Behind the scenes in a Mompreneur household

In the mompreneur world, there is lots of talk about outsourcing, getting help - everything from a virtual assistant, nanny and cleaning lady so that you can focus on your business and do what you do best. Entire businesses, webinars and seminars have been created around this topic. But ...as Entrepreneurial Moms of Toronto leaders DoinaOncel, Bonnie Chan and I, Tereza Kumric found is that with all the help in the world there are still some days when kids and responsibilities may overlap with business. Our recent Entrepreneurial Moms conference call is a funny example.

The call was set for 9pm. The plan was that the kids would be asleep, other work done and we could dedicate a half hour to strategize. Hmmm, not so easy.

Picture this.

Bonnie's husband had a client over. Bonnie's 2 year old son was still up. Bonnie, her husband and the client were entertaining the 2 year old while doing business!

Doina is on the call too. She is interrupted by her two daughters - also failed to go to sleep on time. Doina is firmly trying to deal with her daughters while also focusing on the call.

Me -  I was successful at getting my little ones to bed but I still had two attention seeking, needy teens lurking around asking where this is and where that is and when I was going to be off my call. What did I do? The only logical thing... I locked myself in the bathroom.

Did we have a productive call... absolutely! How?

We were honest with each other. We are moms. We made sure that we were all on the same page. We knew there were going to be some disruptions, we came with an agenda and we did the absolute best we could.

How can you make these situations work?

1) Same as above. If you are faced with a situation like this and meeting with your team or even a client - be honest. 

2) Don't force it. It if just "aint gonna work", don' t force it. Reschedule rather than appear totally unprofessional and unproductive and waste everyone's time.

3) Whenever possible, have a back up plan. Someone else to watch the little ones or find a hiding place like me! 

4) Whenever possible, schedule at a more convenient time!

I'm all for getting help. I believe that when doing business you need to be professional and that sometimes business needs to be business but sometimes when stuff happens that you really can't control, make the best of it and roll with the punches.

Tereza Kumric

Tereza Kumric is an entrepreneur and founder of The Inspira Connection. , on the leadership team  of Entrepreneurial Moms of Toronto . She is also part of a thriving Mortgage brokerage at terezakumric.com  Tereza is all about those outrageous goals and providing you with the tools and resources to achieve them!

Hate technology but still want clients?

Do the words social media elicit a sneer from you? Have you set up your LinkedIn profile out of guilt and never logged in again? If your passport picture is more recent than your Facebook profile shot, you might just be a tad opposed to using technology and social media to get clients.

There is hope

Yes, there is a world out there for you—the tech challenged-wanna stay in the old world entrepreneur. You too have many potential clients who feel exactly as you do and shun the internet.

Your personality and skill set is exactly perfect for the right kind of client who is looking to meet you face to face or by the good old fashioned phone. There is no stigma to that, it still works!

What you do need

As a small business growth coach, I’ll give you a pass on having to market yourself on social media but there are a few rules you still need to follow so you can get clients:

Fish where your fish are

If you’re not speaking, networking or reaching out in some way to your target audience, you are missing the client boat in a big way. How are they supposed to know they need your help if they don’t know you?

Have a clearly defined niche

If you help everyone and offer them every service, you don’t have a defined niche. Ruthlessly focusing on a specific segment of the population (ie. I help service based solopreneurs) and talking about only one thing that you can offer them (ie. I offer them marketing coaching) will ease the crease between the eyebrows (ie. confusion) of those who were kind enough to ask “So what is it that you do?”

Speak to your target’s pain

If the minute you open your mouth and your ideal client thinks “this guy gets me and can help me”, then you’re probably talking about your client’s pain and how you can help relieve it instead of just talking about yourself. I don’t care if you’re not on social media but if you’re not talking about your client’s pain, you’re just using up air.

Be visible

Social media and technology allows us more access to people’s lives, so if you’re going to cut off this channel for your visibility, make up for it by being everywhere that your target is—on the radio show they listen to, in the magazine they read and in the trade show they attend. Be ubiquitous.

If you’ve got all these above bases covered, I’m sure you’ll find that even tech haters and nay sayers can have a thriving and booming business and will put those bloggers and tweeters who never come out from behind their computers to shame.

Need more chicken soup for your biz? Follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook or connect with me on LinkedIn –and let's talk!

Bio:Chala's mission is to help entrepreneurs overcome fear and embrace the joy of marketing themselves to share their gifts with the world. Chala is the person you go to if you want to jump quickly to the next level of your business potential. A certified business coach, she cut her corporate teeth as a marketer at companies such as Pepsi, Pizza Hut, Frito Lay, Diageo, Playtex and lastly BIC Inc. With a lifelong desire to use her corporate experiences to help managers and business professionals to increase their productivity, Chala has a practice supporting small business owners who want to get more clients through marketing and branding more effectively

What’s YOUR score?

It’s something no one talks about but something people need to be better educated on. I am talking about one of your most valuable assets, your credit score. Most people walk around thinking they have amazing credit because they don’t charge purchases or they walk around not even really knowing what a credit score is. What people don’t realize is that your credit score is actually pivotal when it comes to taking one of life’s biggest steps, buying a house. Your credit history can make or break what kind of mortgage or loan you qualify for as well as what kind of lending institution you can go with. Most importantly it affects what kind of interest rate you can get. Your credit score is important when looking to obtain any type of financing whether it is for a house, a car or any other major purchase. If you are interested in learning a few basic things about your credit and how to nurture it than read on!

Christy Watt

A credit bureau is an institution that collects and keeps information on you. No matter what you do they are keeping track! Well, financially speaking that is! So if you missed your credit card payments for a month or two because you were backpacking through Europe, your credit report will show that and your choices are reflected in your score. You are responsible for your own credit history. A credit bureau keeps track of all of your monthly financial obligations and whether they are current or past due. It also looks at how much debt you have outstanding as well as your credit limits. Your report will also show any bankruptcies, or judgments that have been placed against you. The most common example of this would be an unpaid cell phone bill. Some people decide to fight their bill with their cell phone company on principle and what they don’t realize is that that company is more than happy to just place a judgment on your record which will eat away at your score and quickly bring your number down. The credit bureau compiles all this information and translates it into a number which is referred to as your score and that number is used as a numeric assessment of your risk level at any given moment. This number aids lenders in determining how dependable you might be when it comes to repaying your debts.

One of the biggest myths people fall into believing is that having no credit facilities (i.e. credit card, line of credit, and/or loan) is actually better than having some.  You can not build a credit history if you do not use credit.  So the key is using your credit facilities responsibly. A standard requirement that most lending institutions look for when looking at your credit report is that you have two active credit facilities reporting on your credit report. They believe that if you can keep a clean repayment history on two different items for more than two years that you are aware of the importance of your financial obligations and are (hopefully) not a risk to lend to. The best thing to do is to make sure you have two forms of credit at all times. You do not need to be using them constantly but as long as you use them periodically throughout the year, and pay them on time then you should be able to build a great score.

It is important to understand what affects your credit score. As mentioned before any judgments placed against you will lower your score. It is not a one time deduction either. It will continue to lower your score as long as it sits there. This is where it is very important to know what is on your credit report. It is often where people realize they have fallen victim to identity theft. Having your credit score checked repeatedly can also lower your score. Many people do not realize that every time they are looking to get a new credit card or are shopping for mortgage rates and filling out numerous applications that their credit is likely being checked each time. The more times it is checked the lower your score gets. Last but not least paying your monthly obligations late will also affect your score. Your credit report will show how many times you have been over 30 days late on a bill. The more late payments you have the lower your score gets which as a result makes you considered a higher risk.

Another important thing to know is that it is not impossible to rebuild your credit after going through a rough patch in life. If you have fallen behind on your credit facilities or find out you have some judgments placed against you, the most important thing to do is to correct them and work at rebuilding your credit history. One thing to consider is doing a debt consolidation loan or refinancing your mortgage if you already have one. The best thing to do is to consolidate everything into one monthly obligation so that you will find it easier to keep up with. Another reason that debt consolidation is an important step is that you are generally going to have a lower interest rate on your new mortgage or loan overall than you would if you were carrying those balances on your credit cards which often have interest rates that sit in the double digits. Once you consolidate your debts you can work on reestablishing your credit history by making sure you have two credit facilities reporting on your credit bureau and making sure you pay them each month.

There are many resources online that allow you to find out what your credit score is and give you the opportunity of looking at your credit report. You can contact one of Canada’s credit bureaus to receive a copy of your credit report by mail for free. If you want to look at it online you can do so if you are willing to pay for the service.

For more information you can contact one of the credit bureaus directly at:

·         TransUnion Canada: 1-800-663-9980 www.tuc.ca

·         Equifax Canada: 1-800-465-7166 www.equifax.ca

An important thing to note is that most mortgages do not report on your credit report so this will not help in rebuilding your credit. With mortgage rates as low as they are today it is often the best step for you when looking to consolidate your debt, however, this might not be an option for everyone.

Christy Watt is a mortgage lender with Dominion Lending Centres and she is also a member of Entrepreneurial Moms of Toronto. She is always happy to answer any questions about whether or not this is a smart financial choice for you. Additionally she is available to talk about credit report and ways to improve it as well as help figure out what her clients qualify for ahead of time. To find out more about Christy Watt fell free to check out her website at www.wattchristy.com or she can be reached anytime at 647 781 2474.

Smart Business Practices

Spring is here! Yes, it is a sign of relief to know that we do not have to put our kid's big and heavy jackets on when they go to school or daycare. This time of the year is also a time when everyone is doing Spring cleaning and trying to get rid of their stuff by having a yard sale.

Today I decided to check one of them out. It was on my way home when I spotted a yard sale so I thought I would be a good neighbor and support young entrepreneurship by making a purchase. There was a young lady and her mom that was holding this sale. I was quite impressed by their determination to sell everything they had by the end of the day and make some quick cash on a sunny Spring day. I have found a few books which I thought it will be a great gift for my daughter as she loves books more than she loves food. I asked how much the books cost. 5 books for $2.50 was a bargain in my opinion. I took out a $20 bill from my wallet. That was all I had on me. The woman that was holding the sale told me that she cannot break the $20 therefore she cannot sell me the books. Although there was a store around the corner where she could've changed the big bills, her solution to this was not to make the sale. There is a lot to learn from this incident when it comes to business.

• Be prepared before you set up a business. In this case have enough change from the night before when the banks are open so that you will not turn business away.
• Make it easier for the customer/client and eliminate negative responses from your business vocabulary. In this case make the sale and go get change after for future customers.
• Provide good customer service. In this case the example above also applies.
• Ensure you will teach the younger generation of what good business is. In this case when you turn customers away you will not reach your goal of selling all items on your list.

These examples exist in other businesses as well and therefore we, the consumer feel frustrated. But in the end is the business that will suffer because we will not normally support them and turn to another business that will meet our needs and serve us with integrity. In this case the yard sale is not a sustainable business but how about a business that is? Have you ever been served poorly while trying to make a purchase? What was your reaction? Please share...

Doina Oncel is a Social Media strategist and the founder of Doina's Infinite Solutions and she is also one of the leaders of Entrepreneurial Moms of Toronto.

Women On Top

 In order to prepare for our next Masterminds Event at Entrepreneurial Moms of Toronto, which will take place on January 17, 2011, we decided that it will be good to give you a preview of what our next guest is all about. As one of our members herself, we feel privileged to have her on our team. We sat down with Odette A. Laurie, the founder of Women On Top an agency that empowers women in business with coaching for business. Here is what she had to say:

1. How did you get to become a business coach for women?

I have entrepreneurship in my blood. I have this burning desire to work for myself and create something unique and wonderful, something that being an employee cannot fulfill for me. My first business was hugely successful, reaching multiple six figures in a relatively short amount of time. I was awarded Entrepreneur of the Year in my first year of business and that business is still thriving almost 19 years later. I sold my shares to my partner after about 10 years to explore other options. I went back to school as a single mom of 2 very young girls and tried to be an employee but it's like putting a square peg into a round hole. I had a degree and a diploma in the social services and the money is just not there for what I brought to the table. I thought I would try opening up my own practice in counselling but after meeting with a coach to hammer out what it was that I wanted to do with my life and career, counselling was not it! We worked through what my ultimate goal was in life, where I saw myself in my future. From there I discovered that the total sum of all my business experience and success and my life challenges and rewards, all added up to me having to share my story, share my knowledge and work with women to become, to have and to be all that they were meant to be, in life and in business. I know how hard it is to start a business, to create something extraordinary and I had help every step of the way, therefore other women would need the same guidance. Let's face it, I have the tenacity, the determination and persistence to create amazing things in my life and it's hard! It's really hard to stay the course. I want to help women who aren't quite as audacious as I am to get what they want out of life. I have to be a coach, a voice of strength for them. I have the skills and the mindset to lend to them, so they can achieve the same success I have.

2. Women On Top? Where did the name come from?

I was enrolled in a Landmark Education course (which, I strongly believe, everyone should take, it's that valuable) called the Self Expression and Leadership Course. I was working on a project that eventually became Women on Top, but the business didn't exist yet. I was asking the group for a name for the project (a seminar on business start up for women) and no one shouted out anything I liked. Until I sat down at my seat. A lady leaned over and whispered in my ear; “Women On Top”. I said; “pardon?”. She repeated herself and added this; “Women On Top, that should be the name of your business. You are a woman who gets what she wants, stops at nothing to get it, and is determined, motivated and audacious as hell”. I thought to myself; “Wow, she really thinks that about me? That's pretty cool”. I can tell you, it instantly set the tone for my business, for my life.

3. What was the Best/Worst business advice you ever received?

The best advice I have ever received was this; “Take it one step at a time, but take the step, NOW! If all you got is 10 minutes in your day, take the 10 minutes. By the end of the year think where you will be.” And that's what I did. Small, consistent steps got me to where I am today, and I haven't even tapped into my greatness or reached my pinnacle. That is both scary and exhilarating! I have never received bad advice. Why? Because there is always, I repeat, always, a valuable lesson in everything presented to you. It may not mean anything to you at that moment. You just need to look at the source and where they are in their lives and know that they are doing their best with what life has presented to them.

 4. What your advice to busy moms is in regards to managing personal and business life?

You just do what you gotta do to survive sometimes. We make choices based on where we are at that moment and know that it will not last forever. As a woman, mom and coach I would say that we are all 100% responsible for where we are in our lives and that we have the power to choose. Good or bad. Chocolate or vanilla. In or out. Right or wrong. You have the power.

      5. What are Entrepreneurial Moms looking forward to learn from you at our next event?

I'd like this to be an opportunity where we all learn from each other. I wrote “How Big is Your But?” because we women really do spend more time and energy looking back at our reflection in the mirror checking out  our butt, our rear end, than we do looking past our imperfections, to the person we truly are.  Hey I wrote it, and I do it too! In other words, we focus on the negative, our “But”, aka, our excuses, justifications and foolish reasoning for not becoming, doing or having what we really want in life. And we hoard these excuses and justifications until they become our reality. I want to bust this wide open! I also wrote: “Business for Barbies: The Smart Doll's Guide to Attracting Real Clients and Making Real Money”. This is the technical know-how to starting a business or revamping your business by exploring Your Why. Your Why is your driving force behind your ambition and without a crystal clear answer, knowing Who your ideal client is, Where they hang out and How to get to them so you can make money, will be impossible to answer. So, I bring to the table the mindset and the skill set and mush them together to create one big beautiful YOU. 

To find out more about Women On Top and what Odette can do for you, please visit her website at http://businesswomenontop.com because Women On Top is about uncovering possibilities; about realizing your potential and reclaiming your life. Smarter. Faster. Women On Top lives and loves what they do. Do you? 

To hear Odette speak at our event you can register here -->> EntMomsTo

Mix and Mingle Holiday Edition

It is not to our surprise that we have had yet another successful event. Our members are simply amazing!

During our December event we were fortunate to have as our caterer our own Natalia who prepared yummy treats for us. We were also fortunate to be sponsored by Danielle from Rabbat Photography. Thank you for your amazing support! 


We started our evening by mixing and mingling  holiday style. Music playing, everyone enjoying themselves and business cards were being exchanged. The atmosphere was simply contagious that by the time guests settled in, everyone had a smile on their face, especially while enjoying drinks and food. 


We officially started our evening with one of our chapter leaders telling her story of courage and how she escaped violence with her two children just over two years ago. She explained how essential shelters for abusive women are and why it is important not to give up on our dreams. To commemorate December 6, the Official Day of Action and Commemoration against Violence against Women, our leader chose to speak up about her story to introduce our first speaker, one of the directors from Ernestine's Women's Shelter, Jill Cunningham. Jill spoke about the experience of working with women and their children which have escaped abuse. This unique line of work has shown Jill the exceptional strengths women inherit with the right support especially after escaping abuse. She also explained how a non profit agency works and what it takes to make such endeavor successful. To lighten up the evening and to show us courage Jill had brought with her an exceptional woman whom had used Ernestine's facilities for one year. After escaping abuse and seeking shelter with Ernestine, Maria had decided to open her own business. She started an import/export type of business bringing art from South America. When she went ahead to start her business Maria had only $500 to invest. One year later, she had moved on to her own place and she continued with her business to bring it to a very successful level. Today Maria is ready to invest $10,000 towards her business and that is remarkable. If you think you have it rough, remember the women coming from unfortunate situations and their success. If they can do it so can you! 


Moira Sutton of Success Breakthrough followed discussing the Law of Attraction series. Everyone was uplifted by her energy. She engaged everyone in the secrets behind the attraction showing us how attracting the positive energy can benefit us in more ways than one. She also suggested that believing in yourself is very important and by not listening to other's opinion is what will make us live a happier life. Concentrating on what we want is an important factor on how our goals are achieved successfully. Moira donated 15% of the sales of her Law of Attraction CD's on this evening to Ernestine's Women's Shelter. Thank you! 


Everyone went home with a goodie bag provided by Milissa Harding, a Health and Lifestyle Coach where yummy treats and gift certificates were included. Some of our lucky moms went home with door prizes offered by Created to Excel, Moira Sutton, and Healthy Start Health Coaching 


We ended our evening with a sneak peak of our speaker for our upcoming meeting, Odette Peek Laurie from Business Women on Top. Moms in the room were getting excited about next meeting which will take place on January 10, 2012. We would love for you to join us! 


For this Holiday season we encourage you to make healthy goals for the new year. We wish you Happy and Safe Holidays form our family to yours. We are looking forward to seeing you on January 10, 2012.

Will you be there?

Our Sponsor 

   

If you would like to make a donation to Ernestine's Women's Shelter you can safely do so here. You can also check out their website to find out more about what they do or how you can get involved  here . 

    

If you didn't RANT with us, come and MINGLE with us!

Dear Mom Entrepreneurs,
  
Our Ranting your way to Success event was a huge success and are so exited to share the highlights with you!

During our November Mastermind our members had the rare opportunity to meet with fabulous entrepreneurs and featured speakers -  Emily Chung from Autoniche Auto Repair Shop and Tina Dietz who specializes in coaching start-ups to success.

Emily Chung shared her phenomenal story  about how she developed her AutoNiche business as a woman working in a predominantly male industry. Emily shared her entrepreneurial discovery that Communication is key in working relationships with both men and women and has made communication a must in her relationship with her employees. Emily shines as a leader who focuses on her employees as individuals. Her enthusiasm for her work has led her to the understanding that  working in a male dominated industry  is  not as tough as you would think if the passion for what you do is there.  Her story is an inspiring one of hard work and determination-a woman who started her business through an apprenticeship program and learned the  business sideof the industry while still in school. With the help and support of her family, who have been by her side since the inception if her career, she manages to spend time with her children while living her passion for fixing cars. Her vision is to help each of her clients by providing them with the services they need in a unique environment where they are treated with respect.

Tina Dietz, an energetic soul, followed with a useful workshop platforming how ranting can be used as a tool to success. She demonstrated, with the help of a mom volunteer, how asking the right question while stressed can be used as a tool to emerge solutions to our lives whether  personal or  business. Tina has helped thousands of businesses across North America with the developmental aspect of their business. She does this through finding their setback and crafting the right question in which clients can answer producing solutions, saving them thousands of dollars.  After earning a Master of Science in Counseling and Educational Development, Tina developed transitional high school to college programming with more than 250 local educators. She has created college education programs for some ofthe nation’s largest utility providers. Tina is also a veteran entrepreneur and coach with many years ofexperience helping businesses grow and specializing in small businesses and start-ups.
 
We would like to thank our sponsor of this edition:  Laura and Tania from Arbonne.
 
Coming up...

We are now accepting registrations for our "Holiday Mingler" on December 13th, 2011 at 18 Spring Garden Avenue (Yonge and Sheppard). Come in and enjoy a pre-holiday Mastermind meeting with women just like you, ready to take off their business to a higher level ofsuccess. We will treat you to two special guests, Moira Sutton a life coach from Success Breakthrough and a special guest from Ernestine Women’s Shelter. Moira will be discussing the power of the Law of Attraction and how to unlock your infinite passion. December being the month of awareness in Violence Against Women, our EWS special guest will talk about their success and challenges in working with women and their children that had been witnessed abuse. We kindly ask you to bring in a gift card from the store of your choice that can benefit the women with food, clothes and home wares after they have reclaimed their freedom and moved on to their new residences. 
 
For more info and to register for this event or to become a member if you are not one already, please go to:http://entrepreneurialmoms.com/entrepreneurial-moms-of-toronto-december-holiday-mingler/
We look forward to meeting you and helping you grow your business!

The Entrepreneurial Moms Leadership Team
Bonnie Chan, Tereza Kumric and Doina Oncel