In Honor of Mompreneurs Everywhere!

For all the men out, I am sorry to exclude you, but I really want to devote this post to all all the mothers who not only run their household, but run their own business as well. Please take these words to heart, because that's where they were penned from.

It really takes a strong, courageous woman to step outside the role demanded by motherhood to become the driving force behind a successful business. Not because she is not suited to the role--she is perfect for it--but because she is committed to raising her children, which is a full-time job in itself. Often she thinks that the two cannot co-exist, and often postpones her dreams for so long that she no longer sees them as attainable.

But there are the brave few, who understand that the best time to be self-employed is when your children are still young. The freedom of entrepreneurship is what allows you the time to spend more time with your children. So it is for the SAKE of her children that she steps outside the box, but that is the hardest step. All those that follow are that much easier.

With determination, the mompreneur learns to be creative in multi-tasking, reprioritizing, often to the detriment of her health and sound mind! She has a lot at stake, though, so that is her motivation to keep pressing on, and then something magical happens--she is transformed! A new confidence emerges, and with it, the discovery of the strength and power she possesses within. She learns to recognize the special touch that only a woman can bring to a business, and if she taps into it, her business thrives for it!

It is not an easy road to travel, that of the mompreneur; however, it is almost as rewarding as raising and nurturing your children. In fact, often the care given to her children is often mirrored in the care given to her business. The mom who understand this, and practices this, will have a successful business indeed!

So, this post is to encourage all the mompreneurs out there, from the new to the seasoned pros! Take pride in your leap of faith--in yourself--and appreciate yourself for the wonderful businesswoman--and Mother--you are!

In honor of Mother's day, I leave you with this special tribute--here's to you!

Make Sure the Lasting Impression You Leave Is A GOOD One!

Well, today marks the first day of a wonderful promotion that our company is offering, which really excites me. It means that I will be able to help that many more people start their own business--who were never able to afford to do so before--because they can start with less than a $10 investment! Needless to say, I am going to be talking with a LOT of people this month, as will my teammates, so I thought I'd share something that I believe is very important for all business owners to remember.

Since beginning my search for a home-based income-earning opportunity I have received many phone calls over the years. One in particular stands out in my mind--which I actually received during the very early days after starting my current business. So when I answered the phone that day, there was a "gentleman" on the phone (and I am using the term loosely) who proceeded to give me a pre-scripted invitation to help me earn thousands of dollars working from home if I could just commit to a "few hours a week".

Now, everyone has to earn a living, so I very kindly told him that since filling out the "information request" I had found the right opportunity and had started earning income at home already. I really didn't have time for another, so I was no longer looking. He then asked me "so you're telling me you don't have just an hour a day"? I started to explain that no, I didn't have any spare time left over, being a single mom of a teenage son with a full-time (50+ hr/week) job PLUS a new business, AND a household with 5 pets to manage. However, I did not even get past the word "no..." before I heard on the other end of the line: "Bunch of "f----ng" liars!" before being disconnected.

To say I was shocked would be an understatement! I remember at the time thinking that not only had this person ruined any chance at all that I would EVER contact him if I found some spare time and wanted to try a second business endeavor, but he also ruined the chance for every other representative for that ENTIRE company! I did not want to work with a company where people were so unprofessional, and obviously must not be very successful if they were THAT desparate and frustrated trying to get people to sign up!

Now let's consider what might have happened had he not hung up on me so rudely. Had he listened to what I had to say, he could have mentioned that he perhaps he could help me at some future time when my current business replaced my existing income and I had more time. I would have gladly taken his name and company contact information for future reference (which I actually do, by the way, simply because at some point I probably WILL consider multiple streams of income). I may even have passed the information along to someone who did not find my business a good fit, but might be interested in something else.

Sadly though, because the man did not listen, simply dismissed me and barreled on, he missed out on at least one, if not more, customers. Not only that, but he also ruined the chance for anyone else in his company to have a chance with me or anyone I know or will ever come into contact with. This experience has forever soured my opinion for the company and/or anyone remotely connected with it.

So please keep that in mind in every one of your business interactions. You are not only presenting an image of yourself and your own business, but also of the company you represent! Pave the way for you, and any other representatitives to follow, by planting seeds of kindness, respect, and excellent customer service, and everyone will sow a bountiful harvest!

eVentures Outside the Classified Ads!

I have to say that there are so many fantastic ways to promote your business online for FREE!  I love the free online classified ad sites for just that reason--it is so easy to reach people all across the U.S. with just a mere click of a button (ok, sometimes it takes a little more effort than that). The results you can achieve using online advertising and marketing can be phenominal, but it does take time to learn your way around, and the old adage of "practice makes perfect" defninitely applies! If you find the right training and a willing mentor or two (or a whole TEAM of mentors, like I have with the Freedom At Home Team!), you'll be rolling right along before you know it, and having fun while you do it!

That being said, I decided to take things to a more personal level these past couple of weeks. I have been focusing a bit more on business networking in recent months. I have been participating in online forums, various yahoo groups, and some Q&A bulletin boards. It has been very enriching and rewarding building new relationships with other folks in business, not just in the U.S., but around the world! I have to admit, it has changed my whole perspective of the term "networking". That term had somewhat of a negative connotation for me in the past--it brought to mind a concept of bugging people that you knew in your existing network of friends, family, associates to buy products or join your business.

It dawned on me that I had turned "network" into a VERB, rather than a NOUN. I also changed my focus from "what can I get out of this connection?" to "how can I help the person I am connecting with?"  Once I changed my focus, I was really amazed at how much fun I was having, and people really were appreciative of even the smallest tidbit of advice, or quick instruction on how to do something in a software program. I also came to realize that although I am not an expert by any means, I do have a lot to offer people simply by sharing what I have learned through my experiences over the past 20 years.

A strange and exciting thing happened as I started reaching out to others to help them--as I was building relationships with individuals--opportunties I never expected began to open up for me!  A connection I made through the Bank of America Yahoo Group has opened up an exciting website sponsorship opportunity with a high traffic website (more on that soon!) and I was also able to sponsor a fundraising event for an organization that helps prevent child abuse through connecting with another mompreneur on MomPack forum. I really enjoyed preparing for these activities, and although I am excited about the exposure these things will bring my business, I am actually more excited about the ongoing relationships I am building with the ladies with whom I have made connections.

So be brave--step outside the classified ad comfort zone--and start making connections!

Share