Help Needed for Mompreneur

if you have it in you and can afford, find 5 families(maybe friends) or business that you can clean for and who will recommend you if they are satisfied. I hate to say it, but aim your cliental high to start too - like a higher end neighborhood, etc. You might have to give them one or two freebies and then offer them another freebie for every paying referral. I think word of mouth is huge and nothing speaks louder than peoples opinions. :-)
Also, craigslist, is a great venue to start free advertising. Or invest in a website. :-)
Good luck. I hope it all goes well with you

Facebook and you can keep it local, word of mouth is going to be key for housekeeping.

Join your local Chamber of Commerce abd *attend* whatever regular weekly events they have. The two I'm a member of have weekly breakfast meetings. You have to go and participate regularly for it to be effective. I'd think Santa Monica would be a good place to start. Realtors would be a good group to get to know.

Best wishes!

I often see requests for green cleaning ideas from the moms on CityMommy. You can advertise there for free on the first of every month, or I can give you info on paid advertising throughout the month. Send me a private message or email me at ____@____.com if you're interested.
http://la.citymommy.com

Congrats on your new venture!
K.

That is so exciting! I remember starting my different busiensses, what an exciting time.
1. www.Meetup.com is a great place to begin looking for networking groups and contacts.
2. www.Linkedin.com for more business contacts.
Introduce yourself to local businesses that are COMPLIMENTARY to yours, health food stores, natural food stores or clothing stores. Offer them your services, for their personal use (The first one free is always best) you will say, "of course I would not expect you to partner with something that you haven't experienced yourself, so I'd like to offer you an hour free of charge to see what I do so you can make an informed decision how we can best help each other." Trust me, this is a GREAT and almost free way to get into partnership.
3. Search for network marketers who promote healthy NATURAL products and offer to partner with them (companies like Isagenix, Sunrider, Herbal Life). Perhaps offering their clients a deal on your services and in return you could offer to share their info with your clients.
4. The chamber is a good idea, but I find that so many of their events are in the morning...not to good for a mom.
5. When I started my last business, I was a professional clown for birthday parties, I spoke to people I know and offered them a "free party" in exchange for a testimonial and 5 references. Word of mouth advertising is free and THE most effective. Think about how many fliers you get in your mailbox everyday, so you really pay attention to them? But when a friend tells you about a great product, service, sale or whatever, you listen and are more likely to use it. Since I joined network marketing, I have seen the brilliance of word of mouth advertising. It costs me nothing and gains me so much. Good luck! If you want someone to talk to who has "been there done that" feel free to connect with me.

B.
Family Success Coach

What about going to Whole Foods and other healthy food stores/restaurants and putting your info up on the bulletin boards if they have them.
Pitch a story to local papers/websites about how bad traditional cleaning solutions can be.

meetup.com - business networking in your area with other business owners. check out vistaprint.com for business cards, etc. if you have a limited budget. Good luck!

Hi M.! Congratulations on your new business! I lead a very successful women's networking group in Orange County that is an effecitve way to meet others to become friends and share your products with. It's called the Heart Link Network. There are chapters all over the country. For more information just let me know and I'll email some info to you. Or you can search for my Heart Link Network Laguna Niguel group by going to Meetup.com.

Mailings, flyers in the mailbox, flyers on windshields of peoples cars at the grocery store, etc...

SCORE networking events
join and speak at mommy groups
give free workshops on simple green ways to clean your home - then at the seminar talk about what your services will do
meetup groups - meetup.com
memorize a 2 sentence blurb about what your business does, carry around business cards and tell anyone you meet about your new business (including cashiers, manicurist...etc.)
blog and keep it updated
sign up your business on yelp.com, yp.com
make partnerships with other compatible businesses

good luck!