Real You: A post about Huffington Post

     I don't know about you, but when I have the opportunity to meet someone who is a mentor-from-afar (aka hero) and she turns out to be in person even more wonderful than you imagined, it's powerful. I had that opportunity yesterday when I listened to Arianna Huffington tell her story. She made an appearance at a brown bag luncheon to benefit the Venice Family Clinic. To get things started, an amazing woman came forward and told her story about how the clinic had been there for her family when they lost everything due to a child's illness. Her story brought the crowd to tears, including Huffington who onsite announced to the crowd she'd decided to feature the woman's story of reinvention on a new section of the HuffPost called Breakover.      That was cool. Spontaneous. Creative. Loving. After making that announcement, Huffington - who was introduced by her sister/best friend, Agapi - wowed the crowd with her newfound mission to get folks sleeping more. After collapsing at her desk from exhaustion, she has become a sleep advocate and she's taking time to inspire others to do the same. She's created NapQuest rooms at her new AOL offices (named after the company's Mapquest) for her editorial team. She's accustomed to using her wisdom and life experiences to help change the world.

     Huffington spent the majority of her talk reflecting on the positive consequences of rejection (she moved to New York because of a break-up with a man in London), the power inherent in giving back, the creativity explosion happening at this moment due to the connection and engagement the internet provides and using her own life as an example of how anything is possible if you keep the spirit of life in your heart.

     Can you tell I left the luncheon inspired? I'm still smiling. Use your gifts, she told us. Because Huffington is an eloquent writer and believer in the power of women entrepreneurs, because she tells her story - the good and the bad - from the heart as a way to inspire others, she is one of my heroes.

     "Use your gifts," she told us. Oh, and, "Don't sleep with a device next to your bed. A good old fashioned alarm clock is much healthier."

Real You: The joy of dinners

     I enjoyed the best meal last night. Not because of the food, although it was wonderful. Because of the people. A group of people I'd never met before came together last night in Santa Monica and we talked about books. These were a group of booksellers and I've never had the opportunity to sit and share a meal with a group of people more  passionate about books than I am. (And I love books.)      The dinner was at The Penthouse Restaurant on the top floor of The Huntley Hotel in Santa Monica and our table had a sweeping view of the ocean and the sunset, the mountains, downtown LA, and even, later, the lights of the airplanes landing at LAX. Surroundings aside, it was magical. Many of the booksellers had not had the chance to meet each other before, either, so while we all were a bit nervous at first, soon we all bonded over our common love. Books. People who read books. The unique aura of each bookstore, the unusual customers and special moments that happen at each store, every day.

     And, what's so great to discover is that the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in the bookselling world. Pictured above from left, Alison Reid, Diesel Bookstore; Connie Martinson, Connie Martinson Talks Books; Harley Rouda, Real Living;  Julie Swayze and Steve Bowie, Metropolis Books; Roz Helfand, City of West Hollywood Book Fair; Natalie Compagno, Traveler's Bookcase; me; John Evan, Diesel Bookstore; and Shane Pangburn, Barnes & Noble. It's not just authors who are grabbing hold of the power of self-publishing or independent small press publishing and going for it. These booksellers are on the cutting edge, too. They cater to niche markets, they go above and beyond for customers, they grow and change - and they embrace new technology as complimentary to their own businesses.

     And they had read HERE, HOME, HOPE - and liked it! You cannot even begin to understand how much that means to me. I feel as if I've made new friends, have several new bookstores to explore and after dining sky-high above Santa Monica, I'm back at my desk but still on cloud nine.

How Women-Owned Businesses are Surviving the Recession

Women are starting businesses at rapid rates and thriving, despite the economic downturn. According to a recent study conducted by Florida International University’s Center for Leadership and The Commonwealth Institute of South Florida, women-owned businesses are doing better in the recession than most. Key Factors:

1. Women traditionally take on less debt and thus have more flexibility during tough times.
2. Women also try to strategize and reach out instead of jumping to cost-cutting measures.

This is exactly the route Rachel Sapoznik, CEO of Sapoznik Insurance, took to grow her business without eliminating staff. See the full story on how Sapoznik’s and other women business owners’ determination and networking led to success in hard times.

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