It's a chilly night in New York City as Cake House founder (and my sister) Marie Handschiegel ducks into the Alice Tully Hall at New York's Lincoln Center. From the dark wash jeans and ruffled top she's wearing, topped with a lavender cardigan, you'd barely be able to tell that...

Let's face it. It takes a lot of guts to put your neck out and launch a startup. It takes a lot of courage to walk into a major VC firm like Lightspeed or Spark Capital and ask for money. It takes bravery and determination to create a vision, be...

As I take a seat at the small table facing a packed room at L.A.'s Writer's Guild for a panel on new media, I'm aware of three things. First, that there are two seasoned entertainment business executives seated who feel strongly about their views on the Internet. Second, that we're...

It's a chilly fall night at Hollywood's Roosevelt hotel as the 140 conference parties (three total!) go full swing poolside under the stars. Guests mingle and chit-chat as out of town revelers see familiar faces and catch up. Cabanas line the perimeter as wait staff deliver trays of cocktails. At...

Entrepreneur Nell Melrino is the kind of woman a woman wants to be. She had a successful company when she realized the importance of exposing young girls to opportunities in business and positive role models and invented "Take Our Daughters to Work Day" in 1992. When she did she...

It's a typical fall afternoon in Los Angeles as women entrepreneurs embark on Pali House for an afternoon of "co-working," a trend that brings founders, freelancers and other workers in a group setting - like a virtual office. One by one, women entrepreneurs take over the back corner of...

If last week wasn't enough to prove that there are incredible women everywhere in business today I don't know what else will. My first email Monday was from the female business development VP of a major company updating me on their interest in an acquisition of a project. Next, I...

The scene at the AMEX Phillip Lim event during New York Fashion Week is chic and stylish as guests arrive and rub elbows with media, bloggers and others in attendance. Minds behind some of the top fashion sites on the web mingle and mix in. Backstage, jewelry designer, blogger and...

Bay Area exec and Power Girl Julia Kung takes a seat at a New York Fashion Week panel and party event Monday night sponsored by Moxsie.com. As she does, the room is filled with more than 250 people nabbing treats from Cosabella, hard copies of the popular book...

At the noisy table in a New York restaurant are a half dozen or so of the city's top female entrepreneurs and executives. The group is peppered with the presence of male colleagues, boyfriends and friends. Kathryn Finney of The Budget Fashionista is next to New Power Girls...

It's just a little after 10 A.M. on a weekday morning when I join a top TV executive for a coffee meeting under the looming backdrop of the Sony studios in Culver City, CA. We grab two cups from the busy counter where other executives mull about and talk quietly...

The backyard party at a well-heeled women entrepreneur's house is littered with women founders and executives who work and play together in Los Angeles. A cheese plate from the local hot spot Joan's on Third, munchies and red wine flows as evening sets. The group ranges from battle-hardened CEOs who...

The conference room has a U-shaped table as I walk in to the Women 2.0 "Jump Start Your Startup" series. More than a dozen women are seated, laptops and notebooks out before them as I arrive to present my business story and play a part in the development of theirs....

Last week, I read an article about health care reform and women entrepreneurs online. It sparked a great conversation in the article's comments. The crux of the discussion was the expense of health care and the affect/impact it has on women entrepreneurs. With health care costs skyrocketing, not surprisingly, the...

The power of publicity couldn't be easier (or less expensive) than right now. Social media, social networks and better access to media and blog connections has put new capabilities in the hands of entrepreneurs and executives to tap outlets regarding news and articles on their companies. In the past, this...

Entrepreneur Sayeh Pezeshki sits back in the bright white chair of her corporate office as she talks with a leading retail magazine about use of social media and her business. As she shares insight on how her online retail startup, Sortingwithstyle.com, uses social media, she rattles off the half...

The scene is casual and chic as a group of female founders based in Los Angeles gather over mimosas at brunch. On the table is an array of iPhones and Blackberries, underneath a collection of designer shoes that would take the breath away from even the most seasoned fashionista. As...

One of the most popular trends of the past year has been the use of social media by entrepreneurs and executives to engage and interact with customers directly. It has gone from Twittering about the company and special things going on to full out disclosure of a CEO or founder's...

One of the greatest gifts in business is not a good lawyer or the coveted lucky break but also the ability to be agile, or in other words the talent to embrace and master new things. Call them change agents or chameleons, these lucky souls are capable of adopting and...

It's often said that it's "not what you know but who you know." Within ten minutes of being around Smarty People's Amy Swift you completely why people say just that. Amy's events in Los Angeles and beyond have brought in some of the most successful high profile women entrepreneurs in...