Catherine Lee
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4.27.2010 | The Re-Entry, Part V: Got the Job!... Is This What I Wanted??
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This is the fifth in a series chronicling international relations expert Catherine Lee’s unexpected journey back into the workforce. Read part one here, read part two here, read part three here, and read part four here. For a week I walked around the house whispering and then yelling out – “I got the job. I have a [...]
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4.2.2010 | The Re-Entry, Part IV: The Interview: Judgment Day
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If you have lost your job, had a baby, or need a change…read further. WHW Expert Catherine Lee tells the story of her own unexpected re-entry into the working world. As she says, she "became an immigrant with no royal status to the American Business World." If you are feeling obsolete, and yet ready to get back into the game, read how this successful businesswoman made use of her experiences, reinvented herself and took flight in a new direction.
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2.18.2010 | The Re-Entry, Part III: Getting a Face-to-Face in Cyber Space.
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If you have lost your job, had a baby, or need a change…read further. WHW Expert Catherine Lee tells the story of her own unexpected re-entry into the working world. As she says, she "became an immigrant with no royal status to the American Business World." If you are feeling obsolete, and yet ready to get back into the game, read how this successful businesswoman made use of her experiences, reinvented herself and took flight in a new direction.
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1.21.2010 | The Re-Entry, Part II: It’s Your Attitude, Not Your Aptitude
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If you have lost your job, had a baby, or need a change…read further. WHW Expert Catherine Lee tells the story of her own unexpected re-entry into the working world. As she says, she "became an immigrant with no royal status to the American Business World." If you are feeling obsolete, and yet ready to get back into the game, read how this successful businesswoman made use of her experiences, reinvented herself and took flight in a new direction.
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11.17.2009 | The Re-entry: A Mountain To Be Climbed
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If you have lost your job, had a baby, or need a change…read further. WHW Expert Catherine Lee tells the story of her own unexpected re-entry into the working world. As she says, she "became an immigrant with no royal status to the American Business World." If you are feeling obsolete, and yet ready to get back into the game, read how this successful businesswoman made use of her experiences, reinvented herself and took flight in a new direction.
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CATHERINE LEE'S COMMENT FEED
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Posted on 6.7.2010 6:59am
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"A door closes and another opens is true, yet the hallway between the two is hell." Elizabeth Kubler-Ross loosely translated.
I have never worked so hard to get work. Other women business owners and suppliers are my colleagues and friends. The vast majority are struggling to keep their business, and some have had to close shop. Others have business, but it is smaller contracts and short term.
However it seems to have stabilized. Treading water can be frustrating and many times it seems futile. Some see a glimmer of new business, and often times it is canceled before delivery date. I have spoken with many women in audiences, after speeches I have given, and lack of work is a constant.
For my corporate clients fear is a subculture today and trust is shaky because of fear of loss of position, of job, and of way of life. My nephew, a manager in a manufacturing corporation says even though revenue is growing everyone is still apprehensive. It presents a work culture that spends less, works harder, and re-prioritizes every Monday morning.
The good news is I and other women are forging new, disparate relationships--even with competitors. Together we are leading the new movement of creativity and innovation for ourselves and for our clients/ customers. The old way of doing business is changing and that is a positive for doing business locally and globally. Expectations of business, work, and spending are also changing. The entrepreneurial spirit is transforming the old to the new, the rigid to the resilient, and an attitude of superiority to one of partnership.
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Posted on 11.7.2009 11:14am
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Nina,
I enjoyed and appreciated reading your article.
I am a WBE in the Chicago area certified by its Women Business Development Center, a model used by many other states. Hedy Ratner and Carol McDugal are the Founders and Directors of the program.
You are correct in stating it doesn't assure new business, yet there are many other advantages. Going through the certification process itself, helps the entrepreneur sort out, organize, clarify and modify their business plan--resulting in better defined goals and renewed enthusiasm. The Center also offers a tremendous support system from training sessions to critical contacts and referrals. Chicago's WBDC gives the opportunity to women business owners to actually meet with their varied corporate partners along with the different government entities.
The Chicago Women's Business Center's certification is recognized by the city and the state, thus simplifying the certification process for both governments. The WBDC also affiliates with other entities like NAWBO, the National Association of Women Business Owners.
Women entrepreneurs need to collaborate with other organizations to expand their business and to have a support system of other entrepreneurs--especially if you are a small business owner with few colleagues or peers.
Catherine Lee
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