Business Warriors of a Different Type

 Marie Ynami is an outstanding mother and business woman that I’ve come to know in the virtual sense through a very unique online business community.  She manages a business where she shares information and tips of interest to moms who work at home. 

Today I’m going to respond to Marie’s “meme” (blog game) to toot my horn about something I’ve managed to do that I’d like to share in a celebratory way :)    I had a goal to launch my writing business this year and I did it - SharonWrites.com.  But what I’d really like to celebrate is not so much my business but a group of women I’ve come to know as a result of this…goal.

I’ve worked for small business organizations and chambers of commerce long enough to know the kind of effort and resources needed to get a small business going.  Even with the best marketing effort, many small businesses take months to get a client base/customer response going, if at all!

My business took off far better and far quicker than I expected and it has much to do with an online network of business owners I’ve come to know over the last year.  The group, Mom Masterminds (MM), is not a code name for a CIA team or a covert PTA group.  It is a group having more impact and relevance to women wanting to have it all than any other group I’ve come across to date.   The term “having it all” gets overused, I think the term refers to those of us seeking to have ”some semblance of family life and time with children while being able to do the work we love and generate breadwinner earnings (through necessity or choice).” 

Here’s what I like most about this group.  If you need to have a business letter critiqued or a marketing strategy reviewed - consider it done…and quickly. From the outstanding experts who lead this group to the business owner who just joined last week, members  benefit from the experience and variety of the many women in MM who hail from the U.S., Canada and even a few other international locations.

Women in the Mom Masterminds group are among the sharpest entrepreneurs you’ll come across.  We’ve got copy writers, acclaimed life coaches (hi Aurelia), scrapbook/ebay experts (hi Vera), inspirational speakers for youth/young women (hi Alyssa), graphic designers (hi Wendy)….and I could go on.

All “plugging” aside these women really are tops in their field and their motivation and expertise has been influenced by one of the leading innovators in the the work at home mom market - Kelly McCausey of WAHM Talk Radio.

The next time you’re in need of professional services for your business, family or social needs…take a second look at that determined woman pushing a stroller down the sidewalk, or debating with a teenager…she just might be the business warrior you’ve been looking for!

Tags: entrepreneurs

Does Your Community Inspire You?

Depending on what stage you are in life…raising toddlers…exchanging wits with teenagers…or living on your own, you’ve got goals that you want to achieve.  Does your community inspire or hinder you in achieving these goals? 

Even if you’re not a real big “planner” there are things in your life you want.  Maybe you want a successful home business or you’d like to move to a smaller apartment or house. Perhaps you want to start a new career, learn a new skill or expand your social circle.  Whatever it is, where you live likely has a lot to do with the success or even the choice of those goals.

I just read an article by Richard Florida (economist and author of The Rise of the Creative Class) where he comments on an urban center near to my home as having the “opportunity to become a model of a prosperous, sustainable and inclusive region–one where each and every person can fully develop their talents, find work that fulfills their dreams, and connect the further develoment of human creative capabilities to future economic prosperity.”

That may sound like a lot of pie in the sky rhetoric,  but I think we sell ourselves short when we brush off such “positive” talk.  We live in a country where we celebrate folks who follow their dreams.  Sometimes we do too much celebrating of others without taking the action needed to help advance our own aspirations.

It makes such sense to me to include our communities in our quest to reach our personal and professional goals.  If you’re not living in a rural town, suburban community or city that inspires you and can support you in your efforts to realize your goals/dreams, then perhaps you need to do something about it…like a good “new urbanist” advocate!

Does your community have good infrastructure and services to support the comfortable and the not so comfortable in their efforts to educate their kids, start a business, find a job, access quality entertainment,  recycle waste, protect pristine lands, etc.  If not, see what you might be able to do to change things.  Get hold of the agenda for your next town or municipal government meeting and make sure to have your say!

Tags: New Urbanism

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

The fact that we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a nation and as a community across borders is a testament to our ability as people to learn from our mistakes and to become better human beings in the process.

Even as we face the litany of challenges before us today, from gross injustices against the most vulnerable people in our world to assaults against our ecosystems and our planet, I am hopeful that “individuals” will make a a “world” of difference and will help change the tide. As long as we can as a country of diverse views and opinions continue to honor a man and a visionary like Martin Luther King, I’m hopeful.

In honor of Dr. King, I’ve pasted below a segment of one of the most moving speeches I have ever heard in my life–Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. I’ve also provided a link to the YouTube video for you to listen this moving speech.

…Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.”

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

Here is a link to the entire speech.

Tags: Holidays

Losing Weight - Virtual Support

So many of us go to online communities for practical information, social and business networking and even genuine friendship. So I guess it’s no surprise that many women are also going online for support in areas like weight loss.

Just this morning I logged onto one of my favorite networking sites and joined a weight loss group. I had never done that before, though I had been aware of similar groups for years. It’s just that it now finally makes sense to me. It didn’t before.

The Boston Globe reports that there are many websites catering to women like me seeking the Internet as the medium of choice to support weight loss efforts. Weight Watchers reports that they get between “8 and 10 million unique visitors per month” on their site.

While Weight Watchers charge a fee, there are free sites like fitday.com and sparkpeople.com. It’s probably a good idea to investigate the choices that are out there. Among the fee based sites offering interesting programs are southbeachdietonline.com and eDiets.com both of which charge for a three-month package.

The Globe poses an interesting question, at least for some:

One question that plagues weight loss sites is whether you can succeed online without being accountable to anyone. Research studies are scant, but those that have been conducted have shown mixed results, with participants losing some weight, but not more than if they had just followed a diet plan on paper.

Well as far as I’m concerned I think I prefer the online approach. In my twenties when I sought to lose a few tincy wincy pounds here and there I could care less about coming into the weekly meetings to weigh in and discuss my progress with the group.

But now that I’m a…ahem…healthy mom of teens I’m a little more reluctant to make a trek into a church hall for a Weight Watchers’ meeting to discuss my slooow progress at dumping that testy “pregnancy fat” that has hung around 15 years longer than it should.

Tags: Health

Winter Living and the “Urban” Element

From as far back as I can remember I’ve been in love with city life. I left the city when I was 7 but I have to thank my parents for keeping my love for the city alive. Their idea of a great Friday night family outing was to pack us into the car for a 45 minute ride to the city ’s holiday skating rink.

There was a perfectly functional skating arena in our spanking new suburb, but my Dad figured it would be far more interesting to skate with the multitude of kids and parents who would be coming from all over our region to skate in our city.

It just occurred to me that my Dad was probably one of the first new urbanism advocates I would meet in life.

So as we settle into winter don’t huddle away in your home. There’s much to do before the spring thaw even if winter sports are not your thing. Look around your city, your local village or community and see what “people” are up to. Sometimes seemingly unappealing activities take on new life when you’re around people that you’ve set out to appreciate.

Tags: City Life, New Urbanism

Being Unique Is Good

As you may or may not know, this blog is all about community life and how individuals and groups can thrive both professionally and personally through the giving, receiving and sharing that we do as…social folks. One of my communities is a unique network of female entrepreneurs that really inspire me in so many aspects of my life.

Today I’ve been tapped by Aurelia Williams of Real Life Solutions and Alyssa Avant of Beauty By Design Online to dig down deep and share seven random and weird things about me.  Like I said, my community is unique…

Here goes:

1. I can not sleep past 6 a.m…no matter how hard I try.
2. I don’t like my hand to be held in a limp fashion…drove my mother nuts when I was a child.
3. I could eat eggs morning, noon and night - I’m not sure what my family thinks about this
4. I think Katharine Hepburn is the best actress I’ve ever seen.
5. (Dark secret) I STILL like Parliament Funkadelic…talk about eclectic tastes!
6. I love flamenco guitar music and an ideal afternoon for me is listening to Gipsy Kings.
7. I remember when Compuserve was king (dating myself).

I am tagging:

Tiffany - Nature Moms

Chele - Moms Love Shopping

Nell - Telecommuting Answer Lady

Shannon - Single WAHM.com

Tags: entrepreneurs