Motivating Mum UK

by Kate Miranda of Mumpreneur Marketing

Want to get more people talking about your business? A great way to generate hype around your business is to create something new, unique and packed with energy.

Here are a few tips on how to create a buzzing word-of-mouth campaign to promote your business. Read the rest of this entry »

For anyone with family this is not breaking news:

Having children was the point at which my career and life in general had to change!

This was something I realised very soon after my eldest was born, I then spent quite a few years bumbling along trying to find a different direction to fit in with my new family life.

I took careers advice, I searched the internet for inspiration and looked for jobs, but nothing really grabbed me.

I had chosen my original career path at the great age of 11; it was all I wanted to do and I did enjoy my work.  I may well have continued on that path, or that path may well have been naturally reaching an end.

There is no doubt that once children are part of your life your view of the future changes. Life changes and there are new challenges to overcome along the way. I had reached a point where I felt ready for a new direction career wise. (Not surprisingly my interests had changed since the age of 11!). I was feeling that there was potential within me waiting to grow and I could work a new career into family life.

However with more restrictions on my time, energy and finances, finding a suitable, exciting and rewarding career was not easy. If I could get a part time job, maybe I could fund a course, but without a clear direction I don’t have time or energy to waste!

I consider myself very lucky to have joined forces with a friend in a similar situation; we have started a new business venture. There were times at the beginning we were the blind leading the blind! Not sure which direction to take, we started doing admin work at home and this has very quickly highlighted our different strengths. Now we are defining a new career for both of us that fits perfectly into family life.

This is only the start, once you have your business idea up and running this is when the fun really starts! Time management is a must: keeping the existing work up to date and completed on time; ensuring customers are happy with good customer service; and still make time for important new business deals.

Unless you employ someone to do all your PR work, you will need to take care of it yourself. This is not always easy, we are not all fantastic sales people. Your work is may be excellent, but no one will know unless you sell it! Business networking is an effective low-cost marketing method for developing sales opportunities and contacts, based on referrals and introductions – either face-to-face at meetings and gatherings, or by other contact methods such as phone, email, and increasingly social and business networking websites. But no matter how effective networking is it can still be a very daunting prospect!

A Few Simple Beginners Tips:

• Be prepared:

Know who you are and what you do, think elevator pitch, a short summary used to quickly and simply define a person, profession, product, service, organisation or event and its value.
Make sure you have business cards to hand, but remember first impressions count in business so why settle for anything less than exceptional. Think carefully about how your cards represent you, online printers are a cost effective option.

• Follow up:

Meeting someone is just the first step in networking. In order to forge a lasting relationship (and make sure people don’t forget you), you need to follow up, every single time. As well as giving out your business cards make sure you collect cards too. If you say you will do something at a meeting, do it. Keep a pen with you to quickly scribble out what follow-up actions you have for that contact, and review your cards after the event.

• Conversation starters:

Nothing worse than an awkward silence!  A couple of ideas: compliments can be an icebreaker, ask about travel to the venue or parking, or simply “Networking isn’t really my thing” if you see someone looking as uncomfortable as you!

• Go with someone else if it gives you more confidence.

• Remember:

Keep in mind that networking isn’t about short-term gain, but about learning, growing, and forming connections. Adopt good social habits, and you’ll see your skills and comfort improve, your opportunities increase, and your relationships grow—for the long haul.

So you’ve found your perfect business idea and have set up the website. Now you’re waiting for people to find you. You probably know that search engine optimisation is going to be important, but how do you do it?

Read the rest of this entry »

by Kate Miranda

Not surprisingly 75% of businesses that collapse cite poor planning and failure to properly define their target market as the reason. Making the right decisions about your marketing will save you time and money. One of the most common mistakes people make is targeting the wrong people, which is a complete waste of your valuable time and hard earned money. Hopefully this exercise will help you define your target market.

Read the rest of this entry »

This is the 6th (and final for now) part of my own ‘mumpreneur story’.  To read the whole thing, begin at Part 1

Once more dear readers, I have left you dangling. It has taken me over two years to write my story down.  Why? Because I’m too busy living it . And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

When I left you the last time, I had just discovered my first successful business.  I ran a Cambridge Weight Plan consultancy in my home, which fit fantastically well with bringing up my two small children.  During 2009 this business flourished and I never did start the Personal Training business, apart from giving the odd training tip to my weight loss clients.

I felt like I had finally found my true calling – helping people and making money.  But, guess what, it wasn’t finished… Read the rest of this entry »

There is a big difference between a hobby and a business. A hobby is something you love and spend your leisure time doing. The purpose of a business is to make a profit. In the process of transitioning a hobby into a business, many people make the mistake of thinking it will mean doing more of what you love and making a profit.

Read the rest of this entry »

From a Motivating Mum East Hertfordshire networking with speaker event

First of all I am delighted to report that this event, on Thursday 7th February 2013 in Hertford, was able to take place, as the Hertford Theatre and cafe was flooded on the day itself (with a lot of firemen at work and the whole building closed to the public!)

A new venue close by was quickly sought, and those attending were re-directed to it when they arrived for the event. Thank you to everyone for being so supportive of the situation, especially in light of the fact that January’s event, on being motivated and focused for the new year, had to be deferred due to the snow. So this was now the first event of 2013!

With a lovely group of around 15 of us and babies and children, Rob Glover from www.thebestof/local/hertford gave a really useful talk on ten ways to market your business on a shoestring.

Rob is the owner of the Best of Hertford and the Best of Ware, a community and local business hub which includes business recommendations, offers, local events and discussions. He grew up in Hertford and has been running this business since 2010.

HERE IS A SUMMARY OF ROB’S TALK:

TEN WAYS TO MARKET YOUR BUSINESS ON A SHOESTRING

1. Acquisition versus retention – consider a balance of time spent on keeping existing clients, as well as continuing to market for new ones. Spending one hour a day or even one hour every few days specifically on proactive marketing activities, could really pay dividends on client loyalty
2. Managing social media activity – recommended to try using hootsuite or tweetdeck, free online tools to enable you to plan and send out messages to suit the timings you need (you can schedule messages to go out up to a year in advance!)
3. Customer Relationship Management – consider the use of these tools (usually need to pay, but a few are free) One example is In Touch, which costs £10 a month, and provides the ability to effectively email and mail out to your entire database and then be able to track and identify which texts and emails are actually being opened
4. Self sabotage – be careful how you manage the messages for your business in what you do, so as not to unintentionally have a negative impact (for example, one external company is using ‘we have old fashioned values combined with modern technology’ as a strapline, this may not be sending out a positive message to customers)
5. Call Management Service – may be worth considering paying for a service to answer your calls, who will then screen out sales enquiries and pass on messages to you immediately, so your office landline looks manned and someone is always there to answer personally (this can cost £1 a call)
6. Basic artwork – you may be able to do some basic design work for flyers etc yourself, programmes like Gimp are available free of charge and enable you to do design work and save to a file type ready for a printing company to use
7. Offer an incentive/guarantee – you could consider the option of offering a guarantee whereby if someone is not absolutely happy then there will receive a discount/extra service/additional time etc. Being mindful of course to control any offers, incentives etc so they are manageable with the time and resources you have available
8. Following up – to realise an enquiry or possible interest into a real business possibility you may need to follow up more than 5 times, perhaps taking on a combination of approaches, with social media and more traditional marketing techniques
9. Testimonials – these are very important to any business, and even if you get some negative feedback you may be able to change this into positive support by addressing the issue and more than resolving it, after which you may get a testimonial. Perhaps choosing to ask for testimonials from very supportive and regular customers/clients is a good way to approach it
10. Referrals – another way to generate new business is to ask for referrals from existing clients / customers. Perhaps offer a gift or incentive if someone introduces their friend or contact to your business. Also consider if the person who has successfully referred may benefit from a special one-off offer too (perhaps a time-limited or seasonal offer)

Rob also spoke about entering local business awards, as completing an application form for a relevant local/regional/sector-specific award can be a very useful way of reviewing how your business is operating and your future plans. As well as excellent marketing and PR if you are shortlisted and/or win an award.

Thank you to Rob for so many top tips based on his experience, which generated lots of discussion and ideas! So much so that we ran out of time, but I am sure it is a topic to cover again in the future, so do watch this space.

NEXT EVENTS FOR THIS GROUP

Next up is the Motivating Mum East Hertfordshire pre-Mother’s Day gift selling / browsing and networking event, which also includes the opportunity to listen to a speaker about her experience of setting up two businesses alongside family life. This is taking place on the 6th March in Bishop’s Stortford, and it is already getting well booked up.

This will be followed by a workshop from HMRC and Wenta on record keeping, HMRC deadlines and business planning, on the 21st March in Ware.

Both of these events need pre-booking and I look forward to welcoming those who are able to attend.
In the meantime, I hope the half term break / juggle has gone well!

The Christmas decorations had only just been shelved and the last mince pie had only just been digested when I ventured out to restock. It began ordinarily enough – just my trolley and me - but imagine my surprise when I was faced with an entire aisle of Easter eggs. Wall to wall chocolate. Surely not! Easter is two-and-a-half months away!

Then it struck me. The supermarket timetable is an incredibly useful guide to marketing planning. Some of your marketing plans should be in sync with the supermarket shelves. Read the rest of this entry »

Do you spend more time on your smartphone or on your PC? Research shows that over the last year on average we spent longer on our phones than we did on our PCs. Mobiles phones are no longer just for texting and phone calls; smartphones have opened up a whole new realm of technology. From watching TV to reading a book to listening to music to taking photographs – smartphone functionality is breathtaking. Check out www.phones4u.co.uk/ to see the amazing range of phones available.

What does this mean for small business? How can your small business tap into this new technology?

• ‘Mobilise’ your website: mobile websites are specifically designed for the smaller screen and slower upload speed of a phone rather than a PC. Mobile sites are also easier and more straightforward to navigate on a phone. Google knows if the person searching is using a mobile and will rank mobile-enabled sites higher – and the higher your site is ranked, the more traffic your website will get! If your mobile site content is easy to access, your customers are more likely to use you than your competitors.

• QR codes: 50% of smartphone users have downloaded an app for scanning QR codes. QR stands for Quick Response. A QR code can be scanned by a smartphone app and could automatically link to your website, a money saving coupon, your Facebook page, latest newsletter or Twitter account – or whatever you like! QR codes are low cost to generate but can give your business a great insight into your customers habits. You can find out the number of scans, where the codes were scanned, what time, what date and so on. QR codes can be printed on your offline marketing – from billboards to business cards. Make sure your landing page from the QR code is mobile friendly though (see above) or you’ll turn customers off.

• Snaptags: these are similar to QR codes in that your customers get instant access to your information and special offers. However instead of scanning it they can just take a photo of the Snaptag with their smartphone. Basically a Snaptag incorporates your logo into a code – further increasing your brand awareness. With a Snaptag rather than a QR code it is more obvious what your giving your customers – a call to action, a special offer, social media interaction – and more.

• Take payments on your phone: there are apps available that allow you to process credit and debit card payments using your smartphone as a payment terminal. No credit or debit card details are stored on the phoned so not a problem with regard to your customer’s data security and it allows you to take payments when you’re out and about. This application for smartphones can be really useful for small businesses when taking payment over the phone or when at shows or events. Taking immediate payments will boost your cash flow – meaning less invoicing and chasing delayed payments.

Smartphone technology can be a very practical addition to your marketing strategy, a boost to your cashflow or a helpful device to improve your social media campaign.  Don’t be frightened of the new technology – most of it is easy to understand, low cost and a great way to reach out to potential customers. The world of the smartphone is only just beginning – turn it to your advantage.

At this time of year as a Mum in business it is very easy to lose focus on the direction of your business. There are so many other pulls on your attention: nativity plays, Christmas parties, shopping, food preparation… to name but a few! I have certainly been guilty in the last couple of weeks of putting business thoughts on the backburner.

Unbelievably though we are only two weeks away from welcoming in a whole new year! 2013 may not be an easy year financially for any of us – rising fuel prices, energy prices and cuts to child benefit are definitely on my mind. So it is more important than ever that our businesses move into 2013 buzzing – and for that to happen the ideas and planning need to start now! What can you be doing now in the remaining days of 2012 that will bring success to your business in 2013?

Whenever I’m feeling stale and short of the ‘buzz’ myself– too many things to do, not enough enthusiasm – I make sure that I create an hour of ‘me-time’ doing something I enjoy. This can be anything from a brisk walk across frosty fields, a game of bingo at www.galabingo.com, or a long hot bath. This is never a wasted hour because I come back to work refreshed and enthusiastic about carrying the business forward. When you’re out Christmas shopping, on-line playing games or simply reading a magazine, take note of how other companies grab your attention – what tactics do they use?

How can you create a buzz for your business? The short answer to that is by inspiring people, engaging them and getting them talking about the products or services your business offers.

Here are some ways you could grab people’s attention in the New Year:

• Press release: write a press release for local papers about something interesting e.g. an exciting competition you’re running, customer success stories or new advice on your business area. You could also contact your local Chamber of Commerce and ask them how they can help you publicise your business.

• Free samples: will get people talking about your business. They don’t have to cost you much to make either, for example if you sell cupcakes you could go to your local farmers market and give out mini-fairy cakes as tasters.

Cake always gets my attention!

• Host a free workshop: that teaches a new skill. This is a fantastic way of reaching potential customers. For example a hairdresser could teach local mothers how to plait their daughter’s hair, or a gardener could hold a workshop on how to take cuttings.

• Hold a free seminar: showing off your expertise on a tricky subject. For example the gardener could talk about identifying different soil types, or a florist could talk about wedding flowers.  This is a great way to become known as an ‘expert’ in your field.

• Produce a free guide: so that potential new customers have something to remember you by. For example, a beautician could produce a pamphlet about how to get your body ready for the beach, or a personal trainer could write an e-book about ways to get fit in the New Year.

• Volunteering your time: creates its own community buzz. If you’re a VA you could produce the newsletter for your local charity, or if you run a dog walking business you could help out at the local dog rescue home.

These are just six ways to get your business buzzing in 2013, there are hundreds more. Get inspired and start 2013 with a buzz!

By Kate Miranda, Director, Mumpreneur Marketing.

The countdown to Christmas has begun. For many of us Christmas is a frenzied infusion of family, friends, presents, excessive food and alcohol, plenty of cheer and special memories. For mums, it’s multitasking taken to the max with the ever expanding ‘to do’ list. Have you found the perfect present for your husband’s visiting second cousin? What about his wife? Pass the wine, please!

The bizarre thing is, once the chaos of Christmas day has passed, it is often followed by a sudden and almost dull calm. The kids are occupied with new toys and gadgets. Dad seems content to potter and recuperate. These are the moments we have to seize for ourselves. Seize some time and space to think and create. Unleash your inner mumpreneur.

Mums by nature are creative beasts – I mean beauties.  We have occasional moments of inspired brilliance and the lucky mums have more frequent moments of brilliance. Many mums who act on these moments become successful mumpreneurs by transforming their ideas into businesses.

If you are thinking about starting your own business or contemplating how to grow your mumpreneur business in 2013, use the Christmas break to get creative. Use the mental break from the daily machinations of work to think laterally. Brainstorm business ideas with friends or random relatives. Most will relish being involved.

Nothing saps your creative spirit like churlish children, cleaning or the cold so take time out to visit a place that inspires you, like your favourite gallery or cafe. Somewhere you can get headspace. Use this time and space to come up with creative ideas that will help you connect with more customers. If you haven’t changed your tagline in a while, come up with a new one. It’s great to keep things fresh. Brainstorm taglines and slogans with friends. Think of an idea for a PR campaign or competition idea you could run with a local media partner.

Go viral. Challenge yourself to come up with a viral campaign or a new product. Here are some great examples to help you get started. The tone of a viral campaign can be either funny (Meet Doug Pitt. The Second Most Famous Pitt in His Family), or funny and terrifying (Extremely Scary Ghost Elevator Prank in Brazil), or funny with a serious message (check out Vinnie Jones for the British Heart Foundation). Originality is what will create an impact. It won’t cost you anything but your creativity and time to make a video on your phone and upload it onto YouTube, which is now the second biggest search engine next to Google with more than two billion views a day.

If you are looking for a place to start, why not use the number 2013. How can you hang a campaign off these numbers? 2013 is the year of the Snake and the United Nations has declared 2013 the International Year of Quinoa, a super food high in protein and gluten-free. If you are in the nutrition, diet or fitness industry, get creative with Quinoa recipes for your customers.

Bouncing off current affairs stories can also be an effective way to increase brand awareness. If you deal in fair trade products respond to the Starbucks greed on a grand scale story by launching an email or viral campaign around the word fair. We pay our fair share. We play fair etc.

If you are planning to throw a bit of creative marketing into the Christmas mix this year be sure to have fun. Be imaginative. Get carried away with possibilities.

If you are looking for creative marketing ideas, contact Kate Miranda or try one of her DIY marketing workshops designed for business mums who do their own marketing. kate@mumpreneurmarketing.com

For small businesses, marketing budgets are tight. Many ‘toy’ with the idea of running give aways to attract new customers but find themselves asking… ‘Does it really work? Will I get enough new business to cover the cost of my give away?’

Over the years I have run lots of give aways and I can give you some Top Tips for running a successful Give Away from the experience I have gained. Read the rest of this entry »

“What value will a blog give my business?”

Well that really depends on you. I would be lying if I said a blog didn’t take dedication. I recently read an article that stated the reason blogs fail is due to lack of content, not blogging regularly and not using the blog as a PR campaign.

Your blog needs to work like a Facebook business page in terms or building relationships with your customer/fan-base.

Be human and show interest, use your blog to highlight your strengths in business, what you know a lot about. Businesses that appear to be ‘experts‘ in certain areas will very much be sought after.

Blogging provided a platform for me to write articles and thus gain a publishing contract.  I also get paid now to write for other businesses.

Search Engines love Blogs. Why?

The content is always fresh and new, with regular posting, categorised content and search engine friendly links and addresses. Your business blog is the ideal place for Search Engines to find the type of content they love and with it you can rank very highly…….

This is the beginning of an article entitled Blogging for Business, written by our Blogging Guru Joanne Dewberry of Charlie Moo’s and JoanneDewberry .co.uk .  The full article forms part of the training materials provided for October as part of the Mum’s the Boss membership package, along with an ecourse about creating  ebooks and digital content.

To see the full article, and also get a list of the other benefits of Mums the Boss membership, please take a look here 

Information products can be classified as anything that contains information compiled in a way that is meant to inform, teach or entertain the consumer. They most commonly come in the form of articles, reports, ebooks, video as well as websites, graphic packages, audio files and more.

Creating an information product can be an exciting and profitable venture.  Unlike real books and published materials, once you have created a digital information product,  you can sell it without incurring any printing costs, so you can make a large profit margin on your knowledge.

Everyone (including you) has information and experience that can be written down or recorded in a way, that easily be shared with and sold to others. So if you have ever felt like writing a book or an ebook then this is for you.

• Do Your Research

  Market research is a very important part of the decision-making process. It is vital because if there is no one interested in the topic you’ve chosen for your product it will not sell, and there’s nothing more depressing than creating a product that no one will buy.

  When you begin researching, a good place to start is by looking for problems or questions related to the topic. You’ll want to look for a market that is full of people asking questions, expressing concerns or saying they want something in particular. This will help you find out if there is a large target audience for the product you are planning to create.

  It’s also a good idea to look for a market that already has established information products for sale, this way you can be sure that there is a high demand as well as buyers available when your product is finished.

• Choose a Format

  After you have completed your research it’s time to decide on a format for your new information product. The most common format is an ebook, which can be created in Microsoft Word or Open Office, and saved as a (PDF) Portable Document Format for distribution. However, you can also create the product in audio or video depending on preference, skill level and what type of product your target audience is most likely to purchase.

• Create your product

  When it comes to creating the product there are many options that you can choose from. For instance; you can write yourself or hire someone (a ghostwriter) to do for you. You can also use prewritten content that can be purchased with private label rights (PLR) which means you can edit it to suit your needs and then claim authorship of it. PLR is a great shortcut, especially when it comes to creating your first product, because it provides you with a big head start.

  Once your new information product is created you will also need a webpage or a sales page to promote it.

This is an extract from an ecourse Creating an Information product, which is offered as part of the training materials for October in the Mums the Boss Membership package.  You can receive the full ecourse and plenty more by becoming a member here , or buy the ecourse on its own and promote it as an affiliate from JVZoo

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

If you are a mum with a small business and wondering how to get the best return on a small advertising budget, then the 100 Mums campaign from My Family Club could be for you.
Gemma Johnson and Jane Hopkins MBE have joined together to make a difference to 100 Mums in business by offering them over £1000.00 worth of advertising for just £100 + VAT. They know what it’s like to try and build a business on a budget and want to help mums access online advertising at a faction of the cost.

Here are some of the details about MyFamilyClub:

Launched on: April 16th 2012 (4 months’ worth of data to date)
Current membership database: 25,000 +
Current newsletter marketing database: 60,000 +
Newsletter frequency: Twice a week
Social media followers: 10,000+
National TV campaign on: Previously on Daybreak and Sky Channels each week

For just £100, the 100 selected mums in business will receive an enrormous advertising boos to their business over the next six months, including:

• Shout Outs
  We will send two shout-outs a week to our social media followers about the campaign, which will link directly to the 100 Mums main page where your business logo will be featured. (Worth £630.00)
• Featured Mum Business
  Your business will be featured on its very own page for the duration of the campaign with a link to your website for the full duration of the campaign. You can use this page to promote your business as a whole or highlight a particular product or service. (Worth £295.00)
• Newsletter Advertising
  100 Mums Campaign will be promoted through our weekly Newsletters to our growing email database, of over 60,000 subscribers.
• Business Directory
  Your business will be included in our Business Directory for 6 months. (Worth £300.00)
• Member Offers
  Your special offer will be promoted to our 24,000 members to raise the profile of your business and drive traffic to your site. (Worth £195.00)

We will be pushing this through a massive PR Campaign and the official Launch date is 10th September 2012. The campaign will last for 6 months ending on International Women’s Day on 8th March 2013 in a Google Hangout Celebration. We will be promoting the campaign throughout the six months that it runs both online and offline through a variety of media. This is a great package for Mums in Business to promote their products and services.

If you would like to be one of the 100 Mums  and benefit from this great advertising package please go to 100 Mums  and sign up now.  Don’t forget to tell them that you saw this on Motivating Mum.

Ever thought of being a work at home mum?

Have you thought of starting your own business from home? Most mums dream of finding flexible work they can do around their families, but actually getting started can be quite a challenge.

Are you stuck for ideas? Maybe you have a couple of ideas but no idea if they will work or not? Perhaps you’re afraid of failing and wasting time or money on a business that goes nowhere. If you’ve been out of your career for a while, you might find your confidence is holding you back, too.

If this is you, then you’ll want to take a look at Helen Lindop’s new e-course WAHM Fast Start. Helen was in exactly this situation four years ago – she wanted to work from home around her baby but struggled to get started. Since then she’s blogged (for three years now!) about running a business as mum to a young family and co-authored the book, Start a Family Friendly Business.

WAHM Fast Start covers how to come with a business idea that will suit your passions, talents, family and schedule as well as making sure your idea will actually make you money (that’s right, you can’t just take that for granted!), plus low-cost marketing ideas. It’s a live online course, which means that you don’t just work through a series of videos in your own time. Helen will be there hosting webinars and supporting you in a closed Facebook group. So you can ask questions and bounce ideas around.

If you’d like to know more, click here and Helen will tell you all about it in her video.

But hurry, the course starts on 20 September, and to get it at the early bird rate of £39 you’ll need to sign up by 16 Sept.

xxxxxxx

Joanne Dewberry, founder of craft business Charlie Moo’s, offers a quirky, no-nonsense  guide to running your own successful craft business

 The UK handmade market is currently riding high as our attitudes to shopping and the products we want to buy are changing. With this change comes a new wave of manufacturers – small, local and talented.

If you are a producer of handmade products, or you have a craft hobby and are thinking about taking the next step and wondering how to do it, then this book has the answers. In it you will find out:

• How to turn your hobby into a small business

• Where to sell your products, both on and offline

• How to price your products

• How to develop a unique and recognisable brand

• Where to start with visual merchandising

• How to use social media to market your business

This book not only takes you through these points in no-nonsense plain English, but also has quirky craft activities to complete along the way.

Jam-packed with top hints and tips from real-life crafty small business owners in the know, Crafting a Small Business is essential reading for anyone looking to craft their way to success!

About the author

Joanne Dewberry started her first business Charlie Moo’s just before the birth of her second child Megan in 2008. Disheartened by the party bags that Charlie had received at parties she decided she could do better and so Charlie Moo’s was born.

Not a natural crafter nor had she sewn before, Joanne soon discovered how therapeutic sewing could be. Along the way she has learned many new business skills which she is passionate about sharing with small business owners and in particular mums. With 3 children under 5 years herself Joanne understands the constraints on mums in business. Her passion and dedication earned her the title of Dorset Business Mum of the Year 2010 along with numerous other business accolades in the past 3 years.

Joanne is passionate about small business and writes a blog www.joannedewberry.co.uk providing small businesses training, advice & networking in areas of social media, marketing and juggling children and a business.

“In 2009, I co-founded a networking group for mums in business and I soon found myself surrounded by an enormous variety of small business owners; male, female, parents and single folk. But one thing was the same – the desire and passion each one displayed for their business. It’s inspiring to be surrounded by people like this. I wrote this book in order to inspire others around me and give something back to all of those who have believed in me over the past 4 years of running my own small business. Consumers want to buy products that are handmade, local and unique – crafters want to keep on making and not be overrun with stock. Crafting a Successful Small Business is designed to help talented crafters take that step from hobby into manufacturer.”

Crafting a Successful Small Business  by Joanne Dewberry is available from Brightword publishing and other good bookstores.

Whether you’re trying to promote an upcoming gig, art exhibition, or club night, flyers can be a very effective and cost efficient form of advertising. To avoid wasting money on a stack of useless flyers, it’s important to make sure that the design is as good as it can possibly be.

Follow our design tips to maximise the number of respondents to your flyer.

• Use an attention-grabbing image

Placing one large, striking image in the top half of your leaflets is much more effective than using several smaller images. A great image will grab the reader’s attention, and draw them in. If you have to use several images on the flyer, group them together to create a single element.

• Keep fonts to a minimum

Keep things as simple as possible by incorporating a maximum of two fonts. Use a bold sans serif font for the headline, and another easy-to-read, serif font for the flyer’s body copy. Text should be centrally aligned, so the reader’s eyes do not have to jump around the flyer to take in the information.

• Choose your words carefully

The headline of your flyer should be snappy and catchy. It’s the first thing that will be read, and needs to ‘pull in’ the reader and encourage them to read the rest of the information. For the body copy of the flyer, you should include the key selling points of the event you are trying to promote. Why should people go to your event? Clearly and concisely tell them why, on the flyer.

• Less is more

It’s important not to include too much information on the flyer. Don’t be tempted to try and fill every inch of available space with images and words, as this will simply confuse the reader. In addition to using only a single image, try and keep the word count to a minimum. Plenty of white space is nothing to be scared of, and can help highlight certain elements and information on the flyer.

• Use both sides

Printers usually offer double-sided flyers, which often don’t cost much more than a single-sided print. You could include the image, headline, and main details of the event on one side, and then more detailed information, and a map or directions, on the other.

• Proofread and double check details

The importance of proofreading your design several times before emailing it to the printers cannot be overstated – and it would be a good idea to have at least one other person check it too. Typographical errors simply look unprofessional, whilst accidentally including the wrong details can render the entire stack of flyers useless. Double check that stated times, dates, venues, contact telephone numbers and email addresses are all correct before printing.

Good luck and if you follow our design tips, you should easily turn your unread litter hazards into a viable and effective marketing tool.

I’ve been sitting on this news for over a month already, and I’m so glad that finally I can share it with you all.  I have agreed to take over at the head of Mum’s The Boss, a networking group and blog very similar to Motivating Mum, as Sam and Helen have decided to move on to  other projects.

I’m so looking forward to taking this on, and to sharing the best bits of each group with the readers from both.  Look out for more posts on exactly what this means in the next few weeks, but for now, I’ll just leave you with the official press release on the Mums the Boss blog

Meet the new owner of Mum’s The Boss – Debbie O’Connor

My vision is to take two very successful mums networking organisations, and knit them together into a big amazing family, providing huge support to entrepreneurs, mums in business and anybody who has a dream of working from home.

Please wish me luck as I take on this giant project, and I look forward to seeing you all online, and meeting many more of you in person very soon

I have finally reconnected myself to Google Analytics after a significant absence.  My previous setup stopped working suddenly and I had to install Google’s Webmaster tools in order to bring it back.  Of course, being me, I procrastinated this bit of technical housekeeping for ages, but I have finally done it and got back in touch with my readership stats again.

The first thing which really jumped out at me from the new Google Analytics is that nearly one quarter of my monthly viewers are reading this blog on a mobile device, and that those mobile readers are looking at more pages and hanging around longer than the PC and Mac readers.   Read the rest of this entry »