Thankful...

When I was a young girl, Thanksgiving wasn’t very important to me. For me, it was a just a day when my family’s kitchen became very busy so I just needed to stay out of the way and a time when my house quickly became full with my large extended family. The best part for me was setting the table, something I still enjoy. But the truth is that, as a child, I could have done without the holiday. I didn’t get it and it didn’t seem like much fun.

I have my husband to thank for teaching me to really enjoy the holiday as an adult. Thanksgiving is my husband’s favorite holiday because he has always enjoyed the preparation of a large, overindulgent meal and the look of pleasure on people’s faces after they’ve cleaned their plates.  And, since we’ve hosted now for almost 10 years, he and I both love having our home filled with friends and family who are so important to us and for having a day to slow down and catch up with all of them.

This Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for a great many things and I’m trying to take time even before the holiday to express gratitude for the abundance in my life and the great many experiences that have made my life that much more fulfilling.

In the context of this blog, I want to express my gratitude for the fact that I get to work the way I want, when I want and with whom I want. I have the ultimate freedom because I own my own business and can still be at home and raising and taking care of my family.

And, I’m grateful to all of you who read this blog and those who have shared with me your experiences and insights and thoughts about how moms can be more successful in business by working together and harnessing the power of the internet to build their businesses. Maybe now would be a good time for all of us to stop and just think about all of the amazing mompreneurs out there and how much they do to move our economy and our society forward. Speaking for myself, I’ve met some amazing mom business owners lately and I’m always so impressed by the ideas and drive that these women have. So, I’m thankful that I get the chance to know some of you and share in your brilliance.

This Thanksgiving, I hope you are able to be with the people you love and take time to appreciate the wonderful gifts in your life.  And, if you’re a mom in business and you’re already successful, then congratulations and I wish you continued success. If you’re a mom that is new in business or you’re struggling right now, then I just want to say to you — Hang in there. Keep going. Don’t give up and hold onto your dreams and goals. They can happen if you stay focused and believe that they can.

Don’t believe me? Then, before you sit down for dinner this Thanksgiving, be sure to read this story about Tererai Trent. She was not born in the United States, but she certainly has taken advantage of all the opportunities here. And, I’m thankful that there are other women like her, like you, who are changing the world each and every day.

Happy Thanksgiving.

The Benefits of In-person Networking in the Era of...

Mari Smith, a Facebook guru and social media expert, recently wrote a post on her blog asking opinions about the benefits of in-person vs. online social networking.  She made compelling points about being able to attend live events and then bring back the experiences from those events and share them online, either through connecting with people you met there using social media tools, or by uploading and sharing photos of the event using various photo-sharing sites. She also described the benefits of building a large online network and then leveraging that to create off-line business relationships. It made me consider the way I go about building and fostering my business relationships.

In the past, I was an active attendee at business networking events and I made terrific business contacts and friends as a result. However, since becoming a mom and running my business, I’ve had less time to attend those events, and so my off-line relationships have floundered a bit. As a result, I’ve felt somewhat pressed to get back out there. However, with social media, I’ve been able to maintain and recapture some of those business connections and even enhance them by sharing valuable information with one another. In fact, two of my most recent clients came as a result of reconnecting with old business contacts on LinkedIn.

I do believe that if I can couple my offline and online networking efforts, I will be able to further expand my network and strengthen my connections. I’ll keep you posted as I expand what I’m doing in both areas.

What about you? Do you like to put your efforts into online or offline networking? Or, do you do both? Do you think one has more success than the other? I’d love to hear what you think.”