I had the pleasure of meeting my good friend, Amy Polacko, when she started the Ridgefield pod of the Believe Inspire Grow (B.I.G.) organization. As most of you know, I love the opportunity to sing the praises of this incredible group and I’m very grateful to Amy for starting our pod one year ago this month! Amy is an Executive Regional Vice President with Arbonne International, an upscale vegan health and wellness company, where she manages a team of consultants in the U.S., Canada, and the UK. At every meeting I am inspired by the smart, successful, creative, driven women I have gotten to know there and wanted to share some of Amy’s tips for mompreneurs on today’s blog:
1. Eat That Frog! Mark Twain said, “Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” He was right. The point is: do the one thing you are dreading the most FIRST – that way you will not procrastinate and keep pushing it to the bottom of your list. Often, that most dreaded thing is really the most important thing that will move you and your business forward.
2. Seek out Support. Working from home on your own can be isolating and scary at times. Plus, you may have friends who don’t work and have a hard time understanding your schedule and what you do. Surround yourself with successful people by joining networking groups – whether they are formal organizations or a loose knit group of mompreneurs who meet at the local coffee shop a couple times per month.
3. Make Time for Yourself. It’s easy to get caught up in your business and family responsibilities and push yourself to the back burner! I try to schedule going to the gym, for a run, or on a bike ride as a non-negotiable appointment during my day – usually in the morning. That way an unexpected phone call or “crisis” doesn’t derail your best-laid plans. Taking this time for you will make you more efficient and better at what you do!
About Amy:
Amy graduated from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and worked as an award-winning newspaper and television reporter for ten years. She was part of the Pulitzer Prize winning team covering the TWA Flight 800 crash for Newsday before she transitioned to television journalism. Amy worked as an on-air reporter in Fargo, ND and Philadelphia. She also served as an investigative reporter in Albany, NY where she won multiple awards for her work, including an Excellence in Individual Reporting Award from the New York Associated Press.
After leaving television journalism, Amy served as a public relations spokesperson for The Pepsi Bottling Group in Somers, NY and as a media relations spokesperson and Editorial Director at Vassar College. She was looking for more work-life balance so she could have more time with her son when she started her Arbonne business over three years ago.
Amy is now an Executive Regional Vice President with Arbonne International, an upscale vegan health and wellness company, where she manages a team of consultants in the U.S., Canada, and the UK. Thanks to Skype, she can tuck her son into bed and then hop in front of her computer to do a business presentation that is broadcast to people around the world!
She is also the leader of the Ridgefield, CT chapter of B.I.G., a national networking organization for women.