Left to right: Danielle Elliott Smith, me, Aliza Sherman

I just finished speed reading my copy if the brand new book, Mom, Incorporated, by Aliza Sherman and Danielle Elliott Smith.  I LOVED this book, and recommend that if you are a mom who wants to start a business, you click over to Amazon right now and buy a copy.  Or keep reading and let me convince you why you need this book.

There is very little about being a mom that is easy.  However, Mom, Incorporated makes it easy to understand the steps to getting started in your own business.  The actual work may or may not be easy, but having the roadmap all laid out for you is wonderful.

These gals don’t skip the obvious, as so many other business books do.  They start with a plea to find your passion because you’ll be energized if you work from that space.  But then they discuss the necessary, like the building your business team (p74) and how to calculate revenue potential (p94) for your business.

Forms.  Gotta love them.  When someone creates a form that saves you time, it’s worth the price paid for the book. The one form I wish I had included in The Pregnant Entrepreneur is on pages 22-25 of Mom, Incorporated.  The Weekly Calendar Template is a really useful grid, and Danielle’s schedule shows the crazy type of schedule many of us moms carry, toggling between home and work lives. If you are trying to get your business off the ground, my advice is to take the time to write in the book, and get some of the nuts and bolts of your business figured out before you have to learn about it the hard way.

The new social media is both an opportunity and a burden for some.  These gals both make their living in the blogger realm, and share their methods and knowledge, especially in chapter 2, Tapping the Power of the Internet, and throughout the book. If you are trying to figure out where to spend your time online, let this duo help you.

The book is easy to read and helpful in a big-sister kind of way.  Both Danielle and Aliza share their struggles with trading past paid positions to create a more sustainable and yet challenging professional identity as independent business women.  As children change the equation, relationships with the spouse change, and we may even have to remind ourselves and others that our small business is a real company and a real job. But there are benefits beyond a paycheck, and amazing opportunities for those who seek them.

Wish you had someone close by to chat about your small business musings?  Pick up a copy of Mom, Incoroprated, and get started building your business plan.

Disclosure:  I received a review copy of the book to facilitate the review, but I still really read and loved the book and meeting these women.