Three Lies We Tell About Our Businesses:

1.  “It’s Easier For Me To Just Do It Myself.” This is the number one excuse we make for why we don’t hire somebody when we need help. Sure, we might say we can’t afford it or that we can’t find the perfect person…but those reasons are rooted in the belief that it’s just easier to do everything ourselves. I get that you are a mom. And moms can do anything they set their minds to. But that doesn’t mean we have to do everything all alone. In fact, if you’re doing everything yourself, you are doing your business, your clients and yourself a disservice.

Yes, it takes time and energy to find the right help – whether it’s a bookkeeper or a babysitter. And you don’t always find the perfect fit the first time. What’s more, you may even lose your ideal helper at some point. But that’s no reason to avoid getting the assistance you need. When you have support, you can spend your time doing what you are being called to do, which means you provide better service to your customers and clients. And you open up space for someone else to fulfill a calling of their own by helping you.  It’s easier in the long run.

2. “I’m Too Busy, But That’s Better Than The Alternative.” Have you ever noticed that people equate being busy in business with being successful? When I was a freelance writer and people asked how business was going, if I answered “Busy!” they figured it was a good thing. There is an unspoken rule that you can’t complain if business is steady.  And if it’s coming in faster than you can handle…well, that’s a good problem to have. It’s better than nothing at all.

If you’re busy but not happy in your business, then I want to challenge you to be honest with yourself. Are you busy doing something you no longer want to do? Do you attract clients and customers who create more work with little reward? Are you at capacity, realizing that the only way to make more money in your business is to work more hours? Are you stressed, resentful and exhausted? I’m giving you permission to acknowledge that busy is NOT always best. What’s not working in your business?

3. “Yeah, But My Business is Different.” Trust me, I’ve sat through dozens of presentations, purchased countless programs and listened to the advice of experts and gurus only to conclude that whatever I learned wouldn’t work for me. Because my situation is different. My clients are different. My product is different. We all have this skewed perspective. It’s called Unique Snowflake Syndrome. We all think our businesses are unique.

News flash – no matter what you’re thinking about your business, IT’S NOT THAT DIFFERENT! Let me explain – your business should be unique. That’s what differentiates it from the competition. And of course, you’re special! You are the only you on the planet. You’re extraordinary! Uniquely and wonderfully made by the hand of God. But when it comes to  business and marketing strategy – your Unique Snowflake Syndrome could be getting in the way of your success. Are you using it as a crutch to avoid taking action? Do you use it as an excuse for failure? Is there a chance you’ve become so comfortable in your uniqueness that you no longer recognize the simple, ordinary solutions staring you right in the face?

If you’re not being honest with yourself in some way about your business, today’s a great day to start with a clean slate. I challenge you to examine your little white lies, excuses and crutches…acknowledge them…and let them go…without guilt or shame…and discover what’s true about your business! Focus on the truth and work with it. 

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” – Philippians 4:8 (NIV) 

The International Christian Mompreneur Network presents:

Redefining the Mompreneur:

Creating a Profitable Business While Putting Family First

Wednesday, May 30 and Thursday, May 31, 2012

Take a look at this powerful group of entrepreneurs who are going to share their tips on how to create a profitable business while putting family first:

Joyce Bone,  Founder, Joyce Bone Enterprises

The Art of Raising a Business & a Family at the Same Time

Sheri McConnell, Founder and CEO, Smart Women’s Institute 

Smart Women’s Success Strategies – Secrets of Women Entrepreneurs

Pam Moore, CEO and Founder, Marketing Nutz     

Jim DeBetta, Invention and Retail Product Placement Specialist   

(ok, so he’s not a mom, but he works with a lot of them!)

Got an Invention? How to Evaluate It, Get It Produced, and Out to Market

Maria Bailey, Host, Mom Talk Radio and CEO of BSM Media   

Lori Bell,  Founder, National Association of Military Moms and Spouses

The Successful Entrepreneur’s Secret: How To Prosper Where You’re Planted No Matter What Your Economy Is

Jill Salzman, Founder, FoundingMoms.com   

Find out the details here and reserve your spot to join us: www.MomBusinessSummit.com

Want to join them? Check out some of my favorite Mom-focused Tweeters.

Here they are, 25 Moms to Follow on Twitter:

1. Busy Working Mama

@BusyWorkingMama Aleksandra Nearing

Blogger, Worker, Mom, Chef, Runner, Sushi-aholic, Gardner, Online Shop-aholic, Lotion and Potion Junkie. CPA by Day.

2. Complicated Mama

@ComplicatedMama Corine Ingrassia

Lifestyle Blogger. Shopping addict. Social Media Geek. Speaker. Owner of Complicated Media, LLC. Co-Founder @LaunchingMom

3. Dr. Mommy

@DrMommy Dr. Daisy Sutherland

Dr, Author, Speaker, ProBlogger – Love My God, My family, Helping Busy Women with a ‘Get Real’ Approach to Living a Happier & Healthier Lifestyle

4. Inspiring Moms

@inspiringMoms Amy Hilbrich Davis

Happy Mom of seven, Parent and Family Expert, CEO of FamilyLife Success, and Inspiring Moms and Dads, and Author of the balance MAP.

5. Founding Mom

@foundingmom Jill Salzman

Professional brainstormer, do-it evangelist, sassy speaker, lover of chocolate, founding mom of The Founding Moms.

6. Military Spouses and Moms

@militarysahmoms Lori R. Bell

Biz Strategist for military spouses who want to start/grow profitable home biz no matter where u go. Founder of NAMMAS. Mama to cool kids, heart my husband.

7. Modern Mom

@ModernMom Brooke Burke

The magazine and community for the woman behind the mom plus Brooke Burke’s exclusive blog!

8. Mom Central

 @MomCentral Stacy DeBroff and Stacey Smith

Engaging and helping influential moms build their platforms and increase their influence to support the brands they love!

9. Mom It Forward

@MomItForward Jyl Johnson Pattee

Dedicated to enhancing the lives of women, their families & their communities. Join #gno Twitter Parties & our social media conference

10. Mom Spark

@MomSpark Amy Bellgardt

Wife, Mom, Blogger, Social Media Addict, Nerd & Founder of MomSpark.net and MomSparkMedia.com. Lover of Converse, Muse and coffee.

11. Mom Talk Radio

@MomTalkRadio  Maria Bailey

Author of Power Moms, Nielsen’s Power 16 Pack Moms, Host of MomTalkRadio, Producer of @SheStreams 2011,Co-Founder, BlueSuitMom.com & @MomTV

12. Momnificent

@momnificent Lori Radun

Life Coach, Speaker, Author of The Momnificent Life for moms, Mom of 2 boys, Lover of chocolate and Tae Kwon Do

13. Moms Choice Awards

@MomsChoiceAward

Welcome fans & honorees! We follow HONOREES & don’t respond to product pitches. Email us momschoiceaward@shortmail.com

14. Moms In Business

@momsinbusiness Gina Robison-Billups

The National Association for Moms In Business — Representing the Interests of Entrepreneurial, Executive & CEO moms

15. Money Saving Mom

@MoneySavingMom Crystal Paine

Child of God, wife, homeschool mom of 3, wannabe runner, author of The Money Saving Mom’s Budget. My motto: live simply, save aggressively, give generously.

16. MOPS International

@MOPS_Int

MOPS International Official. Find friendship, community, resources and support for you as a woman and mother. Get official MOPS products here.

17. Mother Teresa

@StMotherTheresa

In Honor of my Hero Mother Teresa ~ Daily Devotionals and the inspirations of The Blessed Mother ~ May her words, acts of Kindness lead us by example.

18. PharMomAssist

@PharMomAssist Susanne Ballard

Susanne Ballard, the PharMomAssist, here to serve you in creating a safe & healthy lifestyle using my experience as a veteran pharmacist and mother of four.

19. Resourceful Mom

@ResourcefulMom Amy Lupold Bair

Mom, Social Media Marketer, Global Influence founder, Twitter Parties creator.

20. Simple Mom

@SimpleMom Tsh Oxenreider

I have 3 kids, travel worldwide, wrote a book, and am writing #2, so in my spare time, I run 4 blogs and write another. I also enjoy eating the Lord’s chips.

21. The Motherlode

@NYTMotherlode

The Motherlode, The New York Times’s parenting blog, exploring the many ways we raise our kids

22. The Online Mom

@TheOnlineMom Monica Vila

A community devoted to promoting a healthy understanding and appreciation for the positive role technology can play in a family’s life.

23. TravelingMamas®

@travelingmamas Shannon Hurst Lane

Award winning travel blog featuring travel loving mamas. Listed on Nielsen Online’s Power Moms!

24. Type A Mom

@typeamom Kelby Carr

New media mogul, CEO of #typeacon @typeaparentcon (conference) and @typeaparent (blog), speaker, consultant, original Type-A Mom, author: Pinterest For Dummies

25. 5 Minutes for Mom

@5minutesformom Susan and Janice

Susan and Janice are work-at-home moms who help promote moms at 5 Minutes for Mom.

Oh, and are you following The Christian Mompreneur? She tries to be informative, inspirational and entertaining as well. 

The Christian Mompreneur

@tceniccola Theresa Ceniccola

I am woman. Watch me juggle. Christian mom entrepreneur, writer and business coach.

By the way, this is not a competition or a scientific process. My only criteria was that they share interesting and valuable information for moms. (And, they have the word “mom” somehow in their Twitter  handle!)

I’m sure I could have easily listed 50 of them. Who did I miss? Who are your favorite Moms on Twitter?