If your aim is to get eyeballs, links, shares, and repeat visits of readers, you may like to write a mega-guide post … to give your readers the whole nine yards on a topic.
Long form “ultimate guide” posts are among the most widely shared and linked to. Parts of the post can be repurposed later into other formats such as podcasts, or video, or ebooks.
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“Ultimate Guide Blog Posts” stand out as comprehensive, in-depth explorations of specific topics. Typically stretching beyond 5,000 words, these guides aim to leave no stone unturned, providing readers with a holistic understanding of the subject matter.
They embody a brand’s expertise, showcasing its authority and knowledge in a given domain. Beyond improving search rankings, “Ultimate Guide” blog posts serve a strategic purpose for brands.
In a digital landscape saturated with content, brands are in a constant battle to differentiate themselves. By producing such exhaustive and valuable content, they signal a commitment to educating their audience and offering genuine value. These guides often become cornerstone content for a brand, acting as a pivotal reference point for both existing customers and potential leads.
Moreover, such in-depth content can be repurposed across various platforms — from e-books to webinars — ensuring maximum return on content investment. In essence, by investing in the creation of an “Ultimate Guide,” brands make a statement about their dedication to expertise and the service they offer to their audience.
However, crafting such extensive guides comes with its set of challenges. The sheer length requires rigorous research, meticulous organization, and consistent voice and flow to keep the reader engaged.
Furthermore, the responsibility to present accurate, up-to-date information is heightened given the post’s claim as an “ultimate” source. But when executed effectively, the rewards are substantial.
Such posts not only rank well in search engines due to their richness in content but also position the brand as a thought leader in the industry. They become invaluable resources that readers return to, share, and reference, driving sustained traffic and trust in the brand.
Read on …
What is a “mompreneur”? Mothers with young kids, who cannot go out to work, may have a yen for a home-based business. They can become “mompreneurs” (moms who are entrepreneurs). They need to maneuver through their challenges and increase their resourcefulness to succeed. The 2019 State of Women-Owned Business Report says this. Of all women-owned businesses, about 1 in 3 has a mom as an owner. That’s amazing – because it adds up to more than 4 million mompreneurs.
Most mompreneurs are solopreneurs who have chosen to solo-run home-based businesses out of need. Young mothers with young kids have always found it to be a precarious financial balance if they work at traditional jobs outside the home, especially when their young brood needs minute-minute childcare. Here are just a few of the problems they face:
Contrast all this with the life of a mompreneur. If a mom can go into business from home, do a business that’s easy to handle while keeping an eye on the kids herself, costs little to start, and pays enough to cover a decent and comfortable life – why would she not be tempted to go into mompreneurship? Many moms have started with trepidation and fear and actually grown into millionaires.
Altough most moms fear the future in the mompreneur business, research has shown their fears to be wrong.
PicMonkey, an image editing and design platform did another survey of 100 mompreneurs (they called them “doers”) and wannabe-mompreneurs (they called them “dreamers”). Results of their study showed these stats:
Although being a mompreneur has its tough times, the perks of this business workstyle are many. Especially for single moms, there are a lot of advantages in being able to work from home, while also keeping an eye on the kids. Here are just a few of benefits:
While there are many advantages to mompreneurship, it helps to know – and be ready for – the downsides to this business model. Moms who just leap into businesses from home, without thinking about the negatives that are possible, will rue their hastiness. So here’s what to look out for:
No two days in a mompreneur’s life will be alike. But the roller-coaster can be handled. It’s important to know your challenges, anticipate having regular trouble with them, and be forearmed with solutions to success. Plan to climb in business, despite the forces that seem to pull you down:
Taking lessons from some of the most successful mompreneurs, you can apply some of the ideas given below to your life. Every time you are tempted to second-guess your decision to have become a mompreneur, remember that you have made a very honorable choice. Pat yourself on the back for taking this route to earning, and add to your confidence by heeding this advice:
There is a lot of romance in the thought that mompreneurs can work off the dining table, and need nothing more than a laptop – but ideally, this doesn’t work at all. Working off the dining table is the worst kind of idea, and there are reasons for this:
The layout below is a perfect one for a home workspace for mompreneurs. You can fit the pieces of it into any corner or niche of your home that is within the visual range of the kids. Make it “your own space to think, write, be creative or do business from”.
There are so many articles online that list business ideas for mompreneurs that it doesn’t bear repeating. I’ve pulled together some of the articles that are replete with business ideas that mompreneurs can examine if it fits them:
When you read these lists of ideas they usually fall into 2 categories: products you can create or buy and sell online; or services you can offer to individuals or groups of people online.
But there is a third option that is a really good business idea for mompreneurs – one where the workload is a bit less and the chances of profit are higher than otherwise.
In this model of business, you may be offering a product or service of your own. The smart thing to do is to bundle your product or service with a bunch of affiliate income-producing products that others sell – which can be complementary to your own products and afford the customer more ease, convenience, or better value for money.
Let’s examine a few examples of the hybrid model at work. Let’s say you produce an info product – for example, an ebook or course on low-fat Thai cooking. Instead of just aiming to sell your product to people, what if you could offer a bundle of your ebook or course, along with some Thai cooking pots and ladles, or measuring containers (all affiliate income products) that you can offer special deals on? The info product is a low-cost and high-profit item for you because it’s your own creation, but its convenience and attraction – and pricing – could increase when you can offer deals with products that are complementary.
The reason this hybrid model of “own-product-plus-affiliate-products” works so well for mompreneurs is that your repertoire of offerings never looks too thin or weak. Customers like to get expertise and comprehensive solutions for their pain points. If the solutions appear more complete, and the price-deal for the whole package is attractive, it’s a win-win. You win and your customer wins. Your offerings always look well put together and thought through. And not all your products are time-consuming to create or offer for you. Some part of your earnings can always come from “affiliate sources”, which can at least cover your costs, if not add to your profit.
Mompreneurs are multi-taskers by instinct. But the successful ones don’t do two things at the same time, which is “simultaneous-tasking”. They slot activities one after another, some work and some home care, and they can switch between the two in a blink. I would also recommend three top time management tactics, because I know they work like a breeze …
For example, your task list may say “Take baby to garden” and the next job may be “Plan for your next blog post”. Can you really just jump from one into another. There is the problem of the gears in your brain needing to crank themselves into a new mode of activity. See that every task has some wind-up time to get your brain flowing in the new direction, and a wind-down time to get the mind emptied for the next action.
Nothing is more daunting than a to-do list that runs like an endless coil of paper. Of course, a mompreneur will have ever so many small and big tasks to do. But remember to have two lists. One we’ll call a “Task Warehouse”, where you put task ideas as they occur to you to do. The other will be the “To-Do List” for the day with some daily “must-do chores” and maybe 4-5 items from your Task Warehouse as “would-be-great-to-complete” tasks.
Unless your mind and body are humming with health, there will never be enough physical or mental energy to tackle your multifarious responsibilities as a mompreneur. The early morning hours are when you should not launch directly into work. Use the time to “sharpen your saw” ie. your body and mind, which are your most valuable tools for a creative and fulfilling life. Work out, do breathing exercises, do some calming meditation … and dedicate an hour to thinking about your health and yourself in a 360° way.
Mompreneurs are multi-taskers by instinct. But the successful ones don’t do two things at the same time, which is “simultaneous-tasking”. They slot activities one after another, some work and some home care, and they can switch between the two in a blink. I would also recommend three top time management tactics, because I know they work like a breeze …
You cannot afford not to know exactly how much you have coming in and going out each month. You have to get a clear and complete fix on what your business costs are likely to be each month. You don’t need an elaborate money-planner, just an Excel sheet is good enough. Don’t spend what you haven’t planned for, as far as possible. For emergencies, you should have a separate stash of money – which we’ll come to.
There’s a rule that my grandmother lived with, which she followed all her life. When she died, we were aghast to find she had stashed away hundreds of thousands of dollars from my grandfather’s meager pittance of a salary. What did she do to create so much out of almost nothing? Simple. When my grandfather gave her $200 for the home supplies, she put away 40% into an “emergency fund” (aka her stash), and then lived within the 60%. Can you do that regularly and with every bit of money coming in, without cheating yourself of that 40% put-away rule?
If you allow business money and home money to intermingle, life will get extremely complicated – especially at tax-filing time. You’ll have to spend days untangling everything you’ve spent or earned, to separate the home and business strands of money all knotted up. And do remember to keep separate bank accounts for your business and personal finances.
There are three areas where mompreneurs may find it useful to outsource work:
Most often mompreneurs like to go for the all-rounder Virtual Assistant who can help with a variety of work projects (especially repetitive ones) than to find specialists for one or two areas of work. The exceptions to this are writers (if you find blogging and content marketing too consuming), or artists (if your work needs a lot of imaginative sketching or creation of infographics and other forms of specialized drawings). It’s also a very good idea to have a couple of techies on hand for the times when your site gets stuck and you are all stymied for help.
Moms who prefer handling the business workloads themselves may like to get babysitters or childcare help, even if they are themselves at home to keep an eye on the kids. It helps to have someone attend to the kids’ meal times, play times, sleep times, and general well-being. If you can get someone to take care of the children for you for a certain number of hours a day, you can get your work done in that time too. You can keep an eye on the child care assistant, who can keep an eye on the kids.
There are moms with just one child, who feel capable of both work and child care … but it’s the household cleaning and cooking and shopping help they need most. Someone who pops in every day – or maybe twice a week – to see that your home is shipshape, there’s food to put on the table, the larder is stocked with cooking ingredients, the laundry is done, and the gadgets are all in working condition and cleaned out, will be a great help.
The ebooks below (available from Amazon) have scored high on buyer ratings …
The Udemy courses below are eminently affordable and also great value for money …
The blogs on mompreneurship that I’ve picked here are great on content, style, differentiation …
a. Mompreneur Money: Owned by Kari Sayers, this blog inspires other mamas to create flourishing businesses and figure out a way to balance family life.
b. Mompreneur Danielle: This beautiful blog has loads of tips on mental health, lifestyle, and entrepreneurship from one mom and mompreneur to another.
c. The Mompreneur Effect: The Mompreneur Effect is a community to help mothers who already are mompreneurs, or would like to become mompreneurs.
These Facebook Groups on mompreneurship are ones that I’ve heard of as the best in the business …
a. The Power Mob: Belonging to the Mogul Mom site owner Melissa Bolton, this Group offers value for mompreneurs at different phases of personal and professional development.
b. Boss Mom Movement: Dana Malstaff has built a highly engaged and super helpful community of 16,000 mompreneurs who advice and support one another.
c. The Mompreneur Community: Allison Hardy, the owner of this Group says: “Mompreneurship is a winding road … feel free to share your victories, struggles, and everything in-between.
There are a lot of handy tools that mompreneurs could use but these three are from my favorite collection …
a. 30/30: It’s a great app to fight procrastination. This clever task-management tool will make sure you stay on the assigned task by counting down the remaining time.
b. Intuit’s Mint: Mompreneurs have no time for fussy, cumbersome accounting. Mint is made just for snap-dash mompreneurs by the well-known accounting software company Intuit.
c. Happify: There’s a science behind feeling happy first – and thereby building enough energy for all that’s thrown at you and more. Mompreneurs who need more of that will love this tool.
I’ve graded three of the best workload outsourcing platforms in order of pricing and availability of great freelancers. Remember:it’s better to have a few outsource workers vetted pro-actively, rather than hiring them during an emergency.
a. Upwork: Work with the largest network of independent professionals and get things done—from quick turnarounds to big transformations.
b. Freelancer: Whatever your needs, there will be a freelancer to get it done. Post a job you need completed and receive competitive bids from freelancers in minutes.
c. Fiverr: Find the right freelancer to begin working on your project within minutes. Find high-quality services at every price point. No hourly rates, just project-based pricing.
There are hundreds upon thousands of mompreneurs inching so close to the million-dollar revenue mark in their businesses. But somehow it’s wonderfully inspiring to hear the stories of those that have crossed that magic million number. The mompreneurs I have picked here as my best examples have all grown business ideas that came to them courtesy their kids. Who knows the pain points of other moms than the mompreeurs themselves?
Michelle Welsh and her three kids were at an amusement park one day when she suddenly got a fear that the kids could easily get lost in the crowds there … and with that Safety Tat was born. It had a simple idea. She started a business that could provide transferable, safe temporary tattoos onto children’s skin, with a message that read: “If lost, please call . . .” A customizable phone number could be added to this message. This little idea has grown into a million-dollar business.
On the Safety Tat site Michelle has posted testimonials from various customers who have found their own reasons to love her tattoo idea. One of them is this wonderfully evocative story from a mother of an autistic child:
“Last year, I took my daughter with me to a toy convention, which was a work conference for me. It was a mommy/daughter bonding trip in Chicago. We don’t often get a lot of time together because I have three children and she is often busy with her activities. She is also autistic.
I have SafetyTat for her that will tell people of her abilities and give them my phone number. With all of the toys around, she got distracted and wandered off. I was so panicked.
As I ran to the information desk, my cell phone rang. It was a security guard who my little girl had found. Although she wouldn’t talk to them, she did show them her arm, which had SafetyTat applied. They called me and I found her within minutes. Thanks to Safety Tat, my daughter was safe! Every child needs them!”
What do you think is the secret sauce Michelle has used to convert her business idea into millions? Michele saw the potential in a problem that she faced every time she took the kids out to crowded places. Being able to spot a big business idea in everyday things that a mompreneur faces is what seems to have been her touchstone. The problem of keeping kids safe was dire enough that she believed she would get big target audiences – other parents like herself – as customers.
Brittany Helvy is a mompreneur who is also an online mentor, nutrition coach, and personal trainer. She is driven to help other mompreneurs find the perfect balance between their work and their inner selves so they can be healthy, happy, and confident. She works through her business site titled “Wellness Through Motherhood”, where she declares she is a “mama of three, thriving on caffeine, occasional wine, adventures, online shopping, boho vibes, and connecting with like-minded babes”.
Brittany’s business mission is to coach and transform women into understanding their inner power and their purpose in life. She offers no one-size-fits-all solutions – it’s all tailormade mentoring. This is what she says to her clients:
“I am so delighted to have you here and for our paths to cross at one point or another. I adore meeting and connecting with women across the globe right here, online.
Each one of us has a story. A story that is incredible, unique, and full of love, laughter, tears and so many unpredictable moments that create us to be who we are today.
Thrilled to have you along for this exhilarating ride. Learning and growing through it all TOGETHER. Pour a glass, have fun reading, and send me a message by clicking the “Let’s Chat!” button”
What do you think is the secret sauce that makes Brittany run such a successful online venture while being a mom? She’s combined her love for both motherhood and life wellness with another third love – the love for conversing with and coaching others. Getting connected with other women seems to be more than just a business need for her, it’s part of her wellness too.
Jen Bekman is a mompreneur who loves art, but believes it should be for everyone, within their purchasing power. She also believes that the Web is the perfect place to support emerging artists. So she launched an eCommerce site with an ever-changing collection of photography, prints and paintings – all priced starting at just $20.
You can hear the joy, pride and fulfillment she gets from her work. It’s in her voice, as she writes on her website::
“We’ve been introducing incredible artists and exceptional art to collectors since 2007. We believe that everyone can—and should—collect art, and that artists should have more opportunities to make a living making work.
We’re dead serious about the “everyone” part, too! We work hard to deliver an authentic collecting experience to novices and experts alike, and are unwavering about offering art that’s accessible for a wide range of budgets.
We’ve also got tons of art content to read up on on our blog, from essays by expert contributors like John Edwin Mason and Weston Naef, to curated selects from superstars in all sorts of fields, plus a podcast for your listening pleasure—all available to anyone with an internet connection.”
What do you think is the secret sauce that helped Jen turn her passion into a richly-rewarding mompreneur business? Her job is easier than that of a painter, whose works of art she sells. She is a curator, who needs to pick and choose what to display and sell from her site. This business model is so good for a mompreneur who is otherwise pressed for time. Her success comes more from using her fine instincts, and not from tiresome effort.
Kendra Dahlstrom, Expert High-Performance Coach to Mompreneurs, has some outstanding tips for mompreneurs who are keen to grow and scale their businesses without breaking a sweat. It’s not only possible, business growth is important because with inflation eating into your money, you have to keep earning more to beat it. Here are some of Kendra’s tips:
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