It took Lisa Lloyd only 13 months to get a licensing deal for her new invention idea.

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! Read more

I hear this question asked all the time:  I want to make millions, but how can I do it?

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. Read more

The most stressful part of my day comes around 4:00pm when I have to start thinking about what to make for dinner.  I’m usually at a loss and end up making scrambled eggs and toast for dinner or pulling a frozen Stouffer’s Lasagna out of the freezer.
Menu Planning for Busy Moms - Free e-Course

I belong to an online forum for moms and they recommended a great website called Menus4Moms that has made it so much easier for me to plan easy dinners.  Menus4Moms has an email newsletter that provides easy dinner recipes for the week.  They provide you with a shopping list you can print out and all your meals for the week are planned for you.   All the Menus4Moms meals are super quick and simple.

My favorite quick meal is actually making chuck roast in the crockpot.  I got the recipe from my mother who is the queen of the kitchen, every meal she makes is fantastically delicious.

I love this one because it’s just 1 ingredient: Chuck roast. Read more

Are we headed for a full blown recession? – unfortunately experts say YES! And it’s predicted that this could drag on for up to 7 years or more.

We haven’t seen the full affects of this crisis yet.  All the financial gurus and even the President are reporting this as a MAJOR crisis.

“The current financial crisis in the US is likely to be judged in retrospect as the most wrenching since the end of the second world war.” Alan Greenspan wrote.

This is serious.  “This is more serious than it has ever been.” Suze Orman, Personal Finance Expert says on Oprah.

How Will This Crisis Affect You? Read more

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