They created the blankets with tags, took them to a local flea market, and sold out in two hours! They knew then that they had a fabulous business idea. They decided to call their business Taggies, Inc. Working out of their garages and basements, they started to distribute their blankets to boutiques and eventually got into mass production.

Now, 11 years later from their start in 1999, they run a multimillion dollar business that offers blankets as well as toys and clothes. They sell their products online, and in upscale catalogs like RedEnvelope and at children’s stores across the US and in other countries.

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Dawn Barnes, a former ballerina and stunt women, never knew she would find a passion which would fuel her creation of a multi-million dollar company when she took her kids to a karate class one day in 1984. Intrigued by the physical and spiritual aspects of martial arts, she ended up signing up for classes and in four years received her first-degree black belt. She decided to become an instructor which provided her the skills and experience to open her own karate studio.

In 1995 she opened her first Dawn Barnes Karate Kids studio in Santa Monica, CA. Her Karate Kids mission was “To inspire self esteem in every child!” What made her Karate school different was a “love-based” approach to teaching rather that a “fear-based” approach. The decor of her studio was also unique. She decorated it in soft earth-tone colors and leather furniture. Most karate studios were outfitted with fluorescent lighting and folding chairs.

From the time she opened her doors, it only took her 6 months to turn a profit and she was able to hire an additional instructor and a desk attendant to help her with the business. In order to open a second location Dawn found a partner (her future husband) who was good with numbers so she could focus on the creative aspects of the business. Today they have 7 locations open in southern California and they also choose to license their company.

In 2006, their revenue reached $3 million and business is still growing.

Dawn has also ventured out from teaching karate to writing a series of childrens books called “Black Belt Club” which she published in 2005 and has since sold over 200,000 copies. Dawn has also written instructors manuals and produced DVDs for karate teachers.

During that time, she looked around and realized what a great business idea it would be to have inflatables in a big warehouse where parents could bring their kids, for birthday parties or just to play.

As her idea developed, she realized this would be a place that kids of all ages could enjoy at the same time.  There was nothing that her 4 year old and 11 year old would ever agree on, but both of them loved the inflatables business idea! Having the inflatables inside a warehouse also solved the weather and safety issues that come up when parents rent inflatables for their backyard birthday parties.

She immediately got to work on her idea and called real estate brokers to start looking for warehouse space.

With no college education and little money she opened her first PUMP IT UP, The Inflatable Party Zone in January 2000….just 10 weeks after she started! Her facility offered inflatable bounce houses, slides, obstacle courses and more.

In her first month she booked 90 parties. Her business idea was a winner!

Eventually, she took on a partner and in 2003 began to franchise her Pump It Up business and it now has over 225 franchisees in 38 states, with business earning more than $70 million dollars.

Brenda, an entrepreneur at heart, has now turned Pump It Up over to an investment firm so she could focus on new ventures. She has a consulting firm, Dronkers Consulting Group, and has also started a T-shirt business called Thriving Ink.

Here is a video advertisement from a Pump It Up franchise in Glenview, IL

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Kim had her first million dollar idea on a snowy day in 2000 when she was at home with her husband watching him feed the deer in their backyard.  She looked at a big bag of corn and at that moment an idea popped into her head.  She had heard of rice in socks as a soothing heat bag to relieve aches and pains and de-stress tight muscles and her thought was that corn would be much better because it could hold more heat.

She immediately went to work creating a prototype, she sewed up a bag full of corn and popped it in the microwave.  Amazed at the soothing penetrating heat she felt, she knew she had a great idea.  Kim started by giving these bags as gifts to her children’s teachers.  As word spread, more and more people asked her for her corn bags, which she named Wuvits.  It seemed everyone in town wanted a Wuvit.  Kim had to keep her car stocked with them, because people in the bank or at school events would ask for them.  Eventually she realized she had to expand her little business.

She set about writing up her own patent and registering for a trademark.  Her husband took a dozens Wuvits to a local gift store and asked if they could sell them on consignment.  They sold out in a week and the owner called to order more.  Soon after, Kim’s husband was laid off from his job and she had to make the decision whether or not to spend their personal savings to invest in her product.

With encouragement from others, she decided to move forward and headed to her first tradeshow.  She came home with thousands of dollars worth of orders!  Kim then set about finding a manufacturer to mass produce her Wuvits.  She decided to make her product a higher end item using only the best materials and the highest quality grain.

The improvements paid off.

Kim decided to lease 4 mall kiosks and ended up selling $250,000 worth of Wuvits in just 8 short weeks.  The word was out about her product in a big way, and people loved them!

In 2004, a buyer from Saks was amongst the frenzy of buyers taking orders from Kim at a tradeshow.  She gave Kim a purchase order for 42 Parisian stores, which equaled to 1,000’s of Wuvits.  Kim was able to fulfill the order with no problems and she was on her way to making millions.  She was then able to get her Wuvit’s in to Macy’s, Gottschalks, Von Maur, Bed Bath & Beyond, Whole Foods Market, and Tabi International.

She created a similar product for kids called Sleepy-Head Fred™, recognized by the Atlanta Journal Constitution as a “Top 5 Gift Pick”.

During this time, Kim unfortunately lost of her mother to breast cancer so she wanted to raise awareness about early detection, and raise money for breast cancer research.  She partnered with Waverly®, the nation’s premiere manufacturer of home décor fabrics, designing the nation’s first fabric featuring a pink ribbon motif celebrating breast cancer awareness, titled “Faith, Hope & Love.”

Kim has also expanded her line by creating a line of Green Daisy designer pajamas which were first sold at Saks and Gottschalks.

Kim has gone on to write a book called “MOMMY MILLIONAIRE: How I Turned My Kitchen Table Idea Into a Million Dollars and How You Can Too“. Because of the books success, Kim is now viewed as an expert on inspirational and business advice.

She has been on the The Today Show, Rachael Ray Show, NBC & ABC news, CNN, CNBC, NPR, Oprah & Friends Radio Network, myLifetimeTV.com, and features in USA Today, Country Living, Guideposts, Women’s World, Family Circle and American Baby, as well as international appearances on Canada’s CBC radio network and the cover of Mompreneur.

She has also created a social networking website called www.mommymillionaire.com where she gives advice to entrepreneurs, signed a production deal for her own Mommy Millionaire TV show and launched MOMMY MILLIONAIRE magazine. She is now writing her next book THE MOMMY MANIFESTO.

Amidst all this, she continues to work from home and still finds time to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for her kids who are now ages 11 and 9.  Amazing woman!

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The first thing I noticed was that EyeEarn was a member of the Better Business Bureau…okay good…..that made me feel a little better about trusting this as a potential business opportunity.

So I put in my name and email to sign up for the free membership. Of course the confirmation email they send to me goes into my spam folder……hmmmm, does that mean I’ll be looking forward to a lot of junk email from them?

After confirming my registration, I read through the first page and notice they have a disclaimer stating “…due to improperly configured spam filters, many e-mails will not get delivered if you do not put the sender’s e-mail address on your “safelist”.”

Okay, I don’t know if that makes me feel any better or not, but I keep going anyway.

As I read through the information on the Getting Started page, I find that this website is really confusing…..how does it actually work? How will I make money?

Reading further I find out that to actually start making money you have to purchase an Eye Earn kit for $20, the kit includes a bumper sticker, some flyers and a t-shirt.

Okay….so this is not totally FREE, but $20 is a small investment for a part-time business so I go ahead and purchase the kit. I view it more as an educational expense. I want to learn more about this how this SFI marketing business is structured. Everything I learn can help me in my other business ventures.

Basically, I learn that I will become an EyeEarn rep (or affiliate) and I can earn commissions a variety of ways. I discover one way I will make money is I will receive commissions from everyone who signs up as an Executive Affiliate after I did…..no, that’s not from me sending people to the website to sign up…..that’s from anyone and everyone all over the world who signs up starting the minute after I did, no matter where they come from.

I start to receive updates in my email box that tell me how many affiliates are in my powerline…..13 here, 17 there and they just keep coming. Hmmmmm….I’m starting to see that this could have big income potential.

After waiting about a month I received my first check in the mail.

I think I’ll stick with it…..

To find out more for yourself, let me send you to the EyeEarn website.

Or click here to go to the EyeEarn website.

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Exclusive interview with Lisa Druxman, owner of Stroller Strides.

1. What is your business? I am the founder and CEO of Stroller Strides, the country’s largest fitness program for moms. We offer both pre and postnatal fitness classes.

2. When did you start your business? Aug 2001

3. How much money did you invest initially into your business? Probably no more than a few thousand dollars at first. Since then, hundreds of thousands.

4. Who helped you build your business? My team who are all passionate about creating career opportunities that are supportive of motherhood.

5. How did you know where to find the answers for the things you didn’t know? I asked, the internet, consultants, you name it.

6. What are your favorite online resources? Sba.gov, score, entrepreneur.com

7. Did you have any setbacks? How did you overcome them? Many from cash flow to trademark infringement to franchise transition.  We take it a day at a time and stay focused on our goal.

8. How long did it take for you to reach the million dollar mark? Maybe four years.

9. How has your life changed now that you have a successful business? Well, it’s definitely busier. My life is very full and moving from sunrise to bedtime. I am very efficient and don’t waste time on things don’t matter. My first priorities are my marriage, my kids and my business. If I can outsource the rest, I do.

10. How do you balance being a mom and running your business? Read above. The key is staying focused on what’s important. I focus on improvement each day rather than perfection. I know my inbox will never be empty. I make taking care of myself a big priority too. That recharges my personal battery.

11. What is the one thing you have indulged in just because you can? A housekeeper

12. For those moms who are determined to make it big, but have very little money to invest in a start-up business, tell them what your 2 biggest secrets are to making millions?
1) If you don’t have to spend it, don’t.
2) You can’t work on your business when you work in your business. Instead of pocketing profits, invest in your company.
3) Don’t focus on making millions. Focus on doing an excellent job at what you love.
13. What sources do you know about where moms can find funding for their business ventures? SBA

14. How would you tell a mom to go about researching whether or not she has a million dollar idea, or a profitable business idea for that matter? Google. See what’s out there already and how your business idea is either better or more unique than the competition. You have to create a budget to see if the business makes financial sense. Increase expenses beyond what you expect and decrease revenues from what you hope and see if it can still work.

Read Lisa Druxman’s story.

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One day while walking with her baby in his stroller, she had an “ah-ha!” moment when she realized she could start a business teaching classes that helped other moms get back into shape.

That day, in August 2001 she came up with the name of her company…Stroller Strides.

Lisa Druxman wasn’t aware that her business idea would fill a need across the country.  Mothers who needed to get back into shape after having their babies were also looking for support from other mothers.  Lisa’s classes would fulfill that need.

Lisa initially started offering classes to a few moms around her San Diego neighborhood. One day the local news called her because they needed someone for a new story the next morning.  In the news interview she was able to pitch her small Stroller Strides business.  Because she was just starting out, she had to put her personal email and phone number on the screen of the T.V.  When she got home she had 75 emails.

She realized this was a great opportunity.

She started getting requests for classes all over San Diego, so she kept adding more.  By the end of the first year, she had over 12 classes and 1000 moms participating in San Diego.

During that first year, she got requests for classes all over the country.  She really didn’t know how to provide that until one of her instructors said she was moving and wanted to start classes in her new town.  She realized she could franchise her business.

Lisa agreed to give her all of the plans to run her own classes and it was an absolute success.

She then decided to release 10 “beta” locations across the country to see how it would work in other cities. She learned a lot, tweaked a few things and in the end the franchised Stroller Strides classes took off like wildfire.

She hired attorneys, worked with consultants and joined the International Franchise Association.  Stroller Strides is now franchised across the country and has nearly 200 franchisees.  Her sales for 2006 were $2 million.

She offers her franchises for $3,000 - $6,000 with a monthly fee of $160 - $380 depending on the size of the area you live in.   This includes a start up kit, operations and marketing manual, instructor training DVD’s, PR program for local publicity and much, much more! If you are interested here’s the franchise website.

Exclusive interview with Lisa Druxman of Stroller Strides

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She couldn’t stand the thought of generating all the diaper waste over her new son’s baby and toddler years, plus she knew that disposable diapers contain toxins like sodium polyacrylate (the same substance that was removed from tampons in 1985).   She wanted a cleaner, safer option for her precious baby.
So, in 2005 she set to work creating organic, non-toxic diapers.

To start selling her diapers, she decided to put them on eBay. After she got her first orders, she realized this could have a business potential. So her next step was to create a website and find a fabric supplier, thus her Swaddlebees company was born.

Emerging as an earth friendly business at a time when “going green” was catching popularity, Margarita was able to build her Swaddlebees business aggressively.  When she first started out she didn’t advertise, the customers just seemed to find her because they were on the lookout for the next new brand.

Her diapers are now in nearly 100 boutiques and online stores.  In 2008 she had sales projected at $1.4 million, just 3 years after her start.
Margarita also launched Blueberry Diapers, which includes a line of fashionable, fun cotton diapers. Not only is Margarita’s business helping the environment by preventing the accumulation of disposable diapers in our landfills (27.4 billion are used and discarded each year, and it takes up to 500 years for them to decompose!), but she’s also making diaper wearing safer for babies with her chlorine-free, non-toxic, non-irritating organic cotton reusable diapers.

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Lisa, a 23 year old single mom, was making only $13,000 a year selling ad space when she had a great idea.  She always had to keep her hair looking nice because of her high profile job and other women would compliment her on her up-do’s.

She decided to act on her idea for the hair-styling tool “The French Twister” which helps women wear their hair up in the french twist hair style.

She began with absolutely no money.  She started by using things she found around her house and ended up making a prototype out of a wire clothes hanger.  From there she started calling manufacturers to get a plastic prototype made.  It was not an easy job and it took a lot of testing to get her product just right.  She found a local plastics molding shop by going to her library.

When it came time to manufacture her product she sold her used car for $500 and she used the money from her tax return to pay for it.  With 500 units made, she went out on foot to salons to introduce her new invention idea.  Clients loved them!

Lisa used free ways to get exposure for her product ie;media interviews and newspaper articles.  Soon she found there was enough interest in her product so she went ahead and patented her product then proceeded to find a company to license her French Twister to.  She went to the store to find hair-styling products, picked up a box made by Scunci, got their phone number and contacted them.

Because she had done her homework and had sufficient market research to show that her product was a good one, Scunci agreed to sign a licensing deal with her.

Below is an interview with Lisa Lloyd on The Big Idea.

In an interview with Dr. Phil, Lisa mentioned that her biggest mistake was going to a patent attorney first.  She says that a lot of people make this mistake.  They think their idea should be patented right away.  But really the first step should be to find out if your idea is a good one and that it will actually sell by doing market research.

To add to her comment, your idea will develop and may even change based on the feedback you get from people. You may have to try out different models before you get it right.

The French Twister has generated more than $15 million in retail sales.  Lisa didn’t stop there.  She has invented quite a few more hair products and has made over $30 million in retail sales!

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Well, mom entrepreneurs might be interested in the 7 industries that offer the greatest potential for making millions.  Hopefully this will give you food for thought.  Here is a highlight of the best industries to start a business in (featured in Entrepreneur Magazine).

1. Children’s Services - Parents want to give their kids the best.  This is true now and will be into the future.  So services that will empower or enrich the lives of children stand a chance at making big money.  Such services would not just include basic tutoring but children’s gyms and fitness/activity centers, programs for science or cooking, music and art programs.  Being a work-at-home mom I value these types of services tremendously.  They provide a place for me to take my toddlers where they can receive a fun and educational experience and it gives me a break from having to provide entertainment for my kids 24/7.

Some children service franchises are:
The Mad Science Group - The world’s leading provider of science enrichment for children
Young Chefs Academy - Cooking school just for kids
JW Tumbles - Offers fun interactive classes that help children develop their physical, social and personal skills
The Little Gym - Offers programs that include movement, music, gymnastics, sports, exercise, games, listening and cooperation
Chyten Educational Services - a premium tutoring and test preparation company with proprietary strategies that have earned it a reputation for excellence
Music Together - Early childhood music programs stressing adult involvement in mixed-age classes involving singing and exploring music
Sylvan Learning Centers - Offers tutoring services

2. The Wine Industry -  I live right in the heart of wine country in California, and I can say from experience that this industry is still going strong….yes I do enjoy a glass of wine or two.  :-)   Not long ago I attended a presentation given by our County’s Economic Development Board Director and he forecasted the wine industry will still be thriving in the coming years.  He noted, we may see a lot of foreign money coming into this industry because of the declining U.S. dollar, but we’ll still see growth in the industry.  Opportunities in the wine industry are not just making and selling wine, but wine bars, tasting parties, wine nick-nacks, wine based foods, wine themed clothing, wine accessories, etc.

Some wine franchise opportunities include:
Borvin Beverage Franchise Corp. - wholesale wine and beverage distributor

Vintner’s Cellar Franchising Int’l - franchisor of unique vint on premise winemaking retail stores

Water 2 Wine - Winery where customers can bottle, cork, and custom label their wine

WineStyles Inc. - Offers a new and easy way for customers to find wines that suits their individual tastes.  The store’s concept demystifies the wine buying experience, making life easier for the customer. Wines are categorized by style; bold, crisp or bubbly.

3. College Planning - According to the National Center for Education Statistics, college enrollment is expected to increase to 19.7 million students by 2013.  Getting into college is becoming more competitive so students are looking for admission counseling services. If you’ve been through the college application and admission process, you may have the expertise to counsel incoming students.  There is a college planning franchise offered through College Assistance Plus LLC which provides the process and resources to develop a plan for families that allows them to obtain a college education at a manageable cost.

4. Staffing - Unfortunately, because of the economic crisis there will be a lot of people out of work and looking for jobs.  The staffing industry will most likely see a surge in  business.  The best way to make it big in this business is to carve your own niche.  If you have specialized experience in a specific industry like medical, accounting, legal, etc. you may already have many contacts who can send you business.

Some staffing franchises are:
AtWork Medical Services - Staffing services for nurses and allied health professionals
Labor Finders - Provides temporary staffing and labor services for commercial, industrial, and construction applications
10 til 2 - staffing service placing college educated professionals into long-term, part time jobs
Spherion Corp. - recruiting service as well as a staffing service and provides quality career information for businesses and individuals

5. Senior Care - As the baby boomers age and the average life expectancy gets longer, the more there will be a demand for quality senior care services.    There is a booming need for in-home care, retirement communities, technologies, processes and conveniences that assist the elderly. There are a lot of niches in this industry that could be very profitable.  You just need to put your thinking cap on.

Some senior care franchises are:
ComForcare Senior Services, Inc. - Premier provider of non medical private duty home care services
Comfort Keepers - Provides individual in-home non-medical senior care, companionship and recreation
Home Care Assistance - provide round-the-clock home care for seniors in their homes
Homewatch CareGivers - premier provider of senior care franchises and in-home care services for people of ALL ages
Visiting Angels - Network of non-medical, private duty home care agencies providing senior care, elder care, personal care, respite care and companion care to help the elderly and adults continue to live in their homes

6. Green - The environmental movement has taken off in a big way.  More and more people are becoming environmentally conscious and spending more on green products and services.  In 2008 Consumers are expected to double their spending on green products and services totaling an estimated $500 billion annually or $43 billion per month, according to a survey done by Cohn & Wolfe, Landor Associates and Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates

Some green franchises are:
Clean Air Lawn Care - Uses clean energy to power electric lawn equipment
The Hygienic Home - Provides green cleaning services
Oxxo Care Cleaners - Environmentally friendly dry cleaning service
Pizza Fusion - Pizza restaurants that use all-natural and organic ingredients and are committed to protecting the environment through its business practices
7. Pets - People love to baby their pets and will buy their pets almost anything and everything.  So it’s no suprise that The American Pet Products Association estimates that Americans will spend $43.4 billion on their pets this year alone! With the help of celebrity pets, like Paris Hilton’s chihuahua Tinkerbell, Jessica Simpson’s dog Daisy, and Hilary Duff’s chihuahua Lola to fuel the pet craze, there is a goldmine to be made in pet services and products, especially boutique pet clothing and accessories.  People will also pay big money for services like pet-walking, pet-training, pet-waste removal, pet-sitting, pet hotels and spas, and pet gyms.  More potential money makers are pet foods, snacks and nutritional supplements.

Some available pet franchises include:
Bark Busters Home Dog Training - World’s largest in-home all-natural dog training services
Fetch! Pet Care Inc. - Professional pet sitting and dog walking services
Just Dogs! Gourmet - A bakery franchise that specializes in hand-cut, all-natural dog treats
Petland - Pet adoption services

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