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‘The Self-Employed Woman’s Guide to Launching a Home-Based Business’

[SEPT. 4, 2002]  "The Self-Employed Woman’s Guide to Launching a Home-Based Business." Priscilla Y. Huff, Prima Publishing, 2002, 354 pages.

In her new book, "The Self-Employed Woman’s Guide to Launching a Home-Based Business," author and business owner Priscilla Huff writes, "The mission of this book is to present to women everywhere practical information to start a successful home business that best suits their lives and their future. … I have strived to comprehensively cover as many home business basics as possible for your startup and to provide you with the most helpful resources I could find."

 

"An Overview & Women’s Business -- Past, Present, Future"

Huff presents a complete overview of the pros and cons of self-employment. She identifies some common characteristics shared by self-employed women (persistence, problem solving, etc.), and the effect on the family and home life. She also addresses startup necessities such as bookkeeping, insurance, legal matters and marketing.

One of the most valuable passages in this section is the "Eleven Frequently Asked Questions About Self-Employment;" especially interesting is her explanation of good places to begin looking for information (such as the public library).

In discussing the recent evolution of self-employment opportunities for women, Huff describes the five home business "truths" and the 10 home business axioms. One of the more interesting myths she dispels is, "I will not need child care if I work at home."

"Preparation & Startup Basics"

Generally a timetable for starting your own business begins as early as one year before the actual startup. Huff’s recommended timetable follows a defined outline at the six-month, four-month, three-month and startup time periods. Preparation includes preliminary research, a decision on opening a product- or service-based business, finding potential markets and customers, and considerations before quitting your day job. Perhaps the most important aspects of preparation are the three essential plans: business, financial and marketing. According to Huff, these documents "will help you define your business and make it a success."

 

"Legal Considerations & Financing"

In starting a home business there are many legal considerations. Those issues include choosing a name, securing an EIN (a federal employer identification number), and determining whether the business will be established as a proprietorship, partnership or corporation. Huff also walks the reader through the myriad of licenses, regulations, labor laws and zoning matters.

In assessing the financial needs of your home business, Huff explains how to estimate your expenses and how to pursue the different kinds of business financing available to the small-business person. One often ignored but very useful variation of financing is bartering, the exchanging of goods and services for items and services that a business cannot afford.

 

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"Open For Business & Managing And Maintaining A Profitable Home Business"

Once you open your doors for business you should have in place a plan to attract customers and develop markets. Normally this is accomplished through a marketing plan that defines your strategies for advertising, public relations and networking. As your markets grow and mature, management issues can become more complex. Record keeping, taxes, credit/debt and hiring options are just a few of the examples. It is during this time in the life of a home business that certain costly mistakes must be avoided. Some common mistakes include thinking like an employee instead of an owner, inadequate monitoring of your cash flow and not listening to your customers.

 

"Other Issues"

Huff’s concluding chapters discuss relevant topics such as government contacts and assistance, how to establish an online presence, and planning for the future of your business. The decision to have an online presence is influenced by many factors: developing and marketing your website, business e-mail accounts, and adhering to standard Internet business practices.

The future success of any business is dependent on staying in touch with the customers, recognizing emerging trends and adjusting to changing realities in the world of self-employment.

Any woman who is considering the challenges and opportunities associated with a home business should make "The Self-Employed Woman’s Guide to Launching a Home-Based Business" a first read. The book is a start-to-finish blueprint for aspiring entrepreneurs who have always dreamed of being their own boss and running their own business. Kim Lisi, the managing editor of HOME Business Journal, writes, "Patricia Huff has taken the guesswork out of home business startups. This comprehensive book is destined to become the preferred resource for entrepreneurial women everywhere." This book is recommended for women who are considering a career in self-employment or starting a home-based business.

[Richard Sumrall, Lincoln Public Library District]

 




Jennifer Sydney awarded Steppenwolf internship

[AUG. 20, 2002]  Jennifer Sydney, a graduate of LCHS, Lincoln College and Illinois State University, has been awarded an internship in Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theater. She will begin her one-year paid internship immediately.

"I couldn’t be happier," said Jennifer, who appeared in six theater productions at Lincoln College along with the vocal group Express and the college’s dance group. "I’ll get to do a little bit of everything. I’ll be acting in Steppenwolf’s next play, ‘The time of Your Life’ by William Saroyan.

"After that show is over I’ll be an understudy, work in the box office, possibly work backstage. I don’t have any definite assignments yet."

Because many of Steppenwolf’s founders are ISU graduates, the theater company chooses as many as two interns each year from ISU’s theater program. This year 15 students auditioned, and Jennifer and a student from Indiana were chosen.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is an international performing arts institution, which was incorporated in 1976 with nine members, most of them Illinois State University graduates. The company now includes 33 theater artists, whose talents include acting, directing, playwriting and textual adaptation, and has performed more than 200 works.

It has produced a number of nationally known actors, including John Malkovich, Laurie Metcalf and Gary Sinise, who are still members of the theater company and come back from time to time to work in Chicago.

 

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"Steppenwolf takes interns only from ISU. It’s a kind of tribute," Jennifer said. "ISU has an excellent theater school and has a lot to offer students who are passionate about theater.

"I wouldn’t have gotten where I am now if I hadn’t gone to both schools," she added. "Dan McLaughlin and Jerry Dellinger [theater directors at Lincoln College] have been good directors and good friends. The teachers at ISU are also very supportive and very smart about their craft. They have had professional experience and can prepare students for the world of theater."

Jennifer has also signed up with a talent agency in Chicago. "I did a showcase at the end of my last semester at ISU for theaters and agencies looking for new, young talent. I signed with Stuart Talent, which can provide experience in modeling, acting and making commercials.

"My family is so happy for me. They are very supportive. I couldn’t ask for better parents."

She thinks she’ll probably miss Lincoln, but she’s very excited about this new opportunity.

"This is a big step — the start of the career that I’ve been dreaming of since I was a little girl."

[Joan Crabb]


Movie classics

Logan County Arts Association upcoming films

All upcoming monthly features in the Logan County Arts Association series of classic films will start at 7 p.m. at the Lincoln Cinemas, 215 S. Kickapoo.

Thursday, Sept. 12

"Breakfast at Tiffany’s" (1961)

Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard, Buddy Ebsen, Patricia Neal

Based on Truman Capote’s novel, this is the story of a young jet-setting woman in New York City who meets a young man when he moves into her apartment building.

Thursday, Oct. 10

Horror/sci-fi double feature

"Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" (1931)

Frederic March, Miriam Hopkins

Based on the story by Robert Louis Stevenson. Dr. Henry Jekyll believes that there are two distinct sides to men: a good and an evil side. He faces horrible consequences when he lets his dark side run wild with a potion that changes him into the animalistic Mr. Hyde.

 

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"The Day the Earth Stood Still" (1951)

Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe, Sam Jaffe

An alien (Klaatu) with his mighty robot (Gort) lands their spacecraft on cold-war Earth just after the end of World War II. He tells the people of Earth that we must live peacefully or be destroyed as a danger to other planets.

Tickets will be available at Serendipity Stitches, 129 S. Kickapoo; the Lincoln Public Library Annex; at the door; or by calling (217) 732-4298. Ticket prices are $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and $2.50 for children 13 and under. These features are one show only, with limited seating.

[Logan County Arts Association ]


Lincoln Community Theatre information

Lincoln Community Theatre’s box office, phone 735-2614,  is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday for the summer season. The office is located in the lobby of the Johnston Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of Lincoln College.

Performances of "Dearly Departed" are scheduled for July 12-20, and "The King and I" will be presented Aug. 2-10. Show times are 2 p.m. on Sundays and 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

The LCT mailing address is Lincoln Community Theatre, P.O. Box 374, Lincoln, IL  62656; e-mail: lincolncommunitytheatre@yahoo.com.

Visit the LDC website at www.geocities.com/lincolncommunitytheatre/index.html. Pictures from past productions are included.

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