Connect Club - Connecting Women in Business - Colorado http://www.connectclub.net Mon, 06 Feb 2012 02:13:10 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Floral Designer/Gift Baskets – Colorado http://www.connectclub.net/floral-designergift-baskets-colorado-2/ http://www.connectclub.net/floral-designergift-baskets-colorado-2/#comments Wed, 01 Feb 2012 02:05:02 +0000 connectclub http://www.connectclub.net/?p=1403 Today’s first speaker was Ginger Kaiser – owner of Willows Floral in Golden, CO. She wants us to all think about ordering for Valentine’s Day now. Also for Valentine’s Day Ginger doesn’t recommend roses as the quality is not as good as it is at other times of the year and the prices can be atrocious. If you want roses let Ginger know now so she can get the freshest roses for you. You can get more bang for your buck with a nice arrangement in specific colors that will last longer. Ginger brought a sample of a forty dollar arrangement in a very nice vase that was a combination of colorful fresh flowers. Ginger brought in several samples of live gardens that she loves to create this time of year, with everything outside being so drab she loves to create these unique pieces to brighten up your indoor environment. The bulb gardens and hyacinths are very popular this time of year, and Ginger brought in examples of both in a variety of sizes. The best way to care for the bulb gardens is to keep them out of direct sunlight, in direct sun they will grow to quickly and die off sooner. These bulbs can be planted outdoors after Mother’s Day and will bloom again next spring. Her other option is the European Gardens – this is a combination mix greens plants and flowering plants – these are nice for any occasion! They are not meant to stay in the basket that Ginger places them in for long, enjoy them for a while and then moved to another pot and have several wonderful potted plants for years to come. In each European Garden – each plant needs to be watered separately since they are not planted into the basket. These are a great gift for men and office. Living plants do so much to enhance the atmosphere of any home or office and bring the outdoors in. They can as well soften the look and feel of a room by adding the warm ambience with shapes and textures. Ginger tells us that not only do they soften your room there are health benefits from having plants in the home. They can clean the air, reducing the toxic chemicals in rooms with poor ventilation, your carpets, drapery and building components like insulation and particle board also contain chemical that are irritants to humans. However you can overdo it with plants, if you feel overwhelmed with the added work and the feeling that the plants are crowding you then you know that you have to many. Ginger states that about three to eight plants in a room (depending on size) is plenty. So if you have a table or bookcase that needs something, instead of making it look cluttered with knick knacks – just try a green plant or flowering plant. This is the perfect time of year to buy plants, after all the holiday decorations are put away and your house is looking empty and the trees and bushes outside are gray and leafless. Think of Ginger not only for Valentine’s Day but year round for all your floral needs!
Ginger Kaiser * Willows Floral * 303.989.6446 * flower_queenatcomcastdotnet  (flower_queenatcomcastdotnet)  

Our second speaker today was Leailia Bartleson with Mrs. B’s Baskets in Golden, CO. Today Leailia did not bring in any examples of her work, but reminded us that she does her baskets personalized to your wants and they always live up to that expectation. The gift basket ideas go from grilling baskets for the man in your life to a pedicure basket for women and everything in between. You can always check out her website www.mrsbeesbaskets.com for ideas if you are having trouble coming up with one on your own. She also wanted to remind us about the Sweetheart Dinner for Two – which includes dinner, flowers, candles and you just have to show up with your sweetheart! She is working with Suzanne from Food for Thought Catering for the dinner this year. Leailia also operates a concierge service in which she wanted to share her latest project and had planned on bringing in before and after pictures but camera issues prevented that – Suzanne’s backroom – the before was that room that you are scared to walk in – to a room that it so organized Suzanne can walk into that room and find a menu for Valentine’s Day in seconds!! It was quite the accomplishment!!
Then, Leailia wanted to introduce her Mom, Odele – who came with her today – and Leailia told us that her Mom was her inspiration for life. Leailia, first off, wanted to explain that not only was Odele her mom, she was also her Grandmother – in 1962 as a single woman she adopted her youngest son’s child – Leailia. When Leailia was little, her Mom owned and ran Percilla Cleaners in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, a business she started the cleaners in 1955, as a single woman. Her first week in business, she told Leailia, she ran a whole .75 through the register. She knew that she had to figure out a way to build her business – with Durango about an hour away so many of the people in town would just make the drive and get things done there. With no one in her family understanding how to run the dry cleaning equipment and it all fell on to her shoulders, and she took it on and worked hard every day to support her family. So she had to find a way to make her service easy for the residences in and around Pagosa Springs. Odele took a look at her car and figured that it was big enough to do pickup and delivery – so she started driving down to the Apache Reservation and Chama, NM and began a door to door service for dry cleaning. When she saw that this new service was paying off she started driving as far away as Farmington, NM – lots and lots of driving. Originally she offered only dry cleaning, but then after an experience with some very unprepared Boy Scouts, who had their jamboree outside of Pagosa Springs and only had one change of clothes, so she did laundry for the campers so they would have clean clothes each day.  In the sixties the movie “The Cowboys” was being filmed in Pagosa Springs – the crew would bring in the clothes used on the set each day and have them cleaned so that they would be ready the next day for filming. Leailia’s first job was working at the dry cleaners in hanger assembly – putting the paper around the wire for shirts. Her Mom is also a professional seamstress and that as well was incorporated into the business, and she began providing that to the people of Pagosa Springs. She has always worked very hard to support her family and that included raising around 30 children – whether it be nieces, nephews or grandchildren. Odele began her life traveling from Arkansas to Texas in a covered wagon at three years old – lived through the Great Depression and then creating a life for her children and family. Odele should be an inspiration to all of us – she created a life for her family and ran a business in a time when it was not as easy for a single woman to do things that we don’t even think about today! Keep Leailia in mind for all of your gift basket and concierge needs – you know that this is a woman who can get it done!!!
Leailia Bartleson * Mrs. B’s Baskets and Concierge Service * 303.278.6433 * Leaililiaatmrsbeesbasketsdotcom  (flower_queenatcomcastdotnet)   * www.mrsbeesbaskets.com

 

]]> http://www.connectclub.net/floral-designergift-baskets-colorado-2/feed/ 0 Chiropractic/Acupuncture – Colorado http://www.connectclub.net/chiropracticacupuncture-colorado/ http://www.connectclub.net/chiropracticacupuncture-colorado/#comments Wed, 25 Jan 2012 23:31:13 +0000 connectclub http://www.connectclub.net/?p=1396 Today’s only speaker was Dr. Erin Foley of Mountain Lifestyle Chiropractic and Acupuncture Center in Golden, Colorado. This February will be Erin’s 15th year in business here in Colorado, Her ex-husband and she started their business the first of February 1998 and just a couple months later she joined Connect Club for the first time. She will be working on something special to celebrate this milestone. Her ex-husband and she started their business the first of February 1998 and just a couple months later she joined Connect Club for the first time. Erin quit Connect Club after four years with the demands of her business and life – when she wanted to rejoin 4 years later there was another chiropractor in the group so she had to wait until 2008 to rejoin. Her talk today centered around success stories of her patients. Erin’s chiropractic is fairly main stream and she can work on every member of your family from children to grownups – her table drops down and with the use of an activator she can adjust with minimal effort. She is also a board certified acupuncturist and offers that service as part of her practice along with physical therapy. In the physical therapy area Erin is trained in the use of an electrical muscle stimulator and the ultrasound machine to get in deep with each treatment. Dr. Foley’s first success story was 36 year old female when she first came to Erin’s office in 2004. She had lived for 4 years with daily headaches that required daily pain medication. Erin used a combination of chiropractic and acupuncture and within 6 weeks she was 50% better and had been able to reduce her daily use of pain medication – after 10 weeks she was 75% better and off her pain medication. She came back for 1-2 times a month for about a year and is now coming in once every six months and is pain free. Her next success story involves sinus and allergies – a large part of her business – as we are so dry here in Colorado – your allergies can react year round. In 2002, a 40 year old woman came to see her with seasonal allergies that were worse in the fall, she was taking clariten and allergra and was being recommended for allergy shots, which she didn’t want to do. They started working together with acupuncture and chiropractic, and then added in some Chinese Herbs. Dr. Foley is not a Chinese herbalist but has found them useful in her in working with her patients and has an herbalist that she trusts. They worked for 4 months 2 sessions a week and then for 1 session a week for about six months and now she only sees her a couple times a year for chiropractic work and her last allergy treatment was in 2010 – so the combination has become a permanent treatment for her. The last patient Erin wanted to discuss was a 49 year old man, who came in for lower back pain with leg pain and numbness. His pain came on after sitting for a long time, then going out to hit golf balls and over swung and had immediate lower back pain and numbness traveling down his right leg to his big toe. He came into Erin’s office with shooting pains and limping with a pain level around 7 out of 10. She knew that she was working with a bulged disk and sciatica which Dr. Foley treated with a combination of chiropractic and physical therapy, after the second session his pain level was down to 2 out of 10. He came back in for a third session with no pain and minimal numbness. She still sees him outside the office around town– and he tells her “I just feel so great that I haven’t needed to see you!” Although her main client base for maintenance work is female, women are naturally just more proactive with maintaining what positive changes they have experienced, men generally come in when they can’t walk upright and are gone until the next injury – she however does have a few male clients that do come in for maintenance!
The benefit to what Erin does is that when working with chronic pain – she can do so without using the pain medications that your medical doctor is so willing to prescribe – that will not treat the problem. Your medical doctor is great for injury and major health issues however they do not deal with long term pain without pharmaceuticals. Erin can work through the area and diagnose the symptoms of your pain rather than just treat it with cortisone shots or pain medications. Erin can help out with plantar fasciitis by using chiropractic techniques, acupuncture and orthotics, not only will this help your foot pain it will also help to straighten out the rest of your body. Erin can treat all varieties of pain from headaches to your toes – if your need a Chiropractor/Acupuncturist that you can trust to listen to your issues and work with you ~ give Dr. Erin Foley a call!
Dr. Erin Foley * Mountain Lifestyles Chiropractic and Acupuncture Center * 303.271.1701 * elfoleydcatgmaildotcom * www.betterhealthcolorado.com

]]> http://www.connectclub.net/chiropracticacupuncture-colorado/feed/ 0 Realtor/Travel Agent – Colorado http://www.connectclub.net/realtortravel-agent-colorado/ http://www.connectclub.net/realtortravel-agent-colorado/#comments Wed, 18 Jan 2012 23:19:45 +0000 connectclub http://www.connectclub.net/?p=1392 Today’s first speaker was Genie Reynolds of Magic Genie Realty & Property Management in Denver, CO.  Genie talked to us today about how she uses negotiation in her business. Genie is a certified negotiation expert – she took a class about three years ago to learn how to do this. First Genie gave us an over view on selling versus and negotiating.

Selling:
* Selling – this is the process of inducing the buyer to buy exactly what is offered
* Features – the characteristics of products/service
* Benefits – what buyer will gain from product/service
* Closing – using techniques to get the buyer to say yes

Negotiation:
* Negotiation – process of satisfying each party’s needs and desires
* Interests/Priorities/Constraints – understanding what you and the other party need and desire to get out of the relationship or transaction, the order of importance and what constraints may prevent either side from accepting a given offer
* Options – exploring combinations of value elements that might satisfy each party
* Value – creating a value package that will satisfy both parties
* Agreement – reaching the final agreement on the value package that satisfies both parties

Genie gave an example of buying a cell phone using “Selling” and “Negotiation” to keep it simple for us.
Selling a cell phone:
You walk in and tell the salesperson that you need a cell phone for your daughter. The salesperson shows you a phone and says it is their best seller – tells you a variety of features and that the kids love it. Which color should he get for you?
Negotiating for a cell phone:
You walk in and tell the salesperson that you need a cell phone for your daughter. The salesperson asks you specific questions like how is she going to use it – just with family, or family and friends, or perhaps for her job. Your response – she’s 14 and will probably talk to the whole world. The salesperson will then ask more pointed questions like price range, do you need extra features or should it be durable. So you give him/her your needs – inexpensive, easy to use and durable. The salesperson will then give your options and lets you chose – along with a phone case to protect the phone so durability isn’t a problem.

Genie then transferred this idea into the housing market:
Selling a home for your seller:
“Your buyer should by this home because it has all these really neat features and upgrades, is in a great location, with great schools and is priced really low given everything it offers. It is a really great deal for your buyer.”
Negotiating for your seller:
“In our previous conversations you stated that your buyer was looking for a home in the Brainy School District, close to the high school, with a certain floor plan and upgrades necessary for your whole family to enjoy the home. You further said your buyer needs to be under $xxx,000 and they need to close by this date. My seller’s home and his latest offer can satisfy all of your buyer’s needs, plus there are some other ways that my seller might be able to offer additional value to your buyer if you are interested.”

Genie told a story of a recent home purchase that she worked on where there were a couple minor things wrong with the property and one major thing. Genie worked with the seller broker to get carbon monoxide detectors (a state requirement), GFI receptacles for the kitchen and bathrooms and the major one a sinking a patio. When sending the offer after the inspection Genie worked really hard on wording it to make the seller give in – she worded it so that the seller felt that this was the best way to go to get the property sold. The way you speak in negotiating a sale can directly relate with the outcome that makes all parties feel like they won. In the end Genie got the patio half paid for and the carbon monoxide detectors (although she had to install them) and a tree trimmed in the yard that was a 600.00 deal. She worked for her buyer to get the best deal possible and finalize the sale.
So if you need a realtor who will work for you and negotiate the best deal for you give Genie Reynolds from Magic Genie Realty & Property Management a call!
Genie Reynolds * Magic Genie Realty & Property Management * 303.622.6449 * GenieatMagicGenieRealtydotcom  (GenieatMagicGenieRealtydotcom)   * www.MagicGenieRealty.com

The second speaker we had today was Juli Parrott of Table Mountain Travel in Lakewood, CO. Juli wanted to cover a couple of changes coming up this year  with airline ticketing and advertising restrictions – such as when they are advertising a round trip ticket they have to give you the price for round trip and not the one way fare, the other thing that is required including travel agents will have to tell you is the true cost of your ticket – including taxes and baggage fees. This becomes federal law on January 24th. The next item that Juli wanted to discuss with us was online check-in, airlines are getting tighter on their seat assignment – such as the premier club or frequent flyer. If you belong to neither of these groups you may not get a seat assignment until the day of your flight. To get the opportunity for better seats, you can use the online check-in option and do it the night before your flight – this is when the airlines release these “upgraded seats” to the general public. This option also allows you to pre-pay for your baggage and get up to a 3.00 discount, which is assuming that your bags meet the requirements of weight and size. You cannot do online check-in for international flights. There is a special line for those that check-in online and you just give them your luggage and go to security. The last item Juli covered was passports – since 2009 you are required to have a passport to go to Mexico, Canada and anywhere in the Caribbean. However, technically, when you are going on a closed loop cruise such as Miami to Miami you don’t need a passport. But keep in mind that if you take any excursions of the ship and miss your boat – you will have to fly to either return home or the next port of call – and without a passport it will be almost impossible. Juli has had a couple of experiences where clients just figured out that their passports were expired just days before their trip and has had to refer them to the local passport office. The passport office is in Aurora, where you can get a passport with short notice – you have to set up an appointment and pay a lot of money. If you need the information for that office just give Juli a call and she can get that information for you. On last quick note about the Continental and United merger – they are changing their airline mileage accounts and you have to get online and merge your accounts into your new account. They seem to be trying to re-invent the wheel with the new program. It has been very confusing for members who have mileage with both airlines. If you need a travel agent who knows all the ropes and can help plan the perfect vacation give Juli Parrott a call!!
Juli Parrott * Travel Mountain Travel * 303.277.1580 * juliattablemountaintraveldotcom * www.tablemountaintravel.com

]]> http://www.connectclub.net/realtortravel-agent-colorado/feed/ 0 Marketing/Shaklee – Colorado http://www.connectclub.net/marketingshaklee-colorado/ http://www.connectclub.net/marketingshaklee-colorado/#comments Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:47:22 +0000 connectclub http://www.connectclub.net/?p=1372 Today’s first speaker was Helen Masterson of Masterson & Friends in Arvada, CO. Helen wanted to discuss Lessons from Santa Claus now that we have passed the holiday season.
Make a list, and check it twice – Check your customer list. Is it up-to-date? Identify customers and what they buy. Profile them in detail. What’s important to them? Break it down by generations and target audiences.  It’s a tedious task but it will pay off in the future.
Make a list of 10 of your products or services that you will promote over the next year. Why 10? If you make a list of just one or two, you will certainly never get to three, four, five, six, etc. If the man in the red suit can do it, so can you.
Plan, prepare – and deliver. Santa gears up months in advance for his gift-giving. You should outline a year-long marketing plan. What are you going to promote now, in January. . . in February, March and so on.
Prepare by making sure your website is up-to-date. Next – determine how you are going to deliver your information:  e-newsletter, Facebook, twitter, even direct mail. (If Goggle uses direct mail, so can you.)
In marketing there is the 45 day paper rule. Make contact with your customers at least every 45 days. Or they ask: Are you still in business?
What you use is determined by your customer base. Are they following you on Twitter, Facebook or your blog? Still the best way to deliver is face to face by getting out and going to Business after Hours or Business Expo’s and meet people.  Schedule it out. Plan on it. Make sure you have something to hand-out! This doesn’t have to be fancy, just something to remember you by.
Ho Ho Ho. Update or reinvent. Remember, Santa didn’t start off with Rudolph.
Do you have a product or service that you can reinvent or re-name?  Like with Joan and The Design Coach – a service she already offered but now has given it a name; Suzanne coming up with Desktop Catering for those that can’t leave their desk. A word about naming – since the late 90s and the surge in tech products, we have had a spat of non-names or made-up-names for companies. This violates the first rule of business: your name should never have to be explained. The Hair Place, Food for Thought, but Dixon Paper to Xpedex??? The closing of their Boulder store did the strange new name have anything to do with that?
Show You Care – Santa is associated with gifts and children. Show you care by doing something special. Offer special Flag Day promotion like a flag disposal day, or a shred-a-thon after tax season, etc.
Marketing is not rocket science. It is a mind-set.
You are either going to have a good year or a so-so-year. What will you find under the tree next Christmas? A profit-making year or a lump of coal?
Helen Masterson * Masterson & Friends Communications * 303.467.9680 * helenatguestguidepublicationsdotcom

Our second speaker was Laura Kilty of Shaklee in Golden, CO. Laura took her time today to discuss why we need to supplement our diets. She shared with us some startling health statistics since 1999:
* heart disease is up 9.3%
* cancer is up 19.6%
* diabetes is up 34.5%
Research is saying that these diseases are 60-90% preventable, but with our food declining in natural nutrients and fast food sales are up 2000%, roughly 2% of Americans get the recommended daily fruits and fiber.
Now we are seeing many children developing adult diseases:
* 70% have elevated cholesterol
* 60% are overweight, which then feeds into our adult obesity problems
* an increase of 33% of boys and 147% of girls with type 2 diabetes – this used to be known as adult onset diabetes
* 25% are on prescription medication with 7% being on 2 or more
* in 1996 1 million children were diagnosed with ADHD in 2009 that number jumped to 5.3 million
This may be the first generation in the history of mankind to have a shorter lifespan that their parents. It is a lifestyle choice – what you ARE eating but also what you ARE NOT eating.
We know that supplementation is no longer an option. So what supplement do you choose? Let’s take a look at one of the top selling multi-vitamin ingredients:
* Calcium carbonate, Magnesium oxide, Potassium chloride, Ascorbic acid (vitamin c), Dibasic calcium phosphate, Microcrystalline cellulose, dl-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate (Vit E), Pregelatinized Corn Starch, Contains < 2% of: Acacia, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Beta-Carotene, BHT, Biotin, Boric Acid, Calcium Pantothenate, Calcium Stearate, Cholecalciferol (vitamin d3), Chromium Picolinate, Citric Acid, Corn Starch, Crospovidone, Cupric Sulfate, Cyanocobalamin (vitamin b12), FD &C Red No. 40 Aluminum Lake, FD & C Yellow No. 6 Aluminum Lake, Ferrous Fumarate, Folic Acid, Gelatin, Hydrogenated Palm Oil, Hypromellose, Lecithin, Lycopene, Magnesium Stearate, Manganese Sulfate, Medium Chain Triglyerides, Modified Food Starch, Niacinamide, Nickelous Sulfate, Phytonadione (vitamin k), Polyethylene Glycol, Polyvinyl Alcohol, Potassium Iodide, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (vitamin b6), Riboflavin (vitamin b2), Silicon Dioxide, Sodium Ascorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Metavanadate, Sodium Molybdate, Sodium Selenate, Sorbic Acid, Stannous Chloride, Sucrose, Talc, Thiamine, Mononitrate (vitamin b1), Titanium Dioxide, Tocopherols, Vitamin A Acetate (vitamin a), Zinc Oxide. May also contain <2%: Maltodextrin, Sodium Aluminosilicate, Sunflower Oil, Tribasic Calcium Phosphate. Contains: Soy. The bolded item are good for you or things your body needs the items bolded in red are fillers and can be bad for you – however the polyethylene glycol really surprised me.
Laura also wanted to let us know the things that we need to look for in our supplements like Biotin. This is an essential B vitamin and very expensive – most companies will scrimp and only give you 10% of the expensive one and more of the less expensive B vitamins. Also look at the vitamin E – you want d alpha not dl alpha – which is synthetic.
So where do you start… Shaklee’s Vitalizer is the best if you can and are willing, if not, give the Vita-Lea Gold for those over 50. Add a Shaklee Cinch Protein Shake and a Meal in a Bar to help optimize your health.
Laura wanted to cover the Shaklee Cinch products, because in this time of new year’s resolutions the Shaklee Cinch program has added Leucine to the shakes, snack bars and meal bars, that will allow your body to hold on to precious muscle while you are dieting. When you lose muscle during a typical diet – your metabolism goes in the tank. So when you go off that typical diet you will need to eat less calories than before you started or you will gain the fat back.
The Cinch program is also a great breakfast or meal on the go for busy people… even if you are not looking to lose weight – as we age we lose muscle, drinking a Cinch shake can keep you keep that muscle. There are so many reasons to drink the right protein shake everyday – just make sure that you are choosing the right one.
For those of you that know someone who is looking to get to a healthy weight – in a healthy way – and have it be the last time they have to lose weight on their New Year’s Resolution list, tell them about Cinch. Right now Shaklee has a special that when you buy 3 months of the Cinch Transformation Pack and receive the 4th month free – a savings of 300.00. Keep Laura Kilty and Shaklee in mind when looking into supplements or weight loss she can evaluate your current program and design one that will work with you lifestyle and budget.
Laura Kilty * Shaklee * 303.420.3359 * KiltyCoataoldotcom * LauraKilty.MyShaklee.com

]]> http://www.connectclub.net/marketingshaklee-colorado/feed/ 2 CPA/Printing – Colorado http://www.connectclub.net/cpaprinting-colorado/ http://www.connectclub.net/cpaprinting-colorado/#comments Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:46:03 +0000 connectclub http://www.connectclub.net/?p=1359 Today’s first speaker was Anna Kay Roche, CPA in Wheat Ridge, CO. Anna
wanted to go over yearend tax strategies and some of
the over looked tax deductions. The yearend tax strategies she covered were
accelerating your expenses – although you cannot prepay some reoccurring
expenses such as interest, rent and lease payments, think about stocking up on
office supplies, postage and other office necessities. Buy or upgrade your
equipment or automobile to claim your Section179 deduction, the rules
surrounding automobiles can be complicated so don’t just assume this deduction
make sure by checking with you tax professional. You can also delay receipt of
income – the law states that if you have the money in your hands – even if you
have not deposited it – it is still income. Hoarding your December collections
and then running it to the bank on the first business day in January is a dead
giveaway to an auditor that you are reporting income in the wrong year. Other
things that Anna wants you to consider – be careful about trying to save income
taxes, you may pay a little one year but then have a major payment the next.
You are better off reporting your income evenly over the years. If you have a
large income bubble you may need for tax planning to minimize the tax burden
for that period. A few of those tax deductions that we all may over look from
tax year to tax are – state sales taxes. There are IRS tax tables that show how
much residents can deduct based on their income and the sales tax rates. If you
purchased an automobile or boat you can add that sales tax you paid to the
amount shown on the IRS table. Another sales tax that often goes unused is for
home building materials – this can be a big ticket item and can make the sales
tax deduction a better deal for you than the income deduction. If you spent
time this year looking for a job – you may be able to itemize some of those
expenses – however only 2% of your adjusted gross income. Some of those
expenses are employment agency fees, cab fare, food, lodging and transportation
if your search takes you away from home overnight, and the costs of printing
your resume or business cards and postage. If that new job forces you to move
you can deduct your moving expenses if you have to move over 50 miles. The last
deduction that Anna spoke to us about was out of pocket charitable deductions –
remember whenever doing something for a charitable organization such as baking
a casserole for an event-all the ingredients are deductible, or if you do a
mailing for your favorite organization-the stamps you purchase are deductible, and
if you give clothing to that local homeless shelter those are deductible as
well. Keep all of your receipts –if your donations are more than 250.00 you
will need to document the receiving agency and document the services you
provided. Keeping all of these items in mind Anna wants us all to be prepared
for the upcoming tax season and if you need help getting a handle on your taxes
give Anna Kay Roche a call!!
Anna Kay Roche, P.C. * Certified Public Accountant * 303.403.0775

Today’s second speaker was Cindi Thordarson of EcoGraphics Printing in
Lakewood, CO.  Although EcoGraphics is in the middle of the Children’s
Hospital Colorado Christmas Card Project, which
keeps their office very busy this time of year. There are other clients that
they are trying very hard to keep up with all of the requests. One request,
Cindi brought with her today to explain the complications of printing three
color envelopes. EcoGraphics is a small commercial shop and have two digital
presses along with two small format single color traditional presses and one –
two color Itek 3985 – which will run 2 color tight registration jobs. The issue
with running multiple colored envelopes is that no two envelopes (kind of like
snowflakes) are not created alike. The machine that creates envelopes moves at
amazing speeds which cuts, folds and glues each envelope – so as each envelope
is folded and glued it may be in the machine crooked or just a slightly
different angle creating a slightly different shape. So, as a printer, Cindi
should know that when trying to run three colors – exact registration on
pre-made envelopes will not work. For this job – well – she forgot… So they are
printing the envelopes the correct way, which is running the envelope unfolded
on an 11 x 17 inch sheet of paper where they can get an exact cut and guarantee
that the sheet will hit in the same spot for the third color. They then send
those sheets to an envelope manufacture here in Denver that will convert
envelopes in small quantities. Not the least expensive way to go but it will
get the exact look the customer is looking for. The rest of her talk Cindi
discussed the design of your logo – in these days you can design just about
anything with the aid of computers. Depending on the needs for your business –
whether you will be using letterhead, envelopes and business cards or just
business cards and a couple advertising pieces – you can get as creative as you
want. Just remember that although digital printing has brought the cost of printing
4 color pieces down, it can still be expensive. Cindi doesn’t want to deter us
from doing 4 color projects just take into consideration the cost and use 4
color for a piece that is going to have the most impact with your clients or potential
clients. If you need a piece that creates impact with your clients give Cindi
at EcoGraphics Printing a call and she will work with you and your budget.

Cindi Thordarson * EcoGraphics Printing
* 303.238.7791 * cindiatecographicsprintingdotcom * www.ecographicsprinting.com

]]> http://www.connectclub.net/cpaprinting-colorado/feed/ 0 In Home Care/Mary Kay – Colorado http://www.connectclub.net/in-home-caremary-kay-colorado/ http://www.connectclub.net/in-home-caremary-kay-colorado/#comments Wed, 07 Dec 2011 18:19:00 +0000 connectclub http://www.connectclub.net/?p=1350 Today’s first speaker was Ann Allen of Home Instead Senior Care in Arvada,
CO. Ann started her talk today by telling us about another lead group she is in
and how you cannot assume that people truly understand exactly what services
your company provides. She was speaking about one of the services that her
company provides and another member spoke up and said “I can have your company
do just that?” Yes was her answer. The service was transportation. At this
moment, Ann realized that in some situations people just don’t hear the message
you are sharing. So she wanted to remind us that when we are speaking, we need
to be direct and concise about our services and products. Ann has now been with
our group for a year and thought it would be a good idea to share her journey
that brought her to Colorado from California. The rest of Ann’s talk was about
her and how she came to Colorado to open up the Home Instead Senior Care in
Arvada. If you need someone to help out with a senior in your life – give Ann
Allen and her group of caregivers a call. They will help you and your parent or
family member with dignity and respect.

Ann Allen * Home Instead Senior Care * 303.463.1900
* aallenatdenverhiscdotcom * www.homeinstead.com

Our second speaker today was Ruthie Williams of Mary Kay Cosmetics in
Golden, Colorado. Ruthie wanted to talk to us today about the quarter and all
the new products that Mary Kay is bringing out. The first product is the Mary
Kay Nourishine Plus Lip Gloss – there are 14 colors of sheer cover – they have
added 11 colors this quarter for more choices. This is no ordinary lip gloss,
with the Nourishine Plus Lip Gloss you will get an ultra-glossy shine, a
non-sticky, superlight formula and a load of anti-oxidant rich vitamins and
minerals designed to condition and protect your lips. Ruthie’s next item was
the new Mary Kay Lip Liner, a new velvety formula that is chock full of age
fighting ingredients that will help protect and smooth the appearance of the
lip line while preventing the bleeding and feathering. They have added four new
colors to bring the total of nine shades and one that is actually clear. Why clear,
you ask, well for those that don’t have a lot of experience with lip liner this
liner allows you to prevent the color from bleeding without having to be
perfect, also if you are using bright colors the clear will not change your lip
color. The other new feature that Mary Kay added to the Lip Liner is a sharpener
in the cap, so you can keep the perfect line. Another new product is a new line
of Mary Kay Eyeliner – this new ultra creamy formula glides on easily and is
long wearing, water and smudge proof and fade resistant. Mary Kay Eyeliners now
comes in seven vibrant colors – including rich jade, dark denim and violet ink
for a rich, deep look.  The next new item that Ruthie talked about was the Mary
Kay Timewise Moisture Renewing Gel Mask. This new mask is instantly hydrating
and locks in vital moisture making your skin feel firm and healthy. It only takes
ten minutes and washes off with water leaving you with a more youthful look.
Ruthie also handed out a conversion chart for those items that have been discontinued
this fall and the colors that will be the closest in the new products. I have included this
list so you can check out all of the conversions yourself.
Call Ruthie Williams it you need a new look for the holidays or just need to update
your skin care regimen, she will take care of you!
Ruthie Williams * Mary Kay Cosmetics * 303.278.3520
* RuthieWilliamsatmarykaydotcom  (RuthieWilliamsatmarykaydotcom)   * www.marykay.com/ruthiewilliams

Mary Kay Conversion

]]> http://www.connectclub.net/in-home-caremary-kay-colorado/feed/ 0 Financial Planning/Gift Baskets – Colorado http://www.connectclub.net/financial-planninggift-baskets-colorado/ http://www.connectclub.net/financial-planninggift-baskets-colorado/#comments Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:03:30 +0000 connectclub http://www.connectclub.net/?p=1344 Our first speaker today was Lori Bush-Engel of Modern Woodmen Fraternal
Financial in Golden, CO. Today Lori talked to us about the Modern Woodmen’s
Fixed Annuity – something we should all look into. If you are looking into
changing your financial planner give Lori Bush-Engel a call – she will take the
time to look over your current plan and help you make the best decision for
you!

Lori Bush-Engel * Modern Woodmen Fraternal
Financial * 303.880.4084 * Lori.Bush-Engel@mwarep.org
* www.modernwoodmen.org

Our second speaker today was Leailia Bartleson of Mrs. B’s Baskets in
Golden, CO. Leailia had a lot for us to look at today as she so thoughtfully
reminded us that Christmas is only 6 weeks away. She had 6 baskets that gave us
a variety of ideas that she can put together whether for a child, family or a couple.
For a child – Leailia displayed a basket that had a Melissa and Doug puzzle and
stuffed animals or for a family she had a couple that had a set of dominos,
cookies and cocoa. For that couple that you just don’t know what to get Leailia
had a cool wooden box with wine, cheeses, salami and glasses with a winter
scene. If you need the perfect client gift she can do “the Colorado Basket” –
this has a Colorado scene puzzle, calendar, chocolate and cocoa. Remember that
Leailia will build the basket that you want – whether it be with your products
that you bring to her, or just give her a direction and price, she will also
shop for items that you request and create the perfect basket for you. If that
perfect basket includes a bottle of wine Leailia can also add a personalized
label that can include a special date or celebration! She also had several
items that she can use as fillers in baskets to show us – a few of the items
included Christmas ball bottle stoppers and a new thing – high heel cell phone
holder – I can honestly say – never seen anything quite like that! A few of the
other things were a nativity scene that lights up or themed notepads and of ‘course
a lump of coal. Keep in mind that Leailia has 76 designs for the upcoming
holiday season on her website that you can just click and order! If you need a
unique gift that will be remember long after the wrapping is gone give Leailia
Bartleson of Mrs. B’s Baskets a call and she will create something very special
just for you!!

Leailia Bartleson * Mrs. B’s Baskets * 303.278.6433
* Leailiaatmrsbeesbasketsdotcom  (Leailiaatmrsbeesbasketsdotcom)   * www.mrsbeesbasket.com

]]> http://www.connectclub.net/financial-planninggift-baskets-colorado/feed/ 0 Interior Design/Gourmet Cookies http://www.connectclub.net/interior-designgourmet-cookies/ http://www.connectclub.net/interior-designgourmet-cookies/#comments Wed, 09 Nov 2011 18:49:27 +0000 connectclub http://www.connectclub.net/?p=1331 The first speaker today was Joan Brown from JB Decorating and The Design
Coach in Denver, Colorado. Joan wanted to talk to us today about her Hunter
Douglas Product Promotion – Nov 1 – Nov 30th. She told us that
Hunter Douglas offers the top of the line products and innovations – their
product innovations eventually move down throughout the entire industry. Joan’s
first item she wanted to talk about was the Pirouette line. She had a product
sample that she held up and showed us how the various operating options work.
The Pirouette shade is a soft horizontal fabric vane that is attached to a
sheer backing that allows the open and close feature to control the light in
your room and offers a room darkening feature. It comes in a 4” or 5” vane
option with three fabric options – linen, satin (flat with a shimmer) and crepe
in a wide variety of colors. The Pirouette allows offers two operating options
– the EasyRise, which is a spring loaded riser and the UltraGlide that has a
retractable cord. This model has high energy efficiency, 99% UV blockage when
closed and 86% UV blocking when open and includes a lifetime warranty. The next
line Joan talked about was the Country Woods, this is their wood blind line
that includes a wide variety of whites and wood finishes. All the woods are
coated with Top Shield Protection against fade, moisture, scratching and
chemicals. All of the Country Woods line are 100% genuine hardwood, basswood,
cherry or oak. This line offers 3 styles of valance options depending on the
style of your house – you can get a valance that works with your taste. The
line also has a large variety of decorative tape, that covers the strings, up
to a half inch wide, you can pick the color that matches your interior design.
The riser options for the Country Woods are the Literise or Powerwise both with
child safety features and a lifetime warranty. Everwood Collection, their
alternative wood blind, coated with a PVD free plastic coating and offers a 2
or 2.5” wood slat comes with an elliptical shape that reduces light bleed. They
apply a TruGrain finish to give it the most realistic finish and comes with 4
options of valances. The Everwood Collection comes with Performance Plus
Protection that covers against fading, yellowing, warping and bowing for the
life of the product. This collection has an easy clean surface and completely
washable – is perfect for high humidity, extreme temperatures and direct
sunlight. Hunter Douglas also offers MotorRise riser that has a remote – the
bottom rail has a triple a battery pack that operates the motor. If you are
looking to update the blinds (or any other area) of your home give Joan Brown a
call and she will help you refresh your space on your budget!
Joan Brown * JB Decorating and the Design Coach * 303.399.6208 * joancbrownatqdotcom  (joancbrownatqdotcom)  

Our second speaker today was Faye Luther of Farthest Star Cookies in
Golden, Colorado. Faye started her talk today speaking about how she started
her company and where the name came from. Faye explained that the farthest star
is the dream you’ve always had, the dream you always thought was too far away
to reach. Some of us grow out of our dreams; some of us dream new dreams; and
some of us decide to try for the farthest star. We decide to try knowing that
just by trying; we will grow and be better for the effort. Faye’s dream started
with a chocolate chip cookie. She loves to bake and one day, it occurred to her
that the combination of Irish Cream liqueur and chocolate chips would make a
wonderfully decadent cookie. So she whipped up a batch and a business was born!
All of her cookies are new, unexpected and delicious; true gourmet cookies. What
followed was the desire to make sinfully unique cookies that can be enjoyed by
adults. Faye noticed that every bakery out there offers only a standard variety
of cookies – peanut butter, sugar cookies and of ‘course chocolate chip – all
being great cookies but Faye wanted to venture into something different. All
but one of her cookies contains alcohol, although you can eat her cookies and
drive. She bakes them in two sizes the Farthest Star Cookie Shots – which are
approximately 1.65 oz. and nearly 3” in diameter and the Farthest Star Mini
Shots which are roughly half the size and weight of the Cookie Shots. At
Farthest Star Cookie they use only quality ingredients and high quality well-known
liqueurs to produce each and every cookie. There are no artificial
preservatives or colors beyond what is already in the few ingredients that they
use. Available for Christmas – Faye is offering tins filled with cookies for
gift giving – she brought the tin lids for display – which vary from snowflakes
to a true Christmas theme. Faye took the rest of her time to go over a few of
her cookies.
Irish Crème Chocolate Chip – her first creation – Irish crème liqueur and semi-sweet
chocolate chips are the dynamic duo in this cookie.
The Northface – this is a soft chocolate and peppermint cookie made with
Peppermint Schnapps, a tasty combination.
Peach Schnapps Sugar – this is a
simple sugar cookie, but with the added depth of Peach Schnapps.
Zamora Margarita – this cookie has
natural lime and orange flavoring with tequila added for the kick. Faye lightly
salts this cookie, well, because it isn’t a Margarita without the salt!
Cocoa Curacao – Yummm, this is a cookie on the outside and a brownie on the inside –
a rich combination of chocolate and Cocoa Curacao liqueur.
Faye’s sales are mainly on line check out her website at www.farthest-star.com and place an
order for your Christmas party!
Faye Luther * Farthest Star Cookies * 720.393.0757 * www.farthest-star.com

]]> http://www.connectclub.net/interior-designgourmet-cookies/feed/ 0 Catering/Insurance – Colorado http://www.connectclub.net/cateringinsurance-colorado/ http://www.connectclub.net/cateringinsurance-colorado/#comments Wed, 26 Oct 2011 18:05:15 +0000 connectclub http://www.connectclub.net/?p=1315 Today’s first speaker was Suzanne Smith from Food for Thought Catering in Wheat Ridge,
Colorado. Suzanne wanted to discuss with us today about a really popular fall
fruit and no, it was not the pumpkin. It was the apple – with the holidays
coming up she wanted to give us clues on how to pick a good apple as well as go
over (and let us a taste!!) some of the most popular varieties that are
available right now. First Suzanne wanted to go over how to pick a good apple,
since apples come to the market off and on throughout the fall and winter. This
can make it difficult to know when the apple was picked and how they were
handled during transport. Suzanne gave us these clues to picking a ripe apple.
1.  You should be able to detect a pleasing aroma of fresh apple.
2. To prevent picking a mealy apple – rub your hand across the fruit and if it
fresh and crisp it will have a squeaky sound.
Popular Apples:
Honeycrisp: History – Good genetics courtesy of the University of Minnesota. Flavor – Sweet, crisp with
honey overtones. This apple is quickly finding its way to the top of the apple heap. Used for eating, cooking and baking.
Fuji:
History – This is what you get when you cross an antique American apple, the Ralls Janet, with a not so antique
Red Delicious. The Fuji, despite its all American heritage was developed by Japanese breeders who named it after
the mountain in Japan. Flavor – Mild and very sweet – like a Braeburn – but can be inconsistent. Uses – a good
eating apple, slicing in fruit salads and excellent for applesauce.
Granny Smith:  History – An Aussie native, granny Anne Smith, discovered by chance in 1868. Flavor – this is
the tartest of all the apples, but consistently crisp and snappy all year round. Uses – Great for eating out of hand
when you want a tart crisp apple and great for baking when combined with other apples.
Red Delicious: History – The farmer who discovered this apple couldn’t rid his fields of it, even though he
tried cutting it down. The moral of this story – what do the zucchini and Red Delicious have in common? Both
were fruits that were that were considered weeds and tried to wipe them out. Flavor – Crisp and fruity. Still
the most popular of all apples, excellent when it’s fresh but it can fool you. They often look great in the store
but can be flavorless and mushy. This apple does store well and can be found year round. Uses – Great eating
out of hand or used in fruit salad.
Gala: History – The first tree was the result of crossing a Golden Delicious and the Kidd’s Orange Red in New
Zealand during the 1930’s. Flavor – Sweet. Uses – Eating out of hand, the Gala is the 2nd most popular in the United States.
If you need help with an apple pie for your family for the holidays or an entire meal give Suzanne Smith and
Food for Thought Catering all call and let them handle all of your party and meal needs!!
Suzanne Smith * Food for Thought Catering * 303.425.5442 * Suzannedotfoodforthoughtatjunodotcom  (Suzannedotfoodforthoughtatjunodotcom)  
* www. foodforthoughtcaterers.com

Our second speaker today was Becky Shirey of Farmers Insurance and the Shirey
Agency in Golden, Colorado. Becky’s talk today was covering uninsured or
underinsured incidents and how to share the loss or transfer the loss. The first
product she discussed was a Liability Package that should cover you net worth.
A Liability Package should be designed to protect you for the threat of a third
party claim or a payment that does not go to the insured but to a third party
that was not covered by the insurance contract. This will protect you and your
lifestyle in the event of an accident or situation beyond your control. Un or
Under insured motorist coverage is a critical part of your policy these days as
many people out there either can’t afford insurance or just don’t get
insurance. This should be a sum below your net worth but keep in mind that
going to the hospital after an accident can start at 14,000 dollars. Everyone
should carry underinsured motorist coverage in their policy – just in case. You
also should think about an Umbrella Policy which refers to a type of liability
insurance that protects not only assets but future income – above the general
limits of your regular policy. An Umbrella policy will only goes into effect as
well if your base policy is maxed out, the term “umbrella” refers to how this
type of policy will shield the policy holders assets more broadly than their
primary policy. An example Becky gave us is that if you have just a home and 2
cars on your primary policy it is wise to have a million dollars in an Umbrella
policy which will generally cost around 152.00 a year – sounds like a pretty
minimal investment to protect your future. The Umbrella Policy will provide a
broader base of insurance that will cover you beyond your traditional home or
auto, although it will cover those claims that exceeds your policy limits, it
will also cover underinsured motorist incident as well as covering against
incidents that you have no idea about such as if your child is cyber bullying
another child, or slander and libel. Your insurance coverage is a very
important part of your financial package and can save you from many perils, a
full coverage policy is not as important as your liability coverage, a very
important item to keep in mind. If you need to have your policies looked over
and updated give Becky Shirey at The Shirey Agency a call and she can walk you
through all the insurance that she thinks will cover your life – now and in the
future!
Becky Shirey * The Shirey Agency/Farmers Insurance * 720.273.8076 * rshireyatfarmersagentdotcom  (rshireyatfarmersagentdotcom)  
* www.farmersagent.com/rshirey

]]> http://www.connectclub.net/cateringinsurance-colorado/feed/ 0 Promotional Products/Travel Agency – Colorado http://www.connectclub.net/promotional-productstravel-agency-colorado/ http://www.connectclub.net/promotional-productstravel-agency-colorado/#comments Wed, 19 Oct 2011 14:27:30 +0000 connectclub http://www.connectclub.net/?p=1313 Our first speaker today was Linda Schafer of GL Specialties
in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. Linda had just returned from a Sample Show with the
new products for this coming year. The main topic of the show, however, was QR
Codes and Social Media Marketing. They spoke about how the QR Codes are
actually failing because many of the codes are sending people to sites that
don’t draw in the customer with an poorly designed website that are not updated
enough with relevant or current information. When using these QR Codes you need
to be updating your website as often as possible with new information and offer
special deals or sales. This way your cliental will want to check out your site
and take action on either the information you provide or to take advantage of
the offer that you post. This is something very important for those of us that
are thinking about using this new form of Social Media!
Linda had lots of products to show us that she saw at the show, but first she
wanted to discuss quickly was a recent experience with a client. This had to do
with colors – she was working with a client that uses teal or Pantone color 321
for her logo – in the printing and promotional industry there are 20,000 kinds
of teal ~ and when ordering promotional products using a specific Pantone color
can cost you upwards of 50.00 to 150.00 depending on the color or you can use
the companies standard color which are either free or as cheap as 25.00. When
choosing a color for printing on a promotional product keep this in mind as
there are 300,000 variations of blue and over 350,000 variations of red, so if
you can go with the companies standard color chart you may not be right on with
your corporation’s colors but you should be able to get it close.
The first item that Linda showed us were the large variety of water bottles –
they can range in price for the standard water bottle which costs .79 each to
the high end insulated or metal styles that can cost up to 8.00 each. Water
bottles come in so many styles now that you can really pick and choose the
product that is just right for you. The latest craze is the t-shirt and
baseball hat combo – Linda has a Colorado company that offers this promotional
item and you can get 1 or 1,000,000, with the use of digital printing for the
t-shirts the price has been almost cut in half and the month turn-around time
can now be as little as 3 days. The introduction of digital printing into the
promotional products industry has been a huge bonus for those ordering product.
Linda passed around many products that she picked up and the Sample Show – the
last was a variety of mouse pads that just get more entertaining with colors
and shapes each year.
The resources that Linda Schafer can offer her clients with her years of
experience, knowledge about the products she offers and the hundreds of vendors
she can work with either here in the United States or abroad – allows her to
give the best product and the best price for any promotional product that you
need.
Linda Schafer * GL Specialties * 303.456.9035 * glspecadatglspecialtiesdotcom  (glspecadatglspecialtiesdotcom)   * www.glspecialties.com

Juli Parrott of Table Mountain Travel in Lakewood, Colorado
was today’s second speaker – Juli took her time to discuss the “Serendipity of
Travel”. This is when you travel off the beaten path such as small ship
cruising, rent a canal boat or hotel barge, self-drive or rent a house. All of
these offer you an opportunity to really experience the area you are visiting
at a slower pace. Juli just recently got back from a trip to Southern France. She
stayed in Dordogne, in the Bordeaux region, off the beaten track which allows
for a slower paced vacation. The area is ripe with history being the area in
which the 100 Years War happened and has a variety of both French and British
castles along with prehistoric caves with painting. Juli visited 3 of these
caves – the first being Font de Gaumme, which is a real cave and they allow
nothing from the outside world in. The Lascaux Caves which the tours now take
place in a replica cave to allow the preservation of the real site which was
slow being ruined by tourist. The last Pech Merle – being Juli’s favorite –
these cave paintings are around 25,000 years old and showed the spotted horse
that was not thought to have existed before humans domesticated the horse. Remember
when you are traveling off the beaten track that lunch can take 2 hours – with
something as simple as a ham sandwich, so plan well for your tours and the
hours that your sites are open. While traveling through the region Juli visited
the British castle Castelnaud a place where they spent to much time not
allowing a lot of time for the French 100 Years War castle Beynac. Juli’s group
also canoed the Dordogne River to the castles and had a picnic lunch on the
way. Her trip cost was approximately 1200.00 per person that includes the house
rental and car for 10 days. The visit was a trip that Juli thought was one of
her best to France and one she will remember forever. If you want to plan a
trip that will be with you for a lifetime give Juli from Table Mountain Travel
a call!
Juli Parrott * Table Mountain Travel * 303.277.1580
* www.tablemountaintravel.com * juliattablemountaintraveldotcom

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