10 Ways to Keep the Holidays Fun for the Whole Family

No matter what your religion is, or isn’t, or what customs you celebrate, the holidays really can be the best time of the year.

But sometimes the pressure to make them just that can backfire.

Unfortunately, there are many people who sigh at the thought of enduring “the most wonderful time of the year” and simply count the days until it’s over.

The longing to see the kids back in school, to return to the routine and have relatives return to their own homes, to stop the leak that’s sprung in your bank account, and to get all of those yummy treats out of your face is understandable.

Trying to pack a year’s worth of joy into the last 30 days can be exhausting.

The key to trading your exhaustion in for exhilaration is to take control of your holidays so they meet your definition of joyful.

Today we’ll look at 10 ways to do just that.

1. Plan Ahead 

The countdown is on to Christmas and the New Year. Sit down with a December calendar and choose what holiday activities your family will participate in.

Truth is, you could have something going every night. This probably isn’t practical from a scheduling or a financial perspective.

Look at what’s going on in your area and have your kids prioritize their interests. Let everyone choose at least one thing they’d like to make a family holiday outing.

Make decisions on things you definitely won’t do, including invitations from relatives or others to parties or outings that just won’t fit in your schedule.

2. Lower Expectations 

Planning ahead may help to lower expectations, or at least to establish what the holiday schedule will look like.

Think about gifts here and consider not going crazy. If there are things your kids want that are too much, tell them now. 

Let them know what the tree bounty will look like so they won’t constantly hound you until the big day (hopefully!) and won’t be disappointed on Christmas morning, or whenever your gift ritual occurs.

3. Watch for Signs of Sensory Overload

A lot of kids have existing sensory issues even when it isn’t a naturally stimulating time. But even those who fall in the “normal” range of sensory processing can easily become overloaded during the holidays.

Look for signs of sensory overload such as heightened and busy behavior, sensitivity to noise, frequent meltdowns and/or aggressive behavior, and unexpected withdrawal from activities.

What you may be classing as “bad” behavior may just be your child’s reaction to sensory overload. 

Have a plan in place if you see this happening.

Your plan will depend on your child’s needs, but could include allowing her a quiet escape space, scaling down activities for a few days, or providing access to some gross motor activities to work off the overload.

4. Maintain Routines

The temptation to let the kids stay up late and break all the rules when it comes to eating and watching a screen is real.

“But it’s the holidays!” you may be thinking.

Yes but, your children still thrive on keeping some sort of a routine, as do we adults.

Sure, you should make exceptions and have fun, but letting your child who goes to bed at 9:00 suddenly stay up until midnight every night isn’t doing him any favors.

It simply makes it harder for him to get the most out of the next day’s activities, and likely harder on everyone who has to be around him too.

5. Include the Kids 

Our to-do lists grow so big over the holidays. 

Managing the kids, especially once winter break starts, and getting all the extras on your list done can turn mom into the Grinch.

Look at your to-dos and see what your children can do to help.

If you’re all involved in a project together, you can knock it out quicker, and as mom you won’t have to be trying to do your thing while managing the kids separate thing at the same time.

Your children can help with baking, coming up with gift ideas, helping to make and manage to-do lists, shopping, cleaning up, decorating, and really just about anything depending on their age.

6. Set Your Own Rules and Limits 

Expectations from family and friends and various groups you’re involved in can be difficult to juggle over the holidays.

The pressure to be gracious, please everyone, and bend to others’ expectations — especially if the holidays are the only time you see them — is real.

Be careful not to set yourself up for stress and overwhelm here. Be realistic about what you can and can’t do, even if that means hurting someone’s feelings in the name of preserving your own sanity.

Explain the situation the best you can when you have to decline, and don’t be afraid to make cameo appearances if that’s all some of the family can handle.

At the end of the day, taking care of you is more important than pleasing others.

7. Avoid Sugar and Food Dyes and Colors

Yes, this can be a tricky one, and no, you don’t have to become the food scrooge, but try to live by the “everything in moderation” rule.

There are plenty of healthy but still yummy options out there. Make it a point to have these available around your house. 

Pinterest is your friend here. As the link between behavior issues and sugar, as well as artificial colors and dyes, becomes more apparent, the options for excluding these things and still pleasing the kids have become greater.

Again, you don’t do your child any favors by letting her put all this junk into her body when you know she’ll suffer the consequences of not being able to fully enjoy the day.

8. Get Physical 

You’re busy, the kids are on break, and it’s likely cold. Hiring the reliable television babysitter is tempting. 

Resist the urge and encourage your kids to get outside and run around. 

Take the time to go on a daily walk with them, it will likely save you time in the end as you find your productivity soaring after the walk.

The more you can keep that energy from getting pent up inside them, the more your kids will enjoy the day and activities each day brings.

9. Establish Family Traditions 

Everyone loves traditions, it goes back to  the fact that we all thrive on routines.

Think about some simple yet meaningful things you’d like your family to do every holiday season.

Once your kids come to expect it, they’ll look forward to it and choose these simpler traditions in favor of those that may require more effort and money.

It can be anything from classic movies in front of the fire, to tree shopping together, a simple favorite food or drink you make and share together, volunteer work you do, or books you read at night.

10. Stock Up on Crafts 

Head to the Dollar Store and create a bin of holiday craft supplies that the kids can have access to whenever they’re bored or you need a break.

You can encourage them to make gifts for everyone, including strangers, or make decorations you can place around the house, or simply craft for no purpose at all other than to see what they can create.

You don’t have to have a plan in mind here, the choices are abundant and the Dollar Store is cheap. 

For older kids who have some specific gifts in mind you may need to visit your more expensive local craft store, which is good too.

The point is to have something relevant, different, and fun that your kids can do without a lot of hands-on help from you.

Connect With Kids Party Characters

Hopefully you’ve gotten some good ideas about how to keep the fun factor high and the stress factor low this holiday season.

Make sure to join Kids Party Characters on Facebook, as we’ll continue to share more tips on making this your best holiday yet, as well as our best strategies for working at home while raising happy and healthy kids.

And when it’s time for your next party, KidsPartyCharacters.com is where you’ll go to plan your child’s dream party. 

In fact, even if her birthday is months away, put down a deposit on that party before the end of the year and you’ll receive a 15% discount when you book the party, or a free upgrade to the next highest party package.

Simply mention this offer when you call, and we’ll hook you up with the discount as our way of saying thanks for being a supporter of Kids Party Characters.

5 Ways to Cure Imposter Syndrome in Life and Business

Imposter syndrome, it can be a silent killer, with hidden symptoms that are often hard to uncover.

The good news is, it’s completely treatable and you can have a happy, healthy life and business even if you never totally get rid of it.

What is Imposter Syndrome?

Even if you’ve never heard of it, if you have unfulfilled dreams, and you sometimes feel stuck and uncertain as to why you can't make it happen for you, chances are one of the things that’s holding you back is imposter syndrome.

It’s a little but powerful voice in your head that says, “Who are you to think you can do that?” 

It creeps in quite often when we’re about to do things out of our comfort zone, things that open us to judgment, things that put our greatness on display.

And just when we convince ourselves, “I can do it!” a wave of resistance comes crashing down upon us, threatening that “if you dare take that chance, everyone’s going to see that you’re a complete fraud and have no idea what you’re doing or saying.”

It keeps people from starting businesses, it keeps struggling businesses from bursting through to success, it even keeps moms from making confident parenting decisions based on gut instincts.

If any of these situations describes you, you likely have at least a mild case of imposter syndrome:

If you want to start a business, but you haven’t, for “reasons.” 

If you have a business but can’t get consistent profits. 

If you’re a mom and not sure you can juggle a business and properly raising your kids.

How to Burst Out of Imposter Syndrome

As we’ve discussed, imposter syndrome isn’t always like having a cold. You don’t have the obvious runny nose, constant sneezing, and overall crummy feeling throughout your body.

So even if you’ve never found yourself saying, “I want to do this, but I’m afraid everyone will see that I have no idea what I’m doing and will run me out of town,” try these five cures and see if they don’t help clear the path to whatever dream you haven’t made reality yet.

1. Be Honest

As a mom, you most certainly already have supermom syndrome, that crippling belief that you have to be all things to everyone, and that having three loads of laundry sitting unfolded on the couch while serving boxed mac and cheese for dinner means you’ve failed as a mom.

As a new business owner, supermom syndrome makes it harder because we already feel like we aren’t getting things right in life.

Now maybe you have that one friend that is supermom, but chances are, at least 99% of your friends and peers are in the same position you are. 

Do you find yourself commiserating with your mom friends about how you feel constantly behind and struggle to keep up? And do they share your struggles? 

Of course they do. And the same goes for business.

When you’re talking and writing about and marketing your business, be honest as if you were talking to a friend. 

Share what you know, what you’ve learned, what your successes are, but don’t be afraid to admit you’re new, you’ve made mistakes, you’re constantly getting better with experience, but you’re well short of perfect.

Many people fear they’ll chase clients off if they appear less than a well-polished, professional “expert” in their business.

But quite the contrary. People will relate to you, appreciate your honesty, and want to give you their business when they can see you’re being real with them. 

2. Be Conscious of the Highlight Reel

A common origin of or contributor to imposter syndrome is social media. 

You’ll look at what others post about their perfect lives and successful businesses on Facebook and Instagram and feel like you are not worthy of having a business like they do because your life is filled with hiccups, and your attempts at entrepreneurship are falling short.

But remember this about social media. People use it as the highlight reel of their lives. 

They leave their marital problems, kid’s school suspension, and business launches that brought them no sales on the cutting room floor.

Don’t let social media comparisons affect you, ever. Many, many allegedly “successful” people fill their newsfeed with half-truths and/or outright lies. 

Another wise move you can make on social media is to search for the truth-tellers. There are Facebook groups out there where people keep it real. 

Use the search bar to discover relevant groups and join a few. Leave the ones that are full of hype, and make connections within those who share your journey.

3. You Don’t Have to Be the Teacher

Take care not to set the standards too high for yourself. You don’t have to be Gandhi or Jesus to be a leader. You don’t have to be the top expert in your industry to have a business that helps others.

Think of it in terms of school. Maybe you’re a fifth grader and you can help those that are at the third grade level.

Sure, there are others in your industry that are at the college level, and they can help the high schoolers. 

But guess what, they might just be too far ahead of the third graders, who would prefer working with you and benefit  more from it.

And in business terms, the college level businesses may be too expensive for your third grade client.

So don’t sweat it if you’re new to your industry, there are people out there who need you.

4. Do the CV Exercise

There’s another interesting thing about imposter syndrome. People tend to misdiagnose themselves with it.

That is, they fear they’ll be exposed as a fraud or someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing, when they’re actually more than qualified to be a leader in their industry and to have a thriving business.

When you feel a case of imposter syndrome coming on, when you’re having a little self-doubt, sit down and create your CV or resume.

This doesn’t have to look fancy and formal as if you were really applying for a job. Just take out a pencil and piece of paper and write down everything you know about your industry and about running a business in general. 

All the training, experience, knowledge you have.

Chances are, you’ll find you don’t have time to write everything. And if you run out of things to write quickly, chances are you’re selling yourself short.

For example, when it comes to owning your own Kids Party Characters business, the fact that you have kids is pretty much the equivalent to having an M.D. if you wanted to be a doctor!

So don’t underestimate yourself. If you do this exercise honestly, you’ll come out of it feeling like the expert that you are, and knowing what areas you need/want to strengthen to grow your business even bigger.

5.  Find a Mentor

Finding a mentor is one of the best ways to cure imposter syndrome.

Your mentor has been there, done that, and has undoubtedly dealt with her own bouts of imposter syndrome. 

If fact, even if your mentor is a millionaire with a successful business, imposter syndrome may still creep up on her now and then.

Remember we talked about in the beginning how you can still have a mild case of it and live a healthy, happy, and successful life.

Your mentor can talk you through imposter syndrome.

She can assure you that you’re on the right track, can guide you to make the best decisions, and can help you regroup when things don’t go as planned.

Kids Party Characters owner, Cheryl Jacobs, has seen the value of mentoring in her journey as an entrepreneur, and it’s one of her favorite ways to give back and help others discover the joys of business ownership like she has.

If you could use a little help curing imposter syndrome and making your goal, idea, or dream of running your own successful business a reality, take a look at the great opportunity Cheryl has put together after thinking about how she could best help other moms who want to work at home.

Cheryl is offering memberships in Kids Party Characters that give you your very own business, including an exclusive territory in which to book parties, the right to use out 200 plus costumes, and access to our casting director and acting coach.

You’ll also get step-by-step training from Cheryl on how to start your business the right way, so no experience is necessary.

Learn more about this opportunity and get all your questions answered by scheduling a no-pressure chat with Cheryl right here. Make this your first step in curing imposter syndrome and clearing the path to the life you want and deserve.

Want to know more about KidsPartyCharacters.com? Connect with us on Facebook for daily updates on the magic we bring to children’s parties, as well as our best tips and strategies for building a successful business while raising your kids.

A Special Gratitude Offer From Kids Party Characters

With the holidays in full swing, we've been talking a lot about gratitude lately here at Kids Party Characters, as you've probably noticed.

We've talked both about the importance of instilling an attitude of gratitude in our kids, as well as how gratitude helps develop strong and loyal relationships with customers.

Today we're going to take a little behind the scenes look at why gratitude should be something more than just a tradition, and tell you about a special discount we're offering to Kids Party Characters customers and supporters that will motivate you to book your next party today, no matter how far off it is!

The Science of Gratitude

Naturally, there's a lot of talk about being thankful and having gratitude around the Thanksgiving holiday because that's the whole purpose of the holiday, as is apparent from its name.

But other than the fact that you're suppose to focus on being thankful during Thanksgiving, and other than the fact that it's "nice" to say thank you to people and to appreciate what you have, what's the big deal about gratitude?

In recent years there's been an explosion in the scientific community of studies on happiness. Everyone wants more of it, and researchers are looking at how to get it.

Without exception, such studies show that when we express gratitude, it makes us happier.

Why? Studies reveal that when we consistently keep track of things we're grateful for, it stimulates two key areas in the brain, the hypothalamus and the ventral tegmental area.

The hypothalamus regulates our stress levels, and the ventral tegmental area is integral to the brain's reward system that produces feelings of pleasure.

So focusing on gratitude can reduce our stress and make us feel better.

Various studies have shown that the good feelings produced by practicing gratitude can improve relationships, physical health, sleep, self-esteem, and mental toughness.

Gratitude practice can also give us more empathy and compassion, and make us more generous and less aggressive.

Kids Party Characters is Grateful for You

At Kids Party Characters, we have a lot to be grateful for. Owning your own business that allows you to spend your time and make your living by putting smiles on children's faces is pretty much a dream come true.

As we think about how grateful we are, of course one of the first things that comes to mind is that we wouldn't be here without you.

Whether you're a client who's booked parties through us in the past, or someone who supports us by reading our blog and/or following us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or are a fan of our podcast, we want to take a moment to publicly thank you today for being a part of Kids Party Characters.

As a show of our appreciation for you, Kids Party Characters owner, Cheryl Jacobs, is offering all of our supporters a special discount when you put down a deposit on your next party before the end of the year.

When you decide the date for the party, you'll then receive either a 15% discount off the package you choose, or a free upgrade to the next highest package.

Even if you don't need us for months, simply put down your deposit today, and you'll receive the 15% discount or free upgrade when it's party time.

Head over to our website at KidsPartyCharacters.com, where you'll discover that with over 200 of the most popular characters to choose from, we'll have just the right one no matter how many times your child's favorite changes between now and her party.

When you call to book your party, be sure to mention the discount you're entitled to as a Kids Party Characters supporter.

Thanks again for letting us entertain your children, and for all of your comments, feedback, and input. We're always working on ways to serve you better and to bring even more joy to your child's next party.

Stay tuned to the blog and make sure we're connected on Facebook where you'll get daily updates on all the happenings at Kids Party Characters, as well as our best strategies for working at home and raising happy and healthy kids.

5 Strategies for Keeping Your Business Strong Through the Holidays

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUyDGxSNM5s) 

5 Strategies for Keeping Your Business Strong Through the Holidays

There’s no fighting it at this point. The Halloween 70% off items are long gone and the shelves are overflowing with holiday candy, gifts, and decorations. The tree lots are being stocked and the stores are fully adorned in red and green, with Santa Claus cutouts to greet you at the door.

Even if you’re Nordstrom, which has a long-standing policy of not decorating for Christmas until after Black Friday, you can’t deny that the world is awash in Christmas spirit. 

What this means for most solo or small businesses is that it’s time to wind down the year, take a break, and start planning for how you’re going to come on bigger and better next year.

But slowing down for 6-8 weeks during the holiday season is a mistake for a couple of reasons. 

First, for most of us, this is the time of year we’re spending more money than usual. So it hardly makes sense to bring in less money when you’re out spending more.

Second, chances are you have little to no competition from now until the end of the year, so why not take advantage of that and be one of the few businesses that is reaching out to people?

Of course there’s a reason people take time off right now, especially parents. We want to spend more time with friends and family. More time shopping and baking and addressing cards. More time listening to Christmas music, relaxing, and contemplating New Year Resolutions.

The nice thing is, with just a little extra effort on your part, you can make December your best business month of the whole year. It won’t require 40 hour work weeks and pulling all nighters to fit everything in.

Just a few well-planned strategies will allow you to take the time off you want, as well as grow your business. Here are five simple strategies you can start implementing before you put the Thanksgiving turkey in the oven.

1. Send a Personal Greeting

Don’t bother with the stock Christmas cards that come with some generic, impossible-to-offend greeting and your signature conveniently pre-printed on them. 

They may go on the mantel with the other cards, but they’ll be quickly discarded on January 1, without having made any real impact.

Take the time now to send a more personal greeting. Depending on your client and prospect base, it may not be realistic to send a handwritten message to everyone, but concentrate at least on your most valuable clients.

This is a great time to thank and re-engage former customers, and to get to the top of mind with your hottest potential clients. 

Choose a card that looks unique, if possible. Most businesses will send a green card with “Seasons Greetings” written in gold on the outside, and “Wishing you joy throughout the holidays” on the inside. These are boring and scream, “I’m trying to be spiritually-correct and non-offensive to all.”

You have to decide here. If you love Santa and celebrate Christmas, does it matter to you if you send  a card that represents this and two or three people blacklist you because they’re offended?

But if you’ll go with something that represents your personality, doesn’t look like it’s one of 5000 identical cards that was sent to all your customers, and contains a non-generic handwritten line or two, you’ll find the recipients especially responsive to your other holiday marketing efforts we’re about to go through.

2. Offer a Discount on Advance Purchases

You don’t want to spend your holidays working, and your customers may not need or have time for your services over the holidays. 

Come up with a solution that works well for both of you. 

Offer a discount if they buy now, receive a voucher for future services, and can redeem that voucher any time throughout the coming year.

Yes, they can wait until they’re ready for you in 2019. But if they do, they’ll pay 20% more. You get the money coming in now, they get the discount on something they’ll need later. (Just remember to budget and plan for the fact that you’ll be providing the service later without the money coming in!)

3. Put Together a Personal Holiday Video

No matter what your religious beliefs are, the holidays are the perfect time to get personal. People crave a feel-good, human story around this time.  

And there’s no better way to connect personally than through video.

It doesn’t have to be professionally done, and thinking that it does is what will keep 99% of your competition from doing it. 

In fact, it’s better if it’s not perfect, that’s what makes it personal.

Consider a behind the scenes video of how you manage your business (which can be quite funny for moms!), a story about your family’s holiday traditions, or even a sneak peek at how you plan to serve your customers in bigger and better ways in 2019.

No, you don’t have to be in it, but if you’ll get over yourself for just a minute and at least make a little personal appearance, your audience is bound to love it as much as you hate it.

Post the video on social media and send it to your email list. Send it personally to those you really want to reach.

4. Plan Your Social Media

Rather than just disappearing, or posting some random obligatory pictures of the school play, your fresh-cut tree, and your best attempts holiday baking, keep your business hat on by creating content now to either post manually or, better yet, load into Buffer (or the service of your choice) for automatic posting while you shop, bake, and wrap.

Yes, it will take some extra time now, but it will be so worth it. 

Remember, people are likely spending a little extra time on social media sharing pictures and stories. If they see you out there joining in the fun, they’ll remember you, and their know/like/trust for you will grow.

Make sure you set aside a few minutes to respond to comments, and engage, but that’s the easy stuff compared to content creation.

Also, pay special attention to Pinterest. Everyone goes there for some type of holiday inspiration.

5. Open Some Time on Your Calendar

Yes, we’ve already decided you don’t really want to work over the holidays, but could you do just 5-6 hours a week those last two weeks in December?

Sure you could if it meant going into the New Year with no Christmas debt!

Open up your calendar for new client calls or consults or whatever is relevant to getting you business. Maybe it’s just a check-in session, or a jumpstart to 2019 where you brainstorm the New Year and how you can help your prospect be more successful.

The point is, you’re going to be the only one talking to your client or potential client during this time. And a lot of people have some extra time off around the holidays, a lot are planning for 2019 right now. It’s the perfect time to establish you as the one who’s going to help with whatever product or service you provide.

If nothing else, it’s going to make you memorable, which is half the battle in business.

Planning is the Key to Profitable, Stress-Free Holidays

You wouldn’t sit down on Wednesday night and start meal planning and making your grocery list if you were serving Thanksgiving dinner for 20 the next day.

Don’t take a “fly by the seat of your pants” approach to your marketing either and December can be your best month ever, and can set you up for an easy flood of business after the New Year.

It’s easier to connect over the holidays because most people aren’t, and when you’re getting personal, a little bit goes a long way. You don’t need a complicated marketing funnel to make a significant impression.

Take an hour to think about your unique business and your unique story. These five ideas will get you started, but what personal, yet simple, ways can you come up with to keep your business strong over the holidays without sacrificing your holiday cheer?

As you hopefully know by now, if you want mentoring for your entrepreneurial journey, Kids Party Characters owner Cheryl Jacobs may be able to help.

Cheryl started out as a single mom needing to feed two small kids, and has now had a hand in starting 10 different businesses. 

To help cut out the learning curve and meet the time constraints most moms have, Cheryl has created a unique opportunity that allows you to have your own Kids Party Characters business, complete with all the resources Cheryl used to grow her business to six figures.

In addition to an exclusive territory in which to book parties and the right to use our 200-plus costumes, you’ll also get step-by-step training from Cheryl on how to set your business up for quick profits.

Book a free, no-pressure chat with Cheryl right here and she’ll answer all your questions and get you on the right path.

Learn more about the joy we bring to children’s parties by connecting with Kids Party Characters on Facebook for daily updates, including our best tips for building a successful business while raising happy and healthy kids.

The Case Against Discounting Your Products and Services

Black Friday has come and well, not really gone yet, since Cyber Monday has inspired most businesses to offer their “best” deals throughout the weekend and the Monday following Black Friday.

Chances are, your bank balance is a little lighter, but if you’re one of the really organized ones, the upside is your holiday shopping is complete.

As a mom, our focus this time of the year is first on making sure we get that item our child covets before it’s impossible to find anywhere, and second, that we get it for the best price possible.

But now as the dust is beginning to settle, it’s time to put our entrepreneur hat on and take a more scientific look at how the big businesses operate when it comes to discounting their products and services, and what lessons we can take from their practices.

If you pay close attention, as many bargain shoppers do, you’ve probably noticed the following Black Friday trends depending on the store and the item involved:

- Now is the time to buy, items that never go on sale are truly discounted in a meaningful way;

- Yes, there’s a discount, but it’s no greater than the sale that is usually run by that store or on that item;

- While a large specialty store is offering a rare discount, the item can actually be purchased for that price or cheaper on a daily basis at another discount retailer; 

- There’s no real deal here at all, you can get it much cheaper in January if you can be patient.

While big businesses can get away with all of these trends, as hungry consumers often blindly buy into their advertising, as a small business owner whose livelihood relies on the “know, like, trust” principles, it’s important that any discount you offer falls squarely in the first trend of being genuine.

Why Any Discounting is Dangerous

Especially as someone who’s just starting out as an entrepreneur, before you ride the wave and start throwing out discounts at all the popular times, it’s important to have a well-reasoned strategy behind your pricing and offering discounts.

When you offer up a discount, you’re taking three risks.

First, you’re telling people that your product or service perhaps isn’t really worth what you normally charge for it.

This is especially true if you’re giving a significant discount of more than 20%.

Second, you’re running the risk of alienating the people who have paid full price in the past.

This is a big problem in the online world where prices fluctuate so much anyway.

It’s not uncommon during popular sale dates to see emails go out saying, “Others paid $5,000 for this information, but you can get it for $7 today.”

These kind of “too good to be true” bargains are generally that, too good to be true.

And if others really did pay $5,000 for what you’re discounting to $7, do you think they’ll ever pay you a dime again? Or ever have a kind word to say about your business?

Not likely.

Third, if you consistently run discounts, you’ll train people to never pay full price for your products or services.

Think about it, are there things you wait to buy because you know it’ll be on sale for a certain holiday or special event? 

You’re severely cutting into your profits if your market catches on to your sale pattern, and most of them will. 

Keep in mind that the trends we see in big business are made possible by the fact that they’re big businesses. They likely inflate their prices more than you do, and can afford to take loses on some items more than you can.

And, they can get away with more than you can.

Have you ever felt like you’ve been wronged by a large store, or perhaps you just don’t like their practices in general, but you still find yourself going back? 

Because it’s the most convenient, or usually the cheapest, or you needed other things there anyway, it’s easy to ignore one bad experience.

As small business owners, one bad experience and more often than not, your customer or potential customer is lost to the competition.

How to Discount if You’re Going to

That’s not to say that you should never, ever offer any kind of discounts on your products and services.

Sometimes it makes good business sense, and if you can have $100 in exchange for something of value rather than $125, it’s better than having $0 and getting no customer and no chance of some positive exposure for your business.

We’re trained to love a sale, so yes, there are people out there who will buy just because it’s on sale.

If you’re going to offer a discount on your products or services, consider sticking to at least one of these four guidelines when crafting your special offer.

1. Offer a Private Discount to Existing Customers

This is a great way to reward your existing customers for their loyalty and to encourage their repeat business.

If you don’t have many (or any!) existing customers, you can offer the discount only to those on your email list, or those who follow your Facebook page, or wherever you have your tribe of followers gather. 

2. Create a New Offering Rather than Slashing Prices on an Existing Offer

To do away with the perception that you’re devaluing your services or products, and to prevent any buyer’s remorse on the part of previous customers who paid full price, create a new product or service, or bundle some existing products and services, and offer it at a discount off of what it will be in the future.

You can advertise it as an introductory price, or as a “beta” phase of the product or service, and invite feedback on how to make it better so you can polish it up and offer it for a higher price.

3. Have a Meaningful Reason for the Discount

Instead of having a sale because it’s Black Friday/Cyber Monday and that’s when you’re suppose to have a sale, offer up a reason that your audience will see as a valid or good reason for the discount. 

The beta phase of a product we just talked about is obviously a valid reason for a discount.

An introductory price makes sense, or maybe you’re retiring a product or service and coming out with something new so you’re offering a retirement sale. 

It can also be something more fun like, “It’s my birthday and I want to give you a gift this year, so I’m taking the hit and offering up the same great product or service I always do, for a special discount today.”

Just make sure your discounts are infrequent and that you don’t offer them at the same time every year.

4. Make the Discount Reasonable

Whatever strategy you decide to take, make the discount reasonable.

If it’s too big of a discount you’re going to face all the problems of upset past customers and a massive devaluing of the great work you do.

Will you loss some potential buyers if your discount is 20% rather than 90%?

Yes, you will, but guess what?

You didn’t want those people as customers anyway. They always, yes always, end up causing more trouble for your business than they’re worth.

Need Help Navigating the Entrepreneurial Path?

Pricing and discounting is just one of the many areas in which new and struggling entrepreneurs can get lost in, and make decisions that are harmful or even fatal to their business.

When you’re learning any new skill, having an experienced teacher or mentor always makes things easier. And in business, it often makes the profits come quicker, and in larger amounts.

Kids Party Characters owner Cheryl Jacobs has a passion for mentoring new business owners, especially moms who stay home with their kids or wish they did.

As a mom herself, Cheryl knows you don’t have the time or money to suffer all the bumps in the road and inevitable setbacks that come with the sharp learning curve new business owners face.

In an effort to give back in light of the success she’s found, Cheryl has created an opportunity with Kids Party Characters that helps take much of the struggle out of starting your own business and makes it possible to work from home while raising your kids.

With membership in Kids Party Characters, you’ll get an exclusive territory in which to book parties, access to all the tools Cheryl’s used to build a six-figure business, and step-by-step training on how to start your business the right way.

If this sounds like it could be the opportunity you’ve been looking for, schedule a free, no-pressure chat with Cheryl right here and she’ll give you all the details and answer all your questions.

Want to know more about Kids Party Characters? Connect with us on Facebook for daily updates on the magic we bring to children’s parties, as well as our best strategies for working from home while raising happy and healthy kids.

Welcome to Our Kids Party Characters Podcast

Hello, I'm Cheryl Jacobs, and welcome to our Kids Party Characters Podcast. We created this podcast to inform as many people as we can about our company that brings so much joy to so many children across, right now, the New York, New Jersey, Connecticut area. We just also opened in Ohio. So, our company has been in business six years. I started with my partner with 20 costumes, and about two or three parties every single weekend, and now we're up to 70 actors that work for us, and do about 20, 30 parties every weekend, and it's a six-figure income from this business.

So, what I did is I created a membership site where I teach people how to own their own children's entertainment company from start to up and running. Everything you're going to need to know, from where to get the costumes, how to get to clients, how to get the ... I have a casting director on staff to get you your actors or your entertainers. Everything you're going to need to know, I've created a video series for you to watch if you become a member, and teach you everything you're going to need know, even where to get the costumes. So, I mean, my business, you can run it through the home and you can bring in six figures from it. It's not even about the money, it's about the children. But, when they see their favorite character, their faces light up, and it's just such a priceless feeling, and I wanted to share this with the world.

So, on our show, we're going to have interviews from the people who have helped us along the way, we're going to have interviews from actors who have been with us from the very beginning, we are going to have clients on there who have booked us multiple times. I also wrote a book about my experience from where I was, an 18 year old mother living in poverty, to where I am now, owning a six figure children's entertainment company. So, stay tuned, and you can learn all about how you can own your own children's entertainment company, or if you are just looking to hire a character for your little one's birthday or special event. Stay tuned. I'm Cheryl Jacobs, and thank you.

8 Ways to Teach Your Kids About Gratitude

It’s that time of year when everyone starts talking about what they’re thankful for.

And unfortunately, for many people, it’s the only time we really think about it. Which means it’s the only time our kids think about it too.

Oddly, if we do teach our kids about gratitude, beyond a yearly Thanksgiving prayer of thankfulness for our family, food, and home, it’s usually in the form of yelling at or scolding them.

“Take that and be glad you get anything at all,” or, “There are starving children in Africa who would love to eat that broccoli,” are often as deep as our lessons get on the subject.

Why Gratitude Matters

We live in a “me” generation, where kids (of all ages) have a sense of entitlement when it comes to just about everything. And it only seems to be getting worse.

This attitude is leading to disappointment, dissatisfaction, and even a lack of significant relationships with others as kids grow into young adults.

In addition to combating these results, research — not surprisingly — shows that kids who practice gratitude have a better attitude about school, and that kids and adults alike can be up to 25% happier when they live a life of gratitude.

Being grateful makes us more empathetic, gives us higher self-esteem, and causes us to be more hopeful and optimistic.

Effective Ways to Instill Gratitude

Obviously, lecturing your child about the starving kids and how bad you all had it “back in the day,” never has the effect of transforming her into a ever-grateful little angel.

What can we do to make gratitude a part of who our child is, while upping our gratitude game at the same time? 

Here’s eight ideas that will help produce the desired results.

1. Tie in Emotions

This isn’t like teaching your kids how to ride a bike. Gratitude is an emotion, not a skill, which is why lecturing your kids into feeling grateful for what they have and experience in life won’t work.

You’ve got to get them to feel it. 

When you’re teaching gratitude, don’t talk about what your child “should” be thankful for. Talk about what emotions certain things, events, and actions make her feel to help her understand what gratitude is, and help instill the emotion.

2. Deny Access 

Experiment with what it’s like not to have things, especially things your kids likely take for granted. Do the experiments with them when possible.

This is the best way to get them to feel emotion, again, rather than just telling them what they should be grateful for.

You can do fun things like tying your thumb to your forefinger and trying to get through the day. Yes, your child will actually become grateful for his opposable thumb!

Go 24 hours without the TV or their cell phone (gasp!), or even turn off the heat for a cold day. Don’t do anything to risk your child’s health, obviously, but do they realize how many kids live with blankets and space heaters (at best) for warmth as a way of life?

3. Show Real Stories

Truth is, there are children starving in Africa, as well as America and every other country. Show your child pictures and videos of the real people with real stories. They’re just a click away on the internet.

Don’t just show stories of lack, but also stories of success. People who have come back from adversity and who have succeeded in spite of physical, emotional, or financial limitations.

Start with Facebook Pages like “Humans of New York,” and the many other “Humans of” Pages, including India, Tehran, Bombay, Ireland, Spain, and San Antonio.

Daily Good, TED, and 1000 Awesome Things are all uplifting sites that can be a good source of stories and things to be thankful for. Also, charitable organizations have stories of people less fortunate who have been or can be helped.

4. Let Your Child Choose

You may not agree with what your child decides to be grateful for, but let him choose rather than telling him what he should be grateful for.

Even if it seems silly or insignificant to you, don’t discount it or ask him to pick something different. 

He’s learning about gratitude and his sense of gratitude will develop and grow.

And, even if it’s just a Matchbox car or bouncy ball, chances are there is someone out there who would feel very blessed to have it!

5. Add Volunteering to Your Routine

Shelters and “soup kitchens” turn away hundreds of volunteers during the holiday season. Everyone decides to get their gratitude on during this time, in hopes that one dose will last all year.

Sure, any type of volunteering is a good thing, but when it comes to instilling gratitude, one and done won’t do it. 

Find an organization that you can contribute to regularly, and make it something your kids can actively participate in. It can be as simple as taking a bag of groceries to the food pantry every month.

Let your child go to the store with you and talk about what kind of food a hungry child her age would like to eat today. Resist the urge to just stock up on the 59 cent green beans that are on sale, that sends the wrong message.

6. Share Moments of Gratitude

Make gratitude a family practice. You can have informal discussions about it as teaching moments come up, name one thing each person is grateful for every night, or have weekly meetings where one item on the agenda is gratitude moments throughout the week.

You can also have a gratitude jar where everyone has the option of writing down something they’re grateful for and putting it in the jar at any time. 

At the end of the year, it’s fun and uplifting to go through the jar and read each piece of paper.

7. Take Concrete Actions

Teaching your kids to say “thank you” is nice and all, but do we really feel gratitude each time we say “thank you?” 

Hopefully as adults, the answer is yes. But for kids it’s often like saying you’re sorry when you hit your sister, you know if you don’t say it, your mom will make you. 

So try taking the “thank you” a little further, by actually making and sending or hand-delivering a thank you card. 

You can also have your child help you bake cookies as a thank you, or pick out a token of appreciation at the store.

8. Encourage Experiences Over Stuff 

Buying your child everything she wants but clearly doesn’t need dilutes her sense of gratitude and reinforces a sense of entitlement.

Make your child earn or contribute to certain purchases, and choose between two desired items rather than getting both of them.

Engage your child in experiences, especially free or low cost ones, to illustrate how she can have more fun on a walk through the woods with friends or family than with the latest greatest toy that’s she bored with after a week.

Gratitude is a Habit

If you’ll take the opportunity to practice gratitude on a daily basis, it will become a habit for your kids. 

That means they’ll no longer roll their eyes and groan when you have your scheduled moments of gratitude because you won’t need those moments anymore.

Once your kids have adopted this attitude of gratitude, it just becomes a way of life. 

As we’ve talked about, this will turn your child into a happier person, and will naturally impact the amount of positivity and happiness he spreads among everyone in his life.

As with many things in life, one of the best ways to help your kids with the gratitude habit is to be a good role model. Let them see and hear you practicing gratitude.

To get the gratitude party started, Kids Party Characters wants to let you know that we are truly grateful for you and want to thank you for being a part of our community. 

Whether you’re a KidsPartyCharacters.com customer, a fellow work at home mom, or someone who enjoys our tips on raising happy and healthy kids, we all become better moms, business owners, and humans when we’re sharing ideas and experiences with each other.

If we aren’t connected on Facebook, please join us there for daily updates and a look at the magic we bring to children's parties. And as always, we hope you see you at your child’s next party!