Spotlight Entrepreneur: Jennie Wong of CartCentric

Dr Jennie Wong

This month I'm happy to introduce you to an inspiring and multi-talented entrepreneur. Jennie Wong, Ph.D. is a syndicated business writer, executive coach and author of "Ask the Mompreneur: Small Business Advice on Starting and Growing Your Own Company".  Her weekly writing appears in the Charlotte Observer and is distributed by McClatchy-Tribune. 

Jennie's latest venture, CartCentric, is a social product review start-up based in Silicon Valley. It solves a problem for online shoppers who want input before product purchase but who are wary of online reviews.  CartCentric ensures the feedback is from a reliable source- your personal network!

Tell us about your business and target market

CartCentric is a social shopping site that lets you ask your friends for product recommendations for anything you’re actively shopping for.  Your friends don’t need to login or be members.  It takes just a few seconds to specify what you’re looking for, like a coffee maker or a stroller, and then use Facebook or your contacts to pick the people that you want to ask.

Your friends will get a personal 1-to-1 email with a custom link where they can show you the one they have and let you know if they think you should buy it.  It’s a great way to save time and avoid fake reviews.

When did you decide it was the right time to take the leap into self-employment?

My husband started our first company 10 years ago, Limelight Web Development, and I joined him in growing and running that business 5 years ago.  At that time, I had been laid off from my corporate job so we decided to see if we could make it work.  We were also expecting our first child, which increased the risk, but also the potential reward.

Then, last year, we decided to try doing a tech startup, which is very different than running a service business, and required a tremendous amount of learning.

 What is the most challenging aspect about being an entrepreneur?

Keeping your priorities straight and keeping yourself focused on the right things is the challenge.  Working hard is the easy part, but managing yourself in a strategic way is a constant effort.

What is your #1 tip for balancing work and family?

Hire a great nanny and treat her like gold.  Running a household and running a business are one and the same thing.  The skills are vendor selection, hiring, supervision, leadership, project management, and strategic vision.

 What small business resource(s) can you NOT live without?

AmazonPrime.

What advice would you give to a friend who was thinking about starting a business?

In my ebook “Ask the Mompreneur: Small Business Advice on Starting and GrowingYour Own Company,” I provide a 5-point checklist.

1.          Can you achieve a larger goal through focused daily action?
2.          Can you deal with lots of people and also handle the isolation of working alone?
3.          Can you learn how to DIY a bunch of stuff, yet know when to ask for help?
4.          Can you make a plan, follow a plan, and modify a plan based on feedback?
5.          Can you keep selling, even in the face of rejection?

If you can honestly answer yes to all 5, go start a company!

Favorite social media site?

Facebook.  I’m an addict.

What book has been an inspiration to you as an entrepreneur?

The Lean Startup by Eric Ries and Running Lean by Ash Maurya.

When you’re not working, what is your favorite activity?

Fantasy football.

Where do you see your business in 5 years?

Harvard Business School will be writing cases about our meteoric success.

If you're a busy mom like me, I'm sure you rely heavily on girlfriends' recommendations which is why I'm excited to utilize CartCentric. Be sure and check it out and tweet Jennie your thoughts @CartCentric then visit her Facebook fan page to keep up to date on the latest!

www.sleeveshirtconsulting.com

Spotlight Entrepreneur: Darcy Simmons Wills of Simmons Social Media

Darcy Simmons Wills is the founder of Simmons Social Media- a social media firm that helps small businesses to navigate the social media waters. Their mission is to take the burden of social media strategy and administration off of the small business owner by managing it on their behalf. Small businesses across the US (virtually) and locally in the Finger Lakes and Southern Tier area of New York lean on Darcy to establish strong social media strategies, grow fan bases and ultimately drive sales.

When did you decide it was the right time to take the leap into self-employment? 
I have been a stay at home mom for almost nine years and while I needed to return to work – I did not look forward to the daily grind of going to an office everyday. I had been doing some consulting work for some small businesses – saw a need and decided to take the plunge and made it official.

What is the most challenging aspect about being an entrepreneur? 

Self discipline is the most challenging aspect of being an entrepreneur for me. There are so many distractions when working from home and having flexibility. You really need the self discipline to stay focused on the task at hand.

What is your #1 tip for balancing work and family? 

Organization. Being organized ultimately allows you to balance work and family. Being a work at home mom has many perks – flexibility one of the big ones. However, to utilize this perk- you must be organized – keeping track of your time, schedule and appointments – personal and professional. You might have the flexibility to attend your children’s school book fair but if it is not on your calendar and you forget it – missed opportunity. We have opportunities in all facets of our life and to take advantage of them you really need to be organized.

Favorite social media site?

Right now Pinterest is my favorite social media site. I love that I can find information on almost any subject- pin it  and save it for future use or for my clients. And as a mother – love it on so many different levels !

When you’re not working, what is your favorite activity?

Spending time with my family and being able to treasure all the special moments with my two young boys.

Where do you see your business in 5 years?

My business will still be assisting small businesses with social media – I just have no idea what the social media arena will look like and what new players will have entered the arena. But I will continue to navigate these sometimes rocky social waters while helping small businesses and have a fabulous time doing it. 

Have social media questions or just want to connect with this fabulous lady?

www.simmonssocialmedia.com

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RebelMouse

www.sleeveshirtconsulting.com

Spotlight Entrepreneur: Barbara Lynn Cantone of Body&Soul Restorations

Meet Barbara Lynn Cantone, our Spotlight Entrepreneur for January. Barbara Lynn is a great example of someone who's career path naturally progressed to self-employment after years of working for others.  Barbara Lynn found an industry that fulfilled her and when an opportunity presented itself to become her own boss, she seized it.   One of the things I love about Barbara's business is her mission to make #citylifelivable. Throughout her Long Island City, NY spa, her targeted treatments and her products she has infused the essence of this critical restorative and preventative principle.  Read on to learn more about Barbara's business Body & Soul Restorations, her tips for balancing work and home life, and small business resources she can't live without.

Barbara Lynn Cantone Body and Soul Restorations

Tell us about your business, Body&Soul Restorations:

Body & Soul Restorations is a holistic body therapy brand that creates products and provides services that cater to the unique stresses of an urban environment. We aim to make #citylifeliveable.

We currently offer a menu of services that includes skin therapy, massage therapy, prenatal body therapy, reflexology, aromatherapy, energy work, and meditation training in our Long Island City treatment room.

Our products for home care are designed to assist the body's inherent ability to fight stress and disease through the use of botanicals and minerals. They are made by hand and 100% natural (organic when possible).

When did you decide it was the right time to take the leap into self-employment?
The decision to build my own business was a gradual one for me. Holistic body therapy is my third career; in past lives I was in magazine advertising production and then not-for-profit arts development. When I made the transition into wellness therapy, I didn’t intend to have my own treatment room – I just wanted to find a trade where I could better myself and others without being tied to a laptop for 12 hours a day. But after two years working in the spa industry, I knew I would never be happy working to fulfill someone else’s vision. So when an opportunity to open my own space came up I jumped on it.

What's the most challenging aspect about being an entrepreneur?
Juggling. Time. Work. Energy. Family...

What is your #1 tip for balancing work and family?
My 2013 resolution is to stop work at a certain time each day. This is very tricky when you are both a practitioner and the sole administrator in a business. Even trickier when that business belongs to YOU. For several years, I would see clients all day and then come home, eat dinner and go straight to my laptop to handle all the other business involved in owning a business. It became overwhelming and I found myself needing the same therapies that I was offering to my clients because of burnout! This year, I’ve set days/times to work as a practitioner and as an administrator. Hopefully, that will allow me to set better boundaries with regard to my family time.

I’m also a big believer in yoga and exercise. Being able to take an hour, 2-3 times a week, makes all the difference in keeping me centered. And when I am centered, I’m better able to manage my work and life.

What small business resource(s) can you NOT live without?

• Evernote. I use it constantly. For notes on my blog. For formulas for products I’m developing. For to-do lists. For research notes. I can access it anywhere via my phone or iPad. 
• The Square.  When I started my business, I began with a traditional merchant account to accept credit card payments from clients. I couldn’t afford to take American Express or Discover, and even still I was losing money with transactions. God bless The Square! It’s both an application and a small plastic attachment that plugs right into your phone or tablet. Swipe the card. Square accepts all 4 major credit cards, charges an across the board % per transaction and then deposits the money into your bank account THE NEXT BUSINESS DAY. It’s a miracle for small businesses.
• Come to think of it, I guess that also means I couldn’t live without my iPad! Obviously, I use it for all of the above and also for scheduling appointments, email, correspondence, conference calls, etc. And for occasionally watching Arrested Development in my downtime.

What advice would you give to a friend who was thinking about starting a business?
Be open minded. I’ve set up services and created products that I thought for sure would be successful only to find out no one is interested, or that the market is limited. A great example of this is my bath soak line. Most clients LOVE the salts and essential oils and wanted to reap the benefits of the aromatherapy but just didn’t have time to take a bath. (Many of my clients live in apartments and don’t even have a bathtub!) So I went back to the drawing board, did a little bit of research to find out how clients could benefit from aromatherapy in another form, and then launched my line of candles. Same essential oils, different medium. Very popular.

Favorite social media site?

I’m a very visual learner, so I’ve loved using Instagram to to take photos of all the things that I think make #citylifeliveable. It’s a great way of visually documenting ideas. I’m not sure what will happen with their application over the coming months as they work out their new policies with regard to copyright, ownership, etc. But for now, I use it all the time.

I also love Tumblr. I use it to tie in all my other social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.) The ease of using one site to manage all the others is a real blessing when you are a one-woman show.


What book has been an inspiration to you as an entrepreneur?
I’ve honestly used more blogs and online resources than books with regard to business. Currently, the two articles that have made the most impression on me are:

• http://www.freakonomics.com/2011/04/28/the-100-rules-for-being-an-entrepreneur/
• http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/30/the-busy-trap/

When you're not working, what's your favorite activity?

• Yoga
• Spending time playing Wii Just Dance with nieces (they are the light of my life)
• Drinking a really good vodka martini and doing the crossword with my husband

Body&Soul Restorations

Connect with Barbara and her team!

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Tumblr

Instagram: bodysoulrest

www.sleeveshirtconsulting.com

Spotlight Entrepreneur: Kelly Mistry of MyFairyTaleBooks

This month we are happy to spotlight Kelly Mistry of MyFairyTaleBooks. In 2009 Kelly and her husband launched their personalized children’s book company.  They offer a large library of adventure, fantasy, and holiday themed books where your child is the main character of the story.  On top of books, they also offer personalized Music CDs, DVDs and other fun accessories.

Tell us about your target market:

Our customers are looking to give a unique gift to the children in their lives.  When a child receives a book from MyFairyTaleBooks they discover that they have been cast as the main character in the story.  With customized details such as hometown, special dates, sibling and friends names, a MyFairyTaleBook becomes a story that your child wants to read again and again and preserve forever as a special keepsake. 

There are other companies out there that sell personalized children’s books. What sets you apart from your competition?

When you shop with MyFairyTaleBooks you feel secure in our online environment, you find our prices competitive, you are impressed with the product ratings provided by customers and you are pleased with the customer-service that we provide. 

Your company is growing. What is next on the horizon for My Fairy Tale Books?

This past year we have focused a lot of time, energy and market research on a unique, one-of-a-kind personalized book called The Good Friend.  We have partnered with a talented author, an amazing illustrator and expect to put it into production in early 2013.  This fall we have launched a Kickstarter campaign to bring awareness and to raise funding for the production of the book. We are offering some fun rewards to donors that fall in line with our anti-bullying theme.  We’re very proud of the book, we’ve received some fantastic feedback from audiences who have previewed it, and we can’t wait to share it with the world!

What advice would you give a friend who is looking to launch her own business?

Write a business plan! Our business plan has brought clarity to our mission and has given us qualitative and quantitative milestones to help us measure our success.

What is the most challenging thing about being an entrepreneur?

Maintaining a work-life balance is hard, but one of our top priorities as a family.  We want to teach our four year old daughter the importance of working hard, but we also want to be sure that we have enough fun time to play hard as well!  This summer we took our first vacation since launching our business back in 2009. It was long overdue, but not possible without help from trustworthy staff that could help us keep customers serviced while we enjoyed a few days away.

You mention your daughter, how does she inspire you?

Maya inspires us every day. We read her the manuscript for The Good Friend to ensure that she connected with the storyline, and we always look at our product offering and ask ourselves if these are products that we would want for our child.

MyFairyTaleBooks offers a large variety of children’s products that you’ll love to give to the little ones in your life.  A personalized book is a gift that will be cherished for a lifetime. Connect with MyFairyTaleBooks through their website, on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and be sure to stop by their Kickstarter campaign to lend your support.

www.sleeveshirtconsulting.com