Needing some Blog Inspiration? The Business Mums Network is starting a program called Blog Inspiration.

Inspiration for blog posts can be found from many sources – from your business, other blogs, your kids, your family, the list is endless. Sometimes it helps to have someone else give you the inspiration you need.

….so, each week, they will post a topic you may want to blog about. Members of the BMN can post URLs & be eligible to win prizes.

This sounds like a handy program to join in. Check them out – Blog inspiration articles will start Monday 26 October.

I’ve come across an interesting article from a newsletter I received, about a new Australian Made Concept Store. 

Treasurer Wayne Swan has recently launched this new store at Sydney’s International Terminal.  Apparently it’s our nation’s first Australian Made store.

We’re all familar with The Australian Made logo which has been used for more than 20 years, so now Mr Swan believes authentic Australain Made products should go on show in one store. He gives us a vote of confidence here saying  “Australia was a very high quality producer of goods and services.” (… Thank you Mr Swan)

“Whether it is in financial services, or whether it is in areas of manufacture, Australia does well, very well by world standards and I think when people come here, or when they’re looking at this country from overseas, there is something very special about Australia that they see,” Mr Swan told reporters on Tuesday.

“So there is for us, at the moment, a fantastic opportunity to promote brand Australia, Australian made and Australian grown.”

Mr Swan said that during recent overseas trips he had seen an increasing interest from people in how Australians lived, how the country operated and how it was governed.

“These are things we can take advantage of as we move forward into recovery and I do see this logo, this concept, this brand Australia as being at the very core of our future prosperity and success in the global economy.”

I find this interesting and would love to know more about it - who will be included in this concept store and will the store open its doors in each state. 

*** It would be absolutely fabulous if small businesses, even home based businesses.  were included in promotion of the Australian brand ***

What do you think?
You can read the source of this article here .
You can also find out more about the Australian Made logo here.
Images sourced from  Australian Made

      Are you a crafty person? Are you interested in being part of a Craft Collective? Margaret from Konstant Kaos, along with two of her crafty friends have come up with Northside Makers Collective. To find out more pop over to Konstant Kaos to read about it and follow the links. This collective is based in the northern suburbs of Melbourne and they’re looking for crafty people to join.

      Need to get yourself organised? Now that a new financial year is well under way have you taken stock of where your business is at?  Here are 5 tips from The Tall Poppy to get your business organised for the rest of this financial year.

        Need information on running a business?  The Business Mums Blog  gives a helping hand and lots of nifty ideas on branding, marketing, communications, customer service, organisation, promoting your business, competitions, blogging, and lots more. These business tips are posted daily so there’s something new to read about every time you visit.

This entry is a handy one to read if you’re wanting to turn a hobby into a business – Hobby to Business – start paying for things . Stay tuned because Melissa is planning a series of blog posts on the Hobby to Business theme.

       Are you using Twitter yet? Or maybe you’re not too sure how to use Twitter? Twitter is heard about everywhere and it can be hard to know how to use it – be it for personal, business or both.  Tilda Virtual Services has two posts on twittering – What all this about Twitter? and How to use Twitter .  These posts are a handy reference to twittering.

After exploring Margarets blog Konstant Kaos and discovering her passion for fabrics, I’ve come across more crafters’ blogs with passion for their craft.

 Your Cheeky Monkey is an Australian on-line store featuring baby products made by Monique. Her blog is a delightful collection of crafty ideas, giveaways, product reviews and more. Monique is a proud supporter of work-at-home-mum industry.

While visiting her blog I also discovered The Aussie Handmade Giveaway - an Aussie giveaway site set up by Aussie Artisan Jessica Van Den.  Aussie crafters donate lots of lovely prizes to be won weekly. The idea is to provide an avenue to help get Aussie crafts out there – Crafters or Artisans can donate a giveaway item and be featured on the site for one week . Monique has donated a prize here previously and has also won one.

Konstant Kaos - building a work-from-home business while still having crafty fun. At Konstant Kaos, Margaret has a Passion For Fabric and is looking for screen printing workshops within Melbourne – if anyone knows of worksops available please pop over to her blog and pass on the info.

Tilda Virtual -If you’re needing the support of a Virtual Assistance, then take a browse through Kylie’s site. To find out more on how they can support you in your business, a complimentary 30 minute phone consultation is on offer.

I never thought of using a blog planner to plan my blog posts. I usually blog when I have something to say or share. A blog post planner sounds like a handy thing to have and would cetainly help to shorten the gaps between posts. You could jot down ideas and then slot them in on certain day s of the month.  You can then view the whole month of posts and even prepare them ahead of time.

Ann from The Tall Poppy shared her findings of a site with free downloads of Blog Post Planners. Take advantage of the download and give it a try – I’m going to see if it will work for me.

Take some time to browse through Anne’s blog too and have a read of her About Me page and make note of all her blogs and web sites. Anne writes …

One thing you will notice throughout it all is that it is all about encouraging women to make the most of themselves. Why stay like a weed when you can bloom like a poppy?

Enjoy your browse.

               I enjoy visiting Donna-Marie Coggins’ blog as I usually find great business tips or something to encourage me along. Donna-Marie is a fan of Anthony Robbins so with my latest visit I found this video on her blog. The timing was right for me to see this.

If you’re needing a bit of a push to get things done whether it be business related, a project or an idea you’ve been thinking about, then take a look at this video – I think you’ll find this encouraging.

   The Business Mums Network is a unique group of business people who support and assist each other to flourish in business and life. The network welcomes new members and is known to be a great place to share ideas, encourage, support and learn from other members.

Their blog is also full of handy tips for running a business whether it’s small, home based or not home based. Each day of the week you will find posts on anything to do with running a business and managing time between family and work. The posts are not long but just the right size for my liking with enough information to get you ‘in the know’ with all things business.

Take a peek at these -

Marketing Monday - general tips on growing your business. Many marketing ideas don’t have to be huge ideas with huge budgets. There are many ideas that can be tackled simply, daily and in small ‘doses’ – and a little each day can do more than you might expect.

Friday Five - BMN reports are short reports, available on Fridays! Each report is $5 through PayPal and will be available for download right away. Some of the topics so far have been on – compiling an ebook,  growing your email list, ideas for newletter content … and more.

In Between Days - snippets on branding, competitions, finance, publicity, reviews …. the list goes on.

If you’re running a business of any kind or thinking about starting one then do yourself a favour and check out what Business Mums have to offer.

Are You Looking For Deeper Connections, Purposeful Conversations, And The Power To Move Your Dreams Into Motion?

Visit Nicole’s website The Modern Goddess Online

An Extra Degree is all it takes to achieve what you want in life. Check out this inspiring video on Nicole’s blog ……. and then scroll down for more inspiring posts.

Someone who has taken on this thought is Annette Piper from Under The Loupe. Talking about her upcoming jewellery outings Annette says -

All of these events will be outdoors and with the grey days we’ve had over the last couple of days it makes me wonder if it will be too miserable/cold to go… but maybe not.

Using the power of positive thought, I’ll imagine the sun will shine on those particular days and be absolutely gorgeous autumn days! And perhaps someone will take home the lovely long necklace I made last week of linked gemstones and sterling chain …….

It’s taking that extra step that can make the difference – it’s the attitude, kindness, focus, belief and perseverance that can bring in the results we would want.