So without for adieu– I’m proud to announce that the winner for the
2010 Military Spouse Appreciation Day Contest is …..

JENNIFER DANIELS

Jennifer — we will be emailing you at the address you provided on the comment form. : )

Thank you to everyone who entered the contest and we’ll be doing another contest very soon.

]]> http://www.janewaynegear.com/blog/2010/05/the-military-spouse-contest-and-the-winner-is/feed/ 0 http://www.janewaynegear.com/blog/2010/04/mays-mothers-love-candle-of-the-month/ http://www.janewaynegear.com/blog/2010/04/mays-mothers-love-candle-of-the-month/#comments Wed, 28 Apr 2010 21:51:44 +0000 Roxanne http://www.janewaynegear.com/blog/?p=314 100% Natural Soy and Made in the USA!

Yep that’s right—we now have a Candle of the Month Program! You can find all the details about it here!

Each month you’ll get a 16oz 100% Natural Soy candle delivered right to your front door! Not to mention a 15% coupon for any of our JW Gear (all product lines included). How awesome is that??

Hey Guys – Mother’s Day and Military Spouse Appreciation Day is right around the corner!! This makes a great gift for your favorite girl!

To join the program or find out more details – click HERE!

* Our May Scent will available till May 31st *

We are very excited to be participating in the Military Spouse Appreciation Twitter Party May 7 (hosted by our very own @TammyMunson) – click here for more information! Hopefully we’ll see you there!

These simple tips will help you feel confident that no matter where you came from or where you are going – you’ll always be able to dress for success!

You can never go wrong with tailored suits in black, gray or brown. The key to style is picking pieces that make you feel good in your skin. In today’s fashion environment, there is much to choose from and yes – the pencil skirt is now back! So don’t be shy to add that to your basic collection and let your “girl power” shine through.

A PINCH OF COLOR A DAY KEEPS THE RECESSION BLUES AWAY. Recent studies have shown that adding color into the wardrobe is a great way to fight against the blues. Employers are looking for those than can bring new life to the company and adding a pinch of color may be your best asset in getting that across. Blue exudes trust. Green is a calming color. Yellow is the color of action. Red is for power – but use it wisely – it can also say caution. White is known for purity and innocence. In the end, pick a signature color that you feel most confident in. Ask a trusted friend to help you choose your final interview picks to make sure that what your outfit says – is the point you want to make.

KEEP THE FLASH TO A MINIMUM.
Employers and clients appreciate frugality. If you show up decked out in “Louis” from head to toe – they may wonder what your true intentions are. Remember that it’s YOU they are hiring and as they say, perception is reality. First impressions can make or break a deal – so be wise in what your accessories say about you.

UNDERSTAND YOUR INDUSTRY AND YOUR LOCAL BUSINESS CLIMATE.
This is where creativity meets business protocol. Make sure that you mimic your industries business style, but you’ll be ahead of the game if you can mimic what the “locals” are wearing. Go to a cafe near the business district you will be interviewing in and see what everyone is wearing – you may pick up some cool trends that will make you feel right at home in your new city.

YOUR PERSONALITY IS YOUR BEST ACCENT.
Your personal style is less important than the “grit and guts” behind it. Fashion and business go hand in hand – because it’s about confidence. When you feel good – your clients do as well.

In the end – when putting your “game face” on – remember to be yourself, walk with confidence and let your talents be your most important accessory of the day.

You may not know this but our company was founded in this fabulous town of Jacksonville NC!

With each purchase you get to also walk away with a signature Jane Wayne Tote or choose a fabulous Holiday Candle instead if you prefer!

Purchase any Jane Wayne GEAR Handbag – Get a FREE Custom Name Tape – so you can proudly put MARINE MOM, MARINE WIFE, or Your Last Name on your handbags!

Buy a Jane Wayne Tote from Nov. 1st – Nov. 16th and get a 20% Off Coupon to use immediately on the entire order!

Simply put in Coupon Code: SALE at checkout online to receive the discount

Military Spouse Magazine

Nominate yourself, your best friend or the person you admire most!

You have until November 13th to share your support by placing a nomination.

Make sure you stop and browse through this amazing magazine online (www.milspousemag.com) and I highly recommend registering for a subscription if you want to have the coolest gift of “info” hit your mailbox each month!

There are tons of tips and GREAT information that is there to support YOU!

Send in your nomination(s) to: http://msoy.milspouse.com/

What’s a party without gifts?? We have 6 (yes 6) purses to give away tonight as well as coupons for 50% off at the JWG online store!

The party is going to be hosted by our founder and CEO , Roxanne Reed and our social media director Tammy Munson. We will also have a few other members of the JWG team there as well!!!

When: Monday November 2nd  from 9pm -10pm EST
Where: Twitter.com

Just a couple of reminders -

• If you don’t have a Twitter account, sign-up at http://twitter.com/
• Party Hashtag is #janewaynegear — We are also going to be using #militarymon in honor of tweeting for the troops!!
• Follow party hosts:
  Roxanne - http://www.twitter.com/janewaynegear
  Tammy - http://www.twitter.com/tammymunson

Use this custom Tweet Grid to make following the conversation easy. Make sure to put your own Twitter ID in the right column of the tweet grid.

If you have any questions please contact Tammy at tammy at janewaynegear.com.

Who ever the wise guy or gal was that created the slogan, “Business is business, it’s not personal” had this statement only half correct. Anyone who’s built a business from the dirt floor up knows that without a doubt business is personal. In my opinion the tears, sacrifices and stress that go into building a business can’t be summed up or defined by a calculator equation alone.

In the world of black and white and yes or no answers…this is half true. For example, just because you love your idea doesn’t mean you can ignore a growing pit of debt. Or overlook the fact that sometimes you do have to let people go that you care about because they can’t do the job. Now let’s dig into this statement from the entrepreneur’s standpoint of what this statement doesn’t include.

The reality is that our businesses are a reflection of the creator in every facet. We eat, sleep, breathe and shed many tears over our companies in their development. They might as well have a chair at the dinner table they are such a part of our lives on a daily basis. When you invest a huge portion of your income – or should I say give up a portion of your income – to pursue this business, give up time with your family, give up sleep waking up at three a.m. stressing over how to pay the bills, and give up a third or more of your living space to accommodate it, to say this is not personal is a bunch of “you-know- what”.

It’s more personal than some entrepreneurs ever expected. There is no such thing as leaving it at the office or waiting until the next business day. The best opportunities in my life have come from the “light bulb moments” at a restaurant where I’m sketching out my next design on the back of an IHOP receipt. There is nothing better than following the creative passion that makes an entrepreneur unique and special, but…

As every good businessperson knows, a good idea without a solid financial plan and structure will often collapse upon itself. So don’t be foolish. Just as a parent does for a child, you must provide all the key ingredients to a healthy upbringing for your business. However, make sure you balance your uniqueness with the obligations to your company’s long-term growth. Never give up what makes you unique, but be responsible in controlling how you develop it.

In the end the statement I think should read, “Building a business is one of the most personal endeavors one can embark on…but don’t be foolish and run it into the ground by putting your ego first and your business’s foundation second. Nobody will love your business more than you do, but no child can live on love alone.”

Written by Roxanne Reed

I’ve had a few recent inquiries about this topic. It’s not an easy one to answer, but I’ll give it the “old college try”. Thanks to all of you that submitted this question!

There seems to be two perceptions of entrepreneurs. One that is based on reality, or my reality so far, that the work is long, hard, full of trials and tribulations, but also a lot of reward if you stop and smell the roses on the journey. The other is not what I consider reality. I’ll share a real life experience I went through that summed up the other philosophy I’ve heard.

I was in a Fed Ex store one day packing boxes for a customer shipment. Once I got in line there were two gals in front of me and I just happened to overhear them talking about work. One of the young ladies said, “I just wish I could have a business of my own so I could go on vacation when I wanted and have my own schedule”. As you can imagine I just about fell out of line laughing. I’ve never come across a successful business owner who doesn’t spend years just hoping and praying to get to that “ideal”.

If you like a quick and reliable paycheck, you better leave your entrepreneurial hat at the door, because for most of us it’s not really about the paycheck. It’s about the adventure, the “Hail Mary Pass” that gets us to the next step, and it’s more about climbing the mountain than actually standing at the top. It’s about making people happy with your products and taking pride in their satisfaction – just to make sure you got that – “it’s taking pride in their satisfaction”.

To me an entrepreneur is about making a unique difference. Enhancing products and services that others need and want, but don’t want to build themselves. They just want to have access to it. A good entrepreneur is visionary and wise in how to answer this call. You don’t have to have a business degree to succeed, but you must trust your intuition and remain humble in your deeds.

Often I hear as an excuse, “I don’t have a college degree”. Some of the smartest people I know with degrees galore can’t build a vision to save their lives. Whereas others, who have tons of smarts, learned through life’s lessons, make the most practical and ingenious of the bunch.

My experience as an entrepreneur has taught me to believe in myself, believe in my vision and have the guts to jump in a fast moving river with no end in site. I never stopped dreaming and building. I looked deep into myself to find out why I wanted this life. Money came with good faith, helping others and following my passion. It didn’t happen right away, but patience was truly a virtue I needed to learn to be successful.

If you are always “seeing opportunity” and keep saying, “I dream of the day when…” you’ve been an entrepreneur in spirit. The gut check of whether you are brave enough and persistent enough to step over the line and build your vision is the ultimate test of you being an entrepreneur.

Written by Roxanne Reed