Small Business: Making Room for Baby

Proud to be a part of the "Making Room for Baby" series by Adelaide Lancaster of In Good Company on Forbes.com. Check out the full article here.

There has been a lot of focus on the idea of Mompreneurs, moms who have created a business after becoming a mother. I'm a huge supporter of these moms who have often started a business in response to something they have found lacking in their new world of motherhood and child care. They have created so many amazing products and services to make our lives as mothers easier and sometimes just a little more fun.

There is not quite as much discussion about those of us who may have recently started a business and in the midst of growing and nurturing our first "baby" have found that we are expecting. It creates turns and twists that you may not have planned for and you will to adjust to stay on course.

Adelaide posed some questions that I hadn't given much thought to as one often fails to do while they are trying to stay the course and "make it happen". It was interesting to look back over the last 5 1/2 years I've been in business and the nearly 3 years that I've been a mother.

Be sure to check out the other installments on "Making Room for Baby" on Forbes.com or on In Good Company's blog.

The Big Enough Company

I mostly talk about the creative part of my days but there are many other aspects of running a small business that fill my days. Admittedly I would much rather "play with flowers" all day but other areas need my attention to keep growing and building my business.

Early on when I was in the beginning stages of launching Blade I went to a Ladies Who Launch event where I was lucky enough to meet Amy Abrams & Adelaide Lancaster of In Good Company. We started chatting and I was immediately interested in their business and the services they provided, they were interested in having weekly flowers in their office. A perfect combination.

As a new business owner I often struggled with finding the right place to meet with clients - a coffee shop didn't really do the trick. Enter In Good Company, the answer to my "space" needs. Little did I know at the time that there was much more to IGC than just workspace. It is a community of women business owners and entrepreneurs from all areas of business working together, sharing ideas and all the while fostering a true sense of community.

Adelaide and Amy have created something great and continue to share their knowledge and experiences to help the members of IGC and many other entrepreneurs. Their most recent venture, The Big Enough Company, is intended to help aspiring and current entrepreneurs create the business that is right for them, success the way they see it and not to be defined by another person's version of success. They interview over 100 entrepreneurs and use their stories to help illustrate these ideas.

I anxiously await my copy and you can pre-order your own here.

In business as in life you need to feel part of a community, something bigger than yourself. It is often hard not to feel isolated as a small business owner. In Good Company is one way, a BIG way, to feel a little more connected.

*** Don't forget to enter their contest to win 8 hours of EXPERT help.

A chat with Sylvia Weinstock

i've always admired the beauty, detail and awe inspiring designs of Sylvia Weinstock's cakes. they are a thing of beauty and the woman behind the cakes is equally as fabulous. i had the pleasure of meeting Sylvia last saturday at Nyssa and Chris' wedding at the Mandarin. yes, that's right, she was there, she accompanied the delivery of the cake. i found this so amazing...she's an icon in the business and her cakes are sought after by many couples yet she still finds it important enough to be on site with the delivery of one of her cakes. of course she can't go with every delivery since they have numerous cakes going out at any given time. i introduced myself and told her how admirable i thought it was that she would be on site for the delivery and i learned a great lesson from her, no matter how successful you are, every client deserves the same attention. you are your business and the most successful person will be the one who remembers that you are there to provide a service to your clients. each client is as important as the next - you never know where your next referral will come from and what it may lead to. i appreciated the few minutes we chatted and will keep her words of wisdom in mind as i continue to grow and shape my business.

now for the eye candy...
more to come on Nyssa & Chris' wedding...and the outcome of the phaleonopsis!!