Washington, DC, September 8, 2014 — If you’re a successful business owner, writing a book not only offers a platform to share your experience, it also is a great way to promote your business and open up a potential new revenue stream through the sale of your books and services, explains Hope Katz Gibbs, president of Inkandescent Public Relations.
“And who doesn’t want to write a book?” asks the founder of the newly launched Inkandescent Publishing Group. “Business owners, especially, are interested in penning their thoughts and ideas and sharing them with the world.”
Gibbs has firsthand knowledge of the challenges and rewards of writing and publishing books that benefit fellow entrepreneurs. The Inkandescent Publishing Group recently released its latest book, “PR Rules: The Playbook — The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Supersizing Your Small Business with the 8 Steps to PR Success,” available now on amazon.com.
In fact, Step 7 provides extensive details and exercises on how to write a book.
“I have a couple of new authors ask me every day, ‘How do I get my book out into the marketplace?’ and now I have the perfect tool to recommend,” shares Jim Barnes, editor and Book Awards director, Independent Publisher. “This book is filled with great advice, well organized and concise, with a lively design that makes it fun and easy to read. Anyone who wants to improve the way they promote their products, their businesses, or themselves should read this book.”
For insights from a celebrity bestselling author, see the September 2014 Back to School issue of of Be Inkandescent magazine, featuring Kate DiCamillo.
A woman who is a wizard when it comes to writing books that warm hearts, touch souls—and sell millions, DiCamillo’s newest book is “Flora & Ulysses,” which won the 2014 Newbery Medal.
DiCamillo is also the recipient of the National Book Award (2001), the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award (2006), and the (Theodor Seuss) Geisel Award (2007, 2011). And she is the 2014-2015 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature—which means this celebrity author is making the rounds to meet kids across the country. Click here to read the Q&A.
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Since March is Women’s History Month, each year we dedicate our March issue to the incredible work being done by female entrepreneurs.
As Dr. Helen Fisher explained in our February issue: “When women began returning to the workforce, the balance of power between the sexes shifted. And as more women graduate from college—not to mention earn as many PhDs as men—their economic and political power will only continue to grow.”
Head over to “www.beinkandescent.com,” to view the entire issue. You’ll find that all of our columnists this month are women, from our Entrepreneur of the Month Lee Woodruff, to our featured Leadership columnist, Joanna Barsh, the author of How Remarkable Women Lead, and our Truly Amazing Woman of the month, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
But what does it mean to be a powerful woman? Like the heroine in the opera Carmen, illustrated above by Michael Gibbs, women make tough choices every day. This issue is dedicated to helping readers dive deeper into considering how to best ways to grow their companies, care for their families, and make time for themselves. Those who do it with grace and courage are profiled in the book I’m writing, Truly Amazing Women Who Are Changing the World. I invite you to click on the website for the book, www.trulyamazingwomen.com, to learn more, then send me an email to tell me about you and your work for possible inclusion: hope@inkandescentpr.com.
Here’s to seizing your power, and to crafting your personal definition of success. — Hope Katz Gibbs, Be Inkandescent
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What’s love got to do with it? “When it comes to business, romance, and life in general, love is the engine that powers just about everything we do,” says our February Entrepeneur of the Month, Dr. Helen Fisher.
A world-renowned anthropologist and expert in the science of human attraction, Fisher wrote the questionnaire behind chemistry.com. Below you’ll find details about why we choose the mates, and business partners, that we do. In our Tips for Entrepreneurs column, she tells us when and why to trust our intuition.
Because February is the month of amore, we feature Rachel Machacek’s The Science of Single, a deliciously devilish account about her search for Mr. Right. Don’t miss Dr. John Maguire’s tips on heart health, the breathtaking wedding photos of Charlie Archambault, the work of personal historian Sherry Andersen, who preserves the legacy of loved ones on video, and our Truly Amazing Woman of the month, Anne Hastings, who runs Haiti’s largest micro-bank. To spark the romance, indulge in Culinaria Cooking School’s Valentine’s dinner menu, and learn to prepare a healthy elixir by our new Healthy Living columnist Jill Leslie.
From all of us at Be Inkandescent Magazine, here’s to an enchanted month! – Hope Katz Gibbs, Be Inkandescent • Illustration (of La Traviata) by Michael Gibbs, for the Virginia Opera.
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Happy 2011! This issue marks our second year publishing Be Inkandescent Magazine, so this month we look toward the future.
Philanthropy is our theme, and our three Entrepreneurs of the Month are the leaders of some the largest nonprofits in the country – The Nature Conservancy, The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region, and The Humane Society. Scroll down to read about their strategies for 2011, and learn what keeps them up at night.
You’ll find an overview of what lies ahead in our Nonprofit column. Nonprofit consultant, and author of “Give a Little,” Wendy Smith shares donation trends for the coming years. We also talked to DC Central Kitchen founder Robert Egger, the author of “Begging for Change,” and our November 2010 Entrepreneur of the Month.
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As 2010 comes to a close, our thoughts turn to the future. Experts and entrepreneurs agree that no matter what your business is, you’ll increasingly be impacted by globalization.
That’s why we asked Tom Adams, CEO of Rosetta Stone to be our December Entrepreneur of the Month. As the leader of an international language-learning software firm, he believes that American companies that don’t get on the global bandwagon will certainly be left behind. “While it’s obviously important to speak more than one language, it’s also critical to understand other cultures, employ people from foreign countries, and look five or 10 years ahead—or risk being left in the dust,” he says. Click here to read more the entire interview.
Also in this issue:
From all of us at Be Inkandescent Magazine, here’s to your success in 2011.
Illustration (above) by Michael Gibbs: www.michaelgibbs.com
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Since this is the month of Thanksgiving, we want to take the opportunity to celebrate the power and importance of giving.
Research shows that your brain actually lights up when you give, writes author Wendy Smith in Give a Little: How Your Small Donations Can Transform Our World. “Researchers at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke found that something in our brains shaped by evoalution allows us to feel joy when we do good things,” she says. “It’s a biological force.” Read our review of her book.
Also in this issue, you’ll learn about several incredible non-profit organizations including the Maasai Girls Education Fund, The Center for Wilderness Safety, and the World Food Programme, which is run by our Truly Amazing Woman of the month, Josette Sheeran.
The pièce de résistance of this issue is the November Entrepreneur of the Month, Robert Egger, the founder of the DC Central Kitchen, and author of the inspiring book, “Begging for Change.” He teaches us the dollars and sense of making non-profits responsive, efficient, and rewarding for all. As industrialist and philanthropist Warren Buffett says: “Anything not worth doing well is not worth doing.”
Here’s to giving it your all. — Hope Katz Gibbs
Editor & publisher, Be Inkandescent Magazine
Founder, Inkandescent Public Relations
Illustration (above) by Michael Gibbs, www.michaelgibbs.com
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“Inspiration and genius — one and the same,” said French poet and playwright Victor Hugo.
Indeed. Often referred to as “an unconscious burst of creativity,” inspiration literally means breathed upon. The Greeks believed that inspiration came from the muses. The Ancient Norse thought inspiration derived from the god Odin. In the Hebrew Book of Amos, the prophet speaks of being overwhelmed by God’s voice and compelled to speak. In Christianity, inspiration is considered a gift of the Holy Spirit.
In the October issue of Be Inkandescent Magazine, our Entrepreneur of the Month Steven Schussler is sure to breathe inspiration into your day. The founder of the Rainforest Cafe and CEO of Schussler Creative has a new book out called, “It’s a Jungle in There: Inspiring Lessons, Hard-Won Insights and Other Acts of Entrepreneurial Daring.” You’ll also be inspired by Schussler’s favorite nonprofit, Smile Network International.
And that’s not all. In this issue, our 14 columnists provide ideas and insights that we believe will fuel your imagination, touch your heart, and feed your entrepreneurial spirit.
Here’s to your incredible success! — Hope Katz Gibbs
Editor & Publisher, Be Inkandescent Magazine
Founder, Inkandescent Public Relations
Illustration (above) by Michael Gibbs, www.mglenwood.com
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As school starts this month, entrepreneurs who are also parents are breathing a sigh of relief. It’s not easy managing a growing company while keeping your growing kids safe and entertained all summer. Read more about that here.
Because keeping all the apples in the air can be a potentially explosive situation, we focus this month on the topic of education. We agree it is mission critical to give our children the best education possible, but it is equally important for business leaders to continue their own quest for knowledge and growth.
Our columnists share their insights on how they use education to stay ahead of the curve, and offer advice on how you can, too.
Our September Entrepreneur of the Month, Blackboard Inc. CEO Michael Chasen, tells us how he got to the head of the class developing educational software applications. His DC-based firm, which develops and licenses educational software applications to more than 7,500 schools and universities around the world, projects revenues of $445.4 million in 2010.
And consider this thought from poet Robert Frost. “Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence.”
Here’s to your great education. — Hope Katz Gibbs
Editor & Publisher, Be Inkandescent Magazine
Founder, Inkandescent Public Relations
Illustration (above) by Michael Gibbs, www.mglenwood.com
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RISK is the topic we tackle in the August issue of Be Inkandescent Magazine.
As a PR, marketing, and publishing company that focuses on helping entrepreneurs grow their businesses, the Inkandescent PR team was curious to learn the answers to these questions about risk:
Are all entrepreneurs natural risk-takers? Does success in business equate to taking calculated risks? Or are most risk-takers simply daredevils who are willing to risk it all? Do entrepreneurs have a predisposition to being willing to take a risk? Is it a personality type? Can a willingness to take risks be learned? Click on the articles below, which will take you to this months articles on Be Inkandescent Magazine where you can read what our 18 columnists have to say about taking risks in their industries.
Below, you’ll find the introduction to our interview with our August Entrepreneur of the Month: Dr. Ben Carson. The world famous Johns Hopkins Children’s Center neurosurgeon, who separates conjoined twins for a living, is also the author of “Take the Risk.” *Don’t miss his Tips for Entrepreneurs, where he teaches us to use his best / worst analysis to decide which risks to take.
Click here to read the entire August issue of the magazine! www.beinkandescent.com
Here’s to your success!
“Hope Katz Gibbs, editor & publisher
Founder, Inkandescent Public Relations
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POWER is the theme for the July issue of Be Inkandescent Magazine. As an entrepreneur, we ask you to consider these questions: How do you define power? How do you harness it? Wield it? And how do you help others to be powerful in your organization?
Equally essential is this question: As a leader, how do you cope with the limits of power? Indeed, this is the situation that President Obama struggled with during his first term in office. For an analysis of the situation, we turn to July’s Entrepreneur of the Month Jonathan Alter.
The national affairs columnist at Newsweek, and a political analyst for NBC and MSNBC, Alter is the author of a new book, The Promise: President Obama, Year One, which hit bookstores last month. Within weeks, it climbed to number four on The New York Times Bestseller List.
Alter explains: “My goal was ambitious: to cover the important and compelling dimensions of the Obama story across a broad front, not snip off a piece; to push my sources for information that had not been published before; and to write in real time about a moving target — history on the fly.”
Click inside to read the interview we did with Jonathan.
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Money. It drives us, inspires us, blinds us, excites us and frustrates us.
After the May employment figures were released in early June, concerns were raised about the strength of the economic recovery and the stock market dropped. Again. So whereas things were looking up, many business leaders are back to feeling frustrated.
Of course, anyone who has been in business for decades has seen the markets rise and fall and rise again. Those who have been through these fluctuations know the wise thing to do is to stay calm. These are the leaders we gravitate to, the ones we want on our side. In fact, this is another example of how leadership, management, success — and money — are intrinsically linked.
That is why money is the theme of the June issue of Be Inkandescent Magazine. Each of our 20 columnists examines the topic from a different angle: how to make your dollar go farther, how to stay the course, how to enjoy what you’ve got — and how you can make yours a million-dollar business.
Meet our June Entrepreneur of the Month: Nell Merlino, who helps us focus on the million-dollar question.
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Welcome to the May issue of Be Inkandescent Magazine: The ezine for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs.
In this issue you’ll meet microfinance guru Dr. Muhammad Yunus. We are honored to feature him, for anyone who understands the importance of micro-lending as a means to end global poverty considers him to be one of the great entrepreneurs of our day.
The 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Dr. Yunus is the founder of Grameen Bank, which provides poor people — mainly women — with small loans that they use to launch businesses that lift their families out of poverty. He is also the director emeritis of the Grameen Foundation, which was founded in 1997 by friends of Grameen Bank to help microfinance practitioners and spread the Grameen philosophy worldwide.
Read on to learn about his newest idea, Building Social Business, which is the title of his 2010 book. If you like what you read, meet him in person — for throughout May he’ll be touring the country promoting his ideas. (Scroll down for a list of dates and cities where he’ll be speaking.)
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Are you happy? It’s a question I’ve been pondering since hearing Ted Leonsis speak in February about his new book, “The Business of Happiness: 6 Secrets to Extraordinary Success in Work and Life.”
After I read his insightful 305-page tome, I was intrigued – and slightly bemused. Sure, happiness is something we all aspire to, but is it really possible when you are trying to grow a business in a troubled economy, and (oftentimes) grow a family in an era when enough is never enough?
Happiness according to Ted Leonsis: “It took me a quarter century to connect these dots and understand how they amount to a formula for achieving happiness,” Leonsis states. He then gives us a road map, explaining that to him, the Business of Happiness relies on three concepts:
1. “You should treat the attainment of happiness in the same way an entrepreneur would approach building a business – with a vision, plan, goals, and a systematic approach and metrics to measure your progress.”
2. “Enterprises – like companies, businesses, charities, sports teams, and political campaigns – that consider themselves in the ‘business of happiness’ will do better than those that pay no attention to the tenets outlined [which include goal-setting, having communities of interest, personal expression, gratitude, empathy expressed in giving back, and having a higher calling].”
3. “Happiness is a driver of success, not the other way around.”
Sounds pretty good. But I wanted to know more. Since I like to go right to the source, I invited Ted Leonsis to be our April Entrepreneur of the Month. He said yes. I also asked his co-author, John Buckley, to answer a few questions. See those interviews below, and also read Leonsis’ Tips for Entrepreneurs.
I also asked our 20 columnists this month to tackle the topic of happiness. Each interpreted the topic for their own industries, and I think you’ll enjoy their insights.
Until next month, here’s to your happiness – and your success!
– Hope Katz Gibbs, editor and publisher
Be Inkandescent magazine
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Happy International Women’s Day! Since the early 1900s, March 8 has been the official day that the economic, political and social achievements of women are honored. In China, Russia, Vietnam and Bulgaria, it is a national holiday.
How it all began: In 1908, oppression and inequality spurred women to become more vocal and active in campaigning for change. In March of that year, 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights. By 1910, women around the world had joined the movement. An International Conference of Working Women was held in Copenhagen, and an activist named Clara Zetkin proposed that every year in every country, there should be a celebration on the same day — a Women’s Day — to press for their demands. International Women’s Day was born. A century later we congratulate Kathryn Bigelow, who last night became the first woman to be named Best Director at the Oscars for her work on the Iraq War drama, “The Hurt Locker.” It also won the Best Picture prize, along with four other awards. Way to go!
Let the celebration begin! Today, we are officially launching the Web site for our new book 100 Truly Amazing Women Who Are Changing the World and How You Can, Too! It will be published later this year to honor 100 women from around the world who are making strides and changing lives.
How are you amazing? Although the published book is limited to 100 women, the Web site has broader shoulders. On it, hundreds of savvy, innovative, courageous women from around the world will be profiled. Meet some of them here. If you, or someone you know, should be included, please submit a proposal. There’s a movie project in the works as well, so stay tuned for that.
To get the party started, this issue of Be Inkandescent magazine is dedicated to women. Each of the 20 articles you see framing the Web site has been written by women entrepreneurs on topics they feel passionate about.
Articles include: A Q&A with Lisa McLeod, author of “Forget Perfect”; tips on event planning at the National Museum for Women in the Arts; thoughts on what makes women’s management skills keen; and discussions on the importance of joy in the workplace, the meaning of health, and whether there really is such a thing as work-life balance. And much more!
Think girls can’t use power tools? Then you haven’t met our Entrepreneur of the Month Gina Schaefer. The 39-year-old dynamo behind an $11 million hardware empire is opening her seventh ACE Hardware store this spring. How did a girl from northeast Ohio with a poli sci degree and no hardware experience get into this male-dominated industry? Scroll down to find out.
As always, we thank you for your continued support. And we remind you of the wisdom of author Anna Quindlen, who said: Recently a young mother asked me what she was to do with her 7-year-old daughter who was obstreperous, outspoken, and inconveniently willful. “Keep her,” I replied. The suffragettes refused to be polite in demanding what they wanted, or grateful for getting what they deserved. Works for me.
It works for us, too! Here’s to your success!
— Hope Katz Gibbs, editor and publisher, Be Inkandescent magazine / hope@inkandescentpr.com
Book design and illustration by Michael Gibbs
Web site programming by Max Kukoy
Copyediting by Patricia Gray
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Welcome to the new issue of Be Inkandescent magazine. Because February is the month of amour, in this issue we focus on the power and importance of truly loving what you do.
After all, having passion for your business is mission critical, according to Suzy Welch, former editor of the Harvard Business Review and the wife of GE guru Jack Welch. Suzy says: “We are hungry to work all the time. We are entertained by every aspect of business and we never want to stop working.” And Oprah Winfrey believes: “If you do work that you love, and the work fulfills you, the rest will come.” We couldn’t agree more.
February’s Entrepreneurs of the Month, Jim Bognet and Jeff Kaiser are indeed passionate about their firm, Bognet Construction. Their hard work and strong business skills enabled them to build their 1998 start-up into a $50 million company that employs 45 and competes with the biggest construction firms in the region. Don’t miss their inspiring Tips for Entrepreneurs.
And there’s more! In the 14 articles in this issue, our experts provide tips and insights to help foster passion for your business. Our new columnist Paige Rhodes, CEO of the recruiting firm Rhodes and Weinstock, shares the value of getting personal with clients to build lasting relationships. Another new columnist, Roxanne Rukowicz of Behind the Scenes Events, tells us about one of the most romantic museum spaces in DC to host a business bash. Fine artist Philip Brooker uses his talent to create a poster that will inspire people to donate money to earthquake victims in Haiti. And HR expert Sharon Armstrong teaches us ways to conduct stress-free performance appraisals.
Wishing you and yours a very Happy Valentine’s Day. In this issue, our Inkandescent staff gives a special nod to Bob Dylan’s ballad “Tangled Up In Blue”, the inspiration behind our featured illustration (at top). It’s from the new book by our Inkandescent art director Michael Gibbs, which is entitled Blue Moons:
But all the while I was alone, the past was close behind, I seen a lot of women, but she never escaped my mind, and I just grew, tangled up in blue.
Here’s to your passion, and your success!
Hope Katz Gibbs
owner, The Inkandescent Group, LLC
publisher, Be Inkandescent magazine
president & founder, Inkandescent Public Relations
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Be Inkandescent, January 2010 — Welcome to the inaugural issue of Be Inkandescent: The magazine for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs. Each month, our online publication will bring insights and observations from entrepreneurs in a variety of industries ranging from health care and human resources to books, education, finance, leadership skills, management tools, real estate, restaurants, wine, and more.
We’ll also be spotlighting an Entrepreneur of the Month, a business owner who earns at least $10 million a year, has been in business for 5 years, and is still running the company they created. They’ll offer Tips for Entrepreneurs, as will Our Team of creative professionals from Inkandescent Public Relations.
In this issue, we’re featuring the “queen of putting people’s lives in order” Julie Morgenstern, an organizational and time management expert, business productivity consultant, and nationally renowned speaker who in 1989 founded Julie Morgenstern Enterprises. She’s also a New York Times bestselling author, having published five books that are reference guides featuring techniques and observations culled from her 20 years of experience as a consultant to individuals and companies. Check out our profile on this incredible Entrepreneur of the Month, and read her insightful five Tips for Entrepreneurs.
We invite every entrepreneur to come up with stories that might be of interest to our audience and contact us with your ideas. After all, the goal of any company is to have more people know about their products and services. We’d love to help you spread the word.
Here’s to your success! — Hope Katz Gibbs
publisher, Be Inkandescent
president & founder, Inkandescent Public Relations
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