Women make up the fastest-growing segment of small business owners today. That’s right: Mom’s the boss.
The term “mompreneur” was coined back in the late 1990s by Ellen Parlapiano and Pat Cobe, two leading authorities on women-owned businesses and coauthors of Mompreneurs: A Mother’s Practical Step-by-Step Guide to Work-at-Home Success and Mompreneurs Online: Using the Internet to Build Work@Home Success, as well as the creators of www.mompreneursonline.com (the pair has actually trademarked the term “mompreneur.”) Entrepreneur.com defines a mompreneur as a female business owner who’s actively balancing the roles of mother and entrepreneur. That’s a good description of where Mariah Smith found herself when her hobby evolved into Mariah Smith Photography, a thriving business that includes photography services for individuals, families and corporations. In 2006, Smith decided to start charging for her services and a part-time business was born. When the slumping economy impacted her husband’s earnings, Smith’s mama bear instinct to provide and protect kicked in. It was 2010 and Smith was doing so well that she and her husband decided to switch roles: He’d stay home and take care of the kids, while she became 100 percent financially responsible for the family. She readily admits she wouldn’t be in the place where she is today without his support, given the challenges and demands of raising children and owning a business.
Eager to connect to other women who owned businesses and had small children, (her own are now ages two and six) she first looked to see if there was a group she could join. When she didn’t find anything, the enterprising mother decided to start something herself. She began her quest for members by reaching out to like- minded local moms who were also respected business owners. Their group, called The Ambitious Mompreneurs, started meeting more than a year ago. “The women involved with this group have created a support system that’s geared specifically toward moms who own a business and are raising young children,” says Smith.
Cupcake Boutique
One of the first people Smith contacted through a blind email was Jenny Romeyn, owner of Cupcake, a children’s and mothers-to-be boutique with locations in downtown Santa Rosa and Healdsburg as well as an online store at www.shopcupcake.com. A mainstay for many local moms and tots, it’s become a Wine Country shopping destination for people from as far away as Chicago and New York. Romeyn’s unique brand of urban chic is evident in every piece of merchandise she personally selects to sell in her store. She strives to carry lines that are aesthetically pleasing, many from smaller boutique brands run by families, and buys from local producers whenever possible.
“I was an entrepreneur long before I was a mother,” says Romeyn, who’d been both a wardrobe stylist in Los Angeles and a freelance interior designer who started her own line of handmade nursery accessories. With a 2-year-old son, a new boutique in Healdsburg and a driven husband who has his own business, this mom has a full schedule. However, another advantage to being a mompreneur is that being the boss means you get to create your own solutions.
One way Romeyn integrated work and family was by redesigning her home office so it housed not only a desk for her and one for her husband, but it also had a designated play area. She created a space where she could watch her son occupy himself while she worked at her computer. On several occasions, she and Smith have collaborated at those desks while their children played together nearby.
Sift Cupcake and Dessert Bar
Andrea Ballus, whose business card reads Pastry Pushin’ Proprietress, is the creator of Sift Cupcake and Dessert Bar with locations in Cotati, Santa Rosa and Napa. She laughs when told she’s referred to by the other mompreneurs as “the famous one.” A winner on Food Network’s popular TV show “Cupcake Wars,” the pretty brunette with an easy smile says she has a great deal of respect for the other women and really enjoys spending time with them. “You have to really trust people you share information about your business and personal life with,” says Ballus. She too has recently expanded her business by adding a party space (perfect for company holiday parties, rehearsal dinners and other festive occasions) and a mobile dessert bar truck.
Ballus met Romeyn, who also heads up the Santa Rosa Downtown Business Association, when the boutique owner encouraged the baker to join that organization. They were both pregnant at the time and became friends. Romeyn told Ballus about the invitation she received from “a really motivated mom” who wanted to start a business group, and Ballus decided to tag along. As a business owner and then-mother of an infant (her son is now two), Ballus felt she could really use support—and that she had a lot to offer. She’s been a core member of the group ever since. “We’re really lucky to have such smart members. Everyone has something unique to contribute and we trust one another,” says Ballus.
She sought fellow group member Drea Helfer’s advice when she was revamping her store to create something different than a traditional bakery; her vision was more of a cupcake bar, similar to what one might encounter in a wine bar. Because Helfner deals with the wine industry on a daily basis, she was able to make some helpful suggestions that Ballus incorporated into her décor and presentation at her shops.
DH Wine Compliance
Helfer, owner of DH Wine Compliance, a 2-year-old company specializing in wine compliance startup licensing, consulting, operations reporting, compliance training and three-tier and direct-to-consumer licensing and reporting, was honored to be invited to join the mompreneurs. Helfer joined the mompreneurs after being told about the group by Mariah Smith’s husband (with whom Helfer had gone to school). “The amount of support I’ve received is almost immeasurable,” says Helfer. Although the industry she’s in doesn’t provide as many opportunities for cross marketing with the other businesses currently represented by the group, she still feels it adds tremendous value both professionally and personally.
Helfer founded DH Wine Compliance in January 2010 and, during the last 20 months, her business has quadrupled. “The women in our group understand my challenges in a more objective way than a friend would. They really understand the uniqueness of owning a business and raising young children.” With 2-year-old twin boys, a 4-year-old daughter, a rapidly expanding organization and a husband with his own company, Helfer’s schedule is packed. She takes great pride in owning her business and says, “I feel like I’m a better person and mom when I’m working.” She knows being fulfilled makes her a better mom. Nonetheless, she still occasionally suffers from what she and the other members refer to as “mommy guilt.”
When Helfer shared her feelings of guilt at one of the group meetings, Romeyn shared her own story. Her son, who was just learning to talk, had come over to her as she worked on the computer on a time-sensitive project and reached out and touched her hand and said “park,” clearly asking for some outside play time. She’d been thrilled to hear him use a new word in context, but felt horrible that she couldn’t just pick him up and take him right away. The women all agree that just being able to share how torn they sometimes feel when dealing with the conflicting time demands of work and children is helpful.
The group meets monthly at venues ranging from members’ homes to restaurants or offices. Smith occasionally arranges for a presentation about a business topic that’s of interest to everyone in the group though often it’s just a very informal gathering that provides everyone the chance to share what’s happening in the office and at home. Since everyone in the group has young children, the group is a conduit for parenting resources, information swapping and general support. When it comes to business affairs, if one of the women is grappling with a difficult situation or just needs some input regarding a particular situation, the others will help her problem-solve or participate in a brainstorming session to help her come up with some new ideas.
Marin County Mompreneurs
Liz McCarthy chose to become a real estate broker in 2004 so she could set her own schedule. In her previous job working for a software company, her global responsibilities meant frequent international travel, something she didn’t want to do as a new mom. Like many other new mothers living in Marin, she joined a mom’s club when her first children were born. Many of the Mother’s Clubs in Marin County had their own Mompreneur groups, but about two years ago, some mothers from the various clubs banded together and started a countywide group.
The larger group provided the women with more networking opportunities, and they began to host guest speakers to address such topics as using social media for profit and the basics of financial planning. Although there are more than 200 mompreneur members in Marin, typically anywhere from five to 25 members attend one of the two monthly venues, morning coffee and/or evening networking. The events usually take place at members’ offices or in coffee shops or restaurants, in a roundtable format, enabling each of the guests to introduce themselves and network as well as share successes and challenges they may be having with their businesses. Members have the opportunity to provide input, including suggestions or personal experiences that may help their peers increase their business.
McCarthy wasn’t one of the founding members, but today is a core member and one of the four administrators that help organize the meetings and membership. McCarthy, a top producer for McGuire Real Estate, a 2011 board member of the Marin Association of Realtors and 2010 president of the Marin Council of Woman Realtors, knows a thing or two about organizing a networking and support group. Six years ago, she gave birth to micropreemie twins that were born four months early. Only her daughter, Kaitlyn, survived and, as a tiny baby, she faced numerous health-related hurdles that required 250 doctor and therapy visits her first year alone.
Knowing she and her husband were traveling on the same harrowing road other micropreemie parents journeyed, McCarthy started an online support group. Her support group and blog, www.MicroPreemies.com, came to include members from all over the country. Giving back to other parents became a way to help her heal as she grieved the baby she’d lost. Her daughter continues to deal with health challenges but is now a vibrant young girl who enjoys the company of her active 3-year-old brother, Quinn.
Mompreneur advantages
All of the women included in this story say flexibility is one of the biggest advantages of being a mompreneur. For example, even with a stay-at-home-husband, Smith still likes to be the one to take her daughter to the dentist. “There are some activities that I still want to be an integral part of,” she says. Romeyn mentions one of the great things about having her own business is that it affords her the opportunity to create her own schedule. The downside might be that she doesn’t just work 9-to-5, but that’s fine with her. “I can leave early or come in late whenever I need to, and I have the flexibility to then check my point of sale system and look at inventory at midnight. Sometimes that’s what it takes to keep on top of it all and still be able to meet the needs of my son,” says Romeyn.
McCarthy says building relationships with other referral-based business owners has been the most profitable and rewarding aspect of being in the Marin Mompreneur group. As a real estate broker, she’s found homes for clients who were referred to her via fellow mompreneurs and has also referred her clients to other members of her group for other services.
Romeyn, Ballus and Smith have benefited from participating in a number of cross-promotional events, including a fall fashion shoot by Smith for Cupcake’s 2011 fall line featuring local children as models, and the grand opening of Cupcake in Healdsburg that featured tasty treats from Sift.
Success during the downturn
Even during the last few, economically challenging years, when many businesses had to close their doors, these women successfully started or expanded their operations. The trend isn’t surprising, considering the NWBC found women-owned firms grew at twice the rate of male-owned businesses for the period from 1997 to 2007, with women-owned firms making up 28.7 percent of all nonfarm businesses across the country and generating $1.2 trillion in total receipts during that timeframe.
According to a report published in early 2010 by The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute, female-owned small businesses are projected to be responsible for creating one-third of the 15.3 million new jobs anticipated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics by 2018.
With Mompreneur recruitment and membership expanding in both Marin and Sonoma counties, it’s safe to say that mom business owners will find the support and resources they need to continue to be a driving force in our recovering economy.
How to join
The Sonoma County-based Ambitious Mompreneurs group is looking for a few new members but would like to continue to keep their membership small. They prefer only one member per business sector. New members will be chosen through an application and invitation process. Potential applicants can contact Mariah Smith at mariah@mariahsmith.com for more information.
The Marin Mompreneurs group is open to any self-employed mom. For meeting and membership details, check the website or contact Liz McCarthy at (415) 250-4929 or liz@BayAreaRealEstateSales.com.
