Single Moms Pay the Price by Sacrificing Their Life to Their Job

As a single mom you are required to go above and beyond the call of the job duty. Raising kids requires significant chunks of time too. What about time for yourself? With the imagination and skills many single moms possess, they should consider creating their own business so they can have more earning power and time flexibility. Most of us were taught to have a career or job of some kind in order to make money. The most common way is to work for someone else as an employee. As an employee you expect to receive some kid of pay for the work you do, by the hour, week, or month. One challenge for a single mom is to balance to time required for the job and the time needed to take... Read more »

Small Business Marketing and the US Census: Economic Trends, Market Research and More

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... Read more »

Brand Marketing: Check Out the Competition!

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... Read more »

Marketing Strategies: How to Test Your Advertising!

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... Read more »

Marketing Strategies: Are You Making This Marketing Mistake?

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... Read more »

Marketing Strategies - How to Make Your Product a Success BEFORE You Launch

Ever wish you could test the waters for a new product or service before sinking a lot of time and energy into development? Well, here’s the good news: you can. Once you have a clear idea in mind for the product or service you′d like to launch, you can conduct a do-it-yourself version of what Corporate America commonly calls a concept test. In this kind of research, you′ll get a clear idea of what your target market thinks of your idea - what they’re willing to pay for it - and most importantly, why. The do-it-yourself... Read more »

Marketing Strategies - Get Corporate America Results on a Small Business Budget

Fortune 500 Companies know the importance of market research. That’s why they conduct something called a concept test before launching any new product or service. Don’t you wish you could do the same thing? Well, here’s the good news: you can. 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. This is your concept statement. Next, develop a survey to gauge the reaction of your target market, covering the basics: - Purchase interest (i.e., How likely are... Read more »

What to Choose to Work from Home as a Mom, Business Opportunities or Paid Hourly Jobs?

It’s nice to be employed, and get paid with a steady pay check. But once you have your little ones, what could be more important to be with them? Don’t you miss that little face coming out of your body? Sometimes you have to work outside the home or you can get a job, that’s great if you are comfortable with it. But if you have a desire to stay home, DO it if you have a husband earning some income, a good credit or a good amount of savings. I would say you need to at least take a break and be with you little ones for awhile. Most of us moms of course have a desire to earn some money, whether to supplement... Read more »

Mothers of Young Children-Stay at Home or Return to Work? Work From Home?

Wondering whether you should stay at home or return to work? If you can afford to stay home for awhile, that would be the best for your children and you. You children would never be that young again, soon they would be grown and gone. What is there for life, if you can’t enjoy them now? There are financial concerns families might have, just look real hard at your spendings, and cut down all the necessaries. It’s worth the while for a family to not spend money on nice clothes or electronics, to allow the mother to spend time with the children. Even if you have to leverage on other resources, home equity, spendings, or credit card, etc. for the moment, it’s worth it. Unless you don’t care about you children, although that is rare in mothers, your time is now to be with them. After sometime, you might feel the pressure to earn money, there are options to work part time, work... Read more »

Balance Or Burnout: It Is Your Choice!

If you are one of those rare women who take enough time each day to focus on nurturing yourself, I throw handfuls of flower petals in the air to you. Life is celebrating you honoring yourself! The rest of us have to learn The Hard Way. We tend to forget the mathematical formula that’s as old as gravity: what we take out we must put in. Otherwise, we’ll get overdrawn with a bank notice from our Higher Self which says, “Deposit now. You are operating in the red.” If we don’t heed the red alert, our account can be closed—as in a crisis like getting ill and staying ill for as long as it takes to GET IT. Sometimes I think about the people in the bible, Adam, Methuselah, and others who lived to be over 900 years old. Thinking... Read more »