Last week, the flock hosted its first guest speaker who generously and enthusiastically shared her story of redirection and re-education.  After a career and a masters degree in the unrelated field of publication design, this chick changed course and is now pursuing a Doctorate of Natural Health. For her, it just seemed the natural thing to do.

For the rest of us, who are just trying to keep pace with technological advances within our industries, the need for continuing education is clear.  In the words of my late mother:  “What are you a dummy?  You don’t want to learn?”  Take a class, call a friend, google a question to the virtual universe….the information you need is out there.

I have become a huge fan and ardent student of the on-line instructional series lynda.com. For a monthly ($25) or yearly ($250) subscription fee, one can access about a trillion different self-paced software training tutorials as well as a selection of FREE courses.

I have been enlightened (or simply acquainted) with topics ranging from:

HTML CODING ESSENTIALS to

CREATING MAIL LISTS & LABELS IN MICROSOFT WORD to

EXPORTING EXCEL CHARTS TO INDESIGN to

PORTRAIT RETOUCHING TECHNIQUES IN PHOTOSHOP.

This distance learning system works for me.  I can start and stop, go back, take notes, go back, go back, go back til I get it.

The founder of lynda.com, Lynda Weinman, is also an inspiring example of a successful free bird who continues to soar to new heights. Here’s her common-sense advice to the aspiring entrepreneur:

“Stick to your core competencies – don’t just start a business to make money or leave a job you don’t like. Find your passion. Follow it, and the universe will open!”

Check out this short interview with Lynda Weinman on WomenandBiz.com, an e-Magazine dedicated to the woman-owned business.

To see Lynda live, check out this video of Lynda Weinman:  The lynda.com Story on lynda.com. And for all you birds trying to make ends meet, this video lesson is FREE.

I recently began the task of applying for “Woman Business Enterprise” (WBE) certification through the National Women Business Owners Corporation (NWBOC).  According to the NWBOC website, certification is an important business development strategy for two reasons:

“First, most local and national government purchasing agencies track and/or have programs for doing business with women business owners. Having WBE Certification is the only way the purchasing agents have confidence that a business representing itself as woman-owned is in fact woman-owned.

Second, in a similar manner many publicly-held corporations, as well as larger private corporations, also track and have programs for doing business with women-owned vendor companies. They, too, rely on WBE Certification.”

Years ago, (actually six years ago – 2003) my largest, most profitable client asked that I be certified as a woman-owned business as part of their mandated Supplier Diversity Program.  Before I could accumulate the required documents, tax returns, bank statements and financial records and write the $250 application fee check, another company had swooped in and acquired my client leaving me and my business in the dust.  Needless to say, I did not complete the certification process.

In hindsight, certification was probably the exact thing that I needed at the time to pursue new business opportunities.

Fast forward to 2009.  I’m going through the process again hoping to expand my market and see if I can mine some of those stimulus packages and government projects. Pulling tax records is a little easier now because I can access electronic files.  My Quickbooks can spit out a current profit and loss statement with a keystroke.  But did I mention the certification has a non-refundable $350 application fee?

I’ve sent in my application in a notebook binder complete with tabbed dividers per the instructions.  My Social Security number graces every page.  Now, I’m nervously waiting for notice of receipt and that I’ve compiled and organized my codex correctly.

I’d hate to be denied for incompleteness.  Did I mention the certification has a non-refundable $350 application fee?