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by Kizzy

I couldn’t have done it without the internet!

July 27, 2011 in Become a Mumpreneur, Featured, Headline


How do you identify yourself: mumpreneur, work at home mum or business woman? Whichever of these titles you use, there are more and more women taking advantage of the new technology that is available to set up their own businesses.

There are many reasons why women start up their own businesses; some are bored at home and others want to earn an extra few pounds each month to treat themselves or their families to the extra special treats. Whatever the reason, many women find that there are not many jobs available that fit around family routines and the ones that do are usually low paid and less interesting than running your own enterprise.

So why is the technology that is available today such a big help to women who want to start their own business? Well, having the world at your fingertips through the internet means you can develop your business whenever you have free time. Once you have your business idea, the internet makes it easier for you to reach customers and have an online shop making you money whilst you are otherwise occupied cooking the family meal. I know that I couldn’t have started a PR business from home nor written features and books while my baby napped without the world wide web at my finger tips.

Also through the wonders of networking sites like Twitter and Facebook, you can reach even more potential customers than ever before. We’ve found blogging to be a great way to raise our business profiles. If you want to learn how to blog, try the free ACEBlogger eCourse which sends 21 weekly lessons to your inbox to take you from blogging beginner.

Just sign up below and we’ll send you your first lesson right away.

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Avatar of CarolS

by CarolS

Early Bird Ticket Sales Close Friday 15th: Mums in business can save £30 on tickets to The BusinessMums Summit in Brighton, 10th October 2011.

July 11, 2011 in Become a Mumpreneur, Headline


If you want to take part in an event for mums keen to launch their own enterprises, those already running new start-ups, directors of highly successful, global enterprises and everything in between, act this week and buy your ticket to The BusinessMums Summit at Early Bird Rates.

Join around 250 other women at The BusinessMums Summit and you’ll be able to enjoy:

  • Speed networking
  • Inspiring talks from Kate Garraway and Laura Tenison of JoJoMamanBebe
  • Practical workshop sessions with experts including Lindsey Columbell, Sam Willoughby and Wendy Shand Champagne and more networking at the ‘mum and working’ awards

Business coach Karen Skidmore will be guiding you so you make the most of the day and leave with a plan to drive you business forward.

It is simple to book: go to www.businessmumssummit.co.uk by midnight 15th July to get your early bird ticket.

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Avatar of CarolS

by CarolS

Input vs Output

May 23, 2011 in About ACEInspire, About Online Business Success


My working day can be split into two types of activity; input and output.

Input relates to all types of training and knowledge consumption. Output relates to content creation for me as my business is is creating and selling information products, for you it is any activity that involves the creation or sale of goods.

Most business owners become so absorbed by output tasks that they rarely have time for input.

What happens when you don’t make time for input?

* You fail to see the wood for the trees, you’re so immersed in the functions of your business you can’t see the bigger picture

* You fail to innovative. The future success of all businesses relies on developing new products, new ways to make money and create value for the consumer. Lack of input = a lack of new ideas.

* You become so output focused you lose a sense of balance. Yes, I’m talking about those business owners that work crazy 16 hr days constantly. That’s not a business, that’s a life sentence.

It may surprise or even shock you that I spend around 50% of my time on input. Of course my percentage will be a little higher than the average as my business is in creating information products therefore my raw material is knowledge.

Following the rule of 80/20 I’d argue that if you aren’t spending at least 20% of your time on input then you’re under doing it.

What is classed as an input?

My definition of an input is anything that adds to my knowledge or expertise.

My current list of inputs include;

* Books
* University lectures and tutorials
* eBooks
* Online videos
* Podcasts
* Blogs in my business niche
* Business calls with Antonia
* Networking events
* Interviewing experts (can double as output!)

So come on, how much time are you spending on input?

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Avatar of CarolS

by CarolS

‘Can any mum be a mumpreneur?’

April 21, 2011 in Become a Mumpreneur, Featured


Back in January, we launched the ‘Become a Mumpreneur’ eCourse. The idea of the course is that mums who are members get eLessons sent through every few days to teach them the skills and motivate them to earn money from home in a flexible way. There has been a fantastic response to the course, with members of all ages, with different family situations, and from across the globe which has made me think about the question, ‘Can any mum be a mumpreneur?’

There are a number of barriers that hold mums back from starting a business. My business partner Erica Douglas and I brainstormed and came up with a list of 13:

  1. Lack of confidence
  2. Lack of time
  3. No investment capital
  4. Lack of contacts
  5. Fear of failure
  6. Unable to recognise their own skills
  7. Don’t know how to turn skills into ££
  8. Fear of losing money
  9. Worried what family and friends might think

10.  Lack of drive/commitment

11.  Give up at first hurdle

12.  Sell themselves short and never make a real profit

13.  Don’t know where to start

Do any of these ring true for you? If you look through the list, though, and think of the mums you know who have started great businesses, you’ll spot that many have succeeded despite lacking business knowledge, capital, contacts or some of the other things people think essential to start a business.

What successful mumpreneurs do have in common, I believe, is persistence and self confidence. The mums on the Become a Mumpreneur course who are creating great businesses are those who are realistic, expect a few knock backs, and develop strategies for moving on. To succeed, you’ll also need to build some great support networks: if you hit a problem, someone in your network may have been there themselves and be able to help you move past it.

There is one further characteristic that we see in successful members and which Erica outlined in a post about what makes a great mumpreneur, and that’s the ability to take action. Lots of mums would love to have their own flexible business, but not everyone goes beyond dreaming about it.

If you want to take action today, why not start by joining our free ‘mumpreneur in a month’ eCourse,

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Avatar of CarolS

by CarolS

Barriers that stop mums starting a business and how YOU can overcome them: Fear of failure

March 11, 2011 in Become a Mumpreneur, Business Ideas, Featured


Are you paralysed with fear about starting your business? Fear of failure can hold many mums back from becoming entrepreneurs. If you’re feeling like this try to work out what exactly is scaring you as that can help you overcome the barrier:

Are you worried about investing money into the business?

Are you afraid of what other people will think?

Or is it just fear of trying new things? Maybe you have been out of the workplace for a long time or worry about your business knowledge.

Whatever the reason, worrying about failure is a very real fear, but one you need to push aside. This is because it can take failure before you find success. On a small scale, you may try out three different ways to find clients or customers before finding the one that works. Or, you may try three business ideas before finding the one that is right for you. Failing is part of the learning process. Like a baby learning to walk, you may stumble or fall, but if you pick yourself up again you’ll be a little closer to your goal. Without carrying the analogy too far, with the right support, you can work through failure faster and get to the goals you want to achieve more easily.

So, don’t let fear of failure hold you back. I’m sure that every business owner has tried projects that have failed: the key to success is to learn from your failure and take what you have learnt into your next project. You’re closer to success already!

Get support and learn about starting a business with the ‘Mumpreneur in a Month’ eCourse.

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Avatar of Erica Douglas

by Erica Douglas

My Mumpreneur Journey

November 5, 2010 in Become a Mumpreneur


Erica Douglas

In 2009 I was working part time as a waitress, a job I enjoyed but that was physically demanding. Events that year meant I had to resign leaving me with very little personal income (I was earning £100-£200 from my blog).

A few months later I found myself well enough to seek work again, I attended the Job Centre every week only to be disheartened to find that the recession meant that opportunities were limited. With every week that passed and every visit to the job centre I felt more and more depressed and my self-esteem was suffering.

I’d been trying to make a go of things online but the small amount of income I was earning via my blog wasn’t really enough. In October 2009 my husband told me to stop looking for a job, just like that, just stop. He promised that he’d make up the difference between my waitressing job and the income I was making online in overtime (about £200-300 per month). I took his advice and well, he never had to do any overtime. My husband is a sensible guy, he figured by taking away the barriers it really put me under (good) pressure to follow my passion and soon as I started taking it seriously I started earning an income. I ‘work’ for around ten hours a week now on various things but predominantly my income comes from training business woman how to use the internet more effectively. I chose that niche as it’s something I’m hugely passionate about but there are a ton of different niches out there.

My target in the first six months this year was to exceed my waitressing income £400-500 per month. My target by the end of this year was to earn more than £1000 per month working just ten hours a week (I’m not lazy, I’m studying full time too!). Last month I exceeded my target, I know it’s not a huge amount (I’m not rich, yet!) but it was a big milestone. My target next year is to earn a ‘full time wage on part time hours’ and I calculate that as £1500 per month before tax.

I’m sharing this personal information because I want you to know that this is accessible, but it’s not a get rich quick scheme. What the books below will teach you is how to build a proper business that you can run flexibly around your children.

Antonia Chitty, Helen Lindop and I have joined together to bring you a triple pack of eBooks (at a special price) that will help you achieve your dream of becoming a mumpreneur. You can purchase ‘The Mumpreneur Pack’ below at a special price

Your chance to get a valuable kit to help boost your business

If you decide to embark on the journey, good luck!

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