MEMBERSHIP FAQs & GUIDELINES

We are thrilled you have decided to join or are considering joining Mamapreneurs Inc. We are a diverse and extremely busy group of mom business owners representing a variety of industries. To help you get the most out of your membership, and to help you better understand how we operate, we've compiled this information based on the most common questions we receive from members. We hope you find it helpful!
Questions below:

How do I make the most of my membership?
How can I promote my business to other members?
Can I recruit fellow members to join my direct sales team?
Do I need to register in advance for events?
I need specific business advice. Can you help?
What if I had a bad experience or do not get along with a fellow member?

HOW DO I MAKE THE MOST OF MY MEMBERSHIP?
The easiest way to make the most of your membership is to participate as much as you can. We are all busy mothers and business owners, so we certainly understand that you cannot attend all of our events, and not every event will be up your alley. We offer a variety of meetings, workshops, and social events in order to meet the variety of needs in the membership. The more we see you and hear good news from you, the more we can help you promote your business!

In addition to attending events, there are several other ways to get involved and to be sure you make the most of your membership:

1. Offer an ongoing Mamapreneurs Members Discount. This is a great way to introduce your business to the members and allow them to learn more about your business so that they can help support & promote your work. You may e-mail Tara with your specific discount for Mamapreneurs Inc members.

2. We encourage you to be an active voice in the Members Forum online, to actively engage with our membership on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, and to comment on the blog posts by your fellow members.

3. Include your business news, sales or events in the monthly newsletter. Be sure to e-mail Marlynn with any business news, sales or events before the 20th of each month for inclusion in the monthly newsletter.

4. Actively reach out to fellow Mamapreneurs Inc members. Collaboration is crucial to our success as a group.

HOW CAN I PROMOTE MY BUSINESS TO OTHER MEMBERS?
We are a professional organization that offers you several options to promote your business. It is up to each individual business owner to take advantage of these offerings as you find applicable to your business:

Your listing in the Member Directory
Posting your news, sales, events in our newsletter. Submit news in the form of a one-sentence brief blurb before the 20th of each month for the following month's newsletter to Marlynn via email.
Posting your information in appropriate blog posts. Due to the high volume of pertinent mamapreneur news we receive, preference is given to event sponsors, ad sponsors, and current members who submit an item for the newsletter.
Posting on our Members Discount page, offering dozens of in-person opportunities to promote your business. Be sure to keep your discount current - email Tara Hipps with your percent discount for Mamapreneurs Inc members.
Offering you opportunities to write articles to help promote your business and position yourself as an expert in your field. E-mail Marlynn with your brief, targeted idea pitch if you are interested in writing a 450-550 word article for the newsletter and the website's Articles section.
Members can post BRIEF one-sentence blurbs on our Facebook page with information about your event or sale. Please note: we reserve the right to delete any inappropriate or lengthy postings.
If you are a member on Twitter, make sure to tweet our Social Media Mama Angela Russell @thepowermob so we can follow you. We try to retweet as many member news tweets as we can.
Take advantage of discounted advertising opportunities on our Web site and newsletter.
Take advantage of the discounted exhibitor rates for The Mom Shop events and our Makings of a Mamapreneur Conference.
Including your business in various appropriate PR opportunities that arise throughout the year.

CAN I RECRUIT FELLOW MEMBERS TO JOIN MY DIRECT SALES TEAM?
No. We have a strict No Recruitment policy for all members. While we are happy to support fellow members who own their own direct sales business, our members join the organization already owning their own business or they're in the process of starting their own business. Therefore, they are not in the position to be recruited. We unfortunately had negative experiences in the past with aggressive sales women who did not respect our organization's mission and we received numerous complaints from members who felt they were being harassed by some in direct sales. We are happy to support your growth as a business owner, but do not allow for aggressive sales or recruitment within our organization and reserve the right to cancel membership for anyone found to be in violation of this policy.

DO I NEED TO REGISTER FOR EVENTS IN ADVANCE?
Yes. For all of our meetings, workshops and special events, space is limited. We often sell out in advance of our events, so please be sure to register online as soon as you know you want and can attend an event. Often, due to space constraints, we cannot take walk-ins at the door. All of our special events, such as our Mama Mixers and holiday parties, registration is required in advance.

I NEED SPECIFIC BUSINESS ADVICE. CAN YOU HELP?
We are here to support our members as best as we can by offering opportunities for your business and personal success. Our primary means of doing so is by offering meetings, workshops, conferences, trade shows and social networking events. We suggest you check out our past Articles online and our Blog for possible related topics; many of the questions we have received in the past have been answered in our articles and blog posts. We also highly recommend posting your question on the Members Forum. It exists to allow you to connect with fellow members by sharing experiences, knowledge, and resources. We are a professional organization aimed at offering educational & social opportunities, not a business counseling service. We can recommend business development counselors who are able to assist you further outside of the organization. Marlynn also offers one-on-one hourly business consultation services at a discounted rate for members.

WHAT IF I HAVE HAD A BAD EXPERIENCE OR DO NOT GET ALONG WITH A FELLOW MEMBER?
The beauty and the challenge of our organization lies within our diversity. We are a 200+ member organization, and every member is a unique individual. We are strong mothers and business owners, and not every member will see eye to eye. While we are here to support you as a business owner, we are not here to serve as mediator between members. The organization is large enough and we trust that our members are professional enough to sustain positive working relationships and to leave any negative or emotional drama out of the organization.

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