5 Tips to Prepare Your Family for Entrepreneurship

*Coordinate your schedules. Each week, sit down and coordinate your work/errand/family schedule with your husband’s, so there are no surprises.

*Your marriage is a partnership; don’t try to do it all alone. Ask your husband for help with the housework and the children.

*Carve out family time every weekend, so you can maintain a sense of balance, and your children and husband do no feel pushed aside.

*Schedule quiet time during the day when the kids are home for the summer. Ask them to read or play quietly for an hour, letting you focus on work. Follow it with family time.

*Let your children help. Helping you out in your business, even in very small ways, will encourage their support and understanding.

The NEXT 5 Tips

1. Create a brand. Spend a little money to create a professional logo, business card and stationery. Present a professional image. (www.elance.com) (www.logobench.com) You can get this for as low as $50 bucks!!!!
   
2. Ramp up Online. Make creating a Web site a top priority. A Web site is today’s calling card. You really shouldn’t do without one. Give people a place to go to learn about your business.(www.blogspot.com) FREE OF CHARGE.. (www.google/sites.com)
   
3. Make Your First Sale. This is key. Get that first sale even if it’s friends or family at a discounted rate. This counts as getting started, so go for it. Network in diffrent groups such as this one :)
   
4. Promote Testimonials. Get testimonials from your first sales. Start building credibility for your business from day one.
   
5. Build Buzz. Be creative. Look for a special promotion, big event, email campaign or something out of the norm for your business to get people talking about you, your product or service. (Join group activites that will allow you to comfortably meet new people such as charity walks!.....like the one ALC is going to on Mother's day 2009.)