Moms everywhere are harboring secret fantasies ... fantasies of starting their own businesses. For many women, the idea of a traditional job and workday is hard to swallow after having kids. So the flexible schedule and intellectual challenges—not to mention the extra income—of working for themselves is too appealing for some moms to ignore.
But starting a business, particularly with a child at home, is no small task. It can be lonely and frustrating when there's no infrastructure or staff to fall back on when your computer crashes or you can't nail down a contract. Plus, it can be expensive with the up-front investment in materials, marketing, and more.
So what drives a mom to take the leap and launch her own business?
Some moms, like Deepti Shankar, founder of Earthentree, just get fed up with their jobs and overall work situations after having a baby. After her daughter, Tara, was born, Deepti returned to her position at an Asian art gallery in Seattle, but the situation was less than ideal. Her salary barely covered the cost of her daughter's day care, and she couldn't even find a place to use her breast pump. For Deepti, it was time to do her own thing.
Deepti's sister in India had sent Tara some beautiful handmade wooden toys from a neighboring village, which other moms had remarked on during playdates and in the park. Since Deepti's background was in South Asian arts and crafts and she felt a strong pull to her native India, she decided to try importing and selling the handmade toys.
Other moms, like Lauren Bentley, have a passion they want to pursue. Lauren, a former fashion editor for Cookie and Lucky, loved to bake, and after 9/11 she delivered her homemade goodies to the emergency workers in her downtown Manhattan neighborhood.
But it wasn't until Lauren's son Owen turned 5 that she decided to follow her heart and launch Made Fresh Daily. Bentley wanted to make muffins and cupcakes that are delicious and all natural, with organic dairy products, local fruit, and less sugar.
And then there are the lucky few, like Heather Thomson, who create something new—an innovative product that fills a real niche. While Heather was working full time as co–creative director for Beyoncé and Tina Knowles' Beyond Productions and trying to care for her 6-month-old son, Jax, who was recovering from a rare disease that required a liver transplant, she was also getting tired of wrestling girdles while trying to flatten her postpartum tummy. Finally, sitting in her living room, she sewed herself an ingenious top using two fabrics: cotton on the top and bottom and micro-dernier, similar to spandex, in the middle. The Yummie Tummie by Heather Thomson tank was born.
Next Page: It Takes a Village
