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Overview
Founder of VentureMom.com Holly Hurd recounts inspiring stories from women who have channeled their passions into money-making products and services, and delivers 12 steps to simplify the process and turn your idea into a budding enterprise.
How did she do it? You've probably seen your share of moms lately thriving in the whirlwind of motherhood and entrepreneurship, having taken their designer onesie or gluten-free cookie and turned it into a profitable venture, and wondered if that could ever happen to you. It can!
Without sacrificing precious time with their children, moms will learn about:
- Tips and techniques for honing a concept, doing just enough research, and finding the perfect name
- 5 factors that improve the odds of success
- Free resources for logos, web design, and branding
- Strategies for leveraging email, blogging, and social media
Don't fall for the lie that you could never do what they did. It's time to strip away the mysteries surrounding launching a business and unlock a fast, easy formula that anyone can utilize. Whether the goal is adding to the family finances or building a major enterprise, Venture Mom can help anyone get started.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780814436387 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | AMACOM |
| Publication date: | 08/12/2015 |
| Pages: | 256 |
| Sales rank: | 1,043,805 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d) |
| Age Range: | 18 Years |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
one
Week 1:
Discover Your Venture
Leslie Josel had no plans to start a business that would help organize life for children with ADD. But when her son was diagnosed, she read everything she could on the subject and discovered that kids with ADD do better when their world is organized. She started with organizing her son’s room and then the entire house, creating systems for each task throughout the day. When Leslie told other moms how it had helped her son, they asked her to systematize and organize their homes as well. And because they were willing to pay her, Leslie had a business venture. Without any plans to start a business, she had solved a problem in her family and one that other families wanted solved too. Leslie calls her venture Order Out of Chaos.
Let’s get started. This is your week for self-exploration. It’s time to examine what really makes you happy and figure out what you love to do or what you already do that you’re really good at. Like Leslie, you may be poised to launch a business you hadn’t planned. You just have to realize that you have a potential venture and get organized.
Begin your venture journey by getting a notebook to record ideas a notes, answers to assignments, and everything you think of along the way.
Each chapter contains assignments to help guide you towards your venture. Work to complete the assignments during that week so at the end of 12 weeks your business is up and running. Use your notebook to record answers and complete the assigned tasks each week. Try to complete each week’s tasks on schedule. If you fi nd you can’t, give yourself another week.
Remember, this is about fi nding work you love, not adding stress to your life.
Week 1 Assignments
To guide you through the process of self-exploration, you have eight assignments to complete during Week 1. Even if you know what your venture is, I encourage you to complete all the assignments. They might lead you in slightly different direction or help you to create something to enhance your current idea.
Assignment #1: Track Your Time
Keep a time journal for the week in your notebook so you can see where your day goes and how your week lays out. Record whether you spent your time on work (inside or outside your home), exercise, errands and chores, with friends, with children and family, or working on a hobby. At
the end of the week analyze where your time went. Tally the hours spent in each area. Take a good look at the hours that aren’t devoted to routine tasks. What are you doing when you are the happiest? Who are you with when you feel fulfi lled? Where do you like to spend the most time?
If you’re thinking, “Ugh, I don’t want to track my time,” do it anyway.
Remember, you’re looking for time that you can carve out for your new venture. At the end of the week you’ll be surprised how you spend your time and may realize that with just a few adjustments, you’ll have more time for yourself, your family, and your venture.
IN YOUR NOTEBOOK
• Record your activities for each waking hour of Week 1.
• Tally the time spent in each area.
• Analyze how you’re spending your time on nonroutine tasks.
Hurd_CH01_p001-015.indd 4 3/10/15 2:49 PM
Week 1: Disc over Your Venture 5
Assignment #2: Perform Imaginary Introductions
Imagine how a friend would introduce you when she wants to tell others what you do or what you’re good at. “This is my friend, and ________.”
How would she fi ll in the blank? Here are some examples:
“She makes the coolest jewelry.”
“Her oatmeal cookies are the best I’ve ever had.”
“She plans the most inventive kids’ birthday parties.”
“She helped me choose colors for my whole house.”
“The photos she takes could be in an art gallery.”
“Her gardens are beautiful, and I wish she’d plan and plant a garden for me.”
IN YOUR NOTEBOOK
Imagine how the following people would fi ll in the blanks: “This is my
________ (who you are to that person) and she ________ (your talent or skill).” Record their imaginary introductions.
• Yourself
• A parent
• A friend
• A child
• A coworker
• A mate
Assignment #3: How Would You Spend Your Free Time?
Imagine you had an hour, a full day, or a week with no mommy commitments.
You could do whatever you wanted with that time. What would you do? Would you go to the gym, take a yoga class, make a cake, plant a garden, take photos, or go shopping? What project would you work on?
What hobby gives you immense joy? Write down how you would most like to spend free time.
IN YOUR NOTEBOOK
What would you do without any other commitments?
• In an hour?
• For a full day?
• For a full week?
This week is for brainstorming about what you already do, what you love to do, and what your talents are. Gather your thoughts on what you might do. There are no limits. If your dream is to create a television cooking show or become a world-class exercise guru, take note of it. There may be a kernel of a venture in that idea. Dare to shoot for the moon.
Assignment #4: Collect Clippings, Take Notes
Gather your favorite magazines—travel, decorating, gardening, cooking a sports, whatever interests you—and add images to the thoughts you’ve recorded. Clip photos of things that make you happy, pictures of things that you want to do, photos of people, places, and things you like. Look through all kinds of magazines. Usually what you have around your home is what really interests you. Add these to your notebook.
IN YOUR NOTEBOOK
Make a list of the kinds of books, magazines, blogs, and websites you like to read. What do you watch on TV or read online? Do you turn to programs or sites on cooking, exercise, travel, public opinion? Record the answers in your notebook. Make a note of what feeds your soul. This assignment is similar to creating a wish board, where you put all the things that you wish for in one place. When you look at the clippings and list of readings they should provide clues to your perfect venture.
Assignment #5: Get Your Ideas Flowing
Now, let’s focus on the things you do very well and the activities that bring you joy.
IN YOUR NOTEBOOK
Answer the following questions:
• What did you love to do before you became a mother?
• Is there something you do or make that always gets complimented?
• What talent of yours do other people admire?
• What do you enjoy?
• When do you feel most fulfi lled?
• What did you enjoy doing in college, high school, and grade school?
• What career intrigues you? What do you want to learn more about?
• What activity or hobby makes you feel energized?
• What do you admire? Who do you admire? Why?
• Was there a part-time job you had that you loved?
• What fi ve things do you want to do before you are seventy-fi ve?
• What would you attempt to do if you knew you wouldn’t not fail?
• Is there something you love to do that you want to turn into a career?
Assignment #6: From a Different Perspective
Now we’ll come at the question from another direction. In this assignment a you’ll fi ll in the blanks to get a clearer picture of the things you love and the talents you have.
IN YOUR NOTEBOOK
Complete the sentences below:
• I feel so great and energized when I’ m ______________.
• I’ve only done it a couple of times, but I love to ______________.
• Everyone around me tells me I make a great ______________and should sell it/them.
• When my friends need help with ______________, they come to me.
• In a local talent show, my talent would be ______________.
• If I were the star of a TV show, it would be about ______________.
Now your creative juices should be fl owing, your notebook fi lling up a and new ideas germinating. There are no wrong answers, too few answers a or too many answers. During this week keep notes on what makes you happy, what you enjoy doing, what fulfi lls you, what energizes you, and what you can’t you get enough of.
Assignment #7: Determine the Goals f or Your Venture
Think about your personal goals for your venture. The answers to these questions will help you structure what you do.
IN YOUR NOTEBOOK
Answer the following fi ve questions:
1. Do you want a part-time venture?
2. How many hours per week can you devote to your venture?
3. Is making a certain amount of money imperative?
4. Do you want something you can grow or take beyond your local area?
5. Do you want the satisfaction of creating a business?
Assignment #8: Where Does Your Happiness Come From?
Let’s continue to narrow down the interests and activities that will defi ne your venture.
IN YOUR NOTEBOOK
In each of the questions below, number the options in order, with 1 being the top choice, 2 being your second choice, etc.
What Do You Love?
• Food
• Animals
• Home
• Garden
• Computers and Technology
Table of Contents
Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Preface ix
Introduction xiii
Part I: F igure Out What You Want to Do 1
1. Week 1: Discover Your Venture 3
2. Week 2: Get Input from Friends and Family 16
3. Week 3: Do Your Research 26
Part II: Getting Organized 39
4. Week 4: Name Your Venture 41
5. Week 5: Develop Your Brand (This Is the Fun Part) 52
6. Week 6: Price Your Product 64
7. Week 7: Take It to the Web 80
Part III: Put It Out There 91
8. Week 8: Tell the World 93
9. Week 9: Join the Blogosphere 108
10. Week 10: Do Some Social Media Networking 121
11. Week 11: Do Some Real-Life Networking 134
12. Week 12: Ka-ching! Get Your First Sale 148
Part IV: Venture Paths to Success 157
13. Make the Time and Reap the Rewards 159
14. Serving Up Food and Drink 164
15. Service Ventures 170
16. The Mother of All Ventures: Children’s Products 177
17. Creative Classes for Kids 184
18. Fashion-Forward Ventures 191
19. Ventures in Home Décor 199
20. Say What You Want to Say: Publishing Ventures 205
21. Your Art, Your Venture 214
In Closing 219
Resources 221
Index 225