EveryJoe » Business & Parenting

Transition Tuesday: Going Back to Work After Taking Time Off for Kids

Kristen King — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 05:00:41 +0000

In this fun and energetic video from Parents, "It Moms" Marni Renison and Holly Resnick go over the dos and don’ts of returning to the workplace after a few years off the clock. We all know that being a mom is as much of a business as working in an office, but the tasks are a little different. So, take a look at this light-hearted advice, and prepare the enjoy your transition back into the professional world.

What advice do you have for moms going back to work?

Tags: women in business, women and business, business advice for women, going back to work, returning to work, it moms, marni renison, holly resnick, biz chicks rule, kristen king

Post from: EveryJoe

Transition Tuesday: Going Back to Work After Taking Time Off for Kids

Throwback Thursday: Being a Full-Time Mom Isn’t a Real Job

Kristen King — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 11:35:36 +0000

How many times have we heard that over the last several decades? But if motherhood isn’t a job, I guess these aren’t critical business skills:

Consensus building
Negotiations
Multi-tasking
Project management
Presentations and public speaking
Coaching and mentorship
Prioritizing
Strategic planning

Friend and client Amy Smith, who runs her own PR firm while raising her three sons, and has is proving to doubters everywhere that motherhood really is a business — and a worthwhile one at that. Her Business of Motherhood website and accompanying Mom-Tini Lounge are full of great tools, advice, and support for businessmoms. And Amy was recently featured on Fox News!

Thanks, Amy, for setting the world straight on parenting as a legitimate business.

Tags: women in business, business of motherhood, amy smith, parenting as a business, moms have real jobs, advice for business women, biz chicks rule, kristen king

Post from: EveryJoe

Throwback Thursday: Being a Full-Time Mom Isn’t a Real Job

Guest Post: Lessons for small business success, from my twin toddler daughters (Part 1)

Kristen King — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 13:30:40 +0000

by Shannon Cherry

My twin two-year old daughters reminded me, without words, about business and success. When you are starting a business, you need to think of it as raising a child. You start by crawling, then walking, then running.

So take heart in the following tips – they may come from very cute, very small people but they have the power to help you achieve success.

No matter how small you are, you can change lots of lives. No matter what you sell, your goal for business should be to change lives in one way or another. Remember this in everything you do. Once you are able to answer the question: How can I change my customers lives? You’re well on your way to providing a unique selling proposition.
Keep trying, even if it’s hard. My girls have had some trouble speaking, but they kept trying (and learned sign language) so we can communicate. Now, I know when they want a cookie. Remember, persistence pays off in the end. (You may be able to get more than a cookie if you keep on trying!)
Remember to share. We all teach our kids to share. But somehow along the way, when we get older, we get protective of what we have learned to achieve success. When you have something of value that would benefit others – share! It will come back to you.
Run naked every once in a while. Well ok, you don’t have to be naked but run – have fun, be free and try to be a kid again. Having kids gives you that chance again and it is incredible to relive the fun that you used to have – when you weren’t so serious about life and business. And that free time also allows you the opportunity to think outside the box – and come up with new ideas and solutions.
Silence is not always a good thing. If it’s too quiet in my toddler household, I know something is up. And it’s the same in business. If you find too many of your competitors are quiet or your clients are quieter than usual – figure out why! Something serious could be happening out there and you better find out what it is.

Shannon Cherry is a mompreneur, PR pro, and blogger behind Startup Spark and Mommy, Inc. She is the owner of Cherry Communications, a virtual public relations firm. Read part 2 of this series here.

Would you like to write a guest post for Biz Chicks Rule? E-mail your print-ready submissions about women and business to kristen@b5media.com.

Post from: EveryJoe

Guest Post: Lessons for small business success, from my twin toddler daughters (Part 1)

Teaching Our Kids Business Skills and How To Become Junior Business Leaders

Bridget Wright — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 12:47:08 +0000

I feel pretty flattered today. My 10-year old daughter says she wants to start her own business. Just like mommy. Even when she was just a little toddler, she would walk around with crayon and paper and say she was “doing business.” Wow.

When we are “doing business”, whether it’s from our home office, a rented flat, our car phones or our laptops, our kids are watching us and mimicking us. They want to be (some of them) just like us as business-mommies. When my daughter entered third grade, she and our little neighbor next door decided to start a “business” and save the world. They would go around throughout the neighborhood collecting trash, picking up cans and refuse and taking it to the town’s recycle bins. They just needed us mommies to drive them there and make the deposits. They had visions to start in our subdivision and work their way through all the subdivisions throughout the community until they reached the world! But, they didn’t have a plan for Monday morning when school started as to how they were going to continue collecting. Yep. They were going to try and do it all in one weekend. They had a vision. They had a plan.

When our kids are young and impressionable, like my 10-year old, that’s the prime time to teach them business and marketing skills. If they have a desire to start a business, just like they see mommy (or daddy) doing, take advantage of that moment and show them how to effectively start their own businesses and begin making a name for themselves. Here are some things to help your wee-preneur get started in the business world:

Take him/her seriously when they say they want to start their own business. You never know what ideas you are cultivating and nurturing through your child when they tell you they want to “save the world”. You never know. They just might do it. A yound mind is a creative mind. Be a spark.
Sit down with them and help them develop a business plan that is easy for them to understand. For instance, our 10-year olds needed to see how this plan of saving the world would be economically efficient for them as junior business leaders. They also need a realistic expectation of what is involved in making a business work, how much work is involved in doing so and what skills they need to sharpen in order to be effective business leaders. Such as…pay attention in math class!
Have a “take your kid to work today” for your home business or your corporate job. Either is fine in order to show your child what and how effective businesses are operated. Let them help you add budget report numbers, prepare marketing reports, return (appropriate) telephone calls to clients, send emails, etc. This will give them a more realistic idea of how businesses are run and give them more hands on experience to brag to their friends at school!
Answer their curious business questions honestly and frankly. Be careful of answers like, “oh honey, you can do any business you want to because you’re my baby”, or, “any product you sell will be wonderful because mom and dad will buy a lot of it”. Be honest (but gentle) with them. Selling popsicles in Alaska in December (or anytime) is just not a good idea! Help them think of more creative business ideas. And profitable ones.

Since my daughter and her friend have such a fire to start their own business, us mommies are going to really help them get started this summer with their ideas. We’re going to wait until school is out so they can really focus and put their energies into starting their own successful junior businesses. You never know. We may be cultivating the next great business women of the century. I’m sure we are. All because we took the time to teach them how to “save the world.”

Post from: EveryJoe

Teaching Our Kids Business Skills and How To Become Junior Business Leaders

Tripping Down the BlogHer Blogroll, Part 2

Kristen King — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 14:30:14 +0000

Over at BlogHer, there are scads and scads of great women-written blogs and sites just waiting to be discovered. Here are several I’ll be checking out over the next few weeks from the second half of the alphabet.

Do you have a blog? Why not join?

Tags: blogher, recommended reading, recommended blogs, women and business

Post from: EveryJoe

Tripping Down the BlogHer Blogroll, Part 2

Tripping Down the BlogHer Blogroll – Part 1

Kristen King — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 10:30:53 +0000

Do you have a blog? Why not join?

Tags: blogher, recommended reading, recommended blogs, women and business

Post from: EveryJoe

Tripping Down the BlogHer Blogroll – Part 1

Dressing for Success When You’re Pregnant

Kristen King — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 10:00:05 +0000

Let’s face it: There are some HIDEOUS maternity clothes out there. But you, your boss, your coworkers, and your customers all have certain expectations for what’s appropriate dress in the office. Fortunately, it’s possible to look professional while you’re preggers.For fantastic fashions and accessories, pay a visit to these totally hip maternity retailers:

Perusing the selection, I loved these pieces. (Click the image for product info.) Don’t forget to look after the jump for more of my favorite picks!

Post from: EveryJoe

Dressing for Success When You’re Pregnant

Writing and Parenting Go Hand In Hand

Bridget Wright — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 12:00:01 +0000

Being a parent who has a flexible schedule can be rewarding, yet very taxing. When you work for yourself, you can do anything (almost) that you want to do. This weekend I had a ton of work to do; writing deadlines, blogging deadlines and paperwork to catch up on. For me to stay ahead of my game, I needed to work some long hours just to start my week off at ease. But, that didn’t happen for me this weekend.

My daughter had a cheerleader competition that she had to go to on Sunday afternoon…and my deadlines were looming. I knew I had to be there for my daughter but I also knew I had commitments to keep. So, I chose my daughter.

I agree totally with Eric over at Common Sense PR where he talks about putting family first and making time for family and friends. We will always have work to do, deadlines to meet, reports to write. And, we should honor our commitments and live up to our responsibilities. But does all of this have to come at a sacrifice? No! We just need to be able to prioritize and schedule, schedule, schedule.

I decided Saturday afternoon that I would get up early on Sunday morning, work on my writing deadlines and still be available to be with my daughter at her cheerleader competition on that afternoon. I was able to get about 95% of everything done and planned on doing the rest after we got home from the competition.

When you are an entrepreneur, sure you have a flexible schedule and it is wonderful. But to live the wonderful life as an entrepreneur, we must understand that we work when everyone else is sleeping. We work when our girlfriends are at the mall catching the latest sale. We even work when our kids are playing outside, playing at the park and even sleeping in their cribs. As busy as I am, would I trade my life? No. I love it just the way it is, fatigue and all.

And guess what? My daughter’s squad won the competition with First Place!! So it’s good after all to sacrifice, prioritize and adjust your schedule. If I hadn’t, I would have missed the event of (my) lifetime in seeing my daughter’s face light up when their names were called.

I’m glad I put my family first.

Post from: EveryJoe

Writing and Parenting Go Hand In Hand