Holly Hurd - Venture Mom: From Idea to Income in Just 12 Weeks

from idea to income in just 12 weeks

HOLLY HURD

AMERICAN MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION

New York Atlanta Brussels Chicago Mexico City San Francisco
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CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

When you tell your circle of friends and family that you are going to do something like start a business or write a book, you get many sideways glances. But you soldier on with your passion and work to make it happen, asking for help along the way. Writing this book has not been a solo project. Thanks to my entire team: the people at Amacom, my agent Joelle Delbourgo, and my editors Debbie Posner, Ann Beaton, and Marianne Wallace. Thanks to my darling husband who never gives me any doubt when I tell him the crazy idea that is my next project. And thanks to my wonderful children, Dylan, Waverly, and Chelsea, who support their mom through it all. I couldnt have done it without my wire fox terrier Luna who sits right behind me on my desk chair providing encouragement and company.

Finally, with great gratitude, I dedicate this book to my Dad, who always told me that I can do anything I set my mind to.

PREFACE

Are you a mom with an idea for a business? Do you make something so unique or outstanding that others want you to make it for them? Do you do something really well that others ask you to do for them? Are you in a job that youre really not happy with and find yourself looking for more fulfillment through your own business? Does the thought of starting your own business seem overwhelming?

No business plan, no start-up capital, no babysitter... no problem. Go from idea to income, from mom to venture mom, in only 12 weeksand this book will help you get there.

I believe that most women currently do something in their lives that can be turned into a moneymaking venture and that it can be done in 12 weeks or less. If you are a mom who has an idea you want to turn into a business, this book will guide you through the process. In the course of 12 weeks, I will show you how to hone your idea, do just enough research to get started, come up with a cool name that sells, and market the idea or product to your target audience.

I will demystify the start-up process and make it simple and easy to follow. There are no complicated business plans. There is almost never a need to raise capital. Ive interviewed hundreds of moms who started businesses without a business plan or a loan, not even from family or spouse. The 12-week program is structured so that you can accomplish a task each week that will take you closer to getting your first sale.

Venture Mom: From Idea to Income in Just 12 Weeks gives you concrete examples of successful ventures in a range of categories. By learning how other women have found success, youll learn how you can, too. The book covers all areas of interest: food, fashion, art, childrens classes, products and clothing for babies and children, animal-related ventures, Web and media ventures, and everything in between. Each success story in the first 12 chapters illustrates key points on the path to success, not simply the end result. These stories all have kernels of information that serve to both instruct and inspire.

When people ask why I started my website and wrote this book, I can point to two reasons: I love motivational books, and I get really antsy on long car rides. When my children were young, we rented a rundown ski house about four hours from home with some other families. It was on the weekly car rides to Vermont that Venture Mom was born.

I decided to come up with my own top 10 ways to stay motivated and fulfilled. When I looked around, the happiest women I could find were the ones who had created business ventures around something they loved to do. This resonated with my own experience: when I have a project, Im on top of the world. I began to interview these women and write their stories. They were so compelling that, rather than wait to get a book published, I wanted to share their experiences right away. So I started a website and newsletter and called it what I was, a mom with a venture: VentureMom.

The paths to a successful venture were similar in so many aspects of the stories I heard that I developed a plan around what I learned from talking with these women. Im a no-nonsense type of person, and showing other moms who wanted ventures how easily they could get started became the subject of this book.

I also learned that fear can be a huge roadblock. When I first started my newsletter, it took me two weeks to hit the send button. Knowing that this is a universal feeling can help new entrepreneurs overcome their own fear and get started on their ventures.

The timing is right. Women-owned businesses are thriving as important economic contributors in the U.S. and abroad. Between 1997 and 2013, the number of women-owned firms grew at one and a half times the national average, according to the American Express OPEN State of Women-Owned Businesses Report for 2013 (http://cwb.uschamber.com/women-entrepreneurship).

Many of the topics in this book could be (and have been) the subjects of entire books, but that kind of in-depth exploration is not the purpose of the 12-week program. This book aims to give you enough informationand inspirationso you can move forward quickly and confidently.

INTRODUCTION

FIVE COMMONALITIES

There are five things all moms with successful ventures have in common:

#1. They have an existing talent, skill, or passion. First and foremost, most of these moms start a business around a passion thats already in their lives. Its usually a hobby that they love to pursue or a product they make that gets lots of compliments. Whether its getting babies to sleep, remodeling bathrooms, or organizing pantries; whether its making a great carrot cake, a beautiful necklace, or fabulous pillows, everyone has something they do really well, something that wins praise from friends and family. Youve heard the expression Do what you love, and the money will follow. Its true for most moms who have their own ventures. What is it that you do in your life now that you love to do and others need?

#2. They have a network of supportive friends and family. Friends and family always play a huge part in these stories. When you have an idea, tell everyone you know and get input, suggestions, and feedback. Someone always knows someone who can help you in some way. Successful entrepreneurs are not afraid to ask for help, and they spread the word on what they need. What is your idea and who can help you make it happen?

#3. They usually have no formal business plan. Most successful moms with their own ventures do not create a business plan. Most dont even have something written on the back of a napkin. Many women just seem to fall into their business ventures, whether they plan to or not. A friend asks for help organizing a closet. Or an aunt begs them to make a soup and salad for her bridge group. Or a neighbor loves the belt her friend created and asks her to make one for her. When this happens, these moms become aware that they have something that not only their friends and family would like and would pay for, but others might, too. But rather than take time to create a business plan, these moms just get started.