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I had the pleasure of joining a team of mompreneurs, editors and bloggers at last week’s Detours & OnRamps Conference, created by Meghan McCartan to help moms in career transition. It was the second such forum, following a successful launch event in New Jersey last fall. According to the US Bureau of Labor, more than 70 percent of women with children under 18 work outside of the home. That’s approximately 24 million moms trying to balance family needs with the responsibility of working part- or full-time.

HybridMom Publisher Meryl Otis Kessler moderated the “entrepreneur” panel I participated in, and I got to meet Christine Koh, founder of Boston Mamas and Posh Peacock, a gorgeous new line of stationery and invitations. Christine has more degrees than anyone I’ve met in Boston and in this university town, that’s saying something. She’s an accomplished musician and, of course, a proud mother. Amid all this, she finds time to post twice daily about resources and events for families living in and around Boston. She talked about the importance of finding a niche when starting a business - in her case focusing on Boston happenings rather than trying to be all things to all families everywhere. She said the strategy has helped her attract advertisers.

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Filed under: 360 Public Relations, Blogger Relations, Events and Conferences, Parenting by LauraTomasetti - No Comments →

It’s a wonder with all today’s mothers do that they’re not planning their own Mother’s Day celebration - in fact many probably are. It’s not that mothers of past generations didn’t work as hard. They worked differently, and they didn’t have Web 2.0 in their corner. But sometimes the best networking happens the good, old-fashioned way - face to face. At next week’s Detours & OnRamps conference in Boston, 200 moms will gather to discuss how to balance work and family life, many looking to make their next career move.

The list of speakers includes some amazing women who have found a way to balance work and family life - entrepreneurs like Jo McChesney, who helped found Isis Maternity, Meryl Otis Kessler, publisher of Hybrid Mom, Christine Koh, founder of Boston Mamas, and Sheila Marcelo, founder and CEO of sitter service Care.com. It’s hard not to notice, and perhaps no coincidence, that each of these women launched a business to help women in their everyday, busy, family lives.

I also recently had a fun lunch with Erin Kane, who created Manic Mommies. “Manic” seems to be the operative word for today’s moms trying to do it all.

My guess is, if you asked these women leaders - and the moms you meet at the grocery store, playground and school - what they really want for Mother’s Day, the answer would be “more time.” More time for their families, for their businesses, and for themselves. That, and maybe getting to sleep in on Sunday. You don’t need a credit card for either, but they’re both priceless.

Filed under: Boston, Events and Conferences, Parenting by LauraTomasetti - No Comments →

It’s hard to escape the buzz about marketing to moms these days. At 360, we’re entrenched in the mom market, and conferences dedicated exclusively to the mom market have sprung up in recent years (M2Moms is a prime example). But let’s not forget the dads - who, pardon the pun, offer fertile ground for marketers too. I’m not talking about the sliver segment of stay-at-home dads. More important than how much time dad spends at home is his level of participation in the parenting partnership. If you’re interested in more on this “dad factor,” the following 360PR article, published in The Council of PR Firms’ Firm Voice earlier this month, may be of interest.

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Filed under: PR Industry, Parenting by LauraTomasetti - No Comments →