Michelle Briody, author of 16 Weeks to Your Dream Business: A Weekly Planner for Entrepreneurial Women

Along with her co-author Nada Jones, Michelle founded an innovative fashion business in 2001 that showcased emerging women designers and their products in the fashion, beauty and lifestyle markets and gave women outside of NY and LA access to the latest trends. Having worked with hundreds of emerging women-owned companies, Nada and Michelle decided to write a book to empower other women to go after their dreams and do so in a smart and organized fashion that would lead them to success, while bypassing some of the common mistakes.  In this Chic Perspective, Michelle talks about their 16-week plan for getting started, how women tend to start, build and manage growth differently than men, how this serves as an advantage as well as how it can be a hindrance if they are not careful.  Michelle recounts successful strategies of the top performing companies she has observed over the years and gives tips on marketing and public relations.  She talks about the all important topic of cash flow, how to create, grow and maintain it.   Full Interview  Listen to Michelle Briody's Chic Tip    

March 2 - Kaira Sturdivant Rouday,

President of Real Living, Inc. and author of Real You Incorporated: 8 Essentials for Women Entrepreneurs

Kaira Sturdivant Rouda, president of Real Living and creator of the Real Living brand, is passionate about entrepreneurism, marketing and the power of women in the workforce and beyond. A published author, journalist, marketing executive and business owner, she built her career by working in marketing for national brands and large regional advertising agencies. While maintaining her own writing business, she became the vice president of marketing for an Inc. 100 national franchisor, where she found her passion for franchising as a means to entrepreneurial business ownership.

In 1997, she entered another field filled with entrepreneurs—residential real estate. She launched the nationally award-winning Real Living brand in 2002, now among the fastest-growing franchise companies in the country and making a dramatic impact in an industry in flux. Kaira was recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top 50 Fastest-Growing Women-Led Companies list. Real Living was also recently named one of the 50 Fastest Growing Companies in central Ohio. In this Chic Perspective, Kaira talks about putting the “Real You” in your business, bringing your authentic self and thus your joy to work with you and creating a business through vision, strategy and culture that allows you to achieve your dreams.  Full Interview  Listen to Kaira's Chic Tip

Kathleen Kurre - President, Fusion Advisors and former Executive-in-Residence, Interdisciplinary Institute for Leadership & Entrepreneurship, Georgia Tech

Kathleen Kurre held senior executive positions at Intellego and Healthcare Recoveries, both started with venture capital. She routinely shares her insights and experiences through writing and speaking and works with individuals and organizations as they integrate mind, body, spirit and emotions for success. She recently completed a Masters of Divinity in Spiritual Peacemaking and is working on her first book Doorways of Peace.

After graduating Magna Cum Laude from Purdue University with Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics, Kathleen began her career in computer technology. Her passion emerged quickly: creating systems that connect imagination with reality. After having held analyst and manager positions for Kentucky Fried Chicken, PNC Bank, KPMG and senior management positions with Humana Inc. and Aegon Corporation, Kathleen formally stepped into the creative world of entrepreneurship by joining Healthcare Recoveries, Inc. (HRI) a venture capital backed healthcare, technology services company.

In this Chic Perspective, Elizabeth interviews Kathleen as she recaps a presentation she gave on the topic of female entrepreneurship at the 10th Global Powerful Businesswomen & Leaders Summit (WOIBEX 2008) held on March 8-9 at the Burj Al Arab in Dubai, UAE. Kathleen talks about how women start, and run business differently than men and what challenges and opportunities this represents.   

Jennifer Remling - author of Carve Your Own Road: Do What You Love and Live the Life You Envision and founder of CarveYourOwnRoad.com

Jennifer Remling runs her own accomplished and fulfilling recruiting firm, in addition to Carve Your Own Road. With a book in the works due to be released in April 2009 by Career Press, Jennifer has been featured in media outlets like MSNBC.com and The New York Post. She is also a frequent speaker at corporate training seminars, professional development workshops and other industry events.

In this Chic Perspective, Jennifer shares the keys for developing the mindset of a successful entrepreneur. We've all heard about just how powerful our mind can be when we put it to good use, but many entrepreneurs get so caught up in day to day to-do's and stresses, that they don't tap into the vast power source located right between their own two ears. Jennifer illuminates strategies and best practices she used when starting and building her successful recruiting company as well as how she turned her entrepreneurial dream into a chic reality, complete with a $70,000 Airstream to travel in style. You'll learn how to use what's between your ears in a systematic way to reach your goals on a daily and weekly basis and achieve greater success, certainty and satisfaction in your life. Jennifer shares insights she got from traveling all over the country interviewing successful entrepreneurs as research for her upcoming book: Carve Your Own Road. Jennifer has a passion for understanding the entrepreneurial spirit and is helping people everywhere redefine how and where they work to achieve career fulfillment on their own terms.