to download - The MOMpreneur

THE 

Mompreneur 

CANADA’S BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR WOMEN 

January 2008 

® 

KAREN 

JUDGE 

NEW BEGINNINGS 

CELEBRITY 

ON A SHOESTRING 

Q&A WITH 

TINY GEM

10 

January 2008 

THE 

Mompreneur ® 

4 PUBLISHERʼS MESSAGE 

7 PUBLICITY 

Become A Celebrity On A Shoestring Budget 

10 WORKPLACE 

Reclaim Your Space 

12 Q&A 

Deb Singh, Tiny Gem Baby Solutions 

15 MOMMY MERCHANDISE 

16 READ ABOUT SEX 

Those Cheating Hearts 

20 HOME SPACE 

Tips For Organizing Your Childʼs Room 

22 COMMUNICATION 

Play In The Big League 

12 

24 KAREN JUDGE 

New Beginnings 

29 HUMAN RESOURCES 

Hiring Tips For 

The Entrepreneur 

32 PARENTING 

A Fresh Start 

36 ACHIEVE 

Plan For Success 

40 INSPIRED MEALS 

41 BOOK REVIEW 

43 TRAVEL WITH KIDS 

Iʼll Have My Milk In A Wine Glass Please 

24 

46 COMMUNICATION 

How To Be A Sales Sore Thumb 

Visit our website at www.themompreneur.com 

32

PUBLISHER’S MESSAGE 

by Kathryn Bechthold 

January can be a tough slog for many – especially 

those of us who celebrate December with abandon. 

Although it is a time of renewal, planning and 

trying to stick to newly-made resolutions, for many of us 

in the Great White North, it also means we have at least 

three more months of bone-chilling cold to get through. 

So this month, while trying to stay warm, I plan to 

spend some time just planning because The Mompreneur® 

Magazine is heading into a new phase of its success. We 

are going to add a ton more pages and the magazine will be 

distributed on newsstands across the country. This is 

pretty exciting news for a small town girl, who just wanted to compile 

some free information for myself and others on how to be successful 

at business. 

For those of our loyal readers who look for the magazine 

the first day of its release each month, you will not find a February 

issue. We will be busy planning, writing, designing and printing the 

new and improved and much larger edition of The Mompreneur® 

Magazine, which will be launched on March 1, 2008. 

We look forward to being introduced to women around the 

country who have not had access to our magazine before and to hear about 

I get up every 

morning determined to 

both change the world and have 

one hell of a good time. 

Sometimes this makes planning 

my day difficult. 

– E.B. White 

their businesses and the lessons they have learned along the way. 

In the meantime, stay warm and spend some time this month 

just planning how to be better at what you do, work more 

efficiently, make more money, get more help or, best of all, 

find more time to enjoy your children. 

Here’s to your success. 

In preparing for 

battle I have always found 

that plans are useless, 

but planning is indispensable. 

– Dwight D. Eisenhower 

4 

The Mompreneur • January 2008

Don’t miss any issues of The Mompreneur® 

Canada’s Business Magazine For Women 

Publisher 

Kathryn Bechthold 

Advertising & Sales: 

Tara Ellis 

Jane Twinney 

In March 2008, 

our magazine will be … 

Editing and Graphic Design: 

Karen Cottingham 

Photography: 

Stephanie Cragg Photography 

BIGGER & BETTER! 

With more articles full of good advice 

for entrepreneurs and success stories 

about women just like you. 

MORE WIDELY AVAILABLE! 

On newsstands across the country 

for only $5.95 

Printer: 

Transcontinental 

Distibutor: 

National Distribution Alliance 

Contributing Writers: 

Dr. Trina Read, Michelle Thoms, 

Angela Del Corpo, Jill Lublin, 

Erin Tigchelaar, Natalie Germann, 

La Velle Goodwin, Karen Cottingham, 

Sylvia Daoust, Julia Freedman Smith, 

Gail Bell, Cidnee Stephen, Kim Duke 

FOR A NEWSTAND 

LOCATION NEAR YOU, 

go to www.themompreneur.com 

Or you can subscribe to the magazine for only 

$49.95 (11 issues a year) and have every issue of 

The Mompreneur® delivered right to your door. 

To subscribe, go to our website at 

www.themompreneur.com. 

© 2007 The Mompreneur Networking 

Group Inc. assumes all articles published 

here are original and are the property 

of the submitting firms. 

The Mompreneur ® is produced 

and printed in Canada. 

It is published 11 times a year by 

The Mompreneur ® Networking 

Group Inc., Suite 3041, 

614 - 33 Heritage Meadows Way SE, 

Calgary, AB T2H 3B8 

(403) 201-3327 

themompreneur@shaw.ca 

www.themompreneur.com 

Article contributions are encouraged. 

Contact Kathryn Bechthold at the above 

phone number or e-mail address. 

The Mompreneur • January 2008 

5

Spring 

TRADESHOW 

Toronto 

Calgary 

The Distillery District 

The Blackfoot Inn 

April 6, 2008 April 19, 2008 

10 am to 4 pm 10 am to 4 pm 

For more information 

and to register, go to 

www.themompreneur.com 

6 The Mompreneur • January 2008

PUBLICITY 

by Jill Lublin 

Become a 

Celebrity 

on a 

Shoestring 

Budget 

Master showman P.T. Barnum said, 

“A terrible thing happens 

without publicity … NOTHING!” 

1 

Publicity, Public Relations and Advertising 

Publicity is free media exposure for your product 

or service. Public relations (PR) is the overall planning 

and strategy for dealing with the media. Advertising is 

paying to promote your product or service. Publicity is 

the art of convincing others to sing your praises for you 

while you’re singing your own praises. 

With advertising, those who purchase your service 

or product are your target customers. In publicity, the 

media is your target customer. One customer sold on 

your service or product equals one sale. One media 

representative sold can result in thousands of sales. 

Guerrilla Publicity 

Guerrillas are business operators who substitute 

time, energy and imagination for money. Guerrillas 

measure their performance on profits, not sales. They 

place primary importance on how many relationships 

they build, not on how much money they make. 

Five things you can do to become a guerrilla 

publicist on a shoestring budget 

Know who you are, what you want and sing 

your praises often 

Know who you are. You are the product 

regardless of what product or service you provide. For 

people to trust you, you must first know and believe in 

yourself, your products, or your services. Position 

yourself as an expert and create a sharp 10- to 15-second 

sound bite that proclaims precisely who you are, what 

you do and why you make a difference. 

Know what you want. Opportunities are created 

when you have a clear purpose, achievable goals and take 

persistent action. Publicity starts with a clear purpose 

and objectives. You will succeed with a precise plan on 

how you will achieve those objectives. 

Sing your praises often. The most obvious signs 

of your expertise are that your customers keep coming 

back, pay what you charge and recommend you to 

others. Ask for and use all testimonials. Don’t be afraid 

to boast. 

2 

Build relationships with a targeted market 

Your relationships are your most valuable 

asset. Because you’re in business for the long haul, your 

best business will come from your best relationships. 

Take the “concierge approach” with your media contacts. 

Offer information, sources, access to your contacts and 

fresh stories and ideas; actively show your appreciation 

for their work on your behalf. 

Take every opportunity to say who you are, what 

you do and how what you do can help others. In fact, 

you’d be well served by building your entire marketing 

plan around publicity. 

continued on next page 


7

Take the time to establish your credibility 

and build for the long run. 

Prepare and you will be rewarded. 

Play the numbers game 

– and play it well 

The media always needs fresh information and they 

look for people like you to provide it. Expect, but don’t be 

discouraged by disappointment and rejection. The media 

sees thousands of press releases every day. 

Here are a few ways you can make the numbers 

game work for you: 

Press releases. The media wants and expects 

press releases. Send them hot, relevant stories with 

lively one-line headlines that get their attention. 

Media lists. Media lists are databases containing 

information about the people and organizations that can 

help promote you. Start your own media list or gather 

media information from online services and keep them 

up-to-date. 

Follow up, follow up, follow up. Contact your 

media list – often and consistently. The key is to always 

follow up and capitalize on any news developments, 

keeping your name on top. 

Media kits. Have a media kit ready to go. Include 

everything they want to know: your company history, 

personal biography, a list of suggested questions, 

articles, brochures, a quality photo, endorsements, 

testimonials and giveaways. 

4 

3 

Be prepared for anything 

Create a unique and attractive slant on your 

business. Promote yourself early, forcefully and fast, 

assuming you have no more than 10 seconds to convince 

the media. Then, be prepared for anything. The slant 

you took may not be the slant they use. Practice your 

interviews from every angle and, when the time comes, 

take command of the interview and stay relaxed. 

5 

Get yourself out there 

The best publicity often happens in the most 

unexpected places. Guerrilla publicity is a multi-faceted 

approach. Get yourself out there with seminars, articles, 

a book, website or e-mail newsletter. Join Internet 

communities and use online publicity forums. 

Summing it up 

Now is the time to take action. Make publicity a 

mindset in your life. Always look for ways to publicize 

yourself and opportunities will appear. Take the time 

to establish your credibility and build for the long run. 

Prepare and you will be rewarded. MP 

Jill Lublin is an internationally acclaimed 

speaker and best selling author of 

the books, Guerrilla Publicity and 

Networking Magic. She is the CEO of 

the strategic consulting firm Promising 

Promotion and founder of GoodNews 

Media, Inc. Jill hosts the nationally 

syndicated radio show Do the Dream, 

has a TV show called The Connecting 

Minute, and is working on her third book 

to be published by McGraw-Hill in 2008. 

She can be reached by phone at 415-883-5455 

or by email at info@promisingpromotion.com. 



9

WORKPLACE 

by Natalie Germann 

Reclaim Your Space 

You come from a high level meeting. You drop 

your briefcase and bag, sit yourself in a 

comfortable chair, prop up your feet and let the 

great ideas flow. 

There is little to no distraction here, the 

environment is calming and relaxing, the atmosphere 

productive. 

Where are you 

With only a few minor adjustments, you are in your 

home office. 

We have a tendency to dump and run in the home 

office. And thanks to wireless laptops, we can now avoid 

looking at our offices altogether unless we’re feeding the 

printer some of that super bulk paper picked up at the 

stationary store. 

Stop right there. It’s time to reclaim your space and 

your peace. It may take a couple of hours, but a revamp 

of your home office will give you a beautiful area you 

might actually want to work in. 

Start with taking everything you can out of the 

room and really evaluate what you need to move back in 

and what you’re just hanging on to. 

If you don’t have the space, don’t buy bulk office 

supplies. Think of what your home is worth. Now break 

that down into dollars per square foot. 

If you’re using that valuable space to store bulk 

paper, pens, boxes and so on, instead of using it to live 

in, what are you really saving 

Use your office space for YOU. 

Ask yourself, how many pens do I need How many 

pencils Get rid of the ones that are broken or don’t 

work. The stuff you do need can be placed in pretty 

and practical storage containers and baskets. Get a 

multi-level filing orgaziner and sort your papers in 

order of priority so things are at hand and ready when 

you are. 

Overstuffed bookshelves are of no use to anyone. 

If you can’t find the book you need because nothing 

is organized, it’s time to cull. Get rid of out-of-date 

information and books you know you’ll never read again 

and keep only the materials you need to run your 

business on a daily basis. Now you’ll have some space to 

showcase a couple of your favourite items amongst the 

books. 

Here’s a free and fast way to totally change a room 

– start sliding the furniture around and try different 

groupings. You never know, you may find putting the 

bookshelf along a different wall opens the room up or 

changes how the space is balanced altogether. Worse 

case scenario: you hate it, find your 1992 tax return 

behind that bookshelf, vacuum and put it all back. 

Have you jammed a super large desk into a postage 

stamp sized room and now there’s no room for anything 

else 

Switch it for a smaller one. It doesn’t have to be 

brand spanking new. Go to the flea market or check out 

the classified ads in your local paper. It doesn’t even 

have to be a desk! 

AFTER 

BEFORE 

10 The Mompreneur • January 2008 

Visit our website at www.themompreneur.com

AFTER 

BEFORE 

Your office is a great space to be creative and have 

fun with the decor. Treat yourself once in a while with 

candles and flowers and frame and hang you kids’ art 

on the walls. 

Nobody said the office needs to be all business, but 

it should be all about you. MP 

Natalie Germann is a Certified 

Home Staging Professional 

Need some ideas for your 

home office E-mail Natalie at 

info@bestdressedrooms.com. 

Your office is a great space to be creative 

and have fun with the decor. 

Find that flexible job 

you want. 

Access the career 

resources you need. 

And get networking! 


11

Q&A 

with The Mompreneur® 

Photograph by Michelle Wells. 

Deb Singh is the owner of 

Tiny Gem Baby Solutions, a mom-owned, 

home-based business that provides unique 

and innovative baby and toddler products, with 

cloth diapers being their specialty. 

Based in Calgary, Alberta, Tiny Gem offers a wide range 

of diapering products (delivered within the city of 

Calgary and shipped worldwide) and provides in-home, 

no-obligation consultations on cloth diapering. 

All of the products are tried and tested on 

Deb’s own three precious gems. 

We caught up with this busy mompreneur® to talk 

to her about how she got her business started 

and how she manages to get everything done 

with three little ones at home. 

On The 

RUN 


When did you realize that you wanted to be an 

entrepreneur 

Owning my own business was a dream of mine from 

the time I was in university completing my business 

degree. It wasn’t until I was on maternity leave in 2003 

that I really began seriously researching opportunities. 

How did you get started 

When my daughter was born in 2003, I decided that 

I wanted to use cloth diapers. I began with a diaper 

service and was dissatisfied with the quality of the 

product and frustrated with continual price increases. 

With my son due to arrive in the spring of 2005, I began 

my own cloth diaper research with quality as my main 

criteria (with two children in diapers, leaks were not 

going to be an option!) I was shocked to find a poor 

selection in Calgary so I used the Internet to source 

quality diapers. That’s when I realized that “I could do 

this.” 

After lots of research and purchasing my intial 

stock, I opened for business in 2006 in my basement. 

As I keep my invetory levels low, I don’t take up much 

space at all. 

Who have been role models for you as you build 

your business 

Since I started this business, I have met so many 

great women who are mothers and run successful 

businesses. I didn’t start out with a specific role model 

but I have met many to date. 

I do, however, have a “mother” role model – my 

Grandma Barnett. I remember a conversation with 

her shortly after I got married. At the time, I was very 

focused on my career and I remember telling Grandma 

that I wasn’t sure if being a mom was for me. She 

surprised me, as she often did, by saying I shouldn’t have 

children until I was ready to be a mom. She was very old 

school and believed that a mother’s place was home with 

her kids. I spent a great deal of time with her as a child 

and couldn’t imagine a better, more loving caregiver. She 

had incredible patience, a kind heart and an unselfish 

spirit. I used to look at her role as “only a mom” and now 

I know firsthand how much more there is to that. 

I try to parent with the principles that I learned 

from her. I’m not sure what she’d think about my 

“mompreneur®” lifestyle of today, but I hope she’d be 

proud that I’m trying my best to be a mom first and 

pursuing opportunities that she was never afforded. 

What have been some of your major business 

successes 

Being Calgary’s first online baby and toddler 

store. Bringing “in-home” diaper consultation service to 

Calgary and our upcoming expansion to other areas in 

Canada. 

Deb Singh on the 

run in Vegas. 

What have been some of your major business 

challenges 

It all comes down to TIME. Balancing family 

demands and attempting to pursue personal interests, 

while simultaneously running a business. 

What skills or character traits were most helpful to 

you when you were getting started in your 

business 

The skills would be my business degree and 

accounting background. And the characteristics that 

have been really beneficial are persistence, a positive 

attitude and honesty. 

Do you have any advise for other mompreneurs® 

who are just getting their businesses started 

Realize the magnitude of the decision you are 

making. Starting a business is similar to bringing 

another child into the family. It’s demanding, tiring, 

frustrating at times and truly rewarding at others. 

Every day will be a challenge. You’ll be pulled in many 

different directions and be forced to make sacrifices. 

Make a plan and prioritize. 


Visit our website at www.themompreneur.com 


13

I love to run. I took up running again after the birth 

of my first child to get in shape and now I do it because 

it is such a great stress-reducer. 

With the demands of your busy schedule, do you 

get a chance to pamper yourself and how do you 

achieve that 

I try to get a massage once or twice a month. My 

husband Roger and I get a sitter a couple of times a 

month to go out for dinner because, with kids aged four, 

two-and-a-half and one, having a hot meal served by 

someone else is true pampering! 

How do you balance your work life with your 

family life 

This is a real challenge. My kids are young and my 

husband is regularly out of town so, needless to say, our 

household can be a little crazy! We’ve recently started 

scheduling family swim dates on Fridays in the late 

afternoon/early evening. We always 

eat lunch and dinner together on 

the weekends. Our true family time 

is during our annual two-week 

vacation in a sunny destination 

with no cell phones, lap tops or 

work of any kind for both myself 

and Roger – the focus is on 

spending time together as a family. 

What do you do for fun 

I love to run. I took up running 

again after the birth of my first 

child to get in shape and now I 

do it because it is such a great 

stress-reducer. It gives me a chance 

to recharge, relax and exercise. I try 

to get out at least two times a week. 

I have a couple of other moms that 

I meet once a week for a “stroller 

run” with my youngest. Early 

Sunday mornings I escape the 

chaos at home to go for a longer 

run. I recently returned from a trip 

to Las Vegas where I ran my third 

half marathon (13.1 kilometres). 

It was a fabulous escape – I got to run, relax, shop and 

even sleep through the night! 

Do you have any New Year’s resolutions for 2008 

that you would like to share with our readers 

Business-wise, we want to expand our diaper 

consultation service to new markets, educate and 

challenge parents to cloth diaper and continue to run 

this business with a “family first” mentality. 

On the personal side, I plan to participate in another 

half marathon and also continue the quest for balance 

through scheduled monthly dates – as a family, a couple 

and with each of my children. MP 

The tiny gems that inspired the company name: (left to right) 

Emerson (two-and-a-half), Hudson (one) and Geanna (four). 

Photograph by Michelle Wells. 

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14 

The Mompreneur • January 2008

MOMMY 

MERCHANDISE 

Shanghai Girl 

Check out their new line of Bamboo Clothing. 

www.shanghaigirl.ca 

Diva Diamondz 

All natural, non-toxic, 

odour-absorbing volcanic rock. Use 

them in sports equipment, diaper 

pails and shoes to combat odours. 

Made in Canada. 

www.divadiamondz.com 

Shop Bop 

Anna Corinna Bender Purse 

www.shopbop.com 

Kidcentral 

Nursing Cover: made from 100% cotton, each 

Peanut Shell® Nursing Cover is equipped with 

flexible boning to promote mother/infant eye 

contact, infant monitoring and increased air 

circulation and comes with a FREE coordinating 

burp cloth. 

Soother and Soother Clip: Razbaby 

Keep-it-Kleen Pacifiers are made from 

medical-grade silicon and close instantly when 

dropped, making them cleaner and healthier for baby. 

Pacifier clip is also included. 

www.kidcentral.ca 

Posh Mommy 

Ultimate Diaper Bag from 

Not Rational 

www.poshmommy.ca 


15

READ ABOUT SEX 

by Dr. Trina Read 

Those Cheating Hearts 

“The happiest moment of any affair takes place after the 

loved one has learned to accommodate the lover and before 

the maddening personality of either party has emerged like 

a jagged rock from the receding tides of lust and curiosity.” 

– Quentin Crisp 

Cheating on your significant other is dangerously 

sexy and fun. It is an elixir to get the juices 

flowing and awakens a sweet feeling of aliveness 

that bubbles over within. Why else would someone risk it 

all for a bit of sex 

Does that statement make you angry 

In the Journal of Couple & Relationships Therapy 

2002, the Atwood & Schwartz study revealed 45 to 55% of 

married women and 50 to 60% of married men engage in 

extramarital sex at some time or another during their 

relationship. 

The reality is there are too many unsatisfying and 

empty relationships. 

A major reason why infidelity statistics are high is 

people place a greater value on their careers, children, 

friends or hobbies than on their partner. 


Consequently, in today’s instant gratification 

society, at least half of men and women are looking for a 

quick fix of what they need outside of their relationship. 

As much as you might contest it, I bet that, under the 

right conditions, you would do the same thing. Many 

people will sheepishly confirm that falling into an 

extramarital situation is surprisingly easy. 

How can a good person with honest intentions turn 

out to be a cheating spouse Think back to the when you 

began a new liaison. 

Ahhhh, the newby stages of a relationship: sex 

like bunnies and boundless euphoric energy. It is the 

love-drug that every person should have a hit of at least 

once in his or her life. 

After the luster of the honeymoon phase is over and 

the relationship becomes “work,” circumstances such as 

continued on page 18

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Romantic 

Sensual 

Tasteful 

Beautiful 

Sex-Positive 

1501 B, 17th Avenue SW Calgary AB 403 475 7775 

www.alittlemoreinteresting.com 


17

… now that infidelity is so everyday, it seems neither party 

is taking responsibility for the mess that had 

been created inside their relationship pre-cheating. 

kids, overwork and financial difficulties force the couple 

to dog-paddle in very deep water. 

This becomes the juncture where many couples, 

instead of turning to each other for support, turn against 

each other. Their once perfect partner now turns into 

the target for all the angst, uncertainty and frustration 

going on in the relationship. The emotional connection 

is severed and, not surprisingly, the sex stops or is 

unbearably infrequent. 

Somewhere along the way – feeling lonely, helpless, 

emotionally void and not sexy – the spouse meets 

someone. That someone takes an interest, or perhaps 

there is that mutual chemistry. The love-drug starts 

producing all of its wonderful chemicals in the brain. 

Not every person will act on this impulse, and yet at 

least half of the population does. 

There you have it: a perfectly nice person having 

an affair and the couple is then just another infidelity 

statistic. 

People who cheat usually do not feel good about 

their choice. Yet people inevitably will default to what 

is easy first. Plus, the payoff for their actions feels great 

because they have the love-drug pumping through their 

veins. So, if it is easy and there is a high payoff, why 

wouldn’t they 

Unfortunately, as with any easy instant 

gratification, no time has been taken to figure out the 

cost of their actions. They are too selfish to add up the 

devastation that will be wreaked on their relationship. 

What concerns me is: now that infidelity is so 

everyday, it seems neither party is taking responsibility 

for the mess that had been created inside their 

relationship pre-cheating. 

On one side, the cheater would rather go outside 

the relationship to quick-fix their emotional void. On the 

other side, many cheated-ons are so distraught they 

allow themselves to fall into a victim role. Being a victim 

equals being powerless. Trust me – you never want to 

feel powerless, especially in this kind of situation. 

Victims usually point the finger of blame at 

someone else. Women are more likely to blame the other 

woman for the indiscretion than to blame the cheating 

husband. 

One website, www.infidelitycheck.org, claims 

that a big reason for extra marital affairs is cybersex. 

“‘Cybersex’ is more than just a buzz word in today’s 

culture. It is a danger to families and as addictive as 

crack cocaine without the sociological stigma. It’s easy 

to hide and highly destructive.” 

Hogwash. People will seek out and find venues 

when their emotional needs are not being met. If you 

want to avoid becoming yet another statistic, you must 

nurture your relationship and not allow it to limp along 

on autopilot. 

How 

Figure out what/who the top five priorities are in 

your life. Is your partner one of them Do your actions 

follow through on your words 

Always think of your partner in positive terms 

instead of what is wrong, or they might go and seek 

approval from other sources. 

Spend a minimum of three hours a week on pure 

one-on-one time with your partner. Rate how easy or 

hard it is to communicate about difficult topics like sex 

or whatever is bugging you. 

Finally, a strong partnership will usually not 

lead to cheating and will be better able 

to weather the storm if it does 

happen. MP 

Sexologist, Dr. Trina E. Read is a national 

newspaper columnist, magazine columnist 

and international speaker. Go to Dr. Trina’s 

website, www. trinaread.com 

to sign up for your weekly audio T-Sex Tip, 

or email your comments 

to drtrina@ trinaread.com. 

… a strong partnership will usually not lead to cheating and will 

be better able to weather the storm if it does happen. 



Nursing Covers Now Available in Canada! 


19

BEFORE 

HOME SPACE 

by Sylvia Daoust 

Tips 

for Organizing 

Your Child’s Closet 

• Allow for the closet to “grow with your child” 

(ie: movable shelves). 

• Add another hanging rod to maximize hanging 

space and have some clothing at eye-level. 

• Hanging canvas sweater organizers are an 

inexpensive way to create shelves for sweaters 

(also labelled with days of the week for early school 

goers). 

• Over-the-door shoe organizers are a great storage 

option for anything but shoes – try using them for 

hats, small books, socks, underwear and stuffed toys. 

• Drawer dividers keep little clothes organized in 

categories and prevent those tiny tights from getting 

lost in a mound of sweaters. 

• Over-the-door car seatback organizers 

are good for toys and are also washable. 

• Don’t forget the space under the bed – 

an under-the-bed storage bin works great 

for all the craft projects your child brings 

home from school and also makes for easy 

clean up toys that ar usually left strewn 

about the floor. 

• Use multi-purpose organizers and 

furniture pieces. 

• Label bins and baskets to help your child 

clean up on their own. Put pictures on 

them for younger children so they know 

what the containers are for. 

• Use the top shelf to store out-of-season 

clothing in larger bins with lids. 


AFTER 

Sometimes too much space in a 

bedroom can be undesirable, 

as clothing and toys tend 

to take over the room and 

pile up in every corner. 

• A good storage system inside the closet will make 

valuable use of the vertical space and eliminate the 

need for dressers in a small room. Choose something 

flexible that has the ability to change as your child 

grows. 

• Floating shelves neatly display collectibles that 

children don’t want to part with. 

• Store books somewhere kids can easily access them, 

such as under a bench seat or on a bookshelf that can 

also hold baskets for small items and 

cardboard magazine boxes. Keep a selection 

of books out at a time and switch them 

regularly so kids aren’t always reading the 

same ones. 

• If your child can’t bear to part with some 

of their dozens of stuffed toys, take pictures 

of them with your child and scrapbook these 

special items. Having a memory book of 

these toys might make saying goodbye a 

little easier. 

• Sometimes too much space in a bedroom 

can be undesirable, as clothing and toys tend to take 

over the room and pile up in every corner. I would 

suggest paring down clothing and toys at the end of 

each season. Take what doesn’t fit, what they don’t 

like or use anymore and toss or give away. If kept up 

regularly, it is easier to stay organized throughout 

the year. MP 

Sylvia Daoust is the founder of Sort It Out, 

a home and business organizing company 

helping customers tackle one space at a 

time. Other services include home staging 

and interior redesign. She is a proud 

member of the Professional Organizers 

of Canada. You can e-mail Sylvia at 

sort-it-out@shaw.ca. Sign up for a free 

tips manual at www.sort-it-out.ca. 


21

COMMUNICATION 

by La Velle Goodwin 

Play In The 

BIG 

LEAGUE 

Shhhhhh! Do you know what the most powerful 

secret to success is Just try to think of someone 

who is really successful in business who is not, at 

the very least, a good public speaker. I think you will 

quickly see that the most successful people in the 

business world are in fact great public speakers. 

There is simply no way around it – if you want 

‘big league’ success, you have got to get out there and 

speak well. Make dynamic, confident presentations to 

any audience who will listen! Speak to people – lots of 

people – to launch you and your business into a whole 

new universe. 

Which of the following best describes your response 

to that advice 

a) “Oh, La Velle, I would love to but I don’t think 

embarrassing myself in front of an audience is going to 

have a positive effect on my bottom line.” 

b) “I have but it is not working and, frankly, I would 

rather shove hot needles in my eyes.” 

c) “Yes, I am doing that and I can’t wait for my next 

opportunity to strut my stuff!” 

If you answered ‘c,’ congratulations! You are likely a 

person who has no difficulty exuding personality in front 

of a crowd and thus are in a fantastic position to get out 

there and GRAB success. Claim all that you want. It is 

your’s for the taking. Commence your dance of joy. 

If you answered ‘b,’ your willingness to speak is 

fantastic. Your preference for sharp objects in your eyes 

is definitely something your audiences will pick up on 

and quickly not respond to. 

You’ve got to command the attention of the 

audiences you speak to. Wake people up! Get them 

excited about what you can do for them. If you want 

to ooze that coveted dynamic confidence, you have to 

invest in some training to learn the art of working 

audiences and, in short order, you will not only come to 

enjoy speaking, but you will be the envy of mediocre (and 

less successful) speakers everywhere. 

If you answered ‘a’ (and your fear has not caused 

you to stop reading this), don’t give up just yet. You are 

in good company. Seventy per cent of us are very nervous 

at the thought of speaking in front of groups. Even 

Warren Buffet, the world’s most successful investor was, 

at the beginning of his career, terrified of speaking to 

audiences. But he did not let that stop him. Because he 

realized that his future success would depend on his 

ability to speak, he made gaining that skill a top priority 

and today, he is not only mind-numbingly wealthy, but 

he is (yes, you guessed it) an excellent speaker – and he 

gives that skill much of the credit for his success. 

You can chose to do the same as Warren Buffet – 

just start at the beginning with a determined mindset. 

Step#1: Accept this one inescapable fact: if you 

want serious success, you have to be able to effectively 

communicate with audiences. 

(Take a deep breath here.) 

Step #2: Make overcoming your fears of 

speaking or improving your speech technique 

‘business priority #1.’ Don’t wait. You can do this and 

you might as well start working on it today. 

Step #3, Imagine how your business would 

change if you could walk into any crowd, stand up in 

front of any audience, confidently look directly into a TV 


There is simply no way around it 

– if you want ‘big league’ success, 

you have got to get out there and speak well. 

camera and speak powerfully about your business in a way that 

would leave people wanting to be your friend. Just like Oprah. Or Ellen. 

Just like the powerful business woman you are. That would translate into 

more people knowing about you, who you are, what you do … and wanting 

your products or services! 

Are you getting excited Step #3 is very important. Once you have 

fixed in your mind what that kind of opportunity and exposure would do 

for your business, move on. 

Step #4: Write down your most meaningful reasons for wanting 

to tackle your speaking anxieties. Here are some examples: 

“I want to become a great public speaker because it will make me more 

confident in business.” 

“When I am a great public speaker, I will be able to effectively utilize 

the media in my marketing strategy.” 

“Public speaking will allow me to take my business to the next level.” 

“With great public speaking skills, I will be able to intimidate men 

and that is fun for everyone!” 

Step #5: Decide what action you are going to take in order to 

attain those skills. Write it down, in terms of what you are going to do 

for your business and what your plan of action is, such as: 

“I am going to take a step-by-step approach to overcoming whatever 

my issues are so that I can take my business as far as it can go.” 

“I will employ the help of a professional coach or register for a 

workshop/class/seminar to maximize my efforts.” 

Step #6: Set short and long term goals, with measurable results 

and definite deadlines and write them down. 

Step #7: Put your plan into action. DO IT! 

See that You have already taken seven very significant steps toward 

becoming a great public speaker and future raging success. MP 

La Velle Goodwin, president of Rabid Entertainment Inc. and 

developer of Speech Savvy Workshops, focuses nearly 20 years 

of experience in media relations, speaking, teaching, training 

professional speakers and performing as a comedic emcee in 

programs that inspire entrepreneurs and professionals to 

develop and continually reach for public speaking excellence. 

She has won national awards in sales and media relations and 

is a professional level member of the Canadian Association of 

Professional Speakers. But she is most proud of being the 

mother and home educator of her two great teenagers. 

CLASSIFIED AD 

Spirited Moms! 

If you're ready to take your life to the next level 

financially and emotionally ... check out my website @ 

www.TheBusinessOfAbundance.com/Mom.html 


23


KAREN JUDGE 

by Karen Cottingham 

NEW beginnings 

After many years of success as the owner of a 

high-end women’s clothing store in Calgary, 

Karen Judge recently decided she’d had 

enough of the retail world. 

She was tired of paying exorbitant rent for 

her store space and of working long, long hours 

every day of the week. Added to that were the 

staffing difficulties all retail owners in this city 

are trying to cope with, having to work on holidays 

when she would rather be with her family and the 

never-ending inventory and cash-flow worries that 

were keeping her awake at night. 

She realized it was time for something different 

– a new beginning. 

Karen says she has always had a passion for 

style. Even as a young girl, she knew she wanted to 

have her own store some day where she could put 

that passion to work. 

Over the years, Karen had built up a wonderful 

and loyal clientele – women she felt connected to 

and had become friends with as she helped them 

develop their own personal styles. Watching a 

satisfied customer walk out the door with her 

shoulders back, a twinkle in her eye and a revived 

self-esteem gave her a real feeling of success. That 

was what she really loved about the business she 

was in. 

She also has an uncanny ability to identify 

what trends are going to be hot in the future. 

“In the style industry you have to make 

inventory choices months in advance,” she says. “If 

you miss a trend or think that something is going to 

be better than it turns out to be, it can really affect 

the bottom line. 

“I told people I gambled for a living,” she 

laughs, “as accurately predicting months in advance 

as to what a client will want is no different than 

putting it all on a roll of the dice – you close your 

eyes, cross your fingers and hope it all works out.” 

Her advice to other women who dream of 

becoming entrepreneurs is simple – it’s all about 

passion. 

“You have to love what you do,” she states 

adamantly. “If your motivation is purely because of 

the money, that is not enough. Your business has to 

become your spirit. Don’t define who you are by what 

you do – define what you do by who you are. To me, 

success is not defined by my bank account, but by 

being able to live my dreams.” 

To begin living her own new dreams, Karen 

looked at all the things that didn’t make sense in 

her business life and decided to eliminate them but 

to keep all the elements that she so much enjoyed. 

“I still have a passion for my clients and 

helping them be their best,” she says. “And that 

passion is what I’m taking with me into my new 

business.” 


Her advice to other women who dream of 

becoming entrepreneurs is simple 

– it’s all about passion. 


25

The new business is Gorgeous, which is exactly 

what Karen says she wants every client to feel after 

they’ve had a personal styling consultation at the 

sumptuous new studio she has opened in southeast 

Calgary. The space is like a beautiful living room 

with lots of mirrors, a fireplace and huge, soft 

seating under a glowing chandelier. The perfect 

place to relax, have fun and build friendships while 

talking and learning about style. 

So what is a personal styling consultation 

Picture yourself with Stacey and Clinton from 

the popular TV program, “What Not To Wear,” but 

without a camera following your every move. While 

Karen is going through your closet throwing out 

clothes that don’t suit you, she is also getting to 

know who you are; your personality, your spirit. 

Then she will teach you how to bring out those 

qualities in the way you look and dress, including 

assisting you with the shopping and referring you to 

hair stylists and make-up specialists. At the end of 

the consulting experience, you will look and feel 

GORGEOUS. 

Besides the consultation services, clients can 

also shop on-line at www.studiogorgeous.com 

for the unique products that Gorgeous distributes 

and they can book special events online too – like 

girlfriend parties. 

It all sounds like a lot of fun and that is exactly 

why Karen loves her job and how she can bring all 

that passion to it. 

Taking on a new lease for the studio has also 

given her a new lease on life. 

“This is much better than retail,” she enthuses. 

“Now I am able to concentrate my talent and passion 

into one-on-one service to my clients. I feel so much 

more in control of my life and my business and I’m 

very excited about that. 

“New beginnings. New beginnings,” she chants. 

The Gorgeous business will allow her the 

opportunity to spend more time with her family; 

something she says she always had difficulty 

balancing while in the retail world. 

“The need to balance family and work is truly 

the reason for my new beginnings,” she says. “I was 

a slave to my business – in retail you have to be 

“open” all the time. When the store wasn’t open, I 

was working in the office or sending e-mails at 2:00 

in the morning. 

“My son Jarod is 11 years old now and I still 

think he was just born,“ she says, alluding to how 

quickly time can pass when you are so busy. “He 

recently pointed out to me that I only made it to four 

of his hockey games last year. That’s because he 

plays on Saturdays. And guess what I always had 

to work at the store on Saturdays. 

Some of the beautiful jewellery available through Gorgeous. 


“How can I not have fun” she asks. 

“I’m surrounded by beautiful clothing 

and accessories that I consider 

to be art. I get to pair my art to people 

I like to be with – my clients. 

“I’m very fortunate that my husband Greg has been 

so supportive. He left a promising career in order to try 

to keep our business and family in balance,” she says. 

“But my new schedule is far more flexible and way 

more manageable. My husband and son just might 

get sick of having me around all the time.” 

While most experts will recommend you 

spend some time pampering yourself, Karen 

says that sounds too high-maintenance for her. 

Instead, she believes that she takes care 

of herself by having fun every day. 

“How can I not have fun” she asks. 

“I’m surrounded by beautiful clothing 

and accessories that I consider to be art. 

I get to pair my art to people I like to 

be with – my clients. Surrounding 

myself with what I love is how I 

“pamper” myself. 

“But the odd pair of new 

shoes doesn’t hurt,” she adds 

with a laugh. 

While it may take her a 

few months to wind down from 

all the retail stress she lived 

with for so long, Karen has a 

clear vision of how to proceed 

and is sure to enjoy every day 

of her new beginnings. MP 

Photos by Stephanie Cragg Photography.


HUMAN RESOURCES 

by Angela Del Corpo 

Hiring Tips 

for the Entrepreneur 

Hiring a new employee can be stressful, especially 

for an entrepreneur. Having a plan and outlined 

expectations can help you make a solid decision 

that will benefit both you and your new employee. 

Here are eight tasks you need to do before making 

that final offer: 

Write a Job Description 

Many entrepreneurs skip this step because they 

feel that since they are such a small company, 

responsibilities really don’t require clarification. Not 

true. This will help you focus on the type of employee 

you require and your expectation of him/her. 

In addition, it will help you in the future with your 

job advertisement, employee reviews and potentially 

other positions that may need to be filled within your 

organization. 

Things to consider while writing your job 

description; daily responsibilities, goals that need to 

be met (specify time frame – for example; must achieve 

at least $50,000 per month in sales), itemize software or 

tools employee will use on the job as well as any physical 

demands the job may entail. 

Determine your Salary Range/Compensation 

Determining your salary range and total 

compensation is an important component in order to 

attract competent, good quality applicants. 

Compensation takes into account salary, bonuses, 

benefits and perks. There are a number of ways to 

determine your salary range and total compensation 

package. 

The first and most accurate way is to obtain the 

services of an agency that specializes in compensation. 

This can be a costly process, so be sure to confirm all fees 

before proceeding. This type of agency will fairly outline a 

compensation package for your industry that will attract 

your ideal candidate. 

The second avenue is a bit more labour-intensive for 

you as a business owner, but it is very cost-effective. 

With job description in hand, begin to research 

comparable jobs online or through contacting 

employment agencies with similar jobs posted. Be 

sure you are comparing apples to apples – try to locate 

jobs that are VERY similar to your job description. 



29

Be sure you are knowledgeable and prepared 

to deal with all that comes with hiring staff. 

By not doing this, you are leaving yourself 

vulnerable to under compensating or over 

compensating the position. Also, recognize 

that not all job ads will outline total 

compensation packages. 

If your position is one that may have combined 

or alternative compensation methods (salary plus 

commission, bonuses, etc.), be sure to stay in line with 

the compared, similar positions when determining your 

compensation package. 

Compile and Determine your 

Method of Job Posting 

Writing your job posting should be fairly easy since 

you have now completed your job description. There are 

a few other things to include in your posting; 

Experience. Be sure to outline your experience 

requirements, usually a range (i.e. three to five years). 

Education. Minimum education required (college, 

university, trade, etc.). 

Salary Range. This is optional. To help, research 

if others hiring for the same position post their salary 

range. 

Briefing about your company. This is also 

optional but offers the applicant an opportunity to 

research you so that they may better ask questions and 

come prepared with information. 

Application details and deadline. Specify your 

application preferences (email, fax, mail) and be sure to 

include your details. Setting a deadline allows you a 

chance to put a plan in place to tackle the interviewing 

process. 

After completing your job description, you must 

decide how you would like to market your advertisement. 

Most popular are online job sites such as Workopolis, 

Monster and many others. Be sure to consider the type 

of applicant you’re looking for and the avenue most used 

when they search for a job. Be sure to look into all fees 

associated with posting your ad (in all methods), as well 

as its run time. 

Reviewing your Applications 

Many people approach resume/application reviews 

in different ways. The following method is my personal 

approach. 

Keeping in mind the job description, review resumes 

or applications with a highlighter and make note of 

their skills and experience that match the description, 

experience requirements and education you want. 

I disregard resumes/applications if I find the 

following; significantly under/over qualified, spelling 

errors (applicant doesn’t pay attention to detail) and if 

they’ve quoted a high salary not in my range. You may 

have other reasons to disqualify an application but be 

sure not to discriminate (this is covered in a separate 

topic further on). 

Once you’ve selected the applicants you wish to 

interview, contact them to set up a meeting. If you wish 

to have references or any other information, advise your 

applicant during the phone call to bring the information 

in when they come for their interview. 

Interviewing 

Interviewing can a fun experience, so don’t fret. You 

have an opportunity to meet a number of people and you 

will learn something new about human nature every 

time you perform an interview. 

Decide on the questions you wish to ask (again, 

keeping in mind not to discriminate). The most popular 

type of interview process is the “Behavioural Method.” 

This style allows open-ended questions so that the 

applicant has an opportunity to provide examples (if they 

don’t, make it clear you would like examples). Be sure to 

type all your questions leaving enough space to make 

notes on your applicants’ responses. 

While interviewing, always keep your applicant’s 

resume/application handy, as you can pull additional 

questions from it if need be. 

Always ask if they have any questions for you. And 

advise how you are proceeding with the next step of the 

process (testing, second interviews, final selection, etc.). 

When you have completed the interview, be sure 

to attach the applicant’s responses, their resume or 

application and any other documentation together, 

regardless of whether they move on in the process. Set 

aside the applicants moving onto the next step. File the 

ones no longer in the running and keep them on file for 

at least six months. 

Information on Discrimination 

Discrimination is discrimination – no question. In 

Canada, discrimination varies somewhat across federal, 

provincial and territorial jurisdictions. However, all 

jurisdictions agree on six prohibited grounds; race or 

colour; religion or creed; age; sex (including pregnancy); 

marital status and mental or physical disability. Other 

jurisdictions may include things such as pardoned 

conviction, place of origin and a few others. 

Always check your local jurisdiction for other 

provisions to ensure you do not discriminate. 

In addition, there are questions you should not ask 

an applicant during the interviewing process. Below are 

some examples: 

“How many children do you have What are 

your childcare arrangements” 



Instead, you can ask, “Are you able to work the 

required hours and, when applicable, overtime” 

“Are you married, single, divorced, etc.” 

Instead, you can ask, “If a transfer or travel is 

required, can you meet this requirement” 

There are many questions you should refrain 

from asking. If you are unsure, consult a human 

resource professional. You do not want to be accused 

of discrimination. 

Selection and Hiring 

Once you have selected and contacted the 

candidate you wish to hire, you should, in writing, 

confirm job responsibilities, start date, regular hours, 

location of work and compensation package. You may 

wish to have your new employee sign this information. 

Be sure to place a copy in their employee file. 

Post-Hiring Things to Consider 

There are many other items to consider once 

you’ve taken on a new, or several new employees. 

You may want to consider issuing an employee 

handbook, outlining your policies on certain items (such 

as Internet use, personal phone calls, time off, etc.). 

Another consideration would be to decide on how 

you will continue to evaluate your employee(s). Will 

you perform semi-annual or annual reviews Will you 

increase compensation during your reviews What will 

the increase be evaluated on 

Think about how you will keep morale and 

encourage and motivate your staff. This is very 

important as they will now represent your organization 

and can be an important face of your company. 

In closing, there are many things to consider, not 

only when making the decision to hire an employee, 

but also what comes of increasing your staff. You will 

be responsible for the human resource functions of 

your business, bringing about many types of questions, 

situations and issues. Be sure you are knowledgeable 

and prepared to deal with all that comes with hiring 

staff. 

Although this may sound daunting to you, 

congratulations on being able to grow your business in 

a new and exciting way! MP 

Angela Del Corpo is the owner 

of The Organized Diva in Oakville, 

Ontario, specializing in outsourced 

administrative services, including 

human resource assistance to 

entrepreneurs and small businesses. 

www.theorganizeddiva.com. 


31

PARENTING 

by Julie Freedman Smith & Gail Bell 

A Fresh Start 

New Year’s resolutions are often made to be 

broken, but when it comes to parenting, we can 

resolve to make a fresh start any day of the year. 

Thankfully, our children are with us day after day 

and we have lots of opportunity to move forward in a 

positive manner by the time they leave home – if they 

leave home. 

Parenting Power suggests the following as skills to 

be honed each day. 

Value yourself. We want our children to be proud 

of themselves. And where do they learn their positive or 

negative self-talk From us, of course. Take pride in 

what you do well and go easy on yourself when things 

don’t go as planned. Perfectionism is contagious. 

Create a code of values. Take some time 

(between 3:00 and 5:00 a.m.) to think about and create 

a list of characteristics or values that are important to 

you and your family. Once you have determined these 

values, share them with your children in age-appropriate 

language. Values are not innate but they will be learned. 

If we don’t teach our children values, who will 

Parents unite. We are all busy but we must make 

the time to check in with our spouse or co-caregiver. 

We need to know what behaviour is on the horizon and 


confirm how we will deal with upcoming situations. If we 

don’t, our children will learn that no means yes or might 

be depending on the parent. 

Act – don’t yak (our daily mantra). What better 

way to show our children that we can be trusted, that 

we mean what we say So often when misbehaviour 

occurs, we are drawn into a lengthy interaction 

(tears, screaming, etc.) that postpones the inevitable 

consequence. We can save ourselves a great deal of 

frustration (and our children a great deal of boredom) 

by moving directly to the consequence. 

Watch your timing. When you are going to start a 

new routine or discipline strategy, set everyone up for 

success. Choose a time when things are “normal.” Try 

to avoid times like Christmas, spring break, new school 

semester, your year-end, tax time or exam time. 

Check the clock. Morning, late afternoon and 

evening may be the most stressful times of the day to 

change behaviours or discuss problems. Give everyone 

the best chance possible. Allow plenty of wake-up time 

in the morning, challenge low blood sugar with a 

mid-afternoon snack and keep bedtime peaceful and 

predictable. 

continued on page 34


33

We go to school to learn how to do just about 

everything in this world but, for some reason, we try 

to parent our children by the seat of our pants 

We’re all in this together. When you decide you 

need to change the way you are doing things, enlist your 

children to help you. They may have some great ideas 

and they will feel important to be asked. Problem solving 

is a learned process so take the time to involve them 

whenever you can. They will start to see themselves as 

part of the solution and not only the problem. When we 

start putting our children and ourselves together as a 

team against the difficult situation, we stop putting 

ourselves against our children. 

Ask questions. Instead of giving orders, such as 

“Get your coat. Grab your boots. Get in the van,” ask 

questions like “What do you need to grab to stay warm 

What do you need for your feet Where do you need to 

be” Giving orders invites rebellion; asking questions 

invites cooperation. 

Stick to it. Consistency helps your child to know 

what is expected. Do this for your children and yourself. 

Remember, your children are like little scientists. They 

are collecting data all the time. If you have picked up 

after them or said one thing and done another for five 

years running, they are going to need proof that you are 

making a change. Your children will compare your new 

behaviour to your old and test, test, test until there is 

more data supporting the new way. Things will get 

better. 

Give yourself a chance. We go to school to 

learn how to do just about everything in this world but, 

for some reason, we try to parent our children by the 

seat of our pants. Sometimes the outcomes are fantastic 

but sometimes they look like we sat in something. If you 

have a question or need some new tools, take a class or 

get some coaching. Give 

yourself a chance. MP 

For more information about this 

column and other parenting 

questions, contact us at 

info@parentingpower.ca 

Julie Freedman Smith & Gail Bell, 

Parenting Power 



35

ACHIEVE 

by Cidnee Stephen 

Plan 

For 

Success 

January is such an exciting time for 

businesses. Owners normally find 

themselves rejuvenated after the 

holidays and ready for an even better new 

year. The desk gets cleared, the blank pages 

come out, the pen is poised and the first 

question that comes to mind is, “Where do 

I start” 

Here is the thing with planning and goal 

setting. It’s fun, especially when done at the 

50,000 foot level that entrepreneurs love. 

However, somehow these great ideas need to 

be realistically achieved or you are simply setting 

yourself up for failure. 

Here are some guidelines to plan for success in 

2008: 

Start with the end in mind. Where do you want 

to be a year from now Obviously, one of the main goals 

you should determine is your gross revenue for the 

company and the net pay that goes into your pocket. 

But some other goals you may want to achieve relate 

to company growth (e.g. number of employees, new 

regions, products & services, etc). There is also nothing 

wrong in throwing in personal goals. Life is about 

balance. Good health, a positive outlook and peace of 

mind always make for a more productive business owner. 

Make your goals S.M.A.R.T. Stay away from 

obscure goals. SMART goals are: 

Specific – Avoid generalizing in your goals. Make 

them as specific as possible by incorporating as many of 

the following as you can into each goal. 

• Who is involved in the goal 

• What are you trying to accomplish 

• When will the goal be completed by 

• Where will this goal take place 

• How will this goal be reached 

Measurable – Ask yourself, “How will I know 

I achieved my goal” You will need to include 

measurement in your goal so you know you have 

succeeded in reaching them. (e.g. increase of two 

employees, overall business growth of 6%, etc). 

Agreed Upon – Goals should be agreed upon by 

all those that will be involved in making them happen. 

Even if you are a “solopreneur,” if you delegate to 

others, ensure that they understand the importance of 

the goal. You also must agree to yourself that this goal is 

important. It is a good idea when making them that you 

set priorities for each goal and that you put some serious 

thought into whether or not they are truly important to 

you. Because when the going gets rough, it’s easy to 

abandon your goals. 

Realistic – One of the biggest mistakes you can 

make is to set yourself up to fail. The goals you set 

should be achievable within the time period you 

specified. It is an art to determine goals that stretch you 

just enough without becoming unrealistic. The more 

facts you are basing your goals on, the better you can 

predict real results. 

Have a Target Date – Always, always include a 

target date to achieve your goals. Then write those dates 

in your calendar. Important to note here is how much 

36 The Mompreneur • January 2008 continued on page 38


37

As a mother and entrepreneur, 

you need a little dose of motivation at times to 

keep you moving forward with your dreams! 

time you allocate to each goal. Too much time affects 

your overall perfomance and not enough time sets you up 

for failure or poor quality. 

Work Backwards – Once you have set your long 

term goals, you will need to break those goals down into 

monthly, then weekly, then daily mini-goals. I’m a big 

fan of Excel sheets and calendars to show you what 

you need to do at specified intervals to achieve the end 

result. This is time management at its best and will help 

you to be as productive as you possibly can. 

You should identify others that you need to delegate 

to in order to achieve your goals and when they need to 

complete their tasks by. 

Working backwards helps you avoid being at the 

same place a year from now, wondering why you didn’t 

succeed. 

Review, Revise, Reimplement – Schedule 

regular intervals throughout the year to review your 

goals and whether or not you are on track to achieving 

them. If you are ahead or behind schedule, determine 

what has caused the change, revise your plans 

accordingly and reimplement for the remainder of 

the year. 

This is a vital step to staying on track. Just like a 

captain steering his ship, a business owner needs to 

check direction and adjust for unforeseen circumstances 

to get to their final destination. 

Goal setting and company planning should be done 

every year you are in business. Not only does this keep 

you on track – it also keeps you motivated. 

As a mother and entrepreneur, you need a little 

dose of motivation at times to keep you moving forward 

with your dream! MP 

Cidnee Stephen is the president of Strategies 

for Success, a marketing company that 

caters specifically to the needs of small 

businesses and solopreneurs. She is a 

sought-after speaker and writer on 

cost- and time-effective ways to 

generate qualified leads and build 

credibility. For more free tips, subsribe 

to Marketing Tips for the Savvy at 

www.strategiesforsuccess.ca, 

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INSPIRED MEALS 

from wovenfare.com 

Wouldn’t it be nice if someone could just tell you 

what to make for dinner every night And then, 

while they were at it, tell you exactly what 

groceries to buy … 

A Meal Plan Does Exactly That 

A meal plan is simply a list of what you are going 

to have for dinner each night of the week. It should also 

include a complete grocery list of everything you will 

need. It’s a concept that makes so much sense – in 

theory. 

Doesn’t it sound wonderful to be that organized, 

have everything on hand and never have to order pizza 

Mompreneur® and wovenfare.com have teamed up 

to bring you the wovenfare weekly Meal Plan. 

What’s a wovenfare weekly Meal Plan 

A weekly meal plan with dishes that anyone can 

make and everyone will love. The dishes range from old 

favourites, infused with flavour-full twists, to inspired 

new ideas that will make dinner time a pleasure for the 

whole family. Healthy can taste good and be stress-free 

to prepare. 

Pesto Lemon Chicken 

What you’ll need: 

basil pesto, lemon, olive oil, 4 - 6 skinless 

bone-in chicken breasts, tinfoil 

All you need to do: 

Mix together 2 – 3 tablespoons (or more) 

of basil pesto, the juice and zest of one 

lemon and a tablespoon of olive oil. Coat 

chicken breasts liberally. Place chicken 

in an oven-safe pan; cover with foil. Cook 

for approximately 40 minutes at 350°C 

or until juices run clear when the breast 

is pierced. 

MONDAY 

TUESDAY 

WEDNESDAY 

THURSDAY 

FRIDAY 

SATURDAY 

MAIN DISH 

Pineapple Pork Stir Fry 

Roasted Salmon Salad with 

Honey Mustard Vinaigrette 

Pesto Lemon Chicken 

Cilantro Beef Meatballs with 

Sour Cream Sauce 

Vegetable Pizza 

Curried Orange Peanut 

Shrimp with Spinach 

SIDE DISHES 

Basic White Ricce 

Steamed Geren Beans 

Green Salad with Vinaigrette 

Sweet Steamed Carrots 

Rice and Bean Salad 

Egg Noodles 

Steamed Broccoli 

Mixed Greens with Apples … 

Green Salad with Vinaigrette 

Basmati Rice 

Crusty Bread 

Log on to wovenfare.com to download all the 

recipes and the grocery list. 

January is a fantastic time to pledge your family 

to a new, healthy lifestyle. Healthy food choices are key 

and definitely do NOT have to include complicated diets. 

It can be as easy as a simple five-step plan. This year 

simply commit to: 

• Planning your dinner time meals in advance 

• Shopping for your groceries from a list 

• Cooking your healthy meals 

• Sitting down with your family to eat your meals 

• Controlling your serving size portions 

Vegetable Pizza 

What you’ll need: 

1 thin pizza crust, pizza sauce, fresh spinach, 

onion, orange bell pepper, fresh mushroom, 

mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese 

All you need to do: 

Preheat oven to 500°F. Spread desired amount 

of your favourite pizza sauce on top of the 

crust. Lay fresh spinach leaves on the pizza. 

Sauté onion and then sprinkle it on. Add 

sliced bell peppers and mushrooms. Top with 

shredded fresh basil to your liking and freshly 

grated mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. 

Cook in the oven for about 15 minutes. 


Book Review 

by Erin Tigchelaar 

In the book Everything Conceivable: How Assisted 

Reproduction is Changing Our World, awardwinning 

science journalist Liza Mundy presents 

us with two colliding statistics: 

1. Women around the world are choosing to have 

their children at ever-increasing average ages. 

2. Many women over the age of 35 (as well as 

many over 30) are unable to conceive and carry to term 

without technological assistance. 

Mundy’s book is a thoughtful and compassionate 

account of how the globally increasing rate of infertility 

is changing the meaning of family and the role of family 

members in society today. 

Throughout the book, the author presents 

overwhelming statistical and anecdotal evidence of the 

prevalence of ART (assisted reproductive technologies) 

in current society. 

These technologies, which are provided in the 

United States by a wholly unregulated and largely 

undocumented industry, are having profound effects 

on men, women and the children that still result from 

the union of male and female gametes, or sex cells. 

Mundy is careful to respect the feelings and 

experiences of infertile mothers and couples as they 

try to have children by any means necessary. She 

thoroughly examines the consequences of the 

increasingly common use of ART and provides chapters 

on the various medical, legal, sociological and ethical 

problems that result from the desperation of people to 

procreate. 

The stories and statistics on the physical and 

mental risk to women (both biological and surrogate 

mothers) and children of multiple births are harrowing 

to read. The sociological effects of our current (and 

future) pandemic of twins are extensively documented. 

Mundy also provides an in-depth look into the 

debates surrounding the ability of homosexual and single 

parents to use ART to produce biological children, and 

she records the difficult decisions ahead for those who 

have to deal with the frozen embryo “glut” in the United 

States. 

In one of the most painful chapters in the book, 

Mundy visits a clinic to bear witness to the moral 

minefield that is a medical procedure to “delete” fetuses 

in women who have conceived multiple times through 

ART. 

All of these issues are handled with the sensitivity, 

honesty and care they deserve. It is hard to imagine a 

more thorough, fascinating and stylish book on this 

important subject. MP 


41


TRAVEL WITH KIDS 

by Michelle Thoms, 

gogoBaby Inc. 

I’ll Have My Milk in a 

Wine Glass Please 

In celebration of New Year’s Eve, I went in search of 

restaurants that will serve my little darling milk 

while I sip on a glass of VQA wine and place my 

linen napkin on my lap. 

Many of the restaurants I spoke to could 

accommodate children and were happy to do so, while 

others simply stated that their “menu was not to a child’s 

palette.” Apparently they hadn’t met my child. 

I’ve gathered a list of some of the finest restaurants 

across Canada that will serve milk to someone seated in 

a booster seat that they’ve provided. 

Each restaurant was asked the same questions: 

Do you have booster seats and high chairs 

Do you have a set kid’s menu 

Will you make something on your menu in a 

smaller portion if asked 

Do you have white/chocolate milk by the glass 

Do you have a diaper change area in the bathroom 

Do you have stroller storage 

My intention is to provide Mompreneur® readers 

with some restaurant options for special nights out that 

don’t include loud music, crayons on the tables and fries 

with almost everything. So raise your wine glass to a 

sippy cup and dine together! 

VANCOUVER 

Kettle of Fish 

900 Pacific Street, (604) 682-6853 

Highchairs are available. 

No kid’s menu. 

Will make children’s selection upon request at time 

of reservation, i.e. chicken fingers with fries. 

White milk is offered by the glass. 

Space available on washroom counter for diaper 

changes. 

Stroller storage is available. 

Seasons in the Park Restaurant 

405 West 33rd Avenue, (604) 874-8008 

Booster seats and highchairs are available. 

Kid’s menu available. 

White and chocolate milk are offered by the glass. 

Diaper change area available in the washroom. 


CALGARY 

Catch Restaurant and Oyster Bar (child friendly) 

100 Stephen Ave. SE (403) 206-0000 



Will make a child-sized selection. 


No space to do diaper changes. 


The Living Room 

514 - 17th Ave. SW, (403) 228-9830 



Will make some items in smaller portions. 




Teatro Restaurant 

200 8 Avenue SE, (403) 290-1012 



Will make a child-sized selection if requested. 






43

… restaurant options for special nights out 

that don’t include loud music, crayons on the tables 

and fries with almost everything. 


EDMONTON 

Sorrentino’s Restaurant 

10162 - 100 Street, (780) 424-7500 







Il Portico Restaurant 

10012 107 Street NW, (780) 424-0707 

Highchairs adaptable to boosters are available. 




Space available for diaper changes in the washroom. 


La Rhonde Restaurant, Crowne Plaza Hotel 

10111 Bellamy Hill, (780) 428-6611 


Set kid’s menu for 6 and under $13.00. 

White milk and chocolate are offered by the glass. 

Space available for diaper changes in hotel lobby 

or large counter in restaurant bathroom. 


REGINA 

The Willow on Wascana 

3000 Wascana Dr, (306)585-3663 



Will make a child-sized selection upon request at 

the time of reservation. 

Milk availability is dependent on menu changes. 

Space available on washroom counter for diaper 

changes. 


Golf’s Steak House 

1945 Victoria Ave, (306)525-5808 






WINNIPEG 

Mise Restaurant 

22-222 Osborne Street, (204) 284-7916 

Booster seats only. 




Space available near washrooms for diaper changes. 


Sydney’s at the Forks 

215-1 Forks Market Road, (204) 942-6075 







TORONTO 

Canoe Restaurant and Bar 

66 Wellington W, (416) 364-0054 





Space available in washroom for diaper changes. 


Coco Lezzone Restaurant and Bar 

602 College Street, (416) 535-1489 




White and chocolate milk are offered by the glass. 



North 44 Restaurant 

2537 Yonge Street, (416) 487-4897 

Booster seats only. 


Will make a child-sized selection upon request at 

the time of reservation; i.e. chicken fingers 

with fries. 

White milk is offered by the glass, chocolate milk 

is made special. 


Stroller storage is available. MP

Phone: 416.277.3464 

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COMMUNICATION 

by Kim Duke 

How to Be a Sales Sore Thumb 

Everyone has heard the old expression “If you do 

THAT, you’ll stand out like a sore thumb!” The 

Sales Diva is here to tell you that your goal in 

sales is to BE THE SALES SORE THUMB! Especially 

when you are leaving voice mail and e-mail messages for 

your customers or prospects. 

Imagine a phone. Imagine a computer. Imagine 

them full of so many e-mail and voice-mail messages 

they could explode. This is what your customer is living 

with every day. In this age of technology, convenience 

listening to voice mail and scanning through e-mail is 

two degrees away from being in Hell. 

In my former corporate life, I received from 25 to 50 

e-mail messages a day. Add this to the phone messages 

and I was one grumpy girl. Very few of the messages 

stood out but they definitely received my attention if 

they did! 

Tease With A Tantalizing Sales Message 

There are three kinds of people who leave messages. 

I love one kind and can’t stand the others. 

The first kind of person leaves you a long-winded 

story of their entire life and never gets to the point. 

The second is the kind who is extremely vague (think 

multi-level marketing people) and doesn’t get to the 

point either. 

The third kind I adore. This kind of person is 

succinct, detailed and makes me curious. 

In an e-mail, make sure the subject line gets 

attention. Your customers should be interested in 

opening it up. Don’t just send “Reply” back to a customer 

if it as an ongoing e-mail message. Write “Bob, I have an 

idea for you ...” or “Thank you and a suggestion ...” or 

“A question re: Your Shoe Sale ...” Be creative and get 

to the point in the body of your e-mail. 

End Telephone Tag Forever By Standing Out 

Leave a message that is either detailed with what 

you need or one that makes them curious, such as “Jill, 

I have a question only you can answer. I will be in the 

office until 10:15.” Don’t tell people you are around all 

morning. Don’t just say, “Jack, it’s Jane. Cpall me.” 

If you do so, you are entering the merry-go-round of 

telephone tag and it’s a dizzy ride! It will also waste 

precious time and energy. 

Remember: BEING a sales sore thumb is great. 

Having a sore thumb from dialing and typing is a 

BORE. MP 

Kim Duke, The Sales Diva, provides savvy, sassy 

sales training for women small biz owners and entrepreneurs. 

Kim works with clients internationally, showing them 

The Sales Diva secrets to success! Sign up for her saucy and 

smart FREE e-zine and receive her FREE Bonus Report 

“The 5 Biggest Sales Mistakes Women Make“ 

at www.salesdivas.com. 


Mountain View Academy 

All children deserve to believe in themselves! 

At Mountain View Academy, 

we educate and empower our students 

in a community where they feel 

valued and respected. 

Come to one of our information sessions and ask us 

about our one-week free trial offer. 

January 22 

March 13 

6:00 to 8:30 pm 

11:00 am to 3:45 pm 

6:00 to 8:30 pm 

We offer: 

• Pre-school through Grade 12 

• 16:1 student-to-teacher ratio 

• University prepatory education 

• Personalized programs 

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Phone: (403) 217-4346 

Email: mva@mountainviewacademy.ca 

www.mountainviewacademy.ca

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