This podcast shares how women entrepreneurs can be authentic and enjoy doing business on their own terms. I speak about the importance of developing self-awareness and self-confidence as you align your actions with your beliefs. I show entrepreneurs the value of trusting their instincts, even if they’re new to business.
Do you know of any stay-at-home moms that are suddenly back in the job market? According to a recent article in Time magazine men make up 82% of the recession’s job losses, which means a lot more women are looking for work to make up for the lost paycheck. The article in Time magazine explains a recent phenomenon – many white collar moms who opted out of the workforce to focus on their kids are suddenly scrambling to get back in.
The problem is there are not a lot of jobs to be found! I was in Dallas this last weekend with Tory Johnson at the Women for Hire expo. ( and I’ll be back again speaking at her expo in Atlanta on April 4th). What struck me most was how many women are searching. Searching not just for a job, but they’re searching for support as they face a transition from their life as a stay-at-home mom.
It was great to get out from behind my computer and have face-to-face interaction with women. I was able to share a solution for women and moms who want a career and want to be there for their children. Many women don’t realize they can create their own work at home job by starting their own business.
The BIG question I heard from most of these women is where do I start? My answer to that is really two-fold – you need reliable information and you need support from other women. It made me so appreciative of our Metromom community. In these economic times, we need each other and I’m so proud of the sharing and learning that goes on every day, especially in our Connection Café.
Times have changed and more and more stay at home mothers need to define careers to meet the needs of their families. If you want to take advantage of our best resource – each other – then make sure you get involved with our community. I guarantee you can find tried and true ideas from real women on how to run a successful home-based business in any economy.
You don’t have to look far to notice the rise of women entrepreneurs. Women are inspired to start their own businesses for many reasons – a great idea, lack of fulfillment in their current job, the excitement of taking a risk, or the need to create a work/life balance. In this podcast Kim DeYoung, founder of Metromom.com, shares the lessons she learned and the steps women should take before jumping into entrepreneurship.
“Rise of Women Entrepreneurs” – What inspires women to start their own business? [Metromom Podcast] [5:05m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadIn my last blog post I spoke about the importance of having your own unique website. You can’t stop there. There are additional tools you need to utilize to maximize the benefits of your site.
Let me share with you a few effective internet marketing tools that you must be using if you want to generate business online:
1. A Facebook Presence is a Must
Facebook is a great place to maximize your results because there are so many people on Facebook – millions actually – who are there to do business. What are the benefits of using Facebook? A good presence builds your online visibility – people and search engines love it. It also builds your online credibility – by sharing information with others, creating articles and providing insightful comments you become recognized as an expert in what you do. Read a blog post by one of my favorite online experts, Nancy Marmolejo to see why social networking is worth your time and energy – Want Social Networking ROI? Read This.
2. Become a Blogger
Blogs are great because they’re very flexible. You can blog daily or weekly, you can post long or short blogs, you can be have informational posts or entertaining ones. A blog is a fantastic way to let your individual style and approach to business shine through. It’s also a very interactive format so visitors can leave comments and/or questions for you to respond to. According to my SEO guy, a blog can be the easiest and most inexpensive tool to drive traffic to your website – another BIG bonus of blogging.
3. Develop Your Own Freebie
A freebie is at the core of your list-building strategy. Most people won’t buy your product or sign-up for your service the first time they visit your site. So you want to persuade them into sharing their email address so you can add them to your list and continue developing a relationship. This freebie can be something as simple as a tip sheet or free report. We all have something we know that the average person doesn’t and more importantly, it’s something that our target market wants to know.
4. Sent out an Ezine Regularly
Once you have a list you need to communicate with them regularly to convert them into loyal customers. With an ezine (newsletter) you’re keeping your company in your customer’s mind on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. To maximize the value of your ezine send it regularly and make sure it contains content that’s of value to them, not just information about you and your products.
So now you have my list of the basic tools for promoting yourself online. I’ve used them all personally so I know they work. They’re also very inexpensive and easy to implement. The next post in this series will provide more in-depth strategies for creating a website that sells.
(If you would like more in-depth training on any of the tools I’ve mentioned in this article make sure to check out the learning in the Online Success Toolkit)
This blog is part 2 of a 4 part series of online success tips.
Honestly, I have made every single one of these 7 Deadly Sins. Thankfully, I developed “direct sales savvy” which has motivated me to share what I learned.
This is one of my favorite topics to speak about! Why? Because I realize that all someone in direct sales needs to be successful is recognize these “Seven Sins” and then make very small but positive changes. To hear my presentation, there are several opportunities coming up (some live, some virtual).
I’m looking forward to presenting live at two Women for Hire Expos:
· Work From Home Expo Dallas
· Work From Home Expo Atlanta
Women For Hire was founded by Tory Johnson –a truly inspirational entrepreneur with a passion for helping women be successful. If you’re looking for smart ways to supplement your income or you want to find an alternative to the cubicle and the commute this Women For Hire’s Work From Home Expo is a must-attend for you.
I’m also going to be interviewed about the “Seven Sins” at the upcoming teleseminar series for home party professionals – The Direct Sales SUPER Summit on March 22-April 4, 2009. This educational and empowering summit created by Lisa Young will give you a chance to learn from the very best in the industry.
If you want to learn more about the “Seven Sins”, you can also check out my action guide – The Seven Deadly Sins Women in Direct Sales Make and How to Avoid Them. Trust me – avoiding these sins is easy once you know what they are! The beauty of direct sales it that once you get your business headed in the right direction your successes truly multiply.
I highly recommend that you have your own website. It doesn’t need to be expensive but it does need to establish a relationship with your visitor – right away. Don’t be generic in your approach!
For example, I’ve noticed a lot of mom entrepreneurs who are in direct sales businesses have a "self-replicating" website. When I was just getting started with my direct sales company, I had a self-replicating website, but it was incredibly generic. Yes, it was a way to get in touch with me, but it wasn’t a way for anybody to get to know me.
If you do have a self-replicating website, you can still create your own site. It can be something with a catchy domain name or it can just be your name. In fact, the two websites can work together. You can first direct people to your own personal website and that can then link them to your company’s website.
"Come to this site to learn a little bit about me, who I am and why I do what I do. And by the way, click on this link to learn about my company’s products and how I can support you in learning more about those products."
If you already have a website, make sure it…
- Communicates who you are and what makes you unique.
- Is clear about the services you offer right on your home page.
- Reflects a design that integrates your style with what your target market likes.
Michelle PW wrote a great blog on How Your Personality Can Grow Your Business that you should check out, because no one wants a boring website!
Many people make a big mistake by investing a lot of time and money into creating a beautiful website and then they stop there. There are additional tools you need to utilize to maximize the benefits of your site…more on these MUST HAVE tools in my next post.
If you want to learn A LOT more about harnessing the power of your website you can learn more at the Metromom Online Success Telesummit. #mtmm09
This article is the first in a series about Online Success.
There is a pattern that emerges when you take a look at what famous women entrepreneurs have in common—women like Mary Kay Ash, Anita Roddick and Debbi Fields. What’s interesting about some of these women is that they didn’t necessarily have the ideal background or circumstances for success but that didn’t hold them back. They overcame their obstacles and became successful in a business world dominated by men. Discover three things these famous women entrepreneurs knew and demonstrated about success that are critical in the life of an entrepreneur.
Famous Women Entrepreneurs – Three Things They Know About Success [Metromom Podcast] [6:38m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadI recently conducted an online survey to help me strategize for my upcoming Metromom Online Success Telesummit #mtmm09. The results tell me that most of you are already online but you’re ready to take you business to the next level.
Here were some of the BIG topics mom entrepreneurs want to learn more about:
• Multimedia: Power of Podcast and Video
• Copywriting: Making Your Voice Compelling
• List Building: Capture Prospects
• Social Media Marketing: Twitter & Facebook
• Automate Emails & Campaigns
• Systemize Your Business
• Creating Authentic Relationships
• Improving Networking skills to Attract More Customers
Here’s the thing, most moms I know want to take their business to the next level BUT they feel like they don’t have time to study about all the online marketing tools and strategies. Between carpooling kids, doing laundry and meeting with clients…who has time to learn all this stuff? I hear you!
I recently decided I want to make it easier for women to gather that information and put together their own formula for online success. Which leads me to my upcoming Metromom Online Success Telesummit #mtmm09… I decided to gather together great speakers that are online experts – so that you busy Metromoms can have a conference from the comfort of your own home.
This Tele-Summit is different because it is specifically designed with busy mom entrepreneurs in mind. So each expert is going to show you how to get the MOST out of the time you personally have to dedicate to your business. Stay tuned for our fantastic line-up of topics and speakers by keeping up-to-date #mtmm09.
If there’s a particular topic related to building your online business that you just need to learn more about, now’s the time to let me know! Please post your suggestions and I’ll make sure to keep them in mind as I finalize the agenda with my speakers.
At some point in our lives we all get the opportunity to be a leader, whether we’re in a business setting or at home with our kids. As women we get to know ourselves and grow in our relationship to others. That’s why women tend to lead—not by words alone—but through our example and by modeling what we learn. This podcast suggests ways you can enhance your natural leadership ability at work and at home.
Mom Entrepreneurs - How to lead by example and model what you learn [Metromom Podcast] [7:19m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadDo you ever feel like you’re drowning in the busy world of being a solo-preneur and are losing some of the passion your started with?
Like many of the entrepreneurs I know, I’ve got a crazy long to-do list that often feels unmanageable. I’ve got ideas galore, plans of when I’d like to accomplish them, and tasks that need to be completed to see them to fruition. For me, there are parts of my business that completely fuel me, keep me energized and can only be done by me. Then, there are other parts that I’m fairly good at, don’t mind doing, but know that I, and my business, are better served when someone else takes over. Finally, there are those tasks that take me way too long, cause me stress when I think of them, and definitely should be accomplished by someone else.
For the past 15 months that I’ve been getting my business out into the world I’ve continually invited great people to join my team and support me in managing all the pieces of a very large (and complicated) puzzle. I value them immensely for their expertise, advice and friendship.
I often hear women share that they can’t afford to delegate. I wholeheartedly believe (regardless of the economic environment) you can’t afford NOT to delegate. How else are you to do the things that you love, pay you well, and energize you when you’re also handling the technicalities of your business?
Last night, I interviewed my good friend Mari Cooper, who’s a brilliant intuitive as well as marketing maven, about how she went from sheer overwhelm in her business with no support to having a virtual team of 15 people and increasing her income 6-fold.
If you’d love to focus 100% on what you absolutely love to do in your business, while increasing your income and your free time, please listen to the F*Ree audio recording of our interview. You will definitely get some great tips to implement right away.
