Blog — Assoc. of Military Spouse Entrepreneurs

We often think of Pinterest as more of an app for hobbies or crafts and nothing to do with business.

What we might not know is that Pinterest is an up and coming platform with over 200 million users. These are users that are searching for just about anything these days. Users search either out of boredom, ideas, or for ways to make money.

According to Sarah Ankney, an accomplished social media strategist, the newest social media strategy for anyone in business is now Pinterest - just like Facebook and Twitter and even LinkedIn.

So why use Pinterest instead of Google?

Because it now has more user-based content. It has more images on a page than Google, and it is a FREE resource to get so much more than you could have ever imagined.

Although Google has been the “go-to” for traditional searches, it will not help you form ideas from that particular search. You must already have the idea in mind of what you want to search for. Once you have searched for the topic on Pinterest, it will show you content based on that idea such as boards, pins and people to follow.

In the 2017 article “6 Compelling Reasons You Should Use Pinterest for Marketing” by Jessica Meher, she presents a startling fact. Pinterest has hit more than 10 million unique visitors, making it one of the fastest growing websites ever. Pinterest provides long term web-traffic, meaning that pins last for a long time giving you a greater return of investment on the information that is shared.

Although Facebook has been one of the biggest forces for many small businesses, the organic reach plummeted in 2015 as it moved from being a free resource to a paid media source. Facebook began requiring a business to pay for sponsored and boosted posts to get views, and there are restrictions in place. Pinterest allows one to share much more. From links to your writing, products/services, helpful videos, graphics...who knew?

I just typed in “Pinterest for Entrepreneurs” and what popped up is enough for me to want to use it for business. “Unlimited free access to the world’s best ideas”. Has that caught your attention yet?

So, what can Pinterest do for you and your business?

According to Ms. Virtual Maven, Pinterest can do plenty for you if done correctly. She reminds you that Pinterest is not just another social media platform for you to manage. Pinterest is a visual network which many have sought out for inspiration.

How many things have you saved because they either inspired your creative side or motivated you to start something new? This is what Pinterest can do for you. Once you post or “pin” new content and your audience saves it, that same content is shared with their followers. “If you have great helpful content, you will reach many people regardless of how many followers you have.”

Bernadette Geyer of Pinterest for Entrepreneurs: Why? also points out that Pinterest is not the kind of place where an entrepreneur has to be posting every day just to be noticed. There is no pressure to post regularly. One less thing to worry about!

So are you ready to use Pinterest as a way to promote your business?

It really is as simple as organizing your bookmarks and creating boards. Your “digital bulletin boards” will help you and your followers find all your information quickly. Pinterest is a simple tool and game changer for entrepreneurs. So take a Pinterest 101 course and get pinning!

And make sure you check out AMSE’s Pinterest page for info, business tips, and more!

When I graduated from college and went into the workforce, I was the type of employee many companies would want. I would arrive early, stay late, and work weekends. I was always available for on-call hours.

When my husband joined the military and I found out I was pregnant shortly after, I figured it wouldn’t be too hard to continue to work. Sure, I may need to go part-time and find something more flexible. But there must be jobs like that, right?

Nothing prepared me for what the future would bring.

Too Many Challenges

Working parents have the burden of juggling all the dynamics. From childcare costs to maintaining that work/life balance, it can sometimes feel like you never have enough hours in the day.

Add a pandemic into the mix, and life gets a lot more complicated.

Many working parents had an especially difficult time in this sudden transition. Working from home while caring for your children is an enormous challenge. It's draining when you feel you must be giving 100% of yourself to your job and 100% of yourself to your kids. Finding safe, in-home childcare for your children as you work and while they're out of school is also a burden financially, mentally, and emotionally.

If you don't find adequate child care to do your job, you could get fired. If you ignore your kids, that makes you feel like a failure. If your children are a distraction while you work from home (and they will be), you could be reprimanded.

By giving working parents the time and support they need to care for their children AND be the best employees they can be with workplace family-friendly policies – like increased remote learning opportunities, paid parental leave, paid sick leave, flexible work arrangements and access to affordable, quality childcare – there are a lot of positives for those companies in the future.

Here are three main reasons why “kids in the boardroom” should be more widely accepted.

More Consistency with Work

I can’t even tell you how many times I have had to take time off work for something having to do with my children - and this was before a pandemic. After all, I have four of them. It was usually nothing serious, but when childcare is sparse and I have a husband deployed, I end up being the person to make the sacrifice. Now that there are fewer child care options. With schools are closed or modifying their schedules, the burden falls on me even more than before.

By allowing kids to be present during work hours, there are fewer opportunities for missed work days/hours. Working parents are masters at multitasking; the flexibility of scheduling meetings, working blocks, and client projects around the schedule in the home allows them to care for their families AND get the job done. Sure, things will come up. But overall, there will be more consistency and productivity, especially when evaluated by project completion versus hours worked.

Employee Retention

There’s a common misconception that expecting mothers or new mothers won’t stay at their companies for long. In reality, most working moms that I have come in contact with are interested in a role that offers stability, support, and lasting opportunities to grow within the company.

If you build a company for parents, they will come AND stay. Take advantage of technology and provide support for working parents. Even as family dynamics, military orders, and CDC recommendations change, the work can still move forward.

Greater Morale

Countless studies show that a work-life balance (or a lack thereof) directly affects the productivity of a company. Even still, many Americans feel they are unable to take time off (to include their paid vacation time) or they will be perceived as a “slacker”. This can be very taxing on all employees but especially those with children.

When a company has a culture that respects flexibility and reasonable working hours (vital for ALL employees but especially families), they encourage employees to work smartly, not endlessly. This builds an overall culture of a company that not only cares for their bottom line but also cares for its employees and places value on them and their families.

The result is a trickle-down effect that encourages everyone to avoid burnout while also—and this is essential—appealing to new talent that’s drawn to companies that prove they value work-life balance.

The Bottom Line

Although many companies have begun to embrace the concept of children in the workplace, it is still a learning curve. During this time of transition and inconsistency, consider lobbying your government for better economic support for families and businesses, including measures that will help maintain incomes. It is vital for us to do our best to ease the burden on both businesses and families. It appears that employees may be working from home for a long time. By adopting and expanding family-friendly policies, employers have a central role to play in supporting the well-being of working parents and their children.

Noralee Jones is a MILSO of 12 years, mom of 4, and writer/creator at Mrs. Navy Mama. Having experience with 7 deployments, 4 PCS moves alone, and the author of the Self-Care Guide for MILSOs, she is an expert on the importance of taking the time to focus on filling our bodies, minds, and souls with our individual needs in order to make the most out of our lives. She is also the Co-Author of The Newbie’s Guide to Military Life, which focuses on supporting MILSOs through the ups and downs of military life through Mrs. Navy Mama. You can find her on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

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