Women entrepreneurs must surround themselves with advisors to succeed in business today. One of the most important advisors is an attorney. Whether women are just beginning their businesses or have been in business for years, knowing what legal holes to avoid is paramount. Understanding some common lawful mistakes can be beneficial in protecting themselves and their companies.

Business formation issues, intellectual property concerns, choosing the right attorney for your business, and contract negotiations are just a few of the issues entrepreneurs must deal with that might require legal counsel. How does a woman business owner know what common legal problems to avoid? How can they protect themselves against problems before they occur?

At this special Women TIES Syracuse Growth Discussion Breakfast, local female attorney, Carol A. Zenzel, Esq., will provide an overview on five important legal issues women entrepreneurs need to avoid. She'll also explain when legal advice or protection is a must. Don't miss this unique opportunity to hear both practical and legal advice from someone who has almost 20 years experience advising small businesses, who has worked in a growing business and who started her own business two years ago.

After being in private practice with a firm for 15 years and as in-house counsel for a retail development company for 2 1/2 years, Carol Zenzel took the plunge 2 years ago and opened her own law practice. She now offers both legal and practical advice to small businesses. Having worked in a business environment, her focus is always on making deals happen rather than creating obstacles. She has extensive experience representing both landlords and tenants in the negotiation of leases, handles financing for the purchase of commercial properties, and has experience with SBA loans. In addition to her law degree, she holds degrees in finance and journalism from Syracuse University indicating she can write plain language contracts that most people can understand.

Carol received her Juris Doctor from the Syracuse University College of Law in 1988 and a B.S. in Newspaper Journalism and in Finance from Syracuse University in 1985. She is a member of the Onondaga County Bar Association.

Carol was a member of the 1991 inaugural class of Leadership Greater Syracuse and served on the Board of Directors for the Alumni Association. Carol has also served as President of the Board of the Teddy Bear Child Care Center, Inc.

"Publicity begets Publicity" is one of the truest statements in public relations today. As soon as a woman entrepreneur and her company obtain publicity, the more publicity they continue to receive. Publicity is an inexpensive, creative way to gain awareness for a business and its owner. There are three essential components to get the ball rolling: a professional headshot, a template for a press release, and a list of valuable PR opportunities.

Women TIES, which believes strongly in promoting women entrepreneurs and their businesses, has created a unique opportunity this summer to prepare members for their Fall PR campaign which should begin on September 1st.

This unique opportunity will provide women entrepreneurs with a professional headshot session with Laure Lillie Photographie in her Skaneateles photo studio, a fifteen minute PR consulting session and materials handout with Tracy Higginbotham, a hot beverage, snack and $10 book coupon from Creekside Books & Coffee, owned by Erika Davis.

This event will take place in the beautiful lakeside village of Skaneateles, New York. Women involved with this opportunity are encouraged to "retreat" lakeside after their photo shoot to envision and create exciting public relations goals for the remainder of the year.

The comprehensive PR package includes: a 30 minute head shot photo shoot, public relations packet with questions and answer opportunities, a beverage and snack, and $10 book coupon. One week after the shoot attendees will receive via email a contact sheet with all their proofs. Once a final shot has been determined, the final choices, both in color and black & white, along with all the proofs will be sent on a DVD. The images will be print ready and they will be able to email the images to whomever may need them.

We will schedule appointments on the half hour running from 9 a.m. through 2 p.m. Timeslots will be given out on a first come, first serve basis. The cost for the entire package with the ability to promote yourself and your business all year long is only $150. A check must be sent in advance to secure the timeslot.

Laure Lillie is a lifestyle and wedding photographer based in Skaneateles. She photographs children, families and a limited amount of weddings. She also designs custom stationery such as holiday cards, note cards and whatever the client may want. Visit her website to witness her incredible work at www.laurelillie.com.

Erika Davis owns Creekside Books. The bookstore offers new hardcover and paperback books as well as gifts. The coffeehouse features the freshest roasted coffee in Skaneateles and a pleasant atmosphere to relax and enjoy. Creekside Coffee is available at wholesale prices to restaurants and cafes and for private labeling. Creekside also offers an espresso bar service for conferences, weddings and other special events. Creekside bookstore's Business-to-Business Advantage Program is your organization's local resource for the newest and most informative books.

In order to succeed in business today, women are integrating serious and purposeful networking into their lives in order to promote, collaborate and forge stronger economic connections with other women entrepreneurs. When the economic climate continues to be weak, it is important for women in business to create a strong and substantial network where referrals and collaborations abound to maintain sales, increase corporate awareness and thrive during lean times.

This special program will discuss essential networking tips, promotional tools, networking follow-up techniques, suggestions for establishing a regional network, and the benefits of cross promotion and cross collaboration with other businesses. Attendees will also learn more about Women TIES state-wide network of women entrepreneurs and learn valuable ways to promote, network and collaborate with women across New York.

This event is being hosted by Aly Younge Owner of Curves of Penn Yan; Teresa Hoban, President of Lifeline Chiropractic Health Center; and Noreen Whitney, Owner of Nordic Farms.

Tracy Higginbotham, President of Women TIES, is creating a local, state and regional marketplace for women entrepreneurs in New York State. Her extensive background, loyalty and dedication to networking and promoting women entrepreneurs started in 1995. Since then, she has become highly recognized for her passion and contributions to supporting women entrepreneurs all over New York State. Higginbotham was recognized in 2005 with the United States SBA Women in Business Champion.

Higginbotham is also President of Five Star Events, a fourteen year old event management company who specializes in event planning, coordination, and execution of events for companies, organizations and individuals. Five Star Events also offers PR services for small to medium sized companies.

The Anheuser-Busch Baldwinsville Brewery has chosen Maureen's Hope Foundation as the recipient of all proceeds at this years tenth annual Bud Run. This 10K and 5K certified race begins and ends at the Budweiser Brewery taking in the scenic wonder of the Radisson Community.

Proceeds benefit Maureen's Hope Foundation who believe "Little miracles come into our lives, not on huge bolts of lightening, but on gentle beams of light, love and hope." Major corporate sponsors include: Anheuser-Busch, KJ Electric, Penn Traffic, Syracuse Home, and C&S Engineers. Women TIES is proud to be a media sponsor of this event.

The mission of Maureen's Hope Foundation is to offer support and assistance to people facing the challenges of cancer and other life threatening illness. Patients faced with life altering diseases need more than what the medical community can offer. Maureen's Hope caters to the personal needs of individuals facing these challenges by providing gift baskets and services that offer comfort and strength as well as helping to improve their quality of life. Maureen's Hope Foundation has been able to provide over 140 baskets to cancer patients over the past three years. They also provide cleaning services for the home, meals for the family, wigs/hats, complementary therapy such as reiki or massage, and assistance with fundraising events to help families with medical expenses. Maureen's Hope also helps to empower and encourage people facing an illness by offering a variety of programs that offer hope, inspiration and education to patients.

Creating and then growing a business into a million dollar company is in the thoughts of most women who become entrepreneurs. Yet statistics show only 3% of women owned businesses become million dollar enterprises. What does it really take to grow a business and hit this milestone moment? Theresa Slater, President of Empire Interpreting Service, LLC, will share her story, experiences and strategies with other women entrepreneurs at this luncheon.

Theresa will explain how the simple phrase,
Dont be a girl, be a business woman, created the mindset that helped her build her sign language interpreting company into a million dollar business in five short years. She will chronicle the journey from inception at her home based office to her expansion five years later with two offices and services encompassing New York, Pennsylvania, New York City and beyond. Learn how this savvy business woman thought outside-of-the-box and pushed past all the odds to claim success and her own million dollar milestone moment. Women entrepreneurs won't want to miss her insight and advice.

Theresa Slater is a professional Sign Language Interpreter and the founder and President of Empire Interpreting Service, LLC. Theresa's business provides Interpreters and Translators in dozens of language to venues throughout the northeast. Empire Interpreting Service has offices located in Homer and Syracuse, New York.

Prior to becoming an Interpreter, Theresa worked in the automobile business as a Business Manager for Porsche/Audi.

Theresa speaks on several topics related to entrepreneurship and growing businesses. She was the recipient of the 2008 WISE Award for Small Business Growth. She is a member of the Women TIES Advisory Board.