Help Moms Stay at Home with their Children

For a while now I have been working on taking Buy By Mom to the next level…the site needs re-building and it needs a professionally developed Media/PR Package.

Well…Great News this week! I just received notice this week that I am a semifinalist of the Moms In Business Grant!

The National Association For Moms In Business’ grant program www.momsinbusinessgrant.com allows me to build my business ( Buy By Mom) capital by harnessing the power of crowd funding to take Buy By Mom to the next level so I can help even more Moms in business!

About my Venture
The purpose of BuyByMom.com is to promote moms in business and get them out on the web. My passion is for the moms who want to stay at home with their children while bringing in an income by selling the items they create or the products they believe in. A friend of mine started an online boutique and tried so hard to market it and get word out about the products that she offered. However, in over 2 years, she only ever made 2 sales from the boutique. She was heartbroken. All the time, money, and effort she was putting into the website was bringing her nothing in return. She was frustrated, to say the least, and decided to close up shop.

BuyByMom.com was born because I wanted to keep that from happening to other moms. I wanted to see mothers succeed in their businesses and be able to stay at home with their children. I wanted to spread the word about the amazing talents moms possess and I wanted to see them succeed beyond their wildest dreams in your business. I truly believe that by working together, we can make each mom a success.

This new way of fundraising process allows all persons, even those with very little to give, to show their support and be a part of something big.

The Moms In Business Grant is the first-ever crowdfunding business grant in the nation, and I’m one of the Top 10 National Semifinalists!

This is an exciting opportunity for me to grow my business and to have a chance at a $12,000 Grand Prize Grant Package. I’m literally one of the final 10 that were chosen out of dozens of business owners who initially applied.

I’m so close to winning, but I need your help.

I need you to pledge support for my business, Buy By Mom. Sharing the information about this with your friends and family would be very helpful too!

Statistics show that women business owners do not have the same advantage as male business owners in getting funding for their business. In fact, women business owners only receive 11% of venture capital funding, but woman-owned businesses tend to stay in business longer. This is exactly why the National Association For Moms In Business has developed this revolutionary business grant rather than giving the “traditional” kind of business grant. Due to the promotional requirementsto be successful in this grant, it’s a good way to identify those entrepreneurs who will go the extra mile to publicize and build their ventures therefore making them ideal candidates for our additional $12,000 grant support.

How does this work?

The “crowdfunding” platform is a way to raise money by attracting many small donations from a large group (friends, family, professional contacts) to meet a funding goal. “Backers” give contributions in exchange for rewards or perks offered by the grant applicant – rewards can be any product, service or experience to which the grant applicant has access. And example of crowdfunding is an NPR pledge drive - if you donate $25.00 to NPR, donors may get an NPR T-shirt or a coffee mug, or get to go “behind the scenes” at a special event, etc.

In addition, if I win, I will receive up to $1000 in additional funding. That means that every dollar you give to my project may be matched: dollar for dollar!

Step 1: Go to http://mibn.org/site.php/spgs/read/momsinbusinessgrant

Step 2: Click on button Back This MOM for Buy By Mom

Step 3: Click on button Back This Project

Step 4: Choose your reward option, for example Featured Sponsor Spot for 9 months or Featured Parent and Featured Sponsor for One Year and Enter Pledge Amount

The grant ends on June 15th, so please back my project today. And tell your friends!

I’m excited that I have the opportunity to participate in this program!

I am a Proud Mom in Business, and would very much appreciate your help.

Work/Life Balance Part IV - The To-Do List

by Julianne Alvarez-Wish

A to-do list is a list of tasks to be completed or steps toward completing a project. DUH! We all know this - so what's the point in going any further with this topic, right? Not so fast...

The reason we will continue is because it's hard to argue the benefits that come from getting your commitments out of your cranium and into a consistent format.

Let's begin by breaking down a to-do list by starting with the obvious: a to-do list should contain things that can and should be done. You say, DUH! again? You may be surprised to learn how many items wind up on to-do lists that don't belong there - as well as how many are missed. So let's continue on. To-do lists should have items on them that are:

• something for which you are responsible
• actions
• something that can be accomplished in a short period of time...say a sitting
• something that works toward achieving a larger goal

David Allen, in Getting Things Done, talks about the 'next action'. He defines the next action as 'the next physical activity that needs to be engaged in, in order to move the current reality toward completion'.

For example, most people might put something on their to-do list like 'get ready for the trip'. The reality is that this is really a project (here comes my PM background). Projects should be broken down into the activities required to complete it. 'Get ready for the trip' is too vague. Instead, it should be broken down into activities such as:

• call the kennel to make reservations for dogs from x/xx to x/xx
• take suits to the dry cleaners
• go to the post office to stop mail delivery until x/xx

These are specific and actionable - it's easy to determine when they are done. Notice theses are all physical activities. Breaking these projects down into physical activities will help you

• clearly and completely think through the project
• make it easier to complete the project
• make the project more manageable for you

By taking this approach and have a 'proper' to-do list you may find you're really not as busy as you thought you were (because you are now working smarter!), you're better organized and have a better handle on what needs to be done!

Julianne Alvarez-Wish is a military wife, mother, business owner, professional writer, blogger and legislative advocate. She is the Director of Communications for Our Milk Money, the Colorado State Leader for the National Association for Moms in Business and the owner of Buy By Mom and Buy By Mom Blog. Her passion, purpose and goal is to help parents work from home so they can be home with their children.

Work/Life Balance Part III - Get A Day Planner

Having a planner - whether it be paper or electronic - is the first step to getting yourself organized. However, just having a planner in your possession isn't enough - you need to use it and maximize it to make it work for you.

1. Size. This is largely a matter of personal preference. Some people prefer large 8 1/2 x 11 planner while others may prefer a slim electronic version. It should comfortably fit in your purse or pocket.
2. Views. You planner should have different views so you can look - at a glance - at a day, week, month, etc.
3. Location. Always have it with you. It won't help you if you always leave it somewhere.
4. Recording. Write everything in your planner. Your planner should be the first place an event gets recorded. If you follow this your planner will be up-to-date and a good central reference for you.
5. Access. Use a tab or paperclip to 'today' so you can quickly reference your schedule. Many electronic PDAs have this feature.
6. Lists. Have 'to-do-' lists and daily action plans. 'To-do' lists should be categorized. For example, home, family, social, business. Items from your 'to-do' list will will become items on your daily action plan so you can work toward accomplishing your 'to-do' lists.
7. Time. Learn to estimate time. When you add 'to-to' list items to you daily action plan you need to determine how long they will take to accomplish. If you're like most people, you underestimate how long this take. Be realistic.
8. Color code. This is one of my favorites. Not only does color coding make you planner visually appealing, it makes it easy to see - at a glance - what your day, week, month is bringing. Use general topics for colors: family, finance, health, personal, spiritual, etc. Use a different color for each topic. Use highlighters for paper planners and different color fonts/highlights on your PDA.
9. Contingency Planning. Take into account 'what-ifs' when planning. Things pop up - phone calls, traffic, long lines. Don't pack your day so full that you cannot possibly get your list accomplished. When scheduling appointments, allow enough time in between for travel, meals, etc.
10. Changes. Changes are OK! You have the right to change plans and priorities. Your planner works for you!

Your planner is not rigid. Be realistic - your planner works for you - not the other way around. Your planner should be a tool to help you achieve your goals.

Julianne Alvarez-Wish is a military wife, mother, business owner, professional writer, blogger and legislative advocate. She is the Director of Communications for Our Milk Money, the Colorado State Leader for the National Association for Moms in Business and the owner of Buy By Mom and Buy By Mom Blog. Her passion, purpose and goal is to help parents work from home so they can be home with their children.