WLBz 2 News

BANGOR, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — A tour focused on empowering women in the U.S. kicked off in the Queen City Thursday evening.

The ‘Identity 5′ workshop looks to instill confidence in women by promoting self acceptance. It was put together by Susan Vernicek who founded the online women’s magazine ‘Identity.’

She says women’s portrayal in the mainstream media can cause many females to reach for unattainable standards. Through discussion and reflection she is hoping to help women achieve in life through recognizing both their strengths and flaws.

“They share their stories to help other women just accept who they are, appreciate who they are and be able to achieve on a much greater level once they do that,” Vernicek said, “It’s not settling…it’s just owning what you’ve got going on and then appreciating so you can achieve and move forward.”

The tour will be stopping in 48 states over the course of 2012. Some of the proceeds raised from it will go to support the B.I.G. Scholarship Fund for female high school entrepreneurs.

WHARTON, NJ ( September 24, 2011) – Entrepreneur, Susan Vernicek, 30, is launching a 48-state book tour entitled, “Identity Five Tour – A Touring Workshop with a TWIST!” Vernicek recently celebrated the publishing of her first MagBook, which is a compilation of articles and reader contributions from her online magazine, Identity (www.identitymagazine.net) that encourages women to strive for acceptance, appreciation, and achievement, helping women get all A’s in the Game of Life. The first workshop will be held Thursday, November 3, 2011, 6:30-8:30 p.m at the Four Points, Sheraton on Bangor, Maine.



“Identity’s first online issue was in 2006, and was designed to empower women to Accept. Appreciate. Achieve.™ I didn’t know what would happen. I took a risk and am so happy I did!” said Vernicek. “The Identity MagBook came about because readers asked me to take my website content and create a book – they wanted to be able to take Identity to the beach, on an airplane, or in the car. I also wanted a unique way to archive the first three years of the online magazine. I can’t wait to bring Identity across the country!”

The “Identity Five Tour – A Touring Workshop with a TWIST” is a two-hour intimate workshop. There are hundreds of books out there that may give some guidance or shed some light on self-esteem. But, how many times have you read a book and wished you could immediately implement the message in your life to affect real change? Wouldn’t it be great to meet the author, pick their brain, and spend time with other women who are just like you? This is it, now is your chance to do just that! The Identity 5 Tour is a workshop designed around the Identity Magbook and the Identity 5 questions.

“The Identity Five are five questions I developed to help women dig deep and self reflect,” said Vernicek. “I use them, they are a feature in Identity’s Scratch the Surface articles, and my goal is to have book tour attendees answer the Identity Five (participants don’t have to share their answers). It’s a great tool to learn more about yourself and grow as a person, which is part of Identity’s mission.”

Four Points, Sheraton is the first of the 47 other book tour/workshop stops. A schedule is being planned and will be posted on Identity’s tour website (www.identity5tour.com) and Facebook page (www.facebook.com/identitymagazine) as book tour dates become available.

By Mike Michalowicz, Author of The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur

Last week I was honored, flattered and extremely surprised to learn that a TPE had a tattoo with "TPE" permanently inked on her body. Check out the pics below to see Susan Vernick’s wicked tribute to all of the organizations that she claims has helped her become the success she is today.

Susan is the CEO and founder of Identitymagazine.net, a great resource dedicated to empowering women as well as a loyal TPE and a great entrepreneur. I saw a few pics on Facebook, with a Tweet about her new tat and was floored! We made the cut!

Susan, thank you for the homage, and congratulations on your sweet ink. You just made the TPE hall of fame!

By Mike Michalowicz, Author of The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur

Local Woman Makes Her Passion Happen With Online Magazine and Book

It took discontent with a job that focused on women’s beauty for Jefferson Township resident Susan Vernicek to launch “Identity” magazine.

“I worked as a graphic designer for a company where they put a lot of effort into plastic surgery, and changing women’s faces and bodies to be something they’re not,” Vernicek said. “I got to the point where I was obsessed. I was very critical of my own face. It got to be crazy after a while.”

And so was born “Identity,” an online magazine dedicated to making women feel safe and comfortable with themselves. Vernicek coined the tag line “accept, appreciate, achieve” as the magazine’s mission, because that’s just what she wants women to do.

“I want ‘Identity’ to be a site that embraces women,” Vernicek said. “I’ve found everyday women that I’ve tapped as mentors. It’s just women helping other women through every day.”

The online magazine was born in 2006, after years of work on Vernicek’s part. She started working on it on a part-time basis in 2005.

“I had no business background when I started, and no contacts at first either,” she said. “I took classes, went to networking events, and learned what I needed to know one step at a time. I’m still learning, every single day,” she said.
“Identity” thrives using sponsors, and one of Vernicek’s main supporters is BIG, Believe, Inspire, Grow. The support, education and networking group supports  the efforts of female entrepreneurs. Vernicek leads a local group of BIG women in Sparta.

“I get to help women get their businesses going. I help them find their passion and take it to the next level,” Vernicek said. “The people at BIG and I have grown to know, like and trust each other. I hope that we can continue to grow with each other.”

Growth is another of Vernicek’s goals and to that end, she wanted to be working on the magazine full-time. She was able to do that in 2009.

Another goal was to write a book, and she was able to accomplish that as well. The first edition of the “Identity” magbook is a collection of articles from the magazine, as well as a short autobiography of Vernicek.

The book is available at “Identity’s” web site, www.identitymagazine.com, as well as through Amazon, Bares & Noble, and booksamillion.com. The first edition has been released, with the next coming out in about two weeks.

Inspirasoul

The place where all the enlightened treehuggers, b-boys and girls, cultural creatives, earth angels, lightworkers, urban alchemists, and real life superheroes come for their dose of spiritual mojo. Inspirasoul Talk Radio is a mash up of collaborative heart to mind conversations between host, Rev. Jennifer Rogers and her weekly special guests and soul epiphany filled music. Tune in every Monday at 1PM EST.

Jennifer Rogers interviews Susan Vernicek, click here to listen!

“This Is Not The Career I Ordered”

OneSimpleWishEndsmall

Entrepreneur Granting 30 Wishes for Her 30th Birthday

Reaching 1,025 FaceBook Fans by 10/25/10 Will Help Grant Meaningful Wishes for 
Children through One Simple Wish Charity

Morris County, NJ – Susan Vernicek, Owner of S&J Identity, Inc. is running a 30 Wishes campaign via social media. Her goal is to reach 1,025 FaceBook fans by 10/25/10, which is her 30th birthday. If all current and new fans donate $5 to the non-profit One Simple Wish, Susan will be able to grant 30 wishes for children and families in need.

“I donate a percentage of my advertising sales to One Simple Wish, and I wanted to do something more to help this worthwhile charity,” said Vernicek. “In the past my birthday has always been all about me, but this year I wanted it to be about others.”

Vernicek is the founder of Identity, an online magazine that empowers women to Accept. Appreciate. Achieve.™. Identity is meant to inspire, uplift, and motivate women to accept and appreciate themselves, flaws and all, as well as recognize their achievements in life.

“In creating Identity I’ve re-prioritized many things in my life and giving back to others is one of those things I want to do more of,” said Vernicek. “What better time in my life than when I turn 30 and embark on a new chapter in my life.” One Simple Wish is a non-profit that grants wishes, big and small, for needy children and families. Wishes range from sending a child to camp for a week to buying a backpack. Vernicek hopes to be able to make 30 of those wishes come true with the help of her Facebook fans, Twitter followers, and of course her readers. She will also donate some of her money to accommodate those 30 wishes.

Vernicek encourages Facebookers to become a fan of Identity at www.facebook.com/identitymagazine to donate to her 30 Wishes campaign at www.onesimplewish.org/30for30.

About Identity Identity, www.identitymagazine.net, is a unique and empowering online magazine that was created not only for the average woman, but for that unique woman within each of us. We are all individual in our thoughts, interests, beliefs, and experiences. Each of us harbors our own fears, doubts, questions, and insecurities. That’s why we bring you a positive and safe place to turn for information, inspiration, support, sharing, and “permission” to just be who you are.

About One Simple Wish One Simple Wish is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization dedicated to granting simple wishes to foster children, at-risk youth, and impoverished families.  Through the website www.onesimplewish.org donors can browse through hundreds of wishes posted on behalf of these individuals and select a specific wish to grant.  Wishes range in value from $5 – $100, making wish granting simple and affordable.  As of January 2010, One Simple Wish has proudly granted more than 650 wishes to children and families in need. For more information about One Simple Wish; to grant a wish; to volunteer; or to recommend an organization for possible inclusion in OSW’s registry of participating nonprofits, please visit   www.onesimplewish.org or call 609-883-8484.