Wyeth needs a new approach...

Wyeth has a long history of getting the FDA to push their drugs through the approval process and keep other companies from being able to produce generic forms of the drugs.....I'm particularly talking about hormones. After reading this article by Tara Pope in the NY Times, I wrote:

We need alternatives. Why should having choices for our health needs be any different? I also agree that pharmacies should continue to be regulated by the states and should not be allowed to make unsubstantiated statements about compounded products.

I’ve been helping women find their CHOICES for 11 years by showing them both sides of the story. In fact, there have been many women who have been taking Premarin for years and years, my own mother for one, and she’s 77. For some women the synthetic hormones will be fine, but for others who no longer put all their faith in their doctors OR the FDA, they want a choice and the the compounded drugs are a choice.

I believe Wyeth must accept the fact that they only SHARE the pie now, not dominate the market. They also need to show women that they are trying to help, not just trying to make money. This means they need to talk more directly to the average, every day woman with language they can trust and believe in, not have someone like the gorgeous Cheryl Ladd trying to convince us. It’s not working, Wyeth!! Those ads are causing more resentment than confidence. Their PR people need to contact me for an entirely new approach that WILL work.

Don't squeeze the Charmin!!

Besides the clear message this cartoons sends about severe mood swings, I'd like your opinion on something else. Is it plain to see that 'Minnie' is in a grocery store? I drew this one several years ago and actually there was more detail (like a sign that says welcome to joe's market....or something like that). But when I needed to crop the size I cut out the sign and the cash register to the left.

Ok, second question...do you think it's funny? Usually if you have to ask, it isn't. Or if you have to explain the joke, it isn't. Personally, I think it is pretty clever. hahahaha.....but no one likes to laugh at their own jokes alone! :)

We had a severe storm front move through Michigan last night....about 11 pm the lights went out and the temperature plummeted to 20 or something. The wind blew hard and it rained hard, but the most incredible sight was the lightening. Weird, it was green!

Anyway, I called and reported it to the electric company at 3am because I was afraid no one else on the street did and because I was getting a bit worried since the furnace would not come on without electricity and it was starting to get cold. It was all automated, even the thank you for reporting this outage and I finally fell asleep wondering if I was going to have to go to my daughter's house today. Then at 6am my fan came on! Oh yes, I still use a fan every single night.... I was thrilled!

I came to my office and started the computer....everything went fine, as you can see. Then I turned on the tv in my office and all I get is a blue screen. :( I have satellite so I unplugged everything, turned it on and off, switched boxes, switched cards and nothing but a blue screen. Frustrating because now I know I'll have to go through the process of speaking with someone from India named "Bubba" and just hope his level of English is understandable. Didn't want this crap today and when I go out later to the store, maybe I'd better stay away from the toilet paper aisle!

Mixing menopause and business...

There are so many babyboomer women who are running their own businesses these days, so I thought it was high time for us to talk about the challenges we come up against and how we deal with them. They are certainly different than what men deal with (and many times they, the men, have a rougher time than we do), but I believe it's different than younger women starting businesses too.

I kind of "fell into" my business over 12 years ago. You can hear my story here. I didn't know diddly about running a business (and I'm not sure I know NOW by the way that my taxes look!) back then, it all "just happened". What I'm saying is, it wasn't a concious effort to start a business. I was blessed with this crazy idea for a cartoon character who suffers with every single symptom of menopause and I had at least a tiny bit of hope that maybe I could make something out of it.

10 years is a long learning curve, don't you think? People keep telling me I should be proud of what I've done, but I keep thinking I should be MUCH further along in the game. I look at other women who have started businesses at the same age and within the same niche, with the same target market and they're going gang busters! Look at the Red Hat Society or Menopause the Musical! They're HUGE and able to capitalize on their talents and on this time in their lives. I can't help but wonder what I've done wrong to not reach the same level of success.

We've all had our handicaps, like doing all that we do at a time when our bodies seem to be working against us! Just like millions of other women, we have to figure out what is best for us individually so we can cope with the stresses and complications of running a business. I feel part of the reason we are able to do it is knowing we can do anything....that's one of the benefits of being middle-aged, we gain a lot more confidence in our abilities, plus we know what we want.

One of the unexpected issues that came up after I had been in business with Minnie Pauz Enterprises for about 2 years was the competitive nature of many of these other women. At times when I thought we could help each other by partnering on projects, I saw a lot of pulling back and mistrust between business owners. It even got to the point where I quit offering to give free publicity and advertising because the other party wasn't living up to their side of the bargain. There's a lot of talk about what women can accomplish together, but in business the "sisterhood" doesn't really hold much water.

If you have a business related to women, menopause, babyboomers, let us know how you're doing it in the midst of the hot flashes, insomnia and depression. Are you going it alone or do you have a partner? Do you prefer how you're doing it? How's business? :)