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!

No comments: