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EPnews -- from The Entrepreneurial Parent
a work-family resource for home-based entrepreneurs
@ www.en-parent.com
Volume 3, Issue 8
September 22, 1999
**SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE**
(EPnews was first launched Sept. 23, 1998)

~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_

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!

For easy reading, simply print out this newsletter.

_______________CONTENTS_______________

Part I:

The Funny Things EP Kids Say & Do!
**NEW**ka-Ching Spotlight
EP Times -- An Editorial
What's It Worth?
Making Money Matters

Part II:

More Funny Things EP Kids Say!
Letter from the Co-Founders
**NEW**NAEP News
**NEW** Member Voices
EP Expert Q&As
We Recommend
Special Discounts/Contests for EPs
What's Happening at EP

_________________________________________

Editorial Note: **NEW** EP is moving from a weekly to a monthly update to
make room in our schedules for the National Association of Entrepreneurial
Parents (NAEP). EPnews will now be published and distributed on the second
or third Wednesdays of every month, year-round, and The Entrepreneurial
Parent at http://www.en-parent.com will be updated (with new content,
member info, Expert Q&As, book reviews, etc.) during the first week of each
month. See "Letter from the Co-Founders" in Part II of this Anniversary
Issue for further detail!

____________________________________

THE FUNNY THINGS EP KIDS SAY & DO!

Submitted by Karen Hertzberg (mailto:[email protected] ), an EPNews
subscriber who busily works away at building her online writers' community,
Coffeehouse for Writers (http://www.coffeehouse4writers.com):
=====

My 4 year old son, Ian, set up an elaborate display of cars and airplanes
on the dining room table and was pretending to be "making a movie." 18
month old sister, Shayla, watched with interest. She climbed onto a chair
and looked curiously at the movie "set" her brother had built. Suddenly,
with one swoop of her little arm, she flung all the cars and planes off the
table onto the floor and giggled maniacally.

Before I could say a word to discipline her, Ian shouted, "Hey! That's not
in the script. You are OUT of this movie!"

=====

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:
[email protected] with the subject heading "A Funny Thing My EP Kid
Said (or Did)". And if you need a stockpile of smiles to get you through
your EP day, pick up your own heartwarming copy of Grace Housholder's "The
Funny Things Kids Say" @ http://en-parent.com/familybooks.htm. On those
stressed-out EP days, you'll be glad you did!

_____________________________________
KA-CHING SPOTLIGHT

In mid-October, 1999, Oxygen Media -- an Internet and TV media company in
which Oprah Winfrey has a partnership interest in -- is launching several
of their new women's web sites with a big splash! Lisa is currently in the
process of preparing content for their business and finance site,
ka-Ching.com, and will continue to do so on a weekly basis after the big
launch. She would love to throw the spotlight on EPs on an ongoing basis!

This new EPnews column is here for just that. This is where she'll put out
a call for tips, advice, resources, profile possibilities, etc. for her
Home Office column. If you are interested in getting your name and business
out there, with possible hyperlinks to your web sites from Lisa's articles,
then you'll want to keep an eye out right here...

This month Lisa's looking for tips on taking quick breaks when you work at
home -- fun, stress-reducing, refresher breaks (i.e. NOT folding laundry!)
that help you return to your desk either physically or intellectually
rejuvenated. Breaks could involve the kids, your spouse, a neighbor,
friend, relative, pet or just yourself, and the more creative and amusing
the better!

Please send your tip, along with your full name, business name, email
address and web site URL to: "AMOM [email protected]" with the subject heading
"Take 5". Deadline: Monday, 9/27/99. Thank you!

____________________________________
EP TIMES -- AN EDITORIAL

"Rock Solid Love"
© 1999, Lisa M. Roberts

New year, new classes, new teachers, new book bags, new sneakers, new
agenda, new workload, new work schedule, new work goals. As an EP, my work
life shifts to the rhythm of school life, and each school year brings new
transitions and milestones with it. Right now, on the cusp of the new
millenium -- and a full year after the launch of EP as an Internet
community -- I feel perched on top a small mountain looking forward,
looking backward, looking up, looking down. I know it will just last a
moment before I descend back into the nitty-gritty day-in, day-out of it
all, but for this moment I do see a panaromic view of life...even after
life...swirling around me...

In this corner of the country Hurricane Floyd swept us all into the new
school year with theatrical momentum, peaking with an ominous air of high
drama last Thursday night, a school delay Friday morning, and a fresh,
glorious wind welcoming the weekend in. Fortunately, as a family we are now
basking in the wake of that glorious wind as every child is successfully
transitioning into the rhythm of the new year, but it was definitely a
stormy first couple of weeks of school. And now that the air has cleared a
bit, a whole new perspective has settled in for all of us.

First, my 12-year old daughter caught herself a cold with her first big
homework assignment and worked herself up into a day-long sneezing fit in
school ("Mom, it was so embarrassing!"). She couldn't seem to get herself a
good night's sleep all week until I yielded and kept her home one day to
"catch up." Then, to pull my youngest son *away* from his first classroom
during pre-school orientation brought on a scene I'd rather not
discuss...(let's just say the screech-whine is still ringing in my ear).
Finally, we received a call from our fourth grade son's teacher that he had
been acting up all week and landed himself in the principal's office (first
week of school!), working himself up into a frenzy of fears and defiance.
After long talks with the teacher, principal, each other and our son, my
husband and I were able to get him to stop "sweating the small stuff" and
focus on the bigger issues, and now he's back on track. Against this
backdrop of back to school turmoil I have begun my new position as the "Home
Office Expert" and weekly columnist for a new media company for women. With
all of us stepping in and out of each other's new fall schedules, it's been
quite an adjustment.

Last week in the middle of all this I had a dream about my late father that
couldn't have been more symbolic if I pulled it out of my consciousness. It
was one of those dreams where you are watching yourself in action and
commenting on the sidelines (like Scrooge and his ghosts). In this dream I
was watching from a distance (with someone at my side, don't know who)
while my father and I were working on a kind of exercise together. We were
standing on the ledge of a cliff, where he had tied one end of a rope
around his waist and the other around mine. The "exercise" had me jumping
off the cliff, swinging myself around the edge of the mountain and then
working with my father as he pulled me back up by tugging on the rope. He
was coaching and encouraging me, and I felt myself getting stronger each
time I jumped, doing it over and over again until I "got it right." Then
suddenly I saw from a distance that he was getting weaker, and when I
looked at him closely I saw that he was physically ill, as he was right
before he died last summer. I realized he would only have the strength to
pull me back up one last time. Before I jumped, I hugged him tight and
said, "Even when you can't pull me up anymore, I will still feel your
strength."

Days after the dream I was driving my son William home from a birthday
party, just the two of us in the van. William spotted my perturbed face in
the rear view mirror and asked if there was something wrong. I happened to
be deep in thought over the dream, and so I shared it with him in detail.
By the time I finished I was in tears and said, "And that's what I want you
to remember too, William. If ever you feel like you're jumping off into the
unknown, into a scary place, remember you are not alone. Your father and I
are here for you, no matter what. We'll work with you to pull you back to a
safe place."

William was quiet for awhile and I wondered how much he had understood what
I was trying to say, what my dream symbolized. Finally, my ever-practical,
ever-grounded, ever-perceptive child said, "Mommy, that must have REALLY
been a DREAM, because if you jumped off a cliff with a rope attached to
both you and Grandpa, then Grandpa would have fallen off too." Then he
thought some more and added, "Unless Grandpa was a rock."

Well yes, William, he was -- and still is. You do understand. A parent's
love is rock solid. It is strong and steady and unmoving, and a child who
is connected to a parent with a love so solid could throw himself or be
thrown off an emotional cliff and still feel intact. He could take risks
and still feel secure, he could leap without pulling everyone else down
with him. Even now I look for my father in my everyday life, and sometimes
I find him in the spaces between science and faith, awareness and sleep,
memory and foresight. Sometimes I find him in my pre-schooler's furrowed
brow and in my pre-teen's hand wave as she laughs off a comment, or in the
wind and sunlight behind a tree's green summer leaves, or sometimes he's on
the tip of my voice or in the curve of my fingers as I type. But always,
always I feel my father with me when I need him to be, and not once since
he passed on from this earthly world have I ever felt abandoned. It's as if
the rope between us is as strong as ever.

Now I look around me and see the rope that is tied from my waist to each of
my children's. When Jessica develops a cold under the spell of homework
stress, I find myself tugging on that rope. When William swells with
feelings of social or intellectual incompetency -- even though success is
beside him on every turn -- I tug. When Jimmy gasps for air during an
asthmatic episode, or when a friend plays push-pull (you're my
friend--you're not my friend) with him, I tug. And when Thomas falls out of
his bed in mid-night, or can't find the words to express a fear or
frustration, I tug yet again. This is what I can give to them, it is what
my father and mother gave to me. As children we don't quite see the view
from the top, but as adults we can see it all. On the top of our small
mountains we learn that the jump-pull, love-tug exercise we worked on with
our parents all those years did indeed make us strong, and that we in turn
can coach our children to build emotional endurance too, bit by bit.

As Entrepreneurs may each of us jump into our challenges with confidence
and skill, and as Parents may we pull our children up with commitment,
conviction and compassion. And when we are jumping purposefully into the
unknown at the same time we are pulling others through theirs, may we
remember that after the storm comes extraordinary fresh air...and if we
look for it, a clear view from the top as well.

=====
Lisa Roberts is the mother of four, Web Producer of The Entrepreneurial
Parent and the author of "How to Raise A Family & A Career Under One Roof:
A Parent's Guide to Home Business." Copies of her
book are available for purchase at: http://en-parent.com/order.htm and
through Amazon, at:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0943641179/theentrepreneuri

_____________________________________
WHAT'S IT WORTH?

"Time"
© by deB Sechrist

When I first started this column a year ago, I had in mind to discuss the
psychology of saving, frugal living and money in general. Well, Suze Ormond
did a better job at it than I did <g> and I agree with her message. At
least, I think I do. I haven't really read her book, I only listened to
part of her seminar on public TV while working on the computer. Like many
EP's, I just haven't had time.

Although I'm still into saving money, recycling, couponing, DIY and all
that, I've found that one of the most valuable commodities in my life is
time. There's no question that many of the ways to save money often cost
more time. Saving time is really what our high-powered commercial societal
engine is all about. It seems that we often have to choose between saving
time or saving money, we can't have both.

When faced with these choices, we then have to ask ourselves, What's it
Worth? When things are going well financially, we can sometimes choose the
saving time option and feel good about making that choice. But often, EP
families just don't have the luxury of that choice; saving money is the
only possible option. And when life's time is just so full of activities
geared toward saving money (and struggling to make money), it can seem
overwhelming. Very difficult to keep up the pace: difficult to keep up the
positive attitude necessary to be successful.

Many of us are pioneering the EP movement and finding that it's a lot more
challenging than we had imagined. We expected to tighten our belts, but are
surprised at how little time we have to make it all work. Over the next few
months I'll be focusing on ways to manage and save time. Have you BTDT as a
struggling EP? Your input, ideas, or experiences are welcome -- just send
an email to [email protected] with the subject heading Time. Looking
forward to your comments!

=====
deB Sechrist is the mother of three, Webmanager of The Entrepreneurial
Parent and owner of deBweB, a web design business. Find out more about deB
at http://www.en-parent.com/webdsn.htm.

____________________________________________
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 NAEP
Member Anne Ramstetter Wenzel, EP to 4 children (ages 6-18), shares her
marketing tips with us. You can contact her at:

Anne Ramstetter Wenzel
Econosystems
2240 Camino a los Cerros
Menlo Park, CA 94025
650-233-9613
209-391-9850 fax
[email protected]

http://www.econosystems.com

Please note: If you'd like to submit a contribution for an upcoming issue,
email: [email protected] with the subject heading "MMM Survey," and
we'll send you our survey!

=====
1. In a 2-3 sentence statement, explain what your home business is about,
including your target market and "mission statement."

Econosystems is an applied economics and research services firm I founded
in April of 1999. My target markets are small businesses, research firms
and independent consultants. My mission is to help busy entrepreneurs and
professionals complete research and writing projects (including speeches,
presentations and promotional writing) so that they can concentrate THEIR
time on running their businesses.

2. What kind of work did you do before becoming an EP? What skills,
interests, talents and/or experience are you applying from your former work
history to your new business?

Before becoming an EP I had worked for 14 years as an economist for SRI
Consulting in Menlo Park, CA,doing primarily research, writing and training
in economics. I also worked as a credit supervisor, credit authorizer and
salesperson for Macy's California, so I have many years of customer service
experience as well. I apply my ability to track down data and information
-- on the Internet and published sources -- to Econosystems' Research
Services. My experience writing reports ranging in size from 4 to over 100
pages applies directly to my publication services and promotional business
writing. I really enjoyed my experience working in customer service, and
am so excited that I can now apply those skills to my own customers! I
also enjoy teaching and training, and hope to use these skills beginning
this fall in a new seminar service featuring "Hot Topics" in economics.
I'm currently planning a luncheon where I'll speak on the topic of the
Russian Banking Scandal.

3. 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?

My most popular service is my publication services. I work with the
client's staff editor to produce a 75 page document focusing on
developments in the world economy that affect their clients' markets. The
publication is distributed to their research professionals and 300+
clients. We arrived at the $4000 per issue price by negotiating.
Initially they offered me $30 per hour for 500 hours max. I countered with
a per issue project price arrived at by taking my desired hourly wage and
muliplying it by 2.75 (the wage multiple helps cover payroll taxes and the
overhead of running a business) times the number of hours I estimated it
would take me to complete each issue. They balked at my price. I decided
I really wanted to do the work because I enjoy it and I needed start up
money for my business. So I offered what I considered my bottom line
($4000 per issue, $5000 for the year-end issue with industry forecasts),
and they went for it! The great thing is that I work so much more
efficiently at home that I grossed 2.5 times my desired hourly rate.

4. What are *your* favorite products and/or services? Why do you like to
sell them?

My favorite services are my research services. I love learning new things,
and when I research different topics for my clients it stimulates my love
for learning! Also, searching the Internet for data and information can be
broken down into smaller chunks of time, which makes interruptions from my
rambunctious 6 year old son manageable.

5. 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)?

My marketing campaign includes primarily networking and mailing flyers.
However, networking is most important. One prospective client responded to
my mailing because he remembered me from my attending National Association
of Business Economics meetings. My first project came about because I
attended a 100 Year Celebration at San Francisco State University. At the
party I told a professor that I was starting my own business and that
International Economics was my passion. She said, "Oh, I might use you!"
I gave her my number and she called a few weeks later. I drove up to her
office for a meeting, and we negotiated a job for me to help complete a
research project she had been too busy to complete herself.

6. Any additional comments are welcome.

I keep reminding myself that success comes at its own pace for each
individual. Because I rely on networking to generate sales, summer months
can be slow. I expect to be busy once the association meetings start up
again in the fall, so this summer I've been taking time to lay the
foundations of my business and learn as much as I can. I've also been
enjoying spending more time with my children.

_______________PART II CONTENTS_______________

More Funny Things EP Kids Say!
Letter from the Co-Founders
**NEW**NAEP News
**NEW** Member Voices
EP Expert Q&As
We Recommend
Special Discounts/Contests for EPs
What's Happening at EP
_________________________________________

___________________________________
MORE FUNNY THINGS EP KIDS SAY!

=====
Submitted by EPnews Subscriber, Sherry Warren (mailto:[email protected]):
=====

My 10 year old son and I were driving down the road when my son asked,
"Mommy, which way do you push the turn signal to let people know you're
turning right?" I replied, "Up." Then he asked, "What about left?" and I
replied, "Down." He thought a moment and then asked me, "So...when you make
a U-turn, do you push the turn signal up, down, up, down really fast??"

=====
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:
[email protected].

_____________________________________
LETTER FROM THE CO-FOUNDERS

On September 23, 1998, our first issue of EPnews was sent out to a list of
350 subscribers, and a media release announcing our new Internet community
of Entrepreneurial Parents went out to over 300 media contacts. A year
later we have grown to 2,320 subscribers (with 150+ coming in each month),
820 registered members (with 75-100 more each month), and the 350+ pages of
the EP Website take in about 1,000 pageviews each day.

After a full year on the Web, deB & Lisa feel that our site has a healthy
dose of information and other resources to help aspiring EPs explore and
get started, and established EPs find camaraderie and grow. In fact, we've
heard of new members spending hours and hours of time at our site just
exploring the content and contacts that are currently up there. While we're
committed to continued expansion of our site and community, it makes sense
now for us to move from a weekly to a monthly update since so many of our
resources are now securely in place.

So the new schedule this year will be a site update the first week of every
month -- with new EP Q&As, member listings and profile pages, book reviews,
articles & essays, links and more -- and EPnews distributed mid-month (2nd
or 3rd Wed. of every month). We hope you will visit just as often, and
write in to us whenever there's something on your minds.

In the meantime, we will be shifting a good deal of our focus this year to
NAEP, our paid membership option that will allow EPs to meet face to face,
among many other special benefits. We are committed to expanding our
membership benefits for this group whose investment in our organization
indicates a strong commitment to this work option and lifestyle. By uniting
locally and regionally across the nation, we will be able to support each
other in ways that reach beyond a virtual community. However, both our
virtual and real-time communities remain vital to us.

So whether you're a member of EP or NAEP, or have simply signed on as an
EPnews Subscriber, we celebrate your contribution to the EP Community!
Tonight won't you pop a champagne bottle (or a beer or soda pop!) and say a
toast to the EP life? It's our Anniversary...and it's been a terrific year
thanks to all of you.

We hope you stay with us as we continue to navigate the entrepreneurial and
parenting waters into the new millenium. Always feel free to write in and
share your upds and downs with us -- and with each other. And for those of
you who'd enjoy some more group interaction with fellow EPs in the interim,
make sure to sign up for our discussion group at:

<http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/EP>

See ya all there!

Lisa & deB

_____________________________________
NAEP NEWS

The National Association of Entrepreneurial Parents has made the deadline
to be listed in this year's edition of the "Encyclopedia of Associations,"
a popular reference resource found in every local library across the
country. FYI, here's a "sneak preview" of the listing:

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF ENTREPRENEURIAL PARENTS (NAEP)
P.O. Box 320722
Fairfield, CT 06432
Lisa Roberts, Director
Deborah Sechrist, Co-Founder
PH/FAX: 203-371-6212
Email: [email protected]
URL: http://www.en-parent.com/NAEP.htm

Founded: 1999. Membership Dues: $45 for 1 year; $60 for 2 years; $25
renewal; add $10 to dues option if overseas. Staff: 2. Languages: English.
The National Association of Entrepreneurial Parents helps parents who are
looking to balance work and family on their own terms. The Association
supports and enables parents to have independent and viable careers in the
SOHO (small office/home office) workforce, serves as a vehicle for
connecting local entrepreneurial parents, and embraces the freedom to
pursue personal and professional goals creatively. NAEP recognizes both
fathers and mothers as equally suited for "free agent" life, and encourages
the involvement of members' children in their Association activities and
everyday work life in general. Membership includes access to local chapter
support groups; a home business book, "EP" T-shirt or tote; quarterly print
newsletter; membership directory; exchange of information between members
through various online activities; year-long advertising on the popular
"Entrepreneurial Parent" Web site (at http://www.en-parent.com); membership
card and certificate; and discounts on select business/parenting products
and services, including home career counseling sessions. In addition, more
than an information and networking resource, NAEP offers a window of
opportunity for professional growth and recognition. The Association offers
ample mentorship and leadership opportunities. Telecommunications services:
website, http://www.en-parent.com/NAEP.htm. Committees: Membership
Development; Communications; Public Relations; Web Site Development;
Special Interest Group; Work Ethics Guidelines; Home Career Planning;
Outsourcing. Publications: EPnews, quarterly. Newsletter. Aimed at putting
family first, career a close second, housework a distant third. How to
Raise A Family & A Career Under One Roof: A Parent's Guide to Home
Business, 224-pp how-to book.

NOTE TO EPNEWS SUBSCRIBERS: To learn more about NAEP, go to:
<<http://en-parent.com/NAEP.htm>>

_____________________________________
MEET FELLOW EPs

Did you know that we receive about 75-100 new member forms for EP every
month? We thought it would be fun if we introduced you to a few of them
each month -- through their business names and locale, or with their own
thoughts as they are first joining the "EP Community." Also in this new
column we'd love to feature reader feedback. Any time you have some
thoughts on your mind -- after anything you've read in EPnews or seen at
the site -- feel free to write in and let us all know! You can put "Reader
Feedback" in the subject line and send to "[email protected]". Thanks!

=====
Some New Member Business Names (selected randomly):

McKinnon Information Services of Stellarton, NS
Liebesband Animal Services of Mesa, AZ
Hawaiian Things & Notions of Cove, TX
Cheyenne Interactive of Ellendale, TN
Just Peachy... of Victorville, CA
ADM, Inc. of Phoenix, AZ
Cynthia's Boutique of Austin, TX
First In Data Plus, Inc. of Ft. Myers, FL
KEG Enterprises of Maynard, MA
Accelerated Bookkeeping & Tax of Salem, OR
Postal Creations of Renton, WA
A 2 Z Technology Services, LLC of Washington, DC
Corporate Event Resources LLC of Stratford, CT

=====
New Member Voices:

On Sept. 19, 1999, Ann (of Australia? not sure!), who runs a Business
Services biz, wrote:
"I am thrilled to have found this wonderful site -- I have worked outside
the home on a part-time basis for some time but I feel very strongly that
home is where I want to be. I enjoy being home, enjoy my children coming
home and the company of my family. I don't need pressure from different
personalities (in the office). I'm happy with my own company."

On Aug. 11, 1999, Dave of MN, who's a marketing writer, wrote:
"This is Day 2 of my sortie into the unknown waters of home-based
employment and entrepreneurship. I bring with me talent and curiosity. Your
site is like a friendly stranger and I am grateful to've met you. Cheers!!"

On Aug. 21, 1999, Elaine of FL, who runs First In Data Plus, Inc., wrote:
"I hope to be the one who will be able to recommend this site to everyone.
It is very informative, but in a layout that anyone can understand."

On Sept. 10, 1999, Jennifer of BC, an Import Expoert Coach, wrote:
"So glad to hear there are other EPs out there. I find self employment very
fulfilling and rewarding, but it can also become so reclusive at different
times of the year. EP is the perfect place to visit to become re-energized.
Thanks!"

Welcome all new members to the EP Community! Let us know what you're
looking for -- we're listening!

____________________________________
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:
[email protected]. They'll be glad to help you out if they can!

=====
Q. Dear Nancy,

I am 39 years old and live in Miami. I am married with 1 daughter (9 yrs
old) who is mentally disabled. I have worked most of my adult life; until
my daughter was born I was a stockbroker with Kidder Peabody. Since then, I
have started and sold my own business, a yacht chartering business called
"Sun Saik & Sea." It was perfect for me until it became necessary for me to
travel out of the country more and more to evaluate the yachts we were
chartering for our clients.

I sold this business 2 years ago and since then I have been unable to find
work suitable for my schedule. My daughter attends school from 8:30 - 3:00
pm; after school she has speech and physical therapy. I do help my husband
with his CPA business, but I would like to contribute financially myself.

I would like to find a job that I can work at home with my computer and
where I can set my own hours. Can you please direct me in the right
direction on where to begin? I am so lost.

Thanks so much, I look forward to your response.
Marilena Daday

A. Dear Marilena,

Using the computer to work from home has become an increasingly viable and
popular option for moms trying to balance work and family. The
possibilities are seemingly endless so the real question becomes not, "How
can I use my computer to allow me to work from home?" but "What types of
business challenges can I help solve using my computer that take advantage
of my unique combination of skills, interests and talents?"

To answer that question, spend some time identifying skills that you would
like to use in your next job. You mention that you worked as a stockbroker
and as the owner of a yacht charter company. What types of skills did you
use most effectively in those jobs? I would think that you have strong
sales skills along with the ability to handle customers effectively, as
well as financial, research with organizational capabilities. Make a list
of all the skills you gained on those jobs and then narrow your list down
to those you really enjoyed using. The list you end up with are your
*motivating skills.*

Once you've come up with that list, the next step in the process is to do
some exploration to learn about ways to use your computer that take
advantage of your motivating skills. Read articles in magazines such as
Home Office Computing or books such as Making Money With Your Computer at
Home by Paul and Sarah Edwards. Even by consulting just one or two good
references, you'll read about hundreds of options for home-based computer
businesses. As you read through the descriptions, look for opportunities
thatL

1) utilize a strong percentage of your motivating skills
2) can be realistically done on a part-time basis and
3) take advantage of your areas of expertise (i.e. sales, finance, customer
service etc.).

You will be amazed at the amount of information you can learn about
start-up costs, training programs, ways to market your business, etc. from
these and similiar publications.

It takes some time but the research you do up front will pay many dividends
down the road. Don't hesitate to call on other entrepreneurs who are
presently working in businesses that sound appealing. To get started, take
a look at the EP Profiles (http://en-parent.com/Showcase.htm) -- you're
sure to find some people with interesting business ideas who would be happy
to share their insights with you.

All the best,
Nancy Collamer

=====
Nancy Collamer is our most requested "EP Coach" and the owner of Collamer
Career Counseling, a consulting firm that specializes in counseling moms
looking to re-enter the workforce on a part- or full-time basis. To learn
more about Nancy visit her website at: <<www.bizine.com/jobsformoms>>
and/or to ask her a single question, go to
<<http://en-parent.com/Experts/exp-collamer.htm>>.

_____________________________________
WE RECOMMEND

www.locksoflove.org

Locks of Love provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children
under the age of 18 who suffer medical hair loss from chemotherapy or
alopecia areata, a disease that causes hair to permanently fall out. If
your hair (or your child's) is at least 10 inches long and you are willing
to donate it for a special cause, contact Locks of Love, 1640 S. Congress
Ave., Suite 104, Palm Springs, FL 33461, 888-896-1588.

=====
www.freeagentnation.com/census

Free Agent Nation Census

Daniel Pink, contributing editor for Fast Company Magazine and founder of
Free Agent Nation (www.freeagentnation.com), is conducting a groundbreaking
census for his upcoming book on people who work on their own. Take the link
above and contribute your voice to the movement! Dan also has an excellent
site for any EP -- his "Free Agent University" is especially useful. View
all the options at: www.freeagentnation.com

_____________________________________
SPECIAL DISCOUNTS/CONTESTS FOR EPs

DISCOUNT ON TAX BOOK

A new 3rd edition of Jan Zobel's "Minding Her Own Business: the
Self-Employed Woman's Guide to Taxes and Recordkeeping" is due out February
2000. Remaining copies of the 2nd edition are being sold for $10 which
includes postage (originally $16.95 plus $3.50 postage). It also includes
an update sheet that updates the book to 1999. This special price is
available only if you order directly through the publisher and if you
mention that you read about it in this newsletter. By phone, use a credit
card and call EastHill Press at 800-490-4829. By mail, send $10 to EastHill
Press, 6114 LaSalle Ave. #599, Oakland, CA 94611. The e-mail address is
[email protected]. Be sure to indicate if you want your book signed by the
author. Orders must be received by October 31.

=====
NEW CD ROM FOR HOME BUSINESS START-UPS

Want to work from home, but don't feel like turning pages to learn more?
Then surf on a CD-ROM. Work@home veteran Jeff Zbar this month releases Your
Profitable Home Business Made E-Z, a new CD-ROM that provides more than 350
tips and insights on how to successfully run a home business or
telecommute. Fully searchable with dozens of links to powerful Web sites,
the "book" also includes checklists that cover the tools, hardware and
mindset readers need to work amid the solitude of the home office. Designed
to run on Adobe Acrobat, you can print out your list and take it with you
to Office Depot to buy your goods and get started.

Beginners and veterans alike will find useful information, tapped from
Jeff's 10 years spent as the "Chief Home Officer" in his South Florida
home-based freelance writing and SOHO consulting business. Jeff is the
author of Home Office Know-How (Dearborn, 1998), and Home Office Success
Stories, a monthly electronic magazine
(http://www.goinsoho.com/stories.html). Online and retail distribution will
be available in early October, but you can order your copy today (US$25,
includes shipping and handling) by contacting Jeff directly
([email protected]).

=====
EV'RY DAY BLESSINGS CONTEST

If you have something in your life you consider a blessing -- we want to
hear about it! Proud to announce - new contest: "Ev'ry Day Blessings."
See www.parenttoparent.com for details. Send in your stories to Jodie Lynn
at [email protected] via e-mail - or snail mail to 16572 Manchester Rd.
Suite 131, Grover, MO 63040. Topic suggestions: animals, children,
husbands, gardens, wives, grandparents, anything at all that you would like
to share with America! Deadline: 06, 2000. You will have a good chance to
be published on the world wide web and in an upcoming book written by Jodie
Lynn. Hurry and bring a smile to someone today!

=====
MESSIEST ROOM CONTEST EXTENDED!

Do you need a bulldozer to plow through the clutter on the bedroom floor?
Does it take a crowbar to pry open the door to your kids' safe haven (and
your cleaning nightmare)? To help you with the Back to School Blues, Let's
Get it Together©, in association with Calendar Systems U.S.A.© and
Entrepreneurial Parent is sponsoring an essay contest: Why My Kids Room is
the Messiest Room Anywhere!

In 1000 words or less, send us your family's story. We'd love to see
photos, too, and will display them with the winning entry at our website.
If selected as one of our winners, you will receive:

* The Family Organizer, by Amy Knapp, to start the new school year right
and get your family on the right track.

* How to Raise a Family and a Career Under One Roof, a book by
Entrepreneurial Parent co-founder, Lisa Roberts.

* An Introduction to Home Organizing, a live teleclass with Debbie
Williams recorded on audio cassette

Email your essay within an email message or as a "text" attachment.
(Graphics can be attached as jpg or gif formats.) Send
to:[email protected]

By Snail Mail: Mail your essay (photos optional) to Let's Get it Together,
Messy Room Contest, P.O. Box 590860, Houston, TX 77259. Please write your
name and address on the back of all enclosed photos.

The contest runs through October 30, 1999. Winners will be notified by
email or telephone, and posted on our website November 1, 1999. Winning
entries will also be published in Organized Times, our syndicated online
organizing newsletter.

_____________________________________
WHAT'S HAPPENING AT EP

IMPORTANT CHANGES TO THE EP MEMBER LISTINGS

Based on input from our members and little lessons we've learned over the
past year, we've made some important changes to the EP member listings.
Effective with the September updates:

-- Members who do not actually have a business yet will be listed by name
only in our Alphabetical overview list. Previously listed members who are
"pending" or "aspiring" will be removed from the individual alpha pages
(but will remain by name only on the overview list). This is to prevent
email extractor programs from retrieving those email address from our site
and sending members spam email about "WAH opportunity" scams.

-- Listings will now include city and state information (or country if not
USA), as many members have suggested. Full contact information must be
completed on all member forms before listings will be processed. Incomplete
forms will sent an email query letter to gather the missing information.

-- If you have a web site or home page, please list the location of your
reciprocal link. When it has been verified, your listings will include 2
hyperlinks to your site, 2 email links, and a crosslink between the alpha
and business category pages so your listing can be found more easily.

-- Use our update form to change or correct your information as necessary.
Update Forms will be processed at the same time the new members are added
in the monthly updates. You can find it the update form at
http://www.en-parent.com/mbrupdate.htm

We're always listening, so please continue to let us know how you feel
about the EP Member Listings!

PUBLICITY/PR

EP Review excerpted from Daniel Pink's FREE AGENT NATION eNEWSLETTER, Labor
Day 1999 (to subscribe, go to:
http://www.freeagentnation.com/newsstand/newsletter.html):

=========
A FEW OF MY FAVORITE ZINES (by Daniel Pink)

I'm beginning to believe that email newsletters are Free Agent Nation's
killer app. These e-zines are cheap to produce and easy to distribute.
And the best, even ones with thousands of subscribers, feel like a personal
note from the author. The problem, though, is that with so many zines
flying through cyberspace, it's sometimes tough to identify the good ones.
To help address the clutter problem, let me recommend four email
newsletters that I think are especially useful and entertaining for free
agents. (Of course, I have no financial connection to any of these
publications --- which shouldn't matter anyway since they're all free.)

Hit the "Sound of Music" soundtrack. These are a few of my favorite zines . .
.
ENTREPRENEURIAL PARENT. Lisa Roberts and deB Sechrist, who run the
National Association of Entrepreneurial Parents, publish this bi-weekly
zine. If you're a mompreneur or a dadpreneur, as I am, their newsletter
provides all sorts of smart advice and a few wacky tales from the border
territory of parenthood and free agency.

=========
That's it until October. Cheers to all of you until then!

___________________________
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: [email protected] for permission.

© 2000, The Entrepreneurial Parent, LLC
Editor: Lisa M. Roberts
EP Webmaster: Deborah Sechrist
POB 320722, Fairfield, CT 06432; http://en-parent.com
Ph:/Fax: (203) 371-6212, Email: [email protected]

Community email addresses:
Subscribe: [email protected]
Unsubscribe: [email protected]
List owner: [email protected]

Shortcut URL to this page:
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