The OpMom Blog

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.

10 Family Holiday Ideas

1. Take your children to see holiday lights!
   Taking the family to see holiday lights is easy, affordable fun! Grab some holiday music and set the mood in the car. I like Putumayo’s New Orleans Christmas. For an AWESOME holiday drink try our White Hot Chocolate Recipe. like to take this drink with us so everyone gets a thermos.
2. Adopt a child or a family for the holidays
   My husband and I do this and involve our children in the process: reviewing the family’s wish list, picking up their wished-for items, and delivering them to the charity. We usually try to add in a really special surprise gift for the family, which always excites the kids and ignites their giving spirit. You can also visit “My Two Front Teeth” online to do some Holiday giving (visit My Two Front Teeth)
3. Take some time in the kitchen with your family
   This is a great time to bring some of your cultural heritage into the fold! Every year we set aside an afternoon to bake Italian Christmas Cookies, and the kids really look forward to it! Try this Italian Cookie Recipe
4. Attend a Tree Lighting Ceremony!
   Nothing kicks off the season better and is a fun way to start or end an evening. Note: if you do this, expect daily countdowns and re-inactments at home with the family tree!
5. Order a family ornament
   This site has so many to chose from! The Ornament Shop
   What’s also great about this site is that you can browse and select the ornaments by the number of people in your family, then customize them with family members’ names.
6. Take the video camera out and start filming!
   There is no better time to record the moments of your family during the holidays. There are also tons of online tools that you can take advantage of to make your film debut! Have an older video camera? Let the kids have it and record the holiday experience and memories from their perspective - if the camera survives, the memories will be priceless!
7. Buy festive pajamas for the family to wear
   On Christmas Eve my brother’s family exchanges pajamas with each other, and then they all wear them that night to bed. It’s part special holiday memory, part comical, and 100% fun. Check out Pajama Gram
8. Create a Family Time Capsule
   Get your kids thinking about their goals for next year. Get a box and write down, collect pictures and otherwise catalog the things each person wants to accomplish during the coming year. Then put it away until the next year, when the opening ceremony will become its own new tradition.
9. Declare a “family day” during the holidays
   If you have older kids, try to find time to hang out - go see a movie, get some shopping done together, or grab a memorable weekday lunch! For families with the little ones, make a meal together and play some board games or the Nintendo Wii!
10. Read traditional holiday stories
    I love the Strega Nona Series - Merry Christmas Strega Nona
    This is such a great Italian Christmas legend about a “grandma witch” named Strega Nona. Strega Nona is also known in Italy as La Befana. I make a point to read it every year to the kids, and they make it a point to remind me!