Book Arts Show At Works of Wyoming in Laramie Plains Civic Center

Artist Books Call for Entries at Works of Wyoming!



Call for Entries Deadline is August 11th!

Wyoming artists are invited to submit images for jurying for an artist books show at Works of Wyoming at Laramie Plains Civic Center. Deadline for submission is August 11^th, 2011.  Call 307-742-6574 to get a prospectus and application e-mailed to you. 

The show will open September 8^th with a reception from 6:00-8:00pm.  It promises to be an interesting show considering all of the definitions.   



Center for Book Arts founder Richard Minsky’s definition is our guide for submitting and jurying the show. 
“In Book Art the container works with the content. The materials are tactile and often relate to the metaphor of the text. In some cases there is no written text. The book is then a purely visual, totemic or iconographic work, in which the image, structure and materials are the content. The physical presence of a book, its feeling and smell, its weight, the process of moving through its pages or unfolding it speak to our deepest inner sensibilities. The very form speaks of knowledge preserved and communicated. It represents our ability to build on complex ideas which survive millennia beyond the cultures which created them.”

Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund Grant Awarded for On-line Business of Art Education



Owl-Ink and Watercolor
Ariana Kimble
Laramie High School-2011 Show



Street View #2-Acrylic
Megan Weber



Laramie High School

2011 Works of Wyoming Show Artists

Imaputake-Ink and Watercolor
Ariana Kimble

Yea! A Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund Grant was awarded to Wyoming Women’s Business Center and their project Works of Wyoming. The $49,762.00 grant was awarded to support development of online Business of Art classes with varying topics and time frames, for our Works of Wyoming (WOW)Project Director, Chuck Egnaczak, to take WOW's Programs throughout Wyoming, and to bring in a two day on-site Business of Art Seminar similar to last year's sessions, to be held at Laramie Plains Civic Center.  Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund is a program of the Wyoming Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources.

Need a Loan? Women's Business Center Microloan Program Can Help



Marley
Art by Stephanie Hagar

Monroe
Stephanie is a WOW Member



Women's Business Center Microloan Program Helps Secure Financing for Your Arts Business

We offer loans from $500 to $50,000 with repayment terms anywhere from 3 months to 10 years depending on the business type, cash flow repayment capacity, and borrower strength. The typical loan amount ranges from $10,000 to $25,000 especially for startup businesses. Our rates range from 7% to 10.5% based upon credit risk.

To apply please fill out a Client Intake Form at http://www.wyomingwomen.org/, be sure to sign where needed and submit the application.  A loan application can be provided after visiting with a Business Counselor.  A check for $47 needs to be made out to the Wyoming Women’s Business Center for the loan application fee, along with last two years personal tax returns, business plan, and financial projections for the business. All of this information can be emailed, scanned and emailed, or sent via regular mail.

Profit Mastery

Farrah Rhea, Family, and Friend on a recent trip to Disney World
Farrah works hard as our Director of Microlending
but knows it's important to take time for family, friends, and fun!

Speaking of balancing work and fun, just before my relaxing vacation this past week, I was fortunate to get to take a business course called Profit Mastery that is available to small business development clients through Wyoming Small Business Development Center facilitators. I took the course in Casper with SBDC business counselors training to facilitate this service to small business owners. The founder,Steve LeFever, knows that comprehending financial statements can be a dry subject.  He's funny and communicates engagingly while walking us through what some might consider complex concepts and mathmatics.  It was extraordinarily helpful for really comprehending how minimal action in one or more sectors of your business can significantly impact your net profit, capacity for sustainability, and the value of your business, helping to grow, sell, get financing, or even determine the weak areas and exact needs, rather than relying on “best guess,” at any given time.

This is a great financial management tool to analyze profit and adjust your business strategy throughout the life of your business. It is a 16 hour session and can be broken into sections for easier access by a client or a small group of clients via the SBDC facilitator.

Each section has an activity and quiz to which your own figures can be plugged in.

1)An Introduction- defining success, goals, a sort of outline for envisioning the entire process from early on in the business to examining value for sale.

2)Current financial position comprehension.

3)Price-Volume-Costs, and using Break-Even to begin manipulating those features of your business.

4)Cash Flow-Manipulation of timing for income and outflow can be highly affective and effective.

4)Managing Growth-How much and when, and costs of growth, how it affects other areas of your business.

5)Financing Properly and Planning for Transition-rather than doing this first, do the others first in order to get the numbers correct and establish credibility with your lender and establish real net worth.

For more info, click here.  We are always happy to share info to help gain financial independence for small business development!

Christa Sutton at Laramie Business Roundtable!

Christa Sutton, Success and Image Coach

 Christa Sutton presented "Effective Networking"  at Laramie Business Roundtable at the last Roundtable of this season. First and foremost, "Go on, get out there and tell your story!"  She said you've got about three minutes to tell them about you and what you do in any networking setting. For the first minute, your listener is paying more attention to how you look, and into the second minute is when they start paying attention to your message, and by the third minute their attention will start to focus on how it relates to them.  Attention Laramie business networkers! She had really good things to say about our networking ability! She spoke on how and why networking differs between men and women as well as effective ways to build relationships that will positively affect more than just your career.  Guys like to hear the facts, women want to hear how you feel about the facts.  So integrate both into your message.

I got so much from this Roundtable.  The primary take-away message was be real, be honest, and tell your listener or reader why you do what you do.  I know why I do art.  I love using my art tools like my paints, my pencils, my chalks to touch surfaces, especially my handmade paper, and my canvas. It helps me communicate what I feel about whatever it is I am painting. I like being outdoors for plein air painting.  It is direct conversation with my environment! That's just an example of part of the 1-3 minute message you need to share with whomever you are reaching out to.

Ms. Sutton has an exciting business that helps her clients set goals for success in business and life.  Her new book "Mastering the Art of Success" can be preordered through her website.  Her rates and services are really accessible.  During their work together, whether it's one month or three months or a custom service, clients have acess to her 24/7 and a schedule of activities to complete.  If you are passionate to learn and apply what you learn, this is the right service to help you achieve business and personal goals.  She is a Heartlink Network Member too.  The Network is dedicated to encouraging and empowering women small business professionals to create heartfelt, meaningful relationships with one another that will in turn strengthen their communities. I took the opportunity to check out the website.  You should too! Great organization for cooperative promotion of your woman owned business.

The Roundtable meeting space and administrative support are provided by First Interstate Bank.  U.S. Small Business Administration and Wyoming Women's Business Center sponsor and coordinate the Laramie Roundtable.  The new season of Roundtables throughout Wyoming start again in September.  See you there!

Highlighting Wyoming Women's Business Center Staff Achievements

Rebecca Sissman, Women in Business Champion of the Year, and her new granddaughter, Anabel.

Highlighting Staff Achievements!

We are so proud to tell our clients and all our friends about our own Rebecca Sissman, Office Manager for Wyoming Women’s Business Center. She was recently selected for the Women in Business Champion of the Year Award from the U.S. Small Business Administration. Steven F. Despain, Wyoming District Director said, “Her hard work, innovative ideas and dedication have made her a success in our community.” Susan Davis, photographer, micro entrepreneur, and client of Works of Wyoming and Wyoming Women’s Business Center, had these things to say about Rebecca. “She is well informed about the programs and grants ...and always imparts this information with kindness and genuine enthusiasm for the success of her clients… I have come to believe that she truly cares about advancing the ability of women to flourish in the business world. Her positive demeanor and shepherding of clients through the process of finding assistance really does make a difference in women’s lives.”  Rebecca also has a brand new granddaughter, Anabel!  Cheers for a busy life, and congrat's again!

Nice job, Rebecca!

Gifts 4 U at WOW

Gifts 4 U at WOW

Gift Baskets for All Occasions by
Gaining Independencs for Transitioning Students

The Laramie Plains Civic Center hosts many interesting non-profits. Gifts for U is one of them. It stands for Gaining Independence for Transitioning Students. It is a non-profit business created by Albany County School District 1 students from theTransition Academy. The Works of Wyoming Gallery Lobby has their awesome gift baskets on hand. The baskets are really fun and colorful and artistic. The students, 18-21 years of age, learn job skills that include marketing, advertising, inventory, bookkeeping and accounting. They learn life skills like how to manage their free time and set their own schedules.
There are gift baskets for a lot of different occasions. New Baby, Birthday, Coffee Lovers, Get Well, Holidays, Thinking of You, and Study and Good Luck baskets are all available. Pick one for your special occasion or feature them at your next party. Call the WOW gallery at  307-745-6574 or Gifts 4 U at 307-721-0103.

Businesss Roundtable at Rawlins Wyoming features Chuck Egnaczak

Chuck Egnaczak, Director of Marketing for Wyoming Womens Business Center and Works of Wyoming will be the presenter at the upcoming Rawlins Business Roundtable, hosted by the Bank of Commerce on Thursday, April 21, 2011.   The presentation is "Small Business Resources, Marketing and Promotion.".  The meeting is an opportunity for businesses in Rawlins and Carbon County, Wyoming to share business expertise and resources.  Luncheon is provided.  For more information email rsissman@uwyo.edu Rebecca Sissman and to reserve a seat contact Stephanie Arnold at sarnold@bocrawlins.com.

Go Visit an Art Studio!

Joanne Hennes
Plein Air painting
below the Tetons

I talked to Joanne Hennes, http://www.joannehennes.com/ the other day. We had a visitor in the Works of Wyoming Gallery worksofwyoming.org who wanted to know more about her technique so I gave her a call. Joanne lives in a beautiful area near Teton National  Park http://www.nps.gov/grte/index.htm and shared details of her life in art. What a life it is! She is an extraordinarily accomplished artist and a vibrant personality. She started out in theater and scenic art. I could definitely see how that experience led to the grand scale of the scenes she paints of the Tetons and the surrounding Wyoming landscape. She spends a lot of time out in nature. She loves music and has sung with a choir. She enjoys visiting about a wide range of subjects. She is clearly a great businesswoman, educating her listener with passion and joy! The studio is open to the public. Next time you’re near the Tetons go visit the studio. Have a wonderful time.



"The Crossing"
30x50 Oil on Canvas
Triangle X horses crossing the Buffalo River



What's Going on at Wyoming Women's Business Center

March 3rd, 2011 Laramie Business Roundtable featuring Pitch Engine, a social media PR business headquartered in Wyoming

Exciting times here at the Wyoming Women’s Business Center! Our Marketing Director and great graphic designer and artist, Chuck Egnaczak, is going to be helping expand our on-line training programs, we are starting to plan our late summer multi-day 2nd annual Business of Art seminar, and we are continuing our Business Roundtables throughout the state. We have such forward thinking employees who are vibrant, hardworking, and very innovative in their approaches to helping our Wyoming citizens become economically self-sufficient using their creative skills, be they women, people of color, disabled, and/or low-income individuals. Felicia, our graphic designer and photographer who comes to us courtesy of awesome Americorp, loves designing business identities and logos for our new small business owner clients. She “likes to show our clients that art and business do go together!” If you live in Wyoming and want to start or expand a small business to become self-sufficient, please click here to find out who we serve and what we do.

Business Roundtable in Rawlins

The next Business Roundtable "Succeeding in Business" to be held in Rawlins, Wyoming will feature presenter, Chuck Egnaczak, the Director of Marketing, for Wyoming Womens's Business Center and Works of Wyoming. The Roundtable meetings are opportunities for businesses in Rawlins and Carbon County to network, share business expertise and identify potential small business resources in their community. The Bank of Commerce will host the gathering. It will be on Thursday April 21, from 11:45 to 1:15. Lunch is provided by the Bank of Commerce. RSVP to Stephanie Arnold at 307 324.2265 or email to sarnold@boc.com  or cfrance@bocrawlins.com.

Lifelong Learning at Wyoming Women's Business Center

Lifelong learners and small business owners are one and the same. The wide open spaces of Wyoming encourage big thinking. There is plenty of space to dream big. But sometimes it takes good counsel to help you determine how big you really want to go, and what you want to take along with you as you go, and grow, or for that matter, as you downsize.
The Business Counselor at Wyoming Women’s Business Center helps present and organize resources for prospective small business owners. The Center serves any resident of Wyoming, but focuses on women, people of color, people with disabilities and low-income individuals. One of the ways lifelong learners can enjoy themselves while they learn is through the many Roundtables held every month throughout Wyoming. Check them out!