Therefore, I invite you to explore different programs at Mom Invented that are designed to offer information, training and inspiration.

People often ask me what steps they should take first. I know that the words "business planning" often fail to conjure feelings of excitement and our reasons why we can't plan rapidly come to mind (don't know how, don't know the numbers, don't have time), yet deep down we all know that we really "should" plan.  How about rephrasing it to say, "I am going to design a business that I LOVE."

The One Page Business Plan for Women in Business workbook is the fastest way to design your business. There are plenty of examples in the book of other women (many without business backgrounds) that are leading the way. You will be inspired to join them. In addition there is a fabulous CD included in the workbook that offers budget templates. In other words, you plug in the numbers for your business and it automatically generates your budget. As you engage others to support your business, they will be impressed that you have a budget and plan that clearly articulates how you are powerfully designing and building a successful business. (Note: The price of this workbook is higher because of the valuable CD. Many of us spend money on our kids, families and friends and often we find it hard to spend money on ourselves. Isn't your business worth the investment?)

In addition to business planning, there is so much more to do here at Mom Invented.  If you are ready to get your product or service into the Media Spotlight, join our affordable PR Program and get ready for dramatic results; sign up for our one-on-one Media Training and perform your personal best; and get honest feedback about your product with our Product Evaluation Program. Get involved in our free Mom Community. You will be amazed by how generous your fellow mom entrepreneurs are -- sharing resources and information -- so that each one of us will succeed!

If you are looking for direction and tools to regain control and be your own boss, check out my new book, Your Million Dollar Dream: Regain Control & Be Your Own Boss.

"Your Million Dollar Dream really is the definitive start-up guide for this day and age. Tamara Monosoff has covered EVERYTHING and created the ultimate small business reference book.... and as with Monosoff's other titles, I just love the real life anecdotes, making YMDD such an entertaining (as well as informative) read. Huge Congrats to Monosoff and the Mom Invented team- this book will be referred to in many different circles (not just Mums) for the next decade I'm sure. "  Edwina D.

If you have a product that you are developing, The Mom Inventors Handbook: How to Turn Your Great Idea into the Next Big Thing will walk you through the steps to help you get started bringing your great idea to market.

If you are ready to sell your product in today's intensely competitive retail environment, read my friend Karen Waksman's book, How to Sell Your Product, Invention or Craft to Major Retailers...No Sales Experience or Existing Buyer Relationships Required. You can view her insightful video to learn more. She is offering our community a special discount. Make sure to include the promotional code: MomInvented to receive $50.00 off.

If you have a friend, family or group that would benefit from participating in the free Mom Invented community, please forward this newsletter and invite them to JOIN US.  Tell them to sign up for our free newsletter to hear about upcoming product searches and exciting announcements.

As always, I want to hear from you on Mom Invented, Twitter and the Mom Invented Facebook Fan Page. Please join me in whatever way works best for you. Thank you for being a part of this vibrant community.

Warmest wishes,

Tamara

We've also launched the new -- and free -- Mom Invented Community to help you promote your business and connect with likeminded women. There are already some great conversations going on in the forums, members are writing some insightful blog posts, and women are making connections to help grow their businesses.

We're also helping women grow their businesses more directly through our business programs. We have a great new product evaluation program that will help you get started bringing your invention to market with a patent search, marketability report and consulting call. And we have a program in conjunction with Patent Attorney Stuart West to get you a provisional patent and trademark and a low price. If you're ready to get some phenomenal PR for your business, we've partnered with Ann Noder of Pitch Public Relations who has become known for placing moms in the media. Or, if you are ready for retail, check out the Product for Profit book and webinar to learn how to get your product into major retailers, and the Bebe Paluzza maternity, baby and toddler expos.

There's also plenty new to look forward to on Mom Invented® -- we will still continue to share new inspiring featured mom stories and business advice articles, and we have a number of new webinars coming up, starting with "How To Start and Grow a Profitable Virtual Assistant Business... In Less Than 6 Months" on June 3.

Thank you for joining us on our mission to Inspire, Inform and Boldly Promote Courageous Women in Business!

Warmly,
Tamara Monosoff

P.S. Check out the video from my Good Morning Arizona appearance last week

We recently launched a membership program, and though some members saw some great results, we wanted to expand it to be more inclusive and give you even more of what you've ben asking for.

We've moved to a new system, and we're offering an entirely free and fully functional community experience. Members will have access to our webinar archives, they can hold discussions in the forums, and they can create groups to help support other women with similar interests.

We invite you to come check out this new site and reap all its benefits starting now! We hope you will join us!

Visit members.mominventors.com to learn more and to sign up

Less than a month ago we launched our new Membership Program, and our members are already seeing some great results!

All of our members have listings in our Resources Directory as well as access to recordings of our new webinar series, which already featured two great events with patent attorney Stuart West and best-selling author Bob Burg. Our next author chat will be with expert organizer Jamie Novak, author of Stop Throwing Money Away -- stay posted for the event details!

The benefits don't stop there, though: Our Super-Charged Members have also been reaping great rewards from being in the Member Spotlight, receiving new inquiries and new visits to their sites, as well as a great little interview piece to share with their fans. They also get an attractive badge to put on their website saying that they have "A Mom Invented^™ Company."

All members also get great discounts on our mentoring programs. Basic Members can save $120 on our Small Business Launch and Mentoring Program, and Super-Charged members save $300! There are only two spots left in the program, so sign up now!

We are personally committed to making sure that Mom Invented® offers the best value for building your business on the web.

Learn more about our membership program and sign up today!

To start the year off big, we've just launched a California Product Search with Anna's Linens. And our (shhh... soon to be announced) newest book, The One Page Business Plan for Women in Business, co-authored with Jim Horan, is now available for pre-order from Amazon.

Be sure to register to receive our weekly newsletter so that you are the first to see the latest new programs and services especially designed with YOU in mind.

For the past five years, one of our most popular features has been our inspiring featured mom entrepreneurs as they share their struggles, lessons learned, "aha" moments, and triumphs with us. We would love to hear what you are creating and invite you to Share Your Story.

Join me on Twitter @MomInventors, my Facebook page, and my weekly blog posts so that we can speak to each other personally. I am eager to hear from you.

Remember… Anything is Possible!

xoxox
Tamara

After much deliberation and evaluation -- and some minor delays -- we have selected our Arizona Mom Inventors for 2010.

First place goes to Andrea Ramsey who will receive $750 cash prize and a $250 Anna’s Linens gift card.

“I am beside myself… to have my product launched in Anna’s Linens under the Mom Invented® brand is too good to be true!” Andrea Ramsey.

Andrea is an entrepreneur who has earned her living doing many things ranging from selling nail polish to running her restaurant. She is a single mom of a teenage son and a daughter who is also her inspiration as she shares her mother’s passion for inventing.

Second place goes to Pati Peterson who will receive $250 cash prize and a $150 Anna’s Linens gift card.

“Everybody I have shown my product to is overwhelmed by the simplicity of my product… I am sooo glad moms will have a chance to buy this product at Anna’s Linens!” Pati Peterson.

Pati is the mother of 3 and grandmother of 4. She has been sewing since she was 5 years old and is currently a seamstress. She also runs a mentoring program in Carson, CA, for under-privileged young people to be trained in a trade on a construction site.

“I was so impressed by the creativity of the mom inventors we met in Arizona that I can’t wait to see their products in our stores this coming Fall,” says Carie Doll, Senior VP, Merchandising & Marketing, Anna’s Linens.

“I loved meeting so many inspiring Arizona mom inventors. I am delighted with the winning products and will be proud to add these great ideas to the Mom Invented^® family of products,” says Tamara Monosoff, CEO & Founder, Mom Invented^®.

We wish to thank each inventor who took the time to prepare, submit and present her invention to our team. Selecting from among so many creative submissions was a challenge. We were touched by your creativity as well as the trust you placed in us. Curious to see the winning products?  Keep watch as they will be announced in the Fall of 2010 as they roll out into Anna’s Linens stores.

We believe there are more creative mom inventions throughout the country and look forward to launching product searches in other cities.

Next stop is Los Angeles!

Check back soon for more details.

Warmly,

Tamara & Carie

Over the years, we’ve featured many amazing mom inventors and some of them have created great gift items for your children, family and friends. Here we’re highlighting some of our favorites so you can consciously support mom inventors and entrepreneurs this holiday season.

For Family

Hello World Clothing Company Sleepers
These stylish and practical kids' sleepers unzip at both the top and bottom to make nighttime diaper changes easier for parents. A great gift for young kids and their parents.
Hello World is a sponsor listed in our Resources Guide

How Fast Time Flies scrapbooks
A perfect gift for grandparents and other family, How Fast Time Flies (formerly How Fast They Grow) lets you create beautiful scrapbooks of your photos. With this great tool, sending out a family photo album could become a yearly tradition.

The Shade Wagon
For families that love the outdoors, The Shade Wagon includes a cooler, seating area, table, umbrella and much more to make camping, soccer games, beach days and other outdoor activities more manageable for families.

For Friends

Card Cubby
This great little organizational product that comes in many colors and styles is perfect for helping keep track of gift cards, coupons, business cards and more, and fits easily in a purse, briefcase or glove compartment.

Chesapeake Bay Candles
These beautiful and elegant candles with sophisticated fragrances are perfect to have on hand for hostess gifts and gift exchanges.

Frame of Mind cards
These inspirational cards and frames provide motivation and help foster positive thoughts.

Grill Charms
The perfect gift for families that like to barbecue, Grill Charms help you identify your different cuts of meat based on how they’ve been cooked or how spicy they are.

LuggageSpotter
A great gift for a frequent traveler, the LuggageSpotter fits over the handle of a bag to provide extra cushioning and style. You can find LuggageSpotters with a wide range of sports logos and other fun designs.

TableTopics
Help jump-start the conversation at any party with these sets of interesting and thought-provoking questions that come in an attractive and modern cube.

For Kids

Fortamajig
Ignite your kids’ imagination and encourage them to play more creatively with this fun and innovative fort-building product that can be configured in countless ways.

Griddly Games
These fun sports and trivia games were created by two Canadian mom entrepreneurs with more than 30 years of experience working with children.

Kidzsack
This award-winning kids' product is a themed, washable backsack that children can color in over and over again. It’s eco-friendly, too -- the fabric is made from recycled cotton and soda bottles.

Kubit2me
These fun games encourage social interaction, sharing and fun, with kids tossing the cube to each other and answering different thought-provoking and sometimes silly questions.

For Teens

Blossom bath and beauty products
These tween-oriented bath and beauty products were developed by a mom entrepreneur and her five girls. Each girl’s personality, from tomboy to spa princess, has its own product line.

Spandees
These funky spandex shorts are great for active teens with a sense of style. They come in many colors and prints.

Tarte Cosmetics
Any girl would love these pretty cosmetics created by mom entrepreneur Maureen Kelly. They’re good for your skin and come in beautiful and trendy packages.

For Mom Invented®

Now that you've found some great gifts for your friends and family, we have three requests:

1. Please shop & share this Mom Invented® Holiday Gift Guide with your friends and family to help support mom inventors -- you can use the ShareThis buttons at the top and bottom of this post to email it, save it, or share it with your social networks and encourage them to join our community by subscribing to our newsletter, becoming a fan on Facebook or following us on Twitter.

2. We will be sending out a similar new small business vendor resource guide in January to our entire community of small business people. If you have a vendor, e.g. , bookkeeper, attorney, prototype designer, factory, graphic or packaging designer, coach, or other important adviser, please recommend they get themselves listed in our resource directory now so they get to be part of this free distribution in January. The vendor will get an extra month for signing up for the resources guide now AND you will get a free 1 month basic listing for any vendors you refer -- just make sure they add your name and email to the sign-up form when they register.

3. List your own product or service in our resources directory. Learn more about signing up today.

2009 has been a tough year for many of us which is why I hope you'll join me in embracing 2010. Remember, anything is possible!

Our mission is to "Inspire, inform & boldly promote courageous women in business."

There will be wonderful new services, features, product searches, education and mentoring programs, and licensing opportunities next year and we've been working hard preparing these new ways to offer support, guidance and the necessary tools to help you achieve your goals.

For the past five years, one of the most popular features has been our inspiring featured mom entrepreneurs as they share their struggles, lessons learned, "aha" moments, and triumphs with us. We would love to hear what you are creating and invite you to Share Your Story.

With my weekly blog posts, my @mominventors Twitter account, and my Facebook page we can speak to each other personally.

Please invite your friends to join us and start commenting on the site!

I can’t wait to hear from you.

Warmest wishes,
Tamara Monosoff
Founder of Mom Inventors. Inc.

After about six months of creating prototypes and letting their children test their products, Karen and Becky launched ReUsies Snack and Sandwich Bags, two different sizes of cotton and nylon bags with Velcro closures. Though they initially started small last year, just selling to moms in their school, they’re now selling to local retail stores, in national school and nonprofit fundraisers and on their website.

In our interview with Karen, we learn how this environmentally friendly duo went from a $5,000 loan from a family member and sewing their product by hand to finding a local manufacturer, getting into retail stores and becoming a lunchbox sensation…

Mom Invented®: Why did you start this company and when?

Karen Whorton: It seemed like everything else in our school and work lunches were multi-use: lunch box, cloth napkin, water bottle -- but there wasn't a reusable baggie to hold food. There was the option of storage containers, but it seemed too cumbersome, especially for smaller children.

ReUsies are a reusable solution to plastic sandwich baggies that get used and tossed by the thousands every day. We wanted to create a product that was useful, good for the environment, and we were proud to sell. In addition, I wanted to create the opportunity to work from home at a business that I owned.

What is your background and how does it relate to your company?

ReUsies Founders Karen Whorton and Becky Harper

I am a wife and mother of two: Ruby, 8, and Nolan, 5. My business partner, Becky Harper, who I met when our kids started kindergarten together, is also married and has two children: Zoe, 9, and Ryan, 7.  Becky was a seamstress and sewed our ReUsies in her basement until our orders started getting too large. My background is as a school counselor, so the world of business is new and exciting to us both.

How did you finance your business?

We worked for free for a year and sold a lot of bags. We took a small loan of $5,000 from a family member, but paid it back as soon as we could.

We are both very averse to high risk, so our company’s growth might be slower than some, but we didn't want to incur big debt in this venture or in these economic times.

We are more profitable that we anticipated for our first year of business, and we are paying ourselves a salary, which makes it easy for us to focus on continued growth full-time. We project that our company will double the profits for this coming year as consumers across the country are embracing waste-free ideas.

What process did you follow to develop a prototype?

We sewed many versions and sent them home with our friends to try out. We would then make modifications based on their input. Additionally, we had our kids carry our same, initial bags for the entire school year so we could be confident in telling our customers they would last.

How did you determine your product's marketability?

Just based on what was in existence on the market and the interest level we found at our children's own school. We couldn’t deliver an order in the halls of the school without other people seeing the product and wanting to order more. Our website was the next great test for us to see if our product had viability outside of our own school. We now have customers all over the U.S. and internationally.

What was your 'aha' moment when it came to starting your business?

Realizing that this was something we could actually do and that people were buying them faster than we could make them.

How did you find a manufacturer for your product?

We have tried to keep things local and shopped around based on input from other mom entrepreneurs in Seattle.

What was the biggest learning curve in terms of developing your product?

Learning about the wholesale side of business and what it takes to successfully fulfill large retail orders and overcoming the barriers that retailers have when working with a new, smaller business. We didn't even know we needed UPC codes and insurance when we went in the door of our first major retailer.  We also sent our samples unpackaged to a major retailer -- what were we thinking?

What secrets have you learned in terms of publicity and marketing your product?

Do something good for your community and if you do, good things will happen in return. We do a lot of fundraising with schools and non-profits all over the country.

What has been your greatest success or high point with your product or business?

Hearing and reading the comments from our customers about how much they love the product, helping schools raise money, and just thinking about how many thousands of plastic baggies aren't in existence any more because of us!

Have you experienced a low point in business? How did you get back on track?

We expected it, but the field is getting very crowded with competitors. We just try to focus on our own business and what we can do better, and try to not keep looking over our shoulders.

What kind of support system do you have in place personally and professionally?

I am so happy I started this business with a partner, I am not sure I would have made it this far without her. We each have had our moments of wanting to throw in the towel, and that is when the other one steps in. Our husbands have been a great source of support, too.

What surprised you most about the process of starting your business?

The emotional drain. It's our blood, sweat, and tears so every success is fabulous and every challenge is like a knife to the heart.

What advice would you offer other moms developing their products/ideas?

Don't be intimidated. If we can do it, you can do it. Don't be afraid to ask others for help or advice. Use the resources of all the talented women around you -- people really like to help you out.

Thank you for sharing your story with us, Karen! To learn more about ReUsies, visit ReUsies.com.  If you have a great story about your product or business, please share your story!

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday as it invites the most important kind of contemplation. This past week I found myself thinking a lot about my mother who was in the hospital with a knee injury, my precious children, my husband, my father, my siblings, and the wonderful people I work with at Mom Invented® to make the website possible for each of you. I am also grateful that YOU are a part of the Mom Invented community -- supporting and learning about the businesses launched by our members is a joy and inspiration for me.

About a year ago, I took a class that I found to be helpful in pushing past obstacles.  Just yesterday as I was cleaning off my desk, I came across my notes and thought I’d share something that really helped me reflect and find new paths I hadn't thought of before.

First, ask yourself the question, "In what areas of my life do I feel stopped?" What is the complaint? The hardest thing to hear now is, "Be responsible for your complaint." The complaint is not the truth. Invent a new possibility.

Situations in your life may appear to be black and white, but they are not. That is how you are seeing them and locking them in as the "truth." In fact, things are not black and white… rather green, blue and purple exist as possibilities, too -- we’re just not seeing them.

Go beyond what is immediately obvious.  Within a black and white context, we become stuck…nothing is possible. However, if we open ourselves up and realize that other possibilities exist that we haven’t allowed ourselves to see, then we can invent a new possibility and gain mastery over the direction we choose to take our lives.

I have had to read this over and over again to really "hear" the message. I have found it to be a useful exercise.

There is much to feel grateful for and each of us will have our own reflections.  I also know that many of us are struggling with so much more as well.

If you have felt stuck, please share any green, blue and purple possibilities that you've come up with after reflection. I would also love to hear about what everyone else is grateful for. Please share in the comments...

Because of the holiday, we won't be posting a featured mom this week, but we'll be back on our regular schedule next week. See you then!

The Arizona Product Search has officially closed. We are excited to carefully review each submission and announce the winners next month. I have also noted many "suggestions" that we hold more product searches open to inventors from other states. Stay tuned!

New Mom Invented® Site Features

We've been working hard to improve our site based on your feedback, and we wanted to point out some of the changes you can start using today...

Search the Archives Faster
We've made it easier to find past posts you've already read and want to find again -- just go to the top navigation bar under "Blog" to find our Archives page. You can search back through our posts by title or month. You can also see any of our category archives from the green links in the left sidebar, or use our search function.

Sharing Is Easier
With our new ShareThis buttons on every post and page, you can easily share and link to our site via email, Twitter, Facebook and a host of other sites. We encourage you to help spread the news about our amazing featured moms and our new announcements, and we want it to be easy to for you to get back to any stories you may want to bookmark.

Improved Submission Forms
We have upgraded all of our Share Your Story, Contact and other forms to a new system so they work better in all browsers. For longer forms, like Share Your Story, you can even save your answers and complete the form at a later time so you won't lose any information if you have to step away. You can submit your information to us when you're ready.

Better Access to Our Products
We have updated the Product page so you can more easily browse through our products -- and purchase them, too. We have also re-launched our instructional audio seminars, which you can purchase directly from Mom Invented® -- look for them at the bottom of the Product page.

Enhanced Resources Section
We are in the process of making changes to our Resources section. We added a new Post Your Needs page where you can leave comments and discuss the resources you need to bring your dream to life. We're also working on expanding our Resources listings -- if you're interested in getting your product or service listed, please visit our Listing Sign-Up page.

This site is supported by our sponsors. If you need services, please click on the ads on our website and visit the new Resources Page. We are looking for new sponsors as well. If you're interested, please send a message to info@mominventors.com, subject heading: Sponsor.

We hope these changes help improve your experience with Mom Invented. Please leave us your feedback on how we can better serve you any time.