The SmallBizLady Buzz - Issue 140

Helpful tips for Mompreneurs

Today is my son’s 17th birthday. I can’t believe how fast the time has gone by. This birthday also reminded me of what all the professional single moms out here really go through. My son was 4 when my marriage broke-up, and that put a lot of pressure on me. I had to quickly get over my sadness and hurt and be an amazing role model for him while building my business. It was hard, but we made it. So today, I thought I would share helpful tips for mompreneurs.

Get help as soon as you can.?I live in a city where I have little family, and I needed to line up a personal assistant to help take care of us. My assistant had a hybrid job of managing my schedule and admin tasks, and helping me stay on top of what I needed to do to keep my son on track, including drop offs, boy scouts, school trips, tutoring and karate.

Line up mentors for your child. Even though my son’s father is in his life, I found that I still needed other positive male mentors in his life as well. There are three men who have stood in the gap for my son. My neighbor John has always been there to show my son how to use tools, remove snow,or stay on top of the trash. My son started karate when he was 5, and his Sensei Gerald helped him immensely with discipline and focus. And another friend JB would often meet JoJo at the train station if I was running late. He showed JoJo how to use cologne and lotion and made sure the “must get” Christmas present always showed up. These men have been invaluable to me.

Focus on presence--not balance. Work/life balance is just not realistic. As a mompreneur, you just need to focus on being present for your kids whenever they need you to show up. Don’t be the mom on the cellphone at the ballpark. Kids spell love T-I-M-E.

Keep healthy boundaries with your child.?Treat your son like a young man, but he’s not your man. Leave some space in both of you to grow. Your child needs to develop a group of friends, and you need space to do things without your child, including going on a date when there’s a suitable candidate.

Busy mompreneurs, you are doing a great job, and the evidence of your hard work is your happy children and your business results.

Check out this week’s featured post:?10 Best Small Business Blogs of 2022

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10 Best Small Business Blogs of 2022

It’s the end of the year and time for one of my favorite traditions – a recap of the best small business blogs I featured on my website in 2022 (and the best podcasts – which I will share with you next week). I’ve reviewed the stats for the number of views, and these are the best small business blogs as chosen by YOU! Without further ado, let’s get to the list! Continue reading....

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A better way to talk with your customers

HelpScout is software to help manage customer communication. Help Scout's shared inbox, help center, and live chat software gives your team the tools you need to track customer communications all in one place. Help Scout is as intuitive as an email inbox, with powerful features to ensure scaling teams make every customer feel like 1 in a million.

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Podcast: Building an Iconic Brand with Brandi Mitchell

Check out this recent podcast here: Building an Iconic Brand with Brandi Mitchell

Brandi Mitchell is known as The Brand Producer for her creative ability to fuse entertainment, marketing, inspiration, and storytelling into a bankable brand. As President of Koris Media, she is the secret sauce that the nation's top 2% of experts, entrepreneurs, consultants, and coaches choose when they're looking to build an iconic brand, uplevel their positioning, and build powerful packaging that elevates their visibility.

She is the founder of the Produce Your Own Brand Method, a four-time author, and a filmmaker. For more information, head over to brandimitchell.com.

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If you’ve been thinking about starting your business in 2023, Do yourself a favor--Enroll today in my?Become Your Own Boss Course. This 10-week online course will walk you through identifying your ideal customer, funding your new business, develop a business plan, and a sales plan that will give you the tools to generate sales on Day 1.

Earn CEU Credits from Drexel University. Don’t miss out.?Sign up today. Offer ends December 15, 2022 at Midnight ET.?And don't forget to USE CODE BYOB15 for 15% OFF.

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Melinda F. Emerson,?“SmallBizLady”?is America’s?#1?Small Business Expert. She?is an internationally renowned keynote speaker on small business development, marketing and social selling. Melinda is also the president of the Quintessence Group, an award-winning marketing consulting firm based in Philadelphia, PA, serving Fortune 500 brands who target small business market. LinkedIn named her a Top Voice for 2019 in Small Business and Entrepreneurship.?In addition to being a former NY Times columnist, she is frequently quoted by media organizations including The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, MSNBC, CNBC and Fox News. She is the host of?#Smallbizchat?LIVE and The SmallBizChat Podcast. A prolific writer, Melinda has published more than 5000 articles on her blog?www.succeedasyourownboss.com. Her small business advice is widely read reaching more than 3 million entrepreneurs each week online. She is the bestselling author of?Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months, Revised and Expanded?and?Fix Your Business, a 90 Day Plan to Get Back Your Life and Reduce Chaos in Your Business.