tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69246617628628264762011-11-27T19:50:03.643-05:00Empowering the Mom: Capturing The Entreprenuerial Spirit in Yourselfdebbiedragonnoreply@blogger.comBlogger421100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6924661762862826476.post-71065301602049738192008-10-12T21:37:00.000-04:002008-10-12T21:43:54.061-04:00

Empowering Mom has moved to a new site, ya'll!!We hope you will check us out at www.empoweringmomblog.com where we will continue to provide you with our personal accounts of lives as business owners and moms who are determined to reach each dream and goal we have set for ourselves.Thanks so much for checking us out. We hope you'll follow us on our journey and we look forward to following you on

tishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00518150762510183837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6924661762862826476.post-4536544826158974662008-05-22T20:01:00.000-04:002008-05-22T20:05:06.241-04:00

I'm extremely excited because I applied to be one of 7 Millionaires... in Training by Adrian Cartwood. He's some random guy I found online who runs a blog about his 7 year journey to 7+millions, and now he's going to take 7 random people and train them to do the same. It's part of his Grand Experiment.I applied - totally not expecting much out of it, and then discovered I was featured on his blog

debbiedragonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6924661762862826476.post-66234643428803120322008-05-17T08:18:00.001-04:002008-05-17T08:23:46.692-04:00

Operating a business today is not easy. Operating a successful business and turning a profit is even harder. There is no secret code to solve. No million dollar answer to provide relief. I have managed in the restaurant industry for over 20 years. Over that time I have had the opportunity to work with many great leaders. They shared their wealth of knowledge with me. Let me pass a little on to

debbiedragonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6924661762862826476.post-54762550118528793272008-05-06T09:45:00.000-04:002008-05-06T10:57:03.988-04:00

Dane Carlson's site http://www.business-opportunities.biz/offers an excellent article reconfirming our belief that acting on your passion for whatever you love to do can be not only worth it but incredibly successful. Visit Dane's site here and check out the article. Keep aspiring and moving forward and you too can acheive great things!Happy Tuesday!

tishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00518150762510183837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6924661762862826476.post-87442703576507262012008-05-02T15:15:00.001-04:002008-05-02T15:55:18.679-04:00

Many people wonder what it is I do all day. Some people go as far as to tease me about sitting home and watching tv all day, after all- I am a stay at home mom and to the outside world, that probably seems like what goes on at home...Let's go through the play by play of a typical day for me. We can do Monday of this week- since it's still fresh in my mind and because it's a good representation of

debbiedragonnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6924661762862826476.post-47997160432615073492008-04-28T09:02:00.001-04:002008-04-28T09:06:39.474-04:00

Starting up a business is not for the weak and unmotivated. However, even if you are the most business-minded, ambitious person you know, sometimes it is money that is holding you back from following your dreams.Experts say that it is best to put away 3-6 months worth of living expenses before you attempt to open your doors. Because infant businesses can be so unpredictable income-wise, having a

tishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00518150762510183837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6924661762862826476.post-40746667181190306102008-04-22T15:06:00.000-04:002008-04-22T15:13:09.900-04:00

I'm really proud to announce the launch of our latest site... http://www.makemoneyfromwriting.com/ and let me tell you why!First of all, it's been a long time coming. I've been writing full time, in online markets, for about five years. It wasn't until this past year that I got serious and decided to make the commitment that this 'writing thing' was going to be my career that I realized I could

debbiedragonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6924661762862826476.post-28466980027635151452008-04-11T13:13:00.004-04:002008-04-11T13:32:01.503-04:00

When you work from home, or work for yourself in general - it can be really difficult to keep yourself motivated at times. Working for yourself means there isn't anyone looking over your shoulder to make sure you do what needs to be done. Sometimes just the pressure of knowing that is enough to turn the motivation off! Working for yourself also means you don't always have the success you expected

debbiedragonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6924661762862826476.post-40002528566798382422008-04-10T10:00:00.000-04:002008-04-09T23:28:40.872-04:00

One of the hardest aspects of business for a lot of entrepreneurs is the subject of pricing. Perhaps if you have worked for awhile in the industry in which you have chosen for your profession, you may have a better idea of how to formulate prices to remain competitive. But for many who are starting from scratch, trying to place an accurate value on your product is difficult. It is especially hard

tishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00518150762510183837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6924661762862826476.post-83947525361245281852008-04-09T23:22:00.001-04:002008-04-09T23:25:17.879-04:00

A lot of business people claim they are horrible at marketing. They insist the concept of marketing totally eludes them and they do not possess an ounce of creativity. I must beg to differ. Most of what it takes to make marketing work is common sense. You are the daily target of marketing ploys by other companies. It seems near impossible that you do not have a personal opinion about the tactics

tishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00518150762510183837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6924661762862826476.post-35000659216718819432008-04-04T15:18:00.003-04:002008-04-04T15:30:25.470-04:00

Last week, I took both my children grocery shopping with me. I have two boys, ages 2 and 5. Usually, I try to time my grocery shopping trips so that my husband is home with the kids, and I can just speed through and grab what I need, and get out. I'm also a coupon-clipper, and sale-buyer, so I like to be able to think about what I'm buying and that's not always easy with the kids!So I've got

debbiedragonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6924661762862826476.post-43454812138446404622008-04-01T15:37:00.000-04:002008-04-04T15:38:55.108-04:00

...or April Fool's Day. Hope you have good friends and a loving family!

tishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00518150762510183837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6924661762862826476.post-76889812759743074692008-03-25T15:17:00.000-04:002008-04-04T15:32:43.396-04:00

As a personal choice, I do not use convential credit cards anymore. I choose to do the same for my business. I am "this close" to being out of personal debt and I worked damn hard to get to this point. We do use a check card so we always keep track of our spending and never go over our limit - quite simply because we can't. There are times that I wish I did have a nice line of credit I can rely

tishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00518150762510183837noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6924661762862826476.post-37161502092771812242008-03-18T14:52:00.000-04:002008-04-04T15:16:52.548-04:00

I have been doing a lot of guest posting lately. I have really been impressed with some of the wonderful sites people are putting out there. Many I have been reading have been full of useful information about things I wonder about. They offer a lot of insight and perspective. Some are just straight up funny! It really helps to have a good laugh after a non-stop day of writing. You can only laugh

tishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00518150762510183837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6924661762862826476.post-8660764329758121942008-03-11T14:06:00.003-04:002008-04-04T14:43:58.519-04:00

Only a few more weeks left of the school year. Hard to believe a first year of kindergarten has flown by so fast. I am still trying to come to terms with the fact I have a child in kindergarten, let along being prepared to send her on to the first grade. These are the earliest memories I have in my own mind - and I find it impossible that my own child has now reached that age!When the final

tishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00518150762510183837noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6924661762862826476.post-52066411159515868852008-03-04T13:40:00.004-05:002008-03-04T13:55:13.588-05:00

Totally embarrassing that we have not done a post since last month. Thus the life of the working mother. Taking care of one baby, we managed to neglect the "other baby". It has been a whirlwind around the office. I have discovered that the main thing I didn't like about working in an office for somebody else is because I feel trapped; ergo (a Latin word meaning "therefore") working for myself

tishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00518150762510183837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6924661762862826476.post-57540403990976191792008-02-17T21:08:00.002-05:002008-02-17T21:13:58.690-05:00

So normally, the posts here at Empowering Mom are very specific to working moms and people who are looking to run their own businesses.Today, I thought I'd just take a minute to talk about the Money Ning blog. I love this site- it's a personal finance site that helps you figure out how to save money, budget, plan for retirement, etc. There are even calculators to help you figure out the

debbiedragonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6924661762862826476.post-21793039840671429232008-02-08T08:27:00.000-05:002008-02-08T08:48:19.506-05:00

So okay - this past weekend was groundhog day but sometimes it seems like everyday is groundhog day. Wake up, kid dresses, kid eats, kid gets on the bus, I switch on the computer. Next thing I know, bus is pulling up for the afternoon drop-off. Where the heck did the day go? The weeks? When I started out - I felt I had to find something to do to justify staying at home to work. Those little

tishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00518150762510183837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6924661762862826476.post-70226517381444672102008-01-28T10:53:00.000-05:002008-01-28T11:19:00.466-05:00

Rejection - it's such a suck word. Everyone gets rejected. It starts when we are young.SON: "Mommy, can I have a cookie?" MOMMY: "Nope. Not before dinner." REJECTED! Then it continues on to the teenage years. GIRL: "Bobby, will you dance with Mary?" BOY: "No." REJECTED! And it continues into adulthood.HUSBAND: " How about a little lovin' tonight, honey." WIFE: "Are you crazy? Hell no! I'm tired."

tishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00518150762510183837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6924661762862826476.post-62621517742910642822008-01-24T09:18:00.000-05:002008-01-24T09:32:20.876-05:00

As a mom, nothing is more important to me than my children and family. It's exactly why I run my business from a home office- so I am right here when needed and can effectively (usually) manage to balance both my family life and my work life under one roof. As a business owner- my career is next in line on the ladder of things I consider extremely important in my life. And while I absolutely

debbiedragonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6924661762862826476.post-71082471048913176592008-01-21T12:12:00.000-05:002008-01-21T12:34:12.120-05:00

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! Today is a reminder for me to keep my dreams alive. I hope the same is true for you. If not, make that change and not only follow your dreams, make a resolution to capture them and make them happen. Then dream some more....In an on-going effort to help people acheive their dreams of working for themselves or dreams of becoming a writer, Debbie and I are

tishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00518150762510183837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6924661762862826476.post-23885604987735801102008-01-18T14:33:00.000-05:002008-01-18T14:44:35.820-05:00

Empowering Mom bloggers, Debbie Dragon and Tisha Kulak, have released a brand new e-book, titled "The How-To's And Why's of Hiring a Freelance Writer" The book details what you should know before you hire a writer, how the process of a writing project works, and why you need to hire a writer for your business. It is an inside look at what we do everyday and a guide to ensuring you get the most

tishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00518150762510183837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6924661762862826476.post-76839420533901760552008-01-18T13:03:00.000-05:002008-01-18T14:46:08.277-05:00

You know how you can sit at work all week and not a single thing happens and then Friday at 2pm everyone and your mother needs something from you? Well, that about sums up my week in detail. I have been doing a lot of marketing work for local businesses and probably have sent out hundreds of emails this week. On the writing side, I am awaiting deposits and contracts to be finalized. Not once this

tishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00518150762510183837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6924661762862826476.post-32141279505582809342008-01-16T08:59:00.000-05:002008-01-16T09:00:02.548-05:00

Empowering Mom is delighted to offer a free giveaway.Bingo Records, a leading producer of children’s music, has several award-winning CD’s including Motown Hits for Kids and Beatles Hits for Kids now for sale. We have joined up with Bingo Records to bring you the opportunity to win your very own free copy of the Bingo Records Sampler CD, which contains 15 of the best song compiled from the Bingo

debbiedragonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6924661762862826476.post-29319766454628621412008-01-14T08:12:00.000-05:002008-01-14T09:52:58.999-05:00

My friend Tisha asked me over a week ago to write a story about my Resolutions for bringing in this New Year of 2008 and everyday after work since then, I told myself that I was going to work on that for her… and everyday I couldn’t bring myself to come up with anything to write. As I come in from smoking a cigarette (yes, one of my resolutions that I have broken already), I am thinking about

tishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00518150762510183837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6924661762862826476.post-87248738662504071072008-01-11T08:52:00.000-05:002008-01-12T08:31:55.221-05:00

Tisha's discussion of taking time off when you need it inspired me to talk about the other end of the spectrum- working harder and smarter when you really need to get things done.As a small business owner, there are times when you will be required to put in much longer hours than you planned on. Most of us want to go into business for ourselves because we know we can be a little more flexible

debbiedragonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6924661762862826476.post-9873076627403031342008-01-11T08:16:00.000-05:002008-01-11T08:45:59.478-05:00

It has been a very interesting week around the office. It inspired me to talk about the roller coaster life you lead when working for yourself. Just like in other lives (family, personal, or otherwise) work life tends to be up and down by the moment. One day, sometimes one whole month, goes by and absolutely nothing happens, good or bad. And then the next day, you kind of feel a little down and

tishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00518150762510183837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6924661762862826476.post-9624205816644764122008-01-08T17:08:00.001-05:002008-01-08T17:20:24.333-05:00

I closed out 2007 a frazzled mess for the most part. Inspired by the upcoming New Year, I spent most of December contemplating how I was operating my business and how I was balancing my work and home life (which to most people seem to be one and the same since I work from home, but there is a fine line there that is often crossed over unintentionally- causing all sorts of problems!)For the most

debbiedragonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6924661762862826476.post-48003393720494670092008-01-02T14:02:00.000-05:002008-01-02T14:09:55.365-05:00

Well, it's finally 2008 and for me, it seems as if I am truly starting with a cleaner slate. The end of 2007 was so stressful and I decided to do something about it! So far so good. I have stuck to my schedule and it seems it will work out fine. I even did Pilates this morning!!This was my first full day back at work since the holidays and school vacations and having a schedule/ daily to-do list

tishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00518150762510183837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6924661762862826476.post-38728720321219502272007-12-30T14:14:00.000-05:002007-12-30T14:25:22.098-05:00

Hey Readers!! We wanted you guys to be the first in on this new opportunity! Debbie and I launched a brand new website http://www.reliablewriters.com/ and we are looking for several freelance writers who are looking to establish themselves with RW. If you have writing experience/credentials, are open to writing on any topic, can meet deadlines, have internet connection, and are available at least

tishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00518150762510183837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6924661762862826476.post-25986726260813044812007-12-30T10:18:00.000-05:002007-12-30T10:41:40.327-05:00

I know it has been awhile....apologies all around. The holidays, school vacations, and the like do not always coincide with working at home for yourself. Around this time, I get to work on the bare minimum - the stuff that pays the bills. There is a lot of the mom guilt we discussed earlier around this time of year too! But most things are now on the downslope for me. School will be back in

tishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00518150762510183837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6924661762862826476.post-66075162341249829882007-12-05T08:37:00.000-05:002007-12-05T08:54:24.328-05:00

I neglected to post this earlier when discussing the exploration of talents. So here we go now....In order to continue moving forward once you have explored those talents of yours, you need to pick one or two to focus on. You need to begin honing in on what it is you'd like to do with your own business because from now on you will be doing RESEARCH RESEARCH and more RESEARCH.While being a child

tishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00518150762510183837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6924661762862826476.post-16767140404514257922007-12-05T08:18:00.000-05:002007-12-05T08:43:24.955-05:00

The holiday season is here...time to play catch up!Now, you've got your ideas swirling in your head. You've found your confidence and you are raring to go. But where do you go next? This is the hard work part of it all - the business part. I will admit that just thinking about doing the business end of things on my own sent me into a tizzy. There are enough twists and turns to make you want to

tishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00518150762510183837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6924661762862826476.post-84545020410610484032007-11-29T12:33:00.000-05:002007-11-29T12:37:37.347-05:00

I AM...I am the mother of four beautiful, talented and gifted children. I am the wife of a loving, thoughtful and giving husband. In accordance with that, on any given day, I am also a trainer, teacher, provider, chef, chauffer, cheerleader, doctor, laundress, housekeeper and referee in my household. But beneath it all, I am Juanita Danielle, a dreamer, an artist, a poet, lover of music, art,

tishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00518150762510183837noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6924661762862826476.post-73776730112888036612007-11-21T07:58:00.000-05:002007-11-21T08:27:24.676-05:00

While there are a few different ways to earn money from home, this blog is primarily focused on people who want to start their own businesses- maybe you hope to become a freelance writer, virtual administrative assistant, bookkeeper- the idea is that you are going solo and working for yourself rather than for someone else. Owning your own business means you're doing so much more than your actual

debbiedragonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6924661762862826476.post-76047554338309070502007-11-18T16:48:00.000-05:002007-11-18T17:03:50.749-05:00

Taking a step back for a minute, I want to go back to one of the ultimate deal breakers if you think you want to work for yourself. That's C-O-N-F-I-D-E-N-C-E. If you don't have any, you don't stand a chance. Confidence, or lack there of, is probably the thing that kept me from starting in the begining. I also think it took me becoming a mom to find that some of the confidence I needed. Although,

tishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00518150762510183837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6924661762862826476.post-28989483205220714162007-11-16T14:46:00.000-05:002007-11-16T15:01:35.250-05:00

I used to hate it when someone would ask me "What do you do for a living?" because I never knew quite how to answer the question. Do I say I'm a stay-at-home mom of two boys? Do I say I'm a writer? Both are correct, but telling people you are a writer for a living always opens the floodgates to a million other questions, like "Oh, what have you published?!" I know it's out of curiosity and

debbiedragonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6924661762862826476.post-3474500103897770732007-11-14T13:46:00.000-05:002007-11-14T14:14:32.137-05:00

One of my biggest pet peeves is when people waste their natural talent. This is almost an obsession of mine. When I find people who possess any kind of creative talent or other natural ability, I immediately feel it is my duty to make that person do something with it! Anything - just do SOMETHING! I realize not everyone is ambitious (and slightly off the rocker) as I am but YOU JUST CAN'T WASTE

tishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00518150762510183837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6924661762862826476.post-12492914634510439422007-11-13T21:41:00.000-05:002007-11-14T14:25:58.733-05:00

Once you’ve decided you should work from home, regardless of what your own unique and personal reasons are, you have three basic choices- and yes, you should have an idea which of the three types of work at home varieties is ideal for you.For people who work from home, they are either:A) Operating a home-based business on a independent contract agreement, like Tastefully Simple, Tupperware, or

debbiedragonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6924661762862826476.post-52018636780466289662007-11-12T18:50:00.000-05:002007-11-14T14:15:27.717-05:00

For me there was no question about it. I was destined to work for myself. I have known that for a long time. Still, I lacked confidence so I worked for other people. But I just didn’t belong in someone else’s office. While the time I spent working in those other offices have been some of the best times of my life, where I made lifelong friends who I treasure more than words can express, working

tishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00518150762510183837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6924661762862826476.post-91286060644312869052007-11-10T20:40:00.000-05:002007-11-14T14:25:15.891-05:00

I always knew I would be a mom someday, I just didn't know that someday would come as soon as it did. My first son was born just a few months after I graduated from the College of St Rose- and so the Computer Informations System degree I worked so hard to earn suddenly didn't seem as important once I had a cuddly baby in my arms! I didn't want to put him in day care, but our newly expanded family

debbiedragonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6924661762862826476.post-1839107217905748062007-11-09T11:50:00.000-05:002007-11-14T14:13:23.613-05:00

I’ll be the first to admit, I wasn’t the mother type.When I envisioned my future, there wasn’t a white picket fence in sight. So now five years into motherhood, I find it ironic that the little person I brought into this world is the same person who brought me where I am today. That’s a big job for a little kid but I can take some of the credit too because I finally stopped dreaming – and started

tishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00518150762510183837noreply@blogger.com0