Daily Deals for Moms is celebrating 20 months in business. From the beginning, we saw the Mom market getting left behind in the Daily Deal offerings. We also saw small business getting pummeled when they offered a deal with the big conglomerates. Thousands of deals sold, for a small mom and pop shops, isn’t a desirable outcome. After all, isn’t this about assisting business owners with their advertising campaigns, while offering great deals?

Over the last 20 months, we have witnessed the fallen soldiers of small business, and it has made us quite sad. Many, have gone out of business, after offering a deal with a big conglomerate. Their bottom line got crushed. We are in this business, for the opposite reason – we are here for the small business. We have spent the better part of two years working really hard to educate merchants on the deal process while structuring offerings that will encourage repeat business. We aren’t interested in ‘deal seekers’ and neither are the merchants. We want to see our neighborhoods thrive.  I often say “I don’t want to live in a Wal-Mart world.”

We have worked diligently to create meaningful relationships with small business owners all across the country and structure offerings so they don’t cripple the business owners, they encourage consumer loyalty and raise brand awareness. This was our goal from the start, and it continues to be today.  We have had several business owners call to tell us “I was able to keep my doors open as a result of running a deal with Daily Deals for Moms.”   This delights us to no end.

We are now in 26 cities and growing. We have Head Moms in each city, with a focus on local. The women we work with are amazing, dedicated, vibrant, creative and strong. We have assembled a dynamic team and created jobs in a time when many, cannot find employment.

Recently, we have seen a lot of big deal companies try to narrow their focus and localize deals. We feel proud, that we were the first, to recognize, it has to be hyper-local and it must be well-intentioned. We are also proud, that we were the first in the industry to offer small businesses the opportunity to cap their deals. If their budget would only allow for 50 to be sold, we would turn off the offer at 50. We look at this as an advertising campaign. We ask business owners to look at their budgets and determine how much they would spend on marketing and advertising?

We are here for the small business owners and we are here for the Moms.

We recently partnered with a few amazing organizations that I wanted to share.

Mamazina Magazine is the ‘Heart & Soul Of Women’; Sharing mother’s perspectives in print and online.  A great tribute to all things Mom, and all things creative, brilliant, inspiring and rock n roll. Joy Rose, the founder, also puts on MAMAPALOOZA… talk about awesome! Moms aren’t just changing diapers and juggling home/work life… we are rockin’ too, didn’t ya know? As if Joy isn’t busy enough, she also runs M.O.M – The Museum of Motherhood. Again, stunning way to capture our diverse lives and women and as moms. Take a moment to check out her nobel undertakings.

We have also carved out a partnership with Independent We Stand. All things local. Taking a stand for small business. Independent We Stand is a movement of independently-owned local businesses across the country dedicated to educating their communities about the importance — and the benefits — of ‘buying local.’ Clearly, this was a match made in small business heaven. We are thrilled to be working with them and our merchants are as well. All small business merchants can add their information to IWS database as a way to raise their search engine traffic, organic search, SEO, and hyper-local awareness.

We are lucky.

We are in the midst of continuing to grow, as well as roll out some pretty awesome stuff (if I do say so myself). Thanks, for your support, as always.

Support local, YO!

No problem, bring it! I thought it would be a local, feel good story…

We had no idea it would be a national piece that ran for over two weeks, in every market in the country…

FOX NATIONAL COVERAGE

We are so thrilled.  We are so glad that others are seeing and feeling our mission as we do.

Whitney Trujillo, my amazing business partner and I are just really in awe. We found a niche that people needed. We have been responding to emails and phone calls from all over the country for over two weeks. People asking us to “please bring Daily Deals for Moms to their neighborhood.” Small business owners asking to get featured on our site… when… when… when could they get in? (sorry, we are booked, over a month out!)

So, we will do just that. We are working night and day. We are strategizing. Still warming bottles for our own kids, managing our lives, outside of work (is there such a thing?) and working on bringing our model to your city.

And we are proud… and we can’t wait to grow… and continue to support small business and share ‘darn good deals’ with moms and families all over the country.

Women Entrepreneurs

I am a Mom, a Wife, a business woman, an entrepreneur.

I am a Mom to Scout, our 4.5 year old daughter with a non-stop, playful and wild demeanor and Sawyer, our 18-month old son who goes with the flow and has dimples worthy of springtime planting. We are blessed.

I am luckily married to a patient, loving and kind-hearted gentleman for 8 years. He is my rock. I am the one who changes his pace weather he likes it, or not.

I ventured into independent consulting in 2005 through 2010 in marketing and public relations, and that is what geared me up for my next entrepreneurial venture.

In the spring of 2010, I launched Daily Deals for Moms, www.dailydealsformoms.com I don’t need a deal on sky diving or fancy limo rides; I want deals on purchases that make sense for my family. I saw that Moms were being left out by big conglomerate deal sites. Notably, moms hold the purse strings; responsible for over 4 trillion in annual spending. It was very clear to me what I needed to do; fill a very powerful niche market.

o   COMPANY:  Daily Deals for Moms

o   INDUSTRY:  Social Couponing/Marketing/Advertising

o   FOUDNERS:  2 Founders

o   STAFF:  2 Full Time Independent Contractors

o   FINANCIALS: Unavailable

You can call it juggling, no doubt about it, really clever circus management.  Building, managing and running a successful company and household is no easy feat. In fact, just this week, I burned my nipple cooking dinner and accidentally steam cleaned our carpet with DRANO.

The grind is tough. But you already knew that. And, I believe it is totally manageable, with sanity intact, I’m not sure and I am not saying it is always graceful, or ever graceful, for that matter.

I don’t believe that we can DO IT ALL, ALL THE TIME. Sometimes, work does suffer, time with my kids gets cut short. My marriage is always last. Oh, wait, second to last. I am usually last on the list of people or things to take care of.  My husband and I are good friends right now and we are both really comfortable with this. I am his biggest fan as he is mine. We love and respect one another so deeply. Passion is something we have to work our way toward. We still aren’t sleeping through the night –Baby steps.

I wouldn’t trade a moment of it.  I understand that everything, no matter what, has an ebb and flow.

It is an extremely exciting time to be in the social couponing industry, especially the niche target I have chosen.  It is an exciting time to be a woman; we have so many opportunities and to live the life that we choose for ourselves. I want this for me. I want this for my daughter.  CHOICE and OPPORTUNITY.

So I juggle kids and an exciting venture, my lovely husband. I do my best. I give it my best. I do, every day. Some days are better than others.  Some nights I pour my wine full to the brim. Some evenings I take to yoga. Some nights, I don’t sleep at all and my face is beginning to show a lot of character; and I am thankful.

In this world of Groupon, LivingSocial and other Groupon clones, it is nice to see that one group, Daily Deals for Moms, is actually seeking to help local businesses and Moms, as well as make money. Groupon has been criticized by advertisers for its high commissions and huge volumes that actually can threaten the ongoing profitability of a business when a business has a hard time fulfilling all the buyers the offer has stimulated.

Well, meet Ashley Kingsley and Whitney Trujillo of Daily Deals for Moms who saw there was a way to make daily deal sites supportive for all types of local businesses. The two social media-savvy women understand that Moms make 85% of the household purchases, and thought there was a place for a site dedicated strictly to Moms. Ashley told me that the two owners know their audience well since they are both Moms. So their deals include Mom-focused features like restaurants, photography packages, and kid-friendly offers.

Some of their novel deals have included organic food, home organization, camps, psychic readings and services from a female electrician. Daily Deals suggests at least a 50% offer so it is important for businesses to know their target audience and use the deal to encourage trial.

In addition to keeping it very local, they also let businesses put a cap on the deals so the businesses are not overwhelmed. They were the first to put a cap on the number sold.

Moms, be on the lookout. They are expanding from Denver to Austin, Boston, Boulder, Colorado Springs, Portland and San Diego.

There is something beautiful about startups. I have always had a soft spot for big ideas and collaborative efforts around bringing an idea to life.  There is something very powerful about taking action on an idea and cultivating it from the way it looks and feels, how it operates and how it is perceived by the public once it is launched.

In April of 2010, I was given a great big opportunity to take a company Daily Deals for Moms and make it my own.  The foundation had been poured, and the ball had been set in motion. It was now mine to take, make and grow.  With the enormity of the project and the stellar potential of the business model, I knew I needed a team mate.

I called the one woman, who is everything I am not. She is precise. Detail orientated. Financially literate and extremely diverse in her ability to make things run from SEO to internal systems management.  I called Whitney Trujillo. A strong blend of business savvy, marketing know-how and all things technical.  We formed a partnership based on strengths and it is going well.

Daily Deals for Moms is comitted to supporting small business, keeping capital local and sharing ‘darn good deals.’ I have always been very passionate about the small business.  I have started service relate vantures soley to work closly with small business.  This is no different and I remain very dedicated to making sure I do everything I can to work with small business with Daily Deals for Moms.

Since April 2010, we have opened up the Denver, Boston, Colorado Springs markets, with Portland, Chicago and several other cities in the line up.  We have feet on the street and are formulating meaningful partnerships and learning a lot about the market as it pertains to modern day advertising and marketing.

The landscape has changed, greatly over the last 5 years. Print advertising  is a dying breed, in most cases. Television advertising is also changing dramatically with the ability to DVR or TIVO programs – there is no need to watch commercials anymore; we can fast forward through all of them.

So what do this mean for business?

It means that performance based marketing companies like Daily Deals for Moms is moving into the space with a much more timely way to reach your consumers, directly, with targeted messages. It is very, very powerful.

Excited for the growth of this company and even more excited to continue working with small businesses, and this time, I get to work with them all over the country. That is really, really exciting.

I was lucky enough to get a DM from @AlizaSherman saying she’d be in Denver to speak at the CREATIVE FREELANCER CONFERENCE in June.  I was thrilled to hear such good news!

Aliza and I go back to the horse and carriage days on the internet - well, at least for me… Aliza has been doing it much longer! We bumped into each other while blogging furiously about MISCARRIAGE in 2004. It was my first blog. I didn’t even realize I was “blogging” as I just figured it was easier to type rather than write everything down.

Aliza’s blog, BabyFruit was the only blog I could find out there that had any content relating to miscarriage. NO ONE TALKED ABOUT MISCARRIAGE. I read Aliza’s daily.  Aliza and I met eventually in person when she was working on a  film designed to capture and talk about Miscarriage and the pain women experience after such devastating loss(es).  I think I was on miscarriage TWO when Aliza and I filmed the segment.  It went well – though I cried through the entire thing.

It is 2010 and I am thrilled to re-connect with Aliza – now we are both mother’s and SO much has changed!

Aliza will join us for another great TweetUp on June 4th 5:30-9:30 RSVP HERE Aliza will also be speaking at the CREATIVE FREELANCER CONFERENCE

I am proud to be a MEDIA SPONSOR for the upcoming CREATIVE FREELANCER CONFERENCE

I hope you can make it out to the Conference in Denver on June 5-6.  I HIGHLY recommend it! There will be some really dynamic SPEAKERS and a weekend full of tools to assist freelancers and solopreneurs in business.

Make sure to use #CFConf for the hashtag if you are tweeting about the conference!

Also, visit the CREATIVE FREELANCER BLOG

When you register – please use 19T for a $25 discount off the ticket price! Learn more about the conference and  REGISTER HERE

JOIN US!

JUNE 4th 5:30pm-9:30pm

THE CORNER OFFICE

Happy Hour Deals ALL NIGHT!

It is a perfect time to kick off SUMMER and meet new people and see old friends!

We have some great sponsors and an awesome location!

We will be LIVE-STREAMING thanks to @iGrandmaTV

We are excited to have people from all over the country joining us for this TweetUp! Our special guest is @AlizaSherman who will be flying in from Alaska to speak at the Creative Freelancer Conference the next day!

TweetUps fill up fast – so make sure to RSVP HERE!

Please use the hashtag #STUDenver (Summer TweetUp Denver)

THANK YOU TO OUR CURRENT SPONSORS:

@DenverPediCabs

@TheCornerOffice

@iGrandmaTV

@Dafna_m

@BirdBanter

Let me know if you are interested in SPONSORING the TweetUp. EMAIL INQUIRIES to ashley at ashersolutions dot com

We will be kicking off the CREATIVE FREELANCER CONFERENCE that begins the next day!

I am really looking forward to Spring this year. Winter knocked us around a bit and I am ready to shake off the cold and celebrate!

I am planning a TweetUp to mark the beginning of Spring to see old friends and new, and to welcome Mari Smith to Denver!

Mari is a widely recognized Scottish-Canadian Social Media Keynote Speaker, Trainer, Consultant and Facebook Passionista! Mari is also an author her book, “Facebook Marketing: An Hour A Day” comes out May 3, 2010 by Sybex (Wiley) DETAILS HERE:

JOIN US

April 9th, 2010

6: 30pm – 9:30pm

The Lobby Denver Downtown Denver

Happy Hour Specials

If you are interested in Sponsoring this event please contact me:

@ashleykingsley or ashley@ashersolutions.com or 303-918-8404

Please keep in mind that it is also opening day for the beloved ROCKIES!

Parking may be tough

Carpool and take public transit if you can

Please drink responsibly

I have been using Twitter for a few years now and I have watched it grow and change. It has, in my opinion, become one of the most fascinating tools ever used in the marketing sphere.

If you don’t know about Twitter, please, please dig yourself out of the hole and read THIS.

I have been attending  and throwing TweetUps since early 2007.  Which, in the digital age seems like a lifetime.

Please refer HERE if you don’t know what a TweetUp is and get your head out of your you-know-what! I have been fortunate enough to meet some of the smartest, most progressive, hilarious people at TweetUps. When there is a TweetUp it usually takes place at a bar or restaurant and often at night.  With two kids under my wing it has been hard for me to get away because that is my quality time with my kids and my husband.

Often during the daytime I do find myself wishing I could connect with more people while I am a stay-at-home Mom.  And, after a good bout’ of postpartum depression I realized I could create something that would encourage me to connect with others a little more spontaneously… and WALA! It’s a Twitstroll.

TwitStroll is similar to a TweetUp but more spontaneous and versatile.  Perhaps last minute!

HOW IT WORKS:

I Tweet that I am taking the baby and going for a walk. Since I know there are people all over Denver, I choose a place I haven’t been in a while. I include a MAP in my Tweet and a #hashtag as well as the exact time the TwitStroll will begin.  I am then committed to myself to show up and maybe someone else will too.  It helps me get out of the house, I get to meet other awesome and intelligible people from Twitter and the In Real Life community grows by leaps and bounds. Face it – we are ALL BUSY! But a quick walk, cup of joe, a beer … we can all do that.

A TwitStroll can be anywhere at anytime and ANYONE can have one!  Throw it out in your stream and do one thing: COMMIT to being where you say you are going to be.  Make sure to always use the # hashtag and make sure to help promote other Twits Strolls.

It is a great opportunity for people to get involved on many levels!

Here are some ideas for a TwitStroll:

• Dog Park
• Park with Kids
• Lunch
• Happy Hour
• Random Dodge Ball Game
• A Run
• A Swim
• Breakfast
• Coffee
• A Party
• A Walk
• A Book Signing
• A Cause/Campaign
• Camping
• Mall Stroll
• Bar Stroll
• Parent’s Night Out
• Specific Communities
• Garage Sales
• Baseball Game
• Skeet Shooting
• Carnival
• Rodeo

And I am sure there are a lot more…

The beauty of a TwitStroll is they can happen everyday, anywhere in the world.

Woody Allen once said “98% of life is about showing up” so this is me, kicking postpartum ass, shouting out to people I want to know, getting out and getting active, silly, groovy, caffeinated, supported; you name it… Its YOUR TwitStroll.

Follow us on Twitter @TwitStroll and @ashleykingsley