When the laundry is piled high, the baby is crying and the UPS man is knocking at the door, Moms are the women you can count on to calm the baby, start the wash and politely sign for packages all while completing two dozen cupcakes for the school bake sale she found out about that morning. No matter the workload, chaos or number of items on her to do list, Moms, just like you, are the ladies we turn to to get sh!t done.
As Momtrepreneurs, it’s challenging to balance all the things you need to do for your family with the things you need to do for your business. We know that you CAN and will DO it! It’s hard to keep going and push through the difficulties of starting a business. When the times are tough, it’s all the more important to remember that running a business and having a family are attainable and don’t have to be a mutually exclusive scenario.
To inspire you through your challenging weeks, we’ve rounded up a few of our favorite Momtrepreneurs to help you stay motivated and working towards your goals.
Kendra Scott
While on bedrest with her first pregnancy, Kendra Scott designed her first pieces of jewelry. The initial business launched with a $500 investment and the dedication of Kendra herself, pounding the pavement, to sell the first batch of inventory with just enough profit to fund the next step. Fifteen years later, her designs are featured in over 1,000 stores across the United States.
With an emphasis on giving back to the community, Kendra Scott stores around the nation invite non-profit organizations to host events in their stores where 20% of the sales profits go back to the host organization.
In a 2013 CNBC Interview, Kendra shared that her focus remains on her children, regardless of how much the business has grown, “The way I work allows me to always be present in my children’s lives, even if that means staying up until 1 am working after they’ve gone to sleep.”
Susan Peterson
When Susan Peterson had her second baby, she was dismayed at the lack of quality shoe options for growing babies. Starting as an etsy seller with a $200 investment, Susan has grown Freshly Picked into a multi-million dollar company. Freshly Picked’s leather moccasins provide better balance for new walkers, allowing them to flex their toes as they take their first steps.
Thanks to a cult social media following, Susan’s kitchen table business was catapulted into a national spotlight. Since launching in 2009, Freshly Picked was featured on Shark Tank and is available in Nordstroms and online.
Raegan Moya-Jones
Mom of four, Raegan Moya-Jones was working full time as a writer when she started hand delivering swaddle blankets to New York baby boutiques. Inspired by the muslin swaddle cloth staples predominantly available in Australia, aden + anais started with a core product line of 4 muslin baby products.
Beginning with an investment of $15,000 in 2006, Moya-Jones built aden + anais to over 1 million dollars in revenue before leaving her day job. With a full line of products and over 108 employees worldwide, the gamble of lost sleep while working another full time job has paid off for Raegan! Today aden + anais products are available at all your favorite retail stores both online and in person.
Lori Caden
After giving birth to her first child, Lori found herself struggling to regain her pre-baby figure. Together with her sisters, Lori launched the Belly Bandit line of maternity and post-pregnancy essentials to help mothers look and feel their best. Belly Bandit clothing is developed to speed recovery and provide support for stressed muscles and joints.
As a mom CEO, Lori understands the challenges of maintaining a work life balance. In a 2014 article from Huffington Post, she said that everyday brings new challenges, but she works to ensure that she is always available to take her kids to doctors appointments and take business calls when she needs to.
Alyson Eberle
When Alyson Eberle started looking for healthy and fresh baby food options for her newborn, she was disappointed with what she found. Instead of sacrifice quality for the convenience of what was already available, Alyson launched Pure Spoon.
“You had 2 choices, a) make it all at home or b) buy the gross, over-processed stuff that’s been sitting there on the shelf,” said Alyson via an email interview. “I learned what terrible things happen to food when it is expected to sit on the shelf for months or years and how nutrition and taste is simply ignored and convenience and profit margins are what companies focus on. I wanted to totally disrupt the baby food category.”
With a focus on providing high quality and fresh tasting baby food options, Pure Spoon grew quickly and today is available at both Whole Foods, Walmart and through home delivery.
Kate Torgersen
For moms that travel, breastfeeding is difficult, if not impossible. When Kate Torgersen was breastfeeding her twins, she struggled to bring home breastmilk when she traveled for work. Inspired to find a solution to help moms feed their babies no matter the demands of their jobs, Kate launched Milk Stork.
Milk Stork customers arrive at their travel location with a cooler waiting for them upon check-in, allowing mom’s to pump in their privacy of their hotel and overnight milk back home for immediate use. Mom’s who travel can reserve the Milk Stork service online starting at just $79 for basic pump and tote kits. Many family first companies are now including Milk Stork as part of their benefits program, helping retain Mom’s through pregnancy and beyond.
Starting your own business doesn’t have to begin with an abundance of time and a large financial commitment. Just like these ladies, you can launch your dream company with persistence and drive to be successful. Women owned business have a $3 trillion [that’s right, 12 zeros trillion] economic impact, contributing over 23 million jobs to the United States.
If you find yourself in need of encouragement and support, Founding Moms, created by another fantastic momtrepreneur, offers local meetups and online groups for Mom business owners just like you! With an in-depth list of resources and services available to members, Founding Moms has done the leg work on all the tools you need to be successful when launching your business
Find a Momtreprenuer Tribe
Learn more about Founding Moms.
Find a Founding Moms Exchange.
Ready to get turn your dreams into reality? You can start goal setting for 2018 today!
Photo Credits: Pexels, Kendra Scott, aden + anais, Freshly Picked
