Wednesday, September 30, 2009

"Lopez Tonight" is looking for "Crazy Inventions". The deadline is the morning of October 16.

Are you or someone you know a backyard inventor? Have you created
something that you want the world to see, like a Jacuzzi made from an old
bathtub and a boat propeller? Lopez Tonight, George Lopez's new late night
talk show, is looking for the wackiest, most creative inventions out there.
If you think yours qualifies, snap a picture of the invention, send it to
us with a description of what it does, and it could end up on their show!

Monday, September 28, 2009

Membership Fees

Hopefully you have all had a chance to read the article below on the benefits of becoming a member of Womentorz. It will further explain and justify how this fee structure was derived. Having mentioned that, here’s the simple breakdown of fees:

• $40 per month for basic membership
o Includes setting up a profile
o Account with Pay Pal
o Posting for 1 invention
• $10 per month each additional invention posting
• 6 month minimum
• 5% automatically taken out of each transaction
• 2.9% basic transaction fee for using Pay Pal

If you bring a new member on board you will receive three months of free membership, so be sure to have the person mention your name during the initial setup process.

Inventor Highlight

For an additional $100 per month all members will have the opportunity to showcase their invention on the homepage with a 1.5”x 1.5”, full color image of the invention on the homepage. This will bring the buyer directly to your profile and description of invention. The highlighted inventor will be the first thing all customers will see when visiting the Womentorz website.

Hopefully this fulfills your membership curiosity and confirms your dedication to becoming a member.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Why You Should Become a Member of Womentorz

Those who are following the progression of Womentorz.com know that it will be a membership based service specifically promoting women inventors. The fee structure was developed through extensive research done by Moss Adams, one of the top accounting and business consulting firms in the nation. We feel that the fees are very competitive and fair and should have them posted this week.

In the meantime, we would like to focus on the benefits of being a member of Womentorz…

Women inventors who become members will be able to create an account on Womentorz as well as with Pay Pal and have direct access to their posting, account information and profile. Members will be selling their products directly to consumers using Womentorz.com as a portal for direct distribution. Funds will be collected and immediately deposited into their account, so there will be no delay in compensation. There will only be a small percentage taken out of the transaction for processing fees.

Member inventors will be responsible for making sure the customer’s purchase is shipped to them in a timely fashion. Unlike many e-commerce sites, we are allowing our members to drop ship directly from the manufacturer as long as the buyer receives their purchase within the promised time frame. We also ask that all shipping and handling fees as well as sales tax be included in the overall cost of the product being sold at the time of checkout.

In case you are wondering, yes, you could post your invention on Amazon but you would make less of a profit on each sale. In addition, Amazon will not be specifically marketing you or your product. Your product will blend in with thousands of other items and the consumer will not have any idea that your invention is better than the next product in the same category. To top it off, your invention may not even come up during searches.

Womentorz will be an essential marketing tool that your invention has not had up to this point. We are investing and will continue to invest tens of thousands of dollars on an ongoing basis towards getting our site in front of the consumer. Not only do we have the best marketing and public relations people working for us, we are gaining a huge following across the nation and even on a global scale through word of mouth, our blog, Twitter and Facebook.

Consumers will be shopping on Womentorz to specifically purchase inventions made by women and most likely for women. It will be a destination for consumers to find unique gifts and inventions that solve their daily problems. Instead of a competitive atmosphere, you will be among a group of fabulous women with amazing ideas. Most likely, the inventor next to you will have an invention completely different from your own.

The month of October will be filled with launching parties, photo shoots, press releases, as well as magazine and talk show interviews. We are constantly tweeting and connecting with an unheard of fan base in a very short period of time. You can help our efforts by tweeting and posting on Fracebook as well.

This week will be dedicated to informing potential Womentorz members what Womentorz.com will be bringing to the table. We hope you’re hungry!

Friday, September 25, 2009

Step 4 - Never stop learning: Go back to school or read books. Get training and acquire skills.

Even though the economy has been rough, it’s amazing to see the number of people using this opportunity to go back to school to further their education and gain new skills. It proves the resilience we all have and the ability to adjust to even the toughest of situations.

Peter Smith, Ed.D, Senior Vice President for Academic Strategies and Development at Kaplan Higher Education, conducted a survey that confirmed that a faltering economy tends to drive people back into the classroom to sharpen their skills. Smith found that 91 percent of U.S. adults feel finishing a degree, seeking a higher degree or continuing education makes someone more attractive to potential employers, according to the survey.

It’s important for all of us to not lose that resilient spirit even during good times. The more we exercise our brain the stronger it will become. The human brain is able to continually adapt and rewire itself. Unlike a computer, the human brain can relearn and fix itself in many instances. I was amazed when my father had a stroke just two months ago and he went from not being able to walk to now you wouldn’t even know he had a stroke. I truly believe that his love of education and his constant brain stimulation over the years helped him quickly rewire the damaged area to relearn the movements needed to walk. The brain is more powerful than we can possibly imagine, so keep it well exercised!

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Inventor Showcase: Forget Me Nots



We are so impressed with the Forget Me Nots invention created by Patricia Charbonneau. We feel truly honored to have her as part of the Womentorz network. Please visit her website at http://forgetmenotsonline.com for more information about ordering and customization.

Forget Me Nots™ are expandable rings that are designed to wrap around anything you want to identify and/or personalize.

They're great for avoiding drink mixups by identifying water bottles, beer bottles, stemware, or any other beverage container...They make cool napkin rings/ placeholders...
They're unique party favor embellishments (I recently had a birthday luau party for my kids and had luau themed Forget Me Nots™ that wrapped around jars of sand art that kids took home)...
They can be wrapped around any container such as on jars of homemade jams, baby food, tomato sauce, etc...They are also an excellent and fun way for businesses to advertise themselves...When not in use, these pretty rings make fun bracelets!

A Note From Patricia

Forget Me Nots™ were invented while I was pregnant with my daughter. During that time, we were constantly having get togethers at my parents house where mostly everyone was drinking bottled water. Shortly into the evening it was hard to distinguish one open bottle from the next. I had a lightbulb moment- I had seen wine glass charms before but nothing that fit around the neck of a water bottle or any bottle for that matter. I recently decided to name the product Forget Me Nots™ because I realized that beverage bottles were just the beginning for these charming little rings!

I am very proud of my product and am currently making them by hand myself. I look forward to working with you to create Forget Me Nots™ that are personalized and customized to your complete satisfaction.

I feel blessed to have my own company so that I can be a stay-at-home mom for my two angels AND have a creative outlet that fills me with such passionate purpose. You really can have it all! I look forward to giving back for all of Forget Me Nots™ success by making contributions to enviromental and other causes to help make this world a better place for future generations.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Update on a Well Known Invention

This is just a little tidbit of information I found in Investor Daily about advancement on a household invention we all have in our homes. German scientists have developed a metallic version of the popular fastener that is strong enough to hold 35 tons per square meter that won’t lose its integrity in high temperatures. This version of Velcro is called Metaklett, which can also withstand corrosive chemicals. This gives new meaning to jumping on a Velcro wall.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Womentorz Slogan

We’re in the midst of selecting a slogan that represents what Womentorz is all about. Jen and I have come up with some phrases through our brainstorming, so we’re looking for your feedback. Please let us know which one you’re feeling.

If you can come up with a better slogan and we pick it we’ll give you one month of free membership!

1. Where Creativity Meets Know How

2. Let Us Put the Go in Your Show

3. Winners Find A Way

4. Passion Drives Us. Ingenuity Unites Us.

5. brainz. broadz. big ideaz.

6. Making women successful one invention at a time.

7. Cool gadgets made by cool women

8. Women + invention+womentorz=success

9. Women Came, They Invented, They Rocked

10. Women united by invention

11. Female…check….Invention…..check…..Womentorz….check….Success….check

Monday, September 21, 2009

A Day In the Life...

6:00 a.m. - (beep, beep, beep, beep) Time to make the donuts!

To shower or not to shower? Let's see, had a shower around 5:00 p.m. yesterday with full leg shaving and the whole nine sooo, we'll opt for what Gram used to call "a lick and a promise". A little deo for any b.o. that might be lurking, wash face, moisturize and I don't care what's happening - you MUST moisturize. I learned this from Demi Moore in "About Last Night" Oil of Olay is your friend. Throw on favorite jeans and a fun top, add lip-gloss and it's off to the races!

6:15 a.m. - Must start coffee, since I was too lazy to set it for auto start last night. Set table for two for breakfast, fill bowls with cereal ahead so there is no fight over who got the Nemo bowl! Start lunches...hmmm... will it be peanut butter on wheat or potato bread today?

6:20 a.m. - Coffee is done! Grab favorite "You can tell a Dane, but you can't tell 'em much" mug and keep moving! If I am lucky, everyone is still asleep at this point and I can start a load of laundry and check e-mail.

6:45 a.m. - Grab paper. Damn! Eagles lost. Yay! UCLA won! Check Business and South Jersey Sections for potential networking opportunities with writers.

7:00 a.m. - Time to wake the short people if they are not already. Need to be dressed and have teeth brushed before they come downstairs...no, it doesn't always happen that way.

7:15 a.m. - Breakfast with serious discussions about what we want to be for Halloween. We love Halloween! Note - last year after Halloween, I got so aggravated about them asking me for candy that I just gave them their buckets one day and said have at it, this is your food for the day. Probably not one of my better parenting moments, but whatever. They lived and, by some stroke of luck, are still cavity free.

7:30 a.m. - A little t.v. before the bus comes at 8:07.

8:07 a.m. - Off to school for first grader and pre-k.

9:00 a.m. - Gym or "work", gym or "work"...home to "work" wins out. I call it "work" because at this point my role in Womentorz does not feel like real work. Need to make some phone calls, check the blogs, post on different social networks, etc.

11:00 a.m. - Break for laundry shift, a little shining of the powder room toilet and general housework. Just found out my daughter's make-up soccer game is tonight and I need to organize the snack schedule - not sure how that happened! Quick run to the store.

12:00 p.m. - Daily brainstorming with Mel.

1:00 p.m. - Pick up from pre-k, home to make myself fold and put away the laundry - bus driver called laundry "the gift that keeps on giving" today. Does any of this seem monotonous yet? Good news - my 4 year old LOVES to help fold!!

3:30 p.m. - Meet school bus. Home for afternoon snack, then out to play! Day dream about the future of the website and who to connect with next.

5:00 p.m. - Early dinner - pasta with butter and cheese - I may sneak in some squash.

6:00 p.m. - Soccer, which at this age is really more about having fun and learning the basics. Pretty sure my daughter's future is not as a soccer star as she finds her coach hilarious and spends a lot of time laughing and falling on the ground. It's okay - she's learning how to be part of a team and, best of all, running around outdoors!

7:30 p.m. - Tubs. Jams. Teeth. Stories.

8:00 p.m. - Love you - lights out!

8:05 p.m. - Assume position on comfy chair or couch. Watch favorite, mindless reality television - Real Housewives of Atlanta, Jockeys, Locked Up Abroad are my current favs...not to mention TONIGHT is Dancing With the Stars Season Premiere!

9:00 p.m. - Check Facebook to see if we have any more fans for Womentorz, along with all of the other Entrepeneurial, Inventor Groups we've joined.

11:00 p.m. - Go to bed. Make mental notes for tomorrow and think of something to blog about that people will want to read :).

As of this moment, being a stay-at-home Mom/Entrepeneur/"Womentor" is not what you would call glamorous...Wonder what the day will look like six months from now? We shall see...

What I do know is the future is looking very bright!

Friday, September 18, 2009

BlogTalkRadio

It was a pleasant surprise recently to receive a "request for interview" from Angle Bush, Host of "Your15Minutes" on BlogTalkRadio. Ms. Bush is a dynamic speaker, author and motivator who has interviewed the likes of Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and Kwame Jackson from The Apprentice.

Melinda and I will be calling in to the show from our respective homes in Seattle and NJ to discuss Womentorz and also our own inventions. The show is scheduled for Tuesday, October 27 at 6:30 p.m. EST.

We will keep you updated on how you can listen live as the date approaches!

Hope you'll join us! It will be fun and informative!

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Step 3: Take action - Goals are nothing without action. Don't be afraid to get started with your invention. Just do it.

Almost all of us are coming up with great ideas that solve various problems. That’s why we’re inventors isn’t it? The difference though between success and mediocrity is taking action on those ideas. The longer you put off an idea or goal the less likely you are to achieve or complete them.

All the planning in the world will not help you achieve your goals. You must take action. Once you have determined a goal for yourself, take action within 24 hours. This will set the wheels in motion and create the necessary momentum you need. I once heard a speaker state, “We are either moving toward or away from our goals.” Develop the habit of taking action on a daily basis.

If you are overwhelmed by your goals it's time to break them down into manageable chunks. If you have a large goal that has you intimidated, break it down into steps and even if you are unsure of the all the steps to come at least you know what to focus on next. For example, focus on perfecting your prototype and not on the sales pitch you might be making down the road.

Try not to look at all of the tasks that it will take to reach a goal. When I’m inundated with the many tasks at hand I always remember a story my Mother used to tell me about a boy who was completely overwhelmed with having to memorize thousands of bird species for a test at school. He came to his father with tears in his eyes, not knowing where to start, or how he could ever accomplish the massive task at hand. His father touched his head gently and said, “Son, just take one bird at a time. Don’t look at the birds as a whole.” The boy followed his father’s advice and aced the test.

I remind myself of this simple yet wise story on a daily basis and take one task at a time until my list is completely scratched off.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Inventor Showcase: Say-N-Play – the fun and interactive speech recognition game!


Holly Strange, MS, CCC/SLP a speech-language pathologist in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, conceived of the idea to utilize speech recognition technology to create games for speech therapy practice and Advance Games, LLC was born. Getting children to speak clearly and to practice newly developed sounds daily is one of the biggest challenges facing parents and speech therapists and Holly’s primary goal was to create an interactive way for children to participate in articulation activities in a fun to play computer game format.

Advance Games’ first computer learning game, Say-N-Play, utilizes Eduspeak (a voice recognition engine developed by SRI, International) and provides a fun and visually engaging environment for children between the ages of four and nine to practice speech sound pronunciation. The idea for Say-N-Play was originally developed to provide children with speech difficulty an engaging alternative to traditional speech therapy drill activities. The game has, however, turned out to be an excellent product for all children as a means of reinforcing proper sound and word pronunciation. It also offers the additional benefit of reading skill development as all words are presented in the written as well as the pictorial format.

The graphics in Say-N-Play are vivid, full of color, fun, and child-appropriate. The software features colorful characters and various games to choose from. One of these games is a racing match where the player must pronounce words correctly in order to move ahead and win the race. For every word the player says correctly, he or she is rewarded with an entertaining animation. Multiple levels and a progress report application allow the player, parents, teacher and/or speech therapist to monitor the child’s success.

Please visit www.saynplay.com for more information.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Life is Short, So Live Each Day Like it’s Your Last


Today I find myself emotionally distracted as most of my thoughts are on my best friend, Christie, who passed away seven years ago from cancer. You see, today is her birthday and every year her family coordinates a boating trip to celebrate her life. She would have been 36 years old today if she was still alive.

Christie was a very special person with a carefree outlook on life. Everyone who knew her loved her. She was dearly loved by her family and friends and will always be missed. I feel very blessed that I was able to be in her wedding and she in mine as those memories are so precious. I realize that many of the decisions I’ve made personally and professionally after her death were a direct result to how she lived her life. She would constantly remind me of what is important in life and every moment you have on this Earth should be cherished. If you have a dream, make it happen. If you’re angry with someone, get over it. If you have children, spend as much time as possible loving them.

Christie was by far the strongest and most stoic person I have ever met. She never complained and was just happy to have one more day to spend with her family. I’m so happy to have had her in my life, though it was cut short. In one of my last visits with her I mentioned how I didn’t want to go to our upcoming class reunion and complained about frivolous things. All she said in return is, “I would give anything to go.” Boy, if that doesn’t give you new perspective, I don’t know what else will. I immediately realized my foolishness. She just wanted to live long enough to go to the reunion to say goodbye to everyone, but she passed two months prior.

I was so heartbroken and could only think about a way she could say her final goodbye to everyone, so I made a movie about her life. I didn’t realize what a gift this movie has been for her family and loved ones. We will be watching it tonight along with her two beautiful daughters in celebration of her life. I hope the movie I have provided for your viewing will allow you to see a glimpse of what a wonderful person she was. I hope we all can live life as she did!

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Inventor Showcase: Mommy Mitten


We’re very proud to be showcasing the talented and creative Amy Sapirstein and her amazing invention called Mommy Mitten. Jen and I have been in contact with Amy for some time now and just love her product. To top it off, she’s a great gal!!! You can purchase the Mommy Mitten at www.mommymitten.com as well as on the upcoming Womentorz website.

Here’s a description of her invention as well as her bio:

Mommy Mitten is the MUST-HAVE cold weather accessory for baby strollers!
Mommy Mitten is a hand warmer that easily secures around the handle bar of your baby stroller to keep your hands protected from the elements without having to deal with clumsy, easy to lose gloves or mittens.

Mommy Mitten is water resistant, insulated and lined with fleece for a cozy experience. It offers an external zipper pocket for easy access to things like your keys, cell phone or your baby's pacifier. You can even choose from 2 color combinations: Black with a pink fleece lining or black with an aqua fleece lining.

Moms, dads, grandparents, and nannies: you now have one less thing to keep track of on those busy bad-weather days. All you need this winter is one accessory: Mommy Mitten!

About Amy Sapirstein:

My name is Amy Sapirstein, founder of Active Urban Mom, LLC, and creator of Mommy Mitten. I am 34, living in New York City with my loving husband and our 2 year old daughter. Until her arrival, like most women, I had been focusing on my corporate career. These days I am getting used to, and loving, my new roles as mommy and entrepreneur.

The concept for Mommy Mitten came about in October 2007 when I was pushing our new baby in her stroller around our neighborhood. It was just getting chilly, and I had not yet pulled my gloves and mittens from the back of my closet. That is when the idea struck.

I set up my company, Active Urban Mom, LLC, and two full years later, am happy to introduce Mommy Mitten to the world.

I am proud that Mommy Mitten is at the forefront of my venture, and thank you very much for your support.

2. Decide upon your true dreams and goals: Write down your specific goals and develop a plan to reach them.

I don’t know about you, but I’m a list person. Some say that it’s too constrictive, but I find it quite comforting. I know that I’m the type of person that if I don’t write my thoughts and daily goals down on paper I will forget them and end up feeling more flustered and unorganized as the day goes on. You’ll see me with about four different notebooks, each with a daily list for whatever project I have going on. It’s truly the only way I know how to keep track of all of my daily obligations.

Even though you may not be a list person for your daily activities, writing down your goals, how they will be accomplished and setting a completion date will help make your goals a reality. Sometimes we feel stressed because we’re not achieving things that are important to us, or our focus is headed in the wrong direction.

Daily stress can result from a lifestyle that isn’t in line with where we would like to be, and an overall feeling of frustration and emptiness when we’re not achieving the goals we had hoped to accomplish.

You may want to keep a running journal of how you’re doing on your goals, as a way to congratulate yourself for your success, work through frustration of setbacks, and as a form of continued motivation. You can also make updates to your goals as they change with life experience.

It’s important to visualize yourself achieving each goal. Writing your goals down will help with visualizing the process. Lee Iacocca said, "The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind." What will your achievement feel like? How will your life unfold differently as a result? If your goal is a physical accomplishment, keep a picture of the item where you see and are reminded of it every day. If you can’t picture yourself achieving the goal, chances are – you won’t.

Go out today and buy yourself a nice looking journal and dedicate it to your life goals. Then find a quiet part of the house and start writing. Allowing a few minutes every week to revisit and update these goals will keep your thoughts fresh in your find. These goals could be specifically related to your invention. Either way, keeping a journal of your life goals will be the next step to success in your life.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Thank You Kelly Ripa!

Attention Ladies!

After spending upwards of $30,000 to make it to the Milojo Productions open casting call in Chicago for Women Inventors with a working prototype of her invention, AttachaTray, only to be turned down, you would think Melinda Knight would be crying in her coffee. I can assure you she is not. Instead, finding herself surrounded by a group of incredibly talented ladies, many with fantastic inventions, she saw a need and had an “aha” moment.

If you are a woman inventor looking for a safe, user friendly place to sell your invention that receives high traffic volume with the most profit possible, then womentorz.com is your opportunity! We are very excited about the upcoming launch of this e-commerce site which will provide a marketplace for you to connect with fellow inventors and distribute your product directly to the consumer, eliminating the cost and dependency on retail distribution. The very talented Kat Spellman of The Spellman Company has been selected to handle what is sure to be an incredible public relations campaign. Can you say “media blitz”? She’s worked with everyone from the folks at O Magazine, the New York Times, the Associated Press and more.

Melinda is working hard to finalize the pricing for membership and advertising. Please contact us if you are interested in being a part of this ground floor opportunity! Look out Amazon!

You can follow the progress of womentorz.com on our blog at www.womentorz.blogspot.com as well as on Facebook.
Feel free to contact us directly:

Melinda Knight, Owner and Founder
Mknight@womentorz.com

Jennifer Cannon, Partner and “Executive Cheerleader”
Jcannon@womentorz.com

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Step 1: How you think is everything: Always be positive!

Do you know someone who seems to always have a smile and a positive attitude? Are you always surprised how things always seem to go their way even during tough times? They seem to know that tomorrow will bring a better day. If you yourself always see the brighter side of things, you may feel that you experience more positive events in your life than others, find yourself less stressed, and even enjoy greater health benefits.

The more positive you are about your invention and life in general, others around you will begin to believe your thoughts and feelings. The more enthusiasm you bring in the promotion and discussions concerning your invention the more success your invention will have.

To build a positive attitude you must remind yourself of past victories. Congratulate yourself on the good you have done and will do. Refuse to let any self-doubt enter your mind at any time. Just tell yourself over and over, "I am filled with confidence, and I believe in my invention!"

This also goes for finding positive and enthusiastic phrases that best describe your invention. The more you use these phrases the more you will believe them, and more importantly, your buyers and investors will believe them as well.

When you make a mistake, learn the lesson in that mistake and laugh at yourself. In fact people who can't laugh at themselves are not only more negative, but they’re also more susceptible to cancer, stroke, and heart disease. So laugh and smile as much as possible.

In the women's 100-meter dash at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, for example, the gold medal was won by an American who crossed the line only 2-1/2 inches in front of her closest opponent. Fifth place went to a Jamaican who finished a mere 6/100th of a second behind her. And yet that little bit of measurement made all the difference in the world.

The same goes for attitude. When you compare age, gender, upbringing, education, IQ, and just about any other factor you can think of, research says that positive attitude makes all the difference in success in both your personal and professional lives. In fact, the research makes it clear that attitude is more important than any other element when it comes to ensuring success.

If you follow this first step in both your personal and professional life you will find that you will not only be a happier person, but a more successful one as well!

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

The Pitch Followed by the Wind Up

Deep breath, innn through the nose and slowly ooouut through the mouth, three, two, and (finger point) you're on!

"Hey, my name is Jen and I'm a REAL housewife in New Jersey. I haven't been nipped or tucked and I still clean my own house, which is why I am so excited to tell you about my invention, Grime-Out! This versatile new cleaning tool allows you to simultaneously scrub AND rinse those tough to reach areas in the bath, like shower door tracks, drain covers, jacuzzi tub jets and so much more! Get tough jobs done quicker and spend more time doing what you like! Give grime a time out with Grime-Out!"

Piece of cake - now what? The casting for Kelly Ripa's upcoming series to air on TLC sometime next year was a whirlwind experience to say the least. I spent a little less than 24 hours in Chicago and met some incredible women. To answer the question, I have to tell you a little bit about my chance encounter with Melinda Knight. The morning of the call, I resisted the urge to be in the hotel lobby at 5:00 a.m. and waited until 6:00 a.m. There were a handful of ladies there looking nervously around, introducing themselves (maybe doing a little sizing up of one another) and speculating about what we were doing there. At some point, Melinda sat down behind me and we introduced ourselves. I was shocked to learn that she had traveled from Seattle to Chicago with a recumbant bike, which she still had to put together(!) while waiting in line...exactly the kind of thing that would throw me into full sweat mode. I lost track of her as we filed into the room to register and wait to be taken to the "30 second room" in groups of ten. I was #19. I felt really good about those 30 seconds and would have loved to stick around for lunch with the ladies, but needed to race back to the airport. I was able to say my good-byes, give good luck wishes and collect a few business cards on my way out, including Melinda's. That brief encounter was what I consider one of those "moments" in life that can take you in a whole new direction!

Melinda and I kept in touch. She phoned me one day to say tell me about her idea for an e-commerce website dedicated to women inventors and to ask what I thought about it. I told her I thought it was fantastic, she should run with it and that I would do anything I could to help her out. Now here we are with our little blog and the launch of Womentorz.com right around the corner!

After being home with two young daughters for six years, I am just a few short days away from having some real time on my hands when they start school. I have been thinking about dipping my toe back into the working world and now it looks as though I've got a full time job! As Executive Cheerleader for Womentorz.com (my working title for now), all ten toes are wet and I am diving on in!

C'mon and join us!