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EPnews -- from The Entrepreneurial Parent
a work-family resource for home-based entrepreneurs
@ http://www.en-parent.com
October 25, 2000
Lisa Roberts, Editor:
epideas@en-parent.com
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---> Subscribe TODAY: EPnews-Subscribe@egroups.com
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Special NOTE from the EDITOR:
My husband Ron & I are celebrating
our 15th Anniversary today. Happy
anniversary, honey, and here's to 15 more years of life, love,
work, play,
conflict, resolution, challenge, triumph and hope. As Cher says
in
"Moonstruck"..."In front of all these people,
Yes, I will marry you..."
(again!) All my love, Lisa
_______________CONTENTS_______________
- The Funny Things EP Kids Say
& Do
***NEW*** EP Grandparents Center!
- Guest Essay: "Am I Crazy,
or Am I in Love?" by Rosanne Krupiec
Making Money Matters -- "Coyote's Corner"
Reader Feedback: "What I'd Do With 99 Hours"
_________________________________________
Do you find EPnews useful?
Please forward to a friend, or recommend it to your favorite
Web site or
e-zine. Thanks for your support!
---> Subscribe TODAY: EPnews-Subscribe@egroups.com
<---
For easy reading, simply print
out this newsletter.
Editorial Note: EPnews is distributed
the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of every
month, and once a month during the summer. The Entrepreneurial
Parent web
site is updated on an ongoing basis throughout each month (en-parent.com).
Welcome all new subscribers!
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___________________________________
THE FUNNY THINGS EP KIDS SAY & DO!
Submitted by EPnews Editor, Lisa
Roberts:
My 10-year old son has a way
of delighting me with pretty insightful
wisdom...that seems to emerge most often at dinner time. A few
weeks ago we
had company for dinner, and some issue came up that made me say
(as usual),
"That's looking at the glass half-empty. Let's look at it
half-full..." I've
always taken pride in my "half-full" attitude so I
was taken aback when
William responded, "Yeah, but, if you want to make something
perfect, you
have to find out what's *wrong* with it first!"
Then at dinner last night, William
announced that although his birthday
wasn't until May, he already knew what kind of party he would
have. When he
told me his idea, I thought it was an original gem, and asked
him to write it
down now so he wouldn't lose it over the months ahead. Here's
what he wrote
(an invitation of sorts):
***William's "Be Yourself"
B-day Party***
"Be as crazy as you want
Be as loud as you want
Be as quiet as you want.
Say what you want (no swears).
Be as polite as you want.
Wear whatever you want.
Emberess yourself. (Perfect time to).
Just be yourself!"
I love it! May we all have a
"Be Yourself" B-day Party some time in our lives!
=========
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 to:
editor@en-parent.com
And if you need a stockpile of
smiles to get you through your EP day, check out Grace Housholder's
heartwwarming "The Funny Kids Project" at www.funnykids.com.
On those stressed-out EP days, you'll be glad you did!
______________________________________________
***NEW*** EP GRANDPARENTS CENTER ***NEW***
Calling all EP Grandparents!
One of our EPnews Subscribers, Rosanne Kupiec,
recently inquired whether we knew of any other grandparents like
herself who
had chosen entrepreneurship to spend more time with their grandchildren.
The
fact is, over the years several grandparents have written now
and again, with
words of encouragement and support for the EP Community, so we
do know that
becoming an "EP" (or rather, an "EGP") is
growing as a bridge for
grandparents and grandchildren to develop stronger family bonds
as well.
If you too are an "EP Grandparent,"
Rosanne and I would like to invite you to
help us put together an "EP Grandparent" channel as
one of our "EP Resource
Centers." We're looking for personal essays on how and why
you chose to work
at home once you became a grandparent, grandparent tips, terrific
grandparenting links and resources you've come across, and anything
else
you'd like to share with fellow EP Grandparents.
To kick off our EP Grandparent
Resource Center, Rosanne has written the
following essay, which is her very first "published"
writing ever. Please
feel free to extend a warm welcome and/or thank you to Rosanne
directly at:
rkupiec@professionalva.com.
And if you're a grandparent in the EP Community
and would like to share your experiences, thoughts, tips, resources,
etc.,
please send your submissions to: editor@en-parent.com.
We wholeheartedly
welcome all grandparents in our "EP Community"!
And now, here's Rosanne's story:
=========
"Am I Crazy, or Am I In
Love?"
© 2000, Rosanne Kupiec, CPVA
On New Years Eve, 1998, our close
group of friends wanted us to join them to
celebrate. We had to tell them no, our daughter Kristina was
past her due
date and since this was my first grandchild, I wanted to be near
just in
case. Although my son-in-law Gabe was right by her side, this
was different
-- my baby was having a baby! It was the right decision, because
we spent all
New Years Eve timing contractions, and on New Years Day 1998,
our 9 lbs., 13
oz. Gabriel Gianni was born. My first precious grandchild.
I was a grandmother. And when
my daughter gave him to me to hold for the
first time, I looked down at his chubby little face and saw I
was holding my
newborn daughter all over again. He had her face, the same face
I saw some
twenty-three years before. Then two years later, on January 14th,
2000, my
son Jerry and his wife Rhonda gave us Nicholas Anthony. Nicholas
with a
smile that could stop all wars, the same little mischievous twinkle
in his
eyes that his daddy still has. Nicholas who lies with me under
the trees in
our backyard and looks up at the sky, chubby little hands and
feet kicking in
unison. (I just know he sees who I can no longer.)
These are my babies' babies and
my husband and I shall forever more be known
as "Mema" and "Boompa." And I am in love,
- again!
My children are wonderful parents.
They know it takes a Village -- the same
Village that helped raise and nurture them. My grandchildren
are not in
daycare; they are with family. For some reason, time seems to
pass by more
quickly now. I want to be there for them as long as powers greater
than I
will permit me. I am blessed to have them live here, near us,
near family. We
are a blended family with my husband's children giving us soon
to be thirteen
grandchildren, for a total of fifteen beautiful little human
beings.
But how was I to be with my grandchildren
as often as I wanted, when I was
working 9-5 as an employee? My grandson would call me at work
and say "Mema,
I want to come to your house," and I had to explain that
he couldn't because
I was "at work." He didn't know what that meant, he
only knew he was sad that
he couldn't come. And I was sad -- broken hearted because I had
to tell him
no, I couldn't leave to go get him, spend time with him.
Even before becoming a grandmother,
I had a feeling of unrest. As a child of
mergers and acquisitions, I was disenchanted with the corporate
world.
Disenchanted with mega conglomerates that have become so enormous,
continuously looking to become even larger, that they have lost
all
compassion and caring for their fellow man...their own employees.
People's
lives have been totally disrupted through downsizing, restructuring,
and
relocation. I was tired of implementing another's misjudgments.
Tired of
suppressing my creativity.
When I became a grandmother,
the sorrow of being in the corporate world was
even more unbearable. How could I leave on a beautiful day to
take them for a
walk in their stroller, if I had to ask permission first? Is
that what I
wanted for myself and for them? No. I needed more than that.
I needed to make
a change. I needed to chart my own course. The only person I
wanted to ask
permission from was myself. I was in prison and needed someone
to cut my
sentence. And that someone had to be me.
Now, after 50 years on this earth,
I have left 20 of those years with a
dependable, stable income behind. I am starting all over again,
and this time
as an "Entrepreneurial Grandparent." I will not mislead
you -- it's not easy.
Sometimes I wonder if I am crazy. Crazy to start all over again?
Crazy to try
to grow a business, try to replace that steady paycheck? Crazy
to try to
market, advertise, network, think!
But I know I am not alone. I
know there are many more grandparents out there
just like me -- us grandparents who thought electric typewriters
were
something, and now are amazed at how technology has freed us
from our 9-5
"prisons." Isn't this wonderful? We can actually begin
anew! The world will
benefit from all our years of knowledge, skills and training.
Imagine the
impact grandparents will have combining our wealth of experience
with the
wealth of technology. We will be Senior Pioneers!
I will continue on my journey,
driven to succeed. I want to set an example
for my grandchildren, so they will remember to follow their dreams,
chart
their own course, not be afraid to try, as they grow and make
life decisions
of their own. I want them to remember you are never too old to
learn
something new.
And I want them to know I am
their grandmother who loves them beyond all
boundaries. I want to be with them, to cherish them, to hug and
hold and kiss
and love them. Without asking permission.
Sometimes I ask myself, am I
crazy? But I know the answer. After all these
years, I know I'm not crazy. I'm in love.
=========
Rosanne Kupiec is owner of Kupiec
Virtual Office Management, and an EP
Grandparent to 15 grandchildren. Please visit her web site to
learn more
about her services, at www.professionalva.com,
or contact her directly at:
Email: rkupiec@professionalva.com;
Ph: 315-735-6908. And again, if you would
like to help her build the "EP Grandparents Center,"
please send your
submissions to: editor@en-parent.com
____________________________________________
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 Janis Calouro, EP
to Brianna (7) and two adult children (Channa,
28 & Jean-Luc, 26), and the owner of "Coyotes Corner,"
an American Indian art
studio, shares her marketing tips with us. Her contact info is:
Janis M. Calouro
Coyotes Corner
PO Box 14469
92 Orchard St
East Providence, RI 02914
Email: janis@coyotescorner.com
Phone: 401-438-7678
Fax: 401-679-0046
(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."
Coyotes Corner was developed
to help bring awareness and recognition to
American Indian art & artists. The American Indian pieces
that we sell are
authentic and come from "cottage industries." We hope
to be able to expand
and export our products globally. Our target market is the world!
Everybody
can use another blanket!
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?
Our most popular products are
our t-shirts and our dream catchers. The
prices of the dream catchers vary according to size and whether
or not they
are made with grapevine or a metal hoop.
The t-shirt prices also vary. It depends on what I paid for them.
Frankly, on
some of our pieces, I don't know that I have found the right
price! Usually, I consider what I paid for it, what my competition
is selling
it for (if it's the same quality) and then I try and price it
so that I'm
appealing to that part of our brain that says "Wow...that's
a great price!"
I'd rather make buckets of dimes
than a handful of one dollar bills...
3. What are *your* favorite products and/or services? Why do
you like to sell
them?
My favorite products are the
coyote face mandellas. Each year thousands of
coyotes are slaughtered, simply for fun. Some folks go and collect
as many
of the carcasses as possible. The carcasses are cleaned, and
then honored.
The mandella is a very powerful piece. It has a copyright. Coyote
taught
humans many things. Coyote teaches us how to raise our young.
Coyote is
teacher and trickster. Coyote is adaptable and loyal.
To be able to honor the Coyote is a great thing.
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)?
First of all, everybody gets
a card. I put business cards in with my checks
when paying bills. I carry cards when we go out walking. We also
use flyers.
We work pow wows, street fairs and festivals, so we hand
out flyers with a list of upcoming sales. (For example, in November,
all of
our candles will be on sale.)
I also write daily tips and suggestions
on living less toxically. I am
developing "The Frugal Environmentalist," but right
now the tips link with
Coyotes Corner. That helps because most folks want to live with
fewer toxins
and save money.
Finally, I'm working on developing
a "class" to help welfare recipients get
free, used computers and bring them online. I think that many
of these people
will end up being customers, either as retail or wholesale clients.
I offer discounts --Veteran discounts, senior citizen discounts,
pow wow
dancer discounts, etc. Sometimes, I'll give a "many children"
discount. For
instance, if we have flutes that sell for $3.00 each and a parent
with 4
children is interested in them, we can drop to 4 flutes for $10.00.
I try
and make it so that each client feels special and feels as though
he or she
received a great deal!
5. Any additional comments are welcome.
I see many vendors that are married
to their stocks and their prices. The
object is to turn the product or service into cash. Why limit
yourself? Why
box yourself into a price...then you'll end up carrying that
item back home,
rather than cash. I don't lose money on my items, but I don't
have to
squeeze each one for every penny! Let me tell you, those folks
that know
that I gave them a break...they always come back...and they talk
about us to
others!
______________________________________________
READER FEEDBACK
In response to "The Distracting
Sounds of Silence," (EP Times, Oct. 12), and
the question: "What would *you* do if *you* had 99 hours
all to yourself?
Let's hear it. Email "editor@en-parent.com"
and we'll share your dream plans
in our next EPnews issue."
"If I Had 99 Hours All To
Myself"
(c) 2000, by Susie Glennan
That's funny that you asked.
My husband decided that he'd give me a break one weekend and
took the children out all weekend. They came in and out a bit,
but for the most part, they were gone. I kept thinking I'd get
my piles all cleaned up. Funny thing was, I took time to eat
a well deserved meal. That's what I really wanted, to eat without
interruption! After that, I attempted to drink a hot cup of coffee
while it was STILL hot! So when all's said and done, that's what
I remember most of my time alone.
My oldest child (15) came in
at one point during the weekend and guess what, with her sitting
in the room with me, I was able to do a lot more than when I
was alone. So I learned even more how I need people around to
dig in deep. I need accountability.
Since purchasing my company about
a year and a half ago, I haven't been Susie Home Maker, the happy
housewife. I've been struggling to keep the house in tip top
shape while running my company out of my home. Throughout this
time, I revel at the chance to encourage other women while talking
to them on the phone. They call thinking that my products are
a cure-all for their time management dilemmas. Many women go
looking for and purchase MANY of what they think will be the
cure-all product.
Of course, there is no ONE thing
that will cure all or help you get it all together. BUT, some
quiet time will certainly give you the energy to keep going.
It's like when you get sick, you have to rest to help your body
heal. A weekend alone is that time for your brain to rest.
One more tidbit...if you're like
me and need physical moral support (as I call it), then find
a friend. Make an appointment with her to come over and sit with
you while you clean or take care of the mess on your desk. If
you have a Type A personality woman for a friend, she won't e
able to sit still. She'll tell you that you're doing it all wrong,
get frustrated and do it all correctly for you!
Blessings and Peace,
Susie Glennan, wife of 28 years, moms to 3, Home Maker, budding
author and owner of The Busy Woman's Daily Planner.
--
http://www.thebusywoman.com/
The Busy Woman's Daily Planner
What getting organized is all about.
_____________________________
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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