This post is for you if you want to find out how an eBook can make a real difference to your business, because I’m going to tell you how one started my business career.

In 2007, I was a stay at home mum. Due to illness I was keen to find ways to make money from home, so I tried out an eBay business. I spotted an information product about how to make money online, which was all about the value of information and how if you had the right knowledge you could package this and sell it via the internet. This was big news for me and I decided to give it a try.

I set about writing an eBook on pregnancy and the newborn phase. I’d just had my own daughter and felt I had knowledge to share! I included everything I’d learned including; what to pack for hospital, the best place to find maternity clothes, what you did/didn’t need for a newborn. The finished product was just a Word document. I created my own cover and sold my ‘eBook’ via eBay. As the orders came in I would manually email the book to the buyer. I was smart enough to include links to my parenting blog in both the book and the listings so I had the added bonus of driving traffic to my blog. That first eBook didn’t generate a huge amount of money but it taught me a lot about eBooks and the potential they had to become an income for me.

When I look back, there is so much I would do differently, but this little eBook was the start of something much bigger. Since then selling my specialist knowledge has been the crux of my business success.

For two years I focused on my blog before I was ready to launch my next eBook. I’d got much smarter about choosing a niche topic. This time I created on how to start and maintain a successful parenting blog, called ‘The Mum Blogger eBook’. The document was a PDF, it had a professional cover design, there was no competition for the niche and I sold it for a much higher price. I had far more followers I could tell about the book, and it’s been a passive income for me for the past three years. It still sells now in its new form, A Guide to Successful Blogging.

Beyond money my blogging eBook has given me credibility in my niche and demonstrated my expertise. It has been the foundation that has allowed me to go on and create eCourses, speak at events and do consulting. I’ve also just co-authored two further print books which will be published this year, by two different publishing houses.

So, that’s how eBooks were a critical part of my journey to a successful business. eBooks remain a valuable part of our business. They are available all the time and that evens out our cashflow. They are an affordable way to offer help to clients who want to taste our advice for the first time or who are on a limited budget.

If you think that you’d like to make eBooks a valuable part of your business success, join From Knowledge to Profit. You have just two days left to discover just how much this course could help you build your profile and boost your business, just like it did for me.

In 7 years Innocent went from a turnover of ?0 in 1999 to ?75m in2006. From 3 employers to 105. From 0% market share to a staggering 62%. It’s the kid of growth many small business owners can only dream of.

Today the company turns over ?113m, and all this from a headquarters called ‘Fruit Towers’. So what’s the secret of this succesful British company run by three Cambridge grads and what can the rest of us learn from them?

Less is More

Innocent bucked the 330ml trend and brought to market their smoothies in 250ml bottles, a risky move that paid off as they differentiated themselves from the rest of the market. Another highly successful company that did the same thing with huge success was Red Bull, who’s slimline can is still immediately recognisable in the increasingly competitive energy drinks market.

If more, more, more was what made consumers tick in the nineties and early noughties then it’s less with a touch of luxury that’s what is grabbing the consumers attention today. This is good news for the small business owner who is more able to compete on these terms, no longer do we have to drown under the weight of the economies of scale that larger businesses can enjoy.

Be Unique

There’s a fine line between setting yourself apart and having fun and a pure marketing gimmick. Innocent appear to have towed that line quite nicely with quirky messages on their packaging, turf covered smoothie vans and knitted bottle cap covers. They know what their market considers cool and they work it.

Innovation isn’t all about inventions

Innocent didn’t reinvent the wheel. They took a fairly boring product in a market area they thought they could compete and differentiated themselves with clever marketing, a superior product and a commitment to their customers. Innovation takes many forms, taking a product and injecting new life into it and having the kind of success Innocent has had is equally as impressive as the bagless vacuum cleaner in my book.

Understand your Market

Understanding your market is actually not enough. You need to live your market, breath your market, spend every day listening to your market. Innocent completely get their young and professional market and everything they do is geared towards that, from the name to the logo to the pop festival they host. They know what makes their market tick and they keep delivering.

You can be ethical and successful

On top of being wildly successful Innocent also do more than their fair share for the environment and community. From offsetting carbon emmissions to using only 100% natural products, Innocent’s commitment goes beyond most companies of it’s size and larger. Oh, and they also give 10% of profits to charity.

I’ve been so excited this week about winning the Business Start Up Award (yes, I won!) at the Business Mum Awards that I completely forgot about number 46 on my 100 things list!

So to fill you in last monday I headed down to Birmingham on the train (no direct flights from Edinburgh), well more accurately it was three trains. I was planning to be super productive on the train and write my 2500 word essay for Uni, all I managed was far too many tweets. The lovely Tara had agreed to put me up for the evening and picked me up in her mahoosive yummy mummy car and then gave me a slap up lamb dinner and then yummy walnut teabread. I got to meet her lovely family including her husband and her two gorgeous kids. The evening passed by in fits of hilarity when we skyped @cosmicgirlie.

Tuesday, and I was awake early getting organised (read: getting nervous) for the awards lunch. Once there I actually felt pretty relaxed and really enjoyed myself. In a strange twist of fate it ended up being my own business partner that announced I’d won and I was so relieved/excited/focused on not falling flat on my face (I live and die in trainers usually) that I ended up completely forgetting to ‘pose’ for the photograph and instead just did a crazy cheesey grin (which I’ve had a crazy fit over this week and then ended up laughing about it). Moral of the story? Never EVER lose focus in front of a camera and ALWAYS LIFT YOUR CHIN!

After the event Antonia and I headed back to the train station for a quick business meeting (doesn’t happen often since we live at opposite ends of the country). My choice of ‘business meeting snack‘ caused a raised eyebrow and a smirk. I was going to mumble something about the gelatine helping with the crohns but then I brought out my notebook emblazoned with ‘H is for Holy Crap’ and I knew that trying to restore my ‘professional business image’ was a lost cause. Oh well.

A brief and uncomfortable encounter at Birmingham station (where I could have ended up as the subject of a crimewatch re-enactment), was followed by three trains home. I eventually collapsed into bed at midnight, exhausted but happy.

It’s been a crazy whirlwind week. I haven’t yet sent Tara her card and chocs yet (which I very nearly ate myself last night), but I have appeared on the STV website which is quite cool, and a photographer for the local paper is supposed to be coming round. Might need to buy another bag of Colin the Caterpillars to celebrate

Q1. Give a brief description of your business.

We run an organic cotton clothing company with ranges for babies, children and breastfeeding mums.

Q2. You used to be known as ‘cut4cloth’, why did you change the name?

Cut4Cloth was started originally because I couldn?t find any clothing anywhere on the market that would fit comfortably over a cloth nappy. It made sense that our clothing followed the ethical considerations that drew us to cloth nappies in the first place so we made it organic and fair trade. As my son grew out of nappies I realized that there was a market for older children?s clothes that were also organic and fair trade and when I breastfed my second some (now nearly 3yrs) I realized that there was a lack of stylish and discreet breastfeeding wear available too. This led to me wanting to expand the range of products outside just the cloth nappy arena and the name Cut4Cloth was a bit too specific to allow that ? so we changed the name to Frugi ? Latin for ?Fruits of the Earth?.

Q3. In the early days how did you manage childcare?

Kurt (my husband) and I both gave up our jobs, remortgaged the house and put everything we owned on the line to start this business. We knew if we were going to build a really good brand it needed a 100% commitment and so of course did Tom our little baby. So in the beginning we ran the business from home and juggled him between us ? we only had one computer, so the other one had Tom. Of course running a business from home also means you do quite a lot of work in the evening when the baby is soundly sleeping!

Q3. What have been your most successful marketing strategies?

We decided a long time ago that we would rather use a big advertising budget for something worthwhile than for a paid space in a magazine so we joined 1% for the Planet ? which means we give 1% of our turnover (whether or not we make a profit or a loss) to two environmental charities. We get a lot of positive PR about this and all our other ethical works and so generate a lot of magazine/newspaper inches ? which tend to be more effective than advertising anyway, proving that being green can actually be a really good business strategy too!

Partnering with other companies and doing joint offers to each other?s databases in your newsletters etc. is currently working a treat as many similar ethos companies have customers that would be interested in our products.

Q4. How are you utilising social media to market your business?

We have a Frugi Fanpage on Facebook and now have over 1200 Frugi Fans ? they talk to each other and to us directly and it is a great communication tool to spread all the latest news on Planet Frugi around!

We also Twitter and have a Frugi Blog ? we give our Frugi Crusaders our outfits to review and put ?no holes barred? comments about them on all these media. It all increases trust and a feeling of belonging to the brand.

Q5. How are you as a smaller business fighting back against the economic downturn?

We are currently seeing the majority of our growth coming from overseas ? the weak state of the pound has seen our export business rocket and we essentially doubled our turnover over the last 12 months.

Q6. For mums that may be considering starting a business, would you advise them to hold off until the waters are warmer, or should they just go for it?

I think it depends what the business is in? If it is property development etc ? I?d probably say it?s not the best time to start, but if you have a business that is going to fill a niche and a currently unmet demand, then now is as good a time as any I think. Banks are a lot more wary though so don?t expect too much help from them. A smaller business has a great advantage over bigger businesses though ? they can respond to change much much quicker ? you see an opportunity ? go for it!

Visit Frugi

Aruna is an ex-barrister who now makes an income producing books with BlurbNation. Read on to find out how she does it.

First, a quick introduction to BlurbNation;

BlurbNation is a community of editors, writers, designers, artists, and photographers. Blurb provides everything you need to make books for your clients, including free bookmaking software, your own online bookstore, and a print-on-demand back-end that enables you to print professional-quality books in any quantity. Anyone can become a member of BlurbNation, it?s as simple as signing up and making yourself available to make books

Q1. Can you briefly describe BlurbNation and how it works?

Whilst using the BookSmart software is very easy, there are people who can?t or don?t want to make their own books. Blurb has set up a directory of book makers called BlurbNation to cater to people who want books made but don?t have the time or technical know how to do it.

Book makers who have met certain criteria can apply to Blurb to be included in the directory. The directory is available to the public who can go through it and from details provided choose the right book maker for the job at hand. All dealings between the client and book maker are independent of Blurb who have no contractual relationship with either party.

For book makers themselves BlurbNation is a fantastic means of communicating with each other, sharing ideas and problem solving. In addition to this BlurbNation provides its members with tips on design and marketing too. It can be a lonely job sitting in front of your computer, putting a book together and the support you can gain from other BlurbNation members is immeasurable.

Q2. How did you find out about and become a member of BlurbNation?

I found Blurb very early on and was addicted, making books for anyone and everyone who mentioned an idea, whether it was a party, a business or a passion! As a result of that I was lucky enough to be asked to be the first BlurbNation member in the UK. For some time I didn?t really understand what it was all about. As the months went by and Blurb got more and more exposure here in the UK, I started getting email enquiries and then actually started getting work through it. I didn?t realise how useful it would be then but I am very grateful for the opportunities that have come my way through BlurbNation.

Q3. Did you have any previous photography or publishing experience?

No, I had no previous experience in either field! I qualified as a barrister and had a criminal and family law practice for 12 years but stopped to bring up my son and daughter (now aged 12 and 8). When my daughter was 5 and at school full time, I found a new lease of life and having received a Canon digital SLR and a Mac Book Pro lap top as Mother?s Day and birthday presents three years ago, there was no stopping me!

I had always been interested in photography but it was an expensive hobby as developing and printing film was a costly exercise, largely because you didn?t really know what you had till the film was exposed. Now you know within seconds of taking a photograph so there is no waste of time or money! I hadn?t had my own income since having my children and I became keenly aware of the fact that everything cost money! Here for the first time, I could experiment with my photography and editing without feeling guilty about mounting costs because if I didn?t like what I did I could simply erase it!

Q4. Do you think it’s possible to make a full or part time wage from book making with Blurb Nation?

In this day and age there is so much competition in every field. Blurb has created such a unique platform where your only outlay is your time and the cost of printing a book so really, there is no risk of losing capital. Realistically, when starting out, Blurb Nation can certainly provide you with pocket money. It will take your own initiative to turn it into a full income sustaining project. If like me you have chosen (and are lucky enough to afford) to stay at home and look after your children, then joining Blurb Nation and making a go of creating full time income from it is not risky. I don?t want to jump the gun and say that I am making a living from it but I can say that I am not far off from being able to!

Q5. Are there any particular skills you think are necessary or helpful to be successful with BlurbNation?

I had no qualifications in the fields of photography and design but I think I had a natural flair for it. The one thing I have gained from BlurbNation and the team who run it is confidence. That confidence, a good eye for design, creativity, and huge amounts of enthusiasm has been my secrets to success.

Q6. How could someone interested in following in your footsteps get started?

To put it very simply, download the software if you haven?t already, get creating and if you have the ability, perseverance and enthusiasm, you will be on your way over those stepping stones to success. You have nothing to lose by trying. In the world we live in it is not every day you get the chance to try something for nothing. BlurbNation is effectively one such chance!

Read more mumpreneur case studies..

Okay, ‘attack’ might be a little strong, ‘approach’ might be better. I’m surprised everyday by the lack of take up of social media amongst small businesses, especially in the UK. The blog & email newsletter is a popular combination in the blogosphere, yet many small businesses are missing (or ignoring) the benefits.

Blogging is cheap and if done correctly can create a community that laps up your information and your products. It’s practically free to blog, a couple pounds for hosting and a few good articles and you’re on your way.

An email newsletter can be a way of connecting with your customers, building community and giving something back (ie Value) to the people who keep your business alive. Or it can be just another sales pitch. It all depends on the format, include articles, competitions, and valuable information and you have a valuable newsletter. A list of products with links to buy, well that’s just a blatant sales pitch, and very easy to unsubscribe from (especially in this economy).

I’ve checked out a cross-section of businesses owned by parents to see how they are connecting with their customers. These were completely random choices from the mum and working website. Just for fun I’ve rated them with a star system. 1* = Blog/Newsletter non-existant. 5* = Social Media Superstar

Everyday Maternity – No blog here, but they have a registration form which has a tick box for a newsletter, I suspect this newsletter would be merely a sales pitch (I might be wrong?), no incentive for joining either.

2**

Green Mums – They have an articles section, but not really a blog. No sign of a newsletter, there may be something when you sign up, but nothing promoted on the front page.

2**

Scribble Bug – No blog or newsletter sign-up form on the front page

1*

Hippychick – No blog or newsletter, but a big button to connect on facebook!

2**

Hippins

No blog or newsletter, but they have managed an adsense ad, interesting

1*

So there it is, none of the businesses I looked at were really promoting a blog or an email newsletter that offered any incentive. Maybe I’m wrong and it’s not profitable for small businesses to do this, but as a potential buyer I’d like to hear the stories behind the business owners and really connect with the companies. Loyalty and trust are key in an economy where I for one am reluctant to open my wallet and make a purchase without a lot of consideration.

Well folks, I’m pleased to announce to you some breaking news.

Slowly but surely consumerism is being overturned by the new wave of creativity. Hand-made beats machine-made hands down and now you can get involved too. Think about what you do best…

Here are a few ideas from get rich slowly on how to become more creative and maybe even make a little extra money on the side. Making money instead of spending money will make you happier and is more of a challenge. So give it a try.

Here are just a couple of the suggestions at Get Rich Slowly

Knitting – Knit. If you’ve been bit by the knitting bug, put that yarn habit to work. Create simple, beautiful hats and scarves. Take commissioned projects. My wife is learning to knit adorable little stuffed animals; she could sell them for $20 a pop.

Cook. Do people rave about your food? Offer to cater events. Provide food for a picnic, for a cocktail party, for a sit-down dinner. Sell cookies and cakes.

You could also;

Produce hand-made cards, soap, candles, or coasters.

Sell your old things on an auction site, and other people’s too.

Make flavoured olive oils, lemon, chilli, garlic – sell them at craft fairs.

Stop spending and start earning. Are you making money from a hobby? Let us into the secret.