The OpMom Blog

Angelina Jolie has it bookmarked, so shouldn’t you?

OK, I had to do it.
Seriously though, our friend Guy Kawasaki has added to his Alltop.com news aggregator. This time in the family blogging space, with adoption.alltop.com. Alltop’s been called the world’s largest magazine rack. Guy isn’t just growing Alltop for the sake of growth – this type of info is golden when it comes to people in search of niche content.

Dramas, Joys, Challenges
I spent some time going through the adoption sites and blogs, and they include everything from funny to touching to practical. I found myself losing track of time going through the stories, dramas and joys of so many families whose lives have been blessed – and challenged by adoption.

A couple of blogs that are included in adoption.alltop.com are:

ADOPTION ANIMAL HOUSE – A mother and daughter separated by closed adoption, reunited since 2005, working their way out of the fog and into reality.

JULIAS’ JAM – an adoptee interning at an adoption agency who blogs.

These are real people, with real stories willing to share. It has motivated me to start a group on OpMom.com to share this knowledge with other moms that might want to connect with others who are adopted or looking to adopt.

So major props to Guy and Alltop for a great addition to the rack. And please be sure to tell Madonna, since she needs all the help she can get to keep up with Mama Jolie.

Resources for Mompreneurs

Whether you are a stay-at-home, work-from-home, school-from-home or even work-fulltime mom - chances are you’ve considered becoming a Million Dollar Mompreneur. Mompreneur’s are “women with children who are starting businesses from their homes in order to earn additional income and provide a better quality of life for their families” (Solovic - The Girl’s Guide to Building a Millionaire Business).

There are nearly 82 Million Moms in the United States Alone - just imagine the collective untapped potential of this group? However, for many Moms, the real question is where to start?

Here at OpMom.com we believe in Mompreneurs - and so we came up with this quick and dirty resource guide for wannabe Mompreneurs.

Great Ideas

Chances are you already have a great idea for a product of service. Most Mompreneurs have found the greatest success by drawing from their own lives - and finding answers to their own problems. If you find the product useful - chances are other Moms will too.

We recommend keeping an Idea Journal - and brainstorming at least 50 ideas a week. Sooner or later you’ll stumble on the perfect idea - that’s when you’ll need to…

Execute

Great ideas will only take you so far - success is 99% in the execution. Once you’ve locked onto the idea that you are most passionate about - the one that keeps you up brainstorming late into the night - then it’s time to take that first step.

One of the biggest mistakes that Mompreneurs make is trying to do too much too soon. Don’t allow yourself to become overwhelmed. Instead - focus on small and easily achievable goals. Let’s say that you’ve decided to start an online ezine dedicated to Baking. Your first goal would be setting up the ezine - probably using free blogging software like WordPress.com or Blogger. Next you would concentrate on creating engaging content. And only then would you start marketing your ezine with the hopes of adding say 40 subscribers per month. Depending on your business model you might charge per subscriber or monetize the site with sponsored ads. The point is that you must focus on creating value first - and making a profit second. Take it slow - and concentrate on quality. If “Get Rich Quick” schemes really worked - we’d all be millionaires.

Find Support

You’ve picked a great idea - and you’ve taken that crucial first step - now it’s time to find (or in some cases build) a Support Community. The good news is that there are lots of active communities already out there. Here are some of our favorites:

• Mom Inventors Inc. - produces products made by and for moms which are then sold through retailers nationwide - each stamped with the “Mom Invented” brand.
• Count Me In - their mission is to promote economic independence and the growth of women owned businesses. Recently they launched the “Make Mine a Million $ Business Program”. Visit their site to learn more.
• OpMom.com - From our Mom Circles to our Mommy Talk - chances are you’ll find the advice, support, and motivation you need - 24 hours a day - 7 days a week. Stephanie from OpMom.com recently asked our members: “Do you love what you do? Are you a sahm, wahm, wohm, or what?” - To join this discussion please login to OpMom.com and visit: Mommy Talk by Stephanie

We know that being a SAHM can be a fulltime job in and of itself - but we also know that starting your own business can be a rewarding and exciting experience. We hope to continue this series on Mompreneurs by highlighting some success stories from our readers. If you are a successful or budding Mompreneur - please submit your stories to: info@opmom.com or leave your contact info in the comments below.