Moms have been inventing solutions for years – from eliminating the monster under our beds to creating a recipe that will incorporate broccoli into our diets. Some moms, however, have created inventions that have impacted our way of life. Whirlpool brand is looking for the next mom who will make a difference.

To do this, Whirlpool brand is kicking off its fourth annual Mother of Invention Grant Program. Whirlpool brand has recognized and helped more than 15 moms turn their innovative ideas into reality.

The Whirlpool brand Mother of Invention Grant Program provides seed money and expert guidance to moms to turn their invention, business or service ideas into full-fledged businesses. Contest winners receive:

• A $20,000 grant for the grand prize winner
• $24,000 in grant money for the four runner-up
• Appliance prizes
• An invitation to a business boot camp that will provide winners with guidance from Whirlpool and industry experts

This year, Whirlpool is greening the program by adding a new category focused on moms who strive to either create an environmentally-friendly product/service or use natural/recycled materials to create their invention. More information and entry forms can be found at www.whirlpool.com/moms beginning May 11. Entries will be accepted until July 31, 2008.

If you’ve been following the efforts on many fronts to get the SBA to withdraw its federal contracting proposal for women business owners, you know that the effort has drawn the support of women’s groups across the country and several congressional leaders, among others. On May 1, Barack Obama sent a letter to SBA Administrator Steve Preston objecting to the SBA’s proposed rule. You can read it here.

Click here for my previous post, background information on the proposal, and how to post your comments to the SBA.

Two national groups known for their advocacy of small business, The National Federation of Independent Business Small Business (NFIB) and the SBA’s Office of Advocacy have submitted comments to the Department of Homeland Security about the DHS’ “no-match” rule.

Immigration has sparked a national debate, and many small businesses that are trying to comply have been caught between a rock and a hard place after receiving “no match” letters.

Under current law, “no-match” letters are sent from the Social Security Administration to employers indicating that a social security number provided for an employee does not match the SSA’s records. However, no immediate action is required of employers upon receipt of a “no-match” letter at this time.

In August 2007, DHS proposed a “no-match” rule that requires employers who receive a “no-match” letter to fire the employee, or risk civil or criminal penalties, unless the discrepancy can be resolved between the SSA and the employee within 93 days. This rule was proposed despite the fact that DHS failed to conduct a small business economic impact assessment of the rule as required by the Regulatory Flexibility Act.

Business and labor organizations quickly challenged the legality of this rule, and the Federal District Court for Northern California suspended enforcement of the rule until the court resolved this case. NFIB’s Small Business Legal Center filed a friend-of-the court brief during these initial procedures urging the court to invalidate DHS’ “no-match” rule due to the agency’s failure to conduct a small business economic impact assessment of the rule.

In response to this injunction, DHS requested public comments be submitted on the “no-match” rule.
NFIB believes that due to the numerous mismatched records in SSA’s records that the costs associated with enforcing DHS’ “no-match” rule will be significant.

To help make this rule less burdensome to small employers, NFIB recommends that under certain circumstances, businesses should be given an optional extension period beyond the 93 days that the rule provides. Businesses should be offered this extension if they can demonstrate, by showing correspondence or signing an affidavit, that they have contacted SSA and are awaiting further action from that agency; that they are in the process of obtaining necessary documents from foreign governments or other U.S. government agencies; that their employee is temporarily unavailable to aid in the resolution of the mismatch; or any other reasonable limitation on an employer’s ability to resolve the issue within the 93 days.

Likewise, the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy has submitted comments to the DHS recommending that DHS consider alternatives that will reduce the costs and impacts of the rule on small companies.

Advocacy’s letter can be found at http://www.sba.gov/advo/laws/comments/dhs08_0425.html and a Fact Sheet
summarizing Advocacy’s letter at
http://www.sba.gov/advo/laws/comments/factsdhs08_0425.pdf.

Last October I wrote a blog about a local organization called First Step Fund, a microenterprise development organization  charged with the mission of fostering economic self-sufficiency through entrepreneurship training. It’s an organization that’s always been near and dear to my heart because with a very limited budget and staff, First Step Fund is making a difference in the lives of so many people locally, particularly in the lives of women.

Yesterday, at the First Step Fund’s annual luncheon, I had the privilege of moderating a panel discussion on the opportunities for microbusinesses in the economic development projects that are underway in Kansas City. It was a lively discussion, but I was disappointed. Here’s why. I don’t understand why more of the established and successful women entrepreneurs in Kansas City aren’t helping to support First Step Fund and its graduates. There are plenty of mentoring opportunities available. Read on for just a glimpse at the difference First Step Fund and its counterparts around the world are making in the lives of many people.

I wrote about the organization in October because, amid the swirl of news coverage surrounding the Iraq war and North Korea’s nuclear threat, the Nobel Committee announced the Nobel Peace Prize winner: Muhammad Yunus - a Bangladeshi economist - and the Grameen Bank he founded.

Don’t beat yourself up if you missed the announcement. As news stories go, it was a one-day event. But the work of Yunus and the Grameen Bank will be felt for generations.

You see, the bank was the first to issue microcredit - or very small loans - to poor Bangladeshis who could not qualify for a conventional loan. Since the inception of the program, millions of people - mostly women-have been able to use these loans to lift themselves out of poverty.

A noble idea, yes - but Nobel Peace Prize-winning?

Well, yes.

In announcing the award, the Nobel committee justified its selection by saying, “Lasting peace cannot be achieved unless large population groups find ways in which to break out of poverty . . . Microcredit is one such means.”

The bank estimates it has 6.6 million borrowers and provides services to more than 70,000 villages in Bangladesh. It’s an idea that’s catching on-the bank’s success has provided the momentum for other microlending programs worldwide.

Close to home, for example, the Grameen Bank provided the inspiration for the founding of the First Step Fund in Kansas City.

In contrast to the Bank of Grameen, the First Step Fund’s focus is almost exclusively on training, support and mentoring, although First Step Fund does administer a small revolving microloan fund. But the goal is the same: to promote self-sufficiency.

“Our focus as an organization is the individual and fostering economic self-sufficiency,” said executive director Vanessa Finley. “The tool we use is entrepreneurship.”

Since its founding in 1993, First Step Fund has helped hundreds of area people - primarily low-income minority women-step out of poverty and off of public assistance by teaching them the skills they need to run a business.

At the time of application to the program, 49 percent of First Step Fund graduates were not employed, and 47 percent were current or past recipients of public assistance.

The program has more than 800 graduates, and 57 percent of them have started or enhanced a business since graduation. In addition to themselves, these graduates employ more than 430 individuals and they used more than 220 contractors in 2004 (the most recent year for which figures are available).

Sure, most of these are still very small microbusinesses - many of them home-based. But the point is that First Step Fund programs enable the participants to become self-sufficient rather than stay dependent on public assistance. And, in addition to creating an opportunity for themselves, these graduates have created opportunities for others, as their 430 employees can attest. So instead of perpetuating a cycle of dependency, the First Step Fund programs breed opportunity.

Beyond the business training and consulting that participants receive, First Step Fund has an Alumni Group that provides graduates with a vehicle for receiving ongoing support, building networks, developing resources and seeking mentoring.

Both Nobel Prize-winning Yunus and the First Step Fund believe in the school of thought that promotes self-sufficiency by giving people the tools they need to achieve economic freedom. There’s a maxim that says: When you give someone a fish, you feed him for a day; when you teach someone to fish, you feed him for a lifetime. It’s an approach that offers financial and social returns both for individuals and for society. It’s an approach that gives people dignity by giving them the skills they need to shape their own futures-and those of their families. It’s an approach that helps people to take charge of their lives. It’s an approach that helps people feel like they have a shot at controlling their outcomes. And it’s an approach that can eventually help deliver peace. Think about getting involved . . .

It’s Earth Day 2008 – What can your business do to improve the environment?

The environmental movement has come a long way since the 1970s when I first started hearing about it. Then a fringe movement that seemed, to me at least, to have no immediacy or urgency, it has matured over the last three decades. Where then I heard about it only from my mountain-climbing grandfather and aunt who lived in Colorado, now it’s everywhere – from the organic sections of grocery stores to LEEDs buildings to the energy-saving light bulbs in my house that take longer to warm up than my frozen-solid car on a late winter day.

The fact that the green movement took nearly three decades to be embraced by the mainstream reminds me a little bit of kids who won’t listen to Mother as they’re growing up. But then something happens once most kids reach their 20s—suddenly Mother seems to make more sense, to know what she’s talking about. It seems like a lot of people and businesses are waking up these days and realizing that it’s time to listen to our Mother – the Earth.

There are plenty of ways you can “go green.” Shoot, we stick a cardboard copy paper box under each person’s desk in our office and encourage everyone to toss their office paper waste in the boxes instead of the trash. Then someone hauls them off every couple of weeks to one of the green and yellow bins parked conveniently in so many school parking lots across town. It’s easy, it’s convenient, and it’s helping the environment. Of course, the best thing is to think before you print—do you really need to print all your emails? Does EVERYONE at a meeting need a copy of all the handouts, or can they be emailed later for viewing electronically? The list goes on . . .

Locally, one not-for-profit organization that’s dedicated to recycling the “right” way recycled more than 40 tons of waste in just six hours on April 5. That’s 80,000 pounds of waste! The Surplus Exchange partnered with The City of Overland Park for an eWaste recycling event that resulted in the largest one-day electronics clean up in the area. Among the items recycled were computers, monitors, printers, televisions, game console, cell phones and microwaves.

The Surplus Exchange will hold another similar collection event this fall, partnering with City of Overland Park, City of Prairie Village and City of Mission Hills. Make a note to visit The Surplus Exchange Web site at the end of the summer for dates and details.

Think of today as our planet’s Mother’s Day. Take a moment to listen, and then to do something nice for her.

I think this is the first presidential election year when I’m seeing more media attention paid to poll results about the economy than to those about the candidates. Probably not, but it seems like it.

In the latest, survey conducted by Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP), the nation’s largest bipartisan women’s business group, the U.S. economy is the number one issue of concern to women business owners. The 2008 survey, “What Business Women Want” is the sixth one commissioned by WIPP and for the first time the economy outranks health care costs in the poll.

But take a look at this – even though respondents ranked the economy as their number one concern, they were optimistic about their own business prospects in 2008. A whopping 82 percent do not expect to downsize their businesses and nearly half (49%) expect to add up to five new employees this year.

Sound familiar? It did if you read my blog entry yesterday. I noted that in two separate surveys I’d encountered – one measuring consumer optimism and the other measuring business owner optimism – respondents waxed negative about the overall economy but felt optimistic about their own situations. What’s going on here? Are the people who are feeling pretty good about their prospects living in denial about what’s going on around them? Or is the economy hitting certain industry segments and pockets of the U.S. really hard while at the same time most businesses and individuals are doing just fine?

There’s no doubt that the housing market has taken a nosedive, that there’s been some huge - even history making - shake ups in the financial industry, and that the nearly $50 I’m paying to fill up my car is an amount I used to shake my head at a few years ago when my friends who drive gas-guzzlers complained about the impact on their wallets. And with eggs at $3 a carton, there better be some hens out there with some pretty swanky roosts.

Still, the daily - sometimes hourly - reports we’re receiving via virtually every form of media proclaiming the economic sky is falling is more than I want or need to hear - and I’d wager that most Americans would agree. I’m not trying to bury my head in the sand, nor do I need denial counseling. I know times are hard for some segments of the country and for some industries.

What bothers me is that every twist and turn of the stock market, every economic report and indicator released - the CCI, manufacturing inventories, earnings reports - are anticipated for days, dissected within minutes by “experts,” and broadcast as breaking news on Web sites and headlined on the evening news. Yes, the sky just fell again today, exposing us to even greater patches of economic ozone. Have you stocked up on your recession-blocking sunscreen?

Seriously, the instant analysis provides no room for big picture patterns to emerge, no room for contextual understanding. I started reading the fine print of one report that was released a few weeks ago. The part of the report that was making headlines was that consumer confidence had plummeted. Reading further I discovered that respondents thought we were either in a recession or headed for one based on what they were being “told” in the media; however, when asked about their own situations, they were optimistic but thought their own situation was an exception.

Something similar emerged yesterday in a report issued by the National Small Business Association. In the “2008 Survey of Small and Mid-Size Businesses,” owners indicated they were optimistic about their own businesses, but not about the economy as a whole. In the midst of some pretty dire sentiment about the overall economy, 70 percent of those surveyed said they are confident about the future of their businesses. Interestingly, that confidence is not shared equally. Only 64 percent of companies with four or fewer employees expressed confidence in their future. I’d be eager to hear what local companies in that size range think about their futures.

As a business owner myself, I try to make sense of all the reports I receive. I look at my own company and fall solidly in the camp of those business owners who feel they are on course for a strong future. And I remind myself of something I’ve heard Barnett Helzberg, former CEO of Helzberg Diamond, say over and over again. Basically, that you can “concern yourself only with the controllables.” In his book What I Learned Before I Sold to Warren Buffet as well as in his numerous talks, he tells audiences that his father never acknowledged the Depression and did quite well. I tell myself that if someone could sell jewelry during the Great Depression, I can sell advertising in what may or may not be a recession.

Doing what each of us can control to be successful is what will make us successful. The rest is a waste of time.

The benefits of the 25 Under 25 program keep growing - just like our businesses! We are proud to announce the launch of the 25 Under 25 Entrepreneurial Growth Series: Leading at the Next Level. The quarterly series is presented by UMB and Kansas City Small Business Monthly. The series is exclusively for current and past winners of the 25 Under 25 award - a group that is now 175 companies strong.

We’re especially excited because the content of the workshops will be geared towards companies that are in growth stage and all the transitions that occur when a company is experiencing growth - changes in the owner’s role, changes in company culture and dynamics, changes in funding needs, and so on.

So, the first workshop in the series will be “Transitioning from Manager to Leader.” Joe Calhoon, a nationally acclaimed Covey presenter, will lead the interactive session at the Boulevard Brewery on April 29. Tours of the brewery will begin at 4:30 and appetizers and drinks will be available as well.

Owners of 25 Under 25 award-winning companies may register at rsvp@kcsmallbiz.com by April 22. See you there!

Thank you to UMB for your generous support!

Unless you’ve spent your years as a business owner hiding under a blanket, you’ve heard all the statistics about how many marketing messages the average person is bombarded with every day. And you’ve heard how important it is for your message to cut through that clutter.

Well, a marketer I know out in California has a unique way of demonstrating that advice when she presents marketing workshops. She walks across a Bed of Nails! As she stops and balances midway through her “walk,” she reminds her workshop participants that when their messages are packed with lists of bullet points, the messages look and sound just like every other message out there. And just as she can walk across a bed of crowded, evenly spaced nails without them penetrating her, messages that don’t stand out can’t penetrate their intended audience either. In fact, she notes, some people can even sleep on a Bed of Nails - and sleep is the last thing you want your audience to do when you’re trying to communicate with them.

Then she pulls out a board with a single nail in it - and demonstrates how sharp a point a message can make when it stands out on its own.

OK, now it’s time for a quick exercise: What’s your company’s “sleep number”? Be honest. If it’s a bit too soft and comfy, you might be putting your audience to sleep. What can you say or do differently to wake them up and get them to notice you? What out-of-the-ordinary, unexpected thing can you do, say or deliver that would penetrate?

Remember, your message isn’t all about your advertising either. How do you interact with your customers? What are your turnaround times? Do you consistently maintain - or even enhance - quality? All of these are also messages that you send.

This may seem like really basic advice, but figuring out how to cut through all the blah, blah, blah to stay connected with prospects and customers - especially during an economic downturn - will determine your success (and whether you can sleep at night!).

By the way, the name of Terri’s marketing company? Blah Blah Blah

A California businessman named Ward Connerly is attempting to pass state initiatives banning affirmative action programs. The initiatives have already been successful in California, Michigan, Washington, and Florida. He and the organization he chairs, the American Civil Rights Institute, have targeted five states for the November 2008 elections. One of those states is Missouri. In nearby Colorado, the initiative failed to pass the state legislature, but it has made its way onto the November ballot through petitioning.

Connerly is characterizing the petition as one in which people oppose any type of barrier based on race or gender. At first glance it appears to be a petition most women and minorities would support. It is, however, a petition that would effectively ban affirmative action programs.

If you are asked to sign a petition or to cast a vote in favor of this initiative, make sure you know what you are voting for - or against.

This is a huge issue, one I’ll be writing more about. Today I just wanted to get this on your radar screen in case you haven’t seen it elsewhere. If you google “Connerly Amendment Missouri,” you get more than 5,000 matches. Here are several quick links for more information about  the initiative and its history:

On legislation introduced by Missouri Senator Kevin Engler (Rep.) to control the initiative process

Court rewrites ACRI ballot language in Missouri

NewsAmerica Media on the Five States Targeted for 2008

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch 

Link to Connerly’s American Civil Rights Institute