Moms Biz Kit

Have you ever asked yourself that question?

How can I possibly succeed when there are already so many other people out there doing what I want to do?

Did you do a Google search and find tens of thousands of websites already doing whatever it is that you want to do?

Did it discourage you?

It shouldn’t.

How many people are there in this whole entire world who are exactly like you and have had your same life experiences?

Zero.  Zilch.  None.

You are your very own unique person with your own set of skills, talents, and experiences that make you different from everyone else.  Those gifts are part of what can make your business stand out from everyone else’s.

There are people out there who can relate to you in ways that they can’t relate to someone else.  Maybe someone who is doing the very thing that you want to do.

Figuring out what makes you special and unique is part of developing your USP: your unique selling proposition.

And discovering the kind of people who relate to you and your gifts is part of finding your target market; your people, your tribe.

Neither of these things are easy to do, but they are vital to your success.  Don’t look at them as a one time thing, either.  You can start with what you know now and refine those views as you go along.  Get to know your readers or clients a little better and you can adjust your ideas about your target market.

Oh, and all those other sites out there doing what you want to be doing?  That’s a good thing.

Lots of competitors means a good healthy market.

Besides, you can learn a lot about how to succeed from your competition.  Let them do the work and you can reap the benefits.  Moms Biz Kit can show you how.  Why not join today?

Have you ever heard of a Mastermind group?  If you’ve been online a while and are interested in online marketing, then maybe you have.

A mastermind group is simply a group put together by someone who is already successful online.  The group members join because they can learn from this person and from each other.  The group members also support one another and help each other out.  The masterminds I am referring to are dedicated to online success and marketing.

If you’ve ever belonged to a forum that was very active and where the members really related to one another, you may have experienced something similar to a mastermind group.

When you are just getting started online with a new business, there is a lot to learn and even more to do.  It can get so confusing and of course you want to make your time and money count.

I look back now and can’t believe some of the things that I really struggled to learn; those things now are no big deal at all.  In fact, I’ve gone way past them and learned much more difficult things.

Moms Biz Kit is here to teach you as much as possible and to help you get started online, but because (for now) there is no interaction among all of you, a mastermind is worth considering in order to get you to success that much sooner.

Some masterminds are quite affordable, and others can charge $10,000 or more.  Really.  I can’t imagine that, can you?

I think in general, the more affordable a mastermind is, the more likely it is to be a good fit for you.  People who don’t think twice about paying $10,000 to join a group are obviously more knowledgeable about online success than someone who is just getting started.

Most mastermind groups charge a monthly fee for belonging.  Some may have a definite length, such as a year, while others offer ongoing learning.

Here are a few I would suggest for beginners:

Mom Masterminds – this is the first mastermind group I ever joined.  I liked the fact that it was made up of other moms (like me) and that it could teach me very basic things.  I have learned more from this group than any other I have ever belonged to. The amount of resources in this group is amazing.  Log in once and you’ll feel like you have enough material for you to learn from for the next 10 years.  New material is added monthly.

I have made friends at Mom Masterminds that I still keep in touch with.  When I first joined, several members went out of their way to help me get noticed online.  I have belonged to this group for almost 3 years.  I really like the fact that if you keep up your membership for 12 months, you become a lifetime member.

This is an excellent mastermind group for a real beginner.

Association of Work at Home Women – I love Carrie Wilkerson!  She is just so full of life and so very nice, plus she has been online for less than 2 years and has already made 1 million dollars.  Wow.  This is a lady you want to learn from, and she always gives you a ton of value for your money.

Obviously, this is a group aimed at women working from home.  I would say all of them, or almost all, have a website or are getting one.  The level of experience and expertise in this group varies from those quite new to marketing to those who have some experience.  There are a lot of resources to learn from – articles, podcasts and recordings, and a forum.

The Barefoot Executive – This is Carrie’s other mastermind group – actually, more of a mastermind than AWHW (above).

If you have some experience in online marketing (ex: if you know what a squeeze page is) then Carrie’s mastermind might be for you.  This particular group often has a varied membership: men, women, those fairly new to online marketing and those who are already successful online.  It is definitely a group to join if you want to take your business to the next level.

There are other mastermind groups out there for you to join; I have given you details on the 3 that I have belonged to.  If you find one you’re interested in, but aren’t sure about, email me at brenda@momsbizkit.com and I’ll get back to you.

Want to know the best way to fail at building a successful online business?

No????

Are you sure???

OK, well, what if, instead I tell you the number one most important thing you must do in order to succeed?

I bet you’d be interested in that!

Actually, the most important thing to do to succeed is the very thing that will make you fail if you don’t give it the attention it deserves.

I’ve talked about this before, but you can’t hear it enough: know who your target market is.

I know – not so exciting.  Not as much fun as designing a website, finding the perfect business name, or producing what you sell.

Just the most important step you will take. Period.

It’s hard; I know.  You have to do a lot of thinking and how do you know if what you come up with is right?

First of all, do you have customers now?

Maybe you sell cosmetics or make candles or teach people how to fix up their house to sell. If you’ve got any customers right now, take a look at them and see what they have in common.

Just giving your stuff away to friends?  You can still take a good look at them and see what they have in common.

If you’re selling make-up, your target market is not women who wear make-up.  That’s a good start, but you need to define them more carefully.

Are they women who wear make-up every day?  Who wouldn’t go out without it?

Or are they women who only wear make-up for special occasions or who wear minimal make-up?

How old are they?  My 15 year old Goth niece and my 83 year old aunt both wear make-up, but I doubt that they would both be interested in the same make-up or the same person who sells it.

Start by getting your basics down and then keep refining them over and over.

Make a mistake?  That’s OK; you’ve learned something.  Now start again with your perfect customer and keep refining her until you could recognize her on the street.

Or you can just forget all that and call your target market “women who want what I sell”.

Now thats the best way to fail.

I’m going to do something that most other people with an online business might not do; I’m going to refer you to someone else’s site.

Susan Sly is a business coach and right now she is offering her 2010 Strategic Plan for free.  All you have to do is sign up for her newsletter.

I have to confess I had never heard of Susan before today, but when someone told me about her planner, I had to check it out.  It is comprehensive, thought provoking, and exactly what you need if you intend to have a successful business in the new year.

And Susan’s plan goes beyond business to your personal life – relationships, finances, health and more.  Set up your personal life plan using this tool, follow your plan, and you will be amazed at where you will be in your life next year.  Guaranteed.

So what are you waiting for?  Head over to Susan’s site and check it out for yourself!

2010 will be here before you know it.  Are you ready for the new year?  Have you made your New Year’s resolutions?

I’ve started making my resolutions, and one of them is definitely to spend more time here at Moms Biz Kit doing all that I can to help you make your dreams of a successful online business come true.

If you spent 2009 working at a job you hate, or wishing you were home with your kids, or your own boss, then make a commitment now to make 2010 your year!

You don’t have to rush out and quit your job first thing, but you can start to work on setting a day for that to happen and I can help you do it!

Starting your own business is scary and exciting and a lot of work, but it’s so worth it.  When you join Moms Biz Kit, you will have the support you need to do things right the first time.

I will show you step by step what to do and how to do it. I will help you as much as I can; I’m just an email or a phone call away.

Start making your success happen today by taking step one and sign up for your first (f*ree) Tool Kit!

No, I’m not asking you to try out for America’s Got Talent.

Your audience or your potential audience is otherwise known as your target market.  Your target market is made up of the people who will read your blog, subscribe to your newsletter, and buy your products.

You need to know who they are and as much as possible about them.  Really – you need to know as much as possible about your target market.

Here’s a quick list of questions you need to answer:

Are they male or female?  Does it matter?

How old are they?

How much education do they have?

How much money do they make?

Do they have children? Pets? Grandchildren?

What are they interested in?

Where is their pain?  By “pain” I mean – what is causing them problems?  A problem that you’re going to solve, of course.

Want an example?  Here’s my answers to those questions about Moms Biz Kit.  Let’s see how well I describe you.

My target market:

Female

Age between 28-48

Graduated high school, attended college.  May be a college grad as well.

Has a job she hates, most likely in an office.  She makes less than $50,000 a year; her family income is $75,000 or less.

Married with 2 or more children.  The children are still in school or young enough that they haven’t started yet.

Her interests include mom things like childcare and parenting advice, possibly managing a home and/or cooking, crafts, and she has a TV show or two she never misses.  Friends would describe her as a good mom, friendly, thoughtful, and cute.

She is intelligent and isn’t challenged by her job.  She may be overworked and she certainly misses being home with her kids.

She is comfortable online, belongs to a social network or two, and at least two forums.

Her pain is that she wants to start a successful online business and make some money (and stay home) but she doesn’t know where to begin.  That’s where Moms Biz Kit comes in.

How did I do?  Did I describe you pretty well?  (If I didn’t, please don’t leave.  A lot of that doesn’t describe me, either, but I would still be interested in a site like this even if I didn’t create it.).

I’d love to hear your comments – let me know how I did.  Then start answering the same questions for your target market.  Need help?  I’m here.

Everyone knows who the Golden Arches belong to, right?

And if I told you to “just do it”, you would know who that is, too, right?

And what about this guy?  Would you know him even without the KFC on his picture?

What each of these companies has done is called branding.  They have a logo, a symbol, a person, or even a color (Coke’s red and white, McDonalds red and yellow) that consumers associate with their company.

Although your business isn’t as big as these (yet), you still need to take a lesson from them starting with day one.  You need to brand your business.

I know that you may be itching to get started and make some money, but this groundwork is very important.

Start with an idea of what you want people to know and think about your business.

If your business is geared towards children, you might want a logo that’s fun and colorful.

If you’re a tax expert, fun is probably not where you want to go .  Instead you would go for something serious and conservative.

If you are a coach or consultant running a business based on you and your skills, then a picture of you might be a good idea.  One woman I know online – a marketing expert named Mari Smith – takes it one further and uses her picture wearing her signature blue.  Here’s a link to her site so you can see what I mean: http://www.marismith.com/

Now, if you’ve been around Moms Biz Kit for any time, you’ll know that it didn’t always look the way it does now.  When I first started out, I had a really cute site with a blue and orange polka dot theme and a sweet little mom as my brand.  At some point, though, I realized that the cutesy theme was distracting from my message and I made some changes.

I still use blue and orange, but it’s more subtle now and the mom has been replaced by my orange tool kit.

Start thinking about your brand and how you can express it.  And remember, you can make changes, just as I did, as long as you don’t make too many.

Need some ideas?  Check out other sites, both mom sites and corporate ones.

Are you planning on starting a business or a hobby?  And what’s the difference?

A business is something that you own, it’s what you do, and it makes you money.  You take it just as seriously as you would a job.

A hobby is something you do now and then for enjoyment.  It may make you some money, but not enough to support you.

In order to make sure that yours is a business and not a hobby, you need to take yourself seriously.

So what does that mean?

It means that you treat your online business like a job.

Find some space somewhere in your house that you can set aside for your office.  It doesn’t have to be an entire room, but the kitchen table won’t work forever.  You need a space that lets you leave your work out – just like you would on your desk at work.  You need a space to keep the things that you use for your business, like a computer, a printer, notebooks and office supplies, a phone, a camera, whatever it is that you need.

Having this space sends a message to your family and to yourself: you are serious about this and you are working when you are there.

Next you should have the proper tools in order to do your business.  A computer is vital.  Maybe you need a printer, maybe not.  A phone is useful for both teleseminars as well as client calls if you do that.  Software is important too. Basics like pens, pencils, and paper.  A filing system, maybe, and a headset.  You don’t need to have it all at once, but get what you need. Note: look for an upcoming post outlining some basics for business – software, equipment, etc.

You need to set business hours and stick to them.  It doesn’t matter if you’re working at home and no one is going to stop by your house to buy whatever it is you’re selling – you need hours to keep yourself disciplined.  Find a few hours every day that you can set aside for work and that won’t interfere with your family time.  Maybe while the kids are at school, or when they’ve gone to bed.  If you work a regular job, it might be on the weekends.

Finally, you need to get used to owning your new identity as an online business owner.  When someone asks you what you do, you can tell them, quickly and easily.  No apologies, no playing yourself down.  Don’t say “Well, I’m trying to start a business online that teaches people how to save money.”  Instead, say “I have an online business that teaches people how to save money and live on a budget.”

It doesn’t matter if you haven’t made one sale yet – no one will believe in you unless you believe in yourself.  Start taking yourself seriously so that everyone else will.

How much time will it take until your online business becomes successful?  And how much time do you need to spend on it?

Well there are a lot of variables here, so a definite answer isn’t possible., but I will do what I can to give you an idea.

A “successful” business means different things to different people.  Some measure success in terms of money, but even then, how much money?

There is a very successful mom online who went from zero to one million dollars in about 2 years.  Of course, she put in 70 hours a week, every week.

Now a million dollars would be nice, but most of us would settle for a lot less, at least at the beginning.

Making money online depends on your target market, what you offer, and a thousand other things.  And it takes time.

I would allow at least a year to start seeing success.  That doesn’t mean you won’t be making money before then, but that you shouldn’t give up before then.  Remember

Take Action     Be Consistent     Never Give Up!

How much time should you be spending on your business on a weekly basis?  As much as you can, at least at first.  When I first started ADD Moms, I spent about 8-10 hours a day working on my business.  Now I spend about 6-8 hours per day.

If you’re working at an outside job, those kinds of hours are impossible.  Then what you need to do is spend your free time wisely and realize that it may take you longer to see real success.

If you have a blog on WordPress – what Moms Biz Kit recommends – you can write a week’s worth of posts on the weekend and then schedule them to post throughout the week.  Any learning resources you have can be recorded and then you can listen on your way to work and on your lunch hour.

Use your time at home during the evening to visit other blogs and forums and leave comments.  And don’t forget Facebook and Twitter.  Those are easy to work in here and there, even from your cell phone.

Moms Biz Kit can teach you how to start a successful online business with a minimum of start up cash, and we can save you some time because you won’t be making the same mistakes that I did.

You can have a successful online business even without a lot of spare time.  You just need to use your time wisely and stay committed.