Ready to Learn Mom

Stacey Kannenberg
Fredonia, WI

Astrological Sign: LEO

# of children: 2

Ages: 11 &  9

Favorite Business Book: Anything by Authors Tamara Monosoff or Joyce Bone

Favorite Family Book: The Dream is Clear to Believe is the Reward – Mike Kannenberg

Favorite Quote: Winners never quit and quitters never win! Vince Lombardi

1. Which came first: the biz or the kid? The kids were 3 and 1 when I started the biz!
2. What is your biggest productivity secret- the thing that helps you accomplish the most in your day?  My ability to multi-task keeps me on track!
3.  How well do you feel you are balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship? As the kids get older it gets easier.  Any tips? Involve the family so they support you and the family business; Try to establish a routine that works for the family; Work around your family time; and most important remember it takes practice to balance it all!
4. What was the tipping point for you when you realized you were truly an entrepreneur? It started with my hot dog stand from 1969-1974 in front of my grandparent’s busy family bowling alley in Hayward, WI.  I always knew I would have my own business but I wanted to learn from the corporate world first and start my own business from home when I started my own family!
5. What one word describes your purpose in your family, your biz and your life? EMPOWER
6. Where do you find your greatest source of support for your goals in your family, business and life? I have the unconditional love of my husband and kids and the support of thousands of people standing behind me that have gotten me to where I am today.  From the love of family and friends to the support of so many people that I didn’t even know in person, who once they heard my story, have cheered me on by sharing my story and have continued to rally behind me!
7. What do you do to recharge your spiritual batteries? Pray and read the Bible!
8. What’s the one thing you can’t live without? Electricity!
9. iPhone or Blackberry? Blackberry
10. Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate
11. PC or Mac? PC
12. Which do you do most often: Eat out, Order In or Cook it yourself? Cook it
13. Who is your biggest supporter? My amazing husband Mike who gave me a crystal clear clock in 2004 engraved with the Cedar Valley Publishing logo that reads:  The Dream is Clear – To Believe is the Reward
14. Who is your greatest inspiration?  I was raised by my grandparents who were both my “rock”.  My grandfather told me every day that I was destined for greatness and that I could make the world a better place.  He started me on my path and passed the baton off to Mike, who continues to support the mission!
15. What do you see yourself doing in 5 years? More of what I am doing today and loving every minute of it!

Name of Businesses: Cedar Valley Publishing and HerInsight Media

URLs: www.cedarvalleypublishing.com

www.herinsight.com – coming soon

Radio Show Get Ready to Learn Mom

Twitter Name @StaceyKann

Facebook Page www.facebook.com/stacey.kannenberg

The Work Smart Mompreneurs Blog:  http://www.worksmartmompreneurs.com/blog/

“Ready To Learn Mom” with Stacey Kannenberg Radio Show at 10 CST/11 EST every Wednesday!  Join us on 07/28/10 with the WINNER of the Business Baby Shower, Robyn Pellei of ViveVita.com.  Robyn talks about winning and how she manages her 9 kids, ages 1 to 10, while running her business!!!   Oh my, 9 kids under 10!!!

About Robyn Pellei:

Currently, I am a very busy lady with a great life!  And, I have sneaked out on to my screen porch to steal a moment to write.

My days are filled with smiles, laundry, school work, emails, business calls, diapers, snacks, hugs,  coffee and prayers (lots!).

“What am I doing?” and “How do I do it?” are questions that I ask myself and often hear from others.

I have 9 adorable children that range in age from 3 months to 9 years!  Please, pick up your jaw and stifle your laughter.  I am not a comedian, though that may be my next venture!  I started making products when the needs got so great in my home that I had to do something to make things easier.  Necessity truly is the mother of invention.   Oh, I also homeschool our kids…they are all in 4th grade this year!  And, I am the wife and life-partner to a wonderful husband.  I have friends that are amazing and a squad of cheering family members.

So, you know all about who I am now – a wife, a mom, a teacher, a CEO, and a friend.  Today’s popular term for all of that is Momprenuer.

In my prior life – the BK (before kids) one – I was a nurse, an emergency room nurse to be specific.  I also worked really, really hard and got my masters degree as a family nurse practitioner…funny, I never practiced in that role.  OK, not so funny, but I just couldn’t do it.  I had my first child just two weeks after I graduated and I was sooo tired of school and honestly…I wanted to stay home with my little guy.  So, I’ve got that in my back pocket and of course, I use what I learned everyday.  A very expensive education to be a mom!

And before all of that…

• grew up in a small town in Virginia, that qualifies me as a Southern country girl – sort-of.
• lived a “normal” faith-filled life with a fun family and many years of school and good friends.
• spent half a year in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa with a missions organization (YWAM) running a small clinic.  I lived in a real hut for 2 weeks – so cool!
• met the man of my dreams in the ER and married him a year later.  He’s the one that I look at and get pregnant!

Now that we are all caught up, I will be sharing my everyday experiences and loads of tidbits that I have and am learning.  I will try to be mostly informational, as there are lots of TV shows you can watch if seeking drama.  You will hear about how I manage to do most of this stuff and keep myself and our family together.  We adopted two of our children internationally, so I will write about that sometimes too – though not very often because I don’t want it to seem like there is a difference in our family.  Nothing so different, just a wonderful way to come together.  My faith is very strong, honestly – it is only by staying close to my Creator that I am able to be or do anything that I am today.  So, you will catch that strength running through lots of what I write.  I have nursed all of my babies, even got the chance to nurse our adopted boys for two days – so special!  And of course, you will hear lots about daily life with the kids and managing a business.  I am not politically minded, so you won’t hear much about that from me and I refuse to write anything about my marriage (except the great stuff!).  My marriage is sacred and I wouldn’t want to cause any discord – I can manage that well enough on my own!

I look forward to sharing my experiences with you and hearing about your experiences, questions and thoughts.  Please try our products and tell your friends about them!  For more information about Robyn’s products, please visit www.ViveVita.com

For more information, please CLICK HERE.

As we continue to enjoy our family and friends, please know that we wish you all the best for the end of 2009 and a FANTABULOUS 2010!  Amazing things are happening with us, and we’re SO glad you’re along for the ride!

Stacey Kannenberg, Get Ready to Learn Mom!

At year’s end, work-at-home moms (and everyone else) think about setting New Year’s resolutions. Though a new year is an ideal time for WAHMs to review professional and personal goals, we can do it all year round. In fact, in order to achieve success with New Year resolutions, we must keep these goals in mind all year. While everyone must personalize their own set of resolutions, here are a few goals those working from home may want to consider.
Get organized. Stay organized.

January is the time to review organization systems and add new ones (but, of course, you can do it anytime). As you think about taxes, you may realize you need to track receipts better, or a post-holiday clean up may reveal junk that piles up in one place. Find your weak spot, and then figure a better way.

But the tougher part is sticking to a new system. Don’t wait until you’ve completely fallen off the organizational wagon. Give yourself monthly organization reviews. Pick a day of the month (1st, last, the 15th, whatever works for you) and look over your to-do list, files or maybe that pile of papers on the kitchen counter. Are things handled as you planned? If not, get back on track (with help from your family) and resolve to do better.

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With the holiday season upon us, it’s time to consider how you are going to stay on top of work while traveling to visit family and friends for home-cooked feasts and togetherness.

oDesk recently asked one of our world-traveling providers, Jacqui Pittenger how she stays on top of things while jet-setting, and here are the holiday packing secrets she shared…

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The unemployment rate have spiked by a mile in a span of a few months since the global financial crisis hit the Western Hemisphere like a hurricane with a mission.  In this light, people have come to realize that the only way they are going to keep their heads above water is to get a job, any job at all, that will allow them to earn money even while staying at home. 

Here are some of the reasons why you should get yourself a home based job today:

Getting a work at home job is just about the wisest thing you can do.  It is not at all that hard either because there are thousands of possible jobs that you can choose from depending on your free time and available skills.

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It’s a shame that there are so many people out there trying to rip off the work-at-home job seeker. It’s even more disheartening to see them targeting the stay-at-home mom, the retiree, and the disabled. But the fact remains; they’re out there trying to capitalize on your desire to stay home and earn an income. And they’re making good money while they’re at it, because there’s no shortage of people who want so badly to believe their claims of easy income and instant wealth.

Lynette Valdez, of Westbrook, Minn., thought that when she gave Pacific Webworks her debit card number last year, it was just for a $1.99 shipping and handling fee to get information about an at-home business offer supposedly connected with Google. But before long, she noticed two mysterious charges of $59.99 each on her card.

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Working from home, whether as a freelance contractor or remote employee, can be a great thing, particularly if you live alone. But what if you have a spouse and/or children at home with you while you work? Every work environment offers distractions, but those who work from home with their families face a unique set of issues—and need equally unique ways of dealing with them.

How it happened to me

A year ago, I was returning to a full-time career after taking time off to be home with my then toddler daughter. She was going into preschool and my husband had just renovated the back of our basement into a dazzling office just for me. A stellar company in San Diego, Monk Development, hired me to work from home. Life was good. A few weeks into the job, I suddenly became very ill and couldn’t work. I quickly discovered I was pregnant with twins, after five years of trying.

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There are many distinct differences between an online small business and an offline small business. Being aware of these differences will help you plan for success.

Offline Businesses

Offline businesses allow face-to-face interaction, which allows customers to see what the business is about for themselves. Talking to customers and potentially making sales is easy, because people can physically visit an office.

Offline businesses generally target a specific locality, whereas online businesses can target a specific locality or the entire country. Offline businesses can be spread throughout several localities with franchises or chains to increase their visibility.

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