MOM, Incorporated [Paperback]

Aliza Sherman (Author), Danielle Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 16, 2011

According to research, there are more than 10 million women who own and lead their own businesses. Entrepreneurs Aliza Sherman (founder of Cybergrrl, Inc.) and Danielle Smith (founder of ExtraordinaryMommy.com and DanielleSmithMedia.com) have joined forces to write a book that helps women who are already moms (or are thinking about becoming moms in the future) learn how to take charge of the family/work balance by starting their own businesses. As more women become mompreneurs, there is an increased need for a book that will cover all aspects of how moms can successfully start and run a business that allows them to make money, pursue a profession, and have time to devote to the kids as well. This holistic, user-friendly book will draw on Aliza and Danielle's own experiences, and their interviews with moms who've started their own successful businesses. In addition, both authors interviewed numerous business experts about finding your passion, getting started, marketing your business, tackling funding for women, and the book includes valuable information about the current alternative sources of funding for female entrepreneurs. Also, in sidebars throughout the book, you will find handy worksheets and an abundance of anecdotes to keep you motivated. In addition, Aliza and Denielle address women who don't have children yet but are planning for it down the road and want to know how to combine having a family with running their own business.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Sherman (The Complete Idiot's Guide to Crowdsourcing) and Smith (founder, extraordinarymommy.com) provide the nuts and bolts for parents wanting to start a home-based service- or product-oriented business. They introduce the KISS principle - Keep it Simple, Sister! - and include handy planning worksheets throughout (also available for download via MomIncorporated.com). A solid business perspective is supplied, with practical info on accounting, taxes, patents, insurance, and more. The authors also cover time management, PR/marketing, and legal advice. This is a helpful business resource for parents. --Barb Kundanis, Library Journal

About the Author

Aliza Sherman: Aliza is a successful serial entrepreneur with over 20 years experience starting and running companies, particularly in the Internet space. In 1995, she founded the first full-service Internet company, Cybergrrl, Inc., and the first global Internet networking organization for women, Webgrrls International. In 2005, she founded one of the first social media marketing agencies that became Conversify in 2008. In 2010, she started a mobile apps communications, marketing and development company called Mediaegg. Aliza is the author of seven books including PowerTools for Women in Business: 10 Ways to Succeed in Life and Work (Entrepreneur Press); The Everything Blogging Book (Adams Media) and the upcoming StreetWise ECommerce (Adams Media). Her eighth book, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Crowdsourcing, will be out Spring 2011. She is an avid blogger and freelance writer, contributing to WorkitMom.com as Entrepreneur Mom, WomenEntrepreneur.com on the Women at Work blog, WebWorkerDaily.com, Entrepreneur magazine, Pink magazine, and many other online and offline publications. Aliza has been featured numerous times in USA Today, US News & World Report, CNN, CNBC, and been profiled in People, Time, among many others. When she started her Internet company Cybergrrl, Inc., Newsweek named her one of the ""50 People Who Matter Most on the Internet."" More recently, Fast Company named her one of the Most Influential Women in Technology. Aliza was recently included on a number of lists including Forbes.com's Top 20 Women for Entrepreneurs to Follow, Twitter Grader's 100 Most Powerful Women on Twitter, MyMediaInfo's Top 10 Twittermoms, and Babble.com's Top 50 Moms on Twitter.

Danielle Smith: Danielle Smith is a former award-winning television news anchor and reporter turned blogger, vlogger, video correspondent and public speaker. She is the founder and primary author of ExtraordinaryMommy.com and DanielleSmithMedia.com, as well as the host and producer of Bliss TV. Danielle has emceed events that included guests appearances by the First Lady, Michelle Obama and Martha Stewart. She worked as a correspondent at the 2011 ProBowl in Hawaii and 2010 Winter Olympic Games on behalf of P&G and has championed the fight against Child Hunger, working directly with the Con Agra Foods Foundation. She has been featured on the CBS Early Show, Fox News, MSNBC, NPR, in USA Today, as well as on a variety of Web sites. Danielle has continued to follow her on-camera passion working the Red Carpet and hosting live-streaming events on behalf of the 140 Character Conferences: Exploring the State of Now. She is thrilled to be the mom of seven-year-old daughter Delaney and five-year-old son Cooper.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Sellers Publishing, Inc. (September 16, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416206515
• ISBN-13: 978-1416206514
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #243,306 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tangible Steps for Chasing Your Entrepreneurial Dream, October 10, 2011

By 

Karla T (Wyncote, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: MOM, Incorporated (Paperback)

There I was, sitting in an office filled with brilliant people, all of whom were zoned in on their computer screens. I was the only one looking around. I was thinking to myself, "what is wrong with me? Why isn't this enough?". I mean I had stability, a flexible work arrangement, my co-workers was amazingly friendly, I could have stayed forever. But in that one single moment, while looking around that quiet room, I realized that I felt stifled. Like my true potential was being suppressed and untapped, but on purpose. It was at that specific point in which I felt my soul burst out of my chest, hungry and begging for me to do something more. I was pregnant with baby #2 and yes, it was crazy to think that I could start a business at such a hectic period of my life. But I took a leap of faith and decided to invest in a little known commodity that was being overlooked, me. BellyButtonBoutique.com was born 08/08/08.

Starting a business can be one of the loneliest and most isolating things that one can do. Taking thoughts and ideas out of your head, putting them on paper, and making them tangible...people will think that you are crazy, will try to talk you out of it, and cause you to second guess yourself. As you are going through it, you feel as though you are forging through uncharted terrain because books and advice are rarely in a tangible format. Add to that the additional role of being a mother and you will think that you are slowly losing your mind.

Authors Aliza Sherman and Danielle Smith came to Philadelphia last week to share their book "Mom, Incorporated". For the first time in my life, I felt that someone got me. Both women spoke with such passion, energy and empathy about the entrepreneurial journey. They shared their struggles and personal stories. I don't think there was a person in that room that didn't feel an instant connection. They spoke about the late nights where you are working (for free, mind you) until 3 AM, those stressful moments where you and your spouse see your venture differently, how "frienemies" try to sabotage with their words...all things that many of us were either going through or had gone through. Both women shared those feelings of guilt that one has as a mother, when you weigh the daycare/stay-at-home decision, something in which we call could empathize. By the end of the event, we were all hugging and sharing our own stories Everyone was filled with inspiration and enthusiasm. I had never seen anything like it.

I wish that I had this tool 3.5 years ago, when I was wavering back and forth about how I could make BellyButtonBoutique.com happen. "Mom, Incorporated" really breaks down how to start a business in extremely simple steps. There are stories, not just from the authors, but from many, many other mothers who happen to be entrepreneurs. I really loved the tips that each business owner offered. So genuine and real.

This holiday season, I plan on gifting this book to all of my girlfriends who are currently at the place where I was, just sitting in their office space with a desire to do more. Hopefully it will help them in their struggle...and allow their souls burst open as well.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Author of The Pregnant Entrepreneur & Owner of HeartWork Organizing, November 22, 2011

By 

Darla DeMorrow - See all my reviews

This review is from: MOM, Incorporated (Paperback)

I LOVED Mom, Incorporated, by Aliza Sherman and Danielle Elliott Smith, and recommend that if you are a mom who wants to start a business, you click over right now and buy a copy. Or keep reading and let me convince you why you need this book.

There is very little about being a mom that is easy. However, Mom, Incorporated makes it easy to understand the steps to getting started in your own business. The actual work may or may not be easy, but having the roadmap all laid out for you is wonderful.

These gals don't skip the obvious, as so many other business books do. They start with a plea to find your passion because you'll be energized if you work from that space. But then they discuss the necessary, like the building your business team (p74) and how to calculate revenue potential (p94) for your business.

Forms. Gotta love them. When someone creates a form that saves you time, it's worth the price paid for the book. The one form I wish I had included in my book, The Pregnant Entrepreneur is on pages 22-25 of Mom, Incorporated. The Weekly Calendar Template is a really useful grid, and Danielle's schedule shows the crazy type of schedule many of us moms carry, toggling between home and work lives. If you are trying to get your business off the ground, my advice is to take the time to write in the book, and get some of the nuts and bolts of your business figured out before you have to learn about it the hard way.

The new social media is both an opportunity and a burden for some. These gals both make their living in the blogger realm, and share their methods and knowledge, especially in chapter 2, Tapping the Power of the Internet, and throughout the book. If you are trying to figure out where to spend your time online, let this duo help you.

The book is easy to read and helpful in a big-sister kind of way. Both Danielle and Aliza share their struggles with trading past paid positions to create a more sustainable and yet challenging professional identity as independent business women. As children change the equation, relationships with the spouse change, and we may even have to remind ourselves and others that our small business is a real company and a real job. But there are benefits beyond a paycheck, and amazing opportunities for those who seek them.

Wish you had someone close by to chat about your small business musings? Pick up a copy of Mom, Incoroprated, and get started building your business plan.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of the book to facilitate the review, but I still really read and loved the book and meeting these women.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Read for Moms Seeking Work/Life Balance, October 31, 2011

By 

K. Zucker (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: MOM, Incorporated (Paperback)

Kudos to Aliza and Danielle for providing a realistic and helpful guide to starting and operating a home-based business! As a partner in three corporations and a mom to 2.5 (one on the way!) I found the information in the book to be thoughtful, helpful and comprehensive. I especially liked the section on money since many women find that aspect to be the most intimidating part of working for themselves.

Mom Incorporated is a must-read for moms seeking balance in their lives and wondering whether working from home is a viable option. I especially love the downloadable worksheets that help you take a good hard look at your business plan, they are at [...]