November Moms In Business Magazine by The National Association For Moms In Business

Are Tech-Savvy Moms Happier?

Tips To Keep Up with Fast Marketing Changes

Best Cities for Working Mothers 2011

Small Business Saturday Support Creating Results

CouponMom Stephanie Nelson Moms In Business Magazine â&#x20AC;˘ October 2011 â&#x20AC;˘ PAGE 1

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Moms In Business Magazine • October 2011 • PAGE 3

NOTES

From The Founder

Gina Robison-Billups; NAFMIB Founder, CEO

Putting Yourself on the List!

he holidays are quickly upon us, and soon we will be making the lists for nearly everything - menu items and guest lists for Thanksgiving, Christmas gift lists, Hanukah gift lists, New Year’s Party Lists, New Year Resolution Lists, Shopping Lists, Mailing Lists, Daily To-Do Lists, and more.

When was the last time you put yourself on your list? When was the last time you thought, “I have to take care of me before I can really take care of everyone else.” And for those of you that thought that, did you actually do anything about it? The first step this holiday season is to think, “What can I do for myself? What will feed my soul this holiday season?” Remember that old cliché, “Ain’t nobody happy if mama ain’t happy”? It may be cliché, but it’s true. You really have a lot of influence. You affect everything and everyone you are in the presence of. When you walk into a room, the mood changes – your presence in each room you enter can be uplifting and loving, or it can be haggard and draining. It’s your choice how you show up into this world, and it’s your choice on how you make it happen. Do you want to be viewed as a brilliant light that everyone loves to be around? Do you want to be the person that everyone loves to have in their life? Then take care of yourself first. That’s the key. Be good to yourself – your body, your mind, and your soul. For every list you make this holiday season, before you start the list, ask yourself this: “What is my mission in doing this? Where do I benefit? How does this benefit others?” If your answers to your questions are not uplifting, then every item on your list, whether it’s the Thanksgiving menu list or the holiday gift list, will be a drain for you. It will bring you down every time you look at it, and every time you act on it. Each list you make must have the intention to feed your soul – not your ego, and not your obligations. If you start there - by putting your own personal joy on your list, then everything and everyone will be joyous in your presence.

Warmest Wishes,

Gina

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INSIDE

NOVEMBER

2011

4 NOTES

from the Founder/CEO, Gina Robison-Billups

NOW 6

Moms Minutes

Important Tips and Briefs

News

Updates

Moms Vote Matters

Instant Impact Legislative Update

Events

Featured events, conferences and more

FEATURE 16

CouponMom Stephanie Nelson Speaks with Moms In Business magazine

STANDOUT 20

Small Business Support Creating Results - Small Business Saturday

More Than One-in-Five U.S. Adults Plans to Get a Second Job to Afford the Holidays

Single Mom and 9-11 Survivor Wins National Gym Contest to Own Snap Fitness Franchise

One Man Changes the Lives of 100 Women to Revitalize Their Job Search

Top Marketing Tips For Managing the Fast Changes In Marketing for 2012

28 30

Tech-savvy Moms Have a More Positive Mindset and Express Less Anxiety about the Future

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

Wisdoms for Thought

“Don’t get your knickers in a knot. Nothing is solved and it only makes you walk funny.” ~ Kathryn Carpenter

On The Cover

Stephanie Nelson Moms In Business Magazine • October 2011 • PAGE 5

NOW

Moms Minutes

Teen Driving & Texting Increasing, Not Decreasing percent admit doing so often or very often.

Despite awareness campaigns and laws, teen texting and driving are on the rise. Teen drivers are becoming increasingly aware of the potential dangers of texting while driving, yet it’s not curbing the behavior. According to a 2011 teen driving study by Liberty Mutual Insurance and SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions), more than half (53 percent) of the 2,294 high school students surveyed say they text while they drive at least sometimes, and 28

Ironically, the study, which Liberty Mutual and SADD have regularly conducted since 2000, shows a steady increase in belief by teens that texting while driving is a significant distraction. In 2008, only 38 percent of teens reported texting while driving was very/extremely distracting. The following year, 48 percent of teens said that texting was the most distracting behavior while driving; a sentiment that then soared to 59 percent in 2011. For some young drivers, text messaging occurs at alarmingly high levels. More than 40 percent of teens who text while driving send more than 10 messages from behind the wheel each day. Nearly one in ten teens text 50 or more messages daily while driving. Who are they texting? Teens are increasingly likely to text mom and

dad: 63 percent in the 2011 study vs. 55 percent in 2009. Friends remain the most popular recipients of text messages, yet at a decreasing rate: 70 percent in 2011 vs. 80 percent in 2009. What are they texting? 59 percent of teens say they are texting their parents about where they are. Texting is only one of several driving distractions available to teens in today’s plugged-in world. The study revealed that teens at least sometimes use these technologies while driving: • 73 percent change songs on their iPod or MP3 player • 67 percent talk on a cell phone • 13 percent use their cell phone to access the Internet • 13 percent update their Facebook status or MySpace account from their cell phones • 10 percent take pictures or videos with their cell phones • 4 percent use an iPad or tablet PC

University Works to Close the Gender Gap in Business the same time, the number of women pursuing MBAs is on the rise and it is especially critical now for business schools to address this gap and how to keep women interested in the MBA. Johnson at Cornell University is aggressively reviewing the ways it can increase the number of females it enrolls and also ways it can support its female students and alumnae. To this end, the school is featuring a number of femalespecific events, initiatives and resources that foster development and success. According to a study conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, women average $4,600 less than men at their initial post-MBA jobs, and the gap extends from that point forward. At

Johnson’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) strives to recruit women and offers a variety of services to support women currently in the program and close the gender gap. The

PAGE 6 • October, 2011 • Moms In Business Magazine

ODI works with companies seeking to recruit female students during their studies and upon graduation. In addition, Johnson’s ODI also hosts a number of events geared for female MBAs including the Women’s Power Lunch Series, the Johnson Women in Business (JWIB) conference, and Women in Investing Conference. Furthering its commitment to female MBAs, Johnson partners with the Forte Foundation to offer Forte Fellowships to select women pursuing Fulltime, Part-Time or Executive MBA. These fellowships are intended to increase female MBA applications and enrollment.

Moms Minutes

1,000

Teenage Boys in Milwaukee Pledge to End Relationship Violence NFL Players Association, A CALL TO MEN and the Verizon Foundation Host ‘Training Camps for Life’ to Coach Teens about Healthy Relationships One

thousand teenage boys from Alexander Hamilton High School in Milwaukee gathered for Training Camps for Life, a partnership of the National Football League Players Association, A CALL TO MEN and the Verizon Foundation. The half-day, NFL-star-studded event addressed topics such as overcoming adversity, decisions and consequences, and healthy teen relationships – a critical addition to the Training Camps for Life agenda. Studies have shown that one in three teens experiences relationship abuse. Additionally, nearly half – 47 percent – report having done something that compromised their values to appease their partner. “A healthy relationship is built on respect – respect for your

boyfriend or girlfriend – and respect for yourself,” said Frank Zombo, linebacker for the Green Bay Packers. “If we can increase and promote healthy relationships, we will prevent relationship violence.” The 1,000 teenage boys and participating professional athletes took the LIVERESPECT pledge (www.liverespect. org), a commitment to end teen relationship violence and speak out against domestic violence. “Teens are an exceptionally vulnerable group – one in three teens experiences violence in relationships, higher than adult women or men,” said Ted Bunch, co-founder of A CALL TO MEN. “But because 85 percent of victims of violence are women, we focus on educating men and boys about healthy relationships and breaking down cultural influences like hip-hop music and advertising to achieve a more balanced and equal society.”

Forbes magazine released their “Best Cities for Working Mothers 2011” ranking Buffalo, NY as #1 and Las Vegas as #50 Forbes has been tracking a variety of criteria that best round out the challenges and benefits in the top 50 Metropolitan cities for the working mother. Using several different reporting values from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to the ACCRA Cost of Living Index, Crime Reports and several others, Forbes has established the highest crime rates, highest and jobless rates, child care costs and more to accurately rate these cities.

earnings, #50 in cost of childcare, #47 in the cost of living, #2 in unemployment, #49 in commuting and #19 in Crime.

Overall: Buffalo, NY came in as Forbes #1 with a breakdown in rankings of: #7 in Women’s earnings, #47 in cost of childcare, #19 in the cost of living, #5 in unemployment, #1 in commuting and #35 in Crime.

Las Vegas, NV came in as Forbes #50 with a breakdown in ranking of: #39 in Women’s earnings, #29 in cost of childcare, #28 in cost of living, #50 in unemployment, #19 in commuting and #49 in Crime.

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV came in as Forbes #9 with a breakdown in rankings of: #1 in Women’s

To view the entire articcle and list visit: http://www.forbes.com/sites/ meghancasserly/2011/10/11/the-best-cities-for-working-mothers-2011.

Moms In Business Magazine • October 2011 • PAGE 7

Moms Minutes

SBA Sets New Records for Small Business Financing

he U.S. Small Business Administration’s Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) program provided a record $2.59 billion in fiscal year 2011 to small businesses, a 63 percent increase over last year’s $1.59 billion. “Over the past two years, we’ve made SBIC work better than ever before,” said SBA Administrator Karen Mills. “We cut licensing time in half, which has strengthened efficiency and made it possible to get capital into the hands of small businesses more quickly. When an SBIC invests in a company, it can scale up and create jobs.” The SBIC program was created to stimulate the growth of America’s small businesses by supplementing the long-term debt and private-equity capital available to them. SBA’s SBIC FY 2011 results included the following: Record High Financing to Small Businesses: Total financings to small businesses by SBA’s SBIC debenture program grew to a 50-plus year record high of $2.59 billion in FY 2011 – 63 percent more than in FY 2010 and nearly double the average annual amount of financings for the previous five years. Record High SBA Capital Commitment to SBIC Funds: SBA capital commitments to funds broke another record, increasing to $1.8 billion in FY 2011, up from $1.2 billion in FY 2010, a 50 percent increase. Record High Private Capital Attracted to SBIC Program: The

SBIC program has attracted more private capital in FY 2011 than in any year in the history of the program –$840 million compared to $654 million in FY 2010. More Licensed Debenture SBICs and Faster Processing Times: Twenty-two new debenture SBIC and unleveraged licenses were issued in fiscal year 2011, more than double the five-year average of 10.6 per year. Additionally, SBIC license processing time improved to just 5.5 months in FY 2011, down from 14.6 months in 2009. SBICs are privately-owned and managed investment firms that are licensed and regulated by SBA. SBICs use a combination of funds raised from private sources and money raised through the use of SBA guarantees to make equity and mezzanine capital investments in small businesses. There are nearly 300 SBICs with more than $17 billion in capital under management. For more information about the SBA’s Investment Division, SBIC program, Impact Investment Initiative and Early Stage Innovation Fund, go to www.sba.gov/INV.

Survey Shows That Moms Want to Know What's in Our Food A new survey of 566 moms across the country by Nature’s Path reveals there’s something that has many moms re-thinking the food they feed their families: 90 percent would want Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) clearly labeled, and that might make them change the way they shop. The survey found that most moms (80 percent) feel confident they know what’s in the food they’re putting on the table each day, and for seven in ten that’s due to the detailed ingredient labeling on products According to the survey, close to half (45 percent) of mothers have never heard of genetically engineered ingredients. Obviously, these moms wouldn’t know to seek out GMO labeling; however, once PAGE 8 • October, 2011 • Moms In Business Magazine

they learned what GMOs are, an overwhelming majority – nine out of ten moms – think it’s important for brands to indicate whether such ingredients are used in their foods. GMOs are made from crops that have had their DNA modified with genes from other plants, animals, viruses or bacteria in a laboratory. According to the Grocery Manufacturers’ Association, GMOs may be in up to 80 percent of the packaged food we eat, but there is presently no law requiring that they be labeled. After learning more about genetically engineered ingredients, more than half (52 percent) of moms surveyed think that one of the three most important things products should show on their labeling is an indication that a food is free of such ingredients. This is far greater than the less than one third (31 percent) of moms who felt the same before receiving information on genetically engineered ingredients. This is not surprising since more than half (52 percent) of moms think genetically engineered ingredients would have a negative impact on their health and that of their families.

Moms In Business Magazine • October 2011 • PAGE 9

NOW

News

Look Who’s Featured in the

Member avings Circle! $avings From Our Members This area of $avings is offered from our general membership to everyone. Member $avings Circle This area of $avings is viewable and accessible ONLY to members Member $avings Circle PLUS+ These discounts and programs are ONLY available to the following business-level memberships: uu MicroBusiness MomTM, uu Business Partner, uu Corporate Partner and uu National Partner

Featured Member Discounts! More Coming Soon

National Offers

Sears.com - Marketplace - Sears.com is one of the top e-commerce websites offering merchandise from Sears stores as well as from third party merchants, carrying a total assortment of over 20 MM items.

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT: Sears is offering a benefit valued at $480 exclusively for members of the National Association For Moms In Business. The monthly service fee of $39.95 is waived for one full year. And there is a 10% discount on the commission. This deal is exclusively for members of Moms In Business. This membership benefit is only available to Microbusiness Mom(TM), Business and Corporate members.

Email, Social & Mobile Marketing - Try It For Free! - This is the best priced email marketing system we have ever found, and in addition, you can do social media marketing and mobile phone marketing -- all from ONE account! Members Try it FREE!

PAGE 10 • October, 2011 • Moms In Business Magazine

NEWS

continued

Shoeboxed - We take the work out of paperwork, so you can focus on doing what you love. We take the work out of paperwork, so you can focus on doing what you love. “Make your life easier using Shoeboxed.” — New York Times. “An essential tool for any size business.” — TechCrunch. “Shoeboxed saves me a few hours each week and days around tax time!” We love our customers and our customers love us too!

Free Yourself From Accounting with Outright - Say Goodbye to Accounting. Automate your small business accounting, and get back your nights & weekends. Outright automates your small-business accounting tasks by pulling all of your accounts into one place and organizing them in a smart way. No more deciphering confusing reports or weeding through data you dont care about. $2000 PR Toolkit from PRNewswire - The PR Toolkit is designed to help you understand the basics of public relations and how PR Newswire can help you cost-effectively create visibility for your small business, products or services.

This Month’s Action Item: Check Out the Beginnings of the NEWLY Designed Site! We are updating our look and our site navigation of MIBN.org! We’ll now have: ÎÎ Navigation that is easier to get to all of the great programs we offer. ÎÎ A brand new look. ÎÎ Eye-catching article features. ÎÎ A new “My Community” page with access to all the great online networking and social media benefits available throughout your membership in mibn.org.

Check it out and give us your feedback! www.MIBN.org

Moms In Business Magazine • October 2011 • PAGE 11

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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

This Month’s Mom’s Vote Matters is Powered by Women Impacting Public Policy

Hit the Pause Button On Regulations

Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced a bill that would give a one-year timeout from any significant new regulation that would have an adverse impact on jobs, the economy, or US international competitiveness. Currently, federal agencies are at work on over 4,200 rules, of which, 845 will affect small businesses. Meanwhile, the President’s agency review has identified 500 regulations that are duplicative, outdated or burdensome. The Regulatory Time-Out Act of 2011. WIPP supports this bill and believes that regulatory certainty will allow women owned businesses to focus on business operations and growth. To view the Regulatory Time-Our Act of 2011, S. 1538, click on: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS112s1538is/pdf/BILLS-112s1538is.pdf

Microenterprise Bill Introduced in the House

Representative Cedric Richmond (D-LA) introduced a bill aimed at helping the country’s smallest and its youngest business owners. The Microenterprise and Youth Entrepreneurs hip Development Act of 2011, H.R. 2809, would improve the Program for Investment in Microentrepreneurs (PRIME) and establish an Office of Youth Entrepreneurship within the U.S. Small Business Administration. A microenterprise is a sole proprietorship, partnership or corporation that has fewer than 5 employees (including the owner). These small businesses that make up 90% of all businesses in the US face barriers to access to credit from commercial banks, such as loans, equity, or other banking services. There are more than 25 million microenterprises. If just one-third of these businesses hired just one additional employee, the U.S. would be at full employment. To read the Microenterprise and Youth Entrepreneurship Development Act, H.R. 2809, click on: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-112hr2809ih/pdf/ BILLS-112hr2809ih.pdf

Moms In Business Magazine • October 2011 • PAGE 13

NOW

Events

Every FRIDAY at 8AM Moms Making A Million Radio Show LISTEN LIVE: Moms Making a Million - A Fast-Paced Fun Weekly Radio Show On Saving, Earning & Investing Money 8:00 AM PACIFIC TIME - 11:00 AM EASTERN TIME Call-in Number: (646) 378-1417; www.MomsMakingaMillion.com

November 7 - 28, 2011 (Different Cities/Seminars - See Calendar to right) California Member Circle: Women’s Initiative My Business Action Plan Session - FREE Before enrolling in our business management training course, you must attend one of the FREE My Business Action Plan sessions - listed on calendar. Women’s Initiative: My Business Action Plan workshop will guide you through a selfassessment of your business idea and help you develop next steps to launching your enterprise. This is the first in a series of classes designed to support your planning, marketing and other business management skills that will give you the tools necessary to start or expand your own business. Women’s Initiative focuses specifically on the needs of low-income women who are exploring a business idea. You do not need to register for the session. Doors close promptly on the hour so please be punctual. We cannot accommodate children or pets.

November 8, 2011 Nevada Member Circle: Nevada Microenterprise Initiative Business Plan Development

In this 2 hour course we will go over the proper way to develop your business plan. The cost for this course is $25.00 To register call Leilani at (702) 734-3555 or e-mail at Leilani@4microbiz.org

November 8, 2011 Louisiana Member Circle: ECGC Women’s Business Center Promoting Your Business Seminar

Promoting Your business Seminar- Understanding & Managing Facebook Promoting Your Business Seminar- Understanding & Managing Facebook WHEN: Tuesday, November 8, 2011 TIME: 12:00 pm @ 1:00 pm WHERE: Travis Technology Center, Media Room 110 Travis Street, Suite 104 Lafayette, LA 70503 CONTACT: Wade Vallery, 337-889-0211 or wadevallery@ecgcwbc.com.

November 18, 2011 Moms In Business Grant 2012 - COACHING

Moms In Business Grant is the first-ever crowdfunding business grant in the nation! We launched this innovative program in March 2011, and it was a brilliant success. See more at www.MomsinBusinessGrant.com. We are doing it again for 2012 and giving one lucky mom a chance to win $15,000 in business growth tools and cash. We are also giving all of our members a head start for 2012 by starting a coaching series in July 2011 for grant applicants to have all training to substantially increase their chances of success the Moms In Business Grant program. Coaching is every FOUR (4) weeks on Friday (NOT every last or first friday, etc.). PAGE 14 • October, 2011 • Moms In Business Magazine

EVENTS

Calendar of Events November, 2011 Sun

Mon

Tue Wed 1 2 SAN JOSE, CA-My Business Action Plan Session

Th 3 SAN FRANCISCO, CA-Contract Negotiation Workshop CONCORD,CA-My Business Action Plan Session

7 NOVATO,CA-My Business Action Plan Session

8 LAS VEGAS, NVBusiness Plan Development LAFAYETTE, LAPromoting Your business SeminarUnderstanding & Managing Facebook

9 SAN FRANCISCO, CA-My Business Action Plan Session

10 11 SAN FRANCISCO, -Moms Making a CA-Before You Sign Million Radio Show that Lease OAKLAND, CA-My Business Action Plan Session SAN JOSE, CA-My Business Action Plan Session

17 SAN JOSE, CA-MY Business Action Plan Session

18 -Moms In Business Grant 2012 COACHING -Moms Making a Million Radio Show

15 LAS VEGAS, NVBusiness Plan Assesment (Evening Session) LAS VEGAS, NV-Business Plan Assesment (Afternoon Session) NOVATO, CABusiness Insurance Basics CONCORD, CA-My Business Action Plan Session 22 OAKLAND, CA-My Business Action Plan Session

23 SAN FRANCISCO, CA-My Business Action Plan Session

25 -Moms Making a Million Radio Show

28 29 NOVATO, CA-My Business Action Plan Session

30 LAFAYETTE, LABusiness Lending Seminar

Fri 4 -Moms Making a Million Radio Show

Sat 5

! s y a d i l o H y p p Ha

For more information go to EVENTS at www.MIBN.org Moms In Business Magazine • October 2011 • PAGE 15

CouponMom

On The Cover

Stephanie Nelson With two growing teenage sons, Stephanie Nelson, known as the nation’s “Coupon Mom” has built one of the most successful “kitchen table” businesses in the country. Her site, CouponMom.com now in business for over 10 years has built a membership of 5.4 million members and site traffic has doubled in 2011 alone.

PAGE 16 • October, 2011 • Moms In Business Magazine

Stephanie started CouponMom with an initial capital investment of $125, which included a website annual fee of $35 and software for $90. She had no employees – not even herself. For the first three years she did not take a salary and did most of the website work.

services instead of paying employees.” In addition to saving payroll costs, Stephanie has also found that she has virtually no turnover because all of her jobs are part time jobs for moms out of their home.

raise awareness. I didn’t want to really invest money into it. I knew that if I did the work myself and tried to raise awareness through PR and media coverage, that would be a real low risk proposition.”

to start a business as much as I was trying to get a cause off the ground. Every time I got free items from couponing or 2-4-1 offers, I would give those items to charity.”

“That actually ended up working. I’ve watched people start websites and either invest a lot of personal money or take out a loan and dump it in. There’s a certain amount of incubation time that you need to learn, at least in my experience; it was learn what you’re doing and prove what you’re doing, and prove the information and develop the information, so that it’s attractive enough to people. Getting eyeballs on it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re organically going to be able to grow an audience. I’m really glad I didn’t take out a big loan and dump a bunch of money in because it probably would have been wasted and would not have grown my business to a sustainable point as it is now.”

“I saw a need to create lists and let people know about the coupons that were available. That’s simply how CouponMom. com was born. I knew I had to make it easy for people to save money at the grocery store because we figure out all the best deals, we do all this research, we save people time and we put it on a user friendly website, so all they have to do is check out the site, see what the best deals are at the grocery store, print their own little customized list, and print the coupons that go with it. We make it really simple.”

“I perceived a need to help People are always asking people learn how to save money on Stephanie how she groceries. I was already a coupon expert “There was definitely came up with the idea sweat equity” says CouponMom.com. in my own home, so I took something that I of“I perceived Stephanie. “My a need personal business really enjoyed doing and was passionate about. to help people learn philosophy has how to save money I also wanted to help people who were in need. on groceries. I was always been not to borrow money. I’m Actually when I started I wasn’t necessarily trying already a coupon very conservative expert in my own to start a business as much as I was trying to home, so I took financially so I’ve never asked for something that I really get a cause off the ground. Every time I financing, even though enjoyed doing and was I probably could have passionate about. I also got free items from couponing or 2-4-1 gotten off the ground faster wanted to help people who offers, I would give those items if I had taken out a big loan and were in need. Actually when I bought a bunch of advertising to started I wasn’t necessarily trying to charity.”

CouponMom.com now has two full time employees; Stephanie and her husband. He does advertising and she runs the operation of the website. “I operate with a number of independent contractors, so I have about 11 independent contractors who do data entry, I have a publicist, a d e v e l o p e r, a bookkeeper, an accountant, an attorney, and pretty much pay for

“Because I am a coupon shopper I had pretty good instincts as to how it should be presented to make it easier for people to understand. The coupon companies themselves are really providing advertising information for their products; they’re not necessarily putting their information in an easy to use format for consumers. That’s what we do, and the second piece is I make that available free. I looked around when I started the website and saw that other websites were charging a subscription fee for the service. What I was trying to do actually was to get people Continued on page 18 Moms In Business Magazine • October 2011 • PAGE 17

CouponMom

n o s l e N e i n a h p e t S

to donate food to charity to raise food donations in my community. I thought; well, if I can show them how to save money with coupons on food they would donate to charity, and in many cases you can get items free with a coupon. If I can show that to people and make that easy, then I’ll make the website a resource for them to cut their own grocery bill in half so I have some “stickiness”. “Now they’re coming back every week to save money for their own family, and in the process of doing that, they’re going to see items on the shopping list that say the word charity next to it that are good for charity.” Stephanie’s positioning with consumers is to provide the service free so customers don’t have to pay for it elsewhere, and all they ask is that customers donate one item a week to charity. PAGE 18 • October, 2011 • Moms In Business Magazine

Continued from page 17

Now with the recession CouponMom.com has had incredible growth over the past few years because now the outreach is not just raising food for charity; it’s helping people save money. By the time the recession really hit, CouponMom.com had the most well developed, informative, easy to use, absolutely free service on the web. No one else was doing what they were doing and no one could start it as easily because in order to start a business like this, competitors would have to either dump a bunch of money into it to hire people or do what Stephanie did and gradually develop it over time. CouponMom.com is supported with advertising revenue,

“Now they’re coming back every week to save money for their own family, and in the process of doing that, they’re going to see items on the shopping list that say the word charity next to it that are good for charity.”

which is directly correlated to the amount of users the site has (now at 5.4 million). “Over time as we grew our advertising revenue grew, and each time we got a bump in advertising revenue I would hire a new data entry person, which would allow us to add some more states to it. We didn’t spend the money up front. I waited until the website was supporting itself and then I would expand as the revenue expanded, so we have never, ever been in the red.”

n o p

u o C

Stephanie’s big break came when a money expert in Atlanta recommended her website on the radio. She had an article in the newspaper, she’d been on local TV, but having an expert say “hey, this is a great website” not only increased site traffic, but it got media interest. Right after that Stephanie was invited on Good Morning America. “Good Morning America is when I had my turning point, all of a sudden the traffic was high enough that the advertising revenue was enough in that first month for me to hire my first person. I was so thrilled, so fortunate and so lucky to get on Good Morning America, and then they hired me. They gave me the name “The Coupon Mom”. Prior to that my business was called cutouthunger.org, which in retrospect, really didn’t tell people what it does — which is help to save money on groceries, so couponmom.com was a much better name to attract people.“ Stephanie’s toughest challenge is the same that many microbusiness owners go through — The Learning Curve. Having to learn how to do things that she would never have thought she could learn because she couldn’t afford to pay someone else to do it. “When you are a small business owner you are a jack of all trades and you can’t just throw up your hands and say, well I don’t know how to do this so I’m going to hire someone else to do it, because even if you did have the money to hire someone else to do it, when you are the owner of a business you still have to understand how to do it, because believe me, you can have ineffective people doing work for you and you won’t realize they’re ineffective because you haven’t bothered to learn enough about what they’re doing.”

One of the big advantages for Stephanie is being able to work out of her home, but that came with some unexpected challenges. “I think women say that it’s great that I can work out of my home, but the reality is that for kids they don’t have this big appreciation of mom’s working at home. Even though you’re not leaving the house for nine hours a day every single day, they still don’t like mom working. When you begin working at home and you’re dividing your attention a little bit, there’s a little bit of guilt about that. I remember at one point saying to my cousin “My kids told me they want me to stop doing the website because I’m not doing as much stuff with them anymore”. She looked at me and she said “No, no, no wrong answer. I think your kids can learn that mom has some other interests besides just entertaining them. It’s really important that they see their mom is doing something – whatever it is - it’s HER thing”. “Now my kids are older and now my kids, I think, have a healthier respect for women who work and women who have businesses.” Moms In Business Magazine • October 2011 • PAGE 19

STANDOUT

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Bringing Business Buyers 2gether with Business Moms: Building Relationships 2 Build Your Business

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YourBuzz will offer $200 in free advertising credits on two online platforms where discussions about small businesses take place: $100 credit for LinkedIn Ads for up to 6,500 business owners and $100 in additional advertising credits on Facebook (in addition to the aforementioned Facebook ad credits).

Support for Small Business Saturday 2010 was instantaneous and profound. In just three weeks: • 1.2 million Facebook users, 130 public and private organizations, and 41 elected officials declared their support.

mall Business Saturday was created in 2010 by American Express in response to small businesses’ most pressing need: more customers. It was also an occasion to recognize the importance of small business and their vital contributions to the economy, job creation, and local communities. The national initiative encourages consumers to shop at small businesses during the holiday season. All small businesses, not just those that use or accept American Express, are able to participate.

• 100,000 small businesses downloaded Small Busines Saturday promotional materials to help drive sales on the day.

For 2011, American Express partnered with Women Impacting Public Policy, a non-partisan organization to build the Small Business Saturday Coalition to expand the reach and impact of Small Business Saturday. More than 200 advocacy organizations across the country, including the National Association For Moms In Business, have signed up to participate in the second annual initiative.

Small Business Saturday 2010 moved the needle for America’s small businesses: Small retailers who accept American Express saw a 28% increase in sales on Small Business Saturday when compared to the Saturday after Thanksgiving in 2009.

Also this year, Facebook, Google, Twitter and FedEx have joined American Express to drive more business to local, independent shops for Small Business Saturday 2011. Recently, Facebook, Google and Twitter announced that they are offering free online tools to help business owners promote their businesses and get the cash registers ringing this holiday season. The toolkit is available for free at facebook.com/ShopSmall. FedEx will give away 30,000 Shop-Small American Express gift cards, each worth $25, to consumers at facebook.com/FedEx leading up to Small Business Saturday.

PAGE 20 • October, 2011 • Moms In Business Magazine

• 10,000 businesses signed up for free Facebook advertising that ran on Small Business Saturday. • 200,000 consumers registered their American Express cards to receive $25 statement credits when they shopped at a small business on Small Business Saturday.

Small Business Saturday is about supporting and celebrating the independent small businesses that boost our local economies and stimulate job creation. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, small businesses accounted for 64 percent of net new job creation in the past 15 years. The initiative aims to build business for local merchants across the U.S. First there was Black Friday, then Cyber Monday. Now, Small Business Saturday is an event that drives shoppers to local, independently-owned merchants

This article and more resources and events can be found at www.B2BMoms.com. Join Us for our Meet the Buyers Conference!

Small Business Saturday Participant Mary Ardapple, Mom in Business, owner and founder of Apple’s Bakery, Inc. About Mary and Her Business:

Apple’s Bakery, Inc. established 1989 with the purchase of O’Leary’s Restaurant. Apple’s Bakery was incubated within this restaurant. www.ApplesBakery.com

pple’s Bakery along side its subsidiary, Apple’s Gluten Free Kitchen is a retail/wholesale scratch bakery -- “Smiles made from scratch”. After nearly 30 years as a business owner, I think my greatest accomplishment is still being in business. On the other hand, being married to to my husband for 26 years and having a wonderful son about to graduate from college makes it all worthwhile. My goal is to become known as the vendor of the world’s best gluten free bakery products.

How Are You Leveraging Small Business Saturday? Several months ago, after receiving an email from American Express and Women Impacting Public Policy about Small Business Saturday, I reached out to a number of community partners and elected officials seeking a group to champion a community effort to support this great national initiative. It is SO exciting that our area Chamber of Commerce, along with the Economic Development Council of Central Illinois, and the Illinois Scenic Byways organization have banded together to initiate a program promoting Small Business Saturday throughout the Central Illinois region. A PR campaign is being developed with video messages of support from area Mayors and other elected officials. I believe 21 communities along the Illinois river and throughout Central Illinois have begun to plan promotional ideas. This is going to be huge for the retail community in our area! Apple’s Bakery will be offering a stocking stuffer discount on the purchase of Gift Certificates on Small Business Saturday, November 26.

What do you think the effect of participating in Small Business Saturday will have on your success? The SBS campaign is energizing to small business. I expect it to grown handsomely this year and well into the future.

Moms In Business Magazine • October 2011 • PAGE 21

STANDOUT

Moms Making A Million

Helping One Million Moms Creat a Path To One Million Dollars in Personal Net Worth One Million Dreams, One Million Moms, One Million Dollars

More Than One-in-Five U.S. Adults Plans to Get a Second Job to Afford the Holidays ive Forty-F ort Rep t n e c r Pe ill They W lty ifficu D e v a H ifts G g n i d Affor ar This Ye

he h o l i d a y season is a joyous time of year, but for many, it can be a difficult drain on their finances. According to a new CouponCabin.com survey of more than 2,200 U.S. adults, more than one-in-five plan to get a second job to afford the holidays this year, while 12 percent said they already had one. Many people will be supplementing their incomes with second jobs in an effort to make ends meet this year, and for good reason. Forty-five percent of U.S. adults said that they will have difficulty affording gifts this year. An additional two-thirds of U.S. adults who shared that they will have difficulty affording any aspects of the holiday season reported they will have more difficulty this year compared to last year, while 28 percent feel they will have about the same difficulty this year as compared to last. “The holidays are a wonderful time of year for numerous reasons, but for many people, the extra expenses can put a strain on their financial situation,” said Jackie Warrick, President and Chief Savings Officer at CouponCabin.com. “Holiday obligations, such as buying gifts, entertaining and traveling can add up very quickly. As a result, many consumers are mapping out their budget far in advance, using coupons and setting aside money to minimize the effect of holiday expenses, and, to limit their debt.” When it comes to paying for holiday expenses like gifts, wrapping paper and entertaining, U.S. adults who plan to celebrate the holidays shared how they plan to purchase items this year: PAGE 22 • October, 2011 • Moms In Business Magazine

From a New CouponCabin.com Survey

Cash, check or debit card – 77 percent Credit cards – 36 percent Layaway – 10 percent Borrow the money from family and friends – 3 percent

Creative Ways to Save Money While there are many options for payment, figuring out how to save money on the holidays is no easy task. Here are some creative ways to save money on holiday expenses Bought gifts and wrapping paper a year in advance, when all the holiday merchandise is on clearance. Put my birthday gift cards to use toward Christmas presents. Assembled theme gift baskets using items I bought throughout the year using coupons. Saved up coins all year and submitted them to a coin counting machine to get a gift certificate. Created origami of Christmas icons to send with home baked cookies. Cut out pictures from last year’s received cards and made my own gift tags. Don’t buy wrapping paper or gift bags – last year I wrapped all gifts in recycled newspaper. Bought clear plates and bowls and accessorize with colored napkins depending on the season. Bought items all year long at flea markets, auctions and thrift stores. Set up a “Christmas Club” account and put money in savings from January through November.

Join www.MomsMakingaMillion.com for free membership, free workbooks, free workshops and advice to help you get the financial information you need in a supportive and safe atmosphere.

Giveaway Connection

Single Mom and 9-11 Survivor Wins National Gym Contest to Own Snap Fitness Franchise Charlice Noble-Jones woke up last Tuesday as a fourth grade social studies teacher. And now, she’s partnering with Snap Fitness CEO Peter Taunton and opening a gym in Albany, Georgia.

9-11 survivor who has endured more than her share of difficult times, Noble-Jones won her very own Snap Fitness franchise after entering the nationwide “Partner with Peter” contest. She beat out more than 2,000 other entrants for the grand prize worth$250,000, which includes the building, equipment, site selection, initial rent and working capital to get her started. “I’m shocked, I’m excited, I’m so extremely happy,” she said. “Things have happened in my life like the other shoe has fallen, but this has such a positive impact. I believe that I’m about to live the life I was born to live.” A graduate of Howard University, Noble-Jones previously worked on Wall Street, where she witnessed and survived the World Trade Center attacks in 2001. Two years later, she lost her husband to

cancer. Soon after, the single mom of an eight-year-old son decided to dedicate her life to giving back to her community and became a fourth grade social studies teacher. Owning a gym had become a dream for Noble-Jones after she spent the last several months trying to improve her own physical fitness. “We are proud to award Charlice with this opportunity,” said Taunton, who will be working with the new business owner on a monthly basis monitoring her marketing and sales. “As an entrepreneur myself, I know the importance of guidance for anyone embarking on a new business venture. This contest gives me a great chance to pass along my knowledge and business experience to one deserving individual.” Noble-Jones plans to continue teaching for at least a couple of more years while she gets her business off the ground. Go now to www.GiveawayConnection.com and read more about these and other great benefits of our program.

Moms In Business Magazine • October 2011 • PAGE 23

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Hiring: Moms

A Place for Moms to Find Great Jobs A Place for Companies to Find Great Moms

One Man Changes the Lives of Women to Revitalize Their Job Search

100

he national unemployment rate continues to stagnate at a crushing 9.1%, but there was GOOD news recently when 100 unemployed women in Philadelphia received complete makeovers as winners of Style Me Hired (www.stylemehired.com), a community relations program created by small business owner Marc Voci.

…when100 unemployed women in Philadelphia received complete makeovers as winners of Style Me Hired…

For one Style Me Hired winner, Andrea Blassingame, a single mom who lost her job two years ago, the makeover program had immediate results. The next day she landed an interview at Penske Truck Rental and felt confident, prepared and motivated. “Style Me Hired gave me a renewed sense of motivation to go out there and land a job,” Blassingame said. “I feel polished and ready to get hired with my new interview suit – I will get the job that I need to help support my family.” Winner Lisa Zeshonski of New Jersey also landed an interview after her makeover. With over 15 years of experience in finance, Zeshonski is very discouraged after applying for over 100 jobs online without any response. She feels self-assured after the interview with Accounts Receivable Concepts, Inc., and hopes that it leads to a full-time position. “Makeovers are magic,” Voci said. “Helping bring that magic of change to women who truly need help getting back into the workforce is our mission.” Hair Salons from across the region supported Voci’s mission to makeover 100 jobless women including: Body Airbrush Company Spa and Salon, Salon Vendi Amo, Venus Beauty Academy, Seignoret Image Consulting Services, Siaani Salon, Salon Vanity, SignaCurl by Joseph Lentini, InDulge Hair Salon, L.A. Hair, Hairs to You and G. Casamera Salon. Voci’s passion for makeovers does not end here. He’s giving PAGE 24 • October, 2011 • Moms In Business Magazine

one out a week at his salon and plans on taking it across the country to cities with high unemployment. “My dream is to give people a sense of happiness, hope and then help them get hired,” Voci explained. Marc Voci created Style Me Hired in 2010. With more than 20 years in the beauty industry, he brought Style Me Hired to Philadelphia to provide hope, happiness and life changing opportunities to unemployed women.

Looking for a great job? Looking for great people? If you are, then you need to join the National Association For Moms In Business and start getting involved in our www.HiringMoms.com program. It’s brand new!

Moms In Business Magazine • October 2011 • PAGE 25

STANDOUT

Market Your Business

Powered By: Market Your Business Without Money How do you grow your business without breaking the bank? Creativity, Ingenuity, and Resources are the answer.

Top Marketing Tips For Managing the Fast Changes In Marketing for

2012

The #1 challenge for marketers is customer acquisition.

uring the past few years following the recession, marketers have been tasked with retaining customers and increasing revenue from current customers, without being handed a budget to acquire new customers, which was deemed “too expensive” during times of extreme belt tightening. A new IBM (NYSE:IBM) study of more than 1,700 chief marketing officers from 64 countries and 19 industries reveals that the majority of the world’s top marketing executives recognize a critical and permanent shift occurring in the way they engage with their customers, but question whether their marketing organizations are prepared to manage the change. 82 percent of Chief Marketing Officers say they plan to increase their use of social media over the next three to five years. PAGE 26 • October, 2011 • Moms In Business Magazine

“The inflection point created by social media represents a permanent change in the nature of customer relationships,” said Carolyn Heller Baird, CRM research lead for the IBM Institute for Business Value and the global director of the study. “Approximately 90 percent of all the real-time information being created today is unstructured data. CMOs who successfully harness this new source of insight will be in a strong position to increase revenues, reinvent their customer relationships and build new brand value.” Customers are sharing their experiences widely online, giving them more control and influence over brands. This shift in the balance of power from organizations to their customers requires new marketing approaches, tools and skills in order to stay

competitive. CMOs are aware of this changing landscape, but are struggling to respond. More than 50 percent of CMOs think they are underprepared to manage key market forces – from social media to greater customer collaboration and influence – indicating that they will have to make fundamental changes to traditional methods of brand and product marketing. Baird likened marketers who underestimate the impact of social media to those who were slow to view the Internet as a new and powerful platform for commerce. Like the rise of e-business more than a decade ago, the radical embrace of social media by all customer demographic categories represents an opportunity for marketers to drive increased revenue, brand value and to reinvent the nature of the relationship between enterprises and the buyers of their offerings. Marketers who establish a culture receptive to deriving insight from social media will be far better prepared to anticipate future shifts in markets and technology. All roads lead to data. As complexity in marketing increases rapidly, a mega-avalanche of data is created through both marketing automation and other online and offline marketing and sales activities. The collection, aggregation, analysis and facilitation of practical usage of data – and in real time no less require super human strength. 80% or more of corporations are still focusing primarily on traditional sources of information such as market research and competitive benchmarking, and 68 percent rely on sales campaign analysis to make strategic decisions. This leaves a lot of opportunity open for more agile small business marketers who can navigate the marketing learning curve more quickly and implement a strategy months ahead of their big corporate competitors.

Managing the Four Challenges There are four key challenges that CMOs everywhere are confronting: the explosion of data, social media, channel and device choices and shifting demographics will be pervasive, universal game changers for companies over the next three to five years, and a large majority feel unprepared to manage their impact. Data explosion: Every day we create 2.5 quintillion bytes of data – so much that 90 percent of the world’s data today has been created in the last two years alone. The increasing volume, variety and velocity of data available from new digital sources like social networks, in addition to traditional sources such as sales data and market research, tops the list of CMO challenges. The difficulty is how to analyze these vast quantities of data to extract the meaningful insights, and use them effectively to improve products, services and the customer experience. Social platforms: Social media enables anyone to become a publisher, broadcaster and critic. Facebook has more than 750 million active users, with the average user posting 90 pieces of content a month. Twitter users send about 140 million

tweets a day. And You Tube’s 490 million users upload more video content in a 60-day period than the three major U.S. television networks created in 60 years. Marketers are using social platforms to communicate – with 56 percent of CMOs viewing social media as a key engagement channel – but they still struggle with capturing valuable customer insight from the unstructured data that customers and potential customers produce. Channel and device choices: The growing number of new marketing channels and devices, from smart phones to tablets, is quickly becoming a priority for CMOs. Mobile commerce is expected to reach $31 billion by 2016, representing a compound annual growth rate of 39 percent from 2011 to 2016. Meanwhile, the tablet market is expected to reach nearly 70 million units worldwide by the end of this year, growing to 294 million units by 2015. Shifting demographics: New global markets and the influx of younger generations with different patterns of information access and consumption are changing the face of the marketplace. In India, as one example, the middle class is expected to soar from roughly 5 percent of the population to more than 40 percent in the next two decades. Marketers who have historically focused on affluent Indian consumers must adapt their strategies to market to this emerging middle class. In the United States, marketing executives must respond to the aging baby boomer generation and growing Hispanic population.

Lack of Influence Today’s companies have to cover more ground than ever before. They have to manage more data from disparate sources, understand and engage with more empowered customers, adopt and adapt to more sophisticated tools and technologies – while being more financially accountable to their organizations. Tips to you ahead of the curve.

Use tools to integrate your online and offline data collection and analytics.

Align sales and marketing (think together – collaborate) Get ready to deal with the “new normal” of constant change.

Seek some form of marketing automation.

Source: The Kern Organization, IBM Global CMO Study, visit http://ibm.com/cmostudy. Visit www.MarketingWithoutMoney.com, a program of the National Association for Moms In Business providing marketing resources, tools and training for marketing without money. Moms In Business Magazine • October 2011 • PAGE 27

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Marketing2Moms

The #1 Resource and Information Center for Marketing to Moms

ech-Savvy Moms

Have A More Positive Mindset and Express Less Anxiety about the Future

embrace technology communicate more and embrace traditional family time and values,” says Monique da Silva, Head of Healthcare North America at Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide. “They are three times more likely to strongly agree that their kids’ generation will put a stronger emphasis on family.”

echnology is creating closer family relationships rather than pushing families apart, according to research presented at the 7th Annual M2Moms® ... The Marketing to Moms Conference, at the Chicago Cultural Center. Moms in families who embrace technology are more optimistic about a wide range of issues, and believe technology is helping make strides in disease, education and overall quality of life. “There has been a lot of controversy around the impact all this texting and time online has on our society and on families, but our research suggests that moms and dads who PAGE 28 • October, 2011 • Moms In Business Magazine

“You don’t need to be a futurist to know that today’s world is changing rapidly and technology is driving this evolution—continually creating possibilities, broadening our horizons and opening new doors,” said Graceann Bennett, Managing Partner and Director of Strategic Planning at Ogilvy & Mather Chicago. “We assumed as a starting point that technology is our future, but what we did not know— and what we sought to uncover—was whether the outlook would be limitless or limiting, dangerous or delicious, awesome or overwhelming.”

A Tech Future is a Surprisingly Bright Future Moms and Dads believe technology is helping their children develop critical skills that will empower them to navigate— and even save—the world in the years and decades to come. According to the research, Tech Forward Families are twice as likely to say their children’s generation is better off than prior generations and three times more likely than the rest of the population, and also strongly agree that when their kids’ generation comes into power, they will “save the planet.” “The world will be better off because of how they will lead the way” and “there will be global peace.”

Purchase decisions are family decisions. 4. Turn up the intensity of shared experiences: Brands can leverage technology to expand and elevate shared experiences; look beyond the ordinary and consider partnering with artists to enhance and deepen brand involvement. 5. Un-connect the dots: Consumers want to interpret your brand—to make your brand’s story their own. So give them the building blocks and let them put the pieces together.

So What Does this Mean for Brands Seeking to Target Moms? “For those of us who market to moms on a daily basis, this research provides an important information on how we leverage new technologies to connect with moms and harness her desire to communicate with her family and friends,” adds da Silva. “This Tech Forward Mom is not a slave to technology – she is its master and knows how to use it to simplify her life.” Ogilvy identified several implications that will help marketers stay ahead of the curve and connect, literally and emotionally, with today and tomorrow’s tech forward mom and family. 1. Mobilize tech optimism: Brands have the opportunity to capitalize on today’s tech optimism by helping consumers create the brighter world they want to see. 2. Get into generation bending: Nobody really acts their age anymore: market to kids as adults, adults as kids. 3. Mine the family mindset: As intergenerational attitudes converge, opportunities to market to the family as a unit increase.

6. Get serious about game play: Game play is no longer relegated to the domain of kids—as technology makes brands more interactive, consumers expect to engage with brands in ways that mimic “play.” Be it betting, competing, constructing or solving puzzles, consumers look for ways to take time out and have a little fun with your brand. 7. Let people mess with your brand: The creative impulse abounds, and today, any and all content is fair game for experimentation, adaptation and reinterpretation. This includes your brand! Companies need to embrace this trend and enable consumers to reimagine and remix brand assets. www.Marketing2Moms.com, a program of the National Association for Moms In Business, is leading the charge to affordably and effectively help members more effectively market to the #1 consumer in America. Moms In Business Magazine • October 2011 • PAGE 29

Wisdoms for Thought

ove comes when manipulation stops; when you think more about the other person than about his or her reactions to you. When you dare to reveal yourself fully. When you dare to be vulnerable.” “

~ Dr. Joyce Brothers

When choosing between two evils, I always like to try one I’ve never tried

“

before.”

~ Mae West

You never lose by loving. You always lose by holding back.”

“

~ Barbara De Angelis

’ve been on a calendar, but I’ve never been on Time.” “

~ Marlyn Monroe

Remember, Ginger Rogers did everth-

“

ing Fred Astair did, but she did it backwards and in high heels.”

~ Faith Whittlesey

he best way to get most husbands to do something is to suggest that perhaps they’re too old to do it”. “

~ Ann Bancroft

Founder Gina Robison-Billups Editor Design/Layout Eugenia Martini-Jarrett Eugenia@MIBN.org Advertising: Debbie Donaldson Debbie@sunspark.com 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 of Working Mothers See www.MIBN.org for full copyright page All Rights Reserved

PAGE 30 • October, 2011 • Moms In Business Magazine