April 18, 1999

By Amy Joyce
The Washington Post

Crying baby in right arm, phone cradled on left shoulder, laptop open and waiting for you to hit "enter" with whatever body part is left.

How does a working woman keep it all in balance without letting anything crash to the floor?

A few women who are involved in this juggling act share their tips in a brochure called Women in Balance: Recipes for Success, recently released by QuickBooks -- provider of small-business accounting software.

The tips published are the winning entries of the QuickBooks Women in Balance contest.

One-third of all businesses are owned by women, according to the National Foundation of Women Business Owners. And the Small Business Administration predicts that by next year, women will own half of all small businesses nationwide.

With that in mind, Intuit Inc. -- the Mountain View, Calif.-based developer of QuickBooks, Quicken and other financial software -- sponsored the contest for female small-business owners to share their tips for keeping their lives in balance.

Debbi Fields, founder of Mrs. Fields Cookies and work balancer herself, chose the winning entry -- Diana Sneckner, president of San Antonio-based Avant Models and Casting Inc.

Sneckner's tip?

"The most important lesson I have learned from running a business and raising four children as a single parent is an adage I made up which says, `Put people over things, never things over people.' Remembering this always keeps me balanced."

Fields, mother of five girls ages 19, 17, 14, 10 and 7, said that sometimes it's the simplest advice that gets the best results.

Other tips in the include one from Sherry Dysart of Fort Washington, Md.-based Sherry L. Dysart & Associates, a software-training company. "Setting limits on work time and learning to say no gracefully. Establishing priorities and focusing on what is important using time and energy efficiently. Doing what you're good at and hiring someone to do the rest. Maintain perspective -- enjoy and appreciate today, but plan for tomorrow."

And Ericka Jansen, an educational consultant for Powhatan, Va.-based Discovery Toys, said the key to her balance is "schedules and organizing supplies."

"Having five schoolkids whose dad works from 2 p.m. to midnight leaves much responsibility for me in the evenings. If the kids know where things are and what is expected from them, they require less from me and I don't feel the need to nag and discipline them," Jansen said.

"You have to plan and love what you do," said Fields. "Those were the vital messages that ran through the entries."
If you'd like to get a free copy of the booklet, you can visit www.quickbooks.com or call (877) 213-7477.

© Copyright 1999, The Salt Lake Tribune

If you are interested in additional information, or would like to set up a Families Worldwide Chapter in your community, please feel free to contact us via e-mail.

Families Worldwide
75 East Fort Union Blvd.
Salt Lake City, UT 84047
USA

Fax us: USA 801/562-6008,
or Call us: USA 801/562-6185

Send comments and mail to Webmaster