Weekend Entrepreneur:

No matter how many success stories I hear, I still get excited! Not only am I happy for the entrepreneur, but I also feel a sense of hope and excitement for people who may read a particular story and get going with their own dream business.

Many dream of starting a business, but unfortunately not all dreams come to fruition. Jaime Bird is the exception. She found the right guidance at the right time in her life from Heather Ledeboer of Mom4Life, whom I secretly nicknamed the Fairy Godmother to Mompreneurs.

Jamie recently sent me the following e-mail about the steps she took to launch her business. It is remarkable that she started out not knowing how to sew, taught herself, and then began designing and selling adorable clothing for babies.

Dear Michelle,
I started MiniMe BabyGear after my son was born–largely because Heather Ledeboer opened my eyes to the wonderful world of selling online! I had no vision of where I was going; in fact, I did not even have the first clue about how to sew a stitch at the time. I was determined, however, to do something that would allow me to stay home while contributing financially to my family.

So I packed up my mom’s 30-year-old sewing machine, lugged it cross-country back to my home in California, and set out to the library in search of a good how-to book. Hundreds of hours later, I created six key baby products to offer up for sale. Back to the library I went to inhale “Frontpage for Dummies,” $95 for my webhost, and a huge fear of failure on my part. I had no idea what I was doing, and was praying that I would just make my money back. I gave myself an entire year, not realizing how ridiculous that time frame was. After reaching that the first month, I needed a new focus. Mom4Life started carrying my products, Heather suggested a few others for me to sew that moms would enjoy, and the business and product line really grew from there.

This past summer, I decide to manufacture my biggest seller–the Wet Happened? wet bag. Designed to hold items such as soiled clothing or bibs, potty-training accidents, dirty diapers or wet swimming suits, it is fashionable, reusable and environmentally friendly. As more and more retail stores have started carrying it, everything else has been nudged out and it is becoming my sole focus and vision.

I feel really blessed to have the opportunity to stay home with my son while doing something that I am so passionate about. I agree with Heather that the hardest part is the juggling–and lack of sleep At the end of the day, though, I am thrilled to be in the baby business and am inspired so often by other moms and their stories. Thanks for sharing them!

Jamie Bird, owner
MiniMe BabyGear
www.wethappened.com

Thank you, Jamie, for sharing your story.

Sincerely,

Michelle

P.S. I am very very sad about the news I just heard via e-mail from a friend of Heather Ledeboer ’s concerning her recent pregnancy and the fact that she lost the baby. Although I don’t know any other details about what happened, Heather’s blog says that she and husband are making funeral arrangements for their baby Sawyer.

Heather’s blog: http://blog.mom4life.com/

Heather’s e-mail: Heather@mom4life.com

I know how difficult this must be for Heather and her husband as well as for their two children. I am praying for them and I know that with her family close by she is surrounded by lots of love and support.

All work and no play make a dull mompreneur! Today was spent at the computer playing catch-up. One thing about writing is that you can’t really multitask (sigh). My stepdaughter used to say, “If you were an octopus, you could do a bunch of things at one time.” Back in the day, I used to grimace, but it actually sounds like a fabulous idea now. The rewards of knowing I’m getting more writing done makes me (and my amazing editor, Eve Gumpel) smile. I usually profile businesspeople, but from time to time I throw in a blurb about what I’m up to.

Yesterday I did something totally of character. Did I tell you that I’m a technophobe? It’s a miracle that I can post my blog all by myself. I looked technophobe up and this is what I found on Wikipedia:
Technophobia is the fear of, or revulsion to, modern technology and is the opposite of technophilia. Sometimes the term is used in the sense of an irrational fear while others defend that the fears are justified.

I think they need to add my picture next to the definition; it fits me to a tee. LOL.

So here’s the scoop. My friend Michelle Price double dared me to start a social networking site. I still can’t believe I took the plunge and said, “I got this!” You may know Michelle Price from articles she has written for this blog. I hope you will want to see what I’ve come up with because I hate losing double dares. Check out WorkingMompreneurs.ning.com. I did everything all by myself. I found a template for the design, came up with a tagline for the name and added my photo. I am taking baby steps, and if I can do it, anybody can. My suggestion is that you not only check it out but sign up and visit frequently. It’s going to be really hot very soon. I promise.

Time is flying. Can you believe it’s almost Mother’s Day?

Next week I’ll be in Charlotte, North Carolina, for the Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Conference + Expo. I am booked for several events and I hope I see you there:

• Thursday and Friday, May 15 and 16, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. I’ll be at the “Ask The Expert” desk for OPEN from American Express

• Friday, May 16, noon to 1:15 p.m. I am one of the judges for the “Elevator Pitch Competition”

• Friday, May 16, 4:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. Small Business Success Bootcamp: I’ll do a one-hour workshop about ways to raise money for your business.

Since I am booked for several events, I’ve suggested that a friend who lives in Charlotte (Alison Woo) fill in for me at the “Ask the Expert Desk” for a portion of Friday afternoon because there are approximately two hours when I’ll be at the other above-mentioned events. It’s not been confirmed that Alison can fill in for me, but I sure hope the powers that be say yes.

Back story. . . Alison and I met a few years ago when we were on a media panel at a conference in New York. We became instant friends (I love when that happens). She has a book coming out in a few months, which doesn’t surprise me since she is very connected (and talented). If her name doesn’t ring a bell today, it will soon. Alison is a freelance writer for Forbes Small Business and Money magazine and she contributed a story in my book, Weekend Entrepreneur. She provided a script detailing what to say if you want to contact your local TV station for publicity. If anyone knows about getting the media’s attention, she does. Alison was an executive producer and writer for television stations in New York;  Tampa, Sarasota and Orlando, Florida; Charlotte; and Atlanta. Her years working at CNN Headline News simply add to her media maven status.

Among other happenings today, my mom called and I had a lovely chat with her. I made French toast for my daughter this morning. And yesterday I made spaghetti, so I had the night off to catch up on doing laundry. Well, this is the end of a long and productive day in the life of a mompreneur.

What did you do today? Let me know. Inquiring minds want to know! Your thoughts and suggestions are welcomed and very much appreciated.

Cheers,
Michelle Anton
P.S. Have you been to freerice.com?

P.P.S. Alison Woo and Lena Claxton’s new book, “How to Say It: Marketing With New Media, A Guide to Promoting Your Small Business Using Websites, Ezines, Blogs & Podcasts” (Penguin/Prentice Hall Press, Sept. ‘08) offers cutting-edge solutions guaranteed to grow your business exponentially using the internet.

In 1998 Jack Humphrey started getting serious about breaking away from bosses of any kind. He dabbled and made mistakes trying to find the illusive “easy way out” and didn’t start full time until 2002 when he launched his first ebook “Power Linking” which became the seminal guide to link-building on the web.

Today, his company is on the leading edge of what’s new and what’s hot online in connecting directly to your online audience. They deliver membership services and consulting for marketing, branding, social marketing, search engine optimization and link building.

Take it away Jack…

Tell us about your business?

Humphrey: Our main project now is Social Power Linking which is a membership that contains all of our social marketing training.

Authority Site Center is a 3 year-old membership site where we train people to build “authority” sites with social media, blogs, and professional marketing and content development tactics along with exclusive software.

NetSmartMedia.com is our PR firm which handles full-service social marketing, branding, and publicity for clients who are too busy for the do-it-yourself option.

Did you go straight from corporate employee to full-time entrepreneur or did you transition from part-time to full-time entrepreneur?

Humphrey: It was a transition. I was never a corporate player. I was a professional in the environmental movement as an executive director and activist for 11 years right out of college.

How long did it take you to go full-time and what were some of the challenges you had?

Humphrey: It took 4 years to become serious enough to transition by realizing I needed to do something remarkable to get noticed and start gaining momentum as a player in my niche. Once I figured out my angle (no one was talking about link building the way I was and I saw my “in” by writing Power Linking) I quickly went full time “overnight.” It just took 4 years for that overnight success to be realized. I don’t recommend anyone take that long and today no one has to if they follow the right people and have a good work ethic.

Tell us about your first years as a corporate employee turned entrepreneur .What did you learn from those early years that helped you to move your business forward?

Humphrey: It is definitely about who you know. Once you have something to offer in a market niche, the way to explode on the scene is to diligently network among the players in that niche to get them to give you a leg up via a joint venture or publicity in front of their people.

What do you know now, that you wish you would have known then?

Humphrey: That there is no such thing as a “cookie-cutter” way to make money online. I kept thinking I could sign up for a network marketing program or other money-making scheme and get by with the tools they gave me to market their products. Problem is, all 10000 of the other people in the company are doing the exact same thing and to really win, you have to be remarkable. Stand out. Blaze your own trail and be different.

Approximately how much money did you have to invest before your business became profitable?

Humphrey: I worked for non profits for 11 years. I had nothing to invest and no savings, 401 k, nada. I literally started with an internet connection and an idea and followed it through by leveraging joint ventures and getting any kind of publicity I could get for free.

What is the single most important piece of advice you would give to a current corporate employee who wants to become a “weekend entrepreneur” first, then grow a business?

Humphrey: To never doubt whether you are cut out for it. At one point in history the corporate gig was what everyone did until they retired with a gold watch and a pat on the back. These days all the rules are completely obliterated and the only thing I can imagine that holds people in the cororate world is the regular paycheck and lack of entrepreneurial spirit.

If you aren’t comfortable with forcing yourself to take a risk now and then, you can’t get very far working for yourself. Practice by starting on weekends and days off and see how you like what you can produce in profits and go from there.

I find it funny that people will leave their cubicles for the weekends and sky dive, bungie jump, or hike in bear country, but when asked if they’d risk the “security” of corporate life to venture out on their own, they don’t like the prospect of that risk.

My feeling is you either have it in you or you don’t, but even the people who don’t have the gumption to go full time can make extra money on the weekends.

Many of those people eventually find that they like it so much, or their ideas, products, or services are so good, they have to go full time.

Who should read your “Authority Black Book 2008” eBook?

Humphrey: Anyone who wants traffic. The alternatives to social marketing are heavy search engine optimization (big learning curve) and other traditional, less effective marketing tactics. Social marketing is more effective than any other form of marketing and especially for beginners who don’t want to spend a year or two mastering harder tactics.

What’s next?

Humphrey: For me, it is growing both our memberships into the thousands and doing far more offline publicity for the businesses. I continue to hang off the edge of the web looking for nuggets from the future to bring back to my members and clients. The real power of the web is being out front and being first.

For your readers? Getting started. Do it gently and take your time on weekends and evenings to see all the possibilities the web offers for all kinds of businesses you could get into. If you don’t explore and allow yourself the time to get familiar with how others have “made it” you will become discouraged very quickly.

Read the Black Book and immerse yourself in the social scene. Have fun learning. And know that at some point you are going to come up with an idea that is going to be worth pursuing and just might be the idea that launches you into total independence. I can tell you that, for me, there is absolutely nothing in the world I would rather do to make a living.

===

And so dear readers, there you have it. You can start out with no capital investment except your time, and you can do it in your spare time, and on weekends. And from the looks of what Jack is up to, there is no better time than now to just get started.

“100% of the shots you never take, don’t go in”
–Wayne Gretzky

Michelle Price

Hello, Michelle Anton here. This Friday, April 18, is BiGIDEA Day in Austin, Texas, and yours truly will be there. If you attend, you’ll be a part of my 90-minute interactive workshop, “Your Million Dollar Message.” It is designed to help you define your unique message. You’ll learn the secrets to effortlessly create advocates, believers, supporters and followers. Doors open at 8:20 a.m. for breakfast, and my workshop begins at 8:40 a.m.

Next on the agenda at 11 a.m. is the BiGIDEA Day luncheon. I am the keynote speaker and emcee, so I hope you’ll join me and the BiGAUSTIN family for an entertaining and exciting experience. This is where we borrow a page from American Idol in selecting a winner for the business plan contest. Three companies will be judged, and $5,000 will be awarded for the best business plan.

Finalists will be voted on by the audience, and the winner will be announced during the BiGIDEA Day luncheon, where more than 500 community supporters, corporate leaders, entrepreneurs and government officials will be in attendance. We’re going to have a wonderful time, and I wouldn’t want you to miss this for anything in the world.

For more details, call the Big Austin office at (512) 928-8010 or visit the BiGAUSTIN website.

About BiGAUSTIN:
BiGAUSTIN was founded in 1992 by Jeannette Peten as a city-funded organization designed to help break down the barriers for people to start their own small business, particularly low- to moderate-income minorities. In 1995, BiGAUSTIN obtained its 501(c)(3) nonprofit status and, by 1996, had begun independent operations. Today, BiG obtains its funding from a variety of public and private sources and is governed by a fully independent board of directors.

Vision
BiGAUSTIN fosters economic development as the resource for small businesses to stimulate prosperity.

Mission
BiGAUSTIN assists small businesses to successfully grow by providing comprehensive education, tailored business counseling and flexible loans.

Four moves, two babies and a personal illness didn’t deter this woman from pursuing her dream of being a successful mompreneur. So if she can do it, what’s stopping you?

When Debbie Savage combined her love, heritage, fashion and babies into a jewelry company, the unexpected happened. Her company, Baby Emi Jewelry, which she affectionately named after her oldest daughter, landed on the pages of InTouch Magazine and on the Celebrity Baby Blog. Why? Because her Cambodian Jingle Bells anklet was recently sighted on one of Hollywood’s cutest babies! Photographs featured Heaven Rain, daughter of Brooke Burke and David Charvet, wearing Baby Emi Cambodian Jingle Bells jewelry at her mommy’s baby shower in Beverly Hills. Other sightings include The View’s Celebrity “Bump” Bag, when the producers televised a baby shower for co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck and at the MTV Movie Awards Celebrity Gifting Suite.

Savage has generously shared how she kept going when the going got tough, the turning point for her business and the people and values that inspired her to get started. And although Savage’s tagline is, “Glamour for pint-sized people,” she’s not just another pretty face on the fashion scene. Savage is on a mission to help others by giving back to organizations that help children in need. Words she lives by: ” ‘Pay it forward baby!’ That is our motto here at Baby Emi Jewelry because we sincerely believe that giving back is the best reward in life.”

When did you start your business and what inspired you to become an entrepreneur?

Savage: Baby Emi was started well before its online storefront graced the web. It took a few years to create the business and, finally, when the timing was just right, Baby Emi launched in April of 2006. My passion to become an entrepreneur was instilled by my mother. She nurtured an ability and confidence to grasp the impossible and do all in your power to make it happen. My source of inspiration was the birth of my daughter Emi and our rich Cambodian tradition of baby jewelry gifting.

What tips can you give others who want to embrace their dream but don’t feel they have the confidence to move forward?

Savage: You will never “fail” if you try. I do not feel like I have lost when I have given an opportunity a chance. My belief is that if you are scared about doing something, you must do it. To gain confidence and experience you must go through the experience. And allow the stress, mistakes and disappointments in running a business benefit you by providing wisdom and a clear vision of what you are and what you represent. It is overcoming these bumps in the road that empower us to feel confident in making better choices.

What gives you the edge over your competitors?

Savage: Our flagship product is our Cambodian Jingle Bells jewelry. My daughter was given her first set of Jingle Bells anklets at her Cambodian baby blessings. The fact that my family is from Cambodia and I am selling a product that honors a tradition of ours that has been passed down by the generations tells an amazing story that provides Baby Emi a depth and familial connection that sets us apart.

Tell us about your product and what it was like to take an idea from concept to getting it up and running?

Savage: I am a jewelry designer. The concept of Baby Emi in its infancy stages was created in 2002. It took three solid years before my online boutique launched in April 2006. During that time I was researching the craft, jewelry designs, business logistics and competitors. Also, I was making jewelry prototypes and building the site. It was a lot of work between getting pregnant twice and giving birth, going through four moves and personal illness.

Was there a turning point for you when you knew you could succeed with your business idea?

Savage: It was not until I had a breakthrough conversation with one of my dropship account owners. Not only is she a dear friend but also a profound business mentor. I was feeling discouraged and wanted to see Baby Emi grow in leaps and bounds. A suggestion that she made was to find a way to make my business different from my competitors. I realized that I started this business because of my culture’s tradition to gift babies with jewelry. It was then I realized I must sell Cambodian baby jewelry. And since we added our Cambodian Jingle Bells anklets and saw the success of it through press and celebrity gifting, we knew we were on to a business concept that had depth and longevity.

Have you noticed certain advantages to being an entrepreneur versus having a day job?

Savage: At my past day job I often found myself thinking about my family. The things I wanted to do with my family. And as an entrepreneur, I am “home” with my family, and it is wonderful!

How long did it take before your business became profitable?

Savage: Baby Emi will be 2 years old at the end of April. So we are very new. It is my third baby. I have not financed my company. In the beginning we were paying for it personally. And now the business is running on its own. Every “profit” that we do see gets put right back into building the business. However, it wasn’t until a year and a half [after] its launch that I felt happy with the sales it had been generating. All great things take time!

Were there any challenges that you experienced along the way that you had to overcome?

Savage: Oh, my goodness, have there been a lot of challenges–like finances, time, personal illness, etc. The only thing I could do while facing these obstacles is pray and keep moving forward, keeping my eye on the vision of my business.

Did you have a mentor?

Savage: Yes, I do have a mentor. Many actually that have helped me during certain points of my business. But my greatest mentor is the woman who reached out and asked if she could carry my jewelry, and that is Heather Ledeboer of Mom4Life.com.

What’s next?

Savage: This is the fun part! We are currently in the process of launching our Cambodian Jingle Bells anklet on a national wholesale level. This has been a very exciting and stress-inducing project. We are working with international manufacturers, domestic gift box manufacturing companies, web designs, print designers and business colleagues to get this baby ready. My ultimate goal is to have our Cambodian jewelry sold in every trendy baby boutique across the U.S. and in high-end retail shops like Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue. I also have a dream to be on “Oprah!” I find her to be amazing and uplifting. I would love to share my story of Baby Emi on her show one day. To just sit next to her would be a dream come true.

Debbie’s jewelry is beautiful. In fact, when I first saw her website, I couldn’t wait to order something for my 3-year-old niece, McKaina. It also occurred to me that I would like to write about how you can get your product in gift bags. So check back to find out more.

Oh, before I forget, my favorite section of the website is Giving, and that is where you can see how Baby Emi is giving back to other organizations. And for more info about Debbie Savage check out her blog: savagebunch.blogspot.com.

Sooooooo, it’s time for YOU to live the lifestyle of your dreams. Let me know your thoughts and what sort of ideas and resources you are looking for. I am here for you.

Peace,

Michelle Anton

Once upon a time Nancy McCord held a position in the colorful world of interior design. Nowadays she taps into the same type of skill sets, as the owner of a web design firm. What we found valuable about her journey from corporate life to becoming an entrepreneur in May of 2001, was the process she went through to determine how to transfer her years of corporate experience, knowledge, skills and passion to a new profession. Her sales enjoyed a 50 percent increase in 2007 from 2006 sales by expanding her services, staying true to her concept and adding independent contractors to her operation.

McCord Web Services offers its clients creativity and marketing which include web design, e-newsletter design, content creation and subscriber management to name a few. Of course, a big motivating factor in her life was the fact that she’d taken a two-year break to have and raise her… triplets.

Tell us about those first few years as a “corporate employee turned entrepreneur”. What did you learn from those early years that helped you move forward?

McCord: Planning yet staying nimble is important.

I tried not to create any corporate overhead before I could afford it. I strived to stay profitable by bootstrapping the resources that I had. When I had money, I carefully invested in the training and products that I really needed (not wanted) to be able to be more productive.

We have selected the services we offer slowly over time as our clients’ needs became apparent. We started only as a web design firm. Then clients asked if we could do newsletters or how about updating their website? Then it was what about updating their friend’s website when we did not do the design–and so on.

In fact, we will be rolling out a new service next month on release writing and circulation.

Typically a new service plan starts first with a client or two or three asking if we can do it. Sometimes the service seems like a good match, but before we roll anything out to clients, we test it on ourselves first. How easy or hard is it to perform? How much time does it take? We check with our staff and encourage their feedback on pricing and requirements. Only then do we introduce a new service.

Copywriting for articles and magazines is a relatively new service for us and sprang out of our clients’ blog writing needs. So from my perspective, it is important to listen to clients and then evaluate what is a good match for you. Not all services clients have asked for have turned into services that our business provides. We want to offer the best value and top-notch service level when we choose to provide something, not make a quick buck just to satisfy a customer once.

I have also found that if I cannot step in and do a service–in case a contractor cannot follow through–that I should not offer the service. I must understand what it takes for my contractors to provide a service in order to offer the service. This helps my contractors to be loyal to me and accept my guidance, as I am experienced and have walked in their shoes, but also keeps me from disappointing a customer. If there is an illness or accident, I can step in and still make a client deadline.

This is one reason why I do not provide programming services, as I do not have strong programming skills even though several of my contractors do. I feel that I must always be focused on exceeding a client’s expectations and, in doing so, have aggressively grown my business.

Approximately how much money did you have to invest before your business became profitable?

McCord: My first year I broke even, and every year after that I’ve made a profit. I have low overhead, as I work out of my own home office and have not taken on undue expenses until I had the money to pay for them.

What resources were most helpful to you when you were starting your business?

McCord: I used our local community college and went to free business startup seminars and asked lots of questions. I went to the state tax office and asked lots of questions.

What is the single most important piece of advice you would give to a current corporate employee who wants to become a “weekend entrepreneur” first, then grow a business?

McCord: Don’t start with a corporate mentality. Startups cannot typically afford high-powered consultants, the best software or glamorous offices. Spend what you can afford and plan for the future. Work to own your local market and then spread your sights. I harvested word of mouth traffic initially and then moved into the national sphere and then globally. Start with baby steps and build a strong foundation that builds customer loyalty and good repeat business and referrals.

I already had a college degree and a strong entrepreneurial background as well as management background. I had been in interior design and furniture sales management as well as [being] a licensed interior designer.

I thought that a web design career would allow me to work at home to be near my kids, use my strong color and design skills, and leverage opportunity from my strong selling background.

I knew that I needed web design and web graphics training, yet not a degree. I went to the local community college and took not-for-credit night classes to get a certificate in web design. I worked hard for nine months and created a portfolio while in class so I could hit the ground running and get special help from instructors when I needed it.

I was also able to buy some of my most expensive software while in school as a student using the college’s student discount (Photoshop at a 50 percent discount).

I was thirsty for knowledge and really worked hard at developing my skills outside of class. I practiced, practiced, practiced.

I created my own website for my business as my last project so I could hit the ground running. My first customers were neighbors and family members. My first employees were family members as well, as I could trust them to help me and to work cheaply in a desire to help me succeed.

Do you have a book or information product?

McCord: I have a free informational download section on my website where you can pick up our top white papers on a variety of topics.

Our newest whitepaper is “The Tangible Benefits of Blogging.” This in-depth analysis reviews statistical results of web traffic, site stickiness and organic search placement of websites that use blogging as a way to build content and authority on their selected topic. You will walk away from reading it knowing that blogging is the new medium for your marketing arsenal for your own business.

http://www.mccordweb.com/newsletters/2007/white-paper.html

McCord: Our most popular white paper that has been downloaded [more than] 800 times is “Google & Yahoo Advertising Comparison White Paper.“

This in-depth analysis compares Google AdWords to Yahoo Sponsored Search and, in easy-to-understand terms, helps you to decide which program is best suited for your needs. We compare results for users of both products for click traffic, expense and the number of impressions. You will walk away from reading this white paper having a clearer understanding of what each offers, the pros and cons of each, and a better idea of which vehicle will be best for your needs.

http://www.mccordweb.com/newsletters/2006/white-paper.html

Our kudos to Nancy for taking that leap to entrepreneurship and sustaining it for seven years and counting (and all while raising triplets).

Our question to you, dear readers–what skills, knowledge, experience and passions can you leverage to create the lifestyle of your dreams?

Melissa DeMordaunt and Krista Lewis put their feet down and decided to be stay-at-home-moms. When faced with the dilemma of working a day job and being away from home, DeMordaunt’s mind was made up. She candidly said, “Flexibility is the main advantage. Once we became mothers, neither of us wanted to be tied to an hourly job or a place where someone else was dictating our schedule. We love that being an entrepreneur doesn’t mean you work less hours, it just allows us to be mamas for our day job. We get to continue to utilize our minds and education, interact with people, and improve our creative and problem-solving skills. It is the best of both worlds.”

In November 2006, they joined forces and started SnugaBug. They weren’t aspiring entrepreneurs at the time (DeMordaunt has a degree in social work and Lewis has a nursing degree). But when the idea for the Warmsie® came, they ran with it.

Personal mantra?
DeMordaunt: Great things come in small packages (we are both 5′1″)

Business mantra?
DeMordaunt: NGU–”Never Give Up.”

Tell us about your product and what it was like to take an idea from concept to getting it up and running.
DeMordaunt: What all mindful parents need for their babies-on-board is a base layer. The Warmsie is all about function and style. We have made a onesie and pant set out of a soft, high-tech wicking fabric for babies and toddlers. A thin layer that will pull moisture away from babies’ skin; something a baby can wear under regular clothes, replacing the onesie. Each set is trimmed with a contrasting print making them chic so that it isn’t ” just” an under layer.We have learned so much throughout the process of turning our idea into a real product and creating a business based on that product. It was significantly harder than we thought it would be, but much more rewarding than we imagined it could be.

Originally, we were naïve in thinking that we would be in business once we secured the specialty fabric, came up with a pattern, designed the look and got them into stores. True, those were the major issues, but the real work and time went into the minutiae. The topics where we donned our problem-solving-creative-NGU (never give up) hats were in the details: hang tags, branding, packaging for stores, size tags, logo, packaging for our own retail site sales, designing, thread color, waistband size, website, product pictures, return policy, marketing. Phew. The list goes on.

Was there a turning point for you when you knew you could succeed with your business idea? DeMordaunt: Originally, we made the Warmsie sets ourselves. At the point where keeping up on orders cut too much into our time as mothers, we searched for a manufacturer. Walking into a factory and seeing a large room full of seamstresses all working hard on Warmsies was a eureka moment for us. It hit us. “Wow, we have created a product and now others are working on our invention!” It was incredibly exciting.

What tips can you give others who want to embrace their dream, but don’t feel they have the confidence to move forward?
DeMordaunt: Talk to people about your idea. Getting positive feedback was key to our confidence in starting SnugaBug and creating the Warmsie. Once you have made your decision to go forward, jump in with both feet. Success will depend on the energy and persistence you put into your idea. Never give up.

How did you get financing for your company?
DeMordaunt: We have self-funded and boot-strapped to this point.

How long did it take before your business became profitable?
DeMordaunt: We were profitable our first year.

What resources were most helpful to you when you were starting your business? DeMordaunt: Willing and able friends. We have received so much help from family and friends. The StartUp Princess organization has also been very helpful.

What’s next?
DeMordaunt: Bigger sizes, new products and more stores.

Applause to Melissa DeMordaunt and Krista Lewis for being inspiring role models. Do you have a personal mantra that you would like to share with us? Or something that helped you get through tough times? If so, let us know. In fact, whatever is on your mind we want to know and we want to continue supporting your dream. Holla back! Cheers, Michelle Anton

“You don’t have to be a rocket scientist” is a cliché I’ve recited more times than I care to remember. But I just met Lisa Akers, a real-life rocket scientist. Her Denver-based company, Be Still & Knit, offers classes and clothing for children and the women who love them.

This upclose and personal interview with Lisa Akers reveals what she’s up to… from stumbling blocks (a coach who didn’t work out) to a peek at what’s she’s planning to do next to increase industry awareness. She’s a smart cookie.

When did you start your business and what inspired you to become an entrepreneur?
AKERS: I started my company, Be Still & Knit, in the summer of 2005. I left my corporate job as a rocket scientist (yes, really) in late 2003 to birth my daughter. It was a huge shift for me to go from the world of high science, high dollar and high-risk satellite business to the world of diapers, baby food and midnight feedings. To top it all off, we moved from our home in Connecticut to Denver for my husband’s work (in my 35th week of pregnancy). So here I was, a new mom in a new town, with no friends to speak of.

I desperately needed to do something and meet people or I was going to go nuts! So, I went to moms’ groups, I went to churches and I went to the parks to meet other moms. It worked for a while, but my drive as an engineer really made me want to do more–I wanted to have something that I could call my own.

I was wandering through Target, buying diapers, when a learn-to-knit kit caught my eye. It was not completely out of character, since I had been crocheting since I was 6. I brought it home and learned to knit. It wasn’t the most beautiful of shawls (at least in my eyes), but it garnered me compliments every time I wore it. Before long, I was making shawls and teaching classes to my new friends.

What gives you the edge over your competitors?
AKERS: I think that my concept for teaching classes is unique in two ways. First, I come to my students and work on their schedule. Being a mom and not owning a brick-and-mortar store, I have a lot more flexibility in when and where I do my work. Secondly, I believe in giving people a skill and a philosophy. I want all my students to walk away with confidence in their abilities. Often with lessons in stores or at craft events, the instructor only wants to present the material and get it over with. I go one step beyond the skill and talk about the more emotional, spiritual and relationship aspects of knitting/crocheting. I want to create a community of knitters, not just a collection. With my clothing, I create classic designs out of materials that are easy-care, that are high-quality and long-lasting, and are widely appealing to moms and grandmas. What sets me apart is the fact that my designs are easy to wear and easy to care for. Busy moms don’t need fussy clothes.

Was there a turning point for you when you knew you could succeed with your business idea? If so please describe.
AKERS: It came this past January 2nd. I was celebrating the holidays with my family when my business phone rang. I answered it, and on the other end was a high-end local boutique that wanted to start selling my products. It was the confidence booster and energy behind my new success. I was doing OK before, but that moment I realized that I could do so much more!

Have you noticed certain advantages to being an entrepreneur versus having a day job?
AKERS: Well, it is great to have the personal flexibility of working for myself. I can schedule my days, weeks and months to best suit my own demands as a mom and wife. On the other hand, it’s much harder to keep focused when I’m the only one setting the agenda.

When I had a day job as a rocket scientist, I felt much like a firefighter. Some days were incredibly busy with solving problems, explaining concepts and running tests. Other days were just a waiting game. I find that with my own business, every day is incredibly busy. When I am working for myself, my brain is on overdrive coming up with new products, class ideas and marketing concepts. I have a journal that I always carry with me that I use to write down the ideas I have but don’t have time to do right now. Each six months, I sit down with those ideas and see if I should implement some of them and eliminate some of the things I’m currently doing.

How long did it take before your business became profitable?
AKERS: I was profitable in my second year of business. It took about 18 months to comfortably profit from what I do. My business is pretty seasonal, too. I teach a lot more and sell a lot more product in the winter. I’m trying to shift that around, but there’s something about having wool in your lap in August that isn’t very appealing!

Has it been difficult to get financing for your company?
AKERS: I have self-financed. I used my credit card to get started and, fortunately, I have a very low interest rate.

Did you have a mentor? If so, how was it helpful?
AKERS: Well, I did have a coach, and she really wasn’t that helpful. I loved getting her ideas and putting some of them to work. However, I trusted her ideas and concepts without doing any of my own research and without running it through my own filters. Unfortunately, her ideas led me away from my core business and were a big distraction for my first 18 months. Once I refocused on my business of creating a knitting community, then I was more profitable and more successful.
I’ve found that other moms who are in business are far more valuable as mentors. They have made a lot of the mistakes I made and are willing to share. It’s great to have a community of like-minded business owners to reach out to when you have a question or need some advice.

What resources were most helpful to you when you were starting your business?
AKERS: The most valuable thing for me has been two moms’ networking groups. We meet twice a month and we get to talk about how business is going. We share ideas on marketing, websites, events and getting clients. We critique each other’s new products, and we get new ideas on how to best run a business and raise a family.

What’s next for Be Still & Knit?
AKERS: My plan is to start holding weekend retreats for fiber artists. We’ll have classes on fiber projects, meditation, prayer, exercise, nutrition and community building. I want to bring the peaceful aspect of fiber arts to the knitting community and create a stronger community of knitters.

Let us know what’s next for you and how we can help.

Your cheerleader for success,
Michelle Anton

For Denee Forbes, an unforeseen challenge paved the way for a new mommy-friendly venture that she launched without borrowing a cent. “Women are great multitaskers, and there are so many things in business that can be done from home these days,” said Forbes.

Realizing that as her bump grew, her favorite stainless steel navel ring might be risky, she began exploring her options. Forbes was already aware of the potential harm associated with a navel piercing in pregnant women. She said, “It pretty much starts cutting through your skin. Some people do make it through the ninth month if they don’t get big, but they’re usually bleeding and in a ton of pain.”

Forbes couldn’t find any safe solutions when she checked out websites, maternity boutiques and piercing shops. But before long, she stumbled across an answer that came in the shape of a nontoxic flexible tubing that was already enjoying multiple uses. It is uncanny that the same tubing doctors relied on for open-heart surgery was popular with body artists wanting to create raised circles just beneath the surface of their skin.

Ingenuity and creativity were soaring the day Forbes used a piece of the bendable tubing and two end balls to cap the openings of her first custom made navel ring. She knew that she was on to something unique when her invention lasted throughout her pregnancy. This was the first step for her business, Pregnancy Piercings. Today she sells 14-gauge, 2-inch barbells that can be cut to size. They come in nine colors, including pink and blue for those who know what sex their baby will be.

Having jump-started her biz on eBay, Forbes said, “EBay is a great way to start a business; even a ‘crazy’ idea like Pregnancy Piercings got noticed there. I started out selling one a week just to see if anyone else might want to keep their navel ring through pregnancy, like me!”

Forbes, wants to inspire other women to follow in her carefully chosen footsteps: “My plan for the future is to help other moms who quit their day jobs to stay at home with their little ones.” She is the proud mommy of 2 children, her 5 year old daughter was the inspiration for launching Pregnancy Piercings and her son is 10 months old.

I would be remiss if I didn’t send a BIG thank you to my new friend Heather Ledeboer of Mom4Life.com. She introduced me to Denee Forbes and several other people who have inspiring stories. Stay tuned because I promise to share their stories right here in the near future.

Let us know about your entrepreneurial dreams. Your feedback is important to us.

Michelle Anton

Although you must be a resident of the Central Texas region for this competition, it’s an awesome opportunity to win $5,000 for your business. Online entrees are being sought for the 2008 BiGAUSTIN (Business Investment Growth) BiG idea Day’s Business Plan Competition.

Here are seven things you need to know before entering this exciting competition sponsored by BiGAUSTIN:

1. All business plans for the BiG idea Day Luncheon competition must be submitted by 5 p.m. on Friday, March 21, 2008;

2. To register for the business plan competition, call 512.928.8010 or visit the website at bigaustin.org;

3. Participants must be entrepreneurs of at least six months and generate less than $500,000 revenue;

4. Each contestant will present his or her business plan in a live competition on April 18, 2008, for selection as the best for 2008;

5. The judges will be the audience of corporate, entrepreneur and community leaders. The winner receives a $5,000 cash prize, which he or she can use to further business goals

6. BiGAUSTIN is offering free business plan counseling services and workshops to aid contest participants in preparation. Participation in these classes will not be used to influence judges, but to help the contestants prepare to present their very best business plan; and

7. The Business Plan Lab Session is optional. It allows participants to work on their specific plan with a professional. It will be held Wednesday, March 12, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

For more information on the preparation classes and to register for the business plan competition, call 512.928.8010 or visit the website at bigaustin.org.

BiGAUSTIN is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) founded in 1995. BiGAUSTIN is the leading self-sustainable small business development organization that provides innovative growth strategies to underserved entrepreneurs in Central Texas. BiGAUSTIN offers entrepreneurial education, tailored business counseling and flexible loans for small business owners.

Come on, dust off that business plan and get in the game! It’s time to start living the life of your dreams. And if you don’t reside in Austin, Texas, then maybe you have a friend, relative or an associate who could benefit by knowing about this competiton. So please, spread the word.

Check back later this month for more details about the 8th Annual BIG idea Day Luncheon on April 18, 2008, at the Austin Hilton Hotel. More than 500 community and corporate leaders, entrepreneurs and government officials will be in attendance. This will be a wonderful opportunity for networking. I’ll be the keynote speaker for the luncheon, and I’ll be conducting a workshop that morning.

Hope to meet you there!

Michelle Anton

When Heather Ledeboer invested one hundred dollars to launch her retail website, she wanted to be at home with her son and to work in her slippers. Her simple yet stylish website, Mom 4 Life, is the poster child for the mantra, “Niche and grow rich.”

With a heart of gold, Ledeboer, a mom of two, says, “I believe we are special because we focus on doing hundreds of important little things exceptionally well. We are mom-owned and offer hand-selected products that are all ‘mom invented.’ Mom4Life.com provides free shipping and process orders within 24 to 48 hours. We offer free gift wrapping, including a hand-written note and a free gift with purchase. We are fanatic about great customer service, and 10 percent of the profits from our sales are donated to moms in need.”

Today I had the pleasure of chatting with Heather Ledeboer about how she started Mom 4 Life in 2003 after the birth of her first son. What she has done is nothing short of genius. She has five employees, 700-plus products and has donated more than $15,000 to local pregnancy centers to date. This year her company is projected to exceed sales of $700,000.

How did you decide what kind of business to start and what sort of personal challenges inspired you to earn extra income in your spare time?
Ledeboer: I realized that there were many business options that could work, but only a few that I would be truly passionate about. I have a lot of passion for being a mother, so helping other moms was a logical place to start. My main obstacle was simply gaining enough courage to take the first step and try it. After the first step, God was gracious and didn’t let me fall. I haven’t stopped moving forward since.

How long did it take before your business became profitable?
Ledeboer: My first order was for $100 worth of product. It started so small we did not have to take out a loan. After I sold that first order, I placed a slightly bigger one the next time, using my profits. It grew like this, slowly at first and then more quickly over time. Thankfully, it was profitable from the start.

Were there any challenges that you experienced along the way that appeared to be more difficult because you are a woman?
Ledeboer: Simply the fact that because I am a mom, I also have the responsibilities of motherhood and being a wife in addition to being a business owner. It can be a challenge to balance it all. However, I have surrounded myself with 200-plus women in business whose products are offered on my site, and together we make up a pretty great business force and a great support team!

Did you need to have a certain mindset to achieve success?
Ledeboer: I have always believed in myself. From the time that I was young I always wanted to be a genius. No one has ever said that I am, but secretly I think it is true. I believe that God Himself equips each of us for a special task. I believe He has given me a special gift to do exactly what I am doing, and I find so much fulfillment in it.

Have you noticed certain advantages to being an entrepreneur because you are a woman?
Ledeboer: Absolutely! Multitasking for one is the main reason I can maintain sanity in the house with all the different things that can go on in any given day. Also, working with other women is a joy. We are so relational and nurturing that it makes collaborating with other businesswomen, who share my goal of business growth, a blessing for all involved.

Has the media picked up on your story?
Ledeboer: Yes. I have tried to bring to their attention the unique aspects of my business, my knowledge in the area of baby products, and our extreme growth and success. I believe everyone loves to hear success stories because it inspires them to dig deep and find it within themselves.

Are you still working at your full-time job?
Ledeboer: Before I was a mom, I taught second grade. I have not worked for anyone else since my son was born. I work about 30 to 40 hours a week (mostly during nap and after my kids go to bed—I have really late nights).

What resources were most helpful to you when you were starting your business?
Ledeboer: I have read several books and found several websites to be really helpful. I am a big believer in learning from the successes and failures of others. I developed a list of some resources on my website to help direct the moms that come to me with this same question.

What ways have you found to be most effective in marketing your product or service to get sales?
Ledeboer: Doing things right the first time. If we provide our customers with great products, good prices and treat them right along the way, they become our marketing team. We do several other forms of advertising, but I believe that this is the most important one.

What tips can you give others who want to embrace their dream but don’t have the confidence or feel they don’t have what it takes to succeed?
Ledeboer: I would suggest finding a cause that is worthy of your effort and time. For me it was to be home with my son. Then weigh the risks. What is the worst that could happen? What is the best? Then find others (who) will support them and hold them accountable in all the right areas. For me this was my husband.

What would you tell someone who wants to be an entrepreneur but doesn’t know what she wants to do or where to begin to get her idea up and making money?
Ledeboer: My method was to pray about it. Another suggestion is to ask those you really trust to suggest some strengths that they see in you. Write them down and go over them to see if you can find something in yourself that you can get passionate about that would also benefit others. Then look for mentors to help you know where to start and how to get going.

How do you manage juggling the responsibilities of being a mom/wife/entrepreneur?
Ledeboer: I will not sugarcoat it, this is very hard. Probably this is the hardest part of my job. I am not alone. Almost every mom in business I talk with has the same struggle. For me it usually means I get used to being OK with very little sleep.

When we heard about The Poem Lady, the brainchild of Jill Starishevsky, we were all ears. Besides the fact that she is on a mission, several things got our attention. Starishevsky is a mom, a wife and a prosecutor of sex crime and child abuse in New York City with more than a decade of experience. The other thing, is that we had no idea you could make “good”  money writing poetry.

Starishevsky recently returned to work after maternity leave and, like many of us, she needed a creative outlet. She said, “I had drafted poems and speeches for family and friends for years and decided that this would be a natural segue into a business.” And that’s exactly what happened. She started The Poem Lady in 2005, and its success gave her the funds to launch her new venture, HowsMyNanny.com. With a passion for protecting children, Starishevsky created an easy-to-use service that enables anyone to communicate problems he or she witnesses to parents, keeping nannies on watch and children safe.

HowsMyNanny.com has become a media favorite. Recently Jill Starishevsky shared her story with Donny Deutsch when she appeared on “The Big Idea.” In addition, Hows My Nanny has been endorsed in the New York Daily News and was featured on “Good Morning America,” CNN and Fox. But before the nanny biz took off, The Poem Lady was paving the way to a bigger dream. Here’s the story behind the story.

What was it like to take an idea from concept to getting it up and running?
Starishevsky: My product is personalized poems for birthdays, anniversaries, baby and bridal showers, bar/bat mitzvah candlelighting ceremonies and speeches for all occasions. The only thing I had to do to get up and running was to establish a website and strongly encourage word-of-mouth referrals from my many satisfied clients. Once I developed a name for myself, it just took a bit of networking to keep the momentum going.

How did you use this business to fund your other business?
Starishevsky: I had come up with an idea for a business that would take some capital to start and some time to grow (HowsMyNanny.com). It required the establishment of a sophisticated website, the manufacturing of stroller license plates and other related costs. In the meantime, I needed something that would bring money in while I was getting the other business off the ground. I knew starting a website to write poems would have little overhead. In fact, when I first got started, I didn’t even purchase a domain name. I used a free web hosting service (poemsrus.biz.ly). I still apply the majority of the income from The Poem Lady to HowsMyNanny.com to cover some of the monthly fixed costs.

Have you noticed certain advantages to being an entrepreneur versus having a day job?
Starishevsky: For the first 15 months of my younger daughter’s life, I was a full-time entrepreneur while I was on maternity leave. Besides the advantage of being able to create my own schedule, I found that there were no limits to what I could do next. It spawned a great deal of creativity. As I write this now, I am both an entrepreneur and back at work full time. At times it can be challenging, but anything worthwhile is.

How long did it take before your business became profitable?
Starishevsky: Since I rely heavily on word-of-mouth referrals and post advertisements on numerous free sites, I have few, if any, fixed costs. As a result, the business became profitable as soon as it started. It gets busier around certain times like Christmas and Valentine’s Day, and the summer is a busy time for bridal showers. I knew I was on to something big when I started getting the same feedback from my candlelighting ceremony clients–they kept telling me I wasn’t charging enough.

Are there any challenges that you experienced along the way that you had to overcome?
Starishevsky: I really enjoy solving the puzzle of writing a meaningful poem from the personal information provided. So much so that sometimes I would finish a poem quickly and want to immediately send it out to the client for his feedback. My husband had to constantly remind me that I should not send out the poem until I received payment. I was more interested in their reaction than in getting paid. I learned my lesson the hard way, as we often must; I was burned two or three times. One time, I spent five hours writing a best man speech for a man who was leaving for his cousin’s wedding in Italy. I sent him a great speech and he never sent payment. Since that time, I have gotten better about treating the business like a business. However, every once in a while when I write a really sweet poem that I know the person is going to love, I still get so excited that I take a leap of faith and send it out right away.

What resources were most helpful to you when you were starting your business?
Starishevsky: When I first started out, I sought out message boards related to baby and bridal showers. I found that there were quite a few requests for poems that went unanswered. I answered every request I saw with a free poem and signed it “Jill–the poem lady.” After a few weeks, I developed a reputation on the message boards and people started posting messages like “Looking for the poem lady.” That was truly an invaluable source of marketing. I still frequent the message boards on occasion, as I enjoy the feedback.

A few months ago, a woman in a baby shower forum asked if anyone could recommend an inscription for a locket that she planned to give to her 10-year-old daughter from her new baby brother. I wrote back and suggested: “Though a decade apart, you’re always close in my heart.” The woman just adored it and went on to order a poem to accompany the locket.
After I got burned a few times by people who did not send payment, Paypal became a much-appreciated resource. I also learned the marketing value of writing an article. I wrote an article called “Top 10 Tips for Writing a Great Candlelighting Ceremony Poem” for a website that provided information on planning a bar or bat mitzvah (MitzvahChic.com). I have gotten some good referrals from people who have read the article and liked my work.

What’s next?
Starishevsky:I have used my experience as a prosecutor and my writing skills to create a very important book intended to teach children about child sexual abuse prevention. It is called “My Body,” and I hope to have it published this year. It is my hope that the book enables parents to begin a dialogue with their children about a subject that is often considered taboo until it is too late. It is a short-term goal of mine to have Oprah find out about this book and write the foreword in an effort to make the subject more palatable for parents.

Share your dream with us. It doesn’t matter if you are up and running or just thinking about it. We want to know what’s on your mind.