Seeds for Success

Calling all female entrepreneurs who:

(a) are legal residents of one of the fifty United States or the District of Columbia;
(b) are at least 21 years of age;
(c) have not been convicted of a felony or crime of moral turpitude; and
(d) are EITHER:

(i) the sole proprietor of a small business started on or after April 7, 2005 and before March 16, 2008;
(ii) the principal owner (holding at least 51% of the vote and value) of an existing small business having 5 or fewer full-time employees (including the entrant) and making less than $250,000 in revenue, which was incorporated or formed on or after April 7, 2005 and before March 16, 2008;
(iii) two owners (collectively holding at least 51% of the vote and value) of an existing small business having 5 or fewer full-time employees (including the entrants) and making less than $250,000 in revenue, which was incorporated or formed on or after April 7, 2005 and before March 16, 2008; OR
(iv) a non-business owner who has entrepreneurial aspirations.

Yahoo! Small Business and Carolyn Kepcher, founder of fwm (Finding What Matters) and former star of “The Apprentice,” are seeking women who have the next breakthrough idea or a new small business to apply for a chance to win 1 of 3 amazing grant packages.

Posted in Family-Work Balance | 2 Comments »

Jelly. Now if only we had some peanut butter…

I was thrilled to learn about casual coworking and Jelly.

I would love to start my own semi-weekly work together for parents.

Imagine a relaxed, creative space offering the opportunity to work side by side with other entrepreneurs and freelancers — camaraderie, networking and brainstorming — all in a family-friendly environment, with everyone from nursing babies to teenagers in tow.

Granted, this would not appeal to all working parents. Not everyone is adept at switching from coding to changing diapers to IMing a client to retrieving a toy from under the couch and then back to coding. Nor is everyone comfortable working next to a mother nursing a toddler while typing on her laptop. But then again, I don’t have room for every working parent in my living room…

What is Jelly? from Amit Gupta on Vimeo.

Seems I’m not the only one thinking about coworking.  The New York Times , The San Francisco Chronicler  and USA Today have featured coworking stories this week. Learn more and find a site near you at the Coworking Wiki.

Posted in Family-Work Balance, Technology, Mothering | No Comments »

Balancing Family & Work Forum

When you are tasked with doing it all and doing it well, things can get a little hectic. Let the Balancing Family & Work Forum help you work smarter, not harder with tips on re-designing your work and career to increase your quality of life. Share how you are doing what matters most and doing it well, a la Fly Lady, GTD, Tim Ferriss and more. Visit the Forum and join other parents facing the challenge of balancing family and work.

bored at work Originally uploaded by jwlphotography  

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Poll: How to Create Family-Work Balance

In a perfect world, I would roll out of bed and work from 6-10am, then break for breakfast and a shower, followed by activities with my family, or what some call “life.” Later, I would wrap up my work from 7-9pm.

Granted, this may be a bit unconventional for some, but for me, it would increase creativity/productivity by taking advantage of my body’s peak energy and mental alertness cycles. Plus, those 2am “let’s-try-this-brainstorming-sessions” are a lot easier to indulge when I know I don’t have to worry about being showered and panty-hosed up by 8am.

And you?

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