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Local Business Events

Details coming soon!

Local Chambers of Commerce

A Chamber of Commerce, by definition, is a type of business network.  Almost every town on Long Island has their own Chamber of Commerce, where local businesses voluntarily join together to promote each other, network and support the community.  As a new small business, it's important to join your local Chamber because it's a great way to start making contacts.  Each Chamber has different rules and requirements for membership.  To help you, we've provided links to Chambers within Nassau and Suffolk Counties below.

 

Nassau County Chambers of Commerce

Suffolk County Chambers of Commerce

Websites and Resources

Coming soon!

Tips for the Working Mom

Parent to Parent Tips:

Balancing Family Life

• Don't fight change, just plan on rearranging your sleeping and waking schedule to ensure that you get quality time for you (i.e. working out, reading, correspondence etc.)
• Force yourself to get into the habit of cleaning up, moving/folding laundry, preparing lunches, and planning breakfast every night, before you go to bed. 
• Prepare extra food on Sundays to use during the week (i.e. chop veggies and large fruits and prepare storable meals). 
• Always have crackers or other snacks and water in the car. 
• Utilize some of your lunch breaks at work to run errands (grocery shopping and post office), but also reserve some of them to refresh yourself (take a walk or eat with a friend).
• As a working mom, you need to be good at multitasking and staying organized.
• Try to make lunches the night before.
• Pick out kids outfits the night before and
• Make sure to get kids to bed early enough that they get the sleep they need.
• Work as a team with your spouse, Get yourselves ready first in the morning. Wake up kids so that they have enough time to eat, get ready and play a bit before you rush out the door to daycare and school.
• Try to talk about something you will do together that night before you all go in different directions. That way, you start the day on a positive note and have something to look forward to at the end of the day.

Tips for the Mompreneur

Don't Just Dream, Take Action

Networking...

• Use the time you spend dropping your children off at school, at the playground, beach etc. to work on brainstorming for your business by doing informal networking with people you happen to be sitting near who might be in your target market - you'll get some great ideas.
• Treat yourself like a big business.
• Rely on experts.
• Don't be shy about getting compensated appropriately for what you do. Remember that people associate price with quality and you are (as a service business) a quality product
• Don't apologize for that - no one wants the "cheapest" advice - they want the best advice.

Mom in the Spotlight

Jennifer H. Dellafranca

Profile:

Meet Jennifer Dellafranca - a mom, a teacher and a local business owner who saw something missing from her community and came up with an amazing business to provide education to Long Island families.

 

 

Profession: I am an Early Childhood Teacher and owner of Bubble, a mommy & me boutique and family center located in Babylon.
Education: BS -Early Childhood Education MA - Early Childhood Education
Children: Three amazing boys: Jack 5.5 Ben 3.5 Shane 2

Fun Q & A with our Spotlight Mom:

Personal:

What phrase or motto do you live by?

Go through each day offering smiles, hugs, laughter and love and in return, you will receive the same.

Inspiration:

My children are my inspiration - all the decisions I make are a reflection of what I want to provide for my kids, for the children they are today and the adults they will become.

If you could teach your kids one thing and have it impact them, what would it be?

For them to be amazing people, to be kind, compassionate, loving, hard working, thankful, bendable and full of heart, all which comes from strong character.

How do you measure success?

In smiles

Greatest Accomplishment:

My children! My husband and I created the most beautiful, fun-loving and down right cool boys! They are the best!

Proudest Moment:

Of course the birth of my 3 boys.

 

BK (before kids) receiving an award at college graduation for the "graduating senior most likely to make a lasting contribution to the world of Early Childhood Education." At various times in my life, I have thought back to winning that award and always thought about how I was going to do that... was it through public school teaching?

 

Once I had children, I knew that I wanted to create a "family center", a place for expectant and new families to grow, a place for parents to learn to be their best for their children, a place for children to grow and explore and learn through hands on classes and so much more. As we watch Bubble grow into a true family center, watching parents and children leaving with smiles, learning and asking questions, it truly makes all of the dreams of a "better place for families" come to reality.

Biggest Challenge:

Juggling a family and a new business.  Mant days I feel like I really need to have 24 more hours in a day. The greatest part is that Bubble is a place where I can talk with other families in our parent groups and seminars. Some days it's just nice to hear that the laundry does pile up in other people's homes too!

Wildest Dream:

Really just one??? Hmmm...to live happily ever after.

Sport/Exercise Program:

I just started running again after a VERY long hiatus.

What would people be surprised to learn about you?

That I hate roller coasters. I really seem like a person who should like them but they scare me to death!

Where did you grow up:

Babylon Village, NY

How many siblings:

1 brother Alex, 5 years older

First Job:

Babysitting and working on a fishing boat as a galley girl!My first real adult job though was teaching.

Childhood Ambition:

To work with children.

Favorites:

Favorite Local Restaurant:

Lucy's

Favorite Coffee Spot:

The beach! I love having a cup of coffee on the beach watching my kids play and have fun! Where I get the coffee, well, that all depends!

Favorite Soundtrack/song:

This is a hard one, there are so many! I'd say anything by Garth Brooks.

Favorite Movie:

Anything that ends with a "happily ever after".

Favorite TV Show:

it is a toss up between Grey's Anatomy and Dirty Jobs.

Retreat:

Montauk because it has always been a relaxing, happy, fun time for me since I was a child!

Last Book You Read:

For pleasure: The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom

For work: The Happiest Baby on the Block by Dr. Harvey Karp.  I just got certified to teach the class to other new & expectant parents.

Indulgence:

Anything sweet - ice cream, cake, chocolate, I love it all!

Tell us about a product or item that you can't live without as a parent

Books! I love reading to my children and feel that you can't ever have enough books! We even developed a class at Bubble based on books, called Books! Books! Books!

Your Perfect Day:

A beautiful sunny day at the beach with my family.  To me, there's nothing like a great beach day!

Other:

What inspires you to go to work every day?

The overall concept of Bubble and everything it offers our community.  I had always felt that area was missing a few things; a fresh & stylish children's boutique, an innovative, NYC-like early childhood development center and a nurturing and inviting place for new & expectant parents to learn about childbirth and parenting.  I wanted to create a place where new friends can meet and build their own communiy, all within a newly built, clean space where they feel comfortable and always welcome.

[Business Owners] What motivated you to start your business?

Having my own family.  I wanted to offer new and expectant parents a safe, nurturing environment in which parents can learn, grow and be supported on their parenting journey. We recognize that every family is unique and will make decisions about childbirth, breastfeeding and parenting that are right for them. Our classes, seminars, workshops, groups, and products help promote positive, healthy choices. In addition to scheduled classes, the center is offering parenting groups facilitated by one of Bubble professional team members, for people to relax and enjoy the company of other parents and children. Our hope is that life-long connections will be made and a true community of empowerment surrounding birth and parenting will emerge.

[Business Owners] What is the hardest part about owning your own business?

The hardest part is the hats - as the owner I wear so many hats to run the business. I also like the control over many of those hats, so I can't complain to much! :)

[Teachers] Why did you go into education?

I always loved infants & young children, everything about them fascinated me... how they grow, develop, learn, react. I am also very creative and love anything hands-on, which is a huge part of how children learn: through hands on play and exploration. It's right up my alley!

[Teachers] What is it that motivates you most each day working with students?

The children and how much they enjoy all that we do whether it is reading a story and having a discussion or getting messy with a science experiment.

[Teachers] What message is important to you to pass on to your students?

To have fun while learning, be a kind friend, and put your heart into all you do.

Each month we feature a mom making a difference in our community. We want to acknowledge working moms and stay at home moms. Suggest a mom by emailing us

Past profiled mom...

• Jamie N. from Ridge
• Stephanie C.
• Robin G.
• Jennifer H. Dellafranca