Weekend Entrepreneur:

It’s amusing to me how the terms “early adapter” and “early adopter” are often misused and confused. Here’s my take on it. If you were one of the Harvard students who initially used Facebook, then you’re an early adopter. You’re the first to ever use Facebook. (”Adopt” definition: “to take up and practice as one’s own”). It started on Feb. 4, 2004, when a Harvard student named Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook, which was limited to Harvard students.

Fast forward to 2006. Facebook spread to other college campuses and, in September of that year, it was accessible to anyone with an e-mail address. Those people were the early adapters because they took it and adapted it to their own needs and interests.

Don’t laugh at me because I don’t fall into either category. Let’s just say when it comes to technology, I’m a late bloomer. But I’m willing to learn. Over the weekend I officially activated my Facebook page. Here’s the irony: I don’t recall ever signing up for Facebook but I guess I did, because my dear friend Michelle told me she helped me. And to my amazement I logged on and there was my Facebook page with a picture of me and, even more shocking, I discovered several people who had invited me to be their friend.

A producer sent me a note last August after I was a guest on her radio show. Which reminds me: Before any of this started, I received a Facebook e-mail invitation from talk show host Rolonda Watts. Now this one had me totally perplexed because I couldn’t figure out how I got invited, so I just left the e-mail sitting there. Honestly, I was speechless. Watts and I have a few mutual friends, but since I didn’t know how Facebook worked until now, I couldn’t respond.

It didn’t take me long to start checking my Facebook account, and I have 50+ “friends.” I discovered that Rolonda Watts has 436 friends, and NewsMax journalist James Hirsen, whom I know from my days of producing the “Dr. Laura” show, has 2,711 friends. Also, I located my former Entrepreneur.com editor Francine Kizner, and she has 401 friends. A week ago I didn’t understand the value of Facebook. No way could I connect with this many people in such a short period of time, unless I were at a party.

Over the past few days I have found myself entering a few names of friends and associates. It’s a cool way to connect, see their faces, send little notes back and forth and meet new people to network with.

If the Web 2.0 bug hasn’t bitten you yet, it might be time to check out a new sandbox. And if you don’t know what Web 2.0 means, I won’t tell anyone. But you may want to check out the explanation on Wikipedia. Facebook is far more popular than I had ever imagined. More than eight and a half million pictures are uploaded onto Facebook daily, and it has about 42 million members worldwide.

I’m new at Facebook, so if you have any tips, I’m all ears! And if you’re a newbie like me, let’s learn together.

A year ago blogging was the last thing on my mind. Believe me when I tell you, I was clueless. So you live, and you learn. Who knows what the heck I’ll be doing next year. But if we’re hanging out on Facebook, it will be a lot easier to get the word out about new trends that are going on. Hey, I just thought about someone else I’m going to try to locate on Facebook tonight: Richard Laermer. His new book is called “2011 Trendspotting For The Next Decade.” This Facebook thing can get pretty addicting.

Feel free to introduce yourself to me on Facebook and let me know that you read my blog. I’ll be back to write about my adventures with Facebook real soon.

Dedicated to your success,
Michelle Anton

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

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?

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.â€�

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.

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.

Concerned parents Mike Pelonzi, 43, and Joe Curran, 42, have gone beyond the typical call of duty to protect their kids. They are the inventors and manufacturers of My Child’s Pack, a backpack that provides on-the-spot protection against guns and knives.

“It was after seeing what happened in Columbine that we started thinking about this. We wanted a way of keeping kids safe at school, and this is what we came up with,� said Pelonzi, co-owner of MJ Safety Solutions.

Since 1999, more than 328 incidents have occurred, leaving 229 dead and 422 injured in school violence alone. That is an average of about 1 per week since the Columbine tragedy. In almost 97 percent of these documented incidents, MJ Safety Solutions believes its backpack could have provided ballistic protection that could have saved lives.

The backpacks have a super-lightweight bulletproof plate sewn into the back, which weighs no more than a bottle of water. According to Pelonzi, the plate material meets National Institute of Justice safety standards and, during a three-year testing phase, stood up to bullets as well as machete, hatchet and ka-bar knife attacks. Proof that father does know best.

I almost forgot to mention, these backpacks are functional, too. There are two high-tech styles and several colors that are perfect for school, work or travel. Both styles have two large main compartments plus a padded computer pocket, as well as aN MP3 player pocket with an earphone outlet. The difference between the two styles? One has a cellphone pocket and an insulated water bottle pocket, the other doesn’t.

This backpack has been featured on America’s Most Wanted. For more information visit the website www.mychildspack.com.

Like many restless college roommates, Jamee Kunichika and Sherilyn Luke wanted a business to call their own. Instead of just dreaming about it, they took action.

Having endured extreme highs and lows, they are now enjoying the sweet smell of success. Together they have attained their dreams with POOF, a liquid toilet odor eliminator.

After spending a year researching their idea, the pair launched POOF in 2005. As weekend entrepreneurs, Kunichika and Luke lead interesting lives managing full-time jobs and Poofdrops.com in their spare time. Here’s a snapshot of how POOF got its start and the key resource that automated their business.

Why did you decide to start this particular business?
POOF: A Japanese liquid toilet odor deodorizer intrigued us. It was a new concept, and the only product on the market was packaged and written in Japanese. It was not cute, and the smell was not nice. We knew we could do it better! And the cost of living in Hawaii was too high so we knew that we had to supplement our income.

What is your average yearly income for POOF?
POOF: We are making $40,000 to $50,000 from our business. Which is good, since it’s only a part-time gig.

What resources were most helpful to you when you were starting your business?
POOF: Being able to utilize Shipwire, a one-stop warehouse and fulfillment shop, has freed up a lot of time and energy for us. With just a couple of clicks on the Shipwire website, fulfillment to our vendors is processed, and we never have to worry! Shipwire has been such a key resource for us from the moment we started our business to this day.

What ways have you found to be most effective in marketing your product or service to get sales?
POOF: Trade shows, blogs, sales reps, press releases and word of mouth.

How do you juggle your full-time jobs and your business?
POOF: We both see ourselves as part-time entrepreneurs and spend 20 hours each week on our business.

Luke: In addition to my full-time job, I am a mom/wife/entrepreneur/photographer. Finding a work/life balance is key!

Kunichika: I work full-time and I am an entrepreneur/program manager for pro bono program/caretaker of my mother – assisting father. Take it one task at a time! Believe anything is possible!

What is unique about your business that gives it an edge over your competitors?
POOF: Appealing packaging, and it has a unique, fresh scent. Unlike other bathroom deodorizers, Poof gives anonymity to its user because it’s small size fits in a purse or the palm of your hand. We are a small business so we are able to concentrate all of our efforts on our one product.

How long did it take before your business became profitable?
POOF: We both invested $25,000 each and then took a loan of $50,000 from the SBA. We received guidance from the Small Business Development Center and were able to receive our SBA loan after submitting a sound business plan. As of July 2007, we no longer had to pay our SBA loan monthly payments out of pocket.

Has the media picked up on your story?
POOF: We have seen that word of mouth and press releases are a good way to get attention. We had local media feature our business story and one national media picked our product for review, which was great!

Did you need to have a certain mindset to achieve success?
POOF: Definitely! Never giving up! Believing in our product and our partnership! Generally, we are positive people but there were times during our venture when we experienced extra low points. However, we always had one another to lift each other’s spirits to keep moving forward.

Surely you have a dream that you are contemplating. We would love it if you would take a moment to share your idea or business that you have launched with us. There are no small ideas, only small minds.

It’s never too late to get started. In fact, Jamee and Sherilyn were in college about a decade ago when they began brainstorming about businesses they could start. Their dream may have been on the back burner but they never abandoned it. Finally, 3 years ago they figured out what they wanted to do and started the research and development for Poof. So what are you waiting for?

Like most blushing brides Kristin Bowen didn’t have a crystal ball to predict the future. Eventually, her get rich slow wedding creations appeared on HGTV, the Food Network and Oprah Magazine selected it for the “O List” in the August 2006 issue.

The self-made entrepreneur says, “I consider myself an inventor and entrepreneur of a very smart idea: erasable ceramic PlaceTiles.�

Armed with a fortune cookie (more about that in a second), a strong desire to succeed, and a can-do attitude are a few of the ingredients that help Kristin out shine her peers. Add to that list– a unique product that sells like hotcakes and you have a winning business that pulled in a cool $400,000 in 2006. Her road to success is etched out just for you in this Weekend Entrepreneur interview.

Before we reveal all the goodies. Here are the steps Kristin took to launch her business:
~ January of 1999 - created, designed and manufactured the first PlaceTile for her wedding reception tables
~ May of 1999 - began her market research
~ September of 1999 - started designing the first prototypes to market
~ October of 1999 - designs went into sample production

When did you start your business?
Kristin: April 2000 was the official date that my business became a legal entity. It was just after I used my idea for an erasable ceramic place card at my wedding. Doubling as both place card and party favor at my reception, the PlaceTiles were a big hit with my guests. Seven years later, I have a thriving business creating all sorts of fun and imaginable erasable ceramic gifts, housewares and tabletop items. I have always had a penchant for design, but many of my ideas are not mainstream.

What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?
Kristin: The overwhelming response of the PlaceTiles at my wedding from friends, family and wedding professionals inspired me to look into this idea as a business. I did not even stop to think about me being an entrepreneur, I just full on went into doing market research. I was so excited to have a product to potentially bring to market that people were excited about.

What is unique or special about your business that gives it an edge over your competitors?
Kristin: I have created a very successful niche in this arena and am now the leader in the erasable ceramic industry. I laugh when I write this because I don’t know if there really is an erasable ceramic industry, but if there is one I am the leader. There are a few other companies dabbling in this type of product since seeing my success with the idea, but no one company has taken it to the level in which I have. I am a seeing-the-big-picture person and what many companies don’t see or don’t want to do is think beyond their industry. I have however and now reached the gift, tabletop, housewares, stationery, bridal, gourmet, catering, restaurant, gaming, event planning, wine & spirits, corporate gift, charitable, and travel/leisure industries.

Largely I am involved in the Gift, Tabletop and Housewares Industries, but the other areas are growing for me at a considerable pace.

Now with the Green Movement, erasable ceramic is much more acceptable than one time use paper. People scratch, scribble and write notes, menus, names, etc. on paper everyday at home, so why not use something more sustainable like erasable ceramic. Being realistic we won’t see the use of paper go away, but if we can save a few more trees by getting people to use our erasable ceramic message boards to write notes to the family rather than scribble it on a piece of paper then we are ahead of the game. The same goes with our PlaceTile place cards, GiftTile gift tags, etc. All of our products are reusable.

How did you decide what kind of business to start and what if any personal challenges inspired you to earn extra income in your spare time?
Kristin: This kind of business was easy for me since the PlaceTiles became my widget to market. It was a struggle not making any money at first. I fortunately had a husband who had income coming in to support us at home. It was a huge learning experience to actually have to stick to a budget. I thrived off the power though of believing in my idea and myself. I tried to find something positive every day that happened in the business to keep me motivated. Even if the phone rang only once or I hit walls here and there when selling, I found something positive in the day.

I have had many significant milestones throughout the seven years and below I list five of them.
1. Early on in starting my business, I received a fortune cookie message that said “You will be unusually successful in business”. This soon became my mantra. I am an unusual person and this is an unusual idea, so the saying fit. I still look at the six year old message almost every day.

2. After 3.5 years in business, I noticed an adoption of the concept
and the name PlaceTiles by the press, buyers and consumers alike. It sort of happened by storm that I started noticing not only my customers, but my customers’ customers asking specifically for PlaceTiles. It used to be that people could not pronounce the word right or they would say somthing like…”I’d like to order some more of those erasable ceramic thingies”.

But my goal was always to make PlaceTiles a household name like Kleenex. It is great now when customers tell me that people are calling into their stores and asking for PlaceTiles.

3. When Oprah featured the product in O Magazine.

4. When Home & Garden TV (HGTV) wanted to not only feature my product on their show, The Best of Gift Shows 2005, but a year later said it was unprecedented but they wanted to feature our erasable bottle stoppers on their Best of Gift Shows 2006.

5. Watching Sandra Lee on her lifestyle show, “Semi-Homemade” on the Food Network spend five solid minutes talking about PlaceTiles and showing how they are used. She said, “PlaceTiles are a very smart idea”.

How long did it take before your business became profitable?
Kristin: Exactly five years. The rumor is true.

Did you need to have a certain mindset to achieve success?
Kristin: Yes. I think you need to be tenacious, open (to criticism and compliments alike), focused, and smart. I went into this business not knowing anything about this industry. I became a student of the industry, of my business, of my product, and of the market. I forced myself to humbly say little and become a sponge for the first year. I just wanted to learn from others in the industry who had established businesses. But I stayed focused on the goal to successfully launch my products, and it seemed to work.

Have you always had a positive attitude?
Kristin: I believe in positive thinking. Although it is challenging to maintain a positive outlook all the time, it is important to always think positive, keep your eye on the prize and focus. I did not grow up thinking I would become an entrepreneur, but somehow I never worried about success. I just always assumed I would do something I loved and be successful at it. That is just the kind of person I was then and am now. I believe in the wise statement, “Do what you love and the money will follow.”

Is it more difficult for women to get financing for businesses?
Kristin: I suppose it has been, but more and more I hear of women getting SBA loans fairly quickly. I have been fortunate to have financing from my family members who believed I could make this company work. I have been without family financing for about two years now.

Has the media picked up on your story?
Kristin: Publicity has been essential to my business. I have always considered public relations in my business plan from the start. I was always writing press releases, sending samples and making media contacts before I could afford to hire a PR firm. I have a lot of sweat equity in my business and PR is a big part of it. One of my biggest coup’s was being picked by Oprah magazine for the “O List,” last year.

Many people remark at the amount of press my products have received. To date, my company has received over 60 media placements in magazines, newspapers, internet, TV and radio. I have great support in my industry’s trade journals.

Did you have a mentor?
Kristin: My family has been my mentor. My husband had a very successful business of his own and he offers great advice. My father and mother have equally been supportive. My sister has had many businesses of her own and my brother is a doctor and owns his own practice. I am surrounded by a lot of strong and resourceful entrepreneurs.

Approximately how much money did you invest before your business became profitable?
Kristin: $25,000 seed capital was what I needed to get started. Before I actually became profitable, I invested $80,000. For a small business and someone just starting out, I realize this is a lot of money, but I was starting a whole new concept and not something tried and true. I spent a good portion of this capital on marketing and traveling to tradeshows.

I think it could have been started for less if I had to do it all over again or advise someone else who had just a little money.

How long has it been since you left your job?
Kristin: I have not worked outside of this business for 7.5 years. You have to be willing to work hard, but you don’t have to kill yourself doing it. Depending on the season (3rd and 4th quarter are my busiest seasons), I usually work an 8-12 hour day. During high season, I usually spend time (2-3 hours) on both Saturday and Sunday getting things done. April through June is generally slow, so I get to spend more time planning and organizing rather than doing day-to-day tasks. This past April though I was able to spend the entire month in Italy doing research and design planning.

I LOVE having my own business to create my own schedule and make what I do a reflection of myself. I see results based upon my efforts– the results are very tangible.

Can other individuals reproduce your business model?
Kristin: I believe so. It just takes a lot of hard work, but yes I think it can be done. Not many people believe I do all that I do with no full-time employees. I have a lot of consultants and have an amazing staff I work with in both my factories and my distribution channel. I could not do what I do without them.

What is your average income for this business monthly/yearly or both?
Kristin: Average income is not always easy to define, since the ecomony effects so much of how my customers buy. In 2006, the business earned $400,000 and the goal this year is $500,000. For the business model I have, this is a pretty nice chunk of change.

What ways have you found to be most effective in marketing your product or service to get sales?
Kristin: Most of my marketing has been done through industry tradeshows across the country. My focus on public relations has proven to be very successful along with website marketing. I think it is key to walk the walk and talk the talk. Image is everything, therefore it is important that your image marketing is clear from the moment you meet someone, answer the phone, display your product, and your website, logo or catalog are seen.

What would you tell someone who wants to be an entrepreneur but doesn’t know what they want to do?
Kristin: Work for someone else part-time in an industry you think you want to be in. Get some experience and learn from someone who has been in the business and is successful at it. Become a sponge and absorb information. Information is power. Talk to people, network and take a “how-to” course on starting a business just to build a foundation. A strong foundation is key in building a successful business.

How do you manage juggling the responsibilities of being a mom/wife/entrepreneur?
Kristin: It is tough to manage it all. Women today have so much on their plates. My business keeps me traveling and working nights and weekends. I do not have my own children, but I have a step-daugher who I helped my husband to raise. She was 7 when I met her and is now 21. I have a very demanding life, my husband and step-daughter, two households, two dogs, one neighborhood board and a significant amount of charity work.

My family as a whole requires a lot of attention. I am grateful for my full life, but at times you just need a break. And this is why I must take vacations every now and then.

Got an idea or a comment? Let us know. We want to hear all about it.