How high should you go when bidding on an auction item? How much should you start the bidding on an item you are selling? Pricing is very tricky, but it is critical to the success of buying and selling at auction. In this issue, we cover some tools to help you make pricing decisions.

A special treat in this issue is an interview with Sharon Boccelli, a "real" auctioneer! David and I attended one of her auctions, and Sharon graciously agreed to let me interview her.

How Sharon Boccelli became an auctioneer was the question foremost in my mind. The answer was a complete surprise. Rather than coming from an affluent family and being raised surrounded by antiques, Sharon came from a working class family and jumped into the antiques business at the age of 26 with absolutely no background in the business! Her story is inspiring.

I have spoken with and heard presentations given by many women entrepreneurs like Sharon. Though they come from different backgrounds, different races and religions and different industries, they have some things in common.

They all define success on their own terms. Money is primary, as you would expect of those in the business world, but most have broader goals, including issues of lifestyle.

They feel a great responsibility towards those they employ.

They are extremely generous with their time. They share the most intimate aspects of their personal and professional lives in order to help those who follow in their footsteps.

On Saturday, I attended a women's leadership conference in Boston. Speakers included Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan; Benazir Bhutto, former Prime Minister of Pakistan now living in exile in England; Katie Couric of NBC's Today television show; Marlene McDaniel, Chair and CEO of Women.com; Ilene Lang, President and CEO of Individual.com and Christy Haubegger, Founder of Latina Magazine - just to name a few!

These extraordinary women leaders from politics, media and business came together to share their experiences and their stories. These women are successful, not because they were lucky, not because they went to the right schools, not because they came from connected families.

These women succeeded because they took risks and refused to give up when they failed. When we look at successful people, it seems to us that they achieved success overnight. But we did not know them during the years that they struggled. Hard work, persistence, risk-taking, and a big dose of determination are the keys to success.

So if you are considering a change in your life, but that little voice in your head says, "you can't do it - don't try, you might fail," think twice before giving in to that voice.

Sharon Boccelli said to me, "I succeeded in spite of myself."

-Ina Steiner, Editor
ina@auctionbytes.com

PS: We post all past issues of AuctionBytes-Update on the Web site. You can read them at http://www.auctionbytes.com/Email_Newsletter/email_newsletter.html (or just go to the home page, http://www.auctionbytes.com, and click on "Email Newsletter").