Moms In Business Magazine - April 2011 by The National Association For Moms In Business

Opportunity is

Knocking!

$10,000 Grant Just For Today

Decide to be Blissfully Free

Getting More Clients & Referrals

If The Shoe Doesn’t Fit

ReInvent It! Interview with Angela Edgeworth, pediped®

A Day Marketing Plan Business vs Babies $30 Billion Contracts for Women

Moms In Business Magazine • April 2011 • PAGE

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Moms In Business Magazine • April 2011 • PAGE

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Moms In Business Magazine • April 2011 • PAGE

NOTES

From The Founder

Gina Robison-Billups; NAFMIB Founder, CEO

RE-INVENTION April is a time for reinventing; seedlings sprout, flowers bloom, trees bud...

his issue is all about re-invention. I know a thing or two about that. In fact, my friend, Lisa Hammond, Founder of Femail Creations Catalog Co., author of Dream Big, Permission To Dream, Oh Thank Goodness. It’s Not Just Me!, and Oil for Your Lamp, is writing a new book about that very topic. She asked me to contribute my story to her new book because she was struck at how I am so different now than the person I started out being. It’s a true transformation. We’ve all had times where we feel stuck and either we stay there, we push through, or something dramatic (and usually painful) happens to push us forward, even when we are too scared to move on our own. Life is all about reinventing who we are. Each day you leave your house with different clothes that reflects who you are that day and how you feel. Each job you take you learn and grow and change. Each day life is bringing you choices that get you closer to your dreams. Are you taking those opportunities that are delivered to you? Are you even seeing the opportunities for reinventing your life that are all around you? I most recently was pushed to reinvent my life (yet again), and in that very difficult time I found that the changes I feared making were not as hard as I thought they would be. One of my favorite authors, Iyanla Vanzant, spoke of F.E.A.R. in her books: False Evidence Appearing Real. Many of our fears are false, but we can’t see that. My fears of getting what I wanted were false, and when I do fail, at least I know I tried. What surprises me about failing sometimes is that it’s not as painful as I thought it would be. Being told “no thanks” is getting easier too. My fear was the fear of being rejected and it was keeping me from being the person I need and want to be. What is your F.E.A.R. that is keeping you from being the person you want to be and even need to be? April is the time of reinvention. Our whole planet does it: flowers bloom, trees bud, animals are born, Jesus rose, and the Easter bunny delivers eggs (a symbol of new beginnings). This April is YOUR time to bloom, bud, be re-born, rise from the pain and sorrow, and reinvent a new story about you -- a new beginning. Wishing you a happy reinventing month! Gina

PAGE • April, 2011 • Moms In Business Magazine

INSIDE

april

2011

4 NOTES

About Our Contributors

from the Founder/CEO, Gina Robison-Billups

NOW 8 10 12

Janice Marie Janice Marie leads people and organizations to new levels of awareness. Her expertise in personal communications, sales, and human development transforms relationships, lives and careers. Her audiences and clients are enlightened by her dynamic delivery, in-depth knowledge and life experiences. www.JaniceMarieWilson.com

Moms Minutes

Important Tips and Briefs

Moms Vote Matters

Instant Impact Legislative Update

Events

Featured events, conferences and more

FEATURES 14

If the Shoe Doesn’t Fit - ReInvent It!

Emergency Preparedness Checklist

18 20 21 22

24 25

Interview with Angela Edgeworth, founder of the internationally recognized children’s footwear, pediped®. Checklist for everyone in the event of emergency

The $5 A Day Marketing Plan

Research shows consumers need to hear a message at least three (3) times for them to...

Just For Today Decide To Be Blissfully Free Getting More Clients & Referrals

Discover the Key to making the Right Connections.

Opportunity Is Knocking

And We Have The Key to your Success.

MEMBERS Members News

PSI Bands...Tasty Clouds...Maria Bailey Talk...Bobbie’s Buzz...Int. Women’s Day...$150 Discount...America’s Top...

Business 2 Business Moms

Members get access to our one-of-a-kind. . .highlight six of our nation’s top executive women

Elaine Williams Elaine William’s passion is helping people to help themselves as a Life Skills & Energy Wellness coach. She markets natural and non-invasive processes and products to her clients nationally and internationally. Elaine is also a Certified Healing Codes Coach/Practitioner. Visit www. YourHealthandYou.net.

Sue Clement Sue Clement stands for expedited business success. Having built a local business into a multi-million dollar enterprise, Sue is an expert in marketing, sales & customer service. As a certified business coach since 2000, she currently works with a diverse group of entrepreneurs and small business owners and helps them build powerful networks to leverage their business success. Visit: http://www.SueClement.com/teleseminar-mc.html & http://www.SueClement.com/teleseminar.html.

14 On The Cover Angela Edgeworth

Now Accepting Article Submissions for the National Association of Moms In Business Magazine. For guidelines and submission information visit the NAFMIB Writer’s Guidelines

Moms In Business Magazine • April 2011 • PAGE

NOW

Moms Minutes

More than 50% of American’s Are Not Getting Any Satisfaction

Quote of the Month: “I feel very adventurous. There are so many doors to be opened, and I’m not afraid to look behind them.” ~ Elizabeth Taylor

Business vs. Babies (note: please take links out and re-issue links – they are currently tied to site tracking systems)

We’re talking job satisfaction here. In the 2009 edition of an annual job satisfaction survey conducted for The Conference Board, only 45 percent of Americans said they were satisfied with their jobs, which is a significant drop from the more than 61 percent who said they were satisfied in 1987, the first year the survey was conducted.

Being a decision maker within a company and a mom can be a tough challenge. You have to balance who gets your time and when, but when a mom in business gets pregnant – that’s the time she and her career are the most at odds and most vulnerable. As a mom in business (employer or employee), you should know your rights.

While some may wish to blame the most recent survey’s low satisfaction numbers on the current economic downturn, such an easy answer would be inaccurate. The study shows that through both the booms and the busts of the past two decades, job satisfaction numbers have shown a consistent downward trend.

Women

are

facing

unprecedented

debt,

especially among those in the pre-retirement and retirement stage, according to a recent report from CareOne Services. Forty-five percent (45%) of women seeking debt relief assistance have more than

$50,000 in household debt, up more than 10 percent from two years ago.

PAGE • April, 2011 • Moms In Business Magazine

The Family and Medical Leave Act states that new parents, including adoptive ones, are entitled to 12 weeks of unpaid leave, with a guaranteed job upon return. However, if you work for a smaller company, are new or self-employed, you may not be covered. In this case, you risk having your health insurance suspended or having to work from home while taking care of a newborn. Check out (or create) your company’s policy before you or anyone else in your company becomes pregnant. Get more facts from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, In Sweden, well-known for lengthy maternity (and paternity) leave standards, Swedish parents are given nearly a full year’s salary for 12 months with a guaranteed job upon return. Plus, parents can work fewer than eight-hour workdays until the child is schoolage, according to the New York Times.

Moms Minutes

In the past, vegetarianism was viewed as the fringe diet of that lone hippie friend who was always eating tofu. No longer. Oprah’s Vegan Challenge: No matter what topic Oprah tackles, millions of Americans sit up and take notice. Oprah (who has a history of experimenting with veganism) chronicled her and her

Finalized by the Obama administration last year, the SBA, Small Business Administration’s Women’s Federal Procurement Program officially launched in February. What does this mean for mom business owners? A lot. The National Association For Moms In Business, in support of their Alliance Partners, have engaged in this 11 year battle to fight for equality in this arena.

There are $30 billion in contracts set aside specifically for women.

staff’s challenge to go vegan for seven days—a challenge that 378 staff members decided to participate in and 300 completed. Their experiences ranged from drastic weight loss to decisions to continue eating meat, but in moderation and with an awareness of how to shop more consciously and cook more healthily in the future. For those swayed by the Queen of Talk and thinking of taking the challenge themselves, there are apps for that! Source: Trendcentral.com

This opens up enormous opportunities for the 80,000 women-owned small businesses registered with the federal government. The rule aims to combat under representation of federal contracts for women across 83 industries including legal services, manufacturing and specialty companies.

Women received a mere 3.4 percent of federal contract dollars in 2009; however, the stated goal has always been 5% thus allowing a 1.6 percent shortfall annually, or in other words, a loss of $3 billion per year to women business owners. For contracts worth more than $25,000, go to http://www. fbo.gov -- the single point of entry for getting qualified.

Moms In Business Magazine • April 2011 • PAGE

NOW

Moms Vote Matters MomsVoteMatters.com

Moms Vote Matters is a program for moms in business to learn, influence, communicate, and engage in community and national policies that effect their families and their businesses

Instant Impact Legislative Update March 14, 2011 Powered by Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP)

1) Continued Budget Stalemate Concerns Government Contractors The budget fight reached an impasse, as Senators voted down two competing budget proposals: one supported by the Republicans and passed by the House, and one supported by Democrats. Both proposals would cut federal spending for the remainder of FY2011 at different levels. This sets the stage for further negotiations, as the current stopgap resolution expires on March 18. Both sides will need to either pass another shortterm funding bill or reach an agreement on a budget for the rest of the FY2011 to avoid a government shutdown. The disagreement on a budget solution put government contractors on high alert and agencies have devised emergency plans in the event of a shutdown. The lack of a long-term budget for the remainder of this year puts funding and jobs on hold. Moreover, a budget containing deep cuts will limit both future and ongoing projects at federal agencies. WIPP urges the Congress to work together to confront the difficult decisions necessary to reduce the deficit. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the FY2011 deficit is currently projected to be $1.48 trillion. To read WIPP’s Economic Principles, please visit http:// www.wipp.org/resource/resmgr/issues/blueprint_economic_ principle.pdf

2) FCC Adopts Broadband Report Recommendations for Small Business The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a report to the Congress highlighting actions the agency PAGE 10 • April, 2011 • Moms In Business Magazine

took to advance and support policies, rules and regulations that remove barriers that small businesses face. The report, Identifying and Eliminating Market Entry Barriers for Entrepreneurs and Other Small Businesses, makes the following recommendations:

• The FCC should continue its partnership with the

• • • • • •

Small Business Administration (SBA) and assist in coordinating special small business size standards to promote business growth. The FCC should partner with civil rights and other public interest groups to promote the expansion of small businesses. The FCC should promote innovation in mobile and wireline broadband technologies through 4G mobile broadband and Next Generation wireline broadband technologies. The FCC should focus on compliance activities to eliminate any anti-competitive or discriminatory business practices by telecommunications carriers that establish barriers to entry by small businesses.

WIPP believes broadband deployment is critical to a progrowth economic policy for small business and supports efforts to expand broadband access and move forward with full implementation. Meanwhile, a House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee overturned a recent FCC decision that put net neutrality rules in place. The legislation is expected to reach the House floor sometime this month. To read the FCC’s statement on broadband expansion plans, please click here.

Moms Vote Matters

3) SBA’s Women’s Procurement Program Accepting Registrations The Small Business Administration (SBA) launched a new web page for the Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Federal Contract Program: www.sba.gov/wosb. The program will, for the first time, allow contracting officers to restrict competition to women owned businesses to bid on federal contracts in 83 NAICS codes, where women-owned companies were determined to be underrepresented. The new web page serves as a one-stop shop for all your informational needs on the program. It contains program information on eligibility, certification and registering. There are only five steps for getting involved. 1. First, read the WOSB Federal Contract Program regulations in the Federal Register and the WOSB Compliance Guide. 2. Second, register in Central Contractor Registration (CCR) as WOSB. 3. Third, log onto the SBA’s General Login System (GLS). 4. Fourth, go to the WOSB program repository (through GLS) and upload/categorize all required documents. 5. Finally, update your status in the Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA), as new business types are being added through April. WIPP encourages women-owned businesses to begin the certification process and submit the necessary documents to the newly created WOSB Program Document Repository and begin to take advantage of the WOSB Federal Contract Program. Implementation of this program will help ensure that the women’s procurement program is on equal footing with other programs that enable the federal government to meet its small business contracting goals.

• To view the WOSB site and the steps for registering

and getting involved, please visit: http://www.sba. gov/content/contracting-opportunities-women-ownedsmall-businesses

• To read the SBA’s announcement, please visit: . http:// www.sba.gov/content/sba-announces-contracting-program-women-owned-small-businesses

• For a list of eligible industries, visit: http://www.wipp. org/resource/resmgr/procurement_committee/naicscodelist.pdf

• To read WIPP’s statement on the Women-Owned

Small Business Federal Contract Program, visit: http:// www.wipp.org/resource/resmgr/Press_Releases/SBA_ Press_Release_2-7-2011_F.pdf

4) Resources Available for Small Business Exports The Export-Import Bank of the United States recently gave a presentation to the WIPP Board of Directors about increasing a business’ export sales with the goal of making it more competitive in the global marketplace. The presentation outlined the strides made by small businesses in exporting, and how the numbers are expected to continue growing. The presentation also laid out different resources available for businesses looking to increase their export sales, while at the same time, minimizing the risks involved. As part of Export-Import Bank’s support of small business in this area, it offers working capital guarantees, receivables insurance and buyer financing. For more information on the financing assistance Export-Import offers, please visit: http://www. exim.gov/smallbusiness/

5) Commerce Department Launches i6 Green Challenge In an effort to spur the development of 21st century jobs and industries, the Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) and its Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship launched its $12 million i6 Green Challenge program. The EDA is partnering with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the National Science Foundation, Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The EDA will award up to $1 million to each of six teams around the country with the most innovative ideas to drive technology commercialization and entrepreneurship in support of a green innovation economy, increased U.S. competitiveness and new jobs. Its partner agencies will award more than $6 million in additional funding to i6 Green winners. For more information on the i6 Green Challenge, please visit: http://www.eda.gov/i6

Moms In Business Magazine • April 2011 • PAGE 11

NOW

Events

BEGINNING APRIL 5, 2011 - Every Tuesday Moms In Business Grant Q & A Join us to have your questions answered about the Moms In Business Grant: We’ll answer any question you have from “How does it work?”, “What should I expect?”, “What advice can I get to succeed?”, “What’s the grand prize?” and much, much more! We’ll answer any question you can think of! Call is at 12pm EST/ 11am CST/ 10am MST/ 9am PST ANYONE can be on the call. Come Join Us!

APRIL 7, 2011 - 2PM Easy, Low Cost Ways to Start a Retirement Plan

Have you ever thought about starting a retirement plan, but stopped short because of concerns about time or money? A FREE IRS webinar available this April 7 at 2 p.m. Eastern will explain: u How to use IRAs as the building blocks of a low-cost, low-maintenance retirement program for your business u Points to consider in choosing the right plan u Low-maintenance alternatives to traditional 401(k)s u Types of advisors who can help you set up and operate your plan u Getting IRS help to correct mistakes in your plan REGISTER AND ATTEND THE ONLINE WEBCAST AT http://www.VisualWebcaster.com/IRS/76865/reg. asp?id=76865 “Easy, Low Cost Ways to Start Your Small Business Retirement Plan” April 7 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern/ 1:00 p.m. Central/ 11:00 a.m. Pacific. Sponsored by IRS Employee Plans Division, Customer Education & Outreach

Every FRIDAY at 8AM Moms Making A Million Radio Show LISTEN LIVE: 4/01 - Top 10 Foolish Things People Do With Their Money and Taxes 4/08 - From Your Heart to the Bank with Louis Barajas 4/15 - Tax Time Tips to Get Rich with J.D. Roth. J.D. is the founder of Getting Rich Slowly blog and the author of “Your Money: The Missing Manual” who need advocates like you 4/22 - Money Moxie with Guest Ann Tardy 4/29 - Secrets of Success forTeenage Investors with Tim Olsen For June schedule/topics etc., visit http://mibn.org/site.php/evnt/month_view

UPCOMING LOCATIONS AND DATES BELOW Tired of wondering where your next client or customer is going to come from

-- or staying up all night because this brilliant business idea of yours just won’t go away? Whether you’re sick of doing all you know to do to make your business profitable (and still coming up short) or just tired of WAITING to (finally) take the leap, you’ve got to meet Tory Johnson (www.toryjohnson.com) . Today Tory is the weekly Good Morning America (http://abcnews.go.com/gma/jobclub) workplace contributor, a New York Times bestselling author, and a millionaire business owner, but she hasn’t always been. Far from it, in fact. With the all-new Spark & Hustle National Tour (http://sparkandhustle.com), Tory’s goal is simple: Provide current and aspiring small business owners with the practical strategies, real-world solutions and support that’s absolutely critical to their success.

The 2011 Spark & Hustle National Tour Schedule:. Chicago: April 7 - 9 Boston: May 12 - 14 Orlando: May 19 - May 21 Atlanta: July 21 - 23 PAGE 12 • April, 2011 • Moms In Business Magazine

Get a nt on the $150 Discou nferences! o C e tl s u H Spark & s 28 for detail Go to page

EVENTS

Sun

Mon

Tue

April, 2011 Wed

Thu

-Moms In Business Grant Coaching Call

Fri

-Moms Making a Million Radio Show 8

Sat

Chicago, Spark Chicago, Spark Chicago, Spark & Hustle & Hustle & Hustle

-Moms In Business Grant Coaching Call 19 20

-Moms In Business Grant Coaching Call 26 27

-Moms Making a Million Radio Show 15

-Moms Making a Million Radio Show 22

-Moms Making a Million Radio Show 29

-Moms In Business Grant Coaching Call

-Moms Making a Million Radio Show

May, 2011 1

Sun

Mon

-Power Mentoring Program! 9

Tue

Wed

Thu

-Moms In Business Grant Coaching Call 10 11

-Moms Night Out

-Moms In Business Grant Coaching Call

-Moms In Business Grant Coaching Call 24 25

-Moms In Business Grant Coaching Call 31

Fri

Sat

-Moms Making a Million Radio Show 13

Boston, Spark & Hustle

-Moms Making a Million Radio Show 20

-Moms Making a Million Radio Show 27

-Moms Making a Million Radio Show

-Moms In Business Grant Coaching Call

Visit http://www.MIBN.org to view updates and the entire NAFMIB Calendar of Events Moms In Business Magazine • April 2011 • PAGE 13

If the Shoe Doesn’t FitReInvent It!

By Gina Robison-Billups

An Interview with Angela Edgeworth Founder of the internationally recognized children’s footwear, pediped®

n 2003 Angela Edgeworth’s life was forever changed when her daughter Caroline was born. Caroline would not only bring immense joy and fulfillment to Angela’s life, she also brought inspiration. When Caroline was just an infant, Angela went in search for soft soled shoes for her daughter. She didn’t want just any soft soled shoes, these had to be comfortable, made of quality materials and of course stylish. After a fruitless effort, Angela looked down at her daughter and decided that she would not settle for anything less than the best if she couldn’t find it, then she would make it and that’s how pediped came to be. Originally located in Southern California, pediped, pronounced pedi (for pediatrician) and ped (latin for foot) sold its first shoe in February 2005, just one month before Angela’s second daughter Lauren was born. Within a year, pediped was offered in over 1000 stores. The company was growing beyond Angela’s wildest expectations. Angela was no stranger to entrepreneurialism, prior to starting pediped Footwear, Angela and her husband Brian were busy running another business; American Grating, a manufacturer and distributor for industrial fiberglass products. At that time she and Brian realized that in order to successfully grow both companies and to have a better quality of life, they had to make some changes. Their commute in Los Angeles drove them to relocate pediped and American Grating to Henderson, NV. This move enabled the family to live just a mere 4 miles from work and allowed Angela the freedom to spend time with her girls while managing her phenomenally growing enterprise. The move however, was not enough. Angela wanted her girls to be an integral part of the company that had begun because of them. At company headquarters, Angela (President and Founder) and Brian (CEO and Founder) of pediped designed Jack and Jill offices with an adjoining playroom for the girls. Furthermore, the girls frequently travel with their parents, allowing them to be PAGE 14 • April, 2011 • Moms In Business Magazine

together, even on business trips. These adventures have them to Japan, Hong Kong, China, Germany, Belgium and throughout the United States. Their input is always taken to heart as Caroline and Lauren serve as product testers, focus group and models for the company. The girls, extremely picky about their shoes, have helped mom create comfortable and stylish footwear. Now in over 4000 stores and 41 countries, pediped

shows no signs of slowing down. Just this Spring a new rubber soled toddler line was introduced to address the needs of countless pediped moms whose children have since grown out of the company’s flagship offering (including Caroline and Lauren). GRB: What does your company do? AE: We make comfortable and stylish shoes for children from newborn to age 8. GRB: Tell us your reinvention story. What happened? What forced/made you to change so dramatically? AE: My father owned a fiberglass company. 7 years ago he was diagnosed with colon cancer and being the only child my husband and I were put in a position of either taking over his business or my husband continuing with his job on Wall Street. My husband had a successful career but worked long hours and traveled a lot. We were about to have our first child and we had to decide whether to stay in New York or move to Los Angeles. We made a decision together to take over the family business and move to Los Angeles but also start another company when the opportunity arose, so we started pediped together. 5 years ago we made another big move from Los Angeles to Henderson, NV. We wanted a better quality of life - work, school all within a short driving distance. The quality of our life improved after the move.

multiple businesses but others who you communicate less with tend to fade away. It’s a disappointing fact of life. It’s important to maintain relationships with your closest friends and family. GRB: Why did you go into this business/career? (history of how she started) AE: pediped was created out of a need for comfortable and stylish shoes for my daughter Caroline. When we were looking for shoes we could only find booties with tight elastics around the ankle or inflexible rubber sole shoes that didn’t bend. There didn’t seem to be a lot in the middle that met our needs. GRB: What has been the single hardest part of being in business? How did you deal with that? AE: Balancing it all and trying to do the best you can as a business person and a mother. GRB: What’s your greatest achievement (or what are you most proud of)? AE: Besides my girls and my husband, I’m proud that we’ve built a company on solid principles and that we have continued to deliver what we promise... high quality and affordable footwear that are good for children’s feet. Continued on page 26

GRB: How did the “reinvention” of your life change you, your family, your friends? Anything lost (ie friends, etc)? AE: Not really. However, you do tend to lose touch with friends or grow apart from them. Close friends understand your time constraints with family and running

Moms In Business Magazine • April 2011 • PAGE 15

By Elaine Williams

Emergency Preparedness Checklist Our hearts go to those friends and family in Japan. We are grieving for your loss, and we are sending love, light and positive prayers to all those affected by these devastating events. – National Association For Moms In Business The devastation in Japan brought home the need to do some emergency preparation in our own area. It would be good if we could all look this over to help us be prepared for any emergency that may come our way - And Remember . . . “If Ye Are Prepared - Ye Shall Not Fear”! --- by Elaine Williams

Below is the FEMA Emergency Preparedness Checklist The next time disaster strikes, you may not have much time to act. Prepare now for a sudden emergency. Learn how to protect yourself and cope with disaster by planning ahead. This checklist will help you get started. Discuss these ideas with your family, then prepare an emergency plan. Post the plan where everyone will see it—on the refrigerator or bulletin board. For additional information about how to prepare for hazards in your community, contact your local emergency management or civil defense office and American Red Cross chapter.

Emergency Checklist

Prepare a Disaster Supplies Kit Assemble supplies you might need in an evacuation. Store them in an easy-to-carry container such as a backpack or duffle bag. Include: • A supply of water (one gallon per person per day). Store water in sealed, unbreakable containers. Identify the storage date and replace every six months. • A supply of non-perishable packaged or canned food and a non-electric can opener. • A change of clothing, rain gear and sturdy shoes. • Blankets or sleeping bags. • A first aid kit and prescription medications.

PAGE 16 • April, 2011 • Moms In Business Magazine

• An extra pair of glasses. • A battery-powered radio, flashlight and plenty of extra • • • • • • • • • •

batteries. Credit cards and cash. An extra set of car keys. A list of family physicians. A list of important family information; the style and serial number of medical devices such as pacemakers. Special items for infants, elderly or disabled family members. Find out which disasters could occur in your area. Ask how to prepare for each disaster. Ask how you would be warned of an emergency. Learn your community’s evacuation routes. Ask about special assistance for elderly or disabled persons.

Also... Ask your workplace about emergency plans. Learn about emergency plans for your children’s school or day care center.

Create an Emergency Plan Meet with household members to discuss the dangers of fire, severe weather, earthquakes and other emergencies. Explain how to respond to each. • Find the safe spots in your home for each type of disaster. • Discuss what to do about power outages and personal injuries. • Draw a floor plan of your home. Mark two escape routes from each room. • Show family members how to turn off the water, gas and electricity at main switches when necessary. • Post emergency telephone numbers near telephones. • Teach children how and when to call 911, police and fire. • Instruct household members to turn on the radio for emergency information. • Pick one out-of-state and one local friend or relative for family members to call if separated during a disaster (it is often easier to call out-of-state than within the affected area). • Teach children your out-of-state contact’s phone numbers. • Pick two emergency meeting places. 1) A place near your home in case of a fire. 2) A place outside your neighborhood in case you cannot return home after a disaster.

residence. Using a black or blue pen, show the location of doors, windows, stairways, and large furniture. • Indicate the location of emergency supplies -- • (Disaster Supplies Kit), • fire extinguishers, • smoke detectors, • collapsible ladders, • first aid kits and • utility shut off points. Next, use a colored pen to draw a broken line charting at least two escape routes from each room. Finally, mark a place outside of the home where household members should meet in case of fire. Be sure to include important outside points such as: • garages, • patios, • stairways, • elevators, • driveways and porches. If your home has more than two floors, use an additional sheet of paper. Practice emergency evacuation drills with all household members at least two times each year.

Emergency Plan

Out-of-State Contact Name, City, Telephone (Day) (Evening) Local Contact Name, Telephone (Day) (Evening) Nearest Relative Name, City, Telephone (Day) (Evening)

• Take a basic first aid and CPR class • Keep family records in a water and fire-proof container.

Family Work Numbers Father, Mother, Other

Emergency Preparedness Checklist

Emergency Telephone Numbers In a life threatening emergency, dial 911 or the local emergency medical services system number Police Department, Fire Department, Hospital

Call Your Emergency Management Office or American Red Cross Chapter

Family Physicians Name -Telephone, Name Telephone

Escape Plan

In a fire or other emergency, you may need to evacuate your house, apartment or mobile home on a moment’s notice. You should be ready to get out fast. Develop an escape plan by drawing a floor plan of your

Reunion Locations 1. Right outside your home 2. Away from the neighborhood, in case you cannot return home Address, Telephone, Route to try first Example: Floor one

Moms In Business Magazine • April 2011 • PAGE 17

$5 A Day

The

PAGE 18 • April, 2011 • Moms In Business Magazine

Marketing Plan

by Gina Robison-Billups

help you communicate with existing as well as potential customers. Here are some effective contacts and programs you can set up with just $5 a day: Send your existing customers referral and buying incentives. Devote some energy to reselling to current customers again and again. I tell people that your current clients are your best sales staff, so give them tools to promote your business. 10 loyal clients is like having 10 sales people. Let them work for you.

Research shows consumers need to hear a message at least three (3) times for them to have name recognition and recall, and nine (9) times before they become a customer. One-time or sporadic tactics are ineffective in increasing awareness, acceptance, preference and demand for your product. Your best way to create marketing momentum is with daily action; if that isn’t possible, commit to weekly action. One way to affordably market your business every day, is to use a $5-a-day marketing program. With the Internet, this can exponentially grow. The basic strategy is to contact 10 clients or prospects each day, five days a week. You can contact them by phone, fax, e-mail, letter or postcard. You can send out press releases, sales or follow-up letters, brochures, special offers, information sheets or thank-you notes. Your cost is about 45 cents to print and mail 5-10 letters for a total of $2.25 to $4.50. Additional telephone calls or faxes cost about a quarter each at the most for a total of $.50 to $1.25. Tip: Use your cell phone minutes for all long distance calls if they are included in your plan. If you’re paying for those minutes anyway, why not use them for your most expensive calls? If you’re communicating by e-mail, your costs will be even less. Your goal is to create a combination of daily activities that

Send all customers a postpurchase thank-you note that includes coupons for referring new people to you. You can also stay in contact via monthly postcard mailings that include a tip sheet about your business, a special sales invitation, a service call reminder or a mini newsletter. Introduce yourself to the media. Free publicity has the potential to boost your business. Contact your local newspapers editor and offer to lend expert quotes for any articles or columns regarding your expertise, or put together an informational press release concerning new trends in your industry. Many editors still prefer receiving press releases through fax. When contacting the editors in your local area, be sure to ask if they prefer to receive your news via email for fax. One way to make sure your press release NEVER sees the light of day is to consistently irritate editors by sending it in a cumbersome or undesirable format. Tip: Get an online mailing/newsletter service provider. With the click of of a button, you can email your announcements to thousands of clients or media personnel. Invite people to your store. Use inexpensive events to steer customers into your business. Offer your store as a meeting place for small organizations for seminars or even board meetings. Each month you can promote your business to their meeting attendees with special offers. Look for other opportunities in your newspaper or online. This kind of marketing can be inexpensive, and with a detailed plan it can be simple to implement. If you’re not consistent on a daily basis, you’re wasting your time and money - so make a plan, commit to it, and get going!

To read this article online visit: http://mibn.org/site.php/arti/ read/the_5_a_day_marketing_plan Moms In Business Magazine • April 2011 • PAGE 19

Just For Today

By Janice Marie

Decide to be Blissfully Free

Calmly & lightly hold your vision of a better future in your heart, and it will arrive when you least expect it.

ow many times have you hung on so tight to wanting things to be different and all they did was get worse. When the truth is, when you feel free, things gracefully come to you.

When I began to actively create my million dollar net worth, I started out with a desire to be wealthy. I loved that desire because it made me feel good! I envisioned all the wonderful things that great wealth would provide for me and my family. My children would be able to acquire a great education. They would be able to explore the world and be great contributors to our society. I would be able to be free to travel, speak, write books and inspire our world to be more beautiful, kind, compassionate. It was the joy of being free to live from my heart and teach others to experience the same that gave meaning to what millions meant to me. Empowerment to create your plan and have a new worth of millions doesn’t come from your portfolio. It comes from those things that have the greatest meaning to you. The truth is that those things that have the greatest meaning to us arise from the spiritual not the material world. When you align yourself with the principles of your “heart” felt desires, there is no limit to what you can achieve. You can have the success of an Olympian, the wealth of Oprah, or the healthy recover from a hopeless disease or financial disaster. These strong attractors, of love, compassion, peace, willingness, acceptance and courage are how you attract, enjoy, and keep the freedom that great wealth brings to you. So today, right now...write down why you want your million dollar net worth and keep that in your wallet, next to your portfolio, in your heart. This is the true formula for achieving your plan for being a Millionaire Mom!

“There are no guarantees. From the viewpoint of fear, none are strong enough. From the viewpoint of love, none are necessary.” – Emmanuel Read Janice Marie’s article online: http://mibn.org/site.php/arti/read/just_for_today PAGE 20 • April, 2011 • Moms In Business Magazine

Getting More New Clients and Referrals

By Sue Clement

Discover The Key to Making the Right Connections

You want more new clients - and you’ve been

networking like crazy. But in spite of all that activity, your efforts at getting more referrals have not been very successful. Let’s take a look at the most important key to making the right connections and finding the right referral partners and clients. Here’s the key that trips up a lot of people when they try to figure out whom to connect with: Opportunity! Opportunity cuts several ways: It can be the opportunity for you to connect with the right kind of people who could give you referrals or become your clients themselves, possibly both, or the opportunity for the people you connect with to refer people to you.

1) Determine your target

Before you can even know whether there’s opportunity, you need to be clear about what “opportunity” means in your case. Otherwise, you’ll be spinning your wheels trying to find… what? Get very clear about the “what” that you’re looking for. If you haven’t yet figured out your niche or determined your target prospects, do that before you move to the next steps, or you’ll be wasting your time.

2) Opportunity for you to meet the right people

Once you know what you’re looking for, it will be much easier for you to determine whether a specific networking event or a particular person you meet might be a good fit. For example, one of my clients was really frustrated with networking events. No matter how many people he talked to, no one was ever interested in his service, which was a special insurance program that helped business owners get money out of their business to shelter it from taxes. Once he told me which meetings he went to, it quickly became obvious why he wasn’t more successful. These meetings were full of start-ups, whose concerns were not to get money out of their business, but to keep the business afloat and to grow it. They were absolutely not his target audience. Instead, I sent him to different meetings where he

would meet business owners who had money to shelter, and his business started thriving.

3) Opportunity for your potential referral partners

The other way you need to look at opportunity is to make sure your referral partners have the opportunity to refer people to you. They need to be in regular contact with your perfect prospects. Once again, this is why it is so important that you know who those ideal prospects are. Let’s say you’re trying to work with alternative health care and/or service providers. A person who has plenty of connections with bankers and corporate types might not be the ideal referral partner for you, unless he or she also happens to be passionate about yoga, acupuncture, organic food, etc. Otherwise, it won’t matter how much of a center of influence he or she might be. On the other hand, the organizer of the local alternative health care expo or the editor of the local alternative health publication would be perfect. Ready to get more and better clients? Take action. Get more and better leads and clients and get ready to watch your business grow with a free teleseminar on networking success. http://www.SueClement.com/ teleseminar-mc.htm. View info: Page 7. (Copyright © 2008 LadyPens. www.LadyPens.com, All rights reserved)

Moms In Business Magazine • April 2011 • PAGE 21

Opportunity is Knocking at Your Door And We Have Your Key to Success

The Challenge All Moms In Business Face

omen own over 9 million businesses, yet they receive the least amount of financing from traditional sources such as banks and venture capital firms. Women traditionally own smaller types of businesses that don’t need financial assistance of $250,000 or more, and so financing options are limited. Finding capital through private investors is more challenging than ever before. According to Capital Factory, “Gap shave formed in the traditional funding path for early stage companies. Many venture capitalists are moving towards bigger funds that invest larger amounts of money in lower risk companies that have already proven their model. Angel investors are banding together into syndicates that look more and more like venture capitalists.”

Business loans can also be difficult to obtain. Most businesses are created with loans which rely on good credit histories and collateral that women (and mothers in particular) may have a hard time supplying due to divorce, medical expenses, and just the high cost of raising children. Women often use their credit cards or borrow from family PAGE 22 • April, 2011 • Moms In Business Magazine

members in order to start a business, which can make their own finances uncomfortable. Now is probably the best time to start a business or expand your current business. Most people look at the current economic condition and see the losses they have from last year (job loss, income loss, business loss), but losses can be doors to opportunities - you just have to open your eyes and your mind. During times like these labor and supply costs are lower, there is less competition, and all budgets are being re-examined. People are open to new ways of doing things that will help them to reduce costs or to find more customers. We want to help women whose minds are open to new ways of building their business with their participation in this new format of generating cash and business tools - the Moms In Business $10,000+ Grant Competition. The National Association For Moms In Business is giving you the opportunity to create your dreams and give you the support you need to grow your business. NAFMIB has partnered with peerbackers.com to produce this incredible program, offering you the FIRST Crowdfunding Business Grant in the Nation!

Moms In Business $10,000+ Grant Competition In addition to the cash raised in the grant competition, the grand prize grant winner receives access to our network of mentors, service providers, business growth tools and more... totaling Over $10,000 in free stuff!

Now You Can Get Cash & More for Your Business The “CrowdFunding” platform is a way to raise money by attracting many small donations from a large group (friends, 1. Everyone can be a winner of cash -- not just a family, professional contacts) to meet a funding goal. selected few. “Backers” give contributions in exchange for 2. You have to have hustle to get your grant money. rewards or perks offered by the entrepreneur And if you’ve got that, chances are you are going (rewards can be any product, service or to have great results with this grant and with your experience to which the entrepreneur has business. access). Why we are doing a CrowdFunding grant? After years of doing grants for moms in business we found two troubling things about the traditional grant method. First, out of all the great businesses we had the honor to review, we could only have one winner. This was a real bummer. Secondly, once we gave the money, we found that often the great person and business we read on paper had no “hustle” behind it. They looked great on paper, but that didn’t mean they would succeed. This too was a real bummer...and totally deflated our desire to do it again. We found a solution! Apply Now! As Tory Johnson, the founder of Spark & Hustle (see her interview in Moms In Business Magazine March 2011 issue), taught us. You can have a great idea and great intentions, but if you don’t have hustle, you don’t have a business. A great idea on paper doesn’t show the hustle behind the idea. Read the complete details about the Moms In Business That’s where our partnership with peerbackers.com comes $10,000+ Grant Competition at: www.MomsBusinessGrant. com. into play.

We are doing more than supporting winning ideas. . .

Get Your Key to Creating Your Dreams

By doing a crowdfunding grant we solve the two main challenges with grants:

Continued on Page 27 Moms In Business Magazine • April 2011 • PAGE 23

MEMBERS

NEWS

PSI Bands

We’re so pleased to let you know that Psi Bands maked its major network television debut on The Rachael Ray Show. The show has a segment on morning sickness and Psi Bands is highlighted as a remedy that one pregnant viewer tested out. We are thrilled that Psi Bands has now been exposed to Rachael Ray’s 3 million viewers. Clearly Psi Bands has become a household name and a product to turn to when dealing with nausea. www.psibands.com

Tasty Clouds

founder and mompreneur Nina Rodecker presented various unique ideas and exciting cotton candy preparations on WEtv’s “My Fair Wedding with David Tutera!” Grown out of innovative thinking and passionate efforts of founder Nina Rodecker, Tasty Clouds Cotton Candy Company is the pioneer in cotton candy catering services. Providing only the highest quality products and services, Tasty Clouds goal is to sweeten everyone’s events. Visit: www.TastyClouds.com.

Gina Robison-Billups,

founder of the National Association For Moms In Business, will be a guest on Maria Bailey’s Mom Talk Radio show on March 25th. Maria is known internationally as a top marketing to moms’ expert and has a nationally syndicated radio show. Her outreach on a monthly basis is about 300,000 to 500,000 a listeners a month and has about 800,000 downloads of her podcast (a month!) on iTunes.

pediped® footwear for children was recently featured in “Bobbie’s Buzz”

on NBC’s The Today Show with Kathy Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb. Go to www. pedipedcom to see the video.

Special Thank You!

to MJChristensen for celebrating the 100th Anniversary of International Women’s Day to support National Association For Moms In Business. Their visionary leadership established the ONLY celebration in Southern Nevada honoring the amazing women that made our country strong.

Moms In Business Exclusive Offers $150 Discount to

the Spark & Hustle National Conferences. The National Association For Moms In Business (mibn.org) has partnered with Tory Johnson, Good Morning America’s Career Expert and author, on her 2011 Business Conference Series “Spark & Hustle”.

AT&T* has been listed as one of America’s Top Corporations for Women’s Business

Enterprises (WBEs) in recognition of its efforts to include women-owned business in its supply chain as well as

help them succeed in securing contracts from other large corporations. This is the 12th consecutive year that the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) has recognized AT&T in its annual ranking. AT&T is only one of three U.S. companies to have received the award every year since its inception. WBENC is the leading advocate for the inclusion of women as suppliers and vendors to the nation’s corporations. In 2010 AT&T spent $3.2 billion with women business enterprises, more than six percent of its total purchasing. In addition, AT&T works to develop women-owned businesses for success. Last year, AT&T graduated seven minority-women owned companies from its Women of Color Businesses Growth Initiative. This rigorous year-long program helped those businesses develop the tools and expertise to win large corporate contracts. PAGE 24 • April, 2011 • Moms In Business Magazine

The Greatest Sales Stories Ever Told! Members get access to our one-of-a-kind exclusive information kit. We highlight six of our nation’s top executive women who are willing and able to help you get your foot in the door resulting in thousands of dollars in new sales!

This incredible information system retails for $594 to nonmembers, but for members, it’s free. You’ll get information never-before delivered by these executive women, and the secrets to working successfully are all at your fingertips. System Includes: How To Sell Your Product or Service to Nestle A very enlightening and interesting meeting with Karen Blackwell, Supplier Diversity Director for Nestle USA. She has some great advice and information to help you think innovatively before approaching Nestle. This really is great information no matter who you are targeting! How To Sell To Dell Hali White is a senior program manager in Dell Inc.’s Global Supplier Diversity team. In this role, Hali is responsible for Dell’s supplier development program, compliance training and council and community outreach.

Director of Supplier Diversity for MGM Mirage. She gave us insights and a step-by-step training of what we need to become a supplier of MGM Mirage properties around the country. If you sell products or services that you feel could be used by hotels, casinos, theme parks, luxury resorts and more, then you must listen to this teleconference. How To Sell To Catalog Companies Lisa Hammond is the founder and CEO of Femail Creations a $10 million dollar a year national catalog company that reaches 1 million homes. She has seen it all in the last 13 years of business, and she shares her tips on how you can get your product sold by national catalog companies.

How To Sell To Sams Club Amy Zettlemoyer-Lazar is Senior Director of Packaging & Supplier Diversity for Sams Club and Co-Manager of the Sustainability Value Network for Walmart Stores Inc. The Packaging Department has direct responsibility for Direct Import Packaging and structural development of House Brands Packaging, and also provides guidance to National Brand suppliers for Sams Club. How To Sell To...The World’s Largest Casino Operator We had the pleasure of interviewing Kenyatta Lewis, Moms In Business Magazine • April 2011 • PAGE 25

Continued from page 15

A Day in the Life of Angela Edgeworth Please give us an inside view into your daily life activities. Moms In Business LOVE to know how other moms structure their days, challenges, etc. AE: Chaos.... trying to get teeth brushed, hair combed, clothing on, breakfast (and that would include myself AND my two girls!), and then a debate -- my two girls know how to push their mommy’s buttons. Get the girls ready for school, drop them off, work from 830-3p, lunch usually at my desk, pick the kids up, take them to their activities, check email whenever possible (which is usually too much and often at 4am). Throw in an occasional book club meeting or girls’ night out, playdate, birthday party, vacation and trip to China and this pretty much sums up my life. I am blessed and grateful for it all.

GRB:What’s on the horizon for you and your business? AE: Expansion and growth: Opening pediped stores, increasing distribution, expanding our breadth of product and international presence.

GRB: How do you manage it all? (work/life balance tips, etc). AE: It’s tough but you continue to try to balance the things in life such as being a mother, a wife, a friend and a daughter. It’s possible to balance it all but you need help. Friends you can count on, colleagues at work, your spouse. Prioritize and do the most important tasks first, not last. Your closest friends and family will understand your time constraints. Make your family your most important obligation and maintain close friendships with those who can lift you up. It’s the never-ending challenge. As a working mom, it’s easy to feel that you don’t work enough and also don’t

mother enough. I have an extremely rewarding but timeconsuming job. I am fortunate that if I want to take a day or afternoon off, I can always do it (and I do it often), but I set PAGE 26 • April, 2011 • Moms In Business Magazine

extremely high standards for myself, which is why I’m usually on the computer at 4am. I’m probably hardest on myself on this issue - I seek advice from my friends and re-assurance constantly. Simply put, I do the best that I can and I always make sure we spend quality time together as a family. GRB: What advice do you have for other moms in business? AE: Find a mentor, seek help when you need it, delegate less important tasks, learn from your mistakes, set personal goals and don’t be so hard on yourself. Have a good team of important people in your life such as a great friend, lawyer, doctor, accountant, and surround yourself with people who enrich your life. Have a commitment to honest business ethics and doing the right thing.

MORE Continued from Page 23

. . .We are supporting winning people. UCCESS

A letter from one of our previous grant winners:

Dear Moms In Business, I need to update you on how the grant winnings have been helping me. I utilized Image Words and the PR Newswire and got some awesome exposure. I also have been working with Certify to Success and I met with Balanced Organizing Solutions. All the tools have been wonderful and were items I never thought I would use until I had this opportunity. My new website is up and I have already outlined my 2009 marketing plan and am working to get all my materials ready. Image Words Publicity & Writing even landed an interview with Channel 13 for my husband!! (He does mortgages and a news anchor came to our office to interview him about rebuilding your credit after foreclosures and reverse mortgages). It has been wonderful working with women that I can relate to and not feel intimidated about not having experience in their field. Thank you, Gina Russo, Trenchant Insurance 2008 Grant Winner (under former grant format)

Founder Gina Robison-Billups Editor Design/Layout Eugenia Martini-Jarrett Eugenia@MIBN.org Advertising: Gina Robison-Billups Gina@MIBN.org Published by NAFMIB, the National Association for Moms In Business. The Leading National Association Representing Executive, Entrepreneur and CEO Moms MIBN.org, NAFMIB.org Copyright 2011, © International Association For Moms In Business. See www.MIBN.org for full copyright page All Rights Reserved

Moms In Business Magazine • April 2011 • PAGE 27