A guest post by Renee Martinez a mother of 4, blogger and marketing consultant.

I can’t tell you how many times I’m brought into a project to find that the client has a great product that nobody’s ever heard of. Yet, when I delve into the business, nine out of ten times, I find opportunities were lost because of the client’s lack of organization and forward-thinking planning. Most of the time, the key to their success was hidden within the confines of the business, but they never saw beyond their limited scope.

There are some very basic things you can do to at least give current and potential customers the perception that the business they are dealing with is a professional, credible business. The rest depends on the actual service or product you provide to meet up to the standards you claim.

A few things not to overlook include maintaining collateral materials that have a consistent look and feel. From business cards to invoices, your materials should all look like they come from the same business. Another thing you must remember to include your contact information on all materials. If you can, send a thank you to customers for their service. If you’re selling a product through a rep, then send he rep a thank you for big orders. This is not brain surgery. In fact, much of marketing is common sense.

Another huge no-no, is going year-by-year …just sailing along without goals or budgets or measurements in place to analyze what areas of your business are effective and which areas are not. Sounds technical and intimidating? It’s a four-letter word every business should live by; plan. (more…)

I choose the fuel-efficiate Ford Flex to drive to BlogHer. As most of you know I have been begging and pleading for a ticket to BlogHer. I’ve tweeted, facebooked, and linked in my requests.  I’ve entered every contest I could find for a chance to win.  I even set up a Google alert in hopes that someone would be selling a ticket. Which is how I found about this NEW CHANCE TO WIN A TICKET!

That’s right ladies, BlogHer and Ford have teamed up to offer one more lucky winner a chance to attend BlogHer. But don’t bother entering because that TICKET IS MINE! I mean it don’t go over to BlogHer and enter to win. Please!

I’m on the waiting list for a ticket but I have no idea how close they are to selecting my name.  I waited to late to buy a ticket and they sold out. Who knew the extra two days would cost me a ticket.

Are you going to BlogHer? Are you driving? Which Ford would you take to BlogHer?

Okay I know what you’re thinking; this is just a picture of your Google Reader, so what?  I decided that today’s wordless Wednesday when have double meaning, so not only is it Wordless but its also productive. Today I will tackle my out of control Google Reader, again…

What? No, it doesn’t say 947, that is clearly a typo!

Okay so time management is a serious problem in my house. Trying to find a moment to myself is a definite challenge. If I wake up early, someone with little fit will be sure to wake up within thirty minutes, no matter how quite I am. I’ve been known to hold my pee for hours for fear of waking up one of the little ones.

I was born and raised as a morning person; my parents would wake us up for breakfast before 7am. So getting early is completely natural. So I thought perfect I’ll just get up a couple of hours earlier and get some work done.  Well apparently Bizzie Boy disagrees with my plan because he likes to moan and groan in his sleep keeping me up most of the night so I’ll be too tired to get up. Best of all when it’s finally TIME to really get out of the bed; this is what my son does… (more…)

Mom Entrepreneur: Joanne Schlesinger
Business: Little Miss Julia
Website: www.littlemissjulia.com

Little Miss Julia offers a full range of stylized hair accessories. Each barrette is handmade to order and each one receives the utmost attention to ensure the highest level of quality. I use top of the line barrettes, ribbons and embellishments. My designs consist of crystal flowers, multi colored flowers, smiling daisy flowers, ladybugs, smile faces and strawberries.

Little Miss Julia hair accessories are unique in style. It is not just another bow; it is an embellished, stylized barrette that will add style and glamour to any girl’s hair.

Custom designs are available by request. On littlemissjulia.com there is a create your own barrette option in which a customer can select the color combination they would like. This option is currently available for the daisy flower and crystal flower barrettes. It will soon be available for the smiling daisy and smile face barrettes as well. However, if a customer has a request that is not on the website I am happy to accommodate it.

Gift sets and party favors are also available. These can include any number or combination of barrettes or clips. Each one is wrapped in a cello bag with shredded paper fill and ribbon to match the color assortment chosen.

A Special for Moms line is now available. This line consists of Swarovski embellished crystal barrettes. The styles available are designs with small round crystals or chessboard crystal in many different colors. There are two size barrette options, a 1 ½ inch and a 2 inch barrette.

What inspired you start your business?
I started making barrettes for my daughter when I was unable to find what I liked in the stores. As she started wearing the barrettes, people asked where they could buy them. There was such a positive response that I knew I could take something I enjoyed doing and turn it into a profitable venture. From that Little Miss Julia was born.

How long have you been in business?
I formed my company in December 2008 and launched the website on January 2, 2009.

What did you do in your past work life?
For the past ten years I have worked in my family business where we manufacturer and sell health and beauty aids. I have been involved in all facets of the business including sales, marketing, product development and production. Prior to that I had been in the cosmetics industry at several of the major cosmetics companies.

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To be honest we haven’t had a chance to take a REAL vacation in a really LONG time, however we did sneak away to the Magical Kingdom with a friend and her daughter a couple of weekends ago. We spent most of the day at California Adventure and no it wasn’t because they had margaritas and wine on hand. The kids LOVE the rides.

This is my son as we wait at the gate for our friends. “Where are they, Mom?”

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Question
How do I find money in this down market?  Does anyone want to lend money now?

The dreaded money subject is often such a buzz kill.  Unless you have  Daddy Warbucks backing you up, you are most likely in the same situation as most Entreprenettes starting out.  Now is the time to take a hard look at how BIG you want your company to be or how SMALL.  This is all relevant to manufacturing as you will need to determine where to manufacture and how to meet your bottom line - as in profitability.    Knowing what size business you are up to handling and what vision you have for it are integral to the process of “how much do you need”.   There are plenty of places still out there to look for money.  You need to be concise and precise about what you need and see if the fit it there.   There are also lots of grants available to women.  Explore the links below and see what works for you.

Finding money - grants, loans and contests.  There are lots of resources out there for new start up grants and loans. Likewise, a lot of big corporations sponsor contests for the best business idea - some giving up to $25,000.  Here is a list of various places you can explore for different options.

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We spend all this money at  Disneyland for the day and he was most excited about a tree? Happy Wordless Wednesday everybody!

Seriously,  need I say more? Okay so maybe you’re not a pink junkie or a tech junkie but I AM! You all know I have been talking about the HP Mini for ever now and I was just about to go buy the black one, but now that’s it coming out in pink I may have just have to wait.

The HP Mini 110 XP will be available on July 8 via www.hpdirect.com/go/mini, pricing to be determined. The HP Mini 110 XP will also be available in a White Swirl.

Specs:
The new Mini models are as stylish as they are mobile, starting at 2.33 pounds and measuring just over 1-inch thick. With a 10.1-inch diagonal standard or optional high-definition LED widescreen display, a keyboard that is 92 percent the size of a standard notebook PC keyboard, and a built-in webcam and microphone, the new HP Minis are designed for consumers and business professionals who surf the web, check email, listen to music and need access to friends, family, co-workers or information while on the go.

Mom Entrepreneur: Marlene Byrne
Business: Project Play
Website: www.projectplaybooks.com

Marlene Byrne is a mother, entrepreneur, and founder of Project Play, a movement which uses a series of lively children’s books to inspire families and neighborhoods to play games that spark creativity and foster the imagination.

What inspired you start your business?
After starting an ad agency, I was not afraid to try a new venture. I grew up in a small town in Wisconsin playing backyard games like “kick the can” and “ghosts in the graveyard.” After pondering the fading popularity of backyard games and realizing that today, scheduled activities, electronic games, and organized sports have replaced the carefree days of playing in the backyard, I decided to write books to teach children these nostalgic games.

With this inspiration, I wrote Treasure Hunt, Follow the Leader, and Just a Baseball Game and founded Project Play in 2008. The books are meant to inspire young readers to follow the lead of the Edgebrook gang as they entertain one another in backyard games. I’m excited to say that it’s been a wonderful journey so far, and I’ll be releasing two more books this year: Kick the Can this summer and Ghosts in the Graveyard this fall.

How long have you been in business?
My idea to familiarize and engage children in true “backyard play” began about eight years ago when I started writing down these game ideas for my own children. In 2008, it became a reality in Project Play. But I guess you could say I’ve been in the business since my children, Matthew and Margaret, were born. Handing down your traditions as a parent is really a full-time job!

What did you do in your past work life?
I have worked in a creative environment for over 20 years – owning an advertising agency. I believe the creativity we use in our adult life begins as children. We need to create, play and especially negotiate rules with our peers and carry those skills into adulthood. These skills are as important as the academic skills we learn in school. Some of the most creative problem solvers I have worked with credit their ability to think outside the box with their childhood experiences.

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