So You Want to be a Work at Home Mom
Would you like an autographed copy of So You Want to Be a Work at Home Mom. Check here ..
Thank You! To SOHO Newsletter
A BIG Thank you and Shout Out goes to SOHO Newsletter! We were pleased to be included in the SOHO Newsletter this month.
Virtual Assistant Twitter Chat
Join me today, Friday, March 19th from 1:00 to 2:00 EST for a Twitter Chat, hashtag #PVA (Publicity Virtual Assistant). We will discuss virtual assistant tips to success as well as PR Tips. Giving away prizes too. Spread the word. These will be help bi-weekly.
Thanks!
Diana Ennen / @dianaennen / www.virtualwordpublishing.com
Book Review from Diana Ennen: AlphaWAHM
What an awesome book, AlphaWAHM BluePrint by Karri Flatla. This is one of those books that the more you do what’s inside, the more you will benefit. The goal of the book isn’t to read it and move on. The goal is to read it, take notes, take action steps, and then come back to the book and repeat the steps above. As the title suggests, it’s a blueprint for business success.
One of the things I really enjoyed was the “Words to Live by” section. Here’s just one example. Empowerment is not to have power over others. It’s to know thyself and consciously manage your actions and reactions to the world around you! – Karri Flatla.
Get your copy today. I think you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.
Diana Ennen / President Virtual Word Publishing / www.virtualwordpublishing.com
Alpha WAHM Blueprint Book Tour
We were thrilled today to take part in the Alpha WAHM Blueprint Book Tour with Karri Flatla www.AlphaWAHM.com & www.AlphaWAHMBook.com
Blog Stop: Dianna Ennen
Karri was kind enough to answer these questions for us. Also, my review of her book will also be posted today.
1) Tell us more about how we can create a blueprint for our business. We work-at-home-moms tend to wing it so much and having a blueprint would be a great asset. Love to know more about this.
First, let’s talk about what a blueprint is not. Your Alpha WAHM Blueprint is not a business plan. It won’t tell you how to build a website or get clients. In fact, it’s not a how-to document at all.
I present numerous exercises and thought provoking questions throughout the book. In some ways, it’s a journey of the soul.
The “blueprint” is created by the answers you provide to the questions at the end of each chapter. When you’re finished working through the book, what you’ll have is a roadmap for really thriving in your role as a work-at-home mom—and as an ambitious “mompreneur.”
This roadmap is what I hope each mom will come back to again and again for guidance, for inspiration, and to be reminded of why she is living the (crazy!) life she is living.
Building a business from home is a continuous recalibration exercise. You are constantly adjusting to changes in your environment as well as changes within you as a woman who fulfills multiple roles. The Alpha WAHM Blueprint is your rock of truth. Eventually, you will internalize these writings and, in turn, live in a more empowered, purposeful way.
Of course, your blueprint will change over time as more and more is revealed to you about your purpose as a wife, mother and entrepreneurial woman.
2) What exactly is an Alpha WAHM? And how can I become one?
I use the term “Alpha WAHM” for a lot of reasons, but my big motivation was to help work-at-home moms feel confident in pursuing their passions, profitably if they can. Women—but working mothers in particular—are still swimming in a sea of guilt and to some extent, self-loathing. This has to STOP!
Almost every WAHM I’ve ever consulted with, coached, or spoke to feels terribly afraid of two things:
1) Success
2) Failure
Strange but true!
We’re afraid of being too successful professionally because we’re taught to divvy up our lives into neat little sections; one piece of the pie never touching or “messing up” the others.
More to the point though, successful women are still being labeled with negative stereotypes. This is damaging and often becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. i.e. I have to be a [insert curse word here] to get what I want (and need) for myself and for my children.
Conversely, we’re also afraid of failure. We don’t think we’re good enough to meet the men where they are. We don’t believe in our God-given talent, in a purpose that may very well extend beyond motherhood. We’re afraid to just be ourselves and let the chips fall.
So to be an Alpha WAHM is to face your fears head on, claim your truth, and live life to the fullest. As a mother, this is THE greatest gift you can give to your children and loved ones.
3) You have found a great deal of success with your marketing consulting business (http://snapwebmarketing.com). Do you have any top tips that you feel an Alpha WAHM needs to know?
Yep!
1. Don’t get stuck on perfect. Whether you’re worried about creating a great business plan or a great website, perfect is not the goal. For various reasons, men are more easily able to look past imperfection and keep moving forward. Women, however, tend to get hung up on getting everything just right, on details that really don’t matter to the long-term objective. Then procrastination sets in and you’re business comes to a dead stop. Do your best, and then take action.
2. Trust your wisdom and experience. Then charge handsomely for it. It took me a long time to realize what I was very good at … and what I was definitely not so good at. You don’t have to be the best; you just have to be the only one who does it like YOU do it.
3. Treat your spouse with respect. Being “alpha” isn’t about stepping on the men in your life. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Being a WAHM is really hard sometimes, and it’s easy to take your frustrations out on the only other adult you may interact with in a day. Resist the urge. Instead, make it priority one to keep hubbie in the loop. He may not always “get” what it’s like to be you, but his support will go a long way toward creating the nurturing environment you need to thrive as a work-at-home mom.
(4) We’d love to know a little more about you. Could you give us just a brief bio on you and your business?
Sure! Here’s an excerpt from the back cover of Alpha WAHM Blueprint: An Empowerment Guide for Work-at-Home Moms:
After the birth of her first child, Karri Flatla started a home based marketing business so she could parent flexibly and avoid re-entering a workforce that smothered her deep need for creative independence. Today, Flatla is the go-to coach-consultant for modern work-at-home moms and other small business entrepreneurs around the web. Her frank and sassy advice has been featured at Search Engine Guide, VAnetworking Blog, Problogger’s TwiTip, Fuel Net, Alberta Venture, and Smart Company Magazine.
Karri’s latest venture is the launch of AlphaWAHM.com, an online resource dedicated to both experienced and aspiring work-at-home moms.
Work from Home: Excuses, Excuses
Just how badly do you want this? What’s holding you back? People present all kinds of excuses for why they shouldn’t start a home-based business. Fear is the most common. Fear of failure, fear of financial insecurity, fear of responsibility, and fear of change are the most frequently stated. Let’s look at these for a moment and see if they apply to you.
Fear of Failure: Most of us fear failure. It’s natural. Who wants to fail at anything? Besides, if you don’t try, you can’t fail, and you will not have to deal with those negative emotions. Successful entrepreneurs see failure as an opportunity. They believe that there is no such thing as failure, only lessons. You need to be able to learn from your past failures, or as I call them, “tries.” I consider it this way: “I tried it; it didn’t work, so I’ll try something else.” I give failure no power. One of our favorite clichés is, “I would rather regret something I did over something I didn’t do.”
You should learn valuable lessons from each of your mistakes. What did you do wrong that could be corrected next time? Never dwell on your mistakes. Solve the problem and plan a new course of action.
You can also prevent the risk of failure by being aware of why most home-based or small businesses fail and then guard against these things. The following are several reasons many businesses fail:
1. Lack of enthusiasm, motivation, dedication and drive
2. Lack of self-confidence
3. Lack of knowledge and expertise
4. Lack of management skills necessary to run a successful business
5. Lack of providing clients with quality and professional services
6. Lack of a professional attitude
7. Lack of a market for services
Remember that success takes time. Very few businesses are overnight successes. It takes work, rethinking of ideas and carrying out your plans. Think of success as a marathon, not a sprint.
Fear of Financial Insecurity: This is a valid concern for those leaving the security of a full-time job with a regular paycheck every week. There is no guarantee that every week you will make a certain amount of money. However, you can take steps that will enable you to make it through the slow times until your business is up and running. Don’t let your paycheck addiction seriously interfere with your dream of entrepreneurship. Keep in mind that you could be downsized, fired, laid off, let go, given the pink slip (you get my point) tomorrow, so take control of your future now!
Have two or three months of money in reserve to help you through the first few months. This alleviates the stress of having to make money NOW! Many start this business on a part-time basis and continue working their full-time jobs to keep money coming in and to build their client base.
However, lack of savings shouldn’t stop you from starting a business. After being in business for 20 years and seeing so many businesses succeed, I know many who have made it without this extra money.
Fear of Responsibility: Many are frightened by the role of sole responsibility. They like the option of going to someone else when a crisis hits and having that person solve the problem. With everything falling on their shoulders, they fear they can’t handle the stress. Advance planning is the key here. When you start your business, have a good back-up plan in effect. Then when a crisis hits, you immediately know what to do. After the first few crisis situations, you learn to remain calm and solve problems with little effort.
National Be Heard! Day-Free Publicity Gifts!
National Be Heard Day is here, AND WE ARE A PART OF IT! How cool is that!! To celebrate we are giving great bonuses to those who participate including a free 30 minute PR Coaching call & a PR Tip booklet that really rocks!
What is Be Heard Day .. The holiday was established in 2005, by publicity pro Shannon Cherry of Be Heard Solutions (www.beheardsolutions.com). She created the holiday to help entrepreneurs – like you – to find their voice, tell their story and be heard by using low-cost marketing tactics to promote their businesses.
And this year, she’s gotten together a great lineup of marketing pros, including me, to give away some of our secrets for free.
All you have to do it go to http://www.BeHeardDay.com
The keys to the kingdom are now yours – so grab those free gifts today.
You’d better hurry, though. This celebration ends on March 20! Go to http://www.BeHeardDay.com
What’s it take to start a business
Questions and Answers from Diana Ennen & Jill Hart –
Hi Jill, I just found your website through my In Touch magazine. I am interested in a stay at home business but have no idea where to get started. It seems a little overwhelming. Can you help me get started?
I (Jill) can vividly remember that ‘overwhelmed’ feeling when I was trying to figure out what type of business I wanted to start. I knew that I wanted to be my own boss, have lots of flexibility and be home with my kids at the same time…and that’s about all I knew. Looking back, here’s what we’d suggest you do to get started:
Start with prayer – You may already be seeking God’s wisdom, but if not, we would encourage you to begin steadfastly seeking His wisdom on the matter.
Make a list (or two or three) – Lists can be helpful in a number of ways, especially our favorite – the pros and cons list. Lists can help you organize your thoughts and think through the many business ideas available to you. We encourage you to make lists to sort through your interests, your skills, and to help you find your passion. These things will determine the business path that you should start down. Be sure to include what experience you have too. It’s a combination of skills, experience, passions, ideas that lead to the right business.
Research – We say this alot, but we can really never say it enough: When looking into home-based business opportunities research is KEY. Spend a great deal of time researching the industry you want to go into. What’s great is that so many before you who have written how they have succeeded and you are able to use this to start your business. Look for books, blogs, teleseminars, teleclasses, ebooks, reports, etc. Follow those in the industry you want to belong on Twitter and Facebook and other social networks. Knowledge is power and in starting your business it can be priceless.
Starting your business can seem overwhelming, but it’s definitely worth it.
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What are your tips for starting a business and staying successful. I’d love to hear them! Post away. Diana Ennen
Online Bookstore offers the BEST in business books.
Ready for a great read? Online Bookstore Offers the Best in Ebooks, Fiction and How-To Books
Eager to read a great book, but no time to run to the bookstore? Then focus your sights on Virtual Word Publishing’s Online Bookstore at www.virtualwordpublishing.com. From sci-fi greats like Sledgehammer to business powerhouses like Virtual Assistant – The Series: Become a Highly Successful Sought After VA, you’ll find exactly what you are looking for here and with a quick click of the mouse, you can be reading away. What did we ever do before ebooks?
Ebooks are growing in popularity today, primarily because of the easy access. Who doesn’t want to order a book and have it within minutes? But most online bookstores agree that it is best to offer customers a combination of ebooks and regular books to meet everyone preferences.
What will you find at Virtual Word Publishing? Well, our fiction category features the highly acclaimed Sledgehammer, a gripping medical fiction thriller. This book sets theme in a Los Angeles emergency room where a patient is discovered to have symptoms consistent with smallpox. It is soon discovered that this is just the icing on the cake as a terrorist plot unfolds and the ER must act fast to stop the deadly attack. An awesome plot and characters you grow to love, make you eagerly await every page. This book has received numerous five star reviews and begs to ask the question, “What if?”
Our Children’s book category features the beautifully illustrated Children’s book, Zip, Burp and Hula. This book is an inspiring story of a trio of friends who meet, learn the value of friendship, and also find that together anything is possible. Sure to become a bedtime favorite and the best part is that it is accompanied by a paint-by-number and coloring book so kids can enjoy the characters even more. Oh, speaking of characters, did we mention the characters consist of a Chameleon, a burping bullfrog, and a dancing dragonfly? What kid wouldn’t want to connect with that trio?
Words From Home: Start Run and Profit from a Home-Based Word Processing Business takes you step by step through the process of starting your own home-based word processing business or secretarial service, including typing, medical or legal transcription. Updated regularly, this book has assisted thousands in turning their administrative skills into a profitable home-based business.
The Book of the Month is Virtual Assistant the Series, Become a Highly Successful Sought After VA; a complete reference guide that will lead you on your journey to running a successful virtual assistant business. What is a virtual assistant? Virtual Assistants are highly skilled professionals, working as independent contractors, who provide publicity, administrative support and other specialized services to authors, businesses, entrepreneurs, executives and sales professionals to name a few. Virtual Assistant the Series is considered one of the leading books in the VA Industry.
All this and more can be found here. Just stop by the bookstore at http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com and start on your reading adventure. You are guaranteed to experience some entertaining and informative reading. Plus, check out the many free books available including a sample of a cookbook for busy moms.
About Virtual Word Publishing: Offering a complete online bookstore with a great selection of business and how-to books, children’s books and CDs, fiction books, etc. Virtual Word Publishing specializes in books on how to start a virtual assistant business. Also, Virtual Word Publishing offers marketing and publicity, and partners with clients to get the best results from their marketing campaigns. From writing press releases, to establishing a complete media campaign, Virtual Word Publishing gets the publicity your products/services deserve. http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com
What’s a Mentor? Do You Need a Mentor for Business Growth?
Jill Hart, owner of CWAHM.com, and I work together on several projects, including our new book “So You Want To Be A Work from Home Mom” (you can learn more about this book here). Well, Jill’s at it again, this time she has been interviewed over at Momlogic.com on the topic of “Mentoring”, specifically “Working with a Mentor”. I believe you will enjoy this interview, just click here!
Do you work with a mentor? Have you ever worked with a mentor? I’d love to hear about your experience, please leave a comment below!
