Stella & Dot Business Opportunity

One of Christie Hosea’s biggest goals when she started her Stella & Dot business was to help other moms who wanted to start their own business, too. By building her team, she hopes to empower other women to start a business that they can fit around their life, not vice versa.

Hosea is a mom of four and definitely understands the need to be able to put her family first. Stella & Dot has allowed her to start a career that works around her and her family’s schedule.

There are many benefits to becoming a Stella & Dot Stylist. According to their website: “Stella & Dot is the modern home-based career that your mother never had. We’ve put the power of ecommerce, social networking and personal service behind an irresistible jewelry line. It’s the next big opportunity for our era. Think getting together with girlfriends, Lucky Magazine, Facebook and no glass ceiling in sight. Recognized in the New York Times and on the Today Show, it’s not only a big idea, it’s a smart business that actually works.”

This month, there is a great special for new stylists who join the company. They are giving a free Rio Coin Bracelet in the starter kit. The bracelet is valued at $89.

Stella & Dot prides itself on offering world class training and support. Once you join the business you have ongoing support to help in any way that they can. And, the earning potential is great. Stylists earn 30 percent commission on all of their sales.

To learn more today, visit Christie Hosea’s site today, or contact her via e-mail.

*This is a sponsored blog post provided to Christie Hosea as part of an advertising package.

 

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April Favorites

Last week, our April Favs were delivered to inboxes. In case you missed it, these ladies were included:

RAW Marketing
 
RAW Marketing realizes that you’ve worked hard turning your ideas into a tangible business and that’s no small feat. So let us manage your day to day marketing tasks, branding efforts and social media identity and you can get back to focusing on growing your business, which honestly…..is what you do better than anyone!
 
Find out more about RAW Marketing at the link below; or contact us directly by e-mail for an initial discussion.
 
http://www.rawmrktg.com

 

Sprinkle Me Pink
 
I created Sprinkle Me Pink to Celebrate Girls and all things Possible!  I am very excited to be able to use this as my creative outlet and to be able to share my most treasured experience as a mother to my beautiful, unique daughter and my past experience in retail, marketing, and entrepreneurship and passion of fashion, gifts, design and room décor with others.  I hope that when you visit my on-line boutique, you find that perfect gift for you and your loved ones!
Save 20% by using this code at check-out: MarketMommy. Plenty of New Items Arriving Daily!
www.sprinklemepink.com

 

 

Thirty One

Thirty One is a faith based company that offers a boutique style line of purses, totes, bags, & home accessories in a home shopping setting. About 90% of our product line can be personalized offering a unique option for yourself and gift giving. Our generous hostess plan allows those who decide to collect orders and opportunity to get their favorite products at a discount. Our amazing consultant opportunity can make you a stay-at-home career mom for only $99.
Please contact Christy Busbey, Independent Thirty One Director at 321-536-5519.
www.mythirtyone.com/4395

*This is a sponsored post. All businesses paid a fee to be included.

 

 

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Mommy Monday:: Lil’ Sugarplum

Monique started her business, Lil’ Sugarplum in May of 2006. Since then, she’s been offering a wide variety of children and baby hair accessories including hair clips, headbands and hats.

To find balance, she says she saves her work for when her kids are asleep or at school. Monique said she really loves her business and that’s critical for mom entrepreneurs. “Take breaks so you don’t burn out and make sure whatever business you start that you are really passionate about it and love it,” she said.

For new customers, Lil’ Sugarplum is running a special until Sept. 1. Mention Market Mommy at check out and you’ll receive a free $8 hair clip of your choice when you purchase one. Don’t add it to your shopping cart, just put a note in the comment box.

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Book Review:: The Ultimate Guide to Motherhood and Mom Entrepreneur

A new mom has TONS of questions. From how and where to birth, what to feed the baby, what baby gear to buy, whether to breastfeed or not to things like how will my life change and how will I ever leave this beautiful creature to return to work? If you are pregnant, or a new mom, and have these questions running through your mind, you are not alone.

To provide some answers to these questions and give an honest up-front look at new motherhood, LaTersa Blakely has written ‘The Ultimate Guide to Motherhood and Mom Entrepreneur.’ The book touches on some great topics such as:

  • Conceiving
  •  Planning a baby shower
  • Colic
  • To breastfeed, or not
  • How to prepare and baby proof
  • Twins and more!

The second half of the book delves into the topic of what to do when you don’t want to leave your new little bundle of joy for the office. Blakely openly discusses her desire to stay home and her transition from working mom to work-at-home-mom.

She outlines several bits of advice on how to first establish your business, and then keep it running smoothly while you run the household as well. Things she covers are:

  • Write a business plan
  • Ask for help when needed
  • Make time for play
  • Create a schedule, and
  • Take care of yourself!

If you’re interested in getting your hands on this great EBook, it can be purchased here (and immediately downloaded) for $16.95. The author, LaTersa Blakely, is the owner of Baby Diaper Cakes & Beyond by LaTersa.

*I was provided a comlimentary copy of this EBook in exchange for the review on our blog.

 

 

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WordPress vs. Blogger

Are you thinking of launching and managing your own blog? That’s a great idea! Unfortunately, it won’t be as easy and intuitive as changing a diaper. A successful, visible blog requires a lot of commitment, some techie skills, and much creative ideas for original content.

Of course the first step is to decide the scope and kind of blog you want, and that’s what I’m here today to help you do. Because there are so many options out there for hosting, publishing, and designing your new blog, we’re going to keep this intro sweet and simple, and by the end, you’ll know exactly what platform you should be using for your mommy blog.

First, there are many different kinds of blog platforms out there, so let’s narrow them down to find one that suites your purpose, needs, and skillset. The two major platforms we’re going to focus on today is WordPress and Google Blogger (while there are many more free blog accounts available like Typepad and Livejournal, these two really are the most powerful and customizable).

WordPress – an open-source (in other words, a completely customizable and alterable) blogging platform that allows the blogger to build entire websites around a blog. WordPress blogs can be enhanced by plugins and other out-of-the-box code tools that make it easy to enrich all facets of your blog.

Blogger – offered by Google, a closed-source (in other words, not as customizable or alterable) blogging platform that is intended to be just a publishing platform. In other words, there’s no way to make a full website out of it – it’s just a blog that features your blog posts.

Blogger is easier to set up and requires virtually no coding or techie skills to maintain. That’s the nice part for many mommy bloggers! The downside is that you’re limited in what you can do with your new blog. Google closely controls what kinds of “gadgets”, or in other words, additions and enhancements to your blog that allow you to do different things.

Blogger does offer thousands of blog design “templates” to choose from, and many very useful gadgets you can add to your blog include the ability to display and share photos, social page widgets, and even advertising to help you monetize your blog.

WordPress, on the other hand, is the most powerful blog platforms on the Internet today, and by some estimates, as many as 75 percent of all blogs in existence, big and small, are powered by it. WordPress is often referred to as a CMS, or content management system, which essentially allows a web developer to access, modify, and control an entire website. With a WordPress blog, you can build out webpages, add any number of hundreds of thousands of available plugins, and access the “source code”, or in other words the “language” the website is written in, so the entire look and feel of the site and blog can be completely 100 percent altered and customized.

There are two ways to use WordPress. For amateur bloggers who want a blog that’s more customizable and powerful than what Blogger offers, go to WordPress.com, sign up for a free account, and blog away! Using WordPress.com, run by the company behind WordPress, you will still be somewhat limited in how much you can customize your blog. For bloggers who want to take it a step further and leverage WordPress as the entirely customizable, most powerful and flexible blog platform on the planet, you can purchase through a company like Godaddy.com a domain name, a hosting plan, and then install WordPress as an open-source application. But that’s a somewhat technical, though not terribly difficult, process.

So, what kind of blog do you need? Here’s my guide for beginner bloggers:

I need something as simple as possible! Blogger.com
I just want a personal blog that my close family and friends will read. Blogger.com
I want some more flexibility in what I can and can’t do with my blog. WordPress.com
I want to have a few pages that are easy to edit and manage on my blog, like an “About Me” and “Contact” page. WordPress.com
I want my own domain name, for example, mychosendomainname.com for my blog. WordPress.com or Blogger.com
I’m interested in learning a little bit more about how to develop websites using simple web languages like HTML to customize my site and blog. WordPress.com
I love the animation on blogs and sites I see. WordPress Application from Godaddy
I need a full-blown company or personal website that will be found in search engines, that I can sell products from, as well as manage my blog and web content from. WordPress Application from Godaddy

I hope this helps you get started in choosing what blog platform best suits your needs and skill level as a blogger. Question, comments, concerns? Post them below and I’ll be happy to address them!

Tom Copeland is a freelance WordPress developer, published writer, and owner of Bullworthy.com http://www.bullworthy.com, a web development services firm for small businesses. Tom developed and maintains a number of niche blogs that include the Writer’s Franchise http://writersfranchise.com, and SAHMentrepreneur http://www.sahmentrepreneur.com. You can follow Tom on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bullworthycom/163465493766 and on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/financialbull.

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Mommy Monday:: ScratchMeNots

Andrea Thomas is the mommy behind Short Stacks, an online business that offers ScratchMeNots. What are those you ask? ScratchMeNots are scratch flip mitten sleeves for babies and toddlers that scratch habitually or due to skin irritants. {We at Market Mommy are looking forward to reviewing a pair as part of our 2nd Birthday Extravaganza!}

Thomas launched her business in June, 2010 and has worked hard to establish a schedule so that she can balance her business with family. “Sticking to a schedule is important!” she said. “It is easy to get caught up in the business world and overlook other important family things. By having a schedule, it holds me accountable to the various demands on my time.”

As part of her schedule planning, Thomas includes downtime and she encourages other mom entrepreneurs to do the same. “Otherwise, it will be work, family, work, family and little to no time for yourself,” she said.

Thomas has graciously offered a discount coupon code for Market Mommy readers! Simply enter code 20%off at checkout and save, you guessed it, 20% off any ScratchMeNot!

In addition to the retail website, ScratchMeNot can also be found on Facebook and Twitter!

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Save the Sleeve!

Have you tried Boogie Wipes? What are they? Boogie Wipes are made with natural saline to dissolve boogies (mucus) caused by the common cold, allergies or otherwise booger-filled kid moments. The gentle saline wipes come in Great Grape, Magic Menthol, Original – Fresh and Simply Unscented. They are alcohol free, extra soft and moisturize with vitamin E and aloe to keep noses from chapping when blowing and wiping all of the time.

Boogie Wipes were created by the Boogie Moms, Mindee Doney & Julie Pickens.

Not only has the pair developed the first ever saline nose wipe, they are also using their success to promote education among parents and kids with their Save the Sleeve campaign. The fun, interactive site shows kids ways that they can stop the spread of germs. It features educational games, gross facts, jokes along with the Boogie Wipes characters, Amy Allergy, Chilly Chuck and more.

Kids can become an official Boogie Kid when they take the pledge to Save the Sleeve and even earn a backpack badge. Boogie Wipes were developed as a solution for Doney and Pickens’ kids’ runny, red and sore noses. They are a great way to fight colds and ease the discomfort of allergies.

Save the Sleeve also has a special section for teachers, encouraging them to practice healthy habits in their classrooms. Entire classrooms can take the pledge to stop the spread of germs!

As successful mom entrepreneurs, Doney and Pickens have taken their knowledge and used it to help other mom business owners and inventors through speaking engagements and other media. They have created a blog, The Business of Being a Mom, to document their entrepreneurial journey while inspiring and educating others.

In addition to Boogie Wipes, Save the Sleeve and The Business of Being a Mom, the pair can also be found on Twitter and Facebook. Join the Boogie Bunch now and get an instant coupon!

*This is a sponsored post purchased as part of an advertising package by Boogie Wipes.

 

 

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EBook Review:: How to Start a Diaper Cakes Business

As an experienced diaper cakes business owner, LaTersa Blakely has written an eBook about how to start a business for yourself. Blakely is the owner of Baby Diaper Cakes & Beyond by LaTersa. She has taken what she has learned and put it on paper for others.

One of the things I immediately liked best about the book was its length. Although it contains a lot of valuable information, it’s short and an easy read.

The book talks about several things that are important for new business owners to know, then directly relates them to specifically starting a diaper cakes business. Figuring out start up cost, writing a business plan and marketing are all important to any business. Blakely lays out some great, specific, ways to go about each of these.

One of my favorite segments of the book was where Blakely highlights four mistakes to avoid. She openly admits some of the mistakes she’s made along the way and how that negatively affected her. Even though entrepreneurship is hard, she encourages others to not give up.

Near the end of the book, Blakely suggests ways that new business owners can network and promote their businesses. I’m honored to say that she even mentions Market Mommy as a great resource. She also gives several other ideas for low-cost marketing efforts.

How to Start a Diaper Cakes Business is available for $16.95. It is available for purchase and immediate download here. 

*I recieved a complimentary copy of this eBook in order to do the review.

 

 

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Touchpoint:: A Conference for Women Entrepreneurs

I’m excited to share with you some amazing events for women entrepreneurs.  Startup Princess is taking their premier event for women entrepreneurs to 3 cities this year!  Startup Princess is a national organization for women entrepreneurs.  It’s a place where women connect and share resources online and through events.

The event is called Touchpoint – A Conference for Women Entrepreneurs.  Each year Startup Princess holds this conference in Salt Lake City.  They’re traveling to Portland, OR and Orange County, CA over the next six weeks.  It’s a one day event to help women entrepreneurs activate their dreams and energize their business.  The agenda includes amazing speakers, networking opportunities, lunch and they tout that you’ll leave with practical ideas on business development, marketing and strategy that you can easily implement in your business when you get home.

If you want to attend in Portland or Orange County, they have created a discount code just for Market Mommy readers!  Use code: marketmommy for $25 off the all ready low-cost, $79 ticket.

Also, if you are interested in promoting your business or selling your products at these events, you can receive a discount on an exhibitor table when you mention “Market Mommy”.  Contact Michelle for details!

They are still holding their premier event for women entrepreneurs in September this event will be a 2 day event.

I’m a fan of Startup Princess so I encourage you to make plans to attend at least one of their events in the coming weeks and months where you will connect with other fantastic, inspiring and aspiring women entrepreneurs.  Check out the agenda, speakers and register by going here: http://www.startupprincess.com/touchpoint/

And, don’t forget to use code marketmommy for $25 off!

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Meet Nancy and Groovy Gear for Baby

I’m excited to introduce you to one of the newest advertisers and members of the Market Mommy community, Nancy, owner of Groovy Gear for Baby. She just recently purchased the business after searching for an online business for quite some time. It just so happened, she came across Groovy Gear for Baby while she was pregnant with her first child, a daughter.

“When the right time comes, I suppose things happen for a reason,” she said. “I have been working hard to build the site to provide a large selection of products.” Nancy said she has added several new vendors, but is very selective about what she puts in her store. “My goal for the site is to carry unique, modern, organic and quality baby products.” She also plans to add many more vendors in the near future. If you know of a product that might be a good fit for her store, feel free to send her an e-mail.

Nancy admits that there are a lot of online baby gear stores, and it’s tough to be different from the rest. In addition to offering unique and modern products, she said she strives to offer quality products at a competitive price. “Just like everyone out there, when I purchase a product online, I want to get a good quality product for the money I am spending,” she said.

Groovy Gear for Baby offers everything baby needs. Room décor, apparel, bath accessories, nursing accessories, diaper bags, furniture, strollers, gift sets and much, much more. In addition to Nancy herself, many of her friends have also been pregnant recently. “This site has really become a hit with them,” she said.

Nancy is currently expecting her first baby and is excited about raising her daughter and her business. “It was actually a coincidence that this all happened the same time,” she said. “Babies are so special and they deserve to have the best of everything. I’m looking forward to being my own customer and shopping for her.”

One of the great products offered at Groovy Gear for Baby are Timi & Leslie Diaper Bags. Market Mommy readers can save $10 on one of these great bags when they use coupon code MARKETMOMMY10 at checkout. In addition, Groovy Gear for Baby can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

 

**This post is a sponsored post as part of an advertising package purchased by Groovy Gear for Baby.

 

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