Phew!  I will be glad when this month is over.  This last half of August is full of the ghosts of last year and the long good-bye I had with my father.

It’s a strange way to begin a business blog post, I know.  My experience, through all the strange turns of grief, reminds me of one of the reasons I am such a huge proponent of small local businesses.  In a small business there is room to respond to the reality of a person’s experience.

I have eight business relationships to care for in any given week.  Working with a small number of clients gives me room to develop both rapore and flexibility with each client.

We are able to engage in a more authentic give and take based on the needs of both parties.

Hurray for human-scaled business!

In July I had the pleasure of speaking to a group of remarkably on the ball women entrepreneurs.  They are all members of the Direct Selling Women’s Alliance.  They exemplified the creativity that is required to create one’s life with a balance of work, family, personal, and social aspects.  Two things all these women had in common were a great sense of humor and a clear purpose for choosing their business.

The local chapter meets monthly, in locations that move widely within the spread of our great city, so all members will get some opportunity to attend with a short commute.  For more information about the Houston Chapter of DSWA contact Jennifer Clanton: athenasbyjennifer AT yahoo DOT com.