The Mad Mom's Manifesto

Start It Up - Fresno's $250k Entrepreneurial Challenge

Seems like an interesting contest, the $100 entry fee is a little steep, but worth it (of course) if you win!

"Start It Up" (SIU) is open to all United States residents, age 18 or older. Individuals or teams with a maximum of five members are eligible to compete. Participants do not have to be students or alumni of a certain college, nor must they be residents of the city of Fresno. All that's required is an innovative concept, a well-written business plan, and the desire to win!

Grand Prize winner walks away with $250,000 prize - $100,000 in cash plus $150,000 in in-kind support (i.e. office furniture, professional services, office equipment, etc.).

Click here for more details.

Resources for Mamapreneurs

Thinking of starting your business or knee-deep in diapers and entrepreneurial pursuits? Entrepreneur.com has a great page with plenty of articles and resources for mom-owned businesses.

How Important Are Promotional Items?

There’s an article on Writer's Weekly called, "How Many Bookmarks And Personalized Pencils Make A Best Seller? None!!" Of course, I read it with great interest since I'm promoting my book, Baby Modeling & Beyond. Angela, the author of the article and owner of the site (love her site!) brought up some very good points. Most people will use your bookmarks or postcards as crumb pushers and will eventually file them under "T" for trash.

Online marketing, on the other hand, where you get your articles and podcasts on as many sites and blogs as possible, is priceless. Not only does it get your message out there, but you can capitalize off the impulse buyers, those who will click on a link and buy your book or product after reading your excerpt or article. It's affordable pr and marketing because a lot of it you can do yourself.

I don’t totally agree that bookmarks and other collateral are played out. Targeted leave-behinds and mailings can be extremely effective. I use the Mompack to distribute my bookmarks and business cards...after all, moms are my audience. I especially love to target the moms who are leaving fillers at doctor's offices, school fairs, and anything pregnancy related.

Your leave behind has to have the right message though. I love using Got Print because they offer affordable printing and it allows me to test different messages. I noticed that using business cards or postcards with my book and a few bullet points did much better then when I sent out bookmarks with only my website and tag line on it. Bottom line though, you have to be actively promoting your product in a targeted manner or else you're just wasting time and money.

Cellphone Popcorn Hoax - Viral Marketing Genius

The makers of that cellphone video I posted below came clean and admitted that it was a hoax. Read the story here. They said 4.1 million people saw it. What entrepreneur wouldn't want their product seen by that many people? Only problem is that in its quest to be "authentic" the makers placed their product - headsets - in the video. So while the video definitely gets you thinking about radiation and maybe using a headset, it doesn't get you to thinking about their headsets. REally makes me think about how to use video to sell my products.

Two New Grant Opportunities - Free Money

Who said there's no money out there? Check out two opportunities below for women-centric organizations. Need help writing a grant proposal? Here's a great resource to help you with grant writing.

The New York Women's Foundation is accepting applications for its second grant cycle of 2008.

The foundation funds organizations and programs within the five boroughs of New York City that have developed strategies to move low-income women and girls toward long-term economic security.
While the foundation supports direct service programs, it has a strong interest in community organizing and advocacy strategies in order to bring about meaningful and sustainable institutional change.

The foundation welcomes proposals from organizations and/or programs that are tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or have a fiscal sponsor that is; are located within and serve the five boroughs of New York City; have been in existence for at least six months; are working toward gender, racial, economic, and social justice; are designed specifically for low-income women and girls while addressing critical needs of disadvantaged and/or marginalized populations; and emphasize community organizing and/or advocacy strategies in order to create meaningful institutional change in their communities. Deadline: June 30, 2008

The Open Meadows Foundation is a grantmaking organization for projects that are led by and benefit women and girls. Open Meadows funds projects that do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, age,
or ability.

The foundation offers grants of up to $2,000 each to projects that are designed and implemented by women and girls; reflect the diversity of the community served by the project; promote community power, as well as racial, social, economic, and environmental justice; and have limited access to financial resources or have encountered obstacles in their search for funding. Organizational budgets should not exceed $150,000.

Small and start-up organizations are strongly encouraged to apply. Proposals from organizations not previously funded will be given priority. Deadline: August 15, 2008

A Little Bit of Everything at Moomettes' Magnificents Olde Towne Shoppes

Another featured mamapreneur is Cindi Matthews owner of Moomettes' Magnificents Olde Towne Shoppes. If you're looking for unique gift ideas, give them a click. Aren't the Squeakers just too cute? After being employed as a paralegal, she decided to throw her hat into the entrepreneurial arena to become a work-at-home-grandmother. She's also an ebay power seller, you should definitely check out her blog because she offers plenty of advice and tips for those who are looking to start their own online business.

This Is Your Brain On A Cellphone - Popcorn!

Hmm, what do you think of this video? I know being on the go all the time makes a cell phone necessary. Do you think it's any truth to the link between cell phone usage and brain cancer? Check out this video.

Mommy Make-Over

Saw this casting for a brand new lifestyle show with Real Simple on TLC:

Are you a successful woman who loves her life, but sometimes feels overwhelmed by everything on your "to-do" list? A working professional who can manage an entire marketing team, but not your own personal calendar? A stay-at home mom who keeps the house running smoothly, but can never find time for yourself? If you're looking for ways to spend less time doing what you HAVE to do and more time doing what you really WANT to do, we're looking for you.
Real Simple is coming to TV with a brand new lifestyle makeover series. We're looking for women with winning personalities who long to make their lives less complicated and even more rewarding. We want to hear your story! Tell us about yourself, your life and the people in it (kids, husbands, boyfriends, bosses, in-laws, you name it!), your typical day, the things you have to get done, and the things you'd love to do one of these days. Most importantly, tell us why you'd like a Real Simple lifestyle makeover.
We look forward to getting to know you.
Please email us at casting@bnent.com and tell us why you would be a great candidate for our show by Wednesday June 30, 2008! In addition to telling us why we should choose you for a Real Simple lifestyle makeover, be sure to include the following:

Your name
Your age
Your marital status
What city you reside in (you must live within the greater Los Angeles area)
Do you rent or own your home?
Photos of yourself
Photos of the areas in your life that need a makeover
Photos of the people in your everyday life (spouse, parent, sibling, best friend, kids, co-worker, etc.)

Please visit us at: myspace.com/realsimpletvshow