Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Mom Central Grant









As you may already know from our facebook page, I've entered a grant competition in hopes of being able to get my business up and running. The Mom Central Grants Program is for mommy bloggers (like me) who want to expand their personal brand. I was so excited when I came across this because I've been planning something for a long time but I need a grant just like this one to get off the ground. Ever since my son was born, I've felt the urge to be a mompreneur. I've been inspired various people including:
  • Mindee Doney & Julie Pickens aka "The Boogie Moms", the inventors of Boogie Wipes
My passion has become finding haute ways to be eco-friendly and use safer products for my son. I already share these ideas and products with other moms through this blog, but would like to expand my platform.

Almost two years ago, a couple months after my son was born, I won a free ticket to the inaugural Moms in Business Unite conference from The Boogie Moms who were the key note speakers of the conference. I took my son with me and was really nervous about leaving him in the daycare they provided (even though it was wonderful) because I had never left him with anyone before so they were nice enough to let me take him around the conference with me. Thankfully, he was still in the sleeping-all-day stage and I nursed discretely at the back of the rooms when he woke, so I don't think he bothered anyone :)

♥ sleeping on the chair next to me ♥













I learned so much from the conference and have been working on my business idea ever since. The conference encouraged me to blog in order to help grow my idea and brand. I would love to be able to attend the conference again this summer, this time with my business launched (or at least close)! But I need your votes to help me win... you can vote once every 24 hours. Thank you so much to everyone who takes the time to read this and vote (it only takes a minute to vote!) Please click the button at the bottom of this post to vote for me!

My son with the MIBU chairwoman Randa Cote













From the Mom Central grant description...
"The Mom Blogosphere is brimming with talented, smart, passionate and ambitious women. We feel so grateful and want to do our part in helping take Moms’ personal brands to the next level: be that a broader audience, getting media exposure, becoming a spokesperson, starting a small business, or better monetizing your platform. The possibilities are endless, and tie inextricably to the vision you have for yourself. So whether media training, graphic or technical help, a site redesign, shared office space, some intern hours, new business cards, self-publishing a book, launching a new blog, or attending a key conference will help you get to the next level – we want to pitch in to provide the support. So tell us what inspired you in the first place, your journey to take, and what you aspire to do next – because we care, and we want to help!"

Samples of my answers to the grant entry questions...
" To help bring modern cloth diapers more mainstream by reaching moms who wouldn’t otherwise be exposed to them. I wasn’t exposed to modern cloth diapers and a lot of other great eco-friendly boutique baby products until after my son was born and I became an avid researcher of baby products online. I want to promote cloth diapering and other green living products to new and expecting moms in a fashionable manner.

Launch an online baby gift bag business and expand that business over the years to include more options and products. I would also like to find creative ways to get involved with certain organizations that share my vision."




Monday, March 14, 2011

Flower Tots Giveaway














I love supporting fellow mompreneurs! Flower Tots is a haute line of baby accessories handmade by a team of two moms. They have a wide variety of products such as, Tag Blankets, Crib Blankets, Pacifier Straps, Toy Tethers, Mitten Clips and Pant Clips; and are working on several new and innovative ideas such as toddler and kids aprons as well.

"Like most gardens, Flower Tots started in the spring when new moms Ally and Lisa began taking morning walks with their babies and noticed that they spent more time stopping to pick up tossed toys, blankets and pacifiers than they did actually walking. So they started thinking about fun, functional and beautiful ways to secure these necessities to their babies' strollers so that they could enjoy a beautiful stroll instead of staring at the ground.

After searching high and low, they couldn't find anything that would suit their needs and stay true to their sense of style: bright colors, fashionable patterns and sophisticated styles. Because, after all, not everything "baby" has to be covered in teddy bears, right?  So they put their years of expertise in manufacturing, marketing and business together and began sourcing high quality materials, creating patterns and building a plan.  A short while later, Flower Tots was born!

All Flower Tots accessories are carefully handcrafted using lush, high quality fabrics and ribbons, and non-toxic, lead-free metal hardware. We strive to create bright, exciting designs that both mom and baby will love!"

Win a Forget-Me-Not Toy Tether of your choice AND Sophie the Giraffe too!


















How To Enter:

Mandatory Entry- Visit Flower Tot's website and let me know which pattern you would choose by commenting below. (Make sure you include your email address if it isn’t visible on your profile)

Additional Entries- Leave a separate comment for each additional entry.

1. Like Haute Mommy on Facebook

2. Like Flower Tots on Facebook

3. Follow Haute Mommy publicly on Google Friend Connect (on the right-hand side).

4. Follow Haute Mommy on Twitter

5. Follow Flower Tots on Twitter

6. Tweet about this giveaway: “I just entered a haute #giveaway with @HauteMommyBlog to #win a Toy Tether & Sophie the Giraffe from @FlowerTotsCA http://bit.ly/eOb8sS” (you can tweet once a day for additional entries just make sure you come back here and comment each day)

7. Grab my button and tell me where I can find it.

8. Blog about this giveaway and leave me a link to the post.

9. Vote for me in the Mom Central Grants competition (you can do this once every 24 hours for additional entries just make sure you come back here and comment each day) 

Giveaway will end March 28th at 11:59pm PST. The winner will be determined by Random.org and will have 48 hours to respond or I will choose a new winner. Good luck!












And the winner is... Rebecca! Congratulations!

Rebecca said...    
Like Haute Mommy on Facebook  
March 25, 2011 10:01 PM