For my year blogoversary, I decided that I needed to get an update and make sure that my readers were going to be able to navigate through my site with ease. This meant having to hire a Web Designer and a Graphic Designer (KolbeDesign) to give my website the boost that it needed. I knew that Shara’s (Mommy Perks) husband Rick from Design Media Pros is a Web Designer by profession so I called upon him to reconfigure my website with a pre-designed updated WordPress Template. The great thing was that he was able to customize sections for me and help me work through any issues that I was having. It was great using him as a mentor to teach me how to work with this wordpress theme, but still allow me to be able to manage my content. This website was great for the time being but alas I was still looking for more.

1.**Tip: If Web Content Management System is important to you, make sure that you find someone that is willing to work with you on this. This is one of my main criteria for finding a web designer because after 1200 posts, there is no way I was going to turn over that power to someone else, plus I don’t have billions of dollars to pay someone to control that part of my website for me.

Now on my third design, I’m determined to make this one exactly like I want it to be. So, I set out on a search to find a web designer that understood what I wanted and understand my lack of knowledge or correct usage of the web design lingo. Most times I say what I want but don’t know how to translate that into Web speak, so I just hope that the designers can figure out what I’m saying.

2.**Tip: if you are thinking about building a website or redesigning a website, make sure you do your homework. Research prices, look at the web designer’s portfolio to see if it matches your personality, and see if you can get any referrals. This is how I came to find both Rick and my current web designer, Tabatha from Tickled Pink Designz.

I was looking for a fresh new, girlier look to my site. I was so excited to be working Tabatha because I just had this feeling that she and I were going to be on the same wavelength. I loved the other sites that she had created and worked on and was excited to see what she could do with Living My MoMent.

3.**Tip: Make sure you know exactly (or close to) what you want when contacting a web designer. They will usually run your quote off of what you tell them. Most things that you want to add on in the future will cost you more (usually an hourly rate).

I learned my lesson the hard way, but that’s just because my mind is constantly moving and I wanted to add two time consuming new sections to my website, which resulted in a lot of code writing for Tabatha!

4.**Tip: When trying to decide on what you want your site to look like, take a look at other sites to see what it is about them that you like and don’t like and get ideas from there.

I visited probably 10 different websites while working on this last revision to see what I liked about different websites and didn’t like. I then showed these sections to my web designer and she told me how we could incorporate it into mine. As a result, we have a whole new look and I can’t wait to show to everyone.

We will also have a new section where readers can shop and review products from the businesses listed on the site. Businesses will be able to list their product and have a  link back to their website where the customer can buy directly from them. In return, we will have an area like many Big Box companies where the customers will be able to give the product a star rating and write a written review to share with others about how they like the product. This is a great way for small businesses to get their products noticed and to have great reviews written about them and their ideas!

If this is something that you would be interested in getting involved with and you want to list your product(s) then please contact Marketing@livingmymoment.com for more information. (We are taking a brief hiatus from this service).

5. My Last Tip: Remember that websites are always a work in progress and if you have a very extensive idea remember that it probably won’t be done in a week or even a month. There are always things that come up and need to be dealt with in order to make your website just like you want it. But as long as you have an idea that keeps people coming back for more than time is on your side. Just be patient!

If you are redesigning a website, make sure that your current one can still be used and that you are able to continue building your brand and add more content with great SEO to your site.

What is your business and how did it get started.
My business is called always B designs, and I make custom stationery & gifts. These items include pre-made scrapbooks that the client just adds photos to, decorated clipboards, domino/scrabble tile/bottle cap pendants, and stationery (invites, biz cards, etc.). I started in 2008 when I left teaching to start a family and wanted something creative to do from home. I also write and edit on a freelance basis, so I’m definitely busy and happy since I started my business.

Between Family and Work, what is your “typical” day look like?

My typical day, hmm… Well, I get up around 8:30 every day, take care of the four-legged kids, and then settle in to begin one of my three jobs (I also work for Mommy Bag Marketing, Inc as the Staff Development Manager and Texas Coordinator, and for AWAIonline.com). It may sound nice to be able to work from home, but I’m usually putting out fires somewhere, and I get distracted easily.. I also try to spend as much time with my husband as possible, so we don’t usually end our day until around 10:30 or so.

What keeps you motivated?
This is an easy question: the fact that I want to be a stay at home mom. And also that I love what I do, that helps. But, once my husband and I do have kids of our own, I would like my business to be able to afford us the ability for me to stay at home full-time.

What are your biggest struggles with your business?
The biggest struggles would probably be growing my customer base and keeping the business running. This is because when I started the business, I did it with a $1,000 tax refund, and that’s the only money that ever went into the business from our personal money. We didn’t take out any loans, and the business has completely supported itself, even staying in the black every year. But, this makes it difficult to grow the customer base because I don’t have a lot of money for advertising or big expenditures that could help the business grow faster. Also, it’s hard to find time to devote to the business since I had to take a part-time job to help us put money towards having a baby.

And on the flip side, what is your biggest accomplishment?
This is actually the same answer as the biggest struggles question. I’m proud that the business didn’t need financial help or business loans, that I raised it from nothing. And I’m proud that I’m able to keep the business alive even with everything we’ve got going on in our personal lives.

What advice do you have for other MoMs and DaDs in small business?
Don’t give up. It’s easy to get overwhelmed when life takes over, but think of your reason for starting the business; think about what keeps you motivated. Also, on the flip side, know when to quit. Don’t let the business take over your life or become your life – remember your priorities. I know, that probably didn’t help at all. Maybe I should have said: ‘Find a good balance between life and work’.

Do you have any long term goals for your business?
My long term goals include making the business into something that can help allow me to stay at home once we have children. Also, growing it so that it becomes the go-to business for custom work, as everything I do is custom and can be tailored to suit the client – no one else will have what you have (with some exceptions). I’d also like to grow my freelance writing/editing more – I’ve written for magazines, poetry books, blogs, etc. and been the editor of two books and the same magazine I wrote for, so I’ve got a good start. Oh, and one day I am going to write a book.

What are you three favorite websites?
Well, yours of course.  But three others? Probably The Work at Home Woman – www.theworkathomewoman.com because she is a big help to women who have the goal of working out of their homes and her site is fun; Ink Obsession Designs – www.inkobsessiondesigns.com because Erin is a great gal with awesome skills and she is willing to share and collaborate with others in her same field; and Mashable – www.mashable.com because they have great articles on marketing, which every biz owner can use tips on.

Anything else you would like to add!
Hmm… I think you covered it all. I’d love to meet new people that I can help or vice versa and new potential customers – everyone is welcome to connect with me!  I’m pretty friendly and don’t bite. Also, I would like to say thank you to you for interviewing me!

What ways can people get in touch with you?
Blog – always B designs (www.alwaysbdesigns.blogspot.com)
Facebook – always B designs (www.facebook.com/alwaysbdesigns)
Website – www.alwaysbdesigns.com – phone and email are on here as well as a contact form and a newsletter opt-in form
Twitter – @alwaysBdesigns (www.twitter.com/alwaysbdesigns)

Tell us about your family:

I’m married to a great guy named Ray and together we have two boys, 6 and 4. We are currently in the process and hoping to adopt a baby girl to complete our family. You can read more about our adoption journey at: http://www.makingourfamilycomplete.com.

What is your business and how did it get started?

My business is the Cushie Pushie Company. Our signature product is the Cushie Pushie Breast Support Pillow. I came up with the idea for the Cushie Pushie when I was breastfeeding my second son. I seemed to be constantly holding my breast in the correct position and I desperately needed that second hand to keep my 2 and ½ year old busy. I knew there was a need but it took me almost 2 years to come up with the correct design.

Between Family and Work, what is your “typical” day look like?

Life as a working mom is busy to say the least. During the week, I’m up at 5am and head to the gym before being at my full-time job by 7am. I work until 4:30pm then pick up the boys from school. When the weather is nice, we usually try to head to the park, go for a walk or play outside, before dinner. Bedtime is 8:30pm for the boys and then it’s time to work on my 2^nd job, the Cushie Pushie. My goal is to try to hit bed sometime before midnight and do it all again the next day. The weekends are a different story and it’s family time. We go to the gym and then spend family time together.

What keeps you motivated?

It is not always easy to stay motivated but I know how important breastfeeding is. If we can do anything to help me make it easier it makes it all worth while.

What are your biggest struggles with your business?

The biggest struggles are to keep going even when business maybe slow and life seems to be crazy busy.

And on the flip side, what is your biggest accomplishment?
Our biggest accomplishment was when we were selected as one of the Top 100 Women Owned Business in 2009. It was a great honor to be voted to receive this.

What advice do you have for other MoMs and DaDs in small business?
The biggest piece of advice I have is to continually prioritize. Sometimes family comes first and sometimes you need to put the TV on and do some work or give up a little sleep to get that order out.

Do you have any long term goals for your business?

In the short-term, we’d like to stay small when the boys are young, but eventually we’d love to get bigger and be sold in retail stores. This is why it is so important for us to get a patent on our product which we are in the process of doing.

What are you three favorite websites?

Well, of course we love Living Your MoMent! Other favorites include “I Should be Folding Laundry” and “5 Minutes for Mom.”

How are you Living Your MoMent?

I must admit it is not always easy to do but, I’m balancing family, a full-time job and a business, what more do I have the right to want.

What ways can people get in touch with you?

People can get in touch with me at:

http://www.cushiepushie.com

marketing@cushiepushie.com

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cushie-PushieTM-Breast-Support-Pillow/63307826496

http://twitter.com/cushiepushie

Week #18: Six Month Sex Challenge—Being passive-aggressive feels good in the moment, but it only makes things more difficult in the long run.

Lesson I learned from last week: If you’re having a difficult time communicating, there are tools like A Private Affair game to help you start proactive communication.

This is a good news and bad news week

The good news…I’m into my skinny jeans (holy cow!)

I couldn’t believe it. Emboldened by seeing my clothes looser around my childbearing hips I thought, “Why don’t I see how far I can bring my skinny jeans up my thighs.” I pulled them up and did up the button—I can even breath and sit down. Genuinely astonished!

The bad news…I’m only human

My passive aggressive side came out this week.

Over the last few weeks I’ve been hearing soft murmurings from my husband, “Well, I only get sex once a week….” It then escalated to, “I only get sex once a week, and it’s always what you want to do.”

I did attempt to have the proactive and constructive conversations you’re suppose to have in these moments. They sort of worked, but he kept on complaining.

So I did what I usually do when I’m really mad: dig in my heels and become extremely stubborn. “If he wants to have sex,” I thought to myself—without consulting him of course, “he’ll have to make it work.”

Oh, did I mention that in the same breath where he’s complaining, he also casually reveals, “I’m playing hockey four times this week, three times at night and once during the kids weekend nap.”

Since I’ve started this sex quest, I’ve had a devil of a time trying to figure out times to have sex. Between two little kids, my husband playing hockey and my complete disinterest in waiting until after 9:30 p.m. to have sex, it’s been a real juggling act to figure out a good time.

Alas, passive-aggressive girl just sat back and said, “Okay hot-shot, you want sex more than once this week, go ahead. Make it happen.”

Well, it didn’t happen. Not even once.

Do I feel better having made my point? Not really. I find in these moments the lack-of-communicating-around-a-sensitive-issue mess I’ve made still has to be cleaned up the following week. When I go to clean it up, it’s an even bigger mess. Never worth it.

Now, I’ve got to try to have that conversation with my husband. Sucks to be me.
Great monthly sex advice delivered to your inbox at http://bestsextipsever.com or read an excerpt from Dr. Trina’s book Till Sex Do Us Part at http://tillsexdouspart.com

Sexologist, Dr. Trina Read is a best selling author, sex coach and international speaker. Go to http://trinaread.com to find out more.

Disclaimer: The thoughts and views of this author are their personal opinion and . While Living My MoMent is posting these articles, if there are any issues with the material please contact Dr. Trina Read personally. We also want our readers to know that these articles are meant for married couples and we are not promoting pre-marital sex or porn.

Week #17—Six Month Sex Challenge: Talking about sex is incredibly important; but talking about sex is awkward and can put a couple off of sex.

Lesson I learned from last week: Shower sex just got a lot more fun with shower sex accessories.

If I had a nickel…

If I had a nickel for every time I’ve said, “Great sex starts with great communication”, well, I’d be retired to the Bahamas by now.

Most couples know this to be true. I believe most couples do want to have an open, honest and transparent communication with their partner. However, proactive communication is tricky at the best of times. Over the long haul, it gets muddled with couple shorthand, ego landmines and eyes glazing over when certain topics are brought up.

Communicating effectively doesn’t have to be difficult; it just takes both people committed to making it work. The problem usually lies with how can a couple start the process.

A Private Affair Game

I came across this game called A Private Affair (*see description below) and thought it might be one way for couples to start communicating about their sex life.

The instructions say, “Although you can play this game at home, or almost anywhere, we recommend that you first take the game with you for a dinner date.”

Dinner date?!? Like a date night? Gosh, that’s something my husband and I haven’t done for probably a year. So I asked my mom to take care of the kids. Showered and dressed in my few grown up clothes—which are so incredibly out of fashion that wearing a paper bag would (almost) be more in style. Drove to my favorite restaurant where I met my husband (he pulled my chair out for me…I just about fell over with confusion.)

So far, so good. Next set of instructions. “It’s best to play the game slowly, throughout an entire meal; (main course and dessert!) So, after your food has been ordered, discreetly place a small pile of cards face down on the table where both of you can reach them.

Putting the cards and notepad on the table wasn’t as awkward as I thought it might be. Asking the questions, though, was a mixed bag.

Each card gives a thought provoking question which is a double edged sword, as you really have to think about your answers. This is good because it makes you think about your partner and your relationship. Yet, for each and every question: my husband and I started with raised eyebrows as we read our card; an exhalation of air as we thought; and a confused, “I’m not sure how to answer this…”

Granted, neither of us come up with a snappy response at the best of times; add to this my constant low level hum of exhaustion and even making sense of some of the question was a bit tough.

One question sparked some good conversation; the others questions, not so much.

My Thoughts on A Private Affair

Loved, loved, loved that we had an excuse to go out for a date night. Really a lot of fun and much needed.

If you are a couple who is having a difficult time talking about sex, this could be a good game for you. Suggestion: You can pick a card every day, think about it and then bring it up with your partner later on.

This game won’t make you horny for sex; yet it will enable you to get more comfortable talking about sex…which, after a bit of practice, will definitely help in all areas of your sex life. The effort will be incredibly beneficial to your long term sex.

My Husband’s thoughts on A Private Affair

He gives it a 6/10. He feels the cards create a contrived conversation that create a lot of awkward moments. He also feels that the more he played the game, the less sexual he felt. He believes that much talking is far more appealing to a woman than it is to a man. (Which got my hackles up but he has a point—women, generally, like to talk; men show their emotions in a more physical way.)

(This blog is dedicated to Dean Wilde who died this week. RIP)
Great monthly sex advice delivered to your inbox at http://bestsextipsever.com or read an excerpt from Dr. Trina’s book Till Sex Do Us Part at http://tillsexdouspart.com

Sexologist, Dr. Trina Read is a best selling author, sex coach and international speaker. Go to http://trinaread.com to find out more.

Disclaimer: The thoughts and views of this author are their personal opinion and . While Living My MoMent is posting these articles, if there are any issues with the material please contact Dr. Trina Read personally. We also want our readers to know that these articles are meant for married couples and we are not promoting pre-marital sex or porn.

Find out about the MoM behind the business:

I love Art, sports, reading, my family and of course, anything Disney!

Tell us about your family:

I will be married 12 years this fall, and I have two VERY active sons, ages 11 and 6. We live in Massachusetts.

What is your business and how did it get started.

After college, I was working retail as a Manager. After the birth of my second son, I decided I wanted to take my passion for Disney and be able to work from home.  Over the next few years, I worked for two agencies where I learned a lot about myself and what I could do.  After some serious soul-searching, I decided to take it to the next level and go out on my own.  I own Travel with the Magic, a FREE Disney Vacation planning service.  We do book other destinations and cruises, but our the focus is on Disney and its destinations.  We offer free itinerary planning, advanced dining reservations, help with tickets, tours, and so much more.  We work very hard to make sure you are getting the best deal possible.  Disney has so much to offer through their various products, such as Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and Adventures By Disney.  We can help you plan a Magical vacation at a great price and remember, our services are free!

Between Family and Work, what is your “typical” day look like?

A typical day is non-stop!  During the school year, I start out my day by answering some emails and getting the kids ready for school.  Once they are safely off, then I get to work.  Since I have set up a home office, it is much easier to balance family and work.  Usually, I spend quite a bit of time online checking emails, answering calls and working on clients files, as well as their dining options, and looking for the most current discounts.  Recently, I have added new agents, so I am assisting them with their questions and training, including work on my website and creating a strong brand.  When the kids come home, it’s all about homework, snacks, and then making dinner.  It can be a long day, but I love it so it doesn’t feel like work.

What keeps you motivated?

I am a self-starter, and I just keep pushing myself to grow my business and to learn more.  No one knows everything, so you have to stay engaged in the product and destinations so you can sell them and their value to your clients.  Each client is different, so are their needs, and the more I know, the better prepared I am to serve my clients.  I never want a client to call me unhappy–I want them to have the best possible vacation!

What are your biggest struggles with your business?

Finding a way to get it all done and to continue growing the business.

And on the flip side, what is your biggest accomplishment?

I think where I have come in the last year is amazing.  I left my last company, and went out own my own.  I have grown my business, and now I have agents working for the company. If you had told me a year ago this is where I would be, I wouldn’t have believed you.  It hasn’t always been smooth, but it’s been fun and challenging.  I definitely know a lot more now than I did a year ago.  I think my determination and willingness to go the extra mile for my clients sets me apart.

What advice do you have for other MoMs and DaDs in small business?

Use your PASSION!  If you love something and are good at it, then use that to fuel you.

Do you have any long term goals for your business?

I have a yearly sales goal this year, and I want to increase every year.  Next year, my goals will include more agents and helping others who have a passion for Disney Travel as well.

What are you three favorite websites?

* www.magicchatlive.com I spent time here chatting Disney with people and reading about new things at Disney and Disney trip reports

* www.facebook.com I spend time here posting about my family and my job.  I think its a good way to keep in touch with people and help spread the word about my services.

* www.twitter.com With Twitter, I have an opportunity to catch many people with 140 characters.  It’s a good way to network with many people who share common interests, as well as building up Travel with the Magic’s brand identity.

How are you Living Your MoMent?

I am happy.  I love my family and my job!

Anything else you would like to add!
Keep working at what you love doing–make it work for you!
What ways can people get in touch with you?
Toll Free 800-670-4312 ext 123
KellyR@travelwiththemagic.com

Not until a couple weeks ago, did I let my hair down and decide that I would let her help me cook dinner. Sometimes, I have to remind myself that everything in the kitchen and on our bodies can be washed so I let her go to town!

At 2.5 years old, I feel like there are tons of things she can do to help me out in the kitchen. Not only does it give her a sense of ownership to the food that we will eat for dinner, but she is also learning about time management when cooking and how to measure ingredients out.

The first thing that we did was measure out the rice to put in the rice cooker. This is fun for her because she gets to scoop out the rice and then pour it into the pot. Her favorite part of cooking rice is getting to press the start button. Our fancy schmancy rice cooker plays “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” when it starts the cooking process and then plays it again when the rice is all finished.

Moving on from the rice, I decided to make our own Panko crusted chicken nuggets. Although, she was not allowed to handle the raw egg in coating process, she was able to scoop the flour and the panko crumbs and then put it in the bowl. I did the actual coating and sauteing of the chicken of course. But while I was doing that. I gave her a fresh bowl of flour, some red wine vinegar to pour into her flour and some old crackers to coat herself.

She had a blast getting to coat her own food and by the time she was done “making her food” our dinner was ready. Even Jakey participated in his own way by just being present in the room and listening to how we do things in the kitchen.

After this experience, I have given Luci more opportunities to help with meals in the kitchen. She does everything from spreading Peanut Butter and Jelly onto her toast and helping me cut her bread to stirring the Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter mixture when we made Puppy Chow (Monkey Munch: Recipe to follow) the other day. She now is so excited about helping in the kitchen that she always asks if she can do things. Her newest thing is pushing the buttons on the microwave to defrost food and helping me make baby food by throwing the fruits into the cooking pot. At 2.5 years old, I think I have a budding chef on my hands!

If you have never had Puppy Chow (Monkey Munch) this is a great recipe to try out with your kids. They will devour the whole thing:

Melt:

2 cups of Chocolate Chips

1 cup of Peanut Butter

2-3 tablespoons of Butter

Mix Together the above ingredients and a box of Rice Chex.

Then take approximately 1-2 cups of Powdered Sugar and put it in a resealable bag with the Rice Chex and shake till all the Chocolate Mixture is coated white.

To make sure it doesn’t get soggy, lay the cereal out on wax paper to cool! Enjoy!

Week #16 Six Month Sex Challenge: Shower Sex is even better with fun shower sex accessories!

Lesson I learned from last week: Being a new mom isn’t what zaps my libido; therefore supposed pills and potions that help arousal probably aren’t going to work.

Ode to Shower Sex

Oh shower sex how I love thee. You’re fun, easy, convenient…and quick (because sometimes there is only a tiny bit of time when both children are napping and sex is possible.)

I love being lathered all over with yummy smelling body washes and a girly-loofah. Feeling the warm water cascade down my body—I always hog the water and my husband (who knows he is going to get sex) is more than happy to accommodate. Bodies all slippery and slidy against one another. I’m clean before, during and after.

Throw in some Pink silicone lube that’s discretely hiding behind the shampoo and you have yourself one fun sex party! There’s really nothing I can say against shower sex, other than if things get a bit vigorous, there’s a chance of slippage. And now even that is but a distant memory.

Shower Sex Just Got Better!

Just imagine then ladies and gentlemen—drum roll please—shower sex just got better! Yes, it’s really true. Sport Sheets (http://sportsheets.com) has come out with an incredible line of shower sex accessories. Thank goodness this challenge was a perfect excuse to try them out.

Although Sportsheets has a complete line of shower sex products, I only asked for three things: the Dual Handle, the Single Locking Footrest and the Vibrating Sponge (*see product description below).

All of the handles lock securely in place with two heavy-duty suction cups. They’ll stick to any smooth surface—glass, tiles over four inches wide, fiberglass—and once you’ve pressed them into place, you simply push down the levers on each end and they’ll stay there for as long as you want them to.

The products look like something that would go into a shower so if you ‘forget’ about them and your kids/ mom/ friends see it, they won’t have a clue that they are meant for sex.

My thoughts on Shower Sex Accessories

We have the perfect sex shower in our downstairs; however, because it’s made of small tile the handle and footrest couldn’t suction. Major bummer! We had to use the upstairs shower and the first order of business was to remove all the kid’s (mood killer) bath toys.

Next was putting up the accessories which I let my husband do. It’s super easy to attach and we both had fun hanging off the dual handle just to see how strong it was. I really liked the footrest and can see me shaving my legs with it at other times.

Having the added leverage and handle to grab did make a big difference to sex. It made sex feel much safer and therefore allowed me to get more into the sex. Plus there’s a lot more opportunity to try different positions or ideas.

I’m really pleased with this line and want to get a few more products for future showers.

My husbands thoughts on Shower Sex Accessories

The only tricky thing about this product line is figuring out ahead of time where to place the handle and footrest. So my engineer minded husband thought (all week) where they should be placed in the shower. His placement ideas were alright but needed to be tweaked. His engineering ego was a bit bruised so he didn’t give the product a rating. (I told him he needs to rethink the placement for the next time we have shower sex—which placated him.)

Great monthly sex advice delivered to your inbox at http://bestsextipsever.com or read an excerpt from Dr. Trina’s book Till Sex Do Us Part at http://tillsexdouspart.com

Sexologist, Dr. Trina Read is a best selling author, sex coach and international speaker. Go to http://trinaread.com to find out more.

Disclaimer: The thoughts and views of this author are their personal opinion and . While Living My MoMent is posting these articles, if there are any issues with the material please contact Dr. Trina Read personally. We also want our readers to know that these articles are meant for married couples and we are not promoting pre-marital sex or porn.

What you’ll learn in this step-by-step guide:

#1 A brief introduction to the explosion of the internet

#2 How to identify your passions and ideal prospects

#3 How to create a brand you

#4 How to start a “marketing” hub to attract prospects

#5 How to create high quality content i.e. copywriting, SEO that adds value to your readers

#8 How to use different marketing funnels to market your blog

#9 How to make money right away while ramping up your primary business

: Additional free resources and recommended products

To download your free copy >>> http://marketingdirectsales.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/9-Powerful-Strategies-for-Turning-Your-Passion-into-Profit.pdf

Janette Stoll is a WAHM and teaches direct sales and work at home entrepreneurs how to leverage the power of the internet to build a successful online presence. For more free tips >>> www.marketingdirectsales.com

Tell us about your family:

I am wife to a sweet, supportive and very loving man, Andy. He works for Wells Fargo and is getting licensed right now to do investments. We have a sweet Boxer and an adorable, spunky little 2 year-old-boy named Kelton.

What is your business and how did it get started?

I am a Star Stylist for Stella & Dot, a social selling company that sells trendy, modern and vintage-inspired jewelry. I started when I was laid off from my 8 years in Corporate America and had an infant at home.

Between Family and Work, what is your “typical” day look like?

Our typical day varies from day to day. We usually do emailing and facebook checking after breakfast and then hit the gym. After that we come home and eat, watch Elmo and sometimes Barney on PBS. (No cable in our house) Then it is naptime and working time for me. Then I typically take Kelton to the pool/aquatic center (in the summer) for an hour or two and then go home and get ready for dinner or a trunk show, depending on the agenda. Pretty fun! Wednesdays we add in Storytime at the Library.

What keeps you motivated?

My motivation is my family and our need to provide for our son and our future. We took on a lot of debt with my husband changing careers too and shutting down his own business. I want to be able to not live paycheck to paycheck and each month we are getting a bit closer!

What are your biggest struggles with your business?

My biggest struggle with my business is not having enough time in certain days when I need to actually go out and get clients or bookings in person. That is my only struggle as of now.

And on the flip side, what is your biggest accomplishment?

My biggest accomplishment is my ever-growing team and our CEO calling me out on a company-wide email for my accomplishments! I have also grown as a mentor and leader, which has really made me realize some talents, abilities and traits I did not know I had!

What advice do you have for other MoMs and DaDs in small business?

For MoMs and DaDs in business, let God lead you in your endeavors. If you think it is getting too hard and are thinking of quitting, don’t. Just keep going and it will pay off. You will succeed and will be led in the right direction.

Do you have any long term goals for your business?

My long term goals are having a nationwide team and being a Platinum Director. I would love to provide for my family and be successful as a mentor, not just financially.

What are you three favorite websites?

My three favorite websites are: style/SWOON, Anthropologie and Designsponge

How are you Living Your MoMent?

I am living my MoMent day by day, and with the Word and my family, that is all I need to get me through.

What ways can people get in touch with you?

Email: tracykins.b@gmail.com
Website: http://www.stelladot.com/tracybennett and phone: 214-529-4140