Weekend Entrepreneur:

When I told my daughter that Austin must be doing something right, she said, “Austin Powers?” Once I stopped laughing I was able to share stories about a few new business owners I met in Austin, Texas, and how they possessed a refreshing burst of enthusiasm that I wanted to bring back to Los Angeles.

The first entrepreneur I met when I arrived was Penny of PennysPastries.com. She sells the tastiest chocolate chip cookie mix on the planet from her website. With flavors such as Chocolate Chip Indulgence, Peanut Butter Obsession, Black Magic and Chocolate-Chocolate Cherry, you’ll undoubtedly find something to delight your palette.

And I would be remiss if I didn’t send a shout out to one of the entrepreneurs I met when I was leaving. Sue Rostvold of VerySuperCool.com gave me a box of greeting cards. (Yes! They really are cool.) Her tagline for VerySuperCool.com is “Green greeting cards with soul, because every dog has a story.” My friends fell in love with these adorable cards the moment they laid eyes on them. The heart-warming picture as well as the sayings inside each card makes them memorable.

Here are some of the vendors Jeannette Peten, CEO of BiGAustin, had on hand to display their unique products at the BiGAustin Marketplace last month. It’s always nice to know what entrepreneurs are doing in various parts of the country, so I will continue to share my finding with you as I travel to other cities.

Mileagelogger–Manuel Fernandez
Whether you’re a sales rep, small business person or travel for your company, to claim your miles from the IRS you need to track your miles for the IRS. Finally, Mileagelogger has made this easy. Mileagelogger created and offers the world’s first and only wireless GPS-enabled system to track those important miles. It provides IRS compliant business mileage log books without you lifting a finger. Make your life easier by visiting mileagelogger.com.

House By the Side of the Road–Susan Belisle
For several years Belisle owned and operated a small bed and breakfast in Baltimore, Maryland. And although the rooms were quaint and the customer service fabulous, guests kept coming back for Susan’s special gingerbread pancakes and waffles. After her guests requested a way to make her morning treats in their home kitchens, Susan decided to work with a professional blender to turn her from-scratch gingerbread pancakes into an easy-to-use mix. Now living in Austin, Texas, Susan offers her mix under the Morning Sunshine brand. Available in a 2-pound, beautifully designed copper-colored pouch, her mixes are available online at gingerbreadpancakemix.com.

Chocolatecture - Kathleen Grandfield
My gift from BiGAustin was a lavish gift basket made by jewelry designer and Certified Chocolatier, Kathleen Grandfield. It was delicious and included an eclectic mix of chocolate items including hearts, musical instruments and bats. Her website is kathleengrandfield.com
Dsdel Ideas–Deborah Evans-Lombe
A gifted artist, Evans-Lombe uses her graphic design and fine-arts background to offer a full line of pet cans that celebrate the loving attachment between owners and their pets. Deborah also has a line of original pieces and limited-edition, signed prints all executed in black and white. This series, called Accordance in Black and White, is stunning in its simplicity while also celebrating and respecting diversity in our community and the world. Visit dsdelideas.com.

Zhi Tea–Jeffrey Lorien
We heard it repeated time and again at the BiGMARKETPLACE: The Zhi Tea experience was not to be missed. With beautifully designed tins of loose teas, Zhi Teas are smooth, pleasant and unexpectedly delightful. All teas offered by Zhi Tea are organic and fair trade gourmet loose teas. They also offer fabulous steeping devices. zhitea.com.

Mexican Masterpieces LLC–Julieta Alcantara
Hand-loomed and hand-embroidered pillowcases, wonderfully colorful throws and thoughtfully produced table runners in vivid colors are the focus of Mexican Masterpieces. This small company offers the best selection of hand-made products, elaborated by Mexican artisans using pre-Hispanic techniques. Alcantara’s carefully selected pieces are as much a history lesson of a people as they are beautiful, sincere works of art. mexicanmasterpieces.net.

Keynamics LLC–Greg Bright
Does your back ache from sitting too long in front of your computer in an uncomfortable chair? How about leaning over your laptop until your shoulders feel stiff and painful? Greg Bright addresses these common problems with his line of ergonomic office products, innovative laptop stands and BodyBilt chairs. With Bright’s products you’ll start to feel more energized immediately. He has a great selection at keynamics.com.

Do you have a unique product or service? Let me know because I am always interested in hearing about what entrepreneurs are up to.

Dedicated to your sussess,

Michelle

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.

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.

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

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 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.

Have you been praying for a miracle or wanted to crawl under a rock at the thought of your holiday credit card bills piling up? I just found a website that wants to change that. This is your chance to purge your shopping demons by confessing your holiday excesses to the world. Make it funny, make it sad, make it pathetic–you can even make it bad. Tell the world. Mint will pay the winning contestants’ credit card bills as of December 31.

While checking out mint.com today, I found a pre-announcement for its blog readers. So I wanted to share it with you ASAP. Mint wants you to submit your own story, in video or text, about your 2007 holiday shopping experiences. The best video and text submissions will each win up to $5,000 (and some free credit counseling). You can thank Aaron Patzer, founder and CEO of Mint, for this brilliant contest, which begins Thursday, January 31, at midnight, Eastern Standard Time. March 15th is the deadline for submitting your story.

Even if you aren’t interested in the contest, I urge you to check out the Mint website. It won’t cost you a cent, and it likely will save you money. It doesn’t matter whether you love or hate dealing with money matters. This site is for anyone wanting or needing to manage funds more effectively.

How Mint.com Works

• Mint.com is designed to make managing personal finances effortless.

• It’s free.

• It takes less than five minutes to get started/

• Users register anonymously using only a valid e-mail address, and then securely connect to their online bank, credit union and credit card accounts.

• Mint.com does the rest; users never need to import or sync any data. Mint.com securely downloads transaction data from more than 3,500 financial institutions on a daily basis.

• It applies patent-pending technology and proprietary algorithms to compile and categorize transactions, providing users with a unified view of all account activity with high degree of accuracy and detail in a single, easy-to-understand interface

• An advanced alerting system proactively lets users know about unusual or potentially suspicious activity, low balances, bank fees and charges, and upcoming bills.

• Beyond showing where your money goes, Mint.com also provides specific, individualized suggestions that can save you money.

Safety and Security
Mint provides the same level of online data security as top U.S. banks through a partnership with Yodlee, which has provided online banking services to major financial institutions for nearly 10 years. Mint’s privacy and security policies and systems have been certified by Hackersafe, RSA, TRUSTe and VeriSign. Mint never asks for a personal identity, requiring only a valid e-mail address.

Your comments and replies, as well as compliments and criticisms, are always appreciated. Let us know what you think of weekend.entrepreneur.com. Our goal is to help you.

When I read my e-mail and found this resource, I started to do the happy dance. Why? Because it’s an option to one of the biggest dilemmas many people are facing: “How can I make money working from home?” It’s a question many stay-at-home moms ask me, and it’s a situation fledgling entrepreneurs often face, too.

Carol Clark

Finally, we can recommend an idea whose time has come. Needlestackjobs.com is the brainchild of two savvy women, Kathleen Wiant and her former employer, Carol Clark. If someone asked me to compare it to another company, Careerbuilders.com and Monster.com are two companies that immediately come to mind. However, Needlestack Jobs has carved out a niche by offering listings of professional, flextime jobs that allow you to perform purposeful work as well as tend to other aspects of your life, such as kids, aging parents or starting a business.

By the way, if this doesn’t apply to you, please forward it to a friend. This isn’t a trend, it’s an epidemic, statistics indicate.

This is what the experts are saying:

1. “92 precent of American workers feel that they don’t have
enough flexibility at work to meet the needs of their children and
families.” Source: Workplace Flexibility 2010

2. “77 percent of workers expect to work for pay after they
retire.” Source: Pew Research Center

3. “74 percent of men rate having a work schedule that allows them
to spend time with their families as very important.” Source:
Workplace Flexibility 2010

4. “66 percent of woman who left their jobs for family reasons want
to return to work.” Source: Center for Work-Life Policy

5. “25 percent of all working moms are dissatisfied with their work/life balance and are actively seeking jobs that will provide them with more flexibility.” Source: Careerbuilders.com

Kathleen Wiant

6. “63 percent of workers between the ages of 50 and 70 say they
will work part-time before full retirement.” Source: Watson Wyatt
Worldwide

7. “55 percent of mothers said they did not have enough time to
spend with their children.” Source: Workplace Flexibility 2010

The good news is that Needlestack Jobs doesn’t charge a fee and has quality jobs in a variety of areas of interest. My curiosity got the best of me today, so I called and spoke with Kathleen Wiant, co-founder of Needlestack Jobs. She was an absolute delight and answered every question I had.

Check out her website and let us know what you think of needlestackjobs.com. It’s a user-friendly website I liked.

Applause to Kathleen Wiant for following her heart and, in doing so, finding a better way for all us to proper in these uncertain times.

If you’re a celebrity, you’re used to red carpets being rolled out for you and being greeted by name and with a smile. Wouldn’t it be great to be admired and complimented by strangers on a daily basis? I sometimes wonder what it would be like if business associates bent over backward to cater to my personal desires and needs. That may sound far-fetched, but in Hollywood it’s the norm.

The good news is that someone has actually taken some of the most coveted secrets from those who serve the Hollywood elite and applied them to real-world business. Meet Donna Cutting, author of The Celebrity Experience, and president of Donna Cutting Presents!

Donna Cutting wasn’t a typical kid. Instead of playing games and watching TV, she was busy putting on talent shows for the neighbors, rehearsing her Oscar speech in the bathroom mirror, and signing autographs for anyone who asked–usually her parents.

But when she grew up, she took a second look at the path she had taken. “I was a frustrated stage actress who had pushed those dreams aside in favor of collecting a regular paycheck. I worked for a while in the field of senior living and, although I loved it, I felt the ‘actress’ and ‘entrepreneur’ in me tugging away.â€?

As soon as she figured out a way to combine her theater experience with her business skills, she was off and running.

What is the most important piece of advice you would give to other weekend entrepreneurs who want to grow their businesses?
Cutting: You’ve got to be willing to go the extra mile and do those things that your competition isn’t willing to do.

In my presentations, I will sometimes suggest that employers buy a red carpet to welcome new employees. One of my audience members went back to his workplace excited by this idea, and was met with groans and questions, such as, “Who’s going to be in charge of that, who will store it, who will clean it?” As you can imagine, he was deflated.

When I spoke to the director of wow at High Point University, one of the featured companies in The Celebrity Experience, he told me “that would never happen here. Here we would buy the red carpet and figure out how to seamlessly make it part of our everyday life at HPU.”

It’s that kind of “yes” attitude that has HPU campus visits up 70 percent and enrollment up 63 percent in three years’ time. It’s that kind of “yes” attitude that will quickly put you on the entrepreneurial A-list and move you from just weekends to full time.

You’ve got to be willing to go the extra mile to wow your customer.

Tell us about the early years as a weekend entrepreneur.
Cutting: I did keep my position at a senior living community for about a yearafter I decided to start a speaking business. I spoke here and there on weekends and evenings, for fee and for free. If you wanted me to speak for your organization, I was there, as long as it would fit around my work schedule. To be honest, I probably left my job too early. With a few months’ salary in the bank and high hopes, I took the leap and soon discovered it was not as easy running a business in my 30s as it had been selling Avon when I was 10.

So I took a variety of different positions during those first few years that enabled me to keep my schedule flexible to accept speaking engagements. The jobs were varied. I did a bit of consulting for a former employer, I worked as an “observer” for a company that built museum exhibits, I even waited tables and would pray that no one who was in my audience at the Rotary Club that day would come in for dinner. There were two additional jobs that really contributed to achieving my business goals. I produced and performed interactive theater shows for children, which became another company in and of itself. Since it grew very quickly, I was able to learn some business basics through trial and error. It was through those performances that I developed my interactive speaking style that I am known for today.

If you were to ask me the single position that really helped me get to where I am now in this business, it would be taking on the role of assistant to another speaker. A coach I was working with asked me what I needed to learn to build my speaking business and encouraged me to find a job that would help me learn it. So I offered myself as an assistant to a successful speaker. I was able to learn how to effectively run a speaking business, and that speaker is my mentor and one of my best friends to this day.

What did you learn from those early years that helped you to move your business forward?
Cutting: How much I needed to learn. Like many entrepreneurs, I started my business because I loved my topic and I loved speaking. Instead, I found I needed to learn bookkeeping, marketing, sales, etc. Fortunately, entrepreneurs and other speakers are very generous with their knowledge. Perhaps more important, the more I focused on my audience or my customers and what they needed and wanted, the more business came my way. It’s not about me; it’s about them and how I can make them feel. When I began focusing on making others the stars of my show, whether from the platform or through our customer-service practices, that’s when my business really began to soar.

Who should read your book?
Cutting: My book is perfect for business owners, entrepreneurs, managers or anyone who works in a service industry. The Celebrity Experience shows how to turn customers into lifelong, adoring clients by delivering consistent red-carpet customer service.

If you work in health care, education, association management, hospitality, car repair, PR and marketing, HR, banking and finance, retail, insurance, airline or travel, plumbing, roofing or trades there are examples and information in this book specifically for you.

If you are striving to create bonafide buzz for you and your business, then you should be giving everyone who walks through your doors The Celebrity Experience.

Donna Cutting is living the life of her dreams in St. Petersburg, Florida, with her husband, Jim, and Snowball, their Maltese puppy. You can find out more about her at donnacutting.com.