Bright Horizons Webinar: Reading Aloud with Children (+playlist)

Research shows one of the most important ways parents can support literacy development is to read aloud with their children. Bright Horizons wants to help your family explore new ways to make reading together both educational and exciting!

Join on Tuesday, November 5th, 8:00 p.m. EST  secrets to becoming a masterful storyteller and adding excitement to family reading time are shared. Click here for more information.


Early education experts will share practical ways that you can:

•  identify high quality children’s literature and select the right books for your child.

•  master storytelling techniques to make books come to life.

•  make reading time a more engaging, enjoyable and enriching learning experience.

• 15 registrants will be selected to win a set of Rory’s Story Cubes, courtesy of Gamewright Games!

• 5 webinar attendees will be selected to win a book of their choice from Barefoot Books!

• 1 lucky attendee will be selected as our GRAND PRIZE winner and will receive a Family Reading Toolkit from Barefoot Books including: 15 books, a puzzle and a puppet. ($139.99 retail value).

Register to Win! By registering for our webinar, you’ll not only gain helpful information to enhance your child’s educational journey, you’ll also have the opportunity to win prizes:

To register for this webinar, click here.  

Subcontracting: Free Webinar to help small biz owners understand the risks and rewards

Did you know subcontracting to a large prime contractor can be a great way for women business owners to gain procurement experience, increase revenues and expand their contracting networks? An American Express OPEN report found that three-fourths of small businesses have contributed products or services as a subcontractor, deriving an average of 25 percent of their total procurement revenue.

To help small business owners position themselves effectively as subcontractors in the federal contract space, the Give Me 5 program will be hosting a free webinar that will explore the standard processes of Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs), teaming agreements, and subcontracts. The course will also discuss the many ins and outs of working with prime contractors, including:

• Incorporating the relative strength of your bargaining power with Prime contractors in various situations into your negotiation strategies;
• Comprehending the full impact, including necessity and risks, to any flow-down clauses or any non-standard clauses that Prime contractors may place upon small business partners;
• Determining your "deal breakers" that will cause you to walk away from any potential teaming opportunity.

The Give Me 5 program was created by American Express OPEN and Women Impacting Public Policy to help women business owners get a leg up on selling to the world’s largest customer: the U.S. government.

Additional information can be found below:

Give Me 5 122: The Risks and Rewards of Subcontracting
Date: Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Time: 3 PM ET/ 12 PM PT

Where: Webinar (Virtual)

FREE Webinar on 5/23: The 90 Rules Small Businesses Must Know for Government Contracting Success

Government contracting is filled with regulatory compliance, which can be especially challenging for small businesses that are short on time and may have limited assistance.  Yet, compliance has never been more critical due to the increased competition among small businesses for contracting opportunities – in fact, sometimes the difference between one company and another can come down to its ability to comply with all regulatory requirements. 

To help small businesses avoid compliance pitfalls as they pursue government work, American Express OPEN and Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP) are offering a free one-hour educational webinar on Wednesday, May 23 on the must-know set of rules governing the federal agencies’ acquisition process – also known as the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR).

As part of Give Me 5, a national program created by American Express OPEN and WIPP to help women business owners get a leg up on selling to the world’s largest customer – the U.S. government, the webinar will walk business owners through the standard FAR clauses they will expect to see in all contracts and explain what they mean. Taught by Barbara English, president of English Solutions, Inc., the webinar will also discuss the processes and systems contractors need to put in place to be compliant with the FAR clauses.

 Business owners who are interested in participating can register here.

Additional Information can be found below:

Give Me 5 132: The 90 F.A.R Clauses You Need To Know

Date: Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Time: 3 PM ET/12 PM PT

Where: Virtual

Free Webinar for Small Businesses – “How to Write Successful Proposals (Part 2)”

It takes small businesses an investment of both time and money to seek federal contracting opportunities. In 2010, active small business contractors reported they invested an average of $103,827 in time and resources seeking federal contracts – an increase of 21% over 2009, according to a survey conducted by American Express OPEN. Learning how to write a winning proposal is critical in helping to save business owners’ most precious assets – time and resources.  

American Express OPEN and Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP) are offering a free one-hour educational webinar on Wednesday, April 11 on the “Do’s and Don’ts” of writing an effective proposal on federal government solicitations. Taught by Give Me 5 instructor Barbara English of Solutions, Inc., participating business owners will learn in detail the contents of a request for proposal (RFP), the pricing tools, and whether “to bid or not to bid.”  This is the second of three webinars (the first of which ran on March 28) to be held as part of Give Me 5, a national program created by American Express OPEN and WIPP to help women business owners get a leg up on selling to the world’s largest customer: the U.S. government.

Additional Information can be found below:

Give Me 5 129: How to Write Successful Proposals (Part 2)

Date: Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Time: 3 PM ET/12 PM PT

Where: Virtual

Business owners who are interested in participating can register here.

Free Webinar Teaches Small Business Owners How to Write Successful Proposals

Small businesses are working harder for government contracting opportunities. According to American Express OPEN’s government contracting survey, small business contractors invested an average of $103,827 seeking federal contracts in 2010, an increase of 21% over 2010. Since small businesses are investing more time and money in growing their businesses through government contracting, learning how to write a well-developed proposal can not only save business owners time and money but also make the difference in winning a major contract.

To help business owners get contract ready and achieve contract success, American Express OPEN and Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP) are offering a free web tutorial on Wednesday, March 28. This educational webinar is part of the Give Me 5 program,a national program created by American Express OPEN and WIPP to help women business owners get a leg up on selling to the world’s largest customer: the U.S. government.

In this one-hour session, Give Me 5 instructor Barbara English will teach business owners step by step instructions on how to write winning proposals on federal government solicitations. Business owns will also learn in detail the contents of an RFP, understanding pricing tools and whether "to bid or not to bid".

Additional information can be found below:

Give Me 5 129: How to Write Successful Proposals (Part 1)

Date: Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Time:  3 PM ET/12 PM PT

Where: Virtual

Business owners who are interested in joining the Webinar can register at:  http://www.giveme5.com/events .

Related articles

• Government Contracting Insights: Marketing To Government (openforum.com)
• The $27 Billion Opportunity for Women Business Owners : Innovation :: American Express OPEN Forum (spiceofyourlife.wordpress.com)
• No Taxes? No Way (businessweek.com)
• Opening Doors for Women-Owned Businesses (openforum.com)
• Something Small Biz Could Love: Risk Help From DoD - Aol Defense (govconchannel.com)

Free Webinar for Small Businesses – “Does the Government Buy What I Sell?”

Even amidst pressures to reduce deficits, the U.S. government remains the world’s largest single purchaser of goods and services with federal contract spending amounting to just over $535 billion in fiscal year 2011. And as of late, the government has placed a greater emphasis on increasing small business contracting.

To help business owners achieve their contracting goals, American Express OPEN and Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP) are offering a free web tutorial on Wednesday, March 7. This educational webinar is part of Give Me 5, a national program created by American Express OPEN and WIPP to help women business owners get a leg up on selling to the world’s largest customer: the U.S. government.

In this one-hour session, Doña Storey, the American Express OPEN Advisor on Procurement, will help business owners learn how to determine whether or not the federal government buys the products or services they offer. Historically, Uncle Sam procures everything from office furniture and airplanes to janitorial work, computer repair services and even kitty litter! Business owners will learn the who, what, where and how of the buy-sell cycle of the federal government, which is key in the “go-to-market strategy” to land the world’s biggest customer.

Additional Information can be found below:

Give Me 5 106 – Does the Government Buy What I Sell

Date: Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Time: 3 PM ET/12 PM PT

Where: Virtual

Business owners who are interested in participating can register here.

Related articles

• Small Businesses Working Harder for Federal Contracting Opportunities (openforum.com)

Free Webinar for Small Business Owners on how to Self-Certify for the WSOB Federal Contract Program

Thanks to the Small Business Association’s Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Program, which went into effect on February 4, women business owners have a greater chance to win government contracts; 684,000 women-owned businesses could potentially benefit. (Male-owned businesses are not exempt; they can take part by partnering with women-owned businesses.)

To help business owners take advantage of this growth opportunity, American Express OPEN and Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP) are offering a free, one-hour tutorial on Thursday, April 14. This session will provide further details on eligibility requirements and contract set-asides, and the step-by-step requirements for certification, including:

·         WOSB and EDWOSB certification requirements

·         Submitting documents to the SBA’s WOSB program repository

·         Update on 3rd Party certifications

This educational webinar is part of the Give Me 5 program, a national program created by American Express OPEN and WIPP to help women business owners get a leg up on selling to the world’s largest customer: the U.S. government.

Additional information can be found below:

Give Me 5: How to Self-Certify for the WOSB Federal Contract Program (Part 2) 

Date: Thursday, April 14, 2011

Time: 3-4 p.m. ET / 12 p.m.-1 p.m. PT

Where: Virtual

Business owners who are interested in joining the Webinar should visit http://www.giveme5.com/events#232. Additional resources for business owners is the OPEN Insight Guide, Government Contracting: Women in Procurement, found on OPEN Forum. This OPEN Insight Guide offers tips and advice to help business owners understand the program and determine whether their businesses qualify to participate.

Related articles

• US Federal Contractor Registration Now Offers Direct Access to Government Buyers (prweb.com)

“FTC Regulations and Me,” webinar and panel discussion focuses on PR and blogger impact

Join Brian Solis, principal, Future Works, Ted Murphy, principal, IZEA, Mary Engle, associate director, Bureau of Consumer Protection, Federal Trade Commission and myself for “FTC Regulations and Me,” (#ftcme) a webinar panel, on February 19 from 1 to 2 p.m. CST to learn how the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising” impact online promotion.

In October 2009 the FTC announced the new guidelines which address endorsements by consumers, experts, organizations, and celebrities, as well as the disclosure of important connections between advertisers and endorsers.

The guidelines affect personal blogs and social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Many professionals who rely on online communications as part of their promotion arm wonder how these changes impact them.

Panel participants are regularly sought out by industry peers to talk about the regulations and will address common themes they’ve identified:

• Who is doing it right? Case studies, examples and best practices
• An Overview of the FTC Guidelines, straight from the source
• Dispel guideline myths and rumors
• How to disclose in 140 characters
• Developing a disclosure policy
• Among others…

Registration for the “FTC Regulations and Me” Webinar is now open!http://j.mp/ftcweb

To ensure this information is accessible to as many professionals as possible, Citrix graciously donated all webinar capabilities.