Moms In Business

Mom Power Rules in StartUpNation's Search for Leading Business Moms

Need a little inspiration today?  Check out StartUpNation's story about their selection of the top 200 leading moms in business for 2009. The contending business moms were selected by visitors who viewed their profiles and websites and voted for their favorites. More than 620,000 votes were cast.

The top vote getter was Yana Berlin, whose business is Fabulously40 and Beyond, a social networking site for women in their 40s and up. Here's an excerpt from her winning profile:

"I think any woman that has a family, career and children is a super hero. Women over forty tend to be everything for everyone and often forget to take time for themselves. I took it upon myself to create a social network for women forty and beyond." More

After the contest, the StartupNation staff noticed some clear trends that stood out among the top business moms:

1. Moms want to make a difference
2. Running a business is a family affair
3. Flexibility despite difficulty
4. Home is where the money is
5. Social media and e-mail marketing work

Read more here: StartupNation's 2009 top 200 leading moms in business

MBA Moms Blend School and Kids

If you've been thinking about returning to school to get your MBA, but think it's impossible while you have small children, here's an interesting read that shatters that myth. 

Moms get down to business in MBA class - Kids are welcome
"Mothers of young children who are enrolled in MBA programs across the country have a message for all the other moms holding back from pursuing that same dream: Go for it! It's very doable.

"School and children are so compatible," says 30-year-old Tuesday Reitano, who will be graduating from McGill University's MBA program in April. Not only has Ms. Reitano managed to pursue her degree while still caring for her four-year-old son and working part-time as a consultant for the UN, she also had a baby in January while still enrolled in the program." More...

Weekly Tips from Linda's Twitter Desk - 6/28/09

Here's a roundup of my Twitter posts from the last week. 

Enjoy!

Businesses use Twitter to communicate with customers http://bit.ly/IwKSQ

10 Privacy Settings Every Facebook User Should Know http://bit.ly/uGg8d

"I cannot live without books." ~ Thomas Jefferson | Ditto!

Just added LinkWithin widget to Moms in Business blog.  It auto adds related posts 2 all your posts instantly http://bit.ly/YPHu9 Check out the related posts below to see how it works.

"The really happy person is the one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour." ~ Anonymous

Food for thought: When You’re Sick, What Happens To Your Small Business? http://snurl.com/kusb1

"I'm in love with the potential of miracles. For me, the safest place is out on a limb." ~ Shirley MacLaine

Hard Selling on Social Media: Just Say No! http://snurl.com/ksa5q

Viewing: Inspired Business Tip From The Hoover Dam by @BobTheTeacher http://snurl.com/kpz9s

What was the first business you started? Mine was putting on a show w/ all the neighbor kids & charging the parents admission :)

"Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves." ~ Abraham Lincoln

5 Tips for Beating the Summertime Business Blues

Summer's just starting and some people are already singing the ain't got no business blues. But if you work it right, summer can be a wonderful time to get new business, make new contacts, and set some goals for the fall. Here's some ideas for kicking the summertime blues and making the most of the warm months ahead.

1.  First things first. Take some time off!  It may seem counter intuitive, but taking some down time is crucial to the health of your business.  A change of scenery, new experiences, and a chance to slow down and really relax will help you to recharge the little gray cells and increase your creativity.

Be sure to keep a little notebook (I use Moleskin journals in bright colors) or voice recorder (I use the Recorder app on my iPhone) handy to keep track of those smashing ideas that will come up during your down time.

2. Do some training. Summer is the perfect time to take a class and learn a new skill or master a software program that will help your business grow.  Check out the offerings at your local community college or university, subscribe to an online training site or take a teleclass. Some ideas -- if you want to learn some new software, check out the online tutorials at Lynda.com.  If you want to expand your entrepreneurial mind, consider a teleclass with Barbara Winter of Joyfully Jobless on brainstorming or outsmarting resistance.

3. Network everywhere!  Just because you are on vacation doesn't mean you can't network. Stay open to connecting with people no matter where you are and always be sure you have your business cards and info with you to exchange with your new friends.

4. Set some goals. Summertime is perfect for creating or rethinking your business goals. Use this time to write down your goals for the rest of the year or check the progress of the goals you've set and tweak them a bit.

5. Host a fun summertime sales event!  Do something fun for your customers to increase business -- if you have a retail store throw a customer appreciation party and invite your customers to come and bring a guest. If you have an online business, you can run a contest or offer a free teleclass.

And if you're on Twitter, you could host a Tweetup (an impromptu real world meeting with your local Twitter friends).

Finally, be bold this summer and break out of your comfort zone. Your bottom line will thank you for it!

5 Ways to Find New Customers for your Business

Today I received a question asking:

"I am trying to find new ways of finding prospects.  Can you give any ideas?"

Answer: There are so many ways to find new customers for your business, but today I'm going to narrow it down to 5 suggestions you can use that work wonderfully to attract new clients.

1. If you haven't joined a lead swapping group like Business Network International (BNI), you should check it out. These groups only allow 1 type of person per business and they share and give leads for prospects at each meeting.

2. Join a larger business networking group and become involved. The more visible you become within the organization the more business you will attract.

3. Offer to speak on a topic related to your business that people are concerned about at your local non profit organizations or clubs.

4. Contact your current satisfied customers and ask for referrals.

5. Join Twitter.com and Facebook.com and use them to connect with people you know and start building a network online to get leads. Post helpful tips in your area of expertise, share links, and engage by joining in the conversation. Focus on being helpful to people and building relationships and the business will follow.

Linda Locke
Editor, Moms in Business
http://www.momsbiznews.com
http://twitter.com/lindalocke
http://facebook.com/lindalocke

Weekly Tips from Linda's Twitter Desk - 6/21/09

Here's a roundup of my Twitter posts from the last week. 

Enjoy!

“Any man can be a Father but it takes someone special to be a dad.” ~ Anne Geddes - Happy Father's Day to all you Dad's out there :)

The cupcake van may be coming your way

My new fav mag is Ready Made. Lots of fun & creative ideas for making stuff & thinking outside the box. http://readymade.com

I really want one of these: “Google Me” Business Card

Myths To Destruct: Creatives are Bad at Business

Using Software To Auto-Build Your Twitter Following Could Risk Account Suspension

Handy Tip: How to set up more Twitter accounts with ONE email address  using gmail

Blog tip: When posting links on twitter, use bit.ly, shortna.me or TweetBurner to get click statistics.

If you are a freelancer, here's a view point you may want to consider: Are You Tweeting Away Prospects?

7 Ways You’re Screwing Up Relationship Marketing

"Find the thing that ignites your passion, engages your mind, and dare to lead." ~ Christiane Amanpour

Learning how to use free Google Local Business Center to control biz info that appears for local searches

"Too much of a good thing is wonderful." ~ Mae West

Tune Up Your Personal Message

'I'm not going to vacuum 'til Sears makes one you can ride on." ~ Roseanne Barr

"You can never get enough of what you don't need to make you happy." ~ Eric Hoffer

Weekly Tips from Linda's Twitter Desk - 6/14/09

Here's a roundup of my Twitter posts for the last week.

Enjoy!

New, interesting demographics on iPhone users

5 Tips for Optimizing Your Brand’s Facebook Presence

23 Essential Elements of Sharable Blog Posts 

Enjoying the guilty pleasure that is http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com ~ Hilarious!

There's an art to writing on Facebook or Twitter -- really

Mom bloggers gain influence

How To Inject Personality Into Your Twitter Stream Using TwitVid.io

"Life is an adventure in forgiveness." ~ Norman Cousins

"The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up." ~ Mark Twain

5 Ways to Set Your Goals in Stone

VIDEO: 5 Tips to Help You Get a Blogging Job

Helpful advice on How to Prepare For A Layoff Before It Happens

Being a Mom is a 6-Figure Job

What's a mom's time really worth? About $122,732 says a recent study at Salary.com. In fact, they liken the work of stay-at-home mom to that of an entrepreneur running a start-up company.

"The study reveals that the job of being a mother incorporates the skills of, among others, a CEO, psychologist, facilities manager, computer operator, cook, and van driver."

Read more at: Inc.com Mom-in-Chief a Six-Figure Job

What to know what your mom job is worth? Use the Mom Salary Wizard at Salary.com to calculate your Mom salary.

Weekly Tips from Linda's Twitter Desk - 5/25/09

Here's a round up of some of my best tips and inspiration from Twitter this past week:

"If I had my life to live again, I'd make the same mistakes, only sooner." ~ Tallulah Bankhead

10 Essential Twitter Tools for Business http://ow.ly/7zLi

What to do when there's too much to do http://snurl.com/i9kyj ~ a different approach to dealing with overwhelm

23 Marketing Strategies That Can Make You More Money During a Down Economy http://bit.ly/pyWGN

"Never invest your money in anything that eats or needs painting." ~ Billy Rose

Always be open to new ideas & new ways of doing things. You never know what might lift you to the next level.

9 Practical Ways to To Help Stay Focused http://tinyurl.com/ojdv8p

How to Surrender (Without Giving Up) http://snurl.com/ihlmw

Golden Rules of Social Media: http://bit.ly/BcAnH

How to Effectively Listen On Twitter http://snurl.com/ik2yf

Using Twitter to help GROW your business http://short.to/l4s

Tweeting Your Way to a Job: http://twurl.nl/garwxf

Now you can wear your best Tweets with http://www.twitshirt.com

30 Steps for Starting a Freelance Business in a Month

Many moms dream of starting a part-time freelance business, but get stuck in the start up phase because they just don't know how to get it going.

To solve that problem once and for all, here's a helpful guide from Skellie at http://www.skelliewag.org that you can use to make your freelance business a reality in just 30 days.

30 Days to Become a Freelancer

Day 1

Decide on the one service you will offer. I emphasize picking only one specific service because without freelance experience, you are probably not already highly skilled in the area you want to freelance in. Even if you have been practicing it as a hobby for a long time, providing that skill as a service is a different challenge.

If you are wanting to freelance in web design, don’t offer everything and the kitchen sink to begin with (complete design + front-end code). Provide PSD mockups only. If you’re more on the dev side of things, start with some code slicing jobs. If you want to write, start with one specific kind of writing.

This approach will help you become skilled in the service you provide very quickly. Since you want to be taking on your first client in 30 days, it’s crucial that you develop your skills to an adequate level. Once you become comfortable with providing that one service, you will naturally expand what you offer.

Read the other 29 Steps here