Book Review: For Better or For Work

When I saw the title of this book I had to chuckle: For Better or For Work: A Survival Guide for Entrepreneurs and Their Families.  When you decide to jump into self-employment, it certainly becomes a family affair - doesn't it?  

Meg Hirshberg, author of For Better or For Work provides tools to building a successful business without sacrificing your personal relationships.  Entrepreneurship is a financial and emotional roller coaster and we strap our families in for the ride (whether they like it or not).  Meg is an authority figure on the subject; she is a wife, mother of 3, freelance writer and co-founder of Stonyfield Farm organic yogurt.  

If you think your personal relationships may be suffering due to your self-employed aspirations ask yourself: 

• How many times have you asked your child to "Shhhh..." while you were finishing an email?

• When was the last time you asked your spouse to pick up the childcare slack while you planned a multi-day meeting across the country? 

• Are you having an affair with a sexy little accomplice that knows more about your life than your spouse? (a.k.a Your Smartphone)

If you're uncomfortable with any of the scenarios above you may benefit from reading Meg's book.  Her advice also touches on the profound gesture of faith and often uncomfortable complications that can arise with business loans amongst family, how to balance care of your babies- that is your literal children and your figurative business-baby, and what to do when you're looking to transition your business to dissolution or when you're ready to pass the reigns.

The book is peppered with stories of other entrepreneurs with devastating challenges and inspiring wisdom.  An easy, fun read and very relatable for anyone who is self-employed or is married to a risk-taking entrepreneur.  I especially favor the ends of each chapter which give you suggested lists of "Things to Talk About" and "Things to Do" in order to keep your relationships on track.  It's like marriage-counseling for entrepreneurs without the copay.

www.sleeveshirtconsulting.com

Spotlight Entrepreneur: Jody Mahoney

This month I'd like to introduce you to Jody Mahoney of Jody Mahoney Photography.  Jody is a wonderful example of someone who understands the hustle of entrepreneurship. Jody juggles parenthood with three different lines of work.  All combined, fulfill her personally and professionally.  Are you ready to be inspired?

1.  What prompted you to start your own photography business?

I’ve always been the one behind the camera at family & friend events, then I transitioned into creating more formal photographs of family, then friends. A good friend offered to compensate me for my time and talent, and that’s when I realized if I organized my workflow and marketed myself a little, I could start a small business out of it. Three years and 80+ shoots later, it is not full-time for me but certainly something I take seriously and am fully invested in – for my clients and myself. And I will say that marketing myself has been fun – creating a website and a Facebook business page is pure creative inspiration for me.

2.  You specialize in photographing children. What is it about children that inspire you?

There’s no limit to the creativity, and every shoot is so different! The sweet, short-lived moments and unique expressions of children are amazing to capture…but documenting current trends & styles while at the same time creating timeless photos is an inspiring challenge I just love. I pride myself on my creative energy, my ability to be fully “in the moment” during a shoot, and to see beauty in unlikely spaces. I strive to create images that maintain a modern feel, and especially love bold, vibrant colors for kids. I shoot with natural light in natural settings, allowing kids to just be kids, laid back…wherever we happen to be. This allows for authenticity rarely found in studio photography. I think of our photo session as a play date… life isn’t perfectly posed, so why try to make it look that way? In the end… it all tells your story J

As much as I love photographing children, I also love high school seniors. In a whole other way, the creativity is limitless. I’ve shot my subjects in front of a spray-painted graffiti wall, downtown on a busy street, in a basketball uniform in the school gym… every session is different and invigorating. It’s all worth it get their photos and says “OMG – you made me look hot!” They don’t realize that’s how I’ve seen them through the lens all along J 

3.  When we first met we were both working in Corporate America. Do you miss any aspects of it vs. running your own business?

Sure, the health insurance, benefits, and paycheck were nice J  Just kidding.

I took a chance starting my own business, and was fortunate to assume my husband’s health plan benefits. I won’t lie, I also work part-time as a pharmaceutical project manager from my home office… so in a way, I still have one foot in Corporate America… just slightly. But the overall creativity I now feel is motivating, and what makes me tick. I enjoy being my own boss, and conducting my days outside of “the typical 9-5”. I have the freedom to make my own rules and push my own limits – creatively and professionally. There is very little that I miss about being immersed in Corporate America. I am a much, much happier girl living my life outside of it.

4.  As a working mother, how do you balance work and family?

I won’t say that’s easy, but I have a system. Between the photography, project management, and also teaching BodyPump fitness classes – I’m constantly balancing. My husband and I check in on our schedules every day, in case we need to cover one another when it comes to our one year-old, Lily. I prioritize these areas of my life, trying not to commit to things that will compete with each other or disrupt work/life balance for my husband, who works hard each day as well. For example, just because I’ve worked all week (project management and photography) doesn’t mean I can run out and teach BodyPump tonight, assuming my husband has Lily. So I try to teach 6am classes, when everyone is sleeping and it’s “my” time. Everyone doesn’t get to do what they want to do all the time, but it’s fair. Again, the immense freedom that I feel in my schedule doesn’t make any of it feel like “work,” but it’s still a fine-tuned balancing act requiring communication!

5. What is your advice for women thinking about starting their own business?

Starting your own business can be scary, but also provides a sense of empowerment, confidence, and independence. If you’re going to start your own business, clearly recognize the rewards and the challenges – be ready for the ride. It isn’t easy, as you have to make some tough choices, get out of your comfort zone on occasion, and forgo certain things. You may have to pass on certain opportunities because family is priority. Take business courses, closely align yourself to a mentor in your area of business, and don’t be afraid to ask questions…lots of questions. It can and likely will be a huge learning experience, and incredibly rewarding. 

One of the moments of our interview that hit home the most with me was how Jody explains how she is constantly balancing.  Serial-entrepreneurs like Jody need to be uber-organized! Good communication is also key so that child care is in place and that client commitments are met.  What Jody demonstrates is that it is possible- you just have to work hard at it.  To be further inspired by her amazing photography, please visit Jody's website.

www.sleeveshirtconsulting.com

HSN Series: 3...2...1 and you're LIVE

In reflecting on my recent trip to Tampa with Jenn Furr of PictureThatSound I thought I would provide some insights to the world of live television.  Jenn was a radio DJ back in the day, so she knows something of cues, dead-air (you NEVER want that) and of getting into character as your on-air personality.

As you read in one of my previous HSN posts, my biggest fear if I were ever put in front of a camera would be to freeze up like Cindy Brady in an episode of the Brady Bunch.  It would be easy to do. You're in unfamiliar territory, you have 3 or more camera's on you at any given time, you are wired with a mic pack and an ear piece where you can hear the director giving cues, and all the while you need to be on-point with your messaging.

Our first air time was 2:30am. So while many of you, dear readers, were packing it in for the night, we were headed to the studio to begin our night. We set up our product tables so that it would be visually appealing and allow for a good flow of conversation, sent Jenn off to be beautified by the hair and makeup team and ensured we were ready to live-tweet from the green room.  It's a 24hour a day operation at HSN. So while we were pulling an all-nighter, this is old hat for the likes of Production Assistants, Lighting Crew, Directors and Camera operators.

There were home shopping veterans amongst us- crafters who have been in the business and promoting products live for YEARS.  Very proudly we sent Jenn off to set in "the zone" where she met up with HSN host Suzanne Runyan.  When she's not on-air hosting, Suzanne is a world-traveler and an avid scrapbooker. She loved PictureThatSound from the moment she discovered it and suggested we play as many samples as we could during the segment to showcase how versatile the product is for so many different occasions, recipients and applications.  Suzanne even suggested that a crafter could paint the PictureThatSound card with chalkboard paint and family members could leave messages (audio and chalked) to each other back and forth. Such a great application idea!

After a hugely successful 230am hour (wow, a lot of crafters shop in the wee hours of the morning!) we relaxed in the green room until our next segment in the 8am hour.  I honestly cannot remember the last time I was awake for 30 hours straight.  More than a few times I daydreamed about the thrilling experience of laying my head down back at the hotel.  The funny part? When we finally retired back at the hotel, I was pumped. The adrenaline was flowing and it was hard to calm down.  I can only imagine how it was for Jenn who was actually the one on-air!

I hope you were able to see the segments live, but if not here is a link to the product page on HSN.com where you can click on "VIDEO" beneath the product pictures.  We still have some quantity left at this fantastic price for a package of 3. Snatch it up while they last!

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Censorship: A personal consideration

Censorship Worldwide is one of the world's largest personal censorship providers with more than 100 million employees globally. We offer individual consumers a broad suite of censorship products and services across various social media sites to ensure that reputations are preserved.

Social Media Censor: Positions available globally

JOB DESCRIPTION

Envision your career with one of the world's largest personal censorship companies. With over 845 million active Facebook users and 500 million Twitter users across seven continents you'll discover the rewards of working in a fast-paced environment saving young careers one bleep at a time. Censorship Worldwide continues to expand based on careless posts and tweets following doctor visits, fraternity parties, bad break-ups, and such holidays as St. Patrick’s Day and New Years Eve. While you may know our products: Don’t Tweet, Just Bleep; Spacebook: Where You Wish Your Bad Facebook Posts Had Actually Gone; and HIPAA: A Guide to Your Own Health Care Privacy; we are rapidly expanding our product offerings.

As one of FORTUNE Magazine's Most Admired Companies, Censorship Worldwide is one family, one team of professionals who actively strive to provide our customers with career-saving censorship.  A promise to be responsive to stupidity, to be respectful to every mom in the world and to preserve reputations across the globe. 

Job functions include but are not limited to: 

•   Ongoing, daily monitoring and bleeping of inappropriate material before they go live

•   Develop, write and compile a library of imagery that can be quickly swapped out for bleep-worthy content

•   Research, read and educate on various social platforms, channels and new initiatives in social media related industries

Technical Skills:

•   Technological understanding of Internet, WWW, and social media sites, etc.
•  Common sense
• Ability to project how inappropriate content will affect career aspirations 1, 5, and 10+ years down the line
•  Illustrator and Photoshop

Come and join our Censorship Family and discover the rewards for your career and for the careers of every social media user in the world. 
     APPLY TODAY!


www.sleeveshirtconsulting.com

Spotlight Entrepreneur: Tangela Craft and the Go Pillow!

This month we'd like to introduce you to Tangela Craft, President of Simply Necessary Incorporated. As many women inventors discover, building a business can happen organically when you create a solution to an every day problem you face as a mother. Tangela's first product is the Go Pillow! What I loved about the product when I heard about it was that it is not obsolete once your child grows out of infancy.  The Go Pillow! is also functional for toddlers which means you can reap the benefits of it's functionality for years!

1- Tangela, you are the President of Simply Necessary Incorporated. What

inspired you to launch this business?  

Simply Necessary, Incorporated was founded because I was a breastfeeding mom that wanted a comfortable way to cradle my baby for an extended period of time. I started toying around with creating a solution to my problem. The result was the first incarnation of the GoPillow! The idea for adding the privacy blanket to the GoPillow! came later. It was added after I was caught in a crowded area during a rainstorm at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. My husband took off his shirt and gave it to me so that I could use it to nurse my daughter discreetly. We realized that a built-in privacy blanket or cover would separate our pillow from any other nursing pillow on the market.

2- You filed a patent application for the Go Pillow!. What can other inventors learn from you about the patent-process?

Filing a thorough application can save inventors time and money. They should start out by visiting the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website. Being familiar with products that are similar to theirs and knowing which claims make their product truly unique and worthy of a patent will help the patent application go through on the first filing. The more accurate claims that an inventor can make about a product the better.

3- Where are your products sold?

The GoPillow! can be purchased from the Simply Necessary, Incorporated

website: http://www.simplynecessary.com/go_pillow.htm

They are also available for purchase in the Philippines via the Babies

to Toddlers website: http://oryx.arvixe.com/~babiesto/index.php?route=product/product&path=57&product_id=168

4- Tell us about Get On the Shelf.

Walmart launched an online contest that allowed anyone with a product

for sale to pitch it to the public. Contestants could submit a YouTube

video telling potential voters why their product is worthy of a place on

Walmart store shelves. Voting in the first round of the contest began on

March 7, 2102 and will continue until April 3, 2012. The 10 products with the most votes in the first round will move forward to a second round. The grand prize winning product will be sold online at Walmart.com and will be featured at select Walmart stores.

The GoPillow! is one of about 4,000 products that entered the contest. People can vote for the GoPillow! by visiting our page. Votes can be cast in the contest by texting or via Facebook. Videos can also be tagged with three labels (Innovative, Fun, or Cute). When voters visit the Get on the Shelf video submission pages they can share their favorite product's page links with their Twitter followers, on Pinterest, and by

sending an automatic email by clicking a button provided on each product's page.

5- What is the biggest challenge that you face daily as an entrepreneur?

I have to fight off frustration on a daily basis. I have had moms from

Australia, Germany, the U.K., Sweden, and all across the United States

send me messages about how much they love the GoPillow! Yet, most of

the big named retailers will not even consider putting the GoPillow! on

their store shelves because they're not familiar with the product. It's

a vicious circle because most national retail stores will not accept direct submissions from unknown inventors. Even though it has endorsements from nurses, lactation consultants, travel experts, and moms all over the world, the GoPillow! is still available online only.

6- The concept for the Go Pillow originated in 2002. 10 years later, what motivates you to continue to grow your business?

I invented the GoPillow! because I needed to be able to breastfeed discreetly and comfortably no matter where I went. I know other moms would love to solve that same problem by having a GoPillow! Both breast and bottle feeding moms can use the GoPillow! It's multipurpose and can be used from birth and beyond. My product makes being on the go easier for moms and their kids. I am selling something that I would buy and that I would use. Simply Necessary, Incorporated is just getting started. I believe in the GoPillow!

Tangela's entrepreneurial spirit is undeniable. It's this drive and dedication that sparks many an entrepreneur when launching a business. Let's help Tangela and the Go Pillow! Get On the Shelf!

To learn more about Tangela Craft, Simply Necessary Incorporated or the Go Pillow!, please visit her website:  http://www.simplynecessary.com/contact_simply_necessary.htm 

Connect with Tangela:

1Mom@simplynecessary.com

Twitter: @TangelaWCraft

Facebook: Tangela Walker-Craft

www.sleeveshirtconsulting.com

Book Review: The Championship Formula

I'd like to consider myself an athlete even though I haven't played a team sport in approximately 15 years. But I believe once you have trained with an athletic mindset, you are always an athlete. Which is why I can relate to Jack Stark and his book, The Championship Formula: How to Transform Your Team Into a Dynasty.

Stark, a clinical psychologist has consulted and mentored leaders of top Fortune 500 companies as well as numerous sports teams that have gone on to win championships.  He is the authority on understanding what it takes to dominate a playing field and create a dynasty whether it's on the field or in the board room.

Stark says, "Leaders of teams need to inspire hope but always remain vigilant of what causes failure...it can happen quickly." The first time I felt like a true leader was middle-school softball.  I tried out in the 7th grade and was cut. Coach Walsh implored those who were cut to return and try again next year. I don't know what made me do it after the bruise to my ego, but I did- I tried out in 8th grade and not only made the team, but was chosen as Captain.  Coach couldn't believe the transformation in one year.  (Turns out I was too proud to wear my glasses the previous year).  It's amazing what vision can do for hand-eye coordination.

Chapter 3 is titled: Dynastic Leaders are Caring & Honest and begins with a quote by Flavia Weedn "Some people come into our lives and quickly go.  Some stay for a while, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same." When I read this quote it brought me back to my days on the softball field. I was ecstatic that when I moved up to high school that Coach Walsh was transferred to a coaching job with the Varsity softball team.  He was my first mentor. The first man in my life to sit and talk with me, ask me how I was feeling and what I wanted to do with my life. I felt like when I talked to him that he saw through all the teen-age bull shit and truly understood me.  I asked Coach to write me a college recommendation.  The best present he could have done was to leave the envelope unsealed. He wanted me to read it before it was sealed and sent off to the University.  I only wish I had made a copy so that I could read it again after all these years.

Was our softball team a sports dynasty? Nah. But the lessons I learned, my competitive spirit and my desire to mentor others has carried through to my career.  Thank you Coach.

The Championship Formula can be found on Amazon.com as well as Barnes and Noble.com.  A great read if you are looking to get in touch with your inner-champion.

www.sleeveshirtconsulting.com

HSN series: Don't be Cindy Brady

I am such a television junky.  When I heard that my colleague Jenn Furr would be live on the Home Shopping Network all I could think of was Cindy Brady.  Do you remember the episode where the family goes on a game show and Cindy glares into the red light of the camera like a deer in headlights as soon as they go live?  If it were me today, I am sure I would look just like this:

When the red light is on, you’re on the air. Not only do you have to remember talking points about the features and benefits of your product, but you have to concentrate while in your ear piece you are hearing the director give cues about which camera to look at and if the shot is wide or tight. Through all of this chaos you also have to remember to SMILE.

It's something Cindy failed to do, but today Jenn Furr knocked it out of the park! Her messaging was succinct, she interacted with her host all while sharing the features and benefits of Picture That Sound.  And she did all of that while SMILING!

If you missed her debut, check out the exclusive products that PictureThatSound offered to the HSN customers.

I'll be with Jenn in Tampa March 6th when we have 3 more on-air HSN segments.  Thankfully, I'll be in the green room with that silly Cindy Brady expression on my face.


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