BIO - FRANCES MCGUCKIN

"Helping people and businesses realize and achieve their maximum potential."

Frances is an award-winning, best-selling author, business management consultant, a professional speaker, member of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers (CAPS) and the International Federation for Professional Speakers. She travels throughout Canada and the United States speaking on business and motivational subjects, and is a popular media guest. With over thirty years of hands-on business experience ranging from small to large entities, Frances has amassed a wealth of business experience. She has been active in teaching entrepreneurship for 17 years. Her home-based businesses, SmallBizPro.com Services and Eastleigh Publications are in their 20th year. She is a willing volunteer who carries the message that life should be a positive and happy experience, a balance between reaching for your dreams through hard work, goal setting and focused planning, spending quality family time, and giving back to others. Nominations and awards

• Awarded 2003 Special Achievement Award, Surrey International Writer's Conference
• Nominated for YWCA Women of Distinction Award (awarded June 2004)
• Awarded one of five of Vancouver's 2002 Most Influential Women in Business awards.
• Nominated for Woman of the Year, Langley Women of Excellence Awards, March 2000.
• Nominated for Canadian Entrepreneur of the Year Award 1999, Supporter of Entrepreneurship.
• Awarded 1999 Business Person of the Year Award, Langley Chamber of Commerce.
• Nominated for the 1998 YWCA Women of Distinction awards, Entrepreneur category.
• Nominated for 2001,2000,1999,1998 Women of Excellence Awards, Langley, BC.
• Nominated for Business Person of the Year 1997, Langley Chamber of Commerce.

Appointments and committees

• Contributor to the 2003 Prime Minister’s Task Force on Women Entrepreneurs, some of Frances’ recommendations have been adopted federally in the report launched October.
• Treasurer for Vancouver chapter of CAPS, 2003 and 2004.
• Founding president and member of Township Toastmasters, ATM Bronze.
• Hired as a faculty member for Kwantlen University College in Langley in 2000 to teach the first Equine Entrepreneurship Course (30 hours) as part as their accredited EQUA program
• Appointed a Director of the Langley Chamber of Commerce (1,100 members) commencing 1998 to mid-2002.
• Appointed Chair of Small and Home-Based Committee, Langley Chamber of Commerce, 1998 to mid-2002.
• Appointed to Economic Development Commission, Township of Langley, 1998 and 1999, Vice-Chair.
• Judge for various business awards.
• A founding and committee member for five years and Coordinator for two years of The Valley Women’s Network, Langley with 100 women attending monthly meetings. The network has since sponsored seven branches across B.C.

Publications, books and writing

• Author of Business For Beginners a simple step-by-step guide to start your new business, revised and expanded third edition, released March 2003. The book is a bestseller with over 125,000 copies sold, used in many self-employment courses Canada-wide and in the U.S.
• Electronic rights have been sold to Intuit Canada for inclusion with their 2003 Quicken Business Tool Kit and three 2004 Quick Tax and T2 Profile software products.
• The book is now included in Business Plan Deluxe and Business Suite Deluxe software programs, distributed by Global Star Software, Toronto, Ontario, in both Canada and the U.S.
• Business for Beginners was published in Russia in January 2004.
• Second book, Big Ideas for Growing Your Small Business was released through McGraw-Hill Ryerson as part of their SOHO series in December 2001, and is part of a series penned by Canada's top small business authors. The second edition is being released in May 2004.
• Both books have been accepted for publication by a U.S. publisher, who have expressed interest in US editions. Big Ideas is being reviewed by a Spanish publisher.
• Monthly column, SmallBiz Success Strategies, for Vacuum/Sewing Dealers Trade Association, which publishes two U.S. monthly magazines for the vacuum and sewing industry with a world-wide industry circulation of 17,000.
• Columnist for Business in Vancouver's small business supplement, every two months.
• Columnist for the Langley Times for 8 years, writing popular weekly Business Concerns.
• Founding past editor of the Vancouver Corporate Living Magazine 2001-2002.
• Written various articles for business-related magazines and papers. Featured regularly in The Province and The Sun newspapers and is used as a small business resource.
• Written business articles for Quill and Quire, Home Business Report, Office@Home, monthly Langley Times columnist, featured in various business-related magazines and other periodicals. Business columnist for Craftlink magazine and had various articles on Internet sites, such as BusinessWeekOnline, CanadaOne. A Google search will identify pages of Web sites quoting Frances and her works.

U.S. publications and Web site interviews

Featured as a small business expert in many small business article in U.S. publications in 2003 and 2004, including:

• Chicago Tribune, Black Enterprise, Keybank, Entrepreneur Magazine, Home Business Journal, Corporate and Incentive Travel, Small Business Advancement Newsletter, University of Arkansas, Self Employment America, College Bookstores Magazine, Tanning Trends, National Association for Independent Businesses' newsletter, www.wallstreetwoman.com, www.businessweek.com, www.blackbusinesssouurce.org

Media appearances

• Guest on The Bill Good Show, CKNW, May 2003
• Guest on The Fanny Keefer Show, April 22, 2003
• Guest on national HelpTV, February 2003, Business for Beginners, 1-hour show.
• Guest on national CareersTV, April 1, 2002, promoting Big Ideas, 1-hour show.
• Guest on SuccessTalk, on-line radio Internet show broadcast across the U.S. and Canada.
• Guest on Prime Business and City TV, Toronto, June 2001.
• Guest on CareersTV, Canadian Learning Television, one-hour programs, April, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999.
• Guest on Phillip Till, CKNW, 2002.
• Guest on SOHO POWER second show, Rogers Community TV, September 29, 1999
• Featured on Roger's Community TV, Vancouver, Valley Connections, September 1999, Plugged In and People & Policies, June 1999
• Featured on Access TV's L&J News (Edmonton) two shows in May, 1999, more tapes in September 1999 and in May 2000
• Guest on Vancouver Television's Live at 5 Show October 1998
• Guest on The Bill Good Show October 12, 1998 (Business for Beginners)
• Guest on CKOV radio Penticton December 1998
• Guest on Talk America: Allan Holender's Homebiz Show, October 3, 1998
• Guest on Michael Campbell's Money Talks, July 1997

Keynotes and workshops

• Keynote speaker, workshop presenter, Groundwater Association national conference, Kelowna, April 2004.
• Business workshop presenter, International Association of Floor Care and Sewing Professionals, Las Vegas, March 2004
• Keynote speaker, Comox Women's Business Network, march 2004
• Keynote speaker/workshops, Atlantic Women in Business Conference (Oct 2003)
• Keynote speaker/workshops, South Niagara Community Futures, 2003
• Keynote speaker, Independent Meeting Planners Association Canada, (IMPAC) Toronto
• Keynote speaker, Tri Cities First Annual Women's Conference, April 2003
• Workshops for Singer U.S. annual Academy, New Orleans 2002, San Antonio 2003
• Workshop on public speaking, annual B.C. CFDC conference, Salmon Arm
• Keynote speaker for four Vancouver chambers October, hosted at Chapters stores
• Keynote speaker, Vacuum/Sewing Dealers Trade Association, first Canadian trade show and conference, Toronto, 2002, 2003, 2004 in Las Vegas
• Keynote and workshop, Canadian Special Events 2003 Vancouver conference.
• Keynote speaker, B.C. Career Colleges Association
• Keynote speaker, Canadian Organization Professional Electrologists, Toronto
• Keynote speaker, Dynamic Women Conference, WES of BC
• Keynote speaker, CFDC Everybody's Business, Port McNeill
• Keynote speaker, CFDC Langley
• Keynote speaker, Bowen Island Chamber Commerce
• Keynote speaker, 2001 BookExpo, Toronto, two workshops for book retailers
• Keynote speaker, Entre-Corp, Alberta, for teenage entrepreneurs
• Master of Ceremonies, Women of Excellence awards
• Registered with the Atlantic Speaker's Bureau, Nova Scotia
• Keynotes and seminars for Community Futures Development Corp throughout B.C.
• Presented monthly day-long seminars for Telus Career Transition Centre for downsized management, 1999 to July 2002
• Present self-publishing and marketing seminars for Surrey Writer's Conference
• Presented self-publishing seminar for PWNA writer's conference, Tacoma, Wa.
• Winner of Toastmaster's Area Humorous Speech and Table Topics contests, runner-up in Division for Humorous (25 clubs).
• Guest speaker to encourage entrepreneurship at various self-employment courses and women's networks, including Burnaby YMCA, Venture Program, Kwantlen College, Surrey, Women's Awareness Conference, Valley Women's Networks, Newton Business Association, Delta Women's Entrepreneurial Show, Fort Langley Chamber of Commerce, Nanaimo, Vancouver & Langley Women's Networks.