Archive for Business Mum
Cheap, Cheap, Cheap…
Posted by: | Comments
Are you too cheap?
I read an excellent post this morning by Kathie Thomas about being a VA doesn’t mean ‘cheap’. Kathie makes some very good points, especially about charging enough so you can meet your cost of living.
There seems to be an attitude among business mums and WAHMs in Australia where they seem to be afraid to charge for their services. And, on the flip side, they seem to expect other businesses to put their prices lower simply because they are a business mum or WAHM.
Just because we work from home, doesn’t mean we have to do everything free or cheap. We are running a business to earn an income.
Melinda Brennan over at SuperWAHM created a WAHM Manifesto. This is free and well worth a read. Among other things, the Manifesto states that “Every WAHM has the right to earn a decent income”.
So, are you undercharging for your services? Are you too cheap?
If you’re not sure, try raising your prices slightly and see what happens. You may be pleasantly surprised.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- For your daily dose of business mums websites and blogs, check out Business Mums DailyChoosing a charity
Posted by: | Comments
Choose the right charity for your business
If you’re anything like me, you are constantly asked to give money and donate products for charity fundraisers both for your business and in your family life. There often isn’t enough money in your bank account to give to everyone who is asking, and the same with products.
So, what do you do?
The best thing is to choose a charity or two that are important to you and give to those. Then, next time you’re asked to donate something you can tell them that you have your chosen charity and give to them (it’s amazing how effectively this works).
The next thing is to work out which charity to support. There are so many worthy causes out there it can be hard to know what to choose.
For a business, it can be a good idea to choose something that fits with what you are doing. For example, my chosen charity is Opportunity International because they help people start up small businesses, so it fits with what I’m aiming to do with my business.
I know of some business mums who use their family history as motivation for choosing a charity. For example I know of one business mum who supports Mummy’s Wish because a close friend of hers had cancer and received support from the. And another who supports Backpacks 4 Aussie Kids because her parents had foster kids when she was growing up. These charities don’t necessarily match their business, not in any obvious way anyway.
If your business does support a charity, it’s a good idea to have a page on your site explaining why you chose this charity to support. I have seen some businesses who make a big thing about supporting a charity, however if it’s not a charity I am not passionate in supporting and I can’t see an obvious reason why they are supporting this charity, then it won’t sway me to purchase from them. However if I can see a story behind why they support this charity, it is more likely to sway me.
Some time ago, I bought a gift online. Inside the package along with the item I purchased was a sheet thanking me for buying from them and explaining why they had chosen their charity and how my purchase helped support their cause. Unfortunately I can’t remember which business it was (it was quite a while ago), but their extra bit of information has stuck in my head.
Do you have a charity your business supports? Do you let your customers know about it? Please add a comment and share your story.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- For your daily dose of business mums websites and blogs, check out Business Mums DailySTOP! Being all things to all people
Posted by: | Comments
Stop trying to be all things to all people
This post is as much a reminder to me as it is to you!
I have spent much of today reminding myself to stop being all things to all people. And I know I’m not the only one who falls for this.
If you’re anything like me, you read blogs and follow Facebook pages and read eBooks and any number of other things, and come up with great ideas for business that would be a great idea, especially if you see someone else doing something and thing “I could do that better/differently/as well as….” and then decide to implement it.
Well, it’s time to stop doing that and focus on one or two things, become really good at it, get it humming along and work well BEFORE EVEN THINKING ABOUT DOING SOMETHING ELSE.
One thing to keep in mind is the saying “You can’t please all of the people all of the time”. You will have some customers go elsewhere because you are not offering what they want. This is one place where strategic alliances come in well. Instead of offering everything, identify gaps in your offerings and find someone else who does it and form a strategic alliance with them.
Another thing to keep in mind is this - if you try and do everything, you will find that nothing gets done well, and you will stress yourself out, and everyone around you. Basically no one wins. You may even find your business starts going backwards because of it.
So, now it’s time to stop trying to be all things to all people and focus on what we are good at. Are you with me?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- For your daily dose of business mums websites and blogs, check out Business Mums DailyFriday Five - Craft & Hobbies
Posted by: | Comments
It’s been a while since I’ve done a Friday Five promoting some business mums, so I thought I’d do that today. All these businesses are listed in the Business Mums Directory.
As business mums, it is important that we take time out for ourselves. Having a hobby is a great way to relax and unwind, and take time out. Whatever your hobby is, it must be something you enjoy or are interested in.
Here are 5 businesses that sell craft and hobby items.
- Crafty Mamas - not only do they have an online shop that sells a range of patterns and craft supplies, they also have an active community where you can connect with other Mums who love love all things craft.
- Craft Candy - if you love scrapbooking, this is a great site to visit. This is another site that has a message board where you can connect with others who love scrapbooking, as well as having a range of scrapbooking supplies.
- Dreamit-Createit - this is another paper craft site that has an online shop with supplies. They also have some fantastic project ideas for card making, scrapbooking, and other projects. These are available free, so if you are looking for a project, check them out.
- Scrapbook Supplies Online - another scrapbook supplies provider. This site has a wide range of products and you can shop either by type or by brand. They also pride themselves on low prices and fast delivery.
- The Needlework Boutique - for a change in theme, if you are in to needlework then this is the site to visit. They have a wide range of charts and threads as well as an annual stitching retreat.
I hope you find these suppliers useful and can take some time out to look after yourself and do a hobby you enjoy.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- For your daily dose of business mums websites and blogs, check out Business Mums DailyGreat tips for business mums
Posted by: | Comments
I love it when others have written some great tips that I can share with you. I’m a big believer in not re-inventing the wheel, so when someone else has written a great article, I want to share it with you.
Over the last couple of days, I’ve had 2 articles sent to me that I thought would be good for you to read too.
The first is 10 Tips for Moms Who Run Businesses. Yes, this is an article from the US. There are 10 great tips here, including making sure you look after yourself, something many of us forget to do.
The second is Avoiding the mumpreneur pitfalls, an article from Flying Solo. There are 5 great tips here, including a warning about putting unrealistic expectations on yourself and what to do with things go wrong.
Both these articles are worth reading and applying the tips that are relevant to you. I found them useful and I’m sure you will too.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- For your daily dose of business mums websites and blogs, check out Business Mums Daily