Name: Liz Hawkinson

Email Address: liz@hawkinson.net

What kind of Business do you run? I sell Usborne & Kane/Miller educational children's books and help others do the same.

When did you start it? In August 2002.

Why did you start it? To be able to work from home and be home with my young son while still doing something I love and earning extra income for my family.

What was your inspiration? I'm a book-lover and I enjoy helping people!

How much capital in terms of resources did you invest to start up your business? I purchased a Starter Kit for $99, but the price now changes monthly.

Do you have a website for your business? If yes please provide it. Yes -www.UsborneLiz.com - provided with the starter kit.

Who are your main customers? What demographic are they mostly from? Anyone with children in their lives who care about reading and literacy. Mostly Moms and grandmoms.

What do you feel are the basic goals that a business such as yours should reach in
the first year? Basic goal is to create a consistent business working at whatever level you choose. The key is to be consistent - if you want to work 1 night a week, then do that consistently, two nights a week consistently Whatever works best for you and your family!

For anyone who wishes to start their own WAH business in the same industry as yours
what are your top 3 advice tips? If you love books and you love kids, why not give it a try! Our Starter kit is inexpensive and it's an easy business to learn. You have nothing to lose and much to gain from starting an Usborne Books & More business.

Has this business venture allowed you to spend more time or less time with your
family? Definitely more time with my family. It has allowed me to be a stay at home mom, it
has provided free family vacations and vacations for my husband and me, as well.

What are the top three marketing strategies that you employed to achieve success for
your business? Always thinking how what I do could help the people I meet. Good customer service and follow up with the customers I meet at shows & booth events.
Getting on the phone each day to contact customers.

What goals are next for your business? My personal goals right now include earning a free trip to Hawaii for my husband and I that our company will provide. I\'m also working on building my team and helping the people on my team become leaders in our company. I'd like to help at least 3 people become leaders this fall.

Where do you see your business in another 10 years? I see my business thriving in 10 years! I hope to keep building my team and helping others have an opportunity to try out this business. Selling Usborne Books is the best decision I ever made for my family and myself. I want lots of people to have that chance as well. In 10 years I'd like to still be a top level leader in our company with over 100 leaders underneath me. I'd like to continue to get amazing books into the hands of children who need them and to see our country\'s literacy
epidemic disappear!

Name the top 3 products and/or services your business provides and their respective
benefits to the customer/consumer. Our best product is the opportunity to start your own business and sell Usborne Books to others! We have over 1500 titles in our catalog for children of all ages. A key part of our product line is our internet-Linked books that allow kids to do research online in a safe way. Another wonderful thing we offer is our Grant Matching program which strives to get more books into the hands of children who might not get them otherwise. This program benefits children, but also benefits our consultants with commission. There is a lot of grant money out there for children\'s books and our company generously matches it by 50% to stretch the grants even further.

Has your business been recognized in any way by the media or any awards organization? If so please state how you were chosen and what kind of recognition your business has achieved. Our company has been listed as one of the Fastest growing small businesses by Forbes Magazine. My personal business has been recognized with many National Awards - both for personal sales and for my team including being a member of our prestigious President's Club since it's inception two years ago, and being rewarded Honorable Mention for New Supervisor of the Year early in my career.

How many times a year do you offer special discounts on your products or services?
When? I have internet specials on my website that change every two weeks. We have a Starter Kit special offered every month.

Share with us two positive feedback comments your customers have said about your
product and/or service. I've had many customers share how excited their children are about reading because of their new Usborne Books. I've had schools thank me for bringing our Reading Incentive Program to them that got the entire school on fire about reading!