Friday, March 28, 2008

Letting Go In Order To Grow

It was 2004 when I was approached by a colleague and friend of mine, with the idea for creating an awards program approved by moms. He was familiar with the various businesses I had established in the mom niche, so it just made sense- why not a program to honor the things mom's feel are important? We collaborated on a name and the Mom's Choice Awards was born.

I spent the first couple of years marketing heavily to the book market and attended several Book Expo conferences, encouraging authors and publishers to submit their products. It was exciting and exhausting at the same time, but the rewards were great. Our recipients began to share the impact receiving our award had on their product and one even received interest in the form of a T.V. show. How amazing it was to know we were truly having an impact on people's lives and their creations, all at once.

2007 proved to be more challenging than past years, because we were truly growing beyond my personal capability. We contracted with a remarkable company who brought the image of the Mom's Choice to new heights and the realization began to set in- I was not capable of taking this much further on my own. In the fall of last year, I was faced with a decision that proved to be a difficult one. I had a choice to make- continue to develop the MCA within the box of my limitations or let it go so it could grow. It wasn't an easy decision to make as I had formed an emotional attachment to my creation and the feeling it evoked, but in the end, it was the only choice that made sense.

I made the decision to allow the Mom's Choice to take on wings of her own and released the attachment I had to solely operating the program. Today, the awards is climbing to new heights as we form partnerships with company's like the Dove Foundation and Wachovia Securities and I am happy to say I have more pride and ownership in this company than I ever expected.

I want to honor and thank the Mom's Choice team for all of their hard work in making my dream a greater reality than I ever could have imagined.

Stay tuned, because the momentum we are building this year far exceeds my expectations and I am proud to be a part of such a great organization!

~Tara Paterson

No comments:

Alumni Review- Some Babues Are Wild, Marion Dane Bauer

Some Babies Are Wild
Marion Dane Bauer, Author
Stan Tekiela, Photographer
Adventure Publications
820 Cleveland Street S.,
Cambridge, MN,
550089781591930846 $14.95 http://www.adventurepublications.net/

Sara Hassler- Reviewer

Enjoy a stolen moment in nature with little baby animals in Some Babies AreWild. Magical pictorials present individual stories of Mother Nature's youngest creatures caught off guard. Furry paws, fuzzy faces, prickly bodiesand big round eyes consume each spread with their activity, vulnerability and innocence. Author, Marion Dane Bauer's rhythmic text leads readers down a breathtaking nature trail of remarkable photography. Photographer, StanTekiela and his camera has opened an extraordinary window for readers topeer through. The flash of his shutter has captured animals in their private habitats, on their own and with family, in the wild. Readers will delight with the Animal Extras and Did You Know? educational section included in the back of the book. Fun and surprising baby animal facts highlight each animal pictured in the story. Some Babies Are Wild will fill readers with the joy of nature and family. This is a must have book for animal lovers of all ages and children who are interested in wildlife.

Contest Giveaway

Contest Giveaway
To enter to receive your free autographed copy of my book, send me an email at founder@justformom.com. Each month I will select one email at random to receive a copy.

Founder's blog

My photo
A Certified Coach for Parents of Intuitives, Tara Paterson is raising four highly intuitive children with her husband. She is also the co-author of the book- Raising Intuitive Children, a syndicated columnist, parent advisor, and author of 100 plus parenting and spiritual articles. In 2004, she launched Moms In Print, a publishing company that assists “mom” authors. The following year, she created the Mom’s Choice Awards®, which assists mothers in selecting products and services for their families.

Paterson has appeared on CBS 48 Hours, the Today Show with Katie Couric, CNN with Anderson Cooper, the Early Show, and she is the founder and spokesperson for the Mom’s Choice Awards and an expert blogger for the Partnership for a Drug Free America.

She has been featured in the Washington Post, Newsweek, the Loudoun Magazine and quoted in the USA Today and Parenting Magazine. She has also been interviewed on several radio programs and has appeared as a spokeswoman on several national TV affiliates across the country.