It's Saturday night and a dozen women are in Carmen Rojas' living room, passing around edible lotions, flavored body powders and adult toys. For Rojas of Miami, this night is about more than getting these women to buy her products.
Cindy Krischer Goodman's appearances on CBS4 The trend in telecommuting
Working fathers and kids
Coping with Sunday night anxiety
When business relationships go sour
The struggles of single moms
Finding your passion
How to get a job in today's rough economy
Do wireless devices help or hurt businesses?
Tips to surviving the economic slowdown
Parent challenges in caring for a teenager
Wives who outearn husbands are more common
What is overtime and who is entitled to get paid for it? It's a heated question that has set off alarms for employers and spawned hundreds of lawsuits in courts in Florida and nationwide. And, it will only get more attention as employers squeeze productivity from workers and lawyers cash in on the most lucrative area of employment litigation.
When Millie Puldon learned her job would be eliminated, she agonized over how to tell her three kids. ''I didn't want to worry them,'' recalls Puldon, a single mother. When she did tell them, her 9-year-old daughter broke into tears and asked, ``Are we poor now?''
If offered, would you want to work a four-day week? What if it means four long days? More Florida businesses, governments and school boards are proposing that option for employees in a trend sparked by sky-high fuel costs, traffic congestion, and budget concerns.
With gas prices rising, telecommuting is looking more attractive than ever. Even one day a week without a commute can not only keep gas money in your pocket, but also help workers feel less drained.
A new Monster Intelligence Father's Day survey shows more than half of working fathers feel their employers should treat dads better than they do now. That may be why, in these uncertain economic times, fewer dads are encouraging their offspring to follow the same career paths.
Larry Kellogg says the juggle of acing exams, bringing home a paycheck and raising a family 30 years ago still ranks as the most challenging time in his life. It inspired him to set up a scholarship for other fathers working their way through law school.
Six months after her husband died, Beverly Raphael sat at a table negotiating to sell his construction business to a New Yorker who wanted it for only a fraction of its value.
Sunday night is an uneasy time for Kathy Maiuri. With the weekend drawing to a close, the ad agency owner begins to stress about the upcoming week.
Marty Kaczmarek remembers the excitement of starting a Miami fitness center with his former personal trainer. He also remembers the bitterness of feuding when his business partnership turned sour.
This Mother's Day the economy is making the salute to moms a bit more serious. Working mothers are finding their median weekly wages declining, their work demands increasing, and companies pulling back on family-friendly benefits.
On Mother's Day, Sandra Salinas will walk eight blocks with her son Felipe to put in a six-hour shift at the neighborhood laundromat. A year ago, she dreamed of being able to give up her second job.
What drives you in life? Author Janet Attwood asked that of more than 1,500 businesswomen gathered in Davie last week. She urged us to stand up and shout out our answers. We did. ''Now, remain standing if you currently are doing the thing that drives you,'' she said.
His e-mail entry to our Balance Makeover contest arrived as an SOS: ''Help! I write a list every night and stress about it until I fall asleep.''
I want to join the conversation taking place in Pamela Fero's living room. But to make room for myself on the couch I must push aside Christmas lights, bags of beads, kids' school papers and toy trains. I clear a spot just big enough for my rear to hang over the edge of the cushion.
Would you like a 10-hour-per-day four-day workweek?