Category — Guest Post

Guest post by Liz Lockard of Liz Lockard Marketing Consulting

Here’s one to add to Britt’s 7 Secrets of Successful Lifestyle Entrepreneurs – smarter email marketing.

You know having an email marketing program is valuable but -whoa- can it be a time-suck. Here are 3 ways you can make your email marketing work smarter for your lifestyle business so you can focus on the parts of your business that you’re actually passionate about!

Let’s talk systems, people:

1 – Set Up an Opt-In Sequence That Works While You’re Sleeping

You know those welcome emails you get when you sign up for a newsletter? Those aren’t being individually written or individually sent. Those emails are sent out automatically – AND you can have the same system set up with almost any email service provider (yes, even the free ones).

Here’s how you do it with MailChimp:

• Set up a list if you don’t have an existing one
• On your lists dashboard, click the “forms” link within your list box
• Edit each of the drop-down templates in a way that makes sense for your list
• Pay close attention to the Welcome Email template – use this email to encourage an action that is valuable to your business (connect on Twitter or Facebook, link to one of your best blog posts or to that download/whitepaper you promised with sign-up, a welcome coupon to your store, etc.)

Super Email Marketer Tip: Encourage your subscribers to whitelist you (add you to their safesenders list) so your emails avoid their spam folder.

2 – Write Your Newsletters Ahead of Time

No one likes rushing to write newsletters the night before because it means you’re stressed and the newsletters likely aren’t your best work – nobody wins. Make your email marketing a system you can manage:

• Come up with a running list of ideas (try answering questions your customers regularly ask you, or expanding on some of your more popular blog posts)
• Set up a time every week where you write out as many newsletters as you can in a 1-2 hour block (value does not have to equal length here – and shouldn’t)
• Save. and repeat!

Note: Does your newsletter just point readers to your blog? This still applies! Write your blog posts ahead of time along with your newsletter description. If you’re using WordPress you can make this a super system by scheduling the blog post, grabbing the future link from the page and sticking it in your pre-written email.

3 – Schedule Out Your Emails

One of the most important parts of an email marketing campaign is setting and keeping to a dependable schedule. You build trust with your readers when you show up when you say you’ll show up. But realistically who’s available every M/Tue/W/Thu or F at the same time every week? No one – if you want your lifestyle business to work for you and not you for it, that is. The magical answer – scheduling your emails!

You’ve already done step 2, so this part is pretty easy. You can keep track of these in your calendar for easy reference but you can also schedule them to be sent at an exact date and time right in your email service provider account.

Here’s how to do this with MailChimp:

• In the Campaigns dashboard, click Create a New Campaign. (a ‘campaign’ for MailChimp is simply the individual email you’re sending to your list – you’ll be creating a new one each week/month per your promised delivery schedule)
• Fill out all required fields and pages for your campaign.
• On the last summary-style page, check to make sure all your campaign details are correct.
• At the bottom of the page you have two options: send or schedule. Here’s where things get interesting! Hit schedule. Select your desired date and time.
• Repeat this for every single one of your pre-written newsletters and watch a year’s worth of work disappear before your very eyes! (that’s only 52 emails – you can do that!)

That’s how I work smarter with my email marketing. How do you use email marketing in your business? Share in the comments!

About the Author

Liz Lockard is a marketing consultant who helps small businesses get more marketing OOMPH out of their websites. With training and consulting services, she helps small biz owners get more traffic and conversions for their websites. Grab a copy of her Top 3 Marketing Mistakes Small Business Owners Make With Their Websites at www.lizlockard.com. Follow her at @lizlockard.

In business and in life, there will come times when we make mistakes.  Sometimes it will be evident and other times, we may not know what we did until it’s too late.  Recently, I have witnessed a few situations where people meant well, but feelings got hurt and unfortunately, in the end things didn’t get wrapped up into a nice neat little package of love.

Mistakes are not pretty, so we must embrace them as part of our growth process and learn from them.  These mistakes may happen with our loved ones, our neighbors, our co-workers or on social media.  Wherever they occur, it is important to acknowlege and correct them as soon as possible.  However, sometimes we let the how get in the way.

When I read this guest post by Ricky Cohen, I immediately wanted to share this message with you.  I hope that the simplicity and depth of this post stay with you and empower you to say you are sorry when it is time.  If you have thoughts, comments or stories on the subject, please feel free to share them in the comments section.  Thanks so much.  And now, a message for you from Ricky…

To the extent that a person has self-love and self-confidence he will be able to engage his will, harvest his creativity, and remain in the game for as long as it takes to achieve greatly.

So what about saying “I’m sorry”?

Clearing the air with another, and removing the hurt, goes far to keep people together and allow important – and even casual relationships – to continue and flourish. Confronting how I’ve hurt another enables me to grow and become more sensitive, aware and fine. It forces me to confront who I am and what I must become.

But even more important than any of the above, the action of apologizing promptly, and with a full heart, removes the loose ends of pain that will otherwise weaken my will, hamper my creativity, and undermine my perseverance.

Harboring the pain of another somewhere inside of me, will position a dark cloud over me, limiting what life can offer. Each day that cloud persists, the opportunities for great achievement become less and less attainable for me.

So when you’re advised to: “Say you’re sorry”, or when you haven’t been told anything but you feel the need inside do so, or when you must instruct others to extend themselves and apologize, know that it’s not about the other guy, it’s all about you.

Love and care about yourself enough to say those words quickly, sincerely and often. Your will, creativity, and ability to persevere and succeed – thank you.

Author Bio:

Ricky Cohen, who is the author of the life-changing book, Attracting Your Extraordinary Love, is a family man who is devoted to causes that promote family welfare, character building and good citizenship. Using real life experiences, Ricky motivates his readers by delivering a powerful message that is always surprising, always inspiring, and always has a practical action that the reader can take away. He is an inspiring author, vibrant leader, and motivating public speaker with an amazing record of accomplishment, both professionally and personally. His creative and philosophical insights about the complexities of life and challenging issues help his audiences understand complex issues.

Being a woman today provides more benefits than ever before in history, but along with those gifts come additional burdens that cause stress. The Women’s Rights movement of the 1960’s gave us many new opportunities to work outside the home; however it didn’t remove any of the old obligations or come with maid service.

Every working mother I know is doing her best to be a Supermom/Martha Stewart combination and it is just not possible. There are things in your everyday life that can drain your energy and cause negativity in your life. Here are a few of these and how to put a positive spin on them:

Family responsibilities: Share the tasks with your spouse and children, everyone lives in the house and can do something of value. Chore charts are very helpful. Add stickers and you are golden. Plan ahead for household tasks and make a schedule. Check out www.flylady.net for some awesome tips.

Meals: Plan your meals for the entire week and shop weekly, not daily. While the occasional trip for milk or bread will always be necessary, knowing you have a plan for dinner is a gift to yourself. If you have a Crockpot, use it! This will reduce stress for you and your family because you know every day at about 5 someone is going to say “What’s for dinner Mom?” I put a post it up in the kitchen with the week’s menu marked with the cookbook and page number.

Work demands: Use your time wisely at work and plan time off for kids activities as early as possible so you don’t miss anything. Give your full attention to your work while you are there and to your family at home. Be present in each moment and try not to let the stress from either cross over and cause guilt. Allow yourself to do the best you can and accept that it is your best. Period.

Health: Being a mother, wife, employer or employee, daughter and sister can get exhausting and overwhelming. Do not neglect your health. Make regular appointments for the doctor for yourself. Try to exercise and eat healthy as a family which is a benefit to you and your children.

Vampire friends or family: Beware of the person who is always in a bad mood or complaining! These people are energy and mood zappers. Moods, whether positive or negative, transfer very easily. Be kind and friendly but move on if necessary.

Lack of sleep: This is a very hard one but maintaining a reasonable sleep schedule is crucial. If you are overtired, you will be grouchy. That is the start of a bad day!  Aim for 8 hours every night, beginning and ending at the same time.

Monitor your schedule for a week or so including sleep schedule, time on chores, driving kids etc. Look for patterns of time that could have been used more efficiently. Planning ahead and scheduling your time will make your life run more smoothly. If you do not already have a large master schedule for the family, start now! Once you tweak your schedule a bit and plan a little bit more you will find you have more things done and maybe even some free time.

A few of the benefits of that you will gain from your new found positivity:  better sleep, better health, feeling better inside and out as well as knowing that you are more in control of your life.

I am a big believer in the power of a smile, you will always get one back. The simple act of smiling at someone can change their day or current outlook. It is the smallest possible thing that you can do with unlimited exponential powers.

Creating more positivity will help you in every aspect of your life. You will be a better YOU not only for everyone in your life but most importantly for yourself.  This is the only instance that I would recommend a “fake it til you make it” attitude, if you wake up and you aren’t feeling the morning, still start with smiles, hugs and wishes of a good morning to your family. The boomerang effect of their positivity can whip your day in the right direction.
Create a positive bubble around you and your friends and family and protect it. You will be happier inside and out!

Guest Post Author Bio:

Peggy Fitzpatrick is the Director of Marketing and Social Media Manager for Kreussler Inc, a wife and mother. All about positivity and connecting, big on tech and conversation, but mostly about building friendship and valued trust. You can find her blog here: www.pegfitzpatrick.com or her fabulous Twylah profile here: http://www.twylah.com/PegFitzpatrick.  She is also the Lifestyle Editor of www.12most.com and you can follow her there at @12MostLifestyle.

Guest Post By Tonilee Adamson and Bobbye Brooks co-founders Media4Women

You have dreamed of starting your own business for years and now you have the money to actually do it. What should you do first to get your business going? If we are not careful, the money is gone and we still are not in business. We have compiled our list of the top 5 things you should do to secure your investment and launch your new business.

1. Create a Simple Business Plan

The first thing you should is map a short plan that includes your business concept and what is involved for the first 6 months. For example, what will it cost to produce, how much can you sell it for, and how long will take to complete? Try to project from 6 to 12 months for your business.

2. Select the Right Name

With today’s competitive online market, selecting the right name has never been more critical. Your business name will most likely become your website name, which means your name will be lost in cyberspace if the keywords are too broad or too specific. Finding the right niche is extremely important. You can do this yourself or spend some money to hire a consultant.

3. Build a Professional Website

Your website will be your storefront for your business, so do not cut corners on design and function. A chunk of your star- up money will go to your website development but it is a worthy investment for the long haul, especially if you are selling products from an online store.

4. Plan for at least 3 months of Marketing Budget

The goal is getting people to find your new business. You will need to invest part of your $5000 in a marketing plan for at least 3 months. The marketing plan should include an extensive online and social media plan, not expensive pay per click (PPC) advertising, but solid organic SEO (search engine optimization).

5.     Start Building Your Network

To grow your business, start using the numerous opportunities for social media networking. Make sure you have business pages, not just personal pages. Invite people to join you and start interacting through these networks on a regular basis. Let them know about your new business and what you are offering. Register your website with online directories and search engines.

Anyone can start a new business on $5000 if you take the right steps the first time. These 5 things will ensure that you are off to a great start to success. When in doubt, seek professional consultations and take your time.

About the Authors:

Tonilee Adamson and Bobbye Brooks are co-owners of Media 4 Women Enterprises, a marketing and media company that helps people achieve entrepreneurial success. From website design, video production, book publishing and social media marketing, Tonilee and Bobbye work with individuals and businesses of every type. Visit www.media4women.com to learn more about their services.

Laura Beth Bastion

Newaygo, MI

Astrological Sign: Pisces

# of children: 5

Ages: 15-12-9-4-1

Favorite Business Book: 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris

Favorite Family Book: The Bible

Favorite Quote: “Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.” –George Bernard Shaw

1. Which came first: the biz or the kid? KIDS =-)

2. What is your biggest productivity secret- the thing that helps you accomplish the most in your day?

1^st Exercise, or I am tired all day.  Eating healthy and exercise, contribute to more energy to get it all done.

2^nd Schedules, Organization and lots of help from the family.  Everyone shares in chores around here.

3^rd Enlisting GOOD help, finding good help can be a challenge, but it allows you the freedom to do what you are good at, and allows me to keep my clients happy.

Oh and I do have chaotic days….it happens with kids– you have to be flexible.  I have nights where I work nine to midnight or beyond to catch up….but it is in my comfy PJ’s!

3.  How well do you feel you are balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship?  Any tips?

I think I do pretty good most of the time, I am able to be there for important things with my children, take them to school daily, be there when they are sick.  I am providing financial security for my family as well as teaching them valuable lessons of hard work. I really do have the best of both worlds.  It took me a while to realize it was okay to hire a babysitter even though I work from home, and it was amazing how much more I was able to accomplish .

4. What was the tipping point for you when you realized you were truly an entrepreneur? I have always been a entrepreneur  at heart, ask anyone I went to high school with.

5. What one word describes your purpose in your family, your biz and your life? Navigator

6. Where do you find your greatest source of support for your goals in your family, business and life? The Bible, with regular Bible reading and prayer, along with communicating my goals with my family.

7.  What do you do to recharge your spiritual batteries? Regular Bible reading and studying.

8.  One thing you can’t live without: My Kids!

9. iPhone or Blackberry? Droid with Google Apps

10. Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate all the way!

11.  PC or Mac? PC …though I learned on MAC in the 90’s!! And I am leaning towards going back.

12.  Which do you do most often: Eat out, Order In or Cook it yourself? Cook it myself…or at least someone in the house cooks!

13.  Who is your biggest supporter? My family.

14.  Who is your greatest inspiration? My children!

15.  What do you see yourself doing in 5 years? 5 years from now, I plan to be debt free.  I also plan to be enjoying quality time with my family….and of course growing my business.

Name of Business/es:

Lets Grow Virtual: Virtual Assistant, Social Media Management, Website Design

URL/s: http://www.letsgrowvirtual.com

Twitter Name: @letsgrowvirtual

Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/letsgrowvirtual

Guest Post by Tracie Wagman of Help! We’ve Got Kids

As a mother and a small business owner I have discovered that I rely an inordinate amount on the people I work with both at home and in the office. These people have become my partners. Not in the legal sense of the world but in the true meaning of the word.

After having my first child I discovered that in fact, I did not have the kind of family that would always be there to help me out. This was a harsh blow for me. But I hunkered down and decided that I could do everything on my own and didn’t need any help.

Another child later, I realized that I could not in fact, run the household, run the business and keep my marriage alive all on my own. I slowly discovered how important partners are. I hired a lovely caregiver and began to let her actually care for my children (as hard as that was). I began to carpool with my neighbor and I started asking people for help.

In my business, partners are equally as important. Too often small business owners make the mistake of wearing so many hats that inevitably one or two of them fall off. I am not a web programmer; I am not a graphic designer. You get the idea! I have learned that I need to rely on people to help me in my business as I do at home. The tricky part is that by the time the hats fall off we are so desperate that we hire the first company or person we find. However, finding the right partner is crucial.

Herewith a few of things I have learned about finding the right partner:

1.     Trust your instincts. Someone may come with a stellar reputation but if the personalities don’t fit, it won’t work. You can tell something like that by the first phone call or face to face meeting.

2.     Do your research. There are literally thousands of web programmers, or IT specialist or graphic designers. Make sure you dig around, ask questions and check references. It may take some upfront time but it will be well worth it in the end.

3.      Find a good communicator. All too often deadlines are missed, key points in a project are missed because of lack of communication. You can’t work with a partner that you can’t communicate with. It is a two way street and you have to be sure all lines of communication are working.

Do you have any tips to add or stories about partnering that you would like to share?  We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Guest Post by Stephanie Hamm

Ok, so we’re now ankle deep into the New Year. For some of us, the deep freeze will be here for a few more weeks, others are already getting the shorts and sandals ready to go. As we inch closer and closer to the summer many of us feeling an increasing  sense of fear, anxiety and urgency as we hear the most dreaded words uttered more and more frequently.

Bathing Suit Season.

Am I the only one who just broke a sweat?

Let’s face it. Winter is not kind to many of us. Between the cooler weather, the multiple holiday feasts, the stress of family gatherings and the January blahs that set in right after, it’s no wonder our pants are a bit tighter, our hair a bit grayer and our scales a little less kind to us. As women, we are especially conscious of the way we look and more importantly, the way we feel when we aren’t at our best. If our clothes aren’t fitting or our “jiggly bits” popping out where they shouldn’t be, it affects us physically and emotionally.

Rather than wait until the last possible moment to take action, why not start now? It doesn’t take hours of time you don’t have or expensive gym memberships you can’t budget in. But it does take dedication, commitment and a positive attitude.

1. Make a plan: You’ll have a higher success rate if you’re prepared. You wouldn’t go to a meeting with an important client unprepared so why do that with your health? Outline what you want to accomplish, brainstorm ways to accomplish that and gather as much information as you can so that you know what you’re getting into and can plan your days accordingly.

2. Make tomorrow happen today: Don’t wait for Monday to start making changes. Start today. Right now. If you wait, there’s a higher chance that Monday will come and go with nothing done. The sooner you start to change your habits, the sooner they will become second nature for you.

3. Commit, Commit and then Commit again: Starting any type of healthy living regimen, whether it’s to lose 5 lbs, 50 lbs or to improve your fitness and create some healthy habits, you need to commit yourself to it. You’ll have bad days, that I can guarantee. Rather than focus on days you skip your workout, cheat on your eating plan or just plain don’t care anymore, focus on today as your new day to start over. For some, you might find yourself committing every day, sometimes twice. That’s perfectly okay! In time, new habits will form and it will get easier.

4. Start small: You can’t change the world in a day so don’t expect to change your habits and lifestyle in a day either. Start with small, attainable goals: increase your water consumption, decrease the amounts of sugary drinks and alcohol you consume. Another great step is to keep a food journal for a week. You’d be surprised at where your calories are coming from. There are some great online tools such as Spark People and My Fitness Pal that make tracking your intake very easy.

5. Love yourself as you are Today, not what you aspire to be Tomorrow: you can be the fittest person rocking the teensiest of bikinis ever but if you don’t learn self-love, you won’t be happy. Honestly, if you do nothing else over the next few months, learn to love and appreciate every curve, every pimple, every inch of yourself. Part of the healthy living puzzle is your mental health and you absolutely must learn self appreciation for who you are now or you will never be satisfied with your progress or transition of lifestyle.

About the Author:

Stephanie Hamm blogs at Fit Mom…in Training and is a mom to a beautiful little boy. She loves everything health and fitness and is dedicated to improving her health, setting a good example of healthy living for her family and hopefully inspiring and educating others to do the same in their lives. Stephanie is an avid photographer, runner and is currently learning how to swim in order to one day fulfill her dream of competing in a triathlon.

Cydney Smith

City and State: A little town between Brattleboro, VT and Keene, NH

Astrological Sign: Aquarius

# of children: 2

Ages: 9 and 10

Favorite Business Book: Tribes by Seth Godin

Favorite Family Book: Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney

Favorite Quotes:

“Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.” Rumi

“If your success is not on your own terms, if it looks good to the world but does not feel good in your heart, it is not success at all.” Anna Quindlan

1. Which came first: the biz or the kid? Kids

2.  What is your biggest productivity secret- the thing that helps you accomplish the most in your day? Having a schedule. Which is not an easy thing for me to do. But placing important tasks into a time slot helps me to not overbook and to get things done.

3.   How well do you feel you are balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship?  Any tips? Honestly, I try to not think about balance. When I do, I start to feel in anxious, because I seem to only understand balance as a form of  perfection.  I now think in terms of creating a conscious rhythm in my life, where there is an ebb and flow. Sometimes, there is flood and draught too!! I’ve come to a place where I can roll with the day to day, and stay focused on the things that are a priority. I try to create a baseline each day, and for the week, of the bare minimum I need to get done to carry forward my vision for myself as a mom, women and entrepreneur. That usually means a small percentage of what’s on my list! The bare minimum approach is really about not losing my center. So I guess that brings it back to balance, or at least trying to maintain grace as I move through life.

4. What was the tipping point for you when you realized you were truly an entrepreneur? When I decided to start a Dog Sledding Adventure Business, and it worked. It was so far fetched (NYC suburban childhood) and I didn’t have a clue about business. But within a few months I had contracts, permits, a merchant account, logo, brochures and a booked schedule for that first winter. I also became pregnant with my first while still in start-up. But that’s another story!

5. What one word describes your purpose in your family, your biz and your life? Spirited

6. Where do you find your greatest source of support for your goals in your family, business and life? I come from a very large extended family, Irish, on my Dad’s side. We are still very close. I spend summers with many of them and holidays with my siblings and parents. I was brought up with the understanding that family is your greatest currency.

7. What do you do to recharge your spiritual batteries? Yoga and wilderness adventure. Oh, and going out for drinks with the ladies

8. One thing you can’t live without: The ability to breathe

9. iPhone or Blackberry? iphone

10. Chocolate or Vanilla? Vanilla

11. PC or Mac? Mac

12. Which do you do most often: Eat out, Order In or Cook it yourself? Cook it myself

13. Who is your biggest supporter? My husband

14. Who is your greatest inspiration? My daughters

15.  What do you see yourself doing in 5 years? Extended travel with my kids, a completed book, a successful coaching and teaching career, offering adventure wellness retreats for mompreneurs, and contributing time and money to issues related to hunger and wellness in the world.

Name of Business: Mompreneur Wellness is my primary focus right now (also, Spirited Nutrition and A Nourished Life, LLC)

URL: http://MompreneurWellness.com

Twitter Name @cydneysmith

Facebook Page http://facebook.com/mompreneurwellness

Accept + Forgive + Step Back & Laugh = Love Your Mess

(Trick question alert)  As a busy, driven, perfectionist mom have you ever felt that despite your very best efforts, nothing is under control and everything in your life is, well, a mess?

Yes, life can be is a mess.

And by “mess,” I don’t mean week-old crumbs on your kitchen floor or a pile of clothing stuffed into an already-full drawer. Sure, those kinds of messes are all around us. Sure, we can clean them up. Sure, we can make things look nice and neat and under control.

But what about the real messes of your life? The big ones that take more than a dustpan and broom or 10 minutes of folding to deal with?

Things like:

Your son who is having behavioral issues in his preschool.

A spouse who is more like a cordial friend or business partner than a romantic love interest.

Your daughter who can’t keep up with the homework load in the seventh grade.

Your inability to say “no” to people in your life who you’d prefer were not in your life.

A business that isn’t working – financially or otherwise – anymore.

Those 15 pounds that have overstayed their welcome for far too long now.

That two-cigarette-per-day habit that you need more than you care to admit.

A life that isn’t exactly turning out as planned.

I think you know what I am talking about:

Those things we can’t control.

Those things that we’d prefer were not part of the package of our lives.

Those things that we need to or should solve, fix, deal with, clean up before we can do, pursue and have the things we really want to do, pursue and have.

Thinking about your mess may not feel good. You may reject your mess. Or try to pretend it doesn’t exist. You may even feel you hate it.

How has that approach been working for you?

Yea, that’s what I thought.

How about if, starting right about now, you try something different?

How about if you love all this messiness instead?

Accept. The first step toward loving your mess – no matter how freakin’ messy it is – is to accept that you have a mess. Of this, I am certain: You. Have. A. Mess. It is messy and yucky and weird and disorderly.

Stop spending wasting so much time trying to pretend it isn’t there or hide it or dump it in a pile deep in the closet. See it for what it is (and isn’t) and just accept it.

As it is right now. As you are right now.

That doesn’t mean that you should forget about losing the weight or quitting smoking or helping your kid get the homework under control. It means that by accepting you are actually doing the very best thing you can do to actually live and move forward instead of being stuck in the hiding or pretending mode.

Accept it. It is yours. No better or worse than the next girl’s mess. (And believe me, she has one too. Guaranteed.)

Forgive. As Moms, we are in charge of, worried about, responsible for and the final word on just about everything remotely related to our home, our career, our kids and our lives.

We have lots of imbalance and imperfection we are supposedly supposed to balance and perfect. And when we see that, inevitably, nothing is every really balanced or perfect, we feel frustrated or angry or unworthy.

We take out most of those emotions, usually, on our own selves: Not _____ enough or Too _____ have always been my go-to self-talk favorites.

More times than not, we are quicker to forgive or nicer with our words and thoughts to our friends and family (or strangers for that matter) than we are to our own selves.

So, how about, as we begin to accept the mess that is, we also forgive ourselves for the ingredients in this great messy mix?

How about we look to congratulate and admire ourselves and all we do, create and accomplish in, say, one week or one day or one hour for that matter?

How about if our go-to is to forgive ourselves first?

Step Back & Laugh. I know messes are stressful and annoying and often pressing and very in the “now.”

But you know what?

There is always humor to be found, even in the most messy times. Always. (Did I say “Always?”)

Many of us have forgotten how to be amused by the details that make up our lives. . To just see the things in our messes, that, well, you just have to laugh at.

Getting perspective, seeing the beautiful mess of the forest for the messy trees, can go a very long way in you loving your mess and, in the process, moving forward, taking action, trusting yourself and creating the life you want.

For real. For messy real.

ABOUT ALLISON NAZARIAN

Allison Nazarian is a writer and mom living a very messy life in Florida. She works with businesses and individuals looking to write about real life to make more money, find peace, inspire and/or just vent. Allison also works as a copywriter and ghostwriter, focusing on books, speeches and creating programs for consultants, entrepreneurs and leaders in areas such as real estate, personal development, business management and media.

Allison is the author of “Do-It-Yourself” copywriting books Copywriting 101 for Small Businesses, Entrepreneurs, Coaches and Consultants and One Minute Copywriter, as well as of the newly-released Love Your Mess™. She holds a B.A. in English from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.S. from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, INC, Entrepreneur and Fortune Small Business. Allison writes on the entrepreneurial life, working from home, working moms, single parenthood and all of the things, people and stuff that make up real life.

CONNECT WITH ALLISON

Web:
http://AllisonNazarian.com

Love Your Mess The Book:

http://LoveYourMessBook.com

Have I got a treat for you!

Last week, one of my fellow mom entrepreneurs and I were talking about what she is up to…

and what she is up to is SO amazing,  I just had to share with you because that’s what I do. 

From coast to coast and around the world, Multi-Media Moms, Comedians, Bloggers and Mom Entrepreneurs are teaming up and to be a part of MommytoMommy.TV — the show is witty, intelligent, informative and sometimes just plain wacky.

Kimberley Blaine, author, parenting expert, and founder of The Go-To Mom has created all new online programming for moms.  The new series is produced and hosted by Blaine, alongside other well-known Internet mompreneurs as her co-hosts. MommytoMommy.TV is a face-paced entertainment variety show, which highlights and features Sony’s digital products.

MommytoMommy.TV focuses on relationships, health, child-rearing, social media, along with product highlights, services, and news to improve the quality of life for moms.

We hope you find MommytoMommy.TV comforting, entertaining and addictive!

Take a peek and let me know what you like about Mommy to Mommy tv.   I love the branding and the simplicity.

Now, I’d love to hear about any resources for moms that you’d like to share.  Tell us what you like & what works best for you –> See ya in the comments!