Tips Guides

Becoming a work at home mom can be a trying experience. Your patience is tested. Youre making sacrifices you never expected to and youre taking risks that you never had to before. You are suddenly being challenged within many different realms when you become a work at mom or dad for that matter. But this article is about women.

Despite the many successful home-based businesses being run by women, some women still feel a little uneasy getting into the work at home game. Youre no longer just another employee; you are a business woman. And business, despite the changes, is still heavily dominated by men.

Its not that women dont feel as if they deserve to be among the top players or that a work at home mom feels less valuable than a work at home dad, its that many women see themselves as mothers first and entrepreneurs second.

You would think that having your family and business under the same roof would help to fuse the dichotomies but unfortunately some women still feel as though they are in a tug of war between a happy home and a profitable business.

The most frequent complaint among work at home moms is that they feel guilty. They feel guilty when they working to establish a successful business because that takes them away from their kids. They feel guilty when they are spending time with their kids because that takes them away from their business.

Women want to have it all. And they should. A work at home mom should not feel guilty for prioritizing one over the other. The key to a successful and less stressful work at home life is balance.

1) Get Support

The first thing to do is to get the family involved. Your husband and children will bother you less if they support you. With the right incentives you can get them
to help out with household chores. For example, if you mention that you have a big project to get done but that youll treat them to pizza and a movie when you get paid youve given them something to look forward to.

For younger children ask them to help out. Have them stuff envelopes or set up a small desk for your toddler to color next to you. Including them in your work day makes them feel important to your work life and your home life.

2) Set up a routine

If you were working outside the home you would have a timetable. There would be a set amount of time you devoted to work and time that was spent with your family. Working inside the home as a work at home mom is no different. Your family needs to understand that while you are at home, you are working.

However, you now have the advantage of working at your own pace and on your own timetable. If you want to spend the majority of the day with your kids at the park and spend the evenings working you can do that. Some mothers can only get in hours when their kids are napping.

However, routine is important. If your kids know that at certain times of the day you are working, they will be less likely to bother you.

Include your home and personal life into your timetable. Your kids and husband will not appreciate you working for 15 hours.

As a work at home mom you will experience some ups and downs but it is worth it if you manage to create the life you want.

Jeff Casmer is a leading legitimate work at home expert and is a work from home business owner. His “Top Ranked” Work at Home Moms Directory gives you all the information you need to Work at Home in the 21st century.

Working at home on the Internet is a great business for single mothers. They receive the added benefits to stay home with their children and save the cost of childcare and other expenses that go along with working outside the home. When you work at home as a single mother, you have time to meet your child’s needs and at the same time, you can earn cash to pay for your bills and make the quality of life for your child better. Working at home is becoming a necessity for many people besides single mothers because of the cost of gasoline and the rising economy.

Outsourced employment is becoming a booming business. If a company hires you to work at home, they do not have to provide the equipment, the computers, the workspace, or pay rent on a building for you to sit in. When you work at home for a business you are not paid hourly but by the task. This saves the business owner money for downtime when a worker does not have anything else to do. Not only do you get paid for the real-work you do, you also have time to do the household tasks that are demanded of you.

If you want to start your own business as a single mother there are a plethora of opportunities out there. There are millions of work at home businesses that you can start and earn money from the very beginning. Put in the key word ‘work at home’ on your search engine and you will see that there are literally millions of businesses out there that want you to either work for them or to show you how to start your own business at home. Be wary of companies asking you to put money up front. There are proven companies out there that can show you how to make money at home and only ask for your time or your web space or a small startup fee.

Watch the Internet for seminars or webinars that will teach you how to start a great business for yourself. No longer are you locked down to businesses like Amway or Avon. Stay at home mothers have become a force to be reckoned with as they have learned how to make money on the web and have created businesses that have toppled corporations. Anyone can do it. Start networking with other single mothers and find out how they are working at home and how they are making money. Join forums and chat groups on social networks and start asking questions. If you really want to learn, there are people out there that will teach you how to work from home for free, even other single mothers.

Whether you open an affiliate page, take on some outsourced work from large corporations, or just sell items on eBay, you can make enough money to pay your bills and at the same time take care of your child. If you do a great job, you can make significant income. There are great businesses for single mothers out there; you just have to be able to find them and see if they are a reality in your life.

Lana Hawkins is the author of Mom Pays for College blog. If you’re a single mom that needs to finance an education for yourself or your kids, get the free audio and a detailed report covering many ideas on how single moms can earn money for college. Go to Free Report and Audio - How Single Moms Can Pay for College
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What would you say if I told you there were an online tool that could provide detailed information about the size of your market including trends in your industry and other important information concerning the economy as a whole?

What if I told you that this tool could help take the hit-and-miss out of small business marketing?

And what if I told you it was free?

The US Census site - www.census.gov - is all that and more. That’s why it’s such an essential data destination for market researchers, entrepreneurs, government agencies and anyone who needs accurate information about social and economic trends in the US. The economic portion of the site offers a wide variety of reports - usually in the form of a downloadable .pdf document - covering topics ranging from basic economic indicators to employment statistics and more.

There is, of course, one major drawback to US census data, and that’s how often it’s collected. There are areas of the website’s economic data still based on the 2002 Economic Census, and even the economic indicators updated on a monthly basis do so based on information obtained two months previous.

Even so, there are numerous ways that US Census economic data can be essential to making informed small business marketing decisions, and having a sense of the scope of resources available will get you started in putting that data to work for you.

Does the number of households with children in your county, region or state make a difference in terms of the size of your potential market? How about the number of retirees, or individuals representing a certain minority group? If so, you’ll want to check out the People & Households section of the website which also contains important information concerning household incomes.

These numbers could help to influence how much of your marketing budget you dedicate to reaching certain sectors of your target demographic, and where, geographically, you choose to concentrate your advertising dollars. It may also help you determine baselines for products and pricing.

If your target market is tied to a certain business or industry - the housing market, for example, or the entertainment industry - you’ll want to explore the Business & Industry section of the US Census website. This is where you’ll find general economic indicators for major areas of the economy, as well as more specific information through the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS.) This type of industry-specific info is also good for surveying exactly how your own business is doing relative to your industry as whole.

There are a number of different ways to use the information available through the Business & Industry section. If you’re wondering, for example, what types of online businesses and e-commerce websites are making the most money - and what areas of online sales appear to be growing the quickest - you might go to the E-Stats section. If your market includes small business owners, you might gain some useful information from the Survey of Business Owners. And, if the local economy is important to the growth and development of your business, the section marked County Business Patterns, under the heading of Economic Indicators, is a great place to start.

By taking US Census information into account, you’ll be able to “look before you leap” when it comes to major business decisions, and develop key strategies to keep pace in a changing world.

For more information about how to put US Census data to work for your business, visit http://www.census.gov/epcd/ec02/uses.htm.

Michele DeKinder-Smith is the founder of Jane Out of the Box, an online resource dedicated to the woman’s entrepreneur community. Discover information, networking and marketing opportunities for women small business owners by joining Jane Out of the Box for free at http://www.JaneOutoftheBox.com

When it comes to the competition, how does your business measure up? Do you know what makes your business different and unique? Do you know what your strengths and weaknesses are, relative to that of your competitors?

And - most importantly - do you know how your clients perceive your business, in relation to the competition?

If not, you may be operating under a major liability, for a number of reasons. Number one, if you don’t know what your unique strengths are you’re not giving your market any compelling reason to choose you over the competition. Number two, if you don’t know what your competitors’ weaknesses are you may not be able to take advantage of an important available and/or underserved niche within your market. And three, if you’re not aware of your own weaknesses you may be driving customers away from your door.

Brand marketing is all about creating a unique, memorable identity for your business that emphasizes not just your strengths, but the strengths that make you different and unique within your market. You may think you already know what your strengths are, but in order to really get a handle on where you want to position your business you’re going to need to find out how the major brands within your market are positioned, and how to position your brand in relation to them.

So how exactly do you check out the competition, directly - short of posing as an actual customer?

Websites are a great place to start, since almost every business has one these days. Your search-engine criteria might be simply the type of product and/or services you offer (i.e., “office supplies”, or “web design”) constrained by region, area or type of market you serve (”Greater St. Louis area”, “Arizona”, “nationwide”, “online.”)

Once you’ve found the websites of a few of your most important competitors, look closely at them. What impression do you get about this business? For example, do the images, copy and headlines convey a no-nonsense “we’ll save you money” approach? Or is the emphasis more on the company’s experience and expertise? Write down a list of impressions you get about this business, based on its website. Also, pay close attention to whether your competitors are clearly targeting only one sector of the market, creating a niche you might be able to fill.

Now, take a look at your own website. Try to look at it from an outside point of view, the same way you did with your competitors. How does this business (yours) measure up? Is it distinct in terms of look and feel? Do the images, copy and headlines convey an emphasis unique and different from that of your competitors? Is it oriented towards a niche in the market you might be seeking to fill?

It sounds simple, I know, but you’d be amazed how many small business owners never take the time to visit the websites of their competitors. Or, if they do, it is simply to compare prices, services and payment options - without really looking at where their business stands in terms of brand identity within the market as a whole. This type of “website window-shopping” can be a gold-mine of invaluable information in terms of positioning your business for success.

If you’re interested in taking the concept further, you might consider a Do-It-Yourself version of the kind of brand comparison surveys major corporations pay market research firms to conduct. In order to be cost-effective for most small businesses, this would mean working with marketing students from a local college or institute to create a brief survey rating your brand against that of your competitors in a few key areas - price, convenience and customer service, to name just a few - add that to overall perceptions concerning strengths and weaknesses. However this survey gets distributed and completed, what’s most important is that your respondents don’t know it’s you conducting the research. Otherwise, results could wind up skewed.

Once you have specific information concerning your own strengths, weaknesses and unique attributes - as well as those of your competitors - you’ll have the information you need to create a unique brand identity that positions your business for success.

Michele DeKinder-Smith is the founder of Jane Out of the Box, an online resource dedicated to the woman’s entrepreneur community. Discover information, networking and marketing opportunities for women small business owners by joining Jane Out of the Box for free at http://www.JaneOutoftheBox.com

Once upon a time, only major corporations and Fortune 500 companies took the time to test their advertising. But as small business owners become more savvy - and the cost of advertising continues to rise - testing the effectiveness of ads, whether in print or on the web, is one of those marketing strategies that just makes sense.

First of all, you’ll want to determine exactly where you want to spend your hard-earned cash. Think about your target market - i.e., the people with the highest likelihood of being interested in the products or services you’re offering. What publications are they reading? What websites are they visiting? Depending on how targeted your market is, trade publications may be an inexpensive option in terms of print advertising, while numerous high-traffic websites are oriented around a specific profession and/or interest that may place its visitors within your target market.

Next, you’ll need to design your ads. Whether you work with a graphic designer or have the skills and know-how to do it yourself, creating a range of possible designs is key - because once you have them, you can use them to solicit high-quality input from your friends, colleagues, and employees.

Once you have 5-7 designs in hand, you’ll want to get them in front of as many people as possible. Have individuals pick out their top three designs, then hand them a red marker - to mark the things they don’t like, on each of those three ads - and a green marker - to mark the things they do.

Once you’ve used this info to select the 2 or 3 most popular designs (and strengthen them, by addressing the negatives) it’s time to submit your ads to the websites/publications you’ve chosen.

Here’s the key, though: always advertise in more than one (roughly equivalent) publication or website, and make sure to include a different contact .url and/or phone number on each ad. (This could simply be a different page off your main website - or, in the case of a phone contact, a number that routes to your main number with a different ring, a service that can be provided by your local phone company.)

That way, you’ll actually be able to track the number of impressions you’ve created with each ad, and the number of actual sales each ad has generated.

Once you’ve let these ads run for a while - three months is generally considered a minimum amount of time for an effective run - you can compile the results you’ve received from each ad. If one ad has generated at least 5% more impressions/sales than either of the other two, you’ve got a clear indication that it’s more effective in terms of design and appeal.

You may want to continue advertising in one of the publications/websites that produced lesser results for you - but switch your ad design to the one that produced a higher return, in order to make sure you’re getting the most out of your advertising budget.

Testing your advertising is a great way to get a handle on which marketing strategies have the most pull within your target market.

So go ahead - create some great, dynamite advertising, and watch those sales roll in.

Michele DeKinder-Smith is the founder of Jane Out of the Box, an online resource dedicated to the woman’s entrepreneur community. Discover information, networking and marketing opportunities for women small business owners by joining Jane Out of the Box for free at http://www.JaneOutoftheBox.com

In order to ensure that the new products and services they launch stand the best possible chance for success, Corporate America employs a variety of marketing research techniques before investing time and resources in development. A little basic smarts and network know-how will allow you to do the same thing for yourself.

In this article, I’ll show you how you use powerful market research tools to save you time, money, frustration and maybe even ultimately your business. So let’s get started.

Once you have a clear idea in mind for your new product or service, you’ll want to do what Corporate America commonly calls a concept test.

First of all, you’ll need to sit down and clearly delineate exactly what your product or service is, including what features and benefits it will offer and how much it will cost. Typically, you’ll write 2-3 paragraphs describing your idea, making sure to clearly explain the benefits to the consumer. Really invest some time here and have other people read your description to make sure, A) your word choices are clear and, B) you’ve hit all the major highlights.

Congratulations! You now have a concept statement.

Next, develop a survey to gauge the reaction of your target market, covering the basics:

- Purchase interest (i.e., How likely are you to buy this product, if it were available to you? A) Definitely will buy, B) Probably will, C) I might, D) Probably will not, E) Definitely will not buy.)
- Overall Likes and Dislikes
- Value
- Uniqueness

Make sure you include a range of possible responses for each question.

From here, you’ll need to determine exactly what the target market is for your new product or service - if your product is a new all-natural diet soda, for example, your target market might be health-conscious women, ages 20-45.

Talk with friends, family, and friends-of-friends, as well as those of your employees. Anywhere from 50-200 people will work. Giving respondents an anonymous way to return your survey will help to ensure unbiased feedback.

When your surveys have been returned, decide what your minimum requirements will be in order to take the next step. (Do this even before you take a peek at your data.) Large corporations call this an action standard.

As a small business owner, an action standard that makes sense would probably be how many people are likely to buy your product.

The rule of thumb some professional marketing research firms use to gauge true demand is that 80% of the people who answered that they would ‘definitely purchase’ your product actually will - while only 20% of those who answered they ‘probably will purchase’ will do the same.

Using this rule of thumb, let’s say your data shows true demand of 20%. Now you have to take into account the role of advertising and exposure.

Let’s say there are 10 million potential customers in your market, but you’re advertising on a shoestring. With the budget you’ve got, how many people can you make aware of your product? Five percent? That means 50,000 people will become aware of your product. With 20% true demand, you might expect 10,000 buyers.

So - is 10,000 buyers enough to make your new product viable?

If not, it’s time to go back to the drawing board, using the feedback you received to strengthen your overall concept.

If so, it’s time to move confidently ahead - knowing the market is with you.

Michele DeKinder-Smith is the founder of Jane Out of the Box, an online resource dedicated to the woman’s entrepreneur community. Discover information, networking and marketing opportunities for women small business owners by joining Jane Out of the Box for free at http://www.JaneOutoftheBox.com