Best Mommy Ever Necklace: By jewelscapes

As a mom, of 2 little boys, who works from home and most of my day involves activities surrounding my boys, finding time to network as a business owner is quite limited, but not impossible!  You just have to be creative.

Most of the women I talk with each day are like me, moms with little children and most of our conversations involve what is going on with our kids and giving advice and support to each other, which frankly every parent needs to help each other as much as possible.

But there is the other part of me, the business owner who would love to spread the word about what I do, but not in a pushy manner.  There are very simple ways to network as a mom to moms.

Wear what you do! If you make something (like jewelry, clothing, etc) this is a no brainer, so wear what you do while you are out and about doing your day to day errands, at the grocery store, bank, and so on.  But remember to be prepared and think ahead if someone should ask you about your work.  Tuck those business cards in your diaper bag but even better yet always carry a pen and paper so you can write down their email/phone number to follow up with them.

Photo Tote Bag by Babee Luv Clothing

But for some of us, wearing what we do isn’t easy.  I paint home décor pieces so I was trying to think what I could do.  Well I can make tile pendants painted, just like my magnets, but make them as necklace. Be creative, think outside the box!  Let’s say you make paper goods,cards, stationery, etc, purchase a tote/diaper bag that has a clear vinyl pocket on the front so you can slip in your work there.

Also give what you make as gifts for your kids’ teachers, babysitter, etc.  Make it very special for them and they will definitely remember what you do!

Many of the moms, once we get talking, I realize are people who are in direct sales or have their own business (or would like to) so promote each other.  Organize a monthly networking get together that works around your schedules.  Organize your own trunk show, craft fair with the moms in your community.

Personalized Mommy and Me Apron Set

Connect with moms and their kids and teach community education classes in your community involving the craft you do.  Teach a class just for kids or Mommy and Me type classes to help promote your business and have fun at the same time!  I love crafting with kids and have supplies set aside just for kids to use so I don’t get worried about others using my “good” supplies.

Heart for Haiti Copper Bangle by Minty Fresh

Remember when networking the most important thing is to listen, listen to what your mom friends are saying, not to your own voice spewing a commercial.  It’s about making connections quickly and genuinely so people remember you in a good way and don’t be shy to talk about what you love, your family and your art.

by brainscan on etsy

As a mom of 2 little boys, under the age of 4, juggling the day to day “duties” for my business and motherhood are a constant struggle.  I hate to waste time, especially at the post office.

I’ve been at my Etsy business for about a year now and it’s taken me about that long to seamlessly integrate shipping into my day to day life so I don’t end up with a headache at the end of the day.

There are many options for shipping and what works best for you depends greatly on what you are shipping.  For example, I sell heavy pieces so flat rate Priority Mail shipping works the best for me so I do all my shipping through USPS.

by CraftyAnna on etsy

You can get all your supplies, boxes & envelopes for free and sent you to you from www.usps.com Click on “order supplies” and you will need to sent up an account but once that is done you are set to go.  I don’t have a large studio but I have enough room to have a table that serves as my “shipping department” and I keep all my shipping supplies
underneath the table and visible so I can see when I’m running low on boxes, peanuts, etc.

You can also print your postage right on the same website.  I like the batch shipping feature since many of my packages are the same weight so I just enter in the basic info and then enter in the customer’s info.  I cut and paste right from Etsy to make it go a little faster. The customer will also receive an email letting them know you are shipping their package.  You can store your customer’s shipping info in an address book which I like as well since I have repeat customers now (another time saver!).

by karaku on etsy

You can also print international postage as well and fill in all the info you would need to fill on a custom’s form which will print with your postage, another huge time saver for me. My favorite feature is scheduling carrier pickup.  I live in a townhome development so I wasn’t sure if this feature would work for me as our mailbox is a few blocks away but it does and it’s a life saver.  You can schedule a pickup up to 2am that day and you don’t have to be home.  I pretty much use this everyday.  I get packages
together in the evening when my boys are sleeping, set the packages out in the morning and continue my day being a mom instead of running around worrying about getting to the post office.

All Things are Possible by angelellie on etsy

This is all a free service and something I truly appreciate to help me juggle the demands of being a happy mom and a happy business owner.