June 3
This is a day late, but welcome to the June 2, 2008 edition of Biz Women - The Lives and Businesses of Home Business Women. There was a large amount of submissions for this edition, so perhaps needless to say, I had a large amount of irrelevant ones. However, I am still very pleased with the large amount of information that the following posts cover.
To get things started, our first post is about something that is most likely on the minds of many people who are just starting their home based business.
Robin Matuk presents How to Balance Work at Home with a Part Time Job posted at Creating with Impact.
The next posts refer to ways to make money while working from home.
Praveen provides a link to 10 Businesses You Can Run in Your Pajamas posted at My Simple Trading System.
Wendy Piersall presents 18 Niche Affiliate Programs Perfect for Mom and Dad Bloggers posted at Sparkplug CEO
Raymond presents Work From Home With Paid Online Surveys posted at Money Blue Book.
These next posts provide some excellent food for thought. Some are perhaps controversial but well worth reading in my opinion.
Tash Hughes presents Saying no? posted at Word Constructions.
Tash Hughes also presents Personal or professional development posted at Word Constructions
Tracee Sioux presents Motherhood is a Temp Job : The Feminine Mistake posted at Blog Fabulous
Patrick Schwerdtfeger presents Expand the Frame posted at Tactical Execution.
Webmaster_1 presents 5 Reasons Why Blogging Is Beneficial posted at The Entrepreneurs Online Magazine
Tali presents Guy Kawasaki’s How to Drive Your Competition Crazy - Myths and Legends of the Marketing Business posted at The Marketer Review
Carol Bentley presents Ostrich or Hawk posted at Carol Bentley. (Don’t let the title fool you.)
This next post summarizes some great tools that may be helpful to you.
Colleen M. Johnson presents Web Database Management Tools posted at cmjoffice.com Blog
Starting or already operating a home day care? Here’s one for you.
Fiona Lohrenz presents End the whining at day care posted at Child Care Only
That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Biz Women - All About Lives and Businesses of Home Business Women using our carnival submission form or the form found on this site.
The next edition will focus on Organizing Your Home Office and will be posted July 2.
Please only submit relevant posts and only submit your work!
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Beads of Hope
This week’s Ms. Biz is Staci of Beads of Hope! Please stop by her site for some beautiful jewelry and to help raise money for Childhood Cancer Research.
Q: What kind of business do you have? (what you sell, service provided, etc.)
Staci: I hand make beaded jewelry. Nothing is made until it is ordered. Each piece is unique just like each child is unique. Most of my jewelry is with meaning. I love expression on jewelry. I also have a lot of awareness jewelry that is perfect for gift giving. My favorite bracelet is the “I’m worth it” Made with Swarovski crystals and a message bead of faith. I wear that almost everyday. It reminds me God has a plan and his plan is greater than mine.
Q: What is your best selling product?
Staci: My best seller would be the Continuous Hope necklace. As we all have hope for the future no matter what we have been through or are going through there is hope. It can be made in 18 different colors to represent a lot of different causes.
Q: How did you come up with the name?
Staci: God. I woke up one morning after having a dream/vision. Knew what to call the company, how to make everything, where to buy the products. God had everything laid out.
Q: When and why did you start your business(es)?
Staci: I started this business in January 2002. However it has not been a top priority since Jakob’s health had to come first. I have now made it my top priority. I pray Jakob is on the mend and only going to get healthier. If not I have wonderful friends that can help me now. I started it after my son was born and prayed God to show me a way to bring awareness to how common childhood cancer was becoming. This was his way. Every woman loves jewelry. Most have children or nieces, nephews, cousins. So generally everyone can relate to the struggles of a child.
Q: What was the biggest obstacle you faced?
Staci: Managing a new baby, a son with hearing and speech problems and son still on chemo. Resources of people that knew what to do & not to do so costly mistakes aren’t made. Money!
Q: What motivates you to keep going?
Staci: My children. If they can over come all the obstacles that they have in their short life, I can overcome mine and keep moving forward.
Q: Advice for other women wanting to start their own business or ones who are just beginning?
Staci: Seek out help first. Get a mentor! Don’t ever give up. There are plenty of millionaires that went bankrupt before they made it. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Then jump in and enjoy the ride.
Q: What would you like for the readers to know about you? (Your background, hobbies, the little things you find important, etc)
Staci: I have a wide background. Family is the most important thing. I love to go camping, swimming, travel and read when I get the chance which isn’t to often. Just enjoy each day and live it to the fullest. Life is very short Spend time with those special in your life. No matter what you are doing.
Q: Do you have a coupon code or special that you have going on or would like to offer to the readers?
Staci: They can receive 20% off their first order with coupon #FO2008.
Thank you, Staci, for being this week’s Ms. Biz!
Look for a wonderful contest sponsored by Staci coming soon!
Scentsy
I was recently sent a sample of Scentsy Wickless Candles from Shannon Payne. I must say that I was very pleased that I was going to be reviewing this product because I love candles. I could stand in a candle aisle for an hour easy trying to figure out what scent I want to get and then end up with several because I can’t decide on one.
Wickless candles, obviously, do not have a wick and do not need to be lit. They need a warmer to be able to melt them, which we do not have! I think this little fact slipped my mind when I agreed to review them. (Hey, we all make mistakes!) So, please imagine me, standing in the middle of my living room, holding the sample of the candle, trying to figure out exactly how I am going to melt it. I got a big bowl of boiling water and then put the piece of a scentsy bar in another bowl. That bowl was set down inside the bowl of boiling water. It worked!
Now when I first received the sample, there was a wonderful burst of fragrance as soon as I opened the package. As soon as this little chunk of candle started melting, the smell immediately filled the room. I was sent Lilacs and Violets, and it reminded me of flowers and fresh laundry just taken off the clothesline or out of the dryer. Even after it stopped melting, the fragrance lingered for several hours.
There are many scents available to choose from. Everything from Autumn Sunset, Cinnamon Vanilla, and Blueberry Cheesecake to French Kiss, Bamboo Sugar Cane, and Fried Ice Cream. Reading the description of the scents made me want to try them all! There are also a great selection of warmers to choose from. (I’m sure you would enjoy your experience much more this way instead of using a bowl of water!) Choices included classic, one-color warmers to very nicely decorated ones. Some of these include Zensy, Retro Chic, Terra Cotta, Sunburst, Porcelain Lace and Fleur-de-Lis. Makes you want to go take a peek, doesn’t it?
The Scentsy Wickless Candles are available in bars or the larger “bricks.” There are multi-packs available to help get you started enjoying your Scentsy experience. There are also car candles available for when you are on the go and want to take that delicious fragrance with you.
Wickless candles are great not only for families with small kids in the house, but for anyone because they are an excellent alternative to having a lit candle setting around.
Visit Shannon Payne and let her help you get started enjoying the wonderful frangrances of Scentsy!
Cheeky Tots
Our next Ms. Biz is Helen of Cheeky Tots. Please stop by her place on the web for some great items for babies and kids.
Q: What kind of business do you have? (what you sell, service provided, etc.)
Helen: We are an online baby and children’s store, we sell a wide range of products including: modern cloth nappies, nappy making fabrics, baby and infants clothing, nappy bags, children’s novelty name plaques, blankets, soft toys and other misc children’s products. We also specialise in embroidered clothing.
Q: What is your best selling product?
Helen: One of our biggest sellers are our range of children’s novelty name plaques, they are available in many fun designs and are personalised with each child’s name.
Q: How did you come up with the name?
Helen: The store was originally called “Cheeky Bots” which was focused around cloth nappies. I then changed the name to Cheeky Tots to be more general, as our product range grew.
Q: When and why did you start your business?
Helen: I started the business after having my son 15 mths ago, I loved the idea of working from home whilst looking after my family. My background is in sales and marketing so it was easy to make the transition into internet trading. I had been a seller on eBay for several years before opening my website in the middle of last year.
Q: What was the biggest obstacle you faced?
Helen: Initially it was being taken seriously by suppliers. It’s very hard to become a stockist when you are still establishing yourself in the marketplace. Also setting up the website and finding suppliers can be very daunting at first as it’s hard to know where to start.
Q: What motivates you to keep going?
Helen: My customers. I have many repeat customers and the more sales that I get, the harder I work. I believe in offering a very high standard of customer service so it’s very rewarding when this is acknowledged.
Q: Advice for other women wanting to start their own business or ones who are just beginning?
Helen: Do your research first before rushing in and spend a little money initially to get a good set-up for your website and be prepared to spend many hours setting your business up. Be willing to learn as you can save time and money by doing alot of the groundwork yourself. Finally, be patient. It is not an overnight thing, it can take many months of hard work before reaping the rewards.
Q: What would you like the readers to know about you? (Your background, hobbies, the little things you find important, etc).
Helen: Originally from the UK, I now live in Melbourne, Australia with my husband and 16 month old son. Our second child is due at the end of this year. I have a creative and arty nature and I love all things colourful, which is why Cheeky Tots has such a bright, fun website. I also enjoy sewing and making products to sell (when time permits!) and I have plans to develop this side of my business in the future. I consider myself to have a fun, easy going nature and I thank my parents for teaching me to have respect for others.
Q: Do you have a coupon code or special that you have going on or would like to offer to the readers?
Helen: Cheeky Tots ships world-wide and we are offering all readers 10% discount off all products until 6/30/2008. Enter discount code FEATURE into the checkout to redeem your discount (cannot be used in conjunction with any other discount or offer).
Thank you very much, Helen, for taking the time to answer our questions!
Time Management Skills: Top 5 Ways to Improve Them
By: Pamela Catey
Do you feel like your time management skills are lacking? Feel overwhelmed, stressed, or like you are losing your life as each day quickly passes by?
In this article, I will share with you the top 5 ways to improve your time management skills to regain control of your life. There is a great quote by Business Philosopher, Jim Rohn “Time is our most valuable asset, yet we tend to waste it, kill it, and spend it rather than invest it.” Are you investing your time in things that are producing the results you desire? If not, read on.
Plan Your Day
Another great piece of wisdom from Jim Rohn is to never start your day until it is finished on paper. It is great advice. You can piddle away so much time when you are not focused on how you are going to spend it. Have you ever noticed how you can waste a whole day before you even really started it? Plan it before you start it, and you will get more accomplished.
Prioritize
Are you clear about what your short-term, mid-term, and long term goals are? If not, get to work, eh? Every day is an opportunity to be taking action toward your short-term goal, which should be furthering your mid-term goal, which should be leading you down the road to achieving your long term goal. Taking even small actions on the things that matter will you give a sense of accomplishment and control.
Before You Go to Bed
Write down the 3 most important things to do tomorrow on a 3 x 5” index card. When you wake up in the morning, all you need to do is read your index card and schedule when you will do these 3 most important things. And of course, they should be in alignment with furthering your short term goal.
Be Relentless
Keep your eye on the prize. Stay focused on the objectives of the day until you have completed them. Be steady and persistent on the task at hand and only focus on one task at a time. When one is completed, focus fully on the next.
Value Your Time
No one will value your time as much as you do. So, it is vital that you relate to your time as the valuable asset that it is. It’s only when you regard your time as valuable, that others will do so. It has to start with you first. It is your responsibility because we train people how to treat us. If you want other people to value your time, you have to value it first.
I hope these 5 ways to improve your time management skills proves valuable for you. Let me know your results, I’d love to hear your wins!
Article source: www.ladypens.com
Pamela Catey, MA is a Best Selling Co-Author, Professional Life Coach, Musician, and Inspirational Leader. She holds a masters degree in Counseling Psychology and is a Licensed Massage Therapist. If you are ready to live a life you love or are interested in learning more about time management skills sign up for her Free “FunLightenment Newsletter” and www.FunLightenmentCoaching.com
This article is available for reprint with author’s resource box intact and all links live and clickable. Copyright is reserved by author.
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