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A Message from Tiffany Bass Bukow, Founder of
MsMoney.com:
Throughout my life, I have enjoyed significant financial
success and endured surprising financial failure. Dealing
with the success was easy. Dealing with the failure
was not, especially when it was unexpected. I have had
to challenge my values and work hard to continue to
succeed while learning from failure. And I discovered
that friends who had been in similar circumstances were
my greatest source of motivation.
I hope that MsMoney.com's Success Stories provide
you with the same inspiration I received from my friends.
Each week, we will profile a remarkable woman who has
confronted financial obstacles and overcome challenges
to lead a happy, financially secure, and meaningful
life.
If you'd like to share your success story, please e-mail
us at editor@msmoney.com.
Jogbra and Beyond
By Hinda Miller
I
became a multi-millionaire at age 40. How did it happen? In
retrospect, it was a by-product of my following my intuition
and passion
not because I wanted to make a lot of money.
In fact, most people thought we were crazy when we asked the
question, Why isnt there a jockstrap for women?"
In the early 70s, Title 1X of the Equal Education Amendment
mandated that institutions receiving federal funding had to
spend equal amounts of money on mens and womens
programs. By the late 70s, over 6 million women were
running, hooked on the feeling of health, strength, and endorphins.
I was a runner, along with my soon-to-be partner Lisa Lindahl.
In 1977, we created the first sportsbra by sewing two jockstraps
together and calling it the Jogbra. Now a generic name like
Kleenex, Rollerblade, and Scotch tape, Jogbra has been honored
by its placement in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the
Smithsonian Museum. Sportsbras now generate $500 million at
retail and is recognized as having as big a role as Title
1X in increasing womens participation in sports and
fitness.
Lisa and I built the business up for 12 years, creating a
nationally known brand, Jogbra Sportsbras. In 1990, we sold
the company to Playtex Apparel, and then to Sara Lee Corp.
I left in 1997 after serving as President of the Champion
Jogbra division.
The financial security I earned with Jogbra has given me
the privilege to create a more integrated life in the middle
age cycle. The largest energetic circle is family and home
(mine includes two kids and a husband) followed by health
(my regimen consists of spinning, yoga practice, and teaching),
work (I sit on corporate boards and consult for women-owned
businesses), and community service. What can I impart about
this cycle?
- Take time to look within: Be quiet, listen, feel
whats in your heart, and trust your intuition. As
a Type A young person, I was accustomed to following a rigid
schedule with every minute filled. Now, as a middle-aged
woman, I must explore who I am and what I believe in. Non-allocated
time is essential for percolating a new passion and heart-felt
vision, whether its to start a new business, stay
at home, or transition into a more satisfying career.
- Circulate and participate: You will be amazed at
how the world will support your personal vision, if you're
willing to join in and contribute your ideas.
- The right questions are more important than the right
answers.
- Fake it till you make it: By that I mean
that you do not have to know everything before you make
a decision. If you cripple yourself by having to be perfect,
you will always fall short of expectations.
- How we think, so we become: As soon as a limiting
belief comes up about why you cant do something, reframe
those thoughts. Instead of saying, "What I want for
myself is so big, Ill never pull it off," say
instead, "I take my vision step by step and build each
piece as I go." Think of the vision as a seed, and
the limiting belief as the weed. If the seed is nurtured,
it grows on its own, magically attracting the nutrients
it needs.
- Increase your physical well-being: Rev up your
engine with exercise you enjoy. Use a Jogbra. Eat well.
Drink water. Research shows that it takes 21 days to form
a new habit or let go of an unhealthy addiction. Take sugar,
for instance--if you dont eat sugar for 21 days, the
body will loose its taste for it.
- Trust the Universe: Whatever happens usually has
something to teach you. Dont take things personally.
Assume that most people have good intentions even if it
is not clear at first. What is meant to happen, will happen.
It just may not be on your timeline.
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