Generational Wealth

The following is a guest post by Courtney Butler, Managing Partner of Your Virtual Service Group.  Her complete bio can be found on the Guest Writers page.
“EXCUSE ME, CAN YOU PLEASE PASS THE ‘WEALTH'?”
We all love that old saying, "there’s more than one way to skin a cat." It’s applied very often, and is applicable in almost any situation. Typically the rule of thumb is to go to school, complete college, and head out into the workforce in search of a job with a reputable company.  We’ve seen and followed this path more times than most, without giving alternatives even an ounce of thought. It’s what we’ve been conditioned to believe is the end all be all, but we all sub-consciously know that more ways exist to achieve responsible, financial freedom. 
In recent years, the times have begun to change dramatically. With lay-offs and unemployment on the rise, corporate budgets stripped down, and increasing poverty rates, many of us are beginning to catch the entrepreneurial wave. No longer seeing value in clocking in and out and assisting major corporations  gross millions of dollars in revenue, hard-workers are reaching that glass ceiling much too soon in their careers. 
Now more than ever, the long-term benefits of owning and operating one’s own business is attractive to say the least. The ability to create your own schedule, set and exceed your own goals, and establish your own clientele, all speak to the pluses of being self-employed. 
Although entrepreneurship has long since been a male dominated sector, female owned businesses have been grown by leaps and bounds – mother/daughter business operations even more popular as of late.  As more and more generations surface, it is important to continue the legacy of entrepreneurship, and more importantly to demonstrate that there is more than one way to achieve career satisfaction. Generational wealth by means of business ownership and entrepreneurship are fulfilling alternatives, and introducing these ideas early on to our youth is beyond important. 
You're actually never too young to become an entrepreneur! What better extracurricular activity is there? It teaches initiative, responsibility, drive, and perseverance. Some great ways to pass the wealth to your children and prepare them for their futures are introducing them to business games, encouraging their money-making ideas, and only paying them for EXTRA chores. So, what are you waiting for? The IRS even rewards tax breaks to business owners who hire their children!
YVSG offers a variety of services ranging from, but not limited to, Administrative Support and Marketing/Branding, to Travel Planning and Personal Shopping. They have combined their expertise to provide clients with the ultimate virtual assistant experience.

1st Annual Halloween CATalog

I'm excited to announce that my 1st Annual Halloween CATalog  is now live!  I've brought together a handful of Mama-press members to offer you wonderfully creative, mom-made fall products.  After all, fall is in the air, and what better way to prepare than by purchasing a mom-made, unique-boutique item!  Browse the CATalog, and be sure to scroll all the way down so you can see all that is on display.  All orders are to be placed through the vendor's site...links are provided for each item and vendor.  These prices are exclusive to Mama-press shoppers, so be sure to use the coupon code provide.  If there is no coupon code, simply mention "Mama-press" when ordering.  Moms supporting moms, small businesses supporting small businesses.

Happy Shopping!

P.S. Be on the lookout for the Holiday catalog, coming late this fall.

Marketing Mix: P is for Product


This is the 2nd installment in my series Marketing Mix 101.  Refer to my previous post The 4 P's of Marketing for a quick overview of each element.  I will begin with the first P...Product.  What are you selling (or what service are you providing)?  The answer isn't simply jewelry, baby clothes, or hair bows.  It is a lot more than that.  Your product includes both the actual, tangible item you create and sell, but also includes intangible items such as:
  • features
  • customer service
  • packaging
  • quality
  • emotion
Let's pretend you sell hair bows.  These are the components of your product based on the list above:
  • The tangible product: Hair bow
  • Features of the product: fabric, embellishments, the clip, the style, the size
  • Customer service: how quickly you respond to a prospective customer's email or question on your FB page, how well you take them through the order / delivery process, the after delivery service you provide
  • Packaging: how is the hair bow packaged, are the packaging materials sufficient quality and eye-pleasing, how does the physical package look when the customer receives it and opens it
  • Quality: the hair bow's durability, does it stand up to normal wear and tear by a young child, what you do if the bow breaks, is the clip comfortable for a little girl's head
  • Emotion: the benefit your customer receives, how Mom feels when her little princess is wearing your bow, how the little girl herself feels while wearing it
All of these factors...

7 Unnecessary Baby Items

When one has her first child, she may not realize what she really needs and really doesn't need.  I registered for my baby shower with my sister-in-law, who counseled me on the necessities.  It was really a big help.  After my 2nd child was born, I realized even further there are so many items marketed to new moms that are just unnecessary.  Some may be nice to have, but others are basically a waste of money.  I won't distinguish between the reasons below, but here are the items I realized I did not need:
  1. Diaper Pail. I had a Diaper Dekor when my son was born and loved it.  Then I realized how expensive the replacement bags are.  Then, once my daughter came along, I further realized that I could simply throw the diapers in the garage garbage, instead of leaving them in a nicely smelling garbage can in her room. 
  2. Wipe warmer.  I receive this as a gift, then returned it.  I didn't want to deal with the warming, cooling, etc.  My kids both survived very well using room temperature wipes.
  3. Bottle warmer, bottle drying rack.  If you receive these, keep your receipts.  I breastfed my kids and fully intended for this to be their primary feeding method. However, I also wanted them to take the occasional bottle while I was out.  Well, they had other plans in mind...

Reality vs. Fantasy

I'm a realist...logical...analytical...the typical type A personality.  Because of this, it's hard for me to answer certain questions from my kids.  Today my 5 year old asked me what is at the end of the rainbow.  I paused, then replied "a pot of gold." I knew this was the response he expected, so I gave it to him.  It was tough, because obviously it is not true and makes no sense...just like leprechauns are not real either.  It's difficult for me to feed into an idea that is not logical.  However, I realized I must do so because a) it's part of childhood and b) it helps foster a sense of creativity and imagination.  That aside, I comprised a list of similar ideas that are difficult for me to comply with:
  1. Unicorns. We have a book that mentions unicorns...then proceeds to read "no silly, unicorns aren't real."  After some discussion with my husband, I decided to omit this sentence as a child can and should believe in unicorns.
  2. Santa. Of course Santa exists and I want my kids to believe as long as possible (yes, I'm being hypocritical here).  I was very disappointed when I took the kids to see Winnie the Pooh, as a movie preview started by negating Santa's existence.  I thought it was unacceptable to have a preview for a G movie which consists of an elf refuting the jolly ole' fellow.
  3. Tooth Fairy. My son hasn't lost his first tooth yet.  The tooth fairy will come, but I assure you it will be difficult to explain how/why...

Guest Post: Back to School Jitters – For Parents!

The following is a guest post by Dr. G, a Board Certified family physician, mother of four, and a professional parenting speaker and writer.  Her complete bio proceeds her article.

The end of summer is often bittersweet.  Many of us look forward to our kids getting back into a routine, back into school-learning and the growth that goes with it.  But, oh, the logistics!  Earlier bedtimes, new responsibilities, homework, friend drama, after school activities starting again, even packing lunches seem orchestrated to intrude on every free minute.  What stresses you out about back-to-school?  Leave a comment below!

School-in-the-morning bedtimes when it still feels like summer at night:
It can take many weeks to get kids back into a school sleep schedule.  Notice their frustrations, empathize with their desire to go outside and play instead of getting ready for bed.  Dedicate some weekend days to recreating summer – turn on the sprinklers or find a pool, throw a barbecue but end a little earlier, run out for ice cream together.  Let your children choose between playing after school and doing homework a little later, or recapturing that summer feeling by getting through their chores and homework earlier so they can have a little outside-after-dinner time before bed.  Be responsive to their unspoken cues, especially those that tell you they are not getting enough sleep!
Finding a homework routine:

Ask your child what worked last year.  Brainstorm together some good ideas and some trouble spots.  Be willing to try out their ideas for location, timing and level of homework supervision.  By following their (reasonable) suggestions...



Monday Morning Blog Hop

My Monday Morning Blog Hop is now open.  Link up and say hi!  There are no rules, though a follow is never taken for granted!  Have a great week.


The 4 P's of Marketing

Not everyone who decides to open a small business; or sell from Facebook, Etsy, or elsewhere, has formal business training. Many people do it for supplemental income.  Many do it because they were laid off, or have trouble finding an outside job in this economy. Many of these entrepreneurial people learn as they go, or look for informal training methods. With that in mind, I am writing a post on the 4 P's of Marketing. It is a traditional concept that carries through the ages, through the advent of social media and anything that is still to come. Here is a brief description of each:
1. Product. What are you selling? Do you focus on one product line, or have multiple? Do you put all your time, energy and skills into one product to make it perfectly, with no quality issues...or do you spread yourself too thin, making many average items, but nothing spectacular? You can add to your product mix, but are you doing this at the expense of your original items? You must define your product line so your customers can too. Otherwise, they are left confused about who you are, and don't want to bother taking the time to figure it out.
2. Price. Do you have a pricing strategy? You must research your competition. What is their price point? How do you differentiate from them, or don't you? If you don't, that's okay, as long as your item is either higher quality or same quality but lower priced. How do you justify a higher price to your customers? If you price too low...

5 Ways to Sloowww Dowwwn

Yes, this is a turtle! My kids love turtles.
 They were thrilled to see this one on the road in N. WI.
Can we learn anything from turtles?  Don't be a naysayer, of course we can!  We can learn to slow down.  If you are anyone like me, you may feel like you are constantly rushing around.  "Hurry, we can't be late," "put on your shoes," "get into the car!" "where's your sister??"  With the new school year approaching, and the need to get kids out the door even more urgent, we could all use some tips on how to make our mornings less stressful. When we are late and stressed, we tend to lose our patience with the kids and drive faster.  We also teach our kids to rush and pass our stress onto them.  All of this is unhealthy and unsafe, and can easily be avoided by creating a gameplan for keeping our cool, and getting everyone out the door on time:
  1. Set my alarm.  As a stay-at-home mom of 5 years now, I have not had to use an alarm clock in awhile.  Am I spoiled in this regard, perhaps.  I now realize I will  have to set my alarm for... 7am.

Guest Post: Early Childhood Education...More Than Daycare

The following is a guest post by Kathleen Thomas. Her credentials immediately follow the article.

If you are a single parent who must hold down a job (or, as the "uniquely American" case oftentimes, two or three jobs)  in order to provide for a family, it goes without saying that when it comes to toddlers and preschoolers especially, quality daycare is a necessity. But is it enough? If you are among the fortunate enough to have family members or a neighbor who is willing to look after your very young child while you are on the job – or are able to hire a babysitter – your child is probably missing some important opportunities for intellectual growth. Yes, his/her physical needs for nourishment and protection are certainly being met, and there may be some socialization that occurs in a typical day care center, but many of them neglect learning activities that can stimulate cognitive function and give the child a firm foundation for furthering his/her education later in life.
It Starts on Day One
What happens to a child between birth and age five has a tremendous impact on their performance in school later on. Although a recent policy decreed that "every child will enter school ready to learn," lawmakers on Capitol Hill were as usual very vague on how this is supposed to happen. Research has proven that children may start learning even before birth; during the last trimester, the child may benefit from exposure to certain types of music as well as speech. The human brain undergoes rapid growth throughout the preschool years; it is safe to say that what happens to a child during the first five years of life largely shapes the adult s/he will become. At this stage of a child's life, s/he develops his/her basic language skills, a sense of self, his/her place in the group and the role of culture – all the basic tools required to function in a given society. In short, the preschool years are those in which an elastic, malleable brain is "hardwired."
The Benefits ....

The Joys of Juicing

Before
After
I've recently discovered the joys of juicing!  We bought an incredible Breville juicer for < $100.  It was a great deal from Costco.   We have juiced all of the following, in some combination: oranges, apples, bananas, kiwi, strawberries, grapes, pineapple, lemon, pear, lettuce, spinach, carrots, broccoli, celery.  It's amazingly fun to discover new juices, and so fulfilling to make them from home.  In the glasses below, the one on the left has spinach, which gives it that great green color.  Other than that, the recipe for both was the same, and can been seen in the first picture.
What's especially nice about this juicer is it can juice entire apples. No peeling, no coring, no seed removal.  Orange skins must be removed, as well as other obvious ones like banana peels, pineapple peels, lemon rinds, etc. Of course we throw all these in our composter!  The other nice thing is that all parts are dishwasher safe.  It is very easy to assemble, disassemble and clean. I hope to start juicing more often, meaning everyday.  If you haven't tried it, pick up a juicer (and I'm sure there are other relatively good juicers for less money) and start juicing!  The opportunities are endless! If you have any great juice recipes, please post here!

Note, this is not a "review" and I was not asked or paid to provide my opinion.  I truly love my Breville juicer and want to let people know!

Versatile Blogger Award!

Thanks to Lindsay at a mommy's lifestyle, I have won the Versatile Blogger Award!  This is such an honor as my site is less than 3 months young.  Thank you Lindsay, I truly value and appreciate this! I'm happy you enjoy my blog and take time out of your busy life to read and comment on it...best wishes and I'm sure we'll "talk" soon!
The rules after accepting the Versatile Blogger award are:
  1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them in your post.
  2. Share 7 things about yourself.
  3. Pass this award along to 15 recently discovered blogs.
7 facts about myself:
  1. I really liked school, my favorite subjects were math and english.
  2. I am very much into politics.
  3. I have completed 1/2 the courses required for my MBA.
  4. I bought my 1st smart phone 1 year ago.  Yes, 1 year ago, I admit.
  5. I love getting all dolled up for a night out, but also love getting down and dirty outdoors.
  6. I didn't realize how fulfilling having a blog would be.
  7. I would love to win the lottery so I could donate much of it to various charities. 
15 blogs I'm passing the award onto:

How-To Make Your Yard a Certified Wildlife Habitat

Last year we had our backyard approved as a Certified Wildlife Habitat.  We have always had bird feeders, a variety of plants and flowers, and a bird bath in our yard.  Then, last year I discovered we could get it certified.  It's a simple designation that we proudly display in our garden.  It basically shows we value nature and wildlife, even in our own backyard.  The instructions on how to certify your garden are at the link below.  You need to show you provide the basic elements needed for wildlife to thrive: food, water, cover, and a place to raise young.  There is a short survey that must be completed, then you must make a small donation in order to have the sign sent to you.  We have it displayed at the left of the garden you see in this post Going Green for Your Garden.  Check it out...it makes a nice gift for someone who is into the outdoors, or for your very own yard.

National Wildlife Federation

Social Media Conundrum

As a new blogger, I have been pondering social media a lot lately. The extent to which one can network online is endless. Twitter followers, Facebook likes, blog followers, email subscribers, etc. Is it just a numbers game? What percentage of followers / likers / fans / stumblers / diggers / subscribers really read, or even see your post, status, tweet, etc, let alone convert to a sale? Do you know? Facebook's Insight feature indeed gives us some "insight." From what I read, Twitter doesn't privy us with similar statistics. My recent post on Facebook EdgeRank gives some insight as to the mechanics behind why fans may not see our statuses. However, the problem is even more big picture than that. Part of it is human nature. We are constantly bombarded with messages: we must block out some to prevent sensory overload. It's akin to receiving a lot of junk mail. Our job is to make sure we stay in people's radar...their line of sight. Is it worthwhile? I think it is. Marketers have been doing this forever.  They send ads to prospective customers, they bombard us with commercials, they put up billboards on the expressway, they mail us coupons. Businesses reach out to us. Perhaps the 80/20 rule applies, but I bet it's way less. The same thing goes for social media. We put ourselves out there, play the numbers game, build up our network, and see what transpires.

8 Favorite Gluten-Free Foods

Ever since going gluten-free (GF) over a year ago, I've experimented with the different GF offerings out there.  Some are down right nasty, others are a lot better than one would expect.  The following is a list of my favorite GF packaged foods.  I eat them regularly, and have even started giving some of them to my kids.  They enjoy them, and it's easier than making 2 meals or 2 sets of cookies, etc.  Here goes:
  1. Blue Diamond Almond Nut Thins
  2. Udi's bread
  3. Pamela's pancake mix
  4. Betty Crocker chocolate chip cookie mix
  5. Snyders pretzels
  6. Mrs. Leepers Corn Rotelli
  7. Corn Chex
  8. Kinni Kritters animal cookies
I'm fairly new to being GF, so if you have any of your own favorites, please comment on them below!  Thanks!

    Going Green for Your Garden

    We are a pretty "green" family.  I have several examples of how we are green, but this post is concerned with those evidenced in this picture.  This is part of our backyard garden.  How many green initiatives do you think contributed to making these flowers beautiful (if I can be so bold as to comment on their beauty...I'm usually rather humble!).  Okay...start making your list...here are the answers....
    1. Composter.  We compost all our fruit and veggie peels, coffee grounds, and plant / grass trimmings.
    2. Rain barrel.  We have a rain barrel which is the primary way we water our garden....except in recent weeks when it's been 100 degrees with no rain!
    3. Solar panel.  Okay, this doesn't contribute to the beauty, but it allows us to view the beauty at night.
    4. Seeds.  Some of the annuals were planted from seeds from last year's annuals.  This omits a trip to the nursery for flowers, packaging, etc.
    We have 2 bird baths (1 solar powered), 1 thistle feeder, & 1 hummingbird feeder.  It's amazing what you can attract to your yard based on your feeders and flower selection.  It is an even greater feeling knowing it was done in some way that was green.

    What is Facebook EdgeRank & Why You Should Care

    Most of the mom businesses on Mama-press also have a Facebook business page.  If they don't, they should.  The purpose of this post isn't to explain why, the purpose is to tell you a little about how they work.  Did you ever notice you have a "top news" and "most recent" tab on your Facebook Newsfeed page?  I did, and always clicked on "most recent" because I noticed it brought up more stories from more friends.  However, I had no idea why until I read an article about Facebook EdgeRank.  In its most basic terms, Facebook ranks the news stories from your friends and pages.  Those who interact with you the most will likely see your status updates in their "top news," which is the default setting. Those who rarely interact with you will likely NOT see your status updates in their "top news." Those stories will only appear in their "most recent" tab.  The user would have to manually click on that to view your update.  A recent study showed that only 50% of Facebook users ever click on their "most recent" tab.  So, in a nutshell, you could be posting a bunch of stuff that 1/2 of your fans / friends may never see.  The 2 links below give a thorough explanation of FB Edgerank and how it works, as well as provide tips on how to increase your Edgerank and exposure.    Any comments or insight is welcome!

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