We are meeting on Friday, June 1 from 2-4pm at Maynard’s in Excelsior MN for an All Chapter Social Event.

Informal networking and fun and enlightening personality quiz, sure to make you laugh!

We picked June 1 so we can network before the kids get out of school!

We picked Maynard’s in Excelsior because, what better way to kick-off the summer than relaxing with women by the water!

Hope you can join us, guests welcome.

Maynard’s
685 Excelsior Blvd.
Excelsior MN 55331

Get Directions

Questions? Contact Michelle Aspelin 952-484-6015

Members Stacia Christenson & Suzanne Thiesfeld and Guest Karen Wolf from our last All Chapter Event - Creating Relationships!

Marketing is About Relationships

Marketing your business can be challenging, I know. You have lots of options to choose from, all promising different results. In this time of technology and social media, let’s not forget something very simple and very important. Do your clients like YOU?

Marketing is based on building relationships and friendships–on helping other people. When you orient your business on serving your clients, you are more successful. Improve your relationships with your customers and you will increase your business. Your best marketing is a personal approach. It’s an honest approach that reflects your personality.

As long as you are good at what you do and maintain your relationships, you will be successful. Think about it, most of your clients probably aren’t knowledgeable enough to really judge your competence. So they make decisions based on your relationship with them, how you treat them, and how comfortable they feel with you.

What if we did something the old fashion way. Can you find five note cards, five stamps and the address of your five favorite clients? I know, I’m asking a lot. Now, can you find 25 minutes? Write each one a brief note of appreciation. Be thankful from the bottom of your heart. It is February after all. Send out the five notes, then smile. You just did an important marketing task that will come back to you.

“You can’t cross a sea by merely staring into the water.” — Rabindranath Tagore

March 15 All Chapter Event – Mark Your Calendar Now!

We are excited to present Deb Brown of Time Creators for our March 15 All Chapter Event. Deb is a Time Management Expert, couldn’t we all use more time? This must attend event is open to Members and Guests. Here’s the link to the details on our website.

win-mn.com/ceo-doesnt-mean-chief-everything-officer-all-chapter-event

Pre-registration is required. You will receive an invitation via email the week of Feb 6.

This event will replace the regular monthly meeting for the Waconia and the Victoria/Chanhassen Chapters. The New Chanhassen Chapter will have a regular monthly meeting in March.

February Chapter Meetings

You are welcome to visit other WIN Chapters, here are their meeting dates. If you’d like to attend, or if you would like to refer a guest to attend another Chapter’s meetings, please coordinate that through the Chapter Administrator directly. The contact info for all of the Leadership Teams in on the Contact page on the website, win-mn.com/contact-women-in-networking

Waconia FEB 9, meets the 2nd Thursday of the Month

Victoria/Chanhassen FEB 16, meets the 3rd Thursday of the Month

Chanhassen FEB 23, meets the last Thursday of the Month

Our Website is Working!

Every month we post The Networking Minute Newsletter on the website, we add our new member’s profiles and we keep the calendar up-to-date. We make posts on our Facebook page and check in on the official Women in Networking LinkedIn group. All of this takes time and energy, but it’s paying off.

Several of the guests to our various Chapters have found us online. They are searching for something different. A new way to network with women professionals. They are seeking a supportive environment where they can get answers to common questions about their business.

Thanks to everyone for sharing Women in Networking with the friends you know on Facebook, your LinkedIn contacts and if you can place a link to Women in Networking on your business website, we appreciate that too!

Word is spreading about Women in Networking and it’s exciting to be a part of it!

If you have questions or comments about Women in Networking, you can make a comment on this post, connect with us on Facebook or send an email to Michelle.

CEO Does not Stand for Chief Everything Officer: 

5 steps to Letting Go and Creating Your Support Team

You may be in charge of everything, but that doesn’t mean you have to DO everything.

Savvy businesswomen play up their strengths and get help with their weaknesses. When you let go of key things in your business and life, you will find your business will actually increase while your stress level decreases!

Our presenter, Deb Brown, will help you find which items to let go of and which to hang on to. You’ll walk away with your own personal outsourcing plan.

• The #1 myth that could be holding you back.
• What key things you should NEVER outsource?
• What is the cost of doing it all yourself?
• Surprising things to outsource that can actually make you money

All Chapter Event

Thursday, March 15
Oak Ridge Conference Center in Chaska off Hwy 41 just south of Hwy 5  (link for Google map and directions)

11:15am   Arrive for networking and check-in

11:30am  Soup, Salad and Sandwich buffet

12:00pm  Introductions

12:15pm   Speaker: Deb Brown, Time Creators

1:00pm     Networking

1:30pm      Adjourn

Event Registration

We will be using a new system for Event Registration. This will allow you to register and pay for your meal all-in-one. All Chapter Members and Guests are invited to the event. Guests may attend up to 2 All Chapter Events before Membership is required.

An Invitation was emailed, please RSVP by March 7. Or you can Register by clicking on the link below. 

We only have space for 40 attendees – reserve your seat today!

Members:            $18.00 * If you are listed on this website, you are a Member of Women in Networking LLC.

Non-Members:  $23.00

Questions

Contact WIN Founder, Michelle Aspelin at 952-484-6015 or Email Michelle

You can also make comments on our Facebook Page!

About Deb Brown

Deb Brown, owner of Time Creators

Deb Brown is the founder of Time Creators, a personal assistant service.  As a wife, mother of 5, and small business owner, she has learned to create time and balance in her own life.  Deb saves her clients time and money and helps them create more balance in their lives by taking care of all the little things that get in the way of creating the BIG things.

Time Creators www.Time-Creators.com

www.facebook.com/TimeCreators

Questions? Contact Michelle Aspelin at 952-484-6015.

Are you clear on what your strengths are? Do you focus on your strengths in your business? Did you know that the more you work in the arena of your strengths the happier you will be? Can you identify other WIN member’s strengths?

Have you had one of those days when you are working on tasks you don’t like to do and you get frustrated? When that happens to me, I seem to always turn to one task to make me “feel better”. I work on a newsletter. I love newsletters. I love creating the content, designing the layout, working with others on communication. I work on newsletters because it allows me to use many of my identified strengths.

I have taken Gallup’s StrengthsFinder.com profile to learn my top 5 Strengths.

Have you taken the profile? I posted a poll question on LinkedIn, let me know if you have taken it. Go to LinkedIn. Login in and go to the Women in Networking group and see the discussion. If you are not a member of our Women in Networking group, email me and I can invite you. It’s just for WIN members.

Anyway, there are several books about the profile you can check out like Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath

or

Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham & Donald Clifton

Knowing your strengths can help you determine when it’s time to outsource tasks or hire an assistant. The point of the assessment is to bring your strengths to light and your career path should allow you to use your strengths. When you are using your strengths, you are happier and will find greater fulfillment from your business. It applies to your personal life as well.

There are 34 themes of StrengthsFinder. Some refer to the person, some a category, others a quality. Here’s a list of the themes.

Achiever, Activator, Adaptability
Analytical, Arranger, Belief, Command
Communication, Competition
Connectedness, Context, Deliberative
Developer, Discipline, Empathy
Fairness, Focus, Futuristic, Harmony
Ideation, Inclusiveness, Individualization
Input, Intellection, Learner
Maximizer, Positivity, Relator
Responsibility, Restorative, Self-Assurance
Significance, Strategic, Woo

For now, I just wanted to introduce you to the concept of knowing your strengths. Based on the poll results, we might consider a special segment in Women in Networking about knowing your strengths and learning the strengths of follow members. If you have thoughts or ideas, please email me.

“Success follows doing what you want to do. There is no other way to be successful. ~Malcolm Forbes, publisher of Forbes magazine

Books We Love

Now is a great time to highlight the Books We Love page of the WIN website too. It lists books Members have read and would recommend. Many of the titles have the Members name next to it. Contact them with questions. If you would like to add a book to the list, please email me. I made a post about the Books page on our Women in Networking (WIN) Facebook page too. If you aren’t a fan of Women in Networking on Facebook please click the link and “like” WIN. You can post your recommended books there too!

Renewals

I believe we have most everyone’s dues renewals complete. If you have not renewed online or mailed a check, please got to the Dues Renewal Page for more information.

How to make the most of your Women in Networking Experience

There is a new page on the Women in Networking website called the WIN Experience. It explains how to get the most out of your Women in Networking experience. It’s a must-read tool for current and new members! Please review this page after you have finished reading the newsletter!

What’s New for 2012?

Your WIN Leadership teams will be determining meeting dates and topics for the next 6 months. The meeting dates will be published on the calendar on our website. We also post social events there and All Chapter Events.

Our next All Chapter Event is a speaker, Deb Brown from Time Creators. Our topic will be time management. Guaranteed to be a winner topic, aren’t we all looking for more hours in the day? The date is set for Thursday, March 15th, location to be determined. Here is the tentative agenda, please mark your calendar.

11:15   check-in and networking
11:30  lunch
12:00 speaker
1:00   wrap up, announcements and networking
1:30   adjourn

“The world is entering a new time zone, and one of the most difficult adjustments people must make is in their fundamental concepts and beliefs about the management of time.” ~Dan Sullivan, founder and president of The Strategic Coach

Thankful for Women in Networking

I’d like to say that I am very thankful for the women that I have met that make up Women in Networking. I am so proud to be part of such a professional and valuable organization. I know members join, and renew their membership, for many reasons. I look forward to attending every monthly meeting and the All Chapter Events.

We donated 33 pounds of food and personal care items to Bountiful Basket Food Shelf, part of the CAP Agency, serving Eastern Carver County. The drop off was a tearful experience seeing so many in need. Thanks a million for your donations at our December All Chapter Potluck! (See potluck photos on Facebook)

My passion is to connect women professionals so they can have a resource to tap into to help grow their business. That’s what Women in Networking is all about. Like our mission statement says, we share successful techniques, systems, products and services with one another. We are such a wealth of information as a collective group. We are unstoppable!

Thank you for your membership, thank for your pride in Women in Networking. It is much appreciated.

P.S. Please remember to review The WIN Experience page!

Michelle Aspelin, Founder
Women in Networking LLC
www.win-mn.com
952-484-6015

Incoming search terms:

• networking strengths
• what are your strengths
• what are your strengths in networking

A visitor to the Delano Chapter has since moved to Cottage Grove and is interested in starting a Women in Networking Chapter in Cottage Grove. Her name is Emily and she in the wellness industry. She is new to the area and is looking to know other business professionals. She’d like our help to get her started.

We also started a Chanhassen Chapter for Women in Networking being lead by Tracey Rust and Dr. Amber Miller from our Chaska Chapter.

If you know someone who might be interested in joining one of these new Chapters, please contact Tracey or Amber directly or Michelle Aspelin for the Cottage Grove area Chapter. If your organization has offices in Cottage Grove, please consider contacting them and telling them about Women in Networking. It they might be interested in joining, have them call or email Michelle. We will also put the requests out on LinkedIn and Facebook.

We may also be starting a Lake Minnetonka Chapter, let me know if you could refer anyone to that Chapter as well.

Chapter Transfers

If you are interested in transferring to another Chapter, contact the Membership Coordinator for the Chapter you’d like to transfer to. Fill out an application and submit. Or, you can ask me to email your original WIN application to the Membership Coordinator. Transfers are reviewed just like a new member. You will be notified by the new Chapter of your acceptance and they will notify me. I will move your profile from your current Chapter to your new Chapter on the WIN website. Dues are not effected by a Chapter Transfer.

“If you believe that you are having a hard time reaching your goal because you lack the necessary ability, and that you can’t do much to change that … well, there’s no way to put this nicely: you are wrong. Effort, planning, persistence, and good strategies are what it really takes to succeed.” ~ Heidi Grant Halvorson

Welcome New Member

Welcome Suzanne Thiesfeld of Objects and Art, a new member at the Victoria/Chanhassen Chapter.  Please connect with her on LinkedIn.

As a reminder, we have an official Women in Networking LinkedIn Group. You can post questions to members on the discussion board. The group is for Members Only.

Holiday Social Potluck

Please RSVP via the evite if you haven’t already for our WIN All Chapter Holiday Social Potluck.

Wednesday, December 7th from 6:30pm to 8:30pm at ABC Family Chiropractic in Victoria MN.

WIN Administrators – Only WIN members are in my evite database. If you have prospective members you’ve been inviting to your meetings, please forward them the evite. Guests are also welcome.

If you have questions, call Michelle Aspelin at 952-484-6015 or Dr. Becky Pauly at 952-443-3710.

Facebook for your Business

Effective social media can help you grow you business many ways. One way is by converting your existing customers into fans on your Business Facebook Page which allows you to stay in front of them to drive repeat business. Another is through Facebook ads, one of the most highly-targeted and effective ad networks. When you place an ad on Facebook, you have control over the demographics and your budget. You can set daily spending limits, run your campaign for a certain time period and choose the demographics that fit your ideal client.  Facebook ads link.

Women in Networking has a Facebook Page.  And I recently updated our WIN website to show the Facebook “like” button, our recent Facebook posts, and who our fans are. Can you see your face? Check it out! www.win-mn.com. It’s just one more way to keep us connected throughout the month. Feel free to post your events on our WIN facebook page.

“I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.” ~Michael Jordan (yes, we can be motivated by men too!)

Women in Networking Dues – Renew Online!

New this year, I have added a link under the Membership Page on our WIN website for you to renew your dues online via PayPal, debit card or credit card. I will not be emailing individual invoices to members as I have done in the past. Trying to “Keep it Simple”. Dues are $45.00 and are due by 12/31/11.

If you joined October 1 or later, you are paid up through December 2012 and do not have to renew at this time.

If you do not want to pay online, please mail your dues, payable to Women in Networking LLC to:
PO Box 64
Victoria MN 55386

If you are not renewing, please notify me via email. Thanks!

New Leaders for 2011

Victoria/Chanhassen Chapter

Co-Leaders: Stacia Christenson of Mary Kay and Tracey Mattson of Fitness Together

Administrator: TBD

Membership: Jane Friedman of Redo Your View Designs

Waconia Chapter

Leaders will be determined at the January 12th meeting

Chanhassen Chapter

Leadership team roles to be defined, looking for 1 more!

Tracy Rust of UClick Studios and Dr. Amber Miller of ABC Family Chiropractic will be on the team

Delano Chapter

same leaders as 2010

Thanks to all of our 2010 Leadership Teams. We appreciate you keeping us on schedule, facilitating our meetings and coming up with fun topics!

2010 Leadership Team Members: Aleta Mechtel, Bonnie Mechtel, Bobbi Stedman, Tracey Rust, Jennifer Fransen, Melissa Semira, Jules Miller, Roseanne Malberg, Julie Anderson, Sonya Tourville, Cyndi Orr, and Jan Carlson.

Thanks Ladies!!

“To achieve major success in life… you must assume 100% responsibility for your life.”~ Jack Canfield

Looking forward to 2012

As 2011 nears an end, we can look to 2012 for more prosperity, more energy, more sales and more customers! Come on, we are in business afterall! Who wouldn’t want more customers and more sales?

As our chapters meet to determine topics for the monthly brainstorming discussions, I encourage you to choose topics that will help put money in your pocket. How can you increase sales? How can you reduce expenses? What ways can you attract more ideal clients into your business?

If you need a handout developed for a particular topic, let me now, I’m here to help. I can post the handout on the WIN website for ALL chapters to use. Remember, at WIN we try to Keep it Simple! We can share resources!

As always, your feedback is appreciated, put your comments right here on our WIN website or make a post on Facebook!

Best Wishes for a Happy Holiday Season and a bright 2012 for you and your business!

“Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think. Joy follows a pure thought like a shadow that never leaves.” ~Buddha

Incoming search terms:

• potluck group delano mn

POTENTIAL NEW CHAPTERS

Chanhassen Chapter

Lake Minnetonka Chapter

http://www.facebook.com/womeninnetworkingllc

You can post your comments about the event on Facebook or here on our website!

As the facilitator, I got a lot of great feedback from attendees that it was WELL worth their time to attend and they walked away with great ideas for their business. Members have already been setting up one-on-one meetings with other women they want to get to know better. It was a HUGE success!

We have a handful of women who were guests that now want to JOIN Women in Networking because of the experience they had at the event and they now understand what WIN is all about. It’s fantastic!

Michelle Aspelin
Women in Networking Founder

High Energy, High Results Power Hour of Networking - Women in Networking

Are you the type of person that gets up early to “get a little work done” before everyone else wakes up? Then, once everyone is off to work or school, you work another 6-8 hours from your office or home office location. Break for dinner and maybe some evening plans, then work again “after the kids are in bed” or when you realized you didn’t accomplish all that you set out to do that day. I call this working 3 shifts, the early am, the mid-day, and the “after hours” shift. Some days I “work” all three, but you can’t do that too many days in a row or you go crazy.

“It’s not how much you do, but how much love you put into doing that matters.” ~ Mother Teresa

Sometimes you just need a break for your normal routine. You may be forced to take a break because of an illness, lack of clients or some forced reason. Most of us take a break only when we are tired because we’ve been overdoing work, household stuff, running around, going to too many social events, or participating in sports. But there are other times when it is equally important to take a break.

Maybe you are considering a new concept for your business, a new product or service offering. Take a break, go to a coffee shop or the library, someplace where you can truly forget everything else for an hour or two and work on your dream. Describe it. Write down what you’ll need to accomplish it. Then set up a weekly reminder on your calendar system to do 3 tasks a week from your list until you accomplish your goal. If you are the only one in your company, you do it all. Take the pressure off and ask others to brainstorm with you. Not only will you get more ideas, but it’s fun!

What about taking a break from a goal? Have you had a particular goal on your list that seems like forever? Give your goal a break. If you’re not excited about it, give it a rest. You may really want the goal, but if you’re feeling negative about it, like its nagging you, then best to stop thinking about it. Give yourself a break, don’t work all three shifts in one day. You deserve it!

“When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world.” ~George Washington Carver

Women in Networking Upcoming Events

Wow, lots of networking opportunities on the horizon for Women in Networking Members and Guests. Some regular meetings are rescheduled due to the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holiday. Here is a breakdown of the events, you can always consult the Women in Networking Calendar on the website or the Chapter Leader if you have questions. All Leadership Team contact info is on our Contact page of the website.

November 3, High Energy, High Results Power Hour of Networking
Deer Run Golf Club 11:15am to 1pm, facilitated by Michelle Aspelin, Details

November 16, Delano Chapter Meeting

November 17, Victoria/Chanhassen Chapter Meeting

December 7, All Chapter WIN Holiday Social

ABC Family Chiropractic 6:30 to 8:30pm, Pot Luck

December 14, Delano Chapter Holiday Social
Location and time TBD

January – resume regular monthly meeting schedule

April 2012, All Chapter Event with professional TIME Organizer!

All members will receive an evite with specifics.

If you’d like to share with a guest, forward them the evite.

Thursday, November 3rd
11:15 to 1:00pm
Deer Run Golf Course in Victoria Directions

Here’s what’s on tap…

Women in Networking High Energy, High Results Power Hour of Networking is where you’ll get to know the most amazing women in business, across ALL WIN Chapters.

We’ve got a line-up of exciting activities that will get your blood pumping and your mind racing!

You’ll learn interesting FACTS about members, you’ll make intriguing DISCOVERIES about your product or service offering, and you’ll find out WHO you can call in your hour of need to help you with YOUR business.

This will be a FAST PACED networking Power Hour. You’ll be so fired up by the connections you make, the mentors you discover and the insight you gain about your business that you’ll be unstoppable! All you need to bring is yourself, and a stack of business cards, of course.

RSVP as soon as you get the evite. You are welcome to invite other women business professionals to our Women in Networking High Energy, High Results Power Hour of Networking. We’ve got “treats”.

The Event is posted on Facebook so we can easily share it with others who might be interested in attending, beyond our WIN members. Pre-Registration is required, please see below for payment options.

Here’s what the agenda looks like…

11:15-11:30  Check-in and open networking

11:30  Lunch is served

11:45  “Who Is She?” WIN Member Trivia

12:00  L.I.N.K.E.D.I.N. – What does it stand for?

12:15  “What do we have in common?”

12:30  “What’s My Benefit?”

12:45  “Let’s Build a Business!”

12:55  “Wrap Up and Set Up”

1:00  Open Networking after meeting (We will book the space until 1:30 if you’d like to connect with members after the meeting.)

The fee for this event is $17 for WIN Members and $22 for Guests. You may mail a check to Women in Networking LLC, PO Box 64, Victoria MN 55386, or pay now online via debit card, credit card or PayPal account.

Member or Non-Member

WIN Member $17.00 Guest $22.00

Chapter Member or Guest?

Chaska Victoria/Chanhassen Waconia Delano Guest

Questions?

Contact Michelle Aspelin
Cell: 952-484-6015
getconnected@win-mn.com