Creative Mompreneur

Do What You Love

"I'm way too busy to sit for 20 minutes and write a new Creative Mompreneur blog post. I've got my marketing consulting business to run, my children to play with and shuffle to preschool and dinner to plan and prepare."  These are the inner voices I’ve been hearing when I’ve thought about writing on Creative Mompreneur. It's been over a year since my last post. Shame on me for not dedicating my time to a place which I’ve built to let my creative spirit shine.

But this is what happens when “life gets in the way”. I don’t like this quote much because I don’t think the busy things in my life should be viewed as an obstacle. I want the things in my life that give me the greatest joy to be where I spend the most time.  I want joy to be a priority, not an afterthought.

I just read a quote by Sanaya Roman that had special meaning to me, “What you love is a sign from your higher self of what you are to do.” Whenever I’m faced with a decision, no matter how small or life-changing, I think of a similar phrase, “Do what you love”.

Recently, I’ve been given opportunities to consult with businesses that need my online marketing expertise. I feel fortunate to be helping these companies doing things that I enjoy, yet I also believe I’m being drawn to the things I love in ways that I’m unaware.

So here I am, back on my Creative Mompreneur blog and ready to continue my chronicals of inspirations that relate to my creative drives and my business.  Time to update my banner as well, those little kids up there aren’t so little anymore!

Top Ten Traffic-Building Tips for Blogs

There's no such thing as too much traffic. You could read SEO blogs until your eyes fall out but the truth is you don't need a PhD in statistics to build your blog's traffic. It's pretty simple, really. To help you out, we've got the top ten things we tell our best friends to do for their blogs.

via everything.typepad.com

Have you done everything you wanted this year?

I'm sure there's something you set your mind to this year that, for some reason or another, you put off for another time.  If you're the type of person that sets goals, but doesn't achieve everything you really want, drop by this goal setting seminar on Saturday 12/12, 1pm-3pm EST. 

It's free, live, online and will teach you the right way to take action on your goals.

Register for this free event here

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I'm wondering if I'm feeding my bernese mountain pup right. She gets 2 cups Blue Buffalo morning and night plus some healthy snacks. She's growing like crazy and is like a scavenger with any food in the house. I heard it's ok to keep them on the hungry side, but my Lord. If I fed her anymore, we'd have to rename her "Clifford".

Free Advertising for Creative Moms

Let's face it, we like free things these days.  I don't know one Mom in my social circle that doesn't want anything for free.  We see the word "free" in a store window or on a website and we stop what we are doing to inquire.  "Hmmm", we think, "Maybe I can use this product.  Afterall, it is free".  Interestingly enough, most of us will find a use for it if it is free. 

Recently, I stopped by a neighbor's yard sale to see what she was selling.  I needed a wooden end table for my bedroom, so I took a look.  She came over to me and starting filling up a basket with lots of things I didn't need.  Books, DVDs, VCR tapes, even an extra large, life-sized cardboard image of the Goosebumps skeleton.  She'd worked with Scholastic and helped to design this character/creature to promote the Goosebumps series of books.  When she said I'd have to bring this home for the kids, I politely told her that I don't have any place for this stuff and that I was just looking for an end table. 

She then uttered the word, "Free".  She said, "They're free.  Bring them home and have the kids enjoy them".  That's all I needed to here.  Nevermind the fact that I didn't own a VCR player, or that my kids probably wouldn't want to read the outdated books (circa 1978).  They were free, so I thanked her, giddily, and took everything home with me, including the Goosebumps creature.  

As a marketer, I realize the tremendous value of "free".  So I recently launched a twitter page dedicated to "free advertising".  I enjoy getting the word out about new products that people would be interested in and I especially enjoy that it's free.  When I come across good free marketing for my own businesses, I jump on it. 

So here it is, free for you and your business.  Just follow me on this Twitter page, send me a message about your product or business at tweetmyproducts AT gmail DOT com, and I'll give you some free advertising.  I might also choose to blog about you too. 

To your success!
Michelle O'Grady

Simpler Times

The days when our Grandmothers were young and their primary roles were to keep the children clean, the home tidy and the dinner warm, those seem to be better days.  At least that's how I feel when I'm overwhelmed by all that I have to do on a given day.  Certainly though, those were simpler days free from the internet, not much TV, no cell phones, and no intrusive adversements.  People exchanged information and sentiments through written or spoken word. 

I often think about my Grandmother, especially when I'm snuggled up in the warm and cozy afghan that she crocheted for me, with the intricate details of the Celtic knots.  I take it for granted, how much time and work went into weaving the delicate yarn into such adorned patterns.  I've always wanted to learn the craft of crochet.  

After Graduate school, I worked as an Adult Day Center Director for a Hospice.  I scheduled and ran many of the therapeutic activities for older adults, some with Alzheimers and other Dementia and memory disorders.  I remember they loved to just sit and sew or crochet something for me.  I can't tell you how many small blankets, scarves, and little holiday stockings I brought home.  

I also remember the contented and peaceful feeling that I saw in these people.  The pride and satisfaction they had when they told me about their younger lives, their families, the wars they've lived through.  This kind of peace and rest is something that I look forward to having one day when I'm their age.  For now though, when I need to feel grounded and rested, I'll just snuggle back into my Grandmother's afghan, to appreciate simpler times. 

RSVP to this free Goal Setting Workshop, streaming live on Sat. @ UStream.tv

I'm sure you have business or personal goals that you're extremely passionate about.  Maybe you don't know where or how to begin.  Or, maybe you've put them on the back burner for "just the right time". 

Here's your opportunity...

You're invited to attend Free, Live Goal Setting Workshop, this Saturday, August 15, 10am-12pm EST, sponsored by Sales-Psychology.com (a website that I built for my husband's sales training business).  Below are all the details.  This is my husband's event by the way, I'm "just" his marketing expert/wife;)

Free Goal Setting Workshop Streaming Live on the Internet
Saturday, August 15, 10am-12pm EST

This live, online workshop will teach people, business owners, or entrepreneurs how to set more aggressive business goals, take action on them, and achieve them. 

The price on this workshop is $120, but it's being offered to the public in-person in Red Bank, NJ, and online.  RSVP to this goal setting event now by clicking on the Sales-Psychology.com uStream.tv channel here.

Then, on Saturday morning, 9:55am EST, log-in and start viewing the show, which will be broadcasted at 10am, EST. 

This workshop is being offered for free to all people who want to achieve their greatest goals (not just set them!). 

Take a moment to also follow Sales-Psychology.com for more free events like this:  www.twitter.com/salespsychology.com (we'll follow you back!)

Hope you can make it on Saturday!

Michelle O'Grady
Relationship Marketing Specialist
Follow me on Twitter too!

 

Whose the boss in your family?

I read an article in Women Entrepreneur magazine that asked this very question.  The writer broke down family roles by the kind of roles you would see in a corporate organizational chart:  CEO, CFO, COO, Purchasing Agent, etc.  She makes you think...what is your role in your family?  Does the role that you play at home match up with the kind of role you'd prefer to take on in a work setting?  Does it utilize your skill sets?  Are you happy in your role at home?  I'm sure there are tasks that you're not happy about doing, so how many of those can you  "outsource" to others?  Here's the article...enjoy. 

New design & mission for Creative Mompreneurs Blog

After two late nights, and a great deal of persistence, I've finished the re-design of my blog.  I get a little obsessed when it comes to having something look just the way I want it.  You creative types can relate I'm sure.  I knew I wanted this site to be clean looking and also reflect my priorities in life.  My motto in all of my work is this: family first, business next.  So my image header will serve as a constant reminder.  Those are me and my kids by the way. 

It's not always easy keeping to my mission when I've got a business (or 2) that I'm launching, but I'm using this blog as a reminder.  I want to make it a place where other busy, working Moms can go for encouragement, information & inspiration.  On that topic, I'd like to hear from you about your business, what kind of creative work it is that you do, and how you manage to keep your family and priority.  Send a comment my way.  I'd love to hear from you!

You want me to donate to what?

Yesterday, I took my 3 year old twins to the movies to see Ice Age.  They were so excited, this was only the second time they'd been to the movie theatres.  Their first time didn't work out so great, but I gave it another shot.  As we're sitting watching previews, popcorn and candy bags in hand, a theatre staff approaches the front of theatre, in front of the screen and waits a few minutes, while holding a collection can.  The marketer in me thinks, "Hmmm?  This is interesting".  I wasn't sure how I felt about it.  After all, my little ones have short attention spans and are anxiously awaiting the movie to begin.  But in the spirit of charity, I think it's certainly a creative way to spread the word about a good cause. 

As the previews are tactically paused, the movie staff tells everyone that she's taking collections for the Jimmy fund and if anyone would like to donate, she's going to come around with the collection can and take the collections.  That's about all I remember her saying before she approached everyone along each aisle.  I think there were 40 to 50 movie goers in our theatre; many of them were of course small children.  Only a few people gave donations, I wasn't one of them.  I've heard of the Jimmy fund, but didn't know anything about it's purpose, their cause or who they support.   Had she mentioned just a statement about the  Jimmy fund or "Jimmy" for that matter, I would have donated a dollar.

I don't think that Hazlet Multiplex Theatres did the Jimmy fund much justice.  Walking around with a colleciton can shouldn't be the call to action to inspire donations.  A one sentence mention that "Jimmy was a 12 year old boy who was cured of cancer at a time when so few were, and led such a full life, that he became an inspiration to all who fight cancer."; that would have been enough for me.