Inventor Showcase: Dot Girls

Today Jen and are feeling very sentimental, so I thought it fitting to showcase a product I wish I had had when I was a young girl becoming a woman. We are proud to have Dot Girls available on Womentorz. We feel this will be a wonderful gift to celebrate a very special time in a young girl's life. This is a perfect complement to the Red Goddess Box that's also found on Womentorz.

Dot Girl’s First Period Kit®
Prepare your daughter for a positive first step into womanhood with The Dot Girl’s First Period Kit®, a stylish and discreet carrying case with all the essentials a girl needs for her first period.

Our period kit is an excellent way to help you and your daughter talk more comfortably about her upcoming first period ensuring a more positive experience

At Dot Girl we believe that girls who have an open dialogue with their parents about menstruation, puberty and women’s issues are more likely to grow into healthy, empowered women. That’s why we offer our period kit as well as other products and resources to help parents guide their girls through this important transition.

Dot Girl Moms

Two sisters, Terri and Kathy, founded Dot Girl First Period Products. Who better than two women, who are also daughters and mothers, to honestly address an uncomfortable topic?

Their motivation to create The Dot Girl's First Period Kit® grew from their own awkward teenage experiences. Despite the fact that their mother was a wonderful nurturer to four daughters, she was never comfortable talking to them about their bodies. They found that this is more often the rule than the exception for both moms and dads. And the reality today is that parents often find themselves in the awkward position of having avoided the subject at all costs, to the detriment of their daughters.

Terri and Kathy's goal for the kit is to provide parents with the tools you need to explain the basics of menstruation to your daughters. And for the girls, they hope that having the kit will lessen their anxiety about their first period and instead turn it into a positive experience.

Kathy's Story
Our family was on a motor home trip when my first period started and I had no idea what was happening. To be honest, I thought I was dying. It took about a day before I had the courage to tell my mother. An immediate, quick trip to the grocery store followed and I still remember my mom hiding the bag from my siblings and handing me a hygiene pad with minimal explanation. I vowed then that if I ever had a daughter, she would be prepared.

Twenty-eight years later and sure enough, that day arrived. One afternoon, I picked up my daughter from grade school and she hopped into the car and told me they had discussed periods in class. Her reaction, "yuck" gave me the opening I needed. On the way home, we talked about periods and the role they fill in a woman's life. She still was saying "yuck" when we got home but at least she understood that periods were just a normal step in becoming a woman. That evening I put together a small bag of supplies for her to use in case she was away from home when her first period started. I included a clean pair of underpants, feminine hygiene products and a washcloth. I had her store it in her gym bag so she would be prepared.

As it happened, she was home when her first period started, and in a very matter of fact voice, informed me what was happening. She was comfortable and I was pleased that such an anxiety-laden day for me was a simple transition for my daughter.

Terri's Story
It was about a week after my older brother died in a traffic accident when I started my first period. Needless to say, my mom was preoccupied by grief. She managed to get me the pads I needed but didn't have much else to say. Unfortunately, I was out of school when the menstruation details were presented by the visiting health expert so I had very little understanding of what was happening to my body.

My mom was from a generation that didn't talk about their bodies so it didn't come easily for her. In the best of times, it would have been an awkward and uncomfortable topic to broach. During a time of immeasurable grief, there was simply no opportunity to have a conversation. When Kathy and I were creating the first period kit, my mom shook her head and said, "Boy, I sure could have used one of those." That was perhaps the greatest compliment our mother could have paid us.

Next Week's News!

We are very excited to let you know that on Monday, November 2, Melinda and Jen will be interviewed by Rich Hallstrom and Tim Humphrey, Hosts of Motivation with a Purpose on KKNW Radio 1150 AM.

You can listen live from 1:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. PST!



On Friday, November 6, Womentorz will be taping a segment for 6 ABC Action News with Karen Rogers! Karen will interview Jen and feature a few fabulous women inventors as well. We are more than thrilled about this exciting opportunity. Not sure if the story will air the same day, but we will keep you posted!

With less than two days away from the official launch of Womentorz.com we continue to receive mail daily from women around the country who share our vision and want to be a part of this unique ground floor opportunity.

Thanks also to all of you out there - you know who you are - who are helping to spread the word about us. It's no newsflash, but still amazing to see what we can do when we join forces vs. going it alone!

We are excited to see what's around the next bend...hope you'll join us!

Don't Miss It! Melinda & Jen Featured Tonight on "Your15Minutes" Blog Talk Radio

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 will air live tonight, Tuesday, October 27 at 6:45 p.m. EST.

You can listen by clicking on http://blogtalkradio.com/your15minutes

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

Step 7: Focus your time and money: Don't let other people or things distract you.

It’s easy to become distracted when a concept or idea seems so daunting it makes it difficult to keep your nose to the grindstone. Distractions are an issue for every woman trying to work from home or at a workplace while juggling the everyday duties of running a household. It's not always kids who are distracting. Often distractions come in the form of housework, friends, spouse, TV or the Internet. Identify your most common distraction and set a daily goal to deal with it.

Even when you’re not trying to work from home, experts say workplace distractions are so widespread that even managers who extend their workday hours cannot avoid disruptions by colleagues, which come in the form of project requests, meeting reminders, last-minute or changing demands, emotional breakdowns, and even expressions of love. We all need to learn the word NO and when to close the door to avoid disruptions. People generally understand if it’s done in a respectful manner.

It’s easy when trying to get an invention to market to become distracted with the overwhelming cost of manufacturing and packaging. Luckily, Womentorz takes the worry of marketing, advertising, PR and retail distribution out of the mix.

It’s also important to not get off course on the financial road. Staying focused on what your priority expenses lay is imperative. It’s easy to get distracted by the bells and whistles. Keep a detailed log of current and future expenses – keeping all receipts along the way. Even though it may be difficult to obtain hard numbers for costs, you should be able to make rough estimates of how much money will be needed to make your idea an actual product ready for market. Having a solid financial plan is one of the most difficult and essential elements to your success.

Q/A with Womentorz Owner, Melinda Knight

Q-Have you always been an inventor?

A- No, but I have a design background and am always thinking of creative and new ways to solve problems. The AttachaTray is definitely the first time that I took an idea and ran with it. Because of my success in business in general, I felt comfortable exploring other avenues to invest my time and resources. I definitely inherited my father’s entrepreneurial spirit and always look to him as an example when I have choices to make.

Q- When did the inspiration hit you to invent your laptop tray?

A- The inspiration for the AttachaTray came while I was working out at the gym and was thinking how nice it would be to be able to get some exercise while keeping up with my businesses. The gym I go to has WIFI, and I knew that if I could get it made, it would be the perfect place to showcase it. I spent the next month or so studying the equipment and making sure there wasn’t something already on the market similar to my idea.

Q- Tell us about your family?

A- My husband Brent and I have been married for over nine years and have two children, Payton age 5 and Rylie age 2. We have lived in Edmonds for the past seven years and have no intention of leaving anytime soon. We are quite the home bodies, so usually our nights are spent watching movies and relaxing. I think it’s because of the daily stress in our business lives that the thought of going out is completely overwhelming.

My husband is very supportive with all of my ventures since I’ve been able to prove myself to him over the years. It isn’t unusual for him to get a little scared at first, but he comes around eventually. I appreciate that he believes in me.

Rylie is quite the ham and always puts a smile on our faces. He has a lot of personality! Everything is dialed to the highest volume in everything that he does. Payton is our sweet and energetic child who loves to cuddle. He loves ice skating and is quite the pro at it already. I have no idea why he decided that was the sport he wanted to go in since Brent and I have never discussed it, yet alone put ice skates on. He’s been at it though for over a year now.


Q- What is one of your goals?

A-I would be nothing without my family. We are a very close unit that is supportive and loving. It breaks my heart when I’m not able to give them the attention they deserve all of the time. My goal is to do a better job of balancing my time.

Q- What are your hobbies/interests?

A- I used to be an avid football and rugby player, but that was a LONG time ago. Sports were my passion back before I had a family. I met my husband while playing football actually. I was also asked to play on a professional women’s football team in Seattle, but turned it down due to my heavy work schedule at the time. The name and the ownership of the team has changed, so I’m not completely sure how they are doing now.

My love for sports has been replaced with a love of interior design. My passion is definitely in making spaces beautiful and working with clients to fulfill their dreams. I wish I was able to take on more projects, but it keeps me from my children and my other businesses that are more lucrative. I have a tough time taking pay for something that I love to do.

Q- What makes Womentorz different than what is already available out there?

A- That’s the thing-there isn’t anything out there like Womentorz. There isn’t anything out there for inventors in general let alone for women inventors. We are providing a marketplace where buyers can go to one place to see all of the latest inventions by women instead of a website here and there that they most likely don’t even know exists. We are providing the missing link between buyers and sellers with our investment in marketing, public relations and advertising. This is an opportunity for women to come up with even more inventions because they know they don’t have to worry about getting their product to market. All they have to do is please the buyer who will be the determining factor to their success.

Q- What do you see in the future for Womentorz?

A- Eventually, I also see Womentorz being an investor in some of these ideas. Jen and I have so many ideas in areas we can take Womentorz. The boundaries are limitless!

Important Womentorz.com Update

We’ve been talking a great deal over the past few months about how we will be promoting womentorz.com prior to its launch as well as post launch. Hopefully you all know about King 5 News doing a feature story on Womentorz. This is just a taste of things to come. People all across the nation are buzzing about what we’re doing both on the seller and buyer side. What a perfect time to launch…..right before the Holidays!!!!

We would like to give you a sneak peak at the advertisement that will be viewable on a national level on major web sites such as Martha Stewart, Rachael Ray, Oprah and Good Housekeeping, just to name a few. We will be promoting womentorz.com as the place to shop for unique gifts during the Holidays. Advertising efforts will be on an ongoing basis to encourage traffic to the site and bring you the most buyers possible.

Another exciting promotional opportunity is our interview with 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. We will be calling in to the show from our respective homes in Seattle and NJ to discuss Womentorz. The show is scheduled for Tuesday, October 27 at 6:30 p.m. EST. We hope you will all tune in.

Things are going very well in finishing up the technical backend coding required to run such a sophisticated website. Remember, we are building a website configured like an ebay or Amazon.com, which is no easy task. This isn’t your average e-commerce site. Blue Sky Projects has been doing an amazing job. This week we are busy with the beta stage, testing the site making sure all the bugs are worked out. The plan is to send inventors who have expressed interest in becoming members a link to the site on the backend to build their profile and upload their inventions. The site will be extremely user friendly, so there shouldn’t be any problems that we foresee.

In the meantime, if you don’t have an account with Pay Pal, please be sure to set one up. This feature will allow all members to receive purchase payments IMMEDIATELY. Womentorz will not be touching any of the transactions. Pay Pal is the only company we could use to set up this type of scenario.

Members will not be charged during the week prior to the official launch. This is your opportunity to be up and ready for visitors once the site goes live. If you haven’t contacted us with your interest in becoming a member please email us at info@womentorz.com. We hope to see all of you on Womentorz.

Q/A with Jennifer Cannon, VP of Global Communications, Part 2

Read Part One

Q-I assume you saw a need for Womentorz? Tell us more.

A- Honestly, this is Melinda Knight’s idea – her baby. We kept in touch after Chicago and she shared with me a lot of the frustration that many of the women were feeling about their experience–it was tough for some because you really didn’t get any feedback from the producers one way or the other. You just gave your pitch and they kept their poker faces. We wouldn’t have known if they loved us or hated us.

Melinda really had an “aha” moment if you will while she was out having drinks with a big group of the ladies at the end of that day (I had to leave)–she kept hearing the same thing about how much money each of them had put into just getting a prototype together to get to the casting call or that they had their product manufactured, but just couldn’t get it marketed or on a shelf somewhere…so much frustration and many feeling like this was their only shot.

Mel called me one day and said, “Well, I have this idea and I was wondering what you think about it…give me your honest opinion…” After she explained I thought–holy cow, this girl’s a genius! I told her that I thought it was a great idea and that I would be happy to help her in any way that I could. And here we are...

Q- Tell us more about you?

A-I have a beautiful son who is twenty-four and two beautiful daughters ages six and four. I am very lucky to be married to my best friend and biggest supporter, Paul Cannon. We met on match.com before it was cool to talk about it. I think we lied to a few people and said we met through college friends (I didn’t go to college). We will celebrate our eighth wedding anniversary in November.


Q- That's great! Where did you grow up?

A- I grew up in Southern California and was raised between mountains, valleys and beaches.

Q- What about some faves?

A- Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love to cook for friends and family, love to read (although I don’t seem to have much time for it at the moment), love music and I hold my friends close. I love horses and saved up my own money to buy one when I was fifteen, but now am allergic to them. I think too much. Sometimes I give myself what one friend calls “over analysis paralysis”. I grew up being a people pleaser–I am happy to say that finally, I do a lot less of that.

Q- You are not the only people-pleaser in the world, rest assured. Tell us about your parents?


A- I am very proud to say that I come from a family of inventors. My great grandfather, John Christian Jensen, invented the P-Static Precipitator in 1937. It keeps static energy from building up on the outside of airplanes. He also studied lightning at Nebraska’s Wesleyan University. He took some of the first/only pics of “ball” lightning. My dad has a couple of them hanging in his office.

I know that my grandfather, Bob Jensen, also has many inventions in his name, I just don’t know what they are!

My father, Steve Jensen, invented and holds the patent for the Electronic Ballast for fluorescent lamps in 1973. The Electronic Ballast keeps fluorescent bulbs from getting hot. My dad is the smartest guy I know–when I say he’s a genius, I am not kidding. He plays piano by ear and cannot read music. Here's an interesting fact: He grew up with Darrell Dragon, “The Captain” of “The Captain and Tennelle". They played piano together regularly as kids.


Q- What is one goal that you have in your own life?

A- I would like to write (finish writing) at least one book and have it published before I leave the planet! My current working title is “Well Adjusted”.

Inventor Showcase: Board Book Albums

We had the extreme pleasure of recently being contacted by Laura Miranti, CPA who is a work at home mom with an entrepreneurial spirit and passion for what she does. Her daughter was the inspiration for her invention called the "Take Your Pix ™" board book photo album.

We will let her tell her story along with a description of her product. We are so thrilled to have her on board. Her product will compliment many of the other inventions that will be available on the site. You can learn more at: http://www.boardbookalbums.com/



How Board Book Albums Came to Be
In January 2007, when my daughter Lucia was a year old, we realized that she was somewhat behind her peers in meeting certain developmental milestones. We began having regular sessions with a physical therapist and an early learning specialist. It was amazing to see how much progress Lucia made very quickly! By age 2, she began walking well and trying to say lots of words. In order to encourage her speech development, the early learning specialist (who is like a speech therapist, but works with children before they begin to talk) suggested that I find Lucia a photo album to fill with photos of her family, toys, and other familiar objects in her world. When I was unable to find a kid-friendly photo album, I came up with the idea to create a board book photo album. This album has been a wonderful learning tool for Lucia. She loves to turn the pages and look at photos of her family, toys, and other familiar objects in her world. Studies have shown that young children only have object recognition with photos. This means that before the age of two, they can not relate a drawing of an object with the actual object, but they can relate a photo of the object with the actual object.

My hope is that many children will enjoy our board book style photo album. Kids with autism, speech delay, or other special needs may find it particularly beneficial as a learning tool, or just something fun to create with their own favorite photos. We hope that you and your children enjoy it as much as we have!

About our Product
Board Book Albums, LLC is proud to offer a new chunky board book style photo album that can be used by small children, big kids, and adults alike. The "Take Your Pix™" photo album (patent pending) has sturdy pages, into which photos can be inserted from an opening in the top of the pages. Unlike other albums, these albums have thick sturdy pages that are perfect for little kids to handle (like the chunky little kids books). Notches have been added to the page edges to facilitate page turning. The photo album is 7" x 7" with 10 pages. It holds 20 4" x 6" photos and has a cover photo frame that holds a slightly smaller photo (about 4" x 5", so you can just trim a 4" x 6" photo to fit). All of our Board Book Album products are free-standing and perfect for display!


Scrapbooking, Baby Shower Gifts, and Wedding Photo Albums
The albums could be used by little ones to keep all their favorite photos or to record memorable events. Moms and other grownups could make scrapbooks, or customize and decorate the albums for special occasions, to give as gifts, etc. The solid white albums are great for weddings, scrap-booking, or decorating yourself. Kids would have a great time decorating their own books with stickers, stamps, or markers. We also offer pink, blue, and yellow albums titled “My First Photos” that are perfect for toddlers or to give as baby shower gifts. We plan to offer the books in other styles and colors in the future. Please feel free to make suggestions or share ideas about products that you would like to see in our store!

Introducing Official Slogan of Womentorz

Thank you to everyone who participated and gave feedback with regard to helping us choose a slogan for Womentorz. You gave us a lot of really fun ideas to choose from. There was one, however, that seemed to stand out and received many comments here and in conversation among friends, family and objective observers :).

So, without further ado (drum roll please)...we are proud to announce:

WOMENTORZ

brainz. broadz. big ideaz.

as our official slogan!

We are planning for chic Womentorz-wear shirts in the near future and may incorporate some of the other great slogan suggestions we received.

Thank you again to everyone for all of your support - we have really been feelin' the love!

Cheers~

Womentorz and King 5 News Seattle!

Thanks to our fabulous and well connected PR genius, Kat Spellman of The Spellman Co., Eric Wilkinson of Seattle's King 5 News will be taping a piece on Womentorz this morning! It's all going down at Zeitgeist Coffee www.zeitgeistcoffee.com, which is also the location for the launch party in November.

Well, all we can say right now is WOW! The call went out to find a few women inventors in the Pacific Northwest who might be available to be featured in the piece and the response was overwhelming!

Due to the big response we wanted to be sure to tell you about the women who Melinda will be meeting today and also introduce you to the ones we won't be able to include this time. There will be many opportunities in the near future however, and we can't wait to include each of them! For now, here is a rundown on the absolutely incredible products brought to our attention yesterday.

Melinda will meet Lauren Selig, the imaginative mind behind http://www.lalatravels.com/ . She's got a wonderful iPhone application for children and many other great products.

Sharon Stuart will be there with her BedVoyage Personal Travel Sheets http://www.bedvoyage.com/ . Live the green life in style with BedVoyage's earth-friendly pure comfort bamboo fine linen sheet sets.

Stacy from Beauty Alert! cosmetics labels http://www.beautyalert.biz/ will also be there, and hopefully they will have time to squeeze this one in - it is truly a great way to keep track of how old that mascara or eye-shadow is getting!

Here are links to the other gals who responded. I do hope I have not left anyone out. We were blown away! Again, we can't wait to feature all of them in some way at the next available opportunity.

Sara Hart makes beautiful icon chocolates that are brushed with 24-carat gold that are very inventive. She even had her own molds made so each icon is personal to her. They do mail order. http://www.almachocolate.com/

Lee Rhodes, creator of Glassybaby http://www.glassybaby.com/ is a $2 million per year product with 10% going back to charities! She has been featured on King 5 News, is on the O List and will be in the New York Times today!

Dana Frank is lovely and has the most amazing watches that you can just clip onto your bag. http://www.tututime.com/

Mary Dolan's Dog Doodads - This a specialized dog harness and its purpose is to stop a dog from pulling while walking on leash http://www.wonderwalkerbodyhalter.com/

Many thanks again to everyone who responded. We hope that you will see what we are trying to do with Womentorz and want to join us!

Have a great day!

Q/A with Jennifer Cannon, VP of Global Communications, Part 1

Q-How did you and your business partner, Melinda Knight, meet?

A-Melinda and I met at the Chicago casting call for Milojo’s (Kelly Ripa’s production co.) Women Inventor Show.

I decided to stay at the hotel where the call was held the night before so that I could be in the lobby as early as possible the next morning. I had no idea if fifty or several hundred women would show up. It was all pretty mysterious with even the hotel staff not knowing much about what was going on.

I resisted the urge to be in the lobby at 5:00 a.m. and instead went down at 6:00 a.m. There were just a couple of other ladies there and I joined them in a small seating area. It must have been right around or a little before 7:00 a.m. when Melinda made her way over and sat down behind me on the fireplace hearth. I turned around to say hello because a) it’s in my nature and b) most of the ladies were pretty friendly and introducing themselves to one another.

When I heard more about her, I couldn’t believe that she flew across the country with a recumbent bike which she still had to put together before we went in! We chatted until it was time to go downstairs but then lost track of each other before going in to register.

After my turn in the "30 second room" I was able to say goodbye and exchange information with a few of the ladies and Melinda before I ran out the door. I am realizing more and more how fateful that day was! I was also surprised recently to learn from her that I was the first person she met that day. Alot has happened in a very short time!

Q- What are your hopes for Womentorz?

A- I feel so passionately about the need to create and connect and share information with others that I hope that Womentorz is going to be a place that encompasses all of those things for many, many women.

I see a global e-commerce site with women from all over the world joining together and selling high-quality, innovative products- creating a one-of-a-kind shopping experience for all consumers. I would also love to see a “Young” or “Junior” Womentorz for girls ages thirteen to eighteen.

I hope that we can help a lot of women out there realize their entrepreneurial dreams.

Inventor Showcase: Red Goddess Celebration Box™

Today has been the most exciting and fulfilling day thus far in the Womentorz evolution with I'm sure many more to follow. I feel truly blessed to have met Marianne Impal who also auditioned at the New York casting call. I would love it if she commented to this posting to tell us all about her experience with that adventure since most of us can relate.

Also, she is currently looking for a manufacturer that specializes in sewing/fabric. If you have any recommendations please leave a comment.

Here is her description of the Red Goddess Celebration Box™:

As a wife and mother of two young girls, I was instantly inspired after reading best selling novel “The Red Tent”, to recreate what seems to be a lacking piece of history where girls actually looked forward to becoming women.

Taking a close look at how Media can effect girls today, putting much emphasis and expectation on the way girls should look and act on the outside has left tweens and teens lacking in self-esteem on the inside and not looking forward to what can be a very empowering and rewarding time in their next phase of womanhood.

Even though my girls were only ages 3 and 5 at the time, I was already thinking of ways to help them accept their future changing bodies. Every adult woman can relate and remember to such a time in our lives during adolescence where the many changes in our physical body, mental, hormonal and psychological changes, has left us feeling awkward and abnormal. It was obvious to me to make such changes for my girls as positive and accepting as possible, so I bought a fabricated box and began filling that box over the years with special treasures, books, bath and body products… anything I could think of that women used to nurture themselves or age old advice that I wanted to pass down to them. My vision is that this treasure would be put aside as sort of a Modern Day Hope Chest and when the timing was right… be it their first period or a time when conversation lacked between us or seeing a sprouting body that needed to be supported with a healthy outlook… I would take this box down as if it were a handed down treasure from one Woman to another. It would be our conversation starter, her keepsake box to keep in her private space or even her gift to pass down to her daughter.

After many years of spreading this concept around to friends, it became clear that many Mother’s, Grandmother’s, Godmother’s and Aunt’s truly wanted to do something special for the young girls in their life with all good intention, but with busy lives getting hold of many of us and reality setting in… many just wished the perfect product was already out there to pick up and having, ready and waiting for the right moment.

It is with great pleasure to introduce the Red Goddess Celebration Box™. A unique and empowering product that is not just a present, but a special gift with a positive message behind it. Visit www.raecole.com for more information.

6. Learn to analyze details: Get all the facts, all the input. Learn from your mistakes.

They say that success lies in attention to the details. Being a detail oriented person doesn’t always come naturally, but it is something that can be learned over time through life experience and self-discipline. As inventors, we need to be aware of things going on in the industry as well as maintain a focus on what we need to do to achieve our goals. If something is overlooked, we are inevitably hindering the completion of the task at hand.

Refer to the experts, utilize your resources and don’t be afraid to ask questions. We can’t expect ourselves to know the answers to everything, but you have to start somewhere no matter the level at which you enter. I promise that most people are flattered when considered knowledgeable in a subject matter you are lacking.

Also, don’t be afraid to make a mistake. If you do not try, you will neither succeed nor fail. Mistakes can be viewed in one of two ways; either a failure or an act of falling forward. The key is to not repeat the mistake, only making them one time and learning from it.

Exciting News!

We are very proud and excited to announce that Beverly Clark, author of "Planning A Wedding to Remember" which at the time was the #1 wedding planner sold in America, will be advertising on Womentorz.com! After launching a line of all original, hand-crafted wedding accessories, websites dedicated to wedding and honeymoon destinations, she is now selling diamonds. If you go to her site you can see the hot jewels worn by host Vanessa Williams at the Daytime Entertainment Emmy Awards!

Looking for that perfect engagement, wedding or anniversary ring? The new website features fine jewelry in all prices ranges and she is able to offer great value by selling directly to the consumer. Sound familiar? Stay tuned because she is going to provide our customers with a code to enter to receive an additional 10% off of any purchase! She is currently busy acquiring new and affordable pieces that will appeal to a broad marketplace.

Beverly Clark is a self-made, true entrepenuer with the can-do spirit that embodies what Womentorz is all about.

We are proud to welcome her here!

Inventor Showcase: ID LINK

I'm so excited about showcasing this invention for two reasons - first being that Wendy Siim auditioned for Kelly Ripa's TLC Women Inventor show, and secondly her product could literally save lives!!! She is completely what Womentorz is all about. Here's more information about her invention:

ID LINK, temporary/emergency wristbands and collars are waterproof identification bands that are designed to be easily customized to communicate critical information for pets and family members at a moment’s notice. A must have in the event of an emergency evacuation or even family outings and travel.

Necessity is truly the mother of invention in the case of ID LINK, founded by Florida sisters, Wendy Siim and Heidi Weber who discovered that pet microchips and metal identification tags were useless if separated while away from home, or contact information outdated.

Apprehensively agreeing to pet sit her sister’s beloved dog Siren, Wendy inevitably found herself in a worst case scenario when Siren escaped in search of her missing family. Siren did have a microchip and had her metal ID tag on her collar, BUT the contact information connected to both of these was to a phone number that would go unanswered for the coming few weeks until Heidi and her family returned home. Fortunately, with the help of an entourage of friends and a cacophony of shaken dog treats Siren was located.

This life altering near disaster started the brainstorming process and the concept that arose was a waterproof collar which locks into place after CURRENT contact information is written on the band itself with an indelible marker. After witnessing the news accounts of family members separated while evacuating and the mayhem in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, the concept was expanded to include family members themselves in the form of a wristband.

The final product, brightly colored waterproof bands, adjustable to fit any size until locked into place as pet collars or wristbands. The bands are sold in packets with an indelible nontoxic marking pen to easily and permanently inscribe contact information immediately prior to travel or evacuation.

Portable and convenient, not only are they vital in emergencies, but can also be used for:
Family travel and outings
School field trips
Parties
During patient transportation/relocation
Young children starting school or riding the bus
Pets boarded or left with a groomer etc.

Communicate exactly what you want:
Contact number(s) -- Outdated contact numbers for lost pets are almost an epidemic Teacher, bus and school information
Allergies and special needs (no peanuts, cannot swim, etc.)
Health issues (hearing impaired, Insulin dependent, etc.)
Precautions (muzzle to clip nails, afraid of thunder, etc.)

ID Link collars and wristbands are Latex free, made of brightly colored waterproof vinyl that lock into place. The included permanent marking pen has been specifically chosen for its durability and is AP certified non-toxic.

Get On Board Now

Womentorz.com has many exciting things going on including the planning of a launch party in Seattle in November, connecting with celebrities and getting tons of media opportunities thanks to the Spellman Company. Now is the time to get on board and let us know that you’re planning on being a “Womentor”. We already have a number of women who are going to be a part of our media blitz and are going to receive free national publicity because they jumped on the opportunity.

The website is scheduled to begin the beta stage October 15th and therefore, we would like to start getting an official count for solid members. Regardless of whether you have your own website and are receiving traffic, the traffic Womentorz will be receiving will be of benefit to you. Once the website is launched, we will be investing in a national advertising campaign where Womentorz will be found on popular sites such as Martha Stewart, Rachel Ray and Good Housekeeping to name a few. We are going big, so now is the time to get in! Please email info@womentorz.com for more information about being a part of the beta stage.

For Your Consideration

I can almost hear you, yes, I am speaking directly to YOU, my fellow inventor, wondering if membership with Womentorz.com is the way to go. I am approaching you now from the perspective of someone who has a product which has yet to be manufactured, but who looks forward to proudly listing GrimeOut, a specialized cleaning tool, on Womentorz.com one day in the near future.

For those of you who have ready-to-market products, which in many cases you have likely put every last dollar into, there is probably not a lot left over to make that big push into the marketplace. Let’s face it, it costs money to build and maintain a beautiful website – and hey – you may already have a website, fine. How do you drive the most traffic to that site? Will your website garner media attention?

For those of you who are selling on the giant Amazon – terrific! Fantastic! How much of the percentage of your profits are you seeing? My oldest and dearest girlfriend sells a children’s book on Amazon. She doesn’t pay for membership – that is done through her publisher. Okay, great. The cost of the book: $13.00. Lori’s profit on each book sold: .63 cents. WHAT! Holy hellfire! The good news is she does readings at local schools in her area and is able to sell them that way. I will use my Auntie Buttercup (aka Cynthia Wall) as another example (yeah, that’s what I call her – I’m Poopsie – it’s a Ya Ya thing). She has written five books which are published through the American Radio League (ARL) and also sells her books on Amazon. She also does not pay a membership fee and receives a much better percentage of her profits than Lori. She does not have a website.

When you are selling on a site like Amazon, your product is thrown in amidst a sea thousands of other products just trying to get noticed. The folks at Amazon are not personally marketing you or shouting the wonderfulness of the new “Super Duper 2000” you have spent your life savings to create. They will not be showcasing you on their blog, sending shout-outs on Twitter, bragging about you on Facebook, or trying to get your product featured as the “must-have” gadget or baby item in a major magazine!

Membership with Womentorz.com makes sense because we want you to get the most profit possible for all of the blood, sweat and tears – let’s not forget dollars – you have poured into your invention. We are inventors ourselves and we get it.

Womentorz wants to work for you as well as with you. We want to proactively promote you and be a part of making your idea the next big thing! In the great, slightly changed words of Jerry Maguire “Help us help you!”

Thank you for your consideration~

Step 5: Be persistent and work hard: Success is a marathon, not a sprint. Never give up.

The difference between the successful inventor and the person who just has a good idea is a persistent and resilient spirit. A resilient spirit may mean contacting ten people the first nine of which say no, but number ten says yes to a contract with the inventor or becomes a source of venture capital.

Inventors and business owners in general need to develop “thick skin” and be able to withstand rejection without taking it personally. It is difficult for most people to separate themselves from the product or service they are trying to sell especially one that’s cared about passionately. The approached contact may suffer from a lack of imagination, is oblivious to the inventions potential, or has other hidden issues better to remain hidden. It is important for the successful inventor to believe in herself and her invention never losing sight of her goal.

Jen and I remind ourselves of the need for perseverance every day. We are passionate about the network and community of women we are building and appreciative of the support of everyone around us.

"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!

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.

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!

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!

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.

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.

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

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!

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!

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.

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.

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!