Moms In Business Magazine - July 2012 by The National Association For Moms In Business

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Starbucks, Blogging,

TaraFourColes Mantras

Making a Difference

of Success for Moms

Saying Yes to Success

Chili, Steak and Ale Welcome Richelle Shaw New President of Moms In Business!

Enhance Your Executive-Level Job Search Moms In Business Magazine • July 2012 • PAGE 1

PAGE 2 • July, 2012 • Moms In Business Magazine

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Need Help With Design? VastArray.com special rate with this ad Moms In Business Magazine • July 2012 • PAGE 3

LETTER

From The President

w a h S e l l e h c i R

Hello Members!

As my first job as President of the National Association for Moms in Business, I am not sure if I realized how important this job was. I sat down to write this many times and was stuck as to what to share with you.

So, please know that even though I have written 3 books, countless ebooks, articles, blog posts and information, I am not a writer. And fundamentally, I write like I talk. Which frustrates my high school English teacher but I hope makes me more real and connected to you.

I have been obsessed with business since I was in high school. I always knew that I would own my own business, I just had no idea which one. As you learn more about me, you will find some funny things about how I started at the telephone company – it is a long story about when I was dating 3 men in 3 different states and was promoted 6 times in 4 years to eventually buying the telephone company from my boss. And at that time, I did not want to do anything else. I fell in love! I lived for my business. I used to work 24 hours a day and then sleep 24 hours. I had up to 52 families that were dependent on my sales and I loved the pressure. I made I think, every mistake there was, but I survived - that’s how I became an “expert”. I have never planned on being a Mom. I knew that I wanted to, but it was always, a “someday”. And after 2 surgeries, removing an ovary and then almost losing my life, I was scheduled to have a hysterectomy. When I arrived to do the final blood work, my doctor called me to reschedule the surgery that was supposed to be the next day. Turns out, I was 6 days pregnant!

At that point, I thought I could not love ANYTHING more than my business. I was blessed to deliver a healthy 6 pound 7 ounce baby girl. And my life changed. I actually LOVED this baby more than my business. Now almost 7 years later, I am learning still to balance my work life and my home life. It is a struggle and I have learned to celebrate each small victory. As I told reporters when they asked about this new position - being a Mom in Business are the 2 hardest jobs in the world. First running a business in ANY economy is difficult and then add being a mom. WOW – we are some amazing women. I plan to share with you my struggles and successes and hopefully inspire you to keep going when things are difficult. I can’t wait to meet each one of you and represent you. I hope I do you proud. Keep Going – You are closer than you think!

Richelle

p.s. Please connect with me on our Facebook page – at Facebook.com/momsinbusiness and let me know your comments! Or any questions you may have. PAGE 4 • July, 2012 • Moms In Business Magazine

INSIDE

JULY

2012

4 LETTER

Letter From The President, Richelle Shaw

NOW 6

Moms Minutes

News

Important Tips and Briefs Updates

Why 5% Succeed Saying Yes to Success

FEATURE 14

Tara Coles - Four Mantras of Success For Moms

STANDOUT 12

17 Bonuses That Attract New Clients

Smart Women Entrepreneurs Solids & Fluids

Studies have shown that most potential clients don’t make a purchase until you reach out to them at least seven times... When you first make the decision to become a business owner, you as an entrepreneur are very “fluid.”

Six Ways to Boost Response on Your Surveys & Gain More Useful Information

So... you spend time and effort putting together a survey, so you can have real information

Starbucks, Blogging,& Making a Difference

Chili, Steak and Ale

Have You Ever Tried Blogging at Starbucks?

What Do Chili, Steak and Ale Have in Common?

How Volunteering Can Enhance Your Executive-Level Job Search

If you’re in the middle of an executive-level job search, you’re probably hoping that you can get back in the workforce sooner...

Bits ‘n Pieces ~ Children “If you want children to keep their feet on the ground, put...” “Never mistake knowledge for wisdom. One helps you make a living, the other helps you make a life.” ~Sandra Carey

On The Cover

Tara Coles

Moms In Business Magazine • July 2012 • PAGE 5

NOW

Moms Minutes

Eye

Your is the Future of Identity Authentication At a presentation by Jeff Carter, Chief Strategy Officer of EyeLock Corp. spoke to a packed house about rethinking how we authenticate ourselves and protect our identities in a world where the nature of identity is constantly changing.

Americans Misusing Reverse Mortgages According to the Consumer Agency reverse mortgages are not being used as Congress intended, according to a new report from the government watchdog agency Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Ask yourself these questions before considering a reverse mortgage 1. Do you really need a reverse mortgage? Why are you interested in these loans? What would you do with the money you would get from one? Are the needs you intend to meet really worth the high total cost of these loans? 2. Can you afford a reverse mortgage? These loans are very expensive, and the amount you owe grows larger every month. 3. Can you afford to start using up your home equity now? The more you use now, the less you will have later when you may need it more, 4. Do you have less costly options? Do you have other financial resources that you could use instead of taking out a loan? 5. Do you fully understand how these loans work? Reverse mortgages are quite different from any other loans, and the risks to borrowers are unique. Details at: http://blog.aarp.org

“I truly believe iris technology is the answer to protecting a person’s privacy while assuring and asserting one’s identity with complete certainty. I hope watching this video will be able to give viewers a glimpse into a future that is not so far off.” The proprietary, iris-based identity management solutions are costeffective, scalable and easy-to-use iris recognition systems that operate while a person is in motion and at a distance. http://www.eyelock.com

The Secret History of Forks Humans have used knives and spoons for millennia, but forks are

relative newcomers to our dinner tables. First developed in eighth- or ninth-century Iran, forks were seen as overly dainty by many European diners, with one early 17th-century novel mocking the implements as fit only for hermaphrodites, and late 19th-century British sailors insisting that forks were unmanly.

Non-Taxable Gifts

“Disavow” Website Links, But Why?

A gift is exactly what it sounds like. According to the IRS, a gift is any transfer to an individual that the individual does not fully pay for. Some gifts are taxable. However, a good many are not. For example, in 2011, you can give a person up to $13,000 without any party being taxed.

For years, Google’s webmaster guidelines have noted that attempts to manipulate Google’s algorithms with artificial external link profiles (paid links, link schemes and the like) are violations and that Google may take action (by removing the site from the index or lowering its ranking).

Other types of gifts that can qualify for tax exempt status include tuition or medical expenses that you pay on behalf of someone else, gifts to your spouse, and gifts to a political organization. You should speak with a tax expert before giving a gift to make sure that you take full advantage of the potential tax benefit. Read more at: http://www.candofinance.com/ taxes/rules-of-the-gift-tax.

This year, Google started alerting site owners with “unnatural links”, recommending that they remove them. Google also launched a new algorithm called Penguin, aimed at flagging sites that attempt to manipulate Google’s guidelines with spam techniques such as artificial link profiles.

PAGE 6 • July, 2012 • Moms In Business Magazine

More details at: http://searchengineland.com/bing-launches-way-todisavow-links-but-why-126262

Moms Minutes

Men are more likely to Like

New! Virtual Desktop Flexible Workplace Solutions

a Women’s Facebook Recommendations

omen sway more men to

one’s

Facebook

friends

would

their Facebook recommendations

adopt it. When women sent friends

than they do members of their own

a notification that they had used the

gender, suggests a survey that may

app, about 1 1/2 times more male

help advertisers hone their online

friends acted on the information

pitches. Women are also less

than females. Men, however, were

susceptible to influence.

49 percent more influential in general.

The

journal

Science

published

research results that tracked the use of an application to see whether

Kathleen Chaykowski; www.Bloombergnews.com

of the Best Places For Business And Careers

#1 Provo, Utah

Metro Population: 542,700 Projected Annual Job Growth Through 2014: 2.5%

#2 Raleigh, N.C.

Metro Population: 1,169,000 Projected Annual Job Growth: 2.9%

#3 Fort Collins, Colo. - Metro Population: 306,200 Projected Annual Job Growth: 2.7%

#4 Des Moines, Iowa - Metro Population: 580,700 Projected Annual Job Growth: 2.1%

#5 Denver, Colo. - Metro Population: 2,602,900 Projected Annual Job Growth: 2.6%

Forbes has listed the 25 Best Places for Business and Careers. View details and entire list at: http://www.Forbes.com.

A revolutionary set of flexible workplace solutions that enable clients to create a simple, cost-effective environment that allows employees to use any device to access workplace applications anytime and anyplace was announced by IBM. The IBM SmartCloud Desktop Infrastructure solutions are designed to help clients get ahead of the rising trend toward employees bringing their own electronic devices to work. It allows organizations to manage desktops centrally while small or large numbers of users can access desk top applications from any location or device, including personal computers, tablets, smart phones, laptops and thin clients. This solution will help clients escape the constraints of physical computing -- simplifying desktop management, tightening security, and enhancing overall employee productivity. http://www.us.ibm.com

Small Businesses May Lead in Recovery Hiring Many small-business owners report they are getting ready to hire: 44 percent plan to hire new employees within the next 12 months, according to a payroll survey conducted by Intuit Inc. However, many small-business owners also are concerned about the affordability of benefits as a way to attract new hires. The research was conducted during September. Despite the challenge of affording health benefits, small-business owners are somewhat optimistic about the potential for growth in their businesses, since 60 percent said they expect to see growth in the next year.

Moms In Business Magazine • July 2012 • PAGE 7

NOW

News

BREAKING NEWS!

LOTS of Changes - Please excuse the dust As you all know, NAFMIB has a new national president -- Richelle Shaw. Richelle has some great things in the works and the first one is a new website. So, please excuse the “dust” as things may not be as the appear for then next month or so.

Moms In Business Grant featured in the Greenville News! An article called “Shoestring Entrepreneurs Find Hope in Crowdfunding” features the Mom in Business Grant and Moms In Business Founder, Gina Robison-Billups. Read it at: http://www.greenvilleonline. com/article/20120518/BUSINESS/305180010.

“TOP 25 Moms to Follow” @momsinbusiness named one of the nation’s “TOP 25 Moms to Follow” by the National Association For Balanced Moms.

PAGE 8 • July, 2012 • Moms In Business Magazine

Get to Know Our New President by Grabbing a Free Copy of Her Book www.TheMillionDollarEquation.com

Moms In Business Magazine • July 2012 • PAGE 9

Why 5% Succeed

Saying Yes to Success A

By Elaine Starling

re you saying YES to success? Saying YES and identifying lots of ways to experience a successful outcome is the key to building momentum to achieve your goals.

like the adults and will practice until she gets the enunciation right. The baby knows when she gets it right because of the reactions she receives from nearby adults.

Think about how you define success. Many people make the mistake of thinking that success is only “real” when lots of money shows up. Success isn’t about just money - it’s about taking inspired action regardless of the result.

Success is not usually instantaneous - it comes in stages and builds to a desired outcome. Creating several desired outcomes along the way sets you up to win more frequently, which builds your momentum and feelings of success. Here’s an example from my new book, “Why 5% Succeed: The 5 Secret Strategies of Business Winners:”

Spanx founder, Sara Blakely, shares a story about how her dad would encourage her and her brother to fail. She would come home complaining about how she blew a try-out at school and her dad would give her a huge high five and congratulate her for taking action. The key to success is being willing to try - to do your very best and congratulate yourself for taking action regardless of the result. Another perspective comes from the TUT.com “messages from the Universe,” in fact; today’s message inspired this article! “The very best moment in any long journey that makes your dreams come true, comes not on the day you realize they have, but on the day you realize how little they matter compared to loving the adventure they’ve inspired. Don’t ask me why, I just know what I know.” - The Universe. Interestingly, award-winning authors know that the important part of the story is always the journey. What fascinates readers is how the heroine overcomes the obstacles she encounters, not that she wins every time! For example, think about how a baby learns to talk. The baby starts by making noises to which their parents enthusiastically respond. Then comes the stage of trying to repeat words. “Waa Taa” sounds enough like “water” to work for a while. Eventually, the baby wants to really sound

Make sure you have at least five ways you can win on any project. For example, perhaps you’re attending an industry conference and you want to make the most of the experience. You take the time to learn a bit about the speakers, what they’re working on and how you might contribute to their success (which benefits you too). You come up with three different introductions that communicate your appreciation for their work and your interest in supporting their success so you can establish a relationship. Then you identify the success metrics for the event. (Success metrics are all the ways you can benefit by taking action.) 1. How many speakers you want to connect with. Celebrate every time that you approached a speaker because you acknowledged their contribution. 2. How you felt when you approached each speaker (confident, poised, helpful, connected, powerful). Celebrate and nourish these powerful emotions within you so you can remember this experience and call on it when you need to inspire these emotions again.

Elaine Starling: President and Chief Marketing Insighter - Starling Media Services, Inc. Author of “Your Success is Social: Contribution is the New Currency,” and “Why 5% Succeed: The 5 Secret Strategies of Business Winners” with Gina Robison-Billups. Elaine is also a sought-after speaker, consultant, columnist, mentor, entrepreneur and Innovation Expert, teaches people how to double their business results with The Revenue FormulaTM. Meet Elaine at www.ElaineStarling.com and connect with her about Why 5% Succeed at www. Why5Succeed.com, Twitter: http://twitter.com/Why5Succeed, Facebook: http://www.facebook. com/why5succeed

PAGE 10 • July, 2012 • Moms In Business Magazine

Continued on page 25

Moms In Business Magazine • July 2012 • PAGE 11

STANDOUT

Giveaway Connection Powered By: Giveaway Connection The Leading Giveaway Resource Site

Bonuses

That Attract New Clients

By Jennifer Davey

Studies have shown that most potential clients don’t make a purchase until you reach out to them at least seven times. Some need even more contact than this; they need you to reach out to them again and again, warming them slowly until they’re finally ready to make a purchase. The best way to do this is to use a newsletter to reach out to them repeatedly. However, given the fact that many people today are worried about spam in their inboxes, it’s becoming harder and harder to get people to share their email addresses. That’s why it helps to give your target market an extra incentive to sign up for your newsletter. This is often called an ethical bribe. The idea is that you are trading valuable, relevant information in exchange for the potential clients contact information. In other words, in order to bring the potential client in to you sales and marketing funnel, you offer something of value in exchange for the privilege of keeping in touch with them. Your valuable giveaway should be easily accessible, and provide an instant benefit. Try to make it so that it solves a mini-problem or provides an immediate solution. Your potential clients should be able to quickly and easily consume it. You don’t want to create something that is so long, that potential clients decide to “read it later”, and then put it in the pile of other stuff that they are going to “get to”. We all have that pile of stuff we are going to read later, the problem is, later never comes. Your valuable giveaway needs to follow the 80/20 rule. 80 percent of the information should be valuable, relevant content (what your giving) and 20 percent should be your call to action (what your taking). Your call to action should be just that, calling their pain or problem and then asking them to take action on the results they want to achieve. It can be tough to come up with a valuable giveaway that inspires your potential clients to sign up for your ezine or newsletter, but to help you get started on the brainstorming PAGE 12 • July, 2012 • Moms In Business Magazine

process, here’s a list of 17 types of giveaways you may want to consider: 1. A 2- to 3-page report relating to an important issue in your field 2. A to-do list that people can put into action 3. A checklist 4. An easy-to-use kit that leads to an instant mini-result 5. A task list 6. A template for documents 7. A video 8. A “10 Best” list relevant to your products or services 9. A tip sheet 10. An audio recording 11. A webinar 12. A workbook 13. A quiz 14. A teleseminar 15. An e-course 16. An assessment 17. A special insider’s discount on a soon-to-be-released product or service

Small Business Coach and Marketing Strategist, Jennifer Davey, is the author of the “14-Step Formula for Getting Clients, Building Business and Making More Income”, Grab a FREE copy of her Report “What you Need to Know to Be Successful at Getting Clients” visit: http://jjscoaching.com/ free-report. The Leading Giveaway Resouce site: www.GiveawayConnection.com. Tons of Tools and Benefits

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

Smart Women Entrepreneurs

Solids Fluids A

By Joy Chudacoff

few weeks ago, our family took a trip to the California Science Center for their “family lab day.” It was a fun and educational experience. There was one experiment that had to do with the difference between solids and fluids, and it got me thinking about Smart Women entrepreneurs and their businesses. Does your business need to be solid or fluid? Actually, both. When you first make the decision to become a business owner, you as an entrepreneur are very “fluid.” After all, you’re probably a solo-entrepreneur trying to do everything yourself! There aren’t any rules about how to do anything. The goal is to get some clients and earn an income—right? After some time passes, you begin to realize that this “fluid” aspect of your business is not working. You are “surviving” and you want to be “thriving.”

It’s time to take a look at where you are in your business now and make a plan for where you want to be in the future. In other words, it’s time for a “solid” foundation to be put in place. Your business needs to have a clear plan of action on what you want to accomplish moving forward and how you will accomplish the plan. You will want to gain clarity around how to best market your products and services gain visibility and produce profit so that your business can “thrive.” Here are a few quick examples of “solid” and “fluid” in your business:

with a smart woman who’s experiencing a lot of frustration around her marketing efforts with little return in terms of new clients. As we explored her business, she soon realized that she had overlooked 2 other streams of income that could generate profits right now in her business with much less effort while she continues to grow this new area of interest. Working with a coach or mentor can be especially helpful. It provides a grounding process for the woman entrepreneur. It’s essential that you take the time periodically to sit down and review the “solid” and “fluid” aspect of your business. Is your action plan “solid” for the long-term? Does it have a clear plan of action to gain new clients and produce profit? Do you need to make some changes in your plan? Is it time to coursecorrect? Many times, we put a plan into action only to find out that we missed a very important piece of information. This is when your thinking needs to become “fluid” or flexible with new ideas. I walked away from the science center that day with more than I expected. Giving yourself permission to get out of your daily routine can open a whole new way of thinking about your life and your business. I invite you to take a look at the “solid” and “fluid” parts of your business. It will make a big difference in how it unfolds this year. Anything is possible. Everything is waiting for you.

Solid – I was working with a smart woman just a few weeks

ago who has a great concept for her business. The business is growing but at a much slower pace than she’d like. When I asked her what her action plan was for the year, she didn’t really have a clear idea. Her reply was something like, “make money.” This was not a “solid” answer. We spent some focused time exploring her vision for the business this year. We then created a plan around her products and services, her marketing strategy and I also shared some time management solutions to make sure she’s getting the “right” things done to stay on course.

© 2010 Joy Chudacoff - Joy Chudacoff, ICF, PCC, is the founder of Smart Women Smart Solutions(tm), a Professional Certified Coach to 1000’s of women, Motivational Speaker, and Entrepreneur. She publishes a weekly buzz generating ezine, Reflections On Life and Business for Women Entrepreneurs. If you’re ready take your coaching business to the next level, get your FREE Tips, FREE Report, FREE MP3 and learn about my exciting new program for coaches and consultants at Smart Women Smart Solutions Coaching. http://www.SmartWomenSmartSolutionsCoaching.com.

Fluid – You need to be open to new ideas and ready to

Go to www.MomsMakingaMillion.com for financial information and tools to grow your business. Moms Making a Million is a program of the National Association For Moms In Business

course-correct when necessary. Just yesterday, I was working

Moms In Business Magazine • July 2012 • PAGE 13

Tara Coles

Four Mantras of Success for Moms PAGE 14 • July, 2012 • Moms In Business Magazine

Feature By Gina Robison-Billups

Dr. Tara Coles is an inspiration for all women/mothers to pursue their dreams and goals. As the winner of the 2012 Moms In Business Grant, successful in her medical career, entrepreneur of a new business, ArtNest, Inc., mother of 4 and wife, we are extremely pleased to have Tara Coles featured in this month’s issue. GRB: Tell me about your family? TC: I have 4 children – a 7 year old girl, 5 year old girl/ boy twins, and a 2 year old girl. They are all very kind, empathetic, good-hearted kids – all very different. Zoe, the oldest, is very passionate, artistic, creative, inquisitive, and sensitive. Phoebe, a twin, is an old soul – emotionally intelligent, disciplined and self-regulated, athletic, mature. Noah, the other twin, is extremely affectionate and sweet, musical, loves karate and reading. Lila, the baby, is the icing on the cake – very bright, precocious, with a good sense of humor, fiercely independent. My husband and I have been together for 17 years (meeting after sitting next to each other on a plane). We live in the Washington DC area. We waited to start a family until I had almost completed my emergency medical residency when I was almost 34 years old. As an only child, I knew I wanted to have a big family of my own and it was difficult to wait. But I knew I needed to finish my education and solidify my career path prior to children. Becoming a mom was the best thing that has ever happened to me. I am lucky to have such an amazing supportive husband who is an equal caregiver and contributor to the running of the household. I love my career as an ER physician and I truly enjoy being a health care provider and healer. But as I watched my children grow and express their creativity and artistic nature, I realized that I also wanted to explore my creative, innovative, and artistic side. I was almost envious of how their little brains made new connections, of how inquisitive, curious, adventurous, and fearless they were. I come from a family of entrepreneurs and artists and I have always known that at some point I would become an entrepreneur and create something from the ground up. I feel fortunate that my husband and children understand my need to create and innovate and are excited for me (usually). Sometimes they complain that I am too busy and that I spend too much time on the computer or at “meetings.” Then I know that it is time to have some “special time” with each family member individually and “fill everyone’s cup” with quality time and undivided 1 on 1 attention. GRB: Tara, what exactly does your company do?

A Quick Note From Tara I love the fact that Moms in Business doesn’t only mean Moms making children-related products or providing child related services. Not that these are not worth celebrating and supporting – they absolutely are, but anyone who is a parent and an entrepreneur needs support. I consider myself a businessperson AND a physician AND a mom – they all complement each other and are all part of both my identity and my future. I think it is so critical to have the National Association for Moms in Business advocating for and advancing for Moms in Business for the following reasons: 1. Women need examples and mentors from people who have been in their shoes. 2. Families need advocates at the national level for better, more affordable childcare, flexible work environments and scheduling, pregnancy and lactation discrimination policies. 3. Successful women need to band together to provide support, advocacy, mentorship, training, and education for women at all level of the income-spectrum. 4. Women can only become leading prominent angel investors, venture capitalists, and philanthropists if they have the capital and experience to do so – the best way to change the ratio is to support women entrepreneurs. 5. Women at all ages need to know that they can reinvent themselves and their careers at any life stage. 6. There is so much overlap between parenting skills and leadership skills – empathy, emotional intelligence, compassion, patience, and goal setting. 7. Women need to have more options to create financial independence and self-generated wealth. 8. I believe that we only can chip away at the most difficult of societal problems such as homelessness, poverty, educational disparities, and lack of access to medical care when more women are in C-suite positions and are board members in Corporate America. 9. I think women who are mothers as well as business owners are very motivated to create economic wealth in their communities.

TC: ArtNest is dedicated to bringing unique and original Art into people’s lives by providing a suite of online tools to help Continued on page 16 Moms In Business Magazine • July 2012 • PAGE 15

Tara Coles Continued from page 15

design professionals and consumers explore, access, share, and invest in Art and Design for their home and work spaces. We offer an elegant platform for emerging artists and galleries to gain a broader access to their artwork and we take the intimidation factor and decision paralysis out of the purchasing process. Our mission is to bring Art into life – into the places where we live, work, and play. We are dedicated to find innovative ways to infuse art and aesthetics into daily life and to the principle that everyone can be an art collector and a creative person.

Feature know that I can rely on myself, and I learned that from this experience. I remember upon graduation from college making a conscious decision to live my life as an optimist. When I encounter difficult situations, I rely on 4 mantras that sustain me: uu The first is “the only way out is through” - I know that I cannot go around the obstacle, I have to experience it even if it is uncomfortable. I said this every day to myself during my pregnancy with twins (and 14 weeks of bed rest). uu My second mantra (and the one that got me through medical school and residency is “You can do anything for a month” – during hard classes or painful rotations, I would just break down time into manageable chunks, look for the light at the end of the tunnel, and know that I survive.

TC: My home growing up was filled with original art and my grandmother and aunt were artists. My father was a lawyer,

uu My third sustaining life principle (and perhaps the most cliché) is that I “rely on a little help from my friends.” As an only child, I have always made friends easily and have invested a lot into maintaining and development close relationships. I am not shy about reaching out to my network, asking for support or help,

but is also a glass blower, so I had a lot of examples in my life of the importance of creativity, aesthetics, and curiosity and how people can have many different, complementary facets to themselves. My grandfather was a renaissance man, a self-taught man and a life long learner and he demonstrated to me that you could learn anything, teach yourself anything, take on any challenge, conquer any fear, overcome any obstacle.

owning and acknowledging mistakes. At the same time I always try to be there when people need me – I make time to give back to friends and family. I also try to create good karma by practicing random acts of kindness whenever I can. Almost nothing makes me feel better than surprising someone with generosity and courtesy and restoring someone’s faith in humanity. I know that when I am on the receiving end, my whole day is better.

My parents divorced when I was very young and I also grew up with a parent with a recurring health problem – so I had a to make a choice at a very early age (I actually remember thinking this at age 5 or so) – to either take on full responsibility for myself – for my survival, my learning, my discipline, my choices or else I was going to flounder and fail. Not to say that I wasn’t surround by love – I was – but I needed to develop self-sufficiency and independence very early on in order to thrive as an adult. I would say that the traits that I am most thankful for and that I rely on the most are my resiliency, perseverance, and determination – I just

uu The fourth principle that lets me sleep at night is my faith in my ability to “figure it out.” I am a trained problem-solver as an ER physician; I am comfortable and calm in crises situations and love being part of a team working together toward a common goal – whether it is the health of a patient, or how to achieve a business milestone.

GRB: Why did you go into this business/career?

PAGE 16 • July, 2012 • Moms In Business Magazine

Which is a long way of saying that I have a deep desire to figure out how to make the world more a more beautiful and happier place.

GRB: What has been the single hardest part of being in this business/career? TC: Knowing when to stop working on the business – when enough is enough and it is time to take a break. I had the luxury of being an ER physician, so when I came home I was off-duty. Now that I am an entrepreneur, the work does not have finite boundaries – it is potentially endless. I also know that I am officially addicted to the sense of possibility and boundless opportunity that entrepreneurship affords. I love being around other entrepreneurs with their creative energy, curiosity, and drive. I could attend events and conferences and answer emails and Skype with people all day long, every day, if I let myself. GRB: How do you deal with that? TC: Mindfulness in time management, being disciplined with my iCal and scheduling in everything as far in advance as possible. I try to be realistic and forgiving with myself about work/children/spouse/self balance – It is never going to be completely equal or fair on any given day or even any given week. Some days I am in the ER, other times I am in business meetings for ArtNest, some days are completely family days. But I am hopeful that it all works out over time and that I respond to my children when I know they need attention and time. The thing that is suffering the most during the startup phase of ArtNest is probably date night with my husband – we need to get back to doing that on a regular basis.

I am also a night owl and get a tremendous amount of dedicated and productive work done at night after the kids go to bed. I have amazing caretaking help with the children. And as anyone knows, I am not a morning person, so my husband, thankfully and with my utmost gratitude and appreciation, manages the bulk of the breakfast and AM routine. GRB: What’s on the horizon for you and your business? TC: We are in final phases of development of the initial ArtNest Website (www.ArtNest.com) and are in the process of curating emerging artists (fine art and photography) domestically and internationally. We are also creating development relationships with galleries and art schools to display their work on the site. We are also launching our first ArtNest product line in the next several weeks at www.ClusterArt.com, which enables consumers to upload personal photographs and combine them with licensed professional design images to create customized modular pieces of canvas artwork. We are actively seeking angel investment to scale our production and marketing initiatives.

ArtNest, Inc. was started January, 2012. Please visit: www.ArtNest.com. Moms In Business Magazine • July 2012 • PAGE 17

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

Six Ways to Boost Response on Your Surveys &

Gain More Useful Information

By Shel Horowitz

By Tim Brown

... you spend time and effort putting together a survey, so you can have real information about what your customers and prospects are actually looking for. And you send the survey to your in-house list--but the flood of responses you’re expecting is only a trickle. While direct-mail marketing typically enjoys response rates of 0.5 percent to 2 percent for sales pieces, survey responses are often far lower. You’re never going to get 100 percent participation. People are too busy, or some of them are simply not your target audience. But still, you want to do better than a few hundredths of a percent. How can you boost responses up to meaningful levels of 10 percent or more?

Make it EASY to Respond The less work your respondent has to do, the more responses you’ll get. One click should go right to the survey form, without requiring registration. You can easily use software to flag duplicate responses, so ballot-stuffing is not a problem. And the form itself should be simple, clearly worded, easy to understand, easy and quick to fill out. Unless there is a strong business reason for using them, avoid distractions such as animated GIFs and Flash intros. Depending on your audience, they could get in the way of the survey or increase the likelihood that the form will give error messages.

PAGE 18 • July, 2012 • Moms In Business Magazine

Explain Why RespondinG HELPS the Respondent You want this information to better serve your customers-to offer products and services that more closely meet their exact needs. Use effective copywriting to convey this point-that not only do you sincerely value their input, but that their responses will help you bring products to market that directly reflect their exact needs. Help them to feel “ownership” of their role in making these new products happen. This may be the most crucial factor: your headlines and body copy should convey that you see your respondents as allies in solving their problems or increasing their convenience together. It’s all about them, not about you.

REASSURE Your Participants Everybody worries that if they participate in surveys, they’re going to be hounded with high-pressure sales pitches. Do it differently; earn your prospects’ respect by promising them that salespeople won’t bother them. And keep your promise! If you design the entire process properly, survey respondents will seek YOU out to do some business together. You will, of course, provide them with every tool they need to follow up with you.

Provide the Chance for REAL Feedback Include at least one comment field, where respondents can explain or qualify their answers. You’ll get extremely meaningful information from this technique--well worth the extra labor in hand-analyzing the results--and once again, you make your respondents feel valued and important, so

up--focused on additional research, not sales. They’ll be so grateful that you really value their opinions that they may become evangelists for your company. Won’t they be surprised and delighted to get a telephone call or a personal e-mail from the president of your company, thanking them for their response and asking if they’d like to help you refine your research? (Be sure to present this as genuine; don’t wrap it up in a sales pitch.)

Offer INCENTIVES For Responding Offer thank-you gifts to every entrant, or add all your respondents to a raffle drawing. The prizes should be relevant to your company--perhaps one of your own products, or a product or service that complements yours. At the end of the survey, ask for contact information if they’d like to receive the gift or be entered in the drawing. The more people participate honestly in a survey, the more useful your market research. And if the incentives are strong and relevant enough, you know that the responses you get will be honest, identifiable, and useful. So there you have it: Make your surveys user-friendly, show why answering the survey benefits the participant, reassure them that you won’t unleash the sales dogs, offer prospects the chance to actually influence the direction of your products and your marketing, follow up appropriately, and offer incentives. Then watch your survey numbers grow, and put all that useful information into practice in your product development, customer service, and of course, your profits.

that they have a vested interest in feeling that they’re a part of your enterprise. It may even be worth your while to put a comment field in for every question.

Marketing consultant/copywriter Shel Horowitz is founder of the international Business Ethics Pledge campaign and author of seven books including the Apex Award winner [http://www.principledprofit.com]Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First.

FOLLOW UP With the Best Respondents People who make useful comments are prime candidates for focus groups, beta testing, or simple one-to-one follow-

Visit www.MarketWithoutMoney.com, providing marketing resources, tools and training that keeps more money in your wallet while still getting great results. Moms In Business Magazine • July 2012 • PAGE 19

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Marketing2Moms

The #1 Resource and Information Center for Marketing to Moms

Starbucks, Blogging,

By Shanda Sumpter

Making a Difference Have you ever tried blogging at Starbucks? I love it. There is so much juicy content that you find to write about. uu Across from me right now is the perfect ideal of the corporate woman. Sporting flawless hair, dressed like a man, and sitting perfectly stiff. She’s totally organized and the person we need to be running our corporate business models. uu Over in the corner is the typical wealthy man playing on his PDA! No socks, his glasses are almost falling off his nose as he reads what he’s typing, and he has perfectly pressed JEANS! My point is that Starbucks attracts the college kids on up to about every character type of adult. So what is their secret? How can they market to so many people and get them to buy their coffee? Aren’t we supposed to niche out our business to get the biggest return on our EFFORT? The real truth is that Starbucks does have PAGE 20 • July, 2012 • Moms In Business Magazine

an ideal client! They create a culture that a certain type of person desires. Think about it, why would anyone spend $5 on a cup of coffee with sugary syrup in it when they can make it at home for 5 cents? They do it because they love how they FEEL while being at Starbucks. This is the same for your buyers. All too often you see women entrepreneurs pushing their PRODUCT versus the feeling that their product provides for someone. Have you ever noticed when you walk into a Starbucks that they say HI… they smile, and they get involved in your life as you are buying your coffee. There are always many people ready to serve you when you walk in the door, and, in all honesty, people come to these coffee shops and sit for hours working on their computers just like I am right now. uu Before you leave you might buy a coffee, then a bagel, and as you walk out the door load up your coffee gift card to prepay for next time.

uu What can you do to create a loyal customer like STARBUCKS? uu My advice is to brainstorm what you are doing now. Ask your clients what they would like to see more of from you that would make their lives better. Think about how you could make them FEEL happier. For instance, when you shop at BRIGHTON, the jewelry store, they too make you FEEL special when you walk in the door. Last week I watched my mom spend $200 when we went in there. What was even more amazing is that they gave us Brighton water… and played with us as we created our mom and daughter charm bracelets. My point is that they created an experience that made it FUN to give them our money. When you brainstorm how to love up your clients, think about how you can make them FEEL better when they come into connection with your products. Learn from and listen to the women, moms that you are marketing to.

How do you make it FUN for Moms to give your money? Good luck, and happy creating!

Shanda Sumpter is the founder and Queen Visionary of HeartCore Women, “The #1 resource for women to do what they love, make more money, and live the life they want.” She provides valuable teaching skills aimed at transforming women’s financial lives. For the past few years, Shanda has created opportunities for women business owners and enlightened female entrepreneurs both individually through coaching and by creating ‘sisterhood’ networks online. With a passion for women’s interests and issues, she is a highly sought after speaker for companies, events, and organizations around the world. http://www.heartcorewomen.com.

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 • July 2012 • PAGE 21

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B2B Moms

Chili, Steak

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

and

Ale

By Maura Schreier-Fleming

What

do chili, steak and ale have in common? When Norman Brinker takes an interest it all gets much, much better.

Norman Brinker, currently the Chairman of the Board of Brinker International, once was one of the highest paid food industry executives when he was President of the Pillsbury Restaurant Group. He risked it all to see if his successful management principles for large businesses applied to a small business. In 1983 he bought the small Chili’s restaurant chain (28 restaurants) and turned it into a $2.3 billion international business. This included eight additional chains employing 99,000 people. His management principles were an overwhelming success at a small business and great principles to apply to selling.

Surround yourself with people who know more than you do Brinker attributed his success to knowing what he didn’t know. He then chose to work with people who were PAGE 22 • July, 2012 • Moms In Business Magazine

knowledgeable in areas where he lacked expertise. He surrounded himself with a variety of those types of people. His comment about the staff he chose supports this principle. He says, “Sinners can repent, stupidity is forever.” In selling we’ve got to keep learning about business, our products and our customers. We can choose to surround ourselves with people who can add to our education or diminish our progress. We can look to salespeople and others who know more than we do and ask for their input on our selling strategies. Listen to the customers you admire who describe what worked for them and also what procedures were less successful. By looking to someone smarter, we can increase our probability of success in selling. Selling is challenging enough. Let’s make it easier by surrounding ourselves with smarter people and learning from them. We can learn from their successes and failures. Groucho Marx was right when he said, “We can learn from

the mistakes of others. We don’t have time to make them all ourselves.”

...How do you know what your customers think about your products and services? Brinker would stand outside his restaurants and talk with his customers. He might say, “What kind of joint is this?”... Take

risks Brinker recommends taking risks, but not wild ones. He described his business career, which started at Jack in the Box and left to start Steak and Ale in 1965, also developing the Bennigan’s restaurant concept. He then renamed his company S&A Restaurant Corp. and merged it with Pillsbury.

Brinker became an executive with Pillsbury and was one of the industry’s highest paid executives. His decision to leave Pillsbury was risky. He wanted to see if his management principles would work in a smaller business. In order to buy Chili’s he would have to sign a $12 million note. He did. Of course he would be able to tap into his years of experience, contacts and skills he had acquired. In sales we can take risks by creating new ideas for our customers’ businesses, trying new sales techniques or doing something different than we’ve always done. Some of our ideas will succeed and some will fail. With our experience and skill behind us, more of our ideas will succeed than fail. Our customers will appreciate the input and we will become more valuable to them. It might even make selling better and even more enjoyable for us. When Brinker took the risk of leaving and discussed his resignation with Pillsbury’s CEO after deciding he wanted to go to Chili’s he heard, “Norman, how come you always get to have the fun?”

Find

out what your customers think

How do you know what your customers think about your products and services? Brinker would stand outside his restaurants and talk with his customers. He might say, “What kind of joint is this?” Or he’d ask a customer, “How’s the value of this restaurant? I don’t have a big budget.” He never had a clipboard. He talked with his customers, listened and got honest feedback. He was more successful in the smaller towns of Texas. When he was in Dallas some of his customers would say, “Well Norman, why do you want to know?” You may think Norman Brinker has done it all. He was asked what he’d do differently in his life if he could. He responded, “I’d do more.” That’s another principle for selling. He made a wonderful difference in so many people’s lives and knew he had so much more to do. What a great salesman and visionary.

Maura Schreier-Fleming is president of Best@Selling (http:// www.bestatselling.com/). She works with business and sales professionals at company and trade association meetings to make selling easier and more productive. She is the author of the book Real-World Selling for Out-of-this-World Results. She can be reached at 972 380 0200 or info@BestatSelling. com.

For business to business articles, tools, resources and events visit: www.B2BMoms.com. Moms In Business Magazine • July 2012 • PAGE 23

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Hiring: Moms

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

How Volunteering Can Enhance Your Executive-Level Job Search

f you’re in the middle of an executive-level job search, you’re probably hoping that you can get back in the workforce sooner than later. There’s nothing like getting the level of responsibility, and financial rewards, you’re accustomed to. However, if the job search is moving slowly, you may be trying to think of ways to enhance your search – one way is by volunteering. It may seem like you’re moving backwards if you consider volunteering while searching for a job. But, in many ways, it moves you forward even though it offers no pay. If you’ve been thinking of volunteering, but have been reluctant to do so, don’t second-guess your idea. It may pay off more than you think.

Why Volunteering Works There are a number of reasons that volunteering works well when you’re working on your executive-level job search. For one, it offers you the opportunity to pass time and remain active when you don’t have the luxury of a 9 to 5 routine to keep you busy. Also, it allows you to develop your passions and make a difference in the lives of others. Essentially, volunteering is said to be good for the soul. But in the case of finding the job you want, volunteering is a way to develop great skills and make the necessary connections you need to acquire your next job. That’s right. Volunteering is a great way to help you get your foot in the door for another job. There are a couple of ways that this can happen for you. Non-profits are always looking for good executives to help take their company to the next level, so if you volunteer your time and make the right connections, you may find yourself being offered a position. Another way is to join a charity’s board where you can meet important connections from other companies and organizations. By sharing your great ideas and helping to take the charity to the next level, someone may be impressed enough to offer you a position. PAGE 24 • July, 2012 • Moms In Business Magazine

By Heather Eagar

How to Make Volunteering Work for You One of the best ways to take advantage of volunteering and its ability to help you secure a job is by getting involved in a cause that follows your passion. For instance, if you are an animal lover, you might volunteer in some capacity for your local zoo. Or if you enjoy the arts, then you might volunteer for a non-profit organization dedicated to music, art or dance. You can approach an organization with the skills that you already have under your belt and offer to give them your professional assistance free of charge. After the word spreads of the charitable giving of your expertise, you may just make some great connections to get you hired at your next employer. Every person in the middle of a job search knows how difficult it can be to find a job when he has plenty of time available, let alone find one when some of that job search time is compromised with other activities. But volunteering is different, it can leave you feeling rejuvenated after knowing you’ve made a difference in someone’s life. So if you want to make the most of your job search, it’s a good idea to add volunteering to your “to-do list.”

Heather Eagar is a former professional resume writer and is passionate about providing working professionals with current, reliable and effective job search tools and information. Compare the top writers for executive resumes at http://www.resumelines.com.

Looking for a great job? Looking for great people? If you are, then participate in the (beta) HiringMoms.com program from the National Association For Moms In Business.

Why 5% Succeed

Saying Yes to Success Continued from page 10

3. How often you used your prepared introductions. Celebrate every time you used a variation of your prepared introduction because it shows that you hit the mark in your preparations for the event. Consider the impact your prepared introductions created – did they make you stand out from others waiting to meet the speakers? Celebrate your uniqueness, your innovative approach, and your contribution to the speaker – regardless of how it was received. 4. You briefly explained how you’d like to help the speaker. What garnered the best response from the speakers you met? Celebrate that you got valuable feedback from each speaker. 5. How many speakers wanted to follow up with you later? Celebrate the new relationships that you established. 6. How will this change how you approach speakers in the future? Celebrate the new insights you gathered from this exercise. Notice that there are seven different ways you can win from each interaction – that means seven different things to CELEBRATE every time you meet a speaker!

Moms In Business Magazine is read by thousands of readers around the globe monthly. As the National Association For Moms In Business continues to grow throughout the nation, Moms In Business Magazine also continues to expand, providing more and more information and tools to support, educate and inspire its readers.

Coming Soon!

Create similar success metrics for your clients so there are many ways for them to “win” as they take action. The more ways there are to win, the more often you win, and the more your momentum builds. Imagine celebrating multiple ways to win with your clients, children and spouse. Consistently point out what’s working and you’ll be celebrating something all the time! Saying YES to success is always about taking inspired action, recognizing how you benefited, and acknowledging your progress towards your goal. Enjoy your success journey! Elaine Starling has joined the Moms In Business Magazine as a monthly columnist. We look forward to sharing with you her amazing knowledge and insights. Don’t miss her column here monthly.

Moms In Business Magazine Advertising Opportunities Moms In Business Magazine • July 2012 • PAGE 25

Bits ‘n Pieces

n e r d l i Ch If you want children to keep their feet on the ground, put some responsibility on their shoulders. ~ Abigail Van Buren If you want your children to improve, let them overhear the nice things you say about them to others. ~ Haim Ginott Kids go where there is excitement. They stay where there is love. ~ Zig Ziglar

In the final analysis it is not what you do for your children but what you have taught them to do for themselves that will make them successful human beings. ~ Ann Landers

Nothing you do for children is ever wasted. They seem not to notice us, hovering, averting our eyes, and they seldom offer thanks, but what we do for them is never wasted. ~ Garrison Keillor Our greatest natural resource is the minds of our children. ~ Walt Disney

Pretty much all the honest truth telling there is in the world is done by children. ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

Founder Gina Robison-Billups Editor Design/Layout Eugenia Martini-Jarrett Eugenia@MIBN.org Advertising Eugenia Jarrett Eugenia@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 2012, © International Association of Working Mothers See www.MIBN.org for full copyright page All Rights Reserved

PAGE 26 • July, 2012 • Moms In Business Magazine