The Primrose School Family Dance Off - a Benefit for the Children's Miracle Network

Join me on Thursday February 24th on Word of Mom on BlogTalkRadio at 2pmEST/11amPST as I chat with Natosha Eskander, Owner, Primrose School at Pinnacle in Grove City, Ohio about the Family Dance off.

Shine your dancing shoes and break out your best moves because the Primrose Family Dance-off is back! Those of you who participated last year know just how much fun it was to keep up your heels and dance your hearts out with your family. Our friends at Primrose Schools can’t wait to crown another round of Family Dance-off champions- and we can’t wait to tell you about it!

With their second annual Family Dance-off, Primrose Schools, the leader in educational child care, is helping to fight the childhood obesity epidemic. They are partnering with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals to promote physical activity, healthy lifestyle choices and quality family time, things all Moms can get behind!
Here’s how you and your family can enter the Primrose Family Dance-off competition:

1. Record a 30-second video of your family’s best dance moves. Don’t be afraid to let loose and be silly!
2. Visit www.FamilyDanceoff.com and upload your best take by March 19.
3. Share your video with your friends via email, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
4. View and vote daily (you can place five votes per day) for your favorite family dance video!

What would a competition be without prizes? Primrose Schools is providing prizes that aren’t only great for your family but for your whole community, with $65,000 in donations to local Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals:
· Grand Prize: $5,000 and Primrose will make a $30,000 donation to a local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital
· 2nd Prize: $3,000 and Primrose will make a $20,000 donation to a local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital
· 3rd Prize: $1,500 and Primrose will make a $15,000 donation to a local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital
· All 14 Finalists will also receive a FLIP camcorder

Childhood obesity is a critical issue for young children in America. Dance is a fun, easy way to introduce physical activity into your family’s routine while enjoying quality time together. The Family Dance-off supports Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, a non-profit organization that raises funds for more than 170 children’s hospitals, which collectively treat 17 million children annually for every illness and injury imaginable.

For more information visit their site at http://www.FamilyDanceoff.com or call us at 347 850 8994 and join the conversation here on Word of Mom on BlogTalkRadio. You can also email me at dori.wordofmom.com, follow on Twitter at Dori_WordofMom, join the Word of Mom fan page on Facebook and visit the Word of Mom website.

Introducing S1 Safety First in Hong Kong, China

Well - it is official - S1 has expanded internationally! Here is the press release that is posted on our websites, www.s1checkpointfriendlybags.com and www.s1bags.com. Along with S1's VP of Global Media Strategy Nancy Aborn Wuennemann, I attended the 2009 Asian Aerospace Conference in Hong Kong - not bad for a mom on a mission. There we introduced S1's full line of Checkpoint Friendly Laptop Bags and Backpacks, including our Made in the USA line that is "Green" - meaning it is constructed in 100%recycled materials - making it water-resistant and stronger than most Denier on the market. I am so amazed at how far S1 has come in 5 years - and we are just getting started. So, I share this announcement here with my fellow bloggers - thanks for following and keep the comments coming...

INTRODUCING S1 SAFETY FIRST IN HONG KONG, CHINA
Asian Aerospace 2009 attracted 356 exhibitors from 28 countries and 12616 attendees!

S1 SAFETY FIRST Founder and CEO Dori DeCarlo attended Asian Aerospace 2009 from September 8th - 10th. The bi-annual, 3-day event is the world’s largest single-focus exhibition and congress for the commercial aerospace and civil aviation market.

The show provided S1 Safety First Founder Dori DeCarlo a fresh opportunity to participate in some creative learning and a chance for all attendees to share new ideas across an international platform.

This year's Asian Aerospace show featured an impressive list of onsite highlights. Among them, a showcase of Connecticut companies sponsored by the Connecticut sector of the US Department of Commerce. S1 SAFETY FIRST Founder and CEO Dori DeCarlo lead by Melissa Grosso, Senior International Trade Specialist with the U.S. Department of Commerce Export Assistance Center.

On Tuesday September 9, 2009 S1 Safety First Founder & CEO, Dori DeCarlo was interviewed by FLIGHT DAILY NEWS, the world’s #1 Airshow publication. Dori represented S1 Safety First attending Asian Aerospace International Expo and Congress in Hong Kong, China with the Connecticut delegation of the US Department of Commerce.

Please visit our sites, www.s1checkpointfriendlybags.com or www.s1bags.com to see the full article and other information on the conference. Thanks again and remember - Together, we can make a difference!

S1 Checkpoint Friendly Laptop Bags Go GREEN!!!

S1 is going GREEN!!! We are so proud to bring our Made in the USA Green line of Checkpoint Friendly Laptop Bags and Backpacks to market.

As our line has expanded I have always dreamed of a Made in the USA line of products, but alas, none of the factories here in the US can work with the materials that the line of S1 bags is made of. There was no way I was going to sacrifice quality for the US label - so in China our manufacturing remained.

Then came our Checkpoint Friendly Laptop Bags and Backpacks - and since the "clear" S1 features are not what makes this bag checkpoint friendly, I decided to look at making a line of bags without any of our clear material. This now opened S1 up to the possibility of a Made in the USA line, so I contacted the factory in North Carolina that I worked with in the past to see if they could make our bags.

Well - they have always had "green" products, so one thing lead to another and we are now offering 100% Made in the USA Green Checkpoint Friendly Laptop Bags and Backpacks that are made with 100% recycled materials - which actually make them stronger than the existing Denier materials normally used in bag manufacturing. Needless to say, it is with great pride that we add these 3 designs to our product line.

With the name S1 - for Safety First - we are now looking at the safety issues facing our environment as well as the issues we deal with on a daily basis. Please take the time to see our new site - http://www.s1checkpointfriendlybags.com/ where you may view all of our checkpoint friendly bags and now have a choice to a Made in the USA Green product line. They cost more - which is why most company's choose not to manufacture here in the USA - but they are worth the extra money. Support our Green effort as well as a Made in the USA product and take a look at what we have to offer. We are S1 - and still - The CLEAR Advantage!

S1 Hits the Airways!

S1 Hits the Airwaves - how amazing is this!!!
As entrepreneurs we work and sacrifice and deal with family and friends wondering "why you don't get a Real Job" - but you believe so strongly in yourself that you keep on growing and learning and finding the right connections to make all your work a success.

S1 has gone through so much; I have worked and relied on the team that I picked by hand and heart when all of this began and we have persevered. You have to have nerves of steel to see your business through the first 5 years - because that is how long it takes - and you have to have the guts to tough it out.

We created a new site to launch with our commercial and love our new look! Linda [our webmaster] and Mike [our director of design] and I worked our tails off to create this new look with a new hosting company - and thank God we found them - so http://www.s1bags.com/ has a brand new style and even more of the finest line of clear bags on the market.

Our Checkpoint Friendly Laptop Bags and Backpack are now available, and if you are in Portland, Richmond, Los Angeles, Dallas/Ft Worth, Providence, New York and Washington, DC you can see our commercial on CNN Headline News and Travel Channel. How amazing is that!

Media-Corp, our production partner, has developed an amazing commercial for our checkpoint friendly bags and selected key cities for this test. They are the As Seen on TV company - so we couldn't be in more professional hands.

You can't imagine the pins and needles that I am on right now - we all are - and it is so exciting and...I just can't seem to find the words...but it just is.

Let me know if you see the commercial - take a look at our new site and share your reaction - and for all of you that fly with your laptop - buy yourself and S1 Checkpoint Friendly Bag. They meet all Federal TSA requirements as checkpoint friendly so you can fly without having to remove your laptop at airport security. Having just flown from both NYC airports to KS and TX going through security was a breeze and everyone loved our bags. One of the NY airports was amazingly empty when I went through the checkpoint and the TSA personnel called over a few of their colleagues to take a look at our laptop backpack. Validation is mine!!!

If you truly believe in what you are doing don't EVER stop believing...stay the course and take the risk...and surround yourself with a team of people that are experts in their field and go for it. This is why Together, we can make a difference is one of my favorite ways to close a letter; we can't do it alone. My other favorite closure I will use here as we are S1 - The CLEAR Advantage!

S1 on MSNBC Sunday Oct 5th!

S1 will be featured on MSNBC's Your Business Show and their Elevator Pitch Segment Sunday Oct 5th at 7:30 am EST - 4:30 am on the West Coast - so set your DVR or VCR or TiVo to hear the pitch that keeps on going!!!

It is our first national exposure and couldn't come at a better time as we will be launching our Checkpoint Friendly Laptop Bag and Backpack soon, although my pitch will be for Corporate Sponsorship to enable us to donate our clear bags and backpacks to schools in disadvantaged areas where they are required.

Even as our company grows, our initial mission remains true - keeping our schools safe. Together, we can make a difference!

The Elevator Pitch

Hello fellow bloggers...
Here is the actual pitch that I used to win the contest. Hopefully it will encourage you to create a pitch that will excite people about your company and make them want to learn more - cause lets face it - that's what it is all about!

Hi I’m Dori DeCarlo, Founder and President of S1 – for Safety First.

S1 has a full line of clear bags and backpacks designed to assist with the safety measures being implemented in schools, offices, airports, sports arenas and other public venues.

After Columbine as a mom, I wanted to find a way to keep our schools safe and began S1with our Standard and Mini Backpack, Messenger Bag and Wheelchair Bag because I didn’t want to say to a child in a wheelchair, “Oh maybe someday we’ll make a bag for you.”

Our manufacturer uses the thickest materials available, offers a 3 year warranty and I worked with Chiropractors on the ergonomic design of our products all to ensure that S1 bags are CLEARLY the finest see through bags available worldwide.

We began with 4 bags and this fall numbers 15 and 16 hit the market - our Checkpoint Friendly Laptop Bag and Backpack that meet TSA requirements so travelers don’t need to remove their laptop when going through security.

Visit S1Bags.com or call me at 203 924 6577. We’re S1 – the CLEAR advantage!

Making New Connections

Networking is such a powerful tool and you never know who is going to lead you to someone that is going to make a real difference in your business and your outlook. As a woman in business I sometimes find it surprising how reticent other women are in working together and sharing resources. I am not sure if it goes back to the dating competition or what - but it is sometimes disheartening to me to see women almost jockeying for space rather than gaining strength in alliances. This is not always the case, and hopefully it is getting better, but it still comes up.

Well - yesterday was NOT one of those days! I urge you all to take a look at the Entrepreneur Circle and their blog - http://resourceforbusiness.blogspot.com/ developed by an incredibly dynamic woman, Maria Keiser; she is a force to be reckoned with. We were suppose to meet for about an hour and four hours later had a hard time leaving! It is so uplifting to meet someone so focused in assisting others grow their businesses. As a person who is committed to making a difference we connected even before we met.

Again I am continuously amazed at how a mom like me who just wanted to keep our kids safe has gone on to meet the amazing people that I am connecting with. I've worked with my partners to take www.s1bags.com from 4 products to 16 in 4 short years! It just goes to show you that if you have a dream and make a commitment to make it a reality it can happen. Time is what it is and anything worth having must be worth working for - so don't focus on how long the journey is - focus on learning while on the journey - then the time won't matter.

I hope that this blog is working to make it easier to find resources to build your business and strengthen your networking connection - so join me on the journey. Together, we can make a difference.

A New Network and a Great New Product!

Hello to all that are finding this blog a helpful place to find new insight to building an on-line presence through social networking and new on-line tools. I am bringing two new things to light today - Marketers-R-Us and Talk Fusion.

You can visit Marketers-R-Us at http://marketersrus.ning.com. They are the newest site that I have found that is completely focused on business building and networking. Lloyd Dugan is an excellent source for marketing and networking and he is building a site that is targeting the strong business minded people that I am looking to connect with - an hopefully you are too!

The new product I want to share is Talk Fusion - and you can visit them at http://talkfusion.com/1000695. This newest video email technology is the coolest one I have ever seen and even if you choose to incorporate it with another program to deliver your message the videos you can produce are amazing. Take a look and let me know what you think.

These are the 2 new places that I am working with to see how we can get our product and services out there and hope you will join me in my effort to become a strong on-line presence and resource. I hope that sharing my mission and my site site - www.s1bags.com I can find a way to assist a parent find a clear bags for their child going back to school, aid a traveler who wants to cut time at security, a fan going to a ballgame and wanting to bring in your things into the stadium or business people who are interested in new timely products for your office or clients - I know that S1 has all your clear bag needs in mind.

It still amazes me that I have gone from a mom trying to keep our schools safe to someone that is learning all that I can about how to make the WWW really work for me and for you! I hope that the information that I continue to share along with our products is helpful to all. Remember - together we CAN make a difference.

More Social Networking.

As we all navigate these new waters of on-line social networking I wanted to bring a new site to you all. Perfect Networker, the online home for serious business professionals.

Perfect Networker Online is one of several tools created to provide you with a comprehensive business networking system, designed specifically to allow you to create, strengthen and nurture long term, win-win, mutually beneficial relationships with other business professionals who make relationship building a priority in their business. You can learn more about them at www.perfectnetworker.com - and right now they are offering a free life-time membership to the first 1000 people that sign up on their network - just tell them Dori sent you!

Personally I think this is a great site - they are new and innovative and are doing all they can to be cutting edge - so look for new features on a regular basis.

One of the biggest things I have learned about being an on-line presence is getting your name out there in more than one network. Also - it is very important to fill in the little things they ask like your favorite movies or books. Believe it or not, people can find out who you are with these little things. In the beginning of my on-line journey, I always left this blank because I was there for business - not to make friends! Well - I quickly learned that business often develops when people see that they have things in common with you. Simple things can make you interesting as you develop an on-line network of people. Our diversity is what makes us unique and our likes bring us closer to someone that may be on the other side of the country or the world for that matter! Guess what - it really is a world wide web!!!

I am constantly amazed at how our products strike a cord in the network that I am building. Who would have thought that trying to keep our schools safe by designing clear bags and backpacks would branch out into shipping to Australia for correctional facility officers! Go figure - I am just a mom who wanted to make a difference. See for yourself how our products can assist you - visit us at www.s1bags.com and let me know what you think. How can we help you or your company or your not for profit group - please - let me know how!

Becoming an On-Line Presence

Becoming an on-line presence is something that I am learning more and more about on a daily basis; there is so much to grasp as I delve into 2.0 technology!

I just want to say this to those ignorant of computer technology people out there - I am one of YOU - I know NOTHING about computers and half of what they are talking about - but I can follow simple directions and it is as easy as a click of your mouse or hitting enter on the keyboard - and you look like an absolute technology wizard. It is the old adage in business - "Fake it till you make it!" I can't believe how easy it has been to update my blog with www.Widgets.com and www.Feedblitz.com because they have links with just a click, copy and paste - it is so simple but something that I was so afraid to even attempt. Now what widgets are I still don't truly grasp - but I learned that they are really important -so there you go!!!

When I first started to learn about all of this through webinars and teleseminars my eyes would actually being to glass over and I had to take copious notes just to stay awake because it was all gibberish to me. I can't pinpoint which learning experience finally got through but all of a sudden I finally HEARD what was being said - I finally really LISTENED and there it was. There are places on-line where the links are in place for you to take advantage of - and it is just that simple.

Through www.FastPitchNetworking.com I learned where to make these things happen - and have expanded my network with the amazing technology available on their site. You can become a free member or pay different prices for various services - and whatever you choose - they offer a great network and up-to-date technology right at your fingertips. They even link up with other networks like Facebook and LinkedIn for more exposure.

ShopINUSCities.com is a newer social networking site that I also recommend as it has the right blend of business and pleasure and as a newer site will continue to offer new updated services as they grow. I don't know about you - but I love being in on the ground floor as things grow. It is also a personal connection that brings me to them - through S1, my company that has a full line of clear bags and backpacks, we are committed to the Merchant Scholarship Fund that www.ShopInUSCities.com has created. I urge you to see what they are doing and become part of this great network committed to bettering our communities.

See there are on-line social networks that offer business that makes a difference! Making a difference has been the driving force in my beginning www.S1bags.com and now in trying to become an on-line presence to assist others in building their dream one day at a time; understand that the challenges are what make us strong.

Come with me! Be part of the adventure because it is true, "Together, we can make a difference!"

More Networking Steps!

Well- I have come to learn that it is not enough to blog - you have to read other blogs and comment on them, too!!! What an interesting concept - learning from what others do!!! Go figure!!!

Now - when I look back on the learning process, I guess this should be an obvious step - but who are we kidding here. Just as in networking - we have to really invest time and energy in learning about those we are developing networking connections with.

We need to share ideas, bring new products and concepts to each other, and find the best ways to see how the process of networking can really be something beneficial to all involved.

At the same time, we need to remember why we began. We have a product or service or idea or mission to share and we want to find the best ways possible to bring our dreams to fruition as we work to help others do the same. Well - at least that is why I started S1. First and foremost I had a mission to keep our children safe - and have continued on that course even though we have expanded into so many other areas of safety and security.

I welcome your ideas, your commitments to networking, and hope that I can find a way to be of service as you pursue your dreams. Visit me at www.s1bags.com and drop me an email - or leave a comment and I will return the favor.

Also - give me ideas of what blogs are addressing networking, safety, parental concerns, travel and other venues where we fit in. I promise to do the same. See - together we can make a difference!

Where Do We Start Building a Network?

When I decided to create an on-line presence - I had to ask myself "Where do I start building a network?" I have been a mom for 20 years and I was at the point that I was basically a chef and a chauffer when I was blessed with a friends 14 month old son while she was seeking medical treatment. Well - something that was to last a few weeks turned into 16 amazing months of having a toddler in my life and looking for ways to reinvent my business!

Thankfully, the first place I found was Fast Pitch! Their are so comprehensive and had so many services to offer that I was able to work from my office rather than being on the road and still build a successful business - and most importantly - a strong network!

Having a network of like-minded business people to bounce ideas off of, look to gain knowledge, build a client base and all the other perks that come from getting to see how each one of us can bring something new to the table is an exciting thing.

It is funny, but until I started networking on line - I never realized how much corporations would embrace the product line that I developed. For me, I started my company because as a mother I couldn't even begin to imagine what parents of children that have been lost to school violence experienced. There is not ONE child in this world that is expendable and I just wanted to make a difference in the life of one child - any more than that and I have been truly blessed.

S1 - for Safety First - has just begun our 4th year. We began with 4 bags and have expanded to 16 different bags and backpacks and will be launching 2 new checkpoint friendly laptop bags in the fall. Wow!!! For a mom just looking to make a difference, it has been an amazing journey.

Please join S1 as we work to bring our products to schools, offices, airports, sports arenas and anywhere else where security faces the challenge of monitoring large crowds. I welcome your comments and suggestions and any other ideas you might wish to share. Visit us at www.s1bags.com and give us your feedback on how to keep our product line timely, fashionable and on the money. Help our world-wide network grow. Together, we can make a difference.