Paying it Forward is not a new concept to individuals and social organizations, but it is  one of the best examples of viral marketing that can benefit professionals and business owners. Paying it Forward is about entrepreneurers helping entrepreneurers. We've all learned lessons in life both personally and professionally. Why keep those hard lessons learned to ourselves? Why not pay it forward to help others save time, money and live a fuller and happier life?

Each week a new guest will be interviewed by Josephine and they will share the lessons they learned not only from their mistakes and challenges, but from their success as well. One paying it forward lesson learned can help another company grow which results in a win win situation for both the recipient and the business person who pays it forward!  The recipient gets to grow their business with all the tricks and tips passed forward and the experienced entrepreneur gets that "feel-good-feeling" knowing that their heart feels lighter because they genuinely helped someone else.

Josephine first started paying it forward after the death of her first husband/business partner. Only six weeks after his death, she founded The Jerry Cantwell Brain Tumor Foundation which raised $100,000 for brain cancer research. "I couldn't just sit around and do nothing. I wanted to make a difference-even if I helped just one other person-I knew it would make my heart feel lighter." says Josephine.

Years later after getting remarried and starting a family, Josephine again paid it forward by inventing a product that would help other moms protect their children from potentially harmful microorganisms that lurk in public places. On her first trip to a public restroom with her potty training son, she was horrified what a toddler could touch in a matter of seconds. Josephine was always a problem-solver and the idea for "gLovies®" was born. So, translating her business skills into her job as a stay-at-home mother, Josephine founded My Mom Knows Best, Inc.

Josephine Geraci is a former Wall Street executive. Her extensive professional experience includes senior level marketing positions at top financial institutions and she was also instrumental in helping to establish Lionheart, Research, Inc.

Join Josephine Geraci on Wednesdays at 10 a.m. EST on Toginet for in-depth discussions with her Paying it Forward guests - and find out how to join in the entrepreneur-to-entrepreneur Paying it Forward success!

Want to be a guest? Please e-mail josephine@mymomknowsbest.com or call 888-445-6843.

Bill Waitsman is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of The Harvest Group.  Bill has taken his Consumer Products experience with his love for small business to build a company that serves consumer packaged goods companies in the development of their go to market plans and the national sales implementation.  His passion to build a faith based business that effectively bridges work style gaps between generations has resulted in a high powered team and a truly unique work culture that glorfies God through building a foundation for business growth for their clients.  The Harvest Group has 25 employees and is based in Bentonville, Arkansas nearby to Walmart & Sam’s Club headquarters. 

Since launching The Harvest Group in 2006, Bill has been instrumental in launching new products into the marketplace for their clients.  In 2008, Bill led the national launch of Sprout Baby Foods (based in NYC), to key retailers around the US including Whole Foods Market, Publix, HEB, and numerous other food retailers.  He served as the Sprout VP of Sales until national distribution had been accomplished in 2010.

Prior to forming The Harvest Group, Bill was a corporate executive with Procter & Gamble (P&G), Bill spent 14 years in various sales management roles before moving his family from Cincinnati, OH to Fayetteville, AR to manage the P&G (Wal-Mart) Health Care business.   Bill furthered his interest in smaller businesses by working both the Iams and PUR acquistions at P&G.  Bill was also very active in sharing his faith as part of his work responsibilities.  He found great relevance in his work by leading Men’s Bible studies at the P&G offices.  His mentorship of other men has long been core to his work and personal ministry.

Bill Co-Founded the NorthStar Partnering Group in 2001 which represented his first small company venture outside of his corporate career.  As a NorthStar Partner, Bill saw the company grow from a small start up to a 30 employee consulting firm working with Fortune 100 clients such as Novartis, Johnson & Johnson, KAO Brands, and Disney.  NorthStar Partnering Group is a faith based consulting firm based in Fayetteville, AR.  Bill departed NorthStar in 2001 to launch The Harvest Group.

Bill spends most of his spare time with his family.  He also enjoys exercising and is running in his first marathon in December.  Bill and his wife Nika live in Fayetteville, AR with their three children, Caleb (15), Faith (11), and Whitney (8).

Lara Galloway has built a successful business by helping other women blend work and family priorities. Being a mom and an entrepreneur is a huge challenge for women who:

●      Started their own businesses in hopes of getting the freedom, flexibility and fulfillment they wanted, but wound up working more than they ever did before they had kids

●      Are masters of their craft or service, but lack the skills, expertise and resources required to successfully grow a business

●      Don’t know how to create goals that support their business AND their family life

●      Lack the support they need from their spouse, family and friends

●      Never have enough time to do all it takes to run a family while running a business

●      Fear marketing and sales and other core business processes required for business growth

Lara launched her business Mom Biz Coach to help mothers with their number one challenge: finding enough time to “do it all.” 

Galloway was recently featured in Forbes, is a sought after speaker and business coach, hosts a weekly radio show and is regularly featured in the national and international media.

Jason O'Neill

14-year-old Jason O'Neill didn’t plan on becoming an entrepreneur at the age of nine but when he had an opportunity to make a product for a craft fair in 2005, his idea took off and within months, he had started his business, Pencil Bugs Plus.

Jason continued to expand with new products and most recently became a published author with his first book, “Bitten by the Business Bug: Common Sense Tips for Business and Life from a Teen Entrepreneur.” Life does not have to be complicated. Sometimes it just means getting back to the basics, using common sense, and taking one step at a time regardless of age. 

He has received a lot of national media attention for his business as well as several awards including the Young Entrepreneur of the Year at age eleven and being named on a Forbes Top 10 List of Role Models 18 & Under when he was just twelve years old.

Jason enjoys speaking at schools, organizations, and large events sharing his story, inspiring and encouraging people of all ages to try their ideas and give back to their communities.

Since he started his business, Jason has been donating part of his proceeds to children’s charities. He currently supports Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, California by buying toys, games, books and other gifts for the kids. For Christmas 2009, he held a fundraiser to donate teddy bears. His initial goal was to donate 250 bears. With donations from around the world and adding in his own money, Jason was able to raise over $5000 which enabled him to buy 1800 teddy bears for the hospital. He has already started on his Christmas 2010 fundraiser and hopes to make it even bigger. His charitable philosophy? “Do something because even the smallest effort can make a difference in someone else’s life.”

Visit www.pencilbugs.com for more information.

NELL MERLINO

Nell Merlino is Founder, President and CEO of Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence, the leading national not-for-profit provider of resources for women to grow their micro businesses into million $ enterprises.  She is author of “Stepping Out of Line: Lessons for Women Who Want It Their Way in Life, in Love, and at Work,” from Broadway Books, which is available from Amazon.com. 

Throughout her career, Nell Merlino has been inspiring millions of people to take action. She is the creative force behind Take Our Daughters to Work Day, which moved more than 71 million Americans to participate in a day dedicated to giving girls the opportunity to dream bigger about their future.

Through Count Me In, Nell is now inspiring women entrepreneurs to dream big and achieve even more. She is leading a global movement to empower women entrepreneurs to grow their businesses to a million dollars and beyond by providing tools, resources, and a supportive community of their peers.  Count Me In’s Make Mine a Million $ Business program reaches women entrepreneurs in communities around the country through events and on-line community. This movement will not only add millions of jobs and billions of dollars of economic activity, but take women to new levels of independence, empowering them to act as economic leaders.

Nell is also the founder and President of Strategy Communication Action, Ltd. (SCA) in New York City, a firm specializing in the creation of public education campaigns that motivate people to act.  She is a member of the U.S. Department of State Advisory Committee on International Policy (ACIEP), which named her a Pathways to Prosperity Envoy.  Prior to founding Count Me In, Merlino created campaigns like the YWCA’s The Week Without Violence, the United Nations’ Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, worked in two state governments, was an advance woman in presidential politics, a union organizer and a Fulbright Scholar. 

Merlino lives in Manhattan with her husband, Gary Conger.

Mike Michalowicz (pronounced mi-CAL-o-witz) started his first business at the age of 24, moving his young family to the only safe place he could afford - a retirement village. With limited resources and no experience, he systematically bootstrapped a multi-million dollar technology business, sleeping in conference rooms to avoid hotel costs. After selling his first company, Mike launched a new business the very next day, and in less than three years, sold it to a Fortune 500. With his newest multi-million dollar venture, Obsidian Launch, he grows authors and experts into industry superstars.

Mike is a graduate of Inc. & MITs Birthing of Giants Entrepreneurial Program. He has received multiple entrepreneurship awards, including the SBAs Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Mike is a recurring guest on CNBCs The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch, ABC News, Fox News and other television programs. He has also been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine, Forbes, US News & World Report, National Public Radio (NPR), the New York Times, and other publications.

Mike is a frequent guest lecturer for entrepreneurial groups and professional business groups throughout the world. Mike is also a guest lecturer for collegiate entrepreneurial programs such as Babson, Boston College, Columbia, Emerson, Harvard, Penn State, Pepperdine and Princeton.

Learn more about Mike Michalowicz on Wikipedia