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- EPnews -- from The Entrepreneurial
Parent
a work-family resource for home-based entrepreneurs
@ www.en-parent.com
May 10, 2000
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Do you find EPnews useful?
Please forward to a friend, or recommend it to your favorite
Web site or
e-zine. Thanks for your support!
For easy reading, simply print
out this newsletter.
_______________CONTENTS_______________
Take our EPnews Survey -- Win
a Free Ad!
The Funny Things EP Kids Say & Do
EP of the Month -- Laura Holgate
EP Times -- "Mom's Eternal Gift"
Reader Feedback -- Claire Cooper
Making Money Matters -- DH Communications, Inc.
We Recommend -- LeverLock.com & TeamOn.com
MORE Funny Things EP Kids Say & Do!
_________________________________________
Editorial Note: EPnews is distributed
the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of every
month. The Entrepreneurial Parent web site is updated on an ongoing
basis
throughout each month -- feel free to check in regularly via
the What's New
banner on our homepage (en-parent.com). Welcome all new subscribers!
~____~_~____~_~____~_~____~_~____~_~_____~
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___________________________________
EPNEWS READER SURVEY
- WriteBack -
Let us know how you'd like EPnews
to develop by taking this quick poll.
Additional comments are welcome and a selection will be printed
in our next
issue.
Now, considering that EPs are
very busy folks:
Q: Please rate the following
columns according to your preference, with "1"
being your favorite:
___ The Funny Things EP Kids
Say & Do!
___ EP of the Month
___ EP Times
___ What's It Worth?
___ Making Money Matters
___ What's Happening at EP
___ EP Expert Q&As
___ We Recommend
___ Comments on what you'd like
to see more/less of are very, very welcome!
The best comment will WIN A FREE AD!
mailto:[email protected]
___________________________________
THE FUNNY THINGS EP KIDS SAY & DO!
=====
Submitted by EPnews Subscriber, Jeanine Garcia, EP to Shelby,
just turned 3
(mailto:[email protected]):
The last few weeks have been
particularly busy for our home business (which
is a good thing!). However, it never fails, when you're busy
that's when the
kids get sick. We spent most of our time running between the
office and the
front room where my son was stationed riding out his illness,
trying to
administer his medicine. And we certainly had no time to fight
with the
toddler about taking his medicine. So after several attempts
of trying to
get the medicine in him, each met with a "No, No, don't
like it," I decided
to try something I am completely against: I laced the medicine
heavily with
sugar, thinking that this will work. But once again, he fought
me. Just when
I thought that again he had me beat, at an opportune moment when
his mouth
opened in protest, I lunged -- spilling a bit into his mouth.
Stunned, he
stopped, tasted the medicine, and began in protest, "No,
No, I don't WANT to
like it!!"
=====
Why work at home? So you can hear the funny things your EP Kids
say
throughout the day. Share with the EP Community something your
child said or
did recently that made you smirk, giggle, or LOL. Send your submission
via
e-mail to:[email protected].
And if you need a stockpile of
smiles to get you through your EP day, pick up
your own heartwarming copy of Grace Housholder's "The Funny
Things Kids Say."
On those stressed-out EP days, you'll be glad you did!
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0963871536/theentrepreneuri
___________________________________
EP OF THE MONTH
Laura Holgate, The ORDER of Things
http://en-parent.com/Profiles/Holgate.htm
In February, 2000 we kicked off
a monthly feature that highlights the
achievements of one of our newly registered members. Selecting
from our new
member forms, we take a look at business names, niche markets,
special PR or
advertising techniques, innovative products or services, and
other types of
unique business practices.
This month we chose Laura Holgate,
an EP Mom to three children, ages 9-16.
Her company, The ORDER of Things, is a professional organizing
service
specializing in residential, home office and relocation time
and space
management. We believe Laura has developed a sharp, articulate
and
well-organized web site that seems to be right in line with the
services that
she offers -- the first step in developing trust among prospects.
Her site is
a reflection of her organizing skills, which is an effective
marketing tool
in and of itself!
We're happy to have Laura as
a new member of our EP Community.
<begin round of applause>
Please welcome Laura by viewing
her Profile Page at:
http://en-parent.com/Profiles/Holgate.htm
and/or sending her a welcome
message at:
mailto: [email protected]
</end round of applause>
To All -- Please Note: We now
hand out an "award" graphic to our EPs of the
Month! We also continue to offer our selected EPs a FREE Profile
Page at the
EP Showcase and a photo link from our home page all month. So
please spread
the word among your friends, colleagues and email loops -- invite
the EPs in
your life to join en-parent.com as a registered member, and let's
build the
EP Community together!
___________________________________
EP TIMES -- AN EDITORIAL
"Mom's Eternal Gift"
© 2000, Lisa M. Roberts
I remember the day my mother
gave me the gift that has lasted a lifetime. She
spoke just a few words, locking her eyes -- brown, warm, tearful
and earnest
-- with mine, until we connected on a level that only mothers
and daughters
can. She gave me a gift that now, as a mother myself, I understand
as the
pearl in the oyster of parenthood. The gift was this:
At the peak of my teenage "identity
crisis" (I have had many, so I'll
identify this one as "teenage"!), when I was feeling
the weight and enormity
of being the youngest child of two very bright, ambitious and
articulate
older siblings, I blurted out in the privacy of our kitchen that
I was
certain I would never be all that my sister and brother were.
(They were both
law students at the time.)
My mother, recognizing what I
was missing and seizing the moment, said, very
slowly and carefully, "Lisa, I don't care if you become
a doctor, a teacher,
a pilot or a secretary, you will still be Lisa and that's who
I love, who I
will always love."
As my tearful eyes met hers,
I understood. I knew what she knew, saw what she
saw. "Lisa," whoever she was, whatever she did, was
on the inside; her
profession, whatever that may be, was what she would one day
"wear" on the
outside. One did not define -- or confine -- the other.
My parents were perfect examples.
My mother, who was a secretary, and my
father, a construction worker turned custodian, had always been
my greatest
source of pride growing up because of their resourcefulness,
their
generosity, their loyalty and their wisdom. What they did to
put food on the
table came secondary to the conversation that ensued as the meal
began.
Likewise, whatever it was that they loved in me, they loved regardless
of my
grades or my ambitions, and continued to regardless of the many
"hats" I've
worn since then.
Over the years I have sometimes
lost sight of the "it's not what you are but
who you are" lesson my mother continues to teach me to this
day. I sometimes
feel like a revolving door of "identities" despite
her efforts to slow me
down. Mother. Entrepreneur. Author. Consultant. Wife. Volunteer.
EP. The
labels are academic. Underneath, I am only one. She knows it
and I know
it...and surely my children see only "one" too.
There's a magnet on my refrigerator
that always makes me smile. It's a
character shaped like a yam, and underneath a smile and twinkling
eyes are
the words, "I Yam What I Yam!" In my own kitchen now,
I listen to my children
and sometimes I hear A Teacher, A Scientist, An Entrepreneur**,
A Musician in
their voices. But when I look in their eyes, I see Jessica, William,
Jimmy
and Thomas. And hopefully, when they look back, they see "Lisa"
underneath
the "Mom."
A mother's love for her children
should never come into question. That is the
pearl we hold in our hands, our hearts, and our eyes. For this
rare and
priceless gift, I thank you, Mom, and I pray that I am passing
it on...
What was the greatest gift YOUR
mother gave you? Share the heartfelt lessons
she taught you, and thank her today -- mailto:[email protected]
**See "More Funny Things
Kids Say" in this issue...
=====
Lisa Roberts is the mother of four, Web Producer of The Entrepreneurial
Parent and the author of "How to Raise A Family & A
Career Under One Roof: A
Parent's Guide to Home Business" (Bookhaven Press, 1997).
Copies of
her book are available for purchase at: http://en-parent.com/order.htm
and
through Amazon, at:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0943641179/theentrepreneuri
___________________________________________
READER FEEDBACK
EPnews Subscriber, Claire Cooper
([email protected]),
responded to last
month's EP Times editorial, "When An EP Takes Wing."
Claire, EP to Duncan,
now 7, and Shani, 21, is a court transcriptionist and desktop
publisher. I
hope you find her story and insight into becoming an EP as inspiring
as I
did! Thanks, Claire, for "speaking up" and introducing
yourself -- you're a
gem!
"I have been a "shadow"
EP for about a year now. By shadow, I mean I've
received your newsletters, enjoyed them and forwarded them to
friends in my
home country in South Africa, but never contributed. You have
inspired and
encouraged me so many times over the past year that I feel I
owe it to all of
you -- those unknown EP's in America -- to thank you for helping
and
encouraging me in creating a new business in a strange country.
We live in England now -- we
left our home in South Africa in 1998, having
emigrated to England because of the violence in the country and
the
deterioration of the educational system. My husband and I both
sold thriving
businesses in order to move to England. We knew that we had to
start from
scratch again with no network or contacts. We also found, once
we were here,
that it was not easy to run our son's life and work at the same
time. We
decided that one of us would work in full time employment and
the other would
try to start a business again. My husband duly trudged off to
work with a
large company (which he still does not enjoy!) while I stayed
at home and
started to generate work.
It has been very difficult because
for the first three months I earned no
money at all, but in my fourth month I actually managed to invoice
£51. We
certainly had times when we doubted whether we had done the right
thing and
considered my returning to a 9 to 5 job. But I had been self-employed
in
South Africa for about 11 years and I just simply couldn't contemplate
how my
freedom would be curtailed and my ability to be available to
our son, Duncan,
could be accomodated by both of us working full time. So we perservered.
During that time EPnews has consistently
arrived on my desktop and in days
when I felt like giving up, provided me with inspiration and
reminders of why
I keep trying to do things this way.
I'm happy to report that a year
down the track, I've just worked out my
figures and my income has increased by ... wait for it ... 800%
!! We made
the right decision. We made a lot of sacrifices, we worried an
awful lot,
but as we stand today we've proved that we can make it work both
ways -- Mom
has always been there. She's sometimes worked late at night.
She's
sometimes been a little short on time and patience -- but she's
always been
there one way or another.
We've finally managed to buy
our own home in our new country -- something
which wasn't easy with no credit record and one self employed
partner without
a trading record -- but it has been worth every moment of the
struggle. Our
little house is deep in the countryside, a few minutes walk from
school and
surrounded by Duncan's friends. I've started to feel quite redundant
lately
-- not to mention finding myself with loads of extra time to
work -- Duncan
flies in from school every day, throws some nourishment down
his throat and
disappears for hours with his mates. They trudge around the fields
surrounding us, digging up hidden treasure, go fishing, make
"ladybird dens"
and generally doing what children should be doing out in the
fresh air.
Every moment of worry, every minute of stress has suddenly become
worth it.
The vacation starts next week
and we have plans for picnics at the stream,
movies, baking of bread and all sorts of schemes and ideas. And
I'll be
there to organise and share in them. I'll probably have to do
a lot of
catching up in the evenings, keep my mobile phone with me on
the picnic and
do some hustling to keep it all together -- but hey? What's the
alternative?
He'd be with a childminder and a whole lot of other kids -- pretty
much like
being in a pen. And I'd also be penned up in an office missing
out on all
the fun.
My bank balance isn't nearly
what I'd like it to be, my car has seen better
days and the "new" house needs all sorts of renovations
-- but they don't
really matter, do they? Every day my son runs in from school
and I stand at
the window waiting for him. I can see him looking for me as he
walks up the
lane - and the smile that lights up his face when he sees me
is worth more
than anything money can buy.
Thank you so very much ... all
the way from England ... for helping me to
keep the faith in being an EP!!
Claire Cooper"
___________________________________________
MAKING MONEY MATTERS
Being available to your kids
and managing a career under one roof sounds to
many like the best of both worlds, but without pulling in some
kind of income
what's all the effort for? Making Money Matters!
Let's hear how YOU earn your
keep as an EP. (Please keep in mind that this
column is here to spark marketing ideas for the already-established
EP, not a
venue to recruit aspiring EPs into a business opportunity, so
no MLM or
packaged business opportunity submissions please.) To take our
survey,
mailto:[email protected]
with the subject heading "MMM Survey." We look
forward to hearing more about you!
This month Dianne Huff, "The
Cabinetmaker" and Principal of DH
Communications, Inc., shares her marketing tips with us. Dianna
is a writer
and consultant, and an EP to a 2 1/2 year old son. Her contact
info is:
Dianna Huff
Principal writer and consultant
DH Communications, Inc.
PO Box 1201
Amesbury MA 01913
URL: www.dhcommunications.com
Email: [email protected]
Ph: 978.388.7318
Fax: 978.388.9120
1. In a 2-3 sentence statement,
explain what your home business is about,
including your target market and "mission statement."
I specialize in marketing writing
for high-tech and industrial companies. My
services include all forms of marketing collateral (ads, brochures,
datasheets, white papers, web content, etc.) and project management.
2. What are the most popular
products and/or services you sell? How much do
you sell them for (or what's your hourly rate), and how did you
find the
right price/fee schedule for them?
My main service is marketing
writing. While I do have an hourly rate, I try
to quote per project. For example, a print ad could run a company
anywhere
from $500 to $2,000 depending. Brochure prices are $300 - $400
per page,
depending on how much writing and/or work is involved. I started
off my
business by charging too low, both hourly and per project. It
took me a year
of asking around to get to my current rates, which are now "competitive."
3. What are *your* favorite products
and/or services? Why do you like to
sell them?
My favorite service is when I
can oversee an entire project from start to
finish. For example, if a company needed a brochure and had outsourced
the
entire project to me, I would find the graphic designer, the
photographer,
and the printer and coordinate the work of these team members
as well as
writing the copy. The client would only have to approve the concepts,
the
copy, the design, and the final product.
I like overseeing the entire
project because one, that is what I'm good at!
and two, it gives me freedom to be a little more creative than
if I have to
provide copy for something that will be designed in-house.
4. Tell us a bit about your marketing
campaign. When did you start noticing
your first sales (after which marketing technique), what marketing
efforts
have you noticed yield the greatest results, and how do you make
your first
contact and subsequent sales (via online, phone, fax, mail, face-to-face)?
I started to notice a big increase
in sales after I sent around a direct mail
letter to ad agencies. They are a natural target audience for
me as they
regularly hire freelance writers. I now use this letter, customized
for each
market or industry, for all my direct mailings -- it is that
effective! I
find names in directories that I purchase from publications.
Before sending out the letter,
I call the company or agency first to see if
they outsource their marketing collateral. If they do, I then
send the letter
to either the marketing manager or marketing communications manager,
or
creative director. Then I follow up with a call a week later.
Sometimes the
prospect calls me first! In fact, this happens quite often. Then,
if
the prospect is interested in meeting me, I go in and show my
portfolio and
am sometimes given work on the spot.
I have found that companies hold
on to my literature and call me months later
when they need a writer. I keep a database of all my prospects
and call them
every other month to "check in." Most tell me to keep
checking, either they
don't have work, or they do but they have to get it together,
etc., etc.
5. Any additional comments are
welcome.
I love what I do! My business
fits my schedule, my life, my routine
perfectly. My son goes to daycare four mornings a week which
frees me up to
attend client meetings and get work done. It also pays well --
I am able to
make half of what I made working full-time.
_____________________________________
WE RECOMMEND
We're thrilled to have two new
sponsors this month!
The first, LeverLock.com,
is a brand new business with a unique product
that's very pertinent to EPs. If you have ever been afraid of
being "home
alone" while running your business and/or taking care of
your kids, this may
be the answer to your fears. Expecting an unwelcome client to
come pounding
on your door? Check out LeverLock.com -- from your fellow EP
member, Sibylle
Mansour!
The second, TeamOn.com,
is an innovative FREE service that allows you to
connect with clients, contacts and colleagues in with a secure,
user-friendly
technology. If you miss being part of a "team" or need
to strengthen the one
you're in, check out TeamOn.com!
__________________________________
THE FUNNY THINGS EP KIDS SAY & DO!
Let's close up this e-zine with
another LOL --
=====
Submitted by EPnews Editor, Lisa Roberts (mailto:[email protected]):
Jimmy stunned me in the car the
other day when he suddenly announced way in
the back of the van where he was seated that he knew what he
wanted "to sell"
when he grew up. Cars. When I asked him why, he pointed to all
the passing
cars and said, "Because look -- EVERYONE has to have one!
And they cost a lot
a lot of money!"
(Geez. Uncanny entrepreneurial
wisdom, wouldn't you say??)"
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Thanks for reading :-) Remember to visit us online:
http://www.en-parent.com
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___________________________
CONTACT/SUBSCRIPTION INFO
The Entrepreneurial Parent, LLC
is not engaged in rendering legal or
financial advice. If expert assistance is required, the services
of a
licensed professional should be sought.
This newsletter may be redistributed
freely via the Internet. Re-publishing
of separate articles for your print publication needs approval
first; write
to: [email protected] for permission.
© 2000, The Entrepreneurial
Parent, LLC
Editor: Lisa M. Roberts
EP Webmaster: Deborah Sechrist
POB 320722, Fairfield, CT 06432; http://en-parent.com
Ph:/Fax: (203) 371-6212, Email: [email protected]
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