Networking is one of the most important tools in a small business owner’s arsenal. By connecting with fellow business owners, entrepreneurs are given the chance to learn new things about running a business that they might have never heard before. It also offers the chance to pick up a few new contacts along the way.
Over at Today’s Mompreneur we share our own piece of networking advice: create mom-friendly networking parties. Not only will this offer entrepreneurial moms a chance to get out and meet new people but …

As I get back behind the keyboard to start writing again, I decided to kick things off with a new article at the American Chronicle. This time I take a look at the rise in popularity for direct sales (as employment opportunities continue to wane) and offer a few tips to those that might be considering that type of opportunity.
At a time when employment seems to be the unsecured option, some people have decided to take their income into their own hands. In business and, more specifically, in …

As the mom of a young child, even though she’s not exactly in the “board book” stages anymore, it was not all that long ago that they were what I specifically looked for while shopping for new books for her.  While they’re great at withstanding the wear and tear a child can put on it, they’re not very personal.
Now imagine placing photos of items or people in a book that is just as tough as any board book but adds a little something extra, the ability to use your …

Lets face it, many inventors just starting out have to bootstrap to get their product to the market. Before you can go all of the way, you’ll want to test your product on the people you are hoping will buy it!
My latest article for the American Chronicle covers the topic of choosing a product test group and some ideas to help you get started.
So, you have created a new product and have a limited number of samples to work with. You feel it is innovative and there is no …

By "us" I mean all of the entrepreneurs and small business owners of the world.
Did you know that the first Labor Day was on September 5th in 1882 in New York City? It was in 1884 that President Grover Cleveland turned it into an official holiday.
Now that covers all of the employees in the US and Canada, what about us? I think it is about time we create a holiday for those of us that work hard at creating our own businesses!
Of course Jim Blasingame has his own theory, …

I’ve seen both sides of the spectrum and neither is pretty.
On one hand you have the entrepreneur who wants to do it all.  They run one kind of business, handle a business of a different type on the side, all the while they are also standing on a giant rubber ball trying to balance multiple items at once.  Or was that the Cat in the Hat?  It’s hard to tell the difference between those do it all entrepreneurs and that silly Dr. Seuss character.  It might be the fear of …

Keep in mind I never said you would get rich quick.  However, if you know your way around the internet and have an interest in certain areas of shopping, IMshopping wants you.
Think ChaCha meets shopping advice.  Where ChaCha has guides that seek out answers to your questions, IMshopping has people that will seek out answers to your shopping questions.  While that might sound good, there is a catch to your earning anything from your answer: it must be voted the best.
The reality is that IMshopping is as far away …

Sometimes writers require a dark room too.  However, this room is on their computer.  More specifically, it is a software program that completely blacks out the computer screen.  When there are no buttons and features visible to distract you from what you’re writing, the creative energies are free to flow.
When it comes to writing, I am no different.  In an attempt to find a way to help me write better, longer, with the least amount of internet distractions, I decided to see what freeware I could find.  That is how …

According to the coupons I have for our local county fair, the time has come for me to wish I could go for yet another year.  This is fair time, where people from all over will attend their own local county or state fairs.  The same rides, I really like that pirate ship, the same barns filled with people showing or selling stuff, and the perfect opportunity for a little cheap promotion.
Cheap promotion? What the heck am I talking about, right?
I know what I am saying, because it …

What was originally thought of as a mom and pop business with an employee or two is being redefined as the recession rages on.  That same business might simply be mom or pop now.  Also known as the single employee small business, it leaves you — the owner — as that employee.
According to news-press.com, business owners are piling on new titles.  They’re accountants, receptionists, marketing specialists, custodians, and at times they’re the only investor.
Contrary to this news the freelance industry proves otherwise.  As businesses try to save money where they …