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EPnews -- from The Entrepreneurial Parent
a work-family resource for home-based entrepreneurs
@ http://www.en-parent.com
September 27, 2000
Lisa Roberts, Editor:
epideas@en-parent.com
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_______________CONTENTS_______________
The Funny Things EP Kids Say
& Do
Making Money Matters -- "Wearable Mamas"
EP Q&A -- Part-time Work?
_________________________________________
Editorial Note: EPnews is distributed
the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of every
month, except during the summer. The Entrepreneurial Parent web
site is
updated on an ongoing basis throughout each month (en-parent.com).
Welcome
all new subscribers!
___________________________________
THE FUNNY THINGS EP KIDS SAY & DO!
=====
Submitted by EPnews Editor, Lisa Roberts, (mailto:lisa@en-parent.com):
Yesterday my 4-year old son Thomas
& I were watching "Zoom" on PBS, and saw
someone cooking an old favorite family recipe of ours -- manicotti.
It
brought me back to the smells and tastes of years ago and looked
just
delicious. Thomas thought so too so I told him to call Grandma
and tell him
the next time we visit, she should make "manicotti"
(pronounced "man-eh-guht"
in the particular Italian dialect my mother's family used). So
Thomas gets on
the phone, looks at me and whispers "What's it called?"
and I whisper back,
"man-eh-guht." So when she got on the phone, he says
"Grandma? Can you make
mommy-gut when we come over?"
Meanwhile, my mother thought
he said, "Grandma? Can Mommy dust when we come
over?" and of course she said, "Yes, sure! Absolutely!!"
=====
Why work at home? So you can hear the funny things your EP Kids
say
throughout the day. Share with the EP Community something your
child said or
did recently that made you smirk, giggle, or LOL. Send your submission
via
e-mail to:epideas@en-parent.com.
And if you need a stockpile of
smiles to get you through your EP day, check
out Grace Housholder's heartwarming "The Funny Kids Project"
at
www.funnykids.com. On
those stressed-out EP days, you'll be glad you did!
Grace's coffee table book is
also available at:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0963871536/theentrepreneuri
____________________________________________
MAKING MONEY MATTERS
Being available to your kids
and managing a career under one roof sounds to
many like the best of both worlds, but without pulling in some
kind of income
what's all the effort for? Making Money Matters!
This month Ann Allen, an EP to
3 and the owner of "Wearable Mamas," an art
and design studio, shares her marketing tips with us. Her contact
info is:
Ann Allen
Wearable Mamas
2003 13 Ave. NW
Rochester, MN 55901
Ph: (507) 288-4161
Toll Free: (877) 288-4161
Site: www.wearablemamas.com
Email: ann@lollygag.com
(Want to spread the word about
YOUR business in EPnews? Let's hear how YOU
earn your keep as an EP! Mailto:editor@en-parent.com
with the subject heading
"MMM Survey" and we'll get the questionnaire over to
you. Thank you!!)
1. In a 2-3 sentence statement,
explain what your home business is about,
including your target market and "mission statement."
I design artwork that celebrates
spirit and sisterhood of women. I "publish"
my designs on shirts, bags and note cards.
2. What are the most popular products and/or services you sell?
How much do
you sell them for (or what's your hourly rate), and how did you
find the
right price/fee schedule for them?
The most popular products that
I sell are, by far, my t-shirts. They sell
for $18 for short sleeved shirts. I also carry long sleeved
tees and
sweatshirts. In order to determine what I would charge for them
I did some
"market research" which was mostly out of my own personal
experience. I like
to buy items similar to those that I sell so I had a pretty good
"working
knowledge" about what they would go for via retail. Wholesale
pricing took a
little more research but I learned quickly that many other artists/designers
were pretty forthcoming with information -- as long as I wasn't
in direct
competition with them.
I also sell original art work
which is much harder to price. I try to take
into account my material costs and my time and go from there.
Again, a
"working knowledge" of what the market will bear is
essential.
3. What are *your* favorite products and/or services? Why do
you like to sell
them?
Each of my designs is a favorite
to me in some way -- they all reflect some
sort of personal experience. At the risk of sounding nutty,
they are almost
like offspring. I love to sell my artwork to people who truly
get my message
and enjoy the work that I am putting out into the world. It
makes me feel
very fulfilled.
4. Tell us a bit about your marketing
campaign. When did you start noticing
your first sales (after which marketing technique), what marketing
efforts
have you noticed yield the greatest results, and how do you make
your first
contact and subsequent sales (via online, phone, fax, mail, face-to-face)?
I think face to face marketing
is the most lucrative. It is, unfortunately,
the kind of marketing that I have trouble with. Since I have
three children,
it is very difficult for me to find time to travel around on
weekends doing
art shows or visiting retailers. I try to get to 4 art shows
or conferences
per year. It helps me to see my customers, hear their comments
and fuels me
to create by giving me more ideas. I also have hired a local
sales rep to
show my line in her travels and she does a few shows per year
too. It has
been good but I would like to find other reps to help me branch
out into
other areas of the country. The internet is very helpful in
this regard as
well.
I printed some color brochures
which really help when I get calls for more
information. I also use them for print marketing -- probably
once per year
-- when I run an anniversary sale or special event. This year
I plan to have
a "give away" on my web site to celebrate creative
inspiration as well as my
third year in business.
I am starting to compile a list
of email addresses as well so that I can keep
in touch with other customers via email and since that is virtually
free I
will do that more often. I also consider it crucial to protect
the privacy
of my customers and don't sell names or addresses.
I have done print advertising
in a few different targeted places but haven't
found a "niche" market that works for my merchandise
yet. I have found it to
be very expensive and it hasn't given me much of a financial
return so I have
pared that down in my annual budget
5. Any additional comments are welcome.
Finding support for business
-- especially in home business -- is critical.
I have recently coupled with a local graphic designer friend
of mine and we
get together monthly to spark each other with marketing ideas.
It is so
helpful to have someone to bounce ideas and concepts off of and
has helped me
immensely in the short time we've been meeting.
____________________________________
EP Q&As
Have a question? Our EP Expert
Panel is available to all EPnews Subscribers.
Visit them at http://en-parent.com/experts.com
(follow the "Q&A" links). If
your question isn't answered there, then send it to: experts@en-parent.com.
They'll be glad to help you out if they can!
Q. Hi Nancy--
My name is Kelly Aguilar and
I live in the Houston area. I am a working Mom
with three small children. Presently I am working approximately
50 hours per
week outside the home. For years, I have been actively looking
for part-time
work with an hourly pay rate at least equivalent to my current
earnings.
There's gotta be a way to work 3 days per week outside the home
and be able
to pay the bills.
I am definitely NOT interested
in any Multi-Level Marketing opportunities. I
have been involved with several MLM companies and have been disappointed
in
the results.
Please advise where I could find
a sound, quality company that could offer
these flexible hours along with the appropriate pay scale. There's
gotta be
some out here somewhere!
Thank you,
Kelly B. Aguilar
A. Hi Kelly:
Three small children and working
fifty hours per week? No wonder you're
dying to cut back on your work hours! As much as I wish I could
provide you
with a list of companies that offer great flexible jobs, unfortunately
it's
just not that simple. But, what I can do is make some suggestions
for
strategies that might work in your situation:
1) Speak with your employer.
They already know the quality of your work and
might be willing to work with you in creating a more flexible
schedule. For
tips on how to structure your proposal check out Pat Katepoo's
website at
www.workoptions.com.
2) If you're going to look outside
your company for part-time jobs, think
about repackaging your skills in a way that highlights those
job duties that
are most suitable to part-time work. While many job functions
can be
successfully performed on either a flextime or flexplace schedule,
it's
easier to find a part-time schedule if your job function is one
that has
already been proven to be "flex-friendly." Flextime
works well in jobs where
you have some discretion over scheduling of appointments such
as in sales or
when job functions can be completed independently using a computer
or
telephone such as in programming, web design, writing and copyediting.
Steer
away from job assignments requiring extensive overtime, constant
interaction
with co-workers or demanding clientele.
3) Target smaller employers --
small companies tend to be less bureaucratic
and more flexible than their larger corporate counterparts.
The
entrepreneurs behind small business ventures are often young
(and/or female),
and interested in creating a better work-family balance for their
employees.
4) Target industries where there
is a high demand but low supply of workers.
Any time there are too few workers to fill a job, employers need
to make
concessions in order to recruit the best and brightest. Consequently,
employers in "hot" industries, such as health care
and information technology
related fields, are now using flexibility as a recruitment tool.
5) Look to nonprofit companies
such as associations, libraries, educational
institutions, local government agencies and human service organizations
who
employ a large number of women and tend to be open to flexible
schedules.
Finally, be sure to network among
friends and business colleagues. With so
many people starting their own businesses these days, you might
be able to
easily network your way into a great part-time position with
a new business.
Best of luck to you,
Nancy Collamer
www.jobsandmoms.com
====
Nancy Collamer is our "EP Part-Time Career Expert,"
and President of Collamer
Career Counseling. See www.jobsandmoms.com
to learn more about her background
and services.
_____________________________
CONTACT/SUBSCRIPTION INFO
The Entrepreneurial Parent, LLC
is not engaged in rendering legal or
financial advice. If expert assistance is required, the services
of a
licensed professional should be sought.
This newsletter may be redistributed
freely via the Internet. Re-publishing
of separate articles for your print publication needs approval
first; write
to: Roberts@en-parent.com
for permission.
© 2000, The Entrepreneurial
Parent, LLC
Editor: Lisa M. Roberts
POB 320722, Fairfield, CT 06432; http://en-parent.com
Ph/Fax: (203) 371-6212, Email: office@en-parent.com
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