Mother's Day Messages

Just a little over five years ago, I became a mom. Now I have a whole new level of appreciation and admiration for not just my own mother, but for ALL mothers. It is a really hard job that never stops. There is no overtime pay, no paid time-off, no union breaks, nor recognition in front of all your peers for the outstanding job you do and for going above and beyond the call of duty (on a regular basis).

Since becoming a Mom, every time Mother’s Day comes around, I want to send a card to all of my mom friends to acknowledge their hard work and for doing such a great job. I really think that we should start a new tradition and send out Mother’s Day cards every year to all the moms you know, just like the tradition of sending Christmas cards during the holidays. Wouldn’t that be awesome? We could really spread a spirit of love and appreciation. The only problem that I can see with this great idea (even if I do say so myself) is that it would be really expensive. And in this day and age, where the dollar just doesn’t seem to stretch as far as it once did, the last thing everyone needs is the stress of one more costly tradition.

Hmmm… think…think….think.
OMGosh! EPIPHANY of the month! We can use BarkingWife as a way to do this!

I am so incredibly pleased and happy and excited that I can FINALLY send a great message to all the moms I know this Mother’s Day and for waaayyyyyyy cheap. Carolanne and I just finished writing and recording 10 Mother’s Day messages that can be scheduled even now to go out on Mother’s Day (which is May 8th)!  Send one of these thoughtful or funny messages to your own mom, to your step-mom, your aunt, your sister, and your friends who are moms! There is one for nearly every mother in your world.

All you have to do is just create a BarkingWife account on www.BarkingWife.com and you automatically get 3 Free Messages. It is so easy. And you can listen to all of the Mother’s Day messages so that you know exactly what the phone call will sound like. Try it! They’ll love it!

Cheers!
Holly

(By the way, the photo at the top of the page is of me, my wonderful, incredible, inspiring mother and my sister who is a terrific mom as well!)

Just Between Friends

Our Voice Talent and my Sister-in-Law!

It all started one chilly day in January… Holly and I were talking about our friends. No! Not in catty way. We were talking about how awesome and supportive they have been through the development and launch of www.BarkingWife.com. We decided that we wanted to send each one a card to let them know just how much we appreciate their friendship and support. Of course, any good shopping trip requires a glass of wine and lunch! Then, we headed to our local greeting card shop. We read card after card. None of them said exactly what we wanted to express. We realized that the way the message is delivered is as important as what you’re trying to say (we should have learned that lesson from 15 years of e-mails). 

Then, it became clear. Duh! We have this great business that sends out phone calls with prerecorded messages done by professionals! Best of all, the call can be scheduled to go out almost immediately (no waiting two or more days for snail mail to deliver your thoughts). And not to be overlooked, frankly, 10 Just Between Friends messages are cheaper and more personal than one greeting card mailed to one friend.

Holly rushed home to create a message that expressed exactly what we wanted to say. The response was overwhelming. One of our friends, who is not a touchy feely kind of gal, hugged us! Another friend said that she was having a bad day and that our message actually made her day turn around. The best compliment of all, we made two other friends cry. 

That’s how our Just Between Friends messages were born. Holly and I had so much fun brain storming ideas. We came up with 14 messages to begin with (but keep checking back because we will be adding tons more). Here are the message titles…

Happy Birthday:
Party Like A Rock Star
You Are a Sweet Friend
Funny Message About Getting Older
Happy Birthday To A Mom Friend!

Encouragement:
Having A Bad Day - Funny!
Thinking About You - Sweet
Prayer for A Friend
You Can Do It!

Just Because:
I am Thinking About You Mom
Thanks for being my Friend
You are a Great Friend
Job Well Done!
Sorry the Family is Sick - Funny!
Reminder: Girls Night Out is Tonight

We can’t wait for you to share these Just Between Friends messages with the great ladies in your life. They are perfect for your girl friends, sisters, aunts and don’t forget Mom (when I sent the “I am Thinking About You Mom” message to my mom, she cried!). You can create a FREE account at www.BarkingWife.com. No need to even put in your billing information. We’re even giving you three free messages to send to your best girl friends. They’ll make your friends day!

Cheers!

Carolanne

P.S. We are about to go back into the studio (one of ourclosets) to record more Just Between Friends messages. Have a great idea for messages? e-mail us at owners@barkingwife.com. Your message just might be the next big thing!

Business Partner

Photo by Piper Kinney Photography

When Holly and I decided that we wanted to start a business together, we both got a lot of advice. One of the big concerns that friends and family shared with us was having a business partner. We appreciated their concern because we know the statics. Generally, business partnerships don't last. One partner ends up buying out the other partner because they can't agree on the direction of the business. We get that!

For me, I was not going to start another business without having a partner. I owned an advertising and public relations agency for five years. I loved being a business owner, but I didn't like not having a partner. For example, if I went on vacation, by business didn't run. I wanted someone who I could bounce ideas off of, who had a vested interest in the success of my agency and could bring their own experience to the table. When, I sold C Media in 2008, I told my husband that the only way that I would ever own another business was if I had a partner.

Flash forward to June 2009. Holly and I had been kicking ideas around for our business. Then, she called one warm summer morning with the idea for www.BarkingWife.com. We are asked a lot if it was a hard decision to put our own money behind the idea. And I have to say that the answer is no. We both caught BarkingWife.com fever immediately!

Here's why I think that our business partnership works...

• We were friends before we started BarkingWife.com, but we weren't friends for a long period of time. There is no "water under the bridge" that we bring to the table.
• Our children are the same ages. I can sympathize when she can't work one day because the kids are sick, have a school play, field trip, etc. She can do the same for me. 
• We have similar skill sets but not the same. When I went to Disney World for a week, she could take over my responsibilities and keep my "balls in the air." I think that it's important not to have the exact same skill set because then we would be stepping on each others toes. I also think that if our skill sets were not somewhat overlapping then it would be hard to find a common ground to work from.
• We try to keep a balance in our relationship. We talk business one minute and share a funny story about the kids the next minute. I think this helps to keep us grounded and to keep the friendship going.
• We both have the same core values. I don't have to worry that she is conducting business on my behalf in a way that I would disagree with.
• We discuss all business decisions with each other. Even if it's her area of expertise, she'll run it by me first. I do the same. She doesn't need my advice or permission, but it keeps us on the same page.
• We respect each other and are able to empathize. I think that this is so important. We have not always agreed on everything, but we have always been able to see the other person's point of view and consider where that point of view is coming from.

Here is the number one reason why I think that our partnership is one that will beat the odds. We both want www.BarkingWife.com to be wildly successful but not at the cost of our relationships with our husbands, children or each other.

Here's my hope! When our last children go off to college, we can have a long lunch and reminisce about our 20 years of friendship, our business relationship and  laugh at our mommyhood stories. And we can cheers to STILL bring friends.

Cheers!
Carolanne