Two Year Auntieversary

Dear Readers, Today is the two year 'auntieversary' of SavvyAuntie.com, the first online community for cool aunts, great aunts, godmothers and all women who love kids. So much has happened in the last two years since that fateful day. In fact, I don't hesitate to say my life has changed dramatically.

I truly found my passion with Savvy Auntie. Being an 'auntrepreneur' was always a dream of mine. Writing a book was also a dream, so when Debbie Stier of HarperCollins reached out to me and invited me to her office for lunch last November, I could hardly believe it. The result of that meeting is: The Savvy Auntie Guide to Life: The Ultimate Source for Cool Aunts, Great Aunts, Godmothers and All Women Who Love Kids. The manuscript is due at William Morrow, the imprint at HarperCollins publishing the book, at the end of this month! Look for it on amazon.com and every where books are sold on March 22nd!

I also never dreamed I'd be on TV as often as I have. Or write a piece in The New York Times or had the unbelievable amount of amazing press for Savvy Auntie. I designated a day for Aunts. I've gotten to meet and/or interview women and men I look up to. I've had photoshoots with acclaimed photographers and hairstylists. I've had the opportunity to work with incredible clients who sponsor this dream of mine. And I've learned so, so much.

I could not be here - in this moment - without you and all the Savvy Auntie members, fans, followers and friends. I am deeply humbled by the support and love you have shown me and Savvy Auntie. This magic carpet ride of mine has taken me places I never imagined I would visit. And we're still going strong.

"If a man knows the harbor he seeks, any wind is the right wind." - Seneca.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for being the wind on my sails.

XOXO
Auntie Melanie

The Savvy Auntie Book Deal!

Dear Readers,

I am so incredibly excited and proud that I have been offered a book deal with none other than HarperCollins' new and innovative imprint: Harper Studio! Harper Studio is not even two years old and is already publishing books by Best Selling Author, Gary Vaynerchuk, Emeril Lagasse, LeAnn Rimes, Isabella Rosselinni, Amanda Hesser, Goldie Hawn and umm me. ME!

It was always a dream of mine that SavvyAuntie.com would some day become a book - the ultimate source for cool aunts, great aunts, godmothers and all women who love kids. And now, thanks to Harper Studio, it's coming true! What an honor!

The book, entitled: The Savvy Auntie Guide to Life, is expected to be published in a while...and in the meantime, there's lots to do! First, I am assembling top Savvy Experts in fields from childrens' pop culture to throwing the most fabulous baby showers, from indulging nieces and nephews, to helping them cope with their own issues. The guide will be thick with important information, and chock-full of fun stuff too. It can be read cover-to-cover, or used a reference guide at any time. It's a book a soon-to-be aunt will buy for herself, siblings and close friends will give a soon-to-be book aunt this gift as a fabulous way of announcing she's going to be a Savvy Auntie! It's a way for aunts to welcome friends into the Savvy Auntie club! Or for moms who are aunts too and need a new perspective on the children in their lives! And of course, long time aunts and godmothers will all find great tips in this guide as their nieces and nephews get older. Plus, it's the perfect goodie bag gift for expecting moms to give her baby shower guests as a thank you!

Of course, I'll be sharing my journey on writing this book with you all here, just like I did when developing SavvyAuntie.com.

Special thanks to Debbie Stier, SVP, Associate Publisher, for finding me, and Bob Miller, President and Publisher, Harper Studio, for somehow agreeing with Debbie that they should work with me on The Savvy Auntie Guide to Life!

And most of all, thanks to you, Dear Reader, for sticking with me through this 'auntrepreneurial' journey of mine.

Of ours.

Thank you!

XOXO,
Auntie Melanie

Happy Auntieversary to Me!

Dear Readers,

Exactly two years ago today, I woke up an "Auntrepreneur." It was on June 12, 2007 that I decided to start the company of my dreams. I didn't know it then, but it was the happiest day of my life.

I have learned so much as an entrepreneur over the last two years - the first year spent developing the brand and SavvyAuntie.com, and the second year seeing the brand and website launch and grow. Savvy Auntie is a multi-platform media company. You've only see the tip of the iceberg....

I thought this milestone was a good time to reflect on a few of the things I've learned over the last two years.

30 things I've learned as an Auntrepreneur:

1) Believing in yourself in more important than having anyone else believe in you.
2) Believing in yourself makes other people believe in you.
3) Success is relative. It's important to relish each success. Then move on to a higher goal immediately thereafter.
4) "You should..." is the hardest thing for me to hear. Not being able to meet others' expectations of me or my ability to engage their good, sometimes really great ideas, is something I am not yet comfortable with. I hear "you shoulds" just about every day. I should learn to let it go.
5) I've learned that by sharing my journey, others are inspired. It's a pretty easy way to pay it forward.
6) All the things I enjoyed doing as a kid are skills I bring to the task now. I loved theatre, for example, which helps me feel comfortable on stage.
7) Respect is something you earn...not once, but every single day.
8) When colleagues in various stages of my career said to me: "You are meant for bigger things," they were right. I'm just now understanding what they meant.
9) I've learned that I'm talented at things I never knew I was talented at. Entrepreneurship is bringing out the best in me and I'm so loving what I am learning about myself.
10) I've learned that curiosity is one of the most valuable assets I have, so I've learned to be more curious, more open and more accessible to diverse ideas and new people.
11) I've learned that I don't have time for a hobby. And I'm ok with that.
12) I've learned that I don't work really hard because I love what I do. I work really hard because that's what it takes. Loving it is the reward.
13) I've learned that a 5 year old can be proud of her Auntie
14) I've learned that friends are very supportive and embracing of my entrepreneurship. And thanks to Facebook, they know I haven't fallen off the face of the earth.
15) I've learned that I don't need a lot of clothes and shoes after all.
16) I've learned that making really smart business decisions feels really good.
17) I've learned that every problem has a solution if you really, truly believe it does.
18) I've learned that as much as you may inspire a stranger, their telling you that can be incredibly empowering.
19) Happiness is a decision I make every day. The days I forget to do that, I'm not happy.
20) Some people really do hang on to every word I say.
21) What I don't know, someone else does. They also know the stuff I didn't know to ask them about.
22) I've learned that people are incredibly generous with kindness.
23) I've learned that I can do just about anything I set my mind to do.
24) I've taught myself how to accept imperfection.
25) I've learned that it's not what you know. It's not who you know. It's you. It's 100% you.
26) Goals are limiting, if you think about it.
27) You don't become an overnight success overnight. I studied entrepreneurship, branding, marketing, business management and self-motivation for almost 20 years (on my own - outside of school and work) before I started my company. I just needed the right idea to become an entrepreneur.
28) No one has asked me what school I went to or what my GPA was.
29) Every single day is valuable and gets my company one or multiple steps further along it's way. It sounds trite, but I now have 730 days to prove it.
30) I take my company personally. And I'm ok with that.

What have you learned as an entrepreneur?

XOXO,
Auntie Melanie

PS - Save the Date! Savvy Auntie's Day is July 26th and were planning some fabulous stuff for Savvy Aunties and for those who love them.

Collective-Me

Dear Readers,

Last night I attended a wonderful entrepreneur panel hosted by Collective-E. I've blogged a little bit about how Ladies Who Launch was one of the ways that I connected with other women entrepreneurs when I first thought of the idea for SavvyAuntie.com. Well Beth Schoenfeldt, co-founder of that company (and frankly my most favorite half), recently launched Collective-E - a collective of women entrepreneurs, along with my other friends, Katie Helmuth and Sabina Ptacin. And last night was one of their first events - and boy did it draw a crowd! I am so proud of these amazing women. SO proud!!

Now to be honest, I wasn't planning on attending. The panel of successful women entrepreneurs were moms - and the businesses they were discussing: Kidville, Skip*Hop, Patem Pads and Big City Moms, were all very mom-focused. Not being a mom, it wasn't as interesting to me as I would have preferred, but Beth is a good friend and told me I would meet great people if I attended - and I did. Beth is always right about these things and I thank her for persuading me.

But the panel was still very mom focused. There was lots of talk about how the women on the panel were stay-at-home moms looking for something to do and ended up with a very (very!) successful business. Or they were working moms that found a mommy product/service need-gap and wanted to fill it - and have! Each panel member explained how she had to balance being a mom and an entrepreneur - which I am confident is no easy task.

The other thing that these moms had in common was that they are married. One told of how she went to her husband for funding to seed the project (he was still working while she was home with the kids). Another mentioned that her husband was between jobs and starting this company together was the perfect opportunity for him. I've actually met her husband - a couple of months before I launched SavvyAuntie.com I interviewed with him for a marketing job at Skip*Hop. He's an incredibly successful serial entrepreneur, so I am sure he was welcome support and is a valuable partner. In fact, had it not been for the fact that the company's main products are diaper bags, for which I have little passion, I would have loved to work with him.

So here we had five incredible women entrepreneurs (Big City Moms is a sister team) who started their own companies, with children. But they also have husbands that support and contribute to their success. And I wonder: How many of these mompreneurs would have started these businesses without the (emotional, financial and skill) support of being married to their husbands?

I have often said that mompreneurs start businesses because they have children and auntrepreneurs start businesses because we don't. Still, even I delayed becoming an entrepreneur for years because I was hoping to have the support of marriage - which I still do not have - before I did. But in my late 30's - I realized it was time to take control of my destiny and start a company of my dreams anyway.

The good news is that I've never dated more. I guess happy people are attractive. The bad news is that I don't have the support (emotional, financial and skill) that comes with marriage. And boy could I use a hand (to hold).

So there's no one to hug when a great thing comes about. Or when I am stressed. There's no one to bounce ideas off of. Or learn from. Or get help from. Or share experiences with. Or to be proud of me.

The mom entrepreneurs at the Collective-E event last night joked that finding ways to work with one's husband is a panel discussion all in of itself. And I don't believe having a spouse as a partner is always easy. I am sure it comes with its own set of issues.

But having a partner to share life with makes having success that much more fruitful. I heard repeated again and again last night: "My husband and I...." "So I said to my husband..." "Our biggest mistake was that my husband and I thought..." Just having the luxury of sharing the entrepreneurial experience with a partner is something I am envious of.

At first, I wondered if these women would have started their businesses if there were single?

And then I wondered... would I have ever started my company if I had actually been married? Would I have been satisfied in just finding my love? Would I have needed to manifest this destiny if I were a wife?

And I wondered if my company would be more successful if I did have the support of a husband. What would he contribute? How would he be my other half?

But then I realized that the truth was, I never needed a Collective-Me. I just needed Me. And while I am working my tail off and have risked my life's savings on starting a business on my own, I have all the support (emotional, financial and skill) I need. I know that because I've done it. And am doing it. I seem to be all I *needed.

Which isn't everything I've always wanted.

But it's enough for now.

XOXO,
Auntie Melanie

PS - Please use the comments section to tell me if marriage or non-marriage is a help or hindrance to your entrepreneurial ventures and aspirations. Men - this is for you too!

Please vote for SavvyAuntie.com in the Niche and Misc. Social Media category in the Mashable Open Web Awards! http://mashable.com/2008/11/05/open-web-awards-2/ Thanks!

*Notwithstanding all the friends, acquaintances and business colleagues who have and continue to support me. Thank you!)

I am Savvy Auntie.

Dear Readers,

One year ago today, I woke up an entrepreneur.

Today, I woke up with a list of things to do before I launch that is the size of New Jersey.

The year has been full of ups. Very few downs. And lots of hope, gratitude and wonder.

It's not that I haven't been working like crazy. Ask my friends, they'll tell you. I've spent nights and weekends at my desk. Plus, I am also consulting to pay the rent. I do find time for the important things, like spending dad's big birthday with him. Or dating. Or seeing friends walk down the aisle and celebrating their special birthdays. And of course, I find time to spend with my nephew and nieces because nothing could be more inspiring to me. However, mostly, it's been a lot of work. A lot of hard decisions. A lot of challenging things to learn. And a lot of wondering how I would get through it all.

And I couldn't be happier.

I love my job. I love that Aunties write in to thank me for doing this. I love that some of the biggest brands in the world are considering sponsoring the site. I love that I have over two dozen Experts writing for Savvy Auntie - and thanking ME for the opportunity! I love that I have met hundreds (hundreds!) of people through Twitter and Facebook who are so incredibly supportive that I am overwhelmed. I love that my own Auntie is more proud of me than I could imagine. I love that every day a new wonderful surprise pops up without fail. I love that this blog has become a helpful tool to scores of entrepreneurs (or entrepreneurs-to-be) who are inspired by it. I love that when I walk into a room, people walk up to me and say: "You're Savvy Auntie!"

I love that I started this business. I am proud. I am honored.

One year ago today, I woke up an entrepreneur. Today, I woke up the Auntrepreneur behind Savvy Auntie. Today, I woke up "me." What's not to love about that?

XOXO,
Auntie Melanie