NETWORKING WAHM

Archive for the ‘BUSINESS’ Category

We ALL have time management issues today. How do we improve our time management to create more time to network? How does improving our time management lead to networking opportunities more often? Implementing time management skills will ease up your with time to attend more meetings to meet more contacts.

By attending more meetings means more contacts in your network. Professional contacts are people who know and trust you! They are your best references and the “word of mouth” is still the most trusted from of advertising. Your contacts are your referral partners. A referral partner is simply a professional contact who will vouch for you. We all know of people who are great at what they do in our network often in conversations someone will say “I need to work on find someone who’s knows how to___”. We’ll say in reply ”I know of a guy who does___ ” Now how many times have we heard that phrase? Often by having a large referral base it will lead to more clients. Then end result is more income to your business! 

Part of time management is outsourcing when needed. As you grow with your business, you’ll learn we’re really better off hiring out some tasks…granted it’s hard to hand over control. We totally understand, it’s a necessary step to get to where you want to be in the end! For growth and expansion, even to look more polished and professional it’s necessity in some aspects of business.

It’s in the nature in our culture today, time management and networking are harder. It’s harder to find time for networking with so many devices to manage we’re all overwhelmed. With loads of social media sites to stay actively engaged on. Then we have loads of activities to attend for business/career and our family time to manage too.. we’re BUSY! Busier than we have ever been. How on earth can we find the time to network to build our contacts for our business or career growth?

We’re bombarded with emails and direct messages from everywhere today. From everyone from professional contacts to others who’d just like to get to know us a bit more. With all the job seekers out there reaching out, you may come across those messages also. You’ll have those who’d like to work for you reaching out. Many job seekers have taken to writing emails for leads.

All the messages are really overwhelming and hard to keep up with. Also, spammers are still able to make there way through the spam filters with very ingenious ways. They’re great at tricking the system. So how do you personally manage all of the messages and weed out the ones which are the most important? *TIP* - Personally I use lists everyday in my email accounts and in social media.

Suggestions to help :

1) Use folders in within your email!  Make folders and move your emails around. To utilize NEW folders it’s a step to stay organized. Prioritize how soon you need to reply to keep you organized ”High Priority”, “Reply A.S.A.P.”, “Answer Soon” “When I have time” for example are great folder titles.

2) Consider outsourcing for your email or other tasks! Outsourcing has grown tremendously over the last few years. Outsourcing is taking off! Outsourcing has grown, because our needs have changed and the way we do business has changed! The need for all of us is really to be out front and “the face” of your business! To become very diversified with our marketing campaigns! We all need to do it all! To be out front rather than on the backend of our businesses or careers. This is really why outsourcing has grown.

3) Consider hiring a Virtual Assistant! The VA community of professionals is a fantastic resource for anyone who would prefer to be networking over replying. There are many stay at home mothers who are former corporate women who today are top notch Virtual Assistants.

4) Prioritize importance of actions! Do what needs to be done now? Have a what I call a ”Priority Hit List” The 5 top priorities of the day are_____, ____,____,_____, and _____    All the rest for messages and actions can wait until later.

5) Delegate to others! As a business owner the hardest part is really finding people with strong work ethics to accomplish your mission! Who are those people you’d impeccably trust? Those who’d do a quality job at the tasks assigned? Those are the people you “MUST” have as employees. It’a not an option in hiring! To go the top, top people are must haves! If you’d like your company to go grow must start with quality people. Put enormous time into finding the right team of people! The return on investment is HUGE!

6) Consider hiring social media management or a consultant. Social media consultants are the way to go for better understanding how to effectively target your audience. Think of a target when it comes to social media marketing. Excellent marketing people understand how to find the center of the target, your prime clients you’ve been working so hard to locate yourself. I believe in working smarter not harder. I own a company which does exactly this! My NEW company Divas Social! You name it we do it when it come to social media! http://divassocial.com  On Twitter – http://twitter.com/divassm and  http://twitter.com/divassocial  On Facebook -  https://www.facebook.com/DivasSocialMedia 

7) Training your family for tasks you have been doing yourself. Aren’t we mothers all guiltly of doing too much ourselves? Children are great at helping once they feel rewarded for their actions. Laundry, Dishes, Cleaning, Emails etc. the list goes on. They’ll need these skills once they’re grown so why not start to mastering it now?

Break large projects into tasks. Always step and chunk your work into smaller pieces. It’s less overwhelming to look at smaller steps. It’s always easier with large projects to have phases or steps leading to a much bigger goal.

I’m just amazed how hard women are working today! Many of the mompreneurs are the most versatile people of all. We’re businesswomen with business ventures of every type. Many are even running multiple businesses all while raising a family. The dynamics are slightly crazy at times for most of us. Those who try to run businesses while raising a family, we all attest it’s hard, but it worth the end result.

How does one manage so much? It takes a lot just to run a business never mind a family and a business? While having a family and running a business is worth it, it’s not a cakewalk. It comes down to priorities and taking care of what’s most important first. For most of us it’s the children first and everything else is second.

I’m truly amazed by the women I meet. In the business groups today online and in person the most dynamic women are leading and teaching others. Some are bloggers, others are magazine editors, some are social media developers, coaches coaching others, the careers choices are unlimited. Many are doing so many different things to build their business brands, it’s very empowering to other women even to watch.

Then some are in also launching themselves into podcasting. With the YouTube anyone can become a star. The online radio shows have taken off they’re where today’s women are building empires. Many of us women are combining podcasting with our other businesses, because it’s more comfortable than being on camera. We’re truly layering ourselves and branching out in lots of directions at once. The list goes on as to exactly who the podcasters are  - some are authors, some are chefs, then you have bloggers, amongst true corporate businesswomen. The list goes on to include life coaches to even doctors who today have found podcasting touches lives. Podcasting is a great way to get your message out and market your own business.  You know you have a captive audience when they tune in just to listen directly to your show.

It’s an exciting time and who knows what could be next? In the social media world who knows what could be next? We’re Facebooking, Tweeting, YouTubing and Podcasting to get where we want to go with our careers. Many of these women are building  up and teaching  others along the way, as a powerful group of forward thinking women.

When I was young, I dreamt of being a mom.  I thought I would stay at home with my kids and everything would be wonderful.  Well, the former didn’t quite work out but the latter still did.

I worked full time in software after graduating from college.  When it was time for kids, I knew that financially we needed me to have some income so the stay at home full time thing wouldn’t really work.  So we brainstormed what I could do.

My mom had a home based business as a real estate appraiser.  Although only 40 minutes away, it was in the next state.  I decided to get my appraiser license and work with her.  I took courses online and passed my test and worked as her apprentice.  My dad would watch my son while mom and I did inspections and worked.  The plan was too eventually use the state reciprocity so I could be licensed in my own state and work for myself.

Then it was time for another kid.  What we realized was that with 2 kids, it was going to be a lot more difficult to run an appraisal business of my own.  I would not have granddaddy-daycare anymore and would be spending a lot of time for inspections and reports and would have to figure out what to do with the kids.  And the biggest concern?  I was expending a lot of effort but not making nearly what I did in software.

So we brainstormed more.  I approached my former company with a proposal.  I would come back 20 hours a week, working only one day in the office.  They jumped at that.  I was really happy because it made me feel important to them.

At first I tried working hours in the afternoon after my husband got home and then going in for a full day on Fridays.  That worked for a while but we really needed some childcare help so that I could work during normal hours.  So we used a nanny for a few hours a few days a week.  She would watch the kids while I worked at home.  Eventually I stopped going into the office and worked all my hours at home.

We also used au pairs for a few years so I could work more hours while still being able to have lunch with the kids and take breaks to see them throughout the day.  Having an au pair provided a lot of flexibility for a very reasonable cost.  It really worked well for us.

Now that both kids are in elementary school, I can work from home during the school day.  I get to see them in the morning to get them on the bus and in the afternoon as soon as they get home.  It is a great balance for me.

So after trying a few things, I found what works for me.  It may not always be easy.  Sick kids, teacher workdays, and summer vacation are all challenges.  But my husband and I work together to make it work.

I encourage all working moms to figure out what makes the right balance for them.  Whether it is working full time in an office, part time telecommuting, home based business … there is something for all of us.  It may take a few tries to find it but you will and it will be wonderful.  – Denise

Denise blogs at According to Denise (www.accordingtodenise.com) and tweets at @acctodenise.
A self-described “chick getting through” she’s a mom, wife, step-mom, programmer,
migraine-sufferer and wannabe runner.  She balances all this with humor,
emotional meltdowns, chocolate, coffee and then blogs all about it.

We all have heard of the companies which are originals. The way to become a huge success is to think up an a truly original product or service. One no one else has developed and taken to the market yet. Many are household names. To the point of the which the brand name becomes synonymous with the product.  How does this even happen? To become successful to that point? It’s incredible, but it does happen. Kleenex it’s brand name which we use rather synonymously, we use the ‘brand name’ Kleenex in place of the ‘product name’ – a tissue. How many times have you asked for a Kleenex over a tissue?

How does that level of success happen? Well one way to truly become success, is to be original. Many inventors spend their lives only thinking up new new products to bring to market. Some create  only a few successful hit products while there are a few who have created several hit products over their careers as inventors. Different products are created in their mind’s eye, which overtime and development we will someday all will be using.  Once the product is created, developed and marketed, we all take for granted the product not understanding the years it took to bring the product to market.

‘The first and only type’ products are the real gold mines of the business world. Swiffer comes to mind, now who is going to top that product?  How do one become the first and only? Thinking, thinking and more thinking is how it’s done.  Fairly new companies such as dog waste removal services did not exist until recently, but it’s a huge success. Every year new successful ones are created out of no where to become gold mines.

Well the same business philosophy applies to women businesses. Create a new business which has not been developed yet.  Virtual assistance, blog server hosting, web content developers, affiliate managers, blog advertising companies are all examples of newer type businesses which women can do from home. What will be the next newly created career or service for women to do from home? Who knows what it will be? Maybe you do, maybe your designing it right now! Reflect on what is needed to help the growing female sisterhood on the net. Think about what exactly do women business women want to outsource? Outsourcing has created many women’s careers. Once you become successful there is no way you can do it all, you must outsource some of what you to do in a day. You may of found a new business opportunity for yourself? Picking up an outsourced task or creating a service in helping women with their business needs. Women who work from home have needs! There’s a whole population who are working from home and can’t get it all done from home. Their business needs are your opportunity to gain and grow your own business.

Mom Health  -  Do you struggle with putting your life first? Do your family and your career always come first over taking time for your health? Many of us have the same issues! We’re all so busy with our family life, we forget about us in the process of living.

10 Steps to a Healthier You:

1. Take Breaks. Take frequent breaks while working. Take a walk, run errands, or just make some phone calls. Breaks are important for your physical and mental health.

2. Exercise Regularly. We do get a lot of exercise as mothers, but it may not be the type that’s best for us. Join a gym if you can? Develop an exercise program for home if you can’t.

3. Eat Right. We often eat in a rush everyday or on the road, while driving our children around. Even if you eat out sometimes you still can make health choices.

4. Get Enough Sleep. We’re all guilty of not sleeping enough, even if our bodies need it.

5. Hydratation. Drink water throughout the day to keep you engery up and your mind fresh.

6. Stretching. Most of us don’t stretch at all, even if we exercise regularly. As we age, we really need to focus on stretching.

7. Take Vacations. When was the last time you took a real vacation? Many of us take too few vacations. Even if your busy you can take regular weekend trips to refresh.

8. Have Regular Moms Nights. We’re all so busy we often loose track of our friendships over time. We need the support of our female friends for emotional health. Time to get back to social networking at it’s best!

9. Practice Proper Ergonomics. Do you know what ergonomics is? Your body position while moving and sitting can effect your health something to consider

10. Invite Love and Positivity into Your Life.  We all benefit from love and positive people have a great effect on our lives.

Google’s Matt Cutts explaining how Search Engine Optimization works. Why WordPress blogs do so well with SEO and how important the use of your post tags is.  Content is key we all know, but sometimes we forget the exact words our readers are searching for in their search box and how to apply them to our titles or post content. As he said, focus on more on your readers over being concerned with SEO. Most people are far more SEO concerned than they should be. Our philosophy is ‘build it and they will come’ which is exactly what has happened with Networking WAHM!  We appreciate all of our readers. Your the reason we love doing this site! All of your wonderful feedback and support it makes it more worthwhile!

ALSO – We added a few YouTube Videos on networking at the bottom right in the sidebar. As we find interesting ones, we’ll add to the collection  for your enjoyment!

Hello – All the WAHMs of the world! We know your out there, with your  super successful at home businesses. If your a true WAHM? If  your a REAL WAHM entrepreneur or have a successful direct sales business and would like you to contribute to our site, please do!  Tell us about your home based business success story! Would you like to share your story to help other women? Other ladies would benefit from learning about your success stories! Which types of home based businesses have you found worked for family? Which ones are you personally having a great success with, as a  home business? Which ones have you tried which have been flops in the end?  Women often ask us which ones are great ones to take a chance on.  We feel in this economy, if we as women can help each other. WE should when we CAN! Other women would like to hear your thoughts on the topic of home based businesses. Please share your ideas and your personal secrets to success as WAHM. The dream of many women is to have what YOU have, a successful home based business while raising a family. Please help the future WAHMs of the world by sharing!

Please share your ideas, thoughts and comments.

We’re really growing! Growth it can be a great thing and a bad thing – if your a mompreneur! Mompreneurs are very different than other moms. We think up deals and ideas all day long. All while changing diapers and driving the kids around we’re running our businesses. Well in the spirit of growth we are now going to start a new venture with blog links. Our first time is today! Enjoy!

Lots of  great blogs to enjoy on your Sunday!

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post shared with http://momsindulgence.com

Being a mother is often referred to as a “full-time job” and with all of the responsibilities and duties that come along with this title it is unfortunate that overtime pay is not an option. In an economy where a dual income isn’t a so much additional as it is necessary income, not everyone has the luxury of “mother” being their only occupation. Many moms out there are finding that they need to go back to work but might not quite be sure how to get back into the professional world. After all, where do job searches and interviews fit in between dropping off the kids at school and rushing them to soccer practice afterward? Luckily, for the modern women, multitasking is usually not a problem and technological advances are making it easier than over to market yourself professionally without spending too much of your precious time on those efforts. 

First, if you want to be on the job market you are going to have to put yourself out on it. The quickest way to do this is by establishing a professional online presence. These days, employers like to do a little background research on potential employees, so make sure that your professional and not personal self is what initially pops up on Google searches. There are several resources you can use to quickly establish your professional online presence, but one of the best and time-efficient ones is LinkedIn. This professional networking Web site allows users to connect with other professionals in their industry for various business purposes. By creating an account with LinkedIn you are able to create an online profile that includes information about your professional experience, educational history, and portfolio work. This is a great way to get your resume information out there without taking the time to send out a bunch of resumes to potential employers.

Having a LinkedIn profile that shows up when someone enters your name into an online search engine can also save you a lot of time in the interview process. When interviewers already have some knowledge about your work experience and educational background they can cut right past the informational part of the interview and ask the most important questions that will let them know if you are the right person for the job. This saves both of you time as you won’t be called in for any interviews you are not qualified for and the ones that you are qualified for  will likely go a lot faster.

This online tool also serves as a great way to network without having to take the time out of your busy schedule to attend job fairs, hiring events, or other social functions. LinkedIn allows you to connect with other professionals you have worked with in the past and discover the inside connections you may have that can lead to future career opportunities. It also helps you to identify industry executives and other management professionals in your field that could have the power to put you in the right position. Rather than spending hours researching companies to find out who you need to contact in order to secure an interview, you can just search for professionals in your area and invited them to look at your profile to bring attention to your credentials and generate interest in your capabilities.

By-line:

Mariana Ashley is a freelance writer who particularly enjoys writing about online college. She loves receiving reader feedback, which can be directed to mariana.ashley031 @gmail.com.