of time off. Your father had to use one week of his two-week vacation allotment when you were born,” I told him. |
| I remember feeling lucky when this son was born by cesarean section because it meant I had eight weeks of maternity leave as opposed to only six weeks. Those two extra weeks meant I got to spend more time with my newborn, not someone else. I never knew until he entered the world with big brown eyes that I’d fall instantly in love with him and want to mother him as long as possible. |
| In those days, my goal was to climb the corporate ladder as far as possible. I was always ambitious, and leading was a natural skill of mine. But as soon as I saw his face, and eventually the face of his brother three years later, my heart changed and I left the ladder behind and became a woman entrepreneur; a career that allowed me to do what I loved to do – event planning – and be a mother. |
| My husband would leave for his corporate job every morning wishing he could stay home to help or play, but that wasn’t possible due to finances. He had to work. He didn’t have paid time off. He only had two weeks of vacation. He had no flexibility. Who would have known 32 years later, his first son would be able to do what he couldn’t do. |
| “Thomas, I am so glad you get that much time off. It is because of the advocates – both men and women – who fought to change human resource benefits for both genders,” I told him. “I wish we had that option when you were born. Enjoy your daughter when she gets here as long as you can.” |
| Today’s Wednesday Wisdom is a simple reminder that we have the power to make the world a better place for the generations to follow. It might involve marching, signing petitions, advocating to politicians, raising our voices, sharing our thoughts, and more to make change happen. Sometimes change happens, and sometimes it doesn’t, but it won’t if we don’t work at it. |
| I can’t wait to see my son hold his daughter for the first time this August and beam at him and this wonderful opportunity he has to share the most important moments of his young daughter’s life with her. Keep advocating, women, and Happy Mother’s Day to those celebrating the holiday. |
Wednesday Wisdom: Stellar Entrepreneurship
Wednesday Wisdom, Inspiration, Business Advice for Women Entrepreneurs, Female Business Owners
| The crystal plates with white linen napkins were placed on beautifully draped floor-length tablecloths with cylinders of floating white candles in tall spherical vases, the look was simply stellar. Raising my eyes to the ceiling, strands of round white bulbs and white drapes hung from oak rafters as they hit the floor and framed the floor-to-ceiling windows showing off watery white caps upon silvery grey waves. |
| The staff almost glided along to the sounds outside perfecting table settings, repositioning chairs, and lining the middle of the tables with fresh greenery and white flowers. As I placed the bridesmaids’ bouquets, already held by the wedding party, in tall vases to act as centerpieces, I was careful not to disturb the orderly plating around them. White nameplates in silver cursive writing noted guests’ seats for this extravagant affair. |
| As musically as the waitstaff decorated the tables, the 8-person band set up and tuned its instruments for the celebratory part of the reception. Every note was perfected, the volume adjusted, the voices rehearsed, and the space was overcome with musical splendor. |
| When the bride and groom stopped in the elegant event barn for a quick look before guests saw it, they motioned the band to begin their first dance song so they could practice it one last time. Their smiles, giggles, and soft looks of love at each other spoke of their true feelings. Their joy, became my joy, seeing how much they wanted to perfect this “gift” to their guests. The gift was their practiced dance and one they proudly wanted to showcase to their family and friends, and that is how the band announced it when it happened – a gift. |
| When the reception was in full swing, as the night grew dark and finally the lake outside calmed down, the photographer and videographer danced among the party or stood on chairs to document the jubilant explosion of movement and joy. Their enthusiasm for their duties made me beam even more as I listened to the band, watched the couple dance, and sipped champagne to signal a job well done. As the bride and groom were encircled by their family and friends as the last song played, sparklers filled the room. |
| Today’s Wednesday Wisdom is to share a keen lesson I learned Saturday night at this wedding – surround and emerge yourself in stellar occasions whenever you can. Create stellar events, programs, and occasions, and invite a bigger group of people than you might. Hire the best vendors to support the event – from the manager to the venue, food to the music, and even “cold sparklers” like my clients had to end the ceremony. Be so joyous in your hosting, you make everyone else smile with you. |
| The word stellar comes from the word stella which means to shine brightly. This wedding will be a forever shining moment for me based on every event element, including the endearing clients, and staff who made it a grand affair. I say “Shoot for the stars” next time you plan anything. Sparkle. Be Stellar. |
Wednesday Wisdom: What is Old, is New Again
Wednesday Wisdom, Inspiration, Motivation for Women Entrepreneurs, Female Business Owners
| As the sun sparkled on Canandaigua Lake in a video tour of one of the venues along its shoreline, memories of past wedding venues popped into mind. The first official wedding I was hired to manage was my husband’s boss’ only daughter’s wedding in 1996 on another Finger Lake shoreline, that one in Skaneateles on a beautiful September day. A year after that one on the same glistening lake, illuminated waves crested on the lakeside lawn for a big-time spending groom for his bride. Lake weddings are the best, in my opinion. |
| With my pink clipboard dusted off, I’ve been helping my son’s friend with his wedding plans happening this weekend. I never pitched the wedding services, but when my son’s friends heard I was an event planner, they asked me for a quote. I happily obliged, landing the special event and working the past six months with this couple. I suppose what’s old is new again when you are a woman entrepreneur. |
| Skillsets can be placed on the backburner, when our companies grow and expand with new options for customers or because the market demands it. I still remember nervously pitching that first wedding in 1996 to the family so I could start earning money and officially be an entrepreneur. That wedding remains my most vivid event memory after 3 decades in business. Your first is extra special, right? |
| The copy of that first $500 deposit check still resides in my desk reminding me that I made it in business. It reminds me today, 28 years later, that although weddings and events are unique, they take the same skillset to make them successful, no matter when they happen. We don’t lose our expertise over time or even decades. It’s still there. |
| Today’s Wednesday Wisdom invites you to think back to the first years of your business’ offerings and see if you are still offering them. If not, why not? Could you reinstate or remarket what you used to provide? If you aren’t interested in going back in time and doing something you used to do, what have you replaced it with, and could you add more to your repertoire? |
| Don’t forget, we don’t lose what we know, sometimes we need someone new to ask us to assist them, and what we used to offer comes spilling back. Allow some time today to drift back, take notes, and summarize what you may or may not, want to add back to your business life. I will do the same as I take a planning break to look out over Canandaigua Lake this weekend. |
As I watch the sober funeral procession of Onondaga County Lieutenant Deputy Michael Hoosock today, my memory brings forth a similar procession when my father-in-law was transported from a funeral home to his final resting place by Onondaga County policemen in 1999, since my brother-in-law was an Onondaga County Sheriff.
It felt so extremely special for the family to be escorted in such a special way with a motorcycle and car escort. Not only did you feel like the person who died was being cuddled in the bright lights of red and blue, but the importance of the policeman’s duty and dedication to anyone within their larger family also. I know my father-in-law would have been honored.
My paternal grandfather’s six brothers all served in the Navy and spoke of their brotherhood of serving for the United States. My father served as an Army Policeman in Germany for a year and was always proud of his service. The tattoo on his left arm of the American Flag with an eagle always reminded me of his service. He always saluted the flag when he saw one.
As my uncle was buried at Saratoga’s Veterans Cemetery a few years ago and when my aunt joined him in October, I had the privilege of being on the holy grounds on a beautiful autumn day. How somber and peaceful the grounds were holding the bodies of so many servicemen and servicewomen. As the orange and golden leaves swirled in the wind and gently fall to the manicured lawn, it felt like glowing approval from the clouds above for their service and love of community.
It is understandable why the men and women, and sometimes their families, who fight for our country, communities, and neighborhoods, get honored in a special way like the formal public funeral for Lieutenant Hoosock. May he rest in peace and may God watch over all our servicemen and servicewomen.
Friday Feelings on Teenage Years, Bruce Springsteen, and Good Aging
The year was 1978 and I was a typical teenager in Junior Highschool testing out new music liked by new friends. I had thick straight hair, new hard contact lenses, a slender body, and an ear for rock-n-roll music.
Today, the year is 2024 and I am a middle-aged woman, semi-retired, with two grown sons and a granddaughter on the way. I have no hair due to alopecia, wear soft contact lenses, have an aging athletic body, and an ongoing love for live rock-n-roll music.
As I stood at the Bruce Springsteen concert last night listening to this iconic 75-year-old energetic, enthusiastic, rocking man and his Estreet Band, I wondered how different I might have perceived this live concert in 1978 compared to 2024. Would I have appreciated it as much as I did last night or would it have been just a fun teenage experience making me feel cool? You know how teenagers are.
Well, as I write this, I feel cool – actually really cool – with “Born to Run” still running through my mind and “Spirit of the Night” in my veins this morning, my Springsteen floor wristband still draped on my wrist, and my new grey concert shirt on. Adorning it is a Springsteen button from 95X, the rock station near my hometown, that I pinned on it last night.
I have enjoyed live music all my life starting with a 1972 Sonny and Cher concert at SPAC, which my parents brought me and my sister to. Since then I’ve seen so many shows at SPAC, about 30 Dave Matthews Band concerts, and even country shows like Kenny Chesney and Luke Byrant since my son turned me on to country when he was in college. I love rocking and rolling and enjoying the live show experience.
But, nothing, nothing will rival last night’s experience watching “The Boss,” a forty-plus year wait for the best live show I’ve seen. I know for a fact I wouldn’t have appreciated it as much as a teenager perhaps because Bruce has aged so beautifully. He smiled throughout the concert. Hugged fans and gave out harmonicas. Gathered signs. Played, and played, and played to his heart’s content…and the audiences too.
Time has a way of making things better, and in this case, my long-awaited experience of standing for 3-hours rocking out to a man with a pure love of performance, music, and his audience. The wait was so worth it. I know I wouldn’t have felt this way in 1978. Only with age and time, do experiences “rise up” to the best. Wine, whiskey, and Bruce Springsteen.
Bruce in the ‘Cuse
Will tomorrow be the night I’ve been waiting for since 1978? A chance to see “The Boss” in Syracuse after three attempts? Read my story about my wait!
Wednesday Wisdom: Masterful Giveaways
Wednesday Wisdom, Inspiration, Motivation for Women Entrepreneurs, Female Business Owners
| Another year, and another wish to be standing inside the television screen as the camera crew focused on the flowering crab trees, bright white azaleas, and pink flowering dogwoods. The ultra dark and lemon-lime greens perfectly manicured with stone bridges leading to quaint golf holes always draw me to watch the Masters Tournament. |
| The caddies are all dressed in long white uniforms with their player’s names in green on their backs. The spouses and children of any players also have matching white uniforms during the family outing the day before the tournament begins. I know I have an ascetic eye, but there is something about these visuals that makes me want to be right there. |
| Every year, I enter a contest to win a slot in their ticket lottery to just be able to pay for tickets to see this place in person, and every year I don’t win. I’ve entered other PGA Tournament drawings and have won the chance to go to pristine courses around the USA, like last year’s PGA Championship at Rochester’s beautiful Oak Hills, and see phenomenal players. I believe I can win Masters Tournament tickets so I keep trying. I’m a faithful follower of the PGA for that reason alone. |
| Do you think your followers wish you had an annual drawing for something you produce or host in the hopes they win too? Could a yearly marketing campaign focused specifically on a large giveaway or destination, drive more loyal followers to your website and social media pages throughout the year? Would they, like me, wait patiently for a chance to win, and win big? |
| Today’s Wednesday Wisdom is to inspire you to gather your staff, advisory board, or favorite customers to give you ideas of what they’d love to win from you or what their idea of a big gift is to them. If you need to sit outside under a flowering dogwood tree to get creative, than do it. If you are a golfer get out on the course and, not only hit the ball but dream about what you could offer. Maybe partner with another complimentary business to raffle off something big together and split the costs while sharing your marketing lists. |
| This year’s winner of the Masters Tournament was Scottie Scheffler, a young man I’ve followed since he got out of college because he is exceptional and looks like my older son. Watching him win again with the backdrop of springtime in Augusta, had me dreaming about what I could offer to my loyal followers and fans too. |
Monday Motivation: The Boston Marathon
Inspiration, Motivation for Female Runners
I’m about to tie up my sneakers and head out on this Boston Marathon Monday to relive my run in 2017 with an amazing team from #261Fearless and the one and only Kathrine Switzer. It was a day I will never forget mainly because I never thought I would run a marathon, and I did because of the inspiration of so many other women. It remains a top ten memory of my life. I hope you read my post from 2017 to relive the day’s excitement with me.
Bucking it Up in Nashville – Thursday Thoughts
Thursday Thoughts, Inspiration, Motivation for Women in Sports, Female Business Owners, Girls
It was bright daylight in Music City and I was as ready as I’d ever be to try bull riding. Having watched many televised PBR bull riding competitions, I knew the sport was not for the faint of heart. The sport was on my adventure sports list which I am committed to achieving in my lifetime. All I can say is that mechanical bull riding experiences allowed me a taste of the real thing. I’m not exactly sure I could attempt to ride a bull otherwise.
I got a bit nervous as I watched a beautiful thin bachelorette on the mechanical bull with an entire cheering section hooting and hollering at her success. Who was I, a middle-aged woman, bald with alopecia, to follow such an act? Realizing I was a tad trepidatious, my sons bought me a vodka cranberry for liquid courage. The man working the mechanical bull gave me some pointers and I waited in line as two more bachelorette party chicks took their turn.
“Grab onto the strap with your right hand. Put your left arm and hand in the air to balance yourself. Lean back. Go with the flow. Squeeze your legs. Don’t worry,” said the bull riding instructor. Earlier that day, a girl told me the trick to staying on a mechanical bull was wearing shorts or a skirt where sweaty skin stays attached to the bull better. For this ole gal, that wasn’t happening, jeans, a black shirt, and a cowboy hat were my attire.
“I’m ready,” I said, giving a thumbs up to the bull-riding operator!
I felt like I was falling off right away because you have no sense of which direction the bull will be moving or if he will be bucking up or down. Unlike biking or riding a lawn mower, you don’t have any idea where you are moving to. And the one girl was right, riding with slippery jeans on didn’t help keep me centered. I moved to both sides, trying to get myself back in the “saddle” or middle of the bull, only to slide the other way. Finally, off I went into the padded floor at 42 seconds.
I stood up and to my amazement had a big cheering crowd – perhaps they were already smashed from being in Nashville drinking or they wanted to see how long this ole cowgirl could go. It made me feel great having the audience whoop and holler for me as I took a bow.
“That was way too quick,” I told my guys. I might have to try it again sometime, with shorts on or after having more to drink, or on a real bull. They all said at once, “No way, you are done, check it off your list!”
I don’t think the show Yellowstone will be recruiting me as a stunt woman for any of their bull riding scenes but I can tell you, that was one fast sport to try and succeed in, and I’d do it again to try to make it longer. YeeHaw!
You can witness this amazing feat on my YouTube Channel at this link!
Wednesday Wisdom: Brand Name Bonus
| Wednesday Morning, Wednesday Wisdom, Inspiration, Motivation for Women Entrepreneurs, Female Business Owners, and Small Businesses |
| Stepping inside these well-known establishments one sees merchandise of all varieties with the star or company’s brand names, logos, and more etched or screen printed on them so customers can carry home a piece of the brand. Shirts, mugs, shot glasses, bumper stickers, bottled spirits, packaged food, and more get distributed to other parts of the USA after a visit to this Country Music hub helping develop a company’s name further. #BrandName |
| Even our side trip to Buffalo Trace, a legendary bourbon whiskey distillery for over 200 years, and still functioning as the oldest continuous operating distillery in America, with its brand taste already savored by our taste buds, spoke brand. Brand smells, brand tastes, brand cocktails, and brand spirits to learn about and taste on our one-hour distillery tour. If you didn’t love Buffalo Trace before you arrived, you sure did when you left with $300 worth of their brand loaded in a cardboard box. #BrandName |
| This post is not to alarm you as to my family’s drinking style (besides I’m a vodka girl), but to impress you, like I was, at how tradition, brand name, long-time products, and corporate image, can sear themselves into your entrepreneurial brain like the hickory smoke rising from the barbecue joints like Hattie B’s, (known for the best Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwiches), where the lines were also long. All I wondered everywhere I went was, “How the heck did these businesses garner such loyalty and sales?” The answer #Brandname. |
| So, today’s Wednesday Wisdom is not meant to send you on a road trip to Tennessee or to turn you into a whiskey drinker, but rather to make you think hard about your company’s brand. What is it? Do others know it when they hear your name or your business? Do they speak it often as though others already know about it? Do you sell merchandise or give away items with your brand image on it? Does your website speak it? Do your social media brands also speak it? How consistent are you in marketing it? You get the point. |
| We might not have the national appeal or marketing bucks of big-time country stars of century-old distilleries, but we do have our unique brand that needs to be shared as often as we can promote, advertise, and market it. These country stars aren’t shy about marketing, marketing, marketing, and then marketing some more. So why shouldn’t you? |
| P.S. There needs to be more female country stars sharing their brand and opening their own bars so we can all spend more money with them! |
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