Some blogging tidbits

With my new blog in design phase I've been doing a lot more thinking about how I can make my next blog a successful one, and by success I mean more than 50 visitors a day. I'm not all about the stats or the ad revenue but I do want to reach as large an audience as possible for those rare occasions I have something to say.

If you're always on the lookout for some new tips and tricks for your blog then here are a few posts I found super nifty. I plan to reread them and apply them when I'm finally ready to unveil my new site. If you have any other helpful posts/advice/sites you think are perfect for the beginning or even experienced blogger, do share!

Easy SEO Tips to Optimize Your Blog
A very short and simple post from MomDot with some easy tips. This is probably a really good one for beginning bloggers but even more experienced bloggers may have forgotten the importance of a good blog post title.

Get Friendly With Google: Five Easy SEO Tips
BlogCoach is one of my most favorite blogs of all time and their "Grow Your Blog" series is a must-read for any level blogger. This post features five easy tips for helping with your blog's SEO.

Media Kit Template for Mom Bloggers
Sometimes it's nice not to start from scratch when it comes to creating press materials. This is a handy little media kit tweaked for mom bloggers. You can download it from Scribd, and because it's a Word document, you can do your own tweaking! You know often it's really and truly all about your media kit.


What's Technorati and How Does It Help Me as a Blogger?
This post from a mom blogger I met while participating in MomDot's "America's Next Top Blogger" does a really great job explaining Technorati and how it relates to your blog. I'm still a little fuzzy on this one and so I appreciate a post written so even I can understand it! (While reading this one check out Life Starring the Kids & Me's other fun posts!)

Did I miss a recent helpful post on blogging? If so feel free to link to it in the comments below! --Emily

Stay tuned...

I have had an idea for a new blog for a few months now and it's about time I got moving on it. Once we move on from georgie tees (anyone still interested in buying the biz?), which will happen by the end of the year, I want to have this new site well on a roll. To do so means I need to spend some time now designing the site--with the help of my good friend Quinn from CreatedByChicks.com--and planning just how it will all come together. I'm super excited and can't wait to unveil the new blog, so stay tuned for that announcement. The URL was purchased long ago and I'm hoping the site will be up and running sooner rather than later. It all depends on how often Quinn and I can get together for our "business" lunches...

Along with blog plans I have some actual paying work I am excited to do for a few friends. Writing press releases and company bios will take precedence for the next couple weeks. Like I said, it's actual paying work... So with the new blog, a couple clients, my son's 4th birthday this week (complete with a party at Jungle Jim's) and literally 1,000+ photos recently received from Shutterfly awaiting photo albums, my posts may be a bit sketchy. But that seems to be the story of my life these days and you all are probably used to it by now. (I hope.)

You will still find me posting on food for thought fridays--it's one of my favorite posts of the week! And of course wordless wednesday always makes me smile so that's a given. Other than that it's a crap shoot as to what you'll find here during the week. But heck, who doesn't love a good crap shoot? --Emily

P.S. Don't believe me about the Shutterfly photos? Check out the photo below. Have YOU ever received a package that large when ordering prints? (By the way, that box measures about 11"x14"x4".)


P. P.S. If you find yourself wondering what I'm up to when not posting feel free to follow me on Twitter; you can find me here. And if you're suffering from withdrawals you can always read older posts on this site or catch the guest posts I've written for a handful of other sites (see "I ramble on these sites too" on the right-hand side).

I know a blogging secret

Okay, so it's not really a secret since you'll find an entire blog post all about it, but it is something new to me and something I'm pretty sure not many mom bloggers know about. (Or perhaps it's just me that didn't know about it because I find myself constantly out of the loop...could be all that time spent away from the computer buried in mystery boxes, canned goods and old yearbooks.)

Last week @Jet_Set shared this blog post with me:

Let Me Show You Inside a Secret Blogging Alliance

Yes, you read that correctly, a "secret blogging alliance." Sounds intriguing, doesn't it? The post goes into detail about how dinner and drinks between two bloggers turned into a group of bloggers pooling their resources to support each others' blogs, in turn helping those blogs grow faster than they could have on their own.


I still don't understand the ins and outs and will definitely be reading it in its entirety again, but it does stop and make you think how you too could hook up with like-minded bloggers to help each of your blogs grow--and we're not just talking upping the number of comments on your posts. You'll find out just what is a blogging alliance, what those bloggers do as members of the alliance (upwards of 13 things) and a few insights by the post's author. You can read "Let Me Show You Inside a Secret Blogging Alliance" here.

It's kind of that "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts" way of thinking...and I like it! --Emily

Image by and[w], shared via Flickr.

How moms are making money blogging

When we started this blog it was simply an extension of georgie tees, a way for us to share news about our tees, tips about being mompreneurs and some of our favorite things, from fashion to food. And I still see this blog somewhat in that light, but as I've met other "mom bloggers," especially those who are making money from their sites, it's occurred to me that perhaps I too could make a little extra spending money for our family.

I actually have a URL purchased that I feel will make a wonderful blog and am currently planning just how I want that blog to work, the vibe I want it to have, etc. In the meantime I also want to learn everything I can about monetizing that blog if I feel it's a good fit. I am definitely NOT in it for the money but if it earns money, who am I to look a gift blog in the mouth?

If you too have been wondering how other moms are making money blogging then you need to check out my friend Vanessa's new site, MomsMakeMoneyBlogging. Vanessa is the woman behind such awesome sites as I Never Grew Up and Utah's Natural Kids and she is one of the most down-to-earth, wonderful, sincere women I know. If anyone can show you how to earn an income from your blog, Vanessa can. Heck, I'm happy to just sit back and watch her on video, she's that cute! And if I learn something in the process, that's even better!

So check out her new membership site, MomsMakeMoneyBlogging. Her intro video will have you hooked and I can guarantee the rest are definitely worth your time and membership. (And yes, she's really and truly that adorable in person!) --Emily

Moms Who Make It on KSL 5!

Though the Moms Who Make It conference took place over a week ago we are still hearing about it on Twitter, most of the tweets now from women excited about MWMI '10. (By the way, mark your calendars for around the middle of June...MWMI '10 will probably take place around June 17th and might even be two days next year!) But just last night we were able to catch KSL 5's coverage of the conference, which featured an interview with Cari Greer, one of our keynote speakers and a source of inspiration for MWMI attendees:

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

We were so excited when we heard KSL 5 would be on site to interview Quinn and a few of our speakers and couldn't wait to see if we would be newsworthy enough to feature. Of course WE knew we were newsworthy; it was a matter of convincing the local news station...and I think we managed to do so! Kudos to Quinn, who's idea for a conference all about empowering and inspiring women was such a success that women are already looking forward to next year's event. What can I say? Quinn totally rocks!

If you want to learn more about Quinn and CreatedByMom.com you can visit the site here. You can also view info about the recent Moms Who Make It conference, including our conference schedule, by clicking here. For more info about Cari Greer and Sole Desires shoe parties, visit SoleDesires.com.

Moms Who Make It: One great recap

As many of you know I have loads of excuses for why I'm only posting a couple times a week, one being Moms Who Make It '09, a conference I helped plan and which took place last Thursday. I am still recovering (who knew I could be THIS exhausted) but the time and energy was well worth it. The conference was a success, and when I say success I'm talking about quality not quantity.

Though the turnout was smaller than we had initially hoped, it was perfect for our first annual MWMI conference. But those small numbers did not make for a "small" conference. The keynote and closing speakers totally rocked and the mini classes and breakout sessions were chock full of helpful, inspiring, useful information. The meals were delicious, the swag bags full of treats and the after party full of sorbet, music and even a little dancing.

I wish I had more time to write but I am still swimming in those other "why I'm not posting regularly" excuses like the sale of our home, the endless hunt for a new home, a trip to California and training for a half marathon. Thank heavens one of our backstage bloggers, or "sexy six" as we like to call them, wrote a post last week that does a fabulous job recapping the conference. It was truly a wonderful day and everyone there is already looking forward to MWMI '10. Believe it or not, so are we!

For some great photos, a sneak peek at the classes and potentially embarrassing after-party video (go, Evonne!) check out Vanessa's post "Just What I Needed--Moms Who Make It Conference" on her site I Never Grew Up. Don't be surprised if it leaves you a little sad...sad you weren't there this year. Good thing you have next year to look forward to! --Emily

P.S. You can see a list of the Moms Who Are Making It winners on Crazi Beautiful's site here!

Vanessa, Quinn and I at the end of the conference.
Can you tell we're super uplifted and inspired?

What prevents you from enjoying "me time?"

Last week I had the opportunity of being on the panel for Mom It Forward's #GNO night on Twitter. The subject was "me time"--something all of us women need but very few of us enjoy. One of the follow-up posts I wrote is all about those things that make it especially hard to take time for ourselves. And this time is vital for our happiness, health and most importantly, sanity.

In "The Top 5 Things That Get in the Way of 'Me Time' (...And How to Deal With Them)" I've compiled a list of what I feel are the five biggest obstacles to the ever-elusive "me time." As usual I've thrown in a good dose of humor--it wouldn't be one of my posts if it weren't a tad bit funny. (Hello--humor is one of the ways I stay sane!) So enjoy a good little chuckle and read how you too can make time for yourself even with days full of children, laundry and a serious lack of sleep.

Read "The Top 5 Things That Get in the Way of 'Me Time' (...And How to Deal With Them)" on Mom It Forward.

Related posts I wrote for Mom It Forward's "Me Time" #GNO:

• "Gal to Gal Foundation: Design & Donate"
• "Make 'YOU' Your Number One Priority!"

I can post what I want when I want

And Resourceful Mommy is totally on my side on this one. Her recent post "Back Off, Lit Mag Snobs" had me smiling, chuckling and nodding my head as I agreed with everything she wrote, from the "Bloggy Ivory Tower" to blogging to feel connected. I'm not as big a blogger as many out there so I haven't experienced first hand the "exclusiveness" some bloggers portray, and I'm so done with people still acting like high school that I could care less. Perhaps that's because my blog isn't my business nor is it my sole hobby; whatever the reason I'm all about the frat parties--figuratively speaking.

"Back Off, Lit Mag Snobs" is a must-read for all bloggers, especially women bloggers. And I'm taking what she's written and applying it to my life as it is right now, which is chock full of so many activities/interests/endeavors that writing posts for this blog is at the bottom of my list. Not that I don't love freshly baked--I love what I write about on this blog--but I love a few other things a bit more, including SassyScoops.com, Rocky Mountain Moms Blog, the Moms Who Make It conference (of which I'm co-planning), the sale of our home (hopefully) and of course, my family. That last one has taken a backseat to many things these past few weeks and I intend to move them up to the passenger side ASAP.

So I apologize to my readers if you feel I'm slacking when it comes to blogging here, and I'm trying to ignore the guilt I feel by not posting everyday. Hopefully you will still visit when I have a new post and continue to follow my random thoughts, links, recipes, tips and features. I'm pretty sure they'll pick up come the end of summer and start of the school year. Until then I'll be posting what I want, when I want. Hope that's okay...and if not, I'm sure there's a Bloggy Ivory Tower you can try and storm somewhere. --Emily

Will YOU be Boutique Cafe's exclusive Moms Who Make It correspondent?

I can't believe I failed to mention this totally rockin' conference my friend Quinn is putting on this July. As my kids and girlfriends have often heard me say lately, I'd forget my head if it weren't screwed on!

The Moms Who Make It Conference is THE conference of the year and you won't want to miss it! From inspiring and empowering classes to don't-miss networking and socializing--not to mention some serious gourmet food--Moms Who Make It is THE place to be on July 16th in Utah. The coolest thing is we're giving away the opportunity to be Boutique Cafe's exclusive conference correspondent, which comes complete with full conference ticket (including mini classes), invitation to the VIP mocktail party AND a Flip Video camera to record your behind-the-scenes footage of the event!

For details about the conference, the contest and how to enter visit BoutiqueCafe.com and read our latest post, "We want YOU to be our conference correspondent!" Good luck and hope to see you there! --Emily

5 Minutes for SEO

I admit it, I haven't set aside the time to really think about SEO for georgie tees or freshly baked. Perhaps it's because I already have so much on my plate and the thought of SEO is so overwhelming that I conveniently block out any and all thoughts of search engine optimization. Life is really good this way (i.e. ignorance is bliss but my search rankings aren't).

But thanks to "SEO Demystified: Breaking it Down Into the Basics," a guest post by Holly Klaassen on 5 Minutes for Mom, I have a new perspective on SEO and renewed energy to jump into optimizing my sites for those all-important search engines!

In Holly's post she breaks down SEO into some very basic points, making the process and application something even I could do--and without a lot of time spent on the more technical (aka overwhelmingly confusing and brain-busting) aspects:

[SEO] can seem especially daunting if you decide to just jump in and start reading some of the most popular SEO blogs (most of which assume at least an intermediate level of SEO knowledge). The reason this is unfortunate is that really, the basics of SEO are just that – basic.

"SEO Demystified" covers the foundations of SEO, technical components, keywords and links in a post that is as clear as it is concise. I'm tempted to throw out all the SEO-related sites that are collecting dust in my Firefox bookmarks folder after reading Holly's post and instead check out her e-book, 50 SEO Secrets for Mom Entrepreneurs. After her SEO guest post on 5 Minutes for Mom, I am one of Holly's newest and biggest fans! And as Holly says at the end of her post, "Go, do some SEO!" --Emily

Picking a host and picking your colors

Today I have two handy resources for you business owners, and they're so self-explanatory I can probably get away with one paragraph for today's post. This is a good thing since I'm trying to get ready for a trip back east to visit LeShan and making sure the kids get fed and bathed and tended is a bit more important than making sure I have super nifty blog posts for our readers. (Don't take it personally--if you're a mom you totally understand!)

The first is a list of the Top 10 Web Hosting Providers from Web Hosting Geeks:

Independent reviews of the best web hosting providers. Cheap professional web hosting services under $10 a month; all web hosting plans include at least one free domain name registration and 30 day money back guarantee. Review your web host--let other webmasters know the best and the worst!

The list includes rank, provider's name, features (space, traffic, price), bonus features and an actual review. Top on the list? Immotion. Bottom on the list? You'll have to check out Web Hosting Geeks' full list for yourself!

The second is a tool I didn't know existed but now that I've seen it in action I totally love it! I Like Your Colors from Red Alt lets you put in the URL from a website whose color scheme you like and then spits out the hex codes for all the colors it uses!

It's not perfect (where did #0000FF come from for georgie tees in the example above?) but it will give you enough colors to get you started. Try it on your own website and see what happens! And bookmark it so you can use it when you stumble upon a site whose color scheme you adore. Have fun! --Emily

Add a nav bar to your Blogger blog!

Thanks to BlogCoach, a super fabulous resource for bloggers, I now have a sweet little nav bar at the top of this blog. Just look up--you can see for yourself! I discovered how to do create this Blogger hack from a recent post under BlogCoach's "Grow Your Blog" tools.

The post refers to Beautiful Beta's "Adding a menubar to your blog." The hack requires a little copying and pasting but it's not too difficult. NOTE: I did have to go in and define a couple variables in my template's HTML. If you receive an error message that reads something like "headerTextColor not defined" or "headerCornersColor" not defined, try pasting the following just below /* Variable definitions toward the top of your HTML:

<variable default="#fff" description="Header Corners Color" name="headerCornersColor" type="color" value="#ffcc66">
<variable default="#666" description="Header Text Color" name="headerTextColor" type="color" value="#666666">

You can change the default and value colors to whatever you'd like using Webmonkey's Color Charts for your hex code.

BlogCoach also gives a few helpful tips for changing the look of your nav bar (e.g. left versus right align and spacing). You won't see the nav bar until you go back into your Layout &gt; Page Elements view and edit it by adding a few links. Once you have a link or two you can preview your blog and see if you like it. I found adding a space and the "|" after each link broke it up a bit and added a nice touch, but feel free to be creative!

Remember to download a copy of your template to your desktop before proceeding with any changes. That way if you get in too deep or mess up the CSS you can at least revert to your original template. Murphy's Law says if you don't save it, you'll need it! Have fun! --Emily

Do you have any other widgets or hacks you've incorporated in your blog?

Startup Princess: 22 Free Things to Manage Life & Business

StartupPrincess.com is a wealth of information for mompreneurs. If you haven't yet discovered this site it's about time you did! I've featured past articles from featured women business owners and like today, I'll be featuring many more. Had I attended the recent Startup Princess Academy Conference at Disneyland I would have had a lot of wonderful things to share with you, but alas, it wasn't in the cards!

At least I have some past information-packed posts to share with you here on our mompreneur mondays, and today's is a fabulous one: "22 Free Things to Manage Your Business & Your Life" from The Mogul Mom.

As mom entrepreneurs, we’re a tenacious bunch who isn’t likely to give up that easily. We’re going to keep building our businesses, even if we have pinch pennies, go at a slower pace and do much of the work ourselves.

This comprehensive list features everything from BoutiqueUp! Daily (I'm a subscriber!) to Twitter (you can follow me at emihill) to Photobucket (I have two accounts!) to Whole Foods--yes, even Whole Foods! And those are only 4 out of 22 resources she shares with readers. For the full list you'll want to read her post on StartupPrincess.com.

Do you have any "free things" you use to help manage your life and business? If so we'd love for you to share them with our readers. We can all use budget-friendly resources in today's economy! --Emily

A BlogCoach How-to on Giveaways

With an increase in blogging comes an increase in giveaways. It use to be you had to go to a company's site, opt in to their email newsletter or enter some form of personal information and then wait to hear if you'd won. (I'm still waiting.) Now you can't throw a virtual stone without hitting a giveaway. You can even find sites like Prizey that are virtual clearinghouses for the latest and greatest giveaways.

Don't get me wrong, it's a truly wonderful phenomenon! I've actually scored a pair of Alias Premium Denim jeans and a $35 gift certificate to Cinnamon Sticks. Before those wins I could count myself among those who honestly say, "I never win anything!" Blog giveaways have changed my life (and upped my jean count--hooray!).

If you're a blogger and looking to drive more traffic to your site, a giveaway is a great way to do so. But how do you join the giveaway scene and host a successful giveaway? BlogCoach's recent post "How to Host Effective Blog Giveaways" is a quick-start how-to for getting into the giveaway game. The post highlights four main points for making sure your giveaway is a success:

• Find great items to give away
• Streamline giveaway admin (who knew you could use Google Docs to make your giveaway life easier?)
• Maximize the benefit to your sponsor (this one is super important)
• Prevent and eliminate duplicate entries

Angie goes into detail for each of these four points and even "seasoned" giveaway bloggers like myself (you've entered at least one or two Daily Dish giveaways by now, right?!?!) will learn something new. And if you'd like some additional reading (and prefer to learn from someone else's experience), check out BlogCoach's popular post, "Blog Giveaway Gone Wrong."

It's a crazy, giveaway world whether you're entering or hosting. Good luck! --Emily

Fashion Incubator: "A licensing deal gone wrong"

Though LeShan and I have never pursued the avenue of licensing I have heard the word many times in our industry. Being that we've never looked into this area of business I am very unfamiliar with the ins and outs of licensing, its advantages and disadvantages. And while I'm sure licensing has its many benefits, I found this recent article on Fashion Incubator a real eye-opener.

In "A licensing deal gone wrong," Fashion Incubator's Kathleen Fasanella details the true story of one couple's nightmarish experience pursuing a licensing deal for their product.

I know that in spite of my many warnings to the contrary, a lot of people are hot for licensing deals. In that vein, I found a cautionary tale in the form of a series of blog posts which provides a detailed description of a licensing deal gone wrong. I decided to feature it with the hope of preventing something similar from happening to any of you.

The story of Ed and Rebecca definitely serves as a warning for many of us, whether we're in the confectionery business, apparel business or any industry for that matter. Their story almost reads like a Grisham novel, and you'll want to read the entire thing from start to not-so-happy ending. I found Rebecca's comments enough "inspiration" to not make the same mistakes, and Kathleen's follow-up at the end of the post is full of important insight and sound advice.

I can’t speak to the confectionery industry but in apparel and with seasonal product changes, you shouldn’t borrow money against your house to do it. Proceeds from one season should feed the next cycle of development and production. I don’t mean to imply you should have the expectation of breaking even to include paying yourself a salary at the outset but having a cushion can mitigate a term of discomfort.

I think those are wise words especially in today's economy. Another good point she makes: ask yourself if your product is viable. Of course as Kathleen states, "Sometimes you just can’t know if a product has appeal until it’s launched and marketed." Unfortunately this is often all too true!

If you've ever entertained the idea of licensing your product or someone else's product, "A licensing deal gone wrong" will give you a lot to think about and reason to do a bit more research into the subject before you dive in head first. --Emily

5 Minutes for Mom Ultimate Blog Party--party on, moms!

freshly baked is excited to be a part of 5 Minutes for Mom's third annual Ultimate Blog Party. We did this last year and had a blast, so of course we're back for more. Plus in today's economy, a virtual party means no need to purchase a new party outfit (with matching heels, of course) and pay for a babysitter. We love saving money!

Though this post doesn't have an awesome video or slideshow, it's not because we wouldn't love to do something so nifty. It's more that we couldn't find the time between wiping snotty noses, driving carpool, doing umpteen loads of laundry and oh yeah, taking a shower. But to spice this post up a little bit I did include a photo from when this mom took five minutes (it was more like 120 minutes) for a really fun photo shoot for her stylist's portfolio. See? I'm not always blogging in my pj's! And of course I couldn't leave out my amazingly beautiful BFF and business partner LeShan. And yes, she looks this good even in her pj's!

We're 2 moms with 8 children between us ranging in ages from 1 1/2 to 11. That 8 is made up of 5 girls, 3 boys and a 1 set of twins. That number does not include our husbands, though we often think it should. LeShan and I started our company, georgie tees, in June of 2005 and have had a great time growing the business. LeShan is a fabulous ballet teacher and I'm sure I'm good at something...as a result we have quite a few other projects in the works and just announced we are looing for a new owner for our baby (aka georgie tees). (For more information you can read our post on the sale here.)

Our blog has a mix of everything: mompreneur tips, health and fitness guides, fashion trends, recipes and sites we love. Feel free to browse all you like; we'd love it even more if you comment. If you leave us a comment on this post, please include a link to your blog or site if you have one so we can come on over to party with you! Party on, moms! It's 5 Minutes for Mom's Ultimate Blog Party! --Emily

"How to Make T.I.M.E. Work for You"

Making time work for me is something in which I'm definitely interested, especially as a mom and business owner. For today's mompreneur monday I wanted to share with you a wonderful workshop Tara McCausland, a Twitter--and now IRL--friend of mine (@myjoyquest--what a fabulous name!) from Joy Quest Coaching is teaching this week. Unfortunately it is an "offline" workshop and held here in Utah, but if you're within driving distance of Mapleton I highly recommend you make the time to attend. The workshop is free and promises to be fabulous. I'm all for anything that helps restore a bit of sanity to my harried life!

Here is the info:

LADIES!

Are you feeling hurried and harried? Come join us for a free workshop on Life Balance and Time Management titled How to Make T.I.M.E. Work for You next week on Thursday, March 19 from 7:00 - 8:30 pm in Mapleton (address and directions below).

The workshop will be geared toward a female audience, but anyone who is interested is welcome to attend.

We'll be discussing how and why to:

PLAN and PRIORITIZE effectively
INVEST in yourself
Make BOUNDARIES with family, friends, and co-workers
ELIMINATE guilt from your life

Refreshments will be served after the presentation. Please RSVP to tara@myjoyquest.com by March 18th if you're interested in attending. Hope to see you there!

Tara McCausland
Joy Quest - Life/Success Coach
myjoyquest.com
801.979.6244

Location
The Croshaw Lodge
1255 S. 1000 E.
Mapleton, UT 84664

Note: The mapquest directions are excellent, but they are currently doing construction on the 2nd Springville exit which is the one you typically take. Instead take the 1st Springville exit, continue on main street until the road forks to the right. Follow the directions as written after that. The Lodge is located behind the Croshaw residence.

I wish I could attend but already have a commitment that night. If any of you are planning on going, please take notes for me! For those in the Salt Lake area who want to carpool, leave a comment below with an email so others can contact you in case they'd like to carpool as well. You could make it a girls night out!

Feel free to email this info to friends and family who might be interested in attending. Tara would also love to have you Twitter about it, post it on Facebook...whatever you can do to spread the word. It is a very timely and important workshop for all of us women, business owners or not! --Emily

Who does the ironing in your home?

This mompreneur spent last night ironing close to 15 of her husband's shirts because he "had nothing to wear" (yeah, right--he just had no clue how to iron) and then most of today trying to catch up on a long to-do list. Hence, no mompreneur monday post. But sometimes that's what a mompreneur has to do--put aside what she wants to do and focus on what she has to do. Sigh...

I'm off to get more done so I have time to write tomorrow's post later this evening. Let's just hope my husband can find at least one pair of clean socks otherwise he'll have no clean socks for work tomorrow since he's long forgotten how to do laundry... --Emily

Proximidade Award: it's all about spreading the love!

Today's mompreneur monday post is short and sweet: spread the love. When you support other women in business, whether it's a shout-out on your blog, some much needed advice or mentoring, an act of service in time of need, anything that helps make the road to success a little bit easier is what I call spreading the love. When you help spread a little love I guarantee it will come back to you tenfold; it may not be immediate but it will happen.

Speaking of spreading the love, my friend Stephanie over at Bondville sent a little love our way in her recent post "Cool Websites: Proximidade Award." Bondville received the Proximidade Award, which "is all about community - sharing, celebrating others, and commending those who are building something special online." Bondville received the award from KidStyleFile and she in turn bestowed it upon us and seven other fantastic sites. (You'll have to read her post for the full list.) Thank you, Steph, for nominating us for the award!

Here is the official statement about the award:

These blogs invest and believe in PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes for self-aggrandizement! Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers!"

We are more than happy to send some attention to our favorite blogs!

Official rules for recipients of the award: This blog award should be sent to your favorite eight bloggers and they, in turn should forward to eight of their favorites. You should include the text for Proximidade (above) in your announcement blog. Here are the blogs we feel are all about community--and spreading the love, of course:

• Boutique Cafe -- Yes, I am a bit biased since I write for the site but Daria is one of the most amazing women I know. BC is all about community and friendship.
• MomDot -- Another great community for moms and mom bloggers. The posts on this blog make me smile, cry, swear and occasionally wet my pants. Thanks, girls!
• Z Recommends -- This is my one-stop source for the latest reviews, news, comings and goings in the world of parenting. The ZRecs network is all about family.
• NieNie Dialogues -- No explanation necessary...
• c jane enjoy it-- If you've followed the story of Stephanie Nielsen and her family (see NieNie Dailogues above) then you know all about this blog and I'm sure love it just as much as I do.
• StartupPrincess -- One of my favorite sites for women in business. With all the Fairy Godmothers and Startup Princesses, it feels like you're part of a royal family!
• Mom It Forward -- This site is all about moms giving service. Now THAT'S spreading some serious love!
• A Mom in Red High Heels -- I love Tammy and I love her blog. It's all about helping moms look and feel their best. Gotta love that!

Every one of these sites is stellar and worth a moment or two of what I know is your very precious time. Thank you again to Stephanie over at Bondville for the award. Now it's our turn to spread some love. Please help us do so by visiting the sites we've nominated. Sometimes it's more important to be a visitor than to count your (unique) visitors... --Emily

This maven helps moms realize their entrepreneurial potential

Many of us (yes, I'm talking about me) wouldn't be where we are in our business without the help of fellow mompreneurs. One woman "helping moms get down to business" is Jill Salzman, a.k.a. The Momtrepreneur Maven.

Jill's first startup company was a lemonade stand at age six. Since then she's started various media companies including two magazines and music media company Paperwork Media. That was all before Jill's "biggest professional achievement to date: giving birth to a baby girl." Not surprisingly it wasn't long (only two months) before she started her next business, The Bumble Brand. That in turn led to the creation of other successful ventures. During this time of motherhood and mompreneurship Jill discovered many moms who had fabulous ideas of their own but didn't have the resources (time, help, experience) to launch their businesses.

That is when Jill became The Momtrepreneur Maven, a mom business owner with a mission of "helping other Mommies realize their full potential." Her blog features posts about successful mompreneur-owned businesses and all kinds of wonderful business-related advice. But it's not all work and no play; she also features recipes, craft ideas and a variety of less-business-more-mom posts.

But Jill doesn't just write about what you can do to get your business off the ground. She also wants to help! She offers one-on-one consulting, publicity and promotional services, product research, help with branding and social media and even a "Momtrepreneur Motivation Pacakge," which includes "legal logistics, business basics, web appearance, blogging, graphic design, photography and other aspects that every business needs." Now THAT is the mother of all mompreneur consulting services!

Some of The Momtrepreneur Maven is still a work in progress, but overall it's a very impressive site considering it's only been up and running since December 2008. Of course, having learned more about Jill, I'm not surprised. I can't wait to see what this maven does in the mompreneur world! --Emily