April 30: Oprah Winfrey and Harpo Studios Mark First National 'No Phone Zone Day'

Today, Oprah Winfrey and Harpo Studios are taking a stand against distracted driving, launching a new public service announcement campaign, and joining forces with some of the country's pre-eminent transportation safety organizations to declare Friday, April 30, 2010, the first national "No Phone Zone Day."

A large-scale effort to honor victims of distracted driving, "No Phone Zone Day" will also educate and activate Americans to end the deadly driving habits that kill nearly 6,000 Americans a year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The announcement was initally made April 6 on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

"A call or text isn't worth taking a life," said Winfrey. "We must not allow more mothers and fathers, daughters and sons, sisters and brothers to die before we take action against distracted driving. Let's put a stop to it now, by joining together on April 30 for national 'No Phone Zone Day,' and by making our cars a 'No Phone Zone.'"

"I've made it my mission at the DOT to end distracted driving," said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood. "We know that if we can get people to put away cell phones and other electronic devices when they are behind the wheel, we can save thousands of lives and prevent hundreds of thousands of injuries every year. That's why I'm proud to support and participate in Oprah's 'No Phone Zone Day.'"

Today, The Oprah Winfrey Show will present a special live episode devoted to ending distracted driving. In conjunction with the episode, Harpo Studios is mobilizing communities to take action at "No Phone Zone Day" viewing rallies to be held in Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.

Oprah show partner stations -- WSB-TV Channel 2 in Atlanta, WCVB-TV Channel 5 in Boston, WXYZ Channel 7 in Detroit, KABC ABC7 in Los Angeles, and WJLA ABC7 in Washington, D.C. -- will support the rallies in their respective markets. The planned rallies will bring together victims' families, elected officials, advocacy organizations, parents, youth, and law enforcement to discuss best practices and steps to limit distracted driving in their own communities. In addition, a new "No Phone Zone" public service announcement campaign will be showcased on today's Oprah show.

A working coalition of transportation safety organizations will come together as part of "No Phone Zone Day" activities and viewing rallies across the country -- including LaHood and the U.S. Department of Transportation; the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [NHTSA]; the Governors Highway Safety Association [GHSA]; the National Organizations for Youth Safety [NOYS]; FocusDriven; SADD [Students Against Destructive Decisions]; RADD, the Entertainment Industry's Voice for Road Safety; and more.

In addition, "No Phone Zone" corporate partners Sprint, General Motors/Chevrolet and Liberty Mutual will lend their support -- both for national "No Phone Zone Day" and in the coming months to spread the "No Phone Zone" message.

As a national call to action, all viewers and town hall participants will be asked to take the "No Phone Zone" pledge. By pledging, drivers agree to make their car a "No Phone Zone" and refrain from using their phone while driving, eliminating distractions from incoming calls, texts or e-mails.

To date, more than 160,000 people have signed Oprah's "No Phone Zone" pledge at Oprah.com. Many celebrities have already joined the cause, including Oscar® winners Sandra Bullock, Jeff Bridges and Mo'Nique; comedian Jerry Seinfeld; actress and icon Raquel Welch; Olympic superstar Shaun White; country music's Lady Antebellum; entertainer and entrepreneur Tyler Perry; the cast of TV's Glee; plus many more.

A 2008 NHTSA study indicated that, at any given moment during the daylight hours, more than 800,000 vehicles are being driven by someone using a hand-held cell phone. According to a 2005 study for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety [IIHS], drivers are four times less likely to get into accidents serious enough to cause injury when they turn off their cell phones while behind the wheel.

For more information on "No Phone Zone Day," and to take the No Phone Zone pledge, please visit www.oprah.com/nophonezone.

For additional information on distracted driving, visit http://www.distraction.gov/.

About Harpo Studios
Harpo Studios is the home of Harpo Productions Inc., the most successful production company in daytime talk, producing the No. 1, award-winning The Oprah Winfrey Show and syndication's latest success, The Dr. Oz Show, as well as having developed Dr. Phil and Rachael Ray.

Harpo Productions creates and develops original TV programming for primetime, syndication and cable television, and operates Oprah.com, a premier lifestyle website. ZoCo Productions LLC, an affiliate of Harpo Productions Inc., and Sony Pictures Television co-produce The Dr. Oz Show.

Harpo Print LLC and Hearst Magazines publish the monthly O, The Oprah Magazine publication.

Harpo Films produces feature films and, through an exclusive deal with HBO, scripted television programming.

Harpo Radio Inc. produces Oprah Radio [XM channel 156, SIRIUS channel 195, as part of its "Best of XM" package] on SIRIUS XM Radio.

A joint venture between Oprah Winfrey and Discovery Communications, OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network, a multi-platform company, will debut in January 2011 in approximately 80 million homes, on what is currently the Discovery Health Channel.

GoodBiz113's Take
Hooray for Oprah, to devote such significant broadcast time and creative resources in order to help get drivers to simply hang up their phones and focus on their task at hand: driving!

Has your company or organization signed Oprah's No Phone Zone pledge? If not, please do so now: http://bit.ly/BizNoPhoneZonePledge.

And then, of course, see that all of your personnel -- e.g., interns, sales reps, delivery persons, independent contractors, executives -- practice prudent, common-sense driving habits for the greater good.

Stay safe out there!

SOURCES: Harpo Studios, IIHS, NHTSA
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Motivator Brendon Burchard Targets Social Entrepreneurs and Small-Business Owners in His Latest YouTube Video, 'Success & Winning Streaks'

"Live fully. Love openly. Go out and make a difference." -- Brendon Burchard

This morning, one of GoodBiz113's favorite motivational authors/speakers/coaches -- Brendon Burchard [pictured], of "Life's Golden Ticket" fame -- posted a video on YouTube.

Titled "Success & Winning Streaks," Burchard's 10-minute coaching session effectively illustrates the steps that entrepreneurs and small-business owners need to take in order to win in their chosen market niche:

1. Hunger
2. Ownership/Accountability
3. Learning
4. Focus
5. Initiative/Massive Action
6. Collaboration
7. Accessibility
8. Mastery
9. Coaching
10. Gratitude

Neglect any of those 10 critical success steps, he says, and you're right back to Square One.

Invest fewer than 10 minutes now to seize upon this infectiously energetic young man's insightful and inspiring life/business lesson: http://bit.ly/SuccessWinningStreaks.
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Palo Alto Software Releases New Marketing Plan Pro Powered by Duct Tape Marketing®

As students head back to school, small-business owners are revving up their enterprises. Need help? Good news! GoodBiz113 ad partner Palo Alto Software, in partnership with small-business marketing guru John Jantsch [pictured] of Duct Tape Marketing, just announced the release of its new Marketing Plan Pro powered by Duct Tape Marketing®.

In this latest release of Marketing Plan Pro, Palo Alto Software has taken the award-winning Duct Tape Marketing methodology and embedded it into Marketing Plan Pro. The result: a product that will guide users through the process of creating a powerful marketing action plan that will help them understand how marketing and advertising can help grow their businesses.

Marketing Plan Pro powered by Duct Tape Marketing -- the best way to write a successful marketing plan -- is all-new for 2008. Small businesses often struggle with marketing strategies, and how to put an action plan in place that will actually grow their sales numbers. Marketing Plan Pro will give any business a clear plan to start working from, and get them started on creating a winning marketing strategy in just 30 minutes.

Your First Marketing Plan -- Within 30 Minutes!
Creating a marketing plan doesn't have to take months. In fact, Jantsch recommends starting with the simplest marketing plan outline, and then returning to add detail as implementation of your marketing plan progresses.

Marketing is a system, not an event, and Duct Tape Marketing is a systematic approach to marketing that is as elegantly simple as that sticky and trustworthy roll of duct tape. The Duct Tape Marketing system shows customers how to develop and execute marketing plans that will give businesses life and longevity. Audio introductions narrated by Jantsch are also included for major topics.

This new version of Marketing Plan Pro will help you:
* Build your marketing vision to identify your business goals.
* Focus on action, not words.
* Find your customers.
* Identify your remarkable difference and help figure out how you stack up against your competition.
* Forecast sales and budget expenses.
* Publish your plan securely online.
* Present your plan in style.
* Track your progress.
* Get free books [including a copy of Jantsch's own bestseller, "Duct Tape Marketing"] and more!

“It’s been exciting watching my Duct Tape Marketing system go from blog to book to software,” said Jantsch, creator of Duct Tape Marketing. “Merging my system with Palo Alto Software’s Marketing Plan Pro software will make this methodology available to anyone wanting to see their business succeed. The 30-minute plan will allow anyone to get from plan to action immediately.”

“Working with John Jantsch to bring Marketing Plan Pro powered by Duct Tape Marketing to market has been a great experience for Palo Alto Software,” noted Sabrina Parsons, CEO of Palo Alto Software. “Our Marketing Plan Pro software still employs the core elements that have always made it a great value — including the step-by-step approach that guides users seamlessly through the process of creating a marketing plan that will be immediately available for use and get results.

“Palo Alto Software’s collaboration with John Jantsch and the Duct Tape Marketing system will be nothing short of remarkable for new and repeat customers, and we are very proud to bring this version to market.”

Learn From the Best in Class
Marketing Plan Pro and Duct Tape Marketing are both widely recognized as the best solutions in their class. Among their accolades:

“If you're going to market with a new product or service, Marketing Plan Pro will deliver all of the professional documents that you need to plan your launch.” -- Entrepreneur Magazine

“Marketing consultant and entrepreneur John Jantsch has earned a large following among small-business owners... He dispenses tips, strategies and tactics to help entrepreneurs expand their businesses.” -- BusinessWeek

Practically speaking, summer's over. Now, focus on growing your business!

Marketing Plan Pro powered by Duct Tape Marketing is available as an instant online download or on CD-ROM [download included] via Palo Alto Software. All Palo Alto Software products come with a no-risk, 60-day, no-questions-asked, money-back guarantee.

SOURCES: BusinessWeek, Entrepreneur, Palo Alto Software
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In June 2008, Entrepreneur Magazine picked Palo Alto Software's Business Plan Pro as one of the top resources that can take your company to the next level of growth and profitability. Click this link to learn why...

Nov. 21: Diversity Council to Be Featured on NBC's "TODAY"; "Stop Hate Speech Now" Campaign Debuts

This Wednesday, Nov. 21, GoodBiz113's favorite not-for-profit group is scheduled to be featured on NBC's "TODAY" show. Sometime between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. CST, coverage of Diversity Council's far-reaching Prejudice Reduction Workshops will air.

That morning, Diversity Council's individual and corporate members will gather for a free celebration breakfast buffet in Rochester, Minn.'s Radisson Plaza Hotel, where they'll watch the "TODAY" show. Afterwards, they'll get to see the premiere of Diversity Council's fresh-from-the-editing-room TV commercial, which launches the group's new "Stop Hate Speech Now" campaign.

Each year, Diversity Council conducts Prejudice Reduction Workshops in classrooms throughout Rochester and other cities in southeastern Minnesota. In 2006, trained PRW facilitators reached a record number of 17,708 K-12 students, engaging the youths in a series of 13 presentations that build respect for human differences; e.g., race, body size, disability, sexual orientation, social class, gender, religion.

Diversity Council's PRW curriculum is available for licensing to schools and community groups nationwide. A 30-hour facilitator training seminar is also available. For availability and pricing, phone 507.282.9951, or e-mail info@diversitycouncil.org.

Diversity Council also teaches adults. Last year, the organization reached more than 2,000 business managers, teachers, graduate students, human-resource professionals, social workers and others with its innovative education programs on diversity. Facilitators conduct free business training for Diversity Council's corporate members, who receive public recognition of their support and commitment to diversity as a value-added membership bonus.

For more information about Diversity Council's expansive aims to educate, communicate, collaborate and celebrate diversity in all its myriad forms, visit http://www.diversitycouncil.org/.

SOURCE: Diversity Council
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Business Advisor Offers Improv Performance, Innovative Networking Opportunity for Entrepreneurs

"Joy in the Jungle: Adventures in Entrepreneurial Thinking" promises to be an inspirational and zany show for anyone in business or thinking about making the leap. The audience is invited to play along in this interactive variety show, featuring an eclectic mix of stories, songs and games on Saturday, Oct. 20, 7 p.m. at Augsburg College, Minneapolis. Rosemary Senjem, accompanied by Catherine Roach, will lead the audience through the jungle of business plans, cash flow, profits, customer service, and more.

Senjem is a successful business advisor who has guided startup companies, CEOs and independent artists, among others. She has launched several companies of her own; provided marketing and Web services to small businesses; and was an Outward Bound wilderness guide for seven years. Senjem, who grew up around entrepreneurs, artists, missionaries and engineers, describes Entrepreneurial Thinking as a “birthright” ‐- to be honored in a networking session with birthday cake before the show [6:30 p.m.].

"Joy in the Jungle" is a lighthearted take on the principles of what Senjem calls Entrepreneurial Thinking. It also enables Inspired Entrepreneurs, or those who “follow their hearts into business,” she says, “to celebrate in a gathering of the tribe.”

When left to our own devices, notes Senjem, human beings are creative and we generally prefer to run our own lives. "Entrepreneurial Thinking is extraordinarily ordinary," she says. "It’s a basic human behavior. Everyone can do this when you know the principles that govern it."

Senjem’s holistic approach and unwavering enthusiasm has established her as a leader in the growing entrepreneurial movement. She utilizes an improvisational discipline and other experiential methods. Her philosophy is based on the notion that being attuned to your physical well-being is a powerful tool for unleashing intuition, and shows how intuition plays a key role in making strong business decisions.

Testimonials for Senjem's Distinct Approach

“Pretty much everything we envisioned for my business wound up happening… She was tremendous helpful…Rosemary is an incredibly funny, nutty, great person. I always get positive feedback and ideas.” -- Nicole Stone, life coach and martial arts instructor, Minnesota

“Rosemary brings a sense of creativity and fun. To me, that’s really important to business. Why be chained to a desk when I could be dancing around at it?” -- Liz de Nesnera, founder of caregiverscommunity.com and multilingual voice-over talent, hireliz.com, N.J.

Event Details

WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 20, 7 p.m. [birthday cake and networking, 6:30 p.m.; Q&A following performance]

WHERE: Sateren Music Hall, Foss Center, Augsburg College, 2211 Riverside Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minn.

TICKETS: $20; discounts for students and groups. Call 612-226-5101 for a discount code; or, visit http://www.joyinthejungle.com/.

About Rosemary Senjem
Rosemary Senjem is the founder of Hand Spun Digital, Inc. [http://www.handspundigital.com/] and teaches Intuitive Plan workshops [http://www.intuitiveplan.com/]. Senjem earned a B.A. in Human Development & Social Relations at Earlham College. She has run her own barbershop, education consulting business and Web design company. She is currently writing a book about the principles of Entrepreneurial Thinking.

Source: Intuitive Plan/Hand Spun Digital
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American Express Announces Thank You Gift Card and Increases Web Purchasing Power for Corporate Giving

American Express recognizes the value and importance of companies saying "Thanks," "Well done," or simply showing appreciation to employees and customers throughout the year. To that end, GoodBiz113 ad partner American Express today announced the American Express® Thank You Gift Card, the latest addition to their growing line of themed Gift Cards.

According to a 2007 Incentive Magazine survey, 82% of businesses give gift cards and gift certificates. Of those, 74% gave gift cards and certificates for employee recognition, 46% for sales incentives, and 17% for consumer promotions. The survey also revealed that 83% of businesses find that giving gift cards and certificates is equally effective or more effective than giving cash -- up from 69% in 2006.

As a premium gifting product, the new Thank You Gift Card has an elegant gold design and provides recipients the freedom to create their own memorable experiences. It is available in various denominations from $25 to $100, and comes with special offers from participating retailers and merchants nationwide.

"Gift Cards have become a preferred incentive and holiday gift option among corporate buyers, due to their ease of purchase, use and universality," said Stefan Happ, vice president and general manager, American Express Gift Cards.

"This growing demand has led American Express to help simplify companies' gifting processes by offering bulk purchasing of American Express Gift Cards and adding relevant business-themed products like the Dining and Thank You Gift Card to our portfolio," Happ noted. "These service and product enhancements will enable companies to give their employees and customers a premium gift for any occasion throughout the entire year."

American Express enhanced its corporate Gift Card services in 2006 to help corporations and small businesses increase the effectiveness of their gifting programs. The improvements simplified bulk orders and increased the number of American Express Gift Cards that can be purchased by one company through the American Express Web site.

Companies interested in buying American Express Gift Cards in bulk for reward, incentive and promotional programs can visit the American Express "Gift Cards for Business" website, which gives companies a convenient way to buy a large number of American Express Gift Cards -- increased this year to as much as $35,000 or 1,400 cards, up from $15,000 or 600 cards last year.

Companies interested in purchasing American Express Gift Cards in excess of these thresholds can do so by calling American Express at 877-297-8242. American Express offers the American Express Business Gift Card, Gift Card Especially for Dining, and Thank You Gift Card to its corporate clients.

In addition to the American Express Gift Card, American Express offers themed Gift Cards for consumers -- including Gift Cards Especially for Kids, Teens, Birthdays, Dining, Movie Lovers, the Bride and Groom, and Thank You.

The American Express Gift Card lets the recipient choose from millions of things and experiences, making it a popular gift choice. Unlike store gift cards, which can be redeemed at one retailer's locations, the American Express Gift Card can be used at millions of places in the U.S. that accept American Express. The Gift Card is available in denominations ranging from $25 to $500 and can be refunded if lost or stolen.*

American Express Gift Cards come with special offers at best-of-brand retailers, restaurants and merchants. Click here for more information.

About American Express
American Express is a leader in prepaid products. In addition to the 116-year old American Express Travelers Cheque -- the pre-eminent brand welcomed worldwide -- the Company issues other prepaid products including Cheques for Two, Gift Cards, Gift Cheques, and a range of corporate incentive prepaid products through American Express Incentive Services, a joint venture with Maritz Inc.

American Express Company is a diversified worldwide travel, financial and network services company founded in 1850. It is a world leader in charge and credit cards, travel, financial planning, business services, insurance and international banking.

* Terms, conditions and purchase/replacement fees apply to Gift Cards. Subject to applicable law, a monthly service fee of $2.00 is waived for the initial 12 months after purchase. A $5.95 replacement fee may apply if a Gift Card is lost or stolen. Not for use at car rental, cruise lines, casinos or ATMs. Offers are subject to change without notice.

SOURCE: American Express
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Apple's iWork '08[TM] Scores Rave Reviews

Since Apple[R] unveiled its amazing iWork '08[TM] two weeks ago, the productivity suite has already won fans. Just today, CNET editor Elsa Wenzel wrote that it "offers attractive and intuitive interfaces; solid new features for image editing, page layout and printing; applications integrate well with each other... Apple iWork '08 is a strong Mac productivity package and a pleasure to use." While she rated it 7.3 out of 10 ["very good"], two out of three users weighed in with 10 out of 10 ["perfect"].

iWork '08 is a significant upgrade to Apple's productivity software suite, featuring new versions of Pages[R] and Keynote[R] word processing and presentation applications, and introducing an innovative new spreadsheet application called "Numbers."

Numbers introduces the concept of intelligent tables on a flexible canvas -- a new approach that makes it easy to organize information, create calculations, analyze results, and make spreadsheets look as great as they work. Pages '08 now features distinct modes for streamlined word processing and flexible page layout, a new contextual format bar, and change tracking. Keynote '08 now includes text effects, transitions and themes that help users easily compose spectacular presentations, and Smart Builds with easy-to-set-up, A-to-B animations that make impressive animations easy for anyone to create.

"Pages and Keynote make it incredibly easy, and even fun, for anyone to create stylish documents and presentations very quickly," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "Numbers rounds out the iWork suite, which is far more intuitive and easy to use than anything else out there."

Numbers '08
Numbers '08 is a new approach to spreadsheets, which allows people to organize their information, interact with their data and calculations, and make their spreadsheets easy to understand and print. With multiple intelligent tables on a flexible graphics canvas, users can rearrange information, resize and add columns -- all without breaking their spreadsheet.

Each table is a full-blown spreadsheet with automatic header and footer rows, easy sorting and filtering, and automatic cell naming, so creating, reading and maintaining formulas is easy. Common functions can be dragged to any cell, and a total of 150 functions are available, spanning a wide range of calculations -- including numeric, date and time, financial and statistical. Interactive checkboxes and sliders let users change cell values easily to explore different scenarios and see their results instantly.

Users can also create stunning 2D and 3D charts that are automatically updated as data changes, and then complement them with rich graphics, photos and text labels. Interactive printing makes it easy to fit a document on a single page or rearrange and resize tables and objects across multiple pages.

Pages '08
Pages '08 now has two distinct modes: streamlined word processing that makes it easy to create stunning documents in seconds; and flexible page layout, which gives users complete control over the position of objects on the page.

Pages includes 140 Apple-designed templates that let users easily create letters, reports, newsletters and brochures. A new contextual format bar gives users the exact set of tools they need at their fingertips whether they're editing text, creating a table or adjusting an image. Change tracking lets users collaborate with others on a document by displaying each person's edits in different colors, then accept or reject each proposed change.

Keynote '08
Keynote '08, Apple's industry-leading application for creating cinema-quality presentations, introduces new Smart Builds to make it easy for anyone to create spectacular animations by simply dropping graphics onto a slide. More advanced users can control every aspect of their animations with new A-to-B animations to define movement, rotation, scaling and opacity.

Keynote's new Instant Alpha feature makes it easy to remove unwanted backgrounds from photos and graphics, without needing a graphics department. Users can record their presentations along with a voice-over, then deliver them to audiences in person or over the Internet via podcasting or YouTube. The new Keynote also includes a collection of new text effects, transitions and themes.

iWork '08 can import Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel and AppleWorks(R) word processing, presentation and spreadsheet files, and can export documents in Microsoft Office file formats or PDFs for easy sharing.

Pricing & Availability
iWork '08 is now available through the Apple Store[R], Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $79 [US]. A 30-day iWork '08 trial will be available on new hardware and with copies of iLife[R] '08 sold at retail. After 30 days, the trial becomes an iWork '08 player.

System Requirements
iWork '08 requires Mac OS[R] X version 10.4.10 or later, a Macintosh[R] computer with a 500 MHz or faster PowerPC G4, PowerPC G5 or Intel processor, 512MB of RAM [1GB recommended], 32MB of video RAM, QuickTime[R] 7.2 or later, and 1GB of available disk space. iLife '08 is recommended.

About Apple
GoodBiz113 ad partner Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II, and then reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system, and iLife and professional applications.

Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players, and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market this year with its revolutionary iPhone.

Sources: Apple Inc., CNET
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