Press Release: Startup Princess Announces 4th Touchpoint Event For Women Entrepreneurs

For Immediate Release

Startup Princess Announces 4^th Touchpoint Event For Women Entrepreneurs

International Networking Community Event Sept. 23-24 in South Jordan, Utah

Salt Lake City – July 28 – Startup Princess, an international networking community focused on providing connection, coaching and resources for women entrepreneurs, has scheduled its 4^th annual Touchpoint event for Sept. 23 and 24, 2010 at Noah’s in South Jordan, Utah.  Touchpoint fosters collaboration for women who seek fruitful networking and insights into starting and growing a successful business.

“Touchpoint brings women together from all backgrounds that help each other find their way to success,” said Kelly King Anderson, Startup Princess founder, business coach and one of the top 30 women entrepreneurs Forbes Magazine recommends following on Twitter.  “These women inspire each other and know the opportunities that this event has to offer.  We look forward to learning from this year’s speakers and from each other as we all strive to build better businesses.”

Pre-Conference Schedule

The pre-conference festivities begin at 4 p.m. Sept. 23 with a 2-hour “Image & Media Workshop” presented by Anderson and celebrity makeup artist Tara Starling, followed by a networking party for speakers, attendees and sponsors from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Conference Schedule

In addition to Anderson, other keynote speakers during the Sept. 24 conference include:

• Danielle Laporte, inspirational speaker, business strategist and creator of WhiteHotTruth.com.  Laporte’s new digital book, “The Fire Starter Session,” helps entrepreneurs “rock their career according to their truest strengths.” From social media to social responsibility, branding to creativity, Laporte is known for her philosophical and candid take on doing meaningful work. She is the lead author of the Amazon bestseller, Style Statement: Live By Your Own Design, and has been featured in Elle, Vogue Australia, Body + Soul, The National Post, Entertainment Tonight, and The Huffington Post.

• Vickie Walker, owner of d’lish Confections and a non-profit venture called Circle the Wagons. Walker’s’ husband Jeff was killed, and her 16-year old son, AJ, was critically injured, during the Trolley Square shooting rampage on February 12, 2007, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Wanting to give back to the community, she formed a cause-related candy company called “D’Lish” that allows her to provide funds for “Circle the Wagons,” which in part provides a 96-Hour Survival Guide to victims of violent crime.  Walker received the 2009 Humanitarian Award from the Salt Lake Police Department and has become a frequent speaker on finding the courage to move forward.

-more-

Breakout sessions outlining the various paths to success in business and finding balance in life include:

• Growing a Business While Raising a Family, presented by Saren Eyre of Power of Moms,
• Core Business Principles, presented by Kim Flynn of Tutoring Connection,
• How to Increase Online Sales, by Jana Francis of Baby Steals, Sarah Jane Wright of Sara Jane Studios
• Life Balancing Tract: A Story of Courage with RaNelle Wallace
• How to Find and Secure Sponsors for Blogs, Events and More, with Jyl Pattee, Mom It Forward
• Branding Your Business, with Rebecca Servoss, Persnickety Graphic Design and
• How Shirley J Changed their Branding to Grow Their Business, a Case Study by Becky Olsen

There will also be a media panel featuring several public relations and business professionals, including LaPorte, Kim Christofferson of DIY Dish and Cheryl Snapp Conner of Snapp ConnerPR.

Video Marketing Competition

For the second consecutive year, the event will also give visitors a chance to participate in a Video Marketing Competition.  It is an opportunity for women to show off their talents, earn exposure for their venture and win prizes including free admission.  The deadline to enter this competition is August 15, with five finalists being announced on August 31.

Exhibitor and sponsorship opportunities are available for this event at http://startupprincess.com/touchpoint/sponsor.html

About Startup Princess:

Kelly King Anderson launched Startup Princess in 2006 with the hope of creating an ideal network for women entrepreneurs, providing them with connections, coaching and resources to help grow their businesses. This organization has inspired thousands of women locally, nationally and internationally, with success stories reaching as far as Pakistan and London.

For complete information concerning the event go to http://startupprincess.com/touchpoint.  For details about registration or sponsorship, please visit the same site or contact Michelle McCullough at 801.592.1101 or michelle@startupprincess.com.

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Meet Danielle LaPorte, Creator of White Hot Truth, Author and Business Consultant

This September all you Startup Princesses out there will have the privilege of hearing from Danielle LaPorte, Author and  Business Consultant speak at this year’s Touchpoint Conference. She will be rockin’ the mic as she helps you move your business, your dreams and yourself forward. If you don’t already know who Danielle LaPorte is, you should. Book a flight and register for the event. This woman will knock your socks off. She’s that awesome. Plus, Danielle’s been a Fairy Godmother for Startup Princess since 2006 so she’s especially amazing and generous. We love her! Don’t miss her keynote!

Hometown: Windsor, Ontario

Current Residence: Vancouver, British Columbia 

Education: Life

Professional Background: I’m the creator of WhiteHotTruth.com, which has been called “the best place on-line for kick-ass spirituality.” I’m a former think tank exec, news show commentator, motivational speaker, and lead author of Style Statement, I’ve  been featured in Elle,Vogue, Entertainment Tonight, and the Huffington Post. My latest online book is The Fire Starter Sessions: A Digital Experience for Entrepreneurs. You can find me on Twitter @daniellelaporte

What you wanted to be when you grew up: A poet, a social worker, Wonder Woman. In that order. Seriously.

What you are: A poet, a social worker, Wonder Woman.

Brief Summary of your Start Up:

it’s all here:
http://whitehottruth.com/about/
and here:
http://whitehottruth.com/want-more-faq/

Company Website? www.whitehottruth.com and Twitter: @DanielleLaporte

What inspired you? A burning desire for creative liberation.

How long have you been in business? My whole life.

How did you fund it? Credit cards and midnight oil.

Do you belong to any Business Organization or Networking Groups? No. I’m an introvert. That said, Twitter is a phenomenal space for connecting.

Current Business Challenge? What challenges? I only see opportunities. I’m not being coy; I’ve been doing it long enough to not take it too seriously.

Favorite motivational quote: “The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.” – Joseph Campbell

Family? I have a six year old amazing son.

If so, how do you balance family and business? I don’t. I believe life balance is a myth.

Favorite book? To Kill A Mocking Bird. And the book I’m about to write.

What do you do to relax? Snuggling. Buddhist meditation. Kitchen disco. Lemon water. 

What do you want to change most about your world? The faulty premise that being well-rounded will get you the approval you seek. Fughet it.

What are you most proud of? That my son is gentle, hilarious and loves to rock out.

What advice would you like to offer other Startup Princesses? You know. That’s it. You know what you want, you know the answer. Don’t second guess your desires — they are your most accurate compass.

Favorite Magic Wand (tool/resource)? My sense of humour, and a capacity for very deep listening.

If you could design a tiara, what precious stones would you use? Just pure solid gold for me, baby.

Five Simple SEO Steps to Grow Your Online Business

We’ve searched through our archives here at Startup Princess to bring you a little favorite from Sonya Klepper owner of Truly Twisted Marketing. If your SEO skills need a little brushing up then use some of Sonya’s advice to grow your online business and to stay at the top of the list. Sonya’s easy and useful SEO steps are broken up in two parts below:

Five Simple SEO Steps to Grow Your Online Business Part 1

http://startupprincess.com/five-simple-seo-steps-to-grow-your-online-business-part-1/

Five Simple SEO Steps to Grow Your Online Business Part 2

http://startupprincess.com/part-two-five-simple-seo-steps-to-grow-your-online-business/

How Sales Conversion Could Mean Less Laundry for You

Guest Author, Heather Madder shares the importance of sales conversion:

Hello, I’m just in from being at the pool with my kids….
and my hair is still dripping wet!  
But I am so excited about something that I learned 
this week and I wanted to take a second and write.

As a mother of four kids (that I am absolutely 
in love with), I am always looking for ways to cut
down my time and maximize my results!

SO….How do some people get MORE done?

Everyone has 24 hours in a day … right?

Yes.  But not everyone has the same amount 
of passion, skill or WISDOM to know how to 
effectively use those hours to maximize production.

An hour folding laundry is one thing. 
An hour closing a $3,000 sale is another!

Same 60 minutes …. totally different result.

(& after you close that $3,000 sale–
do yourself a favor and pay someone 
$10/hr to fold the laundry bc you just bought
yourself 300 free hours!

=========

We’ve got to learn how to maximize our production, 
so we can spend time with our families & sharing
our messages of change.

What is SALES CONVERSION?
Sales conversion is the percentage of prospects that you
turn into, or convert into, buyers (i.e.: paying customers,
clients or patients.)

For example, of 10 prospects, how many will become paying
customers? If you convert three into customers, you have a
sales conversion rate of 30 percent. If seven of your
prospects become customers, you have a sales conversion
rate of 70 percent. Consider this: Whether you convert 30
percent or 70 percent, you still took the time and energy
to talk to 10 prospects
See how this plays out!

Imagine 100 people coming to your intro call or

presentation. You can either convert 20 of

them or 40 of them into being your clients.

You can quickly see that focusing on

conversion is a surefire way to double your business while

doing the same amount of work, expending the same amount of

energy, taking the same amount of time, with the same

amount of words coming out of your mouth.

Like everything else…it’s a learnable skill (all of this is!)

The only reason you may not have big results…is that you haven’t

had the tools yet.

Remember, when people don’t buy it doesn’t mean that they
are not intrigued. You might be the most polished presenter
or the most charismatic teacher on the planet, but if you
are not giving people what they need so that they can make
the choice to buy what you have to offer, your Million
Dollar Value is not available in the world… and it costs
everyone!

The bottom line of where I’m coming from is this: You
possess a wealth of valuable gifts, talents, products and
services, but no matter how fabulous you are at presenting
these, if you are not paying attention to what converts
people into buying your offering, it’s a rip-off to you and
them.

So that’s what sales conversion is and why you should pay
attention to it!!

Heather Madder is a Life Coach, Author, and Business Strategist and will be speaking at this year’s Touchpoint Conference.  She can be found on Twitter @heathermadder and on her site, http://www.mybestlifebydesign.com. Heather frequently hosts live events and tele-seminars, sign up for her email list to get more details.

UTAH COUNTY: Startup Princess Event- AUGUST 18th, “How to Be Your OWN Publicity Guru” by NYC Celebrity Publicist Sarah Burningham

Great News! NYC Celebrity Publicist and Author Sarah Burningham of Little Bird Publicity will be sharing her expertise on “How to Be Your OWN Publicity Guru” at a special lunch event for Startup Princess friends August 18th at Noah’s in Lindon. This is an event perfect for anyone who wants to learn an insider’s view on what it takes to get great press from an expert who not only has had incredible success for clients but for her own books as well. Marketing & PR ranks high on the entrepreneur’s list for business strategy, so don’t miss out!

Many Thanks to our Utah County Startup Princess Chapter Sponsor:

Thank you to our Location Sponsor:

Here’s the details for the event:

August 18

12-2pm

Noah’s Lindon 644 North 2000 West

$20- includes Lunch

Register Here:

About Little Bird & Sarah Burningham:

Little Bird is a full-service boutique public relations and marketing firm that blurs the lines of old and new media to develop creative platforms for authors and brands. Founder Sarah Burningham weaves more than 10 years of marketing, publicity and publishing experience on major bestselling projects together with her own experience as a published author, to offer innovative, targeted campaigns. Sarah believes that since every project is different, every campaign should be different, and that’s what she delivers to her clients.

She has represented a variety of bestselling and celebrity clients, including Ralph Nader, Isabella Rossellini, What Not to Wear’s Carmindy, PostSecret‘s Frank Warren, Neal Boortz, William F. Buckey, Jr., Susan Estrich, Jeanne Kirkpatrick, national gymnastics champion Jennifer Sey, Tatiana Boncompagni, Brian Kilmeade, and many others. She serves on the publicity committee for the Brooklyn Book Festival, and is a member of the National League of American PEN Women, Publishers’ Publicity Association, and 85 Broads. For all of her campaigns, Sarah aligns traditional publicity with new media, creative partnerships and innovative marketing strategies. She’s collaborated with companies including Tupperware, Remy Martin, The Sak handbag company, J.Crew, Sephora, Perrier-Jouet, and Wilton baking products, ultimately increasing sales and generating general consumer awareness.

In addition to her publishing and publicity experience, Sarah has written two of her own books, both published by Chronicle Books. Her first, How to Raise Your Parents: A Teen Girl’s Survival Guide, came out in May 2008 and was featured on the Today Show, FOX News, CBS News, NPR, in Newsweek, and on local TV and radio programs around the country. Her second, Boyology: A Teen Girl’s Crash Course in All Things Boy, was published in June of 2009 to rave reviews and major national media, including The Today Show, ABC News Now, Teen Vogue, and multiple interviews on Oprah Radio. She is also the advice columnist behind dear sarah, an advice column with ABC Family. She is currently working on a third book for girls.

Follow Sarah on Twitter.

Introducing Jana Francis, Founder and Owner of Baby Steals

We are pleased to introduce Jana Francis, founder and owner of Baby Steals, and to announce that Jana will be speaking at this years 4th Annual Touchpoint Conference in South Jordan, Utah on September 24th. This is an awesome event that you won’t want to miss. Jana will be speaking on How to Increase Online Sales. To view the complete agenda and to register for this event, click here. We look forward to hearing from all the speakers!

Hometown: Park City, Utah

Current Residence: Murray, Utah

Education: University of Utah (but oddly I cheer for the blue!)

Professional Background: Marketing, Advertising, Sales, Media/Broadcast Advertising, Internet Marketing & Sales

What you wanted to be when you grew up: A mommy with lots of kids, the perfect homemaker, financially free.

What you are: A mommy of 3 kids, an aspiring-to-be perfect homemaker with lots of room to improve, financially free.

Brief Summary of your Start Up: Steal Network started and operates the leading deal of the day websites in the Baby, Children’s and Scrapbook industries. We connect communities of like-minded women together around things they are most passionate about while celebrating one brand per day. We entertain and bring our fans together daily at 9am with a new ‘steal of the day’ – a rarely discounted high quality brand or product up for sale at 50% off or more for 24 hours or until it’s gone! We deliver their ‘joy’ quickly by same-day shipping on all products, and deliver completely fanatical and mind-boggling customer service. We truly connect with (and have become friends with) our fans. Now “stealing” has become a daily obsession for over 250,000+ women around the US and Canada.

Company Website? www.babysteals.com, www.kidsteals.com, www.scrapbooksteals.com, parent company www.stealnetwork.com (under construction)

What inspired you? The gut-wrenching feeling I had the morning my maternity leave was over, when I pulled out of the driveway to go back to work. I worked for 15 years in the corporate world yet wanted nothing more than to have an ‘at-home’ career.

How long have you been in business? Since April of ’08

How did you fund it? Self-funded through personal savings that I was able to pay back within a few months. Approximately $5k for the initial basics.

Do you have a Fairy Godmother (or Mentor)? Not necessarily, but one of my dearest friends Rachel Coleman (www.signingtime.com) has given me some great advice along the road. And after starting a very successful company of her own based on her own passion, it inspired me that I could do the same.

Do you belong to any Business Organization or Networking Groups? I really wish I did! I love nothing more than to meet new people and network. At this time, 3 kids, 31 employees and 250,000+ customers are more than I can manage!

Current Business Challenge? Finding talented people with very niche skills and expertise that I need, and can afford at the same time. My business is an entirely new model and the job descriptions of my employees are not standard or mirrored anywhere else, which makes recruiting very interesting!

What are you doing about it? Outreach- to people I trust and mirror a similar work ethic and passion for business.

Favorite motivational quote: “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm” – Emerson

Family? I have 3 children; Easton (16) Brandon (10) and Jane (4). My husband is a Chiropractor and owns Murray Park Chiropractic.

If so, how do you balance family and business? I wish I was better at this. I am still trying to find my balance. Right now, balance means working late into the night the majority of the time. I have faith that will change over time, but I understand in the meantime, you gotta do what you gotta do! Having worked in the corporate world for 15 years and now being able to work from home about 70% of the time, I truly cherish my ability to do that- even though work and home tend to blur into something new.

Favorite book? Simple Abundance

What do you do to relax? Anything domestic. Gardening, cooking or baking, and music!

What are you most proud of? My children. They are the center of my universe and are 3 really incredible and amazing kids!

What advice would you like to offer other Start Up Princesses? If you are going to partner with someone in your business, make absolutely sure that you enjoy and trust this person and that they mirror your values, ethics, and bring as much to the table and have as much passion for the business that you do. I have been so fortunate to have an amazing business partner and I can’t imagine running my company without him. Because of how great of a team we are, I can see how that relationship alone can make or break the success of a company, especially in the beginning stages.

Favorite Magic Wand (tool/resource)? Google. I am not sure what I’d ever do without their toolbox of free cloud computing.

If you could design a tiara, what precious stones would you use? Aquamarines. It’s my birthstone, and I love pastel blues.

Finding Inspiration for Invention in Life’s Major Annoyances

Guest Author, Renee Martin writes the following:

To paraphrase a well-worn idiom, annoyance is the mother of invention.

So, mompreneurs, if your revenues are dwindling and you need to develop new products or services, you might follow the example recently set by a group of “kidpreneurs” in Southern California. Jot down a list of everyday pet peeves and ask yourself: Is this an entrepreneurial opportunity?

That approach helped launch Sanitation’s Solutions Inc., which pitched its I-Flush product proposal to a panel of venture capitalists on May 21. What does the I-Flush do? It provides a solution for one of the longest-standing annoyances perpetrated by mankind: the habit of leaving the toilet seat up. The I-Flush’s pulley-based system prevents toilet users from flushing unless the toilet seat and lid are down. Sanitation’s Solutions is made up of senior high school students at the California Academy of Math and Science in Carson, Calif.

As part of a class project, seniors at the school worked in teams of nine to design products, write business plans and develop marketing campaigns. The project culminated in a presentation to a panel of venture capitalists — a group of local business people and investors who served as judges. This competition, developed by high school teacher Greg Fisher, was recently featured in the Daily Breeze newspaper.

This school exercise drives home a concept that every mompreneur needs to integrate into her everyday life: Pet peeves, whether they are yours or a prospective client’s, can translate into entrepreneurial opportunity. You just have to train yourself to think that way, and to have the commitment and patience to take full advantage whenever it’s feasible.

Consider the example that Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx, set. The idea for Spanx first came to Blakely in 1998, while she was preparing for an open-mic appearance at a comedy club. At the time she was a 27-year-old office-supply sales manager who moonlighted as an amateur comic. Blakely was planning to wear a pair of white slacks and sexy sandals on stage. The annoyance she encountered while getting dressed: visible panty lines and the less-than-perfect contour of her backside. So she opted for a do-it-yourself solution. She grabbed some scissors, cut the feet out of a pair of control-top pantyhose and slipped them on. “That’s when I had my epiphany,” she says.

Blakely later researched and wrote a patent for footless pantyhose. That led to Spanx, a one-time home-based business that eventually outgrew the confines of her apartment and made her a multimillionaire. Blakely’s story is featured in a new book, The Risk Takers: 16 Women and Men Share Their Entrepreneurial Strategies for Success.

As a mompreneur, you can also use your “annoyance radar” to develop ways to improve your existing product offerings. During sales calls, really listen to prospective clients. Pose questions that will draw out what irks them about the product or services they’re already using. Use that information to exploit your competitor’s weakness and make it your strength.

This approach can also help you tap an underserved niche. You can develop products and services that are much more tailored to meeting the needs of a specific group of clients. With some savvy marketing, you can ensure that customers in a particular field come to view you as a specialist. For example, if you’re a graphic artist, you may discover a need for a bundle of products tailor-made for local architects, or restaurant owners, or ski resort operators.

Keep in mind that some market niches are just too specialized for large corporations to consider. But you as a small business owner can exploit that fact by identifying the needs and the pet peeves of people in that niche. Your business is nimble enough to quickly adapt to their specialized needs.

Remember this during your next sales call. If a prospective client starts whining, don’t tune out. Tune in and use your creativity to develop a solution that gives you an edge over your competitors.

Renee Martin was a dynamic real estate broker when she switched careers entirely, to work in community service. She became a rape counselor, a court-appointed special advocate for The Children’s Court (CASA), a director of community relations of a child abuse crisis center, and a public relations spokesperson for many community organizations. After publication of the book, she and Don coauthored, The Survival Guide for Women, she became a frequent and popular speaker at women’s seminars across the country. She is also co-author of The Risk Takers: 16 Women and Men Who Built Great Businesses Share Their Entrepreneurial Strategies For Success

Honor Your Commitment to Yourself

Guest Author, Stephanie Marston MFT writes the following:

Keeping your word is critical to restoring your sanity and creating greater balance in your life.  When I say, “keeping your word,” I’m referring to honoring what you commit to.  It’s keeping your promises, especially with yourself.

Unfortunately, we usually betray ourselves more than we do anyone else.  We say one thing and do another.  For any of you who have children or, for that matter, who once were children, you know how it feels to have a promise made and then broken.  You lose faith and trust in the other person.  Well, the same thing occurs with you.  When we don’t keep our word we lose our credibility and it undermines our self-esteem.  Every broken commitment is a crack in the foundation for creating a quality- driven life.

It is time for true confessions: how many times have you said you’re going to exercise or eat better and not followed through?  We’ve all fallen into the trap of saying we’re going to do something and then finding every possible excuse not to do it.  Have you noticed that the next time you make a similar promise to yourself it’s tainted with doubt?  You don’t completely trust that you’re going to do what you say.

Whatever you neglect to respect—the commitment to spend more time with your kids, to live by a financial budget, to be more understanding of your parents—these betrayals poison the well of your credibility.  They undermine your integrity and trustworthiness.  It’s not that the fickle finger of fate is going to come down and punish you.  It’s about your not having the internal support to accomplish the changes you want to make.

The key to being successful is to start small.  Don’t make any grand proclamations that will set you up for failure.  Keep it simple.  Only commit to what you honestly know you can and will do.  Otherwise don’t say it.

For example, rather than proclaiming, “I’m going to leave the office everyday at 5,” a more reasonable and achievable approach would be, “I’m going to leave work at 5 today.”  It’s the old AA concept of one day at a time.  Instead of saying, “I’ll never yell at my kids again,” which is next to impossible to do, why not be more sensible and say, “Today I’ll speak to my children in a calm manner.”  Or “From now on I’m going to spend at least a half an hour a day doing something that nurtures me.”  Wouldn’t it be more realistic to say, “Today I’m going to set aside a half an hour for myself.” The secret is to make promises that you know you can keep.  Manageable commitments allow you to be successful and to become a person who keeps her word and is trustworthy.

Stephanie Marston, MFT works with people to improve the quality of their lives, career and relationships. Stephanie is a dynamic motivational speaker, best selling author, and stress and work-life balance expert. Stephanie has appeared frequently on shows such as: The Oprah show, The Today Show, The Early Show and CNN Headline News. Visit Stephanie on her website at www.stephaniemarston.com or at www.30daystosanity.com.

Introducing Saren Eyre Loosli, Co-Founder of The Power of Moms

We are pleased to introduce Saren Eyre Loosli, co-founder of The Power of Moms, and to announce that Saren will be speaking at this years 4th Annual Touchpoint Conference in South Jordan, Utah on September 24th. This is an awesome event that you won’t want to miss. Saren will be speaking on Growing a Business While Raising a Family. To view the complete agenda and to register for this event, click here. We look forward to hearing from all the speakers!

Hometown: Boston, MA; Salt Lake City, UT; London, England; McLean, VA; San Jose, CA

Current Residence: Saint George, UT

Education: B.A. from Wellesley College, Master’s in Education from Harvard University

Professional Background: I did humanitarian and missionary work in Bulgaria, did service expeditions to Kenya and Bolivia, ran volunteer-promotion efforts nationwide for The Points of Light Foundation, ran regional conferences and produced a manual for educators for the Corporation for National Service, did evaluation and consulting for the YMCA and Boys and Girls’ Clubs, ran a small interior design company for a year and designed my own home, continue to run an educational curriculum company (The Joy School Company) that helps moms run their own little preschools

What you wanted to be when you grew up: The person who would finally bring real world peace. Plus I thought interior design would be pretty fun.

What you are: I’m a mother and wife, first and foremost, but I’m trying to save the world in my spare time and sometimes that makes for some serious balance issues. I work in the local schools trying to improve programs. I head a foundation that provides start-up funding for non-profits that strengthen families. I run The Power of Moms, an organization that helps moms become the mothers and women they really want to be through unique programs and trainings.

Brief Summary of your Start Up: The Power of Moms is more than a website – it’s a movement of deliberate mothers striving to be the moms and women they really want to be while helping other mothers do the same. We offer moms programs and resources to help them find balance, reduce stress, increase joy, achieve their goals, and find the support, motivation and ideas they need. Our tagline is “growing ourselves, building each other, shaping the future.”

Company Website? Powerofmoms.com

What inspired you? My mom, Linda Eyre, is an amazing mother who has not only raised 9 pretty darn good kids but has also helped mothers and families worldwide through writing books and presenting speeches and workshops.

How long have you been in business? 2 years

How did you fund it? Sweat equity and a little money out of our pockets. My husband has donated countless hours as our web designer and my partner. April Perry, and I work 6-8 hour days without a lot of income yet.

Do you have a Fairy Godmother (or Mentor)? My mom

Do you belong to any Business Organization or Networking Groups? No

Current Business Challenge? Finishing major new products (that are always ALMOST done) while managing the day-to-day needs of our website and keeping up our marketing efforts

What are you doing about it? Training and involving more volunteers to run specific aspects of our website, learning to let go of the things that don’t really matter and be less of a perfectionist and control freak.

Family? My husband Jared and 5 kids (2 boys, one girl, twin boys on the end) ages 5-10

If so, how do you balance family and business? I’m getting better at drawing strict boundaries around my work hours and setting goals each week regarding quality family time. I’ve committed to closing the computer when the kids need me and have learned to jot down my thought and come back to it later rather than saying “just a minute” about 1000 times while I finish “one more thing.”

Favorite book? The Good Earth by Pearl Buck

What do you do to relax? Go for a long hike or bike ride. Watch a good movie with my husband. Chat and laugh with my sisters and friends

What do you want to change most about your world? I want every mother to be able to feel great about herself as a mother and as a woman, to feel the value and beauty of her work as a mom, and to feel the sisterhood and support of other mothers who have so much to share.

What are you most proud of? I’m really happy with the way our website has struck a chord with so many mothers who find it to be “a great combination of comforting and motivating.” I’m really glad that we’ve been able to reach 20,000 moms in the last 6 months.

Favorite Magic Wand (tool/resource)? Our network of great bloggers and our great board of volunteers who help move this work forward.

If you could design a tiara, what precious stones would you use? Moonstones. Moonstones come from Sri Lanka and an ancient fable said they were formed when these three princes cried in great joy when they finished seemingly insurmountable tasks and learned the greatest lessons in life.

Which Blog Software Should I Use?

Fairy Godmother, Laura Posey writes:

I’ve been blogging for well over two years now and have been using Typepad quite successfully.

However, after hearing David Nour speak on social networking, I’ve moved my blog to WordPressand will integrate it into my website. Here’s why…

If you are blogging or thinking of blogging, here are David’s reasons for using WordPress vs. Typepad, Blogspot, Blogger, etc.:

• It’s FREE – Let’s just get that one out of the way. You can’t beat the price.
• It integrates very easily with your website – According to David, your blog should be the center of your website and all social networking tools should point to your blog because it is the dynamic piece of your site. WP allows you to make your blog look like it is a part of your site and not just an add-on from someplace else.
• Search Engine Optimization – because your WP blog is part of your site (even having a similar URL like www.dancingelephants.net/blog), whatever you write in your blog that gets noticed by the search engines and drives people to the site. This will increase your search engine rankings for your site. For those of you who aren’t into the geeky language of SEO, that simply means more people will see your site at the top of the Google listings.
• It’s easy to use – I found the transition to WP very easy. They even have a tool that will convert an old blog from another platform over to WP and bring all your categories, keywords, etc. I took my Typepad blog into WP in just a few minutes with less than 5 clicks.

Laura Posey is the CEO of Dancing Elephants Achievement Group. She is a master at finding “hidden profit” in existing businesses. Laura uses her experience as a former nationally-recognized sales manager for a Fortune 100 insurance company and current owner of four successful businesses to guide her clients to their dream lives. If you are sure your business has more potential than it is realizing, give Laura a call at 804-254-4122. You can find more about her at www.lauraposey.com. Twitter @lauraposey

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