We are giving away $300 in MarketSplash by HP credit

I am excited to announce a great giveaway from MarketSplash by HP. The contest will run until 5pm EST on February 5, 2009 at which time the winner will be chosen at random from all correct entries.

The contest has a twist. You will need to answer a trivia question. The prize package is awesome so we need to make it more challenging to win.

MarketSplash by HP provides small businesses with premium do-it-yourself (DIY) online templates and custom design offerings for a wide range of marketing products and services – from business cards, stationery, postcards, logos and website design to one-on-one brand design consultation.

Even if you do not win our contest, you can still take advantage of free business cards. To introduce customers to the high quality of MarketSplash designs and the ease of use of its services, HP is offering first-time customers 100 free business cards.

Small businesses can choose from more than 1,400 professionally designed templates, pay no processing, shipping or other fees, and receive their cards in seven business days or less.

MarketSplash also offers custom design consultation services. They have one of the industry’s largest network of design and brand experts.

For our giveaway, we will be offering $300 in MarketSplash by HP credit.

Examples of what $300 in MarketSplash by HP credit could purchase:

• Business cards (starting at $9.99)
• Letterhead
• Envelopes
• Loyalty cards
• Appointment cards
• Promotional post cards

Or, winners can choose to use their prize towards custom design work such as:

• Custom logo design (starting at $299)
• Custom business card and stationery design (starting at $199; great for businesses who already have a logo)
• Custom post card design (starting at $299)

NOTE: MarketSplash by HP is very flexible, and the credit can be a “mix and match,” depending on what the winner determines works best.

OK...so here are the simple rules:

1. You MUST be a subscriber of our blog. Our awesome giveaways are for subscribers. If you are not yet a subscriber, you can do so via email or in a reader or click on your favorite web aggregator to the right.
2. Answer the following trivia question correctly: As shown in “A Delicious Dilemma” video, what is the name of the award that Goobers, Sno-Caps and Oh Henry! are vying for? (HINT: the answer can be found at adeliciousdilemma.com.)
3. Email your answer to traci@themomentrepreneur.com and confirm you are a subscriber of our blog. (You may only enter once.)
4. Wait patiently until 5pm EST on February 5, 2009 to see if you are chosen at random as the winner. (Winner chosen at random from all correct entries using a sequence selection of numbers from random.org.) Winners will be contacted via email and announced on this blog.

That is it! Easy enough. GOOD LUCK!

A Delicious Dilemma

Starting today through March 6, America can vote for its favorite Nestlé GOOBERS®, SNO-CAPS® or OH HENRY!® package redesign at www.ADeliciousDilemma.com.

Five voters will be selected randomly to receive a Nestlé candy prize pack worth $100 each. No purchase is necessary to win. Complete details on sweepstakes terms and conditions are available at www.ADeliciousDilemma.com.

The winning design will appear on store shelves at a later date.

More information about the new MarketSplash by HP offering and “A Delicious Dilemma” sweepstakes, including videos and images, is available in an online press kit at www.hp.com/go/marketsplash.

Win great prizes at our Twitter Party Tuesday night

If you are a member of Twitter then you have probably seen the reminders about The Mom Entrepreneur's Twitter Party to launch our new Co-op Shop.

Tuesday the 27th from 8:30 pm - 10:30 pm EST, we will be introducing the new Co-op Shop, offering tips for balancing motherhood and running a company, and giving away some amazing prizes. Join me and dozens of mom entrepreneurs from our Online Support Group as we chat the evening away.

Following is a list of the fantastic prizes you will have a chance to win:

1. $15 gift certificate to Navan Foods
2. A complete set up of a Facebook page for a business or organization, including photos, video, description, social media links, applications, contact info. and more from Step Ahead, Inc. ($300)
3. Box of 24 truffles and personalized card to send or keep from Cards 4 People ($35)
4. Long sleeve t-shirt from Me Time ($29)
5. $24 gift certificate to Yummy Spoonfuls
6. $20 gift certificate to Let's Go Strolling
7. One copy of Gratigories! card game from Gratitude Games ($16.99)
8. Second copy of Gratigories! card game from Gratitude Games ($16.99)
9. One Gratitude Games Pro Package from Gratitude Games ($29.99)
10. One Vision Your 2009, three-week, one-on-one Coaching Program with LaSara Firefox, MPNLP ($199)
11. Seat at the Vision Your 2009 teleclass, with LaSara Firefox, MPNLP ($19.99)
12. Another seat at the Vision Your 2009 teleclass, with LaSara Firefox, MPNLP ($19.99)
13. Six educational board books and CDs for infants and toddlers from Little Hands Learning Company ($23.95)
14. Playmat from Mimi & Maya - winner can choose color and personalization ($129)
15. A bath/body assortment of items from Pre de Provence, Pure Living and European Soaps from Old World Limited ($30)
16. Jerry Garcia tie, 100% silk from Old World Limited ($45)
17. Laundry mom t-shirt from LTDchix ($20)
18. $10 e-gift certificate from Coco-Zen
19. Product coupon good on any fast fixin item at fastfixin.com from Consumer Queen ($7.99)
20. 2nd product coupon good on any fast fixin item at fastfixin.com from Consumer Queen ($7.99)
21. 3rd product coupon good on any fast fixin item at fastfixin.com from Consumer Queen ($7.99)
22. Just Be t-shirt from Just Be Products ($24)
23. Set of books - Let’s Get Ready For Kindergarten! and Let’s Get Ready For First Grade! from Cedar Valley Publishing ($40)
24. $25 gift certificate to restaurant.com from Coupon Divas
25. Box of Swan Chocolates from The Mom Entrepreneur ($9.95)
26. Harry and David Winter Tower from The Mom Entrepreneur ($19.95)
27. Set of acupressure wrist bands for the relief of nausea from Psi Bands ($15)

Twitter party attendees will be asked simple quiz questions and will need to visit the Co-op Shop to find the answer. Tweet the answer and include the code #TMEcoop. Winners will be determined by a sequence of random numbers, which has been generated using Random.org. Public recognition will be given to the winners in Twitter who will need to email their name, email address and phone number to traci@themomentrepreneur.com.

To follow our tweets, simply follow me @tracibisson or visit tweetchat.com, enter the code #TMEcoop and follow the party's conversation.

And don't forget to shop The Mom Entrepreneur Co-op Shop for Valentine's Day and every month in 2009.

Good Luck!

I want to eat everything in sight

Wednesday marks my first official week on the new Weight Watchers Momentum plan. The first week is always the hardest. I went from eating anything I wanted, cleaning my kids plates if they did not finish and late, late night eating.

I had to STOP!

In addition to losing weight and being healthier, ABC news reported tonight that eating less can actually improve memory loss. That is a very good thing since I can never remember the name of the male person I am speaking to in my house. My sons are getting kind of annoyed when I call then by the cat's name.

The new Momentum program teaches about different foods that are more filling and will satisfy you longer. This is all that is keeping me going right now. I think that much of my "hunger" in the past has been psychological.

I also have a sweet addiction. Who doesn't? At the first meeting I attended, I got a great dessert recipe that I want to share.

Light Strawberry Dessert (8 servings - 1pt./serving)

3 cups sliced strawberries

2 containers of light strawberry yogurt (I use the Weight watchers brand since it is lower in points)

half container of fat free Cool Whip

Fold all ingredients together in large bowl. Chill.

Wish me luck that when I step on the scale Wednesday it goes down instead of up.

You are invited to a Twitter Party

On Tuesday, January 27th from 8:30 - 10:30pm EST, The Mom Entrepreneur will be hosting a Twitter party to officially launch its new Co-op Shop.

If you are a member of Twitter, please join us. Either follow me @tracibisson or visit http://www.tweetchat.com/ at the designated time and enter the code #TMEcoop.

We have lots of prizes and giveaways to offer, including chocolates, t-shirts, gift certificates, a playmat, educational board books, the set up of a Facebook page and much more. We will reveal all of the prizes and how to win in our Tuesday morning blog post.

Stay tuned!

The Mom Entrepreneur is racing to the finish line

Today, I joined the Make Mine a Million $ Business RACE.

I am excited about the challenge of learning new things and connecting with other women who have more business experience and can aid in my goal to reach the finish line.

In addition, I will have access to:

• Cutting-edge on-line business assessment with expert advice and education
• Personalized “dashboard” to track my goals and annual revenue
• Social network to find other M3 RACE participants and post questions
• Invitations to three national educational and networking events
• Opportunities to reach new national markets with partners like American Express OPEN, Reader's Digest, Dell and Sam's Club
• Promotion through local and national TV, newspapers, magazines, radio, and blogs

After signing up, I received initial information on what I can do to prepare for the race, which officially starts on January 27, 2009.

Useful tasks such as:

• Developing a 25 word "pitch" for my business.
• Getting my financial information in order.
• Talking to other women entrepreneurs about why I have joined the M3 RACE, and encourage them to race with me.

So, I have joined because 2009 is going to be a great year only if each small business owner makes it a great year. Don't sit back and wait for the economy to fix itself. We need to work harder, be more creative, network, share and educate ourselves as much as possible.

Invest the $100 (receive a 10% discount if you pay with Am. Ex. or apply to receive a free entry from Psi Bands), register and I will see you at the finish line!

It is so quiet today

Every morning, I look forward to the usual chatter on my Google group discussion board of over 450 mom entrepreneurs.

But not today:(

Today it is very quiet!

Google is experiencing some major problems with their Google groups. I visited their help center and group moderators are posting comments almost by the minute that they have been locked out of their group, they can't send emails to their group, their group does not exist, etc.

Unfortunately, I am experiencing the same problems. I have posted in the Google help group, on Twitter and tried to reach Google in different ways. But I have heard nothing. They have not made any announcements anywhere that I can find that alert users to the fact that they are aware of the problem and are working on it.

All I need is a sign of life from Google that they are doing everything they can to remedy the problem.

The silence is deafening.

Psi Bands is sponsoring one company to join the Make Mine a Million $ Business RACE. Are you in?

A fellow member of The Mom Entrepreneur Online Support Group, Psi Bands is a past winner of the Make Mine a Million $ Award sponsored by Count Me In. They are generously offering to sponsor one winner for this year's contest. Read on for details!

Create, Grow and Thrive in 2009
Make Mine a Million $ Business RACE

After years of coaching women business owners on how to pitch their business to a dream client or potential investor, Count Me In had the opportunity to deliver their message to the new Obama administration. Here's what they said: we provide expert business building resources to a national network of women -- when they thrive, they create jobs that will rebuild the American economy. If 175,000 women grow their businesses we can create 500,000 jobs.

Count Me In created the Make Mine a Million $ Business RACE (M3 RACE) to do exactly that. The M3 RACE is open to everyone -- past winners, community members and women who just have an idea for a business. Stand up and declare that you will grow your business in the M3 RACE. You pick your revenue target, Count Me In will help you create a road map and track your progress. There is no extra time commitment. These are things you are already doing to grow a sustainable business. The M3 RACE provides you an online platform to get answers to your questions and network with thousands of like-minded women racing with you.

What You Get

• Starting January 27, 2009, at the click of a mouse, you will have access to experts, resources and opportunities tailored for YOU!
• Cutting-edge online business assessment
• Expert advice and education
• Personalized “dashboard” to track your goals and annual revenue
• Social network to find other M3 RACE participants and post questions
• Invitations to three national educational and networking events
• Opportunities to reach new national markets with partners like American Express OPEN,
• Reader's Digest, Dell and Sam's Club
• Prizes and national recognition for crossing your personal finish line, as well as the chance to win our Grand Prize of $100,000 cash!

How To Register

1. Go to www.makemineamillion.org/race
2. Click on the `Enter the M3 RACE' button.
3. Click on `Add Racer' to enter your contact information
4. Enter Ambassador Code CRFT (that’s Psi Bands unique code) under PROMO CODE. The
5. Ambassador code is case sensitive so be sure to enter it in ALL CAPS and click APPLY.
6. Enter your Billing Information and your Billing Address information.
7. Enter your Mailing Address information.
8. After you have reviewed all registration information, click on Complete Registration.

Congratulations! You are “In”!
Note: you will be asked in the registration process to set your 2009 revenue goal at $250,000, $500,000 or $1,000,000. Even if you don’t think you can get to $250K, you still need to set a goal for your business. Set it at $250K. Perhaps you reach $100k or some other amount that you may not have otherwise reached without the support and tools of this community.

Pay It Forward
We believe in random acts of kindness and paying it forward. As such, Psi Bands will happily sponsor one women-owned business into the RACE.

To enter provide the following:

1. Your name, business name, number of years in business, web site, email, phone #
   WHY we should sponsor you (in 200 words or less)
2. Your RACE goal (i.e. $100k, 250k, $500k)
3. Submit your answers to romy@psibands.com no later than 12am EST on Sunday, January 25, 2009. We will announce the winner on this blog at this link: http://www.savorthesuccess.com/member/romy-taormina/blog/448 and directly contact the winner via email or phone on January 27, 2009 – the RACE’s kick off date.
4. We will pick from the submissions the one we feel is the most deserving. Yes, this is subjective and up to our sole discretion.

If you are able to pay if forward, please do the same!

The country is watching. Let's show them we are committed to growth and can lead the charge towards economic stability and job creation. Register for the M3 RACE today, and let Psi Bands know that you’ve done so! They want to support your efforts and follow your successes!

If you have questions about the RACE, please email Romy Taormina at: romy@psibands.com.

GOOD LUCK!

What is the best way to maintain an exercise routine

I recently conducted a survey with 60 members from The Mom Entrepreneur Online Support Group. I asked how many women had a regular exercise routine. Thirty four responded "no", 22 responded "yes" and six members responded "other". Some of the comments included:

1. Sort of...
2. I wish!
3. Depends on the day...I love to run!!
4. Chasing my wee ones...
5. It was more regular before I became pregnant. I'm still trying to keep up, but haven't been lately.
6. No, but I really would like to. Very interesting in doing Pilate's/Yoga at home - just haven't started yet...
7. Something I have been trying to work in my schedule for 2 years!
8. At least I"m supposed to have one. I've been trying to do the Body for Life program, but getting in 6 days of exercise a week isn't easy!
9. But gearing up to setup one.
10. Will be getting back to it later in Dec (layoff due to an injury)
11. Love to do yoga, walk, hike and go to the gym
12. Used to.
13. No...but I should!

As much as I love to exercise, it has always been difficult for me to stay consistent. Something always seems to throw me off course. I prefer to go to the gym because it takes me out of the house and there are so many choices...walking track, classes, swimming, exercise equipment, etc.

The gym I go to has a daycare. I figured this would make it very easy. I could take my youngest, work out for an hour and then pick him up. That lasted a few days. My son said he did not like the daycare and when I left him there, he would cry and hold on to my leg.

I felt guilty.

So I changed the time of day that I went to the gym. I took my older son after school and he would attend The Fit Spot, an exercise room for 8-14 year old kids. At first he loved it. Then he started to complain. He was bored.

I was tired of listening to him complain.

That was back in October, before our household passed around colds and other sicknesses. Here I am, almost three months later, hoping I can start again.

Like so many mom entrepreneurs, I desperately want a routine I can commit to, but "me time" is at a premium. So in addition to the gym, I will be using the new Wii balance board and Fit program. We have also taken up snow shoeing, which the kids really seem to enjoy.

My goal is to be healthy and gain enough energy to keep up with my children.

I would love to hear ideas from readers on how you make time for exercise.

Help others and you will be rewarded

"It has been great getting to know you. Just wanted to say you are doing an amazing job with the group. Thanks for all your help and suggestions."

These kind words were written in a card that accompanied a box of chocolate brownies. They arrived from Diane Walker who is a senior executive for Send Out Cards.

Diane is a member of The Mom Entrepreneur Online Support Group. Lately, I have been receiving testimonials, phone calls and emails from members expressing their gratitude for creating this online support group.

One member commented that she belongs to many other online mom entrepreneur groups, but that "most of them have fizzled out...but not this one".

It is refreshing to hear the feedback from these women.

The Mom Entrepreneur was created back in April 2008 after I took my son out of daycare and retreated to my home office to save employees' jobs at my other company Bisson Barcelona. A few clients owed us in excess of $12,000. About $6,000 we never collected.

My exploration into social media, while working out of my home office, eventually led to the formation of an online support group. I have a lot of respect and admiration for the women in this group who have shared their innermost fears and desires with me.

I am dedicated to this group of mom entrepreneurs and will continue to do everything that I can to support them and help them succeed.

If you are a mom entrepreneur, join me and over 400 other women in the most productive and supportive group you will ever be a part of - The Mom Entrepreneur Online Support Group.

My attempt to lose the weight...again!

OK, I am starting to feel like Oprah. I can't believe I am talking about needing to lose weight again.

In 2005, I lost 30 pounds. I was so committed to keeping the weight off that I got rid of every single piece of clothing that was over size 10.

I also exercised regularly and loved it.

Then I thought I could manage it all. I was growing my company Bisson Barcelona, exercising everyday at the gym and managing my kids' schedules. I guess I felt that I did not have enough to do because I also decided to go back to school part-time during the day.

I was not able to manage it all. Eventually I stopped exercising.

Now it is 2009 and I have gained the 30 pounds back plus more.

I am going to start again. I will succeed. I always do. I always achieve my goals. It is the trait of an entrepreneur. However, with weight loss, it is not only achieving, it is maintaining. That is the tricky part.

Tuesday, I will attend a Weight Watchers meeting. They have a new Momentum program that I am interested in trying.

I recently contacted their corporate office to see if they would extend a complimentary pass to their program in exchange for me blogging about my journey. They agreed. You will receive an honest review of my assessment of this program.

Wish me luck!

Early Valentine's Day gift for one mom entrepreneur from her husband

I recently learned about a blog entitled More Than A Housewife written by a woman named Mandy. Even more interesting than this new find, was the email conversation I had with her husband Chase.

Chase emailed me directly after reading about The Mom Entrepreneur in a feature story on The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur blog. He thought Mandy and I might be able to create a symbiotic relationship between our two sites. I appreciated him connecting with me.

Following is part of our email conversation. Read how Chase talks about his wife. Does your husband refer to you the same way?

"Not only is she my business partner in our online travel agency (www.barfieldtravel.com) and our entrepreneurial clothing line (www.logicwearclothing.com), but she is super woman enough to be my wife, best friend, mother to our boys, home school teacher, and housewife. So she is true to her site as being “More Than A Housewife.”

I love my wife with all my heart. Next to my children, she is the most important person in my life. It is easy to speak nicely of someone who treats me so well and with such respect. We believe that marriage is a team sport and have entertained writing a book about how we transformed our initial partnership into the strong marriage we have today."

Happy Valentine's Day Mandy!

Moving on to new things...

Our "lemons to lemonade" features are now over. I tried to complete them in 30 days, but a six-day power outage, sick kids, sick husband, school closures and numerous other delays prevented me from doing so. Hence the life of a mom entrepreneur.

I am excited about all the new things I will be writing about in 2009. I also have some great product giveaways coming up in the next several months.

Make sure you subscribe to our blog so you don't miss any of the excitement!

Lemons to lemonade feature #30: Danielle Hughes

Baby Fish Mouth is the brainchild of two friends who met in college and always talked about doing something big together. But soon real life intervened - careers, marriages, children. Even though life took them in separate directions after school, they held on to their friendship and their dreams to work together someday. Then one summer, Danielle Hughes went to Cindy Lyons with an idea.

The company, established in 2007 combines these two mom entrepreneur's love of movies with their passion for children and desire to do something they truly enjoy and feel proud of.

Recently, we caught up with Danielle, mom to one son, to learn more about how this economy has affected her family and the business. Here is her story...

How has this economy affected you, your business and your family?
Luckily it has not affected us that much – yet. Business is slower, but January is always bad for retail so I am hopeful things will pick up. I also freelance copywrite to help pay the bills and have noticed a slight downturn, but again, I am confident things will get busier soon.

How are you making lemonade from lemons?
Many people tend to cut their advertising and promotion budgets during a recession or economic downturn. But statistics prove that businesses who continue to spend on advertising actually increase their sales. So even though times are tough and business has slowed, we are taking out an ad with other Mompreneurs in Peter Shankman's HARO (Help a Reporter Out) Newsletter for Valentine's Day. This will give us exposure we need to 50,000 media outlets and other businesses, and by offering his readers a promotion code, hopefully spread some goodwill in return. I am confident that this lemon will result in pitchers of lemonade for our business!

Any encouraging words you would like to offer mom entrepreneurs?
Find a supportive community online to help you navigate the world of small business. I was lucky enough to find The Mom Entrepreneur Online Support Group. The women are not only smart, but willing to help others without asking for anything in return. Don’t be afraid to use the resources around you and ask for help. Pride has no place in business.

For more information, visit bfmwear.com, or email Danielle@bfmwear.com.

Lemons to lemonade feature #29: Stacey Kannenberg

Stacey Kannenberg is a serial entrepreneur. She is an author, publisher, motivator, consultant, spokesperson, successful blogger and most importantly...a MOM. In 2004, she established Cedar Valley Publishing, 2006 Stacey Kannenberg Unlimited, 2007 Mom Central Consulting and in 2008, Mother Talk.

This mom entrepreneur is the epitome of the phrase..."if you want something done, give it to a busy person."

As the "Get Ready to Learn Mom", Stacey is a nationally renowned education expert and award winning author with an expertise in children’s education, and “Mom-entrepreneurship”. When Stacey is not busy running her two publishing companies or consulting, she is spending every possible free moment with her two adorable girls. Here is her story...

How has this economy affected you, your business and your family?
My husband and I are both entrepreneurs – he runs his family tool and die company, which started seeing a shift in contracts moving overseas in the 90’s. I have learned from watching him.

He noticed the trend and started to diversify his customer base to include clients from all industries, looking for specific niche markets that would be a good fit for his company. So when I started my publishing companies, my marketing plan was diversified to cover many niches so that if one industry failed I would have other avenues to pursue, such as grandparents, parenting groups, bookstores, schools, preschools, libraries, etc. Looking back, that has been the key to my success.

How are you making lemonade from lemons?
I continue to look at obstacles as opportunities. I have seen the results of what hard work can bring within four years and I am looking forward to see how I will continue to evolve in the future.

My kids think it is hilarious that you don’t have to be a teacher to write successful educational books or that you don’t have to speak or write the language to release a Spanish book. To quote my seven year-old daughter Megan, “Just hire a translator, duh, anyone can do anything as long as they put their mind to it.”

Education is a recession proof industry so it helps that I sell books geared for ages 2-6 involving the Kindergarten and First Grade curriculum. I also have my consulting work that allows me to work with brands, authors and other mom entrepreneurs as a way to keep myself diversified.

Any encouraging words you would like to offer mom entrepreneurs?
My husband gave me a crystal clock in 2004 to celebrate Christmas. It had Cedar Valley Publishing’s logo engraved in white on it with the following phrase that he coined:

The Dream is Clear
To Believe is the Reward

To all the mom entrepreneurs: congratulations, you already have your dream started, keep believing and continue to surround yourself with a network of people who believe in you and your dream. It’s not going to be easy, so keep jumping those obstacles and may you get to a point where everything isn’t a struggle and it seems as if good things magically appear from nowhere. That for me is the reward!

For more information, visit cedarvalleypublishing.com, cedarvalleypublishing.com/blog, momcentralconsulting.com, mothertalk.com or staceykannenberg.com. You can also reach Stacey directly by calling 920-994-9906 or emailing Stacey@cedarvalleypublishing.com.

A poem for helping kids stay in their beds at night

In June, I started The Mom Entrepreneur Online Support Group. We now have over 350 members and discuss everything from potty training to how to use Twitter.

Recently, a member posted an email about a problem she was having trying to get her three year old son to sleep in his own bed through the night. She described a familiar situation we can all relate to.

Group members were quick to help and offered ideas and suggestions, which included:

1. use of night light;
2. rewards for making it through the night in his own bed;
3. telling your child that the "help you sleep fairies" will leave gifts under their pillow when they go to bed and stay in bed by themselves;
4. creating "monster spray" from lemon juice and water and every night walk around the child's room and spray the "monster spray" wherever evil monsters lurk.

The group thought these were all great ideas and extremely creative. My favorite however, was a poem that Mindi, who recently created the Teach Any Time blog, offered.

She told us her story...

"One night as I was tucking the kids in, I told my son that if he was brave and stayed in bed all night like he use to, I would write a poem about his accomplishment in the morning. I was really just grasping at straws here. Amazingly it worked! He stayed in bed and first thing when he awoke in the morning he asked for his poem.

I made up something silly and he loved it. I just spouted off something like: Wow, you did it, you stayed in your bed. If I could manage, I would stand on my head. I would shout from the rooftops and spin on the floor until you started laughing and begging for more.

Well, it was just silly ramblings but he loved it. I did this for about a week and then I told him I was going to write him an official poem and print it out for him because now he has shown how brave he is and stays in bed every night."

This is what she wrote:

Jacob the Brave
I'll call you by name
Since you found courage
Things haven't been the same

No longer the boy
Who is scared in your head
Jacob the brave
Always stays in his bed

I am so proud of you
My Jacob the Brave
My courageous boy
Who has learned to behave

Love, Mommy xoxo

Lemons to lemonade feature #28: Shannon Wilburn & Daven Tackett

Mom entrepreneurs Shannon Wilburn and Daven Tackett are the founders and owners of Just Between Friends, which offers children's, teens, and maternity clothes on consignment at seasonal events around the country.

They started the company in 1997 with the hope and dream of making a little extra money and clothing their children at the same time. In just 11 short years, that goal has been accomplished as well as so much more.

Unfortunately, their franchise has not yet reached New England. After reviewing their website and informational videos though, I am in love with the idea. In New Hampshire, we have the Children's Orchard, which has a small selection of kids clothing and items. And when you try to sell merchandise to them, you are offered very little money in return.

Shannon and Daven are moms to two children each who were all very young when the company started. Three are now teenagers, and what a great life lesson they have been exposed to - their moms creating and growing a multi-million dollar business. Here is their story...

How has this economy affected you, your business and your family?
When gas and everything else goes up, families still continue to have the same needs for their children as they always have. Like other parents, we may not be able to provide for all of our kids’ wants, but the basic needs are still the same and JBF offers families an affordable way to buy what they need, while offering an excellent way for moms and dads to sell the gently-used items their kids have outgrown or no longer use.

How are you making lemonade from lemons?
When the economy turns to lemons, Just Between Friends’ kids’ consignment events offer more than 115,000 American moms the sweet deals they need for their children to make endless, refreshing lemonade.

JBF makes good sense in any economy, but when times are tough, we try even harder to get the word out so that any mom who wants to can participate as a consignor, shopper and volunteer. We know how sweet saving money can be and that making money is even sweeter.

“Just Between Friends franchise owners are savvy, bargain shoppers who know best how to save money in every aspect of their family budget,” said Daven. “We love it when a mom ‘gets us’ and lights up at all of the great bargains she finds at our sales. But it makes us even happier to send out large checks after each sale and know that we have helped hundreds of families make their mortgage or car payment that month.”

Any encouraging words you would like to offer mom entrepreneurs?
Focus on your passion and let it sweeten your life and your career. If you love what you are doing, others will feel that energy and enthusiasm and embrace who you are and what you are about. You will be tested and tried, but remain focused on what you love and why you got into your business in the first place.

For more information, visit jbfsale.com.

I need a new vacuum cleaner

After 13 years of marriage, our vacuum cleaner, which was given as a wedding gift, is on its last wheel. It does not suck things up well and it makes a funny squeaking noise. It is time to put it out of its misery.

I was on Twitter earlier asking followers for advice on what are the best new models/brands for vacuum cleaners. Suggestions included Electrolux Upright, Bissell Lift Off Revolution, Panasonic and Dyson. Any additional suggestions?

Attention vacuum manufacturers, I would like to do a product review for one or more models. If you would be interested in having The Mom Entrepreneur test your vacuum and blog about it please contact us at 603-664-3841 or sponsorship@themomentrepreneur.com.

The Mom Entrepreneur's goals for 2009

Today is my birthday and the day has already presented a unique challenge. My Twitter account was hacked and sent a phishing message ("look at this funny blog") to all 850+ of my followers.

I have spent the last hour sending out apology messages through Twitter, I changed my password (as advised by Twitter) and alerted people to the mess it created.

On a positive note, I like to take this day to decide what my goals will be for the New Year. I guess I feel that if I call them goals and establish them on my birthday as opposed to calling them New Year's resolutions that I might stick to them longer.

Let's hope this year is different!

Following is a list of my personal and professional goals for 2009. This is also a glance at what I will be blogging about a lot in 2009.

Learn to eat healthy - I use to know how to do this. The holidays present all kinds of good food groups like sugar and fats however. At age 39, I need to be more conscious of what I eat and how much. No more cleaning my kids plates when they don't finish their food. Yes, moms...you know what I am talking about...I know I am not the only one who does this.

Currently, I am looking into the new Weight Watchers Momentum program. Weight Watchers has always worked for me in the past. My goal is to lose 20 pounds. I will keep you posted.

Establish a regular exercise routine - I love to exercise, but I always seem to find it hard to fit it into the day's schedule. We purchased a Will Fit Balance Board today and I have a gym membership. My goal is to exercise at least 30 minutes per day.

Continue to grow The Mom Entrepreneur - The company has been doing very well and I have received positive comments from moms all over the world. I know we are doing something right. StartupNation.com posted an article yesterday on 3 Demographic Trends for 2009. The #3 trend is moms.

There are 10.6 million women-owned businesses in the United States generating $2.5 trillion in annual revenue, according to the Center for Women’s Business Research. Women are starting businesses at nearly twice the rate of men. According to certain industry experts, 85 percent of these businesses are run by mothers.

We will continue to grow our Online Support Group to offer these mom entrepreneurs a place to network and find support from others. Membership continues to be free.

In 2009, we will add more co-op opportunities for members, host a teleseminar series, offer more sponsorship opportunities, start a local support group in New Hampshire, continue to build our free resource list, spponsor contests and give aways, and look for more ways to be a super support system for mom entrepreneurs.

Update my wardrobe - as I approach 40, I want to learn more about fashion. What clothes are best for my body shape and what colors and pattern combinations look good on me.

I am a fan of The Glam Girls Deborah Boland and JoJami Tyler who are image and style experts and authors of the Fabulous After 40 blog. They recently made The Mom Entrepreneur's Top Picks for 2008 list at #8. My goal is to connect with them to get a fashion make over.

I subscribe to their blog, which gives awesome style and fashion tips. If anyone can get me stylin' it is these ladies!

Travel more with the family - now that my kids are a bit older, we really enjoy traveling and exploring together. We plan to travel to Florida this year and possibly Arizona. We always travel to fun places in New Hampshire since we live here.

My goal is to locate family friendly spots throughout the U.S., travel to them with the family and blog about our adventures. We recently got a real good deal on airline tickets. I have also read that the cost of traveling this year may be very affordable. I will let you know what I learn from my research.

Well those are my goals for 2009. I know they may adjust slightly and I will probably add more goals as the year progresses. But at least it is a place to start.

Have you set your goals for 2009? I would love to hear what they are. Please share below.

Lemons to lemonade feature #27: Susan Levine

Susan Levine, mother of two, and grandmother of two, is the owner and creator of 50somethinginfo.com, which she established in 2008. 50somethinginfo.com is the one stop source of pre-screened information dedicated to the 50something lifestyle.

Sue's idea was to create a website where information wanted by 50somethings could be sorted and culled by a real-life reliable librarian, and delivered simply and quickly. She wanted a resource for people who didn’t grow up with computers and the Internet, but still wanted to use them to enhance their lives.

Sue found a niche market with a need and delivered a solution. Today this mom entrepreneur's website delivers the best of the net to adults 50 years old and better. Here is her story...

How has this economy affected you, your business and your family?
I stopped monitoring our retirement savings losses at 20%. I no longer open any statements.

How are you making lemonade from lemons?
My husband and I share three octogenarian parents. We have a daughter about to be married and two active granddaughters from equally motivated parents. I think it’s safe to say that we are truly part of the “sandwich generation".

I noticed that boomers and seniors were becoming more and more savvy at using the computer but were unable to extract the information they desired for their changing circumstances. The reliability of information was questionable and the volume of links overwhelming.

I decided to utilize my library background (MLS, UCLA, 1971) to create a boomer search engine that was not only easy to maneuver, but also supplied exactly the information requested. I studied website criteria for aging eyes and applied all the ingredients to make 50somethinginfo.com the only website of its kind. It is a one stop source of pre-screen information dedicated to our 50something lifestyle.

Any encouraging words you would like to offer mom entrepreneurs?
These are challenging times. Challenge yourself to become aware of all your interests, talents, and education and apply them to a niche that is under served and very needy.

For more information, visit 50somethinginfo.com or 50somethinginfo.blogspot.com. You can also reach Susan directly by emailing Susan@50somethinginfo.com.