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Stephanie Elie balances 2 jobs, 2 kids, 2 blogs and a husband and loves every bit of it. She is a transitional entrepreneur Read more
Posted 03/09/10 6:00 am EST | Digital
HP wants to hear from you! Take our digital poll now.
After you cast your vote, post a comment below telling us what you primarily use your computer for and you’ll be entered to win $100 cash! Click here for official rules.
Posted 03/03/10 3:09 pm EST | Digital
TopicsiPhone apps, tax season, taxes
It’s that time again, tax season, and it’s creeping up fast. There was a time when I was excited about taxes because I knew I would be getting a cool little refund. Back then it was easy, heck I even filled out the paperwork myself. But after buying a house or two, owning a business or two, and having a couple of kids, filing taxes has become way more complicated. So much that we now have our own “Tax Guy,” and he’s great. He knows the tax laws like the back of his hand. But every year he has to remind us that we spend way too much in daycare, something about hearing the dollar amount for the entire year makes me cringe. But what makes my skin crawl even more is the amount of money I made freelancing, or the amount of money I made without having taxes deducted. Guess what, Uncle Sam wants his money and he wants it by April 15th.
While waiting for my tax guy to survey the damages, I discovered some really cool iPhone apps for handling your taxes.
TaxCaster Mobile (Free):
Tax Caster Mobile will help you calculate how big your tax refund will be or how much you will owe.
TurboTax SnapTax ($9.99):
Allows California residents to file their taxes through their iPhone. You can E-file your Federal and California taxes, but there are some requirements. Your Income has to be less than $80K, its only for W-2, interest, and unemployment, you can't have any dependents and you can’t own any real estate. Guess us moms won’t be using this app.
H&R Block (Free):
H&R Blocks are starting to popup everywhere and now they are on your iPhone. You can’t file your taxes via this application, but you can get all sorts of tax information, a glossary, and an office locater.
Tax Tracker (Free):
This will probably be more beneficial for next year’s taxes. The Tax Tracker helps track your business deductions and hopefully will save you money.
Dr. Taxes (2010 edition) ($1.99):
Every year there is a new set of tax laws and deduction rules that are different from the previous year. With the Dr. Taxes application you can educate yourself on the important tax tips from the IRS website and make note of all the updates that apply to you.
Maybe next year I’ll be able to file my taxes on the iPhone and save some money.
Posted 02/25/10 11:00 am EST | Digital
TopicsClean Start Challenge on Lifetime, mom entrepreneur
As I mentioned last week my buddy for the 2010 Clean Start Challenge is Koletta Pickett, and her goal is to become an entrepreneur by launching her own ecommerce website. I’ve been operating my own online store for several years and I hope I can help her get her store off the ground. Her reasons for wanting to start her own business are similar to mine, financial security, control and setting an example for her kids. If she can follow her dreams so can they.
There are several things to consider when launching an ecommerce site.
Koletta is ready to get her business off the ground but first she needs to complete this week’s challenge and create a personal sanctuary. It’s really good to create a space where you can free your mind of clutter and really think about your business. Even if it is a small space in the kitchen, having a place of your own will get you in the mood to work whenever you sit down.
When we moved, my husband and I were able to create our own office space which has made a big difference. When I am at my desk it sets the mood for business, I’m instantly focused on what needs to get done. I can’t wait to hear about Koletta’s personal sanctuary. Be sure to check out her video and vote daily for your favorite (Koletta) for a chance to win $1,000.
This month’s challenge is brought to you by Glade ®
Posted 02/24/10 1:11 pm EST | Digital
Topicsevent for women entrepreneurs, mom entrepreneurs, Savor the Success
If you are in or near the New York area and are an entrepreneur, or an aspiring entrepreneur, you may want to check out the Women Entrepreneurs Rock the World annual conference in May hosted by Savor the Success.
This two day event consists of keynote speakers and individualized workshops. On the first day you will hear from three very successful entrepreneurs. Poppy King, a leader in the cosmetic industry, who launched her first lipstick line at 18 years of age and now has her own line of lipstick, "Lipstick Queen", that can be found in upscale retail outlets worldwide.
You will also hear from Libby Gill, who started her career in public relations and is currently a coach and author. She has authored the best seller "Traveling Hopefully: How to Lose Your Baggage and Jumpstart your Life" and "You Unstuck: Mastering the New Rules of Risk-taking in Work & Life".
The final keynote speaker is Taryn Rose a trained orthopedic surgeon who launched her own footwear company, Taryn Rose Footwear, which can be found in all major department stores.
On the second day of the event you will find a slue of business related workshops. You will be able to obtain valuable advice from high-level coaches who have been in your shoes. The workshops cover branding, social media, product development, public relations, and looking good on camera.
If you’re like me and won’t be able to make it out to New York, you may want to consider joining Savor Your Success. It’s a great place for women entrepreneurs to connect, learn, and network. Visit www.SavorYourSuccess.com to join. Sign up as a Premium Member and receive some exclusive benefits like local Mastermind groups, PR queries and much more.
Event Details
Women Entrepreneurs Rock the World
The Altman Building
135 West 18th Street
New York, NY 10011
Dates: May 5 & 6, 2010 E
vent Website: http://www.rocktheworldnyc.com/about-savor-the-success/
Posted 02/22/10 6:00 am EST | Digital
Topicsseo basics for mom entrepreneurs, seo for bloggers
Are you scratching your head or running the other way when someone utters the words, “Search Engine Marketing”? Do you avoid approaching PR reps because your traffic numbers are low? Are you fudging the numbers to get invited to the next blogging event?
While I don’t think traffic should be the only deciding factor when choosing a blogger to represent a brand, there are ways to help increase your rankings.
One of the first things to keep in mind when it comes to search engine marketing is to determine what keywords you would like to rank for. For example, if you blog about your life as a work-at-home mom then “work at home mom” or some derivative should be part of your keyword marketing. If you want to promote yourself as a professional mom blogger, then those words need to be on your blog and they need to be used often.
Once your keywords are defined there are several things you can do to increase/improve your positioning for those keywords.





If you operate a store or static website be sure to implement Google analytics on to you site so you can record traffic trends, purchases, and much more. With Google Analytics you can also track some banner adss.
These are just a few tips to help get you started with SEO for your blog or business. To get more information check out the e-book 50 SEO Secrets for Mom Entrepreneurs.
FromDigital Mom Blog
Posted 02/23/10 12:10 pm EST | Digital
My husband was home with my daughter on President’s Day. I was at work, my phone buzzed – looked down to find an email from my daughter, who’s 6. Her daddy hooked her up with her very own gmail account. How sweet.
Posted 02/23/10 12:06 pm EST | Digital
Overland Equipment has shared another great bag with me, the Acadia Backpack. I gave this backpack a try on a recent family outing, and I have to say, it was super handy and comfortable.
FromMy Life- A Work in Progress
Posted 02/17/10 1:21 pm EST | Digital
As most of you know by now, the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration was part social media conference and part family vacation. It also was nothing short of fabulous...I mean, it's Disney for heaven's sake!
Posted 02/17/10 1:15 pm EST | Digital
Or is that a man’s hands…oh well.
Either way, there are good little cameras and then some not so good. I know, I have the junk drawer to prove it.
Posted 01/06/10 3:11 pm EST | Digital
Many moms struggle with managing their time and putting out life’s fires. With so many priorities it can be difficult to keep everything together. The good news is that it’s not impossible. You can reclaim your time. It begins with knowing the difference between important and urgent, and then adopting three essential attitudes.
This section of www.lifetimemoms.com contains blogs discussing products and services for which bloggers have received promotional consideration from Lifetime and/or Lifetime's third-party advertisers. Unless otherwise expressly indicated, the opinions that you read on this section of www.lifetimemoms.com are those of the bloggers and/or the advertisers that commissioned or paid the bloggers and not necessarily those of Lifetime. Lifetime disclaims any responsibility for the products or services described in any blog and for the opinions expressed by any blogger.