What does your fortune say?

Taped to the front of my computer screen are two fortunes...one from several years ago and one from my Chinese meal last week.

Some mom entrepreneurs write business plans (OK, I have one too), but have you ever let a message found inside a fortune cookie guide your business decisions?

Here are my fortunes:

• Many years ago - "Do not follow where the path may lead. Go where there is no path ...and leave a trail."
  
• Last week - "Your problem just became your stepping stone. Catch the moment." (For any of you who subscribe to our newsletter, you probably know what this is about!)

How do the cookies always know?

Win Tickets to Skin Authority's Beauty Workout Holiday Boot Camp Tour in November!

From November 1 - 30, Skin Authority, the leading skin care lifestyle company, will host a Beauty Workout Holiday Boot Camp Tour.

Top beauty and lifestyle experts will be working with participants to design a beauty plan to help them go from drab to glam in 30 days.

Their licensed and trained professionals will guide you through a personalized Beauty Workout circuit, which will include:

• Beauty Savvy
• Vital Nutrition
• Lifestyle Essentials
• Home Routine

The Boot Camp Tour will be held in 12 states across the U.S. , including Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin.

The Mom Entrepreneur and Skin Authority are giving away one Boot Camp Ticket* each (valued at $45 each) to four lucky winners.

Do you want to learn how to go from drab to glam in 30 days? Then this is your chance!

How to enter...

1. SUBSCRIBE. You MUST be a subscriber of The Mom Entrepreneur blog. Our awesome giveaways are for subscribers only. If you are not yet a subscriber, you can do so via email or in a reader.
2. VISIT. You must visit www.skinauthority.com/Holiday-Boot-Camp and find the Boot Camp venue/location nearest you.
3. RETURN. Come back to this blog post and in the comment section below include your name and the venue/location nearest you. If you are uncomfortable leaving the location nearest you in the comment section, you may email your response to traci@themomentrepreneur.com
4. WAIT. Now you need to wait patiently until 5pm EST on November 2, 2009 to see if you are chosen at random as the winner. Winners will only be announced on The Mom Entrepreneur blog.

GOOD LUCK!

*Note: Contest is only open to U.S. residents over 18 years old. Non-transferable, one Boot Camp registration per person, winner must select the Boot Camp location and time in order for a Skin Authority representative to register them. Winner must supply complete contact details, including phone number to be registered. Tickets valid only for a 2009 Beauty Workout Holiday Boot Camp.

Test your knowledge about some major child dangers

The November 2009 issue of ShopSmart, from the publisher of Consumer Reports, asks you to test your knowledge about some major dangers.

I got a few of these wrong so I felt it would be very helpful to pass this info along to other moms. This helped to better educate me so I can make some adjustments to ensure the safety of my children. Especially #1 since my older son loves to sit in the front of the car. Does yours?

Take the quiz and share your score in the comment section below.

1. True or false: It’s OK to let kids ride in the front seat of a car when they’re 12 years old.
   
2. True or false: At 60 pounds, your grade-schooler no longer needs a booster car seat.
   
3. True or false: Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can be poisonous.
   
4. True or false: It’s safe to follow the “5-second rule” when picking food or a pacifier up off the floor.


5. True or false: Kids older than 6 can safely sleep in the top bunk.
   
6. True or false: Thick grass under the backyard jungle gym provides enough padding to protect kids if they fall.

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1. Answer: FALSE - Even with a seat belt, all kids under age 13 should ride in the back seat. Crash statistics showed that children under 13 were up to 35 percent less likely to be killed in a crash if they were riding in the back seat. Front seats equipped with an air bag are especially dangerous.
2. Answer: FALSE - Children should stay in a booster seat until adult belts fit correctly, usually when they reach 4 feet 9 inches, between the ages of 8 and 12. Height, not weight, is the key.
3. Answer: TRUE and FALSE - The small drop your child puts on her hand evaporates on contact, but the ethanol content can be dangerous if enough sanitizer is ingested. Keep easy-to-open bottles out of your child’s reach. If she puts hand sanitizer into her mouth, call the Poison Help Hotline at 800-222-1222.
4. Answer: FALSE - Five seconds is enough time for bacteria to latch onto something you drop on the floor. No matter how fast you are, toss the food or wash the pacifier (at least with water) and dry it thoroughly with a paper towel before giving it back to your child.
5. Answer: TRUE and FALSE - Every year almost 36,000 children are injured in bunk-bed accidents. Kids under age 9 have the most injuries, but accidents happen at all ages.
6. Answer: FALSE - Each year about 50,000 children end up in an emergency room because of injuries on home playground equipment. The best way to prevent injuries is to cushion the area with wood mulch or chips, engineered wood fiber, or shredded/recycled rubber mulch under equipment up to 8 feet high and sand or pea gravel under equipment up to 5 feet high. The padding should be at least 9 inches deep and extend 6 feet in all directions from the gym.

5 Thrifty Tips for Taking Care of Your Skin

Have you heard about the upcoming Beauty Workout Holiday Boot Camp Tour happening in November? It is being held in 12 states across the U.S. by Skin Authority, the leading skin care lifestyle company.

Top beauty and lifestyle experts will be working with participants to design a beauty plan to help them go from drab to glam in 30 days. I love it!

Celeste Hilling who is the host of “Skin Health TODAY” and CEO of Skin Authority has partnered with us to bring you some great information in regards to the Holiday Boot Camp Tour as well as beauty and skin care tips.

We will also be giving away some amazing gifts and tickets to the Holiday Boot Camp Tour over the next 6 weeks.

We welcome your skin care and beauty questions for Celeste in the comment section below, which she will answer in an upcoming post.

5 Thrifty Tips for Taking Care of Your Skin
by Celeste Hilling

Beautiful skin without spending a lot of cash? It’s true. In fact, you can actually save money on skin care, while also cleaning out your cabinets! I have spent more than 15 years researching and designing products in the quest to help people build and maintain radiant skin. With these 5 thrifty tips, I hope to empower you to throw away your old ways of thinking.

1. Out With the Old - discard your beauty products one year after opening them because bacteria can grow in the bottle and potentially cause infections or irritation when applied to the skin. Write the date purchased on the bottom of new products so that you know when it has reached the end of its useful life.
2. Simplify Your Beauty – you only need three to four steps in the morning and at night. In the a.m., you need a mild cleanser, an anti-oxidant such as Vitamin C, and a sunscreen moisturizer. Before going to bed, use resurfacing ingredients such as AHAs and retinols, in addition to restorative peptides.
3. Sun Protection – use sunscreen every day, rain or shine. To determine the quality, check the SPF number on the label (those with SPF 15 or greater yield the best results). Also, scan the active ingredient label to make sure it has UVA-blocking elements such as titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, or anything in the avobenzone family.
4. Look at the Cost Per Ounce – shop for skin care products the way you shop for food, by looking at the cost per ounce. What you’ll find is that products from spas and salons are a great bargain since many include complimentary consultations with a licensed esthetics's expert.
5. Don't Buy Products Based on Price – just because a product is expensive, does not mean it’s amazing. On the other hand, a product that costs less may not be a bargain that will work. Instead of shopping by price, evaluate the concentration of active ingredients and ensure any treatment product has a pH below four. The human skin ranges from 4.5-5.5 pH. A product should be below the pH level of the skin for maximum penetration.

About Celeste Hilling
Celeste Hilling is the host of the syndicated Internet radio show “Skin Health TODAY” and the Founder and CEO of Skin Authority, the leading skin care lifestyle company. As a respected speaker on beauty, health and self-esteem, Hilling is a recurring skin care expert for FOX News iMag, Spa Magazine and Les Nouvelles Esthetiques. More details on Hilling and Skin Authority online at http://www.skinauthority.com/.

New special offers available for mom entrepreneurs

Over the past few months, subscribers of this blog and members of our Online Support Group have been asking how they can get better exposure for their message, product or service to our community of 15,000+ moms, mom entrepreneurs and women entrepreneurs.

Just this past weekend, I posted a new listing of opportunities available for the end of 2009 and 2010. This pricing will change at the beginning of next year. In the meantime, you can take advantage of some great offers and opportunities at 2009 prices.

There are limited opportunities available, and when they are gone then that is it for this year. You can also purchase and "bank" your credits for up to 6 months if you see a service you can't use this month.

For a listing of our new Special Offers, click here...>

Check out our events happening this month

How to be the Ultimate Bargain Shopper! Tips, Techniques and Strategies for Effective Coupon Shopping with Amy Bergin of The Couponizer Company.

Wednesday, October 21st at 1:00pm ET
Cost: $25

In this tough economy everyone is feeling the pinch. So now is the time for YOU to learn and grow into new spending routines that align with your families financial goals. This is an opportunity to adjust to market changes that are beyond our control and come away with fresh insights for maximizing the money you spend.

To register, click here...>

Protecting Yourself in Business - Why Every LLC Needs an Operating Agreement with Adam Bergman, Esq. of myLLCagreement.com.

Thursday, October 22nd at 1:00pm
Cost: FREE

Many entrepreneurs are unaware of how critical it is to properly protect themselves and their business. In celebration of Women's Small Business Month, we are offering a complimentary teleseminar that will educate you about how to protect yourself in business by forming an LLC or Limited Liability Company and creating an Operating Agreement.

To register, click here...>

Learn all About Mom Entrepreneur Leslie Haywood and Her Experience on the Shark Tank TV Show

Wednesday, October 28th at 12:00pm ET
Cost: FREE

Join Traci Bisson, founder of The Mom Entrepreneur as she interviews Leslie Haywood about her recent appearance on ABC's Shark Tank. Listeners will learn about Leslie's journey as a mom entrepreneur and her appearance on the show. We will also discover what has happened with the business since her appearance in September. To view her clip on the Shark Tank, click here...>

To register, click here...>

Why does every LLC need an Operating Agreement?

In celebration of Women’s Small Business Month, we are continuing our series on Limited Liability Companies (LLCs) and how to protect yourself in business. If you missed part 1, click here…>, and for part 2, click here…>

Protecting yourself and your business is very important and should not be taken for granted. Members of The Mom Entrepreneur Online Support Group share their stories about running their business on a regular basis (e.g. trademark infringement and partnerships gone badly).

My company Bisson Barcelona, LLC was once a partnership with a very loose agreement drawn up by a lawyer. Unfortunately, the LLC was formed after we split. Having this document in place prior to forming this partnership would have helped settle many disputed that arose over the course of the partnership. Forming an LLC is well worth the time and effort to ensure you are protected.

Adam Bergman, Esq., president of myLLCagreement.com continues to answer our questions this week about why every LLC also needs an Operating Agreement.

TME: Why should every Single Member LLC (1 owner) owner have an Operating Agreement?
Adam: It is extremely important that you create an Operating Agreement to separate yourself as an individual from your LLC, even if you are the sole owner of your LLC. Without the formality of an Operating Agreement, the LLC can closely resemble a sole proprietorship, which does not limit your personal liability for business debts of the LLC. Without an LLC Operating Agreement, the basic operation of the LLC would then be governed by state law, which may not be advantageous to the LLC, it members, or the business it conducts.

TME: Why should every Multi-Member LLC (more than one owner) have an Operating Agreement?
Adam: The Operating Agreement governs the operation and management of the LLC. It describes the business and economic arrangement of the members (partners). LLCs need to document important and material issues that could impact the members, such as profit-sharing and decision-making rules as well as their procedures for handling the departure/addition of members, and the dissolution/termination of the LLC.

Without an Operating Agreement, the owners will be poorly-equipped to settle misunderstandings over the operations, finances, and management of the LLC. In addition, without an Operating Agreement, the LLC will be subject to the default operating rules created by state law.

The LLC Operating Agreement generally specifies, among other things, the business name, the official business address, the identities of the members, the way in which cash is distributed to the members, the way in which profits and losses are to be divided between the members, and how the company will be managed. The Operating Agreement should also reflect each member’s financial contributions to the LLC and the member’s ownership interests.

Thanks Adam! Don't forget about our contest, which continues until October 31st. MyLLCagreement is sponsoring a giveaway to win an LLC formation, an LLC Operating Agreement and $500 for your business!

Also, on Thursday, October 22nd, The Mom Entrepreneur will host a complimentary teleseminar with Adam: Protecting Yourself in Business - Why Every LLC Needs an Operating Agreement. You must register to be on the call.

About Adam Bergman:
Adam is the president and creator of myLLCagreement.com, the leading online provider of customized LLC Operating Agreements. He has worked as a corporate and tax attorney at White & Case LLP, Dewey LeBoeuf LLP, and Thelen LLP, three of the most prominent law firms in the United States where he advised thousands of entrepreneurs and business owners on a wide range of corporate and tax issues involving limited liability companies for the past seven years. Adam is recognized as a leading partnership tax expert and has lectured attorneys on the taxation of LLCs.

Win an LLC formation, an LLC Operating Agreement and $500 for your business!

In celebration of Women's Small Business Month, The Mom Entrepreneur has partnered with myLLCagreement.com to sponsor an exciting new Contest.

Here are the details...

MyLLCagreement.com is giving away the formation of a Limited Liability Company in any U.S. state. In addition, they will create an LLC Operating Agreement and pay your state fee. The winner will also receive a check for $500 from myLLCagreement.com to help with business expenses. The winner will also be featured on The Mom Entrepreneur’s Blog and on myLLCagreement.com’s website.

How to enter...

1. SUBSCRIBE. You MUST be a subscriber of The Mom Entrepreneur blog. Our awesome giveaways are for subscribers only. If you are not yet a subscriber, you can do so via email or in a reader.
2. VISIT. You must visit myLLcagreement.com and register for free on their site. Just click "try for free" and enter your contact information, including the special code "MOM SUCCESS". Then you may choose to answer the questions or come back at a later date to complete.
3. WAIT. Now you need to wait patiently until 5pm EST on November 2, 2009 to see if you are chosen at random as the winner. Winners will be contacted via email and announced on The Mom Entrepreneur blog.

GOOD LUCK!

How do I form an LLC?

In celebration of Women’s Small Business Month, we are continuing our series on Limited Liability Companies (LLCs) and how to protect yourself in business. If you missed part 1, click here…>

I chose to form an LLC in order to have better protection. As a business owner, you hope you never need to worry about being sued, but it is smart to have as much legal protection as possible. I had a client threaten to sue me for non performance; instead I sued him for not paying. We eventually settled, but I felt a lot better knowing I had additional protection on my assets.

Adam Bergman, Esq., president of myLLCagreement.com continues to answer our questions this week about how to form an LLC.

TME: How does a business owner go about forming an LLC?
Adam: An LLC is a separate legal entity that is formed under the authority of a state statute. All fifty states and the District of Columbia have enacted limited liability company statutes. An LLC is formed under, exists, and is governed by a state statute. In general, the state statute provides how an LLC in that state is formed, registered, and terminated. The statutes also generally provide that either the LLC adopt Article of Organization, an Operating Agreement, or use the default provisions of the statute to determine the other matters which impact the operation of the LLC.

In most cases, forming a LLC is as simple as filing a 1 page form often called the Articles of Organization. This generally consists of a number of straightforward questions such as the name of your entity, address, and the LLC’s purpose along with the state filing fee. You may form your own LLC for free; since all the forms and information necessary is located on each Secretary of State’s website, or you can hire an attorney or formation company to form it for you for a fee.

TME: What is an LLC Operating Agreement?
Adam: It is extremely important that every LLC have an LLC Operating Agreement. The LLC Operating Agreement is the core document that is referred to when issues concerning the LLC need to be resolved. The LLC Operating Agreement is the most important document for your LLC. It reflects the agreement among the members with respect to the affairs and management of the LLC as well as governs the relationship amongst the members of the LLC. By having an LLC Operating Agreement, the members will be provided with a clear set of rules that all members have agreed upon greatly reducing the likelihood of disagreement between them in the future. A LLC Operating Agreement will also greatly reduce financial and management misunderstandings, and make sure your business is governed by your own rules -- not default rules created by your state.

Thanks Adam! Join us next Monday for part 3 – Why does every LLC need to have an operating agreement?

In addition, we are offering a free teleseminar entitled: Protecting Yourself in Business - Why Every LLC Needs an Operating Agreement on Thursday, October 22nd from 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EST. To register, click here...>

About Adam Bergman:
Adam Bergman is the president and creator of MyLLCAgreement.com, the leading online provider of customized LLC Operating Agreements. Mr. Bergman has worked as a corporate and tax attorney at White & Case LLP, Dewey LeBoeuf LLP, and Thelen LLP, three of the most prominent law firms in the United States where he advised thousands of entrepreneurs and business owners on a wide range of corporate and tax issues involving limited liability companies for the past seven years. Adam Bergman is recognized as a leading partnership tax expert and has lectured attorneys on the taxation of LLCs.

Work-at-home moms do you feel isolated?

My mom recently asked me if I would ever consider going back to work for someone else once my boys were grown and off to high school.

The answer....a resounding NEVER!

She was worried that I was too isolated working at home, by myself with no adult interaction. I attempted to explain that I have lots of adult interaction online and offline. I love it this way!

When I started my business in 2000, I worked at home. Alone. I had previously been working for a company with several other employees and I enjoyed the interaction. But I did not enjoy the insecurity of working for someone else; someone who did not respect his employees and whose business was failing.

It was hard being alone at home as a new mom. My son was less than a year old and entrepreneurship and motherhood were both very new to me.

I was lonely. I desperately wanted to interact with other women who were experiencing something similar. I searched...but could not find anyone.

My business quickly grew, I added six employees, and I moved my office out of the house and into a traditional office setting.

Within two years I was miserable.

Coming back home to work for myself was one of the best business decisions I have ever made.

A recent survey conducted by Gather and Mom Central Consulting of more than 1,300 moms revealed that the majority (60%) feel lonely and unsupported in their day-to-day lives and have turned online – to social networking sites, community forums and chat rooms – to make new friends.

Their survey revealed some other interesting facts:

• 71% of moms are connecting online because of shared interests
• over 60% of moms reported making a new friend online in the past year
• 70% of moms talk to other moms online in forums and communities
• 1 in 3 moms who’ve made friends online tell their online friends things they don’t share with offline friends

I explained to my mom that I loved working for myself and that going back to a traditional work setting would not interest me.

I tried to show her how I connect with hundreds of like-minded women everyday through The Mom Entrepreneur Online Support Group, but she comes from a generation of women who did not connect this way when she was my age. Therefore she did not understand.

In addition to connecting online I:

• go out with my husband a few times a month for date night
• meet other women at the gym
• belong to a local mom group that gets together several times a month
• get involved with activities at my kid's schools

I feel very content and no longer disconnected from other women as I once did when I started my business almost 10 years ago.

Work-at-home moms do you feel isolated? What do you do to connect with other women who share the same interests?

The facts about forming a Limited Liability Company - 1 of a 3 part series

Recently, members of The Mom Entrepreneur Online Support Group were discussing forming a Limited Liability Company or LLC. The women in our group wanted to know why they should form an LLC, and can it be done at an affordable price?

Members all agreed the process was easy, yet most hired a lawyer to file theirs or completed it themselves.

I hired a lawyer to form both of mine because I was not aware of any other methods for doing so. I had first operated the business as a sole proprietor, but as the company grew, I felt I needed better protection and decided an LLC was the way to go.

I recently discovered an online alternative. MyLLCagreement.com was created by corporate and tax attorneys from some of the largest law firms in the country; lawyers who were tired of seeing entrepreneurs and business owners spend thousands of dollars on legal fees or use outdated Internet forms for an LLC Operating Agreement.

Since this was a hot topic for discussion in our Online Support Group, I contacted Adam Bergman, president of myLLCagreement.com to provide readers with some insight as to why, when and how you would form an LLC.

This post is part 1 in a series of 3.

TME: What exactly is a Limited Liability Company (LLC)?
Adam: Limited liability companies (“LLCs”) are a creation of state law. An LLC is somewhat of a hybrid entity in that it can be structured to resemble a corporation for owner liability purposes and a partnership for federal income tax purposes. An LLC offers the limited liability benefit of a corporation and the single level of taxation of a partnership. The owners, not the entity, are then responsible for the payment of the tax, if any.

TME: How are LLCs structured?
Adam: LLCs are owned by investors known as members. The company is typically managed by a designated member or group of members. Like shareholders of a corporation, the members' liability is limited to the amount of their investment. For tax purposes, LLCs with more than one owner are treated as partnerships, and LLCs with one owner are disregarded. In both cases, the LLC income is taxed to the owner directly without any entity level tax.

TME: Why should a business owner set up an LLC entity?
Adam: The LLC has become the entity of choice for entrepreneurs and a significant majority of all new businesses primarily due to the following:

• LLCs are easy and inexpensive to form
• LLCs are recognized by all states
• LLCs offer limited liability for all members.
• LLCs offer one level of tax for federal income tax and state income tax purposes (in most cases).
• LLCs provide pass through of business losses to the member or members.
• LLCs can utilize a corporate management structure.
• LLCs can have one member or multiple members.
• LLCs offer flexibility in distributing cash to the members
• LLCs offer flexibility in allocating profits/losses to the members
• LLCs offer flexibility in conducting business affairs.
• LLCs can exist indefinitely.

TME: Why an LLC as opposed to a corporation or staying a sole proprietor?
Adam: Under current law, unless an entrepreneur expects to go public in the near future or will be engaging in a complex cross border transaction, there is very little reason for an entrepreneur to choose to operate his or her business in any other entity form other than an LLC (i.e. “C” corporation or “S” corporation). Most of the non-tax advantages of operating in corporate form are now available in all states in the form of the LLC, and the double tax creates a clear tax bias against the corporate form.

An LLC offers all of its members’ limited liability without restrictions on their participation in the venture. Furthermore, ownership interests in the LLC can be freely transferable if its members so choose. For these reasons, it is significantly more common for entrepreneurs and new business owners to select the LLC entity form when starting a new business and not a “C” corporation or “S” corporation.

Thanks Adam! Join us next Monday for part 2 – How to form an LLC.

In celebration of Women’s Small Business Month, we are also hosting a contest for an LLC formation, LLC Operating Agreement and $500 for your business all offered by myLLCagreement.com for one lucky mom entrepreneur winner.

In addition, on October 22nd at 1:00pm ET, Adam will be offering a complimentary teleseminar entitled: Protecting Yourself in Business - Why Every LLC Needs an Operating Agreement.

More details about our contest and teleseminar will follow throughout the month.

About Adam Bergman:
Adam is the president and creator of myLLCagreement.com, the leading online provider of customized LLC Operating Agreements. He has worked as a corporate and tax attorney at White & Case LLP, Dewey LeBoeuf LLP, and Thelen LLP, three of the most prominent law firms in the United States where he advised thousands of entrepreneurs and business owners on a wide range of corporate and tax issues involving limited liability companies for the past seven years. Adam is recognized as a leading partnership tax expert and has lectured attorneys on the taxation of LLCs.

MyLLCagreement.com was created in order to offer a cost effective alternative to spending thousands of dollars to form an LLC. In a few minutes online, entrepreneurs can receive a law firm quality LLC operating agreement they can trust without the law firm price.