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Earlier this month we announced Mom, Incorporated authors, Aliza Sherman & Danielle Smith, joining the panel of judges for StartupNation’s fifth annual competition, “Leading Moms in Business,” sponsored by office supply superstore, Staples.
And the winners are…
The judging process has been completed and StartupNation has announced the winners of the 2013 competition:
1 – PJ Jonas of Goat Milk Stuff, which makes goat milk soap with the milk from their own dairy goats, a product that helps with dry and sensitive skin or skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, acne or rosacea.
2 – Debra Baretta, Founder of Mama Baretta, an organic baking company specializing in food sensitivities.
3 – Sheri Atwood, CEO and Founder of Ittavi, an expense management and bill payment management system for child support.
Congratulations to the winners and many thanks to the contest sponsor, Staples, and to StartupNation for recognizing the achievements of mothers building and running successful businesses. For more information on the contest and winners, visit StartupNation’s Leading Moms in Business contest page.
Lindsay Joly didn’t set out to be a professional blogger. A talented writer who had a book published at the age of 17, Joly was no stranger to the written word. But now instead of fiction, she has taken to capturing the story of her life as a mom. Through You Are The Roots, Linsday Joly is blogging her way through first-time motherhood with photographs, personal anecdotes, product reviews, and giveaways.
Though she may not have intended to become an entrepreneur, Joly has found her hobby has now grown into a business that she can enjoy while caring for her now two-year-old son.
MomIncorporated: When you started your blog did you know right away that you were going to turn it into a profit-earning business?
Linsday: When I first started my blog, I did so as a means to document my first pregnancy in great detail, both for myself and for friends and family who lived out of state. It was a great place to keep the information overload from doctor’s appointments, weekly “belly growth” photographs and just my feelings in general to have to look back on and reflect. As my pregnancy continued, followed by my son’s birth and now his current toddlerhood, it sort of turned into something more. It wasn’t until my son was almost one that I decided to accept paid advertisements on my blog. Continue reading
Mom, Incorporated authors, Aliza Sherman & Danielle Smith, have joined the esteemed panel of judges for StartupNation’s fifth annual competition, “Leading Moms in Business,” sponsored by office supply superstore, Staples.
StartupNation is an online resource that provides information and support for small-business owners and entrepreneurs. Their contest celebrates the hard work and dedication of women who are taking care of their families and running a successful business. Danielle and Aliza literally wrote the book about juggling motherhood and entrepreneurship in their holistic guide.
“We are honored to be invited to participate on the panel of judges,” said Aliza. “Startup Nation is a stellar resource for business owners, and we love the fact that they are recognizing moms with companies, a powerful force in business today.”
Aliza and Danielle will be joined by four additional judges on the panel: Jeff Sloan and Rich Sloan, founders of StartupNation, veteran media executive, Carolyn Wall, and Kim Jarvis, President, C. Jarvis Insurance Agency.
This year’s competition received nearly 350 entries of mom-owned businesses from throughout the United States. The top 10 businesses as decided by a popular vote will be presented to the panel of judges to be scored on the following criteria: 1) Revenue growth 2) Innovation 3) Creativity 4) Future growth potential.
The prizes for the competition are:
• One first place winner will receive $10,000 from Staples
• The top three winners will receive a $1,000 Staples gift card towards their office improvement efforts, a complimentary workplace design consultation from Business Interiors by Staples, and a complimentary business growth consultation by StartupNation founders, Jeff and Rich Sloan.
The winners of the competition will be announced later this month. In the meantime, Aliza and Danielle share some of their wisdom and advice for mom business owners in an interview with StartupNation, The Art of Being a Successful Mom Business Owner.
Rebecca Batisto is the founder of Abask Marketing, a full-service marketing agency specializing in everything from social networking and website production to public relations and everything in between. She created the business from home while working a full-time job but as her “side” business grew she was able to leave that job to focus on running her own business full-time. And, just two weeks later she found out she was pregnant! She is now the proud mom to two children under three and is successfully running her business out of her home office in sunny South Florida.
She knew she wanted to be an entrepreneur and a mother but becoming both at the same time was more of a challenge than she had anticipated. Rebecca shares some of the lessons she learned through this experience and offers some guidance to help you along your journey. Continue reading
Minneapolis mom, Sonal Gerten, founded Tumblewalla, an Indian-inspired line of brightly colored organic cotton play wear for babies and toddlers, which she runs out of her home while caring for her now three-year-old son. Serious about play, she also created the Tumble & Tickle Movement, a philanthropical arm of the company that donates 5% from every item purchased to global nonprofit partners that make play happen for children around the world.
MomIncorporated: What inspired you to start Tumblewalla?
Sonal: When I was pregnant with my son, I, like most moms, wanted to find distinctive, colorful and cozy clothes for my baby but everything for boys was in brown and blacks or had skulls and cross-bones on it – not what I was looking for!
At the time, I was intrigued by this nugget of a business idea but it didn’t feel right in my gut yet. It wasn’t until after I gave birth when I found it incredibly difficult to just enjoy the moment, laugh and be playful with my son, that I realized I could stand for something bigger than just the clothes – I wanted to help families be more in the moment and celebrate the whimsy and joys of being a child. This led to the beginnings of Tumblewalla and our Tumble and Tickle Movement. I strongly believe every child has a RIGHT to play and enjoy their childhood no matter where they live or their economic situation and this belief is the vision that fuels my work each day.
A good conference can be inspiring, motivating, empowering, and a great learning experience for anyone, including entrepreneurs and small business owners. Sometimes that’s just what you need to get you from where you are now to where you want to be next. Conferences can be a great way for mom entrepreneurs to energize themselves and connect with others who have started or want to start their own businesses. Here are some tips on how to make the most out of your conference experience. Continue reading
Guest Blog Post Submission Guidelines
Are you a mom entrepreneur with advice to share or an expert on starting a business? Share your expertise, advice and tips with the Mom, Incorporated community by submitting a guest post for our blog.
The Mom, Incorporated community is made up of women who have or want to start and grow a business from home with a baby or small children in their midst. We are geared toward mom entrepreneurs and small business owners, or those considering starting their own business, who could benefit from personal stories and advice about home-based businesses and the work/life juggle. Continue reading
Katie Wallace is a 26-year-old first time mom who created the Yummi Pouch, re-usable food pouch for baby food, with her husband 4 months after their daughter was born. No stranger to the entrepreneurial world, she also had her own web design studio and is the planner/organizer of the Seattle & Bellevue Mommie Mixer, a mom-focused event for 300 local moms and vendors.
MomIncorporated: What inspired you to develop a new product and launch a new company?
Katie: I created my own graphic design studio because I wanted to do something more than the opportunities that were available to me when I graduated with my business degree. I taught myself some basic web design languages, found a need for web design work or in some cases created the need, and got to work developing websites for people in my network. The skills I learned in 4 years working for various clients — design, marketing, SEO, branding — paved the way for my husband, Andy, and I to do everything “in-house” to launch our new startup, Yummi Pouch. Continue reading
Suzanne Browne, co-founder of Irish baby products company, Clevamama,™ shares her experience as a mompreneur and tips for those interested in starting their own business.
Sisters, Martina Delaney and Suzanne Browne, founders of Clevamama.™
I never really set out to be an entrepreneur. Instead I set out to be successful. Success to me means understanding the value of things, not the price. The value of hard work, honesty, trustworthiness, courageousness, belief and boldness is priceless. So whether you are a stay at home mom or a business tycoon, you will only be a success if you work damn hard at it.
My top 5 tips for success are:
In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, Mom, Incorporated had the opportunity to interview Suzanne Browne and Martina Delaney, the founders of Clevamama™, a mom-owned baby products company based out of Ireland that recently entered the American market.
MomIncorporated: How did you get started with Clevamama™ and how has it evolved into the business it is today?
Suzanne: Established in 2003, in the midst of three very small babies, very little sleep and a conveyor belt of feeding and changing, we had what you might call a “light bulb” moment. That moment led to the creation of a small family run online baby website where we sold third party baby products from our own homes.
Although our online shop was successful, it wasn’t long before we began to realise just how lucrative the nursery industry was. People are always going to have babies and the nursery industry is one of few that actually thrives in a recession!
As Moms, our primary goal was to develop an honest brand with pure products that would make parents lives that bit easier, safer and healthier. Hence the birth of Clevamama™ which coincided with the birth of my second baby! Designed by Moms for Moms, Clevamama™ products are creative, practical and above all, affordable. With over 40 products in our range we are proud to say we are now an international brand of choice. Continue reading