| When my son Finn was 18 months, I wanted our | | | | time available at this stage in your life! |
| playtime to be both fun and educational. I scoured | | | | 3. Know your numbers - just because you are a mom |
| teaching supply stores to find tools to help him learn | | | | and you truly know your market - you still need a |
| the basics. I put a box together and called it mama's | | | | business plan that addresses sales targets, profitability, |
| school. We got the box out daily for 20 minutes and | | | | return on investment etc. |
| worked on the alphabet, numbers, shapes & | | | | 4. Be Flexible & Focused - Mompreneurs hours |
| colors. By the time he was 3, he could read! | | | | need to be flexible, generally 9-3 but sometimes early |
| Parents at his nursery school asked me how I taught | | | | morning or late at night. You must be excellent at |
| him to read. I told them about my box of random | | | | switching gears and getting into the zone. It helps to |
| teaching tools and about our 20 minute focused | | | | have systems in place and delegate if you can. |
| sessions. It was at that point, I realized there might be a | | | | 5. Know your strengths and admit your weaknesses - |
| business in his success, so I created an educational | | | | Fill the gaps with people who are good at the things |
| toy. | | | | you are not good at. |
| I started by checking out the competition. I could not | | | | 6. Network - Tell everyone you meet about your |
| find any all-in-one learning kits for toddlers, so I knew | | | | business. Word of mouth within groups of moms is the |
| there was a gap in the market. I began to search for a | | | | most powerful marketing tool! |
| manufacturer, a designer and a web master. After | | | | 7. Talk to other mompreneurs - Ask them about their |
| nine months of dedication, my product launched. I sold | | | | experiences and share yours. Read about successful |
| 95 in 3 days at a local consumer show. I used this | | | | companies to stay inspired! |
| success to open doors with all local toy stores and | | | | 8. Develop a thick skin - A key trait of all |
| baby stores. After just 2 years, my products are | | | | entrepreneurs! You will meet a lot of naysayers along |
| available in large retailers across North America. | | | | the way. If you truly believe in your idea, your passion |
| Here are a few tips and words of wisdom for other | | | | will override negativity. |
| budding mompreneurs: | | | | 9. Hire a good book keeper - Sadly, many small |
| 1. Think your idea through - Truly visualize your days | | | | businesses fail in the first 5 years because they do not |
| ahead, will your business idea really give you more | | | | have a strong handle on their finances. |
| time with your kids or less? | | | | 10. Stay Positive - All businesses have ups & |
| 2. Talk is cheap - Execution is everything. It is fairly | | | | downs. You will have great days, good days, boring |
| easy to come up with a good idea but the hard work | | | | days and down right bad days. Keep your eye on |
| is putting that idea into motion! Be sure you have the | | | | your goal and never lose sight of your dream. |