Archive for the ‘business tips’ Category
Thursday, November 18th, 2010
Today’s guest post is from Mom Entrepreneur Support Group member Marla Murasko. She is the President of ExecuEssential Administrative Services, Inc, a virtual assistant company, and President of SpecialMompreneurs a networking group for moms with special needs children. She is also a Direct Sales Consultant for Clever Container an organizational products company. Her passion is to provide tips and tricks to achieve a cleverly organized life. You can find her at www.MarlaMurasko.com.
The change of seasons is upon us. Fall came and went, and the cold winter months are beginning. Now comes the season of sweaters and coats. This is the perfect time to re-organize and de-clutter your closet.
Having a neat and organized closet not only looks nice, but also simplifies your life, making it easier to get dressed every morning.
The key to a cleverly organized closet is to “personalize it”. Create an ideal environment that you want to go to every morning. Here is a quote I heard the other day “it’s like creating a little store in your closet that you are excited about shopping in everyday.”
You can create different sections to your closet. Knowing exactly what is in each section makes it easier to find things. Having these sections will also make it easier to put things away, since each item will have a “home.”
Here are three easy steps to creating a great, organized closet:
- Grab and Go Section. This area is for those basic foundational clothes that you wear every day. For example: nice pair of jeans, nice t-shirts or even khaki pants. Things you know will mix and match together nicely.
- Originality Section. This is for items that are not so basic in nature, but add some flair to your ever day clothes such as prints, beading or lace. Ruffled blouses or fitted jackets would go in this section.
- Archive Area. Grab the clothes that you wear almost weekly and take them out of play for a little while. Store them in this area in a plastic garment bag. This will force you to take a look at some older clothes that you may have not utilized in a while. You have a choice; you can start to wear them again or it will force you to de-clutter your closet by getting rid of unused items. It will also give a new, fresh look to your wardrobe without having to spend the big bucks to do it. It’s called re-purposing 101.
Have fun!
Tags: Clever Container, getting organized, Marla Murasko
Thursday, November 11th, 2010
Today’s guest post is from Mom Entrepreneur Support Group Member Cathy Presland. She is a Business Strategist who will help you work on the right priorities for your business right now. Cathy loves to work with entrepreneurs like you who are ready to take action and move your business forward. She will work with you to get clear on your big picture strategy as well as the ‘how-to’ steps of getting your Internet marketing on track for profits. Visit www.CathyPresland.com for more information.
Mom entrepreneurs tend to start a business in an area that they enjoy. We have an idea, a talent, or something we know we are good at.
But does this matter to our business bottom line?
If you build your business from a place of knowing yourself and understanding your strengths then you’ll have the motivation to push through the tough times, and you’ll have the individuality to differentiate yourself from the competition (oh yes and this means you can charge more!).
So if we’re not sure what we really love to do, how do we find it?
Marcus Buckingham has a great book called Now, Discover Your Strengths. He describes a strength as something that makes you feel stronger when you do it. It’s not the same as just being good at something.
Have you ever met someone who is so passionate about what they do that it just exudes from them? You know that feeling of being energised, in the ‘flow’. That real enjoyment and feeling expanded? Yep, that’s probably it.
Without having to buy the book, or take any kind of test, here’s my quick how-to way to work out your strengths:
- Get out a piece of paper and pen.
- Make a list of all the things that you are good at (this might be quite a long list, maybe 20+ items – and the more you write the more ideas will come to you). If you are struggling for ideas, try to think of three things, put the list away and add three more ideas tomorrow and every day for the next five days.
- Now make a list of all the things you love to do. Things that make you feel expanded when you do them, that you could talk about late into the night, where you get carried away and lose track of time, that you would do anyway even if you weren’t paid for them.
- See where the intersection of these two lists is. Circle from the first list the things that you love. This is where you will find your strengths.
- As you become familiar with this process and develop greater self-awareness, try this exercise again – you might get some deeper insights.
Make a pledge with yourself to spend more of your time in your business working from your strengths. I guarantee you will build a stronger business!
Tags: business passion, Cathy Presland
Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010
Starting a business is never an easy task. When you balance this task along with the multitude of other tasks you have to take care of at home, it can be nearly impossible.
There are a few tips that will help you to make decisions easier, and to be more successful in the work you do every day. Follow these suggestions and you are sure to find success easier than you will find that other shoe your daughter misplaced.
Delegation is Key
You have your kids do chores around the house to help out, why not try the same strategy with employees at the office? Being in a position of leadership means you allow others to do a lot of the work for you. It is not always easy to simply hand off tasks especially when you know exactly how you want them done. It is even more difficult to do when you see the person is starting off all wrong. It is important to remember the only way your employees will learn is if they fail a few times in the process of getting it right.
Smile at Rejection
Rejection is never a “no” until you allow it to be a no. In most cases, no simply means, “not in the way you are suggesting it.” Always keep in mind when you are told “no”, it is simply a learning tool. Re-evaluate what you are doing that is causing people to not accept your sales pitch and modify the language. Highlight different aspects or talk about their business rather than how your business can help them. Find a new avenue to the “yes” rather than let the “no” stop you in your tracks.
Expect the Unexpected
Naturally you cannot know what kind of maelstrom might be coming down the pipeline for you. If you did, you might sidestep it altogether. Some disasters are best met head on. If you are in the business of buying debt leads, expect to get burned at times. There can be laws that change the legality of calling people to ask them if they are interested in debt consolidation. It is a good idea to have a plan in place, which will keep the company secure until the problem is solved.
Hire the Right People
A company is not judged by the person who is leading it, but by the people who make things happen. Your employees need to be good representatives of your company. Always hire people you would want to do business with. Look for people who are passionate about what they do as well as individuals that think outside of the box. You will find these employees have a way of finding a way around less than obvious problems.
Promote Community
You need to give your employees a reason to love your company other than just because they receive a paycheck. Talk with your employees. Share your vision with them. Learn more about their dreams and goals. See if there is a possibility for collaboration to have a shared vision. Make sure the employees know they share equally in the company’s success so they will want to see it succeed.
Resource Nation provides free tools, tips, and purchasing advice for business owners and entrepreneurs in over 100 business categories ranging from debt leadsto credit card processing. Whether it’s connecting businesses with local and national pre-screened vendors, or offering easy service comparisons on a debt consolidation, Resource Nation empowers business decision makers by providing the information they need to make smart choices.
Tags: debt consolidation, debt leads
Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010
Many women want a job that allows them to pursue a passion while giving back to the community. But they also want to be there to meet their kids’ school bus.
For many women, owning a business offers flexibility and the satisfaction of being their own boss. But starting a business can be daunting! Franchises can be a great alternative to starting from scratch.
There are many franchising options, including Hooray for Books (HFB), which offers a truly unique franchising opportunity.
HFB is a successful, growing business that combines reading, cooking and humor, encouraging children to become avid readers and chefs for life. It was started by Mary Murphy, a former teacher and mom of five.
“As a former teacher and a mom, I developed the program to work best for children, parents and teachers. Therefore, our drop-off classes for 1-11 year olds are 90+ minutes, giving parents longer chunks of time to get something done,” said Mary Murphy, CEO and founder of Hooray for Books.
In addition to classes, the Hopkinton, MA-based company offers birthday parties, summer camps, and book/cook clubs.
“Hooray for Books offers wonderful opportunities for people who want to go into business for themselves, but not necessarily by themselves,” Murphy explained. “Even if you have a great concept, it’s a lot of work to start your own business. There are significant advantages to buying a franchise, which has an existing system so you don’t have to start from scratch.”
Hooray for Books offers franchisees many benefits, including:
- A proven track record, based on 10 years of best practices.
- A complete toolkit, including lesson plans, recipes, training, instructions and support.
- A unique concept combining cooking, books and humor. It’s the only business of its kind and has huge growth potential.
- Flexibility and work/life balance. Franchisees design their own hours based on their family responsibilities.
- Many revenue streams, including classes, mini camps, birthday parties and cook/book clubs.
- Passion. HFB franchise owners are passionate about making a valuable difference in children’s lives.
“Hooray for Books offers a fresh take on the franchise concept,” Murphy continued. “Unlike traditional franchises, we don’t insist that employees work weekends and all summer. Franchise owners create their own success, on their own terms.”
HFB is granting select franchise opportunities in New England and nationally. Murphy expects to open five new HFB locations by Spring, 2011 and continue to grow from there.
For more information, visit www.hoorayforbooks.com or email mary@hoorayforbooks.com.
Tags: business opportunities, franchise business, Hooray for Books
Tuesday, May 4th, 2010
Over the past several weeks, we have been discussing the components of a business plan in The Mom Entrepreneur Support Group. So far, we have discussed writing the Industry Analysis, Description of a Business and Competitive Analysis.
Members are undecided as to whether or not they actually need a business plan. They have mentioned reading articles or talking with experts who say a business plan is not necessary.
I strongly disagree. A business plan is imperative to the success of your business.
A “business plan” can take on different forms. When I started my first company, Bisson Barcelona, I wrote out a full business plan, which included sections on the industry, target market, competition, trends, marketing strategies and much more. This was a business plan that I took to the bank to secure funds needed to buy an office and equipment. I knew my business well, but needed an organized way to layout and present the information for investors as well as myself for planning future growth.
When I started my second company, The Mom Entrepreneur, I did not create the same kind of business plan. I was not seeking money from investors, and since I had already written a full business plan, I had a sense of the information I needed for planning the growth of the company.
I decided to use an idea notebook. This is a 6×9 inch notebook with pages that are filled with ideas, thoughts, plans, suggestions, etc. I refer to it often, make changes, delete ideas and add new ones.
No matter what type of business you own or how savvy of an entrepreneur you are, you must have a plan! Growing a business takes you to a destination. Would you get in a car and drive to a place you have never been before without a map or a GPS system or some other device to help you navigate?
Of course not. So why would you do it with your business?
“Even if you aren’t planning to borrow money or seek investors right away, there are good reasons to sit down and write a plan,” says Karen Klein, a business journalist who covers small-business issues for several national publications, including Businessweek. “Writing a business plan not only helps you determine whether your business idea is feasible, it also establishes a map for your company’s future. Without it, your business is likely to drift along without direction or parameters for measuring progress.”
Microsoft’s Small Business Center advises that if you’re starting a home-based business on a shoestring, some of these suggestions probably aren’t necessary, but you still should create a plan that outlines your goals, expected costs, marketing plan and exit strategy. If you haven’t written your plan yet, your business is still in the fantasy stages.
“A business plan is never quite finished because you’re always revising it, reviewing it, and building upon it. In fact, more important to your business’ future than having a written, 30-page, coil-bound plan to distribute is the business planning process that you undertake on a regular basis to hopefully keep your ship headed in the right direction without losing sight of your long-term destination,” explains Elizabeth Wasserman, a writer for Inc. Magazine.
Even a seasoned traveler needs to be reminded how to get to a destination. Perhaps landmarks have changed, or road construction has altered your direction.
If you are struggling in your business and feel like you have lost your sense of direction then take the time to research and write a business plan that outlines your goals and how you will achieve and measure them.
Here are some sites that can help get you started:
- SCORE Business Plan Templates- they have a variety of templates here to choose from depending on your type of business. Easy to understand and use.
- SBA Business Plan Template – this template is designed to help you build a business plan. Review and complete each section of the template. At the end of the program you will be able to generate and save a formatted business plan which can later be further modified or presented as a final product.
- Entrepreneur.com Business Plan – describes the different sections of a business plan and offers free sample business plans.
- Need help? Have questions? Join our discussion on The Mom Entrepreneur Support Group about how to write a business plan.
So mom entrepreneurs, what are your thoughts? Do you have a business plan? Do you recommend creating one for a business? I welcome your comments.
Tags: business planning, goal planning, How to write a business plan, starting a company, strategic plan
Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010
Articles rich with keywords and placed with online article directories are a great way to spread your expertise virally. Article directories are a great source of information for bloggers and others looking for content for their posts. Your bio information, included with every article, is now showing up in several different locations online increasing your chances of being found. There are hundreds of article directories to choose from. I suggest placing your articles with the top directories according to Alexa and page rank.
Monday, February 1st, 2010
Having a complete email signature is like running a free advertisement every time you send an email. Include your name, company name, address, phone numbers, website and/or blog link, tagline and a few social networking links (i.e. Follow me on Twitter). I also include a message at the bottom of The Mom Entrepreneur signature. Currently, it says: Enter to win the Business Baby Shower, a contest that celebrates entrepreneurial moms.
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