When you’re working from home and you have kids at home, you’re constantly conflicted. On one hand, you feel like you’re never able to get onto the computer to work. On the other hand, you feel like you’re on the computer all the time.

There are many days when I feel completely unbalanced and stressed. Either I’m on the computer way too much, not paying enough attention to my kids, or when I am with them enjoying our time, I’m feeling bad that I’m not attending to my business.

As women, I think we ALL face these feelings at some time or another. So how do you get it done without stressing out?

Here’s one simple tool I use, and truth is that each time use it, I’m amazed by its brilliance and wonder why I don’t use it more often. (more…)

The kids are back to school, summer vacations are over and everyone seems to have renewed focus. This is the perfect time to start prioritizing your business. Get practical, “real-life” tips that will keep you on track so you use your limited time wisely and build some momentum in your business.

 

 Work at Home Moms – Fall is the Perfect Time to Refocus and Prioritize [Metromom Podcast] [5:36m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Email remains one of the most powerful (and inexpensive) marketing tools at your disposal. It’s a critical  component in building relationships with your target audience. The problem is that email can be a HUGE drain on your time, and busy mom entrepreneurs don’t have a lot of time to spare.

That’s why understanding and utilizing autoresponders is really important if you want to maximize the time and energy you spend on email. An autoresponder is basically a computer program that automatically answers e-mail sent to it. This process saves you countless hours because the email autoresponder message is always working for you.

I decided to invest my time and energy into understanding the ins-and-outs of autoresponders. I also interviewed Jennifer Haubein of Best Biz Website Solutions at the Metromom Online Success Telesummit to get even more ideas since she’s an expert at automation.

I want to share with you the three main benefits we have personally discovered when it comes to using autoresponders….

1. Help you utilize pull (instead of push) marketing – When you give your website visitors something of value such as a free irresistible offer, like a report or e-course, you’re using pull marketing. Once they sign-up for your offer and provide you with their email address, your goal is to not just give them your report but to use autoresponders to provide ongoing value.

2. Enhance your customer service – It’s hard to respond to each and every customer in a timely way. This is especially true on the internet because your website is working 24/7 when you can’t or don’t want to. Utilizing autoresponders allows you to communicate with your customers effortlessly, and on their schedule.

3. Allow for effortless and consistent follow-up – Studies repeatedly show that it takes 7-9 contacts on average before a person is willing to buy your product or service. That’s a considerable amount of follow-up and an autoresponder can do all of this for you.

Autoresponders can help you build relationships through targeted marketing and first-class customer service. Once you set it up, it runs on autopilot so you can focus on other aspects of growing your business (or spend more time on yourself and your family).

If you want more information on the best software options or how to set-up email campaigns, you can listen to my interview with Jennifer Haubein from the Telesummit – How to Build Relationships and Save Time Through Automated Email Campaigns (you’ll also get the transcript and my personal notes).

It was three hours before my Telesummit went live, I had a million details to wrap up, when I received an email from my 10-year old daughter that made me drop everything. A few hours earlier she’d come into my office asking me for help on a project (that was ironically about Who She Admires Most – and she wanted it to be about me), and I’d told her I’d be right there. Well, in my busy-ness, that time came and went, and she wasn’t happy.

Her email was entitled “Suggestion” and said “Just as a suggestion if you can’t help me then you shouldn’t say that you can and that you will be done in a few minutes when really you can’t help… So just say no if you are busy so that I don’t have to wait when I can go to someone else to just get it over with.” OUCH!

The fact is that this month in preparation for the summit, I’ve been less than present as a mom, and my kids were definitely noticing the difference. Even though I’ve loved every minute of Telesummit preparation from interviewing all 18 speakers, to writing a huge amount of emails, to managing all the details to make it run smoothly, I’ve not been particularly balanced this month. I’ve not exercised once, was forgetting to drink as much water as I should, and was definitely not spending the quality time with my children and husband that I usually do.

Since my husband Allan lost his job in December, he was fortunately in position to fully jump in and help manage our household. The kids enjoyed their time with him but there are times when they just need (and want) time with their mom. With my husband’s recent job loss I’ve also felt a lot more financial pressure, that I’ve not voiced to many, and that’s created an underlying energy in our home that I’m sure my kids are picking up on.

It was time for a heart-to-heart.

As I went into Tasha’s room, after receiving her email, I was torn with how much to share with her. I certainly knew I needed to apologize to her sincerely for my lack of attention, but I felt I wanted to give her more of an explanation.

Looking at her serious big brown eyes, I recalled a memory of me as a 10-year old where my mother shared something serious with me. Even though I don’t recall the details, I do remember that it caused me to be very protective of her and become more adult than a little girl should have to be. As a parent, I want to protect my children from being in that position. Is it right or is it wrong? I don’t know, but it’s how I feel. My children already got enough external stimuli pulling at them to grow up quickly, and I want to slow it down and let them enjoy their childhood.

Despite these doubts, I felt like Tasha deserved an explanation as to why I’d been pre-occupied more than normal. I wanted to give her a sense of the multi-layer complexity of the situation without scaring her. I told her that her daddy was not working. She was surprised, “What do you mean? Was he fired?” I explained that he was laid-off, not fired, but she was struggling to grasp the difference.

We spoke for quite a while and I trust that she felt heard and reassured after our conversation, but I was left feeling like I was walking a tightrope.

How could I balance it all?

I started my business because it’s my passion to connect and support fellow women and mom entrepreneurs, AND also to be available to my family. In the last few weeks, down a salary, and feeling the pressure of mounting bills and an increased pressure to succeed financially, I’ve not been as available to my children with my time or my energy. As I’ve shared this incident with Tasha, I’m still not perfectly clear on how to explain the realities of life to my children without unduly burdening them. I welcome your words of wisdom, as I know many others are experiencing these similar challenges and I’d love to share in that support.

One key thing I’ve learned over the years is how important it is (no matter what your own personal situation may be) to stay in a place of service. In challenging times, it’s very easy to focus on our own individual needs. The gift is to start focusing instead on who you can serve. You’ll be amazed at the shift in your energy AND the positive results.

 

  Entrepreneurs - Create a Positive Shift in Your Energy by Being of Service [Metromom Podcast] [7:43m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

I just finished recording my Wrap-Up call for the Metromom Online Success Telesummit where I shared my highlights. It’s been a fascinating two weeks as I interviewed 18 different internet marketing experts who shared tips on how to maximize your online presence.

I think what I found the most interesting was how the expertise of the different speakers weaved together. In the end I discovered consistent references to what it takes to be successful in today’s economy.

Let me share some of my highlights of the four online success principle I discovered:

1. You Need to be Authentic

One theme that kept coming up from was the importance of being authentic in your marketing. I heard it from Nancy Marmolejo as she talked about social networking, Michele PW as she shared copywriting tips, and Wendy Maynard as she discussed blogging. They all said basically the same thing – the key to being successful online is to be authentic and create relationships that are mutually beneficial. Laura West then really pulled this authenticity theme together when she spoke about “Attraction Marketing.”

2. Make Sure You Use Every Avenue to Connect

Jennifer Odear and Caleb Scoville really helped clarify how you can maximize your expertise by using all the different ways of communicating. Jennifer spoke about recycling your content and using it in your blog, articles, press releases, newsletters and more. Then Caleb shared how to take that very same content and use it in podcasts and YouTube videos.

What’s great is that once you have some content there are so many ways to get it out there. Alicia Forest gave great tips on using content to build your list. Amy Miyamoto showed how to tie your content into your social networking, Shannon Cherry shared publicity tips and Ty Downing shared easy-to-implement SEO ideas.

3. Women Need Foolproof Systems

Busy women juggling a business and a family need more then great ideas. They need help implementing proven systems that will get the money pouring in. Beth Schneider and Erin Blaskie gave fantastic tips on how to build a solid team and then create systems to keep things running smoothly. Jennifer Haubein shared how technology can help you set-up a website that helps you build relationships effortlessly. Debbye Cannon shared tips specific to moms on how to keep their family thriving as they build their business.

4. Get Your Mindset Prepared for Success

No amount of internet marketing strategies will help you achieve your goals if you’re stuck with a negative attitude or mindset. Victoria Colligan and Traci Long , from Ladies Who Launch, were truly inspirational as they shared how to take the next step in your business. Gina Bell shared how to identify and eliminate resistance to self-promotion and success.

The Metromom Online Success Telesummit (now called The Online Success Toolkit) is available for you to listen to. Click here to learn more! Once you listen I’d love to hear your feedback so come back and post your comments. What were some of the highlights for you?

If you’re a mom and an entrepreneur, and you’re anything like me, my guess is that you’ve had moments of guilt. It can be challenging to balance all of your responsibilities without feeling like your neglecting something, whether that’s your work, your children, your partner, your friends or yourself.

 

 Mom Entrepreneurs Need Self-Care Not Guilt [Metromom Podcast] [7:10m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

When I started planning my Metromom Online Success Telesummit I was torn on whether to focus exclusively on marketing techniques or to expand it to include mindset tips as well. Then I realized that no amount of learning will help you achieve your goals if you’re stuck with a negative attitude or mindset. That’s why I created the final track of the Telesummit to be about – How to Put It All Together With the Right Mindset.

I’m really excited to have two fantastic speakers from Ladies Who Launch join me for this track of the Telesummit: Victoria Colligan, the Founder of Ladies Who Launch, is one of my personal heroines. If you’re hesitating about taking the next step in your business make sure you listen to this call on, 7 Steps to Realizing Any Dream.

Traci Long the Chief Revenue Officer of Ladies Who Launch specializes in competitive marketing positioning. She’ll get you motivated and then show you how to execute your plan during her talk on Building the Foundation of your Brand to be a Lucrative Business. Traci will show us how building your brand isn’t just about your logo and your tagline.

I’m also really happy to have two of my “business” girlfriends sharing mindset tips at the Telesummit:

Laura West, the founder of Center for Joyful Business, specializes in supporting women entrepreneurs in creating a business that is meaningful AND that makes money! She makes marketing simple and takes the confusion and fear out of promoting your business with integrity and grace. I’m really looking forward to her talk on, Attracting Clients and Building Strong Relationships: 5 Easy Attraction Marketing Tools

According to my friend, Gina Bell, “Belief is the bridge between your dreams and your dreams come true!” Gina is the co-Founder of TheNetworkingMasters.com and creator of JVmavens.com. Hers passion is to work with motivated entrepreneurs who are ready to identify and eliminate their resistance to self-promotion and success. If you feel stuck, you’ll love her talk, Not Sure You Can Succeed? Get a Believability Makeover!

I honestly believe that the right mindset is the number one determining factor of success in business and in life. Which why I can’t express how grateful I am that these four wonderful women have agreed to share their “mindset gems” at the Telesummit. Especially now, it can be challenging to stay positive. It’s easy to become negative when faced with negative influences in our life – be it a skeptical friend or family member or the never-ending media cycle of more and more bad news.

If you feel like you could benefit from some positive (and practical) encouragement please join me and listen in on these calls May 1^st and 2^nd – there is no charge to participate in the Metromom Online Success Telesummit.

I’m a big believer in showing my kids what I do professionally, and use any opportunity I can come up with to include them, whether that’s helping me type up blog entries (which my 9-year old son loves to do) or using my postage meter to send out CD mailings.

Fortunately, my local news station in New Haven CT, keeps inviting me back. The timing’s worked well for each of my three children to participate separately and see what it’s like for mommy to get all wired up, and have the commotion of the cameras, buttons and different stage sets. This morning I brought my 6-year old son Dane with me while I was interviewed by Chris Velardi about how women can best utilize the web to grow their businesses. While I don’t think Dane focused on the content of the interview as much as where we were going for breakfast afterwards, I know that these messages are seeping in.

With our current economy, you’ve probably been hearing a lot of bad news lately. Well, I want to share some good news with you. Women entrepreneurs, especially moms, are harnessing the power and flexibility of internet marketing to design businesses and lifestyles on their own terms. They’re making millions of dollars working-at-home on their own schedule.

Take a look at a recent article in Time magazine about our changing times, “At no other time in recent history has it been easier or cheaper to start a new kind of company.” The article goes on to discuss the advantages of Web-based businesses that cost almost nothing to get off the ground and can turn into great moneymakers.

Whether you want to get a new business off the ground or just want to use the Internet to expand your current business income, you need more than great ideas. Basically, there are the three things you must know in order to grow your business and maximize your time and energy.

• You need to know which internet marketing strategies will work best for your business.
• You need to be building your team because you can’t go it alone.
• You need to start implementing proven systems that will get the money pouring in.

If you’re serious about taking your business to the next level I hope you’ll join me for on May 1st & 2nd for the F^REE Metromom Online Success Telesummit. It really is F^REE to listen to 18 online marketing experts (like Nancy Marmolejo, Shannon Cherry, Beth Schneider, Michele PW, Alicia Forest) share the latest techniques and creative ways to build your business and thrive in this new economy.  During the Summit you can listen to what you want, when you want (completely around your schedule) so there isn’t a single reason why you shouldn’t check it out.  #mtmm09