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This article was written by Keith Reznick ( keith@creativetraining.com ), President of Creative Training Solutions ( www.creativetraining.com). His company recently introduced an online version of The Trade Show Advantage® as a compliment to the live version of the workshop, one of the most well attended (over 30,000 people have participated) and successful courses in the world for teaching event workers how to interact with prospects and customers more effectively on the show floor. Preview one module from the online course (how to engage an attendee and open the conversation) with the following information: Web site: www.tradeshowadvantage.com/light Course ID: mini

Ask yourself: What do attendees want?

Knowing the answer is key to the success of any event. To get the answer, you really need to ask the attendees themselves. Knowing how to do this effectively can mean the difference between having critically useful information to help your event succeed or having useless information that may actually hurt your event if you act upon it.

Anecdotal experiences based on individual interactions with attendees can provide some useful information to help answer this question. But, while this is quick and cheap in the short run, it usually defaults to squeaky wheel management. This is a reactive, not proactive, approach, and most likely will please the most vocal attendees, not the general audience for your event.

Advantages of Attendee Surveys

Conducting a good attendee survey can help uncover your audience's needs and inform your efforts to more effectively meet those needs. This approach has numerous advantages over squeaky wheel management, including:

" being more objective and quantitative, which helps reduce internal bias, as well as making the actions you take based upon the survey results more defensible to the "powers that be" (which may be you or someone else);

" obtaining feedback from a representative sample of your attendees, not just the most vocal or most active attendees, which often care the most about the event (which is why they squeak so loudly) and are usually among the most likely to continue to attend your event;

" being proactive by assessing unvoiced needs and concerns, as well as future needs, by testing ideas to improve your event BEFORE YOU HAVE INVESTED THE RESOURCES TO IMPLEMENT THE IDEAS;

" permitting segmentation of feedback according to attendee demographics, which can be useful in developing and marketing a more valuable event;

" showing your attendees that you care about what they think;

" providing an opportunity to educate attendees about opportunities to make your event more valuable to them; and " providing quotable praises for your next event.

Be Considerate

Be forewarned that the primary obstacle I have found as a survey consultant is not the lack of questions to ask, but how to bring focus to the survey. Typically, we want as much information as possible. However, it is important to respect attendees' time and the fact that they usually have more immediate and insistent obligations. This means that most attendees are not likely to want to spend more than about 10 minutes completing a survey regarding your event, even if your event is very important to them.

Tips for a Successful Survey

The key is to ask your attendees for the most important, actionable information that they can provide. The following general guidelines are designed to help you do just that:

1) Very few attendees want to answer a 200-question survey. For each question, ask yourself: "What action will we take based on this question?" If you cannot come up with any actions, then do not ask the question. Asking only actionable questions has the advantage of reducing the cost and effort of conducting the survey, increasing the response rate and reliability of the information and reducing the burden of response for your attendees.

2) Use rating questions (see example below), not ranking questions. Rankings do not reveal how far apart the various items are in your attendees' opinion; ratings do.

Rating Question Example:

Usefulness
Not Useful At All.....Extremely Useful

Please rate the usefulness, from a technical perspective, of the presentation on widget optimization NA 1 2 3 4 5

To the extent possible, use the same rating scale throughout the survey, as it permits comparisons among different questions. I generally recommend a 5-point scale. It is simple for participants, but measures strong, weak and neutral opinions.

3) For most ratings questions, ask attendees to rate BOTH importance and satisfaction. These are two sides of the same coin and knowing one without the other is not very useful. RMi uses a proprietary metric, called the Opinion Intensity (OI) Factor to measure and weight the intensity of individual opinions, so that our clients can tell who it is that is most satisfied or dissatisfied with specific aspects of their event. This is very helpful when it comes to prioritizing.

Think about it: If those who are dissatisfied with an aspect of your event are also those for whom that aspect is very important, then that is good to know. It is also useful to know that those who are most dissatisfied with an aspect of your event do not think that aspect is particularly important to them. The first situation is more worrisome than the second situation and deserves more attention.

4) Be considerate of your attendees' time. Whenever possible, use demographic information from your registration database (or, if you work for a membership organization, your membership database) to avoid asking unnecessary questions on the survey. This leaves you more room for new, useful information.

5) Conduct a reality check. Pre-test the survey on a handful of representative attendees. This group should number between four and ten. Balance this pre-test group with regard to relevant factors (e.g., type of organization, size of organization, years in field/industry, etc.). The pre-test group should not complete the survey. Just ask them for feedback on clarity, burden of response, relevancy and significant omissions.

6) Use the right method to contact your attendees. If you have email addresses for the vast majority of your attendees and they have ready access to the Internet, conduct a web-based survey. When you use a web-based survey, you can invite all of your attendees to participate, not just a sample, and you can get the results faster. Web-based surveys also eliminate data-entry costs. If you think that a web-based survey would not yield representative results, due to the nature of those who attend your event, then consider paper or fax surveys that attendees can complete at their leisure. I usually recommend avoiding telephone surveys. They are quick, but they are expensive on a per-response basis and are more intrusive than other methods, since the telephone interview happens at the interviewers' convenience, not the attendees' convenience. In addition, the attendee cannot return to a telephone survey at their leisure to finish it.

7) Consider outsourcing the survey. This can result in responses that are more candid and a survey that is more professional and useful. Designing a good survey is painstaking work. Delegate this task to someone who likes this kind of hell and does it for a living!

Beware!

Badly or ambiguously worded survey questions can spell disaster. Consider the following two simple bad questions:

Bad Question 1:

Please rate the following aspects of our event on a scale of one to five:
____ Location
____ Exhibitions
____ Food
____ Weather
____ Speaker
____ Networking
____ Opportunity to Sell

This question has several problems, including:

" Which is best on the scale, a one or a five?

" What is the basis for the rating? Satisfaction? Importance to the attendee? Need for improvement? Basis for deciding to attend?

If you do not clarify this question, the results would be at best meaningless, and at worst, misleading. It is also a good idea to mention the actual name of your event as often as possible in the survey; it provides better focus and consistency of response and is also good reinforcement marketing.

Bad Question 2:

Please rate the clarity and relevance of the speaker's presentation:
____ Poor
____ Fair
____ Neutral
____ Good
____ Excellent

This question is actually two questions:

(1) How clear was the speaker's presentation? and
(2) How relevant was the speaker's presentation. The answers, if aggregated will represent a rating of some unknown combination of clarity and usefulness. While this information would not be completely useless, it is more useful to know attendees' ratings of these two aspects, independently of each other. A presentation can be clear without being relevant and can be relevant without being particularly clear.

Action!

Finally, you must act on the feedback. Don't conduct a survey to "go through the motions". Asking your attendees to spend their time to give you feedback and then not acting on it is likely to cause resentment. You can't act on every comment, but if the feedback reveals widely perceived problems, you should try to do something to address them.

John Burnham is the founder and president of Real Measures, Inc. (RMi). He has designed and implemented more than 50 different survey research projects for more than 20 different organizations since 1990. RMi is a specialized survey research firm that conducts high quality research for the event and membership organization sectors. You can find more information about RMi at: http://www.realmeasures.com. You can contact John at johnb@realmeasures.com or (703) 371-5210

Branding is getting a lot of attention today. Everyone is talking about branding. It might be the "blurrr" factor. It might be that buyers have more choices than ever before. It might be that more information is available to buyers so that they can evaluate their choices. Whatever the phenomenon, marketers are committing their resources to position their products and services in the mind of their prospects and customers so that they have a special place, resulting in competitive advantage. The management of brand recognition is no longer focused in the print media or the electronic media. It has moved to trade show medium in a big way. This is principally due to the primary focus power of trade shows - face-to-face interaction.

Sales and Marketing professionals are using the exhibit medium to position their brands in the minds of buyers. They are also using shows in the traditional ways of prospecting and closing sales, generating qualified leads for sales, increasing name awareness, positioning and repositioning the organization's image, meeting with current customers and introducing new products. In every one of the customer focused objectives, the exhibit staff play a variety of roles.

These roles range from exhibit staffer, competitive intelligence gatherer, hospitality event participant, demonstrator to problem solver. The roll that is most often overlooked is that of guardian of the brand.

Lee Knight, publisher of Exhibitor Magazine, once commented at a preshow exhibitor seminar that exhibiting is a 24 hour a day selling environment. It is selling while working the exhibit, walking in the halls, participating in seminars, eating in restaurants, walking down halls, riding elevators. No matter what you are doing, when working a show, "you are on". You represent your organization. Now, more so than in the more conservative business era, your company name is emblazoned on every shirt, jacket, briefcases and hats.

An organization's brand exists in the mind of the buyer. The position in which it resides is dependent on how prospects and customers perceive the organization. When exhibiting, visitors see the organization, its values and culture through the staff. They might receive an indication of the brand through the exhibit design and booth activities, but they receive the strongest indications of what type of organization they will be dealing with through the staff. The staff is the "guardians of the brand". When dissecting the dynamics of an exhibit's performance, the staff plays a significant role.

Product Knowledge - the number one ingredient that creates a positive image in the mind of the show attendees is to have staffers that are knowledgeable about the company, its products and services. How well the staffer conducts a demonstration - how they involve the attendees to understand their needs and customize the demonstration to those needs communicate a powerful message about the organization and thus the brand.

Attitude - having staffers who display they want to be at the show, working the event. They show it by the smile on their face, by using an engaging opening statement and having the appearance of being open, warm, friendly and confident. NonVerbal Communications - being aware that 55-60% of a staffers' communications is nonverbal is absolutely critical. Show attendees make a decision about whether they will even stop at an exhibit by observing the staff's nonverbal communications. Holding a coffee clache, sitting down at the back of the exhibit, talking on a cellular phone all demonstrate disinterest in communicating with visitors.

Creating an "experience" - memorabilty is reinforced through the creation of an experience. The bulk of that which we call experience is that which the staff creates in generating rapport, establishing a dialog that is customer focused, listening and responding with stories that create images. The drama of the exhibit, the live presentations, the interactive demonstrations are all important in the formula of creating an experience, but without a staff that understands and executes their role, there is nothing to provide lasting memory.

Guardian of the brand - as a visitor sees the staffer, they see the organization. The staff is the organization in the eye of the show's visitor.

So what do you need to do:

" Select staff that are customer focused and like working the trade show events - establish a criteria for selection - get management buy-in so that availability is not the sole selection criteria.

" Once selected - value the staff - make them feel important - communicate with them regularly and not just do's and don'ts. Make them part of the strategic equation.

" Train the staff - they don't work trade shows frequently enough to keep the tools sharp - use all the communication vehicles you have available to you - intranet, internet (e-mail, websites) preshow briefing documents, preshow meetings or briefings, post show evaluations (meetings and surveys).

" Make sure the staff understands the organization's brand strategy - what is the organization doing to position the brand in the mind of show visitors? What vehicles are being used? Show them examples of how the strategy is being executed.

" Make sure they understand the process of exhibiting - reaching out, reacting to, relating and responding and recording visitor information.

" Create a customer focused exhibit - one whose design is focused on visitor needs

" Provide the staff the tools they need to communicate the branding message(s) - graphics, collateral, demonstrations.

Marc L. Goldberg, CME Partner, Marketech, Inc. - Marketech is a 19 year old company specializing in exhibitor staff training, auditing and measuring exhibit and event performance and exhibit market planning. www.stafftraining.com telephone: 508/836-2633 or email: mg2ma@aol.com

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

On line Marketing and The Tradeshow By Dennis Florence

This article is part of an on-going series of how to plan, develop, work and follow up trade show exhibiting. As trade shows represent one of many opportunities for presenting The Company, product, service and/or ourselves; on-line presentations and marketing can be the most logical and cost effective means of follow-up. Online follow up and marketing can supplement direct mail, telephone, outside sales and personal calls.

The following facts and trends might help justify your online marketing strategies in your marketing plan. Where not stated statistics come from The U.S. Department of Commerce.

Comfort level increases

Trends predict consumers' level of comfort with online functions such as e-mail and research continues to increase, so too will their level of participation in e-commerce. The next five years will see large growth in e-commerce - growth that could positively impact small businesses that have established themselves as legitimate, trustworthy merchants.

Growing online sales

U.S. online retail sales are expected to reach $65 billion in 2004, and will continue to grow by a compound annual growth rate of 17 percent through 2008 to top $117 billion.

From 30% - 50% by 2008

Online buying population will grow by 14 percent in 2004, representing 30 percent of the U.S. population. By 2008, one-half of the population will make purchases online.

Spending increases

According to research firm BizRate.com, the fourth quarter of 2003 represented exactly one-third of total online sales for 2003, as spending reached a whopping $18.38 billion. This was a 22 percent increase over the same period in 2002 when $15.04 billion was spent.

Battle of the Sexes

The e-commerce gender gap appears to be widening, as more women opened their purse strings than men last quarter: the percentage of purchases made by women reached 62 percent in the fourth quarter with men accounting for just 38 percent of transactions. For all of 2003, online purchasing was split 60 percent women and 40 percent men - a 5 percent increase from 2002 where the split was 55 percent women, 45 percent men.

2Q '03 sales increase

E-commerce scored during the second quarter of 2003, increasing 27.8 percent over 2Q 2002 to $12.477 billion, according to the Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce.

Growth expected to continue

Although offline retail sales continue to struggle, e-commerce sales will increase at a steady 19 percent year-over-year growth rate, rising to 229.0 billion in 2008 from $95.7 billion in 2003. Online retail sales will account for 10 percent of total U.S. retail sales by 2008.

US online population tops 200 million: survey

NEW YORK (AFP) - The number of Americans with Internet access has topped 200 million, or nearly three-fourths of the US population older than two, a survey showed. AFP/DDP/File Photo Nielsen/NetRatings, said its survey from February showed 204.3 million people or 74.9 percent of the over-two population of 272.8 million. That was up nine percentage points from the same period a year ago.

MORE FROM NIELSEN/NETRATINGS

"In just a handful of years, online access has managed to gain the type of traction that took other mediums decades to achieve," said Kenneth Cassar, director of strategic analysis at Nielsen/NetRatings.

The survey, which measured access as opposed to usage, found that women represent a higher proportion of Web surfers, with 82 percent or 34.6 million women between the ages of 35-54 accessing the Internet at home.

Some 80 percent of men in this age or 32.4 million, had Web access, the survey found.

Seventy-seven percent of females in the 25-34 age group are Web surfers, while 75.6 percent of males in this age bracket have Internet access.

"Women make the majority of purchases and household decisions, so it's no surprise that they are utilizing the Internet as a tool for daily living," said Cassar.

THE ONE TWO PUNCH

OnLine marketing coupled with tradeshow appearances can be the winning combination for meeting your marketing goals. For help in building, posting and promoting you internet strategies the following might be available to you through your existing business network.

Trade associations
Chamber of Commerce
Referrals
Supplier relations
Banks and credit unions
Colleges and Universities
Personal Relationships
Investor relations

Following is a link to one company I am comfortable recommending. Cyant, Inc. is one of the most comprehensive on-line merchant marketing companies with which I have a business association. If you are interested in developing an on-line store or wish further information, just click Merchant Information or contact me through http://www.yourgifts123.com/. Those who have used this service have been very pleased.

Dennis Florence is in the business of marketing and promotion. Developing marketing and training programs for organizations for the past 25 years, Dennis has a true sense of what works at the Tradeshow (before, during and after). You can contact Dennis at http://www.yourgifts123.com

Although technology has greatly expanded the boundaries of business, when it comes to understanding customer needs, voice and data are not enough. We learn so much (more than 80%) from non-verbal communication signals that we need a face to face environment with customers and prospects in order to actually understand whether or not our product or service will meet their needs. That's why trade shows are so important. What your staff does in the exhibit and whether you have provided them with the right tools will determine whether or not you return home with tangible leads or creative rationalizations for dinner tabs. At-exhibit promotion is third in a four-stage endeavor that seeks to maximize the return on your investment. The first stage, pre-show promotion, is aimed at letting your target audiences know that you're going to be exhibiting. By now, you should know that unless your company is on their dance card ahead before the show, you may as well stay home. The second stage, at-show promotion, greases the skids so that you can take full advantage of all of the opportunities that the event has to offer - sponsorships, directories, conferences, the media, etc. Everything you have done up to this point should have been to generate more traffic to your exhibit, so that when your staff is in place, sales efforts are productive.

At-exhibit promotion is the payoff. It's where we separate the sheep from the goats and begin to establish lasting relationships. It's where you have the chance to meet prospective customers and evaluate their needs. If (according to CEIR) the average attendee spends 7-8 hours on the floor over 2-3 days, visiting 35-31 exhibits for an average of 5-15 minutes per visit, how will we spend your time? What can you do to get prospects to remember you? The answer depends upon many factors.

Start by determining your event objectives: To introduce a new product? To move into a new market? To have management meet key customers and prospects? All of the above?

Regardless of your answers, there are three important things you must do to ensure that at-exhibit time is productive:

1) Prepare the staff
2) Get the right tools
3) Be alert for opportunities

Prepare the staff

A US manufacturing client of mine had sent me to EuroShop, a large international retail show held in Düsseldorf, Germany every two years. The show drew customers from all over the world, including many from the US. Before we arrived, we had sliced and diced every hour of the event so that each staff member knew what to do (and when to do it) both on- and off-duty. We rehearsed what the objectives were and what kind of prospects the staff was looking for. We had prepared a list of probable questions with the answers. We had a comprehensive fact sheet so that when prospects asked about the specs of the company's product (a sophisticated escalator system for shopping carts), the data were readily available. We even scheduled a press conference and got invitations to the media on-site. The company's primary sales staff knew to turn over any inquiries from the media, from trade groups, and from other show organizers looking to sign the company up for future events, to me. That way they could focus on better qualified accounts.

I prepared a simple, 10-question multiple-choice quiz for everyone to take during our pre-show meeting the night before. The questionnaire made the staff think about what they were about to do and got them to focus on specific goals. At the start of the show they were really prepared; it showed in their attitudes and in the results they delivered during the next three days. Get the staff to read the following point of view of likely visitors to your exhibit. Expect complete ignorance about your company and its products/services:

Guess Who's Coming To Your Exhibit?

I don't know your company's name.
I don't know what your company does.
I don't know your company's products or services.
I don't know your company's reputation.
I don't know your sales regions or any of your people.
I don't know your company's website.
I haven't attended this show before.
I haven't seen your company's ads.
I haven't received any of your mailings.
I haven't been contacted by anyone from your company.
I haven't called your toll-free number.
I haven't asked for information to be sent.
Now, what was it that you wanted to ask me?

Source: © 2004 Business Demographics Inc. All rights reserved.

Spend some time learning about non-verbal, body and facial languages, and their importance in understanding prospects. It will give you invaluable insight into the art of communication and being understood. The attached Resources list is an indispensable reference for any show or event manager, regardless of experience level.

Get the right tools

" Collateral Materials

Many companies spend money on printing and distributing catalogs or other multi-page collateral materials just for the show, yet they don't realize that most prospects file them in the circular file in their hotel room, in order to lighten the load back home. A better idea: Use literature sparingly. In an age of instant access to digital PDF files and other media via the Internet, use an inexpensive small flier for the show that a prospect can put into a shirt pocket, and the four-color-gloss-varnished-perfect-bound-die-cut brochure for the mail fulfillment or visit by the sales rep.

" Imprinted promotional items with the company logo

Less is more with these items. Think about what the objectives of the show are and select the items wisely. Wearables are still at the top, but if you can't afford them, or if they do not reinforce your product benefits, find something else.

" Demonstrations, presentations and creating buzz

According to Presentation, by Darva, Pike, Bowman, 80% of what we learn each day comes from visual stimulation. Visuals reduce reading time by 28%. Three days after a presentation with visuals only, the audience remembers 55%; with showing and telling, 65%; and with telling only, 10%! Crowds like to gather for demonstrations, particularly when there is a good presenter. For complex products, live demos often help explain the benefits; otherwise, you can rely upon a sophisticated, pre-recorded plasma-screen CD or DVD presentation. When I need editing help, or to learn the best presentation medium, I go to Masterpiece Media (masterpiecemedia.com), an award-winning, competitively-priced firm in Fairfield, NJ, who can recommend the right solution, regardless of budget. They also provide multi-language translations, which is helpful for anyone doing business outside the US, or trying to reach a niche market within the US.

But what can you do when you have a small space and still want to create impact? For a pest management client, I had a professional modeler from the Museum of Natural History design a large, creepy-looking giant fly, with an 18" wing span. The exhibit staff handed out fliers about the damage that flies inflict; the reverse side included a profile of the artist. The client's exhibit was only a 10' in-line unit, but they were able to stop a lot more traffic with their new insect mascot, whom they nicknamed "Vincent." Don't expect traffic to naturally flow into your exhibit, especially with an in-line space. With the right approach, you can direct them into you! But be prepared to make their detour worth their while.

" Integrated Internet techniques

For every traditional at-exhibit promotional technique there is now a corresponding Internet, or digital solution. With a digital camera, you can easily publish photos of live events on your website. This keeps the site fresh, and encourages visitors to return for updates. Using an HTML newsletter in conjunction with an exhibit is another way you can make your trade show investment have more impact. Send an HTML newsletter to those prospects who could not make the show, as a way to generate interest and arouse their curiosity. Show them what they're missing. Make them wish they had been there.

Be alert for opportunities: the media and joint marketing ventures

On more than one occasion I have watched as a roaming video camera professional accompanied by an interviewer have stopped periodically to tape a conversation with either an exhibitor or an attendee. I can often get them to stop at a client's exhibit and speak with the right person, provided the topic is in line with their assignment. Look for opportunities to get some publicity and valuable video footage for your company. Remember to get a contact name and phone no., and learn when the piece will air. It's a ready-made third-party endorsement that may do much more for your company's reputation than you may realize. Later, you can use the footage as part of a prepared presentation and/or convert it to a QuickTime movie for streaming to visitors on your website.

Meanwhile, there are always joint marketing possibilities and potential business referral sources who may be exhibiting. Look carefully at those companies, and be ready to determine if they have any potential value as a business partner.

Resources:

" Books

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Clear Communication, by Kris Kole

He Says, She Says, by Lilian Glass, Ph.D. Presentation, by Darva, Pike, Bowman " DVD

The Human Face, BBC Video, written and presented by John Cleese

" Internet Dr. Paul Ekman

http://www.emotionsrevealed.com Paul Ekman's research found seven emotions have universal expressions: enjoyment, fear, surprise, sadness, contempt, anger and disgust. METT trains your eyes to spot these emotions automatically.

After more than a decade of service in the wine industry, Peter was chosen as marketing director in 1981 by The CIT Group, a major asset-based multinational financial services organization. He earned a reputation for finding novel solutions to problems, and he served on the board of directors for the Association of Equipment Manufacturers and CONEXPO, the largest construction industry trade event in North America. Later, he was hired by McGraw-Hill Information Services as director of marketing, where he introduced desktop publishing as a strategic sales tool, and helped launch a CD ROM product line.

Peter then joined Nordstrom, the specialty retailer known for its passion for customer service, and started the Corporate Services Division. He has appeared on MSNBC and was also a contributor to Men's Wardrobe, published in 1998 by Chic Simple. As president of Business Demographics Inc. he has worked on many face-to-face marketing projects for both Fortune 500 organizations and small businesses.

Peter holds a BS degree in liberal arts from Marquette University and an MBA in marketing from Fairleigh Dickinson University. He studied photography at the School of Visual Arts in New York, and he frequently writes about marketing topics for trade publications.

Peter can be reached by phone at 845-258-1000 or by email at bizdata@warwick.net . Visit the Business Demographics Inc. website at www.bizdata.org.

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A personal message from the publisher...

How I became a proud, single, work at home grandma.

My name is Francine York, publisher of Modern Opportunity Web site and newsletter. I welcome you to what is fast becoming the quintessential business opportunity web site. Not only will you find a wide variety of interesting and profitable opportunities; but you will find services and products as well. Feel free to browse the site and read the many informative articles and columns geared to assisting you in becoming a successful entrepreneur. My email "door" is always open to you; so email me anytime and you will receive a personal reply from me.

And now, about my background and how I came to publish this site and newsletter... Due to budget tightening, my job at a not-for-profit agency was cut back to part time. Because I needed more of an income, I set out looking for a new position. At about the same time, my daughter and son-in-law gave me the wonderful news that they were expecting their first child and my first grandchild! My joy was boundless until the reality of economics deflated my euphoria. My daughter would have to go back to work three months after the baby was born. I started envisioning he/she being cared for by strangers in a day care setting. Fortunately, when I had my three children, I was able to stay at home until the youngest was in full day nursery school; but she could not financially do the same.
EUREKA! It suddenly became crystal clear...I would stay home and care for my grandchild.

First I headed for my financial advisor to review my finances and see if I could do this. He politely and firmly said, "Get a job, send your grandchild to day care like so many others do; sell your house; giveaway your three dogs; and rent a small apartment, then maybe you can afford to stay home." Needless to say, I was horrified and angry. You see, I had recently separated from my husband of many years and could no longer rely on him to help with the income.
The more people told me what a crazy idea this was, the more I was determined to do it! I began looking in the classifieds for home based business opportunities. Most listings were for opportunities for which you needed a great deal of money; and that I would not be able to run from my home. That was not going to do. Unfortunately, at the time, I was not knowledgeable about the myriad business opportunities available which can be operated from the home. Finally, I saw an ad for newspaper for sale. The same week my grandson, Ethan Jacob, was born (May 11, 2002), I became the new owner of a business opportunity newspaper. Since I knew the impact the Internet has on today's existence, I immediately started designing a web site. Today, after a year of changes, improvements, redesign and hard work, the site has grown to over sixty pages with more on the way.

I am a proud, single, work at home grandma now; and loving every minute of it!...and guess what?
On March 18, 2004, I became a grandma for the second time...Ryan Caleb!

To give readers, some info about my educational background...I graduated from Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY with Bachelor and Masters of Science degrees in the field of education. I spent the next four years teaching in a N.Y.C. public junior high school. Coming next was a move to the "burbs" in 1973 followed by the birth of my third child. When he turned four, I returned to teaching in a Brooklyn High School. The commute, the conditions and having a mother who was quite ill caused me to rethink the teaching profession. I decided that I needed a change, a challenge and to be closer to home. My next venture was opening a retail business...a Hallmark card and gift store on Long Island. Fifteen successful years later, that was sold. Not at all ready to sit idly by and watch the world pass me, I sought a new focus. I found a job working for a small marketing company. Since writing was always my hobby-I have been published several times-I was able to write copy, marketing plans, radio commercials and the like. It was during that time, after many years of marriage, that my husband and I decided to separate. The week after my daughter was married, 8/13/00, I lost my job. Luckily, I was hired to do public relations, write press releases, oversee the computer program, assist with development, etc. for the not-for-profit agency at which I had been volunteering as a crisis counselor since 1995.

My story comes full circle...I am here, it's 2003 and I am a very happy stay at home, single grandma whose mission is to offer money-making opportunities, services, products and essential information so others who desire, or need to, will be empowered and able to stay at home; and they will be able to find all the resources necessary to do just that right here...so, WELCOME and much success in your endeavors!

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