Business Mums Magazine

This week, I published a great story on my other blog, called “The Man who Sold Hotdogs“. I won’t republish it here, so go to my other blog to read the story.

In these times when all we hear on the news is gloom and doom about the economy, there are many lessons to be learned from the man how sold hot dogs. He couldn’t hear or see the news, and kept going on with his business, and business grew. It kept growing until someone pointed out what was going on and he stopped advertising and doing what he was doing, and his business failed.

 There are so many lessons we can learn from this! The biggest is to stop paying attention to what people are saying and to keep going with what we are doing. Many business mums I’ve spoken to haven’t notice a drop in sales, other than the usual seasonal drop, and they are confident sales will increase again as the year goes on.

So, keep going and be like the man who sold hotdogs at the start of his story.

You’ve all heard people say you need to find a niche for your business. Many of us look at the obvious - women, mums, working mums, etc. But few look outside the square.

Reading Ingrid Cliffs blog while I was away, I came across a post titled “Age is a niche“. In Japan, there are specialist dating agencies for people over 50.

Is there any way you can define your niche more by looking outside the square? Instead of “women”, consider a niche such as “women over 50″ or “women under 50 with full time jobs”.

Is there any way you can define your niche or find a different one using age or another defining factor?

We received the following email from Tayana of Tayana.com.au last week:

I received the new magazine today and what a lovely surprise….I just wanted to say thank you for adding the cookie recipe in as well as my details.  Thanks so much.  I kind of forgot that I send you that info so it was a real surprise…oh and when Holly saw it she was so excited that not only was her favourite recipe in a magazine by her mum but that her name was mentioned too….she’s famous now!

You can read her recipe in Issue 14 of the Business Mums Magazine. If you would like to submit a recipe, send it to magazine@businessmums.com

Do you have a business plan? How do you plan? Please share your thoughts with us.

You can fill in our survey here, or share your thoughts on planning by posting a comment.

Last year we had a fantastic 5th birthday party for Zac with Heather from Kids Music Company. Zac was given a copy of their Song Box CD as a gift.

This is a great CD for kids. It contains 12 original songs that will get kids dancing around the lounge room. They also have an educational element to them, which includes things such as counting and colours.

This CD would make a fantastic gift for any preschooler, and is also a sanity saver for business mums as both Mum and preschooler can get some exercise together.

Zac has recently turned 5, however when he was 4 he loved a particular Thomas the Tank Engine DVD, one with a game on it. (Aparently now that he’s 5, he doesn’t like Thomas any more….) Today’s Wednesday Wisdom is a quote from when he was 4 and playing his game:

When I crash, I start again!

It’s funny how comments from the kids can be so profound. As a business mum, there are times when I crash - usually when I’m trying to do too much! And every time I do, I need to start again…

We have just come back from a fantastic holiday in the Grampians, and are about to enjoy another camp next week. The lead up to Christmas was busy and stressful - add in a couple of birthdays and it’s a recipe for crashing. So, I’m starting 2009 with a clear head and fresh outlook.

So, when you crash, just start again!

Merry Christmas to all our blog readers.

The Business Mums Magazine office will be closed from today & reopen on Monday 5 January. We will then be closed again from 11-17 January.

We would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. See you all in 2009.

I have a great quote today:

Everything starts as somebody’s daydream - Larry Niven

 Why doI think this is a great quote for business mums? Because most of us started out business as a dream. We may not have known exactly what business we wanted to start, however we did dream about it.

I know for me, I still daydream about my business - new projects, activities, marketing ideas, and so on.

So, keep on daydreaming. Your business most likely started as a daydream, and you never know what your next daydream will bring you!

Are you looking for some fun and inspriation this Christmas? Look no further than the Love Santa Blog. This is a great place to share your Christmas memories as well as enjoy some Christmas humour, ideas for Santa snacks, and much more.

You may be a bit late to order a personalised Santa letter this year, however definately bookmark this site for 2009. While you’re waiting, share your memories on the blog.

Today’s Wednesday Wisdom comes from a gift book I received last Christmas:

You can have whatever you want if you dress for it - Edith Head

This quote rings true for me. If you’ve read my other blogs and newsletters, you will know that I have suffered bouts of major depression in my lift. Often when I’m feeling down, I will dress up, wear something that I know I look great in and often in bright colours. This helps lift my mood and helps me feel better.

I also have a stylist, the wonderful Imogen from Bespoke Image. We go shopping each year so I’m always wearing clothes I look great in.

Dressing well also helps me with my business. While most days when I’m home by myself, I generally wear jeans and a top, when I go out networking, I dress in “business” clothes. This helps get me in a business mindset, especially when I’m not feeling like a successful business mum.

So, in your business and life, dress like you want to be - dress to look your best, even if you don’t always feel like it. It really does help.