Enterprising Moms Network Inc

Are you someone who loves (or lives) to write?  Do you have expertise or insight into a topic that you would love to share?  We'd love to help you share!

The Enterprising Moms Network is currently looking for guest bloggers to contribute to our blog.  Topics on the blog cover everything from networking and marketing to family vacations and summer fun.  We know that there are alot of women out there who have lots to say and share about life, motherhood and business.  And we'd like to hear from you!

If you are interested in writing for EMN, please check out the EMN Editorial Calendar by clicking here. Every month we have 2 different topics, one "Enterprising" topic and one "Mom" topic, and there is a submission deadline for each month.  If this sounds like something that would interest you, please email us for more info or better yet - send us your post!

Two quick things to remember regarding your submission - please keep your post to about 500 words, and also include any photos/graphics etc to give your post as much "eye-candy" as possible.  Also, be sure to include the link to your website!

Here's to seeing some "enterprising" entries - happy writing everyone!

Have you had that "ONE" bright business idea and let it go because you had no idea what to do with it? Or how about already owning your own business and being scared to take it to the "NEXT LEVEL"?       

Many of us have been there and know what its like. It's scary and exciting all at the same time. The risk of failure, the possibility of it not working - yep, that does exist.

However, what also exits is the possibility of its success and creating the life you always dreamed of.

If entrepreneurship was easy, everyone would be doing it. What separates those who succeed, and those who don't is simple: tenacity.

Have you ever read a bio about someone and thought to yourself "I thought of that!" or "I could have done that".  The only difference between that person and you is that YOU didn't try.

Entrepreneurship has its ups and downs. You will find that every successful business owner will have a story about failure(s) - of when the business really wasn't working very well. But they stuck with it - saw it through, and eventually it succeeded. 

These struggles build character, they define how you will handle business in the future. In essence, they make you a better entrepreneur because you  lived through the hard times - and so did your business.

So if you have always wanted to try your hand at entrepreneurship because you have that ONE great idea - or really want to grow your business and take it to the NEXT LEVEL; make 2010 the year you simply go for it.

Never live your life with regret - you'll never know if it could work, unless you work to make it happen.

Happy 2010!

Whether your business is established, or you are just starting out, you’ve realized at some point that networking is an invaluable tool that will ultimately contribute to the success of your business. Even a hundred years ago, people networked their businesses, only then there was no such thing as social media, computers, etc. Yet somehow, they managed – and they flourished. In 2009, there are multiple avenues of networking, including everything from a simple business card to a full-on company conference, and everything in-between. 

 No matter what your business is, or what the stage of your business is in, there are a few things to think about when you are networking your business. It’s important to take a moment and think about what networking “is” and what it “isn’t” from time to time.

Networking is vital to your business

Believe it or not, there are people who start a business, and think that the business will actually come to them – that they won’t have to go out and look for it.  If anyone tells you that they became successful just sitting at home and letting the customers find them, chances are they are not being 100% truthful. 

Networking is not a popularity contest

With some people, they find it is important to declare the size of their contact lists and referrals.  Especially with social media sites, do not judge the success of your networking simply by the number of names that are on your contact list, people following you on Twitter or belong to your group.  Just as you are intent on collecting names, some people are intent on collecting groups.  Focus on the quality of the people that are on your contact list that are actively involved with your business.    

Networking is not limited to one or two approaches

Chances are that you have a few different methods of networking that you are very good at, and some that you are not so good at.  Don’t under-sell yourself by thinking that just because you are strong in one area, you are weak in another.  If you were in a gym and only worked out your leg muscles and not your arms, you’d be a great runner but totally useless when it came to climbing up a rope.  Work your networking by utilizing your weak and your strong areas, and you’ll have a good overall “networking physique”. 

Networking does not always require technology

Although technology is now playing the biggest role ever in the success of networking a business, don’t be intimidated and shut down networking altogether because you don’t feel you are as technologically advanced as your brother-in-law’s friend’s cousin who knew a guy who met the guy that started Twitter.  You have a phone, you meet people face-to-face, that’s much more powerful sometimes than any computer program or social media network.  

Networking is simple

As simple as putting your hand out to shake it with someone you just met.  As simple as starting a conversation with someone you see in the local grocery store.  You never know where the simplest of starts are going to end up. 

Networking is complex

When you are involved with many different avenues of networking, it can be a complex task.  The key to keeping successful with complex networking is by being organized and on top of things.  

Networking is not a competition

The interesting thing about networking is that the different ways that people are using to network is expanding by the minute.  Websites, written resources, books, in-person groups and national conferences are springing up constantly.  If you try to compete vigorously within a network, all you are going to do is ultimately ostracize yourself.  Expand your knowledge and your networking skills by sharing knowledge with other people who are in the same business you are in.

Networking is about giving and receiving knowledge

The words “giving” and “receiving” could also easily be substituted with “talking” and “listening”.  Like the person who tells you that they have achieved success by sitting at home and letting the business come to them, a person who tells you that they know everything there is to know about what they do is also probably not being 100% honest.  Nobody knows everything.  It’s just not possible.  To be successful with anything, business or personal, you must be open to give and receive knowledge. 

Ask questions, look for answers, change your reasoning, share your knowledge, your success, your ideas and your inspirations. That's it, Networking 1-2-3.

Many first time business owners have a hard time deciding whether or not to go it alone as a sole proprietor, to take on a partner or if they should incorporate.

Below you will find some useful tips to think about when making this important decision.

A Sole Proprietorship is the easiest out of the three to start up. The start up costs are low as a Sole Proprietor, and there are great tax advantages (write offs) to the owner. The only drawback is that there is no name protection as a Sole Proprietor and there is no protection/separation between you and your business (ie if your business is sued or the business loses money, then you are personally liable as well.

A Partnership is when two or more people decide to combine their skills and resources and go in to business together. Both parties involved are responsible for the overall management of a business, and each are personally liable for all debts with the business.

When entering in to a Partnership business, is important to outline the terms and conditions of your partnership in a legal agreement. In the agreement you will need to outline how you want to share the profits.

A Corporation is a legal entity that is separate and distinct from its owner(s). With a corporation, you have limited liability. The owner and the company are separate and distinct. The name of the Company is also protected.

When you are seeking to incorporate a company, it is best to consult with a lawyer to review all the circumstance regarding shareholders, reporting and maintaining proper records. Incorporating a company is the most expensive venture to start out of the three options.

Name: Lisa Williams

Business: Optionelle Fashion Consultant

EMN Chapter: Sunshine Coast

Looking back I can see that turning forty was a bigger deal to me than I realized at the time. It was about that time I started to really pay attention to where I was in life and where I was going. It was also the time I realized that I was not where I wanted to be and if I didn’t make some changes I was never going to get there. I chose motherhood rather than the career route in life and although I did graduate from high school I did not carry on academically. I think there are many women out there just like me and for this reason I am happy to share my story of where I am today and how I got here. In my early 40’s I had entrepreneurial hobbies; I ran a small photographic business, I was a bed and breakfast owner/operator, I worked with my husband as a home inspector and I started a website maintenance service, all of these gave me freedom but not enough pay check so I worked for others in jobs that gave me a pay check but they took away my freedom and the pay checks were never big enough to get me closer to my dreams. It was out of frustration of not having both, money and time that put me on the path I walk today.

After a few years of beating myself up for falling short of my dreams I began my journey of identifying my strengths and clarifying my wants and needs. Our 3 grown children, now 17, 21 and 23 years old, still need me to be a mom but not in the way they did as younger children so I was now free to do what I wanted. What I wanted was to earn a comfortable living doing something I loved! I wanted to be one of those women who say “I love what I do” and mean it. My advice for other mom’s in business is – don’t wait until you are over 40 to do what you love and love what you do, start earlier if you can. Your family will thank you for it.

For me it started with being approached by a woman I knew casually, she invited me to consider a career as a fashion consultant; my first response was no thank you I am not interested. Respectfully she gave me an informational package to read in the off chance my interest changed. I did read the material and realized that a fashion consulting business did fit into my newly formed list of criteria better than I thought and the question “why not?” came to mind. I started my new career as a fashion consultant March 2009 and as I gain experience I gain confidence and the realization “I love what I do!” One challenge I have is treating my business as a business and not a paid hobby, working from home with flexible hours requires discipline and practise. Dropping everything when a girlfriend calls “to meet for coffee” has a direct impact on my bottom line and my ability to earn a comfortable living. The most rewarding part of my business is seeing the sparkle in women’s eyes when they discover how beautiful they look with the right clothes for their body type. Watching their confidence grow and seeing their outer beauty matching their inner beauty; their transformation is intoxicating to me.

As part of my business I offer a Wardrobe Makeover Service specifically for women who hate to shop or just don’t know what to shop for. I help women minimize their wardrobe, organize and coordinate their closets with clothes that work well together taking the stress out of daily dressing; filled with the right outfits; helping them look fabulous on every given day. Typically 80% of the clothes in our closets just hang there taking up space because they don’t fit, don’t appeal or just don’t go with anything else in the closet. Why are we still saying “I have nothing to wear?”

I am an Optionelle fashion consultant, working from my home boutique on the Sunshine Coast through home parties, private consultations and educational workshops. I have the freedom to take my services anywhere in the world and I do! I can be reached at: lisa.optionelle@gmail.com. To learn more about Optionelle go to: www.optionelle.com. Who knows? This could be a career for you too; we are always looking to build the Optionelle team with women who love what they do.

A little look at what Enterprising Moms have been talking about over the past week:

Many fads come and go, but there is one certainty and it is that social media is here and is here to stay. It's also a no-brainer that if you are in business, you need to be connected to social media in one way or another. Traditional media such as TV and newspapers now are connected via social media, along with a few million other businesses - it is the way to go. "Word" of mouth used to be one of the best ways to promote a business. That term has now been re-coined to "World" of mouth. Food for thought! 

If you are not currently utilizing social media with your business, it is time to start. It's not hard, not difficult, you don't need a university degree to master your way around Twitter and Facebook and when you think about it, you are really taking the time to educate yourself. This in turn will help you with your business... big time. 

 And if you're not sure where to start, ask around some of your friends, family, co-workers, employees, do a Google search... the answers are all out there. Take a look at some of these interesting facts about social media, they're pretty interesting.

Making the decision to become self-employed and to be responsible for your own income is a huge decision. There are so many factors to consider, so many decisions to make, so many avenues to explore. The economy today has had a big influence on how people are thinking about their money, how they are spending it and how they are earning it. The reasons why people chose to start a home business are varied; ranging from wanting to earn some extra money in their spare time, to feeling that the security of their current job, or that of their spouse, is uncertain.

Recently, I saw this photo and for me, it summed up why I decided two years ago to become responsible for my own employment, and start a home-business: 

Life can throw curve-balls.

Everyone has had an experience in their life that came out of nowhere, no-one saw it coming, or if they did, it had an unexpected result. A curve-ball. As a Mom, having kids means that sometimes the curve-balls come from left, right and centre. And you feel like you have to catch every single one. This morning I made up a list of all the curve-balls I could think of that has affected my family and I can honestly say that if it wasn’t for the fact that I am running a home-business and have the flexibility of being my own boss, there is no way I would have been able to play back-catcher for this team of mine.

Whatever your reasons are, ultimately you are responsible for yourself. More and more Canadians are realizing that. The days of job security, pension plans and bonus bucks from the boss are slowly grinding to a halt. 

Not only that, but a recent report by the Vanier Institute for the Family says that forty-four per cent of Canadians say their work has a negative impact on their family and interferes with the time they spend with their children, the report found, while 26 per cent of fathers and 33 per cent of mothers suffer excessive stress from lack of time.

Negative impact on family – interferes with time spent with kids – excessive stress…. it doesn’t have to be that way.

Positive impact on family – more time spent with kids – less stress…. THAT’S the way it should be. And it can, but only you can take responsibility for that. No one is going to hand it to you on a plate, you have to seek it, and once you find it, treat it as a valuable investment – an investment in yourself.

Aren’t you worth that?

Guest blog post courtesy of Joy Chudacoff 

Last week, the Women’s Club in my community celebrated men and women over the age of 90 by hosting a dinner and entertainment event in their honor. I read about this event in the local paper and was struck by one interview with a woman who was born in 1912 (she’s 96!). Her photo depicted a woman who was attractive, energetic, and happy. When asked what the secret is to living a life of good health, longevity, and happiness, she replied with one simple word: Attitude.

Attitude. It’s a simple word that can take on many meanings. We have all heard the phrase, “she’s got a good attitude about life.” We have also heard the phrases, “she’s got a bad attitude”, or “she needs an attitude adjustment.” The word is thrown out loosely. It’s true that a positive attitude can make a big difference in the outcome of our lives. I happen to think that it takes something more than this to live a life full of energy, passion, and purpose.

You need to have a positive attitude that is open to possibility thinking. This is essential. Years ago, when I owned my marketing company and had a whirlwind life of travel and work, (8 to faint as I used to say), I had a plaque on my desk with 4 words on it: “It Can Be Done.” My “attitude” during that time of my life was, that if you can be open to new ideas and create your biggest vision of what you are trying to accomplish, there will be a way to make it happen. It’s still my “attitude” today. In order to realize your Big Idea, dreams, and goals, it’s essential that you open yourself up to this way of thinking.

How about you? What kind of an “attitude” do you have? Stop and consider this for a moment. Do you find yourself looking at the possibilities in every situation or do you accept defeat and move through your day (and life) blaming others for your situation? My grandfather used to say, “no matter where you go, there you are.” Well said Pops. In every moment, you get to choose how you will respond to your life situation. You are in the driver’s seat. Are you letting others determine or set your “attitude?” I am here to tell you that as women, we truly are in control of our own thoughts and ideas. One great example comes to mind: Rosa Parks. Now she had an “attitude.” She had a mindset that she was second to no one, and acted accordingly. As a result of her “attitude”, she was able to achieve historic change in this country. One never knows where their journey will ultimately take them; however a positive “attitude” that is open to possibility will definitely improve the outcome.

Anything is possible. Everything is waiting for you.