Twitter Moms

Looking for a site that gives great advice for budding entrepreneur as well as a chance to reach out to your potential market?  Twitter Moms can be an amazing resource.  Started just a few months ago, as way for Moms to build their Twitter followers it has really developed a life of its own.

I find it is a great way to keep up with what is going on in the blogosphere in the field I am working in.  Through Travel Moms on Twitter Moms I have connected with some of the top bloggers on family travel.  I even have a book review scheduled as a result of this amazing resource.  Other boards for WAHMs, bloggers, and entrepreneurs have provided me with useful marketing advice.

Twitter Moms has also served its stated purpose of helping me to optimize Twitter.  Now I follow many family travel bloggers and have a consistent source of new materials and places to post comments.  It is a lot easier than subscribing to a bunch of RSS feeds or constantly surfing the net or using bookmarks.

I would recommmend joining Twitter and Twitter Moms for any budding entrepreneur.  It’s fun.  It’s addictive.  It also makes life easier.  What more can you ask for?

-Bridget

Election Night Reflections…Work-Life Balance

Well, I cast my vote on the day after my youngest had a bout of the stomach flu and was unable to make a speech evaluation.  In the midst of cleaning up barf for the eighth time, I found myself wondering…how our our future fearless leaders going to pull this off?

It’s amazing and exciting to me that  most of presidential and vice presidential candidates on both sides of the aisle have school age children.   What an amazing journey this campaign must be for these families.

 When Sarah Palin was first announced I thought it was exciting that a woman was on the ticket.  I must confess I that I feel like a tratior to my gender.  As I learned more, I didn’t think, “Wow, that’s great- supermom…governer, potential VP, parent to several children including one with special needs…you go girl…you do it all.”  Instead as a mom who had weathered the procession of evaluations and home visits that accompany raising a special needs baby,  I found myself asking, “How on earth is this woman going to pull this off and still give her family the attention it needs?”  Later developments in the Sarah Palin saga added to my uncertainty.

I read an interview in Parents Magazine with the Obamas.  It sounds like they both try to be present parents.  I admire Michelle Obama for putting her career on hold for the moment as her husband reaches for the stars.  I think she is a great lady who has much to offer our nation.  I am hoping that her work life balance will include being a great mom and bringing some of the spirit and innovation that encouraged an outpouring of volunteers in Chicago to the position of first lady if she has the chance to fill that role.

I have made my choice, cast my vote, and am very satisfied with my candidate of choice.  Unlike the rest of America, however, I don’t think the world will end if the other candidate makes it to the White House.  We have two solid candidates to choose from this time around.  I just wish they would stop putting each other down and starting sharing their complete vision for our country, including how they will fix social security.

I am looking forward to watching how the President and VP alike, whomever he or she may be manages to juggle the responsibilities of their office and the needs of their families.  My prayer for them is that they will be able to give their families the love and support they need, while creating a better nation for us all.

Well off to try and do the same on a much smaller scale .  It should be an exciting night.  Hopefully Jared’s flu will not return, and I will be able to follow the election returns with the little ones sleeping peacefully.

-Bridget

Conundrum: Product vs Service?

So far, I have two businesses with some potential for making money, but very little revenue.  I have two preschoolers and a school age child so getting a “real job” doesn’t feel like a viable option.  My liberal arts degree gives me the marketable skills to earn $20 an hour tops.  The price of full time childcare for even one kid, would pretty much eat that up. 

Deep down, I am convinced that the life of an entrepreneur is for me, but pretty soon I need to start making a significant amount of money in order to stay out of the workforce.  So far, the routes I have chosen require some investment up front (ranging from several hundred to several thousand dollars) and a significant investment of time before I start making a profit.  So far profits have been elusive.  Although I love what I do in both cases, I find myself wonderng if it is in the best interests of my family to switch to a more service oriented business.  If I choose an area like virtual assistant or tutor, the money I make will have a direct correlation to the work that I do.

I plan to explore the possibilities of making the switch to a more service oriented business.  In the mean time, I will identify the skills required to get a “real job”, see which I can use to enhace current or future entrepreneurial ventures and develop those skills through continuing education or self study.  Hopefully this will make me more marketable, whatever I pursue.

Anyone have some thoughts on the product vs services dilemma?  What is the best way to learn about Search Engine Optimizaton?  Everyone wants you to know reflect it in your writing.  I can’t see that there is really a science to it.

Food for thought on this sunny Southern California Morning.

-Bridget