Competitor versus Partner

Sometimes, the line between competitor and partner can be blurred. New business owners tend to feel like they are running a marathon, alone. But, it doesn’t have to be that way. You can form partnerships, collaborations, alliances and make your race more like a relay.

Other women in business don’t always have to be a competitor that you need to keep at a distance; they can also be your partner. I encourage entrepreneurs on a regular basis to form partnerships and work with others. It can be very beneficial in several ways.

Partnerships are one of the founding principles of Market Mommy. They allow you to expand your services, your knowledge base and in turn, what you have to offer your customers and clients.

Sometimes, partnerships can be elaborate and detailed. You may actually want to go into business with someone or combine your product lines. This can be very positive, if you find the right business and the right business owner. It may very well make sense.

Or, partnerships can be informal and less structured. Some business owners work together to include coupons for other mom-owned businesses when they ship an order. A lot of cross promotion is done for fellow entrepreneurs via link exchanges and social media.

Of course, as in any business, there will be those who you are in direct competition with. My advice is to look at the competition as an opportunity for you to learn and grow. Many of us have a competitive spirit, and that’s healthy. Use it to become creative, try new things and expand your horizons.

There are several possibilities when you are looking to form partnerships with other business owners. As you are researching and learning about your market, don’t assume everyone is a competitor. Look a little deeper or you may miss an excellent opportunity for collaboration.

Check out some of the awesome mom-owned sites that we are currently partnering with at Market Mommy:: Christian Moms Business Resource, Funky Finds, Lower Mainland Children’s Directory, Our Milk Money, CWAHM, Chic Galleria, Moms Zone, Living My MoMent, The Work at Home Woman, Mommy Perks, Baby Swags, Apriori Beauty, Always B Designs, Travel with the Magic and Promoting Mompreneurs. I encourage you to visit our partners; they all have something wonderful to offer their fellow mom entrepreneurs!

If you’re interested in partnering with Market Mommy to increase your exposure, visit our partnership page for more information, or send me an e-mail!

Are you using Twitter effectively?

Twitter is easy and it’s fast. It’s pretty much a gateway into your business, your blog, your life. It’s a great way to get more exposure. But, are you using it effectively?

First of all, do others you regularly connect with know you are on twitter? You should be telling others about it. Your twitter handle, or ID http://twitter.com/MarketMommy}, should be on your blog, on your About Us page, on anything you publish, on your facebook page, in your e-mail signature, etc.

Do you have followers? How many people are you following? One of the most obvious ways to increase your relevant followers is to first seek out others who you want to network with. Find other mom business owners that you’d like to connect with, learn from, sell to, etc. When they get the notice that you’re following them, chances are they’ll check out your profile and maybe follow you back.

In my opinion, one of the most effective ways to make twitter work for you is to make personal connections with others. Read others’ tweets and respond to them. Reply and make conversation, build friendships. You should already have multiple things in common with those you are following, use that to your advantage. You can also use direct messages to exchange e-mail addresses and other information more directly.

It’s been said that microblogging is the future of the internet. On some level I’m sure that’s true. Twitter really is a great tool and there are so many neat things you can do with it. You can search for people, find conversations about things you’re interested in, automatically follow others, track your tweets, automatically tweet your blog posts and add badges to your site.

Keep in mind that everything takes time. Building an effective network won’t happen overnight, but with a little effort twitter can be a lucrative networking tool.

For Sale:: Swanky Moms

I've worked with Swanky Moms before. It's a great site for moms, and offers some great advertising options for mom business owners. I've advertised both Announcements Galore and Market Mommy on Amber's site.

Now that the site's founder, Amber, has taken on a full-time job outside of the home she can no longer maintain the site like she wants to. So, it has been posted for sale. It's been posted on Ebay and the auction is live for the next six days.

If you've considered being a WAHM, but aren't sure where to start, this could be a great opportunity for you. All the details and site statistics are included in the listing. It is a well-established site. Click here for more information!

Tuesday's Tip:: Get a Mentor

Do you have a business but don’t feel as though it’s moving forward like you want it to? Don’t feel like you’re making the money you should be making? Have you considered finding a mentor to partner with?

Jill Hart is a fellow Christian work-at-home-mom whose passion is to help other women work from home too. She is the founder of www.CWAHM.com, where she has spent the past 10 years helping other women work from home and build strong, marketable and profitable businesses. She’s also the co-author of So You Want To Be a Work at Home Mom.

“I'm dedicated to helping women like you find and maintain success in your business, your family, and your spirit,” Hart said. “What I've learned over the past 10 years is that many women want to work at home and find success and peace in their relationships with God and their families. But they don't know where to start! There is so much conflicting advice out there, it's impossible to know who you can really trust.”

Hart has now complied all of her experience to create a mentoring program entitled SuccessFul Christian Women. The program will walk you through all the steps of starting, maintaining a successful business, and balancing it with your family and your faith.

The monthly program will cover topics such as:
· How to start a business;
· How you can find customers and clients;
· Easy ways to break down your barriers to success; and
· Honoring God in your business and your life.

When you join the program, you’ll get an initial 30 minutes on the phone with Hart, in addition to the monthly calls. Monthly membership levels start at just $37/month. For more detailed information, click here.

Market Mommy now offers full service design and printing services!

You’ve heard me say over and over how important strong branding and consistency are. You’ve also heard me say several times that effective marketing can be done on a limited budget. Mom entrepreneurs face their own unique set of challenges. Finding marketing and business supplies at a reasonable cost shouldn’t have to be one of them.

That is why Market Mommy has expanded our design services and now can offer you full service printing without the inflated full price. For a complete price list click here.

All businesses need to be able to present themselves in a positive, professional manner. Market Mommy can help you do that with attractive business cards, brochures, note cards, promotional items, postcards and much more.

Benefits to using Market Mommy for your design and printing needs include::

• All prices include FREE design work/corrections and up to 3 proofs! AND printing!
• Shipping is a flat $10 on all orders under $100
• Orders over $100 always receive free shipping!
• Don’t see quite what you’re looking for? We can quote ANY project!
• Need to reorder? Contact us for a discounted quote!

Here is just a BRIEF list of some of the things we can do for you and your business::

• 250 matte business cards $30
• 420 return address labels $28
• 500 sheets of letterhead $125
• 250 postcards $60
• 100 8.5 x 11 tri-fold brochures $100

Remember, these prices all include custom design work! You will not find lower prices on custom marketing materials anywhere!

We also offer magnets, flyers, envelopes, oversized postcards, presentation folders, stamps, lawn signs, car door magnets, t-shirts, calendars, gift certificates, posters and much, much more!

Contact us today to see how we can help you promote your business! Don’t forget, we also offer a referral program! Contact us for details and find out how you can earn credits for free products!

P.S. Mention this blog post and place an order before April 1 and you’ll save 10% automatically!