Pamela Swingley is a seasoned software executive with more than 20 years experience working with technology companies of all sizes. With a passion for early stage companies, she managed the marketing strategy and programs for three successful startups: Onlink Technologies which was acquired by Siebel, Shoplink Collision Estimating, a division of ADP, and Gate58 Marketing. In 2005, she founded Savvy Internet Marketing, a consulting firm specializing in online marketing, website design and usability. Pam holds a BS degree in Human Development from UC Davis and an MBA from Saint Mary’s College in Moraga.

To an outsider, Pam’s career looked like a major success story but those in her inner circle knew she was not happy. Three hours a day in a car commuting was tiresome and Pam felt she was missing out on quality of life. Her 81 year old father needed more attention and Pam worried about his glaucoma. He was forgetting to take his prescription eye drops several times a day and was close to losing his vision.

Pam developed a text messaging system to remind her father to put in his eye drops. It was a great solution for Pam’s father to manage his medications and maintain his independence. After realizing that other families could benefit from this type of service, Pam assembled a software development team to create RememberItNow!   Read Full Story

For 25 years Carol Covin enjoyed a career in the computer industry as a software engineer but in 1997 something significant happened that would change the course of her career dramatically. Carol’s colleague, with inoperable stomach cancer, found an obscure cancer treatment developed by a scientist in the late 1970s. It was held by a private scientific library the scientist endowed to hold his papers before he died in 1986. Carol’s friend followed the scientist’s suggested cancer treatment protocol and his 30-pound tumor was gone in six weeks. Read Full Story

I just read an article by David Cutler who wrote a book called The Savvy Musician. He outlined various competencies for success in musical careers that are applicable in all professional work arenas.

• An Entrepreneurial Mindset. The ability to problem solve, create opportunities, think outside the box, market remarkably, and manage your own projects.
• Leadership and Vision. Individuals who possess a strong sense of vision and the courage to lead with influence are rewarded on many levels.
• Collaboration. Successful professionals value working with others, creating projects that are greater than themselves. Consider joining forces with the not so obvious constituents in your circle of contacts: community members, educators, business leaders, neighbors, etc.
• A Strong Brand. A brand is much more than your name or logo. It is the sum total of how others perceive what you do. What distinguishes you from the pack and how will potential clients or colleagues know that?
• Risk Taking. Most people are terrified of failure, playing it too safe and buying into the myth that anything less than perfection reflects poorly on them. An overly safe approach often results with a failure of the largest order – professional goals. If you crave success, be willing to fail and learn from it.
• Internet Mastery. The web offers unprecedented opportunities: social networking, blogging, podcasting, news releases, viral sensations, etc. It’s simply not enough to do these things – you must do so strategically for the greatest impact.
• Financial Literacy. Prospering financially doesn’t simply mean raking in piles of cash. Success requires a deep understanding of how money works – earning, spending, and saving.
• Research Skills. The most successful professionals do not reinvent the wheel. They take advantage of pre-existing resources. They establish relationships with mentors, embrace creative modeling, and devour resource materials in their field.
• An Understanding and Interest in the World. Only those who are engaged in the challenges, values, and realities of their communities are able to create products and provide services that fill gaps and resonate with others. Successful professionals are relevant.

When you play the career game with these rules in mind you will be well prepared for success.

A native of Australia, Jacqui Rosshandler now calls New York City home and is enjoying a new career as CEO and Co-Founder of Jacquean Products. Trained as a lawyer, Jacqui never felt at home in the structured corporate world and took an entrepreneurial leap on New Year’s Day in 2007 when she summoned the courage to give her new business idea a whirl. Nine months later, she had her new product in hand. Read Full Story

With 14 years in corporate America, Stacey made the decision to stay home and raise her family when she was pregnant with her first child. It was a life changing move. This suburban Wisconsin Mom was not a teacher by training but she went on to create Kindergarten and First Grade books now used in schools across the nation. Now, a successful author, publisher, motivator, consultant and Mom, Stacey is nationally renowned as an education expert. Read Full Story