Julie is a member of Six Figure Moms Club.  I’m proud to know her and to have the opportunity to learn from her as another working mother following her dreams and working through the challenges every day.  Thank you Julie for sharing this wonderful post with us.  May you find everything you always wanted…that’s not already right in front of you.

Warmly, Angie

Just Not Enough Time in The Day

By Julie Frans

Us working moms perform magic tricks day in and day out. Every mom has a few magic tricks up her sleeve, but there’s no denying us entrepenurial, business owning, super-driven moms have to have a bit of magic tricks and crafty spells in mastering the fine art of balancing business, motherhood, wife-hood, self health and happiness.

Balancing, juggling, struggling… however you get through it, however you call it, working moms are a rare breed. And yet… we still have not mastered how in the world to add more hours into our day… or have we?

I was always busy, graduating with honors from UCSB just after turning 21. I started a business from scratch at the age of 26 after traveling the world, with nothing more than a backpack when I arrived San Diego.

After cooking aboard yachts throughout California, Mexico, and Alaska, I figured simply, “I can do this at home- no problem! Everyone needs to dine well!” Little did I know what I was getting myself into.

Website development, networking, sales, tracking, follow-up, risk management, insurance, workman’s comp, booking, staffing, payroll, permits… and the dreaded Q word… Quickbooks! I never knew I would have to be a book keeper to be a chef! I was barely cooking anymore- I was juggling 10 different jobs at all times.

I quickly adapted- I multiplied myself. I didn’t want to work that “hard” forever- I wanted a family! I wanted a business that worked for ME!.. So that I could have a happy family, take my kids to the zoo every week, do yoga, travel! Boy, was that a silly notion.

As I grew my business, my responsibilities grew exponentially. Bills multiplied. As money came rolling in in droves, money went soaring right back out in sealed envelopes. Employee uniforms! Client gifts!

Now there were 5 of us networking, not one; 10 of us putting miles on our cars, not one!

My husband, a wonderful man who jumped along for the ride after a very cush job as a private chef to an ambassador, had no idea what was in store for him, but learned to pull his weight in the business.

Whatever he may lack in entrepenurial fire, he makes up for tenfold with his raw cooking talent and creativity, his personality that sells our business with his genuine smile and compassion, and his capacity as a loving husband and wonderful father.  My Johnny, my amazing, bright and happy 1 year old, is quite possibly the most well adapted kid in San Diego- leave him with anyone friendly and he’s happy… so it seems now. But- the guilt and wonder is always there- as I forge ahead with business, growing it as I chase that ever dangling carrot in front of me, thinking… “someday,” am I leaving my 2 guys in the shadows? Am I fulfilling my duties as wife and mother as I strive for bigger, better, more?

A wise man told me I need to get over my case of the “as soon as…”

syndrome.  ”As soon as” the business is “here” I will have “this.”

This being time, freedom, zoo trips with Johnny any time I want. It’s the entrepenuer in me. It’s the dreamer. It’s the driven, determined, passionate mission of my soul to keep it going until… until what?

Until I am satisfied in every aspect of life? Until I have mastered that fine art of perfect balance? Until I feel like there are enough hours in the day?

The bottom line is that I live this life because I have to… no, not for money… but for love. For the love of the challenge, for the love of the mission, for love of the teamwork that my family has to make this business and this life work harmoniously. It’s definitely not easy running a business as a mother. It’s not easy running a business with your husband. It’s not easy pulling off magic tricks every single day to create more hours so that everyone is getting their due- husband, child, business… me! But I would not trade my life for anyone’s. I am living my passion, pursuing my dream, and making magic every way I can to keep my life in the balance. And we are making magic together, as a company and as a family, Robbie, me, and even Johnny, as we create magic in the homes and lives of the people we feed and help live better lives through food.

On April 8, I’ll be live on the air with two internet radio shows on www.wsradio.com. The first show is about entrepreneurism and the second show is….you guessed it, Twitter Talk Radio!

It’s my great honor to co-host a show about small business owners with Rieva Lesonsky.  Rieva is truly amazing.  She is a small business expert and she writes, speaks and helps small businesses all over the country.  We’ll be interviewing successful entrepreneurs and experts and talking about three major themes:

1. How despite all the negative economic news, now is one of the best times in history to start a business due to the opportunities available right now.
2. How to transition from Corporate American to an entrepreneurial lifestyle (sound familiar?  ie, my book, QUITTING IS EVERYTHING?)
3. Using Social Media to launch and support your entrepreneurial business.

Twitter Talk Radio will focus on Twitter of course but will slant largely to using Twitter for business.  You likely remember that my twitter affair started right here on Six Figure Moms Club last fall and progressed into a blog, Twitter Attraction.  Twitter Attraction and Twitter Talk Radio will work in tandem together.

But let’s get to the important stuff.  What’s in this post for you, Working Mothers?  I mentioned my best childhood friend Shelley Swisher above.  Shelley and I met in six grade and there would be weeks where you would never see one of us without the other.  She knew me better than anybody else. When my family moved to another town in the middle of ninth grade, we often got into trouble for having long distance phone bills for outrageous amounts.  If she knew me best and she thought I was going to be a broadcast journalist, then there was probably something important to that.  Why?  Because every career book out there will tell you that there are messages from your teenage years about what you are supposed to be doing with your life.  I know not all of you are searching for something new but a lot of you who talk to me are.

I loved journalism, writing, speaking, editing and all of the things I’m doing now back then.  I also didn’t like to do most of the same things I don’t like to do now too. What did you love back then and how can you turn those things into a business?

One last really fun thing about my talk show with Rieva, we’re doing a fun contest with listeners to name the show.  Look for a press release and an email blast on Monday

My daughter has had some bronchitis/ear/throat combo ick plus we had an “incident” at school and it’s her fourth birthday next weekend so we’re planning a party.

Let’s start with the Bronchitis Ick. I got a call on the way to a meeting to pick my daughter up at school due to a fever.  Of course, I canceled meetings and went to her immediately.  Next, five days lost work.  Not to mention my little one who suffered.  Thank goodness for flexible work and the ability to stay home when I need to but it sure does put a kink in ones ability to keep up.  (I did win an Ipod Touch Tweeting on @joelcomm’s Tweetathon while my daughter laid on my lap. Woo Hoo and Thanks Joel! Of Course, I haven’t had time to use it yet but you can read more about this event here.)

Next, my daughter told me an alarming story about boys and her private body parts.  This is so personal and dear to us that I won’t go into details.  However, I wanted to mention it to alert you that our children are never too young to be reminded about personal privacy and their own personal power.  My daughter is still three.  I was naive to think she wouldn’t be facing any issues like this yet.  As a protective mama bear, I’m now on the watch and in full training mode. I want you to be aware too so I’m telling you that we need to remind our little girls that they are SUPERGIRL!  Little Swartz and I are now talking about personal safety on a regular basis.  She’s fine but I’m in the middle of an investigation with her school.  What happened to her was mild and I’m thankful that I’m now in high alert mode.  I can do even better to protect her.

Now for the fun stuff.  As I mentioned, she’s turning four soon.  Her Grandma is flying into town for her birthday and we’re planning a party for 40 kiddos.  You know the drill, party planning, invitations, goody bags, food menu, RSVP coordination…oh, and getting ready for a visit from Grandma.

So, I’ve had a few wrenches lately…

I know some of you have had a few wrenches too so I wanted to write about mine. Sometimes it’s just good to know that we aren’t all in this alone. Everyone has wrenches.  I know I’m not perfect but I just keep trying to keep my head above water and to keep moving everything forward. My solace comes from helping other people so I try to help someone else every day. It makes me feel better. What makes you feel better?

In addition to my wrenches, I’m working on some really fabulous things that I can’t wait to tell you all about.  I’ll be writing more detailed posts in the future but for now, go check out GoEverywhere. I’m working on a social media project with them via Square Martini Media.

You can get a beta license to their Cloud Computing product and try it out for FREE….yes FREE! It’s REALLY amazing for a remote worker and helps cut down cost, improve productivity and give you added freedom to work from anywhere without lugging around a big heavy computer!  You know me…I love anything that adds more freedom to working from Everywhere!

Happy Sunday and cheers to turning your Wrenches into Rainbows!

So, back to me.  I immediately got up and started writing.  First I wrote a post on Square Martini Media and next this one.  Seth’s content is just so good, I think might be able to write about it every day this week!

Seth gives the example of Mother Theresa who was an Atheist but used her actions to define herself.  Further, he says, “Authenticity, for me, is doing what you promise, not “being who you are”.  His post is really fabulous and discusses how we’re all filled with self doubt but our actions can easily drown out negative self talk.  You must go read it for yourself.

Happy Monday.  Now go out there and be who you want to be.  Stop listening to the Devil on your left shoulder and start acting for the Angel on your right.  Let me know how it goes…Oh, and let me know how you like Seth.  I love him…almost as much as I love Twitter!

Jen Goode is likely the nicest person I’ve met in the last year.  She’s bubbly, kind, generous plus smart, fun and just and overall great girl.  We met in Denver in November and she gave me a button with her signature Penguin artwork.  I put it on my Timbuk2 canvas bag and it’s been there since.  Everytime I look at it I smile because it reminds me of Jen and her infectious positive energy.

She also is responsible for telling me about Affiliate Summit. Jen told me I should consider going to the conference and learning more about the opportunities to earn passive income via affiliate programs.  She never mentioned she was a six figure earner but she did say that she lead the mentor program at Affiliate Summit and that I should look into it.  I was luke warm to the idea at the time but she was SO nice and she’d caught my interest.  I wanted more information.  I needed to know whether working mothers could make money from affiliate marketing opportunities.  I researched the conference and kept talking to Jen via facebook and twitter.  She was so encouraging and fun to talk to.  Jen was a huge reason that I decided to attend.  So, isn’t it amazing what positive energy alone can spread in the world?  Jen alone opened my eyes to alternative income possibilities that I’m still learning about.

If you love penguins, you just have to check out her artwork.  She also creates lots of other fun, upbeat characters, so check out her work at www.jgoodedesigns.com or www.jgoode.com.

Jen, Thanks for being a great role model for working mothers and thanks for being you!

Written by Etsuko Tsukagoshi.

Last Thursday, I attended the Six Figure Moms Club event, 3rd Annual Making the Most of Your Personal Strategy New Year Kickoff.  It was a great event.

I met and reconnected with so many women who share similar interests and aspirations, and I created my vision board while delicious food and wine were served.  I came home exhausted but happy, and told my husband that finding the Six Figure Moms Club was one of the best things that happened after we moved to San Diego.

Let me back up a little and introduce myself.  I’m Etsuko, a friend of Angie’s and a member of Six Figure Moms Club. I met Angie in September 2006 at the Six Figure Moms Club meeting about 6 weeks after my first son was born.

I work for a Japanese school as Executive Director.  I was really happy about my job at that time, partly because I just started working there in Nov 2005 shortly before I found out I was pregnant.   When I joined the SFMC, the job was still new, interesting and very challenging.   I was simply looking for other working mothers to talk to, about the certain challenges we all share. But while I kept coming back to the monthly meetings, something happened.  I believe what happened was that this past 2 years, I was shown, by Angie and other members of SFMC, that more is possible.  Before I met her, I never would have thought that I’d come to want to have my own business someday.

I worked for the non-profit sector all my life.  I worked for United Nations before I came to US and my goal after coming here was to “find a good job at a good non-profit organization”. I achieved that goal, which I am very grateful for. But I am ready for the next chapter of my life, which is to become a successful business owner, teaching a parenting course and coaching.

While gathering the thoughts to write this guest post, a phrase came to me that I have read somewhere. One of the Buddhist teachers said “When you come back from a walk in the woods early morning, you notice that the clothes you are wearing got moist because of the morning dew”. This means that you should be aware of the environment, that is to say, type of energy you put yourself in. Without your realizing, the people and the energy in the environment will start influencing your thoughts. This is exactly what happened.  When I first stepped into the SFMC meeting room, I didn’t fully realize that I’m putting myself in a highly supportive, inspiring, energetic group of women, who will plant the seed in me. I feel so fortunate to be in San Diego and have met Angie, and SFMC members.

Now, we are talking about bringing this SFMC to Tokyo – as I plan to move there in near future – but I feel like I can’t wait! Since last November, I teach a parenting class called Redirecting Children’s Behavior in Japanese. When I meet with the mothers with young kids in my class, apart from the parenting stuff, I have this urge to also talk about all the great things we are doing, such as creating vision boards. Maybe I’ll start SFMC for Japanese speaking mothers even before I go to Japan. What do you think, Angie??

 You can reach Etsuko at etsuko@rcbjapan.com for more information about her Japanese language RCB classes (and it sounds like Six Figure Moms Club in Japanese language coming soon )

I always like to do something special in January every year.  I feel it’s so important that we take a pause and really devote some focused attention to our personal goals and intentions for the coming year.  It’s critical to keep our eye on where we want to go, especially for working mothers.  If you want any chance at work life balance, you have to put yourself in the driver’s seat and do some serious planning.

For our January events, I like the environment to be really nice so that you hard working mothers can relax and feel comfortable to enjoy yourselves and let your creative minds flow.  I want great food, great wine (a given, right? besides-what would Gary Vaynerchuk say if we had no wine and no sniffy-sniff?), great ambiance, great company (you provide that part and inspiring reading for a little advance prep to get you into the right mindset.

So, I started looking for the advance reading and I googled vision boards.  The first thing that came up was Joyce Schwarz’s The Vision Board Book.  I clicked through and remembered that Joyce and I had met last year at Blog World Expo.  I read her website, was amazed to see  that just like Matt Lauer and I, she also went to Ohio University, and then I called her.  Next thing I knew, an hour had gone by and Joyce and I had just finished a fabulous conversation about vision boards.

Look for another post about Joyce later this month.  She’s given us access to 20 free pages of her book and donated a free copy of the book that I’ll give away on January 22.

If you’re in the San Diego area, I hope you’ll join us for a fun evening devoted to YOU and your 2009 intentions.  You can sign up under the events tab.

If you don’t live in San Diego, I encourage you to have your own vision board party.  I’ve been creating vision boards with my grad school girlfriends for over seven years.  It always makes for a great day together as we catch up and plan our futures.  Or, if you don’t have time for a party, make it an event for yourself alone or with your husband or partner.  It really is a fun way to get focused on where you want to go.

Lastly, I’ll leave you with some homework: Christine Kanes’ great article on How to Make a Vision Board.  Enjoy!

You see, I’ve been operating at a crazy fast pace.  I bet you have too because that’s what we do at this holiday time of year, isn’t it?  Sometimes when we’re turned up and we’re buzzing around accomplishing massive amounts of tasks, we’re firing on all cylinders, accomplishing everything in site, we miss some of the details.  Or at least I do.  I don’t mean to say that I miss them in the sense that I don’t participate because indeed I am certainly there and I do go through the motions.  But, what’s really happening is I’m missing the details because I’m not enjoying the moment to it’s fullest potential.  My mom said to me, “Where is my daughter who always loves Christmas so much?”.  She’s right.  That person has only partially showed up this year.  And that person loves the details about Christmas, from buying pre-Christmas gifts and sending them ahead of time to baking cookies for everyone to having girlfriend parties to adopting less fortunate families.

So, now it’s Christmas eve and by my count that leaves about eight days left of the holiday season before 2009 kicks off in full swing.  How can I enjoy the holidays to their fullest in the time that’s left?  By really paying attention to the details.  Yes, I think for sure it’s all in the details.  Sure, I’ve had parties, baked cookies, looked at Christmas lights and had fun with my toddler so far.  But what I’ll focus on in the next eight days is SLOWING DOWN, SHUTTING OFF and just enjoying every moment.

For the first time in my adult life, I didn’t send out holiday cards to anyone but family.  I was determined but now I’ve flipped the switch and my holiday cards will just have to wait.  The surprising thing is, I’m perfectly okay with this now.  That’s huge for me as I’m quite the perfectionist.

So, in summary, my wish for you this holiday season is that you, too, can focus on the important things and live in the details.  Take a look at your to do lists and priortize them.  Lookat each thing on your list and really think about whether it’s important that you complete them or if your time is better spent with a loved one or just with yourself.  Be centered so that you can enjoy your moments and those around you.  You’ll be surprised at how a little shift in your own attitude can make a big difference for everyone around you.  Afterall, if the queen isn’t happy, nobody’s happy, right?

On a personal note, I wish you all the best of details this holiday week.  I thank you for your continued support of everything I do and mostly for participating in Six Figure Moms Club by reading my writing, commenting, attending events, being brave enough to step up and be controversial and showing up however you do to make the lives of others more fabulous.  Remember, you are terrific and YOU make a difference in helping other women create their best lives everyday.  HAPPY HOLIDAYS! 

Warmly, Angie

PS.  Can you believe I got through that post without mentioning Twitter?  I have some exciting news!  I’ll be launching a new blog in 2009 devoted specially to (drum roll please….you guessed it….TWITTER!  Stay tuned for details.)

“If you only get to give one answer, what ONE thing are you most grateful for?” 

My answer is STRUGGLE.  I’m so thankful for the struggle I have in my life and for so many reasons.

• Struggle makes me continue to grow and think about things from a multitude of perspectives.
• Struggle reminds me that I’m alive.
• Struggle highlights that if things are always easy that I’m not stepping up enough and that I’ve become complacent.  That’s not who I am.  I should be struggling with something.  I’m a change agent and that means that there should be struggle in my life…in every aspect.  That means there will be struggle in my relationships, my career, inside me.
• Struggle is my friend and my ally. If I forget that and let it make me feel down, then that is a sign that I’m not taking good care of myself.
• Struggle is my daughter’s friend too.  She is a lot like her mother.  I must remember who she is and how she is wired and remember that she will struggle with me and that it’s not personal.  It is her path too.

So, yes, my answer my seem a bit strange to you and that’s okay with me.  I want you to think about YOU at your CORE.  What are you truly grateful for about YOU?

YES, I’m grateful for so many other things too.  My daughter, my husband, my family, my friends, my strength, my health, my good fortune, my business, flexible work, work life balance, social media, all the inspiring entrepreneurs I’ve met, and the list goes on and on.  I’m a very, very lucky girl and with a friend like struggle, it’s important for me to stop, sit and remember all these things on a regular basis.

And lastly, let us not forget the comedic one:  TWITTER.  I’m thankful for my affair with twitter.  Yes, it’s still on and it’s hot and heavy.  I’m still in love with twitter and our relationship continues to blossom.

I wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving.  I hope you will take a few moments and reflect upon your own struggles, how purposeful they are for you and the wonderful treasures they bring to you in the end.  Be well. Be safe.

If for some reason, you happen to spending this Thanksgiving season alone or in a sad spot or if you are outside of the United States, visit my friend Gail Goodwin’s site at Inspire Me Today.  She’s always got something uplifting to say  

(P.S. Gail is about to make a huge global annoucement about an initiative we’re working on together. Stay tuned and SHHHHH until then.)

• I don’t publish pictures of my daughter on the internet….period. Not anywhere.
• Since this has not always been my policy so I ask friends and family to alert me if they come upon a picture that I’m not aware of so that I can promptly remove it.
• I don’t use my daughter’s given name when writing about her and my family. I’m sure there are people I meet in the public who ask her name and I answer. However, with regard to the internet, I don’t publish her name.
• I advise my friends not to publish their children’s pictures or names on the internet.
• I realize there are times when I may be in the public eye and events covered by the media may include pictures of me and my daughter. I will limit my daughter’s exposure when I can but realize this is inevitable.

You might be thinking, “But Angie, you of all people are a Social Media Evangelist who is having an affair with Twitter, How can you be so against using one of it’s best features to share joy with loved ones and friends?”. My answer to your question is a simple one. There’s no possible way that I can conceive of the same thoughts that a child killer/abuser can. I don’t think it’s possible for me to rationally assess the situation because that would require me, being able to stand in the shoes of the exact person that is a threat to my child. It’s just not possible. Thus, I am unprotected, because I live in a world of false security. I do believe there are wackos out there living in society ready to snap at any minute. I can’t protect myself or my family from them 100% but I can take the proper precautions and these are some of them, why wouldn’t I?

If you need more convincing, just read this article about how the US Army is worried that terrorists might use Twitter as a competitve war advantage.