MAY/JUNE 2008

www.wln-abwa.com

Empowering From Our President - Pat Kolodziej

Perseverence
Women It’s tough nowadays to hold on and
continue on your path. There are so many
being depended
upon. However,
To empower women to obstacles, so many people who bring I have to say that
succeed in business personally negativity, so much to do in our busy lives. most of the time, I
and professionally through So how do you persevere? How do you do the things I do
networking and education continue on while others have given up? for myself. I know
while building key relationships What keeps you on track? When you fail, they are the right
and having fun! how do you try again? Are you more of a thing to do or the
fighter? Do you want it more? necessary thing to do depending on if it
April’s Photo Collage relates to my personal life or my business
Inside This Issue

I found some quotes that I liked and wanted

Page 2 to share: life.

Business Spotlight “Success seems to be largely a matter I never thought that my business would
be where it is today. But I kept going for
Judy Nepil-Shaw/Mary of hanging on after others have let
myself. I persevered when I lost clients,
Kay Page 3 go.”
- William Feather - when my harddrive crashed, when my time
“Do You Want Raving was running out before a deadline – I just
Customers?” “Perseverance is not a long race; it is kept going. Life is not perfect – we all
Page 3 many short races one after another.” know that. So you will have things that
- Walter Elliott - happen that may deter you from your goals
April/May Meetings - Who
or your dreams. The question is, will you
Attended “The race is not always to the swift,
but to those who keep on running.” persevere?
Page 3
- Author Unknown - Being a successful woman in business, you
Wanted: You!
“Saints are sinners who kept on have done just that. We applaud you for
Page 3
going.” it! In this challenging economy, we know
Member Spotlight - Robert Louis Stevenson - it’s difficult to keep plugging on. We are
Vicki Rae Thorne/Earth here for you – in good times and in bad.
Don’t they just hit the nail on the head!
Heart™ Inc. Page 4 We want you to feel like the WLN is here
Of course – there are so many others who to help you persevere so that your business
Dates to Remember would have thought it was not worth the will succeed and your personal life will
Page 5 time and the energy to continue on. Why is grow.
Meet the Board/ it worth it to you?
“Patience and perseverance have a
Ambassadors I have tried to think of what keeps me magical effect before which difficulties
Page 5 persevering through the obstacles, the disappear and obstacles vanish.”
negativity and the “busyness” of my life. I
Monthly Meetings have to say that it depends. I sometimes
- John Quincy Adams -
2nd Wednesday of each month feel like I do things for others like my Carry on, Ladies of the WLN!
5:30 PM to 7:30 PM family and friends. That’s ok with me. My
$35.00 (includes dinner) family and friends depend on me and I like
 Phot
o Collage
April’s Life is partly what we make it,
and partly what it is made by
the friends we choose.
 !
Don’t miss out on
Spotlight
Business
the networking,
training and fun!
Plan on making
the next meeting.
We’ll see
you there!

Do You Want Raving Customers?

By Dana Phillips, Team Connections

I am a raving fan of Jackie Huba
and Ben McConnell. Their book,
Creating Customer Evangelists, is
incredible. Their six tenets of moving
great customers to raving fans and
“evangelizing” you and your products
have helped hundreds of companies.
How does this apply to you, the direct
seller? Here is one of my favorites:
Customer + ∆: ∆ (Delta) is the Greek
symbol for Change. So Customer + ∆
simply means to talk to your customers,
find out what they like, what they don’t
like, what they would want differently
and then change your business to make it
better.
An incredibly important element
in this process is to listen without
reacting. When you ask someone for
their feedback, listen. Write down their
comments and suggestions, and no matter
whether you agree or not, thank them for
telling you. Then take what you have
heard, evaluate it, and make changes
(that’s the ∆ delta). You will keep getting
better and better, and your customers will
tell others about you and your product.
When your customers begin to tell others
that they have to do business with you
because you are so ___ (Fill in the blank
with fun, informative, helpful, more
than a “sales person”), you have created
customer evangelists. They rave about
you and your products.
Check out Jackie and Ben’s website at
www.creatingcustomerevangelists.com.
Would you give us some feedback? Visit
us at www.teamconnections.org and
email me with suggestions at dana@
teamconnections.org.
Courtesy of Dana Phillips, Team Connections For more
information, visit www.teamconnections.org.
To connect with Dana, email dana@teamconnections.org
or call 972-874-8070

April/May Meetings - Who Wanted: You!

Attended!
Congratulations to the following
members who made a commitment to
their businesses, and themselves, by
attending the April and/or May WLN
Networking Meeting!
Anne Ward Creative Core
Bobbie Allen Peace 4 All
Doreen Langereis Cruise Planners
Jackie Prehn T.R.I.M. Design
Judy Nepil-Shaw Mary Kay
Kathy Glink CAbi
Kris Freeman Freedom Therapies
Lisa Davidson Northwestern Mutual
Norine Wiebmer
Networking With Impact
Pat Kolodziej PK Tax Services
Get involved! Share
your knowledge and
Robin Braga Sterling Silver Jewelry expertise!
Siree Sandberg Bakakos
SSB Financial Services, Inc. The WLN Newsletter is
Kelly Vaclavek
looking for members
Law Office of David Gervais who would like to
Vicki Rae Thorne share their business
Earth Heart Herbal Aromatherapy knowledge by
Deb Metroka submitting articles for
Metroka Coaching Services future newsletters. You
Melissa Douros can submit your articles
DOVCO Collection Services, Inc. for consideration
Randi Goodman Interior Inspiration to Jackie Prehn at
Vikki Callaway Century 21 jprehn01@comcast.net
To be included in future newsletter (All articles must be
recognition, please make sure your informational and not
business card is deposited in the canister
when you check in.
promotional.)

Member
Vicki Rae Thorne / Earth Heart™ Inc.
HerbalAromatherapy for People, Places, and Pets
Tell us a little about your background
and your current business. What makes
you successful?
I started studying herbs in 1974 because
my friends and I loved to cook – the
concept of food as medicine, and herbs
as the foundation for prescription drugs
fascinated me. When our older son had
recurrent ear infections I got serious
about herbal medicine because I didn’t
want him on antibiotics. Echinacea was
the first herbal medicine I grew and made
into remedies, and it proved valuable
for healing all sorts of infections. My
interest in aromatherapy started when
I bought several essential oils after a
weekend intensive, and formulated
effective massage oils for pain and
relaxation.
Earth Heart was founded to help
people improve quality of life by
offering premium holistic products and
programs. I offer classes at a variety of
locations, including community colleges
and holistic health offices, massage
schools and in home gatherings. I have
developed an original line of herbal
and aromatherapy products for people,
places, and pets that includes inhalations,
massage oils, creams, lotions, bath salts,
and sprays for a variety of common
ailments.
My current success story is Canine Calm,
an aromatherapy formulation for anxious
dogs (and their families) that a holistic
kennel in McHenry commissioned over
8 years ago. Since then I’ve developed
3 more products for canines – Calm
Travel for motion sickness, Guardian
for immune system support, and Buzz
Barrier for repelling insects. All the
Spotlight
formulations are effective for people as
well. I now have 8 resellers, including
an animal hospital, health food store,
pet shops and the original kennel. The
success of these products has shifted my
focus toward finding natural pet products
distributors and potential outsourcing of
manufacturing.
How did you get involved in WLN?
Toward the end of 2005 I began visiting
area business groups with intention
to join the one group that could help
me take Earth Heart to a new stage of
growth. The open and energetic feeling
within WLN was contagious (and it
was the last night to join as a charter
member). I joined that first night and
have enjoyed networking with several of
the members and benefited from many of
the business presentations that have been
offered.
Who is your perfect customer?
An ideal customer is someone who
chooses to use quality products for self
and family, someone who gets excited
about a particular product and wants
to share it with others, someone who
provides repeat business and referrals.
What keeps you ahead of your
competition?
As a small business I have the ability to
focus attention on each customer. Earth
Heart products have been developed and
refined by listening carefully to customer
comments. Customers can personally
request that an existing product be
adapted to accommodate a special need,
such as allergies.
“Success means
having the courage,
the determination,
and the will to
become the person
you believe you
were meant to be.”
 George Sheehan
Who is your perfect power partner?
My ideal power partner is someone
who is connected to the pet care/
products market, someone who has
personal experience with my products,
understands their efficacy, and is willing
to incorporate them as part of a holistic
health care menu or the retail product
market.
What tip can you give to a business
looking for your services?
As you look for ways to improve and
expand your product line or services,
think about creating a safe, effective,
and memorable customer environment.
Earth Heart can help you by providing
specialty herbal and aromatherapy
products to augment your business
without the need to cultivate expertise in
those areas yourself.
Whether for people, places or pets,
Earth Heart products are carefully
researched and blended to be safe and
effective; natural, paraben-free and
plant-based; crafted in small batches to
ensure freshness and quality; simple and
practical to use; field and time-tested.
To learn more about Earth Heart products,
classes or services, please contact: Vicki
Rae Thorne, Earth Heart Inc. (www.
earthheartinc.com), PO Box 427, Dundee,
IL 60118, vicki@earthheartinc.com or
(847)551-1806.
Board Members
President Pat Kolodziej
PK Tax Services
Day Phone (847) 858-5074
Email patk@pktaxservices.com
Dates To Remember
July Meeting: July 9th at Giordano’s. 5:30 - 7:30 PM
We will be installing our new board and then doing a special
networking event.

July 12th: Island Relief Event – Family Focused Fun Day

VP Programs Lisa Davidson Live music, www.rootsrocksociety.com and food, t-shirts, open to
Northwest Mutual WLN members - FREE!
Day Phone (815) 444-3779
Email lisa.davidson@nmfn.com
Tuesday, August 19th: 7 PM; Annual wine tasting event at
Winestyles.
VP Events Lisa Krupp
Island Relief
Saturday, June 14th, 2008: “Good Deeds Day” 9:00 AM- 2:00 PM
Day Phone (847) 707-2132 McCormick Park, 427 Virginia Street, Crystal Lake, IL 60014
Email Hosted By: Northwestern Mutual Financial Network: The
lkrupp@islandreliefcharity.org
Kratochvil Group
Join us and thank the community at our first ever “Good Deeds
VP Admin. Kris Freeman Day”! Blood drive, clothing drive, food drive,Cook-out, prizes,
Body Talk Practitioner
Day Phone (847) 975-9406
raffles, music, and MORE!
Email freemankris3@earthlink.net
Sunday, September 28, 2008
The “Run for the Bear” - Save the Date!
VP Marketing Jackie Prehn
T.R.I.M. Designs, Inc.
Day Phone (847) 289-8007 “Don’t wait until everything is just right. It will never
Email jprehn01@comcast.net
be perfect. There will always be challenges,
VP Finance Anne Ward
obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So
Creative Core what. Get started now. With each step you take,
Day Phone
Email
(847) 854-1111
anne@creativecore.com you will grow stronger and stronger, more and
more skilled, more and more self-confident and
more and more successful.”
VP Membership Robin Braga
Independent Rep. for a Mark Victor Hansen
national jewelry company
specializing in sterling silver
jewelry
Day Phone (312) 259-8032
Email rbraga1@hotmail.com
Ambassadors
Membership: Siree Sandberg Bakakos
Visitor Welcoming: Norine Wiebmer
Events: Kathy Glink and Deirdre Reishus
Programs:
Marketing:
Are you interested in becoming an Ambassador? If so, please contact
Pat Kolodziej at (847) 608-6451.

Newsletter designed by
Jackie Prehn, T.R.I.M. Designs, Inc.
Women’s Leadership Network
847.289.8007 • jprehn01@comcast.net
www.trimdesignsinc.com
www.wln-abwa.com